motrhead wrote:  BTW, the trombone thing in school traumatised me for life. I generally do not like horns any more, unless it's something  really special (like Miles Davis).  All I wanted then was to be a drummer. Now I have a Strat, so I guess it  worked out for the best

Really?  I loved playing trombone in high school, and I still like playing it on occasion.

TheGazzardian wrote:   The Oils released a lot of good records - I'd say Red Sails in the Sunset and Blue Sky Mining are both the top contenders against 10, 9..., but Deisel and Dust (and Earth and Sun and Moon) aren't very far behind.

I also love Redneck Wonderland, despite the abundance of electronic elements that seemed trendy at the time, I think the songs are really strong on it.  The early albums aren't that bad either with Head Injuries being my fave from that period.

OK I got to get into this non prog reviewing. I have some on metal archives but this is a perennial favourite!

Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - July 30 2010 at 20:15

AtomicCrimsonRush wrote: Bump   someone post a cool non prog review

I've made lots of non-prog reviews on my Amazon profile. Perhaps I'll post some from this list...

Right, I will do this somewhat 'prog-related' review. It's not prog at all, of course, but has prog artists. 


Annie Haslam - Annie in Wonderland (1977)






Tracklist:

1.Introlise/If I Was Made of Music
2.Never Believed in Love
3.If I Loved You (cover)
4.Hunioco
5.Rockalise
6.Nature Boy (cover)
7.Inside my life
8.Going Home (cover)

While it's understandable that an album, as I will shortly point out, which is not particularly great would not be much sought after among music fans in general, I don't really understand why even among Renaissance/Annie Haslam fans, this one doesn't get much attention.  Even Still Life and Blessing in Disguise seem to have been received more favourably.  Its inconsistency, which I will address, is most definitely an issue.  But, this is also the only one of Annie's solo albums recorded at her peak in the 70s and it shows. For the moment she gets some music to bite into, she is able to make something unique with it.  Further, sure, it's a pop album but really, if you are a fan of Renaissance, you don't really mind Annie Haslam singing pretty pop songs all that much, surely?  The difference between Captive Heart (from the same year on the Novella album) and If I Loved You is certainly not like night and day. If anything, I would argue Annie sounds even better on the latter, which is the case whenever this album hits the spot.  I am sure the artwork hurts too, but again, Renaissance aren't exactly renowned for that either, are they?

However, I will address the inconsistency first.  This album was produced  and largely written by Roy Wood (who also played many of the instruments) during the brief interval when John Tout needed a rest and the band (Renaissance) were neither recording and touring and it does seem a bit hastily put together.  Songs like If I Were Made of Music seem to have potential which however hasn't been brought to fruition.  Never Believed in Love and Hunioco are throwaway.  Inside my life, penned by Camp, only foreshadows the blandness to come in future Renaissance efforts (salvaged by some good guitar from Wood in the coda).  The material is also so eclectic that there is no sense of unity or a cohesive personality in the album.  This perhaps also works to its favour in a certain sense because it lets you cherry pick what you want. 

Now, the things that do work, in ascending order.  Nature Boy...the singing on the verse is pretty good but we swiftly realize this is not quite Annie's forte.  Watch out for the stunning jazz vocalizations though, she's more versatile than she's credited to be.  And some of the excursions, particularly a swiftly descending run right at the end, slay!  It's also interesting how well her voice blends with jazz guitar here and with organs and violins in Renaissance albums, all when she's vocalizing, mind.    

If I Loved You may be 'just' a cover of an old pop song but I would suggest you to ignore the genre and take in the singing.  This must be hands down the best version of this song.  It certainly wipes the floor with Barbara Streisand's cold and loungey take on the song.  By now, Annie's singing craft appears to have matured and peaked - contrast this with the relatively flat, emotionally, that is, singing on Let It Grow.  Four years from there, she's become an even better singer.   I haven't mentioned Roy Wood's arrangements yet but I will start now - it's absolutely gorgeous here, very dreamy and romantic, which already gives this version a headstart over the bland (imo) original even before Annie's singing kicks in.  Paul Mc Cartney was apparently in the studio when this was recorded and said her voice sent shivers down his spine. I am inclined to agree.

Going Home, of course, is a traditional funeral song based on Dvorak's New World Symphony.  Once again, beautiful arrangements, this time sparse and sombre.  The song is also paced in a very unhurried way, giving all the time in the world to Annie to lay down the mood.  And once again, she is able to come up with a very distinct and powerful interpretation of a song much sung.  There is no affectation in her singing nor any of the angst and bitterness that often comes through in rock's takes on death.  There's a solemn acceptance of fate that is yet very touching.  To my mind, this is already a better showcase of Annie's singing than any classic Renaissance song and I haven't got to Rockalise yet!

Rockalise is in my opinion the best Annie has ever sung in the studio.  I am quite baffled how this song is mentioned so less in fan circles.  On the surface, it might come across as exhibitionism - high pitched operatic singing without lyrics and with the refrain repeated several times, with drums stepping in in the second half of the song.  But pay close attention to Annie's singing and you cannot fail to be moved.  We live in times where musicians get slammed for being technical.  Well, here's an example of how to be very technical and still do it very elegantly and with feeling.  She demonstrates how to hit the soprano C off both the head voice and whistle voice but there is clearly the underlying purpose of evoking a lighter shade of voice in doing so which dispels any notion of technical exhibitionism.  Further, her vocalizations are so precise, even in terms of the exact  degree of attack she puts behind every note, that it almost sounds like an instrument playing some music rather than a voice.  Above all, it is very touching and when hitting such stratospheric notes, she sounds unexpectedly vulnerable and fragile (again, a quality I have not really come across much in her singing with Renaissance).   I would particularly pinpoint the 'variation' at 2:10 thereabouts - very delicate.  I am not too fond of opera singing (and I don't know if I can call this opera, so I will stick to saying it is sort of operatic) but Annie with her magnificent technique executes it very beautifully and effortlessly.    Instead of describing the song in so much detail, maybe I should have summed it up in one line:  if you haven't heard Rockalise, you haven't heard Annie Haslam, period. 

In summary, Annie In Wonderland, while not strictly a solo album because Annie doesn't write her own music, presents an interesting side to her singing which could have been explored further.  But I guess they didn't know then that Renaissance would slide after A Song For All Seasons.  Heaven knows this kind of pretty and polite but sincere and soulful music may not have found much favour in the 80s even if she had worked with Roy Wood.   But there's tantalizing potential here for a different direction which still remains true to the quintessence of her singing (unlike say Camera Camera).  

As for the rating, I would rate it 4.5/5 for the peaks but barely 2-2.5 for the lows.  I will give a three star on balance but would highly recommend it to fans of this singer.  If there's any solo work of Annie Haslam you need, this is the one.  












Edited by rogerthat - September 12 2010 at 04:01

Rip The Jacker by Canibus

So, this new album by the band Moon Safari has been plastered all over the front page of the site for roughly the last forever. Which is nice and all, it's getting great reviews. I'm sure I'll get around to checking it out at some point. In the mean time I can't help but think of another (perhaps) even more marvellous Moon Safari. Without further ado, I give you:

Air - Moon Safari

4.5/5

Them Details:

When: 1998 (Year of the Tiger)
Where: France
What: The debut album by a pair of French dudes whose only mission in life at this point appears to be helping you get your chill on something fierce.

La femme d'argent - 7:11
Sexy Boy - 4:58
All I Need - 4:28
Kelly Watch the Stars - 3:45
Talisman - 4:17
Remember - 2:34
You Make It Easy - 4:02
Ce matin là - 3:39
New Star in the Sky - 5:41
Le voyage de Penelope - 3:11

My Two Cents (CAD):

This is easily the most chilled out album I own. It's funky catchy and a little bit weird in its own way. It's an album I liked the moment I heard it and I think you might too.

Why did I like it the moment I heard it? Because the first thing I heard was La femme d'argent. Or for the non-French inclined: The Silver Lady. Its hip, hipper than anything you've heard in the last decade; a mix of sly keyboard work with a dabble of sequencer and a mellowed out baseline. It's both riveting and relaxing. I've never really heard anything quite like it. The rest of the album is still very good, but I could stop listening after La femme and be in seventh heaven.

Sexy Boy (or for the non-French inclined: not you) was the single from the album, and I understand a pretty big hit in its own time and place. For my part, it isn't my favourite track on the album, but I can see the appeal. It's a little bit heavier (If you can call that heavy) than most other things on the album and certainly catchy. It just seems to rub me the wrong way. I think the subtly accented vocals just don't totally do the trick for me. They're better elsewhere, like New Star.

All I Need is one of the most at east tracks on an album that feels like a bean bag chair on an ocean of whipped cream. The vocals again aren't the tops, but everything else about this track elates me. Once we move away from the lyrical stuff and into the more abstract this piece is stunning. The low droning synth which comes in towards the end is superb.

Kelly Watch the Stars is one of my top picks from Moon Safari, it's short and the lyrics are exceedingly repetitive, but its all part of the hypnotic trance Air has you under. It's a little more upbeat and up tempo than many of the other tracks so it feels like it lasts a little longer than it actually does. I love it though, it's catchy as hell.

Talisman drops it down a register but keeps the up tempo and turns the funk up to 6! I know that's not crazy, but this isn't a crazy album. It's an excellent track regardless. The bass and keyboards are working in perfect harmony; this one also gets a big thumbs up from me. It does get shown up a little later though, by its sleazy counterpart Le voyage de Penelope.

Remember begins the part of the album that I don't quite like as much as the first section. The songs are still good, but the just don't catch your attention the way that La Femme or Kelly do. Remember is the shortest track on the album, and likely my least favourite. This is due again to the vocals, they are the most similar to Sexy Boy, but the balance of the track just isn't as good.

You Make It Easy, is a sexy little bit of mood music. Air, went on to be the masters of make out music. When you hear Easy, it's well... easy to hear why. It's much better than Remember and maybe on par with all I need. What makes it so romantic? Why that most sensual of all instruments, the wood block! Don't believe me, hear it for yourself.

Ce matin là (That morning there) is a song that I always forget about, but it's really cool. It's a lounge music masterpiece. It makes you want grab your lady (or dude, I don't judge) and do sweet sweet things to her. Here is more than a hint of Burt Bacharach about it. This adds to its vintage appeal. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful piece of music.

The concept behind the track New Star in the Sky is the saying every time a child is born, a new star appears in the sky. If you were doing the right things during You Make it Easy and Ce matin là, you're probably well on your way to creating your own little new star. It's a very gentle and sentimental piece. It's ok. Kinda nor here nor there. This is the most relaxed piece on the album. Very good for helping you drift off to sleep. I know a couple of people who swear by it.

Le voyage de Penelope, brings us out of the near comatose state we've been in for the last little while for a stunning and balls to the walls finale. That is to say as close as Air's balls are gonna get to any walls. It has a well mixed combination of synth and acoustic instrumentation in a low key but up tempo set up, like Talisman as mentioned before. This is right up there with Kelly for my second favourite track.

I it is a totally consistent album thematically, but it doesn't always deliver musically. That said, nothing is worse than good and in many places it's exceptionally so. This album has gotten straight under my skin. I've probably listened to it as much as Never Hear the End of It, by Sloan when I first got it. Alors, quatre point cinq sur cinq.

Prog-Appeal:

Actually, I've long felt that more modern electronic musicians are willing to get a lot more out there than their rock contemporaries. This is still a pop album at its heart but, the primarily instrumental tracks like La femme and Penelope kinda get a little freakay. I think someone going into this album and expecting something generic would be totally wrong headed. So yeah, it’s prog-appealing.

Catcher10 wrote:

Now on my to do list.

Wow, Midnight Oil are nothing short of amazing. I also have all their albums and I put them among the great were they belong. Diesel and Dust is a supernatural masterpiece! They were always flawless live too.

catfood03 wrote: overmatik wrote: Wow, Midnight Oil are nothing short of amazing. I also have all their albums and I put them among the great were they belong. Diesel and Dust is a supernatural masterpiece! They were always flawless live too. I agree. I saw them live too (touring for Earth and Sun and Moon), so much energy and life!

They came to Brazil in 96 but only to São Paulo so I couldn't see them.  Another great album they have is Redneck Wonderland, which completely reinvented the band and is very heavy.