TechnicLePanther

I see what you put on that list...

__________________
Many have tried to destroy it... but... true evil never dies. It is only... REBORN

SUGGEST ME AN ALBUM - I'm probably not going to listen to it but I will if you bother me enough.

Trollheart

in association with The Playlist of Life and Music Banter
A New TH Project for 2015,
Welcome, one and all, to
Trollheart's Discography Control and Command Centre for

or The Great Discography Project

From here I will select albums from discographies, review them, rate them and then colour-code them once they have been done. You'll be able to watch as each discography gets started, and how I progress through each. All the below are again in alphabetical order, purely for convenience and tidiness's sake. This does not in any way reflect the order in which they will be reviewed. More will be added as they're suggested, or as I decide to do them.

Albums in discographies which have already been reviewed by me elsewhere will be marked in purple, and linked as I get to it in the discography. Albums done within this overarching project will be coded as per the "Love or Hate?" standard system. Each one will be linked as it is reviewed, so you can easily jump to one you want to read. Assuming you want to read.

Artiste name: a-ha
Genre(s): Pop, Synthpop
Timespan: 1985-2009; reformed 2015
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 10

Discography details:
Hunting High and Low (1985)
Scoundrel Days (1986)
Stay On These Roads (1988)
East Of the Sun, West Of the Moon (1990)
Memorial Beach (1993)
Minor Earth, Major Sky (2000)
Lifelines (2002)
Analogue (2005)
Foot Of the Mountain (2009)
Cast in Steel (2015)

Artiste name: Anathema
Genre(s): Alt-Rock, Prog Rock, Doom Metal, Goth Metal
Timespan: 1993 -
Suggested by: Zero
Notes:
Number of albums: 10

Discography details:
Serenades (1993)
The Silent Enigma (1995)
Eternity (1996)
Alternative 4 (1998)
Judgement (1999)
A Fine Day to Exit (2001)
A Natural Disaster (2003)
We're Here Because We're Here (2010)
Weather Systems (2012)
Distant Satellites (2014)

Artiste name: Asia
Genre(s): Progressive Rock/Melodic Rock/AOR
Timespan: 1982 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 14

Discography details:
Asia (1982)
Alpha (1983)
Astra (1985)
Then and Now (1990)
Aqua (1992)
Aria (1994)
Arena (1996)
Rare (2000)
Aura (2001)
Silent Nation (2004)
Phoenix (2008)
Omega (2010)
XXX (2012)
Gravitas (2014)

Artiste name: Bathory
Genre(s): Viking/Black Metal
Timespan: 1984 – 2003
Suggested by: The Batlord
Notes: Bathory was Quorthon, and he died 2004.

Number of albums: 12

Discography details

Bathory (1984)
The Return... (1985)
Under the Sign of the Black Mark (1987)
Blood Fire Death (1988)
Hammerheart (1990)
Twilight of the Gods (1991)
Requiem (1994)
Octagon (1995)
Blood on Ice (1996)
Destroyer of Worlds (2001)
Nordland I (2002)
Nordland II (2003)

Artiste name: Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band
Genre(s): Psychedlia, Experimental, Art Rock
Timespan: 1967 - 1982
Suggested by: Jguy Grungeman
Notes:
Number of albums: 13

Discography details:
Safe as Milk (1967)
Strictly Personal (1968)
Trout Mask Replica (1969)
Lick My Decals Off, Baby (1970)
Mirror Man (1971)
The Spotlight Kid (1972)
Clear Spot (1972)
Unconditionally Guaranteed (1974)
Bluejeans and Moonbeams (1974)
Bat Chain Puller (1976)
Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) (1978)
Doc at the Radar Station (1980)
Ice Cream for Crow (1982)

Artiste name: Black Sabbath
Genre(s): Heavy Metal/Doom Metal
Timespan: 1970 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 19

Discography details:

Black Sabbath (1970)
Paranoid (1970)
Master of Reality (1971)
Vol. 4 (1972)
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1974)
Sabotage (1975)
Technical Ecstasy (1976)
Never Say Die! (1978)
Heaven and Hell (1980)
Mob Rules (1981)
Born Again (1983)
Seventh Star (1986)
The Eternal Idol (1987)
Headless Cross (1989)
Tyr (1990)
Dehumanizer (1992)
Cross Purposes (1994)
Forbidden (1995)
13 (2013)


Artiste name: Blue Oyster Cult
Genre(s): Hard Rock
Timespan: 1972 - 2001
Suggested by: The Identity Matrix
Notes:
Number of albums: 14

Discography details:

Blue Oyster Cult (1972)
Tyranny and Mutation (1973)
Secret Treaties (1974)
Agents of Fortune (1976)
Spectres (1977)
Mirrors (1979)
Cultosaurus Erectus (1980)
Fire of Unknown Origin (1981)
The Revolution by Night (1983)
Club Ninja (1985)
Imaginos (1988)
Cult Classic (1994)
Heaven Forbid (1998)
Curse of the Hidden Mirror (2001)

Artiste name:Bon Jovi
Genre(s):Rock, AOR
Timespan: 1984 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums:13

Discography details:
Bon Jovi (1984)
7800 Fahrenheit (1985)
Slippery When Wet (1986)
New Jersey (1988)
Keep the Faith (1992)
These Days (1995)
Crush (2000)
Bounce (2002)
Have a Nice Day (2005)
Lost Highway (2007)
The Circle (2009)
What About Now (2013)
This House is Not For Sale (2016)

Artiste name: David Bowie
Genre(s): Glam Rock, Art Rock, Soul and many more
Timespan: 1969 - 2016
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes: Currently getting exclusive attention due to the untimely passing of Bowie last week.
Number of albums:26

Discography details:
David Bowie (1967)
David Bowie/Space Oddity (1969)
The Man Who Sold the World (1970)
Hunky Dory (1971)
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
Aladdin Sane (1973)
Pin Ups (1973)
Diamond Dogs (1974)
Young Americans (1975)
Station to Station (1976)
Low (1977)
“Heroes” (1977)
Lodger (1979)
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (1980)
Let's Dance (1983)
Tonight (1984)
Never Let Me Down (1987)
Black Tie White Noise (1993)
The Buddha of Suburbia (1993)
Outside (1995)
Earthling (1997)
“Hours...” (1999)
Heathen (2002)
Reality (2003)
The Next Day (2013)
Blackstar (2016)

Artiste name: Tim Buckley
Genre(s): Folk
Timespan: 1966-1974
Suggested by: Frownland
Notes:
Number of albums: 9

Discography details:
Tim Buckley (1966)
Goodbye and Hello (1967)
Happy and Sad (1969)
Blue Afternoon (1969)
Lorca (1970)
Starsailor (1970)
Greetings from LA (1972)
Sefronia (1973)
Look at the Fool (1974)


Artiste name: Kate Bush
Genre(s): Pop, Art Rock
Timespan: 1978 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes: I'm not including the 2011 album Director's Cut as it's basically remixes from earlier albums. Sue me.
Number of albums: 9

Discography details:

The Kick Inside (1978)
Lionheart (1978)
Never For Ever (1980)
The Dreaming (1982)
Hounds of Love (1985)
The Sensual World (1989)
The Red Shoes (1993)
Aerial (2005)
50 Words For Snow (2011)

Artiste name: The Cars
Genre(s): Pop, New Wave
Timespan: 1978 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 7

Discography details:
The Cars (1978)
Candy-O (1979)
Panorama (1980)
Shake it Up (1981)
Heartbeat City (1984)
Door to Door (1987)
Move Like This (2011)

Artiste name: The Cure
Genre(s): Alt-Rock, Post-Punk
Timespan: 1979 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 13

Discography details:
Three Imaginary Boys (1979)
Seventeen Seconds (1980)
Faith (1981)
Pornography (1982)
The Top (1984)
The Head on the Door (1985)
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (1987)
Disintegration (1989)
Wish (1992)
Wild Mood Swings (1996)
Bloodflowers (2000)
The Cure (2004)
4:13 Dream (2008)

Artiste name: Deacon Blue
Genre(s): Pop, Pop/Rock
Timespan: 1987 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 10

Discography details:
Raintown (1987)
When the World Knows Your Name (1989)
Ooh Las Vegas (1990)
Fellow Hoodlums (1991)
Whatever You Say, Say Nothing (1993)
Walking Back Home (1999)
Homesick (2001)
The Hipsters (2012)
A New House (2014)
Believers (2016)

Artiste name: Death Grips
Genre(s): Experimental hip-hop
Timespan: 2012 -
Suggested by: Goofle
Notes:
Number of albums: 4

Discography details:
The Money Store (2012)
No Love Deep Web (2012)
Government Plates (2013)
The Powers That B (2015)

Artiste name: Def Leppard
Genre(s): Rock/AOR
Timespan: 1980 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 10

Discography details:

On Through the Night (1980)
High and Dry (1981)
Pyromania (1983)
Hysteria (1987)
Adrenalize (1992)
Slang (1996)
Euphoria (1999)
X (2002)
Yeah! (2006)
Songs from the Sparkle Lounge (2008)
Def Leppard (2015)


Artiste name: Dire Straits
Genre(s): Rock
Timespan: 1978 - 1991
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 6

Discography details:

Dire Straits (1978)
Communique (1979)
Making Movies (1980)
Love over Gold (1982)
Brothers in Arms (1985)
On Every Street (1991)

Artiste name: The Divine Comedy
Genre(s): Various
Timespan: 1990 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes: The Divine Comedy is essentially Neil Hannon, who writes, produces and sings and indeed plays most of the music. He uses a rotating band but he basically is the band.
Number of albums: 11

Discography details:
Fanfare For the Comic Muse (1990)
Liberation (1993)
Promenade (1994)
Casanova (1996)
A Short Album About Love (1997)
Fin de Siecle (1998)
Regeneration (2001)
Absent Friends (2004)
Victory for the Comic Muse (2008)
Bang Goes the Knighthood (2010)
Foreverland (2016)

Artiste name: Duran Duran
Genre(s): Pop, New Wave, Synthpop
Timespan: 1981 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 14

Discography details:

Duran Duran (1981)
Rio (1982)
Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983)
Notorious (1986)
Big Thing (1988)
Liberty (1990)
Duran Duran/The Wedding Album (1993)
Thank You (1995)
Medazzaland (1997)
Pop Trash (2000)
Astronaut (2004)
Red Carpet Massacre (2007)
All You Need is Now (2010)
Paper Gods (2015)

Artiste name: Eagles
Genre(s): Country/Rock
Timespan: 1971 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes: I'm including the “comeback” album Hell Freezes Over here because, although in essence it's a live album (which I said I would not be doing) it did contain four new tracks, which kind of reintroduced the music of the Eagles to the world, after their breakup in 1979
Number of albums: 8

Discography details:

Eagles (1971)
Desperado (1973)
On the Border (1974)
One of These Nights (1975)
Hotel California (1976)
The Long Run (1979)
Hell Freezes Over (1999)
Long Road Out of Eden (2007)

Artiste name: Steve Earle
Genre(s): Country/ Country-Rock/Folk
Timespan: 1986 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 15

Discography details:

Guitar Town (1986)
Exit 0 (1987)
Copperhead Road (1988)
The Hard Way (1990)
Train a Comin' (1995)
I Feel Alright (1996)
El Corazon (1997)
Transcendental Blues (2000)
Jerusalem (2002)
The Revolutions Starts Now (2004)
Washington Square Serenade (2007)
Townes (2009)
I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive (2011)
The Low Highway (2013)
Terraplane (2015)

Artiste name: Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)
Genre(s): Progressive Rock
Timespan: 1971 - 1986
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes: Reborn 2001 but only Jeff Lynne remaining, so these albums are not seem as part of the canon, as it were.
Number of albums: 12 (14 in all)

Discography details:

The Electric Light Orchestra (1971)
ELO 2 (1973)
On the Third Day (1973)
El Dorado (1974)
Face the Music (1975)
A New World Record (1976)
Out of the Blue (1977)
Discovery (1979)
Xanadu (1980)
Time (1981)
Secret Messages (1983)
Balance of Power (1986)

(with Jeff Lynne only)
Zoom (2001)
Alone in the Universe (2015))

Artiste name:Europe
Genre(s): Rock
Timespan: 1983 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 10

Discography details:
Europe (1983)
Wings of Tomorrow (1984)
The Final Countdown (1986)
Out of This World (1988)
Prisoners in Paradise (1991)
Start From the Dark (2004)
Secret Society (2006)
Last Look at Eden (2009)
Bag of Bones (2012)
War of Kings (2015)


Artiste name: Fleetwood Mac
Genre(s): Blues/Rock
Timespan: 1968 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 17

Discography details:

Fleetwood Mac/Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac (1968)
Mr. Wonderful (1968)
Then Play On (1969)
Kiln House (1970)
Future Games (1971)
Bare Trees (1972)
Penguin (1973)
Mystery to Me (1973)
Heroes Are Hard to Find (1974)
Fleetwood Mac/The White Album (1975)
Rumours (1977)
Tusk (1979)
Mirage (1982)
Tango in the Night (1987)
Behind the Mask (1990)
Time (1995)
Say You Will (2003)


Artiste name: Fugazi
Genre(s): Post-hardcore
Timespan: 1990 - 2001
Suggested by: Tristan Geoff
Notes:
Number of albums:6

Discography details:
Repeater (1990)
Steady Diet of Nothing (1991)
In on the Kill Taker (1993)
Red Medicine (1995)
End Hits (1998)
The Argument (2001)

Artiste name: Debbie Gibson
Genre(s): Pop
Timespan: 1987 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 9

Discography details:
Out of the Blue (1987)
Electric Youth (1989)
Anything is Possible (1990)
Body Mind Soul (1993)
Think With Your Heart (1995)
Deborah (1997)
M.Y.O.B (2001)
Colored Lights: the Broadway Album (2003)
Ms. Vocalist (2010)

Artiste name:Nanci Griffith
Genre(s): Country, Folk
Timespan: 1978 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 19

Discography details:
There's a Light Beyond These Woods (1978)
Poet in My Window (1982)
Once in a Very Blue Moon (1984)
The Last of the True Believers (1986)
Lone Star State of Mind (1987)
Little Love Affairs (1988)
Storms (1989)
Late Night Grande Hotel (1991)
Other Voices, Other Rooms (1993)
Flyer (1994)
Blue Roses From the Moons (1997)
Other Voices, Too (A Trip Back to Bountiful) 1998
The Dust Bowl Symphony (1999)
Clock Without Hands (2001)
Winter Marquee (2002)
Hearts in Mind (2004)
Ruby's Torch (2006)
The Loving Kind (2009)
Intersection (2012)

(Continued in next post)

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

Artiste name: Hawkwind
Genre(s): Space Rock/Progressive Rock/Psychedelic Rock/Hawkwind Rock
Timespan: 1970 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 29

Discography details:

Hawkwind (1970)
In Search of Space (1971)
Doremi Fasol Latido (1972)
Hall of the Mountain Grill (1974)
Warrior on the Edge of Time (1975)
Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music (1976)
Quark, Strangeness and Charm (1977)
25 Years On (1978)
PXR5 (1979)
Levitation (1980)
Sonic Attack (1981)
Church of Hawkwind (1982)
Choose Your Masques (1982)
The Chronicle of the Black Sword (1985)
The Xenon Codex (1988)
Space Bandits (1990)
Electric Tepee (1992)
It is the Business of the Future to be Dangerous (1993)
White Zone (1995)
Alien 4 (1995)
Distant Horizons (1997)
In Your Area (1999)
Spacebrook (2000)
Take Me to Your Leder (2005)
Take Me to Your Future (2006)
Blood of the Earth (2010)
Onward (2012)
Stellar Variations (2012)
Spacehawks (2013)

Artiste name: Höyry-Kone
Genre(s): RIO/Avant-Prog
Timespan: 1995 - 1997
Suggested by: grindy
Notes:
Number of albums: 2

Discography details:

HYÖNTEISIÄ VOI RAKASTAA (1995)
Huono Parturi (1997)

Artiste name: Journey
Genre(s): AOR
Timespan: 1975 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 14

Discography details:

Journey (1975)
Look into the Future (1976)
Next (1977)
Infinity (1978)
Evolution (1979)
Departure (1980)
Escape (1981)
Frontiers (1983)
Raised on Radio (1986)
Trial by Fire (1996)
Arrival (2001)
Generations (2005)
Revelation (2008)
Eclipse (2011)

Artiste name: Kamelot
Genre(s): Progressive Metal
Timespan: 1995 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 11

Discography details:
Eternity (1995)
Dominion (1997)
Siege Perilous (1998)
The Fourth Legacy (1999)
Karma (2001)
Epica (2003)
The Black Halo (2005)
Ghost Opera (2007)
Poetry For the Poisoned (2010)
Silverthorn (2012)
Haven (2015)

Artiste name: Led Zeppelin
Genre(s): Blues/Hard Rock/Psych Rock
Timespan: 1968-1982
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 9

Discography details:
[i[Led Zeppelin I (1968)
Led Zeppelin II (1969)
Led Zeppelin III (1970)
Led Zeppelin IV/Sticks (1971)
Houses of the Holy (1973)
Physical Graffiti (1975)
Presence (1976)
In Through the Our Door (1979)
Coda (1982)[/i]

Artiste name: Annie Lennox
Genre(s): Pop
Timespan: 1992 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 6

Discography details:
Diva (1992)
Medusa (1995)
Bare (2003)
Songs of Mass Destruction (2007)
A Christmas Cornucopia (2010)
Nostalgia (2014)

Artiste name: Madonna
Genre(s): Pop
Timespan: 1983 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 13

Discography details:
Madonna (1983)
Like a Virgin (1984)
True Blue (1986)
Like a Prayer (1989)
Erotica (1992)
Bedtime Stories (1994)
Ray of Light (1998)
Music (2000)
American Life (2003)
Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005)
Hard Candy (2008)
MDNA (2012)
Rebel Heart (2015)


Artiste name: George Michael
Genre(s): Pop
Timespan: 1987 - 2004
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 5

Discography details:
Faith (1987)
Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1 (1990)
Older (1996)
Songs From the Last Century (1999)
Patience (2004)

Artiste name: Motorhead
Genre(s): Heavy Metal
Timespan: 1977 - 2015
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes: With the recent passing of Lemmy at the end of 2015, Bad Magic seems likely to be the last ever Motorhead album, as nobody can see them continuing without him. RIP.
Number of albums: 22

Discography details:

Motorhead(1977)
Overkill (1979)
Bomber (1978)
Ace of Spades (1980)
Iron Fist (1982)
Another Perfect Day (1983)
Orgasmatron (1986)
Rock'n'Roll (1987)
1916 (1991)
March or Die (1992)
Bastards (1993)
Sacrifice (1995)
Overnight Sensation (1996)
Snakebite Love (1998)
We Are Motorhead (2000)
Hammered (2002)
Inferno (2004)
Kiss of Death (2006)
Motorizer (2008)
The World is Yours (2010)
Aftershock (2013)
Bad Magic (2015)

Artiste name: Night Ranger
Genre(s): AOR/Hard Rock/Melodic Rock
Timespan: 1982 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 12

Discography details:
Dawn Patrol (1982)
Midnight Madness (1983)
7 Wishes (1985)
Big Life (1987)
Man in Motion (1988)
Feeding off the Mojo (1995)
Neverland (1997)
Seven (1998)
Hole in the Sun (2007)
Somewhere in California (2011)
High Road (2014)
Don't Let Up (2017)

Artiste name: Nine Inch Nails
Genre(s): Industrial Rock
Timespan:1989-
Suggested by: Trollheart via TechnicLePanther
Notes:
Number of albums: 9

Discography details:

Pretty Hate Machine (1989)
The Downward Spiral (1994)
The Fragile (1999)
With Teeth (2005)
Year Zero (2007)
Ghosts I-IV (2008)
The Slip (2008)
Hesitation Marks (2013)

Artiste name: Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark (OMD)
Genre(s): Synthpop, New Wave, Pop
Timespan: 1980 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 13

Discography details:
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (1980)
Organisation (1980)
Architecture and Morality (1981)
Dazzle Ships (1983)
Junk Culture (1984)
Crush (1985)
The Pacific Age (1986)
Sugar Tax (1991)
Liberator (1993)
Universal (1996)
History of Modern (2010)
English Electric (2013)
The Punishment of Luxury (2017)

Artiste name: Alan Parsons and The Alan Parsons Project
Genre(s): Progressive Rock
Timespan: 1976 - 2004
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes: I know I said I would do either the group or the solo artiste, not both, but since Alan Parsons was the APP, I'm breaking the rule in his case. His solo work basically involved most if not all of the bandmembers from the APP anyway, so they may as well have been APP albums.
Number of albums: 10 (with the APP) 4 (solo) 14 total

Discography details:

Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1976)
I Robot (1977)
Pyramid (1978)
Eve (1979)
The Turn of a Friendly Card (1980)
Eye in the Sky (1982)
Ammonia Avenue (1984)
Vulture Culture (1984)
Stereotomy (1985)
Gaudi (1987)
(Solo)
Try Anything Once (1993)
On Air (1996)
The Time Machine (1999)
A Valid Path (2004)

Artiste name: Pet Shop Boys
Genre(s): Pop, Synthpop
Timespan: 1986 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 12

Discography details:
Please (1986)
Actually (1987)
Introspective (1988)
Behaviour (1990)
Very (1993)
Bilingual (1996)
Nightlife (1999)
Release (2002)
Fundamental (2006)
Yes (2009)
Elysium (2012)
Electric (2013)
Super (2016)

Artiste name: Tom Petty
Genre(s): Rock
Timespan: 1976 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 16

Discography details:
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers (1976)
You're Gonna Get it! (1978)
Damn the Torpedoes (1979)
Hard Promises (1981)
Long After Dark (1982)
Southern Accents (1985)
Let Me Up (I've Had Enough!) (1987)
Full Moon Fever (1989) *
Into the Great Wide Open (1991)
Wildflowers (1994)*
Songs and Music from "She's the One" (1996)
Echo (1999)
The Last DJ (2002)
Highway Companion (2006)*
Mojo (2010)
Hypnotic Eye (2014)

* Denotes solo album


Artiste name: Queen
Genre(s): Art Rock, Pop, Rock
Timespan: 1973-1995
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 15

Discography details:
Queen (1973)
Queen II (1974)
Sheer Heart Attack (1974)
A Night at the Opera (1975)
A Day at the Races (1976)
News of the World (1977)
Jazz (1978)
The Game (1980)
Flash Gordon (OST) (1980)
Hot Space (1982)
The Works (1984)
A Kind of Magic (1986)
The Miracle (1989)
Innuendo (1992)
Made in Heaven (1995)


Artiste name: Queensryche
Genre(s): Progressive Metal
Timespan: 1984 -
Suggested by: Anteater
Notes:
Number of albums: 13

Discography details:

The Warning (1984)
Rage for Order (1986)
Operation: Mindcrime (1988)
Empire (1990)
Promised Land (1994)
Hear in the Now Frontier (1997)
Q2K (1999)
Tribe (2003)
Operation: Mindcrime II (2006)
Take Cover (2007)
American Soldier (2009)
Dedicated to Chaos (2011)
Frequency Unknown (2013)
Queensryche (2013)
Condition Human (2015)

Artiste name: Chris Rea
Genre(s): Rock/Pop
Timespan: 1978 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes: From 2003 to 2008 Rea released albums based on blues classics, and formed an imaginary band for one of them, the Hofner Bluenotes. I don't consider these really part of his discography, and some of them are three or more Cds long, so I won't be including them when I review his discog.
Number of albums: 23 (but see above)

Discography details:

Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? (1978)
Deltics (1979)
Tennis (1980)
Chris Rea (1982)
Water Sign (1983)
Wired to the Moon (1984)
Shamrock Diaries (1985)
On the Beach (1986)
Dancing with Strangers (1987)
The Road to Hell (1989)
Auberge (1991)
God's Great Banana Skin (1992)
Espresso Logic (1993)
The Blue Cafe (1998)
The Road to Hell: Part 2 (1999)
King of the Beach (2000)
Dancing Down the Stony Road (2002)
The Blue Jukebox (2004)
Santo Spirito Blues (2011)


Artiste name: Roxy Music
Genre(s): Glam Rock
Timespan: 1972 - 1982
Suggested by: Pet_Sounds
Notes:
Number of albums: 8

Discography details:

Roxy Music (1972)
For Your Pleasure (1973)
Stranded (1973)
Country Life (1974)
Siren (1975)
Manifesto (1979)
Flesh and Blood (1980)
Avalon (1982)

Artiste name: Rush
Genre(s): Progressive Rock
Timespan: 1974 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 20

Discography details:

Rush (1974)
Fly by Night (1975)
Caress of Steel (1975)
2112 (1976)
A Farewell to Kings (1977)
Hemispheres (1978)
Permanent Waves (1980)
Moving Pictures (1981)
Signals (1982)
Grace Under Pressure (1984)
Power Windows (1985)
Hold Your Fire (1987)
Presto (1989)
Roll the Bones (1991)
Counterparts (1993)
Test for Echo (1996)
Vapor Trails (2002)
Feedback (2004)
Snakes & Arrows (2007)
Clockwork Angels (2012)


Artiste name: Bob Seger
Genre(s): Rock
Timespan: 1969 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 16

Discography details:
Ramblin, Gamblin' man (1969)
Noah (1969)
Mongrel (1970)
Brand New Morning (1971)
Smokin' O.P.s (1972)
Back in '72 (1973)
Seven (1974)
Beautiful Loser (1975)
Night Moves (1975)
Stranger in Town (1976)
Against the Wind (1980)
The Distance (1982)
Like a Rock (1986)
The Fire Inside (1991)
It's a Mystery (1995)
Face the Promise (2006)
Ride Out (2013)


Artiste name: Sigh
Genre(s): Black Metal
Timespan: 1993 -
Suggested by: mythsofmetal
Notes:
Number of albums: 10

Discography details:

Scorn Defeat (1993)
Infidel Art (1995)
Hail Horror Hail (1997)
Scenario IV: Dread Dreams (1999)
Imaginary Sonicscape (2001)
Gallows Gallery (2005)
Hangman's Hymnn (2007)
Scenes from Hell (2010)
In Somniphobia (2012)
Graveward (2015)

Artiste name: Supertramp
Genre(s): Progressive Rock
Timespan: 1970 - 2002
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 11

Discography details:

Supertramp (1970)
Indelibly Stamped (1971)
Crime of the Century (1974)
Crisis? What Crisis? (1975)
Even in the Quietest Moments ... (1977)
Breakfast in America (1979)
.. Famous Last Words (1982)
Brother Where You Bound (1985)
Free as a Bird (1987)
Some Things Never Change (1997)
Slow Motion (2002)

Artiste name:Bruce Springsteen
Genre(s): Rock/Americana
Timespan: 1973 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 18

Discography details:
Welcome to Asbury Park, NJ (1973)
The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle (1973)
Born to Run (1975)
Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)
The River (1980)
Nebraska (1982)
Born in the USA (1984)
Tunnel of Love (1987)
Human Touch (1992)
Lucky Town (1992)
The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995)
The Rising (2002)
Devils and Dust (2005)
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006)
Magic (2007)
Working on a Dream (2009)
Wrecking Ball (2012)
High Hopes (2014)

Artiste name: Rod Stewart
Genre(s): Pop/Rock
Timespan: 1969 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 29

Discography details:
An Old Raincoat Won't Ever let You Down (1969)
Gasoline Alley (1970)
Every Picture Tells a Story (1971)
Never a Dull Moment (1972)
Smiler (1974)
Atlantic Crossing (1975)
A Night on the Town (1976)
Foot Loose and Fancy Free (1977)
Blondes Have More Fun (1978)
Foolish Behaviour (1980)
Tonight I'm Yours (1981)
Body Wishes (1983)
Camouflage (1984)
Every beat of My Heart (1986)
Out of Order (1988)
Vagabond Heart (1991)
A Spanner in the Works (1995)
When We Were the New Boys (1998)
Human (2001)
It Had To Be You: The Great American Songbook (2002)
As Time Goes By: The Great American Songbook 2 (2003)
Stardust: The Great American Songbook 3 (2004)
Thanks For the Memory: The Great American Songbook Volume IV (2004)
Still the Same: Great Rock Classics of Our Time (2006)
Soulbook (2009)
Fly Me to the Moon: The Great American Songbook Volume V (2010)
Merry Christmas Baby (2012)
Time (2013)
Another Country (2015)

Artiste name: Ten
Genre(s): Melodic Rock/AOR
Timespan: 1996 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 12

Discography details:
X (1996)
The Name of the Rose (1996)
The Robe (1997)
Spellbound (1999)
Babylon (2000)
Far Beyond the World (2001)
Return to Evermore (2004)
The Twilight Chronicles (2006)
Stormwarning (2010)
Heresy and Creed (2011)
Albion (2014)
Isla de Muerta (2015)

Artiste name: Thin Lizzy
Genre(s): Hard Rock
Timespan: 1971-1983
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 12

Discography details:
Thin Lizzy (1971)
Shades of a Blue Orphanage (1972)
Vagabonds of the Western World (1973)
Nightlife (1974)
Fighting (1975)
Jailbreak (1976)
Johnny the Fix (1976)
Bad Reputation (1977)
Black Rose: A Rock Legend (1979)
Chinatown (1980)
Renegade (1981)
Thunder and Lightning (1983)

Artiste name: Threshold
Genre(s): Progressive Metal
Timespan: 1993 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 10

Discography details:

Wounded Land (1993)
Psychedelicatessen (1994)
Extinct Instinct (1997)
Clone (1998)
Hypothetical (2001)
Critical Mass (2002)
Subsurface (2004)
Dead Reckoning (2007)
March of Progress (2012)
For the Journey (2014)

Artiste name: Devin Townsend
Genre(s): Progressive Metal/Rock
Timespan: 1996 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes:
Number of albums: 16

Discography details:
Punky Bruster - Cooked on Phonics (1996)
Ocean Machine: Biomech (1997)
Infinity (1998)
Physicist (2000)
Terria (2001)
Accelerated Evolution (2003)
Devlab (2004)
Synchestra (2006)
The Hummer (2006)
Ziltoid the Omniscient (2007)
Ki (2009)
Addicted (2009)
Deconstruction (2011)
Ghost (2011)
Epicloud (2012)
Casualties of Cool (2014)
Z2: (2014)
Transcendence (2016)

Artiste name: Judie Tzuke
Genre(s): Rock
Timespan: 1979 -
Suggested by: Trollheart
Notes: I'm a little out of touch with Judie's output since 1996's Under the Angels, and her last albums seem to have been issued through some fan club, so it's possible that they may not be available to me. There's also one seeming Christmas album, which I'll probably skip, though it depends.
Number of albums: 20

Discography details:

Welcome to the Cruise (1979)
Sportscar (1980)
I Am the Phoenix (1981)
Shoot the Moon (1982)
Ritmo (1983)
The Cat is Out (1985)
Turning Stones (1989)
Left Hand Talking (1991)
Wonderland (1992)
Under the Angels (1996)
Secret Agent (1998)
Queen Secret Keeper (2001)
The Beauty of Hindsight (2003)
The End of the Beginning (2003)
Songs 1 (2007)
Songs 2 (2008)
Moon on a Mirrorball (2010)
One Tree Less (2011)
Christmas with the Tzukettes (2013)
Song Club 2013 (2013)

Artiste name: U2
Genre(s): Rock
Timespan: 1980 -
Suggested by: Neapolitan
Notes:
Number of albums: 13

Discography details:

Boy (1980)
October (1981)
War (1983)
The Unforgettable Fire (1984)
The Joshua Tree (1987)
Rattle and Hum (1988)
Achtung Baby (1991)
Zooropa (1993)
Pop (1997)
All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000)
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004)
No Line on the Horizon (2009)
Songs of Innocence (2014)


List continues here

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Pet_Sounds

Can't wait to read your thoughts on the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Hawkwind, the APP, Roxy Music, Rush and Supertramp.

__________________
Everybody's dying just to get the disease

Frownland

__________________

Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth.

TechnicLePanther

Wow. I have a feeling you will literally never finish all of that. Though if you do complete all of that, I will respect you a whole lot.

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Many have tried to destroy it... but... true evil never dies. It is only... REBORN

SUGGEST ME AN ALBUM - I'm probably not going to listen to it but I will if you bother me enough.

Trollheart

All right then, time to get this show on the road. And who should we start with? Well, surely there's only one place? Someone whom many of us, though we may never have met him, considered a friend and a part of our growing up, a hero to many, an idol to many, an ordinary guy who did extraordinary things and advanced the cause of Heavy Metal more than perhaps anyone I can think of. The passing of Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister just as 2015 drew to a close shocked and saddened us all. There will never be another like him, and so it's fitting I believe that I begin my journey through multiple discographies by first looking into the debut album of


“Hawk Bastard Head”?

Could easily have been. As probably everyone knows, Lemmy began his musical career in psychedelic/space/metal/progressive rock/whatever-you're-having-yourself icons Hawkwind, but was kicked out of the band for doing drugs. Or, more specifically, for doing the wrong kind of drugs. Lemmy was more into speed and “street drugs” while Brock and the boys were on more “sophisticated” mind-expanding pharmaceuticals. And so he left, or was pushed out, and created a new band, which he called, with the bluntness with which he would become identified and for which he would be loved, Bastard, perhaps as a middle finger to Hawkwind. But like Judas Priest before them, it looked very much like the fledgling band would not survive, and would go under, forgotten and unwanted.

Luckily though, that didn't happen, and their second album brought them some of the recognition and fame they deserved, while their third would break them commercially and provide them with a song which would reverberate down through history, and not only that of music. But for now, the rechristened Motorhead were working on their debut album, which was, ironically, meant to be their farewell album as they broke up, having realised they were not going to make it.

Album title: Motorhead
Artiste: Motorhead
Genre: Heavy Metal
Year: 1977
Label: Chiswick
Producer: Speedy Keen (seriously!)
Chronological position: Debut album
Notes: The first appearance of the War-Pig or Snaggletooth, the tusked monster that would go on to be the band's mascot and their emblem throughout all their long career. Credit for this must go to Joe Petagno, who also designed Led Zeppelin's iconic swan logo.
Album chart position: Unknown
Singles: “Motorhead”
Lineup:
Lemmy (Ian Kilmister): Bass, Vocals
“Fast” Eddie Clarke: Guitars, Backing Vocals
Phil “Philty Animal” Taylor: Drums

Review begins

The first thing you hear as the album opens is that iconic bass of Lemmy's, then Phil Taylor's drums rumble through like a storm breaking before Eddie Clarke's guitar growls into the mix and their signature song (until “Ace of Spades”) hits like a hammerblow. Lemmy's voice is gravelly and rough, but certainly understandable. Great solo from Eddie and you can be sure these guys can play, despite the muddy production which makes it hard for them to really shine. I remember seeing them live in Ireland's only all-metal gig in I think 1983, and they were basically just a wall of noise. You actually had to stand away from the stage, up a hill about three or four hundred yards away, just so that your ears didn't bleed. And we loved it! Subtlety was never in Motorhead's locker, and you won't find any clever songwriting or intricate passages here, at least on the debut, but it's unapologetic metal almost before there was metal; it's raw, it's ugly, it's in your face and fuck you if you don't like it! “Vibrator” is certainly tongue-in-cheek, and rocks along with its head down and hair flying left and right, with a great grinding riff from Eddie, Lemmy a little more restrained in his vocal, while “Lost Johnny”, like the title track and one other to come, are holdovers from the Hawkwind days, and this one actually appeared on a Hawkwind album (In the Hall of the Mountain Grill, I think): we will be checking out Hawkwind too, later, but for now this is Motorhead and Lemmy has brought these songs with him.

You can see the difference in “Lost Johnny” though: it doesn't quite work as a Motorhead song. Great bass intro but you can hear the ghost of progressive rock in the breakdown. In fairness, it marches along nicely on this album, but it's not a Motorhead track. It's almost slowed down too much for their style. Lemmy gets a chance to put his vocals through their paces though. Sweet solo from Eddie. Much more like it is “Iron horse/Born to lose”, which later appears on the superb live album No Sleep Till Hammersmith (which we won't be looking at: studio albums only) and it powers along with the menace of Black Sabbath coupled with the guitar chops of Free and the metal godhood of Judas Priest. Clarke really enjoys himself on this one, throwing in some real blues licks, then we're back to grinding rock for “White line fever” with more than a hint of Steppenwolf, Lemmy's vocal (or the production, probably) sounding quite hollow and weak. Taylor's thundering assault and Clark's sharp, biting riffs see him right though.

“Keep us on the road” has much clearer production thankfully, and rocks along like a Harley heading down the freeway in the sun. With a few exceptions though, while these songs are mostly good there's little indication of how heavy Motorhead would get over their next few albums, and how they would almost define a sound which would later emerge as thrash metal. This is more seventies hard rock, pumped up yes, but still not really all that much what you would call metal. Very fluid guitarwork from Clarke, and Taylor has yet to learn to hate his drumkit in the way he punished it during standards such as “Ace of spades”, “Overkill” and “We are the road crew”. Even less metal is the psych rock “The Watcher”, another carryover from Lemmy's Hawkwind days, and while a great song, it's not something you could really have seen them integrating into their set once their star began to rise. Maybe they did, I don't know: I only saw them the once as I said, and there was no way to make out what they were playing. But I don't see it standing alongside the songs that went on to become live staples for them. Finishing then on a classic, their version of “Train kept a-rollin'”, which was claimed by, among others, Zep, just kind of pulls them further from the metal road they were destined to tread, and even lay down in years to come. It's a great song, sure, but it ain't Motorhead.

TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS

Motorhead
Vibrator
Lost Johnny
Iron horse/Born to lose
White line fever
Keep us on the road
The Watcher
The train kept a-rollin'

Afterword: There's no doubt this is a good album, but the best was certainly to come, and when you listen to this album with 1977 ears (what? You don't have them? I do. I was fourteen) it seems, yeah, a good album, but not one destined to give birth to a legend in metal music. Rather like Priest's first two albums, it's hard to see where the icons rose from when you look back at their first effort. Luckily they improved in leaps and bounds on their second release.

As far as this album goes, I'd say it's a good Motorhead album, but far from a great Motorhead album. And as for metal? In places, yeah, you can hear it, but in others, no: it's just more a hard rock one for me.

Rating:

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Trollheart

The first band I ever got into. Ever. I collected their albums and played them on, wait for it, a valve-driven record player which got hot after one album and had to be left to cool down for about an hour before you could play another. The sound of ELO was so different to me at that time --- cellos and violins instead of guitars and keyboards (or, as I learned soon enough, as well as these instruments) and the high-pitched vocal of Jeff Lynne made the band stand out from the crowd for me. For a long time, they were all I listened to.

In their heyday, ELO had massive hits such as "Mister Blue Sky", "Livin' thing" and "Don't bring me down", and were known for their elaborate stageshows and multi-part compositions such as "Concerto for a Rainy Day". They began, however, quite humbly, as a spinoff from The Move, the rock band fronted by Roy Wood, who would soon leave ELO and go on to form Wizzard, for whom we have to thank/curse for that goddamn Christmas song.

Album title: The Electric Light Orchestra
Artiste: Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)
Genre: Progressive/Blues Rock
Year: 1971
Label: Harvest/United Artists
Producer: Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne
Chronological position: Debut album
Notes:
Album chart position: 32 (UK) 196 (US)
Singles: “10538 Overture”, “Mr. Radio”
Lineup:
Jeff Lynne: Vocals, piano, guitars, bass, percussion
Roy Wood: Vocals, cello, bass, acoustic guitars, oboe, clarinet, bassoon etc.
Bev Bevan: Drums, percussion
Bill Hunt: French horn, piccolo trumpet
Steve Woolam: Violin
Richard Tandy: Bass, keyboards
Wilf Gibson: Violin
Hugh McDowell: Cello
Mike Edwards: Cello
Andy Craig: Cello

Review begins

There's a very Beatley sound to the chimy guitar which opens “10538 Overture”, which would go on to become their first released single, but then the cellos and violins cut in, and you can hear this is something different right here. The backing vocals, which would become a signature sound of ELO, also make this opening song something pretty special, and you can hear in the vocals of Jeff Lynne that already a star is in the making. One thing Lynne would garner criticism for was the way he sung, which was kind of a low falsetto, which I've heard people remark made it hard to understand what he was singing. One thing for sure though: his vocal style was distinctive, and once you heard him you knew who was singing! It's a good start, with some lovely French horn from Bill Hunt and sort of harsh violin from Steve Woolam and Wilf Gibson. Fades in a very Beatles manner too, and into the first Roy Wood composition, the first on which he takes lead vocals, and the first point at which the album dives.

This is ridiculous. “Look at me now” is just “Eleanor Ribgy” slightly rewritten and with violins and cellos, and they should be ashamed of themselves for trying to pass this off as their own work. Luckily it's nowhere near as long as the opener and we can quickly forget it as we head into Lynne's “Nellie takes her bow”. This demonstrates how, even at such an early stage in his career, Lynne was already capable of writing catchy, commercial tunes with a slight twist, as nobody had really used string instruments extensively on a single or album before, thus managing to appeal simultaneously to pop fans, rock fans and even classical fans, the last of whom must have felt hard-done by as this new pop music took over, and rock and roll edged out their beloved composers' favourites. With ELO they could get on board and marvel at the use of cellos, piccolos and violins, and this is a radio hit in waiting, with Lynne's undeniable talent for writing memorable hooks. It's a ballad, the first on the album, and a world removed from Wood's effort, though it does suffer from an inexplicable middle section instrumental and is about three minutes too long. Still, it's better so far than anything Wood has contributed to the album.

Speaking of Wood, he's back to bother us with the lumbering “The Battle of Marston Moor (July 2 1644)”, which undoes all Lynne's hard work with “Nellie” as his bandmate sets up ridiculous medieval tune against which he narrates --- yes, narrates! --- the story of the epic battle. I personally think that this could have been a suicidal tactic for a debut album, and I hate this track. It does demonstrate how well the strings instruments replace guitars, yes, but I think it was too much of a stretch to ask a newly-born audience who were listening to this band for the first time and getting to grips with the idea of cellos and violins in a “rock” band to accept such a sprawling and unconventional composition. In this, I believe “Marston Moor” stands apart from the rest of the album, is out of place on it, and should not have been included. Bev Bevan apparently agreed, as he refused to play drums on it, forcing Wood to play these, along with almost every other instrument. Oh, and it's also too long at over six minutes.

He's not finished yet though, as he plunders Mason Williams' “Classical Gas” for what he calls “First movement (Jumping biz)” and we get another instrumental, which surely must test the patience of, even now, the most ardent ELO fan. I mean, it's not bad, and it has more heart and emotion than the previous track, but it's so derivative. Still, again, it does showcase the cellos, violins and so on. I'm happier though when we get back to Jeff Lynne territory and the second, and only other single to be released from the album. “Mr Radio” opens just for a moment like later hit “Telephone line”, with a solo piano and an almost mono vocal from Lynne, and becoming the second ballad written by him you can hear its radio potential again. He uses both the piano and the strings well here, throwing in dark minor chords that reflect well the despairing nature of the lyric in the song, and also foreshadows the kind of piano Supertramp would later popularise in their hits. Again, it's in my opinion too long, with an instrumental section that I think it could live without, but even at that, one of the standouts certainly.

A pretty dramatic almost-instrumental then in “Manhattan rumble (49th Street Massacre)”, a bad idea surely to have three instrumentals on an album that has only nine tracks? It's not too bad to be fair, but composed by Lynne as it is, it shows that even he could make a misstep, although this was the debut so you can't be too critical I suppose. Still, I wonder how many people just skipped this track, or even turned the album off at this point? I guess the classical and jazz fans would have been wetting themselves. ELO would learn their lesson, however, and there would be few instrumentals on their later albums. They're back on track as the album approaches its end with another Beatlesesque song, “Queen of the hours”, another Lynne composition, which I have to admit is not one of his best. Pretty basic, with a lot of violin and cello trying hard to distinguish itself from the likes of “A day in the life”, which it reminds me of. Rather strangely, it's a Wood song that closes the album and in fact stands as one of the best on it. “Whisper in the night” plays the unexpected trump card; after Lynne throwing down a flush, Wood presents a Royal Flush and takes the game with perhaps one of the best early ELO songs. A lush, soft ballad with a yearning vocal, it's so good that I thought it was a Lynne song. Beautiful accompaniment from McDowell, Edwards and Craig on the cellos, against a simple guitar strum from Lynne, it's an example of what ELO could do when they really put their minds to it, and, more, that Wood actually could sing. Well, he could of course: he had fronted The Move with Lynne, and Wizzard later on. It's just that here so often he seems to refuse to put in the effort. But his truculence is more than made up for by this stunning closer.

TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS

10538 Overture
Look at me now
Nellie takes her bow
The Battle of Marston Moor (July 2nd 1644)
First movement (Jumping Biz)
Mr. Radio
Queen of the hours
Whisper in the night

Afterword: To paraphrase Blackadder, the album starts off well, ends well but much of what goes in between is best forgotten about. I'm surprised to see this did so well, relatively, in the UK charts, as I feel there is little on it for the casual listener. Still, it's a good introduction to the music of ELO, if not the best, and a slight indication of where they would go in years to come, particularly as Wood departed and Lynne assumed control of the band.

Rating:

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Trollheart

In an obvious change to our published program, I will now be looking extensively into this man's discography. While I won't be neglecting the other discogs, I will be doing more of Bowie's at once than I will of others. I've never had the chance to listen to all his albums, and it's sad that it's taken his passing for me to get up off my arse and get it done. We begin, of course, at the beginning, over forty-five years ago...

Album title: David Bowie
Artiste: David Bowie
Genre: Pop/Avant-Garde
Year: 1967
Label: Deram
Producer: Mike Vernon
Chronological position: Debut album
Notes: Although one of Bowie's later hits (in the wake of the success of Ziggy Stardust) was “The laughing gnome”, it's not on the original album so I'll not be discussing it.
Album chart position: n/a
Singles: “Rubber band”, “The laughing gnome” (not on album), “Love you till Tuesday”
Lineup:
David Bowie: Vocals, guitar, sax
Derek Boyes: Organ
Dek Fearnely: Bass
John Eager: Drums

Review begins
It's really, really sad that two of the major artistes in this project are no longer with us, though in fairness though I love Bowie I probably would not have included his discography were he still alive today. That said, this debut album --- the first time I've heard it --- is said to be far different from even his first “real” album, Space Oddity and a world removed from his later material, but all of this goes to show how much of a constantly changing personality he became, both musically and emotionally, and how he could not only tap into the latest trends as his fame grew, but also set them. Even today, with a catalogue of almost thirty albums to his credit and nearly five decades in the music business, people are still copying him, finding inspiration in his style and remembering what an incredible influence he was on them. The term “musical chameleon” seems to have been coined for him, and it certainly suits him.

But back in 1969 (is it ironic that he died at the same age as the year he first stepped into the music arena?) things were a lot different, and the young David Jones, who had changed his name to avoid confusion with the Monkees' famous star, was about to not quite burst upon the scene, but deliver an album that was not quite like anything that the world had seen before. With a mix of music styles and themes that can only really be described as “eclectic”, it opens on a sort of folky tune which owes much to Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd. “Uncle Arthur” tells the tale of a Peter Pan figure who “still reads comics” and “follows Batman”; perhaps, the eternal child in all of us, which we mostly silence when we reach adulthood. As Kipling once wrote: “When I was a child I played as a child, but when I became a man I put away childish things”. Yeah, but we all know that from time to time we love reverting to our childhood a little, don't we, even if it's only in the privacy of our own bedrooms or with a bunch of mates who feel the same, or if we've drunk enough. Uncle Arthur, it would seem, has no such hangups and, though we're not told his age (we do know it's over thirty-two), delights in all the childish things he did when he was so much younger.

The song runs on a simple guitar line with harmonica and flutes, ethnic in its way but very sixties rock and roll too, and already betraying in the lyric the tongue-in-cheek ideal Bowie would imbue much of his songwriting with. A real trip. “Sell me a coat” has more Beatles about it, driven on a trumpet or trombone, again quite folky and showcasing a voice which even now you could tell was something special. Nice strings arrangement and it's still uptempo though a little more restrained than the opener. The first single then, “Rubber band” marches along on a tuba line, again sounds very Beatles to me. Very strong vocal from Bowie and some almost Mariachi style trumpet; though the song is upbeat the theme is very downbeat and it's a song of reflections and regrets. The line “I hope you break your baton!” delivered with venom at the leader of the band of which his girl is now part again shows the humour Bowie employed in his songs all through his life.

“Love you till Tuesday” is probably the best example of a rock song on the album so far, but has a sweeping strings line too. Very brisk and breezy and upbeat with what sounds like xylophone and with another little sardonic nod as he admits at the end “Well I might stretch it to Wednesday!” Lovely piano and trumpet opening “There is a happy land”, a slower, more laidback piece which runs on an acoustic guitar motif and looks to the innocence of childhood, something of a theme to the album so far. Not really that surprising, as Bowie's many alter-egos down the decades always spoke of a man if not quite avoiding reality, then turning it to his own version of what he wished it to be. The relating of children's antics looks somewhat forward to Peter Gabriel's hit “Games without frontiers”, while “We are hungry men” opens on a news report with various accents (Indian, Chinese) as Bowie worries about overpopulation of the world. A dark organ line runs through this, alongside the acoustic guitar and peppered by trumpet as Bowie asks “Who will buy a drink for me, your messiah?”Though it's a semi-comedic song there are dark overtones, as he references cannibalism and infanticide, and in ways again this also harks forward to his own dystopian masterpiece some seven years later, Diamond Dogs. The sounds of someone eating at the end just underlines the dark humour in the song.

“When I live my dream” is a simple fantasy, a soft ballad which envisages castles and princesses and dragons, with a lovely strings accompaniment again adding a real gentle sway to the song. I suppose the two songs are polar opposites, with one envisaging the end of the world while this basks in ignorance and dreams, the ignorance of someone in love. Reminds me of some of the material from the very first Genesis album, then “Little bombardier” is a brass-driven waltz, very oldstyle with the very embryonic beginnings of the main melody from “Ziggy Stardust” as well as a nod to the theme from Alfred Hitchcock! Some lovely sweeping strings in the midsection, and the lyric betrays a link to paedophilia, or the suspicion of it anyway when he sings “Then two gentleman called on him, asked him for his name. Why was he friends with the children? Were they just a game? Leave them alone or we'll get sore: we've had folks like you in the station before!”

A slow, stately pace then for “Silly boy blue”, in contrast to the romping tempo of the previous, then back to folky, almost CSNY style for “Come and buy my toys” (again referencing children) , with some great fast acoustic guitar before “Join the gang” explores darker territory, looking into peer pressure and the burgeoning mod scene, but with an almost bluegrass feel to it and some boppy piano. “You won't be alone” he promises, before winking “It's a big illusion but at least you're in!” The motorbike/scooter effects sound more like someone with a bad case of wind, if I'm honest, and I think that was intentional, yet another joke. A warbling flute and accordion open “She's got medals” before it marches along in again very Beatles fashion with an uptempo piano and organ. Interesting vocal harmonies, also interesting that at this early stage Bowie is already pushing female figures to the fore: talk about leading the way. This continues in “Maid of Bond Street” with a whirling piano and a bouncing rhythm. A short song, and it leads to the closer where dark pealing bells and rumbling thunder aptly usher in the very weird “Please Mr. Gravedigger” which features an acapella vocal from Bowie against falling rain, including a very funny sneeze and “Oh! Excuse me!” giving the real impression of the guy standing in the rain by a graveside singing this lament. Then we hear that he is there because he is the murderer of the girl being buried, and since he's inadvertently confessed his crime to the hapless gravedigger, it's time the guy went in one of his own graves!

TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS

Uncle Arthur
Sell me a coat
Rubber band
Love you till Tuesday
There is a happy land
We are hungry men
When I live my dream
Little bombardier
Silly boy blue
Come and buy my toys
Join the gang
She's got medals
Maid of Bond Street
Please Mr. Gravedigger

I really expected, this being his debut and so long ago, and so supposedly different from the material I know him for, that I would be very lukewarm in my reception of this, but I have to say I'm mightily impressed. There's nothing on this I don't like, and to think he was able to come up with songs of this calibre, and such a varied selection, crossing genres and styles at such an early age, marks Bowie already out as one to watch. An incredibly impressive debut.

Rating:

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Album title: David Bowie/Man of Words/Man of Music/Space Oddity
Artiste: David Bowie
Genre: Folk/Psychedelic/Prog Rock
Year: 1969
Label: Philips (UK) Mercury (US)
Producer: Tony Visconti
Chronological position: Second album
Notes: Why all the titles? Well apparently it was originally released as David Bowie (why I have no idea when his previous, and debut, album was so titled) then in the US they released it as Man of Words/Man of Music and finally when it was re-released in 1972 they called it after the first track.
Album chart position: Nothing originally, but when re-released it hit 17 (UK) in 1972 and 16 (US) the following year
Singles: “Space oddity”, “Memory of a free festival”
Lineup:
David Bowie: Vocals, guitars, organ etc
Rick Wakeman: Keyboards, mellotron, harpsichord
Terry Cox: Drums
Tim Renwick: Guitar
Keith Christmas: Guitar
Mick Wayne: Guitar
Tony Visconti: Bass, flute, recorder
Herbie Flowers: Bass
Paul Buckmaster: Cello
Benny Marshall and friends (?): Harmonica

Review begins

After two years with little chart success and a new label, Bowie came back with an album that would lift him into the charts on both side of the Atlantic and also provide him with a single which would become one of his most enduring hits, and indeed lend its title to the reissue of the album in 1972. This second album also marked the beginning of a friendship that would last through his entire career, as production duties were taken over by Tony Visconti, who also played keys, flute and recorder and would helm and play on most of his future albums. Everyone of course knows the title track at this stage, and if you don't then why not? With its slow, almost morose fade-in intro, it quickly gives way to Bowie's somehow clearer and more mature voice as he asks “Ground Control to Major Tom”, producing a line that would echo down the ages and indeed be reincarnated on his 1980 Scary Monsters album when Major Tom returned and gave him another number one hit in “Ashes to ashes”. But that's a long way away at this point, and the loneliness of the astronaut left “floating in a tin can, far above the world” is represented really well by Bowie's vocal and the soaring guitar chords, interspersed by hard hit riffs and handclaps.

This song would give him his first ever top ten single, going to numbe five in the UK and making him known throughout households up and down Britain, and hitting the very top spot when it was re-released in 1975. As for the US, well it didn't do badly there either, getting to number 15 in 1973. The album itself did nothing on its initial release but broke the top twenty both sides of the water when put out again in 1972. Powerful acoustic guitar takes us into the much more mellow and yet at the same time more forceful “Unwashed and somewhat slightly dazed”, with a kind of snarled vocal at times. Is there violin in there? Surely, and harmonica too. And very good it is too. The hard riffs at the end of each line remind me of something, but can't place it. I'm sure he was first with it anyway. Great jam for the last three minutes, led by the harmonica.

More acoustic guitar leading “Letter to Hermione”, and it's a short song and quite simple but very beautiful, with elements of “A day in the life” in the melody, written, I read, to his girlfriend at the time. It leads into what is at this point Bowie's longest song. Running for just over nine and a half minutes, “Cygnet committee” has a very blues tune-up before it gets going in a nice meandering progressive rock style, telling the story of a failed revolution, or a successful one rather, but one that achieves aims other than those which it was supposed to, with the rather chilling claim “We can force you to be free” near the end. Another foreshadowing of the likes of Ziggy and Diamond Dogs, I feel. It's a very dark song, extremely well constructed and an example of the kind of thing Bowie would produce in later years, a flash of his brilliance long before it really hit.

Electric and acoustic merge in “Janine”, which becomes something of an anthem, with a certain Country flavour to it (not sure if there's fiddle but it sounds like it; could just be guitar of course) and the song reminds me of early Bob Seger. Back to the folk style with extra flute for “An occasional dream”, which trips along nicely with a bittersweet feeling of a romance ending. I expected a track titled “Wild eyed boy from Freecloud” to be a stomping rocker, but no, it's a laidback, orchestral ballad, almost like something out of a movie, and very impressive too. It sort of changes into a different track, it seems, in the third minute, and yet retains the main theme from the first part. A short acoustic number then in “God knows I'm good” which investigates the motives of the desperate as he sings “God may look the other way today” as a woman shoplifts and hopes not to be caught, but does not get away with her little crime. A snapshot of the lengths people are driven to when they feel they have no other choice. Another long track then to end, with a seven-minute organ intro to “Memory of a free festival” which then becomes the only accompaniment to Bowie's voice as he sings. Seems an odd choice for a single, given that there are so many shorter and snappier songs on the album. In the third minute some sound effects break through, along with percussion and guitar as the song begins to take proper shape, almost like Harrison's “My sweet lord”. It kind of stays in that mould all the way to the end, quite hypnotic and enjoyable but I feel way too long, though that's a small niggle on an otherwise excellent album.

TRACKLISTING AND RATINGS

Space oddity
Unwashed and somewhat slightly dazed
Letter to Hermione
Cynget committee
Janine
An occasional dream
Wild eyed boy from Freecloud
God knows I'm good
Memory of a free festival

Afterword: The second album is often the hardest, and while Bowie had not exactly set the world on fire with his debut (and this, being on a new label, could perhaps in some ways be seen as his actual debut) he does well to follow up that worthy effort with another fine slice of rock and folk/pop with edges of prog rock. Again, nothing I hated or even mildly disliked, and the ratings shown only reflect how much more I liked other tracks. You'll notice this time around, not a single Orange.

Rating:

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