One record at a time: 442. Vangelis - Antarctica

"Antarctica" is the score for the Japanese film of the same name that was released in 1983. For a long time I was only familiar with the main theme from this album as it was featured on 'sound-alike' compilations such as "Synthesizer Greatest" or Project D's "Synthesizer 2". When I did finally hear the original I found it very impressive and understood why it would be considered amongst Vangelis's best work. 

As we drop the needle I am immediately struck by fact that Vangelis seems to be using a sampler for the first time. From what I have read, Vangelis bought his EMU Emulator with the intention of replacing his drum machine with samples played from the keyboard. However the rather primitive sampling technology of the time meant that the Emulator wasn't responsive enough for Vangelis and was demoted to providing percussion sounds alone. 

The sampled timpani on the opening theme are used alongside a conventional string machine and burbling analogue bass. As for the distinctive melody, there are various theories relating to how the sound was created. Some believe it is a sample of a guzheng, others think it is derived from the Yamaha CS-80 synthesizer and some theorise it is a combination of the two. Personally, I have no clue. I just know it isn't the "Koto" preset from a Roland D-10 that I used to try to play along with when I was younger.

Having just listened to the full seven and a half minute version of the theme I am struck by how much better it sounds in its unedited form. If you’ve only ever heard the version on the compilations "Themes", "Odyssey" or "Portraits" then I encourage you to seek out the original as it is a truly wondrous composition.  

Another standout piece is "Antarctic Echoes" in which Vangelis uses the distinctive electric piano preset of the Yamaha CS-80 and the choir sound from the Roland VP-330 to reimagine the main theme. This song seems to hang in the air as if suspended by invisible threads - it is very impressive indeed. I also like "Life or Antarctica" which is a highly atmospheric track with a strong melody and the distinctive timpani samples that seem to be the hallmark of this album. 

I have never seen the film this soundtrack is taken from so I have absolutely no idea if the music is appropriate for the visuals, but it has never really summed up images of desolate snowy landscapes in my mind.  Still this is impressive music and a record I should revisit more often than I do. 4/5

One record at a time: 441. Vangelis - Chariots of Fire

My copy of "Chariots of Fire" is a reissue that was pressed after the film won numerous Academy Awards; including that for best score. This is actually one of few Vangelis albums that I never bought on CD and I hadn't heard it in its entirety until I acquired this LP from eBay in 2016. Whilst visually this record is in pretty good nick, there are a few pieces of sticky debris that cause the needle to jump now and again - I will have to put it through my record cleaner at some stage.

Unless you have been living in a cave for forty years you will have heard the main theme from "Chariots of Fire" a thousand times. The music is so overused it has become a cliche. Yet if you can transcend above the cliche, you will find a fascinating piece of music that has to be considered amongst the composers best work. What I didn't realise about this record is that all the music is re-recorded especially for this release and does not feature the actual cues used in the film. I am told the original music is somewhat less embellished and everything seems to have been enhanced for the commercial release of the soundtrack.

"Five Circles" is a stirring theme played on the famous Yamaha CS-80 brass presets and we hear the familiar Rhodes piano on "Abraham's Theme". So far, so Vangelis. Then, rather strangely, we are presented with the traditional English hymn "Jerusalem" - but this performance has nothing to do with Vangelis. 

The second side of the disc features the title track that is twenty minutes in length. In this piece Vangelis takes the main theme and offers variations that have classical overtones. This music is driven by the sound of the grand piano and electronic instruments are only used to add embellishments here and there. There's nothing on this second side to get excited about and the music tends to melt into the background as your mind wanders away. 2/5

One record at a time: 440. Vangelis - See You Later

With the advent of eighties, Vangelis sought to change the sound of his music. Not only does "See You Later" feature vocals, but it also uses drum machines and collaborations with numerous other artists. Loosely based around the concept of a decaying planet, this album is fairly experimental with little concession to its commercial fortunes. Having said that, this is no "Beaubourg".

The first track, "I Can't Take It Anymore" features a Korg drum machine and a vocoder drenched vocal with occasional embellishment from the grand piano. The drum machine then gets a new pattern for "Multi-track Suggestion" where the vocalist Peter Marsh seems to sing about the various settings available on the studio equipment. Neither of these tracks get much love in online reviews, but I like them both and think they deserve more respect.

"Memories of Green" will be well known to many as it features on the soundtrack of "Blade Runner". The dreamlike lament of this piece is quite haunting but it is a bit too long. Side one finishes off with "Not a Bit-All of it" which descends into a twee bossa-nova riff with a spoken vocal by an artist called Cherry Vanilla. Whilst this track is undoubtedly tongue in cheek, it seems completely superfluous. At least it is less than three minutes in length. 

For the second side Vangelis ropes in his old mate Jon Anderson. The first track "Suffocation" sees the drum machine return and the trusty Yamaha CS-80 is wheeled out to provide the bass. This track moves through a few different phases before we hear Anderson's distinctive contra tenor followed by a languid coda. The title track that brings proceedings to an end features a sequenced bassline and jazzy Rhodes piano along with some spoken word vocals. Unfortunately this song just rattles along like an incoherent studio jam. Anderson returns at the end of the piece in a slightly more structured coda, but it is too late to rescue things. It's a shame the last track is so disappointing and what had gone before was much more entertaining. 3/5

P.S. I have since discovered that this album is not what Vangelis originally intended it to be. A test pressing of the album reveals there were three other songs included in the original tracklisting. "Fertilization" featured an unknown vocalist describing conception and gestation in humans. However, as the author of the text would not allow their work to be used, the track had to be removed from the album.

Whilst "My Love" was released as a non-album single, it is not clear why it and another song called "Neighbors Above" were removed from the LP. The track "See You Later" wasn't part of the original running order and I suspect this was just a studio jam that was tacked on the end to generate a decent runtime. 

One record at a time: 439. Vangelis - Opera Sauvage

I originally bought this album on CD from HMV in early 1992. I was 'a little short of funds' at the time so my mother lent me the £14 I needed to buy it. I never paid her back. I miss my mum.

Whilst this album was originally released in 1979, my LP is a repress from 1981 that I bought from eBay in 2016. This record is the soundtrack to a TV series created by long term collaborator Frédéric Rossif, but the 43 minutes of music presented here represents only a tiny fraction of what was created for the 21 episodes of the show. 

This album finds Vangelis at the peak of his creative powers in a studio brimming with the latest technology. Curiously, copies of this record with a gatefold sleeve credit Vangelis's famous Nemo studio in London and say the recordings were made during 1978 and 1979. However, the sleeve of my record states it was recorded in Paris in 1976 - so somebody is wrong somewhere.

Whatever the studio, you can't deny the music here is brilliant. The theme "Hymne" (not to be confused with a later piece with the anglicised title "Hymn") is a concise track that features a soaring melody and deeply atmospheric styling. The combined sounds of the Rhodes piano and the Yamaha CS-80 would become a hallmark of Vangelis and the track "Rêve" is a great example of this classic combination. 

Another standout melody is featured on "L'Enfant" and this should be considered amongst the composers best work. "Chromatique" is tinged slightly with jazz influences, but I like it nonetheless. The other tracks on the record that are a little less strong in terms of melody, but they all retain the same atmosphere. Whilst it is far from perfect, there are no big holes in this record. This is peak Vangelis. 4/5 

One record at a time: 438. Vangelis - The Best Of

I originally bought this album on CD in 1992 and I have strong memories of loading the disc into my Sony D-33 Discman. However, as the disc played I felt a slight pang of disappointment. I had naively assumed this would be a career retrospective but I later realised it was drawn from the four albums Vangelis released with RCA between 1975 and 1978. 

This limited scope is obviously a drawback and this can never be considered a comprehensive collection. My copy of the vinyl is an original UK pressing that I acquired on my Vangelis splurge nine years ago.  

The four tracks on the first side cherry pick the best pieces from the "Albedo 0.39" and "Spiral" albums, but "Alpha" seems conspicuous by its absence. The flip side is a little more challenging as it tries to cut the albums "Heaven and Hell" and "Beaubourg" into bite-size pieces. I can see why the A&R men chose "Bacchanale" and "Aires", but they still aren't my favourites. Let's face it, it doesn't really matter how you edit "Beaubourg" it isn't going to make much difference. 2/5

One record at a time: 437. Vangelis - China

The album "China" was released in 1979 and here I will be listening to my original UK pressing. I acquired this record from eBay nine years ago and unfortunately it is possessed of a particularly strong smell of damp. You will be unsurprised to hear that this is a concept album inspired by China and Vangelis uses traditional instruments, the spoken word and a few synthesisers to create his vision.

As I began to listen to this album, I was idly flicking through webpages trying to find out more about it. One of the first things I read was that I, and many other listeners have been completely misled regarding the tracklisting. Conventional wisdom tells us that "Chung Kuo" is five and a half minutes in length and "The Long March" that follows is a shorter piano piece. None of this is correct.

I suspect the issue arose as the majority of compact discs have been incorrectly indexed. The correct track indexing wasn't applied until Vangelis himself mastered a new version in 2017. It transpires that "Chung Kuo" is actually the long introduction to the album that lasts for one and a half minutes. "The Long March" has two parts: a more electronic piece that is often incorrectly referred to as "Chung Kuo", followed by a piano coda. It is this piano coda that is often misidentified as being the totality of "The Long March".

So, when I say that "The Long March" is an excellent track that deserves your attention, I am referring to a song you might have seen labelled as "Chung Kuo" on compilation albums, digital files and websites. 

Of the other tracks, I get the sense this album found Vangelis in a glorious period in which he used analogue synthesis to create original sounds rather than imitations of conventional instruments. Even though percussion features prominently on majestic tracks like "The Dragon", the composer is content to let synthesisers sit centre stage. "Himalaya" and "Summit" are atmospheric pieces that have just enough melody and rhythm to keep me interested, but "Yin and Yang" is not to my taste.

Naively I always assumed the abstract images on the sleeve were of a whirling dancer or some sort of oriental statue. I have been rather disappointed to find out that they are just blurry photos of Vangelis in a hotel swimming pool with no clothes on. 3/5

One record at a time: 436. Vangelis - The Dragon

"The Dragon" is an album culled from the same sessions Vangelis recorded in 1971 that resulted in the "Hypothesis" album. However, unlike its counterpart, "The Dragon" actually has something to recommend it. Whilst there are elements of the dreaded jazz music on here, Vangelis tends to borrow more from psychedelic rock this time around.

The title track that occupies the first side of the record is a fifteen minute long jam with a Middle Eastern bent. I can hear session musicians playing drums, guitar and violin, but I have no idea what Vangelis's contribution would have been. Unfortunately this track is so repetitive you could edit it down to a two minute burst without losing anything meaningful. Listening to the last four minutes is akin to torture with the same four bar loop just going around and around and around and around...

"Stuffed Aubergine" or "Stuffed Tomato" are softer sounding tracks that occupy the flip side. It's actually much easier to discern Vangelis's keyboards on these songs and the repetition isn't quite as pronounced. Still, not something I will be returning to anytime soon. I've read Vangelis didn't consume drugs or much alcohol during this period - but it sure as hell doesn't sound like it. 1/5

One record at a time: 435. Vangelis - Hypothesis

In 1971 Vangelis travelled to London and recorded some jam sessions as an experiment. The resulting recordings weren't considered to be of any merit and the whole project was unceremoniously shelved. 

Seven years later Vangelis had found commercial success and his albums would regularly sell 100,000 copies. Sensing an opportunity, the executive who originally financed the recording of the 1971 jam sessions sought out the tapes and decided to release them. Therefore "Hypothesis" is a classic cash grab that contains sub-standard material that was not approved by the composer or performers.

When I say sub-standard, I mean it. Even Vangelis himself went to court to stop distribution of the record: not because of the money, but because the product was so bad. The music takes the form of experimental jazz improvisation. The quality and the mix of the instruments isn't very good and there is little cohesion between the various performers. I bought this album out of curiosity - but my ears haven't forgiven me for what I subjected them to. Let's face it, the best thing about this record is the artwork. 1/5  

One record at a time: 434. Vangelis - Beaubourg

Until I owned this record I did not know that "Beaubourg" is a reference to the environs of the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. Having visited the building in 1977, Vangelis was inspired to write the music on this album and it was released the following year. 

My copy is a reissue from an unknown date that doesn't seem to be listed on Discogs. However, I'm not inclined to submit the details to the website as fellow users tend to pounce on even the slightest mistake with an aggressive zeal worthy of history's greatest despots - something I can do without. 

Listeners should be aware this is not a commercial album. Yes, it consists almost entirely of electronic music, but it seems Centre Georges Pompidou inspired the abstract and experimental side of Vangelis. "Beaubourg" is split into two parts which are contained on either side of the disc. However, unlike earlier 'two part' Vangelis albums, these are continuos pieces of music and not just separate tracks sandwiched together.

The internet tells me this album is largely the sound Vangelis manipulating the ring modulator of the Yamaha CS-80 synthesiser. Metallic noises are smeared across the soundscape as Vangelis experiments with various tunings and discordant notes. These noises go on for forty minutes. If you are persistent you may be rewarded with a short passage of melody here and there, but there is no real concession to the listener. This music is hard work. 

As this was his last album for RCA, there has been some suggestion that Vangelis simply threw down this recording to complete his contractual obligations. Personally I think this was a sincere effort to do something different and push the boundaries a bit - but this doesn't mean I have to like it. 

One of the reasons that many of the soundtracks and other works Vangelis recorded are not available commercially is because he felt there would simply be too many releases if they were all made available. But maybe, just maybe, he could have kept this one to himself and let something else slip out of the vault. I visited the Centre Georges Pompidou in 2003 but it didn't inspire me at all. However, I like to think if it had, I would have produced something more palatable than this. 1/5

One record at a time: 433. Vangelis - Spiral

"Spiral" from 1977 is notable as it saw the introduction of two important elements in the music of Vangelis: the sequencer and the Yamaha CS-80. In fact the CS-80 became so influential that Vangelis would describe it as the most important synthesizer in his career. "Spiral" is also one of few Vangelis albums that sounds truly electronic. Much of the Greek maestro's early work uses electro-acoustic instruments and his later efforts revolved around orchestral sounds. "Spiral" seems to have hit a sweet spot in which synthesizers were used to innovate rather than imitate.

My copy of this record is a UK first pressing that is housed in a nice gatefold sleeve with an embossed inner. The disc itself has no flaws and displays a quality of workmanship that you just don't see in modern records - even if it does smell like it has been kept in a damp cellar for ten years.

The title track serves as a remarkable opener and stands out as the album's highlight. Vangelis creates various sequencer driven arpeggios and burbling synth noises before introducing a grand melody that builds into a crescendo. The second track "Ballad" is also hugely enjoyable and one of very few occasions in which Vangelis's vocals (albeit highly processed) appear in his music. The third track "Dervish D." starts well but descends into 12 bar blues with jazz licks on the Rhodes piano. Happily the driving synth arpeggios manage to dilute the less palatable parts of the composition and we end up with quite a good track. 

On the second side of the disc the track "To The Unknown Man" has a strong melody and the whole piece evolves into the most amazing crescendo. The closing track, "3 + 3" is another sequencer driven effort that sounds like an uplifting counterpart to the title track. Whilst both of the songs on the b-side are over nine minutes long, Vangelis continually introduces new ideas and arrangements that serve to maintain the listener's interest. 

Even though this record ranks amongst Vangelis's very best, it has never appealed to me in quite the same way as the work of his contemporaries did. I think this is because Vangelis has a tendency to borrow from jazz, blues and rock music. Even with Vangelis at his most electronic, I occasionally feel like I am hearing something hackneyed - it's just that it is being played on electronic instruments instead of traditional ones. 3/5

One record at a Time: 432. Vangelis - La Fête Sauvage

"La Fête Sauvage" is another soundtrack album for a French wildlife documentary that was released in 1975. The sleeve of my LP is rather curious as it features a porcelain tiger - but the documentary was actually about lions. I bought this record in 2018 and it has the distinctive bouquet that only a damp shed/cellar/attic could bestow upon it. 

Whilst nominally divided into two parts, "La Fête Sauvage" actually consists of numerous short pieces and cues lumped together on each side of the record. Most of the synths and keyboards used to make this album are the same as those on "Heaven and Hell", but the finished product sounds very different. As with much of Vangelis's early work, the one constant sound seems to be that of the Rhodes piano.

The first side contains a series of pieces that are largely tranquil with only the very first track making any impression. The opening of the second side offers something of a contrast where we hear driving percussion, a strong melody and crystalline synth flourishes. I like this piece even if it does sound a bit seventies disco in places. The second cue features African singers, percussion and various animal calls set against Vangelis's signature rising synth patches. As we approach the end of the record we hear ten minutes of traditional music performed by African musicians. This music may well have worked in the context of the film, but it isn't what I came to hear. This is one for the dedicated. 1/5 

One record at a time: 431. Vangelis - Albedo 0.39

Wikipedia tells me that if Vangelis went to record this album today he would have to call it Albedo 0.3 as the amount of solar radiation the Earth reflects back into space has fallen by 9% since this album was released in 1976. The title and the track names on this record make it clear this is a concept album based around astrophysics.

I bought this record from eBay in 2016 and it comes from an era in which a gatefold sleeve was seen as a fairly standard way of expanding the artwork rather than an extravagance required to hold two records. One interesting element of the sleeve is the fact that RCA seemed to feel the need to point out that the album could be played on a mono turntable if fitted with the correct pic-up head - but "those in doubt should consult their dealer".  

On listening to this album I realise it presents a dichotomy. Whilst we hear some of the best electronic themes Vangelis ever recorded, we are also subjected to some terrible improvised jazz too. I find the track "Main Sequence" particularly distressing and I fail to see how it has any relevance to the theme of the album. This isn't electronic music; its just self indulgent, overblown and boring. 

And don't give me any of that, "You just hate jazz because it requires you to actually listen to it and your pea brain can't cope" attitude. I think I am accustomed to hearing something other than pop music in 4/4 as I grew up listening to an almost relentless barrage of Opera, I love most of Beethoven's symphonies (Fourth especially) and swing groups like The Ink Spots sound amazing to my ears. I think I am accustomed to various styles of music. I just hate jazz.

So the standout tracks are the wonderful "Pulstar" and "Alpha" with honourable mentions to the ambience of "Freefall" and the intriguing title track. Everything else you can keep. 2/5

One record at a time: 430. Vangelis - Heaven and Hell

For this post I initially began to write about the Vangelis album "Earth" - but I soon realised I don't actually own that album on vinyl. Therefore the next record I will look at is "Heaven and Hell" from 1975. My record is an original UK pressing that is in very good condition and sounds excellent to say it is over fifty years old. 

This concept album is split into two parts that consider the contrasting ideas of Heaven and Hell. Inexplicably there is also a song titled "So Long Ago, So Clear" stitched onto the end of side one. This track was a collaboration with Jon Anderson (the vocalist from the prog-rock group Yes) but I'm not convinced it fits within the concept.  

As we drop the needle we hear the opening sequence titled "Bacchanale". The music is big, brash and not to my taste at all. The portamento applied to the synth patch driving the melody sounds antiquated and strangely off key to my ears. There is some jazz Rhodes piano thrown into the mix but it doesn't sit comfortably alongside the chamber choir. When this first movement is over I am actually quite relived. This is not my idea of heaven.

We move on to the softer sounds of "Symphony to the Powers B" which is reminiscent of Mike Oldfield's work - it even features tubular bells for heaven's sake. After about thirteen minutes we meet the wonderful "Movement 3" which was the prototype for "Chariots of Fire".

For me the b-side is less distinctive and relatively benign - but it is also less polarising as a result. The "12 O’clock" movement is a highlight and only when "A Way" peters out into an inaudible whisper do we realise the ride is over. Something of an album of contrasts, "Heaven and Hell" seems to work in its more tranquil moments, but it fails when it tries to be too clever. 2/5  

One record at a time: 429. Vangelis - L'Apocalypse Des Animaux

I'm not sure how many studio recordings and soundtracks Vangelis released, but by my calculations it must be over thirty. Whilst I don't own all of these albums, there is a good chunk of them in my collection that we will need to work through. I have to admit, I wasn't really sure where to start with this odyssey, but "L'Apocalypse Des Animaux" from 1973 seems to be as good a place as any.

This 2016 remastered version of the soundtrack is pressed by Optimal on 180g vinyl but it doesn’t sound very good - it has numerous pops and crackles throughout. Also, the tracklisting printed on the sleeve and labels doesn't correspond to what actually plays.

Such inattention to detail seemed to spark a discussion on the Discogs website around the increasingly poor quality control in vinyl manufacturing. If you browse forums and the like on this subject you may read of people thinking of abandoning the format if things don't improve. For now I am happy to keep buying vinyl, but I have to admit, when I listen to records like this I do wonder why I bother.

The first track here is "L'Apocalypse Des Animaux - Générique" which has a riff that sounds ready to be loaded into a sampler and turned into a hit. The second track "La Petit Fille De La Mer" is another standout tune whose lush sound belies the fact that it seems to have been created with only an acoustic guitar, a Rhodes piano and what sounds like an organ. 

"Le Singe Bleu" features a soft trumpet that I imagine was played through a haze of cigarette smoke as Vangelis caressed the keys of his electric piano whist simultaneously sipping on a glass of Johnny Walker. No wonder the song is far too long. Another lengthy opus is "Creation Du Monde" which takes up a good chunk of the second side of the disc. You can't help but marvel at the fact that this music was recorded in 1970 (it wasn't released until three years later) as it sounds like it could have been made yesterday. The etherial chords and haunting guitar transfix me - this is how 'ambient' music should be done. 3.5/5

One record at a time: 428. Underworld - Barbara, Barbara, We Face A Shining Future

This is the second and final Underworld LP I own. "Barbara, Barbara We Face A Shining Future" was released in 2016 and I bought this record a couple of years later. I'm not completely sure, but I think I ordered this as I had been very impressed by the "Teatime Dub Encounters" EP and wanted to hear if their most recent album was just as good. Sadly I was to be disappointed.

The opening track "I Exhale" is fair enough but it does become something of an endurance test having to hear the same loop go round for eight minutes. I like the lo-fi vibes of second track "If Rah" and "Low Burn" has a more conventional techno sound that reminds me of the band in their pomp.

The ambient piece "Santiago Cuatro" offers some variety along with the downtempo "Motorhome" - but in truth I'm not a fan of either song. We return to the dance floor with the single "Ova Nova" which has a pounding TR-909 kick drum and some compressed bass, but doesn't develop one iota during its five and a half minute runtime. The closing track "Nylon Strung" is a rather jaunty number that is one chorus away from being synth-pop. Tracks like this make me wish Underworld explored this part of their sound a bit more and left the ambient nonsense to Brian Eno. 2/5 

One record at a time: 427. Underworld - Beaucoup Fish

Electronic music was on life support in the nineties and by the end of the decade I had become pretty disillusioned with contemporary music. Whilst I did occasionally take a chance on an emerging artist such as Basement Jaxx (singles were good, but not much else to interest me) or Fatboy Slim (never liked him as much as I thought I should), I largely took refuge in the back catalogue of my favourite artists. 

Therefore I must have been in a particularly brave or determined frame of mind when I walked into HMV one day in 1999 and bought "Beaucoup Fish" by Underworld on compact disc. I would never claim to be a massive Underworld fan, and the only other record of theirs that I owned at the time was the CD single of "Born Slippy .NUXX", so I can't really explain why I chose to buy their latest album.  

Whilst I was initially unimpressed by what I heard, the music did begin to grow on me and after repeated listening I grew to admire the album. Over the years I have continued to dip into Underworld's music with varying degrees of enthusiasm, but I couldn't resist buying this double vinyl reissue when it was released in 2017. 

"Cups" opens with sampled strings that soon give way to a square wave techno bass and Rick's vocoder treated vocals. The lyrics are suitably incomprehensible and despite ticking along at 130 beats per minute, there's a really laid back air to this song. After about eight minutes the track makes an abrupt turn and suddenly incorporates a breakbeat and an aggressive synth riff that segues into the more frenzied "Push Upstairs".

By far my favourite track on the album is "Jumbo" that opens the b-side. Whilst the lyrics offer Carl Smith's usual mix of the meaningful and the bizarre, it is the music on this song that sets it apart for me. The pulsating "King of Snake" seems to warrant a writing credit for Giorgio Moroder as it references "I Feel Love", but the similarity is only fleeting to my ears. I also like the relentless head banging of "Bruce Lee" and "Kittens" sounds like it was created to induce a dance floor frenzy.

Most of the other songs on this album are downtempo or more ambient efforts that miss the mark. "Winjer" and "Skym" are pretty boring and the repetitive "Push Downstairs" doesn't succeed at all. Happily the album finishes with a song called "Moaner" which is from the same stable as "Kittens" and thunders along with an amazing bassline and frenetic beat. 3/5

One record at a time: 426. Toy Matinee - Toy Matinee

During the dark days of the 2020 COVID lockdown, the YouTube algorithm threw me Guy Pratt's "Lockdown Licks". I enjoyed these videos and marvelled at how effortlessly Guy played the bass guitar. The seventh instalment of the series featured a song he had played on called "Last Plane Out" by Toy Matinee. I'd never heard of either the song or the band, but I enjoyed what I heard so much I decided to investigate further. 

Toy Matinee was a short-lived project that resulted in the release of one eponymous album in 1990. The album didn't sell that well and by 2020 it hadn't been available for almost twenty years. It took a few weeks, but I did manage to track down a compact disc at a reasonable price on eBay. Having sensed the resurgence in Toy Matinee, the clever people at Music On Vinyl decided to licence it and release this limited edition blue vinyl in 2022.

The credentials for Toy Matinee are excellent. Keyboards and songwriting were provided by Madonna's producer Patrick Leonard and his talented protégé Kevin Gilbert handled songwriting, guitar and vocals. The record was produced by the illustrious Bill Bottrell and the band featured a plethora of excellent musicians - including Guy Pratt on bass who also contributed to songwriting duties. 

"Last Plane Out" begins the album and is clearly the standout. Not only is this catchiest song but it is also the most original composition on the record. The bass is deep and funky and the elaborate guitar is very impressive indeed. Whilst there are some other good songs on the record, it is all a bit downhill from here.

The band's various influences emerge quite strongly as the record goes on with a fair bit of Elvis showing on "The Ballad of Jenny Ledge" and a flash of The Beatles heard on "Turn It On Salvador". There are some satisfying disco bass licks on "Queen Of Misery" and the title track sounds like it was lifted straight from a Dire Straights session.  

With both Leonard and Bottrell in the room you would think the production on the record would be outstanding, but in truth it is a fairly dry 'band in a room' affair largely devoid of electronics. There are flashes of synth on the introduction to "Queen of Misery" but otherwise Guy Pratt's octave pedal is the closest we get to any original sounds. If you like traditional rock then this might be a record you enjoy. As a fan of electronic music, I only appreciate the first track. 2/5

One record at a time: 425. Thompson Twins - Into The Gap

I have memories of hearing "Hold Me Now" played on the radio quite a lot during my childhood and it remains one of my favourite songs by Thompson Twins. Despite admiring the band's music, I never actually bought any of their records and this recent charity shop find is the only Thomson Twins vinyl I have ever owned.  

"Into The Gap" is the archetypal multi-million selling record that was hit on both sides of the Atlantic. Much of this commercial success can be attributed to the radio play garnered by the singles that were culled from the album. Along with "Hold Me Now" I also liked the single "Doctor! Doctor!" - but I have no memory of hearing "Take Me Up" before. To be honest I am truly surprised such a dismal track reached number two in the UK charts. 

One of the things I found most interesting about this record are the bass sounds. It seems the distinctive fretless bass that features on almost every song is actually derived from an Oberheim OB-Xa synth. Tom Bailey plays the keyboard with such skill and fluidity that these basslines could be mistaken for an electric bass guitar. Interestingly I read the bass patch is actually a modified clavinet preset and when the memory of Bailey's OB-Xa was wiped, the sound went with it.

I think one of the reasons I like Thompson Twins is because I am drawn to the sound marimbas and other percussion instruments. On tracks like "Sister of Mercy" or "Who Can Stop The Rain" Alannah Currie provides some amazing embellishments that really lift the songs. Other highlights for me are "The Gap" and "No Place For The Wicked" which are catchy songs that are expertly produced. Maybe I will have to acquire more Thomson Twins records after all. 3.5/5

One record at a time 424: Tears For Fears - Songs For A Nervous Planet

I'm not sure how to classify this album as it contains both new studio material and live tracks. This 2024 release features two LPs pressed on "Cocoa Cream" vinyl (ridiculous colour names seem to be de rigueur in the industry at the minute) pressed by GZ Media. As I ordered my copy through the Universal Records webstore it came with a signed 'art print' (in reality it is a glorified flyer) for the live film that was released simultaneously. 

Unfortunately the new material on this record contains the Beatesesque sound which seems to be obligatory on recent Tears For Fears records. Particularly guilty are opening track "Say Goodbye To Mum and Dad" and "Emily Said" which just sound like flimsy reproductions of lost Beatles b-sides. "Astronaut" even adds the sound of a Mellotron just to ram home the point. 

The sleeve for this record was generated by AI and you could have a stab at recreating the music too:

"Write a song using the ABABCB song structure based on the chord changes and melodies in The Beatles back catalogue post 1966. The lyrics that accompany the melody should be etherial and dreamy in nature and relate to a girl called "Emily". The instrumentation should focus on jangly guitars and acoustic drums with occasional motifs recorded with the flute sound from the Mellotron keyboard instrument."

The live tracks featured on the rest of the record are a mix of their biggest hits and material from their most recent studio album "The Tipping Point". There's some additional trance-like chords on "Change" and "Shout" is embellished with some melodic guitar, but otherwise these songs sound uncannily close to their studio counterparts. The band acknowledge that some elements are played from computer, but post production tinkering was limited to some occasional vocal tuning and some small mistakes that were patched with recordings from another show. 

When it comes to the live material my only complaint is that the ten minutes of wax wasted on the lacklustre "Bad Man's Song" could have been spent on at least two superior compositions ("Rivers Of Mercy" and "My Demons" spring to mind). The running order is different on the vinyl when compared to digital sources and dependent on which CD or file bundle you choose, the LP can have up to seven tracks less. 3/5

One record at a time: 423. Tears For Fears - The Tipping Point

The complex history of Tears For Fears means that there was a seventeen year gap between their sixth album and the release of "The Tipping Point" in 2022. I ordered this limited edition green vinyl with a good deal of trepidation as I hadn't really enjoyed any of the band's albums since the eighties.

The opening track "No Small Thing" was also used as a promotional single and was the first I heard of the new album. Whilst the song doesn't have the most promising of starts it does develop nicely. Still, I didn't feel this was a good start and much more lively efforts such as the title track or "My Demons" might have made for a better opening. Elsewhere "Long, Long, Long Time" and "Break The Man" are great songs. In fact, once you get over the initial hump of "No Small Thing", the whole of the first side is very good indeed. 

The flip side is a bit more hit and miss but it does feature my favourite song from the album, "Rivers Of Mercy". Not long after this record was released I was playing this song whilst my young children were running around playing nearby. After about three minutes I realised the usual noise and pandemonium had stopped and the children were now sitting quietly, listening to the music. It really is a captivating song and I recommend it very highly.

I am a little disappointed by the Beatles pastiche "Master Plan" (why do Tears For Fears albums have to include Beatles-esque track?) and the inclusion of "Stay" is curious given it was released five years earlier on a compilation. There's lots to like on this album, and its rock sound has just enough electronics to make it interesting. 

The sound quality from this vinyl is generally quite good given it is a GZ Media abomination. The tracks are cut quite loud and there are a good few crackles - but the richer bass of the vinyl means it remains superior to digital files. 4/5