A collection of short top gear rock ‘n roll motoring ditties inspired by a 1959 Lincoln Continental, recently converted to an electric hybrid (Lincvolt). The epic musical creations of Young’s previous album (Chrome Dreams II) are not really present on this latest project. I get the impression that the majority of the passion for this project has gone into the concept and the actual car itself rather than the album. I therefore look forward to the documentary film that shows the electric conversion of the car, and the subsequent road trip to Washington as a political statement on the American oil dependence.
I’m not sure if it’s laziness, familiarity or just a well tested formula, but I suspect any competent musician could jam along without prehearing these songs and successfully anticipate all the chord changes and drum fills.
But that’s not to say there aren’t any good songs on this album “Just Singing A Song”, Cough Up The Bucks” and “Hit The Road” are solid songs, as firmly rooted in the golden age of rock as his ’59 Lincoln is rooted in the golden age of the American Automotive industry. However, unlike the automotive industry, Young will not need Obama to bail him out.
“Just Singing a Song” has a hammering rhythm, wailing guitars and a snatched Beatles motoring lyric as well as the line “just singing a song won't change the world". Please take note Paul Hewson.
“Fork in the Road” may not be the masterpiece of its predecessor but it is a short, instantly accessible and very agreeable set of old school rock from a crazy old coot with a big ass car.
“Understanding Electricity” is a great debut album that provides a perfect platform for the Official Secrets Act to become a major new force in 2009. Despite being an original and contemporary album, it still evokes some early 80’s déjà-vu for me
“Mainstream” is an upbeat opener that confirms the 1982 nostalgia with a synthesiser that makes the same sound that the video game, Phoenix, used to make when one of the birds would break formation and hover around in a hard to shoot way before dive bombing your spaceship kamikaze style and taking the pair of you out.
“The Girl from the BBC” has a very catchy riff and lyric that makes it a prime candidate for a radio friendly sing-a-long single.
“A Head for Herod” builds slowly with a pulsing guitar not dissimilar to the opening track on the last Kings of Leon album. The slow paced 6+ minute track continues with its harmonic backing vocals and promises a big finish that never really materialises.
“Momentary Sanctuary” has swirling progressive keyboards that might have been easily attributed to Jean-Michel Jarre over a train like rhythm before fading out with acoustic guitars, violins and running water. Which reminds me I’ll be back in a minute, I just need to do something first.
“Bloodsport” is my favourite track on the album with its New Romantic keyboard licks enclosing the soft choral vocals. I’m still not convinced this wasn’t a big hit in 1982 that I just missed.
Whilst I was writing my recent Gomez album review, I reflected upon how following the release of their debut album, their subsequent offerings failed to live up to the high standard they had set themselves.
This got me thinking, how many other bands have released stunning debut albums that they have failed to surpass. Here’s my top 20 debut albums, that the artists never managed to beat. (IMHO)
20 Ramones: Ramones 1976
19 Adam And The Ants: Dirk Wears White Sox 1979
18 Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes 1991
17 Frankie Goes To Hollywood: Welcome To The Pleasure Dome 1984
Gomez’s Mercury Prize winning 1998 debut album, “Bring It On”, was an instant classic with its fresh sounding quirky blues and modern folk rock sound. “Bring It On” was a tough act to follow, and despite the sales of subsequent albums, I don’t think they have ever recaptured the magic of the first album. With the possible exception of “Liquid Skin”, I suspect “A New Tide” may be their best follow up effort to date, alas I think it still falls short.
Now signed to Dave Matthews’ label, and touring the States, Gomez seem to have left Stockport behind, and are successfully pursing the American Dream.
“Win Park Slope” is one album highlight worth picking out. It is a curious song featuring slide guitar and Ian Ball’s mature and powerful vocals. Incidentally, I seem to recall that when I reviewed the first album back in 1998, I commented on how mature and Dylan like their young lead vocalist sounded. I’m not quite sure how many cigarettes it took to get that voice, but it continues to work well.
In summary, “A New Tide” is a crisp and well produced set of 11 new songs, but I can’t help comparing it to the early days. Perhaps I’m just an old fart who prefers to cling on to the past.
Leonard Cohen is without any shadow of a doubt, my all time favourite French Canadian Jew. For the benefit of those uninitiated in the genius that is Leonard Cohen, here’s a very quick single paragraph summary.
Having published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1953 and his first novel in 1963 Cohen moved into the burgeoning folk scene in 1967 with the release his first album. All of his art has been sombre and contemplative with rich sexual and religious imagery throughout. This made him highly adorned by beatniks, pretentious 6th form students and morose teenagers (of which I was one). He was already seen as a mature artist by many of his peers on the late 60’s folk circuit. Cohen recorded albums throughout the late 60’s 70’s 80’s and early 90’s, although his output considerably slowed after the 70’s. In 1996 Cohen was ordained as a Zen Buddhist monk and retreated to a monastery. I feared that that would be that, but he emerged again in 2001 with 10 New Songs and another album in 2004.
If it wasn’t for the fact that his life long manager then lost his $5,000,000 retirement fund, things may still be quiet. I suspect this financial issue may well have been the driving force behind last year’s tour and this subsequent live album.
On this new album immense effort has been put into the musical arrangements of these classic Cohen songs for the perfect live performance. Cohen’s gravely tones are accompanied throughout by a highly talented and rehearsed bunch of minstrels.
Despite sounding cleverly improvised and profound, the in between song banter is obviously beautifully scripted, as I recall the exact same dialogue when I attended a gig a few days after this recording was put to tape. Cohen’s chatter with the crowd evokes the feeling of an intimate performance for his personal friends despite actually performing to a packed O2 arena.
The double album consists of 25 sublime Cohen songs perfectly arranged and delivered. Here’s a selection of some of the many fine moments:
The Future I have always been fairly obsessed with Cohen’s poetic lyrics and am likely to quote them extensively throughout this review. Cohen has in fact censored his own lyrics on this particular version of the title track of his 1992 album. Here’s the original version:
Give me crack and anal sex Take the only tree that's left and stuff it up the hole in your culture Give me back the Berlin wall give me Stalin and St Paul I've seen the future, brother: it is murder.
For this performance Cohen opts to replace the word “anal” with “casual” but little potency is lost.
Bird On The Wire The original album version had only slight guitar accompaniment to the melancholic lyrics. This version has added organ and mandolin throughout and even incorporates great separate guitar and saxophone solos. Once again I feel the need to quote from this Cohen classic:
Like a baby, stillborn, Like a beast with his horn I have torn everyone who reached out for me.
Everybody Knows The mandolin and pedal steel guitar mingle with the familiar pounding rhythm of this seminal 1988 track. Despite sounding very similar to the studio version an extra level of detail seems to have added, further enhancing the original version. Once again here’s some lyrics:
Everybody knows that you love me baby Everybody knows that you really do Everybody knows that you've been faithful Ah give or take a night or two Everybody knows you've been discreet But there were so many people you just had to meet Without your clothes And everybody knows
In My Secret Life One of Cohen and Sharon Robinson's more recent compositions features an out of synch duet where Cohen growls along with Robinson’s beautiful dulcet tones.
Who By Fire A magnificent Spanish guitar introduction gives way to the opening verse and applause and I am unable control the goosebumps and the tingle that runs through my body. The audience perfectly respect the deathly silence during the dramatic pauses and an unexpected Hammond organ solo further entertains us before the climatic bass.
Hey That’s No Way To Say Goodbye This live version is missing the cheesy female vocal “boings” from the original but takes advantage instead of the mandolin player and mouth harp.
Tower Of Song I recall Leonard walking up to his pre-programmed keyboard and pushing the magic button that kicks of the great synthetic rhythm that immediatley identifies this song. (For anyone who has just read my damming review of the Pet Shop Boys, and their reliance on programmed keyboards, my hypocrisy can be noted.) Anyway it’s hard to suppress a wry smile when the crowd cheer following his dead pan delivery of the immortal lines:
I was born like this, I had no choice, I was born with the gift of a golden voice.
Leonard encourages his backing vocalist to continue with their chanting “do dum dum dum de do dum dum” long after the song proper has come to an end and he teases us with his profession to finding the meaning of life. It isn’t “42” as I suspected, or even “How many roads must a man walk down”, but it is in fact: ”Do dum dum dum de do dum dum”. That’s cleared that one up.
Suzanne This is perhaps one of Cohen’s best known songs and he plays it beautifully, following that original 1967 recording. (See YouTube Video at the bottom of the blog)
The Gypsy’s Wife This was not originally one of my favourite Cohen songs, but this sublime live version is one of the many highlights of this album.
Hallelujah Lack of exposure to commercial television and dirge radio has spared me from the inconvenience of being tainted with last years Karaoke cover version of this Cohen classic. This centre piece from Cohen 1984 album, “Various positions” is portrayed by the skill and wit of its original author as it should be. That musician’s perennial favourite trick of replacing a place name with their current venue always pleases the local audience and works its usual magic by embedding a London reference into the song.
Democracy As this concert was recorded shortly after the election of President Obama, has there ever been a more timely moment at which to deliver these lyrics?
It's coming through a hole in the air, from those nights in Tiananmen Square. It's coming from the feel that this ain't exactly real, or it's real, but it ain't exactly there. From the wars against disorder, from the sirens night and day, from the fires of the homeless, from the ashes of the gay: Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
I’m Your Man One of my all time favourite Cohen songs is depicted in all its full splendour with accompanying woodwind. The song also provided an ideal opportunity for the pun writers of the title of a collection of Cohen covers by admiring musicians, “I’m your fan”. Here are some words of wisdom from this standard:
If you want a lover I’ll do anything you ask me to And if you want another kind of love Ill wear a mask for you If you want a partner Take my hand Or if you want to strike me down in anger Here I stand I’m your man
I was going to mention a few other songs too, but I think I’ve been going on for long enough now.
I may no longer subscribe to the religious doctrines so eloquently professed in many of these exceptional songs, but their poetic power remains undiminished by my disbelief.
A collection of short top gear rock ‘n roll motoring ditties inspired by a 1959 Lincoln Continental, recently converted to an electric hybrid (Lincvolt). The epic musical creations of Young’s previous album (Chrome Dreams II) are not really present on this latest project. I get the impression that the majority of the passion for this project has gone into the concept and the actual car itself rather than the album. I therefore look forward to the documentary film that shows the electric conversion of the car, and the subsequent road trip to Washington as a political statement on the American oil dependence.
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