Rock zone (Scorpions) (LP 478-479)

Scorpions Sting In The Tail (CD, Sony Music, 2010) *** 

Scorpions Comeback (CD, Sony Music, 2011) *** 

Genre: European pop/ rock 

Places I remember: Both came from my time in the Middle East - an Al Ain music store and Dubai Mall's Virgin Mega Store

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Blackout (Comeback); Raised On Rock (SITT)

Gear costume: Winds Of Change (always great hearing this); Tainted Love (both Comeback)

Active compensatory factors: Appropriately, I developed a thing for Scorpions during my stay in the Middle East (2009 to 2012). We did come across a few of the real thing in the desert and around an oasis in Al Ain. 

As for the German rock group: there was something great about blasting their brand of hard rock while driving to and from the school where I was advising.

Sting In The Tail is the band having one last hurrah (almost) in 2010 as they subsequently said their goodbyes during a farewell tour. My only quibble: even though it's only got 12 songs, it feels too long (a common problem in the CD years).

Comeback is the actual last hurrah and on the surface sounds a dubious proposition: one last visit to the studio to re-record their high points and pay tribute to bands and songs that had inspired them (Beatles, Stones, Kinks, T Rex, Small Faces, Soft Cell). 

The redone songs sound great and of the uneven cover versions Tainted Love is massive and a perfect fit for them. On the whole this is a worthy package.

Where do they all belong? Concludes the European section of my CD collection.

Remember (Air) (LP 477)

Air  Moon Safari (CD, Source, 1998) *** 

Genre: European pop/ rock

Places I remember: CDs sent to me by the Hope family 

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: La Femme D'Argent 

Active compensatory factors: Once upon a time I owned a copy of this but flicked it off in one of the purges (mainly because of Sexy Boy - an annoyingly catchy song that just became annoying).

For me, Air are at their cool French best when channeling their inner Pink Floyd as they do through most of this album.

Then Adam's sister-in-law sent me a box of CDs she didn't want anymore and so, here it is in all it's Euro-prog/pop glory.

Being re-acquainted with it is nice - it all sounds very familiar and reminds me of life back at the turn of the millennium, when I was living in Auckland with access to actual record shops.

Where do they all belong? Back leading off the European pop/rock genre.

Tall trees (Crowded House) (LP 472 - 476)

Crowded House Woodface (CD, Capitol, 1991) **** 

Crowded House Afterglow (CD, Capitol, 2000) *** 

Crowded House Farewell To The World (CD, Capitol, 2006) **** 

Crowded House Time On earth (CD, Parlophone, 2007) *** 

Crowded House Intriguer (CD, Universal, 2010) *** 

Genre: NZ pop/rock 

Places I remember: These have all come from various Warehouse stores - Cambridge, New Plymouth, Taupo, Hastings. There was a time there that these were the only places I had access to for CDs and they were cheap!  

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Woodface is chocker block with fab songs - Weather With You, Four Seasons in One Day, Fall At Your Feet. Afterglow has a terrific version of Private Universe (another brilliant live version is on the Farewell To The World album).  

Gear costume: Don't Stop Now (Time On Earth); Either Side Of The World (Intriguer)

Active compensatory factors: I feel that my Crowded House collection, as presented here, without either a Greatest Hits collection or three of their early studio albums, is on balance quite wilfully obscure.

There's only Woodface carrying the load - the amazingly brilliant third album that includes Tim Finn in the lineup and contains hit after hit. BTW: I've deducted a star for the length for Woodface - it needed to be pruned of at least two tracks for my money. 

The rest...

There's Afterglow (with the awful cover)- an odds and sods/ waifs and strays compilation of discarded tracks, the live Farewell To the World double which doubles as a de facto Greatest Hits of Crowded House Mark 1, and then the two post farewell reunions with new musicians augmenting Crowded House: Time On Earth (dedicated to Paul Hester) and Intriguer (a double as well - with the album twinned with a DVD of live stuff). 

These last two are different, less immediate and no hits but with a more mature sound.

That said - there is a wealth of great material spread over these five CDs. Neil Finn (pronounced Nil Fun in Nu Zild) is one of our favourite sons, after all.

Where do they all belong? Crowded House: kiwi legends - something so strong! Indeed.

The big hole in my CH collection is Together Alone, which I need to correct post haste.

Stumbling (Jimmy Barnes) (LP 470 - 471)

Jimmy Barnes Bodyswerve (CD, Mushroom Records, 1984) ** 

Jimmy Barnes Psyclone (CD, Mushroom Records, 1995) *** 

Genre: Australian pop/rock 

Places I remember: Both come via my in-laws, the Hopes. They were disposing of their CD collection and sent me a few boxes to sort through. 

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Fooling Yourself (Psyclose); World's On Fire (Bodyswerve)

Gear costume: Going Down Alone (Psyclone) - another great version featuring some members of Journey is here.

Active compensatory factors: Basically, I'm a Cold Chisel fan. I like Jimmy Barnes in Cold Chisel. I'm not that fussed with his solo career.

His solo debut, Bodyswerve (good title and cover), was a big hit at the time but in retrospect, it suffers from 1980s production values (those drums - you know of which I speak). But, and here's the thing - if Cold Chisel redid this album* with Barnes it would be so so much better - not 5 star better but I'd certainly add one or two to my rating. *A couple of the tracks were demoed by Chisel. 

Eighth solo album, Psyclone (terrible title and cover) sounds less dated these days, in that the production is much better - cleaner in the nineties, without those tell tale drum treatments. But my point still holds. With Chisel you get a variety of sounds (and vocals). Jimmy is a great vocalist but he's so much more potent within the band.

Where do they all belong? The Cold Chisel albums will continue when we return to the aussie rawk genre.

Keep gettin' it on (Marvin Gaye) (LP 466 - 469)

Marvin Gaye What's Going On (CD, Motown, 1971) *****

Marvin Gaye Let's Get It On (CD, Motown, 1973) *****

Marvin Gaye I Want You (CD, Motown, 1976) ****

Marvin Gaye Here My Dear (CD, Motown, 1978) ****

Genre: Soul

Places I remember: Mixture of places - Real Groovy, Warehouse Cambridge, HMV London

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: You Sure Love To Ball

Gear costume: Keep Gettin' It On 

Active compensatory factors: Marvin's story is ultimately tragic but also a heroic one as well.

The story of how What's Going On came about is well known and the album has become bigger and bigger over the years - nearly fifty years now and the messages are still current - more tragedy!

It regularly turns up, along with Here My Dear and Let's Get It On on best of album countdowns, and rightly so.

His perseverance is to be commended, as it's a brave album looking squarely at social injustice and was at variance with Motown's well established love themes.

Let's Get It On is pretty steamy still and was also against the grain for Motown big wigs at the time. The musicianship is first class - interesting that the credits lead off with the two bass players!

I Want You is more of the same really - smooth and funky grooves, Marvin's laid back creamy vocals, and the sexual themes from Let's Get It On are continued. There's a hint of disco about the album and the instrumentation has a high sheen polish (in a good way). Sophisticated is the word. BTW one star comes off for the instrumental After The Dance. Track three on an album is a dangerous position.

Here My Dear is his famous divorce album (the 'My Dear' of the title is his former wife Anna Gordy Gaye). Anna got half the proceeds of the album, hence the title, but Marvin poured his heart and soul into the songs never-the-less. BTW - one star deducted for length - this is a looooong album!

It's one of my favourites in the divorce album sub-genre, Dylan's Blood On The Tracks being the all time champ. There's something weirdly voyeuristic in their appeal. Marvin's direct address to Anna throughout the album puts the listener front and centre in their divorce proceedings.

Where do they all belong? All of these albums have become bigger soul album signposts since he was shot dead by his father after an argument.

Happy (Joe Molland) (LP 465)

Joe Molland This Way Up (CD, IA Records, 2001) ****

Genre: British pop/rock 

Places I remember: Vinyl Countdown (New Plymouth)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Three Minute Warning

Gear costume: This Must Be Love (this sounds so much like a track on a Ringo Starr album that I had to check - nope. But it sounds perfect for Ringo!) 

Active compensatory factors: The terrible cover likely turned off a lot of potential buyers. If they could find it that is, as it was independently released.

That's a shame, as it's really pretty good - I can definitely justify the four star rating. Not Badfinger clearly - he's much older and experienced now, but at times it's close.

Whatever, it's great to hear those distinctive Molland vocals over classy pop material. I can warmly recommend this one.

Where do they all belong? For some reason, maybe he felt he'd outlived the youthful Joey moniker, he adopted Joe for this one. 

A worthwhile addition to the Badfinger group of albums.

Roll up for the mystery tour (the Beatles ) (LP 463 - 464)

The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour (Vinyl and CD, Apple Records/ Parlophone , 1967) *****

The Beatles Yellow Submarine (Vinyl and CD, Apple Records/ Parlophone , 1969) ***

Genre: Beatles pop/rock 

Places I remember: Marbecks Records (YS); Real Groovy Records (MMT)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Strawberry Fields Forever remains peerless over 50 years later. That is extraordinary.

Gear costume: Penny Lane, All Together Now

Active compensatory factors: I always seem to link these two albums in my imagination. 

Both are not really bone fide Beatle albums as such - in that MMT was a double EP before the Americans expanded it into an album and YS is a film soundtrack (with side two given over to George Martin's instrumental score).

So why 5 stars for MMT you ask? Apart from being the bloody Beatles, the songs are pretty much all great classics, and the packaging is excellent with the colour supplement of stills from the film inside the covers.

I mean, it has Strawberry Fields Forever, I Am The Walrus, Penny Lane, Hello Goodbye, and All You Need Is Love on it, for goodness sake! Ridiculous.

YS retreads All You Need Is Love and Yellow Submarine but also has the wonderful side of George Martin's innocent sounding film score, which I just love to bits!

In fact it gets better and better with time. Go listen! Just see if I'm not right!

Where do they all belong? Slotted in between The White Album (a.k.a. The Beatles) and Let It Be/Abbey Road.