Fixed.

I'm on a roll of inane posts in people's journals.

So funny, yet so disappointing. :(

Well duh. If you come to pop expecting substance then you're coming with the wrong expectations. It's supposed to be catchy. End story. If you're trying to find something of worth other than that then you're doing it wrong. True, sometimes an artist like Kylie Minogue (shame on you, TH) or Madonna can inject originality into their music while remaining as catchy as they need to be, but that's really just a bonus that makes them worth listening to over a long period of time rather than two minutes and then moving on to the next faceless clone. If you're going to listen to Britney Spears then you need to quit taking your taste in music so seriously and leave your brain at the door.

And if a song is knocking around in your head after you listen to it then no matter how much you think you hate it some part of you likes it. Stop thinking and let that part have it's fun.

Trollheart reviews albums in the style of Trollheart

Believe --- Justin Bieber --- 2012 (Schoolboy)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...e-JB-Album.jpg

Disclaimer: Trollheart wishes to make it clear that he is only doing this because a challenge was issued by Briks, and he does not like to turn down a challenge (see “Classic albums I have never heard”).

I love Canada. Really. I'm a big fan. If there were two places I could live if I had the money and the opportunity they would be the Cotswolds in England and Canada. Everyone there seems so nice, life seems to go at a more relaxed pace and apart from Americans slagging them off, nobody seems to hate Canadians.

Except this one.

Bieber is the one thing that sours my love of Canada. I mean, he would be bad enough if he came from the US of A, where pretty boy talentless so-called popstars at ten a penny, or a thousand for a dollar. But no. He doesn't even have the good taste to be American. He has to sully Canada's good name by dragging it into his peurile attempts at music. Yeah, nice and unbiased, huh? Come on! What did you expect? I'm doing this under duress and against my better judgement. All right all right, let's listen to the damn thing. But first (try to put it off for as long as possible) some background, for those of you with enough taste not to know who this kid is.

First of all, and without any fear of correction at all, I can tell you he is a bastard. His parents were never married so he was born out of wedlock. What? I'm only stating the facts. Bastard, bastard, bastard. Oh, and the day he was born Satan grinned and Hendrix, Marley and Elvis all groaned. I made that last bit up. I think.

His mother, showing staggeringly poor judgement, refused to abort the baby against advice from her friends, and then doggedly pushed him towards a career in music. Thanks a lot Patricia Mallette! Guess we have you to thank for unleashing the musical equivalent of the antichrist upon us! To be fair, she had to raise baby Bieber on her own as a single mother, and worked two jobs to feed the family, which no matter what else you have to admire. And, yes, pain me though it does, I have to admit that Bieber apparently taught himself how to play the guitar, piano and drums, so he's not just a singer. Damn it! I want to slag him off and call him a talentless prick, but it's really not turning out like that. Stop it!

After making various videos of cover songs and posting them on YouTube, Bieber was discovered and offered a recording contract, and the rest is sadly history. He now has an army of fans, has sold over fifteen million records (are there that many gullible people in the world? It would seem so!) and is worth well in excess of fifty million dollars. This is his third album, the one in which he apparently wants to step away from the teenybop music of the last two, and be taken as a serious artiste. Yeah well, I'll be the judge of that!

So then, there's no putting it off any more. Time to hit play and grit my teeth, and see what I've let myself in for. I think I'm known for as unbiased reviews as I can do, so I don't want to put this down without a proper listen, but I'm not expecting my already-made-up mind to be altered over the course of the next forty-eight minutes and nine seconds...

So we start off as I expected, with an annoying pop uptempo dancy song with that blasted autotune all over the place. Could be any boyband or slef-important singer singing “All around the world”. Plenty of “Woh-oh-oh”s and buzzy synth with club-style percussion and a breathy vocal. Apparently this song features someone called Ludacris. I don't know who he is. I also don't care. Meh. Next. While that plays out, let's at least give the guy some more credit (must we? Yeah, I have to be equitable) --- he also writes his own music. Every track here is co-written by him with another songwriter, though there are none he writes solo. You have to admire anyone who can write their own songs.

Okay, enough credit. Let's get back to slagging him off. That first track was godawful, but “Boyfriend” is slower with handclap drums and a low vocal, sort of low-key Backstreet Boys kind of thing. Not too bad, and I say that with the unspoken understanding that every track here is just different levels of awful. The lyric is inspired certainly: ”If I was your boyfriend/Never let you go/ Keep you on my arm girl/ You'd never be alone.” Sigh. It's less grating on the nerves than the opener, but not much. Imagine Dragons, Script, anyone could have written this. Another yearning vocal in “As long as you love me”, but it's not the old BSB song, which I kind of had expected. Rumbling, staccato drums in a slow pattern and soaring, squealing synth. This features Big Sean. Yeah. Oh look: he referenced Beyonce there! ”You can be my destiny's child.” Halfway through it kicks up the tempo and gets a bit faster and harder, and here comes a rap vocal so I assume that's our Big Sean getting in on the act. It's always funny in the least funny way to hear a guy who is worth untold millions sing about being starving and homeless. Bah.

There's a nice little bit of acoustic guitar to start “Catching feelings”, with a sort of slightly sparse dancy beat behind it and another low vocal, the melody rather similar to the song that just ended. Full band kicks in now and it's jumping and hopping, No wait, that's “Take you”. Bloody Grooveshark! See, this is the problem when Spotify don't have the album, and I'll be damned and cursed before I'll pay even eighty cents for this thing! So the 'Shark has the tracks somewhat mixed around. Probably doesn't matter. “Right here” features Drake, who I do at least know of, even if I haven't heard or am likely to hear anything he's recorded, and it's a sort of slowish ballad with nice vocal harmonies, but again meh you know? Nothing special here, and certainly nothing that's likely to change my mind about this guy.

Incidentally, considering how many writers most of the songs have I would question how much input Bieber had into the tracks. Maybe he did the lion's (or lamb's) share of the work, I don't know, but with all these guys helping out you'd have to wonder. Now we get “Catching feelings” as the ones with the sharp rows of teeth who move to the rhythm a lot again rearrange the tracks for no discernible reason I can see. Was it worth waiting for? Well it has a nice sort of almost seventies pop vibe to it, bit like Bread or even the Carpenters in places. Soft lush keyboard and a breezy melody; you know, it's not too bad, and I say that in the full knowledge that I am now being taken over by some alien being who is putting words into my mouth. If I had to choose a favourite --- or least hated, let's say --- track on this album so far this would be it by a country mile. I can actually listen to this without vomiting blood.

Mediocrity is soon resumed though with “Fall”, a mid-paced ballad-ish song that's just embarrassing --- although listening to this album that's kind of a given --- while “Die in your arms” has again a nice seventies feel to it with bright piano and a slow rhythm, some sweet guitar , though the spoken vocal --- supposedly sexy --- is just laughable. The basic melody is okay, quite bouncy and upbeat, reminds me of Climax Blues Band or maybe the Little River Band. “Thought of you” moves the tempo back into dance territory, and removes any interest for me in a generic pop number, but if I disliked that then I hate the next one, which features Nicky Minaj. Oh dear god! “Beauty and a brat”, sorry “beat” --- I'd like to beat her! --- is the epitome of dance music that I absolutely hate. Moving swiftly on...

Thank the lord Satan we're getting near the end! “One love”, again, we're not talking about the Bob Marley classic here, just a sort of mid-tempo banal love song. It's followed by “Be alright” which at least has a nice acoustic guitar backing, sort of “More than words” feel to it, and if I'm honest is the only other song I can stand on this album, which mercifully comes to a close with the title track. It's not all that bad really in fairness. Never thought I'd say that. Sort of mid-paced half-ballad with some decent piano and is that a strings section? Nice. It's not the worst song, and if I really force myself I can say that's three tracks out of thirteen that I like, or can tolerate on this album.

TRACKLISTING

1. All around the world
2. Boyfriend
3. As long as you love me
4. Catching feelings
5. Take you
6. Right here
7. Fall
8. Die in your arms
9. Thought of you
10. Beauty and a beat
11. One love
12. Be alright
13. Believe

So what do I think of the album overall, having endured, sorry listened to it through? What do you think? Really? You think my attitude will have changed after one listen? Not likely. It's not the worst record I've ever heard, but it's nothing special at all. Just another pretty-boy singer doing what he does. Bieber could be the contestant or finalist on a million X Factors or American Idols, and I see nothing here to differentiate him from the many others ploughing the same tired old furrow with song subjects like “Girl you're the one for me”, “Why can't we stay together” and “It'll be all right.”

Meh, I'm sure it will be, for him. After all, he's made --- and will surely continue to make --- his millions as long as there are teenage girls in the world, and I suppose fair play to him if he's tapped into an almost endless market. But this sort of music is the kind of thing that I hate and it takes away attention from real artistes, definitely pandering to the lowest common denominator. I wonder where Bieber will be in ten years' time? Twenty? Whereever it is, he'll still be a whole lot richer than I'll ever be, that's for sure.

But he'll never make me a Belieber. Oh, Canada! How could you?

God I know! I can't bloody stop singing "Work bitch" now.... :banghead:
Also: shame on me? Why? :confused:

Cause Kylie is one of the few pop artists who actually has originality and substance. She blends disco with dance pop in a way that you really can't get anywhere else. I'm not well versed enough in her music to go on about her, but she's fantastic.

How dare you mention Believe in the same sentence as the phrase "classic albums"? :nono:

Yeah. I know. I like a lot of her music. Just not all of it. I'm not into dance music but for your sake: "Slow", "Spinning around", "Confide in me", "Light years", "Breathe", "On a night like this", "Can't get you out of my head", "Come into my world", "Red blooded woman", "Chocolate", "All the lovers" = yes"Better the devil you know", "Locomotion", "I should be so lucky" etc = no.I love Kylie. I just don't love all her music. But I seriously respect the woman.

http://www.trollheart.com/soul7b.pngIt’s been said, and rightly, that there’s no soul in the Playlist, so this is something I hope to change with this new section. Each time I’ll be reviewing two soul albums. They may be connected, they may be by the same artiste, or not. And I readily admit I know next to nothing about soul music, so bear with me and throw any corrections --- or recommendations --- my way that you think I might need.But when I personally think of soul, particularly male soul singers, two names leap instantly to mind:http://www.greatamericanthings.net/w...om-233x300.jpgLuther Vandross (1951-2005) was one of the leading voices in the world of soul music. He worked with such luminaries as Diana Ross, Chaka Khan and Donna Summer to name but a few, and over the course of his career won eight Grammy awards and sold over twenty-five million records. Between 1981 and 2003 he released thirteen albums, and was inducted posthumously into the Soul Music Hall of Fame in 2012.http://www.showbiz.ie/images/stars/benson-gig-1.jpgReleasing his first single at the tender age of ten, George Benson has been at the forefront of jazz, soul and pop music for over fifty years now, releasing a total of thirty-six albums. I see he’s more inclined towards the jazz end of the spectrum rather than the soul, so perhaps not good news for me. Or perhaps it will be helpful, in my attempts to wrestle jazz to the floor and choke the … I mean, my endeavouring to endure, I mean enjoy the genre. Or not. With two more Grammys won than Luther, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Benson is certainly a hero of soul music.Now as I say I know little to nothing of either artiste, but I know enough to know that not only are or were they respected in their genre, they are or were giants within it. What I know of each is their singles, so whether I’m choosing representative albums of theirs here or not is purely chance; it’s a hit-or-miss affair, and there’s no real reason why I’ve chosen the recordings I have, but this is what I’ve decided to do.
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Give me the reason --- Luther Vandross --- 1986 (Epic)
The album that gave Luther Vandross his first chart hit as well as four other hit singles, it’s the sixth in his discography and comes five years into his career. It also shows the artist standing on the brink of success, which would take him through the eighties and nineties and into the early twenty-first century before his untimely death from a heart attack following a stroke in 2005.

Album opener “Stop to love” is a funky, almost Princelike track with boppy synth and keys, rippling piano and some really slick bass. Vandross’s voice when it comes through a few moments later is initially low, but smooth as silk and when the keys kick in they’re almost AOR in style. It’s a very uptempo and happy opener with, rather surprisingly to me at any rate, a pretty sweet guitar solo. Nice little drumtrack as well as a stuttering guitar leads in “See me”, a slower piece rather nicely piano-led with some sprinkly keyboards and a really nice groove. Nice to see also that he wrote his own material, with two tracks penned solo by him while the rest, other than a cover version, are all co-written with others.

“I gave it up (When I fell in love)” rocks along nicely on a real striding rhythm, pads going off all over the place, a cool walking bass taking the melody and a real sense of fun in the lyric. Super little sax solo in there --- sadly no matter where I look I can’t get lineup details, so I can’t tell you who the horn player is. The first of the ballads comes with “So amazing”, and it is. If there’s one thing soul music performers do well it’s love songs, and this is no exception. Driven on sweet piano with some lovely backing vocals it’s a great vehicle for Luther’s voice, not surprisingly chosen as one of the five singles from the album. I’ve seen the movie “Rutheless people” --- though it was some time ago --- so I’m expecting to recognise the title track, as it was used in the soundtrack to that movie. I must say, it doesn’t ring any bells right away. Nice tight soul rocker, hopping along with purpose and yeah, I think I remember it now.

Much stronger vocal from Vandross on this, lots of punch in it with some nice jangly guitar too. Does wear on a little too long though, sort of wandering around with no idea how to end. Gregory Hines duets with him on the second ballad, the sweet “There’s nothing better than love”. I’d only say if you’re going to have a duet on a lovesong would you not be better to do so with a member of the opposite sex? Still, the two voices work well and complement each other, and there are some really pretty female backing vocals. Trumpeting keyboards and digital piano paint a nice backdrop to the song, which was of course also a single, as was the next one, “I really didn’t mean it”. Almost close to a very early House sound, it has big thrumming bass, popping percussion and some biting guitar, and I know this song. I never really liked it I have to say. An uptempo song after the ballad, but a little throwaway I feel.

There’s one more ballad, the longest track on the album in fact at over six minutes, and “Because it’s really love” doesn’t disappoint. Another fine love song with a smooth performance from Luther, and I’m not sure but it sounds like there’s an orchestra playing on this. Strings section, at least, unless someone is a very good synth player. The album ends on a cover, somewhat disappointingly, and he does a good version of the old Bacharach song “Anyone who had a heart”, but I would have preferred another original song, given that there are only nine tracks altogether on the album.

TRACKLISTING

1. Stop to love
2. See me
3. I gave it up (When I fell in love)
4. So amazing
5. Give me the reason
6. There’s nothing better than love
7. I really didn’t mean it
8. Because it’s really love
9. Anyone who had a heart

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20/20 --- George Benson --- 1985 (Warner Bros)

Again, this album contains one song I know from Benson’s own repertoire, plus one or two others I may have a passing familiarity with. It’s his twenty-second overall, and comes smack bang in the middle of his soul chartmaking period, when he was one of the major names in the genre. Later it seems he gravitated more towards jazz music, so this is about the right time for me to sample one of his albums, given that this section is titled “Soul2Soul” and not “Jazz2Jazz”...

Fast funky opening with digital piano and the sort of drumbeat that reminds me of a-ha’s “Take on me” (sorry but it does!) as “No one emotion” gets us underway in fine style. Nice brass section --- I’m not mad about brass as you know, but it fits right in with soul music --- and a sort of strings effect keyboard presiding over everything. Benson’s voice is clear and precise, easy to see why he’s been one of the major voices of soul music for decades. Interestingly there’s quite a fretburning guitar solo, and as George is a guitarist himself I’m going to assume it’s him pulling it off. “Please don’t walk away” keeps things funky but slows the pace slightly, with some boppy piano and some nice solid keyboards. Some vocoder comes in right at the end, which is odd because it literally fades out as soon as it begins; like, why bother? Anyway that takes us into “I just wanna hang around you”, the first ballad, with my old friend digital piano holding court. It’s okay but a bit generic and a little empty of ideas too. Then we get the original of the song which was a major hit for Glenn Medeiros, “Nothing’s gonna change my love for you”, which is about as sugary a ballad as you can get, given that this is the eighties.

Benson does a decent job with it, but it should come with a dental warning, there’s so much sugar crammed into it, and I’ve never liked it. Right, so now I know who to blame! What a terrible song! If you wanted one song to characterise the eighties “wimp ballad”, this is it. Nice bit of guitar near the end, but it’s not going to make me like it, in fact, nothing’s gonna change my dislike of this song. Far better is the piano-driven “Beyond the sea (la mer)” which is I think an old song and very jazzy with some nice trumpet and horns. Benson’s voice suits this perfectly, making me wonder if I should check out some of his more recent jazz-oriented albums?

The title track I know, it having been one of the singles released from the album, and it’s an upbeat, sort of jazzy song bemoaning chances lost and decisions not taken. Nice jumping, bubbly keyboards run this song along uptempo lines with Benson really enjoying himself behind the mike and, likely, behind the guitar too. Warbly synth solo doesn’t in fairness add anything to it, and it’s an okay song but I wouldn’t go crazy over it. Some of that scat singing George is famous for takes us out and into “New day”, which is a nice ballad with gospel overtones, throwing in the old Zep line “Really makes me wonder”, though I expect it’s just coincidence rather than any sort of tribute to Plant, Page and Co. Actually, Benson sounds very like Prince here, especially on the higher notes.

“Hold me” is a decent mid-pacer but nothing about it gets me excited, while “Stand up” is a jazz instrumental, so that definitely keeps my skirt well in place. It’s well executed and well played but as I’ve said before I basically find a lot of jazz quite boring, and this sounds more like that sort of music you hear in supermarkets really. Bit better when he throws in some scat singing over the music, but even so it’s way too long at over five minutes. The album comes to a close then on a much shorter track, and the better for it. “You are the love of my life” clocks in at a mere two and a half minutes, but with a duet performance from Roberta Flack it’s pretty close to the standout, right at the end. It’s just as long as it should be, doesn’t overstay its welcome and takes the final bow perfectly.

TRACKLISTING

1. No one emotion
2. Please don’t walk away
3. I just wanna hang around you
4. Nothing’s gonna change my love for you
5. Beyond the sea (La mer)
6. 20/20
7. New day
8. Hold me
9. Stand up
10. You are the love of my life

Soul is never really going to be my thing, I know that. I’ve never liked it that much and while I can certainly see the merits in the music and applaud its artistes for what they do, it’s all a bit too soft and sugary and laidback for me. Of course, this is I suppose what would or could be described as “smooth soul” perhaps; there are other types like the sort of music Sam Cooke and Ray Charles made, and no doubt many subdivisions within the genre. But smooth soul, such as this is, just doesn’t do a lot for me.

Of the two albums I listened to here, Luther Vandross’s effort impressed me far more than George Benson’s, though why this should be I don’t know. Neither are really albums I intend to listen to again, nor do I have any plans to check out further work by either artiste, and I wouldn’t turn the songs of either off if they came on the radio, but these are not albums I would spin for pleasure. However in a straight knockdown, for me, Benson v Vandross ends with a knockout for Luther, and it’s not even close.

Next time out I’ll be looking into two of the major ladies of soul. Till then, keep rock --- er, keep it smooth cats! ;)

I never ever took you for a fan of soul.;)

Yeah are you a new fan of soul? I didn't take you for one.

Don't you read my closing statement? I said soul is never going to be for me, but I can appreciate it for what it is and am trying to branch out a little in what I post and review here. Anything wrong with that?

Your post may not be snarky, or intended to be, but that's how I read it. if I'm wrong then sorry, I've been up 16 hours now without sleep having spent 12 of those at the hospital so I'm tired and tetchy. However if I'm right, then please do me a favour and don't post snarky comments in my journal: it really isn't necessary or polite. If they are snarky. Which I may be reading wrong. I need sleep. :banghead:

Yeah you need to get off of your computer and get some rest. I definitely didn't mean that to come off as snarky. I piggybacked off of US' comment also. He mentioned the same thing but only my comment is snarky? :confused:

I hope your sister is doing better unless you were in the hospital for yourself which in that case you definitely should get some rest and log off your computer.

OK my bad: didn't see US's comment --- it was on the previous page. Sorry about that. Very tired as I said.

Yes she's doing a lot better now thanks. Just such a pity we had to wait so long to get a simple procedure done, then another 5 hours to get an ambulance to take us home! Waiting, waiting and more waiting, that's the Irish health service for you! :rolleyes:

I don't think anybody was making snarky comments here, I posted a comment after I scan read your entry, hell you don't expect me to read stuff word for word:)

Regards to your sister and unfortunately the UK health system is just as bad and 5 hour waits are not uncommon here either for so-called simple procedures.

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Chasing locusts --- Strawfoot --- 2007 (Self-released)

The first time I heard this album I just loved it. It completely takes you by surprise, from the weird album cover to the even weirder music practiced by this seven-piece. “Gothic Country” they call it, and I’d have to agree. This is the kind of music Waits or Cave would compose while mucking out stables down on some ramshackle farm in the arsehole of nowhere, as the Devil plays fiddle outside while strange dark winged shapes fly overhead. Country music for the Apocalypse? You’d dang well better believe it, boy! We don’t like strangers round these here parts!

But who are Strawfoot? Well that’s a hard question to answer, as they all seem to come with made-up names or personas, each member of the band appending “Brother” to his name, while the leader and frontman, and also vocalist and composer, Marcus Elder, goes by The Reverend Marcus or The Dapper King Libertine. He’s reputedly related some way down the line to that old Southern firebrand Samuel Clemens, known to the world as Mark Twain.

This is their debut album, and it just leaves me wanting more. Starting with a cool banjo and nothing else, the vocal comes in in a sort of mono sound as “Wayfarin’ stranger” opens the album with a very western type feel, and you can hear how strong Elder’s voice is, that it needs nothing else to accompany it other than the banjo. It’s a short song, really more a taster which leads us into “Achilles heel” as the full band kicks in with banjo, accordion, fiddle and percussion. Some nice electric guitar gets in on the act too, and it’s a real rip-roaring fun fest that just has your feet a-tappin’ from the start. Great harmonica solo --- yeah, that’s what I said! --- by the brilliantly-named Brother Mississippi, while Brother Eric keeps the bass upright and tight, as we slow things down with the dark tale of “Cursed neck”, a real Cavesque ballad that just smoulders with bitterness and resentment.

Great guitar in this, Brother Steve just goes crazy, while Sister Jenn’s violin moans and wails through the song, then my old favourite, the mandolin, takes charge for the Waits-inspired-it-would-seem “Strawfoot waltz”, which bounces along nicely with an almost Diablo Swing Orchestra feel, Elder at the top of his game. The only song then not written by Elder is “My dog”, a real hoe-down frenzy penned by Brother Eric, the bass player. It just oozes fun and frivolity, and you can hear someone shouting in your head “take your partner by the hand…” Yeah, it’s just fun all the way and played at top speed. When I heard this first I thought Elder was singing “My doll”. Puts a whole new complexion on the song.

Great fiddle work there too, and as it’s his song Brother Eric makes sure his basswork is all over this. There’s some superb slide guitar to open the storming “The Lord’s wrath”, almost a blues country folk tune, just excellent. Heavy thumping percussion adds to it and some fine harmonica as well. Elder even throws in some yodelling! “Damnation way” is a mid-paced song driven mostly on violin and maybe jews harp, with a real driving beat and a sense of desperation in the lyric: ”You made me what I am/ You filled me with hate” then things kick right up into high gear for the hot-rockin’ “Cloth” with more squealing violin and some tough percussion, plus great clangy guitar from Brother Steve.

“Fiddle and jug” is a great troubador’s ballad --- not an actual ballad now --- and thumps along at a slow but deliberate pace with, not surprisingly, fiddle in the lead of the melody, which switches to acoustic guitar with mandolin, but violin adding its voice for the lovely ballad “The sky is falling”, probably one of the standouts on an album almost of standouts. Gorgeous little violin passage there near the end and a very impassioned vocal from the Dapper Libertine King. It’s almost “Classical gas” then to start “Effigy”, a low-key opening to a drinking song that quickly kicks up and becomes a reel or jig or something but man does it rock along!

As we began, so we close, as “Wayfarin’ stranger (reprise)” bookends the album with a much longer version of the song that opened it, harmonica and mandolin led. It’s really more a case of the opener being the intro and this the full song, and it’s great to hear it again before we bid au revoir to Strawfoot. I don’t say goodbye, because I know for certain I will be back here again, when my weary path crosses this dusty ghost town and I need to rest, kick back and raise some hell with these guys. I’ve made some friends for life, I feel.

TRACKLISTING

1. Wayfarin’ stranger
2. Achilles heel
3. Cursed neck
4. Strawfoot waltz
5. My dog
6. The Lord’s wrath
7. Damnation Way
8. Cloth
9. Fiddle and jug
10. The sky is falling
11. Effigy
12. Wayfarin’ stranger (reprise)

I must thank Goofle11 for putting me on to this band, as this is nowhere close to anything I would have thought to have checked out before. I knew gothic country existed, but not what it was like. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this album, and I hope to be able to check out their other releases as soon as time permits. It’s nice to get into a new genre, especially when I wasn’t trying or expecting to. Sometimes these things just sneak up on you, ya know?

Hallelujah, brothers!

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Songs get written about all sorts of weird things. And normal things of course. Love, peace, rockin’, beer, being the best, dancing … some of the old favourites. But then you have really strange subjects for lyrics, subjects that make you wonder how someone ever came up with the idea, or thought it would work in a song? And sometimes, despite that, it does. Sometimes of course it doesn’t.

This section ain’t about how successful or otherwise a song is, but simply about how out-there the subject matter is. There’s no shortage of strange song titles and strange lyrics, but this one has always intrigued me. Even though I loved the song as a kid, and still do, it seems the most offbeat sort of thng to write about. Of course it isn’t: I’m sure there are far weirder songs out there. But it’s as good a place as any to start, and it’s the one that made me think of writing this section.

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Love me love my dog --- Peter Shelley --- 1975 (Magnet)

This guy may have been a one, or two-hit wonder, but let’s just give him credit for what he did for music. Not the above song: that I’ll come to. But as a talent scout for Magnet Records in the seventies he not only discovered the basic elements of King Crimson, but signed Chris Rea and also created the whole persona of Alvin Stardust. The man worked, I tell you!

But to the abovementioned. It’s not really a choice you give any woman --- or man --- now is it? It’s not so much a case of “Me or the dog”, more “Me AND the dog or no me”. I’m not certain I’d see any woman being emotionally blackmailed like that and giving in. Some people just hate dogs (bastards) or are afraid of them. Many women don’t like them because they mess up their tidy home (fifties reference ahoy!) and then of course there’s the noise of the barking. Not to mention the vet bills, though we assume Shelley would have stumped up for those himself. He’s hardly likely to have said “Look honey I want to keep my dog. Oh, and I want you to help with the vet bills!” A little too much I would think for any woman.

The song is of course at its heart the tale of a man who can’t bear to part with his best friend. It’s made clear in the lyric that he laid this out when he and the unnamed girlfriend got together, but now she’s having second thoughts and he’s saying, look, me and Rover here come as a package. Dump one of us, you dump both. Seems at the end he may regret that, as she doesn’t back down and he leaves, doggie in tow. Ahhh!

You can look at it two ways I suppose. Firstly it’s a man who loves his pet so much that he can’t bear to be parted from him, and is prepared to lose the girl he (supposedly) loves if she can’t accept him. The other angle is that it’s a selfish guy who doesn’t care that his woman hates/fears dogs and does not intend to give him up despite her protestations and her ultimatum. Or is it his? His I think. The whole attitude prevalent in the song is “accept this or I’m outta here”. So it doesn’t really look like she’s telling him to go, though there could very well have been a sit-down in which she said “We need to talk about Rover. Or Bonzo. Or whatever he’s called.”

Happy ending? Maybe. Shelley does not back down and he leaves with his dog. Doggy wins, master remains with him. But he loses the girl in the process. So is it a satisfactory conclusion? Well you could I suppose always say the girl was being stubborn. As an animal lover and pet owner I know there is nobody --- nobody --- I would be prepared to give up my cats for, and if they didn’t understand then they could just hop on the bus Gus. Mind you, if they were actually allergic … well that would just be too bad. I can understand Shelley’s devotion to his dog here; I’d be the same about my cats.

But it is a weird thing to write about. What woman would accept such a situation? I love you but I love my dog more? Interestingly, Shelley’s other hit was “Gee baby”, which makes me wonder if the lyric contained the line “Gee baby, why don’t you like my dog?” It doesn’t but still it would be interesting, wouldn’t it?

Freedom is a dusty road heading to a highway:
Californian skyways will lead us where we wanna stay.
Suddenly a summer breeze breaks a misty mornin':
There's a new day dawning we'd better be on our way.

So love me love my dog;
We've lived the road too long to break up.
Love me live my life and travel through this land.
I can't leave a friend I promised that before we started;
So love me love my dog;
If you can't understand then we'll head up land.

When I leave this town today Lord you know I'll miss you.
Baby I won't kiss you. you'll only make me wanna stay.
Though it's hard to say goodbye can't you see it's over?
Guess I'm just a loner heading on his way.

I tell you now

So love me love my dog;
We've lived the road too long to break up.
Love me live my life and travel through this land.
I can't leave a friend I promised that before we started;
So love me love my dog;
If you can't understand then we'll head up land.

So love me love my dog;
If you can't understand
Then I guess we'll have to move on out up land.

C'mon boy!

(As mentioned in my "Trollheart's Fortress of Prog" , er, ex-thread, the idea I had there to listen to and review every album in Progarchives' Top 100 prog albums of 2013 is still alive, but as I can't spare the time to run that in a separate thread, it's being moved here to my journal, where it probably should have been started originally...) :rolleyes:

And so, without further ado or delay ....
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Finally time to begin my trawl through ProgArchives’ Top 100 Prog Albums of 2013. As I mentioned, for some reason the list seems fluid, and changes from day to day, perhaps even hour to hour, I don’t know. But I can’t be doing with all that and so I’ve captured a “moment in time” and will be working off the list as it stood on that day. With that in mind, here’s number 100.
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The man left in space --- Cosmograf --- 2013 (Self-released)

The first thing that surprised me about this was that the band were not German. Maybe it was the -graf in their name, but I just assumed they were from there. Turns out not only are they not German, they’re not even a they. Not really. Cosmograf is the brainchild and project of one Robin Armstrong, who hails from Portsmouth in the UK. Like his contemporaries, Willowglass and The Minstrel’s Ghost, both featured in my journals, he’s a multi-instrumentalist, composer and even producer. He does however haul in some stellar talent to help him out on this, his fourth album under the Cosmograf name, including half of Spock’s Beard and half of Big Big Train, as well as members of Also Eden and The Tangent, so he’s obviously well respected in prog circles: that’s virtually a who’s-who of current prog musicians.

The album is a concept and seems to be built loosely around the idea of a mission to space, possibly colonisation, certainly mentions saving Mankind, but which goes terribly awry, hence the album title. Themes such as (unsurprisingly) loneliness, isolation, despair, the future, sacrifice and loss are all explored through the nine tracks on this opus, and while space travel/getting lost or stuck in space is nothing new --- Bowie was doing that in 1969 with “Space oddity” --- in the end the concept of the album does not matter so much because it’s so beautifully played and constructed musically.

Starting off with a man asking “How did I get here?” against spacey sound effects, the opening track of the same name is a short one, atmospherically dark and grindy, and seems to be a record of a man who went into space to “help millions” in the year 2053, but the mission went badly wrong. Against an unanswered request from ground control for a “com check”, we head into “Aspire, achieve”, the longest track on the album at just over ten minutes, the astronaut in question, who seems to go by the name of Sam, relating his tale against generally acoustic style guitar in a fairly mid-to-uptempo beat. Suddenly some pretty heavy guitar and organ cuts in, taking the thing in a more boogie/metal direction, with some fine drumming from Nick D’Virgilio, who has of course played with both Spock’s Beard and Big Big Train. Nice cutback about halfway through to single strummed guitar notes and tiny handclap drumbeats. Some great progressive rock guitar and keys then take the song, and above all rides the clear, commanding voice of Robin Armstrong himself, who in addition to being a talented composer and excellent musician is also a fine and worthy singer.

Rather oddly, two instrumentals follow then on the heels of each other. The first, “The good Earth behind me”, runs under some poetry I feel I should know, but don’t, with Gilmouresque guitar work and lush keyboards, which in about the third minute kick into a real Tony Banks style as the thing really “progs-up”, the tempo quite slow as it heads towards its end with unmistakable undertones of seventies Genesis. “The vacuum that I fly through” then is more introspective, with almost John Williams style guitar driving it in a slow path that certainly gives you the impression of drifting through space, soft synth underlying the melody until D’Virgilio’s percussion stamps its identity on the track and it becomes a little heavier, though still slow with now definite touches of twenty-first century Marillion in there.

Although at first I thought it a bad idea to have two instrumentals one after the other, I kind of see the idea now. It’s an attempt, perhaps, at conveying the loneliness and the vastness of space, and the impression of being just carried along unable to do very much as you head out of the solar system comes through quite strongly: the sense of isolation and lack of control over one’s destiny, the idea of being a tiny speck against the overwhelming expanse of space is demonstrated very well through these two tracks.

“This naked endeavour”, then, is carried on soft rippling yet lonely and almost melancholic piano while behind it plays recordings of Nixon’s phone call to the Apollo 11 mission on the Moon, as well as Kennedy’s speech at his inauguration. Guitars and drums crash in strongly then as Armstrong comes back in with the vocal, and there’s a strong sense of Floyd circa “The Wall” here, with powerful keyboards and dark guitar. We then hear the voice of the AI aboard Sam’s ship as he seems to be slipping away, lost, if you’ll pardon the term, in space, as “We disconnect” begins. He reminisces about his wife left behind, about taking on the mission and what he hoped to achieve, though it’s not really made clear what that mission is. Armstrong does his best Roger Waters here, angry bitter and a little manic. Great guitar solo joins a fine one on the keys, and the only reason I’m not giving credit to individual players is that, apart from D’Virgilio, I don’t know who is playing what part. There are several guitarists guesting, and then Armstrong plays most of the instruments himself too, so it makes it hard to keep up with who’s doing what.

This is a dark piece as Armstrong sings “The light behind me getting smaller all the time; my memories of you are too.” He realises he’s probably going to die out here in space, and while not quite resigned to that fate, he knows there’s nothing he can do to prevent it. Some super guitar here and then we’re into what is probably my least favourite track on the album, “My beautiful treadmill”. Something about it just doesn’t do anything for me. Armstrong uses the old Waters device where his vocal is metallised, sort of as if it’s recorded in mono, and the music is heavy and powerful with some really striking melodies, almost heavy metal (progressive metal I guess you’d have to say) at times. Interesting vocal harmonies, and it’s a good track but definitely for me the weakest on the album. At times the fretwork here reminds me of the very best of John Mitchell with Arena, and there’s a lot of power and energy in the track, but I just can’t make myself like it.

The final two tracks are just shy of ten minutes each, and the title cut is the penultimate one, wherein some Knopfleresque electric guitar complements soft acoustic as Sam reflects on the decisions and circumstances that conspired to bring him to this place. He does however point out that his problems are bigger than those of most, as he remarks “Spare a thought for the man they left in space: he lost the human race.” I'm not quite certain if that's meant to mean he lost the company of all his fellow human beings, or if it's making the human race a metaphor for a race that is run, you know? Nevertheless, it still puts in all in perspective. He does however reflect that if you don’t take risks you miss the big opportunities in your life, and even though he’s out here floating in space, waiting to die, he doesn’t seem too despondent. At least he has tried, he has made the effort even if he failed. There aren’t any ballads on the album, but this is probably the closest Cosmograf come here to one.

There will be no happy ending though, no last-minute rescue, and this will not prove to be a dream, as closing track “When the air runs out” amply shows. With a sense of descending further into despair, panic and then acceptance, Sam begins to contemplate his imminent death and the failure of the mission as his craft falls towards the sun. A stark piano line very reminiscent of Steven Wilson’s work with No-Man and Memories of Machines takes us in, then the Floydian comparisons come back as Armstrong channels Waters on “Empty spaces” and also Bowie rather obviously on “Space oddity”. There’s a sort of guitar or keyboard motif running through this, a phrase that sounds like “WOOP!WOOP!WOOP!” and may be meant to signify a warning, an alert as the ship’s orbit begins to decay.

Powerful and desperate the song allows us to look into Sam’s last moments before death, as he asks “What should we do when the air runs out? When this ship spins out? When this life runs out?” More voiceovers of names of people who died before their time, or were brought low by addictions, then a superbly proggy keyboard runaway solo that would make Mark Kelly green with envy as the song powers towards its conclusion. In the fifth minute it slides into a slow, Russian-folk-style melody as Sam begins to accept death is inevitable. Again the old Floyd trick of using a phased vocal that’s put through some sort of mono effect is used, then a rolling piano melody brings in more of those names, spoken off a list and then melancholy guitar joins in as the AI says “Please respond, Sam.” A final crashing bass piano note ends the song, then there is a further minute and a half as a radio announcer talks about a book written by Doctor Sam Harrison, a “self-confessed overachiever, alcoholic and manic depressive”, and says they will be talking to the doctor, presumably before his flight into space and his subsequent death there, then the sound of a needle getting stuck in the groove of a record (yay for us oldies! We recognise that sound!) and the last words “Be a curse” repeat until the sound of a stylus scratching indicates the needle was lifted, and the album comes to a final conclusion.

TRACKLISTING

1. How did I get here?
2. Aspire, achieve
3. The good Earth behind me
4. The vacuum that I fly through
5. This naked encounter
6. We disconnect
7. Beautiful treadmill
8. The man left in space
9. When the air runs out

I know I said at the beginning that the concept was not too important, and yet it is this which links all the tracks together into one cohesive whole, so I’ve tried to understand it. It seems to me that this is about a man, selected as the only one from his race, to go into space and do … something, I don’t know what … to save humanity. It’s set forty years in the future, so it could be colonisation, except we’re talking about one man. It could be to stop an asteroid hitting the earth, but again, a crew of one? I really don’t know, but whatever he’s supposed to do something goes terribly wrong and he’s left hanging in space, waiting for his orbit to decay and his ship to plunge into the sun. So maybe it was something to do with the sun?

Anyway he failed and now he’s left waiting to die. As he does, he thinks about the decisions that led him to this place and whether or not he would have done anything differently had he known? It’s a very dark album, with a somewhat bitter message and yet although the title character is not saved at the end, we’re left with some sort of vague impression of hope. Maybe he did save Earth, but just was unable to return home? Perhaps he made the ultimate sacrifice, ensuring the continuation of his species in the process? Again, I don’t know, and the end bit spoken on the final track confuses me even more. Here’s what it says, in the style of a radio announcement:

(Sound of the pips telling us the hour has struck, as used to happen on radio) “It’s ten o’clock. Good afternoon. This is “For the Arts”. In his controversial book, “The man left in space”, Doctor Samuel Harrison examines the psychology of achievement. Harrison presents a compelling theory that overachievement is a “quick-fix” for wounded self-esteem, and that chronically overachieving people don’t realise that unrecognised needs are driving them from the healing conditions necessary for fulfilled lives. Does achievement beyond expectation in any field lead to obsession, dysfunction and, ultimately, an inability to perform? The reward for success, it seems, is sometimes to be destroyed by failure. In the first of two programmes, we will be talking to Dr. Harrison, a self-confessed overachiever, alcoholic and manic depressive and asking him if success can really be a curse?”

I think -- and I’m just guessing here now --- that this interview was made before Harrison went into space, rather obviously, unless the whole idea is a mere allegory and never actually happened, except perhaps in his mind. It shows Harrison as the type of man he was then. Perhaps after that he got the chance to sign up for the mission, was accepted and finally achieved the ultimate overachievement, saving the Earth, albeit at the cost of his own life? Or, or, OR.... perhaps the Dr. Sam Harrison is his son, writing about his father's heroic but failed mission?

I guess you could argue the meaning behind the lyrics forever, but as I said they’re not as important as the album taken as a whole. I find once again that every multi-instrumentalist I have encountered --- particularly in the field of progressive rock, where they seem to really thrive and towards which they appear to gravitate --- has impressed me almost beyond words. Steve Thorne. The Minstrel’s Ghost. Steven Wilson. Willowglass. And now I need to add Cosmograf to that shortlist. If this could only get to number 100 on the list then I am excited to see what made the higher echelons! Of course, I don’t know how that list is or was compiled: was it from album ratings, reviews, personal likes? Was it arbitrary? From sales? I guess it doesn’t matter, but the point is that if an album such as “The man left in space” can only scrape in at the bottom there must be some amazing stuff further on.

I don’t usually rate albums, but for this list I will, if only to see if my choices more or less tally with those of the folks at ProgArchives, or if we have wildly differing ideas as to what makes a really great prog album. As far as this album is concerned, I would already have it occupying a much higher place on the list, though to be fair I don't know what we'll encounter as we go further on up towards the summit. But rating-wise, I have to award it a very solid 8/10.

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Back when I was still going to school there was no Sky TV, no satellite and no cable. There was no internet. Few of us even had computers, and if we did they were non-networked, massive slabs of metal that would take two men to lift, ran at about 10 MHz (NOT Giga, Mega!) and had the princely amount of possibly --- if you were lucky --- 20 megs of RAM. Again, I say megs not gigs. So the television we had was basically about four channels or so, with the odd extra one here and there. The best of these was probably ITV, who brought various English networks under one umbrella, so that one show might be made by Anglia Television while another could be Tyne-Tees, or Thames.

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But the channel (or station, as we had it back then) that usually caused the most controversy was one called HTV. It stood for Harlech TV, which was I think Welsh, but most of the time we dubbed it Horror TV. Not that the shows it presented were horror shows --- although they might have been, but back then we were too young to watch such things --- but even the children’s programmes it carried were generally of a more unsettling and darker nature. They famously broadcast “Robin of Sherwood”, probably the darkest retelling of the Robin Hood legend ever seen --- and soon to be featured in my companion journal, “The Couch Potato” --- as well as shows like … like … well, I can’t remember the names, it was a long time ago. But I know that nine times out of ten, when you saw the HTV logo come up, chances were it was going to be something dark and quite possibly scary.

"Children of the stones" --- HTV West Studios, 1977
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But if there was one programme that epitomised what HTV was all about it was “Children of the stones”. Quite rightly still called “the scariest programme ever made for children”, it told the story of a father (Gareth Thomas, later to find cult sci-fi fame as hero and eponymous leader of Terry Nation’s similarly dark “Blake’s 7”) and his son, who come to a weird village which is built in the middle of an ancient stone circle. Right away something seems amiss and strange things begin to happen. I won’t give away the plot for anyone who wants to watch it (also see disclaimer at the end of this article) but suffice to say it was a layered, complex storyline that must have baffled most children --- certainly confused me at that time --- and helped it stand head and shoulders above the other kid’s fare being toted around the TV screens then.

But the thing that made it so scary, in my opinion, and still does, was the music. Not so much the incidental music --- that was disquieting enough --- but the juxtapositioning of eerie, discordant wailing and moaning that tied in with sudden closeup shots of the standing stones in the circle, so that, certainly to a kid of my tender years --- about fourteen/fifteen --- it looked like the stones were moaning and coming for you! Weeping angels? You wanna see this mate if you want real scares!

The show has gone down as the favourite of many adults, and quite a few will testify to being scared out of their wits by it. It regularly crops up in shows like “The 100 best children’s dramas”, “Scary shows from your childhood” and so on, and rather surprisingly in this age of digital rebirth and reimagining has never been repeated nor updated so far. Perhaps it would be considered too strange for today’s audiences? Seriously, if you took the best elements of a good Hardy Boys and spliced in a large helping of Quatermass, let some really old and scary Doctor Who leak in and topped it all off with the scariest moments from “Space: 1999” and “Armchair Thriller” combined, you’d still not have a show as unsettling and frightening as this.

And it showed during the early evening! Imagine how much more scary it would have been at night! If it’s possible to imagine this show more scary than it already was.

Disclaimer: I lied above. It’s not that I can’t remember, but I am literally still too terrified to watch the damn thing! I tried a while back, having found the above clip, but didn’t get past the HTV ident before the old fear kicked in and cold sweat stood out on my palms, and I had to hit stop. Wimp you say? Well then, you try looking at it!

Brrr! Still gives me shivers! :shycouch:

Heathen machine --- Balance of Power --- 2003 (Massacre)
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Over a career spanning nineteen years, though only ten of those active, and no less than four different vocalists over the course of five albums, Balance of Power take the phrase "fluid lineup" to new levels. Mind you, the thing is, whichever singer they've had has sounded great on the album he worked on. Tony Ritchie was powerful on their debut, Lance King impressed me on "Perfect balance", and here we have their latest, other than a compilation, on which Biomechanical's John K makes his one and only appearance before returning to his parent band. From the length of the hiatus between this album, the compilation "Heathenology", which was released in 2005, and any chance of any future project it would seem that Balance of Power are dead as a band: eight years is a lot to expect from any band. But they still appear to be active, still gigging as of 2007, though when you check their official website, that dreaded DNS error comes up.

So, are they dead? Perhaps they are. They were initially due to release a new album in 2006, but though they engaged yet another vocalist for this album, Corey Brown has yet to sing on any Balance of Power album, though he has played with them live. You'd have to say that as a going concern they are unlikely to come back now, though I guess there is always hope. But if this stands as their last collection of original material, is it the swansong the band deserve, and that the fans can remember them by?

There's a soft keyboard intro to "The rising", and the voice of new boy John K makes its mark right away, rippling piano and synth from Leon Lawson painting the backdrop to the opener before the title track kicks in, and it's clear that "The rising" is just a short intro really to the main event. Drums and powerful keyboards mesh with hard guitar as the whole thing picks up and gets decidedly metal. Pete Southern's guitars really add bite to the song while Lionel Hicks drives the thing along on the rails of his steamhammer drumming. I've always found it a little odd that the founder and original vocalist has dropped to mere (!) bass player now, but Tony Ritchie is still an important part of the songwriting process for Balance of Power, writing every track either in collaboration or solo, other than the opener, which oddly enough given that it has no percussion, is penned by Hicks. I guess a band must be quite comfortable in their collective skin to allow such a change take place and not seem to have any feelings of animosity about it.

The title track is a long affair, six and a half minutes, but not close to the longest on the album, and it certainly showcases John K's phenomenal vocal abilities, which help continue the great tradition of powerful, accomplished vocalists that have passed through this band. The title track ends almost with a reprise of the opener, and slips into "I wish you were here", another hard rocker that starts off with curiously new wave synth before Southern's guitars pound through, hammering at the song along with Hicks and it's a full minute before John K comes in on the vocal, with a more relaxed, gentler style than he has hitherto shown. This doesn't last of course, and as the guitars ramp up and synth fills fly left right and centre so too does John K's vocal rise and become more intense. It gets a little AOR at times, mostly in the keyboard runs, but not so much that the heaviness of the song is lost.

There's a low, sort of understated start to "Chemical imbalance", but don't let that fool you, as it quickly comes to life on the back of a powerful keyboard line and thundering percussion, and John K takes centre stage as everything drops away to just bass backing then the guitars and drums power back in, and the song has one of those great hooks that those who know this band will recognise. It's a powerful, rocking stomper and a good hard progressive metal track, the grinding guitars of Pete Southern cutting a swathe through the wall of keyboards provided by Leon Lawson, and he lets rip with a fine solo as the song reaches its climax, taking us into a gentle piano run that opens "No place like home" accompanied by strings-like synth. Some choral vocals carry the song into its first minute before once again Southern nods to Hicks and the two of them kick the track up the arse, ramping it up into another hard rock cruncher. Again it has a really cool little hook, something of a trademark of Balance of Power and makes you wonder why they're not better known. Perhaps it's that they're too heavy to be properly commercial, and too commercial, at times, to be considered a proper heavy metal band? Who knows, but there are some great tracks on this, as all their albums.

The tempo doesn't really slow down here at all, and though "The eyes of the world" again has its AOR moments it's another song any heavy metal fan would be proud to hear, and maybe, just maybe, make them wonder where this band has been all their life? Very dramatic, insistent keyboard backs this track but it's mostly driven on Southern's aggressive guitar work. But at some point we have to have a ballad, and though it's a power one it comes in the form of "Just before you leave", led by Lawson's smooth piano melodies and punchy guitar from Southern, with John K giving it all he's got and putting every ounce of passion and emotion into his voice that's possible. This is the one and only song he's involved in the writing of, collaborating with Ritchie and Southern, and it leads into the longest track on the album, the almost eight and a half minute "Wake up call", opening on a dark, doomy synth passage before exploding into a thundering rocker that tests John K's vocal prowess to the limit. Great galloping percussion from Hicks, and very impressive vocal harmonies which again sort of tread in a far heavier form of AOR territory. Very dramatic guitar from Southern which gets quite introspective about halfway through then fires back up full tilt taking him into a superb little solo while Leon Lawson's keyboards trumpet and blare all over the place.

The song though peters out and sort of dies away on a lonely guitar line and John K's pained vocal as we head into the closer, "Necessary evil", with a lilting, lively piano opening, Southern's barking guitars snarling their way all over the music before a few seconds has passed and after that it goes pell-mell, head-down for broke as Lawson's eastern-tinged keyboards add into the mix. There's a real marching, swaggering Dio feel about this track, with John K almost emulating the late legend himself at times. It's probably the most intense vocal from the singer on the album, and given that it will be his last contribution to Balance of Power he seems to give it his all. The lyric I find a little unimaginative and quite repetitive, but the level of musicianship on show pushes that to one side really, and it's as strong a closer as you're likely to get from this band. Best song to possibly end their catalogue? No, I could think of better, but it doesn't leave a bad taste in the mouth, just could have been better I feel.

TRACKLISTING

1. The rising
2. Heathen machine
3. I wish you were here
4. Chemical imbalance
5. No place like home
6. The eyes of the world
7. Just before you leave
8. Wake up call
9. Necessary evil

After singing on this album, John K returned to his band Biochemical, concerned that he was spreading himself too thin. In 2005 a compilation called "Heathenology" was released, a combination of a greatest hits and live material; a three-disc set, one of which was a DVD of the band live in 2004. You can't really fault them for their efforts in endeavouring to encapsulate their career to date, with this album containing remastered tracks from each of their previous four albums as well as the concert footage. But perhaps there was also a subtle message hidden in such a package: this is us, enjoy it cos we're done. This may not have been the intention of course, but to date no new material has been forthcoming, and the hoped-for sixth album "Whispers in the hurricane" has never seen the light of day. All members of Balance of Power are now doing their own thing.

It's a sad loss to the world of progressive metal if we hear no more from this talented bunch, but with the best will in the world and with even almost unshakable faith it's hard to see how there could be any new material on the horizon. Why this is so I have no idea; not too much is known about the band and as I said at the beginning, their own website is down, defunct or gone. Maybe these albums are all we have to remember them by. Still, at least we have that.

^ Excellent review amigo, but as a longtime Balance Of Power fan, I can safely assure the readers that all the Lance King at-the-mic albums (Book Of Secrets, Ten More Tales Of Grand Illusion and Perfect Balance) blow Heathen Machine out of the water.

But then again, Lance reminds me so much of classic Geoff Tate on those albums I mentioned that I'm probably a bit biased truth be told...;)

Thanks Ant! Nice to know someone else even knows of the band, much less is a fan. "Perfect balance" is my favourite from the guys, but I do think John K did a great job on "Heathen machine". Hope somehow they'll be back in some form or another.

BTW you know Lance has a solo album out? ;)

Welcome, one and all, to
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No, I am not opening a trendy nightspot where you can go to meet available members of the opposite --- or same --- sex for discreet nighttime trysts. I’m talking about singles in respect of tracks off albums, you know the ones. The hits, or the ones released from an album which the label (and I guess artiste) hope will become hits. Or the herald of the album, the lead single which is put out before the album is available and so is your only clue as to whether or not it’s going to be something that’s worth waiting for.

It’s probably been twenty or more years since I bought a physical single. Back in those days, when itunes was still a mere glint in the eye of Steve Jobs and the guys from YouTube were still at college wondering what they were going to do with their lives, singles populated the planet like a companion lifeform to man. You could just go into a record shop and ask for a single and they would probably have it, providing it was in the charts or “bubbling under”, ie just lurking outside the top forty, waiting for its chance to impress. Some of the more serious shops could of course order in a special song if you wanted it, but generally in those times people bought the singles as they came out --- as these were generally what you would hear on the radio --- and then, if they liked what they heard, the album would be next. I used to have a huge collection of singles, now I have none. Unlike my albums, I gave them away in a moment of madness, but never felt the need or desire to buy them again, especially not on CD. I could never see the point of a CD single. A vinyl one was cheap, a CD one was maybe half the price of an old vinyl album and often had a lot of pointless remixes and special editions clogging up the disc, presumably to justify the rather stiff price tag.

I gave up collecting singles once I had moved away from the chart music and honed in on my own particular favourite genres, which lent themselves far more easily to the album format. I haven’t bought one since. But I thought it might be fun to try a few again, so in this section I’m going to be listening to some new singles --- well, at least released in the last year or so --- and see whether they make me want to check out, or anticipate the arrival of, the album. I’ll be looking at singles by artistes I don’t know, so in some ways this will be a smaller, leaner version of “Rolling the dice”, but not quite as in-depth. Basically I’ll be talking about the single, what it sounds like and what I think of it, anything I know or can find out about the artiste, and whether in the end it makes me want to proceed on to the album.

To do this right I’m going to my favourite music online vendor, choosing a date or dates and just picking every single that I see. If I hate it I’ll say so, if it’s just ok or boring I’ll tell you and if it makes me think about the artiste or affects me in any way you’ll read about that here too. The good, the bad and the meh, so to speak.

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Lessons --- SOHN --- 2013

Okay, so this is the first one I’m listening to, totally out of the blue. And it turns out I’ve already missed the boat. How surprising. Goofle11 probably knows this artiste inside out. I don’t know the guy’s real name, but he goes under the name of SOHN and is apparently a one-man show; though he has yet to release his first album he has already worked with people like Lana del Rey and is becoming very respected in the music business apparently. I liked the sixty-second preview I heard of this, his second single after having been snapped up by the 4AD label, so now I’m going to listen to the whole thing.

I really like(d) the hypnotic synth beat that opens the song, almost Alan Parsons Project in ways, and the guy’s voice is certainly what you’d call soulful. Nice sort of dour piano line joins the synth, which runs weirdly at a much faster pace than the piano. Percussion cutting in now and some sample-y synth joining in with a sort of organ sound; the vocal is quite incongruous really, as the music sort of seems to want to take you in an “up” direction whereas the vocal is distinctly mournful and doleful. Very catchy though and very memorable. I’m not sure what genre this would fit into: at times it almost reminds me of Jean-Michel Jarre’s “Oxygene”, and then at other times there’s a real sense of soul in it.

Must say I’m quite impressed with this and I really like it. His album is due out next month and I think I may be one of those now waiting to catch it. Perhaps the rest of his music is nothing like this but even so I reckon I’ll be taking a listen soon as it pops its head up. Nice.

Rating: 8/10

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Seninle --- Yukset Sadakat --- 2013

Time for a Eurovision joke. According to my research (yeah, yeah, Wiki I know! Sue me!) this rock band from Turkey were slated to represent their country at that august competition but failed to get to the final, making it the first time Turkey was NOT stuffed at the Eurovision! Oh ho ho ho! How very droll!

Seriously, these guys have been around since 1997 and have released, um, three albums in that time. Although to be fair, they seem to have kicked around for almost ten years before releasing their debut in 2006, don’t ask me why it took so long. These crazy Turks eh? This single, which I keep thinking is called “Senile”, is from their latest and, I guess, fourth album, which Wiki has not yet got round to updating their page for yet. I say must be because their previous album was in 2011, and this single was released last year, so I’m assuming it’s a new one from an album as yet not shown on the page. So what’s it like?

Well there are two versions, one called the “Kirmzi version” and one the “Mavi version”, but don’t ask me the difference. It’s a pretty okay rock song with AOR overtones but a nice sort of semi-acoustic feel to it too. No idea what it’s about as it’s sung in their native Turkish. To be honest it’s good until it gets to the chorus, which is generic and really lets the song down. But of all the Turkish rock bands I’ve ever heard --- none --- this is pretty good. Misspoptart may be able to shed some light on these guys. Wiki says their name is a translation of “High fidelity”, which anyone old as me will remember used to be what record players came labelled as.

Yeah it’s good, but would it make me go looking for their album? Um. Good guitar solo there, but really if it wasn’t for the chorus I’d like this a lot more. It’s just too obviously a bunch of guys trying to sound like an American rock group, or how they think one should sound. Which is a pity, as they have a pretty decent sound of their own and don’t I think need to go emulating anyone.

Rating: 7/10 (would be higher if not for the chorus being so disappointing)

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A perfect day --- Standing Egg --- 2012

Now these are harder to get information on, but I found out they’re an indie pop band from Korea, and apparently someone called Windy features on this single from 2012, my guess being that she’s the vocalist here but I could be wrong. This is in fact from an album called “Ballad with Windy”, but when I look at the tracklisting every single track bar this is in Korean, so I have no idea what else is on it. I’m going to assume --- perhaps wrongly, but I’m going to do it anyway --- that this is one of those girl groups that have sprung up all over Asia, particularly in Japan. They seem to have a decent discography, with albums stretching back to 2010, so they’re not new. Neither is this single, but I liked what I heard. Let’s have a closer listen.

Nice soft female acapella vocal before the acoustic guitar comes in almost unobtrusively, then takes in soft percussion as the guitar itself gets a little more forceful, though not much. I don’t think this is meant to be forceful music. Quite an entrancing voice, whether this is one of Standing Egg or the mysterious Windy. Lyric slips into what I guess is Korean about halfway through, then back to English for the chorus. Very pleasant. Nothing terrific but very nice. Quite long for a single at over four minutes, but with a voice like that you really don’t mind that it’s basically just repeating the same phrases and chords over and over.

Lovely little vocal harmony there in the third minute, and it stays through the chorus. I like that there are no other instruments other than the guitar and a little percussion. Very stripped down and yet it manages not to sound barebones. Just the sort of thing to relax or drift off to.

Rating: 8/10

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En esch, mona mur --- Eintagsfleigen --- 2012

This one confuses me. I know nothing about this band or artiste, and sadly Spotify ain’t got them so I go YouTubing and come across something similar but not exactly the same. I get the feeling this is two tracks (“En esch” and “Mona mur”) but I’m not sure. At any rate it appears to be EDM or some electronic stuff that I’m not really into. I’m assuming the band/artiste is/are German, though of course they could be Dutch, Danish or any other similar-sounding nationality. But my guess would be German.

Anyway, this one involves a female singer who kind of reminds me of yer wan from Propaganda, with buzzy synths and sort of clanging, crashing drums, no real melody I can discern and seems to be that sort of thing that you will hear endlessly pumped out of techno dance clubs, not that I’ve ever been in one. The vocal is okay once it gets going, and the guitar, well in the background, weirdly reminds me of that Belle Stars hit, “Sign of the times”. Go figure, huh?

Rating: 3/10


Turquoise hotel --- Fungi Girls --- 2010 (No picture available)

And finally … yeah I know it’s reaching back a little but I told myself I’d grab one more before heading for the door and this is it. Another band who believe everyone who goes to their Bandcamp page should know who they are --- no profile, guys? So I had to trawl Pitchfork (my first ever visit) to find out who these lads are, and it turns out they’re from the Republic of Texas, and all very young: preteen, says the reviewer but I wonder? Can you legally publish and/or play music live if you’re under the working age? Maybe in Texas you can.

I guess this was their debut single four years ago, as in 2011 their debut album had the B-side, “Doldrums”, on it, but not this strangely. Anyway to be perfectly honest I was not impressed by what I heard in the preview. Let’s see if that changes with a full listen. Hmm. Clangy, muddy guitar with a sort of fifties rock sound to it, then it speeds up into what I would almost call a punk rhythm, and as in the sample I find the vocal completely subdued, almost indecipherable. Whether that’s down to the prowess --- or lack of --- of the singer, or the production I don’t know, but when you can hear him he seems to have little or no emotion or inflection in his voice, almost as if he’s singing off an autocue or something. Rhythm is rocky enough and uptempo, and maybe it’s the shoegaze thing again, where you’re not really supposed to hear the vocalist or make out the lyrics, but it annoys me.

No, I don’t like this. Does nothing for me. Very amateurish and doesn’t really seem like they’re even trying. Maybe that’s the curse of youth, maybe it’s lack of experience, or even talent. I certainly wouldn’t bother listening to this again though. Mind you, I said that about My Bloody Valentine, so what do I know? But this is definitely not my cup of poison. Pass.

Rating: 2/10

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When I look back I’m somewhat amazed to see that the last time I did this was back in October, during Metal Month. Admittedly, there were four instances during that special edition, but still, it’s been nearly five months now since we last went looking for a heavy metal band I could talk about and listen to, so it must be time to put on the leather-studded wristbands and dig out that old faded denim jacket once again, pretend I can ride a motorbike (it’s hell waiting on the 27A I can tell you!) and disappear off down the dark hot dusty roads in search of another metal band via the random function at Home - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives

So, who’s up first? And not a player with the unlikely name of Who: I’m talking about the pronoun here. Right then, clickety-click, metal gods be good to me …

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Well, interesting in that when I do a cursory gander around the internet I can find some of their songs, though to be honest this is not good news for me, as this is a black metal band from Norway: can there be any blacker? However I am unable to piece together a full album, so let me just grab what there is an throw it here for you. This is called “Capische”. I don’t, honestly. Just sounds like noise to me but anyway…



Another singer who sounds as if this should translate into “Get this fucking thorn out of my foot! It really hurts!” but surely doesn’t. Batlord probably loves this. Here’s another from them, called “Vergangenheit”. Slower, doomier, might not be that bad...
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]Yeah, you know, almost sort of melodic. Far different from “Capische”; the vocal is still a growly croak rising to a gutteral scream but you know, as some people here have advised me, if you either shut out the voice or consider it a musical instrument you can kind of get through this without blood coming out of your ears. Almost. Kind of Maiden influence in the guitars there. Interesting. One more? Sure why not. This is called “Tomorrow”, and is apparently from their farewell concert of 2005. Very interestingly starts off with a big synth intro, kind of proggy but also reminds me of Manowar’s “Gates of Valhalla”.



At least the stupid knobs in the audience closest to the person filming this have shut up now enough that we can hear the band on stage. Nice almost acoustic guitar coming in and the song for the moment sounds quite slow, but now of course it’s picking up tempo and our roaring friend is back. Still, not really half bad at all. I wonder what a full album from these guys would have been like? Oh well, time to shuffle on down the track…

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That says “Blackout” in case you can’t figure out the logo, and they’re a stoner band from Brooklyn it says here, who have only been together since 2011 and released their first album last year. Wonder if it’ll be available? Woo-hoo! It is! Spotify has it. So these will be the guys then, good or bad, we’ll concentrate on.

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OK then, points of interest, points of interest. Well, it’s noted that one of the band members has only one leg! Whether vocalist/guitarist Christian Gordy lost the other one in an accident, is a war veteran or was born without two legs I have no idea, and as this band are relatively new there is as per usual very little information about them. But it’s certainly a hook, even if it’s not meant to be one. Here’s how they line out:

Band name: Blackout
Nationality: American
Subgenre: Stoner metal
Born: 2011
Status: Active
Albums: “We are here” (2013)
Live albums: None
Collections/Boxed sets/Anthologies: None
Lineup Christian Gordy (Guitars, Vocals)
Taryn Waldman (Drums)
Justin Sherell (Bass, Vocals)

So they’re a three-piece, and I’m reliably informed their music moves at such a slow pace that doom seems positively breakneck by comparison. This could be something of a struggle for me. As I mentioned (I think I mentioned: did I mention?) they only have the one album, having been formed a mere two and a bit years now, and that debut came out last year.

We are here --- Blackout --- 2013 (Self-released)
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There are only six tracks on the album and each has a single-word title. We open on “Indian”, with a screeching guitar that sounds like air brakes or something, then heavy almost tribal drumming from Taryn Waldman takes us into a nice catchy groove until suddenly it all comes to almost a dead stop as the crashing guitars of Christian Gordy pound in, his vocal more like something between a moan and a chant, the rhythm behind the music sort of lost now, almost as if everyone is doing their own thing. I’ve never quite seen a song begin so promisingly before to suddenly fall totally apart, and so quickly. It’s only just under five minutes long but sounds or seems much longer due to the complete lack of cohesion and ideas on the song. I fear this may be the beginning of something truly awful.

Grinding almost melodic guitar is encouraging though as “Amnesia” opens and Waldman’s percussion takes up the rhythm, Justin Sherrell’s bass holding the line nicely, and even when Gordy’s more recognisable vocal comes in this time it’s keeping a little more with the music being played. It’s not much better to be honest but it does hang together a little better. Sort of Sabbath feel to it, though nowhere near as good. Waldman may be able to hold a beat but she’s no great drummer; I don’t hear any finesse or style in her performance, and though I’ve already admitted I wouldn’t know a good drummer from a bad one, well let’s just say she’s no Cozy Powell or Keith Moon!

That hard grinding screeching guitar is back for the superslow “Smoker”, so slow you can count the individual notes and even the spaces in between them. Gordy’s vocal is kind of phased or something, but even the effects can’t disguise that he’s at best a very average singer. I would say he should concentrate on playing the guitar, but he’s a very average guitarist too. Sadly, the same goes for his bandmates, and I’m not hearing anything at all that’s interesting or even holding my attention here. Well, the guitar just got a bit faster and almost boogie-ish, so that in itself is something. I mean, I don’t know stoner metal that well, but I’ve heard Stormbringer and Doomsword and they are miles, light years, ahead of these guys who are really coming across to me as total amateurs. And amateurs who suck into the bargain.

(This is the only --- I mean only --- video I could get of this band. The quality is crap, but then, so is the music…)

There’s a decent little groove set up in the last minute or so, but nothing about this track, or the two that have gone before it, is likely to remain in my head once this review is over. I seriously doubt, unless there is a major seachange in the second half of the album, that anything following them will do anything different. “Columbus” and “Anchor” are short tracks, each just shading the four minute mark, the former seeming to consist of Gordy bashing the hell out of his guitar while Sherrell copies him, a real melange of noise with no real target or purpose and not too much in the way of vocals, but when they come again they’re phased for some reason. The latter seems to try to emulate the quintessential Sabbath track, their signature tune, but fails miserably as this band keep coming up against the same staggering lack of talent. At this point I’m not looking forward to the closer, as it’s easily the longest on the album, coming in at a worrying nine minutes plus.

Confusingly titled “Seven”, it’s another slow grinder which does little or nothing to distinguish it from the five tracks that have preceded it, and although the longest it doesn't do anything to convince me that this band is worth another try. I don’t see them getting a second album out but given this is self-released maybe there’s nothing to stop them. However I’d be surprised if they got signed any time soon by any of the major or even minor labels.

“We are here”? Yeah, well you can stay there as far as I’m concerned!

TRACKLISTING

1. Indian
2. Amnesia
3. Smoker
4. Columbus
5. Anchor
6. Seven

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Well at least I didn’t have to search four or five times to get a band I could actually review, though after listening to this substandard dross I wish I’d just opened the throttle and kept ridin -- I mean, stayed on the bus till the next stop. Yeah, single to the city centre please mate: think I need to do some serious drinking. Not, I did not mean thinking…

The turn of a friendly card --- The Alan Parsons Project --- 1980 (Arista)
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Though both "Eve" and "I robot" had explored related themes this was really the first proper concept album from the Alan Parsons Project, based around one of humanity's vices, gambling. All right: their debut, "Tales of mystery and imagination", was a concept based on the stories of Edgar Allan Poe, but that was all instrumental, so this is the first chance they got to explore common ideas through the medium of actual songs, rather than just musical passages. The title track is an epic sixteen-minute piece, broken onto five sections, and easily the longest APP song ever. The album was also the first to feature Eric Woolfson on vocals, and is far from my favourite APP album, but far from the worst either. Its strength, or weakness, lies in the title track: after all, if you don't like it then that's really about a third of the album you're not going to want to listen to, and while it's good in my opinion it's perhaps not as good as it could have been. The rest of the album is a kind of hit-and-miss affair, with some very good tracks and some, well, not so good ones, as we shall see.

"May be a price to pay" starts us off with synthesised trumpets and a somewhat ominous-sounding fanfare before it comes to life on the back of David Paton's instantly recognisable bassline and swirling keys from Eric Woolfson, uptempo percussion from Stuart Elliot. The vocal is taken by Elmer Gantry, AKA Dave Terry. He has a strong rock style voice, and it is of course and always has been a feature of the Alan Parsons Project that they utilise different vocalists on each album, almost on every track. There's a nice orchestral section which flows into a smooth keyboard line with attendant piano, almost edging into semi-jazz territory for a moment, then the main melody reasserts itself. Of course the guitar work of Ian Bairnson is as always flawless, if not quite as pronounced as expected. A busy keyboard line brings in "Games people play" with a somewhat more funky feel to it, and the vocal taken by Lenny Zakatek, one of my least favourite APP vocalists, though here he does a decent job. I've just always found him very harsh in style compared to Woolfson, Blunstone or Miles.

The song concerns the desperate need to fill up the time now that the family have grown and moved on, and can be taken I suppose as both a reference to sexual games or to gambling, with the line "Games people play/ In the middle of the night", though with the theme being centred around the latter one would have to assume the song is about that. Great solo this time from Bairnson as he's allowed to do what he does best, then we drift into the standout of the album, as mentioned the first vocal performance from Eric Woolfson, though it would of course not be the last. "Time" is the ballad on the album, and like the river about which Woolfson sings, it flows along gently on a breezy synth passage and rippling piano. The difference in the vocal from Woolfson and the one from Zakatek is the difference between night and day. Woolfson breathes the song, almost an exhalation, soft, gentle, caressing, and he has the perfect voice to take the album's laidback slow ballad. Again beautiful orchestration accompanies him, supplied by the Orchestra of the Munich Chamber Opera, and really adds an extra touch of class to an already classy song. When Woolfson goes up a register it's just like hearing a male angel sing, and the almost ELO-like violins and cellos just make it perfect. The backing vocal from Parsons himself, singing a separate lyric, adds the final sheen to the last verse.

As "Time" fades down and slips away like the memories of a dying dream, it's rather unfortunate that the mellifluous tones of Woolfson are followed by a return for Zakatek, in the comparatively substandard "I don't want to go home", which despite its interesting solo piano intro turns into a relatively basic rock song. Although it retains the basic motifs of the APP I just find it quite disappointing, which is not to say that it's a bad song, but it can't hold a candle to "Time" or even "May be a price to pay". Again it's got an element of funk in it, particulalry in Bairnson's guitar work, with some nice trumpeting synth. That takes us to the first instrumental, and the APP are known for a few. This more or less introduces us to the title track, and opens with a whistling keyboard intro like something out of an Ennio Moricone western before breaking into a melody which has by now become synonymous with the APP, the bass of Paton joining with the smooth percussion of Elliot and the sparkling keyswork of Woolfson and Parsons, a little sound like fingers clicking and then a sort of saxophone line coming in. As instrumentals go, it's pretty cool.

Sixteen minutes and twenty-four seconds of the title track then closes the album, and you either love this or hate it. It's split into five sections, the first of which is called "The turn of a friendly card part one" and features Chris Rainbow on vocals, as indeed does most of the piece apart from one section. Opening on a medieval little piano piece it brings in flute and some sparse bass before Rainbow's voice sings the vocal, sounding rather pleasantly like Woolfson, in fact I used to think it was him. He cries "The game never ends/ When your whole world depends/ On the turn of a friendly card", a theme which will recur later in the song. Nice little laidback acoustic guitar line from Bairnson then a gong sounds and we hear the sounds of a crowd as we move into "Snake eyes", and things get a little more intense. A big, thick, marching bassline and slow, thumping, almost heartbeat percussion brings in a sharp, swaggering guitar line from Ian Bairnson, the song changing from slow ballad into a more sleazy, shuffle style.

Another fine little guitar solo from Bairnson, more punchy this time, with a descending synth to take us into "The Ace of Swords" which is the instrumental in the piece, played on what sounds like a lyre or lute, and with soft keyboard accompanying it, revisiting the theme from the first movement but then adding in some harder, faster material as the percussion ramps up and the keys get a bit more intense. The trumpeting fanfare makes a return and once it gets going this piece is mostly keyboard-driven with some orchestration helping out. Violins, violas, cellos and harps help to heighten the sense of anticipation and urgency and desperation as the gambler's addiction begins to take him over and he can see no way out. Indeed, eventually he decides there is "Nothing left to lose" and this brings us to the fourth section as Eric Woolfson takes the vocal, accompanied by Bairnson. The tempo slows a little; it's not a ballad but it's certainly not a rocker, almost acoustic in ways.

Some nice backing vocals here too, and a ticking bassline that keeps the rhythm going as celtic style keys enter, with something like uileann pipes or somesuch, perhaps an accordion sound there too. Bit of reggae thrown in there before the tempo kicks up again and the melody from "Snake eyes" comes back in. The final part of the piece is "The turn of a friendly card part two", and basically returns to the melody and lyric of the first part, with lush orchestration and Chris Rainbow back on vocals, reprising his role from the opening part, and giving it all he has on the final lyrics. Most of this is instrumental though, with the final two minutes a showcase for Bairnson, Woolfson and the orchestra, fading out magnificiently.

TRACKLISTING

1. May be a price to pay
2. Games people play
3. Time
4. I don't wanna go home
5. The gold bug
6. The turn of a friendly card
(i) The turn of a friendly card part one
(ii) Snake eyes
(iii) The Ace of Swords
(iv) Nothing left to lose
(v) The turn of a friendly card part two

An album with a sixteen-minute track was never going to set the charts alight, and though the APP had their hits it really wasn't till after this album, with their most memorable and successful coming from the "Eye in the sky" album, released two years later. But lack of hit singles didn't keep Parsons down and with the Project he went on to record another six albums before embarking on a solo career under his own name, but basically Alan Parsons Project albums in all but name, with the conspicuous absence of Eric Woolfson, after the two founders had fallen out. Woolfson passed away in 2009.

An ambitious album, "The turn of a friendly card" realises its lofty goals more often than it does not, but there are points on the album where it's almost degenerating from high concept into basic rock and I think this is where it lets the listener down. This should have been a fluid, linked piece of music from start to finish and though the title track mostly accomplishes this, it is some of the preceding tracks that prevent this album from gaining a place it might otherwise have deserved within the hierarchy of the Alan Parsons Project's releases.

Fantastic analysis dear boy, fantastic. I agree that one's love, hate or indifference to The Turn Of A Friendly Card depends entirely on the title track, but I for one have always dug it. :D

Speaking of Chris Rainbow though, I would love to get your impressions of his solo work one of these days. He did three interesting albums back in the 70's (Home Of The Brave, Looking Over My Shoulder, White Trails) and they're all awesome...especially if your a big fan of lush, layered Beach Boys-styled harmonies. :clap:

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The French Revolution (1789-1799)

Revolutions come about for many reasons; people want independence, injustices need to be redressed, loss of confidence in the ruling government or monarch, and in a way one of the most famous has most if not all of these traits. At the tail end of the eighteenth century the people of France were fiercely and savagely divided. The poor were unremittingly poor, destitute and without a voice, while the nobles and gentry lived it up and cared nothing for the ordinary folk. Their king, Louis XVI, continued to levy crippling taxes upon the people to finance his ongoing wars with the British and Germans in the American Revolutionary War and to maintain his increasingly hedonistic lifestyle and that of his court, completely oblivious to the want and destitution stalking the streets of his country. Isolated in the Palace of Versailles, where the walls did nothing but reflect images of his own glory, and keep out the desperate cries of the poor and the hungry, King Louis, by all accounts a weak ruler, refused to deal with the rising crisis, refused to even see it as such until the Bastille was stormed and then Versailles itself, which forced the king to pull his court back to the capital.
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Rising food prices, a spiralling cost of living and bad harvests, together with growing resentment of the clergy and the nobility would lead to a popular uprising the likes of which the world had never seen, with the king being arrested and then executed along with his queen, Marie Antoinette. However, as is so often the case with new power bases, the Committee of Public Safety, headed by Maximellen Robespierre, drunk on power instigated what became known as the Reign of Terror, in which first only nobles and their supporters were executed by the dread guillotine, but soon anyone who got in Robespierre’s way or threatened his grip on power would find their head rolling into a basket. As in all such “purges”, many of those who lost thier lives under the blade did so for no other crime than thinking differently to what was offically espoused by the Committee, or as a result of scores to be settled. A hundred and fifty-odd years later the same thing would happen to the Jews in Hitler’s Germany.

But as always happens, Robespierre overreached himself and went too far. Gaining too much power in the Committee he became less a leader and more a liability, and his fanatical devotion to his ideals --- which had earned him the epiteth “The Incorruptible” --- was another factor which led to his eventual and inevitable downfall. With the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1804 the Committee of Public Safety was disbanded and the Consulate established, paving the way for Napoleon to be named the first French Emperor. On his defeat in 1815 the monarchy was restored, though as a constitutional, rather than absolute power.
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Between then and near to the end of the nineteenth century France wavered between monarchy and republic, finally emerging as the latter in 1870, and today it is still the Republic of France. So in some ways the French Revolution succeeded spectacularly, but in other, perhaps more important ways, it failed miserably. Hundreds of thousands of French citizens, many of them guilty of no crime, died under the hard, unyielding steel gaze of Madame La Guillotine, and in the end even those who had masterminded and driven the Revolution died, as they had condemned so many others, beneath the pitiless descent of the blade.

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Back a short while ago I decided to take on the untakeonable (yeah I know it’s not a word) and review Floyd’s superb classic “Dark side of the moon”. It occurred to me afterwards that it was quite possibly a waste of time: after all, who has not heard that album? But then Briks came along and announced that not only had he never heard that album, he had never heard any Pink Floyd! So I began to rethink, and this is what I’ve come up with.

Running in sort of tandem --- though not really --- with my “Classic albums I have never heard” journal, these will be reviews of albums everyone has, or should have, heard, but they will be written for those few --- or perhaps many --- who have not had the pleasure. I will therefore approach them speaking to those people, so if you know these albums backwards keep your sniggers to yourself; nudge your partner if you must, but be aware these reviews are not directed at you, you who have seen it all and heard it all. These are for those who have yet to partake and who, just maybe, through these words may find they’re attracted to listen to the album and discover it for themselves. Somewhere out there, believe it or not, there are people who have never heard “Hotel California”, “Bat out of Hell, “Led Zeppelin IV”, “Paranoid” and a whole host of others. And it’s quite possible they may never do.

So these reviews are for those lost souls, in the hope they may find their way into the light and share the glory of these classic albums with the rest of us, and finally, once and for all, be able to truly call themselves part of the human race. :D

And as it was reviewing Floyd's “Dark side” that gave me this idea, we’ll kick off with them.

Animals --- Pink Floyd --- 1977 (Harvest)
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Of course, this section could be filled up with Floyd albums alone. “The wall”, “Wish you were here”, “Meddle”, even “The final cut” has to in my opinion go down as a classic of the age, if only because it was the last hurrah of Roger Waters. And if you look at the discography of the band, this album comes smack bang between two serious classics itself, with “Wish you were here” released two years prior and the awe-inspiring “The Wall” two years after it. So a triumvirate of classics, you might say.

One thing about Floyd albums has always been their iconic album covers. I mean, you can not know who the band are and still recognise the sleeve of “Dark side”, “Wish you were here” or “The Wall”, and their tenth album was no exception. Working as ever with Hipgnosis and the late, lamented Storm Thorgerson, the album cover was in fact more the brainchild of Waters, but realised and created by Hipgnosis. When you look at it first, as I did all those years ago, you really only see the dour towers of Battersea Power Station, then your eye is drawn to the shape floating high in the sky just to the left of the picture, between the first and second chimney stacks. It’s a pig.

With a name like “Animals” it will be no surprise to find that the five songs on the album are all about, well, animals. But drawing inspiration from George Orwell’s literary political satire masterpiece, “Animal farm”, Waters gives each animal the characteristics of societal classes, so that pigs are obviously the rich and powerful, dogs their henchmen and enforcers, and sheep are the vast mass of humanity who just accept things and move right along, never questioning, never trying to effect change; keeping their heads down in case someone notices them.

Bookended by two simple love songs, the rest of the album (the other three tracks) are all long ones, the shortest coming in at just over ten minutes and the longest at over seventeen, each of which take one of the animals as their subject matter. Between the five they tell a story of political and class struggle which, unlike Waters’s later opus “The Wall”, has a relatively happy and upbeat ending. And it’s very much his concept; he writes all the lyrics and sings all but one of the tracks. This, and the next album, show his tightening grip on the band which would result in his leaving them altogether in 1985. It would probably be fair to call him a control freak, and yet you can’t argue that the albums from where he began taking the reins, from “Dark side” up to and including “The final cut”, stand as the very best in an impressive discography. So maybe he can be excused for being such a tyrant. Maybe. Still, for this album he not only wrote the lyrics, sang and played guitar as well as bass, but also designed the sleeve: little bit overkill? Nevertheless, you can’t say this isn’t a classic.

A simple acoustic love song gets us underway, as “Pigs on the wing part 1” opens the album, deceptively uncomplicated and mundane but still with that Pink Floyd edge to it. Waters does his usual great job on the vocals with an almost fatalistic yet emotion-filled performance. As songs go on the album it’s almost the shortest, and leads into “Dogs”, the only track on the whole album that features any contribution (other than his usual excellent guitarwork) from Dave Gilmour. On this he helped write the music and also shares part of the vocal with Waters, but to be honest much of the power of the song revolves around Rick Wright’s superb keyboard work, particularly the opening organ. Sublime solos from Gilmour of course as he sings about the rough and tough dogs, who live hard and uncompromising lives --- ”You’ve gotta keep runnin’” he advises, ”Gotta keep lookin’ over your shoulder/ It’s gonna get harder/ As you get older.”

There’s a nice little instrumental section then that reminds me of much of the work on “Shine on you crazy diamond”, mostly the opening sections, then some heartfelt guitar interplay between Gilmour and Waters, then it slows down into an almost acoustic vein with the sound of dogs barking and baying --- perhaps slightly unoriginal, but Floyd almost wrote the book on originality so you can forgive them this obvious step, and anyway it fits in well with the overall feel of the piece. Another, more powerful solo from Gilmour as Wright keeps a nice piano line going under the melody, then the vocal becomes a duet as Waters joins in, which really helps to solidify the atmosphere of the song. The creed of the Dog surfaces as we’re told ”You have to be trusted by the people you lie to/ So that when they turn their backs on you/ You’ll get the chance/ To put the knife in.” Usage of what would become classic Waters devices like the mention of “the stone” and the repeated echoing fading last word which would crop up again later in both “The Wall” and “The final cut”.

A deep, atmospheric instrumental passage as Wright takes over on the synthesiser, the barking dogs back but never too loud, always in the background, like you often might hear in a neighbour’s garden a few houses away, close enough to annoy but not enough to worry you. Squealing, screeching guitar again reminiscent of some of “Shine on” turns the tune a little manic, a little unhinged in places while Wright steadily and carefully keeps the synth melody striding gracefully forward. Then as the screeching guitar fades back a little Waters’s acoustic comes in with a reprise of the opening melody line and it’s he who takes the solo vocal for the second half of the song (well it’s eleven minutes into a seventeen-minute song, but this is still reckoned to be the second part) and you can hear some of the elements which would go to inform the lyrics and themes of the next album as he asks ”If I don’t stand my own ground/ How can I find my way/ Out of this maze?”

Another fretburning solo from Gilmour as the organ comes back in and then it stops for a moment as guitar takes over, before Waters brings back the “stone” theme for the conclusion of the song as he sings ”Who was fitted with collar and chain/ Who was given a pat on the back/ Who was breaking away from the pack/ Who was only a stranger at home/ Who was ground down in the end/ Who was found dead on the phone/ Who was dragged down by the stone.”

“Pigs (Three different ones)” opens with an almost electronica synth and quiet guitar before Gilmour kicks it up a little with some heavier riffs as Nick Mason’s percussion punches its way in and the song becomes something of a rocky blues tune. Waters’s vocal is mostly quite low-key and restrained on this: he doesn’t snarl angrily or roar as he has been known to do. Around the fifth minute Gilmour takes over with some nice guitar licks which takes us well into the seventh, where Wright’s organ comes into its own, then the vocal comes back in the eighth, as Waters rails against Mary Whitehouse, the self-proclaimed protector of decency and morality who was a thorn in the sides of TV producers during the seventies and eighties, and became synonymous with the nanny state and interfering nosy parkers who have nothing better to do with their time than try to force everyone to conform to their skewed and outdated moral values. No, I wasn't a fan. ;)

More superb soloing from Gilmour takes us out and into “Sheep”, where some gorgeous Fender Rhodes from Wright opens the song, Waters’s bass then walking along and bringing the feel of a stride/boogie rhythm before his vocal, angry and frustrated again, bursts forth and the song springs to life, rocking along at a great lick, Wright exchanging his Fender for a Hammond. I've always found this to sound a little like “One of these days” off “Meddle”. Not exactly, but the bass line is similar and I hear a lot of the basic melody here. Anyway Gilmour cuts in now with some fine riffs before Waters throws in a bass line that would recur later in part on “Goodbye cruel world” to some extent and then Wright spreads synthesiser goodness all over the track before Gilmour again cuts loose. We’re now approaching minute five.

Waters’s bass takes over in about the sixth, almost solo and carrying the melody as Floyd desecrate the Lord’s Prayer in a way that would not be attempted again until Marillion recorded “Forgotten sons” almost ten years later: ”He maketh me to hang on hooks/ In high places and converteth me to lamb cutlets”...

As the mindless sheep finally turn on the dogs and kill them --- ”Bleating and babbling we fell on his neck with a scream” --- Gilmour lets loose again and Wright’s organ follows him every step of the way. Fading out on guitar we’re into the closer, the reprise of the opener, “Pigs on the wing (Part two)”, another simple, short acoustic song that uses the very same melody as the first part but with different lyrics, and brings to an end a seminal and classic album by one of the greatest progressive rock bands of all time.

TRACKLISTING

1. Pigs on the wing (Part one)
2. Dogs
3. Pigs (Three different ones)
4. Sheep
5. Pigs on the wing (Part two)

What can you really say in conclusion about a classic album? One of three, maybe four if you include “The final cut”, concept albums released by Floyd between the years 1973 and 1983, “Animals” not only shows the band growing and stamping their own identity on their music and on the progressive rock scene in general, but foreshadows dark clouds on the horizon, as tensions within the band build and grow to a point where Roger Waters’s almost megalomaniacal control over Floyd would lead to him departing for a solo career, leaving Gilmour to take the helm and pilot them through what would turn out to be their last two albums. I personally like both “A momentary lapse of reason” and “The division bell”, but it’s fair to say that neither was a patch on the clutch of classic albums they released over this ten year period.

As the saying goes, they don’t make them like this anymore!

Animals, my favorite Floyd album and one of my favorite albums of all time. Nice review.

*ahem* Trollheart, I have liked Pink Floyd for a long time, I think it was Powerstars who hadn't heard them. :rolleyes:

Darn it, you people look all the same to me!! :rofl: Sorry about that man....
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Anyway, I wasn't having a pop at you or him, just trying to show that as classic as we think/know these albums are, and as much as we assume everyone in the world has heard them, there are a lot of people who have not.

I mean, look at me with "Reign in blood" (cough!)...

We're not going to have to get the lawyers involved in this, are we?
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And when are you gonna follow that up with something else you obviously will hate? I think we can all agree that we like your thread most when you're abusing yourself.

I concur.

I've had a tough two months. I need to be nice to myself for a while, so no more albums I hate. Well, maybe. We'll see. But for now, it's stuff I enjoy all the way. Sort of.

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Someone told me you needed to see this.

I've been using Comic Sans for what, three years now? But only for the album titles. So Satan can have all the pizza he wants, on me.
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Back, afer some considerable time, we go to ProgArchives' Top 100 Prog Albums of 2013. Man, I had better get my little arse in gear if I want to get through another 98 by year's end! Still, I knew this would take a while. Hey, I’m listening to about five albums at once here, gimme a break! This shows up at number 99 on the list, and why is beyond me, as it’s certainly good enough to be much, much higher.
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From the small hours of weakness --- Verbal Delirium --- 2013 (Self-released)

Despite the rather obscure title and the unfortunate abbreviation of their name, not to mention its connotations with rambling on and on without any sense --- unlike, I hasten to add, myself! --- verbal diarrhea is the last thing you could accuse these guys of. Together since 1999, it nevertheless took these five Greek lads ten years to put together their first official album --- though there was a demo back in 2007 which seems to have been deleted --- and this is their second effort. I was so impressed by this that I immediately bought their debut, and although I haven’t listened to it yet I’m expecting great things. The key factor about Verbal Delirium (no I will not call them VD!) is that they mesh many different styles of music together, as do many prog bands of course, but Verbal do it in a way that surprises and takes you unawares. Take the opener for instance. It’s built on a soft little drum pattern with a whispered vocal that reminds me of no-one as much as Matt Johnson, a quiet little piano passage and a gentle little flute sound that recalls seventies Floyd. I can’t place it but that keyboard/flute melody is very familiar. Could be classical. Could be Marillion, Zep, or something completely different. Speaking of something completely different, you’ve just about assigned this band the level of Big Big Train or maybe early Genesis when suddenly it blasts into a heavy guitar and organ riff that you just do not expect.

Mind you, it’s almost four minutes into the five-and-change that “10,000 roses” runs for before this about-face happens, and indeed it’s that long too before the vocals come in, and quickly thereafter it returns to the soft, pastoral piano and crying guitar on which it fades out. As the kids say, awesome. And a great opener that just reminds you not to judge from the first few minutes of a song, or album. “Desire”, then, also opens on a gentle passage of piano and guitar, again recalling early Genesis but with some folk rock added in. The vocal this time is soft, almost breathed rather than sung, and in ways reminds me of It Bites. It may be seen as a racist comment, but I’m constantly amazed how “foreign” singers can sound so English. There’s not a trace of a Greek accent here --- not that I’d recognise a Greek accent if I heard one --- but the vocalist, who goes by the name of Jargon, has perfect English and not a hint of any accent. Like the previous song, this one soon morphs into something more powerful, ditching for a while the Tony Banks style synthesisers for a heavier, perhaps more Spock’s Beard vibe, the percussion coming in hard and heavy and some fine neoclassical piano joining the melody before it too all winds right back down into a solo piano ending and into a very short instrumental called “Erebus.”

I’ve read other reviews of this album and the band has been compared to Van der Graaf Generator. I see this now in the instrumental, in the somewhat jazzy brass, but it doesn’t last long before we’re into a big bassy upbeat piano to open “Dance of the dead”, and it’s here indeed that Jargon on piano and Nikos Nikolopoulos on both sax and flute really shine. Again I see the VdGG comparisons, but I’m not the biggest authority on that band. I have all their albums but have listened to only one or two, so personally for me the sax brings more to my mind Supertramp than VdGG. Interestingly, like the first album we reviewed, this turns out to be again two instrumentals in a row. Speaking of Supertramp, some piano very much in their style introduces one of the standouts on the album, the almost nine-minute “The losing game”, where the title of the album is mentioned (there is no title track) and again Jargon’s voice is controlled but strong, soft yet insistent.

Some fine mellotron recalls the best of seventies prog, and some great sax from Nikolopoulos brings the Supertramp influence back in, along with some very Roger Hodgson guitar courtesy of Nikitas Kissonas; in fact, put Hodgson or Davies behind the mike and this could very well be the latest Supertramp song. If they hadn’t gone to total shit after the last album. It bops along with real purpose, and throw in some Steely Dan guitar while you’re at it, sure why not? Just makes a good thing sound even better. An almost three-minute instrumental outro that really allows our Nikos to give vent to his pipes on the saxophone delivers the icing on this very tasty cake, and we’ve still got four tracks to go. Well, three and a bit.

“Disintegration” opens on a rising bassline that reminds me of the beginning to Foreigner’s “Urgent” then pounds out into a real nice little rocker with hard guitar and a great hook. It’s almost metal until some high-pitched mellotron comes in, but then that drops out again and the guitar takes the melody. Sort of a semi-punk feel to it, the likes of Buzzcocks, The Knack or maybe Blondie. Then a sense of Threshold in the midsection with big droning synth and some nicely-placed piano before the bass and percussion brings it all back up to a head and the guitar powers back in. Some fairly manic piano before Kissonas takes off on a really smooth guitar solo and a big organlike finish then takes us into thirty-seven seconds of “Dance of the dead (reprise)”, which is of course the third instrumental, though really it’s just hammered chords and notes on the piano, sort of marking time before we hit the other standout, the beautiful ballad “Sudden winter”.

A rippling soft piano opening from Jargon which puts me in mind of … well, nothing really. This is Verbal Delirium’s own signature sound. Actually, here I can hear a slight inflection in the vocal, but that’s nothing to complain about. Makes me think of Riverside, can’t say why. Very emotional song, with again a hook to die for; would make a great single but it’s about five minutes too long at just over eight and a half minutes. Not too long, not at all: just too long for a single or radio airplay. And there’s the gorgeous sound of mandolin, which fits into this song like the slimmest glove fits on Vanilla’s dainty hand. God I love mandolin music! The track ends in the seventh minute but then comes back with a sumptuous piano reprise that just adds a final layer of delight to this beautiful song.

And being a prog album, you’d expect the obligatory epic, wouldn’t you? And you would not be disappointed, my friend. “Aeons (Part 1 and 2)” runs for almost thirteen minutes, and brings the album to a close. The first part is a soft atmospheric melody driven mostly on piano with a gentle, almost sotto voce vocal that mirrors the best of early seventies Gabriel, then it kicks up in about the second minute with a powerful, dramatic, almost ominous guitar and slowly pounding drums with the vocal getting sort of chanty is the only way I can describe it. Not quite a mutter, not quite a growl (a grutter?) before the tempo picks up and the guitar takes over, Kissonas driving the tune now.

I’m not totally familiar with either but I think there’s a sort of merging of ideas from Porcupine Tree and Riverside here as the track cannons along, only to slow right down then with a sort of eastern sound --- or maybe it’s from their native Greece --- on the piano accompanied by some nice thumping bass. From here it goes on a sort of spacey keyboard/guitar romp for a few minutes, with echo and reverb and god knows what else, and sort of moaning voices like spirits trapped in a netherworld of … ah you have to hear it. Bit like the end of “A day in the life”, though not really. I think at this point we’ve crossed over into part 2, though I do find that this section is a little overdone and stretched rather to breaking point. The vocal comes back in around the ninth minute, spoken only though in rhythm, while the effects go crazy in the background, and again I have to say this smacks of a song being extended beyond its natural run just for the sake of it, a thing which a lot of prog rock bands are accused of, often rightly.

It’s a pity really as it almost --- but not quite --- leaves a sour taste in the mouth when you realise how the album is going to end. It’s been consistently great up to that point but then it just fades out like a bad Hawkwind remix and you’re left with a feeling of being ever so slightly cheated that the epic consisted of about five to six minutes music and almost the same in effects, long-drawn out echoes and moans, and not a lot else. Sad.

TRACKLISTING

1. 10,000 roses
2. Desire
3. Erebus
4. Dance of the dead
5. The losing game
6. Disintegration
7. Sudden winter
8. Aeons (Part 1 and 2)

Even given the somewhat flat and disappointing ending, there’s still so much to recommend in this album that I would almost ignore the last six minutes or so of the closer and just concentrate on the previous seven-and-a-bit tracks. For a band from Greece whom nobody seems to have heard of, this album is nothing short of a stunner. And to think it only occupies position number ninety-nine in the top one hundred here either makes me think that whoever compiled the list needs to look at it again, or that there are some amazing albums yet to come.

Either way, this is two for two and I can’t wait to hear what comes next!

Rating: Would most likely be higher if not for the cop-out at the end, so still worth a good 8.5/10

Who would say such a mean and spiteful thing?

Batty, being a Metalhead of the Truest Calibre you must know and agree that Satan is our master, so why should I not provide Him all the pizza He can eat? Surely my efforts with Comic Sans will secure for me a place at His High Table, and I shall forever bask in the soothing sound of Morbid Ange --- oh. Wait..

Probably some mislead poseur.