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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)
