What Are You Listening To?

[Ruby]

I'm having a fabulously lazy Sunday and listening to Kerrs Pink's Art of Complex Simplicity which has been neglected for a while. So many elements here that I love, in music - generally speaking. It's quite hard to pick one track - they all have their merits. There's the rousing "Hero of Chivalry" and the dreamy "Never Land" - all with perfectly lovely stringed things, and never bombastic - a great mix of instrumental and vocal tracks - altogether satisfying. One of my recent favourites, if you can call 1997 recent! Eek! LOL! I guess you can't. Seems like just the other day. Recentish acquisition then. 

[JeromeD]

Today's pick - a full concert with Bryan Ferry and a brilliant band behind him.

https://youtu.be/aJ9uQkmjzW0?si=li6eP3hCDJzNPIp1

[CRAZY-HORSE]

PROCOL HARUM  "shine on brightly" cd 1968

a revisit...
second album, only charted in the two Nth American countries...
art rock, prog rock, psych rock...
an absolute masterpiece of an album IMO...
i guess it was too far ahead of its time to sell back in the day...
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

title track:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

THE JAM   "sound affects"  vinyl, 1980

a revisit...
their fifth studio album...
heavily influenced by Beatles' "revolver" and dare i say it, IMO a better album....
melodic slower tunes, rockers, psychedelic rock and great storytelling...
Bruce Foxton's melodic basslines are a highlight of this album also...
songs of love, social observations and political commentary abound...
pretty close to being my favourite Weller album ever and certainly The Jam's greatest album...
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

one of his greatest compositions IMO





Puts up the 'Closed' sign
Does the man in the Corner Shop
Serves his last
Then he says goodbye to him
He knows it is a hard life
But it's nice to be your own boss, really.


Walks off home
Does the last customer
He is jealous
Of the man in the Corner Shop
He's sick of working at the Factory
He says it must be nice
To be your own boss, really.

Sells cigars to the boss from the Factory
He is jealous
Is the man in the Corner Shop
He is sick of struggling so hard
Says it must be nice to own a Factory.

Go to Church
Do the people from the area
All shapes and classes
Sit and pray together
For here they are all one
For God created all men equal

Go to Church
Do the people from the area
Go to Church
Do the people from the area
Go to Church
Do the people from the area
For God created all men equal
They know, that God created all men equal
They know, that God created all men equal
They know, that God created all men equal
They know, that God created all men equal

[CRAZY-HORSE]

THE JAM  "the gift" vinyl, 1982

a revisit...
their sixth and final album...
my second Jam album for Saturday...
hints of soul and funk on here which reveal the direction Weller's songwriting was going to explore with Style Council...
some really good stuff on here but some average tracks too making this one a bit patchy...
still makes the passing grade, around 2.1 on the old MH rating system...
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

one of his best IMO:






Why are you frightened - can't you see that it's you
That ain't no ghost - it's a reflection of you
Why do you turn away - an' keep it out of sight
Oh - don't live up to your given roles
There's more inside you that you won't show.


But you keep it hidden just like everyone
You're scared to show you care - it'll make you vulnerable
So you wear that ghost around you for disguise.

But there's no need just 'cos it's all we've known
There's more inside you that you haven't shown
So keep on moving, moving, moving your feet
Keep on shuf-shuf-shuffling to this ghost dance beat
Just keep on walking down never ending streets.

One day you'll walk right out of this life
And then you'll wonder why you didn't try
To spread some loving all around
Old fashioned causes like that still stand
Gotta rid this prejudice that ties you down.

How do you feel at the end of the day
Just like you've walked over your own grave
So why are you frightened - can't you see that it's you
At the moment there's nothing - so there's nothing to lose
Lift up your lonely heart and walk right on through

[CRAZY-HORSE]

BILLY JOEL  "streetlife serenade"  vinyl 1974

from Lynne's vinyl collection...

one of only a couple i have never heard, the other being 'turnstiles'...
well that was God awful bad IMO...
loved "the entertainer", the jaunty instrumental "root beer rag" and "roberta"
i dod not care for the rest of it, maybe it needs another listen or two??...
I DO NOT LIKE THIS ALBUM

we all know 'the entertainer' so lets go for this instrumental piece...

[CRAZY-HORSE]

ELTON JOHN  "2 ▼ 4 0"  cd/vinyl 1983

a revisit...
his seventeenth studio album...
previous four albums were disappointments and three of the next four were also lowlights in his cannon of albums...
so a real highlight here, great album, so many brilliant songs
even the eighties production and synths/drum machines cannot sink this mid career masterpiece IMO
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

one of his greatest songs IMO:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

QUEEN   "queen II"  cd, 1974.

a revisit.
i must admit that i am not a fan of this album or their debut,
i think their albums were all very good from their third (sheer heart attack) through to 1980's "the game",
from then on they were patchy at best...
Lynne is a huge fan, she like all of their albums with this one her least favourite.
i just find it all too 'heavy', and not enough of that classic sound for me to like...
I DO NOT LIKE THIS ALBUM

but i do love this song:

[Ruby]

MIKE OLDFIELD - Tubular Bells III



Have not listened to this in quite some time. My preference is for TBII which is a completely different vibe, however, that is not to say III is unlistenable and there are some tracks on here that I love, one such being "The Top of the Morning" ... 

[CRAZY-HORSE]

Tubular Bells is the so called 'all time classic' yet you prefer Tubular Bells II

i am the same with TAAB, i prefer Ian Anderson's TAAB-II