Zoot Woman

~ ~ ~

Zoot Woman: Formed 1995, London, UK; A band known for being forerunners in shaping what has become known as electroclash. Initially just a duo with Stuart and Jonny.
Band members: Stuart Price, Jonny Blake, Adam Blake (1999-present), Beatrice Hatherley (bass, synthesizers, 2004-present).

~ ~ ~

Things Are What They Used to Be

Release date: Aug. 21, 2009

Formats: digital

[album rate: 2,5 / 5]

Living in a Magazine

Release date: May 28, 2001

Formats: digital

[album rate: 2,5 / 5]

Debut album by Zoot Woman as a trio.

.  .  .
.  .
.

News "Stereo magasin" (1981)

Stereo magasin [debut]
release date: 1981
format: vinyl (SLP 1588)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]
producer: Cy Nicklin
label: Sonet/Dansk Grammofon - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: B) 1. "Trafik" (4 / 5)

Studio album debut by Danish sextet News consisting of vocalist Gitte Naur, guitarists Aske Jacoby and Jakob Vejslev, bassist Jette Schandorf, keyboardist Martin Nordborg, and with Peter Biker on drums. Or, that's how the formation was on this album 'cause before recording this, the band had another bass player and drummer, and Nordborg is a new member. From the formation in 1979 and up until '81, the band was called Aske Jacoby Band, but after the change of line-up they changed the name of the band. Also in the aftermath the band went through various changes in the line-up. Essentially, only Schandorf and Biker would be stable members until the split in 1995.
The band quickly became a house-hold name on the national scene, and they also received positive reviews, and within from the mid-80s and until '87 they were among the major Danish acts.
Musically, the album hasn't too well, and my initial interest was maintained as long as they played an uptempo new wave kind of pop / rock, which from my perspective bonded with the German band Ideal. However, they soon began playing a much more polished pop / rock with a broader appeal.

Dire Straits "Dire Straits" (1978)

Dire Straits [debut]
release date: May 1978
format: vinyl (6360 162) / digital
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,12]
producer: Muff Winwood
label: Vertigo Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Down to the Waterline" - 4. "Six Blade Knife" - 5. "Southbound Again" - 6. "Sultan of Swing" (5 / 5) - 8. "Wild West End"

Studio debut album by Dire Straits. With this album they sort of came out of nowhere and jumped all the way to the front row of modern contemporary pop music. The band consists of Mark Knopfler on vocals, lead and rhythm guitars, his younger brother David on rhythm guitar, and backing vocals, John Illsley on bass, and backing vocals, and with Pick Withers playing drums. The style is quite unique, although, it's also obvious that it's build on mostly British r&b and blues rock as played by The Yardbirds, Cream, The Animals with a twist of early Fleetwood Mac and Dylan, but it also incorporates elements from British pub rock, jazz, and folk, which help making the music rather unique. At the time of the release, I wasn't old enough to discover this by myself but my older brother bought the album and he played it constantly, and I enjoyed it so much that I bought a copy of my own just one year later. Listening to it today, it's also evident that both Peter Gabriel and Creedence Clearwater Revival may have been inspirational sources. The album is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

The Police "Outlandos d'Amour" (1978)

Outlandos d'Amour [debut]
release date: Nov. 2, 1978
format: vinyl (AMLH 68502) / cd (2008 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,91]
producer: The Police
label: A&M Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: A) 1. "Next to You" (4 / 5) - 2. "So Lonely" (4 / 5) - 3. "Roxanne" (5 / 5) - 4. "Hole in My Life" - 5. "Peanuts" (4 / 5) - - B) 1. "Can't Stand Losing You" (4 / 5) - 2. "Truth Hits Everybody" - 3. "Born in the 50s" (4 / 5) - 5. "Masoko Tanga"

Studio debut album by The Police - a trio that remained the same throughout its career with the two British members, Sting (aka Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner) on bass and lead vocal, and Andy Summers (aka Andrew James Somers) on lead guitar and backing vocals, together with American drummer and percussionist Stewart (Armstrong) Copeland, also providing backing vocals. All but two songs are exclusively credited Sting - the two others co-composed by either Copeland (track #A5) or Summers (track #B4).
The debut was noticed by critics, some reviews were luke-warm but most found it positive, and although, it didn't top the charts, it fared quite well. The timing and promotion of the album could have been better. Popular music was going through fast changes at this time and of course nobody really knew how things would progress but punk rock peaked and with post-punk and new wave artists taking up airtime on radio stations everywhere, a band playing skilfully new wave variation with reggae and bold pop / rock wasn't exactly the avant-garde that the media thought people asked for. Bands like Talking Heads, Pretenders, Blondie, and The Clash were more direct and on time with their styles, either art punk- punk rock-based, or new wave-oriented, and these artists only played with reggae as a smaller ingredient without taking it to artistic extremes by fusioning several styles and influences, which may likely have been the biggest hurdle for the band. The Police was a band of skilled instrumentalists, at least when thinking Summers and Copeland, and that capability simply bonded with the established world of progressive, fusion rock, and pop / rock bands of the mid-70s and not within a context of opposition to the establishment. In the discussion of being part of a new generation or sharing music and therefore ideas with already established artists, The Police involuntarily put themselves much on their own with a broad appeal, and exactly that alone made them less attractive in new wave and punk rock circles where a more forward perspective was the only option.
Outlandos d'Amour has always been one of my favourite The Police albums because of its energy and simple rock attitude. Stylistically, it has much in common with The Knack, another fine band who didn't play pure punk rock but also found it hard to compete with the new popular waves. The album is simple, highly original, and it contains a bunch of great tracks. I always wished that Sting would have dared being this direct and aggressive as he later found himself wrapped up in political correctness 'saving the rain forests', and seemingly being more preoccupied about personal image.
This is a very strong and fine debut album.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone Magazine 4 / 5 stars ]

The Clash "Cut the Crap" (1985)

Cut the Crap
release date: Nov. 1985
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,16]
producer: Jose Unidos (aka Bernie Rhodes)
label: Epic Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 4. "Are You Red..Y" - 7. "This Is England" (4,5 / 5) - 8. "Three Card Trick" (4 / 5) - 11. "North and South" (4 / 5)

6th and final studio album by The Clash. Yes, this is officially the last studio album by the British punk rock pioneers, The Clash, but to fans and with all due respect to the original line-up, the last 'real' release was Combat Rock (1982). After that, things completely fell apart for the band. The band's drummer, Topper Headon, was expelled from the band as he failed to stop his (heroin) drug addiction, and in 1983 Strummer and Mick Jones (fellow-founder, co-writer, guitarist, vocalist) failed to work with one another (Strummer / Jones signature is one regarded on par with Lennon / McCartney), and bassist Paul Simonon and Strummer ended their co-work with Jones by writing and sending a notice to the press informing that Mick Jones was no longer part of The Clash. With three brand new band members, Cut the Crap was an attempt to return to their original punk-rock roots that brought them fame. However, the heavy production sound, the simple chorus chants, and the bold use of drum machines and synthesizers (allegedly, added to Strummer's scarse demos) could not obscure the fact that good songs were missing. The album has three, including one exceptional, fine Strummer tracks (co-written with Bernard Rhodes, manager), but all in all, it's not a very good album. Before the release, I remember hearing the track "This Is England", and I thought "Wow, this sounds great!!", and I was really looking forward to the new album, but the four highlights (from a 13 track album), are all you get on this one. The reception was not good. The press criticised the music, and fans ignored it, and in early 1986, less than half a year after the release of what had been intended as "a return to basics", The Clash officially disbanded.
Mich Jones had already embarked on the Big Audio Dynamite project founded in '84, Paul Simonon joined Havana 3.A.M., and Joe Strummer found work as an actor before finally initiating a fine solo career.
[ allmusic.com 2 / 5, Blender 1 / 5 stars ]

Flesh for Lulu "Roman Candle" (1983) (single)

Roman Candle, 7'' single
release date: Nov. 1983
format: vinyl (POSP 653)
[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,28]
producer: Mick Glossop
label: Polydor Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: A) "Roman Candle" - - B) "Coming Down"

1st single release by Brixton and post-punk and gothic rock band Flesh for Lulu.

New Order "Movement" (1981)

Movement [debut]
release date: Nov. 1, 1981
format: cd (FACT 50)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,94]
producer: Martin Hannett
label: Factory Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: A) 1. "Dreams Never End" (5 / 5) - 2. "Truth" - 3. "Senses" - 4. "Chosen Time" (4 / 5) - - B) 1. "ICB" - 2. "The Him" - 3. "Doubts Even Here" (4 / 5) - 4. "Denial"

Studio album debut by New Order released as FACT 50 on Factory Records and produced by Martin Hannett. Critics were hard on the remainders of Joy Division as they released this album. Everyone were anxious to hear what would come after the promising single release of "Ceremony". Instead of continuing as Joy Division (which was easy as 'only' one member was missing), vocalist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook, drummer Stephen Morris, and new band member keyboardist Gillian Gilbert chose a name change. But no matter what that would've signalled at the time, critics and fans would still have been curious to see what would happen with the remainders of Joy Division. "Can they still work together?", "Will they sound differently?", "Who will replace Curtis?", were just a few of the immediate questions. Curtis' "only" contribution in Joy Division was his lyrics and fantastic and mesmerising vocal, whereas the rest of the band was the true foundation of the music and in that drummer Steven Morris was the backbone. People tend to categorise the music of JD as dark and sinister, and as contrary of that of New Order. But the enormous progress from Warzaw (and Stiff Kittens), the debut album Unknown Pleasures and to the last singles "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and "Atmosphere" give you an idea of where it could've taken that band. The beauty and complexity of these last songs with Ian Curtis have much more in common with "Dreams Never End" and "Doubts Even Here" from this album (and "Leave Me Alone", my favourite song from Power, Corruption & Lies, 1983). Well, of course they would change their music - that's what they did all along! They always tried to be progressive and not repeat themselves - at least up until the beginning of their career as New Order. As mentioned initially, the critics were hard as this album had its release back in '81, but over time it's considered a cornerstone of modern music, just like the two studio albums by Joy Division, and the successive release, Power, Corruption & Lies (1983). Now, how many bands have made four successive albums with reviews like that?!
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 ]

Neil Young

~ ~ ~

Neil Young (birth name: Neil Percival Young; Nov. 12, 1945), was born in Toronto, Canada (aka: 'Bernard Shakey', 'Phil Perspective', 'Joe Yankee', 'Joe Canuck', 'Shakey Deal', 'Clyde Coil', 'Shakey', 'Dr. Shakes'). He is a Canadian folk rock singer / songwriter. His musical career started with The Jades (1960-61), The Squires (1963-65), around 1965 he joined the Mynah Birds, and as the band was facing difficulties and officially was split in '66, he (and the bass player) drove from Toronto to Los Angeles, and took part in forming what would become Buffalo Springfield (1966-68), a band that gained a lot of critical success but also had internal problems with drugs and alcohol, and an ever changing line-up. In 1968 Buffalo Springfield disbanded and Young began a career as a solo musician. The only band formations and collaborations from here on is working either with Stephen Stills in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (originally only Crosby, Stills and Nash but occasionally featuring Neil Young), and with Crazy Horse, a band that has collaborated with Young on his most electrifying solo albums but also participate on most of his solo albums as studio personnel (releases Neil Young With Crazy Horse differs in the sense that only these do not use additional recording artists).
In retrospect today he is among only a handful of songwriters of modern pop music of whom one may speak of god-like status. The genres of folk, folk rock, country, country rock, and the broad term of singer / songwriter will always be connected with Neil Young, although he has experimented like few with various musical styles. Especially in the 1980s he produced a number of albums with all kinds of stylistic influences such as rockabilly, blues, new wave, electronic, synth pop, and a harder and much more electrified combination of blues rock, pop / rock, folk rock (mostly featuring his backing band Crazy Horse) that eventually put him at the top of all sources when 1990s grunge rock (notably with American artists like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Mudhoney, Soundgarden) erupted and only emphasized his status in modern popular music. As a curiosity, he was also a secondary source to grunge rock in the sense that he inspired artists who also are among sources to the foundation of grunge rock. This includes performers of musical styles like indie rock noise pop / noise rock (Pixies, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth) that came about in the late 80s and early 90s, and even before this Neil Young and Crazy Horse inspired many punk rock, post-punk, power pop, and alternative rock bands / artists who drew more on an American melodic rock tradition i.e. Hüsker Dü, Sugar, which basically is to say: Bob Mould, who is himself another, 'father' of and obvious source to the grunge rock-movement...
[ Further on Neil Young: wikipedia , Official homepage , allmusic.com ]

~ ~ ~

The Cure "Seventeen Seconds" (1980)

FIX 4

Seventeen Seconds
release date: Apr. 22, 1980
format: vinyl (FIX 004) / 2cd (2005 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]
producer: Robert Smith, Mike Hedges
label: Fiction Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: A) 2. "Play for Today" (4 / 5) - 3. "Secrets" - - B) 2. "A Forest" (5 / 5) - 5. "Seventeen Seconds"

2nd studio album by The Cure and the follow-up to Three Imaginary Boys (May 1979). Before recording this Michael Dempsey left the band and two new members were included. Simon Gallup replaced Dempsey on bass and Matthieu Hartley stepped in to play keyboard. The album introduces what became a new style of post-punk labelled gothic rock. This was the second album I listened to with The Cure. I really loved "Play for Today" and "A Forest", but I may not have heard it until early '81. I had only just turned 15 and "overnight" went from listening to The Police, Thin Lizzy, Kiss, Blondie, and all my older brothers' favourites like Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, and Dire Straits to discover punk rock and post-punk. It was like an awakening. I had so much to catch up with and tried to digest everything I could get hold of by The Clash, The Jam, Stiff Little Fingers, The Stranglers, The Damned, Undertones, XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dead Kennedys, Elvis Costello, Sods...
I've always found this more than ordinarily interesting but not entirely up there among the absolute best. The album is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5, The Guardian, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

R.E.M. "Lifes Rich Pageant" (1986)

vinyl cover

Lifes Rich Pageant
release date: Jul. 28, 1986
format: vinyl (ILP 57064) / cd (1993 - The I.R.S. Years Vintage 1986) / cd (2011)
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,33]
producer: Don Gehman
label: I.R.S. Records / Capitol - nationality: USA

Tracklist: 1. "Begin the Begin" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "These Days" (4 / 5) - 3. "Fall On Me" (5 / 5) - 4. "Cuyahoga" (4,5 / 5) - 5. "Hyena" (4 / 5) - 6. "Underneath The Bunker" - 7. "The Flowers Of Guatemala" (4 / 5) - 8. "I Believe" (5 / 5) - 9. "What If We Give It Away?" (4 / 5) - 10. "Just A Touch" (5 / 5) - 11. "Swan Swan H" (4 / 5) - 12. "Superman" (5 / 5)

4th studio album by R.E.M. released on I.R.S. Records and produced by Don Gehman. The original vinyl release A-side is labelled 'Dinner Side' and the B-side 'Supper Side'. This was the first album, I got with the band. I already knew their music and was a growing fan, and was given this as a Christmas present in '86. The album is still one of their best, I think. This is when they got everything together: great songs, great melodies, being raw yet harmonic, they somehow still managed to pass as virtually unknown. From this album and onward, although, critics loved the band and they were promised the big breakthrough, they didn't succeed commercially until Out of Time (1991). I loved this album, which in my mind is only narrowly surpassed by Green (1988).
The album was reissued in an expanded bonus tracks reissue in 1993 (The I.R.S. Years Vintage 1986) containing 6 bonus tracks - two B-sides and 4 previously unreleased recordings.
The album was also reissued in 2011 as a remastered 2-disc '25th Anniversary Edition' with the original album as disc 1 and "The Athens Demos" as disc 2 - a 19 track bonus disc containing demo recordings prior to what became Lifes Rich Pageant. This also includes the track "Bad Day", which wouldn't be released until 2003 as a single release only; however it would feature as a reworked song on Document (1987) as "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel fine)".
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

1993 bonus
tracks reissue

1986 Favourite releases: 1. The Smiths The Queen Is Dead - 2. Talk Talk The Colour of Spring - 3. R.E.M. Lifes Rich Pageant

Top 5 albums by R.E.M.
1. Green
2. Lifes Rich Pageant
3. Document
4. Monster
5. Automatic for the People

Visage "Fade to Grey" (1980) (single)

Fade to Grey, 7'' single
release date: Nov. 10, 1980
format: 7'' single
[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: Visage & Midge Ure
label: Polydor Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: A) "Fade to Grey" (4,5 / 5) - - B) "The Steps" (2,5 / 5)

Single release by Visage released on the same date as the release of the band's first solo album Visage (both tracks are taken from the album as tracks #5 and #10 respectively). The single is the band's only second single release but its first after signing with (major label) Polydor.
"Fade to Grey" was the band's first and also only major hit single reaching number #8 on the national singles chart list, and several other top-10 chart entries throughout Europe, New Zealand and Australia, and also peaking at number #1 in Switzerland and in Germany.
I bought the single at some point in 1981 when the song already was a major radio hit. At the time it was referred to as new wave, although, it's more obvious in a style of new romantic and synthpop. I wasn't a fan of the band but liked the otherworldly sensation of the title track, which is a truly brilliant composition.

Visage "Visage" (1980)

Visage [debut]
release date: Nov. 10, 1980
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]
producer: Visage & Midge Ure
label: Polydor Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 4. "Tar" - 5. "Fade to Grey" (4,5 / 5) - 8. "Moon Over Moscow"

Studio album debut by London-founded band Visage consisting of lead vocalist Steve Strange (aka Stephen Harrington), keyboardist Midge Ure (aka James Ure, former member of Thin Lizzy and Rick Kids, current member of Ultravox), guitarist John McGeoch (ex-member of Magazine), keyboardist (synthesizer) Dave Formula (aka David Tomlinson, ex-member of Magazine), violinist and keyboardist (synthesizer) Billy Currie (aka William Lee Currie, current member of Ultravox), and drummer Rusty Egan (ex-member of Rich Kids). Although being a sextet, the band is formed without a traditional bass player, and on the album ex-Magazine member Barry Adamson plays bass on three tracks (as the remaining songs are without traditional bass instrumentation).
Stylistically, it's closely related to the music by Ultravox in it's synthesizer-driven compositions, and on top of that it showcases a much bolder new romantic sensation and with that places the band alongside contemporary acts like Human League, Duran Duran, Altered Images and Japan.
I only came across the album because of the hit single "Fade to Grey" and that song is really the only great song on an album that hasn't aged well. At the time of its release, the music truly represented something else, as the punk rock era had done a few years before that by presenting music at the new frontier with technical sovereignty, though, I preferred the more chorus-based bands like Human League, Orchestral Manoevres in the Dark and bands with a stronger bond to the post-punk movement.
Visage is a very fine example of the new romantic era with its synthesised sound but I don't think, the album will survive very well on future chart lists, and the band only made one other - and a better attempt with a second album, The Anvil (1982) after which the band was continued with a new line-up and quite different music.

Madness "One Step Beyond..." (1979)

One Step Beyond... [debut]
release date: Oct. 26, 1979
format: vinyl (SEEZ 17) / cd (2000 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,78]
producer: Clive Langer, Alan Winstanley
label: Stiff Records / Virgin - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "One Step Beyond..." - 2. "My Girl" (4 / 5) - 4. "Believe Me" - 6. "The Prince" - 9. "Bed and Breakfast Man" - 13. "Mummy's Boy" - 14. "Madness"

Studio album debut (originally released on Stiff Records) by English band Madness - up until the recording and release of the album a sextet consisting of Graham McPherson [aka Suggs] on lead vocals, Mike Barson [aka Monsieur Barso] on keyboards, Chris Foreman [aka Chrissy Boy] on guitars, Mark Bedford [aka Bedders] on bass, Lee "Kix" Thompson on saxophones and backing vocals, and with Dan Woodgate [aka Woody] on drums and percussion. Seventh member Cathal Smyth [aka Chas Smash] takes part on the album and would formally join the band a few weeks after the album release. The band took its name from Jamaican ska artist Prince Buster's track "Madness", from his studio debut album I Feel the Spirit from 1963, Also the title track [original song] stems from a B-side single to the track "Al Capone" from '65 is by Prince Buster. The 200 remaster is released on Virgin Records.
One Step Beyond... is the first in a long row of albums to be produced by the Clive Langer / Alan Winstanley team, who would later go on and work with artists such as Elvis Costello, Dexys Midnight Runners, They Might Be Giants, Morrissey, and David Bowie.
Stylistically, this is at the core of what would be known as 2 Tone, British ska or more precisely: ska revival as the style builds on the original 60s rocksteady and Jamaican ska, and also it's heavily inspired by British pub rock bands like Brinsley Schwarz, Kilburn & the High Roads, Eddie and the Hot Rods, and Ian Dury & The Blockheads. And British pub rock with its humour plays a central part in the music by Madness.
The track "The Prince" (by Lee Thompson) pays tribute to one of the original Jamaican ska artists Prince Buster (aka Cecil Bustamente Campbell) was a minor hit and the band's first single, which paved the way for a place on the [pre-MTV] TV show Top of the Pops.
The album is almost great as it contains some really classic songs of that particular period, and it's also made up of some minor fillers serving more as entertaining bits, but all in all it's a classic album, and a 'must-have' in any collection of modern pop music.
Highly recommended.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Mojo, Q Magazine 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

U2 "War" (1983)

War
release date: Feb. 28, 1983
format: vinyl (gatefold - ILPS 9733) / cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]
producer: Steve Lillywhite
label: Island Records - nationality: Ireland

Track highlights: A) 1. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (4,5 / 5) - 3. "New Year's Day" - 5. "Drowning Man" - - B) 2. "Two Hearts Beat as One" - 5. "40'' (4 / 5)

3rd studio album by U2 is like the previous two produced by Steve Lillywhite. Just like the cover boy, the same boy who fronted the cover on Boy, clearly has matured, the album shows a more mature band, who has taken a new direction with more focus on songwriting and showcases much more varied arrangements. All in all, it all proves that the band has much more to offer than the fast guitar-driven uptempo sing-along chorus-lines. The production side has also improved considerably, leaving the first two albums as more straight-forward and less artistic statements, and October as more of an experiment as to try out what direction to take.
The album is the first by U2 to be enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com 5 / 5, 👍Rolling Stone 4 / 5 ]

Best of 1974:Tom Waits "The Heart of Saturday Night" (1974)

The Heart of Saturday Night
release date: Oct. 1974
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,18]
producer: Bones Howe
label: Asylum Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 2. "San Diego Serenade" - 4. "Shiver Me Timbers" - 5. "Diamonds on My Windshield (Looking For)" - 6. "(Looking For) The Heart of Saturday Night" (5 / 5) - 8. "Please Call Me, Baby" (4 / 5) - 9. "Depot, Depot" - 11. "The Ghosts of Saturday Night (After Hours at Napoleone's Pizza House)"

2nd studio album by Tom Waits and his first of a long series of albums with producer Bones Howe. And what a follow up to a great debut! Stylistically, the music is unchanged and the album contains only fine compositions with "(Looking For) The Heart of Saturday Night" being one of his absolute best songs.

Although the debut is really good and an instant classic, this one seems even more solid and it's just one of his very best.

Highly recommended.

[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Q Magazine, Rolling Stone Album Guide 4 / 5 stars ]

1974 Favourite releases: 1. Tom Waits The Heart of Saturday Night - 2. Neil Young On the Beach - 3. Mike Odfield Hergest Ridge

Blur "Blur" (1997)

Blur
release date: Feb. 10, 1997
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,64]
producer: Stephen Street
label: Food Records / EMI Japan - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Beetlebum" - 2. "Song 2" (4 / 5) - 3. "Country Sad Ballad Man" - 7. "You're So Great" - 8. "Death of a Party" - 11. "Look Inside America" - 12. "Strange News From Another Star" - 14. "Essex Dogs"

5th studio album by Blur released a year an a half following The Great Escape (Sep. 1995) is band's so far final album with Stephen Street as producer. However, you could have the impression that it was made with another producer as it really introduces a new direction in terms of style. There's a change of balance in terms of spatial relationship when it comes to the instrumentation. There's a bold use of distortion and delay effects applied to guitars and vocals, and drums and bass are played more vigorously - with energy and a sneer. Stylistically, it's difficult to label as britpop, although, a few songs still contain elements of that style, but as a whole, it contains punk rock bits, and I find it more indie rock and alt. rock-shaped than any of their albums, so far.
At first, I found the album less appealing than the more classic Blur releases like Parklife and Modern Times..., but along the way I have really come to appreciate this a great deal more. I see the album as a turning point in the band's career, and it has also been enlisted in various best of lists including NME's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", and I fully understand the inclusion of the album in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" as the third (and so far final) by Blur. The single "Beetlebum" is Blur's second single to top the singles chart list, and the album is also the third consecutive Blur album to enter the national albums chart list as number #1.
Recommended.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, The Guardian, Q Magazine, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

Ryuichi Sakamoto "Neo Geo" (1987)

Neo Geo
release date: Jul. 1, 1987
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: Bill Laswell, Ryuichi Sakamoto
label: Sony Music - nationality: Japan

Tracklist: 1. "Before Long" (4 / 5) - 2. "Neo Geo" (4 / 5) - 3. "Risky" (feat. Iggy Pop) - 4. "Free Trading" - 5. "Shogunade" - 6. "Parata" - 7. "Okinawa Song - Chin Nuku Juushii" - 8. "After All"

Studio album release by Ryuichi Sakamoto. I first came across this album around the year 2000, and it soon became one of my favourites by Sakamoto. Before that I basically only knew of Sweet Revenge (1994), Beauty (1989), and his world famous soundtrack Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983). After finding this beauty, I have collected another handful of albums by this fantastic modern composer. I don't think all his albums are great but I really enjoy his willingness to explore new musical territories, and you never know what style he investigates next, although modern classical, synth pop and new age are sticking styles in his vast repertoire. The short instrumental piano track "Before Long", which is SO beautiful and also so much Sakamoto, is the best track here. The only downside to it is the short playing time of 01:19 min.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

Bauhaus "Press the Eject and Give Me the Tape" (1982) (live)

Press the Eject and Give Me the Tape (live)
release date: Oct. 19, 1982
format: digital
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]
producer: [non-produced]
label: Beggars Banquet - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Rosegarden Funeral of Sores" - 5. "Bela Lugo's Dead"

Live album by Bauhaus is a collection of eleven compositions from three concerts held in London and Liverpool in 1981 and '82. Six tracks were recorded at The Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool, Oct. 31, 1981. One track is from a concert at Hammersmith Palais, London, Nov. 9, 1981, and four tracks are taken from a concert at The Old Vic, London, Feb. 24, 1982. A remastered version with an additional six tracks was released in 1988 (like most of the band's releases had new remastered bonus tracks editions), five of which were recorded Dec. 3, 1981, Le Rose Bon Bon, Paris.

The best thing about the album are the highlighted two compositions, which were previously unreleased: the band's very first single "Bela Lugosi's Dead" (running for more than 9 minutes) - a song the band was always expected to play live - and the cover song "Rosegarden Funeral of Sores" by John Cale, and a song the band almost made its own.

The album is a fine document of a band, who was fully capable of maintaining its unique sound and by adding dimensions to that when playing live, as their inert tone was of theatrical nature and simply contained that something quite suitable for the stage.

[ allmusic.com 2,5 / 5 stars ]

Ramones "It's Alive" (1979) (live)

It's Alive (live)
release date: Apr. 1979
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5]
producer: Tommy Ramone
label: Sire Records - nationality: USA

1st live album by Ramones. The album has legendary status. It's a recorded live concert held on New Year's Eve, Dec. 31, 1977 at The Rainbow Theatre in London. The original release was a double vinyl lp and the tracks are taken from the band's first four albums, basically comprising the best years by Ramones. The band members playing were the original quartet featuring Joey Ramone on lead vocals, Johnny Ramone on guitar, Dee Dee Ramone on bass and backing vocals, and Tommy Ramone on drums. The album nicely documents how Ramones went on stage and just played track after track without long breaks, and many times without pausing at all. It's truly a fine album at the peak of their performance. It was one of the first albums I was introduced to by the band, and I kept it on cassette for many years before finally purchasing it on cd around the mid 90s.
[ allmusic.com, Q Magazine, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

C.V. Jørgensen "Storbyens små oaser" (1977)

Storbyens små oaser

release date: May 1977

format: cd (1988 reissue)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,02]

producer: Niels Henriksen

label: CBS Records / Elap - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Det ganske lille band" - 2. "Entertaineren" (5 / 5) - 3. "La containe" - 4. "Tobaksvejen" - 5. "Hamburger Sally" (4 / 5) - 6. "Storbybeduinen" - 8. "Bellevue" (5 / 5) - 9. "Abonnenten" (4 / 5)

3rd studio album by C.V. Jørgensen following two years after T-Shirts, terylenebukser & gummisko and originally released on Danish label Metronome. Nils Henriksen is again credited as producer, as on the predecessor, and although he is already a recognized guitarist, he is only credited additionally on backing vocals and on timbales. The album offers a reunion with guitarist Ivan Horn, who appeared on the debut album En stynet strejfer (1974), and together with bassist Erik Falck, keyboardist Per Wium, and new drummer René Wulf (replacing Gert Smedegård on the previous two albums), this is the quartet which became equated with 'Det ganske lille band', mentioned in the opening track, and for the rest of the decade was to become the unofficial name of C.V.'s backing band.

The album is generally regarded as Jørgensen's commercial and artistic breakthrough, and it marks a shift towards a softer version of folk rock with a distinct jazz tone. The significant inspiration from Dylan, The Band, Neil Young, and Little Feat is not absent but considerably toned down, just as new stylistic expressions have appeared. On this, you'll find similarities with soft rock from The Doobie Brothers, but especially country and blues influences from Steely Dan and J. J. Cale, which is the style now dominating Jørgensen's soundscape. In addition to the American artists in singer / songwriter, folk and country, there is a turn towards the British Isles with inspiration from Eric Clapton and new contemporary influences from David Bowie and Brian Eno. Bowie is mentioned on "Bellevue" and Per Wium plays a piano sequence on "Abonnenten", which was supposed to be inspired by Mike Garson's piano solo on Bowie's Aladdin Sane. In continuation of the new musical expression, C.V. also developed his songwriting in such a way that he expresses himself more satirically in relation to national politics and in comments about Danish everyday life.

The majority of contemporary Danish musicians spoke unequivocally and strongly confrontationally against conservatism and older generations from a clear left-wing perspective, which often seemed like a bombardment without nuances. Together with Kim Larsen, Sebastian, and Trille, C.V. Jørgensen appeared as one of a few significant songwriters who would be able to carry on the legacy of Eik Skalø - a position he not only maintained, but also came to substantiate in the coming years, and by the end of the decade he positioned himself as perhaps the best and most important Danish songwriter of a generation.

I was already quite familiar with C.V.'s music from early on, but this album was my first acquisition by C.V. Jørgensen, and I purchased that album simply because it was already considered a modern classic. Over the years, its status hasn't exactly faded. The Danish music magazine Gaffa chose Storbyens små oaser to represent C.V. Jørgensen on its list of the best Danish albums ever. Four decades later, it still has classic status - and especially in comparison with other acclaimed releases from 1977, and in a Danish musical historical context, you cannot skip Storbyens små oaser.

Highly recommended.

~ ~ ~

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.