Boney M - Belfast

Boney M are a popular multi-national (Jamaica, Germany and more!)disco group, achieving success in the late seventies with their peculiar brand of offbeat pop which combines reggae, soul, disco, funk and a particularly German style of deadpan humour. This single, Belfast, was their fifth single and topped the charts in Germany and the UK.

Belfast jumps right in with a funky disco beat, a dense sound with some nice distorted guitar work, the machine like intro takes us into a nice groove. The intro/chorus is almost militaristic and reminds me of German drinking songs. Marcia Barrett's got a nice kinda subtle voice which really works well with the groove. It's a very bizarre song, dancing grooves, disco stylings and political lyrics, but it kinda works in this disjointed way. The song kinda just loops itself around until fading out. It feels like it's missing some main parts, an unfinished song.

Plantation Boy is our B side, starting off in a disco/reggae style, just bouncing along in an optimistic fashion. The vocals come across as like it's an old island song, but with definite pop hooks. Lyrics searching for a positive future, to rise up from being a slave labourer, which work well with the lighthearted music to create a nice upbeat track. Musically again it just kinda loops itself away without any real bridges and breaks, but works better with it's bouncing groove. Again it fades to silence.

So yeah, two decent songs here. Whilst not on the same level as Earth, Wind & Fire, or Chic, Boney M can really work some good stuff together. It's also worth pointing out that while often looked back as like some embarrassing joke band due to their offbeat music, Boney M had a different groove and were still able to carry on the Afro-futurist stylings that were at the heart of disco. Good single.

Paul Robeson - I Still Suits Me

 My first review in around two months or something, apologies!


Ahh, Paul Robeson, a man whose voice is as timeless as it is powerful. As much as a political activist as he was a singer, Robeson (natually) helped the civil rights movement, protesting against imperialism and injustice and proudly supporting the USSR after numerous visits, declaring that they didn't have the institutionalised racism which was (and seemingly still is) prevailant in the US. His political activities though would damage his commercial career, leading to an almost complete erasure from twentieth century history until his death in the late seventies, where he once again began to be appreciated and aknowledged as a truely great man. One who would not bend to the whim of the elite, and would not sacrifice his principles at the risk of his career. Paul Robeson's a man I often mention as a personal hero, because of his inability to back down in the face of injustice, and because he was a man confident enough to speak his mind. but anyways, what we're here to do is talk about this music! My earliest recording on vinyl, 1936's 'I Still Suits me'.

I Still Suits Me comes from the musical production, Showboat, which really launched Robeson's career into the american mainstream, especially his soul breaking rendition of 'Old man River'. A beautiful relaxed string takes us into it, while Paul sings over in a faux hawaian style. Infact the track itself is very faux-island. Elizabeth Welch jumps in making this track a duet. They trade lines after the first verse, the light hearted airyness of the music contrasting the domestic arguement at the heart of the lyrics. Showing that despite the disagreements, the love is still there. A typical Hammerstein move, and we like it.

Side B features 'Just A Wearyin For You', written at the turn of the century and this rendition recorded in 1938. A soft romantic opening introduces us to Robeson's deep deep baritone voice crooning for his love. It's a very sentimental track, as typical of the time, but the man's powerful voice makes it truely timeless and gives it's gentle romanticism an almost biblical sense of feeling, this isn't just one man awaiting the return of his love, but Paul Robeson becomes everyman whose awaiting the return of their love.

It's a great little piece of history to have, two good songs sung by one of the greatest men in human history.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

Public Image Ltd - Disappointed

So, before I start, today I went record shopping in Camden and got me eight LPs(including David Bowie's 'Low' which I hesitate to review because it's just read like me sucking him off. Amazing album) and two CDs, a productive day. And when I arrived home, I had a nice little single for me...

Now, we all know who PIL are, so let's just get the quick rundown... after The Sex Pistols, John Lydon decided to take inspiration from his prog/psyche heroes and delved into a more experimental approach to music, snatching various styles techniques and textures from electronica to jazz to dub. We call this kind of music Post-Punk. Where Sex Pistols were overly simplistic, crass and confrontational, Public Image Ltd (or PIL for short) made interesting music, more introverted and deeper. Lydon's trademark vocals took on a new identity and power, with THE Miles Davis even likening them to his horn playing (perhaps the best compliment anybody could ever give?).

Track number A is Disappointed, and it is very of it's period, 1989. Imagine Lydon doing Stone Roses, and you get the picture. It's a straight forward pop rock song structure with simplistic verses and a chorus asking 'What are friends for?'. We have melodic yet bland guitar breaks, and a jangly backing rhythm. Lydon's Voice is reaching a nearly operatic style here, and wouldn't be out of place in a heavy metal situation. After the second chorus, it reaches a small instrumental break, keeping the ironic feel good rocker vibe going, man, this track really does predict all the trends to emerge in 90's pop rock. Lyrically it's very negative and spiteful, yet it combines this with upbeat backing music, making it an odd listen.

For our second side, we get Same Old Story, which kicks off with a metal guitar groove, and is much more musically menacing. It needs to be louder though, y'know. Lydon's vocals do break through the mix, but when we get to the chorus, it becomes your kinda usual rocky fare. For some reason, I am reminded of The Residents, in how the music is played with and arranged. Ultimately, it's quite a good song, and I think you have to take it's standard chorus as part of the point. We're treated to a menacing guitar solo, but like on the previous track, it's nothing special. It's a good song but nothing special, nothing like their earlier eighties work.

If you like PIL, then you'll like this. It's nothing special, just two good songs. If you're a more pop-y person, this might be a good way to introduce you to them. That's all really.

Ultravox - Vienna

Ultravox, fronted by Midge Ure are a new wave pop group fronted by Midge Ure (one of the key men behind Live Aid) who managed to combine an experimental and interesting take on electronic music with proper solid pop sensibilities. Their classic 1981 hit, Vienna, helped secure the future of electro-pop.

Side A first, Vienna. a ghostly note, an echoed kick and Ure sings, sombre and moody. The melody is haunting, dancing in the back ground. Then an organ and piano come in with the chorus 'it means nothing to me...' bringing the bassline with it, and a neat piano melody. The second verse with more synth effects and piano plonks. I love the chorus of this track, it really stands out as powerful and cinematic, different from the coldness that electronica was associated with. We get a neat instrumental section, repeating the rythm and then speeding up with violin sounds in a faux-orchestrial style. Again, very cinematic, heading for a conclusion, the chorus. It splashes out with some cymbal crashes and a slow grind to end. It's a great song, enjoyable and musically interesting. Plus the textures of those synths just melt the ears.

The B side is called Passionate Reply. Can it live up to the first track? We get a funky Kraftwerk style beat comming in, beefed up with some guitar. Ure does his best Phil Oakey style singing here. This track kics up a steady beat, doesn't change up much but again the use of synth textures keeps it pretty fresh. Repetative can be good afterall. We are treated to a nice instrumental break which sounds like an 80's pop version of Frippatronics. A neat soundscaping made of distorted and merged tones, just with more distortion here. The track begins to speed up as we approach the end. All in all it's quite good, but it's no Vienna.

So then, we have one amazing song and one good song. All in all, a single worth picking up. It's good music.

Kevin Ayers - Baby Come Home

Now then, Kevin Ayers is by far one of the best songwriters I could ever possibly recommend. His output throughout the seventies consists of many finely crafted songs, and a penchant for experimental music. A member of the legendary Soft Machine, Ayers eventually went solo, to much critical acclaim. In 2007, he released a much awaited album, The Unfairground, which is well worth picking up. These two finely crafted songs come from said album.

Baby Come Home serves as our A Side, a lovely duet from Kevin Ayers and Bridget St John (previously also guested on Shooting at the moon). A beautiful rural melody starts off, followed by Ayers' distinctive voice, beautiful and gentle and yearning. The chorus is aided by a neat little trumpet embeleshment. St John sings the second verse, a very gentle folky voice. The song then has a little instrumental break before returning to the chorus, sounding very genuine and sweet. The song ends.

For the B Side, we are treated with Walk On Water, another finely tuned in piece of audio pleasure. Either due to being on Vinyl or whatever, this sounds a different mix than the album version. Is this true? Let me know. A nice traditional Kevin Ayers strumming riff starts us off, his voice, more mature than the seventies, carries a nice weight which suits this song, it's very reflective and looking back at experiences.  The drums kick in a lovely instrumental part, nice melodies take over and it is truely beautiful. it ends with the gentle strumming fading out.

Both these songs are beautiful and show that Ayers still has much more to bring the world. Well written, well performed and well sung music, like you don't see that much. If you can pick this single up, please do. It's well worth it!

Iron Maiden - Women In Uniform

Like most nerdy/geeky teenagers, I was a massive Iron Maiden fan, having brought all of their albums (until around 2006/2007 when I stopped dead). What finally hit the nail on the head for me was after their fiftieth live album sounding exactly the same as their studio albums (all of their live albums do, thus negating the point of them). And After Rock In Rio, there's simply no need for any other versions of The Trooper. Iron Maiden though, really were a one-band revolution, combining the DIY punk ethos with galloping riffs, fast solos, complex song structures and operatic and aggressive vocals. Like Judas Priest and Black Sabbath before them, Maiden changed the musical landscape. Their early stuff with Paul Di'Anno is now often overlooked, the focus always on their Dickenson stuff. This is a fucking tragedy, as Di'Anno's punky rasp is what initially set Iron Maiden apart from the other NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) bands at the time, giving them a very sexual predatory edge. Their first two albums are easily amongst their best, it shows a band taking risks and experimenting to find their sound, Something they wouldn't do again until 1995's The X Factor, featuring Blaze Bailey on vocals.

First up is Women In Uniform. A slow menacing march starts us up before jumping into fast paced metal. The verse sings over that slow beat, punching up with the very very punky active chorus, I think they really do like their women in uniform. we get a galloping march ending each segment with a harmonised little lick from our guitarists and then all melts into a nice fast section. During a very hyperactive reprise of the chorus, we get a solo being played underneith it, this goes on for like a minute before fading. This is a pretty decent track, nothing fantastic but is a damn good solid metal track.

The B Side, Invasion, is of a long tradition of Iron Maiden battle songs,  fast paced energetic tracks about previous wars, potential wars or fantasy wars. Steve Harris has a WW2 obsession (like most brits!). It jumps straight into the hyperactive riff, Di'Anno bouncing in his voice, then we get to this little break, which is fast yet stands out from the rest before returning to verse and guitar wailing solos. I'm sure someone will correct me, but sounds like Adrian Smith (EDIT: No, It wasn't). The track just carries on this fast pace, it's proper heavy metal of the Maiden variety.

All in all, this is hardely essential buying, but if you like a bit of loud rock, then you can go much more wrong. This is solid Maiden, which means it's a cut above most contemporaries.

Marillion - Kayleigh

Having grown up in Aylesbury, Marillion are something I've been exposed to for quite some time. Their track Market Square Heroes is about the town's local market (where I've brought many records), which is in total decline these days. Kayleigh takes place during their concept album Misplaced Childhood, which is pretty good, it has moments of well written music and moments of psuedo-Phil Collins pop (which kinda let it down, though are still better than anything that baldy mustered up). We have to remember, Prog was in a very weird place in the eighties, punk had supposedly signalled it's death knell (despite the punk musicians being massive proggers anyways), but in reality, it was still going strong. It still had a massive following, but fifty minute xylophone solos representing dragons in fuedal era Japan are hardely MTV material. Luckily, a bunch of prog bands with pop sensibilities come into play, Marillion at the forefront, and achieved major success, keeping prog in the limelight until grunge and alt rock would finally remove it's mainstream recognition (again irony being that those who killed off prog were massive fans of it themselves)

Kayleigh starts off with some jangly guitars and plinky plonky eighties keyboard, Fish comes in asking if we remember, and apologises for breaking Keyleigh's heart. It's a sappy love song, yes, about trying the fix a breakup. It doesn't really build up for the chorus, just get plinky plonkier until we get a kinda allright guitar break before returning to plinky plonky land. And repeats. This track is one of those psuedo-Collins songs, and was a massive hit, still playing regularly on radio. It's not good, but it's not terrible, it's just kinda... there. Trapped in a void of the eternal eighties.

A reverbed drum beat draws us in over a light synthy chord sequence, we are now listening to Lady Nina, the B side. We are more in prog territory here, I mean, it's still very eighties pop, but is more musical. We have a fairly good guitar solo for quite a while. Kinda playing down the usual guitarist cliches though. The chorus is bouncy and suits Fish's voice, and as the song begins to wind down to a close, we get a synth solo over the top. This is more prog for sure. Then it fades out, when you'd expect it to carry on to another verse/chorus. Oh well.

All in all, Kayleigh is without a doubt, a true sign of it's times. It is inoffensive, played safe and overly polished. It's not a bad single to get, just it's not very good either. Lady Nina is a stronger track, but again there isn't really anything there that warrents a proper listen. Marillion were an albums band, and in the suites of music, they would litter these little commercial tracks. And that's all they really are, commercial tracks.