New Wave music reviews

This record is named "Another Perfect Day", but believe me, it ain't just another perfect Heavy Metal record.

I bought this record when it first came out because I was a fan of Thin Lizzy, and because I thought that the album cover was real cool. It was my first Motorhead experience and I had no idea what Motorhead sounded like. Initially I was put off by Lemmy's voice, I hated it. But I kept listening to the record anyway 'cuz the music ROCKED. I eventually began falling in love with this killer record and realized that Lemmy's voice (growl) was PERFECT for this kind of music. Brian Robertson's playing is better than anything he's ever done with Thin Lizzy. Every song is a 10. Lemmy's lyrics on this record stand among the best lyrics ever written, regardless of musical style. This is one of the BEST Heavy Metal records ever made. It's a shame that Robertson only recorded one disc with the band.

After guitarist E. Clarke left the band, Lemmy and P. A. Taylor decided to take the risk of replacing him with a "guitar hero" named B. Robertson - a "risk", because the band's tone could then have changed and its music could have bent with the 80's wind. Fortunately, it turned out to be the opposite: APD has the rawness of the previous albums but, thanks to B. Robertson, it also reaches heights one would not have thought the band could reach. It is an epic and very inspired record, with innovative guitar riffs, excellent songwriting all the way through and some true highlights: "Rock it", "Back at the funny farm", "Marching off to war". All musicians are in fine form: you can hear that each of them is one hell of a performer. Too bad Robertson had to leave after the tour.
I personally recommend the purchase of the original CD edition, not the remastered one, which contains extra tracks but whose bland sound is definitely inappropriate to Mot�rhead's style.

This by far the best Motorhead album ever. Filled with great, melodic, hard rockin' songs, Lemmy and co. do good on this one. Lemmy brings in ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson to fill in for the departed Fast Eddie, and churns out awesome riffsand blazing solos that musically is a huge departure from Motorheads already pattened rock n' stomp sound. There is melody in every song, which surprisingly, sounds fantastic! This is a classic album.

Well, I won't get too detailed, because the other reviewers have done a great job. And I agree with the reviewer that says this IS the best Box Set around. And the book that comes with it is fantastic. Adam and Marco comment on all the songs and give you a bit of inside information. There are tons of great photos as well. I can't pick a favorite cd. I love all three. And all three will have something for everybody. One song I really like that hadn't been released before was "Steve McQueen".

The first cd is FULL of really great punk tracks. I love Lady/Catch a Falling Star and Rubber People. All three cds are full of demos and unrealesed stuff. And you can hear demos of some of his biggest hits as well.

Marco Pirroni states on his website that he tried very hard to get the record company to give them the rights to put some Persuasion (unrealesed album from 1993) songs on AntBox. To no avail. I happen to own Persuasion thanks to a very generous fan and I can say- too bad that it didn't get released. It's really terrific and it would have done well. Maybe someday.

Please take the time to order AntBox. You won't regret it.

Of all the box sets I have, this one is one of my all time special Box Sets because it's a well rounded set with everything you may need for both the casual Antfan to the rabid collector: rare early punk tracks, all of his major hits, definitive album cuts, demos, alternate versions and unreleased tracks. This is Antmusic in a nutshell, from the naughty S&M-minded early punk years through his Pirate years and commercial heyday to his overlooked sporadic later years. All the essential stuff. The three discs mainly go like this:

DISC ONE: early punk fun with the original Ants, songs like 'Zerox', 'Cleopatra', 'Ligotage', Car Trouble', etc. Also the heftiest helping of rarities are here, including the excellent 'Rubber People' and 'Bathroom Function'. Some sound quality issues here, but the material itself more than compensates. A couple tracks were actually lifted from scratchy vinyl bootlegs, giving them that authentic 1978 punk atmosphere. A whole load of tracks, worth the money of the whole box.

DISC TWO: covers his commercial heyday and includes his Pirates and War Paint years and MTV success. The hits are here: 'Goody Two Shoes', 'Antmusic', 'Strip', 'Stand & Deliver', etc. Also demos, alternate versions and unreleased gems like 'I WIn Zulus' and 'A.N.T.S.'(a punky 'Y.M.C.A.' with 'altered' lyrics) and more.

DISC THREE: covers the next ten years from 1985's 'Viva Le Rock' era to his last studio album 1995's 'Wonderful'. On here there's a lot of material from the 'Viva Le Rock' period, a lot unreleased, and some unreleased stuff from 'Manners & Physique'.

The only thing keeping this Box Set from getting eleven stars is that they could have added material from Adam's aborted unreleased album 'Persuasion' which is an excellent album. Also, only two tracks represent the 'Strip' album from 1983(the two hits, no rarities or album cuts). Clearly this may be Adam's least favorite album of his and perhaps he's disowned it(He didn't play anything from it in concert on his 90's outings either). But all in all this is an essential Box set.

You have to love Adam works from punk to soft rock!! It a the best thing that ever happened to the Antfan. It is a 3 cd set that comes with an added book that is the size of the box. The book has rare photos from when he was a punk rocker and cool photos from his videos and cds. If you want to see what the cd cases look like, follow these directions. Go to
www.adam-ant.net and find links down at the bottom. After you get on links, find a site called Cartrouble_oh yeah. On the front page,scroll down you will find Antbox covers. Go there and you can see. Belive me, nothing compares to Antbox!!!!

I grew up with this music....
very good songs and i like the effects on the vocals,also the acoustic guitars are great (would like to now how they recorded it):)
my favourites are;

they are all runnin' after the carvin knife
peace
world of walter
changing minds
churches
from the village
back to room one
and luxury.
if you are interested in a cover version of 'Luxury',
we've recorded the song with our band 'SECOND LIFE'
check the web www.second-life.be and go to media,
hope you will enjoy it

They all run after the carving knife is one of the coolest songs in the world.

The office is the best track on the CD.

Another highlight: Luxury
Another album to get by New Musick is Warp

The ultimate in 80s synth. I love this album with a passion. I loved it so muc, I learned most of the keyboard parts to it. Its a perfect CD to drive away your Christian Pop listenin roommate while he tries to sleep. Awsome CD.

You'll find these tracks appearing a lot on the live journal.
Peace

www.livejournal.com/users/frayo

Trawling through my collection of vinyl the other day, I came across this little gem from long ago. I loved this album at the time, and playing it again today floats me off on waves of nostalgia. Nice to see other people appreciated it too. Definitely worth a look if you like the eighties (or even lived through it!)

Argy Bargy could be the soundtrack of my high school years. Pulling Mussels could be the theme song. I am sure my fellow clas mates would concur. I still derive enormous pleasure from blasting Argy Bargy in the car driving down the Long Island Expressway on Friday evenings. each song a reminder of a special time or place. The biggest thrill is having my four year old daughter ask me to sing Pulling Mussels as a bedtime story!

squeeze is like a well-kept secret. i can't believe that so many people don't know of them, because they are just phenomonal. they were such amazing songwriters, they blow me away. in my opinion much better songwriters than lennon/mccartney and i am a huge beatles fan. i guess squeeze was just ahead of their time.

This and "East Side Story" are by far the best Squeeze releases ever. From the brilliant pop classics "Pulling Mussels", "Another Nail In My Heart", "There At The Top" to the slightly off kilter cuts like "I Think I'm Go Go" and "Seperate Beds" the music is bombastic without being overpowering and the lyrics and music blend together seamlessly. Also of note is IMO the best song Jools Holland ever wrote, the Motown influenced "Wrong Side of The Moon". This is Squueze at thier peak.

I saw the Call during their Red Moon Tour at the famous Toad's Place in New Haven, CT. I believe it was 1991, on a Sunday night and there were only about 100 people in the joint. But oh what a show, we were rewarded, it was truly one of the most inspiring performances I have ever seen, and I have seen a few:
U2 in Dublin, Springsteen at Fenway & Johnny Cash.........
The Call played their hearts out that night even though they must have known they were nearing the end. Michael Been was on the Bass, playing stage right and the entire place hung on his every note. I feel blessed to have seen them play Live.
The Call were always a band that only played for the love of the music, it's a real shame that they never got noticed by anyone except BONO!!!! Do yourself a favor and BUY this CD, I promise you it will make you smile.....Kell

I agree with some of the other reviewers that The Call is the best band to have never made it really big. With fans like Elvis Costello, Peter Gabriel, Bono, and Bruce Cockburn, I wonder why they never opened for some major acts and got recognition that way. I also wonder if the fact that some of their music was either subtly or overtly religious worked against them. Though they weren't a "Christian Rock" band, there was a Christian undertone to a lot of the work. It was not the sanctimonious right-wing crap that passes for spirituality these days, but rather expressed a genuine concern for peace, justice, and compassion - all of the things the current Christian-right detests.

But anyway, because of the spiritual leaning, my guess is that The Call's label wasn't sure how to promote them. And maybe they weren't very adept at promoting themselves. Musicians don't always make the best businesspeople. It's such a shame, because so much of their music was great. "Let The Day Begin" is one of my all-time favorite songs. I actually used to begin each day with it, in the car, on my way to teach high school social studies. What a strong, uplifting way to start one's morning! I've played the pensive but searing ballad (When Will America) "Become America" for my students and it's always generated some meaningful discussion. And the tune "Us" is so kick-ass that I can't believe it didn't go anywhere. The band's two biggest hits, "I Still Believe" and "The Walls Came Down" are also very good.

Ceratinly there are more important things to be sad about, but I do lament The Call's inability to break through. The fact that most of their albums are out-of-print is a musical travesty - for posterity's sake, I hope that there is a way to keep the music alive.

If you like good rock and roll with intelligent lyrics and you've never heard of The Call, I would strongly recommend that you take a listen to them soon. They're one of the tightest bands I've ever heard, and I never grow tired of their music or their sound. It's a great shame that they never got the airplay or notoriety that they deserved.

That said, this is a somewhat disappointing collection--you'd be better off getting their Greatest Hits CD used somewhere, especially for the songs "Become America" and "Us." (Okay, those are two of my personal favorites, so I guess not "especially.") This collection, though, has some songs that you won't find on the other one, so I guess, we're all stuck between the rock and the hard place here. Perhaps you can get this one for your car and the other one for the house, or get both of them and make your own Greatest Hits collection on CD-R.

No matter what you do, though, hear The Call! I made the mistake of owning their CD for a couple of years before I took the time to listen to it closely, and I regret those lost years! I won't even go into a song-by-song analysis, because these guys are great, period. . . .

Blondie is a band that you can never get tired of. Their music is done with style and creativity. I purchased this album and was excited because I thought it would be perfect. It is except some songs are shortened. "Island Of Lost Souls" is (3:50 sec), but the album version is (4:40 sec). It was hard to hear Debbie's voice on "Heart Of Glass". The very begining of "The Tide Is High" is sort of cut off. On the good side we get the (5:36 sec) version of "Rapture". Deb's solo work is great and "Well Did You Ever" is a pretty fun song. If your a fan of Blondie then buy this. It's ok.

This is a must have album for any fan or music collector. The album has it all and it leaves nothing to chance. It also introduces the listener to some tracks of Debbie's from her solo albums as well (which I think a lot of people have really overlooked) So yes the album is a bit pricey but look at what you get. It's a good buy especailly here on Amazon where at the record shop I've seen it priced as high as 39.99 and you have to have it through a special order.

Well c'mon. What more could you want? This is a glorious batch of singles that most artists would give their left thingie for. What a swell party this is!!

about no choruses and too many words in these songs, but he's also right about the charm of this first album. This stuff isn't very sing-along-able (without a lot of listening and practice), despite the devotion to melody and harmonizing. Several of the songs are rapid-fire tongue-twisting soliloquies or jaded poetry rants molded by the beat and jangly guitars and a sort of punk attitude if not sound. Yet the music is lovely, poignant, affecting. Currie's younger voice is higher, more earnestly intense, but even here a talent to be appreciated. The long-winded lyrics are angry, agonized & naive sometimes but not stupid or (entirely) clueless. (I have no doubt "Crows in the Wheatfield" was inspired by Van Gogh's painting Wheatfield with Crows.) Already there are the plays on words and twists of meaning we've come to know and love in the Dels' songs.

I love the breathless adolescent rush of "Hammering Heart," "Sticks and Stones Girl" and "I Was Here"; the hopeless, sweet sadness of "Former Owner"; the biting, world-kicking, self-dissatisfied "Crows in the Wheatfield"; the hurt frustration of "Lines Running North"; and the beautiful but terrible "Keepers." Terrible in the sense of its subject, which isn't love but controlling, abusive obsession: "you may be bleeding though you're not dying, but you are dying to go/stop teasing me/I'm not seeing you leaving me."

All in all, this is a separate curiosity from the later Del CDs, is more than "mere" entertainment, but it has grown on me quite a bit since I first played it, and I go `round humming bits of this, too. The final bonus track of this reissue is a cover of Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl." It sort of grates on the ear and they're horsing around with it-can't quite tell whether they're sending it up or they like it (or both), but it leaves you smiling.

Recently I re-listened to this debut which I was fortunate enough to discover when it was released. What is still arresting is just the very high quality of the music - the very warm rich sound, the sophisticated songs and beautifully Beatlesque (yet utterly Scottish - passionate, ironic) harmonizing, the witty literate lyrics, the wonderful pastoral/urban melodies. This is one of those rare records you play then find yourself putting on again an hour later. A striving comparison might be early James and the English Beat minus the beat if that makes sense. I also think of the Lilac Time and Stephen Duffy's rueful village romanticism. It's astounding how utterly different this is from anything Del Amitri went on to make. It seems after this failed commercially a decision was made to change direction in a drastic way towards the commercial end. I've yet to hear anything this brilliant in the intervening years. Good stuff.

if true art is something that communicates to its audience, then this is true art. a permanent top 10 lister, a desert island pick ... if you only remember one thing from your surfing session tonight, remember this: all the best musicians come from scotland.

Every live album of JJ must be compared with the early 1981-86 live album. So... the old album is better in every aspect. The band brings us the same old punk music from the late 70's, that seems today old and almost boring. I have dusty vynil copies of all their old albums, and that CD won't change my mind, that JJ made the right desicion to leave the band behind, and to strart his solo career. By the way, don't offer me the band's new studio album.

This CD starts out with Joe Jackson performing "Steppin' Out" as a slow ballad, with only his piano for musical accompaniment. However, this is no unplugged concert. The band joins in for a scorching version of the next song, "One More Time," sounding as solid as they did back in the seventies. "Awkward Age," with its unusual melody and syncopation, fares the best of all the new songs in this concert. "Look Sharp!" and "Beat Crazy" feature strong playing by Gary Sanford (lead guitar), Graham Maby (bass guitar) and Dave Houghton (drums). "Down To London" is a melodic masterpiece, featuring Joe's keyboards and British sensibilities. The subject matter of "Sunday Papers" doesn't sound dated at all, and neither does the band, especially when they speed up the song for its frenzied ending. They barely slow down for a powerful rendition of "Don't Wanna Be Like That." The band warp into overdrive for the final song, "Got The Time," before crashing in a blaze of glory and feedback. The clarity of this live recording is remarkable. Be careful you don't blow out your speakers when you crank this album up, which is the only way to listen to it!

I've seen almost all of Joe's concert tours over the years, and this album is the result of the tour that was the happiest, liveliest and purest of all. The great sound and great vibes come through loud and clear on this album. Essential for all of us devotees. Congrats to Joe and the guys. Can't wait for the next album/tour.

Started as a punk group and them slowly becoming a pop group...that's the main history of Blondie. Blondie's vocalist is Deborah Harry, a woman that has also made the songs for Blondie. The first recordings "X-Offender", and "Rip Her to Shreds" has that kind of innocence...they are not the songs that are easily in UK list top 10. The next songs were a little bit more commercial "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear" and "Denis" from "Plastic Letters". Their greatest success was withouth a doubt the album "Parallel Lines"...that's why they are so famous. The PL-songs "Heart of Glass", "Sunday Girl", "Picture This", "Hanging on the Telephone", "One Way Or Another", "I'm Gonna Love You Too", and the peaceful song "Fade Away And Radiate"...that makes seven songs from "Parallel Lines". They are somethin' between pop music and punk rock. The next albums have hits "The Tide Is High", "Atomic", "Union City Blue", "Dreaming", "Rapture" whcih were popular live songs too. After that Blondie's carriere wasn't so good anymore. They started to make too strange songs, just like "Island of Lost Souls" and "War Child". I think this collection would have need "Detroit 442" an upbeat punk song from "Plastic Letters" as well as "Eat to the Beat".
Stars: One Way Or Another, Call Me, Picture This, Hanging on the Telephone

Like many of their greatest hits compilations this includes: "Atomic", "One Way Or Another", "Rapture", "Heart Of Glass", and "Call Me".

NEGATIVES
Some of the songs are shortened!
"The Tide Is High"- 3:50 Original Version: 4:40
"Heart Of Glass"- 4:10 Original Version: 5:50
"Atomic"- 3:50 Original Version: 4:40
"Rapture"- 4:59 Original Version: 6:30
I prefer the original album versions myself.

POSITIVES
Great Quality Sound! Crystal Clear! Includes "Fade Away and Radiate", "I'm Gonna Love You Too", and two club dance versions of "Atomic"!

OVERALL
Some Good And Bad Here!!! A purchased this for my collection. It has great sound I have to admit!!!

For some reason known only to the record company, the tracks on this compilation are not in chronological order. The album thus opens with 1979s synth-rock track Atomic and then moves back one year for the equally electronic but far more catchy Heart Of Glass, the pop and dance classic.

Track 3, Sunday Girl, also comes from the excellent Parallel Lines album, whilst Call Me (theme from American Gigolo) is another electronic dance track that has not aged well because it lacks a good tune. Next comes The Tide Is High, a lilting reggae number from 1980s Autoamerican. Denis takes us back to the brilliant 1977 album Plastic Letters, whilst Dreaming and Union City Blue come from 1980s less than inspiring Eat To The Beat album that also contains Atomic.

Plastic Letters and Parallel lines remain Blondie's best ever single albums, as demonstrated by the beautiful ballad I'm Always Touched (By Your Presence Dear), the snappy pop song Picture This and the dreamy, experimental Fade Away And Radiate. X Offender and Rip Her To Shreds from their 1976 debut show the raw punk promise that was to develop into their delicious take on pop in the aforementioned Plastic Letters and Parallel Lines.

Atomic concludes with two interesting remixes of the title track. Blondie made original and intelligent pop music that encompassed hypnotic synthesizer textures (Call Me, Atomic, Heart Of Glass), melodic ballads (Denis, Presence Dear), rap (Rapture), reggae (The Tide Is High) and punk rock (X Offender, Rip Her To Shreds). This is a great compilation album, like The Complete Picture (20 tracks) or Greatest Hits (19 tracks), and it is difficult to choose between them.

Keen for a cool return to the 1980's. The music is wavy Synth-pop, as opposed to the more clinical metallic sound of their 80's counterparts. Talk Talk plays with long and slow rythms but can accelerate to strong peaks when the painful yet poignantly poetic lyrics by Mark Hollis deserve it. I do not like the heroin-messed Chameleon Day that goes nowhere, but the transition to Time It's Time (definitely the BEST Talk Talk song) is superb. The children's choir in Hapiness Is Easy is just another proof of how the Group can integrate different types of music and yet come up with coherent songs that merge perfectly into a homogenous album. Living In Another World is a straight SOS from Hollis in which his voice is at last stretched and supported by the best arrangement of the album.

Ok let's just try to forget the butchering Ms. Stefani did to one of their songs and move on. Mark Hollis and company create a garden of lush sounds and melodies it's easy to believe this entire album was recorded barefoot lying in the grass. "Happiness is Easy" opens the album with a soothing bass line easing you into the album effortlessly. Before you know it, you're grooving to the tones wafting through the air like a butterfly on a leisurely journey. The piano in "Life's What You Make It" takes over bass duties and softly hammers the point home. Introspective as well as extroverted, Mr. Hollis just makes it seem so simple. Easy indeed.

This isn't _Spirit Of Eden_ or _Laughing Stock_ in terms of quality or experimentalism (which, by the way, are two albums that are absolutely essential to any music collection). But the songs on here are just _really good_! Semi-experimental synth-pop (save for a couple of more organic-sounding tracks that really foreshadow the direction the group was about to take) with relatively varied instrumentation and song structures. And Mark Hollis' wonderful voice! Recommended.