Peter Hammill - "Sitting Targets" (1981)

I think it was in 2009, I saw Van Der Graaf Generator in concert in Quebec. A good concert, probably the concert I've attended that was the most spiced with marijuana clouds from the crowd's puffing. It was a fog. At that time, the band was a fairly new acquaintance to me, and I was delighted with the opportunity to see them live. According to Wikipedia, the group has existed 1967-1972, 1975-1978 and 2005-. The singer Peter Hammill has over the years made a large number of solo albums, Sitting Targets was his tenth.

It's a good album, even though the sound is a bit uncharted and primitive. Hammill sings in a rather dramatic way, which characterizes the songs, they all have a touch of darkness. Even a song like My Experience, which in another setting could be a dazzling pop hit on the top ten, gets an underlying dramatic current. Sometimes it sounds a little like Peter Gabriel, and of course as Van Der Graaf Generator, that can probably not be avoided. The music is described in most places as Art Rock, and it's a suitable label.

Sitting Targets is the only record I have with Hammill, so I can't compare with his other albums. But it contains a lot of quality, the vast majority of songs have something that makes them interesting and catchy. And what you usually describe as fillers, generally shines with its absence, although a few songs would get the 'Skip' treatment if it had been a CD. It's overall quite uptempo, but the beautiful ballad Ophelia and the B-side's Stranger Still balance the album with calmer atmospheres. Thanks to its dramatic and dark character, the album requires some attention, it's nothing I would usually play as subtle background music. Maybe a new mix or rerecording of the album would be a good thing, since I'm not a real friend of the sound. Nevertheless, a good album that can be recommended as a Christmas gift to someone close.


Tracklikt

Side A
1. Breakthrough - 3:55
2. My Experience - 3:14
3. Ophelia - 3:09
4. Empress's Clothes - 4:02
5. Glue - 3:40
6. Hesitation - 4:05

Side B
1. Sitting Targets - 5:21
2. Stranger Still - 4:55
3. Sign - 3:45
4. What I Did - 3:37
5. Central Hotel - 4:41

Brian Eno - "Ambient 4: On Land" (1982)

A dystopian future where a lonely man walks through a deserted city, in the darkness of night, with the fog as the sole companion. But it's as if something dark and threatening is waiting around the corner, invisible to the eye, or around the next corner, or the next. Where have all the people gone? Yes, these are the kinds of visions Eno's fourth and last works in his ambient suite evoke in me. It's dark ambient, not gloomy, rather subtly threatening, but at the same time beautiful. His eighth solo album.

These are not songs in the traditional sense, rather sound sculptures as is often the case with Eno and similar musicians. It's quite synthesizer based, but also sounds from nature are heard, such as frogs. Despite the fact that the year was 1982 and electronics were less developed, the sound feels fresh and rather timeless. Someone may think it sounds like I describe some kind of new age music, but that's not the case. It's significantly darker and frankly much better and more interesting than the new age music I've had the bad luck of hearing.

Many songs have names for different geographic location in the UK, places that I don't know. On the fourth song, Shadow, Jon Hassell plays on his trumpet, in the typically Hassell way, run through various strange effects. On the opening track, Lizard Point, we hear Bill Laswell on bass, and on the fifth track, Lantern Marsh, Daniel Lanois participates with live equalization, whatever that is. Some well-known people, besides the protagonist himself.

I like the album. Compared to much of Eno's other ambient records, both from the ambient suite and other records, this album is darker. No dreamy piano playing, embedded in deep layers of synthesizers. No, the end of society, few survivors and dark spirits that have been awakened from its slumber down by the roots of the mountains. Side B feels slightly lighter, though, as if humanity has finally been erased and the harmony of nature once again prevails. A sunrise where sadness and hope are mixed.


Tracklist

Side A
1. Lizard Point 4:34
2. The Lost Day 9:13
3. Speak Coat 5:30
4. Shadow 3:00

Side B
1. Lantern Marsh 5:33
2. Unfamiliar Wind (Leeks Hills) 5:23
3. A Clearing 4:09
4. Dunwich Beach, Autumn, 1960 7:13

Jan Garbarek Group - "Photo With Blue Sky, White Cloud, Wires, Windows And A Red Roof" (1979)

It's fun that the title perfectly reflects the cover, and that each song title is part of the photo. It impressed me, at least. But in general, I'm no jazz pundit, so this album isn't really for me. I have a CD with the Norwegian Garbarek, where he plays his saxophone to the heavenly voices of The Hilliard Ensemble, which made me curious how he would sound more on his own. The record was found in a local record store here in Montreal recently.

The basic problem is, as mentioned, I'm not a jazz lover. I have never really understood jazz, despite some semi-committed efforts. I often experience jazz as too unstructured and that I never really understand where the music is going. Or it's way too messy and loud. Jazz is simply not my thing.

Another problem is that I often experience the saxophone in some musical contexts, and especially the soprano saxophone which Garbarek often plays, on the border to cheesy. Perhaps I've heard too many Lionel Richie songs from the 80's with the soprano sax. It affects the experience concerning today's album, sometimes it becomes cheesy jazz in my ears. The sound on the album is airy and clear, which appeals to me, this is no smoky jazz club or a crazy bebop dance floor. And we're not on a visit to the jazz avant-garde world. No, it's not difficult jazz Garbarek offers, and the musicians are of course talented, as jazz musicians usually are. When you turn the album to side B, it feels like the music gets a bit more difficult, as if the first side was a warm up. But still relatively accessible jazz.

I don't mind the record spinning on the turntable, I don't dislike it. But I can't sit and listen attentively to it, then I get bored. As cool background music it's perfect, and I can for once feel jazzy intellectual. I say like the pros on allmusic,com: Nothing too exciting occurs, but this is high-quality background music.


Tracklist

Side A
1 Blue Sky 6:44
2 White Cloud 9:03
3 Windows 6:44

Side B
1 Red Roof 7:48
2 Wires 5:18
3 The Picture 8:05

Evabritt Strandberg, Fillie Lykow & Jan-Olof Strandberg - "En Sång, Ett Vapen" (1965)

In Sweden, Evabritt Strandberg is probably more famous as an actress, but she has also performed a lot as a singer, and in 1995 she received the Cornelis Vreeswijk scholarship, which is a pretty big thing. En Sång, Ett Vapen (A Song, A Weapon) was her debut album. I have no clue regarding who her fellow musician are. I'm pretty sure this was another album I saved from my parents' collection when they were about to get rid of it.

The record sleeve doesn't contain much information, except the song titles and that the price was 9.75 Swedish kronor (a little more than $1). On some pics I've seen online, there has been a text sheet with the album, where there is probably more information about the album and its content. It's a lack of facts shared online on this LP, so my knowledge is very limited. At least we know the year was 1965 and Franco had the power in Spain, which the whole record is a big protest against. Each song is about Spain and the political situation there, and between each song, either Evabritt (I suppose) or one of the male musicians read a text on the subject. It can be some kind of story, sometimes almost poetry / prose. In a way it's interesting, since it's a relatively unusual layout on a record, today.

What do you know, the price had gone up here!

The music is quite simple, it's songs accompanied by a sole guitar, sometimes there is a trumpet and some kind of percussion, and somewhere a flute is heard. The tempo is calm, as it usually is in trubadur songs. But this is not a record in my taste from a musical point of view. Pretty boring songs and a primitive sound. It's been a long time since Franco disappeared from the earth, so that specific battle is over, but as a time capsule the record may be a little interesting. The fact that fascism is still around today, perhaps not exactly in the form that Franco represented, is of course another question. Maybe new protest albums would be needed today on the subject, with groovier songs and a better sound, I hope.

Since I primarily listen to music for musical enjoyment, this is not an album I will play in the future, nor can I recommend it with a good conscience. Sure, the message and the fight are noble, but I get pretty bored by the music and the texts that are read. And that lots of songs are repeated on the record doesn't make things better.


Tracklist

Side A
1 Natten Är Svart
2 Den Svarta Tuppen
3 Blommorna I Madrid
4 Frihet
5 Jag
6 Mordet I Katedralen
7 Ur Akrobat I Luften
8 Vaggvisa
9 Ur Om Jag Skall Vara Uppriktig

Side B
1 Sången Om Julian Grimau
2 Bokslut
3 Natten Är Svart
4 Den Svarta Tuppen
5 Blommorna I Madrid
6 Mordet I Katedralen
7 Vaggvisa
8 Sången Om Julian Grimau

Dr. John, The Night Tripper - "The Sun, Moon & Herbs" (1971)

This was the witch doctor's fourth album, and despite the voodoo dripping swamp blues from the American south, the album was recorded in London. I suspect the geographic location is to thank for Eric Clapton's and Mick Jagger's presence on the record. According to the info on the cover, Clapton is heard on slide guitar, while Jagger joins the backing vocals.

This album is filled with voodoo mysticism, but much of the theory is beyond me, as I'm relatively ignorant on the subject. Dr. John, aka Malcolm John Rebennack, used a lot of voodoo inspired content on his first albums and shows, how much this was just an image, I can't really say, but he seemed to have real interest and involvement in the scene.

The Sun, Moon & Herbs is a cool album. Generally, I'm not a blues guy, but Dr. John's dark version appeals to me, with its spices of mysticism and psychedelia. The songs moves between Dr John's raspy voice and the female backing vocals which answer him. They complement each other, the doctor's voice puts the listener in a hypnotic state, and the female choirs then pull the line in and you're lost. With the doctor as guide, the listener is taken on a journey to the darkest and most secret places of the South. With you on the trip is his groovy wind section, which also puts its mark on many songs.

The songs are relatively long, in most cases that's OK since it's a relatively hypnotic mood that is generated; it's often positive to let this last for a while. But a couple of songs are somewhat boring, so they would gain in being a bit shorter. Dr. John's idea was that this was going to be a triple album and was never really satisfied with the single record format. Personally, I think this format is good, on a triple (or double) album, there's a risk that there will be too much filling. You don't get that now. After this album, the doctor left the voodoo mysticism and began to lean more towards traditional New Orleans R & B.

So, I recommend letting Dr John throw his spells on you via the stereo, the mobile phone or whatever you use to listen to music. But it's probably an album that doesn't suit everyone, it's not radio friendly Max Martin pop. It's best played on a dark, humid night, when the sweat is dripping, dark spirits roam the streets and insanity lures around the corner.


Tracklist

Side A
1. Black John the Conqueror 6:20
2. Where Ya at Mule 4:56
3. Craney Crow 6:40

Side B
1. Familiar Reality (Opening) 5:25
2. Pots on Fiyo (Filé Gumbo) / Who I Got to Fall On (If the Pot Get Heavy) 5:48
3. Zu Zu Mamou 7:57
4. Familiar Reality (Reprise) 1:53

Camel - "Nude" (1981)

The British band Camel has always been one of my favorite bands from the progressive genre. Their music is relatively easy to access, not too complex and complicated compared to some other bands from the genre. But still something of a challenge for the listener, at just the right level. But when I first put Nude on the turntable, I was horrified. The record opens with a song that sounded like a really cheesy 80's pop song. And the next one sounded about the same. Then I turned off the turntable, put the LP in the shelf and left it there unplayed for many years. That's how disappointed I was. Did the 80's even succeed in corrupting Camel?

When I later on read a few reviews online concerning the album, I was surprised that it got so high grades, often 4s or 5s (on five-grade scales). I decided to give it another chance. Nude is a concept album about the Japanese soldier who remained on an island for many years, believing that WWII was still going on. The soldier was Hiro Onoda, and "Nude" derives from his family name. This was the eighth record from the band and the last one where the drummer Andy Ward participated, he later left the group due to a serious hand injury. It's unclear to me who were members in the band at the time, and who participated as studio musicians on the album, but on saxophone Mel Collins, a giant in the prog genre, is heard.

When I gave the album a second chance, I realized that it actually contained some qualities. Most songs are instrumental, luckily enough, as the few tracks with song are not good at all. OK, Drafted is actually nice, but it's more of an ordinary pop ballad than prog, the other tracks with song are the horrific cheesy 80's pop mentioned in the beginning. Lionel Richie class. The instrumental songs are, however, a bit more as one is used to hear Camel, guitars in harmonies, lots of flute and lots of saxophone. Some odd time signatures. But it's far from the quality the band had on the earlier albums from the 70's. It's as though the music was recorded through an easy-listening filter. The sound is soft and polished, the synthesizers are smooth and the really challenging parts are missing. Easy-listening prog.

So I would rather recommend the band's previous LPs instead of Nude. Much better and more fun. But if you considering buying an album with Lionel Richie, choose Nude instead.


Tracklist

Side A
1 City Life 5:02
2 Nude 0:22
3 Drafted 4:18
4 Docks 3:50
5 Beached 3:32
6 Landscapes 2:36

Side B
1 Changing Places 4:10
2 Pump & Circumstance 2:03
3 Please Come Home 1:12
4 Reflections 2:45
5 Captured 3:13
6 The Homecoming 2:40
7 Lies 4:57
8 The Last Farewell: The Birthday Cake / Nude's Return 4:05

Roxy Music - "Country Life" (1974)

This was the fourth album by the band, and a record ranked high (often highest) in their catalog, by fans as well as critics. In addition, it's the LP with the most daring cover, it was censored in several countries, where it was sold either covered by wrapping paper or with the models simply eliminated. My wife doesn't allow me to leave the album out in the open, so it's also censored in our home. I think it's an OK album, but the longer time that passed from Brian Eno quitting the band (after the second album), the less interesting I think Roxy Music became. Artistic ambitions were changed for more straight on glam rock. Many fans were happy, but not everyone.

The censored cover

The biggest hit from the album was All I Want Is You, which is found on side A. Personally, I think this side is a bit boring. The highlight in my world is Out Of The Blue, where the diligent use of the flanger effect makes it sound like Hawkwind is backing Bryan Ferry. Overall, many songs are quite loud and messy, and since I've always preferred the band's quieter and calmer creations, the first side of the record doesn't really fit me.

Side B I find more interesting, which opens with the quieter and darker Bitter Sweet, which suddenly here and there breaks off into German influenced cabaret music. The women on the cover are Constanze Karoll and Eveline Grunwald, who Ferry met in Portugal. He persuaded them that in addition to decorating the cover, also translate parts of the text into German in Bitter Sweet. The album continues with Triptych, which instead of German cabaret music has almost medieval influences. These songs' more odd appearances make them the most interesting songs on the album. The album closes with an ode to Jerry Hall, who would be on the cover of the band's next album, Siren. The song is named Prairie Rose, and to be a love song containing steel guitar, it's really great.

Although Country Life is loved by many, I don't agree 100% with these voices. Much of the band's experimental tendencies have been toned down, and the music is often less complex and less challenging compared to previous albums. The B-side, however, saves the LP thanks to its more interesting creations, so overall it is still a pretty good album.


Tracklist

Side A
1. The Thrill of It All 6:24
2. Three and Nine 4:04
3. All I Want Is You 2:53
4. Out of the Blue 4:46
5. If It Takes All Night 3:12

Side B
1. Bitter-Sweet 4:50
2. Triptych 3:09
3. Casanova 3:27
4. A Really Good Time 3:45
5. Prairie Rose 5:12

Köttgrottorna - "Halvdöd" (1987)

Köttgrottorna (The meat caves) have long been among the elite in Sweden's punk scene. The band was formed in 1983, the first two years their act was more towards musical comedy, but then the direction was changed to a more serious one. In 1987, the band consisted of Stefan "Mongo" Enger on bass and song, "Happy" Törnblom på drums, Janne Olsson on guitar and song and Guld-Lars on guitar. The latter had previously played in KSMB, another one of Sweden's more famous punk bands. The band still exists today, however as a trio as Guld-Lars passed away in 2015. Stefan "Mongo" happens to be my cousin, blood is thicker than water, so in today's post everything that is spelled objectivity or criticism has flown through the window. Today, everyone loves Köttgrottorna.

Halvdöd (Half-dead) was the band's second LP, and consists of a live-recorded half (side A), and a studio recorded half (side B). The live recording is from a concert in the ABF house in Jakobsberg, Stockholm. Personally, I like the studio-recorded side best, even though the live concert also has its charm. Not surprisingly, the live recording is a bit rougher and more noisy in its sound, of course it's fast-paced and both the band and the audience seem to have fun. My favorite song from the concert is the closing number Människor Smakar Gott (Humans Taste Good), but all songs have their own beauty.

I prefer the studio recording because it contains a little more variety. It's not just straight on punk rock, bass-drums-guitar-song. It offers some slightly quieter songs, some keyboard / synth sneaks in etc. which gives more variation. The sound in the studio also appeals to me more, a bit more polished and controlled. All songs on the record are the band's own compositions except a cover of the Swedish artist Björn Afzelius' song Svarta Gänget (The Black Gang) on the B-side. Maybe Afzelius was flattered that the band recorded this song, but personally I think the band's own songs are of a higher standard. My own favorite from the studio is Ekonomimarsch I D-Dur (Economy March In D-Major).

So if you like punk, I think you should try to find this album. I've got my record from one of my uncles, since he no longer had a vinyl player, he let me choose freely in his collection. It was like Christmas Eve. The album displays the band in both a live and studio format, which is interesting. And few bands have such a bad ass bassist and singer like Köttgrottorna. Usually I'm not a punk lover, but for Köttgrottorna I make an exception.



Tracklist

Side A
1 Pendeltåg
2 Flyg Iväg
3 Undergångslåten
4 Jag, Idealist
5 I Väntan På Livet
6 Människor Smakar Gott

Side B
1 Hand I Hand
2 Svarta Gänget
3 Ekonomimarsch I D-Dur
4 Gråa Moln
5 Meatcave Army

When The Wind Blows (Soundtrack, 1986)

Another soundtrack that was acquired due to a connection to Pink Floyd, in the form of Roger Waters. This is also a cut-out, but otherwise quite different from the last post on music from Zabriskie Point. Even though Roger Waters' presence was the main reason for the purchase, other artists who contributed, David Bowie, Genesis and Paul Hardcastle (19 had been a big hit a few years earlier), also attracted. It seemed promising. Two more artists are found on the album, Squeeze and Hugh Cornwell, but hey were, ans still are, unknown to me.

Roger Waters gets the entire side B to spread out on, while the others have a song each on the first side. This of course means that side A runs away in quite different directions, while side B is more coherent. In general, I've never been in love with the album. On side A, it was just Genesis' The Brazilian I found groovy, an instrumental with a wonderfully bombastic refrain. Most people think Bowie's contribution is the highlight, the title song, but I've never fallen for it. The other songs, including Paul Hardcastle's, are nothing to get excited about, they're actually very boring. But I still like The Brazilian.

Waters suite on the B side is a bit more interesting. It's kind of one long song, divided into sub parts,  and resembles a lot Waters' other solo albums in sound and mood. However, it doesn't reach the same heights as Amused To Death or the latest, Is This The Life We Really Want ?. More at the same level as Radio K.A.O.S., which isn't regarded as his career highlight. It has a tendency to get a little boring in the long run, where quite bland passages sometimes are broken off by something more interesting, but these interruptions are a bit too short. This might probably be explained by the fact that it's a soundtrack, which purpose is to complement a movie. Without the movie, some of the music can be experienced as lacking structure. It's more of an atmosphere that's created. This is a record that hasn't been played a lot over the years, and it probably won't get much time on the turntable in the future. I appreciate the B side most, but since Waters' other solo albums are much better, there's no need to spin this on the stereo.

I haven't seen the movie. Apparently an English movie where the main characters are hand-drawn, while other objects are real.


Tracklist

Side A
1. David Bowie - "When the Wind Blows" 3:35
2. Hugh Cornwell - "Facts And Figures" (Hugh Cornwell) - 4:19
3. Genesis - "The Brazilian" 4:51
4. Squeeze - "What Have They Done?" 3:39
5. Paul Hardcastle - "The Shuffle" 4:16

Side B
Roger Waters And The Bleeding Heart Band
1. "The Russian Missile" - 0:10
2. "Towers of Faith" - 7:00
3. "Hilda's Dream" - 1:36
4. "The American Bomber" - 0:07
5. "The Anderson Shelter" - 1:13
6. "The British Submarine" - 0:14
7. "The Attack" - 2:53
8. "The Fall Out" - 2:04
9. "Hilda's Hair" - 4:20
10. "Folded Flags" - 4:51

Zabriskie Point (Soundtrack, 1970)

I've had this album for a long time, but can't say I've listened to it a lot. The reason for the purchase was that there are some Pink Floyd songs that are not found on any other album. It's a cut-out, I probably didn't pay much for it.

The film was made by the Italian Michelangelo Antonioni, who a few years earlier made the perhaps more famous Blow-up. I haven't seen the movie, and have no thoughts on doing it, but have read what it's about online. Student riots, policeman is shot, student escapes into the desert, meets woman, student returns to the city and gets shot. Something like that. The film wasn't received very well, neither the people nor the critics liked it, and it became an economic flop. But over the years, its reputation has increased somewhat and gained something of a cult status.

The Pink Floyd songs that motivated purchase are three in number, an instrumental psychedelic jam that opens the album, Heart Beat, Pig Meat, then a more "normal" song with verses and chorus, Crumbling Land, which is actually quite good, best song on the record, kind of a druggy song. The closing number is a rerecording of the classic Careful With That Axe Eugene, which got the creative title Come In Number 51, Your Time Is Up. It sounds quite different from the original in my ears, but it makes no difference, I've never liked the song.

After discovering Grateful Dead in recent years, I think it's interesting that they also are represented on the album. A 2½ minute excerpt from the jam Dark Star and then you get the honor of hearing Garcia on his own, sitting and playing the guitar on the instrumental Love Scene. But to be honest, neither of the songs are necessary for a good and meaningful life.

The song that actually glues itself into my brain, and which I somewhat annoyed suddenly finds myself humming, is the classic Tennessee Waltz, written in 1945 and performed by Patti Page. My family members also don't like when I sing it.

It's a pretty eclectic and sprawling album. It offers psychedelia, country & western, folk and you name it. It becomes an experience that is too mixed. Michelangelo's idea, according to the back of the cover, was that the film is not something you see, it is experienced, and the music is part of the film and is thus experienced in the same way. Or something like that. But the soundtrack doesn't become major musical experience for me, maybe the visual stimulus of the movie is needed to make the experience complete. Nothing you must have in your shelf, in other words.


Tracklist

Side A
1 Pink Floyd - "Heart Beat, Pig Meat" 3:10
2 The Kaleidoscope - "Brother Mary" 2:39
3 The Grateful Dead - "Excerpt From Dark Star" 2:32
4 Pink Floyd - "Crumbling Land 4:13
5 Patti Page - "Tennessee Waltz" 3:05
6 The Youngbloods - "Sugar Babe" 2:10

Side B
1 Jerry Garcia (The Grateful Dead) - "Love Scene" 7:03
2 Roscoe Holcomb - "I Wish I Was A Single Girl Again" 1:53
3 The Kaleidoscope - "Mickey's Tune" 1:39
4 John Fahey - "Dance Of Death" 2:39
5 Pink Floyd - "Come In Number 51, Your Time Is Up" 4:57

Stan Ridgway - "The Big Heat" (1986)

Stan Ridgway had been the singer in the band Wall of Voodo, for those who remember them, and The Big Heat was his first solo album. I got the record as a 14-year-old, and in my more adult years the album has been strongly associated with my teenage years. For this reason, I have never really listened to it after I turned 20, it was part of an earlier, less musically sophisticated time. I have faced my eternal dilemma regarding my teenage albums, can I as an adult dig the same music as my relatively immature self digged? Shouldn't I have moved on?

So it wasn't with high expectations I now listened to the album for the first time in many years, though with some curiosity concerning what I would think. The short answer is better than expected. Ridgway gets a lot of inspiration from the film noir genre, and the album title (and title song) bears the name of a film noir from 1953. Many of the songs are short dark stories, like a film noir manuscript in miniature. The big final of the album is the closing number Camouflage which became a relatively big hit. It's about a Vietnam soldier who, in a difficult situation, gets the help of a mystical soldier who saves him from Vietcong and kills a large number of them into the process. When our soldier returns to his camp, it appears that Camouflage has been lying on his deathbed all week, and his last wish before he died was to save a young marine. A touching story, although one can ponder somewhat on the theme.

Should I try to classify the music, it would be some kind of film noir pop. Overall, it is a pretty dark album in the mood that is created, although the songs are often relatively uptempo. The album's biggest con is the production. Yes, 1986 was the year, and dominant synthesizers in combination with drum machines were often on the menu. Not my thing. Like many other records from this time, it would be a good idea to rerecord The Big Heat with an updated sound. Then I think it would be a really good album, as many songs and lyrics are of high quality. However, I appreciated the record more than I thought, perhaps because as 30 years older, I listen to the album in a new way, which in a way makes it new. And it's always fascinating to note how well you remember many song lyrics even though you haven't heard the songs in such a long time.


Tracklist

Side A
1. The Big Heat 4:26
2. Pick It Up (And Put It In Your Pocket) 4:32
3. Can't Stop the Show 3:45
4. Pile Driver 4:44
5. Walkin' Home Alone 4:31

Side B
1. Drive, She Said 4:11
2. Salesman 5:23
3. Twisted 3:37
4. Camouflage 7:05

Roxy Music - "Siren" (1975)

Alright, so here we have a Roxy Music album with one of Bryan Ferry's girls on the cover, as it should be. Girlfriend-to-be, in any case. It's Jerry Hall we see as a mermaid. The legend tells that Ferry offered her to wash off all the blue color on her body at his home after the photo shoot. Once at his home he seduced her, and they became a couple. According to the legend. Jerry Hall left Ferry a few years later for Mick Jagger.

Many hold Siren as one of Roxy Music's best albums, if not the best. One of the reasons was, of course, that there are really good songs on it, but also that all tendencies towards art and avantgarde were more or less extinguished. Instead, it's fast-paced glam pop / rock without experimental ingredients or suggestively dark songs. Some people of course thought this was a bit sad, a crowd that perhaps were drawn to the band just because of the experimental side. I belong to the latter kind of people. Siren is a good album, but I appreciate the previous albums more. They are more interesting to listen to.

Jerry Hall and Bryan Ferry

The big hit from Siren was Love Is The Drug, which reached a 2nd place in England, and became one of the band's most famous and appreciated songs. The second hit was Both Ends Burning, reaching a 25th place in England. Siren is the kind of record that gets spots on lists like 500 best albums made, Best albums 1975, etc. If I sound somewhat negative, it's because I compare Siren with the band's earlier works, compared with a lot of other music from the same time, or other time spans for that matter, it's a pretty good album. That Ferry writes good songs was been known since before. So, uptempo glam rock without avantgarde tendencies, a loss according to me, a good thing according to others.


Tracklist

Side A
1. Love Is The Drug 4:11
2. End of the Line 5:14
3. Sentimental Fool 6:14
4. Whirlwind 3:38

Side B
1. She Sells 3:39
2. Could It Happen To Me? 3:36
3. Both Ends Burning 5:16
4. Nightingale 4:11
5. Just Another High 6:31

Roxy Music (1972)

I received Roxy Music's eponymous debut album as a Christmas gift from my mother a few years ago, apparently it wasn't easy to find it in my then-hometown of Uppsala (Sweden). It's a German release from 1977, according to my online Sherlock Holmes investigation (nah, discogs of course, it was easy). It's a gatefold, and the band's first bassist Graham Simpson is featured on photo, and the single Virginia Plains, released shortly after the album, has not been added to the album. On the American original release, the bassist Rik Kenton was instead found on photo, he played bass on Virginia Plains, a song that had been added to the US albums. Graham Simpson had at that time left the band, and as I understand it, Roxy Music hasn't had a steady bassist since then.

It's a good album, a debut to respect. It was produced by Peter Sinfield, who just had left King Crimson where he had been the lyricist. In several articles, I have read that the musicians at this time weren't particularly skilled, except for the drummer Paul Thompson, but I can't say I've noticed anything bad. It is an eclectic mix of rock'n'roll, glam and avantgarde. Brian Eno was a member of the band in the first years, and he was the most important part of the band's openness towards art and avantgarde. And personally, that's what I like best. So the loud opening song Re-Make / Re-Model, which lots of people like, I think is so so. Instead, I'm drawn towards calmer songs like Ladytron, 2HB or the seven-minute Sea Breezes. These are not difficult songs, not at all, instead they are beautiful songs with a slightly different sound, often thanks to Eno's electronic magic. The singer Bryan Ferry has written all the songs, and he is a talented song writer.

I believe side A is easiest to embrace instantly. Side B contains somewhat more difficult songs, and you'll need a little more time to get to know them. It's not Roxy Music's best album, but a really good debut that is definitely worth having in the collection. It can be mentioned that the woman on the cover for once wasn't Brian Ferry's girlfriend at the moment, she is the model Kari-Ann Muller, who later married Mick Jagger's brother Chris Jagger.


Tracklist

Side A
1. Re-Make / Re-Model 5:14
2. Ladytron 4:26
3. If There Is Something 6:34
4. 2HB 4:30

Side B
1. The Bob (Medley) 5:48
2. Chance Meeting 3:08
3. Would You Believe? 3:53
4. Sea Breezes 7:03
5. Bitters End 2:03

Andy Summers - "XYZ" (1987)

Let's continue the theme of members of The Police, this time the guitarist Andy Summers. The Police laid down their weapons in 1986, so at the time of the release of XYZ, Summers was on his own. I've never been a big fan of The Police and have none of their albums, the reason I have XYZ is simply that I found it in a record shop around the corner with a price tag of 2-3 Canadian dollars. So I thought it might be worth it to hear how Summers, who is considered to be a talented guitarist, sounds as a solo artist.

Summer's three children apparently bear the middle names X, Y and Z, so that's where the title of the album comes from. This makes at least me think that Summers has a certain sense of humor, albeit somewhat weird, perhaps. When I thought of names for my children, I didn't for a fraction of a second consider giving them a letter as middle names. I need to be more open minded. Maybe L, S and D would be cool middle names, if you've got three kids, as Summers?

This is the only album in Summer's catalog where he sings, all others are instrumentals. I think his voice is OK, it's quite dark and a little raspy, but feels somewhat flat and inexpressive in the long run. I had expected more focus on the guitar on a solo record with Summers, but the guitar really doesn't get more attention than usual on a pop / rock album. The record was released in 1987 and that can be heard. I'm allergic to the typical 80s productions, and even if it's not taken to an extreme on XYZ, it's enough for me to not like it. There are drum machines and too dominant synthesizers (sometimes).

Here and there are some OK songs, and with a different sound they would be even better, but overall the songs are no more than average, nothing out of the ordinary. Summers offers a pretty regular pop / rock album, which at least I can do quite well without. So no need to run to the record shop (or look it up on Spotify).


Tracklist

Side A
1 Love Is The Strangest Way 4:20
2 How Many Days 5:71
3 Almost There 4:30
4 Eyes Of A Stranger 4:47
5 The Change 2:53

Side B
1 Scary Voices 4:37
2 Nowhere 4:35
3 XYZ 2:46
4 The Only Road 3:40
5 Hold Me 4:48

Stewart Copeland - "Rumble Fish" (Soundtrack, 1983)

Soundtracks can sometimes be a bit tricky, it can be difficult to ignore the images and feelings one has from the movie, so objective listening becomes difficult, or the music may tend to get too atmospheric and formless without its visual complement. Concerning the soundtrack to Rumble Fish, it's the first dilemma I often end up in. I've seen the movie so many times, I know it by heart, so every song has a hard time standing for itself without my brain producing images from the movie. I'm having difficulties hearing the music just as music.

It was Coppola who directed the film, he also produced it along with some others. He started making the film's music himself, some sort of percussion-based music that would symbolize the passage of time. He realized, however, that he needed help and recruited the drummer of The Police, Stewart Copeland. And quite quickly, Coppola realized that Copeland was his superior when it came to composing music, and gave him free hands.

Stewart Copleland

Stewart Copeland plays most instruments himself, and he does it well. All songs are instrumental except the opening song, Don't Box Me In, where Stan Ridgway sings. Apparently it became something of a hit and got some radio play. Not a personal favorite, though. For being a soundtrack, the album is pretty OK. There are no atmospheric compositions to be found, rather it's usually a clear beat and lots of energy in the music, Copeland is a drummer after all. There's no risk of falling asleep. However, in the long run, it may become a bit repetitive, Copeland seems to have found his sound on the album and sticks to it. It's the same instrumentation overall, the music is often played in some kind of backbeat, giving the songs a specific characteristic, and some themes are repeated, as it often is  on soundtracks.

I found the record recently in one of the local stores for used records, and couldn't resit buying it. Mostly as a nostalgic nod to the younger version of myself who had Rumble Fish as the absolute favorite movie and inspiration in life.

Motorcycle Boy, the film's hero

Tracklist

Side A
1 Don't Box Me In 4:36
2 Tulsa Tango 3:45
3 Our Mother Is Alive 4:13
4 Party At Someone Else's Place 2:32
5 Biff Gets Stomped By Rusty James 2:22
6 Brothers On Wheels 4:08

Side B
1 West Tulsa Story 4:00
2 Tulsa Rags 1:33
3 Father On The Stairs 3:01
4 Hostile Bridge To Benny's 1:52
5 Your Mother Is Not Crazy 2:48
6 Personal Midget / Cain's Ballroom 5:54
7 Motorboy's Fate 2:06

Traveling Wilburys - "Vol. 3" (1990)

The news about Tom Petty's unexpected death causes today's post as he was one of the members of the super group Traveling Wilburys. I only have one solo album with Petty, Southern Accents, and I have already written about that one. His sudden passing was sad news, Petty was relatively young, and although I don't have much of his music, I really liked him person wise. In all the interviews I read with him, and all the articles about him, he seemed to be an unusually nice guy. Down to earth and full of laid backed humor. Full Moon Fever is an album I've always been thinking of buying, but haven't so far, mostly because I've heard all the songs from the album so much that there's no curiosity left. And yes, I know lots of Petty fans think there are other, better, albums with him.

Vol. 3 was Traveling Wilbury's second album, it was George Harrison's idea to call it Vol. 3 to joke with and confuse the album buyers a little. The band was Harrison's creation, and he was considered to be its leader. The story behind the band was that Harrison needed to record a B-side on a single, and asked Jeff Lynne if he wanted to help out, then called Dylan to borrow his home studio, knocked on Petty's door to borrow a guitar (they all were in L.A, according to the story). And everyone asked if they could join in, and voila, a new band was created. How Roy Orbinson joined the story does not tell, but these five legends were the band on its first album released in 1988. Soon after, Orbison died, so at the time of Vol. 3, they were a quartet.

Nowhere on the record are the members mentioned by their real names, instead they are presented as their alter egos, the brothers Clayton (Jeff Lynne), Spike (George Harrison), Boo (Bob Dylan) and Muddy Wilbury (Tom Petty). As for the music, it's not really my thing, and this sequel got a slightly cooler reception than the debut. It's fast-paced rock, heartland rock, some folk and country & western, but obvious hits are missing. All songs are written by the members together, according to the record, and maybe that was so, although different members certainly contributed differently to different songs. According to what I read in some article they often sat around the kitchen table, someone found a riff, someone else added some, a third one came up with some lyrics, etc. I imagine they had quite fun together.

Personally, I've never been very fond of the kind of music that Traveling Wilburys offers, on Vol. 3, it's an album that's more fun to have in the collection than it's good. I rescued the record from my parents' collection when it was heading for the dump, or the local flea market. With now Petty deceased, and Harrison and Orbison since long, of the original Wilbury brothers, not even half remain.

Tracklist

Side A
1. She's My Baby
2. Inside Out
3. If You Belonged To Me
4. The Devil's Been Busy
5. 7 Deadly Sins
6. Poor House

Side B
1. Where Were You Last Night?
2. Cool Dry Place
3. New Blue Moon
4. You Took My Breath Away
5. Wilbury Twist

Wire - "Object 47" (2008) + "Read & Burn 03" (EP, 2007)

I actually bought album for one single reason, the cover. Born and raised in Uppsala, Sweden, I couldn't resist, everyone familiar with the town recognizes what's on the cover. At first, however, I couldn't believe it was true, why would Uppsala's water tower be on the cover of an album with Wire, a legendary British punk band? They must have a similar water tower in England, designed by the same architect. But the mystery was solved when I read online that the band's bassist Graham Lewis resides in Uppsala since the late 80's, thanks to meeting his wife-to-be there. He is, of course, the one who has taken the photos on Uppsala's water tower, there are also some of them on the inner sleeve.

This was Wire's 11th studio album, and their 47th object in their discography, hence the title. As usual, the band's high quality art-post-punk-pop is solid, and they deliver a good album. This is the fourth album I acquired with Wire, so my knowledge of the band's music is relatively limited. But compared to my other Wire records, Object 47 is quite fast-paced and uptempo all the time, the dark, calm, suggestive songs / sound creations are not found on this album, which is something I can miss. I've liked these pauses from the more fast-paced songs earlier, it creates an interesting contrast, and let your ears rest for a while.

This was the first album without the guitarist Bruce Gilbert, so the band had become a trio. Despite the lack of the more dark and calm creations, I like the record, especially the choruses tend to stick in the head. Many of the songs on Object 47 are really catchy, catchy art-punk-pop.

As a bonus, the band / label has added the EP Read & Burn 03 from the previous year in the sleeve. Four songs are offered here, which are also high quality creations. The initial, almost 10-minute, 23 Years Too Late is probably the most odd creation, even though it's by no means "difficult". But here I get somewhat compensated regarding to the LP's lack of more odd songs / musical experiments.

So on the whole, a nice, fast-paced album. Wire rests clearly in the punk genre, despite various other influences, so if you're allergic to punk,  maybe you wont like Object 47. But it is melodious, catchy, and not as neurotic as on some of their other albums.

Whole of Uppsala water tower (pic not from the LP) 

Tracklist

Page A
1. One Of Us
2. Circumspect
3. Mekon Headman
4. Perspex Icon
5. Four Long Years

Page B
1. Hard Currency
2. Patient Flees
3. Are You Ready
4. All Fours


Read & Burn EP

Page A
1. 23 Years Too Late
2. Our Time

Page B
1. No Warning Given
2. Desert Diving

Talking Heads - "The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads" (1982)

Today's theme is a live album with Talking Heads, a double album as is often is with live records, released before their more known live album Stop Making Sense (not a double). Less known but as good.

I have read that at the time of the release, it was rumored that the band might take a break for an indefinite period, or even quit altogether, so the label (Sire) became worried and hurried to release this album while the band still existed. It turned out the band continued to play for a number of years, so all the worrying for nothing.

The first record has songs recorded in 1977 and 1979, and the second was recorded during the 1980-81 Remain In Light tour. On the first record, the band appears as a quartet in its original setup. The songs here are mainly from the first two albums 77 and More Songs About Buildings And Food. In addition, Air and Memories (Can't Wait) from the Fear Of Music album appear as well. As a treat, the band also performs the previously unreleased song A Clean Break and Buildings On Fire, only released on single at the time.

The second disc contains songs mostly from Fear Of Music and Remain In Light. At these concerts, the band has recruited help from lots of fellow musicians to be able to perform the more complex songs from Remain In Light, and they are about ten people on stage. On guitar you'll hear Andrew Belew, best known from King Crimson, in several of the songs. He has a distinctive style of playing that makes a certain mark on the sound.

In other words, there are songs from the band's first four albums that are performed, plus the two mentioned. You can really hear the band's growth, on the first disc there are smaller venues, it almost sounds like they are in my living room playing, and the audience is fewer in numbers. On the second disc, you'll hear there's a larger audience and the band has grown into a ten man orchestra on stage, the distance feels bigger.

Personally, I like the first record better. In the band's original form, the sound is tighter, clearer and cleaner. The songs are easier to listen to and embrace. As there are so many participants in the performances of the second  record, the sound is more messy and unclear. In addition, Remain In Light is a very produced album with a sound that is difficult to recreate outside the studio, making these songs more different than those on the first record, compared to the original songs. The songs feel more unpolished and raw, and are significantly heavier than on the studio album, the same goes for the songs from Fear Of Music. But it's a  question of taste, and many certainly prefer the second record with the heavier sound. With this being said, I don't dislike the second record, not at all, but I like the studio version of Remain In Light better.

If you like Talking Heads and don't have this album, I think you should get it. It's fun to hear the band live, and the live versions really give the songs something new. Additionally, you get the songs A Clean Break and Buildings On Fire that are not found on any LP with the band, and these two songs have grown over the years to become two favorites of mine. During my teens I didn't listen so much to this album, I liked it, but usually preferred the songs in its original versions. But the older I've become, the more I like it. And Take Me To The River is such a groovy finish of the album.


Tracklist

Side A
1. New Feeling
2. A Clean Break
3. Don't Worry About The Government
4. Pulled Up
5. Psycho Killer

Side B
1. Artists Only
2. Stay Hungry
3. Air
4. Buildings On Fire
5. Memories (Can't Wait)

Side C
1. In Zimbra
2. Drugs
3. Houses In Motion
4. Life During Wartime

Side D
1. The Great Curve
2. Crosseyed And Painless
3. Take Me To The River

Röda Bönor (1976)

Röda Bönor (which means both Red beans and Red chicks) is considered to be the first girl band in the Swedish music-political movement in the 70s, and one of Sweden's first feminist bands. The band existed from the mid-70s to the early 80s and released two full-length albums, of which this self-titled one was the first.

This was a record I rescued from my parents' collection when they were about to get rid of all their vinyl albums. One might suspect that this album was my mother's. Looking purely from a musical angle, this is not my thing, but it's fun as a time document. The Swedish prog music of the 70s was not like the international version (King Crimson, Yes, Gentle Giant etc). Instead it was a musical-political movement (left, of course) where bands sang songs about socialism, a fair and just society, fought for society's forgotten people and despised the factory owner. This scene consisted of two kinds of bands, according to me, those who had their message as priority one and where musical know-how was secondary, and bands which had a balanced priority between political messages and musical quality. An example of the latter could be Nationalteatern, which has created many songs and albums that are real classics today. Röda Bönor I would spontaneously sort into the first group.

The messages on the record are the women's struggle - gender equality  - and the socialist struggle, prioritized in that order, as I see it. These are two questions you can quite easily sympathize with, but as I primarily listen to music for an auditory beauty experience, I don't like the songs. They have stripped down arrangements, the sound is relatively dry and primitive, and there is honestly not much that appeals to them. It's a mix of own songs and some traditional, with newly translated lyrics. Lots of harmonies in the singing.

The song lyrics about the socialist struggle feel pretty outdated today, and it's with a inner smile I hear these messages. The perspective has somewhat shifted, and the struggle is done in a different way today. But the lines about the women's struggle feel more current, although I rarely hear these thoughts delivered so coarse and straightforward as on the album. You would blush if you knew. But that's fun! The 70's seems to have been more radical and the struggle more aggressive. I grew up in the 70's, but the will to fight doesn't seem to have spread to me. Maybe it was color TV that got in the way.

Röda Bönor was formed in Lund, where I lived in the 90's for some time. For some of these years I lived in Smålands Nation, a building with student dorms, at the time the socialist-communist center of the town. Surely, Röda Bönor would have been a popular album. But to me, this is primarily a time capsule from an era that is gone, when the leftist struggle was more important, and a real hope of change existed. But musically speaking, it's not much to have. No good songs.


Tracklist

Page A
1. Oh Carol 2:19
2. Sången Om Ann-Marie 4:33
3. Diskoteksjakt 3:49
4. Kotten1:02
5. Nya Songes 3: 3
6. Det Ska Bli Slut På Rumban 4:45
7. Skärp Dig Ann-Marie 2:03
8. Faellesang1:42

Page B
1. La Lega 3:33
2. Sången Mot Familjen 2:37
3. Denna Karl 3:43
4. Kärlek4:30
5. Vaggsång 1:00
6. Sången Om Kvinnans Otäcka Roller 6:20