Tommy Steele "Singing the Blues" (1957) (ep)

Singing the Blues, 7'' EP

release date: Feb. 1957

format: vinyl (DFE 6389) (1957 repress)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,45]

producer: ?

label: Decca - nationality: Engalnd, UK

Tracklist: A) 1. "Singing the Blues" - 2. "Rebel Rock" - - B) 1. "Knee Deep in the Blues" - 2. "Elevator Rock"

EP release by Tommy Steele - on the the back cover and on vinyl labels, this is credited 'Tommy Steele and the Steelmen'. Tracks #A1 and #B1 are credited American songwriter Melvin Endsley and both #A2 and #B2 are songs written by Tommy Steele. Endsley's title song was a major hit in the US for Guy Mitchell, which was released almost simultaneously with Steele's version, which on the other hand became a British number 1 hit and a hit song all over Europe. Puzzlingly, both Mitchell and Steele's versions exchanged places at the top of the singles charts in several countries.

This particular repress comes from my parent's record collection. I clearly recall playing this at 7-12 years of age, and it was an early favourite of mine at a time when I mostly enjoyed music by The Beatles, country, beat, and rock & roll. I also remember the song "A Handful of Songs" (taken from the soundtrack album The Tommy Steele Story from May 1957) as probably the most popular song by Steele in my childhood years. The early stage performances with Steele miming to his most popular songs showcased Steele as a more well-tempered Bill Haley and Elvis Presley type of clone, which I guess made rock & roll more likeable for those who associated rock & roll with bad-mannered and uncontrollable youngsters. Tommy Steele has gone down in history as the first British star of rock & roll but he was soon followed by Cliff Richard as a more enduring pop-star.

In retrospect, this ep is an important document of early rock & roll history, but it also puts Steele in a category of his own trying hard to copy American icons without actually having much to offer himself. Yes, he helped transforming rock & roll into something more digestible, he exemplified a new type of rock-and-roller but he mainly delivered via covering others. On this ep, Steele's own two contributions sound heavily inspired by Bill Haley and Chuck Berry, and his second album out, the soundtrack to The Tommy Steele Story says much about form over matter with only little relevance and understanding to how music becomes legend. That said, Steele certainly has a place in the story books on how rock & roll became an international phenomenon and he plays a major part in the stylistic evolution of popular music.

~ ~ ~

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

Fats Domino "Fantastic Fats (Sixteen of the Greatest Tracks by Fats Domino)" (1965)

Sixteen of the Greatest Tracks by Fats Domino (compilation)

release date: 1965

format: vinyl (1968 reissue)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5]

producer: Felton Jarvis

label: Stateside / Columbia - nationality: USA

Compilation album by Louisiana-born Fats Domino (aka The Fat Man - Antoine Dominique Domino Jr.) (Feb. 26, 1928 – Oct. 24, 2017).

Bill Frisell "Guitar in the Space Age!" (2014)

Guitar in the Space Age!

release date: Oct. 6, 2014

format: digital (14 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]

producer: Lee Townsend

label: Okeh Records - nationality: USA

Studio album by Bill Frisell - his 29th, 30th, 31st, or 32nd, give or take - is in the category of cover albums. It follows the strings-album (violin, viola, cello) Big Sur (Jun. 2013) and it contains fourteen instrumentals, two original Frisell compositions (tracks #6 & #13) and twelve interpretations of popular compositions stemming from the late 1950s to the mid-60s. Several of these were originally surf rock, rock & roll, folk rock, or pop / rock tunes but in Frisell's rearranged versions they have all become jazz-influenced modern standards.

The album is almost naturally critically acclaimed - that's just the way a new Frisell album is met - and it's hard not to understand why Frisell is one of the most valued instrumentalists over the most recent four decades or so. He plays his instrument with an original voice, so to speak. That said, I immediately thought of The Raybeats, who released the album Guitar Beat back in '81, an almost peculiar release at the time with its modernised surf rock instrumentals, completely out of sync with contemporary stylistic waves but at the same time: extremely timeless. And with a selection of popular tunes, Frisell almost replicates that effort. The tunes are very much intact - perhaps a bit too much to my liking, but they still uphold a freshness and universality that cannot be denied. I only wish Frisell would've improvised more on the originals - something that works nicely on his rendition of Ray Davies' "Tired of Waiting for You" - where he gives us that extra layer he often adds to other people's songs 'cause here they mostly shine in their own rights. On the one hand, it makes it perfectly uncomplicated and then it reminds us of what great tunes the originals are. I'm not always in the mood to fully appreciate this collection, but I still find that Frisell just show us, not only what an exquisite instrumentalist he is but also what a fabulous interpretor he also is. I know most of the originals and mostly just think Frisell wants to remind us about these wonders - it's his tribute to that forgotten era of his own youth.

[ allmusic.com, The Guardian 4 / 5, 👍PopMatters 3 / 5 stars ]

Robert Forster "Songs to Play" (2015)

Songs to Play

release date: Sep. 18, 2015

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]

producer: Robert Forster, Luke McDonald & Scott Bromiley

label: Tapete Records - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 2. "Let Me Imagine You" - 4. "And I Knew" - 6. "I'm so Happy for You" - 8. "Turn on the Rain" - 9. "I Love Myself and I Always Have" - 10. "Disaster in Motion"

6th studio album by Robert Forster following a full 7½ years after The Evangelist (Apr. 2008). Apparently, most of these songs were written in 2010 / 2011 but weren't recorded until around five years later. Forster has explained that he needed a break in his music career, and initially had set himself up for a five-year hiatus, which then turned into seven... It was a period during which he wrote music articles and simultaneously worked on his autobiography. The album has been made completely without former collaborators Adele Pickvance and Glenn Thompson. Forster clearly wanted to make a fresh restart and in their place he has invited the two members from Australian The John Steel Singers: Luke McDonald and Scott Bromiley - both as multi-instrumentalists. Forster produced the band's 2010 debut Tangalooma and together they then played some of these songs, which would end up on Songs to Play, and here the two are also credited as co-producers. Forster's wife, Karin Baümler, previously participated on his albums playing violin and doing backing vocals, but on this, she has played a fuller part on all tracks, and together with drummer Matt Piele from Forster's tour band, they all form the new backing 'band', which of course gives the output new colours.

Although McDonald and Bromiley have been given rein to contribute with their ideas, it's still very much a Robert Forster solo with lyrics and music credited the man himself. The style is laid in an acoustic contemporary folk rock characterised by strong bonds to classic rock & roll in its simplest form. At times it's uptempo without being danceable rock and the songs appear with a marked lightness compared to the gloomier tone on his previous albums.

Songs to Play is an album where the music has come to the fore and Forster successfully acts as a classic singer / songwriter without being weighed down by his former achievements, suppressed emotions and the melancholy, which have been natural traits in the past, and by that, the album could pave the way for a new dynamic in his original musical realm. In any case, it's not an album, as the predecessor, that sounds like falling in between The Go-Betweens and a solo album - it's definitely a pure Robert Forster release on which he deals with the present.

The front cover is a photo of Robert and Karin's daughter Loretta Forster.

Recommended.

[ allmusic.com, PopMatters 3,5 / 5, The Guardian 4 / 5 stars ]

Wilmer X "13 Våningar upp" (2005)

13 Våningar upp
released: Jan. 26, 2005
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: Chips K. (aka Chips Kiesbye)
label: Amigo - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "Blind Mans Bluff" - 2. "Fem ett fem" - 3. "Han måste ut ur mitt liv" - 4. "Dämma upp alla floder" - 5. "Stackars Valentin" - 7. "God god lust" - 9. "Tror du udda är jämt" - 10. "Tuff puck att svälja" - 13. "Bara muskelminnet kvar"

A very strong and up-tempo studio album by Wilmer X in their classic and characteristic blues rock rock & roll combo. Unfortunately, this was only issued in digital format. This is one of their better albums.

Sir Henry and His Butlers "Times A-Getting Hard" (1966) (single)

Times A-Getting Hard, 7'' single

release date: 1966

format: vinyl (T 7237)

[single rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,64]

producer: Per Sørensen

label: Sonet - nationality: Denmark

Tracklist: A) "Times A-Getting Hard" - - B) "Money Honey"

Single release by Danish band Sir Henry and His Butlers. The band is one of many Beatles-inspired bands that saw the light of day in the mid-1960s. Actually, the band was founded as early as 1964 by three ex-members of The 5 Danes: lead vocalist and bassist Ole 'Sir Henry' Bredahl, lead guitarist Carsten Elgstrøm, and drummer Leif Davidsen. The band was expanded to a quartet and then to a quintet and underwent changing line-ups but from 1965 the line-up is the same who plays on this with Bredahl on vocals and bass, Tommy Seebach Mortensen on vocals and organ, Carsten Elgstrøm on lead guitar, Arne Schrøder on rhythm guitar, Jens Bøgvad on drums. Shortly following the recording of this, Elgstrøm left the band and Schrøder took over as lead guitarist.

This single was part of my parents' record collection, and it's a single I knew of at age 6-10 but never really enjoyed that much. Both tracks are covers - the A-side credited Lee Hays, and B-side is credited Smith [?], although, it could be a cover of the Jesse Stone song performed by one Mr. E. Presley.

~ ~ ~

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

Cliff Richard and The Shadows "Please Don't Tease" (1960) (single)

Please Don't Tease, 7'' single

release date: 1960

format: vinyl (45-DB 4479) (yellow vinyl)

[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,45]

producer: ?

label: Columbia - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: A) "Please Don't Tease" - - B) "Where Is My Heart"

Single hit by Cliff Richard and The Shadows with misprinted B-side label: "Were Is My Heart" instead of "Where Is My Heart". This Norwegian issue is a yellow vinyl where the original sleeve has gone missing. The A-side is credited (British) Bruce Welch (aka Bruce Cripps) and Peter Chester, and the B-side is credited Tepper-Bennett, and alias for the (American) songwriting duo of Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett.

This issue comes from my parents' record collection, and I recall playing this at age 6-10 years old, and for some years found this a preferred single. Some years later, it was not the kind of music I enjoyed, and I never saw myself as a huge fan of Richard.

~ ~ ~

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

Grant Hart "The Argument" (2013)

The Argument

release date: Jul. 23, 2013

format: digital (20 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,83]

producer: Grant Hart & Mike Wisti

label: Domino - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 2. "Morningstar" - 4. "If We Have the Will" - 5. "I Will Never See My Home" - 7. "Sin" - 8. "Letting Me Out" - 9. "Is the Sky the Limit?" (acoustic live) - 11. "So Far from Heaven" - 12. "Shine, Shine, Shine" - 15. "Glorious" - 20. "For Those Too High Aspiring"

4th and final studio album by Grant Hart released 3½ years following Hot Wax (Oct. 2009) is his first album on a label with some credibility. In recent years, Hart has become a more stable performer, he has fought for musical rights of his former solo releases as well as the music released with Nova Mob - these albums have subsequently been reissued in 2014 on Hart's own label Con D'Or Records. It also seems he has come out in better conditions - on the credit list of the album he addresses: "very special thanks to my friends and familiars who pulled me from smoldering ruins and helped build my New Pandemonium".

The album is of conceptual dimensions being based on John Milton's "Paradise Lost" (1667) and inspired by his friendship with author William S. Burroughs. All music is written and composed by Hart except the lyrics on track #1 by Milton. The Argument was released as a double vinyl album and consists of 20 tracks with a total running time of more than 74 minutes. Nearly all music is played entirely by Hart, who is simply credited 'instruments'.

It's mostly melodic alt. rock and indie rock with the usual bonds to psychedelic rock (tracks #9, #13, #15, #16, #20), oldies / standards (track #17), baroque pop (tracks #2, #4 - 7, #10, #11, #12), rock & roll (tracks #8, #16, #19) and experimental rock (tracks #1, #3, #6, #14, #18). Yes, it's a big mix but it never feels forced or out of context and generally sounds like one coherent whole. Hart plays and sings with strong vitality and he narrates with his blessed sense for melody and song structure without losing focus on the existential themes. Needles say, the album was met by critical acclaim.

Alas, the album was to be Hart's final. He appeared to be back from a life in the shadows - marked by many years with drug addiction and the effects of living with Hepatitis C for more than 25 years. He had gained the ownership rights of his many songs over the years, founded a label and appeared more focused than ever before. In his last years, he was plagued by treatments and hospitalisations. Grant Hart died Sep. 13, 2017 of complications from liver cancer and Hepatitis C.

[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, 👍Pitchfork 8.0 / 10, Consequence of Sound 3,5 / 5 stars ]

[ Grant Hart tribute ]

[ Grant Hart remembered in local news ]

Dire Straits "On Every Street" (1991)

On Every Street
release date: Sep. 2, 1991
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,72]
producer: Mark Knopfler, Alan Clark
label: Vertigo Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Calling Elvis" - 4. "Fade to Black"

6th and final studio album by Dire Straits released more than 6 years after Brothers in Arms (May 1985).
The album doesn't reveal new stylistic influences, and it seems the band has come to a halt in more than one sense. Yes, the album faired more than well - it was after all released after a highly successful album and fans had to await new material for quite a while. So, the album of course sold millions of albums world wide, though critics weren't impressed.
I didn't listen to the album in its full length until after the new millennium, and honestly it didn't appeal to me one bit. I had heard the single releases from the album: "Calling Elvis", "Heavy Fuel" and the title track and found all of them more than just plain reproduction. Another three singles from the album were released but little did they do to the overall impression of a band that literally had no more to offer the world. The best fairing single "Calling Elvis" is country rock and blues-shaped and "Heavy Fuel" sounds too much like an attempt to make a follow-up to "Money for Nothing", but without success. Several tracks are like remakes of pieces of familiar compositions from the band's last two albums - long progressive intermissions with Knopfler showcasing his capabilities as the gifted guitar-player he truly is, but all in all, the album sounds like 'everything on repeat'.
The end of the band that many had feared during the long hiatus after the band's fifth album was announced in 1995 after another long brake, and Knopfler finally initiated his solo career which saw him take on more classic styles and genres that may have been impossible as a member of Dire Straits.
Not recommended.
[ allmusic.com 2 / 5, Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]

Chris Isaak "Heart Shaped World" (1989)

Heart Shaped World
release date: Jun. 13, 1989
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: Erik Jacobsen
label: Reprise Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Heart Shaped World" - 5. "Wicked Game" (4,5 / 5) - 6. "Blue Spanish Sky" (4 / 5) - 8. "Forever Young" - 9. "Nothing's Changed"

3rd studio album by Chris Isaak is a strong album with his own blend of rock & roll, rockabilly, americana and with clear country elements. The album was the first I discovered by Isaak, and I still consider it one of his absolute best.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Sputnik Music 4 / 5 stars ]

Chris Isaak "Silvertone" (1985)

Silvertone [debut]
release date: Jan. 10, 1985
format: cd (1987 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,56]
producer: Erik Jacobsen
label: Warner Bros. - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Dancin' " - 3. "Livin' for Your Lover" - 5. "Voodoo" - 6. "Funeral in the Rain"

Studio debut album by Chris Isaak named after his 3-piece backing band consisting of James Calvin Wilsey on guitar and lap steel, Prairie Prince on drums and with Chris Solberg on bass. The credit list on the back cover only enlists James Calvin Wilsey in the same character font as Isaak himself with production staff mentioned afterwards, which points to Wilsey's significance. It is after all his lap steel guitar and its 'surf rock' sound that has become a kind of a trademark of Isaak's.
I didn't come across this album until recently, and I must confess that it overshadows his more successful later releases. At this point he was overlooked in the chart lists and it wouldn't be until his "Wicked Game" single from '89 that he became an international star. Three of the album tracks (#1, #5 and #6) are issued on the Wicked Game compilation album from 1991.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Elvis Costello "Kojak Variety" (1995)

Kojak Variety
release date: May 9, 1995
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,22]
producer: Elvis Costello and Kevin Killen
label: Warner Bros. Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Hidden Charms" ["Screamin' Jay" Hawkins] - 5. "Leave My Kitten Alone" [Little Willie John] - 6. "Everybody's Crying Mercy" [Mose Allison] - 9. "Must You Throw Dirt in My Face?" [Bill Anderson] - 11. "The Very Thought of You" [Ray Noble] - 15. "Days" [Ray Davies]

15th studio album by Elvis Costello following one year after Brutal Youth is an album consisting exclusively of cover versions of songs from traditional rhythm & blues, soul, beat and rock & roll - all songs from his youth. The album contains 15 tracks recorded in the period 1989-94 and they include songs (1-15) made famous by 'Screamin' Jay' Hawkins, Willie Dixon, The Supremes, Bob Dylan, Little Willie John, Mose Allison, Randy Newman, Little Richard, Louvin Brothers, James Carr, Nat 'King' Cole, Jesse Winchester, The Drifters, Aretha Franklin, and The Kinks. Costello's cover of "Days" by Ray Davies was recorded for the film "Until the end of the World" (1991) by Wim Wenders.

[ allmusic.com, Q Magazine 2 / 5, Rolling Stone 2,5 / 5, Blender, Mojo, Uncut 3 / 5 stars ]

Mitch Ryder "Never Kick a Sleeping Dog" (1983)

Never Kick a Sleeping Dog
release date: Jun. 13, 1983
format: vinyl / cd (2012 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]
producer: 'Little Bastard' (aka John Mellencamp)
label: Mercury Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "B.I.G.T.I.M.E." (4 / 5) (live with John Mellencamp) - 2. "When You Were Mine" (4,5 / 5) (org. video) - 3. "A Thrill's a Thrill (Duet with Marianne Faithfull)" - 4. "Come Again" (4 / 5) - 6. "The Thrill of It All"

Studio album by Mitch Ryder produced by John Mellencamp org. released by Riva and Mercury Records - the 2012 remaster is released on Repertoire Records. Ryder doesn't write many songs himself, but he's one of those rocks' greats who masters the ability to pick almost any song written by someone else and just make it better. The first song on this album is written by Keith Sykes and was included on Sykes' own folk rock and rock & roll album I'm Not Strange, I'm Just Like You from 1979. The original song sounds like something from the 1950s, but here in Ryder's updated version it really comes to live in present times. The second song is sheer brilliance - originally a song by Prince for his album Dirty Mind (1980) in a disco, synth funk and dance-pop version. Now, with all respect for Prince and his contributions to modern pop music, the original song isn't exactly a mind-blowing tune; however, in Ryder's rock-version of the song, it shines like it never did before. And that's just what Ryder does. He has a great voice for rhythm & blues, rock & roll, and for music with a certain amount of soul. John Mellencamp has produced the album with a sense for what makes Ryder good and together it all becomes great. Mellencamp has co-written the song "Come Again" with Ryder, and that's another gem where everything falls into place. Overall, Mellencamp is the perfect producer for the album and his adoration for Ryder lifts this album above most releases in the year 1983 but only few know of its existence, which is crime in itself.
Highly recommended.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

Dire Straits "Extendedanc'EP'lay" (1982) (ep)

Extendedanc'EP'lay, 12'' ep
release date: Jan. 10, 1983
format: vinyl (6400 766)
[single rate: 3 / 5] [3,08]
producer: Mark Knopfler
label: Vertigo Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: A) 1. "Twisting by the Pool" (4 / 5) - 2. "Badges, Posters, Stickers, T-Shirts" (2,5 / 5) - - B) 1. "Two Young Lovers" (2,5 / 5) - 2. "If I Had You" (3 / 5)

4-track ep by Dire Straits. The ep is also referred to as the Twisting by the Pool ep, as it was also released as a 7'' single with the first track as title. After releasing the Love Over Gold album, drummer Pick Withers left the band, and this ep features his replacement, Terry Williams. The ep signals a return to a more simple rock & roll inspired pop / rock sound where the new progressive element is absent. Track 1 was a major singles hit, but aside from that the ep doesn't contain memorable material.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Elvis Costello "Out of Our Idiot" (1987)

vinyl cover 

Out of Our Idiot (compilation)
release date: Dec. 4, 1987
format: vinyl (X Fiend 67) / digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: various
label: Demon Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: A) 1. "Seven Day Weekend" (Guest Star Jimmy Cliff) - 2. "Turning the Town Red" - 3. "Heathen Town" - 5. "So Young" (previously un-issued) - 6. "American Without Tears No. 2" (Twilight Version) - 7. "Get Yourself Another Fool (Out of Our Idiot Mix)" (5 / 5) - - B) 1. "Blue Chair" (Single Version) - 2. "Baby It's You" (Guest Star Nick Lowe) - 3. "From Head to Toe" - 8. "Imperial Bedroom" (demo)

Compilation album by Elvis Costello advertised as 'Rare and Unreleased Cuts'. The vinyl version is a 17 tracks single album - the cd issue contains 21 tracks.

The album is credited to "Various Artists" (on record spine) rather than to Elvis Costello because the tracks were recorded and credited under a variety of names, including The Costello Show, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Elvis Costello and the Confederates, The Coward Brothers, Napoleon Dynamite & the Royal Guard, The Emotional Toothpaste, The Imposter, and recorded with a variety of collaborators. Most tracks are featuring The Attractions and several of the strange band names are credited single songs only.

It reflects anything but self-sufficiency and comes out as that extra dimension to his songwriting - if you want it. Yes, it's a bit of a wide and strange compilation without head or tail but it shows us nicely how wide the man grasps in terms of styles, and I have always found it quite enjoyable - perhaps because of its lightness and funny takes, and then you can always hear that Costello puts a whole lot of sincerity into his songs, also the most corny ones, which then makes them meaningful.

[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]

The Sharing Patrol "Day After Yesterday" (1986)

Day After Yesterday [debut]
release date: 1986
format: vinyl (SOUND 104)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]
producer: Søren Poulsen and Sharing Patrol
label: Sound Of Music - nationality: USA

Full-length studio album debut by Seattle-founded American new wave and indie rock trio The Sharing Patrol consisting of songwriter Johnny Sangster on lead vocals and guitar, Jonathan Stibbard on drums, keyboards and backing vocals and Danish bassist Henrik Tuxen also on backing vocals. The band debuted in Seattle with cassette only EP release They Share and We Share and Then We All Go Out for Supper in 1984 (on independent label PopLlama) as a trio with Sangster, Stibbard and Lou Alexander. However, Sangster and Stibbard relocated to Denmark and re-started the band now with Tuxen on bass.
They play an energetic blend of new wave and rock & roll with bonds to traditional British beat.

Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros "Global A Go-Go" (2001)

Global a Go-Go
release date: Jul. 24, 2001
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]
producer: Scott Shields, Martin Slattery, Joe Strummer, Richard Flack
label: HellCat Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Johnny Appleseed" - 2. "Cool'n'out" - 3. "Global A Go-Go" - 4. "Bhindi Bhagee" - 6. "Mega Bottle Ride" - 9. "Bummed Out City"

2nd studio album by Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros and Strummer's 4th full solo album. The album continues from Rock Art and the X-Ray Style (1999) but with a more world music and rock & roll attitude about it that makes it sound more like a modern roots rock release. My first verdict was one of luke-warm feelings but it's actually much better than that. It's varied, complex and hard-rocking in it's own original way using elements from a huge melting pot of styles and genres, but without losing direction. Roger Daltrey of The Who feature on vocals on track #3 and Strummer wrote all lyrics except for track #11.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

The Raybeats "Guitar Beat" (1981)

Guitar Beat [debut]
release date: 1981
format: digital (expanded reissue)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]
producer: Martin Rushent
label: PVC Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Tight Turn" - 2. "Big Black Sneakers" - 3. "Tone Zone" - 5. "B-Gas Rickshaw" - 6. "International Operator" - 8. "Calhoun Surf" (4 / 5) - 11. "Guitar Beat" - 13. "Holiday Inn Spain" (Bonus track)

Studio album debut by American band The Raybeats released on PVC Records and produced by British engineer and producer Martin Rushent in England. The album came out as an anachronism while the world of popular music was either pop / rock, disco, mainstream pop, contemporary r&b, new romantic, new wave, or post-punk-minded, but this is mostly pure surf rock as played primarily in the US in the 1950's. Some tracks contain elements of no wave and jazz fusion, and it's an exclusively instrumental release. I guess, most people never really knew about the album, and it was only by chance that I stumbled on it in 1982 or '83 when it was still a new album. A friend of mine had bought the album in a local record store with mostly punk rock music, and I remember finding it quite interesting but never really great, but fine enough to keep a copy on cassette for years. The version I refer to here is an extended cd with two bonus tracks. Unfortunately, they changed the original track listing, which seems like a major blunt - although, a quite typical label decision.
The Raybeats released one more album before disbanding in '84.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros "Rock Art and the X-Ray Style" (1999)

Rock Art and the X-Ray Style [debut]
release date: Nov. 2, 1999
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]
producer: Antony Genn
label: Mercury Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Sandpaper Blues" - 3. "X-Ray Style" - 4. "Techno D-Day" - 5. "The Road to Rock 'n' Roll" - 6. "Nitcomb" (5 / 5) - 7. "Diggin' the New" - 9. "Yalla Yalla" (5 / 5) - 10. "Willesden to Cricklewood" (4 / 5)

Studio debut by Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros. Or: 'debut' because although the album was the band's first album release, it might as well be filed as the third Joe Strummer solo album. The fact is that it's released one decade after his solo album Earthquake Weather, which was totally overlooked, and after having faced a huge failure in continuing with The Clash. He didn't have much luck in harvesting recognition for his solo works, and he began working together with The Pogues. He produced their album Hell's Ditch (1991) and for some time replaced their lead vocalist Shane MacGowan (unable to perform because of alcoholism). Having had a few minor parts in full length movies, Strummer was also engaged in various film projects in the late 1980s and 90s, e.g. "Mystery Train" (1989) by Jim Jarmusch, and "I Hired a Contract Killer" (1990) by Aki Kaurismäki. He also worked together with the band Black Grape, as well as writing music with a backing band called The Latino Rockabilly War as well as Joe Strummer & the Astro Physicians. And in this way, Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros is basically just another of his many projects gathering various musicians, and the main force and musical writer in all these projects is Strummer, which in a way explains this as a mere solo release.
Together with The Mescaleros, Strummer finally seemed to have found the right backing band, and this album is a fine and recommendable return to form. Critics found it difficult to come to terms with its pop / rock style and the huge stylistic blends with more contemporary music. The track "Yalla Yalla" is a wonderful example of Joe's willingness to experiment with styles and genres, and basically, it's a rather light track filled with... absolute joy.
Highly recommendable.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

Richard Hawley "Lady's Bridge" (2007)

Lady's Bridge
release date: Aug. 20, 2007
format: cd / vinyl (2019 reissue LTD. green vinyl)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,20]
producer: Richard Hawley, Colin Elliot, Mike Timm
label: Mute Records / Setanta Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Valentine" (4 / 5) (live on Later) - 2. "Roll River Roll" - 4. "Tonight the Streets Are Ours" (5 / 5) (live on Later) (acoustic live) - 5. "Lady Solitude" - 7. "The Sea Calls" - 8. "Lady's Bridge" (4,5 / 5) - 9. "I'm Looking for Someone to Find Me" (4 / 5)

4th studio album release by Richard Hawley is another fine chamber pop and singer / songwriter album. Some of the songs are much alike the most beautiful tracks from Coles Corner (2005) and others are refreshingly new in style, making the album a more complex attempt with songs in rock & roll, country rock, and others shaped in jangle pop. "Tonight the Streets Are Ours" is one of his absolute best tracks, and I rate the album very much on par with its fabulous predecessor.
Highly recommendable.

EDIT Oct. 2019:
I have only just received the 2019 reissue on coloured transparent green vinyl issued on Setanta Records. Great to own a vinyl copy of this genuine masterpiece.

[ allmusic.com, The Guardian, Uncut 4 / 5 stars ]