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Good rocker to blow away the cobwebs today, this is Guns 'n' Roses, with their classic “Sweet child o' mine” --- play that guitar, Slash! |
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I tell you, with all the work I put into this journal it's a wonder I don't just fade away (what do you mean, who said that? Can't you see me? Oh no!) --- but here I am back with the second part of our in-depth look at the cultural phenomenon that swept, first the UK and then later the world, in the early 1980s, a movement that revitalised and redefined the heavy metal franchise, and gave birth to a whole fistful of bands, some of whom went on to do very well, some of whom blazed briefly before being extinguished and some of whom, well, just went out like guttering candles. This time out, we're concentrating on three who made it, and not only that, one of whom had such a far-ranging and lasting influence on one particular part of the scene that they coined a new phrase which was taken up and used to describe and create a whole new sub-genre. But more of that later. Any new movement is going to create and sweep up in its grasp a whole slew of bands who think they can make it. Look at the punk movement, or even the grunge rock of the nineties. So many bands got formed, gigged and then totally failed to make any impression on the public that they quickly disbanded and were forgotten about. It was of course the same with the new “young guns” of the heavy metal movement. Many bands never made it out of the starting blocks, or to tweak that analogy a little, never completed the first lap. It was, and is, and ever will be, a dirty, mean, unforgiving business, the music scene, and really, if you don't learn to swim with the sharks you end up being eaten by them. Well, that's enough mixed metaphors for one morning! Point is, like the punk explosion of the seventies, everyone who could play three chords or bash a drum or roar out a song thought they could be a band, or in one, or form one. Enthusiasm is all very well and good --- where would we be without it, after all? --- but mixed in with that you have to have a healthy dose of realism, pragmatism, and --- what's the other one? Oh it just escapes me, on the tip of my tongue … oh yeah. Talent. That's the problem with new fads, crazes, waves, call them what you will. Everyone thinks they can be a star. Probably the kind of thinking that led to no-talent wannabes queueing for hours outside the X Factor studios in the hope of getting their five minutes of glory, even if it's just to be “that bloke who told Cowell to **** off!” Easy, instant fame. Everyone wants it. But it isn't that easy. Of course, that's not to say that there was anything close to the talent-show-factory culture there is now back then, but it just serves to underline the fact that no matter how hard some of these guys wanted to be a metal band, some of them just hadn't got it in them. Bands like Ethel the Frog, Fireclown, Fist, Nightwing, Legend and Ireland's Sweet Savage all had their day but faded quickly after the initial onslaught of the NWOBHM. Personally, I have not heard anything from these bands, so would not in any way denigrate them or say their music was below par, however it is a matter of record that the abovementioned, along with many other bands which rose under the NWOBHM banner, fell by the wayside and did not emulate the success of huge acts like Iron Maiden, Saxon or Def Leppard. But as I said at the beginning of this piece, in this, our second episode, we are looking at three bands, with hugely varying styles, who all “made it” in one way or another. Part the second, in which demons roam the earth, crows fill the sky and Heavy Metal is “born to darkness”... http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...z8EWAM6XsFFyhg The first of these bands I want to concentrate on is one who were formed well before the advent of the NWOBHM and would go on to crack America, or nearly, suffering some personal tragedy along the way. They were called Raven, and they were formed in 1974 in Newcastle by brothers John and Mark Gallagher (yeah, two more Gallagher brothers!) and Paul Bowden. Signed to the Neat Records label, they released their debut album, 1981's “Rock until you drop”. Rock until you drop --- Raven --- 1981 (Neat) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ilyoudrop1.jpg There's little finesse about this album, but then, what do you expect from a NWOBHM band? AND one from “oop North” into the bargain! It's heads-down, straight-forward rockin' metal, with snarling guitars and thundering drums, all played at a pretty ferocious pace. “Hard ride” opens the album and sets the pace, which really never slackens throughout the whole recording. The songs are short, sharp and uncomplicated, with few over four minutes, bar the closer and one other. Vocalist John Gallagher, who also plays the bass, belts out the songs with the fervour of a real rocker, and although he does scream a lot you can always make out what he's singing. The simplicity of the setup --- bass, guitar, drums --- makes me think of a seriously heavy and much faster Rory Gallagher. There are no frills here, and no pretensions. There's no doubting the talent of these guys, as a super guitar solo from Mark Gallagher during “Don't need your money” shows, with Rob Hunter pounding the drumkit like a steamhammer, and then “Over the top” has a certain Thin Lizzy feel to it, a little bit of boogie stuck in there somewhere among the screaming guitars and thunderous drums. There's a short almost medieval instrumental then, which comes across almost as a joke among all the headbanging and mayhem, but it's soon back to business with “For the future”, though in fairness this is a little more restrained, reminding me of early Maiden really. Gallagher J more growls than screams this song, making it a little easier to understand, and it has a great hook. Quite melodic, in fact. The title track comes in on a sort of handclap and military drumbeat, a slow cruncher with Gallagher M cranking the best he possibly can out of his guitar, and the speed flies right back up to the top of the scale then for “Nobody's hero”, until they churn out the only cover on the album, a great version of The Sweet's hit “Hellraiser”, combined with another minor hit for the seventies glam rockers, “Action”,with some truly superb guitar work. The closer is the longest track on the album, at just over seven minutes. “Tyrant of the airways”, which becomes their first foray into progressive rock, or I should say progressive metal really, with its different sections and key changes and time signatures, is a really impressive ending to their debut album. TRACKLISTING 1. Hard ride 2. Hell patrol 3. Don't need your money 4. Over the top 5. 39-40 6. For the future 7. Rock until you drop 8. Nobody's hero 9. Hellraiser/Action 10. Lambs to the slaughter 11. Tyrant of the airways After the initial success of this and their next album, 1982's “Wiped out”, Raven attracted the attention of one of the big US labels, Megaforce Records, who had on their books also American metal acts Anthrax and a little outfit called Metallica. Touring with both bands raised Raven's stateside profile considerably, and in 1984 the band moved permanently to New York. Before that, however, they released their first album on the US Megaforce label, 1983's “All for one”. All for one --- Raven --- 1983 (Megaforce) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ll_for_One.jpg Their third album, and their first directly aimed at, and recorded for, the US market, “All for one” is still considered by many fans to one of their finer albums, before they became Americanised. It kicks off heavy enough, though slower, with the songs more coherent and less frenetic: you can already see the influence playing with the likes of Metallica was having on the boys from Newcastle. Even John Gallagher's voice is lower, more growly and gutteral, with much less of the high-pitched screaming that characterised previous albums “Wiped out” and their debut. The guitar is used to much better effect, too, with a lot of reverb and feedback. The opener, “Take control”, is perhaps a misnomer, as the only people who had control over Raven were their new US label taskmasters, Megaforce, and later the giant Atlantic Records, but “Mind over metal” at least throws down the gauntlet, asserting that it's all about the music. Again, it's heavy, a little faster than the opener and almost in the vein of the songs off their debut, but with a definite growl in Gallagher J's voice as he no doubt sought to emulate James Hetfield. “Sledgehammer rock” became something of an anthem for them, with its heavy guitars and punchy chorus, while the title track of course recalls the legend of the Three Musketeers, with some great crowd-participation moments, no doubt. This is definitely a band enjoying themselves: wonder what the Americans made of the impromptu rendition of La Marseilleise in the middle of the song? Perhaps onstage Raven switched it for The Star-spangled banner? Seems they had “Run silent run deep” as a song title before Maiden did, and it's a good rocker with a truly fantastic piece of guitar exposition in the middle. “Hung drawn and quartered” is a return to the Raven of old, with breakneck drumming, screeching guitar and indeed screeching John Gallagher! In fact, as the album crashes headlong towards its end, it becomes apparent that the Raven we heard on “Rock until you drop” are reasserting themselves. The songs get faster, heavier, and John Gallagher screams a lot more. It's really quite a joy to hear. “Seek and destroy”, the penultimate track, does exactly what it says on the tin. Powerful, racing metal with screaming vocals and drumming that just punches your face in. Closer “Athletic rock” (which later became the odd way Raven described their particular brand of metal) is a little slower (though not much!) and a little more restrained, almost as if they were being reined back in, though it was completely apparent even at this stage that this raven could not be caged for very long. TRACKLISTING 1. Take control 2. Mind over metal 3. Sledgehammer rock 4. All for one 5. Run silent run deep 6. Hung drawn and quartered 7. Break the chain 8. Take it away 9. Seek and destroy 10. Athletic rock So what happened to them after that? Well, they released in total another nine albums, up to 2009, making twelve in all, but there would come a drastic shift in direction. After “All for one”, Raven theoretically hit the big time, being signed by Atlantic Records, but like many labels, particularly the larger ones, the US giants demanded more control over Raven's output, forcing them to move into a more commercial, radio-friendly vein, and the first two albums released on the Atlantic album, 1985's “Stay hard” and its followup the next year, “The pack is back”, despite yielding a semi-successful single from the former, served to alienate many of Raven's diehard fans. Two more albums were recorded with Atlantic before the band were let go by the label. In the interim, Rob Hunter left the band to spend more time with his family, replaced by Joe Hasselvander, and the band released five more albums, including the sort of follow-up to “All for one”, 2000's “One for all”, though the growing supremacy of the grunge rock movement, particularly in the USA, was edging them out and they decided to concentrate on playing Europe and Japan, who had always loved them (what is it with the Japanese and heavy metal?) until tragedy struck. In 2001 a wall fell on Mark Gallagher, crushing his legs and forcing Raven to take a five-year break while he recovered. They came back in 2006, touring over three years and finally releasing their last, to date, album, 2009's “Walk through fire”. Throughout their career, Raven have remained true to the original lineup of bass/guitar/drums and vocals, never once adding any other instruments except under pressure from Atlantic for 1986's “The pack is back”, when Mark experimented with synths and guitar synths. The backlash from the fans obviously told him that had been a bad way to go, and they returned to their tried and trusted format. Raven are an example perhaps of a band who rose through the NWOBHM, became big in America, fell out of favour and returned to what they do best, and yet they are relatively unknown to the public at large. Ask any ordinary Joe or Jane in the street who Iron Maiden or Def Leppard are, they can probably tell you. Ask about Raven, they'll probably say isn't that a crow? Sad in a way: Raven could have been just as successful as either of the two bands mentioned above, but got distracted and spellbound by the bright lights, and for a time gave over their music to Suits, who did their level best to change and therefore destroy it, trying to make it fit into their own concept of what made a good rock band. Or at least, a profitable one. But despite Mark's injuries and the loss of founder member Hunter, Raven continue on, and are, as far as I know, still on the road as I write. Some birds' wings, it would seem, are harder to clip than others. |
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Ah, what a great name for a metal band, eh? Conjures up all the right (or wrong, depending on which side of the barbed-wire fence you're sitting!) Satanic images, doesn't it? Hailing from Wolverhampton, of all places, Cloven Hoof formed in 1979 but settled their basic lineup and released their debut EP in 1982. Throughout their career the band would endure many staff changes, as is a recurring theme through most of the NWOBHM bands --- even the mighty Maiden --- but in the case of these guys, the lineup would be stipped down right to the bone, leaving one member as the sole survivor from the original band. But more of that later. Originally, the band consisted of four members, who had the admittedly quite unique and interesting idea of each taking as a pseudonym one of the four elements, as descibed below, with notes to explain who left and was replaced by whom. David Potter (Water) --- Vocals (see Note 1) Steve Rounds (Fire) --- Guitar (See Note 2) Lee Payne (Air) --- Bass Kevin Poutney (Earth) --- Drums (See Note 3) Note 1: After recording the debut, Potter left to be replaced by Rob Kendrick. He assumed the mantle of “Water” for the time he was there. In 1988 he was replaced by Russ North. By now the band (of which only Lee Payne remained, he hiring basically a whole new crew) had dropped the pseudonyms. The band split again in 1990, reformed in 2001 (although reformed is not really the word, as this was again a whole new lineup) and Matt Moreton took on the role of vocalist, until 2006 when North came back. He left and rejoined a few times, but for the sake of simplicity we'll just say he was their last steady vocalist, and leave it at that. Note 2: in 1988, when Payne restarted the band, Rounds was replaced by Andy Wood. In 1989 Cloven Hoof added a second guitarist, Lee Jones, before splitting again. Wood was replaced by Andy Shortland for their 2006 album, and thereafter by Mick Powell, joined later by Ben Read to replace the departed Jones. Note 3: Jon Brown took over on the drumstool for the first reformation of the band in 1988, and then Lynch Radinsky in 2006, shortly afterwards replaced by the returning Brown. Footnote: the lineup changes in Cloven Hoof were a lot more complicated than this, but rather than confuse you with a dizzying account of people who left, came back, left again, came back again, joined briefly before leaving again, and so on, the above will have to suffice as a basic idea of how fluid the membership of this band was. Under the original lineup listed above, Cloven Hoof released first an EP in 1982 titled “The opening ritual”, and two years later their first full album. Cloven Hoof --- Cloven Hoof --- 1984 (Neat) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...nhoofcover.jpg Well, if you're going to title your first album the same as your band, you may as well have a song called that too! AND have it first! So the album opens with the riproaring “Cloven Hoof”, and from the beginning this band sound really more black metal (although by that time the term hadn't really been invented) than heavy metal, with growling, gutteral vocals (though not, thank everything, death ones!), echoey guitars that can at a moment's notice snap to face-punching power chords, thundering drums and dark, doomy lyrics. Throw in a few demon growl sound-effects and you're set for an album that, even by its title and that of the band, was guaranteed to draw attention from the self-styled protectors of the innocent. Great guitar solos from Steve Rounds --- or should I say, Fire? --- which really bring some class into a song that a times is just a little too heavy, not in terms of music but just in general: seems a bit plodding even if it is fast. That makes no sense, I know. Just listen to it, you'll see what I mean. It's kind of like drowning in hot tar. But the lively guitar provides a lifeline for you to climb out of the pit. Metallica and Megadeth must have taken their cue from some of the songs here, as the style is somewhat similar, as “Nightstalker” refuses to let the pace slacken, in fact ups it slightly, Rounds managing to sound like two guitarists instead of just the one, and David “Water” Potter's voice perfectly complementing the material. This is not metal for beginners! Elements of fellow metallers Saxon in there, as well as speed and noise merchants Motorhead. “March of the damned” is a short instrumental, great showcase for the guitar, recalling the best of Diamond Head, then we get a track which originally appeared on their 1982 debut EP “The opening ritual”. Remixed and re-recorded, “Gates of Gehenna” is another rock chugger, cracking along at a loping pace with a lot of early Iron Maiden in evidence, as well as the best of Black Sabbath. This is a short album, only seven tracks in all. There are actually ten on the CD, but that's a reissue with bonus material, and my policy has always been to review albums based on what was on either the original vinyl recordings (I'm an oldie, you see) or if they were never on vinyl, whatever was on the original CD. So we're left with only seven tracks to work with, and after the powerful, thumping “Gates of Gehenna” comes to an equally powerful and emphatic close, “Crack the whip” is the closest Cloven Hoof come to a straight-ahead rock song, with a beat that resonates with Steppenwolf memories and just a dash of the Stones (Rolling, not Roses), with “Water” Potter attempting a pretty funny falsetto --- I don't think it's meant to be funny, but by gum it is! “Laying down the law” is another standard rocker, less heavy than their previous material but with a great beat and some excellent, finger-burning fretwork from Rounds --- no wonder he chose fire as his symbol! --- then the album closes on the nine-minute epic “Return of the Passover”, which starts off a little prog-rocky, with heavy synth and feedback guitar, then kicks into a Maiden groove, going through some major changes over the course of its life, some choppy, snarly guitar switching with sweet shredding and then galloping, chug-a-long axework as Steve Rounds makes the most of what would, in the end, be his last outing with the band. A powerful and epic opening shot, the debut from Cloven Hoof comes across in places as more speed or even thrash metal, veering into black metal territory, though they seem to be able to pull back on the throttle enough to play basic heavy metal, and all in all it's a pretty impressive debut. TRACKLISTING 1. Cloven Hoof 2. Nightstalker 3. March of the damned 4. The gates of Gehenna 5. Crack the whip 6. Laying down the law 7. Return of the Passover As detailed earlier, this was the last album recorded by the original lineup of Cloven Hoof, and true to the nature of the feet in their name, they split, and weren't heard from again for four years, when bassist, and only surviving founder member Lee Payne recruited essentially a whole new band to record their second album. This would be a lot different to their debut, firstly by being a concept album, and secondly by being based on a science-fiction storyline. Dominator --- Cloven Hoof --- 1988 (FM Revolver) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._dominator.JPG There's no slowing these guys down! With new vocalist Russ North onboard, the new lineup takes up where the original left off in terms of speed, and power into the appropriately-titled “Rising up”. One thing you can hear straight away is the difference in North's vocals as opposed to Potter's gutteral growl and roar: his are much clearer, cleaner and more suited to the material here. He can shout with the best of them, but seems not to believe he has to growl or scream, a much more controlled voice I believe. Great guitar work from replacement axeman Andy Wood, ably filling the shoes of the now-departed Steve Rounds. I'm not certain of the actual story behind the album, but “Nova battlestar” tells the tale of a spaceship going to war in some far-flung galaxy, and would seem to be influenced by the big science-fiction epics around at the time, the likes of the Star Wars films and of course the series “Battlestar Galactica” (the original, not the re-imagining of recent years): you can also hear the Iron Maiden leanings evident on the last few tracks of their debut begin to burgeon and expand now, and they're definitely more in the camp of power metal now, shying away from the darker, muggier style of their first album. Even the artwork on the album cover is slightly reminscent of some of the Iron Maiden covers. “Reach for the sky” continues the story (whatever it is!) and was orginally on their live album, “Fighting back”, as was later track “The fugitive” (more Maiden links?), and is a good solid rocker, with the days of black and doom metal now, it would seem, firmly behind them. Great guitar solo on this track, and new drummer Jon Brown certainly knows where the kit is! It's another short album, and “Warrior of the wasteland” takes us halfway there, with the first slow song I've heard yet from Cloven Hoof. Impressive vocal from North, as he narrates part of the story, and some really introspective guitar work from Wood before the song fires up a little, getting heavier but still remaining generally mid-paced, not a ballad by any means, with some fiery fretwork from Wood as it then gathers speed, and a really discordant solo that somehow fits in perfectly. By the end of the song it's been through about as many changes really as the closer to their debut! Not bad for a song that's four minutes shy of “Return of the Passover”... “The invaders” (the Maiden references just keep coming!) keeps things fast but with churning guitars and galloping drums maintaining order on the song, and North's authorative vocal taking charge. Some interesting vocal effects where he tries to sound alien or robotic, but comes across as a Dalek with a bad cold! Then “The fugitive” (see what I mean? It even starts out like Maiden's song “The Prisoner”!) keeps things rocking until the title track kicks in to slow things down just a little with more of a cruncher than we've had up to now. As he wrote every song on this album, I can only imagine that Lee Payne must have been listening to most of Iron Maiden's catalogue, especially “Number of the Beast”, “Piece of mind” and “Powerslave”, as this album, apart from being so unlike the debut, is so like Maiden that it's almost scary. Yes, Cloven Hoof have certainly their own identity, and I would not accuse them of ever being a Maiden rip-off or copycat band, but they have obviously been heavily impressed and influenced by the work of Messrs Dickinson, Murray, Harris and Co., particularly on “The fugitive”. (I don't know what's up with this video, but beware flashing lights. I mean, constantly. If you're anyway susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy, give it a miss. You have been warned...) Closer “Road of eagles” was originally on their first demo, and is a little hackneyed, but a decent one to end on, if not the strongest of tracks. It's interesting though to see how much the band have changed from the dark, somewhat confused heaviness of the debut, to the clearer, slicker and more cohesive sound on “Dominator”. Definitely a band who were evolving. TRACKLISTING 1. Rising up 2. Nova battlestar 3. Reach for the sky 4. Warrior of the wasteland 5. The invaders 6. The fugitive 7. Dominator 8. Road of eagles Unfortunately, as we have seen, Cloven Hoof were only to release one more album before this rather fine lineup fell apart and the band split again. Normally, I only take a maximum of three albums from any one band featured here, but as Cloven Hoof only had four real albums in all, we're going to look at them all here. Because of this decision we end up a few hundred characters over the limit per post, so stand by for part two... |
A sultan's ransom --- Cloven Hoof --- 1989 (FM Revolver)
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...9gOlaH71QPd7ig One year later they released “A sultan's ransom”, with the same lineup but this time the songwriting duties were shared between Payne and Wood, the latter co-writing about half of the album with him. This time there are ten tracks --- the longest ever for a Cloven Hoof album --- and it kicks off with “Astral rider”, a good, fast rocker which again runs through some changes and more or less picks up where the previous album left off. “Forgotten heroes” keeps the quality high, Russ North again in fine form, Andy Wood clearly enjoying himself on the guitar. Now, a year later, they seem to be establishing their own sound, with a lot less of the Iron Maiden influence in evidence. “DVR” --- which apparently stands for Death Valley Racer --- is the first song on which Andy Wood co-writes, and it's played at breakneck speed, as you might perhaps expect, North manages to reach some notes that sound like they really hurt! Truly manic guitar solo here, then “Jekyll and Hyde” is the first kind-of Maidenlike song on the album, but we'll forgive them that, as it's a real belter. Eastern melodies introduce the “Arabian Nights” themed “1001 nights”, the story of Scheherezade (don't know if I spelled that properly) who was the central figure in the story. It's another good rocker, but I think Kamelot did better with the source material. Mind you, that was ten years later! “Silver surfer” is another fast and heavy number, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, and “Notre Dame” is back with the Maiden influences, treading very hard on the toes of “Hallowed be thy name”, while “Mad mad world” is a short, somewhat throwaway track. The album finishes strongly though, as both “Highlander” and the closer “Mistress of the forest” stand out, the former due to its rollicking, into-battle theme referencing the movie and later TV series of the same name, with some great busy guitar. The latter is totally unexpected, with harpsichord opening, and some lovely choral synth on a ballad, of all things. No keyboard player is credited sadly, so I can't tell you who's playing the keys, but they do a hell of a good job. O-kay. It's not a ballad, but it certainly started out like one. It gets kicked up the arse though, and quickly becomes another rocker, though vastly different to the previous tracks. It's also the longest track on the album, at just under seven minutes. After rocking hard for about five of those, it ends with a slow, relaxed harpsichordal outro, as it begun. The only major difference I see between this album and “Dominator” is that on this Cloven Hoof have tried hard to shake the cloying Iron Maiden cliches, and for the most part they've succeeded, creating a more individual and representative album, very much stamping their identity on “A sultan's ransom”. The closer in particular lays down the marker, where they make it clear they are not just another Maiden clone. TRACKLISTING 1. Astral rider 2. Forgotten heroes 3. D.V.R 4. Jekyll and Hyde 5. 1001 night 6. Silver surfer 7. Notre Dame 8. Mad, mad world 9. Highlander 10. Mistress of the forest And once again, just as they seemed to have it together, events conspired to tear the Cloven boys apart, and they went their separate ways. Despite many attempts by Lee Payne to bring them back together and reform the band (again!) it would not be until 2005 that Lee would finally give up, hire session guys and head into the studio to record what would be their last album, so far. Eye of the sun --- Cloven Hoof --- 2006 (Escape Music) http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...mZ-o0BzLbC_SHH It's another hard rockin' opening, but new vocalist (well, stand-in vocalist I guess) Matt Moreton is more harsh and gutteral than I would like, more in the mould of original singer Potter, and on “Inquisitor” he screams and growls rather than singing. After the lush voice of Russ North on the last two albums, it's a little like going back to Paul Di'anno after hearing Bruce Dickinson! Alright, enough with the barbed Iron Maiden references, I hear ya! Session guitarist Andy Shortland appears a decent replacement, at least on this, the first track, but the whole style of the third incarnation of Cloven Hoof seems to have slipped back to that of the debut, and the music is much harder, heavier and less melodic --- not quite black metal, perhaps grey metal? The title track offers something of a return to the sort of Cloven Hoof we've been used to over the last two albums, with Moreton reining in the harsher aspects of his singing and sounding a little clearer. It's a slower track, a cruncher with some really pounding guitar and bass work, the solos kept to just the areas where they'll be the most effective. It's not made clear, but it seems likely as he was the one who put the band (back) together that all the songs here are written by Payne, and this time out he's decided to rope in the aid of a keyboard player, James Hartley. “Cyberworld” is very catchy, almost AOR. But not. Not quite. But close. For Cloven Hoof. Some great backing vocals on this, for the first time either used, or credited. If the latter, then the man who gets the plaudits is Lee Small. “Kiss of evil” opens with a big, Thin Lizzy-esque guitar, then gets down and dirty, though I have to say I'm not that fond of the shouted vocal in the chorus. “Eye of the zombie” keeps up the pressure, with a great hook and again fine backing vocal, but by “Absolute power” it seems Moreton's voice is settling back into that gutteral growl he began the album with and the song is not helped by the rap elements --- yeah, that's what I said! --- in it. Don't like this one. Might be for fans of harder Metallica, possibly. “Whore of Babylon” is off and rocking again, with Moreton a little more restrained in his vocals this time, but he's definitely no replacement for Russ North. Nice picked guitar introduces “Golgotha”, with a really laid-back vocal, neither of which last as the song explodes into life, powering straight into speed metal territory before dropping right back to gentle guitar and low-key vocal, then heavy again to the conclusion. Interesting song, based not surprisingly given the title around the Crucifixion. A few religious themes throughout this album, now that I look at it. “King for a day” is very Metallica, a mid-paced cruncher with growly guitars and energetic drumming, and to be honest I have to say that I notice no discernible contribution by Hartley on the keys. Kind of makes you wonder why they bothered: doesn't seem to have made any real difference to the band's sound. More Lizzy-like guitar, then we're into the closer, “Angels in Hell”. And now I can hear the effect of the keyboards, though it's a little late. Extremely unsettling intro, with almost quiet death vocal growling as Moreton recites extracts from The Lord's Prayer, then the song kicks into a high-powered rocker to end the album on a powerful note. All in all though, I see “Eye of the sun” as a backward step for Cloven Hoof, retracing the kind of music they plied on their debut album, when they had managed to pin down a fairly perfect formula with the second and third album. It's a pity they couldn't have kept that lineup together: might have been more succesful, or at least more prolific. TRACKLISTING 1. Inquisitor 2. Eye of the sun 3. Cyberworld 4. Kiss of evil 5. Eye of the zombie 6. Absolute power 7. Whore of Babylon 8. Golgotha 9. King for a day 10. Angels in Hell Since that album was released, Cloven Hoof have reformed, so to speak, which is to say that the three who recorded “Dominator” and “A sultan's ransom” with Lee Payne have returned, and together they worked on a remixed collection of their best songs, with Mick Powell coming on as second guitarist. A new album was scheduled for 2010, but only developed into an EP, “Throne of damnation”, with some new songs alongside some already recorded. Frustratingly, the band remains fluid, with people leaving, joining, leaving, rejoining, and so on, so that there is not at the moment a stable lineup. Perhaps this is Cloven Hoof's, if you'll forgive the mixed metaphor, Achille's heel. If they could stay together long enough they could probably record a really good album, but each change of personnel seems to morph the sound into another shape and direction. Though still around today, the guys' latest release has been a remixed update of “Dominator”. Perhaps that in itself tells its own story. |
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Technically proficient guitar solos. Thoughtful, inspired lyrics. Intricate keyboard solos and quite stunning ballads. Just some of the many things that were never associated with Venom, who became the initial black sheep of the NWOBHM: heavier, louder and faster than any of the bands of the era, pushing the envelope so far they not only tore it open, but probably wiped their arses with it too, Venom were the epitome of all I hated about extreme metal. To my mind, they sounded like they couldn't play, their singer roared incomprehensibly, and their songs were a joke. And they worshipped the Devil. Really. Well, sort of. Formed in Newcastle in 1978, just as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal was rising up like some great tsunami of music and hope and noise and excitement, Venom went through their lineup changes as have most bands at the start. In fact, at the beginning, they weren't even called Venom, but Guillotine, with members from two other bands joining as others left, and in 1979 they took the name Venom, with a lineup finally stablised as a three-piece, as below: Conrad “Cronos” Lant --- Vocals and bass Jeffrey “Mantas” Dunn --- Guitar Anthony “Abaddon” Bray --- Drums This was the “classic” lineup which recorded Venom's debut album, the very appropriately-named --- in every sense --- “Welcome to Hell”. Venom would become famous (or infamous) for taking the “black road”, revelling in all things Satanic --- at least in public --- and writing about the Devil, Hell, damnation and sin. The Religious Right must have loved them! Not exactly musically proficient, they would become ostracised and reviled by the “real” metal bands, who considered them at best a parody and at worst an embarrassment to their music. Nevertheless, Venom would soon gain a large following, which would swell to a huge one, and would give birth to a musical sub-genre of metal. Welcome to Hell --- Venom --- 1981 (Neat) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...om_Welcome.jpg The opener, “Sons of Satan”, puts me in mind right away of fellow thrashers Motorhead: it's superfast, loud, powerful and the vocals are snarled, though in fairness I've been dreading listening to this band's music, and it's not as terrible as I feared it would be. Competent guitar solos from Dunn, drumming that sounds like Bray has about twenty sledgehammers for arms, and it's hard to really review any of the songs, as they all go sort of past in a neverending cacaphony of unremitting noise. Don't think we'll be getting any ballads out of this one! The title track is a little slower --- just a little, quite Iron Maiden in its execution --- the vocals a little more discernible, and you can see the effect this sort of band would have on the likes of Metallica, Anvil and Megadeth some years later. The track features a female vocal reciting part of The Lord's Prayer, no doubt a deliberate attempt to flip the bird to the Church. Things speed up again for “Schizo”, then there's a rare introspective guitar interlude of just under a minute, where Dunn shows that he can play guitar, before he's off and shredding again on “Poison”. I have to be fair here: the vocals, though growly and rough, are still a hell of a lot better than the deep-throated and often unintelligible death grunts/vocals espoused by later bands like Dimmu Borgir and In Flames, and for what they are, and what I expected, I'm surprised and impressed: I assumed this would be one long bout of discordant noise, and it's really not. It's loud, it's rough, it's heavy and it certainly has no frills, but it's still music. Not my kind of music, but I'd still now listen to a Venom album before one by, say, Opeth. Great solo on “Poison”, before we're into “Live like an angel”, which was in fact on their first demo, one of their earliest songs, and which features as the B-side of their first single. It's not bad, to be fair. It's fast, thrashy with yet another great guitar solo and powerful vocals. The rest of the album is pretty much the same: fast, loud, powerful. It's kind of hard to pick out anything that really stands apart from the general mishmash, though “Witching hour” has a fantastic guitar solo, and “In league with Satan” is a slow, heavy cruncher in the best mould of Black Sabbath, while “Red light fever” opens with, of all things, a violin! But it soon smashes into another hard fast rocker. There's kind of little to say about Venom's debut. It's loud, it's angry, it's fast and it's unapologetic heavy metal, not to be mistaken for any other sort of music. That's how they were, that's who they were, and man, were they proud of it! TRACKLISTING 1. Sons of Satan 2. Welcome to Hell 3. Schizo 4. Mayhem with mercy 5. Poison 6. Live like an angel 7. Witching hour 8. One thousand days in Sodom 9. Angel dust 10. In league with Satan 11. Red light fever Neither this, nor their followup album sold well, but nevertheless fans turned up at Venom gigs in their droves, discovering a new, harder and faster type of metal. Already becoming disillusioned with the shift of some of the newer bands in the NWOBHM towards more classic heavy rock --- and even, in some cases, verging on AOR --- diehard metalheads took Venom's loud, brash, almost earsplitting music to their hearts, and embraced the sound that would forever after become known as “black metal”, although it was truer to what would follow as thrash, speed or death metal. Either way, it was the loudest and fastest game in town, and there was a whole new breed of fans who wanted it, and wanted more. So when Venom released their second album in 1982, one year after their explosive debut hit the shops, it may not have shifted the units, but it pleased the burgeoning fanbase, and more importantly, laid down a marker for hundreds, perhaps thousands of bands to follow. It influenced a new generation of metal bands, and birthed the sub-genres named above. Venom's music would have most influence in Scandinavia, particularly Norway, which would become the focus and spiritual centre of the black, doom, death metal of the nineties, with bands like Darkthrone, Satyricon, Enslaved and Dimmu Borgir all coming up on the music of this Newcastle trio. Black metal --- Venom --- 1982 (Neat) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...blackmetal.jpg If “Welcome to Hell” was fast, it's nothing compared to “Black metal”: just breakneck all the way. Opener and title track is a juggernaut, setting the tone for the album, while “To Hell and back” is a bit more coherent, though still damn fast! It's only when “Buried alive” kicks in that you hear the real Sabbath influence in a total cruncher that would typify the forthcoming black metal sub-genre. Doomy, moody bass, vocals growled as if Lant (now officially credited as Cronos, with his cohorts named as Mantas and Abaddon) is in pain, dirty, moody guitar and stomping drums. Strangely enough, for a four minute song, it doesn't seem like it, and it quickly slips into “Raise the dead”, as Venom power out with more fast thrash metal, then whatever way Cronos sings, “Teacher's pet” comes across to me as “Jesus wept”, which he probably did. Venom do a tongue-in-cheek play on the old song “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” with their “Sacrifice”, blistering guitar carrying the song along on black wings, while to be honest, the next few tracks pass in a blur of shredding and growling: not that they're bad, just kind of unremarkable, and they all more or less blend together, a problem I'm seeing as having dogged at least early Venom. This finally comes to an end with the closer, which is actually a preview of a monster track that would characterise --- and title --- their third album, which I'm reliably informed saw Venom move into more progressive metal territory. We shall see, but the taster here is certainly interesting and whets the appetite for more. If they did evolve into a more prog-metal band, even for one album, it could only be a good thing for Venom because, although they were ultra-popular with the hardcore metal fans, no band can be expected to keep up that level of energy and power in their albums, and even if they did, at some point it's all going to get stale and repetitive. I already find it hard to remember much about either of these albums. Everything seems very much the same all the way through. TRACKLISTING 1. Black metal 2. To Hell and back 3. Buried alive 4. Raise the dead 5. Teacher's pet 6. Leave me in Hell 7. Sacrifice 8. Heaven's on fire 9. Countess Bathory 10. Don't burn the witch 11. At war with Satan (preview) Normally I wouldn't go for three albums in a row, from a band who have more than that (twelve at the moment, with another due this year), but due to the marked shift in musical direction brought about by their third album, I feel it's important to examine it. It's supposed to have, as I already mentioned, progressive leanings, and considering what I've heard so far, I'm curious as to how Venom accomplished that. At war with Satan --- Venom --- 1983 (Neat) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...rwithsatan.jpg Eager to prove themselves as proper musicians, and be taken seriously by their contemporaries, Venom produced an album which had one side devoted to one huge composition, the title track, consciously emulating Rush with their “2112” opus. They would only have one more album released before leaving Neat Records, and it would in fact be another three years after that album before they would again return to the studio. The title track, which opens the album, is less thrashy, as it were, than previous efforts, and shows the band indeed expanding their repertoire to include elements usually found within the more progressive of the heavy metal bands, like Iron Maiden, and later Kamelot, Dream Theater, Opeth and Shadow Gallery. It's still loud, and mostly fast, but “At war with Satan” goes through, over the course of its almost twenty minutes, some interesting changes. The choral vocals at about the thirteen-minute mark, and the gentle acoustic guitar for instance, very atypical of what people had come to expect from this band. The dark narration, with choral vocals and what sounds like (but isn't) deep keyboard in the background near the end, which is, I believe, the excerpt included on the previous album. All very new and a total change of direction for the godfathers of black metal. Rather oddly, it suddenly fades out, very unsatisfying after basically twenty minutes of waiting for a powerful end, for it to just drift away like that... It's perhaps telling that a band who began their career more or less swearing their allegiance to Lucifer had, by 1983, declared themselves His enemy, fighting against him, though of course that was probably just for the song. Nevertheless, there are after this no mentions of Satanic themes, Hell (except in the closer-but-one, and then only peripherally) or black magic, and it seems Venom are beginning to shed the image of “black music idiots” they had been carrying since their debut album. Wanting to be taken seriously, it seems they widened their lyrical and thematic base to include subjects perhaps closer to the average metaller's heart, like beer, women and motorcycles. The rest of the album returns to the basic style, and even in fairness “At war with Satan” is just a longer version of their usual fare, though it does attempt to break out of the rather restricted mould. You're not about to get any intricate keyboard solos or plucked classical guitar on this album, though! “Cry wolf” is a good rocker, as is “Stand up (and be counted)”, with its hilarious and yet ardent declaration ”We are the/ Black Metal Gods!/ V-E-N-O-****ing-M!” You've gotta laugh! But sadly, laughter is the only real reaction to this album, and to the whole band, so far, from me. Especially the last track, simply entitled “Aaaaarrgh!”, and which basically seems to be a mad jam with lots of drumming, screaming and --- somewhere in there --- sound like, a piano! Weird is not the word! I can see why Venom weren't taken seriously and were ridiculed by the other metal bands of the NWOBHM. I mean, compare them to any of those I've previously featured, or to the godly Iron Maiden or Saxon: there's just no contest. Venom are --- or were, we'll see if they changed shortly --- playing at metal, while the others were doing it seriously for a living. Still, they certainly made money out of it, and gained the respect, reverence and awe of a whole new upcoming slew of bands from the USA to coldest Norway. TRACKLISTING 1. At war with Satan 2. Rip ride 3. Genocide 4. Cry wolf 5. Stand up (and be counted) 6. Women, leather and Hell 7. Aaaaarrgh! The ride, of course, couldn't last, and after 1984's “Possessed” failed to impress, Dunn left the band, and after 1987's “Calm before the storm”, the rest of the band departed, leaving only Bray to continue on. Rather like Cloven Hoof, reviewed prior, Bray then set about putting a “new” Venom together, and they released three more records. Finally, in 1995, eleven years after the first of the original band had left and eight since the others legged it to leave Bray sailing the ship alone, Venom got back together and released an album in 1997, whose themes returned to the dark ones of the first two albums but also mixed in the mythological ideas that had powered the unsuccessful “Calm before the storm”. This, then, is the final example of Venom's work we're going to look at. Cast in stone --- Venom --- 1997 (SPV/Steamhammer) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...t_in_stone.jpg So, the guys are back together. Is there any improvement in the sound? Well, yes and no. Cronos seems to have managed to learn how to sing a little more clearly, though only a little. Mantas is as always pretty nifty on the guitar, and Abaddon is, well, Abaddon. This could be the shortest review ever. “The Evil One” gets Venom right back to basics, with a return to the Satanic imagery they relied on for their first two albums, if a little slower than usual, but losing none of the heaviness. The reduction in speed is soon erased though when “Raised in Hell” shoots at you like a missile, almost the speed of thought. Well, at least the boys sound like they're having fun! Which, I have to say, is more than I am... “All Devil's Eve” and “Bleeding” are the usual Venom fare, while the longest track, almost seven minutes of mayhem in “Destroyed and damned” opens with an unusally melodic guitar from Mantas, recalling a little of the progressive leanings of “At war with Satan”, and bringing to mind the best of Iron Maiden: even Cronos sings a little more softly. Could this be a Venom ballad? Such a thing even possible? Nice peals of thunder against the background of the restrained guitar, then the power chords explode, and the song is, well, not a ballad. More a metal cruncher, something close to Metallica's “Enter Sandman” really. Well, I'll give them this much: it's about the best-constructed and played song I've heard from Venom so far. Mind you, that's not saying a lot for the rest of their material. Let's be honest, “Cast in stone” does showcase Cronos' newfound ability to sing: I mean, I can actually understand most of what he's shouting about this time round! “Flight of the Hydra” brings in the influence of myth and legend on the lyrics explored by Venom in “Calm before the storm”, one of their least successful albums: their fans wanted songs about devils and blood, not fairies and giants! But it's a nice change of pace, in a way, although the music is never less than crushingly loud and breakneck fast. “God's forsaken” though takes us back to Satanic territory lyrically, with the music a little less frenetic and a really nice, technically flawless guitar solo from Mantas. There's another one in “Infectious”, and the guy really seems to be learning his craft well. Nice bass intro to “Kings of evil”, but other than that it's a fairly standard Venom song, as is the cheerful “You're all gonna die”, then it's nearly over as we head into “Judgement Day”, a slower, heavy cruncher about --- anyone? --- with a very competent and dramatic guitar solo, and the album closes with “Swarm”, a fast rocker which is actually a little bit melodic. Slipping there, boys? Well, as far as I can see, the Venom lads should have stayed together, as the “classic” lineup seems to be a lot better than the “alternative” Venom that Bray put together in their absence. In the end though, it's kind of a moot point, as to me it's basically all noise. No, that's not fair: it's not as bad as I thought it was going to be, and there are some genuinely good moments throughout their catalogue, insofar as I've managed to listen to it, but in general this is not a band whose music I would listen to, given a choice. TRACKLISTING 1. The Evil One 2. Raised in Hell 3. All Devil's Eve 4. Bleeding 5. Destroyed and damned 6. Domus mundi 7. Flight of the Hydra 8. God's forsaken 9. Mortals 10. Infectious 11. Kings of evil 12. You're all gonna die 13. Judgement Day 14. Swarm Of course, this isn't an article about who I personally do or don't like in the pantheon of NWOBHM bands. The fact remains that Venom opened up the world of heavy metal to a whole new generation, created a new sound, invented or coined a new sub-genre of metal and have forever taken their place in the lore of the NWOBHM, a place which can never be assailed or questioned, no matter your opinion of them as a band, as people or of their music. In the end, the best --- and probably most fitting --- tribute that can be paid to Venom is that they were, are, and always will be, Venom. You know: V-E-N-O-****ing-M! So that concludes the second part of our look at the bands who were pivotal in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. It will be a while before the next part, as I have a lot of other articles to attend to, but next time I'll be looking at Wolf, Tank and the mighty Saxon. Till then, keep rockin'! (And no sneaky worshipping the Devil, all right?) |
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Real blast from the past for you today, here's Falco, with “Rock me Amadeus”. |
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What a busy guy Steven Wilson is, eh? In addition to helming Pocrupine Tree, collaborating with Aviv Geffen in Blackfield, not to mention No-Man and Storm Corrosion, he's remixed the entire King Crimson catalogue for release, and also somehow found time to record and unleash upon us his second solo album, “Grace for drowning”. And even then, it's a double album, clocking in at a total of 83 minutes for the standard version, or over 125 minutes if you shell out for the deluxe, 3-CD unreleased material set. Any way you look at it, that's a hell of a lot of work! When does this guy sleep? Grace for drowning --- Steven Wilson --- 2011 (Kscope) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...r_Drowning.jpg The standard album is a two-disc set, featuring seven tracks on disc one and five on disc two, with one of the latter being a 23-minute composition. It opens with the title track, lovely lazy piano and a sound that reminds me of the summer days of my youth, great vocals and backing vocals adding to the seventies feel on this short track. It's almost ethereal, so soft and lulling that when it's very quickly over, you wonder did you hear it at all? Then we're into “Sectarian”, a much longer track at just over seven minutes, just as restrained though with easy keys and guitar, soft percussion which after a minute ramps up to allow the song expand and stretch itself, becoming more a prog-rock sound with warbly keyboard runs, dramatic filmscore-type music and somewhat discordant sax and horns, with choral vocals. Halfway though it all slows down for some nice piano and guitar, then deep horns and heavy percussion signal yet another change, and the song is only four minutes old. Speaking of time, we're now nine minutes into the album as a whole, and other than the choral vocals and the kind of Beach Boys-esque humming on the title track, we've yet to hear any vocals. Very jazzy piano improvisations coming up next, as the song settles down a little, and it ends as it began, quietly and softly, but still no-one has sung a word. “Deform to form a star” is a completely apt PT-style title, and like the previous track it starts out almost inaudibly until Wilson's beautiful piano line introduces the song proper, and finally we have singing! Wilson is now such a respected --- almost revered --- figure in the rock world, especially the progressive rock sphere --- that being asked to perform on one of his albums must seem more like an honour than a favour, so both Tony Levin and the great Steve Hackett must have considered themselves blessed indeed to be allowed to participate. Wilson also uses many musicians well-known from the world of jazz, like Ben Castle, son of the late Roy, and Theo Travis, while he also enlists the help of King Crimson's Trey Gunn and Dream Theater's Jordan Rudess. As the first vocal song, “Deform to form a star” is a lovely little ballad, with gorgeous guitar work and sublime piano, and Wilson's voice lending the whole thing a real air of majesty and power. “No part of me” starts off with tinkling keys reminscent of the work of Vangelis, joined by more solid piano while guitar moans in the background, then Wilson's voice comes in again, perfectly complementing the music, riding along it like a sufer riding a wave, certain in his confidence that it will bear him up and carry him where he wishes to go. String section swells behind him, the London Session Orchestra adding to his musical safety net as he travels on, a soul in flight. Guitars then get a bit sharper, a bit more insistent as the wave begins to break and Wilson heads towards shore, the roar of surf in his ears as the music bears him up. He no longer needs to sing: now he is a part of the music, playing it, involved in it, lost in it as the wave starts to dissolve and he falls forward into the raging sea, but still he knows he's safe, and continues on till he finally finds himself deposited gently on the shore by soft synth, and “Postcard” helps him to his feet. Another great little ballad, carried on guitar and piano, with delightful violin and cello joined by the rest of the orchestra, it's an aching, tender song with great yearning and desperation in the music. It's also the first single to be released from the album. There's a beautiful backing here from a choir, apparently called “Synergy Vocals”, and they do a fantastic job of punching you right in the heart, just at the right moment. Then it all drops away to piano and a single, lonely voice and in a moment it's over, leaving you with an sense of loss and wanting more. “Raider II”, which is on the second disc, is that 23-minute composition I spoke of in the introduction, and here we have a two-minute prelude, after which the curiously-titled “Remainder the black dog” closes the first disc. A nine-minute monster, this track opens with Genesisesque piano circa “The lamb”, which is quickly joined by Wilson's vocoder-enhanced vocal, then a little later the guitars break in, courtesy of ex-Genesis man Steve Hackett, and another jazz/fusion jam results as the horns and the piano go to work, keyboards and guitar fighting it out as the song runs on. Like a lot of Wilson's work on this album there's not that much in the way of vocals, the voice being more just an onlooker or sometimes a conductor to marshall the various and varied instruments at his disposal, and ensure they're all in a harmony of direction. And so closes disc one, and we open the second disc with “Belle de jour”, very like the love theme from a movie, with all instruments played by Wilson, his only other accompaniment the London Session Orchestra again. It's a bittersweet little melody, with not surprisingly a very French feel, the autoharp in particular adding an almost spiritual aura to the song. It's a short song, just shy of three minutes, with guitar and piano both vying for top billing, then we're into “Index”, which starts off with an ominous, dramatic line on guitar and drum machines keeping almost a rolling beat as Wilson sings like a somewhat unhinged enthusiast, reminding me of Marillion's “A collection”: ”I'm a collector and I've always been misunderstood/ I love the things others seem to overlook.” Chilling, and the somewhat dissonant music adds to this sense of unease. Probably the most disturbing song of “collectors” I've heard since Arena's “The butterfly man”. “Track one” --- odd, coming as it does three tracks into disc two and so essentially being the tenth track on the album --- is a pastoral ballad in the style of the Moody Blues or even the Beatles --- oh, wait, no it's not! Just became hard-edged guitar, spooky synth and powerful dramatic drums. Then that fades away almost to silence, before being replaced by acoustic and electric guitar to its fade. One thing you can be sure of with a Steven Wilson track, is that you can't ever be sure of anything. It may start one way, but turn suddenly and veer off on a totally different track, and if you consider yourself a hunter of song styles, it'll lead you a merry dance before --- if ever --- you catch it. And so to “Raider II”, twenty-three minutes and more than half of disc two. Opening on bassy piano with cello and violin, the vocal comes up almost as an afterthought, like someone slowly climbing out of a pit, then suddenly the music bursts out like a prog-rock prelude, something out of the back catalogue of Yes or King Crimson, and Wilson's vocal is clearer, stronger and more persistent, taking the lion's share of your attention. Flute and clarinet from Theo Travis adds a folky/jazz feel to the song, then fades out as the piano and guitar take the track in a new direction. Again. Nice piano solo from Dream Theater's Jordan Rudess, while the enigmatically-named Sand Snowman keeps a great line in acoustic guitar. Things evolve then into something of another jazz jam, with clarinet, sax, piano and flute all having their say, till it all calms down around the twelve-minute mark (still only halfway through!) and there's a period of slow, low, relaxed instrumental that takes us towards the next peak, choral voices and humming synth driving us slowly, like sheep on the way home, to our destination as the piano chimes out in the background, lonely flute and harmonium beckoning us on. Surprisingly, it's vocals that greet us at the sixteen-minute mark, not heard for so long now that it's easy to have slipped into the belief that this was an instrumental, but Wilson reminds us this is not so. It's only a brief few words, but it's enough to remind us that Steven Wilson the singer is still around, watching Steven Wilson the multi-instrumentalist and waiting for his chance to get back in on the action. Things power up and get all dramatic again at the nineteen-minute point, and it seems like this is all building to something, as the piece is now coming towards its eventual conclusion. But in fact it all builds to a crescendo and then slowly, very slowly, with feedback guitar leading the way, fades away, leaving a single bass to mark the time left, joined then by a classical guitar, some violin and some low, slow percussion to finish off this monster masterpiece. And he's not finished yet! You would think after an opus like that Wilson would have left it and called it a day, but there's another eight-minute song to come. “Like dust I have cleared from my eye” is a guitar-led ballad, Wilson's vocals the strongest and clearest they've been since disc one's “Deform to form a star”, and a joy to hear. Gorgeous guitar workout and a return to the seventies style of the opener, which seems an age ago now (it is: the album has now been running for almost an hour and a half!), simple but very effective melodies directed by the master and becoming much more than the sum of their parts. The closing three minutes of the track is soft, ambient keyboard and programmed sounds, leading us full circle to how it began, and ending an album that certainly lives up to its promise. There's no doubt there's a huge amount to work through here, a lot to get your musical head around. If you're not familiar with the work of Porcupine Tree (and I'm not that well-versed in their music), and further, you know little of Steven Wilson's styles, this is going to be a hard one to pin down, there are so many different influences and sounds on it: rock, pop, jazz, blues, ambient, electronic, acoustic, film music … it really needs to be listened to with all your attention in order to be able to appreciate it. I suppose I should have waited to hear it a few more times before giving my verdict, but time is not on my side, so I've had to judge this album before I've had a chance to really sink down into it and properly experience it. But it's a big high-five from me. “Grace for drowning” may only be Steven Wilson's second solo album, but it's clear he has honed his craft through years of playing with Porcupine Tree, as well as Blackfield, No-Man and his many other projects, to a point where he knows exactly what sort of sound he wants, and how to get it. He knows who to call in for help, and he knows also when to just let his own creative juices and immense musical talent take the floor on its own. “Grace for drowning” is a personal triumph for Steven Wilson, and we can only sit and wonder what the guy is going to come up with next? TRACKLISTING Disc one: Deform to form a star 1. Grace for drowning 2. Sectarian 3. Deform to form a star 4. No part of me 5. Postcard 6. Raider prelude 7. Remainder the black dog Disc two: Like dust I have cleared from my eye 8. Belle de jour 9. Index 10. Track one 11. Raider II 12. Like dust I have cleared from my eye |
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Can't you just picture it? A boozy, down-at-heel but likeable curmudgeon runs fingers far too elegant and gentle for his hunched-over frame across the keys while a femme fatale stands behind the piano, wreathed in a pall of thick smoke that curls from her loosely-held cigarette holder, the faint aroma of her cheap perfume belying her (no doubt soon to be hocked for another bottle of whiskey) faux fur coat draped with careful abandon across her shoulders. The pianist, enraptured by the lovely woman at his side, tries to chat her up while she, at once haughtily rebuking his advances while inwardly succumbing to his charm, laughs at his pathetic attempt at seduction, her voice icy and sharp as glass, but with just a hint of thawing towards the strange little man on the piano. And so you have set the mental scene for a song which, though never released as a single, yet ranks as one of the best-matched duets in music history. Perfectly complementing each other's styles, the woman is Bette Midler, singer and actress, while the man who tries to woo her from the piano keyboard through the bottom of a shotglass is none other than Tom Waits. Tom Waits and Bette Midler --- I never talk to strangers http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._Tom_Waits.jpg Taken from the album “Foreign affairs”, one of Waits' least famous and criminally less regarded, “I never talk to strangers” is the story described above, where Waits and Midler meet in some seedy downtown bar, she wanders over to where he is tinkling the ivories and he tries an old line on her, which she rebuffs coldly as he plays the piano. He points out that he ”Ain't a bad guy/Once you get to know me”, and she asks him ”Who asked you to annoy me/ With your sad, sad repartee?” By the end of the song of course, they've come to know each other better through their exchanged barbed banter, and decide to go off together. Waits is as ever perfection as the barfly playing the piano for the price of a Johnny Walker and a pack of Marlboros, while Midler is at her most acid and uppity, her voice a perfect foil for Waits' gruff, booze-wrecked singing. It really is a joy to listen to, almost out of another time --- you almost expect Humphrey Bogart to wander in and say “You played it for her, so you can play it for me. Play it Sam,” and Waits to turn a withering eye on him and slur “My name's not Sam, buddy!” A great example of two icons getting together to play a very low-key, laidback and quite sad in its way song, a tale of broken lovers and two people who are looking for someone to assuage the pain of their lives, if only for a short time. Any port in a storm, as they say. Waits seldom duets, but when he does he chooses only those who will work best with him, people he admires and who get his music, and who can provide him the sounding-board he needs to bring the best of out both performers. On this song, Midler does just that, and it's to the credit of both that the song turns out as it does. Should have been a classic. |
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Ha-har! Time to climb on board, splice the --- yes, okay, point taken. Enough with the annoying pirate and/or maritime references. But it has been a while since we last searched out some of the unsigned and largely unknown talent out there, so once again we're featuring three acts who you more than likely have never heard of, but whose music is good enough for me to think that perhaps you may want to hear it, and even maybe seek out more on the artistes involved. As ever, our repository of talent comes from SoundClick - Free MP3 music download and much, much more., and these are just the best of what I have heard to date, still going alphabetically. Yeah, I know. We're still on A. What can you do? There's that much undiscovered talent out there. And this is all just from one website: the Great Pixie only knows how much more I'll find when I eventually finish up on Soundclick! A Minor Project No picture at all of this band, but they say on the site that they're a cover band, although they forget to say what that band's name is. This is, as the title suggests, a small side project that the two guitarists are engaging in, but for a sideline it's pretty damn good. It's only a pity they didn't clarify what the name of their actual band is, because if their other stuff is as good as this, they seem to have quite a good future ahead of them. SoundClick artist: A Minor Project - A minor rock pop project jut for fun :) Genre Rock/AOR Nationality Swedish Gold Driving, Umbrella A Monster Named Hugo They go one better (or worse): no picture and not a scrap of information about themselves. Way to get signed, guys! In style, it's a little hard to pin them down, but I see them as a sort of cross between the Travelling Wilburys and Fleetwood Mac, with a nice poppy sound. They do however obviously have a penchant for long song titles... SoundClick artist: a Monster Named Hugo - page with MP3 music downloads Genre Soft rock/pop Nationality American (Illinois) Gold You knew it all along, I'll understand if you say to go, Let's keep this journal always, I'll take my curses this time Silver I promised I could survive all alone (See what I mean?) http://nyc2img.soundclick.com/05/ima....jpg?version=0 Angeles Negros (AN) Hooray! Finally, someone with a picture! Look, don't be fooled: the last two bands are outstanding, it's just a pity I couldn't carry their image here too, but they didn't provide one. But that doesn't in any way take from their music. AN (Angeles Negros) are a band from Spain who suffer (or benefit) from the unlikely coincidence of all having the same surname. Unlikely, you say? Surely not. Maybe they're all related? Yeah, to Dracula perhaps: their surname is Nosferatu! So you have Yahve Nosferatu, Shiva Nosferatu, Cristo Nosferatu, Venus Nosferatu and Hades Nosferatu. Noticing a pattern? Yeah, they're obviously stage names, all chosen to jar with the surname. Given that the rough translation of their name is “black angels”, you should have a fair idea of what to expect. But what of the band themselves? Great stage names are all well and good, but let's not forget Venom: doesn't necessarily guarantee the music is going to live up to the promise of the names. Oh yeah, be warned: they sing in their native Spanish. SoundClick artist: A N (Angeles Negros) - A N es una banda de metal alternativo compuesta por Yahve Nosferatu, Shiva Nosferatu, Venus Nosferat Genre Metal, possibly black, could even be progressive. There's a lot going on in there... Nationality Spanish Gold Caro o cruz, Principe negro, Fuego frio Silver Musicalmente 0 So that's it for the last Treasure Chest before Christmas. We'll be back in the New Year to ferret out more unknown bands and artistes who don't deserve to be, and let you have a chance to hear them. Until then, take care and remember, undiscovered gems are out there all over the net, just waiting to be discovered. As ever, if you're an artist on Soundclick, or even not, but want to get your music over to more listeners, get in touch with me and we can arrange a feature here for you. You never know where it may lead! Now, would someone please tell these seagulls there is no food onboard this ship? :) |
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The worm has another good one for you today. From Tom Robinson, this is “War baby”. |
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The worm thought it was time to slow it down for a little while, so for the next few days he's featuring some nice ballads. Here's one from REM, this is “Everybody hurts”. No, not very Christmassy, the worm agrees. Or … is it? |
Repression --- Trust --- 1980 (CBS)
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...0gyl6E-Ynw-khg Ah yes, Trust. My first (and I guess only) flirtation with French heavy metal. What an album! I didn't expect too much really, but I was surprised by how tight some of the songs are on this, how fluid the playing and how well the vocals sound. Admittedly, this was originally released in French only, presumably for the local market, but looking to score further afield the label asked Jimmy Pursey of Sham 69 to reinterpret the lyrics and so an English version was released. This was, you'll be unsurprised to learn, the version I heard. Although my only experience of Trust has ever been this album and one track on a compilation (“Killer watts”, if memory serves), called “L'elite” --- not too hard to work out the translation to that one! --- they had, over the course of their almost thirty-five year career, fifteen albums released. Admittedly, two of these were the same, the abovementioned “Repression”, first in their native French and then in English, and also admittedly they broke up in 1984 then reformed in 1988, possibly on the back of renewed popularity when “Antisocial” (from this album) was covered by Anthrax, but it's still an impressive list. I don't know how successful they ever were, and most of their post-breakup material seems to have been released only for the French market (but may have sold outside that of course), but if they have two claims to fame, they would be the above cover of their song and also that Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain was in their ranks. Trust's songs apparently reflected a deep-seated interest in politics, and tended to be very anti-establishment, almost as if they were more a punk than a rock band, but as most of their albums were in French and mine is certainly not up to scratch, I couldn't tell you much more about their lyrical themes. Certainly, some of the songs on this album do show that sort of leaning, as we will see. It opens with that covered song, with a deceptively gentle guitar which suddenly gets all Iron Maiden, and the song takes off. Vocalist Bernard “Bernie” Bonvoisin has a great ragged voice, and he does a great job on this, not screaming or roaring, really showing many metal singers how it's done. Norbert “Nono” Krief on guitar trades licks with second guitarist Yves “Vivi” Brusco, but it's the former who rips off a dazzling solo, and the political lyric can be heard as Bernie sings ”Your claim to fame is law and order :/ The rich get rich and the poor get poor./ You put a price-tag on what you see :/ This one's for you and that's for me.” Very punk its its lyrical elements if not in its delivery, it's a great opener and you can see why Anthrax thought it would be a good song to cover, as it's pretty universal. It has great power, a simple message and obviously goes down (or went down) well onstage, with the shouted chorus --- to, no doubt, much fist-clenching --- ”An-ti-so-cial! An-ti-so-cial!” “Mr. Comedy” keeps the rockin', with more undiscovered gems in Krief's guitar solos, then “In the name of the race” starts off a slow cruncher, with more heavily political lyrics courtesy of Bonvoisin: ”I'm the zombie of yesterday's children/ Born and bred in total confusion/ In the name of the race I pass/ I'll go forward but remember the past/ I'll never be your plastic image/ For you to rape and then to pillage.” Powerful, angry stuff. With about a minute to go Krief's winds up his guitar and just lets fly as the song kicks up about four gears. “Death instinct” concentrates on the one-time Public Enemy Number One in France, Jacques Mesrine, and deplores the treatment of prisoners as an example that France is turning into a police state, with a stark closing line: ”Order reigns, death and silence.” One of the standouts on the album is up next, in “Walk alone”, a great rocker with some excellent solos and a real sort of boogie beat behind it. Bonvoisin growls ”Walk, walk in front of me/ But my eyes are never dulled with fear/ Walk, walk in front of me/ But my eyes will never shed a tear.” Some really special guitar work from Krief in this, then it's followed by the actual standout, the tremendous, ponderous, tragic and angry “Paris is still burning”. Bass guitar really plays a central role in this song, and there seems to be some confusion as to who plays that, but I'm going to take a chance and say Brusco. There's a great flurry of guitar solo from Krief, then the song settles into an almost blues vibe as Bonvoisin snarls ”Paris is still burning/ With the flames of wasted youth/ But in the fields of Flanders/ The poppies cry the truth.” It's a moody, dark and disturbing song, a real triumph for Trust, and really gets across the anger and frustration of lives wasted through senseless wars. Bonvoisin's views on nuclear power are also made clear when he snaps ”The flames get bigger by the hour/ But we stand still/ We've got tomorrow's gift of genius/ Atomic power!” Beautiful blues guitar licks just add to the class of this song, which should have been a proper classic. “Pick me up, put me down” and “Get out your claws” are straight-forward rockers, though I could swear I hear piano in the former, even if it's not credited. “Pick me up” even features sax, though again there's no information as to who's playing it, but it adds a real sense of heart and fun to the song, even if the lyric is angry and full of resentment: ”They judge you, accuse you, sentence you to life/ Your only sun, a commercial bomb/ The modern-age push-button control/ Just a robot with no fixed emotions.” Following this, “Get out your claws” is a kind of strutting rocker, much more guitar-driven with a real call to action: ”A man condemned will never understand/ The veins of plastic propaganda/ So he pays them back with diction/ That the media look at with wounded eyes./ But you're the man who'll pay his way/ Then be told you're off to war/ To die as a sacrifice to no one.” There's little doubt the original lyrics suffered in the translation to English, as there are some ideas here that just don't make sense (“pays them back with diction”?) but even were I to listen to the original I wouldn't understand it as I don't speak French, so we'll have to work with the lyrics we have. The anger evident on this song makes me think of the likes of Fish expounding against the futility of war in “Forgotten sons”, or maybe some of the more socially-minded rappers: definitely a man with a social conscience who uses his music to channel it. “Sects” attacks, not surprisingly, religious offshoots and particularly Jim Jones, who caused so many people to follow him to their deaths. It's a fast, angry rocker with lots of guitar and a real punch in the song. When Bonvoisin screams ”Murder! Murder! Murder!/ The zero hero!” and Krief racks off a superb solo, you really feel the song getting to you, then at the end Bernie snaps ”I die, you die, don't ask why!” as the song crashes to an end. The closer, the only song not translated, begins with a spoken vocal by Bonvoisin, joined by bass guitar as “Le mitard” gets under way. I've looked for translations for this, and been told it's both “the hole” and “the longest yard”, but at any rate it appears to go back to Jacques Mesrine, but of course being in French I can't tell you what slant it takes on the criminal. It's a good mid-paced rocker though, and closes the album in atmospheric style, Bonvoisin's anger and vitriol somehow more effective in his native language. As I say, when I heard this I was really impressed, considering I had never heard of the band before. Listening back to it now, thirty years later, I'm wowed all over again. It's a hard album to get your hands on (believe me, I tried, and ended up having to use YouTube clips to review it: thanks by the way to the guy who had the foresight to upload the English version. You can get the French recording, but the English one seems to be like gold dust), but if you take the time to seek it out --- or just watch it on YouTube, I believe you'll be similarly impressed. One thing is for sure, as representatives for a long time of heavy metal in France, Trust did their country proud. TRACKLISTING 1. Antisocial 2. Mr. Comedy 3. In the name of the race 4. Death instinct 5. Walk alone 6. Paris is still burning 7. Pick me up, put me down 8. Get out your claws 9. Sects 10. Le mitard |
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Time to let those ladies do what they do best again. Here's some songs from sterling female artistes. Starting off with a classic from Kim Wilde, this is “Kids in America”. Who wouldn't want Avril Lavigne as their girlfriend? How about some Florence and the Machine? We'll have a review of her new album soon, but for now here's Katherine Jenkins with the lovely “Abigail's song”. And one of my favourite female singers to close, this is Lana Lane, from her album “Love is an illusion”, with “Through the rain”. |
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Hey, the worm promised you ballads --- at least, for a few days --- and ballads ye shall have! Try this one, from Dire Straits, the powerful and moody “Private investigations.” |
Sign o' the times --- Prince --- 1987 (Paisley Park)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...-times_250.jpg The album on which Prince came of age, and also the last really major success in terms of commerciality. Prince's “golden age” kind of kicked off with “1999” (actually released in 1982), through the phenomenal “Purple rain”, which brought him his greatest and most wide-ranging acclaim and made him a household name, on into “Around the world in a day”, which though not as successful as “Purple rain” did boast one of his biggest ever hits, “Raspberry beret”, skipping largely over 1986's largely-ignored “Parade” and on to this one. His next, “Lovesexy”, was something of a bomb, and although he has recorded a total of nineteen albums since this, and they've all sold well, his mass appeal has more or less drained away. People still recognise and acknowledge him as one of the most talented and controversial musicans of the last century, but ask the ordinary guy or girl in the street who isn't a fan to name one of his albums and the chances are they'll list some or all of the above. For many people, there were no more Prince albums after “Lovesexy”. But this is classic Prince. His second since dispensing with his backing band, the Revolution, it's entirely a solo project and it's a double album stuffed full of treasures. It opens with the title track, a sparse, funky track with drum machines and seedy bass, Prince almost rapping the lyric which depicts the wrongs in the world, and how bad things have got. Bon Jovi would tackle the same theme in their 1995 album “These days”. It's a sobering, stark song but with a funky beat behind it which almost disguises the desperation and frustration in Prince's voice as he snarls ”Sister killed her baby/ Cos she couldn't afford to feed it/ And we're sendin' people to the moon.” “Play in the sunshine” is a much more upbeat, happy number, almost in defiant opposition to the opener, another of those “party like it's 1999” songs, with some crazy keyboard work and some good backing vocals. For a double album, this is perhaps a little short, at only sixteen tracks total, and none of them bar one particularly long, but then, there's a real surfeit of quality here: just about every track is good, and many are great. What would you rather? Sixteen tracks, all good, or twenty-four with half of those sub-par? “Housequake”, another party song, opens with the interesting line ”Shut up, already! Damn!” Its melody is a little redolent of the Art of Noise, with lots of short, stabbing synth chords, and a Janet Jackson-style rhythm, while “The ballad of Dorothy Parker” uses some deliberately warped guitar alongside some mid-tempo rolling drums, the skewed instrumentation a little hard on the ear sometimes: always had me checking the file wasn't corrupt --- or when I had the cassette originally, checking for dropouts on the tape (see “Trollheart's Handy Guide to Twentieth Century Technology”, page 9 of this journal). Everything racks back up then for “It”, with big hollow drum sounds, and a low synth which then becomes a bright one, the tempo a little boppier but still fairly low-key, with more of those AofN stabbing synths. No prizes for guessing what “it” is, as Prince sings ”I wanna do it baby/ All the time!” At a wild guess, I wouldn't say he's talking about creosoting the fence! My only criticism about “It” is that it's a little too long and seems overstretched. The last two minutes of the five it runs for are essentially an extended mix, with instrumental noodling and messing about, and although it's a good song, it doesn't need this extra tacked on at the end. “Starfish and coffee”, on the other hand, is perfectly timed at two minutes fifty seconds. From the opening alarm clock sound to the cheerful whistle at the end, there's not a moment of the melody wasted, and it's close to perfect. Definitely one of the standouts on an album of standouts. The simple piano with the soul backing vocals and magical guitar runs just make this song something special. Prince kind of revisits the lyric and some of the melody from the title track for this, and it works beautifully: subtle but recognisable. Class. Then we get it. The first real sexy smoocher that Prince is so adept at writing and performing. “Slow love” is a real motown-style swinging ballad, with nice brass touches, the kind of song you could hear George Benson or Smokey Robinson singing. And yet it's quintessentially Prince at his unfettered passionate best. “Hot thing” gets right back to the funk, with an element of Depeche Mode in the synth lines, and some really supercool funky jazz sax, then the first disc closes on the gospel/soul “Forever in my life”, fairly stripped-down with just drums and guitar keeping the melody while Prince, it seems, multi-tracks his vocals to add backing. One of the big hits from the album kicks off the second disc, featuring the luscious Sheena Easton. “U got the look” continues Prince's penchant for shortening words to one or two letters (I'm pretty sure he started this craze, way before text pushed it to whole new levels), and it's of course very well known, a dancy funkster just smouldering with passion and sex. In the same way Michael Hutchence was instrumental in bringing the sex kitten out of the girl next door with Kylie, we must be eternally thankful to Prince for his efforts in “corrupting” Sheena, to the delight of all us guys! Great screeching guitar on this track, and there's little I can say about it that hasn't already been said. “If I was your girlfriend” opens with church organ and preacher, then slips into a slow, Cameo-influenced barebones song with interesting lyric: "Would you let me dress you/ Help you pick out your clothes/ Before we go out?” Again, Bon Jovi (who must listen to a lot of Prince) explored this theme in a slightly different way on 1992's “Keep the faith”, when they penned “If I was your mother” (prompting me grin, you'd be the ugliest mother in creation!). Prince's vocals seem strangely fast at some points, almost cartoon-like. Apparently this was an error, but Prince liked it so much he kept it as it was. There are a lot of handclap drums in the song, bass and really other than that and the warbling keyboards that's all the instrumentation I can hear. Minimalist? Yeah. “Strange relationship” is another Janet Jackson-alike, while another well-known song and another standout, “I could never take the place of your man” is the kind of song the Bangles could have sung, with a little lyrical alteration. Very poppy, with a nice rumbling guitar there in the background. Again it's quite famous so I won't go into it any further, but it's followed by “The cross”, which opens on a piano line so quiet you don't really hear it until about forty seconds in. It seems to be a song glorifying God, with some nice eastern-style sounds like a guitar made to sound like a sitar, and the song builds from its almost silent and sparse beginnings to a pretty heavy rocker, easily the heaviest track on the album and the first to step away from the dance/funk vibe. Prince really stretches his vocal here, touching the levels he reached in “Purple rain”, especially on the title track. The longest track on the album by a country mile, the nine-minute “It's gonna be a beautiful night” goes right back to funk and disco, with powerful horns reminiscent of Kid Creole and the Coconuts, funky guitar and sax, and either recorded in a live performance or made to sound like one. Prince reverts to his falsetto for this, sounding more like one of the Bee Gees, and it's essentially something of a jam, great fun but again it does feel like it's been dragged out about three minutes longer than it should have been. Of course, if it is actually live then I can forgive that, as I know songs that are normally three or four minutes can be stretched to at least twice that length by some artistes on stage. The closer, “Adore”, finishes in fine style with a smoochy soul ballad reeking of the seventies. Prince racks up the falsetto to ten, and it's a powerful and emotional closer to what is, as I said at the introduction, really an album with few if any flaws. Representing the pinnacle of Prince's creative period, “Sign o' the times” has been cited as his best album, also his most innovative, given that he plays, arranges and composes just about everything on the album himself, and maintained a tighter grip on the production than a bank manager on his bonus. In 1993, six years after the release of this album, Prince would become “The Artist formerly known as Prince” for another seven years, before reverting to his own name. Prince would also spearhead the idea of free music, by allowing his last album, “20Ten”, to be given away free with various newspapers in the UK and Europe, and he has consistently refused to allow iTunes or any other digital service stock his music for download. Try it: you can't find it. Still as popular as ever, Prince is nevertheless more a controversial figure than a hitmaker these days, and although his glory days are far from over, the mass market appeal of his music did seem to end with the release of “Sign o' the times”. If that's true, then it was one hell of a high to go out on. TRACKLISTING Disc one 1. Sign o' the times 2. Play in the sunshine 3. Housequake 4. The ballad of Dorothy Parker 5. It 6. Starfish and coffee 7. Slow love 8. Hot thing 9. Forever in my life Disc two 10. U got the look 11. If I was your girlfriend 12. Strange relationship 13. I could never take the place of your man 14. The cross 15. It's gonna be a beautiful night 16. Adore Suggested further listening: “1999”, “Purple rain”, “Around the world in a day” |
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While I'm no fan of opera, I do enjoy a good rock opera. The problem as I see it with standard opera is that it's almost always written in another language, and as I'm not bilingual I find it impossible to follow the storyline of any of them. I will listen to non-English songs: I have done and have been very impressed by much of what I've heard, but generally speaking that's a song at a time, not any sort of concept or plot that continues from track to track and has to be followed. Also, I don't like the soaring female soprano voice much. But rock operas, or even metal operas? Oh man, I'm there! The likes of Jim Steinman or Jeff Wayne can bring me all out in goosebumps, and I've already reviewed two more-or-less rock operas in these pages, Gary Hughes' “Once and future king” and the aforementioned Jeff Wayne's musical version of “The War of the Worlds”, and enjoyed both hugely. It's actually quite a different prospect, listening to, and reviewing, a rock or metal opera. You generally can't just listen to one track (well, you can, but you don't get the full experience that way) --- you have to listen to the whole thing in one sitting to really get it. And you have to pay attention, or you'll miss important points either sung or narrated by the cast, or alluded to in the songs. But, I hear you cry, there aren't that many rock and/or metal operas out there! Au contraire, mon frere, which I translate to that's what you think, buddy! :) There are more than you would at first think, and over the course of this series I will be finding them, listening to them and reviewing them here for your pleasure. So don your cloak (or elegant dress, depending on either your gender or preference!), pick up those opera glasses and take your seat, as we're about to engage in a night of culture. Metal style. http://www.geniusrockopera.com/geniusbanner.jpg The Ultimate Rock Opera? I think I can safely say that you have never heard anything like this before --- unless you're already acquainted with this amazing trilogy, of course. “Genius: a Rock Opera” is the brainchild of Italian musician Daniele Liverani (Khymera, Empty Tremor, Twinspirits) and drummer Dario Cicconi (Centrica, Twinspirits, Khymera, Prime Suspect), and it's huge! Based originally on a novella Liverani wrote in 1997, called “Daily trauma”, this musical project has evolved over the course of five years, and involves dozens of well-known artists like Lana Lane, Jorn Lande, DC Cooper, Eric Martin and John Wetton. It's a massive saga that could easily have been made into a blockbuster movie. Spread out over three full albums, the Genius trilogy is one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken in rock circles, and as it is a trilogy, I'll be reviewing all three albums here, and also giving you a very vital synopsis of the basic storyline. Essentially, and very simplistically, the theme runs like this: Genius, the hero of the tale, is a rock drummer who wakes up one morning but then falls asleep again. As it happens, he has a dream but this is in fact no dream; he has inadvertently crossed over into the world of dreams, where he meets his “Twinspirit”. Twinspirits are entities who inhabit the dreamworld --- which is divided into continents, each ruled over by a king --- and create the dreams humans have when asleep. Genius is faced with his own Twinspirit, ie the creature who should be fashioning and creating his dreams, but he is in this dreamworld now, a thing unheard of, and face-to-face with his own Twinspirit, who is as confused about this turn of events as he is. This being a huge breach of protocol, and deemed very dangerous in the dream kingdom for a true human to walk amongst them, Genius and his Twinspirit are hunted by the king and the entire Dream League (no, not a football team with both Rooney, Van Persie and Suarez in it! This is the umbrella name given to all the kingdoms who make up the dreamworld, and who create the Twinspirits), and they're more after the Twinspirit, who is given the ID 32 suffix --- each Twinspirit is numbered so as to be identifiable from the millions of others who populate the dreamworld as humans sleep and dream --- so as to stop him from passing on, as is the job of all Twinspirits, the details of his dream to the human when he awakes and alerting Genius to what actually goes on when people sleep, how dreams are created, and leading to the possible collapse of the whole dream world system. Genius befriends his Twinspirit though, and together they take on the Dream League. So, with a basic grounding in this intricate and clever story, let's look at the first album in the trilogy, the opening of the story and the introduction of Genius to the dreamworld. Genius: a Rock Opera --- Episode 1: A human into dreams' world --- Daniele Liverani --- 2002 (Frontiers) http://www.progarchives.com/progress...5163182009.jpg The first album opens with a twelve-minute composition, “Without me today”, which starts with narration from the Storyteller, played by Philip Bynoe, best known for his work with Steve Vai, as he introduces the concept of the dreamworld, and also introduces us to Genius on that fateful morning. The music is pretty much all handled by Liverani, who takes all guitar, bass and keyboard duties, and Cicconi, who handles all percussion and drumming. Genius is played by Mark Boals (Royal Hunt, Ring of Fire, Seven the Hard Way, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force), and his voice is powerful and clear as he sings of his dream, as unbeknownst to him he enters, physically, the dream world. This feat has been accomplished by a huge coincidence: the ringing of the bells on his alarm clock correspond exactly to the cadences of the sound the Twinspirits use when they knock on the door of the gates of the kingdom, having just been born to carry out the dreams of their assigned human, and needing admittance. The Doorkeepers, who, er, keep the door of the kingdom, mistake Genius for a Twinspirit and let him in, not realising he is actually a real human. Musically, this is a powerfest, full of snarling guitars, organs and whizzy keyboards, with punchy drums, and for a twelve-minute song it certainly does not drag. Some real keyboard wizardry in here, and you can see why Daniele Liverani is a master of his craft. He also wrote all the lyrics and music to the entire rock opera, and came up with the concept and the story. The Storyteller continues to narrate how Genius “wakes up” and finds himself before a huge floating gate suspended in midair, with a beautiful woman either side of it. This is the cue for Lana Lane to come in as one of the Doorkeepers, explaining to Genius where he is, as “The right place”, a light piano melody carrying it, begins. Of course, the Doorkeeper thinks Genius is a Twinspirit, and assigns him the number 33. This number, of course, has not been assigned to any human, as Genius is a human. Confused? Don't be. Each Twinspirit is assigned, as I said, a number, which corresponds to the dreaming human whose fantasy they must build. At the end of their short life (ie when the human wakes up) they transmit the dream to the human, who wakes up and remembers it. Genius, who is not of this world and is in fact the human “dreaming”, knows nothing of this, does not know how to operate the intricate equipment that the Twinspirits use to fashion the dreams, and will no doubt soon be discovered to be an intruder. Lane sings as always like an angel, but the song itself is a little repetitive, though the piano melody gives the definite feeling of floating on air. “Paradox”, then, is a hard rocker, with urgent keys and sharp guitar, a much faster song as Genius tries to figure out where he is, what's going on. As he joins a long queue of people (a queue to where he does not know) he meets his Twinspirit, played by Pain of Salvation's Daniel Gildenlow, who has been assigned the number 32, so he is Twinspirit n.32, and at first he does not believe Genius when the human tells him that he is real, and not a Twinspirit, but when it becomes obvious they are both “dreaming the same dream”, he realises Genius is a human, and should not be here. He explains to Genius that he himself has only been born minutes ago, his task to carry out the dream Genius is having. But if Genius is dreaming of being here, and is here, how can Twinspirit n.32 fashion that dream? What a paradox, and a dangerous one. The whole song reeks of panic, despair, urgency, fear as Twinspirit n.32 fears Genius will be discovered, and Genius tries to come to terms with what has happened. The two new friends follow the queue onto a large train, which takes them to the Station House, where all new Twinspirits are greeted by the Station Master, voiced by Gravedigger's Chris Boltendahl. “The glory of our land” is a fast rock cruncher, driven on steamhammer drumming --- perhaps meant to represent the train they arrived on? --- as the Twinspirits take their places at their desks and are given their duties. Also referred to in the song is McChaos King, the ruler of the European Kingdom, in which Genius is currently. Great guitar solo and some really finger-shredding playing from Liverani as the song thunders on, then choral backing vocals as the Twinspirits aver their loyalty and responsibility to the job of creating the dreams of humans. Joe Vana from Mecca takes the lead as McChaos's consultant in “All of your acts”, where he lays down the three cardinal rules the Twinspirits must follow: first, they live only once, being born when their assigned human begins to dream and dying when they awake. Second, they share their assigned dreamer's dream with no other Twinspirit, so it is unique to the Dreamer and third, they on no account are to ever reveal their presence to their or any other human, who are to remain ignorant of the workings or even the existence of the Dreamworld. This is a more AOR-leaning track, with swirling keys and hard, punchy guitar, and Vana, whom I've never heard (of) before, has a very strong and mellifluous voice. This tracks owes more to the likes of FM and Night Ranger than the previous, which were generally much more in the mould of heavy metal. This is very catchy, and shortened down a little (it clocks in at six and a half minutes) could have made a good single, if indeed any were ever released from the three albums. Sparkling guitar solo from Liverani, again much more in the mould of a Foreigner or an Asia than his previous solos. “Dreams” is carried on Brian May/Malmsteen-style guitar, as Genius looks in amazement at all the technology around him for creating the dreams of sleeping humans, even though he has no idea what it all does. Boals takes centre stage here as the eponymous hero, knowing that he is an interloper, but yet fascinated by what he sees. The song is a fast rocker, thumping drums keeping the beat with strings-like synth adding in stabs of colour and majesty at intervals. “My pride” then introduces Kansas' Steve Walsh as Wild Tribe King, ruler of the African continent kingdom, who is visiting his friend McChaos King, voiced by John Wetton, and has also come to see what is the state of the art in Twinspirit tech. Also in this song is Oliver Hartmann (Avantasia, Edguy, Aina, Rhapsody, Freedom Call) as the Wild Tribe King's consultant. It opens on a lengthy guitar solo, then settles into a rock groove with a nice mid-pacer as the two kings talk to each other, unaware that Genius is sitting sweating at his desk, ignorant of what he should be doing, while beside him, Twinspirit n.32 is looking worriedly at a screen that is displaying Genius looking at a blank screen...! It all comes to a head in “There's a human”, where Hartmann, in his role as the Wild Tribe King's consultant, notices the blank screen and realises what has happened. He documents the evidence, to be passed on to his king as the Wild Tribe start their journey back home, to report the European king, who is unaware of what has happened. The track is a fast, breakneck rocker in the mould of Iron Maiden at their best, with some great, urgent, outraged backing vocals as they sing ”There's a human/ There's a human/ There's a human/ In this land!” Some really good tribal-style drumming too, to underline the African contingent. “Father” is a beautiful, sensitive little piano ballad, a kind of interlude while the McChaos King, oblivious to the fate soon to be handed down to him, sings to his baby son and heir. The ballad, a showcase for Wetton's legendary vocals, turns into something of a mid-paced song with expressive guitar joining the piano and the drums crashing like thunder. Meanwhile, the Dream League Council, led by its president, Mr. Maindream, meet to decide what punishment is to be meted out to the rogue king, for having allowed a human to enter their world. Maindream, played by the late Midnight, ex-Crimson Glory declares that Twinspirit n.32 must be destroyed, as “Terminate”, a high-powered, rocking thunderer takes the stage, something in the vein of Shadow Gallery's “Chased”. The Twinspirit is blamed for losing control of its Dreamer, and the McChaos King will be replaced, as this happened on his watch. The Council fear the truth about the dreamworld getting out, should Genius be allowed to awake with the dream Twinspirit n.32 is making for him. The album, and the first part of the trilogy, ends on the frenetic “I'm afraid”, as Twinspirit n.32 tells Genius that the king has been arrested, his son taken to the Toy Warehouse in the Asian kingdom, to be used once as a prop in someone's fantasy and then be destroyed. In this way the child can no longer lay any claim to the throne of the European kingdom, and Genius, unable to use the equipment in the dream factory wonders what will happen to him. It's an ensemble finale as Wetton, Boals, Gildenlow and Midnight all sing together as the king is arrested and the Dream police (hah!) begin searching for the elusive Twinspirit n.32. How will all this resolve? Will the king and his son be saved, restored to the throne? Will Genius and Twinspirit n.32 escape, and will Genius get back to his own world? Read on... TRACKLISTING 1. Without me today 2. The right place 3. Paradox 4. The glory of our land 5. All of your acts 6. Dreams 7. My pride 8. There's a human 9. Father 10. Terminate 11. I'm afraid |
Genius: a Rock Opera --- Episode 2: In search of the little prince --- 2004 (Frontiers)
http://www.progarchives.com/progress...0173182009.jpg As part two of this lavish rock opera opens, the Dream League Force, the police of the dreamworld, are closing in on the fleeing Genius and Twinspirit n.32. Truth to tell, they can't really do anything to Genius himself, as he's a human and they wouldn't dare harm a human: all they need do is destroy his Twinspirit and Genius will wake up, this dream fading away like, well, a dream, and he will remember nothing of what has gone on here this strange day. Leader of the Dream League Force is Symphony X's Russel Allen. “He will die” opens, as did the previous album, with narration from Philip Bynoe, setting the scene, then the guitar cuts in madly as the song begins, a real rocker to get us started (or re-started) with great choir/backing vocals, urgent organ going as the guitar parts really take over. It's still quite amazing to think that ALL of the music in this project is created by two guys alone! The Commander of the DLF reminds his team that they have been tasked with the destruction of Twinspirit n.32 by Mr. Maindream himself, for fear Genius will awake with his dream intact, and learn of the existence of the dreamworld. His resolve to catch and kill Twinspirit n.32 comes through clearly in his determined and threatening vocal, and there's a powerful duet between Boals as Genius and Gildenlow as Twinspirit n.32 as the two realise they can use the teleporter that is normally used to bring items from the stores to the twinspirits in order to fashion the dreams they need to, to go in the opposite direction and get TO the stores, and escape from their pursuers. The ruse works, and the pair find themselves in the Japanese items store of the European store, where they meet the famous and ill-starred guitarist Jason Becker, who had his career cruelly cut short in the 1990s when he was diagnosed with ALS, a disease that eventually robbed him both of his ability to speak and to play the guitar. Obviously a huge influence on Liverani's life, Becker is here represented by Brazilian singer Edu Falaschi (Angra, Symbols, Venus, Almah) and he tells the duo that although he is crippled, here in the dream world he lives on and plays, because his many fans dream of him. It's a quite touching piece, rooted as it is in the very real tragedy of Becker's life, and obviously a hard song for Liverani to have written, but he handles it very well and Falaschi sings the role with total conviction. It's of course guitar-led, elements of “Caress of steel”-era Rush, or Genesis circa “The lamb lies down on Broadway”, a sweet little ballad with a poignant message. And also some pertinent information, as Becker tells the duo that the prince has been taken to the Asian kingdoms, and that ships leave from here to that destination every day. Genius and Twinspirit n.32 decide to stow away on one, in order to reach the foreign land and try to rescue King McChaos's little son before he is used in a fantasy, as Christmas is fast approaching, when the dreams of many children turn to thoughts of dolls. Back in the factory, the DLF commander fumes when he can't find the vanished Twinspirit n.32. The music is fast and furious as he tries to figure out where his quarry could have disappeared to. Russel Allen again turns in a fine performance as the frustrated commander who fears he will be held responsible for the failure of his mission, and worse, he can't explain how he has failed. No-one can vanish into thin air! The galloping drums seem to represent his pounding heart as he gets angrier and more determined, with again some finger-burning fretwork from Daniele Liverani. Disembarking from their ship, Genius and the Twinspirit find themselves in a strange place with trees carved into the shape of odd numbers. This is the Valley of the Odds, and one of the trees begins to talk to them as “Valley” opens, with hard, sharp, fast guitar and pounding drums racing along. Seventree, the talking tree, tells them they should not be here and must leave. The track becomes quite a rock boogie number, as Seventree tells them that this valley belongs to the king of the Asian kingdoms, who likes odd numbers and has commanded all the trees here be carved into the images of same. Ignoring the tree's warnings, Genius comes to a castle in the distance, and tells Twinspirit n.32 that he will continue on alone, and come back for him. “Beware” is another fast rocker, with organ and guitar as the guard outside King Oddyfer's castle watches in amazement as someone approaches, something that has never happened before. This role is taken by Roberto Tiranti (Labyrinth), the song slowing a little to become a mid-paced rocker as the guard goes to warn his master the king. Meanwhile Mr. Niko, the father of King McChaos, tries to find out what has happened to his son and grandson, but without success. Another guitar ballad, “My dear son” is sung by Mr. Big's Eric Martin in the role of the king's father, as he tries to convince himself all will be well. After having gained an audience with King Oddyfer, Genius is given his chance to put his case in “What he has to say”. The king's role is taken by Johnny Giolei (Crush 40, Axel Rudi Pell, Hardline) in a star turn as Oddyfer refuses to believe Genius's story, ordering he be taken to the cells, and intending to turn him over to the DLF, which he knows will be good for his social standing and his reputation. It's a powerful, driven song as Genius, desperate to enlist the aid of the king of the Asian lands, tries to convince Oddyfer, but the king wants Twinspirit n.32 captured as well, so he can hand both over to the Dream League Force and earn himself even more fame, so he sends his guards to go look for him, reasoning that he must be nearby. The longest track on the album, at just over ten minutes, “All my fault” is another guitar and keyboard-driven rocker, split between the plans and schemes laid by King Oddyfer as he plots the capture and death of Twinspirit n.32 and the attendant fame he will gain, and Genius, who languishes in his cell, bemoaning his fate and apologising to his friend, who he does not realise can see him, as they are linked in this “dream”. The music slows down for Genius's soliloquy, very Rushesque, another fine performance from Mark Boals, with Daniel Gildenlow as Twinspirit n.32 coming back in to duet with him, blaming himself for having let Genius go alone. He wishes he had killed himself when he realised what had happened, right at the start. Powerful guitar from Liverani underscores their shared despair and frustration that they have come to this pass. And then... A beautiful woman appears in the cell, this being Klepsydra, whose role I'm not certain of, but I think she is the king's wife or daughter. At any rate, she's voiced by Live Kristine (Theater of Tragedy, Leaves' Eyes) and sings a beautiful power ballad as he declares she will help Genius “To be free”. Shown a secret backdoor by the girl, Genius returns to his friend and together they go to look for the little prince, where Klepsydra has told him the entrance to the factory will be, in the trunk of an oak tree. Empowered and emboldened, and back on the quest, Genius sings a song of hope and determination as “Fight again” rocks out, ringing with promise and defiance. Twinspirit n.32, however, sees the end of the dream coming, and knows he is soon to die, and he begins to wonder what his life would have been like had Genius not come into his world? The closing track, “Far away from here”, has him slip into a reverie of how things might have been, and he worries too that Klepsydra may not have been to be trusted, though Genius believes she is sincere. The second-longest track, at just under ten minutes, it's a powerful mix of synth, wailing guitar, pounding drums and some fine vocal performances from Gildenlow and Boals. Back at Castle Oddyfer, the king rages as he realises that Genius has escaped, and his chance for fame and recognition has gone with him. White-faced, he demands to know how this could happen, but no-one can tell him. He snarls at his guards that they have one hour to find the human. Coming to the oak tree that Klepsydra had mentioned, they find it to be nothing more than a hologram, and passing through it, the pair find themselves in the Asian storehouse. One problem: within the stores there are literally an infinite number of warehouses, and they don't have a clue in which one the prince is being held. And time, as ever, is running out... TRACKLISTING 1. He will die 2. Playing in their dreams 3. You won't escape 4. Valley 5. Beware 6. My dear son 7. What he has to say 8. All my fault 9. To be free 10. Fight again 11. Far away from here |
Genius: A Rock Opera --- Episode 3: The final surprise --- 2007 (Frontiers)
http://www.progarchives.com/progress...4173182009.JPG And so we head into the final, concluding part of this amazing rock opera, as Genius and his friend Twinspirit n.32 enter the Asian stores, looking for the one warehouse where the prince is being held captive. For some unexplained reason, the part of Genius is this time taken by Royal Hunt's DC Cooper, which is a little of a disappointment, as it sort of disrupts the narrative flow that had been running through the three albums. We've become used to the voice of Mark Boals in the title role, and this is a little like someone telling Jeff Wayne that Richard Burton wasn't available for side two of his masterpiece! However, what's done is done, and I'm sure there was a rational reason for it, as Daniele Liverani is otherwise so passionate and meticulous about every aspect of his rock opera, so this must have been a change forced upon him. So, “Toy warehouse” opens the final volume in this trilogy, with Philip Bynoe again reprising his role as the Storyteller and filling in the listener as to what is happening. After a low synthy opening, the song explodes as a huge choir belts out the question ”Where is the toy warehouse?” and the keyboards go into overdrive as Liverani shows us that three years since the completion of episode two, he has not lost his passion for this project. Cooper, to be fair, sounds enough like Boals to make the change not too jarring, with Daniel Lindenlow again in the role of Twinspirit n.32 as the two search for the toy warehouse. Luckily for them, the prince and indeed the storyline (wouldn't have been much help if they had failed!) they find it, and enter it, looking at all the toys appearing and disappearing as they are used in children's fantasies. Liverani breaks out the guitar for a screeching solo as the friends run through the warehouse looking for King McChaos's son. Meanwhile, in the wake of his failure to find and terminate the runaway Twinspirit, the commander of the Dream League Force has been replaced, and his successor, Apikor, played with gusto by Jorn Lande (Millenium, Ark, Vagabond, Masterplan) declares his sworn intention to find his quarry. “No more chances” is a heads-down, speed metal rocker, with insistent organ, thundering drums and fretburning guitar as Apikor snarls ”I have prepared a secret plan/ This time we must be sure/ There will be no more chances!” Back in the toy warehouse, the friends' attention is attracted by the plaintive singing of a tiny doll, who asks them to help her escape the factory. Kokeshi, played by Lunatica's Andrea Datwyler, sings “Save me from my destiny”, a lovely little ballad, backed by piano and keys, which becomes a powerful, operatic and stirring anthem, with full choir joining in to lend real heart to the song. Though unable to rescue the doll, Genius and Twinspirit n.32 manage to get the passkey from her before she fades back to the console, and they enter the place where they find the king's baby. The song, the longest on the album at just under eleven and a half minutes, is really two songs, the first part ending when Datwyler's Kokeshi doll vanishes and the friends go through the door, the second part opening when they enter the room where the prince is being held. This is a powerful, stirring, march-type song, like a hallelujah chorus, with full choir, orchestral backing --- though as Liverani is the only musician apart from Daniel Cicconi on the album, he must be creating the whole orchestra on his keyboard! --- dramatic and epic, as the other toys exhort the friends to save the baby. In “Alive and safe”, Mr. Niko, father of the European king whom we last heard from in episode 2, is updating his senators on the situation, hoping all can be well. Eric Martin reprises his part, and the song is a powerful slice of AOR and pomp rock, with plenty of warbling keys and chunky guitar. Martin puts in another fine performance as he tries to reassure his senators that the practice of creating humans' dreams will continue, that this blip will be sorted out, and all will be well. Genius's dream is now coming towards an end, signified by the approaching train which is carrying its cargo of “used” Twinspirits, who are all going back to the factory to be terminated, their humans also about to awake, heralding the end of their dream architects. “Jump off this train” is another speed/thrash metal beast, rocking along itself like a runaway locomotive, Cicconi going absolutely Animal (remember the Muppets?) behind the drumkit, Liverani matching him on the keys and guitar. They then break into a spirited copy of the riffs from the Beach Boys' “Good vibrations”, before the song speeds up again as Genius is told by Twinspirit n.32 that he must leave his friend, in order to get the prince safely back to his father. If Genius jumps off the train as it passes through the European kingdom, he can get the heir to the throne safely back to his father. Genius does not want to leave, but Twinspirit n.32 tells him that if his dream is lost before Genius wakes up he will remember nothing, and the proof of the king's innocence of the entrance of the human to the European kingdom is contained on Twinspirit n.32's storage disk, the media Twinspirits use to transfer the dreams they have created to the humans' minds. He tells Genius that he must take this disk to the senators, to show them the king is innocent. When Genius is still reluctant to leave his friend, Twinspirit n.32 pulls off that old trick, pretending to hate him and drive him away. “Let me live” ratchets up the tension as Apikor, having been on board the train, and seeing Genius leave his friend, swoops on Twinspirit n.32 intending to terminate him. The rogue Twinspirit tries to explain what happened, and that he must remain alive in order that Genius's dream be completed, and the innocence of the king be exposed. A fast rocker, it rides along on chugging guitar, with a fine vocal turn by Jorn Lande at his most manic, with Lindenlow as Twinspirit n.32 also turning in a fine performance as he pleads desperately for his life, for the dream of Genius to be allowed to finish. As Genius runs towards the European jail, to try to demonstrate his and the king's innocence, and return to McChaos his son, he can hear his mother calling from reality, and knows he is beginning to wake up. In the lyric to “Inside these memories” he tries to plead his case, the song a marching, epic one, full of desperation and frustration as Genius tries to save the prince. He hands over the disk, which shows what happened, how Genius got here, that it was nothing to do with King McChaos and that his Twinspirit is also innocent. Toby Hitchcock (Pride of Lions) takes the role of Senator Jaramus who listens incredulously to the story Genius tells, and then looks at the disk to confirm what he's being told is the truth. The song builds in intensity as the situation becomes ever more desperate, but eventually the truth is revealed, and Genius has completed his mission. The king will be set free, reunited with his son, and not a moment too soon, as Genius can feel himself waking up. Unaware of his friend's success, Twinspirit n.32 tries to resist the attack of Apikor, but is gradually succumbing. As he goes under, he sings a lonely ballad, simply entitled “I die”, in which he apologises to Genius for not being strong enough to hold on, and allow him to wake up with his dream intact. It's an intense lonely and morose song, given added pathos as Twinspirit n.32 thinks he has failed, when in fact he has stayed alive long enough to allow the story to be told, and should be now able to die in peace, but his end is far from peaceful, and as life flees his body he feels a failure. Beautifully passionate guitar from Liverani underlines the tragedy, and haunting piano takes it to its sad conclusion, one of the best tracks on the album. “Back to life again” is another AOR stomper, as Hitchcock puts in another fine performance as Senator Jeramus, welcoming the king back as everyone celebrates with the penultimate track, “To dream in liberty”, a fast, joyous rocker somewhat in the Iron Maiden mould, very guitar-driven, and the album, the story and the trilogy comes to a blistering conclusion with “The final surprise”. As Genius fades from the dreamworld, back into his own reality as he begins to come awake, he mourns the loss of his friend Twinspirit n.32, but he hears a voice in his head which turns out to be he, bidding a final farewell to Genius, and he tells him that he has managed to copy his existence into another dimensional plane, so allowing himself to live long enough to be able to pass on to Genius the complete dream, and then he terminates himself, happy that he has said goodbye to his friend. Twinspirit n.32 knows that he has broken some cardinal rules, and that he may have placed the dreamworld in danger of discovery, should Genius choose to act on the knowledge now in his head, but he trusts his friend to keep their secret, and keep the world of dreams and the world of men forever separate. TRACKLISTING 1. Toy warehouse 2. No more chances 3. Save me from my destiny 4. Alive and safe 5. Jump off this train 6. Let me live 7. Inside these memories 8. I die 9. Back to life again 10. Dream in liberty 11. The final surprise So, there you have it. Genius: a rock opera in three parts, conceived almost five years before a note of music was written, and played out over a further five years and three albums. A mammoth work of inspiration and entertainment spanning two worlds, a rocket ride of immense proportions, a rollercoaster of emotions and relationships. A masterpiece that Danny Elfman, Jeff Wayne, Trans-Siberian Orchestra or even Jim Steinman would be, and should be, envious of. A feast of music and lyrics created by one person and played by two, with some of the cream of the talent from the rock, metal, AOR and prog worlds, a narrative spanning, in reality, ten minutes of one boy's life that stretched out over five years of work. It's hard to get across the breadth and scope of this opera: you really have to hear it for yourself, but hopefully this all-too-brief synopsis will have whetted your appetite for the full thing. I can only promise you that you will not be disappointed: there's something for everyone here, from hard rockin' stompers and crunchers, speed metal freakouts and bombastic radio-friendly tunes to slow, lush, tense ballads and more talent than you can shake a good-sized stick at. Interestingly, across the scope of the three albums, Daniele Liverani never once goes for the easy option of just filling in the story with music: there isn't one instrumental track on any of them. Although he originally wrote a totally instrumental score to his book, that remains unpublished and is probably markedly different to what you experience here. This guy has talent with a capital T, and deserves to be better known internationally. He's obviously well-regarded and respected, when you look at the sort of icons who agreed to work with him, taking often only a small role in his unfolding meisterwerke, but if you ask the man in the street who Daniele Liverani is, he'll look at you in ignorance. Sad. I intend to seek out more of this man's work, and will at length report on that once I've had time to absorb the full vista of his musical artistry. If there's one small quibble I have with these three albums, it's the old chestnut that crops up when someone writes lyrics that are not in their native, or first, tongue, and it's that sometimes the syntax and grammar can be off, which can make some of the lyrics a little nonsensical. But that's a small criticism, and it certainly doesn't take from the powerful story told here. It's an amazing ride, and deserves to be heard by more people. Let's start, shall we, with, oh I don't know … you! Genius: A Rock Opera : complete musician listing Episode 1: A human into dreams' world GENIUS: Mark Boals STORYTELLER: Philip Bynoe DOORKEEPER: Lana Lane TWINSPIRIT N.32: Daniel Gildenlow STATIONMASTER: Chris Boltendahl KING McCHAOS'S CONSULTANT: Joe Vana WILD TRIBE KING: Steve Walsh WILD TRIBE CONSULTANT: Oliver Hartmann McCHAOS, KING OF EUROPEAN LANDS: John Wetton MR. MAINDREAM: Midnight Episode 2: In search of the little prince GENIUS: Mark Boals STORYTELLER: Philip Bynoe TWINSPIRIT N.32: Daniel Gildenlow DREAM LEAGUE COMMANDER: Russel Allen JASON BECKER: Edu Falaschi SEVENTREE: Jeff Martin ODDYFER GUARDIAN: Roberto Tiranti MR. NIKO: Eric Martin KING ODDYFER: Johnny Gioeli KLEPSYDRA: Liv Kristine Episode 3: The final surprise GENIUS: DC Cooper STORYTELLER: Philip Bynoe TWINSPIRIT N.32: Daniel Gildenlow APIKOR: Jorn Lande MR. NIKO: Eric Martin KOKESHI: Andrea Datwyler SENATOR JARAMUS: Toby Hitchcock DANIELE LIVERANI: All guitars, bass, keyboards. All music and lyrics. DARIO CICCONI: All drums and percussion. |
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Keepin' it slow for another few days in an effort to combat the mad rush and panic brought on by the last week before Christmas, the worm has a nice one for you today. This is Spandau Ballet, with a great track called “Through the barricades”. |
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The city sleeps --- Touchstone --- 2011 (SPV) http://www.progarchives.com/progress...91592011_r.jpg Although they've been together since about 2001, Touchstone's first album proper wasn't released until 2007, while their second, 2009's “Wintercoast” earned rave reviews and widened the band's fanbase considerably. This, then, is their third, and the first released on a major label, which if handled correctly should see Touchstone go from strength to strength and gain even more fans. At heart a progressive rock/metal band with symphonic overtones, Touchstone are fronted by Kim Seviour, who may be small in stature but certainly not in voice. She and the original founding member Rob Cottingham form the nucleus and present the face of the band, despite her having only joined in 2007, kind of the same way Mostly Autumn is represented by Bryan Josh and Heather Findlay, or was, before Heather's departure to pursue a solo career. The album opens with strong Marillion influences in the guitar and keys, circa “Script” and “Fugazi”, and it's some pretty powerful guitar courtesy of Adam Hodgson that gets “Corridors” underway, then Kim Seviour's clear, sharp vocals cut in and you can see why she's being touted as one of the most promising “new” female vocalists. It's almost Nightwish or Edenbridge, but with a softer edge, less emphasis on the operatic side of the vocals and more on the rock singer. “Corridors” is a fast, uptempo rocker with some really great guitar parts, but it's Cottingham's keyboard work that really reminds me of Fish-era Marillion, or maybe early Pendragon. One of the longest tracks is up next, ten minutes of “When shadows fall”, which starts off very slowly and quietly, building like the approach of a coming train, chiming keys and choral voices gradually getting louder and more powerful, with guitar coming in, quite reminiscent of “The king of Sunset Town” from Marillion's “Holidays in Eden”. Yes, there are quite a few comparisons to be made with Marillion here, which is no bad thing. It's almost two minutes before hard guitar chords and feedback guitar announce what must be the beginning proper of the song, then as suddenly they're gone, replaced by tinkling piano, then that's joined by angry guitar and loud, loud drums, and abruptly the keyboards cut in as Cottingham does a fantastic impression of Tony Banks at his most classic. It's almost four minutes before we hear Kim Seviour, but when she starts singing she takes over the song, both with her vocals and her personality. You just can't really listen to anything else once she opens her mouth. The song has by now become a fast rocker, the keys of Cottingham carrying it on a synth-rock infused wave of pomp and melody, then he switches to piano for a beautiful but short little run as the whole song slows down, Hodgson's guitar taking the main melody as Cottingham joins Seviour on the mike. More gorgeous piano, then Cottingham takes over the vocals, Josh-like, before Hodgson launches into an inspired solo, piano keeping pace with him as Seviour goes back on vocals, backed by Cottingham. It's a real prog-rock masterpiece, and worth the price of the album on its own. “These walls”, on the other hand, is far less intricate, a straightforward rocker with snarly guitar and an impassioned vocal from Seviour. “Throw them to the sky” is another good rocker, full of guitar hooks and with a nice vocal passage by Cottingham in the middle, though Seviour takes main vocal duties on this song, like most of Touchstone's material. Some very brassy keyboard gives the song a feeling of later eighties Yes, while “Sleeping giants” slows things down with some sweet pizzicato strings on the keyboard from Cottingham and some really nice digital piano in the first ballad on the album, with a truly exceptional keyboard solo and some great guitar providing a really dramatic and energetic song. “Good boy psycho” opens with some frenetic guitar and keys, then settles into a nice mid-pacer, with some pretty heavy guitar work from Adam Hodgson against some progressive keyboard from Cottingham. Never in any danger of getting lost in this musical interplay, Kim Seviour's voice rises high above it all, coasting on the wave and singing out clearly and powerfully, always grabbing the attention. I would, however, single this out as my least favourite track on the album, in fact the only track so far that I haven't been totally impressed with. Just seems a little confused, jumping from idea to idea without any really clear direction. “Horizons” doesn't suffer from any such problems, powerful and gritty throughout, and “Half moon meadow” is a lovely half-ballad, where Rob joins Kim on vocals and they perform a rather outstanding duet. Something very Mostly Autumn about this song, even the melody is quite evocative of Bryan Josh's guitar playing. The song ends on a great combined guitar and keyboard solo, and leads us into the title track, an eleven-minute opus. It goes through some major changes along the way, and features some pretty stunning vocal poetry by Kim as they hark back to the last album, “Wintercoast”, continuing the story begun there. The album ends on a little instrumental, called “Corridors epiphany”. It's interesting but the record would not have been any the poorer had it been left off. A bit of a distraction, but I guess it forms a sort of a coda to the album and to the title track. I'm very impressed with this. It's the first Touchstone album I've managed to listen to, and now I want to hear more. It's both very up-to-date in its sound and firmly rooted in the progressive rock of the early eighties as already mentioned. Kim Seviour is a fine vocalist and with the rest of the band performing as they do here, I think it may not been too long before we hear about Touchstone outside of rock circles. Remember the name! TRACKLISTING 1. Corridors 2. When shadows fall 3. These walls 4. Throw them to the sky 5. Sleeping giants 6. Good boy psycho 7. Horizons 8. Half moon meadow 9. The city sleeps 10. Corridors epiphany |
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The worm has had enough of slow songs now: that's up to the Boss and his Tunnel of Love. So we're upping the tempo today, with a little Chris Rea... |
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The first I ever heard of these guys was on YouTube, and I really liked the song I heard, which as it happens is on this album and was the advance single from it, but I knew nothing about the band. I hunted down their, at the time, only album, and was disappointed that the track I had heard --- “What about my broken heart” --- wasn't on it. I was also a little let down by what I heard, but nevertheless once this album became available I went for it, hoping to hear more of what I had heard on YT. Considering I only heard the one track before buying their first album --- and was less than impressed by it --- it's no stretch of the imagination to say that the improvement on their second is nothing short of staggering. Talk about coming on in leaps and bounds! Murder of crows --- Human Temple --- 2010 (Escape Music) http://www.humantemple.com/murderofcrows.jpg As ever, a little background, since you're unlikely to know anything about this artiste. Human Temple come from Finland, and have only been together since 1998, but due to various things including shifting personnel they only managed to release their debut album, “Insomnia”, in 2004. Formed by Janne “Brother Cane” Hurme on vocals, EQ Saint playing bass, Petri “Hellhammer” Lehto (any guesses?) and Petri Kitti on guitar, Human Temple's lineup seems however to have proven --- and remains --- as fluid and changeable as the rate for the Euro, so all I can tell you is that the only original member of the band still with them is Hurme. The album opens strongly with “Not my fault”, hard AOR with a great punchy guitar leading the way, Hurne's powerful clear vocals taking command, and like so many “foreigners”, I'm amazed at how perfect his English is. Okay, so it's the universal language of music, but there's not even a twang a la Michael Schenker or Udo Dirkschneider, or a hundred other non-English-speaking rock vocalists. If I hadn't known they come from Finland I would have just assumed they hailed from somewhere like the US or England. As an opener, “Not my fault” is about as catchy as you could want, very commercial and with some great hooks, but heavy enough to shy away from the lighter aspects of AOR like Journey and Asia. “Empty stages” keeps the power up, with a great idea about how fame can be fleeting: ”When the stages are empty/ And no-one's screaming your name”: some really smooth guitar allies to pumping keyboards and takes us into “Just one night”, with a great line in keys, and almost Bon Jovi circa 1984, before they got too commercial and successful. “Promised land” starts on a single, picked and echoey guitar, almost like a banjo, and moves along as a sort of country/hillbilly cross with blues/gospel vocals from Hurme, while guitarist Frank de Funk (what a great name!) keeps the song firmly in bluegrass territory until it punches up into a full rockout, with a great keyboard solo from Jori Tojander. It's pretty epic, being the longest track on the album at just over six and a half minutes. Atmospheric synth and tinkling keys introduce “Lie”, sounding very Europe (the band, not the continent) in places. Janne Hurme certainly knows how to write a great song, as every track here is written by him, except for the closer, on which he collaborates with someone called Pertti Renko. And the highs just keep coming: not a bad track so far, and we're more than halfway through the album. “Yours cold blooded” is another song that would just sound great on the radio (and why is this not happening?), and indeed any of those which have gone before could be hits, with the possible exception of “Promised land”, and I only exclude it due to the length: perhaps if they cut out the guitar and vocal intro? But then, that's such an integral part of the song... We haven't had a ballad yet; if that's taken as any sort of criticism of this band it's not meant as such. I'd just like to see how Human Temple handle a slower song, as I feel it could be very special indeed. But “Ghost of you” is another rocker, and keeps up the high quality that really you shouldn't be expecting to get from a band as comparatively unknown as this one, but hell, they're putting a lot of established rock and AOR bands to shame with this release! “Emily” is their hardest-rocking to date, the guys raising their game a few notches beyond what is already mightily impressive to belt out a real headshaker, perhaps a little less of the gorgeous melodic rock we've been used to up to now, but a really cool change of pace, and it shows Human Temple aren't afraid to cut loose and really rock the house (or temple!). There won't be any ballads. Not really. “Secret” is another AOR gem, with some really new-wave keyboards and a great line in guitar, some excellent backing vocals, and then unbelievably, disappointingly, we're at the end, with the closer being the song that first attracted me to this fine band. “What about my broken heart” has everything: melody, power, hooks, clear and concise vocals, great guitar solo, the sweetest little keyboard intro you've ever heard: it's a great crime this wasn't a huge hit all over the world. In its own way I guess it's a ballad, but more a power/semi-ballad than an actual slow song, but without question a great closer to a great, great album. It's taken Human Temple a long time to push out two albums, but I hope it won't take too much longer before they get a new release out, as I'm eager to explore this band's music a whole lot more. Oh yeah, just in case you wondered, I will be going back to listen to their debut a few more times. TRACKLISTING 1. Not my fault 2. Empty stages 3. Just one night 4. Promised land 5. Lie 6. Yours cold blooded 7. Ghost of you 8. Emily 9. Secret 10. What about my broken heart |
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The worm always loved this one from James, it's a real classic. |
Time for some Christmas cheer. Cheer! :D
Seriously, (or not) this is a little piece I wrote some years ago, based on the “Police Squad!” TV series --- or if you prefer, the “Naked Gun” movies --- so you kind of need to be familiar with them to fully understand and appreciate the sketch. Anyway, hope you enjoy it. http://www.trollheart.com/The santa caper.html |
Full moon fever --- Tom Petty --- 1989 (MCA)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...Moon_Fever.jpg What happens to Tom when you take away his Heartbreakers? Why, he records his most commercial and successful album ever. Which is not to say that the backing band were holding him back --- he achieved his fame up to this with them, after all, becoming a respected figure in the world of rock. But when he struck out on his own, pure gold resulted. Well, in fairness, not entirely on his own. His success on “Full moon fever”, his debut solo album, was largely down to ELO's Jeff Lynne, who not only played on the album and co-wrote most of the songs, but arranged and produced it too, giving it an inescapable ELO feel. Although he had been going, at this point, for over thirteen years and released seven albums with the Heartbreakers, and had indeed had a number one single with “Jammin' me”, he was not that well known outside proper rock circles. Albums like “Damn the torpedoes”, “Long after dark” and “Southern accents”, great though they are, largely passed the public by, and even “Let me up (I've had enough)”, from which “Jammin' me” was taken, barely broke the top twenty on the album charts. Petty was a name people knew, but ask them to name a single by him, or even a track, and other than "Jammin' me" (and possibly even then), many were stumped. But that all changed when he released “Full moon fever”. With a slicker, more commercial (and therefore bankable) sound, it spawned five singles, three of which were hits, and now people knew who Tom Petty was! It's unfair and inaccurate to say that Jeff Lynne was the sole architect of Petty's solo success, but there's no denying he had a huge hand in it. The album is still regarded as one of Petty's best ever, and you'll find even people who don't have a single Heartbreakers album in their collection have this on their shelf. In 1989, it really became one of the must-have albums. Petty (and Lynne) rarely puts a foot wrong from beginning to end. It kicks off with one of the big hit singles; “Free Fallin'” is a slow, moody song recounting Petty's conquests and laughing at the girls who fall for his charms: ”All the vampires/ Walkin' through the valley/ Move west down/ Ventura Boulevard/ And all the bad boys/ Are standin' in the shadows/ And all the good girls/ Are home with broken hearts.” Great song, but really one of the most selfish I've heard since Robert Cray's “Strong persuader”. Immediately you can hear the influence of Lynne, on the far more restrained guitar, the dominance of the keys and the vocal harmonies. Still, it got him a hit. And it's a great song. Another hit comes next. “I won't back down” is sort of a hybrid of the sort of raw rock he purveyed with the Heartbreakers on albums like “Long after dark” and “Southern accents”, mixed with a very ELO-like feel. It's a song of defiance as Tom sings ”In a world that keeps on/ Pushin' me around/ But I'll stand my ground/ And I won't back down.” Maybe a little hypocritical, as although the album was extremely successful, Petty did consciously change his style in order to achieve that new sound, effectively handing the reins over to Lynne, who, it must be said, did a great job reinventing him. “Love is a long road” is the first song on which Lynne has no writing input --- Petty writes it with his Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell --- and it sees a marked shift back to the way he used to play, a harder, rockier edge on it with nothing of the commercial appeal of the preceding two tracks. Naturally, it was not chosen as a single, but it's more real Tom Petty, as his fans would see him, than either of the first two. Great guitar solo, possibly from Campbell, who does play on the album, though it's not made clear on which tracks. Lynne tightens his control after briefly letting it slip, and the result is yet another hit, this time the ballad “Face in the crowd”, one of about four standouts on the album. It's a lonely, mid-paced lament, with great drawled vocals from Petty, really nice jangly guitar, and some really nice solos. Although it was not a big hit, chances are you know it, as it was played extensively on the radio and became a favourite from the album, so not too much point in my describing it that much more. It's followed by the bombastic “Runnin' down a dream”, yet another big hit single. It's power and rockin' all the way, with energetic, excited guitars and layers of keyboards, courtesy of Lynne's production, and playing, and it's been said to be the ultimate driving song. Certainly, the lyric reflects this, as Petty sings about ”Felt so good/ Like everything was possible/ Hit cruise control/ Rubbed my eyes.” There's really unbridled joy and a sense of freedom about the song, and it could be theorised (and I do) that perhaps it's the freedom Petty felt from being released from the restrictions of playing with the Heartbreakers. It's the only one on which Lynne, Petty and Campbell co-write, and is in fact Campbell's last writing credit on the album. Terrific solo to end the song to fade! The only cover on the album, Gene Clark's “Feel a whole lot better” is a mid-paced rocker with a lot of jangly guitar and a very Smokie sound about it, a la “Needles and pins” in the guitar riff. There is, of course, a whole lot of the Byrds in it too, and it's a nice change from the hard rockers and ballads we've had up to now, with some nice semi-country guitar from Petty halfway through. Hmm. Could be mandolin, in fact: it is used on the album at some point by Campbell... That's it for the hit singles, and therefore essentially the first part, or indeed side, of the album is better than the second, but there are still good tracks on “side two”. The boppy, uptempo “Yer so bad” is a simple song of love without being anywhere near a ballad, with some very tongue-in-cheek lyrics: ”My sister got lucky/ Married a yuppie/ Took him for all he was worth/ Now she's a swinger/ Dating a singer/ I can't decide which is worse!” Great fun all round. Petty takes control of the songwriting for the next three songs, and they're in fairness a mixed bunch. There's the boppy, Beatles-like simplicity of “Depending on you”, with some sobering advice: ”Maybe you can't change the world/ Maybe you should just change yourself?” Not the first time such advice has been offered, true, but it doesn't make it any the less valid. “The apartment song” is also good fun, very rock and roll and dealing with the idea of the dreaded bedsit, probably best explored by Pulp on “Common people”. Again, nice jangly guitar and interesting drums make this song, and without Lynne's influence on the songwriting Petty can really stretch himself and let his own creative juices --- which are far from inconsiderable --- flow freely. He really comes up trumps though on the last of his self-penned tracks, the gentle, introspective ballad “Alright for now”, almost a lullaby with its simple melody and even simpler but universally understood lyric. Beautifully understated acoustic guitar and lovely backing vocals help to craft a real gem. A short song, in fact the shortest on the album at exactly two minutes, its honesty and realism are implicit in even the opening bars, where Petty either deliberately or accidentally has to restart the song. It either gives a fairly rare insight into an artist allowing us to see a less than perfect side of them, or else it's a sly dig at those who record and re-record their songs until they consider them perfect, perhaps in the process bleeding out the soul and meaning of them. This is, in a word, perfect. The next one is an out-and-out rocker, with acoustic guitar but harder than on “Alright for now”, again quite Beatles or even Monkees in feel, “A mind with a heart of its own” gets things moving again, and although Lynne is back collaborating on the writing for this one, it feels more like a Petty song than a Lynne one, or even a Lynne/Petty. And just where you expect there to be a guitar solo, there … isn't. Clever, and it really catches you off guard. I could probably live without the closer. “Zombie zoo”. It's a rocker, and has a lot of keyboards and piano in it. It's not at all bad, I just find it a little below the quality of the previous tracks. But as I say, it's not bad. Just would rather have been humming something else when putting the album away. After “Full moon fever” Tom Petty began to be taken as a serious, commercial artist, and his next effort, released in 1991, also did very well, spawning more hit singles. Although this was with the Heartbreakers, it was generally seen more as a Tom Petty album than a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers one, and it set him on the road to even more commercial and chart success. No doubt hardcore Petty fans will moan that he sold out on this album --- and maybe he did --- but there's no denying that after it, to many more people than before it Tom Petty was now a name that meant something to them. TRACKLISTING 1. Free fallin' 2. I won't back down 3. Love is a long road 4. A face in the crowd 5. Runnin' down a dream 6. Feel a whole lot better 7. Yer so bad 8. Depending on you 9. The apartment song 10. Alright for now 11. A mind with a heart of its own 12. Zombie zoo Suggested further listening: “Damn the torpedoes”, “Long after dark”, “Southern accents”, “Let me up (I've had enough)”, “Into the great wide open”, “Highway companion” |
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Well, the original intention I had was to review Meat Loaf's “Hang cool teddy bear”, which up to yesterday as far as I knew was his most recent album, even though it was last year's release and would therefore not fit into the “Meanwhile...” section. However, as I searched for information on that album, it came as something of a surprise to me that he actually has a new one out this year! But --- and here's the interesting bit --- it's only been released in Australia and Germany (the latter only two weeks previous to my writing this), not scheduled to be out here or anywhere else until next year. But using my contacts I was able to source a copy of it now, and therefore my plans have obviously changed. So I now present for you, possibly the first ever review outside of Germany or Oz (or possibly not, but here's hoping) of the brand new Meat Loaf album, which you can't buy until next year. (Note: due to its very limited availability, YouTubes from this album are pretty rare. Now, I could make my own, but it seems YT are under some sort of instruction to disable audio in any files that refer to the new album, so chances are mine would suffer the same fate. For now, I've included the only ones I can find that still work. If anyone wants to hear the whole album, pm me.) Hell in a handbasket --- Meat Loaf --- 2011/2012 (Sony) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...220px-HIAH.jpg First off, some bad news, which may in time become good news. As on last year's effort, there is again no contribution from Jim Steinman on this album. He writes no songs, plays no instruments and is not involved in the production. The potentially good news is that, as the album is not slated for release around the world until next February, Meat Loaf has publicly indicated that it is possible Steinman could be involved before then, so that the world-except-Australia-and-Germany release in 2012 could turn out to be a beast of a very different nature. Should that occur, we will re-review the album as it is then released, but for now, as I say, no Steinman input at all. So in his absence Meat Loaf has assembled a plethora of songwriters, much as he did on previous album (which I haven't listened to yet) “Hang cool teddy bear”, and indeed the previous ones, but he doesn't get involved in the songwriting himself. He has had a stab, on various albums going back to 1983's “Midnight at the lost and found”, but even then they were co-compositions and it's clear Meat's talents lie in other areas. But I'm glad to be able to report that the Neverland Express, who have been with him since 1995's “Welcome to the neighbourhood”, are in place again. “All of me” opens the album on slow choral vocals, then Meat Loaf's unmistakable voice cuts in and he's sounding as good as ever. Nice piano fills come in, drums slowly keeping the beat until the guitars snarl into the mix, and the song gets going. For Meat Loaf it's oddly restrained, in fact sounding more like something you'd expect from Bon Jovi, but it's a nice opener, if not the powerblast you get with albums like “Dead ringer”, “Bad attitude” or indeed the classic “Bat out of Hell”. Lovely piano outro from Neverland Express's Justin Avery, then “Fall from grace” gets the party started with a hard rocker with AOR and stadium rock tones, nice fluid guitar from Paul Crook, who also produces the album, and again some great piano work from Avery. They're probably all well known and respected, but I know none of these songwriters. There's no Diane Warren, no Kara DioGuardi, Desmond Childs or even Nikki Six, as on previous albums. It would appear Meat pulled in some country writers to help, like Wade Bower and Dave Berg, but in fairness I don't immediately see the country influence on the songs that was very obvious on, for instance, Bon Jovi's “Lost highway”. Another rocker in “The giving tree”, a real stomper in the mould of “Life is a lemon (and I want my money back)” off “Bat out of Hell II”. The trend these days seems to be to have a rap on your album, no matter the genre. I don't personally think it always works, but for “Mad mad world (The good God is a woman and she don't like ugly)” --- surely a contender for the longest even Meat Loaf song! --- Meat ropes in Public Enemy's Chuck D to perform the rap, and it works quite well. The song itself is dramatic and powerful, with a great sense of almost panic in the melody, lots of hard rock guitar and pumping drums, Avery's piano again adding another layer to the music, as does Crook's organ. For a Meat Loaf album, the songs on this are all quite short: only three of the twelve tracks go above the five minute mark, and one of those only by a few seconds. There are, in other words, none of the epics we've become used to. In fact, it's the shortest since 2003's “Couldn't have said it better”. The songs are short and snappy and I guess many of them will be slated for single release. “Party of one” is another sharp rocker with a nice keyboard intermission, as it were, backed by nice, er, backing vocals, and for a heavy track there's some really effective violin --- yeah, I said violin --- from Ginny Luke. And then some fiddle on “Live or die”, another hard puncher, and it's interesting that so far we haven't heard one single Meat Loaf ballad. His albums are usually famous for them --- remember “Objects in the rear view mirror”? Or “Surf's up”, though admittedly that was a cover of a Steinman song. But you can usually expect him to slow down the action at some point. We shall see. For now, Caitlin Evanson's soulful fiddle adds a very celtic feel to this song, toning down the hard rock just a little, then we're into a cover of the Mamas and the Papas classic “California dreamin'”. If you know this song (and if not, why not?) there's nothing more I can say about it, other than that Meat does a good rendition of it, taking the gears down just a little, and performs a really interesting duet with Patti Russo, while saxophone from Dave Luther paints the picture better than any words ever could. I have to say, I've always preferred Colorado's version above all, including the original, but this is not a bad cover. “Another day” starts off with echoey, rolling drums and a lovely little piano line, and perhaps the first ballad has arrived? Meat does, as ever, a great job wringing out the last drop of emotion and passion from the lyric, and great keyboards from Paul Crook add another layer to the story, the drums getting louder and more persistent as the song gets into its stride. Another song about homeless people, the subject is certainly not new, and will always continue to be a blight on our countries until something proper is done to tackle the problem, so it's nice to see another established artist taking on the theme. Not that singing songs will help, but perhaps awareness will be heightened, if only for a little while. Meat certainly sings with conviction, almost tears in his voice, and yes, in case it wasn't clear, this is the first ballad, and a very good one, worth having waited for. There's a great stride rocker then in “40 days”, with pulsating organ (ooer --- yeah, yeah I know!) and angry guitars as Meat sings of the End of Days, another popular subject for songs as we head towards the year we find out if the Mayas were full of sh1t. Or not. Great little stabs on the mandolin too, courtesy of Glen Duncan. But come on, Meat: rain for forty days? That's a light shower here in Ireland! :) There's another duet with Russo in “Our love and our souls”, a kind of semi-ballad, with this time a definite country flavour. She certainly can sound like Cher on occasions! “Stand in the storm” kicks everything back up to high gear with its tearing guitar riff that opens the song, and guest appearances by country star John Rich, Mark McGrath and rapper Lil John. So yes, of course, that means it's the second track on the album to feature a rap, but like Chuck D's contribution on “Mad mad world”, John's performance fits in very well with the theme and mood of the music, and the song as a whole works well. Again there's a country style to the song, with pedal steel guitar from Bruce Bowden, and given that dichotomy Meat Loaf does well to meld the three genres: rock, country and rap, into one cohesive song which really is more than the sum of its parts. The album closes on the acoustic ballad “Blue sky”, with Meat singing for the angels, his voice almost cracking with emotion, a volcano of hurt just held in check. It's a short, but very powerful and evocative song, and really all things being equal quite an effective and worthy closer. Though the world at large won't get to hear this album until February next, I'm already impressed and I think you will be too. Even without Steinman's input it's already heading towards another classic from the man with the biggest voice in rock, and should the master songsmith decide at the eleventh hour to climb onboard, this album could be even better. As it is, it stands as a really excellent effort from Meat Loaf, and I have no doubt that once it's released across the world it will sell in its millions. TRACKLISTING 1. All of me 2. Fall from grace 3. The giving tree 4. Mad mad world (The good God is a woman and she don't like ugly) 5. Party of one 6. Live or die 7. California dreamin' 8. Another day 9. 40 days 10. Our love and our souls 11. Stand in the storm 12. Blue sky |
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Well, no doubt over the last few weeks everyone's been making plans for Christmas, but what about Nigel? Here's XTC... |
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Juggernaut --- Frank Marino --- 1982 (Columbia) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...juggernaut.jpg Frank Marino is best known for his association with Canadian rock band Mahogany Rush, but this is his second solo album. Sadly, "Juggermaut" is, well, not. It's not a powerhouse of an album that kicks you in the teeth and demands attention. There are a few bad tracks on it, but the good ones make you forget the bad. "Free", "For your love" and the title are great songs, the latter a real triphammer of a song, powering along like an out-of-control truck ploughing down a freeway in the night. Even "Strange dreams" is not bad, but hardly deserving the accolade afforded it by Howard Johnson of being the ONLY good track on it, reviewing the album in "Kerrang!" back in '82. For me, the best track is definitely the eight-minute ballad "Stories of a hero", with its intense guitar work, its impassioned vocal and its simple yet powerful anti-war message. The way it gets heavy at the end perfectly gets across Frank's anger at the senseless waste of life and the futility of war. Deserved to be a classic. "Ditch queen" I could have lived without, ditto "Midnight highway", but overall not bad. More workhorse flatbed than juggernaut, though. TRACKLISTING 1. Strange dreams 2. Midnight highway 3. Stories of a hero 4. Free 5. Maybe it's time 6. Ditch queen 7. For your love 8. Juggernaut |
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Time to sample one more great band from Ireland before Christmas descends upon us. Tragically in a way, some of the very best bands from here never made it, or else did but only for a short time, blazing like comets before fizzling out like dying sparklers. What is that they say? The brightest light burns the shortest? Certainly true in the case of many an Irish band. I'm sure it's not a phenomenon confined to the Emerald Isle, either, it just seems there was so much talent here that could have been shared with the world, that it's a pity that really only a handful of Irish acts ever truly made it. I mean, ask anyone outside Ireland (or, sometimes, in Ireland) to name off five top Irish bands and you know who will come up usually (no, Westlife do not count, madam!) But there have been some great bands who should have done so much better. I've already featured Something Happens! And In Tua Nua, and hopefully soon when I get my USB turntable from Santy I'll be introducing you to the mighty Stars of Heaven, but today I want to let you in on what is probably now one of Ireland's best-kept secrets. Though they were popular and indeed successful in their short day, they've faded away now sadly into the mists of musical history. Plug it in --- Mama's Boys --- 1982 (Pussy) http://www.trollheart.com/plugitin.jpg The perfect idea of an Irish band, Mama's Boys featured three brothers, Pat, Tommy and John McManus, who began their music career playing Irish traditional music in Co. Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. Heavily influenced by Horslips, they changed their focus to rock and were in fact then discovered by Barry Devlin of Horslips, who offered them a support slot, and they never looked back after that. Well, for a while. Their first album, “Plug it in”, self-published and financed as it was, has a hard, rough edge that you just can't manufacture or fake. Opener “In the heat of the night” is a straight-ahead rocker, John McManus' Northern accent coming across quite strongly so that you're in no doubt this is an Irish band you're listening to. Guitars from brother Pat are sharp and powerful, and other brother Tommy bashes the skins with a precision surprising in one so young. “Burnin' up” is another rocker, faster this time with a good hint of Lizzy in the guitars but also a smattering of Ritchie Blackmore when he was in Deep Purple, with a really riproaring solo from Pat, and one hell of a powerpunch ending. It's the next one though that did it for them. The boogie-styled “Needle in the groove” was their first (and only) hit single, at least on this side of the water. With John's vocals sung through a voice box it gives the song a kind of older feel, almost vintage rock, though there's nothing old about the guitar work, and again you're reminded of early Thin Lizzy. A short album, “Plug it in” only has the eight tracks, but most of them are pretty top-notch. “Reach for the top” is a fast, pounding rocker with the usual sentiments you expect from a band just starting out, but it's infectious in its enthusiasm and wide-eyed wonder. The fresh-faced naivete of the guys is reflected in the lyric ”It's a long way/ And you don't know if it's gonna pay/ But we'll never stop!” Words sung by many a rock band indeed. There's a definite likeable honesty about the guys though. Self-releasing your first album is quite a step, and throwing down a marker as to your intentions, that you're not just going to play the club circuit for years in the hope some label will sign you. I guess you would have to say that Mama's Boys' motto might have been “Make it happen”. And they did. The production on the album is, understandably, raw and quite low quality, but even this just adds to the sense of genuinity of the band: this is real rock and roll, unfettered and as it should be. The powerful slow ballad “Belfast City blues” is a sincere nod to their hometown and their simple beginnings, and reflects the thoughts and aspirations of three guys living through what we colloquially called “The Troubles”, over thirty years of sectarian violence, death and fighting before Northern Ireland was finally at peace. Beautiful, plaintive solo from Pat underscores the hurt of living through those times, and I can only imagine what it was like, as we here in the south watched the daily news reports and became inured and numb to the horror taking place only a few hundred miles away from our comfortable armchairs, over the border and a galaxy away. When John sings ”I'm giving up/ There's no future here for me/ Why can't I stay/ In the town that I love?” you really feel a lump in your throat, and there's nothing senstationalist or bandwagon-jumping about such lyrics. U2 may have written “Sunday bloody Sunday”, but they're from Dublin, like me. These guys lived with the pain and the anguish on their doorsteps, every day a fight to survive, every morning the fear of reading a friend had died or been arrested. Thankfully that has largely been put to rest now, but I feel for anyone who had to grow up in those troubled times in Belfast, or any of the Six Counties. It's the standout track without any doubt, and fittingly, “Belfast City blues” is also the longest on the album, clocking in at just under six minutes, ending with an impassioned fadeout guitar solo from Pat. “Straight forward” then, is a more upbeat, hopeful song, as the title suggests, with some great rockin' guitar from Pat and John at his raunchiest and defiant. “Getting out” is another song that underlines the desire to leave the Troubles and Northern Ireland behind them --- and who could blame them? --- and head for the bright lights, fame and a better future. It's a real stride rocker in the best tradition of Rory Gallagher or Gary Moore --- in fact, in places on this song John does a passable impression of the late ex-Thin Lizzy man --- while Pat does both the sadly-missed guitar heroes proud, although at the time they were recording this both men were still alive and gigging. The album closes on “Runaway dreams”, possibly quite appropriately, given that this was the first album from a trio of young Irishmen ready and willing to give it their all and make it big. There certainly was no faulting their workrate, supporting bands like Hawkwind and Lizzy, and of course Horslips, and releasing five albums over a ten-year period, not counting a live one in 1991. Starting with a really evocative guitar solo, the closer turns into another striding, strutting rocker with a strong blues element, with some excellent fiddle from Pat at the end, recalling their traditional Irish roots. It's a powerful finale to an album that sort of passed by on the edges of the NWOBHM, and should have been a lot bigger. Tragedy however dogged the boys, and Tommy, who had suffered from leukemia as a child, eventually succumbed to the disease in 1994, which was of course a hammerblow to the remaining brothers, who broke up the band and formed a new one. Nowadays they play in separate bands, but for a while there the world was on the cusp of being at their feet. But sometimes it just isn't meant to be, and sadly Mama's Boys, though they will always have a place in the heart of all Irish rockers, are generally largely unknown beyond these shores. TRACKLISTING 1. In the heat of the night 2. Burnin' up 3. Needle in the groove 4. Reach for the top 5. Belfast City blues 6. Straight foward 7. Getting out 8. Runaway dreams |
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By the way, have you heard the Nouvelle Vague cover? It's quite good as well: |
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