What Are You Listening To?

[CRAZY-HORSE]

PULP  "different class" cd, 1995

a revisit
UK Britpop/Rock band
their fifth album of seven, only one i own
initially purchased this on the strength of the two hits "common people" and "disco 2000"
they were the only two songs i liked when i first purchased and listened to it and they still are
I DO NOT LIKE THIS ALBUM

fav:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

MADNESS  "one step beyond"  cd/vinyl  1979

a revisit
the 'nutty boys' debut of thirteen of which i own six...
this one was released the same day as The Special debut album thus cementing the late 70s Ska movement in the UK
this is still a solid album though admittedly i found it not quite as good as i remembered it last time i played it,
then it would have come in at around 2.7, this time though 2.4 but that still means that....
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

fave on this occasion:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

MICHAEL JACKSON  "off the wall"  cd/vinyl 1979

a revisit
from the days when he was still black and had an afro...
a masterclass of a pop/disco/ballads album IMO
his best album for me also
does a cool cover of Wings' "girlfriend" on it (but i do prefer Macca's falsetto version)
album sold over 20 million copies so he was a phenomena prior to "thriller"
album would rate somewhere around 2.7 from me which means
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

[CRAZY-HORSE]

B-52s  "cosmic thing"  cd  1989

from Lynne's cd collection
im pretty sure i used to have this album but i couldnt find it??!!
fifth studio album
they had lost their alternative style for a more straightforward pop sound here
two big hits from this one: "love shack" and "roam"...
the rest of the album follows that formula.
a decent album where Kate and Cindy appear to be at the forefront of vocal duties for the most part
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

favourite track wasnt even a single:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

INXS  "underneath the colours"  vinyl  1981

from Lynne's vinyl collection
INXS' second album
i was only aware of one song from it prior to giving it a whirl on the turntable
typical of the pop sounds from the period
has a horrible tinny synth-drum sound to it
the thing that really stands out for me is the bass guitar which appears front and centre and is quite melodic
songs just seem too much of the same and certainly hearing some influences from Thomas Dolby, Adam Ant, Flock Of Seagulls etc
but that could just be the whole New Wave pop thing and not deliberate
after two listens this album didnt overly impress me but it was still okay thanks to three tracks i did love
I LIKE THIS ALBUM





side 1:

1:  stay young  ***
2:  horizons  *
3:  big go-go  **
4:  underneath the colours  **
5:  fair weather ahead  ***

side 2:

1:  night of rebellion  ** 
2:  follow  **
3:  barbarian  ***   
4:  what would you do?  *
5:   just to learn again  **   

3s - 3
2s - 5
1s - 2

rating:  2.1

[CRAZY-HORSE]

SOFT CELL   "non-stop erotic cabaret"  1981

from Lynne's vinyl collection
decided to give this one a listen because MH gave it an "A" in his vinyl collection thread yesterday
so, not a bad album from a first up listen
typical gay dance synth-pop sounds from that era
nothing as poppy or catchy as the cover of Gloria Jones' "tainted love" which IMO Soft Cell made their own!
has a slight Pulp sound in places
first seven tracks are genuinely good, the remaining three just outstay their welcome for me
album scores a 1.9 for one listen and was surprisingly good
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

fav, well theres only one choice for me:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

ONE DIRECTION "four" cd, 2014

a revisit
their fourth of five.
has a "Fun." sound to it.
nothing to dislike on here.
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

favorite and lead off single:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

LEO SAYER  "the very best of"  vinyl  1979

a revisit
Lynne and I are huge fans of Leo Sayer
and between us we own all 17 of his studio albums
so theres no surprises here when i say...
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

lets go for this disco classic on this occasion

[CRAZY-HORSE]

SHANIA TWAIN  "up!"  cd  2002

a revisit
her fourth of six
follow up to the 40 million selling "come on over" so was always going to be a hard act to follow
anyway the album comes in three editions, 'red', 'blue' and 'green'
each one represents a different style or genre
red - pop
green - country
blue - world
each country received two disk sets comprising of the standard pop (red) edition plus generally whatever version would otherwise most suit the country (country or world), a clever sales tool or being too clever?
the US had the pop/country versions for example (you get the idea). 
Australia for example got the "red/blue" and "red/green" versions.
so, the album is nineteen tracks long, about seven or eight too many IMO but who am i to say what she should release LOL
album just contains a bit too much filler for my liking.
i have the red/blue versions, the world music versions have a distinct indian and/or latino vibe in the music, im not keen on them
the pop version is where its at, fairly decent but not in the same league as "come on over" but thats okay
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

favourite:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

PSEUDO ECHO  "long plays 83-87"  cd  1987

from Lynne's collection
Aussie pop/new wave band
these are the 12" remixes of their singles from the 12" singles
not really in to those types of songs but they were essential dancefloor faves back in the day
never really a fan of Pseudo Echo either but i liked a few of their singles.
I DO NOT LIKE THIS ALBUM

best: