A Buyers Guide to 80s Live Albums
Although the heyday of the live rock album was the late 60s to the late 70s, there have been many live albums released since then that have captured the public’s imagination, topped the chats, or stood out as absolutely crucial releases within an act’s discography. Here then is the second instalment of what we hope …
Not Forgotten: The Hold Steady – Stay Positive
It kicks off with a riff that screams “Rock and roll!”, and you’re either in or out. If you’re not sure who this is, then welcome to the world to the righteous rock and roll world of the Hold Steady, where choruses are singalong, riffs are massive, keyboard players are moustachioed, and narrative lyrics are …
Not Forgotten: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Some Loud Thunder
Second album syndrome that seems to have fallen out of fashion in the last twenty years. It seems that record labels have become wise to the phenomenon and ensure that new acts have at least enough material to fill two albums these days. Now second album syndrome doesn’t usually strike until the third album, and …
Not Forgotten: U2 – Zooropa
Zooropa is one of the few U2 studio albums that I can listen to all the way through without it making me want to throw my stereo out of the window. Sure, I like a few of their singles, but for me U2 wear thin very quickly at album length. Thankfully Zooropa is the least …
Not Forgotten: Jethro Tull – A Passion Play
Jethro Tull had made their point with Thick as a Brick. Progressive rock simply didn’t have to be overblown and pompous, it could be cheeky, subversive, and (dare I say it) fun. Having successfully lampooned the genre with stunning results resulting in an album which was far better than the majority who took this sort …
Not Forgotten: The Duckworth Lewis Method – Sticky Wickets
For those unfamiliar with them The Duckworth Lewis Method are a collaboration between Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy and Thomas Walsh of cult power pop act Pugwash. They’re a band boasting two top draw creative forces whose records just happen to be themed around cricket. Now, on the surface, many might assume that you …
Not Forgotten: Sigur Rós – Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
I discovered Sigur Rós, like many of us did, via the rapturously received Ágætis byrjun avant-garde psych-prog statement made even more exotic due to the band’s use of their native Icelandic language and their own bespoke language Vonlenska. It was a vast-sounding orchestrated album which made great use of their slow burning arrangements and it …
A Buyers Guide to Crowded House (1986-1996)
Few acts have ever managed the career trajectory that Crowded House managed to pull off during their initial decade-long run from 1986 to 1996. Their debut album did solid business in the USA with their debut album on the back of a pair of big hit singles, while they struggled to make much of an …
A Buyers Guide to Electric Light Orchestra
The Move were one of those psyche-pop acts of the late 60s that were able to release great singles, but albums success always seemed to elude them. Originally formed in the middle of the decade from what were perceived to be the top guys from the best three or four local Birmingham beat groups, The …
Not Forgotten: Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
Rising slowly over the horizon of a fractured, but ever evolving modern music scene in 2008, The Fleet Foxes self-titled debut didn’t so much dazzle, as glow warmly, encouraging you to bask in its radiance as it did so. While all this had been done before (their enthusiastically reckless use of reverb recalls My Morning …