Opeth - ”Heritage” (2011)

Opeth was a band name that over the years popped up now and then, but since I had understood it was a band associated the death metal genre, and its typical growling, I kept a distance. Death metal has never been my thing. Not growl either.

But one day in the fall of 2012, the band was going to have a concert in my home town Uppsala, and a friend had an extra  ticket. He had spoken warmly about Opeth and described their music, and especially Heritage, in a way that made me think that maybe, just maybe, this was a band for me. According to my friend Opeth had a clear progressive touch, the vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt was a really nice guy and the other band members real experts on their instruments. So I followed my friend to the concert.

The promises were fulfilled. It was an amazing concert that mixed really heavy, loud parts with fragile, beautiful parts. The changes between these extremes were done in a split second. I liked what I heard and was glad that my friend had persuaded me, and that Mikael had put the growling away. Well, it showed up in a few songs but it was actually quite OK. The other band members seemed indeed to be really skilled musicians and I watched enviously the bassist's fingers and the drummer's waving arms (two instruments I have tried myself).
 

The concert gave such a good taste that I decided to get their latest album (today's theme). First, I wanted it for Christmas, but none of my relatives saw the necessity to have Heritage at home. One day during a visit to a vinyl record shop, I looked through the shelf with new albumes (new, in form of non-used) and found Heritage. At the same time the store had just received a used copy of the Stones album Let It Bleed from -69, with accompanying original poster and offer to join the Stones fan club. I had been looking for quite some time for this album. Tough choice. The price for Let It Bleed was slightly higher, and I knew I liked the music on Heritage better. At the same time it felt like Let It Bleed, with original accessories, was a more desirable item from a collector's perspective. In the end I bought Heritage, and since it commanded a slightly lower price than the Stones album I also bought a Sly & The Family Stone album. Since Heritage is a double album, one can say that I got three records for the price of one. So I was happy. Of course I visited the shop a few weeks later and bought Let It Bleed too.

The Swedish band Opeth's tenth studio album Heritage is a really, really good album. Mikael Åkerfeldt has written all the songs and has mixed the album together with his friend Steven Wilson. I have no greater knowledge of Opeth's previous musical creations but understand that Heritage is different than a lot of other stuff they've done. The album opens up in peace and quiet with the title song which is performed by a grand piano and an upright bass (I think), no singing. Then it speeds up and the listener is offered metal, prog, folk, jazz,  acoustic guitars, distorted guitars, atmospheric parts, heavy parts, ballads. Often in one and the same song. It might sound like it could be unfocused. But no. Opeth succeeds in merging this into a really nice experience where a floating soundscape logically takes over after a distorted guitar just ripped the speakers to pieces. And the icing on the cake pops up in the form of the Swede Björn J:son Lindh who plays a smokin' flute in one song. This surely will blow you away!

The mysterious cover is based on one of Michael Åkerfeldt's dreams and is created by Travis Smith. It can be mentioned that the keyboardist Per Wiberg left the band after the recording was finished. Today, Opeth is Mikael Åkerfeldt (vocals, guitar), Martin Mendez (bass), Martin Axenrot (drums), Fredrik Åkesson (guitar) and Joakim Svalberg (keyboards).

Heritage is an album that has everything and thus becomes both fun and interesting to listen to. I don't see you'll get tired of it, thanks to its variety. Highly recommended. Opeth belongs unquestionably to the elite within Swedish music.

Tracklist

Side A

1. Heritage 2:03
2. The Devil´s Orchard 6:44
3. I Feel The Dark 6:38

Side B

1. Slither 4:01
2. Nepenthe 5:39
3. Häxprocess 6:59

Side C

1. Famine 8:34
2. The Lines In My Hand 3:53

Side D

1. Folklore 8:19
2. Marrow Of The Earth 4:21

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - ”Tarkus” (1971)

Time for a deep dive into the progressive music world through the prog monster Tarkus. This album was created by the early supergroup ELP, the band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards), Greg Lake (bass, guitar, vocals) and Carl Palmer (drums). The members had played in institutions like The Nice, King Crimson, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Atomic Rooster before ELP was created. For a while it was rumored that Jimi Hendrix would also be part of the constellation, which then would have been called HELP.

This was ELP's second album, and much revolves around the A-side - the nearly 21-minute epic song Tarkus, consisting of a number of shorter pieces. It only took four days to record, which probably says something about the musicians' expertise. Keyboards of various kinds dominate the soundscape - Hammond organ, Moog organ, piano – which gives the music a different sound than many other progressive bands. The guitar is largely lacking on Tarkus, throughout the album, and appears only in exceptional cases. It might make the music a bit more difficult to dig, not counting the progressive touch, expecially if you are used to guitar domination. The combination of bass, drums and keyboard is what the listener mostly gets on Tarkus.
 

The A-side is really good. Although the individual parts of the song Tarkus is different from each other they stick together well and create a whole. One reason for this wholeness is probably the special ELP sound that's present in all the songs. I hear one long song, in its various twists, and not a number of short pieces. Apparently the song is about the ancient monster Tarkus and its battles with other prehistoric creatures...

It may take a while to learn to like the A-side, especially if you don't listen that much to progressive music. It's not always easily accessible. Instrumental tunes are mixed with those with song and it's not always in a 4/4 time signature... And as mentioned, it's a different sound which might offer some resistance. It perhaps says something that I think the A-side's best part is Battlefield where a guitar shows up and plays a solo.

The song Tarkus is such a great creation that the B-side gets in the shadow. I have tried to listen to the B-side with an open mind, but it's impossible to enjoy it as the A-side. It's simply not as good. Many of the songs are relatively dull and feels to some extent like fill outs. It's as if the band members used up their creativity on the A-side and exhausted tried to create something to side B. The finishing song Are You Ready Eddy? is a rockn'roll piece that feels misplaced on the album.

But the song Tarkus is definitely reason enough to purchase this album, at least if you have a good eye for progressive music. Are you curious about this genre, it can certainly be a good start, but possibly the challenge is a little too big. There are other bands in the progressive universe that are probably a little easier to spontaneously like. But it must be said that this album ended up on the top-10 list in the U.S. and got the top spot on the list in England. So obviously there is a commercial potential in music. Or people were simply different in the early 70s.

The band name Emerson, Lake & Palmer was created to ensure that all the focus wasn't at Emerson, who was the most famous artist of the three. The album is produced by Greg Lake (he produced the band first five records) and the cool sleeve is created by the artist William Neal.

Tracklist

Side A
1. Tarkus 20:40
- Eruption 2:43
- Stones of Years 3:43
- Iconoclast 1:16
- Mass 3:09
- Manticore 1:49
- Battlefield 3:57
- Aquatarkus 3:54

Side B

1. Jeremy Bender 1:41
2. Bitches Crystal 3:54
3. The Only Way (Hymn) 3:50
4. Inifinite Space (Conclusion) 3:18
5. A Time And A Place 3:00
6. Are You Ready Eddy? 2:09

The Beach Boys - ”Surf's up” (1971)

When I was younger I didn't like the Beach Boys. Compared to the rich flora of psychedelic and experimental bands that grooved in the late 60's, I thought the Beach Boys played cheezy and kind of stupid sunshine pop. Their bright voices in beautiful harmonies wasn't really my thing. That there was also a darker side in many of the member's lives in the form of psychological challenges and intensive drug use I didn't know. Maybe I would have liked them better if I knew, things like that impressed me as a young man.

Of course I own the classic Pet Sounds but have never really understood the greatness of it. Surf's Up surprised me, however, by how good I think it is. The typical sunny California surf theme in the title stands in contrast to the picture on the cover. Had I seen this picture without knowing that it was a Beach Boys album, I had probably guessed at some band in the metal genre. Pretty cool cover. The music is not as dark and gloomy, though.

Surf's Up meant a change for the band in that it was the first album with some kind of political/social awareness and message, including the environment. Beach Boys had some tough years before Surf's Up with poor record sales and this album was an attempt to get back to the big arenas. The album was received quite well by the press and sold better than the previous records, even if it didn't get a top-10 position in the charts. The test of time has been kind to Surf's Up, and today it's regarded as a really good album and is on lists like "Best album of the '70s."

And I like Surf's Up. It's really good songs with some exceptions, for example I have a hard time with the more cheezy Disney Girls (1957) and Long Promised Road. But the good songs outweigh the boring ones without doubt. The humorous Take A Load Off Your Feet and Feel Flows are a couple of my favorites. The song A Day In The Life Of A Tree is sung by the new manager Jack Rieley, apparently none of Beach Boys members wanted sing the song as they felt it was too depressing.

The album ends with the title song that was originally recorded for the legendary Smile album, 1966-67. And this song sounds like the old Beach Boys, a sound that's different from the rest of the album, more similar to Pet Sounds, for example. Not quite to my taste, but for many it is the album's highlight.

In summary, an album that I can absolutely recommend, and that at least surprised me by not sounding as I thought the Beach Boys would always sound like. And that I found it for 3-4 USD on some flea market doesn't make things worse.

Tracklist

Side A
1. Don't Go Near The Water 2:41
2. Long Promised Road 3:32
3. Take A Load Off Your Feet 2:31
4. Disney Girls (1957) 4:10
5. Student Demonstration Time 4:00

Side B

1. Feel Flows 4:48

2. Lookin' At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song) 1:58
3. A Day In The Life Of A Tree 3:08
4. 'til I Die 2:33
5. Surf's Up 4:13

 

 

Kate Bush - ”Hounds Of Love” (1985)

I notice a big 80s presence in recent posts. Maybe a bit odd considering my view on this musically dark decade, and my beleif that I actually don't own that many 80s albums. Yet, here comes another one, this time a truly great album.

Hounds Of Love was Kate's fifth album and her best selling up to date. And, according to many, her career's best album (so far). I'm inclined to agree. Kate recorded this album all on her own at her 48-channel studio, and delivered the album to EMI finished. Or it was a 24-channel recorder, the info on the net varies, but it doesn't really matter. The album became her breakthrough in the U.S.

I bought the record as a teenager and it's one of relatively few albums I appreciate as much as an adult as I did as a teenager. Perhaps even more today. Although the album was recorded in 1985, and although the Fairlight CMI synthesizer is used a lot, the sound is timeless. For which we are most grateful. It's a bit of a cliché, but it could have been recorded today.

On Hounds Of Love Kate manages to find the perfect balance between accessible and difficult, radio friendly pop and art, heaviness and lightness. Should I improvise a definition it may be art pop. Side A consists of the suite Hounds Of Love and starts out with three pretty fast paced songs (including the hit Running Up That Hill), then the beautiful and tranquil Mother Stands For Comfort and finally ends with something in between, Cloudbusting. The listener is awashed with sound on the up-tempo A-side and the production is far from minimalist, but certainly not extravagant. Once again, a perfect balance.

Side B consists of the suite The Ninth Wave, which apparently was inspired by a painting by the Russian artist Ivan Aivazovsky with the same name.
 

I have always experienced side B as more esoteric and dark, it's as if Kate saved her difficult ideas to this suite after side A's musically and sonically uplifting mangling. Not to say that it's too difficult, though. A favorite song of mine has always been Hello Earth, thanks to a pair of extremely mysterious choir parts. These parts are an excerpt from the Georgian song Tsintskaro and sung by the Richard Hickox Singers. As a teenager these parts were probably the most mysterious thing I had ever heard. Maybe it still is. Kate also whispers something I never understood, which made it even more mysterious. Thanks to the internet, I now know why I didn't catch it - it's in German. "Tiefer, tiefer. Irgendwo in der Tiefe, Gibt es ein Licht." which translates to "Deeper, deeper. Somewhere in the depth, there is a Light. " If this is not mysticism, then what is? It also happens to be the case that it isn't Kate who whispers these words, it's her pal Gabi Zangerl.

Well, after this show of mysticism the album finishes with the slightly lighter The Morning Fog.

Hounds Of Love gets high positions on various lists like "Best album of the 80s," "Best album of a female artist," etc., in addition to my personal top-ten list. A record that can be recommended with a warm hand, quality music that is both accessible and interesting. It pushed down Madonna's Like A Virgin from the number one spot on the UK list, which suggests that the British recognize quality when they encounter it (nothing bad about Madonna, though).

Tracklist

Side A

1. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) 5:03
2. Hounds Of Love 3:02
3. The Big Sky 4:41
4. Mother Stands For Comfort 3:07
5. Cloudbusting 5:10

Side B

1. And Dream Of Sheep 2:45
2. Under Ice 2:21
3. Waking The Witch 4:18
4. Watching You Without Me 4:06
5. Jig Of Life 4:04
6. Hello Earth 6:13
7. The Morning Fog 2:34

Cyndi Lauper - ”True Colors” (1986)

Someone might be surprised that I have this album in my collection. I, who habitually says quite negative things about 80's pop. But the big mystery is why I have two copies of it.

I remember when I bought one of them. It was in my adult years and I found it in a $1-box, and since I had always been a bit weak for the lovely title song, I thought it was worth a buck. Moreover, there was a fairly large portion of nostalgia playing me, I was 14 years old in 1986 when the song True Colors was hot on the radio and I guess I got a fit of sentimentality there in the store. As if things were better then ... Except there was endless sunshine in the summers and lot of snow every winter.

But where the second copy comes from, I have no idea. And why I should have two copies of this particular album, I don't know. Like many others, I own some albums in several numbers, but that's about alternate covers and such. My Cyndi Lauper records are identical. So I think I will give one of them away to some lucky person. My wife, perhaps. So it stays in the family and I have the next birthday gift already secured.

I've always had a respect for Cyndi Lauper. Of course I've never met her but she seems like a pretty cool woman, going her own ways. In the 80's I always thought she stood out from the crowd like an odd bird, both in terms of clothing, appearance and voice. Additionally, I've read on the internet that she speaks Japanese fluently and in a film has sung a song in Swedish. How about that? And if it's something you remember from We Are The World, it's Cyndi howling.
 

With that said, it doesn't mean I'm especially fond if this album. Nah, pop from the 80's is not really my thing. And although there are some absolutely fine tunes, you hear what decade it was recorded in. Electronic drums, thin 80's synthezeisers, synthbass etc. To Cyndi's advantage it should be said that it's still better than a lot of other stuff in the same genre from the same decade. I still think the title song is beautiful and a favorite amongst ballads. Another nice song is The Faraway Nearby. The opening song Change Of Heart became a minor hit and seen in its context, commercial radio pop from the 80's, it's quite OK.
Can be mentioned that Cyndi also does a cover of Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. She does a perfectly OK version, but who can do it better than Marvin Gaye himself?

True Colors was Cyndi's second solo album, released after the success She's So Unusual. However, it never sold in equal numbers as the first album. Cyndi Lauper is still very active within the music and film / television industry and released the album Memphis Blues in 2010.

But the album True Colors is nothing I would personally recommend. Need I add that it's never played at home?

Tracklist

Side A

1. Change Of Heart 4:22

2. Maybe He'll Know 4:25

3. Boy Blue 4:46

4. True Colors 3:46

5. Calm Inside The Storm 3:54

Side B

1. What's Going On 4:39

2. Iko Iko 2:08

3. The Faraway Nearby 3:00

4. 911 3:16

5. One Track Mind 3:41