history

THE KINKS Released Memorable Album ‘ARTHUR (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire)’ 50 Years Ago…

Posted on by JL

Classics from the past…

9 October 2019

50 years ago, on 10 October 1969, British legends THE KINKS released their seventh and one of their most memorable longplayers of their career with ARTHUR (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire). Singer/songwriter Ray Davies constructed the concept album as the soundtrack to a Granada Television play and developed the storyline with novelist Julian Mitchell but in the end the TV production never came about. The whole story’s main character was based on a certain Arthur Morgan, a London carpet-layer, actually, the Davies’ brothers brother-in-law who’s real name was Arthur Anning, who moved to Australia shortly after World War II. Despite being highly praised by the UK
and the US music press the LP was not a commercial success.

AllMusic wrote: “Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) extends the British-oriented themes of Village Green Preservation Society, telling the story of a London man’s decision to move to Australia during the aftermath of World War II… It’s a detailed and loving song cycle, capturing the minutiae of suburban life, the numbing effect of bureaucracy, and the horrors of war… The music makes the words cut deeper, and the songs never stray too far from the album’s subject, making Arthur one of the most effective concept albums in rock history, as well as one of the best and most influential British pop records of its era.”
Full review here. Score: 5/5

You certainly know this key track and single…

Album in full…
(Original tracklist: #1 – #10)

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THE KINKS: All Albums – Facebook


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THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN Released Their Third Album ‘AUTOMATIC’ 30 Years Ago…

Posted on by JL

9 October 2019

30 years ago, on 9 October 1989, Scottish fuzzy feedback legends THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN released their third longplayer ‘AUTOMATIC‘. The band was reduced to brothers William and Jim Reid assisted by a drum machine and a synthesizer replacing the bass guitar. The only other credited musician was Richard Thomas who joined the band as a drummer on tour. Although the critics had mixed feelings about the record’s production, in the long term ‘Automatic‘ became a fan’s favourite. With single ‘Head On‘ (later covered by Pixies) the duo even scored their most successful single in America so far back then. Overall it was one of their rockiest album ever.

Los Angeles Times wrote: “They might have hit it with their third album. The Jesus and Mary Chain still works the same few rock archetypes–blues, Velvet Underground two-chord rise and fall, Stooges grunge riffs, Ramones bubble-gum punk–and this time, the Reids really make it sing and surge and soar.“Automatic’s” power is its faith in simplicity and its inspiration is in the way it sabotages the structures it celebrates. William Reid approaches the guitar as a flamethrower, and by the end of the album he’s trashed the terrain in just about every track,” like the climactic shoot-out in an over-the-top apocalyptic battle movie. Full review here. Score: 4/5

The two singles…

– HEAD ON –

– BLUES FROM A GUN –

Album in full…
(original tracklist: #1 – #10)

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THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN: Facebook


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R.E.M. Released 9th Album ‘MONSTER’ 25 Years Ago…

Posted on by JL

27 September 2019

25 years ago today, on 27 September 1994, Athens legends R.E.M. released their ninth album MONSTER. After their highly accessible and triumphant longplayers Out Of Time (1991) and Automatic For The People (1992) the band went back to their rougher and more distorted sound of earlier days. Also lyrically the songs were far more personal and more complex than before. An overall captivating, fervid and vehement accomplishment. One of their best achievements.

ROLLING STONE wrote: ” ‘Monster’ is one urgent-sounding album, and that’s as it should be; what the band has to say here is urgent, politesse be damned. Monster is concerned, in song after song, with problems of identity. It explores how important having a stable sense of one’s own identity can be and how up for grabs identities have become in our postmodern media hothouse, where it’s possible to slip on a new persona as easily as a new look and couture can mean anything from Paris fashions to body piercing to a sex change. The concept of reality itself is being called into question: Is this my life or an incredible virtual simulation?”. Full review: here. Score: 4.5

All 5 Singles/clips…

– WHAT’S THE FREQUENCY KENNETH? –

– BANG AND BLAME –

– STRANGE CURRENCIES –

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– CRUSH WITH EYELINER –

– TONGUE –

Album in full…

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REM: Facebook

25 Years Ago MASSIVE ATTACK Released Their Second Longplayer ‘PROTECTION’…

Posted on by JL

26 September 2019

Trip-hop legends MASSIVE ATTACK released their second longplayer PROTECTION on
26 September 1994, 25 years ago. Although it seemed nearly impossible to match their groundbreaking debut classic Blue Lines this follow-up contained a series of significant tracks, enough to make it a critical and commercial success. The album peaked at #4 in the UK and #19 in the US.

AllMusic wrote: “Massive Attack’s sophomore effort could never be as stunning as Blue Lines, and a slight drop in production and songwriting quality made the comparisons easy. Still, from the first two songs Protection sounds worthy of their debut. The opening title track is pure excellence, with melancholy keyboards, throbbing acid lines, and fragmented beats perfectly complementing the transcendent vocals of Tracey Thorn… Tricky, another soon-to-be-solo performer, makes his breakout on this record, with blunted performances on “Karmacoma,” another highlight, as well as “Eurochild.” But even though the production is just as intriguing as on Blue Lines, there’s a bit lacking here. Massive Attack doesn’t summon quite the emotional power they did previously…” Full review here. Score: 4/5

Key tracks…

– KARMACOMA –
(My all-time fav MA track with vocals by Tricky)

– PROTECTION –
(Vocals by Tracey Thorn)

– SPYING GLASS –

Album in full…

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MASSIVE ATTACK: Facebook – All Albums

NIRVANA Topped The UK Albums Chart With Brilliant Album ‘IN UTERO’ 26 Years Ago Today…

Posted on by JL

25 September 2019

IN UTERO is definitely my favorite NIRVANA album because it showed more and more how the great late terribly troubled KURT COBAIN was evolved into a a fantastic high-quality singer/songwriter. The LP, their third and final one, was released on 21 September 1993. It topped the UK Albums Chart four days after its release, 26 years ago today. It also hit the top spot of The US Billboard charts.

Turn Up The Volume‘s highlights…

– HEART-SHAPED BOX –

– ALL APOLOGIES –

Studio version…

Unplugged version…

– RAPE ME –

Album in full…

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NIRVANA: Nirvana

GANG OF FOUR Released Their Influential Debut Album ‘ENTERTAINMENT!’ 40 Years Ago…

Posted on by JL

24 September 2019

Leeds‘ post-punk legends GANG OF FOUR released their ingenious and influential debut album ENTERTAINMENT! on 25 September 1979, 40 years ago. Their raw and snappy fusion of punk intensity, crepitating funk rhythms and spiky dub and their, lyrically, social and political criticism made them one of the most important groups of the late 1970s/early 1980s post-punk movement. ‘Entertainment!’ was ranked as fifth-greatest punk album of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine.

AllMusic wrote: “Entertainment! is one of those records where germs of influence can be traced through many genres and countless bands, both favorably and unfavorably. From groups whose awareness of genealogy spreads wide enough to openly acknowledge Gang of Four’s influence (Fugazi, Rage Against the Machine), to those not in touch with their ancestry enough to realize it (rap-metal, some indie rock) — all have appropriated elements of their forefathers’ trailblazing contribution. Its vaguely funky rhythmic twitch, its pungent, pointillistic guitar stoccados, and its spoken/shouted vocals have all been picked up by many.”
Full review here. Score: 5/5

Key tracks tracks: Ether / Damaged Goods / I Found That Essence Rare /
At Home He’s A Tourist / Love Like Anthrax

Album in full…

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GANG OF FOUR: Biography – All Albums – Facebook


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THE BAND Released Their Highly Praised Self-Titled Second Album 50 Years Ago Today…

Posted on by JL

22 September 2019

50 years ago today, on 22 September 1969, legendary Canadian-American roots rock
and country artists THE BAND released their self-titled second LP, also known as the
‘Brown Album‘. Although guitarist Robbie Roberston wrote or co-wrote all 12 songs
the grand final result was certainly a group achievement. Great musicians, several great singers, great composers performing great Americana songs about the past. The critics lauded the multifaceted longplayer and it peaked at #9 on the Billboard’s Pop Albums Chart.

ROLLING STONE wrote: “The Band were four-fifths Canadian – drummer Levon Helm was from Arkansas – but their second album is all American. Guitarist Robbie Robertson’s songs vividly evoke the country’s pioneer age (“Across the Great Divide”) and the Civil War (“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”), while reflecting the fractured state of the nation in the 1960s. The Band’s long life on the road resonates in the brawn of Garth Hudson’s keyboards and Helm’s juke-joint attack. But Robertson’s stories truly live in Helm’s growl, Rick Danko’s high tenor and Richard Manuel’s spectral croon. “Somebody once said he had a tear in his voice,” Helm said
of Manuel: “Richard had one of the richest-textured voices I’d ever heard.”

Here are two all time highlights (live versions taken from their famous final The Last Waltz concert – with the original line-up – in 1976 in San Francisco filmed by top director Martin Scorsese) …

– THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN –

– UP ON CRIPPLE CREEK –

Album – expanded version – in full here…
(Original tracklist #1 – #12)

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THE BAND: Biography


Back sleeve

Techno Tandem LEFTFIELD Released Their Second Album ‘RHYTHM AND STEALTH’ 20 Years Ago Today…

Posted on by JL

History

20 September 2019

LEFT

20 years today, on 20 September 1999, dance junks Neil Barnes and Paul Daley aka LEFTFIELD released their second LP ‘RHYTHM AND STEALTH’. Despite the fact that the critics (and me) loved the pair’s debut longplayer Leftism better – mostly because of its imposing guests artists (such as John Lydon and Toni Halliday) giving their debut an accessible and enlivening pop feel that the follow-up lacked – Rhythm and Stealth succeeded where Leftism failed as it topped the UK’s Album Chart thanks to a trio of stunning knockouts (see below).

PITCHFORK wrote: ” ‘Rhythm and Stealth’ is a case of too little too late. We’re clamoring for an album that these guys can’t deliver. In our overblown hopes for the salvation of rock, we chose the wrong candidates to deliver the debauchery, the rioting, and the risk that made listening to rock radio such a dirty illicit thrill. The starkly saddening thought is that there may not be anyone out there capable of making us wet ourselves with excitement. We may all be victims of overwhelming disappointment.” Full review here. Score: 6.3/10

Three striking highlights…

– DUSTED –

– AFRIKA SHOX –

– PHAT PLANET –

LEFTFIELD: Facebook

Album in full…

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left-

BOB DYLAN – 30 Years Ago Today The Legend’s Lauded ‘OH MERCY’ LP Came Out…

Posted on by JL

18 September 2019

OH MERCY, the 26th studio album by living legend BOB DYLAN was released 30 years
ago today, on 18th September 1989. Thanks to the creative collaboration with Canadian producer and singer/songwriter Daniel Lanois, the LP was positively lauded by the critics. The inventive Lanois matched Dylan‘s nasal voice with a perfect fitting sound and it seemed to inspire Mister Zimmerman to write a set of his best songs of the past decade. The album was, compared to several previous ones finally a new commercial success reaching No.  30
on the Billboard charts in the United States and No.  6 in the UK.

ROLLING STONE wrote at the time: “Oh Mercy explores moral concerns and matters of the heart with a depth and seriousness Dylan has not demonstrated since ‘Desire’… ‘Oh Mercy’ can perhaps best be thought of as a collaboration between Dylan and producer Daniel Lanois… He hooked Dylan up with members of the Nevilles’ band — guitarist Brian Stoltz, bassist Tony Hall, drummer Willie Green and percussionist Cyril Neville — and fashioned evocative, atmospheric soundscapes that elicit every nuance of meaning from Dylan’s songs while never overwhelming them.” Full review here. Score: 4/5

Turn Up The Volume‘s favourite tracks: Where Teardrops Fall / Everything Is Broken /
Man In The long Black Coat / Most Of The Time

Album in full…

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BOB DYLAN: Facebook – All Albums


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IAN McCULLOCH Released His Heartfelt And Mourning Debut Solo Longplayer ‘CANDLELAND’ 30 Years Ago Today…

Posted on by JL

17 September 2019

IAN

IAN McCULLOCH, the soul-touching, eminent songwriter and unique voice of Echo &
The Bunnymen released his debut solo LP titled CANDLELAND this day 30 years ago,
on 17 September 1989. Overall a very emotional and grieving album as McCulloch lost his beloved father, who he was very close with, and The Bunnymen‘s awesome drummer Pete De Freitas only a few months before the record’s release. Most of the songs are heartfelt little gems sung by a vulnerable, yet ingenuous vox looking to process his distressing grief and continue his life without those unforgettable important persons. Gripping sensibility.

The album reached number 18 on the UK Albums Chart.

ALL MUSIC wrote: “Ian McCulloch’s first solo LP represents his most accomplished work
since the 1984 Echo and the Bunnymen masterpiece ‘Ocean Rain’ haunted by the recent
deaths of the singer’s father as well as Bunnymen drummer Pete DeFreitas, Candleland is
a poignant yet ultimately triumphant album which probes not only themes of loss but also rebirth. McCulloch’s expressive vocals and impassioned lyrics recall past glories, but also tap newfound reserves of maturity and introspection.” Full review here . Score: 4,5/5

Three (of the many) highlights…

– PROUD TO FALL –

– THE FLICKERING WALL –

– FAITH AND HEALING –

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Album (expanded version) in full…

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IAN McCULLOCH: Facebook


One of the best voices/singer-songwriters/performers of all time in my book