The album that effectively made Richard Branson, as well as Mike Oldfield, I've always had a soft spot for it - a soft spot not shared by Chloe.
Signed to Branson's Virgin label, this album would go on to sell in the millions. It is hugely familiar, and often parodied, but the fact that it is written and performed by one man, given the variety of instruments used, is in itself impressive.
The first track starts with the seminal notes that are so well known. Whilst this theme is no doubt divisive, I think it has actually stood the test of time remarkably well. The way the song builds, with an ebbing and flowing, and always something new to hear is great, and the sound quality is superb, with the title instrument cutting through beautifully, testament to the obsessive nature of the artist. I've always enjoyed the ending of this song too, with the announcement of each instrument into an amusing yet stirring crescendo.
The second track can't live up to the majesty of the first, in which there is no real shame. However, when there are only two tracks on the album, it does diminish the overall impact. There are nice touches throughout the second song, but it never really gets going in the same way.
This is an album I enjoyed coming back to, having heard it a lot in my youth. Whilst I noticed the odd new tone or note, it didn't add much to my memory of the album. Chloe was more won over by it, although given her expectations, it didn't take much to raise the bar on those.
Chloe's album rating: 5
Chloe's favourite track: 2. Tubular Bells Part II
Olly's album rating: 7
Olly's favourite track: 1. Tubular Bells Part I
Next week is 756. Brutal Youth by Elvis Costello.
A
h good, a Jazz album; these weeks always end well.
Weather Report were a three piece group made up of a saxophonist, keyboard player and drummer. This album was the band's eighth, and their biggest seller. It is considered Jazz-rock, and fairly accessible, which I agree with, as I didn't get confused by it every time I listened to it, which is my normal interaction with this genre.
There are enjoyable songs that have catchy moments, and clearly the musicians are technically impressive. It is not dissimilar in some respects to the Ambient sounds of Brian Eno we recently heard, just a bit more insistent overall. Birdland, the opener, is pretty catchy, and seems like good fun, and Palladium has some great synth and sax interplay. However, tracks such as A Remark You Made are just tedious, and fail to evoke any emotional response but boredom.
The final track, Havona, is the stand out for me, as it's full on energy, and builds into a coherent song with something like a familiar structure for me.
Overall, not a disaster given what I expected to think of it, but certainly it hasn't converted me to Jazz, even with the 'rock' moniker added. If you like impressive technical playing, and don't hate Jazz, then I'm sure you would enjoy this album.
Chloe's album rating: 5
Chloe's favourite track:
Olly's album rating: 5
Olly's favourite track: 8. Havone
Next week we have 300. Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield. I know that Chloe is nervous about this one.
An album title that's always intrigued me, I was later to the Fatboy Slim party with a love of the late '90s soundtrack that was You've Come a Long Way, Baby.
Whilst DJs has become popular since the mid-80s Hacienda revolution, it wasn't really until the 90s that they would put together commercially successful albums, with Norman Cook at the forefront of this. His crowd-pleasing hooks and big samples were just what the masses wanted, and you can see why it worked out for him. Take Santa Cruz for example, the second track on the album - the guitar is absolutely front and centre, and demands to be listened to at a loud volume. There is some subtlety too, such as on The Weekend Starts Here, with its slower, more blissed-out vibe.
The album does start to deteriorate as it goes on however, with weaker tracks at the end. First Down, a nice horn sample aside, is a bit too samey, and Punk to Funk relies on a slightly annoying vocal sample. Whilst these types of tracks may sound great in a club, with other tracks mixed in and out, as standalones at home they come up short.
The album is what I expected - it's full of accessible, danceable tracks, with some catchy samples. It is not particularly clever, although I appreciate it was probably more innovative at the time than it now sounds. Whilst I enjoyed it on the whole, I really can't see it becoming an album I will return to - it can't touch the variety and quality of its successor.
Chloe's album rating: 6
Chloe's favourite track: 1. Song for Lindy
Olly's album rating: 6
Olly's favourite track: 3. The Weekend Starts Here
Next week is 369. Heavy Weather by Weather Report.
I think Brian Eno is one of those names who conjures up more prejudice than most artists. Whilst not knowing much of his stuff (I have a rarely played copy of No Pussyfooting on LP), I instantly had a picture in my head of what to expect, and that picture wasn't a flattering one.
Ambient music is something I've never had much time for, literally and metaphorically. However, now I'm slightly older, having something calming and background-y is probably not a bad thing, and this album lives up to that. Eno himself said that it was an album that could be ignored or focused on, and work both ways. The gentle piano, and electronic effects on the opener are indicative of the rest of the album - indeed, it is hard to tell the tracks apart really.
I think there can be a tendency to be a bit over-intellectual about these types of albums. Whilst Eno is clearly an intelligent man who thinks a lot about the sounds he is producing, at the end of the day it is not as abstract as I had expected. There are themes and devices that catch your attention, such as the haunting chorus overlaying the piano on 1/2, and then drift out.
This album is not amusical, as I had feared. It is a bit of a strange one, and I can't say that I loved it. However, it is an album I could imagine listening to repeatedly, and developing some affection for. It certainly makes me more interested in listening to more of Eno's back catalogue, although not just yet.
Chloe's album rating: 5
Chloe's favourite track: 1. 1/1
Olly's album rating: 6
Olly's favourite track: 1. 1/1
Next week we have 812. Better Living Through Chemistry by Fatboy Slim; that'll have a bit more energy.
A seminal Stevie Wonder album? Yes please.
An epic album that went beyond the double LP to also require an additional 7" disc when it originally went on sale, Wonder had allegedly accumulated over 200 songs before he went to the studio to create the album.
What's interesting about this album is that it doesn't have many recognisable songs on the track listing, especially given the high esteem that this album is held in. Upon listening, however, it is like wrapping oneself in a warm blanket - familiar, comfortable, and funky. There are countless strong songs, from opener Love's in Need of Love Today, to the outrageously great Sir Duke, that litter the album's spread. It is almost these highlights that set the bar too high for the remainder, with perfectly decent tracks comma such as Joy Inside My Tears seeming to come up short.
The sheer range and variety of tracks is pretty breathtaking, from the slightly syruppy Isn't She Lovely, a song I've spent many an hour singing to my daughter, to the outright Funk of Black Man, via the sprawling synth-pop of Saturn. Whilst not everything quite works, it is quite exceptional that these songs come from the same creative force. Probably testament to this are the number of samples taken from this album alone, with Pastime Paradise, As and I Wish sparking an instant recognition from their re-use in the 80s and 90s.
It is a really enjoyable album, and it certainly fills in a few gaps in my Stevie wonder knowledge, which I had considered fairly broad. Perhaps I expect too much, but it didn't quite live up to the very high standards I had set it in my head. Still, I don't doubt I will return to it fairly regularly, and will definitely feel smugger at being able to recognise more album tracks when they occasionally pop up on 6 Music.
Chloe's album rating: 7
Chloe's favourite track: 5 Sir Duke
Olly's album rating: 7
Olly's favourite track: 5. Sir Duke
Next week we have 395. Ambient Music No.1: Music for Airports - Brian Eno.
I don't know much John Mayall, but have heard people talk about him in sometimes reverential tones. Eric Clapton I am more familiar with, and he has always impressed me with his melodic playing.
The album is out and out Blues, as the name suggests. It is a bit hard to know, as no expert in the genre, whether this album influenced others, or is itself heavily influenced by other works - I guess primarily the latter. The opener All Your Love, for example, sounds remarkably similar to Cream's Strange Brew. The guitar sound, a Gibson Les Paul through a Marshall overdriven amp apparently, is now synonymous with this genre, and still sounds urgent today.
Some of the songs seem to work really well in terms of capturing and distilling the Blues, whereas others seem wide of the mark. For example, Hideaway is an instrumental that doesn't offer much beyond some fretboard exercises for would be guitar heroes. Double Crossing Time hints at a more varied and rounded approach, but ends up sounding a bit like a pastiche, and What'd I Say has a ridiculous drum solo in it that Chloe couldn't listen to the whole way through. Key to Love and the album opener are much more coherent songs, with their simplicity working for them.
I'm sure Blues experts would point out that this album was a landmark, and set the tone for Blues from the ,mid 60s, but I just feel that it is a bit to miss rather than hit. I can't imagine putting it on much in the future, as if I want Blues, I'd rather go straight to the source than hearing more British imitations.
Chloe's album rating: 4
Chloe's favourite track: 1. All Your Love
Olly's album rating: 5
Olly's favourite track: 7. Key To Love
Next week's album is 362. Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder.
Not an album I'd ever heard of, I had always thought that I would appreciate the work of the jazz greats. To my mind, they were the forerunners of the prog-rock scene, in terms of the experimental musical boldness, and although I wasn't sure I'd ever love them, I hoped I would learn to appreciate them.
With the insistence of a train, Shhh/Peaceful starts off all driving hi-hat. The noodling guitar and keys are more suggestive of the title, and over the course of the 18 minutes, the song finds itself in a clam and meditative place. The trumpet adds an element of focus, but it can be easy to zone out entirely; never a good sign for me. I don't doubt the skill required in performing or writing such music, and you can certainly appreciate new elements each time you listen to it, but it's hard to love something so explicitly cranial. The second. and title track has a more sedate opening but then develops into a more focused piece in a mirror of the opener. The bassline is more musical for me especially with the interplay alongside the organ
Fundamentally, a week is not sufficient time to develop a full appreciation for such a complex genre. I was thinking that this would be the sort of album you'd play in the background at a dinner party, but on reflection, I'm not sure I want to be the guy who plays Miles Davis whilst hosting a dinner party; I'm simultaneously too self-aware and not clever enough to be that individual.
Chloe's album rating: 6
Chloe's favourite track: 1. Shhh/ Peaceful
Olly's album rating: 4
Olly's favourite track: 2. In a Silent Way
Next week is 63. Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton by John Mayall's Bluesbreakers
