Happy Mondays - Freaky Dancin' Live

Happy Mondays are truely the pinacle of the 'Madchester' scene which emerged in the late eighties/early nineties, combining the alternative/punk method with hippy psychedelic ideals all mixed in with the emergence of Exstacy in the UK's club scene, it caused a total media storm. With naive politicians and ultra-conservative media pundits blasting the genre for being some kind of drug cult (which it clearly wasn't), the bands stood through it all and emerged as many of the nineties best loved bands. Happy Mondays really advertised the hedonistic lifestyle and their psychedelic grooves just captured the listener's imagination. Today's review is a 12" debut single, Freaky Dancin' (Live).

Freaky Dancin' (Live) counts us into a nice trippy repetative groove, almost as if someone had spiked neu!'s drinks. This groove will flow throughout the whole track, and sounds really warm and funky. The singing comes on over the top kinda hazy and un-refined. It's clearly a live recording. However what's really important is the upper of the music, and that damn fine groove going on and on, makes you move your body in time. It's so chill. It carries on to the end, not a single down note, all positive.

The Egg is the B side, opening up with some psychedelic Syd barrett-lite guitar plonks over a laid back stalking beat, before getting into it's groove where it sounds very eighties, and very cool. the music just develops over time, before we get to some amatuerish singing, taking nothern soul and mixing it with a total druggy stoner feel. It's a neat mixture of psychedelic with eighties pop (yes, including those heavily reverbed snares) that really shows the Happy Mondays as a band still finding it's feet, escaping from the Joy Division sound by it's own accord. After grinding to a halt, we get the second track of the B side, Freaky Dancin', the studio version. A more refined and polished sound, which doesn't obscure the amazing groove and just upbeat sound, almost dreamlike and totally chilled out peaceful like. It's definately Bez singing here, that's for sure.

It's a shocker of a top quality single here, and I love it.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Various - Transformers The Movie OST

In 'The Real Frank Zappa Book', Frank makes the observation that the world will not end by war or global disaster, but by Nostalgia. Death by nostalgia, culturally, really is a serious issue. It's only 2012, yet people are already nostalgic for 90's entertainment, 12 years! This kinda of nostalgic sentiment provides a major problem, as it inspires people to copy what has gone on before and to avoid making anything new or exciting. Sometimes an initial nostalgic sentiment really pays off (such as 2005's relaunch of Doctor Who, which updates the classic series and modernises/simplifies it for a new audience) while others result in Status Quo continuing to drag their zombie corpse asses around on yet another bland tour of contentless music, because their fans are too stubborn to admit that new music can be good, and too stubborn to admit that Quo have never been good.
ANYWAYS... This is about a movie soundtrack, A Transformers movie soundtrack. No, not the movie with Linkin Park and over-abundant racism, the original 1986 animated movie. Like many shy/geeky children, I loved Transformers and still find it at times interesting (particularly the 1980's british comics), but however I cannot allow myself to talk about that here! This is about music! The Transformers brand is half held-up by nostalgia and half held-up by new fans, the nostalgia crew however seem rather single minded with an almost religious zeal. The singer Stan Bush's career is pretty solidly secure solely because of the aging Transformers fandom, and his role in the music for this movie.

Every film in the eighties had a feel good hair anthem, and Transformers The Movie is no exception. The soundtrack kicks it off with Stan Bush' famous (or in-famous) The Touch. All the cheese in France could not come close to even making this song's opening keyboard riff, it's terrible. Bush does his best 80's rock, yelling our dreary lines with an amazing faux-passion which makes it seem like he kinda pretends to care (though now, since this song is all he's known for, he prettymuch has to care, but being an eighties singer, you can never tell). This song is prettymuch the best example of a guilty pleasure ever. It's terrible, but makes you smile. We hear a crash, a menacing guitar line and now N.R.G join in the soundtrack with their heavy metal track Instruments Of Destruction. It must have been had being a metal band in the eighties, you kinda have the Judas Priest influence but then the ever increasing pop influence. This song sounds like it's on that crossroads, trying to souond menacing but not really getting it. Generic solos not really doing much over an 80's echoed snare beat, and the predictable falsetto vocals to end on, but the guy ain't no Rob halford, though he gives it his best shot.We next get the first of three (well if we include the next track, four) Vince DiCola tracks, Death Of Optimus Prime(gee, I wonder what scene this music is played over), it's fantastic. A soft piano piece over ghostly synths, a subtle bounce on the bass notes propells the music at a slow pace, the synthy swells move us, then the percussive section signals the final moment of the great Autobot. An arped section comes on with an optimistic softness, and a horn section, there is hope for them after all? The sad melody of a synth guitar sound kicks in, and an ominous sound emerges. To counteract that track, we are jumped right into Dare. Another Stan Bush track, literally made of a thousand cows worth of cheese, but this is kept fully in place by what is a realy decent synth sound provided by Vince DiCola. It's upbeat, go gett'em kinda music, perhaps suitable for joggers? the track breaks out into an amazing synth break, built on layers of synths bass and drums that just works so well, and sounds so cool that it makes the track itself. It must be said that Vince DiCola is fantastic throughout the film, and a convention exclusive score is avaliable at high price on the second hand market. With more of that guy's music, it's well worth a purchase!

Spectre General come in with the Twisted Sister style Nothin's Gonna Stand In Our Way, it's eighties heavy metal, it's fun fluff, nothing really noticable though, it's really really average. The guitar solo does a good job at keeping the main melody going and playing around with the heavy metal guitar cliches, but that's all. Next up however is the crowning glory of the metal part of thsi soundtrack, Lion's rendition of The Transformers (Theme). We have a steady beat comming up, then Doug Aldrich's(yes, The Doug Aldrich, modern day Whitesnake guitar hero) guitar bulds up into the the first verse, actually heavier guitars than other 'metal' tracks on the soundtrack. The chorus really jumps out with ther hair metal vocals and heavy metal guitars, it's a guilty pleasure for sure, but when Aldrich jumps in with the solo, it's really really good, it's better than this soundtrack deserves. The verses are prettymuch standard power/battle metal, and kinda suit a franchise/movie based on war. The guitar solo and licks though are just really good. Next we have another amazing DiCola track, Escape. A soft spacey playful quiet section takes us into space, broken up with a beat, a gentle melancholic melody and then we get into the track, it's eighties action track music, with the joy of Vince DiCola's synth sound and playful sense of melody. A reprise of the melody found in the Death of Optimus Prime is featured, it's a recurring motiff throughout the film. This track manages to be both playful and yet dramatic/menacing at the same time while still sounding totally synthy. Little flourishes like the 60's organ sound playing around the 80's synth and guitar sound create a different texture than you'd expect. And the rythm changes throughout reflecting the action on the screen, rather than staying on one constant stream of music. The main motiff returns and is played with before fading.

Spectre General make a return here with their consumption track Hunger, which is not at all about drug abuse/crime. It's really REALLY disturbing to hear this in the context of a children's movie, but I guess it's still not mysogynistic/racist to the point of having a harmful effect on society like the modern transformers movies, and let's face it, the few children who actually watched this film in the cinema are too geeky to have gotten into drugs, but still, it just doesn't feel right. Also it's a very average track, aided by being in one of the best scenes of the film. DiCola's final track on the album is next, Autobot/Decepticon Battle (catchy title!). It plays with the standard rythm found throughout, the main motiff, and a funky synth-bassline, the changes in music keep our ears on their toes, and when it gets into the main action element of the music, the recurring motiff is giving extra eighties guitar menace! Various other elements from the score return, unifying it in a way many composers neglect to do these days. DiCola does keep suprising us with different and exciting synth sounds throughout and interesting ways of interpreting the familiar elements, sometimes adding a more militaristic edge, sometimes drawing from P Funk influences, and constantly chopping it throughout, keeping it fresh and non-repetative despite the use of familiar elements, rythms and melodies. We end with Weird Al's classic Dare To Be Stupid, which is just pure enjoyable randomness. He keeps just listing and playing with the old sayings about being stupid, telling us to make a mountain out of a molehill, and ordering us to bite the hand that feeds us. Like the rest of the songs here, it's fluff, but has a bouncing 80's beat to just raise the corners of your mouth.

Ultimately, the only real tracks worth listening to are the theme by Lion, and the Vince DiCola tracks, however the convention exclusive soundtrack has much much more of his work on it, and I really want to get me a copy of it. He's a much underrated soundtrack composer of the eighties, and is one of the few working in hollywood where his music can be listened to on it's own without visual reference, so I'd recommend getting his score for this film. Just perhaps not the other tracks!

Madness - Grey Day

I think every british person must know who Madness are, their songs like 'Our House' and 'I Like Driving In My Car' are lodged into the nation's collective conciousness along with Tea, Doctor Who and class division. Often known as a comedic pop group, Madness' more serious tracks have become ignored in favour of their popular ones. You won't hear 'Embarassment' on the radio, but you'll hear 'Our House' about five times a day! These rude boys are easily amongst my favourite bands, they managed to use popular music as a way to comment on social issues, consistently wrote excellent music, and always stayed ahead of the times. Grey Day is one of the best songs I have ever heard, so put your best listening ears on, and enjoy.

Grey Day covers the subject of depression, not in the more popular 'emo' way of whining and fake crying, but in a very honest way, which as a surferer myself, feels really true and sincere. It's an acurate representation of the thoughts and ideas going through my head on a daily basis. A thunderous drum fill pounds our ears as the song starts, and a melancholic riff takes hold. The rythm is muted ska, the overlayed riffs haunting, the voice feels lonely and isolated. Vulnerable. The chorus is a perfect display of the feelings on it's own:

In the morning I awake,  My arms my legs my body aches,
The sky outside is wet and grey
So begins another weary day.
So begins another weary day.

We're treated to a bridge, Madness' own blend of funfare-y music hall style, but now more melancholic. We return to the song, and after the final chorus, the main haunting riff takes over. It's depressing, a bittersweet melody, and fades to silent. It's a strong song, and contains a suprising amount of musical complexity, something Madness do not recieve as much credit for as they deserve.

The B side is called Memories, it's arpeggiated riff takes us into more standard ska fare. Fitting with the theme of depression set by the A side, Memories is a song about regret, mistakes and search for progression. The end of a relationship to be more precise. It's slow ska, melancholic ska, powerful and deeply emotional ska. It's great.

if Two-Tone ska is the combination of ska with punk attitude and music hall asthetics, then Madness really do stand at the top of the field. They have an amazing confidence when handeling controversial subjects, and a wealth of experience between them all.  As close to a perfect single as we can ever get. Buy it now!