What Are You Listening To?

[Music Head]

from my library (vinyl)



Very interesting bar band sound from Pittsburgh, thus the Iron City name. Only had 2 albums and I have them both. This is the second. Wish I'd have grabbed the first one first. I think it was even better than this from what I remember. And this one ain't too shabby. Sort of a Springsteen sound, actually closer to Southside Johnny minus the horns. A few great tracks, and the guy has some cool lyrics. Not many clips available, and the ones that are there are not very good. The album never sniffed the charts here.

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

Worst Track - Angela

Best Track - We're Not Dead Yet

1) Have A Good Time (But Get Out Alive) - **
2) Don't Let Them Push You Around - *
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEbv-4cjh94
3) Pumping Iron - **
live - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pks_y1hpLaA
4) Hypnotized - **
live - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtbh2Ykxog8
5) Price Of Love - **
6) Angela - *
7) We're Not Dead Yet - ***
8) Blondie - **
9) Old Man Bar - ***
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQgC31Gkmo8
10) Junior's Bar - **
audio - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flSlch8MEgw
11) Runnin' Scared - **
12) Rock Ola - ***

3's - 3
2's - 7
1's - 2

Rating - 2.1

[Jerome]

Today I am going to play an album I am becoming more fond of everytime I listen to it. Tori Amos - Scarlett's Walk. Tori herself claims it is NOT a concept album but it clearly is. Hell it even comes with a map of the USA where you can follow Scarlett's travels. (The wings and propellers edition has one). Favourite tracks are 'Amber Waves' & 'Strange'. This one has all the makings of a cult classic. Have other stuff by her as well but nothing comes close to this one. She's a bit of a nutball but no denying that she has some very original ideas.

[Jerome]

And now moving on to Harmonia & Eno '76. 'Tracks & Traces' (reissue) - quite cool. Very laid back.

I have a number of CD's that I have bought over the years and never listened to. This may seem crazy but my modus operandi is that when I get sick to the back teeth of all the music I have and know well, I pull one of these out and just listen to the whole thing. It's great because you don't know what you are going to get. This disc is one of those. Quite Tangerine Dreamy but it seemed to fit the mood of the day. Different.

[Jerome]

To be followed by 'Music for Films' - a favourite.

[CRAZY-HORSE]

Like Johnny Cash? All talkey-talk and no walkey-walk. TGOTJ is one of those albums you just have to be in the right frame of mind for. Like around an open campfire - that sort of thing. Afterglow music.

c'mon Jerome!
Johnny walked the walk and talked the talk....forget keith richards, johnny was the original 'rock rebel', the booze,girls,drugs to excess. its on record that he did more drugs than richards,clapton. more booze than cocker,more girls than elvis.
can you imagine hanging out with him and jerry lee in 1956...you wouldnt last one night.
he sung about his wild days, and he sung about his salvation and misdemeanors...an open book, what more do you want from a singer?

[Jerome]

An ability to sing?

[CRAZY-HORSE]

An ability to sing?

like who?.

[CRAZY-HORSE]

"THE BOP WONT STOP" Shakin' Stevens (1983)

Shakin' Stevens, or Shaky, as he's known to his fans was born in Wales,UK in 1948, he released his first single in 1970 but it wasnt until 1980 that he hit paydirt with a remake of the Rosemary Clooney classic 'this ole house'. in 1977,prior to Elvis Presley's death, Shaky played the 58-60(army conscript) Elvis in a london musical based on the life of The King, he had the looks,the voice and the movements to carry it off successfully. during the early to mid 1980's Shaky released some 25 singles in the UK,including several #1's and almost 20 top 10 hits. he sung original songs for the most part but also had hits with remakes of 'green door', 'this ole house', 'what do you wanna make those eyes at me for', ' its late' and Brooke Bentons 'rockin good way'.most of his singles had more than an influence of 50's rock 'n' roll to them, afterall, he had spent the best part of the previous decade performing that genre.although he dissapeared from the music scene in the early 90's and mid 00's he did make somewhat of a comeback in 2005 when he appeared on reality tv show 'hit me one more time', where contestants who were so-called hasbeen singers vied for a new recording contract and chance to ressurect their ailing careers, Shaky won the contest and the song he sang on the final night of the show was a cover of Pink's hit 'trouble', this ended up a top 20 hit for him, in 2008 he appeared at Gladstonbury and continues to tour the continent to this day.
on with the album:
as with all of Shaky's albums there are several cover versions of 'minor' 50s-60s hits including Rick Nelsons 'its late' which made #11 in the singles charts in the UK.most of the songs on this album are in the same vein as 'its late'...boppy little pop songs with catchy tunes.
'a rockin good way' featured female vocals by Bonnie Tyler of 'total eclipse of the heart' and 'its a heartache' fame, this reached #5 in the singles chart and was a very good version of the Brooke Benton classic. so if you like the rythem and pace of the above two mentioned covers, you'll love the album, the other 2 hits from the album were 'cry just a little bit' (UK#3) (#67 USA), a slow rocker, and 'a love worth waiting for' #2 in the charts, a very nice slow number,the last two mentioned, penned by Shaky. i think Shakin' Stevens material has held up quite well over the last couple of decades, in direct conflict with most of the songs/albums from the 1980's. the album reached #21 in the UK, no chart entry in the US.

I LOVE THIS ALBUM

best track: cry just a little bit
worst track: could not pick one,sorry!

tracks:

1....the bop wont stop**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqS2tAZhA...re=related live
2....why do you treat me this way?**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmK5bcilf...re=related audio
3....diddle i**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd7m2swh1gQ audio
4....dont be two faced**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt9INfYzLW8 live
5....livin' lovin' wreck**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m5qMBA5i5Y live
6....a rockin' good way***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp9D04pcyV0 video
7....brand new man**
8....cry just a little bit***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih6u7GM_Yys&ob=av2e video
9....as long as**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDPX3TVm1Ms live
10..a love worth waiting for***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKqmwkGe97g&ob=av2n video
11..love me tonight**
12..it's late***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYcb3CsBXTA&ob=av2n video

3s-4
2s-8
1s-0

rating 2.3

[CRAZY-HORSE]

OK HERE IT IS!



OK....now the nerves set in..what with so many Floydophiles on this site!

its probably the most famous conceptual album ever made, i love the cover art,its simplicity at its best.
The Wall is a double cd/album released in 1979, it details the story of rockstar Pink(no, not the female) from early childhood when his father left to fly bombers in WW2. his father never returned and although his mother loved him she burdened him with all her fears and anxieties, and so to protect himself from the pain of the 'real' world, Pink retreated inside his head,putting up imaginary bricks in a wall for evertime he felt pain, from dads death,mums anxieties, brutal school teachers,struggles with success as a pop star, his unfaithful wife etc, the story and Pinks psychosis escalate until he shuts himself off from the world completely. eventually the small part of him that is still sane holds a trial inside his head, and all the bricks come foreward as witnesses in the trial,eventually the metaphoric 'wall of bricks' crumbles one after the other as he regains his sanity to become whole again.
although it is a 'dark' album i found it extremely positive in the fact that anyone who has suffered serious depression and anxiety related mental health issues can get through it by dismantling their lives one bit(brick) at a time and resolving their issues.
from what ive read about the album,Roger Waters got the inspiration for the album from two sources, the first, his own father dying in WW2 and the alienation he felt as a child, and secondly, the social withdrawl and psychotic tendances from witnessing the downfall of Floyd founder Syd Barrett in the late 1960s.
this is a brilliant album,not a dud track to be found, i found the vocals of Roger and Dave to express the various songs perfectly, from sadness,fear,anger...whatever the song needed, they provided.
i am not usually one to listen to basslines of songs(as a rule) but the ones here set the scene for the whole album. overall, its one of the best albums i own. i dont know if this sounds right to Floydophiles but to me its 'the white album' 'band on the run' 'ziggy stardust' all rolled into one album with ELO harmonies and nick cave lyrics.

I LOVE THIS ALBUM!!

best track: comfortably numb & run like hell
worst track: n/a

tracks disc 1:

1....in the flesh (2.0)
2....the thin ice (2.5)
3....another brick in the wall pt.1 (2.0)
4....happiest days of our lives (2.5)
5....another brick in the wall pt.2 (3.0)
6....mother (3.0)
7....goodbye,blue sky (2.0)
8....empty spaces (no rating,its not a song,its an interlude/prelude)
9....young lust (2.0)
10..one of my turns (2.0)
11..dont leave me now (2.0)
12..another brick in the wall pt.3 (3.0)
13..goodbye cruel world (3.0)

disc 2:

1....hey you! (2.5)
2....is there anybody out there? (2.0)
3....nobody home (3.0)
4..vera (2.0)
5..bring the boys back home (no rating,its not a song,its an interlude/prelude)
6..comfortably numb (3.0)
7..the show must go on (2.0)
8..in the flesh (3.0)
9..run like hell (3.0)
10..waiting for the worms (2.5)
11..stop (no rating,interlude/prelude)
12..the trial (2.5)
13..outside the wall (2.0)

rating:

disc1--2.4
disc2--2.6

average 2.5

[Music Head]

^^

very nice review