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

Sorry after a couple of listens today I'm struggling big time with this.
Intros doing my head in.
American sounding guff.
I will give it one more listen at least then might go on to Embrace again.lol.
 
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bennyboy said:
Sorry after a couple of listens today I'm struggling big time with this.
Intros doing my head in.
American guff.
I will give it one more listen at least then might go on to Embrace again.lol.
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Thought they were mostly southern softies, Wiltshire, Hampshire that sort of thing? Does have a transatlantic feel tbf.
 
OB1 said:
They are very English!
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I can see why you say that especially with tracks like Bloody Well Right but there's something that I can't put my finger on that does feel Americanesque to me. I'll see if I can work out why I think that as I continue listening.
 
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threespires said:
I can see why you say that especially with tracks like Bloody Well Right but there's something that I can't put my finger on that does feel Americanesque to me. I'll see if I can work out why I think that as I continue listening.
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'Dracula Musical!'
 
threespires said:
I can see why you say that especially with tracks like Bloody Well Right but there's something that I can't put my finger on that does feel Americanesque to me. I'll see if I can work out why I think that as I continue listening.
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I’d guess that their US record company probably influenced them on this album and because it was their breakthrough record on both sides of the Atlantic they stuck with it.

Additionally the band members all had different backgrounds so there wasn’t that common influence to write lyrics and music. A bit similar to Fleetwood Mac of that period I reckon. A cohesive unit with different skill sets.

Anyway, love this album, it’s my favourite of theirs so it’s a 9 from me. I tend to listen to Supertramp when I want something simple and familiar in between the times I listen to more complex music or after I’ve been on a Spotify music quest. Cleanses the mind. Roger Hodgson’s solo work does the same job even though it’s pure pop and not what I would usually like, but his voice soothes.
 
OB1 said:
Glad someone else showed some appreciation for Ken Scott.

Do leave a score out of 10.
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It rates as a strong 9.5 from me. My favourite studio album of theirs although I love the live album Paris slightly more as the songs swing a bit more, has a great vibe and includes all their strongest songs over the four albums from Crime through Breakfast in America (with the exception that Child of Vision from BiA was not included even though it was played on this tour) from my perspective.
 
Ignominious said:
It rates as a strong 9.5 from me. My favourite studio album of theirs although I love the live album Paris slightly more as the songs swing a bit more, has a great vibe and includes all their strongest songs over the four albums from Crime through Breakfast in America (with the exception that Child of Vision from BiA was not included even though it was played on this tour) from my perspective.
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. . . which in and of itself was their Crime of the Century because it’s their best song.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
. . . which in and of itself was their Crime of the Century because it’s their best song.
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Researching for my review, it turns out that the best of I own, Retrospectacle, contains 5 from this week's album and 4 from BIA - but not "Child of Vision", which I agree is a great song. I have listened to BIA and Even in the Quietest Moments as part of this week's listening.
 
mancity2012_eamo said:
This is bringing back memories.
Never had any of their stuff myself but I’m sure I heard them all the time, maybe in friend’s houses. They were certainly part of the establishment growing up in the seventies.
They always had something chartable and crossed the divide between rock and pop audiences. Whether it be CotC, Breakfast in America or Even in the Quietest Moments, there was always something likeable that was radio friendly but just outside of pop enough to reach a wider audience.

Pop heavy? or Rock light? Whatever, I certainly wouldn’t class them in the same vein as Genesis or Yes or many others that I was well into.
For some strange reason perhaps, I can’t help but place them in the same vein as late seventies into eighties band, The Cars.
Pop but better than your norm. Serious pop?
Crossing normal audience boundaries.?
It’s not a bad skill to have, although at times they can be overblown with the epicness and that can irritate.

Anyway, I know all these songs and find them all pleasant enough. All quite brilliant if you’re in the mood and perhaps over familiar if you’re of a certain vintage.

A good pick.
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A complete side tanget, knowing how much you like your quirky irish wifey singers, the new Cliffords EP is worth a spin. Along with a few earlier individual songs, enough in there for an album's worth.
 
Ignominious said:
It rates as a strong 9.5 from me. My favourite studio album of theirs although I love the live album Paris slightly more as the songs swing a bit more, has a great vibe and includes all their strongest songs over the four albums from Crime through Breakfast in America (with the exception that Child of Vision from BiA was not included even though it was played on this tour) from my perspective.
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I’ve stayed out of the thread, but if Paris was the topic I would have been straight in. Their best individual studio album for me was Moments, but they all have their flaws. Whereas Paris is flawless.
It would be in my top 10 albums list, and certainly in the top 3 live albums of mine. Anyway, I won’t go on, as I’m aware Crime is the topic here.
 
I found Crime of the Century by Supertramp to be pretty good. It has the sound of a confident and talented band taking their time to make a good prog pop album. The production has that very sweet classic 70's sound - although the version on Spotify is a remaster I'm fairly sure that the original recordings would have been very good also. The production is massively helped by the band arrangements with plenty of space given for everyone to shine. The classic sound does come up against some of my own biases and my instinct is to say this does sound cheesy BUT i admit those are my biases and I'm not going to take any points off for that.

There are a couple of things I enjoy and which I think makes this album successful and which I've complained have not been evident on other recent nominated albums. The most obvious thing is the sense of progression that happens in the songs. The band take you through multiple ideas on each song and combine them pretty effortlessly. The only place where I felt it slightly fumbled was when the electric guitar first comes in on Rudy. Dreamer also stands out as being more straightforward than the others on the album although I still think it's pretty well done. I particularly like the change in vocalist. It does feel slightly misplaced between Asylum and Rudy on Spotify but I think on the vinyl it started side 2 where it would have been great. The first chord also reminds me of Baby by Justin Bieber.

The progressions that happen through the songs are aided by repetition and patience. Each progression through the songs become comfortable because there is normally an instrument or idea that is repeating. This quickly gives you something to grab onto and keep you from being disorientated. But the band are also patient and don't give up the best moments too early.

Using School as an example (just because it's the opening track) we start with the harmonica for no real reason before the electric guitar and vocals enter. Nothing too extravagant is happening here but we rest a while whilst the kids are playing in the background before the bass kicks in playing a simply and repetitively with the guitar. Then we go into the piano and electric guitar break with the simple repeating piano line. We wait here for a while with instruments being added slowly until we hit the piano solo. It takes a while to get to this high point and the band aren't afraid to just wait it out and add things in slowly. Then from this high point the song carries on.

All this would have been super smart and demonstrates great song writing and arrangement chops BUT Supertramp take it one step further. Nothing repeats for too long without something else developing or being added and the band are confident enough to do something once or twice. The backing vocals on Bloody Well Right are a great example. Firstly I love that they are panned differently and slightly different every time. It would have been so easy to keep doing it but that they only do it a couple of times and show restraint is brilliant. Another moment I enjoy is the finger snaps on Hide in Your Shell in the first pre chorus. They only happen once and they happen in a weird place (on the and of the 3 and 4) - doing it once and putting them there demonstrates real skill to me. I think there was also some wood block on a chorus, maybe on Rudy, but there is always something happening and they have the confidence to do some of those things only once.

Lyrically there is nothing going on that grabs me but again i've talked recently how i need stuff to be really obvious and unsubtle so again i won't take any points away for that. What I will applaud it for particularly after last week is that the songs are at least internally coherent. The lyrics don't contradict each other and whilst there are no obvious train sounds in something like Rudy there is a relationship between the music and the lyrics. Best example is probably Asylum where it goes a bit nuts at the end.

Stand out instrument for me though is the saxophone. This is again used sparingly but adds something every time it plays. The piano and sax on If Everyone Was Listening really reminded me of the recent Black Country, New Road album, Forever Howlong, and if you enjoyed Crime of the Century I'd recommend checking out that album. It's not as guitar forward as this and they are coming from a more baroque tradition as opposed to the blues but there is a similar vibe.

The progressions and dynamics throughout the album are fantastic and the production is great. However I think because it sounds so sweet it's missing a little anxiety and tension. Asylum does go mental at the end but I think it comes across a little theatrical rather than intense - the song lets you off by going back to the sweet piano at the end. But this is probably a very personal nit pick again and I can't deny this is really good. I intended to give it an 8 but on skipping through songs whilst writing my review I think it's actually better. I originally thought it tailed off a little after Rudy but the intense piano lines and sax in Crime of the Century are convincing me I was wrong. I hear the echoes of this album in other stuff I love but perhaps my favourite moment is the first 1 minute of Bloody Well Right - those stabs are ever so slightly behind the beat which absolutely must be deliberate; the band are way too good for it to be a mistake and I've no idea how they'd count that out live. This album is incredible amounts of fun and just thinking about it makes me happy and wanting to get my bass out and jam along.
 
Coatigan said:
A complete side tanget, knowing how much you like your quirky irish wifey singers, the new Cliffords EP is worth a spin. Along with a few earlier individual songs, enough in there for an album's worth.
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Must put an Irish playlist up on share for ye’all to critique.

Won’t derail this, but in answer to your question, I stuck the Shattered Glass video on.
They have a good strong sound. Quite pleasant.
I do like Irish female vocalists but unfortunately the more famous have tended to be mad bitches.
Can’t hold that against them though.
 
RobMCFC said:
Researching for my review, it turns out that the best of I own, Retrospectacle, contains 5 from this week's album and 4 from BIA - but not "Child of Vision", which I agree is a great song. I have listened to BIA and Even in the Quietest Moments as part of this week's listening.
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Same re their next two albums, gave them a go on the back of this. More polish, more clearer pop, less cabaret. Catchier and probably more accessible.

But truth be told I prefer the album at hand, and think it was a good choice to go with that over what could have been a more obvious album.
 
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