Barry Manilow did some very good pop music from the mid 1970's and into the 1980's. "Mandy", "Could It Be Magic" and "Weekend In New England", amongst several others, are all finely crafted pop songs. But nothing he did, even in his heyday, could be described in any way as "cutting edge" and Barry himself would probably agree. This latest CD is comprised of 1950's standards and is done extremely well and in a very professional manner. He covers pre-rock tunes like Tony Bennett's "Rags To Riches" and The Four Lads' "Moments To Remember" to post rock songs such as The Everly Brothers' "All I Have To Do Is Dream" and Frankie Avalon's "Venus". His voice sounds pretty good too for a guy who must be at least 60 years of age. I like Barry Manilow and I actually like this CD. It is miles better, and infinitely more interesting, than any of Rod Stewart’s latest recordings. Despite it’s apparent popularity, there is a bigger picture. Something tells me that when you record CD’s of old well known songs and play Las Vegas, your career as a valid artist is essentially over.

3 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Happy happy, Joy Joy!!!

Pure perfect organic bubblegum pop rock from the zenith of the nineties.

...And it sounds like summer too!

Just the thing you want when the weather begins to improve a little, and get a spring back in your step, with bags of tunes you can hum, very melodic, and plenty of sing-a-long opportunities... and great harmonies.

I do revisit this every every now and then for this reason, and it does much to quell the horror and misery of everyday life...

(And that was even before the pandemic came along!).

... There's big bouncy numbers aplenty, a couple of gently introspective thoughtful songs, a soft, and delicate folky vibe here and there, and even a brain scraping, partly experimental power thump in the shape of Ain't No Longer Asking to round it off.

Goes nice with more clement weather, a chilly beverage, and what I'm reliably informed is something called: "optimism"...

...And maybe daffodils :)

[YouTube Video]

[YouTube Video]

4 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

One of the best albums of the nineties... and getting better with age!

Some albums seem to make a fair old noise at the time of release, being definitive of their time, while others are not so firmly rooted in their era.

...These last, such as this one, don't date, or age as badly, and tend to improve with each listen.

Listening closely, the odd thing about how this album achieves this, in that there are relatively few working parts in it's construction...

...And it is most definitely a "constructed" record.

What strikes the ear more than anything, is that over and above the basic drums, and bass, and vocals, it's mostly a collection of short (very short) passages, phrases, stabs, and hooks, all tied together in the production, with a bit over here on the left channel, some over there on the right, a little in the middle distance, and a few bits in the middle to hold it all together.

Not so much guitar pyrotechnics, as acrobatics.... pieces of guitar in different effects peddles and so on, cast about, strewn, and popping up all over.

All of which creates an effect of having more in there than is actually the case, and a very dynamic listen.

The same is true of the drumming too, which doesn't settle too much on one constant pattern, but is full of energetic fills and punctuation.

And all of this goes on over around some exceptionally well written, classic (almost standard) feeling songs, with bags of hooks, melodies, and tunes.

Not a track to skip, and you find yourself, not only humming vocals that have gotten stuck in your head, but guitar parts too.

Extraordinary album, and one the ten best of the nineties for me.

There is, however, one fatal flaw, in that those of us who would exchange a nut for a vinyl copy of this (OK, a bit of extreme... but then, I didn't say it would be my nut! :D ) would have to accept the whole two disc affair - one single album across two discs - which I really do not like!
- One disc please!!!...

So, until such a single disc vinyl is issued (never going to happen, I know), then the CD is all you need... it would be your best purchase of the year!

9 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

When I bought the vinyl edition of this album at the end of the 1980s, all I knew of SAC was "Incense And Peppermints", which I remembered hearing as a kid, and then got to know better years later via one of the Cruisin' series albums. Big Beat had done a great job of putting together this compilation, (even if "Birdman Of Alkatrash" sounded a little out of place amongst the other gently psychedelic cuts). I played the LP a lot for years as it fitted in nicely with other albums of its kind (Bam Caruso's 'Rubble' series, and other reissues on Edsel and Big Beat). After a while though I developed a taste for the harder-edged psych and prog music that I'd discovered along the way, so I traded Strawberries Mean Love (along with some similar reissues) in for something else.
Fast forward a few decades, and I had a desire to hear this again so got the CD version - with extra tracks too! - even better, I thought. Except that, well, it isn't. Out of the eight bonus tracks, there are only two ("Paxton's Back Street Carnival" and "Hummin' Happy") that match up to the quality of the material on the original comp, and to my ears the rest actually spoil it as there's nothing very comparable. They're fairly unnecessary additions and just don't have the same great atmosphere that the others do. I would have gladly traded the eight (actually six if you put aside the two I just mentioned) for the addition of "Unwind With The Clock" and / or "Pass Time With SAC" from the band's first album as they are far more in keeping with the style and the vibe of the rest of the original Strawberries Mean Love collection. The six bonuses (A's and B's) don't add a thing to the first thirteen tracks, and in this case less really is more: this 'more' is just too MOR.

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

About 1963 -64 I used to go on organised bus trips to Liverpool on Saturdays, every six weeks or so. We would leave Caernarfon about 930am and depart Liverpool about 10pm. Three of us used to go to the Cavern Club, The Iron Door Club and other similar venues, depending who was playing and if we could get in. We got to know some of the regular “Cave Dwellers” and “The Big 3” had the reputation of being among the very best playing there and packed them in. When they were on, we just couldn’t get in. They were recorded live at the Cavern and released an E/P which was very good. It appears on this CD. They also made a few singles that were minor hits. Their drummer, Johnny “Hutch” Hutchinson sat in with the Beatles a few times before Ringo joined. It was rumoured that he was offered a permanent place with them. This CD has all of their known recordings from this era. Most are cover versions as they did not write very much of their own stuff. It is very much of it’s time and is well worth a listen if you’re into “Merseybeat”

6 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Esoteric Recordings is proud to announce the release of a new expanded and re-mastered 2 disc edition of the classic debut solo album by YES vocalist JON ANDERSON, “Olias of Sunhillow”. Released in July 1976, the album was a conceptual work recounting the story of an alien race on a journey to find a new world following volcanic destruction on their home planet. All music on the album was written and performed by Jon Anderson and the recording took place at Anderson’s Buckinghamshire home studio whilst Yes were on hiatus following the tour to promote the album “Relayer”. Initially recorded on an 8-track tape machine, the arrangements were then re-recorded on to a 24-track tape machine. The album saw Jon perform the music entirely alone, teaching himself to play keyboards and acknowledging the influence of such legendary musicians as Rick Wakeman, Patrick Moraz and Vangelis on his work. Indeed, it was even rumoured Vangelis performed on the album, something the maestro would deny in interviews.

“Olias of Sunhillow” was released by Atlantic Records in the summer of 1976 in an elaborate gatefold sleeve designed by David Fairbrother-Roe and was a top ten album in the UK. This Esoteric Recordings edition has been newly remastered from the original album master tapes and fully restores the stunning original artwork and also features a booklet with a new essay and exclusive interview with Jon Anderson.

Over the ensuing years the excellence of the album has led to many calls for the album to be remixed in a 5.1 Surround Sound format. Alas, despite extensive research, the multi-track masters of the album cannot be found. However, this expanded edition of “Olias of Sunhillow” features a DVD featuring a high resolution 96 kHz / 24-bit re-master of the stereo mix and also includes a high resolution 5.1 Surround Sound up-mix derived from the original stereo master tapes as an additional feature.

(From the Cherry Red Website )

3 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

The Crest of the Britpop wave...

... And as such, should probably be a staple in any 90s collection.

However, for me, I only ever tuned into the singles from this album at the time (Impossible to get away from them back then!), and only recently have found the album in a charity shop and thought I should the whole thing a long overdue listen...

...And it's good. Very good in fact...

-In those aforementioned singles which are: Sale Of The Century, What Do I Do Now?, Statuesque, and Nice Guy Eddie (more remembered the names than the tunes of these last two)-

...But not great.

On it's own terms the rest of the album has couple of indie (sounding) Britpop guitary highs like Good Luck Mr Gorsky, but largely, although containing a lot of the swagger of the age, it's very affected, stylised, and "posed" - an artifice.

Louise wener has since gone on to a literary career...

(although a recent reunion happened I believe)

... but early signs of that are here throughout, in very dense, unconventional "story" songs, which do satisfy on that level, but I'm not sure they work great as hummable tunes exactly.

So at the time of the "Ladette", I think Louise Wener was more of an "Anti-Ladette", smart, self assured, and taking herself way too seriously...

(Really, try and find photos of her smiling from this time!)

...which all comes through in the music, in a way that seems a little too "constructed", deliberately oblique and "better than thou".

A more honest expression of feeling is found in the two headline singles here: Sale Of The Century, and What Do I Do Now?, which, if the whole album was this way would have made for a brilliant album, but it isn't, and while the rest is OK, I don't think I've missed too much in the meantime.

7 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Almost half a truly great Tori Amos album...

...Trapped inside too much of a mediocre one.

To borrow the old expression: "Too many notes!", which here is better rendered as: "Too many songs!"

Of course, it's very inventive device to use the "posse" idea to justify cramming the total fruits of an obviously very prolific period all onto one album...

(And justify the sporadic "All over the map" themes and styles)

... But this could seriously have benefitted from the judicious application of the editor's scissors, and the leaving thereby, half (maybe more) of these songs for other projects, B-sides, or further development. As these tend to swamp, and dilute the impact of the truly brilliant top Tori tunes on this album.

Cut down to an album of perhaps eight of the best, this would be considered one of Tori Amos' best albums....

... It's still great, but take away the need for the "skip" button, and it's greater still.

Less is more.

[YouTube Video]

[YouTube Video]

7 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

My worst suspicions confirmed...

... It's taken me twenty some odd years to get around to listening to this, but found it in a charity shop last year, and it has only confirmed the reason I gave it a miss on it's original release:

It's too 'manufactured' and 'plastic' sounding Garbage, trying to be hip and with it and all techno pop confection, rather than the original concept of the band, as found in their excellent debut, which was centred around an image, and a sound and attitude of being slightly sleazy and disreputable, slack and grimy.... you know.... Garbage.

Of course, it's commendable that the band tried not to simply make the same album twice (they're not Coldplay, after all! :), but this seems the polar aopposite of what they set the band to be... they lost their selling point.

I think there may be some good tunes in here somewhere, but I can't hear them for the most part through all the directionless, frenetic, and relentless synth drums and techno-squiqgly bits which drown out the songs, and make the whole thing quite flat and tedious...

(contrary, ironaically, to what they put all that nonsense in there to achieve)

...Or it could simply be they layered all that crap on there to hide the fact that the songs underneath were not altogether great, and maybe a little rushed, or just ran out of ideas.

There's a couple of tracks worthy of their former selves which do manage to make themselves known, and punch through the fog, those being the opening two tracks: Temptation Waits, and the well known: I think I'm Paranoid, as well as the last track, which is a good one, but overall, it does kind of explain why I, like many after their debut, just said... "Meh"

...Being as this isn't what we signed up for, or bought into in the original Garbage concept. I know the original was essentially, a contrivance anyway, but it was true to the idea, and did it well, but this is pretty dull.

8 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

For a US Release this is surprisingly "International", and I suspect that it is being marketed in many places outside of North America, it's certainly easy to find in The UK.

The compilation consists of 20 tracks that had a big impact on Britain's "Northern Soul" scene (so called because it was centred on towns and cities in Northern England) back at the end of the '60s and throughout the '70s. The compilation was produced by Teri Landi, Andy Street and Ady Croasdell with Mr Croasdell providing a lengthy essay in the 16 page booklet detailing the origin of the tracks on display and how they fitted into Britain's "Northern Soul" scene all those years ago. Ady Croasdell is one of the forces behind the Soul releases at Kent/Ace in London and I can't help but think that there was more collaboration between ABKCO and Kent/Ace with this release than is immediately obvious from the packaging.

Here are three tracks that are included in this compilation ...

[YouTube Video]

[YouTube Video]

[YouTube Video]

There were plenty of other Cameo/Parkway releases that impacted on Britain's "Northern Soul" scene so I'm already looking forward to a Volume 2.

ABKCO's press release in June 2020 has the release date as 19th June.

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Collier's first album was recorded, arranged, performed and produced in the small back room of his family home in Finchley, so the Beach Boys song had to be the title track of the album.

Quote: "In My Room is the 2016 debut album of crackerjack arranger, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and Internet sensation Jacob Collier. Collier began uploading videos of multi-track solo performances -- often presented in a grid layout so that each vocal and instrumental take was visible -- as a 17-year-old in 2011. These performances, some of which approximate complex group a cappella, evolved over time to use a vocal harmonizer, part of the multi-media set-up he developed with MIT's Media Lab to enable solo, multi-track live performance. A key component of his sound, the device allows him to sing a pitch into a microphone and get simultaneous vocal harmony as dictated by the chords he plays on a keyboard, all on the fly. Fans of his videos will recognize his hyper a cappella take on the theme to The Flintstones that's included here. While Collier's done video renditions of "Isn't She Lovely" and "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing," Stevie Wonder is represented on the LP by a reverential, well-harmonized version of "You and I." Another cover is the title track, a likewise respectful version of the Beach Boys classic. "In My Room" is highlighted by an elegant jazz piano solo -- Collier's principal instrument -- though its persistent fluttering bassline may draw the most attention. Speaking of bass, funk is, perhaps surprisingly, a defining element of the album. The opener, "Woke Up Today," is a wildly funky kind of make-or-break track, especially for first-time listeners. It plays like a frenetic tour of Collier's music room and a demo of his studio skills. In general, the technical prowess on display on In My Room is impressive. However, listeners will find something more organic in nature in "Hideaway," an atmospheric wash of acoustic guitar and related stringed instruments, along with an udu-type drum and acoustic percussion, accordion, and, at its center, a refreshingly intimate, single vocal line. With Collier still a student at the Royal Academy of Music during the album's creation, one can only imagine what the young musical polymath's potential may hold in store. For now he now has, at the very least, a dazzling production reel of a debut..."

[YouTube Video]

3 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

The band seem to have taken their name from the sci-fi novel Roadside Picnic by Arkadi and Boris Strugatsky. They continue in the style of "The Canterbury Scene" which was centred around artists including Matching Mole, Gong, Robert Wyatt and Kevin Ayers. The track titles are obtuse too, but the tunes are sweet and richly harmonic, in a style close to jazz but without the repeating changes.

Morning Song starts the album, maybe in recognition of the Soft Machine who started their album "Softs" with Aubade
[YouTube Video]

In "A New Canterbury Tale" the bell peals must be coming from the Cathedral
[YouTube Video]

4 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

You think you're coming home with a Byrds cd? Wrong! It sounds a bit like the Byrds though and a closer inspection learns that these recordings were licensed by a certain Pat Robinson. After listening four tracks it was clear to me: One For The Bin.

6 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

This is a strange album, not least because while none of the tracks are original 'hit' versions there are no details of where and when they were recorded. Some are live recordings, mostly in the later age of the artists, some seem to be by 'tribute' bands who have bought the rights to work under the name of the bands who had the hits.

It starts with "Eric Burdon And The Animals" playing Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, and my natural instinct was to skip this old blues number as we know it so well with Alan Price on Hammond and Eric Burdon on fuzz guitar, but I got a surprise: it starts quietly with an etherial piano part, leaving you wondering who is the accomplished pianist. A hint of strings (synth) joins in, the pace remains very slow, and Burdon eventually joins in as a duet with the piano, singing as if struggling with his emotions. Then in comes the Hammond, joined by the drums. "If I seem edgy I just want you to know" is taken in a Blue-Beat style. Then comes a guitar break, played in the style of Eric Clapton, then back into Blue-Beat, leading up to a very slow ending. Total track length is 6:30 - I'd love to know where and when this was recorded.

The Applejacks here have a singer in his later years. White Plains with My Girl however is on YouTube, from a 2009 album, though it doesn't sound like any of the 70s bands put together for the road by John Shakespeare
[YouTube Video]

The Troggs tracks sound like a tribute band playing through the repertoire, all except for "Black Bottom" which turns out to be the same track as released on a French 45, another terrific track with some unexpected humour!

So don't buy this CD if you want to hear the original hits, but do buy it if want some interesting re-takes of the "Brit-pop" material.

4 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

This collection is a reissue of the two Ian Levine "Northern Soul Memories" CDs issued by Goldmine in 1999, GSCD 129 and GSCD 137. The second of those had yet to appear here when I first wrote this review.

CD 1, as I wrote in the review for GSCD 129, is effectively a "Greatest Hits" package of Ian Levine "Northern Soul" orientated productions from the mid '70s to the early '90s and contains many of his most commercially successful efforts.

CD 2 contains material that, though generally not so commercially successful, Mr Levine seemed particularly fond of. For me highlights on CD 2 include The Trammps "Feet Don't Fail Me Now", which wouldn't have sounded out of place on one of their late '70s LPs, Barbara Pennington's "Fan The Flame" (always liked that one) and L.J. Johnson's "Floating" ... which floats!!

CD 2 is actually very enjoyable, and the electronic drumbeats that could overwhelm some of Ian Levine's productions are thankfully kept to a minimum Incidentally, the version of Barbara McNair's "Your Gonna Love My Baby" is a remake, though the arrangement sticks quite close to the Motown original and it's surprisingly very well done.

[YouTube Video]

[YouTube Video]

[YouTube Video]

4 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

I have bought this set as a big Queen fan. I already have all the albums on CD but wanted the completeness (if that's a word) of the 40 Anniversary edition and plan on getting the other 2 boxes in the set.

No surprises on the actual CDs themselves, I'm not an audiophile so can't really hear the difference in the digitally remastered versions from the original 'pressings'.

Even more interesting (to me) is that I bought the 40th Anniversary edition of 'News of the World' which has the same pressing of that album - so I guess that means I now have 3 CD versions of this album.

The Bonus CDs are where this scores for me as there are tracks and versions on there which I have never heard or have never previously been released including a couple of B sides from the original 45s.

So, if you're a Queen fan or just someone who wants to get the entire Queen library at cut down prices then at roughly 36 quid for 5 CDs (and don't forget that they have bonus EPs also) it's good value for money.

6 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Behind the blurry Celtic knot on the front lies an unexpectedly fine collection of contemporary Irish Folk music, this being a sampler for 13 albums from the Tara label

O'Farrell's Welcome To Limerick starts the compilation in thoroughly traditional style with Irish Pipes, Bodhran, guitars and synth drone
[YouTube Video]

The Deer's Cry is a thoroughly traditional setting of the old hymn Saint Patrick's Breastplate though newly composed by Shaun Davey for Granada Television
[YouTube Video]

The Gale is also a Shaun Davey composition, which introduces the album Brendan's Voyage in a symphonic contortion of the Irish-Trad style before sailing into a storm while the music grows unexpectedly modern-Classical and violent. The single track is not on YT but the whole of Brendan's Voyage is, beginning with The Gale
[YouTube Video]

Causeway is a fast violin reel accompanied by drums, Hammond and guitars which deconstructs into syncopation before joining up for a traditional ending
[YouTube Video]

This is an arbitrary choice from the many fine tracks on this compilation which will send me out searching for several of these Tara albums

4 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Masterful, Melancholic pop rock tunes...

...without a duff track on it. Really consistent quality throughout this album, that, while it doesn't re-invent the wheel, is just, well, brilliant.

Full of memorable tunes, melodies, and a sense of big rock scale, which juxtaposes euphoric heights against a prevailing undercurrent of sadness.

Hit's all the right buttons, and has a longevity of listen-ability... a frequent visitor to my ears, and my tip for one of the albums that will emerge from the pack in years to come as one of the classic noughties albums.

3 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

I bought this recently after I'd seen James singing Witchita Lineman as a tribute to Glen Campbell after his death.

James' guitar playing has maintained a high standard even into his (now) old age but like so many, his voice isn't what it used to be, which is a shame.

This however, is a review of the record, not the live performance which was probably a decade after releasing this album. James' voice is still good here, although his selection of tracks may be considered doubtful by some. I bought it primarily for the above named track as I wanted to hear him do it justice, which he does.

Not quite as good as the original, but then again few seldom are, James does add his own touch and makes the song his own. You can hear that he loves each and every track and he does the vast majority proud.

Overall a good addition to my collection and well worth the very low cost from Music Magpie.

One last comment though is that like so many other artists, his output in latter years has not been a patch on the early recordings, like Sweet Baby James or Mud Slide Slim.

7 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

I've always liked this band - very poppy but hey, that's not necessarily a bad thing. They have good harmonies and I think they do their parents proud. Having said that, they all have decent voices that blend together well, on record. Live, they're not quite as good but then again, this is a studio album, and has been well produced.

It's good to hear fresh takes on some old songs, their rendition of California Dreamin' and Monday Monday are very good but for me, God Only Knows is the outstanding track on the album with Good Vibrations being a brave choice as not only is it a cover of The Beach Boys' best known (and probably best loved) track, but it's also an A Capella cover to boot.

Well done, I'm glad I bought this and will give it many a listen.

8 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Remarkable Western-Swing from 1955/56! This Cd shows Johnston's nice versatile steel along with Don Decker on fiddle/viola at his best and talented singer Ruth Dalton. You hear two versions of "Milk Cow Blues" and "No one for me". Very interesting to compare these. Good
mixture of uptempo-tunes and slow bluesy numbers. A must for Western Swing fans.

6 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

This is a very clever concept, UB40 re-recorded their own songs with some of their musical heroes. It really works, and is easily UB40's best album since the 1980's

7 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Finish Black Metal.
Absolute shite of the first class...
Has made me finally appreciate what a top band Steps were

✔︎ Helpful Review?

Those 45Worlders who have read previous reviews of mine may have seen the one I posted on this 2006 Supremes release where I suggested that it would be a candidate for the award for worst packaging of the year. This release would be top of my list for the 2009 award winner.

A few weeks back, in an attempt to dispel the lockdown blues, I decided to spruce up my collection of Isaac Hayes CDs. Having not previously owned a CD that had this 1971 masterpiece in its entirety I purchased this version. The package arrived and I started to remove the shrink-wrap so that I could play my new acquisition.

What happened next was something like what happened in that episode of "The Big Bang Theory" where Sheldon Cooper opens up a "boxed" Mr. Spock toy … the whole package seemed to disintegrate into a bewildering array of flaps and hidden compartments. It seems that this is how the original LP was packaged, with flaps opening out to form a cross shaped poster-sized image of Mr. Hayes!!

The booklet notes do point out that this is the first CD reissue to mimic the original packaging … maybe the producers of this reissue should have considered that there might have been a reason for this ... just because something might be appropriate for a 12" format doesn't mean that it should be miniaturised!!

For the next few minutes I gingerly tried to explore the various flaps and compartments to see if I could find the CDs and booklet. Eventually I succeeded but, not being a skilled surgeon, I did manage to slightly tear part of the package when attempting to prise one of the CDs out of its cubby-hole. Then, after finding everything and listening to it, there came the challenge of trying to put it all back together again … what goes where? …. which flap folds over which flap? … where is the front? … where is the back?

The whole thing reminds me of one of those "wooden-puzzles" that were all the rage in the '80s and '90s and I keep asking myself … Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? If this is the state that the music business sank to it's no surprise that Mr Hayes gave up his career to become a chef on "South Park" is it!!

The music, of course, is great for those (like me) who like plodding, orchestrated, well sung, early-'70s Soul … but then you knew that already didn't you.

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Fortunately, the music here has not aged as badly as the fashions or cover art here :)

This is a pretty timeless slice of ambient electro dance noodling, and even the Doors / Presley "covers", which might otherwise have been ill advised, are rendered to fit nicely here.

Should be regarded as a classic of it's type, great for late night Moomin moments and something to drift away to.

6 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

A nice tribute to the art, yes art, of trumpet jazz player and delicious suffered singing: Mr. Chet Baker.

1 person found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

I bought this album on Vinyl when it first came out. It is a very raw recording with no overdubs. What you get is straight from the (presumably) mixing desk, so when Freddie hits a bum note or fails to reach the same note he did during the studio session, you hear it.

[YouTube Video]


I have just bought it again on CD, from my favourite online supplier (no names, but they are named after a South American river!) and what arrived was this version, which appears to be the USA version!

Anyway, on listening again I felt the electricty I had felt when I had seen the band over the years.

My first Queen gig was at the Liverpool Empire where they were what they billed as 'The Crazy Tour' as they were by this time used to playing much larger venues.


Copy of the typical set list on this tour can be seen here:
Crazy Tour Typical Set List

So, back to the CD - what can I say except, it's Queen - the best live band ever!

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

It might have been thought impossible for the Mael brothers to have met the standards of 2017's Hippopotamus, but they have not merely succeeded, they have exceeded the quality of that album.

All the Sparks trademarks are there: the varied musical styles and influences (Left Out In The Cold is in a distinctly Latin style, The Existental Threat is based on klezmer); the oblique takes on reality (Stravinksky's Only Hit postulates what would have happened if Igor had decided to write pop songs instead, for example); and the glorious battiness (Lawnmower, Onomato Pia).

But there is a surprising melancholy underpinning many of the tracks Pacific Standard Time being the standout example. Perhaps this is what we can expect from a couple of septuaginarians.

The musicianship and production are excellent, with the brothers clearly knowing who they can bring in to provide tight and dynamic playing.

The outstanding track is iPhone, in which - in turn - Adam, Abraham Lincoln and Mrs Steve Jobs wrestle with the difficulty of trying to communicate with their audiences (Eve, the crowd at Gettysburg and Mr Steve Jobs respectively), hence the chorus, "Put that fucking iPhone down and listen to me!"

Quite possibly Sparks' strongest ever album and a sure-fire classic.

5 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?