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P PageContents: Gram Parsons, Pavement, Pearl Jam, The Pet Shop Boys, Tom Petty, Liz Phair, Sam Phillips, Pink Floyd, Pixies, The Police, Primal Scream, Prince, Kevin ProschGram ParsonsGP(1973)Gram Parson's short solo career began in 1972, after his stints in The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers. While Parson is described as the founder of alt-country, his music only sounds marginally less crusty than forerunners such as Hank Williams. Parson's work is palatable to non-country listeners because of his lyrics and attitude, rather than his style. Nevertheless Parsons was a tremendous talent; it is unfortunate that neither of his solo albums reflect his capabilities consistently. Parson's attempts to create "Cosmic American Music" are ably aided by Emmylou Harris (whom Parsons discovered performing as a singer-songwriter, and converted to country), and Elvis Presley's superb backing band. Parson's strength is for tender ballads, emotionally affecting pieces such as 'A Song for You' and 'The New Soft Shoe' which he delivers with his engagingly creaky tenor. Strangely he mixes these with a batch of hit and miss covers, which appear shallow next to his emotionally resonant originals. In particular the hokey uptempo covers, such as 'That's All It Took' and 'Cry One More Time' stick out like sore thumbs. The highlight of GP is the disarmingly straightforward 'She', with the singalong "She had faith/She had believin'/She led all the people together in singin'/And she pray every night to the Lord up above/Singing hallelujah/Hallelujah" chorus. While its follow up, 1974's Grievous Angel, represents a huge artistic advance, GP is reasonably entertaining, if bafflingly inconsistent, in its own right. The two albums are released on CD as a twofer. 
Feedback: TJ writes Grievous Angel(1974)Parsons' second album was compiled and released posthumously after his heroin overdose at the Joshua Tree memorial. The quality of the best work on Grievous Angel underlines what a tragedy Parsons death was, as '$1000 Wedding,' 'Return of the Grievous Angel' and 'Brass Buttons' reach a new level of sophistication for Parsons. '$1000 Wedding' is particularly excellent, with nicely understated lyrics; "And where's the flowers for the girl, she only knew she loved the world/And why ain't there one lonely horn, just one sad note to play." This time the covers fit in better with his originals: 'Cash on the Barrelhead' is easily the best non-ballad on either of Parson's solo albums, because the lyrics have a more cynical edge. Arguably the album's highlight is a cover version of 'Love Hurts'; Parsons and Emmylou Harris' gentle duet is lovely, a revelation if you've only heard Nazareth's horrible version. While the best songs on Grievous Angel are marvellous, it is still frustratingly inconsistent; I can't help wishing that Parsons had stuck around to record another couple of originals to round the album off.
PavementSlanted And Enchanted(1992)The lineup for Pavement's 1992 debut included a middle-aged alcoholic drummer, who owned the studio where Pavement recorded their first EP. Gary Young only lasted another year before he was replaced; the group needed a second drummer to keep him in time, while his nefarious ways included handstands on stage and greeting the audience personally at the door. It's surprising that Young didn't fit in, as Slanted And Enchanted has plenty of eccentricity and incoherency to recommed itself. Recorded in a week at Young's Louder Than You Think studio, Slanted And Enchanted exudes lo-fi ethics, buzzing with not much production and lots of distorted guitars. Stephen Malkmus' lyrics are idiosyncratic ("She waits there in the levee wash/Mixing cocktails with a plastic-tipped cigar" observes 'Summer Babe') but his delivery is disarmingly straightforward that Slanted And Enchanted never feels gimmicky. While Pavement try to convince everyone they're not even trying on Slanted And Enchanted, it's a singularly satisfying album. The secret is that the mess is only window dressing for the group's inherent hookcraft and melodicism and that futhermore, the mess enhances the experience; Slanted And Enchanted has a loose and natural charm. But while the result may seem primal and raw, Pavement's approach to music is actually cerebral and calculated. While these songs are dressed up in budget production, bizarre lyrics and loud guitars, they are often surprisingly catchy. Sounding most like a single is opener 'Summer Babe (Winter Version)' with a warm melody and cutting guitars. 'Loretta's Scars' rides a catchy groove, even if the subject matter isn't particularly pleasant. On the other hand, 'Jackals, False Grails: The Lonesome Era' could be used as a rallying cry for a religious society ("I've got one holy life to live"). Despite developing a distinctive style, Pavement are intelligent enough to balance their intellectual thrash with more contemplative works and touches of country in 'Here' and 'Zurich Is Stained'. In short, Slanted And Enchanted is appealing and one of the most important albums of the nineties to boot; it comes awfully close to five stars, but dips out because there are a few too many uninteresting songs particularly in the second half ('Two States' stands out particularly as not standing out). I'm not familiar with much of Pavement's discography, but it would surprise me if they ever topped this.
 Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain(1994)Pavement return less frenetic, less eccentric and with better sound quality for their sophomore effort Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. While their songs are still strangely structured and they haven't tempered their uniqueness too far, the overall effect is less unsettling; like skewed classic rock rather than something entirely new and distinctive. While the lo-fi sloppiness of Slanted And Enchanted made for a slightly more engaging album, their expanding sound and tighter playing allow Pavement more options; Malkmus' vocals are more powerful, while they mix in more styles and textures than previously. Most of the first half of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, however, is relatively uniform, falling in a distinctively Pavement territory somewhere beyond alternative and classic rock with idiosyncratic lyrics, spiky guitars and unconventional structures. The eclecticism really kicks in on the sixth track where the rawness of 'Unfair' recalls Slanted And Enchanted while the jauntiness of 'Gold Soundz' magnifies the appeal of Malkmus' common man oddball persona. The diversity is taken a step further with the bizarre lounge stylings of '5-4=Unity', the Neil Youngisms (mild country, creaky vocals) of 'Range Life' (where Malkmus takes The Smashing Pumpkins and Stone Temple Pilots to task) and the funky bass riff of 'Hit The Plane Down', before ending anthemically with more conventional rock on 'Fillmore Jive'. Objectively, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain isn't much of a step down from Slanted And Enchanted (if at all); the songs are arguably stronger overall, with less throwaways cluttering up space. Subjectively, however, none of the songs get under my skin like 'Summer Babe (Winter Version)' or 'In The Mouth A Desert' ('Gold Soundz' and 'Hit The Plane Down' come closest), while the off the wall fuzziness of the debut better fits my preconceptions of Pavement. In any case, Pavement's first two albums are both classy, and preference between them comes down to personal taste.
Pearl Jam have their own pagePet Shop BoysDiscography(1991)Recently I learnt an important lesson after purchasing the awful Best of Glenn Frey; bad 1980s music was not caused by ugly costumes, synthesisers and drum machines, it was caused by soulless commercial concerns being given priority over music as a form of self expression or experimentalism. While '80s synth-pop is a much maligned artform, the Pet Shop Boys are solid songwriters and their arrangements are sophisticated and often innovative. Discography collects the sixteen singles they released between 1985 and 1991, along with two new songs. Their early singles are some of the most insidiously catchy released in the 1980s. This is generally a compliment, as 'West End Girls', 'Love Comes Quickly' and 'Suburbia' are great pop songs, as is the Dusty Springfield collaboration, 'What Have I Done to Deserve This?' But occasionally the results are nauseating, like 'Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)' and 'Heart' which was originally written for Madonna. The Pet Shop Boy's work improved over the period documented on Discography, becoming more literate, and integrating more disparate textures. 'Domino Dancing' was one of the earliest signs of a Cuban renaissance on Western music, while 'Being Boring' and 'Jealousy' are unsentimental and sophisticated ballads. While the Pet Shop Boys are capable songsmiths, my favourite songs on Discography are from outside writers. There are two inspired choices for covers: Elvis Presley's 'Always on My Mind' and U2's 'Where The Streets Have No Name'. The latter may offend rock purists, with an uptempo disco arrangement and the insertion of the bridge from 'Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You', but it personifies the Pet Shop Boy's lush textures and irreverent charm.
Very(1993)While I believe that it is important to try and ignore any preconceived mindsets when reviewing music, sometimes this becomes a difficult task; this is a personal review page, and albums are rewarded marks according to how much I enjoy them. Neil Tennant, the half of the Pet Shop Boys that sings, didn't come out of the closet until several years after Very's release. But as far as I'm concerned he may as well have retitled Very as Very Gay, or more Englishly as Very Homosexual. A pink-orange cover, a Village People cover, the misogyny of 'Can You Forgive Her' (which could have been subtitled "have you considered changing teams?"), pointy hats, tight jump-suits, and relationship songs that use convoluted structures to avoid gender specific terms; all these occurrences in tandem are fairly difficult for me to ignore. And they're absolutely confirmed when Tennant declares his desire to take all his clothes off and dance to the rite of spring. While of course I don't dislike homosexuals, I am relatively homophobic; maybe its just a natural paranoia from a religious upbringing that will hopefully alleviate when I find a girlfriend. Last night I had a dream where I was walking around topless. Then I put a shirt on and this girl said to me "You have a very nice body, but I think that you look better with your shirt on." Of course I'm only a skinny white boy, and she was being diplomatic. Despite the fact that the content of Very impairs my enjoyment (for a case of heterosexually explicit content impairing my enjoyment, check out my review of Prince's The Hits 2), it's almost as good as Discography. This time around the Pet Shop Boys sound less dated, because they're using timeless elements such as orchestras and choirs. Very showcases a batch of impressively tuneful and generally thoughtful pop. The highlight is the absolutely beautiful 'Liberation', as Tennant uses his upper register to good effect on a lovely melody. Elsewhere, Tennant sneaks some pointed social commentary into the anti-royalist 'Dreaming of the Queen' and 'The Theatre'("We're the bums you step over/As you leave the Theatre"). I also enjoy Chris Lowe's fast dancey keyboards in 'One and One Make Five', but his work is pleasant throughout. Very is an accomplished piece of work, but I only enjoy it to the level of three and a half stars. Sorry; I'm not trying to offend anyone, but I'm trying to rationalise why I don't like Very as much as I could have.
Tom Petty has his own pageLiz Phair has her own pageSam Phillips has her own pagePink FloydDark Side of the Moon(1973)I don't fully understand the mainstream success of Pink Floyd, and what makes them more perpetually fashionable and high-profile than any other group from their generation. Yes are more instrumentally proficient (by several light years), Genesis are more lyrically resonant and King Crimson have the good fortune to be led by self-appointed genius Robert Fripp. But Dark Side of the Moon was the first of a string of massively successful recordings, and Pink Floyd are more popular and credible than any other group of their era among my generation. Pink Floyd had been struggling in comparative obscurity since the departure of Syd Barrett, and Dark Side of the Moon marked a turning point where bassist Roger Waters began writing the group's lyrics. While the lyrics help to make the material more accessible, it is the production and instrumental tastefulness, particularly of guitarist David Gilmour, that make Dark Side of the Moon a watershed album. Waters is so predictably cynical that his lyrics are monotonous, and some of the instrumental tracks are the most exciting: particularly 'The Great Gig in the Sky', featuring gospel wailing over Richard Wright's piano, and 'Any Colour You Like''s organ and guitar interplay. My other favourite song on Dark Side of the Moon is the epic 'Us And Them' which has more interesting lyrics than the rest of the album: "And the general sat/And the lines on the map/Moved from side to side." The jarring exception from the album's continuity is the single 'Money' which doesn't fit onto Dark Side of the Moon; money is a mundane subject compared to ethereal concepts which dominate Dark Side of the Moon such as space and time, while the arrangement is too straightforward to emphasise Pink Floyd's strengths. While Dark Side of the Moon has been acknowledged as a classic, it has enhanced its cults status through its rumoured synchronisation with the movie The Wizard of Oz; there are conjunctions between the lyrics and music with what appears on screen. For example, when the chick is screaming in The Great Gig in the Sky, Dorothy's house is being blown in the tornado. The witch appears as Waters sings "no-one knows which[witch] is which or who is who."
Wish You Were Here(1975)Pink Floyd struggled to construct a follow-up to the iconic Dark Side of the Moon; their original plan was to record an album using household paraphenalia as instruments, while the original tapes were destroyed in a studio fire. Despite that, when it emerged two years later, Wish You Were Here actually stands up a little better than its predecessor; there seems like less wasted space, while the concept is rather palatable by Waters' standards. In other words, Waters is less self-obssessed than usual and there's less doom and gloom. The focus is legendary former frontman Syd Barrett, who is eulogized in the title track and the nine part suite 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', which vaguely anacronymises to to spell SYD. Apparently Barrett visited his former group during the recording of Wish You Were Here but was so bald and fat that they failed to recognise him, a tragic victim of 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds'. The Syd tributes are joined by two attacks on the wider music industry. Waters' bile is highly effective here; he is attacking a target that he knows, and that has only gained a worse reputation since 1975. 'Have A Cigar' is laced with irony ("The band is just fantastic...by the way, which one's Pink?"), but guest vocalist Roy Harper gives it a bright facade, the polished side of the coin to the ominous 'Welcome To The Machine'. The ancedote where Johnny Rotten wore a Pink Floyd T-shirt sprayed with th words 'I hate" is surprising; Pink Floyd may be less explosive than The Sex Pistols, but Waters is every bit as cynical as Rotten. Musically, Wish You Were Here is similar to Dark Side; Gilmour plays nicely but overuses his "heavenly" guitar tone, everyone else is stylish but limited while there is the odd saxophone thrown in for good measure. To succeeds within these parameters demonstrates just how clever Pink Floyd are at writing and arranging songs, and creating textures; despite a combined length of twenty-six minutes the 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' suite is constantly enthralling, while the rest of the album somehow manages to scrape together the music to match the concepts.
Feedback: TJ writes The Pixies have their own pageThe Police have their own pagePrimal ScreamScreamadelica(1991)Almost twenty years after Exile On Main Street, Primal Scream successfully replicated the spirit of the Rolling Stones' 1972 landmark. Rather than Keith Richards' pharmaceutical eclecticism, Ecstasy is the sole drug of choice, and the setting has moved from the French riviera to London clubs, but the same sense of drug induced decadence and gospel derived grandeur permeates both recordings. While Screamadelica effectively ushered in the dance scene, it's still comprehensible to old school classic rock enthusiasts. For instance, opening track 'Movin' On Up' is produced by Exile-collaborator Jimmy Miller and quotes Can (and references The Bible): "I once was blind/But now I see/You made a believer out of me." Screamadelica is supposedly an accurate aural representation of Ecstasy; the songs were originally recorded in straight up rock and roll fashion before were suddenly invigorated with dance remixes. The end result is sometimes drawn out, not unlike the original Main Street; Screamadelica occasionally drags, but more often than not it's infused with an irresistible sense of grandeur. Paradoxically, on such an influential dance album, the songs that stand out are the most organic; 'Movin' On Up' cruises along on a warm piano groove, while the gorgeous 'Damaged' is acoustically meditative. Elsewhere, the dance oriented material runs the gamut from pretty ambient pieces like 'Inner Flight' to upbeat material like 'Step Inside This House' (which cranks off like a Remain In Light outtake). It's not quite consistently entertaining enough to garner full marks (more due to the long running times of the tracks than the quality control), but Screamadelica bears most of the other hallmarks of a significant record; the swagger, the historical significance and the mood are all palpable.
PrinceThe Hits 1(1993)Prince's two hits compilations were released simultaneously, with the basis for the allocation of tracks seemingly based on what I shall term the "sleaze-factor." The relatively innocuous songs are located in The Hits 1, while Prince's more lecherous moments are located in The Hits 2. Prince tends to be at his most inspired when he is at his lewdest, and The Hits 1 contains a number of songs that are surprisingly bland for a notoriously eccentric artist. On the other hand I find The Hits 1 more listenable than The Hits 2 because I don't have to cringe through the raunch of 'Gett Off' or 'Head'. The Hits 1 starts memorably with 'When Doves Cry' (whose lyrics makes a lot more sense if you watch Prince's ridiculous film Purple Rain) and the funky 'Pop Life' (my personal favourite from the two hits discs). But the album then drops several gears with bland work such as 'Soft and Wet', 'I Feel For You', 'Adore' and 'Alphabet St.'. It isn't until the last four songs that Prince hits his stride consistently with the social commentary of 'Sign 'O' The Times', the eerie 'Thieves in the Temple', and the lushly produced pop epics 'Diamonds and Pearls' and '7'. While The Hits 1 contains some fabulous songs, there are also an number of unexpectedly insipid tracks.
The Hits 2(1993)I don't know what possessed me to purchase an album featuring such provocative titles as 'Controversy', 'Dirty Mind' and 'I Wanna Be Your Lover'. That's just the first three tracks; the fourth track 'Head' is a strong contender for the most morally despicable song of all time (it starts with The Purple One meeting a virgin bride on her way to be wed). Frustratingly as Prince is at his skankiest he is also at his most musically inspired, as 'Head' features the most stunning synthesiser solo I have ever heard. While the moral content of The Hits 2 impairs my appreciation of it, there is little to complain about musically. While The Hits 1 features a surprising volume of bland songs, the only songs on The Hits 2 that fall short are Prince's ill-advised forays into hip-hop. Otherwise The Hits 2 is jam-packed with highlights; subversise yet catchy pop in 'Little Red Corvette' and 'Cream', the trippy 'Raspberry Beret' and the glorious funk of 'I Wanna Be Your Lover'. The Hits 2 ends climactically with the anthemic 'Purple Rain', almost the only morally respectable song on the entire album (unless of course it's some obscure sexual reference with which I'm familiar). If you're not horribly embarrassed by tracks such as 'Sexy M.F.' and 'Gett Off' you will probably enjoy The Hits 2 more than I do.
Feedback: Steve Knowlton writes
While "Head" is certainly a contender for Top 10 Outrageous Songs, I believe Prince dug even deeper into his sleazebag with "Sister." Kevin ProschCome To The Light(1993)This album isn't too promising on paper; Kevin Prosch, Christian singer-songwriter with a foot firmly stuck in the 1970s, delivers a series of over-extended worship songs. But Prosch's 1970s fetish is quite excusable; he was no spring chicken when he released Come To The Light, his sophomore album, while his voice, halfway between Don Henley and Stephen Stills, is an unintentional evocation of the era. The song lengths are somewhat ridiculous (even Yes could fit more than 10 songs on a seventy minute album on a good day), but Prosch's material is always heartfelt and often a groovefest to boot. With negro affectations, an excellent rhythm section and a Hammond B3 organist kicking ass, he's able to slam through the excellent opener 'Been Lifted Up' with aplomb. Female backing singers are generally something of a hindrance on Christian records, but here they add more blackness (generally synonymous with credibility) and enrich proceedings even further. Prosch is also a capable guitarist, able to pick his way through charming ballads like 'Oh Stephanie' and 'Friend of God'. He also goes out of his way to be rootsy and authentic; Come To The Light is not completely devoid of cheesiness, but he's a few steps ahead of most of his Christian contemporaries in that regard. Prosch's ability to fit comfortably into funk and folk makes Come To The Light an entertaining menagerie of styles. There's also an air of emotional authenticity and resonance to this; the long track lengths in themselves are an indication that commercialism wasn't Prosch's key consideration when creating the album. It's musical communication between Prosch, his creator and his friends, and we're privileged to witness it, whether it spills into an ecstatic jam or it lingers into an extensive conversation. By all accounts Prosch is a humble guy, who's genuinely surprised that people bother to listen to his albums or use his songs in congregational worship. 'Oh Stephanie', words of encouragement to Prosch's daughter after she was raped, is a particularly poignant moment. I can't give this too high a rating, as most of the songs are too long for their own good and non-Christians are really going to struggle to see any charm in it, but if you're open to this sort of thing it certainly has moments of excellence. Prosch is a consumate craftsman; he's also a talented wordsmith with strong Biblical foundations, and his melodic sense is solid enough. If the above description sounds appealing, try and track Come To The Light down; it's not to everyone's taste, but if you fall for it there's plenty to love.
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Written 2001-2007, Graham Fyfe
