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Post by raliverpool on Nov 22, 2020 16:36:08 GMT 1
I need to do two today to catch up .... 194 Queen - Sheer Heart Attack (1974)
The third studio album by the London rock band saw them move away from their hard rock progressive sound of their first two albums resulting in a more pop-centric and conventional rock tracks and marked a step towards the "classic" Queen sound template of their Greatest Hits compilations. However, it sticks to their core rock tracks, and more radio friendly "glam poppers" that was more diluted with other musical flavours on future albums mainly to their detriment.
Produced by Roy Thomas Baker the album's first single, the Freddie Mercury penned "Killer Queen" reached UK #2 (their first top 5 hit) & USA #12 (their first top twenty); and the Brian May penned rocker "Now I'm Here" as the follow up UK #11 hit. Other highlights include their best ever hard rocker, the Led Zeppelin like (May penned) "Brighton Rock"; the Thin Lizzy does proto Thrash Metal (May penned) "Stone Cold Crazy"; and the (all Mercury penned) driving flamboyant rocker "Flick Of The Wrist"; piano ballad "Lily Of The Valley"; the 10cc Andrew Sisters music hall parody "Bring Back That Leroy Brown"; & the tour set closer "In The Lap Of The Gods ... Revisited".
Whilst their follow up album 1975's A Night At The Opera is their best selling and highest regarded studio album, I don't share that view as to me it is too polished,and too self indulgent at times, plus I don't think its closer "Bohemian Rhapsody" is the best song on the album (May's Lindisfarne Sci-Fi narrative "'39" if you are interested) let alone a GOAT song contender.
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Post by raliverpool on Nov 22, 2020 18:01:37 GMT 1
193 Janet Jackson - Janet (1993)
The fifth studio album by American singer/dancer, her first after signing to Virgin records after leaving A&M records. She wrote all the lyrics on this Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis produced album, and its title was a statement of her success in her own right, disassociating herself from her talented family. Musically, Janet was a pop and R&B record incorporating elements of hip hop, opera, house and jazz, with more personal lyrics, reflecting a more warmer, candid, more sexual outlook moving away from her rigid, mechanical sound of her previous two blockbusting albums.
As per the average JJ (or MJ) album of the 80s & 90s the album was milked for singles the sensual New Jack Swing of "That's The Way Love Goes"; the TLC sounding "If"; her best ever ballad "Again"; the warm sounding NJS shuffle of "Because Of Love"; the slow tempo Marvin Gaye sounding "Any Time, Any Place"; the uptempo "Love Child" & "Jungle Boogie" sampling "You Want This"; and the double A-side final single containing the final track on the album the 1960s girl group throwback "Whoops Now"; and the rocker "What I'll Do".
This still left the excellent non singles: the Chuck D featuring "New Agenda"; the lovely quiet storm soul ballad "Where Are You Now"; & the nearest she came to making a Prince sounding backing track "This Time" interestingly written about her more famous brother whom she was not getting on with too well at the time due to unspecified issues.
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Post by raliverpool on Nov 23, 2020 20:27:15 GMT 1
192 Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke (2008)
The debut album by the New Zealand singer/songwriter synth popper born Pip(pa) Brown. Featuring production by Pascal Gabriel, Greg Kurstin, Kid Gloves, Kish Mauve's Jim Eliot, Paul Harris and Van She's Michael Di Francesco, the album incorporates 1980s-influenced new wave and synth-pop fused with indie rock which was right up my street back then.
There were five singles taken from the album which all did well on my Personal Charts, as I became aware of her existence beforehand via her guest vocals on PNAU's "Embrace" (... but I'm not going to go Earl Purple on you). The Stevie Nicks like "Back Of The Van"; that February 1983 UK top 5 hit from a parallel universe "Paris Is Burning"; the Halloween themed (imagine Gwen Stefani doing a Neil Finn impersonation over a Franz Ferdinand track) "Dusk Till Dawn"; the Go-Go's like song about insomnia "My Delirium" which reached the top ten in Australia & New Zealand & UK #33; and best of all the Marina/La Roux/Little Boots pop genius of "Magic".
But some of the non singles are far from shabby either. Highlights include the Kim Wilde meets PJ Harvey "Manipulating Woman"; theearly 80s US synthpop outfit fronted By a female vocalist sounding "Another Runaway"; the Gary Numan meets pre-SAW Bananarama of "Professional Suicide"; the Ellie Goulding fronting Altered Images sounding "Crazy World"; and the closing Duran Duran waving lighters in the air mid tempo ballad of "Morning Dreams".
Her two albums since this 6* New Zealand Music Awards & 2* ARIA Music Awards debut album era have inevitably been a disappointment. The last I heard was in 2020 she has a new album nearly completed, but is waiting a return to near normality before she can promote it.
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Post by smokeyb on Nov 23, 2020 23:16:40 GMT 1
194 Queen - Sheer Heart Attack (1974)
This was one of the first albums I ever bought,I think I got it in 1975,loved every single track on it. This was a step up on their previous albums, and showed where they were going.
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Post by Jordan on Nov 24, 2020 14:56:07 GMT 1
The Ladyhawke album is definitely one that would be appearing on my list if I ever got around to one. Probably didn't appreciate it enough at the time, but it's been a constant 'go to' album since it came out.
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Post by raliverpool on Nov 24, 2020 20:22:19 GMT 1
191 Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (1989)
The ground breaking second studio album by the New York City hip hop trio .... Now for a bit of history ... the follow up to the monster selling License To Ill album released on Def Jam records & produced by Rick Rubin features some fairly crude/uninspired samples and comically juvenile lyrics. But in between they acrimoniously fell out with Rick Rubin, so leaving for EMI/Capitol records, and the trio did a handful of interviews stating their frat boy image for that album was a scam to gain them controversy & make them successful ... in so doing alienating themselves from white frat boys who bought and related to License To Ill. Also Rick Rubin did a classless interview dissing their abilities and attacking them as "fraudsters".
So by the time this album was released they were derided as one-album wonders & written off. They went into self-imposed exile in Los Angeles during early 1988 and spent nearly 18 months making this Sampledelia hip hop album with the Dust Brothers producing featuring 104 different song samples. However, unlike De La Soul & others who have since come a cropper; they spent at the time c. $250,000 on clearing samples with a watertight legal contract for historical reissues & small proportional royalty cut rates (The judgement in the Grand Upright Music, Ltd. v. Warner Bros. Records Inc., the landmark lawsuit against Biz Markie by Gilbert O'Sullivan, which changed hip hop artists' approach to sampling recommended the practise of clearing samples utilized by the Beastie Boys should become the industry standard going forward). This album was released to rave reviews ... but public indifference (as they were obviously too busy listening to Milli Vanilli) stalling at USA #14 & UK #44 a far cry to the previous albums success.
Yet with hindsight it really is a work of genius, with its subtle sampling & progressive beats of Funk & Rock gems all over the musical map, and more intelligent, articulate lyrics and and a major upgrade with their rhymes & raps. I certainly have it in higher regard than De La Soul's "Three Foot High & Rising". Highlights include the funky "Shake Your Rump"; the disco Studio 54 homage of "Hey Ladies" with a genius, very funny video to match; the Sly & The Family Stone sample heavy "Shadrach"; the jaunty rock of "Johnny Ryall"; & far more inventive than the entirety of The Beatles 2006 "Love" album, the Fab Four heavy "The Sounds Of Science". Little wonder it is regarded as the 3rd Greatest album of the 1980s by Pitchfork magazine, among its many accolades.
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Post by raliverpool on Nov 25, 2020 20:30:32 GMT 1
190 Alicia Keys - Songs In A Minor (2001)
The debut studio album by the classically trained New York singer/songwriter & pianist who was just 20 years old at the time of her self composed release (bar a cover of a Prince B-side) on Arista records.
This neo soul jazz R&B album with plenty of classical & gospel influences first release was the self penned & produced "Fallin'" which was a global top 3 hit including USA #1 & winning Song Of The Year at the pre-The Weeknd snubzone Grammy Awards. The piano-driven soul and a contemporary R&B ballad & feminist anthem "A Woman's Worth"; her gospel cover of Prince's "1999" B-side "How Come You Don't Call Me"; & the Jermaine Dupri co-produced R&B funky number "Girlfriend".
Other highlights include the Kandi (ex-US girl group Xscape) co-written & produced Mary J Blige like "Jane Doe" (the only track on the album which is actually in the key of A Minor!); the Quiet Storm jazzy Mariah Carey like piano ballad "Butterflyz"; the Barry White/Isaac Hayes soul throwback "Rock Wit U"; the Minnie Riperton/early-mid 1970s Stevie Wonder emotional "Caged Bird"; & the Aretha Franklin late 1960s Atlantic Soul homage "Lovin U".
Whilst each of her albums suffered from decreasing sales & artistic returns it was very much a case of a very gradual decline. At least until her 6th studio album 2016's "Here" saw her sales fall down the cliff. At least her latest 7th album "Alicia" was a partially successful return to form albeit one with plenty of contemporary features to try and re-boost her career.
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Post by raliverpool on Nov 26, 2020 20:19:30 GMT 1
189 John Lennon - Imagine (1971)
The second solo studio album by the former Beatle is co-produced by Phil Spector, the album's lush sound contrasts the basic, small-group arrangements of his first album from a year earlier, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. Supporting musicians on the album included his ex-Beatles bandmate George Harrison, keyboardist Nicky Hopkins, bassist Klaus Voormann and drummers Alan White and Jim Keltner, as well as members of Badfinger.
The title track plea for world peace is his signature song which became a posthumous worldwide chart topper after his murder on 8th December 1980; and its next most famous track "Jealous Guy" was later memorably covered by Roxy Music, had first been written as "Child Of Nature" during the Beatles 1968 "White Album" sessions is equally impressive. But the rest of the album is worth exploring even if the results are not totally satisfying.
"Crippled Inside" was his folk rock put down of his "estranged fiancee" Paul McCartney; but at least it had a degree of humour unlike the scathing "How Do You Sleep?" which remains one of the most vicious trashing of a former bandmate in music history Or as a Rolling Stone review described it at the time "a song that lay waste to Paul's character, family and career". "It's So Hard" is a not as good wonky sounding rewrite of his own penned former band's "Revolution"; "I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier Mama" is an attempt at sounding like a stoned version of the Rolling Stones, only Spector's production is too intrusive, and it is a bit of a dirge to listen to. But at least Side 2 has some gems...
"Gimme Some Truth" is solo John at his finest laying his invective on a hard groove rocker at President Nixon, warmongers & chauvinists; "Oh My Love" (another "White album outtake" remake) is a lovely love song towards Yoko Ono; "How" is the nearest to his previous album's sound due to its heartfelt uncertainty & vulnerability; whilst the final track (& third of three "White Album" outtake tracks) "Oh Yoko!" is a swinging, harming folky love song, end the album on an optimistic note.
Sadly John Lennon's muse took a sharp downward turn over the rest of the decade (in contrast to McCartney's success in that decade which seems to have largely been forgotten as much by the man himself on his live shows, compared to his former band). In contrast Yoko Ono has done a brilliant job at keeping John Lennon's post Beatles career alive with the 2020 "Gimme Some Truth" compilation being the 7th to capture the best of his 8 studio (solo & with Yoko) albums.
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Post by raliverpool on Nov 27, 2020 20:58:13 GMT 1
188 Justin Timberlake - Justified (2002)
The debut solo album by the former Mouseketeer & lead singer of N'Sync was written and recorded in a six-week period. The majority of the R&B pop album was produced by the Neptunes (credited as "Williams and Hugo") and Timbaland, and was a significant upgrade on his boyband's work.
The well known singles were the Neptunes produced MJ flavoured "Like I Love You"; the Timbaland produced Britney Spears diss track "Cry Me A River" (which has aged as well musically, as it has dated as badly lyrically); the Neptunes Earth Wind & Fire disco groove flavoured track actually rejected by MJ for the "Invincible" album (& my favourite on this album) "Rock Your Body"; & the Neptunes produced 70s Stevie Wonder soulful strut of "Senorita".
But again,the non album tracks are pretty impressive, with the best of Timbaland's other efforts being "(Oh No) What You Got" which has a very definite Aaliyah flavour (not least as the instrumental track had been assembled a couple of weeks prior to her untimely death for that purpose); whilst the rest of the Neptunes had a 70s funksoul sound given an early 2000s makeover such as the smooth Marvin Gaye meets Prince soul of "Take It From Here"; and the Stevie Wonder Innervisions sounding "Nothin' Else".
He has only released 4 studio albums, and a bunch of music cameos since then; but by doing so he has ensured he has not been overexposed (unlike poor Janet Jackson at her career killing Superbowl performance (thanks to JT and a "wardrobe malfunction")); and for his music fans seems to be otherwise preoccupied by his half decent acting career (Lady Gaga's Monsters be afraid, be very afraid); and being loved up with his marriage to Jessica Biel.
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Post by Jordan on Nov 27, 2020 23:56:22 GMT 1
Interesting. For me his debut is easily his least cohesive and weakest LP. I’d even hold it behind is latest release.
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Post by raliverpool on Nov 29, 2020 20:31:36 GMT 1
Interesting. For me his debut is easily his least cohesive and weakest LP. I’d even hold it behind is latest release. OK. I strongly disagree. It stands up well because he had something to prove away from his boyband; whilst both Timbaland & The Neptunes were hot upcoming producers who had not peaked artistically, and more importantly with the public.
Fast forward 4 years and FutureSex/LoveSounds is released with no output from the Neptunes, whilst the Timbaland sound had started to become a bit uninspired (his production on Nelly Furtado's Loose worked better IMHO "Maneater is far better than "SexyBack"); the one Rick Rubin production is a bit of a misfire and even JT himself is already repeating himself "What Goes Around... Comes Around" is an inferior rewrite of "Cry Me A River", and the reprises & interludes on the album adversely impact the flow of the album IMHO.
In contrast 2013's The 20/20 Experience is excellent (it is in my close but no cigar shortlist of 100+ albums which just failed to make the Top 250 cut) not least as by now Timbaland was regarded as a bit of a has been production-wise, so he put all his best efforts into this album to prove otherwise, and "Mirrors" remains JT's best song.
The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2 is very much a second best effort compared to the former despite having a few highlights ....
But 2018's "Man Of The Woods" .... Hmmm. I think I'll just quote John McEnroe "You Cannot Be Serious, Man.."
OK, I need to do two albums in the next 90 minutes...
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Post by raliverpool on Nov 29, 2020 20:58:50 GMT 1
187 Elton John - Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975)
The ninth studio album by Reginald Dwight. The album is an autobiographical account of the early musical careers of Elton John (Captain Fantastic) and his long-term lyricist Bernie Taupin (the Brown Dirt Cowboy).
Though they would all appear on later albums, this first album to ever debut at USA #1 was the last album of the 1970s with the original lineup of the Elton John Band (guitarist Davey Johnstone, bassist Dee Murray, and drummer Nigel Olsson). Murray and Olsson, who had formed John's rhythm section since 1970, were sacked prior to the recording of the follow-up album Rock of the Westies, while Johnstone would leave in 1978. Whilst longtime producer Gus Dudgeon services were revoked from 1977. This was the last album until 1983's Too Low for Zero that Elton John and his classic band would play on together.
"Someone Saved My Life Tonight", the only single released from the album* (UK #22 / USA #4), is a semi-autobiographical story about John's disastrous engagement to Linda Woodrow, and his related 1968 suicide attempt. The "Someone" refers to Long John Baldry, who convinced him to break off the engagement rather than ruin his music career for an unhappy marriage. (* Although from the CD age stand alone contemporary singles the Beatles cover "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" & the wonderful Philly Soul of "Philadelphia Freedom" were added).
The rest of the album is really strong: "Tower Of Babel" is a classic EJ purple patch midtempo swinger; "Bitter Fingers" suggested he had been listening to Peter Gabriel era Genesis only at this point they'd never managed to come up with something as good in 4:34; "Tell Me When The Whistle Goes" sounds like a rewrite of Labi Siffre's "I Got The ..."; "Gotta Get a Meal Ticket" sounds like an inspired the Scissor Sisters collaborating with a focused Robbie Williams; "Better Off Dead" sounds like he has been influenced by "Billy Joel" with a bit of Roy Wood thrown in; "Writing" is a nice lilting Neil Sedaka type number; "We All Fall In Love Sometimes" sounds like the dry run for what became "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word"; & "Curtains" is a classic album & show closer in the way the track & it hooks build over 6.5 minutes...
Elton John imperial phase would continue well into 1976 with "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" bcoming his global best selling single to date, but the fatigue of wear and tear of 5 years at the top came to a halt virtually overnight by the October 7th, 1976 publication of Rolling Stone magazine with him on the cover and an interview where he outed himself. Virtually overnight US Radio stopped playing his records, and the public stopped buying his records; After 7 consecutive USA #1 album chart toppers his Blue Moves album would only peak at #3; and he would not trouble the top ten albums in America again until 1992..
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Post by raliverpool on Nov 29, 2020 21:39:27 GMT 1
186 Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Nancy & Lee (1968)
The collaborative studio album by Frank Sinatra's eldest musical daughter & songwriter/producer (most famously of Duane Eddy)/gravel throated singer Lee Hazlewood. This USA #13 album released on Reprise records was arranged and conducted by Billy Strange, the album was produced by Lee Hazlewood.
The 11 track album starts with three fairly uninspired atmospheric covers (Righteous Brothers "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"; Tammy Wynette's "Elusive Dreams"; & another cover of a Country #1 Tom T Hall's "Greenwich Village Folk Song Salesman")..
But from here on in this album is brilliant, starting with Hazlewood's much covered original gothic C/W folk "Summer Wine"; a Chip Taylor song written for this album "Storybook Children"; the James Bond theme like "Sundown, Sundown"; and the much covered "Jackson" (you may know the Johnny Cash and June Carter version).
The final four tracks are Hazlewood originals: the much covered (the only song Michael Hutchence & Kylie Minogue did live together; through to the recent Goldfrapp featuring John Grant cover) psychedelic pop of "Some Velvet Morning"; "Sand" sounds like the Mama & Papas produced by the Velvet Underground; "Lady Bird" sounds like Jefferson Airplane cameoing in a John Wayne film western; and finishing with the baroque country pop of "I've Been Down So Long (It Looks Like Up To Me)".
You might want to check out their 1972 sequel album Nancy & Lee Again which contains the forgotten UK #2 "Did You Ever"; & their eerie reworking of Dolly Parton's heartbreaking "Down From Dover" (sampled by The Go! Team)..
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Post by raliverpool on Dec 1, 2020 20:21:57 GMT 1
185 Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree (2008)
The fourth studio album by English electronic music duo of Alison Goldfrapp & Will Gregory. This was their most critically acclaimed album since their 2000 debut Felt Mountain (spoiler its to appear higher up my countdown), with critics praising their new Neo-psychedelic pastoral Folktronical sound and their bravery for abandoning the electroclash dance atmosphere of their previous two albums for a more introspective effort thanks to Flood's co-production.
It opens with "Clowns" which sounds like Elizabeth Fraser singing over a Nick Drake instrumental; the 1967/68 Beatlesque "Little Bird"; the joyful Flaming Lips like "Happiness"; the Zero 7 like "Road To Somewhere"; and the beguiling Tyrannosaurs Rex like "Eat Yourself finish the first half of the album.
Side 2 starts off with arguably the most traditional sounding track on the album, albeit one which has been over utilized in the years since via its monotonal piano note driving the warm, yet glacial atmospheric cinematic track sounding like a snowstorm "Some People"; the darkly humourous lead single "A&E" was my Personal Year End Chart #1 of 2008; "Cologne Cerrone Houdini" is a wonderful 1970s Francophile disco-lite production; "Caravan Girl" is the most uptempo number on the album and features the male members of Portishead playing on the Doves sounding track; and the closer "Monster Love" is a dream pop Neo-psychedelic number which builds and builds before fading away rather than hitting an expected climax.
Seven albums in, and this band have varied their sound from album to album, and have yet to make a bad one. Fingers crossed we'll get a new album next year; but Alison got Covid-19 which adversely impacted her for a couple of months so we'll have to see.
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Roo.
Member
Posts: 17,866
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Post by Roo. on Dec 1, 2020 20:46:54 GMT 1
I absolutely adore A&E, one of my top three Goldfrapp songs, but I do struggle a bit with the album. I prefer the scuzziness of Black Cherry.
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Post by raliverpool on Dec 1, 2020 20:57:20 GMT 1
As I missed one yesterday, I need to do two today, so here is the second one ... 184 Kate Bush - The Kick Inside (1978)
The progressive art rock debut studio album by the reclusive Kent born singer-songwriter and pianist/musician, whom today is regarded as Britain's greatest ever female artist, and certainly its most influential. This album features Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour as well as musicians from Steve Harley's Cockney Rebel; the Alan Parsons Band; & Pilot.
Recorded across three years from the age of 15 to 18 years, this Andrew Powell production; Geoff Emerick engineering of Kate's entirely self penned set sounded like nothing else that had previously existed when it was released. This was typified by her blockbusting UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy chart topping "Wuthering Heights" to become the first female artist to have an entirely self-penned number one hit in the UK (leaving Blondie "Denis" at #2). (Easy to see why Pitchfork rank it as the 5th best track of the 1970s) which closes side 1; it was preceded by the June 1975 recording "The Man With The Child In His Eyes" which won the Ivor Novelllo Songwriting Award in 1979 for Best Song Musically & Lyrically allegedly written about her mentor PinkFloyd's Dave Gilmour.
The first four tracks on side one consist of "Moving" a tribute to dancer/choreographer Lindsay Kemp; "The Saxophone Song" is a feminine sexual classic piece of metaphor wordplay where the musical instrument refers to a male organ; "Strange Phenomena" is a "a frank paean to menstruation"; and the reggae tinged "Kite" is about trying to turn her lover on.
Side 2 opens with the Pink Floyd meets Elton John like rocker "James & The Cold Gun"; "Feel It" is a yearning piano ballad about lust & lovemaking; "Oh To Be In Love" sounds like a Freddie Mercury penned Queen piano number & "L'Amour Looks Something Like You" is a French themed track sounding like a Kiki Dee number; "Them Heavy People" is a hippy sounding number about coping with being patronised by well meaning older people, and nor letting them persuade you to lose your own vision; "Room For Your Life" is a feminist pro-choice number criticising anti-abortionists; & the tear jerking title track is about an incestuous brother & sister who must be split apart due to the sister having to go away to either give birth; have an abortion; or even commit suicide ...
One thing is for sure you never got this level of lyricism from a Debbie Gibson; Lorde; or Billie Eilish record!
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Post by smokeyb on Dec 1, 2020 22:23:40 GMT 1
185 Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree (2008)
I have all their albums, and I frequently change my favourite , usually the last one I play. So many goods songs on this one. Especially A & E and Happiness
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Post by smokeyb on Dec 1, 2020 22:27:28 GMT 1
184 Kate Bush - The Kick Inside (1978)
My brother bought this back in 1978,and I used to borrow it from time to time,so I never owned a copy.
I had other albums by her, but I only bought this last year on vinyl. Great album by a great artist.
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Post by raliverpool on Dec 3, 2020 19:08:52 GMT 1
183 Travis - The Man Who (1999)
The Nigel Godrich & Mike Hedges produced second studio album by the Scottish rock band saw them dramatically change from a raucous post BritPop rock sound to a more acoustic downtempo melancholic sound. It was released to a chorus of mediocre to bad reviews lamenting the maudlin sound of the album.
The album opens with its lead single "Writing To Reach You" a perfect musical statement of the album, although one review at the time described it as "Radiohead on sleep mode"; "The Fear" continues the albums ambiance; then the atmospheric dream pop of "As You Are" is a stunning highlight; it is followed by the quite brilliant "Driftwood" As Fran Healy described it at the time "Driftwood is a song for the person in your life who has so much potential and, yet, doesn't use it, because they're afraid of falling on their backside, you know, they're afraid of making a fool of themselves. But, yet, if they put their minds to it and just threw their plate out the window, they would actually do a lot with it and make themselves happy and other people happy."
Side One finishes with the touching "The Last Laugh of the Laughter". Whilst side two begins with the 3rd & 4th singles the nearest to their first album's sound "Turn"; & their signature tune & festival anthem "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?"; it is followed by the Bruce Springsteen acoustic sounding "Luv"; and the nearest this album to a filler "She's So Strange"; before finishing with the Crowded House like closer "Slide Show" before 3 minutes of silence & the hidden CD track "Blue Flashing Light" which is probably too poor man's Radiohead for its own good.
At the time Travis were set fair to become rock mainstays, but unfortunately for them a younger four piece formed at University College London first calling themselves Pectoralz and then Starfish before finally changing their name would steal their thunder and their fan base for this form of music.
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Post by raliverpool on Dec 3, 2020 20:24:41 GMT 1
Its not intentional, but I seem to keep missing a day and then post a pair to catch up so .... 182 Semisonic - All About Chemistry (2001)
The third and final studio album by the Minneapolis, Minnesota pop rock trio. With this release, the band failed to capitalize on the momentum they had generated with the singles "Closing Time" & "Secret Smile" from their Nick Launay produced previous album, Feeling Strangely Fine. Perhaps due to them ditching their post grunge alternative rock sound, for a more melodic soft rock/power pop sound, self produced by the band.
The Dan Wilson penned (he composed 12 of the 14 tracks) Power Pop lead single & title track "Chemistry" sounded like a marriage of the Andrew Gold "Lonely Boy" meets Billy Joel "Allentown" with a bridge penned by Crowded House's Neil Finn is a thing of joy. Sadly it bombed in North America, yet became their biggest hit down under in Australia & New Zealand whilst limping to UK #35. "Bed" sounds like a throwback to their previous album; and "Act Naturally" sounds like a percussive piano led emotive love song which had this album took off would surely have been a third or 4th single; "She's Got My Number" is a progressive pop rock track which sounds like a 21st century Supertramp doing a rewrite of the Tubes "White Punks On Dope".
Track 5 "Follow" sounds like a warm sounding Californian soft rocker; It is followed by the quirky McCartney sounding "Sunshine & Chocolate"; followed by the bassist John Munson one self penned & sung track "Who's Stopping You?" which sounds somewhere between Ben Folds Five & Weezer; is followed by the 8 minute long album highlight "I Wish" which sounds like Radiohead writing a track for Carly Rae Jepson before spending the last half of the track having a The Who meets Oasis instrumental wig out..
Track 9 is the Carole King duet "One True Love" (apparently Aimee Mann was the first choice but she was in record label issues so was unable to participate) alas the track is too sugary sweet to Dan Wilson's original vision; it is followed by the ode to masturbation "Get A Grip" which unbelievably was chosen as the second single despite sounding like a Godley & Creme-less 10cc trying to be wacky after the G&C wackiness had left the group; "Girlfriend" is a ridiculously catchy track that sounds like an early 1980s new wave USA #12 hit by an act who never crossed over to the UK because it sounds too American sounding; "Ordinary Life" is a Cheap Trick sounding track built around a guitar riff; the penultimate "Surprise" sounds uncannily like the Jayhawks meets George Harrison Beatles compositions; and the drummer's Jacob Slichter composition "El Matador" is a building atmospheric closer which would have been perfect as a set closer ... had this album blown up big instead of bombed.
According to Slichter's memoir, So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star ... the end came due to the band getting upset at the public not agreeing with them that this album was their masterpiece, whilst more crucially Dan Wilson lost his songwriting mojo after being taking to the cleaners by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards lawyers over the outro of "Secret Smile" ripping off the Rolling Stones "Miss You" (which that 1978 USA #1 hit was post their 1970 split from ABKCO so they can't blame Allen Klein for their own greed). So the band took an indefinite sabbatical which lasted until 2017.
In the meantime Dan Wilson became a songwriting & producing gun for hire working with Jason Mraz; Aly & AJ; Dixie Chicks (he co-wrote the Grammy winning "Not Ready To Make Nice"; James Morrison; KT Tunstall; Josh Groban; LeAnn Rimes; Taylor Swift; P!nk; John Legend; Paloma Faith; Birdy; Alex Clare; Rae Morris; Chris Stapleton; Foxes; Vance Joy; Leon Bridges; James Bay; Niall Horan; & his most famous client Adele (he co-wrote the mega selling Grammy Award winning "Someone Like You").
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