The Album Review Club - Week #148 - (page 1953) - Sheer Heart Attack - Queen

[threespires]

Sorry I didn’t have time for the guessing part, I think the two songs each was a bridge too far especially as a number of us went off piste.I would have got three correct, one of which I was given.
As to the reasons behind my choices, I’ve been a fan of James McMurtry for years
I think I first heard his song ‘Levelland‘ on Bob Harris.I get the comparisons with Lou Reed which tbh I hadn’t considered before ,although there’s the relatively simple song structures and it’s all about the lyrics which in both cases can be quite humorous.Being an FOC like a number of others on here ,’Just us Kids’ seemed apt.
Family of the Year are one of Mrs Ds favourite bands , they had a hit with ‘Hero’ from the same album, I thought ’The Stairs’ has a very summer vibe to it so ideal for a summer playlist.I was going to nominate them for a future album review,but you can investigate them yourselves now.

Both of yours were in my top ten and Family of the Year was at #1 for exactly the reason you cite, it's a just great summer song with the lyrics slightly subverting the melody. Didn't know either of these, so thanks for expanding my horizons.

 

[RobMCFC]

I count 8 guesses there Rob, but still out of 30 that's not something to be particularly proud of. Folk got that much when there were only 16 songs. Some seem more obvious in hindsight.

I get 6 exact (The HU, Kevin Morby, Woods, Black Sabbath, Noel G, Steve Forbert) plus two half points for the James McMurty tracks. But I'm happy to be corrected if I've chimped it up.

 

[OB1]

I did mention on we comments post why I chose the two songs I did but happy to reiterate.

I chose songs that I include on my summer playlists and in this case playlists I made for our recent family holiday, which include just over a week in the St Barts in the French West Indies.

Therefore had to include my favourite Bob Marley track, which is a song I've loved since that version was released.

The Joe Walsh track has a tinge of reggae influence and is simply one of my all-time favourite songs.

 

[threespires]

I nominated Woods, a band I first heard on an Uncut sampler CD a couple of years ago, not this particular track but one form the same album and I was absolutely blown away by it. They were quite unlike anything I'd ever heard and I was compelled to investigate further. Their very early stuff is quite low fi and I don't get so much from it but absolutely love their last few albums and thought it only fair to share.

The Walkmen track is a bit of a family favourite. I first heard it on Marc Riley's Radio 6 show where he announced it as possibly the best song ever. I wouldn't quite go that far but I did add it to my playlist on the way to a holiday in Wales. It was then picked up by my son who blasted it out of the shower everyday and often still does. I think it has great energy and attitude. It hasn't opened up the door to the Walkmen for me though, the rest of their's I've listened to has been OK but not outstanding.

I was hoping more for Woods to make a mark here to be honest but do I now mention that the Walkmen have given me my third consecutive win on these playlist threads? No, I won't mention it...

Should I rain on Journo's parade by pointing out that Benny and Doogle did him over two legs? No, I won't mention that.... ;-)

I can't understand how I have no recollection of The Rat as it seems to have had a decent amount of air play at the time; great song.

 

[Coatigan]

Given what an eclectic mix it was and whilst we wait for the next album, i'd be interested in people's reasons for their nominations for anyone who can be arsed to share.

In my case for The Hu I came across them as a result of an autoplay and was surprised how relatively popular they are. Still can't decide whether they are bang average with a novelty angle or whether that's me showing my prejudices against music that leans in part into it's own culture. Either way they seem to be doing alright and enjoying themselves.

For In Tua Nua I'm quite interested in bands that don't quite make it. It was a toss up between them and a band called Katydids who also didn't quite break through. In In Tua Nua's case I think they had an identity problem in that they had lots of genre influences but it wasn't ever clear what market they were going for. The other more crass reason was because someone mentioned Wendy James recently and I remembered that at the time people were getting hot under the collar about her I had a thing for Lesley Dowdall, the somewhat more demure lead singer of In Tua Nua!

I found both the picks interesting, and explored more having not heard of either before. I think you nail them with what you say above, and it is bold to pick bands you are not entirely convinced by yourself, for wider discussion.

I do think the hu have a bit of a gimmick to them. Maybe my eurovision does metal comment was a bit much, but also not miles off. It does work, to a point. They seem to be more video and style driven, and music is secondary to that. However there are some good instrument crossovers, roots explored etc.

In Tua Nua, the song you picked seems to be one of the better ones. I had a go at quite a bit but the lack of consistency stopped me getting into them. Maybe I need more direction rather tha what spotify lists as most popular.

 

[Coatigan]

I get 6 exact (The HU, Kevin Morby, Woods, Black Sabbath, Noel G, Steve Forbert) plus two half points for the James McMurty tracks. But I'm happy to be corrected if I've chimped it up.

Ah sorry, thought I got the McMurtys in the right order as they appeared in the playlist.

 

[RobMCFC]

Given what an eclectic mix it was and whilst we wait for the next album, i'd be interested in people's reasons for their nominations for anyone who can be arsed to share.

In my case for The Hu I came across them as a result of an autoplay and was surprised how relatively popular they are. Still can't decide whether they are bang average with a novelty angle or whether that's me showing my prejudices against music that leans in part into it's own culture. Either way they seem to be doing alright and enjoying themselves.

For In Tua Nua I'm quite interested in bands that don't quite make it. It was a toss up between them and a band called Katydids who also didn't quite break through. In In Tua Nua's case I think they had an identity problem in that they had lots of genre influences but it wasn't ever clear what market they were going for. The other more crass reason was because someone mentioned Wendy James recently and I remembered that at the time people were getting hot under the collar about her I had a thing for Lesley Dowdall, the somewhat more demure lead singer of In Tua Nua!

Although he should be right up my street, I only listened to a few James McMurty albums for the first times over the last few months, so I thought a track from one of those albums was appropriate. The one I selected is catchy and has great lyrics about him loosing his glasses.

Kevin Morby is an artistsI hear from time to time on Spotify - his albums never truly grab me, but "This is a Photograph II" is a fabulous song with a great rhythm. And in case you don't catch the meaning with the lyrics, it's about looking through photographs of your family after one of them has died. It's a really inspiring song - and it's current, having only been released this year.

 

[RobMCFC]

1. RobMCFC - Kevin Morby, James McMurty 1
....
12. mancitydoogle - be good tanyas, james mcmurty2

Doogle picked the first that appeared, me the second. Unlucky!

 

[bennyboy]

My two picks.
Aimee Mann...I Should Have Known.
Saw her perform the above and 4th of July on the Danny Baker chat show on bbc1.
Loved both and got the Whatever cd on the strength of that tv appearance.
Been a fan since.
The Handsome Family...Weightless Again.
A free cd Sounds of the New West from Uncut magazine had this on it.
Again I have been a fan ever since.

 

[threespires]

I found both the picks interesting, and explored more having not heard of either before. I think you nail them with what you say above, and it is bold to pick bands you are not entirely convinced by yourself, for wider discussion.

I do think the hu have a bit of a gimmick to them. Maybe my eurovision does metal comment was a bit much, but also not miles off. It does work, to a point. They seem to be more video and style driven, and music is secondary to that. However there are some good instrument crossovers, roots explored etc.

In Tua Nua, the song you picked seems to be one of the better ones. I had a go at quite a bit but the lack of consistency stopped me getting into them. Maybe I need more direction rather tha what spotify lists as most popular.

With respect to In Tua Nua, though the spotify popular songs aren't imo their best, I'm not sure there's really any direction to give and that was part of the problem, they were a bit all over the shop. They only did two albums in quick succession and within about 5 songs of the first it's already confusing as to who and what they are, there's nothing wrong with variety but it strikes me as a hard thing to do well as a new band. They sounded to me like some of them wanted to be in a celtic pop band, others a rock band and others more folk/rootsy still. It just felt like they needed to lean more into one aspect or another. Lyrically the same, they went from doing love ballads to songs about the relationship between Ireland and England and not necessarily matching the music to the lyric that well.

I also think they really really weren't helped by the prevalent production techniques of the time, they could have done with sounding a bit rougher and grittier to me.

I think it was a shame because there was talent in there and for whatever reason it just didn't seem to click. Individually (and I think occasionally collectively) they are still knocking about in the Irish music scene. One that got away in my opinion.

As for the Hu, some of the lyrics are interesting but if you strip out the traditional instruments the songs are pretty generic and as you say they are relying on the visuals too much. Again, I think there's something of interest in there but they are potentially caught between stools. Either lean into the traditional side more or write better metal songs, (also don't collaborate with Papa Roach).