2 October 2020

Kindred The Family Soul - In This Life Together (2005)

Kindred the Family Soul, also referred to as simply Kindred, are an American neo soul duo consisting of married couple of Fatin Dantzler (born in 1973 in Camden, New Jersey) and Aja Graydon (born September 25, 1978 in Los Angeles, California). 
Signed to Hidden Beach Recordings, Kindred emerged from the Philadelphia neo soul movement that also includes Jill Scott, who introduced them to her then label president Steve McKeever of Hidden Beach Recordings while the couple was performing at the Black Lily Showcase in Philly weekly back in 2000. Kindred would go on to sign their first recording contract with the label.

The Ashford & Simpson of neo-soul, Fatin Dantzler and Aja Graydon, aka Kindred the Family Soul, continue their ongoing autobiography in song with their second album, In This Life Together, its title borrowed from a dual memoir by the husband-and-wife acting and activist team of Ruby Dee and the late Ossie Davis, who is quoted and name-checked in "The Quote (Interlude)." Typical of neo-soul recordings, the music, provided by a succession of multi-instrumentalist composer/producers (Yameen, Dinky Bingham, Boy Genius, Kristin Price, Chuck Treece, Easy Mo Be, Elise Perry, Anthony Bell, etc.), is mid-tempo, synthesizer-and-drum-programming-driven approximations of 1970s soul in the manner of Marvin Gaye and Sly & the Family Stone, tricked out with contemporary hip-hop elements, including a couple of unnecessary guest raps. 
Over the tracks, Dantzler and Graydon improvise singsong melodies and intone repetitive hooks, but what really matters is not the music, it's the message. The couple are unabashedly autobiographical; you can't get through the first real song, "Thru Love," without knowing how many children they have and what their sexes are (a son and two daughters), and by the final track, "Bed Time Story," you're being informed, "Aquil has started a new school, and oooh he's doing well." 
Such details, however, only serve to make their material universal. In contrast to most urban music (and most pop music in general), the subjects here do not concern new love or love gone wrong, they are about the love continuing in a real, committed relationship, that of a contemporary, working-class African-American couple. 
That love faces many challenges -- the word "stress" turns up in no less than four songs (post-traumatic on one occasion), and "pressure" and "struggle" are repeated, too. Even in a mutual love song like "Thru Love," the singers pause to ask, "Still, who says it's gonna last forever?" But this is more than just couples therapy set to music. 
"Sneak a Freak" addresses the possibilities of intimacy sandwiched in between all of life's responsibilities; "Woman First" is Graydon's reflection on how her husband's love helps her get through daily strife ("Ever since I had the babies, I just don't feel the same"); and "Message to Marvin" is an update on Gaye's "What's Going On," with the chorus, "What the hell is going on?" There are also songs of faith ("As of Yet") and reflections on parents ("Struggle No More," which oddly contains a verse contributed and sung by India.Arie that is a complete non sequitur). 
In other words, the collection presents a full-scale portrait of life for a loving, struggling, contemporary couple with three kids trying to keep things together, a life not that different from most people's. 
That is actually a refreshing perspective to find expressed in popular music, and one a wide audience should be able to identify with. 


Track listing

1. It's Kindred (Intro) - 1:04
    Backing Vocals – Dinky Bingham
     Producer, Backing Vocals, Instruments [All Other] – Yameen
    Trombone – Jermaine Miles
     Trumpet – Daud El-Bakara, Jarrett Miles
     Written-By – A. Graydon, F. Dantzler, J. Nix 

2. Thru Love - 4:03
     Producer [Vocal] – Dinky Bingham
     Producer, Instruments – Ahmad Godfrey, Tracy Carter 
     Producer, Producer [Vocal] – Kindred The Family Soul
     Written-By – A. Godfrey, A. Graydon, F. Dantzler, T. Carter
  
3. Turn It Up - 3:12
     Co-producer – Kindred The Family Soul
     Featuring – Archie Eversoul
     Producer, Instruments – Dinky Bingham
     Written-By – A. Graydon, O. Bingham, F. Dantzler 
  
4. Do You Remember - 4:08
     Producer – Boy Genius
     Producer [Vocal] – Dinky Bingham
     Producer, Producer [Vocal] – Kindred The Family Soul
     Written By – F. Hamilton, M. John 
  
5. Where Would I Be (The Question) - 4:46
     Guitar [Sampled] – George Benson
     Producer [Vocal] – Dinky Bingham
     Producer, Instruments [All Other] – Kristin Price
     Producer, Producer [Vocal] – Kindred The Family Soul
     Written-By – A. Graydon, F. Dantzler, G. Benson, K. Price 
  
6. Woman First - 4:05
     Bass – Charles "Cat Daddy" Johnson
     Drums – Julian Brown 
     Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar – Richard Tucker 
     Organ, Electric Piano [Rhodes] – Tracy Carter 
     Producer – Kindred The Family Soul
     Producer, Drum Programming – Dinky Bingham
     Trombone – Jermaine Miles
     Trumpet – Daud El-Bakara, Jarrett Miles
     Written-By – A. Graydon, F. Dantzler, J. Tacuma, J. Brown, R. Tucker 
  
7. Let It All Go - 4:07
     Co-producer – Kindred The Family Soul
     Producer, Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Drums – Chuck Treece
     Written-By – A. Graydon, C. Treece, F. Dantzler 
  
8. Sneak A Freak - 3:44
     Backing Vocals – Radji Mateen
     Co-producer, Producer [Vocal] – Kindred The Family Soul
     Producer [Vocal], Keyboards – Dinky Bingham
     Producer, Bass, Guitar – Conley "Tone" Whitfield
     Producer, Drum Programming – Steve McKie
     Saxophone – Radji Mateen
     Trombone – Jermaine Miles
     Trumpet – Daud El-Bakara, Jarrett Miles
     Written-By – A. Graydon, C. Whitfield Jr., F. Dantzler, S. McKie 
  
9. Message To Marvin - 3:44
     Co-producer, Producer [Vocal] – Kindred The Family Soul
     Featuring – The Last Donna
     Producer – Noize Trip
     Producer [Vocal] – Dinky Bingham
     Written-By – A. Graydon, A. Mack, F. Dantzler, M. Lewis 
  
10. The Quote (Interude) - 0:26
       Written-By – Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee 
  
11. As Of Yet - 3:19
       Co-producer – Kindred The Family Soul
       Drum Programming – Osten Harvey Jr.
       Producer – Easy Mo Be
       Written-By – A. Graydon, C. Biggs, D. Wansel, F. Dantzler, O. Harvey 
  
12. Aja's Mom (Interlude) - 0:33
       Producer – Binny Da Kid, Dinky Bingham, Kindred The Family Soul
       Written By – S. Graydon 
  
13. Struggle No More - 3:33
       Co-producer – Kindred The Family Soul
       Featuring – India.Arie
       Guitar, Drums – Benjamin Rogers 
       Producer – Binny Da Kid
       Producer, Drums, Bass, Keyboards – Dinky Bingham
       Written-By – A. Graydon, B. Rogers, O. Bingham, F. Dantzler, I. Simpson 
  
14. Who's Gonna Comfort You (Definition) - 3:32
       Co-producer – Kindred The Family Soul
       Producer, Instruments – Easy Mo Be
       Written-By – A. Graydon, F. Dantzler, O. Harvey 
  
15. My Time - 5:09
       Bass – Charles "Cat Daddy" Johnson
       Co-producer – Kindred The Family Soul
       Drums – Chuck Treece
       Guitar – Grecco Buratto
       Keyboards, Flute – Damon Bennett
       Producer, Keyboards, Instruments [All Other] – Elise Perry
       Vocals [At The End] – Aquil Dantzler, Diya Dantzler
       Written-By – A. Graydon, E. Perry, F. Dantzler 
  
16. In This Life Together - 3:41
       Bass – Adam Blackstone
       Drums – Darrell Robinson
       Guitar – Dave Manley
       Piano – James Poyser
       Producer, Instruments [All Other] – Anthony Bell
       Written-By – A. Graydon, A. Bell, F. Dantzler 
  
17. Husband My Daddy (Interlude) - 0:16
       Written-By – A. Graydon, D. Dantzler, F. Dantzler 
  
18. Bed Time Story - 4:18
       Instruments – Ronnie "Big Ron" Tyson
       Producer – Kindred The Family Soul, R. Tyson
       Written-By – A. Graydon, F. Dantzler, R. Tyson 


Track 1 contains "It's Kindred" Jill Scott piece taken from Kindred the Family Soul Release Party, used with permission from Reel Black Films
Track 5 contains a sample of "Ode To A Kudu" (George Benson) courtesy of Warner Bros. Records
Track 10 taken from "With Ossie & Ruby: In This Life Together" 


Credits

Notes
Release Date: September 20, 2005 
Recording Location: A To Z Studios, Philadelphia, PA / Go Town Studios, Atlanta, GA / Rich Boy Studios, Philadelphia, PA / The Studio, Philadelphia, PA 
Genre: Neo Soul
Styles: Adult Contemporary R&B, Contemporary R&B
Duration: 57:41

Label - Hidden Beach Recordings

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28 July 2020

Sfinx - Zalmoxe (1979)

Sfinx was one of the most appreciated Romanian rock acts in the 1970s, along with Phoenix.
The band was formed in 1963, in Bucharest. It was singer and guitarist Octav Zemlicka who had the idea to start the band. ("Sfinx" is the Romanian for sphinx.)
SFINX began all the way back in 1963 in Bucharest but wouldn't release their first album until 1975 and is one of the few Romanian progressive bands i've ever come across. This second album ZALMOXE is a concept album based on the lyrics of poet Alexandru Basarab which retold the story of Zalmoxis's existence. Zalmoxis, you may be wondering, is a divinity of the Getae (a tribe of the lower Danube) mentioned by Herodotus in his Histories IV, 93-96. I had to look this up so if you want more info I advise you to do the same! Unfortunately the album was ready for market shorty after their first release LUME ALBA in 1975 but due to political censorship by the Communist regime, the album was delayed 3 years and half of it scrapped. The original intent was to have a double album. Once finally released the album was a huge hit in their native homeland but has remained a bit obscure everywhere else. The lyrics are totally in Romanian. This is one that I wish I could understand because it sounds like an interesting concept that warrants comprehension of the story.

As for the music itself, it is eclectic but has a very symphonic sound. It is always dramatic and melodic. To me it sounds like it is most closely akin to symphonic Italian prog like PFM especially in Dan Andrei Aldea's vocal department with the rest of the band harmonizing. He is also the guitarist and plays some great heavy prog sounds with the guitar.  Some of the more pastoral moments can bring Genesis to mind as well. Nicole Enache's keyboards can be bombastic like in ELP but most often not  and band members always complement the other instruments so any one particular member never steals the show for long. At times the keyboards have a new wave repetitive synth approach. There are long drawn out symphonic parts and there are energetic bursts of energy strewn about. Drummer Mihai Cernea keeps the rock in the prog and surely deserves a mention here. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that there seems to be no Romanian folk music influences whatsoever.

Overall I really like this album. It's not quite up to masterpiece level. I am left wondering if the original double-album would bring this altogether a bit better. It sounds like things may have been clipped somewhat haphazardly but also the quality sounds very good like something greater once existed. I am left admiring this album for what is but wishing it could have been what it was intended to be.
Track listing

1.  Ursitoarele (Fatal Sisters) - 5:27
2.  Blana De Urs (Bears's Fur) - 4:00
3.  Mierea (The Honey) - 4:25
4.  Pestera (The Cavern) - 4:10
5.  Epiphania - 4:10
6.  Furtuna Cu Trup De Balour (Dragon Shaped Storm) - 4:54
7.  Calatorul Prin Nori (The Traveller Through Clouds) - 6:26
8.  Kogaion - 5:23
9.  Epilog (Epilogue) - 2:52
10.  Din Nou Acasa (Home Again) - 4:33
11.  Scufita Rosie (Little Red Riding Hood) - 2:58
12.  Fetele Albine (Little Bee-Girls) - 2:45
13.  Zmeul (The Kite) - 2:43


Companies, etc.

Credits

Notes
Released: 1979
Recorded 1978 at Tomis Studios, Bucharest 1978
Genre:  Prog Rock, Psychedelic Rock 
Length: 55:18

Label - Electrecord
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27 July 2020

Tjens Couter - Who Cares (1975)

De debuutplaat van Tjens Couter, het Oostendse duo waar later TC Matic uit zou ontstaan. Enfin, dat soort geschiedenisles hoef ik niet over te nemen, dat staat lang en breed geschreven en gedrukt in boeken van mensen die daar voor gestudeerd hebben. Voor de gewone muziekliefhebber blijft deze plaat ook belangrijk, omdat ze, samen met de ook al door Starman heruitgebrachte “Freckleface”-plaat, de muzikale roots van Arno illustreert. En die roots liggen, zoals bekend, bij de Blues en de R'n' B.
Tjens Couter moet een heel apart groepje geweest zijn: Arno was altijd al een buitenbeentje, als het op zingen en declameren aankomt, maar het is fraai om vast te stellen dat de beide heren elkaar op muzikaal vlak perfect aanvoelden en aanvulden. Paul Decoutere was veel meer gitarist dan zanger, zo blijkt nog maar eens, terwijl je uit de zang van Arno van toen al kon afleiden wat hij vandaag brengt. Al hoed ik mij ervoor om de geschiedenis te herschrijven vanuit de ervaring van het heden, natuurlijk, maar dat de pianoriedel van “The Javatrot” jaren later model zou staan voor het arrangement dat Arno bedacht voor Adamo's “Filles du Bord de Mer”, zal hij zelf allerminst ontkennen..
Soit: Paul De Couter kan een heel knap stukje sliden, Arno is -afgezien van z'n lichtjes geforceerde accent- een geweldige voordrachtkunstenaar en kan meer dan een beetje overweg met de mondharmonica, de sax van Jacky Eddyn in “Baby Make Me Feel Alright” rechtvaardigt op zich al de aanschaf van deze LP, die -en dat was toendertijd lang niet gebruikelijk- echt als één geheel geconsumeerd moet worden. Dit is dus geen verzameling singles, maar een echt muzikaal buffet, waarop de je basisingrediënten nog wel ziet liggen, maar dan wel in licht aangepaster en bewerkte versie. Er zitten hele lappen Beefheart en Stones in, de invloed van de oude bluesmeesters als Muddy Waters is onmiskenbaar, maar vooral hoor je een band, die -mede doordat Karel Bogard bij de opnames een flinke vinger in de pap had- een geheel eigen versie van de blues op ons losliet.
Tien nummers, waarvan alleen Willie Dixon's “Little Red Rooster” een cover is en de rest zelfgeschreven, dat is wat U op deze plaat te horen krijgt. Erg veel bekends staat daar niet tussen, toch niet voor mensen die de originele plaat of de CD-editie van een tijd terug niet in huis hebben. Dat belet echter niet, dat dit alweer een belangwekkende heruitgave is. Tjens Couter was als groep beter dan de som van de delen, zo blijkt en je kunt, nu bijna veertig jaar later, nog altijd het belang van die band niet overschatten: het duo stond aan de wieg van wat later een flink deel van onze nationale rocksound zou gaan bepalen. De basis kwam uit de USA en Engeland, maar Hintjens en De Couter hebben er een eigen twist aan gegeven, waar we tot op vandaag kunnen van genieten. Dankuwel dus, alweer, Starman ! En mag “Asking Myself All Day” misschien op CD-single? Het zal alleszins drempelverlagend werken voor onze nationale radio....


Track listing

1. You Give Me Reason To Live - 4:53
     Written-By – A. Hintjens, P. Decoutere
2. Little Red Rooster - 4:53
     Written-By – W. Dixon
3. Sometimes I Wonder - 4:19
     Written-By – P. Decoutere
4. Martha - 2:16
     Written-By – A. Hintjens, P. Decoutere
5. Sittin' In The Park - 2:52
     Written-By – A. Hintjens, P. Decoutere
6. Asking Myself All Day - 4:37
     Written-By – A. Hintjens, P. Decoutere
7. I'm On My Way - 6:18
     Written-By – A. Hintjens, P. Decoutere
8. Baby Make Me Feel Alright - 4:58
     Written-By – A. Hintjens, P. Decoutere
9. Long Long Time Ago - 3:32
     Written-By – P. Decoutere
10. The Javatrot - 2:45
      Written-By – A. Hintjens, P. Decoutere

Companies, etc.


Credits


Notes

Country:  Belgium
Released:  1975
Genre:  Rock, Blues
Style:  Blues Rock
Tijdsduur: 40:55

Label:  Dwarf Records
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26 July 2020

Paul Carrack - Groovin´ (2002)

Groovin' is the eighth solo studio album by the English singer-songwriter Paul Carrack, then a member of the supergroup Mike + The Mechanics. It was originally released in 2001 on Carrack's own Carrack-UK label.
This was Carrack's first all-covers album as a solo artist -- he had previously helped create a hard rock covers album as the front man of the ad hoc 1993 quasi-supergroup Spin 1ne 2wo.
  Groovin' has a different feel from that project, as this album features a selection of Carrack's favourite Motown, R&B and pop songs of the 1960s and early 70s.
 Carrack produced the album himself, and played virtually all of the instruments.

Carrack has selected 13 songs. You’ve heard all the tunes before, but you could not say who sung the original. That may be because Carrack’s voice is so familiar on all the songs. He has a perfect voice for singing. The album surprisingly permits a reference to a certain drummer who used to be the singer for a very big band. More on that later.

Paul does without computer-generated effects, which gives his album a well-grounded natural feeling. This flair makes the album also quite old at times. Groovin’ nevertheless is pumping with energy and a youthful relaxed openness. It’s a summer album, but it’s winter, isn’t it? Well, Paul himself explains in the booklet that he had the idea for this record in June when he was merrily singing at the window. So there.     
   
The CD begins with a kind of spring hit. Harvest For The World is an unspectactular but catchy number. The instrumentation reminds one of Did You See Me Coming from the latest Mechanics album. Paul links all the songs on the record by the selection of instruments. Except for the odd brass group here and there the basic instruments remain the same. Sunny – this song has been made a live classic by jazz-meister and comedian Helge Schneider. Paul’s version is, of course, very different, no jazz but solid pop-rock. But Paul sure knows how to play the jazz. Take, for example, Anyday Now, a song that really brings out the best in Carrack’s voice. It is quite possible that avid Collins fans will be reminded of a certain melody: Too Busy Thinkin’ Bout My Baby -

Sounds familiar? Phil covered it in 80’s style with a band called Manhattan Transfer. Paul’s version goes back beyond that and still sounds modern, perhaps a bit like Travis or Starsailor. This may be because many new bands abjure the clinical sound of the 80’s and avoid electronic escapades of the 90’s. The songs are becoming more musical again – which will certainly please Paul Carrack! In the middle of the album the music slows down a bit (e.g. on Cover Me and What Does It Take) which enhances the jazz feeling. For the finale, the record goes back to full power. Ain’t No Sunshine is a major gem on this album, and Groovin is a real summer morning hit. The last song offers a positive message that is probably more suited for winter: You’ve Got A Friend.

When you listen to the album you get the impression that Paul Carrack simply cannot release a bad record. Just like Satisfy My Soul, however, it lacks a smash hit. But then the album is a unity and Paul himself may see it as something relaxing between his other musical works. There are more difficult things to come, e.g. the new Mechanics release without Paul Young. Many songs will keep to hide their original performer – listing the composer does not do much in that way. It should also be mentioned that Paul Carrack recorded and produced the whole album himself. A tour through Germany would be the right thing to do. But we all know that Paul hardly leaves the isle so that there’s just one thing left to do: Groovin!

There are two versions of the CD currently available. A Special Edition features five Bonus Tracks.


Track listing

1. "Harvest for the World"  (The Isley Brothers, Chris Jasper) - 3:12
2. "Sunny"  (Bobby Hebb) - 3:19
3. "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby"  (Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong, Janie Bradford) - 3:17
4. "Crazy Love"  (Van Morrison) - 2:44
5. "Baby I Need Your Loving"  (Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Edward Holland, Jr.) - 2:51
6. "Walk On By"  (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) - 2:49
7. "What Does It Take"  (Harvey Fuqua, Johnny Bristol, Vernon Bullock) - 2:52
8. "Any Day Now"  (Bacharach, Bob Hilliard) - 3:40
9. "Cover Me"  (Eddie Hinton, Marlin Greene) - 2:56
10. "With You In Mind"  (Allen Toussaint) - 3:31
11. "Ain't No Sunshine"  (Bill Withers) - 2:29
12. "Groovin'"  (Felix Cavaliere, Eddie Brigati) - 2:44
13. "You've Got A Friend"  (Carole King) - 3:21

Bonus tracks on Still Groovin' (2002 re-release)
14. "Into The Mystic"  (Morrison) - 3:35
15. "People Get Ready"  (Curtis Mayfield) - 2:35
16. "Warm And Tender Love"  (Bobby Robinson, Ida Berger) - 3:17
17. "It's Growing"  (Smokey Robinson, Warren Moore) - 2:49
18. "I Wish It Would Rain"  (Whitfield, Strong, Rodger Penzabene) - 2:51


Credits

Notes
Released:  2001
Genre:  Pop, Blue Eyed Soul
Length:  55:51

Label - Carrack-UK 

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25 July 2020

Alice Cooper - Dirty Diamonds (2005)

Dirty Diamonds is the seventeenth solo studio album by Alice Cooper, released on July 4, 2005 internationally, and August 2 in the US.

When the big fat advances from big fat record companies dried up, Alice Cooper pared down his sound and came to terms with his inner garage on the nearly overdubless The Eyes of Alice Cooper. The album was worthy redemption from the big-money blandness of his mid-'80s recordings and a nice return to form after flirting with the industrial-flavored metal that defined his late-'90s material. Dirty Diamonds stays the course, and while it's not Killer or Love It to Death, it at least sounds like it's from the guy who was responsible for those classics. Fortunately, Alice is well aware of his age, and without teen angst as his focus, he turns to hedonism, sexy women, and sly, sicko humor played bar band style by one of the tightest crews he's ever fronted.
Delivered in an exaggerated Johnny Cash style, "I'm in jail in a Texas town/In my sister's wedding gown" opens the bizarre "The Saga of Jesse Jane," a tale of a trucker who drives his rig all night listening to Judy Garland. It's inspired, as is the cover of the Left Banke's "Pretty Ballerina" (harpsichord, flute, and all), the reckless party tune "Steal That Car," and the slinking "Six Hours," which smells a lot like Cooper during his Bob Ezrin heyday until the dramatic bridge comes along and makes the likeness uncanny.
The album is filled with surprises, but recalling his Flush the Fashion era with the robotic snarl on "Your Own Worst Enemy" takes the cake for Cooper fanatics. The catchy "Perfect" is a worthy single and the filler is clearly marked "bonus track."
Ending the album with the Southern-fried, horror show "Zombie Dance" would have made more sense, since "Stand" with rapper Xzibit -- lifted from Unity: The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games Album -- is silly and forced.
Those are traits the rest of this fine album avoids like they were poison, or for that matter, "Poison."


Track listing

1. "Woman of Mass Distraction" (Alice Cooper, Damon Johnson, Ryan Roxie, Chuck Garric, Rick Boston) - 3:59
2. "Perfect"  (Cooper, Johnson, Roxie) - 3:30
3. "You Make Me Wanna"  (Cooper, Roxie, Garric, Boston) - 3:30
4. "Dirty Diamonds"  (Cooper, Johnson, Garric, Boston) - 4:02
5. "The Saga of Jesse Jane"  (Cooper, Roxie) - 4:15
6. "Sunset Babies (All Got Rabies)"  (Cooper, Johnson, Roxie) - 3:28
7. "Pretty Ballerina"  (Michael Brown) - 3:01
8. "Run Down the Devil"  (Cooper, Mark Hudson, Mike Elizondo, Benji Hughes) - 3:29
9. "Steal That Car"  (Cooper, Johnson, Roxie, Garric) - 3:16
10. "Six Hours"  (Cooper, Roxie) - 3:24
11. "Your Own Worst Enemy"  (Cooper, Roxie) - 2:15
12. "Zombie Dance"  (Cooper, Roxie, Boston) - 4:27

Bonus Tracks
13. "Stand"  (Cooper, Boston, Bridget Benenate, Xzibit) - 4:04
14. "The Sharpest Pain"  (bonus track on Russian and Australian releases) (Cooper, Roxie) - 3:59


Companies, etc.
Credits
Notes
Released: July 4, 2005
Genre: Rock
Length: 46:46

Label - New West, Spitfire

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23 July 2020

David Sylvian - Brilliant Trees (1984)

Brilliant Trees is the first solo album by the British singer-songwriter David Sylvian, released in 1984.

Now free of his straining relationship within Japan, David Sylvian began to etch out his own eclectic spot within pop music in the 80's. He had already began flirting with distant musical influences on Japan's final album Tin Drum, but Brilliant Trees marked an even larger step towards the strange. Alongside an eye-opening set of collaborators (Holger Czukay of CAN fame, Ryuichi Sakamoto of YMO fame, acclaimed Zappa and Roxy Music producer Steve Nye), David brought in elements of jazz, funk and ambient music to create a varied yet incredibly punchy debut record which perfectly balanced the line between accessible and experimental.

Side A is noticeably catchier and more packed in terms of instrumentation; opener "Pulling Punches" throws in a slapped bassline alongside blasts of synths to create this groove-heavy banger grounded by Sylvian's impeccable vocal melodies. "Red Guitar" was a relatively big hit and understandably so, the track is filled with so much energy thanks to a jumpy piano line and a killer hook. The other cuts on this first half are slower ballads, but they further display the talents of each piece involved. The production and mixing shines so perfectly on "Nostalgia" where the whole moment is so well balanced and pleasant from the crisp drum hits to the soothing bed of synths that act as a perfect groundwork for Sylvian's gorgeous vocals and contemplative lyrics.

Whilst the second side is much more loose and experimental, it is no less grabbing. Here we have a stronger focus on textures and soundscapes which would become the backbone of his future work. I will say that these moments maybe drag on a little too long for me, but there's still a ton to enjoy, especially thanks to the interesting trumpet manipulations on "Weathered Wall" and "Brilliant Trees", and Ryuichi's ever-gorgeous synthesisers. We still do get incredible stand-out moments like the closer, which uses so little instrumentation compared to those first few tracks, yet it holds so much emotionality and tensity from what it has. That's just how incredible the individual talents shine through on this record and how well they mesh together.

Whilst David would continue down the path of making each record more ambitious than the last, this record has to be highlighted as a real feat within the world of pop music. Not only a one-of-a-kind listen, but a record that will have you coming back thanks to its power as a pop record.
Track listing

1. "Pulling Punches" - 5:02
2. "The Ink in the Well" - 4:30
3. "Nostalgia" - 5:41
4. "Red Guitar" - 5:09
5. "Weathered Wall" (Sylvian, Jon Hassell) - 5:44
6. "Backwaters" - 4:52
7. "Brilliant Trees" (Sylvian, Hassell) - 8:39


All tracks are written by David Sylvian, except as noted.
Personnel
Production
  • Yuka Fujii – photography
  • David Sylvian – producer for Klangfarben Productions, mixing assistant
  • Steve Nye – record producer for Klangfarben Productions, sound engineer, audio mixing
  • P. Williams – sound engineer, mixing assistant mixer
  • Nigel Walker – mixing tracks

Notes
Released: 25 June 1984
Recorded: 1983–1984, London, Berlin Studio Hansa Tonstudio, Berlin, Germany
Genre:  Art rock, avant-pop
Length: 39:37

Label - Virgin Records

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21 July 2020

Robert Palmer - Heavy Nova (1988)

Heavy Nova is the ninth studio album by English singer Robert Palmer, released in 1988. His first album for EMI Records after a 15-year association with Island Records (both with the band Vinegar Joe and as a solo artist), it followed Palmer's very successful album Riptide (1985).
Heavy Nova continued Palmer's popularity with the single "Simply Irresistible", which spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the United States. The name Heavy Nova derives from Palmer's love of both heavy metal and bossa nova rhythms.
The album was recorded at Logic Studios in Milan, Italy and Compass Point Studios in The Bahamas.

Heavy Nova is a mix of pop/rock and r&b done in a slightly quirky style thanks to some unique vocal arrangements and unusual rhythms. 
Why were so many people looking forward to hearing HEAVY NOVA? Partly because it was the first album he’d released in three years, but mostly because it was the follow-up to his hugely successful 1985 album RIPTIDE.
In other words, expectations for HEAVY NOVA were running pretty darned high, and Palmer knew it, so he did exactly what someone who wants to maintain as much of their new audience as they possibly can: he gave them a new album that wasn’t so terribly far removed from the previous album. Granted, that’s exactly the sort of thing that inspires rock critics to giddily begin sharpening their knives, but it’s also very much the sort of thing that tends to make an artist’s new fans happy, which is precisely what HEAVY NOVA did.
While it didn’t in any way find Palmer stepping outside his musical comfort zone, HEAVY NOVA nonetheless spawned three Hot 100 hits: “Tell Me I’m Not Dreaming” (#60), “Early in the Morning” (#19), and “Simply Irresistible,” which climbed all the way to #2, a feat which was aided immeasurably by the song’s video, the visuals of which borrowed heavily from “Addicted to Love.”


Track listing

1.  "Simply Irresistible" - 4:14
2.  "More Than Ever" - 3:25
3.  "Change His Ways" - 2:56
4.  "Disturbing Behaviour" - 3:45
5.  "Early in the Morning"  (Lonnie Simmons, Rudy Taylor, Charlie Wilson) - 4:42
6.  "It Could Happen to You"  (Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) - 2:32
7.  "She Makes My Day" - 4:23
8.  "Between Us" - 4:49
9.  "Casting a Spell" - 3:57
10.  "Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming"  (Michael Omartian, Bruce Sudano, Jay Gruska) - 3:46

All tracks written by Robert Palmer, except where noted.


 Personnel
  • Robert Palmer – lead and backing vocals
  • William Bryant – keyboards
  • Misha Schneider – keyboards
  • Jeff Bova – additional keyboards
  • Richard Gibbs – additional keyboards
  • Garth Hudson – accordion, additional keyboards
  • Tom "T-Bone" Wolk – accordion
  • Eddie Martinez – guitar
  • Dennis Budimir – additional guitar
  • John Grey – additional guitar, additional percussion
  • Frank Blair – bass
  • Barry "Sun John" Johnson – additional bass
  • Dony Wynn – drums
  • Ricky Fataar – additional drums
  • Dom Um Romão – percussion, additional backing vocals
  • Robyn Lobe – additional percussion
  • Chuck Findley – trumpet
  • Luka Belak – violin
  • Clare Fischer – strings
  • Rick Danko – additional backing vocals
  • B.J. Nelson – additional backing vocals
Production
  • Robert Palmer – producer, art direction
  • David Harper – executive producer
  • Richard Cobble – production coordinator
  • Tim Kramer – engineer
  • Bookie Epsie – assistant engineer
  • Scott Forman – assistant engineer
  • Roy Sweeting – assistant engineer
  • Eric Thorngren – mixing
  • Henry Marquez – design
  • Terence Donovan – photography
  • Tony Baglio – management
  • Pino Pischetola – management

Notes
Released: 22 June 1988
Recorded: 1987 Studio Logic Studios (Milan, Italy); Compass Point Studios (Nassau, The Bahamas)
Genre: Pop, Rock
Length: 38:29

Label - EMI, Manhattan

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18 July 2020

The Orb - Moonbuilding 2703 AD (2015)

A decade after they delivered Okie Dokie It's the Orb on Kompakt on...Kompakt, Alex Paterson and Thomas Fehlmann return to the stalwart Cologne label with an album bearing a less sportive title and it sounds like serious sci-fi business.
The standard edition consists of four tracks, each one between nine and 15 minutes in length. Not one of them is humorously titled "Captain Korma" or "Komplikation," unless "God's Mirrorball" triggers a recollection of the first Tad album. Unlike Okie Dokie, this is all new, not an amalgamation of tweaked, previously released tracks and new material.
Lest this be seen as the Orb's "most mature work to date," within seconds of the opener, a mild-mannered voice from a colorful documentary about Sumerian gods intones, "If you believe in evil, then you probably need a whack on the back of the neck with a big fucking stick." After four-and-a-half minutes of ambience that intensifies in gradual fashion, a fluid, sturdy beat and light chime-like accents enter to set the tone for the remainder of the 50-minute program. Both "God's Mirrorball" and "Moon Scapes" contain several sections that tug and drift with a calm but steady flow (one of Fehlmann's favorite terms).
The latter is heavier and more propulsive than the former, trucking dub techno filled with thrumming and thwacking drums and sections highlighted by electric keyboard fillips and string-sample flickers. The relatively brief "Lunar Caves" would be ideally suited for one of Kompakt's restful Pop Ambient compilations if it weren't for some radio interference and a couple intensely rhythmic components. The album's vinyl edition contains an explicit tribute to J Dilla, but "Moonbuilding 2703 AD" itself -- the finale -- acknowledges the genius producer as well, most obviously through the bit of Donald Byrd composition "Think Twice," once covered by Dilla, that pokes through.
As with the album's first two cuts, it incorporates several movements, yet it's hip-hop much more than techno and never fades into the background like a fusty Mo' Wax scrap.


Track listing

1.  "God’s Mirrorball" - 14:44
2.  "Moon Scapes – 2703 BC" - 14:40
3.  "Lunar Caves" - 9:16
4.  "Moonbuilding – 2703 AD" - 13:04

Japanese Version (Bonus Tracks)
5.  "Moon Quake 1" - 3:22
6.  "Moon Quake 3" - 2:14


 The Orb

Companies, etc.
Credits
Notes
Released:  22 June 2015
Genre:  Electronica, dub, IDM, chill-out, trip hop
Length: 57:25

Label - Kompakt

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16 July 2020

AC/DC - Fly On The Wall (1985)

Fly on the Wall is the tenth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on 28 June 1985 by Albert Productions, and Atlantic Records.

The sessions for Fly on the Wall took place in Montreux, Switzerland at Mountain Studios in late October 1984. Released on 28 June 1985, it was AC/DC's first album since the original Australian version of High Voltage not to include drummer Phil Rudd, who was replaced by Simon Wright (although Wright appeared in music videos for Flick of the Switch tracks), making it the first AC/DC album with all band members born in the UK.
It was the second and last album to be produced by band members. But in contrast to the preceding Flick of the Switch – produced by the band as a whole – Fly on the Wall was produced by guitarists Angus and Malcolm Young, who hoped to capture the rawness and simplicity of their early work in a time when pop-oriented glam metal had become popular. In a 1985 interview with Sky Channel for the Monsters of Rock show, Brian Johnson explained: "In my experience, the lads went in with a producer, but they were still really telling the lad what they wanted, so in a round-about way all it is an extra pair of ears. An expensive extra pair of ears."

Instead of issuing your usual run-of-the-mill video clips advertising your new album, AC/DC decided to try something a little different for their 1985 record, Fly on the Wall.
A storyline was created that would run through five of the album's songs, and while the story wasn't exactly on par with Citizen Kane (it centered around the band playing away at a city bar, while strange characters were introduced per song), it proved to be a rather original idea amidst the usual corny clips of the '80s.
The most popular video was for the mid-paced rocker "Danger" (which showed a sleazy photographer snooping around the band), which was played regularly on MTV's heavy metal programs.
Other clips included "Shake Your Foundations" (as the title hints, the band reduces the bar to rubble), and a rather embarrassing one for "Sink the Pink" (in which a disco dancer shimmy's away to AC/DC's thunderous heavy metal...come on!). Like their 1986 home video, Who Made Who, Fly on the Wall suffers from an all too short running time, but still manages to be enjoyable viewing.


Track listing

1.  "Fly on the Wall" - 3:44
2.  "Shake Your Foundations" - 4:10
3.  "First Blood" - 3:46
4.  "Danger" - 4:22
5.  "Sink the Pink" - 4:15
6.  "Playing with Girls" - 3:44
7.  "Stand Up" - 3:53
8.  "Hell or High Water" - 4:32
9.  "Back in Business" - 4:24
10.  "Send for the Man" - 3:36

All tracks are written by Malcolm Young, Angus Young and Brian Johnson.

Personnel
Credits
  • Produced by Angus and Malcolm Young
  • Mark Dearnley – engineer
  • Bob Defrin – art director
  • Todd Schorr – cover illustration
  • SMAY Vision - booklet design (reissue)
  • Ebet Roberts, George Bodnar, Barry Plummer - photography
Notes
Released: 28 June 1985 
Recorded: October 1984–February 1985, Mountain Studios, Montreux, Switzerland 
Genre: Hard rock 
Length: 40:30 

Label - Albert Productions, Atlantic Records 

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