The American Breed "Bend Me, Shape Me" (1967) (single)

Bend Me, Shape Me, 7'' single

udgivet: 1967

format: vinyl (KSS 6)

[vurdering: 4 / 5] [3,78]

producer: Bill Traut

selskab: Stateside - nationalitet: USA

Numre: A) "Bend Me, Shape Me" (4 / 5) (alt. mix) - - B) "Mindrocker"

Single med The American Breed taget fra det bandets kommende andet album Bend Me, Shape Me (feb. 1968). B-siden optræder også på samme album. Selvom titelsangen blev et internationalt hit takket være denne version, er nummeret oprindeligt en sang af den amerikanske sangskriverduo Scott English og Larry Weiss. Omkring et år tidligere blev sangen udgivet første gang af et andet amerikansk band: The Outsiders, og deres version af sangen findes på bandets tredje album In (udgivet feb. 1967 / indspillet i '66). Indimellem disse to udgaver, lavede et andet band den første coverudgave af sangen, og det var pigegruppen The Models med deres eneste (single) udgivelse i 1966 [The Models' version] (udgivet før The Outsiders' album, men indspillet efter). Det er en særpræget oplevelse at lytte til disse tre vidt forskellige versioner af den samme sang, som alle blev udgivet inden for et år. Set i bakspejlet er det mit indtryk, at versionen med The Models fremstår som den mest vovede udgave med sin syrede, psykedeliske og Phil Spector-agtige produktion. I den henseende er The Outsiders' version mere skrabet og en mere ligefrem sang, men det er også den, der fremstår som den reneste rock-udgave holdt i en typisk garage-rock-stil. Og så kom The American Breed og gjorde nummeret til et internationalt hit med en dristigere mainstream-appel. Når man lytter til de to tidligere versioner, virker det til, at The American Breed har lånt noget fra arrangementerne fra begge tidligere indspilninger, omend The American Breed står bag den mest polerede version af de tre. Sangen er senere blevet fortolket af diverse andre kunstnere, men gennem årene er det The American Breed, der er gået over i musikhistorien med den mest udbredte udgave af denne fine sang.

Lige netop denne single var en af mine favoritter, da jeg var 10-14 år gammel. Jeg går ud fra, at min bror må have købt den på et tidligt tidspunkt, før han kastede sig over 70’ernes britiske syrerock.

~ ~ ~

Dette opslag er en del af MyMusicJourney, som lister de vigtigste udgivelser, der har formet min musiksmag gennem min opvækst og frem til 14-årsalderen. De fleste af disse udgivelser stammer fra mine forældres og / eller min storebrors samling.

The Gun Club "Lucky Jim" (1993)

Lucky Jim
release date: Sep. 1993
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Jeffrey Lee Pierce, Peer Rave
label: Solid Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Lucky Jim" - 2. "A House Is Not a Home" - 3. "Cry to Me" - 6. "Idiot Waltz" - 7. "Up Above the World" - 8. "Day Turn the Night" - 10. "Desire" - 11. "Anger Blues"

6th and final studio album by The Gun Club follows 3 years after Pastoral Hide & Seek (Oct. 1990), 2 years after the Divinity (ep), and 1½ years after the Jeffrey Lee Pierce project-album Ramblin' Jeffrey Lee & Cypress Grove with Willie Love (Mar. 1992). Since the 1990 album, The Gun Club has been reduced to a trio as guitarist Kid Congo Powers left to pursue his own project-band, Congo Norvell. The trio here consists of Jeffrey Lee Pierce on vocals and guitar, Romi Mori on bass, and with Nick Sanderson on drums, who once again had been out, but returned for this.
You could argue that the band's style hasn't evolved much since The Las Vegas Story from 1984 but as practically no-one else sounds quite like The Gun Club, nor like Jeffrey Lee Pierce, that's not really something you could hold against them. The garage rock and bluesy rawness has subsided somewhat on the account of an old-school Hendrix-like guitar-founded blues rock tone. In an interview with Louder, Pierce's girlfriend Romi said, she found that Pierce became increasingly obsessed on playing the guitar - he had a Hendrix-thing going on, and she felt it took away some of the qualities in his vocal performance [Louder interview, also with Kid Congo Powers]. The relationship between Pierce and Romi is said to have come to an end during the recordings of the album, which didn't make things easier. Pierce's lacking health saw him hospitalised several times and he has been described as hallucinating more than usually. Musical simplicity, however, remains on the album and there's still an edgy tone to the music and the fragile / desperate voice of Pierce is found on top of all compositions. It's by no means poor or mediocre, I just miss that unspecified greatness in larger doses, which is something else than melancholic despair, but the album surely has its moments - and then it reveals a new level of guitar skills, which here is handled by Pierce.
A year later, Pierce and Romi had split for good - she now befriended Sanderson and together they founded the band Freehat (around 1999) with ex-members Jim Reid and Ben Lurie of The Jesus and Mary Chain. Pierce relocated to the US, to his father's house and to him to be looked after in the attempts of sobering up. Here, Pierce managed to write his memoirs, and he also made attempts in early '96 of finding new musicians to reform The Gun Club, which never materialised, and in late March, three years following Lucky Jim, Jeffrey Lee Pierce himself called it a day, as he was found dead - his body gave in, posssibly resulting from a life-style that included long-time heroin addiction and with various deceases as side-effects.
Lucky Jim is not the band's best, nor its worst. It's a genuine The Gun Club-album and as such quite fascinating stuff. Lee Pierce had been a youngster dreaming of being someone doing wild things, or actually: he wanted very much to become someone like William S. Burroughs, or Charles Bukowski, more than a rock'n'roll- icon. He wanted to be be out there living his life as a drunk and as a heroin addict, simply because he idolised that lifestyle on the extreme edge. He soon ended there himself and never really came back. People around him were shocked, petrified, or struck by his otherness, his vigor, his appetite, and his ramblings - and no matter what, he left us with enduring original fine music.

"No one sings the blues like Jeffrey Lee". [ ♱Jeffrey Lee Pierce, Jun. 27, 1958 - Mar. 31, 1996 ]
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

   

US cover

   

German cover

The Fall "Grotesque (After the Gramme)" (1980)

Grotesque (After the Gramme)
release date: Nov. 17, 1980
format: cd (1993 reissue)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]
producer: The Fall, Grant Showbiz, Mayo Thompson, Geoff Travis
label: Castle Classics - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Pay Your Rates" - 2. "English Scheme" - 3. "New Face in Hell" (Peel Sessions) - 4. "C'n'C-S Mithering" - 5. "The Container Drivers" - 10. "The N.W.R.A."

3rd studio album by The Fall produced by The Fall, Grant Showbiz, Mayo Thompson and Geoff Travis (tracks 1-5), tracks 6-10 are produced by The Fall and Geoff Travis originally released by Rough Trade. The Fall always was Mark's band - here the band credits are as follows: Mark on vocals, tape operation, kazoo (#3) and guitar, Marc Riley on guitar and keyboards, Craig Scanlon [credited as Craig Scanlan] on guitar, Steve Hanley on bass, his brother Paul Hanley on drums and with Kay Carroll on additional vocals, which more or less is the same line-up as on Dragnet (Oct. '79) as well as on the next following albums of the 80s, but the debut album Live at the Witch Trials (Mar. '79), saw the band in a completely different line-up. This is, however, merely an early incarnation of the band and the only stable member of the band remains Mark E. Smith.

Style-wise, this is an example of early post-punk labelled as art punk with influences from pub rock and garage rock and its minimum attention on production layering with focus on 'recording as is'.

The album wasn't met as a landslide album - much unlike what it's regarded as in retrospect. Critics were positive without praising the album and fans were, as they would constantly prove to be with The Fall divided in two groups: either belonging to a strong cult of followers, or to fierce haters; however, the album is generally regarded as one of the band's masterpieces. Unfortunately, I didn't appreciate the album in the early '80s - I did actually purchase the original Rough Trade vinyl issue back in 1982 or '83 and kept it for a decade or so, and then I re-sold it in a small pile with other obscure albums just to afford to buy new music, and what a mistake that was! I have come across this '93 CD reissue but I'd rather have the original vinyl, which by now is a collector's item.

I perfectly know how I was unable to see music in a broader perspective in my teens but it still puzzles me, why I couldn't just regard it as a musical curiosity. Anyway, the music lives on and even from a modern perspective I think the music still stands out as both highly original but also with something to offer. The Fall blends perfectly in with standards of Velvet Underground, The Stooges, Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa as a music collective, who simply ignores all conformities and just do what they think is the right thing to do. Mark E. Smith narrates about English society, working class life, taxes, capitalism, and he often focus on the English class system. Unlike Bob Dylan's social awareness, lyrics on contemporary human conditions, I find the lyrics by Smith to be much more entertaining but also without all the... fuzz [to say it as politely as possible].

Mark E. Smith continued to play with The Fall in various line-ups in the new millennium and also kept releasing new albums being quite keen on not repeating themselves. The last studio album by The Fall is New Facts Emerge (2017), the band's 31st studio album, released only six months before Smith's untimely death at the age of 60, Jan. 24, 2017. The international music press and the entire British press in general were overflown with appraisals dedicated to Smith's legacy as one of Britain's most influential songwriters in 2018, and he is today mentioned alongside the greatest of music.

For those unfamiliar with music by The Fall, it may not seem evident how they ever became such an acclaimed band. It may take some time to get accustomed to - some will never - but from my perspective, the true strengths of The Fall lies in Mark E. Smith's lyrics, his uncompromising attitude towards and against conformity whether concerning music or modern life in general - be it capitalism, class system or politics. The band has its unique sound and its very own conception of musical soundscape, which leaves no listener in doubt of who made it.

[ allmusic.com, Mojo, Rolling Stone 4 / 5, Spin 4,5 / 5, Sounds 5 / 5 stars ]

The Gun Club "Divinity" (ep) (1991)

Divinity (ep)

release date: Aug. 1991

format: cd

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

producer: Jeffrey Lee Pierce

label: New Rose Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Sorrow Knows" - 2. "Richard Speck" - 3. "Keys to the Kingdom" - 4. "Black Hole" - 6. "Yellow Eyes" (Live) - 7. "Hearts" (Live)

EP release by The Gun Club following 10 months after Pastoral Hide & Seek (Oct. 1990). The album was originally released as a 7-track double vinyl ep consisting of 4 new compositions and 3 live tracks stemming from the band's farewell tour from a concert in France. The cd issue comes with 8 tracks, adding a remix of "St. John the Divine", a song that appears in its original version on Pastoral... - with the three live tracks put at the end of the cd. The band's drummer Nick Sanderson had left the band after Pastoral..., and back here is Desi (aka Desi Desperate, aka Peter Kablean), who previously stood in as an untrained substitute to handle drums on the final performances for the band's farewell concerts in Dec. '84 as Terry Graham already left before Jeffrey Lee Pierce then finally broke up the band. Pierce and girlfriend and bassist Romi Mori stayed in Amsterdam but Kid Congo Powers is now back on guitar, and with Desi these four constitute the new quartet. This is however, the final release with Powers, who should leave again the following Spring of '92.

Dvinity appears to have been made at point when Pierce wanted to record a follow-up to the 1990 album but apparently had been unable to write enough material for a normal album. Also, it seems that Pierce went through a rough period with poor health due to his substance abuse. Anyway, all four new compositions are strong songs that recount some of the characteristics of the band, but the album is a strange breed. The first half takes you into the sensation of what could've been another full-length and then a new mix of an old song, which basically sounds like the original, but it transports you elsewhere before we enter three good live recordings, which in a way both document the energy in the vocal and instrumental performance / the very presence of Jeffrey Lee Pierce, yet also show us another side of the coin of a former great unity, which just isn't the same as the starting point of the album. The end-track is a live version of "Fire of Love" from Miami which in a way takes the sound downstairs in a muddy and distorted chaos of what sound more like a bad recording.

Divinity is a difficult album to review, but I think it will of course appeal to die-hard fans, but for others, it probably could feel like something is missing out. After this, Pierce' condition saw him hospitalised and the band activity was on a halt, although, the line-up once again went through some changes. Desi  was replaced by Simon Fish in early '92, shortly after, Powers left for good, and in early '93 the band was back as a trio of Pierce, Mori, and with Sanderson back on drums - ready to record what would turn out to be the band's final album, Lucky Jim (1993).

The Gun Club "Pastoral Hide & Seek" (1990)

Pastoral Hide & Seek
release date: Oct. 1990
format: vinyl / cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]
producer: Jeffrey Lee Pierce
label: New Rose Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Humanesque" - 2. "The Straights of Love and Hate" - 3. "Emily's Changed" - 4. "I Hear Your Heart Singing" (4,5 / 5) - 5. "St. John's Divine" - 7. "Another Country's Young" - 8. "Flowing"
[ full album ]

5th studio album by The Gun Club follows three years after Mother Juno (Oct. 1987), and what's quite interesting is that the line-up is the exact same quartet as on the '87 album with songwriter, guitarist and lead vocalist Jeffrey Lee Pierce, guitarist Kid Congo Powers, bassist Romi Mori (girlfriend of Pierce), and drummer & percussionist Nick Sanderson. That said, Kid Congo had left the band to play with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds after Mother Juno, but after his return in the Spring of '90, Pierce soon made arrangements for the recordings ofwhat was to be this album. It's the second in the new formation of the band after Pierce had put an end to the band and initiated a solo career. Also, by the end of the year, Sanderson left to concentrate on another music project - all of this showing how this band never was in a stable period without members leaving, returning, or with someone being sacked. The album is the second recorded and released exclusively in Europe alone. At this point, the band, or at least Pierce and Mori appear to have being relocated to Amsterdam. As usual, Pierce is only songwriter and composer of all tracks, and this time he has also put himself in the producer seat. The resulting soundscape may not be that impressive but the style is certified The Gun Club - a style connected so much to Jeffrey Lee Pierce, his poignant vocal, his characteristic guitar-sound that no matter who he invites to play with him sounds crystallised as The Gun Club, and that is more than just sufficient. I've all ways linked The Gun Club with the music of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds and all days found The Gun Club that little bit more interesting - or perhaps: showcasing something with  greater potential. In a contemporary perspective I didn't put this band among my favourites - I liked it, though, but may have neglected its qualities because of the lo-fi production, and the ever-present component of country and blues. I think, I might have put the band alongside artists like Adrian Borland, Bob Mould, R.E.M. etc. [without comparison whatsoever!] had I acknowledged it as much as I did later on. Fact is, I just listened to much else back then and The Gun Club was somewhere in the periphery: interesting and fine but never really 'it'. After this, Powers returned to the US - reputedly to get clean but stayed a member until '92 when he left to focus on a solo project of his; however, Mori and Pierce remained in Amsterdam with Pierce increasingly affected from heavy substance-addiction, also when heading into a studio in Belgium to record the band's final album, Lucky Jim (Sep. 1993).
In retrospect, there's no doubt that Jeffrey Lee Pierce definitely had 'it', and that he proved it over and over again. Better late than never, but fact is, I have come to understand why he became an artists' favourite and also a music critics' icon. This album doesn't contain obvious fillers, and in my mind, and in a close race with The Las Vegas Story (Jun. 1984), I find this to be one of the band's finest.
Highly recommended.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

[ collectors' item ]

The Fratellis "We Need Medicine" (2013)

We Need Medicine
release date: Oct. 7, 2013
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: Jon Fratelli, Stuart McCredie
label: BMG - nationality: Scotland, UK

Track highlights: 2. "This Old Ghost Town" (4 / 5) (studio performance) - 4. "Seven Nights Seven Days" (studio performance) - 6. "Whisky Saga" - 10. "Rock 'n' Roll Will Break Your Heart"

3rd studio album release by The Fratellis following more than five years after We All Stand (Jun. 2008) - a period which saw front figure and songwriter Jon Fratelli (aka John Paul Lawler) busy testing other musical projects. He founded the duo Codeine Velvet Club with vocalist Lou Hickey, and together they released the chamber pop / baroque pop-album Codeine Velvet Club (Dec. 2009) after which Lawler then released his solo debut Psycho Jukebox in 2011, which sounds more like what could've been a band effort by The Fratellis as he is the undisputed driving force as songwriter, composer, guitarist and lead vocalist.
I really enjoyed the debut Costello Music (Sep. 2006) and for some reason I didn't listen to their second album before after this one. However, this brand new one feels much like a natural follow-up the strong debut - refreshingly direct in a mild alt. rock-garage rock-indie rock-kind of style. One could argue that they don't contribute with much new, that the musical purpose with a bunch of simple uptempo and energetic compositions may be hard to fully appreciate... 'cause lots of other music is similar to that, but I also find that the music by The Fratellis kind of grows on you, if you let the tunes play more than a few times. It's perfect background noise for painting the house - actually, pretty good music for working, although, I find that it lacks a few more really fine songs, and then you just have to hand it to Jon Fratelli - his absolutely brilliant in creating new sing-a-long chorus lines with indie rock harmonies.
Recommended
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, PopMatters 3,5 / 5, Q Magazine, Mojo 3 / 5 stars ]

The Gun Club "Mother Juno" (1987)

Mother Juno
release date: Oct. 19, 1987
format: cd (2006 remaster)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,64]
producer: Robin Guthrie
label: Flow Records (Remaster) - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Bill Bailey" - 3. "Lupita Screams" - 4. "Yellow Eyes" - 5. "The Breaking Hands" (5 / 5) - 6. "Araby" - 7. "Hearts" - 8. "My Cousin Kim"

4th studio album by The Gun Club originally released on Red Rhino is the band's first release after its reformation and it follows more than three years after The Las Vegas Story (Jun. 1984). Between these two, Jeffrey Lee Pierce released his solo album debut Wildweed in the Spring of '85, but for this he has reformed the band in a line-up featuring guitarist Kid Congo Powers, bassist Romi Mori (lead guitar on track #4), and with drummer Nick Sanderson. Pierce has written and composed all tracks and the band still sounds like no one else. Blixa Bargeld of The Bad Seeds plays guitar on "Yellow Eyes".
It's quite amazing how the band seems to just continue where the 1984 album ended considering that one half of the band wasn't taking part in the making of that particular album. I never got hold of any of their original albums at the time of their release, but Mother Juno was an album I found at the local library but didn't quite appreciate in '87. The only album that I really liked was The Las Vegas Story from 1984. The version, I have purchased of Mother Juno is a remastered edition including the bonus disc titled "The Berlin Tapes", which seems like a nice find. "The Breaking Hands" is a marvelous track - fans of the band would probably call it over-produced, and it IS a strange cocktail to have Robin Guthrie as album producer but Pierce apparently had his own ideas about The Gun Club, also when keeping in mind that the band's second album Miami was produced by guitarist Chris Stein of Blondie. And Pierce had been entrigued by Guthrie. Alledgedly, Romi and Pierce had met Guthrie and Liz Frazer of the Cocteau Twins at a music festival and from that positive meeting, Pierce had found a gateway to get in touch with Guthrie and ask him to produce an upcoming new album. Pierce and Mori were at this point a couple, and Pierce had relocated to Berlin as the band found it more attractive to play and perform in Europe as the band simply had more fans here. Also, Cave and the Bad Seeds, with whom Powers had played with, were mostly hanging out in Berlin.
Stylewise, The Gun Club and Cocteau Twins are nowhere near one another, nor with regards to genre for that matter but I really like this album as it has a fine delicate feel of garage rock, the ever-present hesitating energy of Pierce, and a productional side that tries to catch up and embrace it all and yet still leaves room for all the quirkiness.
The front cover is a painting by Danish-born artists Claus Castenskiold, who also fronts several releases by British punk rock band The Fall.
Recommended.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

The Raveonettes "In and Out of Control" (2009)

In and Out of Control

release date: Oct. 6, 2009

format: digital (11 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,84]

producer: Thomas Troelsen & The Raveonettes

label: Fierce Panda - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Bang!" - 2."Gone Forever" - 3. "Last Dance" - 4. "Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed)" - 5. "Heart of Stone" - 7. "Suicide" - 9. "Breaking Into Cars" - 10. "Break Up Girls!" - 11. "Wine"

4th studio album by The Raveonettes following two years after Lust Lust Lust (Nov. 2007) has been made with hot producer Thomas Troelsen. Songwriter Sune Wagner released an acclaimed solo album debut with a bunch of songs written in Danish in his own name in 2008. Much to the usual formula this new album here consists of eleven tracks that doesn't challenge the total album length - even for vinyl releases. Here, the songs come to an end after 37 mins.

Now with Troelsen as co-producer of the album and as co-composer of 7 songs his presence is noticed on the overall sound, making this the band's most pop-founded album to date. Skillfully, Wagner and Foo still maintain their trademarks holding Troelsen on a tight leash, which secures a noticeable change to a modernised 60s sound, or a shift towards a contemporary pop / rock-style with enough influence from 60s surf rock to make it a certified product by Sharin Foo / Sune Wagner. In addition, Foo and Wagner fronts the cover in a b/w photo but for the first time without assimilating a style of the 1950s or 60s.

Stylewise, there's the usual garage rock revival and surf rock vibe runing through the whole album but it's done with a new twist leaning on modern pop-productions, and it works quite nicely. The album starts off with five fine songs that put this on a new high and although the whole affair fades somewhat in the second half, the album still stands as the duo's so far best.

Recommended.

[ allmusic.com, PopMatters 3,5 / 5, Pitchfork 6,9 / 10, The Guardian, Alternative Press 4 / 5 stars ]

The Gun Club "The Las Vegas Story" (1984)

The Las Vegas Story
release date: Jun. 1984
format: vinyl / cd (2004 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]
producer: Jeff Eyrich
label: Animal Records / Chrysalis - nationality: USA

Track highlights: A) 2. "Walkin' with the Beast" - 3. "Eternally Is Here" (4 / 5) - 4. "The Stranger in Our Town" - 5. "My Dreams" (4 / 5) - - B) 2. "My Man's Gone Now" - 3. "Bad America" - 5. "Give Up the Sum"
[ full album ]

3rd studio album by The Gun Club follows nearly two full years after Miami (Sep. 1982) and it was originally issued by Animal Records. The 2004 remaster cd version comes with one bonus track. This has been issued by the label ' Sympathy for the Record Industry'.
In the aftermath of Miami, The Gun Club experienced a major change in the line-up with only Jeffrey Lee Pierce as the remaining member, which may explain the longer time in between albums. Patricia Morrison had been brought in to replace Rob Ritter as new bassist in the many new formations of the band in the following years. Drummer Terry Graham had been sacked and replaced but returned, then he refused to carry on, then he was replaced, but eventually he is still the drummer on this album. Guitarist Kid Congo Powers also returned from a period playing with The Cramps and Ward Dotson was subsequently sacked, and together they constitute the new quartet who recorded The Las Vegas Story.
The album is nicely put together, the songs are better, and the album is better produced and mixed than the predecessor. The style is with less reminiscences of post-punk and psychobilly, and instead it has a more profound blues rock at the base of an alt. rock sound. Strange as it may seem with the ever-changing band members, it's still an album with a sound and style that is unmistakably The Gun Club, which only goes to show that Jeffrey Lee Pierce is nearly synonymous with the band.
To me, this is one of the band's most memorable albums. It demonstrates a fine balance of alt. rock maintaining a clear blues-line, and that certain Jeffrey Lee Pierce combo of white energy and trembling fragility lifts the album to their so far best.
Within less than six months after the album release, tensions within the band had Pierce decide to put an end to the band and they performed a number of farewell concerts before disbanding after their final live performance in Dec. '84. Kid Congo Powers briefly joined Patricia Morrison in Fur Bible before moving to Berling where he initiated his work with Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Morrison joined The Cramps, and Jeffrey Lee Pierce then recorded and released his first solo album Wildweed (Apr. 1985). However, already as of 1986 Pierce regrouped a band and restarted it as The Gun Club.
Highly recommended.
[ allmusic.com, Mojo 4 / 5 stars ]

Arctic Monkeys "Suck It and See" (2011)

Suck It and See
release date: Jun. 6, 2011
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5]

Track highlights: 4. "The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala" - 8. "Reckless Serenade" - 9. "Piledriver Waltz" - 12. "That's Where You're Wrong"

4th studio album by Arctic Monkeys.
This is a slight return to better music. I haven't played it a lot as it simply never touched me but I find that the songs are better, and more British sounding than the previous album, although it's also recorded and produced in US, but apparently, with focus on live takes in the studio, securing a more energetic and garage rock sound than the heavy rock production sound on Humbug (2009). The band has returned to a more "mainstream" sound and has left the psychedelic rock (which is just fine), as was the case with Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007). Some tracks even have a dream pop or shoegaze sound with heavy distortion and flanger guitar effects, e.g. "The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala", and "Reckless Serenade". I think, some of the quirkiness and garage rock element is missing, but that said, it contains some fine tracks. The track "Piledriver Waltz" is also included on Alex Turner's solo album (ep), the soundtrack Submarine (2011).

The Fratellis "Costello Music" (2006)

Costello Music [debut]
release date: Sep. 11, 2006
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]
producer: Tony Hoffer
label: Fallout Records - nationality: Scotland, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Henrietta" (live on later) - 2. "Flathead" (4 / 5) - 3. "Cuntry Boys & City Girls" - 5. "Chelsea Dagger" (live on later) - 6. "For the Girl" (4 / 5) (AOL live session) (acoustic) (acoustic live) - 8. "Creepin Up the Backstairs" (AOL live session) - 10. "Everybody Knows You Cried Last Night"

Studio album debut by Scottish Glasgow trio The Fratellis consisting of vocalist & guitarist Jon Fratelli (aka John Paul Lawler), bassist & backing vocalist Barry Fratelli (aka Barry Wallace) and drummer, percussionist & backing vocalist Mince Fratelli (aka Gordon McRory). The album is released on the Island Records' sublabel Fallout, and all songs are credited the band, although, on later albums Jon Fratelli is credited for the majority of the band's compositions.
This is fine alt. rock, indie rock, or garage rock revival somewhat related to another Scottish band, Franz Ferdinand, only, I think this is ever so much more direct and less pretentious, and I really like their retro references to music of the great British invasion beat combined with garage rock. Sometimes the style is more alt. rock like Arctic Monkeys but mostly it's just The Fratellis... not so much fuss, just the fun of it, and that's actually quite nice, and this is their only and best album, so far.
[ allmusic.com, NME 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Show lyrics <- click...

~ ~ ~
"For The Girl"

"La la la la la la........

Well she said I know but I just cant tell
Everything you've just been saying
Lucy was there as well in the dark
The kids in the band were playing

No-one can hear a word or tell
What the girl was singing
See she must've been 16 or 18
I'm just past caring

She was into the Stones when
I was into the Roses
She was breaking my bones when
I was bursting their noses
She would tell me a secret
I would lose it the next day
Young love pleases you easy
Makes you sick in a bad way

And all the while the girls sang
La la la la and she sang
Kickings for my sweetheart
Bruises that I just don't miss

And she said "I can't love you anymore than this!"

La la la la la la la...............
La la la la la la la...............

Aw she said she said no no no no
Then again yes why don't you kill me
He asked him why you messed up right there
Sweetheart you know that don't thrill me
Said I would've been there for if you had been a little bit nicer
I was dead by Sunday half dead scared just trying to please her

She getting the pills when
I was into her best friend
She was chasing the thrills
And living down at the West End
she was pretty in braces
I lived under her window
She said take me to London
Tell me something I don't know

And all the while the girls sang
La la la la she sang
Kickings for my sweetheart
Bruises that I just don't miss

And she said "I can't love you anymore than this!"

La la la la la.....
La la la la la.....
La la la la la.....

She was into the Stones when
I was into the Roses
She was breaking my bones when
I was bursting their noses
She would tell me a secret
I would lose it the next day
Young love pleases you easy
Makes you sick in a bad way
And all the while the girls sang
La la la la she sang
Kickings for my sweetheart
Bruises that I just don't miss

And she said I don't like you
You can't stand me
I can't love you anymore than this"

~ ~ ~

The Gun Club "Miami" (1982)

Miami
release date: Sep. 20, 1982
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,08]
producer: Chris Stein
label: Animal Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 2. "Like Calling Up Thunder" - 4. "Run Through the Jungle" - 5. "Devil in the Woods" - 9. "John Hardy" - 11. "Sleeping in Blood City"

2nd studio album by The Gun Club follows one year after Fire of Love (Aug. 1981) but it comes with a much more polished sound than that of the raw debut, which had put the band's name on everyone's lips. That may be the reason to how Blondie composer and guitarist Chris Stein ended up in the producer seat, and despite his musical skills that may not have been the best decision for The Gun Club. The band members credited on the album remains unchanged compared to the debut, although, the quartet of the debut is portrayed as a trio on the front cover because bassist Rob Ritter already left after recording the album in Jun. '82. Yes, Jeffrey Lee Pierce had founded the Blondie fan club and apparently adored Debbie Harry, but the sound and style of The Gun Club isn't really comparable with that of the neighbourhood to Blondie, although, that may have been what Stein assumed they wanted - and who knows, perhaps Pierce really wanted that? The sound on this fits more to what Blondie experienced as successful: pop-founded new wave with hints of rawness to it, but basically, Blondie never was really dirty - they were never labelled punk rock. On the other hand, The Gun Club soothed unspecified rawness, and of everything that's stuck to the other side of the coin of... 'prettiness'. In that regard, the band is more in of the same caliber as The Birthday Party, The Bad Seeds, with a direct link to Iggy and the Stooges, and as a modernised street-version of Rolling Stones. Debbie Harry (credited here as D.H. Laurence Jr. on the album due to contractual obligations) is credited for adding backing vocals to the album, and although, Pierce may have been thrilled and possibly downright honoured by the presence of the Blondie-couple, they do not add anything substantially good to The Gun Club.
The album contains the John Fogerty-cover "Run Through the Jungle", which has been completely transformed into something more disturbing, but in a refreshing way that is. After this album, the band went through a major change in the line-up as bassist Rob Ritter left to join another band and Pierce fired both guitarist Ward Dotson (who had replaced Kid Congo Powers) and drummer Terry Graham.
Mostly for completionists.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Mojo, Uncut 4 / 5, Q Magazine 3 / 5 stars ]

Arctic Monkeys "Humbug" (2009)

Humbug
release date: Aug. 24, 2009
format: digital
[album rate: 2 / 5]

Track highlights: 1. "My Propeller" (3 / 5)

3rd studio album by Arctic Monkeys.
I find that the album is a rather huge disappointment. It's more like: "Say what!!? Left-handed, or just AM now without pilot?? Alex Turner decided to have someone else decide for a change."
The album hasn't even got one great song, and it's like you sense there's another agenda than sending out new songs. It's more like a statement from a highly popular band. They've already been lauded prize winners and both music critics and the audience love the band, so is this just to say: "Sod off, we do the unexpected. Have an American come in and produce, and take over our sound, so no one knows what happened!?" I dunno, I just don't like the result. The style is still indie garage rock but this time with a clear psychedelic element in a heavy and much darker production.
Not recommended.

Neil Young "Chrome Dreams II" (2007)

Chrome Dreams II
release date: Oct. 23, 2007
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,68]
producer: Neil Young & Niko Bolas [as "The Volume Dealers"]
label: Reprise Records - nationality: Canada

29th studio album by Neil Young. The album is one of his more mixed albums. Some tracks are quiet blending country rock, traditional folk and singer / songwriter, whereas others are hard rock and garage rock-styled, which makes it a bit of a strange collection. It sounds like a compilation of tracks coming from various albums and periods. The title refers to the fact that an album Chrome Dreams had been shelved back around 1977 - an album that also contained songs of mixed styles and influences. Perhaps, Young also felt the ambiguity and basically found it hard to find a direction at the time, since what was released was the mixed album American Stars 'n Bars (1977).
I'm not really impressed by this, and it seems that Young - once again - has found himself lost in the current time. It's been a while since he has released a truly great album, and this is not one of those.
[ allmusic.com, Uncut, 4 / 5, Rolling Stone, The Guardian 3 / 5 stars ]

The Raveonettes "Pretty in Black" (2005)

Pretty in Black

release date: May 2, 2005

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]

producer: Richard Gottehrer, Sune Rose Wagner

label: Columbia - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "The Heavens" - 3. "Love in a Trashcan" - 5 . "Uncertain Times" - 6. "My Boyfriend's Back" - 7. "Here Comes Mary" - 11. "You Say You Lie" - 12. "Ode to L.A."

2nd studio album from The Raveonettes follows two years after the debut and is like that produced by veteran sound technician Richard Gottehrer in collaboration with Sune Wagner of the band. All except track #6 - a cover of a 60s song by The Angels written by R. Gottehrer, Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein - are credited Wagner, who is now credited as multi-instrumentalist handling synths, guitar, bass, drums, percussion and programming. Sharin Foo is exclusively credited as vocalist and on percussion. Additionally, a few recurring musicians also participate. This include guitarist Manoj Ramdas and drummer Jakob Hoyer, who both played on the band's ep debut as well as on Chain Gang of Love. Other than that, the album feature a few prominent guest artists, which count The Ronettes' legendary vocalist Ronnie Spector on vocal [track #12], Velvet Underground legend Maureen Tucker on drums on four tracks, and Suicide instrumentalist Martin Rev credited 'The Instrument' [guitar].

The album reveals a stylistic progression towards slower love song territory, and the songs are generally a bit longer. Like the debut, it contains 13 tracks but as opposed to the former's total running length at 33 minutes this one clocks in at 44:30 minutes. The songs are more traditionally composed with broader arrangements without losing the quality of a distinct sound. There's now definitely a stronger inspiration from Motown, country, and general pop songs of the early 60s, although, some tracks still reveal the bond to garage rock and surf rock. The front cover is like the debut held in cinematic b/w style as if situated in the 50s or 60s, only this time with the added 'technicolor' [added colours] style, and the title could suggest a hint at the 80s (Howard Deutch) popular film "Pretty in Pink" with its own references to the 50s and early 60s.

I believe this was the first full-length by the band that I listened to at the time of the release, and I recall finding it good, although, I didn't purchase the album until a few years later. I think, I initially still hoped Sune Wagner would produce stronger alt. rock music, and it took some time before I just accepted his retro-infused style of American twang and reverb, and then back in 2005, the band really stood on its own when pop music was overwhelmed by retro-waves in terms of synth pop and a new wave of post-punk revival flourished on both sides of the Atlantic. And Pretty in Black is far from those tendencies. The album was, however, genereally met by positive reviews and in retrospect it stands as a more original collection of songs than you'll find on the debut.

Recommended.

[ 👎allmusic.com 2 / 5, Pitchfork 6,8 / 10, PopMatters 3,5 / 5, NME, Rolling Stone, Uncut 4 / 5 stars ]

Arctic Monkeys "Fluorescent Adolescent" (2007) (single)

Fluorescent Adolescent, 7'' single
release date: Jul. 9, 2007
format: cd
[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]

Tracklist: 1. "Fluorescent Adolescent" (5 / 5) (Live on Jonathan Ross) - 2. "The Bakery" - 3. "Plastic Tramp" (3 / 5) - 4. "Too Much to Ask" (3 / 5)

Single release from Arctic Monkeys and their most recent album Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007). The music has changed a bit and become more mainstream but without losing their originality. The hit single track is mighty fine song that secured the band many hours of airplay on national radio and elsewhere around the world. The remaining songs are actually quite decent single tracks, and what's so typical about this band is how they just put one track from the album here, and the rest are brand new songs and no poor fillers.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!" (2008

Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
release date: Mar. 3, 2008
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,16]
producer: Nick Launay, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
label: Mute Records - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 3. "Moonland" - 5. "Albert Goes West" - 6. "We Call Upon the Author" - 11. "More News From Nowhere"

14th studio album by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds released 3½ years following Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus from 2004 is a more garage rock-styled album, and as such closer to the style of the side-project band, Grinderman, which feature members of The Bad Seeds.
To me, this sounds much like music inspired to some extent by Iggy & The Stooges - more than previous albums by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, although, The Stooges always has been a big source of inspiration for Nick Cave.

I don't find it all bad, it's just not as good as what I have come to associate with The Bad Seeds.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, The Independent, Q Magazine, Spin, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

Arctic Monkeys "Favourite Worst Nightmare" (2007)

Favourite Worst Nightmare
release date: Apr. 23, 2007
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]

Track highlights: 1. "Brianstorm" (4 / 5) - 2. "Teddy Picker" - 4. "Balaclava" - 5. "Fluorescent Adolescent" (5 / 5) - 6. "Only Ones Who Know" - 9. "If You Were There, Beware"

2nd studio album by Arctic Monkeys is a difficult one after a great debut. It's a somewhat uneven album pointing in many directions, but also with many interesting details. They still play great garage rock and also manages the softer ballads, and the great pop song "Fluorescent Adolescent" stands very much alone, and all in all it only contains 4-5 tracks well-above average, and in that sense it's tiny disappointing. Having said that, I also like their ability to seek out new territory and still holding on to their identity and keeping an uncompromising sound.

Arctic Monkeys "Brianstorm" (2007) (single)

Brianstorm, 7'' single
release date: Apr. 16, 2007
format: digital
[single rate: 3,5 / 5]

Tracklist: 1. "If You Found This It's Probably Too Late" - 2. "Brianstorm" - 3. "Temptation Greets You Like Your Naughty Friend" (3 / 5) - 4. "What If You Were Right the First Time?" (3 / 5)

Single release from Arctic Monkeys taken from the forthcoming album Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007). It starts off with a track that didn't find its way to the album, and what a great strong burst of energy despite the short playing time of only 1:32 min. "Brianstorm" [not misspelled!] is the albums starter, and is yet another fine track. The two remaining songs are not bad but not on the same level, but it's really a great single with just one song from the album.

The Raveonettes "Chain Gang of Love" (2003)

Chain Gang of Love [debut]

release date: Aug. 25, 2003

format: cd

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

producer: Richard Gottehrer, Sune Rose Wagner

label: Columbia - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Remember" - 2. "That Great Love Sound" - 3. "Noisy Summer" - 5. "Let's Rave on" - 7. "Love Can Destroy Everything" - 8. "Heartbreak Stroll" - 11. "Chain Gang of Love" - 13. "New York Was Great"

Full-length studio debut by Danish band The Raveonettes following the ep debut Whip It On (May 2002) sees the band in a more traditional setup with a more professionally produced album - here co-produced with esteemed producer Richard Gottehrer, who had initiated his career working on 1960s albums as producer for The Angels, The Strangeloves, Dean Parrish, and The McCoys, during the 70s on albums by new wave artists like Blondie, Richard Hell & the Voivoids, and more traditional rock acts like Robert Gordon and Link Wray, and well into the 80s he produced albums for Joan Armatrading, The Go-Go's, The Fleshtones, Dr. Feelgood, before slowing down throughout the 90s where he worked on releases by Aerosmith and Miss B. Haven - after which Sune Wagner 'dug him out' to have someone with the skills to create a sound that would stand the test of time as a proper 60s production. Just as Gottehrer had written songs for and with former classic acts he has co-composed the song "That Great Love Sound" for this album together with Wagner, who is credited all other songs.

The Raveonettes had been singled out as part of a wave of upcoming artists, when Sony / Columbia signed the band, which again paved way for Wagner and Foo to work with a famous producer and to fund recording sessions in both Copenhagen and in New York. As with the ep-debut, the front cover suggests 1950s / early 60s with the duo on classic motorbikes as if still images taken from the 1953 film "The Wild One" featuring Marlon Brando, and it also comes with the same line as found on the ep: "Recorded in Glorious Bb-Minor". The album consists of 13 tracks with a total running time of 33 minutes making the compositions quite short. Compared to the one-year old ep, there's a slight turn towards a bolder garage rock and 60s pop music with strong bonds to surf rock and what became known as Phil Spector's wall-of-sound productions, which means a move away from the harder tones of rockabilly / psychobilly. "That Great Love Sound" and "Heartbreak Stroll" were selected for single releases but they didn't peak higher than number #34 and #49 respectively in the UK ("Heartbreak Stroll made a top-3 entry in Denmark), and the album made it to number #43 on the UK albums chart list, #53 in Sweden, and peaking as number #5 on the national list. Basically proving some international interest, though probably not as much as the label had wished for.

Chain Gang of Love is more than a decent debut. But one of the reasons it didn't succeed as well as the label had sat out for, could be an obvious link to noise rock act The Jesus and Mary Chain with bonds to the post-punk scene, indie rock of the 80s, which had all peaked at some point and what ultimately could appear as a too heavy mix of styles and influences pointing in too many directions - at least from distributors' and critics' point of view. However, the band still attracted an audience, although, at this point, they were still regarded as someone to keep an ear on. A potential was there but would they be able to fulfill the expectations?

Back in the day, I would probably have rated this 3 / 5 as the music didn't catch me. It's in retrospect that I have come to enjoy this more, and to see it as an important starting point to band's later releases but without this, they would never have been able to make such great albums later on, and then you have to give it to them and to Gottehrer: they have really made a distinct and classic sound on this one.

Recommended.