en http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 60 http://www.audioscrobbler.net/data/webservices http://www.last.fm/user/guitarnoise/journal The Last.fm journal for guitarnoise. Last.fm journals are a place to talk about all things music. http://www.last.fm/user/guitarnoise/journal/2009/01/15/2eg0a4_my_top_album_picks_of_2008 Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:07:27 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/guitarnoise/journal/2009/01/15/2eg0a4_my_top_album_picks_of_2008 After giving myself two weeks of 2009 to think about it, here are my top three album picks from 2008:

The Verve – Forth

It took eleven years for the members of The Verve to set aside their differences and put out a follow up to 1997’s outstanding Urban Hymns. If you love the former album, the sequel Forth will probably get you off even more. These albums make up a pair of beautiful musical twins that rank as two of the best rock albums ever.

Tracks you must hear: Love Is Noise, Valium Skies and Appalachian Springs

Big Blue Ball

Since day one Peter Gabriel has challenged the standard notion of what a rock album is. Big Blue Ball is a collaboration that sounds a lot like a lost Peter Gabriel album. Every time Gabriel and his friends get together to challenge the rock establishment, it is always in a different way. What is most striking about this project is that it has been fermenting since 1991 and still sounds fresh.

Tracks you must hear: Whole Thing, Burn You Up Burn You Down, Big Blue Ball

Bob Dylan – The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs – Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006

Bob Dylan’s Tell Tale Signs is the eighth installment in his bootleg series of rare tracks. This 27 song collection includes outtakes and alternate versions from albums dating back to 1989. What hits the listener right away is that these are the clearest and cleanest sounding Dylan songs in years. Without exaggeration, this is Dylan’s best release in decades.

Tracks you must hear: Dreamin' Of You, Born In Time, 'Cross The Green Mountain]]> http://www.last.fm/user/guitarnoise/journal/2008/11/23/2amzse_review:_seal_-_soul Sun, 23 Nov 2008 09:06:17 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/guitarnoise/journal/2008/11/23/2amzse_review:_seal_-_soul There's no denying that Seal has a phenomenal voice. However, his latest release, a collection of 60s soul covers, is fraught with problems.

There are, of course, some standout moments. Soul opens with Sam Cooke's A change is going to come and it's hard not to be drawn in by the power of the song and the singer. Seal is always aware of his voice and he never overdoes anything. He nails this song by showing restraint, and that is what makes his version memorable.

Unfortunately the rest of the album very quickly begins to feel like it is dragging on a bit. Perhaps the biggest problem is there is no dynamic interplay with a band. Classic soul is always as much about the music as it is the singer. But there is never any feeling that you are listening to live music here. There is no jamming and very little in the way of vocals being bounced between the lead and backup singers. In fact, perhaps even to save money, many of the backing vocals are handled by Seal. The result is a lifeless album with a few good songs.

Another problem is the choice of songs. While he does justice to some of them (I Can't Stand the Rain, It's A Man's Man's Man's World), there are others that have either been covered too many times already (People Get Ready), or worse still, songs that should never be covered unless you're going to do something completely new (Stand by Me). It's not a horrible album, but one that is sure to fade quickly into obscurity. Perhaps that's where it belongs.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/guitarnoise/journal/2008/10/30/290bxt_review:_al_green_-_lay_it_down Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:47:26 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/guitarnoise/journal/2008/10/30/290bxt_review:_al_green_-_lay_it_down Al Green released a string of albums in the early seventies that is unmatched for consistency by any other soul singer. These back to back gems are: Get’s Next To You (1971), Let’s Stay Together (1972), I’m Still In Love With You (1972), Call Me (1973). Although this early music features elements of gospel, its main appeal is the tight beat, sexy backing vocals, and lush strings.

In early 2008 Al Green released Lay It Down, an album of new songs that is significant for its choice of producers. The legendary gospel singer teamed with Hip Hop producers Ahmir Guestlove Thompson and James Poyser. Many of the songs feature guest appearances by Anthony Hamilton, Corinne Bailey Rae and John Legend. Even with this wide combination of talent, the music still sounds nostalgic and reminiscent of classic Al Green albums. The arrangements sound circa 1973. But the true magic is still the voice. When the occasion calls for it, Al Green can still belt out a song like there is no tomorrow.

When you’re listening to the above mentioned classics, you can add Lay It Down to the mix. In fact, Lay It Down is a good soundtrack for any romantic evening at home. And it’s pretty damn good music for 2008.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/guitarnoise/journal/2008/09/24/26mlbi_david_gilmour_-_live_in_gda%C5%84sk Wed, 24 Sep 2008 07:53:51 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/guitarnoise/journal/2008/09/24/26mlbi_david_gilmour_-_live_in_gda%C5%84sk Since winding down his stint as Pink Floyd’s helmsman, David Gilmour has released two DVDs of live material. The first is David Gilmour In Concert, which captures his mostly acoustic show for The Meltdown Festival in 2002. It was followed by Remember That Night, a two disc memento of his On an Island tour recorded at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2006. Given the outstanding performances on both sets it’s surprising there hasn’t been a live album.

Until now that is. It seems Mr. Gilmour was waiting for just the right moment to release something exceptional. Live In Gdańsk is a recording of the final show on his On An Island tour. The show was played on 26 August, 2006 at Poland’s Gdańsk Shipyard as part of celebrations commemorating the 26th anniversary of Poland’s revolution.

History aside, what else makes this concert significant is that it is the only one where the band is accompanied by a live orchestra. Listening on headphones you can hear some wonderful musical nuances from the Polish Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra. The orchestra is being conducted by Zbigniew Preisner, the renowned Polish film composer who arranged the strings for the On An Island album.

There are a few standout moments during the concert. One is the inclusion of A Great Day for Freedom from Pink Floyd’s 1994 album The Division Bell. It wasn’t played anywhere else on this tour, and no other song could better highlight the occasion. Also remarkable is the slightly reworked version of Shine on You Crazy Diamond.

This is a great collection that combines Pink Floyd and David Gilmour solo material in one place. It also offers fans one last chance to hear the late Richard Wright playing and singing well.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/guitarnoise/journal/2008/09/03/25anrj_whitesnake:_good_to_be_bad Wed, 3 Sep 2008 12:28:18 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/guitarnoise/journal/2008/09/03/25anrj_whitesnake:_good_to_be_bad Whitesnake is a band with a musical life like one of their songs: Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues. Since 1977, David Coverdale’s band has coiled its way through a number of line-up changes and seen different levels of success. Starting as a Deep Purple offshoot they soon became a solid blues-based rock band. They later flirted with the hair band scene before working their way back to more blues inspired rock in recent years. Whitesnake’s latest album, Good to Be Bad tries to come up with a little something for everyone. The result is a hard rocking album, the likes of which we seldom hear these days.

Good to Be Bad has something for every generation of Whitesnake fan. That’s no small feat considering Coverdale has been making music under the Whitesnake moniker for over 30 years. On this album you will find the blues influenced rock from days of yore, represented by tracks like A Fool in Love. There are also a few up tempo songs that help bring the Whitesnake catalog up to date. Notable among them is Can You Hear the Wind Blow and All for Love.

What would a Whitesnake album be without a couple of summer ballads? That’s taken care of with Summer Rain and All I Want All I Need. Maintaining that classic Whitesnake sound this is an album you can listen to all the way through without skipping tracks.

A minor criticism of Coverdale’s songwriting, which isn’t limited to this album, is his tendency to get stuck in a chorus. Sometimes it’s as if he can’t write his way out of a chorus so he keeps repeating himself. This is heard on older Whitesnake tunes like Fool For Your Loving. It happens a few times on Good to Be Bad, but truthfully, I’d rather listen to this than anything else by Whitesnake right now.

By far the album’s most outstanding track is the closing one: Til The End Of Time. It’s a mostly acoustic blues number that allows Coverdale to comfortably showcase his mellowing rock voice. As a long time follower of the band, with every new album I can’t help wondering if this will be the last one. If it is, this final song suits nicely. It’s simply one of this well traveled band’s best.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/guitarnoise/journal/2008/05/05/3yta_mudcrutch Mon, 5 May 2008 03:50:35 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/guitarnoise/journal/2008/05/05/3yta_mudcrutch What would a Tom Petty side project sound like?

The answer is something not too dissimilar to a Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers album with a hint of Traveling Wilburys thrown in. The Wilbury twist arrives in the form of a loose sounding collection of band-orientated songs.

Mudcrutch teams Tom Petty up with a few of his old bandmates from before he struck oil with the Heartbreakers. The music flows a bit freer than a regular Petty album, owing to the fact that it was recorded over a two week period. Petty also sets aside the guitar to take up bass duties.

There is probably a lot more group writing here. The sound is swinging country rock California style. Fans of Tom Petty will like it. Some of the songs touch upon themes that appear throughout his career. Scare Easy reminds me a lot of I Won't Back Down.

Rolling Stone's review puts it like this: "Even a dude with a track record as golden as Tom Petty's needs to reflect on paths not taken."

Nice.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/guitarnoise/journal/2007/12/23/3yt9_top_album_picks_for_2007 Sun, 23 Dec 2007 09:37:50 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/guitarnoise/journal/2007/12/23/3yt9_top_album_picks_for_2007 Here we go, my top album picks for 2007:

Crowded House – Time On Earth

This band gets better with each new album. The old stuff still sounds pretty good to me, and they keep writing new songs that grow on you. I never thought they’d be able to top Together Alone, but that is exactly what they did with Time on Earth.

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand

This is a bit of a genre bender of an album. There are no new songs here and the title might make you think this is a duets album. Never mind that 2007 was the year that Led Zeppelin returned to the stage and secured their legacy, this is one of the year’s best albums. If you like hearing voices being used like instruments – you should own this album.

Neil Young - Chrome Dreams II

This is a moody searing album that has Neil back with the Bluenotes, for one song anyway. It’s a passionate mish-mash of styles that easily ranks among Neil’s best albums. There are two epic songs clocking in at over 10 minutes, and nothing can stop Neil from switching between acoustic and electric. There isn’t much new here, and that’s why it sounds so great.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/guitarnoise/journal/2007/12/11/3yt8_led_zeppelin_gives_the_mothership_of_all_reunions Tue, 11 Dec 2007 02:18:14 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/guitarnoise/journal/2007/12/11/3yt8_led_zeppelin_gives_the_mothership_of_all_reunions I wish I was there. By all reports the one-off Led Zeppelin reunion gig was an astounding success. The set featured sixteen rock and blues numbers from the band's catalog, including “For Your Life”, which the band has never been played live before. Looking at the songs played, it seems the goal was clearly to give the best concert of their career.

Last night’s setlist was: "Good Times, Bad Times," "Ramble On," "Black Dog," "In My Time of Dying," "For Your Life," "Trampled Underfoot," "Nobody's Fault but Mine," "No Quarter," "Since I've Been Lovin' You," "Dazed and Confused," "Stairway to Heaven," "The Song Remains the Same," "Misty Mountain Hop" and "Kashmir." And for the encore: "Whole Lotta Love" and "Rock and Roll."]]> http://www.last.fm/user/guitarnoise/journal/2007/10/27/3yt7_neil_young:_chrome_dreams_ii Sat, 27 Oct 2007 11:51:57 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/guitarnoise/journal/2007/10/27/3yt7_neil_young:_chrome_dreams_ii Neil Young is back! Which is a funny thing to say because he never went anywhere. Furthermore, the music he has been putting out of late has been fairly good. I quite liked the understated Prairie Wind and his Live At Massey Hall 1971 is excellent.

His latest release, Chrome Dreams II, is an album most fans will really like. It sounds like a return to albums like This Note's For You (1988)and Freedom. It's a mish-mash of raw styles without too much of a thematic template.

The album's centerpiece is definitely the 18 minute-plus epic Ordinary People. If it sounds a little dated (reference to Lee Iacocca) it's because it was recorded in 1988 with The Bluenotes. But it's still passionate stuff and a Neil classic.

Other could-be classics on this album include Beautiful Bluebird, Boxcar and No Hidden Path.

This is nothing like last year's Living With War. It's a straight out rock album Neil Young style. Do yourself a favor and get it.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/guitarnoise/journal/2007/10/26/3yt6_robert_plant_&_alison_krauss:_raising_sand Fri, 26 Oct 2007 03:42:03 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/guitarnoise/journal/2007/10/26/3yt6_robert_plant_&_alison_krauss:_raising_sand I wasn't the least bit enthusiastic when I heard Robert Plant's next album would be a collaboration. There is nothing I would prefer more than another album featuring The Strange Sensation, Plant's band on the excellent albums Dreamland (2002) and Mighty Rearranger (2005). But fortunately, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss Raising Sand isn't anything at all like a duets album. It doesn't even sound like a collaboration per se; it sounds more like a brand new band put together especially for the occasion.

There is no preparing you for this album. Raising Sand features thirteen songs unlike any you would expect to hear from either of these artists. More accurately, it is a collaboration of three minds. The New York Times review of the album, When It Takes Three People to Make a Duet, rightly gives a lot of credit to the album's producer T Bone Burnett.

There are no new songs on Raising Sand, it's all reworkings of older tunes. Most listeners will be too young to remember any of the songs that fill Plant's first album with an American band. What else is new on this album is the way Plant has to hold his voice back. The music is all very laid back, yet not laid back in a Honeydrippers kind of way. There is a timeless, mystical air that surrounds each song.

A few truly outstanding songs are Polly Come Home, Trampled Rose and Nothin'. Each song slowly drifts and turns until it ends, and you can't even remember how long you were listening. It's timeless music indeed.]]>