Winter Ear Candy for 2010
More New CDs!
A new year and a new selection of rubbish for me to bore you about!
Tori Amos - Midwinter Graces
A selection of seasonal ditties from Ms Amos sets us all up nicely for the Xmas onslaught. Most of these are originals with a selection of Trad.Arrs. thrown in for good measure. It's all breezy stuff with plenty of Tori-isms going on. There are some diversions though, especially on songs like "Pink and Glitter" which launches straight in with a big band behind it and "Harps of Gold" which comes out a bit Peter Gabriel with it's Salisbury Hill-isms coming on quite strong. This variety is a nice change of pace and makes the record quite a fun listen. That said, it can get a bit "churchy" at times, but at least Amos thought better of covering some dross like "Walking in the Air" or a Cliff song.
On first listen, and possibly as this is a seasonal record, there is a little more to grasp onto than with the first listen of "Abnormally Attracted to Sin". It's a bit brighter and breezier with (I hate to use this phrase) but catchier tunes than the last album. The playing is excellent, as you would expect with an Amos album. There's a lovely light touch to the songs on here.
I got the spesh edish (of course) which features some lovely artwork and a bonus DVD which I've not seen yet, since I only got this a day before I wrote this. So you get quite a bit for your dosh, which is good. I'm not sure where she found the time to make this stuff, but it's all good and a step above your usual xmas album. You could get away with playing this in July, if you fancied, and not get funny looks for doing so!
The Strawbs - Live at Nearfest 2004
So impressed I was by the acoustic gig I saw these gents do at Buxton, I felt the need to give them some moeny for this live album which had some of the songs on that I'd realyl enjoyed during their show. This is a full-band live album and it all sounds great with the proper rythym section doing their thing. There's some choice cuts on here including "Lay Down" and the lovely and epic "Autumn". It's a pleasure to listen to and a good introduction (according to the bloke I spoke to at the gig with the long coat) to the band as they sound today. A Holy Diver well spent, methinks!
Fastway - Trick or Treat OST
Sammy Curr lives! Well, in the minds of those of us who know that THEY WILL NEVER TAKE US DOWN anyway!
This is a collection of tunes recorded by Fastway for the great movie (it's what Friday night's in were made for) of the same name and they are all pretty typical slabs of 80s metal. The songs are all good fist-in-the-air rockers for the most part with the excellent "After Midnight" being one of the best. After all, who can forget the sight of that dude who played Sammy Curr prancing round the stage acting camper than a row of tents owned by Paul Stanley. This is a great CD to get if you've got a couple of quid spare and you love the movie and/or cheesy metal.
Buy it and stick it to the man...
Steve Hackett - Out of the Tunnel's Mouth
The new album from Mr Hackett is full of good stuff, I'm glad to say, that crosses styles from Genesis-style songs to eastern-inflected epics with some blues and classical thrown in for good measure. The music is refined and quite beautiful in parts, "Emerald and Ash" being a great example of how the Hackett and his band play with his trademark dynamics amd sensitivity. There's a lot to love about this album, whether it be the song-writing to the performances with some excellent singing and harmonising. There's also some lovely sax playing throughout.
Of course, this being a Hackett album, the guitar playing is great all the way through and I'm sure the guitar geeks out there will salivate over the Hackett's stylings on here. It's a shame that the drums are programmed on this release (or they seem to be), but that doesn't take away from the music in any way, in fact I don't think I noticed the first time I listened to it.
So, I'd heartily recommend this to any Steve Hackett fan or those who may like a bit of Genesis or progressive stuff. It's got plenty for the prog-heads to sink their teeth into but shouldn't alienate those who aren't in that camp as there is plenty of different styles and it all sounds great.
Queensryche - The Art of Live
The art of live indeed. The Ryche are no strangers to the live album and this is yet another addition to the shelves which are groaning under the weight of live recordings by this band. This one focuses on the output from the band during the late 90s and early 00s, which generally means it a bit dull. There is the inevitable inclusion of some stuff from Mindcrime to keep the faithful happy, but it all sort of melts into one long tune after a while. So, if you (like Marky-Boy and I) like to try and make each other buy shitty live albums, then this is one to get!
Ozzy Osbourne - Under Cover
Horrible. Just horrible. I'm sure Ozzy's motives were all good, but this collection of songs is dreadful. I could go on for pages about why I think this album is shockingly bad, but I'll give you the full rant in the pub some day ovre a pint of Black Sheep. I bought this as a joke to give Marky-Boy a laugh. I sat through it so I could say I'd spun the CD and I was reminded why I hadn't rushed out to buy it when it came out: It's awful. Avoid.
Heart - The Road Home
I bought this years ago in New York and I've cherished it forever, but my copy had got a bit damaged somehow, so I got another copy and used it as an excuse to talk about it here. This is a live collection recorded in the early 90s after the "Desire Walks On" record and it sounds incredible. There's a mix of older and newer numbers with a few covers thrown in for good measure and there isn't a duff song on here. There are updated versions of some great classics, "Alone" and "These Dreams" being obvious highlights for me. "Dog and Butterfly" also sounds great here. But it's not only the slower numbers that have been added to the set. There are great run-throughs of "Barracuda" and "Crazy On You" to get the pulse racing.
I think one of the best things on here is that when you listen to it, it seems really intimate. It sounds like they did record it in one of the Wilson sister's living rooms. This album really does move the band away from it's eighties approach, but at the same time, that material is still treated with love and attention and makes this such an entertaining set of songs with a great sound. The arrangements are excellent and the band (including John Paul Jones on various instruments) really are strong.
So, an excellent album and a personal favourite of mine.
Alanis Morrissette - Under Rug Swept
To be honest, this is more of the same from Alanis. There are better songs on other albums and plenty more memorable stuff in her repetoire than can be found here. Still, there's some interesting stuff and a bit of experimentation, but I'll always end up back on "Jagged Little Pill".
Skin - Up Close and Personal
Ahhh, Skin. Bless them. This CD was madea available through their website and on the "Reunited" tour, which is where I picked it up. This is a live-in-the-studio selection of acoustic arrangements of old numbers from the Skin back catalogue with the addition of two new numbers. Kicking off with "Look But Don't Touch", the album does rattle along nicely and even the numbers I wasn't keen on first time round sound pretty good with the stripped-back approach without some of the production nonsense they had on originally. Stuff like "Face to Face", for example, have had some of the Alanis stuff stripped off and it gives the song a bit more individuality. Numbers like "Take Me Down To The River" and "Tower of Strength" are always guaranteed winners, so there's plenty of stuff on here for everyone.
I suppose the main points of interest on here are the two newies. "Re-United" is a great song about err... reuniting. It's a laid back number which really does hit the spot with it's catchy chorus and sing-a-long verses. "Redemption" starts off like The Verve's "Lucky Man" and morphs between that and Leppard's "Long Long Way To Go" throughout forming quite a nice little ballad. Both tunes sounded great with the electric arrangement live and I hope that if these tunes are re-recorded full-band style, that they retain their feel.
As a first step back to recording form, this album is a good one. Let's hope that they can keep it up and not go steadily downhill like the last time!
Skin - Experience Electric
The extremely "difficult third album" from Messers Gray, McDonald, Robbins and Fliszar and the one that brought the band to it's first split back in the day. The band would tell you that this was their favourite album, and whilst there are some decent numbers on here, it's just not got the shine and entertainment value of the debut.
Anna Kashfi - "Procurement" and "Survival"
"Procurement" is the 2008 album from "The 'Kash" and is another excellent showcase for Jay and Sian's "Alt-Folk" tendancies and "Survival" is the new album which is to be released early in 2010. I've got this as Jay sent me a copy as thanks for playing some drums on during the recording sessions for him, which I get asked to do now and again and I'm always happy to oblige since Jay is a top fellow. If anything, the newer album of the two shows more refinement in the material. This is probably due to the fact that the former album has some material that has been around quite a while. Of the two, I think that "Survival" is better. That said, both collections are fine records.
The songs are all full of longing and emotion and the playing is gentle and sensitive. This is music for late night listening sessions with headphones on and the lights off. As it says on the back cover of "Survival" (in true rock and roll style); "Play it loud". I always knew Jay could be relied on to throw a good cliche in there!
The production on these albums is warm and the variation of instruments used across the albums shows some real willingness to stretch and take a few chances. Jay's approach to the records always does seem to go for feel and there's no Mutt Lange trickery involved, so the music breathes soul. There's plenty of room in the music for Sian's vocals with some lovely harmony work adding colour to the music. Jay's playing is average, at best (only kidding mate!) The sound of the music gives a comforting feel to some pretty bleak lyrics, so these albums feel like giant comfort blankets. I'm going off on one now, aren't I?
Anyhoo, If you like your music quiet (but loud), Possibly depressing (yet uplifting) and (in their own words) "impart(ing) psychedelic meanderings of hazy beauty", then go for it and pick up these albums. You can buy them from http://www.annakashfi.co.uk/ and hear clips on their MySpace page.
Lita Ford - In Concert
A "Greatest Hits Live" sort of thing from Ms. Ford. It's OK. It starts with a studio recording of a new song, which sounds pretty good. It's no "Kiss Me Deadly", but it's a reasonable soft rocker. Then it's off into the live show proper. The cheering starts and the crowd sounds pretty sparse, but then all of a sudden, someone switches the tape that they're using to beef up the audience and it sounds a little more full-up in the gig. The sound recording is OK, but it's very much of a soundboard bootleg quality, which is OK, but the snare get a bit annoying after a while! The performances are all very much what you'd expect from an un-touched live recording in a sweaty club. There are a few bum notes and odd squeeks, but it all adds to the charm. I don't know whether this would stand up to repeat listenings if you've got the other Lita albums, but it's an OK live record. So there you go!
Vixen - Rev It Up
You've got to love Vixen. This was their second album and the last one they made before it all started falling apart and they fell out with the music biz and each other. This is a great selection of numbers which retains the sparkle of the debut, but polishes it up into something a little more refined. It's all slightly more rocked-up and does feel tighter than the debut and there are some great tunes on here, the lead-off single "How Much Love" being a very strong example. It's just a shame that they all did fall out and the whole Grunge thing managed to kick them out of favour as the next album could have been even better than this one.
The Hooters - The CBS Collection
This two-CD set is made up of three complete albums released by the band during their tenure at CBS records ("Nervous Night", "One Way Home" and Zig Zag") which was basically from 1985 to 1989. The main reason for getting this was to get a copy of "Satellite", which opens the second album from 1987 and is a true classic with it's great verse leading to the irresistable chorus. There is a lot more to love on here though. The songs from the first album are all OK, but it's on the second album where the music steps up a notch and gives the listener a real treat with some storming poppy-rocky-rootsy rock and roll. The third album is no slouch either, come to think of it, but there is a slightly more mature feel to that material. The music sort of reminded me of "This is the Sea" Waterboys stuff with rootsy instrumentation and powerful rhythm pumping away.
My only mumble about the set is that the three albums are spread over two CDs, so you need to change the CD to get the second half of "One Way Home". But then again, on the bright side, you could always pretend that you have got the LP on and you're turning over the record :) This is a great fun and good value set... Niiiiice.
Fleetwood Mac - Say You Will
Right then, are Fleetwood Mac any good without Christine McVie? Over the years, her contribution to The Mac seems to have been overshadowed by the presence of Miss Nicks and Mr Buck-ing-ham and it's a shame since her voice is a real important part of the whole band sound and her songs always proved to be a bit of a sweetener on albums increasingly being taken over by the Nicks / Buckingham writing efforts. So, with McVie stepping away from the band, this album would already be interesting in terms of what whould be presented and on this album, it's very much an album of two sides (instead of the three of the old days). The album is a total Buckingham / Nicks set with all that comes with songs by the two and you can definately tell who's written what on here. I think that Buckingham comes out on top here with songs that could sit just as easily on his solo albums from the Mac wilderness years. Nicks' songs are all pretty good too that said, although tunes like "Illume" are skippable and sometimes border on being forgettable. It's good that they didn't go for a double album, as Buckingham wanted as this 70-odd minute album does threaten to get a bit tiresome.
Then again, when this album is good, it's very good. The Mick and John rhythm orchestra shows no signs of wear and tear and pushes the excellent guitar work along beautifully. The vocals all sound great, even if Christine McVie (who does appear on a few numbers as backing vocalist) would have been very welcome singing lead and major harmonies here. Songs like "Bleed to Love Her", "Say You Will" and "What's the World Coming To" sound typically Fleetwood Mac and very cool. Other tunes (all typically Buckingham) like "Come" and "Red Rover" provide great contrast and are great songs.
So, there you go. It's a decent album that would have been even better if some bits were dropped and McVie came back and rejoined, but since that's not going to happen soon, this is a great effort... Even if I did wait until I could buy it for a quid and not spend a tenner on it!
Josh Groban - Awake
Now then, I got this due to the fact that "February Song" is a storming tune. It's got everything on it and it's a right good stirring ballad that builds from the quietest whisper of piano and voice to the full power of the orchestra. The rest of the album is a split between MoR ballads, mid-tempo numbers and classical pieces, all delivered with an excellent production that makes it quite a fun listen.
Europe - Last Look at Eden
The latest album from Sweden's hardest rocking band kicks off with a big instrumental piece before blasting into the title track. It's all Euro-metal bombast and is delivered with some gusto. From then on, the album goes through several moods, albeit all in the rock style. I think the favourite so far is the obligatory big ballad named "New Love In Town" which ticks all the right boxes. The heavier numbers are cracking too and have the usual modern-era Europe mish-mash of their old 80s style, with their Deep Purple old school approach and topped off with their appreciation of the modern rock sound. The title track really does set the scene nicely. It's a good, consistent modern rock album and I'm very much looking to hearing this stuff live in February!
Mazzy Star - Among My Swan
A collection of very reflective and low-key numbers all delivered with the twang and a very expressive feel with Hope Sandoval's ethereal (I hate that word, sorry) vocals shimmering across the top of it. This album seems more upbeat than some of the others I've heard and is a lovely companion for a late-night listening session with the headphones on. Actually, the more I listen to this album, the more I like it. It's really a lovely listen.
Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
The first of this selection's Supergroup albums is by the ultra-hip joining of Josh Holmes, Dave Grohl and Mr John Paul Jones. It's a bit of a grower this one since I was a bit non-plussed when I heard it for the first time. But after a spin or two, it started to sink in. It's a good blend of the styles of the three stars of the band and it all gels together into quite a tasty slab of modern rock with one foot placed in the past (and I mean that in a good way). Each band member aquits himself well in the mix and stamps his mark on the music. Grohl sounds good on the kit and Holmes' vocals give the sound a great modern sound and it's all underpinned by JPJ with his trademark virtuosity on every other instrument known to man.
There's not much in the way of self-indulgence on here either. The songs all power away with little flab and everything seems in place and balanced out in just the right measure to keep the album flowing. Like I said before, this is a grower and possibly a record that will give and give as you live with it. I'm glad I stuck with it... and so will you if you give it a shot!
Chickenfoot - Chickenfoot (Deluxe Edition)
The other Supergroup in the rock news at the moment is the mighty Chickenfoot. This band is made up of Joe Satriani (Guitars), Chad Smith (Red Hot Drummer), Michael Anthony (Van Halen Bass) and my old favourite Sammy Hagar taking point on vocals and as you'd expect from the musicians involved, this band takes a more straight-ahead Classic Rock approach to the music... and god bless 'em for it because it all sounds excellent. Hagar can do this stuff in his sleep and it's fun to hear him with Satch on the axe and with his old Halen pal Mikey bringing up the rear on bass and trademark backing vocals. Smith pins it all down with a funky touch and it all sounds very smooth.
The songs on here are all good too and with tunes like "Soap On A Rope" and "Sexy Little Thing", the writing is all top notch and a perfect album for rocking out to of an evening. In fact, it's probably some of the best material that the combined musos have produced for a while and that's saying something since Hagar still produces excellent material on his solo stuff. Then again, he always did seem to be an excellent creative collaborator.
Slaughter - Stick It To Ya!
Ah well... At least I didn't pay more than a quid for this, as I recall. I got this due to the fact that I had it on vinyl for years and always remember kinda liking it back in the day. So it was going to be interesting to hear it again after all this time. I put it on and the first thing that struck me was that the vocals were fucking awful and the whole thing sounded really dated with it's really nasty production. Whether it's just that the transfer to CD was not great or whether it always sounded shit, I don't know, but it's got that nasty tinny late 80's production on it and it jsut really grates.
It's a shame as a few of the songs are pretty good. "Up All Night" still sounds OK, but the rest of it just overdoes it on the Zep and DC cliches and drags the whole thing down into a mire. I always remember "Fly to the Angels" being better than it is too, which is a shame as I had a soft spot for that when I was 17. That just may say more about my taste as a 17 year old, but I'd never admit that, would I?!
So, it was fun to hear it again, but it's not one I'd recommend anyone to rush out and buy from that era of Hairy Metal. There's plenty of better albums of that ilk that you could go for. Spend your quid on Nelson's debut or Poison's "Flesh and Blood" or something by House of Lords instead... Sod it, I'd even recommend Jackyl over this!
Kings-X - Out of the Silent Planet / Faith Hope Love / Kings-X
I got these as a bit of a job lot to replace the vinyl versions that I've had tucked away for years and they all still sound spiffing after all these years. There's plenty to love on these albums and there's lots of the innovation and experimentation that you'd expect from the band. Of the three, I think I like "Faith Hope Love" the best, although "Out of thhe Silent Planet" does have it's moments. The eponymous album from 1992 is OK, but kind of passes me by a bit. Still, that said, it's still a strong record.
Mike Oldfield - Music of the Spheres
This is a totally orchestral piece of work from Oldfield and not his usual clever-dick I-played-it-all-myself album. It's not bad, although it did pass me by a bit the first few times I played it. The music is nice enough and there are some pretty vocals on there, but it's a bit "background" as a whole. There are parts which do sound like "Tubular Bells" and some of his other pieces, but there's nothing totally lifted from older albums. This is not bad, but I'm glad I didn't pay more than I did for it... I'd put on "...Bells" or "Amarok" instead of this.
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© 2006 Graham T. Ebbrell