Trollheart

It's often a good idea for a member of a band (usually the frontman) to try out a solo career. We've covered this in the section “Gone solo in the game”, and to some extent in the recent “Rock and roll I gave you the best years of my life”. There can be many reasons why one would go solo, but then again, there are often just as many not to. The music world is full of people who tried a solo career and did, or do, very well, but littering those gold-paved streets they walk are another breed, the men and women who thought a solo career was a good idea, and found to their cost that it was not.

Would anyone like to guess which of the two we're focussing on in this section? The artistes featured here will not always be nobodies. Sometimes really famous or successful people go solo and yet find they're not able to crack it. Future stars of this slot include the likes of Bob Geldof, Richard Ashcroft and (sign to ward off evil!) Gary Barlow, to mention a few. In this section we'll try to deconstruct the artist's solo career as separate from his or her band, and discover or hypothesise why they failed to set the world alight when out on their own (we will NOT be using the catchall explanation “Cos they were sh1t!”), and why they thought they would.

The first of our “career overboard” stars is El DeBarge. You remember DeBarge. They were huge in the eighties. Well, big. Well, sort of. Well, they had one decent song that I remember, that being “Rhythm of the night”. They were moderately successful, until they all got drug addictions, some ended up in prison and one sadly died. But the mogul behind Motown records, one Berry Gordy, thought he saw something in the lead singer, and eldest boy, Eldra Patrick, known as “El”, and he decided that a solo career for this guy was the way to go.

He began pushing El's star up into the heavens, proclaiming that DeBarge (the band) had been nothing more than a “vehicle to launch the solo career of lead singer El” (quote remembered, but not its source: some music magazine from years back, maybe a radio show), and after he convinced a star-struck El to leave the band, they more or less withered away; though they released two more albums after his departure, neither successful.


Ah, but El's rise to fame! Meteoric, eh? Well, no. He released his first solo album the next year, 1986, and was in fact quite lucky really that the single from it, “Who's Johnny”, was chosen to feature in the sci-fi/comedy film “Short circuit”, netting him a number three hit single and sudden international fame. It was, however, not to last. His next album took three years to produce, but despite all the care and time he put into it, “Gemini” was absent from the charts.


DeBarge by now having faded away, and El's one and only hit single now three years old, people were not really interested anymore, and other things were happening. In a very real way, the world had moved on while El DeBarge tinkered away in his studio. Nothing wrong with taking your time on a project, of course, but you have to have your timing right or it's all for nothing. Which it was.

Between this time and the release of his third solo album, El collaborated with music producer supremo Quincy Jones on a single that also featured Barry White and James Ingram, 1990's “The secret garden”, then in 1992 he unleashed “In the storm”. The world however was underwhelmed, and the album again failed to chart. This despite the fact that it received critical acclaim; plaudits though do not equal record sales, and “In the storm” was another commercial failure for the “superstar” from DeBarge.




It was two years later when he released his fourth, “Heart mind and soul”, which again, despite the input of Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, and the legendary Stevie Wonder, failed to set the charts alight. His next appearance was in 1998, when he sung with the reunited members of DeBarge in concerts off the back of renewed popularity due to DeBarge's records being sampled by rap artistes. However, after that he more or less hit the slide, being arrested and then jailed for drug possession --- as indeed had most of the band by then --- and while in jail he found God (not sure why God is always spending time in jail, but so many people have found him there...)


2010 saw the “rebirth” of El DeBarge, as he signed to a new label and released his fifth solo album, “Second chance”. It appears to have been very successful, with the first single taken from it, the title track, having been nominated for two Grammys this year. El's past has come back to haunt him, though, as he suffered a relapse this year and checked himself into rehab, cancelling all appearances and his forthcoming tour. He expects to head out on the road later in the year.

With a total of five albums, four of which failed to chart in the US (his latest got in at 57) and fifteen singles, of which only three charted in the US and two in the UK, one could hardly describe El DeBarge's solo career as being that of a superstar, or even moderately successful. And yet, he struggled against the odds and managed to link himself with some big names in rap and R&B --- 50 cent, Mary J. Blige --- worked with big-name producers and even musical legends like Stevie Wonder. He refused to let his drug addiction drag him down, fought it and struggled through his own heart of darkness to emerge on the other side, a changed man.

On the face of it, the decision to branch out on his own seems to have been an ill-advised one in the case of El DeBarge, but who knows? He's just hitting fifty, and although this may seem a little old to try to reinvent himself, others have done just that when much older. So although he's not exactly had a stellar career so far, perhaps the best is yet to come.

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

Random Track of the Day
Thursday, October 21 2011
Way back when we started this series (August, I think?), one of the first bands featured were Nightwish. Back then, there existed some uncertainty as to what album the track was from. Well here they are again, and this time there's no ambiguity.

The riddler --- Nightwish --- from "Oceanborn" on Spinefarm


Some confusion as to what label this album is on though, as three are mentioned, but as Spinefarm are the first we'll go with that. A nice boppy, rocky number from “Oceanborn”, their second album, “The riddler” gallops along at a great pace, with arpeggiated keyboards and the great Tarja at her operatic best. Strangely enough, parts of the melody remind me of Chris de Burgh's hit, “Don't pay the ferryman”... Rather like Riverside, I'm only occasionally dipping into this band's work, but each track I hear keeps me coming back for more.

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

Random Track of the Day
Saturday, October 22 2011
Strange, the nature of randomness. Here we are, with another track from a band that a) I know very little of, b) have not listened to a full album of and c) only downloaded last week. And yet everything I hear from Cain's Dinasty I like!

My last sunrise --- Cain's Dinasty --- from "Madmen, witches and werewolves" on RedRivet
Moderator cut: image removed

Come on! You HAVE to love a band who close their album with a track entitled “**** you forever” --- these guys are class! Another great track from the album “Madmen, witches and werewolves”, their second, so far. Expect to hear a lot more of these guys!

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

Ah, who doesn't like Jackson Browne? What's not to like? Here he is with one of his big, feelhood hits from the eighties, “Somebody's baby”.

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

This desert life --- Counting Crows --- 1999 (Geffen)


The first --- and originally, only --- thing that impressed me about this album when I first heard it was the second track, “Mrs. Potter's lullaby”, which I loved. But I was disappointed in the rest of the album. So much so, in fact, that yesterday I was considering featuring it in my “Nice song --- shame about the album!” spot. It was only when I started listening to it again I became aware of how decent an album it is, and I felt I couldn't feature it in that slot. So instead I'm now reviewing it as an album in its own right. If you knew how much my opinion of it has changed within six months, you would be amazed, but you don't so you won't, so here's the review instead.

It starts off with the bouncy “Hanginaround”, which I believe featured in the movie “Cruel intentions”. It's kind of a hymn for bums, as it were, written when things were not happening for lead singer Adam Duritz, and he was at something of a crossroads in his life, wondering where his career was going. The song has a lot of handclaps and good backing vocals, and comes across as more a wake-up-and-do-something-about-it song, when he sings ”I've been bummin' around/ For way way too long!” It ends on a kind of distorted piano melody, which then more or less segues into what I still consider the best track on the album, the toe-tappin', country-flavoured “Mrs. Potter's lullaby”, with its honky-tonk piano and organ, and some really nice pedal steel guitar from Dave Immergluck. This is a song I can never listen to without wanting to dance. Great lyric: ”The last one out of the circus/ Has to lock up everything/ Or the elephants will get out/ And forget to remember what you said.”

“Amy hit the atmosphere” is a brooding, moody ballad with atmospheric synths, piano and nice expressive guitar by David Bryson. The song builds up nicely to a good crescendo ending, then “Four days” reminds me of Irish country/rock forgotten heroes The Stars of Heaven: a nice rhythm and beat to the song, runs along at a decent clip with some nice jangly guitars. “High life” is a pleasant bopper with something of a tortured vocal, and some great synth work.

“Colorblind” is carried entirely on a nice piano line, sounding extremely REM, so much so that I realise I've heard this before and thought it was Michael Stipe and the boys. Haunting little bittersweet ballad, great little song but it's scary how like REM it is!

I find this band very influenced by country rock, the likes of the Eagles, and “I wish I was a girl” is no departure from that, though there's some very rocky electric guitar in it. It's a kind of mid-paced ballad, as indeed is “Speedway,” though more laid-back than the track that preceded it. In fact, a lot of this album is low-key, laidback and slow an' easy. The album closes on a sort of blues/boogie number, “St. Robinson in his Cadillac dream”. Great organ carries this final track, reminiscent of some of the best work done by the Hooters. Great bit of mandolin helps the song along to the finish line.

The track is just over five minutes, though runs for fifteen, and if you let it continue you will find a “hidden track” called “Kid things”, coming in at around the 8:30 mark. It starts off with recorded snippets like Neil Armstrong on the moon (fake) and a radio tranmission, then the track is a rocker in the mould of the Rolling Stones' “Start me up”. There's also a lot of NASA-style tomfoolery after the song, which is quite fun to listen to.

As I say, my opinion of this album has radically changed since I first listened to it. I still don't think it's the greatest album ever recorded, nor indeed does it make me want to rush out and buy the rest of Counting Crows' catalogue, but I can now listen to it all the way through and not just stop after “Mrs.Potter's lullaby.” I'm glad I finally got past that, because what you discover there is actually well worth taking the time to experience.

TRACKLISTING

1. Hanginaround
2. Mrs. Potter's lullaby
3. Amy hit the atmosphere
4. Four days
5. All my friends
6. High life
7. Colorblind
8. I wish I was a girl
9. Speedway
10. St. Robinson in his Cadillac dream

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

Random Track of the Day
Sunday, October 23 2011
Bit of semi-culture from the random-o-meter for a rainy Sunday, from Clive Nolan, keysman with prog rockers Arena, and Oliver Wakeman, son of Yes legend Rick, from the album “The Hound of the Baskervilles”, which is of course a musical interpretation of the Sherlock Holmes classic.

Death on the moor --- Clive Nolan and Oliver Wakeman --- from "The Hound of the Baskervilles" on Verglas


As it happens, I've just been reading this for my sister, and only finished it last night. How's that for serendipity? The album is interesting, though I'm not totally gone on it, however the keyboard work is excellent and the songs and narration give you an overall flavour of the Conan Doyle masterpiece. This is from about two-thirds into the story, and is a very small spoiler, so if by some chance you too are reading the story you might want to wait till you've finished it before listening to this. Ho, Watson! The game's afoot! Etc...

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

Is there anything that stirs the soul as much as the sound of the blues? Whether it's strummed guitar, harmonica or low-slung bass, mournful piano, sax or trumpet, the blues always brings a little lump to the throat, and let's be fair: they speak to a way we've all felt, at one time or another. And of course the blues have been around for a long time, so there's a lot of really good music there.

This section will feature what may perhaps not be considered the best of the blues, but my own favourite tunes. Some will be by blues masters from way back, some will be more recent, and I'll try to include as varied a mix as I can each time.

So sit back, dim the lights, crack open a bottle of Jack and deal the cards, cos it's time to pay our dues to the blues!

Getting going with this great one from Eddie Taylor, a man who was born in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, but plied his trade in the mean streets of the Windy City, here he is with “Leave this neighbourhood”.


The great Memphis Slim, with “Slim's blues”.


And the legendary John Lee Hooker, with “Whiskey and wimmen”. Oooh yeah!


The interestingly-named Pee Wee Crayton, with “Telephone is ringin'”.


One of the relatively younger guns now, with one of my favourite early blues tunes from him, here's the late, great Rory Gallagher with “Should've learned my lesson”.


How could we leave out the one, the only, BB King? We can't, and here he is with “The thrill is gone”.


The legendary (be using that word a lot in this section, methinks!) Howlin' Wolf, with an explanation of what the blues is, then a great performance of “How many more years”.


Another of the young guns, who thankfully is still with us, Robert Cray, and “My last regret”.


And back to the old guard, it's Lightnin' Hopkins, with some advice for gamblers...


And to finish up, one of the finest proponents of the blues from this century, sadly no longer with us, it's Gary Moore, and “No reason to cry”.

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

The worm guesses you'd call it the curse of the one-hit-wonder: is there anything else John Parr is remembered for other than “St' Elmo's Fire” (also known as “Man in motion”)? Great song though!

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

Another one-hit wonder, more famous than anything else for its crazy opening line (repeated halfway through) --- try saying THIS after six pints of wicked strength lager!

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

Nick Cave
Time to check out the smoother, more laid-back side of an artiste usually not associated with ballads or slow songs. This time it's the dark prophet of doom himself, Australia's most menacing export, Nick Cave, with a selection from his long catalogue. Think all the man does is spit venom and growl? Think again...


From her to eternity (1984)

Concentrating solely on his work with the Bad Seeds, we begin with what was the debut album for them, 1984's “From her to eternity”, and a nice if sharp ballad called “The moon is in the gutter”.


Kicking against the pricks (1986)

His second album, “The firstborn is dead”, is far too dark and sparse an album to contain any ballads at all, so we're on to his third, a collection of covers which goes under the name of “Kicking against the pricks” and was released in 1986. On this he does a very good version of the old standard, “By the time I get to Phoenix”.

Also a rather nice arrangement of the traditional song “Jesus met the woman at the well”...

His version of “Muddy water” is good too.

Two years before Marc Almond got his hands on it, Nick was covering Gene Pitney's classic “Something's gotten hold of my heart” (and much better too!)

He does a great version of the Seekers' “The carnival is over”

And a dark, moody and brilliant version of Johnny Cash's “The singer”.


Your funeral ... my trial (1986)

That same year came “Your funeral … my trial”, which gave us the great “Sad waters”.


The eerie “Stranger than kindness”

And the haunting title track


After that somewhat mammoth undertaking, it was not surprisingly two more years before we saw any more Cave output, this being 1988's “Tender prey”

Tender prey (1988)

This gave us the beautiful “Slowly goes the night”

The country/gospel “New morning”

And the lovely “Watching Alice”.


The good son (1990)

“The good son”, released in 1990, has some lovely slow tracks on it, in fact they're in the majority. Tracks like the opener, “Foi na cruz” (which apparently translates from Portuguese to “It happened on the Cross”)

The achingly lovely but stark “Sorrow's child”

The beautiful “Ship song”

“Lament”

and the closer, “Lucy”, with its beautiful piano ending.


Another two years on, and Nick released his seventh album, “Henry's dream”.

Henry's dream (1992)

Unlike his previous opus, this only included two slow tracks, the sombre “Straight to you”

and the forlorn love song, “The loom of the land”.


And another two years saw the emergence of “Let love in”.

Let love in (1994)

This album, one of his classic best, contains four slower songs, among them the darkly beautiful “Nobody's baby now”.

The title track (with an “I” in front of it!)

The ominous “Ain't gonna rain anymore”

and the satirically autobiographical “Lay me low”, wherein Cave envisages his own funeral


And then 1996, (yes, another two years later) unleashed upon us the excellent, dark and funny “Murder ballads”.

Murder ballads (1996)

Including the sad tale of “Henry Lee”

Already just featured in our “Marriage made in...?” section, Kylie joins him for “Where the wild roses grow”

Another sad tale of murder and loneliness in “The kindness of strangers”

And finishes up with a rare cover, Bob Dylan's “Death is not the end.”


The boatman's call (1997)

Only a year later Nick released his superlative “The boatman's call”, which is heavily influenced by ballads and slow tracks, like the opener, “Into my arms”.

I could feature virtually the whole album, but I'll just pick the best of the bunch, like “People ain't no good”

“Brompton oratory”

The savagely dark “Where do we go now but nowhere”

And the lonely “Far from me”

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018