Julian Bream and John Williams "Together Again" (1974)

Together Again
release date: 1974
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5]

Tracklist: 1-3. Ferdinando Carulli: 'Serenade, Op. 96' - 4. Enrique Granados: 'Danza Española, No. 6' - 5. Isaac Albeniz: 'Bajo La Palmera, Op. 232' - 6. Enrique Granados: 'Danza Española Nr. 11' - 7. Mauro Giuliani: 'Variazioni Concertanti, Op. 130' - 8. Isaac Albeniz: 'Evocación'

3rd collaboration work with Julian Bream and John Williams. Before this they released the album Julian & John (1973), which seems much alike their first co-work, Together (1972) featuring interpretations of works by Lawes, Carulli, Albéniz, and Granados, and this one really just continues the same path, now without Lawes but with Giuliani. The quality is at the same high level.

Australian Crawl "Sons of Beaches" (1982)

Sons of Beaches
release date: Jul. 1982
format: vinyl / digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: Mike Chapman
label: EMI - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "Runaway Girls" - 2. "Daughters of the Northern Coast" - 3. "Mid-Life Crisis" - 8. "Live Now, Pay Later" - 9. "Dianne" - 12. "(Not So) Happy Song for Problem Children"

3rd studio album by Australian rock band Australian Crawl follows one year after Sirocco, which had been nominated best Australian album of '81 at the Countdown Awards where lead vocalist of the band James Reyne won the prize as Most Popular Male Performer - as he also did in '82.
I heard the song (Not So) Happy Song for Problem Children on the national radio and simply had to check out the band. I found the album at a local record store around '83. I have always found that it's their very best song but in general, this album has a high standard and it contains a number of fine compositions. It is however, also the best album by Australian Crawl.

Julian Bream & John Williams "Together" (1972)

Together [debut]
release date: 1972
format: cd
[album rate: 4,5 / 5]

Tracklist: 1-3. William Lawes: 'Suite for Two Guitars' ('Corant') - 4-5. Ferdinando Carulli: 'Duo in G major' - 6-8. Fernando Sor 'L'encouragement' - 9. Isaac Albeniz: 'Cantos de Espana, Op. 232' - 10. Enrique Granados: 'Goyescas - Intermezzo' - 11 Manuel de Falla: 'Spanish Dance No. 1' - 12. Maurice Ravel: 'Pavane pour une infante défunte' - 13-18. Gabriel Faure: 'Dolly, Op. 56' - 19. Enrique Granados: 'Danzas espanolas, Op. 37'

1st collaboration work with these two great classical guitarists. Julian Bream is probably the best-known English classical guitarist playing Spanish guitar and lute. John Williams (not to be confused with the American classical conductor and composer of film music) is an Australian classical guitarist and like Bream mostly known for classical pieces for Spanish guitar. I came across this album around the late 1980s and has had an ear for Bream ever since.

Warm Guns "First Shot Live" (1979) (ep)

First Shot Live, ep
release date: 1979
format: vinyl (first pressing - WGLP1) / cd (1996 reissue)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,08]
producer: mixed by Lars Muhl, Werner Scherrer, Per Stan
label: Smash / CMC Records (reissue) - nationality: Denmark

Album ep debut by Danish new wave band Warm Guns from the city of Aarhus is a live album consisting of 7 tracks at a total playing time of 26 mins. The band consists of vocalist and primary composer Lars Muhl (also credited on piano), Jens G. Nielsen (who also plays drums in the band Gnags, and who is older brother to the artist Elisabeth Gjerluff Nielsen) on drums, Jacob Perbøll on bass, Per Møller on guitar and vocals, and with Lars Hybel on guitar and vocals. Well, at least that's how they are credited on the album. Fact is Lars Muhl is the band's lead vocalist, all others are singing backing vocals.
I purchased the album on vinyl back in the early '80s, and I was rather fond of it then. Now I think it's somewhat less interesting, and the album hasn't aged all to well. The band plays a British founded new wave, especially inspired by Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, Graham Parker, and The Knack, but also combined with a blend from American artists like Bruce Springsteen and Roy Orbison, it both sounds new and direct while maintaining something from the past. This particular album was recorded live in '78 at Aarhus Musik Teater.

Pink Floyd "Atom Heart Mother" (1970)

Atom Heart Mother
release date: Oct. 10, 1970
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5]
producer: Pink Floyd, Norman Smith
label: Harvest Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: 1. "Atom Heart Mother" - 2. "If" - 3. "Summer ´68" - 4. "Fat Old Sun" - 5. "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast"

5th studio album by Pink Floyd gave the band its first number #1 on the UK albums chart list. Musically, it's another experimental album introducing symphonic progressive with long classical sounding parts. The title track is an almost 24 min. long instrumental composition in 6 parts credited all band members and Ron Geesin. I think, the best and most memorable tracks here are "Summer '68", and "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast", but apart from that the band here demonstrates its technical skills and a focus on what is possible in a studio with quadraphonic sound recordings. The cover art is legendary, and is designed by Hipgnosis.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5, The Daily Telegraph 2 / 5 stars ]

Bauhaus "Mask" (1981)

Mask
release date: Oct. 1981
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,12]
producer: Bauhaus
label: Beggars Banquet - nationailty: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "The Passion of Lovers" (4,5 / 5) - 4. "Dancing" - 5. "Hollow Hills" (4 / 5) - 6. "Kick in the Eye" - 7. "In Fear of Fear" - 10. "Mask" (4,5 / 5)

2nd studio album by Bauhaus following one year after In the Flat Field is once again a release entirely produced by the band. They may appear to have changed record label but 4AD, who released the debut album as well as some of the band's early eps and singles, was a sublabel to Beggars Banquet as the mother company's 'testing ground' for upcoming artists, and as the debut had been met by critical acclaim, Bauhaus was moved to the mother company.
Mask is yet another strong and intense release of dark and sinister sounding gothic rock. What felt like a reminiscence of Joy Division on the debut is here completely gone, and the band has taken a rather original theatrical or: melodramatic step into darkness and depravity, and in some ways threads on paths that Marilyn Manson should much later investigate. This is an even stronger and more intense collection of songs than is heard on In the Flat Field, and it stands as one of the absolute best albums of gothic rock. The abum is the only Bauhaus album to be enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". The track "Passion of Lovers" was the first song I ever listened to by the band. I recorded it on tape from a radio programme, and I was absolutely fascinated by its intensity - demonstrating an originality in tension and atmosphere, which sounds fresh - even from a modern perspective.
The front cover of the album is a drawing by Daniel Ash.
Highly recommendable.
[ allmusic.com, Record Collector, Drowned in Sound 4 / 5 stars ]