Day 0965 - Back to Black

Amy Winehouse "Back to Black" (2006) - got it

It would be easy enough to go on about Amy's drug problems (and her possibly related parental problems) or her early death making her a late-era member of the famed '27 club', but I love this album and would prefer to stick to the music.

I enjoy Amy's debut "Frank" well enough, it's more of a straight-ahead jazz thing with a few reggae and pop touches, but this one is much more my cup of tea.   As Winehouse began her relationship with her eventual husband Blake Fielder-Civil they were hanging out in bars with a lot of jukebox music, lots of 60s girl groups and Motown stuff.   This soundtrack highly influenced her writing, and even after the relationship with Fielder-Civil fell apart (for a time) she carried on with the sound.

While there are one or two more straight ahead jazz ballads here like "Love is a Losing Game" and "Wake Up Alone", for the most part the songs have a bit more of a groove to them, combined with Amy's strong, controlled, distinctive voice.    

 

Whether it's my favourite, the funereal, cinematic title track (the basic track of which was thrown together overnight by producer Mark Ronson to show Winehouse that he could get with the sound she wanted); or jazzy funk of opening track "Rehab", Ronson and Winehouse bring a groove that is somehow simultaneously retro and contemporary.  "Tears Dry on Their Own" takes things a step further, isn't just influenced by Motown, it's Winehouse and Ronson pretty much building a new song over the backing track for the Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell track "Ain't no Mountain High Enough".

Mark Ronson's string and horn arrangements suit the pop/motown vibe perfectly, while Winehouse's voice still with its jazzy nod to the versatility of Sarah Vaughan and the raw emotion of Billie Holliday slinks around the tunes.   It's an album that started being written in the throes of love and was finished in the pain of breakup, it gives you the lot, and in under 40 minutes to-boot

Despite what I said about not dwelling on her death, I will say that Amy Winehouse is another of those great musical 'what ifs'.   Maybe she never would have topped this album, but I feel like she was (apologies for the cliche) just getting started.

Day 0712 - Your Arsenal

Morrissey "Your Arsenal" (1992)

Morrissey has become a bit of an embarrassment in recent years, cancelling gigs and tours left right and centre, and seeming to espouse isolationist, extreme rightwing ideas.    Back in the 90s though, he was still better known for his music.

With "Your Arsenal" he had a band together and enlisted the help of David Bowie collaborator Mick Ronson to produce this album.   Ronson worked with Bowie on his 70s glammy albums, and he is clearly the right person to helm this album, as Morrissey turns down his indie side and cranks up the glam rock a bit.  His lyrics had already started to hint at the kind of controversy he now gladly courts, with a song titled "The National Front Disco" which included the chant "England for the English".  People were a bit uncomfortable with this, not finding it clear if he was being tongue-in-cheek or not.

Musically though, it's an enjoyable album.  Despite the rockier, 'ballsier' sound, my favourite track is the gentle, atmospheric "Seasick, yet still docked".

Day 0273 - Aladdin Sane

David Bowie "Aladdin Sane" (1973)

 
There are not a lot of ch-ch-changes here, with what seems like a rare case of Bowie (either due to record company pressure or his own urge) re-treading familiar territory.

He follows the success of the Ziggy Stardust album with an offering that is in a similar androgynous glam-rock-alien, semi-concept album vein.  Two points of difference present themselves: one is an increased theatricality to the music, with none of the songs matching the more low-key moments of something like 'Rock n roll suicide', parts of 'Starman' or others... I think that is partly due to the increased presence of the piano, it just makes the songs feel a bit more grand and elegant. The other point of difference is a bit more space provided in the arrangements for his musicians (especially Mick Ronson) to shine.

There are some interesting things going on here; 'Time' and 'Lady Grinning Soul' sound to me like Bowie's Scott Walker fandom coming to the fore. The book describes the Rolling Stones cover 'Let's spend the night together' as a musical misstep, but to me it seems in a similar musical vein to 'Sufragette city', particularly with a little Bowie 'sparkle' infused in the riffs and could almost act as a musical 'sequel' to that track.

All in all, I feel as though it's not up to the standard of the previous Bowie album, but still enjoyable with some truly top-shelf moments, such as the title track, 'Time' and "Lady Grinning Soul".

Day 0267 - The Rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

David Bowie "The Rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" (1972) - got it

As with a few of the albums on the list, I didn't really need to listen to this one specifically for the 1001 albums thing, because it's indelibly printed on my synapses.  Having said that... I'll take any excuse to listen to some Bowie.

It's a lush, interesting, and immaculately crafted pop album.  All the more impressive that (aside from some sax and trumpet) it is pretty much just the standard "drums, bass, guitar, piano/keyboard and vocals".  Speaking of the vocals, they do really feel like they help to flesh out the arrangements.  Much of the shift from 'intimate' to 'grandiose' that comes when the choruses of "Starman" kick in comes from Bowie swinging between octaves in best "Somewhere over the rainbow" fashion.

Bowie's voice is sometimes gentle and confessional, sometimes brash and glammy, occasionally desperate and howling.  'Five years' has an almost Marlene Dietrich feel to it.  There's the gospel feel of 'It ain't easy', and 'Rock n roll suicide' might be the most perfect album closer ever conceived, going from a burnt out acoustic jam and building to a cathartic crescendo.

With the quality of music, it's no wonder that this album was a success in the US and UK, and lednew fans back to "Hunky Dory" and other previous releases.

Bowie reinvented himself and, with his androgynous alien persona, reinvented the idea of what a rock star could be. The black and white photo tinted after the fact just adds to the sci-fi/alien vibe that Bowie is putting out.