The Album Review Club - Week #138 - (page 1790) - 1956 - Soul-Junk

[threespires]

I bet you’ve got a stylophone as well ;)

Correct :-)

 

[bennyboy]

I bet you’ve got a stylophone as well ;)

I bet you’ve got a stylophone as well ;)

 

[GornikDaze]

Yeah, that was always going to be an issue!!

 

[RobMCFC]

OK, so the review is great but for me the album is so, so.

It didn’t exactly grab me. I’m afraid it got a couple of spins on consecutive mornings while I was working (on the most boring repetitive work I have ever had the displeasure to do) and it could have had more but I preferred to put my iTunes on shuffle.

It tries out a lot of things and is very much a studio album. It does what it does well enough and is not without some interest. Some of the Hop effects were a bit intrusive.

Probably telling that I liked the last so tracks best, the penultimate one had a bit of a John Barry vibe.

I didn’t love the vocals but didn’t hate them either.

Whilst I do not regret buying it back in 94 (and I do have a fair few of the albums mentioned form that year, Wildflowers probably being the favourite), I do not regret buying this although I might have kept it in the collect ion if I had.

So I’ll give it 6.5/10.

Similar to my thoughts so far. There’s one quote in there that I’ll give double like/agreement, but I’ll save that for my review.

 

[Black&White&BlueMoon Town]

I’m the first year of Gen X and I owned 8-tracks too!!

But I also saved all my vinyl :)

8-track, vinyl (still have some, but didn't collect much), cassettes, CDs, mp3s - you name it, and I had it. What, us Gen X's bitter??? ;-)

Anyone remember album release days on the radio? In March 1987 as a mostly broke college student, I recorded each song release of The Joshua Tree onto my cassette recorder off the radio so I'd have that to listen to. Fun times back then.

"Rock 105" would play one song per hour in order off the release that day, and I recorded them all. Needless to say, there was no going to class that day. That later became my first ever owned CD too. Most of my other favourite bands and albums I had on cassette still.

It wouldn't be for another 2 years until I actually owned a CD player, but I had something to play then.

So what did I do in 2017 when the 30 year anniversary concert of that album came out? I road tripped with my then 18 year old high school graduate to his first U2 show where they played the album in its entirety like any good father should. And yes, I still had a CD player in the car to listen to that album and other tunes going down the road.

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

8-track, vinyl (still have some, but didn't collect much), cassettes, CDs, mp3s - you name it, and I had it. What, us Gen X's bitter??? ;-)

Anyone remember album release days on the radio? In March 1987 as a mostly broke college student, I recorded each song release of The Joshua Tree onto my cassette recorder off the radio so I'd have that to listen to. Fun times back then.

"Rock 105" would play one song per hour in order off the release that day, and I recorded them all. Needless to say, there was no going to class that day. That later became my first ever owned CD too. Most of my other favourite bands and albums I had on cassette still.

It wouldn't be for another 2 years until I actually owned a CD player, but I had something to play then.

So what did I do in 2017 when the 30 year anniversary concert of that album came out? I road tripped with my then 18 year old high school graduate to his first U2 show where they played the album in its entirety like any good father should. And yes, I still had a CD player in the car to listen to that album and other tunes going down the road.

I don’t think I went that far but you are right that it was absolutely a red letter day at my Catholic university when it was released!

My vague recollection was that it was played on the PA system at the largest cafeteria in its entirety and everyone came to dinner to listen.

 

[crublue1]

Never had the pleasure of a whole album before, just the odd single.
This is a stunning piece of work, beautifully produced. I love her delicate, almost desperate at times voice.
I believe her, she sings with such conviction.
The music is varied enough to keep it interesting too.
There's everything going on if you really listen.
This is a clever record, made by people who clearly know what they're doing.
It might not be everyone's cuppa, but I love it.
It's quirky, smart, melancholic and draws you in the more you play it. I love records that reward your attention, this is one of them.
Outstanding, and a 10 from me.

Edit, a thought has just occurred to me, and this may sound a bit weird, but bear with.
As much as I love the vocals, remove them, and you'd still have a great record.
Now there aren't many albums you can say that about.
Forgot to mention I've being playing this on my drive to work and back all week. No speed limits exceeded, and many people let out of junctions. The ultimate anti road rage album, you can't help but chill your boots to this.

 

[threespires]

OK, so the review is great but for me the album is so, so.

It didn’t exactly grab me. I’m afraid it got a couple of spins on consecutive mornings while I was working (on the most boring repetitive work I have ever had the displeasure to do) and it could have had more but I preferred to put my iTunes on shuffle.

It tries out a lot of things and is very much a studio album. It does what it does well enough and is not without some interest. Some of the Hop effects were a bit intrusive.

Probably telling that I liked the last so tracks best, the penultimate one had a bit of a John Barry vibe.

I didn’t love the vocals but didn’t hate them either.

Whilst I do not regret buying it back in 94 (and I do have a fair few of the albums mentioned form that year, Wildflowers probably being the favourite), I do not regret buying this although I might have kept it in the collect ion if I had.

So I’ll give it 6.5/10.

Your point about it being a studio album is well made; if you get 5mins either have a listen to or better watch on YT a few mins of the Roseland NYC concert that was mentioned earlier. It's incredible really what they achieve in it, albeit it takes a big cast. The audience is mostly quite reverential and give it the vibe of part concert/part recital. If you like the John Barry vibe, as a concert it has a very cinematic quality.

I've never actually read a Bond book but it's my understanding that Fleming wrote Bond as a harder less sympathetic character than the films have typically portrayed him. That being the case Portishead would probably have been the ideal artist for a 'real' bond theme and have a number of tracks that would have done the job.

 

[threespires]

8-track, vinyl (still have some, but didn't collect much), cassettes, CDs, mp3s - you name it, and I had it. What, us Gen X's bitter??? ;-)

Anyone remember album release days on the radio? In March 1987 as a mostly broke college student, I recorded each song release of The Joshua Tree onto my cassette recorder off the radio so I'd have that to listen to. Fun times back then.

"Rock 105" would play one song per hour in order off the release that day, and I recorded them all. Needless to say, there was no going to class that day. That later became my first ever owned CD too. Most of my other favourite bands and albums I had on cassette still.

It wouldn't be for another 2 years until I actually owned a CD player, but I had something to play then.

So what did I do in 2017 when the 30 year anniversary concert of that album came out? I road tripped with my then 18 year old high school graduate to his first U2 show where they played the album in its entirety like any good father should. And yes, I still had a CD player in the car to listen to that album and other tunes going down the road.

I'm early Gen X but have little recollection of 8-track, though I have faint (probably false) memories that one of my uncles might have had it in his Ford Capri! I assume it was just much more popular as a format in the US than in the UK?

 

[Black&White&BlueMoon Town]

I'm early Gen X but have little recollection of 8-track, though I have faint (probably false) memories that one of my uncles might have had it in his Ford Capri! I assume it was just much more popular as a format in the US than in the UK?

Yes, my parents had an 8-track player and by virtue of wanting to hear my music in the house, I bought a few early on by necessity. That and vinyl at the same time, but if you didn't have good equipment on the needle, doing damage to your LPs or 45s was going to be an issue and wasn't going to be something to last for enjoyment.

8-track cartridge - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It was the thing in the late 70s with me mostly, but by the early 80's, recording music on cassettes was all the rage.

The biggest complaint on the 8-track was one never could easily line up the side 1 and side 2s of a vinyl LP into the 4 sides required on that media. I recall AC/DC's Back in Black had the title song faded out and then faded back in on that 8-track. When I heard that sacrilege, I knew it was time to convert to cassettes, and just swap and share with friends (or record albums, etc.) onto that format.