Stripped, single
release date: Jul. 27, 1998
format: cd
[single rate: 3 / 5] [3,15]
producer: Jacob Hellner, Rammstein
label: Motor Music - nationality: Germany
Tracklist:
1. "Stripped" (3 / 5) -
2. "Stripped (Psilonaut Mix by Johan Edlund - Tiamat)" (2,5 / 5) -
3. "Stripped (Heavy Mental Mix by Charlie Clouser)" (3 / 5) -
4. "Stripped (Tribute to Düsseldorf Mix by Charlie Clouser)" (2,5 / 5) -
5. "Stripped (FKK Mix by Günter Schulz - KMFDM)" (2,5 / 5)
Single release by Rammstein, which had no official album release except from being part of the Depeche Mode compilation tribute album For the Masses (1998) - it may, however, also be found as a "hidden track" on certain German reissues of Rammstein's second album Sehnsucht (1997). The original song is featured on the Depeche Mode album Black Celebration from 1986.
I don't find this cover particularly successful - not that it's bad, but it's more of a peculiarity to listen to Till Lindemann's English and the other remixes of the track are really not that fine. The official video was one of a few points that had critics link Rammstein with neo-nazism as the video-footage is from Third Reich director Leni Riefenstahl's film "Olympia" from 1938. All suggestions to the band's sympathy for the political far right have been officially denied, although, the band members also have declared their admiration for Riefenstahl's style.
[ "Rammstein - Stripped (Official Making Of)" music video ]
[ just music from an amateur... music archaeologist ]
"Dagen er reddet & kysten er klar - Jeg er den der er skredet så skaf en vikar!"
27 February 2015
The Blues Brothers "Briefcase Full of Blues" (1978)
Briefcase Full of Blues (live)
release date: Nov. 28, 1978
format: cd (2014? remaster - 7567-82788-2)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,84]
producer: Bob Tischler
label: Atlantic - nationality: USA
Track highlights: 1. "Opening: I Can't Turn You Loose" - 2. "Hey Bartender" - 3. "Messin' With The Kid" - 4, "(I Got Everything I Need) Almost" - 5. "Rubber Biscuit" (other live performance) - 6. "Shot Gun Blues" (other live performance) - 9. "Soul Man" (from SNL) - 11. "Flip, Flop & Fly"
Album debut by The Blues Brothers is a live album of 12 tracks with a running time just below 40 mins. It's the live recording of a concert Sep. 9, 1978 at the Universal Amphitheater, L.A. when the band opened for Steve Martin.
It's the collection of traditional blues and rhythm & blues compositions from the 1950's, 60's and 70's. The band, The Blues Brothers, feature the two actors John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as the band's main singers with Belushi as lead vocalist - they are supported by the true musicians of The Blues Brothers' band: Steve 'The Colonel' Cropper and Matt 'Guitar' Murphy on guitars, Donald 'Duck' Dunn on bass guitar, Paul 'The Shiv' Shaffer on Hammond organ, Wurlitzer electric piano, acoustic piano, backing vocals and as the band's musical director, Steve 'Getdwa' Jordan on drums & backing vocals, and the horns' section with Alan 'Mr. Fabulous' Rubin on trumpet & backing vocals, Lou 'Blue Lou' Marini and Tom 'Triple Scale' Scott both on tenor & alto saxophones as well as backing vocals, and Tom 'Bones' Malone on tenor & baritone saxophones, trombone, trumpet and backing vocals. This whole constellation works like a longtime relationship, and the two newbies, Belushi and Aykroyd mingle in rather neatly. Belushi has the rusty vocal that works quite nice in the traditional blues and rhythm & blues arrangements they mostly cover and then Aykroyd fills in and takes the lead on the more unusual tracks like the Otis Redding song "I Can't Turn You Loose" and he simply shines on the fine and crazy "Rubber Biscuit" 1956 doo-wop and comedy song originally by The Chips, and then Aykroyd also plays the harmonica.
It's a typical misconception that the band of The Blues Brothers was created in the aftermath of the film's popularity, when instead the idea of the pair had been created for comedy sketches for the Saturday Night Live Show, Belushi's widespread popularity from the show and his most recent leading part in the film "National Lampoon's Animal House" (1978) together with Aykroyd's comprehensive knowledge about the roots of the music led to the actual formation with the above-mentioned musicians in the fall of 1980 and a script for a full-length comedy film about the two brothers and the soundtrack for the film: The Blues Brothers (Jun. 1980) by John Landis, which again led to a third and final album, Made in America (Dec. 1980).
The album became a spectacular success peaking at number #1 on the Billboard 200 in the US and it remains one of the best-selling blues albums ever.
release date: Nov. 28, 1978
format: cd (2014? remaster - 7567-82788-2)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,84]
producer: Bob Tischler
label: Atlantic - nationality: USA
Track highlights: 1. "Opening: I Can't Turn You Loose" - 2. "Hey Bartender" - 3. "Messin' With The Kid" - 4, "(I Got Everything I Need) Almost" - 5. "Rubber Biscuit" (other live performance) - 6. "Shot Gun Blues" (other live performance) - 9. "Soul Man" (from SNL) - 11. "Flip, Flop & Fly"
Album debut by The Blues Brothers is a live album of 12 tracks with a running time just below 40 mins. It's the live recording of a concert Sep. 9, 1978 at the Universal Amphitheater, L.A. when the band opened for Steve Martin.
It's the collection of traditional blues and rhythm & blues compositions from the 1950's, 60's and 70's. The band, The Blues Brothers, feature the two actors John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as the band's main singers with Belushi as lead vocalist - they are supported by the true musicians of The Blues Brothers' band: Steve 'The Colonel' Cropper and Matt 'Guitar' Murphy on guitars, Donald 'Duck' Dunn on bass guitar, Paul 'The Shiv' Shaffer on Hammond organ, Wurlitzer electric piano, acoustic piano, backing vocals and as the band's musical director, Steve 'Getdwa' Jordan on drums & backing vocals, and the horns' section with Alan 'Mr. Fabulous' Rubin on trumpet & backing vocals, Lou 'Blue Lou' Marini and Tom 'Triple Scale' Scott both on tenor & alto saxophones as well as backing vocals, and Tom 'Bones' Malone on tenor & baritone saxophones, trombone, trumpet and backing vocals. This whole constellation works like a longtime relationship, and the two newbies, Belushi and Aykroyd mingle in rather neatly. Belushi has the rusty vocal that works quite nice in the traditional blues and rhythm & blues arrangements they mostly cover and then Aykroyd fills in and takes the lead on the more unusual tracks like the Otis Redding song "I Can't Turn You Loose" and he simply shines on the fine and crazy "Rubber Biscuit" 1956 doo-wop and comedy song originally by The Chips, and then Aykroyd also plays the harmonica.
It's a typical misconception that the band of The Blues Brothers was created in the aftermath of the film's popularity, when instead the idea of the pair had been created for comedy sketches for the Saturday Night Live Show, Belushi's widespread popularity from the show and his most recent leading part in the film "National Lampoon's Animal House" (1978) together with Aykroyd's comprehensive knowledge about the roots of the music led to the actual formation with the above-mentioned musicians in the fall of 1980 and a script for a full-length comedy film about the two brothers and the soundtrack for the film: The Blues Brothers (Jun. 1980) by John Landis, which again led to a third and final album, Made in America (Dec. 1980).
The album became a spectacular success peaking at number #1 on the Billboard 200 in the US and it remains one of the best-selling blues albums ever.
Neil Young "Harvest Moon" (1992)
Harvest Moon
release date: Oct. 27, 1992
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,55]
Tracklist: 1. "Unknown Legend" (4 / 5) - 2. "From Hank to Hendrix" (3,5 / 5) - 3. "You and Me" (3,5 / 5) - 4. "Harvest Moon" (4,5 / 5) - 5. "War of Man" (3 / 5) - 6. "One of These Days" (3,5 / 5) - 7. "Such a Woman" (3,5 / 5) - 8. "Old King" (3 / 5) - 9. "Dreamin' Man" (4 / 5) - 10. "Natural Beauty" (3 / 5)
20th studio album release by Neil Young (excluding live albums, soundtracks, and compilations, and therefore maybe actually his 30th album release), and it's a long look back and a return to the past. It's like a sequel to Harvest both as the title suggests and in style, but also in personnel, as most of the musicians on his 1972 album (exclusive Crosby, Stills & Nash) appear on this. The title track is a born Neil Young classic and the album gained much recognition for it's natural continuation of the fine acoustic albums Harvest, and Comes a Time.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]
release date: Oct. 27, 1992
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,55]
Tracklist: 1. "Unknown Legend" (4 / 5) - 2. "From Hank to Hendrix" (3,5 / 5) - 3. "You and Me" (3,5 / 5) - 4. "Harvest Moon" (4,5 / 5) - 5. "War of Man" (3 / 5) - 6. "One of These Days" (3,5 / 5) - 7. "Such a Woman" (3,5 / 5) - 8. "Old King" (3 / 5) - 9. "Dreamin' Man" (4 / 5) - 10. "Natural Beauty" (3 / 5)
20th studio album release by Neil Young (excluding live albums, soundtracks, and compilations, and therefore maybe actually his 30th album release), and it's a long look back and a return to the past. It's like a sequel to Harvest both as the title suggests and in style, but also in personnel, as most of the musicians on his 1972 album (exclusive Crosby, Stills & Nash) appear on this. The title track is a born Neil Young classic and the album gained much recognition for it's natural continuation of the fine acoustic albums Harvest, and Comes a Time.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]
26 February 2015
C.V. Jørgensen "Vennerne & vejen" (1985)
release date: May 1985
format: cd (1991 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]
producer: Nils Henriksen
label: Columbia - nationality: Denmark
Track highlights: 1. "Datadisciplin" (4 / 5) (live) - 2. "Endnu en weekend" - 3. "Vennerne & mig" - 4. "Morgendagens stjerner" (4 / 5) - 5. "Altmuligmanden" - 6. "Messe for en masse" - 7. "Emigration" - 8. "Vive la vie"
8th studio album by C.V. Jørgensen released 15 months following Lediggang agogo (Feb. '83) was originally released on CBS. Following the '83 album, C.V. toured with a backing band consisting of the musicians playing on that album with the addition of guitarist and bassist Aske Jacoby and keyboardist Pete Repete (from Malurt). On this, he then makes use of the same garrison with Nils Henriksen, Lars Hybel, Aske Jacoby (all three credited on guitar and bass), Pete Repete on keyboards and with Gert Smedegård on drums, while Jacob Andersen, who was busy recording as studio musician for Alberte, Danseorkestret, and Sanne Salomonsen, only participates on the first two songs. All tracks are written and composed by Jørgensen (except "Vive la vie", which was composed with Henriksen).
Musically, the album sounds like an extension to Lediggang agogo - and mostly like a sonically improved coherent release. The '83 album certainly has its qualities but it's as if C.V. and his backing band here really reap the benefit of their joint forces - and perhaps Henriksen has just turned into a better skilled producer. Stylistically, it's very much of the same territory, but the music has become somewhat broader, and you clearly hear the contemporary sense for heavy rhythm arrangements à la Simple Minds and Springsteen ("Messe for en masse" and "Endnu en weekend"). It's primarily a rock album both containing ballads and more uptempo tracks, and you can only imagine how C.V. and the band probably had listened closely to The Police, Simple Minds, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, as well as Danish act, Malurt.
The album was quite well received in the press and by the public, and although C.V. with the album strikes a rather pessimistic tone, the music functions as an uplifting counterpart. Gloomy lyrics on "Datadisciplin", "Vennerne & mig" and "Morgendagens stjerner" don't distract the impression of musical momentum, and these songs were soon incorporated into C.V.'s canon. The predominantly negative lyrics deal with topics such as abuse, cynicism, nationalism, cold human relations, exploitation, human loss, and life behind the scenes. On "Endnu en weekend" he sings: "Endnu en weekend med flimrende fjerner - for et stakåndet publikum - to døgns trampen i begge pedaler - på fordummelsens harmonium... Endnu en weekend med enkeltindivider - på hovedet flere timer i træk - for at virkeliggøre drømmen om et liv i luksus - eller dø unge i eget bræk" ['Another weekend of flickering TV - for a choked-up audience - two days of stomping both pedals - on the harmonium of stupidity... Another weekend with the self-centered - spending several hours straight upside down - trying to realize the dream of a luxurious life - or to die young in your own vomit' (my own translation)]. Not exactly what you would call an uplifting outlook for the future. And on "Emigration" about being misunderstood and once again about a lack of faith for the future: "Min lod i livet er at drømme noget - der traditionen tro bli'r misforstået - sådan er det og sådan bli'r det ved med at være - min fremtid hvis jeg da har mig nogen - ligner på afstand en hallucination - sådan er det og sådan bli'r det ved med at være" ['My lot in life is to dream about things - which according to habit will be misunderstood - that's how things work and that's how things will stay - my future, that is if I have any - from a distance look like a hallucination - that's how things work and that's how things stay' (my translation)]. In fact, there is not one single song of positive thoughts, and the album hardly helped Jørgensen's reputation as a distinct seer of moodiness.
Admittedly, there are generally no further encouraging stories on Vennerne & vejen, but the music stands as a strong counterpoint with fine harmonies, good guitar riffs and catchy choruses. To my ears, it has always been an uplifting album in spite, because music is so much more than accompanying lyrics. It's the final essence that really matters - and as a product, the album sends a refreshing and vibrant feel.
The front cover is credited Annemarie Albrectsen.
Strongly recommended.
The Sugarcubes "Life's Too Good" (1988)
Life's Too Good [debut]
release date: Apr. 1988
format: vinyl (tplp5) / cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,78]
producer: D. Birkett, R. Shulman
label: One Little Indian - nationality: Iceland
Tracklist: A) 1. "Traitor" (2 / 5) - 2. "Motorcrash" - 3. "Birthday" (5 / 5) - 4. "Delicious Demon" (4 / 5) - 5. "Mama" - - B) 1. "Coldsweat" (2 / 5) - 2. "Blue Eyed Pop" - 3. "Deus" - 4. "Sick for Toys" - 5. "F***Ing in Rhythm & Sorrow"
Studio debut album by The Sugarcubes produced by Derek Birkett and Ray Schulman. I had really been looking forward to it, hoping for more great tracks like the marvelous "Birthday", so I was a bit disappointed by this after rushing out to buy it upon its release. The opening track is a bit dull and a bit uninspiring. "Motorcrash" is better but still not great. "Delicious Demon" is refreshingly funny and energetic, and a great track. "Mama" is... dull art pop and far from the sparkling energy on their best tracks. "Coldsweat" is like an alternate version of "Traitor", which isn't great. "Blue Eyed Pop" is like Talking Heads on speed, and that's quite enjoyable. "Deus" is again too much art pop but with fine vocals by Björk and Einar Örn. "Sick for Toys" is strange post-punk art punk and a rather weak track, and the closing track (on the original vinyl release) "F***Ing in Rhythm & Sorrow" is also strange, but in a funny crazy drunken blues rock kind of way. Overall, the debut is interesting with great tracks and it appears as highly original but also a bit uneven, and not on par with my expectations; however, it is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" and is a recommended album.
release date: Apr. 1988
format: vinyl (tplp5) / cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,78]
producer: D. Birkett, R. Shulman
label: One Little Indian - nationality: Iceland
Tracklist: A) 1. "Traitor" (2 / 5) - 2. "Motorcrash" - 3. "Birthday" (5 / 5) - 4. "Delicious Demon" (4 / 5) - 5. "Mama" - - B) 1. "Coldsweat" (2 / 5) - 2. "Blue Eyed Pop" - 3. "Deus" - 4. "Sick for Toys" - 5. "F***Ing in Rhythm & Sorrow"
Studio debut album by The Sugarcubes produced by Derek Birkett and Ray Schulman. I had really been looking forward to it, hoping for more great tracks like the marvelous "Birthday", so I was a bit disappointed by this after rushing out to buy it upon its release. The opening track is a bit dull and a bit uninspiring. "Motorcrash" is better but still not great. "Delicious Demon" is refreshingly funny and energetic, and a great track. "Mama" is... dull art pop and far from the sparkling energy on their best tracks. "Coldsweat" is like an alternate version of "Traitor", which isn't great. "Blue Eyed Pop" is like Talking Heads on speed, and that's quite enjoyable. "Deus" is again too much art pop but with fine vocals by Björk and Einar Örn. "Sick for Toys" is strange post-punk art punk and a rather weak track, and the closing track (on the original vinyl release) "F***Ing in Rhythm & Sorrow" is also strange, but in a funny crazy drunken blues rock kind of way. Overall, the debut is interesting with great tracks and it appears as highly original but also a bit uneven, and not on par with my expectations; however, it is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" and is a recommended album.
24 February 2015
Chumbawamba "Swingin' With Raymond" (1995)
Swingin' With Raymond
release date: 1995
format: cd
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,68]
producer: Chumbawamba and Neil Ferguson
label: One Little Indian Records - nationality: England, UK
7th studio album by Chumbawamba and the last in a series to be released on One Little Indian. The album consists of two halves - tracks 1-6 being subtitled "Love" (apparently, with reference to the vinyl album's A-side), and the remaining tracks 7-13 are subtitled "Hate" (B-side of vinyl release). The first half consists of slow and harmonic folk pop compositions, whereas the second half are compositions of more powerful, energetic alt. rock compositions with clear bond to the anarcho-punk sub-culture. All songs are written with a typical good sense of musical skills, a certain amount of social awareness, and also typically for the band: a tip of satire.
I don't find it all bad, it proposes interesting lyrics but it doesn't really contain obvious great tracks and overall it disappoints in being neither this nor that.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]
release date: 1995
format: cd
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,68]
producer: Chumbawamba and Neil Ferguson
label: One Little Indian Records - nationality: England, UK
7th studio album by Chumbawamba and the last in a series to be released on One Little Indian. The album consists of two halves - tracks 1-6 being subtitled "Love" (apparently, with reference to the vinyl album's A-side), and the remaining tracks 7-13 are subtitled "Hate" (B-side of vinyl release). The first half consists of slow and harmonic folk pop compositions, whereas the second half are compositions of more powerful, energetic alt. rock compositions with clear bond to the anarcho-punk sub-culture. All songs are written with a typical good sense of musical skills, a certain amount of social awareness, and also typically for the band: a tip of satire.
I don't find it all bad, it proposes interesting lyrics but it doesn't really contain obvious great tracks and overall it disappoints in being neither this nor that.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]
Alanis Morissette "Uninvited" (1998) (single)
Uninvited, single
release date: Feb. 24, 1998
format: digital
[single rate: 4 / 5]
Single track: 1. "Uninvited" (4 / 5)
Single release not included on any of her studio album releases. The song was made for (and released on) the soundtrack to the movie "City of Angels" (1998) directed by Brad Silberling, feat. Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan. The song is a wonderful example of her writing and vocal skills.
release date: Feb. 24, 1998
format: digital
[single rate: 4 / 5]
Single track: 1. "Uninvited" (4 / 5)
Single release not included on any of her studio album releases. The song was made for (and released on) the soundtrack to the movie "City of Angels" (1998) directed by Brad Silberling, feat. Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan. The song is a wonderful example of her writing and vocal skills.
23 February 2015
Rammstein "Das Modell" (1997), single
Das Modell, single
release date: Nov. 23, 1997
format: cd
[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Jacob Hellner, Rammstein
label: Motor Music - nationality: Germany
Tracklist: 1. "Das Modell" - 2. "Kokain" (3,5 / 5) - 3. "Alter Mann (Special Version)" (3 / 5)
Single release by Rammstein is not from an album release. The title track is a cover of the perhaps most well-known single by Kraftwerk originally released in 1978.
This is a rather fine cover where Rammstein doesn't try hard to copy the original but pretty much make it their own industrial metal track only keeping the famous Kraftwerk keyboard chorus intact. The second track is a new Rammstein composition which is rather original, and the last is officially an alternate version of the track from Sehnsucht, although I find them identical.
release date: Nov. 23, 1997
format: cd
[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Jacob Hellner, Rammstein
label: Motor Music - nationality: Germany
Tracklist: 1. "Das Modell" - 2. "Kokain" (3,5 / 5) - 3. "Alter Mann (Special Version)" (3 / 5)
Single release by Rammstein is not from an album release. The title track is a cover of the perhaps most well-known single by Kraftwerk originally released in 1978.
This is a rather fine cover where Rammstein doesn't try hard to copy the original but pretty much make it their own industrial metal track only keeping the famous Kraftwerk keyboard chorus intact. The second track is a new Rammstein composition which is rather original, and the last is officially an alternate version of the track from Sehnsucht, although I find them identical.
22 February 2015
Nova Mob "The Last Days of Pompeii" (1991)
release date: Feb. 22, 1991
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,65]
producer: Nova Mob & Dave Kent
label: Rough Trade Records - nationality: USA
Track highlights: 1. "Introduction" - 3. "Getaway (Gateway) In Time" - 7. "Where You Gonna Land (Next Time You Fall Off of Your Mountain)?" - 8. "Over My Head" (live) - 9. "Admiral of the Sea" - 11. "Lavender and Grey" - 12. "The Last Days of Pompeii / Benediction"
Studio album debut by American band Nova Mob founded by Grant Hart in late '89 after an acclaimed solo album Intolerance (1989), which came after the disbandment of Hüsker Dü. Here, Grant is credited as guitarist and vocalist as well as composer of all twelve tracks, and Nova Mob is here in its first line-up with Hart, bassist Tom Merkl and drummer Michael Crego.
Musically, the band plays much in the same garage rock mix of alt. rock with bonds to folk rock and traditional r&b that is heard on Hart's debut. The production sound has improved slightly but still reveals a shallow and slightly thin sound as if [perhaps intentionally] recorded live in the studio. However, it still provides us with some strong songs by Hart, although, there's also left room for a few fillers. It nevertheless still feels much like a coherent whole, and it's clearly above mediocre but I do find his solo album as well as the band's successor Nova Mob (1994) bettering this.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]
21 February 2015
Lloyd Cole "Love Story" (1995)
Love Story
release date: Sep. 19, 1995
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
Tracklist: 1. "Trigger Happy" (4 / 5) - 2. "Sentimental Fool" (3,5 / 5) - 3. "I Didn't Know That You Cared" (4 / 5) - 4. "Love Ruins Everything" (3,5 / 5) - 5. "Baby" (3,5 / 5) - 6. "Be There" - 7. "Unhappy Song" - 8. "Like Lovers Do" (3,5 / 5) - 9. "Happy for You" - 10. "Traffic" - 11. "Let's Get Lost" - 12. "For Crying Out Loud"
4th solo studio album by Lloyd Cole, and frankly, I think this album is his best solo release to date. The album sold "Silver" in the UK and peaked at #29 on the album chart (his solo debut peaked at number #11). Before this he released Bad Vibes (1993), which I simply thought was dull and I felt he tried to copy his best songs from his previous releases, and I had sort of givin' up on him as a solo artist. I only heard the album in 2011, but I really think it's one of the best albums released that year, although Alanis Morrisette, Van Morrison, and Smashing Pumpkins are hard to beat that year. From the album, Cole released the single "Like Lovers Do" and that's actually his best selling single. I for one, just find that both "Trigger Happy" and "I Didn't Know That You Cared" are the best songs on this fine album. Stylistically, it's in family with his debut but with more focus on singer / songwriter music. If you have only heard his debut or only know of Lloyd Cole and The Commotions, this is definitely an album you should check out.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]
release date: Sep. 19, 1995
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
Tracklist: 1. "Trigger Happy" (4 / 5) - 2. "Sentimental Fool" (3,5 / 5) - 3. "I Didn't Know That You Cared" (4 / 5) - 4. "Love Ruins Everything" (3,5 / 5) - 5. "Baby" (3,5 / 5) - 6. "Be There" - 7. "Unhappy Song" - 8. "Like Lovers Do" (3,5 / 5) - 9. "Happy for You" - 10. "Traffic" - 11. "Let's Get Lost" - 12. "For Crying Out Loud"
4th solo studio album by Lloyd Cole, and frankly, I think this album is his best solo release to date. The album sold "Silver" in the UK and peaked at #29 on the album chart (his solo debut peaked at number #11). Before this he released Bad Vibes (1993), which I simply thought was dull and I felt he tried to copy his best songs from his previous releases, and I had sort of givin' up on him as a solo artist. I only heard the album in 2011, but I really think it's one of the best albums released that year, although Alanis Morrisette, Van Morrison, and Smashing Pumpkins are hard to beat that year. From the album, Cole released the single "Like Lovers Do" and that's actually his best selling single. I for one, just find that both "Trigger Happy" and "I Didn't Know That You Cared" are the best songs on this fine album. Stylistically, it's in family with his debut but with more focus on singer / songwriter music. If you have only heard his debut or only know of Lloyd Cole and The Commotions, this is definitely an album you should check out.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]
Veto "Point Break" (2013)
Point Break, ep
release date: Jan. 21, 2013
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,02]
producer: Veto
label: RCA Records / Sony Music - nationality: Denmark
Tracklist: 1. "Hidden Laws" (3,5 / 5) - 2. "Turner" (2,5 / 5) - 3. "Battle" (3 / 5) - 4. "Turing Machine" (3,5 / 5) - 5. "Consumer Logic" (3 / 5) - 6. "Esc" (2,5 / 5)
6-track ep release by Veto. It's unmistakably the sound of Veto.
I just don't find that this release has the usual great hooks and it also lacks some of the new elements of glitch pop. Here the band sounds more like an unoriginal take on Danish band Turboweekend combined with strong bits of Radiohead, which is a bit sad. Also, they have moved toward more traditionally founded tracks where the strong and heavy punching keyboards are missing... me think.
release date: Jan. 21, 2013
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,02]
producer: Veto
label: RCA Records / Sony Music - nationality: Denmark
Tracklist: 1. "Hidden Laws" (3,5 / 5) - 2. "Turner" (2,5 / 5) - 3. "Battle" (3 / 5) - 4. "Turing Machine" (3,5 / 5) - 5. "Consumer Logic" (3 / 5) - 6. "Esc" (2,5 / 5)
6-track ep release by Veto. It's unmistakably the sound of Veto.
I just don't find that this release has the usual great hooks and it also lacks some of the new elements of glitch pop. Here the band sounds more like an unoriginal take on Danish band Turboweekend combined with strong bits of Radiohead, which is a bit sad. Also, they have moved toward more traditionally founded tracks where the strong and heavy punching keyboards are missing... me think.
Kele "The Boxer" (2010)
The Boxer [debut]
release date: Jun. 21, 2010
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,70]
producer: XXXChange (aka Alex Brady Epton)
label: Wichita Recordings - nationality: England, UK
Tracklist: 1. "Walk Tall" (4 / 5) - 2. "On the Lam" (4 / 5) - 3. "Tenderoni" (4,5 / 5) - 4. "The Other Side" (3 / 5) - 5. "Everything You Wanted" (4 / 5) (live at The BBC) - 6. "New Rules" (3,5 / 5) - 7. "Unholy Thoughts" (3 / 5) - 8. "Rise" (3,5 / 5) - 9. "All the Things I Could Never Say" (4 / 5) - 10. "Yesterday's Gone" (3,5 / 5)
Solo studio album debut by Kele (aka Kele Okereke), frontman and vocalist of Bloc Party, is released after Kele in early 2010 openly declared to be gay, and the songs on the album deal with aspects and consequences of homosexuality in modern Britain.
Bloc Party surely has divided people and music fans in Britain and elsewhere. The band came out on top of the new retro post-punk wave (post punk revival), which flurished on both sides of the Atlantic. The band's initial indie rock style was the new frontier and Bloc Party had a massive hit with "Banquet", which had me fall for the quartet, and because of that everyone expected the bond to post-punk as their style - sort of: "That's it then! Interpol elaborate on the style from New York and Bloc Party attack it from London". But Bloc Party quickly side-stepped and sought out new playgrounds and it took me a while getting used to the band's experimentation with electronica but eventually I found huge pleasure from it. Now, Kele goes even further on this, which naturally is less guitar-based, but it still holds water, even as an indie rock combo with alt. dance, glitch pop in an electronic compound. It's really addictive when played loud. "Tenderoni" was initially a strange song but after a few listens at high volume, I really got into it, and after fifty and more, it's just a monster of a track.
Recommended.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, NME 3,5 / 5 stars ]
release date: Jun. 21, 2010
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,70]
producer: XXXChange (aka Alex Brady Epton)
label: Wichita Recordings - nationality: England, UK
Tracklist: 1. "Walk Tall" (4 / 5) - 2. "On the Lam" (4 / 5) - 3. "Tenderoni" (4,5 / 5) - 4. "The Other Side" (3 / 5) - 5. "Everything You Wanted" (4 / 5) (live at The BBC) - 6. "New Rules" (3,5 / 5) - 7. "Unholy Thoughts" (3 / 5) - 8. "Rise" (3,5 / 5) - 9. "All the Things I Could Never Say" (4 / 5) - 10. "Yesterday's Gone" (3,5 / 5)
Solo studio album debut by Kele (aka Kele Okereke), frontman and vocalist of Bloc Party, is released after Kele in early 2010 openly declared to be gay, and the songs on the album deal with aspects and consequences of homosexuality in modern Britain.
Bloc Party surely has divided people and music fans in Britain and elsewhere. The band came out on top of the new retro post-punk wave (post punk revival), which flurished on both sides of the Atlantic. The band's initial indie rock style was the new frontier and Bloc Party had a massive hit with "Banquet", which had me fall for the quartet, and because of that everyone expected the bond to post-punk as their style - sort of: "That's it then! Interpol elaborate on the style from New York and Bloc Party attack it from London". But Bloc Party quickly side-stepped and sought out new playgrounds and it took me a while getting used to the band's experimentation with electronica but eventually I found huge pleasure from it. Now, Kele goes even further on this, which naturally is less guitar-based, but it still holds water, even as an indie rock combo with alt. dance, glitch pop in an electronic compound. It's really addictive when played loud. "Tenderoni" was initially a strange song but after a few listens at high volume, I really got into it, and after fifty and more, it's just a monster of a track.
Recommended.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, NME 3,5 / 5 stars ]
20 February 2015
Lars Hug "Kysser himlen farvel" (1987)
Kysser himlen farvel
release date: Feb. 20, 1987
format: vinyl (MdLP 6323) / cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,86]
producer: Hilmer Hassig, Lars Hug
label: Medley Records - nationality: Denmark
Tracklist: 1. "Hvor går vi hen" - 2. "Mon de kan reparere dig" - 3. "Kysser himlen farvel" - 4. "Skibet hedder Afsked" - 5. "Tal til mig" - 6. "Desertøren" - 7. "Dreng dreng" - 8. "Elsker dig for evigt" - 9. "Vi er en stor familie" - 10. "P. S. You Better Believe in Boys, Girls"
2nd solo album by Lars Hug (his last under this moniker) is his perhaps finest solo release with its fine combo of pop / rock and art pop. Most tracks are written either solely by Hug or in a collaboration with Voss and Torp (tracks #4, #7, and #8) from Kliché, as three of the tracks apparently was written for a never realised third album by Kliché. Apart from that, the album also feature Finn Verwohlt and Hilmer Hassig on guitars, both of which contributed on Hug's debut album.
Kysser himlen farvel is a rather big surprise as his solo debut was anything but commercial, and it's Hug's major breakthrough as a solo artist on the national scene.
After the release Hug was forced, via legal charges, to change his artist name to Lars H.U.G., as the name Hug by court of law was declared an old protected family name.
release date: Feb. 20, 1987
format: vinyl (MdLP 6323) / cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,86]
producer: Hilmer Hassig, Lars Hug
label: Medley Records - nationality: Denmark
Tracklist: 1. "Hvor går vi hen" - 2. "Mon de kan reparere dig" - 3. "Kysser himlen farvel" - 4. "Skibet hedder Afsked" - 5. "Tal til mig" - 6. "Desertøren" - 7. "Dreng dreng" - 8. "Elsker dig for evigt" - 9. "Vi er en stor familie" - 10. "P. S. You Better Believe in Boys, Girls"
2nd solo album by Lars Hug (his last under this moniker) is his perhaps finest solo release with its fine combo of pop / rock and art pop. Most tracks are written either solely by Hug or in a collaboration with Voss and Torp (tracks #4, #7, and #8) from Kliché, as three of the tracks apparently was written for a never realised third album by Kliché. Apart from that, the album also feature Finn Verwohlt and Hilmer Hassig on guitars, both of which contributed on Hug's debut album.
Kysser himlen farvel is a rather big surprise as his solo debut was anything but commercial, and it's Hug's major breakthrough as a solo artist on the national scene.
After the release Hug was forced, via legal charges, to change his artist name to Lars H.U.G., as the name Hug by court of law was declared an old protected family name.
19 February 2015
Pearl Jam "Vs." (1993)
Vs.
release date: Oct. 19, 1993
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Brendan O'Brien, Pearl Jam
label: Epic Records - nationality: USA
Track highlights: 3. "Daughter" (4 / 5) - 4. "Glorified G" (3 / 5) - 5. "Dissident" (3,5 / 5) - 10. "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" (3,5 / 5)
2nd studio album by Pearl Jam is the first album produced with long-time preferred producer Brendan O'Brien, and it's the first with new drummer David Abbruzzese. Compared to the debut, the biggest change is the production sound.
Back at the time of the release, I felt it was just a huge disappointment, but the album has grown on me over the years, and today I understand how it became the band's most successful release. The compositions are in way more powerful, yet more scarcely orchestrated. The band was (and still is) rather dismayed by the way the debut had been mixed ending up with a sound they didn't like and never aimed for. Here, with O'Brien the sound is more vibrant and, in a way, more genuine - almost as live recordings. There's a fine span between powerful explosions and softer and acoustic compositions, and the voice of Vedder is even more expressive. I don't find that the album holds a lot great tunes, but overall it's better produced.
In its time the album was the fastest selling album for the first week, and it's still the band's best-selling album ending on top of the national charts as it did in a number of other countries around the world.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 4,5 / 5 stars ]
release date: Oct. 19, 1993
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Brendan O'Brien, Pearl Jam
label: Epic Records - nationality: USA
Track highlights: 3. "Daughter" (4 / 5) - 4. "Glorified G" (3 / 5) - 5. "Dissident" (3,5 / 5) - 10. "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" (3,5 / 5)
2nd studio album by Pearl Jam is the first album produced with long-time preferred producer Brendan O'Brien, and it's the first with new drummer David Abbruzzese. Compared to the debut, the biggest change is the production sound.
Back at the time of the release, I felt it was just a huge disappointment, but the album has grown on me over the years, and today I understand how it became the band's most successful release. The compositions are in way more powerful, yet more scarcely orchestrated. The band was (and still is) rather dismayed by the way the debut had been mixed ending up with a sound they didn't like and never aimed for. Here, with O'Brien the sound is more vibrant and, in a way, more genuine - almost as live recordings. There's a fine span between powerful explosions and softer and acoustic compositions, and the voice of Vedder is even more expressive. I don't find that the album holds a lot great tunes, but overall it's better produced.
In its time the album was the fastest selling album for the first week, and it's still the band's best-selling album ending on top of the national charts as it did in a number of other countries around the world.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 4,5 / 5 stars ]
Kele "Tendoroni (Remixes)" (2010) (single)
release date: Jun. 21, 2010
format: digital
[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]
producer: diverse
label: Polydor - nationality: England, UK
Tracklist: 1. "Tenderoni" (Original) (4,5 / 5) - 2. "Tenderoni (Kris Menace Remix)" (3 / 5) - 3. "Tenderoni (XXXchange Dub)" - 4. "Tenderoni (Jokers of the Scene Remix)" - 5. "Tenderoni (Dam Mantle Remix)" (3 / 5) - 6. "Tenderoni (Larry Tee & Beckwith Remix)" (3 / 5)
Promotion single by Kele issued simultaneously with the release of his full-length debut The Boxer. This version contains two of the songs from the original 3-track single released Jun. 14th with the addition of four other remixes.
Kele "Tenderoni" (2010) (single)
release date: Jun. 14, 2010
format: cd
[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: XXXchange [aka Alex Brady Epton]
label: Wichita - nationality: England, UK
Tracklist: 1. "Tenderoni" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "One Day of Strength" (3,5 / 5) - 3. "Tenderoni (Larry Tee & Beckwith Remix)" (3 / 5)
format: cd
[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: XXXchange [aka Alex Brady Epton]
label: Wichita - nationality: England, UK
Tracklist: 1. "Tenderoni" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "One Day of Strength" (3,5 / 5) - 3. "Tenderoni (Larry Tee & Beckwith Remix)" (3 / 5)
1st single release from the forthcoming solo album by Kele Okereke, lead vocalist in Bloc Party.
~ ~ ~
KeleOkereke: (aka Kelechukwu Rowland Okereke- full name) born Oct. 13, 1981, born and raised in Liverpool, England. Lead vocalist and rythm guitarist in indie pop, alt. rock, post-punk revival act Bloc Party (from early 1999). Kele's first solo releases were mainly exclusively for the electronic scene of alt. dance and synth pop. He has however, also made the cleaner singer / songwriter and folk rock album Fatherland (2017).
~ ~ ~
18 February 2015
Lisa Ekdahl "Lisa Ekdahl" (1994)
Lisa Ekdahl [debut]
release date: Feb. 18, 1994
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,86]
producer: Gunnar Nordén
label: EMI Svenska - nationality: Sweden
Tracklist: 1. "Öppna upp ditt fönster" - 2. "Benen i kors" - 3. "I tveksamhetens tid" - 4. "Jag skrek" - 5. "Åh gud" - 6. "Sanningen i vitögat" - 7. "Det är en nåd" - 8. "Vem vet" - 9. "Jag bara vet" - 10. "Flyg vilda fågel" - 11. "På jakt efter solen" - 12. "Kunde jag vrida tiden tillbaka" - 13. "Du sålde våra hjärtan" - 14. "Ro och Lisa"
Studio debut album by Lisa Ekdahl, the Swedish song bird. The album was a huge success all over Scandinavia, and no matter what cafe, movie theater, or restaurant you went in to that year, it seemed that they played her cd all day long. And it's a great and highly original debut filled with personal and witty stories wrapped up in nice and original compositions. This album is a 'must-have' of the genre.
Highly recommendable.
release date: Feb. 18, 1994
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,86]
producer: Gunnar Nordén
label: EMI Svenska - nationality: Sweden
Tracklist: 1. "Öppna upp ditt fönster" - 2. "Benen i kors" - 3. "I tveksamhetens tid" - 4. "Jag skrek" - 5. "Åh gud" - 6. "Sanningen i vitögat" - 7. "Det är en nåd" - 8. "Vem vet" - 9. "Jag bara vet" - 10. "Flyg vilda fågel" - 11. "På jakt efter solen" - 12. "Kunde jag vrida tiden tillbaka" - 13. "Du sålde våra hjärtan" - 14. "Ro och Lisa"
Studio debut album by Lisa Ekdahl, the Swedish song bird. The album was a huge success all over Scandinavia, and no matter what cafe, movie theater, or restaurant you went in to that year, it seemed that they played her cd all day long. And it's a great and highly original debut filled with personal and witty stories wrapped up in nice and original compositions. This album is a 'must-have' of the genre.
Highly recommendable.
Siouxsie and the Banshees "Twice Upon a Time - The Singles" (1992)
release date: Oct. 1992
format: digital
[album rate: 4 / 5]
producer: diverse
label: Polydor Records - nationality: England, UK
2nd compilation with Siouxsie & The Banshees (as they are stylised here) is a direct continuation of Once Upon a Time / The Singles from 1981. The band has refrained from releasing actual best of albums, so far sticking to the release of compilations of their singles. And the form also completely follows the thread seen with the first compilation by listing the singles in chronological order. The '81 compilation was released after just four studio albums and therefore it contained only ten tracks with a total running length of just under 33 minutes. Since then, the band has released another six studio albums, and at the same time they have gone from issuing typically two singles per album, to selecting three songs, which means this compiles a total of eighteen tracks starting with "Fireworks" from the album A Kiss in the Dreamhouse from '82 and ending with "Face to Face", a track, which in addition to being released as a single, also is found on the Batman Returns (dir. by Tim Burton) soundtrack from '92. Twice Upon a Time... thus has a total running length of just under 76 minutes. With this, the band quite nicely documents its progression from dark gothic rock, post-punk, and darkwave to a much more danceable and mainstream expression, which nevertheless manages to tie nicely with the sound of their earlier heydays. Siouxsie and the Banshees are and has always been a band who sounds unmistakably original and who has never come to a stand still or simply chosen the easy solutions. Only minor flaw with the album is that they [label management?] chose the remix version of the single "Fear (Of the Unknown)".
The album here is a super-fine introduction to the band's multifaceted progression, but it cannot stand alone - SATB has simply made too many strong songs for that. Only after the band's disbandment an actual best of album was released, which cannot be recommended, and if you (for some reason) don't want to listen to all the band's studio albums, you will get a good picture by listening to Once Upon a Time / The Singles from '81 and this very album.
Highly recommended.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Select 4 / 5 stars ]
17 February 2015
The Chemical Brothers "Hanna" (OST) (2011)
Hanna (soundtrack)
release date: Mar. 15, 2011
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,68]
Track highlights: 1. "Hanna's Theme" - 2. "Escape 700" - 4. "The Devil Is in the Details" - 10. "Bahnhof Rumble" - 11. "The Devil Is in the Beats" - 17. "Escape Wavefold" - 19. "Container Park" - 20. "Hanna's Theme (Vocal Version)"
Original Soundtrack by The Chemical Brothers to an action adventure movie by Joe Wright (feat. Cate Blanchett). It's unmistakably The Chemical Brothers, and pretty much as usual a soundtrack album differs from what artists normally produce. In this case the music is more progressive and experimental house instead of big beat and / or breakbeat, and also, many tracks are noteworthy short in playing time with elements of industrial and musique concrete. I think, it's an interesting album, which almost touches a genre of modern classical, and I come to think of Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass, and Kraftwerk as possible sources of inspiration.
release date: Mar. 15, 2011
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,68]
Track highlights: 1. "Hanna's Theme" - 2. "Escape 700" - 4. "The Devil Is in the Details" - 10. "Bahnhof Rumble" - 11. "The Devil Is in the Beats" - 17. "Escape Wavefold" - 19. "Container Park" - 20. "Hanna's Theme (Vocal Version)"
Original Soundtrack by The Chemical Brothers to an action adventure movie by Joe Wright (feat. Cate Blanchett). It's unmistakably The Chemical Brothers, and pretty much as usual a soundtrack album differs from what artists normally produce. In this case the music is more progressive and experimental house instead of big beat and / or breakbeat, and also, many tracks are noteworthy short in playing time with elements of industrial and musique concrete. I think, it's an interesting album, which almost touches a genre of modern classical, and I come to think of Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass, and Kraftwerk as possible sources of inspiration.
Lisa Ekdahl
~ ~ ~
Lisa Ekdahl (born Jul. 29, 1971 in Stockholm, Sweden) is a Swedish singer / songwriter who started as a folk pop singer / songwriter but she has released albums in more traditional pop as well as in the vocal jazz and bossa nova genres. She has become a leading solo performer in Scandinavia with trademark of her high pitched, clear and delicate innocent singing voice.
~ ~ ~
Bill Frisell "Where in the World?" (1991)
release date: 1991
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,64]
producer: Wayne Horvitz
label: Elektra Nonesuch - nationality: USA
Track highlights: 1. "Unsung Heroes" - 2. "Rob Roy" - 4. "Child at Heart" - 6. "Again" - 7. "Smilin' Jones" - 8. "Where in the World?" - 9. "Worry Doll" - 10. "Let Me In"
2nd and so far final studio album released by The Bill Frisell Band, which is a quartet consisting of band-leader Frisell on guitars, cellist Hank Roberts, bassist Kermit Driscoll, and with drummer Joey Baron. Their first album was Lookout for Hope (1988), and although this quartet hasn't released other albums, Frisell has worked with all instrumentalists on various albums. Where the '88 album was released by ECM and had Lee Townsend as producer, this one is Frisell's third album on Nonesuch and it's his second of three consecutive albums with Horvitz as producer - the first being Is That You? (1990), which also featured Horvitz on keyboards.
Stylistically, Frisell nearly always excells in the jazz fusion area, but that doesn't mean his albums sound alike. He started out in ambient minimalism and then took a turn towards a stronger ingredient of 'post bop' and progressive jazz, which meant louder music and more complex arrangements. He has incorporated americana, blues, world music as well as more popular styles including country and rock. On this, he appears to have left behind most of the more complex compositions and instead focused on melody and simplicity, yet still maintaining a signature trait of introspectiveness.
The album is an acclaimed work of art and it's not that I don't appreciate it 'cause I really do, but it is still a rather complex release pointing in many directions. However, Frisell and his skilled crew-members, throw bits and pieces at you but ultimately make an almost impossible work by holding everything together in a tight leash.
Where in the World? is one of the early albums by Frisell that realy stands in its own rights. On one hand, it's almost like the perfect soundtrack to a non-existing film by Wim Wenders and a timeless conglomerate that shows us glimpses of his later and more mature albums.
A recommended album without fillers.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings 3,5 / 5 stars ]
16 February 2015
Tindersticks "BBC Sessions" (2007)
BBC Sessions (compilation)
release date: Jul. 16, 2007
format: digital (2 cd)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Tindersticks
label: Island Records - nationality: England, UK
release date: Jul. 16, 2007
format: digital (2 cd)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Tindersticks
label: Island Records - nationality: England, UK
2 CD compilation from Tindersticks containing 26 tracks recorded at the BBC in the years 1993 to 1997. These are all familiar compositions - all released on the band's first three studio albums - and as such it's not recordings that are distinctively different from the original versions, so in that way, the album here is more of a collector's item sitting somewhere between live recordings and traditional studio releases, although it's always nice to hear a band made up of skilled instrumentalists.
15 February 2015
Hunters & Collectors "Hunters & Collectors" (1983)
Hunters & Collectors
release date: 1983
format: vinyl (V2260) / digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]
producer: Hunters & Collectors; Mike Howlett (A1-A4)
label: Virgin Records - nationality: Australia
release date: 1983
format: vinyl (V2260) / digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]
producer: Hunters & Collectors; Mike Howlett (A1-A4)
label: Virgin Records - nationality: Australia
Track highlights: A) 1. "Towtruck" - 2. "Droptank" - 3. "Mouthtrap" - - B) 1. "Talking to a Stranger" (Remix) (other version) - 2. "Scream Who" - 3. "Run Run Run"
International album debut by Melbourne-founded Australian post-punk band Hunters & Collectors. Basically, the album is the band's international debut but it may also be regarded as a compilation as it combines the band's second ep Payload (1982) and the homonymous double vinyl ep debut from 1982, which had both been released exclusively for the Australian and New Zealand markets. The A-side contains all four tracks from Payload, and the B-side contains three tracks taken from album debut (tracks A1, B1 and D). At this early stage, the band line-up was already rather extensive, sometimes counting ten members. Here, they list seven: Mark Seymour on lead vocals & guitar, Ray Tosti-Guerra on guitar & vocals, John Archer on bass, Geoff Crosby on keyboards, Doug Falconer on drums, Greg Perano on percussion, and Robert Miles credited live sound & as art director. Later on, they were mostly eight official members and on their ninth and final studio album, Juggernaut (1998), the band counted nine members.
This is my first acquaintance with this fine Australian band, an album I purchased in '83 or early '84. I played this a lot back then and only later discovered that it was a compilations album - which it neither is after all.
It represents a fine mix somewhere in various directions of post-punk. There's an underlaying and ever-present darkness of gothic rock and at the same time a melodic sense of new wave and power pop, which in any case could be labelled indie rock at the time, but there's also elements from funk and something I would call garage rock, which really makes it a huge blend of styles, but it actually works like an original style of theirs, and to me, it fell nicely into a mix of Shriekback, Bauhaus, Gang of Four. and with some bonds to Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. However, the band soon changed its style to a more mainstream pop / rock style, which in a way seems influenced by bands like Rolling Stones, Genesis and Talking Heads, although, also maintaining a highly original Australian tone, and the band experienced commercial and international success with its fourth album out, Human Frailty (1986) and the album Demon Flower (1994).
14 February 2015
Simply Red "The Right Thing" (1987) (single)
The Right Thing, 7'' single
release date: Feb. 1987
format: vinyl (248 461-7)
[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]
producer: Alex Sadkin
label: WEA Records - nationality: England, UK
Tracklist: A) "The Right Thing" - - B) "There's a Light"
Single release by Simply Red and the first of 5 single releases from the album Men and Women (Mar. '87). The single peaked at number #11 on the UK singles chart list.
release date: Feb. 1987
format: vinyl (248 461-7)
[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]
producer: Alex Sadkin
label: WEA Records - nationality: England, UK
Tracklist: A) "The Right Thing" - - B) "There's a Light"
Single release by Simply Red and the first of 5 single releases from the album Men and Women (Mar. '87). The single peaked at number #11 on the UK singles chart list.
12 February 2015
Anna von Hausswolff "Singing From the Grave" (2010)
Singing From the Grave [debut]
release date: May 5, 2010
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,28]
producer: Henryk Lipp
label: Kning Disk - nationality: Sweden
Track highlights: 1. "Move On" - 2. "Track of Time" - 5. "Singing From the Grave" - 7. "Old Beauty / Du kan nu dö" - 8. "The Book"
Studio album debut by Swedish composer, pianist and vocalist [aka Anna Michaela Ebba Electra von Hausswolff [!] - the daughter of musician CM (Carl Michael) von Hausswolff and the sister to photographer Maria] is a chamber pop and art pop studio album, which sounds somewhat familiar, or building on inspiration from Kate Bush, Joanne Newsome and an American folk pop and singer / songwriter tradition in broad terms.
The album contains her debut single release, "Track of Time" but it doesn't really contain the obvious strong single standouts but sits somewhere in a vast landscape of well-known composers with a share of raw talent and lacking a bit when it comes to originality, imho. Anna von Hausswolff undoubtedly possess a voluminous vocal, which is why it's more than just ordinary - I just hope she will make it more evident that she has something extraordinary to offer.
[ Gaffa.dk 5 / 6 ]
release date: May 5, 2010
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,28]
producer: Henryk Lipp
label: Kning Disk - nationality: Sweden
Track highlights: 1. "Move On" - 2. "Track of Time" - 5. "Singing From the Grave" - 7. "Old Beauty / Du kan nu dö" - 8. "The Book"
Studio album debut by Swedish composer, pianist and vocalist [aka Anna Michaela Ebba Electra von Hausswolff [!] - the daughter of musician CM (Carl Michael) von Hausswolff and the sister to photographer Maria] is a chamber pop and art pop studio album, which sounds somewhat familiar, or building on inspiration from Kate Bush, Joanne Newsome and an American folk pop and singer / songwriter tradition in broad terms.
The album contains her debut single release, "Track of Time" but it doesn't really contain the obvious strong single standouts but sits somewhere in a vast landscape of well-known composers with a share of raw talent and lacking a bit when it comes to originality, imho. Anna von Hausswolff undoubtedly possess a voluminous vocal, which is why it's more than just ordinary - I just hope she will make it more evident that she has something extraordinary to offer.
[ Gaffa.dk 5 / 6 ]
10 February 2015
Cocteau Twins "Victorialand" (1986)
Victorialand
release date: Apr. 14, 1986
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,98]
producer: Cocteau Twins
label: 4AD Records - nationality: Scotland, UK
Track highlights: 1. "Lazy Calm" - 2. "Fluffy Tufts" - 8. "How to Bring a Blush to the Snow"
4th studio album by Cocteau Twins, who continues to release on the independent label 4AD. Again, the album is produced by the band, which once again is temporarily reduced to consist of only Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie, as bassist Simon Raymonde was occupied in making the second album by This Mortail Coil, and instead Fraser and Guthrie have focused on a different take on their music - perhaps by regrading to former virtues, thus making their clearly most ethereal wave-styled album, which comes quite close to being primarily an 'ambient' release. It's really hard to tell if it's an improvement to Fraser and Guthrie's constant dwelling on a certain dream pop soundscape that tends to be repetitious but it also has a distinct quality, which makes me think of The Durutti Column / Vini Reilly - that being of course Guthrie's guitar sound, and with the exception that Reilly generally leaves more room for diverse compositions on his albums.
release date: Apr. 14, 1986
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,98]
producer: Cocteau Twins
label: 4AD Records - nationality: Scotland, UK
Track highlights: 1. "Lazy Calm" - 2. "Fluffy Tufts" - 8. "How to Bring a Blush to the Snow"
4th studio album by Cocteau Twins, who continues to release on the independent label 4AD. Again, the album is produced by the band, which once again is temporarily reduced to consist of only Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie, as bassist Simon Raymonde was occupied in making the second album by This Mortail Coil, and instead Fraser and Guthrie have focused on a different take on their music - perhaps by regrading to former virtues, thus making their clearly most ethereal wave-styled album, which comes quite close to being primarily an 'ambient' release. It's really hard to tell if it's an improvement to Fraser and Guthrie's constant dwelling on a certain dream pop soundscape that tends to be repetitious but it also has a distinct quality, which makes me think of The Durutti Column / Vini Reilly - that being of course Guthrie's guitar sound, and with the exception that Reilly generally leaves more room for diverse compositions on his albums.
Victorialand doesn't contain clear single hits but has more of a conceptual feel, or something that points to the later style of post-rock. This is the band's most poignant ambient release, which may have had an influence on and indirectly led to the album The Moon and the Melodies (Nov. '86) as a collaboration with American jazz minimalist and neo-classical composer Harold Budd and the band members individually and not as Cocteau Twins, thus credited Harold Budd, Simon Raymonde, Robin Guthrie, Elizabeth Fraser.
Anyway, Victorialand is imho not where you should start when looking up the Cocteau Twins.
Anyway, Victorialand is imho not where you should start when looking up the Cocteau Twins.
Morrissey "Beethoven Was Deaf" (1993) (live)
Beethoven Was Deaf (live)
release date: May 10, 1993
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,02]
label: HMV - nationality: England, UK
Track highlight: 5. "Seasick, Yet Still Docked" - (5 / 5) - 6. "November Spawned a Monster" (5 / 5) - 8. "Jack the Ripper" (5 / 5)
[ full album ]
1st live album by Morrissey with all tracks recorded on two occasions: 7 tracks are taken from a concert in London on Dec. 20, whereas the remaining 9 tracks were recorded live on Dec. 22 at Zenith in Paris.
Apart from Morrissey on vocals, the personnel consists of the two guitarists and musical composers, Alain Whyte and Boz Boorer, bassist Gary Day and drummer Spencer Cobrin.
This is a rather fine album showing how well Morrissey performs live. Like was the case with The Smiths, the live performances with Morrissey are often more rock-styled in respect to his normal studio releases and what they may imply.
I have really enjoyed this album a great deal because of its straight-forward aggressiveness and several great live versions such as "November Spawned a Monster", and "Jack the Ripper".
release date: May 10, 1993
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,02]
label: HMV - nationality: England, UK
Track highlight: 5. "Seasick, Yet Still Docked" - (5 / 5) - 6. "November Spawned a Monster" (5 / 5) - 8. "Jack the Ripper" (5 / 5)
[ full album ]
1st live album by Morrissey with all tracks recorded on two occasions: 7 tracks are taken from a concert in London on Dec. 20, whereas the remaining 9 tracks were recorded live on Dec. 22 at Zenith in Paris.
Apart from Morrissey on vocals, the personnel consists of the two guitarists and musical composers, Alain Whyte and Boz Boorer, bassist Gary Day and drummer Spencer Cobrin.
This is a rather fine album showing how well Morrissey performs live. Like was the case with The Smiths, the live performances with Morrissey are often more rock-styled in respect to his normal studio releases and what they may imply.
I have really enjoyed this album a great deal because of its straight-forward aggressiveness and several great live versions such as "November Spawned a Monster", and "Jack the Ripper".
09 February 2015
Psyched Up Janis "Enter the Super Peppermint Lounge" (1998)
Enter the Super Peppermint Lounge
release date: Feb. 12, 1998
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,46]
producer: Craig Leon
label: EMI-Medley - nationality: Denmark
Track highlights: 1. "Special One" (live) - 3. "In the Sun" - 4. "Evil Beauty" - 5. "I Think You Suck" - 7. "Tonight When You Are Gone" - 8. "Picking Stars"
3rd and final studio album by Psyched Up Janis is like the two previous albums produced by Craig Leon. At this point the band had been reduced to a duo consisting of singer, guitarist and now also drummer & percussionist Sune Rose Wagner and bassist Jacob Jørgensen. The album was recorded with legendary studio musician Hal Blaine on drums - but on one track only.
The album is slower and more quiet compared to the two previous albums and it reveals a substantial change of style. All music is, as always, written exclusively by Sune Wagner, and the compositions show a final move away from grunge rock presenting itself as a more Phil Spector-inspired collection of songs with strong bonds to the '60s 'surf rock' tradition - listen e.g. to "Evil Beauty". Basically, this has more in common with the first albums by Raveonettes than the first two albums by Psyched Up Janis.
After this, the journey of school friends Jørgensen and Wagner came to its end. Another two final albums by the band were released in '99 to mark the end of the road for the band: Hi-Fi Low Life - a compilation of demo-recordings almost entirely performed by Sune Wagner and the live album The Quiet Album.
Psyched Up Janis disbanded in the Fall of '99, after which Wagner went on to form Tremolo Beer Gut with Jesper Reginald (aka Yebo, of Thau), who handled drums on Beats Me (1997) together with guitarist Jens Ole Lembcke (also Thau) and Swedish bassist Per Sunding (from Swedish indie pop trio Eggstone). The quartet released three albums from 1999 to 2001, and still of Dec. 2001, Wagner then formed a duo together with bassist Sharin Foo called The Girl On Death Row - this duo would be renamed The Raveonettes for the their ep debut, Whip It On (2002).
release date: Feb. 12, 1998
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,46]
producer: Craig Leon
label: EMI-Medley - nationality: Denmark
Track highlights: 1. "Special One" (live) - 3. "In the Sun" - 4. "Evil Beauty" - 5. "I Think You Suck" - 7. "Tonight When You Are Gone" - 8. "Picking Stars"
3rd and final studio album by Psyched Up Janis is like the two previous albums produced by Craig Leon. At this point the band had been reduced to a duo consisting of singer, guitarist and now also drummer & percussionist Sune Rose Wagner and bassist Jacob Jørgensen. The album was recorded with legendary studio musician Hal Blaine on drums - but on one track only.
The album is slower and more quiet compared to the two previous albums and it reveals a substantial change of style. All music is, as always, written exclusively by Sune Wagner, and the compositions show a final move away from grunge rock presenting itself as a more Phil Spector-inspired collection of songs with strong bonds to the '60s 'surf rock' tradition - listen e.g. to "Evil Beauty". Basically, this has more in common with the first albums by Raveonettes than the first two albums by Psyched Up Janis.
After this, the journey of school friends Jørgensen and Wagner came to its end. Another two final albums by the band were released in '99 to mark the end of the road for the band: Hi-Fi Low Life - a compilation of demo-recordings almost entirely performed by Sune Wagner and the live album The Quiet Album.
Psyched Up Janis disbanded in the Fall of '99, after which Wagner went on to form Tremolo Beer Gut with Jesper Reginald (aka Yebo, of Thau), who handled drums on Beats Me (1997) together with guitarist Jens Ole Lembcke (also Thau) and Swedish bassist Per Sunding (from Swedish indie pop trio Eggstone). The quartet released three albums from 1999 to 2001, and still of Dec. 2001, Wagner then formed a duo together with bassist Sharin Foo called The Girl On Death Row - this duo would be renamed The Raveonettes for the their ep debut, Whip It On (2002).
Fuck Buttons "Tarot Sport" (2009)
Tarot Sport
release date: Oct. 20, 2009
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]
producer: Andrew Weatherall
label: ATP Recordings - nationality: England, UK
release date: Oct. 20, 2009
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]
producer: Andrew Weatherall
label: ATP Recordings - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 1. "Surf Solar" - 3. "The Lisbon Maru" - 4. "Olympians" - 6. "Space Mountain" - 7. "Flight of the Feathered Serpent"
2nd studio album by the electronic duo-project Fuck Buttons by Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power [Blanck Mass] follows 1½ year after a promising start with Street Horrrsing (Mar. 2008).
Tarot Sport is like the predecessor instrumental progressive electronica but where the debut had a link to post-rock, this one goes bolder electronic, passing from drone to progressive and then adding elements from minimal techno and glitch pop.
Tarot Sport was met by positive reviews, thus ending up on many music magazines' top-10 lists of albums of the year.
Although, it wasn't an immediate favourite of mine, I find it much more than just ordinary and with something extra to offer. For one thing, the album appears more of an original whole than their debut, which both appeared as a fine experiment but also felt bonded to familiar inspirational sources. Tarot Sport, on the other hand, comes out even more experimental, displaying some quite interesting beats and sounds, which almost takes it into the dance arena, and then there's an industrial tone lurking as a backbone on all tracks. You could aply most of that for the debut, but where that appeared like a experiment pointing in various directions, this one appears more as a coherent work with a founding sound. It's quite spacious but also quite strict in its soundscape, which would nearly be too blatant as a soundtrack for a movie about transportation in space.
The album has proved to be a certified grower. At first I found it so-so - thinking: possibly above 3 - then, uhm, yeah... not bad, actually! - reevaluating: clearly above 3,3 to 3,5-ish - and then one day I found myself listening to it at pretty high volume driving alone in my car on a motorway, while thinking: Now, how could I miss how good this is?! It's definitely quite spectacular isn't?! I really like the bolder use of drum beats, and one day I may eventually hand it a 4.
Graham Parker "Human Soul" (1989)
Human Soul
release date: 1989
format: vinyl (9876-1-R)
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,62]
producer: Brinsley Schwarz, Graham Parker
label: RCA Records - nationality: England, UK
Studio album by Graham Parker.
release date: 1989
format: vinyl (9876-1-R)
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,62]
producer: Brinsley Schwarz, Graham Parker
label: RCA Records - nationality: England, UK
Studio album by Graham Parker.
08 February 2015
Talk Talk "The Colour of Spring" (1986)
The Colour of Spring
release date: Feb. 17, 1986
format: vinyl / cd (2003 remaster)
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,52]
producer: Tim Friese-Greene
label: EMI Records - nationality: England, UK
Tracklist: 1. "Happiness Is Easy" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "I Don't Believe in You" (4,5 / 5) - 3. "Life's What You Make It" (5 / 5) - 4. "April 5th" (4,5 / 5) - 5. "Living in Another World" (4 / 5) - 6. "Give It Up" - 7. "Chameleon Day" - 8. "Time It's Time" (5 / 5)
3rd studio album by Talk Talk and the band's major commercial breakthrough as well as critically acclaimed album. The trio remains the same, only with the fourth unofficial member, Tim Friese-Greene in a more dominant role as the band's (unaccredited) keyboardist, who has co-written all tracks together with Mark Hollis. The sound and style has changed to an undefinable mix of art pop, chamber pop, and synthpop albeit with less focus on synths and a tentative addition of 'progressiveness' without being traditional progressive pop or pop / rock but basically foreshadowing what would later be labelled post rock - something that should materialise even further on the band's fourth album Spirit of Eden (1988) - an album many misinterpreted as a bit odd at first, but something that wasn't understood and fully recognised until after Sigur Rós, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Mogwai had distilled that style about a decade later.
The Colour of Spring is quite naturally included in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die", although, it remains the only by Talk Talk on that list.
The album was the first that I purchased by Talk Talk, and at the time I found it fine and a bit complex for my liking at the age of 21, but I have always enjoyed it, and over the years, only increasingly more. The single release of "Life's What You Make It" became an international hit, and it is a great track, however, throughout the years, I have always loved the end-track "Time It's Time" the most, and I have never felt that its playing time of 8:15 mins. ever was one second too long. In fact, I've always thought and wished that it should be longer.
Nowadays, I consider this album a modern masterpiece that I shall never tire of. Some day it may even replace The Smiths and their masterpiece on my personal year-best-album-list. But really, this isn't even the best album from Talk Talk, imho.
My vinyl pressing is by French Pathé Marconi (sub-label of EMI), and the cd is a 2003 remaster released by EMI.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Q Magazine 4 / 5 stars ]
1986 Favourite releases: 1. The Smiths The Queen Is Dead - 2. Talk Talk The Colour of Spring - 3. R.E.M. Lifes Rich Pageant
release date: Feb. 17, 1986
format: vinyl / cd (2003 remaster)
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,52]
producer: Tim Friese-Greene
label: EMI Records - nationality: England, UK
Tracklist: 1. "Happiness Is Easy" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "I Don't Believe in You" (4,5 / 5) - 3. "Life's What You Make It" (5 / 5) - 4. "April 5th" (4,5 / 5) - 5. "Living in Another World" (4 / 5) - 6. "Give It Up" - 7. "Chameleon Day" - 8. "Time It's Time" (5 / 5)
3rd studio album by Talk Talk and the band's major commercial breakthrough as well as critically acclaimed album. The trio remains the same, only with the fourth unofficial member, Tim Friese-Greene in a more dominant role as the band's (unaccredited) keyboardist, who has co-written all tracks together with Mark Hollis. The sound and style has changed to an undefinable mix of art pop, chamber pop, and synthpop albeit with less focus on synths and a tentative addition of 'progressiveness' without being traditional progressive pop or pop / rock but basically foreshadowing what would later be labelled post rock - something that should materialise even further on the band's fourth album Spirit of Eden (1988) - an album many misinterpreted as a bit odd at first, but something that wasn't understood and fully recognised until after Sigur Rós, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Mogwai had distilled that style about a decade later.
The Colour of Spring is quite naturally included in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die", although, it remains the only by Talk Talk on that list.
The album was the first that I purchased by Talk Talk, and at the time I found it fine and a bit complex for my liking at the age of 21, but I have always enjoyed it, and over the years, only increasingly more. The single release of "Life's What You Make It" became an international hit, and it is a great track, however, throughout the years, I have always loved the end-track "Time It's Time" the most, and I have never felt that its playing time of 8:15 mins. ever was one second too long. In fact, I've always thought and wished that it should be longer.
Nowadays, I consider this album a modern masterpiece that I shall never tire of. Some day it may even replace The Smiths and their masterpiece on my personal year-best-album-list. But really, this isn't even the best album from Talk Talk, imho.
My vinyl pressing is by French Pathé Marconi (sub-label of EMI), and the cd is a 2003 remaster released by EMI.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Q Magazine 4 / 5 stars ]
1986 Favourite releases: 1. The Smiths The Queen Is Dead - 2. Talk Talk The Colour of Spring - 3. R.E.M. Lifes Rich Pageant
2003 remaster |
07 February 2015
Bruce Springsteen "Chimes of Freedom" (1988) (ep) (live)
Chimes of Freedom, ep (live)
release date: Aug. 1, 1988
format: digital (4 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,28]
producer: Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin
label: Official Digital Download - nationality: USA
Tracklist: 1. "Tougher Than the Rest" - 2. "Be True" - 3. "Chimes of Freedom" - 4. "Born to Run"
4-track live ep released by Bruce Springsteen originally released by Columbia Records and recorded from three different concerts (tracks #1 and #4, Apr. 27, 1988 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, track #2, Mar. 28, 1988 at Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, track #3, Jul. 3, 1988 at Stockholms Olympiastadion, Sweden). All tracks are found in studio versions on his 1975, '84 and '86 albums, and the album features the Bob Dylan cover, which gave name to the title.
All tracks are extended versions and quite different from the studio songs. Especially, his all-time hit "Born to Run", which normally is one of his electrifying rockers is here transformed into an acoustic singer / songwriter and folk composition.
Not essential but nice to know of.
[ allmusic.com 2,5 / 5 stars ]
release date: Aug. 1, 1988
format: digital (4 x File, FLAC)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,28]
producer: Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin
label: Official Digital Download - nationality: USA
Tracklist: 1. "Tougher Than the Rest" - 2. "Be True" - 3. "Chimes of Freedom" - 4. "Born to Run"
4-track live ep released by Bruce Springsteen originally released by Columbia Records and recorded from three different concerts (tracks #1 and #4, Apr. 27, 1988 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, track #2, Mar. 28, 1988 at Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, track #3, Jul. 3, 1988 at Stockholms Olympiastadion, Sweden). All tracks are found in studio versions on his 1975, '84 and '86 albums, and the album features the Bob Dylan cover, which gave name to the title.
All tracks are extended versions and quite different from the studio songs. Especially, his all-time hit "Born to Run", which normally is one of his electrifying rockers is here transformed into an acoustic singer / songwriter and folk composition.
Not essential but nice to know of.
[ allmusic.com 2,5 / 5 stars ]
06 February 2015
The Cure "Staring at the Sea - The Singles" (1986)
Staring at the Sea - The Singles (compilation)
release date: May 6, 1986
format: cd (2002 reissue)
[album rate: 4,5 / 5]
producer: various
label: Fiction Records - nationality: England, UK
Compilation album by The Cure - on vinyl released as Standing on a Beach - The Singles containing 13 tracks and for cd format issued as Staring at the Sea - The Singles containing an additional four tracks. Also an official cassette version of the album is released containing 25 tracks on which the A-side is subtitled "The Singles" and the B-side "The B-sides".
The album compiles the band's single releases from 1978 to 1986 enlisted in chronological order.
I didn't pay much attention to the album at the time of its release - mostly because I knew all tracks from start to finish and also had tired somewhat from both band and the sound of Robert Smith's vocal. The album is, however, a quite fine collection showcasing the band's unique style and immense transformation going from post-punk to synth-pop and eventually neo-psychedelic pop / rock.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone, Blender 5 / 5 stars ]
release date: May 6, 1986
format: cd (2002 reissue)
[album rate: 4,5 / 5]
producer: various
label: Fiction Records - nationality: England, UK
Compilation album by The Cure - on vinyl released as Standing on a Beach - The Singles containing 13 tracks and for cd format issued as Staring at the Sea - The Singles containing an additional four tracks. Also an official cassette version of the album is released containing 25 tracks on which the A-side is subtitled "The Singles" and the B-side "The B-sides".
The album compiles the band's single releases from 1978 to 1986 enlisted in chronological order.
I didn't pay much attention to the album at the time of its release - mostly because I knew all tracks from start to finish and also had tired somewhat from both band and the sound of Robert Smith's vocal. The album is, however, a quite fine collection showcasing the band's unique style and immense transformation going from post-punk to synth-pop and eventually neo-psychedelic pop / rock.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone, Blender 5 / 5 stars ]
vinyl cover |
Sugar "Beaster" (1993) (ep)
Beaster, ep
release date: Apr. 6, 1993
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Bob Mould, Lou Giordano
label: Rykodisc - nationality: USA
Tracklist: 1. "Come Around" - 2. "Tilted" (4 / 5) - 3. "Judas Cradle" - 4. "JC Auto" - 5. "Feeling Better" (4 / 5) - 6. "Walking Away"
2nd album by Sugar is a 6 track ep following only 6 months after the debut Copper Blue (Sep. 1992), and like that this is also produced by Mould and Lou Giordano.
This is the most angry, intense, tight, and noise rock styled release of the three Sugar albums. I have always found that this particular Sugar album is closely linked to the darker second solo album by Mould, Black Sheets of Rain from 1990. And then 1½ years later this ep was followed by the final album F.U.E.L. (1994).
release date: Apr. 6, 1993
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Bob Mould, Lou Giordano
label: Rykodisc - nationality: USA
Tracklist: 1. "Come Around" - 2. "Tilted" (4 / 5) - 3. "Judas Cradle" - 4. "JC Auto" - 5. "Feeling Better" (4 / 5) - 6. "Walking Away"
2nd album by Sugar is a 6 track ep following only 6 months after the debut Copper Blue (Sep. 1992), and like that this is also produced by Mould and Lou Giordano.
This is the most angry, intense, tight, and noise rock styled release of the three Sugar albums. I have always found that this particular Sugar album is closely linked to the darker second solo album by Mould, Black Sheets of Rain from 1990. And then 1½ years later this ep was followed by the final album F.U.E.L. (1994).
Paul Young "Reflections" (1994)
Reflections
release date: Nov. 1994
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]
producer: Ian Levine
label: Vision Music Entertainment - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 1. "Grazing in the Grass" (4 / 5) - 3. "That's How Heartaches Are Made" - 5. "Just a Little Misunderstanding" - 10. "Ain't No Sunshine" - 12. "More Love"
6th studio album by Paul Young released on a new label after his long-time contract with CBS / Sony. The style has changed to a lighter and funkier pop / rock with elements of contemporary r&b and soul pop. Unlike his former albums this doesn't contain any tracks written by Young. The release was a rather unnoticed one by both critics as well as music buyers, perhaps due to poor / little promotion. Three singles were released from the album none of which even entered the top 100 in the UK. The album is, however, by no means a mediocre collection of songs and just outside his top-3 best studio releases. Young's voice still sounds fine, and he still adds the usual quality to several tracks, but the album doesn't contain obvious hits, and I generally don't appreciate the funky up-tempo arrangements of roughly half of the tracks, whereas the other half are stronger soulful ballads. The album topped at #64 on the albums chart list in the UK, but frankly, I find this clearly bettering his 1990 album Other Voices reaching #4 on the same list but that album was promoted by CBS / Sony.
In the aftermath of the release Young played together with the 6-piece band Los Pacaminos, which had been formed in '92, as a playground for playing Tex-Mex-inspired music. The band has kept playing together and in 2002 an eponymous album was released.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]
release date: Nov. 1994
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]
producer: Ian Levine
label: Vision Music Entertainment - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 1. "Grazing in the Grass" (4 / 5) - 3. "That's How Heartaches Are Made" - 5. "Just a Little Misunderstanding" - 10. "Ain't No Sunshine" - 12. "More Love"
6th studio album by Paul Young released on a new label after his long-time contract with CBS / Sony. The style has changed to a lighter and funkier pop / rock with elements of contemporary r&b and soul pop. Unlike his former albums this doesn't contain any tracks written by Young. The release was a rather unnoticed one by both critics as well as music buyers, perhaps due to poor / little promotion. Three singles were released from the album none of which even entered the top 100 in the UK. The album is, however, by no means a mediocre collection of songs and just outside his top-3 best studio releases. Young's voice still sounds fine, and he still adds the usual quality to several tracks, but the album doesn't contain obvious hits, and I generally don't appreciate the funky up-tempo arrangements of roughly half of the tracks, whereas the other half are stronger soulful ballads. The album topped at #64 on the albums chart list in the UK, but frankly, I find this clearly bettering his 1990 album Other Voices reaching #4 on the same list but that album was promoted by CBS / Sony.
In the aftermath of the release Young played together with the 6-piece band Los Pacaminos, which had been formed in '92, as a playground for playing Tex-Mex-inspired music. The band has kept playing together and in 2002 an eponymous album was released.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]
Elvis Costello "Spike" (1989)
Spike
release date: Feb. 6, 1989
format: vinyl / cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,64]
producer: Elvis Costello, Kevin Killen & T Bone Burnett
label: Warner Bros. - nationality: England, UK
release date: Feb. 6, 1989
format: vinyl / cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,64]
producer: Elvis Costello, Kevin Killen & T Bone Burnett
label: Warner Bros. - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 1. "...This Town..." - 3. "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror" (4 / 5) - 4. "Veronica" - 5. "God's Comic" - 7. "Tramp the Dirt Down" - 11. "Baby Plays Around" (live) - 13. "Any King's Shilling"
12th studio album by Elvis Costello is his first with Warner Bros., and it's his first album since 1977 not to feature his regular backing band, The Attractions. On top of that, the album has been recorded with musicians in four different locations: in Dublin - with appearances of various artists of Irish folk and traditional instruments as Irish harp, fiddle, bodhran, bouzouki, and ;uilleann pipes played by Derek Bell (The Chieftains), Christy Moore (Planxty, The Dubliners), Dónal Lunny (Planxty), Steve Wickham (The Waterboys), Davy Spillane and Frankie Gavin; in London - with a selection of famous artists like Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders), Paul McCartney, Nick Lowe and Pete Thomas (The Attractions); in New Orleans - primarily with famous instrumentalists of traditional jazz like Lionel Batiste, Willie Green, Jenell Marshall, Kevin Harris, Charles Joseph, Roger Lewis, Efrem Towns, and Allen Toussaint; and in Hollywood - including a bunch of American all stars like Jerry Marotta, Jim Keltner, Jerry Scheff, Roger McGuinn, and Mitchell Froom - just to mention some. This means, Warner has truly set up an extraordinary wide range of musicians to give birth to Costello's "new face in town", so to speak.
Stylistically, this falls in its own category when comparing to former albums, but it initiates a style, which will later be closely associated with Costello's name. On Spike he combines the many influences he has proven to share bonds with, but the connection to new wave or power pop has ended and instead a stronger profile as singer / songwriter is established by focusing on more mainstream pop / rock with the addition of folk rock and jazz as the strongest elements.
The album sold well, although, it didn't really surpass former sales numbers peaking at #5 in the UK, and early albums like My Aim Is True and Armed Forces sold better - Spike sold Gold both in the UK and in the US but the main difference is that the first single "Veronica", written in collaboration with Paul McCartney, became Costello's first number #1 single hit on the Alternative Airplay charts in the US (number #10 on the Mainstream Rock list). The single peaked as number #31 in the UK, thus not really making a major leap up in terms of sales on the national market. However, the video for the single won the award for 'Best Male Video' at the 1989 MTV Awards show in Los Angeles.
Music critics were divided about the 'new Costello' and as to whether the change of style was an improvement. Yes, the UK music magazines Q and NME were rather overwhelmed in their 5 stars reviews, but on the other side of the Atlantic the reception was more laid back. Entertainment Weekly gave it a C+ (their lowest rate of all his albums), and allmusic.com and Rolling Stone were also less enthusiastic.
I never embraced the new style Costello introduced with Spike - which is said to refer to American band leader, Spike Jones - and in retrospect I see it as the first nail to my loss of interest in his later studio releases. I purchased the album upon its release, but kept playing King of America and Blood and Chocolate more frequently. I find the album too polished and over-arranged trying too hard to satisfy a mainstream audience. The songs are of varying quality, ranging from greatness to oddity. The fine "Veronica" is an example of this. It has its moments and is a fine song but it also displays an abundance of strings, horns and heavy orchestration that simply makes it anything but simple. The album contains folk songs that sort of points to his stripped-down King of America only introducing Irish folk instead of American country, and at the same time, it also contains uptempo American-produced generic music pointing in no particular directions, perhaps trying to satisfy a need for fans of Springsteen, Mellencamp, or Jeff Beck, and then there's "...This Town...", a track as if taken from Blood and Chocolate with energy and simplicity but most of the time it showcases new compositions that include New Orleans contemporary jazz or "middle-of-the-road" pop / rock.
To me, this is simply neither one of his best and nor is it any near his worst. It sits there somewhere in the middle pointing towards lesser future albums and reminds us of the greatness he has produced earlier on.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Rolling Stone, Blender 4 / 5, NME, Q Magazine 5 / 5 stars ]
04 February 2015
Greene "Teenage Museum" (1992)
release date: May 4, 1992
format: cd (RAIN004CD)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Troels Bech & The Greene Brothers
label: Cloudland - nationality: Denmark
Track highlights: 1. "Tomorrow" - 2. "About Leaving & Being Left" - 3. "Happy Day" - 4. "Love Made Me a Better Man" - 5. "Teenage Museum" - 8. "Someday"
Studio album debut by Danish band Greene (1986-'96) - originally named Green but an American band already played under that name, so still of '86 they changed the band name to Greene, which here consists of the two brothers Olesen: Peter on vocals, and younger brother Henrik on acoustic guitar and backing vocals, Marco de Andreis on lead guitar, Kim Borreby on bass, and with Flemming Borby on piano and drums. The band changed its line-up a few times and progressed from being a trio at the formation in '86 to here constitute a quintet with ex-members of several other bands. The brothers Olesen previously played in the post-punk band Sort-Hvide Landskaber (1982-83, formerly Reaktion, and around 1984 as Skizo Kids); Marco Andreis had been guitarist in the acclaimed band Moral before joining Greene; Kim Borby is credited on bass - he has recently replaced Jens Unmack, who remains credited 'additional personnel' on guitar, but he previously played in Næste Uges TV from 1980-84 and was stable bassist of Greene from 1986-92; Flemming Borby (aka Labrador from 2000, Montblanc from 2011) had already played in various bands, e.g. Sport Art, Poets of the Signature, later The Poets, and he became keyboardist and drummer in Greene in '88. Also producer Troels Bech is a central figure of The Poets. The reason to Unmack leaving the band is most likely because of his increased focus on 'his' long-lasting band Love Shop, formed as early as in '86, and who debuted in 1990 with the album 1990.
Teenage Museum is written and composed by 'The Greene Brothers' (Peter & Henrik), except for the cd bonus track #11 "White Shirt", which is a cover originally by Sort Sol. Musically, Greene plays indie pop / jangle pop with inspiration from bands like The Go-Betweens, The Church, Aztec Camera, The Smiths, as well as a more hard rocking acts like T. Rex and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and with a strong bond to the punk rock scene from which Greene later took its starting point.
I already knew of both Moral, The Poets, Sort-Hvide Landskaber og Næste Uges TV, and I actually recall when the album came out. It was well-received by critics, and the songs #3 and #4 were played occasionally on national radio, but the album simply didn't attract a greater audience. Greene released three studio albums from '92-96, and never made the move from cult to practical success, and after disbanding, the brothers Olesen continued more successfully with their duo-project Olesen-Olesen.
I like many of the songs on the album, but also see it as a rather incoherent release pointing in too many directions. Yes, it's indie pop / indie rock with inspiration from many sources, and the most obvious weakness is that it's not entirely original in sound and style. Some songs are jangle pop-founded with strong bonds to contemporary artists but e.g. track #4, which was one of the most popular songs, sounds more like heavily inspired by the glam rock practised by T. Rex or Bowie in the early '70s, and the whole package remains rather inconsistent, which makes you wonder where they would go from here. That said, it's still performed with musical quality and a good amount of pure talent.
The cover art is made by Sort Sol bassist Knud Odde.
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