Ear Candy AGAIN
Even More Dodgy Reviews
Ahhh, it's that time again. You know the score by now, although we do have a special focus on a few artists over a selection of CDs in this "installment" of "Gray Bores You Shitless About CDs", so read on and good luck and it serves you right!
Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy
Right then, here it is finally after all these years, the album they (and I) said would never be released, "Chinese Democracy" has hit the shops at last. Axl has finally let go of the project and got it on the shelves for us all to hear officially after hearing various leaked bits and bobs that have escaped his clutches over the years since "The Spaghetti Incident". this album was always going to be an awkward one which will polarise opinion, but I suppose if everyone is talking about Axl, either nicely or not, he won't mind too much as long as they ARE talking about him.
So what about it then? Well, it's a very mixed bag for me. I've spun it a few times now and I think that I always come back to the same conclusion with it. I don't hate it, but then again, I far from love it. Every time I get to a bit that I like, there's something that happens that puts me off again. I think that it shares the same problem as the "Use Your Illusion" albums all those years ago, it's just too long with too many songs on it. Axl could have shortened some of these songs by minutes and maybe even dropped a few tunes and presented a far more concise and powerful record. There are moments when this just seems to drag so badly. On eash listen, I've got to track seven and felt like I was on track ten which has made the next seven songs seem like time was slowing down. The songs would have been so much better if someone had told Rose to edit himself. There's nothing that catchy on this album either, nothing that you can really remember in the first few listens anyway, and the length of the album makes it a tough one to get through in one sitting.
The songs all sound huge and this is down to the cast of thousands that have contributed performances to this album. The sound is so dense at times and there are so many noises flying around that it sometimes feels like you're being clubbed over the head by the songs, but not in a good way. It's almost as though Axl has got the instruction books for his studio out and used every single feature to do something and he's put those tricks on every song. There's no feeling of an actual band playing together on this album, which is what made "Appetite for Destruction" so great, and it all feels too clinical and studio-bound.
Another big down side for me about "Chinese Democracy" is Axl's voice. He is even more screetchy on this album than ever and it's really quite piercing at some points. He always tends to get to the high singing bits as quick as possible on every song and it gets really old really quick. Axl's voice was always really good on songs when he balanced out the high bits with the mellower bits. Also, his voice seems really over-produced on this album. The vocal performance seems to have been smoothed out so much that sometimes it doesn't quite sound like Axl singing, but a synthesised version of his voice. It's quite odd, and feels a bit lame as one records past, the flaws in his voice made the songs sound cool and rough and dangerous.
I'm hesitant to write this album off, and I am giving it a fair crack of the whip and have kept spinning it to try and get into it, but I just keep falling short with it and I can see that I'll be writing this off soon. This is very much an Axl solo album and only Guns n' Roses in name. The rest of the old band are sorely missed on this, no matter how flashy some of the performances by the hired guns are. This album is remarkable because it both sounds like work that was pissed about with for over a decade, but the songs don't sound like a seventeen-years-in-the-making-master-work. Axl owns and is using the GnR name, but he'll never match up to what the band did from 1987 to 1993. The performances are strong by the contributing members and this does help to lift the album slightly. There are lots of riffs to get into, but nothing THAT memorable like you got when Izzy and Slash were doing the guitar donkey work.
I've read this back and I've seen that I don't have much that's good to say about this album. As I write this I keep coming back to the same conclusion, since this is not really a Guns n' Roses album (that band ceased to be years ago), but Axl's first solo album and the main thing that is wrong with it is Axl himself. Since there has been no one there to tell him "no", he's only managed to release an album that sounds strangely dated and over-indulgent (again, not in a good way). This is not "The Second Coming" by any stretch, hell, it's not even the album of the year. This has been so hyped and talked about that it was always going to be a letdown and as I sit here looking at the case, it's not a special occasion or anywhere near as exciting as when I brought "Appetite..." home from the shops in 1988.
Ask me again about this album in six months and I may feel different about it...
Whitesnake - 1987 (20th Anniversary Legacy Edition)
Now then, now then, now then... A face lift for an old favourite of gentlemen of my age. This one-CD-one-DVD remastered version of Old Cov's revamped Whitesnake masterpiece was put out, as the title suggests, to celebrate it's twentieth birthday (bloody hell!) and it sounds alright. Listening to it now, it does sound a little dated in parts, mainly due to some of the bits of production and song stylings that Coverdale used at the time to try and create an album that would truly break the US market. It worked a treat, as we all now with tasty treats like "Still of the Night", "Here I Go Again (1987)" and the lovely "Is This Love?" There's other great stuff on there like the re-record of "Cryin' in the Rain" and "Don't Turn Away". There are some slightly cringeworthy moments, like Dave's urge to try and scream like Percy, and songs like "Children of the Night", which do smack of filler, but it's all pretty good stuff. There is the matter of the re-recorded tunes, which is a trick he'd repeat again on the next album with the slightly ropey version of "Fool For Your Loving". On this, he comes up trumps with "Here I Go Again", which was a massive hit, back in the day, so this album does kind of serve as a good late 80s Whitesnake greatest hits compilation.
So what of the bonus material on this set? Well, that is a major disappointment. The extra songs and video clips are all modern live versions taken from the recent live DVD and CD set. This is a bit rough, since anyone who would want to buy this set would already have those two sets already, rendering this set a rip-off or pointless. There are no alternative versions of "Here I Go Again" or single versions or anything like that, or even live versions from the day. Short-change...
The addition of the immortal videos featuring the then-present Ms Coverdale, Tawny Kitaen, which probably did more to sell this album than any of the songs themselves. After all, which teenager from 1987 could ever forget the lass humping the bonnet of Cov's Jag like that? But then again, the videos are listed as "The Whitesnake Trilogy videos", just as the VHS tape from 1989 was advertised, leading the buyer to believe that they would have that presentation on DVD, which you don't actually get. You just get the clips, and none of the clips between or the great clip of Dave n' Tawny pissing about in the car to "Love Ain't No Stranger". A major disappointment.
So, this is a real letdown, in short. The album is great and always a welcome listen, but if you have already bought this album (I think I must have bought at least 3 copies over the years in various formats) then I'd not bother unless you find it very cheap.
Whitesnake - Live... In The Shadow of the Blues
"'Ere's a song forrrr ya!"
Recorded before the release of the last album, this 2CD live recording sees the present line-up of Whitesnake (the only difference being this band still featured Tommy "Dorien Gray's mega-perm" Aldridge on drums) burning (if you will) through a selection of hits from the Coverdale songbook. The band sound tight and furious, even if Old Cov does seem to struggle a little on some of his vocals. He does tend to skreetch a lot on some tunes. I get the impression that he was doing the old Jovi trick of holding the mic out for the high notes for the audience to murder, like he was in Manchester this year, but it all sounds acceptable enough on this CD.
The songs do weigh heavy on the later days of Whitesnake, as you would expect, but there are some tasty additions, mainly in the form of the "Burn / Stormbringer" medley, which really does rattle away at a furious pace and has a lovely transition that you'll never see coming on first listen between songs. It's just a shame that you don't get much of the "Stormbringer" bit! "Love Ain't No Stranger" is a friendly addition and sounds great. "Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City" also sounds mean, moody and magnificent here, as does "Is This Love".
The on-stage banter has been kept to the minimum on this recording. There's not a lot of evidence of Coverdale's Leslie Philips of Rock impression here, which does leave more time for actual music, which is good. The crowd noise does get a bit much sometimes and does occasionally seem a little, erm... "enhanced", shall we say? This is a minor quibble though.
There is a selection of newbie tunes stuck on the end of the second CD to add some value to the set. They seem to fit into the style of the album that followed it. These songs are mainly rockers, with one slowie in the form of "All I Want Is You" which features David at his husky best. They ae a fair selection and do present the buyer with a little extra value to the package.
So, it's not bad. I don't know whether it's worth running out to buy though. I'd pick it up if you see it at a good price though, as there are some cracking performances on here.
Dusty Springfield - Dusty in Memphis (Rhino Deluxe Edition 1999)
Lord knows how many times this album has been repackaged, recompiled and relauched, but this version is a pretty good one due to the extra songs that are included. I already own a previous Rhino version of this album and it only has three extra songs, which are alos included on this version, so that's good as those extra songs are good 'uns.
So, as for the album, you cannot fault the original "...In Memphis" album at all and I don't think I could ever really trust anyone who would say that this selection of songs are amazing and so incredibly performed by Springfield. This album always crops up in those lists of "Best Albums Ever" charts, and there is a good reason for this as the hype is justified on this one. It's incredible that this album was not a hit when it came out, but as the years pass, the recognition for and hyperbalies applied to this album keep growing. Like the cliche would tell us, this album is like a fine old wine getting better with age, blah, blah, blah...
The "Big One" on here is arguably "Son of a Preacher Man", but this isn't even the best song on here. There's great stuff like "Just a Little Lovin'", "Breakfast in Bed" and "I Can't Make It Alone". Dusty's voice just cuts through and slinks out of the speakers at you, it's amazing stuff and perfect for listening on a quiet day when your head needs soothing.
So, the extra tunes. There's plenty of them, in fact there are more bonus songs than actual album songs in this set. There is, as noted, the three tunes from the other version; "What Do You Do When Loves Dies", "Willie & Laura Mae Jones" and "That Old Sweet Roll", which are all great songs (especially "...Jones") and always welcome on a CD. The rest of them are a mixed bag of styles, all of which D.S. breezes through and lends her style to. I don't know if you really need all the bonus tracks as the album in itself is worthy of forking out for alone.
So, I suppose that if you're curious about the record and you fancy a punt on it, then you could plump for the cheapest version off Amazon without any bonus songs. Then again, this version may just be as cheap on New-and-Used, so you could get it and get some extras. If you own a copy of this (this is my third) then it's probably worth grabbing if you've got a few pennies free. Then again, it's probably not going to be too long before Rhino releases another version with even more stuff on. Who knows, we even may get the three disk box set one day!
David Bedford - Star's End
Right then, anyone up for listening to an album that presents music that represents the death of a star in deep space? Yeah? Great stuff, I'll whip out this beauty and slap it on then!
Like many people, I heard an excerpt of this first on Mike Oldfield's "Boxed" set, which presented a section of the piece (the album has tracks "Part One" and "Part Two") with Oldfield's guitar work on it. I've also been aware of David Bedford courtesy of the GPM's collection and such records as the excellent "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", which is now also sat on my shelves.
"So, what does all this pretentious bollocks sound like then, Gray?" I hear you call. It sounds like experimental modern classical music, but I don't mean that in a bad way. Granted, you're not going to be found headbanging to this on a Saturday night down at Jilly's, and there are no Leppard-style choruses to shout along to, but if you fancy sitting with the headphones on giving something your attention that will ultimately reveal some great passages of music, then this is for you. It's dynamic and contains bits of music that will blow you out of your chair and take your breath away. There's some beautiful sections and I heartily recommend to anyone who's not too scared to give this a bash. Give it time and you'll love it.
UFO - Lights Out
A blasting good listen and no mistaking. Every rock collection should feature this for the inclusion of the title track alone. Saying that though, there's not a bad tune on here and it's all great rock stuff, which never fears to experiment or stretch beyond the confines of the rock genre. From the cover of Love's "Alone Again Or" (which should be terrible, but is very tasteful and in keeping with the original) to the amazing closing epic of "Love to Love", this album doesn't put a foot wrong and stands up to multiple spins in a row.
The songs are all excellent. The band sounds tight and amazing, with some great guitar work from Mr Schenker, of course. It's short and sharp and kicks like a mule. Great album. Buy it!
Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
I got this for three quid at Tescos' on Saturday and I have heard it once or twice before, but since "I Predict a Riot" is on it as well as a few of the other big songs of theirs are there, it was worth a punt. It's alright, but since the famous three songs all take up the first three positions on the CD, I cannot remember much about the rest of the album, I'm afraid. It's all catchy enough and they do like their choruses, so it's not hard to enjoy spinning this when it's on, but it's not one that I'm going to cherish for all time.
Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms
I've had dodgy copies of this album since it came out and it's always been hanging about at the corner of the collection, but Amazon had it on sale for pennies, so I felt it was time to actually own a proper copy. Since everybody on the planet has probably heard this (or at least one song off it) in the years that it's been out, I don't need to tell everyone about the songs, but it is worth pointing out that it's all good stuff, even if you could never stomach hearing "Walk of Life" or "Money For Nothing" AGAIN ever in your lifetime. The highlight for me (and the main reason for shelling out my quid fifty) was the title track, which I could never get tired of hearing. It's a gorgeous and haunting piece of music and I defy anyone to tell me otherwise! So there you go... I finally bought the damn thing and I don't regret it at all.
Kim Carnes - Gypsy Honeymoon (The Best of...)
No prizes for why Amazon-New-and-Used got a quid out of me for this. "Bette Davis Eyes" was the reason for getting this, which is a tune that I've loved for years, but I'd forgotten about until some advert with a lass with red shoes in it had used it and reminded me how good a tune it was. This is on here, naturally and sounds great. I'd also heard "I'll Be Home Where the Heart Is", which is on a soundtrack for something or other, possibly the "Flashdance" soundtrack, which was nice.
As for the rest of it, it's a mix of stuff from across Carnes' career to 1993 when this compilation was put together. The songs are all pretty MOR, but not in a really bad way. Opening with "Chain Letter", which sounds like something that Stevie Nicks could get away with singing, the album opens with three new numbers, then goes back in time and picks numbers from the eighties albums. I've no idea which were hit and which weren't apart from "B.D.E.", so I've no clue if this compilation is a good introduction to the artist's work, but it all sounds OK even if some of it is very much of it's time.
Adele - 19
Bless the HMV sale. I'd heard the big songs from this album on the radio and telly and thought they were OK, so I took a chance on this one and gave it a buy. This collection of soulful tunes is delivered with a good deal of confidence and generally sounds pretty good. The songs are engaging with a pared-down and simple production which allows the vocal performance to shine out. Songs such as the opening "Daydreamer", "Hometown Glory" and the lovely "Make You Feel My Love" are a few of the highlights on this collection... It's all-a-very niiice.
Kings of Leon - Youth and Young Manhood
Again, I saw this for a few quid in the HMV sale racks and I liked the stuff I'd heard on the radio from the current album, so I thought I'd give it a spin. It's all raw rock and roll and sounds OK, but it doesn't really float my boat as such. The playing is all fine and the band are good, but the vocals grate a bit on this album and the songs just tend to drag on for me as the album progresses. I should really have bought the album with the songs I'd heard on the radio on!
Loreena McKennitt
The first of two major artist kicks fills in the blanks from my collection of the mighty Loreena. I started to see the albums cheap on my ol' mate Amazon New-and-Used, so I started to replace my (ahem) copies with nice shinies I can have on the shelf!
Loreena McKennitt - The Journey Begins
This box set comprises of Loreena's first three albums and is completed by a disk of songs taken from numerous live recordings, including the Alhambra set. It's all packaged up in the jewel case formats, with the extras in a card sleeve and sent out in a neat cardboard box designed to look like a luggage trunk. As McKennitt often refers to her music being "Travel Writing", this packaging is a simple and nice touch.
So, working from the start of the set, things kick off with "Elemental", the debut album. This album is very much based around the Celtic sound and gives the listener a clue of how far McKennitt has come over the years in her material and influences. There's the hyper-trad "She Moved Through the Fair" which still features in live shows today. I think that as McKennitt has moved on and experimented more, the confidence to take chances has helped her music a lot. This is a good set of songs and everything is present in the music that you have come to expect; the great voice, the lush production, it's all there.
Next is "Parallel Dreams", which continues the Celtic feel of the previous album. This album features "Huron 'Beltane' Fire Dance" which is great, although I do prefer the live version as it's epic-ness is allowed to come to the fore in the live arena and is not cruely chopped into a neat small package as it is on this album version. Generally, whilst this album shares many things in common sound-wise with the previous album, it feels a little more epic in it's scope and the tunes are slightly longer, which is a preview of album songs to come.
"The Visit" is McKennitt's third album and sees her branching out with the sound. Amongst the Celtic tinged stuff is the Spanish-flavoured "Tango to Evora", the start of the eastern feel that comes out so string later on and a hint of further experimentation on future albums. The epic nature is still here with the long, but still engaging "Lady of Shallot" and the great "The Old Ways". Of the three albums, I think that this one is the favourite as there are just so many lovely bits of music on here and songs which still seem to feature live to the day.
The bonus disk is a mixed bag if you already have all the albums already. Most of this has been included in other packages somehow over the years. Even the "Previously Unreleased" live rendition on "The Highwayman" can be heard with the accompanying visuals on the "Moveable Musical Feast" documentary. Then again, it's always a pleasure to here that song, as well as "Caravanserie", which is a firm favourite. Still, if you've not got any of the live recordings, this is an intersting preview of what can be heard for the exchange of a few pennies on Amazon.
As a box set, this is pretty good for those who want a one-stop-shop solution to getting all Loreena's early albums and there is no denying or arguing over the fact that for under fifteen quid, you can get three great albums.
Loreena McKennitt - The Mask and The Mirror
Now we're talking! This album has McKennitt opening the toy boy and dragging everything out to make a great album. There's alsorts of sounds and styles put into the bag here and they all blend together nicely and produce one hell of a good racket. There's all manner of ethnic instruments put into play to bring out the feel of the music inspired by travels to Spain, Morocco and Ireland.
"The Mystic's Dream" kicks off the album and continues through favourites such as "The Bonny Swans", "Dark Night of the Soul" and the atmospheric "Marrakesh Night Market". Even the long and epic "Cé Hé Mise le Ulaingt?/The Two Trees" never outstays its welcome at about a ten minute duration. There's plenty of old poetry given the musical treatment, and even if it's not what I'd rush out to buy the book of, it's interesting to hear someone's interpretation of a musical treatment and McKennitt has that job down to a fine art by the time came to make this album.
This is a great piece of work by an artist really finding her strengths and playing to them. This album sets the listener up nicely for the next album, which we will get to next.
Loreena McKennitt - The Book of Secrets
Now we're REALLY talking! This is my favourite of the studio bunch, I think, possibly maybe tying at first place with "Ancient Muse" which took a little more time to grow on me, but has properly sunk in and I probably should re-write my review! Anyway...
"Prologue" opens the proceedings (funnily enough) and takes us into Sam's current favourite and Loreena's chart hit "The Mummers' Dance" and from here on it's excellent all the way to then closing bars of the beautiful "Dante's Prayer". Everything in between is lovely too. We have my favourite here; "The Highwayman" which gives me the chills everytime I hear it (as it has since I first heard it a good many years ago now). There's not a duff tune on here and it all sounds so luch and lovely with McKennitt's vocals blending in so well to the magical backing provided by the band.
As with all McKennitt albums, this music sounds great late at night with the lights down and nothing else going on. It's just so good to kick back to and relax with as the music just envelopes you in it's lovely warm sound (oooo, get me!) There's such variety of sound on here again that there is something for everyone to like and the album flies by when you spin it. I'd recommend this to anyone if they want a good listen and a nice relax!
Excellent.
Loreena McKennitt - Live In Paris and Toronto
This double CD live set brings the listener Ms Mckennitt and co on tour in 1998 on The Book of Secrets tour. That particular album is played in full on the first CD and the second CD has more songs from previous albums.
Naturally, it's all performed beautifully by all the members of the band, which has a slightly different line-up from the A-Mazing Alhambra live set. McKennitt herself seems to allow the band to do their thing with her material, but never allows the whole thing to descend into complete madness. Her voice is clear throughout and rings out above the backing. It's all done lightly and with taste, but then again, you're not going to get the feeling from a live Loreena album that you would get from having your mind melted by The 'Head's "No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith". This is an album to put on when the mood is quiet, or if you've got a headache from having "No Sleep..." on too loud.
Personal highlights are "The Highwayman", of course (See "The Book of Secrets" for more on that) "The Lady of Shalott" and "The Old Ways". There's some banter on here, which is good, as the Alhambra set has had the chatter cruely removed. You get more of a feeling of the gig with the quiet in between songs and McKennitt's spoken voice barely louder than a whisper introducing the music.
It's all good stuff. Whether it's an essential purchase, is probably overstating it a bit. I like the Alhambra DVD best, and if you've got "The Book of Secrets", then you could leave this set to buy until last, which is exactly what I did!
Loreena McKennitt - A Midwinter Night's Dream
Now then, now then... I bought the pre-order, full-on, bells-and-whistles version of this package which includes a load of postcards, crimble decorations and special artwork as well as the album and the DVD of the "A Moveable Musical Feast" documentary, all wrapped up in a sexy big white gift box. It's all very lovely and pretty good value for money, even if the postage from Canada was a bit steep.
As for the musical content, this has got all the tunes from the ealier seasonal songs album, "A Winter Garden", with the other songs being new stuff recorded this year. I'm not sure if this is a great sales idea, since half the album is stuff that most of the fandom will already own. The quality of it all is great, as you would expect, and it all sounds tops and a step above the usual shitty Christmas albums that you can pick up with Mariah Carey telling you that all she wants for Christmas is you.
The real jewel of the set, and worth the investment if you fork out for something above the stand-alone album release (there are three, count' em, options of this release), is the "Movable Musical Feast" documentary on the DVD. The documents the "Ancient Muse" tour and follow McKennitt and band around the world and shows you behind the scnes of the band on the road. This, of course, portrays a band who can rival Motley Crue in terms of on-the-road debauchery and is like watching a movie version of "The Dirt". The site of McKennitt snorting cocaine off some random man-whore's back and swigging from a bottle of J.D. is a sight to see, I can tell you. Seriously though, it's all very polite and you get the impression that nothing ever goes really wrong on the tour, as workaholic McKennitt likes to keep the ship tightly run. It's interesting to meet the musos in the band, as they are the ones featured in the Alhambra gig film. There's some humour in there and it all looks like a very happy touring job.
There's plenty of good stuff on the ducemuntary, including some history and this film really does tell you more than the "No Journey's End", which seemed to just focus more on nice scenery. There's plenty to get the teeth into, as it were. There are also there live performances by the band, including a superb run-through of "The Highwayman". It's a joy to watch.
So, if you're going to fork out for this and already have "A Winter Garden", then chuck in a few extra quid and get the DVD too, as this is where the real value is in this package.
Talk Talk
The other CD kick from this batch comes from Talk Talk...
Talk Talk - The Party's Over
Don't ask my why I've always been a bit fascinated by this lot, after all, they are hardly a band of the Iron Maiden variety. Still, I finally shelled out a quid or so on a few of their albums after wearing out the greatest hits CD I've had for donkey's. This is an earlier album and it does sound a bit dated now, although it's a far cry from some of the other stuff released at the time. It's all very synth-ie and has it's fair share of early 80s-isms, but the songs are oddly engaging and do seem to be a step ahead of the rest. The stuff on here is not quite as good to my ears as stuff like "Living in Another World", but Hollis' voice lifts it all up for me and makes it sounds pretty good. Highlights for me are the title track, "Candy" and "Have You Heard The News".
Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden
The second one that I got a spun from the band sees time moving on several years in time and several light years in style (I know that sounded cheesy, sorry). The album starts softly with quiet chords and jazzy trumpet and kind of reminds me of the first section of Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond". This sets the tone for a very atmospheric and experimental album and not a collection of New Romantic tinged pop songs. At times, it reminds me of later stuff by Robert Plant, for some reason, probably due to the aching vocal style and low-key percussion. It also really reminds me of latter day Marillion, with it's passages of slow-burning instrumental and again, Hollis' voice reminds me of Steve Hogarth's at it's quietest and most aching.
It's all pretty epic in it's own way and there's no way you could give this a full-on write up with only one or two listens. There's lots of moods and different styles on here, and I suppose that it's pretty Prog in it's own way, so that great for me! It strikes me as a slow-burning grower (quite like some of the latter Marillion) and so far, I think I really like it for that reason, more than I liked "The Party's Over" anyway. I'm on my second play of it and I'm liking hearing all the new bits I missed when I played it in the car yesterday. I think this one may stick with me for a while.
Talk Talk - The Colour of Spring
This is the Talk Talk I'm more familar with and this CD has many of the songs that I prefer from the "Hits" collection I've got. "Life's What You Make It" and "Living In Another World" are personal highlights from this excellently produced album, with loads of percussion rattling away and pushing the music along. But there are also some more experimental and quiet moments on here that provide plenty of contrast and some excellent light-and-shade to the album, with Hollis' voice sounding so good throughout. What I suppose would have been "Side Two" on the LP versions of this album plays almost like a poppy concept album (complete with a choir that almost reminded me of "Operation:Mindcrime"!) and makes a 45 minute album seem a lot shorter and proves to me more and more that Talk Talk and Marillion started from very different origins, but were always on the same road!
Talk Talk - It's My Life
The album with the band's biggest hit, as far as I'm aware, and the song that has recently been covered by No Doubt, unless I'm very much mistaken. This album on the whole doesn't work for me as well as "The Colour of Spring" as it does sound more dated, although it does seem to be a bit of a transitional piece of work as the band continue to experiment with the sound. It's just that some of the trumpet and synth bit sound very much of the time. That said, the songs are pretty good and the cover art is lovely and very distinctive.
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