Prince and the Revolution - 'When Doves Cry'

Prince and the Revolution - 'When Doves Cry'

Prince Repeat Prescriptions Shell Hunter

Repeat Prescriptions....The Top 100 Classic Albums Of All Time that you keep coming back to!

Like doing a university course as a mature student, I am returning to my musical education and filling in the gaps. I intend to revisit The 100 Best Albums Of All Time (see them all here) as recommended by Q Magazine back when the poll was last done in 2006. Some I will know and love, some I will have skimmed and some I will not even have given time of day. This will all change when I listen to every album in full as it was intended, from 100 to 1, and choose my favourite song from each.

Album Number 94: Prince - Purple Rain - 'When Doves Cry' (1984)

Finally an album from the 80s I thought to myself when I saw this was next! I don't know a prince song I didn't like but admittedly I haven actually listened to an album before. I knew that Purple Rain was highly acclaimed so expected to be blown away. I was a little bit more than disappointed I'm afraid to say. I only knew about 3 or 4 songs which I was surprised about and found the album quite dated even for an 80s mega fan like me! I even noted myself thinking 'Jeez, even for Prince this is a bit self indulgent at times'. He would throw in a random screechy solo every now and again. I thought the song Little Nikki was pretty bad. The trouble is, I feel terrible about feeling this way about the music God that is Prince. He truly is a talent and play most of the instruments, writes and is just an all round performer. I have discussed this album a few with people who are almost a decade older than me and the opinion was unanimous: "Oh what a great album!" But when did you actually listen to this album last people? Not recently I'll bet.

Anyway, the end result for me was: yes I did enjoy it, but only in parts. The parts I enjoyed were probably the singles he has previously released, coincidence or not? Not sure! Highlights being Lets Go Crazy, I Would Die 4 U and of course my favourite from Purple Rain, When Doves Cry. Sadly I can't listen to the title track Purple Rain without cringing as it was constantly ruined by being played as an "end of the night" song and lots of drunken people shouting the chorus into the air. Shame.

The part I like best from the classic When Doves Cry is the drumming. Not your traditional drum kit sound, but it sounds like the noises you can make when you're trying to make a racket at home; a couple of bins and a table or something. I realised I haven't a clue what the song was about so looked it up. The director of Purple Rain asked Prince to create a piece of music for a particular part in the film and this was one of two things he came up with. It's about parental struggles and an affair inspired by his own relationship with Vanity 6's, Susan Moonsie. It was Prince's first number 1 single so I can understand its success. Not bad for knocking something up! For a song that is supposed to be a dance track, it's quite stripped back and quiet. The song is pretty timeless asides from the last minute of the track where you have the signature 80s spoiler of the synthesiser solo. Oh dear. Bring on the radio edit for that one!

Nb. Prince seems to have not allowed videos on youtube so I only have a clip to give you the idea. You can find the whole video if you click on this link though! 

Shell Hunter says, worth another listen

sfw Pada 04:35 2 Komentar

Iggy Pop - 'I Need Somebody'

Iggy Pop - 'I Need Somebody'

Iggy Pop Repeat Prescriptions Shell Hunter

Repeat Prescriptions....The Top 100 Classic Albums Of All Time that you keep coming back to!

Like doing a university course as a mature student, I am returning to my musical education and filling in the gaps. I intend to revisit The 100 Best Albums Of All Time (see them all here) as recommended by Q Magazine back when the poll was last done in 2006. Some I will know and love, some I will have skimmed and some I will not even have given time of day. This will all change when I listen to every album in full as it was intended, from 100 to 1, and choose my favourite song from each.

Album Number 95: Iggy Pop - Raw Power - 'I Need Somebody' (1973)

It's the first time since starting this project that I really tried but couldn't enjoy an album. I can confirm though that the title is totally apt. This album and especially Iggy's vocals are full of Raw Power. It was that that I struggled with! I wasn't sure where one song ended and another began, it was pure rock and roll noise! It wasn't until I read into the album that the version I listened to was the original Iggy mix. This was heavy on the vocals and Bowie was approached to remix the album. I noticed there was a version of the album Bowie mixed on Spotify but haven't heard it to compare. I haven't a clue if that would've made a difference to my opinion. Has anyone heard both versions that can tell me if he really improved it?

Anyway as it was the original album that Iggy recorded that I listened to, this still stands. The track I chose is the only one I actually like. Don't get me wrong, I like a lot of Iggy and The Stooges stuff, but for some reason this album went right over my head. Apparently Columbia records insisted Iggy include 2 ballads on the album, this being one of them. It's a slow rocky number that wouldn't be out of place in a backstreet burlesque joint. I can just picture feather boa's and over dramatic dancing. So I like a track that wasn't even Iggy's choice!

Shell Hunter says put it back on the shelf

sfw Pada 12:45 5 Komentar

Kraftwerk - 'The Robots'

Kraftwerk - 'The Robots'

Kraftwerk Repeat Prescriptions Shell Hunter

Repeat Prescriptions....The Top 100 Classic Albums Of All Time that you keep coming back to!

Like doing a university course as a mature student, I am returning to my musical education and filling in the gaps. I intend to revisit The 100 Best Albums Of All Time (see them all here) as recommended by Q Magazine back when the poll was last done in 2006. Some I will know and love, some I will have skimmed and some I will not even have given time of day. This will all change when I listen to every album in full as it was intended, from 100 to 1, and choose my favourite song from each.

Album Number 96: Kraftwerk - The Man Machine - 'The Robots' (1978)

I always put Kraftwerk down as only big in the 80s but they've been around since 1970! This album from 1978 must have been up there in the ground breaking Electro stakes with Georgio Moroder. It was a pretty short and sweet listen with only 6 songs but definitely some good moments. My favourites of course being The Model with it's excellently simple German accented lyrics, Neon Lights and The Robots. I don't know how long I could listen to this sort of electro for though, it can get a little repetitive. It's strange to me that this album being 36 (!!) years old, still sounds as it intended to; fresh and totally mindbogglingly futuristic.

The Robots is a fantastic track which I knew before but it really does stand out on this album. It's got a slow intro but when it gets into it's stride, it really is a piece of electro genius. I remember when my nephew was a bit younger, he was 'into Robots' for a time and Flycasual told me he had played this for him. I can just see his young imagination being captured by this song and being totally blown away, much like everyone when they first heard it! The higher pitched keyboard vs the lower pitched one is almost like a tiny robot talking with a massive one. The beauty of songs with few lyrics is it allows your mind to wander, as obviously mine did! I'd say it'll certainly be worth listening to Kraftwerk's Greatest Hits for sure.

Shell Hunter's seal of approval

sfw Pada 11:00 3 Komentar

Lou Reed - 'Walk On The Wild Side'

Lou Reed - 'Walk On The Wild Side'

Lou Reed Repeat Prescriptions Shell Hunter

Repeat Prescriptions....The Top 100 Classic Albums Of All Time that you keep coming back to!

Like doing a university course as a mature student, I am returning to my musical education and filling in the gaps. I intend to revisit The 100 Best Albums Of All Time (see them all here) as recommended by Q Magazine back when the poll was last done in 2006. Some I will know and love, some I will have skimmed and some I will not even have given time of day. This will all change when I listen to every album in full as it was intended, from 100 to 1, and choose my favourite song from each.

Album Number 97: Lou Reed - Transformer - Walk On The Wild Side (1972)

I have to say, I was totally indifferent about listening to Lou Reed. I heard he as part of The Velvet Underground was heavily influential so I thought this would be a good addition to my music education foundation. Its the first album from this project that I don't fully 'get', though. Musically I like it a lot, there are a good few tracks here that are perfect for any late 60s or early 70s film's opening credits or soundtracks but I think its the nonsense lyrics/poetry that is wasted on me. A couple of times I was thinking to myself, What the hell is he banging on about?! Saying that, I really have to take it into context: we are talking about the early 70s here (drugs, drugs and more drugs?), David Bowie produced it and there are some great moments such as Vicious, Satellite Of Love, Wagon Wheel and Perfect Day. When the lyrics aren't too nursery rhyme sounding and 'out there', its pretty damn good really.

I never thought I would choose such a commercially known song to be my favourite from the album but it was a toss up between Perfect Day and WOTWS. I used to hear it on the radio all the time and think nothing of it except that the iconic riff was sampled for A Tribe Called Quest's Can I Kick It. Listening to it in context with the rest of the bizarrely worded album, I began to really appreciate it. The style, sound along with the atmosphere it evokes, is the epitome of the late 60s, early 70s for me. After digging a little deeper into what the song was about and Lou himself, I realised it was about the gang of misfits that used to hang out with Andy Warhol at his New York city studio. Each one has their nickname and story and I'm pretty surprised it wasn't banned from the airwaves. Drugs, transvestites, oral sex and male prostitutes makes for a colourful view into the era. They just don't make them like that anymore.

Shell Hunter may need another listen

sfw Pada 11:09 4 Komentar

Beastie Boys - 'The Sounds Of Science'

Beastie Boys - 'The Sounds Of Science'

Beastie Boys Hip Hop Classics Repeat Prescriptions Shell Hunter YO! TuneDr Raps

Repeat Prescriptions....The Top 100 Classic Albums Of All Time that you keep coming back to!

Like doing a university course as a mature student, I am returning to my musical education and filling in the gaps. I intend to revisit The 100 Best Albums Of All Time (see them all here) as recommended by Q Magazine back when the poll was last done in 2006. Some I will know and love, some I will have skimmed and some I will not even have given time of day. This will all change when I listen to every album in full as it was intended, from 100 to 1, and choose my favourite song from each.

Album Number 98: Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique - The Sounds Of Science (1989)

It's the first album I know I have heard before so was looking forward to revisiting it. After listening to a few tracks I realised how unfamiliar a lot of it was. Did I actually listen to the whole album before? I probably just skimmed through it to my favourite songs Hey Ladies and Barrel Of A Gun. I was a cheat! Listening to it a few times now and having to remind myself this was from back in 1989, it's easy to see why this is in the Top 100. As their tough second album after being nicknamed Frat rappers, they put to bed the idea they were just a commercial novelty act. These guys were for real and were here to stay. You can't deny the authentic old school hip hop sound with brilliant break beat and samples, it makes me feel like break dancing! The album is brimming with comical but clever quips and the chemistry between the group is infectious. And what's more, there isn't a line about guns, gang banging, bitches, hoes or money in sight!

It was a tough call to choose my favourite track. Do I go with a previous favourite which also happens to be a released single and more commercial track, Hey Ladies, or do I choose the track that I was unfamiliar with that came through the most. Well seeing as this is a voyage of discovery, its easy to decide. The Sounds Of Science is almost like two songs rolled into one. Firstly starting off slow and funny then rocking into a seriously fast and furious frenzy of tightly packed rhymes. I especially love when all three are rapping together simultaneously, now there's talent. Its got a good bit of scratching and a great guitar riff sample which sounds a bit like The Beatles, can anyone confirm? I think these guys proved themselves to the sceptics with this album and it will remain in the Top 100 for years, if not decades to come.

Shell Hunter's Seal Of Approval

sfw Pada 11:21 6 Komentar

Tom Waits - 'Jockey Full Of Bourbon'

Tom Waits - 'Jockey Full Of Bourbon'

Repeat Prescriptions Shell Hunter Tom Waits

Repeat Prescriptions....The Top 100 Classic Albums Of All Time that you keep coming back to!

Like doing a university course as a mature student, I am returning to my musical education and filling in the gaps. I intend to revisit The 100 Best Albums Of All Time (see them all here) as recommended by Q Magazine back when the poll was last done in 2006. Some I will know and love, some I will have skimmed and some I will not even have given time of day. This will all change when I listen to every album in full as it was intended, from 100 to 1, and choose my favourite song from each.

Album Number 99: Tom Waits - Rain Dogs - Jockey Full Of Bourbon (1985)

I have to admit I was dubious about listening to Tom Waits. It's all Old Pa's fault really, I was traumatised at a young age with the wailing and painful to listen to, Waltzing Matilda. Basically it is because of those memories that I wrote off Tom Waits completely. This is where I really appreciate this project. Having to play something I would never otherwise bother with, already happy with the opinion I set at probably aged 10, means I have to listen to it objectively and make an educated opinion. I compare it to saying you don't like mushrooms when you are a kid and find out you actually love them as an adult. Okay, maybe its going a bit too far to say I love Tom Waits, but I will certainly listen to more. What I do love about him is his talent for imagery and story telling. If he sticks to his raspy, whispery prose and leaves the wailing slow ballads behind, he has a fan in Shell Hunter for sure.

When I first put on Rain Dogs, I laughed out loud. Was this guy for real? Who bought this sort of weird music? I warmed to it quickly though as it took me far away to the back streets of New Orleans, into smokey dimly lit bars with sordid characters at every turn. The track 9th & Hennepin is the perfect example and I would have chosen this as my favourite but didn't fully consider it an actual song. Its like film noir or even like one of my favourite films Sin City with its narration and descriptions.

Jockey Full Of Bourbon was a clear highlight early on as it ticked lots of boxes for me. It showcases Tom in the way I think he is best, no wailing here! It may not sound like a circus like some of the random songs on the album but it's got a great gritty feel to it. Add to that a Calexico sounding guitar riff and I could be in the streets of Havana or Mexico City!

Shell Hunter's Seal Of Approval

sfw Pada 11:44 8 Komentar

Wilco - 'I'm Trying To Break Your Heart'

Wilco - 'I'm Trying To Break Your Heart'

Repeat Prescriptions Shell Hunter Wilco

Repeat Prescriptions....The Top 100 Classic Albums Of All Time that you keep coming back to!

Like doing a university course as a mature student, I am returning to my musical education and filling in the gaps. I intend to revisit The 100 Best Albums Of All Time (see them all here) as recommended by Q Magazine back when the poll was last done in 2006. Some I will know and love, some I will have skimmed and some I will not even have given time of day. This will all change when I listen to every album in full as it was intended, from 100 to 1, and choose my favourite song from each.

Album Number 100: Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - I Am Trying To Break Your Heart (2001)

I know of Wilco and I know I know some of their stuff, but when I tried to think of a song or album, oops, I couldn't! So the journey to reinforce my musical foundations has officially begun. It was a gloriously sunny day and myself and LS had just set off for home from Bognor Regis having just visited the mother in law. The start of the journey is through rolling hills and farmland which had fresh bails of hay everywhere. This album couldn't have been more perfect for the scenery and now won't be forgotten. In a nutshell I enjoyed it from the off and actually listened to it several times over the week (I only set myself the task of listening to it twice but it was that good). In my opinion, it has the right balance of folk, pop and electric sound with too many highlights to mention without fear of leaving a song off the album out! 

Although I did try to pick a favourite that wasn't the first track on the album, (don't know why, just felt like a cop out!) I couldn't deny that I enjoy it the most. It reminds me of Beck or Badly Drawn Boy. I just love the rattly bamboo clicks and echoey piano, perfect sunny day music despite the break up sentiment. It's great when the last lines of the song are the guy admitting he is 'the man that loves you'. I shall now be watching the Wilco documentary of the same name!

Shell Hunter's seal of approval.

sfw Pada 04:24 4 Komentar