|
|
D PageContents: The Decemberists, Sandy Denny, Neil Diamond, Dire Straits, Disclaimer, Dave Dobbyn, The Doobie Brothers, Nick Drake, Dream Theater, The Dukes of Stratosphear, Bob DylanThe Decemberists have their own pageSandy Denny can be found on the Fairport Convention pageNeil DiamondDiamond's And Gold(1973)Diamond's And Gold captures Neil Diamond's early period before the sparkly shirts began to take a toll on his career, which flat-lined with his cover of 'My Heart Will Go On'. While Neil Diamond may have killed off his career with Vegas affectations, his first few years produced plenty of memorable pop singles. The LP only compilation Diamond's And Gold collects the highlights from his first two albums, as well as the non album single 'Kentucky Woman'. Although he later fabricated a story (in order to make himself "more interesting") that he ran away from home at the age of 13 to join a band, Diamond actually started his career as a professional songwriter in the Brill Building after dropping out of med school. His songs on Diamond's And Gold bear definite traces of the sixties pop production line; less densely produced than the Spector model, with a constant acoustic guitar to remind us of Diamond's status as songwriter and musician, but with the same overlaid elements of horn sections, female backing singers, organs and strings. Neil's ego, which became a tangible force on later recordings, isn't particularly invoked on Diamond's And Gold; this is dippy sixties pop, with simple romantic themes and a hint of melancholy pointing at a deeper artistry than his nearest contemporaries Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck could shake a stick at. It's a guilty pleasure, but to a lesser extent than 'Song Sung Blue' or 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers'. It's no accident that John A. Petersen, insurance salesman from up the road, is familiar with half these songs; Diamond certainly had a knack of crafting catchy pop songs, and it's most apparent in his earliest work. Along with his own staples, 'Cherry Cherry', 'Kentuck Woman' and 'Solitary Man', Diamond's And Gold also features 'I'm A Believer', 'Red Red Wine' and 'Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon', popularised by The Monkees, UB40 and Pulp Fiction respectively. On the second tier, we have the ultra-catchy 'Oh, No, No (I Got The Feeling)', the oxymoronical-assuming-it's-premarital 'Thank The Lord For The Night Time' and the geeky 'Shilo'. Elsewhere the standard drops off; Diamond's cover of 'Monday Monday' doesn't measure up to The Mamas And The Papas' original, while a few of the other songs are pretty much disposable. For a professional songwriter, Diamond sure didn't know too many chords, and ten years after my Diamond phase I'd much rather listen to The Replacement's 'Red Red Wine', but most of these songs are harmless enough. There's a CD available Classics: The Early Years, which presents the same era in a more condensed form. Neil Diamond went on to write some more great songs, such as 'Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show' and 'Holly Holy', but he was never this humble and approchable again. 
 Dire StraitsMoney For Nothing(1988)Directly after Celine Dion is an excellent location for Dire Straits, giving them a rare spotlight of comparative credibility. The main problem for Dire Straits was timing; debuting in England in the late 1970s and commercially overshadowing more artistically significant artists such as The Clash and The Sex Pistols isn't the best way to make critical friends. A few years later and their relatively stripped back pop/rock would have been like manna in the desert, but by that time Dire Straits themselves had progressed to a modern eighties sound. At worst Dire Straits' material is bland, both because they float too close to the mainstream and because some of their songs go on far too long. Perceptively, critics have referred to Dire Straits as a humble pub-rock band, whose growth to meet the more difficult expectations that came with stadium-filling concerts and conceptual albums was somewhat awkward. It's almost erroneous to refer to Dire Straits as a group since Mark Knopfler dominated proceedings, even firing his brother David for not practicing enough. Knopfler is an earnest singer and capable guitarist (he extracts his distinctive tones by not using a pick), and a competent songwriter. His lyrics are seldom inspired, but they're always carefully constructed and never embarrassing. So, while Dire Straits are not a key group whose innovative albums inspire you to track down their entire discography, they're vaguely respectable and perfectly enjoyable. A compilation is probably all that you need though. 1988's Money For Nothing has been superseded by 1998's Sultans of Swing but the two compilations appear vaguely equivalent; Money For Nothing has a cooler cover, but less (the lovely 'So Far Away' is inexplicably omitted) and different (nice live versions of 'Telegraph Road' and 'Portobello Road') songs. Money For Nothing is a fairly even collection; there's nothing jaw-droppingly brilliant, but everything is very listenable and there's nothing particularly disappointing. The best songs feature guests; Sting earned half the royalties from the sardonic 'Money For Nothing' simply for singing 'I want my MTV' to the chorus of The Police's 'Don't Stand So Close To Me', while Springsteen pianist Roy Bittan arpeggiates nicely all over 'Tunnel of Love'. The two most ubiquitous songs both earn their keep; 'Walk of Life' has an irresistible organ riff, while 'Sultans of Swing' encapsulates the quintessential Knopfler guitar sound. On the counterside 'Where Do You Think You're Going' is predictable blues, and the fun 'Twisting By The Pool' has tossed-off non-album single written all over it. Still, after listening to Money For Nothing I'm left with the impression that Dire Straits are a little undervalued.
DisclaimerBombs By Night, Balloons by Morning(2001)This evening I attended my local Toastmasters club for the first time, in an effort to boost my confidence and oral communication skills. One reason that I found it enjoyable was that much of the time was spent in analysis and review: one person makes their speech, then another person appraises them, then another person appraises the appraiser. Tonight we had a workshop on the appraisal technique, so I thought I could practice it on this review. It acronymises as CRC, which is shorthand for a commendation, followed by three recommendations and concluded by another commendation. CRC is lovely, because it allows for constructive criticism without being wholly negative; the appraiser is also obliged to say something benevolent about the speaker. Even though Disclaimer are an unsigned act, who consist solely of Web Reviewing Community Stalwart Chris Willie Williams for their debut, there's no real need for such kid-glove treatment as Bombs By Night, Balloons by Morning is a spiffing album on any scale. The first commendation for Bombs By Night, Balloons by Morning is that it contains one of my favourite songs of this millennium thus far: 'Ultra XX Living Solely On XY'. Last week my birthday treat was being allowed to control the stereo at my friend's flat for an evening. I spun 'Ultra XX Living Solely On XY' alongside the mellow side of Eno's Before and After Science, Slanted and Enchanted and selections from Genesis' The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, and it didn't sound at all out of its depth because it of its haunting atmosphere and melody. To boot, Williams' lyrics are particularly masterful in this song with well drawn out images: "the most enlightened suburban goddess...who burns her bra and then tightens her bodice" is a superlative encapsulation of its thematic content. The first recommendation I would like to make is that Bombs By Night, Balloons by Morning would be more user friendly if it was prettier. There are some exceptions is the latter part of the album; 'Ultra XX Living Solely On XY' and 'Why Are They Laughing?' both have more evocative and contemplative arrangements, while 'Similar To The Sugar Pill' has a crackerjack sing along quality, even though it's again not as pretty as it could be. If I was Disclaimer's manager and I had a large barrel of money, I'd ring up Johnny Marr and ask him to jangle enrichingly all over the proceedings. In contrast, Disclaimer succeed very well in being abrasive; Williams' screaming in the conclusion of the humdinging 'Your Bird Is Going To Fly Away' is quite riveting. A second recommendation I would like to make is that the three covers on Bombs By Night, Balloons by Morning are largely superflous, merely highlighting the burgeoning nature of Williams' own writing. The only cover of value is 'Life In Detail', as it gives Disclaimer a spiffing platform to rock out. A third recommendation for Disclaimer is that a few of the songs ('The Decipherment of Linear B' and 'Unopposed') have an adolescent bent in the lyrics which is distracting, particularly when coupled with Williams' vocals which still retain a certain youthful flavour. On the whole through, these are more than balanced by vocal performances and lyrics that are often intriguing. The final commendation for Bombs By Night, Balloons by Morning is that although I don't necessarily like hearing it for too long or often, largely because of its overall harshness, the best songs contain enough complexity to yield enhanced pleasure with repeated listens. In my book that is a defining characteristic of prestigious music mongering, and it's even more of an achievement when Williams was the sole creative force behind the album. Also at Toastmasters, a kind gentleman gave me a copy of a mini thesaurus he'd made, in order to stop people from using the word "good" too much. You may have noticed I've used this thesaurus liberally during this review, and I'd like to conclude by stating that Bombs By Night, Balloons by Morning is hardly peerless or immaculate but in places it is goodly and gratifying. At present the only way to obtain a Disclaimer recording is through Williams' topnotch website.
Feedback: Chris Willie Williams writes Thanks very much for the nice review! I really enjoyed reading it, and I liked the CRC technique, which I'd never heard of before. (I also found the line "I'd like to conclude by stating that Bombs By Night, Balloons by Morning is hardly peerless or immaculate but in places it is goodly and gratifying" funny. Thesaurus humor always cracks me up. I'm such a grammar nerd...) I totally understand all your recommendations, and agree with them to a degree. If I had to do it all over again, I'd eliminate "Billy Morgan" (which I think flat-out sucks) and "Bet She's Not Your Girlfriend" (which I like, but still kind of plays like filler). And I agree that the combination of the teen angst lyrics and deer-in-the-headlights vocals on some of the songs gets kind of annoying... on my next album, I'm trying to at least gruff up the vocals a bit and make the lyrics a bit more mature. Though the album as a whole is turning out substantially uglier than Bombs by Night, which kind of goes against your desire for it to sound more ear-friendly. Guess I'm just not in an ear-friendly place in my life right now. :) I'll still send you a copy when it's done, though, if you'd like. I'm really happy you like "Ultra XX" so much, too! I'm really proud of that one. And I'm glad that you liked the disc so much in general. Thanks again for taking the time to review it and let me know your thoughts- I really appreciate the feedback! Take it easy, Willie Dave DobbynThe Dave Dobbyn Collection(1992)For a generation of New Zealanders, Dave Dobbyn is a foremost musical icon. While his contemporaries the Finns enjoyed a high profile in Melbourne during the 1980s, Dave Dobbyn stayed home in the more humble New Zealand pub circuit. In between his arrest for inciting a riot in Auckland's Queen Street, and creating the music for an animated film about a dog named The Dog, Dobbyn wrote some of the most memorable popular songs to ever emerge from New Zealand. The primary reason that Dobbyn connects with New Zealand is the sincerity that his music exudes. While he doesn't have a great voice, it often works as an asset; his gritty vocals can imbibe the most tired phrase such as "stay forever" or "shouldn't you oughta be in love" with meaning and commitment. And when he writes an exceptional song such as 'Whaling' or 'Loyal', Dobbyn has the passion to transform it into a pseudo national anthem. Dobbyn also has a flair for off-kilter arrangements; 'Slice of Heaven' combines catchy accapella vocals and incredibly kitsch keyboard effects to create an unforgettable record. The Dave Dobbyn Collection compiles Dobbyn's work from his beginnings in pub rock band Th' Dudes, through DD Smash and his solo career. There are tons of highlights; 'Be Mine Tonight', a landmark recording of New Zealand pub rock, catchy riff rockers like 'Devil You Know' and 'Solo', and more pop-oriented later work 'Whaling' and 'Slice of Heaven'. Even with such an impressive back catalogue the keystone of Dobbyn's career is undoubtedly the emotionally direct 'Loyal'. The value of the package in enhanced with the priceless cover photo of Dobbyn shamelessly parading a fine mullet hairdo.
Twist(1994)Dave Dobbyn underwent a lean patch in the early nineties, and Twist heralded a commercial comeback. The credits for Twist read like a who's who of New Zealand music; Neil Finn produces and plays multiple instruments, his brother Tim and son Liam (who fronts Betchadupa) sing backing vocals, three of the Muttonbirds contribute instrumental skills, and Nathan Haines plays tenor sax on 'P.C.'. Finn's production skills are spot on, giving the album a mild psychedelic feel which enhances many of the tracks. Twist contains some of Dobbyn's best work: 'In The Lap of the Gods' is a startlingly original rock song, 'It Dawned On Me' and 'I Can't Change My Name' are beautiful, and 'Language' and 'What Do You Really Want' are also from Dave's top drawer. Elsewhere Twist isn't as inspired, the sub minute 'Umm' seems particularly deadweight, but intelligent sequencing ensures that Twist never loses momentum completely.
The Doobie BrothersListen To The Music: The Very Best Of(1993)My copy of the Guinness Rockopedia opines that The Doobie Brothers were "a rare example of a completely successful style make-over." I beg to disagree; substitute "an", "heinous" and "sabotage" for "a rare", "successful" and "make-over", and you'll have a much more accurate perception. The original Doobie Brothers (according to the particularly candid liner notes: "widely reputed to be a reference to a joint or marijuana cigarette") were a funky guitar band with two drummers, reliably delivering catchy hits such as 'Long Train Runnin'', 'Listen To The Music' and a much improved version of The Byrds' 'Jesus Is Just Alright'. They were less one-dimensional than those singles suggest, with Tom Johnston turning in a convincing vocal performance on their cover of Motown's 'Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While)' and the group turning up their amps for the classic riff-rocker 'China Grove'. Second guitarist/vocalist Patrick Simmons is the unsung hero, supplying a more plaintive edge with the hick chart-topper 'Black Water' and 'South City Midnight Lady'. As the titles suggest (add the rock genericisms of 'Rockin' Down The Highway' and 'Without You' to the list) none of their songs are particularly profound, and they give the general impression they're mainly in it for the money and girls, but their hits are exactly the sort of seventies things that give classic rock radio body, bounce and shine. Catastrophe struck in 1975 when Johnston fell ill during a tour, and was replaced by vocalist and keyboard player Michael McDonald. McDonald quickly succeeded in transforming the Doobies into an insipid soft-rock unit fronted by his hateful soulful vocals. Ignoring the fact that 'What A Fool Believes' is actually quite good (it serves to confirm that every dog has its day), every other McDonald fronted number on Listen To The Music is simply awful. 'Takin' It To The Streets', 'It Keeps You Runnin'', 'Minute By Minute', 'Little Darling (I Need You)' (a pathetic attempt to rework the Motown cover formula: turns out as insipid soft-rock unit fronted by McDonald's hateful soulful vocals)...... it's difficult to believe that one man was responsible for foisting all of these monstrosities upon the world. Using a duality approach, I give the Johnston years four stars for solid funk-rock and give the McDonald years one star (I wouldn't care if 'What A Fool Believes' was 'Suite Judy Blue Eyes', 'The Tourist', 'Supper's Ready', 'Siberian Khaatru', and 'Brown Sugar' rolled into one; the rest is so awful that it's immaterial), averaging out to 2.5 stars. The liner notes state that Listen To The Music features the classics from the first decade of The Doobie Brothers, which few would deny was their greatest era." Again we need some modification. How about: Listen To The Music would be so much better if it only included the classics (sic.) up to 1975, which anyone in their right mind would affirm was their greatest era.
Nick Drake has his own pageDream TheaterImages And Words(1992)It's hard to imagine a more anachronistic album to launch a successful career in the height of grunge. After their debut bombed, Dream Theater recruited high pitched and operatically trained James LaBrie, launching this grandiose mixture of terminally uncool progressive rock, hair metal and AOR balladry. It sounds like a bad idea on paper, and it's no surprise that the band is reviled in many quarters, but it really works on this album. Dream Theater's biggest drawcard is the member's impressive instrumental abilities; these guys are comparable with the classic 1972 edition of Yes in terms of playing ability, although they bring more of a metal edge than their predecessors. Like Jon Anderson, LaBrie's high pitched vocals can be off putting, but he fits in nicely to the sound of the band even if he does come across as soulless at times (it doesn't help his credibility that he doesn't write any of the lyrics); the purity of his voice on this record is often gorgeous. But the primary reason for the success of this album on artistic terms is that the group's melodic sense is impeccable; Images And Words is packed full of memorable instrumental passages and vocal melodies. The album's diversity is also in its favour, travelling from rock anthem to sensitive balladry to mind boggling progressive rock over its span. The centrepiece of the record is the ten minute 'Metropolis-Part 1'; a complex progressive piece full of insane instrumental breaks, memorable melodies and an involved storyline that was later expanded to create 1999's Scenes From A Memory. It's easily comparable with classic progressive songs such as 'Starless' and 'The Gates of Delirium'. Images And Words begins with 'Pull Me Under' - a bombastic rock anthem that could be laughable in the wrong hands, but the simplistic approach works with coupled with the group's blazing chops. Portnoy's longer than expected drum fill in the intro and Pettruci's shredding guitar fills leading into the chorus are particularly breathtaking. 'Surrounded' turns a beautiful piano piece into a full blown rocker before dropping back into ballad mode. Of the more complex material 'Take The Time' effortlessly explores difficult rhythms, while Petrucci's solo in 'Under The Glass Moon' was designed to be so technically challenging as to be impossible to copy. There are a few weak points on the record - 'Another Day' does drift a little close to adult contemporary with its saxophone solos and all, and the excellent closer 'Learning To Live' could have been trimmed - but these are minor quibblings on an album brimming with confidence and power. Images And Words is an astoundingly ambitious record, and almost all of it is carried off with aplomb.
Scenes From A Memory(1999)Dream Theater are generally the best regarded of the neo-prog groups, the progressive bands that emerged after the genre's golden age in the early seventies. While their progressive influences are evident, Dream Theater also incorporate a hefty dose of metal, enough to set them apart from their predeccesors. All four instrumentalists are extremely proficient, on the same stratosphere as Yes but without the same distinct musical personalities (for instance, Steve Howe's country leanings). James Labrie has a warm voice, although his pseudo-operatic pretensions in climatic moments can be overbearing. Scenes From A Memory (and presumably Dream Theater in general) is a love or hate album; listeners will either be wowed by Dream Theater's ambition and virtuosity, or revolted by their pretentiousness and pointless noodling. On their 1992's Images And Words, Dream Theater included the fan favourite 'Metropolis-Part 1', causing speculation about the existence of a sequel. When this sequel emerged seven years later, it wasn't merely a song, but an entire eighty minute concept album (the full title is Metropolis pt 2: Scenes From A Memory). The storyline concerns a young man, Nicholas, who is haunted by the spirit of a girl who was murdered in 1928. Like other notable prog albums, Scenes From A Memory is a cohesive work; it's difficult to single out individual tracks from the overall story. To their credit, Dream Theater maintain momentum for the entire eighty minutes; none of the songs are noticeably weak, and there are plenty of memorable sections. Although Dream Theater slip into formulaic metal a little too much for my liking, they also throw in playful sections of ragtime and tender balladry. I apologise to fans of Scenes From A Memory if my descriptions of this excellent album don't do it justice; I borrowed it and had to return it last week so I'm reviewing from memory. I now have my own copy, so I'll do a proper review sometime.
The Dukes of Stratosphear can be found on the XTC pageBob DylanLive 1966: The Royal Albert Hall Concert(1998)In 1965, Dylan stopped being a folk singer and began playing with a rock band and writing more complex songs with more verbal imagery. This was disconcerting to his audience, who preferred him to keep producing folk anthems such as 'Blowin' in the Wind' and 'The Times They Are A Changing'. He and his band were constantly heckled at concerts, and the records that he produced during the period were sometimes harangued by critics: the sleeve notes report that one critic dismissed 'Like A Rolling Stone' as "sub-standard Dylan" with "monotonous melody line and expressionless intoning....going over to the electronic enemy." This album was recorded at the height of the controversy; just before 'Like A Rolling Stone', a member of the audience shouts "Judas" at Dylan. The two discs of the live album document the different halves of the show (which was actually in Manchester, the original bootleg was misnamed so the official release continues the tradition): the first is a solo acoustic set, while the second is an electric set with most of The Band backing Dylan. The concert features an excellent set list with the most cliched folk anthems avoided, although it would have been interesting to hear 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' in this context. The first disc is very focused and intimate, with some excellent vocal performances as Dylan tackles epics 'Desolation Row' and 'Visions of Johanna'. The second disc is even better with The Band showing more fire and intensity than Dylan's sometimes routine studio backing. Guitarist Robbie Robertson breaks out aggressive leads all over the place, while Garth Hudson's organ is typically insane. Albert Hall is a great live album, given extra impetus by its historical significance. Highly recommended.
Bob Dylan, live in Wellington, February 24 2003, can be found on the Concerts page. |
|
|
|
Written 2001-2007, Graham Fyfe
