Tag Archives: England

Elton John – General Introduction

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Remember When Rock Was Young?

Remember When Rock Was Young?

It is very, very difficult to generalize about Sir Elton John. As much as I admire the man and his music, I am the first to admit that selectiveness is mandatory when you approach his catalog – and that applies even to his heyday way back in the 70’s.

His heyday way back in the 70’s. Elton achieved a degree of success and resonance no artist could even dare to imagine. And one thing that must be mentioned and remembered is that he fought for every inch of it. He captivated the public with standout records and mesmerizing performances, and he worked relentlessly hard from day one. Continue reading →

Setting Sons (The Jam) – Album Review

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The Cover Adds Even More Panache To The Album

The Cover Adds Even More Panache To The Album

It was only natural that a hardened Who and Kinks fans such as Paul Weller would eventually release an album with conceptual tinges. That is exactly what characterizes the fourth album released by The Jam. The year was 1979, and the name of the release was Setting Sons.

The story involved three childhood friends who became distanced as they grew up, and the responsibilities and the toll of the adult world began manifesting themselves and settling in irretrievably. One of the characters ends up as a left-wing radical, while the other leans markedly to the right. The third character is Weller, who can see both sides clearly. Continue reading →

Meat Is Murder (The Smiths) – Album Review

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The Album's Cover

The Album's Cover

The second album recorded by the Mancunian ensemble, “Meat Is Murder” features better production, a tougher sound and a broader subject matter. Morrissey now tackles issues such as the British Educational system (“The Headmaster’s Ritual”, the opening number and one of the album’s highlights) as well as vegetarianism (the track that closes the record and which lends its title to the album), whereas some songs like “Nowhere Fast” make clear the political stance of the singer for the first time on record.

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Drums And Wires (XTC) – Album Review

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A Quintessential XTC Cover

A Quintessential XTC Cover

This was the third album released by XTC, and Andy later said he felt their career started there (1979). Not coincidentally, the album signals the arrival of Dave Gregory and the first time that Steve Lillywhite was at the helm.

It was also one of the few XTC albums to yield a Top 20 single: “Making Plans For Nigel” attained that distinction, and I don’t know how telling it is that their first chart hit was not penned by Andy but by Colin, a composer whose melodies are less unpredictable and more true to convention. Still, Andy had his input on the song: the drum pattern you can hear was based on a pattern he wanted Terry to play, and when the drummer misunderstood his instructions the infamous “Nigel” drum track was conceived.

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The Very Best Of Elvis Costello (Single Disc Edition) – Compilation Album

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The Front Cover

The Front Cover

I am reviewing the single disc edition of this 1999 “Best Of” album. It is the one readily available in South America, and it is actually quite reminiscent of other Costello anthologies that summarize his years with The Attractions like the one that was released in 1994 by Rykodisc.

Out of 20 tracks, only 6 do not feature this classic band. They are “Watching The Detectives” and “Alison” (from Elvis’ debut, where he was backed by a band named Clover), “Good Year For The Roses”, and his Bacharach collaboration “God Give Me Strength” (the key tune of the 1996’s movie “Grace Of My Heart”, and the recipient of a Grammy Award). Likewise, the elegiac “Indoor Fireworks” (with Costello backed by “The Confederates”, a band featuring Mitchell Froom) is included. The final non-Attractions song is “She”, Costello’s rendering of the best-loved Charles Aznavour song about the duality of love. The song was a very big hit in South America – Costello is always requested to perform it when he tours these latitudes, and the song is found in countless love compilations sold here to this day. Continue reading →

Elvis Costello – General Introduction

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Elvis Costello. His Real Name Is Declan MacManus.

Elvis Costello. His Real Name Is Declan MacManus.

When discussing songcraft with the bands I work with as a lyricist, one recurrent question I am asked is “Who are these lyricists you look up to?”. I usually answer: “It depends”. That is, the art of crafting songs can be analyzed from the structural point of view, and also from the perspective of the actual content of the composition. If we were to be objective, we would agree that what is said matters as much as the way it is actually being said. That is, form and content go hand in hand – one should not stand out at the expense of the other.

I know three composers that keep everything balanced and whose message is always conveyed in the most memorable fashion of all. I have already discussed two of them (Richard Thompson and Andy Partridge), and it is with great pleasure that I now introduce you to Mr. Elvis Costello.

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

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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.
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All Mod Cons (The Jam) – Album Review

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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 →

Richard & Linda Thompson – The Island Record Years (Compilation Album)

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The CD Cover

The CD Cover

When Richard Thompson left Fairport Convention in 1971 he worked with his then wife Linda and released six albums of original compositions that met with commercial apathy. The first three were cut for Island, whereas the final three were released under the Chrysalis label. This compilation gathers together the most salient tracks from their first three records, as well as two songs from Richard’s first solo album (Henry The Human Fly, released in 1972 – a very whimsical record that sold abysmally).

It is often debated whether these three albums indeed represent the Thompson’s finest moments on record or not. I have not listened to the Chrysalis recordings so I can not say for sure, but what I have noticed is that whenever you watch a Richard Thompson documentary the songs that are always featured with wife Linda are the ones found on this compilation. Continue reading →

A Quick One (The Who) – Album Review

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Alan Aldridge Designed The Pop Cover For The Album

Alan Aldridge Designed The Pop Cover For The Album

This was The Who’s sophomore album. It was released in England in the year 1966. As their previous record, it was not released in the States immediately, and when it saw release later the same year it did so with a different name (“Happy Jack”) and (again) some differences in the track list. This time, though, Decca made a wise move: it replaced one of the weakest cuts (their cover of “Heatwave”) and added the little ditty about the hermit who “lived in the sand at the Isle of Man”. Happy Jack was their first top 40 hit in the States. Incidentally, it was also to become Jimi Hendrix’s favorite Who song. Continue reading →