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The Album Review Club - Week #141 - (page 1860) - JPEG Raw - Gary Clark Jr.
- Thread starter RobMCFC
- Start date
Just a reminder to think of your songs for the end of round break playlist. Which happens to coincide with spring! Whether this week or hopefully next with bimbo still to come.
Also open to the 'lurkers' and those that sometimes read here but don't contribute albums, if you want to throw in a one off song, mix things up a bit. Includes you Eamo, Parrot, AWG etc
Remember, songs sent via PM rather than posted. Timelines to follow closer to the week.
Also open to the 'lurkers' and those that sometimes read here but don't contribute albums, if you want to throw in a one off song, mix things up a bit. Includes you Eamo, Parrot, AWG etc
Remember, songs sent via PM rather than posted. Timelines to follow closer to the week.
A gentle reminder that in the next week or so, we'll be entering the end-of-round playlist listening/guessing game.
This is open to anybody, whether you've nominated an album, reviewed other albums or just happen to be lurking on the thread.
All you have to do to play is submit a track to @Coatigan before the deadline (tbd - depending on whether we have another album to listen to in this round) and await further instructions.
Simultaneous post.
journolud
Well-Known Member
Rodriguez is far from unique in being a 60s/70s/ singer songwriter unappreciated in his time and waiting to be rediscovered. Off the top of my head there's David Ackles, presented to not much acclaim by me on here and there was Bill Fay, rediscovered and much feted by Jeff Tweedy a few years ago. In fact every month my copy of Uncut seems to feature a review of some reissue or other of a lost classic by someone who has spent the intervening years selling insurance or living the life of a hermit or whatever...
I would have to admit though that Rodriguez's story does differ a little from the norm given the massive following he had in South Africa. The film brought a tear to my eye and I was also intrigued to see he had performed at Glastonbury in 2013.
I’ve often wondered about what it is that means one person makes it when another doesn’t. Having spent a lot of time following and supporting local bands and singers in the pubs and folk clubs of Macclesfield I’ve thought that some of those I’ve seen and heard were every bit as good as some who have made the breakthrough. Or is it that some successful artists are every bit as ordinary as your local hobbyists? Who knows?
Two (and a half) albums is a small legacy really and Cold Fact is slim pickings time wise but we have been a bit spoilt by albums clocking in at an hour or more these days (well those that can sustain an hour without resorting to more than the usual filler).
Sugarman is a great opener and straight away there is a clarity to his vocals that I like, no need to google the lyrics. I also like the tone of his voice. It could have gone either way from the second song Only Good For Conversation which has a heavier feel and sounds very sixties, it sounds in fact just like the sort of song you would hear on one of those episodes of Endeavour when there is a need to create an authentic vibe. I didn’t mind it but prefer the lighter material.
Of which there is plenty. Most of the songs are short and to the point, I wouldn’t have minded any of them being longer. Lyrically good, angry and compassionate and intelligent without being maudlin or banal. The comparisons that have already been made I agree with, smatterings of Buffalo Springfield, Dylan, even Love but Rodrigues is also very much his own man.
Will have to agree with @RobMCFC that Gommorah is a bit meh but that is the only really bum note on the album.
I don’t have a favourite track but have to mention what a great bass line on I Wonder and what a great moment in the film when that was playing at the start of his concert while the crowd just loved him.
This album is available on vinyl nowadays. I’m tempted but at 27 quid for 32 minutes, or nearly a pound a minute I would have to pass. It will stay in the collection as will his second album although that one isn’t quite as strong.
Taking the sentiment out of it, I could dock a point for the brevity but I really did like this album and it would be churlish to give it any less than 8.
I would have to admit though that Rodriguez's story does differ a little from the norm given the massive following he had in South Africa. The film brought a tear to my eye and I was also intrigued to see he had performed at Glastonbury in 2013.
I’ve often wondered about what it is that means one person makes it when another doesn’t. Having spent a lot of time following and supporting local bands and singers in the pubs and folk clubs of Macclesfield I’ve thought that some of those I’ve seen and heard were every bit as good as some who have made the breakthrough. Or is it that some successful artists are every bit as ordinary as your local hobbyists? Who knows?
Two (and a half) albums is a small legacy really and Cold Fact is slim pickings time wise but we have been a bit spoilt by albums clocking in at an hour or more these days (well those that can sustain an hour without resorting to more than the usual filler).
Sugarman is a great opener and straight away there is a clarity to his vocals that I like, no need to google the lyrics. I also like the tone of his voice. It could have gone either way from the second song Only Good For Conversation which has a heavier feel and sounds very sixties, it sounds in fact just like the sort of song you would hear on one of those episodes of Endeavour when there is a need to create an authentic vibe. I didn’t mind it but prefer the lighter material.
Of which there is plenty. Most of the songs are short and to the point, I wouldn’t have minded any of them being longer. Lyrically good, angry and compassionate and intelligent without being maudlin or banal. The comparisons that have already been made I agree with, smatterings of Buffalo Springfield, Dylan, even Love but Rodrigues is also very much his own man.
Will have to agree with @RobMCFC that Gommorah is a bit meh but that is the only really bum note on the album.
I don’t have a favourite track but have to mention what a great bass line on I Wonder and what a great moment in the film when that was playing at the start of his concert while the crowd just loved him.
This album is available on vinyl nowadays. I’m tempted but at 27 quid for 32 minutes, or nearly a pound a minute I would have to pass. It will stay in the collection as will his second album although that one isn’t quite as strong.
Taking the sentiment out of it, I could dock a point for the brevity but I really did like this album and it would be churlish to give it any less than 8.
threespires
Well-Known Member
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- 7 Aug 2019
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- 5,807
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Rodriguez is far from unique in being a 60s/70s/ singer songwriter unappreciated in his time and waiting to be rediscovered. Off the top of my head there's David Ackles, presented to not much acclaim by me on here and there was Bill Fay, rediscovered and much feted by Jeff Tweedy a few years ago. In fact every month my copy of Uncut seems to feature a review of some reissue or other of a lost classic by someone who has spent the intervening years selling insurance or living the life of a hermit or whatever...
I would have to admit though that Rodriguez's story does differ a little from the norm given the massive following he had in South Africa. The film brought a tear to my eye and I was also intrigued to see he had performed at Glastonbury in 2013.
I’ve often wondered about what it is that means one person makes it when another doesn’t. Having spent a lot of time following and supporting local bands and singers in the pubs and folk clubs of Macclesfield I’ve thought that some of those I’ve seen and heard were every bit as good as some who have made the breakthrough. Or is it that some successful artists are every bit as ordinary as your local hobbyists? Who knows?
Two (and a half) albums is a small legacy really and Cold Fact is slim pickings time wise but we have been a bit spoilt by albums clocking in at an hour or more these days (well those that can sustain an hour without resorting to more than the usual filler).
Sugarman is a great opener and straight away there is a clarity to his vocals that I like, no need to google the lyrics. I also like the tone of his voice. It could have gone either way from the second song Only Good For Conversation which has a heavier feel and sounds very sixties, it sounds in fact just like the sort of song you would hear on one of those episodes of Endeavour when there is a need to create an authentic vibe. I didn’t mind it but prefer the lighter material.
Of which there is plenty. Most of the songs are short and to the point, I wouldn’t have minded any of them being longer. Lyrically good, angry and compassionate and intelligent without being maudlin or banal. The comparisons that have already been made I agree with, smatterings of Buffalo Springfield, Dylan, even Love but Rodrigues is also very much his own man.
Will have to agree with @RobMCFC that Gommorah is a bit meh but that is the only really bum note on the album.
I don’t have a favourite track but have to mention what a great bass line on I Wonder and what a great moment in the film when that was playing at the start of his concert while the crowd just loved him.
This album is available on vinyl nowadays. I’m tempted but at 27 quid for 32 minutes, or nearly a pound a minute I would have to pass. It will stay in the collection as will his second album although that one isn’t quite as strong.
Taking the sentiment out of it, I could dock a point for the brevity but I really did like this album and it would be churlish to give it any less than 8.
Great review. I'm glad you mentioned Love, there is something about him especially after watching the film that put me in mind of Arthur Lee. Not necessarily or exclusively musically but more that sort of slightly punky outlawish vibe (though hopefully slightly less erratic and prone to waving a gun around than Arthur was).
RobMCFC
Well-Known Member
Slow week or everybody still considering their scores?
Only 4 votes in so far, but of course the changeover is not until tomorrow.
Only 4 votes in so far, but of course the changeover is not until tomorrow.
BlueHammer85
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- 13 Oct 2010
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- 36,016
Slow week or everybody still considering their scores?
Only 4 votes in so far, but of course the changeover is not until tomorrow.
always a Wednesday for me, I like to give Albums a full weeks worth.
threespires
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I think this was a fantastic choice.
I had half watched the documentary several years ago but was heavily distracted by other stuff and never returned to it despite it being such a compelling story. This time I gave it my full attention and though I have struggled to detach the music from the story I don’t really care as it is such an interesting tale.
I think even though the documentary 'finds' him, he remains something of an enigma. I thought there was an interesting contrast between the portrayal of him as a chilled out hippy type, seemingly very humble and accepting of the way things had turned out and the directness and edge on many of his lyrics. My understanding is he has remained an activist for his local neighbourhood throughout his life, which would tally with the songs on this album. His writing is very grounded and there is nothing saccharine in it at all. As ‘Forget It’ shares a few notes and some phrasing with ‘You’ve Got A Friend’ I found myself contrasting it with James Taylor’s version of that song. When directly compared lyrically and vocally, Forget It is a kind of brutal antithesis that makes Taylor sound somewhat sickly. I thought this was emblematic of Rodriguez’s approach of successfully combining relatively mellow melodies and arrangements with quite spiky lyrics.
As for the other comparisons such as Dylan, Donovan, Buffalo Springfield etc would agree and per my response to Journo’s review he brought Arthur Lee to mind to me too. All this did make me wonder if one of the reasons his albums didn’t sell at the time in the US was whether he was considered to sound too derivative? I think that would be unfair as to me he has his own voice. Whatever the reason, he deserves the belated recognition he has received.
The album starts strongly, and I can understand why Sugar Man is his signature song, I liked its core simplicity and directness set against the psychedelic augmentation. I like the variation within the next few tracks which nonetheless remain coherent as a result of the themes and his style of delivery. In fact, I think the majority of the album is strong up to and including I Wonder. After that it is mostly ok but doesn’t finish as strongly as it starts imo. Though I agree that some songs could sustain being longer, I’m not sure I would want the overall album to be too much longer as to me it just about avoids some songs beginning to merge into each other.
I listened to the second album and thought it was decent too. In fact, a compilation including three of four from that album too would be a 9/10 album for me but for Cold Fact on its own I’d probably go for a 7 except for the fact that I thought four or five tracks were really strong and I’ve also chosen not to ignore the context of the story, so for those reasons it’s getting bumped to 8/10.
I had half watched the documentary several years ago but was heavily distracted by other stuff and never returned to it despite it being such a compelling story. This time I gave it my full attention and though I have struggled to detach the music from the story I don’t really care as it is such an interesting tale.
I think even though the documentary 'finds' him, he remains something of an enigma. I thought there was an interesting contrast between the portrayal of him as a chilled out hippy type, seemingly very humble and accepting of the way things had turned out and the directness and edge on many of his lyrics. My understanding is he has remained an activist for his local neighbourhood throughout his life, which would tally with the songs on this album. His writing is very grounded and there is nothing saccharine in it at all. As ‘Forget It’ shares a few notes and some phrasing with ‘You’ve Got A Friend’ I found myself contrasting it with James Taylor’s version of that song. When directly compared lyrically and vocally, Forget It is a kind of brutal antithesis that makes Taylor sound somewhat sickly. I thought this was emblematic of Rodriguez’s approach of successfully combining relatively mellow melodies and arrangements with quite spiky lyrics.
As for the other comparisons such as Dylan, Donovan, Buffalo Springfield etc would agree and per my response to Journo’s review he brought Arthur Lee to mind to me too. All this did make me wonder if one of the reasons his albums didn’t sell at the time in the US was whether he was considered to sound too derivative? I think that would be unfair as to me he has his own voice. Whatever the reason, he deserves the belated recognition he has received.
The album starts strongly, and I can understand why Sugar Man is his signature song, I liked its core simplicity and directness set against the psychedelic augmentation. I like the variation within the next few tracks which nonetheless remain coherent as a result of the themes and his style of delivery. In fact, I think the majority of the album is strong up to and including I Wonder. After that it is mostly ok but doesn’t finish as strongly as it starts imo. Though I agree that some songs could sustain being longer, I’m not sure I would want the overall album to be too much longer as to me it just about avoids some songs beginning to merge into each other.
I listened to the second album and thought it was decent too. In fact, a compilation including three of four from that album too would be a 9/10 album for me but for Cold Fact on its own I’d probably go for a 7 except for the fact that I thought four or five tracks were really strong and I’ve also chosen not to ignore the context of the story, so for those reasons it’s getting bumped to 8/10.
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always a Wednesday for me, I like to give Albums a full weeks worth.
I've been doing that lately but not by choice. And I often find that by then everything I had to say has already been said.
denislawsbackheel
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I’m afraid I’ll have to duck out of this week’s vote. Since my first grandchild arrived on Saturday my feet haven’t touched the ground and I’ve had no time to listen to albums.