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!

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.

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.

Bananarama (with Fun Boy three) -Really Sayin' Somethin'

Ahh, Bananarama... remember the eighties? When some pop music was not manufactured, sweets were a penny, and we could cycle to town and pick them both up from woolworths. Well, not me, because I am too young for all that. I guess like most people my age, my perception of Bananarama is somewhat tainted by their later tracks such as Venus, hard to believe that these girls were pretty post-punk. In the early days of their career, they did some interesting work with Fun Boy Three (a fantastic group formed from the ashes of ska legends The Specials), and this little single is produced by that band. Remember how kinda hazy and dream-like Ghost Town sounds? Imagine that production on a girl group single. Yes.

Really Sayin' Somethin' was originally an old Motown R'n'B track, here perverted into a post-punk pop tune, the doo-wop elements sound almost like parody. The Fun Boy Three's rythm pounds an almost animalistic beat down, a strong groove going on, and then Bananarama jump in with the vocals, all together, high pitched and high precision. It's pop, but not as we know it. I guess, would stoner-pop be a suitable term? Because that's the only real way of describing it. Previous collaberations between the two have also had this surreal quality to the sound. Ultimately, it's a catchy song and expertly produced.

For the B side, we have the instrumental Give us Back Our Cheap Fares, Which can only really be described as the german group Can remaking Ghost Town. It's a krautrock-y repetative beat, laid over a two-tone groove, with hazy dreamlike music over the top and a delicious amount of vocal ahhh-ings giving a somewhat surreal vibe to it. The pipe riff is so haunting, check it out. It is a fun number, and really gets the groove locked down, and provides a nice ambience.

Before I knew of their work with Fun Boy Three, I was dismissive of Bananarama, but I really enjoy this little 7" and am glad I decided to give them a chance. Pick it up if you can, it's a fun collaboration between two-tone legends and pop legends.