Day 0925 - Gold

Ryan Adams "Gold" (2001)

I have to admit that my earlier prejudice against Adams (as per my write-up for "Heartbreaker", day 902) was definitely unfounded.   This is another good album, this time in an alt-country vibe with more than a few nods to the rootsy folky rock of The Band.

Adams had wanted to make it a double album but his record company cut the last few songs and offered them up as a bonus disc on some versions of the album.   They would later refuse to release albums Adams had recorded and tore 3-4 potential albums to pieces in order to put together the next album they released... so much for artistic freedom.

"Gold" is at least a collection of songs that Adams wanted to present together.   It opens with the peppy "New York, New York" which got a lot of airplay after the September 11 attacks (which occurred just a few days after Adams filmed his music video in front of the NY skyline).   "Answering Bell" sounded familiar to me, and "When the Stars go Blue" is just lovely.   

 

The last track "Goodnight, Hollywood Boulevard" seems an appropriate closer with its piano and strings putting forward an 'end of night' feel.

Day 0852 - Life Thru a Lens

Robbie Williams "Life Thru a Lens" (1997)

My sister loved this album back in the day, she had the first couple of Robbie albums on cassette (because we're getting old) and as all big brothers should do, I suspect I poo-poohed it at the time.   I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Robbie though, and a few years later when I was going through a bout of depression and was feeling like most music just seemed like a wall of grey noise I turned to Williams' greatest hits (and some Kanye West if memory serves) and that seemed to be something that my brain was willing to let in.

As far as debuts go, it is pretty damned good.   Robbie had left boy-band Take That somewhat acrimoniously and teamed up with song-writer/producer Guy Chambers, and worked to recast himself as a cheeky rock n rolling pop star.  

The album seems to lean very heavily on the 'Brit-pop' sound, with Oasisy sneery rock and bouncy Blur-esque pop.  Regardless of the influences on display though, Williams makes it his own through his charisma and voice.   Mission statement, the brassy rocker "Let me Entertain You" lays out what he's about.

It's a fairly even album too without too much filler ("Baby girl window" maybe seems like a bit of a retread of some ideas already covered), with even the overplayed ballad "Angels" seeming entirely bearable in the context of the album as a whole.   The track "Ego a go go" slagging off Robbie's ex-Take That bandmate Gary Barlow feels musically like it's drawing on the Beatles' Revolver album, the title track has a pop-punk bent to its verses. For the most part though it's about melody with a bit of grit, and Robbie having a good time (and occasionally finding himself regretting it).

Day 0744 - Very

 Pet Shop Boys "Very" (1993)

 

The Band explained the title by saying that the album is 'very' everything.  "Very up, very sad, very pop very etc."

The music feels like the Boys finally stopped moodily noodling on synthesizers in a drab London flat and headed out to the club.   This ecstatic dramatic change in sound could be due to this being the group's first album in some years, an embracing of the emergent club scene, or possibly  Neil Tennant feeling a newfound sense of freedom as he prepared to reveal his homosexuality to the world at large.

Certainly that latter aspect is addressed in the lyrics of songs like "To speak is a sin" and "can you forgive her".... or more overtly with the club-esque cover of the Village People's "Go West" with its rousing male chorus.

Essentially the Pet Shop Boys managed to delve into different realms of pop, while still managing to sound like themselves.

 

Day 0675 - Listen Without Prejudice Vol.1

George Michael "Listen Without Prejudice  Vol.1" (1990)

Another excellent solo album from GM.  He was clearly still looking to show that he was more than a pretty face and a pair of short-shorts in Wham!

The album mixes jazz, gospel and West Indian influences, with a range of sonic textures and GM's strong voice soaring over it all.

Amazing voice, and his rendition of Stevie Wonder's "They won't go when I go" is a new favourite.

Unfortunately, the record did not sell as well as it's predecessor "Faith" ...though 8 million in sales sounds pretty damned good to me.  GM quarrelled with his record label, accusing them of not supporting his career.  Everyone just needs to calm the heck down!

Day 0660 - 3 Feet High and Rising

De La Soul "3 Feet High and Rising" (1989)

 
For a time De La Soul were labelled as rap's hippies.  This album is a startlingly more colourful, sunshiney and less aggressive release than those from other prominent hiphop artists at the time such as Public Enemy and NWA.

One critic called them the new-wave to Public Enemy's punk, and I guess it's as good a comparison as any.   A sample-heavy record, the group had borrowed from artists as diverse as Johnny Cash, Hall & Oates, and the Turtles.   The latter of these would lead to the former members of the Turtles suing the band for samples of their music featured in the track "Transmitting from Mars".  That lawsuit took a lot of air out of the sampling movement, with artists coming to fear the exorbitant legal costs that could result.

I don't usually take much interest in lyrics, but as one of the songs features the name of my wife I decided to read the lyrics.  This is some top shelf wordplay: interesting, narrative and creative usage.

Day 0538 - Purple Rain

Prince & the Revolution "Purple Rain" (1984) - got it

Prince set aside his sleazy synth-funk to put forward his pop opus, "Purple Rain".  This soundtrack to Prince's semi-autbiographical film of the same name would go on to become the third highest selling soundtrack (such as it was) of all time.

Prince lays down some catchy tunes with his usual ear for skilled and effective musical arrangements, overlaid with his wild, desperate vocals.  This was Prince's shot at the bigtime so he even set about cleaning up his sex-heavy lyrics... mostly.  He couldn't help himself, so the beautiful, melodic "Darling Nikki" features reference to masturbating with a magazine and (apparently) helped kickstart the "Parental Advisory" stickers that Al Gore's wife and her 'good taste' crusaders spearheaded.

Interestingly, the title track was originally aimed to be a country song, and a duet with Stevie Nicks.  She said that Prince sent her a 10 minute instrumental demo with a request for her to write lyrics, but she balked at the task.  It was eventually reworked as the epic psychedelic gospel pop rock track that it is.

Day 0383 - Rumours

Fleetwood Mac "Rumours" (1977)

A powerhouse release! FM had been a London-based blues band started in the 1960s, but after recruiting musical (and romantic) partners Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, they re-crafted their sound to produce a much more Americanised adult contemporary rock sound with a rich summery West Coast pop flavour. The new line-up released an eponymous album which did fairly well, then came Rumours.

Possibly proving the idea that internal tension and tumult can often lead to good music, during the making of the album Nicks and Buckingham were breaking up and the other 3 band members were in the middle of divorces... yet out of this angsty musical hotbed came 'Rumours' an album that topped the charts for 31 weeks and included 3 US top 20 singles "don't stop" "go your own way" and "dreams" and on top of all of that... it's good. Great mix of male and female vocals and upbeat and laidback tracks with stellar musicianship.