It turns out my alphabetical archive is a bit top-heavy. Here are the rest of the album reviews I wrote at school and university, without a slightly older me to fill in the gaps any more. If only I'd delayed getting a real job for another year, I might have made it to Z. Or possibly starved to death.
Reviews of albums from bands in the second half of the alphabet written for dooyoo.co.uk from 2001–2007. Offspring reviews sold separately.
N
Spaced Out: The Very Best of Leonard Nimoy & William Sharner
I Am Not Spock, Dammit
**
Written on 14.08.06
Leonard Nimoy is not Spock.
‘That’s right, I Am Not Spock,’ he protested in his 1970s autobiography, adding, ‘unless someone is offering me money to cash in on that character I played for three lousy years.’
‘You are so Spock,’ the world persisted.
‘I Am Not Spock, I have done other things. Don’t you remember, I was Mr. Paris in thirty episodes of Mission: Impossible, replacing Martin Landau’s character.’
‘That’s interesting,’ said a man in a home-made Star Trek uniform, ‘Landau was the original choice to play the Spock character in 1964.’
‘Ah... get-a-life!’ yelled William Shatner.
During the original run of Star Trek in the late sixties, lead actors William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy were persuaded to record albums of songs, mostly covers but with original material written by writing staff, and often attempting to cash in on the show’s success. For Nimoy, this led to a relatively successful musical career over the next decade, his albums increasingly contradicting the Vulcan’s outspoken desire to distance himself from the character of Spock. For Shatner, this resulted in a single album (which would not be followed by another until 2005), which was influential in establishing every... comedian's... impression of the... actor's bizarre delivery.
Shatner publicly admits that he can’t sing, and instead adopts an incredibly melodramatic spoken-word style. Nimoy, by contrast, fancies himself as a great crooner, and admittedly succeeds in covering some of the classics. There is no audible reason why these two artists should be collected together on a compilation such as this, except – of course – to make money yet again off the back of their work in the phenomenally successful science fiction franchise.
‘Spaced Out’ is the result, released in 1998 and collecting together most of the songs from Shatner’s sole (at that point) album, and much of Nimoy’s work from the sixties and seventies. Without being bold enough to admit it explicitly, the album relies more or less entirely on the Star Trek factor as its selling points. The title is an obvious reference, and although the two singers are pictured in casual attire rather than primary coloured uniforms and pointed ears, the yellow and blue background evokes the colours of Kirk and Spock’s uniforms in the series, but is for some reason reversed. Still widely available in record shops, the collection was even advertised as science fiction merchandise on its original release.
There doesn’t appear to be any real logic in the arrangement of tracks. Spock would be disappointed at this, although perhaps the 2:1 ratio of Nimoy to Shatner material would cause the Vulcan to raise a smile, or at least an eyebrow. Representation of both artists is fair and even until the last nine tracks, when the album becomes entirely Nimoy territory. This makes sense as he has produced far more songs, but the sudden absence of the Shatner ‘duet’ is a bit disappointing, as his parts are arguably the most entertaining.
Track list
1. King Henry the Fifth (William Shatner)
2. Elegy for the Brave (William Shatner)
3. Highly Illogical (Leonard Nimoy)
4. If I Had a Hammer (Leonard Nimoy)
5. Mr. Tambourine Man (William Shatner)
6. Where is Love (Leonard Nimoy)
7. Music to Watch Space Girls By (Leonard Nimoy)
8. It Was a Very Good Year (William Shatner)
9. Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town (Leonard Nimoy)
10. Hamlet (William Shatner)
11. A Visit to a Sad Planet (Leonard Nimoy)
12. Abraham, Martin and John (Leonard Nimoy)
13. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (William Shatner)
14. If I Was a Carpenter (Leonard Nimoy)
15. How Insensitive (William Shatner)
16. I’d Love Making Love to You (Leonard Nimoy)
17. Put a Little Love in Your Heart (Leonard Nimoy)
18. Sunny (Leonard Nimoy)
19. Gentle on My Mind (Leonard Nimoy)
20. I Walk the Line (Leonard Nimoy)
21. Ballad of Bilbo Baggins (Leonard Nimoy)
22. Everybody’s Talkin’ (Leonard Nimoy)
23. Both Sides Now (Leonard Nimoy)
24. Spock Thoughts (Leonard Nimoy)
Despite my low rating (which is a fair assessment of its quality) I like this album, for the reason that I suppose most people like it. It’s funny. William Shatner’s covers of ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ and ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ have become infamous and are legendarily crap, while Leonard Nimoy’s more passionate and faithful covers are occasionally funny only because they are embarrassing. Many of the songs on here are radio show staples for DJs trying to get a cheap laugh from the so-bad-it’s-good crowd, but this album will also appeal to a highly illogical but entirely real group of buyers who legitimately enjoy the music on its own merits. These people are not, in fact, crazy. Only slightly eccentric.
Nimoy’s takes on ‘If I Had a Hammer’ and ‘Whe-e-e-e-ere is Love’ are both quite nice and similar enough to the source material, delivered in a pleasant croon, that fans of the originals couldn’t really slag them off. I just don’t happen to be into that, which is a shame as it pretty much invalidates the bulk of this album. Far more entertaining are the hypocritical actor/singer’s Spock songs, mostly taken from the album ‘Mister Spock’s Songs From Space’ and all written by Charles Randolph Green. The terribly dated ‘Highly Illogical’ is a half-arsed criticism of human folly, the more impressive spoken word piece ‘Visit to a Sad Planet’ is a mini Star Trek episode with a shock ending that even the least attentive listeners can see coming light years away, and the dull platitudes of ‘Spock Thoughts’ make for a dull conclusion. Of course, the song for which Nimoy is best known in the 21st century world of the internet is ‘The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins,’ modestly saved for the end portion of the album to keep the kitsch factor from dying out completely. Without the brightly coloured music video complete with miniskirt-clad hippie Vulcanettes it loses a lot of its original appeal, but it’s great that this bouncy, awful pop song is being kept alive for far longer than it deserves.
The real star of this album is William Shatner, as almost all of his contributions are high quality bad music. Not the type of bad music that’s disliked purely for being of poor quality, like Twisted Sister, but the type that has real replay value, in the vein of ‘Shaddap You Face.’ The afore-mentioned covers are excellently rubbish, ‘Lucy in the Sky’ losing all the power of the original by endlessly repeating the same bland female chorus, and delivering Lennon and McCartney’s psychedelic lyrics in a semi-orgasmic drawn-out moan. It’s really good. The cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ is equally hysterical, an insane Shatner desperately shouting about the tambourine man and ending in a satisfying scream. Also enjoyable are the songs dealing with Shatner’s weird Shakespeare fixation (“once more… unto the breach, dear… friends, once more”), music and lyrics written by Don Ralke. This music has some artistic merit, although I think its plaudits are a little too generous as it’s nothing that any man equipped with a microphone, a backing orchestra and an ego problem couldn’t accomplish.
William Shatner ruining your favourite songs and Leonard Nimoy reluctantly playing a third-rate Spock. You know you want it, and thankfully this semi-novelty CD is always available in sales, currently on offer for £3.99 in HMV stores. You may start to appreciate Leonard Nimoy’s vocals by the end, but you should be guaranteed a good laugh in the first half, especially if reading Nimoy’s hypocritical autobiography while ‘Highly Illogical’ plays on repeat in the background. Shatner at least gets bonus artistic points for leaving the Kirk persona behind completely, although the original source album was marketed in a Star Trek fashion, and opened with a rendition of Alexander Courage’s theme song for the series. The trend has obviously not died out for this release thirty years later.
William Shatner recently released his second album after a thirty-five year hiatus, co-produced with Ben Folds, which includes such gems as his cover of Pulp’s ‘Common People,’ but this album is still disappointingly full-price. ‘Spaced Out’ is a cheap and fun way to sample the singer’s strange and much-mocked mannerisms, and even if you don’t enjoy it, you probably know someone who would appreciate its joke value as a gift. The songs are very randomly chosen and don’t really fit together when played back-to-back as they are, both singers performing different kinds of songs in radically different styles, but as a collection of humorous and relaxing songs it works very well. Play ‘A Visit to a Sad Planet’ loud and proud and discover it in a new light while reading your newly-bought copy of Leonard Nimoy’s apologetic sequel, ‘I Am Spock (After All).’
Advantages: Highly entertaining.
Disadvantages: Highly illogical.
Nine Inch Nails
Broken
****
Written on 16.06.04
The second release by Nine Inch Nails (a.k.a. Trent Reznor and whoever he assigns to instruments when playing live) follows a much different musical path than his previous album, and set the standard and tone for what was to come afterwards. Although this is officially an E.P. and as such can be bought for low prices, the quality of the songs is actually balanced out by a surprising quantity as two full hidden tracks reveal themselves despite not being listed on the disc. This is guitar-led and very angry rock that situates itself between genres to deny any true classification.
STYLE
Created equidistant between 1989’s lighter, electronic sounding ‘Pretty Hate Machine’ and 1994’s dark, heavy and hugely successful ‘The Downward Spiral,’ this is something of a mix between the more accessible rhythms of the former album and the heavy guitars and angry vocals of the latter, although it’s clear that following the huge response to Nine Inch Nails’ live performances, which sounded much more intense and heavy than the Pretty Hate Machine album and served to both alienate some of the album’s fans and ally some new ones, that Trent Reznor preferred exploring the darker side of music. The guitars are reasonably constant in their presence here which makes for a more ‘metal’ sound and atmosphere than ony of the other albums, a balance being kept between brooding, melancholy gothic rock and straightforward fast anthems.
THE MUSIC
1. PINION
Essentially an intro track, this is 1 minute and 2 seconds of distortion build-up. Nothing impressive, but it does serve as a great lead into the first ‘real’ track, and sounds quite good; certainly better than some of the pointless intros on other albums I own.
2. WISH
One of NIN’s best tracks, this makes Trent’s progress and drastic change from his last album very obvious with its heavy, over-distorted guitars and assorted atmospheric samples almost subliminally in the background at times, but it retains some accessibility through its catchy and memorable vocals in the chorus. The guitar riff isn’t particularly original but it still sounds great, and there’s a shirt break in the middle for a little diversity.
“I'm the one without a soul,
I'm the one with this big f***ing hole
No new tale to tell,
Twenty-six years on my way to hell”
3. LAST
Another prominently guitar-led track, the main riff is evident from the start. This does get a little repetitive throughout the song, but the bridge and chorus sections feature changes in the tempo and rhythm to keep the listener interested. It goes very quiet in the middle for the while as an obvious build-up to repetition of the chorus, but this song isn’t as impressive as the last one. The samples in the background are more interesting though, but this is overly repetitive and doesn’t sound
“Gave up trying to figure out my head,
Got lost along the way
Worn out from giving it up
My soul, I p***ed it all away”
4. HELP ME I AM IN HELL
A different outing, this bleak but musically interesting interlude is far more impressive than the ‘links’ on Trent’s more recent offerings. The song is dominated by a repeating tune that sounds like a distorted acoustic guitar, but after a while the build-up of soft thumping sounds in the background become evident. Very nice, and under two minutes long so it doesn’t drag on, but still feels satisfying.
5. HAPPINESS IN SLAVERY
Trent wastes no time in shouting “slave screams” at the start of the track. Another dark track, this features guitars less prominently than earlier songs and as such sounds similar to some of the best tracks on ‘The Downward Spiral.’ The guitars that are used sound excellent, but it’s Trent’s contrasting angry and soft vocals that are the selling point of this track, which features some great progression towards the end. A lot of different sounds kept together with a fairly ordinary electronic beat reminiscent of ‘Pretty Hate Machine,’ only much heavier. This gradually fades out at the end.
“Stick my hands through the cage of this endless routine,
Just some flesh caught in this big broken machine”
6. GAVE UP
Another track with very catchy verses in the style of ‘Wish,’ although this doesn’t appeal to me quite so much. The vocals are obviously memorable and sound good, however there’s a little too much variation in the speed throughout the track. The guitars and instruments also aren’t as interesting or varied as they could be, although the last minute of this song makes up for in a strange, twisted way with over-the-top samples and screaming. I suppose you have to hear it.
“It took you to make me realize,
It took you to make me see the light.
Smashed up my sanity,
Smashed up my integrity…”
97. PHYSICAL (YOU’RE SO)
Following an overlong silence comes the slow intro to this song with whiny feedback, eventually becoming a slow rhythm. The lyrics and rhythm are quite different to the aggressive, rapid sound of the rest of the album, but it’s still an enjoyable five minutes of music. Trent shows a lighter side of himself in the vocals to the chorus that makes a nice change after the speedy ‘Gave Up’ and this is certainly good enough to have been used as a main track rather than something shoved unnecessarily to the end in an artistic gesture.
“I want you hot in my arms,
So soft on my bed.
You get the key to my heart,
Oh when you wear that sweet dress”
98. SUCK
Samples and repeated loops aplenty in this slower track with a loud chorus. This is much more intricate and layered than the rest of the songs and as such is likely my favourite on the album, the mood created by the plodding verses being reminiscent of ‘Pretty Hate Machine’ only much better. The chorus is highly anticipated and rivals Trent’s best work, while the changes and progression towards the end make this an invaluable contribution to the album that deserves to be right at the start rather than shoved after all the silence. The CD ends quietly, with Reznor saying “suck” against a background of quiet drum loops.
“There is no god up in the sky tonight,
No sign of heaven anywhere in sight.
All that was true is left behind,
Once I could see now I am blind”
VERDICT
Although the more successful and well-known follow up ‘The Downward Spiral’ is undoubtedly Nine Inch Nails’ finest work, ‘Broken’ is a great collection of songs that becomes incredible when classed merely as an E.P. There is enough variation between the tracks to keep them interesting, and the only problem I have is that 90 tracks containing a couple of silent seconds each bulks this out quite unnecessarily in the exact same way as the silent tracks on Marilyn Manson’s ‘Antichrist Superstar,’ an album on which NIN himself, Trent Reznor, provided keyboards and a final mix.
Although Reznor has always prided himself on his solitude and desire to produce music he is proud of rather than something that appeals to the masses, the seclusion of a quarter of the songs seems far too modest here, and has likely hindered the CD’s sales a little. If you are a fan of Nine Inch Nails but are unsure whether to buy this I would recommend it, as it can be found on almost any music website for the sum of six English pounds and ninety nine pence, and would also likely appeal to most fans of metal in general. Considering Nine Inch Nails’ most recent studio release in the form of 1999’s ‘The Fragile’ was overlong and full of unnecessary interludes spoiling the collection of good songs, eight tracks on a CD does not seem cheap at all. I would recommend ‘Broken’ and ‘The Downward Spiral’ for those interested in Nine Inch Nails’ sound: ‘Pretty Hate Machine’ is catchy and enjoyable but too techno-influenced at the cost of rock for my taste, while ‘The Fragile’ takes a little too much effort on the part of the listener.
Unless you are a huge fan of remix albums I would advise against buying the blue remix E.P. of this CD titled ‘Fixed’ (as if it is an improvement or something), as I have heard a couple of tracks and wasn’t impressed.
Advantages: An excellent change of direction for NIN, Angry, fun and sombre, It's £6.99
Disadvantages: Some silly experimentation with silence, A couple of less impressive tracks, It wasn't an album
Nirvana
Nevermind
***
Written on 10.06.01
Nirvana's second album "Nevermind" was certainly the largest success of their careers, and the record still shifts copies today more than any of the band's other albums. The number one hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was so influential that it was like "wheat before the sickle", according to one observer; everything that came before was suddenly topped by a song that remained true to rock and grunge, but influenced people on a much higher level, thanks to radio play and their MTV music video. and it is still the best of their four original albums.
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is the most popular grunge song ever produced, and it starts the album on a high note with its famous guitar riff. The song is sad and loud, with periods of changing pace and volume, and is the most important song on the album, if not the best.
Track two, "In Bloom", may hold the prize of the album's finest song; the song is true grunge and loud, and is another song to be awarded with a music video (an original black and white 1940s style comedy video). The song is a favourite for modern bands to learn, and is a song you never get sick of.
"Come As You Are", another of th album's singles with accompanying music video, is not, in my personal opinion, very good. It is too slow and not powerful enough to make me want to listen to it over and over, although it's not bad. It is very true to the Nirvana style.
"Breed", track four, begins with a spectacular and fast drum and guitar beat, and is another of my favourites. The sheer speed of the song is what appeals to me, and it's a refreshing change from the usual slow, depression grunge of the band.
"Lithium" is one of the album's low points, although it too had a single and music video. It's a very slow, very dull song that never really gets anywhere.
"Polly" is a good song that reappears on the later album "Incesticide" in a faster form, in which it sounds better, although this original version is still good. The lyrics are confusing, but the song is very good to listen to.
"Territorial Pissings" begins with a peculiar intro by Nirvana's bassist Krist, and is a heavily distorted yet amazingly fast and enjoyable song, and my other favourite song off the album. Such songs are good for the occasional change of pace.
"Drain You" is another song that I don't find amazing, although it's good in its own right. It is another that is generally remembered off the album.
"Lounge Act" is quite a good song, yet not particularly memorable, although "Stay Away" certainly does stick in your head for a while after you hear it, with its catchy chorus.
The penultimate track, "On a Plain", is quite good, and always conjurs up an image of a desert plateau for me, for some rrason. It's a very good song that leads into the admittedly-poor final song, "Something in the Way"- a very slow song that never really gets started or goes anywhere.
Even if you don't particularly like Nirvana, you can't deny that this album is one of the most important and influential ever made, and that even if you don't like the sound of it it deserves respect.
That's the greatest tribute to Kurt Cobain you could give.
Advantages: Great songs, Very important album, Cool cover
Disadvantages: Some songs are too slow and unexciting
Nirvana
Incesticide
Better Than it Should Be
****
Written on 10.06.01
Although Incesticide is basically a collection of (supposedly) below album standard songs and live sessions, it is surprisingly good, and well worth buying.
Track one ("Dive") is a Nirvana B-side (unreleased song), and isn't fantastic. It's basically a slow song in which Kurt repeatedly sings "Dive With Me." Not a particularly good album opener.
Track two ("Sliver") is actually quite a good song, and isn't as depressing as some of the more well-known Nirvana songs. In my opinion it's better than a lot of Nirvana "A-sides" (if such a phrase exists).
"Stain", track three, sounds once again quite below standards, but it isn't a bad song. It's about a man who believes he is only a stain.
Track four, "Been a Son", is a BBC radio recording live on the Mark Goodier session, and is a very good son, talking about a woman who should have been male so she would receive more attention.
"Turnaround" is another live session on BBC radio, although this time from the John Peel session. It's got a good beat, and sounds quite strange, although it's quite a good song. (N.B.: Tracks five to seven, all of the John Peel session songs, were not actuslly written by Nirvana, although some happen to be up to Nirvana standard.)
Continuing the John Peel session, "Molly's Lips" is a fantastic song (in my opinion). ("She said she'd take me anywhere, she'd take me anywhere as long as she stayed with me"/ "She said she'd take me anywhere, she'd take me anywhere as long as I'd stay clean.") It is definitely one of the highlights of the album, if a little short.
The final John Peel session recording, "Son of a Gun", is another of my favourite songs, and Kurt's vocals sound amazing. It's also pleasantly long, unlike some tracks on the album.
Track eight may sound a little familiar in both title and sound ("(New Wave) Polly"), and that's because it is a faster recording of the popular "Nevermind" song, "Polly." It ends up sounding a lot better when played more furiously and quickly, and the track is another from the Mark Goodier session. Another of the album's highlights.
Track nine ends the live sessions for now, and returns to the B-sides. "Beeswax" is not a fantastic song, but it's not bad. It sounds more true to the Nirvana style than some of the previous tracks.
"Downer" features peculiar sessions of Kurt rhyming quietly and quickly, and the song sounds very good. Maybe not up to album standards, and maybe a little strange, but I like it.
"Mexican Seafood" is another below average song, although I quite like it. There is a melodic chorus sung by Kurt which is the highlight of the song.
Track twelve, "Hairspray Queen", takes a while to get started, and features an insane-sounding Kurt Cobain. It is one of the poorest songs on the album, in my view, as it never seems to begin properly.
"Aero Zeppelin" is a slow song, although I'm not sure what it is about. The song is sad and dull, and not great to listen to.
The final B-side ("Big Long Now") sounds very slow paced, more than the norm, and doesn't have any loud riffs to make it more exciting. The song also lasts for far too long in this form.
The album ends on quite a high note with another BBC recording, "Aneurysm", which sounds great. It has a good riff, and is very long, which isn't a bad thing in this case. Another high point of the album.
Overall, the songs are obviously not as good as those on most of the aother albums, but it is well worth looking at. It doesn't come in too short either, with fifteen tracks and a length of 44:44 (spooky). I think it was a good idea to release such an album to celebrate Nirvana rather than produce countless live CDs of existing songs.
Nirvana were a fantastic band who were sorely missed, but by listening to these CDs we can keep the memory, even if the songs aren't amazing. Definitely worth adding to any collection. (It has a nicely freakish painting on the cover as well, which was drawn by Kurt Cobain).
The Offspring covered here
Opeth
Blackwater Park
Lamentations
*****
Written on 02.09.04
I first came across Opeth when my friend, a fan of extreme metal bands such as Cradle of Filth, bought Blackwater Park on impulse because he thought the cover looked nice. That was four years ago, and this doom metal classic still surprised me today with its complexity and genuine lasting quality. And it’s true, the cover is very nice.
BAND OF DOOM
Opeth is:
Mikael Åekerfeldt – vocals, guitar
Peter Lindgren – guitars
Martin Mendez – bass
Martin Lopez - drums
I’ve never been too fond of classifying different varieties of metal, especially as it always leaves me confused as to what I actually enjoy, but I consider Opeth to be the pinnacle of the doom metal style: doom, essentially an off-shoot of death metal with more gothic influences, is characterised by long, slow, epic songs of a bleak tone, occasionally overflowing into something harder and heavier. Liverpool’s Anathema were textbook doom band until they somehow became a Radiohead clone.
Blackwater Park is commonly seen as Opeth’s most accessible album, although it’s not exactly a watered down introduction. The shortest non-instrumental track is six minutes in length, while the opening and closing instalments both exceed the ten minute mark. This is music to get lost in, as long as you enjoy the volume. Incredible guitars, bass, drums and keyboards range from blistering death riffs to melodic acoustic numbers, while Åekerfeldt’s vocals are similarly diverse, alternating between a deep guttural roar and clean singing.
BLACKWATER PARK
1. The Leper Affinity (10:22)
2. Bleak (9:15)
3. Harvest (6:00)
4. The Drapery Falls (10:58)
5. Dirge For November (7:52)
6. The Funeral Portrait (8:43)
7. Patterns in the Ivy (1:52)
8. Blackwater Park (12:05)
The first part of the album is also the heaviest and most progressive, both THE LEPER AFFINITY and BLEAK being based on heavy guitar riffs that nevertheless retain the slow, melancholy atmosphere. A piano section in track one keeps things interesting, while Bleak (perhaps a more appropriate title for some of the later songs) essentially comprises two songs: a slightly faster death metal offering with some excellent Egyptian-sounding riffs and a slower second half complete with hypnotic clean vocals.
With HARVEST, Opeth showcase the extent of their diversity. This is a six minute semi-ballad using only acoustic instruments, but this lack of additional influences does not result in a loss of the atmosphere. Åekerfeldt’s vocals are at their best here, and this would perfectly suit any mood of happiness or sorrow. THE DRAPERY FALLS is my favourite song on the album, the perfect combination of all the styles throughout its ten minute length, with some of the most impressive guitars and a memorable chorus. The slow pace and melodic instruments still evoke the same feelings of sadness, but this doesn’t overpower the enjoyment of the music.
The next song however, DIRGE FOR NOVEMBER, is the ultimate in bleak metal: a comatose opening leads into a heavier riff that somehow sounds full of regret and sorrow. There have been plenty of discussions around my friend’s house over what songs one should avoid if contemplating suicide, and this is undoubtedly top of the list – still excellent, but a little too intense for every occasion. Seemingly appreciating the depression overkill of the last track, Opeth then unleash the fun THE FUNERAL PORTRAIT. Don’t be fooled by the title; in comparison to the previous forty minutes, this is very enjoyable and uplifting, despite featuring a slow acoustic section and the usual vocal style. It’s all down to the leading riff, reminiscent of Cradle of Filth’s happier moments.
Following the beautiful melody of PATTERNS IN THE IVY, a sequel to which can reportedly be found on the rare bonus tracks version of this album, comes the slightly disappointing title track. BLACKWATER PARK is similar to the bulk of the album, but a little too similar to retain its identity in my memory without an aural reminder, which is a shame as I have no trouble remembering the other tracks. Some interesting progressive guitar sections keep things fairly enjoyable, but by the time this song has begun, Opeth would have to provide something very special to keep my interest. Unfortunately, they haven’t quite managed it this time.
VERDICT
This is an incredible album, and a fulfilling listening experience, although certainly not for everyone. The tone rarely elevates above the reasonably-satisfied-with-my-life level, and it does dip a little too far into the depths of despair on a couple of occasions, but this only serves to demonstrate the power of this oft-overlooked band. Some tracks are less memorable than others, but this is still excellent value for money, coming in at over seventy minutes in total. Opeth’s previous albums take some of these features to even further extremes, the classic track ‘Black Rose Immortal’ coming in at over twenty five minutes in length, and as such this would appear to be Opeth’s most accessible (for them) record.
Fans of gloomy death metal from the likes of Dark Tranquillity should technically enjoy Opeth’s music as much as Nirvana fans. It’s the same emotions and messages, but the music’s a whole lot heavier and much more enjoyable. A modern metal classic.
Advantages: Perfect quality musicianship, Enjoyable and enthralling, A little depressing
Disadvantages: Too extreme for some, Not for every occasion, A little depressing
Ozzy Osbourne
Blizzard of Ozz
****
Written on 17.09.04
The odd, rock ‘n’ roll-scarred madman that is Ozzy Osbourne is sadly more well-known in the present climate for his starring role in the ‘hilarious’ reality show The Osbournes, but there was a time when his personal life and health, both mental and physical, made Ozzy one of the most fascinating and enjoyable performers in the heavy metal scene.
Finding fame as the curious vocalist in the revolutionary Birmingham rock band Black Sabbath, commonly revered as the founders of heavy metal, Ozzy fell into a state of drug-enhanced depression after he was famously kicked out of the band in 1979. His future wife Sharon Arden eventually persuaded him to give music another go, leading to his incredibly successful solo career: but like most ‘solo’ careers, he couldn’t do it alone.
A NEW START
Once Ozzy managed to get himself together, with the help of Sharon, he was introduced to young guitar supremo Randy Rhoads (formerly of Quiet Riot), a man who is often overlooked in the world of metal guitarists due to his tragically short time in the scene – he died in a reckless private plane crash two years and only one album later. Rhoads’ guitars were leagues apart from those of Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, immediately setting Ozzy’s former band apart from his new venture Blizzard of Ozz, later renamed to Ozzy Osbourne and retaining that name for the album title.
Rhoads’ presence must have also caused hours of frustration with smarmy music journalists who found themselves unable to craft a witty reference to the wizard of Ozz and the yellow brick Rhoads that would somehow fit relevantly into their album review. Do you see how I got around that problem?
STYLE
Black Sabbath comparisons are always inevitable with Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘solo’ work, and there are a number of major differences that set the bands apart and divide appreciation. Where Black Sabbath were heavily influenced by blues music, especially evident in the languid guitar solos and staccato riffs, Rhodes’ classically influenced guitars brought a completely new, polished sound to metal, clearly inspiring progressive metallers and some of the more talented ‘glam’ bands of the eighties. Everything is layered and neat, with catchy dominant riffs preventing it from becoming too indulgent for the casual rock fan. The brilliant guitar solos do border on artistic however.
Ozzy’s voice is the only concrete link between the sounds of the two bands, as the Birmingham-born rock star utilises the same mouth and vocal chords throughout his career. His vocals are mostly kept in the high spectrum on this performance, adding to the enjoyable atmosphere, and although the performer seldom shows any sign of improvement or technique throughout his career, his voice hasn’t quite reached the over-the-top levels of later hits such as ‘Bark at the Moon’ or ‘Shot in the Dark.’
In terms of diversity, this album doesn’t set any new trends: most of the songs are catchy, fairly upbeat rock anthems, with a couple of ballads featuring acoustic work. The basic formula for a heavy metal album, but one that proves very successful when carried out with the perfection that is found here. Unlike albums by the band’s protogees throughout the following decades, Ozzy and Rhoads see no need to craft an ‘epic’ track amidst the radio-friendly heavy metal, although there are several interesting decisions taken that deceptively elevate this record above a regular hard rock offering.
BLIZZARD OF OZZ
1. I Don’t Know
2. Crazy Train
3. Goodbye to Romance
4. Dee
5. Suicide Solution
6. Mr. Crowley
7. No Bone Movies
8. Revelations (Mother Earth)
9. Steal Away (the Night)
The album begins with the fun mid-tempo rock of ‘I Don’t Know’ and the most recognised Ozzy classic ‘Crazy Train,’ setting the mood for the album and proving the skills of all involved. I Don’t Know features a calmer mid section before returning to the main chorus in a gesture that could seem a little daring for an album opener, but it all mixes in seamlessly. Crazy Train is a more straightforward track and a deserved metal classic, leading into the distinctive, dark guitar riff and surprisingly continuing to improve as each new section of the song is introduced, culminating in the imitable high vocals of the chorus.
The second part of the album introduces diversity into the sound with the power ballad ‘Goodbye to Romance,’ one of the most impressive songs both musically and in terms of Ozzy’s ability to adapt to the emotive style needed. ‘Dee’ is a brief acoustic interlude performed by Rhoads at his peak of “neo-classical” guitar playing, and ‘Suicide Solution’ sees a return to a simpler style and is less impressive as a result, despite being the most controversial offering on the record following its alleged involvement in a teenager’s suicide (despite its clear anti-suicide message).
‘Mr. Crowley’ is something very different, and for this reason it is my favourite song here. The first minute is dominated solely by a very eerie and distorted organ effect on the instruments, deliberately reminiscent of classic horror film scores, before a mundane drum beat kicks in and the ‘real’ song begins: a galloping track with haunting vocals and an incredible solo leading into the fade-out at the end. In contrast, ‘No Bone Movies’ is nothing special, and the titular chorus is repeated a little too frequently, making the only real disappointment of the album.
‘Revelations’ is the other power ballad of the album, and although it is musically superior and features great guitars, it lacks the emotion of track three. This slow, lengthy song is contrasted by the final offering, the fast and funky ‘Steal Away (the Night)’ where the instrumentalists and even Ozzy seem to let their hair down and have some fun. Not that their hair was ever particularly short anyway.
REMASTERED, RE-RECORDED… AMENDED
The bass and drums on Blizzard of Ozz were originally performed by Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake, both former members of prog rock sensation Uriah Heep, although the long-running feud between the Osbourne couple and the Uriah Heep cast-offs has recently resulted in the remastered re-release of Ozzy’s early albums featuring newly recorded replacement bass and drum performances by Ozzy’s then-members Mike Bordin (Faith No More) and Robert Trujillo (Metallica). This re-recording of a classic has clearly had left a negative impression with many fans, who feel that the original sound has been blasphemed by coupling the legendary Rhoads guitars with musicians he never even met, especially as the remastered releases are the most readily available CD versions of this album. Ozzy Osbourne could therefore be dubbed the new George Lucas, except that he is actually older and has consistently pleased fans over the decades, never releasing the rock equivalent of Star Wars’ Episode 1.
VERDICT
I have liked Ozzy Osbourne’s music for a long time, but only recently decided to investigate further and invest in several albums. Although I also enjoy Black Sabbath, and have already noted that comparisons are tired and irrelevant, I will say that I enjoy Ozz more than Sabbath any day: the rhythms are more fun and upbeat, Ozzy is used to his full potential and, most importantly for my guitar-obsessed ears and part-of-my-brain-that-likes-sounds, the axe mastery of the late, great Randy Rhoads is incredible, and a clear direct influence on later classical-oriented lead guitarists such as Kirk Hammett in Metallica. Rhoads was also present on the follow-up album ‘Diary of a Madman,’ although his work there is less impressive due to the rushed release of that record.
This isn’t a perfect album, but it does contain several perfect and timeless heavy metal songs and its structure is more solid than that of Ozzy’s later releases. I personally don’t have a problem with the 2002 remastering changes, petty as they may be, as Blizzard of Ozz is a rock classic in both incarnations and the change in band members will only be noticed by long-time fans. The remastered release also features multimedia music videos, despite the fact that all interest in these features was lost circa 2001. Ozzy’s best, and one of classic metal’s finest.
...and yes, this was the album publicised by Ozzy drunkenly biting the head off a dove at a record label press conference, in case you were wondering when I would get onto that. The so-called Prince of Darkness was banned from several states but there were very obvious benefits. In the wicked world of heavy metal, bad publicity is the best publicity.
Advantages: Excellent guitars and vocals, Fun, upbeat heavy metal, Departure from Black Sabbath
Disadvantages: Some weak links, Not to everyone's taste
Ozzy Osbourne
Diary of a Madman
Losing My Sanity, Again
***
Written on 01.06.07
The second 'solo' album from the expelled Black Sabbath frontman would sadly be his last with guitarist Randy Rhoads, whose tragic death in a private plane accident would remove the neoclassical influence and bodacious guitar solos from Ozzy's material. The singer would subsequently choose, presumably as a result of these early albums' consistent theme of madness, to pursue a 'hair metal' glam direction.
The lyrical focus on insanity throughout much of the album makes it almost an accidental concept album, while also indicating a lack of creativity in deriving on what was basically the message of the band's earlier hit 'Crazy Train.' Ozzy and company's second release of 1981, 'Diary of a Madman' is in all respects a perfect example of a rushed sophomore slump, recycling ideas from 'Blizzard of Ozz' and failing entirely to recapture the high quality and simplistic charm of that predecessor. Then again, this rapid release allows a final swan song for Rhoads, less memorable than his work on the first album but still serving as the main highlight of a release sparingly peppered with fantastic solos and the occasional strong lead riff.
1. Over the Mountain
2. Flying High Again
3. You Can't Kill Rock and Roll
4. Believer
5. Little Dolls
6. Tonight
7. S.A.T.O.
8. Diary of a Madman
Only serving to further prove the desperate stretching of ideas, the first two songs not only deal with madness, or more specifically an alternative and criticised point of view, but are also, and this is the regrettable but admittedly ironic part, about flying. Planes have been a consistent subject in heavy metal, from Iron Maiden's appreciation of the Spitfire experience to Queensrÿche, and more recently Edguy, celebrating stewardesses. A drum intro leads into a great melodic guitar riff from Rhoads, before Ozzy's legendary voice (not for all the right reasons) harks back to the glory days of several months earlier, with the previous album. Deserving special attention is Bob Daisley's bass guitar, wrongly credited to Rudy Sarzo in the booklet, which makes its presence felt on both of these early albums more prominently than many similar bands would attempt, especially in the slower, and more blues-based songs like 'Flying High Again,' strongly reminiscent of the earlier material of Ozzy's Brummie brethren Judas Priest. If Ozzy’s ‘mama’ here is intended to be his wife as rumoured, the ‘flying’ is likely yet another lazy metaphor for drug use. These opening songs are catchy and almost up to the standard of the previous album, but even Randy Rhoads' excellent solos, at their best here, can't disguise the tired formula.
The third track, re-using the structure of the previous album, is the obligatory part-acoustic ballad, only this time it's a tribute to rock and roll, placing it immediately ahead of 'Goodbye to Romance.' The acoustic guitar sounds nicely but derivatively Mediterranean, but this is more likely due to early eighties production than anything intentional, as the same sound can be found in Iron Maiden's 'Prodigal Son.' The chorus is the most uplifting so far, pre-empting heavy metal bands' obsessions with celebrating heavy metal through lyrics in the eighties, particularly in the self-aggrandising work of Manowar, and it's hard not to empathise with the Ozzman. Nevertheless, the very next track 'Believer,' a middle-of-the-road song like most of the remaining tracks, marks the exact point at which Ozzy's wails became irritating to my ears, and I was disappointed that the song wasn't the controlled instrumental jam it initially hinted towards. The frustration continues with 'Little Dolls,' in which he sings a poorly conceived duet of sorts with himself, the primary reason seemingly to fit more into each verse than would be possible without overdubbing a different vocal take in-between. I've never been a fan of the high register Ozzy shifted into after performing perfectly well with a dingy monotone in the first four Black Sabbath albums, but I presume it has something to do with attracting the radar of bats, which he can then decapitate with his teeth.
'Tonight,' as can probably be deduced from the title, is another power ballad, but on that's heavier on the guitar noodling this time, eventually being forced to fade out on Rhoads' neoclassical mania in a similar manner to the earlier classic 'Mr. Crowley.' Daisley's bass is at its best here, driving the slow song along, and even Ozzy tones down a little, although this song is far from impressive or necessary by this point. Fortunately, the album pulls the 'strong beginning and end to disguise the weak middle half' trick, and the final two songs return to the speedy rock of the first song, climaxing in the excellent 'Diary of a Madman.' This song immediately hits the listener with the best riff on the album, but it's still only the forgotten middle brother between 'Crazy Train' and the later, inexplicably popular hit 'Bark at the Moon.'
I've spent the majority of this review slagging this album off in comparison to 'Blizzard of Ozz,' and considering the close proximity of the releases, and the essential fact that this an inferior copy of that classic album, it is entirely the right thing to do. The live 'Tribute to Randy Rhoads' album features the best of these songs amidst much better earlier material, with a couple of Sabbath classics thrown in to fill up the set-list of the burgeoning band, and for all but the die-hard Ozzy or Rhoads fan, 'Diary of a Madman' is the first piece in Ozzy Osbourne's back catalogue that can be justifiably ignored, along with almost everything the band would release thereafter in its many incarnations right up the present day, the exception being the single song 'Perry Mason' from 1997's Ozzmosis album, which is a great return to form, and is about Perry Mason.
Choice cuts from 'Diary of a Madman' are the title track, 'Over the Mountain' and, if you're feeling dreamy and a little cheesy, 'You Can't Kill Rock and Roll,' which the band thankfully didn't choose to title 'You Can't Kill Randy Rhoads.' I don't know what I'm talking about. The album clocks in at under forty minutes, so it won't take up too much of your time, and extensive re-releases of Ozzy Osbourne's back catalogue make it readily available in all places. Nevertheless, it would be wise to avoid the recent re-issue which replaced the original bass and drum recordings with those of Ozzy’s more recent band members due to legal disputes and, more generally, Sharon Osbourne.
Advantages: The final performances of Randy Rhoads.
Disadvantages: Inferior and not-very-long-awaited follow-up to 'Blizzard of Ozz.'
Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzmosis
****
Written on 31.05.04
THE MAN, THE MYTH
Everyone has heard of Ozzy Osbourne.
The original vocalist of Birmingham pioneers of heavy metal Black Sabbath, who due to disagreements pursued a staggeringly successful solo career that has continued, despite a number of increasingly controversial setbacks, to this day.
I have liked Ozzy Osbourne’s music for a number of years, and many a half-hour has been spent around a friend’s house, absent-mindedly watching VH1 documentaries on the rock legend’s life and always accidental (or just motivated by vast amounts of alcohol) publicity stunts. He bit the head off a dove at his record signing party with major label Epic and later had to receive inoculations after biting the head off what he presumed to be a rubber bat that had been thrown on stage; the bat in question was merely ‘unconscious.’ Being arrested and banned from an American state for unknowingly urinating on the Alamo while wearing his wife’s green dress seems almost too hysterical to be believed, while more sombre, drug-fuelled antics such as attempting to strangle his beloved wife and his grief at the loss of guitarist and close friend Randy Rhodes has ensured that he is never a one-dimensional man in the public eye.
Ozzy Osbourne recorded ‘Ozzmosis’ in 1995, a number of years after releasing what was widely believed to be his final album. In a 1992 interview, Ozzy announced his intention to continue releasing albums with high hopes that he will continue to improve, stating “I haven’t made my Sergeant Pepper yet” as a reference to the popular progressive album by the Beatles. It’s a shame that the singer is now arguably most commonly associated with the terrible reality TV show following the ‘hilarious’ antics of himself and his family members, it remains to be seen whether this will affect his continuing musical career.
OZZMOSIS
This quite appallingly named album is often described as ‘epic, ballad Ozzy’ and that description fits most of the tracks. Unlike some of the maniac’s previous releases such as ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ and ‘Bark at the Moon,’ this is quite a slow album without any ‘in-yer-face’ blaring rock anthems, but as such it presents a more reflective and sensitive side of Ozzy Osbourne while also bringing his music into the 90s with hard rock guitar, bass and drum rhythms.
1. PERRY MASON
The first single off this album, the incredibly catchy chorus left one of my friends unable to concentrate properly on one of his GCSE examinations a few years ago when it wormed its way into his head, and it is a great rock track. Like everything on this album it is fairly slow and a little reflective, but still retains the trademark Ozzy heaviness – anyone who hates Ozzy’s whining vocals shouldn’t be put off by the mid-tempo chorus here, but may want to miss out some of the later tracks. Quite a quirky song and, yes, it’s about that TV investigator guy.
“I don't mind, draw the line then draw me an arrow
Feelin' fine, then I'll see you my friend
Over and over again
Who can we get on the case?
We need Perry Mason”
2.I JUST WANT YOU
My favourite song on the album, this has great driving guitar riffs throughout as well as almost spoken, deep vocals from Ozzy in the verses and for most of the chorus. Still quite slow, this feels like more of an epic track due to the background orchestration that almost subliminally compliments the hard rock, and I love Ozzy’s voice in this one. The chorus becomes a little repetitive in the last couple of minutes, but moving to a higher pitch counteracts this, and it’s an excellent rock track that doesn’t overpower the listener.
“There are no incurable ills
There are no unkillable thrills
One thing and you know it's true,
I don't ask much
I just want you”
3. GHOST BEHIND MY EYES
With a mellow guitar melody from the onset, it’s clear that this is going to be something of a ballad, and that it is. Ozzy reaches for a couple of the higher notes this time round, which will serve to both please and annoy different people, but it’s a nice song that could have been better. Once the title has been sung in the chorus there’s little else for the song to do, but it pads out to over five minutes; at least it’s still got the rock elements, even if they are purposefully subdued.
“The princess of the dark has made my mind home
My haunted head and her won't leave me alone
She dances on my heart with fire in my soul
I hate that feeling when I'm losing control”
4. THUNDER UNDERGROUND
A quiet, over-distorted riff introduces the track and proceeds throughout, maintaining a heavy but slow rhythm behind Ozzy’s slightly haunting vocals. The lyrics play a big part in the experience of this track, as I find it easy to imagine myself drifting to my doom when Ozzy proclaims “you think you live forever,” and this is one of the tracks that can leave your mind wandering until you realise it’s just started to fade out and you’re listening to an Ozzy Osbourne album. Quite good, but nothing too special.
“Your morbid fear of losing
Destroys the lives you're using
You only have one point of view
The stigma of delusion
Confirms your self illusion
And after all this could be you”
5. SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE
Another ballad-esque track but with much heavier riffs this time round, so I suppose it would be described as a ‘power ballad.’ Personally, I find Ozzy’s vocals the saving grace of this track, especially during the chorus. This is the first track to feature any real progression or change of beat and as such it deserves extra credit, another of the better tracks with some meaningful lyrics once again.
“Though I know we must be parted
As sure as stars are in the sky
I'm gonna see when it comes to glory
And I'll see you, I'll see you on the other side”
6. TOMORROW
This begins with a quiet, bass-led section and has some interesting fade-in vocal effects before a drum slap indicates the main section of the song has begun. Ozzy’s voice alternates between an almost spoken, fairly deep voice and his mid-range singing choruses, and both sound excellent without going over the top. The guitars sound really good here, a little better than on most of the tracks where Ozzy’s voice has been preserved as the main element, but this is a more generous ensemble affair that’s all the better as a result. Similarly to the last track, this changes tempo in the middle with some weird, distorted guitars and vocals before the song returns.
One of my favourites along with the first two tracks, although it does last longer than necessary at nearly ten minutes – watery vocal sections and aircraft samples cannot pad this out, but it does have the saving grace of a great solo that breaks up the song and creates anticipation when the chorus returns. My one gripe with the otherwise excellent track is that the last two minutes are completely unnecessary and count against the song, but it did give me a solo for a change so I shouldn’t complain.
“Living in the thunder driving me insane
Can I get a witness to take away the pain
Walking on the water going nowhere fast
Feeling like I'm walking with no shoes on broken glass”
7. DENIAL
Some nice drumming precedes the telltale ballad guitar sound again and some grating vocals from the Ozzman. As the song continues the listener gets used to the vocals a little, but Ozzy’s voice here utilises the exact pitch of his that I don’t like, and when he sings the slow verses in that irritating voice I can’t help but get the mental image of the man with his round sunglasses on, opening his mouth wider than necessary and grinning stupidly as if he’s aware of the terrible noises his otherwise talented vocal chords are creating. But that’s just me. The guitar actually gets another chance to shine here with a second solo, it’s just a shame that I hate the vocals as this would otherwise be a very good, emotional track, despite some frivolous samples.
“I don't drink holy water, I'm not a son of Christ
I ain't no black messiah, and I don't load my dice
You can tell me you're all right, but why are you so afraid?”
8. MY LITTLE MAN
I don’t really like this song. The ‘off-ballad’ style has become tiresome by this point, and in many places I find myself expecting the chorus from ‘Ghost Behind My Eyes’ to come back. The use of a choir in the background is a nice touch, but not one I particularly like, and in many places there seems to be too much going on or something astray; a bit of a weird feeling, but one that prevents me being at ease when I listen to this. The instruments are as good as ever, and Ozzy’s vocals are standable.
“Don't you know I love you more than life itself,
Don't you know that you're my pride
And I would not have you walking through this world.
Without me by your side”
9. MY JEKYLL DOESN’T HIDE
Some guitar sustain (anyone seen ‘Spinal Tap?’) introduces what is obviously a return to the heavier side of the album, and an unusual choking guitar sound punctuates the riffs. Ozzy’s voice is back to its regular madman tempo and the song is a fairly ordinary affair with some interesting developments in the middle. The main riffs sound like they’ve been done before, but there’s something about the guitar solo section that I really, really enjoy. A little long and Ozzy’s vocals could be a bit better, but it’s a solid track and my favourite one in this latter part of the album.
“Condemned to violence
Arrested by pain
Inside the soul lies a man insane
Conceived in anger
Addicted to hate
The mutant child of a twisted state”
10. OLD L.A. TONIGHT
This final track is a little difficult to rate, as it’s not my kind of music but I appreciate its inclusion as adding something extra to the album. Where many of the tracks have been ballad-like, this is the only true song to fit that description, driven by a piano and soft electric guitar in the background, using lighter drum sounds in the chorus and ensemble vocals. It’s very memorable and, at the risk of sounding even less man than I am already, beautiful, but the guitar and piano combo makes it sound at times like I’m listening to a Robbie Williams song and that’s not what I listen to Ozzy for. This is probably the most accessible track here, but doesn’t give a fair impression of the rest of the album, and is more akin to a ‘greatest love rock songs’ collection.
“Those summer nights when I look in your eyes
I'm falling to pieces, pieces out of my mind
And I'll never know why
I'm falling to pieces, pieces
It's gonna be all right in old L.A. tonight”
VERDICT
It’s easy to see how this takes a different approach to Ozzy’s earlier music, and it’s certainly got an element of ‘let’s modernise the guy a bit.’ As I’ve brought myself up on fairly modern music, with the exception of the eighties rubbish I like, I prefer this to Ozzy’s other work and some of the tracks are modern rock classics. The album has its flaws though, as some of the tracks sound very similar and the melancholy feel doesn’t really let up throughout, but anyone new to the Ozzman would be surprised by the sensitive side shown in these tracks.
Anyone who enjoys a good power ballad, perhaps even from the likes of Meatloaf, can hold hands with fans of Black Sabbath and dance around this album, a great CD that wasn’t really a comeback, but made sure the music populace knew Ozzy Osbourne was still rocking.
Favourite tracks: I Just Want You, Perry Mason, Tomorrow.
Advantages: Great tracks, A really interesting, slow style throughout, Excellent musicians and vocals
Disadvantages: Some tracks sound similar, Not really as 'epic' as it should be
Pantera
***
Written on 17.07.06
It’s something of a cliché that any and all reviews of Pantera will focus on the extent of their heaviness in comparison to whichever movement of ‘nu’ metal is impressing the kids at the time, but this is difficult to avoid due to the band’s elitist, f***-everything attitude being constantly shoved down our eardrums. Nowhere is this more prominent than in their penultimate album, 1996’s The Great Southern Trendkill. Proud of their distance from mainstream trends, Pantera would have you believe that this album is the peak of their career, a violent aural assault that would surely crush the skull of any unenlightened bystander who happened to overhear its full force without preparing for the experience. In truth, this album is mostly regarded as something of a let-down, or worse, the point at which Pantera became an obstinate, heroin-fuelled parody of itself, abusing the ‘groove metal’ sound they had pioneered.
It’s clear that this album, the fourth of the band’s post-1990 incarnation, seems to deliberately look backwards towards the violent sound of Vulgar Display of Power, but this earlier album is used as a benchmark rather than as something to be reproduced. The production values are excellent this time round, and this allows for the powerful tripartite structure of Pantera’s sound to be experienced for the first time: the late ‘Dimebag’ Darrell Abbott’s screeching guitars on top, his brother Vinnie Paul Abbott’s furious death metal inspired drums below, and Rex’s clanking bass keeping the rhythm in between when the brothers veer off into unrestrained solos.
Pantera’s strength always lay in the combo of Dimebag and Vinnie Paul, and this album is just the same. Only this time, the riffs are less structured, the songs less predictable and the attention spans significantly depleted. Phil Anselmo’s vocals have begun to suffer by this point, likely a consequence of screaming and roaring at Pantera shows for most of the decade, and are the main weakness of this album, which is otherwise interesting, evolved and every bit as good as previous releases. Oh yeah, and heavy too. F***ing brutal.
1. The Great Southern Trendkill
2. War Nerve
3. Drag the Waters
4. 10’s
5. 13 Steps to Nowhere
6. Suicide Note Part I
7. Suicide Note Part II
8. Living Through Me (Hell’s Wrath)
9. Floods
10. The Underground in America
11. (Reprise) Sandblasted Skin
No song on this album is content to rely on a single riff. There are variations, random five second solos and acoustic passages and tempo changes all over the place, making for something of an unsettling listen. However, there’s enough consistency to hold it all together, and some songs inevitably end up sounding the same. Only as the album approaches the end and runs out of steam do tracks begin to genuinely sound like re-hashes of earlier material, the mediocre ‘Living Through Me’ sounding like a Cowboys B-side and the unnecessary ‘The Underground in America’ reminding of that bunch of throwaway rebel-metal songs towards the end of Vulgar Display of Power. Aside from these two sad oddities, surrounding what is probably the best song Pantera ever recorded, The Great Southern Trendkill has a distinctive and inimitable sound both in the band’s discography and in heavy metal as a whole, although the band members make a couple of glaring errors along the way.
The opening title track wastes no time getting into the thick of things, Anselmo’s scream-for-the-sake-of-screaming over the thundering opening riff soon giving way to one of the album’s few genuinely grooving riffs, proving that not everything they learned for their previous album has been forgotten. This song works as the archetype of the band’s sound at this point in their career, throwing out unexpected speedy sections every once in a while that sit perfectly alongside the slower main riffs. Dimebag shows off his guitar work a little in the second half, as he does on most of the tracks here. ‘Sandblasted Skin,’ the final track on the album, sounds much like a repeat of this opening track, only weaker.
‘War Nerve’ is a classic headbanging song, the main focus being on the slower pounding drums this time. Pointlessly over-aggressive lyrics rasped over the driving drum and guitar rhythm makes for an average Pantera song, one that probably goes well with some beers and your best buds. This style continues later in the album with the oft-overlooked ’13 Steps to Nowhere,’ which offers a godd drum intro to Vinnie Paul and a nice duet-type thing between Dimebag’s squeaking guitar and Rex’s bass towards the end. This latter song is definitely the album’s best headbanger, the slower section only teasing the listener before the riffs kick in again, and I dare you to resist.
The most well-known song here is the similarly headbanging ‘Drag the Waters,’ a Pantera classic with its Texan groove and nice touches like cowbells. Anselmso returns to the sore-throat vocals of the previous albums, while there’s a really cool chaotic instrumental section at the end. The grammatically strange ‘10’s’ is the best of the album so far; its reflective, Black Sabbath-style pace, faux-acoustic guitar, melodic guitar solo and clean vocals overshadowed only the later song ‘Floods’… which essentially re-uses all of these elements but results in a far more impressive song. Featuring Dimebag’s finest guitar work, ‘Floods’ definitely belongs to him. The first half is less heavy than the second but the song is so well structured that there’s no obvious discrepancy, and nice touches like sound effects and almost subliminal backing vocals enhance what would have already been an amazing song into a masterpiece of metal.
The middle of the album is dominated by the ‘Suicide Note’ pair, and this is the bone of contention for many fans. In my opinion, there is absolutely nothing to link these songs beyond their lyrical focus on suicide, specifically Anselmo’s brief experience of death after having overdosed on heroin, as they sound less alike than any other two songs on the album. Tackling each song individually, they don’t hold up to much either: ‘Part I’ is pleasing enough for the first few listens, something of a dark country song played on acoustic guitar and enhanced by intelligent use of synthesisers to create atmosphere, yet the song never sounds particularly bleak or sorrowful. This may be because it’s all in major rather than the more customarily melancholy minor keys, or because it’s difficult to take Anselmo’s drones seriously after all that screaming. ‘Part II’ has the distinction of being the worst song on the album, and one of the worst the band has ever recorded. The emphasis is on rip-roaring speed, something Pantera has never excelled at or really experimented with, but with Dimebag’s oversqueaking discordant notes and Anselmo’s painful screeching, the song only becomes palatable once it’s slowed down a few notches for the subsequent riffs. Pantera should never try to sound like Slayer, especially as songs like ‘Floods’ and ‘10’s’ from this album demonstrate their excellence lies elsewhere.
This album isn’t exactly the phenomenon that the band promised their fans in 1998, but it’s my personal favourite of their discography. The precision and beneficial camaraderie evident on Vulgar Display of Power is long gone, and the band members occasionally seem to be doing their own thing irrespective of what everyone else is doing, but they all change speed and rhythm at the same time so all’s well. This isn’t an easy album to sit through, though this is more due to its tedium than being overpowered by its force. After all, there’s always the volume dial.
The sound and message of the vocals get annoying quite early on and never really improve, especially with the repetition of ‘the trend is dead’ or similar catch-phrases in no less than four songs. The repetition of water themes is similarly odd, but as this leads to the album’s finest songs I can’t really complain. Similarly, it’s debatable whether ‘Suicide Note’ sends out the right message in its so-so appraisal; a band this big have something of an obligation to the fans they’re going to influence, and it’s unlikely that they ever really considered this responsibility. This album’s strength lies in the few excellent songs it provides that still sound excellent out of context, especially ‘Floods.’ Even Pantera classic ‘Cemetery Gates’ doesn’t hold up to this, and there’s a nice section at the end that basically sounds like Dimebag Darrell needing a little bit more time to play his guitar before he’s through, and the band permitting him.
Hearing Dimebag’s melodic solo over the muted thunder cracks and rainfall, it’s sad to think how much more Pantera could have offered if they’d focused on songs like this more regularly, rather than once or twice per album. It’s also sad that Dimebag, who was pointlessly shot dead last year by some enraged fan or other, will never get to play this stuff again. Perhaps he tended to get a little over-rated as a guitarist (he wasn’t really one of the best in the world as many magazines would have you believe), but his collaboration with sibling Vinnie Paul made Pantera a pretty interesting metal band, sufficiently over-the-top in its attitude that fans could forgive them for never releasing a particularly solid album.
Advantages: A couple of great songs when the band mellows out a little
Disadvantages: Too much pointless aggression, even sounding forced in places
Pink Floyd
Atom Heart Mother
Funky Dung
***
Written on 27.11.05
Produced during Pink Floyd’s most experimental period, the transition between their original psychedelic sound and the more restrained and concise sound of ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ and beyond, ‘Atom Heart Mother’ is certainly a very interesting item in the band’s discography. And that’s not just because of the huge cow on the cover.
The title ‘suite’ of Atom Heart Mother is a 24 minute piece combining the instrumental skills of the band with orchestration. Now a common occurrence, even outside of prog with bands such as Metallica and even Kiss teaming up with local symphonies for a classical treatment of their hits, Pink Floyd were (arguably) the first to combine these elements and created what to some fans is a masterpiece; to others, a waste of time. Most commend its effort.
Modern 80-minute-capable CDs hide some of the nice touches of these early prog albums, especially in their separation of longer, ‘epic’ pieces from more accessible, straightforward numbers on alternate sides of the original LP. With their following album, the excellent ‘Meddle,’ Pink Floyd saved the 20-odd minute piece for the finale, after warming up with shorter songs of varying degrees of originality. With Atom Heart Mother, the listener is thrust into the odd but enjoyable bombast from the onset.
SIDE ONE
1. Atom Heart Mother
a) Father’s Shout
b) Breast Milky
c) Mother Fore
d) Funky Dung
e) Mind Your Throats Please
f) Remergence
The separation of movements in the title suite are largely irrelevant, especially as no corresponding subject matter is being conveyed (interpret the real meaning of the music as you wish). The powerful and effective opening theme sets things up nicely and is easily the highlight of the song, resurfacing about two-thirds of the way through as a kind of premature conclusion before the music veers wildly away from its original sound. Around about ‘Breast Milky’ the song becomes subdued and led by Roger Waters’ bass until a choir eventually joins (‘Mother Fore’?), chanting unintelligible lyrics that nonetheless suit the music.
Ominous synthesised sounds with varying degrees of effectiveness take over at around fifteen minutes, similar to what would later emerge from Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) twenty-five years later, before the final five or so minutes, after the announcement ‘silence in the studio,’ mainly showcase David Gilmour’s excellent guitar work, backed by a cacophony of horns.
This song is interesting. Long, but not unbearable. In fact I really like it. The whole thing is pretty overblown, especially when heard in contrast to the other half of the album, and the orchestration does tend to flood the speakers when it would be nicer to hear the band play in accompaniment. Even leaving aside the originality, this is enjoyable to listen to for fans of progressive rock and classical music, but probably nobody else in the universe. It’s interesting to see the increasing departure from long, meandering space rock of ‘A Saucerful of Secrets’ and ‘Careful With that Axe, Eugene’ towards the more meaningful and palatable epics ‘Echoes’ and ‘Dark Side of the Moon,’ even if this does sit a little uncomfortable in the middle ground.
SIDE TWO
2. If
3. Summer '68
4. Fat Old Sun
5. Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast
a) Rise and Shine
b) Sunny Side Up
c) Morning Glory
As usual for the band at this stage of their career, the reverse side (or ‘the other songs’) is less of an ensemble effort, seeing each band member contribute a song they have written themselves. Unlike the non-live songs on the previous album ‘Ummagumma,’ these songs involve all (or most) band members and don’t serve as irritating solo pieces that are only of use to critics of the band and the genre. The songs contained here are a bit of a mixed bag, ranging from exceptionally inspired to rubbish.
‘If’ and ‘Fat Old Sun’ are soft, slow acoustic pieces, the first of which, Waters’ piece, almost seems like a cynical precursor to the later days of ‘The Wall’ and ‘The Final Cut.’ It’s nice and very quiet, perhaps what is needed after the title track (for those listeners paying attention at least), but nothing extraordinary. The same goes for Gimour’s ‘Fat Old Sun,’ although clocking in at nearly six minutes it does drag on, especially as ‘If’ has already been included. He does contribute some nice subdued guitar though.
‘Summer '68’ is, for most fans, the highlight of this second side, and for me is the high point of the album. Not completely original, sounding similar to a quiet Beatles song in the verses, the chorus and instrumental sections mark this out as something special. Keyboard man Rick Wright recruits a less imposing horn section for a great refrain, personally reminding me of synthesised video game soundtracks from the early nineties, which is often a good thing. The acoustic guitar is put through its paces and sounds nicely strained as the music becomes a little louder, while the ending is a nice continuation that avoids the band’s annoying habit of simply repeating what’s already happened in a track. Perhaps diluted by its acoustic neighbours on this CD, ‘Summer '68’ is a reasonably obscure Pink Floyd classic.
In contrast to this, we have ‘Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast.’ Fourteen stupid minutes passed of as a jamming conclusion. The lack of any real coherence in the album is a little relaxing, and this song epitomises the attitude. Prog fans who have listened to later, more complex albums like ‘The Wall’ or ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway’ by Genesis are allowed to rest their brains with some half-arsed ditties and sound effects structured around the loose theme of having breakfast in Los Angeles.
‘Rise and Shine’ is a little piano ditty that could be seen to represent the breaking of morning, but wouldn’t really do this without the background noises and repetition of ‘marmalade, I like marmalade’ (good for you), ‘Sunny Side Up’ brings in the guitar to play a forgettable soothing tune ending with the crackling of frying pans and yet more recorded breakfast dialogue, leaving ‘Morning Glory’ (wa-hey!) to try and justify the song’s inclusion a bit by introducing what sounds like a Hammond organ. Strange, but that sounds like a contradiction in terms to me. A silly song, but if you’re occupied and don’t realise that the album’s still playing after the thirty minute mark it isn’t the end of the world.
VERDICT
Maybe I’ve been a little harsh on some of the content here, after all I do view Atom Heart Mother as primarily an album to soothe the savage beast. The first track is too long, but what the hell? At least it doesn’t try to keep the listener hanging on every little instrument change like some modern progressive metal. It obviously isn’t up the standard of classical music, it’s a prog rock song, so for rock fans, it’s a nicer alternative (unless we’re talking Mussorgsky). ‘If’ is interesting, ‘Summer '68’ is great, ‘Fat Old Sun’ is a little unnecessary and ‘Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast’ is sufficiently quiet.
The sound quality of this album isn’t really comparable to the band’s later work, and this does date it more than their technically accomplished work from 1973 onwards. Pink Floyd fans who have started later on in the catalogue would we advised to tread backwards slowly and carefully, savouring this album’s follow-up ‘Meddle’ and perhaps taking in the psychedelic 1973 debut before picking up the one with the cow on the front.
Advantages: An original idea, a relaxing album. Interesting to view in hindsight.
Disadvantages: A little lacking in effort, particularly in the second half.
Pink Floyd
Obscured by Clouds
**
Written on 23.07.06
The last album released by Pink Floyd before their groundbreaking masterpiece ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ remains one of the band’s most overlooked works, and perhaps with good reason. ‘Obscured by Clouds’ was composed for the obscure French film La Vallée, which translated as ‘The Valley,’ as if you needed me to tell you that. IMDB tells us that La Vallée is directed by Barbet Schroeder, whoever that is, and is a documentary of sorts about some hipp… I mean, sexually liberated young people seeking enlightenment in the rainforest. I admire Pink Floyd’s strange artistic ethics that saw them turn down Stanley Kubrick’s request to use their existing music in ‘A Clockwork Orange,’ but that allows them to compose a whole album of music for a hopelessly obscure French art film.
However noble the band’s intentions, no collection of original Pink Floyd material is going to remain particularly rare or obscure, and Obscured by Clouds is readily available in most good music shops online or on the planet Earth, despite being something of a collector’s-only CD in terms of its appeal. Even in 1972 the band was hardly unknown, having achieved #1 on the album charts with ‘Atom Heart Mother’ and proving increasingly popular at live shows. Obscured by Clouds is notably different from the band’s other work, following more of a traditional hard rock style in contrast to the more epic and progressive pieces the band are more famous for, and sounding less original and impressive as a result.
It’s alleged that Obscured by Clouds took the band one week to write and record. I assume this is true to an extent, but it’s likely that a lot of it represents ideas that had been circulating for a while, evidenced by the close similarity of some songs to material that would end up on Dark Side of the Moon in a far more refined form. The production job does sound pretty rushed, and as orgasmic as some of David Gilmour’s guitar solos are, much of the instrumentation could be pretty interchangeable amongst tracks. A lot of the variation comes from mundane changes, like slow versus fast songs and the occasional instrumental. Aside from this, the album follows one type of sound throughout, which isn’t a bad thing considering it’s all intended to link thematically to a film. The album stands alone in the Pink Floyd discography, while also forming an interesting if shaky bridge between two important eras of the band’s sound.
This album is dominated by guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour, but Gilmour is aided greatly by Richard Wright’s keyboards and Hammond organ backing. As the music follows a classic rock style and ditches a lot of the avant-garde stuff, Wright’s duties primarily involve supplementing whatever the guitar, bass and drums are doing, but he nevertheless takes many opportunities to enhance what would otherwise be substandard songs into interesting ditties worthy of a listener’s attention. This is most notable in the opening and closing instrumentals ‘Obscured by Clouds’ and ‘Absolutely Curtains.’ The first begins with deep, throbbing synth that lasts throughout, providing a real bass line for Gilmour’s solos to soar over to improve on Roger Waters’ bass guitar, which is hardly noticeable throughout the album. ‘Absolutely Curtains’ is similarly synth-led, but at a higher pitch this time, incredibly atmospheric and reminiscent of the band’s later masterpiece ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond.’ The song ‘Free Four’ would sound stupidly optimistic without Wright’s intermittent bursts of dark keyboard, and elsewhere in the album he contributes piano melodies and understated Hammond organ.
With more freedom than he would be permitted on the more stringently structured releases the band would produce hereafter, David Gilmour really lets his guitar skills shine. He doesn’t achieve anything innovative here, as Obscured by Clouds unfortunately tends to look backwards for inspiration rather than forwards for progression, but it’s great to hear all those chilled out solos, somehow reminiscent of lying on the sand and watching the sun set on tropical beaches I’ve never even been to. Almost every song has one of these solos, slow and mellow as was the seventies way (I guess. I wasn’t there), but the slower songs feature especially relaxed contributions. ‘Burning Bridges’ and the inexplicably titled ‘Wot’s … Uh the Deal’ follow the style of the short acoustic songs on the albums ‘Atom Heart Mother’ and ‘Meddle,’ but without the acoustic guitars. Gilmour’s vocals are light and soothing, one of the few remnants here of the band’s psychedelic era, and the lengthy solos in each are freely interrupted by additional verses as if they themselves substitute for vocals.
Also pointlessly titled, ‘Gold it’s in the…’ follows more of a blues-rock sound, complete with catchy chorus and hard riffs, but like many songs on here ends up either repeating itself or inserting a guitar solo in place of a vocal reprise. ‘Free Four’ is similar in tempo and vocal style, but the daft opening and bouncy riff detract from its credibility, and confuse the issue of whether this is indeed a parody or just a disappointment. This same aesthetic issue would surface later in the band’s career with ‘The Wall.’ More interesting songs come in tracks 6 and 7 in the middle of the album, both of which contain hints of things to come on the album that would follow, and are among the best here: the instrumental ‘Mudmen’ has a great atmosphere, and the strange sound effects sound a lot like ‘The Travel Sequence’ that would feature on the band’s subsequent live show ‘Eclipse,’ later to be re-done and recorded as Dark Side’s ‘On the Run.’
Similarly, ‘Childhood’s End’ is an obvious precursor to ‘Time,’ Alan Parsons’ chiming clocks replaced by some cool spacey keyboards that still proceed to the fast-ticking drum beat and country-style vocals. The original version of ‘Time’ was slower than what ended up on the album, a can be heard on 1972 live bootlegs, and there are many similarities here… although it’s not as good. Even the lyrics deal with a similar theme of growing old and burning out: ‘life is a short warm moment, death is a long cold rest.’
I’m not sure how the band went about recording these songs: whether they had footage of the film to hand, or were trusted to do their own thing and come up with something fittingly appropriate. Collected here, it’s not clear how and why any of the music would be relevant, and it’s also annoyingly edited in places, presumably to keep within the standard forty minutes. The nice guitar-led instrumental ‘When You’re In’ fades out just as it starts to get even more interesting, yet the slower songs seem to last for far longer than necessary. Even as a stand-alone album this is nicely arranged, the penultimate song ‘Stay’ offering a nicely subdued piano ballad and ‘Absolutely Curtains’ (an appropriate title for once) leading out with some tribal chants.
It’s interesting that the band’s detractors often dismiss their more well-known, lengthier works as sounding like film scores, when there’s very little on this album that I can even conceive working well as part of any soundtrack. The music’s far too obtrusive and catchy to sit well alongside La Vallée’s alleged ‘commentary on the human condition,’ and apparently the combined end result was indeed disappointing. That’s what I’ve read anyway, I wouldn’t know, I haven’t watched it have I? Sounds like a load of boring rubbish about hipp… nature lovers. The album’s pretty fun though.
Obscured by Clouds sold poorly, but that can’t have been a major disappointment to the band, as they already had a ‘canonical’ studio album (‘Meddle’) and a compilation (‘Relics’) out that year, both of which were more warmly received. The music isn’t inherently off-putting, but doesn’t represent the band’s strength very well aside from Gilmour’s ability to produce nice guitar solos, which would be heard better on ‘Animals’ anyway. This album is by no means essential, unlike Dark Side of the Moon which I should hope you own already, and which is far too intimidating to consider reviewing on here. Not like this mediocre thing. I reiterate that the album’s pretty fun though, and I enjoy listening to it occasionally.
Soundtrack excuse or no, the music here only sounds tenuously like Pink Floyd, and despite the added vibrance of the live recording, the final product sounds dull, rushed and lazy even compared to their earlier, more interesting film scores for ‘More’ and ‘Zabriskie Point.’ At least the improvisation is more restrained and palatable than the band’s early days of playing at the UFO club, when ‘Interstellar Overdrive’ would be extended to about half an hour for the whacked-out hippie beatniks. Dang, I used the H word.
1. Obscured by Clouds
2. When You’re In
3. Burning Bridges
4. Gold it’s in the…
5. Wot’s… Uh the Deal
6. Mudmen
7. Childhood’s End
8. Free Four
9. Stay
10. Absolutely Curtains
Advantages: A different type of Pink Floyd for a different type of listener
Disadvantages: Rushed and disappointing, especially compared to the other music the band was creating by this point
Pink Floyd
Wish You Were Here
Sail on the Steel Breeze
*****
Written on 20.02.07
There’s not a great deal I could say about Pink Floyd’s 1975 album that hasn’t already been said. But obviously, you know, I’ll try and stuff. (This is why I normally write about bands like Subterranean Masquerade, whom you’ve never heard of).
The sequel to the phenomenally popular ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ was always going to be a huge seller based on legacy alone, which is a shame as this inevitably led to the band adopting a more radio-friendly and commercial sound forever after. The crazy kids whose boundless musical (and, I suppose, substance) experimentation produced such inspired 20-minute classics as ‘Echoes’ and such ridiculous 20-minute embarrassments as ‘Atom Heart Mother’ in equal measure, were now making albums targeted at the mass international audience they had snared. The band’s early discography is packed with incredible highs and lows, and though much of it is inherently rubbish, the audacity alone makes it enjoyable. Now a sensation thanks to the single ‘Money’ (I won’t bother pointing out the irony. Oh, whoops), the band were locked on board the gravy train, and the only way to de-rail it would be through an exhausting process of relentless alienation. This was almost accomplished before the ‘Household Objects’ project was scrapped, which would have seen the band producing an entire album by playing household appliances and things as instruments. They wisely chose to just continue being good, though it would have been interesting to hear a toilet solo.
‘Wish You Were Here’ was the not-too-long-awaited next album, and is easily the band’s most blatantly commercial effort so far. This doesn’t come at a cost to artistic integrity, and indeed it’s difficult to consider an album book-ended by two incredibly long halves of a nine-part suite as a ‘sell-out’ record, but by this point Pink Floyd knew how to make popular music, and how to present it to the public. The album’s production job is polished to the point that Rick Wright’s keyboards and David Gilmour’s melodic guitars, both the highlights of the album, seem almost to slip off the edge of the CD as each track fades into the next. The innovative samples famously incorporated into ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ are even more prominent here, and are arguably unnecessary in bridging these afore-mentioned gaps. The throbbing machine at the opening of track two is perfect, but the fuzzy crowd noise at the end, and the long wind that segues between the title track and the final song, seem more like deliberate attempts to make this all one piece of music in the way ‘Dark Side’ almost was. Gilmour and Roger Waters take turns at the microphone, and there’s even time for a nice, short acoustic song for people who don’t really like Pink Floyd. Add Storm Thorgerson’s cool photographic album sleeve and this becomes the archetypal album of Pink Floyd hereafter, the template Gilmour would fall back to after escaping from Waters’ domination in the late 80s.
‘Shine on You Crazy Diamond’ is one of Pink Floyd’s most famous songs, and I might as well say one of their best. The last great long song they would ever record, and probably only the second great long song after ‘Echoes,’ this nine-part suite is split in two and shoved to alternate ends of the record. It would make more sense as a complete song, but the interference of major record labels saw that this wasn’t allowed to happen. Who wants to buy a four-song album that takes half an hour to get going? The first half of fifteen minutes or so is the best, as the second half is largely a reprise aside from some great bass and guitar solos. Beginning in grand minimalist style with Wright’s booming and hypnotically slow spacey keyboards, Gilmour’s famous four-note melody creeps in, soon to be accompanied by drums and a whole load of other loud sounds. Waters’ vocals follow the trademark ‘whispered’ style of singing, but the chorus is bombastic and energetic. Some peoples’ attention spans will be too short to appreciate this song in its entirety, so it’s probably fortunate that it’s divided this way.
The middle of the album is notoriously weak in comparison to the incredible opening and closing pieces, but what we’re given is still highly enjoyable and a little diverse, at least in terms of which instrument is being favoured. ‘Welcome to the Machine’ is an ambiguous anthem of conformity that makes great use of faux-acoustic guitar over the hubbub of noises, but it’s nothing too exciting. ‘Have a Cigar’ is more upbeat and satirical and a chance for Wright’s keyboards to shine, even if that mostly means playing a prominent and potentially irritating riff between the verses. The vocals, criticising the music industry, are weirdly handled by Roy Harper, as Waters apparently had a cold and Gilmour wasn’t prepared to groan the hateful lyrics. This was probably the right decision, as his later attempts to handle such issues on ‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason’ were really terrible and unconvincing; he’s just not a nasty man. Following some phony radio transmission, presumably from an irritated listener who just couldn’t handle the satire of the last track, a tinny acoustic guitar is heard. The penultimate song sticks out from the synth-washed atmosphere and is the acoustic title track, ‘Wish You Were Here.’ With some nice lyrics and a catchy melody, this has remained a live favourite, but sounds a little out of place so far into this recording, a void escaping Wright’s Rick-Wakemen-esque domination of the airwaves elsewhere.
Another great Pink Floyd album, produced by a band with a different aura. Waters would take full creative control after this release, leading to the less impressive ‘Animals’ and the pop-rock-opera ‘The Wall’ that’s actually really good, whiney as it is. If Pink Floyd under Gilmour ever release another album, which is incredibly unlikely but not impossible, ‘Wish You Were Here’ will be their main reference point to make it ‘sound like Pink Floyd,’ just as they did for the last release ‘Division Bell’ thirteen years ago. The majority of this album, excluding tracks two and three, will continue to form part of any future live setlist, and the other two make quite a nice pair, their morals not being mutually exclusive. Wright recalls this album as one of the only Pink Floyd records he can listen to for enjoyment, and he really is at his best here, before his talents and contributions were watered down and finally fired the hell out of the band several years later. Gilmour is excellent too, while the bass aspects of Waters’ bass guitar and Nick Mason’s drums don’t impress in the same way, but keep the whole thing grounded. Dick Parry has a great squealing sax solo in ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ too.
‘Shine On’ was being performed by the band before they had even made plans for a new album, and as such the rest of the material is a little weaker and forced in an effort to fill up space, making me wonder what other delights or atrocities may have appeared if this had been produced in the digital world of longer playing times. A tribute to their old comrade Syd Barrett, a mad visionary with a penchant for gnomes, bikes and LSD, there was a famous incident where Syd turned up to the studio half-way through its recording and asked if he could ‘do his bit.’ There were tears and hugs from his former bandmates, and the spirit of Syd would dominate this entire recording. Some crazy people claim that this album syncs up with Ridley Scott’s ‘Blade Runner’ in the same way ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ fits tenuously with ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ These people are wrong, and mad.
And if they really liked Syd Barrett that much, they probably would have let him do his bit, or at least a bit of something. But no cigar.
Advantages: Distinctive sound, incredible guitar/keyboard album
Disadvantages: A bit samey, and weak in the middle
Pink Floyd
Animals
***
Written on 07.01.06
Roger Waters designed an inflatable pig, the said pig was built by a dedicated team and suspended by Battersea power station in 1977, and then blew away, much to the shock of air traffic control and the local public. But thankfully enough material was composited together to make another iconic album cover for Pink Floyd, by this time one of the biggest sensations in the music world.
After the landmark technological soundscapes of 'Dark Side of the Moon' and 'Wish You Were Here,' Pink Floyd, or rather Roger Waters, opted for a less polished and more 'live' attitude to the music, which primarily involved relegating Richard Wright's keyboards to backing duties (before firing Wright altogether during recording of the follow-up album). This allowed for even greater focus on David Gilmour's ever-improving guitar skills, Roger's vocals and innovative bass and Nick Mason's frantic drumming.
Surprisingly, despite its more aggressive and stripped-down sound, Animals fails to break in a completely new era for Pink Floyd due to the persistently slow pace of the consciously structured songs. The concept, written by Waters and the start of his almost totalitarian control of the band's output (culminating in 'The Wall' and 'The Final Cut'), is admittedly based on George Orwell's farmyard/politics allegory novel 'Animal Farm,' criticising a national and global climate that Waters was feeling increasingly dismayed and infuriated by.
I'm not put off by song length; some of my favourite albums are composed as one extended piece of music, but those extra minutes have to earn their keep. Pink Floyd's earlier albums and live shows were rife with long, improvised pieces or extensions to existing songs that are great to unwind to, but after the more precise concept focus instigated by 'Dark Side of the Moon,' the band seem to have lost their knack for crafting epics, and the material instead sounds repetitive.
'Dogs,' 'Pigs (Three Different Ones)' and 'Sheep' all follow the exact same structure: a gradual build-up from either silence or a basic rhythm to a recognisable main riff and verse section that repeats before fading into a quieter section with relevant animals sounds and exploding again towards the end.
This worked for the earlier twenty-three minute 'Echoes,' seen by many as the band's crowning achievement, and it is clearly successful in Animals due to the album's popularity, but I can't help feeling cheated out of several additional songs when the second half of the song basically reverses the style of the first half, save for the occasional good but ultimately disposable guitar solo. At under ten minutes, 'Sheep' is the only song that really gets away with this, the muted section being shorter and the closing minute dominated by Gilmour's brilliant guitar solo, but at almost double the length, 'Dogs' is a prime candidate for an editing job that was never performed.
This is a shame, as despite being ridiculously overlong, 'Dogs' is probably the best song on here and deserves to be included on best-of compilations without record company heretics earning the wrath of fans by shaving minutes off. The lyrics are bitter and bleak over the main rhythm, a dense and layered riff aided greatly by use of acoustic guitars, but the highlight is David Gilmour's laid-back first solo after five or so minutes.
The anticipation of the solo's return is what keeps the dull part of the song interesting, and its resurrection is one of the highlights of the album, but a similar effect could be achieved by playing the song again after it finished at around nine minutes, the point by which everything has been heard. Oh come on, I don't know the first thing about writing a song, I know that. But I know what I like! Without a live audience to bask in its harmony, Gilmour's guitar sounds increasingly lonely as the song carries on.
'Pigs (Three Different Ones)' is a funkier sing-along type centrepiece for the album and a good one too, even though the basic riff becomes a little irritating. The unusual zap sound that opens the song, and Mason's oddly successful light percussion both add to this song's originality, which I find myself liking more with each listen. The distorted vocals sound more ethereal and haunting than damning here, Roger trying out his (later-) distinctive vocal style for what appears to be the first time. Pigs are also clearly the best animal out of the three featured on the album, as well as being contenders for best animal in the world (if apes, lemurs and stuff didn't exist), so I may be a little biased.
'Sheep' is more accessible as the shortest song, but a little less impressive on the whole as the third song in a row to use the same structure. It opens with a great lounge jazz esque part before breaking into the fastest and most energetic riff of the album, quite a feat for the reflective Pink Floyd. Now that Wright's keyboards aren't flooding through too much, Waters' effective bass lines can be better heard, clearly the inspiration for many bands to follow. This song is certainly more laid back than its predecessors, seeming something of a jam at times and perhaps an excuse to insert bits and pieces that wouldn't have worked elsewhere. As mentioned earlier, David Gilmour closes the song in style, my favourite moment of the album.
Animals is bookended by 'Pigs on the Wing,' two short halves of one song that, fitting to the structure of the songs in between, are both almost exactly the same. But they're nice and pleasant, really deserving a place on the CD/LP precisely for being so different in tone from the long pessimistic prog.
Animals is a fairly unique and certainly memorable part of Pink Floyd's discography, and acts as a middle ground between the spaced out progressive rock that came before and the gloomy, more commercially minded rock opera format that was to follow. Not an entirely successful album, but one that has enough classic guitar parts to merit repeated listens.
Pigs are better than dogs or sheep, but chimps are best of all.
Pink Floyd
The Wall
****
Written on 16.07.06
... one of the biggest selling albums in history, and one that still provokes discussion by Pink Floyd fans. Was ‘The Wall’ the last great Floyd album; the start of their decline; the point of no return; or the band’s unsurpassed masterpiece?
Everything about this album smells of ambition. In many ways, it’s bass player / new vocalist Roger Waters’ personal pet project. From the unusual double album format (a 4-side LP in the olden days, later updated to double CD) to the repetition of themes in the lyrics and melodies to the appropriation of the band’s name for the protagonist in the album’s storyline, it’s almost as if Pink Floyd finally felt ready to record their magnum opus, six years after they’d already accidentally done that with ‘Dark Side of the Moon.’
The Pink Floyd sound is intentionally stripped down and simplified for The Wall, a departure from the extended jams and ambient instrumentals that typified their sound through the seventies. This shallow sound can’t be blamed on the near-absence of keyboard player Rick Wright (who Waters fired during the making of this album) as the previous release ‘Animals’ achieved a comparable atmosphere to the synth-heavy ‘Wish You Were Here’ with only minimal use of keyboards, as did much of their early work. The style would seem to be a combination of Waters’ style-over-substance attitude, the focus being on his intelligent concept through the lyrics, and the desire to produce a more profitable and commercial album filled with shorter and simpler radio-friendly material, following the somewhat disappointing sales of ‘Animals’ with its ten-minute-plus Orwellian rants. The concept of The Wall is intrinsically linked to its sound and overall style, more so perhaps than in any other big-selling album, and as such has to be dealt with in addition to the music itself.
Disc One
1. In the Flesh?
2. The Thin Ice
3. Another Brick in the Wall part one
4. The Happiest Days of Our Lives
5. Another Brick in the Wall part two
6. Mother
7. Goodbye Blue Sky
8. Empty Spaces
9. Young Lust
10. One of My Turns
11. Don’t Leave Me Now
12. Another Brick in the Wall part three
13. Goodbye Cruel World
The first disc is by far the more impressive of the two. The opening is strong, the songs are good and the pace doesn’t let up for a long time, only losing my interest in the bleak section at the end. The Wall Disc One stands strong as an independent album, as the repetition of musical themes is successful (namely in the ‘Another Brick in the Wall’ pieces) and the songs are varied enough in style and mood to make for a successful album. Even the all-important ‘Pink Floyd’ concept draws to something of a conclusion here, though the existence of the second disc benefits the story greatly by offering solutions to the character’s grief and presenting the consequences of his actions, elevating the concept above the cynical, world-weary rant it would have been at forty minutes.
Lyrically, disc one is a speedy scene-by-scene, brick-by-brick overview of Pink’s formative years and experiences, the wailing baby’s birth immediately preceded by his father’s roaring plane crash and the lyrics dealing with school and an over-cautious mother. After track seven the listener (or even reader) is brought back to the ‘present’: Pink the rock star failing to find contentment living his dream and spiralling deeper into despair. The concept is cool, and it’s carried out well by the music, although it’s a shame that the brief and intriguing voice samples from early in the album give way to lengthy performance pieces later on, as in the opening to ‘One of My Turns’ when Pink invites a groupie to his hotel room. The arbitrary, trivial criticisms of the insane headmaster in the early tracks are fun to listen to (‘how ken ya hav’any puddeng if ya dorn’t eat yer meat???’) and there’s some nice foreshadowing in the almost inaudible ringing phone.
Musically, disc one is loud, mid-tempo rock music that ranges from the grand opening chords to the anthemic ‘Another Brick’ hit single to the quiet and reflective ‘Mother’ and ‘Goodbye Blue Sky’ to the mellow pop-rock of ‘Young Lust’ and, finally, the drawn-out bleakness of ‘Don’t Leave Me Now’ and ‘Goodbye Cruel World.’ The opening song is great and energetic, and although it’s a little disappointing that this power fades away so soon with the piano-led ‘The Thin Ice,’ the Brick sections at least keep things bouncing and plodding along in a relatively satisfying way, even if that infamous school choir on Another Brick part two sounds pretty grating, especially at the high volume that the production of this album demands.
The stripped acoustic style of ‘Mother’ works incredibly well, and the eruption into to Dave Gilmour’s guitar solo works perfectly, a feat that is sadly never achieved again in the course of this disc. Both ‘One of My Turns’ and ‘Don’t Leave Me Now’ attempt the exact same thing, only the contrast between the quiet body of the song and the electric finale is more pronounced in these latter two, and the resulting solos and melodies are cut off before going anywhere interesting in both instances. This reliance on pointless volume-tinkering and a contrived electric guitar ‘wow’ factor would later be one of many failings of the follow-up album, ‘The Final Cut.’ In Gilmour’s praise, he makes excellent use of the limited time he’s given on these later tracks, no matter how much they clearly demonstrate his losing position in the band’s compromise with its control freak of a bass player.
Disc Two
1. Hey You
2. Is There Anybody Out There!
3. Nobody Home
4. Vera
5. Bring the Boys Back Home
6. Comfortably Numb
7. The Show Must Go On
8. In the Flesh
9. Run Like Hell
10. Waiting for the Worms
11. Stop
12. The Trial
13. Outside the Wall
While some of the second disc’s failings are down to loss of the initial enthusiasm listeners may have got a kick out of as they realised disc one was telling a story, there are also clear reasons why it fails in places as a strong album. For a start, the tracklist is deceptive and exaggerated: ‘Is There Anybody Out There!,’ ‘Bring the Boys Back Home’ and ‘Stop’ are all mere interludes with very little merit either on their own or even in their positions on the album, although the first would have seemed more fitting as the opening for disc two, as was originally intended, continuing the hopelessness of disc one’s finale rather than seemingly going backwards here after the more optimistic ‘Hey You.’ It would be unfair to condemn ‘Vera,’ ‘The Show Must Go On’ and ‘Outside the Wall’ as not being ‘true songs’ just because they’re all very short also, but they are eclipsed by the longer and more worthwhile songs, which end up comprising only seven of the thirteen tracks.
The concept of disc two is predominantly routed in the present tense of the character’s experiences, as he is forced to continue living and performing under medication, and reacts by abusing his position on stage by turning his concert into a fascist rally. Pink retreats into his own mind once again, this time to confront his demons, the bricks in his symbolic wall personified by the characters whose negligent attitudes were responsible for his descent. The ending is ambiguous: Pink’s fate is unknown, but the Wall is audibly demolished and, of course, the CD loops back round to Pink’s father’s death, the first brick, to begin construction all over again.
The musical style is even more varied than on the first disc, but this isn’t necessarily a positive thing. Opener ‘Hey You’ is my favourite on the album, a short but progressive song with a great rock chorus, effective contrast of moods and even a nice electric reprise of the ‘Another Brick’ guitar riff for the first of several instances on this disc. The other hit singles are also the most prominent songs on this side, the sombre Gilmour classic ‘Comfortably Numb,’ proof if any was needed that Pink Floyd was never all about Waters, and the disco beats of ‘Run Like Hell,’ one that I’m not so fond of. The music once again ties perfectly to the tone of the lyrics, the boost of energy that accompanies the protagonist’s performance permitting the sequel / prequel (it depends on your point of view) ‘In the Flesh.’ It also means that anyone bored by the melancholic sound at the end of disc one can look forward to things improving as the second disc continues, the quieter acoustic pieces sounding more reflective and chilled out than dismal.
My main issue with the second disc is that the story is permitted and encouraged to completely overpower the music on several occasions. While ‘Comfortably Numb’ is implicitly about injecting the character of Pink with some kind of drug so he’s ready to perform, it could be about anything, and that’s why people request it for their funerals. By complete contrast, ‘The Trial’ is a disappointingly melodramatic conclusion to the album that offers very little in the way of musical entertainment and is mainly a chance for Waters to put on an even sillier Irish accent than usual and scream a lot. ‘Bring the Boys Back Home’ also sounds very out of place, to the extent that I can’t see where in music it could possibly have any place, and doesn’t even succeed in making the point about cheery wartime propaganda that I guess it’s making. The song sounds really obstructive and annoying before ‘Comfortably Numb,’ and could have been handled differently, in any other way, and been more pleasing. The album’s true (but still disputed) finale is nice and pleasant.
The Wall doesn’t match up to Dark Side of the Moon, its immediate rival within the band’s discography. In fact, I don’t think it matches up to much of their output prior to this, but I also think it’s a huge step above the dismal disappointment of the Waters-dominated ‘The Final Cut,’ and the mediocre albums the band produced after his departure. Dark Side is an incredible listening experience that works from start to finish, while The Wall features too many slip-ups and inconsistencies, not to mention that it’s really stretched out at just over 80 minutes. Where Dark Side innovates new ways of sounding, The Wall deliberately rejects them and oversimplifies itself for consumers; unnecessarily, as the record buying public were already eager for anything with the Pink Floyd name.
At least there are some fantastic songs amidst the filler, especially those that are full band collaborations. Sadly, all the band members are restrained and consequently don’t get to sound much like themselves, especially notable in Wright’s diluted Hammonds (that nevertheless improve the album greatly) and Nick Mason’s reduction to time-keeping percussionist. Waters relies too much on understatement in the mistaken belief that low volume is somehow more meaningful than loud rock music (so what are those amps all about?), and this means that only around one-third of the album’s softer pieces end up being good songs. The best cuts are ‘In the Flesh?’ (and its similar, punctationless companion), ‘Another Brick in the Wall part 2’ (grudgingly), ‘Mother,’ ‘Goodbye Blue Sky,’ ‘Hey You’ and ‘Comfortably Numb,’ with perhaps ‘Run Like Hell’ added if you like disco. The rest of the album is mostly nice, but acts as a bridge between the good stuff.
The lasting legacy of The Wall is that it gives attentive listeners a fair amount to think about. It can’t all be about the depressed rock star plot, as the music has to back up the story with equal brilliance, and it mostly succeeds. While the jingoistic upbringing, rock star privileges and drug abuse motifs prevent this from being an ‘everyman’ tale (imagine that. A whole generation of Roger Waterses. Depressing or what?), some aspects of the album are nicely open-ended for interpretation. Watching Alan Parker’s 1982 film version of this album would probably help in spoiling it all for you with some kind of definitive message, but luckily I haven’t seen that.
Personally, I view some of the album’s louder, more typical rock and roll moments such as ‘In the Flesh’ and the Thin Lizzie esque ‘Young Lust’ as being songs from the guitar and repertoire of (the fictional character) Pink Floyd, especially as the latter sounds so different and so much more consciously commercial and genre-based than anything else off the album. If ‘Young Lust’ is indeed an ironic parody of the mellow, gravely voiced, swinging guitars hard rock style, it’s a damn good parody… it was even released as a successful single! The album would have been even more impressive if more songs were open to interpretation, and things like the over-exposure of ‘The Trial’ were watered down. The album should have been shorter.
It’s not enough for the album to rely on the merits of its lyrical complexity, as this serves at best, giving a theoretical example (that’s not at all based on my own experience…), to immediately wow listeners with its intelligence, have them reading all about it on the internet and then deciding that The Wall is one of their new favourite albums because it’s so clever, only to listen to it again at a later date and realise that the music’s not actually that revolutionary or inspired at all. And feeling cheated by myself. I mean, themselves. The theoretical people that aren’t me. It’s a nice gimmick to split a vocal sample over the end and then the beginning of the album, but that alone isn’t necessarily enough to encourage cyclical playing.
Of course, this was a massive selling album and not everyone who owns it is going to be interested in burdening themselves with exploration of the concept. They just want good rock songs played by great musicians at their peak, and for this reason The Wall is ...
Advantages: Continues to evolve the Pink Floyd sound, includes some of their finest songs, Interesting concept
Disadvantages: Lyrics take precedence over the music, leading to a fair amount of filler
Pink Floyd
The Final Cut
**
Written on 04.02.06
The last Pink Floyd album to feature vocalist/bassist Roger Waters, and the only album not to feature keyboard player Rick Wright, 'The Final Cut' is a bleak and reflective art rock album by Waters, produced under the successful Pink Floyd name and bearing the subtitle 'performed by Pink Floyd,' or at least its three remaining members.
'A requiem for the post-war dream,' The Final Cut divides the band's fans into those who appreciate its message and uniqueness within the discography, and those who bemoan its ego-centric creation and departure from the band's definitive 'sound,' the record furthest removed from the band's psychedelic origins. Guess which party I fall into.
The story behind The Final Cut is well documented: Waters was becoming ever more the control freak with each album, and after the huge success of 1979's 'The Wall,' moved on to produce this follow-up album almost independently, despite the efforts of David Gilmour and Nick Mason to contribute their experience and skills. Without Wright's epic prog soundscapes, Waters hired composer Michael Kamen to fill out the sound with piano and orchestration that can barely be heard, and created the album through a mix of inferior off-cuts from The Wall and new, similar sounding songs crafted around his bitter lyrics.
The Final Cut is essentially a Waters solo album, made more tolerable than his later albums by the presence of the supremely talented but stifled Gilmour on guitars. Despite fair criticism that the unused songs from The Wall were of inferior quality, hence their omission from that double LP, Waters used them as the basis for an album that ends up sounding very much like a Wall wannabe, sadly emphasising and over- using the most annoying elements of that hit album such as the volume tinkering, strained vocal style and formulaic song structure. All the songs sound the same.
As it's a Pink Floyd album there is the usual attention to detail in crafting extra depth to songs with the studio equipment, but here it's mostly used to contrive a link between songs that otherwise wouldn't flow together. Wind, seagulls and soft dialogue help to create the atmosphere Waters is going for, but even the most blatant samples in the form of explosions within songs like 'The Gunner's Dream' don't have the fun audacity of the ringing clocks and cash registers of their earlier work. There is some variance in song style, but this is limited essentially to 'loud song'/'quiet song'/'quiet song with some loud bits.'
'The Post War Dream' is a short opening to the album that begs the listener to turn up the volume so they'll be hit by the roaring Wall-style guitar at the end, leading to the album's leading song and first Wall leftover, 'Your Possible Pasts.' The balance between quiet and loud sections is quite irritating, even though it's novel at first, and seems to become quite arbitrary towards the end. This would be a great song if it had something more to it than relying on this volume trick, leading as it does into the dull but brief interlude 'One of the Few.'
'The Hero's Return' begins with a promising whip-cracking exotic guitar and features an almost identical bass line to 'Another Brick in the Wall.' Despite lacking originality it's an enjoyable song that descends into the volume game again for the last couple of minutes, with Waters' genuinely pained vocals fitting his lyrics but grating my eardrums. By contrast, 'The Gunner's Dream' is one of the best songs on here, a more melancholy song amidst the bitterness that features some nice saxophone to break up the repetition, and a great moment where Waters' scream morphs seamlessly into the opening sax line. More tomfoolery like this would have made The Final Cut a brilliant work.
'Paranoid Eyes' is long and dull, despite its promising 'hit single'-style title, led by a piano and backing orchestra. This may have been a good song to break up a more lively album, but seems drawn out here. 'Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert' is an acoustic guitar piece with violins that acts as a nice one-minute interlude, the unison humming of the opening song a nice reminder of when the album started off quite promising. This hum repeats for some reason in the later 'Southampton Dock,' maybe an attempt at a bricks-in-the-wall-esque repeated theme for the album.
The most acclaimed songs on the album are 'The Fletcher Memorial Home' and 'The Final Cut,' both very similar and accomplished, but a little dull by this point. The former is most memorable for a mocking parade of world leaders done in Waters' annoying bombastic spoken word style, similar to 'Trial' from the end of The Wall, while the second is probably the culmination of all the attempts at an emotional song so far. The highlights of both songs are Gilmour's harmonic solos, shining out of the gloom and reminding the listener of what the album could have been if he had been allowed to contribute more, rather than simply aiding production and then having his co-producer credit stripped away by a bitter vocalist. These songs effectively go together, and the main bulk only serves as a pause between these two similar and excellent guitar harmonies.
Finally arriving penultimately is 'Not Now John,' the only co-written song on the album and a definite departure from the style, though not one that is as impressive as it could have been. Sung by Gilmour in the same style as 'Young Lust' from The Wall, which I always thought was intended to mock the gruff vocals and swinging guitar riffs of hard rock bands but was evidently just done because it would sell quite well as a single. With the backing women and some swearing, this song isn't quite the breather I had in mind from the depression elsewhere, but it's not too bad. The album closes with 'Two Suns in the Sunset,' a pleasant piece that sees the return of the sax and the orchestra and controversially sees Nick Mason replaced by Andy Newmark on drums. For some reason. The soft song sounds similar to earlier Pink Floyd song 'Summer '68,' written by the absent Rick Wright.
Fans of The Final Cut praise Waters' genius in linking World War II and other conflicts of the past with conflicts of the then-present, namely the Falklands, and the cyclical nature of history means that at least the album will have this in its favour for it for a while. Where 'The Wall' was quite an ingenious work that took some deciphering, and maybe even a viewing of the film before really understanding what it was about, The Final Cut is disappointingly blatant in its scattered references. (I wonder who this 'Maggie' is?... Oh I see, excellent). Waters was clearly having a hard, disillusioned time, and we are invited to share in his misery and bitterness.
With twelve tracks of varying length, nothing in the way of extended jamming, the endorsement of the famous band name and red-hot modern satire, The Final Cut should had the ingredients to be a phenomenal success. But Roger Waters is a rubbish chef. Who burns the food. And finally comes crawling back for Live 8 in 2005 for a nibble.
Pink Floyd
**
Written on 11.02.07
Despite being the most enduringly revered band of progressive rock, Pink Floyd’s artistic integrity nonetheless managed to burn out after little more than a decade. Different fans will have differing views of the point at which the band peaked, ‘sold out’ or ran out of ideas, largely depending on whether or not they loathe Roger Waters and deify Syd Barrett, but the common consensus tends to be that 80s Pink Floyd, through creative differences, exhaustion and legal fracas, sucked. The only debate that remains is which of ‘The Final Cut’ or ‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason’ sucked the biggest.
The debate isn’t a pointless one, as both albums represent polar opposites of the band’s output. ‘The Final Cut’ was the final album to be produced under the totalitarian thumb of Roger Waters, whose creative control had been progressively spiralling out of control since 1977’s ‘Animals.’ Bearing the unflattering subtitle ‘A requiem for the post-war dream by Roger Waters, performed by Pink Floyd,’ the album is most palatable when viewed as the first Waters solo effort, with a couple of nice guitar solos from David Gilmour, used very sparingly. Waters’ angst-ridden departure from the band shortly thereafter, and its subsequent reformation under Gilmour, led to the third David Gilmour solo album effectively becoming Pink Floyd’s ‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason,’ with one major difference: Gilmour was expected to tailor his songs to sound like Pink Floyd. Or, as the irritable Waters later put it, ‘a pretty fair forgery, or a good copy’ of the distinctive Pink Floyd sound.
A Momentary Lapse of Reason was the first Pink Floyd album for five years, and as such was inevitably destined to be a hit, whether it was critically well-received or not (for the record, it largely was not). Three hit singles fuelled a sell-out tour on which the majority of the new material was played, free as it was from the copyright blight inflicted by Waters. The material itself is largely forgettable, but not completely without merit: a couple of stand-out tracks successfully update the Pink Floyd sound to the 80s electronic scape, amidst a load of bland, tedious and intrusive noise. Pink Floyd staples such as a backing female chorus and overlong guitar solos (especially) set this up to be almost too much like an imitation, but like all Pink Floyd albums it doesn’t really sound too much like anything else. The dominant tone is still dingy, slow and brooding, though not to the extent of ‘The Final Cut,’ but the song structure and arrangement of the album is fairly unique, and in some places noticeably radio-oriented. At the very least, this stands out from the collection.
Gilmour’s incarnation of the band was perhaps doomed to failure, its structure being something of a shambles after the five-year absence, and was fortunately able to scrape together a far more consistent release with their final album in 1994, largely due to the involvement of keyboardist Richard Wright in the writing process. Wright is largely absent on this album, and is still not officially a member of the band, which consists solely of Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason, amidst a throng of gathered session musicians. Mason himself was disappointingly out of practice, meaning that even his contributions are limited and extremely ineffective, leading Gilmour to program his own drum machine to jam along to in the final song, in absence of a suitable human to provide the repetitive backing beat. As many critics note, Gilmour’s lyrics pale in contrast to those of Waters, but at least that leads to an album that’s less angry and bitter, and doesn’t mourn for a dead daddy that the singer never even knew.
‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason,’ (EMI, 1987)
1. Signs of Life (instrumental)
2. Learning to Fly
3. The Dogs of War
4. One Slip
5. On the Turning Away
6. Yet Another Movie
7. Round and Around
8. A New Machine Part 1
9. Terminal Frost (instrumental)
10. A New Machine Part 2
11. Sorrow
For the first time, all songs are written by David Gilmour, though the majority were co-written with producer Bob Ezrin and session musicians – neither Mason nor Wright had any creative input. This immediately lends a sense of repetition to the album, a far cry from the rather insane juxtaposition of styles on the early Pink Floyd albums for which each member would provide a song tailored to his own speciality. Gilmour’s speciality appears to lie in long, identical-sounding guitar solos and raspy vocals, which sound like he suffered from a sore throat during every stage of the recording.
The instrumental tracks are particularly noteworthy and well thought-out, the opening piece setting the scene for an intensely spacey and atmospheric album, perhaps the pinnacle of the band’s achievement at truly conveying a sense of outer space in music ('Astronomy Domine' succeeds better, but for different reasons). This is aided exquisitely by the foregrounded keyboard and organ, but the use of a distorted vocal sample, what sounds like communication between NASA and a shuttle, ruins the atmosphere a little for me. It would have been more impressive to rely entirely on the music to conjure the intergalactic image, perhaps with a little help from the title, but it wouldn’t be a Pink Floyd album without extensive audio sampling would it? Right, Dave? ‘Signs of Life’ is a great mood piece, though a little long and a bit of a 70s new-age throwback, reminiscent of Vangelis’ ‘Mare Tranquillatis’ from the superb space-jazz record ‘Albedo 0.39’ (right down to the transmission sample).
The other instrumental comes in the form of ‘Terminal Frost,’ and is a little more like the jams a Pink Floyd fan is used to, starting softly with a piano, soon to be joined by a nice melodic guitar wail and expanding to greater density as the minutes slowly tick by. It works really well as an instrumental piece, but is hindered by its hideous bookends in the form of the pointlessly excruciating ‘A New Machine’ parts one and two. This represents the peak of Gilmour experimenting with ever-more-distracting ways of keeping the listener’s attention, as we’re subjected to around three tormenting minutes of screeching a capella, distorted through some device or other. Separating ‘Terminal Frost’ from these segments, which really are completely unnecessary, it’s one of the better pieces the album has to offer, even if John Helliwell’s sax solo is more reminiscent of a gameshow opening theme than the great contributions of Dick Parry to ‘Money’ and ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ in the 70s.
Disappointingly, alternating between so many hired musicians really adds very little variety to this recording. The drums on ‘One Slip’ are played by Jim Keltner, but aren’t that different from the machine Gilmour programmed for ‘Sorrow,’ or Mason’s competent-but-unremarkable work on ‘Learning to Fly’ and others. The bass is equally reliable to the point of unoriginality, only really audible in the bass-led ‘Dogs of War,’ which is easily one of the weakest songs Pink Floyd ever recorded. Shattering the chilled atmosphere at such an early point in a similar way to ‘A New Machine’ later (though not quite as bad), this is several minutes more than necessary of Gilmour barking half-arsed politics far too close to the microphone, while intrusive organs erupt every several seconds. There’s a guitar solo too, but that’s really stating the obvious. It’s a shame really, as the songs surrounding it are fairly enjoyable, and would work much better if the mellow atmosphere had been allowed to pervade the recording without these uncomfortable jarring moments.
First single ‘Learning to Fly’ would probably have remained a live staple of this ‘new’ Pink Floyd if it had remained active to the present day, and was an unsurprising presence on both of the live albums it released. A good, catchy and enjoyable pop-rock song, this sees Gilmour in full melodic mode (think ‘Comfortably Numb’) over a background of pseudo-electro instrumentation. The chorus is nice and subdued, and the solo nice and relaxed, making this another highlight of the album. It’s perhaps aimed a little too directly at MTV play, in contrast to the ‘art rock’ indulgence of earlier albums, but that doesn’t really count against it. After ‘Dogs of War’ has run its discordant course, the album jumps into a slightly higher gear for the U2-like ‘One Slip.’ Only one gear though, it’s nothing radical. Probably the most positive song on here, it’s also enjoyable in a poppy sort of way, even if it doesn’t strictly belong on a Pink Floyd recording. Much better is the dismal ‘On the Turning Away,’ a slow song with a vast and booming echo, dominated by impressive acoustic guitar that interacts well with the throbbing synthesiser. This is my favourite piece of the album, succeeding far better than the closing song, though an abrupt fade as the guitar solo lasts just a little too long spoils it, as does the repetition of very ‘Wall’esque riffs.
The remainder of the album is fairly dull, mainly for coming after these earlier songs have already exhausted the ideas. ‘Yet Another Movie’ is similar to ‘On the Turning Away,’ though not as good, and fades out with the fairly pointless fifty second epilogue ‘Round and Around,’ which might as well have been the same song. ‘Sorrow’ is the biggest disappointment for me, beginning with ominous and earth-shaking keyboards and melancholy vocals from Gilmour in yet another vast, empty space, before the drum machine comes in after two minutes and it just becomes a waiting game until the final guitar solo fades out after reaching the point of tedium, and I can go on with my life. The bragging title and excellent set-up lead only to a repetition of what we’ve already heard five or six times over the course of the previous fifty minutes, but the fault lies largely in the rubbish drum machine. Would it really have been too hard to draft in one of the hired hands to play something more interesting to close the album? As evidence, the song is improved on live recordings with Nick Mason handling the drum beat and Gilmour’s indulgent solo being allowed to properly run its course, without feeling stunted and unsatisfied, as it does at the end of this mediocre release.
‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason’ is probably the least essential item in your Pink Floyd collection, especially as some of the best songs appear on the excellent live album ‘Pulse,’ as well as the rather less excellent live album ‘The Delicate Sound of Thunder.’ Gilmour’s Pink Floyd is little more than a shambolic money-making exercise for a man whose solo career was faring only adequately, and it’s a shame that 1994’s ‘Division Bell’ is the only effort the band made in remedying this problem and maintaining their credibility. The best songs on here can be found elsewhere, while the worst (‘Dogs of War’ and ‘A New Machine’) should have remained on the cutting room floor. To address the all-so-important debate I mentioned earlier, Waters’ ‘The Final Cut’ is probably better than ‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason,’ though both show a band in a decade of unmistakable decline.
The only Pink Floyd album that’s probably less appealing is the studio disc of 1969’s ‘Ummagumma,’ which is really, really terrible and even something of an embarrassment for those involved. A momentary lapse of reason by a young and stupid band, before they became old and rich and should have known better. By 1987, there were plenty of bands imitating the Pink Floyd sound and achieving far greater results than this.
Pink Floyd
**
Written on 07.07.06
The double-disc live release from Pink Floyd’s ‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason’ tour in 1988 marked the prog rock band’s first official live release since the four-song ‘Ummagumma’ twenty years previously. Since then, the band escalated to international fame, helped innovate a whole new style of music and released a string of incredible and successful albums (it’s estimated that 1 in every 14 American citizens own a copy of the band’s magnum opus, ‘Dark Side of the Moon.’) As the first live album since ‘Meddle,’ ‘Dark Side…,’ ‘Wish You Were Here,’ ‘Animals’ and ‘The Wall,’ ‘The Delicate Sound of Thunder’ has a lot to live up to.
The 1980s were a turbulent and stressful time for Pink Floyd, a rock band whose popularity was dwindling from year to year. Jealous ex-bass player and totalitarian songwriter Roger Waters tried his hardest to destroy the band through courts, for the treacherous decision of its two official remaining members not to disband, and to continue using the successful Pink Floyd name. Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way, and Waters eventually came out of court a loser, grumpier and ready to embark on a disappointing string of solo projects. Meanwhile, guitarist (and now full-time vocalist) David Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason brought back keyboard player Rick Wright once again, and created ‘Momentary Lapse of Reason’ with the aid of a host of session musicians. Wright was originally fired from the band in 1979 by Waters and not officially reinstated by Gilmour until 1994… for some reason.
The 1987 album the tour promoted was fairly bland and disappointing. Could the live album fare better? Could the mixture of old and new material prove that the band still had what it takes? Have you seen the star-rating I’ve given to this thing?
Disc 1
1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond
2. Learning to Fly
3. Yet Another Movie
4. Round and Round
5. Sorrow
6. The Dogs of War
7. On the Turning Away
It’s difficult to decide whether the plethora of new material in the first half of the album demonstrates admirable confidence by Gilmour and associates (a.k.a. Pink Floyd) in their creations, or a desperate attempt at promoting a studio album with mediocre sales. Regardless of motive, this results in a largely unimpressive first disc, offerings such as ‘Dogs of War’ and ‘Yet Another Movie’/‘Round and Round’ sounding entirely dispensable, and even a little insulting in light of all the excellent songs of the Pink Floyd back catalogue that fail to appear here. The tour sought to promote the new stuff, and as such the poppy and catchy ‘Learning to Fly,’ the epic ‘Sorrow’ and the reflective and sombre ‘On the Turning Away’ represent the highlights of the previous album.
Opinion differs on whether these official live versions improve upon the studio originals, but it’s my opinion that they don’t. They stand out a little more when isolated from the filler tracks on the studio release, but the mixing of instruments just isn’t right on this release. We get to hear Gilmour’s nice solo for ‘Sorrow’ in full, rather than the canonical rubbish fade-out, but the trademark Floyd sax can barely be heard, it’s so low in the mix. Gilmour’s gruff vocals are more grating than ever through this live show, even affecting the best song on disc one, the spacey prog classic ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V).’ The perfectionist attitude to studio production of the band’s 70s albums means that live versions will always seem somewhat inferior.
Disc 2
1. One of These Days
2. Time
3. Wish You Were Here
4. Us & Them
5. Money
6. Another Brick in the Wall II
7. Comfortably Numb
8. Run Like Hell
Put simply, and correctly (excluding ‘Shine On’), disc one represents ‘new stuff’ and disc two features ‘the classics.’ All of these songs stem from the band’s creative and successful peak throughout the 70s, showcasing every album from this classic period apart from the always overlooked ‘Animals.’ As I suggested above, none of these versions improve on the studio originals, but the collection is rendered collectable and valid for the band’s rare ‘improvisations’ (however tried-and-tested that ‘Money’ jam may be) and departures from the rigid format of the original songs.
As with disc one, there are issues with production which affect the vocals and subsidiary instruments, including whatever the sound effects are projected from, as the iconic chimes and cash registers are so comparatively quiet against the instruments, it takes some time to notice that ‘Time’ has even started. Mason’s rolling drum intro to that song also sounds much weaker than in the studio and other live versions, yet Gilmour’s guitar always emerges from the mix unscathed. Conspiracy theorists could suggest an agenda behind emphasising the band’s new ‘leader’ figure in Gilmour, but such people also claim that ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ was secretly created to synchronise flawlessly as the soundtrack to ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ despite the fact that the band clearly didn’t intend this, and that it doesn’t, even, anyway.
The rocky instrumental ‘One of These Days’ is perhaps the best cut here and, as something of a jam piece, benefits from the full band live presence. Even so, the volume levelling spoils the ‘twist’ half-way through as the song breaks into a faster, louder piece, as the difference between the two sections isn’t as pronounced as it needs to be. Everything that follows is by-the-numbers Floyd live favourites: the afore-mentioned ‘Time’ is joined by its studio counterparts ‘Money’ and ‘Us & Them,’ the former extended to ten minutes by extending the sax solo and then simply repeating the infamous 7/4 riff for longer than necessary.
The mellow, semi-ballad offerings come in the form of the acoustic title track from ‘Wish You Were Here’ and Wall drugs classic, ‘Comfortably Numb.’ Both are excellent songs, and are played perfectly, but their necessity at live shows such as this robs them of the beauty present in the studio originals. The same can’t be said of ‘Another Brick in the Wall II,’ one of the band’s most well-known songs and also one of the most annoying in their discography (“we down’t need now fort controw”). This live version falls flat, especially in the unsuccessful attempt to extend it at the end with backing vocals, but it was going to be on here regardless. Finally, ‘Run Like Hell’ is something of a surprise from ‘The Wall,’ played without embellishment and comparable to the original, but I’ve never really enjoyed the disco drum beat of this one.
‘The Delicate Sound of Thunder’ is an acceptable live album of the ‘Momentary Lapse of Reason’ tour, and probably surpasses bootlegs, but it falls short as the first Floyd live album of the decade. Granted, the new material must be played, as must some of the more grating overplayed classics, and there’s hardly enough space to include much else. But still, the band could have attempted more coverage of their legacy, especially pre-1973. The slight mix of styles works well here, comparing ‘Learning to Fly’ to ‘Us & Them’ and ‘Run Like Hell’ for example, and this could have continued by backtracking to the band’s psychedelic and epic days. This is the band that won the rights to use the Pink Floyd name and play all the Pink Floyd songs, yet apart from Gilmour’s licks it sounds more like a crowd-pleasing cover band.
This album would soon be usurped by 1995’s ‘P-U-L-S-E,’ commemorating the tour of the follow-up album ‘Division Bell’ and including all the good songs from ‘Delicate’ (yes, every single one) as well as more impressive gems such as ‘High Hopes,’ ‘Astronomy Domine’ and the entire ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ album played from start to finish, just because the band can. It’s alleged that ‘P-U-L-S-E’ was released partly as a sort of apology for the poor quality of ‘Delicate,’ and it certainly renders this earlier effort obsolete and unnecessary.
Its only real notable feat is that it was the first rock music played in space, as an advance cassette tape of the album was taken into orbit by Russian cosmonauts, leading to some handy 'First in Space' T-shirt merchandising by the band's promoters. Even with this historical significance, ‘The Delicate Sound of Thunder’ is a flimsy and temporary phenomena that makes a bit of noise and then goes forgotten, a companion piece to an equally dispensable come-back record.
Advantages: Some good stuff on disc two
Disadvantages: Poor production job by Gilmour, and too much coverage of weak contemporary material
Pink Floyd
Pulse
****
Written on 26.09.05
The definitive Pink Floyd live album celebrating the release of their new and final studio album ‘Division Bell’ as well as the twentieth anniversary of their best-selling classic ‘Dark Side of the Moon,’ performed here in its entirety to a delighted audience.
With a musically diverse 28-year back catalogue, a penchant for lengthy, progressive songs and a natural desire to include a large proportion of then-new material, any collection like this isn’t going to please every Pink Floyd fan, but it impresses a damn sight better than their mutilated ‘best of’ from 2001.
The stereo sound quality is excellent, especially for a live album, and guitarist / vocalist David Gilmour proves to all but the most stubborn old-schooler that the band performs just as well without long-gone ego-crazy Roger Waters, tackling Waters-era classics ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ and ‘Comfortably Numb’ just as well as his predecessor and churning out ever more impressive guitar solos, while Richard Wright’s keyboard playing is stricter to the studio material but still impresses. Not bad for a bunch of old farts.
CD 1
1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (13:30)
2. Astronomy Domine (5:25)
3. What Do You Want From Me (4:10)
4. Learning to Fly (5:06)
5. Keep Talking (6:56)
6. Coming Back to Life (6:31)
7. Hey You (4:50)
8. A Great Day for Freedom (4:20)
9. Sorrow (10:30)
10. High Hopes (7:48)
11. Another Brick in the Wall part 2 (6:50)
The double-CD version of Pulse features an oddly different setlist on the first disc to the LP, including the ancient Syd Barret song ‘Astronomy Domine,’ ‘Hey You’ from 1979’s The Wall and the new ‘What Do You Want From Me?’ and ‘A Great Day for Freedom,’ all omitted from the LP but replaced with the excellent 1974 instrumental ‘One of These Days.’ The tracks taken from the album the tour was promoting, Division Bell, could have been better chosen and are all performed pretty identically to what was recorded in the studio the year before, but the first side of the album is still highly enjoyable listening; the crowd predictably goes wild on the band’s radio-friendly singalong ‘Another Brick in the Wall part 2.’
CD 2
1. Speak to Me (2:28)
2. Breathe (2:40)
3. On the Run (3:41)
4. Time / Breathe (reprise) (6:48)
5. The Great Gig in the Sky (5:51)
6. Money (8:46)
7. Us and Them (7:08)
8. Any Colour You Like (3:19)
9. Brain Damage (4:02)
10. Eclipse (1:38)
11. Wish You Were Here (5:40)
12. Comfortably Numb (9:10)
13. Run Like Hell (7:58)
The second disc is the selling point for most fans: a recreation of the entire ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ [album / song] from the opening heartbeats and mad ravings of ‘Speak to Me’ to the brief conclusion ‘Eclipse.’ Some aspects of the highly polished studio album don’t sit too well in a live environment, such as Gilmour’s efforts at speaking the looped voices from the LP on stage and the replacement of wailing Clare Torry for the more sprightly Sam Brown for vocals on ‘The Great Gig in the Sky,’ but other than that it sounds just as technically impressive. Previous live offerings of classics like ‘Time’ and ‘Money’ didn’t do the songs justice, but perhaps it’s due to the commemorative nature of this performance that everything fits perfectly. I don’t care, it’s bloody good though.
The delights keep coming after this momentous feat, as the band perform three more songs: ‘Wish You Were Here,’ from the excellent eponymous album from 1976, sounds better here than ever, Gilmour’s acoustic guitar and Wright’s haunting keyboard making for the most emotional section of the album’s 146 minutes. ‘Comfortably Numb’ sees Guy Pratt taking over as the band’s second vocalist for this excellent dual performance, while ‘Run Like Hell’ is the perfect ending to this disc.
Fans of ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ should be pleased, unless they’re miserable curmudgeons (and let’s face it, many dedicated prog fans are), while those more loyal to ‘The Wall,’ the band’s landmark concept album, received ‘Is There Anybody Out There?’ in 2001, a release of the vintage 1980/81 tour that recreated that album in its entire whole etc.
As mentioned before, ‘Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd’ tried to offer newcomers a taste of the band by chopping up and reworking some of their epics and sticking them onto a double CD. Oh, with ‘Another Brick in the Wall’ of course. The taste this gave was something like chilli chocolate, something that I hope I never encounter again, but that I thankfully probably never will. (Sometimes things are difficult to find for a reason, as I often remind myself when browsing my CD collection).
For anyone interested in Pink Floyd, or any other long-running band for that matter, I would always point to their most acclaimed live album to get a real insight, or failing that, the cheapest second-hand studio album you can find in small, odd record shops that have comic book sections in the back.
This album does what a live release should do best, by involving the crowd and truly bringing across their enthusiasm for the event. The clichéd drawback with albums like this is that they don't include everyone's favourite songs, and it is a shame that areas of the band's discography are left on the shelf: there is nothing from the excellent 1977 album 'Animals' and only one track ('Astronomy Domine' on the CD version, 'One of These Days' on the LP) from before Dark Side of the Moon. But cheer up you crazy psychedelic prog man.
Advantages: Excellent live performances of classic and new songs
Disadvantages: Too much new material and not enough of the classics
Pitchshifter
Deviant
Fresh of Breath Air
****
Written on 10.06.01
In my opinion, "Deviant" is the best Pitchshifter album as it relies less on samples and more on the instruments themselves. There are obviously still loads of samples and drum loops (it wouldn't be pitchshifter otherwise), but the old albums just aren't what I'm into. As my musical taste is generally punk and metal, this fits nicely into my preferences, while still being very different for when I need a fresh of breath air.
The first song, "Condescension", begins the album on a high note, and features great vocals. "Wafer Thin" is not about my lack of obescity, contrary to what my friend always states, but is a great song with a good riff. "Keep it Clean" is a good song, but not one of the album's finest. "Forget the Facts" is a good song, and leads nicely into the fantastic "Hidden Agenda" (the song that had the flying eye spaceship video). It combines samples and a great guitar riff better than any other song on the album.
Track six is quite good, but "Dead Battery" (track seven) is another amazing song (possibly better than "Hidden Agenda.") The token comedy song is track eight, "As Seen on TV", which describes the weirdness of some kids along to a good tune. "Everything's F***ed" obviously isn't a very happy song, although it's not bad, while track ten is great. Track eleven nearly finishes the album on a good note, until the instrumental track twelve comes along to ruin it.
Overall, a great album, and very good for a fresh of breath air (I'm glad I can say that right so I don't embarrass myself). But the older albums are slightly too electronic for my taste.
Basil Poledouris
****
Written on 15.06.05
Schwarzenegger’s major film debut divided the viewing public. Some admired its attention to detail in creating a world existing just before history, where magic is dying and men can become snakes; some criticised what they viewed as a presentation of Aryan supremacy; some admired Arnie’s enormous arms and chest. But whether you are a nerd or a critic or a woman or man who is gay, Basil Poledouris’ score (ignore Dooyoo's ignorance in clasifying this as 'Various') is imperative in enhancing your view of the 1981 film as excellent or rubbish.
In bringing the world of Robert E. Howard’s ‘Conan’ to life, Poledouris went for majestic and booming over subtle and incidental. Every track on the soundtrack album can be instantly linked to its scene in the film, and running at over an hour in length it’s clear that Conan is highly soundtrack-oriented. Considering the respective acting talents of Conan and his companions (a bodybuilder, a surfer and a dancer), this was undoubtedly a wise decision.
I really like Conan the Barbarian. I don’t play online games or collect Warhammer, but the film is fairly unique and highly enjoyable in a ‘Jason and the Argonauts’ or ‘Flash Gordon’ way. The orchestral soundtrack moves from energetic and lofty horn-oriented pieces to more mellow violins and ominous sound effects, relying on choral chanting in the more action-packed or storyline-oriented sections. Conan is a simple revenge story, and it’s fairly easy, even without the song titles, to distinguish between ‘Conan having a fight’ and ‘Conan running to his next fight.’
1. The Anvil of Crom
2. Riddle of Steel / Riders of Doom
3. Gift of Fury
4. Column of Sadness / Wheel of Pain
This first section of the album (and the film) deals with Conan’s childhood, the destruction of his village and his upbringing in slavery. After the bombastic opening track, the action is instantaneous and it’s only by track four, with its plodding bass and screeching metallic sound effects, that the soundtrack mellows down a little.
5. Atlantean Sword
6. Theology / Civilisation
7. Wifeing (Theme of Love)
8. The Search
9. Mountain of Power Procession
Conan meets his companions and learns the whereabouts of his parents’ murderer. The most varied part of the film in terms of locations, the storyline is obviously required to make complete sense of the shifting moods from intrigue and discovery (track 5) to jovial bartering (6), sweaty chicken-eating and loveplay (7), questing across the land (8) and an impressive cult demonstration (9). ‘Theology / Civilisation’ is one of the stand-out compositions for its memorable light-heartedness.
10. The Tree of Woe
11. Recovery
12. The Kitchen / The Orgy
13. Funeral Pyre
A subdued part of the album that borders on atmospheric but is brought to the foreground every so often, most explicitly in the little ditty of ‘The Kitchen / The Orgy.’ Based on a simple tune hummed by Poledouris’ daughter, this loud and repetitive tune grates after a while, but its reminder of topless women rolling around in a blissful heap is something of a positive note.
14. Battle of the Mounds
15. Death of Rexor
16. Orphans of Doom / The Awakening
Tracks 14 and 15 are the most energetic since the start of the album, and are really entertaining. ‘Death of Rexor’ features a deeper, bassier sound to the trumpets that is interesting, and the album rounds off nicely with the semi-happy, semi-regretful ‘The Awakening.’
Essential listening for Conan or fantasy fans, although the DVD of the film itself is much cheaper and features the same compositions without little in the way of talking over the top. But until they develop a way to combine soundtrack CD and DVD movie, Basil Poledouris’ impressive epic music can only be fully realised with this rare collector’s album. ‘The Anvil of Crom’ (also known as ‘Conan the Barbarian theme’ on soundtrack collections), ‘Theology / Civilisation’ and ‘Battle of the Mounds’ are tracks worth checking out for soundtrack acolytes.
Advantages: Atmospheric and memorable, Soundtrack heavily foregrounded in the film, Varied and interestingly foregrounded compositions
Disadvantages: Somewhat repetitive, Nothing new for those who own the film, Difficult to find
Porcupine Tree
***
Written on 08.09.07
“...a phantasmagoria of fear, terror, grief, exultation, and finally breakdown. Its highlights have been compressed on this recording to make their own disquieting points.”
In the years before his band teamed up with Scandinavian metal artists, when Porcupine Tree was essentially a pseudonym for Steve Wilson in his bedroom mixing Pink Floyd riffs with trance atmospheres, the highly experimental ‘Voyage 34’ was released as an extended single when it became clear that it wouldn’t fit on Wilson’s forthcoming second album, ‘Up the Downstair.’ Combining his dual influences of psychedelic seventies prog with the contemporary electronic scene, the voyage consists of two sets of two songs each, released separately and eventually collected as ‘Voyage 34: The Complete Trip’ in 2000, with a re-issue in 2004.
“The time is 9.30pm, one hour after the participants have eaten sugar cubes saturated with LSD. We hear Brian and his fellow travellers observing his gradual transformation.”
The first two movements in particular are an interesting and innovative blend of psychedelic-trance-prog up to the standard of Wilson’s later concluding statement on the subject with ‘The Sky Moves Sideways,’ but the disappointing second half of the album plunges into pure atmospheric territory based on the sounds that came earlier. Although largely based on maintaining a psychedelic atmosphere throughout each lengthy phase of the ‘trip,’ repeated listens and greater familiarity reveal a lot more to ‘Voyage 34’ than may be first apparent, both musically and thematically. The thumping and soaring electronic sections are completely balanced by the more traditional ‘rock’ sections carried by guitar and live drums, the two styles often taking turns with the second half of the track based more on Pink Floyd style progressive rock than the early-nineties electronica of the earlier sections, but the transition is largely seamless and impressive.
“Brian’s been amusing his friends by chewing on some plastic flash-bulbs.”
In terms of subject matter, the album focuses objectively on the LSD experience, with all vocals provided by samples taken from 1960s or 1970s documentary sources (I can’t trace them to an origin, but I’ve heard some sampled elsewhere). The first phase narrates the negative effects of the titular thirty-fourth trip of a subject named Brian, who cockily asserts that he has “never had a bum trip” in thirty-three prior experiences, but whose forthcoming ordeal is intended as a warning against prospective wayfarers. The satirical inclusion of these vocal samples, clearly exposed as propaganda, is confirmed by the use of more positive speakers in the (unconnected) second phase, which would seem to comprise several professional, self-appointed ‘experts’ and a girl in her late teens who describes such vivid sensations as a fully tangible shower (“like a caress, from really hot to really cold”) and a painting that seems to melt down the wall. Colourful LSD capsules form the basis of the cover art in the newest edition, replacing the psychedelic swirl on older copies, and it seems most likely that Wilson is encouraging his listeners to experiment with the required level of caution. Narcotics are not required to enjoy the first two phases of the album, but I imagine they might help listeners put up with the tedious second half-hour.
“Brian’s mood is gradually changing. He orders all of his friends into another room and closes the door. He sits alone on the dim floor, visible only by the dim light shining from the bathroom.”
1. Phase I (12:54)
2. Phase II (17:24)
3. Phase III (19:24)
4. Phase IV (13:42)
It took several listens for me to fully appreciate Wilson’s work here, as I was initially deterred by his unapologetic theft of a famous Pink Floyd guitar riff (the one used frequently throughout ‘The Wall’ album, particularly in the song ‘Run Like Hell’) that repeats extensively through the first phase. Van der Graaf Generator’s lesser-known ‘A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers’ is also referenced in the keyboards, albeit as a more subtle homage, and the passages dominated by shrill, howling wind effects are clearly influenced directly from earlier Pink Floyd works such as ‘Echoes.’ With all of this borrowing, not to mention a fairly basic drum machine pulse thumping its way through the earlier sections, it took some time for the more creative and talented elements to become apparent to me in a song that is comparably epic and innovative to Wilson’s afore-mentioned ‘The Sky Moves Sideways’ and more impressive than the majority of his work during this first phase of his musical career, before he formed a band and really took off.
“The time is now 1am. Brian is unable to snap his fingers and terminate the trip, which continues.”
Sampling an authoritative voice out of context against a dance rhythm is hardly original, but works perfectly for the album’s philosophical intentions, and also serves to date the recording in a nice way. The first and second phase mostly feature these samples in the first five minutes as the songs gradually build, before returning at the end, but the update on Brian’s progress is always welcome even amidst the more exciting passages. The first few minutes of phase one see the song start to take shape, first led by the repeating thump and soon joined by the Pink Floyd riff and cymbals. There’s a lot going on in the background of this song, from exotic woodwind and a female singing voice that joins towards the end, to muffled sounds of stoned merriment and natural sound effects such as seagull cries and wind. The music is kept finely attuned to the development of the narrative, before giving itself freedom to expand into a rock song in the second half, with Brian’s reported solitude being accompanied by a thinning of layers, the pulse being replaced with a quiet harp effect before erupting into David Gilmour style guitar antics and leading to a highly enjoyable conclusion in spite of Brian’s distress. The drum machine is replaced with a genuine drum-kit and only the ambience of the keyboards serves to remind of the electronic beginning from whence this all came, yet it all welds together perfectly without any rivets. The return to serenity at the end is a nice breather before the second phase starts things all over again, and is satisfyingly accompanied by the conclusion of Brian’s story.
“On Voyage 34 he finally met himself coming down an up-staircase, and the encounter was crushing.”
The far longer second phase expectedly takes much longer to get going, the track being dominated almost entirely by vocal samples for some time, collected and arranged by Wilson to illustrate the positive effects of LSD culture by unidentified sociologists and users, a little excessively and perhaps used in response to the negative account offered previously. The music is initially confined to a dripping effect produced synthetically, reminiscent of Vangelis’ score for ‘Blade Runner,’ as the speaker explains his personal philosophy on the LSD ‘religion,’ in which each trip is a pilgrimage and the human body the temple. Statistics are given as one million users in America, which he infers should not be seen as a social menace but rather a blessing for a bright and creative future, while elsewhere a young woman explains that she isn’t afraid of anything any more. The new trance pulse is established, accompanied by some stereotypical zapping effects and the emergence of a new riff, less derivative but still anchored in ‘The Wall.’ Overall, this song lacks the energy and interest of the first song, only really becoming interesting when it reproduces the better features of its predecessor, particularly the contrast between near-silence and the jump into Gilmour-esque lead guitar. The melody is less informal and solo-ish than in Phase I, but still whines slowly and harmonically throughout the keyboard-drenched atmosphere as this is repeated several times. The song ends as it began with the return of the drips, successfully achieving its trance objective in confounding the listener’s perception of quite how much time has passed as a voice repeats softly and almost subconsciously, perhaps as a forewarning of what’s about to come next:
“Is this trip really necessary?”
The final two phases, essentially dull re-mixes of the first two, really don’t serve any particular purpose here other than as a desperate attempt to extend the atmosphere for a tedious length of time, so it’s a surprise they were originally released separately at all. I’ll admit that I may be missing the point, that this is music primarily designed to mimic or even aid the type of experience that its disembodied voices deal with, so I apologise if I can’t be out of my head enough to not mind the sudden drop in quality after the first half-hour. The rock influence is almost entirely absent from these pieces, Wilson’s guitar featuring far less prominently and only in a rhythmic or atmospheric fashion, and the dynamic dance elements have been tamed into a perpetuation of background atmosphere with little in the foreground. The vocal samples return, but all have been heard before and their presence seems more arbitrary in its more ethereal nature, and although there are some nice call-backs to instruments used in the earlier phases it’s not enough to justify listening to these songs attentively, though I can appreciate their value purely as incredibly long-lasting mood music. The very end is quite nice, the girl admitting that she is indeed scared of life and seeking to escape into acid trips, but the use of alien gurgling effects is a little unnecessary.
“Is this trip really necessary?”
An easily and justifiably overlooked item in Steve Wilson’s discography, ‘Voyage 34’ at its best captures the artist at his most creative and innovative, but conversely also at his most tedious and unimaginative. Overshadowed by his later composition ‘The Sky Moves Sideways,’ which uses many similar elements but manages to provide a definitive nineties ‘answer’ to Pink Floyd without directly ripping them off, its legacy is now confined solely to the first phase, still performed at some live shows under the simple title of ‘Voyage 34,’ sensibly so as it is the only song out of the four that concerns the titular trip. Phase II is a nice companion, if a little too excessive in length to justify many repeated listens, while the second half of the album is easily avoided and not worth anyone’s time, unless the listener has fallen asleep and may wish to be aided by its soothing qualities.
Steve Wilson’s guitar talents aren’t fully explored here, but his compositional skills are demonstrated very nicely in the opening track – the absence of his Floydian vocals, which some object to, may also act as a bonus to prospective buyers, though the inclusion of Phase I on several official and highly recommended Porcupine Tree live albums renders it all but obsolete, despite the record label’s penchant for re-releases. Of course, only a fellow voyager really knows how authentic this listening experience is to the trips it describes, proposed by the original promotional material as ‘a post rave space wave to the Dark Side of the Moon.’
“Brian learned nothing from it. His friends, they went their merry way. His family, they don’t count anyway.”
Advantages: Unusual and insightful blend of trance and psychedelic rock.
Disadvantages: Heavy reliance on borrowed ideas, and the entire second half is a waste of time.
Prodigy
The Fat of the Land
****
Written on 30.05.04
For anyone who isn’t familiar with the Prodigy, whose popularity reached its peak in 1997 with the release of this album and has waned somewhat since, they are a very British four piece who brought dark, underground techno music to the attention of the general public and were often seen as the modern equivalent of the rebellious punk rock of the seventies with their grimy image, vocals and non-conformist musical style.
Fat of the Land reached number one in the UK album charts, and spawned equally successful singles that received generous radio play, but they were never a band I was particularly interested in (apart from the occasional funny song title). In an effort to review something a little different I got hold of this CD and was pleasantly surprised by the skill of the programming, but disappointed with some of the decisions made that prevent this from becoming a truly classic album.
THE TRACKS
1. SMACK MY BITCH UP
The infamous song that proved the motto ‘no publicity is bad publicity,’ this featured an equally controversial music video following a lesbian woman’s night of alcohol, drugs, violence and prostitution. A quiet riff introduces the song before the electronic beat and the bass thumps kick in (I should point out at this juncture that it would be unwise to play this very loud when the ceiling below your speakers is a little weak, something my friend discovered a number of years ago).
This is a reasonably straightforward underground techno track in terms of its style, layering sample tunes over the ever-present driving drum beat. The second half of the song is dominated by Eastern-influenced singing from a female guest vocalist, but there is little change in this introductory track. The lyrics are incredibly limited and potentially offensive, but in the end it’s just some British bad boys misbehaving themselves; at least they don’t go into detail.
“Change my pitch up, smack my bitch up.”
2. BREATHE
My favourite Prodigy song, and the reason I invested in this album. While Firestarter bridged the gap seamlessly and almost subliminally between popular music and underground electronica, Breathe incorporates hard rock elements and is incredibly dark. Weird samples aplenty, the song also features sinister vocals and anyone who has seen the music video will find that its dilapidated, grimy house suits the song perfectly. An excellent track, reasonably complex and not repetitive, unlike some of the more dance-based tracks.
“Breathe the pressure,
Come play my game I’ll test ya.
Psychosomatic addict, insane.”
3. DIESEL POWER
This song takes a rap-based approach and as such is one of the few to feature a large amount of lyrics, for once amounting to some sort of sense. As I’m not a fan of rap this is one of my least favourite tracks, although it does sound more akin to the angry, meaningful rap artists of the 80s and early 90s rather than the pop-inspired rubbish that these young people listen to nowadays. The chorus is still quite catchy, and if anything it’s a departure from the style of the majority of the album that keeps the CD feelings fresh and original.
“We spin back, rewind. Diesel Power.
Blows your mind drastically, fantastically.”
4. FUNKY SHIT
The lyrics in this one make me laugh, and the repetition of these seven words makes it very easy to remember. The electronic riffs sound good and are more inventive than ‘Smack My Bitch Up,’ but not up to the level of ‘Breathe.’ Amidst the feedback and ‘boop’ noises there’s the occasional memorable signature tune which I like, although it’s very hard to determine whether or not this is a good song as I’m not too experienced with this format. I like it though, and my first impression that the track concerns a literal piece of excrement that is somehow very funky (dancing, etc. and impressing the vocalist) was formed when I first heard this at age twelve, and has stuck.
“Oh my God that’s the funky shit.”
5. SERIAL THRILLA
Another track that is more rock influenced and the first in a while to feature the distinctive and impressionable vocals of Keith Flint. A little more traditionally structured than some of the others, this makes it easier to digest and probably therefore more widely appealing, and once again I really enjoy their choice of samples. The clear drum beat and latent anger of the vocals make this one of the better tracks on this album for me, and it sounds similar to the less popular British punk-electronic band Pitchshifter.
“Damage destructor, crowd disruptor.
Youth-corruptor, everytimer.”
6. MINDFIELDS
Vocals are handled by the MC Maxim here, and although this is a much more techno-based outing than some of the others I still applaud the guys’ choice of samples forming the melodies and rhythms, and the bass is once again up to ‘club volume,’ something proven by the inclusion of this track in the club scene from ‘The Matrix.’ It drags on a little towards the end for my liking, especially as in many ways it’s not too different from what’s come before, but it’s still a very good track and changes to a softer beat at the end.
“This is dangerous. Open up your head, feel the shell shock.
This is dangerous, I walk through mindfields so watch your head rock.”
7. NARAYAN
Beginning with a slightly horror theme-seque high melody, this is another very different track that takes a while to be appreciated, if at all. The simple drum rhythm is still present but discernible and easy to follow once again, and although there is a lot of change in this song it still doesn’t feel like a satisfactory use of just over nine minutes. The second half proves again that the Prodigy enjoy a bit of experimentation, featuring strange ambient chanting for a while before returning to the electronics. The last few minutes are essentially filled with dominant drum loops and beats, but the sheer length of this makes it tedious and isn’t able to save the track. [Insert ‘Saving Private Naryan’ joke here if you must].
“If you believe the western sun, is falling
down on everyone, you're being burned, don't try
to run, you're being burned, you're time has come”
8. FIRESTARTER
The most well-known track on the album, the ‘Firestarter’ single was released quite a while before the album causing huge anticipation. One of the instantly likeable offerings, this has the most memorable drum rhythm, vocals and samples (fading in and out) of the whole album, and I can’t help but consider it one of the very finest tracks. I really like the way Keith pronounces words, very working class English, and they have a very interesting echo effect as they fade in. A great track, and surely the band’s main claim to fame.
“I'm the self inflicted, mind detonator.
Yeah. I'm the one infected, twisted animator.
I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter.”
9. CLIMBATIZE
Following the excellent ‘Firestarter’ comes this less than blinding instrumental. An instrumental doesn’t mean too much on a Prodigy album, considering many of the songs feature a short vocal sample repeated again and again, but this isn’t very interesting; the samples also seem a little bit too token and ‘video-gamey,’ based largely on zaps. Technically sophisticated, but nothing inspirational, unless you’re a programming musician.
10. FUEL MY FIRE
This cover of the group ‘L7’ proves to be one of the catchiest on the album, and xxxx sounds almost Johnny Rotten-like with his vocals here. The samples are mostly excellent, aside from what sounds like a fairground organ, and it makes for an enjoyable end to this album that doesn’t drag on in the way that other tracks did.
“Yeah, my layers are thick,
And I got a bad attitude.
Yeah, that knife in my back,
has fingerprints that belong to you”
VERDICT
As this is a departure from the music I normally listen to, it’s a little difficult to pin down and write about, as the bulk of the songs would be considered something of ‘filler’ material on some of the albums I listen to, especially due to the lack of lyrics. The band’s appeal is understandable however, and having heard tracks from their two earlier albums and their more recent release, I think this is their most enjoyable and solid album. I have been left with the impression, however, that Liam Howlett is the man behind the band, composing and performing all the music while the others either sing, rap, dance or linger around in music videos when not in use. Maxim does occasionally wear strange contact lenses though, so I suppose this permits him to hardly do anything.
My lack of real experience with the genre is probably embarrassingly obvious when all I can think of saying is ‘I like the way the samples sound’ and ‘those vocals are nice and raw,’ but that’s what I think when I listen to the Prodigy’s music; it’s unlikely that they’re completely unique in what they do, but I have no real basis for comparison other than my own impression of the way they sound to my addled brain.
The general impression of this music is that it is very dedicated, with something anarchist and non-conformist about the vocals and the general way the band present themselves. Much more of a threat to society and the system than modern punk bands, the Prodigy were the Sex Pistols of the 90s; doing their bit to balance out the view of the British from overseas in the decade that saw the Spice Girls achieving such recognition.
Advantages: Original and appealing, Excellent programming and vocals, Great song titles
Disadvantages: Not completely to my taste, Some songs lack interest
Queensrÿche
Queensrÿche
Beware of the Night
****
Written on 25.05.07
The first release of Washington progressive metal pioneers Queensrÿche fails to predict the innovative style the band would later be associated with, similar to how the first album of their genre contemporaries Dream Theater sounds like just another inferior clone of Rush. This self-titled E.P., originally of four tracks but later amended to five, is considered by many to be the band’s most consistent work, despite being entirely derivative of the NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) explosion. Lacking the prog rock and glam influences that would later define the band’s most commercially successful period, the songs on this 1983 release can be very easily attributed to the two English leaders of the afore-mentioned movement; to apply a rough and admittedly crude formula, tracks one and four are very similar to Iron Maiden, while the middle two sound a lot like Judas Priest. Then again, even at this early stage the band chooses to spell its name with an umlaut over the ÿ; perhaps foreshadowing their later flamboyant tendencies.
Singer Geoff Tate, possessing a background in opera, expertly adopts the falsetto wails of Bruce Dickinson particularly, and Rob Halford to a lesser extent, and develops a unique style that is instantly recognisable. Tate’s high vocals certainly tend to overpower the listening experience, especially for listeners not accustomed to the style, but are at least matched by the really excellent twin guitar leads across all the songs, especially impressive in the solo sections and easily comparable to their mentors (the same thing happens, to a far more ridiculous degree, with the excellent but overpowered musicianship of any band featuring King Diamond). The dual guitar assault is most prevalent in the relatively short ‘Blinded,’ dominating the latter half of that song before Tate once again takes centre stage for the record’s obligatory ballad.
The four (or five) songs here are recognised Queensrÿche classics, and the evident decision never to incorporate the material into any ‘proper’ studio albums preserves the vitality of this first release as a vital purchase for all fans, rather than a mere rare collectable. Opener ‘Queen of the Reich’ would become the most well-known song on this release, giving the band its peculiar name and nowadays, apparently featured in the latest ‘Grand Theft Auto’ video game. A slow build up subsequently unveils a nice riff and Tate’s almost-so-high-only-dogs-and-bats-can-hear scream and the Iron Maidenesque song kicks in, sounding very similar to the faster songs being performed by that band in this period but lacking some of the power of the guitar riffs. This is remedied in the next two songs, which receive a Judas Priest style ‘speed metal’ kick, and Tate’s more measured performance allows the band to work together more cohesively, producing two great and perfectly short fast metal songs.
The final song on the original release, ‘The Lady Wore Black’ is noticeably different, but only in the way that ‘Strange World’ was different from the rest of the songs on the first Iron Maiden album, the most comparable near-ballad to this piece. At six minutes it unfortunately drags on a little with the repetition at the end, unlike the previous songs which all remain powerfully to-the-point, but the clanging acoustic guitar and Tate’s eerie, sorrowful singing create an excellent atmosphere, enhanced by wind sound effects that remain understated, but are still perhaps a little gimmicky. Nevertheless, the diversification of style makes this the most memorable song on the album, as does the catchy chorus, also present in ‘Queen of the Reich.’ Later releases of the E.P. conclude with a fifth track, which provides a less resonant ending but is another nice piece of early Queensrÿche, possessing the polished production of the later ‘Rage for Order’ sessions from whence it came, but still suitably riff-oriented to fit into the rawer style of this first offering. The band seems to gel together far better on this track, but the corresponding lack of one-upmanship contests between the singing and the guitar melodies means the song loses a little something.
The band’s follow-up album ‘Warning’ began to incorporate the progressive elements that have earned the band a place in metal history, but not until 1988’s classic ‘Operation: Mindcrime’ would Queensrÿche achieve something as wholly enjoyable as this little piece of competently derivative heavy metal. This E.P. should reasonably be enjoyed by anyone fond of the bands mentioned earlier, and a certain degree of tolerance is advised when confronting Geoff Tate’s womanly vocals, rivalling the most effeminate of modern power metal frontmen. Guitarists Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton, the latter of whom is still in the band today, really make this release stand strong with their excellent melodic breaks, solos and more restrained riffs in the verses.
Meanwhile, other long-serving band members Eddie Jackson and Scott Rockenfield keep things grounded by providing bass guitar and drums, I guess. They don’t make quite the lasting impression that their fellow musicians manage, but I’m sure a bass player or drummer would disagree. I’ve spent so long tuning my ears to discern the screams of Geoff Tate that the bass range is becoming lost to me.
Advantages: Three great speed metal songs and a nice gloomy ballad to go out on.
Disadvantages: Surprisingly unoriginal, and too short (though admittedly this is little more than a demo).
Rancid
Rancid
Hardcore Punk Debut
***
Written on 16.10.05
The first album from the premier US punk rock band of the nineties is raw, aggressive, spiteful and pretty fun. The influence of the anarchistic Sex Pistols and the more restrained and catchy Dead Kennedys from their homeland combine in 'Rancid,' a radical departure from the more ska punk oriented work of Operation Ivy, from whence most of this band came.
If you think punk means songs about unreasonable girlfriends or the jock assholes at high school, delivered in a bouncy childish manner, then Rancid's early albums probably aren't for you. This is the hardcore Mohawk music, violent and relentless. But there's also a technical skill in Tim Armstrong's speedy guitar and Lars Fredericksen's clanging bass that makes this somehow pleasing to the eardrums, and catchy in the style of The Clash and Buzzcocks, especially when dual vocal choruses crop up (although these are much more present on later albums).
Perhaps the political messages are directed a little exclusively to the US of 1993, but the occasional brief ditty about a fictional character or universal fears don't restrict this album's audience. The guitars and drums are loud and ever present, the vocals are shouted (they wouldn't be heard otherwise), and songs rarely exceed two minutes. Tim Armstrong's distinctive vocals do take some time to get used to, unclear at the best of times due to his speech impediment, and although I'm more a fan of the excellent Lars Fredericksen (now also of 'Lars Fredereicksen and the Bastards'), Armstrong is necessary for the Rancid sound, and his range is quite impressive. Some songs are fairly melodic, but none of them are slow.
A track by track review of this sixteen song album would be dull, repetitive and fairly useless in giving an overall impression. Unless a fan listens to this non-stop for a while, there's no way that each specific track can stay memorable; many are essentially the same, as would be expected in a band of three musicians playing fast punk rock. But this isn't made for the discerning album collector, and at least ensures that no track sounds terrible or below par by being trying to be too different.
Okay, glancing at the titles of tracks such as 'Whirlwind' and 'Rejected' does bring the catchy titular choruses to mind, but this really is something that can be slapped into the CD player and played at random or from the beginning to get pretty much the same effect. There are no segues between tracks, meaning that no two have to be played together and the order isn't of great importance, but the silences between songs are often so short as to be unnoticed. 'Rats in the Hallway' and 'The Way I Feel' are perhaps the best songs here, standing out only because of a little more experimentation in structure and also because of the great lyrics and vocals. But other memorable highlights of the album come in the great riffs that come along every other song or so and can't really be pinned down.
The album's production sounds very nineties in terms of its clarity and cleanliness, perhaps detracting from the gritty sound many associate with punk but trust me, it's much better on the eardrums and brains after thirty minutes of playing time. And even though the band look like the kind of hard-nailed aggro thugs you'd want to avoid at all costs, their voices are actually quite soothing. I think. Somehow. This isn't threatening music, but it certainly isn't to everyone's taste.
Operation Ivy were a great band, and this basically represents an angrier and faster continuation of that band, although it sadly doesn't have the same sense of originality. Rancid went on to release three increasingly successful and impressive albums throughout the nineties, 'Let's Go,' 'And Out Come the Wolves' and 'Rancid.' That's right, they self-titled two completely different albums. That's middle-finger punk attitude / laziness for you! These albums refine the sound that debuted here and improve on it greatly, making every song memorable either for its departure from their regular sound or for excellent vocals, chorus or guitar/bass solos. At some point in the new millennium the bad boys decided that adapting to a radio friendly sing-a-long sound and hanging out with Good Charlotte would be a good idea, and lost many fans in the process. 2003's 'Indestructible' is shamefully rubbish.
'Rancid' (1993) isn't the best place to start for fans of Rancid or hardcore punk rock in general, as it only represents part of the band's appeal. The rousing verses of later years' 'Salvation,' 'Nihilism,' 'Timebomb' and 'Ruby Soho' won't be found here, but that isn't to say it's worthless as an entertaining and very strong collection of punk rock songs.
Their later albums are a little more accessible, but this is a great punk experience that makes you want to spray swear words on the police, or at the very least, have a wee against a wall.
Rhapsody
Holy Steel!
*****
Written on 11.07.07
The second album from Italian symphonic metal band Rhapsody (recently forced to legally re-name themselves ‘Rhapsody of Fire,’ quite ridiculously) continues the Emerald Sword saga of their debut, ‘Legendary Tales.’ This band, increasingly so in recent years, surely epitomises the nerdy and childish genre of fantasy metal, as their songs take the classic heavy metal form (which was often infused with slightly geeky lyrics to begin with) and introduce folk and classical Medieval influences to strive for what the band themselves deem a ‘Hollywood metal’ sound.
The intention is to create something like an epic fantasy film told in song, making use of spoken word and sound effects when necessary, while also concentrating on producing a high quality heavy metal album. With their early releases, particularly this second offering, Rhapsody achieve an impressive balance, nerdy enough to attract those who would usually be put off by metal, and powerful enough to persuade insecure metal fans that it’s an acceptable thing to be listening to.
The Emerald Sword saga itself is a fairly straightforward fantasy tale (I expect, only being slightly familiar with genre), which sees our hero questing for the fabled Emerald Sword to help the good guys defeat the bad guys who are intent on pillage and destruction of the land. Guitarist and songwriter Luca Turilli claims not to have read much fantasy, instead relying on Hollywood for his influence, perhaps the primary reason the band were so intent on signing up Christopher Lee to narrate their more recent albums after his appearances through the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. Instead of Lee, we have here instead a far, far poorer narrator in the form of Sir Jay Lansford, whose emotive commentary on selected tracks, thankfully only three times in this particular album, is excruciating at worst and laughable at best.
The lyrics all concern the events of the plot, but are essentially secondary to the music, at least in terms of my own approach to the album. Nevertheless, the interior booklet of each Rhapsody album contains detailed notes on the evolving incidents and, most incredible of all, a detailed map of the fictional locale of Turilli’s saga. It’s tempting to really get into the story with this much material at hand, and when playing a Rhapsody album once in a while, I always debate whether to put aside a day to listen to the entire saga (five albums of this story, and a further two of the more recent and continuing second saga), but the task would simply be too excruciating, and probably become tedious half-way through the second album as they all sound very alike. Nevertheless, ‘Symphony of Enchanted Lands’ stands out a little above the competition, improving on the fusion style of its predecessor and achieving a greater balance between the classical and modern sounds than the later ‘Dawn of Victory.’
The first noticeable improvement over the debut is the production quality, which is now crystal clear and deep enough that the full extent of orchestration is audible even when the primary instruments are thrashing away at full volume. The first album always sounded quite tinny to me, despite the high quality of the songs the band had been working on and releasing in several demo forms for a number of years. Starting from scratch with ‘Symphony of Enchanted Lands,’ Rhapsody use the same formula as the first album, consisting mostly of fast power metal with sing-along choruses and guitar and keyboard solos, balanced out by the occasional non-metal song in the form of a piano ballad or symphonic interlude, with a couple of longer, more diverse songs towards the end. An excellent balance is struck between the vocals and individual instruments, as there are numerous and generous solos for the guitar and keyboard, ranging from typical Iron Maiden fare to a classical influence, but for the most part the instruments are content to chug along in the background while Fabio Lione sings the silly lyrics with operatic excellence.
Newcomers to extreme metal genres like power metal may be a little intimidated by the speed at first, but the focus is more on creating upbeat adrenaline than the aggression of death metal, and the high speed combo of drums and guitars racing in time with each other soon fades into the backdrop intended during the verses. The incorporation of orchestration can seem a little clichéd today, as pretty much every band has done it at some point in their career, but this album strikes, as stated earlier, a perfect balance, much like its predecessor. The symphony is used only when necessary, and never imposes on the simple enjoyment of the songs unless it is being particularly highlighted, in which case it is well worth paying attention to. The ‘Hollywood’ focus means that this is the typical orchestration found in all film soundtracks all the time, from blaring horns to sombre violins and male and female choirs. The arrangements aren’t going to impress any classical buffs, but the execution is flawless, and when given the chance to really perform at his peak, Fabio Lione proves himself to be a superb tenor, especially when pitted against Constanze Vaniyne in the finale. Despite the arguable delusions of grandeur, Rhapsody aims to be more accessible than intimidating, and it’s obvious on first listen which tracks were selected as singles.
1. Epicus Furor
2. Emerald Sword
3. Wisdom of the Kings
4. Heroes of the Lost Valley
...i)Entering the Waterfalls Realm
...ii)The Dragon’s Pride
5. Eternal Glory
6. Beyond the Gates of Infinity
7. Wings of Destiny
8. The Dark Tower of Abyss
9. Riding the Winds of Eternity
10. Symphony of Enchanted Lands
...i) Tharos’ Last Flight
...ii) The Hymn of the Warrior
...iii) Rex Tremende
...iv) The Immortal Fire
The album begins, as usual, with a short introductory track of orchestra led by a male choir, sounding very much like Basil Poledouris’ excellent score for ‘Conan the Barbarian,’ but probably influenced more generically. ‘Emerald Sword’ is soon upon us, which along with ‘Wisdom of the Kings’ and the penultimate ‘Riding the Winds of Eternity’ is fairly standard power metal fare in the wake of Helloween and Blind Guardian; lightning-fast riffs dominating and a rip-roaring, highly memorable chorus which repeats twice later on, signalling the end. There’s nothing unexpected in these songs at all, and although the first two are perfectly positioned to inaugurate listeners into the fold by being accessible, they pale in comparison to the more complex offerings. On the other hand, metal fans looking for a quick fix will probably rate these more highly. ‘Emerald Sword’ particularly is the strongest of the lot, and has been a live favourite ever since, the perfection of this side of Rhapsody’s music.
Things become more interesting, though not necessarily better, with the slower pace of the fourth track, which acts as more of a short introduction (despite the extended title) to the excellent second section of the album. ‘Heroes of the Lost Valley’ begins with a very pleasant flute and harpsichord (or at least, keyboard made to sound like a harpsichord) section, before galloping sound effects reminiscent of Bathory lead into the first inadvisable piece of narration. Such things are inevitable, and thankfully it’s brief and to the point, but the narration is my major gripe with this album, intruding on the listening experience of those like me who are content to enjoy the music with only the vaguest notion that there’s some kind of plot occurring between the notes. ‘Eternal Glory’ is the start of the album’s bolder direction, beginning with happy 80s keyboards in the style of Europe’s ‘The Final Countdown’ and succumbing to a more solemn drum march that is slowly joined by the other instruments, culminating in an excellent main guitar riff. There’s a section allotted towards the end of this lengthy track for orchestration, as will become the norm for most that come after, and the song ends much as it began.
Despite its unfortunate position in the overlooked middle of this ‘epic’ section of the album, ‘Beyond the Gates of Infinity’ does an ‘Empire Strikes Back’ and manages to exceed even its illustrious predecessor (and its disappointing follow-up. The metaphor breaks down soon after this however). It begins very eerily, in contrast to the usual optimism that can get a little tiresome, with horror film keyboards leading into some fantastic verses and riffs that possess all the force of ‘Emerald Sword’ and all the symphonic grandeur of ‘Eternal Glory.’ The guitars are at their most impressive in an instrumental section towards the end, as Luca Turilli wisely opts to show off his skill as a musician over that of a writer. ‘Wings of Destiny’ is the first song in some time to approach a more standard four and a half minute length, which will be relieving to some, and is a necessary soft breather between the more energetic offerings, in some ways letting off the pressure of the tightly restricted ‘quiet’ sections fitted between verses in the previous two songs. This is where Fabio Lione gets his first chance to really shine as a tenor, as the piano (or at least, keyboard made to sound like a piano this time), drums and guitar all play more softly in the background. The fade at the end indicates something of a climax for this second, most impressive phase of the album.
Things threaten to become repetitive with ‘The Dark Tower of Abyss,’ but thankfully Rhapsody still have some tricks up their billowing sleeves and offer a harpsichord introduction (or at least,... etc.) that competes with the guitar in a very Stratovarius-like way, sounding more like Finnish metal in general than Italian here. Some male choral vocals can be heard behind the main riffs, but this song essentially reverts to the usual formula thereafter, with another excellent instrumental section. Unfortunately, the narrator makes an unwelcome second appearance at the end over the music, making the song seem to last a lot longer than it does. The afore-mentioned ‘Riding the Winds of Eternity’ is perhaps the least remarkable song on here, simply for offering nothing new aside from some relaxing wave sound effects before the song goes all fast and spoils it, but this is partly due to impatience at the approach of the epic titular finale, ‘Symphony of Enchanted Lands.’
It was inevitable that the most ambitious song would feature heavy use of narration, and he really does spoil things, wasting no time in hamming his way through the first minute and returning at the very end. Fortunately, all the stuff in-between is pretty excellent, although essentially a re-tread of all the most successful elements from previous songs. Fabio reaches for the high notes again as he did in ‘Wings of Destiny,’ this time against a solitary church organ (or at least – yes), and the more customary instruments take their time getting off to a nice slow start. The keyboard handles lead duties in a self-consciously epic introduction, before an ominous pause returns things to normal, Rhapsody playing in their safety zone, and playing less dangerously fast than usual. The guitar remains in the lead for a while, until the whole thing reverts back to the organ and Fabio gets to sing along with Constanze Vaniyne in one of the album’s most successful classical experimentations. There are some nice violins that tackle the main riff, unfortunately not quite as memorable as others on the album which acts against the song slightly, and the song ends as you hit the eject button before the narrator can fill you in on the tense cliff-hanger finale that I’ve never paid enough attention to to remember. It can’t be too promising, as the next two albums are dominated by violence and bloodshed rather than waterfalls and dragons.
Rhapsody have a deserved reputation of being one of the more over-the-top bands out there, but this mockery is beaten by a greater admiration of their music. Although the narration makes it impossible to ignore the fantasy theme, should that prove a problem, the whole notion is intriguing enough that no amount of cheese is going to put me off. The fusion of metal and classical elements has been done more impressively elsewhere, but not for such a sustained period as an entire discography, which has only started to collapse in on itself with the most recent release. Here, the balance is perfect, and while it’s unsurprising Hollywood metal all the way, the heavy metal skill of the guitars, drums, keyboards and vocals is what holds it all together. The follow-ups ‘Dawn of Victory’ and ‘Rain of a Thousand Flames’ will perhaps be more suited to metal fans whose experience with fantasy-themed metal is limited, as these releases are more geared towards guitar riffs and a more rasping vocal delivery, although those in such a situation would be much better off getting used to more approachable and enjoyable power metal acts such as Blind Guardian (though not Dragonforce, have some respect for yourself).
Despite the imitations, Rhapsody still stand out in the combined realm of power, symphonic and folk metal, occupying their own well-earned position on its far-too-detailed map. Thankfully, although later releases would be increasingly less impressive, the quality of the cover art would steadily improve after this pitiful effort.
Advantages: The perfection of Rhapsody's musical vision, riveting throughout.
Disadvantages: Sir Jay Lansford.
Rush
2112
We Are the Priests
****
Written on 05.08.06
Canadian three-piece Rush relent and enter the realm of progressive rock with their weirdly titled semi-concept album ‘2112.’ Still firmly entrenched in the band’s hard rock roots, the grand scope of the side-long title track and occasional, fleeting moments of contemporary influence make this Rush’s first truly impressive and successful release, and the start of their most creative period.
The first half (that’s side one for vinyl owners) comprises the epic ‘2112’ suite, Rush’s sci-fi rock opera spectacular. Set in a bleak 22nd century dystopia where priests control the masses from their ‘temples,’ Neil Peart’s lyrics tell the brief but entertaining story of a man who finds a relic from a past age: an electric guitar! Learning to play the instrument, he feels all the sensations denied to his people by their oppressive overseers, and his rebellious actions are marked out as a threat by the priests, who fear a return to the chaos of the ancient times. It’s far-fetched, strange and cheesy as hell, but serves as a nice precursor to the band’s later experiments with similar science fiction themes in ‘Cygnus X-1.’
What’s interesting about this concept is its execution, as the story has a real effect on the music, rather than simply acting as cool lyrics. Geddy Lee puts himself in the role of both the protagonist and the voice of the priests, adopting a soft singing style for the former and a more aggressive screech for the latter. It isn’t always clear what’s going on unless you’re wise to this, but it’s a nice touch, and it doesn’t really matter that it’s all the same distinctive, much-imitated voice. The second half of the album is free of any kind of concept, and whether this makes the first or second half more appealing to listeners depends on their tolerance for that kind of thing.
1. 2112
i). Overture
ii). Temples of the Syrinx
iii). Discovery
iv). Presentation
v). Oracle: The Dream
vi). Soliloquy
vii). The Grand Finale
The epic title suite is divided into seven noticeably different movements, some of the breaks being more obvious than others. The opening ‘Overture’ and closing ‘Grand Finale’ are fast, galloping instrumentals that predate and anticipate 1980s heavy metal. The instruments are all their finest here, the guitar, bass and drums giving it everything they can and creating a distinctive and recognisable melody, similar to what The Who did with ‘Tommy,’ Jeff Wayne with ‘The War of the Worlds’ and every 70s prog band did with their ambitious concept albums. Some nice, understated keyboards run underneath the other instruments for the most part, climaxing in explosive sound effects.
‘Temples of the Syrinx’ is where the story really begins, the band making the odd decision to represent the soulless, music-loathing priests with the catchiest riff and chorus on the album. The band settles into its style here, still remaining fast but taking a more funky edge, aided by Lee’s bass. His vocals are raspy and screechy here, going overboard to create the villains of the piece by practically spitting forth their self-aggrandising vocals. As mentioned, the rip-roaring chorus seems a little odd considering the subject matter, but it’s got to be one of Rush’s finest.
‘Discovery’ is a far more subdued affair. The setting changes to the protagonist, his entrance marked by several seconds of silence between sections. A soft acoustic guitar fades in, although it’s unclear whether this is intended to represent actual music being played by the character upon discovering the instrument. The song speeds up and increases in complexity as it reaches the end, perhaps signifying the character getting to grips with his discovery and becoming his peoples’ axeman saviour legend. ‘Presentation’ is a more interesting piece, arrived at seamlessly from the previous part and retaining the same medium tempo. Lee’s bass gets a chance to shine, and he performs an interesting, if confusing duet with himself, using both his soft/good and loud/evil vocal styles as the protagonist confronts the priests with his controversial discovery.
A break into an instrumental jam signals the shift to ‘Oracle: The Dream,’ a great varied piece in which fast guitars solos give way to spacey synthesisers, before a hard, staccato riff leads out this anthem of rebellion. The final piece of the story before the closing instrumental’s ambiguous declaration that ‘we have taken control,’ ‘Soliloquy’ is, as expected, a sort of acoustic ballad. The acoustic guitar remains in the background, as always on the album, but is interrupted almost at random by a clanking bass riff overlaid with sporadic guitar solos. There’s some interesting use of feedback effects and guitar distortion as the scene becomes frantic, chaotic and unintelligible.
2. A Passage to Bangkok
3. The Twilight Zone
4. Lessons
5. Tears
6. Something for Nothing
The second half of the album, which I’ll remind you is totally unconnected to the first by concept, is totally unconnected to the first by sound. These five songs are all radio-friendly rock songs of three-and-a-half minutes apiece, and range in quality. ‘A Passage to Bangkok’ spouts a lazy and vulgar Oriental ditty unashamedly, without any time granted to dwell on the previous epic. This medium-speed song has some good guitars and a relaxing, laid-back solo, but although it’s effective at providing light relief after an epic burden, it doesn’t work to grab me in the same way. ‘The Twilight Zone’ is more interesting and diverse, despite being the shortest song at 3:14. Alex Lifeson’s dual guitars are high and melodic at the start, but vanish without trace for the track’s majority, leaving the bass, drums and vocals to compete for the listener’s attention. Another chilled-out solo closes.
‘Lessons’ is reminiscent of the earlier ‘Discovery,’ fading in with clean electric guitar that occasionally becomes distorted, the audible changeover giving this a nice live feel. Lee’s screams return, and the necessary guitar solo is fast and complex for a change, making for a nice variation in what is becoming an increasingly formulaic album. Thankfully, this concern is eradicated with ‘Tears,’ the album’s only true ballad. Soft and quiet, the pleasant vocals sound like they’re floating in a vacuum after the previous half-hour of constant instrumentation, but the void is occasionally infiltrated by what sounds like orchestration, and huge, sweeping coats of King Crimson-esque mellotron. This is a nice song.
The album closes with ‘Something for Nothing,’ the most upbeat and exciting piece since ‘Temples of the Synrinx’ so long ago. Lee’s bass is in the limelight on several occasions, while Lifeson and Peart seem to be competing for speed in brief jam sections between the catchy, memorable choruses. This is a cool song that really sounds like it’s going somewhere, when unfortunately the speedy instruments begin to fade out and end up going nowhere.
Always a little chameleonic, Rush fit will into the progressive rock genre without leaving their more commercial hard rock sound behind, and as always the excellent and creative musicianship makes this an individual, if much imitated production. Released in 1976, it comes a little late onto the prog scene, as genre staples Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Genesis and Yes were all past it by then. While this detracts a little on the creative front, and makes the mellotron on ‘Tears’ less excusably dated, the ‘2112’ song is a rock classic that should be loved by anyone who enjoys a good rock opera or epic song, despite its structure being more piecemeal than the later ‘Cygnus X-1,’ which is more consistent and dull.
Rush finally played ‘2112’ (the song, not the album) live in its entirety on their 1996 tour for the album’s twentieth anniversary, but its more interesting moments have been used independently as part of the live set since the original recording. The remainder of the album isn’t as good in my opinion, the guitars sounding a little too David Gilmour-esque and Neil Peart’s drums failing to be impressive as all the hype, but multi-talented frontman Geddy Lee really hits his stride with this release.
The concept is overblown and silly enough for me to like it. T -106 and counting…
Advantages: Title track is excellent, three-piece is incredibly tight.
Disadvantages: Second half becomes repetitive.
Saxon
Denim and Leather
**
Written on 31.01.07
If there ever was a record that tried just a little too hard to represent the early 80s heavy metal phenomenon, but was nowhere near good or interesting enough musically to live up to this promise, it has to be Saxon’s quintunessential ‘Denim and Leather.’ The band may be entirely forgotten today – they’re still touring to a cult following – but these Yorkshiremen were once one of the biggest names in the home-grown New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement (NWOBHM). On its release in 1981, this album hit #9 and the single reached number 12. This means that, at one time, people were more interested in listening to Saxon than Tony Capstick & the Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band.
‘Denim and Leather,’ while completely mediocre, is nevertheless regarded as a genre classic by many. It’s certainly the last ‘quite-good’ album the band would produce in its original style, before moving to a more polished ‘quite-bad’ sound in a consistently failed attempt to break into the American market like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest managed (Saxon lacked only the talent). Whilst very little of Saxon’s output is comparable to their contemporaries even in this alleged classic period, the early albums are mostly enjoyable affairs, especially if you enjoy songs driven by derivative guitar riffs and embarrassing macho lyrics, as I do. You’d still be better off listening to Manowar, but Saxon were always a lot more radio-friendly.
‘Denim and Leather,’ follows the more impressive ‘Wheels of Steel’ and ‘Strong Arm of the Law’ released in quick succession the previous year, and is sadly the weakest of the three. This album suffers in a similar way to Iron Maiden’s sophomore release ‘Killers’ of the same year (which still fared better), by containing some classic, immortal staples of the Saxon live set amidst a sea of forgettable mediocrity. The main songs in question are helpfully singled out at the start and end of the album, in the form of the energetic ‘Princess of the Night’ lamenting a decomissioned train – not a prostitute like you thought – and the anthemic title track. ‘And the Bands Played On’ is slower and more heartfelt, and probably the highlight of the recording, as well as incredibly short to boot. It isn’t a flaw of Saxon albums that they never hit the forty-minute mark, as they were defecated forth from the studio in such rapid succession as to exceed the yearly output of more quality-centric bands.
Listening to this album is a reasonably enjoyable experience, if you disregard the fact that you could be spending your time listening to something more worthwhile, but it really hasn’t stood the test of time outside of its NWOBHM context. If anything, the music here veers away from the speedy heavy metal sound that was finally coming together in earlier songs like ‘Heavy Metal Thunder’ and retreats into overly familiar, Led Zeppelinesque hard rock for the most part. Saxon’s artistic integrity seems to be fairly low, as every interesting feature – a pleasant guitar solo here or nice use of vocal harmony there – is instantly negated by blatant attempts at popularity. This wouldn’t be a problem if the band wasn’t so insistent on its rebellious, back-streets image, best expressed in the punk angst of ‘Play it Loud.’
Bill Bryford’s vocals earn the accolade of actually being distinctive, despite imitating the alternating wails and groans of every other band of the time, but the other musicians aren’t particularly notable. The twin guitars of Graham Oliver and Paul Quinn do nothing new and exciting, especially in contrast to the triumphant dual guitar melodies produced by every notable heavy metal band of the decade. The only instance of drums that stands out is the slow, plodding march of the title song. ‘Denim and Leather,’ the song, is a run-of-the-mill stadium anthem, but by its own low standards it actually manages to impress. Even outside of the catchiness of the chorus – which conjures in my mind, for some reason, a literal melting pot of torn jeans and beaten leather jackets being brewed in an attempt to capture the essence of heavy metal through clothing – the unoriginal leading riff is quite cool, and it’s quite nice to hear the chanting of fans fading in at the end to lead out the album.
The lyrics are pretty silly but nicely optimistic, as Bryford tells you to think positive and become a singer like him, embracing the life of rock ‘n’ roll. It’s the kind of song that makes you realise how sterile it is to judge music based on artistic merit rather than the simple feeling it generates, and the way it can inspire these feelings in an entire generation’s sub-culture. But then you listen to one of the dozens of better albums that were released the same year that accomplishes exactly the same thing, and cast Saxon aside like the pointless underdog it ever shall be.
Advantages: Definitive NWOBHM
Disadvantages: Dull
Slayer
Hell Awaits
See You in Hell
****
Written on 26.06.07
The second full-length album from American thrash metal band Slayer must have been something of a shock to the record buying public, even years before the infamous trial over its alleged influence on a couple of young fans, who decided to interpret the lyrics booklet as an instruction manual. Following the insane (and in most cases, merely immature) wickedness of the Norwegian black metal bands in the early 90s, who burned down churches and stabbed each other because the cold made them angry, and then screamed their lungs out about it against an impenetrably distorted musical background of white noise, this thirty-seven-minute heavy metal beast doesn’t seem quite so bad. Nevertheless, this can be easily considered the first truly characteristic Slayer album, and my personal favourite for fairly odd reasons.
The distinctive Slayer sound first surfaced on the band’s previous release, the four-track E.P. ‘Haunting the Chapel,’ rather than the 1983 debut ‘Show No Mercy’ which ran more along the lines of the darker side of the British heavy metal scene, seemingly particularly influenced by the Satanic band Venom with whom Slayer would tour following the release of this album. This Venom and Motörhead influence is still audible in ‘Hell Awaits,’ but to a far lesser extent, as this is the first Slayer album to set the band’s distinctive and highly influential sound, despite the overwhelming plaudits of its successor ‘Reign in Blood.’ Introducing frequent changes of rhythm and time signature, and breaking chaotically into guitar or drum solos without warning, the material on this album is longer on average than the violent, adrenaline fuelled outbursts Slayer would become known for, but rivals all later releases in terms of its innovation and pure evilness. That said, the extreme song length of six-minutes-plus in several instances does hinder the album from achieving the kind of popular recognition that its later spawnings would receive.
Recorded in August 1985 (just before I was born. That’s of no relevance at all, but it’s the sort of thing you can’t help but notice), the production quality of this album is noticeably murkier and dirtier than that of their major label successors, but as this scarcely reduces the impact of Dave Lombardo’s crushing drums, the exception being in the fourth track, and leaves Kerry King’s fret assaults unscathed, the resulting hellish atmosphere created by this underproduced backdrop is far more fitting to the music and lyrics, making it easy to imagine that this was recorded in a crypt, or at least a basement housing stowed corpses, rather than the timid sounding Eldorado Studios in Hollywood. Tom Araya yells his way through the album’s entirety, showing off his admirable lung ability – he was a respiratory therapist after all – but not being afraid to reveal his limitations in passages that are simply too fast to shout audibly over, reverting to a simple yell and, in the solitary case of ‘Crypts of Eternity,’ an extended heavy metal wail. The live feel of this album makes it all the more enjoyable to listen to, regardless of whether it was recorded piece by piece, and while the riff changes all sound effective and clearly took a great deal of planning, the guitar solos sound positively arbitrary and improvised in most cases.
1. Hell Awaits
2. Kill Again
3. At Dawn They Sleep
4. Praise of Death
5. Necrophiliac
6. Crypts of Eternity
7. Hardening of the Arteries
A long fade in of eerie torturous sound effects and backmasked backwards vocals subconsciously urging the listener to ‘join us’ gets things off to a disconcerting start, with the quiet squeal of a maniacally soloing guitar in the background. Over the course of these seven songs, much will be toyed with in terms of volume and tempo, and several songs start in the similar fashion of a quiet introduction followed by the crushing volume of the first verse. Presumably this is either to increase tension, or to fool new listeners into turning up their stereo speakers, which will then explode in their faces. The opening title track is led by a predominantly slow and heavy guitar riff, backed up always by Dave Lombardo’s drums which sound almost tribal like those of the band’s thrash contemporaries Sepultura in places, keeping a permanent rhythm despite all the experimentation. The song becomes faster and more indebted to its Venom-style roots before suddenly changing to a sound that can only be described as trademark Slayer: the instruments running at full pelt with minimal effort to introduce a pleasant harmony into the manic riffs, and Araya yelling frantically to keep up. The song’s two main guitar solos, by which I mean any wild fret masturbation that lasts for more than two seconds, both come towards the end and demonstrate Slayer’s influence as a pre-death-metal band. The only really weak part of this song is the horribly false sounding distortion of the ‘Hell Awaits’ line of the chorus, which is completely unnecessary and distracting as the band were making a fairly convincing portrayal of Hell in the first place without studio trickery.
A brief pause separates the first song from ‘Kill Again,’ and to casual listeners – if such a thing can exist in this case – would probably be unable to tell the difference if the pause was less noticeable. The song begins at full pelt, introducing some nice dual lead guitars (in a down-tuned, evil way rather than catchy Iron Maiden style), and Lombardo’s drums keep an interesting marching rhythm that helps set the scene for the inexcusably violent lyrics of death, gore and hate. Araya is forced to yell in tongues until the song takes a bit of a breather, and even lets out a long shout, similar to the one that would open the next album, as the last verse kicks in. King’s guitar solo is slower paced this time, and while not particularly inventive, it’s nice to hear him play some simple scales... or whatever that’s called. I’m no musician, I just listen to the stuff.
Evil harmonics open the vampire song ‘At Dawn They Sleep,’ predating the sound that Testament would use repeatedly throughout the late eighties, while the rhythm changes and great segue into chorus foreshadow the more well-known ‘Angel of Death’ that was to come later. The vocals are at their best here, relentless and not content to be limited to the verses and choruses for the first time, insisting on continuing pretty much throughout and coming in early for once. The guitar solo half-way through is the best so far, sounding pre-planned and almost like Iron Maiden, but still making some obvious sacrifices of notes in order to keep the pace, before a great, slow, headbanging riff comes in that sounds similar to the end of Machine Head’s ‘Davidian.’ Despite this perhaps being the best song so far, it seems to drag on towards the end, and is perhaps just fatigue on the part of the listener as the band continues to play at full pelt. Some kind of acoustic ballad would be entirely inappropriate on this disc, but it would have at least made for a nice breather.
Suffering for the same reason as the middle song of the album, ‘Praise of Death’ is the least exciting piece here, sounding too similar to the previous two songs in its speed and delivery. The drums sound unusually like they’re made of cardboard, the only time the mid-eighties production becomes an issue, and the randomness of the guitar solos actually becomes a problem here, rather than something quite cool. Araya’s bass can be heard prominently, and will remain for the rest of the album in this foregrounded position, but as it’s just playing the same thing as the guitars in this song it doesn’t deserve any special credit. All this song really has to offer are some interesting riffs in the second half when the pace slows down, and perhaps to signify the exhaustion there’s a sort of death-of-the-instruments feedback section where the band perhaps collapsed in the studio. Unfortunately, twenty seconds later they begin again with the tired riff, making this distraction necessary only if you’re headbanging by yourself in your room, and your neck needed a bit of a rest.
The most controversial song on this album is one of the very best, the self-explanatory ‘Necrophiliac’ that would, much later, instigate a court case in the same manner as Judas Priest’s ‘Better By You,. Better Than Me’ and Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Suicide Solution.’ To be fair on those other bands, the offending Slayer song is a little more graphic. The guitar riffs in this song are memorable, never seeming like the mere background to speed that they did in some previous songs, and as the shortest song on the album (one of only two that are under four minutes), it avoids running out of steam like the previous effort. The vocals really go over the top here, effectively stealing the song for once, and there’s a fantastic dual guitar melody that very clearly evolves into the signature riff of the next album’s title track. Ending abruptly for once, the band missed the opportunity to incite further controversy by exploring the subject matter in even greater detail. It’s a great song regardless, and it must have been pretty cool to be a member of that jury, getting this piped through the high quality acoustics of a court of law.
There’s something about the title ‘Crypts of Eternity’ that makes this sound like more of a British heavy metal song of the period than something belonging on this album, something I can’t really explain, and bizarrely it proves true with the subtly different approach taken with this track, perhaps a cast-off from their earlier years or perhaps not. Launching straight into guitar solos like Metallica’s ‘No Remorse,’ even featuring the same ‘distance’ effect for the main riffs interspersed with drums, the song launches into a riff that doesn’t seem anywhere near as vicious as those of the previous offerings, and is more content to be fun in the way Motörhead are fun, focusing more on creating a rhythm than a wall of sound. The only real problem is that some of the riffs carry on for too long without much diversity, only noticeable in comparison to the restlessness of the rest of the album, but as someone more inclined to the style being emulated than the aggression of the band’s other work, this is perhaps my favourite song, if only for Araya’s unprecedented heavy metal scream at the end.
The final song returns to form, and is a little disappointing in its position in the same way ‘Praise of Death’ let the middle of the record down. The primary song is nothing too exciting or unpredictable, with speedy verses of shouted vocals and those guitar solos I keep referring to as ‘evil sounding’ for wont of a technical vocabulary, but it’s the last minute or so that proves interesting in the larger scheme of things. Lombardo’s slow, pounding drums return, beckoning something great and evil while the guitars cower in a corner, until finally a great, slow chugging riff harks back to the opening song, in what I’d like to think is a deliberate attempt to create symmetry. It works regardless, and the song fades out just as the first song faded in, the last sound we hear being Kerry King truly thinking outside the box and playing a solo on the screeching metal bits of the guitar you’re not really supposed to play.
On a first listen, there can be a lot more to ‘Hell Awaits’ than meets the ears. Subsequent listens reveal that these elusive progressive or avant garde quirks are really just the same repeated tricks of time signature change, with some random and aesthetically questionable squealing guitars cropping up every now and again. In many ways, this album, while being vital in the development of both thrash and death metal, is something of an inferior predecessor to 1987’s ‘Reign in Blood,’ which really cracked the idea of a relentless aural assault and edited out all the unnecessary extra length, but this remains my personal favourite Slayer album partly for these imperfections. Later releases were seemingly produced under pressure to avoid emulating ‘Reign in Blood’ by playing slower and more methodically, but ‘Hell Awaits’ has none of these restrictions, and is really the band playing the angry, vicious, exhausting, disgusting music they love.
As I noted earlier, the slightly fuzzy and echoed production really adds to the atmosphere, and even in instances where it’s obvious that a learning process is taking place – particularly Araya’s approach to vocals – it’s nice to hear the imperfections of a band that countless annoying thrash snobs proclaim to be the best in the world. ‘Hell Awaits’ is a significantly flawed album that could have been a lot better, but I’m not sure I want it to be, and even Araya has commented in recent years that the band could re-record it, as Testament have done with their early releases, ‘but why ruin it?’ Perhaps the greatest praise that can be said of this album is its previously unbeaten aural depiction of Hell, something that would later be rivalled with Iced Earth’s ‘Burnt Offerings,’ which is better.
Advantages: Unpredictable, relentless thrash metal from the Underworld.
Disadvantages: Long song lengths lack discipline.
Slayer
Reign in Blood
***
Written on 24.06.04
At a fairly recent gig at London’s Astoria venue, vintage American thrash metal band Slayer returned to the stage for an encore consisting of the ‘Reign in Blood’ album in its entirety. As this is perhaps Slayer’s best-loved album this naturally went down incredibly well but isn’t as surprising an event as it may first sound: in many ways, this half hour aural assault is more of an extended anthem than a collection of diverse songs, and as such it is a very different and incredibly powerful listen. I wasn’t there though.
On the face of it, Slayer’s screeching music with overly controversial and demonic lyrics may not seem to have much in common with the Craig Charles-fronted childish mechanical romp ‘Robot Wars,’ but this album can be similarly judged by its style, control, damage and aggression. By these grounds at least it achieves maximum points.
THE SOUND
As a fan of metal, and specifically that originating from the hairy decade of the eighties, I can’t help but love the roaring guitars, rasping vocals and powerful drum rhythm of this band, but Slayer are a small step away from my preferred kind of heavy metal. While Metallica could unleash similarly relentless thrash tracks in their early years, they balanced out their albums with more reflective, sombre and fun offerings and this prevented them from being similarly labelled a solely ‘thrash’ band. Slayer were always more about sheer energy and violence of sound over musical substance and while they are nothing compared to the darker, heavier and often more interesting Scandinavian death metal bands of today, their influence on these modern bands is undisputed. Plus I kind of like the image of hairy eighties Americans pounding guitars in a bar.
While listening to this album I begin to prematurely age and wonder how something this discordant and damaging can be considered ‘music,’ but then Kerry King pulls off a cool guitar wail and I know I’m home. Rest assured though, this is not an album that would appeal to the masses and as such I would strongly recommend you either wean yourself onto this band through their more accessible contemporaries, or just avoid it like Jim Davidson. Guitar solos take a backseat here to the power of raw riffs and grinds, while the drumming is excellent throughout. Araya’s vocals may not be to everyone’ taste, but they certainly suit the music. You know, if you can call it that.
Saying all that though, it certainly is an experience unmatched by any other album I’ve heard.
‘Slayer’ were:
Tom Araya – vocals, bass guitar
Kerry King – guitar
Jeff Hanneman – guitar
Dave Lombardo – drums
REIGN IN BLOOD
The album opens as it means to go on: completely uncompromising and in-your-face (ears) with Slayer’s most popular track, ANGEL OF DEATH. Coming in at just under five minutes this certainly feels like more of an accomplished track than the shorter outings, featuring impressive changes in guitar riff and the speed of the drums. As a stand alone track, this is an excellent metal song that sums up the thrash genre perfectly and provides adequate competition to bands such as Metallica, Megadeth and Testament, mainly due to the efforts of Kerry King.
From this point onwards, no track reaches three minutes in length apart from the extended final offering. This is very unconventional in the metal world, with bands such as Metallica achieving average song lengths of around six and a half minutes across their first four albums, but it works really well in getting the adrenalin going. And it’s essentially just a load of four minute songs played at breakneck double speed anyway. The only problem with this approach is that it’s very difficult to determine which song is which, and there is a distinct lack of variety.
PIECE BY PIECE manages to be even louder and faster than the opening track due to the lack of any guitar experimentation and provides an excellent follow up, but NECROPHOBIC is pretty much a re-hashing of that track, albeit with a speedy and impressive guitar solo section taking up only part of its 1:40 length. It would be pretty much impossible for anything this short to achieve critical acclaim, but the main point is that it doesn’t break the flow and ruin the effect of the album. After this track there are a couple of very rare silent seconds, but it doesn’t last long.
ALTAR OF SACRIFICE is another very good track due to its distinctive guitar riff and the different atmosphere created by the song with the more spoken vocals. It’s still raw, heavy and (obviously) fast though, with a quiet guitar solo providing some high notes and Lombardo’s drums expertly providing the transition to slightly slower sections with even angrier vocals. This is clearly the ‘classic’ track amongst the fairly average offerings, but treating this album as one song it’s certainly one of the best bits.
JESUS SAVES is segued into straight from the end of the fourth track and has a slightly slower pace this time round but with much of the same guitar work throughout. This is a good track, but sounds too similar to what’s come before (and after) to distinguish itself amongst the noise and remain memorable, as there’s no distinctive guitar riff; the chorus is quite catchy though, and this is probably one of the most powerful tracks.
After this track comes a brief period of quiet cymbals and drum build-up in which the listener can get his or her bearings, but a guitar riff soon kicks in for CRIMINALLY INSANE. The vocals are very powerful here, as are the guitar solos, but it’s again a problem of merging too much into the fabric of the album rather than standing apart as a song. With REBORN, the band somehow manage to execute an even more ferocious sounding track than what has come before, although this may just be my imagination. This track features one of the few guitar solos that actually sounds nice and melodic rather than fast for the sake of it, but the emphasis is still firmly on the power and heaviness of speed. By this point, most listeners will have been completely sucked into Slayer’s nefarious album and craving a period of relaxation, something only teasingly offered before the next track.
EPIDEMIC is very average, sounding far too much like an extension of the previous track for its own good even to the inclusion of an identical sounding chorus riff. There’s really nothing more I can say about this track. POSTMORTEM is the penultimate track and, while expectedly still almost the same as everything else, it’s got more of a groove kept by more muted guitars and as such is possibly the least intense offering here. But bear in mind that this is only in comparison to ‘Epidemic’ and the rest; Araya still screams to high heaven (or more accurately, deep hell) in the chorus.
Onto the final track, the Slayer classic RAINING BLOOD. Beginning with a faster and heavier continuation of the previous track, the cacophony of instruments suddenly becomes only a whine of its former self as the track becomes some background noises of thunder kept only by a steady drum beat… then the music really begins with one of the most recognised thrash riffs in history. This was the only track I was previously familiar with and is one I really like, especially as it distinguishes itself from the rest of the tracks here – and not just because of the brief weather interludes. The lyrics can be made out for a change, while the guitar riffs and adaptations of the main tune sound incredible and very powerful. The track continues through verses and the chorus before suddenly erupting into the loudest and speediest part of the entire album, but which is still kept firmly in control by the musicians. Then it’s all over, with a crack of thunder leaving only the sound of rain and a low booming for the final minute. The aural onslaught is over.
LYRICS
Now I’ll come on to the area that Slayer are most infamous for: their demonic and essentially over-controversial lyrics. There’s nothing tongue-in-cheek about them, but the band have said on numerous occasions that they do not practice what they preach; they only sing about Nazism, necrophilia, blasphemy and sacrifice because it suits the dark tone of their music. Nevertheless, it was inevitable that they would get involved in court cases.
Although Slayer’s involvement in influencing a group of youths to rape and murder a young girl was eventually dismissed from court, it could be argued that the band are a little irresponsible in discussing such issues. Personally I don’t have a problem with evil lyrics in the same way I have no problem with such films, but this image is one of the reasons I stick to less intense metal such as Iron Maiden and Metallica; you know you’re safe with a good historical metal anthem. There’s also the fact that I prefer these bands for their more melodic qualities.
As this is a public review site I won’t go into detail on the lyrics, but here are some samples from the ‘Reign in Blood’ album that illustrate what the band were (and to some degree, still are) about. If this influences you to commit any kind of perverted crime, please do not lay the blame on me. You twisted idiot. Listening to the songs alone makes it hard to distinguish all the lyrics as they are shouted so rapidly, but fortunately there are plenty of websites devoted to spreading the Slayer words:
(From Angel of Death, the beginning of the album)
Auschwitz, the meaning of pain
The way that I want you to die
Slow death, immense decay
Showers that cleanse your life
(Alter of Sacrifice)
Flesh starts to burn, twist and deform
Eyes dripping blood realisation of death
Transforming of five toes to two
Learn the sacred words of praise – Hail Satan
(Post-mortem)
Funeral held for the depression of man
Holds the key to his own death
Entering a tomb of a corpse yet conceived
Tighten the tourniquet around your neck
A far cry from that ‘chirpy chirpy cheep cheep’ song, but the aggressive onslaught of this album demands something more wicked than seventies people making stupid bird noises.
VERDICT
This isn’t strictly my kind of music, but it shares enough similarity with my preferred metal fixes that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Like many people I enjoy some variety when listening to an album, and this doesn’t exactly satisfy on those grounds. Coming in at only twenty-eight minutes it hardly seems worth buying unless you’re specifically a fan of the band, especially as most of the tracks sound very similar, but I can imagine how impressive it must have been to see Slayer ripping through the entire album on stage. These guys have undisputed talent, whatever you may think of their lyrics, guitar work and girl hair.
It may be obvious from my track-by-track exploration that I found it very difficult to distinguish between the music offered here, as an identical formula is used for every single track without fail. This could be interpreted as ‘no compromise,’ but to my ears it just sounds a little unoriginal and quite tedious. There are three to four really good Slayer songs amidst a sea of chaotic, discordant filler that prevents me from seeing the real appeal of this album compared to my own collection. If the album was produced as an E.P. and available at a lower price I would have more respect, although I have to admit that my ‘respect’ for the band in releasing this for their major label debut in a decade previously dominated by cheesy glam rock.
People who enjoy listening to albums in their entirety will agree that this is an experience though.
Advantages: An understandably popular thrash album, The band play how they want to play, A couple of classic metal tracks
Disadvantages: Not enough variety, Many tracks are not given adequate time to progress and inspire, Potentially dangerous lyrics
Slipknot in general
*****
Written on 06.06.01
Slipknot's loud, unrelenting sound earned them much attention after their debut album (simply titled "Slipknot") was released. the nine-piece band have opted for the image of freakish masks to hide their appearance and baggy jumpsuits to make themselves look like prisoners or lunatics. This popular nu-metal band have done extensive touring, and are set to return to the UK in November 2001 to promote their new album (titled "Iowa" after their home state), following their hugely successful stint at May's UK Ozzfest.
The band formed quite some time ago, and its members have changed considerably. The idea of masks stemmed from the time when Shawn (one of the custom percussionists) wore an old clown mask and boiler suit to rehearsals, and soon the whole band produced their own face pieces.
Singer Corey Taylor wears a grey leather mask with dreadlocks (some of which are real) that is supposed to represent a scarecrow. Corey's vocals are backed up by a synthesiser he uses to distort his voice for some of the louder, angrier shouting (if you are interested, this is especially evident in the song "Wait and Bleed.")
Drummer Joey wears a white, expressionless mask with long red hair.
The afore-mentioned Shawn wears an old clown mask (now changed for a more freakish, grotesque clown face), and plays a part in the band by practicing "custom percussion"; the art of hitting a large bin every so often with sticks. (I don't mean to deliberately diss custom percussion, but it does seem less difficult when compared to other instruments).
Shawn is joined on custom percussion by Chris, who wears a white Pinnochio-style mask with a long nose and zip for a mouth.
Paul has now exchanged his original pig mask for a black, more evil-looking version, and his job is playing the band's solitary bass guitar.
Media and samples man Craig wears a diver's helmet with rubber spikes embedded in its top; his mask has also recently been traded in for a grey, zip design (although he has kept the spikes).
Sid's job is to spin and delay the band's turntables for the scratch sound effect, and his mask is a plain gas mask, which he has now modified so it does not cover his head.
Guitarist Mick has had many masks, including a golden hockey mask and pale face.
The band's other guitarist James wears a black leather mask.
The band have also had many styles of jumpsuit (all of which bear their band member "number" and the barcode of a cabbage on the back), and have produced two singles thus far off their debut album, entitled "Spit it Out" and "Wait and Bleed." (The band produced a mini-album prior to becoming famous entitled "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.")
Slipknot merchandise is very prominent everywhere, and the band have recently revealed their disgust at seeing their image on childrens' lunch boxes. Many designs of T-shirt and hooded top are available of the band, and even copies of the jumpsuit are available. (I must admit, I own one for special occasions and concerts!) To tackle this, the band are planning to keep merchandise of their new album strictly under control, as they believe fans should be more interested in the music than the image.
This proves that although they have been criticised for trying to make nu-metal look "cool" and appeal to youngsters, the band's dedication is strictly to their sound. Let's hope the over-excessive touring continues, and a few more albums appear in the shops.
Advantages: Love to tour, Amazing image and sound, Very original
Disadvantages: Too many people are only interested in the image
Slipknot
Slipknot
Not Just an Image
*****
Written on 09.06.01
Although the main criticism about the amazing Iowa metal band Slipknot is that they are too obsessed with making money off merchandise, nothing could be further from the truth. The band are fully aware of the image people have of them, and have decided to control the amount of merchandise available from their forthcoming album Iowa (which is currently scheduled for an August 6th. UK release), and after you listen to this album you realise that they're not just trying to popular by dressing up to amuse little kids; it's a damned good (and well worth the money) album.
Although I only have the basic album (another version with seventeen tracks later became available), I believe it is one of the best albums I own.
After a peculiar intro, the song "[Sic]" blurts out into a huge, booming drum beat before singer Corey Taylor's enhanced vocals scream out at high volume. Track two, "Eyeless", begins with an electronic beat that soon erupts into what is one of the best songs on the album. Track four (the famous "Wait and Bleed") is anothwer possible favourite, and cleverly mixes Corey's unsynthesised, melodic shouting with his usual guttural roars to produce what is widely regarded as the band's best song. "Surfacing" begins rather oddly but soon becomes another fine song which contains the hesviest message of any song on the album ("F*** you all, f*** this world, f*** everything that youn stand for. Don't belong, don't exist, don't give a s***, don't ever judge me.") Track six was the band's first single, the quickly-paced "Spit it Out", which has a music video based upon the Shining, featuring the Slipknot guys. Track seven ("Tattered & Torn") is possibly the worst song on the album, and features a rather freakish melody before the song begins. Track eight ("Only One") is another great song, and features a very pleasant chorus of Corey singing, to act in contrast to his usual shouting. From this point forwards the album becomes less brilliant, although track 11 is another great song. Tracks 10, 12, 13 and 14 aren't bad, but aren't as worthy as the others. (There's also a weird secret bit with the guys talking after about twenty minutes of track fourteen, which cumulates in a final farewell song).
The album is not a rip-off (fourteen tracks and over an hour in length), and the songs are usually very different. There is no way Slipknot are some kind of "metal boy band" to fit into this current period of metal's popularity. Anyone who thinks otherwise should listen to the album, as this band are much more than an image- although compared to some other bands' image, their's does rule!
N.B.: The new album to be released this summer (Iowa) is set to be hesvier than this album, and be geared more towards the hard core black metal of bands such as Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir.
Advantages: Great value for money, Energetic, talented and downright AMAZING
Disadvantages: Not many- the band seem to have become popular with people who only like them for their image, but this is not their fault
Soilwork
Natural Born Chaos
Follow the Hollow
****
Written on 15.01.06
What is melodic death metal?
For a start, one of my favourite genres, and a fantastic mix of elements from thrash-inspired death metal (Vader, Carcass) and the lighter sound of 80s guitar-based heavy metal (Iron Maiden, Judas Priest). The final ingredient is often a heavy presence of traditional Scandinavian folk influence, the genre having originated in Norway and Sweden.
Melodic death is great for allowing fans of heavy metal who are averse to the headache-inducing brutality of death metal, like me, to finally appreciate the talent it takes to perform, especially with the power of the guitars. Soilwork are among the most successful melodic death bands (an increasingly popular genre), but have always been overshadowed by some of their peers, such as Arch Enemy and In Flames.
Released in 2002, ‘Natural Born Chaos’ can be seen as a continuation (of sorts) of the music pioneered by At the Gates and In Flames. The former disbanded in the mid-90s, while In Flames’ music from the turn of the millennium has moved increasingly away from their origins and towards a more commercial hard metal sound. Natural Born Chaos is a fairly straightforward album; 10 tracks for the band to unflinchingly demonstrate their sound.
1. Follow the Hollow
2. As We Speak
3. The Flameout
4. Natural Born Chaos
5. Mindfields
6. The Bringer
7. Black Star Deceiver
8. Mercury Shadow
9. No More Angels
10. Song of the Damned
A good thing about this album is that each track remains very memorable simply thanks to the title, as that almost always forms the main lyrics of each fantastic chorus.
After a distorted vocal sample, ‘Follow the Hollow’ explodes into a fast and unpredictable riff, really setting the pace for an album that rarely lets up, even in slower songs. This opening track is a great example of the band’s sound, alternating between guttural vocals in the verses and more harmonious haunting singing in the chorus, powerful speedy guitars that pack a punch and also produce really delicate solos. Later tracks such as ‘The Flameout’ and ‘Mercury Shadow’ follow a very similar format, but are saved from sounding tedious and repetitive by the excellent vocals in the choruses.
These faster tracks may take some getting used to for newcomers to the genre, despite being less furious and ear-splitting than is common for death or thrash metal, but the more ‘spacey’ sound of ‘As We Speak,’ relying on strange but very successful synthesisers in the chorus, should provide something of an easier route, and is likely my favourite track here. ‘Black Star Deceiver’ and ‘No More Angels’ are in the same vein, both featuring heavy death metal sections before slowing down to a more reflective pace. Album closer ‘Song of the Damned’ begins with something of a synthesiser overload, which I love, and is a great piece to finish, leaving the listener in a surprisingly light-hearted and relaxed mood after a death metal album.
The most traditionally ‘death metal’-sounding tracks here are the fastest and most brutal, ‘Natural Born Chaos’ and ‘Mindfields.’ These don’t appeal to me as much, but the guitar work is still excellent, even if the synths can’t be heard quite as prominently. The only track that stands out for other reasons is ‘The Bringer,’ starting with deceptive acoustic guitar and becoming a mid-tempo song that is pretty much central, reflecting its position in the album, in terms of power, volume, speed and likeability. Aside from a pretty cool bit of keyboard in the chorus, there isn’t much to distinguish this song other than it sounding like a precursor to the following year’s successful single ‘Rejection Role,’ a track that finally got the band the recognition they deserved (even if it wasn’t as good as the stuff on here).
Natural Born Chaos isn’t a perfect or necessary album, but it’s a great one for inquisitive fans of metal who don’t want to go the full way to depravity and buy a Cannibal Corpse album. With a couple of minor exceptions, all the interesting developments in metal music have come from elsewhere in Europe over the last decade, but with impressive power metal bands such as Dragonforce developing at home, as well as the consistent quality of home-grown bands like Iron Maiden, it seems the UK is finally starting to catch up.
If it’s roaring vocals and grinding guitars you’re looking for, head to Norway. If folk-inspired rocking tales of fantasy are more your cup of tea, get thee to Germany.
Advantages: Moves the genre forward, great use of synthesisers and guitar
Disadvantages: Not much variation, some songs are less memorable
Spineshank
The Height of Callousness
The Height of Mainstream Metal
***
Written on 11.07.01
I first heard Spineshank wehn the video for "Synthetic" (the first release from this album, The Height of Callousness) appeared on the MTV2 Metal Hammer Riot, and I loved the song. However, once their next single, "New Disease" (which I also think is really cool), came out it was obvious that the formerly underground Spineshank had fallen into the metal popularity craze that was started with Limp Bizkit over the 2000/2001 border, and has no sign of ending any time soon.
Personally, I got into metal at about the same time as this, but was introduced to punk (the Offspring to start with) by my friend who'd liked that music for years. It was only when Rollin' came out that I realised the metal world was fast becoming popular among some people who didn't even appreciate it fully. However, although Spineshank have obviously changed their style from their first album (the unfortunately poor "Diesel Power"), the songs are still pretty cool.
The album begins with the loud, fast beat of album opener "Asthmatic." Without giving us a chance to breathe or any form of intro we are thrust right into the heavy instrumentals, and a scream soon informs us that vocalist Johnny Santos is also present. The song is good, and an excellent choice as album opener. It seems to sum up all of Spineshank's music, with Santos' screaming vocals aided by more melodic singing by himself. The back up vocals of the bass player are also present, as they are in all the other songs. The song is of average length, and is good to listen to- possibly one of the album's highlights.
Possibly my favourite track on the album soon begins on track two, with the album's title track "The Height of Callousness." With fantastic use of varying volumes and amazing instrument-playing, this song is probably the band at their finest. However, it's not the most radio-friendly song on the album, and not the kind to play to your mother if she's the kind of person who'd be offended easily by a word beginning with "f" that seems quite present in the track. Great song.
Track three is the song most people have heard, the pretty cool "Synthetic." Compared to the rest of the album I don't think this song sounds as good without a video, and is the kind that would be picked as a single due to its slight change in style. (I wouldn't say it's sellout, but it's definitely more accessible). However, the screaming vocals are ever-present, as are very cool back-up shouts by the bassist that do make the song sound a lot better. For anyone unsure of whether they've seen the video, it features the band in a metallic laboratoty of some kind, where a woman is programming some form of android that Johnny Santos teaches to scream (!). It's a good song though, with an intriguing background tune that definitely adds to the atmosphere. It's ended with back up vocals stating "I have become synthetic!" before the next song appears.
"New Disease", in my opinion, is about the same as "Synthetic", but I like some bits better (although I think some parts are poorer). The video is obviously of a higher budget than the "Synthetic" shoot (as the band have obviously become somewhat more popular), and features strangely-floating people being grounded by a "new disease" in the form of a passing storm cloud. Santos' voice sounds very different here, as he is experimenting with different syles, and it's closer to a singing voice than his usual screams. I think this voice sounds better, and should be used more to act as contrast to the screams. Not a bad song though- pretty cool, with prominent vocals.
Heading into the unknown territory, "(Can't Be) Fixed" begins with a build-up to Santos' slow, distressed voice. Overall, the song is more sombre and slow than others, but is still heavy and loud (or it wouldn't be Spineshank). The riff sounds cool, but I'm not too keen on the peculiar sampling in the background. A good song though, which is usually overlooked. Santos' voice is once again different from the norm, and there are portions of backing "ahh"s, similar to those done by Head (in KoRn), however these are not immediately apparent. The song teeters off to death at the end, which sounds quite good.
Probably my worst track on the album, the peculiarly-titled "Cyanide 2600" begins with a sampling beat that just sounds dodgy in this type of song. (A lot of metal sampling I like- but this is just too poor for me). The tune sticks with the rest of the song, as do other, even dodgier, techno sounds, and the instruments and vocals are nothing very original.
Track seven, "Play God", begins with loud drumming that leads into what is virtually a vocal solo (with some fantastic use of backing vocals). One of my favourites off the album, the song is obviously about playing God, and the song has cool instrumentals. I love the chorus especially, which is sung greatly and sounds amazing, and very different. I'm not sure if this is my favourite song over "The Heigh of Callousness", but they're both really cool.
To me, the start of "Malnutrition" sounds like a rip-off of Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People." The song is cool though, and is possibly the album's heaviest offering. The only dodgy part is a weird electronic sound that begins about half way through, but the Beautiful People-esque riff is definitely the song's high point. There also seems to be an equal balance between regular and backing vocals, which is a bit of welcome variation.
Track nine, "Seamless", is lead into by "Malnutrition". It's got great talky-shouty vocals accompanied by a relatively quiet guitar riff. The chorus is once again amazing, and the song is overall a very good offering, and definitely worth listening to. I wouldn't say it's my favourite track though, but it certainly comes close.
"Negative Space" is a big instrument-fest with loud drums, bass and guitar at the start, and there's more sampling (but this time it's standable. Still not amazing though). The riff sounds really good as well, and silence is used effectively- I just don't like the idea of it. The song is slow, on parr with "(Can't Be) Fixed", but isn't memorable. I think it's good though, and it's good that it was included on the album.
The final track on the album is "Transparent", and the vocals sound even more relentless here, with Santos really going overboard on angry shouting. The chorus is melodic again, and overall the track makes a good end to the album. It's pretty average speed, and an average song, although I do like the riff, and the drums sound quite good (if simplistic). Nothing fantastic though.
Overall, the album does come in at a little short (eleven tracks and thirty-seven minutes), but features some great songs. There's not a huge variety available here, but there's definitely some apparent. Spineshank do seem to be a pretty run of the mill band to me though, even though I do respect and recognise their individuality and flair, but with movie soundtracks about to be under their belts, it seems they're simply trying to get popular, rather than produce an album that will stand out among others. I got this album in a sale, and think I was put off buying it full price by its similarity and short length. However, worth listening to if you're into metal. It's not as mainstream as the band would like, but is quite easy to find in record shops. Simply stay away from the first album.
Stratovarius
Infinite
***
Written on 24.09.06
Having defined themselves as Finland’s premier heavy metal band over the course of eight increasingly exciting albums, Stratovarius stumbled into the new millennium with ‘Infinite,’ an enjoyable but disappointing backwards step for a band soon to fall into steep decline and literal insanity. Pertaining to be something of the definitive symphonic metal CD with its grandiose cover art (produced by Iron Maiden artist Derek Riggs), ‘Infinite’ continues the trend of each Stratovarius album sounding pretty much like the last one, but this time looking backwards instead of forwards.
Stratovarius’ symphonic approach to the classic European power metal sound paved the way for operatic bands like Nightwish and Therion, but the band’s own steam has truly run out by this point. This album looks back to its three excellent predecessors ‘Episode,’ ‘Visions’ and ‘Destiny’ and takes something from each, without offering anything new aside from the afore-mentioned gold dolphins artwork, which is very nice. Nevertheless, I liked this album a lot more before I explored their past discography.
The fast songs sound like re-makes of older, better songs with different nouns in the choruses, and the ballads are more blandly commercial sounding than ever. The album’s primary saving grace is its excellent title track, dominated by slow, thunderous riffs, time changes and a fantastically over-ambitious choral bit. Nevertheless, this still feels overlong at nine minutes; Timo Tolkki’s guitar solos only remain interesting for so long, but thankfully this isn’t Helloween territory, ha ha. (A nice joke to help alienate you further).
The album opens with ‘Hunting High and Low’ and ‘Millennium,’ and both are highly enjoyable speedy metal anthems. Timo Kotipelto’s high vocals blend perfectly with the melodic lead guitars, and Stratovarius doesn’t sound much better than this – except perhaps on ‘Father Time’ and other such songs from the past which sound almost exactly the same. Sadly the album’s next fast offering ‘Phoenix’ is definitively mediocre and adds nothing of interest at all. ‘Freedom’ is pretty anthemic but is similarly forgettable, although ‘Glory of the World’ and 'A Million Light Years Away' are saved by some really cool keyboard leads from Jens Johansson. The choruses are pretty good too, but that’s always been one of the band’s main strengths.
Looking back to the ‘Destiny’ album, Stratovarius attempt a couple of slower songs, but neither works very successfully. ‘Mother Gaia’ is tediously overlong, even if it is very enjoyable for the first four minutes or so with its numerous choruses and rare slow guitar riff. By contrast, the anti-climax ‘Celestial Dream’ is less than worthless, as it led to similar atrocities on the band’s next two albums. Special edition versions of the CD include the bonus track ‘Neon Light Child’ which sounds almost exactly the same and is therefore rubbish, as well as pointlessly verbatim demos of tracks one and two.
Every Stratovarius album has its low points, but this album rates only average at best, and is a completely unnecessary addition to a fine back catalogue. The bombast epic stuff was done slightly better on ‘Destiny,’ while the power metal was perfected on 1997’s ‘Visions,’ still the band’s finest release. Purporting to immortality by cashing in on a incidental 2000 AD release date and getting the bloke who used to draw Iron Maiden’s Eddie to paint an irrelevant picture of gold dolphins might sound like the ingredients for a metal classic, but isn’t enough to make for a good album. The several good songs from this album sadly represent the only things of worth to come from Stratovarius in the twenty-first century so far, with three albums and counting having followed in its inconsequential ripples.
1. Hunting High and Low
2. Millennium
3. Mother Gaia
4. Phoenix
5. Glory of the World
6. A Million Light Years Away
7. Freedom
8. Infinity
9. Celestial Dream
10. Neon Light Child *
11. Hunting High and Low (demo) *
12. Millennium (demo) *
* Limited edition bonus tracks.
Advantages: Lovely glossy production sound, and a few great melodic metal anthems.
Disadvantages: The best stuff rips off the old stuff, and the worst stuff is really bad.
Stratovarius
Elements Pt. 1
Make Your Own Paradise
**
Written on 20.12.05
Many distinctive rock bands reach a point where the individual sound they have pioneered starts to lose its appeal. Pantera unintentionally became a parody of their favoured barroom brawl metal sound, while In Flames simply forgot how to be good. For Stratovarius the decline was inevitable; their polished, symphonic power metal style had remained constant since the mid-90s and most of their albums sound the same.
The new millennium brought 'Elements,' envisioned as an epic two-part concept album released in two halves a year apart in the style of Helloween's 'Keeper of the Seven Keys,' or more recently, System of a Down's 'Mesmerize'/'Hypnotize.' A lofty idea and one that suits the band's flamboyant style, but not something that their confined sound could successfully achieve.
This first release has all the usual Stratovarius elements (yes, that was a pun. Well spotted) such as operatic choruses, a mix of short and snappy tracks with longer progressive pieces, catchy riffs and vocals and use of synthesised and live orchestration to add a grander texture, but it's all pushed a little too far.
As much as it shames me to use this hackneyed criticism of power metal, an offshoot of classic heavy metal characterised by high wailing vocals, high pitched guitars and songs about dragons and warriors, I may have to: Elements is cheesy.
1. Eagleheart
2. Soul of a Vagabond
3. Find Your Own Voice
4. Fantasia
5. Learning to Fly
6. Papillon
7. Stratofortress
8. Elements
9. A Drop in the Ocean
The first thing that disappointed me when listening to this first of two concept CDs was the general lack of a unifying concept or sound to tie it all together. These tracks all stand alone, as it should be, but they don't really benefit from being placed in the order they are, and tracks could be removed or replaced without affecting the general sound of the disc. Brilliant concept albums such as Dream Theater's 'Metropolis part 2: Scenes from a Memory' and Jethro Tull's 'Thick as a Brick' manage to align every part of the album with recurring riffs, themes and lyrical refrains, but this is completely lacking from Elements. Admittedly, Stratovarius never claimed to be a prog band, but there is essentially no real reason for the Elements albums to be considered two halves of a greater whole any more than the band's previous album 'Infinite,' which seems to provide the structure and sound of almost everything on Elements Part 1, should be considered a prelude.
But even leaving aside this gripe, Elements isn't a great Stratovarius album, or even a great power metal album. 'Eagleheart' tries unsuccessfully to sound like Meatloaf, the lengthy tracks 'Fantasia' and 'Elements' are too repetitive and don't sound distinctive enough from the rest of the album to merit extended length, the soft conclusion 'A Drop in the Ocean' is completely unmemorable and 'Soul of a Vagabond' is ruined by horn sections that are, unusually, far too foregrounded and oppressive to the regular instruments.
There are still many good songs on here, despite the odd decisions made. 'Find Your Own Voice' and 'Learning to Fly' are impressive speedy power metal anthems reminiscent of the band's best work, while 'Papillon' succeeds in trying something new (the only real instance on the album), beginning with what sounds like a choir boy backed by haunting acoustics and fading almost imperceptibly to Timo Kotipelto's great voice and a slow, powerful drum beat. It still drags on in the last couple of minutes though. 'Stratofortress' isn't a great instrumental, but it's a lot of fun, and instrumentals are a rarity in a genre where high vocals often determine the sound of a song.
Stratovarius immediately became one of my favourite bands when I first heard their classic albums 'Twilight Time' and 'Destiny,' but exploring the rest of their discography, and realising how much they reproduce almost the exact same sound, was disappointing. Elements is not necessarily the peak of this lack of creativity, but the failed attempt at elevating the sound to new dimensions makes it all the more noticeable.
Fans of Nightwish, the more successful band primarily influenced by Stratovarius' symphonic style, should enjoy the operatic pomp of the title track 'Elements,' but I'd recommend looking back to the band's earlier work. As mentioned earlier, 2000's 'Infinite' is, perhaps sadly, a much better version of Elements, despite being the previous album and one that is often ignored. 'Eagleheart' is essentially a reworking and spoiling of Infinite's 'Hunting High and Low,' the terrible 'A Drop in the Ocean' tries to recapture 'Celestial Dream' and the semi-eponymous 'Infinity' achieves epic proportions much more listenable than 'Fantasia.'
To end on a downer, Elements Part 2 is even worse.
Symphony X
The Damnation Game
****
Written on 09.10.05
The second album from New Jersey progressive metal band Symphony X refines the sound of their uneven debut and introduces one of the genre's finest vocalists. Russell Allen brings Symphony X on the course to perfection; the experiments in song format, structure and vocal styles pave the way for their later masterpieces.
Released in 1995, 'The Damnation Game' owes little debt to the then-fresh European power metal scene, despite its similarities. Rousing choruses, alternation between melodic and thrashy songs and plenty of noodling in-between make this a more straightforward heavy metal album in the vein of Iron Maiden or Helloween, but the band's trademark sound is ever-present and actually begins here.
Michael Pinella's glorious medieval sounding keyboards can be heard throughout the whole album, becoming highlighted at relevant times, and perfectly compliment axeman Michael Romeo's clean guitar solos and distorted, punctual riffs. Romeo has been compared to prog metal's king of guitar pomposity Yngwie Malmsteen, the difference being that Romeo knows when to stop.
Another interesting feature of the band that may divide listeners is the precision of it all; Romeo and drummer Jason Rullo are always perfectly in time during the riffs to the extent that the bass drum sounds like an extent of the guitar chords.
The production on this album is clearer than the debut, but still a little way off the perfectly polished mix of 'The Divine Wings of Tragedy' or 'Twilight in Olympus.' The guitars sound expertly distinctive to the band and soon become inextricably linked to Allen's operatic wails and booms. This isn't a perfect album, but it has a lot to offer to fans of straightforward metal and experimental rock alike.
The biggest difference to the band's later offerings is that no track here clocks in at the somewhat overwhelmingly epic time of twenty-odd minutes. The longest song, 'The Edge of Forever,' lasts just under nine minutes, progressing through light and heavy moods but lacking the inspired eloquence that 'The Divine Wings of Tragedy' or Dream Theater's 'A Change of Seasons' resonate from making an extremely lengthy track coherent and enjoyable. That said, Symphony X's more recent album 'The Odyssey' features a twenty-five minute title track that simply sounds like eight separate, similar-sounding songs, so it's no easy task.
THE DAMNATION GAME
1. The Damnation Game
2. Dressed to Kill
3. The Edge of Forever
4. Savage Curtain
5. Whispers
6. The Haunting
7. Secrets
8. A Winter's Dream part 1 - Prelude
9. A Winter's Dream part 2 - The Ascension
Setting the trend that has continued to this day, the album opens with a speedy, punchy opening that nevertheless displays its progressive flair, especially in the solo section. 'The Damnation Game' is a very average offering from the band, the closing section with repetitions of the chorus being especially unimpressive, but Pinella's keyboards still make it highly enjoyable. 'Dressed to Kill' keeps the heavy, speedy sound moving, featuring more in the way of guitar breaks but still accessible and fun.
The technical skill of the music moves up many steps with the grand 'The Edge of Forever.' Enchanting and varied, this begins with a now classic Symphony X acoustic section (re-used as part of a medley in 2002's 'The Odyssey') before the finest vocal performance of the whole album kicks in, lasting for the full length of the song. This is certainly one of the highlights, but the rest of the album doesn't lose this spark.
'Savage Curtain' is the first Symphony X song to feature the now customary unison chorus from band members. The speedy sound is similar to the opening tracks but more accomplished, the sound carrying through to the more reflective 'Whispers' and the exciting, double-bass-drum-led 'The Haunting.' If there is a flaw with this section of the album, it's that it can be difficult to remember specific movements and sections from these three songs as they seem to flow together in the brain even after repeated listens. There is a lengthy instrumental section at the end of 'The Haunting' that is entertaining and thankfully doesn't outstay its welcome.
A spooky keyboard section introduces 'Secrets,' another of the album's finest moments with the most original chorus and the perfect blend of heavenly backing keyboards, driving grinding guitars and varying vocals. It's also one of the only times that Michael Lepond's bass can be distinctly heard, keeping the dingy atmosphere going behind the lengthy solo. The song fades out to introduce the two-part 'A Winter's Dream' - the first section is soft, led by an acoustic guitar and some very, very airy vocals and the second retreats to the heavy metal style of the opener. An interesting touch, especially in the opening minute when the chorus become seriously addictive, but progressive metal fans may find themselves a little disappointed that this idea wasn't taken further.
Everything about this album now seems like a precursor to the perfection that is 1997's 'The Divine Wings of Tragedy.' The fast, powerful rockers here are nothing compared to that album, the same goes for the softer, reflective moments. 'The Damnation Game' cannot hold its own against 'Sins and Shadows'; 'The Haunting' is nothing compared to 'The Eyes of Medusa'; 'The Edge of Forever,' while excellent, is no 'The Accolade' and of course, the two-part 'A Winter's Dream' seems like an average Judas Priest rocker against 'The Divine Wings of Tragedy.' All that said, this is still a very good album, but the band's evolution and own standards have rendered it seriously second rate.
Newcomers to Symphony X would find it more interesting to look elsewhere in their discography. Dream Theater offer a more traditional progressive slant to heavy metal, their albums all sounding somewhat different compared to the similarity of Symphony X, while the recent offerings of England's own Iron Maiden have been increasingly disposed towards prog tendencies.
'The Damnation Game' is a great rock album that unites heavy metal and prog rock in a way that power metal never has. Unlike bands that have fallen into the abyss, Symphony X are still going strong and had a new album slated for release in September 2005. which I suppose means it's taking a little more tweaking than originally intended.
Symphony X
Twilight in Olympus
Progressive Dusk
***
Written on 05.06.04
Symphony X are at the forefront of modern progressive metal, combining heavy metal guitars, bass and drums with classical instruments and keyboards in a constant effort to produce innovative and original music.
The whole idea of taking the raw power of heavy metal and perverting it with Beethoven influences seems ludicrous to some people, but Symphony X follow the examples of European power metal bands and even the popular Metallica in adding a greater depth to their tracks; this album requires a certain amount of effort on the part of the listener, but can be very rewarding.
STYLE
Twilight in Olympus holds nothing new to fans who already owned the band's successful previous album 'The Divine Wings of Tragedy,' but it compliments the style well, introducing a greater degree of classical inspiration than their other releases to date. As such, this is initially less impressive than some of their heavier albums, but is also more suited to a relaxed mood than the pounding rhythms of 'Divine,' with greater use of keyboards in complimenting the guitar riffs and vocals.
There is a good balance between fast tracks, epics and contemplative ballads, and the band do not allow any of the musicians to dominate in the manner of some of the band's later releases, although there is not much on here that I consider to be on par with my favourite Symphony X tracks.
DESIGN
There is something of a budget look to the album cover and design, especially in contrast to their previous album, but the general colour scheme works well and sets the album apart from others in collections. The Ancient Greek theme is rendered irrelevant due to the exclusion of the planned title track, and the album cover's attempted composition of bust photography, a pen-inked temple and a very blurred computer-coloured backdrop would have worked a lot better if it were not so diverse.
The band photo inside is also somewhat less professional than on their other releases, and the lyrics are presented in a fairly bland format on black pages featuring only a repetitive column design. But then again, it's not about the design, it's about the music.
TRACKS
Many tracks on the album deliberately flow together and intertwine, especially in the first half, and it's clear that the band have written and composed the tracks in the order they feel is most appropriate, based on the arrangement of their live sets.
1. SMOKE AND MIRRORS
This reasonably fast but complex metal track opens the album energetically, while displaying the talents of all musicians involved. Michael Romeo's solo is slow and mellow, succeeding in adding to the song rather than overpowering the efforts of other band members. A strong opener that doesn't inspire like some of the more complex and experimental tracks, but which is one of the most enjoyable and memorable on the album.
"I feel the moonlight as it slowly cloaks my eyes,
Touched by the kiss of the sunrise."
2. CHURCH OF THE MACHINE
The album heads into lengthy epic territory even at this early point, with this eight-minute affair. A slow build-up launches into the ensemble vocal performances, and this remains a fairly heavy track throughout. The length does become an issue towards the end however, as there are not enough diverse elements to keep the listener's attention throughout. Still, a very good track with excellent use of keyboards in-between verses.
"Forging sacred thrones in the void unseen,
Merciless judgement in the Church of the Machine."
3. SONATA
This brief instrumental only clocks in at one and a half minutes, and is essentially an introduction to the fourth track. An adaptation of Beethoven's Sonata #8 in C Minor, the high guitar is interesting, but this is essentially an interlude that is not a Symphony X original.
4. IN THE DRAGON'S DEN
A pretty straightforward Symphony X song with heavy riffs and a rather infectious chorus, this is very reminiscent of shorter tracks on the previous album. At only four minutes it's the perfect length and features enough change in tempo and guitar work to earn its place as one of the band's classics.
"An empty door, ashes on the floor,
Hypnotic array of lights, dragons calling throughout the night."
5. THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
The main epic track of the album, this lasts for thirteen minutes and is divided into three different, but very similar, sections. This does drag on a little too much for my liking, and the inclusion of a girl's vocals at points is a little cringe-worthy, but the instrumentation is by far the best of the entire album. Not a track to introduce yourself to Symphony X with, but one that will reward the more die-hard fans. As you may have guessed, this is the band's account of the story of Alice Through the Looking Glass, and it is a track that grows on me with every listen, once I am able to remember it.
"Dream on,
Do you believe
all the things that you are seeing are true?
The Start's where the End's leading you."
6. THE RELIC
A welcome return to a shorter and faster style, there is again little to distinguish this from the band's other songs, but it is nonetheless enjoyable and features a great guitar solo. The song slows in the middle, allowing Jason Rullo's bass work to be heard clearly for a change.
"Carry on, into the horizon,
Wielding courage, staff in hand.
Journey on, through shadows and dreams,
And what lies beyond the Guardian's keep."
7. ORION - THE HUNTER
At almost seven minutes this is a fairly hefty track, and my favourite on the album. There is some excellent guitar harmony - clearly an effect that would be impossible to achieve live due to the lone guitar work of Michael Romeo - and the riffs are very catchy and enjoyable. Allen's vocals take a more aggressive approach here, which is a nice change.
"Child of the seas I am,
In starlight I reside.
Glow silver and white,
Eternal and bright in the sky."
8. LADY OF THE SNOW
Again ending an album with a power-ballad, this may be a little too progressive for some people in terms of its employment of orchestration and keyboards far more than the more traditional rock instruments, but the guitar is still excellent throughout and it makes a relaxing end to the album: if anything, it's a proven cure for insomnia.
"Lady of the Snow holding me,
Her silhouette awaits in the cold.
I can't fight anymore."
VERDICT
This album was rushed, and it shows. This was no fault of the band, and was mainly necessitated by the record company in response to the popularity of their 1997 album; the production is a little below par and some parts of songs sound similar, something that does not live up to the band's own standards and ideals, although the greatest loss is that of the proposed title track to the album, 'Twilight in Olympus': Symphony X's title tracks are all excellent and impressive epics without exception, and through refusing to grant the band more time to complete this in full, they have blighted this album in remaining a little below par.
The musicians in the band are all virtuosos, and Russell Allen's vocals follow a similar operatic style to those of Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson, without the distracting accents common to Symphony X's European contemporaries. The only flaw with the songs as they stand is that the lyrics often seem too cheesy for the band's usual style, most notably in the great track 'Into the Dragon's Den': Symphony X previously set themselves apart for discussing real themes such as soul-destroying aspects of modern society, and their later albums often focused on mythology and classical literature.
Record producers have long been the reluctant scourge of many promising bands, and with more time, Symphony X could have improved this release from a strong but lacking album into a progressive metal classic. 'The Divine Wings of Tragedy' remains this band's most successful and classic album, but the recent release 'The Odyssey' with its half-hour title track comes close. Life is a game in which we must play the cards we are dealt, and Symphony X had to remain content with an incomplete-
Symphony X
The Death of Balance
****
Written on 07.01.05
'V' is, as expected, the fifth album to be released by New Jersey progressive metal leaders Symphony X, and embodies everything that makes the genre so interesting to metal fans. From sweeping overtures to speeding electric riffs, choral vocals and acoustic melodies, The New Mythology Suite is a modern rock masterpiece from the underappreciated successors to Dream Theater.
SYMPHONY X is:
Russell Allen - vocals
Michael Romeo - guitars
Michael Pinella - keyboards
Michael Lepond - bass
Jason Rullo - drums
Russell Allen's powerful vocals range from aggressive rasps to high choir performances but are most commonly grounded in the middle. A great voice that has been recruited by various musicians when assembling experimental works, such as Arjen Lucassen's Ayreon project. Jason Rullo and Michael Lepond contribute less to the songwriting, but although their presence is essentially to balance the high instruments, the drums and bass make their presence felt and never miss a beat.
The real highlights of the album however are once again the guitars and keyboards of Michael Romeo and Michael Pinella, two musical geniuses who have recently released solo albums. Romeo's guitars take something of a backseat to Pinella's orchestral crafting on this album, making for a grander and more operatic offering than previous Symphony albums.
THE NEW MYTHOLOGY SUITE
1. Prelude
2. Evolution (The Grand Design)
3. Fallen
4. Transcendence
5. Communion and the Oracle
6. The Bird-Serpent War / Cataclysm
7. On the Breath of Poseidon
8. Egypt
9. The Death of Balance / Lacrymosa
10. Absence of Light
11. A Fool's Paradise
12. Rediscovery
13. Rediscovery part II: The New Mythology
Under Allen, Romeo and Pinella, 'V' takes inspiration from myths of the ancient world and brings them together to form a fascinating concept album. The segue tracks (1, 4, 7, 9 and 12) help greatly in maintaining the mood and flow of the album, although this may deter newcomers to more progressive metal. Songs such as 'Evolution,' 'Fallen,' 'The Bird-Serpent War' and 'A Fool's Paradise' are classic speedy metal anthems from the band, while the lengthier and deeper offerings 'Communion and the Oracle,' 'Egypt' and the title track display the full range of the band's abilities and styles.
The only criticism of the album stems from its conceptual nature; at times, it sounds as if riffs and vocal styles are being repeated, while sections of the segue tracks are devoid of interest. The complex style of some tracks does mean that the listener is rewarded on repeated playings, however the band have not entirely succeeded in creating a masterpiece to rival their earlier work.
VERDICT
Symphony X are one of the most interesting bands in metal, incorporating elements of heavy metal, thrash and contemporary European power metal to come up with tracks that rival even the most powerful bands. 'V' is several steps away from being their classic album, although the eagerly awaited follow up to 2002's 'The Odyssey' will hold even further surprises.
1997's 'The Divine Wings of Tragedy' catches Symphony X on top form, featuring a diverse range of styles and a climactic twenty minute epic that improves on each listen. 'The New Mythology Suite' is a great album, but could have done with a more even focus on all members involved.
System of a Down
Toxicity
*****
Written on 15.07.04
2001 was a good year for rock music financially as the alternative had become the popular choice among people of many age groups. In 2001 it was unsurprising to see Slipknot’s terribly discordant youth angst blasphemy ‘Iowa’ hitting number one in the charts, but I was surprised to see System of a Down’s ‘Toxicity’ accompanying it at number two – I had heard one song from the album and was very impressed, but I didn’t know they had such a huge influence and following.
I recently remembered that this band, and in particular this album, existed and I soon purchased the CD for a fairly low price on eBay (strangely from a seller in my own very small, obscure town in Cheshire. But that’s not really important) and I was delighted at its consistency and relative diversity. Sometimes good music can make the charts too, apparently.
SYSTEM
System of a Down is comprised of four Armenian-Americans living in the US, but not completely satisfied with the country politically. They are also excellent at creating and playing music, although the majority of this credit falls to Daron Malakian the guitarist. By combining different elements of rock with traditional instruments from their Armenian background, System of a Down achieved huge popularity in the US (and moderate success in the British Isles) with their self-titled debut album, but ‘Toxicity’ refines their sound and is much better as a result.
It is very hard to pin System under a specific genre: their heavy, grinding guitars can be reminiscent of thrash metal in their intensity, but they occasionally veer into new-metal (I refuse to use the popular term ‘nu-metal’ as it is silly) territory. Their songs are often short, snappy and direct in the style of hardcore punk rock, and of course there’s the Eastern influence present in the rhythms and melodies every so often. People who are open to any form of rock music should find something they like here.
This is not an album that will automatically impress on first listening however: despite the melodic relief every so often that is well-timed and brilliantly executed this is primarily a relentless, hard and intense mix of social criticism and inexhaustible guitars that doesn’t overpower the listener so much as draw them in to the strangely musical experience.
System of a Down are:
Daron Malakian – guitars, backing vocals
Serj Tankian – vocals, keyboards
Shavo Odadjian – bass
John Dolmayan - drums
TOXICITY
1. PRISON SONG (3:21)
A staccato, pounding riff opens the album and this very odd track, wasting no time in introducing Serj’s wildly erratic vocal style – ranging from speedy spoken word and angry shouting to deep guttural roaring and brief melodic singing – as well as the band’s heavy political angle. This is very fun, fast and heavy and it’s quite a good choice for an opener as anyone new to the band quickly learns how they are very different from other mainstream metal.
“Utilising drugs to pay for
Secret wars around the world,
Drugs are now your global policy,
Now you police the globe…”
2. NEEDLES (3:13)
Obviously dealing with drug use and users this features a great heavy riff every so often that reminds me of thrash metal at its best, while the chorus is again very hard, staccato and quite upbeat. This is aided by the ensemble “hey!” in the chorus. This songs is surprisingly varied in its style and the very memorable chorus helps to distinguish it from similar-sounding tracks.
“Pull the tapeworm out of your ass, hey
Pull the tapeworm out of your ass, hey
Pull the tapeworm out of your ass, hey
Pull the tapeworm out of me”
3. DEER DANCE (2:55)
Without time for a breather this song begins with a heavy riff that gives way to a lighter, drum-led vocal melody and a heavy chorus. It’s strange how such a heavy song can appear to be very melodic in comparison to the others due to the short lighter sections, but these do sound excellent – especially the extended vocal section towards the end that lingers on with traditional instruments and doesn’t give into the easy temptation of returning to the chorus until later.
“Beyond the staples centre you can see America,
With its tired, poor, avenging disgrace,
Peaceful, loving youth against the brutality
Of plastic existence”
4. JET PILOT (2:06)
This is my least favourite track as it’s basically pretty unnecessary: everything that sounds quite good within its two minutes can be found elsewhere on the album sounding much more impressive. The main chorus is also a little too silly and unnecessarily cryptic, so I’m surprised this was added to the album at such an early point (especially considering the vast number of unreleased tracks that were recorded at the time).
“Wired were the eyes of a horse on a jet pilot
One that smiled when he flew over the bay”
5. X (1:58)
Very short but the best track so far, this has a slower driving riff that sounds a little similar to new-metal bands… until Serj’s bouncing vocals begin. Some of the catchiest vocals on the whole album even though the guitars do sound like they’ve been taken directly from a Korn album.
“No need to nullify
No need to nullify
No need to nullify
We don’t need to nullify
Die”
6. CHOP SUEY (3:30)
The suicide-based big-selling first single is one of the few songs that sounds musically developed and as such is clearly one of the highlights of the album. Plenty of Eastern influence in the melodic sections and unbelievably fast and catchy verses showing Serj’s talents to the full. Add to this the emotional, ballad-style sections and it’s clear why this was one of the biggest selling metal tracks in the charts of recent years. The final repeat of the chorus is eagerly anticipated and even added to by backing vocals, making for an excellent break from the relentless heaviness of the rest of the disc.
“I don’t think you trust in my
Self-righteous suicide,
I cry when angels deserve to die”
7. BOUNCE (1:54)
A bit of a comedy track that can be excused for its short length and the fact that it’s actually pretty cool, even if it would sound a lot more at home on a Primus album. The tale of someone bringing his pogo stick along to a meeting with his friends is quite fun and it’s impossible not to listen to this in private without trying to say “pogo-pogo-pogo-pogo” as fast as Serj. Not that I do though. It’s a fun track that doesn’t try to be anything more than that.
“I brought my pogo stick
Just to show her a trick,
She had so many friends”
8. FOREST (4:00)
One of the longest tracks, this does sound more developed than the shorter tracks but the length is mainly due to over-repetition of the verses and chorus, as well as the fact that it’s a little slower than most of them. The guitars here are some of the best on the album and Serj’s voice sounds very powerful in the chorus, even if this does drag on longer than it perhaps should. Very good though, and a big step away from ‘Prison Song.’
“Speak with me my only mind,
Walk with me until the time,
And make the forest turn to wine”
9. ATWA (2:56)
One of my favourite tracks, this is another mix of melody and heaviness that works perfectly. It begins with Serj and Daron singing in harmony over quiet guitars before the very fast and catchy chorus. This is one of the only tracks that doesn’t shock the listener with the contrast between the two styles – the heaviness somehow mixes with the melody perfectly. There’s also a great (and rare) guitar solo at the end. A track to check out if you are a fan of the band, it does sound a little sombre and melancholy in comparison to the rest.
“You don’t care about how I feel,
I don’t feel it anymore.
Hey you, are me, not so pretty
All the world I’ve seen before me passing by”
10. SCIENCE (2:43)
By this point in the album, every song needs to impress the listener to keep them interested and this thankfully manages to with some great guitar riffs behind the vocals. Aside from the very Metallica-like guitars this song sounds similar to others but still has some great vocals and a surprise twist towards the end that sounds oddly pleasant. Obviously a criticism against science.
“Science fails to recognise the single most
Potent element of human existence,
Letting the reigns go to the unfolding
Is faith, faith, faith, faith”
11. SHIMMY (1:51)
A bit of an average-sounding track that doesn’t really need to be on the album, it at least doesn’t outstay its welcome. The chorus is quite amusing and memorable, but musically there’s nothing that hasn’t been heard before and very little progression. Then again, other albums would include pointless interludes of greater lengths than 1:51 so there’s no problem here.
“Education, fornication, in you are, go
Education, subjugation, now you’re out, go
Don’t be late for school again boy”
12. TOXICITY (3:38)
The second single, this is again one of the more developed songs on the album and possibly my favourite on the album (along with tracks 6 and 9 though). The melodic sections are some of the very best on the album and sound very meaningful despite the nonsensical lyrics (“eating seeds as a pastime activity”) and the chorus is the most upbeat part of the whole album. Add to this the excellent distorted guitar break later on and the very weird final ten seconds that sound like a sea shanty and it’s clear that System of a Down are incredibly talented musicians. I love this song.
“Conversion, software version 7.0,
Looking at life through the eyes of a tyre hub”
13. PSYCHO (3:45)
Anything would sound a little disappointing after the title track, but this is catchy and has my favourite lyric on the whole album that has me laughing every time I hear it (“so you want to see the show / you really don’t have to be a ho”). In places this song does sound a little forced but this is probably only because there are a lot of songs on this disc. Not the best track, but definitely not the worst, I really like this – especially the loud guitar solo towards the end, something they don’t usually make time for.
“Psycho groupie coke
Makes you high, makes you hide,
Do you really want to think and stop,
Stop your eyes from flowing out”
14. AERIALS (6:11)
Ending the album is the third single, the powerful slow mover ‘Aerials’ coming in at 3:52. This is a very good track and sounds like something the other tracks have really been building up to but not been able to achieve, although I do prefer the more upbeat and fun style of the rest of the album. The final few minutes consist of completely Eastern instruments playing out what may be a new or existing instrumental (titled ‘Arto’) and it sounds pretty good, although obviously something of an acquired taste that you’re not automatically going to enjoy just because you like this band’s Armenian influences. I usually listen to it in its entirety though.
“Life is a waterfall,
We’re one in the river
And one again after the fall”
VERDICT
The only real problem I have with this album is that the first five tracks aren’t as impressive, on the whole, as everything that comes afterwards, and this may influence some peoples’ judgement at an early point. Then again, fans of punk would probably argue the opposite, and it could be seen as the band beginning aggressive, alternative and very heavy (‘Prison Song’ being the perfect example) and developing into something more musical and melodic to end with ‘Aerials.’ It’s not though, just listen to ‘Psycho’ for confirmation of that.
The style of this album is fairly limited but the band are obviously open to experimentation and progression which makes it all the more interesting. Don’t let the fact that it is based largely on American society and that you won’t be able to relate: I don’t have a clue about politics but I can still enjoy the more personal messages of the excellent ‘Chop Suey,’ ‘Atwa’ and others. And ‘Bounce’ is just silly fun. The band recently released a collection of B-sides that didn’t make it onto this CD, titled ‘Steal This Album’ (probably to the horror of many shopkeepers), that I would be interested in hearing if only to criticise the fact that ‘Jet Pilot’ made it on this otherwise excellent collection of songs.
Songs that WILL stay in your head.
Advantages: Original and talented, Almost flawless collection, Excellent mix of styles
Disadvantages: Some tracks sound similar, Too experimental in some places
Nobuo Uematsu
****
Written on 12.11.05
One of the most popular video games of all time, Squaresoft's 'Final Fantasy VII' was the first in the roleplaying Final Fantasy series to be released on the superior PlayStation console. With access to a greater potential game size and intricacy, not to mention 3-D graphics (albeit a little primitive), Final Fantasy VII still stands high above its sequels in terms of playability and addiction. Oh yes, and it also has the best soundtrack.
ARRANGEMENT
Nobuo Uematsu's score was an integral part of the playing experience, its low-tech synthesised melodies and blips, as well as occasional ventures into grander territory, remaining memorable and nostalgic. Across the four discs in this collector's set, there is a surprising lack of repetition, especially as the free-roaming nature of the gameplay meant that areas could be revisited and re-heard a tedious amount of times. So while 'Fighting' (the battle music) permeates every step of the game, here it is only given the relative importance of two and a half minutes. The only track repeated in full is the spooky 'Who Are You?' from disc 1, repeated as 'Who Am I?' at the end of disc three, a wise decision in keeping an element of audible storyline across the chronologically arranged collection.
This collection of 85 tracks is taken directly from Nobuo's original compositions, meaning there's no editing, adaptation or (god forbid) MIDI conversion. While this means that the apocalyptic 'A One-Winged Angel,' clearly the highlight of the game musically and a fitting almost-finale, will always sound a little pathetic in light of its very basic 16-bit attempt at Wagner or Orff, fans of the game could never be more pleased. The good thing about the basic synthesised soundtrack is that nothing stands out too much, as in Final Fantasy VIII where the high production sung introduction put the rest of the music to shame.
COMPOSITIONS
With all of the background music being structured as a loop to play for as long as the game player's actions dictate, every track fades out after an appropriate time that rarely exceeds four minutes. This is a perfect time to enjoy every aspect of the tracks, but it does mean that you can't stick the track on repeat to pretend you're playing the game. But surely that's asking for the moon on a stick; if you're that desperate, you can probably get hold of a second hand PlayStation console and a copy of the game for less than you'd pay for this soundtrack anyway.
However great these CDs are, they can't be played to death, or sometimes even listened to in one sitting. They're not party material and don't even think about having them on in the background when trying to work: if you're an obsessive fan of the game (and let's face it, who else would buy the soundtrack?) you'll likely find it too charming to ignore.
Stand-out tracks for me are the haunting theme of Sephiroth, seeming oddly hidden away on disc 3 under the ambiguous title 'Those Chosen By the Planet,' as well as the fun and bombastic 'Cid's Theme,' excellently reprised as a contradictory melancholy acoustic song later on. 'Cosmo Canyon,' the most entertaining background music, opens the third disc while the onslaught of boss music ends the collection in music the same way as it does the game.
VERDICT
The best and most useful piece of merchandise for the biggest video game of 1997, this is sadly also among the most expensive. Yes, all the music can be heard by playing the game, without dialogue over the top or cuts that provide the main argument for owning a film soundtrack, but this is well produced to be a satisfying and definitive collection. Nobuo's pieces are all so true to the mood of the story at all times, and the lack of repetition is incredible.
Casual fans of the game would be appalled to see people not only listening to the music as they play, evidently failing to notice the 'mute' button on the television, but even going out of their way to hear all of this annoying stuff again. 4 CDs of it. But if Final Fantasy VII taught us anything, it's that we should stand up to such oppression: the little people with funky hair really can make a difference.
And that whoever designed the character Tifa really needed a cold shower.
Ulver
*****
Written on 17.01.05
Ulver are one of the most fascinating bands in Norwegian metal, experimenting with and ultimately mastering various forms of hard rock and electronic ambience that has led to them contributing to notable Scandinavian film soundtracks and collaborating with a multitude of other musicians on side projects.
‘Bergtatt,’ the band’s first full-length release from 1994, is the first in a trilogy exploring the more sinister side of Norwegian folklore: its melancholy ‘monk metal’ later complimented by 1995’s folky ‘Kveldssanger’ and the lycanthropic extreme black metal finale ‘Nattens Madrigal’ in 1996. This highly eclectic and unusual blend of musical styles demonstrates the creativity and originality of frontman and band founder Trickster G that is present throughout this debut concept release.
Ulver is:
Kristoffer Garm Rygg (alias Trickster G): vocals, synths, drums
Jorn H. Svaeren: guitar
Tore Ylwizaker: bass, synths, piano
BERGTATT
1. Capitel I – Troldskog Faren Wild (Led Astray in the Forest Darke)
2. Capitel II – Soelen Gaeer Bag Aase Need (Betwixt Cragges a Descending Sunne)
3. Capitel III – Graablick Blev Hun Vaer (She Senses Eyne of Grey)
4. Capitel IV – Een Stemme Locker (A Voice Beckons Her)
5. Capitel V – Bergtatt, Ind I Fjeldkamrene (Spellbound)
Bergtatt’s moderate thirty-five-minute length maintains a sinister and brooding atmosphere as it progresses through extreme black metal, acoustic interludes and soft harmony, making for a listening experience that is encapsulating and consistent. The seamless transition between harmonic chanting vocals (present throughout the first track) and guttural screams perfectly match the varying distortion effects of the lone guitar and the intensity of the drums.
Capitel IV is the highlight of the album, demonstrating the band’s talent at creating a mesmerising acoustic song amidst the volume of tracks three and four, although the closing minutes of the disc surpass everything the band have accomplished since in terms of space-out relaxation meeting blinding metal fury. Not every musical movement on the album is memorable and inspired, but there is never a dull moment as each song closes before outstaying its welcome in the eardums.
VERDICT
Unlike the relentless and almost unbearable ferocity of the later Nattens Madrigal album, the black metal elements of this album are reined in to be more melodic and easier on the listener, aided by the impressive production value of the disc as a whole. Fans of doom metal bands such as Opeth and Anathema should enjoy this Ulver release, as should those with a more extreme taste in music. Although the lyrics are sung in an archaic form of Norwegian to suit the themes (the band’s later experimental offerings are all recorded in English), the theme and mood of the album still come across from the bleak atmosphere and creepy album artwork.
An album perfectly suited to a dark and rainy night, Bergtatt is an impressive debut from a highly complex band, and although not entirely original in the wake of the doom metal movement, the interesting incorporation of rarely heard instruments elevates this unappreciated classic above the stream of tired, over-aggressive metal that still manages to permeate the music charts. The musical equivalent of that story in Roald Dahl’s ‘The Witches’ where a girl is trapped in a painting and eventually disappears as her parents fail to notice her: memorable and chilling.
Advantages: Unusual and enthralling listen, Excellent atmosphere and instrumentation, Musically brilliant
Disadvantages: Similar albums out there, Not to everyone's taste
Vangelis
Heaven and Hell
Ye Who Enter Here
****
Written on 08.10.05
Evanghelos Odyssey Papathanassiou is an electronic composer, by which I mean he is a composer of synthesised music from keyboards, samplers and other circuitry-based instruments, and not a kind of android. Beginning his solo career with loose, lengthy jazz-influenced pieces, 1975 saw the shift to the bombastic synthesised grandeur for which he is most commonly known, with the classic album 'Heaven and Hell.'
Despite being a rather obvious concept, Vangelis' musical rendition of heaven and hell is unique, despite owing a large debt to classical composers such as Mussorgsky, Wanger, Holst and anyone else who attempted to orchestrate armageddon. Powerful and booming one moment and blissfully contented the next, 'Heaven and Hell' is presented as a two-part suite, a remnant of double-sided LPs, interrupted only by the first collaboration between Vangelis and Yes vocalist Jon Anderson.
HEAVEN AND HELL, PART ONE
i) Bacchanale (4:40)
ii) Symphony to the Powers B (8:18)
iii) Movement 3 (4:03)
iv) So Long Ago, So Clear (5:00)
It's tempting to label part one 'Heaven' and part two 'Hell,' as the opening movements of each track seem to suggest this, but the shifts to melodies and orchestration that sound respectively sombre, regretful, ecstatic and crazy make such a distinction seem less likely. The first part opens with the English Chamber Choir chanting in tune with the keyboards before the music veers off at the wild, exciting tangent of 'Bacchanale.'
'Symphony to the Powers B' is a lengthy but progressive and involving track that makes full use of the choir, a synthesised organ and increasingly loud and powerful instrumentation before fading into silence for the gradual build-up of the relaxing, spacey and popular third movement, lifted with Vangelis' permission for the late seventies television series 'Cosmos.'
Led by a light, uplifting piano, this is the earliest origin of the tune Vangelis perfected/ruined (a decision usually based on whether one is a Vangelis acolyte or not) with his Oscar-winning score to 'Chariots of Fire.' This long-running experiment continued, to a lesser extent, with 'To the Unknown Man' from 1977's 'Spiral.' Memorable and instantly loveable, this song clearly shows the transition from chaos to paradise. 'So Long Ago, So Clear' is a bit of a departure, Anderson's androgynous vocals fitting the airy, light notes perfectly, but despite this being a high point of the album for many listeners I find it a little too out of place in the context.
HEAVEN AND HELL, PART TWO
i) Intestinal Bat (3:18)
ii) Needles and Bones (3:22)
iii) 12 O'Clock (8:48)
iv) Aries (2:05)
v) A Way (3:45)
Part two provides, as is common with lengthy, full-album musical ideas, a less ordered and seemingly more random collection of sounds and styles. The bizarre but brilliant 'Intestinal Bat' and the dingy 'Needles and Bones' are hellish as far as their uneasy lack of coherence goes, but don't convey any sense of pain or misery - Vangelis' squeaky refrains are actually quite fun.
'12 O'Clock' is often found on Vangelis collections, a return to the peaceful sound of Movement 3 but perhaps outstaying its welcome at nine minutes. The choir return for the final couple of tracks, but oddly the ending of the album disappoints somewhat; a piano fades out sweetly, but due to the limitations of the electronic, instrumental format it's difficult to see exactly what Vangelis is trying to show us.
Although the earlier 'Earth' and his work with Aphrodite's Child was important in defining electronic music as a genre, 'Heaven and Hell' marks an important step in Vangelis' music. This is epic stuff that demonstrates the versatility of synthesisers, but fans of classical and other traditional musical forms will probably be disappointed. 'Heaven and Hell' was the first and, for a while, last album of its type, as Vangelis tried a more restrained spacey style with more jazz influence in the following year's 'Albedo 0.39,' even seemingly sparring with fellow electronic composer Jean-Michel Jarre's sudden success by releasing the catchy but less accomplished 'Spiral' in '77.
Fans of the later 'Blade Runner' soundtrack, arguably Vangelis' best work, should admire this early attempt at depicting gloom and bliss, and unlike the work of Jarre there is a real emotion that can be felt behind all the clever sampler gizmos. Vangelis doesn't always impress, but his discography is fascinating and varied - those fond of complicated, multi-layered keyboard 'soundscapes' would also enjoy the later albums 'Mask' and 'The City' as well as his soundtracks to '1492 - Conquest of Paradise' and the afore-mentioned 'Blade Runner.'
Not to everyone's taste, but 'Heaven and Hell' balances a pretentious attempt to describe the afterlife with imperfect keyboard technology and a fun, mad, thoughtful forty-minute musical journey. Vangelis thankfully avoids specifics that could bog down the music, leading to the bizarre movement titles: this wouldn't be as enjoyable an album if it were labelled 'the River Styx,' 'God' etc.
Is this what Dante or Bosch would have done if they'd had a Moog? I suppose not.
Vangelis
Albedo 0.39
Mare Tranquillatis
****
Written on 26.10.05
“Maximum distance from the sun: 94 million 537 thousand miles
Minimum distance from the sun: 91 million 377 thousand miles
Mean distance from the sun: 92 million 957 thousand and 200 miles”
After flirting with the moderately successful infernal synthesiser epic ‘Heaven and Hell,’ Greek electronic composer Vangelis retreated to a less bombastic, space-jazz style and entered his most creative and productive era. 1976’s ‘Albedo 0.39’ is a precise forty minute skilful, catchy, melodic, new-age journey through the universe.
Fused within the layers of synthesisers are samples of sounds and speech that enhance the otherworldliness of this listening experience. The speaking clock opens ‘Freefall’ somewhat oddly, and irrelevantly, until the sound of an old fashioned phone being dialled introduces the excellent ‘Alpha.’ ‘Mare Tranquillatis’ features dialogue from the Apollo astronauts on the moon, the crackly radio distortion lending an extra air of discomfort to the peaceful music, while the final track, the eponymous ‘Albedo 0.39,’ is reminiscent of a planetarium in its soft recitation of facts concerning the solar system and the planet Earth.
Synthesiser fans will be interested in this album, as Vangelis plays an early Yamaha keyboard that he really put through its paces; from the quiet bells of ‘Freefall’ to the organ of ‘Nucleogenesis I’ and the rip-roaring ‘Nucleogenesis II.’ The main sound that dominates this album is an airy, pulsing tone overlaid onto a reasonably simplistic-sounding riff.
ALBEDO 0.39
1. Pulstar
2. Freefall
3. Mare Tranquillatis
4. Main Sequence
5. Alpha
6. Nucleogenesis I
7. Nucleogenesis II
8. Albedo 0.39
“Length of the mean solar day: 24 hours and 3 minutes and 56.5555 seconds at mean solar time”
‘Pulstar’ provides a necessary opening, dropping the listener into the midst of things with a cyclical melody that begins low and staccato before being bombarded with lighter and much louder accompaniment. This is one of the most popular tracks on the album and an excellent opener, whetting the appetite of those who have heard it before as it gradually builds up. Although essentially a simple repeated series of melodies, the music does become more complex and difficult to follow towards the end, the levels of different sounds occasionally deviating from the built-up structure and eventually drawing to a dramatic and again very loud finale after five minutes.
‘Freefall’ is the complete opposite, a muted, lightweight song of two minutes with oriental-sounding keyboards (something Vangelis would really get to grips with in 1979’s ‘China’) and a clanging bell, before an almost unnoticed transition is made to the spooky ‘Mare Tranquillatis’ (‘Sea of Tranquillity’), coming in at an even shorter length in this transitionary phase. An low extended note lies behind the haunting high keyboards and becomes more noticeable by the end, the whole thing overlaid with unintelligible astronaut conversation, before fading out. These tracks border on ambience, but are kept punctually short before they are allowed to drift into the listener’s subconscious.
‘Main Sequence’ is the second substantial outing, and the dominant jazz influence harks back to Vangelis’ earlier, less refined compositions and work with Aphrodite’s Child. The keyboards here don’t follow a set melody in any way, the (synthesised) percussion being the gravity that prevents the different meanderings from spinning away. As such, this is a less instantly likeable track than the more orderly ‘Pulstar’ and ‘Alpha,’ but its position at the centre of the album and its grand title do add immensely to the chaotic sound of the album overall. The synthesisers sound incredibly like trumpets here, perhaps due to the jazzy background. The final minute takes a different course, sounding restrained, soft and relaxed.
‘Alpha’ is the other stand-out track here, and the second that finds its way onto every Vangelis compilation. Beginning very relaxed and chilled out, the slow melancholy melody is repeated seemingly endlessly and continues to increase in intensity with the introduction of accompanying instruments and additional layers, most noticeably the slow pounding drums introduced after the first minute. Very spacey, very catchy and a song that can be listened to endlessly. Although the song becomes a little too grand and pompous-sounding by the end, the deviation in the main sequence sounds far more natural and organic than the rockier ‘Pulstar,’ making this the better of the two tracks.
‘Nucleogenesis I’ breaks into its organ tune before the legacy of ‘Alpha’ is allowed to sink in, a radical departure from the futuristic sound of the album until a bass melody replaces it and a faster drum march struggles to make itself heard. Another unrestrained track in the vein of ‘Main Sequence,’ but this time possessing a core riff towards the end that the chimes and synth sweeps gravitate towards. The final minute marks a sudden turn and is perhaps the most beautiful and majestic part of the album; the music seems to reach some sort of conclusion, but the insanity that is ‘Nucleogenesis II’ swings by before it becomes clear what exactly that is.
If its predecessor was unrestrained, ‘Nucleogenesis II’ is chaotic. The bass-driven melody is kicked up in tempo and accompanied by ever-changing meleodies that avoid the high notes completely, a contrast to the way the more accessible tracks developed. This main sequence (the ‘Main Sequence’ itself returns later in the song) is even usurped by a more rocking rhythm backed by what sound like live drums before Nucleogenesis takes another of its turns and becomes dominated by slow, elegant high notes. More jazz influence here, until the music suddenly disappears and the dialling tone from ‘Alpha’ returns, followed by an explosion of heavenly sounds that mark the real conclusion of the album and hark back to the much-loved ‘Third Movement’ of Heaven and Hell.
‘Albedo 0.39’ is less a musical experience than an astronomy lesson, Vangelis reduced to ambient backing swooshes and dark sounds similar to his contemporaries Tangerine Dream. A soft English voice calmly lists the length of days, distances between celestial objects and concludes by stating the albedo: namely, the Earth’s ratio of reflective power compared to the radiation it receives. While nothing striking, this does leave the listener in something of an ambient, new-age trance.
VERDICT
“Equatorial diameter: 7927 miles
Polar diameter: 7900 miles
Oblateness: one 298th”
‘Albedo 0.39’ is by no means an incredible album, but it is a great piece of electronic music. Many attempts have been made to capture the sound of space, from Stanley Kubrick’s use of Strauss in ‘2001’ to the unimaginative techno present in much low budget modern science fiction. ‘Albedo’ is a somewhat typical outlook: modern instruments experimenting with (then-) new sounds and sweeps to try and convey the vastness and complexity of space science, but the jazz influence and lack of much reverberation hold it back from being much more than an interesting progressive album.
Vangelis would soon discover tricks of feedback and density with the following year’s ‘Spiral,’ and had he used these here, perhaps Albedo would have achieved its goal even better. This missed opportunity didn’t prevent ‘Pulstar’ and ‘Alpha’ featuring heavily in Carl Sagan’s television series ‘Cosmos’ however, the title music of which came from Vangelis’ earlier ‘Heaven and Hell.’
The excellent ‘Blade Runner’ soundtrack and the fun experiment ‘China’ both owe great debts to this earlier part of Vangelis’ discography, his first successful attempt to trim his sound to a more consumer-friendly style without losing any of his loyal fan base.
“Albedo: 0.39.”
Advantages: Interesting concept, well-performed synthesised music, progressive
Disadvantages: A little repetitive and irritating to non-fans
Vangelis
Spiral
The Dervish Waltz
***
Written on 13.07.06
A landmark, if flawed release by new age electronic composer Vangelis, ‘Spiral’ is a departure from the artist’s bombastic ‘space jazz’ style as he adapts his synthesiser stories to more commercial, hook-oriented songs along the lines of Jean-Michel Jarre. This electro-pop direction would never dominate Vangelis’ output completely, as by the 1980s he became more skilful at balancing both strands of creative output, leading to the successful (and in one case, Oscar-nominated) soundtracks for ‘Blade Runner,’ ‘1492: Conquest of Paradise’ and ‘Chariots of Fire.’
Spiral is one of Vangelis’ most popular albums, and catches the Greek composer in the midst of his most creative and productive era. It’s questionable whether the album truly innovated anything, especially as some of Vangelis’ most notable work was already behind him, as was that of his contemporaries such as Tangerine Dream and Jarre, but its approachable catchy, modern / futuristic sound (1977, remember) lends these consumer-friendly tracks to appropriation and over-playing on TV adverts internationally. The length of the tracks needn’t be off-putting either, as the extension of ‘Ballad’ and ‘To the Unknown Man’ is essentially just that: the song sequences stretched out and jammed until their time is up. To Vangelis’ credit, none of the pieces here really outstay their welcome, as the more progressive songs that demand the listener’s attention (as opposed to those that can essentially act as background muzak) cease long before the ten-minute mark.
To clear up any confusion, this is all Vangelis’ own work. He plays all the instruments (mostly synthesisers, but there are ‘real’ percussion instruments in there somewhere) and programs the album’s trademark sequencers, prominent throughout. The album features no lyrics or real vocals, except for a distorted sample repeated throughout ‘Ballad’ that sounds like a male voice saying ‘bim-bam’ and reminds me of the living-toys nightmare scene in the Manga film ‘Akira.’ Vangelis also handled all production work, leading to crystal clarity, perfectionist use of stereo techniques and a flawless mixing and layering of instruments. Along with Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon,’ this is a record that obsessive audiophiles can use to test their home stereos.
Vangelis self-produced the iconic sleeve art depicting an amplifier plug snaking through a cloud-filled sky, that at first glance could be anything. If I’m going to read too much into the album cover, this focus on the Earth’s atmosphere could suggest Vangelis finally coming ‘down to Earth’ and simplifying after the excess of his previous releases. 1975’s ‘Heaven and Hell’ was his first real success, a grandiose and amazing electronic suite in the opposing realms of the afterlife, and 1976’s ‘Albedo 0.39’ was a stripped-down collection of spacey synthesiser tunes, occasionally inflated by introducing loud organs. The final, eponymous track of Albedo focuses on the pollution content of the Earth’s atmosphere, leading us seamlessly to the following year’s ‘Spiral.’ (Vangelis’ next major album, ‘China,’ would focus on specific areas of the planet’s surface, with tracks such as ‘Himalaya’). Do these five songs, therefore, possess a more human quality, connecting more with earthly concerns?
Nah, not really. It was a nice thought though.
Vangelis, ‘Spiral’ (RCA, 1977)
1. Spiral
2. Ballad
3. Dervish D
4. To the Unknown Man
5. 3 + 3
The rapid, elastic-band-esque sequencer loop that opens ‘Spiral’ makes it evident that Vangelis has leapt forward since ‘Albedo,’ at least in his handling of production techniques. The echoes of Spiral add a depth that was previously lacking, and would have made the lunar landscapes and immense cosmos all the more convincing on that release. Prominent lead keyboards slowly fade in, making for a calm and measured but very loud introduction before the fragile bass loop collapses in on itself and leads into the song proper. This is one of Vangelis’ more accomplished standard-length songs, and the crazy lead keyboard melody is one of the highlights of the whole album, forming the bulk of this track. The finale is more understated than the grand opening, and fades out modestly to make way for the more subdued, melancholy tone of the next song.
‘Ballad’ is a little overlong, but that doesn’t matter immensely as this one is all about setting and maintaining a mood. It plods along a little tediously in places for those listeners who are paying attention, but the keyboard highs and lows keep things fairly interesting, as does the constant hypnotic vocal, mentioned earlier. All things considered, not one of the album’s high points. The third track, ‘Dervish D,’ goes for completely the opposite approach, but also fares disappointingly. This commercial-oriented dance piece is, apparently, inspired by swirling Dervish dancers, but that isn’t really prominent in the music which, apart from a fairly catchy lead keyboard hook, does nothing to enhance the enjoyment of the album and, if anything, only spoils the pleasant atmosphere generated by ballad and continued after this six-minute interruption in ‘To the Unknown Man.’
Originally opening the second side of the LP but nowadays familiar more simply as track four, ‘To the Unknown Man’ is sometimes seen as Vangelis’ second failed attempt to construct the perfect synth-pop classic, developing the piano sound he would achieve fame for with the ‘Chariots of Fire’ score. Personally, I think this song is much better, and although obscenely long at over ten minutes without much in the way of internal development, it achieves much more effectively the same mood and tone that the earlier ‘Ballad’ strived for. A deliberately simple five-note melody repeats endlessly throughout the song’s duration and is gradually joined by other instruments that accompany and revolve around the guiding riff, evolving the song to include military drums. Perhaps the unknown man was an anonymous fallen soldier, and this is his funeral march? Similar to ‘Alpha’ off the previous record, only not as interesting and almost twice as long.
The pointlessly titled ‘3 + 3,’ which likely holds some sort of useless significance (parts of the song are definitely in 3/4 time), contributes the final ‘loud’ song in the album’s alternating pattern, but in a way it combines the best elements of what has come before. The groovy opening keyboards remind of ‘Dervish D,’ but the similarity ends there; this is more of a cross between ‘Spiral’ (prominently) and the two reflective pieces. Again, too repetitive and far too long, but well worth the listening time of any electronic or new age music fan. This song at least has the distinction of sounding unlike any of Vangelis’ other works, something that can’t be said of the rest of the album, although the reasons for this may not be positive.
In terms of popularity and sales, Spiral is a Vangelis classic, but its appeal is more grounded in its historical context than some of his other ‘timeless’ works. Leaving behind the artistic integrity of the epic ‘Heaven and Hell’ that would thankfully resurface and improve over the following decades up to the present, ‘Spiral’ sounds more like a dated synth-pop release that fans could rightfully label a sell-out. Vangelis would improve upon this sound in ‘China,’ his final work of the decade, before retreating to release some of his least ambitious and most overtly commercial work yet. To complicate matters, the following year’s ‘Beaubourg’ is an indigestible, time-wasting ‘suite’ of pointless, arbitrary noise.
Spiral boasts some classic Vangelis compositions (‘Spiral,’ ‘To the Unknown Man,’ ‘3 + 3’) and pushed forward the use of computers in the composition of music. As this would eventually lead to the outbreak of dance music, I don’t know whether this is a commendable or regrettable accomplishment. While comparisons of electronic music to classical symphonies are hotly contested, Spiral is contentedly removed from such allusions. Weirdly, despite the album’s fame as one of Vangelis’ most well-known, no tracks from Spiral appeared on the best-of collection ‘Odyssey,’ although other collections regularly feature ‘Spiral’ and time-permissible edits of ‘To the Unknown Man.’ At the risk of heresy, such edits don't detract much from music like this, and Vangelis could have easily fit a couple of extra tracks onto this forty-minute album rather than a mere five, somewhat lengthy ones.
Perhaps more noteworthy today as a relic or eccentricity from a burgeoning electronic age (a fate that should hopefully render Jarre obsolete some day), this isn’t one of Vangelis’ most notable or enjoyable albums, but helped secure the fame that would lead to some of his finest work, including ‘Blade Runner.’ It’s quite a fun album if you’re into music history or a fan of kitsch stuff in general, but doesn’t offer a great deal to anyone else when set against the multitude of superior synthesiser-based rock albums out there.
Advantages: Continues to push electronic music forward
Disadvantages: Some repetitive, overlong songs
Vangelis
Blade Runner
I Dreamt Music
****
Written on 07.09.04
Ridley Scott’s 1982 film Blade Runner, despite its contrary popularity, has remained a cult phenomenon to this day, aided by the release of the definitive director’s cut complete with Vangelis’ haunting and brilliant score in clear DVD surround sound. While the film’s Philip K. Dick-adapted story is enjoyable and thought-provoking, the enduring popularity of the film is mostly down to what is often applauded as the most perfect blend of soundtrack and visuals in a motion picture.
Finally released in 1994, the original soundtrack of Blade Runner (complete with unused compositions) makes for an engulfing, new age-style musical experience in its own right and recalls the atmosphere of the film perfectly for those who have seen it in recent memory.
VANGELIS
Greek synthesiser legend Evanghelos Odyssey Papathanassiou is regarded by some as a modern musical genius comparable to the most classic composer, however more realistic fans appreciate that his talents and innovations in ‘new age’ electronic music simply make him the undisputed master of the keyboard. This man can make your home Yamaha play sounds you never knew existed. So that rules out the ricocheting gun and helicopter sounds.
Vangelis has been releasing albums since the seventies, making his name with electronic compositions and film soundtracks such as the overplayed ‘Chariots of Fire’ theme. The music for Blade Runner, arguably one of his finest achievements, doesn’t demonstrate the extent of his skills but provides a perfect introduction for music fans to discover Vangelis’ work.
THE SOUNDTRACK
1. Main Titles (3:42)
2. Blush Response (5:46)
3. Wait For Me (5:27)
4. Rachel’s Song (4:46)
5. Love Theme (4:57)
6. One More Kiss, Dear (3:57)
7. Blade Runner Blues (8:54)
8. Memories of Green (5:05)
9. Tales of the Future (4:46)
10. Damask Rose (2:32)
11. Blade Runner – End Titles (4:39)
12. Tears in Rain (3:00)
The most noticeable oddity about this soundtrack from the onset is the inclusion of dialogue from the film at the beginning and end of several tracks. On first listen this can be a little distracting, but fans of the film will appreciate that the moments in question are all relevant to the overall sombre and dreary atmosphere captured and enhanced by the music. The opening excerpt, Harrison Ford’s character Deckard instructing a computer to explore a photograph, is a bit of an odd choice, but the later inclusion of Deckard’s meeting with Rachael (Sean Young) and Roy Batty’s (Rutger Hauer) reflections on death are classic scenes from the film.
This album mainly consists of drawn-out synthesised symphonies, with the occasional change in direction to keep things interesting. The Main Titles recall the immense and foreboding Los Angeles of 2019 with the most haunting track on the album, moving into slower and more ambient territory for the second and third tracks, exclusive to this collection. Female choral sections are present in tracks such as ‘Love Theme’ and almost pass unnoticed amidst the quiet but engulfing music.
Excellent use is made of horn instruments on some of the middle tracks, emphasising the feelings of those remaining on post-apocalyptic Earth and tying in to the death of one of the characters. Without these visual stimuli, the appropriately titled ‘Blade Runner Blues’ still puts across the same emotions, even if it does drag on long past the necessary length. This isn’t really a problem with the other tracks, as even those that sound very similar have usually faded into something different by the end.
Tracks six and ten are very unusual, featuring dominant male vocals and music that very nearly breaks the flow of the disc. ‘One More Kiss Dear’ is a bluesy number, while ‘Damask Rose’ is the oriental sounding track that plays during the crowded marketplace scene in the film. The only other track that really makes its presence felt is the comparatively uplifting and exciting end title sequence from the film that has made its way onto countless film soundtrack collections and Vangelis anthologies. This is my favourite piece of music from the film, despite it not being linked to any particular scene apart from white text scrolling up a black backdrop.
VERDICT
One of the most acclaimed film soundtracks, but also very typical of soundtrack albums in that it isn’t something everyone will enjoy. The truly enjoyable sections are few and sporadic, but those who crave a musical experience from an album, and have an interest in synthesiser music, should find this a worthwhile investment. Blade Runner fans will appreciate the structuring and the inclusion of dialogue, while soundtrack fans will admire the ways in which Vangelis manages to retain the tone and mood throughout, even when experimenting with risky ideas.
If there’s one word I’ve struggled not to overuse in this review, it’s ‘atmosphere.’ This disc IS atmosphere, perhaps even more than the Blade Runner film itself. It’s a great album to listen to when going to sleep, although not so good if you plan on actually getting to sleep while it’s playing, rather than sinking into a Vangelis-crafted black soundscape. Despite the misery and sadness, this is uplifting and enlightening music, but something that really needs to be sampled before buying.
I don’t listen to this album in the daytime.
Advantages: Inspiring and unusual, Includes previously unreleased music, Incredible atmosphere
Disadvantages: Not for the casual listener, Some tracks are less interesting
Vangelis
Ainsley's Archive
**
Written on 14.03.07
2003 was an eventless year for the music of Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou. The FIFA World Cup anthem he recorded the previous year had been long forgotten, and doesn’t even find its way onto this disc. It happened to be thirty years since his third-or-so album ‘Earth,’ which was quite good, but again doesn’t donate any material. Some of the songs here have all been digitally mastered to be improvements on the originals, although this mastering was originally done about five or six best-ofs back. Perhaps it had simply been long enough since the last one to justify a repackaging and re-release under a bloated title.
‘Odyssey,’ despite its sub-title, has nothing of ‘the definitive’ about it. In the ceaseless line of best-of compilations for the one-time-Oscar-winning Greek composer, each release has to distinguish itself at least a little bit from the others, or at least I would have thought so. To add to this insanity, ‘Odyssey’ isn’t even the most recent of these carbon copies, although it remains the last to be officially endorsed. It seems that Universal’s goal is merely to fill an accessible ‘greatest hits’ spot on HMV shelves for eternity, while drawing in the hardcore fans by adding one or two rare and previously unreleased tracks completely out of context.
Context is indeed the major factor lacking here, though this is something that plagues all compilations for all bands. As partially ambient electronic works, Vangelis’ individual tracks appear almost always to be crafted with the rest of the album’s companion pieces in mind. To take examples from this collection, ‘Pulstar’ and ‘Alpha’ may have been the strongest picks from 1976’s ‘Albedo 0.39’ LP, but removed from that space-jazz craziness of that original release they sound feeble, dated and out of place amongst the more contemporary orchestral works. This is even more of an issue for soundtrack segments, though the collection wisely chooses opening and closing titles for the majority of these, free from the burden of depicting characters and action. Even so, this electronic ‘odyssey’ fails completely to represent the true Vangelis experience despite spanning almost his entire career. What the listener receives instead is an arbitrary stop-start performance of catchy melodies and dramatic, bombastic film introductions that lead immediately to nowhere. Vangelis’ film scores rival and sometimes even exceed the quality of his independent studio work, but none of this works when blended together in this thoughtless manner. Even when Pink Floyd released an inevitable career-spanning compilation ‘Echoes’ in 2001, the seemingly disparate tracks were well sequenced, and effort was even made to segue many of them together. ‘Odyssey’ is like listening to an album on sites like Amazon, in thirty-second audio clips that end abruptly and leave the listener unfulfilled.
Yes, yes. I know. This CD was never intended to be an original musical statement from the composer, and people do buy collections like this as a cheap way of accessing the well-known songs they like. Even taken under these conditions, ‘Odyssey’ isn’t all that good a collection, and has to occupy a mediocre middle ground between the consumer and the connoisseur. The irritating ‘Chariots of Fire’ theme is gotten over with quickly so that some more obscure material can be dealt with, without forgetting those other staples of Vangelis soundtrack compilations: the ‘Blade Runner’ ending theme and ‘Conquest of Paradise’ opener. Beyond this, there’s not a lot that would ring a bell for non-fans. Ranging from 1975 to 2001 it’s certainly one of the more comprehensive overviews, though there are many important albums unrecognised; something from ‘Heaven and Hell’ would be especially welcome, and it’s odd that even the most recent studio effort ‘Oceanic’ is ignored in favour of obscure film themes.
These rare tracks are the major selling point of the album to collectors, namely ‘Theme from Cavafy’ and ‘Celtic Dawn.’ The album tries to impress with ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ excerpts, but these had already been dealt with on 1996’s ‘Portraits’ collection. These aren’t Vangelis’ greatest work, and won’t remain in your head after spinning the CD multiple times, but I guess it’s nice to own them. No, forget that: they are pointless, worthless even, without their rightful place. Whether you think Vangelis’ spacey keyboards can adequately convey emotions or not, these eighteen contradictory experiences are skimmed over so hastily that it’s hard to get anything at all from this CD other than noticing “oh, this one sounds very seventies. This must be one of those older ones then.” Maybe I’d better get on to talking about the actual music…
1. Pulstar
2. Hymn
3. Chariots of Fire
4. Missing
5. Love Theme from Blade Runner
6. End Titles from Blade Runner
7. The Tao of Love
8. Theme from Antarctica
9. Theme from Cavafy
10. Opening Titles from Mutiny on the Bounty
11. Conquest of Paradise
12. La petite fille de la mer
13. L'Enfant
14. Alpha
15. Celtic Dawn
16. Movement 1 from Mythodea
17. I'll Find My Way Home
18. State of Independence
As I stated earlier, this collection is a hybrid of Vangelis’ own conceptual albums and the film scores he produced over the decades. As most people know him for ‘Chariots of Fire’ and ‘Blade Runner,’ it’s the film scores that are granted the most attention, ranging from the high-budget seafaring orchestral grandeur of ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ and ‘Conquest of Paradise,’ the latter being an impressive rip-roaring victorious march dominated by triumphal brass and an emphatic chamber choir, to the cold minimalism of independent films like ‘Antarctica’ and the afore-mentioned rarity ‘Cavafy,’ less instantly memorable but still highly impressive and technical. ‘Hymn’ and ‘Missing’ were themes composed for television soundtracks and thus a poorer quality can be expected, however the former is a concise uplifting piece that deserves a place among the composer’s best work… which this largely isn’t.
While any resonance that the ‘Chariots of Fire’ and ‘Blade Runner’ themes may have once possessed has clearly been lost through reduplication, they still stand strong as expressions of Vangelis’ more commercial tendencies, especially in the simplistic piano melody of ‘Chariots,’ the culmination (however annoying) of a tune that can be traced right back through albums of 1977 and ’75. The end titles of ‘Blade Runner’ strive for epic sci-fi excitement in their techno background for sweeping strings, and if one piece of that excellent soundtrack could justifiably be placed independent, it’s this one. But then we also get an edited version of the ‘Love Theme,’ which works less well. While the end titles were simply an enjoyable but inconsequential electronic piece to play out as the cinema audience leave their seats for the foyer, the ‘Love Theme’ comes from the middle of the film, in the thick of the plot and character interaction. It’s certainly lacking the atmosphere that would be built from the tracks preceding it, and can easily be skimmed over as “the sax song” here, robbed of its essential context more than anything else on this collection, which mainly provides endless false starts. Vangelis’ soundtrack to ‘Blade Runner’ works perfectly in the film, complimenting the equally incredible visuals to the point that I never even care about the weak story and numerous plot holes. As an audiovisual experience, I consider ‘Blade Runner’ a special treat, and one that fails to be represented even when juxtaposing these two segments of the soundtrack.
With this one exception, Vangelis’ non-soundtrack albums have always been of far more interest to me. Even when they’re really bad, it’s at least interesting to dwell on what exactly the old Moogmeister was trying to do. This album stays well away from impermeable disasters like ‘Beaubourg’ and ‘Invisible Connections,’ but also sadly misses out even some of those best-selling progressive albums from the 1970s. ‘Pulstar’ and ‘Alpha’ are taken from ‘Albedo 0.39,’ and ‘The Tao of Love’ from ‘China,’ but even Vangelis’ most unashamedly pop-centric albums ‘Spiral’ and ‘Direct’ are ignored, perhaps for reasons of space. The two tracks from Albedo are about as good as Vangelis gets in his purely electronic phase, both based around repeating melodies and riffs that expand and evolve organically over five to seven minutes. ‘Pulstar’ is fast and energetic, and works perfectly as the opener for this collection just as it did for the original studio release. ‘Alpha’ is far more restrained and gradual, evolving from a nice keyboard base to end as one of the most craftily uplifting songs I’ve ever heard, performed in excessive major keys. These are two of my favourite songs from the album, despite suffering from the contextual issue. By contrast, ‘The Tao of Love’ is probably the weakest offering they could have gleaned from ‘China,’ itself an un-incredible album. Stereotypically and, again, deliberately Chinese sounding (Vangelis never even went to China), this is interesting for the first bar and then repeats itself to death. I heard this playing in the background of an Ainsley Harriott show, set in China: it really does lend itself as generic Oriential sounding music.
One of the more interesting sections of this collection, where a sense of coherence manages to seep in, comes with tracks twelve and thirteen, both piano-based, melancholic songs. Oh yes, they both have French titles too, though they don’t come from the same album. ‘La petite fille de la mer’ is the oldest song here, from a soundtrack Vangelis recorded for a nature documentary. It’s sad, soft and subdued, aiming for a different goal than the cheery and prominent style of most of the previous songs, but suffers for its long length and over-repetition, even if it’s intended to be hypnotic. ‘L’Enfant’ is far superior, expressing a distinctive Vangelis aura even in its unplugged state and being one of the purest emotional expressions of this release, equal to the earlier ‘Hymn’ (both songs come from the same album, the soundtrack to ‘Opera Sauvage.’) ‘Celtic Dawn’ is a new song in that it was previously unreleased, not recently recorded, and could easily be filed among most of Vangelis’ forgettable compositions of the 1980s and 90s. The ‘pure Vangelis’ part of the album closes by bringing the listener back to the present, with the grand operatic opening of ‘Mythodea,’ originally performed in Athens in 1994 but revamped as the official music for NASA’s Mars Mission in this century. It suffers from the pompous pretentiousness of all Vangelis’ operatic and symphonic work, but the subdued presence of his synthesiser is so well integrated within the volume that I can’t help but like it, though I wouldn’t be able to sit through the whole ‘Mythodea’ performance. Occasionally, the tasters this collection provides are more than enough.
The final two tracks are a radical departure from the previous sixteen, taken from Vangelis’ collaborations with Yes vocalist Jon Anderson. Cheesy and simplistically poppy, these songs aim to provide cheap, bland thrills to the masses through the combination of Vangelis’ dance-like keyboards and Anderson’s approachable androgynous vocals. ‘I’ll Find My Way Home’ is admittedly catchy and quite nice, but ‘State of Independence’ should have been replaced with something more memorable.
‘Odyssey’ isn’t the best collection of Vangelis’ music, and despite price cuts, isn’t even the cheapest. Those looking for an engrossing audio experience won’t find it among these disparate compositions, seemingly arranged at random with a couple of noted exceptions, and long-time collectors won’t even be impressed by the artwork. Overall, this compilation works best as a sampler of Vangelis’ albums, mostly his soundtracks, and even those who own more Vangelis than any sane person should be allowed (I have quite a lot) will likely find introductions here to material that would otherwise be unavailable, especially the more oblique soundtracks such as ‘Missing’ and ‘Cavafy.’
Vangelis’ only new material since this collection was the disappointing soundtrack to ‘Alexander,’ perhaps signifying that his illustrious and wildly inconsistent career is over, though he could always surprise with another orchestral classic like ‘El Greco.’ Either way, 2003 was a meaningless time to release a self-important ‘definitive collection’ such as this, and primarily offers an inexpensive means for the sound team of Ainsley Harriott shows to acquire generic archive material for the future, as they have already done with ‘The Tao of Love.’ If Ainsley winds up cooking krill and albatross in Antarctica, it’s a safe bet what his soundtrack will be.
Advantages: Acts as a diverse sampler for some of Vangelis' extensive discography.
Disadvantages: Lacks context, and ignores much classic material.
Various Artists
Gothic
Written on 25.11.03
*****
Being someone whose taste in music is, while very poor, very specific, film soundtracks are usually something I can't buy. In fact, the soundtrack to the excellent 1994 film "The Crow" starring Brandon Lee, who became immortalised through his tragic death during the making of this film, was the first soundtrack I ever bought. The album features fourteen songs performed by rock bands of varying fame, rather than compositions created specially for the film, but this music suited the film's dark, gothic, violent and romantic atmosphere so well that nothing extra is required.
The main reason I bought this soundtrack was because I wanted to own two specific songs: "Dead Souls" by Nine Inch Nails and "Burn" by the Cure. These songs had been stored on my computer and played countless times, but I wanted to be able to own them officially if that makes any sense. I am a fanatic collector at heart, I just hope I never have enough money to fuel this obsession properly. These songs are my favourites from the film and the soundtrack as I find they suit the scenes perfectly; the advantage of having seen the film so much is that even the poorer tracks can remind you of their place on the screen.
TRACKLIST
1. The Cure - "Burn"
2. Machines of Loving Grace - "Golgatha Tenament"
3. Stone Temple Pilots - "Big Empty"
4. Nine Inch Nails - "Dead Souls"
5. Rage Against the Machine - "Darkness (of Greed)"
6. Violent Femmes - "Color Me Once"
7. Rollins Band - "Ghostrider"
8. Helmet - "Milktoast"
9. Pantera - "The Badge"
10. For Love Not Lisa - "Slip Slide Melting"
11. My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult - "After The Flesh"
12. The Jesus and Mary Chain - "Snakedriver"
13. Medicine - "Time Baby III"
14. Jane Siberry - "It Can't Rain All The Time"
For anyone who has not seen the cult film, it is essentially the story of a man's quest for revenge on the murderers of his wife and himself, from beyond the grave. The film never appears cheesy however, and its permanenly dark streets and buildings create a look that is almost unique in a film. The soundtrack album certainly does it justice, and the tracks are ordered roughly into their appearance in the film. I would recommend this to fans of less mainstream metal and gothic and haunting atmospheric music, although there are obvious exceptions. Artists such as Rage Against the Machine, For Love Not Lisa and Medicine keep a slightly more upbeat feel than the rest, but they all manage to integrate perfectly. I'm sure perfect is a term that many fans of the film would apply to this soundtrack, although there are a number of tracks which I would not enjoy if they weren't so linked with one of my favourite movies. Even the poorer tracks will get in your head.
It's also very possible that by listening to a soundtrack such as this, you become interested in a different musical style. I have expanded my taste to more electronic, 'moody' rock thanks to bands on the CD such as Nine Inch Nails and My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, and I'm sure that avid soundtrack collectors could relate similar experiences through their own collections. I'll certainly buy the soundtracks to films which have such an impact and high quality music as this, I just haven't found anything to match it yet.
I bought this CD from an eBay seller, if you were ever planning to buy a soundtrack but didn't want to dish out a large amount for something you may not thoroughly enjoy I'd always suggest the old auction site, and have been listening to it all day; it's going to get a lot of playing, and it's an album that has the very powerful effect of making you want to re-watch the film.
Warning
****
Written on 19.08.07
The second album from Harlow doom-metallers Warning was released in late 2006, a staggering seven years after their debut release. Although this was primarily due to frontman Pat Walker’s pursuit of an acting career, the extended duration is entirely appropriate to Warning’s funereally slow style. As musical taste is entirely subjective, each individual will respond in varying degrees to music that is designed to evoke emotions of sorrow, whether it’s a particularly sad Mahler symphony or everything recorded by Radiohead ever. For me, ‘Watching from a Distance’ is the most intensely upsetting and hopelessly forlorn music I’ve ever heard, partly because of the associations it has to the depressing time at which it came into my collection, when I felt compelled to endure its languid melancholy repeatedly. [Dave's break-up album.]
This album collects five songs ranging from a comparatively short seven and a half minutes (I said comparatively) to a monstrous twelve, and excepting slight deviations in delivery, the tone is perpetually dismal and sorrowful, translated in the music through an enormously slowed tempo of drawn-out notes. Rather than sounding like an average-speed song slowed down, Warning’s funeral-doom style constructs guitar riffs and vocal melodies that stretch across the minimalist soundscape, backed by a drum that hits once a second or less, in an incredibly effective attempt to create a bleak and isolated atmosphere. Taking its cue largely from classic Swedish doom band Candlemass as well as more local influences such as Cathedral and even Black Sabbath, Warning associates more thematically with the depressed death-doom, lovelorn lyrics of fellow Brits My Dying Bride and Anathema, without resorting to the death metal vocals and blasting drums of either.
The slow, extended sound will be the most startling aspect of this album for newcomers, especially as it never speeds up in a significant way throughout (though the shorter second and fourth songs do stand out as less sombre than the longer main ‘trilogy’), but for seasoned doom metal fans the main area of interest will likely be the vocals. Pat Walker, also the guitarist and song-writer, follows the memorable example of Robert Lowe from Solitude Aeturnus (now the frontman for Candlemass) in his pained high singing, with a nasal tone reminiscent of Ozzy Osbourne in the early days. Avoiding the bombastic tenor approach of Messiah Marcolin, Walker’s distinct voice adds a great sense of character and personalisation to this album, something I find lacking in the indistinct death metal grunts of My Dying Bride and their contemporaries, and although the nasal edge will likely get on some peoples’ nerves, it’s clear that his acting training has taught him how to express himself clearly without going over the top. Perhaps more vocalists should take up that career, to avoid sounding too melodramatic.
With the focus being on creating and maintaining a tone that lasts through the album, the other musicians naturally have less opportunity to show off their credentials, but carry out their duties admirably. Walker’s guitar dominates the proceedings as expected, taking second place only to his vocals and filling in with higher and more melodic ending sections in place of inappropriate guitar solos once the lyrics are over, but Stuart Springthorpe’s drums are the real foundation. Usually following a repeating pattern of a cymbal tap followed by a drum hit, but varying with each song, Springthorpe’s playing is necessarily repetitive but avoids being dull or too noticeable. The only real weak link is Marcus Hatfield’s bass guitar, which becomes lost behind the loud, constantly roaring guitar sustain and is only really noticeable at the start of the fourth track.
1. Watching from a Distance
2. Footprints
3. Bridges
4. Faces
5. Echoes
An obvious comment to make is that much of this album sounds very similar, especially on the first few listens before the nuances of each song define themselves, but recently I’ve come to regard the longer odd-numbered tracks as a different entity to the slightly shorter second and fourth songs, which diverge thematically and musically to some extent. The unofficial ‘trilogy’ is wisely separated by these seven to eight minute pieces, which prevent the similar crashing riffs from blending too much into each other, and allowing some time away from Walker’s tales of lost love. The lyrics of tracks one, three and five are all addressed to an absent ‘you,’ clearly a loved one who has left of their own will rather than a dead family member or pet, and although many of the remarks made are a little predictable and clichéd in the ‘that’s exactly how that would make me feel’ way, the non-commercial nature of Warning’s music means that it’s more easily believed and less of a publicity stunt, though of course Walker’s acting experience could negate this reliability.
These three songs are all based, as is the norm, on a main crushing guitar riff, becoming heavier as the album goes on to culminate in ‘Echoes,’ with Walker warbling his regrets and losses every so often in an irresistible sing-song fashion around the riffs. The album encourages loud volume, perfectly suited to the high quality, deep production, and while the chorus sections are easy enough to learn after a couple of repetitions, the rest of the words can easily be substituted with whatever you imagine he might be saying as you lie in your empty double bed, clutch her side of the duvet and sing along through the tears; the melodies are easy to follow, and weave nicely through the riffs. The songs all start and end abruptly, the riffs appearing and disappearing from the speakers, but each of these three songs features a nice ending section lasting several minutes in which Walker’s guitar takes the place of the vocals and leads out on a slightly higher scale, complimented in the excellent third track by some backing ‘ahh-ahh-ahh’ singing behind the noise.
Tracks two and four are slightly shorter and thus more palatable for newcomers to doom metal, and are equally as good as the longer, more traditional trilogy songs. ‘Footprints’ describes the lead-up to a battle that the speaker felt safe he would never have to face before being confronted with the reality, which may be a metaphor but I prefer to take at face value to differentiate this song from the others. Walker’s vocals in these two songs take on a more warbled, gruff tone, sounding a little like Saxon’s Biff Bryford on occasion, and on the whole there’s more abundant energy to these songs than the sapping effect of the others, sounding more like early Candlemass here. Track four begins very suddenly, wasting no time moving from a brief bass riff to some instant vocals, and is necessarily slightly more upbeat to maintain interest at this late point before the black hole of the final song.
‘Watching from a Distance’ is an intense album in exactly the opposite way to a relentlessly violent Cannibal Corpse album, and is the finest doom album I’ve heard from recent years. The repetition could be seen as unimaginative, and doubtless many will find the whole experience dull (especially if they’re in an incredibly happy place and have never had their heart broken... b**tards), but Warning’s music combines most of the strengths of the genre and pushes it to the extreme, using only the three basic rock instruments along with Pat Walker’s excellent voice to create a truly funereal atmosphere without needing to resort to clichéd organs or violins. This is pure, unadulterated and deeply gloomy doom from the school of Candlemass and St. Vitus, but without the headbanging potential of either. Sigh. I’ve gone all melancholy now, better stick on some Manowar...
Advantages: Unparalleled despair.
Disadvantages: Repetitive and mood-specific, and hard to find.
Jeff Wayne
They Come
****
Written on 04.10.05
‘No one would have believed, in the last years of the nineteenth century, that human affairs were being watched from the timeless worlds of space.’
H. G. Wells’ classic novel continues to be revised and updated for modern audiences, from Orson Welles’ unintentionally devastating radio performance in 1938 to the latest Spielberg film, but Jeff Wayne’s 1977 rock opera remains the most interesting, unexpected and perhaps loyal adaptation in the public consciousness.
Now re-released on double CD, and available in several different, increasingly dubious forms since its release, ‘The War of the Worlds’ came at a time between the psychedelia, progressive rock and glam of the previous decade and the subsequent rise of disco. Producer, keyboard player and backing vocalist Jeff Wayne somehow combined all these disparate elements and created an eternal best-seller, aided somewhat by the presence of vocalists from the likes of Justin Hayward, David Essex and Richard Burton as the narrator.
‘No one could have dreamed we were being scrutinised, as someone with a microscope studies creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water.’
The War of the Worlds is split across two discs, respectively titled, as was the case with the two parts of Wells’ novel, ‘The Coming of the Martians’ and ‘The Earth Under the Martians.’ Staying even truer to the source text, there is no attempt to update Wells’ Victorian notions for discoing seventies audiences; the story is set in nineteenth century London, the characters and events are related as they appear in the novel, and the sound effects are rendered expertly cheesy and unconvincing. Okay, maybe this is more to do with seventies production values.
‘Few men even considered the possibility of life on other planets, and yet, across the gulf of space, minds immeasurably superior to ours regarded the Earth with envious eyes…’
The War of the Worlds is a brilliantly-devised alternative to a simple radio dramatisation which, while clearly not to everyone’s taste, engulfs the listener and creates a real sense of danger and impending doom from the ominous opening.
‘And slowly and surely, they drew their plans against us.’
THE COMING OF THE MARTIANS
1. The Eve of the War (9.06)
2. Horsell Common and the Heat Ray (11.36)
3. The Artilleryman and the Fight (10.36)
4. Forever Autumn (7.43)
5. Thunder Child (6.10)
The first disc is composed of five lengthy sections, taking their titles from chapters through the first half of Wells’ novel. ‘The Eve of the War’ and ‘Forever Autumn’ are the most well-known songs from Wayne’s album, released (albeit trimmed down for radio play) as bestselling singles and both featuring vocals from Justin Hayward of Moody Blues.
As with most concept albums, recognisable riffs and melodies, most notably the famous opening orchestration, reappears throughout and forms the basis of the rest of the music. Those unused to such conceptual works may find this irritating and repetitive, but Wayne thankfully manages to keep things interesting by introducing catchy, memorable, uplifting or scary pieces of music with each track.
Richard Burton’s narration spans the tracks here, reciting Wells at relevant points but never falling into ‘audio book’ mode. There is little acting from the rest of the cast in comparison to the more eventful second disc, but David Essex’s artilleryman appears and Chris Thompson of Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (apparently) puts in a fantastic performance detailing the events of ‘Thunder Child.’
This first disc doesn’t descend too far into rock opera territory, acting more as a continuous and ever-changing piece of music that relaxes and exhilarates the listener. Track lengths approaching and exceeding ten minutes won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, and at times the music does tend to drag on, but the heavily edited re-release on a single CD in 2000 demonstrated that this is necessary for the experience.
THE EARTH UNDER THE MARTIANS
6. The Red Weed (5.55)
7. The Spirit of Man (11.41)
8. The Red Weed [Part 2] (6.51)
9. Brave New World (12.13)
10. Dead London (8.37)
11. Epilogue [Part 1] (2.42)
12. Epilogue [Part 2] (2.02)
I’m less fond of the second disc and tend to listen to it less, perhaps because the tracks are more operatic and storyline-based than the driving melodies, riffs and beats of the more spacious first disc. Julie Covington and Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott put in great performances on this side as a crazy preacher and his caring, ultimately doomed wife, while the musical style that pervaded the first disc continues to evolve, but less impressively.
‘Brave New World’ is the only track I would single out across the album as lasting for too long, but this is all made up for with the first rousing ‘Epilogue,’ fading in to great relief after the story seems to have abruptly ended, and the new addition of a second, contemporary epilogue (‘Part 2’) that provides an extra dimension of fear to Wells’ original happy, but somewhat unhopeful finale.
VERDICT
The War of the Worlds falls somewhere between full-blown opera and studio album, disco and prog rock, faithful adaptation and heinous blasphemy. Prog fans love it, while ‘The Eve of the War’ even seems to be a favourite of Alan Partridge. In adapting a novel to the musical medium, Wayne had to devise the general sound and its evolution and progression through the album from scratch; the popularity and acclaim of this record proves that he excelled.
The acting isn’t first rate, but it’s certainly passable; don’t expect this to rival any of Lloyd-Webber’s musicals in that category. Riichard Burton’s narrator / journalist sounds oddly out of place when interacting with other characters, while others seem intent on screeching their way through repetitive numbers.
The double-CD has been re-released, meaning it’s still widely available wherever CDs are sold, but avoid the single CD ‘highlights’ release; this omits Burton’s narration and cuts down the songs, thereby spoiling the whole experience. After all, without the grandeur that is the storyline concept, many will see this as just a bunch of blokes with synthesisers and guitars pretending they’re Pink Floyd.
Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds remains my favourite adaptation of this classic story, and one that benefits greatly from shelving this classic for a while before experiencing it again.
Advantages: Interesting mix of genres, great adaptation
Disadvantages: Not to everyone's taste, drags on in places
John Williams
The Final Fanfare
****
Written on 28.10.05
The final instalment of one of the most successful and popular film franchises, ‘Revenge of the Sith’ also marked the last time John Williams would produce the beloved accompanying music (video games and future spin-offs excluded). The music for Episode III unsurprisingly follows the same style as the previous five films, but Williams continues to experiment to a small degree.
The recent trilogy is already noticeably set apart from its predecessors, visually in terms of the extravagant computer generated special effects and audibly in terms of the acting, and this permits Williams to occasionally try out something a little different than the bombastic symphonies the films are famed for. For once, even the legendary fanfare of the opening and closing titles is shuffled around a little – the scrolling title theme isn’t allowed time to dissolve before the action begins here, as the music is edited to jump straight to the first scene. An unusual choice, especially as it breaks continuity somewhat, but it at least demonstrates that thought was put into this collection.
1. Star Wars and the Revenge of the Sith
2. Anakin’s Dream
3. Battle of the Heroes
4. Anakin’s Betrayal
5. General Grievous
6. Palpatine’s Teachings
7. Grievous and the Droids
8. Padme’s Ruminations
9. Anakin vs. Obi-Wan
10. Anakin’s Dark Deeds
11. Enter Lord Vader
12. The Immolation Scene
13. Grievous Speaks to Lord Sidious
14. The Birth of the Twins and Padme’s Destiny
15. A New Hope and End Credits
The soundtrack comes on a single disc that lasts 72 minutes and includes all fifteen compositions from the film in full. There are no excerpts of dialogue or sound effects that may be present on other best-selling soundtracks, as Williams’ music really can sell albums without such gimmicks. The music is symphonic and orchestral throughout, but alternates between explosive themes and quieter, more melancholy or reflective pieces to suit the darker nature of this instalment. As such, themes do not repeat themselves to the degree of the Episode IV, V and VI soundtracks, although recognisable compositions from the first film and ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ will give Star Wars fans a great rush. Williams does succeed in creating characters through his music, the sombre mood of Anakin becoming increasingly sinister and evil as the character spirals downward in the chronologically-arranged album, and even Luke and Leia’s themes from the original trilogy reappear at the end. Not to give a thirty-year-old plot away or anything.
Ignoring the controversy over ‘The Phantom Menace’ as a film, the soundtrack was still an excellent release, including the memorable ‘Duel of the Fates.’ Episodes II and III haven’t featured original pieces to rival that epic, but ‘Battle of the Heroes’ comes close here: with an operatic chorus and an exciting, building orchestra it follows the same style and will certainly stand out for me and make me appreciate its accompanying scene more when I get round to watching the film again. This piece, along with many of the others, also comes in at a very radio-friendly three and a half minutes’ running length, adding to the commercial nature of this soundtrack album as it doesn’t alienate listeners with overlong extensions of songs. Other tracks featuring Grievous are similarly action-packed, although sadly not to the extent that they become memorable and distinctive in the manner of Episode V’s conflicts.
‘Palpatine’s Teachings,’ ‘Padme’s Ruminations,’ ‘Anakin’s Dark Deeds’ and ‘The Birth of the Twins…’ are the most interesting pieces here, in terms of their originality within the series. All are very bleak and haunting scores, dominated by bass sounds and commonly complimented by a vocal chorus. ‘Dark Deeds’ is the meanest of the lot, the perfect accompaniment to the relevant scenes in the film as Anakin commits some dastardly dark deeds, but ‘Ruminations’ is the oddest. Performed on what sounds like a synthesiser creating some subdued exotic melodies, this is very different from the acoustic purity of the series but makes this a more interesting soundtrack as a result.
I commend John Williams, and perhaps even George Lucas if this was his call, that the music for Episode III was allowed to be different and didn’t simply rely on past glories to sell fans the same music they already own. The opening theme is excitingly cut and the end credits incorporate many contrasting elements in a thirteen-minute swan song, closing with the ‘medals scene’ from ‘Star Wars’ (or, if you prefer, and I don’t, ‘A New Hope.’)
‘Battle of the Heroes’ is the best track, despite it sounding pretty much identical to every loud symphony/choir combo in Basil Poledouris’ soundtrack to ‘Conan the Barbarian,’ while the themes of evil, betrayal and death that permeate this make it less light listening than the other soundtracks, especially the contrastingly happy ‘Return of the Jedi.’
The cover shown is from Amazon's limited edition of the soundtrack; the regular international release features, as usual, the film poster featuring the characters. Episode III was a necessarily dark film and the soundtrack reflects this blackness perfectly, even making for an uncomfortable listening experience in parts. It’s far from being the best, but it’s more worthwhile than the soundtracks for Episodes I and II. Just don’t buy this in anticipation of the Vader tracks containing the ‘Imperial March’: once you accept that it isn’t here, you can relax and enjoy the excitement and horror.
Advantages: Sets itself apart from its brethren; doesn't rely on past achievements; value for money
Disadvantages: Doesn't always keep the listener's interest; can't live up to the originals
Yes
Close to the Edge
Seasons Will Pass You By
****
Written on 22.02.06
Seen by many as the definitive progressive rock album, ‘Close to the Edge’ continues where Yes left off with ‘Fragile.’ The classical, symphonic influence is still very prominent, but mostly restrained to Rick Wakeman’s legendary keyboard solos in the centre of songs.
The timeless popularity of this album, first released in 1972 and re-issued several times on CD, likely stems from its excellent and arguably perfect structure: the title song, lasting for an entire 20-minute side of the original LP, emphasises epic, bold progression, while the less intensive second half is balanced with the blissfully melodic ‘And You And I’ and the catchy rocker ‘Siberian Khatru.’
Yes were at the peak of their creativity and career with ‘Close to the Edge,’ finding the middle ground between the band’s desire to be proggily experimental and the record buyer’s desire to hear some nice, ultra-modern music. ‘Close to the Edge’ is historically noteworthy for pushing forward the use of synthesisers and sound effects in popular music.
As usual, Jon Anderson’s lyrics mean nothing whatsoever, but are infectiously pleasant in that androgynous seventies way. It’s the sound of the words that matters, and the way they skilfully blend with the backing instruments in every instance. The line-up of Anderson, guitarist Steve Howe, bassist Chris Squire, drummer Bill Bruford and keyboard virtuoso Rick Wakeman works brilliantly in crafting the three long songs on this album. Each instrument is integral to the songs at many points and all of them create perfect harmony, even when that harmony involves going completely against rational song structure.
1. Close to the Edge
…a) Solid Time of Change
…b) Total Mass Retain
…c) I Get Up I Get Down
…d) Seasons of Man
2. And You And I
…a) Cord of Life
…b) Eclipse
…c) The Preacher, The Teacher
…d) Apocalypse
3. Siberian Khatru
Sampled sounds of nature open ‘Close to the Edge.’ It’s a bit of a clichéd ‘dawn chorus’ type introduction, but this is Yes after all. An oppressive bubble of indistinct noise slowly expands to drown out the chirruping, before bursting into the sound of Yes playing around on instruments and veering all over the place for two minutes of lovely zaniness. This section is interrupted several times by ‘ahhhs’ and ‘bap-baps’ from Anderson, until his heavenly voice provides the other musicians with divine insight and the song’s leading, classic riff suddenly finds itself. Or something like that anyway.
This song is divided into four sections, each sounding very distinct, but the bridges between sections not always being quite so clear. The song begins a more familiar rhythm 4 minutes in, although Anderson’s vocals refuse to be pinned down to a beat anywhere but the chorus. This section is very upbeat and enjoyable, even if the high voice of the chorus becomes a little irritating towards the end.
The third section is Wakeman’s time to shine, his soft, ethereal keyboards gradually rising to an overpowering church organ display interspersed with more spacey vocals from Squire and Anderson. This is the part of the song that the drug fans enjoy. After a few minutes of this, the song becomes suddenly unsure of itself and the discordant return of the repressed riff leads us back into familiar ground to round the song off nicely. It’s not perfect, but it’s coherent and strong throughout, without once becoming dull or seeming overlong.
‘And You And I’ wisely refrains from trying to outdo the previous song, taking a relaxed acoustic attitude. Anderson’s vocals are at their best in this easy-listening song, released (in an edited form) as a single, and despite becoming more complex as it goes along, it thankfully isn’t particularly noticeable. A smooth, popular song in which even Wakeman holds back from his bombastic baroque, giving us a pleasant and much lighter solo instead.
The album rounds off in fun style with the excellent ‘Siberian Khatru,’ a live favourite that seems deceptively simple with its more straightforward (yet still incomprehensible) title and opening riff, but that soon becomes just as intensive and complicated as the previous songs. It does drag on towards the end, and while the verse sections are fantastic, the slower in-between parts are a little unnecessary. Howe’s guitars are at their peak here, and remain very memorable.
Casual listeners may find Close to the Edge a little pompous and extravagant for their tastes, but for prog rock fans it’s an essential album for just those reasons. The song balance is excellent, but I do find the album hindered by some unnecessarily off-putting touches (such as the pointless division of ‘And You And I’ into four fairly indistinct sections) and what always seems like a very short running time. The primary delight in this album is that it strives for excellence and really achieves that. The songs have dated somewhat, especially in their reliance on prog rock tropes, but this stands up far better than the band’s other early releases.
Anderson’s pleasant voice may be enough to attract wary newcomers, but every musician really pulls his weight on all of the songs here, creating a real depth and intricacy that’s rarely heard. The oddly iconic album cover, a minimalistic background of green fading to black with hippy bubble writing title, allows each listener to make up their own mind on what the songs are actually about. Or to simply give up and enjoy the happy guitar parts. They're good.
For a more classically-tainted album, ‘Fragile’ is the other common favourite. But those put off by the song divisions and lengthy keyboard experiments should avoid the ego-overload ‘Tales from Topographic Oceans’ like the plague. Yes.
Advantages: Inventive and highly experimental, diverse collection of songs
Disadvantages: At three tracks, the album seems short
‘That’s right, I Am Not Spock,’ he protested in his 1970s autobiography, adding, ‘unless someone is offering me money to cash in on that character I played for three lousy years.’
‘You are so Spock,’ the world persisted.
‘I Am Not Spock, I have done other things. Don’t you remember, I was Mr. Paris in thirty episodes of Mission: Impossible, replacing Martin Landau’s character.’
‘That’s interesting,’ said a man in a home-made Star Trek uniform, ‘Landau was the original choice to play the Spock character in 1964.’
‘Ah... get-a-life!’ yelled William Shatner.
During the original run of Star Trek in the late sixties, lead actors William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy were persuaded to record albums of songs, mostly covers but with original material written by writing staff, and often attempting to cash in on the show’s success. For Nimoy, this led to a relatively successful musical career over the next decade, his albums increasingly contradicting the Vulcan’s outspoken desire to distance himself from the character of Spock. For Shatner, this resulted in a single album (which would not be followed by another until 2005), which was influential in establishing every... comedian's... impression of the... actor's bizarre delivery.
Shatner publicly admits that he can’t sing, and instead adopts an incredibly melodramatic spoken-word style. Nimoy, by contrast, fancies himself as a great crooner, and admittedly succeeds in covering some of the classics. There is no audible reason why these two artists should be collected together on a compilation such as this, except – of course – to make money yet again off the back of their work in the phenomenally successful science fiction franchise.
‘Spaced Out’ is the result, released in 1998 and collecting together most of the songs from Shatner’s sole (at that point) album, and much of Nimoy’s work from the sixties and seventies. Without being bold enough to admit it explicitly, the album relies more or less entirely on the Star Trek factor as its selling points. The title is an obvious reference, and although the two singers are pictured in casual attire rather than primary coloured uniforms and pointed ears, the yellow and blue background evokes the colours of Kirk and Spock’s uniforms in the series, but is for some reason reversed. Still widely available in record shops, the collection was even advertised as science fiction merchandise on its original release.
There doesn’t appear to be any real logic in the arrangement of tracks. Spock would be disappointed at this, although perhaps the 2:1 ratio of Nimoy to Shatner material would cause the Vulcan to raise a smile, or at least an eyebrow. Representation of both artists is fair and even until the last nine tracks, when the album becomes entirely Nimoy territory. This makes sense as he has produced far more songs, but the sudden absence of the Shatner ‘duet’ is a bit disappointing, as his parts are arguably the most entertaining.
Track list
1. King Henry the Fifth (William Shatner)
2. Elegy for the Brave (William Shatner)
3. Highly Illogical (Leonard Nimoy)
4. If I Had a Hammer (Leonard Nimoy)
5. Mr. Tambourine Man (William Shatner)
6. Where is Love (Leonard Nimoy)
7. Music to Watch Space Girls By (Leonard Nimoy)
8. It Was a Very Good Year (William Shatner)
9. Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town (Leonard Nimoy)
10. Hamlet (William Shatner)
11. A Visit to a Sad Planet (Leonard Nimoy)
12. Abraham, Martin and John (Leonard Nimoy)
13. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (William Shatner)
14. If I Was a Carpenter (Leonard Nimoy)
15. How Insensitive (William Shatner)
16. I’d Love Making Love to You (Leonard Nimoy)
17. Put a Little Love in Your Heart (Leonard Nimoy)
18. Sunny (Leonard Nimoy)
19. Gentle on My Mind (Leonard Nimoy)
20. I Walk the Line (Leonard Nimoy)
21. Ballad of Bilbo Baggins (Leonard Nimoy)
22. Everybody’s Talkin’ (Leonard Nimoy)
23. Both Sides Now (Leonard Nimoy)
24. Spock Thoughts (Leonard Nimoy)
Despite my low rating (which is a fair assessment of its quality) I like this album, for the reason that I suppose most people like it. It’s funny. William Shatner’s covers of ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ and ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ have become infamous and are legendarily crap, while Leonard Nimoy’s more passionate and faithful covers are occasionally funny only because they are embarrassing. Many of the songs on here are radio show staples for DJs trying to get a cheap laugh from the so-bad-it’s-good crowd, but this album will also appeal to a highly illogical but entirely real group of buyers who legitimately enjoy the music on its own merits. These people are not, in fact, crazy. Only slightly eccentric.
Nimoy’s takes on ‘If I Had a Hammer’ and ‘Whe-e-e-e-ere is Love’ are both quite nice and similar enough to the source material, delivered in a pleasant croon, that fans of the originals couldn’t really slag them off. I just don’t happen to be into that, which is a shame as it pretty much invalidates the bulk of this album. Far more entertaining are the hypocritical actor/singer’s Spock songs, mostly taken from the album ‘Mister Spock’s Songs From Space’ and all written by Charles Randolph Green. The terribly dated ‘Highly Illogical’ is a half-arsed criticism of human folly, the more impressive spoken word piece ‘Visit to a Sad Planet’ is a mini Star Trek episode with a shock ending that even the least attentive listeners can see coming light years away, and the dull platitudes of ‘Spock Thoughts’ make for a dull conclusion. Of course, the song for which Nimoy is best known in the 21st century world of the internet is ‘The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins,’ modestly saved for the end portion of the album to keep the kitsch factor from dying out completely. Without the brightly coloured music video complete with miniskirt-clad hippie Vulcanettes it loses a lot of its original appeal, but it’s great that this bouncy, awful pop song is being kept alive for far longer than it deserves.
The real star of this album is William Shatner, as almost all of his contributions are high quality bad music. Not the type of bad music that’s disliked purely for being of poor quality, like Twisted Sister, but the type that has real replay value, in the vein of ‘Shaddap You Face.’ The afore-mentioned covers are excellently rubbish, ‘Lucy in the Sky’ losing all the power of the original by endlessly repeating the same bland female chorus, and delivering Lennon and McCartney’s psychedelic lyrics in a semi-orgasmic drawn-out moan. It’s really good. The cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ is equally hysterical, an insane Shatner desperately shouting about the tambourine man and ending in a satisfying scream. Also enjoyable are the songs dealing with Shatner’s weird Shakespeare fixation (“once more… unto the breach, dear… friends, once more”), music and lyrics written by Don Ralke. This music has some artistic merit, although I think its plaudits are a little too generous as it’s nothing that any man equipped with a microphone, a backing orchestra and an ego problem couldn’t accomplish.
William Shatner ruining your favourite songs and Leonard Nimoy reluctantly playing a third-rate Spock. You know you want it, and thankfully this semi-novelty CD is always available in sales, currently on offer for £3.99 in HMV stores. You may start to appreciate Leonard Nimoy’s vocals by the end, but you should be guaranteed a good laugh in the first half, especially if reading Nimoy’s hypocritical autobiography while ‘Highly Illogical’ plays on repeat in the background. Shatner at least gets bonus artistic points for leaving the Kirk persona behind completely, although the original source album was marketed in a Star Trek fashion, and opened with a rendition of Alexander Courage’s theme song for the series. The trend has obviously not died out for this release thirty years later.
William Shatner recently released his second album after a thirty-five year hiatus, co-produced with Ben Folds, which includes such gems as his cover of Pulp’s ‘Common People,’ but this album is still disappointingly full-price. ‘Spaced Out’ is a cheap and fun way to sample the singer’s strange and much-mocked mannerisms, and even if you don’t enjoy it, you probably know someone who would appreciate its joke value as a gift. The songs are very randomly chosen and don’t really fit together when played back-to-back as they are, both singers performing different kinds of songs in radically different styles, but as a collection of humorous and relaxing songs it works very well. Play ‘A Visit to a Sad Planet’ loud and proud and discover it in a new light while reading your newly-bought copy of Leonard Nimoy’s apologetic sequel, ‘I Am Spock (After All).’
Advantages: Highly entertaining.
Disadvantages: Highly illogical.
Broken
The Six Hundred and Ninety-Nine Pence E.P.
****
Written on 16.06.04
The second release by Nine Inch Nails (a.k.a. Trent Reznor and whoever he assigns to instruments when playing live) follows a much different musical path than his previous album, and set the standard and tone for what was to come afterwards. Although this is officially an E.P. and as such can be bought for low prices, the quality of the songs is actually balanced out by a surprising quantity as two full hidden tracks reveal themselves despite not being listed on the disc. This is guitar-led and very angry rock that situates itself between genres to deny any true classification.
STYLE
Created equidistant between 1989’s lighter, electronic sounding ‘Pretty Hate Machine’ and 1994’s dark, heavy and hugely successful ‘The Downward Spiral,’ this is something of a mix between the more accessible rhythms of the former album and the heavy guitars and angry vocals of the latter, although it’s clear that following the huge response to Nine Inch Nails’ live performances, which sounded much more intense and heavy than the Pretty Hate Machine album and served to both alienate some of the album’s fans and ally some new ones, that Trent Reznor preferred exploring the darker side of music. The guitars are reasonably constant in their presence here which makes for a more ‘metal’ sound and atmosphere than ony of the other albums, a balance being kept between brooding, melancholy gothic rock and straightforward fast anthems.
THE MUSIC
1. PINION
Essentially an intro track, this is 1 minute and 2 seconds of distortion build-up. Nothing impressive, but it does serve as a great lead into the first ‘real’ track, and sounds quite good; certainly better than some of the pointless intros on other albums I own.
2. WISH
One of NIN’s best tracks, this makes Trent’s progress and drastic change from his last album very obvious with its heavy, over-distorted guitars and assorted atmospheric samples almost subliminally in the background at times, but it retains some accessibility through its catchy and memorable vocals in the chorus. The guitar riff isn’t particularly original but it still sounds great, and there’s a shirt break in the middle for a little diversity.
“I'm the one without a soul,
I'm the one with this big f***ing hole
No new tale to tell,
Twenty-six years on my way to hell”
3. LAST
Another prominently guitar-led track, the main riff is evident from the start. This does get a little repetitive throughout the song, but the bridge and chorus sections feature changes in the tempo and rhythm to keep the listener interested. It goes very quiet in the middle for the while as an obvious build-up to repetition of the chorus, but this song isn’t as impressive as the last one. The samples in the background are more interesting though, but this is overly repetitive and doesn’t sound
“Gave up trying to figure out my head,
Got lost along the way
Worn out from giving it up
My soul, I p***ed it all away”
4. HELP ME I AM IN HELL
A different outing, this bleak but musically interesting interlude is far more impressive than the ‘links’ on Trent’s more recent offerings. The song is dominated by a repeating tune that sounds like a distorted acoustic guitar, but after a while the build-up of soft thumping sounds in the background become evident. Very nice, and under two minutes long so it doesn’t drag on, but still feels satisfying.
5. HAPPINESS IN SLAVERY
Trent wastes no time in shouting “slave screams” at the start of the track. Another dark track, this features guitars less prominently than earlier songs and as such sounds similar to some of the best tracks on ‘The Downward Spiral.’ The guitars that are used sound excellent, but it’s Trent’s contrasting angry and soft vocals that are the selling point of this track, which features some great progression towards the end. A lot of different sounds kept together with a fairly ordinary electronic beat reminiscent of ‘Pretty Hate Machine,’ only much heavier. This gradually fades out at the end.
“Stick my hands through the cage of this endless routine,
Just some flesh caught in this big broken machine”
6. GAVE UP
Another track with very catchy verses in the style of ‘Wish,’ although this doesn’t appeal to me quite so much. The vocals are obviously memorable and sound good, however there’s a little too much variation in the speed throughout the track. The guitars and instruments also aren’t as interesting or varied as they could be, although the last minute of this song makes up for in a strange, twisted way with over-the-top samples and screaming. I suppose you have to hear it.
“It took you to make me realize,
It took you to make me see the light.
Smashed up my sanity,
Smashed up my integrity…”
97. PHYSICAL (YOU’RE SO)
Following an overlong silence comes the slow intro to this song with whiny feedback, eventually becoming a slow rhythm. The lyrics and rhythm are quite different to the aggressive, rapid sound of the rest of the album, but it’s still an enjoyable five minutes of music. Trent shows a lighter side of himself in the vocals to the chorus that makes a nice change after the speedy ‘Gave Up’ and this is certainly good enough to have been used as a main track rather than something shoved unnecessarily to the end in an artistic gesture.
“I want you hot in my arms,
So soft on my bed.
You get the key to my heart,
Oh when you wear that sweet dress”
98. SUCK
Samples and repeated loops aplenty in this slower track with a loud chorus. This is much more intricate and layered than the rest of the songs and as such is likely my favourite on the album, the mood created by the plodding verses being reminiscent of ‘Pretty Hate Machine’ only much better. The chorus is highly anticipated and rivals Trent’s best work, while the changes and progression towards the end make this an invaluable contribution to the album that deserves to be right at the start rather than shoved after all the silence. The CD ends quietly, with Reznor saying “suck” against a background of quiet drum loops.
“There is no god up in the sky tonight,
No sign of heaven anywhere in sight.
All that was true is left behind,
Once I could see now I am blind”
VERDICT
Although the more successful and well-known follow up ‘The Downward Spiral’ is undoubtedly Nine Inch Nails’ finest work, ‘Broken’ is a great collection of songs that becomes incredible when classed merely as an E.P. There is enough variation between the tracks to keep them interesting, and the only problem I have is that 90 tracks containing a couple of silent seconds each bulks this out quite unnecessarily in the exact same way as the silent tracks on Marilyn Manson’s ‘Antichrist Superstar,’ an album on which NIN himself, Trent Reznor, provided keyboards and a final mix.
Although Reznor has always prided himself on his solitude and desire to produce music he is proud of rather than something that appeals to the masses, the seclusion of a quarter of the songs seems far too modest here, and has likely hindered the CD’s sales a little. If you are a fan of Nine Inch Nails but are unsure whether to buy this I would recommend it, as it can be found on almost any music website for the sum of six English pounds and ninety nine pence, and would also likely appeal to most fans of metal in general. Considering Nine Inch Nails’ most recent studio release in the form of 1999’s ‘The Fragile’ was overlong and full of unnecessary interludes spoiling the collection of good songs, eight tracks on a CD does not seem cheap at all. I would recommend ‘Broken’ and ‘The Downward Spiral’ for those interested in Nine Inch Nails’ sound: ‘Pretty Hate Machine’ is catchy and enjoyable but too techno-influenced at the cost of rock for my taste, while ‘The Fragile’ takes a little too much effort on the part of the listener.
Unless you are a huge fan of remix albums I would advise against buying the blue remix E.P. of this CD titled ‘Fixed’ (as if it is an improvement or something), as I have heard a couple of tracks and wasn’t impressed.
Advantages: An excellent change of direction for NIN, Angry, fun and sombre, It's £6.99
Disadvantages: Some silly experimentation with silence, A couple of less impressive tracks, It wasn't an album
Nevermind
(Deservedly) The Most Popular Album
***
Written on 10.06.01
Nirvana's second album "Nevermind" was certainly the largest success of their careers, and the record still shifts copies today more than any of the band's other albums. The number one hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was so influential that it was like "wheat before the sickle", according to one observer; everything that came before was suddenly topped by a song that remained true to rock and grunge, but influenced people on a much higher level, thanks to radio play and their MTV music video. and it is still the best of their four original albums.
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is the most popular grunge song ever produced, and it starts the album on a high note with its famous guitar riff. The song is sad and loud, with periods of changing pace and volume, and is the most important song on the album, if not the best.
Track two, "In Bloom", may hold the prize of the album's finest song; the song is true grunge and loud, and is another song to be awarded with a music video (an original black and white 1940s style comedy video). The song is a favourite for modern bands to learn, and is a song you never get sick of.
"Come As You Are", another of th album's singles with accompanying music video, is not, in my personal opinion, very good. It is too slow and not powerful enough to make me want to listen to it over and over, although it's not bad. It is very true to the Nirvana style.
"Breed", track four, begins with a spectacular and fast drum and guitar beat, and is another of my favourites. The sheer speed of the song is what appeals to me, and it's a refreshing change from the usual slow, depression grunge of the band.
"Lithium" is one of the album's low points, although it too had a single and music video. It's a very slow, very dull song that never really gets anywhere.
"Polly" is a good song that reappears on the later album "Incesticide" in a faster form, in which it sounds better, although this original version is still good. The lyrics are confusing, but the song is very good to listen to.
"Territorial Pissings" begins with a peculiar intro by Nirvana's bassist Krist, and is a heavily distorted yet amazingly fast and enjoyable song, and my other favourite song off the album. Such songs are good for the occasional change of pace.
"Drain You" is another song that I don't find amazing, although it's good in its own right. It is another that is generally remembered off the album.
"Lounge Act" is quite a good song, yet not particularly memorable, although "Stay Away" certainly does stick in your head for a while after you hear it, with its catchy chorus.
The penultimate track, "On a Plain", is quite good, and always conjurs up an image of a desert plateau for me, for some rrason. It's a very good song that leads into the admittedly-poor final song, "Something in the Way"- a very slow song that never really gets started or goes anywhere.
Even if you don't particularly like Nirvana, you can't deny that this album is one of the most important and influential ever made, and that even if you don't like the sound of it it deserves respect.
That's the greatest tribute to Kurt Cobain you could give.
Advantages: Great songs, Very important album, Cool cover
Disadvantages: Some songs are too slow and unexciting
Incesticide
Better Than it Should Be
****
Written on 10.06.01
Although Incesticide is basically a collection of (supposedly) below album standard songs and live sessions, it is surprisingly good, and well worth buying.
Track one ("Dive") is a Nirvana B-side (unreleased song), and isn't fantastic. It's basically a slow song in which Kurt repeatedly sings "Dive With Me." Not a particularly good album opener.
Track two ("Sliver") is actually quite a good song, and isn't as depressing as some of the more well-known Nirvana songs. In my opinion it's better than a lot of Nirvana "A-sides" (if such a phrase exists).
"Stain", track three, sounds once again quite below standards, but it isn't a bad song. It's about a man who believes he is only a stain.
Track four, "Been a Son", is a BBC radio recording live on the Mark Goodier session, and is a very good son, talking about a woman who should have been male so she would receive more attention.
"Turnaround" is another live session on BBC radio, although this time from the John Peel session. It's got a good beat, and sounds quite strange, although it's quite a good song. (N.B.: Tracks five to seven, all of the John Peel session songs, were not actuslly written by Nirvana, although some happen to be up to Nirvana standard.)
Continuing the John Peel session, "Molly's Lips" is a fantastic song (in my opinion). ("She said she'd take me anywhere, she'd take me anywhere as long as she stayed with me"/ "She said she'd take me anywhere, she'd take me anywhere as long as I'd stay clean.") It is definitely one of the highlights of the album, if a little short.
The final John Peel session recording, "Son of a Gun", is another of my favourite songs, and Kurt's vocals sound amazing. It's also pleasantly long, unlike some tracks on the album.
Track eight may sound a little familiar in both title and sound ("(New Wave) Polly"), and that's because it is a faster recording of the popular "Nevermind" song, "Polly." It ends up sounding a lot better when played more furiously and quickly, and the track is another from the Mark Goodier session. Another of the album's highlights.
Track nine ends the live sessions for now, and returns to the B-sides. "Beeswax" is not a fantastic song, but it's not bad. It sounds more true to the Nirvana style than some of the previous tracks.
"Downer" features peculiar sessions of Kurt rhyming quietly and quickly, and the song sounds very good. Maybe not up to album standards, and maybe a little strange, but I like it.
"Mexican Seafood" is another below average song, although I quite like it. There is a melodic chorus sung by Kurt which is the highlight of the song.
Track twelve, "Hairspray Queen", takes a while to get started, and features an insane-sounding Kurt Cobain. It is one of the poorest songs on the album, in my view, as it never seems to begin properly.
"Aero Zeppelin" is a slow song, although I'm not sure what it is about. The song is sad and dull, and not great to listen to.
The final B-side ("Big Long Now") sounds very slow paced, more than the norm, and doesn't have any loud riffs to make it more exciting. The song also lasts for far too long in this form.
The album ends on quite a high note with another BBC recording, "Aneurysm", which sounds great. It has a good riff, and is very long, which isn't a bad thing in this case. Another high point of the album.
Overall, the songs are obviously not as good as those on most of the aother albums, but it is well worth looking at. It doesn't come in too short either, with fifteen tracks and a length of 44:44 (spooky). I think it was a good idea to release such an album to celebrate Nirvana rather than produce countless live CDs of existing songs.
Nirvana were a fantastic band who were sorely missed, but by listening to these CDs we can keep the memory, even if the songs aren't amazing. Definitely worth adding to any collection. (It has a nicely freakish painting on the cover as well, which was drawn by Kurt Cobain).
O
Blackwater Park
Lamentations
*****
Written on 02.09.04
I first came across Opeth when my friend, a fan of extreme metal bands such as Cradle of Filth, bought Blackwater Park on impulse because he thought the cover looked nice. That was four years ago, and this doom metal classic still surprised me today with its complexity and genuine lasting quality. And it’s true, the cover is very nice.
BAND OF DOOM
Opeth is:
Mikael Åekerfeldt – vocals, guitar
Peter Lindgren – guitars
Martin Mendez – bass
Martin Lopez - drums
I’ve never been too fond of classifying different varieties of metal, especially as it always leaves me confused as to what I actually enjoy, but I consider Opeth to be the pinnacle of the doom metal style: doom, essentially an off-shoot of death metal with more gothic influences, is characterised by long, slow, epic songs of a bleak tone, occasionally overflowing into something harder and heavier. Liverpool’s Anathema were textbook doom band until they somehow became a Radiohead clone.
Blackwater Park is commonly seen as Opeth’s most accessible album, although it’s not exactly a watered down introduction. The shortest non-instrumental track is six minutes in length, while the opening and closing instalments both exceed the ten minute mark. This is music to get lost in, as long as you enjoy the volume. Incredible guitars, bass, drums and keyboards range from blistering death riffs to melodic acoustic numbers, while Åekerfeldt’s vocals are similarly diverse, alternating between a deep guttural roar and clean singing.
BLACKWATER PARK
1. The Leper Affinity (10:22)
2. Bleak (9:15)
3. Harvest (6:00)
4. The Drapery Falls (10:58)
5. Dirge For November (7:52)
6. The Funeral Portrait (8:43)
7. Patterns in the Ivy (1:52)
8. Blackwater Park (12:05)
The first part of the album is also the heaviest and most progressive, both THE LEPER AFFINITY and BLEAK being based on heavy guitar riffs that nevertheless retain the slow, melancholy atmosphere. A piano section in track one keeps things interesting, while Bleak (perhaps a more appropriate title for some of the later songs) essentially comprises two songs: a slightly faster death metal offering with some excellent Egyptian-sounding riffs and a slower second half complete with hypnotic clean vocals.
With HARVEST, Opeth showcase the extent of their diversity. This is a six minute semi-ballad using only acoustic instruments, but this lack of additional influences does not result in a loss of the atmosphere. Åekerfeldt’s vocals are at their best here, and this would perfectly suit any mood of happiness or sorrow. THE DRAPERY FALLS is my favourite song on the album, the perfect combination of all the styles throughout its ten minute length, with some of the most impressive guitars and a memorable chorus. The slow pace and melodic instruments still evoke the same feelings of sadness, but this doesn’t overpower the enjoyment of the music.
The next song however, DIRGE FOR NOVEMBER, is the ultimate in bleak metal: a comatose opening leads into a heavier riff that somehow sounds full of regret and sorrow. There have been plenty of discussions around my friend’s house over what songs one should avoid if contemplating suicide, and this is undoubtedly top of the list – still excellent, but a little too intense for every occasion. Seemingly appreciating the depression overkill of the last track, Opeth then unleash the fun THE FUNERAL PORTRAIT. Don’t be fooled by the title; in comparison to the previous forty minutes, this is very enjoyable and uplifting, despite featuring a slow acoustic section and the usual vocal style. It’s all down to the leading riff, reminiscent of Cradle of Filth’s happier moments.
Following the beautiful melody of PATTERNS IN THE IVY, a sequel to which can reportedly be found on the rare bonus tracks version of this album, comes the slightly disappointing title track. BLACKWATER PARK is similar to the bulk of the album, but a little too similar to retain its identity in my memory without an aural reminder, which is a shame as I have no trouble remembering the other tracks. Some interesting progressive guitar sections keep things fairly enjoyable, but by the time this song has begun, Opeth would have to provide something very special to keep my interest. Unfortunately, they haven’t quite managed it this time.
VERDICT
This is an incredible album, and a fulfilling listening experience, although certainly not for everyone. The tone rarely elevates above the reasonably-satisfied-with-my-life level, and it does dip a little too far into the depths of despair on a couple of occasions, but this only serves to demonstrate the power of this oft-overlooked band. Some tracks are less memorable than others, but this is still excellent value for money, coming in at over seventy minutes in total. Opeth’s previous albums take some of these features to even further extremes, the classic track ‘Black Rose Immortal’ coming in at over twenty five minutes in length, and as such this would appear to be Opeth’s most accessible (for them) record.
Fans of gloomy death metal from the likes of Dark Tranquillity should technically enjoy Opeth’s music as much as Nirvana fans. It’s the same emotions and messages, but the music’s a whole lot heavier and much more enjoyable. A modern metal classic.
Advantages: Perfect quality musicianship, Enjoyable and enthralling, A little depressing
Disadvantages: Too extreme for some, Not for every occasion, A little depressing
Blizzard of Ozz
Mental Wounds Still Screaming
****
Written on 17.09.04
The odd, rock ‘n’ roll-scarred madman that is Ozzy Osbourne is sadly more well-known in the present climate for his starring role in the ‘hilarious’ reality show The Osbournes, but there was a time when his personal life and health, both mental and physical, made Ozzy one of the most fascinating and enjoyable performers in the heavy metal scene.
Finding fame as the curious vocalist in the revolutionary Birmingham rock band Black Sabbath, commonly revered as the founders of heavy metal, Ozzy fell into a state of drug-enhanced depression after he was famously kicked out of the band in 1979. His future wife Sharon Arden eventually persuaded him to give music another go, leading to his incredibly successful solo career: but like most ‘solo’ careers, he couldn’t do it alone.
A NEW START
Once Ozzy managed to get himself together, with the help of Sharon, he was introduced to young guitar supremo Randy Rhoads (formerly of Quiet Riot), a man who is often overlooked in the world of metal guitarists due to his tragically short time in the scene – he died in a reckless private plane crash two years and only one album later. Rhoads’ guitars were leagues apart from those of Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, immediately setting Ozzy’s former band apart from his new venture Blizzard of Ozz, later renamed to Ozzy Osbourne and retaining that name for the album title.
Rhoads’ presence must have also caused hours of frustration with smarmy music journalists who found themselves unable to craft a witty reference to the wizard of Ozz and the yellow brick Rhoads that would somehow fit relevantly into their album review. Do you see how I got around that problem?
STYLE
Black Sabbath comparisons are always inevitable with Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘solo’ work, and there are a number of major differences that set the bands apart and divide appreciation. Where Black Sabbath were heavily influenced by blues music, especially evident in the languid guitar solos and staccato riffs, Rhodes’ classically influenced guitars brought a completely new, polished sound to metal, clearly inspiring progressive metallers and some of the more talented ‘glam’ bands of the eighties. Everything is layered and neat, with catchy dominant riffs preventing it from becoming too indulgent for the casual rock fan. The brilliant guitar solos do border on artistic however.
Ozzy’s voice is the only concrete link between the sounds of the two bands, as the Birmingham-born rock star utilises the same mouth and vocal chords throughout his career. His vocals are mostly kept in the high spectrum on this performance, adding to the enjoyable atmosphere, and although the performer seldom shows any sign of improvement or technique throughout his career, his voice hasn’t quite reached the over-the-top levels of later hits such as ‘Bark at the Moon’ or ‘Shot in the Dark.’
In terms of diversity, this album doesn’t set any new trends: most of the songs are catchy, fairly upbeat rock anthems, with a couple of ballads featuring acoustic work. The basic formula for a heavy metal album, but one that proves very successful when carried out with the perfection that is found here. Unlike albums by the band’s protogees throughout the following decades, Ozzy and Rhoads see no need to craft an ‘epic’ track amidst the radio-friendly heavy metal, although there are several interesting decisions taken that deceptively elevate this record above a regular hard rock offering.
BLIZZARD OF OZZ
1. I Don’t Know
2. Crazy Train
3. Goodbye to Romance
4. Dee
5. Suicide Solution
6. Mr. Crowley
7. No Bone Movies
8. Revelations (Mother Earth)
9. Steal Away (the Night)
The album begins with the fun mid-tempo rock of ‘I Don’t Know’ and the most recognised Ozzy classic ‘Crazy Train,’ setting the mood for the album and proving the skills of all involved. I Don’t Know features a calmer mid section before returning to the main chorus in a gesture that could seem a little daring for an album opener, but it all mixes in seamlessly. Crazy Train is a more straightforward track and a deserved metal classic, leading into the distinctive, dark guitar riff and surprisingly continuing to improve as each new section of the song is introduced, culminating in the imitable high vocals of the chorus.
The second part of the album introduces diversity into the sound with the power ballad ‘Goodbye to Romance,’ one of the most impressive songs both musically and in terms of Ozzy’s ability to adapt to the emotive style needed. ‘Dee’ is a brief acoustic interlude performed by Rhoads at his peak of “neo-classical” guitar playing, and ‘Suicide Solution’ sees a return to a simpler style and is less impressive as a result, despite being the most controversial offering on the record following its alleged involvement in a teenager’s suicide (despite its clear anti-suicide message).
‘Mr. Crowley’ is something very different, and for this reason it is my favourite song here. The first minute is dominated solely by a very eerie and distorted organ effect on the instruments, deliberately reminiscent of classic horror film scores, before a mundane drum beat kicks in and the ‘real’ song begins: a galloping track with haunting vocals and an incredible solo leading into the fade-out at the end. In contrast, ‘No Bone Movies’ is nothing special, and the titular chorus is repeated a little too frequently, making the only real disappointment of the album.
‘Revelations’ is the other power ballad of the album, and although it is musically superior and features great guitars, it lacks the emotion of track three. This slow, lengthy song is contrasted by the final offering, the fast and funky ‘Steal Away (the Night)’ where the instrumentalists and even Ozzy seem to let their hair down and have some fun. Not that their hair was ever particularly short anyway.
REMASTERED, RE-RECORDED… AMENDED
The bass and drums on Blizzard of Ozz were originally performed by Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake, both former members of prog rock sensation Uriah Heep, although the long-running feud between the Osbourne couple and the Uriah Heep cast-offs has recently resulted in the remastered re-release of Ozzy’s early albums featuring newly recorded replacement bass and drum performances by Ozzy’s then-members Mike Bordin (Faith No More) and Robert Trujillo (Metallica). This re-recording of a classic has clearly had left a negative impression with many fans, who feel that the original sound has been blasphemed by coupling the legendary Rhoads guitars with musicians he never even met, especially as the remastered releases are the most readily available CD versions of this album. Ozzy Osbourne could therefore be dubbed the new George Lucas, except that he is actually older and has consistently pleased fans over the decades, never releasing the rock equivalent of Star Wars’ Episode 1.
VERDICT
I have liked Ozzy Osbourne’s music for a long time, but only recently decided to investigate further and invest in several albums. Although I also enjoy Black Sabbath, and have already noted that comparisons are tired and irrelevant, I will say that I enjoy Ozz more than Sabbath any day: the rhythms are more fun and upbeat, Ozzy is used to his full potential and, most importantly for my guitar-obsessed ears and part-of-my-brain-that-likes-sounds, the axe mastery of the late, great Randy Rhoads is incredible, and a clear direct influence on later classical-oriented lead guitarists such as Kirk Hammett in Metallica. Rhoads was also present on the follow-up album ‘Diary of a Madman,’ although his work there is less impressive due to the rushed release of that record.
This isn’t a perfect album, but it does contain several perfect and timeless heavy metal songs and its structure is more solid than that of Ozzy’s later releases. I personally don’t have a problem with the 2002 remastering changes, petty as they may be, as Blizzard of Ozz is a rock classic in both incarnations and the change in band members will only be noticed by long-time fans. The remastered release also features multimedia music videos, despite the fact that all interest in these features was lost circa 2001. Ozzy’s best, and one of classic metal’s finest.
...and yes, this was the album publicised by Ozzy drunkenly biting the head off a dove at a record label press conference, in case you were wondering when I would get onto that. The so-called Prince of Darkness was banned from several states but there were very obvious benefits. In the wicked world of heavy metal, bad publicity is the best publicity.
Advantages: Excellent guitars and vocals, Fun, upbeat heavy metal, Departure from Black Sabbath
Disadvantages: Some weak links, Not to everyone's taste
Diary of a Madman
Losing My Sanity, Again
***
Written on 01.06.07
The second 'solo' album from the expelled Black Sabbath frontman would sadly be his last with guitarist Randy Rhoads, whose tragic death in a private plane accident would remove the neoclassical influence and bodacious guitar solos from Ozzy's material. The singer would subsequently choose, presumably as a result of these early albums' consistent theme of madness, to pursue a 'hair metal' glam direction.
The lyrical focus on insanity throughout much of the album makes it almost an accidental concept album, while also indicating a lack of creativity in deriving on what was basically the message of the band's earlier hit 'Crazy Train.' Ozzy and company's second release of 1981, 'Diary of a Madman' is in all respects a perfect example of a rushed sophomore slump, recycling ideas from 'Blizzard of Ozz' and failing entirely to recapture the high quality and simplistic charm of that predecessor. Then again, this rapid release allows a final swan song for Rhoads, less memorable than his work on the first album but still serving as the main highlight of a release sparingly peppered with fantastic solos and the occasional strong lead riff.
1. Over the Mountain
2. Flying High Again
3. You Can't Kill Rock and Roll
4. Believer
5. Little Dolls
6. Tonight
7. S.A.T.O.
8. Diary of a Madman
Only serving to further prove the desperate stretching of ideas, the first two songs not only deal with madness, or more specifically an alternative and criticised point of view, but are also, and this is the regrettable but admittedly ironic part, about flying. Planes have been a consistent subject in heavy metal, from Iron Maiden's appreciation of the Spitfire experience to Queensrÿche, and more recently Edguy, celebrating stewardesses. A drum intro leads into a great melodic guitar riff from Rhoads, before Ozzy's legendary voice (not for all the right reasons) harks back to the glory days of several months earlier, with the previous album. Deserving special attention is Bob Daisley's bass guitar, wrongly credited to Rudy Sarzo in the booklet, which makes its presence felt on both of these early albums more prominently than many similar bands would attempt, especially in the slower, and more blues-based songs like 'Flying High Again,' strongly reminiscent of the earlier material of Ozzy's Brummie brethren Judas Priest. If Ozzy’s ‘mama’ here is intended to be his wife as rumoured, the ‘flying’ is likely yet another lazy metaphor for drug use. These opening songs are catchy and almost up to the standard of the previous album, but even Randy Rhoads' excellent solos, at their best here, can't disguise the tired formula.
The third track, re-using the structure of the previous album, is the obligatory part-acoustic ballad, only this time it's a tribute to rock and roll, placing it immediately ahead of 'Goodbye to Romance.' The acoustic guitar sounds nicely but derivatively Mediterranean, but this is more likely due to early eighties production than anything intentional, as the same sound can be found in Iron Maiden's 'Prodigal Son.' The chorus is the most uplifting so far, pre-empting heavy metal bands' obsessions with celebrating heavy metal through lyrics in the eighties, particularly in the self-aggrandising work of Manowar, and it's hard not to empathise with the Ozzman. Nevertheless, the very next track 'Believer,' a middle-of-the-road song like most of the remaining tracks, marks the exact point at which Ozzy's wails became irritating to my ears, and I was disappointed that the song wasn't the controlled instrumental jam it initially hinted towards. The frustration continues with 'Little Dolls,' in which he sings a poorly conceived duet of sorts with himself, the primary reason seemingly to fit more into each verse than would be possible without overdubbing a different vocal take in-between. I've never been a fan of the high register Ozzy shifted into after performing perfectly well with a dingy monotone in the first four Black Sabbath albums, but I presume it has something to do with attracting the radar of bats, which he can then decapitate with his teeth.
'Tonight,' as can probably be deduced from the title, is another power ballad, but on that's heavier on the guitar noodling this time, eventually being forced to fade out on Rhoads' neoclassical mania in a similar manner to the earlier classic 'Mr. Crowley.' Daisley's bass is at its best here, driving the slow song along, and even Ozzy tones down a little, although this song is far from impressive or necessary by this point. Fortunately, the album pulls the 'strong beginning and end to disguise the weak middle half' trick, and the final two songs return to the speedy rock of the first song, climaxing in the excellent 'Diary of a Madman.' This song immediately hits the listener with the best riff on the album, but it's still only the forgotten middle brother between 'Crazy Train' and the later, inexplicably popular hit 'Bark at the Moon.'
I've spent the majority of this review slagging this album off in comparison to 'Blizzard of Ozz,' and considering the close proximity of the releases, and the essential fact that this an inferior copy of that classic album, it is entirely the right thing to do. The live 'Tribute to Randy Rhoads' album features the best of these songs amidst much better earlier material, with a couple of Sabbath classics thrown in to fill up the set-list of the burgeoning band, and for all but the die-hard Ozzy or Rhoads fan, 'Diary of a Madman' is the first piece in Ozzy Osbourne's back catalogue that can be justifiably ignored, along with almost everything the band would release thereafter in its many incarnations right up the present day, the exception being the single song 'Perry Mason' from 1997's Ozzmosis album, which is a great return to form, and is about Perry Mason.
Choice cuts from 'Diary of a Madman' are the title track, 'Over the Mountain' and, if you're feeling dreamy and a little cheesy, 'You Can't Kill Rock and Roll,' which the band thankfully didn't choose to title 'You Can't Kill Randy Rhoads.' I don't know what I'm talking about. The album clocks in at under forty minutes, so it won't take up too much of your time, and extensive re-releases of Ozzy Osbourne's back catalogue make it readily available in all places. Nevertheless, it would be wise to avoid the recent re-issue which replaced the original bass and drum recordings with those of Ozzy’s more recent band members due to legal disputes and, more generally, Sharon Osbourne.
Advantages: The final performances of Randy Rhoads.
Disadvantages: Inferior and not-very-long-awaited follow-up to 'Blizzard of Ozz.'
Ozzmosis
Sensitive Side of the Bat-Biter
****
Written on 31.05.04
THE MAN, THE MYTH
Everyone has heard of Ozzy Osbourne.
The original vocalist of Birmingham pioneers of heavy metal Black Sabbath, who due to disagreements pursued a staggeringly successful solo career that has continued, despite a number of increasingly controversial setbacks, to this day.
I have liked Ozzy Osbourne’s music for a number of years, and many a half-hour has been spent around a friend’s house, absent-mindedly watching VH1 documentaries on the rock legend’s life and always accidental (or just motivated by vast amounts of alcohol) publicity stunts. He bit the head off a dove at his record signing party with major label Epic and later had to receive inoculations after biting the head off what he presumed to be a rubber bat that had been thrown on stage; the bat in question was merely ‘unconscious.’ Being arrested and banned from an American state for unknowingly urinating on the Alamo while wearing his wife’s green dress seems almost too hysterical to be believed, while more sombre, drug-fuelled antics such as attempting to strangle his beloved wife and his grief at the loss of guitarist and close friend Randy Rhodes has ensured that he is never a one-dimensional man in the public eye.
Ozzy Osbourne recorded ‘Ozzmosis’ in 1995, a number of years after releasing what was widely believed to be his final album. In a 1992 interview, Ozzy announced his intention to continue releasing albums with high hopes that he will continue to improve, stating “I haven’t made my Sergeant Pepper yet” as a reference to the popular progressive album by the Beatles. It’s a shame that the singer is now arguably most commonly associated with the terrible reality TV show following the ‘hilarious’ antics of himself and his family members, it remains to be seen whether this will affect his continuing musical career.
OZZMOSIS
This quite appallingly named album is often described as ‘epic, ballad Ozzy’ and that description fits most of the tracks. Unlike some of the maniac’s previous releases such as ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ and ‘Bark at the Moon,’ this is quite a slow album without any ‘in-yer-face’ blaring rock anthems, but as such it presents a more reflective and sensitive side of Ozzy Osbourne while also bringing his music into the 90s with hard rock guitar, bass and drum rhythms.
1. PERRY MASON
The first single off this album, the incredibly catchy chorus left one of my friends unable to concentrate properly on one of his GCSE examinations a few years ago when it wormed its way into his head, and it is a great rock track. Like everything on this album it is fairly slow and a little reflective, but still retains the trademark Ozzy heaviness – anyone who hates Ozzy’s whining vocals shouldn’t be put off by the mid-tempo chorus here, but may want to miss out some of the later tracks. Quite a quirky song and, yes, it’s about that TV investigator guy.
“I don't mind, draw the line then draw me an arrow
Feelin' fine, then I'll see you my friend
Over and over again
Who can we get on the case?
We need Perry Mason”
2.I JUST WANT YOU
My favourite song on the album, this has great driving guitar riffs throughout as well as almost spoken, deep vocals from Ozzy in the verses and for most of the chorus. Still quite slow, this feels like more of an epic track due to the background orchestration that almost subliminally compliments the hard rock, and I love Ozzy’s voice in this one. The chorus becomes a little repetitive in the last couple of minutes, but moving to a higher pitch counteracts this, and it’s an excellent rock track that doesn’t overpower the listener.
“There are no incurable ills
There are no unkillable thrills
One thing and you know it's true,
I don't ask much
I just want you”
3. GHOST BEHIND MY EYES
With a mellow guitar melody from the onset, it’s clear that this is going to be something of a ballad, and that it is. Ozzy reaches for a couple of the higher notes this time round, which will serve to both please and annoy different people, but it’s a nice song that could have been better. Once the title has been sung in the chorus there’s little else for the song to do, but it pads out to over five minutes; at least it’s still got the rock elements, even if they are purposefully subdued.
“The princess of the dark has made my mind home
My haunted head and her won't leave me alone
She dances on my heart with fire in my soul
I hate that feeling when I'm losing control”
4. THUNDER UNDERGROUND
A quiet, over-distorted riff introduces the track and proceeds throughout, maintaining a heavy but slow rhythm behind Ozzy’s slightly haunting vocals. The lyrics play a big part in the experience of this track, as I find it easy to imagine myself drifting to my doom when Ozzy proclaims “you think you live forever,” and this is one of the tracks that can leave your mind wandering until you realise it’s just started to fade out and you’re listening to an Ozzy Osbourne album. Quite good, but nothing too special.
“Your morbid fear of losing
Destroys the lives you're using
You only have one point of view
The stigma of delusion
Confirms your self illusion
And after all this could be you”
5. SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE
Another ballad-esque track but with much heavier riffs this time round, so I suppose it would be described as a ‘power ballad.’ Personally, I find Ozzy’s vocals the saving grace of this track, especially during the chorus. This is the first track to feature any real progression or change of beat and as such it deserves extra credit, another of the better tracks with some meaningful lyrics once again.
“Though I know we must be parted
As sure as stars are in the sky
I'm gonna see when it comes to glory
And I'll see you, I'll see you on the other side”
6. TOMORROW
This begins with a quiet, bass-led section and has some interesting fade-in vocal effects before a drum slap indicates the main section of the song has begun. Ozzy’s voice alternates between an almost spoken, fairly deep voice and his mid-range singing choruses, and both sound excellent without going over the top. The guitars sound really good here, a little better than on most of the tracks where Ozzy’s voice has been preserved as the main element, but this is a more generous ensemble affair that’s all the better as a result. Similarly to the last track, this changes tempo in the middle with some weird, distorted guitars and vocals before the song returns.
One of my favourites along with the first two tracks, although it does last longer than necessary at nearly ten minutes – watery vocal sections and aircraft samples cannot pad this out, but it does have the saving grace of a great solo that breaks up the song and creates anticipation when the chorus returns. My one gripe with the otherwise excellent track is that the last two minutes are completely unnecessary and count against the song, but it did give me a solo for a change so I shouldn’t complain.
“Living in the thunder driving me insane
Can I get a witness to take away the pain
Walking on the water going nowhere fast
Feeling like I'm walking with no shoes on broken glass”
7. DENIAL
Some nice drumming precedes the telltale ballad guitar sound again and some grating vocals from the Ozzman. As the song continues the listener gets used to the vocals a little, but Ozzy’s voice here utilises the exact pitch of his that I don’t like, and when he sings the slow verses in that irritating voice I can’t help but get the mental image of the man with his round sunglasses on, opening his mouth wider than necessary and grinning stupidly as if he’s aware of the terrible noises his otherwise talented vocal chords are creating. But that’s just me. The guitar actually gets another chance to shine here with a second solo, it’s just a shame that I hate the vocals as this would otherwise be a very good, emotional track, despite some frivolous samples.
“I don't drink holy water, I'm not a son of Christ
I ain't no black messiah, and I don't load my dice
You can tell me you're all right, but why are you so afraid?”
8. MY LITTLE MAN
I don’t really like this song. The ‘off-ballad’ style has become tiresome by this point, and in many places I find myself expecting the chorus from ‘Ghost Behind My Eyes’ to come back. The use of a choir in the background is a nice touch, but not one I particularly like, and in many places there seems to be too much going on or something astray; a bit of a weird feeling, but one that prevents me being at ease when I listen to this. The instruments are as good as ever, and Ozzy’s vocals are standable.
“Don't you know I love you more than life itself,
Don't you know that you're my pride
And I would not have you walking through this world.
Without me by your side”
9. MY JEKYLL DOESN’T HIDE
Some guitar sustain (anyone seen ‘Spinal Tap?’) introduces what is obviously a return to the heavier side of the album, and an unusual choking guitar sound punctuates the riffs. Ozzy’s voice is back to its regular madman tempo and the song is a fairly ordinary affair with some interesting developments in the middle. The main riffs sound like they’ve been done before, but there’s something about the guitar solo section that I really, really enjoy. A little long and Ozzy’s vocals could be a bit better, but it’s a solid track and my favourite one in this latter part of the album.
“Condemned to violence
Arrested by pain
Inside the soul lies a man insane
Conceived in anger
Addicted to hate
The mutant child of a twisted state”
10. OLD L.A. TONIGHT
This final track is a little difficult to rate, as it’s not my kind of music but I appreciate its inclusion as adding something extra to the album. Where many of the tracks have been ballad-like, this is the only true song to fit that description, driven by a piano and soft electric guitar in the background, using lighter drum sounds in the chorus and ensemble vocals. It’s very memorable and, at the risk of sounding even less man than I am already, beautiful, but the guitar and piano combo makes it sound at times like I’m listening to a Robbie Williams song and that’s not what I listen to Ozzy for. This is probably the most accessible track here, but doesn’t give a fair impression of the rest of the album, and is more akin to a ‘greatest love rock songs’ collection.
“Those summer nights when I look in your eyes
I'm falling to pieces, pieces out of my mind
And I'll never know why
I'm falling to pieces, pieces
It's gonna be all right in old L.A. tonight”
VERDICT
It’s easy to see how this takes a different approach to Ozzy’s earlier music, and it’s certainly got an element of ‘let’s modernise the guy a bit.’ As I’ve brought myself up on fairly modern music, with the exception of the eighties rubbish I like, I prefer this to Ozzy’s other work and some of the tracks are modern rock classics. The album has its flaws though, as some of the tracks sound very similar and the melancholy feel doesn’t really let up throughout, but anyone new to the Ozzman would be surprised by the sensitive side shown in these tracks.
Anyone who enjoys a good power ballad, perhaps even from the likes of Meatloaf, can hold hands with fans of Black Sabbath and dance around this album, a great CD that wasn’t really a comeback, but made sure the music populace knew Ozzy Osbourne was still rocking.
Favourite tracks: I Just Want You, Perry Mason, Tomorrow.
Advantages: Great tracks, A really interesting, slow style throughout, Excellent musicians and vocals
Disadvantages: Some tracks sound similar, Not really as 'epic' as it should be
P
The Great Southern Trendkill
Drag the Waters Some More
***
Written on 17.07.06
It’s something of a cliché that any and all reviews of Pantera will focus on the extent of their heaviness in comparison to whichever movement of ‘nu’ metal is impressing the kids at the time, but this is difficult to avoid due to the band’s elitist, f***-everything attitude being constantly shoved down our eardrums. Nowhere is this more prominent than in their penultimate album, 1996’s The Great Southern Trendkill. Proud of their distance from mainstream trends, Pantera would have you believe that this album is the peak of their career, a violent aural assault that would surely crush the skull of any unenlightened bystander who happened to overhear its full force without preparing for the experience. In truth, this album is mostly regarded as something of a let-down, or worse, the point at which Pantera became an obstinate, heroin-fuelled parody of itself, abusing the ‘groove metal’ sound they had pioneered.
It’s clear that this album, the fourth of the band’s post-1990 incarnation, seems to deliberately look backwards towards the violent sound of Vulgar Display of Power, but this earlier album is used as a benchmark rather than as something to be reproduced. The production values are excellent this time round, and this allows for the powerful tripartite structure of Pantera’s sound to be experienced for the first time: the late ‘Dimebag’ Darrell Abbott’s screeching guitars on top, his brother Vinnie Paul Abbott’s furious death metal inspired drums below, and Rex’s clanking bass keeping the rhythm in between when the brothers veer off into unrestrained solos.
Pantera’s strength always lay in the combo of Dimebag and Vinnie Paul, and this album is just the same. Only this time, the riffs are less structured, the songs less predictable and the attention spans significantly depleted. Phil Anselmo’s vocals have begun to suffer by this point, likely a consequence of screaming and roaring at Pantera shows for most of the decade, and are the main weakness of this album, which is otherwise interesting, evolved and every bit as good as previous releases. Oh yeah, and heavy too. F***ing brutal.
1. The Great Southern Trendkill
2. War Nerve
3. Drag the Waters
4. 10’s
5. 13 Steps to Nowhere
6. Suicide Note Part I
7. Suicide Note Part II
8. Living Through Me (Hell’s Wrath)
9. Floods
10. The Underground in America
11. (Reprise) Sandblasted Skin
No song on this album is content to rely on a single riff. There are variations, random five second solos and acoustic passages and tempo changes all over the place, making for something of an unsettling listen. However, there’s enough consistency to hold it all together, and some songs inevitably end up sounding the same. Only as the album approaches the end and runs out of steam do tracks begin to genuinely sound like re-hashes of earlier material, the mediocre ‘Living Through Me’ sounding like a Cowboys B-side and the unnecessary ‘The Underground in America’ reminding of that bunch of throwaway rebel-metal songs towards the end of Vulgar Display of Power. Aside from these two sad oddities, surrounding what is probably the best song Pantera ever recorded, The Great Southern Trendkill has a distinctive and inimitable sound both in the band’s discography and in heavy metal as a whole, although the band members make a couple of glaring errors along the way.
The opening title track wastes no time getting into the thick of things, Anselmo’s scream-for-the-sake-of-screaming over the thundering opening riff soon giving way to one of the album’s few genuinely grooving riffs, proving that not everything they learned for their previous album has been forgotten. This song works as the archetype of the band’s sound at this point in their career, throwing out unexpected speedy sections every once in a while that sit perfectly alongside the slower main riffs. Dimebag shows off his guitar work a little in the second half, as he does on most of the tracks here. ‘Sandblasted Skin,’ the final track on the album, sounds much like a repeat of this opening track, only weaker.
‘War Nerve’ is a classic headbanging song, the main focus being on the slower pounding drums this time. Pointlessly over-aggressive lyrics rasped over the driving drum and guitar rhythm makes for an average Pantera song, one that probably goes well with some beers and your best buds. This style continues later in the album with the oft-overlooked ’13 Steps to Nowhere,’ which offers a godd drum intro to Vinnie Paul and a nice duet-type thing between Dimebag’s squeaking guitar and Rex’s bass towards the end. This latter song is definitely the album’s best headbanger, the slower section only teasing the listener before the riffs kick in again, and I dare you to resist.
The most well-known song here is the similarly headbanging ‘Drag the Waters,’ a Pantera classic with its Texan groove and nice touches like cowbells. Anselmso returns to the sore-throat vocals of the previous albums, while there’s a really cool chaotic instrumental section at the end. The grammatically strange ‘10’s’ is the best of the album so far; its reflective, Black Sabbath-style pace, faux-acoustic guitar, melodic guitar solo and clean vocals overshadowed only the later song ‘Floods’… which essentially re-uses all of these elements but results in a far more impressive song. Featuring Dimebag’s finest guitar work, ‘Floods’ definitely belongs to him. The first half is less heavy than the second but the song is so well structured that there’s no obvious discrepancy, and nice touches like sound effects and almost subliminal backing vocals enhance what would have already been an amazing song into a masterpiece of metal.
The middle of the album is dominated by the ‘Suicide Note’ pair, and this is the bone of contention for many fans. In my opinion, there is absolutely nothing to link these songs beyond their lyrical focus on suicide, specifically Anselmo’s brief experience of death after having overdosed on heroin, as they sound less alike than any other two songs on the album. Tackling each song individually, they don’t hold up to much either: ‘Part I’ is pleasing enough for the first few listens, something of a dark country song played on acoustic guitar and enhanced by intelligent use of synthesisers to create atmosphere, yet the song never sounds particularly bleak or sorrowful. This may be because it’s all in major rather than the more customarily melancholy minor keys, or because it’s difficult to take Anselmo’s drones seriously after all that screaming. ‘Part II’ has the distinction of being the worst song on the album, and one of the worst the band has ever recorded. The emphasis is on rip-roaring speed, something Pantera has never excelled at or really experimented with, but with Dimebag’s oversqueaking discordant notes and Anselmo’s painful screeching, the song only becomes palatable once it’s slowed down a few notches for the subsequent riffs. Pantera should never try to sound like Slayer, especially as songs like ‘Floods’ and ‘10’s’ from this album demonstrate their excellence lies elsewhere.
This album isn’t exactly the phenomenon that the band promised their fans in 1998, but it’s my personal favourite of their discography. The precision and beneficial camaraderie evident on Vulgar Display of Power is long gone, and the band members occasionally seem to be doing their own thing irrespective of what everyone else is doing, but they all change speed and rhythm at the same time so all’s well. This isn’t an easy album to sit through, though this is more due to its tedium than being overpowered by its force. After all, there’s always the volume dial.
The sound and message of the vocals get annoying quite early on and never really improve, especially with the repetition of ‘the trend is dead’ or similar catch-phrases in no less than four songs. The repetition of water themes is similarly odd, but as this leads to the album’s finest songs I can’t really complain. Similarly, it’s debatable whether ‘Suicide Note’ sends out the right message in its so-so appraisal; a band this big have something of an obligation to the fans they’re going to influence, and it’s unlikely that they ever really considered this responsibility. This album’s strength lies in the few excellent songs it provides that still sound excellent out of context, especially ‘Floods.’ Even Pantera classic ‘Cemetery Gates’ doesn’t hold up to this, and there’s a nice section at the end that basically sounds like Dimebag Darrell needing a little bit more time to play his guitar before he’s through, and the band permitting him.
Hearing Dimebag’s melodic solo over the muted thunder cracks and rainfall, it’s sad to think how much more Pantera could have offered if they’d focused on songs like this more regularly, rather than once or twice per album. It’s also sad that Dimebag, who was pointlessly shot dead last year by some enraged fan or other, will never get to play this stuff again. Perhaps he tended to get a little over-rated as a guitarist (he wasn’t really one of the best in the world as many magazines would have you believe), but his collaboration with sibling Vinnie Paul made Pantera a pretty interesting metal band, sufficiently over-the-top in its attitude that fans could forgive them for never releasing a particularly solid album.
Advantages: A couple of great songs when the band mellows out a little
Disadvantages: Too much pointless aggression, even sounding forced in places
Atom Heart Mother
Funky Dung
***
Written on 27.11.05
Produced during Pink Floyd’s most experimental period, the transition between their original psychedelic sound and the more restrained and concise sound of ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ and beyond, ‘Atom Heart Mother’ is certainly a very interesting item in the band’s discography. And that’s not just because of the huge cow on the cover.
The title ‘suite’ of Atom Heart Mother is a 24 minute piece combining the instrumental skills of the band with orchestration. Now a common occurrence, even outside of prog with bands such as Metallica and even Kiss teaming up with local symphonies for a classical treatment of their hits, Pink Floyd were (arguably) the first to combine these elements and created what to some fans is a masterpiece; to others, a waste of time. Most commend its effort.
Modern 80-minute-capable CDs hide some of the nice touches of these early prog albums, especially in their separation of longer, ‘epic’ pieces from more accessible, straightforward numbers on alternate sides of the original LP. With their following album, the excellent ‘Meddle,’ Pink Floyd saved the 20-odd minute piece for the finale, after warming up with shorter songs of varying degrees of originality. With Atom Heart Mother, the listener is thrust into the odd but enjoyable bombast from the onset.
SIDE ONE
1. Atom Heart Mother
a) Father’s Shout
b) Breast Milky
c) Mother Fore
d) Funky Dung
e) Mind Your Throats Please
f) Remergence
The separation of movements in the title suite are largely irrelevant, especially as no corresponding subject matter is being conveyed (interpret the real meaning of the music as you wish). The powerful and effective opening theme sets things up nicely and is easily the highlight of the song, resurfacing about two-thirds of the way through as a kind of premature conclusion before the music veers wildly away from its original sound. Around about ‘Breast Milky’ the song becomes subdued and led by Roger Waters’ bass until a choir eventually joins (‘Mother Fore’?), chanting unintelligible lyrics that nonetheless suit the music.
Ominous synthesised sounds with varying degrees of effectiveness take over at around fifteen minutes, similar to what would later emerge from Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) twenty-five years later, before the final five or so minutes, after the announcement ‘silence in the studio,’ mainly showcase David Gilmour’s excellent guitar work, backed by a cacophony of horns.
This song is interesting. Long, but not unbearable. In fact I really like it. The whole thing is pretty overblown, especially when heard in contrast to the other half of the album, and the orchestration does tend to flood the speakers when it would be nicer to hear the band play in accompaniment. Even leaving aside the originality, this is enjoyable to listen to for fans of progressive rock and classical music, but probably nobody else in the universe. It’s interesting to see the increasing departure from long, meandering space rock of ‘A Saucerful of Secrets’ and ‘Careful With that Axe, Eugene’ towards the more meaningful and palatable epics ‘Echoes’ and ‘Dark Side of the Moon,’ even if this does sit a little uncomfortable in the middle ground.
SIDE TWO
2. If
3. Summer '68
4. Fat Old Sun
5. Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast
a) Rise and Shine
b) Sunny Side Up
c) Morning Glory
As usual for the band at this stage of their career, the reverse side (or ‘the other songs’) is less of an ensemble effort, seeing each band member contribute a song they have written themselves. Unlike the non-live songs on the previous album ‘Ummagumma,’ these songs involve all (or most) band members and don’t serve as irritating solo pieces that are only of use to critics of the band and the genre. The songs contained here are a bit of a mixed bag, ranging from exceptionally inspired to rubbish.
‘If’ and ‘Fat Old Sun’ are soft, slow acoustic pieces, the first of which, Waters’ piece, almost seems like a cynical precursor to the later days of ‘The Wall’ and ‘The Final Cut.’ It’s nice and very quiet, perhaps what is needed after the title track (for those listeners paying attention at least), but nothing extraordinary. The same goes for Gimour’s ‘Fat Old Sun,’ although clocking in at nearly six minutes it does drag on, especially as ‘If’ has already been included. He does contribute some nice subdued guitar though.
‘Summer '68’ is, for most fans, the highlight of this second side, and for me is the high point of the album. Not completely original, sounding similar to a quiet Beatles song in the verses, the chorus and instrumental sections mark this out as something special. Keyboard man Rick Wright recruits a less imposing horn section for a great refrain, personally reminding me of synthesised video game soundtracks from the early nineties, which is often a good thing. The acoustic guitar is put through its paces and sounds nicely strained as the music becomes a little louder, while the ending is a nice continuation that avoids the band’s annoying habit of simply repeating what’s already happened in a track. Perhaps diluted by its acoustic neighbours on this CD, ‘Summer '68’ is a reasonably obscure Pink Floyd classic.
In contrast to this, we have ‘Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast.’ Fourteen stupid minutes passed of as a jamming conclusion. The lack of any real coherence in the album is a little relaxing, and this song epitomises the attitude. Prog fans who have listened to later, more complex albums like ‘The Wall’ or ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway’ by Genesis are allowed to rest their brains with some half-arsed ditties and sound effects structured around the loose theme of having breakfast in Los Angeles.
‘Rise and Shine’ is a little piano ditty that could be seen to represent the breaking of morning, but wouldn’t really do this without the background noises and repetition of ‘marmalade, I like marmalade’ (good for you), ‘Sunny Side Up’ brings in the guitar to play a forgettable soothing tune ending with the crackling of frying pans and yet more recorded breakfast dialogue, leaving ‘Morning Glory’ (wa-hey!) to try and justify the song’s inclusion a bit by introducing what sounds like a Hammond organ. Strange, but that sounds like a contradiction in terms to me. A silly song, but if you’re occupied and don’t realise that the album’s still playing after the thirty minute mark it isn’t the end of the world.
VERDICT
Maybe I’ve been a little harsh on some of the content here, after all I do view Atom Heart Mother as primarily an album to soothe the savage beast. The first track is too long, but what the hell? At least it doesn’t try to keep the listener hanging on every little instrument change like some modern progressive metal. It obviously isn’t up the standard of classical music, it’s a prog rock song, so for rock fans, it’s a nicer alternative (unless we’re talking Mussorgsky). ‘If’ is interesting, ‘Summer '68’ is great, ‘Fat Old Sun’ is a little unnecessary and ‘Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast’ is sufficiently quiet.
The sound quality of this album isn’t really comparable to the band’s later work, and this does date it more than their technically accomplished work from 1973 onwards. Pink Floyd fans who have started later on in the catalogue would we advised to tread backwards slowly and carefully, savouring this album’s follow-up ‘Meddle’ and perhaps taking in the psychedelic 1973 debut before picking up the one with the cow on the front.
Advantages: An original idea, a relaxing album. Interesting to view in hindsight.
Disadvantages: A little lacking in effort, particularly in the second half.
Obscured by Clouds
In the Valley in the Shadow of the Dark Side of the Moon
**
Written on 23.07.06
The last album released by Pink Floyd before their groundbreaking masterpiece ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ remains one of the band’s most overlooked works, and perhaps with good reason. ‘Obscured by Clouds’ was composed for the obscure French film La Vallée, which translated as ‘The Valley,’ as if you needed me to tell you that. IMDB tells us that La Vallée is directed by Barbet Schroeder, whoever that is, and is a documentary of sorts about some hipp… I mean, sexually liberated young people seeking enlightenment in the rainforest. I admire Pink Floyd’s strange artistic ethics that saw them turn down Stanley Kubrick’s request to use their existing music in ‘A Clockwork Orange,’ but that allows them to compose a whole album of music for a hopelessly obscure French art film.
However noble the band’s intentions, no collection of original Pink Floyd material is going to remain particularly rare or obscure, and Obscured by Clouds is readily available in most good music shops online or on the planet Earth, despite being something of a collector’s-only CD in terms of its appeal. Even in 1972 the band was hardly unknown, having achieved #1 on the album charts with ‘Atom Heart Mother’ and proving increasingly popular at live shows. Obscured by Clouds is notably different from the band’s other work, following more of a traditional hard rock style in contrast to the more epic and progressive pieces the band are more famous for, and sounding less original and impressive as a result.
It’s alleged that Obscured by Clouds took the band one week to write and record. I assume this is true to an extent, but it’s likely that a lot of it represents ideas that had been circulating for a while, evidenced by the close similarity of some songs to material that would end up on Dark Side of the Moon in a far more refined form. The production job does sound pretty rushed, and as orgasmic as some of David Gilmour’s guitar solos are, much of the instrumentation could be pretty interchangeable amongst tracks. A lot of the variation comes from mundane changes, like slow versus fast songs and the occasional instrumental. Aside from this, the album follows one type of sound throughout, which isn’t a bad thing considering it’s all intended to link thematically to a film. The album stands alone in the Pink Floyd discography, while also forming an interesting if shaky bridge between two important eras of the band’s sound.
This album is dominated by guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour, but Gilmour is aided greatly by Richard Wright’s keyboards and Hammond organ backing. As the music follows a classic rock style and ditches a lot of the avant-garde stuff, Wright’s duties primarily involve supplementing whatever the guitar, bass and drums are doing, but he nevertheless takes many opportunities to enhance what would otherwise be substandard songs into interesting ditties worthy of a listener’s attention. This is most notable in the opening and closing instrumentals ‘Obscured by Clouds’ and ‘Absolutely Curtains.’ The first begins with deep, throbbing synth that lasts throughout, providing a real bass line for Gilmour’s solos to soar over to improve on Roger Waters’ bass guitar, which is hardly noticeable throughout the album. ‘Absolutely Curtains’ is similarly synth-led, but at a higher pitch this time, incredibly atmospheric and reminiscent of the band’s later masterpiece ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond.’ The song ‘Free Four’ would sound stupidly optimistic without Wright’s intermittent bursts of dark keyboard, and elsewhere in the album he contributes piano melodies and understated Hammond organ.
With more freedom than he would be permitted on the more stringently structured releases the band would produce hereafter, David Gilmour really lets his guitar skills shine. He doesn’t achieve anything innovative here, as Obscured by Clouds unfortunately tends to look backwards for inspiration rather than forwards for progression, but it’s great to hear all those chilled out solos, somehow reminiscent of lying on the sand and watching the sun set on tropical beaches I’ve never even been to. Almost every song has one of these solos, slow and mellow as was the seventies way (I guess. I wasn’t there), but the slower songs feature especially relaxed contributions. ‘Burning Bridges’ and the inexplicably titled ‘Wot’s … Uh the Deal’ follow the style of the short acoustic songs on the albums ‘Atom Heart Mother’ and ‘Meddle,’ but without the acoustic guitars. Gilmour’s vocals are light and soothing, one of the few remnants here of the band’s psychedelic era, and the lengthy solos in each are freely interrupted by additional verses as if they themselves substitute for vocals.
Also pointlessly titled, ‘Gold it’s in the…’ follows more of a blues-rock sound, complete with catchy chorus and hard riffs, but like many songs on here ends up either repeating itself or inserting a guitar solo in place of a vocal reprise. ‘Free Four’ is similar in tempo and vocal style, but the daft opening and bouncy riff detract from its credibility, and confuse the issue of whether this is indeed a parody or just a disappointment. This same aesthetic issue would surface later in the band’s career with ‘The Wall.’ More interesting songs come in tracks 6 and 7 in the middle of the album, both of which contain hints of things to come on the album that would follow, and are among the best here: the instrumental ‘Mudmen’ has a great atmosphere, and the strange sound effects sound a lot like ‘The Travel Sequence’ that would feature on the band’s subsequent live show ‘Eclipse,’ later to be re-done and recorded as Dark Side’s ‘On the Run.’
Similarly, ‘Childhood’s End’ is an obvious precursor to ‘Time,’ Alan Parsons’ chiming clocks replaced by some cool spacey keyboards that still proceed to the fast-ticking drum beat and country-style vocals. The original version of ‘Time’ was slower than what ended up on the album, a can be heard on 1972 live bootlegs, and there are many similarities here… although it’s not as good. Even the lyrics deal with a similar theme of growing old and burning out: ‘life is a short warm moment, death is a long cold rest.’
I’m not sure how the band went about recording these songs: whether they had footage of the film to hand, or were trusted to do their own thing and come up with something fittingly appropriate. Collected here, it’s not clear how and why any of the music would be relevant, and it’s also annoyingly edited in places, presumably to keep within the standard forty minutes. The nice guitar-led instrumental ‘When You’re In’ fades out just as it starts to get even more interesting, yet the slower songs seem to last for far longer than necessary. Even as a stand-alone album this is nicely arranged, the penultimate song ‘Stay’ offering a nicely subdued piano ballad and ‘Absolutely Curtains’ (an appropriate title for once) leading out with some tribal chants.
It’s interesting that the band’s detractors often dismiss their more well-known, lengthier works as sounding like film scores, when there’s very little on this album that I can even conceive working well as part of any soundtrack. The music’s far too obtrusive and catchy to sit well alongside La Vallée’s alleged ‘commentary on the human condition,’ and apparently the combined end result was indeed disappointing. That’s what I’ve read anyway, I wouldn’t know, I haven’t watched it have I? Sounds like a load of boring rubbish about hipp… nature lovers. The album’s pretty fun though.
Obscured by Clouds sold poorly, but that can’t have been a major disappointment to the band, as they already had a ‘canonical’ studio album (‘Meddle’) and a compilation (‘Relics’) out that year, both of which were more warmly received. The music isn’t inherently off-putting, but doesn’t represent the band’s strength very well aside from Gilmour’s ability to produce nice guitar solos, which would be heard better on ‘Animals’ anyway. This album is by no means essential, unlike Dark Side of the Moon which I should hope you own already, and which is far too intimidating to consider reviewing on here. Not like this mediocre thing. I reiterate that the album’s pretty fun though, and I enjoy listening to it occasionally.
Soundtrack excuse or no, the music here only sounds tenuously like Pink Floyd, and despite the added vibrance of the live recording, the final product sounds dull, rushed and lazy even compared to their earlier, more interesting film scores for ‘More’ and ‘Zabriskie Point.’ At least the improvisation is more restrained and palatable than the band’s early days of playing at the UFO club, when ‘Interstellar Overdrive’ would be extended to about half an hour for the whacked-out hippie beatniks. Dang, I used the H word.
1. Obscured by Clouds
2. When You’re In
3. Burning Bridges
4. Gold it’s in the…
5. Wot’s… Uh the Deal
6. Mudmen
7. Childhood’s End
8. Free Four
9. Stay
10. Absolutely Curtains
Advantages: A different type of Pink Floyd for a different type of listener
Disadvantages: Rushed and disappointing, especially compared to the other music the band was creating by this point
Wish You Were Here
Sail on the Steel Breeze
*****
Written on 20.02.07
There’s not a great deal I could say about Pink Floyd’s 1975 album that hasn’t already been said. But obviously, you know, I’ll try and stuff. (This is why I normally write about bands like Subterranean Masquerade, whom you’ve never heard of).
The sequel to the phenomenally popular ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ was always going to be a huge seller based on legacy alone, which is a shame as this inevitably led to the band adopting a more radio-friendly and commercial sound forever after. The crazy kids whose boundless musical (and, I suppose, substance) experimentation produced such inspired 20-minute classics as ‘Echoes’ and such ridiculous 20-minute embarrassments as ‘Atom Heart Mother’ in equal measure, were now making albums targeted at the mass international audience they had snared. The band’s early discography is packed with incredible highs and lows, and though much of it is inherently rubbish, the audacity alone makes it enjoyable. Now a sensation thanks to the single ‘Money’ (I won’t bother pointing out the irony. Oh, whoops), the band were locked on board the gravy train, and the only way to de-rail it would be through an exhausting process of relentless alienation. This was almost accomplished before the ‘Household Objects’ project was scrapped, which would have seen the band producing an entire album by playing household appliances and things as instruments. They wisely chose to just continue being good, though it would have been interesting to hear a toilet solo.
‘Wish You Were Here’ was the not-too-long-awaited next album, and is easily the band’s most blatantly commercial effort so far. This doesn’t come at a cost to artistic integrity, and indeed it’s difficult to consider an album book-ended by two incredibly long halves of a nine-part suite as a ‘sell-out’ record, but by this point Pink Floyd knew how to make popular music, and how to present it to the public. The album’s production job is polished to the point that Rick Wright’s keyboards and David Gilmour’s melodic guitars, both the highlights of the album, seem almost to slip off the edge of the CD as each track fades into the next. The innovative samples famously incorporated into ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ are even more prominent here, and are arguably unnecessary in bridging these afore-mentioned gaps. The throbbing machine at the opening of track two is perfect, but the fuzzy crowd noise at the end, and the long wind that segues between the title track and the final song, seem more like deliberate attempts to make this all one piece of music in the way ‘Dark Side’ almost was. Gilmour and Roger Waters take turns at the microphone, and there’s even time for a nice, short acoustic song for people who don’t really like Pink Floyd. Add Storm Thorgerson’s cool photographic album sleeve and this becomes the archetypal album of Pink Floyd hereafter, the template Gilmour would fall back to after escaping from Waters’ domination in the late 80s.
‘Shine on You Crazy Diamond’ is one of Pink Floyd’s most famous songs, and I might as well say one of their best. The last great long song they would ever record, and probably only the second great long song after ‘Echoes,’ this nine-part suite is split in two and shoved to alternate ends of the record. It would make more sense as a complete song, but the interference of major record labels saw that this wasn’t allowed to happen. Who wants to buy a four-song album that takes half an hour to get going? The first half of fifteen minutes or so is the best, as the second half is largely a reprise aside from some great bass and guitar solos. Beginning in grand minimalist style with Wright’s booming and hypnotically slow spacey keyboards, Gilmour’s famous four-note melody creeps in, soon to be accompanied by drums and a whole load of other loud sounds. Waters’ vocals follow the trademark ‘whispered’ style of singing, but the chorus is bombastic and energetic. Some peoples’ attention spans will be too short to appreciate this song in its entirety, so it’s probably fortunate that it’s divided this way.
The middle of the album is notoriously weak in comparison to the incredible opening and closing pieces, but what we’re given is still highly enjoyable and a little diverse, at least in terms of which instrument is being favoured. ‘Welcome to the Machine’ is an ambiguous anthem of conformity that makes great use of faux-acoustic guitar over the hubbub of noises, but it’s nothing too exciting. ‘Have a Cigar’ is more upbeat and satirical and a chance for Wright’s keyboards to shine, even if that mostly means playing a prominent and potentially irritating riff between the verses. The vocals, criticising the music industry, are weirdly handled by Roy Harper, as Waters apparently had a cold and Gilmour wasn’t prepared to groan the hateful lyrics. This was probably the right decision, as his later attempts to handle such issues on ‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason’ were really terrible and unconvincing; he’s just not a nasty man. Following some phony radio transmission, presumably from an irritated listener who just couldn’t handle the satire of the last track, a tinny acoustic guitar is heard. The penultimate song sticks out from the synth-washed atmosphere and is the acoustic title track, ‘Wish You Were Here.’ With some nice lyrics and a catchy melody, this has remained a live favourite, but sounds a little out of place so far into this recording, a void escaping Wright’s Rick-Wakemen-esque domination of the airwaves elsewhere.
Another great Pink Floyd album, produced by a band with a different aura. Waters would take full creative control after this release, leading to the less impressive ‘Animals’ and the pop-rock-opera ‘The Wall’ that’s actually really good, whiney as it is. If Pink Floyd under Gilmour ever release another album, which is incredibly unlikely but not impossible, ‘Wish You Were Here’ will be their main reference point to make it ‘sound like Pink Floyd,’ just as they did for the last release ‘Division Bell’ thirteen years ago. The majority of this album, excluding tracks two and three, will continue to form part of any future live setlist, and the other two make quite a nice pair, their morals not being mutually exclusive. Wright recalls this album as one of the only Pink Floyd records he can listen to for enjoyment, and he really is at his best here, before his talents and contributions were watered down and finally fired the hell out of the band several years later. Gilmour is excellent too, while the bass aspects of Waters’ bass guitar and Nick Mason’s drums don’t impress in the same way, but keep the whole thing grounded. Dick Parry has a great squealing sax solo in ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ too.
‘Shine On’ was being performed by the band before they had even made plans for a new album, and as such the rest of the material is a little weaker and forced in an effort to fill up space, making me wonder what other delights or atrocities may have appeared if this had been produced in the digital world of longer playing times. A tribute to their old comrade Syd Barrett, a mad visionary with a penchant for gnomes, bikes and LSD, there was a famous incident where Syd turned up to the studio half-way through its recording and asked if he could ‘do his bit.’ There were tears and hugs from his former bandmates, and the spirit of Syd would dominate this entire recording. Some crazy people claim that this album syncs up with Ridley Scott’s ‘Blade Runner’ in the same way ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ fits tenuously with ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ These people are wrong, and mad.
And if they really liked Syd Barrett that much, they probably would have let him do his bit, or at least a bit of something. But no cigar.
Advantages: Distinctive sound, incredible guitar/keyboard album
Disadvantages: A bit samey, and weak in the middle
Animals
Somewhere Safe to Bury My Bone
***
Written on 07.01.06
Roger Waters designed an inflatable pig, the said pig was built by a dedicated team and suspended by Battersea power station in 1977, and then blew away, much to the shock of air traffic control and the local public. But thankfully enough material was composited together to make another iconic album cover for Pink Floyd, by this time one of the biggest sensations in the music world.
After the landmark technological soundscapes of 'Dark Side of the Moon' and 'Wish You Were Here,' Pink Floyd, or rather Roger Waters, opted for a less polished and more 'live' attitude to the music, which primarily involved relegating Richard Wright's keyboards to backing duties (before firing Wright altogether during recording of the follow-up album). This allowed for even greater focus on David Gilmour's ever-improving guitar skills, Roger's vocals and innovative bass and Nick Mason's frantic drumming.
Surprisingly, despite its more aggressive and stripped-down sound, Animals fails to break in a completely new era for Pink Floyd due to the persistently slow pace of the consciously structured songs. The concept, written by Waters and the start of his almost totalitarian control of the band's output (culminating in 'The Wall' and 'The Final Cut'), is admittedly based on George Orwell's farmyard/politics allegory novel 'Animal Farm,' criticising a national and global climate that Waters was feeling increasingly dismayed and infuriated by.
I'm not put off by song length; some of my favourite albums are composed as one extended piece of music, but those extra minutes have to earn their keep. Pink Floyd's earlier albums and live shows were rife with long, improvised pieces or extensions to existing songs that are great to unwind to, but after the more precise concept focus instigated by 'Dark Side of the Moon,' the band seem to have lost their knack for crafting epics, and the material instead sounds repetitive.
'Dogs,' 'Pigs (Three Different Ones)' and 'Sheep' all follow the exact same structure: a gradual build-up from either silence or a basic rhythm to a recognisable main riff and verse section that repeats before fading into a quieter section with relevant animals sounds and exploding again towards the end.
This worked for the earlier twenty-three minute 'Echoes,' seen by many as the band's crowning achievement, and it is clearly successful in Animals due to the album's popularity, but I can't help feeling cheated out of several additional songs when the second half of the song basically reverses the style of the first half, save for the occasional good but ultimately disposable guitar solo. At under ten minutes, 'Sheep' is the only song that really gets away with this, the muted section being shorter and the closing minute dominated by Gilmour's brilliant guitar solo, but at almost double the length, 'Dogs' is a prime candidate for an editing job that was never performed.
This is a shame, as despite being ridiculously overlong, 'Dogs' is probably the best song on here and deserves to be included on best-of compilations without record company heretics earning the wrath of fans by shaving minutes off. The lyrics are bitter and bleak over the main rhythm, a dense and layered riff aided greatly by use of acoustic guitars, but the highlight is David Gilmour's laid-back first solo after five or so minutes.
The anticipation of the solo's return is what keeps the dull part of the song interesting, and its resurrection is one of the highlights of the album, but a similar effect could be achieved by playing the song again after it finished at around nine minutes, the point by which everything has been heard. Oh come on, I don't know the first thing about writing a song, I know that. But I know what I like! Without a live audience to bask in its harmony, Gilmour's guitar sounds increasingly lonely as the song carries on.
'Pigs (Three Different Ones)' is a funkier sing-along type centrepiece for the album and a good one too, even though the basic riff becomes a little irritating. The unusual zap sound that opens the song, and Mason's oddly successful light percussion both add to this song's originality, which I find myself liking more with each listen. The distorted vocals sound more ethereal and haunting than damning here, Roger trying out his (later-) distinctive vocal style for what appears to be the first time. Pigs are also clearly the best animal out of the three featured on the album, as well as being contenders for best animal in the world (if apes, lemurs and stuff didn't exist), so I may be a little biased.
'Sheep' is more accessible as the shortest song, but a little less impressive on the whole as the third song in a row to use the same structure. It opens with a great lounge jazz esque part before breaking into the fastest and most energetic riff of the album, quite a feat for the reflective Pink Floyd. Now that Wright's keyboards aren't flooding through too much, Waters' effective bass lines can be better heard, clearly the inspiration for many bands to follow. This song is certainly more laid back than its predecessors, seeming something of a jam at times and perhaps an excuse to insert bits and pieces that wouldn't have worked elsewhere. As mentioned earlier, David Gilmour closes the song in style, my favourite moment of the album.
Animals is bookended by 'Pigs on the Wing,' two short halves of one song that, fitting to the structure of the songs in between, are both almost exactly the same. But they're nice and pleasant, really deserving a place on the CD/LP precisely for being so different in tone from the long pessimistic prog.
Animals is a fairly unique and certainly memorable part of Pink Floyd's discography, and acts as a middle ground between the spaced out progressive rock that came before and the gloomy, more commercially minded rock opera format that was to follow. Not an entirely successful album, but one that has enough classic guitar parts to merit repeated listens.
Pigs are better than dogs or sheep, but chimps are best of all.
The Wall
And the Worms Ate into His Brain
****
Written on 16.07.06
... one of the biggest selling albums in history, and one that still provokes discussion by Pink Floyd fans. Was ‘The Wall’ the last great Floyd album; the start of their decline; the point of no return; or the band’s unsurpassed masterpiece?
Everything about this album smells of ambition. In many ways, it’s bass player / new vocalist Roger Waters’ personal pet project. From the unusual double album format (a 4-side LP in the olden days, later updated to double CD) to the repetition of themes in the lyrics and melodies to the appropriation of the band’s name for the protagonist in the album’s storyline, it’s almost as if Pink Floyd finally felt ready to record their magnum opus, six years after they’d already accidentally done that with ‘Dark Side of the Moon.’
The Pink Floyd sound is intentionally stripped down and simplified for The Wall, a departure from the extended jams and ambient instrumentals that typified their sound through the seventies. This shallow sound can’t be blamed on the near-absence of keyboard player Rick Wright (who Waters fired during the making of this album) as the previous release ‘Animals’ achieved a comparable atmosphere to the synth-heavy ‘Wish You Were Here’ with only minimal use of keyboards, as did much of their early work. The style would seem to be a combination of Waters’ style-over-substance attitude, the focus being on his intelligent concept through the lyrics, and the desire to produce a more profitable and commercial album filled with shorter and simpler radio-friendly material, following the somewhat disappointing sales of ‘Animals’ with its ten-minute-plus Orwellian rants. The concept of The Wall is intrinsically linked to its sound and overall style, more so perhaps than in any other big-selling album, and as such has to be dealt with in addition to the music itself.
Disc One
1. In the Flesh?
2. The Thin Ice
3. Another Brick in the Wall part one
4. The Happiest Days of Our Lives
5. Another Brick in the Wall part two
6. Mother
7. Goodbye Blue Sky
8. Empty Spaces
9. Young Lust
10. One of My Turns
11. Don’t Leave Me Now
12. Another Brick in the Wall part three
13. Goodbye Cruel World
The first disc is by far the more impressive of the two. The opening is strong, the songs are good and the pace doesn’t let up for a long time, only losing my interest in the bleak section at the end. The Wall Disc One stands strong as an independent album, as the repetition of musical themes is successful (namely in the ‘Another Brick in the Wall’ pieces) and the songs are varied enough in style and mood to make for a successful album. Even the all-important ‘Pink Floyd’ concept draws to something of a conclusion here, though the existence of the second disc benefits the story greatly by offering solutions to the character’s grief and presenting the consequences of his actions, elevating the concept above the cynical, world-weary rant it would have been at forty minutes.
Lyrically, disc one is a speedy scene-by-scene, brick-by-brick overview of Pink’s formative years and experiences, the wailing baby’s birth immediately preceded by his father’s roaring plane crash and the lyrics dealing with school and an over-cautious mother. After track seven the listener (or even reader) is brought back to the ‘present’: Pink the rock star failing to find contentment living his dream and spiralling deeper into despair. The concept is cool, and it’s carried out well by the music, although it’s a shame that the brief and intriguing voice samples from early in the album give way to lengthy performance pieces later on, as in the opening to ‘One of My Turns’ when Pink invites a groupie to his hotel room. The arbitrary, trivial criticisms of the insane headmaster in the early tracks are fun to listen to (‘how ken ya hav’any puddeng if ya dorn’t eat yer meat???’) and there’s some nice foreshadowing in the almost inaudible ringing phone.
Musically, disc one is loud, mid-tempo rock music that ranges from the grand opening chords to the anthemic ‘Another Brick’ hit single to the quiet and reflective ‘Mother’ and ‘Goodbye Blue Sky’ to the mellow pop-rock of ‘Young Lust’ and, finally, the drawn-out bleakness of ‘Don’t Leave Me Now’ and ‘Goodbye Cruel World.’ The opening song is great and energetic, and although it’s a little disappointing that this power fades away so soon with the piano-led ‘The Thin Ice,’ the Brick sections at least keep things bouncing and plodding along in a relatively satisfying way, even if that infamous school choir on Another Brick part two sounds pretty grating, especially at the high volume that the production of this album demands.
The stripped acoustic style of ‘Mother’ works incredibly well, and the eruption into to Dave Gilmour’s guitar solo works perfectly, a feat that is sadly never achieved again in the course of this disc. Both ‘One of My Turns’ and ‘Don’t Leave Me Now’ attempt the exact same thing, only the contrast between the quiet body of the song and the electric finale is more pronounced in these latter two, and the resulting solos and melodies are cut off before going anywhere interesting in both instances. This reliance on pointless volume-tinkering and a contrived electric guitar ‘wow’ factor would later be one of many failings of the follow-up album, ‘The Final Cut.’ In Gilmour’s praise, he makes excellent use of the limited time he’s given on these later tracks, no matter how much they clearly demonstrate his losing position in the band’s compromise with its control freak of a bass player.
Disc Two
1. Hey You
2. Is There Anybody Out There!
3. Nobody Home
4. Vera
5. Bring the Boys Back Home
6. Comfortably Numb
7. The Show Must Go On
8. In the Flesh
9. Run Like Hell
10. Waiting for the Worms
11. Stop
12. The Trial
13. Outside the Wall
While some of the second disc’s failings are down to loss of the initial enthusiasm listeners may have got a kick out of as they realised disc one was telling a story, there are also clear reasons why it fails in places as a strong album. For a start, the tracklist is deceptive and exaggerated: ‘Is There Anybody Out There!,’ ‘Bring the Boys Back Home’ and ‘Stop’ are all mere interludes with very little merit either on their own or even in their positions on the album, although the first would have seemed more fitting as the opening for disc two, as was originally intended, continuing the hopelessness of disc one’s finale rather than seemingly going backwards here after the more optimistic ‘Hey You.’ It would be unfair to condemn ‘Vera,’ ‘The Show Must Go On’ and ‘Outside the Wall’ as not being ‘true songs’ just because they’re all very short also, but they are eclipsed by the longer and more worthwhile songs, which end up comprising only seven of the thirteen tracks.
The concept of disc two is predominantly routed in the present tense of the character’s experiences, as he is forced to continue living and performing under medication, and reacts by abusing his position on stage by turning his concert into a fascist rally. Pink retreats into his own mind once again, this time to confront his demons, the bricks in his symbolic wall personified by the characters whose negligent attitudes were responsible for his descent. The ending is ambiguous: Pink’s fate is unknown, but the Wall is audibly demolished and, of course, the CD loops back round to Pink’s father’s death, the first brick, to begin construction all over again.
The musical style is even more varied than on the first disc, but this isn’t necessarily a positive thing. Opener ‘Hey You’ is my favourite on the album, a short but progressive song with a great rock chorus, effective contrast of moods and even a nice electric reprise of the ‘Another Brick’ guitar riff for the first of several instances on this disc. The other hit singles are also the most prominent songs on this side, the sombre Gilmour classic ‘Comfortably Numb,’ proof if any was needed that Pink Floyd was never all about Waters, and the disco beats of ‘Run Like Hell,’ one that I’m not so fond of. The music once again ties perfectly to the tone of the lyrics, the boost of energy that accompanies the protagonist’s performance permitting the sequel / prequel (it depends on your point of view) ‘In the Flesh.’ It also means that anyone bored by the melancholic sound at the end of disc one can look forward to things improving as the second disc continues, the quieter acoustic pieces sounding more reflective and chilled out than dismal.
My main issue with the second disc is that the story is permitted and encouraged to completely overpower the music on several occasions. While ‘Comfortably Numb’ is implicitly about injecting the character of Pink with some kind of drug so he’s ready to perform, it could be about anything, and that’s why people request it for their funerals. By complete contrast, ‘The Trial’ is a disappointingly melodramatic conclusion to the album that offers very little in the way of musical entertainment and is mainly a chance for Waters to put on an even sillier Irish accent than usual and scream a lot. ‘Bring the Boys Back Home’ also sounds very out of place, to the extent that I can’t see where in music it could possibly have any place, and doesn’t even succeed in making the point about cheery wartime propaganda that I guess it’s making. The song sounds really obstructive and annoying before ‘Comfortably Numb,’ and could have been handled differently, in any other way, and been more pleasing. The album’s true (but still disputed) finale is nice and pleasant.
The Wall doesn’t match up to Dark Side of the Moon, its immediate rival within the band’s discography. In fact, I don’t think it matches up to much of their output prior to this, but I also think it’s a huge step above the dismal disappointment of the Waters-dominated ‘The Final Cut,’ and the mediocre albums the band produced after his departure. Dark Side is an incredible listening experience that works from start to finish, while The Wall features too many slip-ups and inconsistencies, not to mention that it’s really stretched out at just over 80 minutes. Where Dark Side innovates new ways of sounding, The Wall deliberately rejects them and oversimplifies itself for consumers; unnecessarily, as the record buying public were already eager for anything with the Pink Floyd name.
At least there are some fantastic songs amidst the filler, especially those that are full band collaborations. Sadly, all the band members are restrained and consequently don’t get to sound much like themselves, especially notable in Wright’s diluted Hammonds (that nevertheless improve the album greatly) and Nick Mason’s reduction to time-keeping percussionist. Waters relies too much on understatement in the mistaken belief that low volume is somehow more meaningful than loud rock music (so what are those amps all about?), and this means that only around one-third of the album’s softer pieces end up being good songs. The best cuts are ‘In the Flesh?’ (and its similar, punctationless companion), ‘Another Brick in the Wall part 2’ (grudgingly), ‘Mother,’ ‘Goodbye Blue Sky,’ ‘Hey You’ and ‘Comfortably Numb,’ with perhaps ‘Run Like Hell’ added if you like disco. The rest of the album is mostly nice, but acts as a bridge between the good stuff.
The lasting legacy of The Wall is that it gives attentive listeners a fair amount to think about. It can’t all be about the depressed rock star plot, as the music has to back up the story with equal brilliance, and it mostly succeeds. While the jingoistic upbringing, rock star privileges and drug abuse motifs prevent this from being an ‘everyman’ tale (imagine that. A whole generation of Roger Waterses. Depressing or what?), some aspects of the album are nicely open-ended for interpretation. Watching Alan Parker’s 1982 film version of this album would probably help in spoiling it all for you with some kind of definitive message, but luckily I haven’t seen that.
Personally, I view some of the album’s louder, more typical rock and roll moments such as ‘In the Flesh’ and the Thin Lizzie esque ‘Young Lust’ as being songs from the guitar and repertoire of (the fictional character) Pink Floyd, especially as the latter sounds so different and so much more consciously commercial and genre-based than anything else off the album. If ‘Young Lust’ is indeed an ironic parody of the mellow, gravely voiced, swinging guitars hard rock style, it’s a damn good parody… it was even released as a successful single! The album would have been even more impressive if more songs were open to interpretation, and things like the over-exposure of ‘The Trial’ were watered down. The album should have been shorter.
It’s not enough for the album to rely on the merits of its lyrical complexity, as this serves at best, giving a theoretical example (that’s not at all based on my own experience…), to immediately wow listeners with its intelligence, have them reading all about it on the internet and then deciding that The Wall is one of their new favourite albums because it’s so clever, only to listen to it again at a later date and realise that the music’s not actually that revolutionary or inspired at all. And feeling cheated by myself. I mean, themselves. The theoretical people that aren’t me. It’s a nice gimmick to split a vocal sample over the end and then the beginning of the album, but that alone isn’t necessarily enough to encourage cyclical playing.
Of course, this was a massive selling album and not everyone who owns it is going to be interested in burdening themselves with exploration of the concept. They just want good rock songs played by great musicians at their peak, and for this reason The Wall is ...
Advantages: Continues to evolve the Pink Floyd sound, includes some of their finest songs, Interesting concept
Disadvantages: Lyrics take precedence over the music, leading to a fair amount of filler
The Final Cut
No One Kills the Children Anymore
**
Written on 04.02.06
The last Pink Floyd album to feature vocalist/bassist Roger Waters, and the only album not to feature keyboard player Rick Wright, 'The Final Cut' is a bleak and reflective art rock album by Waters, produced under the successful Pink Floyd name and bearing the subtitle 'performed by Pink Floyd,' or at least its three remaining members.
'A requiem for the post-war dream,' The Final Cut divides the band's fans into those who appreciate its message and uniqueness within the discography, and those who bemoan its ego-centric creation and departure from the band's definitive 'sound,' the record furthest removed from the band's psychedelic origins. Guess which party I fall into.
The story behind The Final Cut is well documented: Waters was becoming ever more the control freak with each album, and after the huge success of 1979's 'The Wall,' moved on to produce this follow-up album almost independently, despite the efforts of David Gilmour and Nick Mason to contribute their experience and skills. Without Wright's epic prog soundscapes, Waters hired composer Michael Kamen to fill out the sound with piano and orchestration that can barely be heard, and created the album through a mix of inferior off-cuts from The Wall and new, similar sounding songs crafted around his bitter lyrics.
The Final Cut is essentially a Waters solo album, made more tolerable than his later albums by the presence of the supremely talented but stifled Gilmour on guitars. Despite fair criticism that the unused songs from The Wall were of inferior quality, hence their omission from that double LP, Waters used them as the basis for an album that ends up sounding very much like a Wall wannabe, sadly emphasising and over- using the most annoying elements of that hit album such as the volume tinkering, strained vocal style and formulaic song structure. All the songs sound the same.
As it's a Pink Floyd album there is the usual attention to detail in crafting extra depth to songs with the studio equipment, but here it's mostly used to contrive a link between songs that otherwise wouldn't flow together. Wind, seagulls and soft dialogue help to create the atmosphere Waters is going for, but even the most blatant samples in the form of explosions within songs like 'The Gunner's Dream' don't have the fun audacity of the ringing clocks and cash registers of their earlier work. There is some variance in song style, but this is limited essentially to 'loud song'/'quiet song'/'quiet song with some loud bits.'
'The Post War Dream' is a short opening to the album that begs the listener to turn up the volume so they'll be hit by the roaring Wall-style guitar at the end, leading to the album's leading song and first Wall leftover, 'Your Possible Pasts.' The balance between quiet and loud sections is quite irritating, even though it's novel at first, and seems to become quite arbitrary towards the end. This would be a great song if it had something more to it than relying on this volume trick, leading as it does into the dull but brief interlude 'One of the Few.'
'The Hero's Return' begins with a promising whip-cracking exotic guitar and features an almost identical bass line to 'Another Brick in the Wall.' Despite lacking originality it's an enjoyable song that descends into the volume game again for the last couple of minutes, with Waters' genuinely pained vocals fitting his lyrics but grating my eardrums. By contrast, 'The Gunner's Dream' is one of the best songs on here, a more melancholy song amidst the bitterness that features some nice saxophone to break up the repetition, and a great moment where Waters' scream morphs seamlessly into the opening sax line. More tomfoolery like this would have made The Final Cut a brilliant work.
'Paranoid Eyes' is long and dull, despite its promising 'hit single'-style title, led by a piano and backing orchestra. This may have been a good song to break up a more lively album, but seems drawn out here. 'Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert' is an acoustic guitar piece with violins that acts as a nice one-minute interlude, the unison humming of the opening song a nice reminder of when the album started off quite promising. This hum repeats for some reason in the later 'Southampton Dock,' maybe an attempt at a bricks-in-the-wall-esque repeated theme for the album.
The most acclaimed songs on the album are 'The Fletcher Memorial Home' and 'The Final Cut,' both very similar and accomplished, but a little dull by this point. The former is most memorable for a mocking parade of world leaders done in Waters' annoying bombastic spoken word style, similar to 'Trial' from the end of The Wall, while the second is probably the culmination of all the attempts at an emotional song so far. The highlights of both songs are Gilmour's harmonic solos, shining out of the gloom and reminding the listener of what the album could have been if he had been allowed to contribute more, rather than simply aiding production and then having his co-producer credit stripped away by a bitter vocalist. These songs effectively go together, and the main bulk only serves as a pause between these two similar and excellent guitar harmonies.
Finally arriving penultimately is 'Not Now John,' the only co-written song on the album and a definite departure from the style, though not one that is as impressive as it could have been. Sung by Gilmour in the same style as 'Young Lust' from The Wall, which I always thought was intended to mock the gruff vocals and swinging guitar riffs of hard rock bands but was evidently just done because it would sell quite well as a single. With the backing women and some swearing, this song isn't quite the breather I had in mind from the depression elsewhere, but it's not too bad. The album closes with 'Two Suns in the Sunset,' a pleasant piece that sees the return of the sax and the orchestra and controversially sees Nick Mason replaced by Andy Newmark on drums. For some reason. The soft song sounds similar to earlier Pink Floyd song 'Summer '68,' written by the absent Rick Wright.
Fans of The Final Cut praise Waters' genius in linking World War II and other conflicts of the past with conflicts of the then-present, namely the Falklands, and the cyclical nature of history means that at least the album will have this in its favour for it for a while. Where 'The Wall' was quite an ingenious work that took some deciphering, and maybe even a viewing of the film before really understanding what it was about, The Final Cut is disappointingly blatant in its scattered references. (I wonder who this 'Maggie' is?... Oh I see, excellent). Waters was clearly having a hard, disillusioned time, and we are invited to share in his misery and bitterness.
With twelve tracks of varying length, nothing in the way of extended jamming, the endorsement of the famous band name and red-hot modern satire, The Final Cut should had the ingredients to be a phenomenal success. But Roger Waters is a rubbish chef. Who burns the food. And finally comes crawling back for Live 8 in 2005 for a nibble.
A Momentary Lapse of Reason
An Earth Bound Misfit
**
Written on 11.02.07
Despite being the most enduringly revered band of progressive rock, Pink Floyd’s artistic integrity nonetheless managed to burn out after little more than a decade. Different fans will have differing views of the point at which the band peaked, ‘sold out’ or ran out of ideas, largely depending on whether or not they loathe Roger Waters and deify Syd Barrett, but the common consensus tends to be that 80s Pink Floyd, through creative differences, exhaustion and legal fracas, sucked. The only debate that remains is which of ‘The Final Cut’ or ‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason’ sucked the biggest.
The debate isn’t a pointless one, as both albums represent polar opposites of the band’s output. ‘The Final Cut’ was the final album to be produced under the totalitarian thumb of Roger Waters, whose creative control had been progressively spiralling out of control since 1977’s ‘Animals.’ Bearing the unflattering subtitle ‘A requiem for the post-war dream by Roger Waters, performed by Pink Floyd,’ the album is most palatable when viewed as the first Waters solo effort, with a couple of nice guitar solos from David Gilmour, used very sparingly. Waters’ angst-ridden departure from the band shortly thereafter, and its subsequent reformation under Gilmour, led to the third David Gilmour solo album effectively becoming Pink Floyd’s ‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason,’ with one major difference: Gilmour was expected to tailor his songs to sound like Pink Floyd. Or, as the irritable Waters later put it, ‘a pretty fair forgery, or a good copy’ of the distinctive Pink Floyd sound.
A Momentary Lapse of Reason was the first Pink Floyd album for five years, and as such was inevitably destined to be a hit, whether it was critically well-received or not (for the record, it largely was not). Three hit singles fuelled a sell-out tour on which the majority of the new material was played, free as it was from the copyright blight inflicted by Waters. The material itself is largely forgettable, but not completely without merit: a couple of stand-out tracks successfully update the Pink Floyd sound to the 80s electronic scape, amidst a load of bland, tedious and intrusive noise. Pink Floyd staples such as a backing female chorus and overlong guitar solos (especially) set this up to be almost too much like an imitation, but like all Pink Floyd albums it doesn’t really sound too much like anything else. The dominant tone is still dingy, slow and brooding, though not to the extent of ‘The Final Cut,’ but the song structure and arrangement of the album is fairly unique, and in some places noticeably radio-oriented. At the very least, this stands out from the collection.
Gilmour’s incarnation of the band was perhaps doomed to failure, its structure being something of a shambles after the five-year absence, and was fortunately able to scrape together a far more consistent release with their final album in 1994, largely due to the involvement of keyboardist Richard Wright in the writing process. Wright is largely absent on this album, and is still not officially a member of the band, which consists solely of Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason, amidst a throng of gathered session musicians. Mason himself was disappointingly out of practice, meaning that even his contributions are limited and extremely ineffective, leading Gilmour to program his own drum machine to jam along to in the final song, in absence of a suitable human to provide the repetitive backing beat. As many critics note, Gilmour’s lyrics pale in contrast to those of Waters, but at least that leads to an album that’s less angry and bitter, and doesn’t mourn for a dead daddy that the singer never even knew.
‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason,’ (EMI, 1987)
1. Signs of Life (instrumental)
2. Learning to Fly
3. The Dogs of War
4. One Slip
5. On the Turning Away
6. Yet Another Movie
7. Round and Around
8. A New Machine Part 1
9. Terminal Frost (instrumental)
10. A New Machine Part 2
11. Sorrow
For the first time, all songs are written by David Gilmour, though the majority were co-written with producer Bob Ezrin and session musicians – neither Mason nor Wright had any creative input. This immediately lends a sense of repetition to the album, a far cry from the rather insane juxtaposition of styles on the early Pink Floyd albums for which each member would provide a song tailored to his own speciality. Gilmour’s speciality appears to lie in long, identical-sounding guitar solos and raspy vocals, which sound like he suffered from a sore throat during every stage of the recording.
The instrumental tracks are particularly noteworthy and well thought-out, the opening piece setting the scene for an intensely spacey and atmospheric album, perhaps the pinnacle of the band’s achievement at truly conveying a sense of outer space in music ('Astronomy Domine' succeeds better, but for different reasons). This is aided exquisitely by the foregrounded keyboard and organ, but the use of a distorted vocal sample, what sounds like communication between NASA and a shuttle, ruins the atmosphere a little for me. It would have been more impressive to rely entirely on the music to conjure the intergalactic image, perhaps with a little help from the title, but it wouldn’t be a Pink Floyd album without extensive audio sampling would it? Right, Dave? ‘Signs of Life’ is a great mood piece, though a little long and a bit of a 70s new-age throwback, reminiscent of Vangelis’ ‘Mare Tranquillatis’ from the superb space-jazz record ‘Albedo 0.39’ (right down to the transmission sample).
The other instrumental comes in the form of ‘Terminal Frost,’ and is a little more like the jams a Pink Floyd fan is used to, starting softly with a piano, soon to be joined by a nice melodic guitar wail and expanding to greater density as the minutes slowly tick by. It works really well as an instrumental piece, but is hindered by its hideous bookends in the form of the pointlessly excruciating ‘A New Machine’ parts one and two. This represents the peak of Gilmour experimenting with ever-more-distracting ways of keeping the listener’s attention, as we’re subjected to around three tormenting minutes of screeching a capella, distorted through some device or other. Separating ‘Terminal Frost’ from these segments, which really are completely unnecessary, it’s one of the better pieces the album has to offer, even if John Helliwell’s sax solo is more reminiscent of a gameshow opening theme than the great contributions of Dick Parry to ‘Money’ and ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ in the 70s.
Disappointingly, alternating between so many hired musicians really adds very little variety to this recording. The drums on ‘One Slip’ are played by Jim Keltner, but aren’t that different from the machine Gilmour programmed for ‘Sorrow,’ or Mason’s competent-but-unremarkable work on ‘Learning to Fly’ and others. The bass is equally reliable to the point of unoriginality, only really audible in the bass-led ‘Dogs of War,’ which is easily one of the weakest songs Pink Floyd ever recorded. Shattering the chilled atmosphere at such an early point in a similar way to ‘A New Machine’ later (though not quite as bad), this is several minutes more than necessary of Gilmour barking half-arsed politics far too close to the microphone, while intrusive organs erupt every several seconds. There’s a guitar solo too, but that’s really stating the obvious. It’s a shame really, as the songs surrounding it are fairly enjoyable, and would work much better if the mellow atmosphere had been allowed to pervade the recording without these uncomfortable jarring moments.
First single ‘Learning to Fly’ would probably have remained a live staple of this ‘new’ Pink Floyd if it had remained active to the present day, and was an unsurprising presence on both of the live albums it released. A good, catchy and enjoyable pop-rock song, this sees Gilmour in full melodic mode (think ‘Comfortably Numb’) over a background of pseudo-electro instrumentation. The chorus is nice and subdued, and the solo nice and relaxed, making this another highlight of the album. It’s perhaps aimed a little too directly at MTV play, in contrast to the ‘art rock’ indulgence of earlier albums, but that doesn’t really count against it. After ‘Dogs of War’ has run its discordant course, the album jumps into a slightly higher gear for the U2-like ‘One Slip.’ Only one gear though, it’s nothing radical. Probably the most positive song on here, it’s also enjoyable in a poppy sort of way, even if it doesn’t strictly belong on a Pink Floyd recording. Much better is the dismal ‘On the Turning Away,’ a slow song with a vast and booming echo, dominated by impressive acoustic guitar that interacts well with the throbbing synthesiser. This is my favourite piece of the album, succeeding far better than the closing song, though an abrupt fade as the guitar solo lasts just a little too long spoils it, as does the repetition of very ‘Wall’esque riffs.
The remainder of the album is fairly dull, mainly for coming after these earlier songs have already exhausted the ideas. ‘Yet Another Movie’ is similar to ‘On the Turning Away,’ though not as good, and fades out with the fairly pointless fifty second epilogue ‘Round and Around,’ which might as well have been the same song. ‘Sorrow’ is the biggest disappointment for me, beginning with ominous and earth-shaking keyboards and melancholy vocals from Gilmour in yet another vast, empty space, before the drum machine comes in after two minutes and it just becomes a waiting game until the final guitar solo fades out after reaching the point of tedium, and I can go on with my life. The bragging title and excellent set-up lead only to a repetition of what we’ve already heard five or six times over the course of the previous fifty minutes, but the fault lies largely in the rubbish drum machine. Would it really have been too hard to draft in one of the hired hands to play something more interesting to close the album? As evidence, the song is improved on live recordings with Nick Mason handling the drum beat and Gilmour’s indulgent solo being allowed to properly run its course, without feeling stunted and unsatisfied, as it does at the end of this mediocre release.
‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason’ is probably the least essential item in your Pink Floyd collection, especially as some of the best songs appear on the excellent live album ‘Pulse,’ as well as the rather less excellent live album ‘The Delicate Sound of Thunder.’ Gilmour’s Pink Floyd is little more than a shambolic money-making exercise for a man whose solo career was faring only adequately, and it’s a shame that 1994’s ‘Division Bell’ is the only effort the band made in remedying this problem and maintaining their credibility. The best songs on here can be found elsewhere, while the worst (‘Dogs of War’ and ‘A New Machine’) should have remained on the cutting room floor. To address the all-so-important debate I mentioned earlier, Waters’ ‘The Final Cut’ is probably better than ‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason,’ though both show a band in a decade of unmistakable decline.
The only Pink Floyd album that’s probably less appealing is the studio disc of 1969’s ‘Ummagumma,’ which is really, really terrible and even something of an embarrassment for those involved. A momentary lapse of reason by a young and stupid band, before they became old and rich and should have known better. By 1987, there were plenty of bands imitating the Pink Floyd sound and achieving far greater results than this.
Delicate Sound of Thunder
Ticking Away the Moments That Make Up a Dull Day
**
Written on 07.07.06
The double-disc live release from Pink Floyd’s ‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason’ tour in 1988 marked the prog rock band’s first official live release since the four-song ‘Ummagumma’ twenty years previously. Since then, the band escalated to international fame, helped innovate a whole new style of music and released a string of incredible and successful albums (it’s estimated that 1 in every 14 American citizens own a copy of the band’s magnum opus, ‘Dark Side of the Moon.’) As the first live album since ‘Meddle,’ ‘Dark Side…,’ ‘Wish You Were Here,’ ‘Animals’ and ‘The Wall,’ ‘The Delicate Sound of Thunder’ has a lot to live up to.
The 1980s were a turbulent and stressful time for Pink Floyd, a rock band whose popularity was dwindling from year to year. Jealous ex-bass player and totalitarian songwriter Roger Waters tried his hardest to destroy the band through courts, for the treacherous decision of its two official remaining members not to disband, and to continue using the successful Pink Floyd name. Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way, and Waters eventually came out of court a loser, grumpier and ready to embark on a disappointing string of solo projects. Meanwhile, guitarist (and now full-time vocalist) David Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason brought back keyboard player Rick Wright once again, and created ‘Momentary Lapse of Reason’ with the aid of a host of session musicians. Wright was originally fired from the band in 1979 by Waters and not officially reinstated by Gilmour until 1994… for some reason.
The 1987 album the tour promoted was fairly bland and disappointing. Could the live album fare better? Could the mixture of old and new material prove that the band still had what it takes? Have you seen the star-rating I’ve given to this thing?
Disc 1
1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond
2. Learning to Fly
3. Yet Another Movie
4. Round and Round
5. Sorrow
6. The Dogs of War
7. On the Turning Away
It’s difficult to decide whether the plethora of new material in the first half of the album demonstrates admirable confidence by Gilmour and associates (a.k.a. Pink Floyd) in their creations, or a desperate attempt at promoting a studio album with mediocre sales. Regardless of motive, this results in a largely unimpressive first disc, offerings such as ‘Dogs of War’ and ‘Yet Another Movie’/‘Round and Round’ sounding entirely dispensable, and even a little insulting in light of all the excellent songs of the Pink Floyd back catalogue that fail to appear here. The tour sought to promote the new stuff, and as such the poppy and catchy ‘Learning to Fly,’ the epic ‘Sorrow’ and the reflective and sombre ‘On the Turning Away’ represent the highlights of the previous album.
Opinion differs on whether these official live versions improve upon the studio originals, but it’s my opinion that they don’t. They stand out a little more when isolated from the filler tracks on the studio release, but the mixing of instruments just isn’t right on this release. We get to hear Gilmour’s nice solo for ‘Sorrow’ in full, rather than the canonical rubbish fade-out, but the trademark Floyd sax can barely be heard, it’s so low in the mix. Gilmour’s gruff vocals are more grating than ever through this live show, even affecting the best song on disc one, the spacey prog classic ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V).’ The perfectionist attitude to studio production of the band’s 70s albums means that live versions will always seem somewhat inferior.
Disc 2
1. One of These Days
2. Time
3. Wish You Were Here
4. Us & Them
5. Money
6. Another Brick in the Wall II
7. Comfortably Numb
8. Run Like Hell
Put simply, and correctly (excluding ‘Shine On’), disc one represents ‘new stuff’ and disc two features ‘the classics.’ All of these songs stem from the band’s creative and successful peak throughout the 70s, showcasing every album from this classic period apart from the always overlooked ‘Animals.’ As I suggested above, none of these versions improve on the studio originals, but the collection is rendered collectable and valid for the band’s rare ‘improvisations’ (however tried-and-tested that ‘Money’ jam may be) and departures from the rigid format of the original songs.
As with disc one, there are issues with production which affect the vocals and subsidiary instruments, including whatever the sound effects are projected from, as the iconic chimes and cash registers are so comparatively quiet against the instruments, it takes some time to notice that ‘Time’ has even started. Mason’s rolling drum intro to that song also sounds much weaker than in the studio and other live versions, yet Gilmour’s guitar always emerges from the mix unscathed. Conspiracy theorists could suggest an agenda behind emphasising the band’s new ‘leader’ figure in Gilmour, but such people also claim that ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ was secretly created to synchronise flawlessly as the soundtrack to ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ despite the fact that the band clearly didn’t intend this, and that it doesn’t, even, anyway.
The rocky instrumental ‘One of These Days’ is perhaps the best cut here and, as something of a jam piece, benefits from the full band live presence. Even so, the volume levelling spoils the ‘twist’ half-way through as the song breaks into a faster, louder piece, as the difference between the two sections isn’t as pronounced as it needs to be. Everything that follows is by-the-numbers Floyd live favourites: the afore-mentioned ‘Time’ is joined by its studio counterparts ‘Money’ and ‘Us & Them,’ the former extended to ten minutes by extending the sax solo and then simply repeating the infamous 7/4 riff for longer than necessary.
The mellow, semi-ballad offerings come in the form of the acoustic title track from ‘Wish You Were Here’ and Wall drugs classic, ‘Comfortably Numb.’ Both are excellent songs, and are played perfectly, but their necessity at live shows such as this robs them of the beauty present in the studio originals. The same can’t be said of ‘Another Brick in the Wall II,’ one of the band’s most well-known songs and also one of the most annoying in their discography (“we down’t need now fort controw”). This live version falls flat, especially in the unsuccessful attempt to extend it at the end with backing vocals, but it was going to be on here regardless. Finally, ‘Run Like Hell’ is something of a surprise from ‘The Wall,’ played without embellishment and comparable to the original, but I’ve never really enjoyed the disco drum beat of this one.
‘The Delicate Sound of Thunder’ is an acceptable live album of the ‘Momentary Lapse of Reason’ tour, and probably surpasses bootlegs, but it falls short as the first Floyd live album of the decade. Granted, the new material must be played, as must some of the more grating overplayed classics, and there’s hardly enough space to include much else. But still, the band could have attempted more coverage of their legacy, especially pre-1973. The slight mix of styles works well here, comparing ‘Learning to Fly’ to ‘Us & Them’ and ‘Run Like Hell’ for example, and this could have continued by backtracking to the band’s psychedelic and epic days. This is the band that won the rights to use the Pink Floyd name and play all the Pink Floyd songs, yet apart from Gilmour’s licks it sounds more like a crowd-pleasing cover band.
This album would soon be usurped by 1995’s ‘P-U-L-S-E,’ commemorating the tour of the follow-up album ‘Division Bell’ and including all the good songs from ‘Delicate’ (yes, every single one) as well as more impressive gems such as ‘High Hopes,’ ‘Astronomy Domine’ and the entire ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ album played from start to finish, just because the band can. It’s alleged that ‘P-U-L-S-E’ was released partly as a sort of apology for the poor quality of ‘Delicate,’ and it certainly renders this earlier effort obsolete and unnecessary.
Its only real notable feat is that it was the first rock music played in space, as an advance cassette tape of the album was taken into orbit by Russian cosmonauts, leading to some handy 'First in Space' T-shirt merchandising by the band's promoters. Even with this historical significance, ‘The Delicate Sound of Thunder’ is a flimsy and temporary phenomena that makes a bit of noise and then goes forgotten, a companion piece to an equally dispensable come-back record.
Advantages: Some good stuff on disc two
Disadvantages: Poor production job by Gilmour, and too much coverage of weak contemporary material
Pulse
The Dark Side of the Moon... on a Stick
****
Written on 26.09.05
The definitive Pink Floyd live album celebrating the release of their new and final studio album ‘Division Bell’ as well as the twentieth anniversary of their best-selling classic ‘Dark Side of the Moon,’ performed here in its entirety to a delighted audience.
With a musically diverse 28-year back catalogue, a penchant for lengthy, progressive songs and a natural desire to include a large proportion of then-new material, any collection like this isn’t going to please every Pink Floyd fan, but it impresses a damn sight better than their mutilated ‘best of’ from 2001.
The stereo sound quality is excellent, especially for a live album, and guitarist / vocalist David Gilmour proves to all but the most stubborn old-schooler that the band performs just as well without long-gone ego-crazy Roger Waters, tackling Waters-era classics ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ and ‘Comfortably Numb’ just as well as his predecessor and churning out ever more impressive guitar solos, while Richard Wright’s keyboard playing is stricter to the studio material but still impresses. Not bad for a bunch of old farts.
CD 1
1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (13:30)
2. Astronomy Domine (5:25)
3. What Do You Want From Me (4:10)
4. Learning to Fly (5:06)
5. Keep Talking (6:56)
6. Coming Back to Life (6:31)
7. Hey You (4:50)
8. A Great Day for Freedom (4:20)
9. Sorrow (10:30)
10. High Hopes (7:48)
11. Another Brick in the Wall part 2 (6:50)
The double-CD version of Pulse features an oddly different setlist on the first disc to the LP, including the ancient Syd Barret song ‘Astronomy Domine,’ ‘Hey You’ from 1979’s The Wall and the new ‘What Do You Want From Me?’ and ‘A Great Day for Freedom,’ all omitted from the LP but replaced with the excellent 1974 instrumental ‘One of These Days.’ The tracks taken from the album the tour was promoting, Division Bell, could have been better chosen and are all performed pretty identically to what was recorded in the studio the year before, but the first side of the album is still highly enjoyable listening; the crowd predictably goes wild on the band’s radio-friendly singalong ‘Another Brick in the Wall part 2.’
CD 2
1. Speak to Me (2:28)
2. Breathe (2:40)
3. On the Run (3:41)
4. Time / Breathe (reprise) (6:48)
5. The Great Gig in the Sky (5:51)
6. Money (8:46)
7. Us and Them (7:08)
8. Any Colour You Like (3:19)
9. Brain Damage (4:02)
10. Eclipse (1:38)
11. Wish You Were Here (5:40)
12. Comfortably Numb (9:10)
13. Run Like Hell (7:58)
The second disc is the selling point for most fans: a recreation of the entire ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ [album / song] from the opening heartbeats and mad ravings of ‘Speak to Me’ to the brief conclusion ‘Eclipse.’ Some aspects of the highly polished studio album don’t sit too well in a live environment, such as Gilmour’s efforts at speaking the looped voices from the LP on stage and the replacement of wailing Clare Torry for the more sprightly Sam Brown for vocals on ‘The Great Gig in the Sky,’ but other than that it sounds just as technically impressive. Previous live offerings of classics like ‘Time’ and ‘Money’ didn’t do the songs justice, but perhaps it’s due to the commemorative nature of this performance that everything fits perfectly. I don’t care, it’s bloody good though.
The delights keep coming after this momentous feat, as the band perform three more songs: ‘Wish You Were Here,’ from the excellent eponymous album from 1976, sounds better here than ever, Gilmour’s acoustic guitar and Wright’s haunting keyboard making for the most emotional section of the album’s 146 minutes. ‘Comfortably Numb’ sees Guy Pratt taking over as the band’s second vocalist for this excellent dual performance, while ‘Run Like Hell’ is the perfect ending to this disc.
Fans of ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ should be pleased, unless they’re miserable curmudgeons (and let’s face it, many dedicated prog fans are), while those more loyal to ‘The Wall,’ the band’s landmark concept album, received ‘Is There Anybody Out There?’ in 2001, a release of the vintage 1980/81 tour that recreated that album in its entire whole etc.
As mentioned before, ‘Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd’ tried to offer newcomers a taste of the band by chopping up and reworking some of their epics and sticking them onto a double CD. Oh, with ‘Another Brick in the Wall’ of course. The taste this gave was something like chilli chocolate, something that I hope I never encounter again, but that I thankfully probably never will. (Sometimes things are difficult to find for a reason, as I often remind myself when browsing my CD collection).
For anyone interested in Pink Floyd, or any other long-running band for that matter, I would always point to their most acclaimed live album to get a real insight, or failing that, the cheapest second-hand studio album you can find in small, odd record shops that have comic book sections in the back.
This album does what a live release should do best, by involving the crowd and truly bringing across their enthusiasm for the event. The clichéd drawback with albums like this is that they don't include everyone's favourite songs, and it is a shame that areas of the band's discography are left on the shelf: there is nothing from the excellent 1977 album 'Animals' and only one track ('Astronomy Domine' on the CD version, 'One of These Days' on the LP) from before Dark Side of the Moon. But cheer up you crazy psychedelic prog man.
Advantages: Excellent live performances of classic and new songs
Disadvantages: Too much new material and not enough of the classics
Deviant
Fresh of Breath Air
****
Written on 10.06.01
In my opinion, "Deviant" is the best Pitchshifter album as it relies less on samples and more on the instruments themselves. There are obviously still loads of samples and drum loops (it wouldn't be pitchshifter otherwise), but the old albums just aren't what I'm into. As my musical taste is generally punk and metal, this fits nicely into my preferences, while still being very different for when I need a fresh of breath air.
The first song, "Condescension", begins the album on a high note, and features great vocals. "Wafer Thin" is not about my lack of obescity, contrary to what my friend always states, but is a great song with a good riff. "Keep it Clean" is a good song, but not one of the album's finest. "Forget the Facts" is a good song, and leads nicely into the fantastic "Hidden Agenda" (the song that had the flying eye spaceship video). It combines samples and a great guitar riff better than any other song on the album.
Track six is quite good, but "Dead Battery" (track seven) is another amazing song (possibly better than "Hidden Agenda.") The token comedy song is track eight, "As Seen on TV", which describes the weirdness of some kids along to a good tune. "Everything's F***ed" obviously isn't a very happy song, although it's not bad, while track ten is great. Track eleven nearly finishes the album on a good note, until the instrumental track twelve comes along to ruin it.
Overall, a great album, and very good for a fresh of breath air (I'm glad I can say that right so I don't embarrass myself). But the older albums are slightly too electronic for my taste.
Conan the Barbarian: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Crom Laughs at Your Four Winds
****
Written on 15.06.05
Schwarzenegger’s major film debut divided the viewing public. Some admired its attention to detail in creating a world existing just before history, where magic is dying and men can become snakes; some criticised what they viewed as a presentation of Aryan supremacy; some admired Arnie’s enormous arms and chest. But whether you are a nerd or a critic or a woman or man who is gay, Basil Poledouris’ score (ignore Dooyoo's ignorance in clasifying this as 'Various') is imperative in enhancing your view of the 1981 film as excellent or rubbish.
In bringing the world of Robert E. Howard’s ‘Conan’ to life, Poledouris went for majestic and booming over subtle and incidental. Every track on the soundtrack album can be instantly linked to its scene in the film, and running at over an hour in length it’s clear that Conan is highly soundtrack-oriented. Considering the respective acting talents of Conan and his companions (a bodybuilder, a surfer and a dancer), this was undoubtedly a wise decision.
I really like Conan the Barbarian. I don’t play online games or collect Warhammer, but the film is fairly unique and highly enjoyable in a ‘Jason and the Argonauts’ or ‘Flash Gordon’ way. The orchestral soundtrack moves from energetic and lofty horn-oriented pieces to more mellow violins and ominous sound effects, relying on choral chanting in the more action-packed or storyline-oriented sections. Conan is a simple revenge story, and it’s fairly easy, even without the song titles, to distinguish between ‘Conan having a fight’ and ‘Conan running to his next fight.’
1. The Anvil of Crom
2. Riddle of Steel / Riders of Doom
3. Gift of Fury
4. Column of Sadness / Wheel of Pain
This first section of the album (and the film) deals with Conan’s childhood, the destruction of his village and his upbringing in slavery. After the bombastic opening track, the action is instantaneous and it’s only by track four, with its plodding bass and screeching metallic sound effects, that the soundtrack mellows down a little.
5. Atlantean Sword
6. Theology / Civilisation
7. Wifeing (Theme of Love)
8. The Search
9. Mountain of Power Procession
Conan meets his companions and learns the whereabouts of his parents’ murderer. The most varied part of the film in terms of locations, the storyline is obviously required to make complete sense of the shifting moods from intrigue and discovery (track 5) to jovial bartering (6), sweaty chicken-eating and loveplay (7), questing across the land (8) and an impressive cult demonstration (9). ‘Theology / Civilisation’ is one of the stand-out compositions for its memorable light-heartedness.
10. The Tree of Woe
11. Recovery
12. The Kitchen / The Orgy
13. Funeral Pyre
A subdued part of the album that borders on atmospheric but is brought to the foreground every so often, most explicitly in the little ditty of ‘The Kitchen / The Orgy.’ Based on a simple tune hummed by Poledouris’ daughter, this loud and repetitive tune grates after a while, but its reminder of topless women rolling around in a blissful heap is something of a positive note.
14. Battle of the Mounds
15. Death of Rexor
16. Orphans of Doom / The Awakening
Tracks 14 and 15 are the most energetic since the start of the album, and are really entertaining. ‘Death of Rexor’ features a deeper, bassier sound to the trumpets that is interesting, and the album rounds off nicely with the semi-happy, semi-regretful ‘The Awakening.’
Essential listening for Conan or fantasy fans, although the DVD of the film itself is much cheaper and features the same compositions without little in the way of talking over the top. But until they develop a way to combine soundtrack CD and DVD movie, Basil Poledouris’ impressive epic music can only be fully realised with this rare collector’s album. ‘The Anvil of Crom’ (also known as ‘Conan the Barbarian theme’ on soundtrack collections), ‘Theology / Civilisation’ and ‘Battle of the Mounds’ are tracks worth checking out for soundtrack acolytes.
Advantages: Atmospheric and memorable, Soundtrack heavily foregrounded in the film, Varied and interestingly foregrounded compositions
Disadvantages: Somewhat repetitive, Nothing new for those who own the film, Difficult to find
Voyage 34: The Complete Trip
"This remarkable, sometimes incoherent transcript illustrates..."
***
Written on 08.09.07
“...a phantasmagoria of fear, terror, grief, exultation, and finally breakdown. Its highlights have been compressed on this recording to make their own disquieting points.”
In the years before his band teamed up with Scandinavian metal artists, when Porcupine Tree was essentially a pseudonym for Steve Wilson in his bedroom mixing Pink Floyd riffs with trance atmospheres, the highly experimental ‘Voyage 34’ was released as an extended single when it became clear that it wouldn’t fit on Wilson’s forthcoming second album, ‘Up the Downstair.’ Combining his dual influences of psychedelic seventies prog with the contemporary electronic scene, the voyage consists of two sets of two songs each, released separately and eventually collected as ‘Voyage 34: The Complete Trip’ in 2000, with a re-issue in 2004.
“The time is 9.30pm, one hour after the participants have eaten sugar cubes saturated with LSD. We hear Brian and his fellow travellers observing his gradual transformation.”
The first two movements in particular are an interesting and innovative blend of psychedelic-trance-prog up to the standard of Wilson’s later concluding statement on the subject with ‘The Sky Moves Sideways,’ but the disappointing second half of the album plunges into pure atmospheric territory based on the sounds that came earlier. Although largely based on maintaining a psychedelic atmosphere throughout each lengthy phase of the ‘trip,’ repeated listens and greater familiarity reveal a lot more to ‘Voyage 34’ than may be first apparent, both musically and thematically. The thumping and soaring electronic sections are completely balanced by the more traditional ‘rock’ sections carried by guitar and live drums, the two styles often taking turns with the second half of the track based more on Pink Floyd style progressive rock than the early-nineties electronica of the earlier sections, but the transition is largely seamless and impressive.
“Brian’s been amusing his friends by chewing on some plastic flash-bulbs.”
In terms of subject matter, the album focuses objectively on the LSD experience, with all vocals provided by samples taken from 1960s or 1970s documentary sources (I can’t trace them to an origin, but I’ve heard some sampled elsewhere). The first phase narrates the negative effects of the titular thirty-fourth trip of a subject named Brian, who cockily asserts that he has “never had a bum trip” in thirty-three prior experiences, but whose forthcoming ordeal is intended as a warning against prospective wayfarers. The satirical inclusion of these vocal samples, clearly exposed as propaganda, is confirmed by the use of more positive speakers in the (unconnected) second phase, which would seem to comprise several professional, self-appointed ‘experts’ and a girl in her late teens who describes such vivid sensations as a fully tangible shower (“like a caress, from really hot to really cold”) and a painting that seems to melt down the wall. Colourful LSD capsules form the basis of the cover art in the newest edition, replacing the psychedelic swirl on older copies, and it seems most likely that Wilson is encouraging his listeners to experiment with the required level of caution. Narcotics are not required to enjoy the first two phases of the album, but I imagine they might help listeners put up with the tedious second half-hour.
“Brian’s mood is gradually changing. He orders all of his friends into another room and closes the door. He sits alone on the dim floor, visible only by the dim light shining from the bathroom.”
1. Phase I (12:54)
2. Phase II (17:24)
3. Phase III (19:24)
4. Phase IV (13:42)
It took several listens for me to fully appreciate Wilson’s work here, as I was initially deterred by his unapologetic theft of a famous Pink Floyd guitar riff (the one used frequently throughout ‘The Wall’ album, particularly in the song ‘Run Like Hell’) that repeats extensively through the first phase. Van der Graaf Generator’s lesser-known ‘A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers’ is also referenced in the keyboards, albeit as a more subtle homage, and the passages dominated by shrill, howling wind effects are clearly influenced directly from earlier Pink Floyd works such as ‘Echoes.’ With all of this borrowing, not to mention a fairly basic drum machine pulse thumping its way through the earlier sections, it took some time for the more creative and talented elements to become apparent to me in a song that is comparably epic and innovative to Wilson’s afore-mentioned ‘The Sky Moves Sideways’ and more impressive than the majority of his work during this first phase of his musical career, before he formed a band and really took off.
“The time is now 1am. Brian is unable to snap his fingers and terminate the trip, which continues.”
Sampling an authoritative voice out of context against a dance rhythm is hardly original, but works perfectly for the album’s philosophical intentions, and also serves to date the recording in a nice way. The first and second phase mostly feature these samples in the first five minutes as the songs gradually build, before returning at the end, but the update on Brian’s progress is always welcome even amidst the more exciting passages. The first few minutes of phase one see the song start to take shape, first led by the repeating thump and soon joined by the Pink Floyd riff and cymbals. There’s a lot going on in the background of this song, from exotic woodwind and a female singing voice that joins towards the end, to muffled sounds of stoned merriment and natural sound effects such as seagull cries and wind. The music is kept finely attuned to the development of the narrative, before giving itself freedom to expand into a rock song in the second half, with Brian’s reported solitude being accompanied by a thinning of layers, the pulse being replaced with a quiet harp effect before erupting into David Gilmour style guitar antics and leading to a highly enjoyable conclusion in spite of Brian’s distress. The drum machine is replaced with a genuine drum-kit and only the ambience of the keyboards serves to remind of the electronic beginning from whence this all came, yet it all welds together perfectly without any rivets. The return to serenity at the end is a nice breather before the second phase starts things all over again, and is satisfyingly accompanied by the conclusion of Brian’s story.
“On Voyage 34 he finally met himself coming down an up-staircase, and the encounter was crushing.”
The far longer second phase expectedly takes much longer to get going, the track being dominated almost entirely by vocal samples for some time, collected and arranged by Wilson to illustrate the positive effects of LSD culture by unidentified sociologists and users, a little excessively and perhaps used in response to the negative account offered previously. The music is initially confined to a dripping effect produced synthetically, reminiscent of Vangelis’ score for ‘Blade Runner,’ as the speaker explains his personal philosophy on the LSD ‘religion,’ in which each trip is a pilgrimage and the human body the temple. Statistics are given as one million users in America, which he infers should not be seen as a social menace but rather a blessing for a bright and creative future, while elsewhere a young woman explains that she isn’t afraid of anything any more. The new trance pulse is established, accompanied by some stereotypical zapping effects and the emergence of a new riff, less derivative but still anchored in ‘The Wall.’ Overall, this song lacks the energy and interest of the first song, only really becoming interesting when it reproduces the better features of its predecessor, particularly the contrast between near-silence and the jump into Gilmour-esque lead guitar. The melody is less informal and solo-ish than in Phase I, but still whines slowly and harmonically throughout the keyboard-drenched atmosphere as this is repeated several times. The song ends as it began with the return of the drips, successfully achieving its trance objective in confounding the listener’s perception of quite how much time has passed as a voice repeats softly and almost subconsciously, perhaps as a forewarning of what’s about to come next:
“Is this trip really necessary?”
The final two phases, essentially dull re-mixes of the first two, really don’t serve any particular purpose here other than as a desperate attempt to extend the atmosphere for a tedious length of time, so it’s a surprise they were originally released separately at all. I’ll admit that I may be missing the point, that this is music primarily designed to mimic or even aid the type of experience that its disembodied voices deal with, so I apologise if I can’t be out of my head enough to not mind the sudden drop in quality after the first half-hour. The rock influence is almost entirely absent from these pieces, Wilson’s guitar featuring far less prominently and only in a rhythmic or atmospheric fashion, and the dynamic dance elements have been tamed into a perpetuation of background atmosphere with little in the foreground. The vocal samples return, but all have been heard before and their presence seems more arbitrary in its more ethereal nature, and although there are some nice call-backs to instruments used in the earlier phases it’s not enough to justify listening to these songs attentively, though I can appreciate their value purely as incredibly long-lasting mood music. The very end is quite nice, the girl admitting that she is indeed scared of life and seeking to escape into acid trips, but the use of alien gurgling effects is a little unnecessary.
“Is this trip really necessary?”
An easily and justifiably overlooked item in Steve Wilson’s discography, ‘Voyage 34’ at its best captures the artist at his most creative and innovative, but conversely also at his most tedious and unimaginative. Overshadowed by his later composition ‘The Sky Moves Sideways,’ which uses many similar elements but manages to provide a definitive nineties ‘answer’ to Pink Floyd without directly ripping them off, its legacy is now confined solely to the first phase, still performed at some live shows under the simple title of ‘Voyage 34,’ sensibly so as it is the only song out of the four that concerns the titular trip. Phase II is a nice companion, if a little too excessive in length to justify many repeated listens, while the second half of the album is easily avoided and not worth anyone’s time, unless the listener has fallen asleep and may wish to be aided by its soothing qualities.
Steve Wilson’s guitar talents aren’t fully explored here, but his compositional skills are demonstrated very nicely in the opening track – the absence of his Floydian vocals, which some object to, may also act as a bonus to prospective buyers, though the inclusion of Phase I on several official and highly recommended Porcupine Tree live albums renders it all but obsolete, despite the record label’s penchant for re-releases. Of course, only a fellow voyager really knows how authentic this listening experience is to the trips it describes, proposed by the original promotional material as ‘a post rave space wave to the Dark Side of the Moon.’
“Brian learned nothing from it. His friends, they went their merry way. His family, they don’t count anyway.”
Advantages: Unusual and insightful blend of trance and psychedelic rock.
Disadvantages: Heavy reliance on borrowed ideas, and the entire second half is a waste of time.
The Fat of the Land
Liam Howlett, Plus Guests
****
Written on 30.05.04
For anyone who isn’t familiar with the Prodigy, whose popularity reached its peak in 1997 with the release of this album and has waned somewhat since, they are a very British four piece who brought dark, underground techno music to the attention of the general public and were often seen as the modern equivalent of the rebellious punk rock of the seventies with their grimy image, vocals and non-conformist musical style.
Fat of the Land reached number one in the UK album charts, and spawned equally successful singles that received generous radio play, but they were never a band I was particularly interested in (apart from the occasional funny song title). In an effort to review something a little different I got hold of this CD and was pleasantly surprised by the skill of the programming, but disappointed with some of the decisions made that prevent this from becoming a truly classic album.
THE TRACKS
1. SMACK MY BITCH UP
The infamous song that proved the motto ‘no publicity is bad publicity,’ this featured an equally controversial music video following a lesbian woman’s night of alcohol, drugs, violence and prostitution. A quiet riff introduces the song before the electronic beat and the bass thumps kick in (I should point out at this juncture that it would be unwise to play this very loud when the ceiling below your speakers is a little weak, something my friend discovered a number of years ago).
This is a reasonably straightforward underground techno track in terms of its style, layering sample tunes over the ever-present driving drum beat. The second half of the song is dominated by Eastern-influenced singing from a female guest vocalist, but there is little change in this introductory track. The lyrics are incredibly limited and potentially offensive, but in the end it’s just some British bad boys misbehaving themselves; at least they don’t go into detail.
“Change my pitch up, smack my bitch up.”
2. BREATHE
My favourite Prodigy song, and the reason I invested in this album. While Firestarter bridged the gap seamlessly and almost subliminally between popular music and underground electronica, Breathe incorporates hard rock elements and is incredibly dark. Weird samples aplenty, the song also features sinister vocals and anyone who has seen the music video will find that its dilapidated, grimy house suits the song perfectly. An excellent track, reasonably complex and not repetitive, unlike some of the more dance-based tracks.
“Breathe the pressure,
Come play my game I’ll test ya.
Psychosomatic addict, insane.”
3. DIESEL POWER
This song takes a rap-based approach and as such is one of the few to feature a large amount of lyrics, for once amounting to some sort of sense. As I’m not a fan of rap this is one of my least favourite tracks, although it does sound more akin to the angry, meaningful rap artists of the 80s and early 90s rather than the pop-inspired rubbish that these young people listen to nowadays. The chorus is still quite catchy, and if anything it’s a departure from the style of the majority of the album that keeps the CD feelings fresh and original.
“We spin back, rewind. Diesel Power.
Blows your mind drastically, fantastically.”
4. FUNKY SHIT
The lyrics in this one make me laugh, and the repetition of these seven words makes it very easy to remember. The electronic riffs sound good and are more inventive than ‘Smack My Bitch Up,’ but not up to the level of ‘Breathe.’ Amidst the feedback and ‘boop’ noises there’s the occasional memorable signature tune which I like, although it’s very hard to determine whether or not this is a good song as I’m not too experienced with this format. I like it though, and my first impression that the track concerns a literal piece of excrement that is somehow very funky (dancing, etc. and impressing the vocalist) was formed when I first heard this at age twelve, and has stuck.
“Oh my God that’s the funky shit.”
5. SERIAL THRILLA
Another track that is more rock influenced and the first in a while to feature the distinctive and impressionable vocals of Keith Flint. A little more traditionally structured than some of the others, this makes it easier to digest and probably therefore more widely appealing, and once again I really enjoy their choice of samples. The clear drum beat and latent anger of the vocals make this one of the better tracks on this album for me, and it sounds similar to the less popular British punk-electronic band Pitchshifter.
“Damage destructor, crowd disruptor.
Youth-corruptor, everytimer.”
6. MINDFIELDS
Vocals are handled by the MC Maxim here, and although this is a much more techno-based outing than some of the others I still applaud the guys’ choice of samples forming the melodies and rhythms, and the bass is once again up to ‘club volume,’ something proven by the inclusion of this track in the club scene from ‘The Matrix.’ It drags on a little towards the end for my liking, especially as in many ways it’s not too different from what’s come before, but it’s still a very good track and changes to a softer beat at the end.
“This is dangerous. Open up your head, feel the shell shock.
This is dangerous, I walk through mindfields so watch your head rock.”
7. NARAYAN
Beginning with a slightly horror theme-seque high melody, this is another very different track that takes a while to be appreciated, if at all. The simple drum rhythm is still present but discernible and easy to follow once again, and although there is a lot of change in this song it still doesn’t feel like a satisfactory use of just over nine minutes. The second half proves again that the Prodigy enjoy a bit of experimentation, featuring strange ambient chanting for a while before returning to the electronics. The last few minutes are essentially filled with dominant drum loops and beats, but the sheer length of this makes it tedious and isn’t able to save the track. [Insert ‘Saving Private Naryan’ joke here if you must].
“If you believe the western sun, is falling
down on everyone, you're being burned, don't try
to run, you're being burned, you're time has come”
8. FIRESTARTER
The most well-known track on the album, the ‘Firestarter’ single was released quite a while before the album causing huge anticipation. One of the instantly likeable offerings, this has the most memorable drum rhythm, vocals and samples (fading in and out) of the whole album, and I can’t help but consider it one of the very finest tracks. I really like the way Keith pronounces words, very working class English, and they have a very interesting echo effect as they fade in. A great track, and surely the band’s main claim to fame.
“I'm the self inflicted, mind detonator.
Yeah. I'm the one infected, twisted animator.
I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter.”
9. CLIMBATIZE
Following the excellent ‘Firestarter’ comes this less than blinding instrumental. An instrumental doesn’t mean too much on a Prodigy album, considering many of the songs feature a short vocal sample repeated again and again, but this isn’t very interesting; the samples also seem a little bit too token and ‘video-gamey,’ based largely on zaps. Technically sophisticated, but nothing inspirational, unless you’re a programming musician.
10. FUEL MY FIRE
This cover of the group ‘L7’ proves to be one of the catchiest on the album, and xxxx sounds almost Johnny Rotten-like with his vocals here. The samples are mostly excellent, aside from what sounds like a fairground organ, and it makes for an enjoyable end to this album that doesn’t drag on in the way that other tracks did.
“Yeah, my layers are thick,
And I got a bad attitude.
Yeah, that knife in my back,
has fingerprints that belong to you”
VERDICT
As this is a departure from the music I normally listen to, it’s a little difficult to pin down and write about, as the bulk of the songs would be considered something of ‘filler’ material on some of the albums I listen to, especially due to the lack of lyrics. The band’s appeal is understandable however, and having heard tracks from their two earlier albums and their more recent release, I think this is their most enjoyable and solid album. I have been left with the impression, however, that Liam Howlett is the man behind the band, composing and performing all the music while the others either sing, rap, dance or linger around in music videos when not in use. Maxim does occasionally wear strange contact lenses though, so I suppose this permits him to hardly do anything.
My lack of real experience with the genre is probably embarrassingly obvious when all I can think of saying is ‘I like the way the samples sound’ and ‘those vocals are nice and raw,’ but that’s what I think when I listen to the Prodigy’s music; it’s unlikely that they’re completely unique in what they do, but I have no real basis for comparison other than my own impression of the way they sound to my addled brain.
The general impression of this music is that it is very dedicated, with something anarchist and non-conformist about the vocals and the general way the band present themselves. Much more of a threat to society and the system than modern punk bands, the Prodigy were the Sex Pistols of the 90s; doing their bit to balance out the view of the British from overseas in the decade that saw the Spice Girls achieving such recognition.
Advantages: Original and appealing, Excellent programming and vocals, Great song titles
Disadvantages: Not completely to my taste, Some songs lack interest
Q
Queensrÿche
Beware of the Night
****
Written on 25.05.07
The first release of Washington progressive metal pioneers Queensrÿche fails to predict the innovative style the band would later be associated with, similar to how the first album of their genre contemporaries Dream Theater sounds like just another inferior clone of Rush. This self-titled E.P., originally of four tracks but later amended to five, is considered by many to be the band’s most consistent work, despite being entirely derivative of the NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) explosion. Lacking the prog rock and glam influences that would later define the band’s most commercially successful period, the songs on this 1983 release can be very easily attributed to the two English leaders of the afore-mentioned movement; to apply a rough and admittedly crude formula, tracks one and four are very similar to Iron Maiden, while the middle two sound a lot like Judas Priest. Then again, even at this early stage the band chooses to spell its name with an umlaut over the ÿ; perhaps foreshadowing their later flamboyant tendencies.
Singer Geoff Tate, possessing a background in opera, expertly adopts the falsetto wails of Bruce Dickinson particularly, and Rob Halford to a lesser extent, and develops a unique style that is instantly recognisable. Tate’s high vocals certainly tend to overpower the listening experience, especially for listeners not accustomed to the style, but are at least matched by the really excellent twin guitar leads across all the songs, especially impressive in the solo sections and easily comparable to their mentors (the same thing happens, to a far more ridiculous degree, with the excellent but overpowered musicianship of any band featuring King Diamond). The dual guitar assault is most prevalent in the relatively short ‘Blinded,’ dominating the latter half of that song before Tate once again takes centre stage for the record’s obligatory ballad.
The four (or five) songs here are recognised Queensrÿche classics, and the evident decision never to incorporate the material into any ‘proper’ studio albums preserves the vitality of this first release as a vital purchase for all fans, rather than a mere rare collectable. Opener ‘Queen of the Reich’ would become the most well-known song on this release, giving the band its peculiar name and nowadays, apparently featured in the latest ‘Grand Theft Auto’ video game. A slow build up subsequently unveils a nice riff and Tate’s almost-so-high-only-dogs-and-bats-can-hear scream and the Iron Maidenesque song kicks in, sounding very similar to the faster songs being performed by that band in this period but lacking some of the power of the guitar riffs. This is remedied in the next two songs, which receive a Judas Priest style ‘speed metal’ kick, and Tate’s more measured performance allows the band to work together more cohesively, producing two great and perfectly short fast metal songs.
The final song on the original release, ‘The Lady Wore Black’ is noticeably different, but only in the way that ‘Strange World’ was different from the rest of the songs on the first Iron Maiden album, the most comparable near-ballad to this piece. At six minutes it unfortunately drags on a little with the repetition at the end, unlike the previous songs which all remain powerfully to-the-point, but the clanging acoustic guitar and Tate’s eerie, sorrowful singing create an excellent atmosphere, enhanced by wind sound effects that remain understated, but are still perhaps a little gimmicky. Nevertheless, the diversification of style makes this the most memorable song on the album, as does the catchy chorus, also present in ‘Queen of the Reich.’ Later releases of the E.P. conclude with a fifth track, which provides a less resonant ending but is another nice piece of early Queensrÿche, possessing the polished production of the later ‘Rage for Order’ sessions from whence it came, but still suitably riff-oriented to fit into the rawer style of this first offering. The band seems to gel together far better on this track, but the corresponding lack of one-upmanship contests between the singing and the guitar melodies means the song loses a little something.
The band’s follow-up album ‘Warning’ began to incorporate the progressive elements that have earned the band a place in metal history, but not until 1988’s classic ‘Operation: Mindcrime’ would Queensrÿche achieve something as wholly enjoyable as this little piece of competently derivative heavy metal. This E.P. should reasonably be enjoyed by anyone fond of the bands mentioned earlier, and a certain degree of tolerance is advised when confronting Geoff Tate’s womanly vocals, rivalling the most effeminate of modern power metal frontmen. Guitarists Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton, the latter of whom is still in the band today, really make this release stand strong with their excellent melodic breaks, solos and more restrained riffs in the verses.
Meanwhile, other long-serving band members Eddie Jackson and Scott Rockenfield keep things grounded by providing bass guitar and drums, I guess. They don’t make quite the lasting impression that their fellow musicians manage, but I’m sure a bass player or drummer would disagree. I’ve spent so long tuning my ears to discern the screams of Geoff Tate that the bass range is becoming lost to me.
Advantages: Three great speed metal songs and a nice gloomy ballad to go out on.
Disadvantages: Surprisingly unoriginal, and too short (though admittedly this is little more than a demo).
R
Rancid
Hardcore Punk Debut
***
Written on 16.10.05
The first album from the premier US punk rock band of the nineties is raw, aggressive, spiteful and pretty fun. The influence of the anarchistic Sex Pistols and the more restrained and catchy Dead Kennedys from their homeland combine in 'Rancid,' a radical departure from the more ska punk oriented work of Operation Ivy, from whence most of this band came.
If you think punk means songs about unreasonable girlfriends or the jock assholes at high school, delivered in a bouncy childish manner, then Rancid's early albums probably aren't for you. This is the hardcore Mohawk music, violent and relentless. But there's also a technical skill in Tim Armstrong's speedy guitar and Lars Fredericksen's clanging bass that makes this somehow pleasing to the eardrums, and catchy in the style of The Clash and Buzzcocks, especially when dual vocal choruses crop up (although these are much more present on later albums).
Perhaps the political messages are directed a little exclusively to the US of 1993, but the occasional brief ditty about a fictional character or universal fears don't restrict this album's audience. The guitars and drums are loud and ever present, the vocals are shouted (they wouldn't be heard otherwise), and songs rarely exceed two minutes. Tim Armstrong's distinctive vocals do take some time to get used to, unclear at the best of times due to his speech impediment, and although I'm more a fan of the excellent Lars Fredericksen (now also of 'Lars Fredereicksen and the Bastards'), Armstrong is necessary for the Rancid sound, and his range is quite impressive. Some songs are fairly melodic, but none of them are slow.
A track by track review of this sixteen song album would be dull, repetitive and fairly useless in giving an overall impression. Unless a fan listens to this non-stop for a while, there's no way that each specific track can stay memorable; many are essentially the same, as would be expected in a band of three musicians playing fast punk rock. But this isn't made for the discerning album collector, and at least ensures that no track sounds terrible or below par by being trying to be too different.
Okay, glancing at the titles of tracks such as 'Whirlwind' and 'Rejected' does bring the catchy titular choruses to mind, but this really is something that can be slapped into the CD player and played at random or from the beginning to get pretty much the same effect. There are no segues between tracks, meaning that no two have to be played together and the order isn't of great importance, but the silences between songs are often so short as to be unnoticed. 'Rats in the Hallway' and 'The Way I Feel' are perhaps the best songs here, standing out only because of a little more experimentation in structure and also because of the great lyrics and vocals. But other memorable highlights of the album come in the great riffs that come along every other song or so and can't really be pinned down.
The album's production sounds very nineties in terms of its clarity and cleanliness, perhaps detracting from the gritty sound many associate with punk but trust me, it's much better on the eardrums and brains after thirty minutes of playing time. And even though the band look like the kind of hard-nailed aggro thugs you'd want to avoid at all costs, their voices are actually quite soothing. I think. Somehow. This isn't threatening music, but it certainly isn't to everyone's taste.
Operation Ivy were a great band, and this basically represents an angrier and faster continuation of that band, although it sadly doesn't have the same sense of originality. Rancid went on to release three increasingly successful and impressive albums throughout the nineties, 'Let's Go,' 'And Out Come the Wolves' and 'Rancid.' That's right, they self-titled two completely different albums. That's middle-finger punk attitude / laziness for you! These albums refine the sound that debuted here and improve on it greatly, making every song memorable either for its departure from their regular sound or for excellent vocals, chorus or guitar/bass solos. At some point in the new millennium the bad boys decided that adapting to a radio friendly sing-a-long sound and hanging out with Good Charlotte would be a good idea, and lost many fans in the process. 2003's 'Indestructible' is shamefully rubbish.
'Rancid' (1993) isn't the best place to start for fans of Rancid or hardcore punk rock in general, as it only represents part of the band's appeal. The rousing verses of later years' 'Salvation,' 'Nihilism,' 'Timebomb' and 'Ruby Soho' won't be found here, but that isn't to say it's worthless as an entertaining and very strong collection of punk rock songs.
Their later albums are a little more accessible, but this is a great punk experience that makes you want to spray swear words on the police, or at the very least, have a wee against a wall.
Symphony of Enchanted Lands
Holy Steel!
*****
Written on 11.07.07
The second album from Italian symphonic metal band Rhapsody (recently forced to legally re-name themselves ‘Rhapsody of Fire,’ quite ridiculously) continues the Emerald Sword saga of their debut, ‘Legendary Tales.’ This band, increasingly so in recent years, surely epitomises the nerdy and childish genre of fantasy metal, as their songs take the classic heavy metal form (which was often infused with slightly geeky lyrics to begin with) and introduce folk and classical Medieval influences to strive for what the band themselves deem a ‘Hollywood metal’ sound.
The intention is to create something like an epic fantasy film told in song, making use of spoken word and sound effects when necessary, while also concentrating on producing a high quality heavy metal album. With their early releases, particularly this second offering, Rhapsody achieve an impressive balance, nerdy enough to attract those who would usually be put off by metal, and powerful enough to persuade insecure metal fans that it’s an acceptable thing to be listening to.
The Emerald Sword saga itself is a fairly straightforward fantasy tale (I expect, only being slightly familiar with genre), which sees our hero questing for the fabled Emerald Sword to help the good guys defeat the bad guys who are intent on pillage and destruction of the land. Guitarist and songwriter Luca Turilli claims not to have read much fantasy, instead relying on Hollywood for his influence, perhaps the primary reason the band were so intent on signing up Christopher Lee to narrate their more recent albums after his appearances through the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. Instead of Lee, we have here instead a far, far poorer narrator in the form of Sir Jay Lansford, whose emotive commentary on selected tracks, thankfully only three times in this particular album, is excruciating at worst and laughable at best.
The lyrics all concern the events of the plot, but are essentially secondary to the music, at least in terms of my own approach to the album. Nevertheless, the interior booklet of each Rhapsody album contains detailed notes on the evolving incidents and, most incredible of all, a detailed map of the fictional locale of Turilli’s saga. It’s tempting to really get into the story with this much material at hand, and when playing a Rhapsody album once in a while, I always debate whether to put aside a day to listen to the entire saga (five albums of this story, and a further two of the more recent and continuing second saga), but the task would simply be too excruciating, and probably become tedious half-way through the second album as they all sound very alike. Nevertheless, ‘Symphony of Enchanted Lands’ stands out a little above the competition, improving on the fusion style of its predecessor and achieving a greater balance between the classical and modern sounds than the later ‘Dawn of Victory.’
The first noticeable improvement over the debut is the production quality, which is now crystal clear and deep enough that the full extent of orchestration is audible even when the primary instruments are thrashing away at full volume. The first album always sounded quite tinny to me, despite the high quality of the songs the band had been working on and releasing in several demo forms for a number of years. Starting from scratch with ‘Symphony of Enchanted Lands,’ Rhapsody use the same formula as the first album, consisting mostly of fast power metal with sing-along choruses and guitar and keyboard solos, balanced out by the occasional non-metal song in the form of a piano ballad or symphonic interlude, with a couple of longer, more diverse songs towards the end. An excellent balance is struck between the vocals and individual instruments, as there are numerous and generous solos for the guitar and keyboard, ranging from typical Iron Maiden fare to a classical influence, but for the most part the instruments are content to chug along in the background while Fabio Lione sings the silly lyrics with operatic excellence.
Newcomers to extreme metal genres like power metal may be a little intimidated by the speed at first, but the focus is more on creating upbeat adrenaline than the aggression of death metal, and the high speed combo of drums and guitars racing in time with each other soon fades into the backdrop intended during the verses. The incorporation of orchestration can seem a little clichéd today, as pretty much every band has done it at some point in their career, but this album strikes, as stated earlier, a perfect balance, much like its predecessor. The symphony is used only when necessary, and never imposes on the simple enjoyment of the songs unless it is being particularly highlighted, in which case it is well worth paying attention to. The ‘Hollywood’ focus means that this is the typical orchestration found in all film soundtracks all the time, from blaring horns to sombre violins and male and female choirs. The arrangements aren’t going to impress any classical buffs, but the execution is flawless, and when given the chance to really perform at his peak, Fabio Lione proves himself to be a superb tenor, especially when pitted against Constanze Vaniyne in the finale. Despite the arguable delusions of grandeur, Rhapsody aims to be more accessible than intimidating, and it’s obvious on first listen which tracks were selected as singles.
1. Epicus Furor
2. Emerald Sword
3. Wisdom of the Kings
4. Heroes of the Lost Valley
...i)Entering the Waterfalls Realm
...ii)The Dragon’s Pride
5. Eternal Glory
6. Beyond the Gates of Infinity
7. Wings of Destiny
8. The Dark Tower of Abyss
9. Riding the Winds of Eternity
10. Symphony of Enchanted Lands
...i) Tharos’ Last Flight
...ii) The Hymn of the Warrior
...iii) Rex Tremende
...iv) The Immortal Fire
The album begins, as usual, with a short introductory track of orchestra led by a male choir, sounding very much like Basil Poledouris’ excellent score for ‘Conan the Barbarian,’ but probably influenced more generically. ‘Emerald Sword’ is soon upon us, which along with ‘Wisdom of the Kings’ and the penultimate ‘Riding the Winds of Eternity’ is fairly standard power metal fare in the wake of Helloween and Blind Guardian; lightning-fast riffs dominating and a rip-roaring, highly memorable chorus which repeats twice later on, signalling the end. There’s nothing unexpected in these songs at all, and although the first two are perfectly positioned to inaugurate listeners into the fold by being accessible, they pale in comparison to the more complex offerings. On the other hand, metal fans looking for a quick fix will probably rate these more highly. ‘Emerald Sword’ particularly is the strongest of the lot, and has been a live favourite ever since, the perfection of this side of Rhapsody’s music.
Things become more interesting, though not necessarily better, with the slower pace of the fourth track, which acts as more of a short introduction (despite the extended title) to the excellent second section of the album. ‘Heroes of the Lost Valley’ begins with a very pleasant flute and harpsichord (or at least, keyboard made to sound like a harpsichord) section, before galloping sound effects reminiscent of Bathory lead into the first inadvisable piece of narration. Such things are inevitable, and thankfully it’s brief and to the point, but the narration is my major gripe with this album, intruding on the listening experience of those like me who are content to enjoy the music with only the vaguest notion that there’s some kind of plot occurring between the notes. ‘Eternal Glory’ is the start of the album’s bolder direction, beginning with happy 80s keyboards in the style of Europe’s ‘The Final Countdown’ and succumbing to a more solemn drum march that is slowly joined by the other instruments, culminating in an excellent main guitar riff. There’s a section allotted towards the end of this lengthy track for orchestration, as will become the norm for most that come after, and the song ends much as it began.
Despite its unfortunate position in the overlooked middle of this ‘epic’ section of the album, ‘Beyond the Gates of Infinity’ does an ‘Empire Strikes Back’ and manages to exceed even its illustrious predecessor (and its disappointing follow-up. The metaphor breaks down soon after this however). It begins very eerily, in contrast to the usual optimism that can get a little tiresome, with horror film keyboards leading into some fantastic verses and riffs that possess all the force of ‘Emerald Sword’ and all the symphonic grandeur of ‘Eternal Glory.’ The guitars are at their most impressive in an instrumental section towards the end, as Luca Turilli wisely opts to show off his skill as a musician over that of a writer. ‘Wings of Destiny’ is the first song in some time to approach a more standard four and a half minute length, which will be relieving to some, and is a necessary soft breather between the more energetic offerings, in some ways letting off the pressure of the tightly restricted ‘quiet’ sections fitted between verses in the previous two songs. This is where Fabio Lione gets his first chance to really shine as a tenor, as the piano (or at least, keyboard made to sound like a piano this time), drums and guitar all play more softly in the background. The fade at the end indicates something of a climax for this second, most impressive phase of the album.
Things threaten to become repetitive with ‘The Dark Tower of Abyss,’ but thankfully Rhapsody still have some tricks up their billowing sleeves and offer a harpsichord introduction (or at least,... etc.) that competes with the guitar in a very Stratovarius-like way, sounding more like Finnish metal in general than Italian here. Some male choral vocals can be heard behind the main riffs, but this song essentially reverts to the usual formula thereafter, with another excellent instrumental section. Unfortunately, the narrator makes an unwelcome second appearance at the end over the music, making the song seem to last a lot longer than it does. The afore-mentioned ‘Riding the Winds of Eternity’ is perhaps the least remarkable song on here, simply for offering nothing new aside from some relaxing wave sound effects before the song goes all fast and spoils it, but this is partly due to impatience at the approach of the epic titular finale, ‘Symphony of Enchanted Lands.’
It was inevitable that the most ambitious song would feature heavy use of narration, and he really does spoil things, wasting no time in hamming his way through the first minute and returning at the very end. Fortunately, all the stuff in-between is pretty excellent, although essentially a re-tread of all the most successful elements from previous songs. Fabio reaches for the high notes again as he did in ‘Wings of Destiny,’ this time against a solitary church organ (or at least – yes), and the more customary instruments take their time getting off to a nice slow start. The keyboard handles lead duties in a self-consciously epic introduction, before an ominous pause returns things to normal, Rhapsody playing in their safety zone, and playing less dangerously fast than usual. The guitar remains in the lead for a while, until the whole thing reverts back to the organ and Fabio gets to sing along with Constanze Vaniyne in one of the album’s most successful classical experimentations. There are some nice violins that tackle the main riff, unfortunately not quite as memorable as others on the album which acts against the song slightly, and the song ends as you hit the eject button before the narrator can fill you in on the tense cliff-hanger finale that I’ve never paid enough attention to to remember. It can’t be too promising, as the next two albums are dominated by violence and bloodshed rather than waterfalls and dragons.
Rhapsody have a deserved reputation of being one of the more over-the-top bands out there, but this mockery is beaten by a greater admiration of their music. Although the narration makes it impossible to ignore the fantasy theme, should that prove a problem, the whole notion is intriguing enough that no amount of cheese is going to put me off. The fusion of metal and classical elements has been done more impressively elsewhere, but not for such a sustained period as an entire discography, which has only started to collapse in on itself with the most recent release. Here, the balance is perfect, and while it’s unsurprising Hollywood metal all the way, the heavy metal skill of the guitars, drums, keyboards and vocals is what holds it all together. The follow-ups ‘Dawn of Victory’ and ‘Rain of a Thousand Flames’ will perhaps be more suited to metal fans whose experience with fantasy-themed metal is limited, as these releases are more geared towards guitar riffs and a more rasping vocal delivery, although those in such a situation would be much better off getting used to more approachable and enjoyable power metal acts such as Blind Guardian (though not Dragonforce, have some respect for yourself).
Despite the imitations, Rhapsody still stand out in the combined realm of power, symphonic and folk metal, occupying their own well-earned position on its far-too-detailed map. Thankfully, although later releases would be increasingly less impressive, the quality of the cover art would steadily improve after this pitiful effort.
Advantages: The perfection of Rhapsody's musical vision, riveting throughout.
Disadvantages: Sir Jay Lansford.
2112
We Are the Priests
****
Written on 05.08.06
Canadian three-piece Rush relent and enter the realm of progressive rock with their weirdly titled semi-concept album ‘2112.’ Still firmly entrenched in the band’s hard rock roots, the grand scope of the side-long title track and occasional, fleeting moments of contemporary influence make this Rush’s first truly impressive and successful release, and the start of their most creative period.
The first half (that’s side one for vinyl owners) comprises the epic ‘2112’ suite, Rush’s sci-fi rock opera spectacular. Set in a bleak 22nd century dystopia where priests control the masses from their ‘temples,’ Neil Peart’s lyrics tell the brief but entertaining story of a man who finds a relic from a past age: an electric guitar! Learning to play the instrument, he feels all the sensations denied to his people by their oppressive overseers, and his rebellious actions are marked out as a threat by the priests, who fear a return to the chaos of the ancient times. It’s far-fetched, strange and cheesy as hell, but serves as a nice precursor to the band’s later experiments with similar science fiction themes in ‘Cygnus X-1.’
What’s interesting about this concept is its execution, as the story has a real effect on the music, rather than simply acting as cool lyrics. Geddy Lee puts himself in the role of both the protagonist and the voice of the priests, adopting a soft singing style for the former and a more aggressive screech for the latter. It isn’t always clear what’s going on unless you’re wise to this, but it’s a nice touch, and it doesn’t really matter that it’s all the same distinctive, much-imitated voice. The second half of the album is free of any kind of concept, and whether this makes the first or second half more appealing to listeners depends on their tolerance for that kind of thing.
1. 2112
i). Overture
ii). Temples of the Syrinx
iii). Discovery
iv). Presentation
v). Oracle: The Dream
vi). Soliloquy
vii). The Grand Finale
The epic title suite is divided into seven noticeably different movements, some of the breaks being more obvious than others. The opening ‘Overture’ and closing ‘Grand Finale’ are fast, galloping instrumentals that predate and anticipate 1980s heavy metal. The instruments are all their finest here, the guitar, bass and drums giving it everything they can and creating a distinctive and recognisable melody, similar to what The Who did with ‘Tommy,’ Jeff Wayne with ‘The War of the Worlds’ and every 70s prog band did with their ambitious concept albums. Some nice, understated keyboards run underneath the other instruments for the most part, climaxing in explosive sound effects.
‘Temples of the Syrinx’ is where the story really begins, the band making the odd decision to represent the soulless, music-loathing priests with the catchiest riff and chorus on the album. The band settles into its style here, still remaining fast but taking a more funky edge, aided by Lee’s bass. His vocals are raspy and screechy here, going overboard to create the villains of the piece by practically spitting forth their self-aggrandising vocals. As mentioned, the rip-roaring chorus seems a little odd considering the subject matter, but it’s got to be one of Rush’s finest.
‘Discovery’ is a far more subdued affair. The setting changes to the protagonist, his entrance marked by several seconds of silence between sections. A soft acoustic guitar fades in, although it’s unclear whether this is intended to represent actual music being played by the character upon discovering the instrument. The song speeds up and increases in complexity as it reaches the end, perhaps signifying the character getting to grips with his discovery and becoming his peoples’ axeman saviour legend. ‘Presentation’ is a more interesting piece, arrived at seamlessly from the previous part and retaining the same medium tempo. Lee’s bass gets a chance to shine, and he performs an interesting, if confusing duet with himself, using both his soft/good and loud/evil vocal styles as the protagonist confronts the priests with his controversial discovery.
A break into an instrumental jam signals the shift to ‘Oracle: The Dream,’ a great varied piece in which fast guitars solos give way to spacey synthesisers, before a hard, staccato riff leads out this anthem of rebellion. The final piece of the story before the closing instrumental’s ambiguous declaration that ‘we have taken control,’ ‘Soliloquy’ is, as expected, a sort of acoustic ballad. The acoustic guitar remains in the background, as always on the album, but is interrupted almost at random by a clanking bass riff overlaid with sporadic guitar solos. There’s some interesting use of feedback effects and guitar distortion as the scene becomes frantic, chaotic and unintelligible.
2. A Passage to Bangkok
3. The Twilight Zone
4. Lessons
5. Tears
6. Something for Nothing
The second half of the album, which I’ll remind you is totally unconnected to the first by concept, is totally unconnected to the first by sound. These five songs are all radio-friendly rock songs of three-and-a-half minutes apiece, and range in quality. ‘A Passage to Bangkok’ spouts a lazy and vulgar Oriental ditty unashamedly, without any time granted to dwell on the previous epic. This medium-speed song has some good guitars and a relaxing, laid-back solo, but although it’s effective at providing light relief after an epic burden, it doesn’t work to grab me in the same way. ‘The Twilight Zone’ is more interesting and diverse, despite being the shortest song at 3:14. Alex Lifeson’s dual guitars are high and melodic at the start, but vanish without trace for the track’s majority, leaving the bass, drums and vocals to compete for the listener’s attention. Another chilled-out solo closes.
‘Lessons’ is reminiscent of the earlier ‘Discovery,’ fading in with clean electric guitar that occasionally becomes distorted, the audible changeover giving this a nice live feel. Lee’s screams return, and the necessary guitar solo is fast and complex for a change, making for a nice variation in what is becoming an increasingly formulaic album. Thankfully, this concern is eradicated with ‘Tears,’ the album’s only true ballad. Soft and quiet, the pleasant vocals sound like they’re floating in a vacuum after the previous half-hour of constant instrumentation, but the void is occasionally infiltrated by what sounds like orchestration, and huge, sweeping coats of King Crimson-esque mellotron. This is a nice song.
The album closes with ‘Something for Nothing,’ the most upbeat and exciting piece since ‘Temples of the Synrinx’ so long ago. Lee’s bass is in the limelight on several occasions, while Lifeson and Peart seem to be competing for speed in brief jam sections between the catchy, memorable choruses. This is a cool song that really sounds like it’s going somewhere, when unfortunately the speedy instruments begin to fade out and end up going nowhere.
Always a little chameleonic, Rush fit will into the progressive rock genre without leaving their more commercial hard rock sound behind, and as always the excellent and creative musicianship makes this an individual, if much imitated production. Released in 1976, it comes a little late onto the prog scene, as genre staples Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Genesis and Yes were all past it by then. While this detracts a little on the creative front, and makes the mellotron on ‘Tears’ less excusably dated, the ‘2112’ song is a rock classic that should be loved by anyone who enjoys a good rock opera or epic song, despite its structure being more piecemeal than the later ‘Cygnus X-1,’ which is more consistent and dull.
Rush finally played ‘2112’ (the song, not the album) live in its entirety on their 1996 tour for the album’s twentieth anniversary, but its more interesting moments have been used independently as part of the live set since the original recording. The remainder of the album isn’t as good in my opinion, the guitars sounding a little too David Gilmour-esque and Neil Peart’s drums failing to be impressive as all the hype, but multi-talented frontman Geddy Lee really hits his stride with this release.
The concept is overblown and silly enough for me to like it. T -106 and counting…
Advantages: Title track is excellent, three-piece is incredibly tight.
Disadvantages: Second half becomes repetitive.
S
Denim and Leather
The Sound of Racing Steel
**
Written on 31.01.07
If there ever was a record that tried just a little too hard to represent the early 80s heavy metal phenomenon, but was nowhere near good or interesting enough musically to live up to this promise, it has to be Saxon’s quintunessential ‘Denim and Leather.’ The band may be entirely forgotten today – they’re still touring to a cult following – but these Yorkshiremen were once one of the biggest names in the home-grown New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement (NWOBHM). On its release in 1981, this album hit #9 and the single reached number 12. This means that, at one time, people were more interested in listening to Saxon than Tony Capstick & the Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band.
‘Denim and Leather,’ while completely mediocre, is nevertheless regarded as a genre classic by many. It’s certainly the last ‘quite-good’ album the band would produce in its original style, before moving to a more polished ‘quite-bad’ sound in a consistently failed attempt to break into the American market like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest managed (Saxon lacked only the talent). Whilst very little of Saxon’s output is comparable to their contemporaries even in this alleged classic period, the early albums are mostly enjoyable affairs, especially if you enjoy songs driven by derivative guitar riffs and embarrassing macho lyrics, as I do. You’d still be better off listening to Manowar, but Saxon were always a lot more radio-friendly.
‘Denim and Leather,’ follows the more impressive ‘Wheels of Steel’ and ‘Strong Arm of the Law’ released in quick succession the previous year, and is sadly the weakest of the three. This album suffers in a similar way to Iron Maiden’s sophomore release ‘Killers’ of the same year (which still fared better), by containing some classic, immortal staples of the Saxon live set amidst a sea of forgettable mediocrity. The main songs in question are helpfully singled out at the start and end of the album, in the form of the energetic ‘Princess of the Night’ lamenting a decomissioned train – not a prostitute like you thought – and the anthemic title track. ‘And the Bands Played On’ is slower and more heartfelt, and probably the highlight of the recording, as well as incredibly short to boot. It isn’t a flaw of Saxon albums that they never hit the forty-minute mark, as they were defecated forth from the studio in such rapid succession as to exceed the yearly output of more quality-centric bands.
Listening to this album is a reasonably enjoyable experience, if you disregard the fact that you could be spending your time listening to something more worthwhile, but it really hasn’t stood the test of time outside of its NWOBHM context. If anything, the music here veers away from the speedy heavy metal sound that was finally coming together in earlier songs like ‘Heavy Metal Thunder’ and retreats into overly familiar, Led Zeppelinesque hard rock for the most part. Saxon’s artistic integrity seems to be fairly low, as every interesting feature – a pleasant guitar solo here or nice use of vocal harmony there – is instantly negated by blatant attempts at popularity. This wouldn’t be a problem if the band wasn’t so insistent on its rebellious, back-streets image, best expressed in the punk angst of ‘Play it Loud.’
Bill Bryford’s vocals earn the accolade of actually being distinctive, despite imitating the alternating wails and groans of every other band of the time, but the other musicians aren’t particularly notable. The twin guitars of Graham Oliver and Paul Quinn do nothing new and exciting, especially in contrast to the triumphant dual guitar melodies produced by every notable heavy metal band of the decade. The only instance of drums that stands out is the slow, plodding march of the title song. ‘Denim and Leather,’ the song, is a run-of-the-mill stadium anthem, but by its own low standards it actually manages to impress. Even outside of the catchiness of the chorus – which conjures in my mind, for some reason, a literal melting pot of torn jeans and beaten leather jackets being brewed in an attempt to capture the essence of heavy metal through clothing – the unoriginal leading riff is quite cool, and it’s quite nice to hear the chanting of fans fading in at the end to lead out the album.
The lyrics are pretty silly but nicely optimistic, as Bryford tells you to think positive and become a singer like him, embracing the life of rock ‘n’ roll. It’s the kind of song that makes you realise how sterile it is to judge music based on artistic merit rather than the simple feeling it generates, and the way it can inspire these feelings in an entire generation’s sub-culture. But then you listen to one of the dozens of better albums that were released the same year that accomplishes exactly the same thing, and cast Saxon aside like the pointless underdog it ever shall be.
Advantages: Definitive NWOBHM
Disadvantages: Dull
Hell Awaits
See You in Hell
****
Written on 26.06.07
The second full-length album from American thrash metal band Slayer must have been something of a shock to the record buying public, even years before the infamous trial over its alleged influence on a couple of young fans, who decided to interpret the lyrics booklet as an instruction manual. Following the insane (and in most cases, merely immature) wickedness of the Norwegian black metal bands in the early 90s, who burned down churches and stabbed each other because the cold made them angry, and then screamed their lungs out about it against an impenetrably distorted musical background of white noise, this thirty-seven-minute heavy metal beast doesn’t seem quite so bad. Nevertheless, this can be easily considered the first truly characteristic Slayer album, and my personal favourite for fairly odd reasons.
The distinctive Slayer sound first surfaced on the band’s previous release, the four-track E.P. ‘Haunting the Chapel,’ rather than the 1983 debut ‘Show No Mercy’ which ran more along the lines of the darker side of the British heavy metal scene, seemingly particularly influenced by the Satanic band Venom with whom Slayer would tour following the release of this album. This Venom and Motörhead influence is still audible in ‘Hell Awaits,’ but to a far lesser extent, as this is the first Slayer album to set the band’s distinctive and highly influential sound, despite the overwhelming plaudits of its successor ‘Reign in Blood.’ Introducing frequent changes of rhythm and time signature, and breaking chaotically into guitar or drum solos without warning, the material on this album is longer on average than the violent, adrenaline fuelled outbursts Slayer would become known for, but rivals all later releases in terms of its innovation and pure evilness. That said, the extreme song length of six-minutes-plus in several instances does hinder the album from achieving the kind of popular recognition that its later spawnings would receive.
Recorded in August 1985 (just before I was born. That’s of no relevance at all, but it’s the sort of thing you can’t help but notice), the production quality of this album is noticeably murkier and dirtier than that of their major label successors, but as this scarcely reduces the impact of Dave Lombardo’s crushing drums, the exception being in the fourth track, and leaves Kerry King’s fret assaults unscathed, the resulting hellish atmosphere created by this underproduced backdrop is far more fitting to the music and lyrics, making it easy to imagine that this was recorded in a crypt, or at least a basement housing stowed corpses, rather than the timid sounding Eldorado Studios in Hollywood. Tom Araya yells his way through the album’s entirety, showing off his admirable lung ability – he was a respiratory therapist after all – but not being afraid to reveal his limitations in passages that are simply too fast to shout audibly over, reverting to a simple yell and, in the solitary case of ‘Crypts of Eternity,’ an extended heavy metal wail. The live feel of this album makes it all the more enjoyable to listen to, regardless of whether it was recorded piece by piece, and while the riff changes all sound effective and clearly took a great deal of planning, the guitar solos sound positively arbitrary and improvised in most cases.
1. Hell Awaits
2. Kill Again
3. At Dawn They Sleep
4. Praise of Death
5. Necrophiliac
6. Crypts of Eternity
7. Hardening of the Arteries
A long fade in of eerie torturous sound effects and backmasked backwards vocals subconsciously urging the listener to ‘join us’ gets things off to a disconcerting start, with the quiet squeal of a maniacally soloing guitar in the background. Over the course of these seven songs, much will be toyed with in terms of volume and tempo, and several songs start in the similar fashion of a quiet introduction followed by the crushing volume of the first verse. Presumably this is either to increase tension, or to fool new listeners into turning up their stereo speakers, which will then explode in their faces. The opening title track is led by a predominantly slow and heavy guitar riff, backed up always by Dave Lombardo’s drums which sound almost tribal like those of the band’s thrash contemporaries Sepultura in places, keeping a permanent rhythm despite all the experimentation. The song becomes faster and more indebted to its Venom-style roots before suddenly changing to a sound that can only be described as trademark Slayer: the instruments running at full pelt with minimal effort to introduce a pleasant harmony into the manic riffs, and Araya yelling frantically to keep up. The song’s two main guitar solos, by which I mean any wild fret masturbation that lasts for more than two seconds, both come towards the end and demonstrate Slayer’s influence as a pre-death-metal band. The only really weak part of this song is the horribly false sounding distortion of the ‘Hell Awaits’ line of the chorus, which is completely unnecessary and distracting as the band were making a fairly convincing portrayal of Hell in the first place without studio trickery.
A brief pause separates the first song from ‘Kill Again,’ and to casual listeners – if such a thing can exist in this case – would probably be unable to tell the difference if the pause was less noticeable. The song begins at full pelt, introducing some nice dual lead guitars (in a down-tuned, evil way rather than catchy Iron Maiden style), and Lombardo’s drums keep an interesting marching rhythm that helps set the scene for the inexcusably violent lyrics of death, gore and hate. Araya is forced to yell in tongues until the song takes a bit of a breather, and even lets out a long shout, similar to the one that would open the next album, as the last verse kicks in. King’s guitar solo is slower paced this time, and while not particularly inventive, it’s nice to hear him play some simple scales... or whatever that’s called. I’m no musician, I just listen to the stuff.
Evil harmonics open the vampire song ‘At Dawn They Sleep,’ predating the sound that Testament would use repeatedly throughout the late eighties, while the rhythm changes and great segue into chorus foreshadow the more well-known ‘Angel of Death’ that was to come later. The vocals are at their best here, relentless and not content to be limited to the verses and choruses for the first time, insisting on continuing pretty much throughout and coming in early for once. The guitar solo half-way through is the best so far, sounding pre-planned and almost like Iron Maiden, but still making some obvious sacrifices of notes in order to keep the pace, before a great, slow, headbanging riff comes in that sounds similar to the end of Machine Head’s ‘Davidian.’ Despite this perhaps being the best song so far, it seems to drag on towards the end, and is perhaps just fatigue on the part of the listener as the band continues to play at full pelt. Some kind of acoustic ballad would be entirely inappropriate on this disc, but it would have at least made for a nice breather.
Suffering for the same reason as the middle song of the album, ‘Praise of Death’ is the least exciting piece here, sounding too similar to the previous two songs in its speed and delivery. The drums sound unusually like they’re made of cardboard, the only time the mid-eighties production becomes an issue, and the randomness of the guitar solos actually becomes a problem here, rather than something quite cool. Araya’s bass can be heard prominently, and will remain for the rest of the album in this foregrounded position, but as it’s just playing the same thing as the guitars in this song it doesn’t deserve any special credit. All this song really has to offer are some interesting riffs in the second half when the pace slows down, and perhaps to signify the exhaustion there’s a sort of death-of-the-instruments feedback section where the band perhaps collapsed in the studio. Unfortunately, twenty seconds later they begin again with the tired riff, making this distraction necessary only if you’re headbanging by yourself in your room, and your neck needed a bit of a rest.
The most controversial song on this album is one of the very best, the self-explanatory ‘Necrophiliac’ that would, much later, instigate a court case in the same manner as Judas Priest’s ‘Better By You,. Better Than Me’ and Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Suicide Solution.’ To be fair on those other bands, the offending Slayer song is a little more graphic. The guitar riffs in this song are memorable, never seeming like the mere background to speed that they did in some previous songs, and as the shortest song on the album (one of only two that are under four minutes), it avoids running out of steam like the previous effort. The vocals really go over the top here, effectively stealing the song for once, and there’s a fantastic dual guitar melody that very clearly evolves into the signature riff of the next album’s title track. Ending abruptly for once, the band missed the opportunity to incite further controversy by exploring the subject matter in even greater detail. It’s a great song regardless, and it must have been pretty cool to be a member of that jury, getting this piped through the high quality acoustics of a court of law.
There’s something about the title ‘Crypts of Eternity’ that makes this sound like more of a British heavy metal song of the period than something belonging on this album, something I can’t really explain, and bizarrely it proves true with the subtly different approach taken with this track, perhaps a cast-off from their earlier years or perhaps not. Launching straight into guitar solos like Metallica’s ‘No Remorse,’ even featuring the same ‘distance’ effect for the main riffs interspersed with drums, the song launches into a riff that doesn’t seem anywhere near as vicious as those of the previous offerings, and is more content to be fun in the way Motörhead are fun, focusing more on creating a rhythm than a wall of sound. The only real problem is that some of the riffs carry on for too long without much diversity, only noticeable in comparison to the restlessness of the rest of the album, but as someone more inclined to the style being emulated than the aggression of the band’s other work, this is perhaps my favourite song, if only for Araya’s unprecedented heavy metal scream at the end.
The final song returns to form, and is a little disappointing in its position in the same way ‘Praise of Death’ let the middle of the record down. The primary song is nothing too exciting or unpredictable, with speedy verses of shouted vocals and those guitar solos I keep referring to as ‘evil sounding’ for wont of a technical vocabulary, but it’s the last minute or so that proves interesting in the larger scheme of things. Lombardo’s slow, pounding drums return, beckoning something great and evil while the guitars cower in a corner, until finally a great, slow chugging riff harks back to the opening song, in what I’d like to think is a deliberate attempt to create symmetry. It works regardless, and the song fades out just as the first song faded in, the last sound we hear being Kerry King truly thinking outside the box and playing a solo on the screeching metal bits of the guitar you’re not really supposed to play.
On a first listen, there can be a lot more to ‘Hell Awaits’ than meets the ears. Subsequent listens reveal that these elusive progressive or avant garde quirks are really just the same repeated tricks of time signature change, with some random and aesthetically questionable squealing guitars cropping up every now and again. In many ways, this album, while being vital in the development of both thrash and death metal, is something of an inferior predecessor to 1987’s ‘Reign in Blood,’ which really cracked the idea of a relentless aural assault and edited out all the unnecessary extra length, but this remains my personal favourite Slayer album partly for these imperfections. Later releases were seemingly produced under pressure to avoid emulating ‘Reign in Blood’ by playing slower and more methodically, but ‘Hell Awaits’ has none of these restrictions, and is really the band playing the angry, vicious, exhausting, disgusting music they love.
As I noted earlier, the slightly fuzzy and echoed production really adds to the atmosphere, and even in instances where it’s obvious that a learning process is taking place – particularly Araya’s approach to vocals – it’s nice to hear the imperfections of a band that countless annoying thrash snobs proclaim to be the best in the world. ‘Hell Awaits’ is a significantly flawed album that could have been a lot better, but I’m not sure I want it to be, and even Araya has commented in recent years that the band could re-record it, as Testament have done with their early releases, ‘but why ruin it?’ Perhaps the greatest praise that can be said of this album is its previously unbeaten aural depiction of Hell, something that would later be rivalled with Iced Earth’s ‘Burnt Offerings,’ which is better.
Advantages: Unpredictable, relentless thrash metal from the Underworld.
Disadvantages: Long song lengths lack discipline.
Reign in Blood
Relentless Onslaught of the Mind and Ears
***
Written on 24.06.04
At a fairly recent gig at London’s Astoria venue, vintage American thrash metal band Slayer returned to the stage for an encore consisting of the ‘Reign in Blood’ album in its entirety. As this is perhaps Slayer’s best-loved album this naturally went down incredibly well but isn’t as surprising an event as it may first sound: in many ways, this half hour aural assault is more of an extended anthem than a collection of diverse songs, and as such it is a very different and incredibly powerful listen. I wasn’t there though.
On the face of it, Slayer’s screeching music with overly controversial and demonic lyrics may not seem to have much in common with the Craig Charles-fronted childish mechanical romp ‘Robot Wars,’ but this album can be similarly judged by its style, control, damage and aggression. By these grounds at least it achieves maximum points.
THE SOUND
As a fan of metal, and specifically that originating from the hairy decade of the eighties, I can’t help but love the roaring guitars, rasping vocals and powerful drum rhythm of this band, but Slayer are a small step away from my preferred kind of heavy metal. While Metallica could unleash similarly relentless thrash tracks in their early years, they balanced out their albums with more reflective, sombre and fun offerings and this prevented them from being similarly labelled a solely ‘thrash’ band. Slayer were always more about sheer energy and violence of sound over musical substance and while they are nothing compared to the darker, heavier and often more interesting Scandinavian death metal bands of today, their influence on these modern bands is undisputed. Plus I kind of like the image of hairy eighties Americans pounding guitars in a bar.
While listening to this album I begin to prematurely age and wonder how something this discordant and damaging can be considered ‘music,’ but then Kerry King pulls off a cool guitar wail and I know I’m home. Rest assured though, this is not an album that would appeal to the masses and as such I would strongly recommend you either wean yourself onto this band through their more accessible contemporaries, or just avoid it like Jim Davidson. Guitar solos take a backseat here to the power of raw riffs and grinds, while the drumming is excellent throughout. Araya’s vocals may not be to everyone’ taste, but they certainly suit the music. You know, if you can call it that.
Saying all that though, it certainly is an experience unmatched by any other album I’ve heard.
‘Slayer’ were:
Tom Araya – vocals, bass guitar
Kerry King – guitar
Jeff Hanneman – guitar
Dave Lombardo – drums
REIGN IN BLOOD
The album opens as it means to go on: completely uncompromising and in-your-face (ears) with Slayer’s most popular track, ANGEL OF DEATH. Coming in at just under five minutes this certainly feels like more of an accomplished track than the shorter outings, featuring impressive changes in guitar riff and the speed of the drums. As a stand alone track, this is an excellent metal song that sums up the thrash genre perfectly and provides adequate competition to bands such as Metallica, Megadeth and Testament, mainly due to the efforts of Kerry King.
From this point onwards, no track reaches three minutes in length apart from the extended final offering. This is very unconventional in the metal world, with bands such as Metallica achieving average song lengths of around six and a half minutes across their first four albums, but it works really well in getting the adrenalin going. And it’s essentially just a load of four minute songs played at breakneck double speed anyway. The only problem with this approach is that it’s very difficult to determine which song is which, and there is a distinct lack of variety.
PIECE BY PIECE manages to be even louder and faster than the opening track due to the lack of any guitar experimentation and provides an excellent follow up, but NECROPHOBIC is pretty much a re-hashing of that track, albeit with a speedy and impressive guitar solo section taking up only part of its 1:40 length. It would be pretty much impossible for anything this short to achieve critical acclaim, but the main point is that it doesn’t break the flow and ruin the effect of the album. After this track there are a couple of very rare silent seconds, but it doesn’t last long.
ALTAR OF SACRIFICE is another very good track due to its distinctive guitar riff and the different atmosphere created by the song with the more spoken vocals. It’s still raw, heavy and (obviously) fast though, with a quiet guitar solo providing some high notes and Lombardo’s drums expertly providing the transition to slightly slower sections with even angrier vocals. This is clearly the ‘classic’ track amongst the fairly average offerings, but treating this album as one song it’s certainly one of the best bits.
JESUS SAVES is segued into straight from the end of the fourth track and has a slightly slower pace this time round but with much of the same guitar work throughout. This is a good track, but sounds too similar to what’s come before (and after) to distinguish itself amongst the noise and remain memorable, as there’s no distinctive guitar riff; the chorus is quite catchy though, and this is probably one of the most powerful tracks.
After this track comes a brief period of quiet cymbals and drum build-up in which the listener can get his or her bearings, but a guitar riff soon kicks in for CRIMINALLY INSANE. The vocals are very powerful here, as are the guitar solos, but it’s again a problem of merging too much into the fabric of the album rather than standing apart as a song. With REBORN, the band somehow manage to execute an even more ferocious sounding track than what has come before, although this may just be my imagination. This track features one of the few guitar solos that actually sounds nice and melodic rather than fast for the sake of it, but the emphasis is still firmly on the power and heaviness of speed. By this point, most listeners will have been completely sucked into Slayer’s nefarious album and craving a period of relaxation, something only teasingly offered before the next track.
EPIDEMIC is very average, sounding far too much like an extension of the previous track for its own good even to the inclusion of an identical sounding chorus riff. There’s really nothing more I can say about this track. POSTMORTEM is the penultimate track and, while expectedly still almost the same as everything else, it’s got more of a groove kept by more muted guitars and as such is possibly the least intense offering here. But bear in mind that this is only in comparison to ‘Epidemic’ and the rest; Araya still screams to high heaven (or more accurately, deep hell) in the chorus.
Onto the final track, the Slayer classic RAINING BLOOD. Beginning with a faster and heavier continuation of the previous track, the cacophony of instruments suddenly becomes only a whine of its former self as the track becomes some background noises of thunder kept only by a steady drum beat… then the music really begins with one of the most recognised thrash riffs in history. This was the only track I was previously familiar with and is one I really like, especially as it distinguishes itself from the rest of the tracks here – and not just because of the brief weather interludes. The lyrics can be made out for a change, while the guitar riffs and adaptations of the main tune sound incredible and very powerful. The track continues through verses and the chorus before suddenly erupting into the loudest and speediest part of the entire album, but which is still kept firmly in control by the musicians. Then it’s all over, with a crack of thunder leaving only the sound of rain and a low booming for the final minute. The aural onslaught is over.
LYRICS
Now I’ll come on to the area that Slayer are most infamous for: their demonic and essentially over-controversial lyrics. There’s nothing tongue-in-cheek about them, but the band have said on numerous occasions that they do not practice what they preach; they only sing about Nazism, necrophilia, blasphemy and sacrifice because it suits the dark tone of their music. Nevertheless, it was inevitable that they would get involved in court cases.
Although Slayer’s involvement in influencing a group of youths to rape and murder a young girl was eventually dismissed from court, it could be argued that the band are a little irresponsible in discussing such issues. Personally I don’t have a problem with evil lyrics in the same way I have no problem with such films, but this image is one of the reasons I stick to less intense metal such as Iron Maiden and Metallica; you know you’re safe with a good historical metal anthem. There’s also the fact that I prefer these bands for their more melodic qualities.
As this is a public review site I won’t go into detail on the lyrics, but here are some samples from the ‘Reign in Blood’ album that illustrate what the band were (and to some degree, still are) about. If this influences you to commit any kind of perverted crime, please do not lay the blame on me. You twisted idiot. Listening to the songs alone makes it hard to distinguish all the lyrics as they are shouted so rapidly, but fortunately there are plenty of websites devoted to spreading the Slayer words:
(From Angel of Death, the beginning of the album)
Auschwitz, the meaning of pain
The way that I want you to die
Slow death, immense decay
Showers that cleanse your life
(Alter of Sacrifice)
Flesh starts to burn, twist and deform
Eyes dripping blood realisation of death
Transforming of five toes to two
Learn the sacred words of praise – Hail Satan
(Post-mortem)
Funeral held for the depression of man
Holds the key to his own death
Entering a tomb of a corpse yet conceived
Tighten the tourniquet around your neck
A far cry from that ‘chirpy chirpy cheep cheep’ song, but the aggressive onslaught of this album demands something more wicked than seventies people making stupid bird noises.
VERDICT
This isn’t strictly my kind of music, but it shares enough similarity with my preferred metal fixes that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Like many people I enjoy some variety when listening to an album, and this doesn’t exactly satisfy on those grounds. Coming in at only twenty-eight minutes it hardly seems worth buying unless you’re specifically a fan of the band, especially as most of the tracks sound very similar, but I can imagine how impressive it must have been to see Slayer ripping through the entire album on stage. These guys have undisputed talent, whatever you may think of their lyrics, guitar work and girl hair.
It may be obvious from my track-by-track exploration that I found it very difficult to distinguish between the music offered here, as an identical formula is used for every single track without fail. This could be interpreted as ‘no compromise,’ but to my ears it just sounds a little unoriginal and quite tedious. There are three to four really good Slayer songs amidst a sea of chaotic, discordant filler that prevents me from seeing the real appeal of this album compared to my own collection. If the album was produced as an E.P. and available at a lower price I would have more respect, although I have to admit that my ‘respect’ for the band in releasing this for their major label debut in a decade previously dominated by cheesy glam rock.
People who enjoy listening to albums in their entirety will agree that this is an experience though.
Advantages: An understandably popular thrash album, The band play how they want to play, A couple of classic metal tracks
Disadvantages: Not enough variety, Many tracks are not given adequate time to progress and inspire, Potentially dangerous lyrics
They're NOT Teletubbies!
*****
Written on 06.06.01
Slipknot's loud, unrelenting sound earned them much attention after their debut album (simply titled "Slipknot") was released. the nine-piece band have opted for the image of freakish masks to hide their appearance and baggy jumpsuits to make themselves look like prisoners or lunatics. This popular nu-metal band have done extensive touring, and are set to return to the UK in November 2001 to promote their new album (titled "Iowa" after their home state), following their hugely successful stint at May's UK Ozzfest.
The band formed quite some time ago, and its members have changed considerably. The idea of masks stemmed from the time when Shawn (one of the custom percussionists) wore an old clown mask and boiler suit to rehearsals, and soon the whole band produced their own face pieces.
Singer Corey Taylor wears a grey leather mask with dreadlocks (some of which are real) that is supposed to represent a scarecrow. Corey's vocals are backed up by a synthesiser he uses to distort his voice for some of the louder, angrier shouting (if you are interested, this is especially evident in the song "Wait and Bleed.")
Drummer Joey wears a white, expressionless mask with long red hair.
The afore-mentioned Shawn wears an old clown mask (now changed for a more freakish, grotesque clown face), and plays a part in the band by practicing "custom percussion"; the art of hitting a large bin every so often with sticks. (I don't mean to deliberately diss custom percussion, but it does seem less difficult when compared to other instruments).
Shawn is joined on custom percussion by Chris, who wears a white Pinnochio-style mask with a long nose and zip for a mouth.
Paul has now exchanged his original pig mask for a black, more evil-looking version, and his job is playing the band's solitary bass guitar.
Media and samples man Craig wears a diver's helmet with rubber spikes embedded in its top; his mask has also recently been traded in for a grey, zip design (although he has kept the spikes).
Sid's job is to spin and delay the band's turntables for the scratch sound effect, and his mask is a plain gas mask, which he has now modified so it does not cover his head.
Guitarist Mick has had many masks, including a golden hockey mask and pale face.
The band's other guitarist James wears a black leather mask.
The band have also had many styles of jumpsuit (all of which bear their band member "number" and the barcode of a cabbage on the back), and have produced two singles thus far off their debut album, entitled "Spit it Out" and "Wait and Bleed." (The band produced a mini-album prior to becoming famous entitled "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat.")
Slipknot merchandise is very prominent everywhere, and the band have recently revealed their disgust at seeing their image on childrens' lunch boxes. Many designs of T-shirt and hooded top are available of the band, and even copies of the jumpsuit are available. (I must admit, I own one for special occasions and concerts!) To tackle this, the band are planning to keep merchandise of their new album strictly under control, as they believe fans should be more interested in the music than the image.
This proves that although they have been criticised for trying to make nu-metal look "cool" and appeal to youngsters, the band's dedication is strictly to their sound. Let's hope the over-excessive touring continues, and a few more albums appear in the shops.
Advantages: Love to tour, Amazing image and sound, Very original
Disadvantages: Too many people are only interested in the image
Slipknot
Not Just an Image
*****
Written on 09.06.01
Although the main criticism about the amazing Iowa metal band Slipknot is that they are too obsessed with making money off merchandise, nothing could be further from the truth. The band are fully aware of the image people have of them, and have decided to control the amount of merchandise available from their forthcoming album Iowa (which is currently scheduled for an August 6th. UK release), and after you listen to this album you realise that they're not just trying to popular by dressing up to amuse little kids; it's a damned good (and well worth the money) album.
Although I only have the basic album (another version with seventeen tracks later became available), I believe it is one of the best albums I own.
After a peculiar intro, the song "[Sic]" blurts out into a huge, booming drum beat before singer Corey Taylor's enhanced vocals scream out at high volume. Track two, "Eyeless", begins with an electronic beat that soon erupts into what is one of the best songs on the album. Track four (the famous "Wait and Bleed") is anothwer possible favourite, and cleverly mixes Corey's unsynthesised, melodic shouting with his usual guttural roars to produce what is widely regarded as the band's best song. "Surfacing" begins rather oddly but soon becomes another fine song which contains the hesviest message of any song on the album ("F*** you all, f*** this world, f*** everything that youn stand for. Don't belong, don't exist, don't give a s***, don't ever judge me.") Track six was the band's first single, the quickly-paced "Spit it Out", which has a music video based upon the Shining, featuring the Slipknot guys. Track seven ("Tattered & Torn") is possibly the worst song on the album, and features a rather freakish melody before the song begins. Track eight ("Only One") is another great song, and features a very pleasant chorus of Corey singing, to act in contrast to his usual shouting. From this point forwards the album becomes less brilliant, although track 11 is another great song. Tracks 10, 12, 13 and 14 aren't bad, but aren't as worthy as the others. (There's also a weird secret bit with the guys talking after about twenty minutes of track fourteen, which cumulates in a final farewell song).
The album is not a rip-off (fourteen tracks and over an hour in length), and the songs are usually very different. There is no way Slipknot are some kind of "metal boy band" to fit into this current period of metal's popularity. Anyone who thinks otherwise should listen to the album, as this band are much more than an image- although compared to some other bands' image, their's does rule!
N.B.: The new album to be released this summer (Iowa) is set to be hesvier than this album, and be geared more towards the hard core black metal of bands such as Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir.
Advantages: Great value for money, Energetic, talented and downright AMAZING
Disadvantages: Not many- the band seem to have become popular with people who only like them for their image, but this is not their fault
Natural Born Chaos
Follow the Hollow
****
Written on 15.01.06
What is melodic death metal?
For a start, one of my favourite genres, and a fantastic mix of elements from thrash-inspired death metal (Vader, Carcass) and the lighter sound of 80s guitar-based heavy metal (Iron Maiden, Judas Priest). The final ingredient is often a heavy presence of traditional Scandinavian folk influence, the genre having originated in Norway and Sweden.
Melodic death is great for allowing fans of heavy metal who are averse to the headache-inducing brutality of death metal, like me, to finally appreciate the talent it takes to perform, especially with the power of the guitars. Soilwork are among the most successful melodic death bands (an increasingly popular genre), but have always been overshadowed by some of their peers, such as Arch Enemy and In Flames.
Released in 2002, ‘Natural Born Chaos’ can be seen as a continuation (of sorts) of the music pioneered by At the Gates and In Flames. The former disbanded in the mid-90s, while In Flames’ music from the turn of the millennium has moved increasingly away from their origins and towards a more commercial hard metal sound. Natural Born Chaos is a fairly straightforward album; 10 tracks for the band to unflinchingly demonstrate their sound.
1. Follow the Hollow
2. As We Speak
3. The Flameout
4. Natural Born Chaos
5. Mindfields
6. The Bringer
7. Black Star Deceiver
8. Mercury Shadow
9. No More Angels
10. Song of the Damned
A good thing about this album is that each track remains very memorable simply thanks to the title, as that almost always forms the main lyrics of each fantastic chorus.
After a distorted vocal sample, ‘Follow the Hollow’ explodes into a fast and unpredictable riff, really setting the pace for an album that rarely lets up, even in slower songs. This opening track is a great example of the band’s sound, alternating between guttural vocals in the verses and more harmonious haunting singing in the chorus, powerful speedy guitars that pack a punch and also produce really delicate solos. Later tracks such as ‘The Flameout’ and ‘Mercury Shadow’ follow a very similar format, but are saved from sounding tedious and repetitive by the excellent vocals in the choruses.
These faster tracks may take some getting used to for newcomers to the genre, despite being less furious and ear-splitting than is common for death or thrash metal, but the more ‘spacey’ sound of ‘As We Speak,’ relying on strange but very successful synthesisers in the chorus, should provide something of an easier route, and is likely my favourite track here. ‘Black Star Deceiver’ and ‘No More Angels’ are in the same vein, both featuring heavy death metal sections before slowing down to a more reflective pace. Album closer ‘Song of the Damned’ begins with something of a synthesiser overload, which I love, and is a great piece to finish, leaving the listener in a surprisingly light-hearted and relaxed mood after a death metal album.
The most traditionally ‘death metal’-sounding tracks here are the fastest and most brutal, ‘Natural Born Chaos’ and ‘Mindfields.’ These don’t appeal to me as much, but the guitar work is still excellent, even if the synths can’t be heard quite as prominently. The only track that stands out for other reasons is ‘The Bringer,’ starting with deceptive acoustic guitar and becoming a mid-tempo song that is pretty much central, reflecting its position in the album, in terms of power, volume, speed and likeability. Aside from a pretty cool bit of keyboard in the chorus, there isn’t much to distinguish this song other than it sounding like a precursor to the following year’s successful single ‘Rejection Role,’ a track that finally got the band the recognition they deserved (even if it wasn’t as good as the stuff on here).
Natural Born Chaos isn’t a perfect or necessary album, but it’s a great one for inquisitive fans of metal who don’t want to go the full way to depravity and buy a Cannibal Corpse album. With a couple of minor exceptions, all the interesting developments in metal music have come from elsewhere in Europe over the last decade, but with impressive power metal bands such as Dragonforce developing at home, as well as the consistent quality of home-grown bands like Iron Maiden, it seems the UK is finally starting to catch up.
If it’s roaring vocals and grinding guitars you’re looking for, head to Norway. If folk-inspired rocking tales of fantasy are more your cup of tea, get thee to Germany.
Advantages: Moves the genre forward, great use of synthesisers and guitar
Disadvantages: Not much variation, some songs are less memorable
The Height of Callousness
The Height of Mainstream Metal
***
Written on 11.07.01
I first heard Spineshank wehn the video for "Synthetic" (the first release from this album, The Height of Callousness) appeared on the MTV2 Metal Hammer Riot, and I loved the song. However, once their next single, "New Disease" (which I also think is really cool), came out it was obvious that the formerly underground Spineshank had fallen into the metal popularity craze that was started with Limp Bizkit over the 2000/2001 border, and has no sign of ending any time soon.
Personally, I got into metal at about the same time as this, but was introduced to punk (the Offspring to start with) by my friend who'd liked that music for years. It was only when Rollin' came out that I realised the metal world was fast becoming popular among some people who didn't even appreciate it fully. However, although Spineshank have obviously changed their style from their first album (the unfortunately poor "Diesel Power"), the songs are still pretty cool.
The album begins with the loud, fast beat of album opener "Asthmatic." Without giving us a chance to breathe or any form of intro we are thrust right into the heavy instrumentals, and a scream soon informs us that vocalist Johnny Santos is also present. The song is good, and an excellent choice as album opener. It seems to sum up all of Spineshank's music, with Santos' screaming vocals aided by more melodic singing by himself. The back up vocals of the bass player are also present, as they are in all the other songs. The song is of average length, and is good to listen to- possibly one of the album's highlights.
Possibly my favourite track on the album soon begins on track two, with the album's title track "The Height of Callousness." With fantastic use of varying volumes and amazing instrument-playing, this song is probably the band at their finest. However, it's not the most radio-friendly song on the album, and not the kind to play to your mother if she's the kind of person who'd be offended easily by a word beginning with "f" that seems quite present in the track. Great song.
Track three is the song most people have heard, the pretty cool "Synthetic." Compared to the rest of the album I don't think this song sounds as good without a video, and is the kind that would be picked as a single due to its slight change in style. (I wouldn't say it's sellout, but it's definitely more accessible). However, the screaming vocals are ever-present, as are very cool back-up shouts by the bassist that do make the song sound a lot better. For anyone unsure of whether they've seen the video, it features the band in a metallic laboratoty of some kind, where a woman is programming some form of android that Johnny Santos teaches to scream (!). It's a good song though, with an intriguing background tune that definitely adds to the atmosphere. It's ended with back up vocals stating "I have become synthetic!" before the next song appears.
"New Disease", in my opinion, is about the same as "Synthetic", but I like some bits better (although I think some parts are poorer). The video is obviously of a higher budget than the "Synthetic" shoot (as the band have obviously become somewhat more popular), and features strangely-floating people being grounded by a "new disease" in the form of a passing storm cloud. Santos' voice sounds very different here, as he is experimenting with different syles, and it's closer to a singing voice than his usual screams. I think this voice sounds better, and should be used more to act as contrast to the screams. Not a bad song though- pretty cool, with prominent vocals.
Heading into the unknown territory, "(Can't Be) Fixed" begins with a build-up to Santos' slow, distressed voice. Overall, the song is more sombre and slow than others, but is still heavy and loud (or it wouldn't be Spineshank). The riff sounds cool, but I'm not too keen on the peculiar sampling in the background. A good song though, which is usually overlooked. Santos' voice is once again different from the norm, and there are portions of backing "ahh"s, similar to those done by Head (in KoRn), however these are not immediately apparent. The song teeters off to death at the end, which sounds quite good.
Probably my worst track on the album, the peculiarly-titled "Cyanide 2600" begins with a sampling beat that just sounds dodgy in this type of song. (A lot of metal sampling I like- but this is just too poor for me). The tune sticks with the rest of the song, as do other, even dodgier, techno sounds, and the instruments and vocals are nothing very original.
Track seven, "Play God", begins with loud drumming that leads into what is virtually a vocal solo (with some fantastic use of backing vocals). One of my favourites off the album, the song is obviously about playing God, and the song has cool instrumentals. I love the chorus especially, which is sung greatly and sounds amazing, and very different. I'm not sure if this is my favourite song over "The Heigh of Callousness", but they're both really cool.
To me, the start of "Malnutrition" sounds like a rip-off of Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People." The song is cool though, and is possibly the album's heaviest offering. The only dodgy part is a weird electronic sound that begins about half way through, but the Beautiful People-esque riff is definitely the song's high point. There also seems to be an equal balance between regular and backing vocals, which is a bit of welcome variation.
Track nine, "Seamless", is lead into by "Malnutrition". It's got great talky-shouty vocals accompanied by a relatively quiet guitar riff. The chorus is once again amazing, and the song is overall a very good offering, and definitely worth listening to. I wouldn't say it's my favourite track though, but it certainly comes close.
"Negative Space" is a big instrument-fest with loud drums, bass and guitar at the start, and there's more sampling (but this time it's standable. Still not amazing though). The riff sounds really good as well, and silence is used effectively- I just don't like the idea of it. The song is slow, on parr with "(Can't Be) Fixed", but isn't memorable. I think it's good though, and it's good that it was included on the album.
The final track on the album is "Transparent", and the vocals sound even more relentless here, with Santos really going overboard on angry shouting. The chorus is melodic again, and overall the track makes a good end to the album. It's pretty average speed, and an average song, although I do like the riff, and the drums sound quite good (if simplistic). Nothing fantastic though.
Overall, the album does come in at a little short (eleven tracks and thirty-seven minutes), but features some great songs. There's not a huge variety available here, but there's definitely some apparent. Spineshank do seem to be a pretty run of the mill band to me though, even though I do respect and recognise their individuality and flair, but with movie soundtracks about to be under their belts, it seems they're simply trying to get popular, rather than produce an album that will stand out among others. I got this album in a sale, and think I was put off buying it full price by its similarity and short length. However, worth listening to if you're into metal. It's not as mainstream as the band would like, but is quite easy to find in record shops. Simply stay away from the first album.
Infinite
So Long, and Thanks for all the Finnish
***
Written on 24.09.06
Having defined themselves as Finland’s premier heavy metal band over the course of eight increasingly exciting albums, Stratovarius stumbled into the new millennium with ‘Infinite,’ an enjoyable but disappointing backwards step for a band soon to fall into steep decline and literal insanity. Pertaining to be something of the definitive symphonic metal CD with its grandiose cover art (produced by Iron Maiden artist Derek Riggs), ‘Infinite’ continues the trend of each Stratovarius album sounding pretty much like the last one, but this time looking backwards instead of forwards.
Stratovarius’ symphonic approach to the classic European power metal sound paved the way for operatic bands like Nightwish and Therion, but the band’s own steam has truly run out by this point. This album looks back to its three excellent predecessors ‘Episode,’ ‘Visions’ and ‘Destiny’ and takes something from each, without offering anything new aside from the afore-mentioned gold dolphins artwork, which is very nice. Nevertheless, I liked this album a lot more before I explored their past discography.
The fast songs sound like re-makes of older, better songs with different nouns in the choruses, and the ballads are more blandly commercial sounding than ever. The album’s primary saving grace is its excellent title track, dominated by slow, thunderous riffs, time changes and a fantastically over-ambitious choral bit. Nevertheless, this still feels overlong at nine minutes; Timo Tolkki’s guitar solos only remain interesting for so long, but thankfully this isn’t Helloween territory, ha ha. (A nice joke to help alienate you further).
The album opens with ‘Hunting High and Low’ and ‘Millennium,’ and both are highly enjoyable speedy metal anthems. Timo Kotipelto’s high vocals blend perfectly with the melodic lead guitars, and Stratovarius doesn’t sound much better than this – except perhaps on ‘Father Time’ and other such songs from the past which sound almost exactly the same. Sadly the album’s next fast offering ‘Phoenix’ is definitively mediocre and adds nothing of interest at all. ‘Freedom’ is pretty anthemic but is similarly forgettable, although ‘Glory of the World’ and 'A Million Light Years Away' are saved by some really cool keyboard leads from Jens Johansson. The choruses are pretty good too, but that’s always been one of the band’s main strengths.
Looking back to the ‘Destiny’ album, Stratovarius attempt a couple of slower songs, but neither works very successfully. ‘Mother Gaia’ is tediously overlong, even if it is very enjoyable for the first four minutes or so with its numerous choruses and rare slow guitar riff. By contrast, the anti-climax ‘Celestial Dream’ is less than worthless, as it led to similar atrocities on the band’s next two albums. Special edition versions of the CD include the bonus track ‘Neon Light Child’ which sounds almost exactly the same and is therefore rubbish, as well as pointlessly verbatim demos of tracks one and two.
Every Stratovarius album has its low points, but this album rates only average at best, and is a completely unnecessary addition to a fine back catalogue. The bombast epic stuff was done slightly better on ‘Destiny,’ while the power metal was perfected on 1997’s ‘Visions,’ still the band’s finest release. Purporting to immortality by cashing in on a incidental 2000 AD release date and getting the bloke who used to draw Iron Maiden’s Eddie to paint an irrelevant picture of gold dolphins might sound like the ingredients for a metal classic, but isn’t enough to make for a good album. The several good songs from this album sadly represent the only things of worth to come from Stratovarius in the twenty-first century so far, with three albums and counting having followed in its inconsequential ripples.
1. Hunting High and Low
2. Millennium
3. Mother Gaia
4. Phoenix
5. Glory of the World
6. A Million Light Years Away
7. Freedom
8. Infinity
9. Celestial Dream
10. Neon Light Child *
11. Hunting High and Low (demo) *
12. Millennium (demo) *
* Limited edition bonus tracks.
Advantages: Lovely glossy production sound, and a few great melodic metal anthems.
Disadvantages: The best stuff rips off the old stuff, and the worst stuff is really bad.
Elements Pt. 1
Make Your Own Paradise
**
Written on 20.12.05
Many distinctive rock bands reach a point where the individual sound they have pioneered starts to lose its appeal. Pantera unintentionally became a parody of their favoured barroom brawl metal sound, while In Flames simply forgot how to be good. For Stratovarius the decline was inevitable; their polished, symphonic power metal style had remained constant since the mid-90s and most of their albums sound the same.
The new millennium brought 'Elements,' envisioned as an epic two-part concept album released in two halves a year apart in the style of Helloween's 'Keeper of the Seven Keys,' or more recently, System of a Down's 'Mesmerize'/'Hypnotize.' A lofty idea and one that suits the band's flamboyant style, but not something that their confined sound could successfully achieve.
This first release has all the usual Stratovarius elements (yes, that was a pun. Well spotted) such as operatic choruses, a mix of short and snappy tracks with longer progressive pieces, catchy riffs and vocals and use of synthesised and live orchestration to add a grander texture, but it's all pushed a little too far.
As much as it shames me to use this hackneyed criticism of power metal, an offshoot of classic heavy metal characterised by high wailing vocals, high pitched guitars and songs about dragons and warriors, I may have to: Elements is cheesy.
1. Eagleheart
2. Soul of a Vagabond
3. Find Your Own Voice
4. Fantasia
5. Learning to Fly
6. Papillon
7. Stratofortress
8. Elements
9. A Drop in the Ocean
The first thing that disappointed me when listening to this first of two concept CDs was the general lack of a unifying concept or sound to tie it all together. These tracks all stand alone, as it should be, but they don't really benefit from being placed in the order they are, and tracks could be removed or replaced without affecting the general sound of the disc. Brilliant concept albums such as Dream Theater's 'Metropolis part 2: Scenes from a Memory' and Jethro Tull's 'Thick as a Brick' manage to align every part of the album with recurring riffs, themes and lyrical refrains, but this is completely lacking from Elements. Admittedly, Stratovarius never claimed to be a prog band, but there is essentially no real reason for the Elements albums to be considered two halves of a greater whole any more than the band's previous album 'Infinite,' which seems to provide the structure and sound of almost everything on Elements Part 1, should be considered a prelude.
But even leaving aside this gripe, Elements isn't a great Stratovarius album, or even a great power metal album. 'Eagleheart' tries unsuccessfully to sound like Meatloaf, the lengthy tracks 'Fantasia' and 'Elements' are too repetitive and don't sound distinctive enough from the rest of the album to merit extended length, the soft conclusion 'A Drop in the Ocean' is completely unmemorable and 'Soul of a Vagabond' is ruined by horn sections that are, unusually, far too foregrounded and oppressive to the regular instruments.
There are still many good songs on here, despite the odd decisions made. 'Find Your Own Voice' and 'Learning to Fly' are impressive speedy power metal anthems reminiscent of the band's best work, while 'Papillon' succeeds in trying something new (the only real instance on the album), beginning with what sounds like a choir boy backed by haunting acoustics and fading almost imperceptibly to Timo Kotipelto's great voice and a slow, powerful drum beat. It still drags on in the last couple of minutes though. 'Stratofortress' isn't a great instrumental, but it's a lot of fun, and instrumentals are a rarity in a genre where high vocals often determine the sound of a song.
Stratovarius immediately became one of my favourite bands when I first heard their classic albums 'Twilight Time' and 'Destiny,' but exploring the rest of their discography, and realising how much they reproduce almost the exact same sound, was disappointing. Elements is not necessarily the peak of this lack of creativity, but the failed attempt at elevating the sound to new dimensions makes it all the more noticeable.
Fans of Nightwish, the more successful band primarily influenced by Stratovarius' symphonic style, should enjoy the operatic pomp of the title track 'Elements,' but I'd recommend looking back to the band's earlier work. As mentioned earlier, 2000's 'Infinite' is, perhaps sadly, a much better version of Elements, despite being the previous album and one that is often ignored. 'Eagleheart' is essentially a reworking and spoiling of Infinite's 'Hunting High and Low,' the terrible 'A Drop in the Ocean' tries to recapture 'Celestial Dream' and the semi-eponymous 'Infinity' achieves epic proportions much more listenable than 'Fantasia.'
To end on a downer, Elements Part 2 is even worse.
The Damnation Game
A Fallen Star Divides the Sky of Divinity
****
Written on 09.10.05
The second album from New Jersey progressive metal band Symphony X refines the sound of their uneven debut and introduces one of the genre's finest vocalists. Russell Allen brings Symphony X on the course to perfection; the experiments in song format, structure and vocal styles pave the way for their later masterpieces.
Released in 1995, 'The Damnation Game' owes little debt to the then-fresh European power metal scene, despite its similarities. Rousing choruses, alternation between melodic and thrashy songs and plenty of noodling in-between make this a more straightforward heavy metal album in the vein of Iron Maiden or Helloween, but the band's trademark sound is ever-present and actually begins here.
Michael Pinella's glorious medieval sounding keyboards can be heard throughout the whole album, becoming highlighted at relevant times, and perfectly compliment axeman Michael Romeo's clean guitar solos and distorted, punctual riffs. Romeo has been compared to prog metal's king of guitar pomposity Yngwie Malmsteen, the difference being that Romeo knows when to stop.
Another interesting feature of the band that may divide listeners is the precision of it all; Romeo and drummer Jason Rullo are always perfectly in time during the riffs to the extent that the bass drum sounds like an extent of the guitar chords.
The production on this album is clearer than the debut, but still a little way off the perfectly polished mix of 'The Divine Wings of Tragedy' or 'Twilight in Olympus.' The guitars sound expertly distinctive to the band and soon become inextricably linked to Allen's operatic wails and booms. This isn't a perfect album, but it has a lot to offer to fans of straightforward metal and experimental rock alike.
The biggest difference to the band's later offerings is that no track here clocks in at the somewhat overwhelmingly epic time of twenty-odd minutes. The longest song, 'The Edge of Forever,' lasts just under nine minutes, progressing through light and heavy moods but lacking the inspired eloquence that 'The Divine Wings of Tragedy' or Dream Theater's 'A Change of Seasons' resonate from making an extremely lengthy track coherent and enjoyable. That said, Symphony X's more recent album 'The Odyssey' features a twenty-five minute title track that simply sounds like eight separate, similar-sounding songs, so it's no easy task.
THE DAMNATION GAME
1. The Damnation Game
2. Dressed to Kill
3. The Edge of Forever
4. Savage Curtain
5. Whispers
6. The Haunting
7. Secrets
8. A Winter's Dream part 1 - Prelude
9. A Winter's Dream part 2 - The Ascension
Setting the trend that has continued to this day, the album opens with a speedy, punchy opening that nevertheless displays its progressive flair, especially in the solo section. 'The Damnation Game' is a very average offering from the band, the closing section with repetitions of the chorus being especially unimpressive, but Pinella's keyboards still make it highly enjoyable. 'Dressed to Kill' keeps the heavy, speedy sound moving, featuring more in the way of guitar breaks but still accessible and fun.
The technical skill of the music moves up many steps with the grand 'The Edge of Forever.' Enchanting and varied, this begins with a now classic Symphony X acoustic section (re-used as part of a medley in 2002's 'The Odyssey') before the finest vocal performance of the whole album kicks in, lasting for the full length of the song. This is certainly one of the highlights, but the rest of the album doesn't lose this spark.
'Savage Curtain' is the first Symphony X song to feature the now customary unison chorus from band members. The speedy sound is similar to the opening tracks but more accomplished, the sound carrying through to the more reflective 'Whispers' and the exciting, double-bass-drum-led 'The Haunting.' If there is a flaw with this section of the album, it's that it can be difficult to remember specific movements and sections from these three songs as they seem to flow together in the brain even after repeated listens. There is a lengthy instrumental section at the end of 'The Haunting' that is entertaining and thankfully doesn't outstay its welcome.
A spooky keyboard section introduces 'Secrets,' another of the album's finest moments with the most original chorus and the perfect blend of heavenly backing keyboards, driving grinding guitars and varying vocals. It's also one of the only times that Michael Lepond's bass can be distinctly heard, keeping the dingy atmosphere going behind the lengthy solo. The song fades out to introduce the two-part 'A Winter's Dream' - the first section is soft, led by an acoustic guitar and some very, very airy vocals and the second retreats to the heavy metal style of the opener. An interesting touch, especially in the opening minute when the chorus become seriously addictive, but progressive metal fans may find themselves a little disappointed that this idea wasn't taken further.
Everything about this album now seems like a precursor to the perfection that is 1997's 'The Divine Wings of Tragedy.' The fast, powerful rockers here are nothing compared to that album, the same goes for the softer, reflective moments. 'The Damnation Game' cannot hold its own against 'Sins and Shadows'; 'The Haunting' is nothing compared to 'The Eyes of Medusa'; 'The Edge of Forever,' while excellent, is no 'The Accolade' and of course, the two-part 'A Winter's Dream' seems like an average Judas Priest rocker against 'The Divine Wings of Tragedy.' All that said, this is still a very good album, but the band's evolution and own standards have rendered it seriously second rate.
Newcomers to Symphony X would find it more interesting to look elsewhere in their discography. Dream Theater offer a more traditional progressive slant to heavy metal, their albums all sounding somewhat different compared to the similarity of Symphony X, while the recent offerings of England's own Iron Maiden have been increasingly disposed towards prog tendencies.
'The Damnation Game' is a great rock album that unites heavy metal and prog rock in a way that power metal never has. Unlike bands that have fallen into the abyss, Symphony X are still going strong and had a new album slated for release in September 2005. which I suppose means it's taking a little more tweaking than originally intended.
Twilight in Olympus
Progressive Dusk
***
Written on 05.06.04
Symphony X are at the forefront of modern progressive metal, combining heavy metal guitars, bass and drums with classical instruments and keyboards in a constant effort to produce innovative and original music.
The whole idea of taking the raw power of heavy metal and perverting it with Beethoven influences seems ludicrous to some people, but Symphony X follow the examples of European power metal bands and even the popular Metallica in adding a greater depth to their tracks; this album requires a certain amount of effort on the part of the listener, but can be very rewarding.
STYLE
Twilight in Olympus holds nothing new to fans who already owned the band's successful previous album 'The Divine Wings of Tragedy,' but it compliments the style well, introducing a greater degree of classical inspiration than their other releases to date. As such, this is initially less impressive than some of their heavier albums, but is also more suited to a relaxed mood than the pounding rhythms of 'Divine,' with greater use of keyboards in complimenting the guitar riffs and vocals.
There is a good balance between fast tracks, epics and contemplative ballads, and the band do not allow any of the musicians to dominate in the manner of some of the band's later releases, although there is not much on here that I consider to be on par with my favourite Symphony X tracks.
DESIGN
There is something of a budget look to the album cover and design, especially in contrast to their previous album, but the general colour scheme works well and sets the album apart from others in collections. The Ancient Greek theme is rendered irrelevant due to the exclusion of the planned title track, and the album cover's attempted composition of bust photography, a pen-inked temple and a very blurred computer-coloured backdrop would have worked a lot better if it were not so diverse.
The band photo inside is also somewhat less professional than on their other releases, and the lyrics are presented in a fairly bland format on black pages featuring only a repetitive column design. But then again, it's not about the design, it's about the music.
TRACKS
Many tracks on the album deliberately flow together and intertwine, especially in the first half, and it's clear that the band have written and composed the tracks in the order they feel is most appropriate, based on the arrangement of their live sets.
1. SMOKE AND MIRRORS
This reasonably fast but complex metal track opens the album energetically, while displaying the talents of all musicians involved. Michael Romeo's solo is slow and mellow, succeeding in adding to the song rather than overpowering the efforts of other band members. A strong opener that doesn't inspire like some of the more complex and experimental tracks, but which is one of the most enjoyable and memorable on the album.
"I feel the moonlight as it slowly cloaks my eyes,
Touched by the kiss of the sunrise."
2. CHURCH OF THE MACHINE
The album heads into lengthy epic territory even at this early point, with this eight-minute affair. A slow build-up launches into the ensemble vocal performances, and this remains a fairly heavy track throughout. The length does become an issue towards the end however, as there are not enough diverse elements to keep the listener's attention throughout. Still, a very good track with excellent use of keyboards in-between verses.
"Forging sacred thrones in the void unseen,
Merciless judgement in the Church of the Machine."
3. SONATA
This brief instrumental only clocks in at one and a half minutes, and is essentially an introduction to the fourth track. An adaptation of Beethoven's Sonata #8 in C Minor, the high guitar is interesting, but this is essentially an interlude that is not a Symphony X original.
4. IN THE DRAGON'S DEN
A pretty straightforward Symphony X song with heavy riffs and a rather infectious chorus, this is very reminiscent of shorter tracks on the previous album. At only four minutes it's the perfect length and features enough change in tempo and guitar work to earn its place as one of the band's classics.
"An empty door, ashes on the floor,
Hypnotic array of lights, dragons calling throughout the night."
5. THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
The main epic track of the album, this lasts for thirteen minutes and is divided into three different, but very similar, sections. This does drag on a little too much for my liking, and the inclusion of a girl's vocals at points is a little cringe-worthy, but the instrumentation is by far the best of the entire album. Not a track to introduce yourself to Symphony X with, but one that will reward the more die-hard fans. As you may have guessed, this is the band's account of the story of Alice Through the Looking Glass, and it is a track that grows on me with every listen, once I am able to remember it.
"Dream on,
Do you believe
all the things that you are seeing are true?
The Start's where the End's leading you."
6. THE RELIC
A welcome return to a shorter and faster style, there is again little to distinguish this from the band's other songs, but it is nonetheless enjoyable and features a great guitar solo. The song slows in the middle, allowing Jason Rullo's bass work to be heard clearly for a change.
"Carry on, into the horizon,
Wielding courage, staff in hand.
Journey on, through shadows and dreams,
And what lies beyond the Guardian's keep."
7. ORION - THE HUNTER
At almost seven minutes this is a fairly hefty track, and my favourite on the album. There is some excellent guitar harmony - clearly an effect that would be impossible to achieve live due to the lone guitar work of Michael Romeo - and the riffs are very catchy and enjoyable. Allen's vocals take a more aggressive approach here, which is a nice change.
"Child of the seas I am,
In starlight I reside.
Glow silver and white,
Eternal and bright in the sky."
8. LADY OF THE SNOW
Again ending an album with a power-ballad, this may be a little too progressive for some people in terms of its employment of orchestration and keyboards far more than the more traditional rock instruments, but the guitar is still excellent throughout and it makes a relaxing end to the album: if anything, it's a proven cure for insomnia.
"Lady of the Snow holding me,
Her silhouette awaits in the cold.
I can't fight anymore."
VERDICT
This album was rushed, and it shows. This was no fault of the band, and was mainly necessitated by the record company in response to the popularity of their 1997 album; the production is a little below par and some parts of songs sound similar, something that does not live up to the band's own standards and ideals, although the greatest loss is that of the proposed title track to the album, 'Twilight in Olympus': Symphony X's title tracks are all excellent and impressive epics without exception, and through refusing to grant the band more time to complete this in full, they have blighted this album in remaining a little below par.
The musicians in the band are all virtuosos, and Russell Allen's vocals follow a similar operatic style to those of Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson, without the distracting accents common to Symphony X's European contemporaries. The only flaw with the songs as they stand is that the lyrics often seem too cheesy for the band's usual style, most notably in the great track 'Into the Dragon's Den': Symphony X previously set themselves apart for discussing real themes such as soul-destroying aspects of modern society, and their later albums often focused on mythology and classical literature.
Record producers have long been the reluctant scourge of many promising bands, and with more time, Symphony X could have improved this release from a strong but lacking album into a progressive metal classic. 'The Divine Wings of Tragedy' remains this band's most successful and classic album, but the recent release 'The Odyssey' with its half-hour title track comes close. Life is a game in which we must play the cards we are dealt, and Symphony X had to remain content with an incomplete-
V – The New Mythology Suite
The Death of Balance
****
Written on 07.01.05
'V' is, as expected, the fifth album to be released by New Jersey progressive metal leaders Symphony X, and embodies everything that makes the genre so interesting to metal fans. From sweeping overtures to speeding electric riffs, choral vocals and acoustic melodies, The New Mythology Suite is a modern rock masterpiece from the underappreciated successors to Dream Theater.
SYMPHONY X is:
Russell Allen - vocals
Michael Romeo - guitars
Michael Pinella - keyboards
Michael Lepond - bass
Jason Rullo - drums
Russell Allen's powerful vocals range from aggressive rasps to high choir performances but are most commonly grounded in the middle. A great voice that has been recruited by various musicians when assembling experimental works, such as Arjen Lucassen's Ayreon project. Jason Rullo and Michael Lepond contribute less to the songwriting, but although their presence is essentially to balance the high instruments, the drums and bass make their presence felt and never miss a beat.
The real highlights of the album however are once again the guitars and keyboards of Michael Romeo and Michael Pinella, two musical geniuses who have recently released solo albums. Romeo's guitars take something of a backseat to Pinella's orchestral crafting on this album, making for a grander and more operatic offering than previous Symphony albums.
THE NEW MYTHOLOGY SUITE
1. Prelude
2. Evolution (The Grand Design)
3. Fallen
4. Transcendence
5. Communion and the Oracle
6. The Bird-Serpent War / Cataclysm
7. On the Breath of Poseidon
8. Egypt
9. The Death of Balance / Lacrymosa
10. Absence of Light
11. A Fool's Paradise
12. Rediscovery
13. Rediscovery part II: The New Mythology
Under Allen, Romeo and Pinella, 'V' takes inspiration from myths of the ancient world and brings them together to form a fascinating concept album. The segue tracks (1, 4, 7, 9 and 12) help greatly in maintaining the mood and flow of the album, although this may deter newcomers to more progressive metal. Songs such as 'Evolution,' 'Fallen,' 'The Bird-Serpent War' and 'A Fool's Paradise' are classic speedy metal anthems from the band, while the lengthier and deeper offerings 'Communion and the Oracle,' 'Egypt' and the title track display the full range of the band's abilities and styles.
The only criticism of the album stems from its conceptual nature; at times, it sounds as if riffs and vocal styles are being repeated, while sections of the segue tracks are devoid of interest. The complex style of some tracks does mean that the listener is rewarded on repeated playings, however the band have not entirely succeeded in creating a masterpiece to rival their earlier work.
VERDICT
Symphony X are one of the most interesting bands in metal, incorporating elements of heavy metal, thrash and contemporary European power metal to come up with tracks that rival even the most powerful bands. 'V' is several steps away from being their classic album, although the eagerly awaited follow up to 2002's 'The Odyssey' will hold even further surprises.
1997's 'The Divine Wings of Tragedy' catches Symphony X on top form, featuring a diverse range of styles and a climactic twenty minute epic that improves on each listen. 'The New Mythology Suite' is a great album, but could have done with a more even focus on all members involved.
Toxicity
Strangely Addictive Malcontents
*****
Written on 15.07.04
2001 was a good year for rock music financially as the alternative had become the popular choice among people of many age groups. In 2001 it was unsurprising to see Slipknot’s terribly discordant youth angst blasphemy ‘Iowa’ hitting number one in the charts, but I was surprised to see System of a Down’s ‘Toxicity’ accompanying it at number two – I had heard one song from the album and was very impressed, but I didn’t know they had such a huge influence and following.
I recently remembered that this band, and in particular this album, existed and I soon purchased the CD for a fairly low price on eBay (strangely from a seller in my own very small, obscure town in Cheshire. But that’s not really important) and I was delighted at its consistency and relative diversity. Sometimes good music can make the charts too, apparently.
SYSTEM
System of a Down is comprised of four Armenian-Americans living in the US, but not completely satisfied with the country politically. They are also excellent at creating and playing music, although the majority of this credit falls to Daron Malakian the guitarist. By combining different elements of rock with traditional instruments from their Armenian background, System of a Down achieved huge popularity in the US (and moderate success in the British Isles) with their self-titled debut album, but ‘Toxicity’ refines their sound and is much better as a result.
It is very hard to pin System under a specific genre: their heavy, grinding guitars can be reminiscent of thrash metal in their intensity, but they occasionally veer into new-metal (I refuse to use the popular term ‘nu-metal’ as it is silly) territory. Their songs are often short, snappy and direct in the style of hardcore punk rock, and of course there’s the Eastern influence present in the rhythms and melodies every so often. People who are open to any form of rock music should find something they like here.
This is not an album that will automatically impress on first listening however: despite the melodic relief every so often that is well-timed and brilliantly executed this is primarily a relentless, hard and intense mix of social criticism and inexhaustible guitars that doesn’t overpower the listener so much as draw them in to the strangely musical experience.
System of a Down are:
Daron Malakian – guitars, backing vocals
Serj Tankian – vocals, keyboards
Shavo Odadjian – bass
John Dolmayan - drums
TOXICITY
1. PRISON SONG (3:21)
A staccato, pounding riff opens the album and this very odd track, wasting no time in introducing Serj’s wildly erratic vocal style – ranging from speedy spoken word and angry shouting to deep guttural roaring and brief melodic singing – as well as the band’s heavy political angle. This is very fun, fast and heavy and it’s quite a good choice for an opener as anyone new to the band quickly learns how they are very different from other mainstream metal.
“Utilising drugs to pay for
Secret wars around the world,
Drugs are now your global policy,
Now you police the globe…”
2. NEEDLES (3:13)
Obviously dealing with drug use and users this features a great heavy riff every so often that reminds me of thrash metal at its best, while the chorus is again very hard, staccato and quite upbeat. This is aided by the ensemble “hey!” in the chorus. This songs is surprisingly varied in its style and the very memorable chorus helps to distinguish it from similar-sounding tracks.
“Pull the tapeworm out of your ass, hey
Pull the tapeworm out of your ass, hey
Pull the tapeworm out of your ass, hey
Pull the tapeworm out of me”
3. DEER DANCE (2:55)
Without time for a breather this song begins with a heavy riff that gives way to a lighter, drum-led vocal melody and a heavy chorus. It’s strange how such a heavy song can appear to be very melodic in comparison to the others due to the short lighter sections, but these do sound excellent – especially the extended vocal section towards the end that lingers on with traditional instruments and doesn’t give into the easy temptation of returning to the chorus until later.
“Beyond the staples centre you can see America,
With its tired, poor, avenging disgrace,
Peaceful, loving youth against the brutality
Of plastic existence”
4. JET PILOT (2:06)
This is my least favourite track as it’s basically pretty unnecessary: everything that sounds quite good within its two minutes can be found elsewhere on the album sounding much more impressive. The main chorus is also a little too silly and unnecessarily cryptic, so I’m surprised this was added to the album at such an early point (especially considering the vast number of unreleased tracks that were recorded at the time).
“Wired were the eyes of a horse on a jet pilot
One that smiled when he flew over the bay”
5. X (1:58)
Very short but the best track so far, this has a slower driving riff that sounds a little similar to new-metal bands… until Serj’s bouncing vocals begin. Some of the catchiest vocals on the whole album even though the guitars do sound like they’ve been taken directly from a Korn album.
“No need to nullify
No need to nullify
No need to nullify
We don’t need to nullify
Die”
6. CHOP SUEY (3:30)
The suicide-based big-selling first single is one of the few songs that sounds musically developed and as such is clearly one of the highlights of the album. Plenty of Eastern influence in the melodic sections and unbelievably fast and catchy verses showing Serj’s talents to the full. Add to this the emotional, ballad-style sections and it’s clear why this was one of the biggest selling metal tracks in the charts of recent years. The final repeat of the chorus is eagerly anticipated and even added to by backing vocals, making for an excellent break from the relentless heaviness of the rest of the disc.
“I don’t think you trust in my
Self-righteous suicide,
I cry when angels deserve to die”
7. BOUNCE (1:54)
A bit of a comedy track that can be excused for its short length and the fact that it’s actually pretty cool, even if it would sound a lot more at home on a Primus album. The tale of someone bringing his pogo stick along to a meeting with his friends is quite fun and it’s impossible not to listen to this in private without trying to say “pogo-pogo-pogo-pogo” as fast as Serj. Not that I do though. It’s a fun track that doesn’t try to be anything more than that.
“I brought my pogo stick
Just to show her a trick,
She had so many friends”
8. FOREST (4:00)
One of the longest tracks, this does sound more developed than the shorter tracks but the length is mainly due to over-repetition of the verses and chorus, as well as the fact that it’s a little slower than most of them. The guitars here are some of the best on the album and Serj’s voice sounds very powerful in the chorus, even if this does drag on longer than it perhaps should. Very good though, and a big step away from ‘Prison Song.’
“Speak with me my only mind,
Walk with me until the time,
And make the forest turn to wine”
9. ATWA (2:56)
One of my favourite tracks, this is another mix of melody and heaviness that works perfectly. It begins with Serj and Daron singing in harmony over quiet guitars before the very fast and catchy chorus. This is one of the only tracks that doesn’t shock the listener with the contrast between the two styles – the heaviness somehow mixes with the melody perfectly. There’s also a great (and rare) guitar solo at the end. A track to check out if you are a fan of the band, it does sound a little sombre and melancholy in comparison to the rest.
“You don’t care about how I feel,
I don’t feel it anymore.
Hey you, are me, not so pretty
All the world I’ve seen before me passing by”
10. SCIENCE (2:43)
By this point in the album, every song needs to impress the listener to keep them interested and this thankfully manages to with some great guitar riffs behind the vocals. Aside from the very Metallica-like guitars this song sounds similar to others but still has some great vocals and a surprise twist towards the end that sounds oddly pleasant. Obviously a criticism against science.
“Science fails to recognise the single most
Potent element of human existence,
Letting the reigns go to the unfolding
Is faith, faith, faith, faith”
11. SHIMMY (1:51)
A bit of an average-sounding track that doesn’t really need to be on the album, it at least doesn’t outstay its welcome. The chorus is quite amusing and memorable, but musically there’s nothing that hasn’t been heard before and very little progression. Then again, other albums would include pointless interludes of greater lengths than 1:51 so there’s no problem here.
“Education, fornication, in you are, go
Education, subjugation, now you’re out, go
Don’t be late for school again boy”
12. TOXICITY (3:38)
The second single, this is again one of the more developed songs on the album and possibly my favourite on the album (along with tracks 6 and 9 though). The melodic sections are some of the very best on the album and sound very meaningful despite the nonsensical lyrics (“eating seeds as a pastime activity”) and the chorus is the most upbeat part of the whole album. Add to this the excellent distorted guitar break later on and the very weird final ten seconds that sound like a sea shanty and it’s clear that System of a Down are incredibly talented musicians. I love this song.
“Conversion, software version 7.0,
Looking at life through the eyes of a tyre hub”
13. PSYCHO (3:45)
Anything would sound a little disappointing after the title track, but this is catchy and has my favourite lyric on the whole album that has me laughing every time I hear it (“so you want to see the show / you really don’t have to be a ho”). In places this song does sound a little forced but this is probably only because there are a lot of songs on this disc. Not the best track, but definitely not the worst, I really like this – especially the loud guitar solo towards the end, something they don’t usually make time for.
“Psycho groupie coke
Makes you high, makes you hide,
Do you really want to think and stop,
Stop your eyes from flowing out”
14. AERIALS (6:11)
Ending the album is the third single, the powerful slow mover ‘Aerials’ coming in at 3:52. This is a very good track and sounds like something the other tracks have really been building up to but not been able to achieve, although I do prefer the more upbeat and fun style of the rest of the album. The final few minutes consist of completely Eastern instruments playing out what may be a new or existing instrumental (titled ‘Arto’) and it sounds pretty good, although obviously something of an acquired taste that you’re not automatically going to enjoy just because you like this band’s Armenian influences. I usually listen to it in its entirety though.
“Life is a waterfall,
We’re one in the river
And one again after the fall”
VERDICT
The only real problem I have with this album is that the first five tracks aren’t as impressive, on the whole, as everything that comes afterwards, and this may influence some peoples’ judgement at an early point. Then again, fans of punk would probably argue the opposite, and it could be seen as the band beginning aggressive, alternative and very heavy (‘Prison Song’ being the perfect example) and developing into something more musical and melodic to end with ‘Aerials.’ It’s not though, just listen to ‘Psycho’ for confirmation of that.
The style of this album is fairly limited but the band are obviously open to experimentation and progression which makes it all the more interesting. Don’t let the fact that it is based largely on American society and that you won’t be able to relate: I don’t have a clue about politics but I can still enjoy the more personal messages of the excellent ‘Chop Suey,’ ‘Atwa’ and others. And ‘Bounce’ is just silly fun. The band recently released a collection of B-sides that didn’t make it onto this CD, titled ‘Steal This Album’ (probably to the horror of many shopkeepers), that I would be interested in hearing if only to criticise the fact that ‘Jet Pilot’ made it on this otherwise excellent collection of songs.
Songs that WILL stay in your head.
Advantages: Original and talented, Almost flawless collection, Excellent mix of styles
Disadvantages: Some tracks sound similar, Too experimental in some places
U
Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack
Underneath the Rotting Pizza
****
Written on 12.11.05
One of the most popular video games of all time, Squaresoft's 'Final Fantasy VII' was the first in the roleplaying Final Fantasy series to be released on the superior PlayStation console. With access to a greater potential game size and intricacy, not to mention 3-D graphics (albeit a little primitive), Final Fantasy VII still stands high above its sequels in terms of playability and addiction. Oh yes, and it also has the best soundtrack.
ARRANGEMENT
Nobuo Uematsu's score was an integral part of the playing experience, its low-tech synthesised melodies and blips, as well as occasional ventures into grander territory, remaining memorable and nostalgic. Across the four discs in this collector's set, there is a surprising lack of repetition, especially as the free-roaming nature of the gameplay meant that areas could be revisited and re-heard a tedious amount of times. So while 'Fighting' (the battle music) permeates every step of the game, here it is only given the relative importance of two and a half minutes. The only track repeated in full is the spooky 'Who Are You?' from disc 1, repeated as 'Who Am I?' at the end of disc three, a wise decision in keeping an element of audible storyline across the chronologically arranged collection.
This collection of 85 tracks is taken directly from Nobuo's original compositions, meaning there's no editing, adaptation or (god forbid) MIDI conversion. While this means that the apocalyptic 'A One-Winged Angel,' clearly the highlight of the game musically and a fitting almost-finale, will always sound a little pathetic in light of its very basic 16-bit attempt at Wagner or Orff, fans of the game could never be more pleased. The good thing about the basic synthesised soundtrack is that nothing stands out too much, as in Final Fantasy VIII where the high production sung introduction put the rest of the music to shame.
COMPOSITIONS
With all of the background music being structured as a loop to play for as long as the game player's actions dictate, every track fades out after an appropriate time that rarely exceeds four minutes. This is a perfect time to enjoy every aspect of the tracks, but it does mean that you can't stick the track on repeat to pretend you're playing the game. But surely that's asking for the moon on a stick; if you're that desperate, you can probably get hold of a second hand PlayStation console and a copy of the game for less than you'd pay for this soundtrack anyway.
However great these CDs are, they can't be played to death, or sometimes even listened to in one sitting. They're not party material and don't even think about having them on in the background when trying to work: if you're an obsessive fan of the game (and let's face it, who else would buy the soundtrack?) you'll likely find it too charming to ignore.
Stand-out tracks for me are the haunting theme of Sephiroth, seeming oddly hidden away on disc 3 under the ambiguous title 'Those Chosen By the Planet,' as well as the fun and bombastic 'Cid's Theme,' excellently reprised as a contradictory melancholy acoustic song later on. 'Cosmo Canyon,' the most entertaining background music, opens the third disc while the onslaught of boss music ends the collection in music the same way as it does the game.
VERDICT
The best and most useful piece of merchandise for the biggest video game of 1997, this is sadly also among the most expensive. Yes, all the music can be heard by playing the game, without dialogue over the top or cuts that provide the main argument for owning a film soundtrack, but this is well produced to be a satisfying and definitive collection. Nobuo's pieces are all so true to the mood of the story at all times, and the lack of repetition is incredible.
Casual fans of the game would be appalled to see people not only listening to the music as they play, evidently failing to notice the 'mute' button on the television, but even going out of their way to hear all of this annoying stuff again. 4 CDs of it. But if Final Fantasy VII taught us anything, it's that we should stand up to such oppression: the little people with funky hair really can make a difference.
And that whoever designed the character Tifa really needed a cold shower.
Bergtatt – Et eeventyr i 5 capitler
Betwixt Cragges a Descending Sunne
*****
Written on 17.01.05
Ulver are one of the most fascinating bands in Norwegian metal, experimenting with and ultimately mastering various forms of hard rock and electronic ambience that has led to them contributing to notable Scandinavian film soundtracks and collaborating with a multitude of other musicians on side projects.
‘Bergtatt,’ the band’s first full-length release from 1994, is the first in a trilogy exploring the more sinister side of Norwegian folklore: its melancholy ‘monk metal’ later complimented by 1995’s folky ‘Kveldssanger’ and the lycanthropic extreme black metal finale ‘Nattens Madrigal’ in 1996. This highly eclectic and unusual blend of musical styles demonstrates the creativity and originality of frontman and band founder Trickster G that is present throughout this debut concept release.
Ulver is:
Kristoffer Garm Rygg (alias Trickster G): vocals, synths, drums
Jorn H. Svaeren: guitar
Tore Ylwizaker: bass, synths, piano
BERGTATT
1. Capitel I – Troldskog Faren Wild (Led Astray in the Forest Darke)
2. Capitel II – Soelen Gaeer Bag Aase Need (Betwixt Cragges a Descending Sunne)
3. Capitel III – Graablick Blev Hun Vaer (She Senses Eyne of Grey)
4. Capitel IV – Een Stemme Locker (A Voice Beckons Her)
5. Capitel V – Bergtatt, Ind I Fjeldkamrene (Spellbound)
Bergtatt’s moderate thirty-five-minute length maintains a sinister and brooding atmosphere as it progresses through extreme black metal, acoustic interludes and soft harmony, making for a listening experience that is encapsulating and consistent. The seamless transition between harmonic chanting vocals (present throughout the first track) and guttural screams perfectly match the varying distortion effects of the lone guitar and the intensity of the drums.
Capitel IV is the highlight of the album, demonstrating the band’s talent at creating a mesmerising acoustic song amidst the volume of tracks three and four, although the closing minutes of the disc surpass everything the band have accomplished since in terms of space-out relaxation meeting blinding metal fury. Not every musical movement on the album is memorable and inspired, but there is never a dull moment as each song closes before outstaying its welcome in the eardums.
VERDICT
Unlike the relentless and almost unbearable ferocity of the later Nattens Madrigal album, the black metal elements of this album are reined in to be more melodic and easier on the listener, aided by the impressive production value of the disc as a whole. Fans of doom metal bands such as Opeth and Anathema should enjoy this Ulver release, as should those with a more extreme taste in music. Although the lyrics are sung in an archaic form of Norwegian to suit the themes (the band’s later experimental offerings are all recorded in English), the theme and mood of the album still come across from the bleak atmosphere and creepy album artwork.
An album perfectly suited to a dark and rainy night, Bergtatt is an impressive debut from a highly complex band, and although not entirely original in the wake of the doom metal movement, the interesting incorporation of rarely heard instruments elevates this unappreciated classic above the stream of tired, over-aggressive metal that still manages to permeate the music charts. The musical equivalent of that story in Roald Dahl’s ‘The Witches’ where a girl is trapped in a painting and eventually disappears as her parents fail to notice her: memorable and chilling.
Advantages: Unusual and enthralling listen, Excellent atmosphere and instrumentation, Musically brilliant
Disadvantages: Similar albums out there, Not to everyone's taste
V
Heaven and Hell
Ye Who Enter Here
****
Written on 08.10.05
Evanghelos Odyssey Papathanassiou is an electronic composer, by which I mean he is a composer of synthesised music from keyboards, samplers and other circuitry-based instruments, and not a kind of android. Beginning his solo career with loose, lengthy jazz-influenced pieces, 1975 saw the shift to the bombastic synthesised grandeur for which he is most commonly known, with the classic album 'Heaven and Hell.'
Despite being a rather obvious concept, Vangelis' musical rendition of heaven and hell is unique, despite owing a large debt to classical composers such as Mussorgsky, Wanger, Holst and anyone else who attempted to orchestrate armageddon. Powerful and booming one moment and blissfully contented the next, 'Heaven and Hell' is presented as a two-part suite, a remnant of double-sided LPs, interrupted only by the first collaboration between Vangelis and Yes vocalist Jon Anderson.
HEAVEN AND HELL, PART ONE
i) Bacchanale (4:40)
ii) Symphony to the Powers B (8:18)
iii) Movement 3 (4:03)
iv) So Long Ago, So Clear (5:00)
It's tempting to label part one 'Heaven' and part two 'Hell,' as the opening movements of each track seem to suggest this, but the shifts to melodies and orchestration that sound respectively sombre, regretful, ecstatic and crazy make such a distinction seem less likely. The first part opens with the English Chamber Choir chanting in tune with the keyboards before the music veers off at the wild, exciting tangent of 'Bacchanale.'
'Symphony to the Powers B' is a lengthy but progressive and involving track that makes full use of the choir, a synthesised organ and increasingly loud and powerful instrumentation before fading into silence for the gradual build-up of the relaxing, spacey and popular third movement, lifted with Vangelis' permission for the late seventies television series 'Cosmos.'
Led by a light, uplifting piano, this is the earliest origin of the tune Vangelis perfected/ruined (a decision usually based on whether one is a Vangelis acolyte or not) with his Oscar-winning score to 'Chariots of Fire.' This long-running experiment continued, to a lesser extent, with 'To the Unknown Man' from 1977's 'Spiral.' Memorable and instantly loveable, this song clearly shows the transition from chaos to paradise. 'So Long Ago, So Clear' is a bit of a departure, Anderson's androgynous vocals fitting the airy, light notes perfectly, but despite this being a high point of the album for many listeners I find it a little too out of place in the context.
HEAVEN AND HELL, PART TWO
i) Intestinal Bat (3:18)
ii) Needles and Bones (3:22)
iii) 12 O'Clock (8:48)
iv) Aries (2:05)
v) A Way (3:45)
Part two provides, as is common with lengthy, full-album musical ideas, a less ordered and seemingly more random collection of sounds and styles. The bizarre but brilliant 'Intestinal Bat' and the dingy 'Needles and Bones' are hellish as far as their uneasy lack of coherence goes, but don't convey any sense of pain or misery - Vangelis' squeaky refrains are actually quite fun.
'12 O'Clock' is often found on Vangelis collections, a return to the peaceful sound of Movement 3 but perhaps outstaying its welcome at nine minutes. The choir return for the final couple of tracks, but oddly the ending of the album disappoints somewhat; a piano fades out sweetly, but due to the limitations of the electronic, instrumental format it's difficult to see exactly what Vangelis is trying to show us.
Although the earlier 'Earth' and his work with Aphrodite's Child was important in defining electronic music as a genre, 'Heaven and Hell' marks an important step in Vangelis' music. This is epic stuff that demonstrates the versatility of synthesisers, but fans of classical and other traditional musical forms will probably be disappointed. 'Heaven and Hell' was the first and, for a while, last album of its type, as Vangelis tried a more restrained spacey style with more jazz influence in the following year's 'Albedo 0.39,' even seemingly sparring with fellow electronic composer Jean-Michel Jarre's sudden success by releasing the catchy but less accomplished 'Spiral' in '77.
Fans of the later 'Blade Runner' soundtrack, arguably Vangelis' best work, should admire this early attempt at depicting gloom and bliss, and unlike the work of Jarre there is a real emotion that can be felt behind all the clever sampler gizmos. Vangelis doesn't always impress, but his discography is fascinating and varied - those fond of complicated, multi-layered keyboard 'soundscapes' would also enjoy the later albums 'Mask' and 'The City' as well as his soundtracks to '1492 - Conquest of Paradise' and the afore-mentioned 'Blade Runner.'
Not to everyone's taste, but 'Heaven and Hell' balances a pretentious attempt to describe the afterlife with imperfect keyboard technology and a fun, mad, thoughtful forty-minute musical journey. Vangelis thankfully avoids specifics that could bog down the music, leading to the bizarre movement titles: this wouldn't be as enjoyable an album if it were labelled 'the River Styx,' 'God' etc.
Is this what Dante or Bosch would have done if they'd had a Moog? I suppose not.
Albedo 0.39
Mare Tranquillatis
****
Written on 26.10.05
“Maximum distance from the sun: 94 million 537 thousand miles
Minimum distance from the sun: 91 million 377 thousand miles
Mean distance from the sun: 92 million 957 thousand and 200 miles”
After flirting with the moderately successful infernal synthesiser epic ‘Heaven and Hell,’ Greek electronic composer Vangelis retreated to a less bombastic, space-jazz style and entered his most creative and productive era. 1976’s ‘Albedo 0.39’ is a precise forty minute skilful, catchy, melodic, new-age journey through the universe.
Fused within the layers of synthesisers are samples of sounds and speech that enhance the otherworldliness of this listening experience. The speaking clock opens ‘Freefall’ somewhat oddly, and irrelevantly, until the sound of an old fashioned phone being dialled introduces the excellent ‘Alpha.’ ‘Mare Tranquillatis’ features dialogue from the Apollo astronauts on the moon, the crackly radio distortion lending an extra air of discomfort to the peaceful music, while the final track, the eponymous ‘Albedo 0.39,’ is reminiscent of a planetarium in its soft recitation of facts concerning the solar system and the planet Earth.
Synthesiser fans will be interested in this album, as Vangelis plays an early Yamaha keyboard that he really put through its paces; from the quiet bells of ‘Freefall’ to the organ of ‘Nucleogenesis I’ and the rip-roaring ‘Nucleogenesis II.’ The main sound that dominates this album is an airy, pulsing tone overlaid onto a reasonably simplistic-sounding riff.
ALBEDO 0.39
1. Pulstar
2. Freefall
3. Mare Tranquillatis
4. Main Sequence
5. Alpha
6. Nucleogenesis I
7. Nucleogenesis II
8. Albedo 0.39
“Length of the mean solar day: 24 hours and 3 minutes and 56.5555 seconds at mean solar time”
‘Pulstar’ provides a necessary opening, dropping the listener into the midst of things with a cyclical melody that begins low and staccato before being bombarded with lighter and much louder accompaniment. This is one of the most popular tracks on the album and an excellent opener, whetting the appetite of those who have heard it before as it gradually builds up. Although essentially a simple repeated series of melodies, the music does become more complex and difficult to follow towards the end, the levels of different sounds occasionally deviating from the built-up structure and eventually drawing to a dramatic and again very loud finale after five minutes.
‘Freefall’ is the complete opposite, a muted, lightweight song of two minutes with oriental-sounding keyboards (something Vangelis would really get to grips with in 1979’s ‘China’) and a clanging bell, before an almost unnoticed transition is made to the spooky ‘Mare Tranquillatis’ (‘Sea of Tranquillity’), coming in at an even shorter length in this transitionary phase. An low extended note lies behind the haunting high keyboards and becomes more noticeable by the end, the whole thing overlaid with unintelligible astronaut conversation, before fading out. These tracks border on ambience, but are kept punctually short before they are allowed to drift into the listener’s subconscious.
‘Main Sequence’ is the second substantial outing, and the dominant jazz influence harks back to Vangelis’ earlier, less refined compositions and work with Aphrodite’s Child. The keyboards here don’t follow a set melody in any way, the (synthesised) percussion being the gravity that prevents the different meanderings from spinning away. As such, this is a less instantly likeable track than the more orderly ‘Pulstar’ and ‘Alpha,’ but its position at the centre of the album and its grand title do add immensely to the chaotic sound of the album overall. The synthesisers sound incredibly like trumpets here, perhaps due to the jazzy background. The final minute takes a different course, sounding restrained, soft and relaxed.
‘Alpha’ is the other stand-out track here, and the second that finds its way onto every Vangelis compilation. Beginning very relaxed and chilled out, the slow melancholy melody is repeated seemingly endlessly and continues to increase in intensity with the introduction of accompanying instruments and additional layers, most noticeably the slow pounding drums introduced after the first minute. Very spacey, very catchy and a song that can be listened to endlessly. Although the song becomes a little too grand and pompous-sounding by the end, the deviation in the main sequence sounds far more natural and organic than the rockier ‘Pulstar,’ making this the better of the two tracks.
‘Nucleogenesis I’ breaks into its organ tune before the legacy of ‘Alpha’ is allowed to sink in, a radical departure from the futuristic sound of the album until a bass melody replaces it and a faster drum march struggles to make itself heard. Another unrestrained track in the vein of ‘Main Sequence,’ but this time possessing a core riff towards the end that the chimes and synth sweeps gravitate towards. The final minute marks a sudden turn and is perhaps the most beautiful and majestic part of the album; the music seems to reach some sort of conclusion, but the insanity that is ‘Nucleogenesis II’ swings by before it becomes clear what exactly that is.
If its predecessor was unrestrained, ‘Nucleogenesis II’ is chaotic. The bass-driven melody is kicked up in tempo and accompanied by ever-changing meleodies that avoid the high notes completely, a contrast to the way the more accessible tracks developed. This main sequence (the ‘Main Sequence’ itself returns later in the song) is even usurped by a more rocking rhythm backed by what sound like live drums before Nucleogenesis takes another of its turns and becomes dominated by slow, elegant high notes. More jazz influence here, until the music suddenly disappears and the dialling tone from ‘Alpha’ returns, followed by an explosion of heavenly sounds that mark the real conclusion of the album and hark back to the much-loved ‘Third Movement’ of Heaven and Hell.
‘Albedo 0.39’ is less a musical experience than an astronomy lesson, Vangelis reduced to ambient backing swooshes and dark sounds similar to his contemporaries Tangerine Dream. A soft English voice calmly lists the length of days, distances between celestial objects and concludes by stating the albedo: namely, the Earth’s ratio of reflective power compared to the radiation it receives. While nothing striking, this does leave the listener in something of an ambient, new-age trance.
VERDICT
“Equatorial diameter: 7927 miles
Polar diameter: 7900 miles
Oblateness: one 298th”
‘Albedo 0.39’ is by no means an incredible album, but it is a great piece of electronic music. Many attempts have been made to capture the sound of space, from Stanley Kubrick’s use of Strauss in ‘2001’ to the unimaginative techno present in much low budget modern science fiction. ‘Albedo’ is a somewhat typical outlook: modern instruments experimenting with (then-) new sounds and sweeps to try and convey the vastness and complexity of space science, but the jazz influence and lack of much reverberation hold it back from being much more than an interesting progressive album.
Vangelis would soon discover tricks of feedback and density with the following year’s ‘Spiral,’ and had he used these here, perhaps Albedo would have achieved its goal even better. This missed opportunity didn’t prevent ‘Pulstar’ and ‘Alpha’ featuring heavily in Carl Sagan’s television series ‘Cosmos’ however, the title music of which came from Vangelis’ earlier ‘Heaven and Hell.’
The excellent ‘Blade Runner’ soundtrack and the fun experiment ‘China’ both owe great debts to this earlier part of Vangelis’ discography, his first successful attempt to trim his sound to a more consumer-friendly style without losing any of his loyal fan base.
“Albedo: 0.39.”
Advantages: Interesting concept, well-performed synthesised music, progressive
Disadvantages: A little repetitive and irritating to non-fans
Spiral
The Dervish Waltz
***
Written on 13.07.06
A landmark, if flawed release by new age electronic composer Vangelis, ‘Spiral’ is a departure from the artist’s bombastic ‘space jazz’ style as he adapts his synthesiser stories to more commercial, hook-oriented songs along the lines of Jean-Michel Jarre. This electro-pop direction would never dominate Vangelis’ output completely, as by the 1980s he became more skilful at balancing both strands of creative output, leading to the successful (and in one case, Oscar-nominated) soundtracks for ‘Blade Runner,’ ‘1492: Conquest of Paradise’ and ‘Chariots of Fire.’
Spiral is one of Vangelis’ most popular albums, and catches the Greek composer in the midst of his most creative and productive era. It’s questionable whether the album truly innovated anything, especially as some of Vangelis’ most notable work was already behind him, as was that of his contemporaries such as Tangerine Dream and Jarre, but its approachable catchy, modern / futuristic sound (1977, remember) lends these consumer-friendly tracks to appropriation and over-playing on TV adverts internationally. The length of the tracks needn’t be off-putting either, as the extension of ‘Ballad’ and ‘To the Unknown Man’ is essentially just that: the song sequences stretched out and jammed until their time is up. To Vangelis’ credit, none of the pieces here really outstay their welcome, as the more progressive songs that demand the listener’s attention (as opposed to those that can essentially act as background muzak) cease long before the ten-minute mark.
To clear up any confusion, this is all Vangelis’ own work. He plays all the instruments (mostly synthesisers, but there are ‘real’ percussion instruments in there somewhere) and programs the album’s trademark sequencers, prominent throughout. The album features no lyrics or real vocals, except for a distorted sample repeated throughout ‘Ballad’ that sounds like a male voice saying ‘bim-bam’ and reminds me of the living-toys nightmare scene in the Manga film ‘Akira.’ Vangelis also handled all production work, leading to crystal clarity, perfectionist use of stereo techniques and a flawless mixing and layering of instruments. Along with Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon,’ this is a record that obsessive audiophiles can use to test their home stereos.
Vangelis self-produced the iconic sleeve art depicting an amplifier plug snaking through a cloud-filled sky, that at first glance could be anything. If I’m going to read too much into the album cover, this focus on the Earth’s atmosphere could suggest Vangelis finally coming ‘down to Earth’ and simplifying after the excess of his previous releases. 1975’s ‘Heaven and Hell’ was his first real success, a grandiose and amazing electronic suite in the opposing realms of the afterlife, and 1976’s ‘Albedo 0.39’ was a stripped-down collection of spacey synthesiser tunes, occasionally inflated by introducing loud organs. The final, eponymous track of Albedo focuses on the pollution content of the Earth’s atmosphere, leading us seamlessly to the following year’s ‘Spiral.’ (Vangelis’ next major album, ‘China,’ would focus on specific areas of the planet’s surface, with tracks such as ‘Himalaya’). Do these five songs, therefore, possess a more human quality, connecting more with earthly concerns?
Nah, not really. It was a nice thought though.
Vangelis, ‘Spiral’ (RCA, 1977)
1. Spiral
2. Ballad
3. Dervish D
4. To the Unknown Man
5. 3 + 3
The rapid, elastic-band-esque sequencer loop that opens ‘Spiral’ makes it evident that Vangelis has leapt forward since ‘Albedo,’ at least in his handling of production techniques. The echoes of Spiral add a depth that was previously lacking, and would have made the lunar landscapes and immense cosmos all the more convincing on that release. Prominent lead keyboards slowly fade in, making for a calm and measured but very loud introduction before the fragile bass loop collapses in on itself and leads into the song proper. This is one of Vangelis’ more accomplished standard-length songs, and the crazy lead keyboard melody is one of the highlights of the whole album, forming the bulk of this track. The finale is more understated than the grand opening, and fades out modestly to make way for the more subdued, melancholy tone of the next song.
‘Ballad’ is a little overlong, but that doesn’t matter immensely as this one is all about setting and maintaining a mood. It plods along a little tediously in places for those listeners who are paying attention, but the keyboard highs and lows keep things fairly interesting, as does the constant hypnotic vocal, mentioned earlier. All things considered, not one of the album’s high points. The third track, ‘Dervish D,’ goes for completely the opposite approach, but also fares disappointingly. This commercial-oriented dance piece is, apparently, inspired by swirling Dervish dancers, but that isn’t really prominent in the music which, apart from a fairly catchy lead keyboard hook, does nothing to enhance the enjoyment of the album and, if anything, only spoils the pleasant atmosphere generated by ballad and continued after this six-minute interruption in ‘To the Unknown Man.’
Originally opening the second side of the LP but nowadays familiar more simply as track four, ‘To the Unknown Man’ is sometimes seen as Vangelis’ second failed attempt to construct the perfect synth-pop classic, developing the piano sound he would achieve fame for with the ‘Chariots of Fire’ score. Personally, I think this song is much better, and although obscenely long at over ten minutes without much in the way of internal development, it achieves much more effectively the same mood and tone that the earlier ‘Ballad’ strived for. A deliberately simple five-note melody repeats endlessly throughout the song’s duration and is gradually joined by other instruments that accompany and revolve around the guiding riff, evolving the song to include military drums. Perhaps the unknown man was an anonymous fallen soldier, and this is his funeral march? Similar to ‘Alpha’ off the previous record, only not as interesting and almost twice as long.
The pointlessly titled ‘3 + 3,’ which likely holds some sort of useless significance (parts of the song are definitely in 3/4 time), contributes the final ‘loud’ song in the album’s alternating pattern, but in a way it combines the best elements of what has come before. The groovy opening keyboards remind of ‘Dervish D,’ but the similarity ends there; this is more of a cross between ‘Spiral’ (prominently) and the two reflective pieces. Again, too repetitive and far too long, but well worth the listening time of any electronic or new age music fan. This song at least has the distinction of sounding unlike any of Vangelis’ other works, something that can’t be said of the rest of the album, although the reasons for this may not be positive.
In terms of popularity and sales, Spiral is a Vangelis classic, but its appeal is more grounded in its historical context than some of his other ‘timeless’ works. Leaving behind the artistic integrity of the epic ‘Heaven and Hell’ that would thankfully resurface and improve over the following decades up to the present, ‘Spiral’ sounds more like a dated synth-pop release that fans could rightfully label a sell-out. Vangelis would improve upon this sound in ‘China,’ his final work of the decade, before retreating to release some of his least ambitious and most overtly commercial work yet. To complicate matters, the following year’s ‘Beaubourg’ is an indigestible, time-wasting ‘suite’ of pointless, arbitrary noise.
Spiral boasts some classic Vangelis compositions (‘Spiral,’ ‘To the Unknown Man,’ ‘3 + 3’) and pushed forward the use of computers in the composition of music. As this would eventually lead to the outbreak of dance music, I don’t know whether this is a commendable or regrettable accomplishment. While comparisons of electronic music to classical symphonies are hotly contested, Spiral is contentedly removed from such allusions. Weirdly, despite the album’s fame as one of Vangelis’ most well-known, no tracks from Spiral appeared on the best-of collection ‘Odyssey,’ although other collections regularly feature ‘Spiral’ and time-permissible edits of ‘To the Unknown Man.’ At the risk of heresy, such edits don't detract much from music like this, and Vangelis could have easily fit a couple of extra tracks onto this forty-minute album rather than a mere five, somewhat lengthy ones.
Perhaps more noteworthy today as a relic or eccentricity from a burgeoning electronic age (a fate that should hopefully render Jarre obsolete some day), this isn’t one of Vangelis’ most notable or enjoyable albums, but helped secure the fame that would lead to some of his finest work, including ‘Blade Runner.’ It’s quite a fun album if you’re into music history or a fan of kitsch stuff in general, but doesn’t offer a great deal to anyone else when set against the multitude of superior synthesiser-based rock albums out there.
Advantages: Continues to push electronic music forward
Disadvantages: Some repetitive, overlong songs
Blade Runner
I Dreamt Music
****
Written on 07.09.04
Ridley Scott’s 1982 film Blade Runner, despite its contrary popularity, has remained a cult phenomenon to this day, aided by the release of the definitive director’s cut complete with Vangelis’ haunting and brilliant score in clear DVD surround sound. While the film’s Philip K. Dick-adapted story is enjoyable and thought-provoking, the enduring popularity of the film is mostly down to what is often applauded as the most perfect blend of soundtrack and visuals in a motion picture.
Finally released in 1994, the original soundtrack of Blade Runner (complete with unused compositions) makes for an engulfing, new age-style musical experience in its own right and recalls the atmosphere of the film perfectly for those who have seen it in recent memory.
VANGELIS
Greek synthesiser legend Evanghelos Odyssey Papathanassiou is regarded by some as a modern musical genius comparable to the most classic composer, however more realistic fans appreciate that his talents and innovations in ‘new age’ electronic music simply make him the undisputed master of the keyboard. This man can make your home Yamaha play sounds you never knew existed. So that rules out the ricocheting gun and helicopter sounds.
Vangelis has been releasing albums since the seventies, making his name with electronic compositions and film soundtracks such as the overplayed ‘Chariots of Fire’ theme. The music for Blade Runner, arguably one of his finest achievements, doesn’t demonstrate the extent of his skills but provides a perfect introduction for music fans to discover Vangelis’ work.
THE SOUNDTRACK
1. Main Titles (3:42)
2. Blush Response (5:46)
3. Wait For Me (5:27)
4. Rachel’s Song (4:46)
5. Love Theme (4:57)
6. One More Kiss, Dear (3:57)
7. Blade Runner Blues (8:54)
8. Memories of Green (5:05)
9. Tales of the Future (4:46)
10. Damask Rose (2:32)
11. Blade Runner – End Titles (4:39)
12. Tears in Rain (3:00)
The most noticeable oddity about this soundtrack from the onset is the inclusion of dialogue from the film at the beginning and end of several tracks. On first listen this can be a little distracting, but fans of the film will appreciate that the moments in question are all relevant to the overall sombre and dreary atmosphere captured and enhanced by the music. The opening excerpt, Harrison Ford’s character Deckard instructing a computer to explore a photograph, is a bit of an odd choice, but the later inclusion of Deckard’s meeting with Rachael (Sean Young) and Roy Batty’s (Rutger Hauer) reflections on death are classic scenes from the film.
This album mainly consists of drawn-out synthesised symphonies, with the occasional change in direction to keep things interesting. The Main Titles recall the immense and foreboding Los Angeles of 2019 with the most haunting track on the album, moving into slower and more ambient territory for the second and third tracks, exclusive to this collection. Female choral sections are present in tracks such as ‘Love Theme’ and almost pass unnoticed amidst the quiet but engulfing music.
Excellent use is made of horn instruments on some of the middle tracks, emphasising the feelings of those remaining on post-apocalyptic Earth and tying in to the death of one of the characters. Without these visual stimuli, the appropriately titled ‘Blade Runner Blues’ still puts across the same emotions, even if it does drag on long past the necessary length. This isn’t really a problem with the other tracks, as even those that sound very similar have usually faded into something different by the end.
Tracks six and ten are very unusual, featuring dominant male vocals and music that very nearly breaks the flow of the disc. ‘One More Kiss Dear’ is a bluesy number, while ‘Damask Rose’ is the oriental sounding track that plays during the crowded marketplace scene in the film. The only other track that really makes its presence felt is the comparatively uplifting and exciting end title sequence from the film that has made its way onto countless film soundtrack collections and Vangelis anthologies. This is my favourite piece of music from the film, despite it not being linked to any particular scene apart from white text scrolling up a black backdrop.
VERDICT
One of the most acclaimed film soundtracks, but also very typical of soundtrack albums in that it isn’t something everyone will enjoy. The truly enjoyable sections are few and sporadic, but those who crave a musical experience from an album, and have an interest in synthesiser music, should find this a worthwhile investment. Blade Runner fans will appreciate the structuring and the inclusion of dialogue, while soundtrack fans will admire the ways in which Vangelis manages to retain the tone and mood throughout, even when experimenting with risky ideas.
If there’s one word I’ve struggled not to overuse in this review, it’s ‘atmosphere.’ This disc IS atmosphere, perhaps even more than the Blade Runner film itself. It’s a great album to listen to when going to sleep, although not so good if you plan on actually getting to sleep while it’s playing, rather than sinking into a Vangelis-crafted black soundscape. Despite the misery and sadness, this is uplifting and enlightening music, but something that really needs to be sampled before buying.
I don’t listen to this album in the daytime.
Advantages: Inspiring and unusual, Includes previously unreleased music, Incredible atmosphere
Disadvantages: Not for the casual listener, Some tracks are less interesting
Odyssey: The Definitive Collection
Ainsley's Archive
**
Written on 14.03.07
2003 was an eventless year for the music of Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou. The FIFA World Cup anthem he recorded the previous year had been long forgotten, and doesn’t even find its way onto this disc. It happened to be thirty years since his third-or-so album ‘Earth,’ which was quite good, but again doesn’t donate any material. Some of the songs here have all been digitally mastered to be improvements on the originals, although this mastering was originally done about five or six best-ofs back. Perhaps it had simply been long enough since the last one to justify a repackaging and re-release under a bloated title.
‘Odyssey,’ despite its sub-title, has nothing of ‘the definitive’ about it. In the ceaseless line of best-of compilations for the one-time-Oscar-winning Greek composer, each release has to distinguish itself at least a little bit from the others, or at least I would have thought so. To add to this insanity, ‘Odyssey’ isn’t even the most recent of these carbon copies, although it remains the last to be officially endorsed. It seems that Universal’s goal is merely to fill an accessible ‘greatest hits’ spot on HMV shelves for eternity, while drawing in the hardcore fans by adding one or two rare and previously unreleased tracks completely out of context.
Context is indeed the major factor lacking here, though this is something that plagues all compilations for all bands. As partially ambient electronic works, Vangelis’ individual tracks appear almost always to be crafted with the rest of the album’s companion pieces in mind. To take examples from this collection, ‘Pulstar’ and ‘Alpha’ may have been the strongest picks from 1976’s ‘Albedo 0.39’ LP, but removed from that space-jazz craziness of that original release they sound feeble, dated and out of place amongst the more contemporary orchestral works. This is even more of an issue for soundtrack segments, though the collection wisely chooses opening and closing titles for the majority of these, free from the burden of depicting characters and action. Even so, this electronic ‘odyssey’ fails completely to represent the true Vangelis experience despite spanning almost his entire career. What the listener receives instead is an arbitrary stop-start performance of catchy melodies and dramatic, bombastic film introductions that lead immediately to nowhere. Vangelis’ film scores rival and sometimes even exceed the quality of his independent studio work, but none of this works when blended together in this thoughtless manner. Even when Pink Floyd released an inevitable career-spanning compilation ‘Echoes’ in 2001, the seemingly disparate tracks were well sequenced, and effort was even made to segue many of them together. ‘Odyssey’ is like listening to an album on sites like Amazon, in thirty-second audio clips that end abruptly and leave the listener unfulfilled.
Yes, yes. I know. This CD was never intended to be an original musical statement from the composer, and people do buy collections like this as a cheap way of accessing the well-known songs they like. Even taken under these conditions, ‘Odyssey’ isn’t all that good a collection, and has to occupy a mediocre middle ground between the consumer and the connoisseur. The irritating ‘Chariots of Fire’ theme is gotten over with quickly so that some more obscure material can be dealt with, without forgetting those other staples of Vangelis soundtrack compilations: the ‘Blade Runner’ ending theme and ‘Conquest of Paradise’ opener. Beyond this, there’s not a lot that would ring a bell for non-fans. Ranging from 1975 to 2001 it’s certainly one of the more comprehensive overviews, though there are many important albums unrecognised; something from ‘Heaven and Hell’ would be especially welcome, and it’s odd that even the most recent studio effort ‘Oceanic’ is ignored in favour of obscure film themes.
These rare tracks are the major selling point of the album to collectors, namely ‘Theme from Cavafy’ and ‘Celtic Dawn.’ The album tries to impress with ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ excerpts, but these had already been dealt with on 1996’s ‘Portraits’ collection. These aren’t Vangelis’ greatest work, and won’t remain in your head after spinning the CD multiple times, but I guess it’s nice to own them. No, forget that: they are pointless, worthless even, without their rightful place. Whether you think Vangelis’ spacey keyboards can adequately convey emotions or not, these eighteen contradictory experiences are skimmed over so hastily that it’s hard to get anything at all from this CD other than noticing “oh, this one sounds very seventies. This must be one of those older ones then.” Maybe I’d better get on to talking about the actual music…
1. Pulstar
2. Hymn
3. Chariots of Fire
4. Missing
5. Love Theme from Blade Runner
6. End Titles from Blade Runner
7. The Tao of Love
8. Theme from Antarctica
9. Theme from Cavafy
10. Opening Titles from Mutiny on the Bounty
11. Conquest of Paradise
12. La petite fille de la mer
13. L'Enfant
14. Alpha
15. Celtic Dawn
16. Movement 1 from Mythodea
17. I'll Find My Way Home
18. State of Independence
As I stated earlier, this collection is a hybrid of Vangelis’ own conceptual albums and the film scores he produced over the decades. As most people know him for ‘Chariots of Fire’ and ‘Blade Runner,’ it’s the film scores that are granted the most attention, ranging from the high-budget seafaring orchestral grandeur of ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ and ‘Conquest of Paradise,’ the latter being an impressive rip-roaring victorious march dominated by triumphal brass and an emphatic chamber choir, to the cold minimalism of independent films like ‘Antarctica’ and the afore-mentioned rarity ‘Cavafy,’ less instantly memorable but still highly impressive and technical. ‘Hymn’ and ‘Missing’ were themes composed for television soundtracks and thus a poorer quality can be expected, however the former is a concise uplifting piece that deserves a place among the composer’s best work… which this largely isn’t.
While any resonance that the ‘Chariots of Fire’ and ‘Blade Runner’ themes may have once possessed has clearly been lost through reduplication, they still stand strong as expressions of Vangelis’ more commercial tendencies, especially in the simplistic piano melody of ‘Chariots,’ the culmination (however annoying) of a tune that can be traced right back through albums of 1977 and ’75. The end titles of ‘Blade Runner’ strive for epic sci-fi excitement in their techno background for sweeping strings, and if one piece of that excellent soundtrack could justifiably be placed independent, it’s this one. But then we also get an edited version of the ‘Love Theme,’ which works less well. While the end titles were simply an enjoyable but inconsequential electronic piece to play out as the cinema audience leave their seats for the foyer, the ‘Love Theme’ comes from the middle of the film, in the thick of the plot and character interaction. It’s certainly lacking the atmosphere that would be built from the tracks preceding it, and can easily be skimmed over as “the sax song” here, robbed of its essential context more than anything else on this collection, which mainly provides endless false starts. Vangelis’ soundtrack to ‘Blade Runner’ works perfectly in the film, complimenting the equally incredible visuals to the point that I never even care about the weak story and numerous plot holes. As an audiovisual experience, I consider ‘Blade Runner’ a special treat, and one that fails to be represented even when juxtaposing these two segments of the soundtrack.
With this one exception, Vangelis’ non-soundtrack albums have always been of far more interest to me. Even when they’re really bad, it’s at least interesting to dwell on what exactly the old Moogmeister was trying to do. This album stays well away from impermeable disasters like ‘Beaubourg’ and ‘Invisible Connections,’ but also sadly misses out even some of those best-selling progressive albums from the 1970s. ‘Pulstar’ and ‘Alpha’ are taken from ‘Albedo 0.39,’ and ‘The Tao of Love’ from ‘China,’ but even Vangelis’ most unashamedly pop-centric albums ‘Spiral’ and ‘Direct’ are ignored, perhaps for reasons of space. The two tracks from Albedo are about as good as Vangelis gets in his purely electronic phase, both based around repeating melodies and riffs that expand and evolve organically over five to seven minutes. ‘Pulstar’ is fast and energetic, and works perfectly as the opener for this collection just as it did for the original studio release. ‘Alpha’ is far more restrained and gradual, evolving from a nice keyboard base to end as one of the most craftily uplifting songs I’ve ever heard, performed in excessive major keys. These are two of my favourite songs from the album, despite suffering from the contextual issue. By contrast, ‘The Tao of Love’ is probably the weakest offering they could have gleaned from ‘China,’ itself an un-incredible album. Stereotypically and, again, deliberately Chinese sounding (Vangelis never even went to China), this is interesting for the first bar and then repeats itself to death. I heard this playing in the background of an Ainsley Harriott show, set in China: it really does lend itself as generic Oriential sounding music.
One of the more interesting sections of this collection, where a sense of coherence manages to seep in, comes with tracks twelve and thirteen, both piano-based, melancholic songs. Oh yes, they both have French titles too, though they don’t come from the same album. ‘La petite fille de la mer’ is the oldest song here, from a soundtrack Vangelis recorded for a nature documentary. It’s sad, soft and subdued, aiming for a different goal than the cheery and prominent style of most of the previous songs, but suffers for its long length and over-repetition, even if it’s intended to be hypnotic. ‘L’Enfant’ is far superior, expressing a distinctive Vangelis aura even in its unplugged state and being one of the purest emotional expressions of this release, equal to the earlier ‘Hymn’ (both songs come from the same album, the soundtrack to ‘Opera Sauvage.’) ‘Celtic Dawn’ is a new song in that it was previously unreleased, not recently recorded, and could easily be filed among most of Vangelis’ forgettable compositions of the 1980s and 90s. The ‘pure Vangelis’ part of the album closes by bringing the listener back to the present, with the grand operatic opening of ‘Mythodea,’ originally performed in Athens in 1994 but revamped as the official music for NASA’s Mars Mission in this century. It suffers from the pompous pretentiousness of all Vangelis’ operatic and symphonic work, but the subdued presence of his synthesiser is so well integrated within the volume that I can’t help but like it, though I wouldn’t be able to sit through the whole ‘Mythodea’ performance. Occasionally, the tasters this collection provides are more than enough.
The final two tracks are a radical departure from the previous sixteen, taken from Vangelis’ collaborations with Yes vocalist Jon Anderson. Cheesy and simplistically poppy, these songs aim to provide cheap, bland thrills to the masses through the combination of Vangelis’ dance-like keyboards and Anderson’s approachable androgynous vocals. ‘I’ll Find My Way Home’ is admittedly catchy and quite nice, but ‘State of Independence’ should have been replaced with something more memorable.
‘Odyssey’ isn’t the best collection of Vangelis’ music, and despite price cuts, isn’t even the cheapest. Those looking for an engrossing audio experience won’t find it among these disparate compositions, seemingly arranged at random with a couple of noted exceptions, and long-time collectors won’t even be impressed by the artwork. Overall, this compilation works best as a sampler of Vangelis’ albums, mostly his soundtracks, and even those who own more Vangelis than any sane person should be allowed (I have quite a lot) will likely find introductions here to material that would otherwise be unavailable, especially the more oblique soundtracks such as ‘Missing’ and ‘Cavafy.’
Vangelis’ only new material since this collection was the disappointing soundtrack to ‘Alexander,’ perhaps signifying that his illustrious and wildly inconsistent career is over, though he could always surprise with another orchestral classic like ‘El Greco.’ Either way, 2003 was a meaningless time to release a self-important ‘definitive collection’ such as this, and primarily offers an inexpensive means for the sound team of Ainsley Harriott shows to acquire generic archive material for the future, as they have already done with ‘The Tao of Love.’ If Ainsley winds up cooking krill and albatross in Antarctica, it’s a safe bet what his soundtrack will be.
Advantages: Acts as a diverse sampler for some of Vangelis' extensive discography.
Disadvantages: Lacks context, and ignores much classic material.
The Crow: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Gothic
Written on 25.11.03
*****
Being someone whose taste in music is, while very poor, very specific, film soundtracks are usually something I can't buy. In fact, the soundtrack to the excellent 1994 film "The Crow" starring Brandon Lee, who became immortalised through his tragic death during the making of this film, was the first soundtrack I ever bought. The album features fourteen songs performed by rock bands of varying fame, rather than compositions created specially for the film, but this music suited the film's dark, gothic, violent and romantic atmosphere so well that nothing extra is required.
The main reason I bought this soundtrack was because I wanted to own two specific songs: "Dead Souls" by Nine Inch Nails and "Burn" by the Cure. These songs had been stored on my computer and played countless times, but I wanted to be able to own them officially if that makes any sense. I am a fanatic collector at heart, I just hope I never have enough money to fuel this obsession properly. These songs are my favourites from the film and the soundtrack as I find they suit the scenes perfectly; the advantage of having seen the film so much is that even the poorer tracks can remind you of their place on the screen.
TRACKLIST
1. The Cure - "Burn"
2. Machines of Loving Grace - "Golgatha Tenament"
3. Stone Temple Pilots - "Big Empty"
4. Nine Inch Nails - "Dead Souls"
5. Rage Against the Machine - "Darkness (of Greed)"
6. Violent Femmes - "Color Me Once"
7. Rollins Band - "Ghostrider"
8. Helmet - "Milktoast"
9. Pantera - "The Badge"
10. For Love Not Lisa - "Slip Slide Melting"
11. My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult - "After The Flesh"
12. The Jesus and Mary Chain - "Snakedriver"
13. Medicine - "Time Baby III"
14. Jane Siberry - "It Can't Rain All The Time"
For anyone who has not seen the cult film, it is essentially the story of a man's quest for revenge on the murderers of his wife and himself, from beyond the grave. The film never appears cheesy however, and its permanenly dark streets and buildings create a look that is almost unique in a film. The soundtrack album certainly does it justice, and the tracks are ordered roughly into their appearance in the film. I would recommend this to fans of less mainstream metal and gothic and haunting atmospheric music, although there are obvious exceptions. Artists such as Rage Against the Machine, For Love Not Lisa and Medicine keep a slightly more upbeat feel than the rest, but they all manage to integrate perfectly. I'm sure perfect is a term that many fans of the film would apply to this soundtrack, although there are a number of tracks which I would not enjoy if they weren't so linked with one of my favourite movies. Even the poorer tracks will get in your head.
It's also very possible that by listening to a soundtrack such as this, you become interested in a different musical style. I have expanded my taste to more electronic, 'moody' rock thanks to bands on the CD such as Nine Inch Nails and My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, and I'm sure that avid soundtrack collectors could relate similar experiences through their own collections. I'll certainly buy the soundtracks to films which have such an impact and high quality music as this, I just haven't found anything to match it yet.
I bought this CD from an eBay seller, if you were ever planning to buy a soundtrack but didn't want to dish out a large amount for something you may not thoroughly enjoy I'd always suggest the old auction site, and have been listening to it all day; it's going to get a lot of playing, and it's an album that has the very powerful effect of making you want to re-watch the film.
W
Watching from a Distance
I Wish You Were Here With Me Tonight
****
Written on 19.08.07
The second album from Harlow doom-metallers Warning was released in late 2006, a staggering seven years after their debut release. Although this was primarily due to frontman Pat Walker’s pursuit of an acting career, the extended duration is entirely appropriate to Warning’s funereally slow style. As musical taste is entirely subjective, each individual will respond in varying degrees to music that is designed to evoke emotions of sorrow, whether it’s a particularly sad Mahler symphony or everything recorded by Radiohead ever. For me, ‘Watching from a Distance’ is the most intensely upsetting and hopelessly forlorn music I’ve ever heard, partly because of the associations it has to the depressing time at which it came into my collection, when I felt compelled to endure its languid melancholy repeatedly. [Dave's break-up album.]
This album collects five songs ranging from a comparatively short seven and a half minutes (I said comparatively) to a monstrous twelve, and excepting slight deviations in delivery, the tone is perpetually dismal and sorrowful, translated in the music through an enormously slowed tempo of drawn-out notes. Rather than sounding like an average-speed song slowed down, Warning’s funeral-doom style constructs guitar riffs and vocal melodies that stretch across the minimalist soundscape, backed by a drum that hits once a second or less, in an incredibly effective attempt to create a bleak and isolated atmosphere. Taking its cue largely from classic Swedish doom band Candlemass as well as more local influences such as Cathedral and even Black Sabbath, Warning associates more thematically with the depressed death-doom, lovelorn lyrics of fellow Brits My Dying Bride and Anathema, without resorting to the death metal vocals and blasting drums of either.
The slow, extended sound will be the most startling aspect of this album for newcomers, especially as it never speeds up in a significant way throughout (though the shorter second and fourth songs do stand out as less sombre than the longer main ‘trilogy’), but for seasoned doom metal fans the main area of interest will likely be the vocals. Pat Walker, also the guitarist and song-writer, follows the memorable example of Robert Lowe from Solitude Aeturnus (now the frontman for Candlemass) in his pained high singing, with a nasal tone reminiscent of Ozzy Osbourne in the early days. Avoiding the bombastic tenor approach of Messiah Marcolin, Walker’s distinct voice adds a great sense of character and personalisation to this album, something I find lacking in the indistinct death metal grunts of My Dying Bride and their contemporaries, and although the nasal edge will likely get on some peoples’ nerves, it’s clear that his acting training has taught him how to express himself clearly without going over the top. Perhaps more vocalists should take up that career, to avoid sounding too melodramatic.
With the focus being on creating and maintaining a tone that lasts through the album, the other musicians naturally have less opportunity to show off their credentials, but carry out their duties admirably. Walker’s guitar dominates the proceedings as expected, taking second place only to his vocals and filling in with higher and more melodic ending sections in place of inappropriate guitar solos once the lyrics are over, but Stuart Springthorpe’s drums are the real foundation. Usually following a repeating pattern of a cymbal tap followed by a drum hit, but varying with each song, Springthorpe’s playing is necessarily repetitive but avoids being dull or too noticeable. The only real weak link is Marcus Hatfield’s bass guitar, which becomes lost behind the loud, constantly roaring guitar sustain and is only really noticeable at the start of the fourth track.
1. Watching from a Distance
2. Footprints
3. Bridges
4. Faces
5. Echoes
An obvious comment to make is that much of this album sounds very similar, especially on the first few listens before the nuances of each song define themselves, but recently I’ve come to regard the longer odd-numbered tracks as a different entity to the slightly shorter second and fourth songs, which diverge thematically and musically to some extent. The unofficial ‘trilogy’ is wisely separated by these seven to eight minute pieces, which prevent the similar crashing riffs from blending too much into each other, and allowing some time away from Walker’s tales of lost love. The lyrics of tracks one, three and five are all addressed to an absent ‘you,’ clearly a loved one who has left of their own will rather than a dead family member or pet, and although many of the remarks made are a little predictable and clichéd in the ‘that’s exactly how that would make me feel’ way, the non-commercial nature of Warning’s music means that it’s more easily believed and less of a publicity stunt, though of course Walker’s acting experience could negate this reliability.
These three songs are all based, as is the norm, on a main crushing guitar riff, becoming heavier as the album goes on to culminate in ‘Echoes,’ with Walker warbling his regrets and losses every so often in an irresistible sing-song fashion around the riffs. The album encourages loud volume, perfectly suited to the high quality, deep production, and while the chorus sections are easy enough to learn after a couple of repetitions, the rest of the words can easily be substituted with whatever you imagine he might be saying as you lie in your empty double bed, clutch her side of the duvet and sing along through the tears; the melodies are easy to follow, and weave nicely through the riffs. The songs all start and end abruptly, the riffs appearing and disappearing from the speakers, but each of these three songs features a nice ending section lasting several minutes in which Walker’s guitar takes the place of the vocals and leads out on a slightly higher scale, complimented in the excellent third track by some backing ‘ahh-ahh-ahh’ singing behind the noise.
Tracks two and four are slightly shorter and thus more palatable for newcomers to doom metal, and are equally as good as the longer, more traditional trilogy songs. ‘Footprints’ describes the lead-up to a battle that the speaker felt safe he would never have to face before being confronted with the reality, which may be a metaphor but I prefer to take at face value to differentiate this song from the others. Walker’s vocals in these two songs take on a more warbled, gruff tone, sounding a little like Saxon’s Biff Bryford on occasion, and on the whole there’s more abundant energy to these songs than the sapping effect of the others, sounding more like early Candlemass here. Track four begins very suddenly, wasting no time moving from a brief bass riff to some instant vocals, and is necessarily slightly more upbeat to maintain interest at this late point before the black hole of the final song.
‘Watching from a Distance’ is an intense album in exactly the opposite way to a relentlessly violent Cannibal Corpse album, and is the finest doom album I’ve heard from recent years. The repetition could be seen as unimaginative, and doubtless many will find the whole experience dull (especially if they’re in an incredibly happy place and have never had their heart broken... b**tards), but Warning’s music combines most of the strengths of the genre and pushes it to the extreme, using only the three basic rock instruments along with Pat Walker’s excellent voice to create a truly funereal atmosphere without needing to resort to clichéd organs or violins. This is pure, unadulterated and deeply gloomy doom from the school of Candlemass and St. Vitus, but without the headbanging potential of either. Sigh. I’ve gone all melancholy now, better stick on some Manowar...
Advantages: Unparalleled despair.
Disadvantages: Repetitive and mood-specific, and hard to find.
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds
They Come
****
Written on 04.10.05
‘No one would have believed, in the last years of the nineteenth century, that human affairs were being watched from the timeless worlds of space.’
H. G. Wells’ classic novel continues to be revised and updated for modern audiences, from Orson Welles’ unintentionally devastating radio performance in 1938 to the latest Spielberg film, but Jeff Wayne’s 1977 rock opera remains the most interesting, unexpected and perhaps loyal adaptation in the public consciousness.
Now re-released on double CD, and available in several different, increasingly dubious forms since its release, ‘The War of the Worlds’ came at a time between the psychedelia, progressive rock and glam of the previous decade and the subsequent rise of disco. Producer, keyboard player and backing vocalist Jeff Wayne somehow combined all these disparate elements and created an eternal best-seller, aided somewhat by the presence of vocalists from the likes of Justin Hayward, David Essex and Richard Burton as the narrator.
‘No one could have dreamed we were being scrutinised, as someone with a microscope studies creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water.’
The War of the Worlds is split across two discs, respectively titled, as was the case with the two parts of Wells’ novel, ‘The Coming of the Martians’ and ‘The Earth Under the Martians.’ Staying even truer to the source text, there is no attempt to update Wells’ Victorian notions for discoing seventies audiences; the story is set in nineteenth century London, the characters and events are related as they appear in the novel, and the sound effects are rendered expertly cheesy and unconvincing. Okay, maybe this is more to do with seventies production values.
‘Few men even considered the possibility of life on other planets, and yet, across the gulf of space, minds immeasurably superior to ours regarded the Earth with envious eyes…’
The War of the Worlds is a brilliantly-devised alternative to a simple radio dramatisation which, while clearly not to everyone’s taste, engulfs the listener and creates a real sense of danger and impending doom from the ominous opening.
‘And slowly and surely, they drew their plans against us.’
THE COMING OF THE MARTIANS
1. The Eve of the War (9.06)
2. Horsell Common and the Heat Ray (11.36)
3. The Artilleryman and the Fight (10.36)
4. Forever Autumn (7.43)
5. Thunder Child (6.10)
The first disc is composed of five lengthy sections, taking their titles from chapters through the first half of Wells’ novel. ‘The Eve of the War’ and ‘Forever Autumn’ are the most well-known songs from Wayne’s album, released (albeit trimmed down for radio play) as bestselling singles and both featuring vocals from Justin Hayward of Moody Blues.
As with most concept albums, recognisable riffs and melodies, most notably the famous opening orchestration, reappears throughout and forms the basis of the rest of the music. Those unused to such conceptual works may find this irritating and repetitive, but Wayne thankfully manages to keep things interesting by introducing catchy, memorable, uplifting or scary pieces of music with each track.
Richard Burton’s narration spans the tracks here, reciting Wells at relevant points but never falling into ‘audio book’ mode. There is little acting from the rest of the cast in comparison to the more eventful second disc, but David Essex’s artilleryman appears and Chris Thompson of Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (apparently) puts in a fantastic performance detailing the events of ‘Thunder Child.’
This first disc doesn’t descend too far into rock opera territory, acting more as a continuous and ever-changing piece of music that relaxes and exhilarates the listener. Track lengths approaching and exceeding ten minutes won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, and at times the music does tend to drag on, but the heavily edited re-release on a single CD in 2000 demonstrated that this is necessary for the experience.
THE EARTH UNDER THE MARTIANS
6. The Red Weed (5.55)
7. The Spirit of Man (11.41)
8. The Red Weed [Part 2] (6.51)
9. Brave New World (12.13)
10. Dead London (8.37)
11. Epilogue [Part 1] (2.42)
12. Epilogue [Part 2] (2.02)
I’m less fond of the second disc and tend to listen to it less, perhaps because the tracks are more operatic and storyline-based than the driving melodies, riffs and beats of the more spacious first disc. Julie Covington and Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott put in great performances on this side as a crazy preacher and his caring, ultimately doomed wife, while the musical style that pervaded the first disc continues to evolve, but less impressively.
‘Brave New World’ is the only track I would single out across the album as lasting for too long, but this is all made up for with the first rousing ‘Epilogue,’ fading in to great relief after the story seems to have abruptly ended, and the new addition of a second, contemporary epilogue (‘Part 2’) that provides an extra dimension of fear to Wells’ original happy, but somewhat unhopeful finale.
VERDICT
The War of the Worlds falls somewhere between full-blown opera and studio album, disco and prog rock, faithful adaptation and heinous blasphemy. Prog fans love it, while ‘The Eve of the War’ even seems to be a favourite of Alan Partridge. In adapting a novel to the musical medium, Wayne had to devise the general sound and its evolution and progression through the album from scratch; the popularity and acclaim of this record proves that he excelled.
The acting isn’t first rate, but it’s certainly passable; don’t expect this to rival any of Lloyd-Webber’s musicals in that category. Riichard Burton’s narrator / journalist sounds oddly out of place when interacting with other characters, while others seem intent on screeching their way through repetitive numbers.
The double-CD has been re-released, meaning it’s still widely available wherever CDs are sold, but avoid the single CD ‘highlights’ release; this omits Burton’s narration and cuts down the songs, thereby spoiling the whole experience. After all, without the grandeur that is the storyline concept, many will see this as just a bunch of blokes with synthesisers and guitars pretending they’re Pink Floyd.
Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds remains my favourite adaptation of this classic story, and one that benefits greatly from shelving this classic for a while before experiencing it again.
Advantages: Interesting mix of genres, great adaptation
Disadvantages: Not to everyone's taste, drags on in places
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
The Final Fanfare
****
Written on 28.10.05
The final instalment of one of the most successful and popular film franchises, ‘Revenge of the Sith’ also marked the last time John Williams would produce the beloved accompanying music (video games and future spin-offs excluded). The music for Episode III unsurprisingly follows the same style as the previous five films, but Williams continues to experiment to a small degree.
The recent trilogy is already noticeably set apart from its predecessors, visually in terms of the extravagant computer generated special effects and audibly in terms of the acting, and this permits Williams to occasionally try out something a little different than the bombastic symphonies the films are famed for. For once, even the legendary fanfare of the opening and closing titles is shuffled around a little – the scrolling title theme isn’t allowed time to dissolve before the action begins here, as the music is edited to jump straight to the first scene. An unusual choice, especially as it breaks continuity somewhat, but it at least demonstrates that thought was put into this collection.
1. Star Wars and the Revenge of the Sith
2. Anakin’s Dream
3. Battle of the Heroes
4. Anakin’s Betrayal
5. General Grievous
6. Palpatine’s Teachings
7. Grievous and the Droids
8. Padme’s Ruminations
9. Anakin vs. Obi-Wan
10. Anakin’s Dark Deeds
11. Enter Lord Vader
12. The Immolation Scene
13. Grievous Speaks to Lord Sidious
14. The Birth of the Twins and Padme’s Destiny
15. A New Hope and End Credits
The soundtrack comes on a single disc that lasts 72 minutes and includes all fifteen compositions from the film in full. There are no excerpts of dialogue or sound effects that may be present on other best-selling soundtracks, as Williams’ music really can sell albums without such gimmicks. The music is symphonic and orchestral throughout, but alternates between explosive themes and quieter, more melancholy or reflective pieces to suit the darker nature of this instalment. As such, themes do not repeat themselves to the degree of the Episode IV, V and VI soundtracks, although recognisable compositions from the first film and ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ will give Star Wars fans a great rush. Williams does succeed in creating characters through his music, the sombre mood of Anakin becoming increasingly sinister and evil as the character spirals downward in the chronologically-arranged album, and even Luke and Leia’s themes from the original trilogy reappear at the end. Not to give a thirty-year-old plot away or anything.
Ignoring the controversy over ‘The Phantom Menace’ as a film, the soundtrack was still an excellent release, including the memorable ‘Duel of the Fates.’ Episodes II and III haven’t featured original pieces to rival that epic, but ‘Battle of the Heroes’ comes close here: with an operatic chorus and an exciting, building orchestra it follows the same style and will certainly stand out for me and make me appreciate its accompanying scene more when I get round to watching the film again. This piece, along with many of the others, also comes in at a very radio-friendly three and a half minutes’ running length, adding to the commercial nature of this soundtrack album as it doesn’t alienate listeners with overlong extensions of songs. Other tracks featuring Grievous are similarly action-packed, although sadly not to the extent that they become memorable and distinctive in the manner of Episode V’s conflicts.
‘Palpatine’s Teachings,’ ‘Padme’s Ruminations,’ ‘Anakin’s Dark Deeds’ and ‘The Birth of the Twins…’ are the most interesting pieces here, in terms of their originality within the series. All are very bleak and haunting scores, dominated by bass sounds and commonly complimented by a vocal chorus. ‘Dark Deeds’ is the meanest of the lot, the perfect accompaniment to the relevant scenes in the film as Anakin commits some dastardly dark deeds, but ‘Ruminations’ is the oddest. Performed on what sounds like a synthesiser creating some subdued exotic melodies, this is very different from the acoustic purity of the series but makes this a more interesting soundtrack as a result.
I commend John Williams, and perhaps even George Lucas if this was his call, that the music for Episode III was allowed to be different and didn’t simply rely on past glories to sell fans the same music they already own. The opening theme is excitingly cut and the end credits incorporate many contrasting elements in a thirteen-minute swan song, closing with the ‘medals scene’ from ‘Star Wars’ (or, if you prefer, and I don’t, ‘A New Hope.’)
‘Battle of the Heroes’ is the best track, despite it sounding pretty much identical to every loud symphony/choir combo in Basil Poledouris’ soundtrack to ‘Conan the Barbarian,’ while the themes of evil, betrayal and death that permeate this make it less light listening than the other soundtracks, especially the contrastingly happy ‘Return of the Jedi.’
The cover shown is from Amazon's limited edition of the soundtrack; the regular international release features, as usual, the film poster featuring the characters. Episode III was a necessarily dark film and the soundtrack reflects this blackness perfectly, even making for an uncomfortable listening experience in parts. It’s far from being the best, but it’s more worthwhile than the soundtracks for Episodes I and II. Just don’t buy this in anticipation of the Vader tracks containing the ‘Imperial March’: once you accept that it isn’t here, you can relax and enjoy the excitement and horror.
Advantages: Sets itself apart from its brethren; doesn't rely on past achievements; value for money
Disadvantages: Doesn't always keep the listener's interest; can't live up to the originals
Y
Close to the Edge
Seasons Will Pass You By
****
Written on 22.02.06
Seen by many as the definitive progressive rock album, ‘Close to the Edge’ continues where Yes left off with ‘Fragile.’ The classical, symphonic influence is still very prominent, but mostly restrained to Rick Wakeman’s legendary keyboard solos in the centre of songs.
The timeless popularity of this album, first released in 1972 and re-issued several times on CD, likely stems from its excellent and arguably perfect structure: the title song, lasting for an entire 20-minute side of the original LP, emphasises epic, bold progression, while the less intensive second half is balanced with the blissfully melodic ‘And You And I’ and the catchy rocker ‘Siberian Khatru.’
Yes were at the peak of their creativity and career with ‘Close to the Edge,’ finding the middle ground between the band’s desire to be proggily experimental and the record buyer’s desire to hear some nice, ultra-modern music. ‘Close to the Edge’ is historically noteworthy for pushing forward the use of synthesisers and sound effects in popular music.
As usual, Jon Anderson’s lyrics mean nothing whatsoever, but are infectiously pleasant in that androgynous seventies way. It’s the sound of the words that matters, and the way they skilfully blend with the backing instruments in every instance. The line-up of Anderson, guitarist Steve Howe, bassist Chris Squire, drummer Bill Bruford and keyboard virtuoso Rick Wakeman works brilliantly in crafting the three long songs on this album. Each instrument is integral to the songs at many points and all of them create perfect harmony, even when that harmony involves going completely against rational song structure.
1. Close to the Edge
…a) Solid Time of Change
…b) Total Mass Retain
…c) I Get Up I Get Down
…d) Seasons of Man
2. And You And I
…a) Cord of Life
…b) Eclipse
…c) The Preacher, The Teacher
…d) Apocalypse
3. Siberian Khatru
Sampled sounds of nature open ‘Close to the Edge.’ It’s a bit of a clichéd ‘dawn chorus’ type introduction, but this is Yes after all. An oppressive bubble of indistinct noise slowly expands to drown out the chirruping, before bursting into the sound of Yes playing around on instruments and veering all over the place for two minutes of lovely zaniness. This section is interrupted several times by ‘ahhhs’ and ‘bap-baps’ from Anderson, until his heavenly voice provides the other musicians with divine insight and the song’s leading, classic riff suddenly finds itself. Or something like that anyway.
This song is divided into four sections, each sounding very distinct, but the bridges between sections not always being quite so clear. The song begins a more familiar rhythm 4 minutes in, although Anderson’s vocals refuse to be pinned down to a beat anywhere but the chorus. This section is very upbeat and enjoyable, even if the high voice of the chorus becomes a little irritating towards the end.
The third section is Wakeman’s time to shine, his soft, ethereal keyboards gradually rising to an overpowering church organ display interspersed with more spacey vocals from Squire and Anderson. This is the part of the song that the drug fans enjoy. After a few minutes of this, the song becomes suddenly unsure of itself and the discordant return of the repressed riff leads us back into familiar ground to round the song off nicely. It’s not perfect, but it’s coherent and strong throughout, without once becoming dull or seeming overlong.
‘And You And I’ wisely refrains from trying to outdo the previous song, taking a relaxed acoustic attitude. Anderson’s vocals are at their best in this easy-listening song, released (in an edited form) as a single, and despite becoming more complex as it goes along, it thankfully isn’t particularly noticeable. A smooth, popular song in which even Wakeman holds back from his bombastic baroque, giving us a pleasant and much lighter solo instead.
The album rounds off in fun style with the excellent ‘Siberian Khatru,’ a live favourite that seems deceptively simple with its more straightforward (yet still incomprehensible) title and opening riff, but that soon becomes just as intensive and complicated as the previous songs. It does drag on towards the end, and while the verse sections are fantastic, the slower in-between parts are a little unnecessary. Howe’s guitars are at their peak here, and remain very memorable.
Casual listeners may find Close to the Edge a little pompous and extravagant for their tastes, but for prog rock fans it’s an essential album for just those reasons. The song balance is excellent, but I do find the album hindered by some unnecessarily off-putting touches (such as the pointless division of ‘And You And I’ into four fairly indistinct sections) and what always seems like a very short running time. The primary delight in this album is that it strives for excellence and really achieves that. The songs have dated somewhat, especially in their reliance on prog rock tropes, but this stands up far better than the band’s other early releases.
Anderson’s pleasant voice may be enough to attract wary newcomers, but every musician really pulls his weight on all of the songs here, creating a real depth and intricacy that’s rarely heard. The oddly iconic album cover, a minimalistic background of green fading to black with hippy bubble writing title, allows each listener to make up their own mind on what the songs are actually about. Or to simply give up and enjoy the happy guitar parts. They're good.
For a more classically-tainted album, ‘Fragile’ is the other common favourite. But those put off by the song divisions and lengthy keyboard experiments should avoid the ego-overload ‘Tales from Topographic Oceans’ like the plague. Yes.
Advantages: Inventive and highly experimental, diverse collection of songs
Disadvantages: At three tracks, the album seems short
Nightwish - Once ***
Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile ****
Pitchshifter - www.pitchshifter.com ***
Symphony X - The Divine Wings of Tragedy *****
Symphony X - Prelude to the Millennium ****
