The Undertones - Positive Touch (1981)

The Undertones are a punk rock/new wave band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1974. From 1975 to 1983, the Undertones consisted of Feargal Sharkey (vocals), John O'Neill (rhythm guitar, vocals), Damian O'Neill (lead guitar, vocals), Michael Bradley (bass, vocals) and Billy Doherty (drums).

Positive Touch is a 1981 album by The Undertones. The album, the third to be released by the band and the last to be produced by Roger Bechirian, was recorded in January 1981 at Wisseloord studios in The Netherlands. The LP was released in May that year, reaching number 17 in the UK album charts.
The original LP release included the UK chart hits: "It's Going to Happen!", which reached number 18 in the UK Singles Chart in May 1981, and an album version of "Julie Ocean", which reached number 41 upon release in July the same year.
Although the majority of the songs contained upon this album were largely inspired by the same subjects as the songs upon the two previous albums released by the band at this stage in their career (both of which generally contained lyrical matter concerning teenage angst), Positive Touch was the first and only album released by The Undertones to contain songs which drew lyrical inspiration from the Troubles relating to the political and social background in which the members of the band had been born and raised. "It's Going to Happen!" was directly inspired by the hunger strikes in Northern Ireland and was performed on Top of the Pops on the day one of the participants in the 1981 hunger strikes, Bobby Sands, died.^[4] Three further songs upon the LP were also inspired by the Troubles, although none of the material the band were to subsequently release drew influence from these sources.
In 1986, one track on Positive Touch, "When Saturday Comes", became the inspiration for the title of the UK football fanzine of the same name.
Positive Touch was voted number 28 in the 1981 NME 'Albums of the Year'.

Track listing

01.  "Fascination"   (J. J. O'Neill)  - 2:19
02.  "Julie Ocean"   (J. J. O'Neill)  - 1:45
03.  "Life's Too Easy"   (J. J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley, Damian O'Neill)  - 2:30
04.  "Crisis of Mine"   (J. J. O'Neill)  - 2:23
05.  "You're Welcome"   (J. J. O'Neill)  - 2:43
06.  "His Good Looking Girlfriend"   (J. J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley, Damian O'Neill)  -  2:35
07.  "The Positive Touch"   (J. J. O'Neill)  - 2:16
08.  "When Saturday Comes"   (J. J. O'Neill)  - 2:49
09.  "It's Going to Happen!"   (Damian O'Neill, Michael Bradley)  - 3:34
10.  "Sigh And Explode"   (Damian O'Neill)  - 2:44
11.  "I Don't Know"   (J. J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley, Damian O'Neill)  - 2:17
12.  "Hannah Doot"   (J. J. O'Neill)  - 2:50
13.  "Boy Wonder"   (Damian O'Neill, Michael Bradley)  - 2:04
14.  "Forever Paradise"   (J. J. O'Neill)  - 2:54

Credits
Feargal Sharkey - lead vocals
John O'Neill - guitar and vocals
Damian O'Neill - guitar, keyboards and vocals
Michael Bradley - bass and vocals
Billy Doherty - drums
Producer - Roger Bechirian

Notes
Release date: 5 May 1981
Recorded at: Wisseloord Studios January 1981
Genre:  Punk rock
Length: 37:34
© 1981

Label - Ardeck-EMI (UK)

 

The La´s - The La´s (1990)

The La's were an English rock band from Liverpool, originally active from 1983 until 1992. Fronted by singer, songwriter and guitarist Lee Mavers, the group are best known for their hit single "There She Goes".

Some albums exist outside of time or place, gently floating on their own style and sensibility. Of those, the La's lone album may be the most beguiling, a record that consciously calls upon the hooks and harmonies of 1964 without seeming fussily retro, a trick that anticipated the cheerful classicism of the Brit-pop '90s. But where their sons Oasis and Blur were all too eager to carry the torch of the past, Lee Mavers and the La's exist outside of time, suggesting the '60s in their simple, tuneful, acoustic-driven arrangements but seeming modern in their open, spacy approach, sometimes as ethereal as anything coming out of the 4AD stable but brought down to earth by their lean, no-nonsense attack, almost as sinewy as any unaffected British Invasion band. But where so many guitar pop bands seem inhibited by tradition, the La's were liberated by it, using basic elements to construct their own identity, one that's propulsive and tuneful, or sweetly seductive, as it is on the band's best-known song, "There She Goes." That song is indicative of the La's material in its melodic pull; the rest of the album has a bit more muscle, whether the group is bashing out a modern-day Merseybeat on "Liberty Ship" and bouncing two-step "Doledrum," or alluding to Morrissey's elliptical phrasing on "Timeless Melody." This force gives the La's some distinction, separating them from nostalgic revivalists even as their dedication to unadorned acoustic arrangements separates them from their contemporaries, but it's this wildly willful sensibility -- so respectful of the past it can't imagine not following its own path that turns The La's into its own unique entity, indebted to the past and pointing toward the future, yet not belonging to either.

Track listing

01. "Son of a Gun"  - 1:55
02. "I Can't Sleep"  - 2:37
03. "Timeless Melody"  - 3:01
04. "Liberty Ship"  - 2:31
05. "There She Goes"  - 2:42
06. "Doledrum"  - 2:50
07. "Feelin'"  - 1:45
08. "Way Out"  - 2:32
09. "I.O.U."  - 2:13
10. "Freedom Song"  - 2:23
11. "Failure"  - 2:54
12. "Looking Glass"  - 7:51

All songs written and composed by Lee Mavers (except where stated).

The La's
Lee Mavers – guitar, vocals
John Power – bass, backing vocals
Peter "Cammy" Camell – guitar
Neil Mavers – drums
John "Boo" Byrne – guitar
Chris Sharrock – drums
Paul Hemmings – guitar
John "Timmo" Timson – drums

Production
Mark Wallis – additional producer, engineer
Donal Hodgson – engineer
Producer(s) - Steve Lillywhite, Bob Andrews
Dave Charles – engineer
Additional personnel
Ryan Art – design

Notes
Release date: 1 October 1990
Recorded at: Woodcray Studios, Wokingham, Eden Studios, London
Genre: Jangle pop, alternative rock
Length: 35:14
© 1990

Label - Go! Discs

The Undisputed Truth - Method To The Madness (1976)

The Undisputed Truth was a 1970s Motown recording act, assembled by record producer Norman Whitfield as a means for being able to experiment with his psychedelic soul production techniques. Joe Harris served as main lead singer, with Billie Rae Calvin and Brenda Joyce Evans, formerly of The Delicates, on additional leads and background vocals.

By the time “Method To the Madness” was released, band mentor Norman Whitfield had seemingly decided to reinvent The Undisputed Truth, moving them away from psychedelic soul towards a more contemporary disco and funk sound. As on earlier albums Whitefield was again responsible for most of the album’s nine tracks – he wrote or co-wrote everything on the LP. he group’s patented white afros remained in place, but the change in direction came with a revamped personnel lineup; Tyrone Berkeley, Joe Harris, and Calvin Stevens joined by Taka Boom (Chaka Kahn’s younger sister) who replaced Virginia McDonald. Moreover, this time around, judging by tracks like ‘Cosmic Contact’ and ‘Hole In the Wall’, Whitfield seemed to have been listening to quite a bit of Sly Stone and George Clinton and The Funkadelic/Parliament empire.
‘Cosmic Contract’ wasn’t so much a song as it was a bunch of Clinton-styled synthesizer sound effects and spoken word segments.
Thankfully the title track found the group moving into a Sly Stone-styled slice of funk. While the song wasn’t particularly original or impressive, like her sister, Boom’s shrill voice was well suited to the genre. Great slap bass solo and kudos to Whitfield for fading the song out before it got too repetitive
‘Sunshine’ was a pretty, heavily orchestrated old-school styled ballad that seemed very out of place on this set. To my ears it sounded very much like something The Temptations would have covered.
Showcasing Boom on lead vocals (she was more than an equal to her male partners), ‘You + Me = Love’ was an up tempo, disco-tinged number. Perfect dance floor fodder with a pounding hook in the title hook which meant there wasn’t a great deal of originality flowing through this one. The extended eleven plus minute dance version went on and on giving the backing band lots of opportunities to showcase their instrumental chops. With all four members sharing lead vocals, ‘Hole In the Wall’ was an okay number that served to mix soul and funk influences. The George Clinton influences were very apparent on this one, but the real standout was actually the slap bass pattern.
With Boom again handling lead vocals, ‘Loose’ actually sounded a bit like an early Rufus track. The woman certainly had a sultry delivery that bore at least a passing resemblance to her sister’s powerful voice.
Joe Harris’ rough and gnarly voice was one of Motown’s forgotten gifts and was perfectly suited for old-school soul numbers like ‘Life Ain’t So Easy’. With it’s social activism lyric, this one was a throwback to Whitfield’s early-1970s catalog. Easily one of the best songs on the album.
Unlike anything else on the album, ‘Take a Vacation from Life (and Visit Your Dreams)’ had a cool, almost ’60s Brazilian jazzy vibe to it … very pretty melody with some great acoustic guitar and Boom’s restrained vocals made this the album’s standout track.
It sure sounded like Whitfield borrowed the bass line and parts of the arrangement from Rose Royce’s ‘Carwash’ for ‘Down To the Disco’ (but then he wrote and produced that song as well).

Track listing
01.  "Cosmic Contact"   (Norman Whitfield)  - 3:50
02.  "Method To The Madness"   (Norman Whitfield)  - 3:55
03.  "Sunshine"   (Norman Whitfield)  - 5:12
04.  "You + Me = Love"   (Norman Whitfield)  - 11:10
05.  "Hole In The Wall"   (Norman Whitfield, Rochelle Runnells)  - 3:20
06.  "Loose"  (Norman Whitfield, Rochelle Runnells)  - 3:21
07.  "Life Ain’t So Easy"   (Norman Whitfield)  - 3:57
08.  "Take A Vacation From Life (And Visit Your Dreams)"   (J. McGhee, N. Whitfield)  - 4:30
09.  "Let’s Go Down To The Disco"   (Norman Whitfield)  - 9:10

Credits
Performer [Undisputed Truth] – Calvin “Dhaakk” Stephenson, Joe Harris, Taka Boom, Tyrone “Lil Ty” Barkley
Guitar – John McGhee, Kenji Brown, Melvin “Wah Wah” Ragin*
Keyboards – Michael Nash, Victor Nix
Percussion – Henry Garner
Saxophone – Michael Moore
Trumpet – Freddie Dunn, Kenny Copeland
Bass – Lequeint “Duke” Jobe
Bongos – Terral Santiel
Arranged By – Norman Whitfield, Paul Riser
Coordinator [Album Coordinator] – Clay McMurray
Other [Wardrobe & Makeup Technician] – Linda Thompson
Engineer [Recording And Mixing Engineer] – Learnard “Colonel Disco” Jackson, Norman Whitfield, Steve Maslow, Steve Smith
Photography By – Gernot Plitz
Producer, Design, Illustration [Cover Illustration] – Norman Whitfield

Companies, etc.
Record Company – Whitfield Records Corp.
Copyright (c) – Warner Bros. Records Inc.
Manufactured By – Warner Bros. Records Inc.
Distributed By – Warner Bros. Records Inc.
Published By – Stone Diamond Music Corp.
Published By – May Twelfth
Published By – Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp

Notes
Whitfield Records Corp, […] manufactured & distributed by Warner Bros. Records Inc., a Warner Communications Company [logo] ?© 1976 Warner Bros. Records Inc.
Recorded At: The Village Recorder, Motown Recording Studios
Mixed At: The Village Recorder, Motown Recording Studios
Genre:  Psychedelic Funk, Soul
Length:  48:29
© 1976

Label – Whitfield Records

Natalie Cole - Take A Look (1993)

Take a Look is a 1993 album by American singer Natalie Cole. Released on June 9, 1993 by Elektra Records, Cole won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for Take a Look at the 36th Grammy Awards.
Natalie Cole's "Take a Look" is neither a sharp departure nor a close copy of her eight-million-selling 1991 album Unforgettable. She once again sings her daddy's songs, but this time she only does three of them, all obscure non-hits known only to the most fanatic Nat "King" Cole fans. The other 15 songs pay tribute to a wider circle of influences Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Nancy Wilson, Julie London and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. The most welcome change is the new confidence the younger Cole now brings to the standard repertoire. Her voice has always had the satiny ease that makes listeners feel comfortable, but on this album Cole reclaims some of the spunk and playfulness of her R&B hits
This beautiful album is undisputedly one of the first-rate recordings of Natalie Cole.
Likewise, this album became gold and earned her another Grammy for Best Vocal Performance.
And as always, Ms. Cole has been one of my favorite jazz vocalists in the music scene. On this recording, she has a line-up of the finest musicians like Alan Broadbent (arranger/pianist), Jeremy Lubbock (arranger), Marty Paich (arranger), Herbie Hancock (piano) and Grover Washington, Jr. (sax), among many others.
Her recent concert at the Hollywood Bowl was a huge success! My friend and I watched the first of two consecutive night concerts and truly enjoyed it! She has a terrific stage presence and her performances, accompanied by the fabulous L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra, were superb from the very first two numbers and all-time favorites of mine, "The Very Thought Of You" and "Midnight Sun" to the encores.
She so splendidly performed one of the most remarkable tracks in this CD to the delight of the very enthusiastic audience, my all-time favorite and one of the highlights of the show "Let There Be Love," a song made popular by her late father, Nat King Cole, in the forties.

Track listing

01.  "I Wish You Love"   (Albert Beach, Charles Trenet)  - 4:07
02.  "I'm Beginning to See the Light"   (Duke Ellington, Don George, Johnny Hodges, Harry James)  - 3:29
03.  "Swinging Shepherd Blues"   (Natalie Cole, Kenny Jacobson, Moe Koffman, Rhoda Roberts)  - 4:01
04.  "Crazy He Calls Me"   (Bob Russell, Carl Sigman)  - 4:11
05.  "Cry Me a River"   (Arthur Hamilton)  - 3:50
06.  "Undecided"   (Sydney Robin, Charlie Shavers)  - 2:15
07.  "Fiesta in Blue"   (Count Basie, Louie Bellson, Roy Eldridge, Benny Goodman, Jimmy Mundy)  - 4:03
08.  "I'm Gonna Laugh You Right out of My Life"   (Cy Coleman, Joseph McCarthy)  - 3:33
09.  "Let There Be Love"   (Ian Grant, Lionel Rand)  - 3:50
10.  "It's Sand, Man!"   (Jon Hendricks, Dave Lambert, Ed Lewis)  - 2:30
11.  "Don't Explain"   (Arthur Herzog, Jr., Billie Holiday)  - 3:10
12.  "As Time Goes By"   (Herman Hupfeld)  - 3:43
13.  "Too Close for Comfort"   (Jerry Bock, Larry Holofcener, George David Weiss)  - 2:56
14.  "Calypso Blues"   (Nat King Cole, George)  - 4:59
15.  "This Will Make You Laugh"   (Irene Higginbotham)  - 3:46
16.  "Lovers"   (Cole, Chuck Jackson, Marvin Yancy)  - 3:14
17.  "All About Love"   (Robert Arthur, Bill Dana)  - 3:39
18.  "Take a Look"   (Cole, Naomi Neville, Clyde Otis)  - 3:06

Credits
Vocals [All] - Natalie Cole
Bass - John Clayton, Jim Hughart
Drums - Jeff Hamilton, Harold Jones
Guitar - John Chiodini
Piano - Roger Kellaway, Alan Broadbent, Clare Fisher, Michael Melvoin
Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Piano - Herbie Hancock
Saxophone, Soloist - Grover Washington, Jr., David "Fathead" Newman, Pete Christlieb
Trumpet, Soloist - David Trigg
Percussion - Luis Conte, Robert Yancy
Vibraphone, Marimba - Larry Bunker

Production
Arranged By – John Clayton, Bill Holman, Alan Broadbent, Marty Paich, Jeremy Lubbock, James Hughart, John Chiodini
Management – Dan Cleary
Mastered By – Doug Sax
Engineer [Assistant] – Charlie Paakkari, Chris Albert, Chris Fogel, Dan Wojnar, Gary Sulich*, Gil Morales, John Hendrickson, Ken Allardyce, Marnie Riley, Richard Landers
Executive-Producer – Natalie Cole, Tommy LiPuma
Producer [Assistant To Andre Fischer] – Keith Petrie, Patty Nichols
Producer [Assistant To Tommy LiPuma] – Angelo Montrone, Deborah Silverman-Kern
Recorded By [Additional] – Bill Schnee, Doug Ryder*, Woody Woodruff*, Joe Ferla
Recorded By, Mixed By – Al Schmitt
Producer - André Fischer, Tommy LiPuma, Natalie Cole

Notes
Release date: June 9, 1993
Recorded at Oceanway, Hollywood, CA;, Capitol Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA;, Bill Schnee Stud, Power Station, New York, NY; and O'Henry Studios, Burbank, CA
Mixed at Bill Schnee Studio, North Hollywood, CA
Mastered at The Mastering Lab, Hollywood, CA
Genre: Soul, Vocal Jazz
Length: 64:22
© 1993

Label - Elektra Records

Santabárbara - Charly - No Dejes De Soñar (1974)

Santabarbara are a Spanish pop band founded in 1973, compromising, Alberto López (drums and vocals) and Enric (or Henry) was born from the meeting of the Barcelona musicians Mario Balaguer (guitars and vocals), Enrique Milian (bass, guitars and lead vocals).
Although they had already previously an important background to accompanying musicians of Fame, three musicians begin their journey together in the music business as a backing band of singer Georgie Dann at the beginning of 1970.
When advancing more time over their ideas, mix and it engages an inseparable friendship between them three and an unstoppable desire to form a trio of music following tendencies of groups such as Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Cactus, etc., those who learned and admired that without reparos.
Their first album “No Dejes De Sonar” released in 1974 was a mixed bag: mostly MOR and cheesy Pop, including their Euro-hit from 1973 "Charly", but also two HardRocker gems hidden in between: "Rommel" and "Lucifer".
“Charly” is the only single by the music group, which in the Netherlands and Belgium charts. The song is about the sick Dove called (llamaba) Charly, who with a broken wing on street.

Track listing

01.  "Toda La Verdad"  - 3:20 
02.  "Paz"  - 2:53 
03.  "America"  - 4:01 
04.  "Charly"  - 3:40 
05.  "No Dejes De Sonar"  - 3:15 
06.  "Adios Amigo"  - 3:28 
07.  "Rommel"  - 3:18 
08.  "Rerdoname Otra Vez"  - 2:14 
09.  "Lucifer"  - 5:52 
10.  "Vueltas"  - 2:50 

Credits
Solo Vocal – Enrique Milian
Acoustic Guitar – Mario Balaguer
Contrabass – Enrique Milian
Drums – Alberto López
Electric Guitar – Mario Balaguer
Percussion – Alberto López
Producer – Alfredo Doménech

Notes
Genre: Pop
Length: 34:55
© 1974

Label - EMI Records

Orlando Johnson & Trance - Turn The Music On (1983)

Orlando (Leverne) Johnson is an American singer/producer from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA, who has been mostly active in Italy.
Italian House producer, who produced Italo-Disco/Hi-NRG in the 80's and Euro-House in the 90's.
Brother of Wess Johnson and uncle of UK RnB/Soul/Garage singer Romina Johnson.
His 1983 album “Turn The Music On” featured the hits “Chocolate City”, “Turn the music on” and “Somebody save me”; this album is a perfect piece of Italo Boogie.








Track listing

01.  Can't Break Loose  - 5:42 
02.  Having A Party  - 4:59 
03.  Fantasize  (Kynsha, M. Violante)  - 4:48
       [Vocal] – Kynsha
04.  Chocolate City  - 4:30 
05.  Somebody Save Me  - 4:44 
06.  On The Loosing Side  - 4:26 
07.  Turn The Music On  - 3:20 

(2005) Reissue, Remastered
08.  Chocolate City (Extended Version)  - 4:20 
09.  Turn The Music On (Jellybean Remix)  - 7:23 
10.  Megamix-Medley  - 11:43 

All songs written-By M. Zannini Quirini and Orlando Johnson except where notice.

Credits
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Orlando Johnson
Backing Vocals – Glen White, Patrizia Bilardo
Drums, Percussion – Marco Berni
Guitar, Bass – Achille Tirone
Keyboards, Piano – Mario Zannini Quirini
Arranged By, Conductor – M. Zannini Quirini
Mastered By – M. Spiridioni
Mixed By – M. Zannini Quirini, M. Violante
Producer – Franco Donato
Recorded By – M. Noè

Notes
Genre: Electronic, Funk, Soul, Italo Disco
Length: 55:07
© 1983

Label - PTG Records

Gail Ann Dorsey - The Corporate World (1988)

Gail Ann Dorsey (born November 20, 1962) is an American musician. With a distinguished career as a session musician, she is perhaps best known for her longtime residency in David Bowie's band, from 1995 to the present day. Aside from playing bass, she occasionally has sung lead vocals according to Bowie's introduction on A Reality Tour, on "Under Pressure", and duetted with him on others, including "The London Boys", "I Dig Everything", accompanying Bowie on clarinet, and a cover of Laurie Anderson's "O Superman".
The Corporate World is the debut studio album by American musician and singer-songwriter Gail Ann Dorsey. It was released in 1989 through Sire Records and Warner Music Group. Produced by bass guitarist Nathan East, the album features guest appearances from singer-songwriter and guitarist Eric Clapton and Gang of Four member Andy Gill.^[1][2] The album's style has been described as "an unorthodox and individualistic blend of rock, pop and R&B.
One of the most wrongly neglected releases of 1989 was Gail Ann Dorsey's The Corporate World, a strikingly unorthodox and individualistic blend of rock, pop and R&B. Without preaching, the distinctive Philadelphia singer/guitarist offers a critique of America in the late '80s a society she views as poisoned by greed, materialism and selfishness. To Dorsey a Black artist whose style is far from urban contemporary technological innovation and success in corporate America mean nothing when things as basic as love and family are missing. Unfortunately, this thought-provoking and difficult to categorize CD an artistic triumph, but a commercial bomb may have been a victim of bad timing. Had it been released after alternative rock really exploded in 1992, it might have enjoyed the type of success it deserved. If one can find a copy, The Corporate World is well worth hearing.
The album charted in top ten in Dutch Album Chart.

Track listing

01.  "The Corporate World" - 6:24
02.  "Where Is Your Love?" - 4:08
03.  "S.W.4." - 1:09
04.  "Wishing I Was Someone Else" - 2:04
05.  "Just Another Dream" - 5:33
06.  "So Hard To Let You Go" - 4:17
07.  "Wasted Country" - 5:02
08.  "The Missiles Of Midnight" - 5:57
09.  "If Only You" - 4:23
10.  "No Time" - 4:34
11.  "Carry Me Off To Heaven" - 9:09

All songs written and composed by Gail Ann Dorsey.

Credits
Gail Ann Dorsey - vocals, bass, acoustic guitar
Nathan East - bass, keyboards
Bob Roberts - guitar
Eric Clapton - guitar
Andy Gill - guitar
Steve Ferrone - drums
Gavin Harrison - drums
Marcel East - keyboards
Mick Gallagher - keyboards
Bill Reichenbach Jr. - trombone
Carol Kenyon - backing vocals
Katie Kissoon - backing vocals
David Clarke - backing vocals 
Tessa Niles - backing vocals
Ted Hayton - recording; mixing
Tom Lord-Alge - mixing
Allen Sides - recording (horns)
Tom Leader - recording (strings)
Clif Norrell - engineering
Producer - Nathan East

Notes
Released: 1989
Recorded At – Smokehouse Studios, Angel Studios, Roundhouse Studios, Crescent Studios, Ocean Way Recording, The Hit Factory
Genre:  Electronic, Rock, Funk, Synth-pop
Length: 53:04
© 1989

Label - WEA

Local Natives - Gorilla Manor (2009)

Gorilla Manor is the debut album by Los Angeles based indie rock band Local Natives. It was released in the United Kingdom on November 2, 2009, on Infectious Records, and February 16, 2010, by Frenchkiss Records in the USA.
The album was self-funded by the band and recorded by Raymond Richards in his own Red Rockets Glare Studio, in West Los Angeles. It was produced in collaboration by Richards and the band. Gorilla Manor was named after the house they all shared in Orange County, where most of the album was written. “It was insanely messy and there were always friends over knocking around on guitars or our thrift store piano,” said guitarist Ryan Hahn.
Although recorded in late 2008, Gorilla Manor wasn’t released until 14 months later, allowing Local Natives the chance to build a strong blog buzz before their debut hit American shores. The delay wasn’t entirely beneficial, however, as Gorilla Manor sounds quite similar to a number of albums that flourished in the interim.
Local Natives’ sunny harmonies call to mind Fleet Foxes’ debut and Grizzly Bear’s Veckatimest, while the band’s polyphonic hand percussion which, at its most frenzied, is almost tribal sounding -- evokes memories of Yeasayer’s All Hour Cymbals. For all its familiarity, though, Local Natives’ first album is still an enjoyable piece of work, filled with enough pop melodies and multi-cultural quirks to make the year-long holdup fairly worthwhile.
The band pitches itself somewhere between the post-punk camp and Afro-beat village, with the musicians often yelping their verses in multi-part harmony before barreling into Technicolor choruses. Matt Frazier’s percussion is sharp, crisp, and always in the foreground, often assuming as much importance as the vocals themselves, while the album’s production courtesy of the bandmates themselves, along with fellow Silver Lake resident Raymond Richards stretches a layer of pan-ethnic atmosphere over all 12 tracks, a move that bridges any gaps in the young group's songwriting.
Local Natives may have arrived several months late for their own party, but Gorilla Manor is a refreshing example of good quality trumping bad timing.

Track listing

01.  "Wide Eyes"  - 4:26
02.  "Airplanes"  - 3:58
03.  "Sun Hands"  - 4:51
04.  "World News"  - 4:32
05.  "Shape Shifter"  - 5:30
06.  "Camera Talk"   3:45
07.  "Cards & Quarters"  - 4:00
08.  "Warning Sign"  (David Byrne, Chris Frantz) (Talking Heads cover)  - 4:12
09.  "Who Knows Who Cares"  - 3:53
10.  "Cubism Dream"  - 4:00
11.  "Stranger Things"  - 5:46
12.  "Sticky Thread"  - 3:48

All songs written by Local Natives, except when noticed.

Credits
Taylor Rice - vocals, rhythm guitar
Kelcey Ayer - vocals, keyboards, guitar
Ryan Hahn - lead guitar, vocals
Matthew Frazier - drums, vocals
Andy Hamm - bass, vocals
Producer - Local Natives

Notes
Release date: November 2, 2009 (UK)
Recorded: Studio Red Rockets Glare (Rancho Park, California), Hot Pie Studios (Pasadena, California)
Genre: Indie Rock, Indie Folk
Length:  52:40
© 2009

Label - Infectious / Frenchkiss Records

Wings - Wild Life (1971)

Wild Life is the debut album by Wings, and the third studio album by Paul McCartney since the breakup of the Beatles. The album was recorded during July–August 1971 at Abbey Road Studios by McCartney and his wife Linda along with session drummer Denny Seiwell, who they had worked with on the previous album, Ram, and Denny Laine, formerly of the Moody Blues. It was released by Apple Records on 7 December, in both the UK and US.
In July 1971, with a fresh set of McCartney tunes, the newly formed Wings recorded the album in slightly more than a week with the mindset that it had to be instant and raw in order to capture the freshness and vitality of a live studio recording. Five of the eight songs were recorded in one take. Paul McCartney later cited the quick recording schedule of Bob Dylan as an inspiration for this.
The first session was held at Abbey Road Studios on 25 July. As well as recording the tracks that would turn up on the album, the group also recorded the unreleased track "Tragedy". McCartney was filmed playing "Bip Bop" and "Hey Diddle", around this time, which would later be included in the made-for-TV film, Wings Over the World.
The album was rehearsed at McCartney's recording studio in Scotland dubbed Rude Studio, which Paul and Linda had used to make demos of songs that would be used in the album, and recorded at Abbey Road with Tony Clarke and Alan Parsons engineering. Paul can be heard saying "Take it, Tony" at the beginning of "Mumbo". Paul handled all of the lead vocals, sharing those duties with Linda on "I Am Your Singer" and "Some People Never Know". "Tomorrow" features background vocals from Denny Laine and Linda McCartney.
"Dear Friend", recorded during the Ram sessions, was apparently an attempt at reconciliation with John Lennon. It was certainly a timely follow-up to John's attack on Paul in the song "How Do You Sleep?" from the album Imagine, which had apparently been in retaliation for Paul's digs at John in "Too Many People" on Ram. Music critic Ian MacDonald used "Dear Friend" as a counter-argument to the caricature of McCartney as an emotional lightweight.
Wild Life also included a reggae remake of Mickey & Sylvia's 1957 top 40 hit "Love Is Strange".

Track listing

01.  "Mumbo" - 3:54
02.  "Bip Bop" - 4:14
03.  "Love Is Strange"  (Mickey Baker, Sylvia Vanderpool, Ethel Smith) - 4:50
04.  "Wild Life" - 6:48
05.  "Some People Never Know" - 6:35
06.  "I Am Your Singer" - 2:15
07.  "Tomorrow" - 3:28
08.  "Dear Friend" - 5:53

1993 Remaster Bonus Tracks
09.  "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" - 3:46  Wings' debut single; eventually banned by the BBC for political reasons.
10.  "Mary Had a Little Lamb" - 3:34  Wings' second single; like "Give Ireland Back to the Irish", this was never released on an album until "The Paul McCartney Collection" was released.
11.  "Little Woman Love" - 2:11  B-side to "Mary Had a Little Lamb".
12.  "Mama's Little Girl" (Paul McCartney) - 3:41  First release was in 1990 as the B-side of the "Put It There" single.

All tracks written by Paul and Linda McCartney, except where noted.

Credits
Paul McCartney - vocals, bass guitar, guitar, piano, keyboards, percussion
Linda McCartney - keyboards, piano, percussion, vocals
Denny Laine - guitars, bass guitar, percussion, keyboards, vocals
Denny Seiwell - drums, percussion
Alan Parsons and Tony Clark - engineering
Producer - Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney

Notes
Release date: 7 December 1971
Recorded: July–August 1971, Abbey Road Studios, London
Genre:  Rock
Length:  50:25

Label - Apple Records