So I know the cover version that made Soft Cell famous, but was surprised to discover that one of their albums had allegedly made sufficient impact on the world to be in the list. Still, the last early electronica album that focussed on the clubbing scene in London impressed me greatly, so I was intrigued.
Released in 1981 by English duo Dave Ball and Marc Almond, the album was written to capture the reality of the clubbing scene in London as told by two naive suburbanites, or that is how it came across. The single Tainted Love became a global smash hit, selling over 1.2 million copies in the UK, and spending 43 weeks in the US top 100. The album was successful in the UK reaching number 5, but limited elsewhere, with its sexual connotations proving too much for the more uptight US market.
Frustration opens with some exceptionally crisp synths, and an impassioned vocal performance about the struggle of a normal, mundane existence. Tainted Love is one of the few songs where the cover surpasses the original to the extent that it is barely considered a cover. The sleazy, squelchy bassline is overlaid with a razor sharp synth, and a chorus that has been sung at too many nights out in Reflex is still hard to resist. Seedy Films is a stripped back track, with great use of toe-tapping snare and a filthy couple of sax lines. Youth sees the group attempting something a bit more grandiose, and almost pulling it off. Sex Dwarf is frankly bizarre, but also bizarrely good. The biting vocals and icey production make it compelling, although it is hard to stomach some of the lyrics, especially given the controversies surrounding the music video. Entertain Me makes innovative use of the call and spoken response in the verses, and adds some energy, which is taken up a notch by Chips on my Shoulder, with its rapid synths that foreshadow much of the 80s. Bedsitter has a Joy Division-esque bassline, and a catchy chorus that in my head always ended up swapping the word Bedsit for Brexit. The song is wonderfully evocative in its presentation of the loneliness of the hedonistic clubbing scene. Secret Life is a dark tale of hidden lives, and Say Goodbye, Wave Goodbye is an emotional lament to the end of a relationship, both of which are enjoyable whilst being slightly forgettable to me. Memorabilia is a very intriguing track that would not be out of place on an early Nine Inch Nails record, with a commentary on the fetishisation of collections. Fun City is somewhat ponderous, and the last few tracks lack as much identity, despite the more varied instrumentation, including steel drums and a horn section.
This album had a lot more depth and meaning to it than I'd anticipated, and shows Soft Cell to be much more than a disposable single band. The music is always the safe side of edgy, although undeniably catchy, but the lyrics demonstrate an acute awareness of the early 80s London scene. There is significantly more variety than I'd expected, with a high standard pretty much throughout; indeed, I really struggled to pick a standout song. Whilst it is not seminal in the way some albums are, it is also significantly more enjoyable than many, with a cutting, knowing humour alongside some razor sharp tunes.
Chloe's album rating: 6
Chloe's favourite track: 7. Chips on My Shoulder
Olly's album rating: 7
Olly's favourite track: 10. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye
Next in line is 452. Tusk by Fleetwood Mac. Epic, epic album that.
Another Wu-Tang solo project, Liquid Swords is the second solo album by GZA. Given how much Chloe loves the Wu Tang, I was interested to hear how this project would compare to Ghostface Killah's Fishscale.
Released in November 1995, the album features all the members of Wu Tang, indicating the collaborative approach they have to their music. The title comes from a samurai film about a sword so thin that it can decapitate someone without their head leaving their neck. It reached number nine in the US, and went platinum in 2015, demonstrating its popularity with the pubic. It was critically acclaimed too, with many reviewers labelling it as equal to the best solo Wu projects.
The title track opens with a Samurai-based monologue from the film Shogun Assassin, thus conforming to the Wu Tang obsession. A very simple beat allows GZA to deliver his rhymes without being overshadowed, and with some support from RZA. Duel of the Iron Mic is one of the most complete tracks on the album, with a great piano riff and some captivating sound effects, the 4 members of Wu Tang, including ODB and Inspectah Deck, manage to build on each other's verses. Living in the World Today has a great little horn riff, but the Method Man/GZA combo doesn't quite work for me as I rarely ended up listening to the words, instead focusing on the overall sound. Gold has one of the best beats on the album, with an atmospheric production that trumps many of its contemporaries. GZA's lyrics are delivered in his usual calm, laid-back way, but with a strong narrative underpinning it. Cold World, the album's third single, has a sparse, dislocated sound to it, but I don't quite get why it was picked out as a single, although Chloe enjoyed it. Labels is a bit of a non-event for me, whereas 4th Chamber has a captivating beat and strong efforts from Ghostface Killah, RZA and Killah Priest. As GZA says himself - this one is more of a Wu track than a solo effort. Shadowboxin' has some of the most innovative samples on the record, with some great scratching introducing the track. Investigative Reports has the catchiest chorus, but it is B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth) that is the standout song for me, with its accessible chorus, reflective lyrics and catchy as hell samples.
Overall it is a consistent album, but one that rarely hits the high points I was hoping for. It also has a lack of variety when compared to Fishscale, for example, with most of the songs following a similar sound. The acclaim for the album comes primarily from the lyrics, and in all honesty I find it hard to focus on the lyrics for the duration, focussing much more on the overall sound. On that front it is a good, and not great, album as the production is excellent, but ploughs the same furrow a bit too much for my liking.
Chloe's album rating: 6
Chloe's favourite track: 5. Cold World
Olly's album rating: 6
Olly's favourite track: 13. B.I.B.L.E (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)
Next week we have 488. Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret by Soft Cell. Yes, it contains Tainted Love.
This album spawned thousands of devotees in the mid '90s, I had always enjoyed the singles without fully throwing myself into it as it required a level of dedication that I didn't quite have given the other bands dominating my time. It remains a seminal record for many of my mates, and so I was pretty happy with its selection.
Mellon Collie was released as a double CD and triple LP in 1995, having been written following an epic worldwide tour supporting Siamese Dream, the previous album. Flood and Alan Moulder were recruited to produce the record, and got the band working more cohesively as a group, rather than Billy Corgan dominating proceedings. The two discs were labelled as representing day and night, although it is not a concept album as there isn't a truly cohesive narrative knitting them together. Corgan wrote much of the material with a view of encapsulating his youth, and this seemed to sit well with the market, going on to reach number 1 in the US and number 4 in the UK.
The eponymous opener is a gentle piano number, that is then taken by the scruff of its neck into the masterful Tonight, Tonight. Corgan's voice is supreme on this, and the staccato drumming and swirling strings entrap the listener completely. Jellybelly is a slightly identikit grunge number, whereas Zero has a recognisable guitar intro from the outset. It was one of the numerous singles of the album, and has that wonderful "emptiness is loneliness, loneliness is cleanliness, etc." moment halfway through, alongside a relentless wave of sound. Here is No Why follows this up with some passion, but is blown out the water by the astonishingly good Bullet with Butterfly Wings, the first single off the album. The quiet-loud-quiet approach works an absolute treat, with the reverb on Chamberlin's percussion giving a claustrophobic feeling during the calmer sections, before the band explode led by Corgan's "just-holding-it-together" voice. To Forgive then takes things down a step, with a much more laid-back feeling. An Ode to No One is a pretty relentless wall of guitar noise, but slightly forgettable with it. Love makes one of the best modern uses of the phaser in recent memory, with a wonderfully distorted texture to the song. Cupid de Locke is too saccharine for me, whereas Muzzle has a bit more balance to it. Porcelina of the Vast Oceans is an epic song, clocking in at nearly 10 minutes, and whilst it takes a while to get going, has sufficient variety to engage for the duration. Bodies is a superb song, although slightly lyrically melodramatic. 1979 was another single off the album, and it is radio-friendly rock, with a piercing snare and jangly guitar offering it an identity quite different to the rest of the album. Tales of a Scorched Earth and X.Y.U. are far edgier, with a real intensity to them, complete with squealing guitars, and Corgan's rasping, broken voice. Whilst I'm not entirely convinced, the variety and conviction are both impressive. Stumbleine is another delicate lullaby, but with a deeper guitar tone, which makes it less saccharine. The electronica of Beautiful completes the genre-jumping of this quite wonderfully bizarre album.
It is clearly a momentous work of art, and there are some outstanding pieces of music here - some of the best rock songs of the 90s. However, I find the overall album a bit too binary; either all out rockers or syruppy sweet ballads, with little in between. The former I am a big fan of, but the latter does not quite work for me, as they tend to sound a bit samey, and rely too much on Corgan's, admittedly impressive, voice. Lyrically it is also a combination of limited and pompous, with angsty, meaningless epithets riddling otherwise cohesive tracks. That having been said, the high points of this album are genuinely impressive, and with even more time I feel like it would have offered even more to the listener. I appreciate it more for its misses as well as its hits because it signifies a band trying so hard to try new things, and, on the whole, succeeding.
Chloe's album rating: 7
Chloe's favourite track: 16. Bodies
Olly's album rating: 8
Olly's favourite track: 6. Bullet with Butterfly Wings
Next week is an album from the same year, but with a remarkably different feel - 800. Liquid Swords by Genius/GZA.
This is one of the few Beatles records I don't know that well, whereas Chloe knew every word. The excitement of 'discovering' a Beatles album is massive, as they are a group who rarely disappoint in the quality of their material, however high expectations are.
A Hard Day's Night was the first Beatles album containing songs written entirely by Lennon and Mcartney, and it was released alongside a film of the same name. Whilst it's fair to say the latter is well regarded, it was again the music album that captred the iggest rewards, going on to reach number one in the UK and US, although they have very different compositions. Just before this album was released, the Beatles had singles filling the top 5 slots in the US chart, indicating their popularity. This album regularly features in lists of the greatest albums ever, with Rolling Stone having it in their top 500, and Q in their top 100, although there are few Beatles albums that can't make similar claims.
The title track kicks out of the traps like a greyhound. Between the Lennon led vocals and the tight-as (ass?) rhythm section, the song is well driven. The harmonica section in the subsequent song captures the imagination, and the simplicity of the guitar line indicates exactly what the band were about. If I Fell is built on great backing vocals, multi-layered guitar lines, and slightly over saccharine but teenage-heart melting lyrics. I'm Happy Just to dance With You is all wide-eyed innocence and simplicity personified, resulting in a track you cannot avoid dancing to. And I Love Her is a slower, more melancholy song which shows the band's increased confidence in dealing with more grown up, mature issues, although still revolving around love. There is some interesting percussion, and a slow, delicate Harrison guitar solo, and it sounds like some of their more Indian-influenced later tracks. Tell Me Why reverts straight back to high quality, sing-along bubblegum pop, but is eclipsed by the irrepressible Can't Buy Me Love, which has one of the great Beatles choruses, which means one of the greatest choruses ever. The jangly guitar sound, coupled with the soaring vocals made this a deserved classic. Any Time At All was one of my favourites off this album, with the insistence of the lyrics in the chorus leaving you in no doubt as to the intentions of the singer. I'll Cry Instead is a bit of a miss for me, in relative terms, and Things We Said Today hints at the later experiments in psychedelia. When I Get Home is a pretty threatening song, with a great guitar line and classic Beatles harmonies. You Can't Do That takes that threatening tone and steps it up a notch, with some fairly denigrating and possessive lyrics, although some great Starr percussion. I'll Be Back has a great, jangly Harrison guitar line, but doesn't quite do enough with it.
This is clearly a very good album, but not as great as I had hoped it would be. The simplicity of the songs cannot hide the quality of the writing, but it is the later, more adventurous Beatles sound that has appealed to me more over the years. The singles off the album are terrific, an there are some songs I hadn't come across before that are brilliant, Any Time At All being a prime example. Overall though, it isn't the seminal classic I was hoping it would be, with the hint of some filler in songs that fail to move me much at the end of the album.
Chloe's album rating: 7
Chloe's favourite track: 2. I Should Have Known Better
Olly's album rating: 7
Olly's favourite track: 7. Can't Buy Me Love
Next is the epic 802. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by the Smashing Pumpkins.
