What does it sound like?:

The Cars, despite being huge in America, where they shifted over 23 million albums, enjoyed rather more limited success here.

Arriving with the US new wave bands in 1978, you may recall from the mists of time their hits such as My Best Friend’s Girl and Just What I Needed. However, their biggest claim to fame came when their song Drive, from their big selling Mutt Lange produced album Heartbeat City, was so memorably used during Live Aid in 1985.

Here you get a good selection of their catalogue, all remastered of course, with a handful of rarities thrown in for good measure.

These are simple catchy hook laden pop songs, which they excelled at producing – they won’t change your life but it’s a pleasant way to spend an undemanding hour.

What does it all *mean*?

This career spanning collection realistically is all The Cars the casual listener will ever need.

Goes well with…

Cruising along the freeway with the top down and the radio on.

Might suit people who like…

Light pop music, nothing too demanding, with a bit of an American style new wave feel.

What does it sound like?:

Rather late to the party with this one – I’ve only recently been introduced to the band, although I know there are plenty of devotees on here.

This is their sixth album, and their first non-soundtrack album since 2011. It’s also the first album not produced entirely by the band, and frankly it’s one of the most progressive instrumental rock albums I’ve heard. It’s bold, it’s experimental, it’s ambient, it’s joyous and uplifting in some sections, cinematic and symphonic in others. This is a modern, forward-looking album, a curiously beautiful work, veering from the very edge of desolation to a feeling of utter completeness and oneness with the celestial universe.

A very atmospheric and innovative album – this band has a new convert!

What does it all *mean*?

Onr of the best albums I’ve heard this year – highly recommended. Looking forward to catching them live for the first time on one of the handful of dates they’re playing this October.

Goes well with…

If anyone can recommend which other albums from the back catalogue to check out, please fire away.

Might suit people who like…

Discovering a band that’s new to them.

What does it sound like?:

In conjunction with the current series of reissues of their back catalogue, comes this new 3 cd anthology.

It tracks the band’s career through the halcyon days of their debut all the way through to 1997’s ‘Live – Then & Now’, calling at all points in between.

No album is left out, studio or live. There’s even a couple of tracks from Love Beach, and one from their final studio album, the disappointing In The Hot Seat.

The cds follow the arc of their career.The first, covering their debut album and Tarkus is excellent. The second, covering Pictures, Trilogy, Brain Salad Surgery and the triple live album Welcome Back My Friends, is still pretty darn good. The final disc, which has Works Vols I & II through to the reformation albums of Black Moon and the aforementioned Hot Seat, along with various live sets, is the weakest of the three, falling away rapidly after Fanfare For The Common Man..

A couple of minor gripes, – I would have preferred the studio version of Pirates, not the live version included here from Nassau in 1978, and the third cd does rather run out » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

This is a new artist to me, and I suspect to most readers.

Theodore is a Greek multi-instrumentalist, and in the past has concentrated in the main on film and theatrical scores, achieving a great deal of success in his native country.

This is his debut album, a mix of orchestral music, electronica and rock.

He plays keyboards and guitar, while his band fill out the sound with more convential rock stylings – oh, and there’s a string section thrown into the mix for good measure.

The obvious comparison is to someone like Vangelis, but there are obvious influences of Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Tangerine Dream and Sigur Ros here too.

Overall, the longer pieces are the most successful – check out Are We There Yet, Spiral and Eclipse for example – but the strongest piece here is probably the relatively more concise Do You Know How To Fall.

What does it all *mean*?

It will be interesting to see if this undoubtedly talented musician can yet achieve the exposure needed to break through to a larger audience – he certainly deserves to be more widely heard.

Goes well with…

A lazy evening chilling.

Might » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

A three cd set compiling punk/new wave tracks from the late seventies/early eighties.

This is actually a decent set, covering many bases without departing too far from the beaten track.

Presumably the dreaded licensing issues are responsible for the lack of seminal artists such as The Pistols, Clash and Stranglers to name but three.

Nevertheless, you get the glaringly obvious picks – from Iggy, The Ramones and Blondie from the Stateside camp, to The Damned, Buzzcocks and The Jam from the home camp.

Obviously this type of collection is aimed at those who want a potted introduction to this genre, so it’s good to see the inclusion of comparatively lesser known acts, such as The Dead Boys,999, Wire and Slaughter and the Dogs.

It’s often the case that albums of this type run out of steam by the third disc, but that’s not the case here – it keeps going right to the end!

Some of the choices do slightly raise an eyebrow by their inclusion, and as ever there’s never going to be a track listing that pleases everyone.

All in all though, this has plenty of good listening for not very » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

A 2 cd compilation issued as the official album to tie in with the recent Royal celebrations.

It endeavours to cover ‘the greatest British artists of all time’, which is always going to be a tough ask.

Nevertheless, there’s plenty of big names on offer, from the sixties right through to the present day.

Who’s here – well to name just a few, The Stones, Elton, Rod, Queen, Coldplay, Cliff, Lulu, Dusty, Cilla – there’s even a Beatles song on here, which is most unusual for a compilation album like this. It seems that when Her Majesty comes calling it’s hard to say no!

Presumably licensing issues are always on the horizon in getting this sort of album together – there’s no Kinks for example, and you’ll never please everyone with the choices of artist and selection of songs.

Nevertheless, this is a good collection, which really does have something for everyone.

What does it all *mean*?

This is the sort of album that makes a good present for that difficult to buy for relative, a casual music lover who likes a bit of easy listening in the background with nothing too challenging.

Goes » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

The seventh Biffy Clyro album arrives following a long period of writers block for the band’s frontman Simon Neil.

This is an album that both showcases their traditional sound but also goes with a more experimental approach on some pieces. Then again this is a band that tries to update their direction with every new album.

The lead song Wolves of Winter is a prime example – a new sound pushing things in a different direction, while at the same time retaining their traditional unique core

Other standouts for me are On A Bang and Animal Style, but the album as a whole is a very satisying and fulfiiling piece of work.

In terms of sound and feel, this is similar to their most recent releases rather than their earlier output, and shows a band that has chosen evolution over stasis.

This is adventurous music!

What does it all *mean*?

This is undoubtedly an album that will sell a lot of copies and fill a lot of arenas over the next year.

Goes well with…

Other albums by the band, not too heavy metal.

Might suit people who like…

Fans of early » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

In conjunction with the deluxe reissues of the band’s catalogue comes this 2 cd anthology.

Starting out with their cover of Bowie’s ‘Boys Keep Swinging’, the first cd cherry picks the best material from The Affectionate Punch and Sulk, and is good way to pick up the cream of those recordings. Shame there’s no room for ‘Even Dogs In The Wild’ though – surely one of their most affecting songs.

The second disc includes curios such as their cover of Eloise, a demo of The Affectionate Punch and their riposte to The Smiths ‘William It Was really Nothing’ – ‘Stephen, You’re Really Something.’

A good booklet with detailed sleevenotes too.

What does it all *mean*?

This is a good introduction for the casual listener to dip into, and is a bargain on Amazon at the moment at around a fiver – an esoteric collection from a band who refused to play by the rules.

Goes well with…

Quirky music, maybe Talking Heads, Joy Division.

Might suit people who like…

Trying something different – a quite unique band, I very much doubt we’ll see their like again.

What does it sound like?:

Way back in days of yore, this was the first ELP album I ever bought, attracted by the thought of discovering a new band – and by the fact that the original live album was a budget price release!

It was the band’s second release of 1971, following on from Tarkus, with the featured performance being recorded in Newcastle in March of that year. The piece is, of course, inspired by Mussorgsky’s classical composition, but expanded with the band’s typical improvisations and flourishes.

The remastered original album on disc one is augmented by a performance of the piece recorded at the following year’s Mar Y Sol festival in Puerto Rico of all places.

The second cd contains a show at the Lyceum from late 1970 which concludes with storming takes on The Barbarian, Knife Edge and especially Rondo.

The booklet has new interviews on the album and its recording, conducted with the band earlier this year.

What does it all *mean*?

This is still a really good listen for fans of the band, and it certainly brought back a lot of good memories. If you’re just a fan of prog from that era » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

Maybe the best known and most commercially successful Associates album, containing as it does the hit singles Party Fears Two and Club Country.

Released in 1982, the decadent lush production highlights the giant strides the band had made musically since The Affectionate Punch, and this is probably their most accomplished and fully realised work.

The second cd compiles the usual selection of B sides, alternate mixes and demos (five of which were previously unreleased) with varying degrees of success and interest, although their version of Diana Ross’s Love Hangover just demands to be heard.

The set is rounded off with another excellent booklet, which has been a hallmark of this short series of reissues.

What does it all *mean*?

This was as good as it got for the band – a great shame they were unable to push on and capitalise on it.

Goes well with…

Other Associates reissues in this series – all are recommended listening.

Might suit people who like…

Something different!

What does it sound like?:

Jazz rock fusion. Three words that strike fear into the hearts of the uninitiated. This album from the heady days of 1971, originally a double lp if memory serves, is now remastered and expanded to 2 cds with the addition of a second cd of live material recorded on the same UK tour.

The album features the ‘classic’ line up of Jon Hiseman, Dave Greenslade, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Clem Clempson, Mark Clarke and Chris Farlowe. They are captured at the peak of their powers in the Spring of ’71, blasting through a set including covers of Jack Bruce’s ‘Rope Ladder To The Moon’, Graham Bond’s ‘Walking In The Park’ and T-Bone Walker’s ‘Stormy Monday Blues’, as well as throwing in a very generous helping of their own material.

The second cd repeats four of the performances, albeit from different venues, and adds a fine performance of ‘The Valentyne Suite’, which is worth the price of admission on its own.

The accompanying booklet restores the original album’s artwork, and features an interesting new essay on the band.

What does it all *mean*?

There is a superb combination of jazz, rock and blues on offer here – » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

When you think of the classic prog albums from the early 70’s, you can’t help thinking of Tarkus. From its iconic sleeve artwork to its groundbreaking music, this has got to be on any ‘top 20’ list you might care to draw up in an idle moment.

As with the other reissues in this series, this 2016 version has the original 1971 album presented in its 2012 remastered form, while the second cd has an ‘alternate album’ created using Steven Wilson’s new (2012) stereo mixes. This augments the original album by the addition of three extra pieces, the Lake ballad ‘Oh, My Father’, an unknown ballad that may or may not feature vocals by the late Keith Emerson, and an alternate take of ‘Mass’.

The excellent booklet feature interviews conducted this year with the band.

What does it all *mean*?

This is a seminal prog album – not just the epic title track, which speaks for itself, but other less played pieces such as Bitches Crystal, The Only Way and Infinite Space. Sure, there’s one or two things that sound a bit ‘of their time’ now, but it’s still a great album.

Goes well » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

This album, now remastered and expanded to a 2 cd set, is perhaps the least known of the band’s releases.

Between the release of the Affectionate Punch and Sulk, the band recorded half a dozen non-album singles during 1981 for the Situation 2 label.

Here they all are, A and B sides collected together, and augmented with sundry demos and the rare piece The Tree That Never Sang. This is some of the band’s most experimental, wild, crazy music, even by their standards. The music veers from the sublime to the frankly ridiculous, and at times seems to be on the verge of collapsing in a heap. Some of the pieces are reminiscent of Berlin era Bowie or Kraftwerk, while others seem to have no discernable frame of reference at all.

As with other cds in these reissues, there’s a super informative comprehensive booklet.

What does it all *mean*?

The band were in a madly fertile creative phase, ideas were pouring out of them, some fully realised, others still half formed.

Goes well with…

Inventive, genre defying music…..

Might suit people who like…

Maybe not the easiest introduction to their work so possibly not » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

It’s been six years since Beck’s last studio album, 2010’s Emotion and Commotion. Now aged 72, he does not let age weary him in this collaboration with vocalist Rosie Bones (daughter of none other than Bill Oddie) and rhythm guitarist Carmen Vandenburg.

The album is encapsulated by its title, a statement against social injustice and the ills of the world. Indeed, Beck has said the album is about both the power of love and the love of power. Sometimes the lyrics are a little on the simplistic side, but you can’t fault the urge to try and do something different, and you certainly can have no complaint about the still consistently breathtaking guitar playing, which, perhaps surprisingly, melds very well with Bones’ street patois vocal style. The three performers actually work very well as a team even though they may look an odd collaboration on paper.

Still a confident and virtuoso performer, Beck has clearly lost none of his edge with the passing of the years, as evidenced by the stand out pieces here, Live In The Dark and the closing ballad Shrine. This alliance with much younger musicians from a totally different » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

Back we go in the time machine to 1970 to rediscover ELP’s classic debut album, now reissued again as a 2 cd set, comprising the 2012 remaster of the original album plus an ‘alternate’ album put together by Steven Wilson also in 2012.

This was a groundbreaking release that saw the band taking the first steps to eventual superstardom, showcasing the innovative and inventive playing styles of the three members.

Future staples of the band’s repertoire such as Take A Pebble and Lucky Man are here, along with their interpretations of classical pieces such as Knife Edge and The Barbarian.

The alternate album omits the first two sections of The Three Fates, together with Tank, due to the loss of the master tapes. These are replaced by a vocal version of Promenade, later to appear in live form on Pictures At An Exhibition, the instrumental Rave Up, which bears similarities to the Mass section of Tarkus, and an alternate Tank like drum solo piece by Palmer.

Four bonus tracks are also added, an early take of Take A Pebble, a vocal -less Knife Edge and Lake’s original version of Lucky Man, which is » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

Now expanded to two cds and remastered from the newly rediscovered original master tapes, this debut album from the Scottish duo still packs more than just an affectionate punch.

Originally released back in 1980, this album appeared like something from another planet, something totally alien. In a way, there are almost too many ideas vying for attention here – hints of Sparks, a touch of The Cure, a little influence of early Simple Minds even, all are grist to the creative mill of Rankine and MacKenzie.

The music is that of a band still to some extent searching for an identity, still refining their unique creative approach to song writing.

The second disc comprises a mixture of early demos and remixes, including their version of Bowie’s Boys Keep Swinging, some of which would have held their own on the finished album – Double Hipness being the obvious example.

The package is completed with a very informative booklet, which makes most interesting reading.

What does it all *mean*?

An album that still sounds as innovative and invigorating now as it did back in the dim and distant days of 1980.

Goes well with…

Quirky pop, » Continue Reading.