No.49: “Live In Gdansk” by David Gilmour (2008)
Gilmour has released many videos of his own solo years. Pity there aren’t more from Pink Floyd – the 1970s are very poorly documented on film – and this 2CD/2DVD live concert package is the best IMO, even more so than the recent return to Pompeii outing from 2016.
It centres around his On An Island album which had just been released prior to this live set, but also features many of Pink Floyd’s classic songs. The DVD visual version is impeccable and the 25-minute tracks ‘Echoes’ originally from the Meddle album is worth the cost of it alone.
I had a field day picking these videos:
Personnel:
• David Gilmour – guitars, lead and backing vocals, console steel guitar, acoustic lap steel guitar, alto saxophone on “Red Sky at Night”
• Richard Wright – piano, Hammond organ, Farfisa organ, lead and backing vocals
• Jon Carin – keyboards, synthesiser, backing vocals, lap steel guitar, programming
• Guy Pratt – bass guitars, backing vocals, double bass, guitar on “Then I Close My Eyes”, glass harmonica on “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”
• Phil Manzanera – guitars, backing vocals, glass harmonica on “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”
• Dick Parry – tenor and baritone saxophones, electronic organ, glass harmonica on “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”
• Steve DiStanislao – drums, percussion, backing vocals
• Zbigniew Preisner – conductor
• Leszek Możdżer – piano
• Polish Baltic Philharmonic orchestra – “Castellorizon”, “On an Island”, “The Blue”, “Red Sky at Night”, “This Heaven”, “Then I Close My Eyes”, “Smile”, “Take a Breath”, “A Pocketful of Stones”, “Where We Start”, “High Hopes*”, “A Great Day for Freedom*” and “Comfortably Numb*” (Orchestrations by Zbigniew Preisner except “Comfortably Numb” by Michael Kamen.)
• Igor Sklyarov – glass harmonica on “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” (Venice performance only)
No.48: “★” (“Blackstar”) by David Bowie (2016)
I remember waking up around 1pm on 10th January 2016 to the news that David Bowie had died. I couldn’t believe it. He was one of my favourite singers of all-time and I cried my eyes out watching the tributes and I got to work on a huge series of self-compiled CDs and subsequently played his music and nothing else in my car for three months.
Bowie was an icon, a legend, the chameleon of rock music. Nobody else was even similar, he was unique and people have copied him but nobody has come close to his talent, his looks and his personality. Without going too much into a biography here, I should speak about the album in question noted at No.48 above.
Blackstar was released the previous Friday, that is just three days before Bowie died, which was obviously his wish. Nobody knew anything about it beforehand, like his previous album The Next Day which suddenly appeared in the shops without any warning except a strange video for a single.
We were given the title track’s 10-minute slow jazz epic on the news and the internet, along with the track ‘Lazarus’, which was harrowingly upsetting to watch as Bowie was shown laying on his ‘death bed’ ill with grief and pain covered in bandages and with patches over his eyes. The song was superb.
Seven other songs feature on the album, most of them in a similar rather sombre style with some incredibly beautiful music to accompany them all, also mostly in that same low-key mellow jazz style, which was a departure for Bowie. Only the wonderful final song ‘I Can’t Give Everything Away’ was more like the David Bowie of before which was quite possibly deliberately placed to highlight the singer’s oncoming passing.
Blackstar is a record which takes a few plays to get into but when it hits, it’s a tremendous album.
Ploughing on with this thing I now wish I’d never even began as I owe it at least to the members who are enjoying this thread. My thoughts of contributing further to the forum after this are in place now.
But ho hum, we must continue. Here’s another four classics…
No.47: “Raintown” by Deacon Blue (1987)
Raintown is one of those rare debut albums from a new band that comes along which is an undisputed masterpiece on first hearing. Full of singer-songwriter type tales of daily life in Glasgow and the characters that appear in it, this record details Rocky Ross’ otherwise unheard songsmith talents for the first time. It was preceded by the instant gem of a single that was ‘Dignity’, plus songs like ‘Chocolate Girl’ and ‘When Will You Make My Telephone Ring?’, Raintown is a wonderfully descriptive album which one never tires of hearing.
Personnel:
• Ricky Ross – lead vocals (additional guitar, piano & keyboard on bonus tracks on reissue version)
• Lorraine McIntosh – backing & harmony vocals
• Graeme Kelling – guitar, low voice
• James Prime – keyboards, backing vocals
• Ewen Vernal – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Dougie Vipond – drums, percussion
• Chris Rea (slide guitar on “Love’s Great Fears”)
• B.J. Cole (pedal steel guitar on “Chocolate Girl”)
• Jimmy Helms, George Chandler, Jimmy Chambers (Londonbeat) (backing vocals on “When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)”)
No.46: “Are You Experienced?” by The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)
The first and for me best album by Hendrix, this is a slice of psychedelic guitar overload from the legendary master of the axe. Strong songs, fantastic musicianship, great themes, classic status. This album is immense. Nothing more need be said, let’s let the music do the talking…
Personnel:
• Jimi Hendrix – guitars, lead vocals
• Noel Redding – bass; backing vocals on “Foxy Lady,” “Fire,” and “Purple Haze”
• Mitch Mitchell – drums; backing vocals on “I Don’t Live Today” and “Stone Free”
• The Breakaways – backing vocals on “Hey Joe”
• Chas Chandler – producer
• Dave Siddle – engineering on “Manic Depression,” “Can You See Me,” “Love or Confusion,” “I Don’t Live Today,” “Fire,” “Remember,” “Hey Joe,” “Stone Free,” “Purple Haze,” “51st Anniversary,” and “The Wind Cries Mary”
• Eddie Kramer – engineering on “The Wind Cries Mary,” “Are You Experienced?,” and “Red House”; additional engineering on “Love or Confusion,” “Fire,” “Third Stone from the Sun,” and “Highway Chile”
• Mike Ross – engineering on “Foxy Lady,” “Red House,” and “Third Stone from the Sun”
No.45: “Tommy” by The Who (1969)
The Who’s highest-placed album in my list is this rock opera from 1969, later made into a Ken Russell-directed 1975 feature film starring Roger Daltrey and Elton John. It’s a full concept piece about a boy called Tommy, the deaf, dumb and blind child who discovers that he has a gift for being a “pinball wizard” and this album (and movie) follows the boy in Pete Townshend’s lyrics/screenplay of his growing up and of all the characters in his life.
The music? Well it’s superb. As usual it’s filled with full-on total bombast of The Who’s trademark style with all four musicians performing at their best. The songs are amazing: ‘Pinball Wizard’, ‘I’m Free’, the many extended pieces of instrumental (‘Underture’ is a 10-minute masterpiece). Great stuff.
For your entertainment I’ve supplied various clips and images from both The Who’s album and of the film.
Concert video: The Who performing Tommy live, 1989:
Interview:
Studio session 1968-69:
Track Listing: Side one
“Overture”
“It’s a Boy”
“1921”
“Amazing Journey”
“Sparks”
“The Hawker” (Sonny Boy Williamson) Side two
“Christmas”
“Cousin Kevin”
“The Acid Queen”
“Underture” Side three
“Do You Think It’s Alright?”
“Fiddle About” (Entwistle)
“Pinball Wizard”
“There’s a Doctor”
“Go to the Mirror!”
“Tommy Can You Hear Me?”
“Smash the Mirror”
“Sensation” Side four
“Miracle Cure”
“Sally Simpson”
“I’m Free”
“Welcome”
“Tommy’s Holiday Camp” (Keith Moon)
“We’re Not Gonna Take It”
Film cast:
• Ann-Margret as Nora Walker
• Oliver Reed as “Uncle” Frank Hobbs
• Roger Daltrey as Tommy Walker
• Barry Winch as young Tommy
• Alison Dowling as young Tommy’s singing voice
• Elton John as The Pinball Wizard
• Tina Turner as The Acid Queen
• Eric Clapton as The Preacher
• John Entwistle as Himself
• Keith Moon as Uncle Ernie/Himself
• Paul Nicholas as Cousin Kevin
• Jack Nicholson as The Specialist
• Robert Powell as Group Captain Walker
• Arthur Brown as The Priest
• Pete Townshend as The Narrator/Himself
• Victoria Russell as Sally Simpson
• Ben Aris as Rev. A. Simpson V. C.
• Mary Holland as Mrs. Simpson
• Ken Russell as Cripple
I think I can fit this into one post, give it a try…
No.44: “The Endless River” by Pink Floyd (2014)
When the final chimes of The Division Bell tour ended in 1996 following its album two years beforehand, the world thought that was the end for Pink Floyd. For twenty years this was the case with the line-up reappearing against all odds for a 20-minute slot at Live8, then prolific appearances live from Roger Waters and David Gilmour in between, plus albums and DVDs and compilations. Richard Wright passed away too and Nick Mason seemed content with racing his Ferraris.
But an announcement was made in the summer of 2014 that there would be a “new” Pink Floyd album and it would be the final one. This record consisted of outtakes from the Division Bell sessions which were not used, re-recorded and Richard Wright’s parts included also making it a legitimate new release with all new songs. Roger Waters was not included of course as he had left the band many years before and had not been part of the Pin k Floyd post-1987 line-up.
The album itself, save for the final track ‘Louder Than Words’ (presumably because they needed a single) was entirely instrumental and it a work of art; A work of absolute beauty. The sound is perfection unmatched by anything else. Gilmour’s guitar work is unbelievable, Nick Mason ‘rocks out’ for once on the drums and the way they have intertwined Rick Wright’s keyboards and synths is unsurpassable. It’s a solid, stunning but extremely relaxing record which deserves to be heard through headphones at full blast to appreciate its magnificence fully. If you’ve had a bad day or you simply need to unwind, you need this album.
Sleeve image, other images:
Videos:
Documentary/interview:
Personnel:
David Gilmour
Nick Mason
Richard Wright
May post some more later if I’ve got nothing better to do. I’m really sick of doing this now.
Oh I love it mate.
It has that same locally urban sound to it as Chris Rea’s Shamrock Diaries. The Lloyd Cole album has that personal touch thing with it too.
Love that style of songwriting.
The Stranglers album is superb though I agree.
