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