Classic Album Review: Supertramp - Famous Last Words, a great Album ending one of the finest songwriting collaborations of all time

The last (7th) studio album collaboration by Supertramp's original singer/songwriter team of Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson is a fine pop album which is unfairly criticised as not delivering the same quality of music as their previous four classic rock productions. This criticism is however not warranted for a variety of reasons. It is a fine album with almost every single song worthy of a listen. The main point which however makes this album a classic is the meaningful if melancholic lyrics which puts both Roger and Rick amongst the greatest rock lyricists of all time.

The album was nevertheless written under difficult circumstances:

1. The album was written at the height of personal tension between Roger and Rick (and reportedly their respective wives who were not best of friends). For the first time they wrote and recorded their own songs in separate studios without any face to face collaboration. (although Roger has since claimed that this was always the case and he gave songwriting credit to Rick for many of the songs he had written over the years by himself)
2. This was a typical "under pressure" follow up album to the chart topping and 15m+ selling "Breakfast in America".
3. Whilst undoubtedly this album has a pop focus, it still remains a fine album with a classic rock edge.
2. The lyrics in songs such as "C'est Le Bon", "Waiting for so long" and "Know who you are" are in the "must Listen to" category of rock lyrics. They are amongst the greatest Supertramp lyrics of all time and as profound and meaningful as rock lyrics can ever get.

This album is not initially as easy to listen to as e.g. Breakfast in America. However, both the melodies and the lyrics become more and more meaningful with further listens.

Neither Roger Hodgson in his solo career afterwards, nor Supertramp without Roger managed to reach anything close to the success level of Supertramp up to and including Famous Last Words, yet again another case of lost synergistic creativity. although Roger Hodgson has managed to write and produce some fine songs and great lyrics for his solo albums.

I highly recommend this album to all Supertramp and classic rock fans.
My Rating Rating: ***** (5/5)

Classic Album Review: Roy Harper's Stormcock, a unique masterpiece of unrivalled grace and beauty

You may ask why I am bothering to review a 1971 album by an artist who only serious folk rock fans would have heard of? I could write a blog just to answer this simple question.

This album is indisputably one of the greatest (folk) rock albums of all time by the artist who has for years been referred to as "Classic Rock's Best Kept Secret"! Of course this does not by any means suggest that Roy Harper is an obscure musician. He has uncredited playing role in some of Led Zeppelin albums and Jimmy Page admired Roy Harper for not selling to commercial temptations and wrote the Led Zeppelin song "Hats off to Roy Harper". And of course Pink Floyd famously asked him to do the lead vocals for the song "Have a Cigar" in their phenomenal Wish You Were Here album.

Stormcock however is a once in a generation gem and Roy Harper's best ever work. It was Roy Harper's fifth album and originally released in 1971. The best way to describe this album is to simply state that every serious music fan from Bob Dylan's folk rock to Led Zeppelin's harder sound to Pink Floyd's psychedelic genius would fall in love with this album, only if they'd get the chance to listen to it.

Roy Harper manages to melt his intelligent and meaningful lyrics into his beautiful voice and great but simple acoustic guitar melodies. The album's chaotic structure (the two longest songs have different sections) makes it simply perfect. Jimmy Page plays in one of the songs with Roy Harper and the lyrics deal with a variety of topics such as hypocrisy of religion as well as love and war!

The jewel in the crown is nevertheless the epic love song "Me and my Woman". I must confess I have listened to this song at least a million times and and am yet to find the right words to describe its beauty and grace.

The album was digitally remastered and released in 2007. Whilst almost all digitally remastered albums from the 60s and 70s truly kill the original intended feel of the work, this remastered version is in fact very good and I have even purchased it!

If you are a serious music fan, you must listen to this album. It's grace and beauty will spellbound you for the rest of your life. Stormcock is a unique never to be repeated masterpiece and is undoubtedly one of the greatest albums of all time.

My Current Favourite Top 5 Indie Female Singer Songwriters (in no particular order)

The world of music has had a rough ride since the creation of Napster file sharing software in the late 90s. However, during the past 10-15 years one of the greatest things that has happened to the industry is the massive number of female singer songwriters blossoming in acoustic guitar/folk/country genres across the world. There are many of them around. The following are my current 5 favourites (I am a fan of many others but listen to various works by the following 5 regularly at the moment:

Jen Cloher: This talented Melbourne based singer/songwriter & her band of varying members "The Endless Sea" are undoubtedly one Australian music scenes best kept secrets! Jen Cloher's debut ARIA nominated album "Dead Wood Falls" in 2006 was a mixture of beautiful piano based ballads & luscious country based melodies full of personal experiences. Whilst I love listening to Dead Wood Falls in its entirety, my favourite tracks on the album are "Spring" & "Rain". The song "Rain" in particular could have & should have been a huge hit in the US country music scene and is a great example of Jen Cloher's powerful vocal range & melodic voice.

Jen Cloher recently released "Hidden Hand", the follow up to her firs album. Hidden Hand lyrics are more intimate & personal. whilst the album overall has more upbeat melodies, the country based feel of most of the songs make is an extremely enjoyable & easy to listen work. My favourite tracks are the title track "Hidden Hands", "Time among the Pines" & "Fear is like a Forest".

Tristan Prettyman: is a native of San Diego California & one of the most popular acts in the Live circuit in Southern California. If you happen to be travelling to San Diego & decide to check the city's live music scene, you won't be disappointed if you are lucky enough to see Tristan Prettyman. She has so far released two main albums (amongst other works such as EPs) are "Twenty Three" and "Hello....x", both of which are great acoustic albums full of great acoustic melodies & lyrics filled with personal experiences.

Katie Melua: This Georgian born British raised singer/songwriter is a mainstream name in UK & parts of mainland Europe. Her 3 albums "Call off the Search", "Piece by Piece" & ""Pictures" have collectively sold very well. Her signature song is "Nine Million Bicycles" from her second album, a song which caused a small scientific stir across Britain with its absolutely beautiful lyrics. Katie Melua's style is a combination of love ballads/pop & jazz genres making her music suitable for most occasions.

Natalie Merchant: is by most accounts a veteran of the music scene & a great talent with a soulful voice. She started as the lead singer of the US indie/folk band 10,000 maniacs in the late 80s & early 90s (a band well worth a listen). Her soulful voice inevitably took her to the solo path & some of you may remember her debut solo album in 1995 "Tigerlily" which was both a commercial & critical success & spun off the international single "Carnival". The reason I am including Natalie Merchant in my list of current favourite female singer/songwriters is because after 7-8 years of avoiding the spotlight, she has just released a new solo album "Leave your Sleep", which is about to be released in Australia.

Duffy: Yes, I know Duffy is yet to release a second album following her worldwide smash hit album "Rockferry" in 2007. And yes, the fiercely nasty rivalries in the British music scene will always be given plenty of oxygen by the tabloid media's obsession with comparing the likes of Duffy, Adele, Feist, Jem & Dido with each other. However, the combinations of Duffy's great voice, the beautifully crafted songs & clever production make Duffy's Rockferry one of the greatest albums of the noughties (and beyond) and hence why to this day it is still charting in parts of Europe. As a result she makes my current list simply because I have not stopped listening to it since I bought it nearly 2 years ago!

There are plenty of other very talented female singer/songwriters around, including in Australia of course. I hope this blog post wets your appetite to discover them & enjoy their plentiful collective talent!

Best ever Pop/Rock Cover Versions

Like most other pure music fans, I generally dislike cover songs, even when performed by talented acts capable of bringing their own interpretation to songs. But I particularly get annoyed when classic pop/rock songs are almost murdered by:

a) DJs & dance acts who use unnecessary drum machines & sequencer beats,
b) Inept singers who simply do not possess the vocal range
c) Cover versions killing the heart and soul of the original by overuse of technology
d) Hip Hop/Urban acts who ruin classic songs with their over "samplig" of classic songs

Having said that, I do have a special list of original pop songs which I love, but believe the cover versions/interpretations are in fact better than the original versions:

Here's my list, in no particular order & not exhaustive by any means. Therefore, I look forward to comments & additions to the list:

Original by: Bob Marley, Covered by Eric Clapton: I Shot the Sheriff:

Some of the best & most well known songs by the legendary Eric Clapton are cover songs. In my opinion, his version of Bob Marley's "I shot the Sheriff" is a great production in its own right.

Original by: JJ Cale, Covered by Eric Clapton: 1) Cocaine, 2) After Midnight (Cover version featured in Cross Roads, not the earlier version)

Eric Clapton is also a life long admirer & friend of the reclusive legend JJ Cale. Not only Clapton has covered two of JJ Cale's songs, he & cale released an album together in 2006 in which they re recorded Cale's song "Dont Cry Sister".

But Clapton's most famous cover of Cale's songs is "Cocaine. Clapton adds spice(1) to the song with a great lead guitar which is missing from the almost perfect original. As well as this, he has twice covered "After Midnight" & used to performed this song in his live sets. Clapton's pure guitar/bass/drums version recorded in late 80s is my favourite version. It was specially recorded for his 4 disc set "Cross Roads" is a brilliant song which sadly only appears in the mentioned 4 disc set.

Original by: John Lennon, Covered by Roxy Music: Jealous Guy

John lennon's Jealous Guy is almost as good as "imagine" However, Bryan Ferry's soulful voice, & Roxy Music's masterful production make Roxy Music's version a much more romantic song than the original.

Original by: Bob Dylan, Covered by Jimi Hendrix: All along the Watchtower

Like Eric Clapton, two of Jimi Hendrix's greatest & most loved songs are actually covers!
What a pairing! Bob Dylan's version is a folk song whilst Jimi Hendrix adds his unique guitar riffs to his version, something which only Hendix could do! A great song worthy of being better than its legendary original.

Original by: The Leaves, Covered by Jimi Hendrix: Hey Joe

it is almost impossible to imagine anyone but Jimi Hedrix perform "Hey Joe". But the very rare out of print version by the Leaves is the original version released as a single unsuccessfully before Hendrix recorded his materful version with the help of Mitch Mitchell & Noel Redding, as the first ever single by "Jimi Hendrix Experience".

Original by: (traditional Spiritual Song) earliest recording by The Weavers, Covered by Nina Simone: Sinner Man

If you wish to fully appreciate Nina Simone's work on this cover, watch the final scene of the 1999 movie "Thomas Crown Affair" starring Pierce Brosnan! It will give you goose bumps!

Original by: Bob & Earl, Covered by the Rolling Stones: Harlem Shuffle

In mid 1980s, Mick jagger & Keith Richards decided the Rolling Stones needed to lift its "dinasaur" image. They decided to cover Harlem Shuffle but made it more funky whilst preserving its soulful originality. The result is simply great song & a much better version than the original.

Original by: Bruce Cockburn, Covered by Barenaked Ladies: Lovers in a Dangerous Time

Bruce Cockburn is a much loved & publicity shy Canadaian folk singer who briefly shot to international fame in the mid 80s with his environmentally driven worldwide hit "If a Tree Falls in the Forest". One of his other well know songs in canada is Covered by another better known Canadian band, "Barenaked Ladies".

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this song and/or the acts mentioned, all I can say is get your hands on Barenaked Ladies version (in their Greatest hits). the brisk yet acoustic production simply immerses in the rather controvertial lyrics & will become an all time favourite!

Original by Jackie DeShannon, Covered by Smokie: Needles & Pins

Needles & Pins is a song which most people think was originally recorded by the 60s band "The Searchers". But Searchers & subsequently many other acts including Tom Petty in fact covered this original song by Jackie DeShannon. however, the English band "Smokie"'s version simply leaves all other covers for dead. Chris Norman's voice is a perfect fit to the melody & the lyrics.

Original by Neil Diamond, Covered by UB40: Red Red Wine

To the continuous annoyance of Neil Diamond who to this day goes as far as changing this song half way through his live performances to a raggae song, the fact remains that UB40 shot to worldwide fame with this great cover interpretation of the song & simply made it their own as a result.

Original by Jimi Hendrix, Covered by Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble: Little Wing

This cover is not so much a superior version because Jimi Henrix's original is simply brilliant. The great blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaghan, the heir apparent to Jimi Hendrix, shortly before his tragic death recorded this instrumental almost 7 minute interpretation of Jimi Hendrix's original two & half minute song & ended up with a masterpiece of his own worthy of its own accolade as a separate song.

However, having two guitar masters doing two completely heavenly version of this song makes Stievie Ray Vaghan's version an imperative mention in my list.


Original by the Beatles, Covered by Joe Cocker: With a Little Help from my Friends

This is yet another song which the cover is markedly different to the original.Joe Cocker's version with female backing vocals & his soulful voice made his version a superior outcome & a classic in its own.



Leonard Cohen,in my view is a great modern poet and treasured musician. But he's not much of a singer! Therefore many of his songs have been covered by more able singers. The following two are the peak of teh crop & my favourites:

Original by Leonard Cohen, Covered by Jennifer Warnes: First We Take Manhattan

Original by Leonard Cohen, Covered by Jeff Buckley: Hallelujah

Original by Tim Hardin, Covered by Rod Stewart: Reason to Believe

I am not by any means Rod Stewart's biggest fan! But whilst Tim Hardin's original version of this song is very good, Rod Stewart's husky voice simply makes his versionone of his best songs of his career.

Whilst I have many other examples I could have added, I am leaving this to others with their comments.

Sleepy Jackson's 2003 album "Lovers", Australian Indie music at its best

This multiple ARIA nominated debut alum by Sleepy Jackson is undoubtedly one of the best Australian indie rock albums of the 2000s. Sleepy Jackson were originally formed in Perth and took their name from a narcoleptic band member!

Essentially led by the multi instrumentalist Luke Steele, who comes from a musical family, they moved to Sydney & released their debut album in 2003. Luke Steele's latest project was the highly ambitious & multi ARIA winning debut album by Empire of the Sun in 2008.

"Lovers" is a compilation of Luke Steele's influences from pop harmonies to folk, electropop & indie guitar songs. His lack of direction is in fact the reason this album is so enjoyable. The only other musician who seem to do this variation of styles very well is in my view Moby.

Having said that, Luke Steele maintains a distinct style and sound which is easily identifiable in this album & his latest work (Empire of the Sun).

The album flows easily and is very easy to listen to as each song takes your mind away to a different place with different styles & influences evident in each song, from the Beatles to David Bowie to The Eagles & the Aussie trend setters the Church.

The standout songs are "Rain falls for Wind" & "Acid in my Heart". These two songs in my view are examples of the Australian indie scene at its best & in quality match works by the trend setting Aussie indie bands of the 80s & 90s such as the Church.

The two main singles are the catchy pop songs "Good Dancers" & "Vampire Racecourse". Other notable songs are "Mourning Rain", the pop influenced "Tell the Girls..." & (the Eagles sounding) country/folk influenced "Miniskirt". Even the song "Morning Bird" with an apparently young girls singing is a joy to listen to, even though highly out of phase with the rest of the album.

All in all one of the best albums out of Australia in the last decade.

My Rating: Essential for any music collection, 8/10

Updated Post: Selected Songs from the Best 100 Rock Albums of the Decade (in chronological order from 2000 to 2009)

This post was originally complied in September. I have edited the songs based of the feedback I have received, and since I am about to do the best of the 80s, I am reposting it again! Afterall, since music & fashion are all about recycling, why can't I recycle my blogs!? :)

Rock bands (and solo artists) have had a revival during the current decade compared to the 90s.
(This blog defines rock bands as a group of musicians (or a solo performer) who play musical instruments and are able to reproduce the the majority of their recorded music as a live act with only minor computerised assistance.).

This revival is impressive since it's been achieved despite many hurdles. Shows such as Pop Idol have become a generational music staple and carefully crafted lip syncing acts dominate the critical teenage music market. At the same time illegal downloads, MP3-4 type formats and iPod have destroyed the classic Record Shop business format and CD sales have dramatically declined in the past ten years. On top of all that genres like hip hop and rap have continued to dominate the critical USA market.

However, whilst the decade has seen many fine bands from both sides of Atlantic and Australia, most have clearly not managed to match the quality of the music of the legendary bands of the 60s and 70s. Nevertheless, I am not suggesting that the decade has not produced great songs worthy of the "classic" tag. Therefore, I have decided to list of my favourite songs of the decade and invite anyone who reads this blog to add their own favourite. However, there are three simple rules for the sake of clarity:

1. Any song suggested must have been originally released in the year 2000 or later...late 1999 is also acceptable in order to account for the occasional timing delays in case of some releases between Europe and USA
2. Bands/Solo performers who use a lot of sequenced/electronic samples do not qualify for this Top 100! The classic "Drummer, bass player, guitars, keyboards, sax and singer" must be clearly present.
3. Solo act with a band may also be included (as opposed to solo acts who are clearly dance acts eg Kylie Minogue's "Can't get you out of my head" or Madonna's "Hung up" do not qualify, but Richard Ashcroft does)

Here are my most favourite rock songs of the decade, in an approximate chronological order from 2000 to 2009. I have kept the list based on 100 albums from various acts and welcome comments with your suggested additions.

1. (Band) Coldplay, (Song) a) Yellow. b) Don't panic
2. Doves, Firesuite
3. Radiohead, Optimistic
4. Richard Ashcroft (Verve), a) A song for the lovers b)Brave new world
5. Tex Perkins, Please break me gently
6. U2, Beautiful day
7. The Whitlams, No aphrodisiac
8. Gomez, We haven't turned around
9. John Myer, Neon
10. Kenny Wayne Shepard Band, Black on blue
11. Radiohead, a) Knives out, b) I might be wrong
12. Starsailor, Poor misguided fool
13. Travis, a) Sing, b) Side
14. Turin Brakes, The door
15. Interpol, Untitled
16. Alex Lloyd, Green
17. The Roots, Seed 2.0
18. The Whiltlams, Kate Kelly
19. 3 Doors Down, Here without you
20. The Cardigans, For What it's worth
21. The Coral, Don't think you're the first
22. The Dandy Warhols, a) Heavenly, b) You were the last high
23. Death Cab for Cutie, We looked like giants
24. Jack Johnson, a) Taylor, b) Cupid
25. Jet, Are you gonna be my girl?
26. Muse, Endlessly
27. Opeth, In my time of need
28. Pete Murray, So beautiful
29. Radiohead, Punch up at a wedding
30. Snow Patrol, a) Run, b) Ways and means
31. Stereophonics, Maybe tomorrow
32. The Waifs, Lighthouse
33. Buckethead, Earth heals itself
34. The Cat Empire, Two shoes
35. Eskimo Joe, A song is a city
36. Evermore, It's too late
37. Franz Ferdinand, Dark of the matinee
38. Green Day, Boulevard of broken dreams
39. Interpol, A time to be so small
40. Placebo, To the bitter end
41. John Butler Trio, Zebra
42. Keane, Everybody's changing
43. Maroon 5, This love
44. Missy Higgins, Ten days
45. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, a) Spell, b) Let the bells ring, c) Supernaturally
46. REM, Final straw
47. Razorlight, Golden touch
48. Rocket Science, Being followed
49. Ryan Adams, English girls
50. Sarah Blasko, Don't you ever
51. Tristan Prettyman, When it rains
52. Xavier Rudd, Shelter
53. Athlete, Wires
54. Coldplay, Square one
55. Death Cab for Cutie, Your heart is an empty room
56. Dream Theatre, These walls
57. Elan, Midnight
58. Elbow, Great Expectations
59. Katie Melua, Nine million bicycles
60. Kings of Leon, King of the Rodeo
61. Pearl Jam, I am mine
62. Pete Murray, Better days
63. Stereophonics, Deadhead
64. Tristan Prettyman, Please
65. Wolfmother, a) Woman, B) Mind's eye
66. Turin Brakes, Fishing for a dream
67. Angus & Julia Stone, Paper aeroplane
68. Eskimo Joe, Black fingernails, red wine
69. Evermore, Running
70. Jen Cloher, a) rain, b) Spring, c) Peaks & valleys
71. John Mayer, Waiting for the world change
72. Keane, Nothing in my way
73. Muse, Map of problematique
74. Silversun Pickups, a) Crazy eye, b) Well thought out twinkles
75. Snow Patrol, Shut your eyes
76. Arcade Fire, a) Neon Bible, b) Keep the car running
77. Interpol, Wrecking ball
78. Katie Melua, All in my head
79. Amy Winehouse, a) Back to black, b) You know I am no good
80. Linkin Park, a) What I've done, b) Get through
81. OneRepublic, Apologize (with Timbaland)
82. Radiohead, Weird fishes
83. Travis, Eyes wide open
84. Turin Brakes, For the fire
85. The Audreys, Small things
86. Death Cab for Cutie, I will possess your heart
87. Duffy, a) Breaking my own heart, b) Mercy
88. Elbow, The fix
89. Empire of the Sun, We are the people
90. Fall out Boy, I don't care
91. Fleet Foxes, Tiger mountain peasant song
92. Gabriella Cilmi, Sweet about me
93. Kings of Leon, Sex on fire
94. The Last Shadow Puppets, a) Standing next to you, b) The age of the understatementThe c) My mistakes were made for you
95. REM, a) Accelerate, b) Houston, c) Sing for the submarine
96. TV on the Radio, Love dog
97. 3 Doors Down, She don't want the world
98. The Verve, Columbo
99. Silversun Pickups, a) The royal we, b) Growing old is getting old
100. The Fray, You found me

Album Review: Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here", Arguably Roger Waters at his best lyrically, & Gilmour & Wright at their best instrumentally. The result is one of the greatest albums of all time!

Music in my view is a religion, it's personal & private & should be respected by those who may disagree with your musical opinions! What sounds unique & irreplacable to my ears may sound out of tune to someone else's and vice versa.

At the same time, like proven scientific discoveries, opinions in the art of songwriting are at times fully aligned.

Pink Floyd's 1975 album "Wish You Were Here" combines both of the above into one album. It is religiously loved by many fans around the world & at the same time is universally acknowledged as one of the greatest rock albums of all time, and in that I mean all genres & not simply progressive/space rock as Pink Floyd are known for, and yet it has never been accused of being pompous or self indulgent.

The reason the album is not pretentious is probably because it is a heartfelt dedication to the wayward Pink Floyd founding member "Syd Barrett', who was suffering from LSD induced schizophernia & the major songs "Wish You Were Here" & "Shine on you Crazy Diamond" are written about.

At the same time, the band, at the height of their international success, make a direct and pointed attack on the music industry & its money grabbing & at times sleezy record executives (with the famous line.."The band is just fantastic, That is really what I think, Oh by the way which one's Pink?")

Even before I start a brief review of the songs in the album, let me state some of the other interesting points about this album which by themselves would make it unique and in a calibre of its own::

• The cover/sleeve photos,all designed by the great Storm Thorgeson are amongst the most brilliant front & back & sleeve photos of all time. The front cover being a man shaking the hand of another man on fire! (see above for all photos on album's sleeve/cover/back)
• The album was the potential "career ruining" album for Pink Floyd because it was the band's next album after their massive & legendary 1973 album "Dark Side of the Moon" (which ended up remaining in the Billboard Top 100 Album Charts for 10 years in a row and is still one of the Top 5 highest selling albums of all time)
• The lyrics & song titles represent Roger waters at his absolute best & the highest point of his creativity. at the same time, David Gilmour's & Richard Wright's contribution to the 27 minute epic "Shine on you Crazy Diamond" is Pink Floyd at its synergistic best. (David Gilmour also wrote the music to waters' lyrics for the title song Wish You were Here)
• Gilmour's fantastic lead guitar & Wright's unique keyboard sounds (plus mason's simple yet brilliant drumming & Waters' bass) make the the album haunting & meloncholic whilst amazingly enjoyable to listen to.
• Syd barret is reported to have turned up to the studios during the recording of the album & not recognised by any of the band members initially (due to his much older looking appearance as a result of drug use & mental illness)

Instead of teh usual song by song review, and since the album only contains 4 songs(1), I rest my case with simply reprinting the lyrics for Shine on you crazy diamond & Wish you were here (both about Syd barrett).

Simply read each one, preferably whilst you are listening to the song, and see for yourselves the creative genius of the"sums much bigger than the parts" at work in Pink Floyd. enjoy! They are universally acclaimed as two of the greatest rock lyrics of all time by Roger Waters. Look out for great phrases which I have highlighted in italics.

Shine on You Crazy Diamond
(Song 1 on the Album, Parts 1-5)

Remember when you were young,
You shone like the sun.
Shine on you crazy diamond.

Now there's a look in your eyes,
Like black holes in the sky.
Shine on you crazy diamond.

You were caught on the crossfire
Of childhood and stardom,
Blown on the steel breeze.

Come on you target for faraway laughter,
Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!

You reached for the secret too soon,
You cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond.

Threatened by shadows at night,
And exposed in the light.
Shine on you crazy diamond.

Well you wore out your welcome
With random precision,
Rode on the steel breeze.

Come on you raver, you seer of visions,
Come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine!

(Song 5 on the Album, Parts 6-9)

Nobody knows where you are,
How near or how far.
Shine on you crazy diamond.

Pile on many more layers
And I'll be joining you there.
Shine on you crazy diamond.

And we'll bask in the shadow
Of yesterday's triumph,
And sail on the steel breeze.

Come on you boy child,
You winner and loser,
Come on you miner for truth and delusion, and shine!

Wish You Were Here

So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from Hell,
Blue skys from pain.
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?


And did they get you to trade
Your heros for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange
A walk on part in the war
For a lead role in a cage?

How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl,
Year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have we found?
The same old fears.
Wish you were here.

I hope you can see what I mean!

My rating: The greatest album of all time: 10/10

The Last Shadow Puppets: The age of understatement

Not all side projects work out! and very few turn out to be more brilliant than the participants' work with their main bands.

The Last Shadow Puppets prove that side projects can be great classics. I am yet to listen to the new Arctic's Album released in late 2009 but would nevertheless consider the Last Shadow Puppets' work as arguably the best work Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys) and Miles Kane (Rascals) have ever done and one of the greatest pop albums of the current decade.

The album also proves the future of pop is still bright whilst brilliantly talented musicians like Alex Turner are interested to experiment. The symphonic pop arrangements with their obvious 60s influence (which they fully credit) and the simple yet clever melodies make this album a "Must Have" in any serious music collection.

"Standing next to me" is probably one of the best classic style pop singles of the modern era (after taking into account the very clear musical influences it is based on). It has now been my No 1 suggestion to my friends since May 2008 when I first heard it. My other favourite songs are the fast paced title song "The age of the understatement" and the slower . "My mistakes were made for you". The albums other songs are all great to listen to & the overall flow of the songs is effortlessly smooth.
My rating: 8.5/10 a supurb effort by 2 of the most talented & exciting musicians of the modern era

"Accelerate" by R.E.M: Fans rejoice! REM are back at their best!

Before I start this review, I have to confess: I belong to a very tiny minority of REM fans who actually liked their last album "Around the Sun", an album which drove away the last remaining hardcore REM fans in a final disappointmenting blow as the band continued to experiment in studio at the expense of just about all their strengths. However, I must emphasise even in my case, I like that album as an average pop album & certainly not as a REM album.

REM seemingly fell apart in the 90s once the original drummer Bill Berry left after "New Adventures in HiFi". The great drum sounds & beats, trademark guitar riffs & Michael Stipe's voice all somehow deserted subsequent experimental REM albums & so did fans in droves!

And then, out of nowhere the band decided to reintroduce all of the above & more, in a back to basic album "Accelerate" in 2008. Fans were rightly delighted, the great drum beats, guitar riffs & Michael Stipe's signature voice are all back in this great album which belongs to the Top 40 if not Top 20 best albums of the decade.

The songs are simple & short (the whole album is less than 35 minutes long), and there are many great tracks with the title track "Accelerate", "Houston" and "Sing for the Submarine" the most outstanding of the lot.

Some of the lyrics in the album, like all other R.E.M albums at times lack clarity & can be a little bit weak. But then again I have never been REM's biggest fan as far as their lyrics are concerned!

Overall, a must inclusion in any good music collection & arguably one of the best albums of 2008.

My overall rating: 8/10

David Gray is back at his best with his new Album "Draw The Line"

David Gray came to prominence with the release of one of  "White Ladder" in 1999-2000. The album went platinum on both sides of the Atlantic & across the world. White Ladder was the fourth album showcasing David Gray's down to earth music & personal lyrics. The somehow surprising success of that album brought about the usual pressures & expectations many rock/pop act face after a very successful release.

David Gray's subsequent two albums "A new day at midnight" & "Life in slow motion" both had some worthy songs but stepped away from what David Gray is about. They felt too contrived stepped away from David Gray's down to earth style. The first album was an attempt to produce "radio friendly" hits (a natural reaction by many artists after a major succes) whilst the later was too slow and melancholic.

With "Draw The Line" David Gray has gone back to his early years and what he is simply great at; gritty but melodic piano/guitar songs with lyrics that seem to come from the heart. The opening track "Fugitive" sets the scene with its catchy melody and the next song, the title track "Draw the line" re introduces the listeners to David Gray at his best.

The other outstanding songs are "First chance", and "Harder" and I also personally like "Kathleen". There are a few weeker songs is the album and some reviewers have canned Annie Lennox's performance in the duet "Full Steam" as disappointing.

Nonetheless, David Gray's return to his roots is exciting & his fans should rejoice. If you have not David Gray's music, try White Ladder & this album and you will be hearing him at his best

My Rating: 7.5/10 One of the better albums of 2009

Shipwrecked Songlist Vol 1

Imagine your car breaks down in heavy rain and you are stuck in the middle of nowhere! You start looking for help and find a cabin in the thick wet forest, it's warm with wood fire burning in the fireplace, red wine and food on the table, and a few books lying around begging to be read with a CD on the floor ready to be played in front of the fire! You pour yourself a glass of wine, warm your body in front of the fire, bite on a piece of cheese and bread, and grab the CD. They are a selection of indie artists, some known to you, some totally unknown, but none are mainstream.

Here are some of the songs I would be hoping to find on the CDs. I will be regularly writing more "Shipwrecked" song selections.

1. Rain by Jen Cloher. (have to st rat with that title for the sake of setting the scene!) A relatively unknown gem of a singer/songwriter with one of her best songs, simple acoustic riffs mixed in beautiful melody and immersed in Jen Cloher's brilliant country/western singing tone

2. Vanity Fair, By World Party, a tongue in cheek song about vanity, Karl Wallinger's best song since his 1980s super hit "Ship of Fools"

3. How to fight loneliness, by Wilco, a choice for its title, but a beautiful song by a great band

4. Fisherman's Blues, by Waterboys, Mike Scott, Karl Wallinger (World Party above) and co were at the time they wrote this song possibly the best indie band in the world. A folk violin based love song with gorgeous melodies and lyrics masterfully song by Scott.

5. The kiss, by Tristan Prettyman, an unusual name for a very attractive indie singer/songwriter from San Diego with a huge fan base in Southern California. I just love the way she sings this catchy song

6. The Fear, by Travis, a great love song from the Scottish lads' debut album, with honest sounds of analogue recording

7. Please break me gently, by Tex Perkins, one of Australia's greatest singer/songwriters of all time, from the solo album by the lead singer of Cruel Sea

8. Bird of paradise, by Snowy White, whilst he's better known for being one of the greatest session lead guitar player, this song is from his 1980s solo album and a proof that he was a star on his own as well.

9. If you think you know how to love me, by Smokie, One of the greatest underachieving bands of all time. They had the songwriting backing of the Chinn-Chapman fame, the tight guitar formation and the unique voice of Chris Norman, all evident in this one in a million song

10. Growing old is getting old, by Silversun Pickups, known for being the new Smashing Pumpkins, this is a suprisingly U2 influenced song, almost as if Billy Corgan and U2 got together and collaborated a song for U2 to play and Corgan to read. Imagining the talent you'd exoect a great song which is what you get here. Please also see my review on their new album "Swoon".

11. Me and my woman, by Roy Harper, just read my post on my blog about this song from the masterpiece album "Stormcock" by Roy Harper and you'll know I would take this song on my iPod with me to heaven or hell, no matter which one I will end up in!

12. Bed of Nails,by Ross Wilson, famous for his legendary work in teh Australian music scene with Daddy Cool and later on Mondo Rock, this is a great song from Ross Wilson's solo album in the early 90s

13. Lovers in the wind, by Roger Hodgeson, a simply beautiful love song from the masterful former singer/songwriter of Supertramp

14. Rich folk's hoax, by Rodriguez, Rodriguez was a loved cult hero in Australia and disappered for many years till the late 2000s when he returned to OZ for another tour. This song has deep lyrics blended into latin American influenced melodies

15. Breaking my own heart, by Duffy, Duffy's debut self titled album has been a top 10 sansation around the world. A unique mix of great production techniques, good song writing and duffy's unique voice makes the Album a must have. This song is only included in the Delux issue of the album as it was the song that initially helped Duffy being noticed

Calling all Classic Rock fans: Add your favourites to my selection of long (>5min) Classic Rock Songs of the late 70s to early 80s

I love long(ish) songs by classic rock bands/acts. These long epic songs evolved from the Beatles 2-3 minutes pop song explosion of the early 60s and helped create the major rock acts of late 60s and most of the 70s.

I do agree with the common view that some of these acts subsequently ended up taking themselves too seriously and released some overbearingly self indulgent (in some cases concept)albums as a result.

But the selection of songs I am presenting here do not belong to the "self indulgent" series! They are great classic rock songs, epic creations of once in a life time quality.

I must also add that the following are some of my favourite songs at the top of my head, in no particular order. There are many bands which do not appear here. Please feel free to leave their name + song(s) as comments. It's always nice to share music! Just remember, songs have to be from sixties to around 1981 the latest, and must be reasonably long!

1. Pink Floyd, Shine on you crazy Diamond
2. Pink Floyd, echoes
3. King Crimson, Epitaph
4. King Crimson, In the court of the crimson king
5. The Doors, Riders on the storm
6. The Doors, LA Woman (I am not a big fan of Light my fire, but it could be included)
7. Moody Blues, Knights in white satin
8. Moody Blues, Isn't life strange?
9. Eloy, Love over six centuries (A German prog rock band, well worth a listen)
10. Eloy, Mutiny
11. Eloy, The apocalypse
12. ELP, fanfare for the common man (EPL were later on guilty of self indulgent music)
13. Pink Floyd, Sheep
14. Pink Floyd, Dogs
15. Pink Floyd, Pigs
16. Pink Floyd, Atom heart mother Suite (although some accuse this piece of a little bit of self indulgence, Pink Floyd wrote and released it well before they became world famous)
17. Pink Floyd, Time
18. Pink Floyd, Mother
19. Pink Floyd, Comfortably numb
20. Supertramp, Child of vision
21. Supertramp, crime of the century
22. Supertramp, Fool's overture
23. Supertramp, A soapbox opera
24. Supertramp,Babaji
25. Supertramp, Waiting so long
27. Dire Straits, Sultans of swing
28. Dire Straits, In the gallery
29. The Eagles, hotel California
30. Fleetwood Mac, Sara
31. Foreigner, I wanna know what love is
32. Jeff Buckley, Mojo pin (Yes I know "Grace" is not a 70s album, but it is a classic nevertheless!)
33. Jeff Buckley, Grace
34. Jeff Buckley, Hallelujah (of course a cover song but great nevertheless)
35. Jethrotull, Thick as a brick part 1 & 2
36. Jimi Hendrix, Voodoo Chile
37. Jimi Hendrix, hey Joe
38. Jimi Hendrix, All along the watch tower (Bob Dylan cover)
39. Joe Cocker, With a little help from my friends (Beatles original)
40. Max Meritt,Slipping away from me
41. Neil Young, Cortez the killer
42. Neil Young, Words
43. Queen, Bohemian rhapsody
44. Simon & Garfunkel, The boxer
45. AC/DC, Long way to the top
46. AC/DC, Let there be rock
47. Black sabbath, Heaven & Hell
48. Black Sabbath, Sign of the Southern Cross
49. Deep Purple, Highway star
50. Deep Purple, Child in time
51. Led Zeppelin, Kashmir
52. Led Zeppelin, Stairway to heaven
53. Led Zeppelin, Whole lotta love
54. Al Stewart, Year of the cat
55. Animals, House of the rising sun
56. Leonard Cohen, Waiting for a miracle (I like Jeff Buckley's version of Hallelujah, but it's an original Cohen song)
57. Steely Dan, Do it again
58. Nina Simone, Sinnerman
59. Chris de Burgh, Crusader
60. Chris de Burgh, eastern wind,
61. Chris de Burgh, Spanish Train
62. Chris de Burgh, Just in time
63. David Bowie, space oddity
64. David glamour, No way out of here
65. Snowy White, The journey
66. Bob Dylan, Hurricane
67. Roy Harper, Same old Rock (also see my review of this album)
68. Roy Harper, Me and my woman (also see my review of this album)

A request Review: "Me and Simon" By Laleh (Persian born Swedish Singer/songwriter & Actress)

A newspaper publisher friend of mine kindly asked me to contribute a review of this album to one of his publications.

Let me begin by confessing that until asked to review this album I had never heard of Laleh! Therefore, I began by researching the artist before listening to the album. Laleh is clearly a very talented and impressive individual. She is a Persian born Swedish singer-songwriter, multi instrumentalist and actress. She was nominated for seven Swedish Music Awards in 2005 for her debut album "Laleh", and won three for Artist of the Year, Producer of the Year and Best New Artist of the Year. She has also acting success in Sweden.

Me and Simon is Laleh's third album. Like her previous work, the album contains songs in Swedish, English and Persian, all written and produced by Laleh.

If you wish to get a quick feel for her sound and style, think of the pop sound of the Cardigans and the slower and at times haunting music of Emilana Torrini, and the Anglo-Saxon Gothic sounds of Portishead and Cocteau Twins, all mixed together to create pleasant and at times very listenable music.

Whilst like many other young Pop musicians around the world Laleh's music is influenced by the dominant US/UK pop, she retains the distinct Nordic Pop influence in both her music and singing style. In my view this is where the beauty and charm of this album lies. The songs have a very strong Nordic flavour with a tinge of Persian and Anglo-Saxon pop, the opening track "Big City Love" being a fine pop example of my point.

Other standout songs are the title track "Me and Simon", which is the first single from the album, the beautiful Swedish track "Snoe" (Snow) which she recorded with London Symphony Orchestra for the Soundtrack of a Swedish movie and is a fine example of the full extent of her singing and songwriting ability, and the Persian song "Farda".

Whilst I was unable to listen to all the songs on the album due to difficulty in accessing them (online purchase or otherwise), based on the songs I have managed to listen to, it is clear that "Me and Simon" is a fine album by a very talented singer/songwriter with the potential to capture a much broader worldwide fan base. It is easy to listen to and contains some very impressive songwriting and singing by Laleh. An automatic buy for any serious music collector. rating 7.5/10

Walking on a dream: By Empire of the Sun

Empire of the Sun is a project band by two talented Australian musicians, Luke Steel (of Sleepy Jackson) and Nick Littlemore (of P'Nau).

This album is simply and surprisingly a brilliant collaboration which has turned out to be one of the best electropop/dance albums of the past few years, certainly in Australia, and perhaps around the world. Just think og MGMT, but more cohesive and catchy.

The album's refreshing and catchy mixture of funk, electropop and dance melodies are very easy to listen to and unlike many similar albums around, almost all songs are worthy of inclusion in the album. The stand outs are however "We are the People" and the title song "Walking on a dream". These two songs are great pop songs, sound crisp and as a result have become a big favourite of many DJ remixes around the world in the past few months.

An introduction to Klaus Schulze at his best

If you wish to get an introduction to the synth sequencer music of the legendary Klaus Schulze, listen to part 1 and 2 of FM Delight from his great album En+Trance on Youtude on the links below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptuanvXODdY (Part 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftqbv6j2yys (part 2)

Simply close your eyes, turn the volume, and let your mind wonder away by Klaus's haunting keyboards in part 1, and be energised by his great sequence and keyboard work in part 2. Youwill find your nervous system all awry!