Play in the sunshine (Prince) (LP 3547 - 3550)

Prince and the Revolution  1999 (CD, Warner Bros. Records, 1982) *****  

Prince and the  Revolution  Purple Rain (Vinyl, Warner Bros. Records, 1984) *****  

Prince and the Revolution  Around the World in a Day (Vinyl, Warner Bros. Records, 1985) **** 

Prince  Sign o' the Times (CD, Warner Bros. Records, 1987) *****  

Genre: Pop, rock, funk, RnB

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records, Marbecks Records, JB Hi Fi

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Let's Go Crazy (Purple Rain)

Gear costume: Lady Cab Driver (1999), Sign o' the Times 

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: I have discussed Prince before on this blog - he's a formative influence in my musical education.

I used to own a lot more of his back catalogue but it's now long gone. In fact, I've had to buy back albums like 1999 and Sign o' the Times on CD after realising my stupidity. Still, I only have Prince albums from the eighties in my collection.

1999 gets the party started with lengthy songs that delve deeply into freaky funk (and sex) moves. I appreciate this album more and more with time. The man had music oozing out of every pore. Who else could carry off a song like Lady Cab Driver?

Purple Rain, his sixth studio album, kicks with an almighty 'let's go nuts' adrenalin rush. Prince is at his fiery Hendrix style guitar wig out peak on this track. Indeed, throughout this landmark album, his guitar genius is often on display - take a listen to Computer Blue and marvel again at the ridiculousness of his talent.

The Revolution needs a mention, as they are a force on Purple Rain: Lisa Coleman (vocals, synths); Doctor Fink (vocals, synths); Wendy Melvoin (vocals, guitar; and Bobby Z (vocals, drums).

Fittingly, the album (and film) made Prince a superstar with its combined pop, rock, metal, funk, synth pop sound. 

The follow up - All Around the World in a Day takes the pop rock moves of Purple Rain and puts them in a psychedelic blender. I'm a big fan of this approach. It houses some great Prince and the Revolution moments like Raspberry Beret, Paisley Park, Pop Life and America.

Sign o' the Times was his ninth album and the return to a solo status - The Revolution appear but only on one (live) song. Many critics and fans think this sprawling double album is his best. Tough to choose one. 

The album came from a typically prolific period where Prince was writing and performing whole albums that were discarded for whatever reason. Being a double album (The Beatles, Exile on Main Street, Blonde on Blonde, London Calling etc) it allows for over-reach which fans like me find simply irresistible.

Where do they all belong? A double compilation album Prince Ultimate rounds out my collection. It's a good retrospective and one way into a huge catalogue. 

Up the neck (Pretenders) (LP 3545 - 3546)

Pretenders  Pretenders (CD, Real Records, 1980) ****  

Pretenders  Last of the Independents (CD, Sire Records, 1994) ***  

Genre: Pop, rock

Places I remember: Roger Marbeck gave a copy of the debut, Real Groovy Records sale bin for Last of the Independents.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: I'll Stand By You (Last 0f...)

Gear costume: Mystery Achievement (Pretenders)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: The debut rocks hard - full of Chrissie Hyde's cool as approach and look - all punk attitude and rock chick shapes. That said - she's a real one-off!

The debut still sounds remarkably fresh and relevant. It also has the songs - Precious, Tattooed Love Boys, Up the Neck, and The Wait all feature lead guitarist James Honeyman-Scott to great effect, and then there's the pop hooks of Kid, Brass in Pocket, and Mystery Achievement.  

My only other Pretenders album is Last of the Independents. I bought it for the wonderfully anthemic I'll Stand By You, but I also enjoy the rockier songs like Hollywood Perfume.

Where do they all belong? For some reason I enjoy Pretenders songs without actually feeling the need to collect any of their other albums. Maybe I should get Learning To Crawl.

Money honey (Elvis Presley) (LP 3541 - 3544)

Elvis Presley  It Happened at the World's Fair (CD, RCA Records, 1963) ***  

Elvis Presley  Fun in Acapulco (CD, RCA Records, 1963) *** 

Elvis Presley  Today (CD, RCA Records, 1975) ****  

Elvis Presley  Elv1s: 30 #1 Hits (CD, RCA Records, 2002) *****  

Genre: Pop, Rock'n'Roll 

Places I remember: Shona Walding collection

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Blue Suede Shoes (Elvis Presley)

Gear costume: A Big Hunk o' Love (Elv1s: 30 #1 Hits)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: My parents were jazz fans, and I was born in 1957, so - too late to grow up and appreciate Elvis, as the generation before me did.

Instead, I have a few albums that were gifted to me over the years. Roger Marbeck gave me a copy of the debut album and the rest of my Elvis albums are from Shona's collection - given to me by her sister, Terese.

I kept a couple of the movie soundtracks out of some kind of nostalgia. I watched an Elvis movie by accident when I was a kid (it was Flaming Star - I thought it was a western). The soundtracks tend to be brief, but listenable. Musically, we are deep into coasting territory by this time. That said, there are two or three bright moments on each one (One Broken Heart For Sale; Slowly But Surely).

Today was his 22 studio album and contains the country/ pop hybrid Elvis that I remember from the seventies. It turned out to be his last full studio album he recorded and it's a fitting testimonial to his talents.

That leaves the greatest hits package - 30 #1 Hits. It's a terrific collection, containing my favourite Elvis moments: A Big Hunk o' Love; Suspicious Minds, It's Now or Never, Burning Love and those early ones from the fifties.

Where do they all belong? And that's it for The King. First, last and in between - I'm pretty happy with that overview. I have a few Sun Records compilations as well, which he appears on, so that's also nice to have for a full picture.

Had you listened (Power of Dreams) (LP 3538 - 3540)

Power of Dreams Immigrants, Emigrants & Me (Cassette, Polydor Records, 1990) ****  

Power of Dreams  2 Hell With Common Sense (CD, Polydor Records, 1992) ****

Power of Dreams  Positivity (CD, Lemon Records, 1993) ****

Genre: Pop 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Stay (Immigrants etc)

Gear costume: Where Is the Love (Immigrants etc); Rain Down (2 Hell etc)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: I love the power pop sounds of Power of Dreams' debut - Immigrants, Emigrants & Me. I've been looking for a CD or vinyl replacement for my original cassette copy for ages, but without success.

The band was initially a trio, from Ireland, that included main man Craig Walker on vocals/ guitars/ composer of the songs; Michael Lennox (bass); Keith Walker (drums). 

The main appeals are the vocals from Craig Walker and the catchy pop hooks he delivers right from the start.

2 Hell With Common Sense has a beefed up sound thanks to a fourth member - lead guitarist Ian Olney. The same catchy songs remain for this second and third album - Positivity. They are consistently great albums.

Where do they all belong? Still keen for a CD copy of the debut and I'd also grab their fourth and final album (Become Yourself) if I ever come across it. There's also a Greatest Hits album that could crop up - called 1989 - The Best of Power of Dreams.

The creator has a mastertape (Porcupine Tree) (LP 3528 - 3537)

Porcupine Tree Lightbulb Sun (CD, K Scope Records, 2000) ****  

Porcupine Tree Recordings (CD, Snapper Records, 2001) ****

Porcupine Tree In Absentia (CD, Lava Records, 2002) *****  

Porcupine Tree Deadwing (CD, Lava Records, 2005) ****   

Porcupine Tree Fear of a Blank Planet (CD, Roadrunner Records, 2007) ****  

Porcupine Tree Nil Recurring (CD, Transmission Records, 2007) ****  

Porcupine Tree Anesthetize (CD/DVD, K Scope Records, 2013) ****  

Porcupine Tree The Incident (CD, Roadrunner Records, 2009) ****  

Porcupine Tree Octane Twisted (CD, K Scope Records, 2012) ****  

Porcupine Tree Closure/ Continuation (CD, Music for Nations Records, 2022) ****  

Genre: Prog rock

Places I remember: JB Hi Fi, HMV, Fopp

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Buying New Soul (Recordings)

Gear costume: Lazarus (Deadwing)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: The 2000's started with Lightbulb Sun and a continuation of Stupid Dream's poppier approach. I can really hear the Beatles influence on many of Lightbulb Sun's songs. There are hints of backwards guitar style innovations throughout this album. Superior pop, but it's still unmistakably Porcupine Tree.

Recordings is a collection of tracks that didn't make the Stupid Dream/ Lightbulb Sun albums and it's freakishly good. Begun by the wonderful Buying New Soul, the collection includes some B-sides and other previously unreleased gems. 

I love these kinds of compilations because often the band experiments wonderfully on those kinds of items. Recordings is no different. This is one of my most played PT albums. 

Next up is In Absentia - still my favourite Porcupine Tree album. Gavin Harrison replaces Chris Maitland on drums and is a great fit for these muscular songs and Prog Metal moves that the band now bring to the party on In Absentia.

The quiet/ loud dynamic works brilliantly on the opener Blackest Eyes and onward; the harmonies are terrific and the singing by Steven Wilson has never been better than on this album. Elsewhere there are great pop songs (The Sound of Muzak); prog metal blasts of riff rock (Wedding Nails) and Radiohead style rock experimentation. 

The variety and brilliant execution makes it a terrific package - AllMusic summed the album up well: 'Sonically gorgeous and deceivingly complex, In Absentia has the most immediate appeal of anything Wilson has released under this moniker up to this point'.

Commercially, it did the business as well - In Absentia sold three times as many copies as any of their earlier albums.  

How to follow that peak? Deadwing continued the successful sound of In Absentia, and was even more commercially successful! 

The album has its origins in a screenplay for a ghost story written by Steven Wilson and Mike Bennion. Many of the songs were originally intended for the film soundtrack, but when the project failed to get off the ground, they were instead recorded for the next Porcupine Tree album.

The songs stand alone, and it all adds up to another embarrassment of riches album - plenty of experimentation, plenty of riffs and plenty of catchy choruses - all recognisably Porcupine Tree. Not quite as inspired as In Absentia, but still - a consistently excellent album.

Fear of a Blank Planet, their ninth studio effort, is a mellower album in comparison to In Absentia and Deadwing. Steven Wilson's singing is quieter and more restrained throughout which suits the thoughtful and worthy subject matter - the fear of losing the current generation of youth to various common threats to their mental and social wellbeing, including broken homes, excessive screen time, and narcotic overuse (prescribed and otherwise) to the point of mental and spiritual blankness. 

As with most concept albums, I tend to lose the plot along the way and just enjoy the music. Commercially it was their highest selling album to this point. It was also a hit with the critics.

Nil Recurring is a lengthy E.P. - almost half an hour; some albums are that long. It's comprised of four songs recorded during the Fear of a Blank Planet sessions. The title track features Robert Fripp on guitar. It's a standout track in their catalogue.

The Anesthetize package is of high quality, as per usual. Attention to detail in the presentation of PT and SW albums is exhaustive.

This time, the live in the Netherlands document comes as two CDs and a DVD. The band were touring Fear of a Blank Planet so material from that album and Nil Recurring is featured heavily.

The multi-layered PT sound from the studio means they need some help in a live setting. During this concert guitarist/ vocalist John Wesley helps flesh out the sound and does a great job. It's fun watching him and the rest of PT do their thing. Steven Wilson is the most animated, and so my eye naturally goes to him in centre-stage.

The Incident is their next studio album and again it topped the other albums commercially (this one is the peak of their popularity so far).

The concept this time centres around trying to humanise news media reports of traumatic events such as a car crash. This means that the title song goes for 55 minutes and exists in 14 parts. Disc 2 has four songs not attached to the concept that add another 20 minutes. So, in old money this would have been called a double album.

Whatever, it rocks and rolls and unfolds a fascinating series of songs joined together into a suite that rewards repeat listens. It would be the last studio album for quite a while, and Colin Edwin's final studio album as the bassist.

Octane Twisted is a live album documenting the tour supporting The Incident. The whole album is performed during the concert in Chicago, 2010. with the remainder being songs from the band's catalogue. Its highlights include an extended Hatesong, a 15-minute medley of Russia on Ice/"The Pills I'm Taking and Arriving Somewhere But Not Here. The package again includes a DVD of the performance. 

That would be it for Porcupine Tree until a surprise resurfacing in 2022 with Closure/ Continuation (SW hedging his bets). The record emerged from earlier writing sessions between Wilson and Gavin Harrison begun shortly after The Incident. Eventually they evolved into the final forms on Closure/ Continuation with assistance from Richard Barbieri.

Where do they all belong? Steven Wilson's solo albums are yet to come. 

(Old Man Pine) (LP 3527)

Old Man Pine  Old Man Pine (Vinyl, Swampton Sounds Records, 2022) ****  

Genre: NZ Music, swamp rock

Places I remember: JB Hi Fi

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Rock The Clave

Gear costume: Swamp Man 

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: Slight pause on Porcupine Tree as I've just bought this one. I took a punt, based on my love of fellow Manawatu band - Daggy and the Dickheads.

Their self-styled call to arms has them 'Direct from the Manawatu mud! Stomp, jump and shout as we descend into the maelstrom of discontent'. They don't disappoint on these stripped back three-piece surfer/sludge rock epics.

Old Man Pine are a grizzled rock trio and this is their debut. The cover doesn't give much away (no band member names), except we're talking lead guitar, bass, drums and vocals. 

So that focuses attention on the sound - a surf guitar style and some Creedence Clearwater Revival style swamp grooves provide the highlights - of which there are many!

Where do they all belong? Swamp Stomp is their second album and I'm keen!

Music for the head (Porcupine Tree) (LP 3517 - 3526)

Porcupine Tree  On the Sunday of Life... (CD, K Scope Records, 1993) ***  

Porcupine Tree  Voyage 34 (CD, K Scope Records, 1992/1993) ***  

Porcupine Tree  Up the Downstair (CD, K Scope Records, 1993/2005) ****

Porcupine Tree  Staircase Infinities (CD, K Scope Records, 1993/2005) ****

Porcupine Tree  The Sky Moves Sideways (CD, Snapper Records, 1995/2004) ****    

Porcupine Tree  Signify (CD, Snapper Records, 1996/2007) ****  

Porcupine Tree  Insignificance (CD, Snapper Records, 1997/2007) ****  

Porcupine Tree  Coma Divine (CD, K Scope Records, 1997/2007) ****  

Porcupine Tree  Coma: Coda (Vinyl, Porcupine Tree Ltd Records, 1997/2021) ****  

Porcupine Tree  Stupid Dream (CD, K Scope Records, 1999/2006) ****  

Genre: Psychedelic rock, prog rock

Places I remember: HMV, Fopp

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Signify 

Gear costume: Up The Downstair

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: It's a bumper crop of albums from Porcupine Tree (PT). I'll divide them into a couple of piles. First up - the nineties albums. 

Deep breath and a cuppa tea needed first - there are quite a few PT albums as Steven Wilson is a creative guy. Not only was he active with PT in the nineties, he also had albums out with or without collaborators in the No-Man, I.E.P, and Bass Communion projects. Blackfield and other collaborations were to come in the 2000s.

Fittingly, Porcupine Tree began life in Steven Wilson's boyhood bedroom. As he points out - On the Sunday of Life isn't really the first PT album - more a compilation of his early songwriting that he put on cassettes.

It has become a fascinating document though, as it definitely has elements of his later work scattered amongst the blind alleys, and in Radioactive Toy he has his first substantial leap forward.

Same goes with Voyage 34 - a genre exercise that Steven Wilson put out originally as a single/ an EP/ then an album with its complete four parts. As he says - it stands alone in the catalogue as an early experiment. I like its concept - delving into the world of a Timothy Leary acid freak; exploring a moment in time.

All up - these two releases show what a prodigious talent Steven Wilson possessed back in his teenage bedroom.

So, I guess Up the Downstair could be seen as his first real Porcupine Tree album. It was certainly the first PT album for me back in the early 2000s (after hearing the band on a music magazine sampler). Porcupine Tree wasn't a band quite yet.

Although Steven Wilson still does it all, this album sees the introduction of a few other musicians on some tracks: Colin Edwin (bass on Always Never); Richard Barbieri (electronics on the title track); and Gavin Harrison (drums).  

The original album has been subsequently tinkered with - the electronic drums were even eventually removed and replaced with Gavin Harrison's 'real' drums. My CD copy is the 2005 expanded version with Harrison on board and the Staircase Infinities EP added.

The EP begins strongly with Cloud Zero and the Up The Downstair quality carries over to the E.P. This is a great package! It certainly sold me on the work of Steven Wilson.

He clearly has a soft spot for Pink Floyd post Syd and pre the Roger Waters split. The Sky Moves Sideways has quite a few echoes (sorry) of that Pink Floyd era, and I have zero problem with that! The Sky Moves Sideways Part 1 and Part 2 bookend the album (as Shine on You Crazy Diamond does on Wish You Were Here).

Barbieri, Edwin and Harrison turn up again on a few tracks, as does Chris Maitland on drums. It's still the Steven Wilson show though.

There are various versions of this album - mine is the 2004 extended remaster from 2004.

The reissue caper is hard to keep track of with Porcupine Tree. Signify was the PT's fourth album and my 2007 reissue has it twinned with an album's worth of demos originally released a year later called Insignificance - material that didn't make it to Signify or was reworked or B-sides. As I said, the man is prolific in his output!!

Previous to this the Porcupine Tree albums were basically solo projects, but Signify is the first with Porcupine Tree existing as a band. 'Existing' being the operative word because as Steven Wilson has said: "Signify was slightly odd in the way it was recorded in the sense that although it is a band album, because we were never able to actually all be in the same room at the same time, because of physical limitations... I tended to demo the tracks to a fairly high level, and they would just replace the parts that I'd played on synthesizers with the real thing. So, there wasn't a great deal of input from the other guys."

Generally, Signify is a progressive step forward and the continued input from Barbieri, Edwin and Maitland does help provide a strong instrumental base for Mr. Wilson. The riffarama of Signify is a highlight.

Coma Divine was recorded live in Rome and showcases the Signify album. The album is from their third night in Rome, while Coma: Coda features their second night and includes a lot of material not done on night 3. Following along? It gets complicated, doesn't it. Doing these posts helps me sort things out in my brain, and also puts things in order in my collection.

The double CD and double vinyl sets combine to produce an excellent snapshot of the band live in the late-nineties (Coma Divine has some overdubs, but Coma: Coda has none).

Final album in this list is their next studio album after Signify - Stupid Dream released in 1999 (my copy is the 2006 reissue with a separate disc containing high-res versions). 

Stupid Dream sees PT ending the decade on a high. The album contains some of their heaviest music to date, while also balancing that with some gentle acoustic music. It's another brilliant record - the quality control was set to brilliant during the nineties.

Where do they all belong? On to the 2000's and the productivity remains vast. Where does he get the energy from? His book - Limited Edition of One provides some answers and is warmly recommended!

You'd better think twice (Poco) (LP 3516)

Poco  Deliverin' (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1971) ****  

Genre: Country rock 

Places I remember: Slow Boat Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Kind Woman

Gear costume: You'd Better Think Twice 

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: If you have ever wondered what Buffalo Springfield would be like without Stills and Young, you should listen to this album. Richie Furay and Jim Messina carry on the proud tradition of Buffalo Springfield along with Rusty Young (no relation) and Timothy B. Schmit.

Live is where these guys excelled. As AllMusic says: About as perfect an album as they ever made and, not coincidentally, by far the biggest seller the early group ever had.

The Eagles members were certainly paying attention. In a parallel universe - Poco are as huge as The Eagles.

Where do they all belong? A great addition to the country rock section.

Downtown Venus (P.M. Dawn) (LP 3512 - 3515)

P.M. Dawn  Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: the Utopian Experience (CD, Gee Street Records, 1991) ****  

P.M. Dawn  The Bliss Album..? Vibrations of Love and Anger and the Ponderance of Life and Existence (CD, Gee Street Records, 1993) ****  

P.M. Dawn  Jesus Wept (Vinyl, Gee Street Records, 1995) *****  

P.M. Dawn  Dearest Christian, I'm So Very Sorry for Bringing You Here. Love, Dad (CD, Gee Street Records, 1998) ****

Genre: RnB, pop, hip hop

Places I remember: The Warehouse, JB Hi Fi, Amoeba Records, HMV

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Set Adrift on Memory Bliss (Of the Heart...)

Gear costume: The 9:45 Wake Up Dream (on YouTube); Downtown Venus (both from Jesus Wept)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: P.M. Dawn is basically a duo comprised of two very talented brothers - Attrell Cordes (a.k.a. Prince Be, a.k.a. Prince Be the Nocturnal) and Jarrett Cordes (a.k.a. Eternal or DJ Minutemix).

Of the Heart... was their debut album and it was an instant success thanks to Set Adrift on Memory Bliss. It was a revelation when I first heard that song at the start of the nineties. 

Then I bought the album and played it on repeat. Shock horror probe: maybe I'd even embrace hip hop? But Of the Heart's new age spirituality and philosophical introspection with beats was out of step with the rest of the hard street rap that prevailed - which is exactly why I loved it in the first place.

The Bliss Album...successfully continued the pop-rap sounds from the debut album. The brothers' vocals are superb - smooth, lush, and catchy, while the music continues to be a dreamy melodic soul/RnB/ hip hop cross over. Their version of Norwegian Wood reveals the source of their inspiration for this sound.

Prince Be's raps and Eternal's vocals create a unique multi-layered P.M. Dawn sound that continues to be hugely appealing 25 years later. 

Their third album, Jesus Wept, is my favourite of theirs, and has been hard to find. I have had a cassette version for years but have been keen to find a CD of it as well. Even better, I was thrilled to find a vinyl copy in Los Angeles' Amoeba Music while visiting for Samantha and Andrew's wedding. The cover sticker says that it's a special Record Store Day release - the first time on vinyl! Yahoo!! It sounds brilliant!

Although sales had steadily declined from the earlier albums, fourth album, Dearest Christian...continued their musically successful formula: the amalgamation of samples with Prince Be's songs.  

Where do they all belong? There's a Best Of out there which sounds interesting. Aside from that I have no interest in the current version of the band. Prince Be sadly passed away in 2016 and Eternal left the band after his brother's health declined earlier in the 2000's.

In the mood (Robert Plant) (LP 3510 - 3511)

Robert Plant  Pictures at Eleven (Vinyl, Swan Song Records, 1982) ***  

Robert Plant  The Principle of Moments (Vinyl, Atlantic Records, 1983) *** 

Genre: Rock

Places I remember: Marbecks Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Big Log (Principle of Moments)

Gear costume: In The Mood (Principle of Moments)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: I bought these in the early eighties out of a sense of loyalty to Led Zeppelin.

Pictures at Eleven was his debut solo album and it appeared on Swan Song Records. I was flirting with the thought of buying albums on that label for a while, but pretty quickly I abandoned the idea. 

The Principle of Moments followed quickly after and is in the same style. It was a solid start to his solo years. In both albums, he takes on a different sound to Led Zep with success, but it just didn't resonate with me in the same way. I wasn't a teenager anymore, it was the early eighties, and I was starting my teaching career. 

Where do they all belong? That's it for solo Robert Plant. I tried, but I struggle to think of him outside of the band of my youth.