What Are You Listening To?

[SteveO]

Billy is great....such minimalistic music with a punch! This one is good !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwbzxemJZIc

[CRAZY-HORSE]

that one is from his third and best album(IMO) "talking with the taxman about poetry" SteveO...

[CRAZY-HORSE]

BILLY BRAGG & THE BLOKES "england,half english" cd, 2002

career stats:
studio albums....13
singles..............21

this album: #51 UK, #83 AU
singles:
"england,half english"...........#98 UK
"take down the union jack"....#22 UK

Billy's tenth studio album...
he'd lost his mojo by this time IMO...
instead of simply being Billy Bragg he appeared to me to be more content trying to write watered down pop for the masses,with only a spoonful of politically charged angst..
sort of lost his way,much like Dylan for a period in the 1970s(and again in the late 1980s), thankfully though, Dylan does get his mojo back,unfortunately,Bragg hasnt...
some of the stuff on this album sounds a lot like the tongue-in-cheek stuff you'd expect from Ian Dury,and it doesnt work here.
there's nothing great on this album,no leftist-socialist anthems that he was known for,no songs to make you think about things in a different light and certainly no double-edged wordplay that he was once so good at.
the album just makes the grade for me but i think im being optimistic as some of the songs only just pass,others are shockers...
i have nine of his first ten releases(thought i had the first ten,so maybe one has dissapeared because im sure i had "william bloke" also)...anyway the second "mermaid avenue" album was really the last one i liked,the three that followed it..he let me down, so i didnt get the last two or three he has made.

I LIKE THIS ALBUM(apparently?)

worst track: baby faroukh
best track: take down the union jack

tracks:

1. st.monday **
2. jane allen **
3. distant store **
4. england half english *
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAHgw07M5vU video
5. n.p.w.a *
6. some days i see the point *
7. baby faroukh *
8. take down the union jack **
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPhlP6AfptY live
9. another kind of judy **
10.he'll go down **
11.dreadbelly **
12.tears of my tracks **

3s=0
2s=8
1s=4

rating: 1.7(or more correctly 1.66666)

[Joshpop]

In love with SHH - Hand the album (Tides) on all week!

Damnesia/Spending My time/ Hold on are the three stand out tracks for me [URL="https://soundcloud.com/secondhandheartband/damnesia"]
https://soundcloud.com/secondhandheartband/damnesia[/URL]

[CRAZY-HORSE]

THE BLACK KEYS "el camino" cd, 2011.

career stats:
studio albums.........8
singles..................20
Grammy Awards.....7

this album: #1 US,#1 AU, #1 CAN, #2 UK
singles:
"lonely boy".....................#64 US, #2 AU, #33 CAN, #80 UK
"gold on the ceiling"..........#94 US, #34 AU, #51 CAN, #57 UK
"little black submarines"....#106 US, #53 CAN

Akron,Ohio group's seventh studio album and the one that launched them into the mainstream and dollars in the bank!
i say Ohio because they formed there, but were originally from Tennessee...
this album has a distinct alt rock sound mixed with heavy blues rock...
songs are drum thumpingly good with fuzzy/distorted guitars and catchy songs...
lead off single "lonely boy", ended up going three times platinum here and although only peaking at #33 in Canada made it ot 9x platinum over there....
the video for that song was the most viewed youtube video in 2011 also...
that video is so cool with some middle aged black dude dancing infront of the camera and lipsyncing the words to the song...i still get a bit of a thrill whenever i see that one!
album picked up three of the band's seven Grammy's also for 'best rock album' and two for that 'lonely boy' track..."best rock performance" and "best rock song"...and rightly so IMO!
all up a very good album of good old fashioned rock and roll!

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: hell of a season
best track: lonely boy

tracks:

1. lonely boy ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_426RiwST8 video (this one is so cool)
2. dead and gone **
3. gold on the ceiling ***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgF5j6G7xMA live on 'later....with jools'
4. little black submarine **
5. money maker **
6. run right back **
7. sister **
8. hell of a season *
9. stop stop **
10. nova baby **
11.mind eraser **

3s=2
2s=8
1s=1

rating: 2.0 converted to 6.7/10

[Music Head]

Band Members for this release

k.d. lang - guitar, harp, ukelin, banjo, glass harmonica, keyboard, vocals
Teddy Borowiecki - organ, synthesizer, piano, keyboard, Fender Rhodes
Graham Boyle - percussion
John Friesen - cello
Ben Mink - bass, guitar, violin, keyboard, ukulele, viola
David Piltch - bass
Randall Stoll - drums



Recording History

studio albums - 12
live albums - 1
compilation albums - 3
singles - 41

Grammy Awards - 4

from my library (cd)



Producer: K.D. Lang, Ben Mink

6th album - #37 US, #7 UK, #3 AUS, #10 CAN
Singles - Sexuality - #67 AUS
----------If I Were You - #53 UK, #23 AUS, #24 CAN
----------You're OK - #44 UK, #56 AUS, #44 CAN

Never been a big fan but I was surprised this came in this low. That's what's fun about not listening to albums for years, the surprises. K.D. has always been most popular in her native Canada of course but she's no slouch on the world scene. She actually started out with a country flavor but that has gone starting with the album before this one. The "Crying" duet with Roy Orbison got her a first grammy win in 1989. I thought she would have racked up some Juno's but I can't find any.
Not related to this album but here's a cool quote from wiki: "Lang received a writing credit for the Rolling Stones song, "Anybody Seen My Baby?", whose chorus sounds strikingly similar to "Constant Craving". Jagger and Richards claimed to have never heard the song before and when they discovered the similarity prior to the song's release, were flummoxed as to how the songs could be so similar. Jagger then soon discovered his daughter listening to a recording of "Constant Craving" on her stereo and realized he had heard the song before many times but only subliminally. The two gave Lang credit, along with her co-writer Ben Mink, to avoid any possible lawsuits. Afterwards, Lang said she was "completely honoured and flattered" to receive the songwriting credit." well I thought it was cool.

I DO NOT LIKE THIS ALBUM

Worst Track - Infinite And Unforeseen
Best Track - If I Were You

Track Listing

1. If I Were You **
video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNjSltrst4A
2. Maybe **
3. You're OK **
live - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzw2OB1XWB0
4. Sexuality *
video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLIktOs-96c
5. Get Some *
6. Acquiesce **
7. This **
8. World of Love *
live - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BolUqub_RVE
9. Infinite and Unforeseen *
live - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EeNQrhuruA
10. I Want It All *
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUnTqeUCHEU

3's - 0
2's - 5
1's - 5

grade - 1.5 of 3.0
allmusic - 4.0 of 5.0

[CRAZY-HORSE]

WOW! that is low for a kd album...

[Mr Sucessy pants]

Im not really sure if this counts as alternative but https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX4OY_P32p0 how can i post the youtube player?

[CRAZY-HORSE]

ok...
when you open up the new box to write a new post you will see a load of icons from fonts,thru bold highlights etc...
third one from the right looks like a pisce of film, click on it,wait for the box to appear,paste the link in there and its done mate...already to appear when you "post quick reply"

[Music Head]

Band Members for this release

k.d. lang - vocals
Teddy Borowieckl - piano, accordion, keyboard
Kevin Breit - banjo, guitar
Kimberly Brewer - background vocals
Lisa Coleman - keyboards
Abe Laboriel Jr. - drums
Greg Leisz - pedal steel



Recording History

studio albums - 12
live albums - 1
compilation albums - 3
singles - 41

Grammy Awards - 4

from my library (cd)



Producer: K.D. Lang, Craig Street

7th album - #29 US, #19 UK, #4 AUS, #39 CAN
Singles - The Joker
----------Theme From The Valley Of The Dolls

A covers album was due to ease the transition to K.D.s torch ballad phase. At least I wasn't familiar with most of them. I'm wishing The Joker
was a joke as that's how it turned out, not fitting in with the rest of the album for me. She does a decent job on The Air That I Breathe. Those are
the only 2 tracks familiar to most. You will notice a common theme with the album title and most tracks. I probably saw this and thought cool,
an album about smoking. Only have these 2 albums by her so any assessment I could give of her total catalogue wouldn't be fair. Failing to reach
a like grade on either one probably kept me from digging deeper. I will say her cover of Cohen's Hallelujah at the Juno awards is one of the
best live covers I have ever seen. I just watched it again. I get chills every time.

here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_NpxTWbovE

I DO NOT LIKE THIS ALBUM

Worst Track - The Joker
Best Track - Smoke Rings

Track Listing

1. Don't Smoke in Bed **
live - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsCIGmFBJfg
2. The Air That I Breathe **
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-jESeS_TWI
3. Smoke Dreams *
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE-WYuLEv90
4. My Last Cigarette *
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCvalE8SClU
5. The Joker *
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY-_C_EELs8
6. Theme from the Valley of the Dolls **
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPmok_ZcgF4
7. Your Smoke Screen **
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uknx9I6XxY
8. My Old Addiction **
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blFgdogvpHI
9. Till the Heart Caves In **
live - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx5Q9YZ5LXE
10. Smoke Rings **
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2FqtBF8hMQ
11. Hain't It Funny *
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDZG26FxlAc
12. Love Is Like a Cigarette *
audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoIjoFd2S3Y

3's - 0
2's - 7
1's - 5

grade - 1.6 of 3.0
allmusic - 3.0 of 5.0