The Album Review Club - Week #196 (page 1316) - Aja - Steely Dan

This album reminds me that we live in a society and an age where we no longer fix things.

There used to be shops that fixed radios, TVs, toasters and what not. You took your stuff there, the dude examined it and did his best, and you took it back and carried on with it working. Sometimes with a knack. I had an old hoover that I took to a hoover repair guy a whole bunch of times over the years. Changed its cable, wheels, handle, various bits and bobs. It worked great, and I loved it. Eventually the hoover guy closed, never seen him since. Wonder what he's up to these days, and how transferable his skills are. His shop is now a vape shop, like every other shop about. There was no more way for me to fix that hoover, so I replaced it. Had multiple hoovers since, none as good as that one, and I bet if I could get it fixed today, it would still be better than ones twice or more its price brand new. And would outlast them. We just don't build shit to last any more!

No such shops really exist now. If your tv flickers, or a button on your remote goes wobbly, people just buy a whole new tv. If their printer jams or smudges, people get a bit frustrated and then buy a new printer. When something needs a small part replaced, that part often costs most of the way to getting a new thing. There isn’t anyone really that knows enough to have a go at fixing it. There is of course youtube, and for some things it is great. And you are often lucky enough to find exactly your item and your issue and what the problem is, and follow the bedroom expert's advice, and voila you did it yourself! Amazing. Or you end up having wasted hours, only to realise that wee part is completely different or is no longer made, and a bit of chewing gum there won't do the trick. And you buy a new thing. Or try call a guy, but it’s a waiting list for his mercy to see you for a quote. Which will likely be more than a new thing. I wonder if my hoover guy has a youtube channel on how to fix hoovers yourself! I wonder what his favourite Beatles song is. I wonder..

And this album makes me wonder. Good pick this. 7.5 out of 10.
 
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An up and down record for me.
1976 left school and punk and new wave around the corner.
I can remember the awful telephone line so maybe maybe that is why they did not interest me.
Then again I loved evil woma on the album before so who knows.
5 good and 4 bad.
The good.
Tightrope
Rockaria
So fine. (Could have done without the woo woo though.)
Livin thing.
Do ya.
The bad being kind saying bad.
Telephone line.
Mission (A world record)
Above the clouds
Shangri- La
All horrific
So it could have been a classic if it had Evil Woman and a couple of others on it
Giving it a 6.
Will listen to more and hopefully add a couple more of their stuff for a great playlist of their music.
 
Coatigan said:
This album reminds me that we live in a society and an age where we no longer fix things.

There used to be shops that fixed radios, TVs, toasters and what not. You took your stuff there, the dude examined it and did his best, and you took it back and carried on with it working. Sometimes with a knack. I had an old hoover that I took to a hoover repair guy a whole bunch of times over the years. Changed its cable, wheels, handle, various bits and bobs. It worked great, and I loved it. Eventually the hoover guy closed, never seen him since. Wonder what he's up to these days, and how transferable his skills are. His shop is now a vape shop, like every other shop about. There was no more way for me to fix that hoover, so I replaced it. Had multiple hoovers since, none as good as that one, and I bet if I could get it fixed today, it would still be better than ones twice or more its price brand new. And would outlast them. We just don't build shit to last any more!

No such shops really exist now. If your tv flickers, or a button on your remote goes wobbly, people just buy a whole new tv. If their printer jams or smudges, people get a bit frustrated and then buy a new printer. When something needs a small part replaced, that part often costs most of the way to getting a new thing. There isn’t anyone really that knows enough to have a go at fixing it. There is of course youtube, and for some things it is great. And you are often lucky enough to find exactly your item and your issue and what the problem is, and follow the bedroom expert's advice, and voila you did it yourself! Amazing. Or you end up having wasted hours, only to realise that wee part is completely different or is no longer made, and a bit of chewing gum there won't do the trick. And you buy a new thing. Or try call a guy, but it’s a waiting list for his mercy to see you for a quote. Which will likely be more than a new thing. I wonder if my hoover guy has a youtube channel on how to fix hoovers yourself! I wonder what his favourite Beatles song is. I wonder..

And this album makes me wonder. Good pick this. 7.5 out of 10.
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Thesues' Hoover. Making using of you analogy this album is the equivalent of the drawer at Paul. John, George and Ringo's House where they keep spare batteries and odds and ends that may came in useful - oh no wait that's side 2 of Abbey Road
 
A New World Record - ELO

My music tastes rarely line up with those of @BimboBob. He likes oddball 70s records and synth-driven pop songs, whereas I prefer acoustic/Americana and classic rock. Past playlist nominations suggest that we align on ZZ Top, today in the Rock Evolution thread it seems that Bon Jovi is a common love, and I’m sure there are plenty of 80s/90s rock albums that we’d agree on.

However, I couldn’t let this week’s write-up pass without mentioning that we do have a bit of history in common. I too lived in one of those 70s households that, unfathomably, kept the largest and best room in the house for, err, best. My dad’s organ (quiet at the back) was stationed in there, as well as a radiogram and a faux leather three-piece suite. We only seemed to go in there when we had guests or on special occasions. Madness that we had the TV and dining table, along with a two-seat sofa and chair, cramped in the smaller back room that also had a set of stairs running into it! I can’t remember exactly when my Mum and Dad came to their senses and moved us into the front room, but it was probably the dawn of the 80s.

I enjoyed the opener, “Tightrope”, which incorporated an effective orchestral sweep. “Telephone Line” seems to hark back to the doo-wop days of the early 60s and sounds a bit cringeworthy. I like the mix of instruments on “Mission”, a few strings and a burst of clavinet in there where it threatens to get funky but ultimately doesn’t. “So Fine” continues in this vibe, and it’s not until “Do Ya” that we get a decent sparky bit of guitar and a bit of oomph in the vocals.

It sounds like an album that was put together by professional musicians, led by an ultra-professional musician, but I am with @threespires in that it lacks spark. It’s sounds pleasant enough, and I can happily listen to it playing in the background, but when you think of all those great albums that were released between 1975 to 1978 (Springsteen, Queen, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Television to name but a few), this is some way behind that level. It doesn’t have a charismatic front-man, nor a rock guitar god and the more you listen, the more it sounds like those professional musicians are session musicians phoning it in, even though comments suggest that this was a stable line-up at the time.

A few months ago, I watched a fascinating documentary on Jeff Lynne and his career. He’s obviously done well out of his work in the music business because the gardens of the LA Mansion where some of the interviews were filmed were magnificent, as was the view over the city. He clearly knows what he is doing, was a great producer for Tom Petty but there’s just a blandness to ELO’s music that means whilst I was glad to listen this week, it won’t be an exercise I’ll be repeating. Ironically, he could have done with a decent producer who wouldn’t have shaved off all the rough edges and left everything sounding sugar-coated.

But, at the end of the day, it’s proper music played on proper instruments, and the lead singer doesn’t have weird hair nor scream atonally into the mic, so it’s instantly better than some of the stuff that’s featured on here recently. 6/10 is the only way to go.
 
mrbelfry said:
Whenever I'm asked what my favourite song by the Beatles is I always answer Mr Blue Sky. If someone isn't confused by my answer then it's clear they aren't real Beatles fans and I get a vague sense of smug superiority that for a moment allows me to bury my deep insecurities in an octopuses garden. If they are in on the joke then we share a communal moment of knowledge and we both feel good. But if they don't get the joke and assume I'm an idiot then I have to explain it and the small frisson of tension that now exists between us is something I enjoy. It breaks the ice a little and gives a quick understanding of who I am as a person that lets the questioner understand if they want to have continued interaction with me or not. The moment of realisation in someones eyes that I am actually more of a muppet than I look is something I treasure. This is the extent of my pre-existing relationship I have with ELO - I'm not super familiar with their stuff. I know Mr Blue Sky and Enola Gay.

What started as a bad joke actually turned into an enjoyable experience as I listened to A New World Record. It's a sugar rush of an album but without the come down that is hinted at. Opener Tightrope lets us know what to expect with some excitement and doom synth and a brilliant cascading violin line that reveals a glam surprise. The violin returns to add a spice of tension as if Yoko has just turned up pulling a bed behind her but the mood here is McCartney and not McMisery. Someone does let down a line and saves him. A shame. At times I was reminded of Exit Music For A Film but it seems Jeff Lynne is legitimately happy and positive and rides around on rainbows rather than being wee'd on by the gods.

Telephone Line refuses to sit long enough in the misery and gives itself away for too quickly. We find out quickly that the telephone isn't being answered but this should happen as the denouement of the song for real emotional weight instead of the doo-wops that makes me feel this whole thing is fake. Lynne isn't really saying anything except letting you know about the music he loves. This is an album about songs rather than anything real. It is also great because the songs are good but ultimately feel very light.

Rockaria! should just do the Beatles whooooooooos instead of teasing us with them. The breakdowns with the operatic voice are amazing though and I need more of this but Lynne can't commit and we move on too quick. The lack of weight is felt really heavily ironically on Mission (A World Record) that totally lacks gravity. It's a sweet song and the sections of funk are ace but it makes me smile at the music rather than reflect on words.

So Fine has a great bass line and makes me want to drink Pepsi and go for a drive with Olivia Newton John. Love the half time breakdown into the mad latin section. Don't ask why just enjoy the madness of it.

Livin' Thing does the same trick as lots of the songs of having an interesting intro that resolves into a fun time. It's like standing on the edge of a pool filled with piranhas with Hitler charging at you. He hits you hard and you take a dive into the pool but the piranha's are revealed to be goldfish and Hitler was Chaplin. You are wet but you have cake and everyone is your friend and all the ladies are wearing bikini's and you're rich but you're also a good person. You're above the clouds now and nothing can hurt you ever again except the ending of that track kind of hints that maybe you can but we won't think about that because depression is a bummer. Actually think I've heard part of Livin' Thing on an advert or something decades ago.

Does Do Ya count as a cover version if it's a song you wrote and recorded before? Also why can't Lynne commit to anything except positivity. This is a great chance to be really surreal. I've seen lots of things but never a woman like you - so we get this demonstrated using the most absurd things that can be imagined such as babies dancing in the midnight sun. Could do better.

Shangri-La is a fitting end to the album as it's bunches of fun and confirms ELO have heard of the Beatles just incase there was any doubt. BUT i really wish it had turned up the insanity at the end instead of being so sweet. The last two minutes of this should have been mental but it doesn't quite get past 7 on the mental-o-meter. It's referenced in the song so it's their own fault but it should do the Hey Jude outro thing instead of being so restrained.

So in summary this album is a lot of fun and a great celebration of song. If it had been committed to the moments of tension or distress it occasionally hints at it would have been a lot less fun but perhaps a little more interesting. In the end it's a super classy version of Jive Bunny but with less rabbits and the smell of the Death Star hanging in the air. It made me smile a lot so it's an 8 but if it had made me a little sadder it might have scored higher.
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Great review.
 
Back in 1976 I was more of an ELP man than ELO. It's only in the last decade or so that I have moved beyond an ELO compilation album or indeed seen what passes for ELO (i.e Jeff and a backing band) in concert.

A New World Record is their best album, a pop rock masterpiece for sure, with some fab singles. Not got time for long musings so straight to the score: 8/10.

P.S. the 2006 remaster, which is what I have has some interesting bonus tracks; especially the versions sans vocals.
 
RobMCFC said:
A New World Record - ELO

My music tastes rarely line up with those of @BimboBob. He likes oddball 70s records and synth-driven pop songs, whereas I prefer acoustic/Americana and classic rock. Past playlist nominations suggest that we align on ZZ Top, today in the Rock Evolution thread it seems that Bon Jovi is a common love, and I’m sure there are plenty of 80s/90s rock albums that we’d agree on.

However, I couldn’t let this week’s write-up pass without mentioning that we do have a bit of history in common. I too lived in one of those 70s households that, unfathomably, kept the largest and best room in the house for, err, best. My dad’s organ (quiet at the back) was stationed in there, as well as a radiogram and a faux leather three-piece suite. We only seemed to go in there when we had guests or on special occasions. Madness that we had the TV and dining table, along with a two-seat sofa and chair, cramped in the smaller back room that also had a set of stairs running into it! I can’t remember exactly when my Mum and Dad came to their senses and moved us into the front room, but it was probably the dawn of the 80s.

I enjoyed the opener, “Tightrope”, which incorporated an effective orchestral sweep. “Telephone Line” seems to hark back to the doo-wop days of the early 60s and sounds a bit cringeworthy. I like the mix of instruments on “Mission”, a few strings and a burst of clavinet in there where it threatens to get funky but ultimately doesn’t. “So Fine” continues in this vibe, and it’s not until “Do Ya” that we get a decent sparky bit of guitar and a bit of oomph in the vocals.

It sounds like an album that was put together by professional musicians, led by an ultra-professional musician, but I am with @threespires in that it lacks spark. It’s sounds pleasant enough, and I can happily listen to it playing in the background, but when you think of all those great albums that were released between 1975 to 1978 (Springsteen, Queen, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Television to name but a few), this is some way behind that level. It doesn’t have a charismatic front-man, nor a rock guitar god and the more you listen, the more it sounds like those professional musicians are session musicians phoning it in, even though comments suggest that this was a stable line-up at the time.

A few months ago, I watched a fascinating documentary on Jeff Lynne and his career. He’s obviously done well out of his work in the music business because the gardens of the LA Mansion where some of the interviews were filmed were magnificent, as was the view over the city. He clearly knows what he is doing, was a great producer for Tom Petty but there’s just a blandness to ELO’s music that means whilst I was glad to listen this week, it won’t be an exercise I’ll be repeating. Ironically, he could have done with a decent producer who wouldn’t have shaved off all the rough edges and left everything sounding sugar-coated.

But, at the end of the day, it’s proper music played on proper instruments, and the lead singer doesn’t have weird hair nor scream atonally into the mic, so it’s instantly better than some of the stuff that’s featured on here recently. 6/10 is the only way to go.
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Define "doesn't have weird hair" !!
 
BimboBob said:
Define "doesn't have weird hair" !!
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Fair point. Jeff Lynne has one hell of a barnet.

I don't have anything against weird hair, but my constant referral to this phrase will be explained in the 1989 episode of the Rock Evolution thread. A few readers may well be familiar with the origin.
 
Talk about being just what the doctor ordered. I wrote last week that BC,NR had taxed my brain so significantly that I needed some kind of break from thinking, and what do we get? ELO -- the band that requires absolutely no mental energy whatsoever, as long as you are willing to submit to Jeff Lynne's so-over-the-top-you-LOL arrangements, along with his whopper hooks and inscrutably pointless lyrics. To say this is comfort food isn't enough; for you Yanks and Brits that have been over here, this is the Cheesecake Factory of bands, and this is their Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake (1,770 calories per slice) of albums. It's a diabetic's nightmare; it's not supposed to be a gourmet meal.

Though I am fuzzy as it was near 50 years ago, A New World Record was one of the first albums I bought with my own money, though I know I snatched up Steve Miller's Fly Like an Eagle and Heart's Little Queen before it. But I hadn't actually listened to it in donkey's -- and it all came flooding back. Not just the hits like Telephone Line and Livin' Thing and Do Ya, but songs like Tightrope and Rockaria! and especially So Fine, which completely escaped my memory. Above The Clouds was always a skipper for me, probably because I was so anxious to get onto Do Ya. For me as a kid there are orchestral violin fills on this record (especially on Livin' Thing) that I knew even as a pre-teen were absolutely ridiculous but that I thought were the pinnacle of hookdom then and I don't think even as a grizzled older man they sound any less good. And while Jeff Lynne is no crooner, like Dave Grohl there's something about his voice that makes you think "Hey, I can't sing for shit but I can sing along with this and not sound like a dog that needs putting out of its misery."

I too love Mr. Blue Sky's Beatle-mimeograph (though I don't recall it being as big a thing over here -- I'm pretty sure the ANWR hits were the first ELO record I heard on the radio, though maybe Evil Woman before), and I eagerly lapped up Discovery when it came out in 1979 (I recall being wowed when I was told it was one of the most expensive album covers ever designed, then really disappointed when I saw it), but after that, I was quickly sucked into harder-edged stuff, and punk and new wave. ELO became one of those bands you were a little embarrassed to tell your friends you liked. But this was a great trip down memory lane, with the only downside being that the excessive arrangements and release timeframe steal some thunder from my selection which is upcoming tomorrow ;).

A New World Record coasts to an 8/10. What fun!
 
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Coatigan said:
This album reminds me that we live in a society and an age where we no longer fix things.

There used to be shops that fixed radios, TVs, toasters and what not. You took your stuff there, the dude examined it and did his best, and you took it back and carried on with it working. Sometimes with a knack. I had an old hoover that I took to a hoover repair guy a whole bunch of times over the years. Changed its cable, wheels, handle, various bits and bobs. It worked great, and I loved it. Eventually the hoover guy closed, never seen him since. Wonder what he's up to these days, and how transferable his skills are. His shop is now a vape shop, like every other shop about. There was no more way for me to fix that hoover, so I replaced it. Had multiple hoovers since, none as good as that one, and I bet if I could get it fixed today, it would still be better than ones twice or more its price brand new. And would outlast them. We just don't build shit to last any more!

No such shops really exist now. If your tv flickers, or a button on your remote goes wobbly, people just buy a whole new tv. If their printer jams or smudges, people get a bit frustrated and then buy a new printer. When something needs a small part replaced, that part often costs most of the way to getting a new thing. There isn’t anyone really that knows enough to have a go at fixing it. There is of course youtube, and for some things it is great. And you are often lucky enough to find exactly your item and your issue and what the problem is, and follow the bedroom expert's advice, and voila you did it yourself! Amazing. Or you end up having wasted hours, only to realise that wee part is completely different or is no longer made, and a bit of chewing gum there won't do the trick. And you buy a new thing. Or try call a guy, but it’s a waiting list for his mercy to see you for a quote. Which will likely be more than a new thing. I wonder if my hoover guy has a youtube channel on how to fix hoovers yourself! I wonder what his favourite Beatles song is. I wonder..

And this album makes me wonder. Good pick this. 7.5 out of 10.
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Banger of a review. Loved this, well done!
 
mrbelfry said:
Whenever I'm asked what my favourite song by the Beatles is I always answer Mr Blue Sky. If someone isn't confused by my answer then it's clear they aren't real Beatles fans and I get a vague sense of smug superiority that for a moment allows me to bury my deep insecurities in an octopuses garden. If they are in on the joke then we share a communal moment of knowledge and we both feel good. But if they don't get the joke and assume I'm an idiot then I have to explain it and the small frisson of tension that now exists between us is something I enjoy. It breaks the ice a little and gives a quick understanding of who I am as a person that lets the questioner understand if they want to have continued interaction with me or not. The moment of realisation in someones eyes that I am actually more of a muppet than I look is something I treasure. This is the extent of my pre-existing relationship I have with ELO - I'm not super familiar with their stuff. I know Mr Blue Sky and Enola Gay.

What started as a bad joke actually turned into an enjoyable experience as I listened to A New World Record. It's a sugar rush of an album but without the come down that is hinted at. Opener Tightrope lets us know what to expect with some excitement and doom synth and a brilliant cascading violin line that reveals a glam surprise. The violin returns to add a spice of tension as if Yoko has just turned up pulling a bed behind her but the mood here is McCartney and not McMisery. Someone does let down a line and saves him. A shame. At times I was reminded of Exit Music For A Film but it seems Jeff Lynne is legitimately happy and positive and rides around on rainbows rather than being wee'd on by the gods.

Telephone Line refuses to sit long enough in the misery and gives itself away for too quickly. We find out quickly that the telephone isn't being answered but this should happen as the denouement of the song for real emotional weight instead of the doo-wops that makes me feel this whole thing is fake. Lynne isn't really saying anything except letting you know about the music he loves. This is an album about songs rather than anything real. It is also great because the songs are good but ultimately feel very light.

Rockaria! should just do the Beatles whooooooooos instead of teasing us with them. The breakdowns with the operatic voice are amazing though and I need more of this but Lynne can't commit and we move on too quick. The lack of weight is felt really heavily ironically on Mission (A World Record) that totally lacks gravity. It's a sweet song and the sections of funk are ace but it makes me smile at the music rather than reflect on words.

So Fine has a great bass line and makes me want to drink Pepsi and go for a drive with Olivia Newton John. Love the half time breakdown into the mad latin section. Don't ask why just enjoy the madness of it.

Livin' Thing does the same trick as lots of the songs of having an interesting intro that resolves into a fun time. It's like standing on the edge of a pool filled with piranhas with Hitler charging at you. He hits you hard and you take a dive into the pool but the piranha's are revealed to be goldfish and Hitler was Chaplin. You are wet but you have cake and everyone is your friend and all the ladies are wearing bikini's and you're rich but you're also a good person. You're above the clouds now and nothing can hurt you ever again except the ending of that track kind of hints that maybe you can but we won't think about that because depression is a bummer. Actually think I've heard part of Livin' Thing on an advert or something decades ago.

Does Do Ya count as a cover version if it's a song you wrote and recorded before? Also why can't Lynne commit to anything except positivity. This is a great chance to be really surreal. I've seen lots of things but never a woman like you - so we get this demonstrated using the most absurd things that can be imagined such as babies dancing in the midnight sun. Could do better.

Shangri-La is a fitting end to the album as it's bunches of fun and confirms ELO have heard of the Beatles just incase there was any doubt. BUT i really wish it had turned up the insanity at the end instead of being so sweet. The last two minutes of this should have been mental but it doesn't quite get past 7 on the mental-o-meter. It's referenced in the song so it's their own fault but it should do the Hey Jude outro thing instead of being so restrained.

So in summary this album is a lot of fun and a great celebration of song. If it had been committed to the moments of tension or distress it occasionally hints at it would have been a lot less fun but perhaps a little more interesting. In the end it's a super classy version of Jive Bunny but with less rabbits and the smell of the Death Star hanging in the air. It made me smile a lot so it's an 8 but if it had made me a little sadder it might have scored higher.
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Another cracker and I realis(z)e you already dragged out the sugar metaphor, though mine is sharper :)
 
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