Crazy's 2021 purchases:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

THE KILLERS  "pressure machine"

U.S rock band's seventh, mine also...
like Kings Of Leon, theyre ever reliable to produce the goods for me...
the band's first concept album.
vocalist Brandon Flowers went home to 'shitsville' Utah for the first time in years at the start of covid and fell in love with the small town after spending years trying to leave it when he was young....
these tracks are stories from his memories of the town from his formative years and how he fell back in love with the place he was born.
Americana, heartland rock, folk are apt descriptions of what the songs sound like and think Springsteen's "darkness on the edge of town'/'state trooper' songs plus the majority of the 'nebraska' album to give a sense of the feel of the album.
has The Boss written all over it and easy to imagine this being a Springsteen album.
album just keeps getting better with each listen and at this stage is my faovurite album of theirs.
BTW: give it a listen if you havent already done so (under the cans is best to absorb it fully IMO).
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

tracks:

1.  West Hills  ***
2.  quiet town  ***
3.  terrible thing  ***
4.  Cody  ***
5.  sleepwalker  **
6.  runaway horses  ***
7.  in the car outside  ***
8.  in another life  **
9.  desperate things  ***
10. pressure machine  ***
11. the getting by  **

3s  -  8
2s  -  3
1s  -  0

rating: 2.7

favourite:





She was doing 60 in a 35
I hit the lights and pulled her over
When I reached the window of the driver side
There was blood from her mouth
Dry on her shoulder

I've never had much patience for guys that hit
For more than just obvious reasons
I asked if she wanted me to take him in
She laughed it off like lemonade

When you're in love
You can be blinded by your own heart
You'll bend your own truth
So twisted up you could justify sin

And when people in love
Are desperate enough
To abandon their dreams
People do desperate things

I've been taking lunch breaks at her work
When the restaurant ain't too crowded
She knows me and my wife got a little girl
We don't talk too much about it

The other night she met me way out west
Things went further than they should have
When she undid the buttons of her dress
I didn't stop her, but I could have

When you're in love
You can be blinded by your own heart
You'll bend your own truth
So twisted up you could justify sin

But when people in love
Are desperate enough
To abandon their dreams
People do desperate things

I know where he drinks most every night
It's our local hero sports bar
I've got him cuffed and sweating cold
In the back of my patrol car

You forget how dark the canyon gets
It's a real uneasy feeling
I've never had much patience for guys who hit
For more than just obvious reasons

When you're in love
You can be blinded by your own heart
You'll bend your own truth
So twisted up you could justify sin

But when people in love
Are desperate enough
To abandon their dreams
People do desperate things

[CRAZY-HORSE]

MARINA  "ancient dreams in a modern land"

Welsh singer.
fifth album.
outspoken feminist and it shows in the majority of the tracks, its not that the songs are anti-male, just a 'women could do it better' attitude...
songs about the environment, not preachy-preach Greta Scumbag style but pointing out the problems as she sees them.
think art pop, pop rock, ballads and then think Tori, Kate, Laurie, fiona and Enya with the rich powerful vocals with an almost operatic sound at times also...
a very good album from the get-go
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

tracks:

1.  ancient dreams in a modern land   ***
2.  venus fly trap  **
3.  man's world  ***
4.  purge the poison  **
5.  highly emotional people  ***
6.  new america  **
7.  pandora's box  ***
8.  i love you be i love me more  **
9.  flowers    *** 
10. goodbye  ***

3s  -  6
2s  -  4
1s  -  0

rating:  2.6

favourite and quietest moment on the album:
you can feel the sorrow and pain in her voice on this one, sublime IMO






Now we reached the end
I ran the marathon
The road had many bends
But we knew that all along
I think it made me stronger
But I would rather not
Betray myself, just to keep your love at any cost

And it's most tempting to give in
When you hear the firin' shots
When you're steps from winning back
All the happiness you lo-o-o-ost, lo-o-o-o-ost
Lo-o-o-ost, lo-o-o-o-ost

With every careless action you let me slip away
If you just bought me flowers, maybe I would've stayed
You didn't think I was serious, I guess you felt so safe
If you just bought me flowers, maybe I would've stayed

Maybe I would've stayed
Maybe I would've stayed

The seeds we planted grew
But not like roses do
We had the thorns and leaves
But the buds, they never bloomed
And now my future gleams
With colors bold and bright
In a home that's filled with love and hope
And a life that just feels right

And it's most tempting to give in
When you're almost at the top
When you're steps from winning back
All the happiness you lo-o-o-ost, lo-o-o-o-ost
Lo-o-o-ost, lo-o-o-o-ost

With every careless action you let me slip away
If you just bought me flowers, maybe I would've stayed
You didn't think I was serious, I guess you felt so safe
If you just bought me flowers, maybe I would've stayed

Maybe I would've stayed
Maybe I would've stayed
I wouldn't have walked away
I wouldn't have walked away

And there's no heartbreak left to feel
It happened years ago
After you made your choices
I melted away like snow
'Cause you like lying to yourself
And now I'll never know
What parts of your love were for real
And what parts were for show

With every careless action you let me slip away
If you just bought me flowers, maybe I would've stayed
You didn't think I was serious, I guess you felt so safe
If you just bought me flowers, maybe I would've stayed

Maybe I would've stayed
Maybe I would've stayed
I wouldn't have walked away
I wouldn't have walked away

[CRAZY-HORSE]

ABBA  "voyage"

highly anticipated new album for the first time in forty years....
their nineth in all...
and the magic is still there to a degree...
ballads, pop, dance-pop and celtic folk...
lovely harmonies, melodies and overall tunes that you would expect from the band...
the songs reflect where they are in their lives right now ie: rekindling friendships, memories of the past, a Christmas tune and a loosely veiled environmental song...
band used the same studio and studio players that they used to use and that kept the sound strictly ABBA...
nothing bad on here and IMO fits in well with their back catalogue of classic material.
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

tracks:

1.  i still have faith in you  **
2.  when you danced with me  **
3.  little things  **
4.  dont shut me down  ***
5.  just a notion  **
6.  i can be that woman  **
7.  keep an eye on Dan  ***
8.  bumblebee  ***
9.  no doubt about it  **
10. ode to freedom  **

3s  -  3
2s  -  7
1s  -  0

rating:  2.3

favourite which continues to be a grower for me and a simply gorgeous song






He likes the lilacs in my garden
I love to watch him fly
He's just a tiny, fuzzy ball
And I wonder how he can fly at all

A world without him
I dread to think what that would be
And I imagine my distress
It would be a new kind of loneliness

But for now, I'm in my garden
Watching clouds sail with the breeze
Feeling carefree as I listen
To the hum of bumblebees

It's quite absurd this summer morning
To think we could be trapped
Inside a world where all is changing
Too fast for bumblebees to adapt

From thyme to bluebell
From hyacinth to lily rose
Oh, how I do adore the sight
Of his rather clumsy, erratic flight

And for now, I'm in my garden
Watching clouds sail with the breeze
Feeling carefree as I listen
To the hum of bumblebees

Yes, for now, I'm in my garden
Watching clouds sail with the breeze
Feeling sad for those who'd never
Hear the hum of bumblebees

[CRAZY-HORSE]

TONY BENNETT & LADY GAGA  "love for sale"

his 61st album, her 7th. and their 2nd collaborative effort...
his swansong on disc as he is now retired...
ten tracks in all, all Cole Porter songs....
the music is authentic throughout and ther voices work well together..
we all know Bennett can sing these songs but Gaga does it so effortlessly also as she shows the true diversity of her vocal talents...
so, of the ten tracks, six are duets and each get two solo efforts...
to be honest Gaga's two ('do i love you' and 'lets do it') are the best on the album for me but the rest are pretty good also,
not as good as their first album 'cheek to cheek' but a worthy companion piece IMO...
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

tracks:

1.  its de-lovely  **
2.  night and day  **
3.  love for sale  **
4.  do i love you  (Gaga solo)  ***
5.  i concentrate on you  **
6.  i get a kick out of you  ***
7.  so in love  (Bennett solo)  **
8.  lets do it  (Gaga solo)  ***
9.  just one of those things  (Bennett solo)  **
10. drean dancing  **

3s  -  3
2s  -  7
1s  -  0

rating:  2.3

best of the duets: its easy to see the mutual admiration and respect both artists have for each other in this clip

[CRAZY-HORSE]

GERRY RAFFERTY  "rest in blue"

a gift and other than "city to city" i have nothing to make comparisons to so this is a one off album for me (at this stage)...
his eleventh studio album, allbeit a posthumous release...
work on it started around 2006 but it was still not finished by the time of his death in 2011 so one can wonder whether it was really meant to be released at all..
that said, his daughter decided to continue the project regardless...
sometimes these sorts of album are slapped together as a quick cash-grab but this has been wrapped up beautifully IMO...
his vocals seem a bit rough around the edges at times but it all adds to the charm of this album with the majority of songs appearing to have a personal connection...
im hearing some George Harrison and Clapton in the vocal quality at times...
musically theres a couple of rockers (well soft rockers), a ballad or two and several folk type tunes...
only weird for me is his own cover of "stuck in the middle with you" which seems tacked on for no apparent reason IMO...
a very good album from an artist i know little about but look forward to exploring further in 2022.
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

tracks:

1.  still in denial  ***
2.  full moon  **     
3.  sign of the times ***    
4.  you are all i want  ***  
5.  i still love you  ***  
6,  wild mountain thyme  ***
7.  slow down  **
8.  its just the motion  **         
9.  look at me now  **   
10. dirty old town  ***  
11. lost highway  **       
12. keeper of my soul  **           
13. precious memories  ***     
14. stuck in the middle with you  *

3s  -  6
2s  -  7
1s  -  1

rating:  2.3

this is the song that should have closed the album as it has an almost spiritual sense of finality to it IMO:






As I travel on live's pathway
Know not what the years may hold
As I ponder, home grows fonder
Precious Memories flood my soul

Precious Memories, how they linger
How they ever flood my soul
In the stillness of the midnight
Precious sacred scenes unfold

Precious Memories, how they linger
How they ever flood my soul
In the stillness of the midnight
Precious sacred scenes unfold
Precious sacred scenes unfold

Precious sacred scenes unfold

[CRAZY-HORSE]

IMAGINE DRAGONS  "mercury -  act I"

their fifth studio album and im a big fan of the band...
one of what i call  "the big four" (modern rock bands for consistancy) - the others being Killers, Lings Of Leon & My Morning Jacket...
anyway...
a more laid back almost pop sound here than on previous albums although not as much as Maroon-5 but still....
so, after several listens it is a bit wishy-washy for the most part and too much-of-a-muchness overall...
still passable but the weakest of their albums thus so far...
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

tracks:

1.  my life  **
2.  lonely  **
3.  wrecked  **
4.  monday  **
5.   #1  **
6.  easy come, easy go  **
7.  giants  **
8.  its ok  **
9.  dull knives  *
10. follow you  **
11. cutthroat  **
12. no time for  *
13. one day  *


3s  -  0
2s  -  10
1s  -  3

rating:  1.7

lead off single:






You know I got your number number all night
I'm always on your team, I got your back alright
Taking those taking those losses if it treats you right
I want to put you into the spotlight
If the world would only know what you've been holding back
Heart attacks every night
Oh, you know it's not right

I'll follow you way down wherever you may go
I'll follow you way down to your deepest low
I'll always be around wherever life takes you
You know I'll follow you

Call you up, you've been crying crying all night
You're only disappointed in yourself alright
Taking those taking those losses if it treats you right
I wanna take you into the sunlight
If the world would only know what you've been holding back
Heart attacks every night
Oh, you know it's not right

I'll follow you way down wherever you may go
I'll follow you way down to your deepest low
I'll always be around wherever life takes you
You know I'll follow you
You know I'll follow you
Wherever life takes you, you know I'll follow you

She's not the type to give herself enough love
She live her life, hand in a tight glove
I wish that I could fix it, I could fix it for you
But instead I'll be right here coming through
(Right here, coming through)

[CRAZY-HORSE]

STURGILL SIMPSON  "the ballad of Dood & Juanita"

Kentucky bluegrass dude...
seventh studio album plus one soundtrack album...
this one only clocks in at a paltry 27 minutes and that includes the prologue and epilogue...
a concept album about the old 'frontier' days as it follows the lives of inter-racial lovers Dood and Juanita...
songs include styles in the traditional folk/country, bluegrass, gospel, a-cappella and so-called mountain music...
it is reminiscent of the storytelling of of both Marty Robbins and Willie Nelson and the style of the album is not too far removed from Willie's Red Headed Stranger album, and Willie himself duets with Sturgill on one track...
another classy outing from the ever consistent yet underachieving sales stats Sturgill...
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

tracks:

...  prologue
1.  ol' Dood pt: I  **
2.  one in the saddle, one in the ground  ***
3.  shamrock  **
4.  played out  **
5.  sam  ***
6.  Juanita  (with Willie Nelson)  ***
7.  go in peace  ***
...  epilogue
8.  ol' Dood  pt: II  **

3s  -  4
2s  -  4
1s  -  0

rating:  2.5

favourite is the one with Willie Nelson  (and fans of Willie will like this vintage sounding track)





LYRICS IN VIDEO

[CRAZY-HORSE]

LORD HURON   "long lost"

from 'the city of angels'....
their fourth album, which im still waiting for delivery...
expert call them indi-rock/indi-pop/indi-folk and i guess all turns of phrase are apt...
hearing elements of country in places too...
some almost Father John Misty type vocals and harmonies throughout also...
only thing that still doesnt fit on the album is the final track, a 14 minute synth/electro instrumental that makes no sense on any level to me...
this one doesnt rate as high as my initial thoughts but it is still a pretty good album IMO
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

tracks:

...  (the moon doesnt mind - intro)

1.  mine forever  **
...  (one helluva performer)
2.  love me like you used to  **
3.  meet me in the city  ***
...  (sing for us tonight)
4.  long lost  *
5.  twenty long years  ***
6.  drops in the lake  **
7.  where did the time go  **
8.  not dead yet  ***
...  (deep down inside ya)
9.  I lied  ***
10. at sea  **
11. what do it mean  **
12. times blur  *

3s  -  4
2s  -  6
1s  -  2

rating:  2.0






All messed up, with nowhere to go
I stare at myself in the mirror alone
It's hard to make friends when you're half in the grave
But I ain't dead yet, and I've got something to say
Oh, yeah

You've got holes in your clothes and booze on your breath
You look like hell and you smell like death
Oh

There's a stranger in my eyes again
I swear to God I don't know him
You're tired of me, I'm tired of you
So turn around and leave me to myself

Oh, yeah
You've got holes in your clothes and booze on your breath
You look like hell and you smell like death
Oh

I've been out way too long, I'm heading right for the edge
If she asks about me, tell her I'm not dead yet

You've got holes in your clothes and booze on your breath
You look like hell and you smell like death
Oh

[CRAZY-HORSE]

MY MORNING JACKET  "my morning jacket"

the last of my purchases....
from Kentucky
their nineth studio set
still awaiting my cope to arrive but DHL tracking says by the 6th Jan...
not as guitar driven alt-rock as their earlier albums but continues a more softer commercially orientated sound...
more melodic and harmonious than previous albums sounding more like a Jim James solo album than MMJ...
still a pleasant listen though but nowhere near their best IMO
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

tracks:

1.  regularly scheduled programming  ***
2.  love love love  **
3.  in color  **
4.  least expected  **
5.  never in the real world  ***
6.  the devil's in the details  **
7.  lucky to be alive  **
8.  complex  **
9.  out of range pt II  **
10. penny for your thoughts  **
11. i never could get enough  *

3s  -  2
2s  -  8
1s  -  1

rating:  2.1

favourite (and one of the heavier tracks on the album)






Never in the real world, baby
Never in the day
Never in the light now could I
Ever find my way

Only in the evening when the
Sun sinks from the sky
Only in the moonlight could I
Ever truly fly

Only in the night time, baby
Never in the day
Only in the darkness could I ever find my way
Never in the real world
Never in the real world

Never in the real world, baby
Nothing's what it seems
Never in the real world, honey
Life is but a dream

Never in the morning
Never in the light of day
Did I ever, ever, ever
Know what the right thing was to say

Only after midnight
Only in a trance
Head all full of spirits
Stumbling when I dance

Never in the real world
Never could I see
Never in the real world
Was it ever up to me
Never in the real world

Coming at you live now, baby
Blurring all the lines
Bending every rule
Across all of space and time

Only in the night time, baby
Wrapped up in the dance
Lost deep in your eyes now
Leaving everything to chance

Only in the night time
Only in the dark
Only in the shadows could I
Ever find the spark

Only in the night time, baby
Never in the day
Only in the darkness could I ever find my way
Never in the real world
Never in the real world

[CRAZY-HORSE]

PAUL McCARTNEY & VARIOUS ARTISTS  "McCartney III - imagined"

released in April..
he has always been a musical visionary and innovator so why not release a remix album of an album released less than five months earlier...
cant knock the guy for coming up with different ways to release music or capitalize on his name/legacy...
so Paul used some established artists and other up and comers in the industry that he liked to put their spin on the tracks from his "McCartney-III" album...
some tracks are remixes whist others are recordings that have been redone but using some parts of the originals (ie: a prominent instrument or Macca's own backing vocals etc...)
an interesting concept but not a necessary addition to any collection by any means...
i only purchased it on limited edition 'splatter' vinyl just because...well, just because...!
I DO NOT LIKE THIS ALBUM

tracks:  (guest artist in brackets)

1:   find my way  ( Beck)  **
2:   the kiss of venus  (Dominic Fike)  **
3:   pretty boys  (  Khrurangbin)  *
4:   women & wives  (st.vincent)  *
5:   deep down  (blood orange)  **
6:   seize the day  (phoebe bridgers)  *
7:   slidin'  (EOB)  *
8:   long tailed winter bird  (damon albarn)  **
9:   lavatory lil  (josh homme)  *
10: when winter comes  (anderson pakk)  *
11: deep deep feeling  (3D RDN)  *
12: long tailed winter bird  (idris elba)  **

3s  -  0
2s  -  5
1s  -  7

rating:  1.4

the lead off single:






The kiss of Venus
Has got me on the go
She scored a bullseye
In the early morning glow
Then I asked her

Have ya read the paper?
Ok, people talkin'
About which side they're takin'
And if you know then baby what's your take on it?
Does it make you want to leave?
'Cause I could look the other way for you

The kiss of Venus
Has got me on the go
She scored a bullseye
In the early morning glow

Reflected mountains in a lake
Is this too much to take?
Asleep or wide awake?
And if the world begins to shake
Will something have to break?
Or would we stay awake?

Have ya read the paper?
People talkin'
Without no education
Go to college
Go find your major
Realize you're minor in the scheme of everything

The kiss of Venus
Has got me on the go
She scored a bullseye
In the early morning glow