Tag Archives: Rock

Hope Chest (10000 Maniacs) – Album Review

Posted on by

The Front Cover Of The CD

The Front Cover Of The CD

Released in 1990, this CD gathers together the first two EPs that this delicious American band released. The first one was entitled “Human Conflict Number 5” (1982) whereas the second went by the name of “Secrets Of The I Ching” (1983).

“Human Conflict Number 5” features a studio drummer named Jim Foti, whilst “Secrets Of The I Ching” marks Jerry’s debut as the Maniacs drummer, and his contribution does not go unnoticed. Both EPs also featured founding member John Lombardo, who set to music two poems from the doomed World War I poet Wilfred Owen. He even takes the lead in one of these (“Anthem For Doomed Youth”, one of Owen’s most anthologized pieces, and one of the album’s highlights as well). Continue reading →

Before I Get Old – The Story Of The Who (Dave Marsh) – Book Review

Posted on by
The Original Cover

The Original Cover

Published in 1983, this book covers the story of The Who from the very inception of the band to their farewell tour of 1982. It is a lengthy book (it has 546 pages), and many criticisms were leveled at it owing to that – it was claimed the story was not balanced, since the book has 36 chapters and only one deals with the post-Moon Who. The Kenny Jones albums barely get a paragraph each, whereas the “classic” Who records are covered from every angle to the point that the descriptions become too exhaustive (and even exhausting) for some people.
Continue reading →

All Mod Cons (The Jam) – Album Review

Posted on by
The Front Cover

The Front Cover

This album marks the point when The Jam came of age. The year was 1979, and it was their third release – their first album (“In The City”) was very well-received whereas the second one (“This Is The Modern World”) was consistently panned. Both albums were released in 1977.

It includes what most people (count me in) deem as their greatest song: “Down In The Tube Station At Midnight”. Note that although “Tube Station” is the song most people associate with the band, it was not that wildly successful when the album was released. It was a top 20 hit, but it went nowhere near the top slots of the charts then. Continue reading →

Queen’s Greatest Hits I & II (1995) – Compilation Album

Posted on by
This 2 CD Set Was released By Hollywood Records In The Year 1995

This 2 CD Set Was released By Hollywood Records In The Year 1995

Queen made a music lover out of me. Here. I said it. At no point before did music matter so much to me as when I listened to this double set that I bought through eBay when I was just starting out down the musical lane.

I was a 90s teenager. I grew up with this music. This was a compilation I had to have. This is a compilation that every person who claims to feel even the slightest shred of emotion when he listens to music must own. Continue reading →

Richard Thompson – General Introduction

Posted on by
A Recent Picture Of Mr. Thompson

A Recent Picture Of Mr. Thompson

I normally save General Introduction pages for artists that I know very well and that I feel confident talking about, either because I have their whole discography or a very representative number of albums, but this is an exception. I know virtually no other artist that captivates me the way Richard Thompson does, and if I have just a comparatively small number of his albums (two compilations, his three most recent solo discs and Fairport Convention’s “Unhalfbricking”) is because these records are impossible to find here in Uruguay. Continue reading →

The Smiths – Album Review

Posted on by
The Cover Showcases Morrissey's Obsession With Pop Culture

The Cover Showcases Morrissey's Obsession With Pop Culture

The Smiths’ debut is often regarded as an album that could have been much better, yet was marred by a production that did the songs no justice. You realize this is true the second “Reel Around The Fountain” starts playing, but it also dawns on you that some selections were not that strong to begin with either, and that no amount of production wizardry could have elevated them. The most obvious case is “Miserable Lie”, a song which actually worked quite well live. There are also a couple of tracks such as “You’ve Got Everything Now” and “I Don’t Owe You Anything” that are pure vitriol – Morrissey is yet to find how to articulate certain feelings and shape them into songs. Continue reading →

White Music (XTC) – Album Review

Posted on by
The Cover Of The CD Reissue

The Cover Of The CD Reissue

Getting down to reviewing White Music (XTC’s very first album, released in 1978) is not an easy task. It is impossible to wipe from your mind the volume, complexion and quality of the work they were to eventually produce, but even if their whole oeuvre disappeared and this was all that remained, it would be difficult to be over enthusiastic. Continue reading →

My Generation (The Who) – Album Review

Posted on by
The Original Cover

The Original Cover

The Who’s debut was first released in England in the year 1965. It was released States-side in 1966, boasting a different name (“The Who Sings My Generation”) and with some variations – a song called “Circles” replaced “I’m A Man”, and one of the standout tunes (“The Kids Are Alright”) was unceremoniously abridged.

The Who’s intended debut was going to be a whole disc devoted to R & B covers, but when one of the main musical papers of the day said such an approach would be unoriginal the project was shelved and this album of Townshend-penned compositions  eventually materialized. Continue reading →

The Jam – General Introduction

Posted on by
The Jam Were Characterized By Wearing Black Suits When They First Started. Left To Right: Paul Weller, Rick Buckler & Bruce Foxton.

The Jam Were Characterized By Wearing Black Suits When They First Started. Left To Right: Paul Weller, Rick Buckler & Bruce Foxton.

I have some fantastic memories of the times I was a Jam fan. Their music might just as well be the perfect companion when you are maturing and leaving the world of juvenile irresponsibilities away.

I was introduced to them by John Alroy. That is, many years ago I sent him an e-mail telling him how interesting I found his record’s review website, and asking him which bands could I like since I had completed my Who collection. I also told him I was fond of The Sex Pistols and Oasis. Alroy sent me a very courteous e-mail and told me I would probably like The Jam (he described them as a cross between The Who and The Sex Pistols). He also recommended XTC to me. Hehe. Bingo! Continue reading →

The Smiths – General Introduction

Posted on by
A Very Early Picture Of The Smiths

A Very Early Picture Of The Smiths

The Smiths were an enormously influential 80’s band that hailed from Manchester, England. The group comprised singer Morrissey, guitar luminary Johnny Marr and a rhythm section of Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (drums). The ability of the latter is often overlooked, if only because the band itself was not that democratic – as a matter of fact, Morrissey and Marr received 40 % each of the band’s income while the rhythm men received just 10 % each. The band broke up in 1987 (for the simple reason that Marr and Morrissey could no longer stand each other) and a lawsuit ensued in 1996 over royalties, effectively driving them further apart and wiping out any chance of a reunion (unlikely to begin with). Rourke would eventually settle for less than he was entitled to, but Joyce took it to the bitter end. Continue reading →