Day 0784 - Music for the Jilted Generation

Prodigy "Music for the Jilted Generation" (1994) - got it

Liam Howlett handed Keith Flint a cassette with some dance mixes on one side and some of his own material on the other, labelled with the name 'Prodigy'.  The name was taken from an old Moog synthesizer and was being used by Howlett for his DJ performances.  The two, along with rapper Maxim and keyboardist/dancer Leroy then formed a group to pin the name Prodigy too.

The group achieved success on the rave scene with their initial singles and debut album "Experience".   Jilted Generation marked a kick against the mainstream adoption of the rave scene and the Conservative Party's attempt to crack down on that scene (the track "Their Law" seeming to be a direct attack against this).

This album still sounds pretty damned fresh for a release creeping up on 30 years old.   "Poison" is still a banger, and Howlett's mix of aggressive beats, hypnotic loops and dialogue sound samples works nicely.   I daresay that the album could stand to be a track or two shorter, but I really enjoyed revisiting it.

Day 0531 - Colour By Numbers

Culture Club "Colour By Numbers" (1983)

CC built on the success of their debut album "Kissing to be Clever" with another hit.  This album leads off with "Karma Chameleon" which would go on to be the band's signature song.

It'd be easy enough to just classify them as "80s pop", but they're actually a ridiculously diverse band for the time, with the reggae vibe of the previous album's hit "do you really want to hurt me" to the mix of RnB, pop, and even full-headed soul on show here.

Day 0496 - The Lexicon of Love

ABC "The Lexicon of Love" (1982) - got it

 


ABC formed in Sheffield, initially under the name Vice Versa.  By the time they'd teamed up with producer Trevor Horn for this album, they'd developed a mix of post-punk and funk.  Horn had toured with Yes and acted as producer for a string of glossy pop hits.

The two parties opened each other up to their respective musical worlds with the band introducing Horn to bands like Defunkt, and Horn introducing the band to the possibilities of the studio, telling them "if you want a pizza; I'll get you a pizza.  If you want a string section; I'll get you a string section".  The band built many of the songs using sequencers and drum machines and then went back and replaced those tracks with their own playing, leading to tight, almost mechanised grooves.

A polished, new-wave funk masterpiece.  The bonus jazz reworking of single "Poison Arrow" is brilliant and shows how strong the song is, regardless of genre/arrangement.

Day 0457 - Songs the Lord Taught Us

The Cramps "Songs the Lord Taught Us" (1980)

Another band where I'd heard the name but wasn't really familiar with the music... I assumed punk, based on the name and era. There is some punk here, but the band also digs deep into rockabilly, surf music and even b-movie soundtracks. The b-movie theme extends out to the lyrics with songs such as "I was a teenage werewolf" and "Zombie Dance".

The vocals are pleading, snarling and desperate, the music ranging from bare and unvarnished to drenched in reverb - as the song dictates/requires.

In places this album has a guttural rockabilly that sounds like it would fit nicely into Nick Cave's early oeuvre with the Birthday Party and early Bad Seeds.

Unfortunately the album, though critically acclaimed, was commercial disappointment. When the band went out to tour it, their guitarist Bryan Gregory drove off with a van full of their gear which he sold to help fuel his drug addiction. The band never saw him again until years later.