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Following Trollheart's recent review of “Caravanserai”, the worm thought he'd feature Santana's best known hit. This is “Samba pa ti”. |
Let's take a sharp left turn and look at a few more musical items I enjoy that are way off the usual beaten path. Yes, we've been away for too long, and it's time for some more...
http://www.trollheart.com/new2wall.jpg Here's the incomparably funny Alexei Sayle in an early cameo from “The Young Ones”... okay boots: do your stuff! The greatest compliment you can be paid is often to be lampooned on a show like “Family guy”, and here they do a real number on us Irish! Say what you like, I've a soft spot for ol' Perry Como, specially this song. And who doesn't like Kermit? But you have to laugh, both at Cartman's girly voice and his song about immigrants. |
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Now this is something special! The great Jon Anderson, backed by a powerful orchestra, with a sumptuous version of his hit with Vangelis, also a hit for Donna Summer later. This is the one and only “State of independence”. |
The Planets suite, Op. 32 --- Gustav Holst --- 1926 (Decca)
https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/im...2R4ydI1KBV3ikf Note: the disc I have of this symphony is of course not from the twenties, or anywhere near it; not least due to there being no compact discs at that time, barely vinyl! But I've gone for this date because it appears to be the first time the suite was committed to any sort of actual proper recording for the mass market, and the work itself actually dates back to about 1917. This is the first time I have ever attempted to review a classical album. Some purists might say, and they may be right, that classical music stands outside the norm, beyond review; that it cannot be compared to anything that exists today and therefore it should not be subject to any sort of attempt at criticism. This may very well be true, but it won't stop me trying this from time to time. If I had to pick out a favourite from my classical albums, this would be it, closely followed by Rachmaninov's piano concerto no. 1. Many classical recordings, while truly brilliant, can I find suffer from some tedious passages, some boring bits where maybe an extended piece of chamber music wanders on for so many minutes you lose interest, or a horn concerto just won't shut up, and you begin to think about skipping forward. That's probably why for most people, collections of classical music are the best thing to listen to, and why series like “The Great Composers” sell so well; people in general want to hear the classical music they like, and are familiar with --- those tunes that have made their way into everyday life through the media of advertisements, film soundtracks or even those that have been sampled for pop songs (we all remember William Orbit's version of Samuel Barber's “Adagio for strings”, and even if we aren't familiar with that, we probably know the piece from its use in the movie “Platoon”) --- and are reluctant, loath even, to listen to classical music they don't know. But this is one of the rare classical albums where everything slots perfectly into place, even for a non-classical fan, if you're one of those. It's not overlong, it keeps the interest and it has a recurring theme running right through it. It is, in essence, a classical concept album, of which there are probably more than you would think, but this is possibly the most famous, or at least the most popular and well-known. It deals, of course, with the planets in our solar system, but not in an astronomical way. The suite is more based on astrology, which was a subject Gustav Holst (1874-1934) was very much interested in. Although the opener ties in with the Roman mythology surrounding that planet, it seems that in astrology too, Mars is identified with war and combat. From what I read, Holst was none too enamoured of the perhaps unexpected fame his Planets suite gained, complaining that it overshadowed his other works, and to be fair, I know of none other of his material, though there is a large body of work left behind by him. But he will, for better or for worse, always be known and remembered for this suite of music. Even if you're not in the slightest bit interested in classical music, you will almost certainly have heard the opening movement, “Mars, the bringer of War.” If you've watched a sci-fi movie wherein there is a space battle, if you've watched a war movie or any other sort of drama where powerful, ominous music swells into a cacophony of pulsating, thumping drums and strings, you've heard this. If you're a fan of Diamond Head, it's used in the intro to “Am I evil?”, and in fact many metal bands will have used it as introductory music as they come out on stage. It's also used when there is an important football match, rugby match or indeed any sport where the stakes are high and two well-matched opponents face off against each other. It is the epitome of power and tension, and as an opener you couldn't ask for anything better. Now, as I mentioned when reviewing Peter Gabriel's “New blood”, I'm not that familiar with all the instruments used in an orchestra, so I may get some wrong, guess at some, but I'll do my best. There's definitely a low organ sound as the piece gets moving, introducing the first movement which soon builds up with heavy percussion, strings and woodwinds until the whole thing is in danger of blowing out your speakers. For such a heavy piece, it starts deceptively low, so if you don't know it and are playing it for the first time, take my advice: don't turn up the speakers because you can't hear it at first. You will, as it goes on, believe me. A real fanfare of trumpets and horns brings the thing to a hammerpunch ending, almost, as the drums crash behind it and everything fades away for a moment, before violins and cellos rise again behind the organ and the drums finally thunder in to take the first movement to its almost apocalyptic conclusion (this is where you'll regret having turned up your amp so loud, and will rush to decrease the volume). “Mars, the bringer of War” certainly gives that flavour, the idea of an army marching to battle, the scent of blood in men's nostrils, the banners held aloft in the morning sun, or indeed a fleet of ships traversing the sea on the way to engage the enemy. Tanks rolling across muddy flats, helicopters zooming in over jungle canopies --- take your pick: “Mars, the bringer of war” anthropomorphises combat and leaves you in no doubt that the very God of War himself is in attendance. As it punches to its end, the drums rolling out the cataclysmic ending, we slip into “Venus, the bringer of Peace”. The absolute antithesis to the previous track, this opens with soft viola and cello, sweetly humming organ and no percussion (or very little), flutes piccolos and oboes carrying the tune until a lovely laidback violin section drifts in, and indeed you may have heard this too, as it has been used in various films --- or at least parts of it --- usually in some sort of idyllic scene, which is exactly the image it conjures up. The horns get a little louder, the tiniest bit more forceful before the soft violin returns, accompanied by some beautiful brass and what sounds like a celesta. The delicate notes of a harp pick their way through the melody as the piece reaches its halfway point, fading away almost as soon as they make their presence known, the violins now joined by cello and viola as the string section takes charge, and you can't help but relax in the luxuriant atmosphere created by this piece of music. The harp returns, the celesta chimes along and the violin as ever carries the tune. Some lovely little tinkling bells accompany the strings as the piece fades to its conclusion, taking in the shortest track of only seven on the album. Upbeat, bright strings carry “Mercury, the Winged Messenger” in on indeed feather-light feet, the woodwinds coming up a little in the background, harpstrings adding to the tune before solo piccolo (or maybe just a flute) takes the melody, then the strings come in very heavily as the piece gets louder and more insistent, before everything fades out back to the somewhat playful intro we heard, the kind of music that might remind the older among us of those Hanna-Barbera cartoons. There's a flurry of violins then, some xylophone and some bells before the track sort of fades out, like one of those will-o-the-wisps dancing over the marshes and disappearing into the fog. Coming in very strongly then with powerful percussion and heavy violin and woodwind, certainly the most uptempo and powerful movement since “Mars”, “Jupiter, the bringer of Jollity” is another one you may have heard. In some ways it is similar to parts of Holst's countryman Elgar's “Pomp and circumstance march”, which you over there know as “Land of hope and glory”. There's a real sense of fiesta and joy about this piece, with its almost dancy rhythm (for the time), the sense of going around and around in a circle until heavy trumpets and trombones combine with solid drums to take the piece towards a more restrained, piccolo-led part and then into a stately, almost grave largo, harp and cello keeping counterpoint while the violins and brass carry the main tune. It all breaks down then into another playful flute run with attendant viola before the trumpets and horns pull the movement towards its powerful, triumphant conclusion, a real fanfare that draws back in the stately march from earlier in the piece, more happy flutes and violins and then almost silence before the brass fanfares bring us back into the original rhythmic dance from near the beginning, which gets faster and faster, like someone spinning around until they get dizzy. A final fanfare and the drums break in heavily, leaving the trumpets to blare out the triumphant ending. Holst's own favourite, such as that he had one, in the suite was reported to be “Saturn, the bringer of Old Age”. It opens on low, ominous organ and bells, like the very approach of advancing age itself, with solo violin and then cello, a celesta keeping the slow heartbeat rhythm going, lower, more bassy cello then slowly approaching violins giving way to walking trumpets and trombone, then the strings soaring in a quite beautiful but grave way. This is in fact the longest of the compositions, coming in at just over eight and a half minutes. There's a very ominous feel about this piece, much more even than in the first movement. There at least, in war, one has a chance to survive if they can, but who can stand against the rigours of old age? Swirling, frenetic violins are drawn in by heavy timpani and bass drums, and a sense of panic pervades the piece, then it all drops back to a slow and stately walk by the violins and clarinets too, with a glockenspiel and harp taking the tune as it gets much softer, sweet violins adding in to the mood, before it all goes dark and bassy again as the music swells against tubular bells, pealing out like those of a church or in a graveyard, ending on gorgeous, rising strings which fade away, almost as if ascending to the very heavens themselves, the tolling bell giving one last peal before it too dies away. “Uranus, the Magician” comes in on powerful horns and thundering drums, then stops as flutes and violins reminscent of those in “Saturn” fly in, making the piece a little more whimsical, some glockenspiel and xylophone adding in to the percussive elements, before it all swells back up again in a powerful crescendo, riding along like a wave on the ocean, then crashing back down again and leaving the piccolos and flutes to carry things until heavy percussion and horns again come in, leading another heavy charge with a very militaristic theme. Definitely a sense of something going on, a sense of purpose. Brass plays a fairly strong part in this movement, as does the xylophone, if only heard in the background, but clearly, and adding a strong flavour to the piece. It ends on a powerful explosion of brass woodwind and percussion, then in the fourth minute of its almost six goes quiet, with soft flutes and violin, until the horns again power in, along with the drums, one more time, making their point before the piece is left to finish on a fade out of celesta and flutes. And this takes us into the last movement, the closer, and the hardest of them all to review. “Neptune, the Mystic” has been described as the closest thing at the time to abstract music, and indeed it's very atmospheric, with no percussion, low trumpets and harp carrying the movement in an almost ethereal way, the very forerunner of ambient music, more than fifty years before anyone would attempt such a thing. Spacey, eerie harp and celesta takes over mostly from the second minute of the piece, with some low violin coming in as it heads towards minute four, then the only vocal parts on the suite come in, a female choral vocal, otherworldly and ghostly, almost merging with the music. And these are human voices: synthesisers had not been even thought of, never mind invented, in Holst's time. From about the fifth minute then, of the total seven and a half, the movement begins fading down, borne on the lightest of touches on the harp, the violin and the slowly fading voices of the female chorus. Eventually, all we're left with is the celesta, and those lonely female voices, sighing to the end like some sort of early signal being sent into, or from, deepest space. It's hard to write a footnote to something as seminal as this. There are albums I like, albums I love and albums I rate as being essential to listen to. But if you never listen to any classical albums in your life, you should really listen to this. As I say, unlike many others I've listened to, the interest never drops; it's neither too long, nor too short. Each piece meshes perfectly with the next and the one that preceded it, and each movement gives you a unique picture of each of the planets, astrologically speaking. Why is Earth not included, you ask? Apparently because, seen as it was as the “base” from which Holst was writing, in astrological terms it has no value, and so he did not write a movement for it. As for Pluto, well, that would not be discovered until four years after his death. Of course, this century it would be “decomissioned”, as it were, no longer recognised as a true planet. So all those years ago, almost a century now in fact, Holst had it right with just the eight planets, seven if you exclude Earth, which he did. But seven, eight or nine, the “Planets” suite remains one of the most remarkable, cohesive, ambitious and enduring classical compositions ever attempted. Even now, as we approach the centenary of its writing, it's as popular as it has ever been. TRACKLISTING 1. Mars, the bringer of War 2. Venus, the bringer of Peace 3. Mercury, the Winged Messenger 4. Jupiter, the bringer of Jollity 5. Saturn, the bringer of Old Age 6. Uranus, the Magician 7. Neptune, the Mystic |
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Here's a real blast from the past from a band called Paper Lace, who had a hit with this way back in 1974. One of only two hits, in fact, but the other was so good that the worm is going to bend the rules to breaking point here, and feature both of the songs. First up is “Billy don't be a hero”, which landed them a number one hit in the UK, while the other single, “The night Chicago died”, got to number three. Two great songs. So what's the point of having rules if you don't break 'em occasionally? The worm will say nothing if you don't... |
Trollman have I ever told you that your journal is quite obviously the best here on Mb?
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But there are others who write a lot better than what I do :) and I wouldn't dream of thinking myself better than people who have been here for years. Still, it's nice to know it's appreciated. I do my best. :) TH |
Inhuman rampage --- Dragonforce --- 2006 (Roadrunner)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...n-cover250.jpg Okay, let's have this out once and for all. Why do so many people --- metal fans particularly --- despise this band? I don't understand it. Is it their reliance on sword-and-sorcery style lyrics? The fact that they augment their guitar sound with electronics? Do they appeal too much to young metalheads, and are they then seen as not a “real” metal band, or even a real band? Formed in 1999, Dragonforce began life as Dragonheart, but after finding out that another band existed with this name already --- and a metal one, to boot --- they changed their name to Dragonforce. They have had, to date, five albums, their most recent only released last week. They have gone through some lineup changes, with the vocalist on this, their third album, no longer with them. The album kicks off with one of their biggest hit singles, “Through the fire and flames”, with quite frankly incredibly fast guitar shredding by founder member Herman Li ably matched by some prog-tastic keyboard work from Vadim Pruzhanov, thunderous and steam-locomotive-fast drumming from Dave Mackintosh in a dramatic, powerpunch track that rocks along, unstoppable and as powerful as a thundering avalanche sliding down a mountain, taking everything in its path. Vocalist ZP Theart's voice is strong and clear, not growly or raspy, and though this is very definitely power metal it verges very strongly on the side of thrash metal. Very melodic though: you never get the feeling Dragonforce are just being fast because they can't play, which has happened with other bands on occasion. Each one here seems to be an expert on, or at least fluent in, his chosen instrument. They also seem to engage in longer songs that your average power metal band, with two of the tracks nearing the eight minute mark, and one crossing it. Indeed, “Through the fire and flames” is a very respectable seven and a half minutes itself. There's no letup for “Revolution deathsquad”, and you can start to hear those electronic effects which do indeed give the idea of video games being played, but they don't really detract from the music to my mind. They don't add to it either, but they don't ruin it, not for me. I like their fantasy themed lyrics, and yes, on occasion the electronic fiddly bits get a little distracting, but Dragonforce balance this out by playing some of the fastest and hardest metal I've heard for quite a long time. Okay, at times they give you the sense of kids playing around, but hell, if my kids could play like that (if I had kids) I would not be complaining! The twin guitar attack of Li and his bandmate Sam Totman works really well, giving Dragonforce a very full sound, and the inevitable comparisons to the masters of the twin axe attack, Iron Maiden, but they temper this with some truly exceptional keyboard work from Pruzhanov. Probably the fastest track yet --- and that's saying something! --- “Storm the burning fields” continues the battleground imagery of the first two tracks, with some smoking solos from Herman Li backed by the incessant assault of Mackintosh's nuclear drumkit. Even against this powerful cacophony of carefully orchestrated sound, Theart's voice rises strongly like an avenging angel, never needing to strain, just naturally strong and vibrant, magnetic even. This is the first song so far to feature a solo on the keys from Pruzhanov, and may I say it has been worth waiting for! More electronic game-style bleeps sort of begin to get a bit annoying, but I really do think you can forgive Dragonforce that little hiccup, since they play so well, so cohesively as a unit and so effectively. Just a little bit slower, less frenetic is “Operation ground and pound” --- with a title like that you'd expect it to be a real... oh, it just sped up. Okay, then, another hammerfest on the drums, screaming guitars going twice the speed of sound, strong vocals. Still can't see anything wrong with this. Perhaps a little samey. I wonder if they'll tackle a ballad at any time on the album? Would be interesting to see that side of them. For all that, this comes across as their most melodic and, dare I say it, commercial offering so far, even given that the opener was their big single. The vocal harmonies on this song are almost reminscent of the AOR greats like Journey, Night Ranger and Asia, though with a lot more kick behind them of course. Oh, looking at the Wiki entry I see this was released as a single, but failed to chart! Well, there's no accounting for taste, is there? Seems “Through the fire and flames” also only barely made it into the top forty, at least in the USA. There's no pause for breath as we charge headlong into “Body breakdown”, with vocals this time taken by Lindsay Dawson, changing the dynamic somewhat, as his voice is a little rougher and more raw than Theart's. Still very effective vocal harmonies though, and even with the shredding toned down a little on this track, it's nevertheless heavy as hell. A pretty amazing keyboard solo here, a break for a powerful vocal harmony and the drums slow for just a moment before they kick back into gear again, and we explode into “Cry for eternity”, with a big, majestic keyboard intro, galloping drums and the twin guitar assault that makes this an instrumental beginning that lasts for over a minute before Theart's vocals come in. There are definitely elements of Thin Lizzy in the guitar work and Queen in the vocals, hints of the likes of Fairyland and Epica in the lyrics and style, and yet Dragonforce are very much their own band. Couldn't see anyone accusing them of ripping off or copying anyone. Certainly not an album you could fall asleep listening to, this. Lots to keep you interested, great musicianship and somehow it never seems to deteriorate into technical wankery, almost as if the guys know how well they can play but are shrugging and saying, so what? There's not a sense of “look at me, how fast I can play”, more an idea of “listen to the music we make”. I'm listening. I'm liking. Things continue to blast along on rocket rails for “The flame of youth”, and you have to wonder if stagehands are standing by when Dragonforce play live, fire extinguishers at the ready! Those fingers must burn! A spacey, ethereal keyboard intro and piano opens “Trail of broken hearts”, and it seems like this may be that hoped-for ballad. Yep, it is. Nice to hear the boys scale back the shredding for once to show that they can play “normal” guitar, and play it well. Even Dave Mackintosh has had his batteries removed and is just thumping the drums slowly and in a measured way, and it really works, with more great vocal harmonies. Possibly could have been a good choice for a single too; certainly one to get the old cigarette lighters out for! Wonder if they still allow that at gigs now, with this obsession on health and safety, not to mention Homeland Security? Lovely solo from Herman Li, great to hear something different on the album for a change, critics answered I think. Excellent piano from Pruzhanov, and fine interchange between Li and Totman make this song really something to remember, and quite brilliant as a closer to an album I have to say really hits the spot. I definitely don't get all the hate, but then, people will always find reasons, reasons they feel are valid, to tear something down. I personally would not be the biggest fan of Dragonforce, but I would never dream of putting them down. They play well, they write well, and they sell well. And I think they represent power metal very well indeed. Now, where is that new album they just released? TRACKLISTING 1. Through the fire and flames 2. Revolution deathsquad 3. Storming the burning fields 4. Operation ground and pound 5. Body breakdown 6. Cry for eternity 7. The flame of youth 8. Trail of broken hearts |
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With the Paddy's Day Irish music special last month, I've sort of fallen behind on my promise to feature Irish acts more regularly here, so let's have another look at what's coming out of my homeland these days. The Script have certainly made a big noise over here, and outside of here too, with their debut album, though I must admit the one song I did hear (“The man who can't be moved”) impressed me more for its clever video than for its musical merit, and I've yet to hear either of their two albums all the way through. So, probably about time I did that, huh? Science and faith --- The Script --- 2010 (RCA) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._%26_Faith.jpg The future of Irish rock? Or pop, take your pick; but is the label deserved? Are these guys as good as everyone seems to think they are? Or is it just more hype, built on the success of one or two hit singles? Is there an album worth listening to there, or is it all just surface gloss? The Script have been around since 2005 as an actual unit, though Danny O'Donoghue and Mark Sheeran have known each other since the late nineties. Recruiting Glen Power into the band, they released their debut, self-titled album in 2008 and have already had their music featured in videogames and popular (cough!) TV shows like “Eastenders”, “The Vampire Diaries” and “Made in Chelsea”, with Danny well known as one of the judges on the talent show “The Voice”. Tragedy dogged their early years in the band, with the death of Mark's mother followed by the loss of Danny's father, but though these were trying times they helped the guys grow musically as well as emotionally, and Mark has stated that through all the darkness it was music that kept him going. Their music has been well-received, giving them a top twenty single before the debut album was even released, with their next one, the aforementioned “The man who can't be moved” hitting the number two spot. Time spent recording in the US and Canada, as well as a slot supporting the giant U2, has prepared them well for the big time, and it seems that's where they're headed. This is their second album, as successful this side of the pond as their debut, coming in at number one, but much better received in the US, where it hit the number three spot on release, the previous album only getting into the sixty-fourth slot. It looks to be the first time the Script have used a full orchestra on their recordings. It opens on “You won't feel a thing”, with some nice guitar work, slightly reminscent of the work of the Edge, with some strong vocals from Danny O'Donoghue and some nice backing vocals too, good keyboard work from Andrew Frampton, though I think perhaps one of the guys also plays keys: hard to say, as the album credits all guitars and keyboards just to “The Script”. Anyway, it's a boppy, uptempo opening and slides into a much more downbeat track in “For the first time”, with a slight hint of slow rap in it, acoustic guitar and piano carrying the song until the electric punches in and the backing vocals come back in again; seems these may be a signature of this band. It's pretty much an everyman song, kind of in the vein of Springsteen or Earle lyrically, as Danny sings ”I lost my job/But I didn't lose my pride”, and the downbeat theme has taken something of an upturn, almost like someone trying to see the good in a bad situation, keeping hope alive in what could be seen as desperation. This was the first single from the album, and hit the number one spot on release. Well, if I'm honest, this is good yes, but I don't see it as number one single material. But then, what do I know about the charts? Another slightly downbeat track in “Nothing”, where Danny sings ”They say a few drinks/Will help me to forget her” and then it kicks into a more uptempo song as the Script explore a position that just about everyone has been in at one time or another, wondering why they've been dumped. Some pretty fine drumming from Glen Power here, and a pretty emotional little song. I like this. The title track has a lot of Big Country in the guitar, a big punchy chorus, then things go a little more restrained for “If you ever come back”, some nice vocal harmonies and chiming guitar with some touching lyrics: ”I'll leave the door on the latch/ If you ever come back/ There'll be a light in the porch/ And a key under the mat/ A smile on my face/ And the kettle on/ It'll be like you were never gone”. Have to praise that sort of realistic songwriting. A lot, if not indeed all, of the songs on this album seem to deal with love, and what's more, love lost, and “Long gone and moved on” is another example, as Danny sings ”I'm getting used to saying/ Me instead of us”. Another good pop/rock song with a very catchy chorus and some fine guitar work from Mark Sheehan, then “Dead man walking” is a good uptempo break-up song, but I think perhaps in some ways that's the Achilles' Heel of this album: it seems every song has to do with love affairs, and broken ones at that. If that's a concept then okay, and the sleeve does feature two hands grasping one another, which could be taken to symbolise two lovers: it certainly looks to be a male and a female hand. But it's not made clear enough to make that assumption, and if that's not the case then I think some different subjects would have fleshed out the album more. Surprisingly, then, “This=love” seems to concentrate more on the reasons why we do the things we do, that it makes all the sacrifices we make worthwhile. This song doesn't seem to centre on any one single affair, any couple, any particular heartbreak, instead encompassing the entire world, for which courage and ambition you have to applaud the guys. This reminds me of a slightly toned-down Aslan, it's that good. Might indeed be the standout. I could probably live without the rap right at the end, but even that's not enough to ruin the song for me. It's followed by some lovely piano work on “Walk away”, the song that most betrays the Script's love of rhythm and blues, but it does return to the recurring theme of broken love affairs that's so prevalent throughout the album it's almost saturation coverage. It also sounds a little too boyband-like for me, and I'd class it as the album's weakest track, personally. I have to say, I haven't heard much to indicate there's an orchestra on this album, but perhaps the closer will change that. Well, “Exit wounds” opens on acoustic guitar and piano, a pretty desperate vocal from Danny, yearning and urgent, with electric guitar breaking in but no sign of any strings that I can hear. Great lyrical imagery though: ”Can anyone help me/ With these exit wounds? / I don't know how much more love/ This heart can lose/ And I'm dying from/ These exit wounds.” Excellent songwriting, without question. And a very good and powerful closer. I am impressed by this album, there's no doubt. It's a good rock/pop record, with some truly exceptional songwriting, and I can see why The Script have been tipped for the top, why they're doing so well. Absolutely the album you would play to get you through a difficult breakup, a real mixture of comfort and pain, and certainly speaks to just about every one of us, for who has never been in love, whether it was requited or not? I just would have preferred a slightly more varied lyrical theme in some of the songs, but for what they are, these songs are pretty damn near perfect. Buy this album, and even if you don't listen to it, keep it handy for that dreaded time, if it arrives, when he or she says quietly "We need to talk..." TRACKLISTING 1. You won't feel a thing 2. For the first time 3. Nothing 4. Science and faith 5. If you ever come back 6. Long gone and moved on 7. Dead man walking 8. This=love 9. Walk away 10. Exit wounds |
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Dire Straits: I've often shamefully referred to the Dire Straits as the Dire Shits on this forum, something I actually regret because in essence they are a great guitar rock band in every sense. I'm not a huge fan of their debut, but I know it is a highly rated album and their core sound was laid down on this album. John Sykes: Is a great musician and I'm guessing anybody linked with Thin Lizzy or Gary Moore (I'm guessing these two are amongst your fav artists given the amount of attention they've received) is going to be popular with you, anyway I really enjoyed your piece on John Sykes. Nick Cave:I'm actually working my way through Nick Cave at the moment having just started with his early band the Birthday party. Spock's Beard: I like this band a lot, but they're not the easiest modern day prog act to get into, their debut album The Light is a real classic that not many people seem to know too much about it. Black Sabbath: The Born Again album! One of the most slated metal releases ever but does it deserve the slating? I first listened to it eons ago and thought it terrible, then again a few years ago and felt it wasn't so bad, I'm now listening to it again and quite enjoying it! Anyway, whats good about it. First up its heavy and there are some great guitar riffs put down by Tony Iommi and the majority of the songs really allow Ian Gillan to show his vocal chops. Whats bad, well quite a lot really. The songs are very similiar with little diversity and you'd really expect a band like Sabbath to bring more to the table here. The songs have a quickly thrown together feel and are just disguised with Gillans vocals and Iommi's guitar and does a song like "Zero the Hero" really need to be nearly 8 mins long? Finally, as for that album cover it has to be one of the worst ever for a mainstream metal band. Robert Plant v Ian Gillan: I know you didn't do a section on this but you mentioned on your last post what happened to the Robert Plant legend, well his solo work demonstrated that without the guiding light of Jimmy Page he just couldn't do it on his own and his voice just doesn't suit that much outside of a Led Zeppelin song. On the other hand, Ian Gillan is a better vocalist than Robert Plant, but he lacks the flamboyance of Robert Plant. What I'm trying to say here, is that neither vocalist did anything any good outside of Zeppelin or Purple. In essence Ian Gillan's solo work is probably better than that of Robert Plant's (by a whisker) but for some reason Robert Plant's solo discography had more variety and some better individual songs than Ian Gillan could muster, most of Ian Gillan's solo work is very samey samey, but I will say that Mr.Universe was a good album and easily his best. BTW I'm a huge fan of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, also I think the majority of Ozzy's solo work sucks as well.;) Previous Questions: I don't recall the Angry Machines album by Dio, but the cover looks terrible. As a huge Neil Young fan I strongly recommend the Jim Jarmusch film/documentary Year of the Horse about Neil Young and Crazy Horse and you'll see just why Neil is a legend, some of the live performances and jamming on there are just legendary. |
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Another good one here from Tears For Fears, this is “Pale shelter.” |
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Over the course of our gentle poking of fun at the institution that is the Eurovision Song Contest, we've only once featured a song that actually won; often they're not much better than the ones that came last! In this case it's Israel, the first ever year they won it, and they then repeated that feat the following year. However, that would then be it for Israel, until twenty years later, when they would again have success with the infamous Dana International in 1998. Kind of reminds me of the Brotherhood of Man having taken lessons from Ricky Martin! If they sung in hebrew... The lead singer seems to think he's in Earth, Wind and Fire though! The orchestra's pretty good, in fairness. A harmless, upbeat little song, but I'm surprised it was voted the top. The rest must have been pretty bad. But then, after this, this is Eurovision... https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/im...F8YPZ93Fy0T_iw 1978 --- Israel --- “Ah Bah Nee Bee” by Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta |
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Thanks for the considered comments. Keep 'em comin'! :) |
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I really like the instrumental aspect but the singer is going to take some getting used to. Will listen to a few other songs of theirs and see what happpens then.
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Kind of rewriting and updating the old Red Sovine classic, “Phantom 309”, this is Stan Ridgway, from back in the eighties, with a big hit for him. This is “Camouflage”. |
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Dark passion play --- Nightwish --- 2007 (Nuclear Blast)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ssion_Play.jpg Now this was certainly ambitious! After firing longtime lead vocalist Tarja Turunen, Nightwish auditioned thousands of singers before finding her replacement in Anette Olzon. Unsure how the fans would react to Tarja's replacement --- especially given that she was fired rather than left, never a good way for musicians to part --- the first album to feature the new vocalist opens on a fourteen-minute epic. I guess that's confidence in their new singer for you. This was Nightwish's sixth album, and since its release, and its followup last year, it seems the faithful have taken Anette to their hearts. But this is the first Nightwish album I've reviewed, although I have featured some of their tracks on the Random Track of the Day slot --- indeed, I believe they were the very first track selected, way back in August of last year --- so we're coming at it without the “Tarja bias”, as it were, with no preconceptions of how the music should be, how the songs should be sung, or any real effort at, or need for, comparison between the two singers. It opens, as I mentioned, on a real epic piece, almost fourteen minutes of “The poet and the pendulum”, which puts me in mind of the beginning of the movie “Interview with the vampire”: ghostly piano, string section and high female operatic vocal before the action starts, and heavy violins clash with guitar and drums as the first part gets underway. This song is broken into five separate parts, the first called “White lands of Empathica” would seem to be the dramatic instrumental opening, the overture if you will, then “Home” is a heavy, fast rock tune with the new vocalist showing she's no shrinking violet, taking centre stage as the orchestra back her strongly. Things slow down then with mostly violin backing her for “The Pacific”, in which she sings like an angel fallen from grace, very restrained and gentle, until heavy bassoon and horns introduce a spoken, urgent vocal backed by frenetic violin as the title track, as it were, part four, “Dark passion play” hits in and takes the song to new levels. The electric guitar and violins do battle here, one trying to best the other, with heavy keyboard passages counterpointing their struggle, then the harsher vocals of Marco Hietala carry the song into a sort of reprise of “Home”, until another spoken vocal backed by the Metro Voices Choir leads us into the final part of the song, “Mother and father”, a slower, mid-tempo ballad style with the piano coming back in, filled out by the orchestra and the choir as the song moves towards its somewhat muted conclusion. It ends on the voices of the choir, tinkling piano and rolling drums fading away like thunder moving slowly out over the sea. You could say nothing other than that it's a great start, but putting such a long track at the beginning of an album is certainly a gamble, as Rush found out, though it certainly worked for them. “Bye bye beautiful” is much more straightforward rock/metal, with hard electric guitars, a nice vocal from Anette supplemented by male backing vocals from, I assume, Marco Hietala again. Some great keyboard work from Tuomas Holopainen in a track that really rocks along with a lot of power and energy. Really more a vehicle for the vocals of Hietala though than for the new girl, but they put this right on “Amaranth”, one of the five singles taken from this album. A nice, almost Asialike piano line introduces a song that soon explodes into life, the London Philharmonic Orchestra lending their considerable talents to the music, and Anette definitely taking centre stage again as we head into another rocker with operatic and dramatic overtones, and this continues into “Cadence of her last breath”, where again Anette shows off her vocal prowess. I don't know what Tarja's style was, but this woman seems born to sing with this band: they fit together seamlessly, and you would be hard-pressed to believe this is their first album together. A lot of power in this song, not so much of the orchestra as Nightwish revert to just using their own instruments mostly, but are no worse for it. Things get really heavy then for “Master passion greed”, with Marco taking over on the vocals, resulting in this song sounding more like something by In Flames or Dimmu Borgir, with heavy, snarling guitars and it has to be said, from my point of view, not the greatest vocals: very forced I find, but then I'm not a fan of harsh vocalisation. It's also really more a song that tries to pound you into submission than woo you with subtleties and clever instrumentation. It's not bad, but I'd class it as much more inferior to what has so far gone before. It does get a bit more dramatic and less frenetic near the end, with the orchestra and choir coming back in to lend their weight to the song, but that really only serves to confuse me, though it does end well. A nice ballad then in “Eva”, the first single that was taken from the album. Piano and what could be harp against Anette's crystal clear and passionate voice provides a nice respite from the hammerblows of “Master passion greed”, with some lovely low whistle from Tony Donockley and the choir in fine voice. Great guitar solo from Erno Vuorinen and some really fine orchestral arrangement backing both Anette and the Metro Voices Choir. The orchestra stays around for “Sahara”, as the music returns to fast, hard, rocking metal with an extended guitar intro with arabic overtones, then it crashes into a sort of “Kashmir”-like beat, with Anette singing like Cleopatra at the height of her powers, sharp, growling guitar backing her as Nightwish turn out a real rock cruncher. Things keep rocking then, but at a faster tempo with “Whoever brings the night”, which seems to dispense with the orchestra entirely --- or they could be in there, but certainly not as prominent as on other tracks: it's the guitars and drums that drive this song. Much more commercial and almost AOR in its way is “For the heart I once had”, with, it would seem, both lead and backing vocals by Anette, and more whistle and pipes from Tony Donockley, and you can hear the influence he brought to bands like, among others, Mostly Autumn on this. He's back for “The islander”, carried mostly on acoustic guitar and whistle --- low and tin --- with Marco taking the vocal and proving that he doesn't have to growl, though he often does. A very celtic infused song, which would not be out of place on a trad album. Some nice backing vocals, indeed on this it's Anette who supplies some of those. Uileann pipes coming in now, completing the Irish trad feel of the song. And this influence continues as the pipes carry on into “Last of the wilds”, with some fine violin from Nollaig Casey and some great guitar work on the album's single instrumental. It rocks along at a fine lick, trading celtic fusion for heavy metal and back again, a real experiment that certainly seems to work. Almost a sense of Horslips in there, or Moving Hearts; not too surprising really as Nollaig has worked with the latter in her long musical career, as well as bands like Planxty, and other Irish artistes such as Frances Black, Donal Lunny and Liam Clancy. Certainly a talented musician. It's back to the operatic dramatic epics for “7 days to the wolves”, another cruncher with a big instrumental section in which the orchestra really gets to show what it can do, and this takes us to the closer, the beautiful “Meadows of Heaven”, with gorgeous piano melody and beautiful violin, with Donockley's uileann pipes again creating a luxuriant celtic feel, while the orchestra outdoes itself in power and majesty. Anette's vocal is at times restrained and at other times let loose with the full passion and emotion she can display, and transmit through her voice. The Metro Voices Choir add their voices to hers, giving the whole thing a sumptuous, full and dramatic feel, topped off by a Gilmouresque guitar solo from Erno Vuorinen, some more beautiful piano and gentle violin. Like the closing act, the finale of a massive musical, this song really rounds off the album and leaves you with goosebumps, and a lasting impression of a really well-crafted and well-executed album. If there was any worry after Tarja had left that Nightwish might struggle to continue, then this album lays to rest those fears decisively. It's close to a masterpiece, a massive resurgence from the band, and a clear statement of intent. Never fear, Nightwish fans: these guys ain't going nowhere! Except on and on and on... TRACKLISTING 1. The poet and the pendulum (I) White lands of Empathica (ii) Home (iii) The Pacific (iv) Dark passion play (v) Mother and father 2. Bye bye beautiful 3. Amaranth 4. Cadence of her last breath 5. Master passion greed 6. Eva 7. Sahara 8. Whoever brings the night 9. For the heart I once had 10. The islander 11. Last of the wilds 12. 7 days to the wolves 13. Meadows of Heaven |
I was referring to the lake of tears you posted. On further research I conclude they are good.
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A good while ago, as part of “Seventies Week”, in fact, Trollheart reviewed Christopher Cross' eponymous debut album. This track, however, is not on it, but the worm really likes it, so here it is. |
One year old today --- Happy Birthday to us!
https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/im...CHkQdw2XI6f4G5 I'd just like to pause here for a moment to mark the first anniversary of the second inception of the Playlist of Life. The first incarnation failed, for many reasons, and was deleted and forgotten about, until 365 days ago today, when I decided to give it another shot. Since then, in a relatively short time, we've had over forty thousand views, which over the course of just one year averages out to appoximately three thousand views a month, or just over eight hundred a week. That means that over a hundred people (or the one person a hundred times!) are viewing my little journal every day, and if you extrapolate that further, and I'm going to, you find that almost five people are looking at this journal every single hour. Now, I know that's not how it works, and you of course have to factor in sleep time, people who check in and see nothing of interest, and people who may view the journal a few times a day, but even so, that's pretty damn impressive for a journal that has not been in existence for all that long. This of course does not, nor is it meant to, take from the years of hard work put in by many others who maintain journals here on Music Banter, who have been at it a lot longer than I. By their standards, I'm just a blow-in, yet I do have to admit to a sneaking gratification in having, it would appear, broken a viewing record here. I guess that has to mean that my journal is popular; I certainly hope so, as I'd hate for forty thousand people to have been constantly disappointed over the year (or one person forty thousand times!), and have always done my best to make this as interesting, varied and updated a journal as I can possibly manage. Over the course of the last year we've reviewed almost four hundred separate albums, run specials on Iron Maiden, A-Ha, Phil Lynott, Bruce Dickinson, Debbie Harry, Ric Ocasek and Steve Earle, paid tribute to the late Gary Moore and devoted a whole week to the music of the seventies, with another given over entirely to Irish music. We've laughed at the Eurovision, cried on the tenth anniversary of 9/11, delved into the scary world of boybands and the history of the NWOBHM. We've spun the wheel, investigated the Secret Life of the Album Cover, travelled into the Tunnel of Love and searched far and wide for the best unsigned musicians we can find. We've had Head Starts and Happy Endings, been Gobsmacked and ventured into the Last Chance Saloon. We've tried to give you the “Culture Bug” and have officiated at Marriages made both in Heaven and Hell. AND we've reviewed a Pixie Lott album! And a whole lot more besides. So we hope you've enjoyed the ride so far, and as ever if there's something you would like to hear or see, or if there's a section or part of the journal you're not that happy with --- or are --- drop in a comment and let us know. As I always say, if we don't know what you like then we have to keep taking educated guesses. Going by the general viewcount, we would think that our guesses so far have been mostly on the money, but if they're way off, you need to let us know. Thanks for sticking with us. We have a lot more planned for the coming second year of the journal, and hope you'll enjoy these as much as you seem to be enjoying what we've provided you with so far. In the words of the great Randy Bachman: you ain't seen nothin' yet! |
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There are a whole lot of things that really annoy, anger and upset me about the music business, and here is where I'm going to vent those frustrations. Every so often I'll write a piece about my “pet hate” at the time, and anyone who wants to comment, argue, agree, or slag me off is welcome to contribute. As usual, all views expressed here are my own personal ones, and I understand others may not agree or may have differing views. The format of this is going to be somewhat loose, and from time to time I may venture outside the confines of subjects dealing exclusively with music, but whatever I'm talkng about, I will be spitting venom at it like some aged, crabby old puff-adder! I'm all right Jack --- keep your hands off my stack! or Why it is unbridled greed, rather than illegal downloading, that is spelling the end of the old regime for the music biz. To quote from Blackadder: “Would you like to make some money? No, I would like other people to make money and give it to me!” http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...gL._SS400_.jpghttps://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/im...yL4yRVHXzuFW6Qhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...gL._SS400_.jpg (The above two album sleeves are from two separate albums, released seven years apart. I'm not joking...) A subject that has always bugged me is the release, release and release of greatest hits albums. Now, I have nothing against them per se, in fact a collection can often be the best, easiest and least expensive way to get into a new artiste, or find out if you are going to like their music. When I was younger and we had no YouTube, itunes (yes, yes, you've told us all this before! We know: you're incredibly old. Incredibly. We get it...) or any of that nonsense, you had to buy or get a loan of albums if you wanted to get into an artiste, or check them out. I used to make a point of getting their greatest hits, or a live album --- which usually contained some or most of their best work --- as my way in, and it's through that medium I got into artistes like Bob Seger, Supertramp and Genesis, among others. So I have nothing against greatest hits packages. What I do have a problem with is the constant release of further “greatest hits” collections. If they are all or mostly new songs, that have been released in the interim between the first collection and this new one, then fine. The Eagles' Greatest Hits 71-75 obviously does not take account of the material released after 1975, which of course includes the seminal “Hotel California” and its many hits, to say nothing of “The long run”. So yes, in that case, come 1978-1980 or whenever, a new greatest hits package is not only acceptable, but almost essential, as the catalogue of the band has grown by now and there are some songs very much worthy of inclusion in a greatest hits collection that were not available to be on the original. But using the Eagles as my example of when it's okay to release a further greatest hits collection is a two-edged sword, for they --- or rather, their label --- are also the prime culprits for over-releasing, and unnecessary collections. Between 1976 and 2005 there have been no less than nine “greatest hits” compilations released. Nine! The first two, okay I can let slide: “Greatest hits” and “Greatest hits 2” are at least different albums, and service two separate eras, the first covering their output from 1971-1975, with the second concentrating mostly on “Hotel California” and “The long run”, and released six years later, a reasonable space of time wherein it would be agreed there was a need for an “updated” greatest hits. But then it all goes to Hell. 1985, only three years after the second greatest hits, we get “The best of the Eagles”. Well, okay, so it sort of compiles the two greatest hits albums into one collection. Fair enough. I guess. Three years after that, we have “The Legend of the Eagles”. Even that, well, okay: I don't know the album, maybe it's a retrospective of their career to date. We're treading a thin line but hell, let's let that one slide. Flash forward to 1994, and we have “The Very Best of the Eagles”. Ohhhh-kayyy.... so what we were told was “The best of the Eagles”, well, wasn't, cos now we have the very best. But okay, I suppose that happens. And then it happens. The millennium hits us and we get a boxed set called “Selected works”. Basically, it's the last four greatest hits albums stuck together along with a few more tracks and a live concert. It's a four disc affair, so probably only the purists and collectors will buy it. But hot on its heels in 2001 comes, are you ready for this? “The Very Best of the Eagles.” Hang on, I hear you say: wasn't that the title of the album released in 1994? Yes it was, and to add insult to injury (and sorry for shouting here but I feel the point needs to be made, and made with all the venom and anger I can put into my writing) IT'S THE SAME EFFING ALBUM!!! The VERY same! EVERY track that's on this album is on the previous “Very Best of the Eagles”. They're just in a different order!! So anyone going out to buy this and not bothering to check the listing (would you do that? Probably not, but let's assume for the sake of argument someone did --- maybe someone buying the album for their loved one, but not familiar with the Eagles' work) would buy the very same album they may have bought seven years previous! Oh, that's bad enough, my friends, but there is more! 2003 rolls around and the guys over at the label obviously all need new cars, so what to do? Ah, roll out another Eagles greatest hits! What shall we call it, they wonder, and decide on … now, see if you can guess. Think really hard. Yeah, that's right: “The Very Best of the Eagles”! Again. This time, it's not totally the same album, but most if not all of the songs that were on the previous two albums that go under that name are there, with a few others thrown in, probably just to confuse people and trick them into thinking they are buying new material. Now of course you can always say well it's up to people whether they buy these compilations or not: no-one's forcing them to shell out their money. No, they're not, but when you see an ad for a new Eagles greatest hits album, you don't expect it to be the very same damn album as the one you bought years ago. No, I didn't buy any of these specious “Very Best of” albums, but in incenses me that the labels are let get away with it. How long does this go on? How many more greatest hits can a label release? Not only that, they had the audacity to make the album covers of both the “original” two “Very Best of the Eagles” identical, as if they knew that they were ripping people off, didn't care and were essentially flipping the fans the finger! That boils my blood and yes, grinds my gears! But even this ridiculous example aside, how many other bands have had greatest hits album after greatest hits album released? Dire Straits have three, ELO about five, not including some older compilations. Robbie Williams has five, Springsteen has four, Bryan Adams has five. Even my hero, Tom Waits, has a staggering seven! I'm not blaming the artistes here: I know the labels release these independent of the performer. But how many times can the fans be ripped off, again and again and again, before it's too much? And what about those really annoying ones, where they sneak in one or two new tracks, so that even if you don't want the album you may have to buy it to get the new material --- which will probably end up being available later, on other albums, but isn't at the moment. How underhand is that practice? But that's nothing compared to those “special editions” that come out, at usually hugely inflated prices, with extra tracks and rarities and interviews and god knows what-all, the worse when these editions are then supplemented by yet more releases. Take the example of “Progress”, the last album to date by Take That. When the album was released, there was also a “Deluxe Bonus Edition” fans could buy, which as far as I can see only differed from the “standard” edition in that it included a five-minute video. Then the next year they released “Progressed”, which was the album plus an EP, with admittedly eight new songs on it. But the question has to be asked, again, when is enough enough? The ultimate in this idea of stretching things to breaking point comes, I believe, with the recent release of the Pink Floyd “Immersion sets”. They have somehow managed to extend one, admittedly fantastic album, into SIX discs! How, I know, but I'm staggered by the audacity. Anyone who is a Floyd fan has “The dark side of the moon” already, probably on vinyl and CD, maybe DVD and Blu-ray, but who is really going to need six discs of one album? And in these trying financial times too, it seems to make no sense. I know the “Immersion sets” were put together by a Floyd fanatic, and are, by all accounts, great value for money, but come on: something like a hunded and twenty pounds for a set? Who has that kind of money? But the real fans will feel they have to buy these sets, and therein again lies the major problem. These “special editions”, “ultimate collections”, “collector's editions”, call them what you will, feed on the collector's need to have everything associated with their favourite band, and their willingness to pay any price for something that seems “limited” or “exclusive”. I don't subscribe to this mentality. If I like a band, I probably have all their albums, maybe some live ones, perhaps their greatest hits. I don't go too much for unreleased, rarities, special editions, special mixes, collector's editions and so on. It doesn't impress me that a boxed set has a forty-page colour booklet, photos of the band and some sort of badge, for instance, or a poster. I don't feel that justifies jacking up the price to ridiculous heights. Some may, of course, and my opinion is only my opinion, but I think in general the slowdown in record sales shows that people are getting fed up with being ripped off, again and again and again, to quote Status Quo. And this is part of the reason, I believe, why people now download much more than buy albums. Yes, of course you'll always have people who want something for nothing, but most of us are just annoyed at having to pay unrealistic prices for our music. When I were a lad, albums --- vinyl albums --- sold for about £5.99 to £7.99, with a double or live album maybe coming out at £9.99. When CDs came out, we of course knew these would be more expensive, and they went from about the top end of the vinyl spectrum (with vinyl, at the time, still around and quite popular and CDs only finding their way onto the market slowly --- few people even had a CD player!) at about £9.99 to about £12.99. Suddenly, vinyl began to fall away in sales and availability, and CD prices jumped to anything up to £19.99, where for a long time they remained. That's almost a two hundred percent increase over the course of probably thirty years! And when the internet stuck its unwanted mush in and people began to realise they could download the same music for little or nothing, did the record companies respond by lowering their prices, competing with the online presence as you would expect a business to? No, they did not. They bitched and ranted and sulked, and tried to have all avenues to online music either tightly controlled --- by them --- or shut down altogether. But though they succeeded in some places (Napster, Audio Galaxy, Allofmp3.com, we salute you!) there was no way they could close every site or service down. The genie was out of the bottle and granting wishes left right and centre, and no-one was ever going to recapture him. People were sharing music, realising they could bypass the music industry entirely, and as a result the profits began to fall. https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/im...OPMOkRJzoTBHzu But that's all a direct and eventual result of the decades of greed and almost contempt for their consumers that the record companies as a whole evidenced, and it finally came home to roost. They still make noises, bring lawsuits and try to have laws passed to effectively ban music on the internet that isn't under their control, ie doesn't make money for them, but are they ever going to succeed? It's widely accepted now that a lot of music is available for free, or at least much reduced prices than we used to be forced to pay. Many bands have taken the idea and run with it, effectively setting themselves up as their own record marketing division, dealing with the fans directly and giving them a very good deal. Some even allow you to download their new album for free, if that's what you want. For them, it's not so much about making money off the album as getting the exposure, which should lead to more fans at the gigs, more merchandising and a better profit ratio in the end. The record companies have only themselves to blame, and I feel nothing but a sense of satisfaction and justification when I see them moan about only making x million this year, or whatever, and how music downloading is killing their business. They try to tell us it's killing music, but of course it's not. They used that ploy in the seventies and eighties when they told us that “home taping is killing music” --- what a load of old tot! Particularly with the quality at the time of cassette tapes, few people would want a taped copy of an album as opposed to the genuine article. But they feared losing money, and since the advent of free music on the web they've been panicking, haemorraging money and profits, and panic has now turned to outright desperation, with the SOPA and PIPA acts proposed, and for now, defeated or at least staved off. But they won't go away; they'll be back, probably in some altered form, and eventually they'll more than likely find their way into law. https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/im...5vjjjTbGEV5AB1 It could have been so much different. If the record companies had engaged with people instead of taking them to court (and most times losing, thereby setting their overall case back), had gone with the flow instead of swimming against the tide, and had moved with the times instead of being implacably opposed, impervious to change, like the pensioner who still watches black-and-white TV or won't use a mobile phone, it could have gone so much better for everyone. Now, thanks to their refusal to bend, the record companies will either gain a massive, inflexible monopoly over music, or fade away into irrelevance. I know which outcome I'm hoping for! |
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Not too many of George Harrison's post-Beatles work became hits for him, but this one did, with an attendant legal battle. This is “My sweet lord”. |
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The fifty-year storm --- The New Law --- 2012 (Oasis) http://f0.bcbits.com/z/11/79/1179792152-1.jpg Once again I find I can locate very little information about this artiste, but from their bandcamp page it seems they are two producers called Adam Straney and Justin Neff, who together make what are described as ”a unique style of instrumental music featuring organic and synthetic hip hop beats combined with evolving soundscapes, dreamlike sax, dusty samples, soaring synths, and pulsing drum machines that can only be defined as The New Law.” Indeed. It would appear these two Seattle-based musicians have created a trilogy, of which this is the final part, which would seem to be based around the idea of some sort of post-apocalyptic earth where the equivalent of cowboys and outlaws and lawmen roam. I can't get any hard information on the first two albums, other than that the first one was the self-titled project, the second called “High noon”, and the main character seems to be called The New Law. Perhaps a Judge Dredd character, for those of you familiar with the exploits of 2000AD's most famous antihero? The story of this album is described thus, again from their bandcamp page: ”This is the third chapter of the unknown hero, THE NEW LAW, who is leaving the barren waste after the battle at "High Noon". He joins some fellow fighters who venture out to sea, to escape certain death of the old land, and they sail forth to explore new worlds. He gradually learns the way of the sea through the rolling waves of the journey, but on the red horizon ahead, there's something brewing: something dark and sinister... and he's unwillingly heading straight into the storm of it.” From what I can make out, certainly from the description of the band above, all of this looks to be instrumental; electronic, techno, ambient, call it what you will. All I know is that I have both a sense of excitement and dread (remember Vincent Kuhner? The Atomic Bomb Audition?) heading into this, for me, unknown territory, but hey, I'll give it a go. These things have failed to work out before on occasion, but sometimes they do. So let's see how this pans out. The opener is called “I've seen some mean faces”, and starts with low synth and horns then joined by what sounds like maybe Spanish guitar, some echoey effects that certainly give the impression of one of those old Sergio Leone westerns; you can just visualise The Man With No Name striding out of the desert dust into a tiny town that is being bothered by desperadoes. It picks up tempo a little then, with some drum machines and more guitar, horns or effects maybe, kind of Vangelis-like, touches of Air also, although I haven't too much experience in the world of electronic music to draw on, so may be making the wrong comparisons. It gets faster and some whistling reinforces the western theme they surely are trying to create, then it all slides into “Dead men tell no tales”, a slower, more measured tune with some vocal samples stabbing through the overall melody, then it gets a little stronger and more intense, with keyboards and slow drum machines creating the soundscape, more vocal samples thrown in, picking up tempo now as it reaches its halfway point, the vocal and other samples becoming an integral part of the overall sound, meshing together with the music and becoming one with it. The sound of bird cries, bassy keyboard and wailing synth open “Get your gun”, with an insistent bass getting more intense and pronounced as it enters the tune, running on almost a different rhythm to the main melody. Some nice Spanish guitar comes in, taking the tune, joined by slow stately keyboards that sound cello-like, then some horns and a rolling drumbeat keeping accompaniment. A sound like a fiddle slides in, with some more samples, the piece having by this point increased in speed slightly, perhaps giving the impression of a man riding a horse? Ending on slowly descending horns, it slips into “Voyage”, where echoey drumbeats and a low synth definitely give the impression of moving over the sea. Nice light touches on the piano, swirling synth and soft, restrained percussion add to a sound like waves crashing, then a very Jean-Michel Jarre-like synth sound before the whole thing kicks up a gear with the drums getting faster and more intense, bells ringing out in sequence and the piano taking the main melody. It all stops then on the third minute for a second, there's a short guitar riff before vocal samples take over, the bells and the horns keeping them company as the song moves on. Somewhat reminiscent of Floyd on “A momentary lapse of reason” in places. Some whistling then takes us into “Constellations”, where everything slows down with a sort of stop/start sample and low synth until the drum machines cut back in, raising the tempo and speed a little, making spacey sounds which the choral samples answer, the melody almost stuck in a continuous loop until the synth opens up and takes the piece in a slightly new direction. “Bandits and smugglers” then comes in on a big rolling drumbeat, a sound like surf and gulls, a choppy bass and wailing horns. Given a very arabic sort of flavour, the melody is then broken up by the first almost real vocal parts, someone chanting on I guess what must be a sampler, not quite a rap but not a vocal line really either. Some nice horns here following the vocal, such as it is, and snappy drum patterns. The longest track, “Opium den”, at over seven minutes, opens on twangy guitar and rising synth, with drum machines and some nice bass, a female sampled vocal, and some more keyboards. Organ takes the melody mostly for the second part of the song, as it were, with vocal samples thrown in and drum machines rattling along. “Blood red sky” is driven mostly on drum machines and a jangly keyboard, with some effects added, some spoken vocals sampled. Nice bit of classical guitar too, with the drums becoming more like human-operated ones later on in the piece, and some synth that gives a very strings-like effect, as well as some scratching and some choral vocals, then the synth becomes very buzzy and raspy, rather appropriately for a track called “Nest of hornets”, the drums a little more echoey and some nice piano and lush keyboard carrying the piece, with some horns and strummed guitar halfway before the track goes back to its main melody, quite jangly rock really, upbeat and friendly. The track ends with a spoken “introduction” of the various bandits in, I guess, the New Law's gang, which he refers to (if it's supposed to be his voice) as “a nest of hornets”, which I guess clears that up! There's a lot of the new romantic, Depeche Mode/Human League about “Into the clouds”, popping along on frothy synth and marching drumbeats, elements of videogame music in there too, then “Three sheets to the wind” is the shortest track on the album, clocking in at just under two and a half minutes, and seems to ride along on basically a slow horn section, complemented by synth and handclap drums, while “Descent into fire” seems to feature mainly a guitar melody, with what sounds like castanets keeping the rhythm, faster and more upbeat, with choral voices joining in, and a few snippets of what sounds like conversation. The castanets are supplemented by drum machines, hard and punchy, and ending on what sounds like wolves howling. The closer is the title track, and gets going with the sounds of thunder, then low synth and drum machines that take the piece along in a slow, graceful procession. At the two minute mark, the drums drop away completely, leaving the synth to carry the tune alone, and it's very effective. A minute later the drums thump back in, and they and the synth take the song along towards its conclusion. They fall away though for the last minute, leaving the synth to carry on to the end. At the last few seconds this too drops away and we're left with the sound of wind, thunder and rain to end this interesting album. Did I like it though? Well, yes, but I did find it very hard to review. Any instrumental album is always going to be difficult to critique, to try to draw a picture with words of what the music is like. But it's so much harder when it's a concept album, as it's often really difficult to understand the theme or link it to the music, which I did here in places, but only in places. The instrumentation is first rate though, and it's quite an excellent album to listen to. For review purposes, however, it's a tough sell. If you don't know these guys and their music, I'd suggest running the YouTubes and seeing how you feel about what you hear. In the end, I can only describe so much, and probably quite inadequately. The age-old adage definitely applies here: let the music do the talking. TRACKLISTING 1. I've seen some mean faces 2. Dead men tell no tales 3. Get your gun 4. Voyage 5. Constellations 6. Bandits and smugglers 7. Opium den 8. Blood red sky 9. Nest of hornets 10. Into the clouds 11. Three sheets to the wind 12. Descent into fire 13. The fifty year storm |
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Great song from Frankie Miller, this is simply entitled “Darlin'” (no “g”, you see...) |
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Okay, so it's been three months, nearly four now since I first introduced this section, and yes, I thought I would be updating it more frequently than I have, with this only being the second edition. But there are a few things to bear in mind. First, it takes a lot of patience, perserverance and meticulous attention to detail to put together one of these. I spent almost half an hour getting the first solo right: you don't want singing or other unwelcome parts spoiling the selection! Even given that, the more snippy among you will note that there are one or two moments where the last syllable of a word maybe gets left in. To you I say, try doing this yourself: it ain't that easy and sometimes close enough has to do ya! Other than that, there's also the decision as to what solos you choose. It's a lot harder than you would think, so that's taken some time. Then the file has to be checked, converted, uploaded, blah blah blah moan moan don't I have a hard life etc... :) Well, finally it's ready so I hope one or two of you will take the time to actually listen to the damn thing... http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...pers_Ghost.jpg First we have one of my favourite prog rock bands, Arena, with a track from their album “Pepper's ghost”, which until last year was their most recent. This is the great John Mitchell on guitar, a fine solo from the track “The shattered room”. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...reeAndPray.jpg An album I reviewed some time ago, but then Jackhammer told me that the legendary David Gilmour plays on it, so I had to listen to it again! I think I described this solo, in my review, as “Gilmouresque”! Little did I know! This is from Berlin's album “Count three and pray”, Gilmour taking the fantastic outro solo on “Pink and velvet”. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...blacktiger.JPG Also an album already reviewed by me, this is Y&T, from the seminal “Black tiger”, with a great solo by Dave Menniketti on “Forever”. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...amond_Head.jpg Wonderful, classically-influenced solo from Brian Tatler on Diamond Head's “Borrowed time”, this is “Am I evil”. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ottheblues.jpg It stood to reason, with our recent tribute to Gary Moore, that we were not going to let this selection slide by without including one of his many solos, but which one? It could have been any of a hundred, I guess, but I just really like this one. Title track to “Still got the blues”, this is the outro solo. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...x-Ten-ten1.jpg And finally, wonderful and expressive solo from Vinny Burns on Ten's first album, X, this is again an outro solo, one of the very best I've ever heard, from “Soliloquy (The loneliest place in the world)”. |
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Just heard this on the latest episode of “The Sopranos” the worm was watching --- yes, yes, catching the boat late: understood. Nevertheless, a great song from Bobby Darin, it's “If I were a carpenter”... |
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One subject there has been a lot of songs written about is trains. Trains for many songwriters typify freedom and a sense of choice, hark back to the golden age of transport and recall a simpler time. Songs have been written about trains going places, coming from places, carrying people or things, being blamed for taking people away from other people, and of course many many songs have been written about particular trains themselves. When I went looking for train songs I found far more than I had expected, and my initial inability to think of more than six or so was soon overtaken by the plethora of odes, cautionary tales, and even songs of love, all to do with trains, that are accessible via the internet. I did in the end have some trouble cutting the list down to the usual ten, but by judicious and careful selection, and using the criterion of trying to avoid using songs I've featured anywhere before, this is what I came up with. Starting off with the Boss, this is from “Born in the USA”, great track entitled “Downbound train” The Doobie Brothers' classic is certainly worth including: this is “Long train runnin'” Nice one from Gordon Lightfoot, called “The Canadian Railroad trilogy” And we couldn't not include this! One of my favourite train songs, this is Bob Seger, with “Long twin silver line”. Waits has certainly written his share of train songs. This one was popularised by Rod Stewart, but this is the original, it's “Downtown train”. And something different, from “Infected”, it's The The, with “Slow train to dawn”. Great song covered by several artistes, this is Nanci Griffith and friends, with their version of Guy Clark's “Desperados waiting for a train”. Then you have of course the “Love train” and finish with Paul Simon's cool “Train in the distance”. |
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Wow! Haven't heard this in an age! Wonder what Army of Lovers are doing now? On the basis of this the worm would enlist in a minute. If they took invertebrates, that is. This is “Crucified”. |
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