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A Floyd fan who's never heard "See Emily Play"??? :yikes:
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Album title: Diamond Dogs Artiste: David Bowie Genre: Glam Rock Year: 1974 Label: RCA Producer: David Bowie Chronological position: Eighth album Notes: The first of Bowie's albums since The Man Who Sold the World not to feature his band, The Spiders from Mars. Also his last real glam rock album. This was Bowie's first time to work with Tony Visconti since 1970. Album chart position: 1 (UK) 5 (USA) Singles: “Rebel rebel”, “Diamond dogs” and “1984” Lineup: David Bowie: Vocals, guitar, sax, mellotron, Moog Mike Garson: Keyboards Herbie Flowers: Bass Aynsley Dunbar/Tony Newman: Drums Review begins Ah, finally! An album I know well. This was the last real glam rock album from Bowie, just before he launched into his “new soul” era, ditching the world of makeup and high heels just as it was beginning to become derivative, and once again reinventing himself as the rock and roll chameleon. Having parted company with Mick Ronson and longtime bassist Trevor Bolder, Bowie undertook all the guitar parts himself (bar “Rock'n'roll with me”, on which the guitar was played by Earl Slick) and this tends to make the album sound rawer, almost amateurish in parts, but also imparts a freshness to it, and betrays a nod towards the looming storm of punk, waiting on the horizon. Based loosely around George Orwell's dystopian masterpiece, it references much of Nineteen Eighty-Four in some of the song titles, and though he had been refused permission by Orwell's estate to create a rock musical based on the book, he used much of the music he had created for that project in anticipation of being given the go-ahead. Of course, Bowie had been looking into dark futures since the days of Hunky Dory, and it was probably no stretch for him to fill in the gaps and write his own story of a bleak future where kids ride around on roller-skates and have their own Mad Max style of tribal gang warfare. Again, in this vision of the future he was almost prophesying the rise of punk, which is pretty incredible given that this was 1974, with at least three to four more years before that particular phenomenon descended upon us. With what sounds like a blood-curdling cry, the howl of a wolf or some semi-human being, which I think is made on the guitar, Bowie narrates the dark post-apocalyptic intro to the album, setting the scene as the strong prey on the weak and only the fittest survive, while discordant sax plays in the background and guitar feedback lays down an uncertain and somewhat disturbing soundtrack to this tale of final days, which Bowie declares “The year of the Diamond Dog” adding with feeling as we pile into the first proper track, the title one in fact, “This ain't rock'n'roll! This is genocide!” Driven then on a very Stonesish chugging guitar, with sprightly piano almost out of place in this recounting of the crumbling of civilisation and the rise of the freaks who patrol the wasteland and spare no-one, “Diamond Dogs” rocks along at a great pace, and I have to say I really don't hear the absence of Ronson here. The guitar is simpler, yes, but when I heard this album originally back in the early eighties I had no idea he was not present. The chorus is instantly catchy as Bowie warns “Young girl, they call them the diamond dogs!” The song introduces Halloween Jack, Bowie's latest creation, again a version of Ziggy, who just refused to die, and the master of this bleak landscape, the survivor of survivors, king of the asphalt jungle, toughest of the tough, lord of all he surveys. The sax breaks coming in give the song a somewhat jazzy, soul aspect, and the almost-stop in the middle adds a lot to it. Even without his longtime bandmates, it seems Bowie could do no wrong at this point. He had already taken an album of cover songs to the top, and now his adoring fans gleefully elevated him back to that position, and even across in the States he achieved his highest chart placing, getting for the first time to number five. Bowie's star was certainly on the rise now: the starman was no longer waiting in the sky; the man had fallen to Earth and found himself worshipped and adored. All hail the new king, the thin white duke, the diamond alpha dog! “Sweet thing” opens very sort of psychedelicish, then advances on a slow piano and sax line, Bowie's voice dropping in register before coming back up for the chorus, running the whole gamut of his range. This song also, it must be said, presages his next move into the territory occupied mostly by persons not of his colour, as we will see soon when his soul period began. Lovely piano work from Mike Garson again, and it's the album's first ballad, a three-part suite (the first, I think, he had attempted) which runs into “Candidate” on a sweet (sorry) guitar solo and pounding, almost classical piano, slow, military drumming now accompanying Bowie's sax breaks and guitar. The main melody remains but things begin to pick up in tempo as the passion increases with kind of a nod towards new wave, which had not yet even become a thing yet. Such an innovator. It builds to a fine crescendo and then descends into “Sweet thing (reprise)” as the suite comes to its end on a twittering sax solo, everything slowing down again, the piece this time taking on gospel overtones and seeming to build to something. Which it sure as hell does. Another of Bowie's bigger singles and one he's well known for, “Rebel rebel” takes the album by the scruff and just fires it into an alley, laughing and diving on top of it with wild abandon. The grinding guitar riff that runs all through it is its signature, and worthy of Ronson at his best. The somewhat androgynous lines “Got your momma in a whirl/ She's not sure if you're a boy or a girl” definitely point towards his own feelings of sexuality at the time, well documented at that period. “Rebel rebel” is a simple song, but so much the better for it, and I defy anyone not to tap their foot or even shake their head to its infectious rhythm. It does owe quite a lot of its iconic riff to “Satisfaction”, yes, but I love it and I especially love the way the chorus is almost the same as the verse. A precursor to punk? You 'd have to ask those better acquainted with that musical style, but I'd be inclined to think that a lot of young snotnoses coming up would have listened to this and thought “Fuck yeah! Let's do that!” Garson's again almost gospel piano takes in “Rock'n'roll with me” as Bowie takes it down a notch, slowing everything down with sleazy sax and we have the second ballad, with incredible power and passion driven into the vocal, and a wonderful display on the guitar from Earl Slick in his guest role, almost sounds Claptonesque to me. One of my favourite tracks then is “We are the dead”, with a sort of dark carnival piano and organ driving the unsettling melody, a soft vocal from Bowie tht builds and builds to a powerful climax, while “1984” floats in on sprinkly piano and almost disco rhythms, Visconti's strings playing a star turn here, really upping the tension and passion. Bowie's guitar is funky as all hell, and there's a lamenting moaned vocal that attends the chorus. It's possible that Bowie is cocking a satirical eyebrow at Orwell's estate's refusal to grant him permission for his musical when he warns “Beware the savage roar of 1984!” “Big Brother” then comes in on trumpeting keyboards and brass with a dark choral vocal, a thick bass which sounds like it came from discarded edits for “Starman” and there's more soul allied to even Mariachi trumpets here. Great chorus with a fantastic hook, wonderful sax work and a real sense of desperate yearning takes us into the closer, the oddly titled “Chant of the ever circling skeletal family”, a kind of a mix of a tribal ritual and danse macabre, with odd vocalise within which the word “brother” can be discerned. Driven on a powerful, insistent guitar and sort of calypso style percussion it goes, basically around in a circle, until the last minute or so is just one half-word (I've seen it said that it sounds like “riot” but I think it's “brother”, or more correctly, “broth-”) which repeats sharply until it fades out. TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS (I've never done this before but...) Future legend Diamond dogs Sweet thing Candidate Sweet thing (reprise) Rebel rebel Rock'n'roll with me We are the dead 1984 Big Brother Chant of the ever circling skeletal family Afterword: I remember how impressed I was the first time I heard this album. I remember now, because up to now I haven't really listened to it since, and now I regret that. As a swansong to his Ziggy personality in total, the end of his glam rock phase, and a thank you to his fans for sticking with him, you couldn't get better. Having attained all his goals, broken the UK and the USA, with his name now a household one and his meteoric rise to fame almost overnight (from unknown to star in what, two years?) most artistes would have been happy to have sat back and let the money roll in. But as we know, Bowie never was most people. And having seen the heights he had scaled, it was like he looked across to a bigger, harder mountain, clapped his hands together and said “Right, that's that done. What's next?” What was next was a complete change of direction, and a move that could have spelled doom for a lesser artist. But Bowie was never ... you get the idea. Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gif |
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This would seem to be a good point to take a break in the Bowie discography, as he moves away from one style and music and breaks new ground totally in his music career. I have concentrated on his discog exclusively for the last week, for obvious reasons, and I will continue it soon, but for now I'd like to make sure some of the other discographies in my long list get some airtime as it were. So for now, we're putting the Bowie albums to one side as we check out some other artistes, beginning with http://www.spirit-of-rock.com/les%20.../pics/logo.jpg Producing such enduring talents as Eddie Jobson, Phil Manzanera, Brian Eno and Bryan Ferry, Roxy music were one of the early bands to take the progressive rock attitude into the pop arena. With an art-rock sensibility coupled to a driving rock/pop format, they would go on to have many hits and during their short ten-year history provide a springboard to a solo career for many of their members, notably Ferry and Eno. It's odd to think that this band only released eight albums over this period and yet nearly everyone knows a Roxy Music tune, be it “The same old scene”, “Love is the drug” or “Avalon”. They've certainly made their mark on musical history. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...Roxy_Music.jpg Album title: Roxy Music Artiste: Roxy Music Genre: Art-rock, Glam rock, pop Year: 1972 Label: Island Producer: Peter Sinfield Chronological position: Debut album Notes: You look at that album art and just wonder if it inspired The Cars' Candi-O? Album chart position: 10 (UK) Singles: “Virginia Plain” Lineup: Bryan Ferry: Vocals, piano, mellotron Brian Eno: Synthesiser, tape effects, backing vocals Phil Manzanera: Guitars Andy Mackay: Oboe, saxophone, backing vocals Paul Thompson: Drums Graham Simpson: Bass Review begins Sounds like the band tuning up, with some voices in the background before piano ushers in Bryan Ferry's distinctive voice on sharp guitar and we open on “Remake/remodel”, a boppy piece that certainly showcases the vocals and also the guitar talent of Phil Manzanera. Extended instrumental sections would become part of Roxy Music's set, and for a while have them lumped in with progressive rock bands, mostly due to the more avant-garde sounds created by in particular Eno, but I would never consider them prog rock, not even slightly. A lot of stop-start points here, where instruments such as sax, piano and guitar all fill in the spaces. A kind of a staggered ending, with hammering drums from Paul Thompson and we're into “Ladytron”, with right away those weird Eno sounds that would go on to become as endemic to him as Frippertronics are to King Crimson's leading light. Drifting slowly in on a lonely oboe, it's almost, but not quite, a classical sound, then Ferry comes in over low organ and the song takes off. It moves at much more sedate pace than the opener, and reminds me in places of “Do the strand” from their next album, but much slower of course. A warbly keyboard run then speeds it up before it drops back to the original pace, picking up again for that extended instrumental run on guitar and sax, with piano joining in and taking it to the final minute. Sort of am almost Country feel to it in the last few moments as it fades out, then “If there is something” is VERY Country, with twanging guitars and what sounds like pedal steel, but is I think just slide guitar. Sort of a manic vocal from Ferry, with some great guitar histrionics from Manzanera. The song really develops nicely, stepping well outside its overt Country start, and it's followed by a song which would go on to be their first hit, their first single from the album (their only single, in fact), the bouncy “Virginia Plain”. Riding on a great piano line from Ferry, paired with a fine guitar riff from Phil, and some Mexican/Spanish sounding effects from I don't know what, maybe that synth Eno was playing, it gives a real sense of fun, kind of really for the first time. The album up to now has felt, to me, quite serious whereas now the guys are just kicking back and having a blast. No surprise that it got to number four in the UK, but it is surprising that when the album was originally released it wasn't even on it! It was only after the success of the album that the track was added to later releases, and put out as a single. It ends with a dead stop as Ferry speaks the final line “What's her name? Virgina Plain”, and the dreamy “2HB” comes in. A lovely electric piano melody runs this, with some fine sax breaks from Andy Mackay as well as a beautiful solo in the middle. I wouldn't quite call it a ballad, but it is fairly laidback. Again, there's a long instrumental passage and again there's that piano Supertramp were experimenting with and would perfect on their third album and make something of a signature sound of their music. Nice fadeout on the electric piano runs into “The bob”, where we get buzzing sounds, ambient effects, then a crash of drums and Ferry comes in with his tribute to the Few with a very dramatic melody, a harsh punch before it settles down on a lovely oboe line and soft acoustic guitar (could be harp) then a muted roar before the piano comes back in with sax and the unmistakable sounds now of explosions and machinegun fire as Roxy Music recreate the feel of the Battle of Britain. Then a bright, uptempo guitar and piano line breaks out as Ferry comes back in and there's a very bluesy guitar solo from Manzanera. I have to say, it is subtitled “Medley”, but it's more a mess to me really. None of this seems to hang together, and I don't really get the idea of that battle over the skies of Britain in 1940 from much of it. Some really nice performances, particularly from Ferry on the piano and Mackay on the sax, but it just warps and changes so much that I can't follow it. It ends then on the droning sound of an aircraft engine with piano and hard guitar ushering it out. For me, that was very much a failed experiment and did not convey what it was supposed to. A soft piano brings in “Chance meeting”, which is much better. A soft bittersweet ballad which again betrays Ferry's penchant for old cinema. The sound of a train, perhaps, made on Eno's synth, recalls the classic Brief Encounter, and Ferry's voice is very restrained and quiet here. Strange kind of feedback guitar paired with a bouncy piano kind of changes the whole feel of the song for me, but it's fading out already. “Would you believe” is very Beatles-influenced in its dreamy vocal and piano line, sort of sounds a little like “Maybe I'm amazed” in ways, with a healthy shot of early Bowie too. Then it kicks up into a much faster, uptempo number driven on sax and piano, a kind of bluesy rock-and-roll effort. Again, it's a little confusing the way Roxy Music start one way and then change totally in the blink of an eye. I guess that's one of the things that earned them the title of “avant-garde”. Starting on a soft, ambient flow, “Sea breezes” runs for seven minutes, making it the longest track on the album, and is brought in on soft organ and piano, but again it seems to change into something totally different halfway through. This, I must admit, is bugging me. The ending is just terrible. We close then on what sounds like a tango as “Bitters end” takes us out. It's well titled, because after listening to the way the songs here warp and change without warning, I'm pretty bitter about this debut album. I know some slack has to be allowed as it was their first effort (and obviously it went down well as it broke the top ten) but I certainly hope their next one was more cohesive. TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS Re-make/Re-model Ladytron If there is something Virginia Plain 2 HB The bob Chance meeting Would you believe Sea breezes Bitters end I know of Roxy Music only through their singles, and I have their greatest hits collection, but if this had been my first introduction to them I think I would have passed. It's too jarring, the way the songs change and shift and become something else, and although obviously the album scored well, getting them a top ten place, it doesn't do it for me. I feel they were in some ways not taking themselves seriously enough at times, what I said earlier in the review notwithstanding, and I just do not feel comfortable listening to much of this, which is, unfortunately, going to reflect in its getting a lower rating than perhaps it deserves. Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/halfhphone.gif |
You're right, it's certainly a quirky album, but that's what I love about it. Looking forward to the rest!
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It's their best album by far. Of course TH isn't that into it.
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As it goes, I had hoped to really like that album and I did try, but as I say, the idea of changing styles so abruptly, often within the same song, jarred with me. And "The bob" just killed any hope there was that I would have had a better opinion of the album. Maybe the next one. I do know some of their material, so hoping for better as we go along. |
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Their first two albums, as well as Viva! are my favourites. The rest is a little too smooth for my tastes. I know you don't do live albums here, but if you find yourself longing for more Roxy Music after doing the studio discography, give Viva! a spin some time. It rocks. |
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Get real, man. |
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Suggested by The Identity Matrix, this is our first look into the discography of one of America's best-loved hard rock bands, and yet in ways they are also one of her biggest-kept secrets. If you mention the name Blue Oyster Cult to anyone who doesn't know their music, there's a pretty good chance that they will know “Don't fear the Reaper” or maybe “Godzilla”, but other than that they're really unknown outside of their fanbase and heavy metal/hard rock in general. Which is a little odd, when you consider they've sold over twenty-four million albums, and have released fourteen studio records. If you want to get the full lowdown on them, check Unknown Soldier's http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...y-history.html where you will find all you need to know about BOC, seventies and eighties hard rock and heavy metal, and a whole lot more besides. He's done such a thorough job on BOC, and knows them so much better than I, that there's really little point in me trying to add my small contribution, so let's just move right along to their first self-titled album. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...yster_Cult.png Album title: Blue Oyster Cult Artiste: Blue Oyster Cult Genre: Hard Rock Year: 1971 Label: Columbia Producer: Murray Krugman, Sandy Pearlman, David Lucas Chronological position: Debut album Notes: Yes I know there's an umlaut over the "O" in Oyster, but I'm a lazy ****er and anyway it was only added for effect. The word does not actually have any such accent, so for handiness' sake I'm leaving it off. Send your lawsuits to the usual address... Album chart position: 172 (US) Singles: “Cities on flame with rock and roll” Lineup: Eric Bloom: Lead vocals, “stun guitar”, keyboards Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser: Lead guitar, lead vocals on two tracks Allen Lanier: Rhythm guitar, keyboards Joe Bouchard: Bass, lead vocals on one track Albert Bouchard: Drums, lead vocals on one track Review begins And we're off and running with “Transmaniacon MC”, cool bass line and some sweet organ and piano. The vocal is pure rock and roll, delivered with power and grit, and a fine solo from “Buck Dharma”. I guess you'd call this a real road song! Like the descending riff in the chorus. Kind of more in the blues mode is “I'm on the lamb but I ain't no sheep” (lol) with a great driving riff and rolling percussion, while Buck tries out the mike for the first of two attempts with “Then came the first days of May”, a real laidback blues ballad which really showcases not only his voice but his skills on the softer side of the frets. A real standout (though if I'm honest, really the first one to impress me on the album so far) with some great vocal harmonies and backing vocals as well as a sweet little blues solo. I must admit, I far, far prefer Dharma's voice to that of Eric Bloom. It just has more of a musical quality to it, while the main vocalist sounds a little too rough and raspy for me. Back to the stride blues for “Stairway to the stars”, as Bloom takes the vocal duties back. I remember this one: I think I featured it as a “Random Track of the Day” way back when. It's pretty good to be fair, and yeah, Bloom's voice suits this song. Some odd little handclaps and a smoking solo; we could be picking up the quality here. And some energetic piano too. Liking this more and more. Maybe the first two tracks were just a slowburning start to the album. The oddly named “Before the kiss, a redcap” (apparently a reference to, um, doing drugs) is another good one, rocking along on a boogie blues rhythm with a great little bass solo followed by what sounds like banjo but surely is not. Speeds up on the back of this into an almost bluegrass tune. Sweet. Yeah, this is picking up now. Love the sharp organ riffs at the end, and then we're into psych/blues territory with “Screams”, on which we get to hear another bandmember try out his lungs, this time bass player Joe Bouchard. He's not bad. Lovely rippling piano running along this but it's mostly driven on the fluid guitar lines of Dharma and Lanier. The oddly-phased vocal gives it a real dreamy, psychedelic quality. Touches of an embryonic “Don't fear the Reaper” there for a few moments; wonder if that's where the riff began? No time to ponder that, as we're into “She's as beautiful as a foot” (what?) which continues the psych weirdness (as if the title wasn't evidence of that already) and slows things down nicely before we hit “Cities on flame with rock and roll”, the only single, with vocals taken by (I assume) Joe's brother Albert, who usually bashes the skins. I've heard this one too, and it's a stone cold rocker, Bouchard doing a pretty good job on the vox, which just goes to prove I suppose that not only were all the members of BOC great at their chosen instrument, they could all sing, some better than others. “Workshop of the telescopes” reminds me of something early Uriah Heep might have tried, very psych again, quite acoustic in its way. Not mad about it to be honest, bit strange. The album closes then on “Redeemed”, which sort of re-establishes order, but you can hear it's not a song written by the guys, though they had some imput into it. Very folk/Country with a splash of blues thrown in. Not the worst closer, but far from the best I've heard. TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS Transmaniacon MC I'm on the lamb but I ain't no sheep Then came the last days of May Stairway to the stars Before the kiss, a redcap Screams She's as beautiful as a foot Cities on flame with rock and roll Workshop of the telescopes Redeemed Again, it's a debut and you have to allow some leeway, but this still doesn't impress me as much as I had hoped it would. True, it improves in leaps and bounds once the first two tracks are past, but for me it stumbles a little on its way out the door too, and though there are some good, even great tracks here, there aren't enough for me to pronounce this a great debut album. I know they polished up their sound and am looking forward to future albums such as Secret Treaties and Agents of Fortune, but for me, right now, this isn't doing it. Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gif |
^I listened to that album about 2-3 times per week when I was in high school. Not by choice either. My older brother and me shared a bedroom, and he'd put it on before school. It wasn't until later in life that I'd learn to love it. 'Last days' is one of my favorites, as it tells the tale of a drug deal gone bad, and showcases some incredible guitar from Buck. A lot of those riffs permeated my brain before I ever considered even picking a guitar up.
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Thanks for the mention and yes I covered them pretty extensively in the 1970s section of my journal.
But your opening paragraph on them pretty much sums them up 'as one of rock's best kept secrets' that somehow managed to sell 20 odd million albums with their oddball sound. I like them because they sound like American oddballs and there's nothing British sounding about them :thumb: I'll be interested to see how you do, as I just can't imagine you liking this kind of band. Both Tyranny and Mutation and Secret Treaties are two of my favourite albums from the 1970s. |
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With the passing of its co-founder earlier this week, it seems only fair that, as we did with Bowie, we concentrate for a short while on the band that gave us Glenn Frey (1948 – 2016), so all haters can take a little break from this journal for a few days, as I give you the first few albums from the discography of the https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/i...ur8Cgshb2l_0GC And I'll tell you what: this is a discography project, not an information project about each band, so in future rather than write up a little about the band I'm gonna concentrate on the discog, and you can have one of these https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagles_(band) if you want to read more about the band. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...he_Eagles.jpeg Album title: Eagles Artiste: Eagles Genre: Country/Folk Year: 1972 Label: Asylum Producer: Glyn Johns Chronological position: Debut album Notes: Album chart position: 22 (US) Singles: “Take it easy”, “Witchy woman”, “Peaceful easy feeling” Lineup: Glenn Frey: Vocals, guitars Don Henley: Vocals, drums Bernie Leadon: Vocals, guitar, banjo Randy Meisner: Vocals, bass Review begins Seldom does a debut album have such an immediate impact. Well, nowadays, sure, but back in the seventies it was not that often that an artiste's first album would yield two hit singles and lift them just short of the top twenty. But the multi-harmony vocal talents of the Eagles, and their crossover from country and folk to rock of a sort, with mixed in pop overtones, was something if not unique at the time then certainly unusual. The sharing out of the vocal duties on this and other albums also meant that, though people would come to know Glenn Frey and Don Henley as the singers behind most of the big hits (kind of in the same way Roger Hodgson would be known to the uninitiated as the voice of Supertramp) they would also hear Bernie Leadon sing and Randy Meisner would take the vocals on one of their big hits, so that probably not since the days of CSNY really had a band so varied a vocal load. You can hear it on this album: everyone sings, and not just the once for those who would become other than the usual singers, ie Henley and Frey. Now, there's no getting away from the elephant in the room: it'll crush you if you ignore it, so let's not do that. Let's stand and face it, and hope we don't get squashed. The Eagles never really were Country, not in the sense that your Townes Van Zandts, your Willie Nelsons or your Hank Williamses were. This was a new kind of Country, perhaps the first real Pop Country (it couldn't quite be called Country Rock, though on occasions it does certainly rock, but I don't think it's fair to describe it as such) and certainly some sort of crossover between folk, Country and popular music, which in itself I guess allowed a new (at the time) generation of listeners “get into “ Country, or think they were. No doubt, if they had mentioned it down the Starving Goose or the Bear and Wolf, they would have been laughed out of the pub by those who listened to “real Country music”. We have to be honest about this: very little if any of the Eagles' lyrics address what you would think of as staple Country themes --- farms being repossessed, cheatin' lovers (well, maybe that, but then, that's ubiquitous in all music, isn't it?) or goin' out huntin'. There were no songs referencing the Civil War, nothing about gold mines or moonshine, and nary a song to be had about banks or foreclosures. Not that I know much about Country music, but it seems these subjects do tend to crop up in a lot of that genre's music. So this would probably be the music the young 'uns were listening to as they cruised the boulevards of San Francisco and LA, hundreds of miles from anything vaguely rural, and maybe wore Stetsons and shouted “Yee-hah!” and thought they were cowboys. While the older generation shook their heads sadly and derided this as being nothing like Country music. Even my hero, Tom Waits, once remarked of them caustically “The Eagles ain't Country. They don't have shit on their boots!” How right he was. None of these guys were brought up singing the old ballads of Merle or Hank; they played in rock bands, though Henley was associated with Country luminary Kenny Rogers at one point. But then again, what does that say, really? Anyhoo, that's the elephant shooed out of the room. Nobody should think that I mistakenly believe the Eagles to be Country, not real Country. At best, they could possibly be described as Country-Lite, but that didn't stop them tapping into the zeitgeist and creating a slew of hits that endure even today, more than forty years after they were formed. A lot of people hate the Eagles, and it's easy to see why: it's like they pretend to be something they're not. But if you can get past that, there's a whole lot of really good music just a-waitin' over the border, or something. Love them or hate them, it's highly likely you know the opener, one of their big hit singles, and “Take it easy” gets things going in a real breezy, uptempo groove with just maximum cool factor (for the time) as the guitars ramp up and the first voice we hear is that of the late Glenn Frey, the song co-written by Jackson Browne, one of two he contributes to the album, although I don't know if “Nightingale” is a cover of one of his or one he wrote for the Eagles. The spirit of freedom is invoked in the first lines of “Take it easy” as Frey sings “I'm runnin' down the road, tryin' to loosen my load, I got seven women on my mind...” Yeah. Veiled misogyny or at least a healthy disrespect for women would come through in a lot of these guys' songs, like “Lyin' eyes”, “Best of my love”, “Already gone” and of course “New kid in town”. There's no getting away from that, and again it's something we have to face: the Eagles, an all-male band, had little if anything good to say about women. But this was the seventies, and such sentiments were almost expected from a rock band, so I doubt anyone at the time gave it much attention. In latter years, no doubt several studies have been made and theses written about the overt mistreatment of the distaff side in the songs of the Eagles. The woman is always a temptress, a cheat, in some cases even a killer and just plain crazy, like in “Hotel California”. There are love songs, sure, but not too many of them. So “Take it easy” became something of an anthem and a mission statement for “poor guys” pursued by vengeful or too-clingy or just plain inconvenient girlfriends, wives and mistresses, and we all sang out hearts out to the lines “We may lose, and we may win, but we will never be here again!” The powerful multi-vocal comes into effect here already, particularly in the end, where the song goes a little bluegrass, thanks to Bernie Leadon's banjo, and on we go into the similarly misogynistic “Witchy woman”. With a sort of Native American rhythm (perhaps suggesting the guy in the song is singing about an “Injun girl”?) it's much slower, darker --- whereas you could, if you wanted, take the opener as a lighthearted snook being cocked at relationships that try to tie you down (“Four that wanna own me, two that wanna stone me, one says she's a friend of mine”), this is a harsher indictment of womankind --- and basically about a witch. Or if not an actual witch, a woman who has, shall we say, powers? “See how high she flies” sings Don Henley, on his first vocal performance, “she got the moon in her eyes.” Sure, Cliff Richard would sing about a “Devil woman” a few years later, and Country legend Marty Robbins had already done so (same title but not the same song) in the sixties, but these people were not almost synonymous with songs that put down women. It's a moody, brooding song, and in it the man is warned of the devilment the woman can work on him --- “Sparks fly from her fingertips” --- and it's clear that she's a figure to be avoided. Salem, huh? That said, it's not a bad song and after “Take it easy” was the second single, though I believe there are far better tracks here that would have served as well, or better. It does at least give Randy Meisner a chance to bring his sultry bass to the fore, and it drives the rhythm well. Frey is back then behind the mike for the abysmal “Chug all night”, which is basically a good old boys, rabble-rousin' drinkin' song, and sounds like it. I ran this album previously in “Bitesize” (much smaller review of course) and there was nothing good I could say about this track then. That hasn't changed. This is garbage. Moving on. Randy Meisner exercises his vocal talents for the first time on the album, and it's a beautiful little ballad which quickly erases the memory of the banality of the previous track, and shows us a glimpse of what the Eagles would be like in their more laidback moments. With echoes of “Best of my love, “Take it to the limit” and “The last resort”, the song features the close harmony singing of all the quartet, and it has to be said, it's moving and beautiful, and “Most of us are sad” gets us right back on track. That Jackson Browne song then kicks things back up a gear, and we're back in “Take it easy” territory with “Nightingale”, rocking along nicely but to be honest it's nothing terribly special. In fairness, I guess it's one track on which there's a positive view of women, even if it is just “Here comes my baby”. I've checked and I see Browne's solo career began the same year as the Eagles', so I have to assume this was written for them, as it's not on his debut solo album and I haven't seen it on any others up to about 1980. I know Henley and Browne were flatmates or at least lived in the same building, so maybe he couldn't use the song, or didn't want to, and gave it to him for use in his band. Whatever, it's not worth exploring too deeply because as I say it's not a great song. What is a great song --- almost the standout as far as I'm concerned --- is the cover of Dillard and Clark's “Train leaves here this morning”, which gives an idea of how the Eagles' music should have been developing if they wanted to be taken as serious Country performers. Course, I'm sure they were much more interested in becoming famous and rich, and who can blame them, so they went more the popular West Coast route. But this is a lovely glimpse into what they could have been. It lopes along at an unhurried pace and has a real western feel to it, the vocal harmonies really coming into their own on the chorus, and gives Bernie Leadon his first chance to sing lead, which he does extremely well. There wasn't, it would seem, one of these guys who couldn't sing, and sing well. Of course, for those who don't know, Leadon was with Clark in that band and played on as well as co-wrote the song, so it's not so much a cover as one of his own songs brought over to the new band. Great track though. “Take the devil” brings Meisner back into the spotlight, and it's a sharp, tough song on which the guitars really speak and a feeling of desperation permeates the song. It's a mile away from “Take it easy”, the last two songs perhaps categorisable as “serious” Eagles songs, and it also presages the likes of “Bitter Creek” from Desperado. Very powerful, and much more rock than pop, or even Country. It's also one of two songs on the album written by Meisner. “Earlybird” then has him collaborating with Leadon, with the latter taking the vocal this time, and they work well as a team, even if the song is a lightweight bluegrass tune with overtones of the West Coast sound and silly birdsong effects. Great banjo from Leadon gives it an authentic feel, and to be fair it rocks along at a good lick. Probably everyone knows “Peaceful easy feeling”, but did you know it was not written by them? No? And you don't care? Well, why are you reading this then? Fuck off and come back when we're doing Fugazi or something. Jack Tempchin, a struggling songwriter and performer, gave the song to Glenn Frey when they met up and he asked if he could develop it further. It subsequently became a big hit for the Eagles. Its easy, finger-clicking beat harks back to the likes of “Take it easy” but with a slower, more laconic, even lazy beat, and it has a really nice guitar solo in the midsection. Frey sings it of course, and it became another iconic song for the band. Which leaves us with the closer, another Randy Meisner effort, simply called “Tryin'”. Written and sung by him, it's a fitting closer for a pretty impressive debut album. It's quite short --- the shortest track on the album, in fact --- but it brings the rock back and almost bookends the album with “Take it easy”, the basic melody rather similar but more uptempo and with the guitars sharper. It's perhaps a little touching when he sings “I'm gonna make it with my friends.” And he did, of course. TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS Take it easy Witchy woman Chug all night Most of us are sad Nightingale Train leaves here this morning Take the devil Earlybird Peaceful easy feeling Tryin' Afterword: Up to now I've been pretty constant in my damning debut albums with faint praise. I know you can't expect gold too often on your first outing, and I'm prepared to give a band or artiste time to settle in as it were. But here, though it's not gold all the way, this album gets it right far more than it gets it wrong. Three hit singles and a top twenty (nearly) album on your first outing? That's not tryin': that succeedin'! Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gif |
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Album title: Desperado Artiste: Eagles Genre: Country/Rock Year: 1973 Label: Asylum Producer: Glyn Johns Chronological position: Second album Notes: Already reviewed; see link below Album chart position: 41 (US) 39 (UK) Singles: “Tequila sunrise” and “Outlaw man” Lineup: Glenn Frey: Vocals, guitars Don Henley: Vocals, drums Bernie Leadon: Vocals, guitar, banjo Randy Meisner: Vocals, bass Review begins Desperado TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS Doolin-Dalton Twenty-one Out of control Tequila sunrise Desperado Certain kind of fool Doolin-Dalton (instrumental) Outlaw man Saturday night Bitter Creek Doolin-Dalton/Desperado (Reprise) Afterword: I was always amazed that the title track was never released from this album as a single, and yet has gone on to become one of the Eagles' best known and best loved ballads. Weird. Someone in Asylum needed to be committed to one if they couldn't hear the potential in that song! Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gif https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...the_Border.jpg Album title: On the Border Artiste: Eagles Genre: Country/Rock Year: 1974 Label: Asylum Producer: Bill Szymczyk, Glyn Johns Chronological position: Third album Notes: Surely that producer's name is the hardest ever to spell! I had to check it three times! Album chart position: 17 (US) 28 (UK) Singles: “James Dean”, “Already gone”, “Best of my love” Lineup: Glenn Frey: Vocals, guitars, piano Don Henley: Vocals, drums Bernie Leadon: Vocals, guitar, banjo, pedal steel Randy Meisner: Vocals, bass Don Felder: Lead and slide guitar (two tracks) Al Perkins: Pedal steel Review begins Opening on what would become another hit, “Already gone”is pretty much “Take it easy part II” really. It's quite similar in construction, and yes, again, it's a song in which the woman is to blame. Sigh. Another Tempchin song, it has some fine biting guitar in it and I guess it's got to be seen as a “so long getting out of this relationship” song, another of which features later. There's definitely a sense of triumph and emancipation about it. Not surprisingly, it's Frey who takes the vocal again, as he and Tempchin, as already mentioned, were friends and it's a song the writer sent to him in the hope he might popularise it with his band, as he did. I do like the line “So oftentimes it happens that we live our lives in chains, and we never even know we have the key.” There's a certain sense of taking control of your life here, so I guess you can't be too critical. The next track sounds like a complaint a man would make, maybe, but it's a bit odd. “You never cry like a lover” features some beautiful piano from Frey, but the vocal is taken by Henley, and it's a really nice ballad, even given the somewhat perhaps insulting theme. The melody sounds slightly familiar, but as so often is the case, I can't remember where I heard it, or even if I did. “Midnight flyer” kicks out the bluegrass jams, and it's the first song on the album not written or at least co-written by an Eagle. It takes the old Country idea of the railroad and pumps along on Bernie Leadon's sprightly banjo as Randy Meisner gets his first shot at vocals this time around. One of the standouts next in the Bernie Leadon show, where he writes, sings, plays lead guitar and pedal steel on “My man”, a tribute to the late Gram Parsons, with whom he used to play. It's another ballad, but tinged with real bittersweetness as Leadon remembers his fallen comrade. Again great harmony vocals make the song. It's touching when he sings “We who must remain go on living just the same” and you can really feel the hurt in his voice. The title track brings in handclaps that would later surface on one of their last hits, with what sounds like jew's harp and has a very doo-wop style chorus, some very nasty guitar; the basic melody would be robbed decades later for Henley's solo album Inside job. There's quite a bit of funk about the guitar too mixed in with a sense of the blues. Good song and a very good title track. Rocking out then like good things with “James Dean”, one of the songs originally written for the project which ended up becoming the Desperado album, with input from Jackson Browne again. It's a good song, but a little one-dimensional, though the vocal harmonies rescue it from being too run of the mill. They then (probably) infuriate Waits by tackling his “Ol' 55”, and to be fair they do an okay job, but also to be fair, they don't change it much so what was the point really? It's a great song, and it fits in with the general “You screwed up my life and now I'm leaving you” mini-theme that runs through the album, and I guess they wanted to pay homage to the great man, but still, do something with the song if you're going to cover it. Still, once again the amazing vocal harmonies save it. Meisner is back with his other song (written by him too; seems any solo-penned song gets sung by the writer. Must be an agreement they came to) “Is it true?” which is really not too bad, and features some of the slide guitar that would later become famous on “Life in the fast lane”, then some powerful and dirty gee-tar (it's got to be written that way: this is not guitar, it's gee-tar! Boy) opens “Good day in Hell”, which once again casts the woman in the worst light possible. With both Frey and Henley on vocals though it works really effectively and you catch yourself singing along when they sing “Oh well, it's been a good day in Hell.” Indeed. And we end on another classic, the beautiful ballad “Best of my love”, which sees Henley back on vox to complete the album. Sadly, once again, it's the woman's fault: “I know you were trying to give me the best of your love”, and later he sings “Every night and day you get the best of my love.” So he can give her the best of his love, but not vice versa? Man, when you start thinking, really thinking about this lyrics you can get really annoyed. Still, beautiful pedal steel from Bernie and a gorgeous acoustic guitar kind of make you forget about all that. And of course, there's always the sublime vocal harmonies. Never forget the sublime vocal harmonies. Hold on to the sublime vocal.... TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS Already gone You never cry like a lover Midnight flyer My man On the border James Dean Ol' 55 Is it true? Good day in Hell Best of my love Afterword: This album sees the Eagles building on their already pretty amazing success. While Desperado was not the hit they might have hoped after the debut did so well, this album took them into the top twenty and gave them a number one hit single. You can see how their songwriting craft was developing, as well as their sound, and soon they would no longer need covers or songs written by other songwriters. Did they but know it, immortal fame and complete commercial success was only two albums away. Of course, after that, it was all downhill. Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gif |
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Album title: One of These Nights Artiste: Eagles Genre: Country/Folk Rock Year: 1975 Label: Asylum Producer: Bill Szymzczyk Chronological position: Fourth album Notes: Album chart position: 1 (US) Singles: “Lyin' eyes”, “Take it to the limit” and “One of these nights” Lineup: Glenn Frey: Vocals, guitars, piano, harmonium Don Henley: Vocals, drums Bernie Leadon: Vocals, guitar, banjo, pedal steel, mandolin Randy Meisner: Vocals, bass Don Felder: Lead and slide guitar Review begins At this point, there really was no stopping the Eagles. This, their fourth album, gave them their first number one slot and three hit singles, one of which also got to number one, the other two all making it inside the top four. This would be the farewell album for Bernie Leadon, who leaves a nice legacy in yet another self-penned song, this time an instrumental that would be resurrected some years later in circumstances he certainly could not have been expect to have been able to predict. Don Felder has a little more input to the album this time out, playing lead and slide guitar on all tracks (alongside Glenn Frey) and even getting to sing one song, the only Eagles song he ever provided vocals for. But it's Don Henley who kicks things off, with a sliding bass from Randy Meisner to take in the title track which opens the album, and there's a certain feel of “Witchy woman” about its beat and its mood, though it's slighly more upbeat. The Eagles were always a band to make use of multiple guitars, and here they put them to good use as Felder and Frey trade licks. The wonderful close harmony vocal takes the chorus and it's a great opening song, leading into one of two Meisner songs, “Too many hands”, where there's harder, rockier guitar, and more a folk feel to this, moving away from the gentle rock of the opener. Much darker, much more mature and for once sounds as if they're casting a woman in a positive light. Maybe. “Hollywood waltz” is, well, a waltz, with some lovely moaning pedal steel thanks to Bernie Leadon, and it's, as Batty would probably say, Country as fuck. First ballad, and it's pretty much a hit for me at any rate. Some really beautiful mandolin too. That instrumental from Bernie is next, and for anyone who recognises it but doesn't remember from where, it became the theme music to the series (radio and TV) of Douglas Adams' The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It's played mostly on his trusty banjo, with strings addition from The Royal Martian Orchestra (?) and it kind of goes through movements, even though it's only six and a half minutes in total. Some really nice bass from Randy adds to it, but it really is the combination of strings and banjo (which you would not think would naturally go together) that makes the piece. After that we're in familiar territory, with two hit singles coming one after the other. “Lyin' eyes” is probably known by about everyone, and yes, once again the woman is the villain, although there is a hint that the man may be to blame in part. The idea of marrying an old man who has plenty of money in order to secure her future backfires on the woman in the song, as she realises that “It breaks her heart to think that her love is only given to a man with hands as cold as ice”, so she cheats on him. A familiar story surely, and the song is driven on a nice midpaced tempo with a great soulful vocal from Frey, some fine vocal harmonies as ever, and a nice bit of piano courtesy of Jim Ed Norman. This is followed by the slower, dreamier “Take it to the limit”, a song that really suits Meisner's higher voice, and surely the most famous Eagles song he has sung on. Along with the title track, these two singles would break the Eagles commercially across the world, establishing them forever as legends in the music business. Lovely orchestration on this too. That Don Felder song is up next, the only one he ever sang on (the only one they let him?) and “Visions” is a foretaste of the faster, uptempo almost rocky guitar that would characterise the likes of “Life in the fast lane” the next year. In fact, it's pretty close to the melody at times. To be fair, it's a pretty poor song and Felder is, I have to say, a pretty abysmal singer, most of his vocals supplemented by those of the other guys in the band. Poorest track so far, but its sour taste is soon forgotten as we hit “After the thrill is gone”, a really lovely ballad yearning for the days of the first blush of love, now long behind and hard to even remember. The opening lines say it all: “Same dancers in the same shoes, old habits you just can't lose” and later when Frey sings “Don't care about winning but you don't wanna lose.” Superb pedal steel from Bernie and a great emotional solo from Glenn. Oddly enough, after a bitter ballad like that, the album closes on another ballad. It's Bernie's last hurrah, written by him and his girlfriend, and though Don Henley would later disown the song as “smarmy cocktail music”, it's a nice little closer, with some lovely piano and a very simple acoustic guitar line, and indeed a message of hope and love to finish up what would become their first number one album. TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS One of these nights Too many hands Hollywood waltz Journey of the sorcerer Lyin' eyes Take it to the limit Visions After the thrill is gone I wish you peace Afterword: Another great Eagles album and one that consolidated their hold over American music at the time. A number one album and a number one single will do that for you. For all that, though, there is still the ghost of what might be termed individualism in the Bernie Leadon instrumental, which, although I love it, seems out of place in an album of mostly soft rock hit singles masquerading as Country music, and ballads mixed with rock songs. The next album though, love it or hate it, would turn them into global superstars, and signal both their zenith and the beginnings of their fall from grace. Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gif |
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Album title: Hotel California Artiste: Eagles Genre: Rock/Country Year: 1976 Label: Asylum Producer: Bill Szymczyk Chronological position: Fifth album Notes: Album chart position: 1 Singles: “New kid in town”, “Hotel California”, “Life in the fast lane” Lineup: Glenn Frey: Vocals, guitars, piano, clavinet, synth Don Henley: Vocals, drums, synth Joe Walsh: Guitars, slide guitar, piano, electric piano, organ, synth, vocals Randy Meisner: Vocals, bass Don Felder: Lead guitar, pedal steel, vocals Review begins Hands up anyone over thirty who does not recognise that album cover? It's about as iconic really as Dark Side of the Moon, Nevermind or Thriller: you simply can't mistake it. And in 1976 the Eagles made this album one of the biggest selling of not only that year, but all time, cracking off another three hit singles from it, two of which went to number one. It's an album that has really no flaws; every track on it is perfect and I never tire of listening to it all the way through. It's also the first Eagles album made without Bernie Leadon and the last to feature Randy Meisner. Leadon is replaced by Joe Walsh, who would figure in the rest of the Eagles' short-lived career. Let's face it, when your album is nominated for album of the year and you can only be pipped to the post by the classic Rumours, well, that says it all really, doesn't it? A concept album (their second) about generally the excesses of living la vida loca in hedonistic California, and by extension to the rest of America and the world, the album is full of songs that could easily have been hits had they been released, and there is not one moment of filler as far as I'm concerned. We open on the title track, as dour, lonely acoustic guitar takes us in and the sound of wind blowing over the desert is the backdrop to the allegorical tale of a wanderer in the desert, who, unable to go any further that night, spots the enigmatic Hotel California in the distance, and goes up to the door. There he meets a beautiful woman, who welcomes him in, but soon he discovers that things are not as they seem. In a sort of pastiche of drugs trip and horror story, the narrator comes across crazy characters --- “She's got a lot of pretty pretty boys that she calls friends” --- odd practices --- “In the master's chamber they gather for the feast. They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast --- and eventually, Hammer-style horror as he is told, as he tries to escape, “You can check out any time you like but you can never leave!” Henley sings this, and his voice is perfectly suited to its laidback style developing into a sort of lazy panic as the full story unfolds and the horror of what he has stumbled into reveals itself. It's a song too that showcases the talents of all three guitarists --- Frey, Walsh and Felder --- and of course the by-now familiar vocal harmonies. Perhaps the best part about it though is the long guitar fadeout which is a duet between Felder and Walsh, one of the most famous fadeouts on any song I believe. In total it runs for more than two minutes and is instantly recgnisable from the first note. Another hit single is “New kid in town”, which I've never understood but it appears to refer to a town who lavish attention on each new arrival and pair him up with their local beauty. Seems a bit Twilight Zone-ish to me, but seems to be a metaphor for the transient nature of fame and the fickle attitude of fans. It's driven on a really nice organ line and moves along at a breezy pace, and again I'm sure you know it as it was a hit single, so no need to describe it to you. It's Frey's turn to take the vocal, and it will be seen that on this album this is in fact the only song he sings, Henley taking the lion's share, with just the one farewell performance from Meisner and one effort from Walsh. It's Henley though for the next track, yet another hit, the rocky “Life in the fast lane”, where the Eagles return to the harder style of songs like “Midnight flyer”, “James Dean” and “Earlybird” and show they can rock out when required. A song obviously about succumbing to the many temptations of being rich and famous, the drugs, the women, the fast cars, I suppose it could be seen as a cautionary tale. At its heart though it's just a great rock song, and was probably interpreted backwards by many who lived, or wished to live, this lifestyle. These are all great songs, but by the time the album was out a while we had all heard them on the radio, and for me, Hotel California really only begins to shine properly from here on out. Any other album, you have three hit singles and you can expect to hit a nosedive, the comedown after the party. Not so with this album. “Wasted time” is a beautiful, aching ballad about two friends who realise they must separate for the good of each other, as Henley sings “You can get on with your search baby, and I can get on with mine”. Lovely piano opens the song, and there's a sumptuous orchestral accompaniment to the chunky guitars, and it slips into an orchestral instrumental continuation of the song in “Wasted time (reprise)”, the last instrumental the Eagles would ever record until their reunion twenty years later. Then we kick up for “Victim of love”, where sharp, snapping guitars drive the song in an unsympathetic song about a woman who uses men (what a surprise) and Henley arches an eyebrow and asks “You say he's a liar, and he put out your fire. How come you still got his gun in your hand?” Certainly a heavy slice of misogyny in the line “Victim of love, it's such an easy part, and you know how to play it so well.” Walsh's guitar comes into its own here, smashing and punching and delivering some true almost hard rock to the usually laidback Eagles style, but after that it's down the gears to the end of the album, as “Pretty maids all in a row” comes in slowly and gently on a fading in piano line and gives Walsh his only vocal on the album. It stomps along on a powerful, dour drumbeat from Henley, with some beautiful close harmony backing vocals again and a lush little synth line closing it out. Meisner then gets to bow out on “Try and love again”. Whether he's saying something here about leaving the Eagles or not I don't know, but it's one of his best songs and runs on a great ringing guitar, with a jumping solo and perhaps an indication of his feelings prior to leaving the band when he sings “It might take years to see through all these tears”. The finale would have to be something special, and it is. “The last resort” would have to go down as the Eagles' first real eco-song, bewailing the using up of natural resources and the greed of businessmen and developers. “Built a bunch of ugly boxes” sings Henley in disgust, “and Jesus! People bought 'em!” Another soft little piano introduction precedes Henley's vocal, the music building up in layers line by line, and we hear pedal steel for the first and only time on the album (a backhanded compliment to Leadon?) with the orchestra coming into full flower about halfway through. Then it all drops away to the simple piano line that began the song, the strings slowly swirling in and meeting the keys, as we head into the finale of one of the longest songs the Eagles had, to that point, recorded. It ends, and pretty much is, a depressing and sad song as Henley asks “Who will provide the grand design? What is yours and what is mine? There is no more new frontier; we have got to make it here. We satisfy our endless needs and justify our bloody deeds in the name of destiny and in the name of God.” The song finishes on a muted, powerful, mournful strings outro that fades away, as if to rob us of any hope that there might be a solution, that the destruction of our planet and by extension ourselves is avoidable. A dark, bitter ending, it kind of bookends the album with the title and opening track, showing how twisted and warped ambition, greed and self-absorption can be. It leaves you with a sour taste in your mouth, a feeling of guilt, but at least in my case anyway, a feeling of having participated in something that is almost a spiritual experience. TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS Hotel California New kid in town Life in the fast lane Wasted time Wasted time (reprise) Victim of love Pretty maids all in a row Try and love again The last resort Afterword: This was the album everyone had, even if you weren't an Eagles fan or even into rock or Country music. Like Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell, it was just one of those albums. You had to have it in your collection. It was, as I said earlier, both the peak and the beginning of the end for the Eagles' career. Where did you go from here? There was only one way. And as infighting began to tear the band apart, they would release one more album, garner a few more hit singles before they split, as we thought, forever. Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gif |
That's where we'll leave The Eagles for now; come back to them later. Don't fear, Bowie fans: I'll be getting back into his discography soon also. But for now let me go in something of a different direction, beginning with
https://fanart.tv/fanart/music/f9871...9100f7dd69.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Alan_Parsons_Project https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...magination.jpg Album title: Tales of Mystery and Imagination Artiste: The Alan Parsons Project Genre: Progressive Rock Year: 1976 Label: Charisma Producer: Alan Parsons Chronological position: Debut album Notes: Based on the work of Edgar Allan Poe Album chart position: 56 (UK) 38 (US) Singles: “(The system of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Feather”, “The Raven”, “To one in Paradise” Lineup: Alan Parsons: Vocals, organ, guitar, synth and more Eric Woolfson: Keyboards, Harpsichord, organ, vocals Dennis Clarke: Sax Francis Monkman: Keyboards, organ John Miles: Guitar, vocals Kevin Peek: Guitar Laurence Juber: Guitar David Paton: Guitar, bass, vocals Ian Bairnson: Guitars Andrew Powell: Keyboards Leonard Whiting, Arthur Brown, Jack Harris, Terry Sylvester: Vocals Stuart Tosh/John Leach/Burleigh Drummond: Drums and percussion (There are a ton of people here, so forgive me if I don't list them all.) Review begins The Alan Parsons Project would make their name with progressive pop style songs such as “Old and wise”, “Eye in the sky” and “Don't answer me”, and by having a constantly rotating series of vocalists, including some of the best in the business, some of whom would drift in and out, album to album, some of whom would make up a core “squad” as it were of vocalists. Parsons himself would never sing, except once here, and only through a vocoder. He was the brains and heart of the operation, and as an engineer by trade was much happier playing the music and producing it. Based loosely on the works of horror fiction writer Edgar Allan Poe, the album seeks to represent some of his best stories through the medium of music, and it's quite a task they've set themselves here for their debut album. The idea of creating a mood, evoking an atmosphere that recalls the story you're trying to tell, with or without lyrics, is a daunting one, but here I think the APP do quite well with it. That's not to say it's a completely successful attempt, but generally speaking I think over the course of the album they managed it more times than they failed. We open on “A dream within a dream”, which though it has no vocals does have a narrated introduction by the great Orson Welles, as piano and synth build up behind him. As his narration ends a lonely recorder whines and then the bassline that would become distinctive to David Paton thumps in like a slow heartbeat, piano and organ joining it as the percussion slips in, and the piece begins on a slow, moderate tempo with very progressive sprinkled guitar from Ian Bairnson, somewhat reminiscent of Mike Oldfield. The sound builds up in layers, driven by Burleigh Drummond's sudden hammering percussion and then fades away slowly, leaving only the bassline to take us into “The Raven”, on which we hear Alan Parsons use the vocoder to relate the poem against, firstly just bass and percussion and then sharp guitar punching in. A big almost orchestral run takes the tune before it slips back down on choral vocals and back into a sound which would become a signature one of The Alan Parsons Project, easily identifiable as them whenever it was played, and it was played often. The vocal then becomes clearer as Leonard Whiting --- who, oddly enough is not a singer but an actor --- takes over, and then Bairnson lets rip with a pretty heavy solo as the vocal rises in urgency and power. Softly then, almost like a hymn, the vocals go choral and fade down as the track winds towards its gentle end. Much more uptempo then for “The tell-tale heart”, vocals this time supplied by Arthur Brown (yes, the Arthur Brown, he of the Crazy World) and it bops along really well on Bairnson's romping guitar and Paton's ticking bass. Then after about two minutes it slows down to a stately waltz almost, with sumptuous synth and piano joining the orchestra before it all takes off again, this time fading into what would become another motif of the APP, a kind of low, fading choral vocal line and back in comes Bairnson, the tempo picking up again and exploding into a fine solo before the vocal comes back for the final verse. A soft ballad then with the orchestra sweeping along slowly in “The cask of Amontillado”, vocals this time taken by John Miles. It begins to ramp up on harder guitar and percussion in the second minute and then falls back to a solo piano, beginning again to build with some really nice backing vocals and ends on an APP instrumental motif and into “The system of Dr Tarr and Professor Fether”, brought in on tough guitar and punching percussion in a style again which would become identified with the APP. A dark voice declares “Just what you need to feel better” and then Miles takes the vocal again. I can see why this had a shot as a single; it's quite commercial and even poppy in its way, and points something of the direction towards later songs such as “Prime time”, “Children of the moon” and “Don't answer me”. I like how they throw in part of the vocoder section of “The Raven” near the end. Clever. The penultimate track is one big long instrumental. Lasting over sixteen minutes and broken into five sections, “The Fall of the House of Usher” opens on “Prelude”, which runs for more than half of the composition, seguing directly in from the end of the previous track and into a narrated vocal by again I think Welles, then it's a very spooky and unsettling orchestral line that takes the piece as we move into the dark, forbidding house, jumping at shadows, suffocated by the thick, cloying air, listening for sounds. Reminds me a little of the themes to the Star Trek movies in places. Gets a little grand and majestic halfway through, the orchestra swelling proudly before dropping back again, like someone breathing a sigh of delight at being home before realising something evil is waiting there for them. And the music then swells and gets more urgent and scary as it heads towards the end of this section. “Arrival” is a short piece that comes in on thunder, rain and Phantom-of-the-Opera-style church organ, busy synth that rises and overtakes the organ, perhaps meant to illustrate the pulserate of the arriver before slow percussion hits in and the guitar wails its accompaniment. The synth fades away and back, as does the organ, and as we head towards the final minute comes back in, almost as if it's passing by, then a strong riff on the guitar closes the section and takes us to the one-minute “Intermezzo” which is pretty much a kind of suspense soundtrack, rising and pulling us into “Pavane”, where Paton's portentous bass and some acoustic guitar softens the mood somewhat, the familiar APP theme as it were returning. Sounds like mandolin there, probably is not --- I see a kantele is used, so it could be that, though I don't know what one of them sounds like --- and it takes the melody mostly on its own, as it builds back up for the big finale, fading out then to “Fall”, which is less than a minute of descending (obviously) discordant sounds, which certainly does symbolise a crashing to the ground and a sense of something dying. It ends, naturally, abruptly, and we're left with one final track, the ballad “To one in Paradise”, which foreshadows the likes of “Time”, “Ignorance is bliss” and “Siren song”, and features the ex-Hollies singer Terry Sylvester, with some lovely backing vocals and swirling synth, a very nice ending to a pretty dark album that still manages to keep the attention and doesn't descend into total darkness. TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS A dream within a dream The Raven The tell-tale heart The cask of Amontillado The system of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether The fall of the House of Usher (i) Prelude (ii) Arrival (iii) Intermezzo (iv) Pavane (v) Fall To one in Paradise Afterword: Quite an undertaking, and one which in general worked well, however something of a gamble to do this for your first album. Nevertheless, The Alan Parsons Project would go on to become, if not famous, then at least known, as they would have a few hits along their eleven-year career. If you're looking to get into them, honestly this is not the best place to start (and I didn't), but once you've heard and enjoyed their other material, it's a nice look back to see how they started off. Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/halfhphone.gif |
This band looks like they went through some changes in style and musical direction, starting off as death-doom, then changing to gothic metal, then prog rock, then alt-rock and god knows what they are now. They sound American to me but they're not, as they hail from Liverpool, and I know pretty much sod-all about them, other than seeing their albums crop up from time to time, often in of all places PROG Magazine! So it should be an interesting journey at least. Got a tank full of petrol? Munchies for the road? Then turn that key and let's head off.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...thema-logo.svg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped.../Serenades.jpg Album title: Serenades Artiste: Anathema Genre: Death-Doom Year: 1993 Label: Peaceville Producer: Anathema Chronological position: Debut album Notes: The only album to feature Darren White on vocals. Apparently. Album chart position: Unknown Singles: None Lineup: Darren White: Vocals Vincent Cavanagh: Guitars Danny Cavanagh: Guitars Duncan Patterson: Bass John Douglas: Drums Review begins Given that this is a death-doom album, I'm going to assume the title is ironic, as indeed must be the label they recorded on. I realise now that the names Vincent and Danny Cavanagh are familiar to me, but that might be because they worked on someone else's album/project: I'm still certain I've never heard an Anathema record. Of course, they do tie in to one of my favourite bands, Antimatter, but I don't think the Cavanagh brothers had anything to do with that. Anyway, the album opens on “Lovelord rhapsody”, which punches it pretty much from the off with snarling, grinding guitars that want to eat you and a low, growled vocal. I can see the amalgamation of doom metal and death metal here, as it is slow and sludgy but with hard, sharp riffing guitars and kind of death vocals, but I'd put it more on a doom metal footing, at least for this track, than death metal. I can't say I'm impressed with the vocals, but then as I said in the notes, this was the only album on which this particular singer, er, sang, so maybe vocally it gets better from the second album. The two Cavanaghs can certainly play well though; there's an almost progressive or neo-classical feel to their music at times, which perhaps points the way they would go on later albums, ditching the doom and death influences as they went in a more gothic and even progressive direction. Ignoring the vocals, this is a pretty lovely track really; I can dig the melody. Speeding up a little now as it heads into the last two minutes, percussion banging away and the more reflective nature of the guitars fading as they get a bit more raw and brutal. “Sweet tears” is definitely harder and more direct, though then again there's a really nice gentle part in the last minute, with some clean vocals, almost like a chant, then we go all French for “J'ai fait une promesse”, bringing in an acapella vocal from someone only identified as “Ruth”. Acoustic guitar joins her for the second verse, and backing vocals (female; could be her own, multitracked, I don't know) come in too. It's nice, but seems out of place on such a basically hard and heavy album. But then, I don't know jack about Anathema; maybe they do this all the time. It's certainly an interesting change, and shows they have other strings to their bow. All Sabbathy then for “They (will always) die” which grinds, grunts and growls along, showing really very little of the more expressive side of the two guitarists. Which is not to say it's bad, just a little formulaic compared to the other tracks. There is some nice gentle guitar work at the end, actually sounds like synth but I don't think Anathema use them, at least this early in their career. “Sleepless” then sounds like an indie rock or alt-rock song, almost like something The Police might play, though it does then pick up on harder guitar and a bit of growling. It's an odd one for sure. Not quite certain what to think about it. Back to the slow, doomy, grindy music for “Sleep in sanity” with the return of White's dour growl, though the music is actually quite uplifting in an odd way. These Cavanagh brothers certainly complement each other. There's a kind of eastern feel to the melody, reminds me a little of Maiden and Dio. A short little track then in “Scars of the old stream” (sounds like they're using backwards masking here) with a spoken vocal, weird little tune and it leads into the longer, and more doomy “Under a veil (of black lace)”. It's nothing special .... and then, just as I write that, it changes into a quite introspective guitar piece - though White keeps roaring like a wounded animal - and a really nice melody takes the tune. I guess you can see how they were, even then, capable of stretching beyond the perhaps limited strictures of death-doom. A much shorter track again, “Where shadows dance” is a good bit more on the death side of things, kind of hard to get much of a handle on it as it's so short, less than two minutes, but this is made up for by the closer, which runs for a staggering twenty-three minutes! It's the “Supper's ready” of death-doom! “Dreaming: the romance” opens very ambient; I would definitely say synth but again I see no credit. Given the length of the song, I expect a pretty long instrumental intro - okay, I see Discogs has a credit for “Orchestral arrangements”, so I guess there's an orchestra involved. That would explain it, as there is no way in Hell this introductory section could be only on guitars, unless these two Cavanaghs are gods or something. It's actually beautiful and epic, almost heartbreaking in its slow buildup, which so far has run for almost four minutes. No, seven minutes now. It's sort of like listening to a symphony, no, more like one of YorkeDaddy's Daydream Society albums. Really relaxing and not at all what I had expected, though I'm already learning to expect the unexpected with Anathema. Nine minutes now, and it's still that lovely, laidback, ambient instrumental with a sort of dark hum underpinning it. Might be about to change: there's something in the air, I feel. Something wicked this way comes? Or something wonderful? Well, despite that subtle feeling nothing different has happened and we're now halfway through and it's still the orchestral symphony, for want of another word. Absolutely gorgeous. Seventeen minutes in now and I really doubt it's suddenly going to explode on a doom or death riff and growl. This has to go Blue, even if that ends up happening, but I'd be surprised. No, it didn't change. That was unbelievable lovely. TRACK LISTING AND RATINGS Lovelorn rhapsody Sweet tears J'ai fait une promesse They (will always) die Sleepless Sleep in sanity Scars of the old stream Under a veil (of black lace) Where shadows dance Dreaming: the romance Afterword: So much more than I expected originally. Yes, there are the raw death/doom songs, but inbetween them are some really different ideas and the closer just took my breath away. I'm suddenly excited to see how these guys developed over the coming years, if they could be this versatile on their debut album. Also will help if their new singer doesn't sound like White. Overall, mightily impressed. Rating: http://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gifhttp://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gif http://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gif http://www.trollheart.com/hphone.gif |
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Holy ****, man!
Welcome back. We missed you. |
Whoa! Didn't expect that after clicking on the thread. Welcome back!
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It'd be funny if after having posted this he'll stay away for another year.
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Welcome back! Wow. :)
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I think you mods are just trolling us and this was actually an entry submitted before he left.
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Nah man, this can't be real.
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New era, new avatar. Make it so, bro.
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came back just in time to get wasted because I'm a serial killer now
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I hate their bitch ass guts
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