Telepathic Surgery began life as a concept album; the band initially set out to create a 30-minute sound collage.
The plan was later scrapped; however, the remnants of this original
idea are evident within the album's loose, meandering structure and the
epic "Hell's Angel's Cracker Factory". The album is named after a line
from the Flaming Lips song "Chrome Plated Suicide".
"Chrome Plated Suicide" stands out as one of the group's most accomplished early recordings, possibly due to being based on Guns N' Roses' critically acclaimed "Sweet Child o' Mine".
Sub Pop asked the group to record "Drug Machine in Heaven" for their
'single of the month' series. It was retitled as "Drug Machine" and is
the group's first official single. The 'A-side' was backed with
"Strychnine/What's So Funny (About Peace, Love and Understanding)", a
cover of "Strychnine" by The Sonics and "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" by Brinsley Schwarz, but based on the Elvis Costello and the Attractions cover version.
Similar to many albums of its time, the CD release of Telepathic Surgery had a track listing differing from its LP
release due to the time restraints of a single vinyl LP. Extra tracks
on CD versions were "Fryin' Up" and "Hell's Angel's Cracker Factory",
which are included in between "Miracle on 42nd Street and "U.F.O.
Story". [source]
That sums it up. I really love the sound of early Lips records, even if Allmusic doesn't. This record was repressed in 2005 in blue vinyl and again on black vinyl in 2018. I have the original US pressing, which might be hard to find.
It's very difficult to track down original pressings of early Flaming Lips records, and when I do find one, they are ridiculously expensive. As a result, this record is a 2005 limited edition re-issue on clear vinyl. I'd like an original, but there are other pressing needs. I love this band immensely. I went to their free concert at NXNE in Toronto a few years back and loved it.
For some inexplicable reason, The Fixx decided to re-record Red Skies. I simply do not understand that decision. In any case, this record contains four new studio tracks, including the aforementioned Red Skies. The remainder of the tracks are live songs recorded in Canada (yay) in 1986. The record is OK. It doesn't light any fires but at least it's not boring.
In 1988, The Fixx released Calm Animals without producer Rupert Hine. They struck out on a new direction with a new record label. I haven't heard the record and I recall that the reviews were not positive. They left the RCA after only one record. The Fixx released several records after Calm Animals but I haven't heard anything from any of them.
The reviews of this record were somewhat less enthusiastic than the reviews of the first three records. I have to agree that this record is not quite as good as the previous records. Having said that, there are some gems on this record, like Secret Separation. The guitar hook in that song is genius. I think Rupert Hine did a good job on outing number four for the band.
The Fixx once again brought back Rupert Hine for album number three, with great results. There are a number of solid tracks on this record, including Are We Ourselves?, perhaps the most well-known track. This is a really fine record.
This record, despite being a bootleg, has pretty good sound. It was recorded at My Father's Place in Roslyn, New York. There are six tracks: Cameras In Paris, I Found You, Stand Or Fall, Reach The Beach, Lost Planes, and Red Skies. The packaging is either brilliant or awful. It comes in a stamped manila folder, so the "file under" makes sense, but it really doesn't cause any excitement. In fact, it leads one to believe that what's inside is boring. I have another of these File Under bootlegs from another band, but that is for another year :) I often look at discogs.com to see prices. For this release, there is no sales history, but there are three copies for sale now for $17, $25, and £29.99 each, plus shipping. I think that's a bit high.
The second Fixx record contains what is probably the band's biggest hit, One Thing Leads to Another. This is yet another song that I have heard way too often. I am still tired of it, and so I prefer other Fixx songs better, like Saved by Zero, which I think is fabulous. Rupert Hine was brought back in for Reach the Beach, and I would say that he did an admirable job.
"Red or blue, what's the difference" Stand or Fall - The Fixx
The Fixx is another group well worth investigating, especially for fans of Rupert Hine. But, if you are a Hine fan, you would already know about this London band. The Fixx were (are, I guess) a really great pop band that never quite made it big. I suppose the thing that kept them interesting was the fact that they didn't sell out, at least not right away. The first record -- Shuttered Room -- had two big hits: Stand or Fall and Red Skies at Night. These are both catchy tunes that received a lot of airplay (on the radio stations that I was listening to) way back when.
Stand or Fall is a really strong political tune, and perhaps the band's best song.
Crying parents tell their children
If you survive, don't do as we did
A son exclaims there'll be nothing to do to
Her daughter says she'll be dead with you
While foreign affairs are screwing us rotten
Line morale has hit rock bottom
Dying embers stand forgotten
Talks of peace were being trodden
-----
An empty face reflects extinction
Ugly scars divide the nation
Desecrate the population
There will be no exaltation
I'd say that these are strong lyrics reflecting the cold-war era 80s.
Mean Business is not as good as the debut record from The Firm, but that is so often the case. It's really great to hear Jimmy's guitar, but they probably should have stopped after the first record.
The Firm is proof that a supergroup is not necessarily greater than the sum of its parts. Here we have Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, Paul Rodgers of Free and Bad Company, Chris Slade of Uriah Heap, Manfred Mann, and AC/DC, plus Tony Franklin, the fretless bass player who has worked with a number of artists like Roy Harper. The first self-titled album, despite what the critics said at the time is pretty good, but it is not super. There are some good tracks, though, and the whole thing is quite enjoyable. I remember thinking that it was great to hear Jimmy Page again playing the guitar.
For some truly bizarre reason, they chose to cover You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling. That's a fail. In the H section, we will come to a much better cover of that song.
Unlike the previous Craig Finn record, I was able to find a copy of this LP in a local record shop. Last time, I had to Amazon-it, which isn't the end of the world, but I think I would rather support a local business. I'm enjoying Craig's solo records very much. I appreciate that his solo material does not sound like The Hold Steady. I would like to see a new record from his band, but these solo LPs are really great.
I ordered this record a couple of months back from a major online retailer, and it has not yet been shipped. So, I guess it's not really in the mail. It might be in a warehouse. I guess I will have to update this post when it arrives.
Update:
I received a message from Amazon on December 21st that said: "We're still trying to obtain the following item[s] you ordered..." And then,
"Still want it? We'll keep on trying. You'll still be able to cancel at any time before we ship it. If you want to cancel the item now, please click the link below:"
I decided to wait. Bizarrely, less than two days latter, I received the following message: "Your Amazon.ca order of "Faith In The Future (Vinyl)" has shipped!"
Now, that is weird.
I am happy to report that I like the record very much. Solo Craig does not sound like another Hold Steady record, but of course there are elements that are reminiscent. This is a much subtler and more introspective record.
By the way, I did my best to find a copy in one of my local independent record shops, but I failed. I opted not to order a copy from Pledge, because the price was a bit high. I chose Amazon because I had a coupon, meaning that the record was under $15. That was a steal.
Craig Finn is the lead singer of the best rock band in America. He has released three solo records, Clear Heart Full Eyes, Faith In The Future, and We All Want the Same Things. Finn's solo work is mellow, compared with the Hold Steady. And, that's fine with me, even if there are countryish elements throughout. I wonder if that's because it was recorded in Texas. I'm not even sure I wanted to hear something like the Hold Steady. After all, why do a solo record if it's just going to sound like your main gig?
A change in record labels seems to have ushered in a bit of a change in sound. There are more beats here, and less of a punk sound that described the first record, as you can hear below. The Beat Escape, in places, reminds me of Shriekback. It's a pretty good record and I like the cover design.
The curious thing about this record is the jacket. Both the front and rear covers are perforated so that one can separate the segments and use them as postcards. I have no idea who would want to do that. I guess if you have 12 friends and you ran out of postcards, these would be a good substitute. You will note, however, that this copy is a promo, and so it has a giant white label on the front, thereby undermining the point of the jacket.
In a similar vein, I have a copy of Beck's The Information on CD and it allows owners to use the supplied stickers to create you a custom cover on the almost blank white insert. I did not do that.
And, all of that brings me to the issue of writing on records. My sister always wrote her name followed by "record #___" on the jacket and inner sleeve of all of her records. She did the same for 45RPM 7" singles, adding her name to the sleeve and record label. In the early days, she convinced me to do the same, and I still have a few records with my name scrawled on them. I abandoned that practice when I decided that I didn't want to deface my records any longer.
A person I worked with used to do the same, and he told me that he was in some sort of thrift store, and he saw a pile of records that he used to own with his name on them. I have never seen any of my former records that had my name on them anywhere.
Generally, I refuse to buy a used record if someone has scribbled their name on it. But, I do have a few items with a name written inside the outer sleeve, which is less objectionable. I knew someone who used to affix return address labels to the front cover and to the labels. That is obnoxious. I have clear memories of finding near mint records for excellent prices that I passed on buy simply because some guy put his name on it.
Oddly, this might have helped me back-in-the-day. I lent a few records while living in residence at university and I never got them back. If my name had been on the covers, I might have gotten those back.
Anyway, back to Fingerprintz. I would say that the record has a more polished sound than the first, and I would argue also that this is a bad thing, despite the fact that the music is still great. The most recognizable track from this album is Bulletproof Heart. There is a live clip on youtube, but the uploader has prevented it from being embedded.
This is a 12" UK pressing of Dancing With Myself on green vinyl. The flip-side contains Sean's New Shoes and Sync Unit. It shares the title with that other track of the same name from Generation X (also performed by Billy Idol on his solo debut), but the songs are quite different. I would say that the Gen X song is better.
By the way, I haven't been to a dance club in some time, but there were some people (men and women) who would take to the dance floor by themselves (myself included) back in the day. It's true, though I would never do that now.
I bought a lot of music in 1979, even as a young boy. It was a year of musical awakenings with bands like Pink Floyd, the Clash, etc. My musical tastes ranged from a bit of prog, to pop, to punk, to new wave (or post-punk, if you prefer). Fingerprintz fit nicely into the new wave genre. I think I bought it after hearing the track Wet Job, though there are better tracks on the record.
Despite being new wave, there is a punk aesthetic on the record and the sound is edgier than on subsequent releases. The only weak point is the track Beam Me Up Scotty, which ought to be a great track, based on the title alone, but it turns out to be a major disappointment.
Our friends at Allmusic say:
"Formed by Scottish-born singer/guitarist Jimmie O'Neill in 1978, the 'Printz
slowed down punk's careening guitar rock, adding clever, rhythmic
twists and turns, and offering up deftly written stories about lust,
angst, and urban desolation." [source]
Once again, and inexplicably, I might add, the original UK pressing was entitled The Very Dab and it had a slightly different song selection, leaving out Dancing with Myself, for example but adding some others, like Sean's New Shoes, a really infectious instrumental.
I don't know if this band ever made any videos, but i can't find any on Youtubes. I did find this live clip of Wet Job.
I'm not sure how to describe Film School, other than to say that they sound like indie pop crossed with elements of shoegaze. Parts of this record sound really dreamy, while other parts sound like pure pop. At times it has a slight Pixies feel (like the opening of Waiting) and at other times, I think of Lush. It's not a bad record, but it's a bit too vanilla in some ways.
For some reason, the only vinyl copy of this record was pressed on clear vinyl.
There have been two vinyl pressings of this, the second album from Field Music. The first was in 2007, and the second happened in 2017. I have the latter, which was pressed on yellow vinyl, in a limited edition of ? copies. The notes say: "Released for Record Store Day 2017. Back on LP for the first time since its original pressing in 2007, on limited edition 180g yellow vinyl." I wish they would tell us how many copies were pressed.
There is a limited edition of this record that was pressed on purple (or pumb) vinyl. I have the standard black vinyl release. By the time I had bought it, the company that provided the MP3 downloads was out of business, so I was never able to download the files, despite sending email messages to various parties concerned. They simply ignored me.
I really don't know too much about this band. I don't think you'd be wrong to think that there was an XTC influence here. At times, I am also reminded of the Beatles and even Wolf Parade. It's a curious record, at first not entirely accessible, but it really grew on me and I find the music to be very interesting.
Here we have some Scottish new wave music. It's Scottish and it's new wave, so it's cannot be crap, but there are far better songs by Fiction Factory out there (Feels Like Heaven, for example) and there are far better Scottish new wave bands out there too (Simple Minds, Orange Juice).
This is a UK 12" with two versions of Not the Only One (Extended Mix and the so-called "Mix" Mix) plus a tune called Let Me Be a Part of It.
Update: I have removed this record from my collection.
Many people dismiss the final two Roxy Music records as lesser Roxy efforts, but to me, they are fabulous. Boys and Girls carries on the atmosphere of the last two LPs quite well, and I think it works. In our modern hyper-politically-correct era, some people would probably interpret the samba rhythms of Slave to Love as cultural appropriation. It seems that the idea of appreciating other cultures is foreign to the regressive left. Recently, there was an article that argued that we (and it's clear the author meant "white people") should not even eat ethnic food! I am growing tired of the fascism of the left, and I include here its aggressive attempts to suppress free speech when it comes to criticism of religion, but I am straying from the point. I should have put a trigger warning at the top of this post so as to warn potential readers that they might be offended.
This album drifts a bit into the middle of the road, but, on balance it's very good, and it reminds me somewhat of Avalon and Flesh and Blood.
Bryan Ferry, the voice behind Roxy Music, has released a good number of solo records. Generally, he includes lots of cover versions. On this record, he wrote about half of the tracks. The best known tracks is probably the title track, written by Wilbert Harrison. It's pretty darned good, but it ain't Roxy Music.
Fennesz, who hails from Austria (I guess Falco is not the only musical export) is either glitch, experimental, ambient, or all three at once. He has released tons of music that most people have never heard. I like this record immensely. The music is dazzling.
This record, known as You Know Faust or You Know Us (on the record labels), is stylized on Wikipedia as You Know FaUSt. In actual fact, the record cover uses a different coloured font for the US part, like Faust. In any event, this was the band's 6th record. The album had CD releases in the UK, US, and Germany, where it was also pressed on vinyl.
Faust is a Krautrock band. Perhaps I should have written that Faust is a legendary Krautrock band. Krautrock refers to a form of music that came out of Germany in the late 1960s. Wikipedia says this:
"Largely divorced from the traditional blues and rock and roll influences of British and American rock music up to that time, the period contributed to the evolution of electronic music and ambient music as well as the birth of post-punk, alternative rock and new-age music. Key artists associated with the tag include Can, Amon Düül II, Ash Ra Tempel, Faust, Popol Vuh, Cluster, Harmonia, Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Neu!, and Kraftwerk." [source]
We will encounter more of this music as I move ever so slowly down the alphabet of my collection. (Sadly, all of my Can albums are on CD). Obviously, Faust IV is the fourth record from the band. It took 21 years for a further album to be released. The title track, incidentally entitled Krautrock, is a work of absolute genius. Just relax, and listen to this amazing piece of music, below. The entire record doesn't sound like this, as evidenced by tracks such as The Sad Skinhead.
Some Faust fans refer to this record as a sell-out, noting that that band had lost an edge. I still think this is a great record.
There's nothing quite like getting a new LP from Father John. I've had this a short time, so I won't say much beyond the fact that I like it, of course.
I just got this, so I haven't had much time to really get into it, but I can tell you that I think it's great, like all of his records. Maybe I will add something in the future. But, how about these lyrics from the title track?:
Oh, their religions are the best
They worship themselves yet they're totally obsessed
With risen zombies, celestial virgins, magic tricks, these unbelievable outfits
And they get terribly upset
When you question their sacred texts
Written by woman-hating epileptics
In what can only be described as a packaging fail, the first pressing, on tricoloured vinyl, were pretty much all warped by the time of purchase. The Dioramic Meta-Musical Funtime gatefold jacket was to blame. When the gatefold jacket is opened, the included midi player plays part of the opening track. But that piece of metal ruined one of both of the LPs inside the jacket.
That reminds me of a birthday card my daughter received almost three years ago. When you open it now, I lets out a warped, aching, and somewhat heartbreaking sound that reminds us of its earlier glory:
Every girl can be a princess, any dream can be
Close your eyes and see
A magic wand and soon you've gone
From just you to royalty
The record company sent out replacements with an apology letter. I have to say that, despite the visual appeal of non-black vinyl, I prefer black vinyl, which is why I own the standard black vinyl pressing of this record.
Bizarrely, this album was also released on cassette! Here we are in the early twentieth century releasing cassettes again! Have we learned nothing?
Father John Misty, otherwise known as Joshua Michael Tillman or J. Tillman, was the drummer for Fleet Foxes until 2012. He has also had a fairly successful solo career, starting in 2003, but this is his first record under his new moniker.
I think this is a really fine record with a bunch of great songs. I like them all, with one exception: Well, You Can Do It Without Me. The track starts off well enough and I like parts of it, but the distorted screaming really is off putting. It's grating and I just can't understand why it was recorded this way. Maybe it was a mistake? It destroys what would have been a good song. I don't often use the word hate, but I hate it.
Who could have ever thought that the bassist from the inoffensive and somewhat vanilla Housemartins would end up on the leading edge of Brit-Hop? It's a radical departure and yet it seems to work.
It's likely that most people are more familiar with Rockafeller Skank and Weapon of Choice, the video of which features Christopher Walken. Anyway, this UK 12" single contains four mixes of Champion Sound. Here is the official video for the single.
Of course, you know Der Kommissar, from this, Falco's debut 1982 record. Everyone does. Falco's other big hit, which is not on this record, is the inferior Rock Me Amadeus from 1986. Evidently, Falco is Austria's biggest musical export. What I didn't know, until I looked for some biographical information, is that he was a classically-trained child prodigy. So, Einzelhaft, apparently translates to solitary confinement. I learned something else today. On Reddit, I would have to say TIL. The truth is that the rest of the record is uninteresting and yet there are a surprising number of videos from the record. I guess the fans at home really liked Falco. I am not sure he translated too well across the ocean.
The odd thing is that I never knew that Falco had died until recently, when I was discussing this record with C. He died at age 41 in an automobile accident, just as he was planning a comeback.
A Child's Adventure is a lesser Marianne Faithfull record in her uneven recording career. Oddly, her output seems to have improved towards the end of the 80s. This record is totally unremarkable, though I am sure others will disagree.
Update: I have removed this record from my collection.
This is a reunion show from 1981, recorded a couple of years after the group disbanded. It's hard to find clips from this concert on Youtube that are not banned in Canada. This folk-rock band had its origins in the late 1960s. For me, this band is memorable for bringing us Richard Thompson, someone whose solo work I like far more that the stuff he did with Fairport. Sometimes, I think I should remove this record from my collection.
This is jazz-funk Fagen, spread over three sides of clear vinyl. It's a truly great record with lots of rhythms and grooves.
My copy is the USA and Canada pressing, which, for some reason, was pressed in Holland, though the jacket says it was printed in Canada. Anyway, what's interesting are the current prices. The recent median sale price on Discogs is about $50. Copies for sale range from about $50 to $85 Canadian. I recently saw a copy for sale in a local store for $68. I paid far less.
When I first heard the record, I was kind of stopped in my tracks when Out of the Ghetto came on. I'm not sure that a white guy should be permitted to sing Isaac Hayes' Out of the Ghetto. Fagen does a good job, but it made me wonder. Imagine a white guy singing these lyrics:
You've come a long way baby,
From wealth and food stamp lines,
You're moving on up,
And leaving poverty behind.
And this:
You've had a good education,
And seen the best of the schools,
But when you take a drink,
The ghetto comes out of you.
And, them, the chorus, or part of it:
I took you out of the ghetto
But I could not get that ghetto out of you.
It sounds like la mission civilisatrice to me. Again, can a white guy sing these lyrics?
When we go to the disco,
You drive the fellas wild,
When you shake your booty,
Ghetto style.
You're a hunk of raw sugar,
Got some real sweet hips,
Your love, your love, your love,
Is like a honey drip.
I have no answer. But maybe I reading too much. After all, the tracks ends this way,
Ghetto mamma, don't you change,
Ghetto mamma, stay the same.
Maybe it's simply cultural appropriation to sing lyrics written by a black man. That's what the virtue signallers these days might say. Add it to the list of things we can't do: yoga, eat ethnic food, and wear clothing originating in another culture.
In the end, it can't top Isaac's version. Anyway, I really like this record.
I suppose an apt description of Donald Fagen would be to call him half of Steely Dan. The other half, of course, was Walter Becker.
Despite having heard a number of fairly decent Steely Dan tunes over the years, I ignored many friends who went on and on about how great they were. I knew a guy who managed to bring up Steely Dan as often as some guys referred to their sex lives. I was more interested in Bauhaus and Joy Division and the Cure. Fast forward a couple of decades, and I had found an appreciation for them.
Even while ignoring the constant refrains to listen to Steely Dan, I became a Donald Fagen fan, mostly because of Pete, who lent me a copy of this record on cassette way back when. I liked it immediately and bought a copy on CD. Later, I found a vinyl copy at a great price. The Nightfly, Donald Fagen's first true solo record, is brilliant and as interesting as Steely Dan.
I suppose you could look at this record as a pre-Steely Dan record, coming, as it did, about a year prior to the first Steely Dan record. Sadly, it's not as good as Steely Dan, though there are hints. People have to start somewhere. You Gotta Walk It Like You Talk It (Or You'll Lose That Beat) is a comedy-drama, what we would now call a dramedy. I have never seen this film, described as a low budget outing. in any case, the record is probably only of interest to Dan fans. like me. Others might not get it.
The best thing about this record is the second track, Collapsing New People, which features Einstürzende Neubauten, a name that translates to Collapsing New Buildings. I love this track immensely. Allmusic gave this record only 2 stars, which is a minor tragedy.
Think Pink is filled with funny and amusing songs that all have great energy and pace. Although I like Mirror Stars well enough, to me, Think Pink seems better overall. I have a hard time believing that the Fab Poos didn't make it big with this record. It's really too bad that they didn't make any videos (or none that I know of). I think that might have helped.
I once played the track entitled Anna Rexia for a woman in my university residence, after which she told me that she once suffered from anorexia. Oops. She seemed to forgive me.
"Anna! Anna! Anna! Anna!
That little girl's got a prepossessing manner
Anna! Anna! Anna! Anna!
I'm makin' love to a bagful of spanners
Every day she's gettin' thinner and thinner
She won't touch a bite of her dinner
She used to be my one and only
Now she's even thinner than a Bony Maroney!"
I have to say, though, that this is one of those records that I heard way too often. My sister had a copy, which she later sold, but during the time she had it, it was on the spin too many times. Some years later, I dug this up in a record bin for a good price, and couldn't resist picking it up.
The first time I heard this band was the Think Pink record, and I couldn't discern if it was a joke or not. At the time, I had no idea if there were any other records by the band. Somewhat surprisingly, it was difficult to know what other records bands had released. If you were lucky, you might get to look at that massive book some records stores had that listed the records. Of course, it excluded bootlegs and I think some imports. Usually, you just had to keep flipping through the record bins to see if you could find anything new. It was thrill to see something you hadn't seen before. This explains why so many people would travel to different and distant record stores, in the hopes of finding something they knew existed or something they had never seen before.
So, The Fabulous Poodles came on my radar in 1979, the year after Mirror Stars was released. I had no idea, until a couple of days ago, that this record was produced by John Entwistle.This record is OK, but I prefer the follow-up.
I recently dropped my phone, so all of my photos on my phone like this album cover.
Explosions In The Sky is an instrumental post-rock band from Austin. They are fabulous. I have a number of their CDs as well. I suppose the closest bands to them in style are Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Mogwai, both of which are coming up.
I think it's fair to say that some people find the sound of Exhaust to be grating, but I like it very much. This is as good as the first record. I like it.
I'm a big fan of Constellation Records out of Montreal. You wouldn't go wrong with anything they have ever released.
Exhaust features Adrian Girt, of 1-Speed Bike and Godpseed You! Black Emperor, plus Gordon Krieger, who has played with Set Fire to Flames and Molasses, and Mike Zabitsky, who also spent some time with Set Fire to Flames. Allmusic's description of this record is quite interesting:
"The self-titled Constellation Records debut by Exhaust embodies the sound of squatting in an anarcho-socialist warehouse commune in Montreal's arty/industrial Mile-End district surrounded by French-speaking philosopher/musicians with revolution on their minds and time on their hands."
Allmusic goes on to say this: "Much of their live-to-four-track recordings have been electronically
manipulated during mixdown to evoke an aura of experimental dub and an
attendant cinematic mystery that conjures the urban setting of their
creations. The drumming is minimalist and crudely recorded, as if from a single
microphone set up in a storm drain, yet front and center, directing each
piece, while menacing tape loops of agitprop speeches, street
conversations, film dialog, and eerie wails permeate the mix, and all of
this is anchored by depth-charge bass drones and the moaning of the
clarinet." [link]
I don't think this is wild hyperbole. I think this is probably an accurate description.
I have a ton of CDs from this record label, including everything GY!BE ever released.
"The music throughout is sublime, the sound extraordinary, the arrangements inspired, and Russell Pollard's
lyrics capture the style of the past while feeling as fresh as today.
Classic sounds make for a classic album, which is precisely what Ghost Notes is" [source]
Overall, this is a mellowish record with a very polished and warm vintage sound. It's difficult to describe. I guess you might call it hipster-indie, with a bit of edgy folk. At first, the record left me feeling indifferent, but it really grew on me.
Evans the death is an indie pop band from London, UK. To me, the lead singer - Katherine Whitaker - sounds a bit like Debbie Harry and at times reminds me of Chrissie Hynde. The music offers a mix of shoegaze crossed with the Smiths or maybe even the Pixies. I am also reminded of Elastica, a little bit anyway. Together, it's an interesting package and worth checking out.
In hindsight, it's obvious that the band could not continue after this record. Ten years later, they released the adult contemporary, Peace, but We Too Are One should have been the last record. Don't Ask Me Why (not the Billy Joel song) is a pleasant enough tune, but it was clear that the early synth sound was never coming back and that they would never recapture past glories. All good things must pass. Annie set out on her solo career, but I was not interested in that at all, and I only know the songs that might have made it to the radio.
I had lost pretty much all interest in the Eurythmics by this point. Savage is a weak record. On this, Allmusic agrees with me, arguing that this record confirmed the band's decline. I don't mind some of the tracks. For example, Beethoven (I Love to Listen To) and, maybe Heaven, are not too bad. By this time, Annie Lennox was bigger than the band itself and it seemed clear that she was heading for solo territory, but maybe that is hindsight talking.
For me, the classic Eurythmics period ended with this record. There are "hits" on this record that are middle-of-the-road and boring, like Would I Lie to You?, Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves, and It's Alright - (Baby's Coming Back). The only song that really interests me is There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart), and that is pushing it. If they were looking for a commercial record filled with pop songs, they succeeded. It works as background music or for when your parents come over for dinner and you want something not too offensive.
Here Comes the Rain Again is a great song with a really great video. This is another band that seemed to thrive in the MTV world. They were
able to craft compelling videos, which probably helped with records
sales and attracting fans.
Some of the remainder of the record I find to be a little pedestrian. Who's That Girl? does little for me and neither does Right By Your Side. One gets the nagging feeling that the band was fleeing for more commercial territory and abandoning the early sound. This scenario has been played out with so many bands, it's almost as though this is inevitable.
I remember listening to an interview with Annie Lennox in which she emphasized that the band's name was Eurythmics, not The Eurythmics. I suppose it is a subtle difference, but, it sounds a bit awkward without the definite article. And, I find myself referring to the band as The Eurythmics rather than the preferred name. Oh well.
This record is best known for two tracks in particular, Love is a Stranger and the title track. The title track was played very often after it was released. It's probably safe to say that I heard Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) far too many times. If you add to this the fact that my friend sang it loudly every time it came on the radio, it made it worse. Still, the song has aged well, and I still believe it to be a good song. And, I can still appreciate Love is a Stranger.
