Röyksopp "The Understanding" (2005)

The Understanding
release date: Jun. 27, 2005
format: cd (LTD.)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,32]
producer: Röyksopp
label: Wall of Sound - nationality: Norway

Track highlights: 1. "Triumphant" - 2. "Only This Moment" - 3. "49 Percent" - 7. "What Else Is There?" - 8. "Circuit Breaker" - 9. "Alpha Male" - *17. "Looser Now"
*Track 5 on bonus disc

2nd studio album by Norwegian duo Röyksopp continues where Melody A.M. ended - perhaps with an even stronger focus on synthpop on this.
The album was preceded by the single "Only This Moment", which fared quite Okay peaking at number #33 in the UK and as number #18 on the Dance list in the US. "49 Percent" was released after the album and it reached number #55 in the UK, but the single "What Else Is There?" featuring Karin Dreijer of the Swedish band The Knife became the best-selling single of the album peaking at number #32 on the general singles chart list in the UK; however, on top of the UK Dance list - and as number #4 in Norway. A fourth and final single release was issued in 2006 with the song "Beautiful Day Without You", which didn't leave traces on singles lists. The album entered the national albums chart list as number #1, peaked at number #7 in Sweden and number #13 in the UK.
The album doesn't contain a great number of hit songs but still serve to document how the duo is fully capable of making simplistic but alternative dance-friendly compositions without focusing on strong vocal harmonies, although, I still think they are best when making music with guest / featuring artists, which also is the case here with Chelonis R. Jones (tracks #3 and #13) and Karin Dreijer (track #7). Another thing, I like about the music is the way they make use of progressiveness as a musical trait, in a Jean-Michel Jarre (#9 "Alpha Male" and on other tracks) kind-of-way. It makes their music less confined though it often leaves me wanting it to lead to something instead of just running out.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone, Slant 3 / 5, The Guardian, NME 4 / 5 stars ]

Elvis Costello & The Attractions "Armed Forces" (1979)

Armed Forces
release date: Jan. 5, 1979
format: vinyl (foldout cover - RAD 56 597) / cd (1993 remaster Extended Play)
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,42]
producer: Nick Lowe
label: Radar Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Accidents Will Happen" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "Senior Service" - 3. "Oliver's Army" (5 / 5) - 4. "Big Boys" - 5. "Green Shirt" - 6. "Party Girl" - 7. "Goon Squad" - 8. "Busy Bodies" - 9. "Sunday's Best" - 10. "Moods for Moderns" - 11. "Chemistry Class" - 12. "Two Little Hitlers" - 13. "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?" (5 / 5) - *14. "My Funny Valentine" - *15. "Tiny Steps" - *16. "Clean Money" - *17. "Talking in the Dark" - *18. "Wednesday Week" - *19. "Accidents Will Happen" (Live) - *20. "Alison" (Live) - *21. "Watching the Detectives" (Live)
*Bonus tracks on 1993 Extended Play remaster

3rd studio album by Elvis Costello and the first official album release as Elvis Costello & The Attractions, although, The Attractions also backed Costello on his second studio album This Years Model. Allegedly, the new album had the working title "Emotional Fascism" (this title is printed on the inner sleeve of the vinyl album) and it was originally released on Radar Records with 12 songs and, once again, with Nick Lowe in the producer seat.

With Armed Forces, Costello both continues his wry and energetic new wave thrusts and takes his scores into more complex arrangements, which just sounds like the matured natural progression. The album contains 'the usual' strong and simple 1-2-3-4 rhythms, albeit fewer of them, and he has turned down on the power pop and instead placed more focus on strong ballad-like songs as well as more sophisticated compositions.
The album was one of the very first I encountered with Costello. I recall borrowing it from a friend and playing the copied cassette version over and over. Very quickly, the album was one of my preferred Costello albums and so it has remained throughout the years.
The album was met by critical acclaim and the first single "Oliver's Army" reached number #2 on the UK singles chart list, and soon also the album followed in its footsteps on the albums chart list. The American issue contained the track "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding", (soon to be a Costello staple, although written by Nick Lowe), and on the American issue this replaced the song "Sunday's Best".
The album has found its way to many best of lists including Q's "100 Greatest British Albums Ever", Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" as well as "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
The 1993 remastered Extended Play issue (on Demon Records) contains a mix of the EU and the US version of the original (making the original album a 13 track album) with the addition of 8 bonus tracks enlisted as the Extended Play content. First track of the bonus content is a marvellous version of "My Funny Valentine" - I think inspired both by the Chet Baker version but also the appraised Robert Wyatt cover of Costello's own "Shipbuilding", making it a very delicate and haunting piece with much jazz feel. Then follows four tracks that have been associated with the American-only release Taking Liberties from 1980, which includes the songs #15-18, ending with three live songs - a beautiful semi-acoustic live version of "Accidents Will Happen," the fine "Alison" and "Watching the Detectives." All in all, a more than adequate re-issue from Demon with a running time above 63 minutes, and when enlisting the highlights I have enlisted all tracks as they're all more than just ordinarily good. There are simply no fillers on the 21 tracks extended edition.
Armed Forces is perhaps the strongest contender to Costello's finest album, and it's surely one of the best of '79 and naturally, highly recommended.
[ allmusic.com, Blender, Rolling Stone 5 / 5 stars ]

Ellen Foley "Spirit of St. Louis" (1981)

Spirit of St. Louis
release date: Mar. 1981
format: vinyl
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,12]
producer: Mick Jones
label: Epic / Cleveland International - nationality: USA

2nd studio album by American singer an actress Ellen Foley. The album is produced by Mick Jones of The Clash, who was her then romantic affair. Foley had participated as background vocalist on the triple album Sandinista! (1980) by The Clash, and for Foley, Mick Jones and Joe Strummer have composed six of the album's twelve tracks and together with the two remaining members of The Clash, Paul Simonon and Topper Headon, they are all credited as musicians on all tracks.

The 101ers "Elgin Avenue Breakdown" (1981)

Elgin Avenue Breakdown (compilation)
release date: Mar. 1981
format: vinyl (AND 101) / digital (2005 reissue)
[album rate: 3 / 5]
producer: various
label: Andalucia Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: B) 4. "Keys to Your Heart" (4 / 5) (2005 remaster)

Compilation album by British pub-rock band The 101ers consisting of Joe Strummer (aka Woodie) on vocals and rhythm guitar, 'Evil' Clive Timperley on lead guitar and vocals, 'Desperate' Dan Kelleher on bass, keyboards and backing vocals, John Mole on bass, and with Richard 'Snakes' Dudanski on drums and backing vocals. The album contains compositions recorded on four occasions from Nov. 1975 to Apr. 1976 and are with slightly different line-ups as John Mole only handles bass on four tracks. Joe Strummer is credited for lyrics on six of the album's twelve compositions - and the only song exclusively by Strummer is also the best track on what appears as an incoherent album. "Keys to Your Heart" was also the band's first of only two original single releases, and the compilation album wasn't issued until The Clash had become a major band.

The Clash "Sandinista!" (1980)

Sandinista!
release date: Dec. 12, 1980
format: vinyl 3 lp (CBS 66363) / cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,74]
producer: Mickey Dread, The Clash
label: CBS Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: A) 1. "The Magnificent Seven" (4 / 5) - 3. "Junco Partner" - 4. "Ivan Meets G.I. Joe" - 5. "The Leader" (4 / 5) - - B) 1. "Rebel Waltz" - 3. "The Crooked Beat" - 4. "Somebody Got Murdered" (4 / 5) - 5. "One More Time" (4,5 / 5) - 6. "One More Dub" - - C) 1. "Lighting Strikes (Not Once But Twice)" - 2. "Up in Heaven (Not Only Here)" (4 / 5) - 3. "Corner Soul" (4 / 5) - 4. "Let's Go Crazy" (4,5 / 5) - - D) 1. "Police on My Back" (4,5 / 5) - 3. "The Equaliser" - 4. "The Call Up" (4,5 / 5) - 5. "Washington Bullets" - - E) 1. "Lose This Skin" - 2. "Charlie Don't Surf" (4 / 5) - 4. "Junkie Slip" - 5. "Kingston Advice" - - F) 1. "Version City" - 3. "Silicone on Sapphire" - 4. "Version Pardner"
[ full album playlist ]

4th studio album by The Clash is a triple vinyl album introducing the band's perhaps most radical work of art. If London Calling is acclaimed for its daring huge blend of styles, then this should simply be the best album of all times, if ever that was enough to make great music. With this, The Clash has composed music in punk rock, rockabilly, jazz rock, reggae, dub, post-punk, rock & roll, experimental rock and several tracks with no familiar style to label it with. It was tremendously daring to release an album of this sort - at this point of time. My initial feelings towards the album undoubtedly were shaped by disappointment and delusion. "Where were the great punk songs? What was wrong with punk rock?", I thought. I had only just discovered punk rock - loved it, and then this! From one of my absolute favourite bands! For the first 5 years, I felt they could have released a great regular album using 10-15 tracks from this abundance of... 36 [!]. But it's an album, I have only come to like and enjoy more and more over the years. Today, I'm close to handing it 4 / 5 stars, and then, back in '81, I would probably have handed it 2 / 5 - maybe 2,5 'cause it is The Clash after all. Yes, they could have scraped everything away, all the experiments with styles and genres and released a hell of an album, but this is so... much fun. I think, in the future this could be on par with the works of Mozart, Stravinsky or other major classical composers' work 'cause it's really unlike anything else, and not just that. There are so many layers here that once you find into the substance / the essence, it will keep you entertained for years and perhaps decades. Critics have also been divided on this - and they still are. I think, the album fits perfectly on any best of lists comprising the most valuable, most important albums of all time. Because 'best' is such a defining label. How about the importance of an album instead of just 'best'? This would be nominated for exactly such a prize.
[ allmusic.com 2,5 / 5, Q Magazine 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 5 / 5 stars ]

The Band "Cahoots" (1971)

Cahoots
release date: Sep. 15, 1971
format: cd (2009)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: The Band
label: Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab  - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "Life Is a Carnival" - 2. "When I Paint My Masterpiece" - 5. "4% Pantomime" - 7. "The Moon Struck One"

4th studio album by The Band recorded in a newly built studio in Bearsville, New York, originally released on Capitol Records, is the group's last album of original material in the following four years. The songs here are credited Robbie Robertson (eight alone), Rick Danko and Levon Helm (one song as co-writers with Robertson), one original by Bob Dylan (track #2) and one song by Van Morrison (track #5 together with Robertson). None of the songs are credited Richard Manuel or Garth Hudson and according to Helm, Manuel only appeared to play his parts before going his own ways.

Success hasn't made things easier for The Band. Internal conflicts about writing credits split the members and on top of that alcohol and drugs stood in the way of artistic outcome.

The album was met by luke-warm reviews and didn't sell as their two previous albums had done, although, it went as high as #15 and #21 on the Canadian and US album charts lists, respectively.

It's, however, no bad album at all. The band members themselves may have bad memories about the process, but they still play better than most despite the fact that a few of the tracks sound more like blue-prints or demo-takes of songs that were simply left as they came to be, e.g. "Last of the Blacksmiths", "Thinkin' Out Loud" and "Smoke Signal", but the remaining tracks only serve to document how well these guys played as a unit.

[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Q Magazine, Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]

Van Morrison "Blowin' Your Mind!" (1967)

Blowin' Your Mind!
release date: Sep. 1967
format: cd (1998 remaster)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,16]
producer: Bert Berns
label: Epic / Legacy - nationality: Northern Ireland, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Brown Eyed Girl" (5 / 5) (live) - 4. "Spanish Rose" - 7. "Who Drove the Red Sports Car?" - 8. "Midnight Special"

Studio album debut by Van Morrison [aka George Ivan Morrison] originally released on Bang Records (co-founded by producer Bert Berns). While still a part of Them, he was too much wanted as a solo singer - and at live concerts - and the band was often referred to as 'Them and Van Morrison' a name they never officially accepted but that was how the public and the press saw... Them. The success of the band led Morrison to initiate a solo career, which apparently, had him sign a contract with Bert Berns label Bang Records without giving it much attention.

Blowin' Your Mind! is not an album in the hands of Morrison himself, as Berns compiled the recordings and had the album released without Morrison's knowledge, which seems plausible looking at the song titles, the album cover, and also his second album release Astral Weeks on which Morrison had more control and what also reveals his true potential.
Anyway, the album is "filed" as his debut, and it does contain a few memorable tracks including his own classic "Brown Eyed Girl", but the sound and style of the album is very much bound to his successes with Them proving Berns directional wish to continue in the pop soul and uptempo sound that seemed the obvious choice but basically wasn't what Morrison himself wanted at the time.
Nevertheless, the album is there - it isn't a great release but it can't disguise the fact that Morrison has a remarkable talent and a strong singing voice.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]