Album Profiles

[Kirobaito]

I'm bored. Pick any album and write a profile/review/whatever for it. You don't have to be as detailed as I'm going to be, of course. This thread is essentially for people to learn about the best albums, or even the worst albums, from whatever artist in whatever genre, to educate. Now, mine, which took way too long to do.

<img src="http://cover6.cduniverse.com/MuzeAudioArt/420/425681.jpg">

James Taylor - Hourglass

Released: 1997, Columbia Records
Chart Peak: #9 on the <i>Billboard 200</i>

Background:
Having been six years since Taylor's last album, 1991's <i>New Moon Shine</i>, <i>Hourglass</i> marked a long wait for fans of the legendary singer-songwriter. Though the album fails to break any new ground (the overall style and texture is very similar to <i>New Moon Shine</i>), <i>Hourglass</i> was a resounding success, winning the 1998 Grammy Award for "Pop Album of the Year". The style is that of typical post-1980 Taylor soft-rock, with light acoustic-guitar fingerpicking providing the background for Bob Mann's electric-guitar playing and Clifford Carter on keyboards. The album remains cohesive with the title "Hourglass" to represent a self-reflective look at Taylor's life and loves.

As usual, the background vocals are flawless from the foursome of Arnold McCuller, David Lasley, Kate Markowitz, and Valerie Carter, all of who have released their own albums. <i>Hourglass</i> features several guest musicians, including Yo-Yo Ma on cello, Stevie Wonder on harmonica, and Sting on vocals.

In short, I've always been a James Taylor fan, but purchasing this album completely changed my outlook on his life and work. I'm now obsessed with him, because he's able to take an album that on the surface has nothing new to offer and make it something phenomenal to listen to.

Credits:
James Taylor - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Penny Whistle, Harmonica
Arnold McCuller - Backup Vocals
David Lasley - Backup Vocals
Valerie Carter - Backup Vocals
Shawn Colvin - Backup Vocals
Jill Dell'Abate - Backup Vocals
Clifford Carter - Keyboards
Jimmy Johnson - Bass
Bob Mann - Electric Guitar
Dan Dugmore - Pedal Steel Guitar
Carlos Vega - Percussion
Ross Traut - Guitar
Michael Brecker - Sax (Tenor), EWI
Yo-Yo Ma - Cello
Branford Marsalis - Sax (Soprano)
Edgar Meyer - Bass (Acoustic)
Mark O'Connor - Fiddle
Sting - Vocals
Stevie Wonder - Harmonica

Tracks:

<b>1. "Line 'Em Up" (4:44)</b>
The opening track reflects upon Taylor's opening days as a singer-songwriter, featuring references to Richard Nixon's departure from the White House, the landing on the moon in 1969, and Sun Myung Moon's mass weddings. While an enjoyable track to listen to, it is not particularly inspiring other than that it gives a hint at Taylor's feelings at the time.

<i>I remember Richard Nixon back in '74
And the final scene at the White House door
And the staff lined up to say good-bye
Tiny tear in his shifty little eye
He said nobody knows me, nobody understands
These little people were good to me
Oh, I'm gonna shake some hands

CHORUS:
Somebody line 'em up
Line 'em all up
Line 'em up
Line 'em all up
Line 'em up
Line 'em all up
Line 'em up
Line 'em all up

At that time my heart was all broke
I looked like ashes and smelled like smoke
And I turned away from my loving kind
Try to leave my body and live in my mind
But it's much too much emotion
To hold it in your hand
They've got waves out on the ocean
They're gonna wear away the land

CHORUS

Oh I've seen corn in Kansas
And I've seen picket fences
And certain cowboy dances
I've gone lining up for shows
I've been safely placed in rows
Sure I know how it goes

Another day goes by, little time machine
I'm breaking my brain over what it might mean
Just to claim the time, and to turn away
To make today today
Who waits for you, lonely tired old toad?
It's your life laid out before you
Like the broken white line down the center of the doggone road

CHORUS

Yeah, big moon landing
People all standing up
Smiles for the loved ones
They go walking on down the aisles
Each re-engages stepping into the Sun
I watch them turn like pages
One by one by one

CHORUS</i>

<b>2. "Enough to Be on Your Way" (5:29)</b>
From the opening guitar licks unified with Yo-Yo Ma's cello playing, this song possesses gorgeous musical arrangement set to some of Taylor's best lyric-writing. Penned for his late brother Alex, the song is a ballad of a renamed Alice at her funeral, and how her reckless lifestyle ended in her eventual death. Unusual for Taylor is his use of a curse word (lol).

<i>The sun shines on this funeral
The same as on a birth
The way it shines on everything
That happens here on Earth
It rolls across the western sky
And back into the sea
And spends the day's last rays
Upon this smurfed-up family
So long old pal

The last time I saw Alice
She was leaving Santa Fe
With a bunch of round-eyed Buddhists
In a killer Chevrolet
Said they turned her out of Texas
Yeah she burned 'em down back home
Now she's wild with expectation
On the edge of the unknown

CHORUS:
Oh it's enough to be on your way
It's enough just to cover ground
It's enough to be moving on
Home, build it behind your eyes
Carry it in your heart
Safe among your own

They brought her back on a Friday night
Same day I was born
We sent her up the smoke stack
And back into the storm
She blew up over the San Juan mountains
And spent herself at last
The threat of heavy weather
That was what she knew the best

CHORUS

It woke me up on a Sunday
An hour before the sun
It had me watching the headlights
Out on highway 591
'Til I stepped into my trousers
'Til I pulled my big boots on
I walked out on the Mesa
And I stumbled on this song</i>

<b>3. "Little More Time With You" (3:52)</b>
Featuring Stevie Wonder on Harmonica, this song is also reflective of Taylor's life, about his struggles with drug use. One of the bigger hits from <i>Hourglass</i>, "Little More Time With You" features some awesome harmonica playing from Stevie Wonder.

<i>Got a watchdog watching me, doggy
Watching me packing my bags
He knows I'm leaving town,
I can see that it's a drag
Why leave the life I love here in the great state of Maine
Just to ride that shining rail, just to size that ball and chain?

Oh, I gotta spend just a little more time with you, that's why
Gotta spend just a little more time with you, oh oh oh

I passed on the cocaine
Said bye-bye to my methadone.
Put down the bottle for one more day
Backing off of my tobacco jones
Still I'm feeling like a hopeless junkie, like a man who can't say no
I look back and there's that monkey, rascal, won't let go.

Gotta spend just a little more time with you, that's right.
Gotta spend just a little more time with you, oh oh.
Gotta spend just a little more time with you, yes I do, yes I do, now.
Gotta spend just a little more time with you, oh oh oh.

I get high and I can't come down, I get high just hanging around.
I get high, I go lost and found, I get high oh I oh I,

Gotta spend just a little more time with you, I'll be walking in the light.
Gotta spend just a little bit more time with you, oh oh.
Gotta spend just a little more time with you,
Just a little more time, just a little more time.
Gotta spend just a little bit more time with you, oh oh....</i>

4. "Gaia" (5:31)
A basic tree-hugger's anthem, which is a favorite ballad of most singer-songwriters, "Gaia" reflects on the Earth as one organism and one inter-connected being. Excellent saxophone playing, though it tends to get a little long and droning.

<i>The sky was light and the land all dark
The sun rose up over Central Park
I was walking home from work
GAIA

The petal sky and the rosy dawn
The world turning on the burning sun
Sacred wet green one we live on
GAIA

Run run run run said the automobile and we ran
Run for your life take to your heels
Foolish school of fish on wheels
GAIA

Turn away from your animal kind
Try to leave your body just to live in your mind
Leave your cold cruel mother earth behind
GAIA

As if you were your own creation
As if you were the chosen nation
And the world around you just a rude and
Dangerous invasion
GAIA

Someone's got to stop us now
Save us from us Gaia
No one's gonna stop us now

We thought we ought to walk awhile
So we left that town in a single file
Up and up and up mile after mile after mile

We reached the tree line and I dropped my pack
Sat down on my haunches and I looked back down
Over the mountain
Helpless and speechless and breathless
GAIA

Pray for the forest pray to the tree
Pray for the fish in the deep blue sea
Pray for yourself and for God's sake
Say one for me
Poor wretched unbeliever

Someone's got to stop us now
Save us from us Gaia
No one's gonna stop us now</i>

<b>5. "Ananas" (5:44)</b>
JT's attempt at a bilingual song, I personally don't think it went so well. It's one of the few love songs on <i>Hourglass</i>, and one of my least favorite.

<i>Je t'aime encore means I love you still
C'est pour toujours means I always will
Tu me manquais trop means I missed you too much
Je fais ce qu'il faut means I'll do what I must

Me voici à ta fenêtre tous tes gens me voient ici
Here I am at your window darling for all your people to see me

CHORUS:
Ananas laisse moi une fois
Laisse moi te voir
Let me one more time, ananas
Ananas, I'm lopin' along hopin' you're home
Open up and let me on in

Maybe I rise and maybe I fall, maybe you lie underneath it all
I ain't got nothin' but for what you see, even my own heart don't belong to me

Got your river running in my blood
Got your fire burning in my heart
You got me falling like a shooting star
Just like some tragic work of art

REPEAT CHORUS

Here I am at your window baby for all your people to see
Howling like a dog on the moonlight won't you have pity on me

REPEAT CHORUS</i>

<b>6. "Jump Up Behind Me" (3:30)</b>
Probably the best song on <i>Hourglass</i>, "Jump Up Behind Me" chronicles Taylor's journey from a sticky situation in 1969, where he found himself as low as he could go and asked his father for help. He and his father, never possessing a particularly healthy relationship, drove from New York to North Carolina together. Clifford Carter almost steals the show with the playing of some kind of synthesizer instrument operated with the mouth and keyboard.

<i>This land is a lovely green
It reminds me of my own home
Such children I've seldom seen
Even in my own home
The sky is so bright and clean
Just like my home
Kind people as have ever been
Won't you take me back my own home?

CHORUS:
Jump up behind me, my love
Ol' Dan can bear us both, jump up behind me
Follow this road 'til we reach the sea, jump up behind me
Catch the tide, and we'll set Dan free, jump up behind me.

I've been in this world awhile
I've seen a lot of country
Many days and many miles,
All various and sundry.
I've had my way and I've had my fun
I've had my chance to run free
Burnin' hot beneath the sun
Freezin' cold and wintry.

CHORUS

I know now one thing only matters in these days
One thing, true love
Love and love alone

Came out of my dream last night
Thought I was back in my old home
Mom and dad were both still alive,
And the baby's not yet born, no
It felt like a festival
It felt like Christmas Morning
I felt the darkness fall away,
even as the world was turnin'.

Follow the road to the western sea</i>

8. "Another Day" (2:23)
Though it hardly breaks new ground, "Another Day" is an enjoyable track solely through Taylor's delivery of the lyrics.

<i>Wake up Suzy, put your shoes on
Walk with me into this light
Finally this morning, I'm feeling whole again
It was a hell of a night.

Just to be with you by my side
Just to have you near in my sight
Just to walk awhile in this light
Just to know that life goes on

Wake up Suzy, put your shoes on
Walk with me into this light

Another night has gone, life goes on
Another dawn is breaking
Turn and face the sun, one by one
The world outside is waking
The morning light has driven away
All the shadows that hide your way.
And night has given away to the promise of another day.

Another day
Another chance that we may finally find our way
Another day
The sun has begun to melt all our fears away
Another day, another day.

Wake up Suzy, put your shoes on
Walk with me into this light</i>

8. "Up Er Mei" (3:49)
Up Er Mei is a mountain in China. This song chronicles a trip James took to China with his daughter, and their journey on that mountain. It's a good song, I suppose, though not one of the better ones on this album.

<i>We were walking in paradise
Never did notice
Blind in the Buddha Land
Looking for solace
We have been told of a place
Far beyond this vale of tears
We could never have guessed
We were already blessed
There we were, there we are
In the garden

Didn't we climb on Up Er Mei
Temple to temple
Yes, in all and all along the way
The day was simple
Didn't we reach the top
Didn't we gain our goal
Did we finall stop
Surprised by the cold?

We were walking in paradise
Never did tumble
Blind in the Buddha Land
Looking for trouble
We had been of a place
Far beyond this vale of tears
We could never guessed
We were already blessed
There we were, there we are
In the garden.</i>

9. Up From Your Life (5:17)
I really don't like this song all that much. It's too long and slow, and smells too much of 80's soft rock.

So much for your moment of prayer
God's not at home
There is no there there
Lost in the stars
That's what you are
Left here on your own

You can only hope to live on this earth
This here is it, for all it's worth
Nothing else awaits you
No second birth
No starry crown

For an un-believer like you
There's not much they can do
It would turn you away
Though I hate to see you surrender
You need to surrender
We must find you a way to

CHORUS:
Look up from your life
Up from your life
Look on up from your life
Look up from your life

There's a river running under your feet
Under this house
Under this street
Straight from the heart
Ancient and sweet
On its way back home

Even in the middle of your sadness
The everyday madness
The ongoing game
Even when you can't find a reason
Still there is a reason
You don't need to name it
Look on up

Look up from your life

Only for a minute
To find yourself in it
To wait by the stream
To drop out of your dream
Look on up

Look up from your life

10. "Yellow and Rose" (4:55)
This is a song about Australia. Strange in that this song doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the album. It's all right to listen to, though like the previous song, it gets kind of long.

<i>Yellow and Rose
Yellow and Rose
Yellow and Rose

Oh boy, Botany Bay
Watching the water go by
Here's your home so far away
Here is a tear for your eye
Here is a vast and unknown land
Here are the strangers on the sand

CHORUS
Oh, seeds of the universe ever endeavor to grow
Tiny pieces of everything into the water they go
Everything changes for the strangers on the shore
They are blue and green no more
They are yellow and rose

Down under got the south side
This groovy crazy planet
Watching from the outside
It's as smooth as a gravy sandwich
People play music night for day
One caught the sun in a sekere

REPEAT CHORUS

Remember when we thought we were in California
We thought it was the eye of the hurricane
Old gypsy woman she tried to warn you
You'll be back this way again
Hungry for the rain
It's written in your hand, plain

REPEAT CHORUS</i>

11. "Boatman" (3:59)
This song has phenomenal instrumentation to it. It was written by Livingston Taylor, James' brother. I find it to be a metaphor for a spiritual awakening. Great, great song. Doesn't really get much credit, but I adore it.

<i>Hearts were exploding around us
As we drifted south down the bay
The gray up above and the gray down below
Left us with nothing to say
So we drifted along in silence
Til the tickle of life trickled in
And the rhythm began in the hiss of the sand
We were catching fire again

CHORUS:
Oh, Boatman, I am the river
I am the mountain and the sea
Oh, Boatman, taker and giver,
Can't you deliver me?
I would forever run free

So we finally caught up with the legends
We were walking along side by side
We worked out a plan to go out hand in hand
The long trail just wasn't that wide
The water around us was freezing
We just laughed and threw ourselves in
And although we were old the sting of that cold
Pumped up the feeling, here it is again

REPEAT CHORUS

I'm a message in a bottle
Drifting along on a deep blue sea
Waiting for some foreign shore
Ready for something to be

No longer afraid of the falling
We cut the strings to the sky
We found level ground and we put ourselves down
Amazing we all didn't die
We took each moment as given
By second by second they came
The ice and the sun and the thundering guns
Good God, I was finally saved.

REPEAT CHORUS

Holy roller, I am the river
I am the mountain and the sea
Oh, Boatman, taker and giver
Can't you deliver me?
I would forever run free.</i>

12. "Walking My Baby Back Home" (3:12)
Yet another oldies cover by Taylor, who scored hits in the 70's, including a Grammy, with "Handy Man" and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You." A good song, but like "Yellow and Rose", not one of the best on the album.

Gee it's great after staying out late
Walking my baby back home
Arm-in-arm, over meadow and farm
Walking my baby back home

We go on harmonizing a song
Or she's reciting a poem
Owls fly by and they give me the eye
Walking my baby back home

We stop for awhile, she gives me a smile
And cuddles her cheek to my chest
We start to pet, and that's when I get
Her powder all over my vest

After I kinda straighten my tie
She has to borrow my comb
One kiss, then, we continue again
Walking my baby back home.

After I kinda straighten my tie
She has to borrow my comb
One kiss, then, we continue again
Walking my baby back home.

13. "Hangnail" (2:23)
A hidden track that plays 45 seconds after "Walking" ends. It's a joke song, with a rawhide feel (whipcracks and all) and a cowgirl chorus. I'm not exactly sure what the point of this song is, but it's funny. Very funny.

Money, oh, money, oh, where have you gone
I need me some money to have me some fun
Gonna pick up my guitar and write me some hits
Build me some houses and blow 'em to bits
Gonna furnish them boldly with style and with taste
Generate truckloads of solid waste

Hangnail
Hangnail, hangnail, hangnail

*whip crack*

Have you ever seen a man with a hangnail?
Hangnail, hangnail, hangnail

*whip crack*

Money, oh, money, oh, where have you gone
I need me some money to have me some fun
Gonna pick up my guitar and write me some hits

*whip crack*

Hangnail
Hangnail, hangnail, hangnail

Have you ever seen a man with a hangnail
Hangnail, hangnail, hangnail

*whip crack*

Money, oh, money, oh where have you gone?

*whip crack*

[Fuego]

you really must have been bored Kirobaito

[Bart's Friend Milhouse]

Random Album of the shelf
Keane - Hopes and Fears
1. Somewhere only we know
2. Bend and Break
3. We Might as well be strangers
4. Everybody's Changing
5. Your Eyes Open
6. She Has No time
7. Can't stop now
8. Sunshine
9. This is the last time
10. On a Day like Today
11. Untitled 1
12. Bedshaped

Contents
CD, Lyrics, Acknowledgements, some band information

To be honest I've only listened to about five of the songs properly. Tracks 1, 2 and especially 4 are my favourites though 2 hasn't been released in the UK. With this album Keane won the Brit Award for 'Best Album of the year' in February 2005. Their new album 'Under the Iron Sea' was released earlier this year

[Venom]

Lineup:
Blackie lawless: Bass, Vocals
Chris Holmes: Lead guitars
Randy Piper: Lead guitars, backing vocals
Tony Richars: Drums

TracksAssuming we are talking about the re-mastered one)
1.Animal(smurf like a beast) 10/10
2.I wanna be somebody 8/10
3.L.O.V.E. Machine 8/10
4.The Flame 7/10
5.B.A.D. 10/10
6.School Daze 9/10
7.Hellion 10/10
8.Sleeping(In the fire) 10/10
9.On your knee's 9/10
10.Tormentor 9/10
11.The torture never stops 10/10
12.Show no mercy 10/10
13.Paint it black 7/10

For a first album W.A.S.P.'s self titled debut offers a mix between old school guitar riffing and semi satan worshipping lyrics, probably suggested for those with a taste for a more dirty side of L.A. rock.

Overrall 9.7/10

[Crushed Hope]

Agalloch - The Mantle



Lineup:

John Haughm - Vocals/Guitar/Drums
Don Anderson - Guitar
Jason William Walton - Bass

A simple acoustic guitar track with some percussion and we are off. We are off on a journey into the woods and forests of life, and to the rivers and streams of reality. It is not known where these woods and waters will lead us to but there is one thing that can be assured, it will be a grand and beautiful journey.

The album starts with the aforementioned acoustic opening track, titled “A Celebration for the Death of Man” and is nearly as simple as it gets. It is nothing more than an acoustic guitar playing over a simple drumbeat and some ambient sound effects, but will serve as the backbone for this album over the course of the eight following tracks. It is here that we hear the influence of Death In June, an acclaimed neo-folk project.

After this opening track, we take a step away from the edge of the forest and dive deeper into the thick, dark wonders that lie ahead. The dark wonders that lie in the forest are much like those found in the second track of the album, “In The Shadow Of Our Pale Companion,” strange, and fearful, yet beautiful beyond all words. Here we get our first dose of the true atmosphere that this Portland, Oregon based trio can really create. The vocals shift between harsh and clean, but do not despair, neither style of vocals over power the actual music itself. They are there simply to deliver the message that is to be delivered and to enhance the atmosphere itself. Due to this, the vocals are almost a monotone and show very little variation. This however, is not a sign that they are emotionless, in fact that are just the opposite. The song continues and after two beautiful guitar solos it transitions into the third track, quite perfectly with the use of the sound horse hooves pounding along the ground.

Deeper yet into the forest we go, and where do we find ourselves but at the center of a vast bedazzling snow covered landscape. The trees are all barren and leafless, but the blanket of snow and ice more than makes up for the seeming lack of life. As we look around us, we find that there is more life here than what was first visible. In the distance, there is a deer, which is calmly wandering amidst the frozen maze of trees. We approach it slowly and carefully to avoid scaring it into running. As we are walking towards it, you step on a stick, snapping it. It makes a soft cracking noise that alerts the deer and sends it running off. “Odal” is an instrumental that is led by simple acoustic guitar playing, background ambience, and very fitting drum work. It is a very simplistic track nearly reaches the eight-minute mark. Despite its lengthy running time, it is never even once boring. The simplicity of this track is easily its appeal. About three fourths of the way in, a piano begins to lead the song to its end, but before that can end the track, we hear the wind blowing and a wooden chime clunking its way into the next track.

Further through the woods we walk, past the rabbits and foxes and into even deeper parts of the forest. Here we see a small wooden cabin, one that seems to not have been used for years, as the wooden door that seals its opening was caked with not just ice, but dirt as well. The build up is thick, nearly an inch. Wishing to gain entrance into this building, you walk to the door, and knock at the ice. It does not even crack, so we go searching to find a rock to smash it with. After about ten minutes of wandering we find a tall tree that could only be identifies by the few acorns scattered around the ground near it. He we clear away some snow to make a place to sit. The oak seems to be the forests guardian, as it makes us feel safe and yet assures us that we are not welcome here if we harm anything. After some more lounging, you spot a rock, and we head along our way after collecting it. The track “I Am The Wooden Doors” is the heaviest song on the album, but even that is saying very little as it is still filled with acoustic guitars. It has good electric guitar riffs and great drum work. Vocals again make an appearance in this song, and are the same harsh, tasteful, and intelligible rasps and soft humming clean vocals that, as with “In The Shadow Of Our Pale Companion” serve nothing more than to increase the atmosphere. At parts, you can hear the fret board screeches, but they are very limited and only add to the natural feel this album possesses. The song ends with an acoustic lead into the next track, “The Lodge.”

As we trudge along through the snow, the cabin once again comes into sight. We rush forward to get to the door of it. You bend down and shatter the ice with the rock, and then scrape the dirt away. After we are afforded our entrance into the lodge, we realize that it is empty, nothing left inside of it aside from the outlines of furniture of the past owners. Disappointed we turn away from it and begin our trek through the forest. “The Lodge” is another instrumental that is filled with acoustic guitar work as well as two very interesting instruments. These two instruments are the contrabass and deer antlers used for percussion. They add a unique vibe to the song and possess an almost kind of dreary sound to them. This track is much shorter than the past three songs and almost leaves you wanting more, but these wants are certainly erased when the next track kicks in.

Upset at this empty promise of comfort we move along, swiftly to find shelter from the cold. As we walk memories of loves past enter our head and bring tears to your eyes. We walk closer together, hoping to find a big enough tree to sit under and let our sadness flow out of us. We walk through the deep snow, until we reach a trail where we see a tall oak at the end. As we walk towards it, you become slowly overcome with grief, and tears fall faster down your cheeks. As we near the tree you utter out whispered curses, you damn the tree to calm your soul. Calmed down from relieving yourself of the misery we continue to walk. “You Were But A Ghost In My Arms” brings back the slightly heavier sound of “I Am The Wooden Doors” and shares many of its characteristics, such as the switching between of harsh and clean vocals, as well as acoustic and electric guitar complimenting each other. The drums are simple but effective. There is a spoken word passage that is followed by a dialogue piece seemingly about a man who was left by a woman, and how he questions why she left him. After the piece, the song becomes instrumental for around two minutes. Soon it is led to a close and leads into the next song.

After releasing your anger we walk in silence through the rest of the dark forest realizing that it is now dusk. Having nothing to say we walk along side each other. “The Hawthorne Passage” is the next and last instrumental on this album, and it spans an astonishing 10 minutes. For the first half of the song it is a basic acoustic and electric guitar song accompanied by drums, played in a very post-rock influenced way, especially mid-way through the first half. It slows down quite a bit and leads into a climactic guitar solo which then ends up back at the same formula as before. About halfway through the song we are greeted by the sound of cars driving over a bridge, this is soon followed by the guitars coming back in, and then by the drums. A trombone makes an appearance near the end of the song, which ends with spoken word in a non-English language. The song leads into the next right after the spoken word.

Distraught and saddened by the memories you continue to walk, but with your head hanging down. I hold onto your hand and comfort you by whispering an old proverb that your grandmother you to tell us when we were younger, to calm you down. While depressing in nature, it had a sense of “everything happens for a reason” feel to it. We soon reach the edge of the forest and find an old fire pit. There I look for some rocks, dry leaves, and sticks. We sit on two large stones that are surrounding the pit, and I try and start a fire by creating sparks with the rocks over the leaves and sticks. In a few short minutes, a small fire burns before us. “…And The Great Cold Death Of The Earth” signals the near end of the album, with the return of the mostly acoustic guitar work that was present in the opening track. It is similar in set up as the other tracks, with alternating clean and harsh vocals and acoustic and electric guitars playing together with a simple drum pattern going on. The contrabass and trombone also make their return into the album with this song. Around the two minute and forty-five second mark, we are treated to an acoustic guitar solo. In between the two clean vocal passages is a Cherokee proverb that is sung in harsh vocals. Near the end of the song, the same acoustic guitar pattern and bell work is brought back in to close the track, and lead us to the albums final song and our last few minutes on this journey.

We sit at the fire together but alone, I pull out two flasks of whiskey from my coat pockets and pass one to you. We drink from them until we are drowning in the liquor instead of our sorrows. The fire keeps us warm and comfortable. Slowly we grow tired and lay down, put to rest by exhaustion and the power of the whiskey. The final track on this amazing journey is “A Desolation Song” which is not more than the acoustic guitar accompanied by the contrabass and an accordion. The lyrics are whispered and reflect a man drinking around a fire. Part way through the song a mandolin comes in, and then the song continues with the same acoustic format until the end where a blowing wind closes the album out.

This album is not what anyone could sanely call ONLY an album as it is much more. It is a total experience and will make you feel every emotion you have inside of you before it is over. It is a very unique experience and must be listened as a whole to get the full effect. Due to this there are no standout tracks on this album, but when you are entranced by the awesome music you will not be caring about the tracks at all, rather the constant stream of musical perfection.

This is an album that is well worth buying even if you are not one to typically buy albums, as it is something to be proud of to just be able to say that you own the album. Make sure you rush out to get this, but do not rush the listening experience and make sure you savor every little moment of it.

[Chris]

Grace Jones – Portfolio

Released: 1977, Beam Junction, Island Records
Chart Peak: Black Albums #52, Pop Albums #109

Background:
Grace cut her first album release in 1977 under the control of Disco pioneer Tom Moulton. Since Grace was still a model, she named her first album Portfolio. It was a hit – with the classic hit single La Vie en Rose, and her then anthem, I Need a Man; the album raced to the top of the dance charts. The entire first side of the album consisted of a Broadway medley done the Disco way. From: Send in the Clowns (A Little Night Music) to What I Did for Love (A Chorus Line) to the auspicious Tomorrow from Annie. The album won Billboard's title of “Most Promising New Artist” in 1977, and even though Grace’s voice certainly had its limitations, it still became a huge hit, and due to her large following in the gay community, she was crowned as “the Queen of Gay Discos”; a very unusual debut from the enigma that is Grace Jones.

Tracks:

1. Send in the Clowns (7:35)
Considered by many to be Sondheim’s finest piece ever written. Grace took the old classic, and reworked it Disco style. The song is very bouncy, and it has a lot of instrumentals (perhaps for the best, given the limitations of miss. Jones’ voice), many fans simply can not stand this medley, but to be honest, I like it quite a lot; bouncy, and very original. Grace took the song, and did it “her way.”

Isn't it rich?
Are we a pair?
Me here at last on the ground,
You in mid-air.
Send in the clowns.

Isn't it bliss?
Don't you approve?
One who keeps tearing around,
One who can't move.
Where are the clowns?
Send in the clowns.

Just when I'd stopped opening doors,
Finally knowing the one that I wanted was yours,
Making my entrance again with my usual flair,
Sure of my lines,
No one is there.

Don't you love farce?
My fault I fear.
I thought that you'd want what I want.
Sorry, my dear.
But where are the clowns?
Quick, send in the clowns.
Don't bother, they're here.

Isn't it rich?
Isn't it queer,
Losing my timing this late
In my career?
And where are the clowns?
There ought to be clowns.
Well, maybe next year.

2. What I Did for Love (5:15)
Another classic song, this time from the highly successful play: A Chorus Line. This song is one of my personal favorites, and I think Grace improved on perfection. Lyrically, its one of the prettiest songs I have ever heard, and hearing Grace sing it, just makes me choke up. Again, the sound is pure Disco, but that doesn’t distract from song, or Grace’s flat vocal deliverance. Grace wasn’t (and still isn’t) a great singer, but what she does have is dedication and a lot of soul. This is one of my favorites on the album.

Kiss today goodbye,
The sweetness and the sorrow
Wish me luck, the same to you
But I can't forget what I did for love,
What I did for love.

Look, my eyes are dry,
The gift was ours to borrow
It's as if we always knew
And I won't regret what I did for love,
What I did for love.

Gone, love is never gone,
As we travel on,
Love's what we'll remember.

Kiss today goodbye,
And point me toward tomorrow
We did what we had to do
Can't forget,
Won't regret what I did for love.
What I did for love...
What I did for love...
What I did for love.

3. Tomorrow (5:47)
The last and closing song of the 15 minute long medley, this song is perhaps one of the most recognizable Broadway tunes in the world, and it was originally used for the play Annie and the movie edition as well. Out of the three songs, this is without doubt the worst. It sounds as though she’s in pain, and especially when she reaches for the high notes. The instrumentals are very good, and it is clear that she has a lot of fun doing the song – but be warned! Grace delivers a very painful vocal performance, painful enough to make you want to cut off your ears. This song ends the good (but often) problematic 1st side.

The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow
There'll be sun!

Just thinking about
Tomorrow
Clears away the cobwebs,
And the sorrow
'Til there's none!

When I'm stuck a day
That's gray,
And lonely,
I just stick out my chin
And Grin,
And Say,
Oh!

The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
So you got to hang on
'Til tomorrow
Come what may

Tomorrow! Tomorrow!
I love you
Tomorrow!
You're always
A day
Away!

4. La Vie en Rose (7:28)
Originally by the legendary songbird from France: Edith Piaf. This song has propelled into the stratosphere, and Grace took it even further. The song gets a thorough work over, instead of sticking to the original arrangement; Grace added a lilting beat that runs along a beautiful piano accompany and acoustic guitars. Grace delivers the vocal performance of her life, utilizing her voice beyond anything that’s on the album. Today, Grace’s version is considered to be one of the best, and even though it will always be synonymous with Edith, Grace’s version is still the most successful edition yet; nothing short of stunning.

Des yeux qui font baiser les miens,
Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche,
Voila le portrait sans retouche
De l'homme auquel j'appartiens

Quand il me prend dans ses bras
Il me parle tout bas,
Je vois la vie en rose.

Il me dit des mots d'amour,
Des mots de tous les jours,
Et ca me fait quelque chose.

Il est entre dans mon coeur
Une part de bonheur
Dont je connais la cause.

C'est lui pour moi. Moi pour lui
Dans la vie,
Il me l'a dit, l'a jure pour la vie.

Et des que je l'apercois
Alors je sens en moi
Mon coeur qui bat

5. Sorry (4:02)
Vocally, Grace had some difficulties overcoming the Broadway tunes, but there is no evidence of that here. Grace delivers a beautiful performance, and the song seems overly sentimental for Grace (perhaps she had a vision of what to come? Who knows). The beat is still all Disco but instead of the usual overblown rhythms, its subsided and very subtle. This is one of the best songs on the album! What shame that Grace never performs any (except for La Vie en Rose) of her Disco songs in her concerts.

Sorry, jealousy, sorry, baby so sorry,
I was so full of jealousy, so full of jealousy,

Sorry, jealousy, sorry, baby so sorry,
I was no good at jealousy, no good at jealousy.

He's here, oh honey for just a day,
I'll find away to get away,
No matter what you say, hey hey.

He's here, oh honey for just a day,
He's coming from so far away,
For just a day, hey hey.

I don't want to deceive you,
But tell me how can I be true,
When all the jealousy,
Keeps me from telling it all to you.

Sorry, jealousy, sorry, baby so sorry,
I was so full of jealousy, so full of jealousy,

He's here, oh honey for just once a year,
That aint' so much for you to share,
That aint' so much to share.

He's here, oh honey for just once a year,
You got my loving' right here,
Prepare now there, now there.

Nothing is never the same when you're sorry,
I'm really sorry of my jealousy,
Keeps you from knowing another side of me,
He loves me too and he’s not jealous of you.

Sorry, jealousy, sorry, baby so sorry,
I was so full of jealousy, so full of jealousy.

Baby, sorry, jealousy, sorry, jealousy,
So full of jealousy...

6. That’s the Trouble (3:39)
My second favorite song on the album, this song represents all the best Disco had to offer: shifting rhythm vamps, overblown orchestra and all the dazzle. This is without doubt one of Grace’s best songs, and I never get tired of listening to it. Lyrically, the song is very dangerous and very similar to her groundbreaking stuff on the albums to come with Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. I simply can not stress enough just how good this song is; this was also the very first song she ever recorded, released in 1976.

Every night, to take a walk on high to see,
The shadows of the moonlight, when this guy,
Began to follow me, and now you see.

That’s the trouble.

Then he turned my head, to my surprise,
He stared so seriously, in my eyes and said,
"Why, I'd like for you to come on home with me."

That’s the trouble,
Every man I see, that’s the trouble.
Taking every little thing so heavily,
That’s the trouble if you want to let you be,
That’s the trouble if you really want to' be free.

When I did not realize, he was the,
Serious type of guy, and I rang him,
And said "Will you marry me?"

That’s the trouble,
Every man I see, that’s the trouble.
Taking every little thing so heavily,
That’s the trouble if you want to let you be,
That’s the trouble if you really want to' be free.

7. I Need a Man (3:24)
This song (alongside Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive) is considered to be one of the best known Gay Anthems of all time. The sound is very bouncy and it makes you want to scream! Famous Rock Critic, Nik Cohn: “Musically, lyrically, it was nothing, but the rhythm drover harder than Mario Andretti and the line was ripped home with such insistence, such merciless repetition, that struggles as one might, one ended up brainwashed, forced to hum along.” Do I really need to continue on? Perhaps one of the most controversial songs ever recorded on vinyl. In conclusion, Portfolio was (and it still is) a highly entertaining debut album.

When I'm feeling lonely,
Someone telephone me,
It's getting hard to pass my time.

Take me out of dieing,
Watch me while I'm flying,
Baby, it's a waste of time.

I need a man, perhaps a man like you,
I need a man, to make my dreams come true.

Say that you will find him,
Creeping up behind him,
Moving round' the town all day.

Well, I'm underestimated,
Highly underrated,
Can there be another way?

I need a man, perhaps a man like you,
I need a man, and I need a man.

And then I won't be feeling lonely,
Knowing I'm the only one.

He'll understand,
Oh, what I'm feeling deep inside me,
Knowing that at last he's gone.

Oh well,
Getting tired of looking,
Wastig' all my cooking,
Ending in a dreadful row.

Can somebody tell me,
Say to me, or sell me,
Why I'm feeling lonely, oh.

I need a man, perhaps a man like you,
I need a man to make my dreams,
And I need a man.

And at night I won't be lonely,
Knowing I'm the only one.

He'll understand,
Oh, what I'm feeling deep inside me,
Knowing that at last he's gone.

It's maybe that I'm dreaming,
Can't say they I've seen him,
Somehow, I just got to find.

I need a man like you, to make my dreams come true,
Perhaps that man is you!

[-N-]

Boy that was easy.