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Quintus

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Been listening to Rammstein's new album quite a bit since it came out on Friday. Perhaps their best in close to 20 years!

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Some evocative Franky:

 

 

 

Check out my Top 30 of All Time if you haven't. I recently made changes and haven't updated it here, but the majority of changes are moving I Want You Back to 5th place, Everybody Plays The Fool is moved higher, and I added Don't Speak and Break My Stride to the top 30. But you won't see the changes here.

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I've been enjoying the heck out of WEEZER's THE TEAL ALBUM lately (their album of 80s covers).  I don't care what anyone says, I think the album is fun as heck

 

 

 

The only track not as good as the rest is the last track, Stand By Me.  Doesn't fit the mood and tone of the rest of the album, and isn't as good of a cover either.

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I listened to the Black Album a bunch in March.  Good album!

 

I also came around on Pacific Daydream, an album I once professed to hate but now think is in their top 5!  I'm weird!

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I still can't get into any of their post-Red Album albums.

 

 

Check out the teal album though, 36 minutes of up-beat, pick-you-up-and-put-a-smile-on-your-face music!

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2014 - present Weezer REALLY clicks for me for some reason.

 

I tried 2005-2010 Weezer again earlier this year and I still think all 4 of those albums are stinky poop.

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Blue and Pinkerton are the only two albums I really love but they’re still pretty reliable for a catchy track or two. “QB Blitz” is kinda addictive.

 

 

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The Bangles - All Over the Place.jpg

Today marks 35 years since the release of The Bangles' first LP record, All Over The Place.  While the band is best remembered in the public consciousness as a part of the excess, sound, and nostalgia of the 80s, a lot of their material actually goes against the grain of the times.  This is very true of All Over The Place.  The guitar driven approach of the record hearkens back to the music of the 60s, yet with a style all the band's own.  Of all their 80s records, this one probably best reflects the band's live sound.

The record came about after the local success of the band's self-titled EP.  Original bassist Annette Zilinskas left shortly before recording of AOTP commenced to pursue lead vocal opportunities in her boyfriend's country-punk outfit.  She was replaced by Michael Steele, who had cut her teeth in The Runaways and more than a dozen other local bands.  Steele had been eyeing the position for awhile, and immediately clicked with the band's material.  More, she added a new (and I think, critical) dimension to Hoffs and the Peterson sisters' already potent vocal mix.  In what was described as a "forced marriage," production duties were given to David Khane, who, although apparently a nightmare to work with and emotionally abusive to boot, must be given credit, at least on this album, for bringing out the essence of the band's sound, and solidifying what would become their signature 4-part vocal harmonies.

 

The material on the album consists of songs that had been part of the band's live sets.  A couple of covers are present, but almost all were written by lead guitarist Vicki Peterson herself, or together with rhythm guitarist Susanna Hoffs.  Their songwriting shines together, showing great promise for a partnership that, unfortunately, was rather short-lived.  Tracks like "Hero Takes A Fall," and, especially, "Dover Beach" are fantastic.  Hoffs gives spirited lead performances on those tracks, as well as "He's Got A Secret" and the infectious "James."  V. Peterson and Hoffs share vocal duties on the energetic "Tell Me," which contains a nice little bass showcase.  Vicki takes lead on a couple of other tracks, notably "Restless," and harmonizes wonderfully with her sister Debbi on the string based "More Than Meets The Eye."  Debbi herself takes lead duties on the two covers on the album (other than the bonus track "Where Were You When I Needed You), "Live" (The Merry-Go Round) and the delightful "Going Down To Liverpool" (Katrina and The Waves), while providing some great, and clear beats from behind her drums.  Steele's basslines fit right in, and her backing vocal contributions, though not as extensive as on later albums, do add some nice flavor, especially on "Liverpool" and "James."

 

Unlike on their next effort, Different Light, money was not exactly plentiful on this one, so Khane did not exercise his penchant for employing studio musicians to polish the sound here.  Thus, there is a certain rawness to the whole album.  Nonetheless, perhaps for the singles, a little additional guitar work is believed to have been solicited from one of Steele's former bandmates, Mike Condello, and perhaps from Steele herself.

 

"Hero Takes The Fall" and "Going Down To Liverpool" were released as singles, the video of the latter featuring Hoffs family friend Leonard Nimoy.  Both made only moderate impact on the charts, but they, along with strong critical reception, a tour as the opening act for Cyndi Lauper and Huey and The News, and favorable word of mouth, led to increasing attention for the band, especially in American college campuses, but also as far as the U.K., where they were not unknown as a topic in musician's circles, with Steele basslines gaining especial attention.

 

 

The "Hero Takes A Fall" music video attracted the attention of another musician, Prince, who became enamored of Ms. Hoffs, and joined the band on stage on a couple of occasions, giving them a new track, "Manic Monday."  The situation would attract media and corporate attention, defining the future of the band's image and sound.

 

But, before all that, stands All Over The Place, a strong and certain debut.  Many, if not most, committed fans (and critics) number it as their best effort altogether.  It is not hard to hear why.  For me, there really is not a bad track on here.

 

 

 

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SNOW-PATROL-WARD-PARK-514.jpg

This is how I'm mostly spending today ... sort of a NI music festival in a day, really. Ward Park is in Gary Lightbody and Jonny Quinn's hometown of Bangor, and as the poster indicates they've done the big outdoor gig thing there twice before. 

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On 5/23/2019 at 7:28 PM, Faleel J.M. said:

I would love to hear a Jazz arrangement of this

 

 

Not available so I post this clip as well.

 

 

 

 

Like the refrain, BTW.

 

"Come with me I need you 
I fear the dark and I live all alone 
I'll give you wine and food too 
And something special after if you like"

 

 

 

 

Believe it or not, this is how I discovered Genesis. Saw the clip on TV at the time and I was so struck by the synth solo, it's one of the reasons why I wanted a synthesizer! A year later I bought my first synth, a Korg MS-20

 

ms20.jpg

 

 

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I really like that "So glad you could make it" bit,  makes me think of a table full of posh goblins etc.

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Needless to say I prefer the Gabriel Genesis: Selling England By The Pound, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, ... Not so much into Duke and '80s or '90s radio-friendly Genesis, also known as Phil Collins & Band.

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He, he...yeah, I'm not surprised, Alex.

 

A film composer friend of mine is a big Phil Collins fan, and I've had several 'listening evenings' at his house, listening to his solo stuff. Which is really incredibly rich and detailed and sophisticated and funky. Moreso than I had thought before. There's so much more to his catalogue than "In the Air Tonight" and that kind of stuff (which is a fabulous song, btw, albeit overplayed).

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Just now, Thor said:

. There's so much more to his catalogue than "In the Air Tonight" and that kind of stuff (which is a fabulous song, btw, albeit overplayed).

 

He's an incredible gifted drummer and he has a great voice. I do prefer his earlier singing voice when it was softer, more intimate and fragile. One of my favorite songs is Which Way The Wind Blows by Anthony Phillips and sung by Phil Collins. I once played the song for a friend and when I asked him "Guess who the singer is?", he had no clue. He did not recognize Phil Collins, the guy from In The Air Tonight

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Saw this CD lying in the store and the cover made me curious so I'm listening to it right now on youtube music. I like it.

 

R-1226361-1511419323-1108.jpeg.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...
4 minutes ago, SteveMc said:

Witty.

 

And very up-to-date and contemporary.

 

4 minutes ago, Richard said:

Out of interest, Alex, why GOODBYE STRANGER? Why not JUST ANOTHER NERVOUS WRECK, or GONE HOLLYWOOD, or probably their masterpiece CHILD OF VISION?

 

Because 'Goodbye Stranger' was suggested by youtube after I listened to Silver's 'Wham Bam Shang A Lang'.

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My favourite band!! I have everything they've ever done, and then some. Perhaps Alex and I can find some common ground after all?

 

Funny you should mention this now, though. Roger Hodgson is playing live in Oslo in ONE AND A HALF HOUR, just a 10-minute bike ride from where I live! But I saw him here a few years ago, and skipping this one. Have other plans.

 

 

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6 minutes ago, Richard said:

@Thor, what do you think of SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE?

 

Love it! Took some time getting used to -- especially the sharper, more "New Orleans"-type sound, and Mark Hart's voice, but now I really like it. I even enjoy SLOW MOTION, their last studio album.

 

ROGER HODGSON IS ENTERING THE STAGE IN 5 MINUTES!

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Better get yer skates on, then! :)

 

 

I first heard IT'S A HARD WORLD, on some "fuck off" hi-fi, in London, about 21 years ago. I bought the CD the next day, and I've never looked back.

SLOW MOTION is rather hard to come by, but I keep looking. FREE AS A BIRD  is good, as is BROTHER WHERE YOU BOUND?

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Just like my friends back then, I always liked Supertramp, but somehow never got deep into them. We were more into the worlds of Yes, Pink Floyd, Genesis, etc. In fact, I only had their commercial breakthrough album 'Breakfast In America' (on vinyl) and I know a couple of classic songs from before that one. Decades later, I bought 'Crisis? What Crisis?' (on CD) but I wasn't blown away by it. 

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Currently into Mumford & Sons. Their latest album Delta is great imo. The last 2 minutes of The Wild are really cinematic and epic, so anyone willing to listen to the whole 5 minute+ song won't be disappointed I think. 

 

 

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Their second album was so bad I never even checked out their third.  Loved the first tho.

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I really enjoy Marcus Mumford on the Inside Llewyn Davis OST (the track “Fare Thee Well”) but I’m afraid his band just wasn’t to my taste.

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33 minutes ago, Jay said:

Their second album was so bad I never even checked out their third.  Loved the first tho.

 

Are we talking about Babel..? 

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4 minutes ago, Sandor said:

Are we talking about Babel..? 

Yep. 

40 minutes ago, Jay said:

Their second album was so bad I never even checked out their third.  Loved the first tho.

It’s much better, you should give it a spin sometime. 

27 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

I really enjoy Marcus Mumford on the Inside Llewyn Davis OST (the track “Fare Thee Well”) but I’m afraid his band just wasn’t to my taste.

Ever listen to the aforementioned New Basement Tapes? Some interesting takes on Dylan on that album!

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