Music Reviews and all that!

KD Lang, SNFU, Nickelback, Skinny Puppy, Bryan Adams, DOA, Death From Above 1979, Front Line Assembly, Heart, Dayglo Abortions, NomeansNo, Nelly Furtado, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Buffalo Springfield, Crash Test Dummies, Neil Young, Sum 41, The Tragically Hip, Avril Lavigne, Rush, Alanis Morrisette, Barenaked Ladies, Shania Twain, The Band, Broken Social Scene, Cowboy Junkies, The Dears, Corey Heart, Godspeed You Black Emperor,Men Without Hats, The Stills, Rufus Wainwright, Celine Dion, Voivod, Joni Mitchell

You have to say the country has produced some varied acts, good on you Canada!!!

http://www.sacredheart.co.uk/scumville/guideitem.php?itemid=1437

cut and paste the above, my old band are listed on this class website called 'Scumville', great look up for all you smelly punkers out there, who by now have children, boring jobs and are working for an insurance company...mmmmm

Obviously there are lots of them, so I have narrowed it to those you may know

AC/DC, Peter Andre, Air Supply,Jason Donovan,Frank Ifield, Savage Garden, Olivia Newton John, Mental as anything, Divynls, INXS, The Birthday Party, The Church, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Joe Dolce ( no he wasn't from Italy ), Dead Can Dance, The Go Betweens,The Vines, The The, Rolf Harris,Icehouse, Kylie Minogue, Danni Minogue, Men at work, Midnight Oil, Craig Maclaclan, The Mutton Birds, Helen Reddy, Rick Springfield,Holly Valance, John Paul Young

Should I put in Stefan Dennis??, ok, Stefan Dennis, fuck me!

I have always been a great fan of Manic St Preachers and in recent years they have matured like a bloody good cheese. Their last outing was a splendid colelction of ditties which I thought was the best album of 2004.

When I heard earlier in the year that Bradfield himself was to release a solo album I thought that would be an interestign concept, maybe I thought he would let rip into a new style, away from the Manics...

I was wrong, and I am so glad I was, the album is a Manics album, whichever way you look at it, I mean it is James Dean himself who is the heart of the band, songwriter, musician etc, so he is just doing what he knows best,writing fucking good songs.

The album is a bit of a gem, it begins with the first single lifted, Thats no way to tell a lie, which is a classic, its Bradfield at his best, coupled with a chorus backing reminescent of Joy Division / New order.

Bad boys and painkillers is by far the highlight of this great debut, its elegant and dramatic pop, the vocals and backing are exqusite.

Still a long way to go is a diamond track, its a mature song with strength in its arrangement and shows how much Bradfield has beautiful songwriting off to a tee.

There is an acosutic guitar/vocal only on this called To see a friend in tears which is just superb, the vocals are crystal and the sentiment heartfelt.

I admired the Manics for writing great songs that also carried a message, but it seems Bradfield hs shyed away from that, both on this and the last Manic album. Instead he has kept his talent for writing great melodies but has kept the subject matter more personal and perhaps more human.

Magic.

Marks out of 10: 9

Haircut 100, 999, 911, Hundred Reasons, Heaven 17, Level 42, H20, L7, B52's, MN8, 4 Skins, Four Tops, Four Seasons, Blink 182, Front 242, Five Thirty, Five, Alabama 3, 5000 Volts, 49 ers, Five Star, JJ72, Mega City 4, 7 Seconds, 808 State, 400 Blows, Four Aces,Nine Inch Nails, Hurricane no 1, 99th Floor Elevators, East 17, Ben Folds Five, Apollo 440

Phew....I'll keep em comin'

sleazy hovel that it is....

James, Oasis, The Fall, The Chameleons,Buzzcocks,Northside, The Smiths,Hermans Hermits, Happy Mondays, Stone Roses, Badly Drawn Boy,New Order,Inspiral Carpets, Joy Division, Puressence,Dub Sex, The Charlatans, M People, Simply Red, Take That, Black Grape, 808 State, Durutti Column, Easterhouse, Elkie Brooks, Roy Harper, John Foxx, Magazine, The High, The Bee Gees, Doves

Theres many more Mancurian tarts for the list....tsssh

Martha and the Muffins, Black Grape, Meatloaf, Blind Melon, Lemonjelly, Hot Chocolate, Blancmange, Cranberries, Marmalade, The Jam, Milk and Sugar, Captain Beefheart, Bread, Bowling For Soup, Humble Pie, Mighty Lemon Drops, Cake, Cream, Half Man Half Biscuit, Limp Bizkit, Honeyz

Theres more to come, I'm working on it!!

Del Amitri, Simple Minds, Hipsway, Lulu, Belle and Sebastian, Teenage Fanclub, Jim Diamond, Orange Juice, Franz Ferdinand, The Blue Nile, Soup Dragons, Mogwai, The Delgados, Midge Ure, Rezillos, Texas, Wet,Wet,Wet, Travis, Mark Knopfler ( Dire Straits ), BMX Bandits, Deacon Blue, Primal Scream, Altered Images, Donovan

Not too band for a bunch of sweaty socks!

Duran/Duran, The Beat, Editors, Fine Young Cannibals,Yes, ELO, Dexys Midnight Runners, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest,UB40,Asian Dub Foundation, The Streets, Moody Blues, Ocean Colour Scene,Jamelia, Napalm Death, Steve Winwood, Musical Youth, Joan Armatrading, Pato Banton, Nick Drake, Stehen Tin Tin Duffy, Carl Palmer ( The Palmer in Emerson, Lake and...), Toyah, Roy wood ( he of Wizard )

And you thought Birmingham was a bag of shit when it came to music.....

The Beatles ( that was so obvious ), Echo and the Bunnymen, The Icicle Works, Teardrop explodes, The Christians, Rain, The Lotus Eaters, Space, Cast ( and the La's ), Frankie Goes To Hollywood, The Farm, The Boo Radleys, The Lightning Seeds ( well, Ian Broudie ),Ladytron, Pete Wylie ( Wah! ), Gerry and the Pacemakers, China Crisis, Black, The Pale Fountains, Dead or Alive, A Flock Of Seagulls, Half Man Half Biscuit, Its Immaterial, OMD, The Zutons

You can tell me to add more scouse songsters...if you want?

Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry, Black Eyed Peas, Blue Mink, Green on Red, A Flux of Pink Indians,Bluebells, Blue Zoo, China Black, White Stripes, Redskins, Simply Red, Kissing The Pink, Orange Juice, White Rose Movement,Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Black, Blue Aeroplanes, Black Crowes, Big Black, Balck Flag, Blue Nile, Blue, Indigo Girls, Pink Floyd, Green Day, Black Grape, Blue Oyster Cult, Maroon 5, Whitesnake, Yello, Bluetones, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Blue pearl, Greenslade, Black Uhuru, Cream, Green Jelly, Brownstone, DJ Quicksilver, Deep Blue Something

God, I know theres more, let me know what you bored fuckers come up with!!!!!

Its sooooooooooooooo shit, how can anyone like that toe tapping fiddle, drum thing you play with a stick crap????, you can answer that if you like riverdancing to kack traditional irish toss.

As if The Dubliners werent bad enough, The Pogues made that awful sound even more popular.

Why do some many grannies like Daniel O' Donnell????.

Ireland has produced some great rock and pop bands, U2 for example, but Irish Music in the trad sense.....abhorrent nonsense....and Terry Wogan's Floral Dance....I can't go on.

Remember him???, you don't?, oh come on, he was on TOTP with his curly mullett singing about slow boats and getting his washing clean...yeah, it was a shit lyric ( full lyrics below ), aswell as the mullett he looked like a little midget fella, in the same vein as the thin Chuckle Brother...Barry??.

Enuff said, especially as recently the song has been used on telly on an advert, anyone notice that...ouch!

Heres the words.....

Last night I had the strangest dream
I sailed away to China, in a little rowboat to find ya
And you said you had to get your laundry clean
Didn't want no one to hold you, what does that mean? And you said...

Ain't nothing gonna break my stride
Nobody gonna slow me down, oh no
I got to keep on moving
Ain't nothing gonna break my stride
I'm running in a one touch ground, oh no
I got to keep on moving

You're on the road and now you pray you'll last
The road behind was rocky
But now you're feeling cocky
You look at me and you see your past
Is that the reason why you're running so fast? And she said...

{chorus}

Never let another girl like you whip me over
Never let another girl like you drag me under
If I meet another girl like you I will tell her
Never want another girl like you have to say - oh!

Ain't nothing gonna break my stride
Nobody gonna slow me down, oh no
I got to keep on moving
Ain't nothing gonna break my stride
I'm running in a one touch ground, oh no
I got to keep on moving

{chorus

1. Dead Kennedys - Holiday In Cambodia
2. Bd Religion - Forbidden Beat
3. Husker Du - I Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely
4. Siouxsie - Christine
5. ATV - How Much Longer?
6. Dead Kennedys - Lets Lynch The Landlord
7. Siouxsie - Overground
8. Stiff Little Fingers - Gotta Getaway
9. 7 Seconds - We're Gonna Fight
10. Magazine - Shot From Both Sides
11. Skids - Sweet Surburbia
12. Generation x - Dancing With Myself
13. Adicts - Fuck It Up
14. Misfits - Last Caress
15. Minor Threat - I Don't Wanna Hear It
16. Stiff Little Fingers - Nobody's Hero
17. The Stranglers - No More Heroes
18. Damned - New Rose
19. The Exploited - Fuck The USA
20. Cocksparrer - Take em all

If you din't like the Smiths you are one of these things: a tossbag, fuckwit, knobhead, wanker...get the picture?????.

The Smiths were, and still are, one of the most important and influential bands in the last 30 years. Why people bleat on about the Beatles having any musical impact on others....i cant answer that myself really, i just hate the beatles.

Morrissey, odd ball, yes, genius..almost definitely. His choice of lyrics absorbing, amusing, never ever dull, thought provoking, controversial, original overall. His mood and image foppish, camp, retarded and yest sophiticated, strangely interesting and guarded.

Johnny Marr, a complete and utter legend of a guitar player, you dont have to play the guitar with your teeth to be a genius, jimi hendrix did and he karked it, oh , and he was fucking shit!.

My fave Smiths songs follows:

1. What difference does it make?
2. Girl Afriad
3. How soon is now?
4. Still Ill
5. Stop me if you've heard this one before
6. Reel around the fountain
7.Back to the old house
8. Suffer little children
9. There is a light that will never go out
10. Half a person

I could bang on all night about The Smiths, I won't, I know you have beds to go to

2 u2 things in one day...mmmm, but Boy is a wonderful album. I Will Follow starts proceedings energetically, the whole album follows in a raw, unadulatered way which in some ways October never captures as the pace on that album ebbs and flows, but Boy has it all.

The faster numbers, Stories For Boys, Out Of Control, A day without me and Electric Co are superbly paced and show U2 at their youthful best, a time when stadium rock must have seemed light years away for them.

The pumping Twilight and Another Time, Another Place fit so right, its an album that is very hard to have a go at, why should I?, its a great record.

Marks Out of 10: 9

Remember this???, its a no then is it?. Whats On Yor Mind, when you listen to it now sounds like it should have been released in 83 or 84, but it was much later, 88, when it was released.

It possesses those classic emulator moments and vocals that sound like a junior Glenn Gregory of Heaven 17. The drums are overpowering and over the top, the effects on the 7 and a half minute version I have are much too much, cheesy, but that was the 80's, it fits don't it?.

A forgotten gem, download it when you have time.

Wikipedia info follows::::

Information Society (also known as InSoc) is a U.S. band originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, primarily consisting of Kurt Larson (aka Kurt Valaquen/Kurt Harland), Paul Robb, and James Cassidy; the latter two reconvened the band in 2006. Their breakout hit was 1988's "What's On Your Mind? (Pure Energy)", a dance hit which included a sample of Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) from Star Trek, saying "pure energy," and opened with a sample of Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), also from Star Trek, saying, "It's worked so far, but we're not out yet!"

1. Stiff Little Fingers
2. Dead Kennedys
3. Siouxsie An The Banshees
4. Bad Religion
5. The Ruts

Wanna add your 5???

Man, what a heavy gig, Bristol's finest hardcore trio, Ripcord headlining at The Salisbury in Scarborough, supported by the very non punk looking and death metal sounding Satanic Malfunctions, and also supported by the thrashy punk crossover youngsters Tyranny it sure was a night of pain.

The year?, 1988, many moons past.....my band of course were Tyranny, my how we have changed!!!!, back then it was army trousers, converse boots, denim jacket and button badges....yeaaaaahhh!!!!!.

If I cpuld upload a tune I would, but I can't so take it from me when I say we were totally awesome ( ahem! )

1. I Will Follow
2. Electric Co.
3. New Years Day
4. Bad
5. A Day Without Me
6. Gloria
7. Stories For Boys
8. Like A Song
9. The Unforgettable Fire
10. Sunday Bloody Sunday
11. Fire
12. Out of Control
13. 40
14. Two Hearts Beat As One
15. A Sort Of Homecoming

Not that I don't like Joshua Tree, 80 - 84 saw the best U2 stuff I reckon.....your comments????

All Boy Bands, infact all equivalent Girl bands, Spice Girls..Girl Power...er, right. Wet, Wet, Wet, Pink Floyd, Levellers, Aerosmith, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beautiful South,Simply Red, Eric Clapton, Chris De Burgh, Elton John, Dire Straits, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Erasure, Green Day, Jimi Hendrix, James, Cliff Rychard, Prince, Texas, Lighthouse Family, shit this is depressing....nooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!

The Mission, All About Eve, Babybird, Shed 7, Human League, Heaven 17, Cabaret Voltaire, Ian Astbury ( The Cult ), ABC, Little Angels ( OUCH! ), Longpigs, Saxon, Steve Hogarth ( Marillion ), Housemartins, Green Gartside ( Scritti Politti ), Embrace, Tasmin Archer, Paradise Lost,Throbbing Gristle, Sisters Of Mercy, Gang Of Four, Chumbawamba, CUD, Mel B, Gareth Gates, Kiki Dee,Slammer, New Model Army, Samson, Def Leppard, Pulp, Moloko,Sarah Blackwood ( Dubstar ), Tony Christie...ok theres loads more, but I'm done!

And now a picture of a Yorkshire Terrier.....

What can you say about this 3rd album by the then Glasgow post punk band??. I Travel is like some skewed electric disco, where Today I Died Again is Banshee-esque and hints of early goth. Theres oddities on this too, Constantinople Line is wierd aswell as out of place on this album, it would have been well positioned on the previous albu, Real to Reel etc..

I don't think the band were clear what direction they needed to take at this point, punk had died out, they werent full on doom and gloom and they never looked like taking a mellow stab at new wave pop, well not until New Gold Dream in 82.

Nethertheless a great album which stands the test of time even now, 26 years on!!!!!

Marks out of 10: 8

Nobody can deny that The Misfits have influenced some funny bands downt he years, their rocky punk blend of all things strangely sinister and macarbe is legendary, vampire nonsense and pure silliness prevail, which makes them very likeable really.

My fave song by them is of course Last Caress, its a very odd lyric, extremely tasteless and mixes weedy punk rock guitar with an out of place vocal....one of punk / rocks strange moments!.

Check out too, We are 138 and Return of the Fly....not genius classics but love em all the same!

Top 10 Band Names ( although having compiled this, I may return with a further 10!!! )

1. A Flock Of Seagulls
2. Throbbing Gristle
3. Half Man Half Biscuit
4. Depeche Mode
5. This Mortal Coil
6. Human League
7. Manic Street Preachers
8. Soft Cell
9. Fields Of Nephilim
10. Orchestral Maneovures In The Dark

All that Sex Pistols and The Clash shit you can shove, cos this album is where punk was at, ok Siouxsie was part of that little band of tossers with the Pistols but after that they not only did a good couple of punk / post punk albums they became one of the best Goth bands this country has ever witnessed.

The Scream is a joy to behold, its raw, off balance, chaotic at times, savagely crass and even the goth was there then ( overground ), Nictotine Stain and Metal Postcard whine and glide as Siouxsie yelps her vocals and the guitars strain behind her.

The Scream is a classic punk album never applauded in those crap Top 100 nosebleed moment TV shows on the tiresome digital channels. Its not rock n roll like the Ramones, its not white blokes doing Reggae like The Clash, its not a made up band like the Pistols. Its unadultered angst and its fucking smashing!!

Marks out of 10: 9

From the moment it blasts off with Hotel Hobbies you know Marillion have eventually peaked. Its the last album with alcy Fish, so called because he spent too much time in the bath. The last album with the man himself and indeed the demise of the band as any credible rock force.

All previous albums attempted the concept idea, but Clutching at straws epitomises their craft.

The subject matter so obviously drives at Fish's alcoholism and its true to say he probably had a few beers in his time.

They don't step out of line at all on this album, the vocals seem more refined, the music much more textured and produced, they even manage a rock out song in the shape of Incommunicado.

A great album, shame that it all went so pansy like after...tssh!!!

Marks out of 10: 9

Why did this Manchester band have such little success??, they are the best known secret of the 1980's, mixing the post punk with new wave and pop they wrote some of the best tunes from 81 - 86. However, it is this album where they captured the most poignant songs in their history. One of my all time favourite songs Second Skin appears on this album, it is a lengthy track mixing soul searching lyrics with a backdrop of sublime gentleness yet there is always a hint of mood and angst without shifting the volume upwards.

Infact the whole abulm is like that,Mark Burgess's imperfect vocals and his choice of words are simply fantastic, particualrly on Don't Fall and A person isnt safe....etc.

Compared to a post puk U2 and Simple Minds does not do them any credit at all, they are on their own having created an album here that if there were any sensible music hall of fame surely Script from the Bridge would be its beacon.

Marks Out of 10: 10

Anyone who labels Genesis as some old bloke pop rock band who can't write a decent tune because they are shit is right...except that only really is applicable when Peter Gabriel left the band. All of the alabums by Genesis with Gabriel are brilliant, if not occassionally middle class pomp fantasy and more concerned with technality interspersed with humour.

The Lamb exceeds all that went before it, it is a concept album to end all concept albums, it has songs that range from 1 or 2 minutes to 6 or 7, it is a double album of a journey of bizarre recollection, where confusionm meets the calm followed by irreverent outbursts and intoxicating variety.

There is madness in the music, NYC, gorgeousness, Carpet crawlers, sublime, colony of the slippermen, amusing, counting out time, creative lyrically throughout it staggers me to listen to,and its an album where you are drawn to listen through out each time. In the cage signals a journey and you are not sure whether its a journey laced with madness or normality but its almost like been locked up and given the key but the door simply has no lock...

This was Gabriels last album, damn him for leaving, damn Phil Collins for singing ever.

Marks out of 10: 9

This is by far the best outing from the Cardiff band. I can't find fault with any of the tracks on this album, when can you ever say that?.

Gene throw off their Smiths and The Jam influences from Olympian and instead plump for sweeping musical gems, classics even, especially when you listen to Where are they now? and fighting fit. Long sleeves for the summer, apart from its excellent title, show Gene playing with that complexity of the depressive and the eternally hopeful lyric and tune, I think thats a genius quality. That kind of thing makes me happy about Gene because it means they can't be easily pigeon holed or crassly chamiponed by the likes of toss mag NME.

Enough, its a fantastic album, nostalgic, romantic, preoccupied, anthemic and unprentious.

The follow up was good, very good, but never as good as this.

Marks out of 10: 10

This was my one of my fave albums at school, whilst the general pupil attendees gratified themselves with the likes of Frankie and Wham! I was regailing the work of this bloody brilliant band!.

I love all their 1st 3 albums, but this is the stand out from the 3. Why the single My Foolish Friend didnt make this or the 1st album is a mystery. Despite that, Such a Shame, Its My Life and Dum Dum Girl are the hits, or should I say, the singles, they shouldve been hits definitely, but scandalously they were not.

The best song on this album for me is the graceful Tomorrow Started, its a fantastically produced song, Mark Hollis's vocals are at their best and the backing is wonderful.

Other tracks which I would recommend are Call in the Night Boy and Renee. A journey worth taking.

Marks Out of ten: 9

They could write songs man, yes they could. After One Step Beyond the Nutty Sound continued, I love this album, its one ska pop tune after another, with sentiment and wit they plough through a track list of worthiness. Its not just the hits like Baggy Trouser and Embarassment, although these songs are brilliantly written and performed. Filler such as ERNIE always strike me as been as crafted as their popular counterparts.

In my opinion this was Madness's finest hour, they never rekindled this beauty on Madness 7, and anyway after Absolutely the Ska thing was leaving home and just the pop stayed in.

A classic.

Marks Out of 10:8

I want to cry, I really do, what has happened to the bands a couple of years ago that were releasing great debuts??, the answer is that they seem unable to sustain the flow and instead release a disc of pap.

Under The Iron Sea is as useless as the proverbial chocolate fireguard. The single that first ermerged from this is the only highlight, and that sounds like a U2 playing like a set of pansies.

Unfortunately this is a collection of mindnumbling ordinary songs which are unmemorable and just downright boring.

No wonder the tubby singer bloke ended up in rehab.

Marks Out of 10: 2

Total bollocks?, yeah, the music and the titles, I cant muster up any enthusiasm for this follow up to the sublime Hot Fuss. Hot Fuss oozed with retro flashbacks to the 80s and mixed it with indie pomp, Sam's Town shows that The Killers have run out of steam, and quick.

Maybe a debut album as delightful as Hot Fuss can never be equalled?, like Keane and their shitty follow up to Hopes and Fears, they fail to re-engage any of that magic.

Sad, but the reality is the Killers are now kack...its official.

Out of 10: 2