Album of the Week - Vol.30

I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You ARETHA FRANKLIN (1967)
Week: Fri 9th to Thu 15th May, 2025
Format: vinyl, iPod
Producer: Jerry Wexler
Tracklisting: 
1. Respect *
2. Drown in My Own Tears
3. I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You) *
4. Soul Serenade
5. Don't Let Me Lose This Dream
6. Baby, Baby, Baby
7. Dr Feelgood (Love is a Serious Business) *
8. Good Times
9. Do Right Woman, Do Right Man *
10. Save Me
11. A Change is Gonna Come *
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 32:27

I first listened to this album in 2012, as part of the awesome music blog project I was a part of called afyccim. The word was an acronym for 'a five year crash course in music', and there were four of us writing reviews on albums. Each year we concentrated on a decade, listening to one long player a week. One of us would write the main review, and the other three would supplement the entry with mini reviews. It was an awesome experience, but we only got to about halfway through the 80s. The 60s and 70s reviews are still up on the old WordPress site. In fact, click here for our review of this album, which coincidentally was our very first one.

Anyway, I was quite impressed by the record. It was a great introduction to a bit more of her music. I only knew Respect (of course) and the two tracks featured in The Commitments, Do Right Woman, Do Right Man and the title song. It's an enjoyable listen, and then moved on to our next album, which was The Band's Music From Big Pink. 

Fast forward a few years and I become enamoured by a 20th anniversary vinyl release of The Flaming Lips' excellent album The Soft Bulletin. It was being reissued by a company called Vinyl Me, Please and was an exclusive product that was only available from their online store. There were a number of ways to get it, but the most appealing option was to buy a three month membership to VMP, where I would get sent a LP a month for that time. After checking the other two releases, I signed up and surrendered our bank details. They were Queens of the Stone Age's Songs for the Deaf (on double red vinyl) and this album I am blogging about right now.

The Aretha album was the last one of the three, and it was delayed in arriving. Possibly due to the Christmas rush/crush, I was notified that it was on its way in early December 2019, but it didn't arrive until February the following year. No matter. It's a lovely reissue with a lyric booklet, a photo from the recording and spekky, swirled white and purple coloured vinyl. Sounds freaken great too! Over the years the album has grown on me considerably. It's not something I sought out, but I'm very glad I own it. 

Not knowing much of Aretha except her big hits, I was surprised to learn that this is her tenth release, following years of being signed to Columbia Records. Enter Jerry Wexler and his Atlantic label who encouraged Aretha to search her soul and let loose. I guess it's because of her rebirth and rebranding that this album feels like a debut, and not a tenth offering. There's an energy and an excitement to Aretha's voice and the music behind her. It's like she's realising this is the music she is meant to sing. 

This bold and unabashed approach begins with a searing cover of Otis Redding's Respect, which let's face it, eclipses the original version. The fact that many forget it was Redding's composition speaks volumes of how powerful and engaging Aretha's rendition is. It's not just a song, it's a rally cry, and an anthem for change. Aretha's soulful tones would become incendiary for putting the spotlight on gender equality, racial discrimination and social division. It is fitting that this album ends with a lovely version of Sam Cooke's A Change is Gonna Come, complete with a new intro in which Aretha briefly details why she was moved to sing it. Her version of Cooke's Good Times is pretty great too, which is considerably lighter in tone. 

In addition to feminist anthems and calls for change, Aretha gets down with her bad self on several tracks. There's a funky groove on tracks like Save Me and Dr Feelgood (Love is a Serious Business) that gets your feet tapping. The mood is dialed back to melancholy longing for Drown In My Own Tears and Don't Let Me Lose This Dream without sacrificing the soulful feel of the album. 

My absolute favourite songs remain the title track and Do Right Woman, Do Right Man. As I stated previously, I was familiar with The Commitments' versions before hearing Aretha perform them, and I can see why they were picked for the film. While the renditions for the The Commitments movie are good, these ones are gold. Bizarrely, I would also come to love another version of Do Right Woman, Do Right Man courtesy of affycim when we listened to The Flying Burrito Brothers' wonderful album The Gilded Palace of Sin from 1969. Rather than the R&B ballad treatment it gets here, the FBB scale it down into a slower, early alt-country rock swinger. Both versions are terrific, each with their own merits, and each feel right for the artist.

When Aretha sings that she has never loved a man the way she loves you, it's transcendent. As the band stop to give her the a cappela line, she infuses it with desire and longing that's just riveting. When she launches into the bridge with "I can't sleep at night..." and the musicians take off with her, it's a brilliant moment, and arguably the highlight of the entire album. If you've not given this a spin, do right by yourself and change that. The only criticism I have is that is all over in less than thirty five minutes. This record takes you on an exquisite journey, and like most enjoyable rides, it is all over too soon.

Album of the Week - Vol. 25

THE NATIONAL Trouble Will Find Me (2013)
Week: Tue 31st Jul to Mon 5th Aug 2024
Format: Vinyl, iPod
Producer: Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner & Marcus Paquin 
Tracklisting: 
SIDE 1
1. I Should Live In Salt *
2. Demons
3. Don't Swallow the Cup *
4. Fireproof
SIDE 2
5. Sea of Love *
6. Heavenfaced
7. This is the Last Time
SIDE 3
8. Graceless *
9. Slipped
10. I Need My Girl *
SIDE 4
11. Humiliation
12. Pink Rabbits *
13. Hard to Find *
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 55:06

For years, The National was the name of a band I didn’t know anything about. I couldn’t have told you any of their songs or the titles of any of their albums. Although, the cover of this album did leave an impression on me when I first saw it; I was a little horrified by it. I didn't know the name though. I now know that this is the sixth studio offering from the group.

My first inkling to give them a listen came from a guest at a wedding I was playing at down south. I got talking to a fellow on my break about the band, and I confessed that I didn't know their work. He proceeded to recommend three songs of theirs to me:

1. Bloodbuzz Ohio

2. Fake Empire

3. I Need My Girl

I actually typed them into a Note on my iPhone, with every intention of checking them out. The date on the Note was 24th February, 2018. Pre-COVID. Pre-studying for counselling.

Fast forward to mid-2023. We find out that one of our favourite bands is coming to Perth, Fleet Foxes. They'll be playing in Kings Park, one of our favourite venues. But, they are a support act for The National. The National? Oh yeah, that band I never got around to listening to. Maybe I should delve a little. 

True story, those three songs from the aforementioned wedding guest were my launch pad. To the Spottersfy! The concert was happening in March 2024, so I had about six months to get as familiar with their material as I could. Those three songs were taken from their fifth album High Violet, their fourth album Boxer and this album respectively. I would focus much of my listening on these records. 

In addition to using Spottersfy, I also looked to the YouTubs to watch some music clips of the band as well. This yielded numerous spins of Bloodbuzz Ohio, as well as Graceless and Sea of Love, both of the former also coming from this album. I was digging them. I was quite surprised at how low the voice of lead singer Matt Berninger was. He has a timbre that is a mix of the baritone of Leonard Cohen, the melancholy of Nick Drake and a dash of a snarling Nick Cave. It makes their sound quite unique, and the dual guitar play of brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner is always fairly textured and varied. Drummer Bryan Devendorf always seems to be the most energetic player, excepting their quieter numbers. He locks into brother Scott's bass playing with the ease you'd expect from family musicians.

January is my birth month, and as I was asked for ideas of presents from my family, I offered up the idea of some physical copies of albums of The National. Expecting them to be easy to find on CD, I was elated when my birthday came and one of my gifts from the fam was this here album on Coke glass bottle coloured vinyl; the 2022 reissue. I can see why someone wouldn't dig the band, but I've since become quite the fan, and it was very cool to listen to so much of the music and then see them live.

Thought I'd give this album a fair few spins over the week, away from all that cramming in the leadup to the Kings Park show. I've still got a bit of listening to do to take in their full rep, but I'll get there. There are a few live concerts on the YouTubs which have also been great to take in. But, disturbing cover image aside, this is a great listen, and I've become quite fond of this album.

Kicking off with I Should Live In Salt, The National deliver a consistent sound to their previous material, which I now appreciate. It's a mournful song of regret, which suits the band well. The sonic atmosphere is limp and plodding, but with the odd squeal of guitar among its syncopated rhythm. It's a big highlight for me, but it's followed by Demons, which is my least favourite track on the album. I think it's the one track where the depth of Berninger isn't an asset, it's a weight. It's nigh-on impossible to singalong to and doesn't have much in the way of hooks. Bizarre, considering it was a single.

Thankfully, that's the record's nadir out of the way and the going gets better from here. Album standouts Don't Swallow the Cup and Sea of Love come in quickly, the latter featuring one of my favourite videos in recent years. If you haven't seen it, click here. The clip itself was inspired by a Russian music video by an eighties art rock group called Zvuki Mu. In fact, it's pretty much the exact same clip, but arguably The National's child guitar-mimer is a bit more charismatic. Check that video out here, you know, if you're interested in comparing. As well as having a great music clip, Sea of Love also includes the album's title in its lyrics, which is my favourite way of an album getting its name:

"If I stay here/Trouble will find me

If I stay here/I'll never leave..."

The midpoint of the album, and the first song on Side 3 is Graceless, another album highlight, and another great accompanying video. Shot in black and white, it depicts the band on some kind of boys' day out or stag do. Beer is involved, as is a bouncy castle, a slip-and-slide, a potato gun and other hi-jinx. Strong contender for my favourite song here, with a great energy and fab lyrics. This is the last track that gets your foot tapping though, as the record mellows out considerable from here. Not that that's a bad thing. In fact, the last two songs, are two of the best, Pink Rabbits and Hard to Find. The latter is particularly hypnotic, and makes me feel at ease. 

Considering how this album made me feel when I first saw its cover, I find it incredible how much I revere it now. If they hadn't toured Australia with Fleet Foxes in March this year, I might never have listened to it. Thankful for that.

Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)

Celebrating its 41st birthday today is Bowie's first offering of the 1980s. I'm going to say right away that this is one of my favourite albums of his, and I think it would be in my Top 5 Bowie records. It's also one of a handful of Bowie that I have on vinyl. Again, as I have mentioned on several previous blog posts, I was aware of Bowie growing up, but didn't really become as big a fan as I am now until the early mid nineties. I don't think I listened to this album in full until the early '00s. 

This is the first studio release to come after Bowie's so-called 'Berlin trilogy' and some of the musicians who played on Lodger return. The rhythm section of bassist George Murray and drummer Dennis Davis join old mate Carlos Alomar on guitar with new bandmate Andy Clark on synthesiser. Returning for the first time since 1976's Station to Station is pianist extraordinaire Roy Bittan, although he only plays on three tracks. King Crimson's Robert Fripp also plays guitar on about half of the album, his first appearance on a Bowie album since 1977's "Heroes". Sadly, neither Bittan or Fripp would play on a future Bowie release. Tony Visconti also returns to co-produce the album and contribute some acoustic guitar and background vocals. 

I remember seeing the video for Ashes to Ashes on Countdown (an old music show on the ABC, for those too young to remember). The image of Bowie as a Pierrot clown is very possibly my earliest memory of him. The song was a pretty bit hit in its day, hitting No.1 on the singles charts in the UK and Australia. Rightly so, I mean, it's a corker. Partly a sequel to Space Oddity and some kind of eighties nursery rhyme, the distinctive synth riff make this one of Bowie's most recognisable tunes. You can thank synth guitarist Chuck Hammer for that. I think I remember hearing the album title Scary Monsters around the time this video was doing the rounds. Back then it was the most expensive film clip ever made for a song, costing over a quarter of a million pounds, reportedly.

Any other experience I had with this album came in dribs and drabs. It was the Changesbowie compilation cassette I bought as a teenager that first introduced me the to song Fashion. I previously heard a snippet of the outro on the aforementioned album's TV commercial. It must have been around 1990, and I dug that part of the track instantly. Upon a full listen, I was somewhat disappointed to learn that the 'fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion' bit only happened at the end, he he he. I soon grew to love it, and it remains a big fave of mine, of not just this album, but Bowie in general.

The title track appeared on Bowie's The Singles Collection 2, which I must have acquired on CD in the mid nineties. I remember being fairly nonplussed on first hearing it, but I quite enjoy the song now. I particularly like hearing live versions of Bowie performing it with Nine Inch Nails. It's quite aggressive in tone, an approach which was similarly mined for the title track of Reality in 2003. Both songs come out swinging, as it were. Up the Hill Backwards was also issued as a single in early 1981, which is not a bad track, but for mine, easily the weakest of the four. I do really like the line "I'm okay/You're so-so" which takes a gentle swing at the self help movement that began burgeoning in the late sixties. 

What's left of the album is also very strong, for the most part. Kicking off with the manic It's No Game (Part 1), you are almost kicked in the head by Fripp's abrasive guitar and Bowie's unhinged vocal delivery. One of my friends remarked after hearing this that "shouty, out-of-key Bowie is my favourite". He hehe. There's also some dialogue recited in Japanese courtesy of Michi Hirota. Yeah, not your average Bowie track, which is possibly why I like it so much. What I also really like is that the record is bookended by this and It's No Game (Part 2), which is basically a calmer take of the first version. Slightly different lyrics too, but the arrangement is gentler and Bowie's vocal is an octave lower. Works brilliantly! The former begins with the sound of a film projector starting up, and the latter has that flapping noise of the tape once the film ends. Nice touch.

The first song of the second side, Teenage Wildlife, is another big favourite of mine. Benefiting from some way-out riffing from Fripp again, and Bittan on the keys, it features one of my favourite Bowie vocals. Almost all of his little tricks from his toolbox are used here, and it's one of my quintessential Bowie songs. I also love how the drums go into double time around the two minute mark, and just stay there! The whole song seems to shift up a gear, but all that has changed is the drums! Awesome stuff. I also quite like the cover of (Television frontman) Tom Verlaine's Kingdom Come, which is the only song on this album not wholly written by Bowie.

Pete Townshend plays guitar on Because You're Young, which unfortunately is one of the weaker tracks on offer here. Townshend would also play guitar on Slow Burn for the Heathen album in 2002. Scream Like a Baby has some nice moments, particularly parts of the drum and synth work. Bowie's vocal distortions in the bridge are quite fun as well. But again, I think these two songs are the least impressive ones.

On the whole, there is much to enjoy here. Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) is a very cohesive and consistent record, and I like it a lot. I give this 4/5, and at the type of typing these words, I'm listening to it!

NEXT UP: Reality - Sep 16th

Album of the Week - Vol.21

Queen of Denmark JOHN GRANT (2010)
Week: Wed 4th to Tue 10th August
Format: CD/iPod
Producer(s): Eric Pulido, Paul Alexander and John Grant
Track listing:
1. TC and Honeybear
2. Marz *
3. Where Dreams Go to Die *
4. Sigourney Weaver *
5. Chicken Bones
6. Silver Platter Club
7. It's Easier
8. Outer Space *
9. Jesus Hates Faggots
10. Caramel
11. Leopard & Lamb
12. Queen of Denmark *
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 51:16

It took me a while to really warm to this album. I first sought it out after Midlake shared a post on social media about it. Midlake are one of my favourite bands, having delivered one of my favourite albums ever, The Trials of Van Occupanther in 2006. So, I was keen to see why they were celebrating the ten year anniversary of this record's release and decide to have a listen. 

I discovered that Midlake were actually the backing band for Grant during the recording of this album, which took place at their studio in Denton, Texas. The record was born out of two lengthy sessions in mid-/late 2008 and mid-2009, possibly while Midlake were recording their third album The Courage of Others. I don't know for sure.

Grant used to be the frontman for a band called The Czars, who broke up in 2004. I've not heard any of their music, and I don't know how Midlake came to cross paths with Grant, but maybe they toured or played together at some point? Anyway, the recording of this album was a very cathartic process for Grant, and Midlake's help in getting it made might have helped him on more than one level. Shortly after the album was completed, Grant checked himself into hospital after grappling with suicidal thoughts. 

Struggling with alcohol and drug abuse for many years, Grant wrestled with the self-loathing he felt growing up as the only homosexual boy in a conservative Colorado high school. His mother passed away in 1995 having not reconciled with her son's sexuality. Born in Buchanan, Michigan, his family moved to Colorado while Grant was a teenager, stupidly hoping that somehow his gay feelings would stay behind. He released his fifth album this year, titled Boy From Michigan, which also revisits these feelings of accepting his own identity as a gay man.

Grant spent years being angry at himself for being so scared of who he was, living amongst many who used religion to convince him that he was going to hell. Working through traumatic experiences from his past and his parents' disappointment in him resulted in a lot of subject matter of this album. As I've delved into it more and more since that first listen, I've come to be very fond of what he and Midlake recorded together. 

I had actually heard one of the songs before, and I'd forgotten about it totally. Album highlight Sigourney Weaver also has some of the album's best lyrics, as Grant expresses how his family's move from Michigan to Colorado affected him:

"I feel just like Winona Ryder in that movie about vampires/

And she couldn't get that accent right, neither could that other guy"

The track's production is bang-on as well. The use of the harmony guitar lines in the chorus are fabulous and the excellent kitschy keyboard parts add to that 70s prog feel that permeates the album. Interestingly, this latter instrumentation that I loved on Midlake's ...Van Occupanter is sorely missing on The Courage of Others. I think if they'd embraced those fabulous synth-y sounds for their third album it would have been, um, better. He he he...now, that's unfair. It was always going to be hard to top ...Van Occupanther, but the pastoral production makes much of the material sound like a dirge. 

But I digress! I also really like Where Dreams Go to Die, which is quite mournful in tone, but manages to sound uplifting. The song laments the end of a relationship, and even regrets that it ever started, but there's a glimmer of hope in the finality of it all. The finally resolves of the chorus are quite gentle and beautiful, with some lovely violin lines courtesy of English musician Fiona Brice. 

Other big highlights for me include Marz (which is the name of a lollie store in Grant's Michigan hometown), the self-serving resignation of It's Easier and the wonderful Outer Space, a statement of awe and the failure to describe someone that the singer has become enamoured with. The stunning title track, and the album's final song, is another excellent offering. Apparently the tune has been covered by Sinead O'Connor, but I've yet to track it down to have a listen. I love that the song's last line, and ultimately the album's last line too, is "Who knows, maybe you'll get to be the next queen of Denmark".

One of the more explicit songs that deals with Grant's attempts to accept himself, and his sexuality, is the somewhat controversially titled Jesus Hates Faggots. The second verse starts off with:

"I can't believe that I've considered taking my own life/

Cos I believed the lies about me were the truth"

The opening lines possibly inspired the bizarre album cover as well:

"I've felt uncomfortable since the day that I was born/

Since the day I glimpsed the black abyss in your eyes"

But yes, the song does use potentially offensive language in getting its point across. That being that you can use religion to hate anything and feel justified. It is deceptively jaunty in its production and feel, but there is a deep pool of resentment bubbling underneath it all. 

While some of this album isn't an easy listen, as is the case with many cathartic releases, there is a lot to enjoy. I'm not the biggest fan of Chicken Bones or the unnecessarily overlong Silver Platter Club, but they're still easy to listen to. This has been an album that I've gone back to a lot lately, mainly because I got sucked into Grant's newest release, which I'm really enjoying.

Co-produced by Grant with Midlake's bassist Paul Alexander and now lead vocalist Eric Pulido this record is a nice step from ...Van Occupanther to The Courage of Others. Midlake's lead singer (and chief songwriter) during this period, Tim Smith contributes some lovely bits of flute, particularly on the strangely haunting album opener TC and Honeybear. This is an album that keeps revealing treasures after each listen, and I'm quite grateful to own a copy. I will no doubt dig a little deeper into Grant's other releases. Maybe. He he he...

Album of the Week - Vol. 20

Dreamboat Annie HEART (1975)
Week: Sun 11th to Sat 17th July
Format: CD/iPod
Producer: Mike Flicker
Track listing:
1. Magic Man *
2. Dreamboat Annie (Fantasy Child)
3. Crazy on You *
4. Soul of the Sea
5. Dreamboat Annie *
6. White Lightning & Wine
7. (Love Me Like Music) I'll Be Your Song *
8. Sing Child *
9. How Deep It Goes
10. Dreamboat Child (reprise) 
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 40:02

This is the very solid debut album of the band Heart. Before they became a mainstay in FM radio power ballad playlists they were quite the gritty rock band. Not averse to a little bit of 70s synth work too. Their original lineup consisted of sisters Nancy and Ann Wilson, guitarist Roger Fisher, guitarist/keyboardist Howard Leese, bassist Steve Fossen and Mike Derosier on drums, although he only plays on two tracks here. 

The bulk of the album was written by the Wilsons, with Ann's outstanding lead vocals just one of the band's assets. The band wears its love of Led Zeppelin on its sleeve with Ann's voice seemingly channeling Robert Plant on occasion. This is especially on show during the Zep-esque Sing Child, which also boasts some Zep-like riffs and motifs, and interestingy is the only track co-written by Ann with Fisher and Fossen. The multi-layered vocals on the "sing, child, sing" lines are another appealing facet of the track. Nancy contributes an unexpected flute solo as well, but in a good way. There's some nice riffing and noodling on White Lightning & Wine too, and it might just get you yelling out 'more cowbell!'.

Nancy's amazing ability to get around an acoustic guitar is another massive factor in what makes Heart so great. Just listen to the intro of Crazy On You. It's crazy good. Add in Ann's crazy good vocals plus a most excellent guitar riff and you've really got something special. This is the album's absolute highlight, without a doubt. 

One of the more puzzling elements of this record is the inclusion of three different versions of the title track. There's no huge difference between them, as far as arrangement or lyric changes go. This isn't Another Brick in the Wall or anything. Did I miss something? Is this is a concept album? It's not that they're unpleasant to listen to though. The second version is certainly one of the album's better tracks, but it seems a little unnecessary to include two more takes. The first one has the parenthetical title of Fantasy Child and doesn't last much longer than a minute, whereas the reprise at the album's end nearly hits the four minute mark.  A single of Dreamboat Annie was released in late 1976, and that version is not any of the ones on this album either! Ahhh, the seventies... but I digress! The title track (no parenthesis) is my favourite of three as the banjos add a great, gentle gallop. 

Other songs I really like here are the lovely ballad (Love Me Like Music) I'll Be Your Song) and the punchy opener Magic Man. The latter is my second favourite track here in fact, complete with some seventies synth, cool guitar breaks and a fabulous lead vocal from Nancy. 

The weird thing with this album is that it was turned onto me by a former friend. The person in question shared quite a bit of music with me while we were friends. Some of that music brings a small memory of them, which I think we can all relate to. That little pang gets a bit smaller with each listen. It doesn't take away from the fact that this is a great album, and I'm glad to know it.

Album of the Week - Vol. 19

Hitchhiker NEIL YOUNG (2017)
Week: Friday 26th March to Thursday 1st April
Format: Vinyl
Producer(s): Neil Young, David Briggs & John Hanlon
Track listing:
1. Pocahontas *
2. Powderfinger *
3. Captain Kennedy
4. Hawaii
5. Give Me Strength *
6. Ride My Llama
7. Hitchhiker *
8. Campaigner
9. Human Highway *
10. The Old Country Waltz
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 33:44

Recorded in a single studio session on 11th August 1976, Neil Young's intent to release these songs as an album took 41 years to come to fruition. At the time, his record company (Reprise) baulked at the idea, and suggested full band arrangements for each of the tracks. More fool them. This is stripped to bare basics, and it's fantastic. Just Neil with his guitar and harmonica, except for the last song which is performed on a piano. It reminds me of Nick Drake's similarly stark Pink Moon, and both have the same fault of being too short. 

Except for Hawaii and Give Me Strength, all of these songs would appear on subsequent NY albums. The most recent occurrence being the title track, which was recorded in solo electric form for the 2010 album Le Noise, produced by Daniel Lanois. While it doesn't have the menace and growl of the newer version, this incarnation of Hitchhiker does still manage to be unnerving and imbued with small sense of paranoia. 

Three of these songs would arrive on 1979's excellent Rust Never Sleeps album, namely Pocahontas, Powderfinger and Ride My Llama. The former exists almost in the same form, but has a new vocal overdub. The latter is rerecorded before a live audience (as is the spirit of most of the album), but has a slightly different structure. Powderfinger is performed with Crazy Horse as part of the electric half of the album and is one of its highlights. To hear the song stripped down to its simplest form is quite something. As Paul Stanley once said of Kiss preparing for their 1996 MTV Unplugged performance, if a song doesn't work on an acoustic guitar, it's just a crappy song. Nothing more is needed here to express the emotion of the track. Wood, wire, skin and bones, as it were.

Human Highway was actually supposed to be the title track on CSNY's follow-up to their classic 1970 Déjà Vu album. There are even recordings of Young performing the song with Graham Nash and David Crosby in the mid seventies, but the record never materialised, despite their massive 1974 stadium tour. The world wouldn't get a second CSNY album until 1988's patchy American Dream. Human Highway was eventually recorded for Young's 1978 Comes A Time album, the closest relative to his Harvest smash. Again, hearing it here stripped of backing vocals and a band arrangement is like listening with fresh ears. I think I prefer this version to any other I've heard.

This take of Campaigner would see a release on Young's retrospective Decade in 1977, albeit with a verse removed, and Captain Kennedy shows up on 1980's Hawks & Doves as heard here. Both songs feel like they belong on this album. The former was one of a handful of unreleased songs to be included on Decade, and possibly was chosen due to its then-timely lyric stating that "even Richard Nixon has got soul". 

The album ends with The Old Country Waltz, played by Young on the piano, a far cry from the shambolic take with Crazy Horse on 1977's unfocused American Stars 'n Bars. In my mind, this is the weakest track here, but it is still very listenable, and I much prefer this version to the band one. Hawaii is probably the only other contender for that title, but again, is still quite good. When Young sings the title in the chorus his falsetto is eerie and unsettling. 

This leave us with Give Me Strength, which I really dig, and like Hawaii, I had not heard before. It's quite a nice song about loss and trying to move on, and I think it's a shame it was never revisited or released before this came out. There are a few flubs on the track, and that might be a reason it stayed in the vault, but I think it adds to the song's charm, and as result, the whole album.

The biggest travesty here is that the album stayed on the shelf for so long. It's a wonderful look into the mind of Young who was just coming out of his so-called 'Ditch trilogy' period and starting to look ahead. The deaths of Crazy Horse singer/guitarist Danny Whitten and roadie Bruce Berry affected Young profoundly, and had a cathartic effect on the music he produced following their passings. Here he seems a little dazed still, but trying to fight through the fog, and carry on. I'm so glad that he did. I first listened to this album shortly after its release via the excellent Neil Young Archives. Obtaining a copy on vinyl by the time I decided I wanted to own it proved a challenge, but good things come to those who persist!

Album of the Week - Vol. 18

Stop Making Sense: Special New Edition TALKING HEADS (1999)
Week: Tuesday 2nd to Monday 8th March
Format: CD
Producer(s): Talking Heads and Gary Goetzman
Track listing:
1. Psycho Killer *
2. Heaven
3. Thank You For Sending Me an Angel
4. Found a Job
5. Slippery People *
6. Burning Down the House
7. Life During Wartime
8. Making Flippy Floppy *
9. Swamp
10. What A Day That Was
11. This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) *
12. Once In a Lifetime *
13. Genius of Love - The Tom Tom Club
14. Girlfriend is Better *
15. Take Me to the River
16. Crosseyed and Painless
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 74:16

Well, this album has a lot of sentimental value for me. I'm 90% sure it was the first CD I ever bought. Well, it was either this or Billy Joel's Storm Front. It was a heady time. I was 13 going on 14, and living in Albany. My dad had taken the plunge to follow the CD revolution in mid-1989 I think. The first CD the household ever had was Jenny Morris' Shiver. I have a feeling that the next three were Cher's Heart of Stone, The Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels and possibly Mystery Girl by Roy Orbison. 

Anyway, getting back to this Talking Heads album. I had been aware of Talking Heads in the eighties. I remember Once In a Lifetime playing over the opening credits of Down and Out In Beverly Hills, and I had thought enough of their 1985 single And She Was to buy the Little Creatures album on cassette. I have vague recollections of the movie Stop Making Sense being released, and I think I remember seeing posters, but I never saw it.

In the summer of 1989/90, I was involved in a local production of an original play called Hansel & Gretel. Very loosely based on the famous Grimm tale, my character Humperdinck had four arms, while my two sisters had none. I forget their names now...but I digress! During some rehearsal breaks, and definitely while setting up for a brief run in Mt Barker, a copy of Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense album played over a boombox. This was the way I heard the songs Psycho Killer and Burning Down the House for the first time. I'd always known the former to be a solo acoustic number. When I finally heard the original 1977 single some years later, I didn't recognise it until it reached the chorus. 

Throughout the run of the play I grew quite fond of the album, so I decided to get my hands on it to remind me of that time. My dad was a member of the Australian Record Club, and I gave him some of my pocket money and asked if he could order me a copy of Stop Making Sense. The first CD I ever bought! I'm pretty sure...'bout 82% sure, I think...

Fast forward to the fairly recent-ish present, and I'm revisiting the album for a reason other than sentimentality. As I'd previously mentioned, I never saw the film, but a happy coincidence led me to the video on YouTube! I had hunted for the DVD or Blu-ray for a few years, but never found one. So, it was a mini-revelation to actually watch the movie this album had come from. I was surprised by some slight differences in the versions on the album to the film, but they were only minor. I also learnt that the 1984 record track listing wasn't in the same order as they appeared in the movie. I knew that there were more songs in the movie though, and after watching (and really enjoying) Stop Making Sense, I decided to find a copy of the 1999 Special New Edition, which included all of them!

The original release only featured nine songs, so the extra tracks add nearly 30min to the running time. The album artwork contained several (semi-rhetorical?) questions:

Why "Stop Making Sense"?

Why a movie? Why tour?

Why do the musicians come out gradually?

What will the band do next?

Where do the odd movements come from?

...and so on. It was the third question there that really puzzled me. The musicians come out gradually? The album kicked off with David Byrne playing Psycho Killer on his own, yeah, so far, that seems right. But the second track was Swamp, which sounded like a full band to me. By the third song, Slippery People, I was calling bullshit to that claim. He he he, yeah, didn't realise the album wasn't in order of appearance in the film! That's a big pet peeve of mine. I hate it when soundtracks don't have the songs in the order they appear. Or fail to have all or most of the tracks featured in the movies. Comprehensive soundtrack albums like Marie Antoinette and Baby Driver get a big thumbs up from me! 

Anyway, back to Stop Making Sense. I think this album (and film) is a wonderful document of Talking Heads at their creative and influential peak. To have seen it now, and know that after David finished Psycho Killer, he is joined by Tina Weymouth on bass to perform Heaven is fantastic. The female vocals are sung offstage by backing singer Lynn Mabry, but yes, its just the two of them. Bizarrely, I'd heard this song before, and I was unaware that it was a Talking Heads song! Simply Red cover it on their Picture Book album, which I own. Their version is quite different, and it was only the lyrics that I recognised really. 

Drummer Chris Frantz is then wheeled out to join the pair for an excellent rendition of Thank You For Finding Me An Angel, the opening track of their second album More Songs About Buildings and Food. Completing the core quartet is guitarist/keyboardist Jerry Harrison who comes out to play on Found a Job, also from their second record. Not heard these versions before seeing the film, and I think they're very good. I wonder why the whole setlist wasn't released on the album the first time around? In addition to the Talking Heads band members, there are performances from Bernie Worrell on keyboards, guitarist Alex Weir, percussionist Steve Scales, and the wonderful Ednah Holt and Lynn Mabry on backing vocals. 

It's worth noting as well for those who haven't seen the film, that the first few numbers are performed while the stage is still being set up. It almost feels like the show has started before the venue is ready. As the musicians come out, more touches are added, until it looks like a rock concert, complete with a black curtain backdrop. 

Most of my favourite tracks are from the original nine song album release, particularly Once in a Lifetime, Slippery People and Girlfriend Is Better, the latter containing the lyric "stop making sense". I really like their live version of This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) and I'd not heard Making Flippy Floppy before, but I dig it! Interestingly, David Byrne leaves the stage to allow Chris & Tina to perform Genius of Love, a minor hit for their side-project band The Tom Tom Club. A nice addition, but an unusual choice, I would have thought. The bulk of the set is from their current release at the time, 1983's Speaking in Tongues. 

But yes, this is a great album made better by its re-release. An album full of old and new memories for me, and will I always think of it with a special fondness.

Still from Stop Making Sense

Album of the Week - Vol. 16

Thank You DURAN DURAN (1995)
Week: Sat 6th to Fri 12th February 
Format: CD/iPod
Producer(s): Duran Duran and John Jones
Track listing:
1. White Lines *
2. I Wanna Take You Higher *
3. Perfect Day *

4. Watching the Detectives *
5. Lay Lady Lay
6. 911 Is a Joke
7. Success

8. The Crystal Ship

9. Ball of Confusion

10. Thank You

11. Drive By *

12. I Wanna Take You Higher Again
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 54:26

This month marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Duran Duran's debut single, Planet Earth. As I was only five years old when that came out, it's hard for me to remember a world without them. Being one of many bands to arrive on the New Romantic music scene, they felt it pertinent to include "Like some new romantic looking for the TV sound..." in the song's lyrics. It certainly locked the turn into its era, if nothing else.

Formed by bassist John Taylor and keyboardist Nick Rhodes in Birmingham in 1978, Duran Duran would eventually include drummer Roger Taylor (no relation to John), lead singer Simon Le Bon and guitarist Andy Taylor (no relation to John or Roger). This 'classic' line-up would be behind the band's biggest hit singles and chart success. Andy and Roger left the group before work started on 1986's Notorious album. 

Essentially moving forward as a trio, and whoever they wanted to work with, Taylor (John), Rhodes and Le Bon continued to release albums. This line-up's biggest hit was 1993's self-titled record, which would become known as The Wedding Album. Ordinary World and Come Undone are arguably their best known singles from their nineties period. 

Which brings us to this album, Thank You, a record consisting of cover versions of artist the band admire. Duran Duran in 1995 was made up of the core of Le Bon, Rhodes, Taylor (John) and guitarist Warren Cuccurullo; who had previously played with Missing Persons and most notably, Frank Zappa. The group's old drummer Roger Taylor (no relation to John, and not the guy from Queen either) returned to perform on two of the album's tracks, Perfect Day and Watching the Detectives. He also played on a recording of Jeepster by T. Rex, but it never surfaced. 

Now, while this isn't a brilliant record, I don't think it deserves the derision heaped upon it. When I heard their version of White Lines, I wasn't familiar with the original, but I dug it in a foul way. Upon hearing Melle Mel's White Lines (Don't Do It), I was a little disappointed. The crunchy guitar is one of my favourite parts of the song, and the original barely has any. It's very synth-y by comparison. I do love the fact that Duran Duran got Melle Mel (AKA Grandmaster Melle Mel AKA Melvin Glover) to share the rapping section though. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five contribute backing vocals on the track as well. Oh, and that's the excellent Steve Ferrone on the drums; future permanent Heartbreaker and AWB alumni. I think it's a killer version, and better than the original. So there. One of my favourite songs to come out of 1995 and I still love it now. 

A big highlight of the album for me comes from drummer Tony Thompson, session musician and former member of Chic. His monster sound kicks off the band's go at Sly & The Family Stone's classic I Wanna Take You Higher. Now, it's not a song you're ever going to better, but they give it a damn good try. Thompson had played with John Taylor in Power Station, whose self-titled debut album was released in 1985, while Duran Duran went on hiatus allowing members to pursue side projects. Taylor (John) and Thompson were joined by Andy Taylor (yes, from Duran Duran!) and Robert Palmer (yes, THAT Robert Palmer) and enjoyed a minor hit with Some Like It Hot. Interestingly, it reached No.4 on the Aussie singles charts. Meanwhile, Le Bon, Rhodes and Taylor (Roger) formed the band Arcadia, and released their debut So Red the Rose the same year as Power Station and had hits such as Election Day and The Promise (which featured Sting). Thompson passed away in November 2003, sadly.

But I digress!

Back to I Wanna Take You Higher, which, in my opinion, is a mighty fine cover.  The late Kenyan/English singer/songwriter Lamya contributes some great vocals amongst the Furious Five infused 'boom-shaka-laka's, and the vibe of the original is lovingly recreated. Harmonica is provided by Lee Oskar as well (yes, THAT Lee Oskar). There is a bit of a naff vocal exchange towards the end of the track, but once it ends Thompson starts hitting the ride cymbal and all is forgiven. The following track on the album is a great rendition of Lou Reed's Perfect Day. Again, my first time hearing the song was this version. I would later become familiar with Reed's original thanks to the movie Trainspotting and its ensuing soundtrack. A little slick, production-wise maybe, but I think they do a good job of this as well. The band's cover of Watching the Detectives is also very enjoyable (to me) and I like the way they changed the verses to be sung in a lower register, with the chorus then sung higher. I knew Costello's original, but I thought they changed the feel of it nicely.

Duran Duran's version of Dylan's Lay Lady Lay is quite serviceable as well, featuring Abe Laboriel Jr. (Paul McCartney's band) on the drums. Now the wheels start to fall off a bit at this point. Their acoustic/funk take on Public Enemy's 911 Is a Joke seems to lose the anger of the original, in favour of the stoner rock/slacker feel. Iggy Pop's Success is an interesting choice to cover, particularly when his other songs Lust For Life and The Passenger exist. Despite Zappa powerhouse drummer Terry Bozzio whacking the skins, and former Mothers Flo & Eddie contributing backing vocals, it never really takes off.  Another weird choice is The Doors' The Crystal Ship, which again begs the question...why this one?

The Temptations' Ball of Confusion doesn't really work either, despite the band injecting RATM's Killing in the Name riff into it. Their take on Led Zeppelin's Thank You doesn't quite land either. For whatever reason, the band decide to end the album with an unnecessary reprise of I Wanna Take You Higher, which is another baffling decision. 

That leaves us with the only original song here, Drive By, which is a strange choice to include on a covers album. I'm not sure why it was released on this record, but I'm glad it was. It's an unusual track beginning with a droning cello and some ethereal new-age type sounds. Le Bon starts delivering a speak-sing kinda monologue about a courier being stuck in traffic under the LA sun. He ends the passage by announcing "this is the story of his dream", and Lamya sings "sing blue silver", a phrase that was lost on me when I first heard this song. The band kick in and the mood lifts as a haunting ocarina line plays. It's a bizarre one, but I really like the track. 

Anyway, fast forward to 2015, and I hear the Duran Duran album Rio for the first time. The last track on the record is The Chauffeur which features the lyric "sing blue silver" AND the exact same ocarina line that was used in Drive By! What?!? Does that mean that Drive By is some kind of sequel, or a bit of a tip of the hat to themselves? While not providing any real answer to the question of its inclusion on Thank You, it did make its appearance even stranger. He he he...

While I don't think this album is a masterpiece or worthy of four or five star reviews, it's certainly not as woeful as some think. Maybe that's because I wasn't familiar with some of the original versions of the songs they covered, but I feel that it's a solid effort from a band wanting to play tunes by artists they admire. It's also the first Duran Duran album I ever bought, so there's some sentimentality attached to it for me too, I guess. Just don't write it off without listening to it first!

Album of the Week - Vol.15

Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS (2004)
Week: Mon 28th October to Sun 3rd November 2019
Format: CD/iPhone/iPod
Producer(s): Nick Launay and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Track listing:
Disc One - ABATTOIR BLUES
1. Get Ready For Love *
2. Cannibal's Hymn
3. Hiding All Away *
4. Messiah Ward *
5. There She Goes, My Beautiful World
6. Nature Boy
7. Abattoir Blues *
8. Let the Bells Ring
9. Fable of the Brown Ape
Disc Two - THE LYRE OF ORPHEUS
1. The Lyre of Orpheus
2. Breathless *
3. Babe, You Turn Me On *
4. Easy Money *
5. Supernaturally
6. Spell
7. Carry Me
8. O Children *
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 82:30

Turning fifteen at the start of 2019, this is the thirteenth offering from Messrs Cave & Bad Seeds and it's also their first double album. As with many double albums, it's a sprawling document of many moods, and some songs only seem to work within the context of the record. Having said that, this is one of my favourite long players from Nick and the lads, and it's also the album that gave me a bit of a push into delving a little deeper into the Cave. Pun absolutely intended.

While this has been presented as a double album made up of two separate records, I don't really hear a huge amount of difference between them. Some critics have remarked that The Lyre of Orpheus is a much mellower affair, but there's just as much gallop and swagger on offer, although maybe there's an extra ballad or two. For Abattoir Blues, drum duties went to long-serving Bad Seed and multi-instrumentalist Jim Sclavunos (before the formation of Grinderman) with the band's regular drummer Thomas Wylder handling The Lyre of Orpheus. Their different styles might be the main reason why some say there is a definite change of feel between the two albums. Sclavunos seems to go on the attack, while Wylder (who has been in the band since 1985) is little more restrained and subtle. Interestingly, Sclavunos would also drum on the irreverent Grinderman albums which would bookend Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!!, NC&tBS' excellent 2008 record. But to me, I don't see the two records as being that wildly varied from each other, and it comes across as a considered and well-constructed double album.

As is the case with most double albums, there is some filler here. And again, like most double albums, this possibly could have been whittled down a bit to make for a strong single disc. To me, the closing track of Abattoir Blues, Fable of the Brown Ape, sticks out like a sore thumb, as does the title track of The Lyre of Orpheus. In fact, the latter's menacing tone and dark subject matter is the main reason I can't see the second album as mellow. As a suggested step towards better listening, I would remove those two songs and bang, you've got an absolute cracker. Plus, Let The Bells Ring flows brilliantly into album highlight Breathless..and all the songs would fit on one disc!

The double record gets off to an absolutely ripping start with Get Ready For Love. Its immediacy slaps you in the face, and the joyous fervour of the lyrical delivery threatens some sort of religious conversion. While Cave and Co. utilised the wondrous vocals of Kate and Anna McGarrigle on 2001's No More Shall We Part, they employ a full female choir on most of this album; and the opening track has them at the forefront of the sound, not buried behind the music. While there is a lot of harmony blocks, there are occasional solos, soaring counter-melodies and on Hiding All Away, sinister giggles. For six female backup singers, they sound like a church full of gospel singers. The first four songs are all fantastic, with Sclavunos's drumming either thundering through the speakers or delivering the band to their destination at a fantastic gallop. 

Since joining The Bad Seeds in 1994, Warren Ellis' contribution to their albums has increased in importance exponentially. So much so that the inner sleeve photos on their new album Ghosteen only feature Cave and Ellis.The last three releases of the group have seen a reliance on Ellis' loops as well. His fingerprints are all over this double record, whether providing lovely and understated violin plucks on Babe, You Turn Me On or a jaunty intro on Let The Bells Ring, his ability to enrich the sound of The Bad Seeds is crucial. A good thing too, as this album was the first one the band recorded after the departure of longtime Bad Seed Blixa Bargeld, who had been in the fold since 1983. Thankfully, this record still benefits from the fantastic musicality of Mick Harvey, who would leave the group in 2009. Harvey had been Cave's right hand man since the early years of The Boys Next Door and The Birthday Party, and it's a role that Ellis appears to effortlessly slip in to after Harvey's exit. 

This album is also the first of two Bad Seeds releases to feature James Johnston on organ, and the wonderful late Conway Savage continues to handle piano duties. Ex-Triffids band member Martyn P. Casey wields his bass guitar deftly, and since joining the group in 1990 has been Wylder's constant in the rhythm section. Oh, except for Sclavunos' work on the first album of this set, of course! Casey's excellent playing can either be the heartbeat of a song, or can subtly underline the sound and feel. His bass part on 1997's wondrous Into My Arms almost goes unnoticed, but it's perfect.

Now, as I mentioned before, if you trim away Fable of the Brown Ape and The Lyre of Orpheus, you are left with a fantastic set of songs. The highlights are many, and the moods swing from whimsical ballad Breathless to cynical blues/rocker Abattoir Blues to the simmering dream pop of O Children. A lot of the tracks on this album rank among my favourites in the Cave catalog, and I was a little disappointed that nothing from here made the setlist for Distant Sky live concert film. But it was here that my passing interest in Cave's work took a firmer hold.

I've always struggled to enjoy the early years of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and it's not until the excellent Henry's Dream from 1992 that I really start to get into all that's on offer. I only acquired that record fairly recently, and it's the earliest NC&tBS outing where I can listen to every song, and for the most part, enjoy it. The first album of theirs I ever bought was 1996's Murder Ballads, and that was mainly out of curiosity. I really liked the early single Where The Wild Roses Grow with Kylie Minogue, but I was quite interested in the concept of a record entirely made up of songs of doomed relationships and murder most foul. While I liked some of the tracks instantly, others took years to really get under my skin. When The Boatman's Call was released the following year, and with it Into My Arms, I thought that there might be something worth delving into here. So, I got my hands on the 1998 The Best of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, and left it at that for a good few years.

Not sure what possessed me to nab this double album, but it would have been a coupla years after its initial release. I think I had seen a documentary on ABC about Cave's songs and a few of them appealed to me. I was still buying JJJ's Hottest 100 CDs at the time too, and every year or so another NC&tBS track would pop up. I have a feeling I got No More Shall We Part at the same time as Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus. Anyway, long story short, except for 2003's much derided (and defended) Nocturama album, I have all the CDs from Henry's Dream to Ghosteen. It was this double offering that really got it's hooks in me though. The astonishing power of that fab opening track Get Ready For Love, the whimsical pop of Breathless, the moody plod of Messiah Ward, the swirling desire of Babe, You Turn Me On; these are songs that I never tire of. I've had this album on my iPhone for years now, so I always have a copy with me. While there might be better records in Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' catalog, this was the one that landed me. 

Album of the Week - Vol.14

Hello, I Must Be Going! PHIL COLLINS (1982)
Week: Tue 8th to Mon 14th October 2019
Format: CD/iPod
Producer(s): Phil Collins and Hugh Padgham
Track listing:
1. I Don't Care Anymore *
2. I Cannot Believe That It's True
3. Like China *
4. Do You Know, Do You Care?
5. You Can't Hurry Love
6. It Don't Matter To Me
7. Thru These Walls *
8. Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away *
9. The West Side
10. Why Can't It Wait Til Morning
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 45:03

This is Phil Collins' second solo album, and one that I wasn't overly familiar with until recently. To prepare for attending his concert at Perth Arena in January this year, I chose to listen to The Singles, a compilation of his solo work that came out in 2016. He even suggested it himself on one of his promo vids for the tour. Being me, I sourced the 3CD, 45-song strong edition. As I only owned But Seriously... and the concert album Serious Hits... Live! on CD, I felt that I needed to bone up some.

I'd lost touch with Phil's output after Dance Into The Light, and wasn't overly interested in his work for Disney, but I thought I was a pretty full bottle until 1993 or so. I was surprised that six songs from Hello, I Must Be Going! were included on The Singles, and I only knew one of them, which was his cover of You Can't Hurry Love. That song was the only track from H,IMBG! that appeared on Serious Hits... Live! as well.

Anyway, fast forward past the concert (which was awesome), and I decided to use some JB Hi-Fi vouchers which I had accrued to acquire more Phil. I managed to grab the limited edition 8CD Take a look at me now... boxset which housed all of Phil's solo studio albums. Each one had been remastered and reissued in 2015, complete with newly recreated covers featuring Phil at his current age. I was stoked to finally have a decent copy of Face Value, after nearly wearing out my dad's vinyl and I had Both Sides on cassette once upon a time, so I felt it was worth having the lot. As of writing this, I've had the set for nearly eight months, and I still haven't listened to the last three albums.

I've been spending a lot of time with H,IMBG! recently as I've really started to appreciate the album that it is. A few months back, a friend of mine told me that his three-year-old son had been drumming along perfectly to the track Thru These Walls, and I couldn't place it. It wasn't sounding familiar to me, so I made a note back then to give Phil's difficult second album a decent spin. I think it was a fairly staggered affair though, as I seemed to latch on to some songs and keep listening to them, in essence ignoring over half the record. 

The aforementioned Thru These Walls has become a big favourite of mine now, and although it has been unfairly labelled as simply retreading In The Air Tonight, it is quite different as far as melody, structure and theme go. Sure the intro, is similar, but the chords are different! And yes, the repeated drum fill is almost identical to ITAT (right down to the replicated gated reverb), but the song's narrative about a guy listening to the amorous couple in the room next door is far from the anger and rage in the former. Anyway, I dig it. I wish I wasn't so late to the party.

The first time I heard the opening track I Don't Care Anymore, was on the rock radio station of Grand Theft Auto V. I was struck by Phil Collins' voice and the realisation that I didn't know the song. I wasn't even sure if it was Collins solo or Genesis. Now it's become another highlight of this album for me. Although it feels like the climax never really arrives, I love the venom in Collins' vocal performance. Looking past the clichéd lyrics, the drums sound great (very 80's) and each listen seems to improve the song. As if knowing the build peaks with Phil's vocal compensates for a big musical pay-off. The record's second song I Cannot Believe That It's True and It Don't Matter To Me fit nicely into his blue-eyed soul work, complete with brass lines by The Phenix Horns. Indeed, the album swings from jaunty pop numbers to menacing, moody pieces which is typified by the transition from the dark Do You Know, Do You Care? to You Can't Hurry Love. Juxtapose much? Big fan, me.

One of my go-to tracks on this album is Like China, which sees Phil adopt the persona of a teenage boy trying to woo a girl he's become infatuated with. There's hooks-aplenty here, and I love the emphasis on the guitar. Phil puts on a Cockney accent to add to the fun too. Although, on first listen, you're questioning (excuse me?) what the actual lyrics in the chorus are. They go like this:

"I'll be so careful I'll hold you like china/

I'll promise not to hurt you I'll hold you like china..."

Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away was a song that had to grow on me a little, but I love it now. As the title suggests, it deals with someone pleading with their ex-lover not to give up on their relationship and ditch Mr Right Time (with the Right Smile) who swooped in to pick up the pieces. When the drums kick in, it seems to lift from a soppy ballad into something a bit poppier, with a little swing. The piano in the refrain helps the song shuffle along nicely too.

I feel that the album does fizzle a little towards the end. The (mostly) instrumental track The West Side has some nice moments, but seems to outstay its welcome a bit. An issue rectified on Saturday Night and Sunday Morning from 1989's But Seriously... which doesn't even break the one and a half minute mark. The record closes with Why Can't It Wait Til Morning, which hasn't endeared itself to me yet. It was released as single in the UK (his fifth from this album) but it just doesn't move me. Such a shame, because the rest of H,IMBG! is quite strong.

While not the masterpiece that Face Value is, Phil's difficult second album is certainly a more-than-worthy addition to his catalog. Some of the turmoil he had experienced during the breakdown of his first marriage seeps into this record, but not to the same degree as Face Value. Some songs are a bit more fun, and obviously his love of Motown and old R&B/soul fueled his decision to cover The Supremes. To great chart success, at that. 

Now, should I give Dance Into The Light a spin..?

Album of the Week - Vol. 11

The Aeroplane Flies High THE SMASHING PUMPKINS (1996)
Week(s): Wed 27th March to Tue 9th April 2019
Format: 5CD Box Set
Producer(s): Billy Corgan, James Iha, Flood, Alan Moulder, D'arcy Wretzky
Track listing:
CD 1. BULLET WITH BUTTERFLY WINGS
1. Bullet With Butterfly Wings
2. Said Sadly *
3. You're All I've Got Tonight
4. Clones (We're All)
5. A Night Like This *
6. Destination Unknown

7. Dreaming *

CD 2. 1979
1. 1979
2. Ugly
3. The Boy *
4. Cherry
5. Believe *
6. Set the Ray to Jerry *

CD 3. ZERO
1. Zero
2. God *
3. Mouths of Babes
4. Tribute to Johnny *
5. Marquis in Spades
6. Pennies *
7. Pastichio Medley

CD 4. TONIGHT, TONIGHT
1. Tonight, Tonight
2. Meladori Magpie
3. Rotten Apples *
4. Jupiter's Lament
5. Medellia of the Grey Skies
6. Blank *
7. Tonite Reprise *

CD 5. THIRTY-THREE
1. Thirty-Three
2. The Last Song *
3. The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)
4. Transformer
5. The Bells *
6. My Blue Heaven *
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 138:53

I noticed on March 26th, that it was James Iha's 51st birthday. To mark the occasion, I decided to give Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness a spin. It had been a while since I listened to the whole thing in one go. It really is one of the best albums to come out of the nineties, and one of the greatest double albums ever released. It stills holds up so well. I love the mix of feels and genres.

I was working at a music shop in Albany called Southern Sound when Mellon Collie... was released. I remember opening the box from EMI and excitedly feeding the first disc into the store's CD player. We were quite puzzled by the opening instrumental piano track that opened the album, which shared its name with the title. When Tonight, Tonight followed I couldn't tell if it was Billy Corgan singing or not. Had we received a dud batch with another random recording on it? Jellybelly sounded more like the Pumpkins we knew, and Zero further solidified that this was indeed their new record.

As listening continued I was struck by the shifts in tone and production. We were certainly warned from the beginning, but I really dig the fact that this album jumps from heavy sludge rock to acoustic ballad so suddenly. The different emotions evoked as the album rolls on is fantastic.

Anyway, after enjoying my revisit of Mellon Collie..., I remembered that I had a copy of the expanded singles collection The Aeroplane Flies High. I also remembered that there were some great tracks on there too. The sessions for Mellon Collie... must have been hugely prolific, as the purpose of the box set was to house each of the five singles from the album in their expanded form. So, rather than one or two B sides per single, there are six or seven. I'm basically ignoring the five singles, because, let's face it, they're all terrific songs and we love them.

For the most part, it's all pretty good. The first disc features five covers, which are covered quite well. I don't know what the reasoning behind those particular songs were, whether to pay homage to their influences, or just have a bit of fun. It's a fab mix of artists: The Cars' You're All I've Got Tonight, Clones (We're All) was a single by Alice Cooper in 1980, The Cure's A Night Like This, Destination Unknown by Missing Persons and Blondie's Dreaming. The latter features lead vocals by the band's rarely-heard bassist D'arcy, and James Iha does a lovely understated job of singing A Night Like This. For a time, I thought the two of them were sharing lead on Iha's wonderful Said Sadly as well, but the female part is actually Nina Gordon from Veruca Salt.

The second disc is a mellower affair, with 1979 setting the tone nicely. The two tracks penned by Iha, The Boy and Believe, are big highlights for me, particularly the latter. Corgan's B sides are a little more ominous, but Set the Ray to Jerry is terrific. Sharing that sense of menace, it manages to feel like it is building to a climax that never comes.

Disc three features the longest and most challenging listen with Pastichio Medley; a twenty-three minute collection of pieces of songs that were recorded after Siamese Dream, but before Mellon Collie... was completed. The riff-tastic Tribute to Johnny is a very fun instrumental track, while the distinctively softer Pennies provides another standout. Overall, the disc is a little sludgy, and probably my least favourite.

Tonight, Tonight's disc features a couple of big highlights for me, namely Blank and Rotten Apples. Both are stripped-back affairs and feature Corgan in introspective acoustic mode. The whole disc is quite mellow, with Jupiter's Lament and Medellia of the Grey Skies also fitting the overall vibe. It's nice to have Tonite Reprise here too, which is included on the original Mellon Collie... triple disc vinyl release. If you track down a copy of Infinite Sadness, which is an outtake from Siamese Dream, you can create a playlist of that version, which features a different track listing from the double CD we all love.

The box set finishes off with the Thirty-Three disc, which includes B sides of varying mood and genre. The Last Song is probably my favourite song here, with a nice string arrangement giving it a nice sense of finality, but I also really like the slightly melancholy cover of My Blue Heaven too. While the title track has some nice Pumpkins riffage, it does go on for a few minutes too long.  Once again, James Iha provides a nice ballad with The Bells that also features D'Arcy on backing vocals. 

For a collection of outtakes and B sides, it is quite remarkable how strong these songs are. Particularly when you consider that Mellon Collie... had a track listing of twenty-eight songs. I really enjoyed listening to this again. And again.

(NB: In 2013, The Aeroplane Flies High was reissued and expanded as a massive 6CD box with a total of 90 tracks. A live DVD was also included.)