Trollheart

Bone Machine --- Tom Waits --- 1992 (Island)


You probably all know I'm a big Waits fan, but there are some of his albums that speak to me less than others. I'm not crazy about "The Black Rider" and could never quite get into "Alice" or "Blood money". It's been a while since I reviewed any of his albums so I thought I'd take a stab at one that, while not one of my favourites, still has a lot going for it and tends often to get overlooked when we talk of his music. The thing about Waits is that, to quote half of that pointless Forrest Gump phrase (of course you know what you're gonna get in a box of chocolates: most of them have little cards that tell you what's in each, at least over here they do) you never quite know what you're going to get with Waits. In some ways, that's what makes him so interesting and intriguing. He can play the most beautiful, heartbreaking piano ballad one track and quite literally spend the next one banging a chair leg against the wall while growling and then switch to a Spanish flamenco for the next. If any artiste truly crosses most genres, it's Tom Waits.

So what do you get on "Bone machine"? Well, you get his first studio album for five years, and the first so far as I can see (and possibly the only) of his albums to win a Grammy, not that such things matter much to Waits I imagine. You get an album with sixteen tracks, varying from dark ruminations on murder to the innocence of youth, and featuring everything from a soft heartbroken whisper to a maniacal, ear-shattering scream. It's the latter we hear first, as the album opens on "Earth died screaming", that odd, organic percussion familiar to his fans the first thing you hear, then Waits grumbles the opening lyric before he screeches out the chorus as the strange almost discordant music that sounds like someone might be clapping and tapping the sides of beer bottles continues, the only really discernible instrument a plucked guitar that keeps the basic melody together. Waits' lyrics have always been colourful: here he talks about walking between the raindrops and growls "When Hell doesn't want you/ And Heaven is full/ Bring me some water/ Put it in this skull" --- this theme will return later in another song. As this one fades out though all the percussion is turned down and the melody taken by a sudden accordion sound with maybe trumpets and trombones? Hard to say with Waits.

There's a big doomy, funereal sound then for "Dirt in the ground", with Waits utilising his falsetto vocal here --- it's pretty amazing how he can switch from bassy baritone to alto soprano or whatever at the drop of a hat --- and the song has a sort of lurching, drunken feel, with again the theme returning --- "Hell's boilin' over/ Heaven is full" --- slow jazz horns taking the tune while a lonely piano plays in the background, Waits the solitary drunken prophet slurring in the wilderness. The horns then get all uptempo and are joined by guitar for the far more upbeat and a bit crazy "Such a scream", with Waits going back to the harsh, growly drawl he's best known for. He does a great job on the guitar too, while the percussion manages to sound at times both organic and electronic at once. Things stay a bit madcap then for "All stripped down", Waits' voice taking on a sort of mechanical, robotic feel while also bringing back the falsetto to such a degree that it almost (almost) sounds like he's duetting with a female!

The first of several ballads next, in the country-flavoured "Who are you", with a distinct memory of "Hang down your head" from "Rain dogs" and then "The ocean doesn't want me" (which was previously featured in my section "The Word according to Waits) is about as barebones as you can get, with ambient instrumentation to the max, Waits' voice almost a gutteral whisper as he appears to contemplate suicide --- "I'd love to go drowning/ And to stay and to stay/ But the ocean doesn't want me today" --- but can't go through with it. There are wind sounds, low, muted percussion, bells and chimes and a real feeling of desolation and feeling alone. In its own way it's a scary, unsettling little piece, even though it lasts less than two minutes. There's little time to dwell upon it though, because "Jesus gonna be here", we're told, as Waits goes all evangelical with a big screeching vocal and something out of a gospel perfomance from the local chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous. A great twanging guitar from Larry Taylor supplements the double bass played by Waits and Waits is again the crazy preacher we met in "Dirt in the ground".

Another standout is next, and indeed another ballad, in the superlative "A little rain", with that oft-used chiming piano and the vocal used by Waits to great effect on albums like "The heart of Saturday night" and "Nighthawks at the diner". I've theorised about the meaning of the lyric until I've given myself a headache, but I still can't pin down what's happening here. It does seem to concern a girl who went missing, and her father's efforts to track her down, as signified by the lines "She was fifteen years old/ And she'd never seen the ocean/ She climbed into a van/ With a vagabond/ And the last thing she said/ Was "I love you mom", the tune nicely countrified by pedal steel guitar. Back to that mechanical sounding voice and almost industrial rock music with "In the Colosseum", pounding, manic drumming and more great double bass from Taylor, and things stay fairly hectic for the next few songs, with "Goin' out west" great fun, staring off with an almost Peter Gunn-style guitar. Supermassive percussion thunders in and it rocks along at a fine pace while "Murder in the red barn" is a slower, more menacing song with some great banjo work from Joe Marquez and a squawking vocal from Waits, the percussion almost like someone tripping over the kit.

Another standout in "Black wings", with a great example of how strange weird and wonderful characters people many of Waits' songs, and he weaves stories --- real or imagined --- around them, this one being a mysterious stranger who can claim that "He's been seen at the table with kings" and "Once saved a baby from drowning" but that "One look in his eyes/ And everyone denies/ Ever having met him." With a great keyboard line and a melody almost out of one of those old Western movies, it's driven by a low, growling vocal from Waits as he relates the story of the legendary stranger, who is never named or referred to other than as "he" or "him". A rel example of Waits' storytelling talent. Of course, credit must also be given to his wife, Kathleen Brennan, who co-writes half the songs here with him, and this is one of the ones on which they collaborate. The last ballad is another piano one, with Waits again in his persona of drunk at the keyboard crying into his whiskey, his voice strong and powerful and laced with anger and regret, the pedal steel adding a sense of pathos to "Whistle down the wind", then "I don't wanna grow up" is pure childlike fun, as Waits kicks, stamps and bashes his way through the tune with gleeful abandon.

There's a tiny little instrumental, less than a minute before we close on "That feel", the only song on the album not written by him solo or with Kathleen. On this he joins forces with the Stones' legendary Keith Richards, and it has quite a Stones feel to it in its slow, almost haphazard bar-room atmosphere. Keef plays guitar of course and also adds backing vocals to the song. It's a little downbeat for a closer, not one of my favourites, but not a bad track especially on repeated listens, and it certainly gives you an idea of the sort of thing maybe Waits might indulge in after a recording session.

TRACKLISTING

1. Earth died screaming
2. Dirt in the ground
3. Such a scream
4. All stripped down
5. Who are you
6. The ocean doesn't want me
7. Jesus gonna be here
8. A little rain
9. In the Colosseum
10. Goin' out west
11. Murder in the red barn
12. Black wings
13. Whistle down the wind
14. I don't wanna grow up
15. Let me get up on it
16. That feel

There's probably no such thing as a bad Waits record, and this certainly does not fall into that category at all, but compared to gems like "The heart of Saturday night", "Rain dogs", "Blue Valentine" and "Small change" it tends to fall a little short more often than it hits the mark in my book. Of course, with sixteen (okay, really fifteen: the tiny instrumental that almost closes it is not really worthy of being called a track) songs on it keeping up the rock-solid quality we've come to expect from Waits would be hard, and some of the songs are not as good as others. But then, some of them are truly excellent, and there are few if any on the album I would consider weak at all, just some that are perhaps not as strong as others.

I'm delighted he won a Grammy, at last, with this album and if you look back over the chart performance of Tom Waits albums you'll see with possible depression that they have rarely if ever troubled the upper echelons. In recent times, they've done better with 2011's "Bad as me" breaking the top ten in both the US and UK, but that's only a tiny part of the story. Waits isn't about hit singles --- don't think he's ever had one --- or big album sales (though of course he's gotta eat. And drink. And smoke.) --- he's more your performance artiste who in another century would be unappreciated in his own lifetime and die a pauper, finding fame and a place in history only after he was long dead. Thank goodness that's not the case these days; even those who don't know of him or own any of his albums will have heard at least one of his songs, if only being covered by someone else. Springsteen's "Jersey girl"? That's Waits. Rod Stewart's "Downtown train". Yup, him again. Even Steve Earle's critically-acclaimed "Way down in the hole", from the TV series "The Wire", is a Waits original. In fact, on one of the seasons they use his version as the theme.

Mad, bad and dangerous to know? Perhaps. A Mozart for our times? Quite possibly. The best album Waits has recorded? Not by a long way, but the worst? Worst? How do you attribute that word to this man's music? It's just, well, it just doesn't fit, ya know? Even Waits' weakest compositions kick the ass of most other bands, steal their lunch money and send 'em cryin' home to mama!

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

Krill --- Plankton's Odyssey --- 2013 (Self-released)


When I was asked to review this album by Plankton a few different emotions charged through my brain. First was of course pride and a sense of honour, that he would select me of all the many journal writers and reviewers here to undertake this task. Hard on its heels though was doubt and worry: what if the album turned out to be --- um, how can I say this without offending? --- crap? How would I then be able to tell him --- and my readership --- that I didn't like his work? Then that worry expanded to encompass fear that, assuming the album was good, I would be able to review it both dispassionately and yet afford it the praise it deserved. So you can see it was no small undertaking, and despite my attempts to convince myself that I would just approach the review as I would any other, that was not likely to happen in reality. If you're critiquing a friend's work then you of necessity feel under more pressure, both to review it fairly and not to gush overly in a way that both becomes sycophantic and strips the review of all its meaning, including its sense of impartiality.

For any who don't know, Plankton is one of our own. He's been a member here for a while now and is generally regarded as a nice guy with a lot to say, and is indeed praised for his music in the subforums dealing with members' contributions, which I must admit I have never frequented. This is not his first album, but the one he's looking on I believe as his debut for public consumption, and for a first effort I have to say I'm more than impressed. I actually faced two major problems agreeing to review this: one was that it was the album of a friend, someone I know and respect, so I wanted to make sure I did it justice in the writeup. The other, something I only realised when I began playing it, is that it is an instrumental guitar album, and if you read my review of Neal Schon's "The calling" last year you'll see I have little time for those sort of albums. In short, they usually bore me. Conversely though, I thoroughly enjoyed Buckethead's "Electric sea", so perhaps there was hope.

At any rate, I have now listened to it well over twenty times and feel qualified, as far as I can be, to set down my thoughts on it. I've consulted with Plankton for some pertinent information, and will drop that into the review as I go, but for now let's get to the meat of the matter, the lifeblood of any album, its raison d'etre. Yeah: the music.

I should also point out that I am not a guitarist and know little of the instrument beyond the basics, so I can't tell you when he's using a flange bar (if such a thing exists), a tremelo or capo, and I can't identify when he's using effects pedals or what they are. What I can tell you is that everything you hear here is his own work, played and written by him, arranged and produced solely by him. Oh, with one exception, which I'll come to in due course. He tells me he worked on a track a week, every Monday from the time he got home to whatever time he got to bed, and that the album was conceived and recorded this way in about nine months --- should I say born? Plankton has thirty years' experience playing guitar and it certainly shows here. From what he's told me he's almost completely self-taught, which is another plus to add to the many he already has racked up.

We open on the oddly-named (and it's not the only one!) "Flustraxion", which right from the off has an early Iron Maiden feel to me, like something off "Killers" or "Number of the Beast", with a sense of acoustic guitar under a squealing electric, then it kicks up with heavy, machinegun drumming and the tempo rises as the track comes fully to life, the guitar wailing histrionically through the piece, with another one growling and snorting in the background. The similarities to Maiden continue, and I'm sure Dave Murray or Adrian Smith would be proud. It's a short track, just over two and a half minutes long, and ends as it began, with a laidback acoustic-sounding outro, taking us into "Waiting impatiently", which has a nice Gilmour touch to it, quite relaxed with a much slower, more measured drumbeat driving the rhythm. The guitar is kind of ringing, bit like the sound you get on the Police's "Walking on the moon", that sort of thing. There are also little flickers of folk running through it, with a superb little fluid solo about halfway through before it suddenly kicks up a whole gear and breaks out into a real heavy rock tune, with some fine shredding alongside the now churning second guitar.

This is the first (though certainly not last) time we hear Plankton break loose and show how his feet are truly on the path to rock god stardom. The song fades out then ends on a downward slope and we're into "Shoveled". Now, here I'm afraid I must sound a note of discontent. The idea in the song is fine, but somehow the execution, for me anyway, doesn't work. There's nothing wrong with Plankton's guitar work; that's as powerful and expert as anything you'll find on this album. But he's chosen to play over a recording of a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, and it just jars for me. It's the only vocal you'll hear on the album, but even at that every time I hear this I keep mentally trying to shut out the great man's voice and concentrate on the music. To be honest, idiot that I am, the first ever time I heard this I wasn't listening too closely, and did not know that it was a one-man show, and I thought "Whoever is singing there hasn't got a great voice", or, alternatively, "If that's Plankton then I hope he's not singing on any more!" Sad I know, but that's what I thought. Having consulted the author of this work, I was set straight and it makes sense. But even then, I reluctantly have to admit that there is one song on the album I don't really like, and this is it.

Of course, if you concentrate on the music you'll realise it is great: a thick, angry guitar is overlaid with another howling at a higher octave, with some fine shredding adding more rage and unrest to the piece. I find it hard to believe though that that is not keyboard in the very first opening notes, though I'm assured there are only keys on one track, and this is not it. When the voiceover drops back you can really hear how powerful and energetic Plankton's guitar playing is, but then it comes back in and your ear is drawn back to it, so that you have to force yourself to again focus on the music. Also, the recording ends in a fade but it does cut off in the middle of one of MLK's sentences, which I think is a mistake. A few more seconds might have made it work better.

Still, much as I dislike "Shoveled" (and I tried hard to like it) it is the only track on the album that I have anything bad to say about, and there are plenty of superlatives left for the rest of it. Again I find it hard to believe that it is not a keyboard opening to the next track too, but what do I know about what this guy can do with a guitar? A spacey, progressive rock feel opens "Lights of an unknown city" in almost an ELO manner before Plankton unleashes the big guns and in best Steve Earle fashion lets fly as the track powers out at you. Some great soloing and crunching, grinding guitars frame this song, and (sorry Plankton) if you needed something to blow away the cobwebs after the somewhat cloying, claustrophobic "Shoveled", this is just what the doctor ordered! It fades down at the end then to some lovely acoustic noodling, accompanied by that chiming electric. Sweet.

The only song not to have been completely created by Plankton, "Canadian mist" has keys, drums and bass laid down and composed by a guy called Kevin from Canada, which is all Plankton can tell me about his collaborator on this. It's a lovely, Gary Moore style opening and is in fact the first slow track on the album. Again it gives me a sense of Maiden too, especially "Strange world" from the debut, with some soaring, emotional guitar, and I can hear Lizzy's "Still in love with you" in there too. Apologies for all the comparisons, but this is the only way I know to translate how this guy's music feels and sounds to me. Someone better versed in guitars would be able to go more into the technical side and tell you how great he is, but this is all I can do. I originally had picked this as my favourite track on the album, but over many listens it's now been superceded by the one which comes next. For a while it was something of a battle between the two, but now I think there's a clear winner.

With a lovely rippling guitar to start things off, "Son of Soothsayer" soon rips into a big, stomping, heavy metal track with punchy guitar and squealing second guitar, rocking along like there's no tomorrow. Personally, though I'm sure he enjoyed recording every track here, this gives me the impression that it's the one Plankton had the most fun playing. It just gets your feet tapping and your head bobbing, and would not be out of place in any heavy metal fan's collection. It's also one of the longer tracks at over five minutes, though to my mind it's not long enough. A real boogie rhythm keeps the song going, and it could be talkbox that he's using to make that sound where the guitar almost seems to be singing, though I could quite easily be wrong there. It's a testament to Plankton's art and expertise that though this track more or less maintains the same basic riff all the way through it never gets boring or repetitive, and as I say when it comes to an end it seems way too soon.

And he keeps things barreling along for "Here we go again", a riproaring fretfest which is probably the fastest track on the album. A driving, steamhammer beat pulls it along, with great shredding and again a real heavy metal feel to it. His fingers must have been sore after this, is all I can say! Sort of a cutting, slicing guitar in the background while the main guitar just flies all over the place, solos being fired off left, right and centre. He also seems to have a weird sense of humour in titling some of his songs, as "Xphereblotish" proves --- no I have no idea what it means and no I'm not going to ask him: have to maintain some sort of level of ambiguity and mystery, after all! --- with a rising guitar riff that then pulls in staccato guitar with a boogie-ing second guitar kind of delivering a blues style melody, a lot of Led Zep in this I feel. Some superb solos and a sense of restrained energy to it, like at any second he could really pull loose and just hit you with a salvo you wouldn't even have a chance to dodge, should you somehow want to.

Another of my favourites, "Screaming at an empty canvas" is built on a thick bass and a heavy Sabbathish riff, almost Plankton playing doom metal perhaps. It's a lot slower and grindier than anything he's done up to this point, and his main guitar screeches and screams through it like a banshee with dire warnings. There's a real sense of pent-up frustration in this track, the idea being I guess that you have something you want to say but no way to say it, when the inspiration won't come and you're staring at a blank page. Plankton certainly doesn't seem to encounter this problem much anyway, and this is another triumph, with an angry guitar getting more and more animated as the song progresses, till at one point it all drops away to just the one guitar and rhythm section, and a really nice little bass solo in the background before the bigger, harder guitar kicks its way back in for the big finish.

That's actually the longest track on the album, just shy of five and a half minutes, though only technically. If you take the title track, which is split into two parts, as one, then you get almost ten minutes of music. "Krill part 1" opens on soft jangly acoustic guitar which is then joined by screeching electric as the percussion kicks in and the shredding begins! It's another hard, almost metal rhythm as the main guitar screams and the secondary guitar does a passable Vivian Campbell at his Dio best. Great melody to this, with a real sense of longing and loneliness, maybe a touch of despair in the wailing, screeching guitar crying for attention. It fades down then on the back of single guitar and takes us into part 2, where again jangly echoey guitar stands alone until joined by wailing second guitar sounding a little like a violin, and the percussion this time is much slower and more measured, the guitars too slowing down as the fretburning, though still fierce, has a more restrained, almost melancholic feel to it.

There's kind of a sense of endings in this song, and I must admit it brought a tear to my eye. Dunno what it is, it just sounds very sad and yearning. The percussion backs a single guitar for a while and each swaps with the other, taking the limelight for a few moments before they join back up for the powerful yet downbeat fadeout finale. Which in itself would have been a great way to close the album, but Plankton has one more for us before we go. Written for his daughter Hanna, "Fields of youth" is mostly played on introspective guitar with a real sense of reflection and memory, rather commercial in its way. Could see it as the soundtrack to some TV programme maybe. An understated and yet brilliant way to end the album, and a fitting gift to his daughter. Little or nothing in the way of percussion in this, with two guitars making the melody between them, can't even hear any bass. For all that though the tune works really well --- ah, think I heard a little bass there --- and brings the album to a very satisfying close.

TRACKLISTING

1. Flustraxion
2. Waiting impatiently
3. Shoveled
4. Lights of an unknown city
5. Canadian mist
6. Son of Soothsayer
7. Here we go again
8. Xphereblotish
9. Screaming at an empty canvas
10. Krill part 1
11. Krill part 2
12. Fields of youth

This is the first time I've ever had to review an album for, and by, a friend, and I'm really glad I can say it was a pleasure to listen to, and review; though if I had not enjoyed it I would have said so. It's just nice not to have to deliver bad news, however important it may have been seen to have been required. This album has been my constant companion over the last two weeks or so, accompanying everything from walks to dishwashing to making dinner; everything I normally use music as a background for has had this as the soundtrack, and I feel like "Krill" is an old friend now, and that through it I've come to know better the man behind the music. Plankton hasn't just got talent, he has that special something that makes you feel certain that it's only a matter of time before a lot more people are listening to, and enjoying his music. He may not be at an age where he can start touring the country and appearing on talk shows (though who says he won't?) but this music he makes is far too good to remain locked away somewhere in the files of an obscure website tucked into a forgotten corner of the web. This is music that needs to be heard, and heard by as many people as possible.

My own advice to him would be to go the YouTube route: playing his songs live and inviting people to hear them. This has after all worked for many artistes in the recent past. Of course, that may not be his goal, but one way or another this music has got to get out to the public at large. I can't recommend highly enough that you head to his website Home - Planktons Odyssey and download his album and hear this for yourselves. I knew nothing of his talent before agreeing to review this, and now I'm gobsmacked and so impressed I can't say. This album had been of necessity spinning on my ipod for days in order for me to get a good idea of how it sounded, so that I could do an informed review, but even after the requisite four or five plays it usually takes me to get a good feel for an album, I found I was continuing to listen to it, and still am, just for pure pleasure.

Some day I'm going to be the envy of my friends (better get some first!) when I tell them that I knew Plankton before he was famous. I honestly feel like I'm watching the birth of a star here, and it really couldn't happen to a nicer or more talented guy. Download this and you're probably going to find your playlists waiting for a while, and your Last.FM or Spotify plays containing an awful lot of this man's music. Join the odyssey: get on board, because Plankton is without question going places.

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Big Ears

^ Great review as always TH. I enjoyed Plankton's YT clips, so I am downloading the album as I speak. Plankton, you should send this album to Fireworks magazine as they are usually positive with, and supportive of, new artists. I have known them to review an album by a musician from a forum (actually a guitarist with an instrumental album). I don't work for Fireworks, I just like them!

__________________
My Journal: Rabbiting On

Plankton

What an incredible review!

The reason I asked TH to review was the fact that he's reviewed tons (not sure how many but I know it's a lot) of albums already, and since we're just passing friends on the internet, I could be sure to get something unbiased. Not that I don't consider you a friend (of course we are), but we've only just exchanged a few words in a few threads. Also, I consider TH to be one of the most open minded and compassionate people I've come across here, and he has an excellent grasp on translating his perpective cohesively though text.

I'm glad I did. I was waiting impatiently (lol) for his review for a couple weeks, and when it came through on Sunday night I was ecstatic. I fervently read the through the entire review as I was sipping my last beer for the night, and when I finished the last line, I was beside myself. I had to go compose myself for a minute outside in the fresh air. I figured I'd let it all sink in for a while before typing this follow up. I still am quite humbled, and am really at a loss for words here. I can't thank you enough Trollheart for even taking the time to do this.

I'm workng on the next album, and am taking time to create something more meaningful, as this one was kind of random, and improv'ed throughout. My whole mindset now is to blow this one out of the water, and create something with better production and song writing.

If anyone would like the specs, I could pull the cutain back and post up what I used, and what settings, etc. if you'd like.

So, God bless Trollheart and thank you once again!

I'll have to look into that! Thanks Big Ears (for checking it out too).

__________________
See location...

Big Ears

Are there real and sequenced drums on Krill? ?

Are you playing all instruments, Plankton, except on Canadian Mist?

__________________
My Journal: Rabbiting On

Plankton

All drums are sequenced, and yes I'm playing Bass, Rythm, and Lead Guitar on all except "Canadian Mist", on that I'm playing just the rythm (clean/distorted) guitars and the lead, in which I'm using a stock wah from my HD500 pedal.

On "Shoveled", I used a VST instrument (FreeVST with Synthfont) for the synth sound in the opening and BG. I forgot to mention that to TH when he asked.

__________________
See location...

Trollheart

The "golden years" --- 1975 - 1979

Although Rory would never trouble the commercial charts, never have any hit singles, many of his songs became linked with certain events, and the late seventies was when he was pretty much at the top of his game, commercially. Some of his best-loved and most enduring songs come from this period, and you can hear from the music he plays on the four studio albums that covered this period how well his songwriting, his singing and of course his playing had come on. Talk to anyone who's not a Rory fan or who likes his music but isn't a huge fan, and the chances are that they'll have one of these albums in their collection. This would really be seen as his golden period, with tracks like "Follow me", "Wayward child", "Brute force and ignorance" and "Shin kicker" being just some of the songs that would find their way into his history and his setlists for years to come.

Against the grain --- Rory Gallagher --- 1975 (Chrysalis)


On a personal note, this was the first ever Rory Gallagher album I owned and listened to. To be perfectly frank, I wasn't that impressed with it. I'd heard songs like the abovementioned and thought I'd get that sort of thing on this album, but "Against the grain" is a stripped-down, unapologetically blues album with a hard edge you could cut your fingers on. It shows Rory in perhaps his last non-commercial mode, before songs off his next two albums pushed him in a more radio-friendly direction, while maddeningly still witholding from him any sort of chart success, not that he craved such.

It opens on "Let me in", a boogie rocker which even at this point shows slight signs of heading in a more commercial direction, and in many ways the song is remniscent of "Follow me", which he would not write for another three years. Very much guitar oriented, there's not too much input from Lou Martin on this track, and it's almost paradoxically a return to the days of the debut and even the Taste era, but you can see how Rory's singing has improved: he was never going to be on anyone's top list of vocalists but he's miles better than he was when he started out. He's learned how to control the nuances of his voice and how to use it to his best advantage depending on what song he's singing. "Cross me off your list" is more funky in feel, with the organ coming a little more into its own under Martin's fingers, and there's almost a sense of early Santana about the song.

Interestingly, so far there haven't been any big guitar solos from Rory, and as we move on into the first ballad we're almost back in "Deuce" territory as he tones it all down for "Ain't too good", with his voice softer and more gentle but still with a bitter edge of regret and recrimination as he sings "I should be gone/ But I'm slow to go/ Serves me right." Nice little laidback solo here and the song ends on a pretty intense one too, with little touches on the organ, just the barest murmurs really, and we're into all-out rockin' blues for "Souped up Ford", almost a stripped-down ZZ (could you imagine Rory if he had ever jammed with the Tres Hombres?) on which the man finally breaks out the real riffs and lets the Strat have its head. Having fun too is Lou Martin as he lets rip on the pianner and just really injects another level of fun into the song.

After this fretfest things come a little bit more back down to earth with "Bought and sold", a mid-paced boogie blues number which again allows Lou Martin to shine behind the piano, then "I take what I want" is one of three covers on the album, with some great fast organ and piano from Martin and a great little bassline from Gerry McAvoy. "Lost at sea" then is a minor classic, a really nice mid-paced semi-ballad with a great vocal line from Rory, then we're into another cover, the late Bo Harper's "All around man", which is just really enjoyable, though I do have to say it reminds me of one of Muddy Waters's songs. Sounds like it starts off with a big scream from Rory, a wail really, but I'm pretty sure that's his Strat talkin'! Song is really driven on Gerry's pounding bass and the agile fingers of Lou Martin bashing the keys.

One of my favourites then is another cover, a great version of Lead Belly's "Out on the western plain". I just loved this when I heard it. It's just Rory on the guitar with some deep, rolling percussion and his vocal is perfectly suited to the desperado style of the song. And we finish on a pleasant little rock number which brings the album to a pretty cool close with its touches of country and folk in "At the bottom".

TRACKLISTING

1. Let me in
2. Cross me off your list
3. Ain't too good
4. Souped-up Ford
5. Bought and sold
6. I take what I want
7. Lost at sea
8. All around man
9. Out on the western plain
10. At the bottom

Calling card --- Rory Gallagher --- 1976 (Chrysalis)


Meeting the Deep Purple legend had the effect of skewing Rory's music from mostly blues based to a more straight ahead rock sound, which not that surprisingly ended up gaining him more fans and more exposure. His music began to be heard on the radio, and of course a support slot for the Purps gave him a wider audience than he would have had to date. One of a trio of albums that would be the closest Rory would come to putting out commercial, almost radio-friendly rock, "Calling card" is even now regarded generally as one of his finest albums. It would also be the swansong for drummer Rod De'ath and keyboardist Lou Martin, as Rory looked to return to the power trio that had started him off on his solo adventure.

There's a marching beat to get us on our way as "Do you read me" opens the album, with a guitar intro from Rory before the rest of the band pile in and it's a sort of mid-pacer with a fine solo in the middle, and things really speed up then for the almost breakneck "Country mile", a real shaft of rockabilly running through the song. But it's when "Moonchild" gets going that the album really takes off. This would become one of the standards on Rory's tours, a fast, rocky pounder with not that much of the blues if any in it, and would stand shoulder to shoulder with favourites from the next two albums. Martin's organ comes into its own here, quite a progressive rock feel to it, and the song stands out by way of not being as heavily guitar-centric as most of Rory's other work.

The title track is a blues stride, with a slick, cool little bass line and some great solid piano, on which Martin racks off a fine solo, perhaps mindful his time with the band is coming to an end. Or perhaps he was unaware of it. Either way, he seems to want to go out with a bang, and he takes the song out in style. Very restrained vocal from Rory, and that's how he keeps it for the acoustic ballad "I'll admit you're gone", where he manages to make his guitar sound quite Hawaiian at times, then it ramps back up for "Secret agent", the first of several songs which would explore Rory's interest in spies, although this one is more a metaphor than about an actual spy, like "Philby" on the later "Top priority" or even "Continental op" from "Defender". It bops along nicely with some squealing guitar work and a nice organ backing from Lou Martin, and is a nice change of pace after the somewhat laidback tone of the last two tracks.

There's a divergence then into jazz territory with "Jacknife beat", led mostly by Martin's sharp piano lines, and the longest track at just over seven minutes, though not I have to admit one of my favourites. There's a real standout then in the shape of "Edged in blue", which starts off like a slow blues ballad but then picks up tempo and becomes a midpaced rocker, with a great organ line from Martin and a really catchy hook. We close then on "Barley and grape rag", a traditional rearrangement on the acoustic guitar by Rory with some much-missed harmonica getting in on the act. I love the way Rory either forgets the last verse or there is none, and he just hums the tune. A great fun song and a cool way to close the album.

TRACKLISTING

1. Do you read me
2. Country mile
3. Moonchild
4. Calling card
5. I'll admit you're gone
6. Secret agent
7. Jacknife beat
8. Edged in blue
9. Barley and grape rag


Photo finish --- Rory Gallagher --- 1978 (Chrysalis)


Oh now I know these albums intimately! These two are the ones I got after my "disappointment" with "Against the grain". Knowing how highly regarded Rory was, and reasoning that I had probably just started on what was maybe not his greatest album I went for the two released after that, and became a lifelong fan! Admittedly, the blues influence is dropped rather a lot on this and subequent albums, which is not to say it's not present at all, but they're definitely more straight rock albums than blues, and it shows, especially to a young naive rocker like me at the time.

"Shin kicker" pumps the tempo up from the off, with a big heavy guitar and drum opening, a total motorcycle man style song, with Rory in fine voice and ready to be "Racin' all the truckers/ And I got them beat!" The first album on which Rory returned to the power trio setup that had made his name initially, Gerry McAvoy is the only one of the original band remaining on "Photo finish", and indeed would stay with Rory right up to the end. New sticksman Ted McKenna would be his drummer too for the rest of his career. "Brute force and ignorance", another that would take its place in Gallagher history, is a slow grinder, with stop/start guitar and thumping bass, with a great solo from Rory to end the song and a real sense of power about it. The joint gets rockin' even harder then for the blindingly-fast "Cruise on out", with an almost bluegrass feel to it, and a chance for McKenna to really show what he can do on the drumkit.

Even at this early stage you can see how the new drummer is fitting right into the setup, and the understanding he's developed with Gerry is almost supernatural: it's as if they were made to play together. I could have seen Lou Martin's piano in this song, but Rory had decided at this point keys were not to be a part of his sound, and as these are as I say the first two albums I heard other than "Against the grain", I can't say I missed the piano on either. It's only now, after hearing what Martin brought to albums like "Calling card" and "Blueprint" that I can appreciate what a difference this must have been to longtime, dyed-in-the-wool Gallagher fans. Must have been something of a shock and taken some getting used to. Still, the main man and his Strat was what it was all about, and he certainly does not disappoint on this album in any way. Departing from his previous habit, Rory uses only original, self-composed material on this album, with no blues covers, and indeed no real blues songs at all. I guess you'd say it's more of a commercial Gallagher record, despite the fact it made absolutely no impression on the charts.

Another slow grinder in "Cloak and dagger", with a heavy, commanding bass line from Gerry and something of a familiar melody from Rory, while "Overnight bag", one of the two ballads on the album, opens with a really nice slide along the frets and then settles into a really comfortable groove as Rory bemoans the lot of a travelling guitarist, unable to put down roots "Toothbrush, a guitar, got no tail to drag/ Gonna leave on the next passing breeze" and just movin' on though sad it didn't work out here. It's a tale probably familiar to many musicians. As Journey once sang: "They say the road ain't the place/ To start a family" Indeed. One of my alltime favourite Rory songs, this, for the introverted, laidback nature of it as much as anything. Remember, this would have been the first "real" ballad I would have heard from him.

"Shadow play" is another song that was destined to find its way into just about every gig Rory ever played, becoming a firm favourite with the fans. Driven mostly on Gerry's rock-and-roll bass, Rory's voice kind of echoes on the song; whether that's production or something else I don't know, but it's a great song and it rocks along with great energy and verve. Brilliant solo to end, as you'd only expect, then Rory pulls way back on the throttle and changes down the gears for "The Mississippi sheiks", a big, dirty, ponderous grinder with hard machine-gun guitar from Rory and thunderous yet measured drumming from McKenna, Gerry's bass rumbling away contentedly in the background. Slamming into fifth gear then and tearing up the road for "The last of the independents", which though it's a great song I think takes far too much from "Cruise on out" for my liking: they're not quite the same song, but I feel they are very closely related. You could, almost, sing the lyric of one to the tune of the other. Great drumwork from McKenna and some nice mandolin from Rory and a big angry guitar holding court over proceedings.

Another song that shows Rory's fondness (lyrically, at least) for spies and robbers, this one details the tale of the only remaining member of a gang as he's released from prison and grins "Only I know where we hid the loot/ Eleven years ago!" Interesting to note that in ways this reflects the theme of "In your town" from "Deuce", though in that case the released convict was looking for revenge and a good time rather than hidden cash! Great whistling guitar ending as the drums pound out and Gerry steps up and down the bass, then we close on the other ballad, perhaps the one track that comes closest to his blues roots. With a sharp guitar opening, "Fuel to the fire" is a moody, slow, brooding tune that completely destroys the rather happy mood of the album that's been created up to now. A big grinding guitar and a hook that just stays in your head long after the album finishes. Great almost Santana-like solo in the middle, and again at the end and some of Rory's best vocal work: he's certainly come a long way from the somewhat hesitatant croak we heard on his debut!

TRACKLISTING

1. Shin kicker
2. Brute force and ignorance
3. Cruise on out
4. Cloak and dagger
5. Overnight bag
6. Shadow play
7. The Mississippi sheiks
8. The last of the independents
9. Fuel to the fire

Top priority --- Rory Gallagher --- 1979 (Chrysalis)


There's something just so basic and lacking in frills, bells and whistles about Rory Gallagher's music. No synths, no overdubs, no backing vocals even. It's his voice and more to the point his Strat that he relies on to do the talking, and every album is a vindication of that belief. This, one of his most popular, opens with three tracks that would quickly become favourites and hits for him as far as his fanbase was concerned, even though he would never have a hit single or album. "Follow me" gets everything going with a boppy, uptempo rocker that we used to hear here in Ireland all the time as it was the opening theme to our version of MTV in the early eighties. Great solo and thumping drumming from Ted McKenna, and again a great vocal from the man himself. It's followed by "Philby", a slower, more blues-oriented song which references --- but is not actually about --- the infamous British spy and allows Rory to further explore his interest in secret agents and undercover operatives. A big grinding guitar opens it and is then joined by a more screechy one, the two combining to great effect. In typical honest workingman Gallagher style, the chorus is a simple round of yeah, yeah, yeahs... but it works. The use of an electric sitar in the song, particularly at the end, is quite innovative and works really well.

Another intro that was to become famous, "Wayward child" is next and ramps the tempo right back up, rocking along with gusto, with about a minute and a half of guitar solo to close the song in fine style. Slowing down then for "Keychain", a smoky grinder with a Delta blues feel to it, Gerry McAvoy again taking charge. Continuing on from "Photo finish", Rory writes all the tracks on this himself, using no cover versions of any kind. If it proves anything, it's that his songwriting capabilities no longer needed to be supplemented by playing blues standards, if indeed they ever did. "At the depot" is a mad, kick-out-the-stays rocker that trundles along at a mile a minute with some really wailing blues guitar work from Rory and thumping, joyful drumming from McKenna. Slowing down again then for the mid-paced "Bad penny" with a great bassline from Gerry, but the respite, such as it is, doesn't last long as we're off at breakneck speed again for "Just hit town", with some truly remarkable guitar from Rory and that kind of drumming from McKenna that makes you wonder just how many arms the guy actually has?

Great use of the harmonica here too, and really by the time it ends you're left feeling drained and exhausted, so it's just as well that "Off the handle" is a crunching blues slowburner --- definitely see more of the blues influence on this album than the previous, and Rory would never really leave his first love for very long, returning to it in force for 1982's "Jinx" album --- rather a lot in Muddy Waters territory I feel: maybe something the old blues master could have written with Rory, in another life. It pounds along with a sense of anger and almost restrained violence, some really cool mandolin in there from a man who for once Rory actually brought on board to play the thing, rather than handle that duty himself as he had up to now, a guy called Tom Brock.

For me though the album ends a little weakly. "Public enemy no. 1" is not, and never will be, one of my favourite Gallagher tracks, in fact it's one of my least preferred. It just sounds a little hollow, a bit rushed and empty and I would have liked to have seen a better closer for such a good album. It's a pity because up to that point there's not one bad track on this album, and were it not for this last one then both it and "Photo finish" would, in my opinion, both be very close to what I would consider perfect Rory Gallagher albums. Because of the closer though the former album edges it and has become my favourite of his. Which isn't to say that I don't love this album, because I do, but whereas I really see no flaws in 1978's effort, there's just the one fly in the ointment here that loses one star for this otherwise brilliant and seminal album.

TRACKLISTING

1. Follow me
2. Philby
3. Wayward child
4. Keychain
5. At the depot
6. Bad penny
7. Just hit town
8. Off the handle
9. Public enemy no. 1

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

Flaunt the imperfection --- China Crisis --- 1985 (Virgin)

Another band whose singles I know but whose albums I have heard not one of. I have to say though, pretty much everything that I have heard from them to date I have enjoyed; whether that will turn out to be that the singles were all just their best output and the albums largely uninteresting I don't know, but you can't really judge any artiste by their singles. Sometimes the songs released are not that typical of the band's usual output, and are chosen as being the most commercial and therefore the ones most likely to make an impact in the charts, thereby raising the profile of the artiste, while other, often more experimental or interesting or just atypical tracks are left on the albums, to be heard only by those who are sufficiently interested to buy them.

It never really struck me to go buy one of China Crisis's albums, and even now I'm maybe not expecting all that much. Seems like their last recorded output was almost twenty years ago now, so are they still around? Well, yes they are, but since the late nineties they seem to have concentrated on live work only, with pretty much the two founder members forming the mainstay of the band, while others --- both previous and new members --- have come and gone in a fairly fluid state of affairs. Looks like their last concert was a sell-out last year though, and not in a bad way, so I wouldn't count them out just yet. Who knows? Maybe they'll come back with a new album soon.

But for now, this is what we have to judge them by. One of their more successful efforts, it cracked the top twenty in the album charts and also yielded them three singles, though only two were successful. Of those, though, one hit the top twenty and one just inside that; their biggest hit single was "Wishful thinking" from the prior album "Working with fire and steel". This starts off with an almost oriental melody as "The highest high" gets us underway, an uptempo pop song with some nice keyboards and the by-now familiar voice of Gary Daly sounding to my mind very like Francis Dunnery from It Bites. There's a nice pleasant whistling sound set up by the synth, with soft, laidback drumming and rippling piano, a slick little bass line and it's a good opener. It's typical of a lot of the, shall we say, inoffensive pop of the eighties, not meaning to be scathing here or anything. It just doesn't punch you as some of the music from that era did; there are no heavy political messages, just some guys having a good time making music. And there's nothing wrong with that at all.

"Strength of character" starts on some high guitar and flowing piano and synth, much slower and relaxed than the opener, though there's a sort of faster percussion set up within the song. It again reminds me of Paul Muggleton's best work with Judie Tzuke in the late seventies and early eighties. Super little bit of sax work from Steve Gregory, then one of the less successful singles from this album is up next, with a nice funky guitar and bassline: I always liked "You did cut me" and it bops along nicely, again with some great sax from Gregory, smooth keys from Daly, and a nice arrangement of brass giving the song something of a soul vibe. Great restrained little guitar solo from Eddie Lundon too. The song has a lovely little hook which really should have seen it go further in the charts than it did. That statement can't be levelled though at "Black man Ray" which was the biggest hit from this album, and China Crisis's second-highest chart placement.

Built on a new-wave, almost Yazoo-style bass line and some perky piano, it's a cool little ballad that trips along on the gentle vocal of Gary Daly, again with a great hook in it, and a wonderful little, again oriental almost, keyboard riff that really forms the chorus without any words. Lundon also gets in a really slick little guitar solo, but it kind of fades out a little too weakly for my tastes, taking us into "Wall of God", which opens with an almost orchestral synth introduction then pumps the tempo back up to the level of the opener, a very upbeat little song again driven on a great bass line with some flowing keys and percussion that ticks along without getting overbearing. Very new-wave style keyboard solo, somewhat reminscent of Depeche Mode or Fiction Factory, then Lundon rips off another fine guitar solo, and the oriental type piano returns. Gary Daly's vocal throughout rides above everything, the focus of your attention, his voice a little high and lilting in that almost-feminine sound many new wave vocalists of the time seemed to have.

This one ends much better, although it too fades, on a great combined guitar and keyboard solo, and we're into "Gift of freedom" which opens with staccato, jerking synth then jumps into a mid-paced rhythm with solid keys and sharp guitar. It picks up pace soon after opening though and becomes a pretty upbeat song with a really nice vocal line. There is something more approaching a message in this song as Daly croons "Will this whole damn world/ Fall down?/ Before we learn to share/ What we've found?" Again, nice use of the brass section here, then the final hit single keeps the tempo high, in fact upping it considerably as "King in a catholic style" runs on what sound like pan pipes on speed, but is obviously synthesiser, hollow almost African drumming which is then joined by a superb little bass and an almost hurried vocal from Daly. Nice rippling piano on the chorus, and the drumming is now more natural and skipping along nicely. Lundon shows here what he can do on the guitar, delivering one of the best solos on the album so far. The song is through driven on the uptempo keyboard line, everything coming right back down then for the slower but yet poppy "Bigger the punch I'm feeling", which has I feel something of a Level 42 taste to it.

Nice jazzy guitar in this, and though I hate that handclap drumming it works well here and doesn't annoy me. Some lovely keyboard work from Daly in addition to his fine vocal, and more smooth contributins from the brass section, particularly Steve Gregory. Great backing vocals on this too. It ends on another slick little guitar piece from Eddie Lundon, taking us into "The world spins, I'm part of it", with an almost Genesisesque keyboard line which then metamorphoses into an uptempo, boppy song with the odd trace of calypso in there somewhere. Another star turn for the guys on the trumpets, sax and 'bones, it also has some squeaky keyboard from Daly which kind of resembles a harmonica sound with a pitch bend or something on it. Not my favourite track I must admit, but not bad. The album then closes on "Blue sea", a soft atmospheric synth with attendant sax and sparkling piano, very laidback and relaxed, though to be fair I wouldn't call this a ballad. Strange in a way, that none of the ten tracks on this album other than "Black man Ray" could be classed as a ballad. I would have expected more. Nevertheless, this is a gentle and tranquil way to end the album, and overall I must say I'm rather impressed.

TRACKLISTING

1. The highest high
2. Strength of character
3. You did cut me
4. Black man Ray
5. Wall of God
6. Gift of freedom
7. King in a catholic style (Wake up)
8. Bigger the punch I'm feeling
9. The world spins, I'm part of it
10. Blue sea

So would I become a fan of China Crisis? I wouldn't go that far, but I'd certainly listen to some more of their output. There's nothing here that disappoints me or turns me off, and in general I'm pretty satisfied with what I've heard. No massive revelations, no sudden impulse to log on and purchase all of their material, and no huge desire that they should release anything new. But I can see why they were so popular back in the eighties; in fact, given their somewhat limited success in the charts I wonder they weren't better known and liked. Maybe they just didn't stand out from the crowd enough to mark them as really special. In fairness I'd probably agree with that. Good music, good band, but in the end perhaps lacking that certain x-factor that would make them a great band, and a must-listen.

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

Okay, maybe not. I mean, there have been two or three albums that I could say definitely changed my life, two of which have been featured already and the third being Jeff Wayne's "War of the worlds", which I already reviewed, but most of the rest in this series, while not actually life-changing, did form part of the soundtrack to my teenage/adolescent life. This is more or less where I intend to go with this series now. It wouldn't be right or accurate to say that every album I feature here had a profound effect on me, but each one is nevertheless carefully picked to reflect an influence that was exerted on, or opened up to me by listening to the album in question, and each is recalled with fondness and in some cases gratitude. Each evokes particular memories, and when played can transport me back to an earlier, simpler time in my life when I didn't have to deal with the sort of issues I do now.

This next one certainly fits that bill, and like "War of the worlds" it also brings to mind the memory of my late best friend, who loved this album too. I always think of him when I listen to it, which admittedly isn't that often. It's the sort of album you can really get into, but not that you would listen to once a month or even once a year. You really have to be in the mood for it. It's also the kind of recording you can't really break up and listen to piecemeal: it's an all-encompassing experience, and you're best treating it as a sort of electronic symphony (which is really what it is), one piece of music that flows almost without pause or break from the one track into the other, only broken --- in my case, originally --- by having to flip over the record, which these days of course you don't have to do. So you can let it soak into you, wash over you and like the title of the album itself, you can breathe it in and let it fill your lungs, your heart, your mind and your soul.

Oxygene --- Jean Michel Jarre --- 1976 (Disques Dreyfus)


Hailed by many as the first real electronic synthesiser composition, "Oxygene" has gone down in history as Jean Michel Jarre's most popular and recognised album, the only one to give him a hit single and the one that also afforded him his big break. Released purely on a gamble by his record label, it went on to sell over fifteen million copies worldwide, and its cover, a painting by Michael Granger, has become one of the most inconic images of the seventies. It's pretty incredible too to think that this masterpiece was achieved without the aid of digital technology, multi-tracking or any of the high-tech doodads albums are typically created with these days. Jarre played all instruments, wrote all the music and produced the album, and used only analogue synthesisers, yet makes them sound as state of the art as today's best.

Of course, like all his work it's completely instrumental, and so presents something of a challenge to me as a reviewer, but I know the album intimately, so I don't think I'll have too much trouble getting across the various moods and tempos and communicating to you (if you don't know the album) how extraordinary a suite it is. Of course synthesisers are pretty much all you'll hear, and there are echoing, swirly ones to start the first part off, with a kind of deep, cavernous quality to them, then a deeper, more sustained tone comes through, with little bubbly flashes of faster synthwork climbing up them like squirrels scampering up a tree. Then a sort of wailing, keening sound takes over, almost like a phantom haunting the melody, a little like a violin with a lot of vibrato on it, and there's a great sense of space and openness about this opening part. Every so often little flurries fly off the main melody, similar perhaps to prominences being thrown off the surface of the sun, or perhaps ripples expanding across a pool, eventually widening to the point where they disappear. Suddenly, about halfway through out of nowhere a big bassy booming synth sounds, and the music takes a slightly more dramatic turn, with some phrases that remind me of Vangelis's work on "Heaven and Hell" sliding in and out too.

Fanfares ring out but then fade back and the original, softer melody returns, this time with birdsong and the sounds of water running as the first part heads towards its conclusion. The big sweeping synth that opened the piece maintains its control to the end, with spacey sounds flitting here and there, a sound like wild dogs howling in the distance, then part two comes to life on a rippling, pulsing synth that for pretty much the first time brings in a sense of percussion to the music as a thrumming, upbeat bassline joins the melody, the spacey sounds continuing on as a higher-register synth holds the line, till suddenly a boppy, bubbly keyboard throws in a new melody, quite catchy and almost dancy as percussion flies in with drum pads and more sounds flying back and forth almost like an interstellar war with lasers buzzing all over the place. A high keyboard arpeggio then takes the tune, carrying it towards another change as low synth remains in the background then the tempo gets very upbeat and rocks along nicely with another synth almost whistling the line as it joins in.

It's rather amazing to think that this was all recorded on an eight-track recorder by Jarre. Eight tracks! When nowadays even twenty-four seems inadequate to most musicians. It certainly sounds like more though as he layers the sounds one on top of another without masking or drowning out any of them. Choral voices now join the melody as the boppy keyboard drops back and though the percussion still nips smartly along, the main synth melody is slowing down now, giving way to wind effects and the sound of waves crashing. As even the voices fade the effects carry us into part three, where an ominous organ-like sound rises, some discordant piano behind it, then a big bassy synth that takes the melody in a slower, more majestic direction. High piano notes are joined by slow, measured percussion and the choral voices return in a much higher octave, rather like the ghostly noises that marked the opening piece. This is the shortest of all the tracks on the album, just shy of three and a half minutes, and it leads into the famous "Part IV", which gave Jarre his hit single and lifted electronic music out of the realm of the obscure and into the charts.

It's likely you know this one anyway: a high-powered, uptempo almost dancy piece that opens on soft but insistent vibe like notes and wind sounds before the percussion takes it and it rocks along on an upbeat keyboard motif in a tune which has become synonymous with Jarre. Little hissing sounds, like meteors falling to Earth, slide by and away as the main melody continues, then another synth builds up the layers of the tune, adding its voice before a strangely distorted piano sound comes in too, and the main melody reasserts itself. Ironically, of all the six tracks on the album, "Part IV" is probably the least adventurous, as it maintains more or less the same melody throughout, quite simple in comparison to the other parts on the album. But it caught the imagination, and was certainly the impetus for me to shell out on this album, which I've never regretted.

"Part V" then is the longest by a country mile, over ten minutes and comes in on the sound of what sounds like bubbling pools, water dripping down from caves on an alien planet, then a nice sedate synth line takes over the melody, more like an organ really, with everything else dropping away as this keyboard runs solo. There's an almost hymnal, sepulchal feel to the music, the thought that it would not be out of place being played in a church. That's for the first nearly four minutes, before thick bass comes in to join the melody, giving it something of a harder edge, slowly taking over from the organ and its attendant piano which has sneaked in almost unnoticed to join the piece. Then as the music reaches its halfway point fast, clicking, uptempo percussion rather like corn popping slips in joined by a running bass line that changes the whole shape of the piece, making it a much more upbeat and faster track. Some rippling keyboard is overlaid on this, again a violin-like sound though this time without the vibrato, and now the piece resembles "Part IV" a little; it's certainly come to life.

Glissandos and arpeggios abound as the banks of synthesisers flow over the piece, the "popcorn" percussion and pulsing, tripping bass keeping the tempo high. The sounds of surf crashing returns as the piece comes to its end and the thrumming bass takes us into part VI, the closing movement, with the wave sounds and loud, echoey almost breathing sounds slowly joined by conga-style percussion, then a low, droning synth washes over everything, another setting up the main melody in counterpoint, while the waves and crashing sounds continue in the background. A bassier synth runs the main melody as the droning one slips back a little, and swirling sounds float about in the atmosphere of the piece. With a last run on the higher-register synth the track begins to wind down, fading at the last in a wash of wind sounds, waves and crashing breakers.

TRACKLISTING

1. Oxygene part I
2. Oxygene part II
3. Oxygene part III
4. Oxygene part IV
5. Oxygene part V
6. Oxygene part VI

Although this was Jarre's third album, his previous two were a movie soundtrack and some library music, which was never officially released, so in effect "Oxygene" stands as his first "proper" album. Since then he has of course gone on to score major hits with a total of fifteen albums, not including soundtracks. But although his popularity soared in the seventies and eighties --- mostly on the back of his amazing laser lightshows --- he never reached the heights of commerical chart success he did on this album. He did release a followup to it, in 1997, called "Oxygen 7-13", but this album still stands alone in his catalogue as a unique and major achievement. The world of electronic music was at the time more or less in its infancy, with artistes like Vangelis and, to some extent, Mike Oldfield, leading the way, but the success of "Oxygene" raised awareness of and interest in purely electronic, instrumental music, and the fact that a hit single could come from such an album was not only a surprise, but a marker for things to come.

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Big Ears

Well done, TH, for emphasising the way in which high quality music was created on, what is now, relatively primitive technology. The Beatles only had four tracks, but Paul McCartney has said they recorded on separate tracks and then put them on to one and then built it up layers of subsequent tapes.

In irritates me when people, with hindsight, call this sort of instrumental synthesizer music, new age. At the time, it seemed like a new form of symphnonic or classical music. Certainly, I would group Jarre's music with that of Vangelis, Mike Oldfield, Tangerine Dream and Dave Greenslade.

Jean-Michel is son of Maurice Jarre who wrote the scores for Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, among many other films. If my memory serves me correctly, he also wrote the score for Caravan to Vaccares (1974), which starred Charlotte Rampling, Jean-Michel's future wife.

Jean-Michel Jarre's next album, Equinoxe, is almost as good as Oxygene. I was not aware of Oxygene Parts 7-13, so I will have to track them down.

__________________
My Journal: Rabbiting On