Archive for the ‘Re-Reviews’ Category

Little Queen – Heart

Released in 1977 Little Queen was the follow-up to Heart’s hugely successful debut album Dreamboat Annie that had established the Canadian band as a force, off the back of the single Magic Man. It was a striking album that took the bands calling card – rock songs juxtaposed with folk songs to another level. The rock song that set the tone for the album was of course Barracuda, an angry, rock... Read the full story

The Police – Outlandos d’Amour

The debut album from The Police was a revelation. Recorded on a shoestring at a time when the band had no label and no management the album bristles with a urgency and intensity that could only have been born of adversity. Indeed no producer, other than the band, is credited and the production such as it is a notably thin and raw. But what is unmistakable is the wanton brilliance of the playing and... Read the full story

Boston, Mass. – The Del Fuegos

Back in 1985 Dan Zanes was the leader of this gritty little rockin’ four piece from Boston who had gained a name in indie garage rock circles that had resulted in them being signed to the highly regarded Slash label. This was the second album for the Del Fuegos. They obviously had a bit going for them even if it wasn’t ultimately achieved through this band. The bands Wikipedia entry offers a bit... Read the full story

Here Comes The Night – David Johansen

Listening to the New York Dolls comeback album recently reminded me of what a great rock n’roll singer David Johansen was (and remains). I’m struggling to remember exactly where Here Comes The Night falls in the chronology of post Dolls solo albums that Johansen made, but its always been my favorite. The key to this album was that Johansen found a great collaborator in Blondie Chaplin (The Band,... Read the full story

Syd Straw – Surprise

Syd Straw seemed to arrive from deep in the heart of nowhere in 1989 when this wonderful, under-rated album appeared on the scene. But wherever she came from she sure made some good friends fast. The album was produced by Straw with a couple of production collaborators including  none other than  Van Dyke Parks and Daniel Lanois. She performed songs written or co-written by Peter Holsapple, Michael... Read the full story

Bob Geldof – The Happy Club

Before Bob Geldof was Saint Bob he was an Irish punk rocker with a penchant for theatricality and street-wise melodrama. After he was Saint Bob, but before he was Sir Bob, he released an album that seemed to be an all too serious reflection of his new place in the world order. That album 1986’s Deep In The Heart of Nowhere was admirable in its own right but was perhaps a victim of  Geldof’s need... Read the full story

East – Cold Chisel

Before Jimmy Barnes became the mythological “working class man” and even before Cold Chisel became the bogan rock staple diet of  Triple M radio (“rocksportandcomedymate”) there was a band prowling across the pubs and clubs (but mainly pubs) of Australia, that offered a new style of voice and a different sensibility than that you could normally expect to see on Countdown on Sunday nights. In... Read the full story

Living With The Law – Chris Whitley

When Chris Whitley released Living With The Law in 1991, it didn’t seem like a debut album. There was something weathered, something weary and something resigned about this frontier troubadour that simply didn’t fit with the idea of a fresh faced debutante. It turns out that Whitley was not an overnight sensation at all – while this album was his first in the mainstream he had been plying his... Read the full story

Men Without Women – Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul

In 1982 Bruce Springsteen was about a big an artist as the rock n’ roll world had and hence it was no surprise that his right hand man was aksed to make a record of his own. Steve Van Zandt has been the guitarist in the E Street Band and his contributions were essential – whether they were a guitar lick here, a harmony vocal there, a production idea in the studio or a moment of on stage flair... Read the full story

Fuzzy – Grant Lee Buffalo

Fuzzy was one of the great debut albums from the heyday of alternative rock. Released in 1993 on the Slash label it introduced me to the talents of Grant Lee Phillips, and in so doing provided me with a subsequent catalogue of music that I rate almost second to none. Grant Lee Buffalo was actually a trio though. Along withy Phillips the band boasted the talents of bass player and producer Paul Kimble... Read the full story

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