New Wave music reviews

Friends, This album features demos by Praying Mantis, Stratus and Eclipse (all of course being essentially the same great NWBOHM band). It is firmly in the Iron Maiden-esque NWOBHM camp and features none other than Bernie Shaw of Uriah Heep on vocals. If you crave Brit Rock than look no further. I love this CD, and the packaging is incredible. Despite being demos, all the tunes are pretty solid sounding. Don't worry, no junk here. Keep in mind that a lot of the great NWOBHM stuff sounded like demos because the production value was so bad.

Anyway, the music is superb, many songs in fact being dusted off and rerecorded with later versions of Praying Mantis. Mantis fans will recognize a lot of the older stuff. Lastly, as I said earlier, this is NWOBHM, this is not the melodic prancing stuff of the 1990s.

Excusme, but i don`t speak english, so I can`t say i`m think about disc disc, bau i`m like very much. Thanks

Excellent Career Retrospective with 2 new Tracks ("Small without Me" [GREAT!] & Las Vegas Lullaby [So Sweet] The domestic collection Just did Not do this Group Justice. I never listened to it Like I am this one. Time after Time I keep going back To this GREAT collection. Culled from singles & three lps, no Pop collection is Complete without it! No Domestic Release either. Pay that extra Bit, 'cause its Worth it!
DVD Collection Next & full LP CD reissues!

Divas of Pop is one of my favorite collection alblums ever. My friend owned a copy, and we would play it over and over at work to cheer us up. Unfortunately his copy was stolen in a break in along with all of our other cd's... and we just had to have it back! There are so many great hits and female artists in this collection (Our favorite being Brand New Key) that we will be playing it again as soon as it arrives!

You would never know that the SUSHIROBO is a machine from looking at it. Thus, it creates a wonderful ambience for over-the counter sales and standing bars. The results have won high praise from professionals.

The easy operation of SUSHIROBO will make a great sushi chef of
anyone. The SUSHIROBO can be disassembled and cleaned very easily. It is also very protable at only 12kg.

SUSHIROBO brings you the light-fingered feeling of handmade sushi cakes!

For any fan of interesting percussive sound this has to rate highly. I have the japanese AVANT original, you should try and find it, it is worth the effort. On this outing the fier grouping sounds a bit like "CAN" with a speedball fix. Bootsy is brilliant as is Bill laswell, Bucketheads' guitar washes through like an acid cleaner. Simply amazing stuff from the masters. This has to be one of my alltime favourites. PUT THIS ON YOUR MUST HAVE LIST

This is very refreshing music in the same vein as Shin Terai's "Unison",or Buckethead's "Colma". I found the singer's "ramblings" to be annoying at first-BUT-later realized it added to the dreaminess of the cd in the same manner the Rammstein singer's voice adds to their heavy churn grind even if you have no clue what's being said. Call that being ignorant if you want, but in this case ignorance is most definatly bliss! All the musicians can be picked-out in these songs, but there is no hot-dogging at all which makes for a very continuously airy atmosphere that's great for any activity;entertaining guests,on headphones at the fair,on the boombox at low sound while fishing on the lake,or most any other low-key personal event.

I've had the Blind Light/Absence of Time album for about 10 years now. I'm not kidding you when I say that the CD has never left my CD changer. You never get tired of it. Something about soothing ambient electronica with a backbone, topped off by a female japanese beat poet that never gets old. The melodies are incredibly catchy in a subtle way, and every song continues to reveal itself to you, even after 10 years of listening. You don't have to be a fan of the Golden Palominos or be familiar with Anton Fier's incredible rhythmic sense to love this album (although it helps in the sense of understanding how this album evolves). I just order this CD set because of the impossible-to-find Dreamspeed CD. If it's as good as the Blind Light CD, I anticipate another 10 years of incredible music.

Everything finally came together for Xtc and enabled the band to produce one of their finest albums. The strong songwriting, lyrical wit and odd (but rich) melodies made their appearence. Steve Lilywhite's production only enhanced this great album. The sound quality is terrific. Ian Cooper manages to capture all the production's richness without sacrificng anything. Moulding finally emerges from Partridge's shadow as a songwriter producing two of his finest songs. Andy Partridge arrives as both a singer and performer with this album. He finally found his "voice".

This limited edition is packaged in a miniature LP style sleeve that duplicates the original artwork for the album (right down to the label). The bonus tracks that were haphazardly strewn on this first Cd version are not put at the end where they belong. I'd highly recommend this.

The story of Simple Minds is almost the mirror opposite of U2. Early Simple Minds were effortlessly experimental in contrast to the latter's dodgy rock sound. They both morphed and evolved into the same stadium rock band around 84/85 before U2 began their experimental rise and the Minds sailed off to stadium rock mediocrity. 'Early Gold' gives us a reminder of just how good and innovative the pre-stadium band was.

The first 2 tracks marry the simple guitar riff and simple keyboard melody that would become a Simple Minds trademark through the years. On their second album Simple Minds seem to have found their voice. 'The Changling' sounds very similiar to Gary Numan's 'Cars' with it's menacing keyboard and jangly guitar riff. On 'Factory' we again hear that wonderful interplay between guitar and synth (you can definitely hear the influence of early Simple Minds on bands like Killing Joke). Like a lot of great post-punk bands Simple Minds never lost sight of their pop sensibility. Perhaps the best track on this compilation is the brilliant 'I Travel', surely the best marriage of punk and disco ever heard. It's energy is relentless from its aggressive rhythm to its 'Chic-like' guitar riff. What also makes Simple Minds a great band is the power that Jim Kerr's voice commands, as can be heard on 'Celebrate'. '30 Frames A Second' shows the band's classic taste for pop construction, throwing in an uplifting keyboard sequence after downbeat verses. From the next album comes the hypnotic riff of 'The American', a track that doen't hide it's resentment at the world superpower. Another amazing track is 'Love Song' with its funky bass and a guitar technique that wouldn't be lost on The Edge. Again you can hear the funky influence on 'Sweat In Bullets' before we move into the apparrent peak of early Simple Minds, the New Gold Dream tracks. The production here is bright and breezy, especially on 'Promised You A Miracle' and 'Glittering Prize', but you can also hear the beginnings of their stadium rock sound on 'Someone, Somewhere...' The closing track 'New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) remains a peak they have failed to climb again since.

This compilation wisely exits Simple Minds' career before the band's jarring shift to arena rock and the subsequent Breakfast Club movie theme which made them famous, all of which would sound out of place here. EARLY GOLD captures an earlier time when the band's music achieved accessibility, without sacrifice to stylistic experimentation. The first six Simple Minds records are represented here: LIFE IN A DAY (1978), REEL TO REAL CACOPHONY (1979), EMPIRES AND DANCE (1980), SONS AND FASCINATION (1981), SISTER FEELINGS CALL (1981), and NEW GOLD DREAM (1982), which finds the band assimilating and transforming influences as diverse as 60's psychadelic pop, punk rock, new wave, and more.

As owner of each of the above recordings I can suitably claim that the compilers of this collection did an excellent job at selecting the very best song choices from this stage of Simple Minds' career. The result is a compilation that is stronger than any of the individual records (although NEW GOLD DREAM is near perfect in itself). The songs are brimming with great hooks all around, from the clubfloor ready "I Travel" and "Love Song", the pop heaven of "Promised You a Miracle" and "Life in a Day", to the hard-hitting attack of "Changeling" and "Thirty Frames a Second". There is a diversity of styles at work here, and one can cite a host of other artists as reference points (Roxy Music, Wire, Kraftwerk, among others)

Unfortunately, the CD booklet's scant liner notes (just a short paragraph from vocalist Jim Kerr), no lyrics, no discography, and a few black & white band photographs dosen't provide much insight into the creation of the music.

Being an import CD the price tag might seem a bit high (I nabbed a used copy for cheaper), but it is my high recommendation that if you are at all intersted in post-punk music or early synth-pop, (or just plain great music in general) that you should consider adding EARLY GOLD to your collection.

Favorite tracks: "Life in a Day", "I Travel", "Promised You a Miracle", "New Gold Dream"
Final Rating: 5 out of 5.

For many people, Simple Minds are the band who did that song in The Breakfast Club; failing that they are the somewhat bombastic stadium rock band with earnest political themes- somewhere between 80s Springsteen & 80s U2. But for people like myself, Simple Minds from their debut in 1978 to fifth album (& masterpiece) New Gold Dream, were one of those ultimate bands. Like many bands- Roxy Music or Pere Ubu spring to mind- they would release several great albums and then lose it big time. Early Gold focuses on this period, when Johnny & the Self Abusers became Simple Minds and the original line-up of Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Mike MacNeil, Derek Forbes & Brian McGee created music that would stand next to any highlights of the new wave/post-punk era. Early Gold is a wonderful budget priced primer of their early work & one that I hope will reestablish their reputation as something other than 80s stadium rock. Early Gold is also a superior take on earlier 'Early Simple Minds' compilation 'Celebration'- as it takes in the years 1981 & 1982 also.

To be fair, they disowned their debut album- Life in a Day (1978)- like many bands of that era (Japan, The Cure) their debut was far from perfect (not everyone can offer up an Unknown Pleasures). The two best tracks, Chelsea Girl and the title track appear- they're good songs and you can see that SM, with producer John Leckie (Stone Roses,Radiohead) had ideas. The follow up album, Real to Real Cacophony, was much more like it- Factory is like Joy Division trying to play Japan- Premontion is even better (very Can influenced). The highlight from RTRC is Changeling- which easily ranks next to early Human League or Tubeway Army. The Minds were evidently electronic pioneers, alongside Cabaret Voltaire, Human League#1, Japan & Throbbing Gristle- Changeling is proof of that (I find it odd that Depeche Mode & New Order get all the credit as electronica pioneers, when they didn't produce anything of note till 1983, eg Blue Monday, Get the Balance Right!). Pity Calling Your Name was passed over though...

By 1980, Simple Minds had signed to Virgin and released Empires&Dance- their first cohesive album (its cover would notably influence Manic Street Preachers'Holy Bible); from it we have the classic robo-funk of Celebrate and the epic synth-atmospheres of Thirty Frames a Second (which very much stands up next to Bowie/Eno's Berlin-era & early Associates). Even better is I Travel- a more hyper Trans Europe Express- Kerr's travelogue seemingly cut-up over a proto-techno sound ("Europe has a language problem/talk talk talk talk...Travel round/I Travel round/Decadence & pleasure town...statues, parks & galleries"). Just a pity the opening lines would recur in 1985's dire GhostDancing; one of the key songs to listen to when travelling around Europe!

1981 saw Simple Minds switch producers- ex-Gong-man Steve Hillage (System7, The Orb) would capture the Minds wonderful futurist blend of art, kraut & prog-rock. As with Hillage's production on The Charlatans'Up to Our Hips, he would catch a groove- the songs more soundscapes rather than scuplted popsongs. The two albums released in 1981 were the apex of the original-Minds line-up (McGee would leave shortly after)- Sister Feelings Call and Sons & Fascination were famously released on the same day. Personally, just three tracks from a potential fifteen seems a bit stingy- the lack of Theme for Great Cities is a great loss- as it's one of the highlightsof early Simple Minds & has been pretty much covered on the latest Radiohead album (see Where I End & You Begin from Hail to the Thief). It would have been nice to see great lost-bsides like League of Nations or Kaleidoscope included, ditto songs like Careful in Career and Boys from Brazil. Still, one cannot quibble with the three singles from 1981: the bizarre-funk of Sweat in Bullet ("rolling & tumbling/ambition in motion...she's sweating bullets"- perhaps some chemical experimentation was occurring here?); the somewhat cryptic The American (perhaps something to do with their Euro-influences? Quite ironic when you consider Don't You & Bob Clearmountain...) & the trance-pop of Love Song. Love Song in particular is looking towards the following years New Gold Dream, probably the tighest song here- this is amongst the perfect pop of 1981 (see also Bedsitter, White Car in Germany, Love Action). Wonderful alien stuff that Bowie hadn't been close to since "Heroes"- "so well so well/I cut my hair/paint my face/ break a finger/tell a lie/so well so well/America's a boyfriend..."- truly godlike stuff (check out the UK music press, who lionised SM at the time for evidence...).

The final selections here come from career peak New Gold Dream (1982), where with Scott Walker-producer Peter Walsh (who arranged the album) & several guests (Skids Drummer Kenny Hyslop, soon to be SM drummer Mel Gaynor, Jazz-legend Herbie Hancock), they created an album of perfect pop in the year of perfect pop. The entryist pop-notion had been formulated with releases from Cabaret Voltaire (Red Mecca),Heaven17 (Penthouse&Pavement) and Human League (Dare); in 1982 there came ABC's The Lexicon of Love, Associates'Sulk and Scritti Politti's Songs to Remember. But it was NGD that gave the most perfect pop- the European influences of krautrock & Bowie/Eno/Roxy having fused with that of Abba and Chic. NGD is simply one of the most perfect pop albums to have been created- here we get the three singles Someone Somewhere in Summertime, Glittering Prize & Promised You a Miracle, which are just the right side of anthemic. Even better is the addition of New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) "until the world goes pop!/until the world goes higher"- this sounds like the work of ecstasy fuelled electronic artists. An ultimate pop statement that would influence dance artists for years to come (see Felix, Utah Saints, Electroclash); just a pity that the proto-ambient chillout of Somebody Up There Likes You & the Hancock-assisted perfection of Hunter & The Hunted are left off...

Early Gold is a pretty definitive primer of Simple Minds from 1978 to 1982- a good way in for the curious. Though being a fan, I'd say that Empires&Dance, Sons&Fascination/Sister Feelings Call (now on one handy CD together) & New Gold Dream are pretty definitive purchases by themselves. Regardless, a reminder of what a great futurist band Simple Minds once were & a record as strong as any of that era...

If you are a fan of Level 42 late albums, well then don't listen to this one. You must know that Level 42 hasn't always been a commercial pop-music performing band. This album is in fact completely different from what you ever heard before. You can easily trace in the sound, in the chords, in the riffs and in the elaborate drum-bass section that Level 42 were much more than a commercial-pop band. Fusion-funk is probably the nearest definition I can think about, but probably you'll understand better if I tell you that you can easily find the influence of jazz-fusion bands such as Weather Report, Reurn to Forever etc. It is also an essential album for the "slap-style" bass player, for Mark King is one of the renowed masters of this style.

In the early eightees there was this little band in England which sounds like Buggles (or did they sound like them?!), New Musik (who started at the same period) and tried to be funny and relaxed. I didn't knew that they made an album before Dumb Waiters (The Korgis) and I thought that EGTLS was their first single etc. Dumb me! But on this collection you'll get their 3 albums in chronological order plus some remixes of their well known hit-single. Also on this one is the 1982 single Don't Look Back and it's b-side Xenophobia. It's very cheap for the music that you get on 2 CD's. All digitally remastered. If you consider buying a Korgis CD... buy THIS one!

Superb double CD from the vastly underrated Korgis. You might remember their tender, atmospheric 1979 hit "Everybody's got to learn sometime", three versions of which are included. There are many similarly appealing songs on this double CD set, which actually includes, in total, the entire contents of each of their three albums, plus four worthwhile extras. This music really should have reached a greater audience than it has so far managed to, since it's of genuinely high quality and the main influences on it (Beach Boys, Beatles etc) are not exactly esoteric.

Admittedly the lyrical and musical whimsy of a few of the songs is somewhat unusual/eccentric, but that really shouldn't deter anyone from exploring this; for many people it adds to the undoubted charm displayed here. Very good quality transfer and useful, interesting sleeve information with many quotes from group members, as well as pictures of the sleeves of their single releases.