AoW 27: Measure for Measure - Icehouse.
now with extra cheese!
This one goes back a
ways. A long time back. In fact it's the first equal
CD I ever bought. Y'see I'd just bought a CD
player...
No Jules, it doesn't play records...
...so had to buy something decent to play on it. I
chose Love Over Gold/Dire Straits and Measure for
Measure by Icehouse, this weeks pick.
Measure for Measure was
released in 1986, the first year I spent as a
super-introverted, self-absorbed brat teenager
after getting dragged kicking and screaming over to
Australia right after my final year of high school,
but that's another story. Anyway, I first heard the
single No Promises on Adelaide's SAFM and had to call the station to
see who it was because they hadn't back-announced
it. It sounded just like Iva Davies and the
Icehouse guitar solos around the time were very
distinctive thanks to the masterful Bob
Kretschmer. Measure for Measure is almost another
reinvention of the Icehouse sound. The guitars are
still there and still great but the synths are
leaned on a little more making the sound very
atmospheric (I know, I keep using that word in
AotWs, bite me.)
Around the time this album was made, Iva was also
working with Bob, Masaki Tanazawa, Graeme Murphy and
the Sydney Dance Company to produce a very striking
modern ballet, Boxes. No Promises and another M4M
track, Regular Boys make appearances and quite
amazing reprises all throughout the work. The
soundtrack was later released on CD some years later,
but that's also another story.
Incidentally, here's the CD player I bought back
then. One of the very few portable CDs at the time,
ran on 4 (or was it six?) C size batteries which gave
you about two CDs play time. Now after my iPod has
finished laughing at that, I'll mention again that
this was nearly a quarter of a century ago.
Sure looks... eighties...
Clockwise from top, battery pack, player, IR
remote, IR receiver, AC power supply.
It hooked in to a radio cassette player I had at the time which looked very much like it. A National RX-C34, in fact. No, I didn't have to remember that because it's sitting just a few feet away from me, still goes as well as the day it was made, and serves as the speakers for our little merry band's iTunes box, Badger. But that's another story...
AoW 26 Update.
Here's the Potbelleez. (OBTW,
where possible, I'm going to start embedding
YouTube clips of my picks because I know a few
of you aren't quite into the whole iTunes Music
Store thing.)
...and here's what Kathy already knew about. Since
she knows how I bawl at the drop of a hat when it
comes to moving art - hell, she watched City of
Angels with me - she warned me in advance. Sure
enough, the following had the expected effect.
Introducing Paul Van Dyk. Striking similarities, and
just beautiful. Hang on, got something in me eye...
Update: the link I originally had here has been
pulled, the official (non-embeddable, dammit!) clip
is here.
AoW 26: Don't Hold Back - The Potbelleez.
Okay so this is an EP/single but it's worthy. This
track in all it's incarnations rocks. Really good
production - play it as loud as you like and it
doesn't break. And the louder you can make it the
better. It has acoustic guitar, powerful vocals,
and a killer 'dude where's my glowstick?' dance
track. Seriously, I've not been this impressed
with a single since Oakenfold's Ready Steady
Go.
AoW catchup.
AoW 25: The War of the Worlds - Jeff Wayne
There are
many, many renditions of this H.G. Wells classic, including a controversy
created in 1938 when Orson Welles performed a
mischievous radio broadcast that incited
widespread alarm as people thought Earth really
was being invaded. I think, aside from the book
itself, my favourite version is Jeff Wayne's musical version from
1978. You cannot do better than Richard Burton as
a narrator with that deep gravely voice, David
Essex and the Moody Blues' Justin Hayward also do
themselves proud. It originally came out in a
double 12" album and featured a book insert with
artwork of a quality not often seen before or
since. I used to have this as a teenager but gave
it away to a friend before moving to Oz.
Thankfully Kathy still has both the CD version and
the original 12" album with the artwork. She's
cool like that. You can see small versions here.
Incidentally, while looking for a scan of the cover I
happened upon a nifty site called FreeCovers which looks like an
excellent source for these if say you want cover
art on your iTunes tracks etc.
AoW 24: Primitive Man - Icehouse.
Another icon (overused
term as it is), this is the first record (remember
kids they're like CDs only bigger!) I ever bought.
Actually first-equal with Making Movies by Dire
Straits. This album also recently celebrated its 25th
anniversary. No, not feeling old at all... The first
track, Great Southern Land is often thought of as a
shortlist candidate for a real national anthem along
with Ganga Jang's Sounds of Then, and Men at Work's
Down Under.
Great Southern Land (the track, not the album which
is different again) was given a majestic
makeover by Iva Davies for the 1999/2000 New Year Eve
celebrations on Sydney Harbour. You've never heard
taiko drums, a string section, and
an electric guitar sound so good together. The
studio version was released in 1999, and it's
goosebump inducing. Bonus points, much of Ghost of
Time forms the soundtrack to Master and Commander.
AoW 23: Almost Yesterday 1981-1990 - The Church.
This is a really good overview of The Church's discography. I've linked you to Blurred Crusade here since Almost Yesterday isn't on iTMS and several tracks from this one are on it.
AoW 22: Blue Mood Boulevard/Journey into Cafeland - Various.
This one's interesting. Yes, as the title suggests it's one of those loungie/cafe-ie type collections but there's some really good stuff on this. Most of the tracks are instrumentals or very vocally sparse versions. Which can be a good thing. About the only place I could find so much as a track listing is here. It's worth tracking down though.
AoW 21: Tango in the Night - Fleetwood Mac.
Oops: AoW catchup time again.
AoW 20: Dream into Action - Howard Jones
Bit of history behind my
encountering this one. I was at high school at the
time, (about 15-16?) and this girl who hung out with
the same crowd (I knew her at the time but not well)
handed me her walkman (they were what we had before
iPods, kiddies) and said "listen to this, see what
you think." We hadn't even talked about music then.
The walkman was cued to play Specialty off this
album, and I was blown away (not the least because I
was wondering whether she was hinting something with
the track choice!) It sounded unlike anything I'd
heard at the time. I knew this was an artist I had to
hear more of so became an avid fan.
As for the girl, she ended up being my first real
girlfriend. Took me a long while to get over having
to leave her behind when we moved to Australia. Hope
you're going blissfully well these days, MJF.
AoW 19: Boheme - Deep Forest
Though I really like Deep Forest's sound ('twas the
style of the time) I only felt compelled to get
this one after being entranced by one of the
tracks that made me come out in goosebumps as it
played in the closing credits to what was quite a
compelling movie, Strange Days.
It's While The Earth Sleeps and the
really amazing aspect of this song (apart from it
sounding great) is that it's a collaboration
between Deep Forest and Peter Gabriel. I'd be hard
pressed to think of another combination of talents
that sound so good. The track is also a perfect
compliment to the end of the movie. As an aside
it's also another powerhouse performance by all
actors involved, particularly Angela Bassett.
Anyways, back to the album, I was lucky enough to
grab the two disc edition - highly recommend it as
the second disc has some great remixes of their more
well-known tracks. Have a listen, you'll like!
AoW 18: Extra Virgin - Olive
Believe it or not I first
listened to this because I liked the cover! Olive
were around for only two albums in the late 90s,
Extra Virgin being their debut. They had moderate
success in the UK and Germany, but didn't get
anywhere near the recognition they deserve. The
biggest single, You're Not Alone did receive a
little airplay over here, but again, not nearly
enough. The CD single You're Not Alone also has
some kick-ass remixes on it that make it easy to
see why the band were big on the 'dude, where's my
glowstick?' dance scene. Vocalist
Ruth-Ann Boyle is enchanting, and
the music was really something different and
refreshing. Interestingly, Ruth-Ann later went on
to be a vocalist for Enigma. Go here for some
Extra Virgin samples.
BTW, notice how that last track is about 10 mins
longer than all the others? (hint, hint...)
Oh and while I think of it, these iTunes Music Store
links are working for you aren't they? And you do
know that you just double-click the track to hear a
one minute sample?
AoW 17: Bangs and Crashes - Go West
AoW 16: The Smiths - The Smiths
I know a few people will disagree with this choice, saying Morrissey is a pretentious twat but I think this is one of the best albums of the time (I keep using that phrase...) Johnny Marr's guitar work alone is something special, and Morrissey's distinctive vocal style together with some clever writing complete the picture. Have a listen and make up your own mind.
AoW 15: Candy-O - The Cars
AoW 14: The Secret Life of ... - The Veronicas
The Veronicas are two cute-as-a-button twin sisters hailing from Brisbane, Australia, but you wouldn't pick that from their very US-like sound. I mean this in the nicest possible way but it screams 90210 to me - not a bad thing. Very poppy, fresh sound and good production make this a great listen even though it's aimed at the gen Me crowd. Have a listen and you might be pleasantly surprised.
Aow 13: 11 of the Best - Billy Idol
Nobody talks to Billy
Idol that way!
Yes, we're straying well
in to Wedding Singer territory (and I
like that - it's one of my all-time fave
movies!) This guy just rocks the casbah. Really
good, clean production, poppy (not that there's
anything wrong with that) deceptively simple
sounding songs, and gutsy vocals that light up a
VU meter like the best of them. And you just know
that he'll be one of those gems that grows old
ungracefully. Onya chap!
Oh and this pick has absolutely nothing to with the
lads at work calling me Billy when I come to work
after having the living crap bleached out of my hair.
I prefer Spike comparisons myself, but it's
a little warm for a leather overcoat I
guess...
AoW 12: Halo 2 soundtrack.
Yes, I know, breaking
another rule I'd set myself: no soundtracks.
Thing is, I just finished Halo 2. Let me restate
that:
I. Just. Fricken. Finished. Halo. 2!
<cough>on beginner
level...</cough>
No really, call me a lamer but it's pretty hard even
on that level! So, this one is a tip o' the hat, a
'well met, good sir!' and a general salute to the
folks of Bungie for continuing the Marathon legacy,
and, believe it or not, to little bits of M$ for
backing up the Bungie lads with a big,
if-we-don't-ship-a-to-die-for-title-for-xbox-we're-toast,
production budget. The soundtrack alone is awesome.
Bungie have always liked their soundtracks. They
rocked with Paul Sebastien's Power of Seven with
Marathon 1, 2, and Infinity. Incidentally, Thomas Dolby did some stuff with
Sebastien, but I digress...
You know, I've often said (repeated, actually,
apologies in advance to whoever thought of it first)
that the only thing that M$ could produce that didn't
suck would be a vacuum cleaner. Well, I stand
corrected, they can occasionally do some pretty
awesome stuff. Thanks to Bungie - and I'm sure a
bunch of equally crazy, gifted microserfs - Halo,
Halo 2 (and I'm sure Halo 3) are masterpieces. The
soundtracks do the games justice. I choose this title
as AoW not lightly. Who the hell else ropes in a
whole orchestral string section just for their
soundtrack!? It's cinematic in quality, and yet
somehow I'm not doing it justice by saying that. Nice
work, ladies and gentlemen, nice work. And thank you.
Favourite track from this: Unforgotten - yes it's crappy
YouTube mono low-rate quality, but you get the
picture.
P.S. Hats off also to that crazy, brilliant, warthog jump master, Randall Glass
for getting props in the credits!
Go Earth!
AoW 11: This is it - Joe Jackson
AoW 10: Death by Chocolate - De Phazz
AoW 9: Construction Time Again - Depeche Mode
Ah yes, real old school Depeche Mode. Makes me miss that
Roland Juno 106 I briefly owned as a
teenager...
AoW 8: Karma - Delerium
If you've not heard their stuff before think along
the lines of Deep Forest and Enigma. Entrancing is a
good word for it. Grab the two-disk version if you
can, some of the remixes are pretty special. Thanks
go to my long time good friend (someone I love to
bits and think the world of) Robin Hazen for
introducing me to them.
AoW catchups.
Incoming!
AoW 7: I'm Not Dead - Pink
And then I hit this track.
And I cranked the volume and listened (as I tend to do with this track.)
I'll have to admit here that I haven't listened to all of this album. Ever. (Sorry Pink!) But there is one track on this disc that alone that is just goosebump-inducing in its gutsiness (is there such a word? There is now), eloquence, and Rebel Without a Cause beauty. As is Pink's way. She evokes a I Will Not Take Shite From Anyone, and yet manages to perfectly depict the petals, the fragrance, along with the thorns.
Just awesome.
The track? Who Knew.
This is one of those tracks that sound better the closer you listen to it (like many of Pink's tracks it's more subtle than you'd think) and the louder you can make it (good, LOUD speakers are a must!) In fact I used it as a good sound check on the various rigs here: MacBook Pro audio cranked way up with gen 4 iPod earbuds, Logitech 2.1 powered speakers on the gaming Mac, the Pioneer mini stereo that Kathy's Mac Mini powers (a.k.a the Little Thumper.) All at floor-vibrating volume. The Pioneer won by a small margin, but I may need to play this track again at higher volume to be sure.
Pink, you rock.
AoW 6: Alf - Alison Moyet
You've heard me rave before about Yazoo and I hope you've taken the time to have a good listen. That was arguably the some of the best work that the combination of Vince Clarke and Alison Moyet ever did. Vince headed off in his own direction (more on this in a later episode) but Alison went right ahead and did a solo effort. And. It. Rocked. As a teenager I spent many an evening falling asleep listening to this album. Hunt this album down and make up your own mind.
AoW 5: The Golden Age of Wireless - Thomas Dolby
If you know me at all you'll know that for over 20
years I've been an avid Thomas Dolby fan. Yes, I know what
you're probably thinking "Oh wait, that Blinded by
Science guy." Well, yes he was that gentleman but
he was - no is - far, far more than that
one poppy single. You'd just need to listen to any
of the other tracks on The Golden Age of Wireless to know
that this gentleman has far more depth than a
soundbite. Nine albums and some 20+ years, he's
still going strong.
Okay so why does this rate as an AoW? Well, the more
you listen to it, the more eloquent you realise this
gentleman is, and you appreciate the depth of what is
at first glance Just Another Eighties Album. Though
it was released in 1982, this is a work I'm in awe of
to this day - and it's not just a nostalgic thing.
To understand what I'm going on about you need to
have a good, close, intent listen to this.
AoW 4: Sidewalk - Icehouse
Oh man, does this album bring back some powerful
memories!
Sidewalk was an album I was listening to constantly
just before getting dragged kicking and screaming
from NZ to Australia by my parents. Last year of high
school and (like everyone I guess) had a big group of
The Best Friends Ever, and then had to face moving to
a whole new country. I've long since forgiven my
parents for that but doubtless perfected the moody,
withdrawn, self-absorbed teenager thing for a while
there.
Of course now you couldn't drag me away from Oz
(became a citizen almost 20 years ago)... that is
unless our .gov starts behaving more and more like
the current US administration in which case we're
outa here! Sorry, digress.
Sidewalk is Icehouse's third album and it's a highly
underrated one that didn't get anywhere near the
attention it deserved. Following on from the
powerhouses that were Flowers/Icehouse and Primitive
Man, this was quite a dark album. It may be just me
but I think it also was very telling of Iva Davies'
musical influences. In track one, Taking The Town, he
sounds like he's channelling a young David Bowie.
Tracks two, three, and four, This Town, Someone Like
You, and Stay Close Tonight, he's almost Bryan Ferry
personified. In track seven, Sidewalk he is
Simple Minds' Jim Kerr. Incidentally, Sidewalk was
originally planned to be the album's first track but
when US record execs heard it (and it's jab at The
American Way) they decided differently.
Another masterpiece in Iva Davies' art gallery. You
need to have a good listen to this.
AoW 3: A Walk Across the Rooftops - The Blue Nile
This isn't so much an album that you put on when
you're doing other stuff, it's an album you immerse
yourself in. It's immaculately crafted - Paul
Buchanan is a very talented chap. It's difficult to
describe The Blue Nile's style. Eclectic doesn't
really fit since they're not doing anything just for
the sake of being different. But different it is.
Soul food is as best as I can describe it. If you
take the time to really listen to it, it evokes a
wonderful calm and clarity; if for nothing else
because you're focussing on the craft and shutting
out the mental clutter of day to day life.
For a sample and bonus points, listen to a really
good segment a US radio station, KCRW, did on The
Blue Nile a while back. The host of the Sounds
Eclectic segment, Nic Harcourt, sounds like one of
those rarities that researches and really understands
his guests. The video is no longer available
unfortunately, but the audio is still available
here, it's a really good
listen.
AoW 2: Soul Mining - The The
Look, I'm not going to harp on about how good this album is (and it is very good: Matt Johnson is quite brilliant), here's their official site, and iTMS has samples and the album here. Go have a listen.
AoW 1: Upstairs at Eric's - Yazoo
they were called Yaz in the USA
Sequencers and analogue
synths abound, makes me (once again) regret selling
that Roland Juno 106 I owned back in the time.
But I'll wait and snipe a Jupiter 8 one of these days!
Favourite track from this one? Hard to say. I have -
as I'll try to do with each of these - been listening
to the album while typing. They're all really,
really, really good. No seriously. Listen to
them carefully on a good clean AV rig and you might
get it. If I were in a normal mood I'd say a toss-up
between Only You and Midnight (both
must be listened to with
good headphones and maybe darkness) but if I were my
normal quirky mood I'd say my pick would be I Before
E Except After C (hard to find, but definitely worth
it), In My Room, and Bad Connection.
Alison Moyet has a knee-weakeningly beautiful voice,
Vince Clarke is one of a kind when it comes to synths
and sound combinations. This was a magical match, and
I'm only sorry that they stopped when they did.
Upcoming feature: Album of the week (AoW)
Going by my 'stuck in the 80's/90's' thing these will not be current releases but more like [DJ voice on] hits that were around when you were closer to the ground! [DJ voice off]
The reminder is set in iCal, so I'll do my best to make this a weekly thing.
Hey, every blogger needs a self-effacing comedy segment.