Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine Music du jour

Elsewhere there's a thread asking what your favourite song of the moment is.

Generally, however, I tend to listen to whole, or occasionally part albums (byt the last I mean that I've copied a CD onto my PC and have perhaps deleted a song that I find myself skipping whenever I come to it).

And just occassionally I find an album that I listen to over and over and over again - with nothing else in between.

Albums that I have played to death in the past are

Highway To Hell and Back In Black - both by AC/DC.
Ready and Willing - Whitesnake.
Secret Agent - Judie Tzuke.
Come On over - Shania Twain


At present I seem to have a new fave (taking over from Norah Jones' "Come Away With Me") - an album called "shock despair anger acceptance" by Rick Springfield from a couple of years back.

I've been an RS fan for bloody years - must be at least 20. However, I'd lost track of him until recently when Keith got me a CD of "Living In Oz" - an album that I used to have in the old vinyl days. So I checked out his website, found out that he's got some pretty recent material, and just recently got a copy of one from a British internet supplier (I could only find it on American ones previously).

It has to be said that it Kicks Ass!

It's not a five star album - but then very few albums are - but I'd give it four. It's a real up-to-date album from Rick, although there are moments that are straight out of the 80's that just serve to remind you who it is that's made this album. And how long he's been around.

My fave tracks are "Jesus Saves", "Idontwantanythingfromyou", and "Wasted".

If you've ever liked him in the past don't miss the opportunity to listen to what he's up to now.
(Unfortunately he looks like Lawrence Llewellyn-Bowen on the cover, but don't let that put you off.)

He's also got a new album of covers out, but I haven't tried that one yet. (Somehow, covering "Baker Street" strikes me as sacrilege. - And he looks like Richard Gere on this one.)


Anyway - sorry to ramble.

So, what's your fave album at the moment?

Great idea for a thread, Numf.

At the moment, the album I'm giving the most spins is Nina Gordon's wonderful yet sadly under-appreciated 2000 album "Tonight And The Rest Of My Life" (or TATROML for short.)

During most of the 90s, Gordon was a member of Veruca Salt, a band I didn't like at all. But in the summer of 2000, I saw the VH1 premiere of her first solo single, the title track from TATROML, and I was amazed by how good it was. 180 degrees from her old band, it was introspective, melancholic, and richly melodic. And it was exactly what I wanted to hear, as I was going through a very uncertain time in my life.

I bought the album and almost all of the 12 other tracks were in a similar mold as the single, and just as good. Since then, this album has been there for me every time my life has gone through a difficult stage.

The only song I don't like is "Badway," which sounds to me like it's for fans of Gordon's old band, and as I said before, I'm not among them. My favorite would have to be the deceptively upbeat "Number One Camera," which I've always taken to be about a broken friendship.

There has yet to be a follow-up album, although Gordon has said recently that, after a change in producer and a change in title, her second solo album will finally be released this summer. I hope so.

Yesterday I was mostly listening to The Storm, the eponymous 1991 debut album by the American AOR supergroup. Superb stuff.

Comprising ex-members of such illustrious groups as Journey and Santana, this is power ballads at its very best.

I must admit that it took me a few listens to properly appreciate, but it was well worth acquiring a taste for.

I don't recall there being any interest in it on this side of the pond, but it got to #3 in the Billboard charts, and spawned a couple of 'hit' singles.

-------------

Today I'm going for a total mix.

Bobbie Gentry / Spin Doctors / Cheap Trick / Minnie Riperton / Crystal Gayle / Al Green / Aaron Neville. How's that for an odd assortment.
Have settled eventually on 'Supernatural' by Santana.
'Africa Bamba' at the moment - with 'Smooth' next.

May change scene next and go for some potty mouthed South Park songs from the film. Always worth a childish giggle.

Today for me it was a few rounds through Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Greatest Hits. One of the best greates hits albums ever, bar none. I'll probably listen to it on the way to work in the morning once more before changing the disc.

In an attempt to educate myself more in the 'modern popular music' culture I have obtained a copy of Eminems 'Curtain Call' album.

Previously I have only heard his music on TV. Unfortunately this normally means that his sweary lyrics are cut, leaving blanks in the soundtrack, and breaking the rhythm.
This has led me to proclaim, on more than one occasion that I 'just don't get this shit' or even 'does not compute'.

So, I thought I'd try listening to an actual album of his works - and what better for the un-initiated than to head for his best of album.

I must admit to being much impressed by it. I 'get it' much more than the broken versions that I've seen on TOTP.
And, not being someone who minds the odd swear word (you mean you hadn't noticed?), I don't find it offensive. Some of the tracks are not to my personal taste - but I can live with that.
The Stan tracks I like - the sexist collaborations generally not as much.

I can't claim that it's a new fave, but I'll no doubt listen to it again.

So, that was yesterday and today.

And now, in my continued role of modern pop culture student, I'm giving Kelly Clarksons Breakaway album a listen - not too far into it yet.
But the one thing that springs to mind, and which is putting me off and may cause me to stop listening, is that MY Gawd ! - who wants to be Avril Lavign?

Decided to go a little deeper into the early 80s myself this morning and put in another best of CD. This one: Rick Springfield. Maybe this needs to go into the music confession thread instead.

I've been listening to Queens Greatest Hits. The 3 CD set that includes the original Greatest Hits that you can't find in the states anymore that I know of.

The kids love it to. I think they're suprised at how many of the songs they know.

Jamie

You could be right - I've already made a similar confession in the first post of this thread.

Lets see - we both like Heart, Evanescence and RS - you'll be telling me you like Pat Benatar next ......
And then I'll have to worry in case I am actually one of your multiple personalities ....

Jamie - personally I have a great deal of trouble actually getting my copy back off my kids. Half the time they're battling each other for the privilege - and I think that they only ever listen to the first CD.
Tried to take them to their first outdoor concert last year at Hyde Park to see the line-up with Paul Rogers - and some buggers decided to blow up London the day before.
Hopefully they'll tour again.

Crap! I outed one of my alts!

I was in love with Pat Benatar as a teen (along with Ann and Nancy). Had every one of her albums on vinyl and cassette. Got a few CDs floating around now. I may have to dig one out and give it a listen. It has been awhile.

I forgot you had mentioned RS in your first post. I keep meaning to check and see if Rhapsody has his new album.

Lately I've been listening to Big Joe Turner, Fats Domino, Johnny Cash, The Beatles, The Clash, Charlie Burton, David Bromberg, The Cramps & Deadbolt.

I've been listening a lot to the final At The Drive-In disc, _Relationship of Command_.

I think this may go down as one of the greatest hard rock discs ever. A little punk, a little metal, more than a little prog weirdness (mostly in the utterly bonkers lyrics). More focused than the Mars Volta, which two of these guys would go on to found.

I've been listening to the Yardbirds Greatest Hits Volume 1 (1964-1966). That means it's pre-Jimmy Page, but we have Eric Clapton on some tracks and Jeff Beck on others. Best tracks are "For Your Love" and "Heart Full of Soul."

I had to dig out the soundtrack to "Great Balls of Fire" Saturday after having "Whole Lotta Shaking Going On" stuck in my head all day Friday. Nothing like driving around on a sunny day with a little Jerry Lee Lewis to keep you moving.

I was listening quite a bit to the soundtrack of Bridget Jones's Diary last week (the first one) which is a fine album (even if it does have a couple of stinkers). Anyhoo, on there there are two tracks by Shelby Lynne. They've been my favourites since I got the album and I kept meaning to get at least one of her albums but never got round to it. But at the weekend I went out and got Identity Crisis (appropriate in a comic-y way really) and I love it. She's the kind of blend between country, blue grass and folk that I particularly like and has a beatiful voice. Unfortunately all her stuff here seems to be hideously expensive (I think it's must all be import) so i may have to wait until we go to Canada in teh summer to get more.

Bloc Party! Bloc Party! My favorite new album! Franz Ferdinand wishes they were as good.

Best of the Doobie Brothers. Back in my mid-80's punk days, they were the enemy. Now, I just wish anyone would bother making music with the same amount of imagination and musicianship...

Spent yesterday listening to Green Day - Bullet In A Bible.
(Another in the line of albums I've never listened to before.)

Not at all bad - a bit basic (not necessarily a bad thing).
Far too many girly screams for my liking, and a bit much "Eeeeennnnglandddd!" from the boy with the eye-liner (like that's original).

But the music wasn't too bad - although the lyrics are a bit anti-Bible Belt, the feel was of a corporate punk boy band aimed solely at bland old middle America/England. Swearing to impress the girls.

So - not too bad - but I don't think I'll be rushing to get a hold of anything else by them. Nor in fact to listen to it again in the near future.

5/10.

So, in total contrast, I feel like a bit of Norah Jones today - lets start with Come Away With Me.
She has a voice that I can listen to all day long, and sometimes do.

"It's not the pale mooooonnnn,
That excites me-he......"

I keep hearing songs from Green Day and veering hugely between secretly quite liking them and finding them very annoying. They just seem a bit too... I dunno, 'clean', maybe, for the type of music they're making. But they do also do some good songs.

Of course at the moment I am also finidng myself hearing Sugababes songs constantly and thinking 'gosh I should hate the Sugababes but they don't have have good songs'.

Oh, and the one song stuck in my head big time at the moment is 'Hang Up' by Andy (the guy who came second in this year's X Factor). I really don't want to like it but by jingo it's a good song.

Tried a few albums new to myself - Will Youngs ' Keep On' (what a voice he's got - but not my type of music, really) - Oasis 'Don't Believe The Truth' (not as good as I'd hoped based on the singles - might be a grower though) - Hard-Fi 'Stars Of CCTV' (not bad - a bit simplistic and reminds me of late seventies bands like The Jags and the Vapors - more lo-fi than anything else).

Got fed up trying new stuff that I couldn't get into, so went for a large dose of Nostalgia. (It's not as good as it used to be ..... )
Got a hold of Supertramps recent anthology 'Retrospectacle' and listened to the tracks from 'Breakfast In America'.

Soooperb!

From 'Gone Hollywood' to 'Take The Long Way Home' stopping in past the title track and 'The Logical Song' on the way.
Now, that's great stuff.

Never listened to any of their other albums (heard singles on the radio though), so I've got that to look forward to.

i just bought mazzy star's third album "among my swan" i love it.


and cat power is another favorite i kinda always liked but never bought. so i started buying them and now i loooove them. love. although their latest album "the greatest" is not nearly as good as "you are free" (i think thats the name).

Created a CD to listen to today that had some Queensryche, System of a Down, Staind, Disturbed, Godsmack, HIM and Rob Zombie. Thought about throwing some Cradle of Filth into the mix but decided that I'd rather hear a few more older Queensryche tunes instead. All of the stuff, with the exception of Queensryche, are from the group's new albums. Needed some heavy listening.

New albums: Magic Numbers, New Pornographers, Live Green Day, Live Wilco, Live Bruce Springsteen (Live in New York and the Hammersmith Odeon concert from 1975), Animaniacs.

I don't know about Wilco. For every song I like there's two that are borderline annoying to outright masturbatory.

Magic Numbers and New Pornographers I would put in the same boat right now--I listen to a lot of music, and if it doesn't grab me, it often gets pushed into the background. Neither of those albums have gotten my attention yet, but I'll give them a few more weeks in the rotation.

I'm definitely with you on the "HEELLLOOO LLLOOONNNDDDOOONNN!!!"s on Bullet in a Bible. I'm not really into the audience sing along thing.

Springsteen, however, is amazing. The Live in New York is really good, but fairly recent. The real revelation is how damn good Bruce and his band already were in 1975. I can't think of any current young bands who could match the live performance the E Street Band put on thirty (!) years ago.

My endlessly replayed album as of the last few months is Elastica's unfairly ignored second album, "The Menace." I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people weren't aware that Elastica actually made a second album. But yes, they did -- it was released about six or seven years after their big-selling self-titled debut, after enough behind-the-scenes drama, debauchery, and members coming and going and coming back for a good trashy movie; it sold next to nothing, but it got a five-star review in Uncut (anyone here remember when Uncut was still a half-decent magazine?) which was one of the incentives for me to buy it.

And it turned out to be a five-star album indeed.

"The Menace" is something of an anomaly in my collection. I'm not a fan of New Wave of New Wave, or of Britpop, or really of just about anything 90s, including the first Elastica album -- in fact, I only bought the first one after enjoying the second one so much. Other than Justine Frischmann's distinctive voice, it's hard to tell that these two albums are actually by the same band. In fact, they're not by the same band -- the only members who worked on both are Frischmann on guitar and vocals, bassist Annie Holland, and drummer Justin Welch. The first album was the work of a four-piece (the fourth member being guitarist, vocalist, and alleged sex-and-drugs-monster Donna Matthews) while the second album was minus Matthews (although she did get writing or co-writing credits on a few tracks, but plus guitarist Paul Jones, keyboardists Dave Bush and Mew (that's what she called herself, just Mew; she also did vocals), and many guests, including post-punk living legend Mark E. Smith of the Fall.

The first album puts me off because even though some of the songs are catchy, I find it every bit as cold, sterile, and over-produced as the average non-alternative album. "The Menace," by contrast, is RAW!! Its pure exuberance shatters to pieces any criticisms about being derivative or re-hashing post-punk or whatever. It's just a damn good album.

It gets off to a roaring start with three hard, fast, loud ones with grinding guitars and keyboard kraziness: "Mad Dog/God Dam", "Generator", and "How He Wrote Elastica Man" (no points for guessing which one Smith appears on). The slow and sinister "Image Change" makes for an abrupt sonic shift, but then "Your Arse, My Place" re-ignites the party before the next three tracks provide an extended slow and atmospheric interlude; "Human" is probably the weakest song on the album, but the swirling "Nothing Stays the Same" is one of the best, and the instrumental "Miami Nice" travels to places words can't describe. The next four -- "Love Like Ours", "KB", "My Sex" (another instrumental), and "The Way I Like It" -- are borderline filler-ish, but just listenable enough. And the album closes with a delightful cover of 80s nugget "Da Da Da", which IMO is better than the original.

I really hope "The Menace" goes on to become one of those "hidden treasure" albums that gets rediscovered over time.

Other albums I've been listening to constantly:

Nina Gordon, "Bleeding Heart Graffiti" (yes, it was finally released last year, and it's good)

Julian Cope, "World Shut Your Mouth"

Julian Cope, "Fried"

Julian Cope, "Followers of Saint Julian" (remixes and B-sides from his most underrated album, "Saint Julian")