(50th) Derek and the Dominoes: Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs

First of all, I find it funny that during those years of excellent music (1970-1975 plus before and after :D ) several albums were named with ridiculously long names. Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, The Rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars and so forth ;). Despite the length of the title, Layla (etc. Blah-blah-blah) is a record filled with beautiful melody lines created with guitars, basslines, keyboard or even drums. And the sound is hungry! All the way from the beginning the whole album seems to be filled with guitars sounding like they are really in desperate need of something. A fix, perhaps. During the years there's been rumours and facts telling the audience that this album was distilled under heavy drug and alcohol abuse. Which can also be seen from the inner sleeve of the album. Nevertheless, this is once again one of the roadmarks on my musical path.

I'm just wondering, is the hungry sound on guitars achieved by using a certain equipment; Fender Stratocaster(s) jointed with Fender Champ amp or what was the case, then. At the moment, I'm not quite sure what type of guitar-amp combination was used by Duane Allman, Clapton was definitely using the Strat. Still, the sound is great!

Later on, mr Slowhand has surprised with albums filled with more or less nonsense and lame music. The pleasant surprise from him was, of course, the 'From the Cradle' album, although it was a 'bit' too clean and well played to raelly ring the bell. This one, in the other hand, still seems to keep on sounding at least a bit dangerous, dispite the fact that the songs are more or less light pop-music mixed together with the brilliant blues-stylish licks.

The music in this album is consisted of more or less pre-composed songs and structures combined with studio jamming. (If I got it right!? - Comments welcome!!) Which brings the music closer to mere mortals than for example the brilliant masterpieces like Electric Ladyland and Bitches Brew, where the actual composing and arrangement was done during the long and totally free jam-sessions plus the time used behind the mixing table together with the tracks themselves. The instrumentation here is more the same thing you could hear while the band was playing, the studio equipment was made for recording only, not used as an external instrument itself. Which, I suppose, makes the music easier to approach and adopt.

It also seems that on this record, Clapton was capable of creating the personal sound of a whole band on the record. And used the similar setup later on, too. At least on 461 Ocean Boulevard and Slowhand, you can hear the same tonal approach in the final mixdown. But I have to remember to really point out the Duane Allman's brilliant guitar techniques, which really lift this record to the climatic spaces of eager rock noice. If I can say so ;)

Check out at least these songs: Bell Bottom Blues, Key to the Highway, Little Wing, Layla (The end part and mr. Allman !), Thorn Tree in the Garden, Have You Ever Loved a Woman, Tell The Truth. And the others, too ;)

(48th) Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band: Trout Mask Replica (1969)

Whohah!? Tom Waits meets someone here. It's the Mothers Of Invention or then some part of King Crimson :D. This seems to be some kind of original specie.
Listening to this is an experience, no doubt about that.

The whole stuff is like twisted re-born son of the blues in the modern world. When the blues was made, the rhythm and the tonal world was a description about the life around, rhythm came from the horse carriage, sounds where someone's screaming, moaning or whatever then. This is something similar, but brought to a more modern world. Rhythm of cars passing by, people crushing to each other, running away from the truth of life. (Which is what? Oh author, thou art unambiguous ;)

The complete musical expression is against every possible genre, even today. Timeless and a true rebel statement, this is (as Yoda might say;). The whole tonality is like a view of the mankind from some point where everything seems, if not stupid, then at least ridiculous.

When listening to this, I strongly suggest to forget the traditional approach for pop-music. The multiplex variety of arrangements forces the listener more to focus on the whole tonal world than in single instrumental performances. If you have any borderlines concerning music, after listening this they can be easily ripped apart, if you have the will to throw yourself to this hallucinated dream of misused brain.

This ironfeet blues is dancing on the toes of puristic people, a perfect album when having a hangover party, I'd say. It's like a teenage Uruk-Hai in love affair collecting dandelions.

Does (or did) this group, who wanted significantly to abandon the tradition, have an ambition in creating another tradition for others to follow? Whether they did or not want it, they certainly did accomplish that task. I think they didn't give a single thought of that kind of stupid nonsense. You can't make timeless masterpieces thinking you are doing it. Only by following your instincts. And here we go again...

This is a masterpiece of rebellion or then just an endless circle of dopeheaded mess. An effective piece of art, still.

And the ranking machine gives this four j:s, in here: jjjj
The last j is missing because of the length and collapsed structure (which also make this a masterpiece!)

PS.
I am and was a completely sober human being when writing this down ;)

(47th)Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go (1996)

The start of the album is nice, and explotion in the first song is amazingly good. I have to admit that I've fallen in to later manics releases beforehand and, for some odd reason, skipped this one. I've heard the Hit Singles (A Design For Life etc.), but mainly missed the album.

The amount of melodies in this album is amusing. Totally awsome record that seems to be a significant source for new era bands like Muse etc. 4th song ongoing (Enola Alone) and no weak songs this far. I can clearly hear the path towards the 'This is my truth, tell me yours' -album, which blowed my head the first time with this band.
Regardless to the message that these songs have (the message is Great, from my point of view they ar not wrong in doing this!) the lyrics follow same high standards that the music crates and requires. The whole package seems to be in balance.
The sounds could be better, I just can't tell what I would change in here. Overall, in latter albums also, the tonic world of the songs is consistent and recognisable. I myself would have made the sound more analogic, but then, it wouldn't be the Manics album at all ;)

All together, the arrangements, tonal environment, musicians and, whattahell, the album is brilliant! Actually it seems to beat up the feelings that the 'This is my truth..' -album gave.

And the rating will be five capital j:s

JJJJJ

And their official site is (if you didn't know:
http://www.manics.co.uk/04/

(46th) Re-grouping personalities.

I noticed this morning while on my way to work that I seem to have quite too many sidepersons here in the web. Even here in the blogger. For example 1001 Impressions of Albums, which contains my album reviews. And the albums have been selected by the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Which is something a bit weird, since I like to do things my way, even on the highway ;) (Why don't we do it on the road!?)

Ok, back to something. I'm going to put the album review -articles in here and contuinue maintaining only this blog. And the reviews might be titled as 1001 Albums I must've been listening before I got killed. Or something like that. :D

(35th)Amonpolis II on the way

It's totally been awhile since writing. Writing here, writing music, writing anything. I seem to have some sort of mental downhill going on. In Sweden the downhill is a good thing, no need for pushing. In Finland it's just the feel of speed before the actual crash :D

Anyway, I can now announce that the first draft of a complete song is now officially drafted to my recorder (The mighty BOSS Micro BR). And besides all my previous thoughts, it's not in major, it's a blues tune in B minor. Artifactial Blues as the working title. Making the lyrics is also started, looking for to finalize them at the point when it's time to actually sing the tune :D.

My approach, anyway, on the forthcoming recordings is to make first the song and the tune, and then write the lyrics. In that precise order, just to do something new. The arrangements and chords should be as simple as possible to bulletproof my songwriting abilities. I'm aiming to create a basic set of songs with basic arrangements and having catchy tunes and guitar -licks there while at the same time keeping my standards of writing. Meaning that the songs should be easily adoptable but still yet unique both in melodic and lyricist points of view. I suppose that I've already proved myself that I'm capable to create somewhat complicated arrangements and song structures. The lyrics, still, will remain on the same blurry central lyricist style I have adopted and feel familiar to :D.

Above these I've started a sidekick for this blog, a public Wiki to hold on the background information about the songs, lyrics and the world the songs should be describing. I'll get back to that when it is ready to be explored by the others anyway.

twentyseventh (UPDATED!!)

It has been awhile since ther has been any GOOD bloggings here, so I just might try. To put at least something here.

About the album (Amonpolis I):
The album is so called theme-album. All the songs are related to each others, at least from my perspective. There is a continuity in the line of the tonal space and the lyrics. I have tried, in finnish of course, to have a bunch of blurred images about a paraller reality and being an outsider from the community. I might have been also accessing it. You'll never know. But, if you understand finnish, feel free to make your own translations on to the songs. I'm not here to tell you how to deal with them. You may like them, or not. The songs might speak to you in whole different way that I ment (like I did have a meaning there, then!? ;), or then again, might not. Nobody has to even like or dislike the tunes,songs, låtar, whatever you will call them, suits me fine. The title of the album is the place in my imaginary science fiction universe. Somewhere in the future, near or far, doesn't matter, actually.
Anyway I feel that I have achieved to critisize the present world (in Finland) and the way people are treating each others and being treated by. At least partly. The songs are not stories, not even short ones, more or less they are observations and short captures of thoughts or visions of the time and place inside the observers mind.

About the band (Incredible Jens):
Actually, there is no band. The name is a good one (Thanks to Josefiina Råtta for that and for the Cover!), at least from my point of view. Mainly the production, mixing and recording is done by yours truly, except visiting Bass- and drumtracks. The Bass in 'Tanssii vartalon kanssa' is recorded and played by Kimmo Pekari, and in track 'Ulkona?!' the bass was recorded and played by Pekka Uuranne (from a finnish metal -band Kara). Most of the acoustic drum parts are recorded and played by Mika Hiironniemi (From a marvellous progressive rock -band Margin Of Safety). Mika also helped a LOT during the mixdown process by giving hints and suggestions (Lift the Vocals UP), as did the others as well. Tommi Hilli (former vocalist from Varasteleva Puutarhakääpiö and nowadays a present vocalist of Loppukevennys) did the vocal track in Tanssii vartalon kanssa. Veikko played drums four years ago for 'Ulkona?!', with my former band, murske. Mikko Ojala played drums, Jani Pulkki guitar and Heikki Ahonen bass on song 'kuravettä'.

So, all the rest is done by me, myself and the dude I call myself to be. Arrangements are mostly from my head, except the C-part and closing part of 'Posetiivi' which is more or less taken from the sessions with Varasteleva Puutarhakääpiö, so thanks to Lauri, Timo, Olli and Tommi for that one too. So all the complains should be addressed to yours truly. Or then the good points, too. If you can spot them out :D.


And, NOW, its's time to really start to get the next album lineup sorted out. Hopefully Stockholm is filled with open -minded anarchistic rockbottocks :D. I am anyway missing playing with people. The style of the forthcoming music is completely uncertain, and will remain it, until the lineup has been found. I have this idea about the music that it should be more than the sum of the minds that are connecting and doing it. And that the style and sound of the band will be found only through playing. But we'll see that one, too. I know the album is filled with more or less progressive and at least alternative music. The next one might be something completely different.

Feel free to contact.

BTW.
Am I the only one who gets a scitchofrenic feeling writing about Blog-posts in english for a band who's songs are in finnish?

kahdeskymmenesneljäs - twentyfourth

Ja levy on siis ladattavissa ja kuunneltavissa myös tästä blogista. Tuossa vasemmalla on player. Kai se jotain plugineja vaatii toimiakseen, ei jaksa kaivaa tietoa esille. Jos ei toimi, niin sen saa silti ladattua täältä: http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/21401

As you might know, the album is downloadable and you can also listen to it from the left side widget. It might need some plugins to work, but at the moment I'm way too lazy to check what. If it won't work, the link above does.

sixteenth

And just to keep you and everybody else informed, I'll try to add something in here. Even today, although there's not much going on inside my brain. Yet. Anyway, there's actually a need to modify at least 2 songs still, before the final release of the album. And the album cover and sleeve are ordered from the artist herself, we'll see what we'll get :D

eleventh

the last song that needed the tweaking, metsä (forest for the foreigners ;) has hopefully been finalized now. I'll have to give it a break and try it tomorrow, not today anymore.

the cover is also waiting to be done, among the inner sleeve ;)

eighth (8th for the ones who can read)

Slight updates, fellows. Song called Mobiilielämä (mobile life) is dropped out. Mastering is going towards readiness. Due to this, we can celebrate and listen a sneaky peak from here:
http://incredible.jens.googlepages.com/08kuravett.mp3

The album itself is around 36:20 minutes long and has 8 songs. The names of the songs can be found from the Incredible Jens' homepage. Where also the one song is now uploaded and it is ready to be listened. You may comment here, please do :D.

fifth

The album is currently heading towards readiness, some progress on friday. Still, two songs are still missing. The other, mobiilielämä (mobile life) is otherwise somewhat ready, but there's no vocals recorded there yet. And the second one, Rauniosusi (Carcass Wolf) is missing even more, the rhythm base needs to be re-looped, there's few tricky parts in there, which lead to clear mistakes when trying to play it.
So the album will be ready. when it is done. Not before. :D