Month: July 2014

Posted in Album Reviews

The Doors – Strange Days (1967)

Posted on by Michael

51rq15fR+sL__SP160,160,0,T_About ten months after their landmark self-titled debut landed on store shelves, The Doors followed it up with Strange Days. As noted in virtually all writings of the album, most of the songs had been written around the same time as The Doors but had been passed over. The two singles that appear here need no introduction and will be familiar to anyone with access to FM radio – “Love Me Two Times” and “People Are Strange”.

The title track starts things off with swirling keyboards, including a moog synthesizer played by one Jim Morrison. This leads into “You’re Lost Little Girl”. It’s one of those tracks that proves why Greatest Hits don’t always tell the full story. The haunting little pop song with a beautiful vocal by Morrison has been lodged in my head for days. “Unhappy Girl” and “My Eyes Have Seen You” are pure psychedelic confection. The disc is broken up halfway through with the ugly spoken word track “Horse Latitudes”. And try as it might, eleven minute album closer “When the Music’s Over” doesn’t quite reach the mesmerizing heights of “The End”.

While the debut is rightly regarded as the classic in The Doors cannon, Strange Days is only a half-step behind. While not a smash hit at the time, it has since gone on to have sold over 9 million copies. 1967 was one of the greatest years in rock history, and this is just one more reason why.

8.5/10

Posted in Album Reviews

Simple Minds – Life In A Day (1979)

Posted on by Michael

51fSCyuvUoL__SP160,160,0,T_The story of Simple Minds is generally regarded by most as a story of two halves. The trendy, cool sound of their first five albums before their spiky/angular sound gave way to 80s arena rock bombast. Truth is, I love the massive 80s hits of “Sanctify Yourself” and “Alive and Kicking”. I was always curious about their earlier sound so last year picked up the Simple Minds X5 album pack that collects their first five discs (includes Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call double as well as bonus tracks).

The first release from the Glaswegians was Life In A Day released in the post punk world of 1979. There is a giddy rush to first track, “Someone”. The slight rest before the chorus amps its impact and you can picture the band jumping up and down while playing the track in pubs around the UK. That rush is continued with the handclaps in “Sad Affair”. Non charting single “Chelsea Girl” takes the foot off the gas with a cascading keyboard line from Michael MacNeill. A key song in their early live shows, the track slows to just bass and background cymbals for the final minute while the chorus is sung over and over again. The title track, and lone charting single, features the synthesizer more upfront and has Kerr really going for it in the vocal. Is this a precursor to what would come in the 80s?

The album generally gets middling reviews and the band themselves aren’t overly fond of it. Jim Kerr has expressed disappointment in some of John Leckie’s (!!) production which does make the band sound more like a really good bar band rather than young world beaters. However, to these ears much of it fits in very nicely with classic tracks from that era such as Squeeze’s “Cool For Cats” and the horn driven punk of X-Ray Spex. There was plenty more to come from Simple Minds in future years but this was a damn fine start.

8/10