Tag Archives: Music

A Decade Of Hits (The Allman Brothers Band) – Compilation Album

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This Is The Original CD Cover. A Re-release Saw The Light In The Year 2000, And It Features A More Informative Booklet. The White Lettering Is Different.

This Is The Original CD Cover. A Re-release Saw The Light In The Year 2000, And It Features A More Informative Booklet. The White Lettering Is Different.

As you know by now, I am very attached to country music. It is probably my favorite American genre. It was only natural that I would start exploring Southern rock in due time, and that is exactly what has happened. Over the last week I purchased both a ZZ Top “best of” album and an Allman Brothers’ compilation, as well as locating a Lynyrd Skynyrd anthology that I will get my hands on soon.

While I enjoyed the ZZ Top album (and far more than I would have expected, to be frank), the one I came back to the most often this week was the Allman Brothers’ compilation. As its title implies, it collects their salient recordings during a whole decade, (1969 – 1979). Four studio albums and one live recording are covered here. Continue reading →

Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols – Album Review

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A Classic Cover For A Classic Record

A Classic Cover For A Classic Record

I mentioned in the general introduction that I published yesterday that no band encapsulated the punk movement like The Sex Pistols. As an obvious result, no album stands as a better snapshot of the era than their one and only “true” release, “Never Mind The Bollocks – Here’s The Sex Pistols”. It was released at the height of the movement, in 1977. The singles up to that point were included along with songs like “No Feelings” that had acted as b-sides. Continue reading →

The Sex Pistols – General Introduction

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I know no single band that encapsulated so much what a musical movement was all about than The Sex Pistols, England’s most remarkable punk rock outfit. Every characteristic feature was palpable in them: the musical abrasiveness, the rampant political stance, the self-destructiveness, and the instrumental lack of prowess. I thought the last part of the previous statement over and over. I did not want to use an expression like “musical ineptitude”, but the fact remains that the true identity of those who played on their one and only album (“Never Mind The Bollocks – Here’s The Sex Pistols”, released in 1977) remains unknown. Continue reading →

The Clash (US Version) – Album Review

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Rocking The Town To The Clash City Rockers

Rocking The Town To The Clash City Rockers

In the same way that the first albums released by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were revamped and even drastically modified for US release, The Clash’s eponymous album underwent the cut-and-paste treatment when it was released in the States in the year 1979.

Every person who has listened to the original album (released in 1977, obviously) arrives at the same conclusion: the original has a more organic flow, whereas the American edition features better individual songs. That is nothing surprising – the US edition ended up resembling a sort of mini compilation of their best songs up to that point. Songs that were added to the American release (which boasted 15 songs, as opposed to the 14 the British release included) featured the hits “Clash City Rockers”, “Complete Control”, “White Man In Hammersmith Palais” and “I Fought The Law”, a song which stuck out like a sore thumb because the production values were so much higher. That is something to take into account – the original LP was recorded in a dilapidated warehouse, and it sounded like that. You put something like “I Fought The Law” in the middle, and it feels like placing a scene from “I Am Legend” into “The Omega Man”. Continue reading →

The Clash – General Introduction

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I Fought The Law...

I Fought The Law...

There are many misconceptions surrounding The Clash. Regarding them as nothing more than punk rockers frequently tops the list. This happens because they started as that, and because one of their most successful songs from later on is a very loud number (you know which one – the one posing the existential dilemma).

Out of the six albums they were to release, only the first two ones deserve a “punk” label. They are the self-titled record (1977) and the one named “Give ‘Em Enough Rope” (1978). The third one (“London Calling”, 1979) had them diversifying their sound notably, until they experimented as much (or even more) than the Beatles in their triple album “Sandinista!” (released in 1980). The final album by the classic lineup was “Combat Rock” (1982), and it yielded two major American hits: the banal “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” and the so-so “Rock The Casbah”. These are the two songs most people associate with the band, and it is a bit shameful because they were capable of so much more than misconceptions arise and it is difficult to set things to right sometimes, even when you are talking to people who are music-educated.

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Empty Sky (Elton John) – Album Review

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Empty Sky's Front Cover

Empty Sky's Front Cover

This album is surprising to many people, if only because they believe Elton’s first release was the eponymous record that surfaced the following year. And it is all the more surprising because it is a considerably good album for a first attempt, or at least one whose ambition can’t be vetoed. It also has the distinct advantage of never having been overplayed like his other records, and that makes listening to it a refreshing task.

The whole album was composed by Elton and Bernie. It was produced by Steve Brown, the man who to a certain extent “discovered” them and suggested they began recording songs for themselves instead of being just hired hands for other Dick James Music artists.

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Elton John – General Introduction

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Remember When Rock Was Young?

Remember When Rock Was Young?

It is very, very difficult to generalize about Sir Elton John. As much as I admire the man and his music, I am the first to admit that selectiveness is mandatory when you approach his catalog – and that applies even to his heyday way back in the 70’s.

His heyday way back in the 70’s. Elton achieved a degree of success and resonance no artist could even dare to imagine. And one thing that must be mentioned and remembered is that he fought for every inch of it. He captivated the public with standout records and mesmerizing performances, and he worked relentlessly hard from day one. Continue reading →

Setting Sons (The Jam) – Album Review

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The Cover Adds Even More Panache To The Album

The Cover Adds Even More Panache To The Album

It was only natural that a hardened Who and Kinks fans such as Paul Weller would eventually release an album with conceptual tinges. That is exactly what characterizes the fourth album released by The Jam. The year was 1979, and the name of the release was Setting Sons.

The story involved three childhood friends who became distanced as they grew up, and the responsibilities and the toll of the adult world began manifesting themselves and settling in irretrievably. One of the characters ends up as a left-wing radical, while the other leans markedly to the right. The third character is Weller, who can see both sides clearly. Continue reading →

All Time Greatest Hits (Eddie Rabbitt) – Compilation Album

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This CD Was First Issued In 1991

This CD Was First Issued In 1991

Like most people outside the US, the name Eddie Rabbitt was mostly familiar to me owing to a song which was played left, right and center since it was first released in the 80’s: “Drivin’ My Life Away”. While I always knew the song note by note, and I admit it is infectious like nothing else, I was of the opinion that its excessive fame was a little unwarranted. However, that song created a strong desire in me to know more about the man who composed it, and I hesitated not a single minute to pick up this compilation when I finally found it after actively searching for it and having learned more about the man himself. Continue reading →

Meat Is Murder (The Smiths) – Album Review

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The Album's Cover

The Album's Cover

The second album recorded by the Mancunian ensemble, “Meat Is Murder” features better production, a tougher sound and a broader subject matter. Morrissey now tackles issues such as the British Educational system (“The Headmaster’s Ritual”, the opening number and one of the album’s highlights) as well as vegetarianism (the track that closes the record and which lends its title to the album), whereas some songs like “Nowhere Fast” make clear the political stance of the singer for the first time on record.

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