Posted in Album Reviews

Van Halen – Fair Warning (1981)

Posted on by Michael

Nearly 45 years ago Diamond Dave and the Van Halen gang teamed up once again with producer Ted Templeman to record their fourth album, Fair Warning. You can practically smell the cheap apartments/rooms/cars this record banged out of all those years ago.  “Mean Street” is a tough as nails song about the down and out streets on the wrong side of town, Eddie Van Halen puts out staggering riffs over top.  More melodic, “Hear About It Later” sees David Lee Roth put in a really good bridge verse and Alex Van Halen powers through the outro.

Not to be outdone, Michael Anthony’s bass is the highlight of fan favourite “Unchained” about a “Blue eyed murder in a size five dress”. The only single released in North America was the upbeat rocker “So This Is Love?” before the short album finishes with the menacing synth tones of “Sunday Afternoon In the Park” that fades into “One Foot Out The Door”. Without any massive singles, the solid Fair Warning still went top 5 in the US and eventually hit double platinum.

7.5/10

Posted in Album Reviews

ABC – The Lexicon Of Love (1982)

Posted on by Michael

The debut album from Sheffield band, ABC is a landmark 80s recording.  Produced by Trevor Horn with several arrangements done by the uber talented Anne Dudley, The Lexicon of Love fuses the disco/R+B sound of Chic, post punk influences, and emotional lyrics. First track, “Show Me”, shows specifically what the band excelled at – the blue eyed crooning of Martin Fry, solid bass grooves, horns, and glittery keyboards. “Poison Arrow” takes the formula straight into the UK top 10, a lounge version later appears on reissues of the album.

First single, “Tears Are Not Enough” can’t wait to get started and comes with horn stabs and a rougher vocal sound. Orchestral strings add to the drama of “Valentine’s Day” along with bright keyboards as Fry sings, “If you gave me a pound for all the moments I missed/And I got dancing lessons for all the lips I shoulda kissed/I’d be a millionaire, I’d be Fred Astaire”. “Date Stamp” adds female vocals to the mix as a contrast to the other tracks.

On an album filled with hooks, two songs really standout. “The Look Of Love (Part 1)” pulls back the reigns on the music early to let the vocals shine through on the album’s highest charting single. The song would appear on countless 80s compilation and introduce the band to North American audiences. ABC further show their classic songwriting abilities with the surging orchestration of “All Of My Heart”. A beautiful and heartbreaking song, a pain in the heart as Fry sings, “I hope and I pray that maybe someday/You’ll walk in the room with my heart”. The music takes over in the outro.

In the years that followed, The Lexicon Of Love grew to be one of the most acclaimed albums of the synth-pop era and regularly places on charts of the best albums of the decade. Listening nearly 45 year later, it’s the songwriting that truly stands out as many of these songs could have been hits in other eras.  Through several line-up changes over the years, it’s The Lexicon of Love that has endured through packages/repackages, and rightfully so, a true gem of an album.

10/10

Posted in Paper Chase

Robert Hilburn – The Life

Posted on by Michael

For his biography on Paul Simon titled, The Life, Robert Hilburn is given extensive access to the musician’s friends and family.  Simon was interviewed for 100 hours to gain insight into his music and life.  The book focuses mainly on the music instead of the relationships and tabloid coverage which is mostly good for music fans though would have been interesting to read more about his years with Carrie Fisher. The stories from his childhood and coming up through the recording industry are fascinating. His relationship with Art Garfunkel is told throughout the book, as their relationship ebbs and flows with several reunion concerts.

Paul Simon as a man comes off as complex and the book stays mostly on his good side. Stories of his generosity abound with him giving songwriting credits to other musicians and paying above scale when he feels it is right.  The controversies surrounding the recording of Graceland are just as complex as Simon brushes off the criticism of recording in and touring various African countries. As a man, Simon is also portrayed with single minded ambition, coming off as harsh and aloof at times.

Hilburn writes about the massive successes but also touches on the failures – namely the One Trick Pony movie and The Capeman Broadway play that lasted only a few weeks. The last several chapters aren’t as interesting as they touch on Simon’s last few albums and print the lyrics of several songs. For fans of Paul Simon, and singer-songwriters in general, that want a deep dive into the music, The Life is a recommended read.

8/10

Posted in Album Reviews

David Bowie – Let’s Dance (1983)

Posted on by Michael

On the Let’s Dance album, released in 1983, David Bowie stepped into pop superstardom with an album to match. Working with Chic’s Nile Rodgers, Bowie specifically wanted hits for the new MTV world. And hits he got on his best-selling album. The singles are all collected at the beginning, starting with “Modern Love” that has a bit of a 50s feel with a horn section and a call and response chorus.

Reigniting a track Bowie originally wrote with Iggy Pop for Pop’s 1977 album, The Idiot, “China Girl” became the second smash hit from the record. The Asian influenced guitar brings a new hook to the song and the “oh-oh-oh-oh” outro is just as catchy. Released as the first single, the title track is a towering dance hit. Another song that brings in a 50s flavour that melts in perfectly with the disco funk.  The album version clocks in at nearly eight minutes and feels like a remix, bringing in different sounds.  The track is tailor made for clubs with coloured lights, tiled floors and glass tables but still feels vital 40 years later.

Like some other big 80s pop albums, the rest of the album is over shadowed by the massive singles but still turns in a few really good tracks. Bernard Edwards lays down a slinky bass groove on “Without You” while guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan turns in a standout guitar solo on the bouncy “Criminal World”. Many fans would miss the experimental 70s Bowie who pushed boundaries versus this mainstream version who seems to be following trends, rather than creating them. But, the album did what Bowie wanted, brought him all the hits and introduced him to a new generation of music fans.

9/10

Posted in Paper Chase

Vladimir Nabokov – Lolita

Posted on by Michael

“Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov” goes the lyrics to The Police’s hit song, “Don’t Stand So Close To Me”.  One of the most famous and controversial books of the last century, Vladimir Nabokov’s 1955 book Lolita is often hailed as a literary classic. The plot follows Humbert Humbert as he crosses the Atlantic to America after a failed first marriage. He becomes a tenant in a house owned by Charlotte with a young daughter Delores who catches Humbert’s eye, and lust, who he then refers to as “Lolita”. After a doomed marriage to Charlotte, he runs off with Lolita staying in motels across the US as he lives out his sexual fantasies with the 12-year-old girl.

In reviews of the book, morality is put the side as high-minded readers marvel at the stylistic prose of Nabakov who writes the story through the eyes of Humbert. The lurid material is shocking at times as one wonders how he could not act as a protector of his step child. At other times, the storytelling is amusing, in a cocksure Morrissey kind of way. A challenging book that continues to divide opinion, one that I did find hard to put down as it continued though I’m not sure I ever truly enjoyed it. Read at your own discretion .

7/10