SUNSHINE ON LEITH
I'm Gonna Be (500 miles)/Cap In Hand/Then I Met You/My Old Friend The Blues/Sean/Sunshine On Leith/Come On Nature/I'm On My Way/What Do You Do/It's Saturday Night/Teardrops/Oh Jean
A masterpiece! A humourous collection of pop songs with real charm and some genuinely moving moments. Maybe not earth shattering on the scale of the Beatles or the Pistols, but this is a list of high quality pop songs and that is what this is. I will never understand why these guys are not revered more across the world, maybe the are too 'of Scotland' for a wider audience. Still. Scotland can be proud.
I'm Gonna Be (500 miles)/Cap In Hand/Then I Met You/My Old Friend The Blues/Sean/Sunshine On Leith/Come On Nature/I'm On My Way/What Do You Do/It's Saturday Night/Teardrops/Oh Jean
A masterpiece! A humourous collection of pop songs with real charm and some genuinely moving moments. Maybe not earth shattering on the scale of the Beatles or the Pistols, but this is a list of high quality pop songs and that is what this is. I will never understand why these guys are not revered more across the world, maybe the are too 'of Scotland' for a wider audience. Still. Scotland can be proud.
11 comments:
Btw, you do know you can link the title of each post into a web page? And, as a thought, will you be mentioning “Who’s afraid of the Art Of Noise”, at some point? Strange as it seems, it’s about the only time anything influenced by Music Concret got into the album charts
unfortunately, interestin as music concret wasn't, this is not enough without good songs. so, I CHALLENGE YOU!! If you can write me a post here in the comments to justify its inclusion...
the linking post stuff is news to me, but i made need it selling to me. not sure i know the point...
Well, it strikes me that having a link to –for example– the band or albums website, or Wikipedia entry would be helpful for those of us who wish to follow up on finding out more.
You may even be able to EARN MONEY, by linking to the various ad-sites lurking around.
But as for “Who’s Afraid”…?
1. Time For Fear, A (Who's Afraid)
2. Beat Box (Diversion One)
3. Snapshot
4. Close (To the Edit)
5. Who's Afraid (Of the Art of Noise)
6. Moments in Love
7. Momento
8. How to Kill
9. Realization
For me, personally, it’s a good album to listen to, all round; – and the standout single, “Close (To The Edit)”, was one that grabbed from the first revved out sample of an engine noise. Saying that, the title track itself, with it’s weird assemblage of bangs, clashes, beeps, and whizzes –along with snatches of Anne Dudley soundbyte, over the top of all this– is the one that gets me wanting to move.
Although the basic idea of recording a found sound, and manipulating it, to produce new ones, had been around since Pierre Schæffer and the original founding fathers of the genre got together with half a mile of tape, an oscillator and a pair of scissors, that people recording for our generation got hold of the idea.
And added some thumping Basslines …
It’s also the first flowerings of Trevor Horn’s abilities as a producer; – I’m fond of him, although I know you’re not, but if anyone’s picked up the baton from Phil Spector, and taken it into the Techno Age, it was him … and it’s here, rather than on the earlier “Into Battle (With the Art Of Noise)”, or with “The Age Of Plastic”, by Horn’s first band, the Buggles, that it all gets going, and introduced the concept of sampling to a popular audience.
There’s also an argument –put forward originally by Paul Gamboccini– that Prince’s “Batman” soundtrack album was possibly the best album to use sampling as a musical technique. Wouldn’t have been possible without this as a start point for the concept.*
You do know it’s available on iTunes, though, don’t you? And I have a copy, if you’d like to give it a listen. That should at least give the chance to hear and make your mind.
* And, yes, I realise putting the words ‘concept’ and ‘album’ together anywhere you aren’t necessarily good, but …
See; – haven’t got an answer for that, have you?
I am aware of the art of AoN. I even bought paranoimia but soon tired of it's emotional dearth. Sampling over thumping basslines will be covered by the early rappers that precede AoN. Phil Spector dwarfs Horn in talent and achievement and longevity. Tape loops were used by the Beatles long before 'our generation'. Paul Gambo is not a source i would be expecting to use, with all due respect to the man. Concept albums are fine if the concept doesn't revolve around technique instead of artistic inspiration. While it is admirable for an artist to experiment that is not enough to justify inclusion into this list as the result has to be exceptional. AoN are not exceptional.
Nor are ZZtop. The point is being the best at what you do is good enough for people who like what you do. To gain entry it has to be the best that ANYBODY does.
Does that answer your question?
oh, and the linking stuff, thanks for the tip.
Fair point; – but I personally believe that one is
It is fine to champion an album you believe in but you can shove it up your arse it's my list, lol! I am even being so harsh as to leave out personal favourites like The Fall and even the Stones so it will be hard tooo be persuadede by other people. Keep tryinhg though. Is there anything so far included you could argue AGAINST?
To be fair, no, not having heard any of them, barring Never Mind the Bollocks; – which would probably be in my version of the list, somewhere.
And the AoN didn’t just sample basslines, it was pretty much everything on the album. Paranoimia, I should add, comes from their post ZTT, somewhat poppier days, I should point. “Who’s Afraid…” dates from their ZTT days, when both Paul Morley and Trevor Horn were still active members.
I bow to your greater art pop pioneer knowledge.
I am amazed you have only heard 1 of these albums! This list may turn out to be just for you as an educational supplement! lol!
I would suggest you seek them out on youtube but they really need to be heard as complete works rather than individual song collections.
Now, I must decide between the Wurzels and Chas 'n' Dave...
Oh, I’ve heard of many of them, I just haven’t HEARD many of them. Not being a drastic music fan, I tend to splurge my hard earned iTunes cards on stuff I have heard, or on –effectively– singles.
It’s the old AM/FM argument. Short snappy singles, Vs overblown albums.!
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