Sigur Rós - Takk

Iceland, its pretty cold, its actually subpolar, folks that's COLD! So whats with the music, Bjork, Múm, Emiliana Torrini, and Sigur Rós? All of them warm, weird and wonderful and none more than Sigur Rós and nowhere is it more obvious in their back catalogue than on their gem from 2005, Takk.

Takk, Icelandic for Thank You was Sigur Rós' fourth album and quite possibly their best. Its still filled with songs no-one can pronounce properly or even hum, but all are memorable.

Hoppípolla, was used on a number of advertisements, such as BBC's Planet Earth series. It is a hugely uplifting experience from start to finish, and sees Sigur Rós highlighting their gift for soaring guitars without slipping into the usual deafening rock sound that so many other bands churn out in place of anything new.

That being said, Glósóli, (Glowing Soul) is a very loud song by the time it closes. The rich layered vocals and soft marching sound builds and builds throughout the song until it finaly explodes into a crescendo that crushes all before it.

Easily my favourite track on the album is Sæglópur, (Lost at Sea). The song almost feels claustrophobic and its video responds to this breathless feeling. It depicts a child drowning and being rescued, however we are left to wonder whether or not he survived.

The album has other wonderful moments on it, Sé lest, (I See a Train) is an ethereal moment with swirling piano taking the listener on a journey only Sigur Rós could take them on. Gong and Heysatan (Haystack) show the band at their introspective best.

We may not have a clue what they are saying, or how on earth he can sing that way but music like this will be remembered long after anyone even cares to ask.

Track Listing

1. "Takk..." (Thanks...) – 1:57
2. "Glósóli" (Glowing Sole) – 6:15
3. "Hoppípolla" (Hopping into puddles) – 4:28
4. "Með blóðnasir" (I have a nosebleed) – 2:17
5. "Sé lest" (I see a train) – 8:40
6. "Sæglópur" (Lost at sea) – 7:38
7. "Mílanó" (Milan) – 10:25
8. "Gong" (Gong) – 5:33
9. "Andvari" (Zephyr) – 6:40
10. "Svo hljótt" (So quietly) – 7:24
11. "Heysátan" (Haystack) – 4:09

Peter Gabriel - So

Peter Gabriel, had slugged it out in Genesis from 1967 to 1975, but the true measure of the man was only to be seen in his solo offerings and So, his fifth studio album is one of the best.

Released in 1986 it immediately exploded upon the release of Sledgehammer. This bass driven, soul laden hit sent people flocking the their record stores. Stax Records musicians, The Memphis Horns supplied the trumpet section on the single. But what it is most remembered for is its video. Animated by Nick Parks of Wallace and Grommit fame. Its bizarre imagery was nothing but fun from beginning to end. It's stop motion filming was not easy. At one point Gabriel had to remain still, lying under a sheet of glass for 16 hours! But lets face it, it was worth it.

The Album opens with Red Rain, a song which may or may not be about nuclear fallout or acid rain. What it was originally written for was a movie Gabriel had come up with where villagers are punished for their wrong doings by a blood red rain. What ever it's about, really doesn't matter it is simply a fantastic track amongst and album of fantastic tracks. The rain sounding sound in the background of the song is actually Staurt Copeland from The Police messing around on high hats.

Kate Bush makes a welcomed appearance on the album, on Don't Give Up. The emotional Duet spent 11 weeks in the charts in the UK. Two videos were made for the song by Godley and Creme. The First, shows Gabriel and Bush in an embrace. The Second is far more depressing and shows people in different stages of despair with Bush and Gabriell's faces superimposed over it, its very eighties UK. The first although simpler is far better!

Big Time, was another massive hit off the album. The cool bass line in the song was actually made when bass player Tony Levin and drummer Gerry Marotta played the Bass with a set of drum sticks. This led to the invention of the Funk Fingers. Miniature drum sticks that attach to a bass guitarists hands to achieve the same rhythmic sound. Once again Stuart Copeland from the Police is in the drummers chair.

Gabriel shows his darker more experimental side on We do What We're Told (Milgram's 37).
The Title of this track refers to the experiments carried out by Stanley Milgram where he studied populations obedience by getting people to electrocute each other to the point where one person could potentially die.

The last big hit from the album is In Your Eyes. Best remembered for its use in Say Anything. A Cameron Crowe film which starred a young John Cusak. Cusak serenades his girlfriend holding a stereo over his head, while this song is playing. It is often seen as one of the most romantic moments ever put on the big screen. The song helps!

Despite its huge singles, So has Peter Gabriel in as reflective a mood as ever with tracks like That Voice Again and Mercy Street continuing what previous albums had offered up by Gabriel. That said it is one of the defining records of the the 80's, and one you can listen to without wanting to take an actual sledgehammer to it.

Track Listing

1. "Red Rain" – 5:39
2. "Sledgehammer" – 5:12
3. "Don't Give Up" (with Kate Bush) – 6:33
4. "That Voice Again" (Gabriel, David Rhodes) – 4:53
5. "In Your Eyes" – 5:27
6. "Mercy Street" – 6:22
7. "Big Time" – 4:28
8. "We Do What We're Told (Milgram's 37)" – 3:22
9. "This Is the Picture (Excellent Birds)" (Laurie Anderson, Gabriel) – 4:25¹

Michael Jackson - Off The Wall

I suppose if you were to take the titles of Michael Jackson's albums and compare them to his life they would parallel it on many levels, non more than his 1979 album Off The Wall.

This was his 5th solo album (Michael was only 21) Up to this point Michael Jackson's music was mostly soul covers, an easy fit for the Motown label which he had just ended a long relationship with. Also most of his first 4 albums had been produced by Hal Davis a stock producer for the Motown stable, all was to change with the entry of music legend Quincy Jones. ( I realise Legend is a word that is often bandied about but, With 79 Grammy nominations and 27 Grammy awards I think he qualifies as a legend, he has also done the music to more classic movie scores than we have room to put in here)

When Michael began production of the album, all he knew is that he did not want it to sound like the Jacksons, that's certainly what he got. Song writing talent in the shape of Rod Temperton, Paul McCartney, and Stevie Wonder were drafted for the album, not to mention Michael and Quincy who also wrote songs on the album. With this powerhouse team assembled what Michael Jackson got was a sophisticated R&B masterpiece jelled together with a disco beat off the wall was an instant classic. Just look at the singles, Don't Stop Till You Get Enough, Rock With You, She's Out Of My Life, let alone Girlfriend and Off The Wall.

This album showed where Motown should have been going but sadly did not. Michael Jackson was leading the way hand in hand with Quincy Jones, to the world of the mega album. Off The Wall saw Jackson at his coolest, 21, with the world at his feet. While the grooviest tunes on the planet were pumping from every stereo he was already plotting a thrilling sequel.

Track Listing

1. "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" (Michael Jackson) – 6:05
2. "Rock with You" (Rod Temperton) – 3:40
3. "Workin' Day and Night" (Jackson) – 5:14
4. "Get on the Floor" (Jackson, Louis Johnson) – 4:39
5. "Off the Wall" (Temperton) – 4:06
6. "Girlfriend" (Paul McCartney) – 3:05
7. "She's out of My Life" (Tom Bahler) – 3:38
8. "I Can't Help It" (Susaye Greene, Stevie Wonder) – 4:39
9. "It's the Falling in Love" (David Foster, Carole Bayer Sager) – 3:48
10. "Burn This Disco Out" (Temperton) – 3:30

Lou Reed’s Transformer

“Transformer” is Velvet Underground co-founder Lou Reed’s second solo album and was released in December 1972. It features some of his best-known songs such as “Walk On The Wild Side”, “Perfect Day” and “Satellite Of Love”and was produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson, who had been heavily influenced by Reed’s work with his former band.

This sophomore release by Reed is hailed by many as one of the cornerstones of the punk and alternative eras that followed and it took him from cult hero of The Velvet Underground to international superstar status. The cover art for the album is by Mick Rock, best known for his legendary shots of glam rock icons of the 1970s such as Queen, Bowie, Ronson, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, The Ramones and Blondie.
Unlike its predecessor “Lou Reed”, eight songs of which were left over from his Velvet Underground days, this album contains mainly new material. Reinforcing the literary idea of “write what you know”, Reed portrays an alternately detached/debauched portrait of the drag-and-drugs-soaked underground of alternative artist Andy Warhol’s New York; a place, time and mindset so compelling it has had a tendency to overshadow the rest of the singer-songwriter’s career. That the album would also give Reed an unlikely pop hit with the teasing, twisted sexuality of “Walk on the Wild Side” is pure irony. He would write about people that most of society preferred to pretend didn’t exist – gay people, cross dressers, drug addicts and other outcasts and ne’er-do-wells. Everyone in “Walk On The Wild Side” was real; they were all people who had been involved with Andy Warhol’s Factory, a safe place for creative expression (whatever form that would take) and a drop-in centre for New York’s underground artistic scene.

“Satellite of Love” had been demoed for the band’s 1970 album “Loaded” and “Andy’s Chest” had been recorded in 1969 for The Velvet Underground’s “lost fourth album” (the best cuts of those particular sessions being released on 1985’s “VU”), but neither had been used. For “Transformer”, the original poppy feel of these songs was slowed down to turn them into ballads. Although there are no known performances of “Vicious” by the Velvet Underground, the song apparently dates from Reed’s time in the band and its association with Warhol. According to Reed, Warhol told Reed he should write a song about someone vicious. Reed inquired what he meant by that, and Warhol replied, “Oh, you know, vicious like I hit you with a flower”. “Satellite of Love” was issued as the second single from the album in February 1973 and thought it became a fan favourite, the first single from and probably the best known track on the album, “Walk on the Wild Side”, was an international hit, despite its adult subject matter. It was edited in some countries and banned in others but is now generally regarded as Reed’s signature tune. All songs on the album are credited to Reed, though it has long been rumoured that “Wagon Wheel” is in actual fact a David Bowie composition.

This most accessible album of Reed’s was a deserved commercial success and spawned many a copycat. “Transformer” is an intelligent and enduring statement of an era and is one of the few albums of the glam-rock movement that has survived with its artistic integrity intact and that still has something to say today.

1. “Vicious”
2. “Andy’s Chest”
3. “Perfect Day”
4. “Hangin’ ‘Round”
5. “Walk on the Wild Side”
6. “Make Up”
7. “Satellite of Love”
8. “Wagon Wheel”
9. “New York Telephone Conversation”
10. “I'm So Free”
11. “Goodnight Ladies”