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

[threespires]

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.

I had it between between you and Rob for the Aimee Mann track and, given you'd mentioned quite her a few times, I overthought it and went for Rob trying to frame you.

I miss the days of buying physical magazines which would have a sampler CD or for the FOCs a bit of flimsy plastic. Pre the streaming algorithms it was a great way to be introduced to stuff and unlike the algorithms they were often intelligently and thoughtfully curated by the magazines in question.

 

[threespires]

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.

Your McMurty picked missed out being in my top 10 by virtue of the other one being in it, but in some ways it had the most relatable lyrics of the entire playlist; he could easily be voted president of the FOC Nation!

As you'll be aware I really enjoyed the Morby track, the rhythm embellished with the Philly sound meets Frank Farian bits definitely worked for me and again lyrically strong.

 

[Coatigan]

New Woods album out this Friday

Incidentally, new Local Natives album is out too. A bit too heavy on the production and add-on electronics like their last couple albums, I find their first 2 the best. But similar 'vibe' to Woods. Ceilings is one of my favourite songs of theirs, good place to start if new to you.

 

[Mancitydoogle]

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.

Great shout BB that free CD and the follow up ‘More Sounds of the New West’
were stunning, I was already getting into Americana but I must’ve bought 50% or more of the artists on those CD.I think I’ve still got them somewhere.

 

[mancity111]

I picked Cactus albeit a cover of the legendary Mose Allison classic from 1958 because Jim McCarty is one of my favourite guitarists and I love the blues when it played as it should be fast and loud.. John Mayall also recorded this classic that originally was a fusion of jazz and blues. Its high energy and when you strip it down the musicianship is magical. Any one who remembers Vanilla Fudge fondly should check out Cactus. Jeff Beck would have been in the original line up ( not for long of course ) if not for a motor vehicle accident but I doubt the original line up could be improved upon for what they played and how they played it.

Obviously not on many mooners playlists I would imagine and would be interested how many have any of their music on their playlist but anybody into JJ Cale , John Mayall , Pete Townshend Ted Nugent etc should know how much they were influenced by Jim McCarty now 78 and still going strong I hope.

I decided on a 60's song and a 90's song for no other reason than if their is a next time it will be a 70's and 80's song that I hope not many have heard of but I have on my playlist.

I chose Sleeping Satellite for a number of reasons. I rate it as one of the best 10 pop songs of the nineties.

A song about the moon and climate change in 1992 makes for an interesting diversion from what was /is mainstream subject matter and topical now given man hasn't set foot on the moon since 1972 and the dark side is now being explored.

Incredibly although I have played this song many times over on my playlist I hadn't for some time and then I heard it on the radio for the first time in many years , on television the same day and was watching one of John Hughes many comedies ( he co wrote the song ) purely by coincidence again that day a couple of days after Rob decided to create the thread so it was a no brainer.

 

[Coatigan]

Ah my Hastings reference no longer works.

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

I've been away traveling for a bit but I would have gotten only 3 right -- OB1 for Joe Walsh, BH for Noel G, and benny for Aimee Mann. Well done to the winners! My favo(u)rite new song I hadn't heard was the Be Good Tanyas one -- thanks @stoneblue -- and also for the Mag Fields pick too.

My picks:

I've mentioned Washed Out before -- I heard this song in a store in Bend, OR while shopping and immediately Shazam'd it. Loved it ever since and the record (Paracosm) it's on is also quite good.

The Adrian Belew period of King Crimson (the Discipline, Beat and Three of a Perfect Pair trilogy circa early 80s) is the only period of KC I truly like because they tried to frame their quite innovative playing into a more traditional pop/rock song context rather than rambling passages of meandering fireworks which too often were damp squibs IMO. In retrospect I should have chosen "Sleepless" which I like even better.

And as good as the original 3OAPP is, I actually like this version by School of Rock even better because these two lead singers piss all over Belew. These are kids. Kids!!

 

[RobMCFC]

I picked Cactus albeit a cover of the legendary Mose Allison classic from 1958 because Jim McCarty is one of my favourite guitarists and I love the blues when it played as it should be fast and loud.. John Mayall also recorded this classic that originally was a fusion of jazz and blues. Its high energy and when you strip it down the musicianship is magical. Any one who remembers Vanilla Fudge fondly should check out Cactus. Jeff Beck would have been in the original line up ( not for long of course ) if not for a motor vehicle accident but I doubt the original line up could be improved upon for what they played and how they played it.

Obviously not on many mooners playlists I would imagine and would be interested how many have any of their music on their playlist but anybody into JJ Cale , John Mayall , Pete Townshend Ted Nugent etc should know how much they were influenced by Jim McCarty now 78 and still going strong I hope.

I decided on a 60's song and a 90's song for no other reason than if their is a next time it will be a 70's and 80's song that I hope not many have heard of but I have on my playlist.

I chose Sleeping Satellite for a number of reasons. I rate it as one of the best 10 pop songs of the nineties.

A song about the moon and climate change in 1992 makes for an interesting diversion from what was /is mainstream subject matter and topical now given man hasn't set foot on the moon since 1972 and the dark side is now being explored.

Incredibly although I have played this song many times over on my playlist I hadn't for some time and then I heard it on the radio for the first time in many years , on television the same day and was watching one of John Hughes many comedies ( he co wrote the song ) purely by coincidence again that day a couple of days after Rob decided to create the thread so it was a no brainer.

When you say John Hughes co-wrote the song, are you sure it's THE John Hughes? If you look on Wikipedia, it doesn't have a link to the director, which you would expect it it is the same guy.

Either way, it is a terrific song and yes, I'd agree that it is probably one of the best pop songs of the 90s.

 

[RobMCFC]

I've been away traveling for a bit but I would have gotten only 3 right -- OB1 for Joe Walsh, BH for Noel G, and benny for Aimee Mann. Well done to the winners! My favo(u)rite new song I hadn't heard was the Be Good Tanyas one -- thanks @stoneblue -- and also for the Mag Fields pick too.

My picks:

I've mentioned Washed Out before -- I heard this song in a store in Bend, OR while shopping and immediately Shazam'd it. Loved it ever since and the record (Paracosm) it's on is also quite good.

The Adrian Belew period of King Crimson (the Discipline, Beat and Three of a Perfect Pair trilogy circa early 80s) is the only period of KC I truly like because they tried to frame their quite innovative playing into a more traditional pop/rock song context rather than rambling passages of meandering fireworks which too often were damp squibs IMO. In retrospect I should have chosen "Sleepless" which I like even better.

And as good as the original 3OAPP is, I actually like this version by School of Rock even better because these two lead singers piss all over Belew. These are kids. Kids!!

Away from home? Well, I hope you've organised your upcoming work commitments to be ready for the big re-start of the album club this week!

 

[threespires]

When you say John Hughes co-wrote the song, are you sure it's THE John Hughes? If you look on Wikipedia, it doesn't have a link to the director, which you would expect it it is the same guy.

Either way, it is a terrific song and yes, I'd agree that it is probably one of the best pop songs of the 90s.

How we made: Sleeping Satellite by Tasmin Archer

‘Getting to No 1 was a high – but I wouldn’t for one minute compare it with going into space’

www.theguardian.com