Ramones "Subterranean Jungle" (1983)

Subterranean Jungle
release date: Feb. 28, 1983
format: cd
[album rate: 2,5 / 5]
producer: Ritchie Cordell, Glen Kolotkin
label: Sire Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Little Bit O' Soul" (3,5 / 5) - 3. "Outsider" (3 / 5)

7th studio album by Ramones, again with new producers to define a new sound. The album is the last to feature drummer Marky Ramone. Here it's like a move back to the new wave era, which mostly sounds strange. The overall style is more hard hitting version of rock compared to the predecessor, which may indicate that guitarist Johnny Ramone had his say about what direction to pick after having sought for success (and a personal style) for some time. In my opinion it only contains two good tracks, the rest are mediocre or worse, and I don't find that the album is anywhere near interesting.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Rolling Stone Album Guide 2 / 5 stars ]

Kate Bush "Lionheart" (1978)

Lionheart
release date: Nov. 10, 1978
format: cd / cd (2018 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,78]
producer: Andrew Powell with Kate Bush
label: EMI - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Symphony in Blue" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "In Search of Peter Pan" - 3. "Wow" (5 / 5) - 4. "Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake" - 5. "Oh England My Lionheart" 6. "Fullhouse" - 8. "Kashka From Baghdad" - 9. "Coffee Homeground"

2nd studio album by Kate Bush released only 9 months after her fantastic debut. Like on most of her works, she has composed all tracks on her own, and here she is credited as assistant to producer Andrew Powell. Musically, the album is close to the debut, only this is generally more quiet with stronger elements from progressive rock.
"Hammer Horror" was chosen as the first single from the album, which I don't really get. "Symphony in Blue", and "Wow" are easily the two most outstanding tracks on an album that fared well in the UK but wasn't released in the US until '84 because her debut album simply didn't sell.
The A-side is quite good and almost on par with the debut, but the B-side simply lacks great songs. It's far from a lesser album, I just find it lesser in comparison with her great masterpiece from earlier this very year.
Kate Bush initiated her only ever live tour in the spring of '79 to promote her first two albums - the experience on the road apparently was so negative that she never toured again.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

C.V. Jørgensen "Vild i varmen" (1978)

Vild i varmen

release date: Feb. 1978

format: cd (1988 reissue) (460833 2)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]

producer: Stig Kreutzfeldt

label: CBS Records - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Hotel Halleluja" - 2. "Lænker & laster" - 3. "I en blågrå kupé" - 4. "13.294 bananer" - 6. "Et satanisk mesterværk" - 7. "Det rene hetleri" - 9. "Clue"

4th studio album by C.V. Jørgensen originally released on Metronome, is Jørgensen's first of two consecutive albums to be produced by Stig Kreutzfeld, who served as sound engineer on the nine-month-old predecessor Storbyens små oaser (May 1977) and who had otherwise made a name for himself as part of the psychedelic folk duo Stig & Steen in the early seventies. The album introduces a more mainstream pop / rock sound, where focus has shifted from a primarily folk rock and country rock expression to that of a broader soft rock style, often referred to as AOR (Adult-Oriented Rock), where the jazzy element is completely cut away. Jørgensen's backing band, Det Ganske Lille Band, has here been expanded to a quartet featuring three renowned names: guitarist Ivan Horn, bassist Erik Falck, and drummer René Wulf, who all appeared on the '77 album, as well as new member, guitarist Thomas Grue (from Kim Larsen's backing band and studio musician for Jomfru Ane, Røde Mor, etc.). Grue already joined the tour in the fall of '77 to release C.V. from the role of rhythm guitarist so he could concentrate on singing. Stig Kreutzfeldt is heard on keys, but what perhaps marks the biggest musical shift is revealed in the composer credits. On Jørgensen's three previous albums, he is alone to be credited as songwriter and composer, but here the majority of the tracks are credited 'Valentin - Horn / Valentin' - with Valentin as alias for C.V. Jørgensen as songwriter and most tracks dedicated 'Valentin - Horn' as an indication of having been composed by Jørgensen in collaboration with guitarist Ivan Horn, who also acted as musical arranger.

With Vild i varmen following only nine months after the successful Storbyens små oaser, it already marks another change of style, which here implies a move towards more uptempo tracks with a tighter rhythm section, as well as showcasing more melody-based guitar and an obvious inclusion of funk.

All in all, it's a style that caters far more to a mainstream audience with preferences for J.J. Cale, Genesis, Fleetwood Mac, Kate Bush, and Little Feat and approaching domestic popular artists such as Gnags, Bifrost, and Gasolin'. "Hotel Halleluja", "Lænker & laster", and "I en blågrå kupé" are this album's three additions to Jørgensen's classics, while the final track "Clue" he actually delivers a clear love song. During this period, C.V. Jørgensen was mainly perceived as a band, and it's with three albums in the course of three years that they tour country and kingdom as one of the biggest Danish names.

Vocalist C.V. Jørgensen shows Danish rock with a flair for smart stories about ordinary people's everyday life, which is far removed from Springsteen's romanticisation of the conditions of the working class. In C.V.'s small portraits, Danes and their working life are instead made fun of with sharp ironic distance in an anonymised form, which is addressed more generally to parts of the population. He has sharpened his pen and talks about alienation and narrow-mindedness in a new and entertaining way. The songs are packed with humour without loss of the lyrical facet with a strong sense for melody and chorus, which in a way always points back to an inspiration drawn in the expression from especially American folk rock songwriters.

Vild i varman is a quite coherent album with sharp lyrics and an uptempo beat, without the same laid-back jazzy coolness of his most recent album. It's an album that shows C.V.'s new path to a position at the top of the hierarchy in popular Danish rock.

Recommended.

Muse "Black Holes and Revelations" (2006)

Black Holes and Revelations
release date: Jul. 3, 2006
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,12]

Track highlights: 2. "Starlight" - 3. "Supermassive Black Hole" - 4. "Map of the Problematique"

4th studio album by Muse. A few good tracks but nothing really great, imho - progressive rock in the alt. rock category is.. just.. not.. my style. I find links back to Yes, King Crimson, Rush, and Camel, and other major bands of the 1970s, which I didn't like then, and don't like now - mostly, it just becomes to symphonic and heavy for my liking. I do find that Muse with this album adds a new interesting dimension to its style. There are moments of art pop and perhaps even post-rock in this sound that I like - especially heard on the finest track, "Map of the Problematique". There are often references to western classical music, and this is something that I find do not work. The opening track "Take a Bow" is one big mix of different sources, and I don't like it much when I suddenly hear Philip Glass so evidently. The track is incoherent to say it mildly - but that's probably just me not understanding the genre. Five singles were released from the album and looking at the singles chart makes me fully come to terms with the fact that it's not really my kind of music as the best faring single is track #3, topping at number #4, which I would hand max 3 / 5 stars. The second best faring single is track #11, "Knights of Cydonia", reaching number #10, a track I wouldn't hand more than 2 / 5 stars, whereas the two least favourable single releases, on the other hand, are the two tracks I find the best: track #2, reaching #21 and track #4, reaching #18 on the singles chart list in the UK. "Starlight" got a lot of radio airplay, and I found it good - initially, but I soon tired of it. Very much like I did with the rest of this international success. The album was nominated the Mercury Prize in 2006, alongside artists such as Richard Hawley and Thom Yorke - the prize was won by The Arctic Monkeys for its album debut. Although, many critics spoke very positively about the album, some were of contrary minds and called some of its tracks ridiculous and the album overblown. And I think, they regard it much like I do.
[ allmusic.com, The Guardian, Spin 4 / 5, NME 4,5 / 5, Q Magazine 5 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Rum 37 "Mellem rum" (2012)

Rum 37

"Mellem rum" (2012)

[debut album]

"De stærke"

.  .  .

.  .

. 

Supertramp "Crisis? What Crisis?" (1975)

Crisis? What Crisis?
release date: Sep.14, 1975
format: vinyl (1977 reissue) / digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,65]
producer: Ken Scott, Supertramp
label: A&M Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: A) 1. "Easy Does It" - 2. "Sister Moonshine" (4,5 / 5) - 3. "Ain't Nobody But Me" (3 / 5) - 4. "A Soapbox Opera" (4 / 5) - 5. "Another Man's Woman" (3 / 5) - - B) 1. "Lady" (4 / 5) - 2. "Poor Boy" - 3. "Just a Normal Day" - 4. "The Meaning" (4 / 5) - 5. "Two of Us"

4th studio album by Supertramp. Like the successful Crime of the Century (Nov. 1974) the album is co-produced by Ken Scott. It's the first album I ever heard with the band. I used to borrow the album from my older brother, and really liked it a lot. Eventually, he gave me the album when he moved out of our family house back in '78. I still consider the album the band's best. It's right there on the verge of progressive rock art pop and the more cheesy and standardised pop they made later on, and I like it more than its more famous predecessor because it's a move away from bluesy American r&b soft rock to a more simplified European art pop.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

~ ~ ~

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.

The Orb "The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld" (1991)

The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld [debut]
release date: Apr. 1991
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5]

Track highlights 1. "Little Fluffy Clouds" (5 / 5)

Studio debut album by The Orb. Track #1 is outstanding, but also the absolute best track on the album.

Benny Benassi "Hypnotica" (2003)

Hypnotica [debut]
release date: Jul. 8, 2003
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5]

Track highlights: 1. "Satisfaction" (4 / 5) - 2. "Able to Love" (3 / 5) - 3. "No Matter What You Do"

Studio debut album by Italian electro house artist Benny Benassi (aka Marco Benassi) under the name of 'Benny Benassi Presents the Biz' (the Biz being the singers Paul French and Violeta Bratu). Benassi had a major world hit with the track "Satisfaction" written by his cousin Alle Bennassi (aka Alessandro Benassi). The two cousins also perform under the name of Benassi Bros. Apart from "Satisfaction" and a few other tracks the album tends to be a bit too repetitive, but I guess that's part of the style, although, several tracks take up the same bits and pieces again and again, which makes it tiresome as a whole. The album works in small doses and definitely functions as party music. The official video is quite nice though.

<  show video content >

"Bold as Love" (Live in LA) - John Mayer

John Mayer

"Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles" (2008) [this version]

 studio version from "Continuum" (2006)
[Jimi Hendrix cover]

Jimi Hendrix "Axis: Bold as Love" (1967)

Axis: Bold as Love
release date: Dec. 1, 1967
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5]

Track highlights: 3. "Spanish Castle Magic" - 4. "Wait Until Tomorrow" - 6. "Little Wing" - 7. "If 6 Was 9" - 9. "Castles Made of Sand" - 11. "One Rainy Wish" - 13. "Bold as Love"

2nd studio album by The Jimi Hendrix Experience released only six month following the debut. Except for song all tracks were composed by Jimi Hendrix, and apparently released prematurely to satisfy his contractual obligations. The album is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".

The Supremes "The Supremes A' Go-Go" (1966)

The Supremes A' Go-Go
release date: Aug. 25, 1966
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5]

2. "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)"


1966 Favourite releases: 1. Otis Redding Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul - 2. Dexter Gordon Gettin' Around' - 3. The Supremes The Supremes A' Go-Go

Johnny Cash "American IV: The Man Comes Around" (2002)

American IV: The Man Comes Around
release date: Nov. 5, 2002
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5]
producer: Rick Rubin, John Carter Cash
label: American Recordings / Universal - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "The Man Comes Around" - 2. "Hurt" - 5. "I Hung My Head" (5 / 5)

Studio album by Johnny Cash and the 4th in his late but great series of 'American' albums series starting off with American Recordings from 1994, followed by Unchained (1996), American III: Solitary Man (2000). All albums are characterized by the most basic sound or stripped down style show-casing the naked Cash - his voice and guitar with none or minimal additional instrumentation and all with producer Rick Rubin.

2002 Favourite releases: 1. The Streets Original Pirate Material - 2. Interpol Turn on the Bright Lights - 3. Johnny Cash American IV: The Man Comes Around

Grant Lee Buffalo "Storm Hymnal: Gems From the Vault of Grant Lee Buffalo" (2001)

Storm Hymnal: Gems From the Vault of Grant Lee Buffalo (compilation)
release date: Oct. 2001
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]
producer: Paul Fox; Paul Kimble
label: Slash Records - nationality: USA

2 cd compilation album by Grant Lee Buffalo released 2 years after the disbandment. Disc 1 of the album is subtitled "Takes", which is a kind of best of compilation from the band's four studio albums, and disc 2 "Double Takes", is a collection of alternate recordings and rarities. The album basically documents the band's potential. There was an almost too slow acceptance among music lovers when it came to appreciate the qualities of this band. Contemporary critics and other artists praised the band, and the acclaimed position didn't cease to grow, which perhaps explains a need to compile the music. Grant-Lee Philips, who gave name to the band, and who is credited for all its compositions initiated his own solo career with his first studio album Ladies' Love Oracle (2000), but in 2011 and 2012 the band was back together in its original line-up to perform both in the US as well as in Europe. However, there are no plans of recording new material and / or of reestablishing the band. All members seem preoccupied with solo careers but their four studio albums and this fine collection are all worth more than a glance.
[ allmusic.com 3/ 5 stars ]

The Sound "All Fall Down" (1982)

All Fall Down
release date: Oct. 23, 1982
format: vinyl (240019-1) / digital (2001 reissue)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,16]
producer: The Sound, Nick Robbins
label: WEA - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: 1. "All Fall Down" (4 / 5) - 2. "Party of the Mind" (4 / 5) (promo video) - 3. "Monument" (5 / 5) - 4. "In Suspense" - 5. "Where the Love Is" (4 / 5) - 6. "Song and Dance" - 7. "Calling the New Tune" (4 / 5) - 8. "Red Paint" - 9. "Glass and Smoke" - 10. "We Could Go Far" (5 / 5)

3rd studio album by The Sound and the band's only for the Korova parent-label. Allegedly, Korova explicitly told the band that a contract with parent label WEA implied that they sought to produce an album with more mainstream-appeal than their previous two albums on Korova; however, this attitude also played a significant part in making an even more complex and lesser mainstream sounding album. Musically, All Fall Down follows closely on the path laid out on the acclaimed From the Lion's Mouth (1981), but it's also the band's so far darkest and most sinister-sounding album.

Teitur "Let the Dog Drive Home" (2010)

Let the Dog Drive Home
release date: Oct. 2010
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5 ] [3,56]
producer: Teitur Lassen
label: Playground Music - nationality: Faroe Islands, Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Feel Good" - 2. "God, I Have So Many Things to Tell You" - 5. "Betty Hedges" (live) - 6. "You Never Leave LA" (4 / 5) - 8. "Let the Dog Drive Home" (official video) - 10. "All I Remember From Last Night Is You" (live)

5th full studio album by Teitur following the live album A Night at the Opera (Mar. 2010) and 2½ years after The Singer. This is fine and mellow, much in the same quiet form as his 2008 album. I just find it somewhat less ambitious and even more introvert. Perhaps it lacks the obvious single hits.
It's still a fine singer / songwriter release, and there's hardly a bad track on the album.
Bonus info: Teitur himself, did the cover art as well as the inlay booklet drawings, and he also did the official animation-video for track #6.

10cc "Ten out of 10" (1981)

Ten out of 10
release date: Nov. 27, 1981
format: digital
[album rate: 2 / 5]

Track highlights: 1. "Don't Ask" (2,5 / 5) - 6. "Les Nouveaux Riches"

8th studio album by 10cc released through Mercury and produced by the composer-duo Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman.

I simply find both album and band highly overrated and of no interest except from track #6 here, which is just more than mediocre. It's really an album, and a musical style that I do not get.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

10cc "Bloody Tourists" (1978)

Bloody Tourists
release date: Sep. 1978
format: digital
[album rate: 2 / 5]

Track highlights: 1. "Dreadlock Holiday"

6th studio album by 10cc released on Mercury Records and produced by founding members Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart of the band. The style and production sound appear as something released in the early 1970s, and its a bit strange to realize that it was released at a time when musical standards had come to other levels. I think, this is poor and a somewhat awkward.
[ allmusic.com 2 / 5 stars ]

10cc "Deceptive Bends" (1977)

Deceptive Bends
release date: May 1977
format: cd
[album rate: 2,5 / 5]

Track highlights: 1. "Good Morning Judge" (2,5 / 5) - 2. "The Things We Do for Love" - 4. "People in Love" (3 / 5) - 9. "Feel the Benefit (Parts 1, 2, & 3)" (2,5 / 5)

5th studio album by 10cc released on Mercury Records and produced by the band. This was the first album release by 10cc after Gofley and Creme had left. The band has never been a favourite of mine but it seems they were always around in the 1970s. You cannot neglect the fact that they were extremely popular and somehow they were always able to have at least one really good song on each of their albums. In retrospect it only seems almost bizarre that they made this music at the same time as Ramones released Leave Home, Elvis Costello and The Clash launched their debut albums, as well as all the others of the British punk era - it all exploded and yet there was still room for Pink Floyd, Bowie, Eno et al with new frontier music. 10cc was already a pop / rock dinosaur - not revolutionary, not 'art' enough to be avantgarde and yet still labelled progressive enough to be anything but just mainstream pop. It's like the band flourished in its own little bubble, which became ever smaller and smaller as new artists attracted its fans.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

"Here's to You" - Ennio Morricone (live)

Ennio Morricone
"Sacco e Vanzetti" (OST) (1971)
[from the movie by Giuliano Montaldo]

.  .  .
.  .
.

Daft Punk "Homework" (1997)

Daft Punk
Homework (1997)
[debut album]

"Around the World"

.  .  .
.  .
.

Julian Bream & John Williams "Together" (1972)

Julian Bream & John Williams
Together (1972)
[debut collaboration album]

[album rate: 4 / 5]

"Manuel de Falla: Spanish Dance No. 1 - La vida breve"

.  .  .

.  .

. 

10cc "How Dare You!" (1976)

How Dare You!
release date: Jan. 24, 1976
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5]

Track highlights: 4. "I'm Mandy Fly Me" (2,5 / 5) - 6. "Art for Art's Sake" - 8. "Head Room" (2,5 / 5)

4th studio album by 10cc released on Mercury Records and produced by the band. The only track I really enjoy on the album is the classic "Arts for Art's Sake" - the rest is not my taste, and actually, I'm closer at handing it only 2 stars as one good track out of 9 is poor. I think, the band could possibly release a decent best of album, as they have always been able to come up with one fine composition every now and then. Tensions within the band between the two songwriter duos Kevin Godley and Lol Creme on one hand and Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman on the other, led to Godley and Creme's decision to leave the band after this release.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

First Aid Kit "The Lion's Roar" (2012)

The Lion's Roar [debut]
release date: 2012
format: cd
[album rate: 2,5 / 5]

"Emmylou"

10cc "The Original Soundtrack" (1975)

The Original Soundtrack
release date: Feb. 1975
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5]

Track highlights: 2. "I'm Not in Love" (4 / 5) - 4. "The Second Sitting for the Last Supper" (2,5 / 5)

3rd studio album by 10cc released on Mercury Records and produced by the band. I think the best thing about the album is the cover art designed by Hypgnosis, an art group that fronted many album covers in the 1970s and especially bands and artists of art pop, experimental, and progressive rock. The music is rather theatrical, but just boring with its fusion of rock opera, jazz elements and tedious arrangements. Yes, the album contains the 1970s great classic "I'm Not in Love", which really only seems misplaced here as no other song on the album comes close to that. Other than that the band was famous for having the composer duo Godley and Cream in its earliest and original line-up. Kevin Godley was the band's percussionist, drummer, (and lead) vocalist and songwriter, and Lol Creme was multi-instrumentalist, (backing) vocalist, and composer, and together they became famous as Godley & Creme, a successful producer- / composer- / video director-duo for lots of artists in the early 1980s. However. the classic track "I'm Not in Love" was written and composed by Etic Stewart and Graham Gouldman - the other two of the band.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

10cc "Sheet Music" (1974)

Sheet Music
release date: May 1974
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5]
producer: 10cc
label: UK Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "The Wall Street Shuffle" - 6. "Silly Love" (3 / 5) - 10. "Oh Effendi" (3 / 5)

2nd studio album by 10cc consisting of Eric [Michael] Stewart on guitars, keyboards, and vocals, Graham [Keith] Gouldman on bass, guitar, percussion, and vocals, Lol [Laurence Neil] Creme on guitar, keyboards, percussion, and vocals, and Kevin [Michael] Godley on drums, percussion, and vocals. Stylistically, this is art pop and pop / rock with hints of progressive and symphonic rock. The music doesn't really appeal to me but I must confess that this is the best and most interesting album by the band. Much of the music seem inspired by and comes out as a clone of The Beatles and The Band without coming close to either. The album is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Charles Aznavour "Visages de l'amour" (1974)

Charles Aznavour
Visages de l'amour (1974)

"Tous les visages de l'amour"

.  .  .
.  .
. 

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark" (1980)

1986 re-issue

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark [debut]

release date: Feb. 22, 1980

format: vinyl (1986 reissue) / cd (2003 remaster)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,86]

producer: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Chester Valentino

label: Virgin Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: 1. "Bunker Soldiers" - 2. "Almost" (5 / 5) - 3. "Mysteriality" - 4. "Electricity" (4 / 5) - 5. "The Messerschmitt Twins" (3,5 / 5) - 6. "Messages" (4 / 5) - 7. "Julia's Song" (4 / 5) - 8. "Red Frame / White Light" (4 / 5) - 9. "Dancing" - 10. "Pretending to See the Future"

Studio album debut by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark originally released on Dindisc. At this early stage the band only consists of Andy McCluskey on vocals, bass guitar and keyboards, and Paul Humphreys on keyboards and vocals. This is one of the very first pure British synthpop releases. Synths had previously been played and is linked to Brian Eno, Neu!, Kraftwerk, Jean-Michel Jarre and others but primarily playing either more experimental or art rock and or classical-inspired music. This is also experimental but with clear pop elements in the compositions.

I like it just as much as the band's two following albums, although, they differ quite a bit. I like this because of its simplicity and highly original sound. It both contains Kraftwerk / Eno / Neu! sounding pieces of more experimental simplistic music but also strong, simple pop music that none of the aforementioned excelled in, and which is the band's very own trademark.

[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Q Magazine 4 / 5 stars ]

org. Dindisc cover

U2 "Wide Awake in America" (1985) (ep) (live)

Wide Awake in America, ep (live)
release date: May 20, 1985
format: vinyl (90279-1-A)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]
producer: U2, Tony Visconti; Brian Eno / Daniel Lanois
label: Island Records - nationality: Ireland

Tracklist: A) 1. "Bad" (5 / 5) (live in the US) - 2. "A Sort of Homecoming" (5 / 5) (live) - - B) 1. "The Three Sunrises" - 2. "Love Comes Tumbling"

4-track ep release by U2 meant for the American market only. This is a brief collection of songs, which doesn't seem too short due to the long live version of "Bad". It's really not more than a 12" maxi single but it's still a very strong live testimony. The two live versions on the A-side ("Bad", and "A Sort of Homecoming") makes me recall the Live Aid show where U2 stole more air play than scheduled, but they took the world by storm when playing a 9-10 min. epic version of "Bad" on that occasion. Here it's reduced to 'only' 8 mins. (the original running 6 mins.) and "A Sort of Homecoming" is on the other hand for some reason reduced by more than a minute compared to the original album version. The two B-side tracks "The Three Sunrises" and "Love Comes Tumbling" are no fillers but neither unforgettable moments.

Supertramp "Crime of the Century" (1974)

Crime of the Century
release date: Nov. 1974
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,29]
producer: Ken Scott, Supertramp
label: A&M Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Bloody Well Right" - 4. "Asylum" - 5. "Dreamer" (4 / 5) (live) - 8. "Crime of the Century"

3rd studio album by Supertramp. The album is the first to be co-produced by Ken Scott. It's also known as the band's breakthrough album. Musically, it's no longer a fusion of various styles with single tracks having various inspirational sources, so one track may be inspired by this and another by something completely different. The band obviously still has taken inspiration from many sources, which gave them an undefinable sound on the two previous albums, but here, Scott and the band keeps things together and pins out a style of their own with equal parts of r&b, jazz rock and progressive rock, resulting in art rock and soft rock. The album is enlisted in many best-of-lists compiling the best pop / rock albums of all time. It's the only Supertramp album to figure in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com, Sputnikmusic 4 / 5 stars ]

Supertramp "Indelibly Stamped" (1971)

Indelibly Stamped
release date: Jun. 1971
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5]
producer: Supertramp
label: A&M Records - nationality: England, UK

2nd studio album by Supertramp. The album is less fusion-oriented and more r&b-founded, but the result is really not much better than the debut. I think, many would find it more rockin'. I just don't like the soft rock tone. It's probably more american than the debut, but they play well, and it's more straight forward than the poor debut.
[ allmusic.com 2 / 5 stars ]

Supertramp "Supertramp" (1970)

Supertramp [debut]
release date: Jul. 14, 1970
format: digital
[album rate: 2 / 5]
producer: Supertramp
label: A&M Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 4. "Words Unspoken" (3 / 5)

Studio debut album by Supertramp. I have only come across the album in recent years, and really cannot see anything of interest in the album. The style is piano-founded pop / rock or soft rock with too much fusion. I have really never enjoyed a fusion of jazz and pop / rock much and this is for its time a typical blend with Hammond organ and various vocal harmonies blended with bold use of percussion, horns and elements from classical compositions, but in my ears, without much success or clear direction. It's a jam session of harmonic arrangements. At best, it's supermarket muzak.
[ allmusic.com 2 / 5 stars ]

Genesis "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" (1974)

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

release date: Nov. 18, 1974

format: 2 cd (2014 remaster)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]

producer: John Burns & Genesis

label: Virgin Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights, Disc 1: 1. "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" (Gabriel live '78) - 2. "Fly on a Windshield" - 3. "Broadway Melody of 1974" - 5. "In the Cage" - 7. "Back in N. Y. C." - 9. "Counting Out Time" - 10. "Carpet Crawlers" (4 / 5) - - Disc 2: 3. "Anyway" - 5. "The Lamia" - 9. "The Light Dies Down on Broadway" - 10. "Riding the Scree"

6th studio album by Genesis following one year after Selling England by the Pound is the band's last album to feature vocalist Peter Gabriel. The album is like the predecessor produced in a collaboration by John Burns and Genesis (Burns is also credited as sound engineer on Foxtrot, 1972), and it's originally released as a double vinyl album on Charisma Records consisting of 23 tracks with a total playing time above 1 hour and 34 minutes. The album is a conceptual album with Gabriel's story of a young Puerto Rican entering the capitalist centre of New York, and it's also known for the partecipation of Brian Eno on two compositions (#5 and #6). As with the bands previous two albums all songs are credited all five band members: Peter Gabriel (vocals, flute, varied instruments), Steve Hackett (guitars), Mike Rutherford (bass, 12-string guitar), Tony Banks (organ, keyboards, synths) and Phil Collins (drums, percussion, lead vocals on #9, #15, #18); although, in reality all but Gabriel worked on the music and Gabriel insisted on writing all lyrics with the result that vocals were put down (in another studio) after the music had been composed.

Musically, it's still very much 'prog rock' with experimental traits and with the most promissing songs on the first part - the vinyl A- and B-sides and Disc 1 for cd issues - and most of the more experimental stuff on the second half.

The album was released to mixed reviews but has gained status over the years as perhaps the bands absolute best. It peaked as number #10 on the British albums chart list and at number #41 on the US Billboard 200. Two songs were selected for single releases: "Counting Out Time" preceeding the album on Nov. 1st, and track #10 released as "The Carpet Crawlers" Apr. '75, making it to number #53 and #54 respectively on the British singles chart list. The latter was re-recorded in '95 and released i '99 with Collins and Gabriel sharing lead vocals as "The Carpet Crawlers 99". The album is the second consecutive album by Genesis to be enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway may be an overblown conceptual idea with lots of progressive rock tracks, and perhaps with a little too much music, but as a statement of the band's musical cleverness and Gabriel's narrating skills it's simply Genesis at its artistic peak. During the following tour Gabriel announced his parting with the band, which saw him pursue a great solo career, and Genesis began another music chapter with Collins as lead vocalist and better charting albums, although, the band in terms of originality and quality never again performed at this level. Although, it wasn't the first album I came accross by this band, it's nonetheless the absolute best by Genesis, imho.

Highly recommended.

[ allmusic.com 5 / 5, Rolling Stone Album Guide 4 / 5 stars ]

Kate Bush "The Kick Inside" (1978)

2018 remaster

The Kick Inside [debut]
release date: Feb. 17, 1978
format: vinyl / cd / cd (2018 remaster)
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,36]
producer: Andrew Powell
label: EMI - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Moving" (4 / 5) - 2. "The Saxophone Song" (5 / 5) - 4. "Kite" - 5. "The Man with the Child in His Eyes" (4,5 / 5) - 6. "Wuthering Heights" (5 / 5) - 7. "James and the Cold Gun" - 8. "Feel It" - 9. "Oh to Be in Love" - 11. "Them Heavy People"

Studio album debut by Kate Bush and what a stunning debut, and later that year: Lionheart (Nov. 1978). My gosh, she was so extremely talented, there's hardly words to describe it! She composed and wrote all songs on her own, and she was 19 when the debut was released and had only turned 20 when her second album was issued. Only too bad that the punk rock wave flooded everything and took away focus on progressive, art pop and all the traditional musical styles, and her whole persona came to appear old fashioned despite the greatness of the songs and the arrangements.
After her first two albums, she toured the UK but apparently the experience was so overwhelmingly hard that she never again made another tour. However, she made 5 great albums in a row - from this, her debut, to Hounds of Love (1985) - what a release history! After her fifth studio album she slowed down on the musical production - and in my mind never again made another really great album.
The Kick Inside is like a rough diamond. Even if she had never released any music again, she would by this album only forever be remembered as a shining star and unique performer. Many have criticised her theatrical style, which is evident if you watch her early live performance or videos, and it was somewhat out of sync with current time. I guess, some would call it anachronistic referring to experimental ballet from late 1960s and early '70s, and then you could of course argue that she brought other ways of expression to music, which was anything but old fashioned, which instead put her in the forefront of the scene of popular music. Well, she was just so talented and was inspired by many expressions of art. She wrote everything on her own and she played several instruments aside from owing an extremely powerful, well-balanced, and unequalled singing voice. I have always fancied her music but at times I get sort of full of her style and sound and has to leave it for a while, but only for a period of time, because I always return to these her first albums, which I truly enjoy as musical works of art. Naturally, the album is enlisted in various best of album lists comprising the best albums of all time. This is really an amazing debut.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 ]

(4,5 / 5) The Kick Inside (Feb. 1978)	(4 / 5) Lionheart (Nov. 1978)	(4 / 5) Never for Ever (Sep. 1980)	(4 / 5) The Dreaming (Sep. 1982)	(4 / 5) Hounds of Love (Sep. 1985)

Five essential albums by Kate Bush

.  .  .
.  .

~ ~ ~

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.

The Cure "Charlotte Sometimes" (1981) (single)

Charlotte Sometimes, 12'' single
release date: Oct. 1981
format: vinyl (1986 reissue)
[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,67]
producer: Mike Hedges, The Cure
label: Fiction / Polydor - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: A) "Charlotte Sometimes" (4 / 5) - - B) 1. "Splintered in Her Head" (3 / 5) - 2. "Faith" (live) (4 / 5)

12'' single release by The Cure. The tracks #1 and #2 were not included on the most recent album Faith (released in Apr. that year) nor are they included on the successor Pornography (May 1982), so it's basically only the live track one will find on a studio album, although, this version is an extended live recording running for approx. 10 minutes.

[ collectors' item ]

Joe Strummer "Walker" (OST) (1987)

Walker (soundtrack) [debut]
release date: 1987
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,86]
producer: Joe Strummer
label: Virgin Movie Music - nationality: England, UK

Studio debut album by Joe Strummer (former lead vocalist and songwriter of The Clash) is an Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to an Alex Cox film. The movie is an American-Mexican western featuring Ed Harris and Peter Boyle, and with Strummer in a minor part. The album is instrumental and suited for the film, and it's difficult to hear the Strummer who co-wrote all songs in The Clash, as the majority of the compositions have a heavy Mexican influence with horns, congas, bongos, timbales, marimbas, snare drums, violins. I mostly see this as a collector's item just because of Joe.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Bad Manners "My Girl Lollipop" (1982) (single)

My Girl Lollipop, 7'' single
release date: Jul. 1982
format: vinyl (MAG 232)
[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,33]
producer: Roger Lomas
label: Magnet Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: A) "My Girl Lollipop" (4 / 5) - - B) "Flashpoint"

Single release by English ska revival band Bad Manners taken from the band's fourth full-length album Forging Ahead (1982). The song is originally written by Robert Spencer, Morris Levy, and Johnny Roberts, and was first released by Barbie Gaye in 1956. With the Millie Small (aka Millicent Dolly May Small) 1964 version the song became became a big hit in the UK.
The Bad Manners cover version also became a top-10 hit on the UK singles chart list in '82.

"Pillows & Prayers (Cherry Red 1982-1983)" (1982)

Pillows & Prayers (Cherry Red 1982-1983) (compilation)
release date: Dec. 1982
format: vinyl (Z RED 41) / digital (2000 reissue)
[album rate: 3 / 5]
producer: various
label: Cherry Red Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: A) 1. Five or Six "Portrait" - 2. The Monochrome Set "Eine Symphonie Des Grauens" - 4. Tracey Thorn "Plain Sailing" - 5. Ben Watt "Some Things Don't Matter" - - B) 1. Marine Girls "Lazy Ways" - 2. Felt "My Face Is on Fire" - 3. Eyeless in Gaza "No Noise" - 4. The Passage "XOYO" - 5. Everything but the Girl "On My Mind" - 6. Attila the Stockbroker "A Bang and a Wimpey" - 9. Quentin Crisp "Stop the Music for a Minute"

Compilation album released on Cherry Red Records as a collection of the label's artists. The album was quite well-known, perhaps mostly due to a sticker on the front cover reading "Pay no more than 99p", which ensured good promotional sales. I believe I came across the album around '85 or there about, and bought it because it features Felt, Tracey Thorn, Ben Watt, Marine Girls, and Everything but the Girl, and because the music I associated with Cherry Red were basically interesting artists.
The music is simply too diverse to make a great album, but it has its moments and mostly functions as a fine historical document. In 1984, a sequel Pillows & Prayers 2 was released in Japan only, and in 2000 both albums was issued together as Pillows & Prayers (Cherry Red 1982-1984), and with that title an award-winning 4-disc package of 3 cds and 1 dvd was released in 2007, which went on to win the 2008 MOJO Award for Catalogue Release of the Year.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young & Crazy Horse "Zuma" (1975)

Zuma
release date: Nov. 10, 1975
format: cd (1993 reissue)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]
producer: Neil Young & David Briggs with Tim Mulligan
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "Don't Cry No Tears" (4,5 / 5) - 3. "Pardon My Heart" (4 / 5) - 5. "Barstool Blues" - 8. "Cortez the Killer" (4,5 / 5) - 9. "Through My Sails" (feat.Crosby, Stills & Nash)

7th studio album by Neil Young released as Neil Young & Crazy Horse. The album was released only 5 months after On the Beach and is a natural successor. Zuma is Young's second "real" [official] collaboration studio release with Crazy Horse, although, the band's line-up played with Young on several other studio albums and touring as part of his regular live band since his debut.
The album is lighter and more rock-styled than his albums following his first collaboration work with Crazy Horse, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere from 1969, and it may be seen as a move away from the dark thematic style on the previous albums. Aside from the more one-dimensional electric folk rock when working solely with Crazy Horse, the collaboration aspect helps Young shaping his compositions for a certain output, and in that respect, I could refer to his difficulties, especially on his following albums, in finding a common sound and style for his albums. Although, Zuma contains soft and mellow tunes like the semi-acoustic "Pardon My Heart" and a country rock track like "Lookin' for a Love" they still fit in, quite nicely, on the overall project thanks to the use of the same line-up for all tracks. This is one of the better Neil Young albums and as such a highly recommendable release.
All songs are written by Neil Young.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Hazel O'Connor "Cover Plus" (1981)

Cover Plus
release date: Aug. 28, 1981
format: vinyl (204 047)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,86]
producer: Tony Visconti
label: Albion / Ariola - nationality: England, UK

3rd studio album by Hazel O'Connor following the album Sons and Lovers (Nov. 1980).

Grant-Lee Phillips "Mobilize" (2001)

Mobilize

release date: Aug. 14, 2001
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,78]
producer: Carmen Rizzo, Grant-Lee Phillips
label: Zoë Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "See America" (4 / 5) (live) - 2. "Humankind" - 3. "Loves a Mystery" - 4. "Sadness Soot" (4 / 5) - 6. "Spring Released" - 7. "Lazily Drowning" - 8. "Like a Lover" (4 / 5) - 9. "Mobilize" - 10. "Beautiful Dreamers" - 11. "Sleepless Lake"

2nd studio album by Grant-Lee Phillips following one year after Ladies' Love Oracle is a more diverse bunch of tracks with use of more varied instrumentation compared to his more subtle and introvert acoustic debut. Although, it appears more diverse, and more up-tempo with the alt-country element, the songs are the result of only Grant-Lee's own writings and instrumental performance. At the point when the band Gran Lee Buffalo was reduced to a duo they found guest artists to fill in where former band associate Paul Kimble played a leading role, and when Phillips made his solo debut, it was likewise with the assistance of other musicians, however, on this he plays and programs it all to almost perfection. The result is still an album for the few, for people who seek and listen, but it's also a fine accomplishment that may be recognized at some point in its own right.
The album easily betters the debut but should not be compared with albums by Grant Lee Buffalo as this is not the type of indie rock the band stood for but instead it shows us what a gifted songwriter Phillips is. My only negative critique is that some of the tracks are too stereotypically The Beatles-and-Beach Boys'-harmonically-sounding.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Lou Reed "Coney Island Baby" (1975)

org. cover

Coney Island Baby
release date: Dec. 1975
format: digital (2006 reissue)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,08]
producer: Lou Reed, Godfrey Diamond
label: RCA / Records / BMG Entertainment - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 8. "Coney Island Baby" (5 / 5)

6th solo studio album by Lou Reed, originally released on RCA Records, reissued on BMG Japan 2006 with 6 bonus tracks. After having hit rock bottom with his previous album Metal Machine Music (Jul. '75), Reed, the songwriter is back on some sort of track. That is to say: Lou still seems somewhat affected by whatever drugs he did at this time of his career, and it didn't do his music much of a favor after his heydays with Transformer (1972). The song "Coney Island Baby" IS, however, a true classic.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Blender 2,5 / 5 stars ]

Bruce Springsteen "Nebraska" (1982)

Nebraska
release date: Sep. 20, 1982
format: vinyl (gatefold) / cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,78]
producer: Bruce Springsteen
label: Columbia Records - nationality: USA

6th studio album by Bruce Springsteen. The album is his first primarily singer / songwriter album.
I recall my initial disappointment upon my first listen. I still bought it though, 'cause I found it interesting, although, it came out when most of the music I listened to was either punk rock, new wave, or post-punk. It took a few years, but it's close to his best albums. Great stories and melodies despite the scarce instrumentation. The album is the third Springsteen album to be enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die", which I understand.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone Album Guide 5 / 5 ]

Skids "Circus Games" (1980) (single)

Circus Games, 7'' single

release date: Aug. 1980

format: vinyl (VS 359)

[single rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]

producer: Mick Glossop

label: Virgin Records - nationality: Scotland, UK

Tracklist: A) "Circus Games" (4 / 5) (TOTP performance) - - B) "One Decree"

Single release taken from the forthcoming third album by Skids The Absolute Game (Sep. 1980).

Also the B-side is from the album and both tracks are credited the band, although, they're undoubtedly Stuart Adamson compositions - giving the dominance of his guitar-arrangements. The title track peaked at number #32 on the UK singles chart as the best faring single of three taken from the album.

back cover

Theatre of Hate "Westworld" (1982)

Westworld [debut]
release date: Feb. 1982
format: vinyl (15520) / digital (1993 reissue)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,66]
producer: Mick Jones
label: Stiff Records - nationality: England, UK

Studio album debut by London-based post-punk and gothic rock band Theatre of Hate consisting of Kirk Brandon on lead vocals & guitar, Stan Stammers on bass guitar, John 'Boy' Lennard on saxophone & clarinet, Luke Rendle on drums. The first album by the band was the live album He Who Dares Wins (1981) recorded live at the Warehouse, Leeds.
Westworld was mostly met by negative response from the British music press - most likely because of the band's initial reputation of being a true force of energy on stage, and for its unconventional concerts - some of which critics found missing on the album.
Shortly after the recordings for Westworld the band was joined by guitarist Billy Duffy, and shortly after Rendle was replaced by new drummer Nigel Preston.
Theatre of Hate disbanded in '83, and Brandon and Stammers founded the band Spear of Destiny (who were later joined by drummer Dolphin Taylor, ex-Tom Robinson Band) and Duffy teamed up with Ian Astbury and formed the band The Cult - also Nigel Preston joined this band later in '83.

Grant-Lee Phillips "Ladies' Love Oracle" (2000)

Ladies' Love Oracle [debut]
release date: May 1, 2000
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]
producer: Grant-Lee Phillips
label: Cooking Vinyl - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "You're a Pony" - 2. "Heavenly" - 3. "Squint" - 4. "Don't Look Down" - 5. "Flamin' Shoe" - 7. "Lonesome Serenade" - 9. "St. Expedite" - *10. "Snow Flakes"
*[Bonus track on Cooking Vinyl issue]

Studio solo debut by Grant-Lee Phillips (aka Bryan Grant Phillips), former lead vocalist of Grant Lee Buffalo, who disbanded in early '99 after four critically acclaimed albums and their swan song album Jubilee (Jun. 1998). On this his first solo release, Grant-Lee is only producer, just as he preferably would continue on future solo issues. The album is predominantly acoustic in an alt-country and americana folk rock-style with focus on the narrative, thus making it a singer / songwriter album. Originally, the album was released by the small independent label, Rounder Records as an online issue only. I have really come to enjoy the music by Grant-Lee but it has taken me several years, and my general perspective on his music is that it may require a certain amount of exposure and repetitive listens to fully appreciate it.
My initial thoughts of this was a somewhat bleak and anonymous album, but it's really much more than that. It just needs maturing. Today, I find that all the songs on the album are more than just fine and on a high level, although, the album lacks obvious hits, and also reflects too little variation.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Neil Young "Tonight's the Night" (1975)

Tonight's the Night
release date: Jun. 20, 1975
format: cd (1997 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]
producer: David Briggs & Neil Young with Tim Mulligan
label: Reprise Records, Germany - nationality: Canada

Track highlights: 1. "Tonight's the Night" - 3. "World on a String" - 4. "Borrowed Tune" (4 / 5) - 5. "Come on Baby Let's Go Downtown" (live) (4 / 5) - 8. "Albuquerque" (3,5 / 5) - 10. "Lookout Joe"

6th studio album by Neil Young is much like On the Beach, only stylistically with more focus on blues rock. Actually, the album was recorded in the Fall of 1973 (mostly on one recording session) as the natural follow-up to Harvest but the release was delayed for two years. Also, very much like On the Beach this album wasn't well-received in its own time but today many music critics praise it among his best. Rolling Stone and allmusic.com both hand it 5 out of 5 stars.
The emphasis on blues rock may also be seen in the light that the Crazy Horse line-up are part of the studio recording, as well as the live feel, due to the studio recordings playing live. Another thing the album has in common with the previous release is its part of 'The Ditch Trilogy', a term used by Young himself in referring to the years after Harvest, which includes Journey Through the Past, On the Beach and Tonight's the Night. In this respect the trilogy aspect refers to his dark period with heroin related deaths and life on the edge, in general.
The album is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die", and although, it's not an immediate favourite of mine, it's a fine and enjoyable album.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 5 / 5 stars ]