The Compilation: Now Yearbook '89

Now Music is finally finish off the 1980s episode with their last Yearnook series focusing now on 1989.

This final Yearbook for the decade starts with Queen's "I Want It All" and ends with Band Aid II's "Do They Know It's Christmas" the 'unofficial' Band Aid single according to a revisionist Bob Geldof!.

In between are 76 other tracks including hits from Simple Minds, Soul II Soul, Neneh Cherry, Fine Young Cannibals, Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan,  Holly Johnson, New Order, Bros, Transvision Vamp, Roachford (“there’s no fog!”), The Beautiful South, Living in a Box, Tears For Fears, R.E.M., Pet Shop Boys, Duran Duran, The Cure, Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians, Sam Brown, The Bangles, Simply Red and many more.

The familiar formats are available: deluxe hardcover book 4CD edition, 3LP coloured vinyl in pink color with 42 tracks and the standard card sleeved 4CD set. NOW Yearbook 1989 will be released on 25 April 2025.

NOW Yearbook 1989 Track List:  

CD 1

1. Queen – I Want It All

2. Billy Joel – We Didn’t Start The Fire

3. Tina Turner – The Best

4. Cher – If I Could Turn Back Time

5. Belinda Carlisle – Leave A Light On

6. Deborah Harry – I Want That Man

7. Chris Rea – The Road To Hell Part 2

8. Mike + The Mechanics – The Living Years

9. Simple Minds – Belfast Child

10. Gladys Knight – Licence To Kill (From “Licence To Kill” Soundtrack)

11. Lisa Stansfield – All Around the World

12. Soul II Soul & Caron Wheeler – Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)

13. Neneh Cherry – Buffalo Stance

14. Fine Young Cannibals – She Drives Me Crazy

15. Roxette – The Look

16. Holly Johnson – Love Train

17. Jason Donovan – Too Many Broken Hearts

18. Kylie Minogue – Hand On Your Heart

19. Bananarama – Help! (feat. Lananeeneenoonoo)

 

CD 2

 

1. Marc Almond & Gene Pitney – Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart

2. Jimmy Somerville Featuring June Miles Kingston – Comment Te Dire Adieu

3. Donna Summer – This Time I Know It’s For Real

4. Sonia – You’ll Never Stop Me Loving You

5. Bros – Too Much

6. Debbie Gibson – Electric Youth

7. London Boys – Requiem

8. Liza Minnelli – Losing My Mind

9. New Order – Round & Round

10. Kon Kan – I Beg Your Pardon (I Never Promised You A Rose Garden)

11. Transvision Vamp – Baby I Don’t Care

12. Roachford – Cuddly Toy

13. Roy Orbison – You Got It

14. Sydney Youngblood – If Only I Could

15. Bobby Brown – On Our Own

16. New Kids On The Block – You Got It (The Right Stuff)

17. UB40 – Homely Girl

18. The Beautiful South – Song For Whoever

19. Living In A Box – Room In Your Heart

20. The Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden & Stock Aitken Waterman – Ferry ’Cross The Mersey

 

CD 3

 

1. Tears For Fears – Sowing The Seeds Of Love

2. Duran Duran – All She Wants Is

3. Electronic – Getting Away With It

4. R.E.M – Orange Crush

5. The Cure – Lullaby

6. Yello – Of Course I’m Lying

7. Pet Shop Boys – It’s Alright

8. 808 State – Pacific 707

9. The Beloved – The Sun Rising

10. The Stone Roses – Fools Gold

11. The Cult – Edie (Ciao Baby)

12. Alice Cooper – Poison

13. Then Jerico – Big Area

14. Shakespears Sister – You’re History

15. Edie Brickell & New Bohemians – What I Am

16. Martika – Toy Soldiers

17. Will To Power – Baby I Love Your Way / Freebird (Free Baby)

18. Boy Meets Girl – Waiting For A Star To Fall

 

CD 4

 

1.  Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan – Especially For You

2. The Bangles – Eternal Flame

3. Sam Brown – Stop

4. Holly Johnson – Americanos

5. Paula Abdul – Straight Up

6. Donna Summer – I Don’t Wanna Get Hurt

7. Black Box – Ride On Time

8. Coldcut feat. Lisa Stansfield – People Hold On

9. Technotronic – Pump Up The Jam

10. The Beatmasters feat. Betty Boo – Hey DJ / I Can’t Dance (To That Music You’re Playing)

11. Kym Mazelle And Robert Howard – Wait

12. Malcolm McLaren & The Bootzilla Orchestra – Waltz Darling

13. Neneh Cherry – Manchild

14. Soul II Soul & Caron Wheeler – Keep On Movin’

15. Milli Vanilli – Girl I’m Gonna Miss You

16. Simply Red – If You Don’t Know Me By Now

17. Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting

18. Gloria Estefan – Don’t Wanna Lose You

19. Cliff Richard – I Just Don’t Have The Heart

20. Jason Donovan – When You Come Back To Me

21. Band Aid II – Do They Know It’s Christmas?

Rocktrospectiva: The Sharp And Interesting "Live At Earls Court" Turns 20

Released on 29 March 2005 in the US and 4 April in Europe, "Live At Earls Court" was a live album by English singer Morrissey, it was recorded liv at Earls Court In London on 18 December 2004, in front of 17,183 people." The album spawned a single "Redondo Beach" and the Smiths classic "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out". 

Another cash-in, the moment it captures is indeed somewhat phenomenal and nearly documental on Mozza carrer, Morrissey's moving into an interesting and barely explored territory here: he is a pre-rock crooner commanding Beatle-level hysteria; a smooth, urbane party host backed onstage by anonymous young chord-bashers. He's grown distinctly comfy around the old hits-- or as comfy as one could possibly be in that jagged terrain his Smiths-era vocal lines careen against the chord progressions in astonishingly counterintuitive ways and the recent songs appear to have been written with a new vocal prowess in mind.

 

Morrissey's singing appears to have taken a giant leap over the past seven years or so. Listening to the newly velvety Moz tackle "How Soon Is Now" is a pleasure of an entirely confusing sort: the song is still a roaring, lurching Grendel, all rage and laser tremolo, but the listener can't help feeling luxuriously entertained. The frustration, the urgency, the hormonal madness of the original are politely disinvited; that stuff is, after all, a bit infantile. Morrissey may well be the world's first rock star to fashion a successful shtick out of enthusiastically embracing middle age.

 

For the record, middle age does become him. That face, oddly enough, is hitting the iconic stage just now, with the crow's feet and a bit of sag in the jowls, and the Yves Saint Laurent shirts feel a little more warranted. The uproarious chorus of the B-side "Don't Make Fun Of Daddy's Voice" attests to this directly-- but a fatherly. 

 

At the same time, it is now harder than ever to imagine Morrissey settling into a Bacharachian loungy twilight-- not after the controlled squall of "Irish Blood, English Heart", the loudest, most pissed-off, and most direct song of his career.  

 

This is an excellent concert and overview of Morrissey’s career. He has a fascinating voice and is a terrific songwriter. A very good value with over seventy minutes of music. It's Morrissey and it's live. That's all you need to know.

 

Live At Earls Court Track List:

 

1. How Soon Is Now?

2. First Of The Gang To Die

3. November Spawned a Monster

4. Don't Make Fun Of Daddy's Voice

5. Bigmouth Strikes Again

6. I Like You

7. Redondo Beach

8. Let Me Kiss You

9. Subway Train

10. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

11. The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get

12. Friday Mourning

13. I Have Forgiven Jesus

14. The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores

15. Shoplifters Of The World Unite

16. Irish Blood, English Heart

17. You Know I Couldn't Last

18. Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me 

Rocktrospectiva: The Dark "Bad Moon Rising" Turns 40

Released on 29 March 1985 "Bad Moon Rising" was the second studio album by US rock band Sonic Youth. The album is loosely themed around the dark side of America, including references to obsession, insanity, Charles Manson, heavy metal, Satanism, and early European settlers' encounters with Native Americans. The album spawned four singles "Death Valley '69", "Flower"/"Halloween", "Flower"/"Satan Is Boring" & "Halloween II".

It was the band's first album to combine experimental material with transitional pieces and segues. The  single "Death Valley '69", which did not chart in either the US or UK the track was re-recorded for the album and released again as a single in June 1985. The album was named after the 1969 song "Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

The New York press largely ignored Sonic Youth as well as the noise rock scene in the city, until after a disastrous London debut in October 1983 that actually received rave reviews in British papers. When they returned to New York, the queue at CBGB for the band's concerts went around the block. By mid-1984, Sonic Youth were playing almost weekly in the city, but its members started to realize that there was little future in their musical approach; Moore later said, "it was getting to the point of overkill". They retreated to the rehearsal room, retuned their guitars and changed their equipment so that they were unable to play their old songs, and began writing new material.

After a period of intense songwriting, the band entered producer Martin Bisi's BC Studio – implicitly, "Before Christ Studio", which is how the band credited it on the album – in Brooklyn, New York in September 1984. Bisi had recorded early rappers and local avant-garde musicians such as John Zorn, Elliott Sharp and Bill Laswell.

Bad Moon Rising's style has been described as noise rock, no wave and experimental rock. The album begins with "Intro", a short instrumental featuring several guitars, described by Michael Azerrad as "a melancholic, meowing slide line playing off a delicate stack of crystalline arpeggios." "Intro" segues into the next song, "Brave Men Run (In My Family)". The song begins with a single riff repeating for a minute. The riff fades into the album's third song, "Society Is a Hole", "a one-chord hymn to big-city anomie". Sonic Youth's use of transitional pieces in the album was inspired by their live shows, which featured either Moore or Ranaldo tuning guitars for up to five minutes while the other played slow transitory guitar riffs or prerecorded sound collages.

"I Love Her All the Time" features extensive prepared guitar by Ranaldo and the use of one chord, with a noise section in the middle; like many of the album's songs, it focuses on texture and rhythm rather than melody. The second side of Bad Moon Rising, which comprises the experimental "Ghost Bitch" (which features Ranaldo on acoustic guitar and references Native Americans' first encounter with European settlers), "I'm Insane" and "Justice is Might", expands on the soundscape concept; the songs feature repeating guitar riffs that segue from one song to the next, while Moore and Gordon mumble cryptic lyrics.

"Death Valley '69", the album's closer, was the result of a collaboration between Moore and New York singer and poet Lydia Lunch. 

Critics noted the album's dark nature, writing was quite unlike any other in the colorful Sonic Youth canon, Bad Moon Rising captures the New York band in 1985 during its most morose phase, one that is quite forbidding yet fascinating all the same.

 

Bad Moon Rising Track List:  

 

1. Intro

2. Brave Men Run (In My Family)

3. Society Is A Hole

4. I Love Her All The Time

5. Ghost Bitch

6. I'm Insane

7. Justice Is Might

8. Death Valley '69 

9. Satan Is Boring

10. Flower

11. Halloween

12. Echo Canyon

New Music: Bonnet Of Pins

           

Matt Berninger returns with "Bonnet Of Pins," the lead single from his upcoming sophomore solo album "Get Sunk." The track showcases Berninger at his most radiant—shimmering guitars, lush orchestration, and that unmistakable baritone capturing a rare feeling of genuine hope amidst melancholy. From its opening moments, the track establishes itself with lush, orchestral strings and a tempo that commands attention. Berninger is at perhaps his most radiant, his baritone catching light like he’s perpetually backlit by a golden hour sun. There’s a warmth here that feels genuinely earned, a respite from the calculated vulnerability that saturates today’s indie landscape

Film: The Great And Beloved "High Fidelity" Turns 25

Now this film has the distinction of celebrating two anniversaries. Nick Hornby's bestselling novel, published in 1995, is celebrating 30 years and the film, released on 28 March 2000, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. And just like Rob Gordon says: books, records, films -- these things matters, actually this novel and film matter.

High Fidelity is about Rob, a failing record store owner in Chicago, and how he must grapple with the reality of adulthood after his long-term girlfriend breaks up with him. The soundtrack and plot is amazing for anyone who has a deep appreciation for music. 

Actually the film is a time capsule wrapped in the essence of the '90s, capturing a generation caught between love, music, and the precariousness of growing up, this film became more than a mere cinematic experience – it resonated like a mirror reflecting my own uncertainties, passions, and quest for understanding.

Based upon the Nick Hornby novel of the same name, the movie follows Rob Gordon played by John Cusack, a record store owner and music enthusiast, as he navigates through a series of failed relationships. Facing a breakup with his girlfriend Laura, Rob reflects on his past romances and compiles a list of his top five worst breakups. Through introspection and revisiting these old flames, Rob grapples with the complexities of love, personal growth, and his fear of commitment – all set against a backdrop of eclectic music and fueled by Rob's self-deprecating humour.

It isn't just about Rob's struggle with relationships though; it's exploring the complexities of identity, growth, and the insecurities that accompany young men into adulthood. Cusack's portrayal of Rob – a music-obsessed, introspective, and flawed character – is not entirely sympathetic, but his wit, self-deprecation, and moments of vulnerability makes him very relatable.

Now the film's soundtrack is another thing, it becomes more than just background music; it is a character in itself. The melodic narrative stitched together by tracks from Bob Dylan, The Kinks, and other legends echoes the emotional highs and lows of Rob's life. It isn’t just a collection of songs; it is the heartbeat of the movie, the soundtrack of our lives, as the film explores its themes of nostalgia, friendship, and the messy realities of adult relationships..

Rob’s journey is messy, distortioned, and definitely human, his humour and candid introspection resonate. His realisation that life doesn’t follow a script and that closure isn’t always neatly packaged leads to understanding that life’s messiness can result in the most profound moments of growth. And I personally think this is the reason why the film keeps resonating with us all this time.

Twenty-five years later, looking back, High Fidelity remains as a cult relic – a film that not only captures the zeitgeist of its time the 90's. The narrative of the film itself that continues to resonate, offering solace and wisdom with each revisit, like a conversation with an old friend. Its lessons on love, self-discovery, and the profound impact of music.

New Music: Relentless Love

           

Sophie Ellis-Bextor has shared her first new music of 2025 with joyous new song ‘Relentless Love’ out now, the track is a buoyant disco-infused funk-pop track that builds through catchy grooves and luminous synths to an energetic and euphoric chorus. 

Rocktrospectiva: The Fairly Good "Waiting For The Sirens' Call" Turns 20

Released on 28 March 2005, "Waiting For The Siren's Call" was the 8th., studio album by Mancunian legends New Order, the album spawned three singles "Krafty", "Jetstream" and "Waiting For The Siren's Call".

Waiting for the Sirens' Call initially appears more confident than its predecessor. The dance beats are now back, but it proves a mixed blessing. Here, they appear to be doing what's expected of them in order to appease their fans.

The opening "Who's Joe?", sounds like the work of any number of Manchester-based bands besides New Order, as the guitars and cinematic arrangement give the song more of a Britpop sound than we’re used to with the group. But during that chorus, everything falls into place. At first, "Who's Joe?" sounds a bit more like an epic rock song than your typical New Order fare, as does "Hey Now What You Doing" to a lesser extent, the band opting for something more like a single there. But the title track immediately brings to mind the good old days of Low Life and Brotherhood. 

The first single, "Krafty" has the same melodic magic of a "Love Vigilantes" or a "Bizarre Love Triangle." And when it seems as if the band has settled comfortably in this guitar-centric mode, the electro-dub track "I Told You So" reveals the inner dance diva within the band, a side that had been temporarily put to rest on Get Ready.

Things shift dramatically with the sixth track, "Morning Night and Day" washes of synth blanket the track during the suspenseful opener, eventually being traded for fat pulsing bass synth and a driving rhythm. The longer you listen to Waiting for the Sirens' Call, the more it seems like side B is the "dance" side, while side A is the "rock" side. Here's another example with the disco pop tune "Jetstream," an infectiously danceable tune that couples Sumner with Scissor Sister Ana Matronic. And "Guilt is a Useless Emotion" is further evidence of this dichotomy, the only track here that resembles house music in any way. In comparison to the rest of the material, it’s the one song that sounds a little out of place and a little dated. However, the whole rock vs. dance theory comes to a screeching halt as “Turn” queues up. Building a melody around acoustic guitar strums and a shimmering lead, it sounds more like the work of a band like The Delays than pioneers of dance music.

"Working Overtime," a raucous, riffing rock & roll song, wraps up this neat little package. One of the album's best tracks, it borrows more from The Stooges than anything resembling the band's earlier material. 

 

Nonetheless, the album was fantastic even thought "Get Ready" may have been the catalyst that got the band in our regular rotation again, but Waiting for the Sirens’ Call is the album that will kept them or resuscitated them again. 

 

Waiting For The Sirens' Call Track List:

 

1. Who's Joe?

2. Hey Now What You Doing

3. Waiting For The Sirens' Call

4. Krafty

5. I Told You So

6. Morning Night & Day

7. Dracula's Castle

8. Jetstream

9. Guilt Is A Useless Emotion

10. Turn

11. Working Overtime

Rocktrospectiva: The Mightly Impressive "Frogstomp" Turns 30

Released on 27 March 1995, "Frogstomp" was the debut studio album by Australian rock band Silverchair. The album features the band's most commercially successful single, "Tomorrow", which was first released on the band's extended play of the same name six months earlier on 16 September 1994. Music videos were made for the album's four singles: "Tomorrow", "Pure Massacre", "Israel's Son", and "Shade".

The recording took only nine days, according to drummer Ben Gillies the album took "even less days to mix." Prior to recording Frogstomp, Silverchair were previously named Innocent Criminals and consisted of drummer Ben Gillies and vocalist and guitarist Daniel Johns, with bassist Chris Joannou joining shortly after the band formed in 1992. Second guitarist Tobin Finnane was also in the band, though he later left.

Demo versions of the songs "Acid Rain", "Cicada", "Pure Massacre", and "Tomorrow" were recorded by the band at Platinum Sound Studios in early 1994. "Tomorrow" and "Acid Rain" were re-recorded at Triple J Studios in Sydney, Australia for the release of Silverchair's four-track EP Tomorrow in September 1994, which also included the songs "Blind" and "Stoned". Three months after the release of the EP, the band began recording their debut album, Frogstomp, during which "Cicada", "Pure Massacre", and "Tomorrow" were re-recorded. The recording sessions for the album began in late December 1994 and ended in mid-January 1995 at Festival Studios in Pyrmont, New South Wales.

The band's sound and influence were mainly grunge music from Seattle, according to Daniel Johns the singer ang guitarist: Yeah, that's the thing that I do really like about that album – it sounds exactly like we sounded. There was no big American producer calling the shots behind the desk and telling us to do this, this and this. It was literally this guy, Kevin Shirley, who was a great producer, just saying, "I want it to sound like you guys, but I want it to sound really fucking loud and I want the guitars really fucking loud." So to me, I was like, fuck yeah! The songwriting might not be genius, but I think sonically, the performances are really good. It's really honest; it's just three Australian kids thrashing it out in the studio and that's exactly how it sounds.

The title comes after a Johns was taking a look at a guy's from their record company CD collection, so he ound this '60s pop collection record and he was just going (laughs), "Why do you have this?" he looked at the back and there was this song that some guy did called Frogstomp and I said, "That's a pretty good name." (laughs). 

Critics were fairly good, noticed the age of the band 15 at the time, their instrumental capabilities are quite impressive, as the guitars and vocals growl with the force of rockers in their early twenties. At the same time, their songwriting abilities aren't as strong, and they are never able to break away from the standard grunge formula. Nevertheless, the record does deliver a collection of songs replicating the thunder of "Tomorrow", the songs on Frogstomp almost all start out like dreary Metallica ballads and build toward gloomy, by-the-numbers grunge". In the end, the album proved to be a thrilling synthesis of rage, confusion and pain, and as a distillation of teen angst, you couldn't get a purer generational timestamp than Frogstomp.

 

Frogstomp Track List:

 

1. Israel's Son 

2. Tomorrow

3. Faultime

4. Pure Massacre

5. Shade

6. Leave Me Out

7. Suicidal Dream

8. Madman

9. Undecided

10. Cicada

11. Findaway

New Music: Maybe Nowhere

             

The British jazz-rock producer, composer and multi-instrumentalis Emma-Jean Thackray whose new album Weirdo is coming out in April, shares a new single "Maybe Nowhere", in where she explores the grief about the sudden passed away of her partner, the track is undeniably groovy, due to Thackery’s bold vocals layered with thick, complex basslines. She explained: After losing my partner I didn’t want to be here anymore, but hiding these feelings and thinking you’re a burden is what makes them even more dangerous. You need a place to explore these feelings and for me that’s music – my safe space. This song is a diary of when those feelings for me were at their worst, and the cavernous ending is wondering what it sounds like to die. Making this song, this album, is why it’s a wondering and not a reality; it saved my life

The Reissue: Pet Shop Boys Will Reissue "Discography" In Blue Coloured Vinyl

The Pet Shop Boys will reissue Discography: The Complete Singles Collection, their 1991 singles or best of, on 2LP blue coloured vinyl, this May.

Originally released in 1991, this collection was the band's first greatest hits and was released between 1990's Behaviour and before 1993's Very. It features all the band's UK singles up to that point in proper seven-inch form except for  "How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously?" because that single was a double A-side with "Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can’t Take My Eyes Off You)" the U2 mash-up cover that was included.

Discography also introduced to two new songs back then "DJ Culture" and "Was It Worth It?" Both were released as singles before and after Discography, respectively.

This collection was issued as a 2LP set on black vinyl at the time,  CD and cassette, but doesn’t appear to have been reissued on the LP format at all in the last 34 years. This new edition pressed on blue vinyl and features the 2023 remasters.

Discography: The Complete Singles Collection will be reissued on 30 May 2025, via Parlophone.

Discography The Complete Singles Collection Track List:  

 

LP 1

Side A

    1. West End Girls

    2. Love Comes Quickly

    3. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)

    4. Suburbia

Side B 

    1. It’s A Sin

    2. What Have I Done To Deserve This?

    3. Rent

    4. Always On My Mind

    5. Heart

LP 2

 

Side C

 

    1. Domino Dancing

    2. Left To My Own Devices

    3. It’s Alright

    4. So Hard

 

Side D

    1. Being Boring

    2. Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can’t Take My Eyes Off You)

    3. Jealousy

    4. DJ Culture

    5. Was It Worth It?

Rocktrospectiva: The Underrated "A View From 3rd., Street" Turns 35

Released on 27 March 1990 "A View From 3rd., Street" was Jude Cole's second studio album, which appeared three years after his self-titled debut, the album spawned three singles "Baby It's Tonight" considered Cole's biggest single, which peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, "Time For Letting Go" and "House Full Of Reasons", the first entered the top 40 and the second was a top 70., unfortunately and despite the good reception, the album achieved only a No. 138 on Billboard 200. 

 

A View From 3rd Street was produced by David Tyson, found Jude Cole cranking out the tunes that should've been on the radio, but with the exception of the hit "Baby It's Tonight," very few of them were according to critics, great pop tunes, other highlights were standouts as "House Full of Reasons" and "Heart of Blues", and why not, my personal favourite "Time For Letting Go" and of course a minor rate hit "Compared To Nothing".

 

The album had good tunes but unfortunately, arrived during the heyday of hair and glam metal, so practically it was nearly impossible to marketed on charts because it didn't fit, despite the album remains a good listening today and a well worth addition to your collection.  

 

A View from 3rd Street received positive critical reception, although its commercial response was lukewarm, even thought it became Cole's first and highest-charting entry on the chart. 

 

A View From 3rd., Street Track List: 

 

1. Hallowed Ground

2. Baby, It's Tonight

3. House Full Of Reason

4. Get Me Through The Night

5. Time For Letting Go

6. Stranger To Myself

7. This Time It's Us

8. Heart Of Blues

9. Compared To Nothing

10. Prove Me Wrong 

Rocktrospectiva: The Mature And Impressive "Tao" Turns 40

Released on 27 March 1985 "Tao" was the 10th., studio album by Australian rock artist Rick Springfield,  the album spawned two singles "Stated Of The Heart" & "Celebrate Youth", this new record on Rick's career was a giant leap forward.

 

The production was astonishing and remarkable even when compared to his previous albums combined with impressingly personal and sometimes very dark lyrics, "Tao" was apparently too sofisticated for the mainstream listeners back the, and in certain ways it failed to attract larger audience than Springfield's earlier stuff.  At the time, Springfield commented: "I was going through a major depression back then, and had been for a few years. I was spiritually lost, and finding it hard to cope with everything that was going on. Even my success was causing me pain. I couldn't come to terms with earning so much money while others were struggling to find small change even to eat. It seemed so wrong, but what could I do about it? On top of that, I had real problems dealing with my father's death. It all meant that I was in such a mess, which is why the lyrics on the "Tao" album are definitely the darkest of my career." 

 

Is still one of the most rare but complete albums by Rick Springfield this due to the haunting mix of high tech arrangements and touching lyrics. Highly recommended tracks are the touching "My Father's Chair"  now this is more than just another heartbreaking pop ballad, wether you have you father still alive and kicking, "The Power Of Love (The Tao Of Love)" and "The Tao Of Heaven" are excellent, the opener "Dance This World Away" has a certain Yes with a mix of Trevor Horn sound-a-like, same as "Celebrate Youth" with its 80's standard sound.

 

This was the first major steps in Rick's maturation as an artist. "State of the Heart" and "Written in Rock" reminded us that this album was about complexity of relationships. "Written in Rock" really wasn't a hit at the time, but it's probably the best song he wrote in the 1980's. This album also began Rick's exploration of eastern themes. As a part of his own search for meaning in life, love, and loss. Even the obvious pop fare contains some thoughtful lyrics. "Dance This World Away" and "Walking on the Edge" both consider the perilous nature of the culture in the era of Reagan.

 

Tao Track List: 

 

1. Dance This World Away

2. Celebrate Youth

3. State Of The Heart

4. Written In Rock

5. The Power Of Love (The Tao Of Love)

6. Walking On The Edge

7. Walk Like A Man

8. The Tao Of Heaven

9. Stranger In The House

10. My Father's Chair 

Rocktrospectiva: The Elegant And Well-Crafted "Los Chicos No Lloran" Turns 35

Released on 27 March 1990, "Los Chichos No Lloran" was the tenth studio album by Spanish singer Miguel Bose, a breakthrough album that propelled singer's career into a new open and different stage, despite the use of his usual fetish-producers duo Roberto Colombo/Enzo Feliciati. The album spawned five powerful singles "Bambú", "Los Chicos No Lloran", "Senza Di Te", "Si Te Cuentan Que Cai" & "Manos Vacías". 

 

The end of the 1980s was a curious time for many Spaniards artists, if they wanted to keep updated in their careers a deep revisited was a must if they wanted to remain on first line of pop music, that was partly the case for Miguel Bosé, and one of the good excuses of this fascinating and refreshing changed was the arrival of the 90s, "Los Chicos No Llorán" was one of his must direct and inmediate albums not only because the quality of the compositions but the good line of guest musicians on the record.

 

It doesn't matter if during the process, the elegance and sophistication of the previous years nearly gone, at least he kept certain identity on tracks such as "Bambú" the opener, a good tune that would fit perfectly on "XXX" three years ago. Bosé was in the middle of his most prolific period as an artist and actor, he took part in two films and he was common figure on Spaniard TV and magazines, this sort of events and collaborations aided to crafted his new persona, style and sound.

 

Under the produccion of the usual suspects as we said before, the Italian producers Roberto Colombo and Enzo Feliciati were demanded to shaped "Los Chicos No lloran", the track list this time was straight and even more commercial that its previous efforts, highlights on the record are "Los Chicos No Lloran" the self-titled track, it had a reggae sound and a meaninful lyric, "Senza Di Te" and "Si Te Cuentan Que Caí" are amongst the most remarkable tracks of the album but not as brilliant as the first two singles and of course the powerful, touchy and breathtaking ballad "Manos Vacías", that was the final single, another intense track is "Unica Libera Radio" and of course the worthy "Josephine" and a new remix of the track "Hojas Secas". 

 

The album was a commercial break out, and received favourable critics, a nearly no waste album and one Bose's most intense and meaningful albums of his career, the succesful of the record encouraged a world tour that later released under the title "Directo '90". The change came in the perfect moment, propelled and vitalized once more Bose's career, a must-have

 

Los Chicos No Lloran Track List: 

 

1. Bambú 

2. Senza Di Te

3. Manos Vacías

4. Hojas Secas

5. Si Te Cuentan Que Caí

6. Nunca Pasa Nada

7. Aquel Sendero

8. Otro

9. Unica Libera Radio

10. Los Chicos No Lloran

11. Josephine 

Rocktrospectiva: The Culmination Of Heart's Trilogy "Brigade" Turns 35

Released on 26 March 1990, "Brigade" ws the tenth studio album by US rock band Heart, also it supposed the end of the band's second part, moving away of their rock classic sound the band performed in the 1970's towards a more commercial sound, this change began with their 1985's Heart", then "Bad Animals" and this same AOR sound intesifies on "Brigade" finishing their succesful trilogy and the band's most brilliant period. The album spawned four singles "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You", "I Didn't What To Need You", "Stranded" & "Secret.

The album's lead single, "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You", reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The subsequent singles "I Didn't Want to Need You" and "Stranded" peaked at numbers 23 and 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. The album was followed by a successful world tour. Like its 1987 predecessor Bad Animals, Brigade is notable for having fewer writing contributions from lead members Ann and Nancy Wilson, but would be the last of Heart's albums to prominently feature outside writers.

Heart’s  MTV-friendly glam-metal makeover led to chart-topping albums such as 1985’s Heart and 1987’s Bad Animals and sustained mainstream success, but as the next decade dawned, the image was wearing thin. Things needed to change when Heart made its next album, 1990’s Brigade, and the bet play the best for them, just like Wilson sister said: it was the time to get back to real, and Richie Zito help to achieved that. The Brooklyn-born producer also proved ideal for Heart. “Some of the producers we’ve worked with in the past have wanted Heart to sound like what was popular at that moment,” Ann Wilson recalled. “Richie never did that. He was very good to work with.”

Accordingly, some of the Brigade material saw Heart returning to its hard-rocking roots – not least on the smoldering, guitar-heavy tracks such as "Fallen From Grace," "Tall, Dark Handsome Stranger," and the compelling, Led Zeppelin-esque light and shade of "The Night." However, Brigade wasn’t a complete break from the recent past. Its trio of U.S. Top 40 hits, “I Didn’t Want To Need You,” the Nancy Wilson-sung “Stranded,” and the Robert "Mutt" Lange No. 2 smash "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You" were all superior power ballads in the same vein as Bad Animals' chart-topping "Alone." Amazingly, though the latter song is now recognized as one of Heart's signature cuts, the band only happened upon it by chance.

"All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You" was originally written for a man to sing, Ann Wilson remember that, so it got thrown in the pile of stuff that was being pitched to us. The band sounded good on it and when we turned the lyric’s gender around, it became something unique.”

Helped along by the mainstream success of the Grammy-nominated "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You," Brigade also marched purposefully up the charts. It peaked at No. 3 on both the U.S. and U.K. album charts and also rose to No. 2 in Canada on its way to a multi-platinum yield similar to the best-selling Bad Animals. 

Furthermore, Brigade’s desire to embrace loud guitars also meant Heart was well-placed at a time when the early 90s grunge explosion was about to put Seattle back on the map."“Brigade came out was when music was turning back to guitars – and away from the huge layer cake production sounds of the 80s, when it was cool to be from Seattle just then!”

The first track "Wild Child" is a rocker catchy hymn, with a incredible force that literally recreate that bad-ass attitude, next is the massive "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You", an AOR power ballad smooth and charged of intesity, talking about the girl who only wanted sex instead the man, "Secret" was a classic ballad, with a hidden love sang it in impossible tones by Ann Wilson, "Tall, Dark Handsome Stranger" retook the hard rock, all-guitar driven and intense drums and vocals, "I Didn't Want To Need You" a melodic one with certain AOR touch, "The Night" is between a rocker tune and a melodic one, with its in crescendo estructure, moving towards a harder sound with 70's sound-a-like solo, "Fall From Grace" turned into classic rock with strong guitars and a slower verse surrounded a sad atmosphere, "Under The Sky" is the shortest one and the most gentle.

With "Cruel Nights" again the typical classic AOR sound, "Stranded" another piece of tune, a brilliant power ballad that catches the audiences, "Call Of The Wild" is a groovy one with certain bluesy riffs and some southy vocals, "I Want Your World To Turn" is a little bit slower with prime keyboards and a light rock melody, and the final "I Love You", another ballad, an slower one and with touchy vocals. 

It was an intense album, perfect and brilliant, so complete that even had a tune sang by Nancy "Stranded", and it was another No. 1 their first one since "These Dreams" again sang by Nancy, it's curious but this record doesn't sound like something produced in 1990, maybe something between 70's/80's and to think about it was produced in Seattle during the period when the city was about to become the main music turmoil, says a lot. A beautiful production, sublime on lyrics, vocals, melodies, everything, their voices, the elegance, and the band spreading aunthentic rock with quality and style. 

 

Brigade Track List: 

 

1. Wild Child 

2. All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You

3. Secret

4. Tall. Dark Handsome Stranger

5. I Didn't Want To Need You

6. The Night 

7. Fallen From Grace

8. Under The Sky

9. Cruel Nights

10. Stranded

11. Call Of The Wild

12. I Want Your World To Turn

13. I Love You

Rocktrospectiva: The Passionate "Still Got The Blues" Turns 35

Released on 26 March 1990 "Still Got The Blues" was the 8th., studio album by Northern Irish guitarist Gary Moore, this album was a landmark on Moore's carrer, it marked a substantial change in style for Moore sound, who had been predominantly known for rock and hard rock music with Skid Row, Thin Lizzy, G-Force, Greg Lake and during his own extensive solo career, as well as his jazz fusion work with Colosseum II. 

Still Got The Blues marks the first pure blues-rock album with no pop, fusion or heavy metal leanings. it is the combination of playing and songwriting which generates a winning formula. Take a look on "Midnight blues" rightfully merges polished blues-rock with a sense of late night drive. Moore uses his passionate vocals to a great effect. The title track has all ingredients to be a classic blues-rock cut: ingenious guitar solo (one of the best ones I've heard in blues rock), excellent development, fitting vocals and affectionate mood.

Gary Moore finally received the recognition he had deserved since his days of Colosseum II. As indicated by its title, Still Got the Blues saw him delve into an electric blues style. Relieved from the pressures of having to record a hit single, Gary Moore cuts loose on some blues standards as well as some newer material. Moore played better than ever, spitting out an endless stream of fiery licks that are both technically impressive and soulful. 

It's no wonder Still Got the Blues was his biggest hit. After brief stints with Thin Lizzy and some largely ignored solo albums, his deserved breakthrough single proved a mix of covers and originals that spotlighted searing, gut-punch axe work and impassioned vocals. Fans of the soaring dreamscape of a title hit will also appreciate his sublime, 

Another good tracks were the soulful readings of "As The Years Go Passing By" and "Midnight Blues".  On the fast track, name dropping firestorms Texas Strut and "King Of The Blues" are bangers, the album featured contributions from Albert King, Albert Collins and George Harrison, and its title track reached No. 97 on Billboard Hot 100 being Moore's his most succesful single on Hot 100. 

The album reached No. 83 on the Billboard 200 on 16 February 1991. This was Moore's most successful album both in terms of sales and chart position in the US. 

 

Still Got The Blues Track List:

 

1. Moving On

2. Pretty Woman

3. Walking By Myself

4. Still Got The Blues

5. Texas Strut

6. Too Tired

7. King Of The Blues

8. As The Years Go Passing By

9. Midnight Blues

10. That Kind Of Woman

11. All Your Love

12. Stop Messin' Aroung