Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Forty Years Ago - David Bowie -Hunky Dory

Hunky Dory [Remaster]
DAVID BOWIE “Hunky Dory” 1971



Aligning yourself with other popular artists by name checking them can often seem a bold move and could be seen as using the fame and works of others to further your own career.  Unlike U2 who have convinced only themselves that they are great as THE BEATLES. On “Hunky Dory” DAVID BOWIE chose to reference Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan and Lou Reed and manages not to come off as pompous.  This is largely due to the theatrical approach often taken both in the lyrics and the vocals.  “Song for Dylan” starts with a convincing imitation of Dylan’s voice before BOWIE finds his own voice to tribute the man “with a voice like sandpaper and glue”.  “Queen Bitch” is possibly the best LOU REED imitation ever performed.  Not only is the voice similar but also the guitar strumming and the lyrical approach is similar to much of LOU REED as the song is also about a transvestite and nightlife.  “Andy Warhol” is an acoustic guitar piece with a playful tongue in cheek that due mostly to Bowie’s voice and lyrics has so much more to offer than Warhol’s art.

Radio programmers all around the word have made sure we’ve all heard album opener “Changes”.  There’s definitely no denying its catchiness.  “Oh! You Pretty Things” is fantastic piano driven pop with drums coming in mid-song and then disappearing like a thief in the night but speeding up the piano’s heart-beat.  “Life on Mars” is classic BOWIE and has an ambience that rivals “Space Oddity”.  The upbeat catchy “Kooks” ensures a cheerful change of pace and the piano and touches of trumpet aid in convincing that the cross dressing songwriter really is a kook.  “Quicksand” despite the melancholic piano does the opposite of sinking with clever lyrics about Crowley and well known World War Two heroes and enemies.
The piano and falsetto on “Fill Your Heart”are custom fit for stage shows and BOWIE’s versatility is once again proven. Bowie’s showmanship is integral to this album and gives it a timeless quality.  Dated is a word that definitely cannot be used to describe this album.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Forty Years Ago - Stray-Suicide

Suicide

Second albums are always difficult affairs.  With the initial album release preparation time is often suffice to prepare a great album but with the second both pressures and expectations mount within a shorter time frame.  However UK heavy rock band STRAY hit the nail on the head with their sophomore album “SUICIDE”.

 Opening track “Son of the Father” starts with some quiet singing over an acoustic guitar before turning into an uptempo heavy rocker.  This turns into an instrumental with a number of time changes.  Like most anti-war songs, there is a military beat but it’s not there for long at all.  The song stops and then starts again repeating the battlecry-like soft intro before launching back into song.  The fuzzed out guitar of Del Bromham
 On “Nature’s Way” ensure this album rocks out further and the rhythm section that grabs the listener by the throat with their effective timing and tempo changes while the guitar leads smoke in the instrumental piece.  “Where Do Our Children Belong” and “Dearest Eloise” are quieter tracks that equal the BEATLES mellower moments both instrumentally and due to singer, Steve Gadd’s voice.  “Jericho” lulls the listener in with some of the great instrumental work.  There’s a feel to the song that is similar to early IRON MAIDEN.  When making “Making all of Jericho crumble to the ground” is sung, the falling city collapsing is convincing with the panic sounds that the guitars and drums imitate.  The organ sound tremor warns of a horrific earthquake.  However, the melodic hooks within the song could have stopped the city crumbling as they offer the listener much more than simply something to hang on.

“Run, Mister, Run” has a chorus that is listed in doctor’s notes as being contagiously catchy.  The bass and guitar riffs are listed as a fire hazard by emergency departments.  “Do You Miss Me” has a shuffling beat before going into a jam with some hot grilling and baking guitar riffing.  If barbecuing and collapsing cities weren’t enough, the title track “Suicide” is an explosion of anger, bass riffs, guitar leads with lyrics that tell the story of a black man about to kll himself.  The heaviness of the subject matter is more than matched by the music.  The phrase “Rocks like a bitch” was invented as a worthy way of describing this song and in fact, this album.  This STRAY album should be adopted and loved despite the possibilities of setting your house on fire

Monday, November 21, 2011

Forty years ago - Skid Row - 34 Hours

34 Hours [Germany Bonus Tracks]

SKID ROW “34 Hours”, 1971

Kicking out a singer like Phil Lynott out of a band and replacing him with a fresh faced guitar player may have seemed like a crazy move but it paid huge dividends for SKID ROW when they replaced Lynott with a young and extremely talented guitar player named Gary Moore.  The heavy driving power chords and great guitar leads that Gary Moore was once renowned for open this album and while he doesn’t demonstrate a huge range of vocal ability there is no denying that he is also a capable singer.  The flashy guitar playing and wah wah effects that appear on his pre-blues solo outings are utilised on this disc on tracks like “Night of the White Witch” and the smoking rocker “First Thing in the Morning” where drummer, Noel Bridgeman plays like a man possessed.  Country/blues rock track “Mar” eventually turns into a jam fest which thankfully lifts it from being a total snorefest.  “Go, I’mNever Going to Let You” is the sound of a band having a lot of fun playing and is as much fun for the listener. While MC5’s “High Time is an album of head shakers, straight country track “Lonesome still” is as interesting as watching paint dry and as appealing as receiving diagnosis of a terminal disease.  The guitar driven rock tracks make this an album still well worth devoting both  your ears.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Forty Years ago- Three Man Army - A Third of a Lifetime

Third Of A Lifetime *

THREE MAN ARMY “A Third Of A Lifetime”, 1971

Using the ammunition of loud CREAM worshipping guitar harmonies and smooth vocals THREE MAN ARMY attack the listener.  Unfortunately at times the vocals seem somewhat weak and the lyrics seem trite as in “Butter Queen” which due its repetitive chorus annoys after repeated listens. While the hard rock instrumentation lends a heaviness factor to the band’s overall sound the easy listening vocal stylings take from the overall appeal of the band. There is a universal appeal due to the funky groove of instrumental “Nice One” but the disc isn’t capable of packing an overall wallop in every song akin to LED ZEPPELIN “IV”.  The punches are still delivered though in songs like “Three Man Army” but they’re just not hard hitting enough to convince.

Beastwars - IV

After over a year off for various reasons, we have returned solely because we wanted to review the new Beastwars album. I really w...