Chris Difford [2008] The Last Temptation Of Chris

[01] Come On Down
[02] Broken Family
[03] Battersea Boys
[04] On My Own I'm Never Bored
[05] Julian And Sandy
[06] The Other Man In My Life
[07] My Mother's Handbag
[08] Fat As A Fiddle
[09] The Gates Of Eden
[10] Reverso
[11] Never Coming Back
[12] Good Life
[13] The Party Is Over



amg: Wry as ever, Chris Difford dubbed his second solo album The Last Temptation of Chris — a sly play on words that is certainly characteristic of this master lyricist, who only gets subtler and sharper as the years go by. Subtle is surely the name of the game on The Last Temptation, as the entire record — co-written with former Bible frontman Boo Hewerdine — is a warm, low-key affair, one that feels well-worn and lived in. It's relaxed music, never calling attention to itself and always focusing attention on Difford's remarkably precise short stories and vignettes, capturing the feel of forgotten memories and places remembered, as well as middle-aged travails like reversing a vasectomy on the aptly titled "Reverso." While The Last Temptation isn't quite immediate — it's only upon repeated listens that it's possible to appreciate the level of craft, particularly in Difford's words but also in Hewerdine's sympathetic music — it's also welcoming, easing a listener into its small, precisely created world, one where the stories get better the more that they are heard.
(amg 8/10)

Creed [2001] Weathered

[01] Bullets
[02] Freedom Fighter
[03] Who's Got My Back
[04] Signs
[05] One Last Breath
[06] My Sacrifice
[07] Stand Here With Me
[08] Weathered
[09] Hide
[10] Don't Stop Dancing
[11] Lullaby



amg: The week Creed released their fourth album, Weathered, lead vocalist Scott Stapp mentioned in an interview that they didn't really care about the widespread critical disdain for his group, since Led Zeppelin wasn't appreciated either — not until they released their fourth album in 1971, that is. Stapp's assessment is a little off; Zeppelin never really enjoyed good reviews by most of the rock-crit establishment — at least until 1988 when Zep-mania gripped the nation and even prompted Rolling Stone to put Robert Plant on the cover — but his sentiment is right on target since he's saying Creed isn't a band for the critics, they simply do what they do and the proof that they're right is in the millions of fans. Well, Creed certainly isn't a critic's band, but not because critics hate heavy rock — grunge sorta blew that bugaboo out of the water when it became mandatory to take anybody with heavy guitars seriously — but because Creed simply works very earnestly within a tradition without ever expanding it, without ever adding humor or even cracking a smile. R.E.M. and U2 may have had the weight of the world on their shoulders during the first Bush era, but they lightened up occasionally. Creed never does. They are a very serious band, realizing that the world is very serious, so music is a serious business, a way of expressing their faith, passion, yearning, and love — all things that are quite serious so they should be treated seriously. Their hearts are in the right place — let it never be said that they're only in this for the money or the fame; they even advertise Stapp's With Arms Wide Open Foundation charity in the liner notes — but the earnestness in their approach is magnified by their resolutely unimaginative neo-grunge. Try as they may — and they do, bringing in the Tallahasee Boys' Choir for "Don't' Stop Dancing," incorporating a Cherokee Indian prayer on "Who's Got My Back," sprinkling the album with some keyboards, and stretching out to near-epic lengths occasionally — they don't break from that template, and to all but the hardcore, this is simply another Creed record, one that has the same faults or virtues, depending on your viewpoint. And that's why Creed isn't Led Zeppelin, even though both were slagged by critics, say what you may, Zeppelin changed on each of those first four records, where Creed has stayed the same. (This does get the honorary Fred Durst's Chocolate Starfish award for worst album cover of the year, however.)
(amg 4/10)

Cher [1998] Believe

[01] Believe
[02] The Power
[03] Runaway
[04] All Or Nothing
[05] Strong Enough
[06] Dov'é l'Amore
[07] Takin' Back My Heart
[08] Taxi Taxi
[09] Love Is the Groove
[10] We All Sleep Alone



amg: Taking a cue from Madonna's Ray of Light, Cher goes Euro-disco on this platter of electro-beats and pulsating club rhythms. But where Madonna's ease into the genre offshoot almost was an identifiable part of her career and culture (and therefore a sonically charged and thrilling listen), Believe comes off like Cher's latest playground move. Working with a stable of competent European studio craftsmen, Cher herself merely moves through the beat factory with one drab vocal range, blending butt-shakers (like the title tune and "Strong Enough") and semi-ballads ("Dov'e L'Amore") into one endless, and personality-free, thump session. Anyone could have been signed on as the voice in front of these generic tracks (which at times slip into glossy, overproduced late-'80s plastic); Cher brings only her name and star clout, no soul whatsoever. So, all aboard! The techno bandwagon is packing up and moving on. And Cher is determinedly, if not wholeheartedly, clinging to the tail end of it.
(amg 5/10)

Coverdale Page [1993] Coverdale Page

[01] Shake My Tree
[02] Waiting On You
[03] Take Me For A Little While
[04] Pride And Joy
[05] Over Now
[06] Feeling Hot
[07] Easy Does It
[08] Take A Look At Yourself
[09] Don't Leave Me This Way
[10] Absolution Blues
[11] Whisper A Prayer For The Dying



amg: Everything about Coverdale/Page, right down to the goofy copping of the Presence artwork, is an attempt to recapture the pompous majesty of Led Zeppelin. It doesn't succeed, of course, but it does leave all of the Zep clones in the dust. Although Jimmy Page plays better here than he has since 1979's In Through the Out Door, there is a conspicuous lack of solos. If you've never liked David Coverdale, his performance will not change your opinion. Both fare better on the rockers; the power ballads tend be slightly tedious. Essentially, Coverdale/Page boils down to a guilty pleasure at its best moments ("Shake My Tree," "Pride and Joy," "Absolution Blues"), but never quite rivals the bold experimentation of Led Zeppelin.
(amg 8/10)

Communards [1987] Red

[01] Tomorrow
[02] T.M.T. - T.B.M.G
[03] Matter Of Opinion
[04] Victims
[05] For A Friend
[06] Never Can Say Goodbye
[07] Lovers And Friends
[08] Hold On Tight
[09] If I Could Tell You
[10] C Minor



amg: Opting to have Pet Shop Boys and New Order producer Stephen Hague lend his skills to half of their second record proved to be a smart move for Jimmy Somerville and Richard Coles. Red tops their respectable debut in nearly every aspect. Increasingly melodic, increasingly polished, and increasingly tight, the front-to-back strong album is a defining Euro-dance record of the latter half of the '80s. The re-working this record is based around is Gloria Gaynor's version of "Never Can Say Goodbye," which stands apart from any other recorded rendition thanks to Somerville's distinct vocals. Again, the poppy disco is broken up by the occasional piano workout, and Somerville continues to bounce around with differing lyrical subjects, including the gripping "For a Friend," written for an AIDS victim close to him and Coles. The two other singles from the record, "Tomorrow" and "There's More to Love Than Boy Meets Girl," are stronger than anything on the debut.
(amg 9/10)

Communards [1986] Communards

[01] Don't Leave Me This Way
[02] La Dolarosa
[03] Disenchanted
[04] Reprise
[05] So Cold The Night
[06] You Are My World
[07] Lover Man
[08] Don't Slip Away
[09] Heavens Above
[10] Forbidden Love
[11] Breadline Britain
[12] Disenchanted (Dance)



amg: Despite the inability of the music to live up to the high standards of Jimmy Somerville's ridiculously skilled falsetto voice, the Communards' first album achieved platinum status in several countries. Somerville's spirited duet with Sarah Jane Morris on a cover of Thelma Houston's "Don't Leave Me This Way" helped push the record into the Top Ten on the U.K. charts, and a decent blend of other dancefloor fillers with Richard Coles-centric piano ballads lends variety for the ears that can't take a full album's worth of dance music. Both "Breadline Britain" and "Reprise" continue Somerville's activist ideals; the latter has to be one of the sharpest dissections of Margaret Thatcher. Compared to the following Red, much of the duo's self-titled debut sounds flat, lacking punch — all the more surprising from a Mike Thorne (Wire, Marc Almond) production. [The remastered version adds a lengthy mix of "Don't Leave Me This Way."]
(amg 8/10)

Culture Club [1983] Colour By Numbers

[01] Karma Chameleon
[02] It's A Miracle
[03] Black Money
[04] Changing Every Day
[05] That's The Way (I'm Only Trying To Help You)
[06] Church Of The Poison Mind
[07] Miss Me Blind
[08] Mister Man
[09] Stormkeeper
[10] Victims



amg: Colour by Numbers was Culture Club's most successful album, and, undoubtedly, one of the most popular albums from the 1980s. Scoring no less than four U.S. hit singles (and five overseas), this set dominated the charts for a full year, both in the United States and in Europe. The songs were infectious, the videos were all over MTV, and the band was a media magnet. Boy George sounded as warm and soulful as ever, but one of the real stars on this set was backing vocalist Helen Terry, who really brought the house down on the album's unforgettable first single, "Church of the Poison Mind." This album also featured the band's biggest (and only number one) hit, the irresistibly catchy "Karma Chameleon," its more rock & roll Top Five follow-up "Miss Me Blind," and the fourth single (and big club hit), "It's a Miracle" (which also featured Helen Terry's unmistakable belting). Also here are "Victims," a big, dark, deep, and bombastic power ballad that was a huge hit overseas but never released in the U.S., and other soulful favorites such as "Black Money" and "That's the Way (I'm Only Trying to Help You)," where Boy George truly flexed his vocal muscles. In the 1980s music was, in many cases, flamboyant, fun, sexy, soulful, colorful, androgynous, and carefree, and this album captured that spirit perfectly. A must for any collector of 1980s music, and the artistic and commercial pinnacle of a band that still attracted new fans years later.
(amg 9/10)

Camel [1979] I Can See Your House From Here

[01] Wait
[02] Your Love Is Stranger Than Mine
[03] Eye Of The Storm
[04] Who We Are
[05] Survival
[06] Hymn To Her
[07] Neon Magic
[08] Remote Romance
[09] Ice



amg: Although not an honest representation of the band's character, this is undoubtedly their most popular work. The one-time addition of American Kit Watkins produces some fine keyboard lead work. Rupert Hine's resourceful production and appearances by Phil Collins and Mel Collins round out this strong import release. "Survival" and "Who We Are" feature some fine orchestrations, and guitarist Latimer delivers some exceptional lead work on the album's closer, "Ice."
(amg 9/10)

Cheap Trick [1979] Cheap Trick At Budokan - The Complete Concert

[101] Hello There
[102] Come On, Come On
[103] Elo Kiddies
[104] Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace
[105] Big Eyes
[106] Lookout
[107] Downed
[108] Can't Hold On
[109] Oh Caroline
[110] Surrender
[111] Auf Wiedersehen
[201] Need Your Love
[202] High Roller
[203] Southern Girls
[204] I Want You To Want Me
[205] California Man
[206] Goodnight
[207] Ain't That A Shame
[208] Clock Strikes Ten



amg: At Budokan was the pivotal album for Cheap Trick, the one that made them stars. The louder, harder-rocking versions of such Rick Nielsen classics as "I Want You to Want Me" and "Come On, Come On" connected with a wide audience in a way the studio recordings didn't, and the record consequently became a smash. Given its enduring popularity, it wasn't surprising that Epic and Cheap Trick celebrated its 20th anniversary by releasing The Complete Concert, a double-disc set that contains all of the 19 songs the band had performed. Much of this material was released on Budokan II, but this set restores all the music to its original running order, making it an entirely unique album in its own right. There's no question that the music is terrific and it certainly is interesting to hear all of this the way it was actually performed, but The Complete Concert doesn't have the punch of the original album, which hit hard at only ten tracks. The length of this set might make it frustrating for some fans, but any hardcore Trick fan will need this comprehensive, detailed document of the band's most celebrated concert.
(amg 10/10)

Camel [1978] Breathless

[01] Breathless
[02] Echoes
[03] Wing And A Prayer
[04] Down On The Farm
[05] Starlight Ride
[06] Summer Lightning
[07] You Make Me Smile
[08] The Sleeper
[09] Rainbow's End



amg: With Rain Dances, Camel began exploring shorter, more concise songs, but it wasn't until its follow-up, Breathless, that they truly made a stab at writing pop songs. Although they didn't completely abandon improvisational prog rock — there are several fine, jazzy interludes — most of the record is comprised of shorter songs designed for radio play. While the group didn't quite achieve that goal, Breathless is nevertheless a more accessible record than Camel's other albums, which tend to focus on instrumentals. Here, they try to be a straightforward prog rock band, and while the results are occasionally a little muddled, it is on the whole surprisingly successful.
(amg 9/10)

Camel [1976] Moonmadness

[01] Aristillus
[02] Song Within A Song
[03] Chord Change
[04] Spirit Of The Water
[05] Another Night
[06] Air Born
[07] Lunar Sea



amg: Abandoning the lovely soundscapes of Snow Goose, Camel delved into layered guitar and synthesizers similar to those of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here on the impressive Moonmadness. Part of the reason behind the shift in musical direction was the label's insistence that Camel venture into more commercial territory after the experimental Snow Goose, and it is true that the music on Moonmadness is more akin to traditional English progressive rock, even though it does occasionally dip into jazz-fusion territory with syncopated rhythms and shimmering keyboards. Furthermore, the songs are a little more concise and accessible than those of its predecessor. That doesn't mean Camel has abandoned art. Moonmadness is indeed a concept album, based loosely on the personalities of each member — "Chord Change" is Peter Bardens, "Air Born" is Andy Latimer, "Lunar Sea" is Andy Ward and "Another Night" is Doug Ferguson. Certainly, it's a concept that is considerably less defined than that of Snow Goose, and the music isn't quite as challenging, yet that doesn't mean that Moonmadness is devoid of pleasure. In fact, with its long stretches of atmospheric instrumentals and spacy solos, it's quite rewarding.
(amg 6/10)

Caravan [1976] Blind Dog At St. Dunstan's

[01] Here Am I
[02] Chiefs And Indians
[03] A Very Smelly Grubby Little Oik
[04] Bobbing Wide
[05] Come On Back
[06] Oik (Reprise)
[07] Jack And Jill
[08] Can You Hear Me
[09] All The Way



amg: After the surprisingly warm reception of Cunning Stunts, it looked like Caravan could do no wrong. Unfortunately, the band's next release was a major turn for the worse. New keyboard player Jan Schelhaas was part of the reason - his jazzy, up-tempo playing on every song regardless of the intended mood is one of the major problems here. It doesn't help that the material here is generally weaker, lacking either compelling lyrics or interesting song structures. Only the opening "Here Am I" is up to the standard of their older material and played with any kind of finesse. What is missing on this album is the character that made Caravan something more than just another technically proficient band. The critical and popular reaction was devastating. Blind Dog at St. Dunstan's took a career that was headed for the big time and brought it firmly back to ground.
(amg 3/10)

Caravan [1975] Cunning Stunts

[01] The Show Of Our Lives
[02] Stuck In A Hole
[03] Lover
[04] No Backstage Pass
[05] Welcome The Day
[06] Dabsong Conshirtoe
[07] The Fear And Loathing In Tollington Park Rag
[08] Stuck In A Hole (Single Version)
[09] Keeping Back My Love
[10] For Richard (Live)



amg: Contrasting the clever spoonerism from which Cunning Stunts derives its name, Caravan are heard on what is arguably their most uninspired material to date. The effort is certainly far from a total loss, but nowhere nearly as creative as their former studio effort For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night (1973) — the likes of which sadly would not be equalled. Instead of commencing the affair with the aggression and spirit that informed previous LPs — such as "Memory Lain, Hugh" or "Waterloo Lilly" — which had christened their earlier albums, "The Show of Our Lives" comes off comparatively heavy and practically dirge-like. Caravan's trademark instrumental agility while perhaps temporarily mired, is not lost on Pye Hastings' uptempo rocker "Stuck in a Hole." Heavy-handed, superfluous orchestration — possibly a residual effect of their New Symphonia project from late 1973 — mars "No Backstage Pass" and the 18-minute "Dabsong Conshirtoe." There are a few trademark and at times edgier passages, especially during the "Ben Karratt Rides Again" movement of the epic "Conshirtoe." Still, the orchestration is too slick sounding, as if it were teetering on the aural wallpaper that is (gasp!) Muzak. Caravan enthusiasts intent on including Cunning Stunts in their collections should be aware that the 2001 CD reissue contains a few choice supplementary selections. Chief among these is an unissued take of "Keeping Back My Love" — which would ultimately be reworked three years later on Better by Far (1977). Here the band definitely display signs and sounds of the Caravan of old. For that cut alone, the renovated offering can be sufficiently recommended. The other significant bonus track is a live "For Richard" recorded at Fairfield Hall in Croydon, England. Originally, it was included on the 1976 Canterbury Tales best-of, but makes its digital debut here.
(amg 6/10)

Captain Beefheart [1974] London 1974

[01] Mirror Man
[02] Upon The Me-Oh-My
[03] Full Moon Hot Sun
[04] Sugar Bowl
[05] Crazy Little Thing
[06] This Is The Day
[07] New Electric Ride
[08] Abba Zabba
[09] Peaches



amg: This live recording of Captain Beefheart & he Magic Band was taken from a London date uring one of the more fierce peaks of the band's existence, the same period that produced the overlooked classic masterpiece Clear Spot. Though the session was intended to produce a live album for Virgin, the release never materialized, though the versions of "Mirror Man" and "Upon the Me Oh My" came out of the 1975 Virgin sampler V. Thanks to the obscure Portuguese imprint Movie Play Gold, highlights from the concert made it onto CD at a concise 40 minutes. The disc features nine tracks of full-tilt Magic Band mayhem on "Full Moon Hot Sun," "Sugar Bowl," "Crazy Little Thing," "This Is the Day," "New Electric Ride," as well as older '60s classics like "Abba Zabba" and "Peaches." The CD has exceptional sound quality, while some other live Captain Beefheart from the same period fares a little rough in recording quality. This comes highly recommended as an opportunity to hear the Magic Band at an all-time high.
(amg 6/10)

Colosseum [1971] Live

[01] Rope Ladder To The Moon
[02] Walking In The Park
[03] Skellington
[04] Tanglewood '63
[05] Encore ... Stormy Monday Blues
[06] Lost Angeles
Bonus Track
[07] I Can't Live Without You



amg: Live albums are dangerous things. While the good ones capture the raw excitement of a show, all too often they expose a band's weaknesses, the ones that get covered in the studio — a singer who's not so good and instrumentalists who really can't cut it. But Colosseum, by the time they made their live album (the CD version comes with an extra track, "I Can't Live Without You," that wasn't on the original vinyl), were a seasoned outfit with some top-notch performers. In veteran Chris Farlowe they had a blues belter who could also turn his hand to jazz. Dave "Clem" Clempson was a rock guitarist first and foremost, but not limited to that, and bassist Mark Clarke was exactly the elastic foil drummer Jon Hiseman needed in the rhythm section. And they make the most of their abilities here, giving everything extended workouts, from Jack Bruce's "Rope Ladder to the Moon" to a seemingly off-the-cuff (though probably carefully rehearsed) "Stormy Monday Blues." Of course, like any faithful live album, it has its flat moments, notably the guitar and vocal solos in "Skelington," which were probably fun to the live audience, but seem interminable and unnecessary on record. Apart from that, this is an album with plenty of delights — the way the band arranges songs, with interesting duets in the fills, and the way the solos flow from one instrument to another — with Dick Heckstall-Smith's harmonizing saxes on "Tanglewood '63" being the biggest standout. But Clempson shows incredible chops throughout, upfront in his spotlight exposures without being over the top (usually). With good material, some towering performances, and a powerful atmosphere, this is everything you could hope for from a live album. It makes you wish you could be there, while offering the next best thing — not a bad deal, all in all.
(amg 7/10)

Christie [1970] Christie

[01] Yellow River
[02] Gotta Be Free
[03] I've Got A Feeling
[04] New York City
[05] Inside Looking Out
[06] Put Your Money Down
[07] Down The Mississippi Line
[08] San Bernadino
[09] Country Boy
[10] Johnny One Time
[11] Coming Home Tonight
[12] Here I Am
[13] Until The Dawn



amg: Christie was a relatively unknown band from England that had the hit song "Yellow River" in 1970. No relation to the '60s American pop idol Lou Christie , this band managed to release one obscure album in North America on the Epic label in the same year. This collection represents the reissue of that album in its entirety along with detailed liner notes about the band. Not much exciting on this album other than the hit single, Christie has a place in the one-hit wonder bins of the world.
(amg 5/10)

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young [1970] Déjà Vu

[01] Carry On
[02] Teach Your Children
[03] Almost Cut My Hair
[04] Helpless
[05] Woodstock
[06] Déjà Vu
[07] Our House
[08] 4 + 20
[09] Country Girl
(a) Whiskey Boot Hill
(b) Down, Down, Down
(c) "Country Girl" (I Think You're Pretty)
[10] Everybody I Love You



amg: One of the most hotly awaited second albums in history — right up there with those by the Beatles and the Band — Déjà Vu lived up to its expectations and rose to number one on the charts. Those achievements are all the more astonishing given the fact that the group barely held together through the estimated 800 hours it took to record Déjà Vu and scarcely functioned as a group for most of that time. Déjà Vu worked as an album, a product of four potent musical talents who were all ascending to the top of their game coupled with some very skilled production, engineering, and editing. There were also some obvious virtues in evidence — the addition of Neil Young to the Crosby, Stills & Nash lineup added to the level of virtuosity, with Young and Stephen Stills rising to new levels of complexity and volume on their guitars. Young's presence also ratcheted up the range of available voices one notch and added a uniquely idiosyncratic songwriter to the fold, though most of Young's contributions in this area were confined to the second side of the LP. Most of the music, apart from the quartet's version of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock," was done as individual sessions by each of the members when they turned up (which was seldom together), contributing whatever was needed that could be agreed upon. "Carry On" worked as the album's opener when Stills "sacrificed" another copyright, "Questions," which comprised the second half of the track and made it more substantial. "Woodstock" and "Carry On" represented the group as a whole, while the rest of the record was a showcase for the individual members. David Crosby's "Almost Cut My Hair" was a piece of high-energy hippie-era paranoia not too far removed in subject from the Byrds' "Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man," only angrier in mood and texture (especially amid the pumping organ and slashing guitars); the title track, also by Crosby, took 100 hours to work out and was a better-received successor to such experimental works as "Mind Gardens," out of his earlier career with the Byrds, showing his occasional abandonment of a rock beat, or any fixed rhythm at all, in favor of washing over the listener with tones and moods. "Teach Your Children," the major hit off the album, was a reflection of the hippie-era idealism that still filled Graham Nash's life, while "Our House" was his stylistic paean to the late-era Beatles and "4+20" was a gorgeous Stephen Stills blues excursion that was a precursor to the material he would explore on the solo album that followed. And then there were Neil Young's pieces, the exquisitely harmonized "Helpless" (which took many hours to get to the slow version finally used) and the roaring country-ish rockers that ended side two, which underwent a lot of tinkering by Young — even his seeming throwaway finale, "Everybody I Love You," was a bone thrown to longtime fans as perhaps the greatest Buffalo Springfield song that they didn't record. All of this variety made Déjà Vu a rich musical banquet for the most serious and personal listeners, while mass audiences reveled in the glorious harmonies and the thundering electric guitars, which were presented in even more dramatic and expansive fashion on the tour that followed.
(amg 10/10)