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Reviews Written By: A1XP7P3X9MRE5H

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	Hank Williams Sr. - Hillbilly Hero
	"Great Buy"	2008-08-23
I'm really impressed by this 4 CD collection. Apart from his last 1952 the CD's covers Hank Williams' entire career. hough it's slightly frustrating having to look out for his last recordings somewhere else, this is really a great buy. The sound surprisingly good, even the radio acetates from his Health and Happiness shows sound good, and it's very interesting to experience a little of how Williams was a a live performer. The 52 pages booklet contains a detailed biography and a lot of information about Hank's sessions and recordings. Highly recommended
	Del Shannon - Live in England/...And the Music Plays On
	"Forgotten 1967 Album."	2008-05-31
This Del Shannon album was originally recorded and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham in 1967. Somehow it was decided not to release the album - maybe they were having second-thoughts about releasing an album that souded so differently from what Shannon usually did in those days. Olham's style was very British, with many tracks pretty heavily orchestrated, which was unusual for Del Shannon. Though the song-writing is rather consistent, the original album probably also lacked one or two tracks that shone over the rest. No obvious hits - In fact, two of the best tracks on this release, "Raindrops" and "The Music Plays on" were from other sessions, and not produced by Oldham. The title track produced by Dave Edmunds and recorded in 1974 along with the re-recording of "Runaway" are probably the only really memorable tracks. As already mentioned, the rest of the songs are decent, but in most cases forgettable - and the overall pop-psych style is likely to sound dated to fans of Shannon's early and more easy-going style. This CD-release also contains an interesting 14 songs live-perfomance by Shannon from a 1972 Manchester gig - one extra star for this addition.
	Sam Cooke - The SAR Records Story - 2 Pack Box Set W/Booklet
	"Fine Music and Great Insight."	2008-05-22
Apart from containing a lot of fine music, this two CDs box gives great insight into the musical ideas of Sam Cooke and documents his invalueable influence on the transforming of gospel and blues into soul-music. Only a handful of these tracks has Sam Cooke himself as performer, but he is behind the whole things as the producer and in many cases also as the writer of the songs. A couple of years after his big break-through Sam Cooke started his own recording label SAR, and for five years he produced recordings for artists like the Soul Stirrers, The Womack Brothers, Billy Preston, Johnnie Taylor and a lot of other black artists. The music spans from pure pop, through gospel and soul to what we today recognise as soul-music. A nice surprise for me was the many great tracks with the Soul Stirrers, a group I only knew from their early recordings with Sam Cooke. I did not not know either that Sam Cooke wrote "Mary Don't You Weep" which was a big hit in my native Denmark - with silly new Danish lyrics. A favourite that has to be brought forward is the Simms Twins' version of "That's Where it's At" which Cooke himself also recorded. The included 88 pages book has a lot of interesting background information about Cooke's musical ideas and personality.
	The Supremes - More Hits/Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland
	"Two Fine Albums on One CD"	2008-03-24
This is another compilation available of two original Supremes albums on one CD. Though the big single-hits like "Stop in the Name of Love" and "You Keep Me Hanging On" stand out, both albums are really quite consistent. The songwriting team Holland/Dozier/Holland wrote all the songs which is obviously part of the reasons for its consistency, but the singing and playing is great throughout the albums. Among the lesser-known album tracks "Who Coul Ever Doubt My Love", Heartaches Don't Last Always" and "I'm In Love Again" ( all from "More Hits" ) along with "Mother You, Smother You" "It's the Same Old Song" and "There's No Stopping Us Now" from "Sing Holand/Dozier/Holland" stand out. Recommended for all fans of the Tamla-Motown sounds.
	The Supremes - Love Child/Supremes A-Go-Go
	"Great Buy!"	2008-03-18
This compilation of two original Supremes albums on one CD confirms what is usually common knowledge, that the Supremes were mainly a singles act. The hits are the tracks that stand out, though there are some very nice tracks on both original albums. "Love Child" was released in 1968 as "Diana Ross and the Supremes" whereas "Supremes A Go Go" was released in 1965 just as the Supremes and still with the "Holland/Dozier/Holland" songwriting team as their main song-contributers. "Supremes A Go Go" is classical Tamla-Motown featuring the great hits "Love is Like an Itching in My Heart" and "You Can't Hurry Love". Moreover the Supremes give versions of acts like Four Tops and Temptations hits with "I Can't Help Myself" as the most successful, without reaching the high standards of the Four Tops version. Another interesting track is "Come and Get These Memories" where Diana Ross leaves the lead-vocals with Mary Wilson. With "Love Child" there was a slight musical change towards more main-stream pop. No song-contributions from "Holland/Dozier/Holland", but still a lot of fine material. The title track is one of the finest recordings of all times to be released in the Supremes name and the other single "Some Thing You'' Never Get Used to" is also great. Of the album tracks the Ashford/Simpson song "You Ain't Livin You're Lovin*" stand out. I guess this could have been a hit too, had it been released on a single. The sound on both albums is great and though the booklet informations about the albums are sparse, it is a great release - obviously aimed at big fans of the group. Causal listeners probably will prefer one of the various hits-collections.
	Sam Cooke - Portrait of a Legend 1951-1964
	"Excellent Compilation"	2008-02-04
This CD compilation gives a fine overview of the career of Sam Cooke, from his early recordings as a Gospel singer through his breakthrough as a pop-artist whose style and song-writing gradually changed from pure-pop till what we now recognize as the beginning of soul-music. The CD clearly documents that Cooke was a unique singer and a very gifted song-writer. Most of his big hits from the late 1950's are included; all of which are fine in their own rights, but for me it's the second half of the collection that shows the real artist Sam Cooke. Without being strictly chronological many of his greatest late recordings are to be found in the second half. Here the man "who invented soul" and the inspirator for later artists like Otis Redding can be heard. The last album to be released in Cooke's own lifetime "Ain't That Good News" ( prabably his finest ) is very well-represented and tracks like "Shake", released posthume, give a hint of what great things Cooke might have lived to create, had things not turned out so meaninglessly tragic a December night 1964. Fine informative booklet.
	Quadrophenia
	"A Great Rock Album"	2008-01-26
"Quadrophenia" was probably the most ambitious work from the Who. Released in 1973 after the incredible success of their previous album "Who's Next" expectations were obviously enormous. But whereas "Who's Next" was a regular rock album, "Quadrophenia" was a concept album - a soundtrack - something much more complex. No big surprise that the album could not repeat the success of its predecessor, and that many fans were disappointed with the album - at least in the beginning. Because this is really a great album, with so much great adventurous music that will grow on the listener. But at the same time it's an album where many tracks do not work very well outside the concept of the album. Relatively few songs are regulars on the various Who compilations that have been released over the years. In that was the album could be compared with the Kinks' "Preservation Act 2" which is also a great album, but with few titles that people will normally remember. The catchy "5.15" as the only single is one of the exceptions off this album - one of the out-standing tracks. Among the longer and more complex tracks "Drowned", "The Punk and the Godfather" and of course the theme-song "Love Reign Over Me" stand out. Also the the half-acoustic and moving "I'm One" and the amusing "Bell Boy" stand out. Conclusion; a great rock album from one of the very best bands of the 1960-70's that you can listen to again and again.
	Donovan - A Gift from a Flower to a Garden
	"A Quiet Classic!"	2008-01-18
1968 was the year, when the double-album concept really was beginning to break though. The Beatles released their "White Album", Jimi Hendrix released "Electric Ladyland" and Donovan this album, which with a playing time of about sixty minutes today plays easily on a single CD. The original album was divided into two records which thematically were meant be to different in their approach. First record, which was released in some countries as a single album titled "Wear Your Love Like Heaven", was a continuation of Donovan's "new" electric style with Mickey Most as his producer. When Donovan in like Dylan turned electric in 1966 with "Sunshine Superman" Most was his producer and their partnership continued throughout the sixties. Though record one is mostly with drums and electric backing it's really not a rock-record. And apart from "Wear Your Love Like Heaven", "Mad John's Escape" and a few other tracks most songs would not stick out on record two which was more or less a return to the pure acoustic folk-style which Donovan had left in 1965. Record two "For Little Ones" could thematically seem like a childrens' album, and while some songs would work fine as childrens' songs others lyrically probably would not really work. Most, of course, is also credited as the producer of this record. As a whole the double album is a very pleasant and mostly quiet album featuring simply arranged melodic tunes among which only few stand out. On record one the before-mentioned "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" and "Mad John's Escape" are obvious favourites along with the quieter "Land of Doesn't Have to Be". On record two it may be harder to bring forward particular songs, but "The Tinker and the Crab" and the beatiful closing track "Epistle to Derroll" are among my favourites.
	Starsailor - Silence Is Easy [US Bonus Tracks]
	"Fine Album from Promising Band"	2008-01-04
"Silence is Easy" was the second album from young English band "Starsailor". The band has often been compared to both Coldplay and Radiohead, and given there is an unmistakeably British sound to their music. Personally I feel that a comparison with Suede and Brett Anderson would be more obvious; especially on the ballads. The album starts off very strongly with 4 great songs. The optimistic up-beat "Music was Saved" is the perfect opener - strange that the song was not picked as a single. Two short, but strong ballads follow. "Fidelity" and the beatiful waltzy "Some of Us". Then comes the Phil Spector produced hit-single and title-track "Silence is Easy". The following tracks are by no means bad, though a few of them are a little weighed down by heavy strings-arrangements. The extremely catchy disco-type pop-hit "Four to the Floor" is probably the most memorable of the last part of the album - actually it is very different from the usual Starsailor sound and style. The half-acoustic "Shark Food" may not hit you the first two or three times you hear it, but there is a good chance it will turn into a favourite eventually. A very strong album from one of the most promising new English bands.
	Van Morrison - What's Wrong With This Picture
	"Back to the Roots"	2007-12-27
This album one must belong among the ones leaning most heavily on traditional blues/jazz from Van Morrison. Though most of the songs are Morrison originals his songwriting style is clearly based based on the 12-bar blues style. Like always Morrison works with the best musicians and the playing and his singing is great. Though this "back to the roots" approach is highly competent, for me the highligts are when he leaves the strict blues-pattern and his own Irish background and writing style shines through. Songs like "Once in a Blue Moon" and "Little Village" have the qualities to become new Morrison classics - especially "Little Village" is great. Among the more traditional blues-styled songs I also find "Somerset" and "Too Many Myths" fine. The rest of the album is also quite good, though most of it is too traditional to make me really excited.
	Counting Crows - This Desert Life
	"Classic American Rock"	2007-12-01
Third studio album from Counting Crows, "This Desert Life" has a handful of very good songs, a couple of decent songs and also a few misses. "Hanging Around" was one of the singles, and it's both catchy and melodic, but the repetitive chaotic ending never really appealed to me. Much better is second track "Mrs Potter's Lullaby", an epic song that would have suited the great Van Morrison perfectly. Other favourites are the REM sounding "Four Days", the dramatic "I Wish I was a Girl", the melancholy "Speedway" and the semi-acoustic closer "St. Robinson in his Cadillac Dreams" - great fat organ and mandolin. The album as a whole may not be quite up to the high standards of the debut, but still a great album that will satisfy fans of the band. Classic American Rock!
	Pulp - Hits [UK Import]
	"Inspiring Collection"	2007-11-20
"Hits" by Pulp is a great collection of songs from their 4 Island albums; mostly singles, of course, + a previously unreleased "Last Day of the Miners' Strike". The songs are compiled chronologically, with their masterpiece "Different Class" very well represented with 5 songs. The four songs from the first Island album "His 'n' Hers" are catchy up-beat pop-songs, with "Razzmatazz" as my favourite. As already mentioned, I consider "Different Class" a masterpiece with its shamelessly catchy disco/pop hitsingles ( "Disco 2000" and "Common People") , great ballads such as "Something Changed" and the Steve Harley inspired "Sorted for E's and Wizz" - all songs with personal and thought-provoking lyrics. "This is Hardcore" is a darker album, but almost as good, with the beautiful, but strange "Little Soul" as my favourite. I'm not familiar with their latest album "We Love Life", apart from the three songs included here. Judged from these songs alone the album appear less inspired, though I quite like the Blur inspired "Bad Cover Version". The previously unreleased "Last Day of the Miners' Strike" on the other hand is a worthy closing-track and leaves you regretting that the band chose to split up. All in all a fine collection that is bound to inspire listeners to look out for more Pulp music.
	The Creation - Our Music Is Red - With Purple Flashes
	"Obscure but Influential British Pop-Art Band"	2007-11-14
The Creation, the obscure band which only existed for about 3 years in the 1960's, has somehow become a legend in British pop-art psych-rock and an inspiration to many later bands. The group recorded less than thirty songs in the sixties and the majority of them are included on this collection. The only recording I'm aware of that's not included is the instrumental "Sylvette" which was originally released on a French EP. Their records were produced by Shel Talmy and their earliest recordings do have a lot in common with the early Who, which Talmy also produced. The two first singles released in 1966 were very strong, but unfortunately only "Painterman" became a minor hit in their home-country. In several European countries they were more successful and in Germany they actually released two albums during 1967-68. Tensions with the band led to leadsinger Kenny Pickett leaving the group in early 1967 and bass-player Bob Garner took over as lead-vocalist. The group wrote the majority of their material themselves, with guitarist Eddie Phillips as the most prolific. The singles released in 1967 with Garner in front were ambitious but uneven and none of them managed achieve the relative success of "Painterman". The album "We are Paintermen" was released in 1967 including their singles, a couple of new originals and some pretty uninspired cover versions. The line-up of the band became unstable and though experienced musicians like Ron Wood ( Faces / Stones ) were in the band for a brief period in 1968, most of their later recordings lacked the excitement of their 1966-67 material. Oddly enough some of their best recordings like "I Am the Walker", "Ostrich Man" and "Sweet Helen" were not released long after the group had disbanded. Apart from the tracks already mentioned "For All That I Am", "Life is Just Beginning" and "Through My Eyes" are songs that justify the band's legendary status. The group re-united in 1991 and recorded an album which was released after the death of lead-singer Pickett in 1996.
	Cranberries - No Need to Argue
	"Powerful Voice and Great Songs"	2007-11-10
"No Need to Argue" is the best selling album the Cranberries have released before their current hiatus. The album contains two of their finest singles "Ode to My Family" and the controversal "Zombie". Though their music hardly can be called folk, there is an umistakeably influence from traditional Irish Music. On some of the strongest song find this influence obvious. The album opens with beautiful "Ode to My Family" and the album continues with three more great songs. "I Can't Be With You" is one of the few upbeat rockers on the album - a catchy tune. Like "Ode to My Family" "Twenty One" is just beautiful and the powerful voice of singer Dolores O'Riordan is bound to hit you on the haunting "Zombie". You may easily get the feeling that you're in the middle of listening to one of the few perfect albums in rock, but unfortunately the next handful of tracks do not live to the opening four. Though well-performed the songs are simply not as good. Luckily the high standards are reset with O'Riordan's waltzy ballad "Dreaming My Dreams". "Yeat's Grave" is, inspite of its dark lyrics, quite uplifting. The hymn-like title track is a fine closing track to the solid, but slightly uneven, album with some really great songs and the powerful voice of Dolores O'Riordan.
	Crowded House - Woodface
	"A Durable Album"	2007-11-03
I bought this album inspired by their great compilation "Recurring Dream" . "Woodface" was the logical choice with the outstanding "Weather With You" and the fine singles "Fall at Your Feet" and "It's Only Natural" - moreover "Woodface" is the only album to feature both Finn brothers. At first the 4 tracks from "Recurring Dream" seemed to be the highlights of the albums, but soon I realized that there was much more to go for. The Beatles inspiration is obvious on most tracks, not least on the great opener "Chocolate Cake" - "Rubber Soul" ala 1991. Neil Finn's country-inspired "She Goes On" - is simply beautiful; reminds me of the best tracks of the Eagles' "Desperado". Drummer Paul Hester's "Italian Plastic" is refreshingly different - with its raw John Lennon approach. Of course the beautiful folkish "Four Seasons in One Day" has to be brought forward. A durable album that can be listened to again and again.
	Crowded House - Woodface
	"A Durable Album"	2007-11-03
I bought this album inspired by their great compilation "Recurring Dream" . "Woodface" was the logical choice with the outstanding "Weather With You" and the fine singles "Fall at Your Feet" and "It's Only Natural" - moreover "Woodface" is the only album to feature both Finn brothers. At first the 4 tracks from "Recurring Dream" seemed to be the highlights of the albums, but soon I realized that there was much more to go for. The Beatles inspiration is obvious on most tracks, not least on the great opener "Chocolate Cake" - "Rubber Soul" ala 1991. Neil Finn's country-inspired "She Goes On" - is simply beautiful; reminds me of the best tracks of the Eagles' "Desperado". Drummer Paul Hester's "Italian Plastic" is refreshingly different - with its raw John Lennon approach. Of course the beautiful folkish "Four Seasons in One Day" has to be brought forward. A durable album that can be listened to again and again.
	Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill
	"A Classic!"	2007-10-25
It's beyond question that Alanis Morissette's album break-through album "Jagged Little Pill" has been an influence and inspiration to many female artists all over the world. Though really her third album it's often referred to as her debut, which is due to the facts that her first two albums were originally only released in her native Canada, and that they are musically totally different from her later recordings. Musically "JLP" continues in the tradition of artists like Joni Mitchell, Patti Smith and Kate Bush with strong songwriting and sharp lyrics. The album is also her most consistent so far, with extraordinary many catchy songs with hit-potentials; proven by the fact that no less than six singles were pulled from the album. Though very melodic most songs also have a hard rocking edge, greatly examplified by the five hit-singles "All I Really Want", "You Oughta Know", "Hand in Pocket", "You Learn" and "Head Over Feet". The stand-out song on the album is the softer "Ironic" with its acoustic verse, its wild chorus and the funny lyrics; still a regular radio-track and a popular song among young amateur artists/singers. There are also a couple of nice ballads with "Mary Jane" and "Perfect" showing the softer side of Alanis. A standout classic album by a great artist!
	Crowded House - Afterglow *
	"Surprisingly Consistent."	2007-10-22
"Afterglow" is a collection of outtakes, alternate versions and oddities recorded by Crowded House during 1985-94. Very often such collections come out uneven and pale compared to the artists' regular releases. For me this was not the case with this 1999 release, which not have hits like "Don't Dream it's Over" or "Weather With You", but still shows strong and consistent playing and writing. When the band split up in 1996 they left behind them an unfinished album and a great number of other unreleased recordings. When you listen to this album it's big wonder why so many of these songs never made to the album, but fortunately the songs work really well as a whole in this context. Of course some songs stand out from the rest; for me especially the alternate version of "Private Universe", which is softer and spacier and without the distorted guitars of the "Together Alone" version. "Anyone Can Tell" is a catchy commercial type of song that might have made it to the charts. Songs like "I Am Alone" and Sacred Cow" are more of the same melodic vein. Also the John Lennon inspired "I Love You Dawn" and the waltzy folky closing-track "Time Immemorial" stand out. All but one song, Paul Hester's charming "My Telly's Gone Bung" were written by Neil Finn. A surprisingly consistent album.
	Blondie - Plastic Letters [Bonus Tracks]
	"Still Great Listening"	2007-10-04
Blondie broke through in the late middle seventies alongside the punk/new wave movement. Though their early records bear quite a few elements of punk, I'd think a more correct definition would be power-pop. This, their second, album opens with a typical example of this style, the fine "Fan Mail", written by keyboard-player Jimmy Destri. Most band-members contribute songs to the album, though guitarist often seem to be regarded their main songwriter. Two songs from the album were top ten hits in Britain, their big American breakthrough first came with their third album "Parallel Lines" "Denis" is an extremely catchy Buddy Holly type song, arranged like Phil Spector might have chosen to do it. "Denis" is the only song not written by a band member. "Presence Dear" is a strong rocker, written by bassist Gary Valentine. Other tracks that stand out are the melodic pop-ballad "Bermuda Triangle Blues", the power pop tune "I Didn't have the Nerve" and the more experimental "No Imagination". A few tracks may be a little forgettable, but I feel that the album as a whole has aged quite well, and it's still charming uplifting listening.
	Alison Krauss & Union Station - So Long So Wrong
	"Two Sides"	2007-09-21
Generally speaking, you could say that there two sides to Alison Krauss and Union Station. The softer melodic side is usually with Alison vocally in front, and the faster bluegrass/country side which often has one of the band members on lead vocals. Though I usually prefer the Alison songs, this two-sides concept gives a fine variation and the fast bluegrass tracks demonstrate what great musicians the Union Station are. Among Alison's songs, which are all great, for me the beautiful pop ballad "Happiness" stand out, which also has great harmony vocals by banjoplayer Ron Block. With at least a handful other great pop/country ballads written by various songwriters like Michael McDonald and Mark Simos this is one of my favourite albums by the group.
	Gram Parsons - G.P./Grievous Angel
	"Two Legenday Albums!"	2007-07-17
This CD contains the two legendary albums that were released in the name Gram Parsons in 1973-74. Parsons has now become a legend as a pioneer in country-rock. His status as legend may seem a little strange to people new to his music. Some tracks, especially on "GP" are almost pure old-school country, and generally the are not many groundbreaking elements in the music. Moreover Parsons' voice appears pretty limited and often comes out slightly shaky in the high register; e.g. "We'll Sweep Out the Ashes" What are/were his strengths then? This CD documents that he was a great song-writer, especially of ballads, and he performs both his own originals and covers country-ballads convincingly. On several tracks he is helped by Emmylou Harris and their voices blend beautifully on most tracks. Harris also co-wrote one of the standout songs with Parsons; the closing track "In My Hour of Darkness". On "GP", which was the only album released in Parsons lifetime, the standouts are the great country-rock ballads "A Song For You" and "The New Soft Shoe", both written by Parsons. His performance of the classic country-piece "Streets of Baltimore" is also moving. "Grievious Angel", which generally is a stronger album, was released after Parsons' death in 1973, and the tracklisting was not overlooked by himself. The album contains more beautiful original ballads of which "Return of Grievious Angel", "Brass Buttons", "$1000 Wedding" and "In My Hour of Darkness" all deserve to be classics. Three live tracks show that Parsons and his band also were fine performers. "Hickory Wind" and "Love Hurts" are just great. So if his untimely death may be part of the reason for his legendary status, here are so many great songs that it does not really matter if you consider him a legend or not.
	Richard Thompson & Linda - Shoot Out the Lights
	"Dark but Strong Farewell!"	2007-07-02
"Shoot Out the Lights" was Richard and Linda Thompson's 1982. comeback album after two slightly disappointing albums released on the Chrysalis label in 1978 and 1979. Unfortunately this was also to be their last, as both their marriage and their artistic partnership was falling apart at this point. Quite a paradox as the album is as strong as their finest albums recorded for Island in the mid 1970's. Musically more rocking and less folkish than their Island albums; lyrically at least as dark as "Pour Down Like Silver". Titles "Walking on a Wire", "Shoot out the Lights" and "Wall of Death" indicate the general dark tone of the album. Richard who takes the lead vocals on the more rocking tracks like "Don't Renege on Our Love" and "Man in Need", while the two great ballads "Just the Motion" and "Walking on a Wire" have Linda in front. Along with the two outstanding closing tracks "Did She Jump" and "Wall of Death" the Linda ballads are my favourites on the album. Strong songwriting by Richard and tight playing from the band, which besides Richard on guitar consists of old Fairport friends like Simon Nicol, Dave Pegg and Dave Mattacks, make the album one of the most consistent in Richard Thompson's long career. Produced by another old Fairport friend Joe Boyd, who produced the first five Fairport albums and several later Richard Thompson solo albums.
	Fairport Convention - What We Did On Our Holidays [UK Bonus Tracks]
	"First Album with Sandy Denny."	2007-07-01
"What We Did in Our Holidays" was the first album to feature Sandy Denny and in fact the last released with Ian Matthews as lead singer. As was the case with their 1968 debut album this album is a great mixture of various styles and inspirations. The band would later become a legend in British folk-rock, and there are clear signs what direction the band might want to pursue on this album. Songs like "Nottamun Town" and "She Moves Through the Fair" would not have been totally out of place on their folk-rock classic "Liege and Lief". There is also a lot of folk-feeling in Denny's beautiful "Fotheringay". Bob Dylan was obviously a great inspiration for the band, and they recorded several of his songs for their early albums. Here it is his obscure song "I'll Keep it With Mine" and you maybe you could also count in "Nottamun Town", which has the same melody as "Masters of War". Richard Thompson wrote some really great songs for the album among which "Meet on the Ledge" has become a classic. At this point Thompson's songwriting was more pop/rock than folk. Bassist Ashley Hutchings wrote the rock'n roller "Mr Lacey" and the other guitarist Simon Nicol contributed the fine acoustic instrumental "End of a Holiday", which closed off the original album. The three bonus tracks are interesting, but none of them would have fitted very well into the album. The B-side "Throwaway Street Puzzle" has been a collector's item for years, and a track that many fans have been eager to hear. It's a Thompson/Hutchings blues rocker written and played much in the same vein as Dylan's "Down in the Flood" or "Wathcing the River Flow". Great album, but not quite a five stars release.
	Richard Thompson - Watching The Dark: The History of Richard Thompson
	"A Fine Introduction."	2007-06-24
This 3 CD set covers Richard Thompson recording career through 1969 until 1992. A mixture of early Fairport Convention, his work with his former wife Linda and solo recordings. Many tracks have not been previously released, most of them live-recordings or alternate versions. Obviously a 3 CD-set will give a pretty good overview of this period of his career, but some might find it a little confusing that there is no strict chronology in the tracklisting. But musically I think it works very well. The earliest tracks are Fairport Convention recordings; one from "Unhalfbricking", a fine alternate version of "A Sailor's Life" and the catchy 1970 single "Now Be Thankful". In 1972 Thompson released his first solo album "Henry the Human Fly", which unfortunately did not sell very well. A shame as the album ranks with the very best of his albums; this the 3 tracks from the album here clearly document. Most of my favourite Thompson recordings come from the period when he worked with his wife Linda. The duo released 6 albums during 1974-82, all of which are represented here; even the two hard to find Chrysalis albums "First Light" and "Sunny Vista". These two albums are often considered their weakest, but a song like "Strange Affair" is simply moving. Great to have the song here. Thompson's later solo albums vary quite a lot in style and approach, but his strong influence by traditional British folk shines through on most songs. With a 52 pages booklet with liner notes from Greil Marcus, a fine biography by Leslie Berman and detailed information about each track, this makes a great introduction to one of Britain's finest guitarists and songwriters of at least three decades.
	Fairport Convention - Leige & Lief
	"Classic Folk-Rock!"	2007-06-03
"Liege and Lief" was Fairport's first album that was almost entirely inspired by traditional British music. The band had previously released 3 albums during a relatively short period of time, and the repertoire had been a mixture of pop, rock and American and British folk. In May 1969 after the recording of the previous album "Unhafbricking" the band had a terrible road accident which took the lives of drummer Martin Lamble and Richard Thompson's girlfriend Jeannie. Other band-members were injured in the crash and the group were close to splitting up, but with their wounds healing up they eventually decided to continue with new members Dave Swarbrick and Dave Mattacks. They did not want to perform their old material and needed a new direction and with inspiration from Ashley Hutchings and Sandy Denny they began digging into traditional Bristish folk music. In a Hampshire farmhouse they began rehearsing material for a new album which eventually became "Liege and Lief". The album inspired many other musicians to dig into traditional music and has now become a folk-rock classic and the album. The original 8 tracks are all great and this new release features two bonus tracks recorded during the same sessions. "Sir Patrick Spence" was later recorded by the next Fairport line-up, here you have the opportunity to hear an early version with lead vocals by Sandy Denny singing slightly different lyrics. The arrangement may be less tight than the "Full House" version, but still a great addition to a timeless album. The other "new" track is a droning version of "Quiet Joys of Brotherhood" which Sandy later recorded several times and released on her second solo-album. Though most of the material is traditional, there are a couple of originals written by Richard Thompson; and they both stand out. "Crazy Man Michael" ( co-written by Swarbrick ) and "Farewell Farewell" were always favourites - "Farewell Farewell" sound much better than on the original vinyl album. An often overlooked song, "The Deserter", was actually the song that got me into the band; a great tune beautifully sung by Sandy Denny.
	Dusty Springfield - Dusty in Memphis [UK Bonus Tracks]
	"A Classic Album!"	2007-02-17
Buying this album under the impression of "Son of a Preacher Man" may lead to slight disappointment. The other ten tracks may at first seem pretty mainstream pop with their heavily ( in some cases ) orchestred arrangements. Give the album a second chance and soon more tracks will stand out. "Breakfast in Bed" was the second song that really appealed to me; great song and vocals and in fact the arrangement isn't really that different from "Preacher Man" Songwriting team Jerry Goffin and Carole King supplied 4 of the eleven tracks, and apart from "So Much Love" they all stand out; especially the closing track "I Can't Make it Alone". Other favourites are Randy Newman's Just One Smile" and the opener "Just a Little Lovin". The album really deserves its status a classic!
	The Hollies - Evolution
	"A Hit and Miss Album!"	2007-02-12
"Evolution" was the first of two Hollies albums released in 1967. The band did a lot of experimenting in those years, both in songwriting and arrangements. Some of it worked, some of it didn't. "Butterfly" is often hailed as their finest and most consistent, whereas "Evolution" suffers from being anything but consistent. The songwriting is more or less on par with "Butterfly", but some arrangements in various degrees ruin the songs. Worst is the "underwater" effect put on Graham Nash's voice on "Lullaby to Tim". It could have been a great track, but as it is, it's almost unlistenable. I have often wondered if a version with unruined vocals exists. The distorted guitars put on the opening track "The the Heartaches Begin" and "Have You Ever Loved Somebody", give a forced feeling that does not help the songs, which are really good Hollies songs. The Searchers proved that "Have You Ever Loved Somebody" even had hit-potentials. Enough negative words said, because there are plenty of succesful tracks that make the album quite enjoyable after all. Like on the previous album all songs were written by Clarke, Hicks and Nash and Allan Clarke and Graham Nash more or less share the lead vocals with Tony Hicks joining in on choruses etc. "Stop Right There" is a nice quiet Graham Nash ballad; fine violin solo. Nash also takes the lead vocals on one of the big highlights on the album "When Your Lights Turned On"; classic up-beat Hollies with great guitars and harmonies. The nostalgic "Ye Olde Toffee Shop" featuring harpsichord is quite charming, but no more. On "Games We Play" Clarke and Nash share the lead vocals. Incredible that this song was not released as a single. Extremely catchy with funny ( naive ) teenage lyrics. Allan Clarke demonstrates his powerful vocals on several tracks such as "You Need Love" and "Leave Me". "Water on the Brain" is another example; a song which also features a charming trombone solo. So all in all you could call it a hit and miss album, mostly hits! By the way, this review refers to the British version of the album.
	The Verve - Urban Hymns
	"A Brit-Pop Classic"	2007-01-13
I think the Verve's final album "Urban Hymns" from 1997, must be regarded as one of the finest of the early brit-pop movement 1993-97. Lead-singer and main song-writer Richard Ashcroft delivers some outstanding pop-ballads to the album, which sadly became the final. I have not heard their early album in their whole, but it's my impression that this album is significantly different; not as hard-rcoking and more acoustic. The opener and world-wide hit "Bittersweet Symphony" is a great song built up around a string-loop based on the old Rolling Stones song "The Last Time". Jagger and Richards are also credited as songwriters, which I find very generous of the band, as you have to listen very carefully to notice any similarities to the old Stones song. The other stand-outs on the album are mostly quiet songs with the acoustic guitar and Ashcroft's vocal in front. The brilliant "Sonnet" belongs to this cathegory; as does the other hit-single off the album "The Drugs Don't Work" - beautiful and sad. "Lucky Man" is yet another example. Slightly harder is "Space and Time" which is melodic and which has a great hook and chorus. "Velvet Morning" and "Good Day" are other solid songs. The rest of the album I tend to find slightly forgettable. Some songs simply go on for too long, while others just sound like unnecessasy fillers. Considering the long playingtime of the album (app. 70 minutes ), I think the album would have made a much stronger general impression if some of these tracks had been left out. A big shame if people lose interest before reaching "Lucky Man" and "Velvet Morning". Still a great album, though!!
	The Byrds - Younger Than Yesterday
	"Byrd Changes!"	2007-01-06
This, the fourth album from the Byrds, is often regarded as their strongest. This is mostly a matter of taste and opinion, but considering that most Byrds albums are great and near-masterpieces, it's not really that interesting if a particular is hailed as the best, the second best or third best. This is a great album and an intersting one in several respects. For the first time the Byrds made an album without contributions from their original main-songwriter, Gene Clark. Clark had already left the band after the second album, but he is actually featured on "Fifth Dimension" as song-writer and possibly also playing on some tracks. His absence gave place for a very interesting rise of bass-player Chris Hillman, who suddenly became the most prolific song-writer of the Byrds. Contributing four first-class songs, and four co-written with McGuinn ( 2 of them bonus-tracks ) his importance on his album obviously is immense. "Have You Seen Her Face" was even chosen as a single, and though it did not fare very well (#74), it's one among many standouts on the album. Great guitars and vocals. "Time Between" is just as strong, and interestingly featuring future Byrd-member Clarence White on his easily recognizeable guitar. He's also featured on the short but nice "The Girl With No Name" On the Beatles inspired "Thoughts and Words" McGuinn delivers some great psychedelic guitar-licks. Hilmann sing lead on his own songs and Crosby is delivering some breathtaking high pitch harmony vocals. David Crosby is also showing strengths as a song-writer. Whereas Hillman's songs are mostly up-beat, Crosby's are mid-tempo or ballads. Strongest songs here from Crosby are "Everybody's Been Burned" and "Renaissance Fair" ( co-written with McGuinn). He also delivers the album only miss, the atonal time-piece "Mind Gardens". Vocally usual lead-vocalist Roger McGuinn is up-front on the hit-singles ( #29 & #30 ) "So You Want to Be a Rock'n Roll Star" and Bob Dylan's "My Back Pages". Both great tracks; the former a satirical comment to the music-industry and the latter is classic Byrds with 12-strings and out-standing vocals. The bonus-track are mostly nice additions. Crosby's "It Happens Each Day" would have been a nice swop for the weak "Mind Gardens". The rare B-side "Don't Make Waves" is interesting though unsignificant. The other B-side "Old John Robertson" is much better. An different version was included on the band's next album "The Notorious Byrd Brothers". Crosby's flop A-side "Lady Friend" does not really sound like anything the Byrds recorded before. Big, slightly chaotic production. Some fans consider the song an over-looked masterpiece. At any rate, the album as a whole is one the greatest and most important records that was released in 1967.
	Sixpence None The Richer - Sixpence None The Richer
	"A Little Folk and a Little Pop!"	2006-11-23
This was the big breakthough album of Six Pence None the Richer. Containing the two big hit-singles "Kiss Me" and "There She Goes Again" the album obviously had good chances of making it. The opening track "We Have Forgotten" was the first track that stirred my attention; sounding very folkish I was very certain that this was a new British folk-act - later when checking the band out on the internet I found out I was wrong and that this was really and American band led by singer Leigh Nash and songwriter/guitarist Matt Slocum. The extremely catchy and commercial "There She Goes Again" was the song that convinced me that this band was worth seeking out - a little Blondie, a little of the Cardigans but the voice of lead singer Leigh Nash also had something unique about it. "There She Goes Again" was actually a cover of a song recorded by the La's, which is also great, but for me this version is The version. Besides the commercial "Kiss Me" other tracks that deserve being brought forward are two other folkish tunes "Anything" and "Easy to Ignore" ( featuring a great violin part ). Towards the end the album loses a little steam, and some songs seem a little pale compared to the great song in the first half of the album. Still a great album that puts itself somewhere between folk and pop.