Essentially, "Essentials" isn't essential

My musical awakening occurred in 1986. I immediately gravitated towards the pop music of the day which was, thankfully, largely produced with electronic instruments. I soon discovered the music of other more recognised ‘electronic’ musicians such as Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream and most importantly Jean-Michel Jarre. Jarre soon became my childhood hero. I began to devour anything Jarre; TV programmes, books, magazines and most obviously his LP’s. I would save up my pocket money and ride my bicycle to the record department of our local supermarket. Once inside, I spent hours looking at the slabs of polythene covered wonder and deciding which part of the back catalogue I would consume next. Magical times.

As far as I am concerned Jarre’s crown began to slip with the 1990 album “Waiting for Cousteau”. Two years had passed since the Dockland’s concerts and the wonder of the “Revolutions” album. I was expecting great things from his new material, not least because I purchased my first CD player in the intervening years and was looking forward to my first Jarre CD. Imagine my dismay to find Jarre only recorded half of an album and simply plonked a 40 min dirge on the end. Very disappointing (a quick look through the mp3’s on my hard drive confirms my disappointment is somewhat prolonged as the only album missing from the 67 different Jarre albums and singles represented is Cousteau).

The slide down the musical dung heap continued through the years with momentary revivals in fortune with the odd track here and there (Chronologie 4 and 6 and some bits of “Oxygene 7-13”). Yet the decline was palpable, and as it turns out, inexorable.

This brings us to the latest “Essentials and Rarities” release. My first problem with this CD is the title. Not only do I already own about 5 other Jarre compilations called “Essential” but the selection of tracks is rather eclectic to say the least. Reading the accompanying booklet confirms Jarre picked the tracks as a tribute to his friend and old record company boss Francis Dreyfus rather than defining a ‘Best of’. So why call it “Essentials” then?

The first CD consists of music any Jarre fan knows with some odd bits on Equinoxe 4 (dare I suggest the master tape is past its best?) and the original version of Zoolook rather than the remix which replaced it on all but the first pressings of the eponymously titled album. Jarre seems to have forgotten he made “Chronologie” and picked one of the worst tracks from his “Metamorphoses” album. I ordered this package as it promised a bonus disc of Jarre’s pre-Oxygene work (all of which is available on Bootleg CD’s) and some new nifty artwork (I am a sucker for those CD’s pressed up to look like LP’s, love ‘em). I have heard all the tracks beforehand, it’s true to say the mastering is much better on this ‘official’ CD but some of the tracks are so old and have so much tape hiss you have to wonder why they bothered. So essentially “Essentails” is not essential but it might do enough to remind me of Jarre’s lost genius (and possibly make me rip my Cousteau CD just to heal a wound).

Credo is a credit to the league

The Human League’s “Credo” is a welcome return from obscurity. Having been severely disappointed by 2001’s “Secrets” (I’ve played it 3 times at most) I wasn’t expecting much following a 10 year hiatus - but “Credo” delivers some great moments. “Breaking the Chains” “Sky” and “Get Together” are really good tracks that highlight the cohesive and minimalistic style of producers I Monster. The majority of tracks are well produced and interesting with some real moments of genius.

However you would have thought that Oakey would have learned. Ever since we suffered the butt clenchingly bad lyric “Before he leaves the camp he stops, He scans the world outside, and where there used to be some shops, is where the snipers sometimes hide” I have prayed for The Human League to get some help writing lyrics. Alas, “Credo” continues in the same vain as its predecessors: “”Put on your best frocks and blouses, time to go out from your houses, must we creep round like the mouses?” What????? 

Putting the lyrical clunks aside, I am really pleased that at least one electronic ‘old school’ (I refuse to pigeon hole anyone as an 80’s group) band can still make a decent record that I don’t begrudge having paid money for. Blancmange take note.

Blancmange: He's having a coffee - he wants it hot

The return of Blancmange was announced about 18 months ago. Soon after we heard excerpt of tracks they were working on from their web page: they were pretty poor and almost laughable. I dismissed them as the finger paintings of two old collaborators having fun and trying to find a way into writing something worth recording.

Imagine my surprise when I played their new album “blanc burn” to find one of the afore mentioned ‘finger paintings’ the first track on the CD. From this inauspicious start things do improve slightly, but not much. The half finished single “Drive Me” goes nowhere; “The Western” works well, but is pulled down by the tracks book ending it. Apart from “Don’t Let These Days” little else on this album deserves mention.

Blancmange have always displayed questionable quality control on their albums and I suppose “blanc burn” follows in this tradition. They aren’t being avante garde, they aren’t being clever, and they aren’t being individual. It’s just crap, and if the album dies on its arse they only have themselves to blame.

What is going on?

What is going on? In the middle of last year we were led to believe that Royksopp's new album "Senior" would be the stunning but quiet and introspective counterpoint to the dance pop of "Junior" only to find it was a distinctly underwhelming experience.

Now another major mover in the world of electronic music has fallen from my grace in a more spectacular fashion. With the release of "Delicacies" Simian Mobile Disco seem to have circumvented any quality control and just released their demo's and called it a new album. As one of my friends said of the album recently: "Where are the tunes?"

"Delicacies" seems to have followed "Temporary Pleasure" after an indecently short period of time and alarm bells began to ring when the release schedule included a mixed version of the album as if it was easily reduced to a DJ set; not exactly a marker of quality in my book. Whilst Royksopp's "Senior" was at least well produced and original, "Delicacies" sounds like a flick through the demo's of any other Sounclick bound bedroom failure (this includes myself you understand).

I think my reason for disliking this album are more intense as I loved "Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release" and "Temporary Pleasure" showed some promise for the future. We all knew this new album was going to be "techno based" but hell, we didn't realise there were to be no tunes. Writing songs with a good groove is one thing, but writing them with a good tune has always been quite another.

"Delicacies" is one of those albums that is produced by a band who have lost direction. Self indulgent, uninteresting and repetitive; "Delicacies" is one dish I can happily refuse.

Failing to see the difference

I miss the days when buying a single was an easy affair. Generally you looked at the tracks on the 12” to check if it had everything the 7” did. I always bought the 12” and then the 7” if it had a different mix or b-side.

With the release of ‘Together’ the Pet Shop Boys have confused me somewhat. Once I got my head around the myriad of mixes and formats both digital and physical I made my choices and paid my money. However, I am failing to understand the difference between the 3:30 Radio Mix of the title track and the 3:31 Ultimate mix. I consider myself to have quite good ears and especially for Pet Shop Boys tracks but I am left baffled as to the difference between these two uniquely labelled mixes.

Is there a difference? Does anyone know? Is it a typo? The web seems to give me no answers and nobody else seems to asking the question. Am I going mad or are my ears defunct?

a-ha are gone........

A recent trip to see Goldfrapp was so unengaging and frankly, boring, that I don’t even have the strength to write about it here. Last night I needed ‘a-ha’ to banish my memories of their insipid ‘Lifelines’ tour and renew my passion for the live concert.

I wasn’t that hopeful as I entered the Sheffield Arena, I knew this gig was set as a ‘half-house’ with 50 to 75% of the seating curtained off (a very curious affair that I have only ever seen in that arena).

Once inside the arena I headed for the merchandise stall. £15 for a program isn’t that unusual today. The phrase ‘value for money’ is not in the lexicon of bands, tour managers or program vendors, 99% of the time it is about ripping fans off with unscrupulous zeal. Happily, a-ha are marking their farewell tour with a tour book. And it really is a book!

Once the band took the stage I simply forgot any concerns or niggles about the arena and simply marvelled at the show unfolding in front of me. One of the most impressive live spectacles I have seen in many years. If you missed this tour then tough. They are finished. Over. a-ha will be no more by the end of the year.

Until they get short on cash or bored and then the reunion tour will winging its way to a city near you in 2015. But don’t get me started on band splitting up and reforming……..

Time to support the support

Everyone knows support bands are crap. Nobody pays them much attention and invariably they don’t deserve it. Everyone knows that. Right?

Well no.

Invariably I don’t turn up to gigs until a few minutes before the headline act are due to take to the stage, too much shit like “Où Est Le Swimming Pool” or “I Blame Coco” is not good for my ears. On a recent trip to Birmingham to see “Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark” a happy mix of bad timing and pure coincidence meant that we arrived in time to see most of the support act “Villa Nah”. Despite only catching ¾ of their set I was very impressed. Very impressed indeed. In fact I have spent more time since the gig listening to and thinking about “Villa Nah” than I have OMD.

Tracks such as “Daylight” and “Running On” are nothing short of genius. Hints of their skills were apparent in their remix of OMD’s “If You Want It” which was the only decent remix made available (indeed some of the others are amongst the worst I have head in a long time). There is a real craft and care taken in the work of “Villa Nah”. Nothing happens by accident; every note, snare drum, opening filter or vocal intonation sounds part of a wider aesthetic that is both familiar and new. Brilliant stuff and likeable guys.

So will I go to see support acts now? No. Absolutely not, but I am very glad I did this time. It must have been fate.