I've Been Sonikally Kicked

Paul Weller - Sonik Kicks

First Impressions: that is not how you spell "Sonic" - never mind, spell checking aside Paul Weller's new album is a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend 43.5 minutes* of your life.

It has been two years since 'Wake Up The Nation', the album that re-united Paul Weller and Bruce Foxton in the studio, and according to some critics was "a return to form".  After the slightly disappointing '22 Dreams', it was a better album but still not as good as I hoped it would be.  'Stanley Road' is often cited as Paul Weller's best album/career high - to that I say: "pish - go away and listen to 'As Is Now'", but this new album ranks above 'Stanley Road' and 'Wake Up The Nation'.

For Trivia Lovers: 'Sonik Kicks' was released nearly 30 years to the day (give or take a week) since 'The Gift'

The album starts with a Neu!-ish/Krautrock-ish/Chemical Brothers-ish (lots of -ish there!) introduction (sadly, the first couple of seconds immediately reminded me of Paul McCartney's 'Wonderful Christmastime') , followed by half-spoken/half-sung Pop Art poetry/lyrics.  A wave of psychedelia remains in this track - a fine start to the album.

'The Attic' is more familiar ground, and after 'Green' it is a welcome distraction.  Whilst 'Green' is fine, I don't think I could manage two of them on the trot

'Kling I Klang' / 'Sleep Of The Serene' / 'By The Waters' - its difficult to know where one stops and the next starts, a sort of 3 tune song cycle without ever losing your attention.

'That Dangerous Age' - destined to be a proper Weller classic.  Remember The Jam tracks 'Mr Clean' and 'Smithers-Jones' (OK, that was a Bruce Foxton song) - songs about not wanting to get caught in the Rat Race?  'The Dangerous Age' covers similar ground, but from the perspective of now "just getting on with it", and possibly the impending "mid life crisis"

'Study In Blue' - Starting as what can only be decided as a tender(ish) duet with wife Hannah, it rolls into a drawn out meditatory instrumental passage.  Memories of The Style Council pervade this track.  I never really liked The Style Council much, but I do like this track (note to self: go and listen to 'Cafe Bleu' again)

'Dragonfly' / 'Around The Lake' - both these songs are cut from similar cloth.  A driving bass and drumbeat.  To offer another comparison to the past, would sit nicely with Gift-era Jam, or the first knockings of The Style Council

When Your Gardens Overgrown - The most immediate track on the album.  One that would not sound out of place tacked onto the end of "Heavy Soul"

You get 16 seconds of electronic noodling ('Twilight'), and then its straight into 'Drifters'.  First impressions are a messy cacophony of bass, guitars & lyrics.  Stick with it - it's a fine track, despite it not really having a discernible tune and the one that seems to have worked its way into my brain the quickest

'Paperchase' - It starts with that Gift-type driving bass, with electronic flourishes throughout.  A great little song with nice understated guitars, and a Beatle-y/George Martin-ish string arrangement.  The track finishes as another instrumental drone/meditation piece.  And then just stops.

'Be Happy Children' - Again, memories of The Style Council are rife within this track.  A strong track to finish.  In anyone elses hand, this track would probably be seen as a wishy-washy over sentimental barrage.  But it works snuck on the end of this album, and it works as a stand alone listen.  A  paean to fathers and fatherhood, and on suspects a tribute to his own father.  The sentiment of the lyric cannot be argued with.  After all, the title of the track only states what every dad wants for theit kids.


The Horrible Comparative Part of The Review: How many different influences exist on this album?

• Style Council - particularly the expirimental jazzy/funky bits
• Gift-era Jam
• David Bowie
• Blur
• Krautrock
• a touch of Talk Talk piano ('Dragonfly')
• theres even a Fratellis-sounding riff in there somewhere ('Kling I Klang')

On the whole, despite Paul Weller being 53, you wouldn't believe it.  This album sounds as fresh, vital and inventive as anything else I've recently purchased.

Avoiding the cliche of star ratings, or marks out of 10, I will offer that this album is ranked very near the top of any selected scale.

Is it as good as 'As Is Now' (my personal favouritte)?  Not yet, but I'm sure I'll still being regularly listening to it in the future (by way of comparison, I haven't listened to '22 Dreams' for a good couple of years now)

* The album is 43mins 30seconds.  This is the correct length to fit on one side of a C90 Cassette, and therefore the correct length for any album to be - well done Mr Weller

Paul Weller - When Your Gardens Overgrown

I firmly believe that ...

all my shirts have been washed on a boil wash.

There can be no other explanation.

It's Been One Of Those Days

actually, it's been one of those Weeks.

Barriers, blockers, stuff in the way, too much hassle going on, unable to finish anything properly, unwilling to start anything new, a sort of anti-Midas touch going on (everything I touch turns to ...)

(John Wesley Harding - I'm Wrong About Everything)

Oh well, in the words of Howard Jones: Things Can Only Get Better

Derided Albums

Just to be obtuse, I have decided to listen to a raft of albums that are "less than favoured by critics and public alike" (I read that somewhere, can't remember where or when though)

• Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms
  Yuppie coffee table staple.  Apart from "Money for Nothing" (far too over-played) and the frankly atrocious "Walk Of Life", this is actually an eminently listenable album. Is it their best? No - that would be 'Love Over Gold'
• Bryan Adams - Reckless
  This was mainstream American Rawk in 1985. Mr Adams has never bettered it.
  In the summer of 1969, Bryan Adams was 9 - did he really buy his first guitar then? He may well of done, but I'm not convinced him 'and some guys from school, had a band and they tried real hard'.  Especially when he says one of them left to get married.
• Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell
  Overblown  - would make a good stage musical (see previous post)
• Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
  Glossy sound.  Much made of the 'couples breaking up' legend, but the music herein is top drawer
• U2 - Rattle & Hum.  The album where U2 discover America (and/or America discovers U2), and begin to "get a bit up themselves".  Never mind, 20 years on I still reckon its a great album, a good sound, and (to my untrained, slightly wonky ears) a better album than 'The Joshua Tree'.
• Dido - No Angel.  OK, worth listening to again - but do leave a fair amount of time between visits (personally I found 11 years about right)
• Mike Oldfield - Tubular Arms
  In short, a masterpiece.
  One man, 9 million instruments.  Never surpassed, which is why Mike Oldfields probably re-recorded it so often (is this a case of Ridley Scott/Bladerunner Syndrome?)
• Oasis - Be Here Now
  Nowhere near as good as the previous two albums, Oasis really did seem to believe that they could operate at half power and still produce an album equal to 'Morning Glory'.  A sort of "Sod it, that'll do.  Now wheres my cocaine?" attitude is apparent in the messy, lumpy, self indulgenge that inhabits this album.  With all the hype leading up to it's release, it never stood a chance to be honest.  But, listening again after (nearly) 15 years since its release, it's not that bad - it sits nicely in a sort of after 'Morning Glory', before 'Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants' type way
• Simply Red - Stars
  No, still an awful album.  But, Mick Hucknall has shown (at least to a doubter like myself) that he can really sing (see the cover version of "Positively 4th Street" and the reformed Faces for proof)

These albums are often derided not necessarily for the content, but due to the sheer numbers they sold in, and their relative familiarity/ubiquity (or, in the case of 'Be Here Now', a complete and utter let down from what was expected (in the words of Public Enemy "Don't Believe The Hype"))

There, that wasn't too painful was it?
Conclusion: Don't be afraid of mass appeal, critically looked down upon albums - they're usually not that bad
(mutters to self: "now wheres my copy of 'No Parlez' by Paul Young?" - oh dear, that might be a step too far I think)


From Albums that don't seem to have a lot of love, to a band in a similar position.
Ladies and Gentleman, may I present for your delectation:

Status Quo

'12 Gold Bars' was one of the first albums I owned.  I remember playing the tape so much it wore out.  It was eventaully replaced with a double vinyl copy of '12 Gold Bars Volume I + II'.
Proper 'head down, no nonsense boogie' - if you were an aspiring Rock fan, this was the album(s) to own.

Quo are one of those bands that (nearly) everybody has heard of, but few admit a liking for.  Actually, these same people don't exactly admit a DIS-liking for either.  They are just one of those things, like the ravens at the Tower of London, which if they were no longer there civilization would cease to exist (a bit extreme perhaps, but you get the general idea) and a longevity that any band should be proud of.
OK, since "Anniversary Waltz" they have basically become a cabaret band and a parody of their former selves.
But they have: an envious song catalogue, two frontmen who could do a half decent turn as a comedy double-act.
And there always remains the one question: "Will they ever stop?"

First heard this aged 10 - what my pre-adolescent brain defined as a "proper rock song" (as I recall it was introduced by Sally James on Tiswas)

Status Quo - Something Bout You Baby I Like

A Gift from a 1970's Childrens TV Character

(Well I thought it was funny)

... and now the actual song, which obviously made my brain go a bit weird when I heard it this morning

(Argent - God Gave Rock and Roll To You)

Valentines Day Quicky

There is more than one way to say "I Love You".

That's why I have bought the wife a Thesaurus

Bat - The Musical

Jukebox Musicals - these are musicals specifically written around the catalogue of a particular performer
Recent "must see" musicals have included:

Billy Joel (Movin' Out)
Four Seasons (Jersey Boys)
Queen (We Will Rock You)
Rod Stewart (Tonights The Night)
Abba (Mamma Mia)
Madness (Our House)

and not all of these were written by Ben Elton.

For no other reason than "I haven't listened to this for years", I spent 40-or-so minutes listening to 'Bat Out Of Hell', and came to the following conclusion:

The Track Listing is wrong - changing the order provides a sort of narrative/story, meaning 'Bat Out Of Hell' may be considered as a Concept Album, or indeed ideal source material for a mass-marketed popular jukebox musical.
The Actual Track Listing of the album is:
"Bat Out of Hell"
"You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)"
"Heaven Can Wait"
"All Revved Up with No Place to Go"
"Two Out of Three Ain't Bad"
"Paradise by the Dashboard Light"
"For Crying Out Loud"

The "pimped version" is:
"All Revved Up with No Place to Go" - Boy getting ready to go out.  But where?
"You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)" - Boy Meets Girl
"Paradise by the Dashboard Light" - Boy and Girl do it
"For Crying Out Loud" - Argument, followed by Boy's pleading and explanation
"Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" - Girl's response
"Bat Out of Hell" - Boy is miffed.  Rides off in a temper, but he din't see the bend in the road
"Heaven Can Wait" - He's not yet dead, but is clinging on

And all the above takes place in one evening.
A little far fetched perhaps, but it may be the next "pop music" musical in the West End.
And expect to see a primetime BBC Saturday evening show called "The Meat Raffle" (or something equally witless ("Meet Meat"?)).  It will be hosted by an over-excited leprechaun (Graham Norton) and will probably have a judge panel of David Essex, Paul Nicholas, Elaine Paige and Andrew Lloyd Weber.