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Up to this point, the TKK (as they're known by their fans) were known for heavy leaden drum beats and harsh industrial techno. This aggressive electronic sound put them right alongside other industrial bands like Ministry and KMFDM. With this release, you could just see the fans running for the hills like rats abandoning a sinking ship. And truth be told, I was one of those who thought, "WTF?" when I first heard it. In fact, I remember telling some of the band members at a show in Vegas just how much I hated the new material. And yet... The disc has grown on me over the years and is now one of those albums I love to listen to completely through.
For those of you expecting pulp culture tongue-n-cheek spoofing as the TKK are so famously known for, you get it, but in a rather different way. 'Hit & Run Holiday' is like a B movie beach party. It embraces 50's culture to such an extreme you can almost picture Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon driving a down the Pacific Coast Highway listening to this disc with the top down.
Taken as a whole, this is a record that celebrates a very specific moment in time theme and should be enjoyed as such. The sad part is when you start dissecting the disc, many of the tunes don't hold up musically on their own. Don't get me wrong, they're all enjoyable, but it's the flow created that makes it so easy to digest. Once you break it down, you get different kinds of songs that can be categorized into further sub-genres. And not all in a good way. At one point, the band sounds almost like a bad Vegas lounge act. At other times, they sound more rockabilly than industrial. There's still a heavy rhythm section going on. You can certainly take comfort in knowing those dance beats are still in abundance.
My favorite tracks on the record are 'Chemical Cop-Out' and 'Mindcage'. Both are more in line with traditional techno of the time. 'Chemical Cop-Out' starts out with an aggressive beat that follows through to the very end of the song. It's got a staggered drum track I enjoy and the vocal delivery is great fun. 'Mindcage' seems almost out of character for the band. I'd say this was the drug trip song of the record. It's more ethereal and based on trance sounds than heavy rhythm. The drum track is pretty danceable though. The vocal delivery is more whispered and the vocals affected to give it an otherworldly quality. It's like listening to music on acid.
The artwork for the cover and the inserts reminds you more of 'The Valley Of The Dolls' than a TKK effort. Gone are the stark black covers with pulp culture pictures and satanic references. It's black and white, but the white is the background this time around. You get lots of slogans written on the packaging. Things like, "Keep your eyes on the road, and suck the wild", "Sister Rebel Outlaw!" and "Drifting like a stoned dog...". There are a number of re-occurring themes here. Driving and drugs are two of the most obvious.
This is definitely a record to put on when you're about to party in Vegas. Pull the top down, throw a few back, head on down to the strip and cruise along with this blasting out for all the world to hear. You'll be surprised just how perfect it is. My final words: 50'S CRUISING AT ITS BEST!
MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT - HIT & RUN HOLIDAY
01. Hit & Run Holiday
02. Glamour Is A Rocky Road
03. Portrait Of The Damned
04. Apollo 69
05. Chemical Cop-Out
06. Babylon Drifter
07. Hottest Party In Town
08. Golden Strip
09. The Doris Love Club
10. Mindcage
11. Mr. Eleganza
12. Universal Luxury
13. Hot Blood Risin'
14. Mission: Stardust
15. The Last Ride Out
Alison Krauss is one of those few artists I'm drawn to as a vocalist. She has an angelic quality to her voice I find extremely appealing. Her older material lacks the hushed, softer tone of her more recent stuff. You can tell she found her own style as a singer. She sings with a soft and easy lilt. That peaceful vibrato is endearing. You can't help but be embraced by her vocals. Her band is wonderful when it comes to arranging music. They have a backwoods sound that works well with contemporary standards.
On this album, she's in full force with her established vocal stylings. The opening track is lovely and makes me think of my own life before moving back to Utah. It's about a wandering soul who is out to experience the world. The lyric tells us he/she will only settle down when they stop building roads and all God needs is 'Gravity' to hold them down. 'Restless', the second track, is also pretty, but doesn't have the same hook as the first number.
The third cut is another story altogether. There's a lot to be said for Krauss in that she tries to make her records a group effort. She loves her band and I think she finds them interesting as artists. To this end, she often fills her cds with cuts highlighting one of her band member as lead vocalist or they do instrumental cuts giving the band time to showcase their skills as musicians. The instrumental and non-Alison vocal tracks are usually more standard bluegrass fare. It has a twangy country sound. Although that's fine for what it is, I often feel like it distracts from what I'm actually wanting to hear. I usually skip through those tracks. 'Rain Please Go Away' is one of those numbers. It features one of her band members, Dan Tyminski, on vocals. I don't like his voice at all. In fact, I find the song in general quite irritating. Dan takes over singing lead on 'Pastures Of Plenty' and 'This Sad Song'. 'Pastures Of Plenty' was written by folk legend, Woody Guthrie and 'This Sad Song' is actually an Alison Krauss composition. It's the first song I've seen her take a writing credit on. Later in the disc, another band member, Ron Block takes over lead vocals for his song, 'I Don't Have To Live This Way'.
You get a hoedown with 'Unionhouse Branch'. An instrumental roughhouse with her band members written by Jerry Douglas. The rest of the tunes, even the normally lackluster numbers, become transformed by the sweet sound of Alison's lovely voice. 'My Poor Old Heart' is an exceptional song.
"I don't know that I will ever trust again.
It's a price that I must pay for all my sins.
Time has changed me and left me full of doubt.
And my heart may be lost, never to be found."
It speaks so clearly to anyone who's ever suffered from heartbreak. 'Doesn't Have To Be This Way' is another beautiful song. I love the opening line. It's about loving an inspired soul who is constantly searching; never satisfied. 'If I Didn't Know Any Better' is another amazing track made even more spectacular by her voice.
She has the ability to sing sad songs and express the pain so realistically. You can actually feel the emotional struggle. For song writers who hope to find some expression in their work, Alison is a vocalist who can deliver that drama. She devotes herself to lyrical tragedy more fully than anyone I've ever heard.
This is a great effort. It's dragged down by the band numbers lacking her vocals and the instrumental bluegrass. Alison should really stick to doing what has made her famous... Singing adult contemporary music in her unique laid back style. Regardless of it's origin - country, pop or even R&B - Krauss and company transform every song they though into their distinctive sound and give it royal treatment. My final words: SO CLOSE TO HEAVEN.
ALISON KRAUSS AND UNION STATION - LONELY RUNS BOTH WAYS
01. Gravity
02. Restless
03. Rain Please Go Away
04. Goodbye Is All We Have
05. Unionhouse Branch
06. Wouldn't Be So Bad
07. Pastures Of Plenty
08. Crazy As Me
09. Borderline
10. My Poor Old Heart
11. This Sad Song
12. Doesn't Have To Be This Way
13. I Don't Have To Live This Way
14. If I Didn't Know Any Better
15. A Living Prayer
I've yet to write here about Sade, but I've written other places about her. Right now, this disc is burning up my player. It's no secret I'm a big fan of Sade and her band. I love the mellow grooves and sultry vocals. There's nothing complicated about their music except for the complexity of her messages of love. She often puts feelings into words in such a delicate and beautiful way... It's hard to see as anything other than amazing.
'Stronger Than Pride' is the third disc from this exciting band and singer. The album starts off with the soft title ballad, 'Love Is Stronger Than Pride' in which Sade tells her wayward lover despite his actions, she still loves him. She won't take him back, let his infidelity hold her back or easily forgive him. But she still feels love more than anything else because love is stronger than pride. The soft sound of the music and the sadness in the vocal delivery are heart rendering and once again, Sade shows us that even a cliche overwrought subject like love has multi-facets we can continue to explore and discover. It's followed by 'Paradise'; a huge hit for the band. The song is based around a simple bass line and almost island rhythm section. It's the mellow groove of the rhythm track that gives this song it's momentum. The lyrics are simple, invoking the imagery of waves and tropical weather.
'Nothing Can Come Between Us' is another number with a catchy bass line and great rhythm. This song demonstrates the power of creating verses and choruses that move along at a rhythmic pace and how effective Sade is at building complex verse structures for her limited vocal range. 'Haunt Me' is a beautiful number that in effect, is essentially haunting. The guitar played in the background gives it an ancient quality. 'Turn My Back On You' is a lovely song about loyalty and devotion to one's lover. 'Keep Looking' is a tune meant to encourage those with dreams while 'Clean Heart' tells the story of a young man killed in a back alley and how strong his love was for his family and friends. 'Give It Up' is a song relying heavily on a repeated line. Of all the songs on the disc, this is probably the least interesting. It's followed by 'I Never Thought I'd See The Day'. This song is a companion piece to 'Love Is Stronger Than Pride'. Both tunes deal with infidelity. I think it would have been better to close the disc with this track rather than 'Siempre Hay Esperanza', the album's only instrumental.
Although there are certain songs I'm drawn to and enjoy more than others, this is a strong record with almost no filler material. In my opinion, virtually all of these tracks could stand on their own as singles. Back in the 80's, Sade and her band released a string of records over a very short period all of which were incredibly strong. Instead of continually pumping out album after album of sub-par material when ideas started drying up, the group instead spent more and more time between records compiling strong material. I think this is smart and even though I sometimes wish for more music, I'm happy with what's available. Another great aspect of Sade is the fact the music refuses to sound dated. It continues to hold up even years later. The potency of the lyrics and the musical arrangements is timeless and strong.
They are a great example of a strong musical group who create dazzling records. My final word: CLASSIC!
SADE - STRONGER THAN PRIDE
01. Love Is Stronger Than Pride
02. Paradise
03. Nothing Can Come Between Us
04. Haunt Me
05. Turn My Back On You
06. Keep Looking
07. Clean Heart
08. Give It Up
09. I Never Thought I'd See The Day
10. Siempre Hay Esperanza
Vernon Reid is the former band leader of late 80's metal band Living Colour. They had a huge hit at the end of the decade with the song, 'Cult Of Personality'. Reid released this solo record later when the band's popularity was starting to wane. I picked it up because ASCAP's website listed the song 'CP Time' as a Prince composition. That being the case, I of course picked it up. What I didn't realize was the song credit is given because the song contains a sample of a song written by Prince.
Here's the breakdown on sampling... And what I consider constitutes actual writing credits... There are two types of sampling that I can think of. I call them A) Incorporation and B) Performance. An Incorporation sample is when an artist takes a song by another artist, bases their own composition on that song or borrows a brief portion of the track to enhance a progression thereby creating an entirely new piece of music. MoKenStef incorporated Prince's 'Do Me, Baby' on their song 'He's Mine' which in my opinion is a legitimate and new Prince composition. By the same token, Danny Elfman incorporated elements of Prince's 'Scandalous' for several tracks on his original Batman Score. The second sample, the Performance is when an artist actually lifts a piece of an original recording and uses that sample as a repeating motif in a new song. The first involves a new performance of a melody or key progression whereas the second is basically stealing of another recording. I'm very anti-Performance sampling. In the case of 'CP Time', it's a Performance sample from an old track by The Time. The re-occurring sample features Morris Day shouting, "What time is it?" over and over. Prince may have written the lyric, but it's Morris Day that's actually being sampled here because his performance is the element being used on the track.
Ok, rant over. Let's discuss the record. So based on faulty information and an erroneous credit to Prince, I bought a record I was sorely disappointed with initially. In fact, the disappointment I felt obscured my judgment of the disc for many years. I finally listened to it all the way through and was in for a rather interesting experience. 'Mistaken Identity' is a fusion jazz record. Reid takes elements of funk, metal, jazz and R&B to create a unique blend of sound. It's not always effective but when it's on, it's really on. The track titles are tongue-n-cheek pop culture references that sometimes deter from the strength of the music. The music itself can often be heavy handed and sound like minor grooves for Reid to solo over with his guitar.
But there are just as many wonderful moments of shiny solid material here. The wispy start of 'Uptown Drifter' is pure mood and carries you along for a beautiful ride. Some excellent guitar playing here. There's the brilliant 'Important Safety Instructions (Mutation 2)'; which gives spiritual instructions on the use and misuse of karma. I find this particular track to be both humorous and amazingly lovely musically. Probably my favorite track on the record is one of the only tracks with a vocal performance. 'Signed Fictitious' is a sparkling track that really highlights an Urban feel. It's amazing!
Despite the energy of the great tracks, 'Mistaken Identity' is often tedious with guitar solos and can often sound more like a mishmash of styles rather than a cohesive piece of music. Irregardless, Reid embraced an interesting and progressive direction by combining such clashing genres. He has the potential to create something really incredible. I need to follow up and see where this leads. Of course, I've probably missed the best of it. But I've certainly enjoyed what I've heard. The best thing to say can be summed up by my final words: MUSIC SOUP.
VERNON REID - MISTAKEN IDENTITY
01. CP Time
02. Mistaken Identity
03. You Say He's Just A Psychic Friend
04. Who Are You? (Mutation 1)
05. Lightnin'
06. The Projects
07. Uptown Drifter
08. Saint Cobain
09. Important Safety Instructions! (Mutation 2)
10. What's My Name
11. Signed Fictitious
12. Call Waiting To Exhale (Mutation 3)
13. My Last Nerve
14. Freshwater Coconut
15. Mysterious Power
16. Unborne Embrace
Good Question was a one-off band appearing on the Paisley Park label back in 1988. The band is basically two brothers with minuscule singing ability. They were obviously discovered to compete with 80's flop band Milli Vanilli who enjoyed success around the same time or because someone thought they had a sexy image. Regardless of which way you look at it, this is one of the worst pieces of music committed to tape in the history of modern pop.
There is nothing, from the bland uninspired generic arrangements, to the trite forgettable throw away lyrics; I repeat nothing worth listening to. The vocal performances seem forced and juvenile. As for image, the brothers are twinky little girly boys with about as much sex appeal as a brick wall. Their one video features popular dance moves but nothing original and different.
It seems to me, this band was created in an attempt to ride a musical trend rather than push musical boundaries like so many Paisley Park acts did during its short life span. The Prince involvement is non-existent; which probably explains the lack of any musical ingenuity whatsoever. This record devalues the integrity of all other artists appearing on the label.
The one redeeming quality of the disc is the fact it appears on Paisley Park. Without that distinction, that little paisley symbol on records, cassettes and CDs, there wouldn't be anything worth salvaging here. They're not even worth the time or energy it would take to destroy them. The only people in the world who will buy this material are die-hard Prince fans and possibly family members of the brothers.
It's a funny thing to have someone come up to you and make your dreams come true because they think you're pretty whereas so many truly talented and deserving people are overlooked and left by the wayside. It actually offends me so many resources and money were invested in such a wasted project as this. Even in the creative process, they had to know it was crap. I can't believe Rosie Gaines' 'Concrete Jungle' wasn't released and this dribble was. Very disappointing.
As much as I love Paisley Park and what it did back in the day, I hate to give one of its bands such a poor review, but I have absolutely no choice if I want to be honest in my critique. My final words: SKIP IT.
GOOD QUESTION - GOOD QUESTION
01. Got A New Love
02. Body Contact
03. Dance With Me
04. One On One
05. Listen To Your Heart
06. Private Property
07. Real Love
08. Mysterious Lady
09. Like An Explosion
10. One More Time
I never knew much about Kon Kan when I bought this cassette. I can't even think why I bought it in the first place other than someone mentioned it was a great tape. Since then, I've found it on CD and I paid full price for it when I purchased it at Tower Records in Las Vegas. As I researched the group for this article, I discovered they were a Canadian outfit. I think they're based in Ontario.
Anyway... I really liked certain tracks by this group. Enough to buy it on CD when I found it. At the same time, I've noticed the group relies heavily on musical elements they take from other songs rather than writing original stuff. Some samples are blatant, like Nancy Sinatra's 'These Boots Are Made For Walkin'', Led Zepplin's 'Immigrant Song', Lynn Anderson's '(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden' and Silver Connection's 'Get Up And Boogie (That's Right)'. They record a sample and play it over their own beats. But some are more subtle. 'I Can't Answer That' revolves so heavily around Cameo's 'Word Up' it's a shock not to hear Larry Blackmon's vocals.
I've never been a huge fan of sampling, but I will say this much for Kon Kan... They usually use the samples to good effect and the result is often enjoyable. I think the band has a solid foundation in beats. Even the songs written without sampling like 'Bite The Bullet', 'Glue & Fire' and 'Move To Move' have exciting rhythm sections. The music is interesting and aggressive enough to be fun even though the lyrics are often weak and generic.
The weak point on the record is the ballad 'Am I In Love'. It's truly a downer on an otherwise carefree dance album. I've read Kon Kan released other records after this one and were active for many years. They're totally defunkt now and I haven't heard anything other than this one shining example. I remember this music fondly from my childhood and strongly recommend it to fans of 80's New Wave/Dance music. What it lacks in lyrical depth and musical originality, it makes up in groovy beats and simple hooks. You might like it if you try it. My final words: GREAT ZONE OUT.
KON KAN - MOVE TO MOVE
01. Arts' In D Minor/Harry Houdini
02. Bite The Bullet
03. Move To Move
04. I Can't Answer That
05. I Beg Your Pardon (I Never Promised You A Rose Garden)
06. Am I In Love
07. Glue & Fire
08. It Doesn't Matter
09. Puss N' Boots/These Boots (Are Made For Walking)
10. Arts' In D Minor/Harry Houdini (Justin Strauss 12" Remix)
11. I Beg Your Pardon (I Never Promised You A Rose Garden) (12" Remix)
Hubert Von Goisern and his group, Die Alpinkatzen, were introduced to me by a friend in Switzerland. He actually gave me a few CDs of local bands because I really wanted to hear what was popular there. He suggested this band. Since discovering the group, I've read up on them online and learned a lot about a movement in Germanic folk music called Alpinerock. This movement is made up of bands who combine elements of pop and rock with traditional folk style. Now I know what you're thinking... German Folk music? Wouldn't that consist of a bunch of dudes in lederhosen yodeling? Well, you wouldn't be far from the truth there. They certainly do wear lederhosen and they do yodel. There's even an accordion in the mix. But that's basically where the similarity with traditional folk music ends.
From the outset, this disc goes places I never expected. Honestly, I thought I'd get some yodeling in a quaint predictable fashion. Instead you get something ethereally different. The yodeling; when it does happen; is something more complex and fast paced than you'd expect to hear. It has a siren-like quality to it and alternates between relaxing and bewitching, to enhancing, tensing and ultimately increasing the pace of the songs.
Subject matter is quite unexpected as well. Especially when you have a tune about Cocaine and Chicken McNuggets. Ok, so they're not in the same song, but it is strange for a folk band to sing about fast food and illegal drugs. The rock tunes are catchy and lyrically engaging. There's comedy and seriousness throughout the disc. But the true treasure of this album comes in the ballads.
My favorite song of the bunch is "Wieder Hoam". Although the music is somewhat standard fare and never really moves beyond; dare I say it...; generic 80s... The sentiment of the lyric, the vocal delivery and the subdued instrumentation combine to make a truly lovely song. I love it. Absolutely love it.
I'm hugely fascinated with other songs on this disc as well. From the beautiful and haunting yodeling on 'Kuahmelcher' to a dip in the pool of religion on 'Gott Erhalts' I find myself enchanted from start to finish. Of course, the album makes ten times more sense when you actually understand the lyrics. Fortunately, I do.
In the end, I'd really recommend this to anyone who wants to hear how an outdated music form can become something vital and exciting in the right hands. Or anyone who wants to get excited about their ancestry. This is a great place if you're German, to hear what your relatives across the pond are doing these days. Oh, heck, I'd recommend it to everyone. It's worth the time. My final words: AN EXCITING ALPINE MUSICAL EXCURSION!
HUBERT VON GOISERN UND DIE ALPINKATZEN - OMUNDUNTN
01. Iawaramoi (Steirer)
02. Goassbeitl-Bauernbuam
03. Spinni
04. Kren & Speck
05. Goisern
06. Kokain-Blues
07. Landlertanz
08. Kuahmelcher
09. Gott Erhalts
10. Wieder Hoam
11. Ganz Alloan
12. Oben Und Unten
13. Schleiniger
If you think all the way back to the mid-eighties, you might remember A-Ha. They were one of those little synth pop groups that were sprouting up everywhere on the heels of the New Romantic or New Wave movement. What set them apart from other bands was the almost angelic quality of Morten Harket's vocals. His range seemed endless! Taking advantage of his vocal flexibility, the group wrote highly catchy melodies with sweeping scales and dramatic builds. In addition to decent songwriting, A-Ha's record label pumped money into state of the art videos for the band's singles. On the backs of firm promotion and a quality product, they topped the charts a few times and then dropped off the radar becoming just one of many background noise bands throughout the decade.
What makes them even more interesting is their tenacity and how they survived to continually release albums, even today. Listening to A-Ha is like watching a child learn to play an instrument. In the beginning, they were a sweet little synth band, tinkling away on their keyboards. One could credit a producer with creating the full sound they had on their first album. Each subsequent record shows more and more musical diversity and an ever present metamorphosis that we see more fully realized here on 'East Of The Sun, West Of The Moon'. They ended the 80's as one of the more remarkable New Wave acts and started the 90's completely revamping their image.
From the opening lines of 'Crying In The Rain', a Carole King cover, you can hear the difference. Gone are the layered keyboard motifs and to the fore come guitars and piano. This move away from synth pop isn't as much a move away from an unpopular musical form as it is a progression of musicians learning and developing over time. It's actually fascinating to listen to this record. When we first met them, A-Ha were a group of boys out to win the world. With this record, they're more seasoned and mature.
With 'Early Morning', the band moves from the subdued cover of 'Crying In The Rain' to a more urgent but also relaxed number. The rhythm is set by the melody repeating a fast paced scale over and over. Harket's vocals are incredibly expressive on this number. The adult contemporary nature of this record is everywhere. 'East Of The Sun' is also powerful and focuses more heavily on Harket's lower range vocally than most other songs. He doesn't spend a great deal of time on the higher end for this record, and yet his move towards the lower half of his range is just as calming and stimulating as previous efforts.
My favorite tracks on this album are 'Sycamore Leaves', 'Rolling Thunder', 'Early Morning', 'Cold River' and 'East Of The Sun'. But even those songs I'm not hugely fond of are enjoyable to listen to. The disc has a wonderful flow and easy listening quality making it perfect to play in the background or sing along with in the truck.
Put it in, turn up the volume and be shocked that this is the same band that gave us 'Take On Me'. My final word: DARING.
A-HA - EAST OF THE SUN, WEST OF THE MOON
01. Crying In The Rain
02. Early Morning
03. I Call Your Name
04. Slender Frame
05. East Of The Sun
06. Sycamore Leaves
07. Waiting For Her
08. Cold River
09. The Way We Talk
10. Rolling Thunder
11. (Seemingly) Nonstop July
I actually own a couple discs by Madonna, though mostly for other reasons. I own one because Prince worked on it and the rest are singles. It's not that I don't like Madonna... I like her quite a bit. Just never really got into her musically or as a performer. Sadly, she kinda typifies the things I usually dislike about artists.
'Erotica' was a breakthrough album of sorts. Since her debut in the early 80's, Madonna's been linked to sexuality as securely as Captain's been linked to Crunch. Although her image was sexualized and seductive, she was hardly pornographic and her music wasn't really controversial as her publicists wanted you to think. Madonna was threatening because she portrayed feminine sexuality from a position of power. She was confident, secure and unphased by an industry known for objectifying women. I'd give her credit for taking popular music in an entirely new direction. She made it possible for Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, Britney Spears and others to step up to the plate and be taken seriously as artists. Whether or not that's all been for the good remains to be seen.
So along comes 'Erotica'... And for mothers across the country who feared their daughters turning out like Madonna, their worst fears were confirmed. Blatantly sexually suggestive lyrics, foul language and aggressive rhythms more dance oriented than previous efforts pushed her from pop icon to massive superstar. Her fans were growing up and so was Madonna.
To call this disc a masterpiece would be overdoing it. There's still a lot of lackluster Madonna filler music. But there are more great tunes versus ho-hum tunes here for you to sink your ears into. The first half of the disc, tracks 1-6 are all brilliantly written, produced and performed. The stand out numbers are easily the faster more dance oriented tracks. Madonna's released a number of ballads in her day, in fact one of the singles from this record was a ballad, but she falls in the same trap as most ballad singers... boring, uninspired throwaway tunes targeted towards the more cliche listener. Not a great place for her to spend lots of time. As a vocalist, I've always thought she was limited in range and somewhat weak. Her strength has always been in faster paced dance material.
My favorite tracks are 'Erotica', 'Bye Bye Baby', 'Thief Of Hearts' and 'Words'. But her smoldering cover of 'Fever' is also fantastic. 'Bad Girl' is another track I find amusing and then there's her tribute to oral sex, 'Where Life Begins'. An amazing group of songs from an exciting performer.
My final words are: ENJOYABLE AND FUN. Certainly worth your time and effort even if you're not a die-hard fan.
MADONNA - EROTICA
01. Erotica
02. Fever
03. Bye Bye Baby
04. Deeper And Deeper
05. Where Life Begins
06. Bad Girl
07. Waiting
08. Thief Of Hearts
09. Words
10. Rain
11. Why's It So Hard
12. In This Life
13. Secret Garden
I hated Wham! when I first heard them. I thought George Michael looked like a male version of Belinda Carlisle. My sister liked them and I automatically hated everyone she liked. Even when he went solo I didn't like him. Granted there were a couple songs on his first disc I liked, but his popularity really turned me off. I thought he was a joke. Even in the 90's I tended to dislike him. My best friends loved him. I just avoided him.
When 'Patience' came out, I had the chance to download the disc and I decided to give it a shot. If nothing else, I'd have it for my friends. What I ended up with left me stunned and silent. I remember the first time I heard the song 'Fastlove'... I thought, "Wow, that's a guy who's really reaching out for understanding and help." Of course, years later you learned his lover had died but he was in the closet and no one knew what he was going through. He reached out with his music to survive a tragedy and basically told the world he was trying to fill his broken heart with empty sex.
What I heard when I listened to 'Patience' was more of the same honesty. This isn't an artist who writes about his personal life and experience using vague metaphors; he really opens up and shares. Certain songs have obvious meaning such as 'My Mother Had A Brother'; which chronicles the story of a sister with a gay brother who commits suicide after she has a son. The son turns out to be gay and learns of his uncle's struggle for equality and how it ultimately discouraged him enough to take his own life. Both 'American Angel' and 'Amazing' deal with his new love. They talk about the salvation he's found in a new partner who's brought feeling back into his life. Whereas 'Older' was George's cry for help and dealt with the death of his lover, 'Patience' is an affirmation that he's survived and found his way back.
There's a great feel to the album with certain songs being absolute club hits. The track 'Shoot The Dog' was released on the UK version and also as a single, but failed to turn up on the American release. The American version being the one I eventually bought. I wish I'd have tracked down the UK version as I really love that song. 'Freeek! '04' is an awesome track. It's highly sexualized dealing with the sexual nature of media, advertising and entertainment in general. He makes a comment on the trend of targeting younger ages with sexual marketing.
With sensitive and emotionally charged lyrics, along with deep club beats and timely themes, 'Patience' is a refreshing and exciting album by an artist I'd never really bothered with. This is the one that's brought me around to George's side. Listen to the gentle fun beats of 'Round Here' and the critical 'Cars And Trains'... I dare you not to enjoy it. My final word: SURPRISING.
GEORGE MICHAEL - PATIENCE
01. Patience
02. Amazing
03. John And Elvis Are Dead
04. Cars And Trains
05. Round Here
06. My Mother Had A Brother
07. Flawless (Go To The City)
08. American Angel
09. Precious Box
10. Please Send Me Someone (Anselmo's Song)
11. Freeek! '04
12. Through
13. Shoot The Dog (Internet Bonus Track)
This single contains two mixes and the album version of the song. It was the only single I found to buy from the CD. The mixes are quite fun and energetic, though nothing extremely memorable about either one. Still, it's one of my favorite songs from the album and I'm happy to have this disc. Even if it is on the more dull side. It's still entertaining.
My final words: TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT.
GEORGE MICHAEL - AMAZING THE MIXES
01. Amazing (Album Version)
02. Amazing (Jack 'N' Rory 7" Club Mix)
03. Amazing (Full Intention Club Mix)
