One record at a time: 259. MG - MG

One of the markers of your dedication to a band is your willingness to buy records released by individual members. By this measure I could be regarded as a "less than half hearted" Depeche Mode fan as "MG" by MG is the only solo record by a member of the group that I own. 

I suspect Martin Gore chose to employ the MG moniker for this album to differentiate it from his earlier solo records or his work with Depeche Mode. None of the sixteen instrumentals that make up this record offer any concessions to pop or rock. This is abstract electronic music with only the occasional dance beat or twist of self indulgent noodling to add colour.

It is quite fitting that the opening track "Pinking" is named after an engine fault as the song is a bit of a miss fire. As soon as you think the atmosphere is about to build into something interesting, it ends. "Europa Hymn" is an improvement and reminds me of B12 or Aphex Twin with some unmistakable Martin Gore flourishes thrown in. Another standout is "Stealth" which rumbles along with some nice chords and minimalistic beats. "Crowly" is a bit more aggressive sounding and is reminiscent of Gore's collaboration with Vince Clarke "VCMG" (how do they think of these band names? Amazing). Everything else washes over me like a sea of mediocrity.

As I swap the discs and handle the packaging I can't help but feel the quality of this pressing is a little wasted on the music. Both discs sound as good as you would expect from a heavyweight Optimal media pressing, and both a CD and digital download were included in the package. Yet nothing on here really grabs my attention. This is a soundtrack to a movie that has yet to be made, and I think I might enjoy it more in such a context; but as a piece to listen to, it doesn't really interest me that much. 2/5

Dead people's records

I occasionally like to take a look in charity shops to see if they have anything interesting and maybe find a bargain. As a music fan I tend to gravitate towards the media section of the shop along with the usual assortment of middle aged men who mutter to themselves and have poor hygiene. The people in the media section also tend to be territorial and are not adverse to getting their elbows out in order to fend off anyone encroaching on their territory.

If you can get to it, most shops will have a small selection of vinyl records, but they always seem to be the usual assortment of Herb Alpert, James Last, Dean Martin or Andy Williams LPs from the sixties and seventies. There are often multiple copies of the same record available. I once took great pleasure in lining up five copies of "The Sound of Bread" to ensure that any passing Bread enthusiasts wouldn't have to look too hard to find the copy in best condition. Occasionally you will see a dusty box of classical music sitting underneath the shelves. Such boxes are often groaning with ten disc box sets or various "Classics for Pleasure" titles that haven't been played in sixty years. I have even seen boxes of cassettes - but searching those is a bit too hardcore even for me.

The one thing that all of these records and tapes have in common is that they are worthless. The audience for easy listening music is quite literally dead. Even the few living people who are interested in the genre aren't likely to need a another copy of "Al Martino: Gold" or Perry Como "And I love you so".

I also see other patterns emerging with newer music. Almost every single charity shop in the UK seems to contain the Robbie Williams back catalogue on CD. Invariably you can walk out of any 'chazza' in England with at least four copies of "Escapology" if you so desire. However, I suspect these CDs are merely the discarded ephemera of Generation X as they move wholesale to streaming services rather than as a result of their untimely deaths.

Therefore anything worth owning in a charity shop tends to stick out like a turd in a swimming pool. I have seen the prices of anything even vaguely worth owning rocket in the last couple of years. It seems the people who kindly volunteer to work in charity shops have become attuned to the difference between a box of dead people's records and something people might actually want. So unless you need another LP by The Tijuana Brass or to overpay for something you do want, you might as well avoid charity shops.

One record at a time: 258. Liza Minnelli - Results

I first bought "Results" on cassette whilst on holiday in the summer of 1990 - I didn't buy it when it was released as I simply couldn't afford it. Obviously I own this album (three times on vinyl, twice on CD and a cassette) because of its link to the Pet Shop Boys - I'm not a Liza fan per se. 

Here I will be playing the 2012 180g repressing, but I also own the hardback book version from the same year and an original copy from 1989. I bought the re-pressings as they were being sold off cheaply by Vinyl 180 who had released them a couple of years earlier. These are far from perfect pressings with crackles throughout, but they are at least packaged very well.

As "I Want You Now" kicks into life I'm immediately reminded of how dance orientated this album is. Producers Julian Mendelsohn and Pet Shop Boys seem keen to draw on the sounds of early house with a pounding beat and funky bassline that could have come straight out of a Chicago warehouse. Yet the antiquated orchestra hits and Fairlight string stabs clearly single this out as eighties pop. I have never been a fan of the ridiculously low register Liza employs during chorus, but this is a great introduction nevertheless.

The single "Losing My Mind" comes next and is full of frothy hi-energy. The drums on this track sound a bit dull when compared to the more contemporary samples used on other tracks, but the relentless bassline drives things along nicely. "If There Was Love" provides a perfect example of this contrast in drum sounds with its TR-808 snare and pounding kick piercing through the mix. The only downside to this track is the DX7 harmonica preset which sounds a bit naff to modern ears. The excellent contributions of Danny Cummings (percussion) and Pete Vitesse (piano) are prominent here but the sax of Courtney Pine is most definitely not to my taste.

One of the best compositions on this record is the plaintive "So Sorry I Said". There's a great Fairlight double bass sample and some nice programmed percussion underpinning Liza's earnest vocals. "Don't Drop Bombs" is another upbeat electronic track which is once again heavy on the programmed percussion but the backing vocals seem completely unnecessary to me. Next is a half finished cover version of "Twist in my sobriety" in which Liza sounds like she isn't too sure of the melody or convinced by the merits of the song in general. 

Angelo Badalamenti's orchestral arrangement for "Rent" adds a new dimension and turns an electro single into a moving show tune. I quite like the song "Love Pains" but the production here is all wrong. Liza is regarded as one of the most distinctive singers of her generation; so why get three backing singers to drown her out? It makes no sense. There's another orchestral version of a Pet Shop Boys song with "Tonight is Forever" but the magic of "Rent" is missing. The perfect finishing track "I Can't Say Goodnight" is in a fine cabaret tradition but with a synth-pop twist. This is an enjoyable album but it lacks consistency and one or two of the song choices are questionable. 3/5

One record at a time: 257. Massive Attack - Heligoland

Having enjoyed Massive Attack's first two albums, I bought the single "Risingson" as soon as it was released in 1997. However, I found this song so disappointing that I didn't even investigate parent album "Mezzanine" when it was released the following year. Like everyone I heard "Angel" incessantly on movie trailers and TV shows, but it wasn't enough to pique my interest and I left Massive Attack behind for a time. 

My interest in the band was rekindled in 2010 and when The Vinyl Factory announced a special edition of new album "Heligoland", it looked so good I decided to order it. As I mentioned in the post for Hot Chip's "One Life Stand", The Vinyl Factory used to make really sumptuous collectors editions by bands you had actually heard of, but sadly this is no longer the case.

This really is a lavish package with glittery artwork and heavy paper stock. There are three 180g vinyl discs and a CD housed in a three panel gatefold sleeve; it's all very impressive - right up until you play it. That's not to say the vinyl is a bad pressing; far from it. It's the music that is lacklustre here. 

Opening track "Pray for Rain" features some distinctive rolling toms and the voice of Babatunde Adebimpe in what is a departure from the traditional Massive Attack sound. There aren't really any samples being employed and there is a greater emphasis on acoustic instruments than on previous efforts. The second track "Babel" features bass and drums that sound like a 'band in a room' recording - which is really disappointing to hear from an artist that had previously pushed the boundaries of electronic music. "Splitting the Atom" and "Girl I love You" see Horace Andy providing his distinctive vocals over flat and disappointing backing tracks that make you wonder if this is the same band that created "Unfinished Sympathy". The panned guitar samples of "Psyche" provide something a little more sonically interesting but it's not enough to rescue the track.

The second slab of vinyl opens with the terrible "Flat of the Blade" which is a perfect demonstration of the tuneless drivel that can be generated when a collection of illustrious musicians begin to mess about in the studio and nobody from the record company dare tell them what they are producing is crap. One of the best songs on here is the sublime "Paradise Circus" which features the vocals of Hope Sandoval. There's a messy guitar based track in the form of "Rush Minute" and as I dislike Damon Albarn's voice, I can't wait for "Sunday Come Slow" to end. The final album track "Atlas Air" has a nice groove but I still can't help but wonder how much better it would have been if it harnessed the traditional sound of the band.

The third disc features the Gui Boratto remix of "Paradise Circus" which adds a nice electronic feel and there is a disappointing remix of a track called "Fatalism" (a track I wasn't aware of prior to owning the record). "United Snakes" is a former b-side that doesn't do a lot but at least features some nice electronic synth sounds. The best part of the whole package is left to last with the fantastic She is Danger remix of "Girl I Love You". This mix provides structure and cohesion to the slightly disjointed original and adds a brilliant rumbling bassline. 2/5

One record at a time: 256. Massive Attack - Protection

When Massive Attack released their second album in 1994 I didn't think twice about buying the CD. I bought this 2016 re-pressing of the LP about three years ago when it was being sold off at a reduced price. Retailers don't seem to have sales where you can pick up vinyl cheaply any more - in fact everything has shifted dramatically in the other direction with £30 and £40 being asked for the most basic re-pressings today.

The opening track "Protection" somehow manages to be laid back and dreamy and yet comfortably accommodate a TB-303 and one of the deepest kick drums you're ever likely to hear. Tracey Thorn's airy vocal floats along as the music builds and releases for nearly eight minutes. Another single "Karmacoma" comes next with its infectious beat and distinctive samples. I can't pretend I understand all of the lyrics Tricky and 3-D are saying and the significance of "Jamaica and Roma" is completely lost on me. I have seem various attempts to read meaning into this song but personally I suspect it is about nothing more cerebral that smoking drugs. But who is to say? 

One of my favourite songs is "Three" which has an amazing vocal by Nicolette - there's also a great remix of this track by Dom T on the second CD single of "Protection" that I used to play a lot. "Weather Storm" is an instrumental where pianist Craig Armstrong plays over a 2 bar loop for five minutes - which is strangely more engaging than this description would suggest. Side one rounds out with "Spy Glass" which sees the return of Horace Andy on vocals whilst the band create an electronic dub sound that is reminiscent of Leftfield. 

Back in the day I would turn the volume up high for "Better Things" so that the sub bass would have the cones on my speakers popping back and forth. I did this purely to impress my friends and few of them even went out and bought the album on the back of hearing this prodigious demonstration. "Eurochild" has 3-D and Tricky delivering their distinctive rap over a collage of samples but it doesn't work as well as similar tracks here. When I bought this album I was familiar with "Sly" as this was the lead single but looking back at the wealth of material on here, I wouldn't have picked this as a lead single. "Heat Miser" is another Craig Armstrong piano improvisation but set against an electronica backdrop this time. Things round out with a fun live version of "Relight My Fire" with Horace Andy and Daddy G providing the vocals. 3/5

One record at a time: 255. Massive Attack - Blue Lines

I have a memory of watching a late night comedy show (the internet tells me it was called Paramount City) sometime in the early nineties (the internet tells me it was 8th June 1991) and seeing Massive Attack playing "Safe From Harm" (the internet is not so certain on this one). This performance convinced me to buy the parent album "Blue Lines" on CD the following week and more lately, this unremarkable reissue of the LP in 2016.

The rumbling bass guitar sample that opens "Safe From Harm" should be annoying as, not only does it loop continuously throughout the song, but it is lifted wholesale from another track. Yet, there's so much layered over the top of this sample that you can't help but admire the ingenuity at play. Shara Nelson's vocal is exquisite and the synth chords provide a perfect accompaniment. There are many clever touches such as sampling 3-D's vocal and repeatedly triggering it to ensure the delivery is anything but mundane.

"One Love" is a change of pace in which Horace Andy delivers an inimitable vocal over sampled loops. The key here is that the melody is allowed to shine through and lift the track to a whole new level. We hear Tricky for the first time on the title track as the whole group get to rap over a breakbeat and some mellow electric piano. There's cover of an old school soul song, "Be Thankful For What You've Got" which I can only assume is a song the band admired as there's not much else to distinguish it. Side one finishes with the dub of "Five Man Army" in which the band rap over an Al Green loop and Horace Andy's ad libs.

The highlight of the album is undoubtedly "Unfinished Sympathy" which is rightly revered as a classic. This is a perfect recording that I'm not sure how anyone could criticise. Even if the rest of the album was made up of fart noises this song would still make it worthy of purchase. "Daydreaming" is built around a sample of a Wally Badarou track (which provides a nice link back to Level 42) and has another fantastic Shara Nelson vocal. Thanks to the samples that form the backbone of "Lately" it has an almost synth-pop vibe and makes for a nice change. The epic final track is "Hymn of the Big Wheel" which sees Horace Andy return to sing a tale of the earth's destruction as a whale impeaches us from the deep. 4/5

One record at a time: 254. Mansun - Six

Having failed to understand their debut album, I wondered if Mansun's follow up might offer me more insight into their unique sound. I bough the CD of "Six" when it was released in 1998 and this twenty first anniversary limited edition clear vinyl is from 2019.

This album was released at a time when Britpop had waned and morphed into a sort of indie-psychedelia that threw up the likes of Space and The Flaming Lips. At the centre of this whirlwind of faecal matter was this largely impenetrable album full of overly long songs that swing wildly between indie and opera (replete with Tom Baker narration). 

There is nothing that resembles electronic music on this record and it just sounds like traditional rock to my ears. Yes, it is experimental, but it remains rock nonetheless. Ideas are exuberantly scattered around but they all seem to fall on fallow ground and their potential is never realised. Almost every song on this album is twice as long as it should be and only "Inverse Midas" feels about right at 1'44''. I question why I ever bought this. 1/5