Reviews Written By: A1TTBERMIEL8M4provided by Amazon.com |
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 | Roxy Music - Flesh + Blood | |
 | "Half of a Decent Roxy Music Album" | 2008-08-21 |
| Though I'm a huge fan of Roxy Music, everything after "Manifesto" was pretty weak for my taste, especially the beloved "Avalon". I prefer "Flesh + Blood" to that disc because of the five gems that follow "Midnight Hour", an OK rendition of the old soul standard but couldn't Bryan have sticked to the covers on his solo albums? Aside from putting the Roxy touch on the Byrd's classic "Eight Miles High", the last songs find me wishing for the Roxy Music of old. But all is not lost! I love "Oh Yeah!"; the glam-disco of "Same Old Scene"; the lone rock song "Flesh And Blood" that sounds like it could have fit easily on "Country Life" or "Siren"; the gorgeous, heart-breaking balladry of "My Only Love"; and the sugary pop sweet "Over You". Both Bryan's vocals and the band's instrumentation are in top form but I miss the weirdness of albums 1 through 4. Still, there is some good stuff to be found here. | ||
 | Beatles - Let It Be | |
 | "(Almost) Their Last Hurrah" | 2008-07-29 |
| Technically their next to last album, "Let It Be" was released after "Abbey Road", one of those little marketing quirks that followed the Beatles throughout most of their career; most of the U.S. editions being quite different than the British editions. "Let It Be" was all about getting back to basics and away from the glorious studio experimentations that I'm most fond of. But the band had to keep growing and changing and I can't fault them for that. This disc is certainly unique in that there is arguably more 'filler' compared with their output from "Rubber Soul" to "Magical Mystery Tour" and to some degree "The Beatles" aka "The White Album". The songs that fail to move me in any way include the traditional "Maggie Mae", George's bland "For You Blue", the aimless "Dig It" and "One After 909", the last a composition from their very early years. That said, their harmonies on "One After 909" come off as carefree and charming. There are quite a few gems here. Lyrically, much of the Beatles' latter output was concerned with the past, their childhoods, and other forms of nostalgic manifestations. This is certainly true of "Two Of Us" (intimate folksy pop) and both of Paul's majestic ballads "Let It Be" and "The Long And Winding Road", three of eight of the best songs to be found here. Speaking of majestic, John's "Across The Universe" is both lyrically and musically one of the most inventive songs to ever grace a Beatles record. I've heard artists as diverse as David Bowie, Alanis Morisette, and Rufus Wainwright do cover versions of "Universe" and each version is wonderful though none can truly compare to the original. The set is rounded out by "Dig A Pony", "Universe"'s lyrical sister, the soulful "I've Got A Feeling", George's witty take on egotism "I Me Mine" and of course, the rootsy "Get Back", the template and manifesto for this disc. One more remark on "Let It Be"- if you find yourself cringing at the production of the songs with orchestration on them (courtesy of Phil Spector), you should check out the somewhat recently released "Let It Be...Naked" which does away with said arguably distracting production and reorders the songs in the manner in which they were originally intended to be listened to. | ||
 | The Beatles - Beatles for Sale | |
| "Half A Great Album" | 2008-06-08 |
| The boys look weary from their success on this album cover. It's their second album for 1964 and it's known for being another rush job. It suffers from the fact that the rapidly growing songwriting talents of John & Paul were stifled in the need to get product out as quickly as possible. For me, the weakest songs on the album are the covers. Even as a kid I was especially bored by "Rock And Roll Music" and the two Carl Perkins songs though I do like Buddy Holly's "Words Of Love". Three of the best songs begin the album. Referred to as the "Lennon trilogy", "No Reply", "I'm A Loser" and "Baby's In Black" are songs that share the darkness in the souls of lovers and show John becoming increasingly self-aware in his lyrical content. Paul's "I'll Follow The Sun" has a lovely and melancholy feel to it. "Every Little Thing" and "What You're Doing" are sweet throwbacks to the love songs the Fabs got famous for in the first place. "I Don't Want To Spoil The Party" is another Lennon song in which the narrator resigns himself to losing love. My favourite song from this album is smack in the middle- "Eight Days A Week". From it's soaring guitar line to the glorious harmonies to the catchy handclaps between 'Hold me,love me! Hold me,love me!', it's pure pop heaven. Get it for the great original songs. | ||
 | Roberta Flack - First Take | |
| "Somewhere in a Small, Funky Club" | 2008-04-30 |
| That's the impression I get from this amazing album. The atmosphere is intimate, like Ms. Flack is performing just for me. The sound is minimalist but stately and assured. Though there are bass, drums and other instruments accompanying her, Roberta's piano and unique voice are at the forefront of the mix. "First Take" is quite simply an essential CD for any music lover to have. From the political to the personal songs, it's the real deal. The songs that literally bring tears to my eyes are the slower ones such as the incomparably beautiful and moving "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", the powerfully spiritual "I Told Jesus" and the profoundly touching "Ballad Of The Sad Young Men". Roberta gets political with tracks such as the angry "Compared To What" and the frustrated "Tryin' Times". These songs resonate strongly in the current political climate. Before she went into a more pop direction with her massive hit "Killing Me Softly", her sound was jazzy and soulful as heard here. If that sounds appealing then by all means check out "First Take". | ||
 | The Beatles - The Beatles (The White Album) | |
| "Double Your Pleasure" | 2008-04-08 |
| "The Beatles" aka "The White Album" is notable for many reasons. It's the Fab Four's only double album. It differs greatly from the band's previous two psychedelic albums for a more back-to-basics approach which would continue with their following albums. It's a sprawling and at times schizophrenic record that documents the falling apart of the band as most songs are primarily composed by whomever is singing the lead with the rest of the boys as backup band. Though this is true going back to about "Beatles For Sale", it especially applies to this album as Ringo briefly quit for a while with Paul playing drums on "Back In The U.S.S.R." and a few other songs; Yoko Ono's presence in the studio which irritated everyone with the exception of John; and other personal events that had the band unraveling. Kicking things off to a rousing start is "Back In The U.S.S.R.", an inspired mixture of Chuck Berry and The Beach Boys. Sung by Paul with wonderful backup singing by John & George, it has a great melody and witty tongue-in-cheek lyrics. John's "Dear Prudence" with a sweet, cascading guitar line the boys became known for follows. This song was inspired by Mia Farrow whom they met during their stay in India for the purpose of studying meditation with Maharashi Mahesh Yogi. Next up is the lyrically self-referential "Glass Onion", another brilliant song by John. For me, the pseudo-reggae of Paul's "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" is cute but ultimately somewhat forgettable. It's another of the Beatles' children's songs in the tradition of "Yellow Submarine". "Honey Pie" is another track that could easily have been left off the album, sounding totally like filler. John's "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill" is mainly notable for its satiric lyrics and Yoko's unique backup singing. Its melody is especially weak when compared to George's stately, lovely "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" which follows. Graced with guitar solos by George's pal Eric Clapton, this song firmly establishes Mr. Harrison as a songwriter on par with Lennon & McCartney. "Guitar" also utilizes that trademark cascading guitar figure that bonds the verses with the choruses. This song is beautifully straight forward, abandoning the psychedelia (which I nonetheless adored) of compositions like "Within You Without You" from "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "Blue Jay Way" from "Magical Mystery Tour". "Happiness Is A Warm Gun" is a song in three parts and the second song from this album in which John mentions guns. Spooky. In light of his tragic assassination in 1980, was this guy psychic? The verses on this one are a bit folk, the bridge is bluesy and the chorus is inspired by doo-wop. Again, the lyrics are delightfully tongue-in-cheek. Paul's "Martha My Dear" is a great little number that was inspired by his dog. John follows this with another bluesy tune, "I'm So Tired". Paul's sublime "Blackbird" was inspired by the American Civil Rights movement. It's just Paul, an acoustic guitar and birdsong and it's absolutely lovely in its simplicity. George's "Piggies" is another satire, this time concerning class differences. The first reference to Bob Dylan on "The Beatles" is "Rocky Raccoon" with Paul emulating the American poet in the lyrics and general form and tone of the song. Ringo makes his writing debut with the country song "Don't Pass Me By". The lyrics are dryly funny but like the songs that immediately precede and follow it (Paul's "Why Don't We Do It In The Road"), the tunes a bit tossed off, a bit throwaway. "I Will" is another very pretty song by Paul that is instrumentally minimalist with just acoustic and bass guitar. Disc 1 ends with John's ode to his mother, the delicate acoustic guitar ballad "Julia". It's a very touching song and its simplicity, it mirrors "I Will" perfectly. Disc 2 opens with the rocking "Birthday" which is followed by John's "Yer Blues", a tortured blues number that references "Like A Rolling Stone" with the line 'just like Dylan's Mr. Jones'. Paul's gorgeous "Mother Nature's Son" is next. Largely acoustic, it also features a lovely horn section. John brings back the rock 'n roll with "Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey" with its rollicking guitar bits. The piano-driven "Sexy Sadie" was written by John about the boys' fallout with the Maharishi. Lovely background vocals enhance an already terrific song. "Helter Skelter" proves that although best known for his beautiful ballads, Paul could rock like a hell-hound. 'Blisters on my fingers', indeed. Did he invent heavy metal with this song? I believe it predates Black Sabbath's debut album by a couple of years! George's "Long,Long,Long" makes a 360 degree turn from the heavy rock of "Helter Skelter". Anchored by organ, this song is a sublime marvel. The shift in tone, like so many from this album, is what gives "The Beatles" the schizophrenic feel I noted earlier. The version of "Revolution 1" on this album is quite different than the single version. Its focus is more acoustic and again owes a debt to doo-wop. I don't share Paul's love of the music hall/vaudeville genre but if you're curious about it, the second (!) "Honey Pie" is a great example of it. George's tribute to sweets, "Savoy Truffle" follows. It's a nice little rocker with swinging horns. John's haunting, beautiful "Cry Baby Cry" precedes the Beatles' most experimental track, "Revolution 9", which was constructed from various tapes John made. His association with avant-garde artist Ono becomes crystal clear after a listen to this mind-blowing 'song'. Paul & George had enjoyed making tracks out of tapes going back to "Pepper's" at least but had never released them under the Beatles name. It has enormously influenced my own music. If you enjoy "Revolution 9" then check out the works of Karlheinz Stockhausen, one of the original practitioners of musique concrete. "The Beatles" fittingly closes with "Good Night", a wonderfully wistful tune perfectly sung by Ringo. Needless to say and despite its flaws, "The Beatles" is an essential part of this amazing band's catalog. You won't regret owning it. | ||
 | Beatles - White Album | |
| "Double Your Pleasure" | 2008-04-08 |
| Released forty years ago, "The Beatles" aka "The White Album" is notable for many reasons. It's the Fab Four's only double album. It differs greatly from the band's previous two psychedelic albums for a more back-to-basics approach which would continue with their following albums. It's a sprawling and at times schizophrenic record that documents the falling apart of the band as most songs are primarily composed by whomever is singing the lead with the rest of the boys as backup band. Though this is true going back to about "Beatles For Sale", it especially applies to this album as Ringo briefly quit for a while with Paul playing drums on "Back In The U.S.S.R." and a few other songs; Yoko Ono's presence in the studio which irritated everyone with the exception of John; and other personal events that had the band unraveling. Kicking things off to a rousing start is "Back In The U.S.S.R.", an inspired mixture of Chuck Berry and The Beach Boys. Sung by Paul with wonderful backup singing by John & George, it has a great melody and witty tongue-in-cheek lyrics. John's "Dear Prudence" with a sweet, cascading guitar line the boys became known for follows. This song was inspired by Mia Farrow whom they met during their stay in India for the purpose of studying meditation with Maharashi Mahesh Yogi. Next up is the lyrically self-referential "Glass Onion", another brilliant song by John. For me, the pseudo-reggae of Paul's "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" is cute but ultimately somewhat forgettable. It's another of the Beatles' children's songs in the tradition of "Yellow Submarine". "Wild Honey Pie" is another track that could easily have been left off the album, sounding totally like filler. John's "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill" is mainly notable for its satiric lyrics and Yoko's unique backup singing. Its melody is especially weak when compared to George's stately, lovely "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" which follows. Graced with guitar solos by George's pal Eric Clapton, this song firmly establishes Mr. Harrison as a songwriter on par with Lennon & McCartney. "Guitar" also utilizes that trademark cascading guitar figure that bonds the verses with the choruses. This song is beautifully straight forward, abandoning the psychedelia (which I nonetheless adored) of compositions like "Within You Without You" from "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "Blue Jay Way" from "Magical Mystery Tour". "Happiness Is A Warm Gun" is a song in three parts and the second song from this album in which John mentions guns. Spooky. In light of his tragic assassination in 1980, was this guy psychic? The verses on this one are a bit folk, the bridge is bluesy and the chorus is inspired by doo-wop. Again, the lyrics are delightfully tongue-in-cheek. Paul's "Martha My Dear" is a great little number that was inspired by his dog. John follows this with another bluesy tune, "I'm So Tired". Paul's sublime "Blackbird" was inspired by the American Civil Rights movement. It's just Paul, an acoustic guitar and birdsong and it's absolutely lovely in its simplicity. George's "Piggies" is another satire, this time concerning class differences. The first reference to Bob Dylan on "The Beatles" is "Rocky Raccoon" with Paul emulating the American poet in the lyrics and general form and tone of the song. Ringo makes his writing debut with the country song "Don't Pass Me By". The lyrics are dryly funny but like the songs that immediately precede and follow it (Paul's "Why Don't We Do It In The Road"), the tunes sound a bit tossed off, a bit throwaway. "I Will" is another very pretty song by Paul that is instrumentally minimalist with just acoustic and bass guitar. Disc 1 ends with John's ode to his mother, the delicate acoustic guitar ballad "Julia". It's a very touching song and its simplicity, it mirrors "I Will" perfectly. Disc 2 opens with the rocking "Birthday" which is followed by John's "Yer Blues", a tortured blues number that references "Ballad Of A Thin Man" with the line 'just like Dylan's Mr. Jones'. Paul's gorgeous "Mother Nature's Son" is next. Largely acoustic, it also features a lovely horn section. John brings back the rock 'n roll with "Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey" with its rollicking guitar bits. The piano-driven "Sexy Sadie" was written by John about the boys' fallout with the Maharishi. Lovely background vocals enhance an already terrific song. "Helter Skelter" proves that although best known for his beautiful ballads, Paul could rock like a hell-hound. 'Blisters on my fingers', indeed. Did he invent heavy metal with this song? I believe it predates Black Sabbath's debut album by a couple of years! George's "Long,Long,Long" makes a 360 degree turn from the heavy rock of "Helter Skelter". Anchored by organ, this song is a sublime marvel. The shift in tone, like so many from this album, is what gives "The Beatles" the schizophrenic feel I noted earlier. The version of "Revolution 1" on this album is quite different than the single version. Its focus is more acoustic and again owes a debt to doo-wop. I don't share Paul's love of the music hall/vaudeville genre but if you're curious about it, the second (!) "Honey Pie" is a great example of it. George's tribute to sweets, "Savoy Truffle" follows. It's a nice little rocker with swinging horns. John's haunting, beautiful "Cry Baby Cry" precedes the Beatles' most experimental track, "Revolution 9", which was constructed from various tapes John made. His association with avant-garde artist Ono becomes crystal clear after a listen to this mind-blowing 'song'. Paul & George had enjoyed making tracks out of tapes going back to "Pepper's" at least but had never released them under the Beatles name. It has enormously influenced my own music. If you enjoy "Revolution 9" then check out the works of Karlheinz Stockhausen, one of the original practitioners of musique concrete. "The Beatles" fittingly closes with "Good Night", a wonderfully wistful tune perfectly sung by Ringo. Needless to say and despite its flaws, "The Beatles" is an essential part of this amazing band's catalog. You won't regret owning it. | ||
 | John Fahey - The Essential John Fahey | |
| "Fahey Perfection" | 2008-02-26 |
| Want to try something new? Then try something old- "The Essential John Fahey" is a sweet wonder. The 'American Primitive' shines on these thirteen cuts. Fahey embraced all kinds of music with his steel six-string guitar- the folk, blues and classical genres and more. He influenced generations of guitar stylists, notably Leo Kotke and Sufjan Stevens among others. I don't think it's an overstatement to call this CD 'essential' as it covers a lot of ground but check out his other works too as this artist was extremely prolific. | ||
 | XTC - Skylarking | |
| "Really Super" | 2007-12-24 |
| For anyone who hungered for more Beatles music after the Fab Four disbanded, you couldn't do any better than to pick up this album. Baroque pop, splendid harmonies, inventive strings- they're here in droves. The string section on songs like "Grass" and "1000 Umbrellas" in particular remind me of the wonderful touch of 'fifth Beatle' George Martin's work from "Sgt. Pepper's" on. I'm sure lots of fans of XTC's earlier, spikier albums will disagree with my review but this is my favorite work from Andy, Colin and Dave. The rockingest numbers on this masterpiece include "That's Really Super, Supergirl" and "Earn Enough For Us" with its George Harrison-like snakey lead guitar figure and witty lyrics. The other '60's band that have a big influence on "Skylarking" is the Beach Boys. Check out songs like "Season Cycle" and "Another Satellite" from this CD and the spot-on "Chalkhills and Children" from their follow-up to "Skylarking" called "Oranges & Lemons" for an update on the Boys' classic sound. "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul" would be XTC's first attempt at jazz-pop, pointing the way to future numbers such as "Miniature Sun", also from "Oranges & Lemons". This band never stopped growing, with each innovation more thrilling than the last. | ||
 | Pharoah Sanders - Priceless Jazz | |
| "Mellow Pharoah" | 2007-11-06 |
| As a fan of jazz in its mellower forms I really dig "Priceless Jazz by Pharoah Sanders". Along with albums such as Miles Davis's "Kind of Blue", John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme", Charles Mingus's "Mingus Ah Um" and Dave Brubeck's "Time Out", this sampler CD is essential listening. Most of the songs on "Priceless" are spacey and meditative. I'm not so thrilled by the blues-inflected and busy "Bluesin' For John C." (though I know 'where he's coming from'), the oriental flavored "Japan" or the free-form "The Promise" so I've subtracted a couple of stars. The rest of the tracks are gems with "The Creator Has A Master Plan" being the high point for me. If albums like "[...] Brew" by Miles are a bit much, a bit too 'difficult listening' (to borrow a phrase from avant garde popster Laurie Anderson), then this CD is for you. | ||
 | The Beatles - Abbey Road | |
 | ""Road" of Riches" | 2007-08-30 |
| The Beatles came together for one last effort and it's a monumental one except for a few glaring weak spots. "Abbey Road" begins with Lennon's funky "Come Together" which he stated is built on a riff by one of rock's founding fathers, Chuck Berry. George Harrison's majestic ballad "Something" follows. It's a remarkable achievement that shows just how much he'd matured as a songwriter when compared to the lame McCartney-penned "Maxwell's Silver Hammer", a silly ditty following the likes of "Your Mother Should Know" from "Magical Mystery Tour" and the somewhat rote "Oh! Darling" which Paul makes up for in his impassioned performance of the song. Ringo's composition, "Octopus's Garden" is also a bit weak in my humble opinion. It sounds like another take on "Yellow Submarine" but the kids should enjoy it. John's lyrically minimalist "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" is half hard rock, half slinky blues. It's a long number at almost eight minutes but it holds up well. The original take goes on longer but the released version is cut abruptly which is a good thing as the boys' tendencies to jam (off record-listen to "Let It Be"'s "Dig It" also) could be a bit much at times. This song ended the first side of the vinyl album. Side Two is comprised of eleven tunes, the last nine of which are edited as a suite and are worth the price of the album alone. Beginning with George's sublime "Here Comes The Sun" and John's "Because" with those shimmering, gorgeous harmonies; "You Never Give Me Your Money" which sounds like it was really co-written by John and Paul, follows. There are more exquisite harmonies on "Sun King". John handles lead vocals on the rockers "Mean Mr. Mustard" and "Polythene Pam" before Paul takes over with "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" and the lovely ballad "Golden Slumbers". The whole group sings "Carry That Weight" with Ringo's voice the slightly prominent one before each member has an instrumental solo on the fabulous "The End". It's a kick figuring out who is playing each bit. If you're at all familiar with the styles of John, Paul and George, you can pretty easily tell which is which and this is the only song that featured Ringo doing a solo bit. "Abbey Road" ends with the shortest piece the Beatles ever recorded- Paul's simple "Her Majesty". Though not my favorite record by the Fab Four (see my reviews of "Revolver", "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "Magical Mystery Tour"), "Abbey Road" is definitely an essential Beatles album to have. | ||
 | Thursday Afternoon | |
| "This is What Infinity Sounds Like" | 2007-08-05 |
| It's relaxing but keeps your mind active. It's not that unpleasant happy sounding New Age pap. It's growing and not growing. It's serene yet edgy beneath the surface sometimes. One shimmering chord is heard throughout while other bell-like tones accompany it. It can lull you to sleep. It can stimulate you. It's there then not there. I've had this since it came out and after hundreds of listens I'm still enthralled by it. It's the best of Eno's fine long pieces which include 1993's "Neroli" and "Discreet Music". | ||
 | Talking Heads - Remain in Light | |
| "Essential Heads" | 2007-07-31 |
| Beginning with the intricate funk of "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)", this is the cream of Talking Heads' crop. Brian Eno produced their amazing second album "More Songs About Buildings and Food" and the great if somewhat uneven "Fear of Music" but on this disc his presence is much more fully felt as the entire album was also co-written by him. There are a few more awesome funk numbers such as "Crosseyed and Painless" (dig that Byrne rap near the end), "The Great Curve", the radio hit "Once in a Lifetime" which has had an incredibly long life as you still hear it in films and TV shows now and then, and "Houses in Motion" which features an excellent trumpet solo by Eno collaborator Jon Hassell. "Seen and Not Seen" and "Listening Wind" both follow the polyrhythmic template of the rest of the disc but are more subtle than the previous tracks. The CD concludes with a song that is very different from the rest of the album but fits right in anyway- the minimal, atmospheric and very Enoesque "The Overload". It's a shame that aside from David Byrne, the rest of the band was not exactly thrilled to have Eno involved in the album to the extent he was but David was clearly inspired by their partnership, going on to collaborate with B.E. on the wonderful "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" which has influenced me enormously as a songwriter. If blue-eyed funk is your thing, check this old classic out now! | ||
 | Goldfrapp - Black Cherry | |
| "Black Cherry Delicious" | 2007-06-27 |
| It looks as though Felt Mountain has been deserted. The subtle synths of that album have been replaced with drum machines and the kind of whistling, swishing, buzzing, mechanical sounding synthesizers we're used to hearing in rock, pop and dance music. I adored "Felt" and I also really dig this CD but fans expecting "Return to Felt Mountain" are going to be pretty disappointed. Songs such as "Deep Honey", "Hairy Trees" and "Forever" (minus the percussion) come somewhat close to the feeling of "Felt" but all in all this disc is about the beats. On the plus side, Alison's vocals are luscious, warm and sexy throughout the project and we get to hear partner Will Gregory's vocals on at least one song. The standout tracks on this disc for me include the title song, "Train", "Deep Honey", the sexy "Twist" and the glam "Strict Machine". I'm recommending "Black Cherry" with reservations. | ||
 | The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Strung Out in Heaven | |
| "Ragged Glory" | 2007-06-26 |
| Swirling together such influences as the Velvet Underground, the Rolling Stones, the Byrds, Bob Dylan, the Spacemen 3, the Monkees! and any number of groovy sixties garage bands with a pinch (lyrically) of Charlie Manson?!, "Strung Out In Heaven" is one of the Brian Jonestown Massacre's tastiest albums though not their best. Songs like "Going To Hell", "Let's Pretend It's Summer" and the country flavored "Wasting Away" are like diamonds in the rough. "Jennifer" and "Lantern" are particularly Byrds-jangly. "Got My Eye On You" and "Nothing To Lose" are pure Velvets. I love BJM but must admit that the album's charms weaken after the midway point. Maybe it's just the drugs... | ||
 | Bryan Ferry - Frantic * | |
| "Bryan's Back!" | 2007-06-21 |
| I was a bit worried that Mr. Ferry had lost his creative genius with the release of the tiresome covers album "As Time Goes By". I needn't have- he's back in full force with "Frantic". After kicking things off with a tasty version of Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue", the original track "Cruel" is next and it rocks. There's a Native American motif in the melody that fits perfectly with the lyrics and is a little humorous whether or not it was intended to be. Following the somewhat rote cover of "Goin' Down" is a sexy, gorgeous ode to one of my favorite pop culture icons, Marilyn Monroe titled "Goddess of Love". Ferry's vocals on this disc are somewhat uneven though I don't mind that. Where his singing on "Goddess" and most of the other original efforts is relatively strong and clear, his age shows in most of the cover songs. But that works in his favor, lending them a subtle frailty and a vulnerable quality. "Nobody Loves Me" and "A Fool for Love" are wonderful songs that find our man wandering down a lane of self-pity. Here again there's some dark humor. The old classic "Goodnight Irene" is the only track on the album I don't particularly care for. It feels like a leftover from "As Time Goes By" and pales in comparison to the next final four songs. Perhaps Bryan intended this juxtaposition of past and present... "Hiroshima" is a stately rocker with great, odd backing vocals. "San Simeon" is kind of a sequel to Roxy Music's "In Every Dream Home A Heartache" from "For Your Pleasure" as BF had written more lyrics to that song that weren't committed to the eventual recording. "San Simeon" has a nice melancholy edge to it which contrasts nicely with the following upbeat music and message of the cover "One Way Love". Saving one of the best for last, "I Thought" is another excellent track and is made more exciting for me with the collaboration of Ferry and Brian Eno not only writing together but singing as well! I never imagined I'd ever get to hear these two artistic giants sing together. They sound great and the song is subtle, thoughtful and closes the album with a hopeful feeling. More surprises like this one, please! | ||
 | Fripp, Eno - Evening Star | |
| "Ambient Gold" | 2007-05-05 |
| The successor to Robert Fripp and Brian Eno's first effort "No Pussyfooting", "Evening Star" is a stunning achievement of master musicianship and studio technology. "No Pussyfooting" is a good album but Fripp & Eno's growth as collaborative partners on "Evening Star" is phenomenal. This is the very definition of intelligent, gorgeous, subtle ambient music. On the vinyl version (I had to replace it with the CD years ago I had played it so much) the first side is comprised of the first four songs on the CD that reflect the wind, water and sky in the titles and indeed, the images conjured up by the songs themselves. "An Index of Metals" was on the B-side and is a little different than the first half of the album. It's definitely a darker animal, sounding like a more mature version of the two tracks from "No Pussyfooting". At the time this review was written it appears that "Evening Star" is currently out of print. That's a real shame as this work definitely qualifies as a truly essential Eno (and Fripp) masterpiece. You might want to hurry up and acquire their terrific newest CD "The Equatorial Stars" before that goes out of print as well! | ||
 | Eno - Another Green World | |
| "Another Great Work" | 2007-05-03 |
| Where Eno's debut album was kind of a rough DIY affair with mixing that was often rather muddy (loved it just the same) and "Taking Tiger Mountain" showed growth in the areas of song writing, performance and production (loved it even more than "Jets"),"Another Green World" is a giant step forward in the areas I just mentioned. Impossibly mature and focused, B.E. really hit his stride with this one. Sprinkled among the songs with vocals (I'd call these conventional pop songs but they're really anything but that), we also get a taste of the kind of music Eno would become renowned for- ambient. It begins with "Sky Saw", seemingly an instrumental then in the last minute or so Brian sings a few surrealist lines. It features viola work by John Cale and damn if that thing doesn't sound just like you'd imagine a 'sky saw' would sound like. Brilliant. A short and sweet instrumental "Over Fire Island" follows. One of Eno's most beautiful and evocative songs "St. Elmo's Fire" comes next with some splendidly tight, jagged, slightly distorted guitar provided by Mr. Fripp. The lyrics to this song are some of Eno's finest poetry. Two instrumentals, "In Dark Trees" and "The Big Ship" come next. "Trees" features some nice echo-y percussion along with its dark melody. "Ship" features more of Fripp's wonderfully expressive guitar. "I'll Come Running" is one of the standout tracks here. For some reason, I've always felt that this might be a parody/homage? of his ex-band mate Bryan Ferry's material. The 'oh oh oh oh oh oh's' sound very Ferry to these ears. Following "Running" is another cluster of short and lovely instrumentals,"Another Green World", "Sombre Reptiles" and "Little Fishes", all of them very appropriately named. The excellent vocal piece "Golden Hours" explores the slippery notion of time and how we relate to it. I love the last line "putting grapes back on the vine". "Becalmed" is another sweet instrumental with a title that perfectly describes the feeling of the piece. This one is a bit more New Age, a bit less ambient than most of the instrumentals on the disc. The instrumental "Zawinul/Lava" was inspired by ex-Weather Report co-founder/keyboardist Joe Zawinul and the song magically evokes flowing hot lava. The final vocal track "Everything Merges With The Night" is heavenly. The music and lyrics are subtle and fine. "Spirits Drifting" closes the album in ambient bliss. If you like what you hear on this CD, you might also enjoy David Bowie's "Low" which Mr. Eno contributed a great deal to. | ||
 | Brian Eno - Another Green World | |
| "Another Great Work" | 2007-05-03 |
| Where Eno's debut album was kind of a rough DIY affair with mixing that was often rather muddy (loved it just the same) and "Taking Tiger Mountain" showed growth in the areas of song writing, performance and production (loved it even more than "Jets"),"Another Green World" is a giant step forward in the areas I just mentioned. Impossibly mature and focused, B.E. really hit his stride with this one. Sprinkled among the songs with vocals (I'd call these conventional pop songs but they're really anything but that), we also get a taste of the kind of music Eno would become renowned for- ambient. It begins with "Sky Saw", seemingly an instrumental then in the last minute or so Brian sings a few surrealist lines. It features viola work by John Cale and damn if that thing doesn't sound just like you'd imagine a 'sky saw' would sound like. Brilliant. A short and sweet instrumental "Over Fire Island" follows. One of Eno's most beautiful and evocative songs "St. Elmo's Fire" comes next with some splendidly tight, jagged, slightly distorted guitar provided by Mr. Fripp. The lyrics to this song are some of Eno's finest poetry. Two instrumentals, "In Dark Trees" and "The Big Ship" come next. "Trees" features some nice echo-y percussion along with its dark melody. "Ship" features more of Fripp's wonderfully expressive guitar. "I'll Come Running" is one of the standout tracks here. For some reason, I've always felt that this might be a parody/homage? of his ex-band mate Bryan Ferry's material. The 'oh oh oh oh oh oh's' sound very Ferry to these ears. Following "Running" is another cluster of short and lovely instrumentals,"Another Green World", "Sombre Reptiles" and "Little Fishes", all of them very appropriately named. The excellent vocal piece "Golden Hours" explores the slippery notion of time and how we relate to it. I love the last line "putting grapes back on the vine". "Becalmed" is another sweet instrumental with a title that perfectly describes the feeling of the piece. This one is a bit more New Age, a bit less ambient than most of the instrumentals on the disc. The instrumental "Zawinul/Lava" was inspired by ex-Weather Report co-founder/keyboardist Joe Zawinul and the song magically evokes flowing hot lava. The final vocal track "Everything Merges With The Night" is heavenly. The music and lyrics are subtle and fine. "Spirits Drifting" closes the album in ambient bliss. If you like what you hear on this CD, you might also enjoy David Bowie's "Low" which Mr. Eno contributed a great deal to. | ||
 | Japan - Tin Drum | |
| "The Art of Japan" | 2007-04-17 |
| Sounding like the love child of Bryan Ferry and David Bowie, David Sylvian and the boys strike gold with this album. "Tin Drum" doesn't have a weak moment on it- a huge improvement over the inconsistent "Gentlemen Take Polaroids" album though I do love that one track. Most of the songs on "Tin Drum" could be described as funky-Asian-art pop with the occasional synth-ballad such as "Ghosts". The lone instrumental song here is the wonderfully evocative "Canton". At under forty minutes long, this album is short & sweet and as art rock albums go, very accessible. If you want to hear something fresh and different, go for it, Cantonese boys & girls! | ||
 | George Harrison - Wonderwall Music | |
| "My Initiation Into World Music" | 2007-02-09 |
| I got a little taste of what music from India might sound like with the inclusion of "Within You Without You" on "Sgt. Pepper's". I got an even better impression of it from this incredibly diverse and unique soundtrack from Mr. Harrison. There's some pop-py material, some old-fashioned dancehall stuff, some western-styled tunes and a lot of Indian music to be discovered on this disc. It's all instrumental and it's very interesting, moving and melodic. I listen to it at least a few times every year since I first bought it on vinyl when I was an impressionable eleven-year old. It has had a huge influence on me as a musician and songwriter all these years. George was light years ahead of his time- "Wonderwall Music" is that amazing. I'm in awe of how fresh this material still sounds. Don't deny yourself this bliss. Check It Out! | ||
 | Nico - Chelsea Girl | |
| "My Melancholy Muse" | 2007-01-19 |
| With a voice like a slightly off harmonium (which she frequently played on her subsequent releases), Nico was a total original. After singing a few songs on the Velvet Underground's debut album as their Warhol-implanted chanteuse then getting ousted from the band, Nico recorded this, her debut solo album. The atmosphere throughout "Chelsea Girl" is haunting, mournful and a little mysterious, even when the lyrics of a given song are optimistic or hopeful. However, most of the material she works with here is quite morose. She covers one of Jackson Browne's saddest songs, "These Days", a truly depressive beauty. Stand-out tracks for me include the ode to Andy Warhol's Factory characters "Chelsea Girls" written by sometime lover Lou Reed and the ghostly "Eulogy to Lenny Bruce" by Tim Hardin. This song really gets to me as I know first-hand how the pain of drug addiction affects not just the user but also those close to the addict. The decision to include this song on the album is the very definition of 'ironic' since Nico's struggle with drugs is well documented. Nico's later releases sound very different from this record as she finds her own voice as a composer and musician. Are they better than this album? I don't really think so. I think that they're all of a piece. But where this album's main instrumentation is guitar, strings and the occasional woodwind, Nico's later, more personal CDs use synthesizers, the aforementioned harmoniums and the like to convey her unique solo compositions. So she started out folky with this one and gradually becomes more avant garde as her career progressed. | ||
 | The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | |
| "They'd Love To Turn Us On" | 2006-09-29 |
| How can I do this album justice? I was ten years old when I bought my copy and since then I've probably listened to it hundreds of times. To my ears, it still sounds fresh. It still captivates me. It remains a very special place for me to go. It's had a profound influence on me as a songwriter. I adored the Fab Four before the release of "Sgt. Pepper's" but when they began to collaborate more with the 'fifth Beatle'- producer George Martin, they took rock and pop to new heights- a brave new world as it were. From the beginning sounds of an orchestra warming up amid a crowd of people murmuring (on the title track) to the final sounds on the album which consist of 1) the sound of an orchestra playing their instruments from their respective lowest notes to their highest notes and resembling something like the sound of Heaven exploding; 2) the sound of all four Beatles pounding the same chord on four different pianos simultaneously (both from "A Day In The Life"; to 3) the odd loop at the very end which one can hear much better on the CD than one ever could on the vinyl version, this album turned pop music upside down and inside out. On "Sgt. Pepper's" you get the 'basic' rock/pop songs your growing body needs such as the intro and reprise of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", the classic "With A Little Help From My Friends" lead-sung by Ringo, Paul's "Getting Better" (though John contributed the great "it couldn't get much worse" line to balance things out), Paul's "Fixing A Hole" and "Lovely Rita" (with its weird vocalizations at the end) and John's "Good Morning Good Morning" which was inspired by a TV commercial selling cereal. I grouped these tunes together because they're the least psychedelic songs on the album for the most part. For mental growth through mind expansion, the Beatles give us the lovely John-penned "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" which was inspired by a colorful drawing his first son Julian created. The Fabs have repeatedly denied it has anything to do with LSD. We'll leave it at that. Paul's very touching string-quartet melodrama "She's Leaving Home" is complete with gorgeous harmonies by John and George. John's "Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!" is one of the most psychedelic songs on the album. What makes this track so awesome is the cut up then looped tapes of calliopes playing in which the Beatles, George Martin and associates of the band all participated in the initial cutting. Mr. Martin is the one that did the final editing of these random sounds and they fit perfectly into the song. It was an astonishing feat especially considering the primitive technology of the time. Listening to this track is like being on acid at a carnival. I just love it! George's underappreciated meditation on universal love, "Within You Without You" comes next. George Martin's string arrangement beautifully compliments the basic sitar & tabla arrangement. My least favorite song on "Sgt. Pepper's" is Paul's music hall-derived "When I'm Sixty-Four" and though it's my least favorite, I still dig it- especially the very clever lyrics. Paul would go on to compose more songs in this style with each of them annoying me more and more. "Your Mother Should Know" from "Magical Mystery Tour" and "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" from "Abbey Road" are cut from the same cloth as "Sixty-Four" but don't work half as well as the original. The album closes with what may be the Beatles' most incredible piece of music- the one-of-a-kind "A Day In The Life". John begins the song (it's mostly his composition) and Paul wrote and sings the middle part that begins "woke up, fell out of bed...". The unique, soaring orchestral part in the middle and at the end of the song was Paul's idea. George Martin has stated that John's vocals on this song are quite possibly his best. I love how vulnerable he sounds when singing "I'd love to turn you on'. Some folks may quibble about the sequencing of this album but "A Day In The Life" unarguably belongs where it is, as the most amazing 'encore' ever recorded. On a personal note, one of my own albums titled "The Last Hurrah" (email me and I'll send a sampler of it) from 1990 was tremendously influenced by "Sgt. Pepper's". It was also inspired by "The Velvet Underground & Nico". How's that for an interesting mix? Turn on to Sgt. Pepper's" today- they'd love to turn you on! | ||
 | Alice Cooper - Love It to Death | |
| "Shock Rock Perfection" | 2006-09-15 |
| Is there a better twisted hard rock album in existence? I doubt it. In addition to the instantly memorable melodies performed by the classic Alice Cooper line-up, we get Alice's uniquely weird lyrics to go with them. The songs humorously address such topics as teenage confusion/angst in the Top Forty hit "I'm Eighteen"; the occult in "Black Juju"; Christianity in "Hallowed By My Name" and "Second Coming"; and teen restlessness in the opening track "Caught In A Dream" and "Long Way To Go". This disc had way too much influence on me as a teen. Mental illness ("Ballad of Dwight Fry") seemed so fantastically exotic when Alice was singing about it. Alas, though I'm not as nutty as poor Dwight, I'm not quite right in the head either these days. Long rock songs tend to bore me but "Ballad" and "Black Juju" are perfectly justified in their length. There's not a wasted note in either song. This was the first Alice Cooper album produced by Bob Ezrin. Under his guidance the band really flowered. He would go on to produce the remaining classic Alice Cooper albums "Killer" through "Billion Dollar Babies". Check these out as well- they're almost as good as "Death". | ||
 | The Beatles - Yellow Submarine (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | |
| "Half of a Beatles Album" | 2006-09-12 |
| After the Herculean effort the Fab Four put into "The Beatles" aka "The White Album", the Beatles took a break with "Yellow Submarine". Over half of the album consists of George Martin's orchestral score to the 1969 animated film. Two songs were culled from previous discs- the title track from "Revolver" and "All You Need Is Love" from "Magical Mystery Tour". Because of this, this is probably the least essential Beatles album to own. The Lennon-McCartney penned "All Together Now" is a nice enough childrens' song but in the context of their usual brilliant output it's a bit of a throwaway. The Lennon-sung "Hey Bulldog" fairs better with its simple killer main guitar riff, "Lady Madonna"-like piano and lively performance. For me, the standout tracks are George Harrison's two contributions with "It's All Too Much" being particularly wonderful. The blazing lead guitar and the horn section on this anthem for the '60's are bloody fantastic. "Only A Northern Song" was recorded during the sessions for "Sgt. Pepper's". It's a dig at the Beatles' publishing company and one of my favorite 'Harrisongs' with its self-deprecating humor, bizarre organ and assorted sound effects. These two songs alone make "Yellow Submarine" worth having. See you in Pepperland! | ||
 | Brian Eno - January 07003 | Bell Studies for The Clock of The Long Now | |
| "Heaven's Bells" | 2006-09-05 |
| This CD is wonderful- one of Brian Eno's best works. Using both realistic and imaginary bell-like tones throughout the 15 pieces, "Studies" creates a beautiful and meditative space for one to reflect and relax. It is ambient music at its best. It is pricey but the proceeds from its sale benefit The Long Now Foundation and it is definitely worth the cost in terms of artistic merit. Whether you're new to the works of Eno or an existing fan, this is essential Brian Eno. | ||
 | The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Give It Back | |
| "This Is Why I Love Them" | 2006-08-30 |
| For drug-drenched, psychedelic modern alternative rock, you just can't beat the BJM. Well, almost. Their pals, the Dandy Warhols come pretty close. I think this is one of the BJM's strongest efforts. "Sue" is my favorite track from this album. It's Anton's homage to the Velvet Underground's "Heroin". Yes, it's a long one but not a minute is wasted. Some of the BJM's albums tend to be hit and miss affairs so it's a good idea to listen to the samples provided by Amazon.com. but this one is quite consistent. | ||
 | Roxy Music - Stranded | |
| "Higher Than The Milky Way" | 2006-08-25 |
| From the opening dissonant synthesizer riff, Phil Manzanera's alternately 'walking' and shrieking guitar lines slithering through it and Bryan Ferry's excited crooning in "Street Life" to the gorgeous poetry and subtle piano/violin interplay at the end of "Sunset", this is my favorite Roxy Music album. The wild "Street Life" is followed by "Just Like You", a luscious ballad with astoundingly dreamy/surrealistic lyrics Ferry mostly sings in a sweet falsetto. Then out of left field (way,way out!) comes the Ferry/Manzanera-composed "Amazona"- partly funky, partly spacey, totally unique. I love Phil's treated guitar solo on this one. The marching rhythm of "Psalm" features a strange lyrical analogy of trying on different clothes with seeking religious faith. "Serenade" features some wonderful oboe and sax work by Andy Mackay. Next is the towering "A Song For Europe", an ode to the Olde Country that veers from the majestic to the subtle and back again. The astonishingly original "Mother of Pearl" starts off like a schizophrenic rocker ("Have you a future? Yes,yes,yes, nooo!"), transforms into a semi-ballad after a little over a minute and slowly starts rocking again after a bit. "Mother" segues right into the final track, "Sunset", a song so beautiful, so melancholy yet serene that I cried the first few times I listened to it. Again, here Bryan's lyrics are unparalleled in their subtlety and wit. ("Sunburst fingers you raise, one last sigh of farewell".) Glorious! Before continuing, I have to tell you that I worship at the alter of Brian Eno. He's probably the biggest influence on my own songwriting. But is he missed on "Stranded"? My answer is a resounding 'no'. The replacement of Brian with Eddie Jobson was a good move. I think the band sounds more cohesive on "Stranded" than their first two albums with Eno. However, I want to clarify that I do love those first two albums as well. In a band that includes such an unusual instrument (in rock music anyway) as the oboe, the electric violin was a brilliant addition to their sound. Eddie's synth playing is very nice, adding just the right touches without being quite as in-your-face as Eno's sometimes was. As a matter of fact, I've read that this is actually Eno's favorite Roxy Music album so there you have it. Pick up this art rock stunner immediately! | ||
 | Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street | |
| "Juiced Up & Sloppy" | 2006-08-24 |
| That quote from "Bitch" (from "Sticky Fingers") perfectly sums up "Exile on Main Street". This album is the Stones' loosest, raunchiest, murkiest and sloppiest effort and I mean that as a compliment. The lyrics are often unintelligible and some of the songs sound like little more than slightly rehearsed jams. Recorded in the South of France in Keith's basement studio (among other locales), this sprawling work encompasses the Stones' usual rock sub-genres such as boogie-woogie, country, gospel, R&B and blues in addition to pure 'rawk'. Highlights for me include the sex-drenched "Rocks Off" built on one of Keith's classic riffs; the catchy hits "Tumbling Dice" and "Happy"; the gritty, country-tinged "Torn & Frayed" which also has some sly references to sex; "Sweet Black Angel" with its sometimes embarrassing, somewhat racist lyrics (though I'm sure they weren't meant to be); "Loving Cup" with its clever alcohol/sex analogy; the swaggering "Ventilator Blues"; the dark and lovely gospel of "Just Wanna See His Face"; the raucous "All Down the Line"; the remake of Robert Johnson's classic "Stop Breaking Down" and lastly the rousing "Soul Survivor". Though not quite up to the standards set by their best three albums which include "Beggars Banquet", "Let It Bleed" and "Sticky Fingers", "Exile" comes pretty damn close. As with the Beatles' self-titled album otherwise known as "The White Album", some editing would have made this another perfect, classic Stones effort. Sadly, "Exile" would be the last essential Stones release. "Goats Head Soup" would follow "Exile on Main Street" and that lame piece of crap makes "Exile" sound positively brilliant. By the time "Black and Blue" was released I had lost all interest in this formerly great band. | ||
 | Lida Husik - Joyride | |
| "The Title Says It All" | 2006-08-17 |
| Though they're all very good to great (except "Mad Flavor" which recycles a few older songs for some reason), "Joyride" is my favorite Lida Husik CD. Lyrically strange (which I love), the melodies on this album are terrific and I just adore her kinda husky voice. I can't think of an artist to compare Lida with-she's that unique. Dreamy, warm and wonderful. Check out "Green Blue Fire" if you enjoy this CD-it's Lida gone electronica. | ||
 | Tori Amos: Piece by Piece | |
 | "Positively Draining" | 2006-08-04 |
| I've never read a book that was so difficult to finish. Don't get me wrong- I'm a huge fan of Tori's music or else I wouldn't have bought this. But she goes on endlessly about myths and deities and more myths and the profound negative effect that Christianity had on her psyche. Alternately pretentious and egotistic, I was totally put off by the tone of this book. When she describes her songs as 'beings' that come and talk to her it made me wince. As a songwriter myself I get the gist of what she's saying but it just comes off as a bit too much. She also periodically refers to herself in the third person which I found incredibly irritating. I did learn a few interesting things about Tori (her miscarriages and her dealings with the music industry for example) but ultimately I found the experience of reading this book- you guessed it- positively draining. However, if you're not familiar with the major figures of mythology and would like to know more about them this might be a good place to start! | ||
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