Not Forgotten
Not Forgotten: Steely Dan – Countdown to Ecstasy
Countdown To Ecstasy was an album that I initially struggled with. After the radio-friendly songs of their debut, Steely Dan decided to stretch things further, cut a set of longer than average songs (only two tracks on the entire album clock in at under five minutes) and put an increasing amount of focus on the …
Not Forgotten: Billy Joel – The Stranger
Billy Joel is one of those artists who has divided opinion for much of his career. It’s not difficult to see why either, as some of his output has aged terribly, and one of his best selling albums, 1983’s An Innocent Man, is a well-intended tribute to doo-wop smothered in some of the most horrific …
Not Forgotten: Little Feat – Dixie Chicken
The third album from Little Feat saw a subtle move towards a more groove-laden funk style. While Lowell George was still band leader, he was starting to share more in the way of songwriting duties, and the addition of new band members, Paul Barrere and Sam Clayton, saw Little Feat approach Dixie Chicken with a …
Not Forgotten: The Divine Comedy – Casanova
Released during a time when a generation were generally in thrall to the simple pleasures of Britpop, were pilled-up moon-eyed dancers, or still moping around listening to American angst merchants, The Divine Comedy’s Casanova was an album that stuck out like a sore thumb with its bright and breezy charms. Sophisticated without being self important, …
Not Forgotten: Spirit – The Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus
Spirit are a band I knew by reputation rather than any familiarity with their music, at least until I picked up a copy of The Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus late last year. While at the moment they are best known for being the band that Led Zeppelin are currently accused of plagiarising (despite the …
Not Forgotten: Half Man Half Biscuit – Some Call it Godcore
Although it has remained one of their least celebrated albums, Some Call It Godcore occupies an important part in the Half Man Half Biscuit discography. You see, HMHB are almost unique in the fact that they officially split up, only to come back and release a body of work which was the equal of, if …
Not Forgotten: Bad Company
As radio-friendly hard rock went in 1974, Bad Company were about as generic as it gets. It’s not that they were particularly bad, it’s just that they never really went for broke or took any risks. The initial line up of Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke, Mick Ralphs and Boz Burrell never really advanced artistically from …
Not Forgotten: Sparks – Lil’ Beethoven
Having comprehensively out smarted Roxy Music with their art pop in the mid-70s, and proved you could be an influential synth pioneer and still have a sense of fun by the end of the decade, the 80s and 90s had seen Sparks become an uncelebrated act that had nevertheless influenced countless acts that followed in …
Not Forgotten: Frank Black & The Catholics – Dog in the Sand
The relationship between musician and listener is not always easy. Occasionally the misunderstandings are inevitable and sometimes compromises need to be made. However with the appropriate patience and open hearts and minds, you can reach a level of mutual understanding that you had not previously considered to be possible. There are times when your appreciation …
Not Forgotten: Caravan – In the Land of Grey and Pink
Along with Soft Machine, Caravan are perhaps the definitive Canterbury Scene progressive rock act. Less jazzy than their more famous neighbours, Caravan weren’t as heavy handed as their more critically lauded peers, but what they did have was a much firmer grasp of pop dynamics and nowhere was this more obvious than their 1971 album, …