The Album Review Club - Week #196 (page 1316) - Aja - Steely Dan

A couple of listens in and can see a favourable review for this one.
In saying that track 4 Come back to me the vocals are horrendous.lol.
Not that it will affect my score.
 
bennyboy said:
A couple of listens in and can see a favourable review for this one.
In saying that track 4 Come back to me the vocals are horrendous.lol.
Not that it will affect my score.
Click to expand...
It is definitely a change of pace. Exene's song for her dead sister. I think she wanted to sing it as if she were wailing a lament.
 
My ownership of this album was on the back of one of those lucky punts at Sifters many years ago, I think it was going for a quid and looked interesting. Loved it first time I played it and still do.

I know they started as a punk band but by the time of this I don't think it would be categorised as such, although I'm not quite sure where it does sit. What I would say is that from the opening chords this album fairly zips along and doesn't put a foot wrong. It's only more recently that I've come to appreciate what drove it on an emotional level.

On the back of it I bought a box collection of X's other albums and didn't find anything that was as immediate or consistent, I don't know whether it's a fair comment or not that this is the album where it all came together perfectly. Maybe I'll give them another listen.

There's no point me going through this track by track or trying any deeper analysis. I don't think there's a bad song on the album, the pacing is perfect, there's nothing wrong with it.

I've been thinking it's a 9 and asking myself why it wouldn't be a 10. Can't think of a good reason. 10 it is.
 
An 8 for X.
Nothing fancy the sort of record that I would have loved in 1982 and still like today.
No need to review any of the songs.
You either like it or not.
Good nothing fancy music.
Off to listen to more in the coming days and John Doe as well.
 
I find this album a bit like popping candy. Stick it on, it fizzes and pops, it is sharp tangy and sweet, bouncy, quite exciting. And then just like that, it is gone, no real lasting fulfilment or aftertaste. You could easily go again, could also leave it, entirely up to you.

I enjoyed it, it was somewhat refreshing. Good reminder that music doesnt have to be deep or complex, have dimensions or higher meanings. It can just be fun.

I like how they are conservative with other influences, plenty in there to show they can, should they want to, include other instruments and passages, but they'll happily keep it simple. When it is his singing alone, it can at times sound a bit like The Doors minus the progressions. All the instruments stand out in their own right, and don't compete. And it is a nice example of the breadth of punk-rock, not all angry shouty, but also can be quite poppy and cute.

Its biggest strength for me is its length. They know how to keep it short and not overdo it, and it works. Any longer, questions and distractions might creep in. But as it is, short and sweet. A fun cute wee album, a solid 7.
 
Loved the tempo of this album and agree that is largely down to the average track length, which keeps it moving along nicely. I preferred the tunes that mainly featured John Doe’s vocal - Hungry Wolf in particular I could listen to again. I really struggled with the female vocal, I know it’s a genre thing, so I guess having no musical talent was a bonus!
I’ll give it a 5, It’s not something I’d listen to again apart from the first and last tracks. Maybe they should’ve just put it out as a single.
 
Under the Big Black Sun – X

This has certainly been an interesting listen, so before I go any further, thanks to @FogBlueInSanFran for the nomination.

When I say an interesting listen, it’s more like an interesting journey, because I don’t mind admitting that if this was a random album selection, I’d have listened to the first three tracks and then in all probability, abandoned ship before moving onto something else.

But of course, it isn’t a random listen, and so I’m strapped here in my chair for a full listen to the album, and then another, then a further listen on Saturday night through my headphones, and now another back at my desk again today. And sometimes, repeat listens are rewarding.

On that first listen, the overriding takeaway for me was that Exene Cervenka’s vocals were too shrieky. It was clear that she could sing when you listened to songs like "Come Back to Me", but it seemed to me that she’d chosen to go off-piste in those first three tracks. I get that some like this, but it really isn’t a sound that I like.

The only two songs that I truly enjoyed on that first listen were “Blue Spark” (a really satisfying guitar sound) and "The Have Nots" – the latter is an excellent performance, complete with driving guitar and even a solo, and regardless of what genre, it’s a sound I really like. "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes", with it’s Latin flavours and "Come Back to Me", which was a nice change of pace with a sax solo, were also OK, but that was about it.

However, subsequent listens revealed that the vocals on the first few tracks weren’t as shouty as I’d heard them on the first listen – maybe the first time was like a cold-water shock and now I’m warming to them? Better still, three other tracks started pushing their way forward so much that I really started to enjoy them.

I’m appreciating the two vocalists together on "Riding with Mary" – certainly in the verses, at least - and the bass is fantastic. As Foggy has written, the subject matter is pretty grim, but as a song about a horrific incident in Exene Cervenka’s life, you can’t argue about the passion she puts into this performance.

"Real Child of Hell" – this has plenty of energy and to my ears, sounds like the guiding influence of producer Ray Manzarek because it’s got a dramatic and energetic hook that is reminiscent of The Doors. Manzarek isn’t listed on the credits as a musician, and neither are any keyboards or strings, so what’s making this sound here? Anyway, I now think that it’s a really good song, and I don’t understand why I wasn’t wired into this on the first listen.

And the good news keeps on coming – this lunchtime I went for a walk and some of the vocals for "Motel Room in My Bed" popped into my head – even though I haven’t played the song since Saturday!

I’m still not 100% convinced by the punk sound. Whilst this is clearly the work of a band that can really play (job done, Foggy ), there are some vocal moments and harsh changes that don’t work for my ears. Here’s two very specifc examples, which extrapolate to a few things that happen throughout this album:-

"The Hungry Wolf" kicks off with some fast guitar and furious tom-toms, John Doe’s vocal is good – I’m enjoying this, but as soon as Exene Cervenka joins in, I’m less than convinced. That change at 25 seconds – whether it’s the chord change or the two vocalists together, it just doesn’t work for me. This happens several times throughout and for me, it spoils what could otherwise have been a good song.

The other example is "Because I Do", which vocally has “we are punks” all over it, and I really don’t like it. “How I” isn’t far behind in these stakes either.

Just to balance this out, the chord change and vocals on Blue Spark” at approximately 50 seconds is sublime.

And so, to the scoring. Honestly, on that first listen, for the first few tracks, I was thinking that it would struggle to scrape to a 5. Fortunately, there were a few moments to enjoy, and the 5 was safe. The second listen didn’t improve things much but that headphones listen on Saturday night really changed my view of this album and I thought a 6 was in order.

Now four and a half listens in, I’m enjoying more than half of the album, and that’s quit a dramatic shift. I understand what I do and don’t like enough to know that this will never be a favourite, but at least when the subject of “that punk band, X” comes up, I will have an appreciation of what it means. For the improvements over the listens, I’m going to award a 7, which is one higher than the Dead Kennedys.
 
RobMCFC said:
Under the Big Black Sun – X

This has certainly been an interesting listen, so before I go any further, thanks to @FogBlueInSanFran for the nomination.

When I say an interesting listen, it’s more like an interesting journey, because I don’t mind admitting that if this was a random album selection, I’d have listened to the first three tracks and then in all probability, abandoned ship before moving onto something else.

But of course, it isn’t a random listen, and so I’m strapped here in my chair for a full listen to the album, and then another, then a further listen on Saturday night through my headphones, and now another back at my desk again today. And sometimes, repeat listens are rewarding.

On that first listen, the overriding takeaway for me was that Exene Cervenka’s vocals were too shrieky. It was clear that she could sing when you listened to songs like "Come Back to Me", but it seemed to me that she’d chosen to go off-piste in those first three tracks. I get that some like this, but it really isn’t a sound that I like.

The only two songs that I truly enjoyed on that first listen were “Blue Spark” (a really satisfying guitar sound) and "The Have Nots" – the latter is an excellent performance, complete with driving guitar and even a solo, and regardless of what genre, it’s a sound I really like. "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes", with it’s Latin flavours and "Come Back to Me", which was a nice change of pace with a sax solo, were also OK, but that was about it.

However, subsequent listens revealed that the vocals on the first few tracks weren’t as shouty as I’d heard them on the first listen – maybe the first time was like a cold-water shock and now I’m warming to them? Better still, three other tracks started pushing their way forward so much that I really started to enjoy them.

I’m appreciating the two vocalists together on "Riding with Mary" – certainly in the verses, at least - and the bass is fantastic. As Foggy has written, the subject matter is pretty grim, but as a song about a horrific incident in Exene Cervenka’s life, you can’t argue about the passion she puts into this performance.

"Real Child of Hell" – this has plenty of energy and to my ears, sounds like the guiding influence of producer Ray Manzarek because it’s got a dramatic and energetic hook that is reminiscent of The Doors. Manzarek isn’t listed on the credits as a musician, and neither are any keyboards or strings, so what’s making this sound here? Anyway, I now think that it’s a really good song, and I don’t understand why I wasn’t wired into this on the first listen.

And the good news keeps on coming – this lunchtime I went for a walk and some of the vocals for "Motel Room in My Bed" popped into my head – even though I haven’t played the song since Saturday!

I’m still not 100% convinced by the punk sound. Whilst this is clearly the work of a band that can really play (job done, Foggy ), there are some vocal moments and harsh changes that don’t work for my ears. Here’s two very specifc examples, which extrapolate to a few things that happen throughout this album:-

"The Hungry Wolf" kicks off with some fast guitar and furious tom-toms, John Doe’s vocal is good – I’m enjoying this, but as soon as Exene Cervenka joins in, I’m less than convinced. That change at 25 seconds – whether it’s the chord change or the two vocalists together, it just doesn’t work for me. This happens several times throughout and for me, it spoils what could otherwise have been a good song.

The other example is "Because I Do", which vocally has “we are punks” all over it, and I really don’t like it. “How I” isn’t far behind in these stakes either.

Just to balance this out, the chord change and vocals on Blue Spark” at approximately 50 seconds is sublime.

And so, to the scoring. Honestly, on that first listen, for the first few tracks, I was thinking that it would struggle to scrape to a 5. Fortunately, there were a few moments to enjoy, and the 5 was safe. The second listen didn’t improve things much but that headphones listen on Saturday night really changed my view of this album and I thought a 6 was in order.

Now four and a half listens in, I’m enjoying more than half of the album, and that’s quit a dramatic shift. I understand what I do and don’t like enough to know that this will never be a favourite, but at least when the subject of “that punk band, X” comes up, I will have an appreciation of what it means. For the improvements over the listens, I’m going to award a 7, which is one higher than the Dead Kennedys.
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I definitely forgot to mention Manzarek's production. Since I have an intense dislike for the fake-poet-drunk-drug-addict-asshole-turned-rock-god-only-because-he-was-good-looking-and-had-a-real-band Jim Morrison and therefore have a love-hate relationship with The Doors -- love their music but want to strangle their front man -- I am very glad Ray went on to do something that I could like all the way around :)

"Blue Spark" has always been my favo(u)rite song on the record. From "Wild Gift" before it, you might also like "Universal Corner" which has a similar riff.

And I should note their next record "More Fun In The New World" pretty much dispenses with punk altogether and is really just uptempo rock. That might also ring your chimes based on some of your other picks.
 
RobMCFC said:
Under the Big Black Sun – X

This has certainly been an interesting listen, so before I go any further, thanks to @FogBlueInSanFran for the nomination.

When I say an interesting listen, it’s more like an interesting journey, because I don’t mind admitting that if this was a random album selection, I’d have listened to the first three tracks and then in all probability, abandoned ship before moving onto something else.

But of course, it isn’t a random listen, and so I’m strapped here in my chair for a full listen to the album, and then another, then a further listen on Saturday night through my headphones, and now another back at my desk again today. And sometimes, repeat listens are rewarding.

On that first listen, the overriding takeaway for me was that Exene Cervenka’s vocals were too shrieky. It was clear that she could sing when you listened to songs like "Come Back to Me", but it seemed to me that she’d chosen to go off-piste in those first three tracks. I get that some like this, but it really isn’t a sound that I like.

The only two songs that I truly enjoyed on that first listen were “Blue Spark” (a really satisfying guitar sound) and "The Have Nots" – the latter is an excellent performance, complete with driving guitar and even a solo, and regardless of what genre, it’s a sound I really like. "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes", with it’s Latin flavours and "Come Back to Me", which was a nice change of pace with a sax solo, were also OK, but that was about it.

However, subsequent listens revealed that the vocals on the first few tracks weren’t as shouty as I’d heard them on the first listen – maybe the first time was like a cold-water shock and now I’m warming to them? Better still, three other tracks started pushing their way forward so much that I really started to enjoy them.

I’m appreciating the two vocalists together on "Riding with Mary" – certainly in the verses, at least - and the bass is fantastic. As Foggy has written, the subject matter is pretty grim, but as a song about a horrific incident in Exene Cervenka’s life, you can’t argue about the passion she puts into this performance.

"Real Child of Hell" – this has plenty of energy and to my ears, sounds like the guiding influence of producer Ray Manzarek because it’s got a dramatic and energetic hook that is reminiscent of The Doors. Manzarek isn’t listed on the credits as a musician, and neither are any keyboards or strings, so what’s making this sound here? Anyway, I now think that it’s a really good song, and I don’t understand why I wasn’t wired into this on the first listen.

And the good news keeps on coming – this lunchtime I went for a walk and some of the vocals for "Motel Room in My Bed" popped into my head – even though I haven’t played the song since Saturday!

I’m still not 100% convinced by the punk sound. Whilst this is clearly the work of a band that can really play (job done, Foggy ), there are some vocal moments and harsh changes that don’t work for my ears. Here’s two very specifc examples, which extrapolate to a few things that happen throughout this album:-

"The Hungry Wolf" kicks off with some fast guitar and furious tom-toms, John Doe’s vocal is good – I’m enjoying this, but as soon as Exene Cervenka joins in, I’m less than convinced. That change at 25 seconds – whether it’s the chord change or the two vocalists together, it just doesn’t work for me. This happens several times throughout and for me, it spoils what could otherwise have been a good song.

The other example is "Because I Do", which vocally has “we are punks” all over it, and I really don’t like it. “How I” isn’t far behind in these stakes either.

Just to balance this out, the chord change and vocals on Blue Spark” at approximately 50 seconds is sublime.

And so, to the scoring. Honestly, on that first listen, for the first few tracks, I was thinking that it would struggle to scrape to a 5. Fortunately, there were a few moments to enjoy, and the 5 was safe. The second listen didn’t improve things much but that headphones listen on Saturday night really changed my view of this album and I thought a 6 was in order.

Now four and a half listens in, I’m enjoying more than half of the album, and that’s quit a dramatic shift. I understand what I do and don’t like enough to know that this will never be a favourite, but at least when the subject of “that punk band, X” comes up, I will have an appreciation of what it means. For the improvements over the listens, I’m going to award a 7, which is one higher than the Dead Kennedys.
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I’m probably much more used to this album and the vocals and as such have no issue with them at all. I did listen to some earlier X over the weekend and her vocals were a tad more challenging
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
I definitely forgot to mention Manzarek's production. Since I have an intense dislike for the fake-poet-drunk-drug-addict-asshole-turned-rock-god-only-because-he-was-good-looking-and-had-a-real-band Jim Morrison and therefore have a love-hate relationship with The Doors -- love their music but want to strangle their front man -- I am very glad Ray went on to do something that I could like all the way around :)

"Blue Spark" has always been my favo(u)rite song on the record. From "Wild Gift" before it, you might also like "Universal Corner" which has a similar riff.

And I should note their next record "More Fun In The New World" pretty much dispenses with punk altogether and is really just uptempo rock. That might also ring your chimes based on some of your other picks.
Click to expand...

So my doors comparison wasn't coincidental! Although, he didn't produce this album though did he?

Stickink on Los Angeles now for a bit more of X.
 
I hadnt heard of X before this...and i thought i was fairly "up" on this era of guitar bands. It wasnt quite what i had thought when i first read the description, but in hindsight, the initial description is accurate.

I thought it was alright, pretty decent....and probably something i would have been into alot, when i was originally into those sorts of bands.
Listening to it on my way home from work, a handful of bands kept jumping out at me as perhaps being influenced by them, bands like the Joyce McKinney Experience and Mega City Four. That kinda jangly, indie, punky sound. To me they are a more melodic and less angry (sounding) Dead Kennedys....but quite a few similarities in the guitar playing/riffs. Also a bit of B52s as well.
I didnt like the slow, easier listening stuff...for me, it didnt really fit the rest of the album.

My overall take away is that they were a decent enough underground band who likely had a couple of big pop songs in them....but they never crossed over.

Giving it a 5/10....mostly as i want to keep some head room for future reviews :-)
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
The Album Review Club – Week #64

X -- Under The Big Black Sun (1982)

Selected by FogBlueInSanFran

View attachment 66378

X is my favo(u)rite LA band after Van Halen (The Minutemen don’t count – they were from San Pedro).

For those of you that dislike punk, I think you'll hear something different here. Early on the punk scene, and early to leave it behind, X was both highly-influential as an alternative pioneer and a critical darling for I think two reasons.

First, their tunes have punk energy and speed but brought in outside influences like country and rockabilly and even Tin Pan Alley, so they sound unique, and the lead singers are effectively a duet – unusual for pop let alone punk.

And second, the band explored mature themes quite unusual to punks: relationships, marriage, fidelity, and trust – songs that seem to sound more earnest because a duet sings them.

In its best line-up, the band consisted of Billy Zoom (guitar), D.J. Bonebrake (drums), and at-the-time-of-this-record married lead singers Exene Cervenka and John Doe (also the bassist). Quiz: one of those names ISN’T a stage name. Without looking it up, see if you can guess which one.

While one of X’s records is on Rolling Stone’s list of the top 500 ever made (their debut “Los Angeles”; their second “Wild Gift” is on older versions of the list; they're both great), I’ve chosen their third record and major label debut “Under The Big Black Sun”.

This record is a bit more rockabillyish than their first two, a fair degree less punk, and a little (maybe even a lot) more accessible. In theory I don’t like rockabilly, but in theory, I shouldn’t like born-again Christian guitar players or lead singers who later turn into conspiracy kooks, and X has both of these.

Besides energy and terrific songs that stick in the ear, I also chose this one of their catalogue for another reason.

Rather than anarchy, class warfare, destruction, how fucked over some punk got when his girl dissed him, or some other well-worn punky themes to write and sing about, about half this record concerns something else sadder and darker: how Exene felt when her sister died in a car crash on the way to see an X show. These songs (numbers 3-5, and later a cover of “Dancing With Tears In My Eyes”) don’t have any punk posing – they tell the story in order of shock, pain, sadness/depression, and ultimately recovery.

The more familiar X themes of couples getting along amid the challenges of coupling occupy the rest of the record, including “The Hungry Wolf”, “Motel Room In My Bed”, and “Because I Do”. Taken together, the record moves through a variety of styles and topics more eclectic than X had done before, and more eclectic than most punks would ever dare. In fact “Come Back To Me” and the aforementioned “Dancing” aren’t punk at all – I’m not even sure they are rock to be honest.

My personal favo(u)rites here are “Blue Spark” and its kick-fucking-ass riff, and the closing “The Have Nots”, an appreciative thank you to (and a long list of) dive bars and their denizens all over LA. This one sounds like a punked-up REM.

I admit I deviated from a different choice because I was a bit put out by our esteemed host’s earlier off-the-cuff (and – to be fair - later retracted) comment that “punk” bands can’t play, or can’t write. And even though I just said less than a week ago that I don’t like poetry set to music, Exene was – professionally – a poet before joining X, and later on in life too. The lyrics here are worth a look.

In the end, what I love about this record is that it turns a lot of conventional wisdom on its head, even my own. Yes – a punk band can join a major label without “selling out”. Yes – punks have real human emotions beyond anger. Yes – grown-ups (married couples!) can write, play and sing punk music. Yes – a poet can be a lead singer and I can love it. Yes – a skilled session guitarist can join a band and leave all the songwriting to the singer and bass player.

And yes – a 40+ year-old record can still sound like it was recorded not so very long ago . . .

Hope you enjoy it! Happy listening.
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Another excellent write up Foggy.
I think I have said before punk really isn't my genre and i was looking to this album to at least put a dent in some of my prejudice. Sadly it didn't even make a scratch. The musicianship is ok'ish, drums very bish bosh, guitars competent albeit the material really wouldn't stretch an average lead or bass player. The vocal obviously deliberate disharmony grated. Songwriting/Lyrics profound when you described them but not to my ears. I disliked the slower tracks (the 3rd) less than the more typically punk as there was some nice sax floating around. I got little from it despite pushing my way through three listens.

I wish our tastes were more aligned as your write ups are always best and it seems almost churlish to give a low score after the effort you put in. So its a 4 rather than a 3 from me.
 
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