With Elton John’s Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace coming to an end in May, myself and the missus packed our bags and headed down. Catching the show that made it into the news due to an unruly fan trying to touch him saw our performance end on a bit of a sour note, however Elton was phenomenal throughout. If you have the chance, do absolutely try and catch him on his last ever tour that starts later this year. With the anticipation of the show, I picked up Diamonds, the latest in a long line of greatest hits sets Elton has put out through the years. Track listing is very similar to the greatest hits that came out in 2002 with a few minor changes.
Opting for the two-disc set of Diamonds instead of the super deluxe edition, the first CD is extraordinary. Front to back classics from “Your Song” to “Rocket Man”, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, “Daniel”, “Bennie and the Jets”, etc. These Elton John/Bernie Taupin compositions make-up some of the greatest compositions of all time. Disc two starts with “Song For Guy” before giving way to the hits of the 80s up to 2016. Highlights include the sentimental “I Guess Why That’s Why They Call It The Blues” and “Sad Songs (Say So Much)”, the defiant “I’m Still Standing” and the disco house mix of 2003 UK chart topper “Are You Ready For Love”.
The second disc can fall into schmaltzy territory with “Nikita” and wedding reception staple “Can You Feel The Love Tonight”. “I Want Love” updates Elton’s sound to the point of sounding like a Robbie Williams knockoff, not necessarily a terrible thing. After his 70s heyday, even the best songs sound slightly less substantial and at times suffer from 80s production. That being said, the performances are always spot on and having virtually all the hits in one spot for a legendary artist like Elton John is fine indeed.
9/10
Modern Kosmology is Jane Weaver’s sixth studio album. Much praise was heaped on the Manchester based, Liverpudlian upon release in the spring of 2017 and received a new lease on life (in my world) when Mojo magazine ranked it their fifth favourite record of the year. “Did You See Butterflies” is the most immediate track with a droning bassline and early 90s Lush style vocals.
After collaborating with Sparks in 2015, the newly reconfigured Franz Ferdinand line-up return with Always Ascending. Lots has changed in the Franz world – heartthrob guitarist Nick McCarthy is sitting this one out with keyboard player Julian Corrie and ex 1990s guitarist Dino Bardot entering the picture. The build-up that opens the title track is exciting and sounds like the background music to an action movie trailer. On the other hand I could do without the less than inspiring refrain of “I’m a lazy boy” chant in “Lazy Boy”.
n October 2017 on Matador, the shaggy hairs Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile released an album that they had worked off/on for two years. Matador Records is a fitting company to have released this on as it has much in common with early 90s indie rock. It is a mixture of Pavement, Yo La Tengo’s Fakebook album, the bluesy grunge sound of Seattle, and a cover of Belly’s “Untogether” tacked on at the end for good measure.
Enough has been written about Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band that it could fill the Royal Albert Hall… and then some. 2017 was the 50th anniversary of arguably the most talked about album ever and as such, the deluxe editions were rolled out to celebrate. A six-disc super deluxe edition came out along with a 2CD deluxe edition. With the former trending close to $200, we opted for the latter. On this edition, the original album features a new stereo remix by Giles Martin and Sam Okell along with an extra disc of outtakes + extras.
