Thursday, 19 April 2007
Gorrilaz
Gorillaz is a virtual band created in 1999 by Damon Albarn of Britpop band Blur, and Jamie Hewlett, co-creator of the comic book Tank Girl. The band is composed of four fictional animated band members: 2D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russel. Their style is broadly 'alternative rock', but with a large number of other influences. Demon Daze was a little gem aquired in the SHELTER charity shop and what a find it is too. Teriffic - the first virtual band I have ever listened too.
Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill is the third studio album and the first internationally released album by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette. It passed me by completely when it was released which is a surprise given that it sold over 30 million copies. One of those copies made its way to a charity shop in Eastbourne where I picked it up for a mere 99p. Suffice to say Alanis is a young woman with "issues" and spends most of the 44 minutes berating her sadness, denial, lack of love, being in unhealthy relationships, forgetting to buy the catfood, forgetting to take her library books back - you get the picture. Some genuinely good tracks for the angst devotee. However, even by the end of the last track there is no serious prospect of her cheering up.
Monday, 16 April 2007
Silence is Easy - Star Sailor
I read that this was a highl;y rated album and snapped it up at a charity shop for £1. Not impressed with what is a very uneven collection of songs. Reasing the wilkopedia entry about how the album got to be made you kind of get the picture - see below;-
"Starsailor teamed up with Phil Spector for their second album Silence is Easy, which was recorded in Los Angeles. The collaboration came about following Spector's daughter Nicole attending one of the band's American concerts in the Winter of 2002. Spector is said to have been fascinated by Lullaby, the band's fourth single. After meeting the producer, the band agreed to work with him on their second album. However, the collaboration was short lived; sessions at London's Abbey Road proved difficult. Spector is said to have dismissed Ben Byrne's drumming, as well as proving tricky to work with. Only two tracks made the band's second album, 'Silence Is Easy' - one was the title track, the other the soaring White Dove. The band co-produced seven of the other tracks with Danton Supple and former Blur producer John Leckie was bought in to see over the recording of 'Shark Food'. The first single was Silence Is Easy, which made the Top Ten (#9, the band's highest placing). The album charted well, but sales were sluggish in comparison to the bands first album. The release dropped out of the Top 40 rather promptly. A full UK Tour began in Autumn 2003 shortly after the release of the album, culminating at London's Brixton Academy. The show featured the only known performance of 'Restless Heart', the closing track on the Silence Is Easy album. Mark Collins, from The Charlatans joined Starsailor for all dates between August 2003 to December 2004, playing additional and lead guitar The album spawned just three singles; the second of which, Born Again had evolved from a B-Side to Poor Misguided Fool, released in early 2002. The song was re-recorded for the album, and cut down for a radio edit. Four to the Floor, which was also remixed by Thin White Duke, became a popular club hit. Walsh wanted the track to become the band's 'I Am The Resurrection'; something to be played in 'Indie Disco's everywhere'."
"Starsailor teamed up with Phil Spector for their second album Silence is Easy, which was recorded in Los Angeles. The collaboration came about following Spector's daughter Nicole attending one of the band's American concerts in the Winter of 2002. Spector is said to have been fascinated by Lullaby, the band's fourth single. After meeting the producer, the band agreed to work with him on their second album. However, the collaboration was short lived; sessions at London's Abbey Road proved difficult. Spector is said to have dismissed Ben Byrne's drumming, as well as proving tricky to work with. Only two tracks made the band's second album, 'Silence Is Easy' - one was the title track, the other the soaring White Dove. The band co-produced seven of the other tracks with Danton Supple and former Blur producer John Leckie was bought in to see over the recording of 'Shark Food'. The first single was Silence Is Easy, which made the Top Ten (#9, the band's highest placing). The album charted well, but sales were sluggish in comparison to the bands first album. The release dropped out of the Top 40 rather promptly. A full UK Tour began in Autumn 2003 shortly after the release of the album, culminating at London's Brixton Academy. The show featured the only known performance of 'Restless Heart', the closing track on the Silence Is Easy album. Mark Collins, from The Charlatans joined Starsailor for all dates between August 2003 to December 2004, playing additional and lead guitar The album spawned just three singles; the second of which, Born Again had evolved from a B-Side to Poor Misguided Fool, released in early 2002. The song was re-recorded for the album, and cut down for a radio edit. Four to the Floor, which was also remixed by Thin White Duke, became a popular club hit. Walsh wanted the track to become the band's 'I Am The Resurrection'; something to be played in 'Indie Disco's everywhere'."
Country Music
For years I never had much country music in the collection and never gave the genre a thought when I was buying albums. this all changed when i was invited by my brother ion law - who was Jonny Cash's tour manager during the later stages of his life to a show at the Albert Hall. An amazing evening with an electrifying performance by Cash and also the slightly surreal experience of standing at the backstage party with Harvey Goldsmith and Elvis Costello.
A singer songwriter who exemplifies some of the best that Country music can offer is Lyle Lovett - you here less of him now but I spent part of the weekend making a CD of my favourite songs from his first 5 albums and a pretty impressive collection they make too. Lovett's music career began as a songwriter, but he soon signed with MCA Records in 1986 and released his eponymous debut album. While typically associated with the country genre, the music of Lovett is broader in scope. His albums typically incorporate folk, swing, blues, jazz and gospel music as well as more traditional country styling. He has won four Grammy Awards, including Best Country Album (1996 for The Road to Ensenada, Best Country Duo/Group with Vocal (1994 for "Blues For Dixie" with the Texas swing group Asleep at the Wheel), Best Pop Vocal Collaboration (1994 for "Funny How Time Slips Away" with Al Green) and Best Country Male Vocal (1989) for Lyle Lovett and His Large Band).
PS:-
Q: What happens if you sing country music backwards
A: You stop drinking and get your wife and job back!
A singer songwriter who exemplifies some of the best that Country music can offer is Lyle Lovett - you here less of him now but I spent part of the weekend making a CD of my favourite songs from his first 5 albums and a pretty impressive collection they make too. Lovett's music career began as a songwriter, but he soon signed with MCA Records in 1986 and released his eponymous debut album. While typically associated with the country genre, the music of Lovett is broader in scope. His albums typically incorporate folk, swing, blues, jazz and gospel music as well as more traditional country styling. He has won four Grammy Awards, including Best Country Album (1996 for The Road to Ensenada, Best Country Duo/Group with Vocal (1994 for "Blues For Dixie" with the Texas swing group Asleep at the Wheel), Best Pop Vocal Collaboration (1994 for "Funny How Time Slips Away" with Al Green) and Best Country Male Vocal (1989) for Lyle Lovett and His Large Band).
PS:-
Q: What happens if you sing country music backwards
A: You stop drinking and get your wife and job back!
Parade by Prince
Bought a copy of this album on CD to see if it stands the test of time. A review by Basil 40 on the DooYoo Website and Blog sums it up neatly and is worth quoting here;-
"Prince, born Prince Rogers Nelson, in Minneapolis 46 years ago is a very talented singer/multi-instrumentalist (with the emphasis on "mentalist"). Between 1983 and 1993 he released one album every year until his record company took more control of his work and asked him to slow down his work-rate and spend more time on promotion. He responded by changing his name to an unintelligible symbol, writing the word "slave" on his cheek and actively not promoting his work. When he's soulful, it's somewhere between James Brown and Rick James. When he rocks out, you're lookng at the 80's answer to Jimi Hendrix and can argue that he influenced Lenny Kravitz. Generally, he'll try his hand at most popular styles and given his high work rate of the 80's coupled with it's near flawless quality, it would be sacrilege to try to label this influential and unique artist. Aside from music, Prince also fancied himself as something of a movie star. His first bash at the silver screen, in 1984, produced the egotistical and indulgent Purple Rain. It was panned by the critics, of course. Unperturbed, he had another crack in 1986 with Under The Cherry Moon. I've not seen that film, but filmed in "arty" black and white and with a seemingly unparalleled fascination with all things French, the signs aren't good. Parade is the soundtrack to this film.
THE TRACKS--------------------Covering mild psychadelia, rip-roaring funk workouts and tender ballads, Parade is a very clever cross section of myriad styles that Prince likes to work with. I have listed the tracks below giving marks out of five, along with a Typical Bonkers Moment (TBM) - because he was madder than a bucket of bananas - for good measure:**
1. Christopher Tracy's Parade (2:11)**Psychadelia City! Mad backwards drums and wayward trupmets are all over the joint on the intro to this song. Normality is restored by Prince's vocal arrival and the very catchy chorus of "everyone come behold/Christopher Tracy's parade". This form part of a segued trilogy at the beginning of the album and melds quite nicely into..... Mark: 4/5TBM: The backwards drums at the beginning**
2. New Position (2:20)**More backwards drums before a ticking clock and a steel drum resonates throughout. Prince, whilst on doleful form on the previous track, is more aggressive on this track and uses a technique where he sings the words in one key and the backing vocals in another. Brainy! "Let's go fishing in the river of life" is a bit of 6th form lyric, but what Prince is famous for is his dirty talk and "I'm gonna do ya like a good man should" is typical perviness from the purple one.Mark: 4/5TBM: The two-note steel drum riff**
3. I Wonder U (1:40)**I'm listening to this and reviewing at the same time and a track that lasts a little over 90 seconds is sooooo not helping. The film that Parade soundtracks is apparently very French in feel. A loose thread of Frogness permeates the album and this track is the evidence of that. "I....how you say?...I wonder you" whispers a very sexy-voiced female throughout this track. In fact Prince doesn't even appear on it. And so the trilogy ends.Mark: 3/5TBM: The lack of Prince!**
4. Under the Cherry Moon (2:57)**It was, by all accounts, a cack film but boy can he write a killer ballad. Beautiful piano and ticking percussion start off the track and his lyrics are so good - you won't find Prince in any of my worst lyrics pieces! "If I don't find my destiny soon/I'll die in your arms under the cherry moon". After a couple of minutes the song meanders away on a jazzy piano tip but every drop of this track is class.Mark: 5/5TBM: Jazzy piano, I don't think he's done that before**
5. Girls and Boys (5:29)**Hurray! A song over three minutes long! This is one of my favourite Prince tracks because, like all good music, it's ridiculously simple. He's joined on backing vocals by one of his many proteges, Sheila E and the incredibly sexy Wendy and Lisa. "Vous ete tres belle", they purr in the background (big hair, talking in French: bring it on, ladies!). Throughout the track a great three note sax riff farts away and, married to the simple beat and imaginative lyrics ("meet me somewhere after dawn"), makes for great listening.Mark: 5/5TBM: A mini-rap near the end**
6. Life Can Be So Nice (3:13)**This is the fastest track so far and begins with a catchy whistly looped riff and has Prince spouting a load of nonsensical reason why, indeed, life can be so nice. The symbols and hi-hats bash away in the background and it all comes to messy conclusion a little over three minutes later when the tempo slows down, some foghorn synth come in and that whistly riff from the intro distorts intself into a monotonous groan.Mark: 4/5TBM: The lyric: "scrambled eggs? so boring!"**
7. Venus de Milo (1:55)**Beautiful semi-classical piano starts this track and the very hint of breathy strings weep away in the background. You can barely hear the hushed percussion as the piano takes centre stage and then it dawns on you that this is going to be an instrumental.Mark: 3/5TBM: The rarest of thing in Prince's armoury: an instrumental**8. Mountains (3:57)**The very dated dated drums actually sound great on this tune. For the first time listening to this album I want to get up and dance as a bass and Prince's falsetto verses kick off. Great synthy brass comes in on the soaring chorus. Dare I say it? The nearest this album gets to a proper song. Verse/bridge/chorus and a regular tempo with a little instrumental break in the middle. A nicely timed, refreshing change.Mark: 5/5TBM: Goes a bit weird at the end with what sounds like the Hawaii 5-0 theme!**9. Do U Lie? (2:44)**If the Frenchie theme of the film hadn't become apparent to you, then Prince leaves his subtlety at home on this track. A teenage girl opens the track with spoken French before Prince comes in and sings over an accordion and percussion rhythm. Bizarre yet intriguing.Mark: 3/5TBM: Prince sings in a fake Cockney accent for one line**
10. Kiss (3:37)**"Ding-aling-aling-aling-aling. Uh" Hey everybody, it's Kiss! Everybody knows Kiss! Don't need experience to turn me o-on. This is what he does best: minimal instrumentation, a sexy little falsetto and upfront lyrics. I remember, though, the video featured him in a crop top and the female guitarist in a veil. Not a good look, but when the guitar is as funky and captivating as this, who cares. Look to James Brown as the source of this brilliant track - the guitar sound and the beat are straight out a Brown funk masterclass. Naturaly, released as a single. Stupendous.Mark: 6/5TBM: Screaming the line: "ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with"**
11. Anotherloverholenyohead (4:00)**The last single to be released from this album it made a paltry number 36 in November 1986. The title is short for the chorus of: "you need another lover like you need a whole in your head" (sounds like a woman in my office!). It's another funk workout in the same vain as Mountains with a very similar beat and is a great track overall.Mark: 4/5TBM: A backwards guitar intro**
12. Sometimes It Snows in April (6:58)**And just when you think the album in lurching towards predictability with short songs, funk anthems, bonkers backwards instruments and women garbling away in French, Prince plays his trump card: a seven minute piano ballad. Admittedly the opening line: "Tracy died just after a long-fought civil war" kind of sets the tone and it's not one for fans of S-Club! But Prince's wobbly vocals on the verses and husky falsetto on the chorus are just brilliant. I hate ballads, but this one, I don't know, I just gets me right here (**points to heart**). Moving.Mark: 5/5TBM: The ability to make a seven minute ballad go so quickly!
"Prince, born Prince Rogers Nelson, in Minneapolis 46 years ago is a very talented singer/multi-instrumentalist (with the emphasis on "mentalist"). Between 1983 and 1993 he released one album every year until his record company took more control of his work and asked him to slow down his work-rate and spend more time on promotion. He responded by changing his name to an unintelligible symbol, writing the word "slave" on his cheek and actively not promoting his work. When he's soulful, it's somewhere between James Brown and Rick James. When he rocks out, you're lookng at the 80's answer to Jimi Hendrix and can argue that he influenced Lenny Kravitz. Generally, he'll try his hand at most popular styles and given his high work rate of the 80's coupled with it's near flawless quality, it would be sacrilege to try to label this influential and unique artist. Aside from music, Prince also fancied himself as something of a movie star. His first bash at the silver screen, in 1984, produced the egotistical and indulgent Purple Rain. It was panned by the critics, of course. Unperturbed, he had another crack in 1986 with Under The Cherry Moon. I've not seen that film, but filmed in "arty" black and white and with a seemingly unparalleled fascination with all things French, the signs aren't good. Parade is the soundtrack to this film.
THE TRACKS--------------------Covering mild psychadelia, rip-roaring funk workouts and tender ballads, Parade is a very clever cross section of myriad styles that Prince likes to work with. I have listed the tracks below giving marks out of five, along with a Typical Bonkers Moment (TBM) - because he was madder than a bucket of bananas - for good measure:**
1. Christopher Tracy's Parade (2:11)**Psychadelia City! Mad backwards drums and wayward trupmets are all over the joint on the intro to this song. Normality is restored by Prince's vocal arrival and the very catchy chorus of "everyone come behold/Christopher Tracy's parade". This form part of a segued trilogy at the beginning of the album and melds quite nicely into..... Mark: 4/5TBM: The backwards drums at the beginning**
2. New Position (2:20)**More backwards drums before a ticking clock and a steel drum resonates throughout. Prince, whilst on doleful form on the previous track, is more aggressive on this track and uses a technique where he sings the words in one key and the backing vocals in another. Brainy! "Let's go fishing in the river of life" is a bit of 6th form lyric, but what Prince is famous for is his dirty talk and "I'm gonna do ya like a good man should" is typical perviness from the purple one.Mark: 4/5TBM: The two-note steel drum riff**
3. I Wonder U (1:40)**I'm listening to this and reviewing at the same time and a track that lasts a little over 90 seconds is sooooo not helping. The film that Parade soundtracks is apparently very French in feel. A loose thread of Frogness permeates the album and this track is the evidence of that. "I....how you say?...I wonder you" whispers a very sexy-voiced female throughout this track. In fact Prince doesn't even appear on it. And so the trilogy ends.Mark: 3/5TBM: The lack of Prince!**
4. Under the Cherry Moon (2:57)**It was, by all accounts, a cack film but boy can he write a killer ballad. Beautiful piano and ticking percussion start off the track and his lyrics are so good - you won't find Prince in any of my worst lyrics pieces! "If I don't find my destiny soon/I'll die in your arms under the cherry moon". After a couple of minutes the song meanders away on a jazzy piano tip but every drop of this track is class.Mark: 5/5TBM: Jazzy piano, I don't think he's done that before**
5. Girls and Boys (5:29)**Hurray! A song over three minutes long! This is one of my favourite Prince tracks because, like all good music, it's ridiculously simple. He's joined on backing vocals by one of his many proteges, Sheila E and the incredibly sexy Wendy and Lisa. "Vous ete tres belle", they purr in the background (big hair, talking in French: bring it on, ladies!). Throughout the track a great three note sax riff farts away and, married to the simple beat and imaginative lyrics ("meet me somewhere after dawn"), makes for great listening.Mark: 5/5TBM: A mini-rap near the end**
6. Life Can Be So Nice (3:13)**This is the fastest track so far and begins with a catchy whistly looped riff and has Prince spouting a load of nonsensical reason why, indeed, life can be so nice. The symbols and hi-hats bash away in the background and it all comes to messy conclusion a little over three minutes later when the tempo slows down, some foghorn synth come in and that whistly riff from the intro distorts intself into a monotonous groan.Mark: 4/5TBM: The lyric: "scrambled eggs? so boring!"**
7. Venus de Milo (1:55)**Beautiful semi-classical piano starts this track and the very hint of breathy strings weep away in the background. You can barely hear the hushed percussion as the piano takes centre stage and then it dawns on you that this is going to be an instrumental.Mark: 3/5TBM: The rarest of thing in Prince's armoury: an instrumental**8. Mountains (3:57)**The very dated dated drums actually sound great on this tune. For the first time listening to this album I want to get up and dance as a bass and Prince's falsetto verses kick off. Great synthy brass comes in on the soaring chorus. Dare I say it? The nearest this album gets to a proper song. Verse/bridge/chorus and a regular tempo with a little instrumental break in the middle. A nicely timed, refreshing change.Mark: 5/5TBM: Goes a bit weird at the end with what sounds like the Hawaii 5-0 theme!**9. Do U Lie? (2:44)**If the Frenchie theme of the film hadn't become apparent to you, then Prince leaves his subtlety at home on this track. A teenage girl opens the track with spoken French before Prince comes in and sings over an accordion and percussion rhythm. Bizarre yet intriguing.Mark: 3/5TBM: Prince sings in a fake Cockney accent for one line**
10. Kiss (3:37)**"Ding-aling-aling-aling-aling. Uh" Hey everybody, it's Kiss! Everybody knows Kiss! Don't need experience to turn me o-on. This is what he does best: minimal instrumentation, a sexy little falsetto and upfront lyrics. I remember, though, the video featured him in a crop top and the female guitarist in a veil. Not a good look, but when the guitar is as funky and captivating as this, who cares. Look to James Brown as the source of this brilliant track - the guitar sound and the beat are straight out a Brown funk masterclass. Naturaly, released as a single. Stupendous.Mark: 6/5TBM: Screaming the line: "ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with"**
11. Anotherloverholenyohead (4:00)**The last single to be released from this album it made a paltry number 36 in November 1986. The title is short for the chorus of: "you need another lover like you need a whole in your head" (sounds like a woman in my office!). It's another funk workout in the same vain as Mountains with a very similar beat and is a great track overall.Mark: 4/5TBM: A backwards guitar intro**
12. Sometimes It Snows in April (6:58)**And just when you think the album in lurching towards predictability with short songs, funk anthems, bonkers backwards instruments and women garbling away in French, Prince plays his trump card: a seven minute piano ballad. Admittedly the opening line: "Tracy died just after a long-fought civil war" kind of sets the tone and it's not one for fans of S-Club! But Prince's wobbly vocals on the verses and husky falsetto on the chorus are just brilliant. I hate ballads, but this one, I don't know, I just gets me right here (**points to heart**). Moving.Mark: 5/5TBM: The ability to make a seven minute ballad go so quickly!
Blur - Could never make my mind up about them
Bought the greatest hits of Blur at a boot sale. A 2 disc set with the studio recordings on one and a good live set on the other. Could never make up my mind about Blur - at their bst - and we are talking the Parklife album - they could be witty and sharp and at their worst - the poor Country House album - they could be just awful. A brief wilkopedia history (below sets the scene).
Blur are an English rock band formed in Colchester in 1989. Originally named Seymour, they were comprised of vocalist/keyboardist Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, drummer Dave Rowntree and bassist Alex James. The band became one of the biggest bands in the UK during the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s. Blur's original influences on their debut album, Leisure, included contemporary British alternative rock trends such as Madchester and shoegazing. Following a stylistic change in the mid-1990s, influenced by 1960s English pop groups such as The Kinks and The Beatles, the band released Modern Life is Rubbish, Parklife and The Great Escape. As a result, the band helped to popularise the Britpop genre and achieved mass popularity in the UK, aided by a famous chart battle with Britpop rivals Oasis. By the late 1990s, with the release of their fifth album, Blur, the band underwent another reinvention, influenced by the indie rock and lo-fi style of American bands such as Pavement and R.E.M., in the process gaining an elusive American success with the single "Song 2". The final album featuring the band's original lineup, 13, found Blur experimenting with electronica and gospel music. In 2002, founding member Graham Coxon left the band early in recording sessions for Think Tank, the band's seventh and latest album. Blur continued in his absence, seeing both the album and a tour through. Since the end of their 2003 tour, the band has unofficially been on hiatus, as bandmembers are working on solo projects. Although Coxon had shown no interest in rejoining Blur, in recent months he has reportedly warmed to the idea, leading unconfirmed reports of his return to Blur to surface late in 2006.
Blur are an English rock band formed in Colchester in 1989. Originally named Seymour, they were comprised of vocalist/keyboardist Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, drummer Dave Rowntree and bassist Alex James. The band became one of the biggest bands in the UK during the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s. Blur's original influences on their debut album, Leisure, included contemporary British alternative rock trends such as Madchester and shoegazing. Following a stylistic change in the mid-1990s, influenced by 1960s English pop groups such as The Kinks and The Beatles, the band released Modern Life is Rubbish, Parklife and The Great Escape. As a result, the band helped to popularise the Britpop genre and achieved mass popularity in the UK, aided by a famous chart battle with Britpop rivals Oasis. By the late 1990s, with the release of their fifth album, Blur, the band underwent another reinvention, influenced by the indie rock and lo-fi style of American bands such as Pavement and R.E.M., in the process gaining an elusive American success with the single "Song 2". The final album featuring the band's original lineup, 13, found Blur experimenting with electronica and gospel music. In 2002, founding member Graham Coxon left the band early in recording sessions for Think Tank, the band's seventh and latest album. Blur continued in his absence, seeing both the album and a tour through. Since the end of their 2003 tour, the band has unofficially been on hiatus, as bandmembers are working on solo projects. Although Coxon had shown no interest in rejoining Blur, in recent months he has reportedly warmed to the idea, leading unconfirmed reports of his return to Blur to surface late in 2006.
The best of The Kinks
A few weeks ago I realised that I did not have any Kinks songs in my IMusic collection except for a copy of Waterloo Sunset on a compilation. A search in a few charity shops and bob's your uncle for 50p the whole Greatest Hits collection was mine. I once met Ray Davies and a thoroughly nice chap he was too. When I mentioned I was from Hastings he talked about the Kinks playing the pier there in the late 1960s. There is something uniquely English about the Kinks and about the Davis and although their influence is perhaps greater than their fame the whole canon of their work has a kind of timeless quality. The Kinks first gained prominence in 1964 with the hit single "You Really Got Me", written by Ray Davies. The band's name came from their "kinky" dress sense of leather capes and boots worn on stage.[3] The group's original line-up consisted of Ray Davies on lead vocals/rhythm guitar/keyboards, Dave Davies on lead guitar/vocals, Pete Quaife on backing vocals/bass guitar, and Mick Avory on drums and percussion. Following Quaife's departure in 1969, the band centered around the three remaining original members and frequently changed bassists and keyboardists, until 1984, when friction between Dave Davies and Mick Avory resulted into the latter's departure, leaving only the Davies brothers from the original line-up. The band has been inactive since 1996. The relationship between the Davies brothers seemed to deteriorate completely around this time, and both have since embarked on successful solo careers. Rumours of a Kinks reunion are persistent but still vague. Whatever the band's fortunes, however, their influence on emerging artists has been a constant. During the New Wave era, groups such as The Jam, The Knack, and The Pretenders covered Kinks songs[3] and Britpop acts such as Blur, Oasis and Supergrass have cited them as a major influence.[1] Many modern bands as The Killers and Franz Ferdinand also acknowledge The Kinks and Ray Davies' expert songwriting skills. As self-professed Kinks fan Pete Townshend said for 'The History of Rock 'n' Roll': "The Kinks were much more quintessentially English. I always think that Ray Davies should one day be Poet Laureate. He invented a new kind of poetry and a new kind of language for Pop writing that influenced me from the very, very, very beginning."
Art Official Intelligence - De La Soul
De La Soul is a Grammy-award winning hip hop group from Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling and quirky, surreal lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap subgenre. The Art Official Intelligence album was the first in a planned three-disc installment, which was originally intended to be a three-disc album. Among the guests on the album are Redman, Tash and J-Ro of Tha Liks, Xzibit, Busta Rhymes, Mike D and Ad Rock of the Beastie Boys, Busy Bee, Freddie Foxxx and soul diva Chaka Khan. Unlike their previous album, Stakes Is High, Mosaic Thump returned De La Soul to chart territory again thanks to the hit singles, "Oooh" and "All Good". The album was also nominated for a Grammy. At the end of tracks 4, 8 and 13, there are the now classic skits advertising "Ghost Weed". A substance which allows the user to morph into their favorite MC/rapper with only a few puffs. This makes room for surprise cameos by three different MCs, Pharaohe Monch, Phife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest, and Black Thought of The Roots. For obvious reasons it is a great record to listen to when your running as it runs at about 150 bpm which is just about perfect.
Alicia Keys Debut - Worth 5 Grammys?
Songs in A Minor is the debut album by American R&B/soul singer and pianist Alicia Keys, released on June 5, 2001 in the United States (see 2001 in music). Interestingly, only one song on the album, "Jane Doe", is in the key of A minor (the title no doubt being a playful reference to Keys' youth). The album has sold over six million copies in the United States and over twelve million copies worldwide. It also earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002, including "Best R&B Album". This one I am still making my mind up about it was worth the £1 price just for the single track "How Come You Don't Call Me".
What a purchasing week
Saturday it was the first boot sale of the summer and rich pickings for the buying of cheap CDs. I bought these:-
Raw Like Sushi is recording artist Neneh Cherry's debut album. She was one of the first female rappers to popularize the genre, earning her the nickname "Black Madonna" in the United Kingdom. The track "Buffalo Stance" was originally recorded for the single "Looking Good Diving" after was featured on the B-side. The single was not successful and disappeared into obscurity until Bomb the Bass remixed the single and became a hit reaching #3 in the UK, #3 in the Billboard Hot 100 and even reached #1 for two weeks in the Netherlands.
The lyrics on the album are sometimes autobiographical, talking about school years. They are also influenced by Neneh's motherhood. Others speak of women allegedly trying to steal a man from another woman. All players and programmers are credited in this album, however Cameron McVey, Cherry's husband, appears as Booga Bear. Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja co-wrote Manchild, and fellow member Andrew Vowles aka DJ Mushroom performs on Kisses On The Wind, The Next Generation and So Here I Come, . My Bitch is a vocal duet with Gilly G. This is a classic album of its time which stands the test of time if only for the bass-line on "Buffalo Stance". I think it is listed on the 1001 Albums to Listen to Before You Die list.
Who Are You by The Who. 1978 It peaked at Number 2 on the U.S. charts and Number 6 on the U.K. charts. It is The Who's last album with Keith Moon as the drummer. Moon would die about two weeks after the release of this album. Who Are You was put out at a time when the two major camps of rock, progressive rock and punk rock, were conflicting due to their antipodal styles. Pete Townshend's compositions were written as an attempt to bring the two styles together. The album showcases some of the most complicated song structures guitarist Townshend had ever composed, with multiple layers of synthesizer and strings. Moon's deteriorating health is reflected in some of the tracks; the alcohol and drug abuse had taken away from the frenzied drumming he was renowned for. There was a three-year hiatus between Who Are You and The Who's previous album, The Who By Numbers. The band was drifting apart during this period, due to the band members working on various solo projects, Moon sinking deeper into alcohol and drug abuse, and general exhaustion from the gruelling tour schedule the band had kept over the decade. Moon's health was especially an object of concern, as he only managed to come in during the last few weeks of recording and was unable to play in 6/8 time on the track "Music Must Change", so drums were removed completely from the track - only a few cymbal crashes were added. The album was a commercial success, going platinum in the U.S. and peaking at Number 2 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. The soundtrack to Grease prevented Who Are You from achieving Number 1 status in the U.S. The success of Who Are You generated excitement at the prospect of a new Who tour for the album. However, the album is surrounded by tragedy for Who fans due to Moon's death shortly after the album's release. The songs on the album were later performed on tour when The Who reformed with drummer Kenney Jones and keyboardist John Bundrick. A very patchy effort but the title track would be on anyones top Who track playlist.
Raw Like Sushi is recording artist Neneh Cherry's debut album. She was one of the first female rappers to popularize the genre, earning her the nickname "Black Madonna" in the United Kingdom. The track "Buffalo Stance" was originally recorded for the single "Looking Good Diving" after was featured on the B-side. The single was not successful and disappeared into obscurity until Bomb the Bass remixed the single and became a hit reaching #3 in the UK, #3 in the Billboard Hot 100 and even reached #1 for two weeks in the Netherlands.
The lyrics on the album are sometimes autobiographical, talking about school years. They are also influenced by Neneh's motherhood. Others speak of women allegedly trying to steal a man from another woman. All players and programmers are credited in this album, however Cameron McVey, Cherry's husband, appears as Booga Bear. Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja co-wrote Manchild, and fellow member Andrew Vowles aka DJ Mushroom performs on Kisses On The Wind, The Next Generation and So Here I Come, . My Bitch is a vocal duet with Gilly G. This is a classic album of its time which stands the test of time if only for the bass-line on "Buffalo Stance". I think it is listed on the 1001 Albums to Listen to Before You Die list.
Who Are You by The Who. 1978 It peaked at Number 2 on the U.S. charts and Number 6 on the U.K. charts. It is The Who's last album with Keith Moon as the drummer. Moon would die about two weeks after the release of this album. Who Are You was put out at a time when the two major camps of rock, progressive rock and punk rock, were conflicting due to their antipodal styles. Pete Townshend's compositions were written as an attempt to bring the two styles together. The album showcases some of the most complicated song structures guitarist Townshend had ever composed, with multiple layers of synthesizer and strings. Moon's deteriorating health is reflected in some of the tracks; the alcohol and drug abuse had taken away from the frenzied drumming he was renowned for. There was a three-year hiatus between Who Are You and The Who's previous album, The Who By Numbers. The band was drifting apart during this period, due to the band members working on various solo projects, Moon sinking deeper into alcohol and drug abuse, and general exhaustion from the gruelling tour schedule the band had kept over the decade. Moon's health was especially an object of concern, as he only managed to come in during the last few weeks of recording and was unable to play in 6/8 time on the track "Music Must Change", so drums were removed completely from the track - only a few cymbal crashes were added. The album was a commercial success, going platinum in the U.S. and peaking at Number 2 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. The soundtrack to Grease prevented Who Are You from achieving Number 1 status in the U.S. The success of Who Are You generated excitement at the prospect of a new Who tour for the album. However, the album is surrounded by tragedy for Who fans due to Moon's death shortly after the album's release. The songs on the album were later performed on tour when The Who reformed with drummer Kenney Jones and keyboardist John Bundrick. A very patchy effort but the title track would be on anyones top Who track playlist.
Thursday, 5 April 2007
The Eels
Eels (also sometimes eels or EELS, depending on the album) is an American rock band formed by singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett, better known as Mr. E or simply E. He is the frontman of the band, calling Eels a vessel for his music. Other members rotate frequently, both in the studio and on stage. Eels' live shows include new material, interpretations of older songs, and usually some well-known cover versions.
EELS with stringsLive at Town HallLive album CD version
Label: VagrantRelease Date: February 21, 2006Recorded live at Town Hall, New York City, June 30th, 2005
TRACK LISTINGblinking lights (for me) bride of theme from blinking lightsbus stop boxerdirty girltrouble with dreamsthe only thing i care aboutmy beloved monsterpretty ballerinait's a motherfuckerflyswatternovocaine for the soulgirl from the north countryrailroad mani like birdsif you see nataliepoor side of townspunkyi'm going to stop pretending that i didn't break your heartsuicide lifelosing streakhey man (now you're really living)things the grandchildren should know
EELS with stringsLive at Town HallLive album CD version
Label: VagrantRelease Date: February 21, 2006Recorded live at Town Hall, New York City, June 30th, 2005
TRACK LISTINGblinking lights (for me) bride of theme from blinking lightsbus stop boxerdirty girltrouble with dreamsthe only thing i care aboutmy beloved monsterpretty ballerinait's a motherfuckerflyswatternovocaine for the soulgirl from the north countryrailroad mani like birdsif you see nataliepoor side of townspunkyi'm going to stop pretending that i didn't break your heartsuicide lifelosing streakhey man (now you're really living)things the grandchildren should know
In the beginning
In the other blog when I was preparing for the Hastings marathon I discussed the music I was listening to on my iPod when I was running. I was often asked. Well sometimes asked. OK somebody asked me once is I was going to set up another music Blog. So here it is a randow account of the music I am buying, sharing recommending. Feel free to join in the party as it were. So here we go. Last nights listen was an excellent album by a band called the Eels who did an excellent gig in New York City. Very different from the original versions and well worth a listen.
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