Album Reviews - October 2007

Endlessly Rocking reviews the pick of the albums issued in October (or at least the ones that I downloaded!)

Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace - Foo Fighters

A much calmer effort than that normally delivered by Dave Grohl's men and much better for it. After six studio albums the band finally seemed to have discovered the importance of the gaps between the music and their trademark frantic riffing and screaming vocal delivery is rendered much more effective by judicial rationing. This is a thoughtfully constructed album allowing the band to flex their musical muscle in new directions whilst retaining the underlying charm that has won them admirers across a wide spectrum of musical taste. A mature album from a band who now seem confident enough in their own abilities to explore new horizons.

Rating: Superior

Pictures - Katie Melua

This third album from the Georgian chanteuse brings a partial break from collaborator Mike Batt and is a little less accessible as a result. The Batt-penned tracks continue to provide comfortable listening but there is a something a little off-kilter about the album's remaining tunes - hinting at a musical future slowly sailing away from her Radio 2 audience into more 'alternative' waters. The album rewards repeated listening - Ms. Melua's excellent guitar playing is brought more to the fore and her voice remains the musical equivalent of a strong Cafe Latte. Pleasant late night indulgence.

Rating: Good

Magic - Bruce Springsteen

If Springsteen's last album with the E-Street Band (2002's The Rising) was an optimistic and hope-filled reaction to the horrors of 9/11, this latest instalment of "The World According to Bruce" views the state of the Union with a considerably more jaundiced eye. Musically there is little to separate 'Magic' from any other E-Street band offering - at times there is too much going on within the songs; the saxophone and keyboards in particular detracting from, rather than adding value to, the arrangements. Lyrically though this album hits its targets dead centre - the vocal barbs all the more dangerous for their relatively harmless musical accompaniment. The album works best where the aim is truest; highlights include the title track (focusing on political double speak and spin), Gypsy Biker (for those who didn't come back from Bush's war), The Last to Die (a reminder of who ultimately pays the price for political mistakes) and opening track Radio Nowhere (blessed with a grittier musical underscore than the majority of the album). Bonus Track; Terry's Song rounds the album off in fine style - a moving tribute to Bruce's long-time friend Terry McGovern who passed away at the end of July. Whilst Magic has some fillers, Springsteen's worst is better than the best many have to offer, and this is the case here. A worthy addition to an impressive volume of work.

Rating: Superior

Chrome Dreams II - Neil Young

Apparently compiled from a mix of new compositions and a smattering of songs originally recorded in the 1980's, the timeless nature of Neil Young's work gives no clues as to which song falls into which category. Gentler efforts such as Beautiful Bluebird and Shining Light are beautiful in their simplicity but the album's crowning glories are the two epic tracks Ordinary People and No Hidden Path (checking in at 18 minutes and 14 minutes respectively) - the moment when the horn section unexpectedly kicks in on Ordinary People sending a shiver of delight running up the spine on every listen. Dirty Old Man is every bit as low down, mean and nasty as its title suggests - a garage-band anthem of deceptive simplicity, whilst the collection's final track, The Way, (with its simple repeating motif and school choir backing vocals) completes the picture of a 62 year-old who is content with his own lot but who remains a valid voice for those less fortunate than he.

Rating: Superior

RUSH Glasgow SECC 3rd October 2007

Despite the efforts of Endlessly Rocking (see the Eventful Tag to the right), "The World's Greatest Band" declined to include Belfast on their Snakes and Arrows Tour itinerary and I was forced to make my way to Bonnie Scotland to fulfil a lifelong ambition to see Canada's finest in the flesh.

Having stayed close to the venue on a trip to Glasgow earlier in the year, Hall 4 of Glasgow's SECC was ideal for the travelling headbanger with the Campanile Hotel just a stone's throw away. As a venue for a major rock concert though it left a lot to be desired. A rectangular shaped arena with the stage placed off-centre on one of the long sides, the orientation of what is basically a huge warehouse meant that anyone not seated directly front-of-stage had a oblique view of events with stage gear obscuring at least one three giant screens behind the band. The sound also was muddy at times and not quite loud enough. None of this was the fault of the band though and for almost three solid hours they enthralled the near sell-out crowd with a powerful performance.

The introductory video, with Geddy Lee masquerading as lunatic Scotsman Harry Satchel and Neil Peart sporting a rare public grin, went well down particularly well with the Scottish audience before the band took the stage with a relatively low-key version of Limelight - Alex Lifeson letting the opening chord ring while the rest of the band took up position. I was immediately consumed with an overwhelming feeling of pure joy - I had finally made it to a Rush show! This euphoria hardly faded during the rest of the evening as the band ran treated us to several rarely aired songs (including old chestnuts Circumstances and Entre Nous) and 9 songs from latest album Snakes and Arrows. Among my personal highlights were a thundering Subdivisions (not one of my favourite Rush compositions but superbly menacing live) and a spine-tingling Natural Science - selections that quickly picked up the pace after the band opened the second part of the show (following a 20 minute interval) with no less than five new tracks. Of these it was Armor & Sword that impressed most - despite it not being amongst my favourites off the album.

The lighting arrangement was spectacular with the 'Close Encounters' type flying lighting rigs and the judicial use of lasers drawing gasps of appreciation. The videos displayed on the giant backing screens at various stages were an entertainment in themselves with highlights including the fire-breathing dragon during Vapor Trails and the boy-on-the-missile graphics from the Distant Early Warning promo.

At times the musicianship on show was awe-inspiring, never more so than Neil Peart's drum-solo. Now.....I am not a drum-solo fan. Even 'The Professors' efforts generally fall victim of the 'skip' and 'fast-forward' buttons. This solo however was simply incredible - as a display of sheer skill I have never seen anything like it. He may be a cantankerous old git (it takes one to know one!) but if there is a better percussionist out there I would love to see them. The band rounded off the show with Spirit of Radio and Tom Sawyer before ending with an encore of One Little Victory, A Passage to Bangkok and YYZ. By that stage I had reached emotional and sensory overload and was incapable of truly taking in the performance of some of my all-time favourite tracks - something I regret as there may well not be an other opportunity to see the band on these shores. Still, as achieving lifelong ambitions go it did not disappoint - I have seen the greatest rock band in the world live and in the flesh, everything else pales in comparison.

Dublin 2007

PHIL LYNOTT - THE ULTIMATE ROCKSTAR

A family trip to Dublin in late summer gave me the opportunity to make a long wished for pilgrimage to the Phil Lynott statue off Grafton Street.

Lynott was the ultimate rock star... exotic, handsome, poetic, charismatic, wild..... and a little dangerous. It is now 21 years since he passed away - he is still sorely missed.