Trollheart

After a brief hiatus to allow me complete, insofar as I could, my reviews of 2012 albums, "Bitesize" will reopen for business in January, and I'm planning a whole new journal separate to this one, details to follow soon. There will be some major changes coming to "The Playlist of Life", now running into its third year of operation. There are lots of new sections planned for the new year, many of which I had intended to implement before now, but hey, there are only so many hours in the day! So, look out for these new features in the coming months...

ROSES AMONG THE THORNS --- Focussing on the distaff side, the ladies of rock and other music genres, the women who have made it in what is primarily a man's world.

WHERE IT ALL STARTED --- I write about the first album I bought or heard from a particular artiste who impressed me. It may not have been their first, but it was where I was introduced to them, and in most cases made enough of an impression on me that I bought the rest of their catalogue.

THE STRANGE WORLD OF THE SESSION MUSICIAN --- The life of the wandering minstrel, eh? Some people were better known as session men (Steve Lukather) before they joined their main band, others still survive by playing with just about anyone they can (Michael Landau) but it must indeed be a strange thing to be going from band to band, gigging with maybe a jazz troupe this month and a hardcore metal next, or whatever. This section will be my attempt to look into the often long and varied careers of these temps of the music world, and see just what makes them tick, why they don't settle into a band or what makes them so much in demand.

POWER BEHIND THE THRONE --- Some people are just made to produce and direct, create and compose, and have their work disseminated through others. Sometimes these people are content to work from the shadows, like maybe Steve Lillywhite, never attempting to come out from behind the curtain, and sometimes they make a bid for personal glory, like Jim Steinman. But one thing is certain: without these men and women, there are many acts that would not be where they are today.

THAT ACOUSTIC FEELING --- Exploring music you can play even when the power is out. Some of the most beautiful and soulful music has been made, and is made, without the benefit of a single piece of technology. A guy/girl, a guitar, a piano, a violin: one person and their instrument can, often, wring more emotion from an audience than a whole philharmonic or an eighteen-piece band with three guitarists and banks of keyboards. I'll be exploring some of that very music in this section, later in the year.

THE ALBATROSS --- That "one-hit wonder" tag, or more specifically, the single that was a hit and now defines the band, even though they may have created some truly excellent albums since, or even before. Think of Genesis' "Follow you follow me", A-ha's "Take on me" or Europe's "The final countdown". I'll be looking at these "career-defining" singles in depth, and asking the question, does this artiste deserve to have this hanging around their neck for all time?

MUSIQUE SANS FRONTIERES --- Already hinted at during the year, I'll be travelling (metaphorically) far and wide to investigate and sample the music of countries beyond the usual. So expect to hear music from Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, and some tiny little island somewhere in the South Pacific that has a population of about a hundred. Well, maybe not them. But a lot of what I hope will be unknown and obscure music. Widen your knowledge, you know? Broaden the horizons?

All this and, as already mentioned and intended, ICONS and GUITAR MAN, plus the return of THE TWO HUNDRED WORD ALBUM REVIEW. And that's not all. Lots to keep you hopefully checking out and coming back to the Playlist of Life in 2013. It's gonna be a blast!

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018