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.

Tom Robinson Band "Power in the Darkness"

Power in the Darkness [debut]
release date: May 1978
format: vinyl (062-06687) / cd (2004 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,54]
producer: Chris Thomas; Vic Maile (A1)
label: EMI Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights A) 1. "2-4-6-8 Motorway" (live) - 2. "Up Against the Wall" - 3. "Grey Cortina" - - B) 1. "The Winter Of '79" - 4. "You Gotta Survive"

Studio album debut by London-founded band Tom Robinson Band (aka TRB) consisting of lead vocalist, bassist and primary songwriter Tom Robinson, lead guitarist Danny Kustow, organ and piano player Mark Ambler and with drummer (Brian) "Dolphin" Taylor, who would later join the Northern Irish punk rock band Stiff Little Fingers.
The 1977 (debut) single hit "2-4-6-8 Motorway" is included on the Scandinavian issue of the original album, but also for the US market the song had been added alongside the four tracks from the live ep Rising Free... (Feb. '78).
Musically, the band has been associated with the punk rock scene, and there are some songs and elements that put them alongside many of the genre, but more obviously they play what has become known as pub rock - much alike Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Just listen to the enormous difference between "Up Against the Wall" and "Too Good to Be True" - the first being a wry energetic protest song and the latter sounding like something from a traditional pop / rock scene before proto punk had seen the light of day. Other compositions show influences from other influences of contemporary rock. "Long Hot Summer" and "You Gotta Survive" with there bold use of harmony guitar chords share notes you'll find on songs by Thin Lizzy or other bands associated with the heavy rock side of blues rock, which really shows how TRB stood with one foot in traditional rock and another taking a step forward, but the band would never declare it a punk rock band. TRB is known for its strong political stand, and its also associated with the foundation of the "Rock Against Racism"-movement, which is printed on the back cover as the first official declaration, and Tom Robinson himself also spoke very frankly about being gay. The Rising Free... live ep - also included on the 2004 enhanced cd issue with a total of 19 tracks - and it contains the song "Glad to Be Gay", which was another of the band's stables.
I always found TRB a highly positive band, who simply represents too many styles and genres to be highly original, although, they are truly working musicians, who were a much appreciated live band of the late 1970s.

The 101ers "Elgin Avenue Breakdown" (1981)

Elgin Avenue Breakdown (compilation)
release date: Mar. 1981
format: vinyl (AND 101) / digital (2005 reissue)
[album rate: 3 / 5]
producer: various
label: Andalucia Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: B) 4. "Keys to Your Heart" (4 / 5) (2005 remaster)

Compilation album by British pub-rock band The 101ers consisting of Joe Strummer (aka Woodie) on vocals and rhythm guitar, 'Evil' Clive Timperley on lead guitar and vocals, 'Desperate' Dan Kelleher on bass, keyboards and backing vocals, John Mole on bass, and with Richard 'Snakes' Dudanski on drums and backing vocals. The album contains compositions recorded on four occasions from Nov. 1975 to Apr. 1976 and are with slightly different line-ups as John Mole only handles bass on four tracks. Joe Strummer is credited for lyrics on six of the album's twelve compositions - and the only song exclusively by Strummer is also the best track on what appears as an incoherent album. "Keys to Your Heart" was also the band's first of only two original single releases, and the compilation album wasn't issued until The Clash had become a major band.

Elvis Costello "My Aim Is True" (1977)

My Aim Is True [debut]
release date: Jul. 22, 1977
format: cd (1993 remaster Extended Play) / 2 cd (2001 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,02]
producer: Nick Lowe
label: Demon Records / Edsel Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Welcome to the Working Week" - 2. "Miracle Man" - 3. "No Dancing" - 5. "Alison" (5 / 5) - 6. "Sneaky Feelings" - 7. "(The Angels Wanna Wear) My Red Shoes" - 8. "Less Than Zero" - 9. "Mystery Dance" - 11. "I'm Not Angry" - 12. "Waiting for the End of the World" - *13. "Watching the Detectives" (4,5 / 5)

*Standard track on US issues from '77, on '93 remaster listed as non-bonus material, although not on original UK album.

Studio album debut by Elvis Costello [aka Declan Patrick Aloysious MacManus] originally released on Stiff Records.

I'm quite certain this wasn't the first album I ever heard with Costello, but it may likely have been the second or the third I came across somewhere around 1980. Originally, I had the album on cassette until Demon released it in its Extended Play-series in 1993.

Needles to say, this was something else back in '77, and Costello rocketed all the way to the top in Britain and most of Europe. America was a bit slower in accepting his 'up yours' attitude and angry ironic and sarcastic tone, although, he soon gained wide-spread popularity - also aided by his infamous appearance on SNL show in '78 where he was scheduled to play "Less Than Zero" but stopped the live broadcast to continue by playing "Radio Radio", a song that criticises commercialisation of radio stations, which NBC had forbidden him to play.

My Aim Is True already show us a skilled songwriter, although, he had tried to make a living as a musician for some time and most recently with the band Flip City, but after going solo he sharpened his pen and wrote more direct songs, which in a way was a huge mix of his inspiration in older music, but via Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera, who had only started Stiff Records, he was promoted to fit in with the aggressive punk rock and new wave scene. On this, he is backed by the band Glover, who should later become famous as Huey Lewis & The News and also by producer Nick Lowe. The backing band is not quite as tight as the more stable backing band he got together after the release but the songs are there, and the album is quite deservedly enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".

The '93 remastered Extended Play cd issue on Demon is part of a worthwhile series of Costello's back catalogue, although they are all packed to and sometimes challenging the limit of running time of CDs, which made them difficult to play on a regular Hi-Fi-rack [i.e. the last tracks sometimes wouldn't play evenly]. The extended version contains 9 listed bonus tracks - the original album issued by Stiff only had 12 tracks, but "Watching the Detectives" was released as track #13 (some issues #7 on the A-side) but figured on US issues already from 1977. The 'Extended Play' issue has a total of 22 tracks, and the short booklet is fine reflecting the choice of extra material by Costello himself.

The 2-disc 2001 remaster issued on Edsel is almost identical but contains 26 tracks and is only a slight improvement from the '93 remaster. The original standard album is reserved on disc 1 and the selection of bonus material on disc 2 are the same tracks (and exact versions) as found on the '93 album, only an additional four tracks have been added. Seven out of the 13 bonus tracks are a mix of outtakes and alternate versions, and two live recordings, and then the last six are all labelled "Honky Tonk Demo", although they're the same demos as found on the '93 re-issue.

Highly recommendable.

[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone, Uncut 5 / 5 stars ]