Bryan Ferry: Olympia

Since I heard the collaboration between Groove Armada and Bryan Ferry on "Shameless" for the "Black Light" album I've been waiting impatiently for  this release and as I said somewhere before I am a huge Bryan Ferry fan specially from the post-Avalon era, where his music got more sophisticated, multilayered and smooth. My favorite album by Mr. Ferry is 1992's "Mamouna" and also one of my all time favorite albums, but ironically is one of his least popular. In the near future I am definitely going to make a review of "Mamouna" and other Bryan Ferry releases specially "Boys and Girls" and Roxy Music's "Avalon" which I got on Super Audio CD versions and sound fantastic.

Of course, the first thing you will notice is the roxyesque photography for the cover. As you may know, Roxy Music has always embellished its discs with stylistic almost pin-up models and made the covers classics in the process like the debut Roxy album and the controversial "Country Life" featuring two german models with not much on, but in a very tasteful and artistic way. So, is the cover featuring Kate Moss any indication that the sound is going to be closer to "Avalon" than a Bryan Ferry record? The answer is yes! The ingredients are there: Phil Manzanera, Andy Mackay and Brian Eno together since 1973, so this could easily be "Avalon's" follow-up.

As always Bryan Ferry has surrounded himself with great musicians, and this time is no exception. Collaborating in the studio we find names like David Gilmour, Groove Armada, Scissor Sisters, Flea and Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood.

How does it sound? In a word, great! Departing from records like "Mamouna" and "Frantic" this release takes were Roxy's last record left, even taking the intro of "True to Life" to feed the first track and single of the album "You Can Dance" with an infinite loop. The track starts the album with a sexy danceable rhythm accompanied with a powerful guitar and great singing. One great song and perfect choice for a starter.

"Alphaville" is my favorite from "Olympia". An outstanding song where Ferry's voice sounds as smooth and good as ever. The groovy sensual rhythm makes me remember the dark atmospheres from "Taxi" and "Mamouna" but somehow it doesn't sound dated, although it could fit in either of them.

"Heartache By Numbers" has a very emotional start with a nice piano line and a pulsating rhythm that suits Bryan's voice very nice, it has a rocking quality that is cut when the almost marching chorus steps in, a very refreshing change to a song that gets bigger toward the end.

What starts as a very simple song driven by a piano and the lead vocals, slowly builds up into a multilayered and dreamy heartfelt ballad on "Me Oh my". Its sad nature doesn't take any of the enjoyment of this beautiful song.

After being accustomed to the excellent version of "Shameless" by Groove Armada who co-wrote and produced it, my first impression of Ferry's version was of dislike. After three or more listens I started to really like it and started to separate both versions. If GA's "Shameless" is dance, this version is disco. It still has a danceable quality but in a funky way, thanks to the bass lines, whammy guitars and the constant hi-hats in the rhythm. Despite the up-beat nature of the song it still has a mysterious quality that makes it flow with the sound of the record.

Tim Buckley's emotional "Song to the Siren" has got a new life thanks to the ability of Bryan Ferry to transform covers into his own songs. Maybe not as moving as Buckley's or This Mortal Coil versions but never the less a good version. It sounds much bigger musically, but not surprisingly if you look at the musicians credits: Phil Manzanera, David Gilmour, Johnny Greenwood, Bryan Eno, Andy Mackay and all the guys playing the sting instruments. Another cover to get the Ferry treatment is Traffic's "No Face, No Name, No Number", a ballad that is ok, but may be not among the best material on the album.

"BF Bass (Ode To Olympia)" is the other up-beat track from "Olympia", slap-bass driven and with a lot of female backing vocals. Not instantly a favorite but it grows on you with every listen. For my taste a little bit too much of "ouhuhu yeeahh uuuuhuuhuu" from the backing vocals.

Another highlight is "Reason or Rhyme" a piano driven mid-tempo 7 minute sensual piece, that turns instrumental for 3 minutes with nice moody piano and guitar solos, until we hear Ferry's voice again to carry on with the song for the last couple of minutes. Great mysterious atmosphere.

The last song, "Tender Is The Night" closes the album with a beautiful and elegant minimalistic ballad based on piano and vocals, with a touch of electronics and some distant female voices. Smooooth!

I can say that "Olympia" is one the best records by Mr. Ferry, very close to "Mamouna" and "Boys and Girls" IMHO. As mentioned before this could perfectly be a continuation of "Avalon" thanks to the sleek and elegant production and the overall quality of the record. With this quality of work I don't see Bryan Ferry laying on his past glories any time soon, on the contrary I think this is going to re-energize him and maybe we could get new material sooner as expected.

5 Star Record.

Alphaville

Me Oh My

Shameless

Reason Or Rhyme

In Commemoration of 1977, part 2

Ram Jam
Black Betty

To continue this tribute to the year of the serpent, let's increase the beat a little bit with this head banging piece of rock & roll excess, Black Betty.

Bill Bartlett took the song from an African-American work song often credited to Lead Belly and wrote music to it, becoming a regional hit. Producers in NY took the hit and formed a band around Bartlett to re-release the song, the group Ram Jam was born. On its release there was a call to boycott the song due to its "racists" lyrics, even so it reached #18 on the singles charts. On this subject, there has always been a controversy about the lyrics but according to Wikipedia "Black Betty" was a common name for a bottle of whiskey in some places a long time ago.

What makes this song what it is, is its very catchy guitar riff combined with the play of words of the lyrics. It has all of the elements of a the a classic 70's bombastic song, the bombo intro, the mini guitar solo on the beginning, the fat rhythm guitar, the extensive guitar solo, the drum solo, the harsh vocals, the other guitar solo, the guitar outro, the theatric end, well... it is has everything. A true classic 70's hard rock anthem.

Fleetwood Mac
Dreams

Fleetwood Mac is a band that has been in constant change since the day it was formed. It started as a blues band but periodically undertook changes in style until it became an adult-contemporary act in the 90's. The changes were not only in its musical direction but mostly in its lineup, being the most successful the team made by Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckinham, Steve Nicks, Christine McVie and Nick McVie. Rumors, released in 1977, was Fletwood Mac's most best-selling album reaching the top of the charts around the world and selling to this day more than 40 million copies.

One of the most successful singles to come out the album is "Dreams" a piece written by Steve Nicks in 10 minutes. A beautiful dreamy midtempo ballad that appeals me specially for Lindsey's delicate guitar playing and Steve Nicks lovely vocals. The backing vocals are another element that makes this song interesting specially Christine's voice.

Iggy Pop
Sister Midnight

From the collaboration in the Berlin era between Iggy Pop and David Bowie comes a song that I think is one of the best ones from the album "The Idiot". Funky and dark it's no secret this is one of Bowies musical electronic experiments using Iggy Pop as a guinnea pig for his future musical approaches. Based on a riff by guitarist Carlos Alomar, Bowie managed to create a futuristic robotic-funk, but you can still hear some traces of the R&B period of previous Bowie's albums. The lyrics are Pops but with Bowie's collaboration on the first verse. Although "The Idiot" was a well recieved album and marked Iggy Pop as a serious artist, for Pop's purists this is not representative of his output.

David Bowie also included a re-worked version of this song with different lyrics in his 1979 album "Lodger" called "Red Money". He also used to play "Sister Midnight" on his Station to Station tour in 1976. Here you can appreciate his approach to the song in a more psychedelic manner. Nice guitar solo by the way!

Donna Summer
I Feel Love

To end the commemoration of 1977 I want to present you one of the most influential pieces of electronic music ever recorded.

Before this, disco music was backed by acoustic orchestras, but italian producer Giorgio Moroder known for his innovative use of synthesizers, produced a totally electronic background for Donna Summers provocative voice. The result was a dance track so powerful that to this day it keeps spinning in the turntables of Djs around the world. It's said that its influence was critical in the development of disco, electronica, house and techno to name a few.

David Bowie recognized that while in the process of recording his Berlin Triology; the song had an impact on the gender's direction:

"One day in Berlin ... [Brian] Eno came running in and said, 'I have heard the sound of the future.' … he puts on 'I Feel Love', by Donna Summer … He said, 'This is it, look no further. This single is going to change the sound of club music for the next fifteen years.' Which was more or less right." David Bowie & Kurt Loder (1989). Sound and Vision: CD liner notes

Not only is this song pioneering in the use of electronic instruments, it's a very fine, cool, hypnotic and sexy song, of course taking center stage is the synthesizers loop that until this day keeps sounding exciting. Summer's vocals are of course also an essential part of the appealing of the song.

It's a shame this video is not complete, there are other versions but this is as close to the original as you can get.

So this is it, I hope you enjoyed this commemoration of 1977 as I did making it. Until the next time.

In Commemoration of 1977, part 1

March 12, 1977 was a beautiful history-changing-day for human kind. That was the day I was born. For a moment the planet stood still and hate, envy, rage and all sorts of negative feeling were replaced with joy, happiness, kindness, love... differences and disagreements were for a breve instance erased of the minds of enemies and adversaries, the entire human race felt under an invisible blanket of well-being and understanding... total world peace was as close as the air that touches the skin... Well, at least thats how I remember that day.

To commemorate such a wonderful year I want to share some videos of songs that I find worth remembering, the videos may not be exactly of that year but the song's release year was 1977. Please take in consideration that the selection is based on my personal taste and not on the popularity of the music. Enjoy!

The Beatles 
Free as a Bird

This song was written and recorded by John Lennon in 1977 and brought to life after Paul McCartney asked Yoko Ono if she had any unreleased material by John. 'Free As a Bird' and 'Real Love' were chosen from what Yoko Ono handed to Paul. The Band finished the lyrics and made overdubs to make it a Beatles song. It was not an easy task, first because the source was a low quality recorded cassette containing John's voice and piano which were impossible to separate, and second, it was emotionally a tough task, so they pretended that John had gone for lunch or for a cup of tea and he had left the tape for the band to play with.

The intention was to make a promotional single to the upcoming Anthology compilation and it was released on december 1995 in the Anthology 1 compilation as vinyl and cd single. It reached #2 in its first week of release in the UK charts.

'Free As Bird' is my humble opinion belongs to the great Beatles songs. The work done by the band and producer Jeff Lynne with the material they had it's outstanding. It totally has the Beatles sound and soul and I am sure John Lennon would have been very pleased with the final product. The atmosphere created is very dreamlike, chilled and nostalgic. One of the elements that stands out is George Harrison's slide guitar which flows nicely to Ringo's monotonous but hyptnotizing drums. It reminds me a lot of the work he was doing in his 1987's record 'Cloud Nine'. One of the band's goals was to produce a timeless sound, trying not to reflect the time it was recorded using analog equipment of the period. The goal... was achieved!

Dire Straits
Six Blade Knife

This song is one of my all time favorite songs. Written in 1977 when the band was formed and released in their debut album 'Dire Straits'. For a lot of people Dire Straits started in the 80's with their mega hit 'Money for Nothing', but their beginnings where more humble and blues oriented as compared with the 80's records filled with synthesizers and huge productions. This song was featured in Robert Rodriguez's Desperado film soundtrack and there's where I heard it for the first time.

Six Blade Knife has a rhythm so intoxicating and sexy that is beyond me why this song is not widely celebrated. Mark Knopfler's riffs and solos are subtle but at the same time so powerful. The music flows smooth as silk making you fall in an almost morphine induced trance (not that I have tried it but this is what I want to be hearing if it happens). The arrangement is very simple relying mainly in the same three bass notes through almost the whole song changing only in the bridge, but the other two elements that make this song what it is, of course, Knopfler's finger pick guitar playing and his low-keyed voice.

The other album's tracks, though more up beat, are also great ones making this a very solid debut that stands the test of time and gets better with time.

Groove Armada: Black Light

It seems now a day everybody is climbing on the 80's revival wagon and the last addition to the bunch are the dance oriented producers Groove Armada with their new album Black Light. For me they have always  been like a mixed bag of candies, inside you can find a variety of flavors you absolutely love, some that are o.k., and some that would make you remember what you had for breakfast. My first encounter with the British duo, Andy Cato and Tom Findlay, was in my trip-hop and downtempo period in the end of the 90's with their second album Vertigo. It was a very varied work that ranged from funky-laid-back-groovy rhythms to dance-floor-booty-shaking-sista-hand-in-the-air tunes. I was more interested, in the laid-back down tempo side of GA, not so very much in the dance floor grooves. Because of this fusion of styles I lost interest in the duo's later work... until now.

Bryan Ferry is one of my all time favorite male artists, because of it's seductive and sophisticated solo body of work. When I learned that he had worked with Groove Armada in one of the albums tracks I had to dig deeper and listen to this unusual collaboration.

The track is called 'Shameless' and for my surprise it is one of the most sexy dance piece I have heard in a long time. The vocals and mood are classic Ferry, but the pulsating dance rhythms give it an almost hypnotic nature. Excellent track. I am almost sure this will be a hit in the clubs and the subject of many remixes. I read in the official Bryan Ferry website that he will put his version of the track on his upcoming release with a slightly different name, 'Shameless (Rock n' Roll Desire)'.

Thanks to 'Shameless' I got the album and as it title suggests, it is darker than any other GA album. It is clearly inspired in the dance and synth-pop scene from the 80's, here you can hear traces of OMD, David Bowie, Propaganda, even Fleetwood Mac and many more acts of that decade. Thank Got it doesn't contain any more rap and reggae vocals!

In it's whole it is a very solid pop-bliss album, that's enjoyable from start to finish, full of fat synthesizers, great vocalists that suit each song perfectly and catchy sing-a-long lyrics. This time GA has done it right, although not very original and not ahead of the gender, they took all the right elements and blended them  in just the right amounts.

It's difficult setting for a favorite song with such a solid collection of tracks, but if I had to choose three I would say 'Shameless' for the reasons described earlier, then 'Fall Silent' with great dramatic vocals from Nick Littlemore and the melancholic melody that reminds of M83's 'Kim & Jessie'. The third one would be 'Paper Romance' where Fenech-Soler and SantSaviour share the vocal duties in this upbeat track that would be comfortable in an 80's teen movie like The Breakfast Club. The rest of the songs are great, specially the ones where Larrabee sings, her voice has a resemblance to Johnette Napolitano from Concrete Blond.

Black Light doesn't have any of the downtempo I liked from Vertigo or later albums, instead it is almost completely danceable, but in this case I wouldn't change a single beat. 100% recommendable!

Shameless


Fall Silent


Paper Romance

March Blues

Hello again, I didn't write as often I was expecting due to the time I'm spending on finding a job and other activities here in Switzerland. For those who are curious I used to live in Guatemala but I moved to Barcelona to make a Master's degree. Afterwards I came to Zurich to find a job in Branding were I will move permanently after I get my things from BCN, to concentrate my efforts in the job issue. It saddens me a little bit because I was starting to really like Barcelona, but I know I have more chances to find something here in Switzerland because of my Swiss citizenship than in Spain were the situation at the moment isn't looking very promising. But in the oder hand I'm kind of exited of what the future might bring in this new chapter, and starting a new life in this beautiful country.

Well let's go to more interesting subjects... I bought the Sade new album 'Soldier of Love' the day it was released to much anticipation and expectation. And here are my thoughts:

SADE

SOLDIER OF LOVE

Well... don't get me wrong but I was expecting something more, after 10 years of absence you would think she would return with a vengeance, but I feel like this is a record she would have put out two years after Lovers Rock. It is not, by any means, a bad record, on the contrary it is a very well produced one, the lyrics are classic Sade, the instrumentation is impeccable, Sade's voice is better than ever but... some how the record lacks soul.

The first track 'The Moon and the Sky' seems like a track taken from Lovers Rock, the beatbox paercussions, the bass and the guitar remind me of 'King of Sorrow'. That's not a bad thing, on the contrary, I love Lovers Rock and I played it to exhaustion, so to have a Lovers Rock part two wouldn't hurt anybody, but it should be as good or better than it. In this case is not as good. This a fine song and one of the better ones from the album. Four stars.

'Soldier of Love' is the best track of the album and a good choice for a single. It is also the most original song from the album. Huge drums, killer guitars, great chorus, powerful lyrics, excellent video... well an outstanding track and an instant classic. To this point everything was looking great! Five stars.

Track three, 'Morning Bird'. This is a very beautiful and delicate song. Nice piano. Kind of reminds me of 'Pearls' but better. Three Stars.

The next song is 'Babyfather' which sounds to R&B for my taste, some elements save it from falling completely in that category, like the muted guitar and Sade's Voice of course, it has some raggae elements too which gives the song a little rhythm. Two and a half stars.

'Long and Hard Road' doesn't knock me out of my sock either. A very average song, with nothing special for Sade's standards. Two Stars

Another slow and romantic one, this time with a country feel; 'Be That Easy'. By this point I was really loosing hope, not that it isn't good but nothing special either. Two and a half stars.

'Bring me Home' feels like a B side from Lovers Rock. Two and a half stars. Please give me something to lift me up... please!!!

Nop... 'In Another Time' is another slow song with very little to become memorable. Two and a half stars.

'Skin' on the other hand saved the day. A very smooth and stylish song that could have been a great song if it would have a little more of... something. It's kind of monotonous and repetitive. Three and a half stars.

And the last one, 'The Safest Place'... what can I say... another slow and sad song. Two and a half stars.

It seems that I didn't like this album very much... and it's kind of true. I wanted so desperately to love this album, but no matter how many times I listen to it I just don't enjoy it. I respect very much the work of Sade, Stuart Matthewman and Paul Denman, they are remarkably good musicians and producers, they have proven that over three decades of work. But this time, apart form two or three songs, they didn't create another classic piece of work. Every single album in it's time had something that made it different and ground breaking, it had it's own style and new elements were introduces with great success... until this one.

I hate to think there will be another 8 to 10 years wait to hear new songs from Sade. On the positive side I am glad she returned, there is no other band that comes close to the sophistication and style they have made their trademark for all this years. I hope I will be able to see her on tour.

Until the next review...

Cheers!

Welcome

Well, this is my first blog and I am very exited to start the new year with a lot of new things happening in my life (good ones I hope). This is going to be a place where I will post my opinions, news and thoughts about different topics, mainly music.

As an opener I want to share wonderful news that me and lots of fans have been waiting for several years now, 10 long years to be precise. And for the preview I experienced, I don't think any one will be disappointed. Ok, ok... here it goes; on the 8th of february 2010 the one and only Ms. Sade Adu, known as Sade, is going to release her 6th studio album titled SOLDIER OF LOVE.

SOLDIER OF LOVE is also the title of the first single taken from the album. Check out the video from the song at http://www.sade.com