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Around the next dream --- BBM --- 1994 (Capitol) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...Next_Dream.jpg For those who don't know, BBM stands for Baker, Bruce, Moore, and was another side project for Gary which featured (anyone?) Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce and Gary. There was, again, only the one album, before Gary went on to release his “Blues for Greeny” tribute the next year and then on to “Dark days in Paradise”, but as supergroups go, it's not to be sniffed at. Unusually, Gary only writes two of the tracks himself, the rest being a collaborative effort with the other two, plus two cover versions. With a very definite (whether intentional or not) Cream/Clapton sound to his guitar, “Waiting in the wings” opens the album on a good mid-paced rocky note, and I'd have to say that's Jack Bruce singing, as each of the trio are credited with vocals, and I know it's not Gary. I haven't heard too much Cream --- I know, shame on me! --- but what I have heard of their music leads me to recognise Bruce's voice, and I think that's him still on second track “City of gold”, with Gary ripping off another fine solo with the ease of a man totally in control. A nice semi-acoustic ballad then in “Where in the world”, with lovely soft keys from Tommy Eyre, and Gary on vocals. Nicely restrained with some insightful drumming from Ginger Baker. Back to Gary's first love for “You can't fool the blues”, good swinging rocker with fine organ from Eyre, Gary staying behind the mike for this song, then it sounds like Jack is back for a cover of “High cost of loving”, with great honky-tonk piano from Tommy Eyre. Some vibrant trumpet from Morris Murphy on “Glory days”, a sort of hard rock/AOR tune which would have made a good single. Great guitar solo from Gary, then we're into the longest track by a way on the album, the nine-minute “Why does love (have to go wrong)?”. A slowburning blues ballad that gets hard and heavy in the middle and then goes back to its laidback tone before bursting into life again, I would have preferred it to have stayed in the one vein, but its constant dodging back and forth makes it hard to really pin down the song, though it is good, but not the standout I had expected. Much better in fact is the first of only two Gary Moore-penned tracks, “Naked flame” sounding a little like “Gonna rain today”. Nice lazy melody with of course Gary at the mike, almost a solo effort by him, some really nice measured drumming from Ginger and the usual fine keyboard backing from Eyre. The second cover, a version of Albert King's “I wonder why (are you so mean to me)” rocks along with great pace and enthusiasm, just great fun, and the album closes on another of Gary's solo-penned songs, “Wrong side of town”. A beautiful, broody, slow ballad in the best tradition of Gary Moore, it's got a certain lounge feeling about it, almost like a slow cabaret song, but quite sensational. His voice is smooth and deeply soulful on this, the closing track, and helped along on the back of Tommy Eyre's deep, sonorous keyboards. Another fine collaboration, “Around the next dream” marks a particular period in Gary Moore's career, when he once again played with legends, well on the way to becoming one himself, and together they put together a fine album. Different paths beckoned however, and Ginger Baker went on to record six more solo albums, as well as working with Andy Summers and the Denver Jazz Quartet, while Jack Bruce sadly fell ill from liver cancer, which thankfully he recovered from, and is still recording and playing live. But just to hear the three of them play together, if only the once, was indeed a privilege. TRACKLISTING 1. Waiting in the wings 2. City of gold 3. Where in the world 4. Can't fool the blues 5. High cost of loving 6. Glory days 7. Why does love (have to go wrong)? 8. Naked flame 9. I wonder why (are you so mean to me) 10. Wrong side of town |
Ah Eurovision. I've actually been looking through some of the preselection songs this year. Anyway with British songs I think the high point was the first half of the 80s, the weakest one for me probably being Bucks Fizz, ironic because it did the best and won. And with Brotherhoood of Man I actually prefer the very similar sounding My Sweet Rosalie.
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And of course, how else would we close this week of tribute to Gary Moore than with the last studio album he ever recorded, the last one he left us to remember him by. No more big speeches: I've written my closing comments on Gary Moore Week already, but just once more thank you all for reading, thank you to those who ensured all my posts got, well, posted, and thank you Gary for leaving us such a wonderful legacy of fine music. May you rest in peace, and rock in Paradise. Bad for you baby --- 2008 (Eagle) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ForYouBaby.jpg Sadly, the last album Gary recorded prior to his tragic death at the age of only fifty-eight, “Bad for you baby” doesn't sound like a last album, but then, I'm sure it wasn't meant to be. All those Moore songs we'll now never hear. Life is cruel. Still, at least we have almost twenty studio albums to remember him by, and cliché or not, his music will never die. The title track starts us off on this final journey, a big striding boogie rocker, wherein it becomes clear the title is not “I'm bad for you baby”, as I thought, but “I got it bad for you baby”, though in fairness either could work. Gary hooks back up with keysman Vic Martin, who added so much to his previous album, “Close as you get”, and bassist Pete Reese, but there's a new guy on the drumstool, in the shape of Sam Kelly. He rocks out goodstyle on “Down the line”, which has an almost hoe-down feel about it, though a very heavy one. It certainly kicks up the tempo, which was not exactly slow to begin with! Apart from the four covers on the album, Gary writes all the songs himself, and the first four are all his creations, with the blues cruncher “Umbrella man” next up, with a real Hendrix vibe and a slice of Clapton in there too. Things slow down for the first time with the easygoing, Smokey Robinson-like “Holding on”, with a nice relaxed melody, some good organ from Martin. Muddy Waters' “Walkin' through the park” gets a nice outing before the longest track on the album by quite a way hits in. At ten and a half minutes, “I love you more than you'll ever know” is another cover, this time by Al Kooper. It forms something of the centrepiece of the album, a long, lazy, beautiful blues ballad that gives Gary the space to shine in what would sadly be his final performance, at least on CD, and he certainly wrings every last ounce of emotion and pathos out of the song. Back to short and fast blues rockers then for “Mojo boogie”, with another Muddy Waters standard covered in “Someday baby”, after which we're fittingly left to close on three Moore originals. The first, “Did you ever feel lonely”, is a big blues ballad, the kind Gary became famous for and identified with, and which sounds like it could have come straight out of Memphis or Chicago or New Orleans. Great backing again on the organ by Vic Martin, and frenetic fretwork from Gary, then “Preacher man blues” is a blues shuffle with some pretty fine harmonica from Gary. I've spoken before of the unintentional prophetic nature of the closer, the lazy blues “Trouble ain't far behind”, and of course it's just a coincidence, but it's tragically interesting to note that this was, if not the last song Gary wrote, certainly the last he released. Three years later he would be taken from us. So sad, so painful. As a closer you couldn't really ask for any better. It has drama, power, melancholia and slightly bitter anger all rolled up inside it, and a wonderful guitar solo from Gary alongside some very effective and emotional organ work from Vic Martin. As a swansong, a farewell and a final legacy, “Trouble ain't far behind” is as good as you could want, or hope for. While the album is far from perfect, and didn't even get into my top ten, it has some great tracks on it, and is a fitting end to a stellar career that spanned almost forty years and left us with some of the most amazing music, and certainly in my case anyway, a new appreciation for the blues. TRACKLISTING 1. Bad for you baby 2. Down the line 3. Umbrella man 4. Holding on 5. Walkin' through the park 6. I love you more than you'll ever know 7. Mojo boogie 8. Someday baby 9. Did you ever feel lonely? 10. Preacher man blues 11. Trouble ain't far behind Postscript: if it's not deemed disrespectful (which is of course not my intention) I'd just like to finish with two very witty and appropriate comments I saw online concerning Gary: Justin Bieber: "God told me to bring music to the world". Gary Moore: "I said no such thing!" and "I wish everyone would stop comparing Gary to God. I mean, come on! He's good and all, but he's no Gary Moore!" Adios amigos...:wavey: |
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Bit of a soul/disco classic for you to start the week off, this is Donna Summer, with “On the radio”. |
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Tough it out --- FM --- 1989 (Epic)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ugh_it_out.jpg Not to be confused with the Canadian progressive rock band of the same name (or indeed, the modulation frequency on radios!) FM have released eleven albums to date, but are mostly famous for their first two, of which this is the second. One of the main proponents of the late eighties AOR attack on radio and stage, FM had some minor chart success but are more revered and remembered for being like the Journey of the UK. Or something. The album opens on tinkly keyboards and then thumping drums as the title track gets underway with a typical chorus of ”Whoa-oh-oh-oh!” and then the guitars cut in and we're into the sort of territory prowled by the likes of Survivor and Night Ranger in the US. Singer Steve Overland has the sort of voice you expect to hear at a Bon Jovi concert, while keysman Didge Digital (what a great name: not his real one, of course!) certainly knows how to pepper the melody laid down by Steve's brother Chris on guitar. It's typical American rock, though with an English flavour. Most of the songs are written by the Overland brothers (at least, I assume they're brothers, otherwise that's a hell of a coincidence. I mean, it's not like their surname is Smith or anything...) with some input on one or two by star songwriter and producer Desmond Child, who was mostly responsible for the mega-success of Bon Jovi's third album, which broke them commercially and finally established them as a force in rock, and a bankable commodity. Here, however, he doesn't seem to have had the same magic touch that he had with “Slippery when wet”, and the album comes across as pretty generic really. “Don't stop” is another hard rocker, but with the tagline ”Don't stop, I'm lovin' every minute!” it comes too close for me to Loverboy's song of the same name from four years previous, and it's a little hard to take it seriously, even though the melody is nothing near the same. Child adds his midas touch to the next track, and “Bad luck” shows it, with a very Bon Jovi-style melody and close-harmony singing from the Overlands, squealing guitars and a rising keyboard line not a million miles removed from “Livin' on a prayer.” It is a much better track than the previous too, though, with a cool little solo from Chris Overland. But can it last through the album? Well, Child has no input into the next two tracks, nor do any of the band members, so they could very well be covers, but I don't recognise any of the writers, nor the songs themselves. But “Someday (you'll come running)” has a great hook and some powerful backing vocals from The Abrasive Brothers (don't ask!) and Robin Beck, of all people. It's a strong, gutsy AOR anthem, and whether it's a good choice of a cover or it's a song written for them, this is far better than at any rate the opening two tracks, a lot more cohesive and with much more heart. If things continue on like this, I may change my opinion about this album indeed. And to be fair, “Everytime I think of you” continues this resurgence in quality, with a big booming drum opening and bright keyboards before it settles down into a mid-paced ballad with Steve Overland in fine form on vocals. This is great AOR, and I can begin to see now why this album is so highly regarded among aficionados of this era. Child has his hand again in the hard-rockin' “Burning down my heart” --- and if there was ever a title for a Bon Jovi track, there it is! --- with screeching guitars, close chorus vocals and a real down-and-dirty rhythm. Oh yeah, we're back on track for sure. Great keyboard stabs a la Huey Lewis just add to the appeal of this song. And it only gets better. “The dream that died” is another great pomp rocker, with twinkly (I know, I know: I keep making up words. So sue me...) keyboards and gnarly (that one's real, well, as real as it gets) guitars while Overland has a real rasp in his voice, but it's the vocal harmonies allied to the powerful keyboard melody that really makes this song, one of the best so far on the album in my opinion. Slight dip in quality then for “Obsession”, a no-frills rocker, the second penned by the other three members of FM, without the input pf Child or either of the Overlands. In fairness, it's miles better than the other effort by Merv Goldsworthy, Pete Jupp and Didge Digital, the derivative “Don't stop”, but it does show that the finesse and craft on FM's songs comes from the two brothers. Speaking of the Overlands, they take control of the last three tracks on the album, and doesn't it show? “Can you hear me calling” is a lovely little rock ballad, with organ and crunchy guitar, sparkly keyboards with good vocal harmonies and a hook any butcher would be proud to call their own. “Does it feel like love” gets things rocking again with a great stomper with yet another great hook in the chorus, and some really impressive keyboard work from our man Didge, the album closing on a powerful, triumphant flourish with “Feels so good”, more fluid keys from Mr. Digital, great snappy guitars from Overland C and passionate, raunchy vocals from Overland S to take the album to an air-punching finale. I must admit, I had my doubts, but after the first two tracks were behind me, this album really came alive and it never really looked back after that. Whether it was the influence of Desmond Child or not --- he only helped write two of the eleven songs here, but did he have any effect on the others? --- the album shifted totally and changed from a fairly mediocre, by-the-numbers AOR effort into something really quite special. I guess the rewards really are worth it if you tough it out to the end! TRACKLISTING 1. Tough it out 2. Don't stop 3. Bad luck 4. Someday (you'll come running) 5. Everytime I think of you 6. Burning down my heart 7. The dream that died 8. Obsession 9. Can you hear me calling? 10. Does it feel like love 11. Feels so good |
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It's been fourteen years since Van Halen last released a studio album, and in that time a whole lot has changed. Eddie's son Wolfgang is all grown up now, twenty-one years old and now occupies the bass slot left vacant by Michael Anthony: so now there are three Van Halens in the band. More to the point, after several albums with Sammy Hagar, it's back to basics for the band as Dave Lee Roth joins them again, after a hiatus of nearly thirty years, and although you can argue back and forth for the “Sammy was best/Dave was best” camp, whichever side you're in, it doesn't matter. Fish ain't gonna rejoin Marillion and Roger Waters won't be getting back with Pink Floyd just because we preferred it that way. What's done is done, and things have come full circle for Van Halen. In more than one way really, as the new album features mostly material written by the guys in the seventies, but never used, so it's almost completely back to basics, albeit with a twenty-first century upgrade. It'll either work beautifully or crash like Rick Santorum's presidential hopes, so let's see which it turns out to be. A different kind of truth --- Van Halen --- 2012 (Interscope) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...d_of_Truth.jpg It opens with “Tattoo”, which was the lead single, with a big, heavy rockin' sound with dashes of AOR too, Dave Lee Roth's three decades away from the band not seeming to have affected his voice nor his rapport with the Van Halens, and it's almost 1984 again. Good backing vocals, and Eddie certainly hasn't lost it on the guitar, slapping in a fine solo here. Solid bass from the young lad; we'll see as the album goes on if he distinguishes himself or stands out in any way but for now it's a respectable bassline maintained by Wolfgang Van Halen. My problem with DLR has always been his overacting, his larger-than-life ego and his “mischevious child” way of going on, which always seemed to relegate the band to the status of clowns when they can in fact rock, and here they certainly do. I haven't seen any videos, so I don't know if our Dave has grown up any, but have to admit his voice is still strong and powerful, well able to reach the highest notes or drop as required. “She's the woman” is another hard rocker, Eddie really breaking out the guitar licks as Alex hammers away on the skins, and yes, there is a certain sense of the seventies about these songs, though they've obviously been updated for 2012. Now I should point out I'm not a huge VH fan. Like most people, I've heard the singles, and one or two albums, but I'm certainly not qualified to decide which of the two vocalists (well, three, but then Gary Cherone only featured on one album, the one before this, and it's always been a tug-of-war, opinionwise, between Dave Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar) is the better, but I always felt that Hagar was the more “serious” of the two. That said, I'm sure DLR can have his moments, and here he certainly does not seem to be fooling around. Great solo in “You and your blues”, with Roth in fine, raunchy form, then there's a blistering opening to “China town”, which just takes off on rocketrails from Alex as Eddie keeps up, the fastest track on the album so far. I would have to say this track is the closest Van Halen come to heavy metal rather than heavy rock, and we're only four tracks in! Totally in contrast then, “Blood and fire” opens on gentle, introspective guitar and turns into a mid-paced rocker, which I have to admit I thought originally was going to be a ballad, but would definitely make a good follow-up single. Very radio friendly, while still retaining the core of rock that is intrinsic to Van Halen. Things rock back along then for “Bullethead”, which contains the title, though there is actually no title track. Some pretty furious fretwork from Eddie, good to see him back in the game, then “As is” comes in on a big drum intro somewhat reminiscent of Phil Collins before Eddie joins the attack and the tempo picks right up, though I have to say “Honeybabysweetiedoll” is something of a mess, and a fast mess at that. Not really sure what they were going for here, but they seem to have missed it. (Unfortunately it would appear VH's label will not allow any content from the new album to be published on YT. This is the “official” clips video they graciously allowed be put online, so it'll have to do. Personally, I don't think you're missing anything...) I find the same thing with “The trouble with never”: sort of confused, a bit all over the place. Decent solo but it's kind of hurting my head... “Outta space” is better, pure mad rock but “Stay frosty” breaks the mould considerably, with a jangly, almost acoustic and quite country-style bopper, very catchy and it's followed by “Big river”, a great powerful rocker which puts me in mind of the best of Creedence Clearwater Revival, then closer “Beats workin'” (great title, though I think Dire Straits said it first, if not in so many words) has a huge guitar and drum intro, hard and heavy, probably how the album should have started, instead of finishing, still it closes strongly so that can't be bad. Serious critics, should they ever read my reviews, will probably think I'm a right gobsh1te, as again, like others I've reviewed and not liked, or rated highly, “A different kind of truth” has got rave reviews most places, but personally although it's not a bad album, I don't see anything that great about it. Certainly nothing worth waiting fourteen years for. It's good, in places it's quite good, but though it starts off well and ends well, the middle section really undoes the good work in my opinion. As I said, I'm not a huge Van Halen fan, and though there is a lot to enthuse over on this album --- Eddie's work is flawless and powerful, as ever, and Dave's voice is almost that of a man ten years younger --- it doesn't knock me out as I had hoped/expected it to. In ways, it seems like, even after all this time, the lads thought they could just turn up and churn out another album and that would do. Well, I don't see anything on this to get excited about, and “Stay frosty” aside, nothing is going to stay in my head once it's over, so I would have to class this as a failure, in my opinion. Worth waiting a teenager's life for? Not by a long shot. TRACKLISTING 1. Tattoo 2. She's the woman 3. You and your blues 4. China town 5. Blood and fire 6. Bullethead 7. As is 8. Honeysweetiebabydoll 9. The trouble with never 10. Outta space 11. Stay frosty 12. Big river 13. Beats workin' |
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Love is in the air... so they tell me, anyway. Tomorrow is February 14th, as you all know, that time of year when we guys go all romantic and buy expensive pressies for the ladies (or guys) in our lives, and desperately hope we'll get a shag in gratitude. Yes, it's Valentine's Day once again. Beloved of the card companies, the sellers of flowers and chocolates, and purveyors of cute soft toys. It's a girl's day, and after much badgering and fluttering of her eyelashes, I've agreed to allow Stacey-Lynn to take over the journal for one day. Tomorrow, she'll be featuring her hundred favourite love songs, split over the course of the day into four sections. Not arranged, I believe, in any order, there's nevertheless bound to be something there that will remind you of that magical day or night you met your loved one --- or else it'll embitter you so much you'll want to punch my face! Non-romantics and cynics join me down the pub, and beware, steer clear: tomorrow is most definitely for the ladies only! Unless you like that sort of thing, of course. Nah really, she'd kill me if I told you to avoid her shot at the big time, so drop in and see what she's selected for your listening pleasure. Me, I'll be catching up on my “Sopranos” episodes. Nice to finally have a break... See you all on Wednesday, when normal service will resume. Until then, Happy Valentines and may you score like Wayne Rooney tomorrow night! :D |
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Hi everyone and welcome to Valentine's Day on the Playlist of Life! Not being much of a romantic at heart (and happy to get a well-earned break), Trollheart finally gave in to my constantly bugging him to allow me to take over the journal for this most romantic day, and so here I am with my favourite hundred love songs for you to enjoy. Obviously, that's a lot of songs, so I'll be posting them over the course of the day in four sections of twenty-five each. Some you'll know, some you won't, but hopefully some or indeed all of them will put you in the mood for “lurv” tonight! Some may have been featured before by Trollheart, maybe in his “Tunnel of Love”, or as part of album reviews, or other sections, but these are my hundred favourite love songs, so apologies if any are repeated. Believe me, they're all good enough to bear hearing twice! Part One Starting off with one of my all-time favourites, this is John Paul Young, with “Love is in the air”. Classic from 10cc now, this is “I'm not in love”. Nice one from Hot Chocolate, it's called “I'll put you together again”. Very appropriate song from the Boss, this is from “Tunnel of love” (also very apt!) and it's called “Valentine's Day”. Love this one from the Cutting Crew, it's “I've been in love before”. Love the imagery in this one from Oleta Adams... One of Troll's favourites, this is, and I have to say one of mine too. It's Sarah McLachlan, with the lovely “Angel”. Great classic from Journey, this is “Who's crying now?” One from the late Laura Branigan, this is “Ti amo” (means “I love you”, in case your Spanish isn't up to scratch!) Whatever happened to Terence Trent D'Arby? Here he is, with “Sign your name”. Nice one from Foreigner, this is “Waiting for a girl like you”. Jim Steinman can always be relied upon to write a powerful love song. Here's one he wrote for Air Supply, called “Making love out of nothing at all”. Nice song from the Pointer Sisters now, this is “Slow hand”. Bread have had some great ballads, but this is from David Gates solo, a great song called “Goodbye girl”. And here he is with Bread, with their classic “If”. This is Debbie Gibson now, great song from her called “Lost in your eyes”. Lovely song from Toto, from the album “IV” this is “I won't hold you back”. The stunningly powerful and sexy voice of Sam Brown, with “I'll be in love”. Popular theme from that movie, it's still a great song from Wet Wet Wet... Could have chosen several from Ms. Estefan, but I really like this one. Late of supergroup ABBA, this is Agnetha Faltskog, with “If you need somebody tonight”. Another appropriately-titled song, this is Ten, with the greatest love song no-one knows, “Valentine”. There are many ballads I could have chosen from a-ha too, but this one seems a good choice. This is “You'll never get over me”. And a great song from Amy Grant, “Saved by love”. And to finish this first section of my hundred favourite love songs, this is Bad English, with “When I see you smile”. See you later for part two! |
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Part Two Getting us underway for the second part, here's Bob Seger, with “Always in my heart”. And how about some Bon Jovi? Keeping it (vaguely) rocky, here's Bryan Adams... From an album reviewed by Trollheart recently, this is Carole King, with “Someone who believes in you”. Classic from Chicago, this is “You're the inspiration”. And a great song from the Climax Blues Band, this is simply titled “I love you”. Gorgeous song from the late Dan Fogelberg, this is called “Sketches”. One of Bowie's best ballads, often a little overlooked, it's “Wild is the wind”. Track from Don Henley's “End of the innocence” album, hopefully, for those of you who have yet to find that special someone, this may indeed be “The last worthless evening”. What's Valentine's Day without something from Dr. Hook? And Elkie Brooks can certainly sing, can't she? This is “Our love”. A classic that always pops up at this time of year, it's England Dan and John Ford Coley, with their timeless hit “I'd really love to see you”. And if you want to talk classics... … and... Some of my own personal favourites from my youth now. This is Joe Esposito, with “Lady lady lady”. And Kenny Rogers' wonderful “She believes in me”. Nice one from Faith Hill, this is “Breathe” Delicate, fragile and sweet, it's Fleetwood Mac with Christine McVie on vocals and piano, the lovely “Songbird”. George Michael has had a nice few ballads in his time. This is my favourite of those --- well, one of them anyway. It's “Kissing a fool”. Nice song from Glenn Frey, this is “True love”. Powerful and emotional performance from the Big Man, Joe Cocker sings “When a woman cries”. The late, lamented, incomparable John Martyn, with “Please fall in love with me”. There have been many cover versions of “You raise me up”, but I've always agreed with Troll that Josh Groban's is the best. Although we know Judie Tzuke is much more than this one hit song, it seems the most appropriate to a selection like this, so here is her most well-known work, “Stay with me till dawn”. And to bring part two to a close, here's the sexy Kylie, with the equally sexy and sensual “Slow”. See you a bit later for part three. Bye for now. |
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Nah, the worm doesn't go in for all that love nonsense! Anyway, her highness probably already has you zoned out on love songs, so let's have something with a bit more bite, eh? |
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Part three Welcome back to part three of my hundred favourite love songs. Hope you're enjoying your Valentine's so far. Starting off with a relatively unknown, but still lovely song from Mike and the Mechanics, from their first album, this is “You are the one”. And this is an undeniable classic from the Moody Blues. Good Irish song now from Mary Black, this is the title to her album “No frontiers”. Another classic, this time from Harry Nilsson. Richard Marx made this one a modern classic too. Nice one from Asia's album “Phoenix”, this is “Heroine”. From Heart's self-titled album, this is “What about love”. And a super classic from INXS, with “Never tear us apart”. Lovely song from Lighthouse Family, it's “Lost in space”. Experts at the art of the love song, here are the Carpenters, with “Only yesterday”. One of Robbie Williams' lesser known songs, this is “Love calling Earth”. Love him or hate him, you can't deny the power and smoothness of Michael Bolton's voice. After Trollheart's tribute to Gary Moore, I'd be remiss if I didn't include one of his lovely blues ballads, so here's “Still got the blues”. Classic from U2's heyday, this is “With or without you”. Rod Stewart does a great version of Cat Stevens' “First cut is the deepest”. Another gorgeous love song no-one will know, it's Shadow Gallery with the lovely “Vow”. And one everyone will know! Something from Steve Earle? Certainly. How about “I don't want to lose you yet”? Biggest hit for Styx, this is “Babe”. From the album “White on blonde”, here are Texas, with “Put your arms around me”. Another good band few people outside their fanbase know, this is Threshold, a really nice song called “Keep my head”. (Think Troll recommended this not so long ago...) Ah yes, crying bitterly into a shot glass: the epitome of Valentine's Day for many people. Whaddya say, Tom? Shamelessly ripping off “Free bird”, it's nevertheless a really nice song from Will To Power. Total, timeless classic from the master, this is Nat “King” Cole... And we'll end part three with a very important question from the Bee Gees. See you all soon for the final part. Byeeee! |
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Part four Well I hope you've enjoyed my selection of love songs for this special day. Here's the final part. Kicking off with a man whose voice is synony --- sinniny --- linked with love and romance, this is the Big Man himself, the Love Machine, Barry White. Complete classic from the Righteous Brothers. I don't remember Samantha Sang having any other hits, but this was big. This is “Emotion”. This was also big for Kool and the Gang, it's “Cherish”. And as for REO Speedwagon, well... How do you set out to write a classic, and then call it “Classic”? Adrian Gurvitz did. And it is. Madonna has had a few good ballads, and this is one of her best, it's “Crazy for you”. Not a huge Neil Sedaka fan, but this is great. It's “Laughter in the rain”. Yes, yes, I know a lot of people hate it, but come on! It's a classic... No-one can hate this classic from the Hollies... Biggest hit song for Berlin, from the movie “Top gun”, this is of course “Take my breath away”. And another big classic and top hit, this one for Jennifer Rush. Beautiful song from Dan Hill, called “Sometimes when we touch”. Band called Heatwave with a huge hit for them, it's “Always and forever”. And here's Exile, with “Kiss you all over”. Something from Shania now, here's “Still the one”. And staying with the ladies, here are the Bangles, with “Eternal flame”. A powerful song from Bette Midler, this is “The wind beneath my wings”. A bit Extreme, maybe? Written by Prince, it became Sinead O'Connor's biggest hit. What could it be? Old classic from Morris Albert, this is “Feelings” (ask yer ma!) In part three we had “Heroine”, so it's only right we should also have a “Hero”... Nice one from the Pretenders, this is “I'll stand by you”. And a lovely one from Toni Braxton, “Unbreak my heart”. Well, it's been lovely being here and I hope you all enjoyed my special Valentine's Day selection of my hundred favourite love songs, and I hope too that there was at least something in there that meant something to you personally. Thanks for your company and time, and have a really great night tonight. We'll close with a truly beautiful song from Hazel O'Connor, this is “Will you?” Good night, and Happy Valentine's to you all. |
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Let's take a real classic for a murky Wednesday, shall we? Here's the great James Taylor... |
Cowboy Prostitutes --- Cowboy Prostitutes --- 2004 (Retrospect)
Moderator cut: image removed Oh, you just have to love the name! Now this album could be total crap, but I simply can't resist a band who call themselves Cowboy Prostitutes, and typically I can find little or no pertinent information on them. I absolutely HATE Facebook and MySpace pages, but at least when I was led to theirs I did get one piece of information: well, two, if you include the fact that they're still recording: they apparently hail from Sweden. Would not have figured that one out, no. Also, every --- admittedly tiny --- entry I come across on them seems to concern their last (at least, I assume it's their last, as in, most recent) album, 2010's “Swingin' on the fences”, but this is their debut --- again, I don't know but I have to assume, both from the title and the year --- so there's going to be very little I can tell you about it. So, as they say, let's see if the music can do the talking. Opening with a “Yee-hah!” and a blasting guitar, a rockin' rhythm and a singer who sounds like he wants to be Axl Rose, it's a good start. “Blood on your blade” has all the prerequistes: it's fast, loud, upbeat and fun, although I have to say the vocals are very far down in the mix, as I can't believe anyone would have that weak a voice and be a singer in a band, but it's really hard to hear Luca Isabelle, who also plays bass, but guitarists Tobbe Johansson and the enigmatically-named Lao make up for that. Now there are keyboards here too --- I can hear them --- but no credit so I can't tell you who's playing. “Make a name for yourself” has a Rolling Stones vibe to it, with hard, sharp guitar and growled vocals which, it has to be said, can now be heard much more clearly and loudly: definitely must have been a fault with the production, as I thought. There's a piano going there too, giving the music a sort of hard-rock-country-punk feel, if such a thing can exist. Kind of reminds me of a harder, faster Quireboys or Poison on speed, maybe Bonfire. Certainly has me moving, that's for sure! Just a little slower and restrained --- though not much! --- “Wasted” is another hard rocker, but I'm sorry to say that the production problems resurface here, and although Isabelle (come on, let's be fair to the guy: we'll refer to him as Luca, or he'll end up with gender identity problems, which is something you definitely don't want to have to deal with in this sphere!) shouts and roars it's all he can do to be heard above the music. I don't think either that it's that the guitars or drums, or even his own bass are too turned up in the mix, just that whoever's producing this album seems not to know how to push vocals to the front. How can you not know that? Still, as information is so sketchy (read, almost non-existent!) on this album I can't identify the culprit. “Joy” keeps the power up, and as the guitars riff in the start I can at least hear Luca now, whether that will remain the case once they let loose is another thing. Well, as it gets going, the song seems to be a somewhat more laidback one, almost a ballad perhaps for the Cowboy Prostitutes way of singing. Yes, in fairness, Luca's vocals are keeping up with the music, and there's some really nice organ in there too: pity there's no data on who's behind the keyboard. This is quite commercial --- compared to their other tracks --- and probably would have made a good single. Whether or not it was I can't say. Oh, Wikipedia! You let me down! Dammit, I can't even tell you who's writing the songs, and some of them are really good. I hate it when I have this dearth of information on a band, or an album, or both, but as I hoped at the beginning of this review, the music is filling in the gaps and telling its own story, and I guess in the end that's the most important part of any review. You can have all the bumpf in the world, but if the music sucks then what is the point? Luckily, as I may already have intimated, the music of Cowboy Prostitutes does not suck, and “Welcome back” keeps up the quality with another fast rocker with some great hooks, more guitar-centric than previous songs, and again you can hear Luca fine this time. For a guy from Sweden he certainly sounds like he was reared in the Deep South! Some great energy and some really blazing guitar in “The damned”, then there's a honky-tony/bar-room feel to “Television”, with a great guitar riff and some well-placed harmonica, which again I can't credit sadly. Some very good organ keeping the melody together also, then “Alive'n'well” has a definite Hendrix vibe to it, but sad to say Luca's vocals are again dropping off the edge of a cliff: you can hear him, but it's like he's standing at the back of the studio without a microphone. Still, some great piano rollicking along on this tune: I'm not sure these guys even know there is such a thing as a slow song! Interesting guitar break and then a soaraway, frenetic solo as the song powers across the finish line. Oh wait, what's this? Lonely piano notes? Could this be a ballad, a real ballad? Revving up guitar in a kind of Iron Maiden vein would tend to give the lie to that, and indeed the soft and acoustic opening turns out to be just the intro to another rocker which, although not quite as frantic and headbanging as previous examples of Cowboy Prostitutes' craft, is nowhere near a ballad. “Ghost of Venice” is one of the more melodic of their songs, however, and it's pretty darn good. The piano that introduced the song continues on throughout, keeping a nice line as it goes along, even getting a chance to play a solo, and extremely effective it is too, but the song never slows down again, not until the very last bars, and then we're into the closer. Now with a title of “Over the top”, and opening with the sound of a motorcycle engine revving, it seems clear this is not going to be the much-looked-for ballad, and indeed it proves not to be. Another fast rocker, with lots of shouting and chanting, air-punching, fist-clenching, the sort of song Saxon and Motorhead built their careers on lyrically, with a nod perhaps to Steppenwolf. For this last song Luca struggles to be heard, and for the most part he manages it, but it has to be said that it's no credit to the efforts of the producer, who is either really incompetent or lazy, or just doesn't like our poor old vocalist! Pity, as Luca Isabelle seems to have a really strong and distinctive voice that really suits this kind of music. A good closer to a good album. I wouldn't be rushing out to buy the rest of Cowboy Prostitutes' catalogue, (assuming I could find it!), but for an album you throw on when you just want to let your hair down (not in my case!) and just party, forget your troubles and not worry too much about musical intricacies, deep lyrics or avant-garde styles, these cowboys from Sweden will certainly fit the bill. Fun with a capital F! Now, if they can only sort out that production problem... TRACKLISTING 1. Blood on your blade 2. Make a name for yourself 3. Wasted 4. Joy 5. Welcome back 6. The damned 7. Television 8. Alive'n'well 9. Ghost of Venice 10. Over the top |
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Seems every time there's a tragedy, emergency or awareness of a good cause needs to be heightened, there are artistes prepared to give their time and talent to write, sing on and/or produce a charity song to help promote that cause. We can all laugh about how terrible and cheesy and twee these singles often turn out to be, but it's easy to laugh (fun, too!) when you're not actually doing anything to help. So, in tribute to those who do what they can to make a difference, and often get ridiculed for it, or accused of just trying to raise a flagging public profile or promote a new album, we'll be featuring here some of the better charity singles that have been released down the years. We all know of “Do they know it's Christmas”, of course, and its American counterpart, the somewhat superior in ways “We are the world”, but did you know that those guys north of the US border did their bit for famine relief too? Yeah, back in 1985 Canadian giants like David Foster, Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance got together under the name of "Northern Lights" and wrote “Tears are not enough”, pulling in big names like Gordon Lightfoot, Anne Murray, Joni Mitchell, Dan Hill, Neil Young, Geddy Lee and Bruce Cockburn, among others, to record and release their version of Band Aid. As most of these songs are, it's commercial, deriviative and somewhat cringeworthy, but considering they went to the trouble of recording it the least you can do is listen to it once. It's not as bad as some, I can tell you. Video is below, with the obligatory “making of” video beside it. http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...71V-uZurYcPQ8z Northern Lights --- “Tears are not enough” --- 1985 Music by David Foster and Jim Vallance, Lyric by Jim Vallance and Bryan Adams. |
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Another one of those one-hit wonders for ya today, this is Robbie Nevil, with “C'est la vie.” |
Experiments in mass appeal --- Frost* --- 2008 (InsideOut)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...220px-EIMA.jpg Yeah, the asterisk (*) is apparently important, don't know why, but it sure as hell makes this band hard to Google! Formed in 2004 by producer/songwriter Jem Godfrey, Frost* have a remarkable pedigree in the sphere of progressive rock music. Boasting members who have played with IQ, Arena, Kino, It Bites and Jadis, they've released only three full albums in that time (excluding one live set and an EP available only at the concerts) but have nevertheless gained massive respect in the prog rock community. This is their second album, released in November 2008. There's a very gentle, gradual introduction to the title track, with fragile piano and acoustic guitar slowly coming up in the mix, then falsetto-style vocals from I guess Declan “Dec” Burke, who is credited as lead vocals, though two others are also shown as vocalists. Burke's understated voice gives the music a certain feel of laidback folk (is there any other type, you say? Ask Tyr) --- then suddenly John Mitchell's electric guitar and John Jowitt's bass come through heavily, the vocals also taking on a fresh intensity as the song powers up, and now all realtionship to folk music is blasted away, as Mitchell launches into a powerful solo, Andy Edwards bashing away on the drums like a man possessed. So, pedigree was mentioned earlier? Well, John Mitchell of course is known from both Arena and Kino, and currently with It Bites, while Jowitt will be a familiar name to fans of IQ and Jadis, also having played in Arena. Andy Edwards thumped the skins in IQ, until being replaced in 2009 by their original drummer. Godfrey, creator of the band, has a more dubious history --- dark whispers of Atomic Kitten and Holly Vallance : sssh! --- but left those influences behind in 2004 to form Frost*. “Welcome to nowhere” has definite elements both of Jadis and It Bites, a harder, heavier song than the opener, shorter too, and very guitar driven. Burke's voice is at full tilt all through this, and very powerful it can be when used to its best effect. In addition to producing and adding vocals, Jem Godfrey plays the keys, and gives quite a dazzling display on same here, at times work Tony Banks might be mildly jealous of. It's Mitchell's guitar that really drives the song though, and he relentlessly stamps his identity all over it. It crashes headlong into “Pocket sun”, which opens on a sparse guitar line but soon takes off in a much more solid vein, with some fine drumming from Edwards. There's also a sense of seventies Yes updated to 2008 for this song, with big guitar hooks and keyboard passages, passionate vocals and a very steady rhythm section all helping to make the song come alive. “Saline” starts off on a nice echoey piano melody with soft falsetto singing from Dec Burke, with some really good backing vocals (either from Jowitt or Mitchell, not sure which) joining him, then a nice guitar line as the song seems to be turning into a ballad. There's a certain sense of Divine Comedy in the piano, similar in ways to “Neptune's daughter”, with some lovely --- nah, beautiful--- violin from John Mitchell taking this song to new heights. “Dear dead days” gets things moving again with a burst of electronica before the keys get rocky again under Godfrey, as he shows off a bit, Edwards keeping pace with him until everything drops away to single piano and the speed falls to almost zero under Burke's delicate vocal, then the electronica kicks in again as the song zips from one genre to another, with some growly vocals almost crossing into metal territory, then the rock keyboard is back. And we're still only less than three minutes into an almost seven minute track! If this isn't classed as progressive, I don't know what would be. The keyboard solo that opened this song cuts directly into the next, and “Falling down” comes in without even a breath. In fact, if you're not watching the monitor you could be fooled into thinking it's all the one song, so seamless is the transition. A fast rocker with plenty of prog in it, it's very catchy with a really nice line in bass from John Jowitt, some moaning keyboards from Godfrey, including a really nice piano solo, more violin from John Mitchell who then swaps his fiddle for an axe, ripping off a fine and effective guitar solo. “You/I” is then just over a minute of acoustic piano backing Declan Burke's voice in a dreamy ballad which should really have been longer, then “Toys” rocks everything back up with an almost AOR tune, some very hard guitar from Mitchell keeping it heavy even though there's a great hook and it's quite radio friendly. Definitely the most It Bites-like track on the album. The closer is a fifteen-minute monster, in the tradition of the great prog-rock epics. “Wonderland” starts off with a deep, sonorous synth intro then “Tubular Bells”-like piano with a soft vocal, humming, throaty synth again coming up behind the piano then dropping away to allow some really excellent vocal harmonies through, followed by strong guitar from John Mitchell and powerful drumming from Andy Edwards as the song picks up in intensity and force. Around six minutes in it stops. Completely. Silence. Or at least, nothing I can hear, even turning my amp way up. This goes on for about a minute, then eventually and gradually you hear what sounds like a mechanised voice intoning what may be news reports. Gabrielesque piano takes up what I guess would be termed the second part of the song, as we get a mid-paced piano ballad with African style drumming from Edwards, lots of bongos and the like (probably not, but that's how they sound), and as this part of the song goes on there's a great feeling of triumph and joy, whether that's intended or not I don't know. Burke's vocal is strong and clear, and Mitchell's guitar, coming in, adds another layer to the emotions engendered by the piece. Everything drops away then on the twelfth minute, leaving the piano holding lonely court, much quieter, almost receding like the tide, then Mitchell's violin slides in, very quietly and in an understated way, helping to carry the song to its (very) slow and fadeout conclusion. (Note: okay, checking back now I see this is actually not fifteen minutes long, but two shorter songs, the second of which is a hidden track, which explains the long pause in the middle. Hmm.) Nevertheless, as a closer, I think perhaps this could have ended better: it seems to tail off rather than finish triumphantly, fading into the distance, but it's a very good track, even if it's not part of the original one I had reviewed above. I just think I would have hesitated to have used it to finish the album. As a fan of Arena and Jadis, I had intended for a long time to listen to Frost*. Now that I've heard this album, I definitely want to hear more. Unfortunately, it seems there are only two other actual albums to listen to. They're on my list, as of now. TRACKLISTING 1. Experiments in mass appeal 2. Welcome to nowhere 3. Pocket sun 4. Saline 5. Dear dead days 6. Falling down 7. You/I 8. Toys 9. Wonderland |
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Inside job --- Don Henley --- 2000 (Warner Bros)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...Inside_Job.jpg Until this album came out, I had always had something of an ambivalence towards solo albums from the ex-Eagle. His debut, while containing some excellent tracks, also had some duff ones, and as the years and the albums went on this pattern was repeated. His release prior to this, 1989's “The end of the innocence”, was perhaps the worst offender. The fact that it contained such gems as “The last worthless evening”, the title track itself and of course “New York minute” made me all the more dismayed that the rest of the album could really only be classed as filler. In fact, had you taken two or three tracks from each of his releases up to and including that, you could have made quite a decent album. But he always, for me, missed the mark, resulting in my taking songs for playlists from all three of his albums, but seldom if ever listening to one all the way through. That changed with the release of this, his fourth and so far last solo album. No, it's not perfect, but to be honest, it's really not far from it. There are no real filler tracks, and some quite amazing ones. It's a collection of really great songs that finally, after eighteen years, I truly consider a great Don Henley album, one worthy of the name. Perhaps it's because he left it so long between albums ---eleven years before this was his last outing, while there were only five years between it and his second, “Building the perfect beast”, and a short two between that and his debut, “I can't stand still”. Sometimes, it's better to wait and get it right. Or maybe it's nothing to do with the length of time. Perhaps on this album Henley has finally come of age as a writer, though you would have to say that given his long career with the Eagles, songwriting should have by now come second nature to him. Maybe it was that old chestnut, with age comes wisdom? At the time of this album's release Henley was fifty-three, and perhaps the older eyes saw more clearly. Whatever the reason, this album is a gem. In fairness, it does not start off as well as I would like, with the dancy, funky “Nobody else in the world but you”. With a stripped-down bassline and sparse drums, it's the tale of selfishness and perhaps reflects a bad love affair, or maybe Henley is anthropomorphising the whole world, and saying that people are generally only ever thinking of themselves. It's something of a theme that runs through the album, as Henley spits out his dissatisfaction with the world, and his anger at the way things are, and a desire to change it while perhaps feeling quite impotent to do much about it. The second track, also a single, changes the game totally. A lush, beautiful ballad, “Taking you home” is Henley reflecting on the change his newest love brought into his life, with heartbeat percussion and deep, emotional keyboards and piano. Great backing vocals from a host of guest stars, including his compatriot from the Eagles, Don Felder, Carmen Twillie and Valerie Carter, add an almost sepulchral feel to the song. It's just a pity this didn't open the album, as not only does it make a bigger impression but fits in much better with the overall mood of the album. There are of course plenty of guest musicans, many of which are only credited as “musician”, so hard to say who plays what, or on what, but among them are as already mentioned Felder, plus Randy Jackson, David Paich, Randy Newman, Glenn Frey and Stevie Wonder. The acoustic, simple “For my wedding” is the only cover on the album, and again slightly out of step with the themes on the album, but nice to see the band put to one side while Henley concentrates on what must indeed be a very personal song for him. Things soon go up a gear though with “Everything is different now”, where Henley pays tribute to the woman he married in 1995, Sharon Summerall. The song is written in the form of a letter sent to an ex-lover, where Henley tells her ”I found somebody with a heart/ As big as Texas/ I found an angel/ With golden wings.” Played in a kind of dark blues mode, there's a lot of bass and deep keyboard and organ on the song, the verses almost intoned, the chorus then expressing his joy at finding the woman he loves, with a big breakout of drums and guitar. A chorus of backing vocals adds to the sense of exuberance and joy as the song fades out. He changes tack for the next song, indulging his political side on “Workin' it”, another funky shuffle deploring the capitalist system, a little on the same lines as “Gimme what you got” from the previous album. The eternal pursuit of money and power is treated to Henley's acid contempt, including a sort of tannoy announcement where he declares ”We got the hardware, software, CD-ROM/ We got the exploitation dot com!” More good backing vocals from the many backing singers employed on the album, with a great little guitar solo from either Henley, Felder or Frey --- hard to say which, though I suspect Frey. Maybe. After this workout, he decides to go all eco-friendly, with a ballad based on John Graves' book of the same title, “Goodbye to a river”. It's a slow, lazy melody, almost emulating the graceful flow of a river to the sea, and Henley's impassioned vocal betrays his anger at the disappearance of our natural resources and man's need to control everything. Built on Benmont Tench's mournful synth melody backed by piano and muted drums, the song is one of the standouts on the album, in fact I would say one of Henley's best ever solo songs. Some very effective mandolin comes in and fades out, adding a nice little touch. It's followed by the title track, where Henley goes back to his political views, and sings of a government that does as it likes and is answerable to no-one, a theme that would be revisited on the Eagles' comeback album, “Long road out of Eden”, with in fact the title of one of the songs on that album taken from part of the lyric here, “Business as usual”. There's a great sense of paranoia and fear as you would probably expect, with Henley's trademark anger and outrage as he snaps ”You think that you're so smart/ But you don't have a ****ing clue!” Nice almost-guitar-solo quickly cuts off to be replaced by a piano and keyboard melody then the whole thing ramps up as the passion and anger reaches fever pitch: ”They know the road by which you came/ They know your mother's maiden name/ And what you had for breakfast/ And what you have hidden in the mattress!” The song fades out on somewhat shaky guitar, as if Henley is challenging the listener: yeah, now you know: what you gonna do about it? After the emotional rollercoaster of the last few tracks, there's pure fun in “They're not here, they're not coming”, though with a serious message, as Henley envisions aliens visiting us, but declares they won't be coming because of man's inhumanity to man. ”They're not here, they're not coming/ Not in a million years/ Till we lay aside our hatred/ Put away our fears.” A boppy, uptempo song driven by Henley's energetic, almost dustpan-lid drumming, with some nice guitar touches and a very sarcastic vocal from the man himself: ”Would they go screaming through the universe/ Just to buy McNuggets?/ I don't think so!” A real rocker with some quite clever and dark satire. The acoustic ballad “Damn it Rose” seems to concern a girl committing suicide, Henley reflecting on how it affects those left behind: ”You could have given us the finger/ Much more constructively than that/ Now I sit here with the empty vase” --- lot of tension and unresolved anger in the song, as indeed there is in many of the tracks on this album, which almost --- almost --- sounds like it was written by a younger person, but then, often clearer and more directed anger also comes with age. As we see the world for what it is, we realise how pathetic it can be, and often, how pathetic we are. Hey, I'm not pathetic, but you know what I mean! :) “Miss ghost” is another uptempo, almost funky number, with snapping guitar and spooky organ, the tale of a visitation from the beyond. Whether it's a dream, or something viewed through an alcoholic haze I'm not sure, but it's got a certain Dire Straits vibe, while “The genie” is more rocky, with some insightful drumming, thick guitar and exuberant organ, then “Annabel” is a beautiful little acoustic piano ballad, presumably written for Henley's youngest daughter, very touching, as he tells the sleeping child ”You've got my hard head/ And your mother's grace” and sings to her of the kind of life he hopes she will have, and the kind of person she will grow up to be. It's a tender little song, extremely personal, and would in fact have been a great closer, but there's one more track to go. I guess the title says it all, as “My thanksgiving” expresses Henley's joy at what he has in his life, the good luck he has received, the chances that have come his way that might not have. He has a last pop at the entitlement culture before he goes, grinning ”The trouble with you and me my friend/ Is the trouble with this nation:/ Too many blessings/ Too little appreciation/ And I know that kind of notion/ Well it just ain't cool/ So send me back to Sunday school.” It's a nice mid-paced rocker to end the album, as he hits one last parting shot: ”Have you noticed that an angry man/ Can only get so far/ Until he reconciles the way he thinks/ Things ought to be/ With the way things are?” Sage words indeed. Should we read anything into the fact that Don Henley has not had another solo album since this, eleven, well, twelve years now? Probably not. The reunion with his former bandmates and the Eagles' subsequent world tour would surely have taken up most if not all of his creative time, and I have no doubt that there will be more solo work coming from this most insightful of songwriters in the future. But for now, “Inside job” stands, finally, as the album I always hoped Don Henley would make. TRACKLISTING 1. Nobody else in the world but you 2. Taking you home 3. For my wedding 4. Everything is different now 5. Workin' it 6. Goodbye to a river 7. Inside job 8. They're not here, they're not coming 9. Damn it Rose 10. Miss ghost 11. The genie 12. Annabel 13. My thanksgiving Recommended further listening: “I can't stand still”, “Building the perfect beast” and “The end of the innocence” |
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Horse of a different colour --- The Revenants --- 1993 (Hunter S) http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...Ih9TBg0RazAz2d The greatest Irish band that never was, that was the Stars of Heaven (who?) and the Revenants were an offshoot of them, when they split, with singer and guitarist, and focus of the Stars, Stephen Ryan, forming the band. "Horse of a different colour" was their first of two full albums, and it's a little gem. Full of the sort of country/indie rock that made the Stars' "Speak slowly" album so infectious, and one of my favourite Irish albums, "Horse" kicks off with two good pieces of advice: "Let's get falling down" and "Marry money". Can't fault yiz there lads! Great guitar work, excellent organ and a real Western-sounding voice on Ryan that wouldn't be out of place in Nashville. Whether it's the pure, joyous energy of "Ted's tune", or the melancholy "Speak slowly" , Eileen Gogan's guest vocal on "William Byrd" or the exuberant, irreverent "The drinking side of me", or indeed the tender, ethereal closing instrumental, “Forbidden mourning”, the Revenants deliver on all counts. The Stars of Heaven have gone out, and like their mythical counterparts, The Revenants' music haunts the lonely corners of Ireland, waiting in the bargain bins, crying out to be heard. Is no-one listening? TRACKLISTING 1. Let's get falling down 2. Marry money 3. Ted's tune 4. You for whom silence 5. Sympathy 6. William Byrd 7. The drinking side of me 8. Capercayle 9. Xmas card 10. Speak slowly 11. Doctor said 12. Forbidden mourning |
Having just discovered your journal I'm going to go through it page by page and making some comments on some of the interesting stuff you've got.
Pages 1-2 Genesis Seconds Out: Now I've never heard this album as I've always been really anti-Phil Coillins over the years, but noticed most of the vids you put up are of the Gabriel era but sung by Collins. Maybe I should give the Collins era another chance, well at least the 70s stuff. Marillion Happiness is the Road: Again not heard this, but I am a fan of Steve Hogarth era Marillion and really love the Brave and This Strange Engine albums. Iron Maiden Brave New World:This was a good album despite not being brilliant, but did mark the return of Bruce Dickenson to the fold, but I have to say that A Matter of Life and Death was the classic late era Maiden album and a real return to form and probably their best since Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. A-ha Analogue: I've always been a huge A-ha fan and they are probably one of the few pop bands that I can really enjoy, Morten Harkett's vocals have always been something special and their first 5 albums something special and the first 3 classics. Analogue is without doubt the best of the comeback albums and came after the poor Lifelines album. Rainbow Rainbow Rising: Loved the review of this album and its without doubt one of the most influential heavy albums of the 1970s, it was a classic line-up and just a pity that Ritchie Blackmore didn't persevere with this batch of musicians. This is big arena metal and the Dio legend was born on these albums. I also think Long Live Rock n Roll to be as good as this album. Martin Birch also produced both these albums |
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Good one from the Pretenders to get the weekend underway, this is “Don't get me wrong”. |
Oh man! You have just started on page 1? Have you some catching-up to do! We're currently on page 90, almost! Well, hopefully you'll enjoy some of what I have here, and thanks very much for commenting: not enough people do. If you would like to see something reviewed, if it's within my sphere of musical influence and I have or can get it, let me know and I'll do my best.
Meanwhile, let me just comment on your comments... :) Quote:
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Heathen --- David Bowie --- 2002 (ISO)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...b6/Heathen.jpg Seen as Bowie's comeback album after a patchy period from 1984 onwards, “Heathen” was his biggest selling album for almost twenty years, and features some star guests such as Dave Grohl, Jordan Rudess and the legendary Pete Townshend performing on some of the songs. Although frequently linked with the attacks on New York in September 2001, Bowie has categorically denied any such link, at least any deliberate link, advising that all the songs were written before the attacks. His denial has not stopped critics lauding it though as perhaps as big a musical influence on 9/11 as Springsteen's “The Rising”. You don't often find cover versions on Bowie's albums, but “Heathen” has three, of which more as we get to them. For now, the album opens on “Sunday”, a nice gentle easing into the album, with deep synth backing and Bowie's clear and unmistakable voice as ever in perfect nick. It's a very understated opening, almost a prequel to the album, and there's some weird but very effective sounds which I think may be an omnichord in the background, keeping pace with the synth. The drums come in hard right at the end, and the song then fades out too quickly I feel: just as it was getting going. Next one up is one of those covers I was talking about. It's the Pixies' “Cactus”, with acoustic guitar, little reminscent of the arrangement for “Starman” before it picks up and electric kicks in, dramatic organ getting in on the act too. I'm not that familiar with the Pixies' work, but the song sounds ok. I'm not sure why an artiste of Bowie's calibre needs to include cover versions on his albums, but there you go. Maybe he likes the band. Things slow down again and get all Eno-atmospheric for “Slip away”, the longest track on the album at just over six minutes, with a very Ziggy-like vocal, nice Waits-style acoustic piano, choral vocals backing the thin white duke. This comes across to me as a very Roger Waters-era Floyd song, like maybe something out of “The final cut”, and it has a nice gentle but dramatic feel to it. Pete Townshend shows up to play some fine guitar on “Slowburn”, a more uptempo track, and indeed the first fast one (of his own) on the album so far. There's a soul/jazz feel to this, created in part by “the Borneo Horns”, consisting of Lenny Picket, Stan Harrison and Steve Elson. “Afraid” has a kind of fifties rock guitar with some nice keyboard work from Jordan Rudess, and some lovely strings, but is the second uptempo track, very catchy. It's Dave Grohl then who straps on the strat for Neil Young's “I've been waiting for you”, a mid-paced hard rocker with Bowie in more “Diamond dogs” voice, then “I would be your slave” bops along in a slower, more stately vein with some beautiful violin and viola (there are two violinists and one viola player on the album, and a cellist) and some programmed drums which really suit the song. Things change totally then for the last cover, “I took a trip on a Gemini spaceship”, by the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, a huge influence on Bowie's early career, and instrumental in the creation of Ziggy Stardust. The Borneo Horns are back in town, and there's some pretty good funky guitar too, lots of spacey sound effects and a very seventies disco feel to the song, though I think it may be from the sixties: can't confirm that though. There's a slowing of pace then for the somewhat introspective (I know: one of my favourite words! Buy a thesaurus: I have one, but I don't like using it as it runs the batteries down!) “5:15 the angels have gone” with some very “In the air tonight”-style moaning keyboards from Rudess, and some gentle piano. The pace kicks up a little then for the semi-balladic “Everyone says hi”, with some really smooth strings arrangements, Bowie's voice very soft and restrained in a musical postcard song, and “A better future” is a pleasant rock/pop song, with bright, happy keyboards, an infectious bassline and again Bowie singing in a sort of intoned way. The album then ends on the title track, and “Heathen (the rays)” veers between downbeat synthpop and a guitar riff out of “Rebel rebel”, with Bowie at his impassioned and tortured best. It's clear to see why this was his best-received album since 1984. It's a lot more commercial and accessible than the likes of “Outside”, “Earthling, “Never let me down” or “Black tie white noise”, or indeed the two Tin Machine albums. It's got some near-classics on it, and even though it's almost perfectly crafted music, it's evidence --- if any were needed --- of an artist who does this effortlessly and flawlessly, almost as an afterthought. A man who can create beautiful music that lasts the test of time hardly without thinking about it. It's instinctive, it's natural, it's second nature. It's David Bowie, and this is one great album that returns him to the top of the tree, where he belongs, and always has done. TRACKLISTING 1. Sunday 2. Cactus 3. Slip away 4. Slowburn 5. Afraid 6. I've been waiting for you 7. I would be your slave 8. I took a trip on a Gemini spaceship 9. 5:15 the angels have gone 10. Everyone says hi 11. A better future 12. Heathen (the rays) Recommended further listening: are you KIDDING me??? |
I know there is some catching up to do as you are like on page 90!!!! But just glancing through some of the pages has wetted my appetite, as there is just so much good stuff on here, as I'm on MB a lot, I can review and comment on a couple of pages each time.
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Almost a month since we had our last selection of epic tracks, so must be about due for another one. Starting off with Pink Floyd, and a classic from the album “Meddle”, coming in at 23 mins 29 seconds, this is of course “Echoes”. Something a bit more recent now. This is the title track from the album “The city sleeps”, by Touchstone, a track that runs for 11 mins 39 seconds. Taken from the album “01011001” by Ayreon, this is in fact the closing track, at 12 mins 18 seconds, it's called “The sixth extinction”. This is one I really love from Mostly Autumn. Taken from the album “The spirit of autumn past”, running for 11 mins 39 seconds, this is “The gap is too wide”. And to finish, here's 25 minutes and four seconds of pure class from Fish. From “Raingods with zippos”, this is the full version of “Plague of ghosts”. |
Great! Looking forward to your comments. Hope you enjoy it...
:) Quote:
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When I was a lot younger, and used to make compilations on cassette tapes --- later CDs, when recordable discs became available --- and before things like ipods and playlists were words in the dictionary, I often would select an artiste I particularly liked and make a compilation of every, single song of theirs that I had, up to that point, and in alphabetical order. I used to call these “The compleat, alphabetical [insert artiste name]”, and not suprisingly they would run to maybe five or six tapes, the longest available tape at the time being a 120-minute. Why the odd spelling of complete? I don't know: I used to see it on books and such, and I think it's an old English version of the word, but I just liked it: sounds more authoritative, I think. Anyway, back to the C120 tapes: these were notorious for suddenly failing, either getting tangled and stuck in your cassette deck (ruining both) or acquiring “dropouts” (see my guide to twentieth century technology”, way back in the depths of this journal) and so I usually used C90 tapes, which as their name implies allowed you to fit 90 minutes of music --- 45 per side --- on each.
Typically, I could fit about eighteen to twenty tracks per side, but then if some of the songs were longer that would obviously bring that figure down. I don't do these tapes anymore, having no use now for a cassette deck and being one of those poor sods who listens more to playlists than albums --- why go to the trouble of compiling your own collection when Apple can do it for you, eh? But in memory of those old tapes I would like now to introduce a new section to the journal, announced recently by Stacey-Lynn's NewsFoxes. In this section I will attempt to feature every single track from every album by the artiste concerned. I will try to run these weekly, concentrating on one letter each week, and as the series goes on I may add other artistes to run concurrently, as twenty-six weeks is a long time and I may wish to feature (an)other artiste(s) in the meantime. It could of course happen that the band in question may release a new album during the time I'm featuring them, which will knock my running order out of whack, but we'll deal with that as it happens. I may also inadvertently miss unreleased/rarity items, though I'll be doing my best to make sure all the tracks are covered. Any song beginning with a definite or indefinite article (a, an, the, those etc) will be listed under its first proper noun or verb, so that were I running the Waterboys, “A bang on the ear” would feature under B for bang, not A for a, and “The whole of the moon” under W for Whole not T for the, and so on. Anything beginning with parentheses will use the first word, as long as that first word is not a definite or indefinite article, ie “(Seemingly) Non-stop Summer” by a-ha will be under S, while a song, should it exist, called “(The hour of) nine wolves” --- it could happen! --- would go under H for hour not T for the, and so on. Similarly, any title beginning with a number, like “100 nights”, will be filed under its alphabetical equivalent, ie O for “one” (hundred). Confused? Good. Let's go then. http://www.trollheart.com/abcmarillion.jpg First up, one of my very favourite bands, progressive rock favourites Marillion. From their debut in 1983 under frontman and vocalist Fish's leadership, Marillion went on to spearhead what I guess could almost be called the NWOBPR --- the New Wave of British Progressive Rock, along with bands like IQ, Twelfth Night, Pallas and Pendragon --- which built on the influence of “older” prog-rock bands like Genesis, Rush and Yes, updating the sound for the eighties while still staying basically true to the core values and themes of the music. http://www.trollheart.com/ABCA.jpg (An) Accidental man (This strange engine) Afraid of sunlight (Afraid of sunlight) Afraid of sunrise (Afraid of sunlight) After me (Seasons end) Alone again in the lap of luxury (Brave) Angelina (Marbles) (The) Answering machine (Radiation) Assassing (Fugazi) Asylum satellite #1 (Happiness is the road Vol II: The hard shoulder) |
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Well, yeah, just a little. There are some country songs/artistes I do like, though a lot of it leaves me cold. Nevertheless, it can't be denied that country music has made some huge contributions towards the industry and that some country songs have gone down, rightly, as all-time classics. In this section I'll be picking not necessarily the best or most well-known songs, but the ones I like, that I know, and that I rate. It'll most likely be a mixed bag, with classics, “nu-country”, some country-rock and maybe some upcoming artistes, who knows? Anyway, let's git while the gittin's good: here's the first selection. One of my favourites from the venerable Willie Nelson, this is “The City of New Orleans”. I'm rather partial to Dwight Yoakam's brand of country/rock, so here's “Long white Cadillac” from him. We'd have to feature the Man in Black, of course... And I've always liked Emmylou Harris. This is “I'm movin' on”. And to wind things up, this is a nice little ballad from Randy Travis, called “Promises”. |
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Well I was surprised to see Shadow Gallery! I really like this band and they're without doubt one of the best prog metal bands around, whats even more amazing, is that I've never ever seen them mentioned in the rock & metal forum. Their debut album had some good stuff, but the band were finding their feet. Their second album Carved in Stone is a really good album but Tyranny is the band's masterpiece based on the albums that I've heard, every song is special and I especially love "Mystery". The band certainly don't get enough credit, with Dream Theater far too often stealing the plaudits from this style of softer prog metal. What's so great about Shadow Gallery, is at times they sound just like a metal band, other times just like a 70s prog act and other times like an 80s AOR act. I still need to listen to Room V and didn't realize the saga continued from Tyranny on there. Also was surprised to read that singer Mike Baker had died, a great loss. Do you know Angra the Brazilian power metal band with progressive tendencies? If you don't know them, check them out as their second album Holy Land has similiarities with Tyranny and like Tyranny needs several listen to really appreciate. Tyranny is such a special album and not many albums can hold my attention for 70 odd minutes! |
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Oh come on now, be honest: you can't get much smoother than Hall and Oates, can you? Just the thing to ease you into your day (or, if you're on nightshift, lull you to sleep after a hard night)! |
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