The Album Review Club - Week #195 (page 1310) - A New World Record - ELO

[threespires]

I'm sensing there won't be takers on here for any spares I might end up with for this years edition of this..

Home - Fiddler of London

The Fiddler of London – a tribute to the late Justin Whelehan, is a prestigious title that will be awarded to an outstanding musician.

www.fiddleroflondon.org

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

Funny, and there I was thinking well at least this album's claim to fame van be tgat it is the rare week that doesn't involve a Radiohead discussion ;)

Pffft were you born yesterday? :)

My claim to fame is inserting Radiohead into every discussion. I didn’t really have an angle there but was saved by the Kid A reference.

 

[Black&White&BlueMoon Town]

We seem to be missing a couple regulars this week. Hopefully just been put off by the album itself, rather than anything else going on, hope all are well.

It's almost like you were still hoping or waiting for an "Ace in the hole".... ;-)

Arc Light - Lau

The good news here in starting a new project in this new year and being swamped at work means I took another turn to listen tonight after the match, and the 5th time was a charm.

I was familiar with "Horizontigo" from the Playlist thread ('Water' theme) and it remains my favourite of this album. Upon listens this time, I even heard a bit of Pink Floyd influences in the beginning with the guitar here around 3 minutes in as the song gets going. That was nice on these repeated listens.

I did find like some others here that the vocal tracks worked best. "Banks of Marble", "Winter Moon", and their bonus track version of "Dear Prudence" in particular were highlights thanks to Kris Drever's vocal delivery to really compliment the instruments there.

I especially enjoyed Aidan O'Rourke on the fiddle, which was powerful on the aforementioned "Banks of Marble", "The Burrian" opener, and further on "Stephen's" in the middle segment. The opener in particular really showed the intensity that Coatigan noted in the January thawing theme as originally noted in the write-up.

Martin Green on the accordion and piano was probably the unexpected star of the album in that is not usually my "go to" instrument to appreciate, but on "Frank and Flo's", it really was a strong transitional intro into the song from the previous track.

And I can't believe I'm the only one to mention or notice this, but in the opening to "Stephen's", Green on accordion plays what I hear is the synth beginning to a-ha's "Take On Me" on that instrument, which almost sounded karaoke-like. I still can't shake hearing and recognizing that opening.

I do think Lau's songs work best in a playlist mix format as they tend to stand out more among others, and they do sound like a band best experienced live, especially in a small barroom venue. Extra bonus to the album cover too, which is very cool to study and just generally admire. And no, I've never bought an album simply by its cover, but this one well represents the content on the vinyl. It's a strong 8 /10 for me appreciating an album and band I'd not have heard otherwise in a genre I'm not as generally into.

 

[Coatigan]

I am happy with how that went. It was always going to be not everyone's thing. A couple people got something out of it that wouldn't have otherwise heard it. A few that did got good discussion going on it and the wider scene. And it will probably pollute a few algorithms and suggestions here and there, so that's all I could have hoped for.

A finishing song for anyone that feels they got enough for one more. Sometines, slow is good.

 

[LGWIO]

I am happy with how that went. It was always going to be not everyone's thing. A couple people got something out of it that wouldn't have otherwise heard it. A few that did got good discussion going on it and the wider scene. And it will probably pollute a few algorithms and suggestions here and there, so that's all I could have hoped for.

A finishing song for anyone that feels they got enough for one more. Sometines, slow is good.

Although eventually it wasnt my cup of tea, I have to thank you and this thread once again for broadening my horizons.
Nice to see I wasnt alone in thinking that perhaps this would be better in a small venue, perhaps a case of Everything In Its Right place.
It was also nice giving Rod a post christmas listen on the way back from work yesterday afternoon.

 

[RobMCFC]

A brave choice from @Coatigan this week but an album that quite a few of us enjoyed. Lau's Arc Light brought in 11 votes at an average of 6.32

As Coatigan mentioned above, there do seem to be at least four regulars missing this week - I hope that's a sign of new year slump as opposed to something else, and hopefully we can get the numbers back up in the coming weeks.

This week, it's @GornikDaze to select an album. He's just sent me a message to say that he's in transit so it will be a while before we have any clues or know what the album is. I'm sure that we can all amuse ourselves with some other music in the meantime.

 

[journolud]

I did aim to get a review in prior to what in my head is the 3pm deadline but have spent a bit longer than I anticipated aimlessly fannying around today anyway.

I didn’t get too much from it to be honest and some of that may have been down to the circumstances available to listen to it. I think similar to @LGWIO if I had stumbled into a bar while touring Scotland and these or anyone that sounds like them were playing I’d think it was great timing. As it was it didn’t evoke much in me, some of my listens were with the background of oppressive cold and snow that I felt trapped in rather than providing a pleasant atmospheric backdrop.

I did have a final listen today while driving in the sunshine and while that was the best part of today’s endeavours that isn’t saying much.

I found myself irritated and a bit trapped from Stephen’s on, maybe the damage in terms of it making the right impression was done.

I know Dear Prudence is a bonus track so not ultimately needed for review but I’d have to say this version seemed to carry an air of threat rather than being a warm invitation to enjoy the outdoors.

It wasn’t all bad for me. The first 5 tracks, The Burrian and Halls of Marble particularly are fine but I’m not sure I include Winter Moon in that, mainly due to the vocals which I generally didn’t like but tolerated a lot more on Halls of Marble

I’m being a bit unduly negative I think but this wasn’t really for me. I would have scored it 6 which doesn’t quite align with my criticism here but I’d have little inclination to explore them or this type of music further

Having said that when we get our planned trip to Scotland this year I’ll be very disappointed if we don’t stumble into a loch side pub to hear something like it.

 

[Coatigan]

I did aim to get a review in prior to what in my head is the 3pm deadline but have spent a bit longer than I anticipated aimlessly fannying around today anyway.

I didn’t get too much from it to be honest and some of that may have been down to the circumstances available to listen to it. I think similar to @LGWIO if I had stumbled into a bar while touring Scotland and these or anyone that sounds like them were playing I’d think it was great timing. As it was it didn’t evoke much in me, some of my listens were with the background of oppressive cold and snow that I felt trapped in rather than providing a pleasant atmospheric backdrop.

I did have a final listen today while driving in the sunshine and while that was the best part of today’s endeavours that isn’t saying much.

I found myself irritated and a bit trapped from Stephen’s on, maybe the damage in terms of it making the right impression was done.

I know Dear Prudence is a bonus track so not ultimately needed for review but I’d have to say this version seemed to carry an air of threat rather than being a warm invitation to enjoy the outdoors.

It wasn’t all bad for me. The first 5 tracks, The Burrian and Halls of Marble particularly are fine but I’m not sure I include Winter Moon in that, mainly due to the vocals which I generally didn’t like but tolerated a lot more on Halls of Marble

I’m being a bit unduly negative I think but this wasn’t really for me. I would have scored it 6 which doesn’t quite align with my criticism here but I’d have little inclination to explore them or this type of music further

Having said that when we get our planned trip to Scotland this year I’ll be very disappointed if we don’t stumble into a loch side pub to hear something like it.

I'd be very surprised if you do mate. Rare just stumbling into something impromptu or organic like that these days outwith local festivals or organised showcases, unfortunately.

 

[GornikDaze]

I usually feel pretty inept with my reviews, especially since Mr Belfry joined us and puts everyone to same with his rambling eloquence!
Last weeks offering from Coatigan left me in two minds with my pick. I’m always conscious of ‘putting down’ other nominations, but in truth there is quite a lot of music that really doesn’t float my boat.
As I’ve documented a few times I love my rock and blues, but I do have my metal streak which probably bucks the trend for most on here. Therefore in an effort to generate some different discussion my pick is a metal ‘classic’.
This week I give you Rust In Peace (great name) by the mighty Megadeth. I first heard this around the time of its release. It is a hard fast riffing album - Kerrang magazine dubbing it one of the finest thrash metal albums of all time.
The arrival of kids, work and other life nonesense meant I deviated from the metal path for a many years. However I was drawn back to this album by my guitar teacher last year when discussing the use of arpeggios during an improv session. In his view Marty Friedman is one of the finest guitarists (he is a lot younger than most of us on here!). There was a recent thread comparing Marty Friedman and Ritchie Blackmore - I’ll leave you to make your own comparisons. This was Friedman’s first Megadeth outing and for me it showcases some of his finest work. Tornado of Souls is (I believe) testament to this. There are some belting tunes which I’ll leave you all to dissect - for me Holy Wars (with its North African influences), Hangar 18, Lucretia and the aforementioned ToS are the stand out tracks, but the whole album is just brilliant.
For those not familiar with Dave Mustaine’s vocals this might be a struggle! He has the voice of a choirboy…. Or maybe not!
I had a few other choices which were safer picks this week. However, I opted for something more ‘interesting’ just to spice things up a little. I think I may be plumbing the depths score wise, but who cares!
Turn the the dial to loud and nod those heads folks :)


Ps - apologies as ever for the lack of clues. Maybe someone could retrofit some for me

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

I usually feel pretty inept with my reviews, especially since Mr Belfry joined us and puts everyone to same with his rambling eloquence!
Last weeks offering from Coatigan left me in two minds with my pick. I’m always conscious of ‘putting down’ other nominations, but in truth there is quite a lot of music that really doesn’t float my boat.
As I’ve documented a few times I love my rock and blues, but I do have my metal streak which probably bucks the trend for most on here. Therefore in an effort to generate some different discussion my pick is a metal ‘classic’.
This week I give you Rust In Peace (great name) by the mighty Megadeth. I first heard this around the time of its release. It is a hard fast riffing album - Kerrang magazine dubbing it one of the finest thrash metal albums of all time.
The arrival of kids, work and other life nonesense meant I deviated from the metal path for a many years. However I was drawn back to this album by my guitar teacher last year when discussing the use of arpeggios during an improv session. In his view Marty Friedman is one of the finest guitarists (he is a lot younger than most of us on here!). There was a recent thread comparing Marty Friedman and Ritchie Blackmore - I’ll leave you to make your own comparisons. This was Friedman’s first Megadeth outing and for me it showcases some of his finest work. Tornado of Souls is (I believe) testament to this. There are some belting tunes which I’ll leave you all to dissect - for me Holy Wars (with its North African influences), Hangar 18, Lucretia and the aforementioned ToS are the stand out tracks, but the whole album is just brilliant.
For those not familiar with Dave Mustaine’s vocals this might be a struggle! He has the voice of a choirboy…. Or maybe not!
I had a few other choices which were safer picks this week. However, I opted for something more ‘interesting’ just to spice things up a little. I think I may be plumbing the depths score wise, but who cares!
Turn the the dial to loud and nod those heads folks :)


Ps - apologies as ever for the lack of clues. Maybe someone could retrofit some for me

Wow! Talk about a change of pace!!

I like these crazy veers off course to open the year!

 

[threespires]

Heads to page 1 to consider where Dave Mustaine ranks in the list of 'interesting' characters who've been nominated to date.

I presume this will be too fast tempo'd for all the fiddle haters on here ;-)

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

Heads to page 1 to consider where Dave Mustaine ranks in the list of 'interesting' characters who've been nominated to date.

I presume this will be too fast tempo'd for all the fiddle haters on here ;-)

I can't wait to listen to this. I have never been a speed/thrash metal fan but when bands get the hook just right (which is very hard and in my experience infrequent) and come up with gem, it's spectacular.

 

[mrbelfry]

I usually feel pretty inept with my reviews, especially since Mr Belfry joined us and puts everyone to same with his rambling eloquence!
Last weeks offering from Coatigan left me in two minds with my pick. I’m always conscious of ‘putting down’ other nominations, but in truth there is quite a lot of music that really doesn’t float my boat.
As I’ve documented a few times I love my rock and blues, but I do have my metal streak which probably bucks the trend for most on here. Therefore in an effort to generate some different discussion my pick is a metal ‘classic’.
This week I give you Rust In Peace (great name) by the mighty Megadeth. I first heard this around the time of its release. It is a hard fast riffing album - Kerrang magazine dubbing it one of the finest thrash metal albums of all time.
The arrival of kids, work and other life nonesense meant I deviated from the metal path for a many years. However I was drawn back to this album by my guitar teacher last year when discussing the use of arpeggios during an improv session. In his view Marty Friedman is one of the finest guitarists (he is a lot younger than most of us on here!). There was a recent thread comparing Marty Friedman and Ritchie Blackmore - I’ll leave you to make your own comparisons. This was Friedman’s first Megadeth outing and for me it showcases some of his finest work. Tornado of Souls is (I believe) testament to this. There are some belting tunes which I’ll leave you all to dissect - for me Holy Wars (with its North African influences), Hangar 18, Lucretia and the aforementioned ToS are the stand out tracks, but the whole album is just brilliant.
For those not familiar with Dave Mustaine’s vocals this might be a struggle! He has the voice of a choirboy…. Or maybe not!
I had a few other choices which were safer picks this week. However, I opted for something more ‘interesting’ just to spice things up a little. I think I may be plumbing the depths score wise, but who cares!
Turn the the dial to loud and nod those heads folks :)


Ps - apologies as ever for the lack of clues. Maybe someone could retrofit some for me

Never knowingly listened to Megadeth although my sister spent a couple of years after her Ibiza phase of listening to metal so it's possible I've heard it through a bedroom wall or something.

The closest I've been to a metal gig is seeing POD at the Academy. I passed out twice and had to leave early. My wife wasn't happy as I had a uni exam the next day and she was worried about me sleeping in case I had concussion. I made it through the night.

This nomination will have to work hard to impress me. I have an aversion to rock stars and also don't think spelling incorrectly is cool. It is not metal it's just ignorance.

For the kind words about my reviews I thank you but it is undeserved. They are very formulaic. Pick some small and amplify it, throw in a few unexplained personal anecdotes and there you have it. If I'm feeling particularly frisky I will amusingly refer to the singer and a random disease. So I'm looking forward to hearing Dave Mumps and his band Megadeth. I'll listen on my bike ride home and hope to make it in record time

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

Heads to page 1 to consider where Dave Mustaine ranks in the list of 'interesting' characters who've been nominated to date.

I don't know anything about this guy but his wiki page makes me laugh.

Megadeth was kicked off Aerosmith's U.S. tour after just seven dates because a comment made by Mustaine ("We don't have much time to play because Aerosmith don't have much time left to live") was deemed extraordinarily offensive to Aerosmith.

 

[RobMCFC]

For the kind words about my reviews I thank you but it is undeserved. They are very formulaic. Pick some small and amplify it, throw in a few unexplained personal anecdotes and there you have it. If I'm feeling particularly frisky I will amusingly refer to the singer and a random disease. So I'm looking forward to hearing Dave Mumps and his band Megadeth. I'll listen on my bike ride home and hope to make it in record time

Yeah, but it's a quirky formula that works. Don't knock it.

I thought Dave Mustard was the singer with this lot.

Anyway, wish me luck, I'm just about to transition from a California string band to Megadeth.

 

[GornikDaze]

Yeah, but it's a quirky formula that works. Don't knock it.

I thought Dave Mustard was the singer with this lot.

Anyway, wish me luck, I'm just about to transition from a California string band to Megadeth.

Grit your teeth and hand on Rob - it might be a bumpy ride! Just remember… he’s got a great voice, he’s got a great voice, he’s got a …..

 

[RobMCFC]

Grit your teeth and hand on Rob - it might be a bumpy ride! Just remember… he’s got a great voice, he’s got a great voice, he’s got a …..

Well it's certainly a lot better than all those indie whiners.

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

Well it's certainly a lot better than all those indie whiners.

<<<Bookmarks post for future revenge-for-OK Computer album pick>>>

 

[threespires]

I can't wait to listen to this. I have never been a speed/thrash metal fan but when bands get the hook just right (which is very hard and in my experience infrequent) and come up with gem, it's spectacular.

My first and probably only speed metal love was Motorhead. By and large the thrashier it gets the less I'm in, but there's some Metallica and Megadeath etc that I'm fine with. Just doesn't really take me anywhere special but i'll give this my full attention.

I don't know anything about this guy but his wiki page makes me laugh.

Megadeth was kicked off Aerosmith's U.S. tour after just seven dates because a comment made by Mustaine ("We don't have much time to play because Aerosmith don't have much time left to live") was deemed extraordinarily offensive to Aerosmith.

Completely all over the shop and no filter, always a helpful combination!

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

My first and probably only speed metal love was Motorhead. By and large the thrashier it gets the less I'm in, but there's some Metallica and Megadeath etc that I'm fine with. Just doesn't really take me anywhere special but i'll give this my full attention.

Yes, I'm quite selective as well -- I love "Enter Sandman" and "Sad But True" and a few other Big M songs, and Anthrax did some good stuff, but I have tended much more toward Helmet and Filter and bands that were nu-metal I guess (?) -- I just find them as fast but hookier but punkier or alt-ier.

I know I told the stories about Hetfield -- his kids went to my kids' school and he was on campus a lot -- I met him a few times (in groups; I never had a long convo with him) but he was a super-nice fellow -- just another dad at school. At the annual school fundraiser he auctioned off two signed guitars (some rich guys bought them) and played an acoustic version of The Beatles' "In My Life" with baby pictures of the graduating 8th-graders on screen behind him -- it was brilliant; people were weeping and just throwing money. My lawyer also had seats to Oakland Raiders games right behind his and I saw him and Lars and their buddies a few times there (back when they were drinking up a storm) when I got to go.