Welcome, ghosts (Explosions In The Sky) (LP 2487 - 2488)

Explosions In The Sky  Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Live Forever (CD, Temporary Residence Limited Records, 2001) ****  

Explosions In The Sky  All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone (CD, Temporary Residence Limited Records, 2007) ***  

Genre: Post rock 

Places I remember: JB Hi Fi

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept

Gear costume: The Moon Is Down 

Active compensatory factors: I don't really know what post-rock is. It's not like rock as a genre has finished right?

Wikipedia defines it, but it sounds like prog rock to me.

Whatever it's called, I like it. The instrumental approach is perfect for this band, like Isis do in a more metal vein.

Those Who Tell The Truth...was their second album. These four guys from Texas construct interesting, rewarding songs without a shred of noodling or wig outs (I like both, but Explosions In The Sky manage beautifully without indulging - maybe that's the difference between post rock and prog?)

All Of A Sudden...was album number 5 and continues the adventure. Maybe a little less coherent than album number 2? Hard to say. Still worth your time.

Where do they all belong? The band still exists and still tours. I'll be on the look out for more of their albums for sure.

These early days (Everything But The Girl) (LP 2477 - 2486)

Everything But The Girl  Eden (Vinyl, Blanco y Negro Records, 1984) *****  

Everything But The Girl  Love Not Money (Vinyl, Blanco y Negro Records, 1985) ***  

Everything But The Girl   Baby, The Stars Shine Bright (Vinyl, Blanco y Negro Records, 1986) *** 

Everything But The Girl   Idlewild (Vinyl, Blanco y Negro Records, 1988) ***** 

Everything But The Girl   The Language Of Life (Vinyl, Blanco y Negro Records, 1990) ***

Everything But The Girl   Worldwide (CD, Atlantic Records, 1991) *** 

Everything But The Girl   Acoustic (CD, Atlantic Records, 1992) ****

Everything But The Girl   Amplified Heart (Vinyl, Buzzin' Fly Records, 1994) ***** 

Everything But The Girl   Walking Wounded (Vinyl, Buzzin' Fly Records, 1996) ***** 

Everything But The Girl   Fuse (Vinyl, Buzzin' Fly Records, 2023) *** 

Genre: Pop, electronica 

Places I remember: Market stall and music shops in Greenwich, Chaldon Books and Records (Caterham-on-the-hill), gift from Roger Marbeck, Slow Boat Records, JB Hi Fi.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Oxford Street (Idlewild)

Gear costume: Don't Leave Me Behind (Baby, The Stars Shine Bright); I Always Was Your Girl (Idlewild)

Active compensatory factors: The eighties and EBTG passed me by at the time, because these were our child rearing days. So, it was a catch up that I embarked upon while living in England after reading Tracey's superb books that resulted in owning many of these albums. Along the way, I fell in love with the mystique around her relationship with musical and life partner, Ben Watt, (they would marry in 2009), her books and her voice.

Eden is a beautiful introduction to Everything But The Girl (EBTG). For me it's right up there with Van Morrison's Astral Weeks.

The jazzy stylings and instruments suit Tracey Thorn's beautiful voice - even though these were early days. The jazzy arrangements and lush sound all make for an extraordinary debut.

Second album Love Not Money was a change of tack into a more contemporary 1985 sound. There is a lot of social commentary and it often sounds like The Smiths. It's not one of my favourites - mainly because there are no killer tunes on the album.

The other slight negative is that Ben doesn't have a really distinctive vocal style, so he pales next to Tracey's easy command when he does a few vocals on the album.

Their third was Baby, The Stars Shine Bright and it was another style shift. This time an orchestra is employed to add colour and weight to some romantically inclined songs. 

Tracey handles all of these stylistic changes with ease. She is never less than compelling.

Idlewild came after a two year break and deals with more personal things like childhood and family. Maybe it's because of that that I love it so much. A song like Oxford Street just makes me tingle!

The sound is warm, natural and textured on these songs. I even like Ben's vocals on The Night I Heard Caruso Sing.

My copy of The Language Of Life is unique in that it has Ben and Tracey's signatures on the cover! If only it said - 'To Wozza, love from Tracey Thorn, Be Lucky Ben Watt' rather than to my friend Roger Marbeck!

Roger gave me this copy obviously!

The music this time around is much less organic than Idlewild. The session players on board are impressive and get into some great grooves. Among them: Joe Sample; Michael Brecker; Vinnie Colaiuta; and Stan Getz on one track. Woh. I mean - Stan Getz!!

Even though the whole package sounds eighties slick, Tracey is still the star, even with all of those heavy hitters.

Worldwide and Acoustic are kind of a stylistic pair. They were even paired for a reissue but my CD copies haven't been messed around with bonus track wise.

They also weren't big sellers in the early nineties. Strange because they had good commercial sounding songs and Tracey sounds great as always. Maybe the sparse, more synth based sounds and programmed drums turned punters off a bit.

Ben Watt writes the lion's share of the songs and he's definitely more inclined to use synths, and other digital instruments. Tracey's songs sound more natural to my ears. You Lift Me Up from Worldwide is a good example of that different approach.

That song is followed by Ben's Talk To Me Like The Sea with its heavy processed drum and synth sound and the difference is stark.

The Acoustic album is pretty cool in comparison - stripped back and some excellent covers. Tracey and Ben make them their own. No mean feat with songs by Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Tom Waits, Costello etc.

Their eighth album was Amplified Heart in 1994. The dance remix of Missing by Todd Terry ensured this album was huge.

The rest of the album is a wonderful collection of more stripped back songs. This tends to highlight the wonders of Tracey's vocals as the backing track is more judicious and serves her voice, rather than the other way around.

Amplified Heart catches the duo at an interesting moment, as they'd embrace electronica more from here on in, so this one captures them on the cusp in a unique way.

I was pretty sure that I had all Marine Girls, Tracey solo albums and everything by EBTG. Until I did this post and realised that I was missing Walking Wounded from 1996. So I picked up a copy from JB Hi Fi this week.

It's a great early morning/ late night record I've found. The drum and bass/ techno stance from Ben Watt and Tracey's warm voice are a perfect combination.

Their Temperamental album was reviewed earlier, so that just leaves their most recent album Fuse for this countdown.

The proclivity for electronica has continued and it's taking me a while to love it. Compared to Idlewild and Amplified Heart it's a colder record, but Tracey's voice keeps the human aspect alive and well. She's a marvel!

 

Where do they all belong? I am pretty sure I now have all of The Marine Girls, Tracey solo albums and everything by EBTG. I'm not inclined to collect Ben's solo albums (sorry). Tracey is the drawcard for me.

I also have all of Tracey's books and I recommend them unreservedly. She's a great writer, as well as a great singer.

Needles in the camel's eye (Eno ) (LP 2476)

Brian Eno  Here Come The Warm Jets (CD, Virgin Records, 1974) ****  

Genre: Pop rock 

Places I remember: Fopp

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Here Come The Warm Jets

Gear costume: Needles In A Camel's Eye 

Active compensatory factors: I don't know what to make of Eno. I hear echoes of Roxy Music on Here Come The Warm jets, his debut solo album, but it's fleeting. Is he a musician even? He has described himself as a non-musician but he played keyboards for Roxy Music. He strikes me more as an ideas man, a presence, an enabler and a serial collaborator. And yet he pops out solo albums in a bunch of genres.

Mostly this is experimental pop, with a lot of avant-garde touches and a lot of guest musicians. It certainly sounds like many of New Zealand's Dunedin bands were paying attention. Many of the songs remind me of sounds made by Toy Love/ Tall Dwarfs/ Chris Knox, especially. Needles In A Camel's Eye sounds so much like a long lost Toy Love song!

I played this album continually for days trying to get a fix on it for this review and it kept slipping through my fingers. It's an album to appreciate, rather than enjoy, in my case.

Where do they all belong? Apart from Roxy Music and some ambient stylings - that's it for solo Eno in my collection.

Paint it black (The Rolling Stones) (LP 2475)

Eric Burdon and War  The Black-Man's Burdon (Vinyl, Avenue Records, 1970) ****  

Genre: Rock, jazz/funk

Places I remember: JB Hi Fi. I'd been looking at this box set of the three Eric Burdon and War albums for months. It was a Record Store Day item and I already have copies of Love Is All Around and the first album - Eric Burdon Declares "War" on CD. When it didn't sell, they reduced the price and I decided to take advantage of the extra 20% off for Easter. I hadn't been able to ever find a decent second hand copy - this was definitely a party album back in 1970 - so I bit the bullet.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Paint It Black medley

Gear costume: Spirit

Active compensatory factors: This was the second album Eric made with War. It's a double and he and the band stretch out brilliantly over the four sides (or noodle endlessly depending on your proclivities).

It's a great set, maybe not as great as their first album but I've lived with that for much longer. 

It's the sort of album I know I'll return to often, and find new stuff on it each time. For now the immediate interest is with the versions of Paint It Black and Nights In White Satin - both obviously chosen for their black and whiteness.

Where do they all belong? Only one album I'm after now from Eric - Animalism from 1966 (not to be confused with Animalisms, also from 1966!)

You're not alone (Embrace) (LP 2472 - 2474)

Embrace  Drawn From Memory (CD, Virgin Records, 2000) *** 

Embrace  If You've Never Been (CD, Virgin Records, 2001) **** 

Embrace  Out Of Nothing (CD, Independiente Records, 2004) ****

Genre: Pop rock 

Places I remember: Slow Boat Records, The Warehouse

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Ashes (Out Of Nothing)

Gear costume: You're Not Alone, I Had A Time (Drawn From Memory); Wonder (If You've Never Been)

Active compensatory factors: I always think of Embrace as cousins to Coldplay and NZ band Evermore. Especially Evermore because of the similar harmonic pop sound and the brother thing.

Ashes is of course an anthem now. What a great song! But before that came Embrace's second and third albums.

Drawn From memory is quite a gutsy record - loads of jagged guitars. The songs have a nice range from ballads to rockier moments. Some of the songs have those anthemic choruses that remind me of Evermore.

Third album, If You've Never Been, is mostly a gentler set of sounds/songs. Wonder, the third track, is a case in point - anthemic but quieter than expected.

Their fourth album came a few years later. This is the most anthemic, boisterous one. It kicks off with Ashes and while that's the best song, there are plenty of other fine moments throughout.

Where do they all belong? Listening to these has made me keen to keep collecting their other albums. I realised how much I still liked their sound. 

In old England town (Electric Light Orchestra) (LP 2464 -2471)

Electric Light Orchestra  E.L.O. 2 (CD, Harvest Records, 1973) ***  

Electric Light Orchestra  The Night The Light Went On In Long Beach (CD, Harvest Records, 1974) ****  

Electric Light Orchestra  Out Of The Blue (CD, Sony Music, 1977) *** 

Electric Light Orchestra  Discovery (CD, Sony Music, 1979) ***

Electric Light Orchestra  Zoom (CD, Epic Records, 2001) ***

Electric Light Orchestra  Electric Light Orchestra Live (CD, Frontiers Records, 2013) ***  

Jeff Lynne's ELO  Alone In The Universe (CD, Columbia Records, 2015) *** 

Jeff Lynne's ELO  From Out Of Nowhere (CD, Columbia Records, 2019) ***

Genre: Prog rock, pop

Places I remember: Marbecks Records; Real Groovy; JB Hi Fi; Fives

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Sweet Talkin' Woman (Out Of The Blue)

Gear costume: Roll Over Beethoven (ELO 2); Mr Blue Sky (Out Of The Blue)

Active compensatory factors: My Electric Light Orchestra collection is a bit spotty as I'm a bit of a late comer to the joys of Jeff Lynne and team. I actually started with a Greatest Hits collection and then Out Of The Blue before back tracking a bit.

The early seventies version of the band are represented by ELO 2 and El Dorado (which I've previously included).

The Beatles' influence/homage/rip-off was obvious from the off with ELO. The brazen I Want You (She's So Heavy) lift in In Old England Town (Boogie #2) is so obvious I think Lennon/McCartney deserve a credit.

Their brilliant version of Roll Over Beethoven hooked me on ELO initially (I bought the single on release), but it's a little incongruous on ELO 2 after the soft rock of Momma.

The early ELO is best represented, in my view, by the stupendous, under-rated live album - The Night The Light Went On In Long Beach. From the daft American introduction to the rollicking rocked up classical pieces to the extended version of Roll Over Beethoven, this is prime ELO - overblown ridiculously exciting entertainment.

Out Of The Blue was huge in 1977. There were massive hits (Turn To Stone, Sweet Talking Woman, Mr Blue Sky) and deep cuts aplenty throughout this sprawling double album. Being sprawling and as Jeff Lynne writes and sings everything, it's a big ask to sustain quality over four sides. So, it's no surprise that quality varies.

Two years later, Discovery was back to a single album. Again, there are giant hits (Don't Bring me Down), some quirky songs (Horace Wimp) and lesser known tracks. 

Zoom is really a Jeff Lynne solo album with guests. Ringo appears on two songs, George on two others and only once does Richard Tandy appear. 

Aside from the absence of string sections, it doesn't sound too different to Discovery really. Jeff writes everything, produces, sings and on Zoom pretty much plays everything brilliantly.

The live album has all the later ELO hits (there are plenty to choose from) and they sound exactly the same as the hits as well. Richard Tandy joins in the fun (nice solo on Evil Woman) so it's more legit to call this an ELO album.

Unlike The Light Went On... there is no band introduction and little in the way of stage announcements from Jeff, so it's just a parade of great songs but without the atmosphere. Not sure what the point is.

Highlights include Confusion - it stands out! It's very Travelin' Wilburys-ish.

Then it's on to the last few years and the band is now billed as Jeff Lynne's ELO as a marketing ploy (and to distinguish him from other ELO entities like Bev Bevan's ELO I guess).

Alone In The Universe and From Out Of Nowhere are Jeff solo albums, as on Zoom. He is still writing crazily catchy pop hooks and channeling his heroes - The Beatles (early Beatles on Ain't It A Drag), Roy Orbison (Fault Line), and even solo Paul McCartney (When I Was A Boy).

From Out Of Nowhere does have Richard Tandy on one track and is generally a return to the classic ELO mid period albums.

The sticker on the front of the CD advises that 'all songs written and performed by JEFF LYNNE'. Really? You do surprise me. I mean whoever buys this without knowing that fact is truly alone in the universe (see what I did there?).

Where do they all belong? There are plenty of gaps here but I'm not an ELO completist. I will always head to a Greatest Hits collection as a go to (I have three to choose from) because they were a mighty singles band.

Hometown blues (Dave Brubeck) (LP 2461 - 2463)

The Dave Brubeck Quartet  Back Home (Vinyl, Interfusion Records, 1979) ****  

Andy Pratt  Resolution (Vinyl, Nemperor Records, 1976) ****  

Stairsteps  2nd Resurrection (Vinyl, Dark Horse Records, 1976, 2023 reissue) ***

Genre: Jazz, Nemperor Records, Dark Horse Records, pop, soul.

Places I remember: The Little Red Bookshop

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Pasado (Stairsteps)

Gear costume: Tell Me Why (Stairsteps)

Active compensatory factors: Some purchases from a recent visit to The Little Red Bookshop and an on-line purchase from Real Groovy to run through here.

The Dave Brubeck album was a real find - mint condition and only $5. This particular version of the Quartet has Jerry Bergonzi on tenor, Chris Brubeck doubling on electric bass and trombone, and drummer Butch Miles joining Brubeck senior.

Bergonzi has a Coltrane inspired tenor approach which is very different to the Paul Desmond sound, but the combo sounds great in these new clothes. Standout tracks are Hometown Blues and Yesterdays.

I'd been searching for the Andy Pratt album for a while. Recently, I have embarked on a project to collect albums on the Nemperor label because it was started in 1966 by Brian Epstein and his American associates, and like Apple, Grunt, et al - it's cool.

Like Apple Records, it's an eclectic roster - jazz fusion, rock and folk pop artists. I like that - means listening to new things. Andy Pratt is a case in point. He is someone I wouldn't ordinarily collect but he's a fine singer songwriter and his records are highly regarded.

Similar story with the Stairsteps album on Dark Horse Records. Billy Preston was the conduit to this appearance on George Harrison's label.

They're not a band I'd normally collect but their appearance on Dark Horse makes them a must have. Sure enough, it's a bit too slick for my tastes but their harmonies are spot on. They just needed another mega hit song like Ooh Child to seal the deal.

Where do they all belong? A Keni Burke solo album remains on my Dark Horse list. Dhani has reactivated the label and is releasing a lot of stuff that I might get to but my priority remains the original stuff that George approved. There is a lot more to collect on Nemperor.