Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights

Kate Bush is something of an abnormality. A female pop singer, with artistic integrity and an ability to avoid the celebrity lifestyle! Kate Bush burst onto the scenes in the late seventies with her trademark high-pitched voice, combining pop music with prog style pretensions. Needless to say, she's great!

Wuthering Heights is Bush's most well known release, put out there in 1977. A piano opens the track up, with Kate's vocals soaring overhead, passionate and high pitched. The track builds up, we get a nice slow beat for the chorus and remainder of the song. Her voice is almost ghostly in this track, kinda hovering above the music, it totally carries the track though. This song really struck out from the usual disco/rock that were taking the lead at the time, bringing a beautiful melody to the public's ears, the guitar solo at the end reflecting it and fading out.

The B side is Kite, using a lighthearted playful beat and a more unconventional vocal approach to Bush's singing. There's something child-like about this song, which recalls Kevin Ayers or early Syd barrett, and again reflects prog rock in it's dense instrumentation, and it's ability to avoid a definate genre, whilst certain rythmic motiffs recall seventies fusion.

This really is a great little single, two solid tracks and a remarkable singer. It's definately one that I'd recommend for any music fan.

GIG REVIEW - Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting paradiso U.F.O - Corsica Studios, 22/10/12

AMT from left: Tsuyama Atsushi, Tabata Mitsuru, Higashi Hiroshi, Shimura Koji & (not pictured) Kawabata makoto

Round the back end of Elephant And Castle in London is this lovely little place, Corsica Studios, having seen AMT play there last year, I knew it would be a good show again. So I was excited, happiness increased when another person in the queue told me that she had seen them a few nights before hand and still had ear troubles. The sign of a good heavy gig!
It's worth saying at this point that Acid Mothers Temple are a very... VERY loud band. It's not just loud like a metal band, but in that it really works for the music and the audio cacophony creates such amazing sensations.

 

Hey Colossus! the support act. Very heavy.

The support band was Hey Colossus! a really heavy rock band, combining elements of grunge and thrash with a Hawkwind style chugging of repetitive riffage pounding into this psychedelic experience. The shouted vocals were pretty difficult to hear over the amped guitars but was audible enough to add extra texture. Also nice use of a tape machine to get this background droning going throughout the tracks. Apparently the Spice girls used to do something similar with Posh Spice. Anyways they were a cool introduction and you could tell that there was definately energy and passion in their playing. Good band.

The Groovemaster Generals, Acid Mothers Temple!

Of course, Acid mothers Temple & The Melting Paradiso U.F.O came on and the crowd blew up electric. Quiet glissando drones, spacey synths, latino cool, comedy lyrics, heavy riffage, peace glasses, burning guitars, it's all there. Shimura Koji kept a perfectly steady beat throughout, definately one of the hardest working drummers around. They played an impressive set including my two favourite psyche tracks and ATM live stalwarts, Pink lady Lemonade and the Om Riff(a cover of Gong's epic Master Builder). It was like heaven, the constant beat, the sheer energy, the ultimate speed guitar. Pink Lady Lemonade really set into groove with the repeating melody, lifting you up into the stars ready for blastoff, and then when Kawabata Makoto  hit the first note of the solo, it was like orgasmic joy as he charted us off through the galaxies, leading into the meditative force of the Om Riff, using Daevid Allen's Iao Chant to help secure the powerful force within the track before letting off into an impressive display of awareness of the cosmic sounds. Tracks included a bizarre doo-wop inspired jam, and a lovely call and response section between Kawabata and Tsuyama Atsushi, showing a band having fun at what they do. You could feel the whole world shake from the volume, and being about 2 metres away from the amps, I got it full blast to the point where it actually started to physically hurt towards the end of the gig. It was fantastic.

Of course, the show ended with them upping the tempo and the volume even more, and Kawabata Makoto setting fire to his guitars whilst playing them, smashing them and chucking into the crowd.
But of course, one can't neglect Higashi Hiroshi's mastery of the synth, creating a constant feeling of otherworldlyness throughout their set, and Tabata Mitsuro's charisma and ability to play a damn fine tune (and awesome glasses!)

As you'd expect me to say, seeing as they are one of my favourite bands, whenever you can, go see Acid Mothers Temple!

Apologies for current slow updates

hey there people!
I've been working a lot, and working on my music a lot lately, so I've not been having too much time to do any reviews or random rants about Jazz. So if you're wondering why it's going to be slow, this is why. Though sometime this week there may be a gig review, as Acid Mothers Temple are playing in London tonight and so naturally, I will be there. Also the inevitable deafness that such a gig will induce will result in reviews becoming hard!
So yeah, that's something to look forward to.

Peace and love!

Eddy Grant - I Don't Wanna Dance

Eddy Grant is one of them living music legends. A Reggae superstar, fine fine songwriter, producer, owner of his own label and political activist, the man's like a beast. Grant was the frontman for early Reggae/pop group The Equals in the sixties, and despite a solo career throughout the seventies, it wouldn't be until 1982, where he would get his big smash hit, I Don't Wanna Dance.

It opens up with the chorus over a really chilled and sweet reggae beat embeleshed by some eighties synthy. It follows this standard rhythm throughout, keeping it subtle and not building up for the chorus, letting you just stay with the groove. There's a pretty cool short fuzz guitar solo, reminding me of those in Kevin Ayers' albums. The track trails off with a repeating of the song's title. All in all, it's a short sweet song over a nice chill beat.

For the B side, we get an accapella rendition of I Don't Wanna Dance, which is a bit misleading, as it includes percussion, echoed production. It's more kinda like a dub-lite version to be honest, and it still stands strong as a good track, aided by the shortness of the song, it does work.

Basically, I love Reggae, and I love Eddy Grant, so I also love this. Even if I didn't, I'd still like this, it's just one of those songs that you can't fault. Simplistic yet utterly enjoyable.

Toyah - Thunder In The Mountains

Associated with punk, I never really gave Toyah a chance, even when I heard that she was married to Robert Fripp (one of my guitar idols), but it turns out, she's more like a died-hair loud Kate Bush sort. Good songs, bright hair, and quite an allright voice.

Thunder In The Mountains kicks right off with a groove, and faux-gothic chancing. Toyah's singing kicks right in for the verse, which then builds up to the chorus which is pretty epic rock, over a nice groove. It's very eighties, in style, production, sound and structure, but works well, a solid song. The little faux-gothic flourishes add character onto what could be just a usual Blondie-like pop-punk production. Punk's own Kate Bush.

The second side is Street Addict, and as usual for songs of a similar title, I get the feeling that Toyah is singing about this romanticised view of the underworld. We get a bass line bringing us in, keeping the track minimal and with a haunting sound. Toyah sings over the top, in a reverbed effect, again there's this goth-rock sound, mixed in with a punk and pop sound. The chorus is denser but still keeps it pretty minimal. It's an allright song, just a bit dull compared to the A side.

Well, it's a neat little single for you to pick up and enjoy. It changed my opinion on her, and who knows, it may change yours too!

Frank Zappa - Broadway The Hard Way

I was unsure about whether I'd write a Zappa review on this blog, because the love and respect I have for the man and his musical vision is so pronounced that it can be hard, ney, impossible, to remove any bias. Oh well...

Picture the scene, it's the late eighties, Frank has assembeled a fresh band of virtuoso musicians and is touring once again, aided by a Synclavier synthesiser (a proper one, not one of those Casio keyboards). The political scene in the US has shifted heavily towards a theocracy, and with more corruption appearing in the news every day, Frank tours, with new material and old, always keeping an ear towards the news, always changing the music to reflect the reality of the time. This is Frank Zappa's farewell tour, this is one of three albums taken from his '88 tour. This is Broadway The hard Way!

Side 1 opens with Elvis Has Left the building, a mock religious theme with a soft-rock rhythm. reflecting southern state country rock. The trck features random and humerous sound effects emphasising it's inherent stupidity. As you can guess, this track is about Elvis residing up there in heaven, and features such a deliberately cheesy melody while lyrically tearing down the cult of Elvis and also absurd religious views. Next, Frank takes us to the Planet Of The Baritone Women, a satirical look at the powersuit wearing women of eighties pop music. This track reflects the unusual Broadway influence which encroached on Zappa's music during his Thing Fish project. Bobby Martin treats us to some fantastic vocal technique in true musical style. It can be seen as an anti-feminist track, but that is to ignore the contrived nature of that pop scene. This idea is followed through with Any Kind Of Pain, which features on the manufactured, powdered, puffed up glamour star, the young blonde who is there to look pretty and do nothing else. Again there is a distinct musical feel to this track, it is painfully eighties, yet Ike Willis' singing really carries it with a sense of soul. It features several Zappa music tropes such as short sections of staccato arps, a totally slick liquid guitar solo, and a band comfortable enough to play around. Frank often said that he thought this was the best, most capable band he'd toured with (despite an ongoing conflict between several members, which forced him to abandon the tour) and the tightness of the playing here really shows why. They are totally at ease, which allows Frank to play an amazing solo, totally at ease. Confinement Loaf, Stupidity, Sex, Drugs, all the Zappa lyrical motiffs make an appearance here, all we're missing out on is poodles!

Side 1 ends with Jesus Thinks your A Jerk, which is Zappa at his most playful, yet also most serious. A child-like southern psuedo-religious rock sound starts the track, describing the sauded activities of those at the top of the Republican party, the corruption and religious extremism which has made the party a very dangerous bunch, which has extra relevance now, with Mitt Romney's rather... discriminatory outlook to middle eastern politics. The playful tune of this track doesn't belittle the subjects covered, infact it helps emphasise the absurdity of the religious right, and the rather simplistic mentality that they possess. The track makes it's first shift, towards kinda lounge jazz whilst talking about guns and the NRA, and the hipocrasy it involves, before returning to the bouncing rhythm and some of the more disturbing lyrics Zappa has sung, the muisc merges into a 'Twilight Zone' section, whilst we're treated to a nice mini-lecture about Pat Robbertson's rather evil nature (I dislike the words good and evil, but really... the guy is fucking hideous!). and we get this lounge-jazz Twilight Zone style thing which reminds me of the music from The Starlight Zone from the first Sonic The Hedgehog game.  The track gets rather eighties and uses the 'aspiration pop' cliches whilst talking about how bad it would be if Pat Robbertson got into power. We get this melody to end with, featuring Old Rugged Cross and the old Zappa stalwart, Louie Louie, before the Broadway style ending before the intermission (or changing of sides...). This track is Frank at his most preachey, however he is a beast and hits the nail on the head with every point mentioned. While musically, it lacks the complex hooks of other tracks, it maintains a great sound throughout and manages to tackle a disturbing subject matter with his usual lack of subtlety yet holds on throughout.

Zappa was well known for being at the cutting edge of current affairs, and able to always bring it into his music, though for some reason, Side 2 is the first appearance of a longstanding track, Dikie's Such An Asshole(sincerely Dick, we mean it), a live favourite since the early seventies! Not that it's a bad track by any means. We get some talking to start it off, and an explination of confinement loaf. Dickie's such an Asshole is not a bad song by any means, and features some of the complex runs and musical motiffs found in Zappa's earlier work, but adapted to suit the newer (much larger) band. Anyways it's about Richard Nixon (Tricky Dicky) and his rather controversial use of the FBI and related organisations. Just y'know, it's kinda at odds with the other material since it is not that contemporary(despite the appearance of confinement loaf), and so feels more dated. The guitar solo however is as razor sharp as usual, Zappa showing how to really let loose without being a technical virtuoso. The next track is When The Lie's So Big, another preachy track, yet one that I think really works despite being utterly eighties. Willis' soulful again really plays to the epic grand scope of the song/subject. Critiquing the Republican's and in particular, Pat Robertson, using the impressive brass section to really punctuate the points. This track covers America's transformation into a theocracy and the lies targeted towards the population. It also covers a few different musical ideas using them effectively as the lyrics dictate. Good track.

The preaching continues with Rhymin' Man, using an ol' southern musical twang to describe the Republicans, and the lies and scheming of the conservatives. Total conspiracy fun, whilst ending every point with different musical licks and ideas, allowing the fun of the music to come to the fore, and again show the absurdity of the situation. A nice quotation of The Knack's My Sharona helps keep a sense of rhythm and beat to propel the track towards the conclusion. The next track, Promiscuous describes the Republican's rather unintelligent view of sexuality and STI's such as AIDs, however it's done rather embarassly in this really naff rapping, which clearly lacks the energy of the masters such as NWA and Public Enemy. The idea of a CIA created illness to cull the African population however is thouroughly terrifying and would sound absurd if not backed up by official documents. The album ends with a cover of The Untouchables theme, with added lyrics about, you guessed it, Republicans. In particular their corruption and strange ways of doing things. Again it's one of the weaker tracks on the album but ends it with a listing of the exceptional band members.

It's a good album, about half the length of the CD release (which is a whole different beast and a dense package of so many musical ideas). Many people dislike Frank's late eighties work, but I think it works so well as a resurgence of his political venom which helped make him such a historic figure during the sixties. It's not a MUST HAVE, and by no means his best work, but difinately it's good and solid and has an actual purpose/meaning. A document of it's time for sure.

Twisted Sister - I Am(I'm Me)

Twisted Sister... well known for prettymuch being the extreme arse-end of eighties heavy metal, with drag makeup so thick that even KISS would think twice. It was a deliberate image, to seperate themselves from the prettyboy feel of Motley Crue and Poison, though musically they remain forever locked in the halls of eighties genericness. Though I Wanna Rock, is actually alright.

The A Side, I Am Me(I'm Me) opens up with typical power chord and throbbing rhythm, getting more heavier at the chorus, but it's ultimately weak and un-threatening. Like an old style Andrew WK but without his ironic party themes. there's something soft and Brian Adams-y about the music on this. The solo continues with a very out of tune play on the melody but doesn't help the track at all, Twisted Sister are terrible. When you make Slade seem as threatening of Judas Priest, you know you've messed up.

Talking about the Priest, this single's B-Side, Sin After Sin, takes it's title from their third album (and easily one of the best metal albums ever released), Sin After Sin. Just here we lack the class of Let Us Pray or the sheer anger of Dissident Aggression, it's a live heavy track, and yeah it is heavier than the A Side, but is still ultimately cheesy as camembert. Faux-thrash metal mixed in with eighties arena rock to produce just a very VERY FUCKING ANNOYING track, like, imagine The Damned trying to play Led Zepplin. It's that bad.

Ultimately, Twisted Sister are best forgotten, a guff of anal vapour on the stairway of musical history. It's not a good single, not by a long shot.

Michael Jackson - Black or White

The crowned prince of pop, Michael Jackson has had... let's just say... a little bit of a successful pop career. He's become one of the most famous figures in the world, and his face is perhaps the most easily unidentifiable (for many obvious reasons). Tracks such as Billie Jean, Beat It, Thriller... the list is endless even when we don't include his hits in the fantastic Jackson 5!) In the years before his death, Jackson was plagued with allegations that he was a card carrying member of the Gary Glitter fan club, but this blog is not here to discuss somebody's perverse sex life, it's here to talk about the hypocrisy of releasing a song stating 'It Doesnt' matter if you're black or white' whilst selecting your own skin colour from a Dulux paint chart.
Ok, ok, It's not! I'll just talk about the song. Happy now? Got it.

Side A is Black Or White, starting with some sound effects before locking into the Prince-like groove, a funky beat and Michael comes in singing. It repeats itself, like, it's quite a boring song to be honest. The groove is not enough to carry itself over constant repetitions like a P-Funk groove. We get a bit of a harder electric section and rap by Bill Bottrell, but it's all superficial, and just feels like jumping on the trend. This really is a sign of the times, where jacko had become a parody of himself, and this song really doesn't hold well when compared to tracks like Beat It or Thriller.

Side B is an instrumental version, and to be honest, it just really emphasises how musically boring this track is, and without a proper solid groove, it's even hard to dance to. Nothing more to say really.

This is Michael Jackson trying to take Prince on, but without the intelligence or carisma of the man's music. It comes out as shallow, superficial and just extremely boring. Jacko had achieved such great heights in the eighties, but after you reach the mountain's peak, the only way is down, and Jacko seemed to have banged on a couple of rocks on his way down(musically speaking... though it would explain away his need for surgery!) I would say it's one of Michael's worst songs... but then I remember The Earth Song, and (shudder) Scream, and I think again.

That's Jazz!

Miles Davis, one of the biggest inspirations in my life!

So, yesterday, I was browsing through the music stand at my local Tuesday market, I had already picked up four LPs and just as I was about to pay, I noticed one more box to flick through. The owner (who looked like a combination of Seasick Steve and Worzel Gummage) of the stand said to me in an almost dismissive tone 'That's Jazz!', as if a mid-twenty-something guy wouldn't know what Jazz is. The way he said it was like, it's a forbidden secret, something alchemical, and supernatural. Something you have to know about to like...

Which is pretty absurd, I got into Jazz without knowing anything about it. I didn't know who the stars are, I couldn't tell (or even know of) the difference between Bebop and Cool. Obviously though, as time went on, and my interest in Jazz grew, I've become reasonably knowledgeable about it. I can't list exactly who played in Charlie Parker's band in 1945 for sure, but that isn't that relevant to enjoying the music.

However, what is true is that there is a sense of alchemy to Jazz, in how it draws such base elements together, and creates gold from air. Jazz is dangerous, especially as it became more about personal interpretation, experience and improvisation, 'the moment', it became a right dark world. By the fifties, drugs and Prostitutes were used as payment more than cash, many legends had already set their life on a final crash course, and many would die young. However from this darkness comes the ultimate expression, the way out, the now institutionalised view of the Jazz performer, being at one on the stage, the music is the escape and the raison d'être. Billy Holiday dealt with much trouble in her life, yet propelled the art of singing into such alien territory, the voice as sheer emotion. Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Eric Dolphy, Chet Baker and so many more were either briefly or long-lasting drug addicts, yet took music beyond what could be expected. Miles Davis himself was a one-man revolution!

Sun Ra took Jazz to the reaches of space,
and he never came back down.

While Jazz did become infiltrated by the commercial sector, and even men like Miles Davis would produce sub-par albums for the cash (these would flitter around during the fifties, but by the sixties and seventies, he was the living embodiment of artistic integrity), many leading figures would still create such earth-shattering works of spirituality. Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz was a quest for a new music, looking back into the history of 'black music' whilst surging forwards with such energy that those who didn't follow through were often left drifting in the cold dark space of irrelevance. Through it, he managed to perfectly secure the sound of the times, the anarchy and chaos of America's racial situation, and the search for a new 'Black Identity'. John Coltrane took his art to further heights, the saxophone becoming almost a direct connection to the spiritual world, the world of pure feeling and emotion, free of earthly baggage. An idea which was surpassed only by Sun Ra, the all loving angel from the planet Saturn, one of the original Moog players, and a conduit to true cosmic energy. His band, the 'Arkestra' were themselves used as a great big instrument by Sun Ra, whose out of this world Jazz would eventually influence the emergence of psychedelic rock.

There is a wide dismissal of Jazz particularly amongst the white middle class (who may perhaps have a Wynton Marsalis or Kenny G CD because it makes them feel oh so cultured because they like 'jazz' with a lowercase j), many comedians will make jokes about Jazz and it's experimental nature, as if it's an embarassing footnote in the history of music. Ultimately though, this comes from the reactionary attitudes of the white elite during the height of the American civil rights movement. The more violent and oppressive the elite got, the more expressive and experimental Jazz got, the darker, edgier and  painful the situation, the harsher, more aggresive, experimental Jazz got, to express these feelings. Unfortunately, the cultural baggage was put down and has stayed there. You just know that whenever somebody uses the phrase 'experimental jazz', they haven't listened to any of it.

Billie Holiday, singing with a voice
straight from the heart

Ultimately, my love of Jazz is prettymuch infinite, and I feel like it's one of the 21st century's greatest mistakes that Jazz is being left as this mouldy old music from the past, to be viewed like Bach and Vivaldi. Jazz is true music from the soul, it's influence is around everywhere, and it's feelings of individuality and expression are far more relevent now in our world of corporate and commercial mundanity. In a world where people think that tweeting about their breakfast is the height of individual expression, we need Jazz more than ever. It's powerful stuff, it's beautiful and ugly, dangerous yet loving, free yet oppressive, personal yet impossibly cosmic. Young people should not be discouraged from listening to Jazz, it should be encouraged, and hopefully it can earn it's place as the most pure form of expression around.

Gary Numan - We Are Glass

Electro pop would be forever relegated to the zone of 'geeky post-punk curiosity' without Gary Numan. The man came out of nowhere, took the style and brought it kicking and screaming into the mainstream world, whilst still never leaving his integrity behind. Numan would continue to play around within the music, creating intricate sounds and pieces which are so perfectly balanced that they would shatter like glass if even the slightest sound were changed. So it's kinda right for my first Numan review to be We Are Glass.

The A side it We Are Glass, it takes us in with a repetitive beat, and a cool alien symth sound, with Numan comming right in with the lyrics virtually bouncing around the music. The track has a more energetic and liquid feel compared to Cars, a more standard tune really boosted up by it's synths which add a real energy to it, and along with the galloping rhythm guitars, help propell it forward into the future.

The next is a cover of Erik Satie's Trois Gymnopedies (1st Movement), using the synth to give Satie's trademark dissonant melodies an even more ghostly and haunting feel. This reminds me very much of Mort Garson's early electronica. I'm quite a fan of Gymnopedies (learning it on guitar :D , so this track really speaks to me, and it's just so cool that Numan decided to have it as the B side, like, polar opposite of the first track. It carries such emotion and alienation with it.

So here we have two solid tracks on one solid piece of plastic. A great single from a great songsmith!

Fine young Cannibals - Johnny Come Home

Born out of Two Tone ska legends, The Beat, Fine Young Cannibals (or FYC if you're lazy like me) managed to combine rock, ska and soul together to form a unique sound which fortunately proved successful. Their music has a very down to earth and real feel, providing a true example of British life, everyday life. Johnny Come Home was FYC's debut single, and a suprise hit. It's also a damn good song.

The A side, Johnny Come Home, revolves around a guy running away from home to start a new life, but things don't always turn out well. A bouncy beat and a jazzy trumpet solo take us into the track, and Gift's voice takes us in. The chorus is quite early in the song, it's a very moody yet bouncy soul-like chorus. The verses are very ska, showing a connection to The Beat, and we get treated to a jazz soloette before returning to the verse. Like I said, damn good song.

The B side is called Good Times And Bad, a running drum beat takes us into the track, a nice rhythm, with voice samples over the top, combining dub stylings with a pop-rock sensibility, similar to what Fun Boy Three did on Funarama. It's got a good head moving beat, yet still melancholic. Kinda out of place, yet working, some violin appears towards the end, giving it an epic feel before it fades to silence.

As you can guess, this is a remarkable single and much recommended. I got it in a charity shop in a bundle of 10 singles for £5, so it's proof that you've gotta keep your eyes peeled!

COMPILATION SPECIAL #2!

ok, so here's three more groovy compilation albums, today with a more electic taste. I think we can say that these compilation specials occur when I wake up with a hangover! I need proper focus for a regular review, but these are short and sweet.
Today's involve Daevid Allen, Funkadelic and Miles Davis:

Daevid Allen: The Man From Gong The best Of Daevid Allen

Daevid Allen is widely regarded as a musical genius, and rightfully so. From Soft Machine to Gong to a successful solo career and collaborations with Acid Mothers Temple, Daevid has never stopped experimenting and playing with his own unique world of music. This little CD serves as an excellent introduction to the man, with highlight tracks such as Floatin' Anarchy (with Planet Gong), Why Do We Treat Ourselves Like We Do, and the post-punk excitement of Pearls and Bananareggae, you'll get a glimpse at an eccentric genius from another planet. His discography is vast, and you should all dive in!

Funkadelic: You Got The Funk We Got The Funk

2 CDs of pure Funkadelic, what can go wrong? Featuring trademark tracks One Nation Under A Groove, Electric Spanking Of War Babies and Maggot Brain, you know this disc is for true funksters only. George Clinton propelled Funk into a new territory during funkadelic's early albums in the seventies, and this sampler shows us the more refined P-Funk sound of the second half of that decade, grooves in total control, and an excellent tightness in the playing, whilst still staying true to the mothership. Also included are two instrumental versions of previously mentioned tracks, which are just perfect for sampling or backing tracks for jams. A good introduction to these crazy mothas.

Miles Davis: The Very Best Of Miles Davis The Warner Bros. Sessions 1985 - 1991

It's a widely held (and widely inaccurate) opinion, that Miles Davis' eighties work is cold, clinical and lacks the emotion and skill of his previous work. This is a total fallacy. Here we have a true artist going against the contemporary jazz scene (which became dominated by the 'mouldy figs' such as Wynton Marsalis, during the eighties, and still stays true to this day) and carrying on experimenting. Hip Hop production techniques brought Davis down to a real street level, enigmatic playing brought a new unease to his music, and his rendition of Time After Time turns a good pop song into a truely emotive jazz standard, and one of my favourite recordings of all time. Pure emotion that literally brings me to tears everytime I hear it. Tracks such as Chocolate Chip, Mystery, Amandla and Summertime show how Miles took jazz in new and exciting directions whilst also creating new interpretations of classic standards. A great introduction to a much misunderstood period of a great musician.

So here you go, three good compilation albums which can expand your musical understanding. The Miles Davis disc (the first of his I got) had such a profound influence on me as a young guitarist that I still try to model my playing on his horn blowing. I'd say get em all.

COMPILATION SPECIAL!

Ok, this one is different. Compilation albums don't really require the depth of a real review, since they are literally just a collection of songs, and unless specially mixed/edited to form a new album (such as Hawkwind's Roadhawks or Bowie's All Saints) treat each component as an individual. So here's three compilation albums to enjoy!

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Legend

More people know of this album than any of Marley's albums proper. We get all the classic tracks here, No Woman no Cry(this live version is outstanding), Buffalo Soldier, I Shot The Sheriff etc, etc. As you can expect, these are all great songs, and this is a perfect introduction into the world of Tuff Gong. Chilled reggae grooves by a man who has something to say, a true icon and a true legend. The disc's title says it all. A total MUST HAVE!

Lee Perry - Reggae Genius 20 Upsetter Classics

It'd always be hard to come up with a good compilation for this man, producing so many reggae classics and introducing the world to dub, Lee 'Scratch' Perry is a true genius. Highlights include The Return Of Django and I Chase The Devil, this album focuses far more on his straight reggae side. We get some lovely phased effects on the tracks but nothing as bizzare as his dub work, there's no Super Ape Inna Jungle, here, which to be honest is a shame, but Disco Devil is still great. The fail to include Perry's dub works make this a difficult compilation to recommend. The music here is all outstanding, but it's just an incomplete compilation.

Madness - It's... Madness Too

As a previous single review may have hinted at, I am a massive Madness fan, always have been and always will be. This disk here in my hand is one I have owned since I was about seven years old! Thankfully it is not the standard 'greatest hits' style of compilation, missing out on tracks like Baggy Trousers and House Of Fun, instead we get some solid singles, and their great B-Sides. Stand out tracks are... man, these are all stand out tracks! Cardiac Arrest deserves special recognition though, a chart topping hit about a guy having a heart attack. Awesome. Anyways, this is a good collection of great songs, it doesn't contain all of Madness' best, but would still be a good introduction to the nutty boys.

Three compilation albums reviewed for the price of one!
This is also proof that I can write an album review in under 2,000 words.

Grace Jones - Slave to The Rhythm

Singer, Model, Actress, Gay Icon(I don't know either!?) Grace Jones is a pretty big figure, and an example of what was good about eighties fashion, even her amazonian beauty graced Roger Moore's last bond movie as the unforgettable Mayday. Her music is on the dance spectrum of all things, however is decent enough to listen on it's own without being in a club!(unlike modern dance music and dubstep, but I'll moan about that another time)

Track 1 starts with a nice chord sequence followed by Jones' deep voice, Slave To The Rhythm, before we get to a nice funk beat, with her singing pretty seductive. The chorus is pretty, I don't know, epic? is moves well with the song, and has an uplifting kinda density to it, which contrasts yet compliments the verses. Originally, this track was written for Frankie Goes To Hollywood, and is stylistically similar. All I can say though is that Grace Jones' voice is utterly powerful, and the music is electro-funky. It's a really good song, and you should give it a check.

The B Side is Annihilated Rhythm, starting with a clicking beat and just grooving along motorik style, the bass comes in, and we get some spoken word sections, and a chorus of one word, SLAVE! As a dance track, it carries on this beat and rhythm, as is pretty cool to listen to, like great background music.

So yeah, a good little single, and I'd say give it a try!

Robin Scott's M - Pop Muzik 1989 Remix

At the turn of the eighties, synthpop was taking over. David Bowie's Berlin Trilogy had lit the paper, and the subsequent explosion of electronic groups would create a trend and style which continues to this day. Synthesisers allowed music to become impersonal, allowing the creation of truly synthetic music. A beat, a groove that people could dance to, and that became all that matters (something Bowie himself would revisit in Let's Dance). In 1979, Robin Scott's M released Pop Muzik, which was a chart smash, in 1989, they would release a remix of it, let's see how both compare, as the A side is the remix, and the B Side is the original!

Fanfare opens up to the 1989 Pop Muzik remix, followed by it's trademark beat and chorus, taking us into the rap-like voice. The beat stays the same throughout the track, we get slight moments of synth plodding and twinkling and processed backing vocals. The track is definitely danceable, but that seems to really be it. Also the beat sounds very much like that of the Ghostbusters theme. The lead singing shows an almost comical lack of caring, it's just some fun.

Side B is the original Pop Muzik, opening up with a digital fanfare as opposed to the remix's one. The beat is more synthetic and synthy, the vocals exactly the same, the beat the same, just the track sounds flatter, due to the more earlier synth sounds. Again it's danceable and that's really it. Why they included this as the B side makes no sense, as very little has changed between the two versions.

So, All in all, a dance track and nothing more. I can imagine it was fun to bounce to back in it's day, but lacks the mega-compressed bass of modern dance tracks, so I doubt it would work well in today's nightclubs, unless it had megabass and the same dirty synth chords which're used on every track. In short, don't get it, it's dull.

John Barry & Monty Norman - The Best Of Bond

James bond movies have over the years become a British institution, outlasting both the cold war and a-ha! They represent an older time, and are movies filled with misogyny, violence and black/white morality, Bond starting out as an anti-hero in his earlier films, but by Diamonds Are Forever, a total dickhead. But anyways, the films tend to have quite apt music (apart from the previously mentioned film with a diamond orientation), and so this record was a total no-brainer. Filled with music from the first five films, Side A has Dr. No, From Russia With Love and Goldfinger, while Side B continues with Goldfinger, then features Thunderball and You Only Live Twice.

Doctor No opens up with the now legendary James Bond Theme, brass band meets surf guitar, it's as catchy as ever, and is a very masculine sound, really suiting the character, especially when it gets louder, and the brass really kicks in jazz style. After it ends, we get Kingston Calypso, a gentle island strumming and percussion, with flute leading us into three blind mice in a pre-reggae style, instantly creating a Caribbean atmosphere. The jazzy guitar solo is nice and smooth, rolling through the ears, and this naive sound works well in the film, playing over an assassination. The track fades out, and we get treated to Under The Mango Tree, a simple island style song, sung by Diana Coupland, Monty Norman's wife at the time. It has the familiar naive island theme, a sweet lyrical about love. It's hard to separate the song from the moment in the film where Ursella Andress comes up from the beach, and why would we want to?

We're now onto From Russia With Love, track one is the catchily titled Opening Titles-James Bond Is Back-From Russia With Love-James Bond Is Back. It opens with a harsh sudden horn blast, taking us into the smooth silky romantic melody of From Russia With Love, the violin plays with our silky ears oh so sweet, and then it melts into the James Bond theme and ends with a sudden flare of horn. The second track from this movie is The Golden Horn,  a gypsy themed track, introducing with a percussion loop that keeps going, and bringing us on with a playful upbeat repeating melody, loosing it's gypsy edge a bit and becoming more traditional, but still keeping the same melody. The next track is simply titled 007, a timpani beat followed by horn and drum, the brass and string kicks in, this is the signiture action scene used in most of the seventies Bond films, a nice hint of menace and adventure and romance in the melody, like a European version of the old wild west themes. We also get a nice call and response bit between the brass and string sections. Bond has the edge, and is on the winning team.

Now we're onto the Goldfinger section, opening up with Golden Girl, a haunting melody which pens up with some creeping bass notes punctuated with brass hits and multi-instrument swells. It's got the really strong sense of danger, and builds the tension up with it's irregular structure, Bond's out of luck for sure. The final track is Oddjob's Pressing Engagement, a reprise of the main Bond Theme, mixed in with the big brassy punch of the Goldfinger theme, which just hits the right note for an action-packed sound, and fades into a nice tense section, before punching back up again. The Goldfinger melody on it's own is really inspired, but how it melts with the Bond theme here is just class, and forms a perfect end to the first side of the record. Bond Back In Action Again kicks off the second side of the record and finishes off the Goldfinger section whilst providing a brilliant way to kick start tthe final half of the album. The Bond theme takes on a more tense edge, as Bond's clearly up to some work here, playing with the main Bond rhythm with some neat brass flourishes and espionage sounds.

Thunderball opens up with... Thunderball! Starting kinda jazzy, it takes us quickly into romantic schmaltz zone, with some not-at-all-subtle strings, the brass further accentuates this, while the background rhythm plays with notions of the Bond theme and the Thunderball theme at time, it is all submerged under the main music and the cocktail lounge piano meandering over the top. This really is jazz-lite and doesn't have the strength or convictions of previous tracks so far, choosing to live in the world of Muzak. Ewwww. The second Thunderball track is Death Of Fiona, a caribbean rhythm and simplistic brass melody take us into the track, unusually upbeat for a deathsong, the percussion gets louder and louder before prettymuch overtaking the main music, then suddenly the track gets violent and we see why it's a death song, harsh stabs at strings and brass and a heavy beat before returning to the bland main melody. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is the final Thunderball track, action, menace, loud brass hits, all are here! This combines Bond action music with jazz-lite, as the melody from the previous track makes a return, ruining the tension which was built up during the intro of the track. Later Bond movies would have a more successful jazz (and even funk) element to their background music.

The final movie on the record is You Only Live Twice, starting with Fight At Kobe Dock-Helga, which has some really good menacing sounds, keeping with Bond music tradition, the rhythm takes an influence from sixties beat music, while the main melody keeps with the Bond standards. The track punctuates with brass or string hits. The next track is Mountains And Sunsets, again, kinda tense, with some romantic strings layered over the top, and the main melody appearing. There's this faux-eastern sound to it, due to the film being set in Japan, but with random jazz trumpet, kinda weakens it. It's a schmaltzy track. The album ends with Bond Adverts World War Three, which is a pretty dramatic title! starting with the main You Only Live Twice melody with flourishes of harp and vaguely eastern sounding instruments, this continues the schmaltz before going all sinister, keeping a quiet melody plodding on, before the drama kicks in. The main melody is now sounding more menacing, a fake schmaltz. All in all, it's a soft track to end the record on, but after it ends, we get the Bond theme making a reappearance, the track hasn't ended! the drama kicks in! Bond is running out of luck, and has to fight as the brass hits start up, and the strings are suitably menacing!  The track builds up to a big splash and brings a menacing spacey melody into play, building up the tension, we feel like we're nearing WW3, but then the track ends after the build-up and we're done.

All in all, it's a good listen, I enjoy listening to it when reading. It's by no means a must-have but a proper curiosity, and does deserve a place in your collection.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax

A song perhaps as famous for it's controversy than for it's... well, being a song. Banned by the BBC after a radio DJ pulled the song off from his playlist, Relax began a steady climb to the top of the charts, becomming THE song of 1983. The band's open homosexuality and sexual edge was a key point in the advertising and promotion, and this song's quite obvious sexual theme entered (ooh err) musical legend. But despite all of the controversy and press, was this song good?

Relax starts with some dreamy electro chords and a throbbing rhythm, before comming to the chorus. We get a dancing beat, the chorus repeats, and we get that funky bass lick. Holly Johnson's singing is on top form throughout. We get some more instrumental sections which focus on the beat and rhythm, the vocals basically repeating the chorus. The synth sounds are very eighties, yet work with the music, which while keeping the same beat, is keen to frequently change the melody and has quite advanced dynamics for a pop song. Indeed, the music holds this up really well as a solid track worth listening to.

Track two, One September Monday, opens with general chitchat, stylistically recalling The Beatles, when a beat emerges over the top. It stays this way, effects occasionally effecting the vocal sound of the conversation. Aparently it was recorded while Paul and Holly were resting after a hard day in the studio. Making it a very interesting and weird track to feature on such a popular single. There's also something of Throbbing Gristle in this as well, how it creates this sickly other world and creates a sense of voyerism, in that we're listening in to a conversation we perhaps shouldn't be.

All in all, this is a good single, a classic A Side, and a unique B Side. It surpasses any media circus caused by the controversy, and survives on it's own as a little piece of music history. A good buy.

Duran Duran - Is There Something I Should Know?

 Before I begin, I'd like to apologise for the lack of updates recently, I've got some serious personal matters to deal with, and so naturally, the blog has taken a back seat, but I figured I need to get back on with it so...

Duran Duran, one of the most successful pop groups of the 80's, achieved a constant string of chart toppers, and even managed to sing the music for that James Bond movie, A View To A Kill. All while being named after a character from Barbarella. They're a stylish bunch of guys who managed to outlive the eighties and carry on, still writting good tunes. Is There Something I Should Know? jumped straight into the charts on release, but popularity is one thing, what about quality?

A synthy echoey eighties drum and chorus introduce is to the track, we're then taken for a ride via guitar and rhthym. We get some nice fat synth chords during the chorus, lyrically it's fluff, but it's kinda fun fluff, though Simon Le Bon carries it well. It's very very eighties, but you can tell it's influence on modern pop groups. The instrumental break slows the track down a bit, but carries on with the usual sounds, the chorus returns with more added synth goodness. As you can imagine, it fades to silence at the end. All in all, a fun pop track, nothing more.

More echoey drums take us into the instrumental track Faith In This Colour. It's a pretty damn cool track, a heavier synth focus, elements of Kraftwerk are brought in, and we get a kinda haunting sound mixed with dance sensibilities. One of the great things about these synth pop groups as that they would do lots of instrumental numbers, it was afterall, totally new music. We get lots of textures played over the repetative electric snare beat. It's a really good track.

So yeah, it's a neat little single and worth picking up.

David Bowie - Low

Low was a real watershed moment for popular music, would electronic music really work on a mainstream audience? Critics were confused, even his record company refused to let it count as part of his contractual obligation, yet it caused a storm on it's release, and ushered in a new age of a new kind of music, electronic pop. Low is one of the greatest and most important albums ever released, born out of desperation and alienation, it is Bowie's definitive artistic statement, and although many people consider it's follow up, Heroes, to be the better album, they're wrong. Heroes expands on what Bowie achieved on Low, and combined it with his more familiar sound, songs were fuller and more formed, but on Low, we had pure emotion. Snippets of information presented to us, lyrics presenting us with the essential facts and nothing more. A sense of bravery and experimentation flows throughout. This is the start of Bowie's 'Berlin Trilogy', and what a way to kick it off!

Bowie was at his end, having just starred in The Man Who Fell To Earth, he was addicted to cocaine and alcohol, he was empty and stressed, his marriage was in ruins and his career was over. Moving to Berlin with Iggy Pop in tow, to escape from his vices and renew himself, Bowie fully submerged himself in the Krautrock scene, Kraftwerk, Can, Neu! and so forth, and this was to inform his last chance, creating an album that's natural yet synthetic, inwardly depressive yet optimistic. With weird stories involving conflicts and confusion with his band, and a collaboration with the artistic Brian Eno, this album really shines and is in some respect a miracle. Mojo magazine has done numerous articles on the creation of and background to Low(including one in this month's issue!), so I'll leave it at that, and go just review the album. As you may have already guessed, I really like it!

Side A is mostly conventional music, starting with the instrumental Speed Of Life,  a motorik beat, repetitive rhythm, and a lead guitar really take us into alien territory, the lead synth gives us a hopeful melody. This is a decent upbeat song, combining Bowie's pop sensibilities with a noticeable Krautrock influence. The short and sweet nature really contrasts with the opening song of his previous album, Station To Station. A funky yet robotic bass guitar and an almost out of tune guitar take us into the second track, Breaking Glass, with lyrics inspired by a fight Bowie got himself in, we're told a story in snippets, and an acknowledgement of his own flaws. We get a neat synth sound throughout in places. It's a great, short, well written song which fades out, taking us into What In The World. With lyrics about 'a little world with grey eyes', this sounds the most 'Bowie' track on the album, with some great guitar, and the repetitive motorik beat still carrying on. The lyrics tell a story, yet still feel somewhat abstracted, and some occasionally out of time singing overlapped works brilliantly.

The hit single Sound And Vision takes us in with a pleasant guitar riff, funky bass and the same motorik drum beat. In true Krautrock style, it opens with an extended instrumental section, synth patterns and so on. It's a very upbeat piece involving sometimes undecipherable lyrics. He starts singling with the chorus and we're treated to some true abstract lyrics, this song is perhaps the true turning point on how the music is lifting out of his solitude and into a new world of colour and optimism. The next song is Always Crashing In The Same Car, which like Breaking Glass, is a very straightforward lyrical theme. Again, the same motorik beat, and some nice lead guitar work, some bubbling synths in the background over an instrumental section. Bowie really lets the groove work itself out here, the upbeat music contrasting his rather subdued and melancholy singing, but it just really works out. The solo is excellent in the psychedelic/prog style, really fitting into place. Next Bowie asks someone to Be My Wife, a cry for help during his fractious marriage which is disintegrating before his very eyes. The guitar is distorted and out of tune, the beat the same as before, the music dramatic. Our man's isolation and loneliness really comes out here, showing a search for belonging, a quest for love. A romantic way of dealing with a gruelling divorce case.  Again the guitar solo really kicks it in the bag, with equal melancholy and upbeatness. The first side ends with the instrumental A New Career In New Town, opening up with a sombre beat, and ghostly synth chords, it then kicks it up a not, bringing back the motorik beat from before, an upbeat melody and a true uplifting feel, Bowie is crawling up from the depths of desperation. As the title suggests, this instrumental track represents the new found hope he felt during his move to Berlin, and his adoption of a more electric style, free from the excesses of conventional rock. There's hints of Kraftwerk and Neu! on this track. Notably, the studio this album was recorded in was situated opposite Kraftwerk's legendary Kling Klang studio. The track fades out into upbeatness. A thoroughly enjoyable first side, nice upbeat music, and a real solid drumbeat throughout.

Side B opens with Warszawa, a track which inspired Joy Division so much that they were initially called Warsaw (Spandau Ballet were also so enamoured with this album that their name comes from an area of Berlin). starting with a moody piano beating over a subtle synth, the track opens up with a haunting melody reminiscent of Wendy/Walter Carlos' Clockwork Orange soundtrack. The piano beat becomes more synthy, emphasising a sense of isolation and yet wonder at the newly developing futuristic landscape, it's exploration not just of music, but of this brave new world. It's a sad track, and it allows itself to fully develop and emotional feeling throughout. Yes, it's sad, but it's a bittersweet sadness, one laced with silent hope. This side of the album is the one which really changed popular music, combining Brian Eno's idea of musical soundtracks for visions, with Bowie's amazing writing abilities, music of the most experimental nature! The track cools down, leading Bowie into some tribal style chanting over this haunting beat, suggesting a future world. The melody slows right down before returning to it's main motif, that of exploration. I close my eyes and this track brings forth visions of steel and glass, a clinical clean world of magic. The next track is Art Decade, featuring a moving synth melody, somehow playful yet haunting over a steady beat. Futuristic sound effects flow around, but this track really feels like isolation, loneliness, walking alone in the futuristic world and taking in the sights, sounds, atmosphere. a total synth track, this serves as the counterpoint to Kraftwerk's Autobahn, the fun of driving slows down, and we are now in a place to take in all the details of the surrounding view. The chords build up, and overtake the melody as the track fades away.

The next track is Weeping Wall, vibes enter the scene, creating a constant beat, as a harsh synth takes the lead, the beat dictated by synth. The lead melody is playful yet again somewhat haunting, but the beat ups the pace compared to the previous two tracks. A distorted guitar emanates a sense of melancholy, while the rest of the track is upbeat. Is this our man bowie coming to terms with himself? chanting returns, crying, while then repeated by the synth melody. It's a track which feels lonely, yet also feels alive. It's got concealed hope, like most tracks on this album. The melody is utterly sublime, and at the end some heavy chords take over before it fades into silence. The album closes with Subterraneans, which greets us with some more alien chords, and some reversed sounds, it's a melancholy sound, describing again this strange futuristic world. To a man coming out of isolation/addiction, the world around him must have seemed strange and alien. The melody is haunting, based upon swells of sound, heavenly yet haunting. Bowie's chanting makes a return, following the melody, and suddenly the chord swells feel less melancholic, the melody less haunting, yet the track is still ghostly. A saxophone now comes in, an almost filmic sound, playing over the backing , flowing like liquid into Bowie's chants which're again both upbeat and downbeat, the track brings back the sax as it draws to it's close, Sax over chanting over synth, it's that sense of bittersweetness, that carries the album onwards, with more melodies overlapping, building a sensation before fading into silence forever.

To say this album is a MUST HAVE is a total understatement, it is truly one of the most amazing experiences that your ears can receive. A totally new world unleashed on an unsuspecting public. I think that everyone should get a copy of this album, regardless of taste, you'll find something amazing inside. A mixture of conflicting emotions, new sensations and unbeatable writing. I first heard this album at the age of seventeen, and seven years on and hundreds of listens later, I am still finding new things, new sounds, new feelings. This isn't just Bowie's finest hour, but popular music's finest hour!

I have Low on CD and Vinyl, as well as the single Sound And Vision on vinyl, and I do have to say, the CD version has more clarity of the sounds, it is very precise, yet lacks the air and volume of the vinyl release, which feels far more spacious. The CD is like a high definition photograph, highly detailed yet flattened, while listening to it on Vinyl is like being there and taking it all in. Both are of high quality, and so I'll leave it to you to make your mind up, I prefer the vinyl LP due to it's sense of space and density.

The deal with genres/classification

What's the deal with it all? I know that it's useful to find a way to separate different things. Miles Davis is jazz, Queen are rock, Kraftwerk are electronica... But what about Davis' funky fusion, Queen's pop ballads or Kraftwerk's earlier avant garde jazz? And what about those artists who defy genres, like Frank Zappa or Captain Beefheart?
If sorting through genres, should we seperate an artist up into lumps, or keep them at what they're more recognised for? So Steve Hillage would sit firmly as Psychedelic rock, even though he's a key figure in spacerock and electronica. See what I mean?

In recent years, since music stores have been in serious decline due to lazy Itunes users, so much music has been lumped together. Afrobeat, Jazz, Classical, french songwriter, New Age etc are often all lumped into the catagory of 'World Music'. The catch all term of 'Rock & Pop' covers everything from Duran Duran to Robert Wyatt, Frank Zappa to The Spice Girls. Yet 'Metal' and 'Urban' music get their own sections, despite there being very little difference between them and many of the 'Rock & Pop' scene. Where does funk end and hip hop begin? How is Jay Z more 'urban' than Sly And The Family Stone?

Essentially such ways of catagorising are just useless, while some such as Zheul and Canterbury Scene are quite their own isolated scenes, what about Gong? the spacerock band which has featured members from both genres and merged them into it's own entity? And of course, Hawkwind, who have featured and inspired most genres around. Can we really classify in this way anymore?

 My top CD shelf is all Frank Zappa, but then afterwards it goes astray, with shelves featuring a variety of genres, except metal, but even that includes many non-metal content. Where does metal end and prog begins?



So currently, I have them in rough groups. Zheul, Spacerock, Japanese Psyche and Krautrock all being close to each other (with their associated bands, so P.M's Gong is with Gong as opposed to with the fusion stuff). This isn't an ideal situation, but makes the most sense to me so far, and it's quite easy to know where everything is, which is useful when you own several hundred albums. Though I still think there could be a better way, it's just, finding it...


Another suggestion is organising stuff A-Z, but that means that Acid Mothers Gong, Daevid Allen, Mother Gong and Pierre Morelan's Gong would be seperate from Gong. Space Ritual would be kept seperate from Hawkwind despite being virtually the same band. It seems simpler yet also more confusing.



Essentially, everything is linked. Most rock comes from blues origins, Jazz comes from combining European brass bands with blues. Electronica comes from both the psychedelic and avant garde scenes, but it's further than that, electronica also owes itself to jazz, spacerock, orchestrial... everything owes itself to everything that comes before it, and any atempts to try and create strict genres is ultimately detrimental to music, and creates a narrow minded audience. Many people ONLY listen to punk, many people ONLY listen to metal, many people ONLY listen to hip hop etc etc. For example, Guys like Wynton Marsalis are creating a strict sense of jazz, referring only to a specific time and type of jazz, and ignoring anything that falls outside of those narrow parameters, so the inspiring work of Miles Davis' fusion, or Sun Ra's extra terrestrial experimentation, are not, in their eyes, jazz. Just think about it, and then see how dumb genres are.

Not a review, but I just wanted to rant for a bit. :)

Steve Vai - Alien Love Secrets

 Steve Vai is one of that motley band of guitarists who emerged in the eighties and rewrote guitar playing rules with speed, insane licks and gimmickry. However unlike the rest of them, Mr. Vai is not boring. Steve graduated from the school of Zappa after about two or so years in his band before working with Alcatrazz, David Lee Roth and Whitesnake, and then busting out on his own properly with the groundbreaking Passion And Warfare. Vai showed us that you can have insane chops with delicate ideas and passionate emotive playing. Whilst my own guitar style could be no further from Vai's, I always look back to his work for inspiration and ideas, and when I want to learn some new techniques. Even my guitar (Ibanez Jem) and distortion pedal (Jemini) are his signiture series. Needless to say, his music has had a profound impact on my life, and is a man I respect greatly.

So, this album, Alien Love Secrets, was also released on VHS at the same time, contains some great tracks, let's run it down. Vai's wailing guitar and horse sound effects take us into the first track, Bad Horsie. A chugging train like riff with some deep distortion and a slick guitar melody showing insanely precise harmonics. It's a proper heavy steamengine track, plowing down all in it's path. Vai's use of the wah pedal here is to give total control of the tone and uses it to sculpt out his sound perfectly, as opposed to Hendrix's more experimental and freeform use of the pedal, indeed Vai's signiture wah pedal is known as the 'Bad Horsie' due to this song. Before the main solo we get some nice overdubbing, but the solo is standard Vai fare, not any of his emotive playing, but then this track is a hard rocker, so does it need it? Also nice flanger comming in. Juice is the title of the next track, a short little stunt guitar piece, fast and audatious, keeping some high octane action going, it's an all american rocker. Again this is more of a showoff piece, getting some feelgood energy going, some usual shred soloing and some unusual rhthym playing here. Die To Live is a softer more emotive track, with a distinctly nostalgic feeling to it. It sounds like a celebration and rememberance of life. It's still got a technical element to it, but this doesn't get in it's way, it's also quite fun to play, though bit of a guitar tongue-twister. The solo is delightfully beautiful, the rhythm is forward moving and all fun.

The next track is The Boy From Seattle, a softer more strummy upbeat guitar with a sense of the previous two tracks mixed into one feeling. It's upbeat and kinda fun with some decent melodic elements. A talkwah occasionally makes an appearance, with a line of daddadadaaddada, before the track starts to get quiet, and the guitaring goes into Hendrix mode, which is alright as this song is a tribute to Hendrix. We also get some nifty Vai trickery with delays and such creating a layered sound. Ya-Yo Gakk is a really fun tune, heavy metal guitar mixed with babytalk. His son would say something, and then Vai replicates it on guitar. We get some usual heavy metal soloing and riffing, but let's face it, this track is Vai just having fun, so he's allowed to. After this little diversion, we get to the real meat of the album, Kill The Guy With the Ball-The God Eaters. Some rolling drums and talkbox trickery takes us propelling forward into a really heavy riffage-filled track. It's speedy and thrashy and contains some great funk guitar (though played in metal style). It's full of menacing energy, and the drumming is almost computerised in it's precision. We get the usual Vai licks and some heavy sections we can only assume are left over from his previous album (the metal-tastic Sex And Religion) The track goes into screeching alien orgasm mode and then we enter the angelic second section, The God Eaters, a beautiful gentle guitar melody accentuated with some heavenly synth chords. It builds up and has some great releaving spirity feelings in it, kinda gentling the listener down and raising us up at the same time in preperation for the next track, the highlight of the album (and one of the highlights of his career), Tender Surrender. A sharp chord introduces us to a quiet kinda lounge jazz fusion, we have a soft silky melody and a rhythm based on a Hendrix song. The percussion just helps us plod forward, we get to the soloing section, first off a more bluesey solo, gentle and sweet, and goes for a section before hitting the proper solo, Vai's most impossible and orgiastic solo, which exudes such pleasure and passion. It's technically complex as well as emotionally complex, the speedy notes here given a smooth liquid texture as they just roll into your ears, it gets more passionate and more, until we get to the repeated shred section, the pleasure zone. The passion dies down, and we return to the tender embrace of the main melody, and the song ends  playfully and wah-filled. We have surrendered.

This is by no means Vai's best album, however it includes Die To Live, and Tender Surrender, so it's definately worth picking up.  As a major fan of his, the more purist approach to this album makes a neat break from his usual experimentation and on Tender Surrender, really lets the passion of his playing shine through. It's a good CD.

Kylie Minogue - Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi

Generally speaking, a singer is judged by their voice. Kylie on the other hand is judged mainly on her bottom and her good looks, which is a shame, as she is one of the better bubblegum pop singers. She does sexy in a way Rhianna can only dream of. Though back in the eighties, this was different, her songs were more playful, and have this quirky eighties charm which throughout the nineties, lost it's character, and evolved into the kinda bland electro beat which plagues modern pop music, though Kylie still somehow shines. In contrast to most singers, Kylie has shown a level of determination in her craft that can stagger belief, back into the studio/touring straight after recovering from breast cancer, and taking in a variety of influences, her modern sexual edge giving her something of artistic credibility in a genre not renowned for it..

Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi takes a nice arp section and then comes into a christmassy sounding chord/plonky section. Kylie's singing is allright, high pitched and sweet. Lyrically it's fluff, harmless love pop, and her voice hits the note but has the level of emotion you'd expect from this music, which is to be expected, it's harmless music to dance to. The beat is allright, plods along a bit. We get a small instrumental break before returning to the verse/chorus then ending. All in all, it's like the Ronseal of music. Does what it says.

Made In Heaven is the B Side, and it is total 'gay disco'. A more lively dancing tune than the previous song, cheesy eighties string effect synths and plinky plonkyness. The vocals come in constantly with little breaks, the typical 'girl next door'pop. There's nothing else to really say about it. Like literally.

If you like pop music, then get this. If you don't like pop, don't get this. This kinda music can't really be judged on the same criteria as The Specials or Miles Davis, and so I'm not going to critique it on that level. It is just very average, it is a singer finding her footsteps and while not really getting there yet, it's still dancable pop music, which is all it needs to be.

Hawkwind - Motorway City

Released during Hawkwind's 'controversial' 80's period (consisting of much more electronic experimentation and less chugging riffs), this little single here contains two amazing tracks which are full live staples of our long running heroes. Motorway City and a live updated Master Of The Universe. During this time, Hawkwind were also taking in more metal influences, and writing... GASP... conventional songs, but it's still Hawkwind through and through. Previously, I've reviewed their hit single, Silver Machine, and  professed my extensive love for Hawkwind's brand of space rock. So it's interesting to see how this holds up to that genre defining classic.

A crystalline appegiated synth, staccato guitar and a Hew Loyd Langdon guitar solo take us into this funky groove of Motorway City, which lasts for the verses, and Dave Brock's unmissable singing. The breaks between verses/chorus have more smooth guitar work and we get some nice powerchords during the chorus. This isn't like the old full and heavy Hawkwind, it's much more musical and sounds like it could have been a big hit if done by a more commercial band. We get anthemic choruses, decently accessible keyboard chords and a lovely rhythm going on. It's very danceable, yet still very spaced out. The band is insanely tight, and I think this might be around the time that they started using click tracks, as it's very spot on with the timing. We get another silky spacey guitar break over an extended jam and then the track fades to silence, due to the time constraints. All in all, this is a great track, solid playing and a cool groove.

The flip side, Master Of The Universe, takes the legendary Hawkwind track, and updates it for a more contemporary time, ironically making it sound so much more dated than earlier versions. It starts with some classic Hawkwind riffage, which melts into Master Of The Universe' trademark riff, however this time, it is punctuated by a keyboard jangle at the end of each line. Brock's vocals lack the insane punch of Nik Turner's from previous versions, yet still carry the absurdist lines. Langdon plays a very very awesome guitar solo over the vamping powerchords, also worth pointing out here the frantic thrash-like drumming going on. Now, back to that solo, it's more conventional rock than 70's Hawkwind, but ultimately fits in with this track well. Ending with a roaring crowd, we realise that this is a live track, yet the quality is still amazing.

As with anything Hawkwind, I would recommend getting hold of this single. Two great versions of two great songs. Masters Of The Universe is suitably heavy and Motorway City is pure class.

Procal Harum - A Whiter Shade Of Pale

A Whiter Shade Of Pale (now referred to as AWSOP for lazyness reasons) is one of those songs where, it's hard to appreciate how important it was. It's widely regarded as changing almost everything during the sixties because of it's unique sound and musicality. Kick starting prog rock, and becomming a main inspiration for the UK's style of psychedelic music. It's questionable authorship and claims of plagiarism has been in the news the past few years, (but then, the track's always known to be based on Bach anyways) have kinda sullied it's reputation a bit lately, but it's a cracking tune. Let's check it out!

Side A is quite obviously AWSOP, the sublime organ riff takes us into a dreamlike state, and Brooker's voice comes in with the defining opening line "We skip the lights fandango" and carries on singing throughout. The first verse jumps in with a more sweeping Organ playing, and we get the intro melody as well. There are also guitars and stuff as well in the background, but (rare for a rock group) they let the organ take centre stage and get mixed down a bit. An RnB style Bach track is such a weird thing, especially one about a very poe-faced relationship. The track fades out before letting the instrumentalists get carried away. It is a very enjoyable song, and obviously a very important one, but however, it has not aged as well as some sixties tracks have. It's a problem with being ahead of the crowd, it's so easy to become dated unless you're a genius like Frank Zappa or Dave Brock.

For our second side, Side B if you will, we have Lime Street Blues, a more straightforward sixties rocking track. Bouncy beat and melody, trivial lyrics. It's a great fun track to counterbalance the sombre mood of AWSOP, but it does lack the former track's individualistic spark. The neat instrumental bridges show off the band members' fine musical abilities, and show them as solid players, a nice blues boogie. The organ playing during the chorus is neat in the Strawberry Alarm Clock kinda way. Typical sixties.

So, we get two tracks here, one of pop music's all time classics, and a fun little Rock'n'roll number. I'd say that it's a great 7" single and the two tracks play off each other excellently with their contrasting moods. Opposite faces of a coin indeed. This kinda thing really shows what my generation is missing out on when it comes to what a single is, and can be. They're damn fools. It's a great single!

Sly And The Family Stone - Stand!

This ain't no disco chic, this is when funk got serious, this shit's dangerous. This is Sly And The Family Stone. Stand! was the family Stone's last albums of their 'psychedelic period', before they went into a much harsher, grittier, urban sound, and for a band as influential as Sly And The Family Stone, this album manages to stand tall as a masterwork. This also saw the band fracture, with drugs, ego and personality clashes, as well as their adoption by various black nationalist groups(something Sly didn't like at all) and the sense of hopelessness prevalent in early 70's black culture after a turbulent end to the sixties, Stand! was their last cry for optimism. But, does Stand! stand up as an album worthy of such importance? Let's find out!

A drumroll kicks off the title track, Stand!, a song that picks up a soul groove with an optimistic sound, and an amazing chorus of 'STAND! STAND! OOOOH!'. It's a call to stand up for your life, stand up for what's right. Lyrically, it's straight forward but pretty poetic in it's simplicity, and Sly's singing goes perfectly with his music. The track only gets funkier, branching into P-Funk style (P-Funk was heavily influenced by these dudes) and then fades out into track number two, Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey. Protesting against the racial discrimination from both sides (Sly And The Family Stone were a massive multi-racial band) over a heavy dirty beat, like Hendrix from the back alleys. There's a badass instrumental break and this dark funky dirty beat just continues, highlighting the band's future direction. The beat allows some psyche weirdness to kick in, an organic liquidic sound, a collage of singing and sounds, before that dirty chorus is reprised. "Don't call me Nigger, Whitey! Don't call me Whitey, Nigger!" I'm sensing something Beefheartian in this track, from Sly's menacing voice, to various elements in the rhythm and the heavy harmonica solo. Abba Zabba. With such an extended instrumental groove, it's in the fucking zone in this nasty way that the likes of James Brown could never achieve. It's dangerous music.

I Want To Take You Higher is a total psychedelic funk-rock track of epic proportions, and was a massive hit. The groove is totally where it's at and the guitar oozes charisma in a way that's Hendrix-y, but also of it's own. To be honest, this song is as pure funk as you'll ever get. Optimistic, hopeful, and damn right where it's at. It shows a band that's so tight and working so well, the drum beat keeps up with such a pace and the duelling male/female vocals carry such character. It's impossible to feel down when listening to this track! Somebody's Watching You is the title of the fourth track, more traditional soul like, a traditional groove with a horn section over the top. It's groovy and a neat quieter downside after the loudness of the previous tracks. It's got a nice instrumental break, but generally doesn't carry it's weight as much as other tracks. It's a good singalong though. The next track asks you to Sing A Simple Song, and a great guitar lick and female vocals kick off another great track, a neat dirty groove, a simplistic chorus carried up by amazing singing, and a wailing funkster. This brings all different elements together from awesome vocal harmonies, Arthur Brown style wailing singing, talking, great dirty vocals and a call and response approach to the verses, over an amazing James Brown beat and groove, and a great funk-meets-ska horn section in the middle eight. It's a very busy song despite it's misleading title, over a repetitive beat. It works great.

Track six is Everyday People, a soul track, with a more subdued Sly Stone, a great piano-driven repeating groove, backing vocals tacking the lead. Sly is far more soulful here yet still manages to carry his usual energy. This is a far more commercial track, again like the title track, calling for a more open and enjoyable society. It's the shortest of the tracks but still great. Guitar and drums lead into Sex Machine, a slow groove draws us in, bringing forward the staple funk staccato guitars. A very organic liquid harmonica plaing through an early vocoder returns once again, creating a surreal atmosphere. This is an extended jam over a great beat leading to such a funky guitar solo, more groovier than Hendrix could reach, similar to that of Eddie hazel from Funkadelic. I am a massive massive fan of jam tracks, so this just works fantastically for me, a nice walking beat, a funk solo what's not to like? It's so easy to see why Miles Davis took this as his inspiration for his jaw-droppingly amazing Tribute to Jack Johnson and On The Corner albums. Needless to say, this one track seems to resonate so much amongst prettymuch every instrumental funk-influenced track made afterwards, even European bands such as Can and Brainticket. Sly's bizarre sound kicks back in over the amazing guitar and then the bass takes over as the lead, something quite rare, and then a heavily distorted guitar powers and screams through the music a great dirty sound, before returning to the main rythm now accompanied with a saxaphone solo and a heavier drum beat/solo that just rolls along amazingly, almost tribal, slowing down train-like. This track lets every player shine. Aparently the band where making fun of each other during the recording, resulting in them ending the track with laughter. It's great when a band has fun while playing. The album finishes with You Can Make It If You Try, returning to the album's starting style of upbeat optimistic P-Funk-esque funk. Interlocking vocals, ace instrumentation and a great fun playfulness of the melodies. This is a fun track indeed. Again it's hard to feel down when this great groove is playing. It goes into an instrumental break carrying on with the groove, and letting the soul-chorus singers get the feeling going. The album fades to silence. Ended with some backwards speaking.

Stand! truely is an album that not only lives up to it's reputation, but totally surpasses it, as a landmark of popular music and easily one of the must have albums of all time. I love funk, and I love jams, so this just makes me so happy. The group's later sounds became dirtier and minimalist compared to this orgasmic display of sheer over-the-top creativity, but are still great. You really do have to buy this album at the earliest opportunity!