Rocktrospectiva: The Party's Nearly Forgoteen Self-Titled Album Turns 35

Released on 31 August 1990 "The Party" was the eponymous debut album by the band of the same name. It was the first full-length release on Hollywood Records, at the time, The Party worked with the industry's top writers and producers at the time, such as Stephen Bray, Jellybean Benitez, Andre Cymone, and Deborah Gibson. The album spawned three singles "Summer Vacation", "I Found Love" & "That's Why".

 

In the late '80s. When a writer's strike interrupted a movie they were filming, Chase Hampton and Tiffini Hale were cast as the new generation of Mouseketeers. On the show, Hampton started a music group with fellow cast members, including Albert Fields, at the same time, Disney, which had started the Hollywood Records label, signed the group, which now consisted of Hampton, Hale, Fields, Damon Pampolina, and Dee Dee Mango. As part of the promotion for the band, a name-the-band contest was held. The result was "The Party," which is a backronym for "Positive Attitude Reflects Today's Youth." The group was also the first signing to the Walt Disney Company's pop-music-oriented label Hollywood Records, which, at the time, was distributed by Elektra Records. 

 

The first single, "Summer Vacation," was moderately successful, peaking at #72 on the Billboard Hot 100. The following singles, "I Found Love" and "That's Why" (which brought the group into a much bigger audience, thanks in part to a remixed version and added rap vocals), peaked at #79 and #55, respectively. 

 

The album also charted at #116 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. During this time, the Disney Channel produced a special titled "The Party: In Concert." The group's success landed it opening-act spots on major concert tours with the likes of Taylor Dayne and Vanilla Ice. However, the venture never really translated into major hit songs or platinum-selling sales after that. 

 

The group did manage to find the charts with four singles, but only one, a version of Dokken's "In My Dreams," cracked the Top 40, unfortunately, The Party was overshadowed by the future success of other Mouseketeers venturing into the pop music world, including Britney Spears, something I considereed a pity, cause for me, this teen band deserved a better fate. 

 

The album was released in the UK in 1992, with a slightly different track listing, but none of the singles made it into the charts there. 

 

The Party Track List:  

 

1. That's Why

2. Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda

3. I Found Love

4. Walkin' In The Rain

5. Sugar Is Sweet 

6. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend

7. Summer Vacation

8. I'm Just Wishin

9. Storm Me 

10. Dancing In The City

11. Rodeo

12. Ton Of Bricks 

New Music: On A Rocka

           

Ashes And Diamonds is the brand new project by Daniel Ash(Bauhaus, Love And Rockets) formed alongside Bruce Smith (PIL) and Paul Spencer Denman (Sade, Sweetback), their brand new album "Ashes And Diamonds Are Forever) will be out on 31 October, meanwhil "On A Rocka" is the band's first single with a video directed by Jake Scott who compiled footage from a full day-to.evening shoot of Ash riding a bike in and around beautiful Joshua Tree.  

Rocktrospectiva: The Essential "The Head On The Door" Turns 40

Released on 30 August 1985, "The Head On The Door" was the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Cure. The album spawned two singles "In Between Days" & "Close To Me", described as a collection of pop songs, with its variety of styles, it allowed the group to reach a wider audience in both Europe and North America.

 

The album is the first to feature drummer Boris Williams. Bassist Simon Gallup, who had previously worked on three major Cure albums of the early 1980s, was called back before the recording. In 1985, the band became a quintet with instrumentalist Porl Thompson as their fifth official member. The Head on the Door is the first Cure album where all the songs were composed solely by singer and guitarist Robert Smith. Although this album marks the return of Simon Gallup in the group; he had performed and composed with Robert Smith and Lol Tolhurst on the dark trilogy Seventeen Seconds, Faith and Pornography. 

 

According to Smith, the album was inspired by the albums Kaleidoscope by Siouxsie and the Banshees and Dare by the Human League. He wanted the album to be eclectic with different styles and moods: "It reminds me of the Kaleidoscope album, the idea of having lots of different sounding things, different colours". "Kyoto Song" contains an oriental hook, while "The Blood" is played in a flamenco style. 

 

The piano tune of "Six Different Ways" had been previously used by Smith during his tenure with Siouxsie and the Banshees, for the single "Swimming Horses". The last song of the album, "Sinking", was reminiscent of the band's Faith era, while "Close to Me" (released as the album's second and final single) was described as a "disco thing" by critics. 

 

While the opening track and first single, "In Between Days", was compared to New Order's material. "A Night Like This" contains a saxophone solo by Ron Howe from Fools Dance. The title of the album comes from a line in the chorus of "Close to Me". "Six Different Ways" had certain arab styles while "Push" was hardly strong towards the band dark side. "The Baby Screams" had a dense bass line and a fantastic guitar sound that practically set the pace for "Close To Me", one of the band's standard, and what about "A Night Like This" riding between's the band dark and luminous side and a remarkable bass line ccourtesy of Simon Gallup, and then of course "Sinking" a sigilous style with such good instrumentation to finished a great record dor the band. 

 

It was definitely the breaking point in the band's career, first cause the brand new line-up which actually would stablished the perfect formula the band will use in the albums to come, achieving a pop sound without left their dark style and punk rawness. 

 

Upon its released, the album was well received in the UK, hailed the "liberty" that Smith took to conceive a multifaceted record, with a wider more mature musical approach and marked a new musical direction for the Cure in that Smith had managed to make the band's trademark "gloom and doom" style both "danceable and popular". The Head on the Door is a essential alternative rock album and an outstanding example of Smith's ability to use pop music as a means to express angst while applying just a hint of the polish".

 

The Head On The Door Track List:  

 

1. In Between Days

2. Kyoto Song

3. The Blood

4. Six Different Ways

5. Push

6. The baby Screams

7. Close To Me

8. A Night Like This

9. Screw

10. Sinking

The Compilation: NOW That’s What I Call An Era: Such A Good Feeling 1988-1995

 

NOW Music will release a third volume of their ‘Now That’s What I Call An Era’ series next month. Such A Good Feeling: 1988-1995 focuses on the era when dance culture reshaped the mainstream, soundtracked a generation, and lit up the charts across the UK and beyond.

Available in 4CD form (deluxe hardcover book and standard card sleeve) and 3LP coloured vinyl this is a dive into the years of house, rave and club anthems, spanning the threshold that saw the 80s turn into the 90s. The CD editions feature 82 tracks while the triple vinyl set offers 46.

The compilation is about, tracks such as S’Express with the chart-topping "Theme From S-Express", Deee-Lite's "Groove Is In The Heart", Soul II Soul & Caron Wheeler's "Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)", "Dub Be Good To Me" from Beats International and "Killer" from Adamski.

"Rhythm Is A Dancer" from SNAP! features on the second of four CDs along with Dr. Alban's "It's My Life", Haddaway's "What Is Love" and more.

Bobby Brown's "Two Can Play That Game", CeCe Peniston's "Finally", Black Box's "Ride on Time", Neneh Cherry's "Buffalo Stance" and Freak Power's "Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out" are amongst the highlights of CD 3.

The CD version ends with a final disc that includes Yazz & The Plastic Population's Acid House chart-topper "The Only Way Is Up", Inner City's "Big Fun", Kym Mazelle and Robert Howard's "Wait", Utah Saints' Kate Bush sampling "Something Good", Moby's "Go" and The Prodigy's "Charly". 

NOW That’s What I Call An Era – Such A Good Feeling: 1988-1995 will be released on 26 September 2025.

 

Track List:  

 

CD 1

 

1. Brothers In Rhythm – Such A Good Feeling

2. S’Express – Theme From S-Express

3. Deee-Lite – Groove Is In The Heart

4. Inner City – Good Life

5. Adventures Of Stevie V – Dirty Cash (Money Talks)

6. Krush – House Arrest

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

8. Beats International – Dub Be Good To Me

9. Adamski & Seal – Killer

10. Bomb The Bass – Beat Dis

11. Coldcut and Yazz & The Plastic Population – Doctorin’ The House

12. Kenny “Dope” Presents The Bucketheads – The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall Into My Mind)

13. Nightcrawlers – Push The Feeling On

14. Tony Di Bart – The Real Thing

15. JX – Son Of A Gun

16. Blue Pearl – Naked In The Rain

17. D:Ream – U R The Best Thing

18. The Original – I Luv U Baby

19. Billie Ray Martin – Your Loving Arms

20. Kym Sims – Too Blind To See It

21. Zoë – Sunshine On a Rainy Day

 

CD 2

 

1. SNAP! – Rhythm Is A Dancer

2. Corona – The Rhythm Of The Night

3. Real McCoy – Another Night

4. Dr Alban – It’s My Life

5. Haddaway – What Is Love

6. W.S. – Please Don’t Go

7. Captain Hollywood Project – More And More

8. Cappella – U Got 2 Let The Music

9. Maxx – Get-A-Way

10. Technotronic – Get Up (Before The Night Is Over)

11. Rob ‘n’ Raz and Leila K – Got To Get

12. Berri – Sunshine After The Rain

13. The Grid – Swamp Thing

14. Perfecto Allstarz – Reach Up (Papa’s Got A Brand New Pig Bag)

15. Rozalla – Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good)

16. Opus III – It’s A Fine Day

17. Urban Cookie Collective – The Key, The Secret

18. Grace – Not Over Yet

19. Strike – U Sure Do

20. Kym Mazelle and Jocelyn Brown – No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)

21. West End feat. Sybil – The Love I Lost

 

CD 3

 

1. Black Box – Ride On Time

2. C+C Music Factory – Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)

3. Livin’ Joy – Dreamer

4. M People – One Night In Heaven

5. Baby D – Let Me Be Your Fantasy

6. SNAP! – The Power

7. Oceanic – Insanity

8. N-Trance – Set You Free

9. Felix – Don’t You Want Me

10. Xpansions – Move Your Body

11. K-Klass – Rhythm Is A Mystery

12. Degrees Of Motion – Shine On

13. Alison Limerick – Where Love Lives

14. Bobby Brown – Two Can Play That Game

15. CeCe Peniston – Finally

16. Crystal Waters – Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless) (La Da Dee La Da Da)

17. Neneh Cherry – Buffalo Stance

18. Mantronix & Wondress – Got To Have Your Love

19. The Family Stand – Ghetto Heaven

20. Freak Power – Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out

 

CD 4

 

1. Yazz & The Plastic Population – The Only Way Is Up

2. Inner City – Big Fun

3. 49ers – Touch Me

4. Kym Mazelle and Robert Howard – Wait

5. Coldcut and Lisa Stansfield – People Hold On

6. The Beatmasters and MC Merlin – Who’s In the House

7. S’Express – Hey Music Lover

8. Saint Etienne – He’s On the Phone

9. Utah Saints – Something Good

10. Moby – Go

11. Guru Josh – Infinity

12. D-Mob – We Call It Acieed (feat. Gary Haisman)

13. Chad Jackson – Hear The Drummer (Get Wicked)

14. MC Tunes & 808 State – The Only Rhyme That Bites

15. The Prodigy – Charly

16. Happy Mondays – Step On

17. The Stone Roses – Fools Gold

18. Primal Scream – Loaded

19. 808 State – Pacific – 707

20. The Beloved – The Sun Rising

Rocktrospectiva: The Dynamic "Sing When You're Winning" Turns 25

Released on 28 August 2000 "Sing When You're Winning" was thet hird studio album by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams. Following the critical and commercial success of I've Been Expecting You (1998), the North American release of The Ego Has Landed (1999) and the subsequent promotional tours for both albums, Williams reteamed with producers Guy Chambers and Steve Power to create new material for his next record. Sing When You're Winning incorporates a more post-millennial dance-pop approach while utilizing classic British rock elements. The album spawned six singles "Rock DJ", "Kids", "Supreme", "Let Love Be Your Energy" "Eternity"/"The Road to Mandalay" and "Better Man".

Following the 1998 release of his album I've Been Expecting You, and in the middle of promotion and touring in 1999, Williams found time to start the work on what would be his third studio album. The sound of the album was described as seeing Williams move "farther away from the increasingly dated visions of Oasis-style Britpop to embrace post-millennial dance-pop, complete with the bruising beats and extroverted productions to match."The album features a variety of styles, "conjuring a panoply of classic British rock touchstones like psychedelia, slick country rock, Ian Dury, the Who, Elton John, and Madchester."

The album's title is a reference to a popular football chant of the same name that goes to the tune of "Guantanamera", Williams being a fan of Port Vale. The cover art features multiple images of Williams celebrating winning a trophy at Chelsea's stadium Stamford Bridge.

The album contained the mega hit "Rock DJ", released as the album's first single. The song was inspired by Williams' UNICEF mentor, the late Ian Dury. The video was censored by Top of the Pops for its gore content, with many other channels following suit. Controversy ensued in the United Kingdom and many other countries, with the video showing Williams tearing chunks of skin and muscle from his body while performing a strip show, in an attempt to get noticed by a group of women. The track became an instant hit around the globe, hitting number one in the United Kingdom, becoming his third number-one single as a solo artist, "Kids" was a collaboration with Australian pop icon Kylie Minogue, was released as the album's second single. The song hit number two in the United Kingdom and snared top 10 placings in Australia, New Zealand, Latvia, Mexico and several other countries. "Supreme" was released as the album's third single, and was promoted in various countries by several international-language versions, including versions of the song in French and Spanish. "Let Love Be Your Energy" was released as the album's fourth single, and was the first Robbie Williams music video not to feature Williams himself. Instead, the video was animated and featured Williams attempting to outrun a volcano. "Eternity", a track that was not featured on the album, was released in the summer of 2001 backed with "The Road to Mandalay", a song which appears as the final track from the album. "Eternity" was written by Williams in what he called "the most amazing summer ever". After years of non-stop work he took a month off and recorded this track, which became his fourth number-one single in the United Kingdom. "Better Man" was released as the album's sixth and final single, exclusively in Australia and New Zealand. The single was released to relative success there.

The album contains a hidden message put on the album for humorous intent. After 24 minutes of silence following track 12, "The Road to Mandalay" (4:08 - 28:08), a spoken message from Williams saying "No, I'm not doing one on this album" is heard, which means that no hidden track on the album. 

Initial critical response to Sing When You're Winning was positive and fairly good record under the terms of Williams kinda of music. 

 

Sing When You're Winning Track List:  

 

1. Let Love Be Your Energy

2. Better Man

3. Rock DJ

4. Supreme

5. Kids

6. If It's Hurting You

7. Singing For The Lonely

8. Love Calling Earth

9. Knutsford City Limits

10. Forever Texas

11. By All Means Necessary

12. The Road To Mandalay 

Rocktrospectiva: The Grumpy Noisy "Southpaw Grammar" Turns 30

Released on 28 August 1995 "Southpaw Grammar" was the fifth studio album by English alternative rock singer Morrissey. The album charted at number 4 in the UK and number 66 in the US. It received a mixed response from critics. The singles lifted from the album were "Dagenham Dave" peaked at 26 in the UK, and "The Boy Racer" peaked at No. 36.

 

Curiously, the nature of the album is different from past Morrissey releases, such as the inclusion of two tracks which surpass the ten-minute mark, the near two-and-a-half-minute drum solo courtesy of Spencer Cobrin which opens the track "The Operation" and the sampling of a Shostakovich symphony. In general, the album was described as a complete art rock album full of strings, drum solos, and of course the so-called two ten-minute songs, with certain rockabilly and glam styles, giving Mozza a harder rocker sound-a-like.

 

According to Morrissey, the album's title refers to the school of hard knocks, and the cover features the boxer Kenny Lane.  On 27 April 2009 Sony BMG released a remastered version of Southpaw Grammar in the UK. This version included a substantially altered running order, three previously unreleased tracks, "Honey, You Know Where to Find Me", "You Should Have Been Nice to Me" and "Fantastic Bird" 

 

The critical reception to Southpaw Grammar was mostly positive upon release, described it as "the most musically dynamic album from the Messiah of Moans since he revitalized British rock with The Smiths in the mid-'80s". His most powerful solo outing to date, although others called the record as an ugly, noisy, grumpy album, recorded while Britpop stole Moz's thunder. But in the end and in some ways the most daring thing the ex-Smith has ever put his name to and highlighted three key tracks – The Teachers Are Afraid of the Pupils', 'The Operation' and 'Southpaw', dark, sprawling semi-instrumentals dominated by the remarkable drumming of Spencer James Cobrin – with lightweight fluff like 'Dagenham Dave' and 'The Boy Racer'.

 

Southapw Grammar 2009 Expanded Edition Track List: 

 

1. The Boy Racer

2. Do Your Best And Don't Worry

3. Reader Meet Author

4. Honey, You Know Where To Find Me

5. Dagenham Dave

6. Southpaw

7. Best Friend On The Payroll

8. Fantastic Bird

9. The Operation

10. The Teachers Are Afraid Of The Pupils

11. You Should Have Been Nice To Me 

12. Nobody Love Us

Rocktrospectiva: The Acclaimed And Magnificent "Jordan: The Comeback" Turns 35

Released on 28 August 1990, "Jordan: The Comeback" was the fifth studio album by English indie/sophistipop band Prefab Sprout. A 19-track album encompassing a variety of musical styles and themes, Jordan has been considered by the band and critics alike to be Prefab Sprout's most ambitious project. The album was produced by Thomas Dolby, who had helmed the band's acclaimed 1985 album Steve McQueen but had been unable to commit to the entirety of its 1988 follow-up From Langley Park to Memphis. The album spawned two singles "Looking For Atlantis" & "We Let The Stars Go". 

According to Paddy McAloon divided the album thematically into four segments – straight pop material, a suite about Elvis Presley, love songs and a section on death and fate. Often touching upon religion and celebrity, the songs allude to figures including Jesse James, Agnetha Fältskog, God and the Devil. Upon release, the album received widespread acclaim. It was also a commercial success, peaking at number 7 on the UK Albums Chart. On the other hand, the album's singles were less successful – "Looking for Atlantis" and "We Let the Stars Go" peaked at number 51 and number 50, respectively, on the UK Singles Chart while Jordan: The EP peaked at number 35. The album was nominated for Brit Award for British Album of the Year at the 1991 Brit Awards. 

Paddy McAloon spent around a year writing and recording demos for Prefab Sprout's next album. He created home recordings more elaborate than those for previous albums and wished for the project to resemble a Disney movie soundtrack produced by Trevor Horn.  McAloon kept in contact with collaborator Thomas Dolby. When Dolby received a demo tape, he considered many of the songs so complete that there was little he could do to improve them. McAloon, however, felt strongly that the album needed to be made in a professional recording studio. He ultimately considered Dolby's contribution in the studio so great that, barring a few tracks.

Recording commenced in June 1989, the band – Paddy and Martin McAloon, Wendy Smith and Neil Conti – initially recorded at Ridge Farm Studio, Surrey. Paddy McAloon began the sessions having already carefully planned the album's running order in the demo stage. He intended the album to feature 24 songs but CBS were concerned about the commercial appeal of a double album. Compromising, Prefab Sprout took the standard advance for a single album and recorded 19 tracks. The subsequent budgetary issues placed a strain on recording; the sessions, intended to last three months, ultimately stretched to around a year and caused Dolby to be away from his wife Kathleen Beller. After six months, the band travelled to Los Angeles to continue recording the album, with the couple putting them up at their home. 

Jordan: The Comeback has been described as nineteen songs dipped in conceptual aspic. The album's tracklisting was divided into four sections – straightforward pop songs, songs concerning Elvis Presley, love songs and songs about "death and fate". Common to all four sections is the theme of rebirth and renewal, the "comeback" of the album's title. McAloon felt most people "would like to be able to go back and do things differently". Several songs on the album contain references to God and religious imagery, a feature present in some of the band's earlier work. McAloon was inspired by the power of gospel music and concepts from his youth in a Catholic seminary.

The album featured a variety of genres, among them funk, disco, country and bolero. The arrangements largely employed soft textures, something McAloon deemed "the most avant-garde thing you can do" amidst the rock music scene of 1990, ever present are the rich chord changes with slices of sly sampling. Many of the compositions carried the influence of Broadway theatre and McAloon found inspiration in songwriters including Rodgers and Hart, Burt Bacharach and Rod Temperton.

The album first five tracks were straightforward pop songs with no deliberate linking theme. "Looking for Atlantis" based around McAloon's nylon string Ibanez guitar and atypically uses only two chords. McAloon has summarised the song's sentiment as "stop wasting time, find someone and fall in love with them". McAloon considered the hip hop-influenced "Wild Horses" to be one of the album's best songs. Lyrically, it is written from the point of view of "the older man longing for the younger girl, without it being seedy". He initially contemplated sending the song for Daryl Hall's consideration. The actress Jenny Agutter recorded the spoken words that accompany the song's instrumental section.

"Machine Gun Ibiza" utilises funk rhythms and wah-wah guitar in an arrangement. The song originated in a pub conversation referencing both Jimi Hendrix's "Machine Gun" and Ibiza, and lyrically concerns a hero partly based on Hendrix and described by McAloon as "the coolest guy on the planet". The ballad "We Let the Stars Go" was composed on piano on the morning of 29 August 1988; McAloon had tickets to see Jackson in Leeds that day but ultimately didn't go. The song's features the name "Paddy Joe" in reference to McAloon's own given names Patrick Joseph. He has described it as "a boy-loses-girl song with a little bit of autobiographical detail thrown in" and  "Carnival 2000" was about the celebrating the turn of the Millennium.

The tracks six through nine constituted what McAloon called "the Elvis section" as all four songs were written for or about Elvis Presley. "Jordan: The Comeback" imagines Presley, who died in 1977, still alive and living a reclusive existence in the Nevada desert. He has become distant from rock and roll and is waiting for the right song to return with. McAloon described "Jordan: The Comeback" as "a kind of mini-musical where the pumping bass is both Elvis's hip work and the throbbing of convertibles on endless highways." McAloon chose the River Jordan as the subject of the chorus because he believed Presley felt closest to gospel in his last years. He described the river as a "place of resurrection" and linked it to Presley through his backing vocalists, the Jordanaires. "Jesse James Symphony" and "Jesse James Bolero" came from McAloon's desire to write something Presley might have chosen to record. He felt the singer might have identified with the American outlaw Jesse James and "the pathetic story of a young life wasted". The two songs draw a parallel between the lives and early deaths of the two figures; McAloon felt both "lived a certain kind of life, and maybe envisaged a better end to it than what happened". "Moon Dog" imagines Colonel Tom Parker staging Presley's surprise comeback concert on the moon. The track samples applause from one of Presley's concerts. 

The tracks ten through fourteen broadly were the section of love songs. From the upbeat "All the World Loves Lovers" concerned a new relationship with an ambiguous tone influenced by the lyrics of Stephen Sondheim. The only lyric in "All Boys Believe Anything" was a repetition of the title, a backronym of ABBA, "The Ice Maiden" is about ABBA member Agnetha Fältskog. Having been struck by the Swedish pop group's "frosty glamour" as a teenager, McAloon sought to emulate ABBA's "stiff" lyrical style with lines including "welcome to the glow of high octane affairs" and "standing on the boulevard, you wish to know my name". "Paris Smith" was inspired by Wendy Smith's admission that, if she were to have a child, she'd give it an incongruous name to play against her surname. Wendy's choice for a girl was Paris. The song lyrically addresses a child in what McAloon described as "an attempt to exorcise my fears for the future". "The Wedding March" concerns marriage, with the lyrics declaring matrimony "one dance whose steps I never could learn". 

The final section of the album from track fifteen to nineteen were dubbed "death and fate" in several interviews, McAloon described the album's last five tracks as "a section on the modern way of death" that deals with "fundamental questions". Three of the tracks – "One of the Broken", "Mercy" and "Doo Wop in Harlem" – were written by McAloon in a flash of inspiration whilst he was waiting for a reel-to-reel tape to rewind. McAloon considered "One of the Broken" was among his best compositions. The country-influenced song is written from the perspective of God, "One of the Broken" had the creator urging the faithful to help others rather that sing any "hymn of devotion". In contrast, "Michael" was sung from the perspective of a regretful Satan wishing to get back into heaven and surprising the archangel Michael by requesting help on writing a letter to God. "Michael" marked by a "gloriously sinister synth texture worthy of Depeche Mode". "Mercy" is the album's shortest track, performed solo by McAloon on acoustic guitar. It can be read as both a further plea from Satan or as a love song. The album's last two tracks directly concern death. "Scarlet Nights" was about someone waiting to die. "Doo Wop in Harlem" addresses a departed friend.

Two singles and an EP were released from the album. The band promoted the lead single "Looking for Atlantis.  but it failed make the top 40 on the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 51. "We Let the Stars Go" was issued as the album's second single; but only peaked at number 50. Issued on 24 December 1990, Jordan: The EP – featuring "One of the Broken", "Jordan: The Comeback", "Carnival 2000" and "The Ice Maiden" – fared a little better than its predecessors, reaching number 35. In September 1992, a revised mix of "All the World Loves Lovers" received single release in support of A Life of Surprises: The Best of Prefab Sprout, peaking at number 61.

The album garnered widespread acclaim upon release, considered the album as the pop triumph of the year is to damn it with faint praise". an exquisite, sumptuous, marvellously intricate, angelically forceful record with smart lyrics, buoyant melodies and a pure pop charm the likes of which we haven't heard in a long time back then, even today, the album continued to receive praise and admiration and has been describe it as the ultimate fan favourite. 

 

Jordan: The Comeback Track List: 

 

1. Looking For Atlantis 

2. Wild Horses

3. Machine Gun Ibiza

4. We Let The Stars Go

5. Carnival 2000

6. Jordan: The Comeback

7. Jesse James Symphony

8. Jesse James Bolero

9. Moon Dog

10. All The World Loves Lovers

11. All Boys Believe Anything 

12. The Ice Maiden

13. Paris Smith

14. The Wedding March

15. One Of The Broken

16. Michael

17. Mercy

18. Scarlet Nights 

19. Doo Wop In Harlem

Rocktrospectiva: The Wider Art Rock "Time's Up" Turns 35

Released on 28 August 1990 "Time's Up" was the second studio album by US rock band Living Colour, through Epic Records. It was the follow-up to their successful 1988 album Vivid. Time's Up features a wide range of genres and also includes cameo appearances by Queen Latifah, Little Richard, Doug E. Fresh, Maceo Parker and James Earl Jones. The album reached gold status, peaking at #13 on the Billboard 200 and spawned three singles "Time's Up", "Love Rears Its Ugly Face", "Type" & "Elvis Is Dead". 

Time's Up was an interesting album, according to Corey Glover cause the band spent part of the time making Time's Up in California - we were in LA. We did some of the basic tracks in LA. And that was really weird, because we're New York guys. Hanging out in California and being very 'California' was very strange to us. We were staying in the Valley, and it felt like we were in school, because we had to get up in the morning and I met Will at what felt like the bus stop. It was like, 'OK, we've got to go to work.' And jogging around in California and hanging around in California - and hanging out with the Fishbone guys while we were out there. 

Time's Up has been described as a hard rock, heavy metal, funk metal, and art rock album, with elements of hip hop, jazz, funk, jazz fusion, Delta blues, soul, and punk rock. Reid's guitar work throughout explores "crunchy riffs, white noise and atonality." Musical allusions to Public Enemy and Paul Simon appear on the record. Early subjects on the album concern personal and social problems, including drug dealing "New Jack Theme", environmental catastrophe ("Time's Up") and racism "Pride", whereas "Elvis Is Dead" calls into doubt Elvis Presley's reputation as 'the king of rock'.

The album opened with "Time's Up", a hardcore song, before moving to the Afrocentric-tinged "History Lesson", which uses cut-up samples to demonstrate African music being "for communication purposes". "Type" has been described as an unusual choice of lead single, due to its sophisticated, six-and-a-half minute length. "Pride" is reminiscent of Led Zeppelin a jazz-rock song, "Elvis Is Dead" features a guest rap from Little Richard and a saxophone solo from Maceo Parker. "Type" and "Information Overload" feature complicated rhythms, while "Love Rears Its Ugly Head" is a funky, romantic song featuring a wah-wah guitar solo. "Under Cover of Darkness", featuring rapper Queen Latifah, was written on the subject of unprotected sex and features a pure jazz guitar solo from Reid. "Solace of You", a West African-style highlife love song featuring a reggae beat, is a diversion from the album's heavier topics, and musically reveals the group's African roots.

Critics were significantly positive called one of the best art rock album ever, praising Reid's corrosive guitar work, by saying he: often leapfrogs into rhythmic hyperspace, sliding around the outline of a beat that for moments on end no one explicitly plays. Such complicated musical thinking is common in jazz but almost unknown in rock. Living Colour widens rock’s scope, introducing, in an album aimed at a wide audience, a tough- minded kind of music-making normally found only in far more intellectual art.

 

Time's Up Track List: 

 

1. Time's Up

2. History Lesson

3. Pride

4. Love Rears Its Ugly Head

5. New Jack Theme

6. Someone Like You

7. Elvis Is Dead

8. Type

9. Information Overload

10. Under Cover Of Darkness

11. Ology

12. Fight The Fight

13. Tag Team Partners

14. Solace Of You

15. This Is The Life

16. Final Solution (Live In Chicago 1990) bonus track 

Rocktrospectiva: The Influential "Face Lift" Turns 35

Released on 28 August 1990 "Face Lift" was the debut studio album by the US rock band Alice in Chains. The album spawned two singles  "We Die Young", and "Man in the Box".  The album peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard 200 chart. 

 

Back in the day, the local promoter Randy Hauser became aware of Alice in Chains at a concert, and offered to pay for demo recordings. However, one day before the band was due to record at the Music Bank studio in Washington, police shut down the studio during the biggest marijuana raid in the state's history. The final demo – dubbed The Treehouse Tapes – found its way to managers Kelly Curtis and Susan Silver, who also managed the Seattle-based Soundgarden. Curtis and Silver passed the demo to Columbia Records' A&R representative Nick Terzo, who set up an appointment with label president Don Ienner. Based on The Treehouse Tapes (sold by the band at shows), Ienner signed Alice in Chains to Columbia in 1989. 

 

Alice in Chains became a top priority for the label, who released the band's first official recording in July 1990: the promotional EP We Die Young. Its lead single and title song became a hit on metal radio. After its success, the label rushed Alice in Chains' debut album into production with producer Dave Jerden. "I told Jerry Cantrell, 'Metallica took Tony Iommi and sped him up. What you've done is you've slowed him down again,'" Jerden recalled. "He looked at me and said, 'You got it.' That's how I got the gig." Facelift was recorded at London Bridge Studio in Seattle and at Capitol Studios in Hollywood from December 1989 to April 1990. 

 

Guitarist Jerry Cantrell stated the album was intended to have a "moody aura" that was a "direct result of the brooding atmosphere and feel of Seattle." Regarding the music for "Man in the Box", Cantrell said in the 1999 Music Bank box set, "That whole beat and grind of that is when we started to find ourselves; it helped Alice become what it was." The idea of using a voice box in the song came from producer Dave Jerden, who was driving to the studio one day when Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" started playing on the radio.

 

Cantrell also credited "I Can't Remember" for helping the band find its sound. "It Ain't Like That" came out of a riff that Cantrell cited as a mistake, however he called it "a cool mistake." Cantrell also called "Love, Hate, Love" the "masterpiece of that record," adding about the song that Staley's vocals are "amazing" and that it features one of his favorite guitar solos he ever performed.

 

Regarding the lyrical content, Cantrell said he wrote "We Die Young" after "riding the bus to rehearsal and [seeing] all these 9, 10, 11 year old kids with beepers dealing drugs. The sight of a 10 year old kid with a beeper and a cell phone dealing drugs equaled "We Die Young" to me." In a recorded interview with MuchMusic USA, vocalist Layne Staley stated that the lyrics for "Man in the Box" are about censorship in the mass media, and "I was really stoned when I wrote it." Discussing "Bleed the Freak", Cantrell stated that the lyrics represent "us against the world, those people who put you down." Cantrell wrote "Sunshine" about his mother's death.

 

Facelift peaked at number 42 in the summer of 1991 on the Billboard 200 chart.  It was the first album from the grunge movement to reach the top 50 in America on the Billboard 200, and the first to be certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on September 11, 1991, followed by Nirvana's Nevermind on November 27, 1991. The album was a critical success, citing Facelift as "one of the most important records in establishing an audience for grunge and alternative rock among hard rock and heavy metal listeners.

 

Althought Facelift was not an instant success, selling under 40,000 copies in the first six months of release, until MTV added "Man in the Box" to regular daytime rotation. The album achieved ti capture the bleakness of Seattle in the late '80s and early '90s, Facelift is one of the more realized debut albums of the grunge era, contrary to the band's worries of being unable to find their sound. It's a haunting, distorted, ear-shattering exploration of pain that bridged the gap between heavy metal and grunge fans, and cemented Alice in Chains as one of the most important bands in history.

 

Face Lift Track List:  

 

1. We Die Young

2. Man In The Box

3. Sea Of Sorrow

4. Bleed The Freak

5. I Can't Remember

6. Love, Hate, Love

7. It Ain't Like That

8. Sunshine

9. Put You Down

10. Confusion

11. I Know Something (Bout You)

12. Real Thing

New Music: Infinite Source

           

Deftones have released their tenth studio album, "Private Music", a few days ago, The album follows the previously shared singles "My Mind Is a Mountain" and "Milk of the Madonna." And now the band just released their brand new single "Infinity Source" with a video directed by Greatwork. 

Rocktrospectiva: The Groundbreaking "Born To Run" Turns 50

Released on 25 August 1975, "Born To Run" was the third studio album by the US singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. Co-produced by Springsteen with his manager Mike Appel and the producer Jon Landau, its recording took place in New York. The album marked Springsteen's effort to break into the mainstream and create a commercially successful album. The album spawned two singles "Born To Run" & "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" the first of which became a radio and live favorite.  

The album incorporates musical styles including rock and roll, pop rock, R&B, and folk rock. Its character-driven lyrics describe individuals who feel trapped and fantasize about escaping to a better life, conjured via romantic lyrical imagery of highways and travel. Springsteen envisioned the songs taking place over one long summer day and night. They are also less tied to the New Jersey area than his previous work. The album cover, featuring Springsteen leaning on E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons's shoulder, is considered iconic and has been imitated by various musicians and in other media.

Born to Run would go on to become a critical and commercial success. It propelled Springsteen's career and, perhaps more importantly, helped solidify the musical voice that he would carry on for decades to come. Bruce Springsteen's groundbreaking album, Born to Run, came out 50 years ago this month, marking a turning point for rock and roll — and for Springsteen. Before he recorded that album, Springsteen's record label, Columbia, was on the verge of dropping him because his first two albums, though critically acclaimed, had sold poorly. Biographer Peter Ames Carlin describes the making of Born to Run as an "existential moment" for Springsteen.

Carlin Said: "If this didn't work, he was done,". "And if he was done, who was he? What was he? Music was the only thing that he had really projected himself into. And it was everything to him. And the prospect of losing his career was terrifying." 

Every year, Springsteen marks the anniversary of the album's release by getting in his car and listening to the record while driving around his old stomping grounds in Asbury Park, N.J. "And when he realizes it's getting close to the end of the second side of the album, he drives to the street where he used to live and the little bungalow he rented, and wrote those songs on the little piano he had there," Carlin says. "And he parks outside that house and listens to 'Jungleland.'"

Its success has been attributed to capturing the ideals of a generation of US youths during a decade of political turmoil, war, and issues facing the working class. Over the following decades, the album has become widely regarded as a masterpiece and one of Springsteen's best records. It has appeared on various lists of the greatest albums of all time and was inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2003 by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". 

The music on Born to Run includes styles such as rock and roll, pop rock, R&B, and folk rock. The album captures "the essence of fifties rock 'n' roll and the beatnik poetry of sixties folk-rock, projected onto the battered spirit of mid-seventies USA". Springsteen wrote most of the songs on piano, which Kirkpatrick felt gave them "a particular melodic feel". Springsteen later said Bittan's piano "really defined the sound" of the album. The record's production is similar to Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, in which layers of instruments and complex arrangements are combined to make each song resemble a symphony. Springsteen said that he wanted Born to Run to sound like "Roy Orbison singing Bob Dylan, produced by Spector". He used Orbison's style for his vocal delivery and Duane Eddy as inspiration for his guitar parts. The writer Frank Rose emphasized Springsteen's homage to girl groups from the 1960s, such as the Shirelles, the Ronettes, and the Shangri-Las, ones who embellished themes of heartbreak and doo-wop sounds produced by Spector.

Springsteen envisioned the album's songs as taking place during one summer day and night. The album is centrally driven by "loneliness and the search for companionship". The characters are regular people who are lost and feel trapped in their lives; different places, such as streets and roads, offer a way out but are not ideal places. Described by Treble's Hubert Vigilla as a "four corners approach" to album sequencing, both sides of the original LP began with songs that were optimistic and promised hope and ended with songs of betrayal and pessimism. 

Across the album's eight songs, Springsteen writes about the night and the city: "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out", "Backstreets", and "Meeting Across the River"; an irresistible real or imaginary woman: "She's the One"; the enslavement of the working class "Night"; and the highway as a means of escape and coming-of-age journey "Thunder Road", "Born to Run", and "Jungleland".

Springsteen's hopeful songs, containing ideals such as that a road can take you anywhere, were "stunning" during a period marked by assassinations, war, political corruption, and collapse of the hippie subculture. Springsteen worked a "very, very long" time writing the lyrics because he wanted to avoid tropes of "classic rock 'n' roll clichés", turning them instead into fully developed and emotional characters: "It was the beginning of the creation of a certain world that all my others would refer back to, resonate off of, for the next 20 or 30 years." The songs are largely autobiographical, inspired by the noir-like B movies Springsteen enjoyed at the time.

Born to Run received highly positive reviews from music critics, particularly for its cinematic storytelling and Wall of Sound production. Enhancing romanticized US themes with his majestic sound, ideal style of rock and roll, evocative lyrics, and an impassioned delivery that defines a magnificent album. A masterpiece of punk poetry and one of the great records of recent years. 

 

Born To Run Track List: 

 

1. Thunder Road

2. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out 

3. Night

4. Backstreets

5. Born To Run

6. She's The One

7. Meeting Across The River

8. Junglenland

Film: Akira Kurosawa's "Dreams" Turns 35

Released on 24 August 1990 "Dreams (Japanese: 夢) also known as Akira Kurosawa's Dreams, was a 1990 magical realist anthology film of eight vignettes written and directed by Akira Kurosawa. Inspired by actual recurring dreams that Kurosawa had. Actors on the role were Akira Terao, Martin Scorsese, Chishū Ryū, Mieko Harada and Mitsuko Baisho. It was the director's first film in 45 years in which he was the sole author of the screenplay. 

Dreams addressed themes such as childhood, spirituality, art, death, and mistakes and transgressions made by humans against nature.The film does not have a single narrative, but is episodic in nature, following the adventures of a "surrogate Kurosawa" through eight different segments, or "dreams", each one titled. 

This late work by Akira Kurosawa was inspired by the beloved director's own nighttime visions, along with stories from Japanese folklore. In a visually sumptuous journey through the master's imagination, tales of childlike wonder give way to apocalyptic apparitions: a young boy stumbles on a fox wedding in a forest; a soldier confronts the ghosts of the war dead; a power-plant meltdown smothers a seaside landscape in radioactive fumes. Interspersed with reflections on the redemptive power of creation, including a richly textured tribute to Vincent van Gogh (who is played by Martin Scorsese), Akira Kurosawa's Dreams was both a showcase for its maker's artistry at its most unbridled and a deeply personal lament for a world at the mercy of human ignorance.

A deeply personal and introspective work that offers a rare glimpse into the mind of one of cinema's most celebrated filmmakers. Comprised eight distinct chapters, each represented a dream from different phases of life, the film blurs the boundaries between reality and imagination. Dreams operated as both an anthology of surreal experiences and a reflection on Kurosawa’s own values, concerns, and existential reflections.

At 80 years old at the time, Kurosawa created Dreams as a culmination of his lifelong concerns and artistic obsessions. By the time he made this film, he had already established himself as one of the greatest directors in world cinema, known for classics like Rashomon (1950), Seven Samurai (1954), and Ran (1985). While many of his films contained strong political, social, and philosophical undercurrents, Dreams is his most intimate and autobiographical work.

Arranged as a series of episodic dreams, each segment embodies a phase of life, taking place in alternate universes, exploring themes of different human concerns. These fragments range from innocent childhood fantasies to harrowing apocalyptic visions, encapsulating a poetic journey through a variety of states of mind. It is a collection of dream sequences—some based on his actual dreams—giving it a sense of unrestrained personal expression rarely seen in his more structured narrative films.

The Eight Dreams of Kurosawa

1. Sunshine Through the Rain

The film's opening segment, Sunshine Through the Rain, takes you into a world where nature, tradition, and innocence converge. A young boy defies his mother’s warnings about venturing into the forest during a sun shower—a time believed to herald foxes’ weddings. Witnessing a mystical procession of fox spirits, the boy is later told by his mother that he must seek the foxes’ forgiveness or face death. What follows is his journey through the forest in search of absolution, reflecting on innocence lost and the consequences of his disobedience. Kurosawa’s painterly visuals and the segment’s ethereal beauty underscore the theme of humanity’s complex relationship with nature, presenting the spiritual world as both intriguing and perilous.

2. The Peach Orchard

In The Peach Orchard, a young boy learns that the spirits of peach trees his family has destroyed are angry with him. These spirits, appearing in traditional Noh costumes, accuse the boy of complicity. His genuine sorrow and reverence earn their forgiveness, leading to a restoration of the orchard’s beauty. What follows is a symetric dance by the colourful spirits, highlighting Kurosawa’s mastery of color and composition.

3. The Blizzard

The chilling The Blizzard portrays a harrowing struggle against nature’s indifference. A group of mountaineers, led by a stoic figure, battles through a brutal snowstorm. The leader encounters a Yuki-onna, or snow woman, who lures him into a paralyzing slumber. His ultimate resistance and his ability to rally his comrades underscore the tension between human will and nature’s remorseless forces. The minimalist sound design and white palette enhance the segment’s existential threat, reflecting the internal and external struggles against despair.

4. The Tunnel

Transitioning to the somber themes of war and guilt, The Tunnel follows a Japanese officer haunted by the ghosts of soldiers who perished under his command. Emerging from a dark, oppressive tunnel, these spirits are trapped in limbo, their presence symbolizing the inescapable weight of wartime guilt. A restrained, dark color scheme and the officer’s emotional confrontation with his past underscore the psychological scars left by war and survivor’s guilt.

5. Crows

The Crows segment stands as an homage to Vincent van Gogh. The protagonist finds himself within the swirling landscapes of Van Gogh’s paintings, ultimately encountering the painter himself, portrayed by Martin Scorsese. This dreamlike immersion into Van Gogh’s world explores the intersection of art and reality, reflecting Kurosawa’s admiration for the Dutch painter’s ability to capture nature’s fleeting beauty. 

6. Mount Fuji in Red

In Mount Fuji in Red, Kurosawa confronts the terrifying potential of nuclear disaster. The eruption of Mount Fuji and the ensuing chaos—marked by radioactive clouds and panic—serve as a stark critique of technological arrogance and environmental destruction. The segment’s fiery palette and apocalyptic imagery critique humanity’s reckless pursuit of progress, resonating with Japan’s historical trauma from nuclear devastation.

7. The Weeping Demon

The Weeping Demon presents a dystopian vision of a world ravaged by nuclear holocaust. The protagonist encounters a mutant demon, who describes the eternal suffering of the survivors. This segment starkly contrasts earlier, more hopeful visions, illustrating the irreversible consequences of human greed and folly. The grotesque mutations and barren landscapes paint a grim picture of humanity’s potential downfall.

8. Village of the Watermills

In a serene conclusion, Village of the Watermills depicts a pastoral utopia where traditional simplicity and ecological harmony prevail. The protagonist encounters a village where modern technology is eschewed in favor of a life attuned to nature’s rhythms. This final segment offers a hopeful vision of redemption, advocating for a return to a simpler, more respectful relationship with the environment. The tranquil visuals and gentle music create a stark contrast to the film’s earlier apocalyptic visions, presenting an idealized path forward through ecological balance and spiritual contentment.

35 years later, "Dreams" stands as a profound testament to Akira Kurosawa's introspective journey through existential themes, articulated through the lens of his own dreams. By entwining elements of Japanese folklore, personal guilt, and environmentalism, Kurosawa creates a cinematic mosaic that transcends conventional storytelling. Each dreams offers a unique exploration of humanity's complex relationship with nature, the enduring impact of war, and the quest for meaning through art.

The film's progression from childhood innocence to stark apocalyptic visions illustrates Kurosawa's evolving concerns about the natural world and human foolishness. His use of color, composition, and theatrical influences enhances the film's poetic and dreamlike quality, inviting you to traverse the boundary between reality and imagination. Ultimately, in Village of the Watermills, Kurosawa provides a glimmer of hope, suggesting that redemption and harmony are attainable if humanity embraces a simpler, more respectful relationship with nature. As a culmination of his artistic career, Dreams not only reflected Kurosawa's philosophical preoccupations but also offers a timeless meditation on universal human struggles and aspirations.

In conclusion, Kurosawa's Dreams functions as a mirror. What we see in it depends on who we are, where we’ve been, and what we fear becoming.