Sunday, December 14, 2008
26 YEARS later
My disbelief is slightly in suspense listening to the new album by ABC. Yes, that's right, the early 80s icons ABC, the band that sang Poison Arrow and The Look Of Love. Some 26 years after The Lexicon of Love, they're back with the sonic follow-up, Traffic.
Forget the diversion of Beauty Stab. Ignore the transgression of How To Be A Zillionaire. Just don't buy Up (although I did) and completely erase your memory banks of Alphabet City, Abcadabra and Skyscraping. Just buy The Lexicon and then forward to their fresh 2008 album, Traffic.
Listening to Traffic, it's like time stood still.
It's not just the sounds that got caught up in the timewarp, the website is pretty retro, too.
Martin Fry is 50 years old.
Forget the diversion of Beauty Stab. Ignore the transgression of How To Be A Zillionaire. Just don't buy Up (although I did) and completely erase your memory banks of Alphabet City, Abcadabra and Skyscraping. Just buy The Lexicon and then forward to their fresh 2008 album, Traffic.
Listening to Traffic, it's like time stood still.
It's not just the sounds that got caught up in the timewarp, the website is pretty retro, too.
Martin Fry is 50 years old.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Send in the clowns
Noticed during my lunchtime browse around the shops that suddenly there are three new albums out from major recording artists with a circus theme:
- Take That's new album, called The Circus
- Britney Spears' new album, Circus
- Pink's new one, Funhouse
Sunday, November 30, 2008
BadBerry
It had to happen - my first problems with the BlackBerry Bold. I've run into the well-documented 999 songs issue, despite only copying 827 so far. The native media player, which is otherwise pretty excellent, has problems with large playlists and some albums resolutely fail to show up despite appearing on the SD card itself...
Strangely, though, although the album contents appeared to be blank when browsing by artist, they're there when browsing by album. Seems that the music player software could do with some more development.
It's much better though, than the freeware x-player. I had high hopes at first but it is sadly lacking in basic useability, for example in sorting tracks by number instead of in alphebetical order, and its playlist navigation is, frankly, poor.
I'm sticking with the bundled BB music player for now. It's clear that the Bold is first and foremost a communications machine and secondly an entertainment device but yeah, I did want the best of both worlds.
Strangely, though, although the album contents appeared to be blank when browsing by artist, they're there when browsing by album. Seems that the music player software could do with some more development.
It's much better though, than the freeware x-player. I had high hopes at first but it is sadly lacking in basic useability, for example in sorting tracks by number instead of in alphebetical order, and its playlist navigation is, frankly, poor.
I'm sticking with the bundled BB music player for now. It's clear that the Bold is first and foremost a communications machine and secondly an entertainment device but yeah, I did want the best of both worlds.
Labels: BlackBerry, mp3, music
Monday, August 11, 2008
Spotify: A musical shooting star
It is a dark and stormy night - which means I'm going to miss the annual Perseid meteor shower - which I blogged about last year. Frustrating as I was even planning to get up around 2am for some bleary-eyed stargazing.
Instead of watching celestial bodies burn up due to the friction as they enter the Earth's atmosphere, I've enjoyed the privilege for few months now of a login to the beta of Spotify's rather fabulous streaming online music service.
To say that Spotify is good would be like saying The Beatles were "quite successful". Spotify is awesome. Fabulous. Comprehensive and delightful. Detailed, content-rich and immensely satisfying. I just can't believe it took me so long to really discover it.
Here's the elevator pitch: think unlimited access to the entire iTunes library - streaming direct to your PC. Where do you start?
At first, I thought Spotify was just a web radio station. Oh no. That's the front end. I can't share any screenshots thanks to the license agreement - and NO WAY am I going to risk losing access. I can just say that it offers a series of musical genres and dates - you just choose as many, or as few as you want, and press play.
After indulging - actually, over-indulging my desire to hear wall-to-wall 70s funk, I've started exploring further: driven by a need to find out whether Plastic Bertrand's 1978 opus, Ca Plane Pour Moi, would be there? Check. A great start. I challenged Spotify to find The Dead Kennedys' "Too Drunk ..." - check. Colonel Abrams and Trapped? Which version? And how about the whole album while you're at it? Carl Orff's Carmina Burana? Check.
I dug around and finally managed to find a song that Spotify's doesn' have (yet): It's Gonna Happen by the Undertones - of course this IS on YouTube, and so you might argue that this is no better than YouTube's collection of music videos, but I disagree on two counts. First, audio quality. Second, streaming - I've never had even a millisecond's interruption with Spotify, even on a public wi-fi network. And third, I'm listening to It's Gonna Happen right now - but not watching. I noticed that Feargal looked frighteningly young and returned to this post.
The tipping point for Spotify was reading Rolling Stone's story on Kid Rock's worldwide success with the monster hit of the summer, All Summer Long. Despite the irony that Kid Rock is not releasing his tunes to iTunes (All Summer Long is also absent from Spotify), I immediately fired up Spotify on learning that the Kid had mashed TWO previous hits. I thought he'd just augmented Lynryd Skynryd's Sweet Home Alabama - having never consciously heard anything from Warren Zevon. Thanks to Rolling Stone, I learned that Kid Rock mixed it up with Warren's Werewolves Of London - and where to check this out? Yes, Spotify.
Instead of watching celestial bodies burn up due to the friction as they enter the Earth's atmosphere, I've enjoyed the privilege for few months now of a login to the beta of Spotify's rather fabulous streaming online music service.
To say that Spotify is good would be like saying The Beatles were "quite successful". Spotify is awesome. Fabulous. Comprehensive and delightful. Detailed, content-rich and immensely satisfying. I just can't believe it took me so long to really discover it.
Here's the elevator pitch: think unlimited access to the entire iTunes library - streaming direct to your PC. Where do you start?
At first, I thought Spotify was just a web radio station. Oh no. That's the front end. I can't share any screenshots thanks to the license agreement - and NO WAY am I going to risk losing access. I can just say that it offers a series of musical genres and dates - you just choose as many, or as few as you want, and press play.
After indulging - actually, over-indulging my desire to hear wall-to-wall 70s funk, I've started exploring further: driven by a need to find out whether Plastic Bertrand's 1978 opus, Ca Plane Pour Moi, would be there? Check. A great start. I challenged Spotify to find The Dead Kennedys' "Too Drunk ..." - check. Colonel Abrams and Trapped? Which version? And how about the whole album while you're at it? Carl Orff's Carmina Burana? Check.
I dug around and finally managed to find a song that Spotify's doesn' have (yet): It's Gonna Happen by the Undertones - of course this IS on YouTube, and so you might argue that this is no better than YouTube's collection of music videos, but I disagree on two counts. First, audio quality. Second, streaming - I've never had even a millisecond's interruption with Spotify, even on a public wi-fi network. And third, I'm listening to It's Gonna Happen right now - but not watching. I noticed that Feargal looked frighteningly young and returned to this post.
The tipping point for Spotify was reading Rolling Stone's story on Kid Rock's worldwide success with the monster hit of the summer, All Summer Long. Despite the irony that Kid Rock is not releasing his tunes to iTunes (All Summer Long is also absent from Spotify), I immediately fired up Spotify on learning that the Kid had mashed TWO previous hits. I thought he'd just augmented Lynryd Skynryd's Sweet Home Alabama - having never consciously heard anything from Warren Zevon. Thanks to Rolling Stone, I learned that Kid Rock mixed it up with Warren's Werewolves Of London - and where to check this out? Yes, Spotify.
Labels: music
Monday, December 10, 2007
Straight in at Number One - my favorite album of 2007
It's finally time to reveal that the laurels for my favorite album of 2007 go to an artist who goes straight in at Number One with his first release - at least with under the recording name of Yusuf.
Congratulations to Yusuf aka Cat Stevens, whose An Other Cup has been my favorite album of 2007 by a long mile. I bought it a year back, in November 2006, when it was first out. A year ago, I knew Cat Stevens' music, but not that well. So I decided to buy the new Yusuf album and see if the old man could work his magic.
The verdict: Indisputably yes. This is another album I've given as a gift to others, because it's so gentle, so charming, so relaxed, so simply knowledgeable and worldly-wise. I'm not planning to discuss religion at all, suffice it to say that Yusuf sounds enlightened. I'd love to have An Other Cup of coffee and a chat with him.
Listening to this album has helped me slow down / relax more than once. Then there was the time I let it lull me to sleep when feeling unwell. It's a nice touch that Yusuf has re-recorded I Think I See The Light, one of the tracks from Mona Bone Jakon. It's not just Bowie who can re-arrange old standards. The real achievement is that I like both versions.
Rousing final paragraphs has never been my strong point but in the case of An Other Cup, it's not a cop-out to finish off with a recommendation to purchase at least two copies of this album - one for yourself and one for a friend. There?s even a possibility that it might replace Donald Fagen?s epic The Nighfly as my "standard gift album" for any deserving male music fan.
Talking of Fagen, what's missing from my 2007 Top 10? Some artists / albums that nearly made it, but ultimately missed the cut:
Congratulations to Yusuf aka Cat Stevens, whose An Other Cup has been my favorite album of 2007 by a long mile. I bought it a year back, in November 2006, when it was first out. A year ago, I knew Cat Stevens' music, but not that well. So I decided to buy the new Yusuf album and see if the old man could work his magic.
The verdict: Indisputably yes. This is another album I've given as a gift to others, because it's so gentle, so charming, so relaxed, so simply knowledgeable and worldly-wise. I'm not planning to discuss religion at all, suffice it to say that Yusuf sounds enlightened. I'd love to have An Other Cup of coffee and a chat with him.
Listening to this album has helped me slow down / relax more than once. Then there was the time I let it lull me to sleep when feeling unwell. It's a nice touch that Yusuf has re-recorded I Think I See The Light, one of the tracks from Mona Bone Jakon. It's not just Bowie who can re-arrange old standards. The real achievement is that I like both versions.
Rousing final paragraphs has never been my strong point but in the case of An Other Cup, it's not a cop-out to finish off with a recommendation to purchase at least two copies of this album - one for yourself and one for a friend. There?s even a possibility that it might replace Donald Fagen?s epic The Nighfly as my "standard gift album" for any deserving male music fan.
Talking of Fagen, what's missing from my 2007 Top 10? Some artists / albums that nearly made it, but ultimately missed the cut:
- Lily Allen
- Arctic Monkeys
- The Eagles - although it was a close call
- Fergie
- Happy Mondays - reformed in 2007 and sounding just the same as ever. Uncle Dysfunktional is officially at Number 11 in my top 10 for 2007. The beats are great, and you know that these days, they care even less than ever, if that were possible - the lyrics provide an insight into what's possibly going on in Shaun Rider's drug-addled mind?
- I still listen regularly to The Nightfly, I know all the tunes and all the words, but for the sake of change it's not in the top 10 this year. It probably should have been, but it isn't. That's that. And the judge's decision is final :)
Sunday, December 09, 2007
The countdown
Top 10s for me will never be as exciting as Tuesday lunchtimes at school, listening to the radio for the new Top 40 countdown. Even the fact that Radio One had the irritating Janice Long as their lunchtime jock couldn't dampen my enthusiasm for the newly-minted charts around 1982/3. At that time, not only did I know all the bands in the singles and albums charts, but also I thought most of them were at least "quite good". Albums released in 1981-1984 make up a sizable chunk of my CD collection today although in general the 70s has now overtaken the 80s in the decade-to-decade shoot-out.
Back to the excitement. The most memorable lunchtime chart show ever was in 1983, when David Bowie was hanging in there at Number One with Let's Dance. Dave had been riding high for two or three weeks with his first number one since 1980 (in fact his first decent single in more than two years, and the one that suddenly made it cool to be a Bowie fan, as until then any hardcore schoolboy fans were branded as queers, weirdos, or both). I was of course worried about the threat from Spandau Ballet's True, which was getting more airplay and tipped to displace Dave. We'd find out at lunchtime on that Tuesday - so as the fifth, fourth, third and second-placed records were played, I was holding my breath each time hoping to hear Tony Hadley's "So true, funny how it seems..." and hoping not to hear the "daaah, daaah, daaah, daaaah" build up to Let's Dance. This time around, I heard neither, which caused total confusion. Surely Spandau hadn't misfired and dropped DOWN the charts? But Dave would still be at number two, wouldn't he?
Then the countdown from 40 to number one - and Let's Dance has slipped to SIXTH place - AND Spandau are number one. Oh the pain. I could not concentrate all afternoon, mulling it over ? how could Dave have slipped so far, were Bowie fans doomed to another two years of being treated as oddities like the man himself? Thankfully the infamous China Girl video (look on YouTube if you don't know it) changed all that.
So although I digress, perhaps you get an idea of the excitement around a top 5 countdown?
Back to the excitement. The most memorable lunchtime chart show ever was in 1983, when David Bowie was hanging in there at Number One with Let's Dance. Dave had been riding high for two or three weeks with his first number one since 1980 (in fact his first decent single in more than two years, and the one that suddenly made it cool to be a Bowie fan, as until then any hardcore schoolboy fans were branded as queers, weirdos, or both). I was of course worried about the threat from Spandau Ballet's True, which was getting more airplay and tipped to displace Dave. We'd find out at lunchtime on that Tuesday - so as the fifth, fourth, third and second-placed records were played, I was holding my breath each time hoping to hear Tony Hadley's "So true, funny how it seems..." and hoping not to hear the "daaah, daaah, daaah, daaaah" build up to Let's Dance. This time around, I heard neither, which caused total confusion. Surely Spandau hadn't misfired and dropped DOWN the charts? But Dave would still be at number two, wouldn't he?
Then the countdown from 40 to number one - and Let's Dance has slipped to SIXTH place - AND Spandau are number one. Oh the pain. I could not concentrate all afternoon, mulling it over ? how could Dave have slipped so far, were Bowie fans doomed to another two years of being treated as oddities like the man himself? Thankfully the infamous China Girl video (look on YouTube if you don't know it) changed all that.
So although I digress, perhaps you get an idea of the excitement around a top 5 countdown?
Saturday, December 08, 2007
At number two in my top 10 of 2007
Putting this top 10 together took more effort than I expected initially. A quick scroll through the ever-present albums on my iPod was enough to yield six or seven albums, but as I gave it more thought, I realized there was more to this gig than just making a list.
The Top 10 doesn't reflect my 10 most-played albums of the year, but my faves of the year. The list has changed several times, too, since the first post on this subject a week or so ago.
It's been said that the tolling of the lonely church bell at the start of the first track on this album signals the advent of Heavy Metal. Almost 40 years after the release of their first album to reach commercial success, the eponymous Black Sabbath album still sounds good - from start to finish. The first track, Black Sabbath, is (as far as I know) the only track on my iPod where the track, album and band all have the same name.
Black Sabbath the album demands to be played loud. Rediscovering it earlier this year has brought back early teenage memories, when this album was part of the soundtrack to my newspaper round. These days I don't get such a thrill from its edgy sound but it brings back memories. In particular The Warning is one of those superb tune-in, rock-out tracks - with a driving bass keeping the song on track.
I've awarded second place to a pair of albums from the Sabs - the second being Master Of Reality. I've played this less during 2007 but every time I do, there are moments when it just grabs my attention - such as Ozzy?s faux choking on Sweet Leaf and the unexpectedly gentle melody of the segue song Orchid, luring me into the start of the heavy set Lords Of This World.
Horrifying to think that these albums are almost 40 years old. As a teenager, anything older than six months sounded old fashioned. Anything from the 40s (40 years ago at the time) sounded like it came from another planet.
The Top 10 doesn't reflect my 10 most-played albums of the year, but my faves of the year. The list has changed several times, too, since the first post on this subject a week or so ago.
It's been said that the tolling of the lonely church bell at the start of the first track on this album signals the advent of Heavy Metal. Almost 40 years after the release of their first album to reach commercial success, the eponymous Black Sabbath album still sounds good - from start to finish. The first track, Black Sabbath, is (as far as I know) the only track on my iPod where the track, album and band all have the same name.
Black Sabbath the album demands to be played loud. Rediscovering it earlier this year has brought back early teenage memories, when this album was part of the soundtrack to my newspaper round. These days I don't get such a thrill from its edgy sound but it brings back memories. In particular The Warning is one of those superb tune-in, rock-out tracks - with a driving bass keeping the song on track.
I've awarded second place to a pair of albums from the Sabs - the second being Master Of Reality. I've played this less during 2007 but every time I do, there are moments when it just grabs my attention - such as Ozzy?s faux choking on Sweet Leaf and the unexpectedly gentle melody of the segue song Orchid, luring me into the start of the heavy set Lords Of This World.
Horrifying to think that these albums are almost 40 years old. As a teenager, anything older than six months sounded old fashioned. Anything from the 40s (40 years ago at the time) sounded like it came from another planet.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
At number three - more bubblegum pop
Gwen Stefani - a younger version of Madonna? Well, probably. She's got a more girly voice and her beats are more hip, more outré than Madonna. She looks good, the sounds make the most of her limited vocal abilities (in comparison to, say, Amy Winehouse) and The Great Escape ? aka Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Again. has been a stalwart on my iPod for most of the year. It's a feel-good album: beats that get my foot tapping.
It's also good for long motorway journeys since it helps the miles disappear under the wheels. There's no need to think when listening to a Gwen Stefani album. But what it does accomplish is that it makes me smile ? either at the sly lyrics or the sub-beats that take the songs off in various different directions before rejoining.
Looking through my top 10, I'd only probably jump at the chance to see three of them live in concert ? Cat Stevens, Bryan Ferry and Amy Winehouse. Almost 10 years ago I saw Kylie live and felt too old then ? goodness knows how old I'd feel now at a Gwen Stefani concert.
Monday, December 03, 2007
Counting down - and here's Madonna
She might be an old dame in the eternally young world of pop music, she might attract vicious comments from the critics, but I?m going to stand up and be counted: I still like (most) Madonna albums. OK, she hit the usual mid-life crisis rut but she's back, and Confessions on A Dancefloor is right up there at number four in my top 10.
Come ON, ABBA purists. Get over it. You can still listen to the original song that spawned yet another Madonna number one. The boys and girls at ABBA got some nice airplay and song-writing royalties, too.
And come on, you naysayers. So what if she's pushing 50? If she wasn?t mutton dressed as lamb, you'd rip into her for being an old dame. What's Madge supposed to do, dress like Shirley Bassey from her 49th birthday?
And, let?s be honest - until the close-ups of her face, I couldn't believe how fit Madonna was looking. I fancied her in 1982, when I bought Borderline, then The First Album when it was still called Madonna - and Like A Virgin was, at the time, a landmark album for a teenager like me.
Ultimately with regard to Madonna albums, I don't really care who writes the songs, who composes or arranges them, as long as the end product sounds good. It's bubble-gum pop music and I like it that way. Talking of which ?
The countdown continues
I put the Top 10 countdown on hold for a few days to spend a long weekend in Athens, catching some winter sunshine. My last visit was as an 11-year-old and I don't remember much except being blinded by reflection off the marble steps of the Acropolis, and the roaring traffic. This time I had sunglasses and pedestrianization has largely removed traffic woes from around Athens' principal sights.
So back to the countdown, and at Number Five is Amy Winehouse - with her two studio albums so far, Back To Black and Frank.
Amy is, for me, proof that it's actually possible to ignore the latest happenings on the "famous for 15 MB" front. Just move to a foreign country, stop really listening to pop music radio and ignore the Red Top tabloids (except when in England, when I devour them ? reading them online just isn'?t the same). Occasionally, the stray piece of news filters through, usually when one of the Tier A megastars does something truly stupid (Britney's flash, Paris' spell in the slammer) but it's otherwise quite possible to exist in an area of isolation and not keep up with the latest about "troubled singers" like Amy Winehouse.
But by the fall of 2007, enough had filtered through about Winehouse that I decided to actually find out what the fuss was all about. And, like, DOH, duuuude! What had I missed! A veritable feast: a first-class performer, in every sense of the word. Not too late to play catch up as Amy's only produced a couple of studio albums so far - and she?s still alive and Living Large. NB: I?ve also heard OF the "tragic" Pete Doherty although I've never consciously heard a note of his music (which from most accounts is a wise move).
Discovering Amy's albums Frank and Back To Black was a revelation. I'd heard the single Rehab, of course, but never listened closely enough to find out the performer's name. Once discovered, the Winehouse albums were on alternate back-to-back play. Listening to these albums also brought about a revelation: I?d totally misunderstood the phrase "fuck me pumps". Bowie references them in We Are The Dead, a track on Diamond Dogs, which I discovered at the tender age of 12 - about the same time I learned the American English word for trainers was "pumps". From that info alone, I'd somehow worked out that FMPs were something like a Converse All-Star shoe. But I digress.
Back to Amy Winehouse. Nice tunes, great voice, that's pretty much it. I'm not yet emotionally attached. Perhaps when I rediscover the albums in 20 years' time they'll bring back memories of 2007, golden days when Winehouse and Doherty were still alive.
So back to the countdown, and at Number Five is Amy Winehouse - with her two studio albums so far, Back To Black and Frank.
Amy is, for me, proof that it's actually possible to ignore the latest happenings on the "famous for 15 MB" front. Just move to a foreign country, stop really listening to pop music radio and ignore the Red Top tabloids (except when in England, when I devour them ? reading them online just isn'?t the same). Occasionally, the stray piece of news filters through, usually when one of the Tier A megastars does something truly stupid (Britney's flash, Paris' spell in the slammer) but it's otherwise quite possible to exist in an area of isolation and not keep up with the latest about "troubled singers" like Amy Winehouse.
But by the fall of 2007, enough had filtered through about Winehouse that I decided to actually find out what the fuss was all about. And, like, DOH, duuuude! What had I missed! A veritable feast: a first-class performer, in every sense of the word. Not too late to play catch up as Amy's only produced a couple of studio albums so far - and she?s still alive and Living Large. NB: I?ve also heard OF the "tragic" Pete Doherty although I've never consciously heard a note of his music (which from most accounts is a wise move).
Discovering Amy's albums Frank and Back To Black was a revelation. I'd heard the single Rehab, of course, but never listened closely enough to find out the performer's name. Once discovered, the Winehouse albums were on alternate back-to-back play. Listening to these albums also brought about a revelation: I?d totally misunderstood the phrase "fuck me pumps". Bowie references them in We Are The Dead, a track on Diamond Dogs, which I discovered at the tender age of 12 - about the same time I learned the American English word for trainers was "pumps". From that info alone, I'd somehow worked out that FMPs were something like a Converse All-Star shoe. But I digress.
Back to Amy Winehouse. Nice tunes, great voice, that's pretty much it. I'm not yet emotionally attached. Perhaps when I rediscover the albums in 20 years' time they'll bring back memories of 2007, golden days when Winehouse and Doherty were still alive.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Number Six - a real rock dinosaur
Earlier this year I blogged about buying my first Dylan albums, predicting the start of a slippery slope towards a buying frenzy for Bob albums. Well, that was an exaggeration. So far I've failed to really get hooked by the downright deadpan delivery and the downright miserable tone, although Dylan's prowess as a songwriter does shine through.
Fitting then, that although Bob doesn't feature in my top 10 (or top 30, come to that - and that's about as many different albums I've listened to in 2007) but an album full of cover version of Dylan songs is up there at number six. Take a bow Bryan Ferry, and I'm sorry for calling you a rock dinosaur.
Ferry is one of those few artists whose new albums I'll just buy on spec - along with REM and David Bowie (hurry up, both of you). Another aside, Radiohead used to fall into that category until they did strange things with a 128kbps-only download of In Rainbows, for which I offered the grand sum of nothing, so I could preview it ahead of the CD coming out next year that I can buy and rip at a proper bitrate. Anyway?
Despite having bought Bryan?s Dylanesque album with gusto, it was actually with trepidation that I offered up the silver disc for a first hearing. It's fair to say that Bryan?s mid-life crisis stretched from the late 80s through to his late 90s album (correct me if I'm wrong) Frantic. The album Taxi in particular showed that Bry's writers block was truly hindering the career of a once-great singer-songwriter. Gratifying, therefore, that Ferry decided to bite the bullet and cover some Dylan standards. Not for the first time, mind ? Dylan songs have been popping up on Ferry albums since the early 70s.
It's the first time I'm listening to the start of the first track, Tom Thumb's Blues. I'm seriously worried. Ferry's voice sounds frail, unsure, uncommitted, as if his heart isn't in it. But then the song drops into gear, the Ferry croon kicks in, the sun comes out from behind the clouds, the traffic lights all go green, and all is well. We're flying high.
I'm sure many, many Dylan fans hate the MoR Ferry interpretation. I'd like to see ol' Bob reciprocate with an album of Ferry covers. Just imagine the nasal whine mix of Slave To Love. Maybe I'm gonna start a petition.
Fitting then, that although Bob doesn't feature in my top 10 (or top 30, come to that - and that's about as many different albums I've listened to in 2007) but an album full of cover version of Dylan songs is up there at number six. Take a bow Bryan Ferry, and I'm sorry for calling you a rock dinosaur.
Ferry is one of those few artists whose new albums I'll just buy on spec - along with REM and David Bowie (hurry up, both of you). Another aside, Radiohead used to fall into that category until they did strange things with a 128kbps-only download of In Rainbows, for which I offered the grand sum of nothing, so I could preview it ahead of the CD coming out next year that I can buy and rip at a proper bitrate. Anyway?
Despite having bought Bryan?s Dylanesque album with gusto, it was actually with trepidation that I offered up the silver disc for a first hearing. It's fair to say that Bryan?s mid-life crisis stretched from the late 80s through to his late 90s album (correct me if I'm wrong) Frantic. The album Taxi in particular showed that Bry's writers block was truly hindering the career of a once-great singer-songwriter. Gratifying, therefore, that Ferry decided to bite the bullet and cover some Dylan standards. Not for the first time, mind ? Dylan songs have been popping up on Ferry albums since the early 70s.
It's the first time I'm listening to the start of the first track, Tom Thumb's Blues. I'm seriously worried. Ferry's voice sounds frail, unsure, uncommitted, as if his heart isn't in it. But then the song drops into gear, the Ferry croon kicks in, the sun comes out from behind the clouds, the traffic lights all go green, and all is well. We're flying high.
I'm sure many, many Dylan fans hate the MoR Ferry interpretation. I'd like to see ol' Bob reciprocate with an album of Ferry covers. Just imagine the nasal whine mix of Slave To Love. Maybe I'm gonna start a petition.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Top 10: Number 7
I've got a bit of a backlog of posts here (there's a first time for everything, right) so moving swiftly ahead to Number Seven in my 2007, and heralding the first appearance of The Cat.
Take a bow Cat Stevens, when you were still using that name. At the start of the 1970s you recorded a string of albums that still sound fabulous today ' Catch Bull At Four, Mona Bone Jakon, Teaser And The Firecat, and my favorite of all, Tea For The Tillerman.
Many songs are a simple voice/guitar combination, with Cat's super-versatile voice taking me through a gamut of emotion every time I hear the album. It's almost a Greatest Hits by itself, featuring several songs penned by Cat that would later be covered by bands over and over again.
Tracks that pretty much everyone knows are there, such as Hard Headed Woman, Longer Boats and Wild World ' but it's the hair-raising Father And Son that really seals the deal for me. I was tempted simply to award 7th place to 'all early 70s Cat Stevens albums' as that would have allowed the inclusion of the best-ever treatment of Morning Has Broken - everything, lean back and CHILL song if there ever was one - originally on Mona, although we'll come back to that track further up the top 10.
Play Tillerman and you'll be reaching for the volume control, to turn it up! I'm usually enraptured by the start of Sad Lisa, a song that just drips melancholy. It's the voice, gentle / strong at exactly the right moments.
My early 1970s musical odyssey continues, further up the charts - although the other artist is an unlikely bedfellow for such a good chap as Cat Stevens.
Take a bow Cat Stevens, when you were still using that name. At the start of the 1970s you recorded a string of albums that still sound fabulous today ' Catch Bull At Four, Mona Bone Jakon, Teaser And The Firecat, and my favorite of all, Tea For The Tillerman.
Many songs are a simple voice/guitar combination, with Cat's super-versatile voice taking me through a gamut of emotion every time I hear the album. It's almost a Greatest Hits by itself, featuring several songs penned by Cat that would later be covered by bands over and over again.
Tracks that pretty much everyone knows are there, such as Hard Headed Woman, Longer Boats and Wild World ' but it's the hair-raising Father And Son that really seals the deal for me. I was tempted simply to award 7th place to 'all early 70s Cat Stevens albums' as that would have allowed the inclusion of the best-ever treatment of Morning Has Broken - everything, lean back and CHILL song if there ever was one - originally on Mona, although we'll come back to that track further up the top 10.
Play Tillerman and you'll be reaching for the volume control, to turn it up! I'm usually enraptured by the start of Sad Lisa, a song that just drips melancholy. It's the voice, gentle / strong at exactly the right moments.
My early 1970s musical odyssey continues, further up the charts - although the other artist is an unlikely bedfellow for such a good chap as Cat Stevens.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Bluegrass: a whole new world
This is not the first mention of my April trip to the 606 Club in London, where I was treated to an exceptional rendition of some bluegrass classics - by a band whose name I'm still trying to find out. I should give them a ring, really, and just ask - who the heck were those Irish brothers who rocked the joint? Headliner of the night was former Robbie Williams collaborator Guy Chambers, who was pretty good, but nowhere near as good as the bluegrass boys.
I'll elaborate: Until then I didn't even know I liked bluegrass. That night led to a flirtation that hasn?t become an obsessive love affair, but is fun for a quickie here and there ? then I was in the UK one Saturday in July, trying to drive down the M5 to Cornwall (with half of the rest of the population of the UK). The only thing that kept me sane, and off the A38 (which was probably even slower) was BBC Radio Two's coverage of the Cambridge Folk Festival, where the bluegrass was a treat.
That was it, I was hooked, and after a bit of research, I ordered a double CD called Flatt & Scruggs/Stanley Brothers - Selected Sides 1947-53: The Very Best of Bluegrass. Not a single track younger than 50 years old! To be honest it doesn't really matter which of the many Essential Bluegrass Collections you pick up: there seem to be a fair few out there. I couldn't listen to bluegrass every day but there are moments when a bit of rapid banjo strumming sounds just right.
That#s why the album is at number eight in my 2007 top 10.
I'll elaborate: Until then I didn't even know I liked bluegrass. That night led to a flirtation that hasn?t become an obsessive love affair, but is fun for a quickie here and there ? then I was in the UK one Saturday in July, trying to drive down the M5 to Cornwall (with half of the rest of the population of the UK). The only thing that kept me sane, and off the A38 (which was probably even slower) was BBC Radio Two's coverage of the Cambridge Folk Festival, where the bluegrass was a treat.
That was it, I was hooked, and after a bit of research, I ordered a double CD called Flatt & Scruggs/Stanley Brothers - Selected Sides 1947-53: The Very Best of Bluegrass. Not a single track younger than 50 years old! To be honest it doesn't really matter which of the many Essential Bluegrass Collections you pick up: there seem to be a fair few out there. I couldn't listen to bluegrass every day but there are moments when a bit of rapid banjo strumming sounds just right.
That#s why the album is at number eight in my 2007 top 10.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
At Number Nine in the charts
Number Nine in my personal top 10 albums for 2007 is occupied by The Beatles' Love. Released about a year ago, for me its the greatest of the greatest hits albums - and possibly the one that has ruffled the purists' feathers, because of the way it mixes up iconic songs we all know and love. I've already bought three copies, and given two away as presents.
It's more than a remix album - Love is the soundtrack to the Cirque de Soleil show playing at The Mirage in Las Vegas.
About a year ago, I actually finally went and found Abbey Road and the legendary Abbey Studios in the St John's Wood district of London - then found myself outside Abbey Studios again in the summer, when I was exploring the Regent's Canal.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Top 10s and shortlists
As we approach the year's end it's a good time to look back at some highlights, and to look forward to the next. I'm kicking off both lists today.
First, the look back - at my favorite albums of 2007. There's only one category - the albums that have been most played this year on my iPod. I'm starting at Number 10 with Real Live by the Hamish Stuart Band. Out-of-stock on Amazon but if you're passing the 606 Club in Fulham (where the album was recorded in 2000), drop in with a GBP Tenner and the album's yours.
One of the most-recent additions to my iPod, I bought Real Live on the night Hamish Stuart and his band played the 606 Club in October. The album manages to capture the memory of that night. He might be pushing 60 but he's still one funky dude...
Plays: On a loop during much of November
Marks out of 10: 8 - the album's quite short, also it does NOT include Pick Up The Pieces, more's the pity.
Now the look forwards. I'm starting to think about my next commuter car. The 30-something KM journey is a combination of unrestricted autobahn and congested city streets, and finishes up in an underground garage. Going to and from work is pretty much all the car will get used for except an annual trip to Hanover for CeBIT and a few weekend errands.
The list is currently totally unstructured and very eclectic - these are the cars that catch my eye for one reason or another, because the main rule is that whatever I get has to be special in some way, and fit for all weather. There's nothing Japanese on the list because their cars are either too bland (Honda Accord, Toyota 'most everything), too big and too bland (Lexii, big Toyota off-roaders) or just too bananas (Scoobies, Mitsubishi Evo, Toyota muscle cars). So here is take one of the list: can you spot the spouse-satisfying sensible choice red herring?
First, the look back - at my favorite albums of 2007. There's only one category - the albums that have been most played this year on my iPod. I'm starting at Number 10 with Real Live by the Hamish Stuart Band. Out-of-stock on Amazon but if you're passing the 606 Club in Fulham (where the album was recorded in 2000), drop in with a GBP Tenner and the album's yours.
One of the most-recent additions to my iPod, I bought Real Live on the night Hamish Stuart and his band played the 606 Club in October. The album manages to capture the memory of that night. He might be pushing 60 but he's still one funky dude...
Plays: On a loop during much of November
Marks out of 10: 8 - the album's quite short, also it does NOT include Pick Up The Pieces, more's the pity.
Now the look forwards. I'm starting to think about my next commuter car. The 30-something KM journey is a combination of unrestricted autobahn and congested city streets, and finishes up in an underground garage. Going to and from work is pretty much all the car will get used for except an annual trip to Hanover for CeBIT and a few weekend errands.
The list is currently totally unstructured and very eclectic - these are the cars that catch my eye for one reason or another, because the main rule is that whatever I get has to be special in some way, and fit for all weather. There's nothing Japanese on the list because their cars are either too bland (Honda Accord, Toyota 'most everything), too big and too bland (Lexii, big Toyota off-roaders) or just too bananas (Scoobies, Mitsubishi Evo, Toyota muscle cars). So here is take one of the list: can you spot the spouse-satisfying sensible choice red herring?
- Peugeot 307cc
- BMW 3-series or 5-series - probably diesel, saloon
- SLK or last-generation SL320 (the SL500 is just too thirsty)
- Alfa 166
- Alfa 159
- Land Rover Discovery
- BMW 740d (but probably too expensive)
- Opel Astra
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
A funkin' legend
Earlier this week I was fortunate enough to get a front-row table in an exclusive London jazz club to hear funk legend Hamish Stuart play a live set. Founding guitarist and lead vocalist of the Average White Band, the 58-year-old rocked in a near three-hour set. Of course he played Pick Up The Pieces - as the finale. On the way to the epic 10-plus minute version, Hamish and his band gave us a funkin' good time with numbers like Person To Person and Get The Love.
For me, it's two out of two for the 606 Club in Fulham. Back in April, Robbie Williams' former collaborator Guy Chambers was part of a superb line-up alongside a couple of Irish brothers who got me hooked on bluegrass.
Already planning the next London trip - and will be checking the 606 line-up before booking my flight.
For me, it's two out of two for the 606 Club in Fulham. Back in April, Robbie Williams' former collaborator Guy Chambers was part of a superb line-up alongside a couple of Irish brothers who got me hooked on bluegrass.
Already planning the next London trip - and will be checking the 606 line-up before booking my flight.
Labels: music
Thursday, October 11, 2007
In Rainbows: Rose-tinted downloads
Lots of newsprint and pixels have been dedicated to the new Radiohead album over the last week, the brave new "choose how much you pay to download" model. Don't be skeptical, I reckon they'll still make a fair whack on online sales, possibly more, even, than the slice the band could have expected under a traditional record contract with a major label.
I downloaded and listened to it today, with noise-cancelling earphones blotting out background noise (to the point where I was surprised when the plane landed). First reaction is: more of the same. I really love Kid A and Amnesiac, they're my favorite Radiohead albums, while I think OK Computer is only that, OK.
But here's the nerd take on the brave new move by music pioneers Radiohead: wot, only 160kbps? This is exactly half the bitrate I'm looking for.
Paranoid thought arises: Is this because I was cheap and didn't offer to actually pay money for the album? Could it be that the bitrate is proportionate to the amount you pledge? Nope. A check on indexes for various swap sites confirms that the album weighs in at just under 49MB. Download a torrent offering anything more and you're being fooled, baby.
So what now? Wait for the CD, that's what. By January I'll be more familiar with In Rainbows so once Radiohead have sorted out their new record label and managed to actually release a CD version, I'll snap it up, probably for ?12 or less. I'll then be deleting the 160kbps version - so why pay, when I'm simply getting an advance, review version that's only half retail quality?
And this is the thing about downloads. I'm hardly an audiophile but when I first bought the late, unlamented Real Jukebox in 1999, the MP3 standard was 96kbps. Today, ringtones are higher quality. I progressed slowly through 128, 160 and a flirtation with ogg, got totally confused by the EAC format (although I have plenty of disk space for it) and settled on 320kbps mp3, for now at least. I *honestly* can't hear the difference even when playing back an 320-encoded file through my ageing but excellent quality hi-fi separates and speakers.
Time to toss or sell my CDs? NO WAY. They're my shiny licenses to the music and the offline backup. As for the artwork, if I was really interested in that, I'd still buy LPs. It's all about the music, stoopid.
I downloaded and listened to it today, with noise-cancelling earphones blotting out background noise (to the point where I was surprised when the plane landed). First reaction is: more of the same. I really love Kid A and Amnesiac, they're my favorite Radiohead albums, while I think OK Computer is only that, OK.
But here's the nerd take on the brave new move by music pioneers Radiohead: wot, only 160kbps? This is exactly half the bitrate I'm looking for.
Paranoid thought arises: Is this because I was cheap and didn't offer to actually pay money for the album? Could it be that the bitrate is proportionate to the amount you pledge? Nope. A check on indexes for various swap sites confirms that the album weighs in at just under 49MB. Download a torrent offering anything more and you're being fooled, baby.
So what now? Wait for the CD, that's what. By January I'll be more familiar with In Rainbows so once Radiohead have sorted out their new record label and managed to actually release a CD version, I'll snap it up, probably for ?12 or less. I'll then be deleting the 160kbps version - so why pay, when I'm simply getting an advance, review version that's only half retail quality?
And this is the thing about downloads. I'm hardly an audiophile but when I first bought the late, unlamented Real Jukebox in 1999, the MP3 standard was 96kbps. Today, ringtones are higher quality. I progressed slowly through 128, 160 and a flirtation with ogg, got totally confused by the EAC format (although I have plenty of disk space for it) and settled on 320kbps mp3, for now at least. I *honestly* can't hear the difference even when playing back an 320-encoded file through my ageing but excellent quality hi-fi separates and speakers.
Time to toss or sell my CDs? NO WAY. They're my shiny licenses to the music and the offline backup. As for the artwork, if I was really interested in that, I'd still buy LPs. It's all about the music, stoopid.
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