5 comments about Head Over Heels.

1. Although The Jesus & Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine deservedly enjoy the accolades accompanying their respective positions as pioneers of the shoegazer genre pervasive in the late 1980s, the JMC's fellow Scots, Cocteau Twins, can be identified as a crucial component in the (semi-) popularisation of the style.
   
   Following the departure of bassist and founding member Will Heggie, Head Over Heels relies almost exclusively on the Twins' two strongest suits: Robin Guthrie's often-abstruse guitar production, and Elizabeth Fraser's wraithlike vocals (which she lent most famously to the 1998 Massive Attack single 'Teardrop') and indiscernible lyrics.
   
   The result is something of a synthesis of the trite precepts of punk, rock, dream pop and new wave combined to otherworldly effect. Although far removed from it's ominous predecessor Garlands (1982), Head Over Heels paradoxically both maintained the (considerable) critical and (modest) commercial appreciation the band had previously garnered, and signalled the dawning of a band honing their influential sound.
   
   A central ambivalence in the album's sound is that although Fraser's iridescent vocals could pass as lullaby ('Sugar Hiccup'), Guthrie's coextensive opaque guitar layerings and vapourous arpeggios ('Glass Candle Grenades') are often their very antithesis. The variance works however, as the album sweeps effortlessly from would-be requiem (the dirge-like 'The Tinderbox (of a heart)' and would-be jazz ('Multifoiled') to would-be U2 ('My Love Paramour') and back again.
   
   Indeed, Robert Fripp (King Crimson) and The Edge (U2) are as present in Guthrie's guitar as Will Reid and Kevin Shields (The Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine respectively).
   
   Fraser's voice is the central attraction however, with a transcendent quality that can be deciphered in the work of vocalists as diverse as Jeff Buckley (with whom she was romantically involved), Bjork, Thom Yorke (Radiohead) and Chino Moreno (Deftones).



2. The songs on this album are good. Unfortuneatly, I learned that the remastering left something to be desired in the mid-range of most of the album. I do not own a copy of the original, however, I would purchase that instead.



3. Ignore the whiny naysayer that cried a river because the Cocteau Twins "weren't anything like Siouxie & The Banshees"...By the end of the CT's career they were better than they ever were, whilst S&TB were pop-encrusted shadows of their former selves and glory.
   
   This is one of their top three albums (if not their best, competeing with the PINK OPAQUE and THE MOON & THE MELODIES). Still can't stand the track "Sugar Hiccup", though...definitely the least favourable on the album.



4. I am always up for a change and a chance offering. When I heard that the "twins" were compared to Siouxsie and the Banshees, well I thought it deserved a hear-see. This is echo chamber crud. Voices that are incoherent and music that sounds as if play in a trash can (appropriate place to place this CD) Sorry, Siouxsie could expell better music and sounds through their intestinals track better than this.



5. Most albums feature music which reveals the era in which they were recorded. But "Head Over Heels" by Scotland's Cocteau Twins doesn't sound like it belongs to ANY era, even though it was released in 1983. A beautiful rush of etheral magic, "Head Over Heels" stands in a class of its own. The slow-moving opener "When Mama Was Moth" has vocalist Liz Frazer delivering hypnotic (yet incoherent) chants, while the brooding "The Tinderbox (of a Heart)" marches along in all its dark glory. Things get upbeat in "In Our Angelhood" with great melange of guitars, and the single "Sugar Hiccup" holds up well. I've owned this CD since my days in college, and I like it more with each listen. The melodies these guys craft are some of the most beautiful I have ever heard. Mainstream listeners may not realize it, but the Cocteau Twins are among the most influential acts of the last 25 years, developing a unique and distinguished sound that would inspire later genres known as trip hop and ambient. Indie label 4AD re-released "Head Over Heels" with remastered sound supervised by Robin Guthrie. At first, I was reluctant to buy this CD, which, after all, was already reissued by Capitol in 1991. But the sound quality of the new 4AD release is a definite imporvement over the original, featuring a full-bodied sound that projects much better than Capitol's edition. So, even if you already have the Capitol release (or if you have no copy of "Head Over Heels" at all), you should make the upgrade and buy this great album reissued by 4AD.

5 comments about Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches.

1. I'd heard great things about this band, and they were always lumped together with New Order as being one of the great groups to hang around The Hacienda club. They were also tied to the Stone Roses when it came to that whole Madchester fad. Naturally, I had great expectations for them. I bought the CD for a buck, ripped the it and tuned in. The first track, "Kinky Afro" didn't really do it for me. Was this band all hype? Guess what, they weren't! "God's Cop" came on and suddenly, we've got a nice effects-pedal driven guitar and some really nice dance beats going along with it. Who the heck cares about what the vocals are talking about. I don't even see the relationship between them and the title. All I know is that the music is great. And this friendly collission of nonsense keeps on going for the rest of album. The rest of the CD is, for the most part, nothing but grooves and gee-tars getting it in order to create some fantastic music.
   
   Hightlights include: "God's Cop," "Grandbag's Funeral" and "Step On."
   
   I'd suggest you invest in this album; it's fantastic dance music... or is it rock music... hey, that blurryness is part of the magic of late 80s/early 90s Madchester stuff!



2. This album will always be near and dear to me. It came out during my identity-forming teens and it hooked me immediately. Sean Ryder is not a great singer but he's a great lyricist and with the awesome music and backup vocals, it *works*. I love the play on Donovan - "sun shines brightly from my arsehole, today" and "Bob's Yer Uncle" has to be the sexiest song I've ever heard. It reminds me of Pan in that painting with all the maidens. It's funny that expression has little to do with the song - makes me wonder if it's an inside joke. Just about everyone I've met likes this album. I would give definitely give it a try!



3. I picked this record up secondhand for next to nothing in the basement of The United Methodist Church over there on Verbena Avenue. God's benison go with you Pastor Gainus Sikes, your gaff's a goldmine. There it was in any case in a plastic basin with, of all things, a Kenny Rogers cassette. Just the tape too, no cover. Those Salford scallywags leapt right into my hands out of sheer terror. That's half off today, said a perfectly dressed little old lady, we're having a sale. Half off in a thrift shop, I said. Sold, I said. I very nearly galloped back to my hut. I'd heard only good things about, but had never actually listened to, Pills & Thrills and while I was gearing up to be suitably impressed I don't believe I was in any way prepared for the frankly colossal dose of high-grade wang dang doodle delivered by this trippy little disk. I even managed somehow to listen to it out of order the first time, starting off with Holiday which is I think the second last song but what did I care, I was already on the trolley by the time I'd noticed. Ever since then I can't hear Holiday without experiencing an irresistible urge to drift off to sleep in a shrubbery for a week or two. Pappataci Fever if I know me. And would you just look at Mister Intergalactic Laxative himself in there too! I haven't thought about old Cosmic Bananas since I can't exactly remember. You hardly lose with this album. I would complain that it's on the short side if it wasn't such a sure sharkey to play on repeat--I've had this sucker on for literally days at a stretch. But eventually I had to get up and go to work. Happy Mondays everybody.



4. Let me start off by saying that Happy Mondays' "Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches" is one of best dance records of the last 25 years. With that said, it is also one of the most defining of its period. The Madchester genre and is one of the most well documented, so I won't go into much on the subject, but out of all the excess and drug fueled controversy that came out of that era, this was the album that showed the best of the time. Those looking for more serious stuff from "The Stone Roses" or "The Charlatans", you are barking up the wrong tree. The guys of Happy Mondays' only know how to party, and they do it twenty four hours a day.
   
   While Shaun and gang are hardly consistent on album, when the band are on, they are on. And when they are most on, is on this album. The record starts with the unbelievably catchy "Kinky Afro", which features jangly acoustic guitars, sleazy Ryder rhymes, and a bite of LaBelle's "Lady Marmalade".
   
   The album is quite diverse and focused (which previous albums lacked), switching from the thumping beat funk of "God's Cop" to the smooth rhythm section of "Donovan", which has a fascinating second half burst of insanity. Ryder pens some of his funniest lines on the rambling "Grandbag's Funeral", and the drug anthem "Holiday".
   
   Let it be said, you do not need to be on drugs to enjoy this album, but I can imagine it helps. In addition, you don't have to be British or familiar with the Madchester scene, as the grooves on this record transcend anything as simple as country boundaries.
   
   The pinnacle of the album (and arguably, the scene), is "Step On", which is one of the finest singles of the decade. The sound produced here is the band's style at best, shuffling beats, thumbing bass, jagged guitars, and unforgettable melodies. The more slow tempoed stuff like "Bob's yer uncle" and "Harmony" still keep the flow going so you are still nodding your head when the beats have stopped.
   
   Many will find this album to be out of date, or disjointed, but don't listen to them, they have no soul! This is a funky album with songs that you'll be jamming to for a long while. 15 years on, the grooves of Shaun Ryder, Bez, and the rest of the gang, remain as relevant as ever.



5. i bought this c.d. thinking it was my own guilty pleasure knowing most of my friends didn't have patience for anything "dance" related.i own a tattoo shop and we constantly have music on in the background.well come to find out the most unlikely characters have a soft spot for this band.this album has just enough "outlaw" to keep the grit intact.if you love bands like the stone roses and such, the mondays are a part of understanding what shaped the manchester scene of the 90's.turns out my plesures arnt so guilty.just classic.

1 comments about The Fashion.

1. Maybe it's just me, but this is definitely my most listened to album this year. There is something about the quietness of "Apt." & the addictive "Letters from an Ambulance" that make me want to become one with the Fashion (as in, one of the members). Though from Denmark, I think this cd has a good shot in the states; not having a bad song on the album, having some the Strokes-like riffs as well as influence from the Clash. Since the libertines broke up, this gives me another reason to love foreign bands & though they may not be good live (from video on youtube) things are looking up for this album.

5 comments about Bring It On.

1. Gomez are a unique combination of jam band and britpop - retaining all the integrity of the first with the catchiness of the second
   
   1. Get Miles - great track but just an opener really.
   2. Whippin' Piccadily - very catchy hummable song with great lyrics about getting the train at London's busiest line
   3. Make no sound - a very pretty song with a slightly dark tone, very nicely played spartan acoustic guitar
   4. 78 stone wobble - excellent song
   5. Tijuana Lady - very beautiful song, despite the silly lyrics, which seem to be written by a British band that has very little idea about Mexico - the kind of allusions that someone British would make sombrero / poncho / El Mariachi / Desperado
   6. Here Comes The Breeze - good song if one of the weaker numbers
   7. Love is better than a warm trombone - instantly catchy hit single
   8. Get myself arrested - great lyrics and attitude
   9. Free To Run - very wistful number
   10. Bubble Gum Years - somewhat like a standard old fashioned Britpop number
   11. Rie's Wagon - actually disposeable in the albums context, a jam.
   12. The Comeback - closing matching the first song, and finishing a pretty good album.
   
   4.5 stars out of five.



2. This album earned Gomez fame back in 1998 when they won the esteemed Mercury Music award with it.
   
   They have been coined all variations of 'blues-folk-rock', and loads more to boot. I think their sound is fantastically original, and their albums have gone from strength to strength.
   
   Bring it on is the corner stone in their outstanding portfolio, and is a marvelous achievement. I strongly believe that everyone needs Gomez in their lives, or at the very least should own this album.



3. The first time I ever heard this album, I have to say, I was not blown away. Sure, there were some good songs, but it was not a spectacular album in my view. Then, after hearing it a few more times, it started to really grow on me and I realized what a great album it was. Don't give up on it after one listen, because you will be pleasantly surprised. It blends elements of blues, jazz, funk, and rock to make a potpourri of some great music. I think I might just like this album better than Split the Difference, although it is a very close race. I think my favorite tracks on this album are Tijiuana Lady, Rie's Car, Love is Better Than a Warm Trombone, and Get Myself Arrested. Overall, great album.. I hope you enjoy it.



4. "Bring it on" wasn't recorded in a big studio. Gomez didn't have any celebrity treatment making this album. They were just high school kids making a phenomenal rock album in a garage.
   It opens with the keyboard drone of "Get Miles" and gets started with the acoustic, even reggae sounding "Whippin' Picadilly" which explodes in bursts with a sing a long chorus. "78 Stone Wobble" is one of the best songs on the album, with the throaty voice of guitarist Ben Ottewell acing the lead vocal. "Tijuana Lady" is far and away the best song on the disc, it has spanish influences and creative lyrics. "Get myself arrested" is a hilarious story about a kid and his car. It ends with the long "Rie's wagon" and "The Comeback", which top off a terrific album. This first album set Gomez on a road to make great albums like "Liquid Skin" and recently the incredible "Split the Difference" Get this one, it's terrific.



5. This CD has flavors of the late 60s/early 70s psychedelic sound incorporated into some modern alternative music. The first track Get Miles reminds me a little of the sound of Strawberry Alarm Clock's Incense & Peppermints, while Make No Sound, The Come Back and 78 Stone Wobble could have been extra songs from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Tijuana Lady and Bubble Gum Years reminds me a little of the old Pink Floyd sound when Syd Barrett was the lead signer. Tracks like Get Myself Arrested, Free To Run, and Rie's Wagon have a bluesy sound to them.

   And finally, Whippin' Picadilly is just plain cool.

   I am beginning to wonder if we are about to have another British/U.K. Invasion (I wasn't alive for the first one, but I do know my music history), as there is a lot of cool music coming from England again. Gomez is definitely included in that statement, as are bands like South London's The Koreans, Jem Coldplay, Supergrass, Snow Patrol, etc.

5 comments about Crash.

1. This is one of my all-time favorite movies and the soundtrack is just as good. I can listen to this no matter what mood I'm in and it will make me feel better.



2. After watching the movie "Crash", I told someone I didn't know which was better--the movie or the soundtrack. Very haunting and very moving music. Perfect background for the movie. Has jumped into my Top Ten list of CD's that I love to listen to. Has a great "New Age" feel to it.



3. I was disappointed. At the time of my purchase, my opinion was in the minority, but... This CD just doesn't do it.



4. ...to a great movie. It's not as good as his soundtrack to "Afterglow" but a nice listen nonetheless. Without the great band members like Gary Burton & Charles Lloyd what can one expect?



5. Mark Isham is quickly becoming one of my favorite composers. His work on the indie film "The Cooler" introduced me to his talents and I enjoyed what I heard. It wasn't until "Crash" did I really start taking notice of his work. Mark's work on "Crash" is a mix of ambient and classical with a glimmer of Middle Eastern (like on the song "Flames"). A lot of film composers have a terrible habit of creating loud, bombastic music that simply overwhelms the film and the person watching the film. Mark avoids the bombastic trappings of Hans Zimmer and John Williams by creating a more lush, haunting, minimal score that will leave a profound, moving effect on the filmgoer. One of the best songs on the album is "Flames" a gorgeous Middle Eastern-influenced track with ethereal female vocals that reminded me of Azam Ali and Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance. My other favorite song on the cd is "In the Deep" by Bird York. The song is a lovely folk/pop/jazz song that captures the emotional turmoil that occurs through out the film. I wasn't too wild about The Stereophonics track. It kinda killed the intimate sound Mark Isham created. At least Bird York's song had that same lush, intimate, atmospheric sound. While "Crash" wasn't perfect by all means, the music itself is perfect in every sense of the word at least to me it is. Too bad I can't say the same for his recent work for "The Black Dahlia".

5 comments about Just for a Day.

1. When it comes to Slowdive, fans are generally irrevocably split between giving the "Best of Artist" nod to this album or the following effort 'Souvlaki'.
   
   I would contend that the sophomore album is a more polished work but that 'Just for a Day' captures the essence and energy of a young band finding its way - and the results are frequently delightful.
   
   Washes of guitar seem to ebb and flow throughout the tracks, rising to magnificent crescendos and fading to nebulous atmospherics. The tracks "Celia's Dream" and "Primal" build in pulsating waves to dramatic conclusions, while there is a much lighter touch given to "Ballad of Sister Sue", "Erik's Song" and "The Sadman".
   
   This album puts the dream into dream-pop. It is a more ethereal and less hard-edged work than contempories from My Bloody Valentine and friends. Think blissed-out, dreamy, surging, peaceful with only occasional bursts of (superb) sonic violence.
   
   Certainly one of my favorite albums of all, containing two of my favorite songs in the shoegazer/dream-pop genre - the aforementioned "Primal" and "Celia's Dream".
   
   Sublime album that should remain a seminal part of the essential shoegazer collection.



2. Back at the end of 1991 when I first got this album, I was only 13 and just starting to buy music. Being musically inexperienced at such a tender age, I'd never heard anything like it before and was absolutley blown away. This is going to sound like sacrilege, but I liked it even better than My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless"! (Actually I still do).
   
   It definitely borrows heavily from MBV's swirley guitar delay feedback and obscured vocals, but Slowdive pushed this sound in a direction that was considerably more melancholy and emotional than MBV. And where MBV would sometimes rock out (making for some of their lesser moments in my opinion), Slowdive would never go for such crude antics and kept the overall sound on a distinctly ethereal plane.
   
   If you're new to the band, I would suggest you start with the album "Souvlaki", as it is definitely the most diverse of their recordings and thus is a good starting point to branch out from.
   
   In hindsight, although "Just For A Day" is in general a lovely album, I can understand that it would have been a disappointment at the time (which I remember was most definitely the view of the music press) after they had released a perfectly crafted taster in the shape of the "Holding Our Breath EP". If you're a fan of the band, I highly recommend seeking out this sincerely beautiful EP. The fact that it's really difficult to find these days probably says a lot about what other people think of it too, because it actually sold relatively well.



3. The album that divides the 80s from the 90s, that signes the death of shoegazing and the birth of dreampop.. a must-have



4. Not too long after I went ga-ga for My Bloody Valentine's LOVELESS, I picked this up and was somewhat underwhelmed. Basically it's agreeable atmospheric background music, but nothing that will stick in your head (except for, maybe, the first track). There's certainly nothing mind-blowing here. If you're into ambient music, this album might turn you on. Others, purchase with . . . eyes wide open.
   
   P.S. - judging from what I've read about Slowdive, I still intend to give their follow-up record SOUVLAKI a try at some point - I have hope that it's better than this one. Peace! UPDATE - I just heard SOULVAKI at a listening station and while it does sound like an improvement over JUST FOR A DAY with more distinctive songs, it still didn't turn me on much. Give me MBV any day, unless I just need to crash out. Just an opinion people! - to each his own . . .



5. This album is unbelievable. I have owned Souvlaki for quite some time now and generally avoided this one due to some poor reviews I had read. However, I recently picked it up on cassette at amoeba and I was blown away. It is easily better than souvlaki and one of, if not, the best dream-pop album of all time. The super-phased guitars will put you in a daze.

5 comments about In the City.

1. Weller 18 a 60s obsessed mod teen takes speed sees the Pistols live and combines his love for soul and R&B with the fire of the who and the emerging punk scene. Is it a great record?- no but its a vital energetic youthful stab of music that would begin the career of the Uk's best songwriter youth icon. Plus there are some great tunes In the City Away from the numbers etc. This is a snapshot of London circa 1977 and though never punk Weller was the essential rebel and no one looked better and more determined than Paul. The Jam were to become the essential British rock band outside of the Clash and weller has gone on to this very day to be one of the best songwriters of our Generation. And better still the Jams legacy is untarnished and still sounds refreshing today!!!



2. This is not a perfect album. Rather, it is an early one from a terrific, emerging band. They should have been bigger but (probably) they were too english. They were no punk band...they were a raw, muscular trio similar to the Who. The musicianship was talented, explosive and raw. Instead of distorted guitars they were real clean, yet real loud and trebly (is that a word?). The bass was mixed way up front and the drums were crashing.
   
   You cannot call this a 5 star or even a 4 star album because Paul Weller's songwriting skills would grow in leaps and bounds during their first 5 albums.
   
   All the songs are good, there is no filler. Some people would knock the Jam's decision to include a cover on each cd (Heatwave, David Watts, Batman) but I liked it. The covers were fun curved balls after listening to the serious toned lyrics.
   
   'Away from the numbers" "Art School" and "In the City" are standouts. "Batman" is such a strange cover, positioned in the middle but I love it.
   
   I saw the Jam live, circa 1979 in Chicago, and they were great!
   
   There are so many compilations and 2 fers for this band that this cd is really only for completists.



3. While the Jam would go on to produce some of the best later post-punk rock that you could find in the UK, this is not as strong a record as one could wish. The singing is not yet as developed as it would get on later releases and the playing has not reached the virtuoso heights that they would later achieve. OK it is still very much punk and mo-influenced.



4. A very high energy mod/punk album. Some of it almost seems to be retro early '60s, like early Stones or Beatles. Excellent songwriting by Paul Weller (see "I Changed my Address"). Good instrument playing by the band. Overall a solid debut.



5. An incredible debut album by The Jam--who churned out mod-inspired cuts that gave the youth a new outlet for punk/new wave. Five standout tracks emerge from this album: Art School, I've Changed My Address, I Got By In Time, Away From The Numbers, and In The City. Bricks and Mortar is a good track, as well as Non-Stop Dancing--but the other noted five are simply classic mood/period pieces. Considering Weller's tender age of 18 when he wrote this album, one can sense the greatness that was coming on latter albums like Sound Affects. This album is a look at life from a teenage and angst-ridden young song writer from the working class of the UK (Woking to be exact) that shows depth and understanding. The true shame of The Jam is how they never really caught on here in the United States. I would suggest that they be given some serious consideration now. I would suggest to most folks who love classic rock to give In The City a listen as well as Sound Affects, and Setting Sons. Then move on to the Box Set (it is worth the money) and enjoy one of the late 1970s best bands.

5 comments about All Mod Cons.

1. I'd call this my favorite punk album, but the truth is it's about as far from punk as you can get. There's only one fast, furious rocker, and it's the strongest song here: the emotional, hook-filled punk ballad "To Be Someone (Didn't We Have a Nice Time)" is probably the most rewarding song in the Jam's catalogue. Of course, I've only heard two of their albums, so I can't say squat about their whole catalogue, but I do really enjoy the song. There's also a mid-tempo punk song, "A-Bomb on Wardour Street", and its guitar solo makes it a high point too. Anyway, this is a very diverse album: there's demented new wave ("Mr. Clean"; "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight"), folk (the lovely, touching "English Rose"), folk-rock ("Fly"), music hall (A tremendous cover of the Kinks' satirical "David Watts"), Beatle-esque pop-rock ("It's Too Bad", with a funny interpolation of "She Loves You"; "The Place I Love", with a Creedence-like riff). Not only do they try all of these styles, they do well with each one: it's an ambitious, eclectic disc with strong songwriting that never forgets about the importance of the melody, even on the nastier songs ("A-Bomb"; "To be Someone"). This is nominal punk for people who don't think they don't like punk, but it's more than that: it's far-reaching, well-crafted, intelligent, funny, quirky, and a must-have by any standard.



2. I have always been a bit bothered by the fact that 1978's All Mod Cons is considered by many to be The Jam's best record. If nothing else, this misjudgement steals the thunder of their actual best record, 1979's Setting Sons. AMC is simply not consistently impressive enough to qualify for this distinction. Granted, it was the record that sprung the band back to life after the critically and commercially lackluster This Is the Modern World. Thus, it allowed them to secure a legacy with even greater follow-ups. So while I agree that AMC was the most important album of The Jam's career, it only consistently pretty to really good, and indisputably great in only one case.
   
   The trio of songs that open All Mod Cons includes the vitriolic title track, with verses that stumble over themselves as the guitar, bass, and drums stomp along in unison. "To Be Someone" seamlessly goes from dreams of stardom, to its realization (including guitar-shaped pools and cocaine), to its disappearance, all in the course of 2-1/2 minutes: "And the bread I spend is like my fame - its quickly diminished". Thankfully, Jam leader Paul Weller doesn't sound the least bit glib until "Mr. Clean", one of the weakest spots on the record. It's not that great of a song to begin with, but it is also unjustifiably venomous toward the square community. (Not everyone can be a cool, rich, devil-may-care rock star like you, Paul.)
   
   The record picks up slowly but very surely after this. "David Watts", sung by bassist Bruce Foxton, is too faithful to the original version to be any sort of revelation, but it is enjoyable for the very same reason. It is also a subtle indication that Weller's main influence for the time being would be Ray Davies, not Pete Townshend. Still, the jaunty pop tune "It's Too Bad" - also a very enjoyable but not revelatory song - sounds like a re-write of The Who's "So Sad About Us", which The Jam also covered. (The more you get to know The Jam, implicit and explicit homages to The Who abound. For example, not only did The Jam cover a few Who songs, they also covered songs that The Who themselves covered, like "Heat Wave" and "Batman".) Weller also tosses in a few beautiful and affecting acoustic love songs, "English Rose" - the original name and inspiration for the band that would become The Stone Roses - and "Fly". Finally, there is the impassioned manifesto "In The Crowd", which is part of Weller's live show to this day, the punky "Billy Hunt", and the Clash-y, staccato "A-Bomb in Wardour Street".
   
   AMC closes with a mini-mini-opera, the frightening hate crime tale "Down In the Tube Station at Midnight". This is one of Weller's two or three finest songwriting moments. His conviction is genuine, the music is sparse but rock solid (with Foxton's bass mimicing menacing footsteps), and the lyrical imagery is vivid from start to finish, with brilliant lyrics like "They smelt of pubs, and Wormwood Scrubs, and too many right-wing meetings". Weller, showing a keen ability to read the news one day and recreate it in song the next, comes so completely into his own on this song that it squashes all claims that he was a Pete Townshend wannabe or a punk poseur, which were baseless to begin with. (But I must say that he sings with such force that his English accent, which is perfect for The Jam's blend of punk/pop/mod-rock, might sound a bit unintelligible to American ears.)
   
   The Jam's All Mod Cons had to happen. As evinced by their subsequent string of top 40 hits, including four #1s, they simply had too much great stuff in them for their career to be stillborn by a sophomore slump. Weller's lyrics on AMC were more trenchant than before, and he, Foxton, and drummer Rick Buckler benefited more than ever from being great players, which was more important to their sound than being great musicians. And even if Weller's songwriting slips in a few spots (eg, "Mr. Clean", "The Place I Love"), one should keep in mind that he was barely 20 years old when the album was being recorded. All Mod Cons was where The Jam became great, but over the next few years, they would become even greater.



3. All mod cons is wellers dive into manhood and away from the jams early sound. Its more polished but not in a bad way. This is where the modfather would begin to prove his weight in gold- the songwriting is fantastic for someone so young and would continue for years to come. The anger is now laced under character studies ala Ray davies- the rickenbacker not only barks but weaves great double tracked lines- great use of reverse guitar in "in the crowd" This is the start of a great set of albums- Setting Sons- Sound Affects and the final offering of the Gift. All these albums should be in your collection- the Jam were the only band to give the clash a run for its money( the jam were more popular in the uk) and over the long haul weller has proved to be the class of 77's greatest songwriter. Among the best albums of the 70's!!



4. I must have seen these guys play at least a dozen times in New York City during their recording lifespan,and I think on all their tours, and always felt their energy,sophistication,song writing were an intelligent expression and outgrowth of the great UK 60's music going down..Heavily influenced and paying respects proudly to their heroes like the Kinks,Small Faces,Who...this Album pushed them ahead of the pack because there was a maturity here moving them forward from the strict mod induced sound they wore proudly..A feeling that the world was changing while putting out a great album of great songs.The cd Setting Sons should get equal merit.



5. All Mod Cons is where everything really came together for The Jam. The songs and the writing matured by leaps and bounds compared to The Modern World. Weller has some of his best work on this album including the beautiful ballad "English Rose," the stumbling anger of the title track, and the chilling "Down In A Tube Station At Midnight" with it's rapid fire drums and funky walking bass lending a real sense of urgency to the story being unfolded by Weller. His social commentary here is biting and pissed off and though the music spread out in more directions with Weller building off his various influences (especially R&B), the spirit of the album is punk, through and through. A wonderful disc that gets stronger with every listen and it remains one of the great original punk albums as well as one of the great British albums of all time.

5 comments about Resident Alien.

1. Had the misfortune to see this pathetic group of rockstar wannabees live at an all day event years ago. Spacehog headlined on the strength of that mediocre hit single but were easily the worst band of the day!!! Oh yeah, this album reeks also!!!



2. i got this cd in 1995, i loved it then. ovr the years i lost the cd, and had forgotten about spacehog, then while looking through other music, i saw that "id" from the front cover and i slapped my head. i forgot how awesome the whole album is, and i love it. a must for anyone who loves music.



3. I just realized who Spacehog reminds me of. I couldn't put my finger on it for years until I started to listen to Blue Öyster Cult again. It's uncanny just how much Spacehog sounds like them. If you listen to B.O.C.'s "Tyranny and Mutation" album, you'll know exactly what I mean.
   
   Resident Alien is a classic album nonetheless. I grew up on it, hence love it.



4. I probably can think of about 30 albums that are great from start to finish in my 35 or so years seriously listening to music. This is one of them.
   
   I bought it for In The Meantime, but found that I really enjoyed playing the entire album more than just listening to that song on replay. The songs tell a story and fit together so well.
   
   Some favs
   The Last Dictator
   Candyman
   Space is the Place
   Only a Few
   Never Coming Down (part II)



5. In the Meantime was a big hit and I thought it was a great song. I bought this album for that song. I listened to it several times but each time the rest of the music got worse and worse. This is the only album I have ever given away. It is awful. DO NOT BUY THIS RECORD. If you like the single then buy the single. This band should not be encouraged.

5 comments about Once More with Feeling: Singles 1996-2004.

1. Good mix of old and new - remixes of classic placebo songs - a must for any placebo fan.



2. This album is a joy to listen to and shows how many excellent tracks Placebo have made. The bonus cd maske this album worth buying to the fans who already have all of their albums, and the compilation is worth buying for the casual fan who liked a few tracks but who would never comit to a purcahse.



3. I've liked Placebo for a little while, but I dont have any of their CD's anymore. So I saw this little beauty on the shelf and picked it up. A pretty good mix of their best and a very nice remix disc. A frequent play for all occasions. I especially like the UNKLE track.



4. a definitive offering that provides those of you not familiar with Placebo's brilliance the instant chance to dive into some of the traditional singles while also savoring the more experimental mixes. There is nice variety here and it serves as a primer that should effectively get you hooked!



5. This is a great value because it includes the hits and a bonus disc with remixes that are better than the originals.