Adam and the Ants "Dirk Wears White Sox" (1979)

1983 cover

Dirk Wears White Sox [debut]
release date: Nov. 30, 1979
format: vinyl (1983 reissue) / cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,92]
producer: Adam Ant
label: CBS Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Cartrouble (Parts 1 & 2)" - **2. "Kick" - *3. "Nine Plan Failed" - 6. "Cleopatra" - - B) **1. "Zerox" - *3. "Never Trust a Man (With Egg on His Face)" - *4. "Animals and Men" - 5. "The Idea" - **6. "Whip My Valise"
* [different track # on 1983 version], ** [only appear on 1983 version]

Studio debut album by Adam and the Ants originally released on the small independent label, Do It Records. All songs are written, arranged and produced by Adam Ant except tracks #1 & #2, which are produced by Chris Hughes. Adam and the Ants are Adam Ant (aka Stuart Leslie Goddard) as band leader, and he is credited for lead vocals, and for playing acoustic & electric guitars, piano, and harmonica - he has teamed up with Matthew Ashman on guitar and piano, Andrew Warren on bass, and with drummer Dave Barbarossa (credited as Dave Barbe). Fact is, the band always was Adam's project as the line-up before the recordings for the album had seen various incarnations, and just before the release, bassist Andrew Warren was replaced by Leigh Gorman. Shortly after the album release, the band went through another major change.
The band erupted in the post-punk vacuum, where no one seemed to have any idea of where contemporary music was going. The style is a big blend of influences with post-punk at the centre but with obvious links to glam rock, art rock, funk, and punk rock.
I didn't really hear of the band until they released Kings of the Wild Frontier (1980). I remember how we read an article about the band in a teenage music magazine one day in our German class back in 1980. That's actually the only German lesson I recall from that school year. We read about The Ants, their costumes and funny looks as well as other similar artists of new romantics, which i think The Ants were wrongly associated with at the time. I thought it was cool looking and had to check out the music, and that was when I discovered the fine 1980 album. Anyway, this album is different with a more glam rock, new wave, and art rock style to it. I didn't hear this album in its full length until buying the '83 vinyl version of the album, and by then the music already seemed dated.
Apparently, the manager of Sex Pistols, Malcolm McLaren, was involved in the promotional strategies for the band, and he was also the one, who is said to have pulled out most of the line-up for this album to establish the band Bow Wow Wow founded Jan. 1980.
[ allmusic.com4,5 / 5 stars ]

original cover

David Bowie "The Man Who Sold the World" (1970)

The Man Who Sold the World
release date: Nov. 1970
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,82]
producer: Tony Visconti
label: Mercury Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "All the Madmen" - 3. "Black Country Rock" - 8. "The Man Who Sold the World" (4 / 5) - 9. "The Supermen"

3rd studio album by David Bowie and the first to feature guitarist Mick Ronson. The album marks a change towards heavy rock with a distinct glam rock influence. On the one hand it's more homogeneous than its predecessor but also less appealing - perhaps due to more hard rock influence but less hit-based compositions, except from the fine title track. At places, e.g. track #3, Bowie (and backing band) sounds much like a clone of Marc Bolan and Tyrannosaurus Rex. The album was reissued by RCA Records in '72 with a new cover, and that album reached number #24 on national albums chart list.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, Q Magazine 3 / 5 stars ]

  

1971 alt. cover

1972 RCA reissue

John Lennon "The John Lennon Collection" (1982)

The John Lennon Collection (compilation)
release date: Nov. 8, 1982
format: vinyl (GHSP 2023)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]
producer: various
label: Geffen Records - nationality: England, UK

Compilation album by John Lennon originally released by Parlophone in the UK and by Geffen in the US, and by Parlophone / EMI elsewhere. The album contains 15 tracks and the songs are produced by Yoko Ono; by Lennon (A1, A3 to B9); Jack Douglas (B3 to B9); Phil Spector (A2, A3, A7 to B2).

Roger Whittaker "I Don't Believe in If Anymore" (1970)

I Don't Believe in If Anymore
release date: 1970
format: vinyl (1974 reissue) / digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Denis Preston
label: Philips - nationality: England, UK

5th studio album by Kenya-born Roger Whittaker. The reissue has a slightly different track listing than the original 1970 album released on Columbia Records.
The album is one of my own first acquisitions on vinyl. I left this to my parents when moving out of our family house, and then re-acquired it after my father's passing.

~ ~ ~

This post is part of MyMusicJourney, which enlists key releases that have shaped my musical taste when growing up and until age 14. Most of these releases come from my parents' and / or my older brother's collection.

Elvis Costello & The Attractions "Trust" (1981)

Trust
release date: Jan. 23, 1981
format: vinyl / digital (2015 remaster)
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,33]
producer: Nick Lowe with Roger Bechirian
label: F-Beat Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Clubland" (5 / 5) (better sound) (live) - 2. "Lover's Walk" - 3. "You'll Never Be a Man" - 4. "Pretty Words" - 5. "Strict Time" (4,5 / 5) - 6. "Luxembourg" - 7. "Watch Your Step" (4,5 / 5) - 8. "New Lace Sleeves" (4,5 / 5) - 9. "From a Whisper to a Scream" (4,5 / 5) - 10. "Different Finger" - 11. "White Knuckles" - 12. "Shot With His Own Gun" (4,5 / 5) - 13. "Fish 'n' Chip Paper" - 14. "Big Sister's Clothes" (5 / 5)

[ full album playlist ]

5th studio album by Costello and his third consecutive release with The Attractions is like his previous four albums produced by Nick Lowe. The album is also his fifth studio album in just four years, which at the time made him renowned for his pace as a songwriter having so far 'only' released his own original material.

Stylistically, this is - I feel - more in family with Armed Forces than the predecessor with a stress under singer / songwriter. It's a fine conglomerate of all his strengths: strong lyrics, great hooks, power pop, energetic new wave and heavy ballads. "Clubland" is like no other song with its calm, its soul, AND its sheer energy!

The album has always been one of my favourite Costello albums, and I simply don't understand how it was seen as inferior to his first four. Perhaps critics just needed a break from praising yet another Costello album 'cause how was it even possible to release quality songs again and again?! Anyway, I cannot leave a single track out when highlighting the best tracks. "Luxembourg" is perhaps the weakest track here, but speaking of 'weak' when that would be a damn fine song on most other artists' albums. Critics still liked the album, although, it has been rated in even more positive terms retrospectively.

The 2015 remaster is released by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab.

Highly recommendable.

[ allmusic.com, Blender, Rolling Stone, Uncut 5 / 5, Smash Hits 4,5 / 5 stars ]

2015 remaster

XTC "White Music" (1978)

White Music [debut]
release date: Jan. 20, 1978
format: vinyl (V2095) / cd (2001 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]
producer: John Leckie
label: Virgin Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Radios in Motion" - 3. "This Is Pop" (4,5 / 5) - 4. "Do What You Do" - 5. "Statue of Liberty" (4,5 / 5) - 7. "Into the Atom Age" (5 / 5) - 6. "All Along the Watchtower" - 8. "I'll Set Myself on Fire" (4,5 / 5) - 10. "New Town Animal in a Furnished Cage" - 12. "Neon Shuffle" - *13. "Science Friction" - *16. "Hang on to the Night" (4,5 / 5) - *18. "Traffic Light Rock"
* bonus tracks on 2001 remaster containing an additional 7 tracks.

Studio album debut by British band XTC is in its original issue a 12 track album. The band was formed as Star Park in 1972 in Swindon, Wiltshire, UK by Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding and Terry Chambers, and around '73 they were renamed Helium Kidz with the addition of keyboardist Jonathan Perkins, and in '75, after considering the name The Dukes of Stratosphear [!], they settled with the name XTC. Shortly after, Perkins left and in '76 Barry Andrews joined the band.

With many musical influences this album is somewhat difficult to narrow in, stylistically. Partridge and Moulding grew up listening to psychedelic rock [which may explain the inclusion of the Hendrix cover, track #6], and they were apparently captivated by art rock, glam rock and proto-punk as new musical styles of the mid-70s. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Andy Partridge, bassist & vocalist, and (other) musical composer, Colin Moulding, Barry Andrews on piano & organ, and with Terry Chambers on drums.
White Music is rich on energy and was easy to categorise as punk rock or: new wave, which was by then nearly pseudonymous, although, the term new wave would be used to identify almost any new style that wasn't exactly punk rock but was just rich in energy and fell out on already established styles. The term zolo was much later (in the 1990s) often used when speaking of new wave artist - like Devo, Split Enz, Snakefinger, Sparks, The Residents as well as XTC - all playing "hyper jerky rhythms" and utilising cacophonous, yet harmonious bleeps and boings, one could add.
The album didn't catch my attention until years later. I heard it then but was probably just too young and naive to get it. I think, it's among the 10 best new wave, art pop, punk rock albums ever made. I was only 13 when this was released and I believe I must've been about 15 when I heard it for the first time. I always loved this specific album more than most new wave and punk releases way back then, although XTC was never my absolute favourites. Joy Division, The Clash, The Cure, The Jam, Ramones, Dead Kennedys, Elvis Costello, Stiff Little Fingers, The Skids - they all were ranked just a little bit higher on my personal list... back then, mind you. 'Cause when I hear them today, some 30 years later, they are one of just a handful of artists that I really still enjoy. All the aforementioned artists still have something to offer but they were also highly praised. In retrospect, XTC were the avantgarde, although most people weren't aware of it back then. Their music was already post-punk even long before punk was over - it had only just begun! I don't know for certain but it seems to me that they must've been highly influenced by Roxy Music, Eno, Bowie, New York Dolls, AND Beatles BUT being highly original, they sounded just like no one else. Lots of great new music was released in '78, which explains why this album is not among my favourite top 3 for this year. The Clash released their most significant album that year Give 'Em Enough Rope, The Jam also launched their best [?] album ever All Mod Cons, and Elvis Costello put it all together after his significant debut with This Year's Model - these are all albums I have played till my parents knew and hated every track by heart.
The music on White Music is much more than just a short exciting chapter of British punk - the album is (now) a cornerstone of modern music history and XTC has influenced generations of new artists, and to me this is no less than a stunning work of art that never has ceased to find its way to my current playlist, and it's an album that just doesn't seem to ever sound dated.
[ allmusic.com, Q Magazine 3 / 5 stars ]

La Roux "La Roux" (2009)

La Roux [debut]
release date: Jun. 29, 2009
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]
producer: Elly Jackson, Ben Langmaid
label: Polydor - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "In for the Kill" (4 / 5) - 3. "Quicksand" (5 / 5) - 4. "Bulletproof" (5 / 5) (Abbey Road Sessions) - 5. "Colourless Colour" - 6. "I'm Not Your Toy" - 9. "Fascination" - 11. "Armour Love" - *14. "In for the Kill (Skream's Let's Get Ravey Remix)"
*Bonus track on enhanced Japanese issue

Studio album debut by La Roux consisting of vocalist and keyboardist Elly Jackson and producer Ben Langmaid. Most songs on the album are written by both Jackson and Langmaid.
Stylistically, it's synthpop and electropop with a strong dance-able appeal.
The album spawned positive reviews and four singles were released. The first single release from the album was "Quicksand" - already issued Nov. 2008 as a rather unnoticed release topping at number #129 on the national singles chart list. "In for the Kill" was released in early Mar. 2009 to a surprising success reaching number #2 on the same list, and it was awarded the prize, Single of the Year at iTunes 2009 UK Music Awards and Best Dancefloor Filler at NME Awards (Skream Remix version).
Just prior to the album release in early June, "Bulletproof" was issued and it became the biggest hit from the album, entering the singles chart list as number #1 in the UK. The last single release was "I'm Not Your Toy" reaching number #27. The album also fared very well and peaked as number #2 on the albums chart list in the UK, and it was also nominated Best Album at the Virgin Media Music Awards as well as the Mercury Prize Award (won by "Speech Therapy" by Speech Debelle). Likewise, La Roux was nominated an awarded a number of prizes.
The music may not be the most original lands very securely in the midst of electropop, but with fine hooks and Elly Jacksoon's fine vocals, La Roux is a welcome blow of fresh air. You may argue that the album is so front-loaded that you forget it's entire album as three songs are truly some of the finest electropop you'll ever find. Unfortunately, not all songs reach the same high level, although, that also seems very unlikely. The duo hasn't been very productive in the aftermath of the album - perhaps the success was too overwhelming? Jackson has featured on several other artists' songs, and she has a delightfully original and highly characteristic singing voice.
Highly recommendable.
[ allmusic.com, Q Magazine, Rolling Stone 4 / 5, NME 4,5 / 5, The Guardian, Slant 3 / 5 stars ]

David Bowie "David Bowie [Space Oddity]" (1969)

David Bowie [Space Oddity]
release date: Nov. 4, 1969
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,96]
producer: Tony Visconti
label: EMI Japan - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Space Oddity" (5 / 5) - 2. "Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed" - 4. "Letter to Hermione" - 7. "An Occasional Dream" - 10. "Memory of a Free Festival"

2nd studio album by David Bowie and the first to be produced by Tony Visconti. The album was originally released on Philips Records as David Bowie. In 1972, after Bowie had signed with RCA Records, RCA reissued the album as Space Oddity (leaving out track #3, "Don't Sit Down").
Now with Visconti as producer the sound appears tighter, more energetic, and Bowie has moved away from the Britishness of baroque pop, which was quite typical for the period, and instead he has fused the album with blues rock elements and more straight-forward compositions founded on more traditional rock & roll instrumentation - perhaps influenced by a more American traditional style, also delivered by The Rolling Stones. Fleetwood Mac and The Who. The obvious hit on the album is "Space Oddity", which was Bowie's first hit song making it to number #5 on the national singles chart list, however, the remaining songs are somewhat distanced from that single, and the album comes out as a bit unfocused without a clear style or direction. Some tracks are pure blues rock compositions with what appears as a distinct The Doors inspiration, whereas other tracks are more subdued psychedelic pop songs completely without the rock tension.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]

Luksus "Repertoire" (1998)

Repertoire [debut]

release date: Mar. 10, 1998

format: cd (LIDOCD12)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]

producer: Tue Madsen & Mikael Simpson

label: Lidocaine Records - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Waiting for the Good Life" - 2. "Myrtilles" - 3. "Hit-and-Run Driver" - 5. "Victoria" - 9. "Wash & Go" - 11. "El Dorado"

Full-length studio debut by Luksus is like the '97 ep produced by Madsen and Simpson. The song "El Dorado" also appears on the ep but here it's included in a new arrangement and apart from that the album comes with ten new songs.

Compared to the ep, Repertoire still echoes especially Lush, Sundays, and The Smiths, but also at times here: The Cranberries, although, everything is held in a stronger original tone of their own when comparing to the ep.

Repertoire is a fine debut, which gave promises of more ahead but alas it also became the band's first and only full-length album as the band decided to part ways in 2001. Both Mikael Simpson and Lise Westzynthius solo-debuted in 2002.

Gloria Gaynor "Glorious" (1977)

Glorious
release date: 1977
format: vinyl
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Gregg Diamond, Joe Beck
label: Polydor - nationality: USA

4th studio album by Gloria Gaynor.

C.V. Jørgensen "En stynet strejfer" (1974)

En stynet strejfer [debut]

release date: 1974

format: *cd (2004 remaster)

[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,72]

producer: non-produced (rec. with sound engineer Werner Scherrer)

label: Frituna - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 2. "Hey Steen Salonfirben" - 3. "Piano Rob" - 5. "En stynet strejfer" - 8. "Alt er stille indtil videre"

Studio album debut by Danish singer / songwriter C.V. Jørgensen aka Carsten Jørgensen - in whose name the V is for 'Valentin' which is an artistic addition - originally released on the label Hookfarm.

C.V. Jørgensen is credited as songwriter and composer of all nine tracks, on on this he is backed by guitarist Ivan Sonne Horn, bassist Erik Falck, and by drummer Gert Smedegård Andreasen.

Musically, the album places itself far from Jørgensen's later releases by being a fairly experimental and psychedelic rock release (with some inspiration from The Mothers of Invention and Cream) as well as being folk rock-founded with clear inspiration in Bob Dylan. As songwriter, Jørgensen narrates in a contemporary stereotypical psychedelic style, which bears some of the same features as early compositions by Marc Bolan, and especially the lyrics by the two fellow-countrymen songwriter Leif Roden in Alrune Rod and Eik Skalø as heard on the landmark debut by Steppeulvene: Hip (1967).

The album didn't attract much recognition, and several tracks also sound like jam sessions in the studio without a clear direction - perhaps inspired by Captain Beefheart? - but on the other hand it's clear that the participating musicians are skilled instrumentalists, and already here, Jørgensen has a distinct original vocal quality, which attracts some attention to the lyrics.

In Jørgensen's discography, the album shares several similarities with the sequel T-Shirts, gummisko og terylenebukser (1975), and together they may be seen as part of his formative years on an artistic journey somewhat detached from his later style and works.

On the album here, the individual compositions at times sound like several connected ideas, where one melodic line is abruptly juxtaposed with another - which was probably an artistic choice that defined a certain music, which was not only chaotic, but nevertheless, could be seen as a result of an improvisational approach - again with some reference to the old Captain.

En stynet strejfer is an interesting piece of music history, which mostly functions as fan material.

*included on the compilation De 2 første ['The first two'] (2004), a 2-cd-release containing Jørgensen's first two albums.

Joy Division "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (1980) (single)

Love Will Tear Us Apart, 12'' single
release date: Jun. 1980
format: vinyl (FACT 23-12) / digital
[single rate: 4 / 5] [4,12]
producer: Martin Hannett
label: Factory Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: A) 1. "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (5 / 5) - - B) 1. "These Days" - 2. "Love Will Tear Us Apart" [alternate take]

Single release by Joy Division released as 7'' single, Apr. '80.

This is their most beautiful and widespread 'pop'-song and only real radio hit. The A-side track has been covered by countless artists [see below] over the years but this is naturally the best version. None of the tracks figure on any official album releases apart from later compilations and on the second John Peel release.
Together with the single "Atmosphere" these are the last studio recordings by the band.

~ ~ ~

"When the routine bites hard - and ambitions are low
and the resentment rides high - but emotions wont grow
and we're changing our ways - taking different roads
then love, love will tear us apart... again"

~ ~ ~

A few selected cover versions:

New Order (4 / 5) (Live version and hardly a cover-version)
~ ~ ~
Paul Young (3,5 / 5) (taken from No Parlez, 1983, debut album)

Revere & Toumani Diabaté (3,5 / 5)
~ ~ ~
Honeyroot (3 / 5)
Cienfuegos (feat. Mimi Maura) (3 / 5) (taken from Hacia el cosmos, 1999)
José González (3 / 5) (live)
~ ~ ~
Bernard Sumner (2 / 5) (Bernard of Joy Division in an acoustic live version)
Nouvelle Vague (2 / 5) (live)
Atoms for Peace / Thom Yorke (2 / 5) (live version)
The Cure (2 / 5) (live version)
Nerina Pallot (2 / 5)
Susanna and The Magical Orchestra (2 / 5)
Evelyn Evelyn (2 / 5)
Calexico (2 / 5)

~ ~ ~
Moonspell (1 / 5)

The Swans (1 / 5)
~ ~ ~
Yat Kha (0,5 / 5)

.  .  .
.  .
. 

BEST OF 1976:Jean-Michel Jarre "Oxygène" (1976)

Oxygène
release date: Dec. 1976
format: vinyl (1977 Scandinavia) / cd
[album rate: 5 / 5] [4,82]
producer: Jean Michel Jarre
label: Polydor Records - nationality: France

Tracklist: 1. "Oxygène (Part I)" - 2. "Oxygène (Part II)" - 3. "Oxygène (Part III)" - 4. "Oxygène (Part IV)" - 5. "Oxygène (Part V)" 6. "Oxygène (Part VI)"

3rd studio album by Jean-Michel Jarre, originally released on Disques Dreyfus, is the French avantgardist's surreal yet sublime masterpiece, which is a corner stone for all electronic music. I was just a little more than 10 years old when the album came out, but I remember it 'cause my older brother bought the album a few years later and he played it a lot. This is from a time when I first became aware of the many different qualities of various types of music. At the age of 14 I visited London for the first time, and today, more than 30 years later, I still recall many of the album titles that I brought back home from that trip, and this was just one of them. Jarre was ahead of his time, and it was like looking into the future when listening to his music. I still listened to ABBA and Boney M, so this was something quite different. The album is still fascinating as a modern classic, and it has probably inspired many electronic artists in the present time of the release but also in the many new shapes of electronic eras since then.
The album is the only album by Jarre to be enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[allmusic.com 5 / 5 stars]

1976 Favourite releases: 1. Jean-Michel Jarre Oxygène - 2. Ramones Ramones - 3. Ennio Morricone Novecento (OST)

Jean-Michel Jarre

~ ~ ~

Jean-Michel Jarre (aka Jean-Michel André Jarre, birth name; aka: '1906', 'Foggy Joe Band', 'Jamie Jefferson', 'Pop Corn Orchestra') born Aug. 24, 1948 in Lyon, France. Jarre is a French composer and best known as a pioneer of avant-garde synth pop new age ambient downtempo electronic music. His father is the classical French composer Maurice Jarre (Maurice-Alexis Jarre, especially known for composing film soundtracks).

~ ~ ~

Australian Crawl "Semantics" (1984)

Semantics (compilation)
release date: 1984
format: vinyl
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]
producer: Mark Opitz
label: Geffen Records - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "The Boys Light Up" - 5. "Reckless (Don't Be So)" - 7. "White Limbo" - 9. "The Night"

Expanded ep or compilation by Australian Crawl. The band released an ep with the same title and cover containing just four songs but that album was soon reissued in a heavily expanded edition for the American market. The original Australian version has a playing order (1-4) with the tracks #5, #9, #7, and #4 on the American issue. The additional tracks are re-recorded compositions taken from the band's debut album The Boys Light Up (1980) and the second album Sirocco from (1981), which from my pov makes it a compilation.

David Bowie "David Bowie" (1967)

org. cover

David Bowie [debut]
release date: Jun. 1, 1967
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,38]
producer: Mike Vernon
label: Deram Records - nationality: England, UK

Studio debut album by David Bowie [aka David Robert Jones, Jan. 8, 1947 - Jan. 10, 2016, Brixton, Greater London]. Stylistically, this is far from what Bowie was later associated with - this is baroque pop and much closer to the music of artists like The Kinks, Tommy Steele, and (apparently) Anthony Newley. It also resembles the style of a later '67 debut album by Scott Walker - music inspired primarily by British acts with certain amounts of The Beatles with an addition of a certain psychedelic pop element without being too extravagant nor innovative. This was not music that tried to seek out new musical territories or recreate pop music itself. The album didn't stir up things and basically was a rather unnoticed release in the UK, and it's quite difficult to link this with his later works. The album really only is interesting for historical reasons and as fan material. Otherwise, the album is not recommendable.
[ allmusic.com 2,5 / 5, Blender 1 / 5 stars ]

The Jam "All Mod Cons" (1978)

All Mod Cons
release date: Nov. 3, 1978
format: cd
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,56]
producer: Vic Coppersmith-Heaven, Chris Parry
label: Polydor Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: A) 1. "All Mod Cons" - 2. "To Be Someone (Didn't We Have a Nice Time)" (4 / 5) - 3. "Mr. Clean" (4 / 5) - 4. "David Watts" (4,5 / 5) (live) - 5. "English Rose" (5 / 5) - 6. "In the Crowd" (4 / 5) - - B) 1. "Billy Hunt" (4 / 5) - 2. "It's Too Bad" (5 / 5) (live) - 3. "Fly" (4 / 5) - 4. "The Place I Love" (5 / 5) - 5. "'A' Bomb in Wardour Street" (4 / 5) - 6. "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" (5 / 5)
[ full album playlist ]

3rd album by The Jam was released on Polydor Records and like the two first studio albums it was produced by Vic Coppersmith-Heaven and Chris Parry. After the great debut album In the City (1977), the band released This Is the Modern World (Nov. '77) only six months later, and that album is by many considered the weakest album by The Jam [I think it's much better today than then], but then they went on and made this near masterpiece. The album doesn't contain a single weak track. All songs except "David Watts" (by Ray Davies, org. performed by 'The Kinks') are written by Paul Weller who had already established himself as one of the best regarded English songwriters, and the album went as high as to number #6 on the UK albums chart list and it was the first The Jam album to sell Gold. The style has transformed from what took its starting point in the aggressiveness of punk rock on the debut to a more unique mod revival sound which loans from new wave and power pop. The album is deservedly enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com 5 / 5 stars ]

1978 Favourite releases: 1. The Clash Give 'Em Enough Rope - 2. The Jam All Mod Cons - 3. Bruce Springsteen Darkness on the Edge of Town

Luksus "Luksus" (ep) (1997)

Luksus (ep) [debut]

release date: 1997

format: cd

[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,16]

producer: Tue Madsen & Mikael Simpson

label: Lidocaine Records - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Particularly Lucky" - 2. "I Miss You" - 3. "Stardust" - 4. "El Dorado"

Studio ep debut by Danish indie pop band Luksus cosisting of vocalist and guitarist Mikael Simpson, vocalist and keyboardist Lise Westzynthius, bassist Georg Rune Andersen, and drummer Henrik Vibskov. Three tracks (tracks #4, #5, and #6) are written and composed by Simpson, two tracks (tracks #1 and #2) are credited Westzynthius, and track #3 is by Simpson and Westzynthius. The album consists of six compositions with a total running length of just under 27 minutes.

Musically, the band doesn't walk new paths, but the combo of strong influences from Lush and The Smiths are obvious, and at times a bit unoriginal. Especially, the vocal performance by Westzynthius often appears as attempts to copying the vocal phrasing by Morrissey (listen to "Particularly Lucky" and "My Late Twin (Piano)" - on which she even mentions listening to the Smiths).