One record at a time: 33. Tim Bowness - Songs From The Ghost Light

Is this a compilation? Is it an EP? Is it an album? Is it a mini-album?  To be honest I have no idea what it is.

"Songs from the Ghost Light" was released soon after Tim's previous effort "Lost In The Ghost Light" and given the title of the record, I would have assumed there is a link between the two; but I have no idea what it is. The record itself is a 180g 'moon blue' disc from a pressing of 500 units.

The album (or whatever it is) starts with a "Chamber Version" of "Stupid Things That Mean The World" which distils the melody of the song and lays it out across a broader canvas. There's a nice live version of "The Warm Up Man Forever" which is followed by a couple of album out-takes. One of these out-takes is my favourite track on the record called "Once a Record". This is a 'Mellotron drenched' ambient piece that sparks memories of Tangerine Dream. The rest of the album consists of live tracks and atmospheric pieces that are mildly entertaining without setting the world on fire. Whilst there is nothing offensive to my ears on this record, neither is there much to draw me back. 2/5

One record at a time: 32. Tim Bowness - Lost In The Ghost Light

"Lost In The Ghost Light" is a concept album centred around a fictional rock musician whose career is in decline. My copy is one of 400 hand numbered gold coloured records which were sent out with a signed postcard.

Tim seems to have restricted himself to conventional 'rock' instruments and recorded them in a traditional band set up for this record. Whilst some of the songs are good, I'll admit that I find this album hard going. The nearest you get to a synthesiser is the occasional Mellotron or B3 organ. Electronic music this is not.

The opening song "Worlds of Yesterday" is wonderfully executed by people who are clearly highly skilled musicians. However, the intricate guitar arpeggios hint at what could have been if there had only been a scattering of synth and someone had pressed (hard just to make sure) the mute button on the awful electric guitar track. The nine minute opus "Moonshot Manchild" is archetypical 'prog rock' that doesn't really have enough ideas to warrant its nine minute run time. We're treated to more horrible wailing guitar on "Killing the Pain that's Killing You" and despite some early promise, "Nowhere Good to Go" ultimately lets side one whimper out. "You'll Be The Silence" is another 9 minute prog rock special that has tinges of ELO, Yes, Queen and The Beatles, but is ultimately a bit boring. "You Wanted to be Seen" and "Distant Summers" are good songs but by this stage I had grown tired of the Mellotron strings and the jazz flute that seem to rotate in and out of every track. In summary, I'd say there are some good songs here but they are let down by their execution. Not my favourite album. 2/5

One record at a time: 31. Tim Bowness - Stupid Things That Mean The World

Inevitably the next record in my collection is another Tim Bowness album. Conventional wisdom dictates that this 'transparent' vinyl might not have the audio fidelity of other carriers, but I can't fault it. The sound reproduction is clear and there is great dynamic range.

"Stupid Things That Mean The World" continues in the vein of its predecessor and inexorably retains many hallmarks of the No-Man sound. Whilst the sound is familiar, the first two tracks prominently feature a new instrument in the Yamaha CP-70 piano which I find a little thin and unsurprising. Still, they are good songs.

The third track "The Way You've Always Been" is magical and has a great melody. There seems to be a pattern emerging with Tim's solo albums where we see two conventional rock songs followed by a third more haunting and melodic piece. The title track is unusually upbeat (upbeat for Tim anyway) and features some excellent drumming alongside strings and Tim's hushed vocal. "Know That You Were Loved" isn't really my kind of thing with its acoustic, electric and pedal steel guitar: it's all a bit too "guitar" for me, despite some nice drum programming.

On the B side, "Press Reset" builds from its foundation into a swirling titan complete with an unlikely distorted vocal . "All These Escapes" has some nice percussion in a similar vein to the No-Man "Only Rain" but it lacks the atmosphere and melody of its esteemed relation. Disappointingly the guitar sound comes to the fore again with "Everything You're Not" but a nice Moog style solo punches through to provide a nice diversion. The next track is a rather weird jazz-flute type instrumental which is mercifully short. "Soft William" sees the return of the Yamaha electric grand piano but at least I don't have to listen to too much acoustic guitar again. The album closes out with "At The End of the Holiday" which features the curious couplet "Her Mother’s sleeping on the bench, A precious friend, a saucy wench." This track has the potential to be hypnotic and inspiring, but instead it left me a bit cold. So, this album is not as good as "Abandoned Dancehall Dreams" but highlights such as "The Way You've Always Been" and "Press Reset" remain amongst Tim's best. 3/5

One record at a time: 30. Tim Bowness - Abandoned Dancehall Dreams

"Abandoned Dancehall Dreams" was released in 2014 and is Tim's second solo album. I own the standard black vinyl and the hand numbered white version (minus the essay and the postcard that were originally included in the package). 

I have no idea what genre this record is classified as, but it is certainly the most 'rock' album we have encountered thus far. Having listened to so much electronic music, the introduction of real drums, bass guitar and violin takes some getting used to. I have to 'get in the mood' for albums like these and they definitely benefit from your undivided attention.

I had adjusted by the third track "Songs of Distant Summers" which features haunting vocals that float above a hypnotic piano refrain. I love these captivating songs that somehow seem to transport you to a little cloud. To me, this is where Tim is at his best. Other highlights include "Smiler at 52"  which tingles with atmosphere and illustrates how poetic Tim's lyrics are. The nine minutes of "I Fought the South" seem to fly by and the wistful "Dancing for you" leaves me wanting to know more about the character in the song .  

There are no dance tracks or upbeat diversions here. This album is pure unadulterated, shoe gazing art rock for the middle aged. When the world seems to be spinning too fast this is a perfect listen. 3/5

One record at a time: 29. Blancmange - Believe You Me

The last Blancmange LP in my collection is my favourite by the band, "Believe You Me". Like its predecessor, "Mange Tout" I own the 2015 double album and the original pressing. For this post we will stick with the original.

This record has one of those annoying picture labels that gives you no indication if it is the A or B side. You have to flip it over and decipher tiny cryptic clues as to which side is which. I hate that. My copy also has a price sticker from WH Smith telling us it cost £6.29 when new - a bargain.

The first track "Lose Your Love" is a catchy pop song that is expertly produced by Stewart Levine. Given Neil's penchant for quirky lyrics, I sometimes find it hard to adjust my brain when I hear him singing more conventionally. I'm not sure if the intention was to produce a more commercial track but it certainly sounds different to others on here. Next is lead single "What's Your Problem?" which deserved a much wider audience than eighties radio afforded it. I'm not surprised it wasn't a hit as it doesn't have the instant pop hook the charts seem to demand, but it is a clever song that rewards repeated listening.

There is a nice change of pace with the quirky "Paradise Is" which features the Roland TR-707 drum machine which was a new bit of kit at the time of recording. The fantastic "Why Don't They Leave Things Alone?" is one of those songs that you can't help but sing along to and is probably the highlight of the album. The later single version titled "I Can See It" tries too hard and ends up sounding a mess. Why didn't they leave it alone? The album version was perfect. "22339" is nothing more than an album filler: a nice track, but album filler nonetheless. 

"Don't You Love It All" has a great tune and is well produced, but somehow sounds a little facile. "Believe" is reminiscent of early Depeche Mode (before they lost their way and went 'rock') but marks the beginning of a decline for the album. "Lorraine's My Nurse" is the seemingly mandatory ballad with string arrangement and we see the TR-707 return on "Other Animals". Thankfully the TR-808 provides the drums on the instrumental "No Wonder They Never Made It Back!" and the dull "John" closes things out. Like all Blancmange albums, this record is inconsistent and has more filler than I remember. But the highs of "What's Your Problem?", "Why Don't They Leave Things Alone?" and "Believe" outweigh the lows. 3/5

One record at a time: 28. Blancmange - Mange Tout

If I ever earnestly employ the phrase "sophomore effort" on this blog you have permission to write a sternly worded letter of complaint. This phrase isn't commonly used in England (my spell check won't even accept it) and I find it annoying when my fellow countrymen use the phrase. "Mange Tout" is simply Blancmange's second album which was released in 1984. Alongside the "Blanc Tapes" double vinyl, I also own the original pressing reviewed here.

As I work my way though my record collection I am struck by how good original 'vintage' vinyl can sound. I have come to the conclusion that where an affordable second hand copy of an album exists, it is preferable to buy these than cough up for a reissue.

So this original vintage pressing of "Mange Tout" gets going with the single "Don't Tell Me". I never understood why their debut album "Happy Families" started with a less commercial track, but a lesson seemed to have been learnt and this record goes straight for the jugular with what is possibly my favourite Blancmange song. "Game Above My Head" is another excellent track with characteristic eighties slap bass and excellent synth work. This record maintains momentum with the top ten hit "Blind Vision" which is a quirky synthpop romp that doesn't seem to stick to a traditional verse/chorus structure. There is a change of pace with ballad "Time Became The Tide" which I find hard to take seriously with Neil's vocals. The first side finishes with yet another single "That's Love, That It Is" which sounds like it was written in response to the record label's request for a hit single. Whilst this track follows the formula for an eighties disco hit, it doesn't quite hit the mark. 

Side B opens with "Murder" which unfortunately isn't a cover version of the New Order song of the same name, but is a noisy mess that doesn't seem to employ any chord changes. Next track "See The Train" must have taken a long time to record with its multiple vocal over dubs and harmonies, but that is the most positive thing I can say about it. The introduction of "All Things Are Nice" wouldn't have sounded out of place on a Front 242 album, but this and the next track, "My Baby" come and go without leaving much impression otherwise. The album ends with the Abba cover "The Day Before You Came". It took me a long time to appreciate this song and whilst I much prefer the single version, the version here makes a pretty good alternative (even if the tabla percussion sounds totally incongruous). Whilst this album is a bit hit and miss, it has at least opened my eyes to the fact that a twenty five year old record can sound better than a modern day pressing which costs ten times as much. 2/5

One record at a time: 27. Blancmange - Happy Families

The last time I posted thoughts about a Blancmange album was for "Blanc Burn" in 2011. On that occasion my comments didn't go down too well with some readers and I began to wonder if I'd made a misjudgement. Ten years on I realise my language may have been a little acerbic, but my assertion that it wasn't a good album was sound. In fact, I don't have a great deal of interest in the unrelenting tsunami of new Blancmange material that has been released over the last ten years. I tried it and didn't like it.

For me, Blancmange were at their best in the first three albums. The version of their debut "Happy Families" I own is taken from the vinyl version of the 2019 compilation "The Blanc Tapes". To be honest I'm not sure if this is considered a box set or a compilation, but I'll stick with the description in Discogs and call it a compilation. The first thing to say about this pressing is that some copies contain a number of known manufacturing defects. It's a bit of a lottery as to which faults your set will contain. My copy suffers from a crease across the top of the slipcase that holds the records, but doesn't seem to have the more worrying issues with "vinyl contamination" or poor sound quality experienced by others.

When it comes to the music, "I Can't Explain" is an odd choice for an opening track as it is a slow burning drone rather than the catchy single you might expect to kick things off. "Feel Me" is a personal favourite that has some great backing vocals alongside the rather funky backing track. "I've Seen The Word" is a skilfully produced track that could sound morose in less capable hands. The next track "Wasted" sounds like a prototype Erasure record; which just goes to prove Neil and Stephen had the synth pop formula a full three years before Vince and Andy honed it. Nowhere is Blancmange's commercial potential more strongly demonstrated than in the next track "Living On The Ceiling" which has smart production, catchy riffs and clever lyrics. 

I've never been too keen on the ballad "Waves" but it is executed competently. As the flip side of the record progresses things become a little formulaic until we encounter the guitar led instrumental "Sad Day", which sounds like Joy Division on uppers. The final track "God's Kitchen" is an example of a song with humours lyrics that don't make your toes curl; something they couldn't repeat on "Blanc Burn". 2/5

The second disc in this version of the album kicks off with "Sad Day (Original Version)" which is so slow I was convinced it was playing at the wrong speed. We have to wade through several demo recordings of questionable quality until we reach the extended versions of "Living on the Ceiling", "God's Kitchen" and "Feel Me" which aren't as rewarding as I remember.

Like most bands from the eighties that continue to release music today, Blancmange rely on a core group of fans to buy it. This compilation is clearly catering to those fans by delivering demos and previously unheard material which document the early life of the band. For me, the original album remains the highilght of this compilation and the second disc is largely redundant.