Trollheart

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Trollheart

Girl power, eh? Before there was the likes of Girls Aloud and even the Spice Girls, divas like these two were ripping it up bigstyle and doin' it for themselves (see? The worm can be down with the kids too!) --- superstar of the disco scene, Donna Summer and the legendary Barbara Streisand, with “No more tears (enough is enough)”. Sing it, ladies!

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Trollheart

Don't know if anyone can help me, but I see everyone is "Christmassing" up their avatars, but mine is really small (no personal comments, please!) and although others have much larger and distinct pictures the user CP says it's to be restricted to 80 x 80 pixels. Most of the avatars I see are much larger than that, so how to get around the size restriction?

If anyone knows, I'd be indebted to you for the tip.

Thx

TH

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Trollheart

I'm a real fan of prog rock, so intricate compositions, out-there solos, deep lyrics, changes in tempo, signature and style all fit into what I like in a song. But I'm also aware that sometimes the opposite can be just as effective. Sometimes you don't need all the hi-tech wizardry and mile-a-minute lyrics, the sagas and epics, the fiddly guitars and extended keyboard solos, ten changes of pace within one song. Sometimes, like the title says, it's better, even advisable to keep it simple.

This all came to me when I listened to a song I've loved for years, but only really listened to in terms of its composition recently. It's by a band called the Korgis: you probably know it. It was their big (only) hit single, but it's so simple and stripped-down it's almost amazing, when you start deconsructing the song.

Everybody's got to learn sometime --- The Korgis --- 1980
Music and lyrics by James Warren


It has only four lines. That's all. Four. In total. And one of them serves as the chorus. The whole chorus. The same melody plays throughout the song, and the only real deviation from it is in the middle, where the bridge is taken by a sumptuous sax solo. The first two lines are essentially the same, with the replacement of one word, and the fourth, the title, is the chorus. You wouldn't think it would work, but it does. One verse, one chorus, one verse, one chorus, bridge and final chorus. And that's it.

A simple, almost insanely simple piano line opens the song, then a little synth run, the addition of some guitar notes and a sitar (sounds like), the keys getting a little more solid as the piano fades a little into the background. Then you hear the drums for the first time (if they've been there previously they've been very quiet) and then the superb sax break with synth backing, and then keys and the sitar to fade. Just wonderful.

It's a short enough song, but the impression it leaves is long-lasting, and if any song is an exercise in peeling away the fat and only leaving the bones, this is it. But it's an incredible little tune, which really passes you by on most levels until you start to think about it, and then, wow!

Here it is, for you to sample, and remember how it's constructed, and then listen to how it turns out. Without question, as in most things in life, the simplest way is often the best.

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Trollheart

What better way to begin your week than with a dash of Blur? (The keyboard kept typing "e” instead of “r”, but the worm said, no way! No Blue on THIS journal!)

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Trollheart

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

Marc Cohn --- Marc Cohn --- 1991 (Atlantic)


Something of a throwback to the early seventies, Marc Cohn's debut album reminds me of those singer/songwriter albums from the likes of Paul Simon, James Taylor, Harry Chapin and Justin Hayward. Simple, personal songs played with passion and sincerity, no real push to get a hit single but more a desire to make an album that is intimate and means something. And yet, the very first track off it became a huge success, though after that not so much.

With its flowing piano melody, “Walking in Memphis” reminds me of nothing more than Bruce Hornsby, until that is Cohn's deep, soulful voice comes in, and you kind of wonder, looking at the picture of him on the sleeve, how can such a guy have so deep a voice? It's almost impossible to associate the two. But he does a great job on the opener, with a great organ solo and some really effective gospel singing as the song goes on. I don't really need to go into too much detail, do I? It was a huge success and was on the radio for longer than I care to remember. Great song.

But as sometimes happens, “Memphis” was a two-edged sword. Yes, it got him noticed by the mainstream (including me: I had no idea who he was till that single, but then, no-one had, as this was his debut album) and scored a hit in the charts, gaining massive radio airplay, but when it came time to follow that hit up, it just didn't happen. His next single only got to the number 63 slot, and the one after that fared even worse. To many people then, Marc Cohn was a “one-hit-wonder”, but people like that only buy singles, and had they shelled out for the album and took the time to appreciate Cohn's songwriting they would have discovered that here indeed was a rare talent, who did not deserve to be judged on one, admittedly hugely successful, song.

Though he's had four albums since this one, and survived an attempt on his life in a carjacking, Cohn has been largely forgotten by the mainstream music press, despite the fact that he won an American Music Award AND a Grammy for this album in 1991, plus a nomination for a Grammy in 1992. But there is so much to enthuse about on this album, and very little, if anything, disappoints.

“Ghost train” is nicely understated, with a great bass line and a nice soul beat, while “Silver Thunderbird” evokes the best of early Springsteen, with memories of his father and his coveted car set to a nice piano and keyboard tune: ”Don't you give me no Buick/ Son you must take my word/ If there's a god in Heaven/ He's got a silver Thunderbird.”

Very country/bluegrass opening to “Dig down deep”, acoustic guitar carrying the tune, helped along by some fine mandolin from Robin Batteau, Cohn's organ coming in slowly and gracefully as the song builds and then fades slowly away, bringing in the gentle sway of “Walk on water”, ghostly keyboard ushering the song along, joined by bright piano, Cohn's sonorous voice rising above it all, taking command and focussing the ear on his pitch-perfect singing, a faultless delivery which can whisper or shout with equal effectiveness.

The first really uptempo song is “Miles away”, where Cohn gets to unleash the full power of his assembled band of musicians, creating a very radio-friendly song which should have got more attention, and might have, had it been released as a single. It has a great sense of fun and escapism about it, in contrast to the more or less introspective style of the preceding tracks. In essence, if the bulk of Marc Cohn's album is folk rock, then “Miles away” is his full-out rock track. Where the rest make you think, make you listen, this one makes you tap your foot, which can never be bad.

“Saving the best for last” goes back to the gentler, folk-influenced style, with jangly guitar and light percussion, a nice insistent bass keeping the rhythm fresh. “Strangers in a car” is a lovely little piano-driven ballad, another song of escape mixed with possible danger, whether it's the danger of accepting the lift from the stranger, or that of missing out on the chance to get away. ”It might be the highway to Heaven /And it might be the road to ruin.”

The only track not written by Cohn is a cover of Willie Dixon's “29 ways”, sung acapella except for drums and with great acapella backing vocals, low organ in the background until Cohn rips off a pretty funky solo and then finishes the song off with a flourish on the organ, bringing in “Perfect love”, a fine acoustic ballad with definite shades of early Dire Straits, and guest backing vocals from the legendary James Taylor, and finishing off with “True companion”, a gentle little piano ballad whose melody recalls parts of the opener, his big (and only) hit, “Walking in Memphis”, and features some lovely violin and French horn, bringing a really fine debut album to its satisfying close.

As I say, there really are no bad tracks on this, and Cohn hardly ever puts a foot wrong. Perhaps it might have been better had he not had his big hit, as it became, as these things often do, something of a millstone around his neck, a standard he could never again reach. But I would argue that there are tracks on this album that certainly do reach the quality of “Memphis”, though sadly the record-buying public and the label didn't seem to think so.

Cohn is still recording, and doing well, but his one-time shot at the charts definitely seems to have scuppered any real chance of his continuing to appeal to a wider audience, and his albums are more enjoyed by fans now than the mainstream. A pity, but that's how it goes. At least people are still enjoying his music. Why not join them?

TRACKLISTING

1. Walking in Memphis
2. Ghost train
3. Silver thunderbird
4. Dig down deep
5. Walk on water
6. Miles away
7. Saving the best for last
8. Strangers in a car
9. 29 ways
10. Perfect love
11. True companion

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What's on the box today? Let's listen to some more great TV themes. Expanding on the so-far obvious, here are some ones you may not have heard, or seen, but they're definitely worth lending your ear to.

This first one is from a drama that was on BBC a while back called “The shadow line”. It's actually called “Pause”, and is by Emily Barker. Very atmospheric.


This one you will know, more than likely. It's the theme to HBO's magnificent “Game of thrones”.


An absolutely fantastic trilogy that aired some time back, starring the late Sir Ian Richardson, this is “House of cards”.


Without question the very best documentary ever made on World War 2, with the most dramatic theme, this is “The world at war”.


This was incredibly hard to find! One of the best shows of the last ten years, it's the theme to “24”.


And sticking with shows whose titles are numbers, this is the excellent theme song to the sci-fi series “The 4400”.


Another great sci-fi show with a wonderful theme, this is the haunting opening to “The Dead Zone”.


BBC's “Hustle” is a great show but sadly they changed the theme, and I much preferred this one, the original.


A great rockin' theme from a great show, the original “La femme Nikita”.


And to finish this time, just because I love the show so much, here's “Futurama”!

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The Ultimate Collection --- Neil Diamond --- 1996 (Columbia)


I almost never review compilations, greatest hits or the like, but I'm going to make an exception for this album, for two reasons. One, it's a great collection and two, I want to talk about Neil Diamond but I don't have any of his albums bar this double. But it's a great way to get a feel for the man's best music, even if it's hard to squeeze over fifty years of that onto two small discs.

Pretty much all the greats are there, and even if you hate Diamond you'll know the likes of “Sweet Caroline”, “Love on the rocks”, “Beautiful noise” and “Cracklin' Rosie. He gets a lot of stick (often from me, I admit it) as the pensioners' choice, watch out you don't trip on any zimmers at the gig, grannies throwing their knickers and so on, but the fact can't be ignored that Neil Diamond has been recording and gigging since the early sixties, has sold over 115 million records worldwide and has had almost forty hit singles. His songs have been covered, imitated, sampled and referred to, and he's worked with the best in the industry. Everyone from Cliff Richard to Deep Purple have interpreted his songs, and they're internationally recognised: even those who say they hate him have no doubt danced to “Song sung blue” or “Red red wine”, or performed dodgy karaoke versions of “Sweet Caroline”.

Whether he's writing uptempo boppers like the aforementioned “Sweet Caroline” or “Cracklin' Rosie”, glorying in life with the excellent “Beautiful noise” or being an “ordinary guy” with a song like “Forever in blue jeans”, Diamond is as good as his name, creating timeless gems every time he sets pen to paper or plectrum to guitar. The hits roll on, and it's hard not to get caught up in the infectious enthusiasm of his music. Even slower, more introspective fare like “I am, I said”, “September morning” or the aching “You don't bring me flowers” hit just the right spot, while thumping anthems like “America” and “Holly holy” just make you want to throw your fist in the air and shout “Yeah!”

The first disc is, in my opinion, the best, crammed as it is with his more recognisable hits. My own personal favourites, the broken-down ballad “Love on the rocks”, with its powerful, swelling string section that takes the chorus to new levels, the exuberant, almost madly happy “Beautiful noise” and the insistent “Play me” all make me wonder really why I don't listen to his music more? But like many artists of this type, I enjoy his hits but would I sit through a whole album? It's unlikely. Like Barry Manilow, ABBA and a few others, I can listen to a greatest hits and enjoy it but not consider myself particularly a fan. Fooling myself? Maybe, but I'm willing to bet good money I'm not the only one with a Diamond CD tucked, even hidden, away on my hard drive. Guilty pleasure, anyone?

There are some --- many --- of his songs I can live without. “Heartlight” comes across to me as a deliberate attempt to cash-in on the “ET” fever of the time, and I've never liked “Red red wine”. I also hate “Cherry, cherry” with a passion, but on an album with a total of forty tracks on it, I can honestly say I really like thirty, and a few more are okay: that's not a bad percentage. I know these are his hits, but still..

You do of course have to question the validity of a man who is a multi-millionaire singing about being happy with the simple things in life, as in “Forever in blue jeans” --- yeah, top designer, no doubt, Neil! --- but then who doesn't write songs like that, and if he's got rich penning songs of that quality, sure why not? Fair play to him, as they say. There's nevertheless a sense of honesty and reality that shines through in Diamond's songs, both in the lyrics and in their execution. Like recently-reviewed Dan Fogeberg, he really seems to put a lot of himself into the songs, and you really can't imagine him writing anything he hasn't lived.

Disc two is a little weaker, with a lot of cover material, though even then they're good covers. His version of the Hollies' “He ain't heavy, he's my brother” has gone down as a classic, and songs like “You've lost that lovin' feeling”, “The sun ain't gonna shine anymore” and Cat Stevens' classic “Morning has broken” sit well alongside his own songs. There are some great tracks on disc two, in particular I would single out “I am … I said”, “September morn”, “America” and “You don't bring me flowers”, but as I say, it's not as chock-full of instantly recognisable classics as the first disc is, and perhaps if the covers had been left off and a few of the weaker ones from disc one removed they could have made this a really killer album of just one disc.

Mind you, there are covers on disc one too, though fewer in number. He does a fairly decent version of Harry Nilsson's “Everybody's talkin'” with an interesting banjo and harmonica accompaniment, and the Drifters' “Up on the roof” gets the Diamond treatment too, with full orchestra, but the bulk of the first disc is all his own work, and the better for it. “Girl, you'll be a woman soon” has a very sixties vibe to it, with almost country and western guitar melding with rock, “If you know what I mean” is as powerful, passionate and tragic as it ever was, and “Longfellow serenade” only improves with time.

Probably the song that affects me most though is on disc two, and in fact the closer. Performed with the great Barbara Streisand, the tale of love gone sour in “You don't bring me flowers” hits a chord seldom achieved by others. The voices of the two lovers as they each accuse the other of giving up on the relationship, taking the easy way out and coasting on, sear the heart. Diamond snaps ”You don't say you need me”, Streisand counters with ”You don't sing me love songs” and both complain ”You don't bring me flowers anymore.” A tale sadly all too familiar to many a couple who married in the blush of first love, and then have to watch in dismay as the rose wilts and the love poems stop, and they wonder how they got themselves into this mess. Such a simple complaint, but getting right to the heart of the matter: you don't bring me flowers anymore. You don't love me.

I may listen (and I do) to Iron Maiden, Marillion, Tom Waits and Bon Jovi, but there'll always be a little place in my record collection for Neil Diamond, no matter what. His songs are timeless, human stories and they touch the hearts of so many people across this world that even at the age of seventy, his presence is still requested, demanded and swooned over onstage all over this planet of ours, and I somehow think this situation will remain for many years to come.

TRACKLISTING

DISC ONE

1. Sweet Caroline
2. Song sung blue
3. Cracklin' Rosie
4. Love on the rocks
5. Beautiful noise
6. Forever in blue jeans
7. Hello again
8. Red, red wine
9. Everybody's talkin'
10. Girl, you'll be a woman soon
11. I'm a believer
12. Heartlight
13. Up on the roof
14. Desiree
15. If you know what I mean
16. Longfellow serenade
17. Play me
18. You got to me
19. I (who have nothing)

DISC TWO

1. I am … I said
2. Solitary man
3. He ain't heavy, he's my brother
4. Cherry, cherry
5. Walk on water
6. Soolaimon
7. The sun ain't gonna shine anymore
8. Stones
9. You've lost that lovin' feeling
10. Morning has broken
11. Chelsea morning
12. Mr. Bojangles
13. Yesterday's songs
14. Thank the Lord for the night
15. Brother Love's travelling salvation show
16. September morn
17. Kentucky woman
18. I got the feelin' (Oh no no!)
19. America
20. Holly holy
21. You don't bring me flowers

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TheNiceGuy

For some reason this guy's vocals remind me a hell of a lot like John Lennon. As for the song it demonstrates that minimalism can work quite well; certainly this song really conveys a very dark, broody feel with it.

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There is no Dark Side of the Moon really, matter of fact it's all dark...