What Are You Listening To?

[CRAZY-HORSE]

DEAN MARTIN "all the hits: 1948-1963"  cd,  1993

a twenty track compilation,
im a big fan of Deano, the best crooner bar none IMO...
loving well over half the tracks here,
only one i dislike, "that certain party" with Jerry Lewis.
i cannot stand Mr Lewis in any way, shape or form.
apart from that little glitch though...
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

best:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

CAROLE KING  "thoroughbred" cd, 1976.

her seventh of seventeen.
her final top10 album in her homeland,
failed to chart in the UK and reached a lowly #87 in Australia.
even James Taylor, Graham Nash and Croz couldnt salvage much from this one.
songs just have little direction or purpose for me.
the melodies have gone like a thoroughbred down the home straight.
i hate to say it but...
I DO NOT LIKE THIS ALBUM

the one featuring Nashy and The Croz:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

PAUL SIMON "greatest hits: shining like a national guitar" cd, 2000

nineteen track compilation.
loving around half of this one, liking the rest except for one track, that horrid You Can Call Me Al thing,
so cringeworthy, video sucks too IMO as i just dont like Chevy Chase, the least funny guy ever.
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

favourite:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

PAUL McCARTNEY "Egypt station" cd, 2018

the thirty-nineth post Beatle album.
thought i'd revisit it after almost two years.
a couple of rockers, lots of catchy pop and a few acoustic ballads/love songs.
dude seems very contented in his life if these happy-go-lucky tunes are anything to go by.
a couple of social commentary songs on here, "people want peace" and "despite repeated warnings",
both of those barrels are loaded, cocked and aimed firmly at Mr.Trump.
he is still the master of tempo changes, always has been, theats where the Beatles stood out from everyone else.
a couple of things i dont like on it but the rest is passable.
album sold around 200,000 copies in the US in its first two weeks and around three hundred and fifty thousand overall there,
worldwide sales are estimated at around 500-thousand, not bad for an artist almost 60 years into his career!
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

favourite, a song for victims of bullying, cool video and solid rocker.

[CRAZY-HORSE]

CLIFF RICHARD "platinum collection"  cd,  2005

three cd, 73 track career spanning compilation containing 73 of his then 124 UK singles to date.

Disk 2:

this one spans the years 1965-1981.
he released 53 singles in the UK over that period 24 of which can be found on here.
of the 24, fifteen were top 10 hits and two were #1 hits for him.
IMO he had the majority of his best singles during this period including a number of Christian pop/rock songs
in the late 60s/early 70s.
very few of these songs actually get airplay now and even though i know them all they did sound new and refreshing on this listen.
a very good solid collection of hits IMO
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

the two #1 hits:

1969 - Congratulations     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xJcE9tnY6E  live                                                                      
1979 - We Dont Talk Anymore    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8FCZ5x8Gpg  German TV performance                                                        

my favourite only peaked at #15 on the UK charts proving chart position isnt everything:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

PAUL McCARTNEY "McCartney" vinyl/cd/deluxe boxset  1970.

his debut solo album.
thought i would revisit this with the impending release of McCartney-III in a few weeks.
i could go into the politics and Beatle infighting which prompted this but thats for another day.
a strange eclectic mix.
the first rock album where the artist playes all instruments, produces and mixes it himself.
the first 'indi' or 'garage' album, recorded at home on a four track tape deck.
okay.
it sounds raw, ragged and unfinished but thats the charm of it after the spiffy production of Beatles albums.
a couple of instrumentals on here and the final track is basically a 4 minute drum solo bar a guitar riff on a couple of occasions for a few seconds.
some catchy little ditties and a couple of McCartney classics and snide dig at John with "teddy boy" (the start of the on-wax feud between the two)
either way was a total pleasure to listen to something simple and effective for a change, not sure i would say i love this album but its certainly one of the albums in his arsenal that i recommend people to listen to if only for its uniqueness from 1970.
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

would be so easy to post "maybe im amazed" or "every night" but heres somehting a little differnet, a blues rocker:

---

and this gorgeous instrumental:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

JOHN LENNON & YOKO ONO "double fantasy " vinyl/cd 1980.

his tenth album outside of the Beatles.
wasnt sure where to put this...
soft rock/easy listening fir his songs because Yoko's definately arent easy listening LOL
could have posted in Alternative because Yoko's songs would ft there and thats half the album.
anyway.
released less than a month before he died.
John said in an interview that he was in Bahamas in mid 1980 when he turned on the radio for the first time in five years,
he heard B-52s 'rock lobster' and Macca's 'coming up', both those songs encouraged him to go back in the studio in a good way, he loved both tracks apparently.
so enough of the history back to the songs.
Yoko's are just crap, no other word to describe them but at least theyre bareable crap LOL
John's songs are the work of a man finding himself, coming to terms with life as her approaches the cusp of 40, happiness and contentment in his life as a husband and father with the whole future ahead of him,
no negativity in his songs here, unlike a lot of his previous works, nothing 'out there' outlandish, avant-garde or secular, just a collection of perfectly crafted songs.
this is his masterpiece as far as his career goes IMO, 
shame Yoko's songs bring down the rating of this album
its just a downright shame we never got to hear even greater things from him as he returned from the wilderness only to be gunned down in totally senseless act of open brutality  RIP John Lennon.
i love all seven of his tracks on here, dislike all seven of Yoko's which means overall that...
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

love this new video for "Starting over"   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZCxyOcvp5A  video
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lennon explaining his 'stay at home dad' years prior to making the album in htis song:

love the home video clip here:





People say I'm crazy
Doin' what I'm doin'
Well, they give me all kinds of warnings
To save me from ruin.
When I say that I'm okay
Well, they look at me kinda strange
Surely you're not happy now
You no longer play the game.

People say I'm lazy
Dreamin' my life away
Well, they give me all kinds of advice
Designed to enlighten me.
When I tell them that I'm doin' fine
Watchin' shadows on the wall
Don't you miss the big time, boy?
You're no longer on the ball.

I'm just sittin' here watchin' the wheels go round and round
I really love to watch them roll
No longer ridin' on the merry-go-round
I just had to let it go.

People askin' questions
Lost in confusion
Well, I tell them there's no problem
Only solutions.
Well, they shake their heads
And they look at me as if I've lost my mind
I tell them there's no hurry
I'm just sittin' here doin' time.

I'm just sittin' here watchin' the wheels go round and round
I really love to watch them roll
No longer ridin' on the merry-go-rounds
I just had to let it go
I just had to let it go
I just had to let it go

[CRAZY-HORSE]

ELVIS PRESLEY "Elvis is back!" original gatefold vinyl/cd 1960.

his fourth studio album.
first since returning from conscription.
an eclectic mix of pop/rock/ballads/jazz and blues numbers.
album includes twelve of the best tracks Presley ever sang.
and if there was three albums i recommend novices to listen to of Presley's
then this would be one of them for sure, a  masterful return to music after a two year break.
as a footnote, no singles were relased off this album but he did release a handful of classic hits 
at the same time as this album noting he was still at the peak of his powers.
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

i could have picked a live version of my favourite track but they were recorded over a decade late,
no issues because the quality of his voice was better in the 1970s but heres the original:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

CLIFF RICHARD "platinum collection"  cd,  2005

three cd, 73 track career spanning compilation containing 73 of his then 124 UK singles to date.

Disk 3:

this disk contains 18 singles spanning 1982 to 2005.
it includes one #1 and twelve top10 hits, the remainder charted between 11-15.
a couple of noteable absenses from this:
three #1 hits missing and a top10 duet with Phil Everly....contractual reasons maybe???
liking half of these tracks and disliking the remainder.
I DO NOT LIKE THIS ALBUM

favourite track:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

GEORGE HARRISON "living in the material world" vinyl, 1973.

his fourth solo album...
his best so far.
still not overly commercial sounding, guess that makes him 'alternative'...
nothing on here not to like (loving half the album) aking it a lot better than his previous efforts.
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

favourite, the single (and one that IMO sums up who George Harrison was)





Give me love
Give me love
Give me peace on earth
Give me light
Give me life
Keep me free from birth
Give me hope
Help me cope, with this heavy load
Trying to, touch and reach you with,
heart and soul

OM M M M M M M M M M M M M M
M M M My Lord . . .

PLEASE take hold of my hand, that
I might understand you

Won't you please
Oh won't you

Give me love
Give me love
Give me peace on earth
Give me light
Give me life
Keep me free from birth
Give me hope
Help me cope, with this heavy load
Trying to, touch and reach you with,
heart and soul

OM M M M M M M M M M M M M M
M M M My Lord . . .

PLEASE take hold of my hand, that
I might understand you