Bruce Springsteen [The Essential Bruce Springsteen]

This is a two disc compilation set, entitled 'Essential', whatever that means, it's a thirty song collection that's actually compiled by the Boss himself, so i guess no arguing over what's included, and left out!, as the Boss must know best, basically he chooses a couple of tracks from each of his back catalogue, if you want to explore further, then of course you can buy the individual albums, so i guess with Brucie, some of his output is hit, and others are a bit of miss, but this is a nice way to have an easy slimline set of songs that explains the Bruce Springsteen story from 1972-2003, so yes i guess it's already a decade outdated!, but it still works, makes me want to explore him some more.

Bruce Springsteen is American, he's now 65, this compilation came out in 2003, now the front cover isn't great, a really out of focus shot of Springsteen [by Mary Alfieri], but i like the lettering on the top, the back inlay photograph is better, showing Springsteen in a hall / stadium, guitar in hand, empty chairs, and a wonderful sparkling light from above, dazzling the seats of the chairs, i like the track listing also, orange and black, easy to see and read.

On this listen i like tracks 4, 12, 14, 18-20, 23, 25-26 & 29-30, with tracks 14, 19-20 & 25 the very best of all, and it's these four tracks i would like to speak of here,
14 Nebraska - From the album of the same name, there's a smoky hiss of a track, gently strummed guitar, and atmospheric reverb harmonica intro [0:00-0:30], a lazy couldn't care less vocal delivery, roughly a song about a Bonnie & Clyde partnership that killed ten innocent people, during the second half of the song, quiet twinkling glockenspiel starts up [2:38+] when he's about to be executed, which is really quite affecting, the best lyric 'into that great void my soul'd be hurled', it ends with that with Springsteen's harmonic playing.
19 Tunnel Of Love - Also from the album of the same name, a gentle Rock song, likening a relationship to the dangers of a tunnel of love at a fairground, best lyric 'you've got to learn to live with what you can't rise above'.
20 Brilliant Disguise - Probably the best track from the Tunnel Of Love album, a great beat and rhythm, with woodblock hits, Springsteen has such a strong purposeful voice, the longer the song continues, the stronger the rhythm and feel of the song gets, there's instruments / complexity slightly added as it goes, which creates a great feel of it getting better and better, best lyric 'God have mercy on the man, who doubts what he's sure of '.
25 The Ghost Of Tom Joad - From the album of the same name, though certainly not the best track on the album by far, similar in a way to Nebraska, a short harmonica solo, Springsteen singing quiet in a gruff voice, about the homeless and forgotten, people sleeping rough and hungry, the last verse references the book The Grapes Of Wrath by John Steinbeck, where the protagonist Tom Joad is saying goodbye to his Mother, the song is punctuated by Springsteen's harmonica, and like Nebraska it outro's with the same, best lyric 'he pulls a prayer book out of his sleeping bag'.

Jackson Browne [I'm Alive]

I've had this disc since 1993 when it first came out, and i must have played it dozens of times, it's my sixth most favourite disc of all time, and it's a treasure, plus it's appeared in my Blog twice before [6th May 2010 & 2nd July 2012], Browne here creates a lovely variety of songs, with deep feeling lyrics, and that extra sense of 'time stands still' on certain songs, plus there's a certain something about an album of songs that a greatest hits package can never re-create, and Browne just gets the feel of things right here, each song tells a little bit of the overall story, it's like ten jumbled up chapters of a book!

Jackson Browne is American, he's now 66, this album came out in 1993, it's hard to believe it's already over twenty years old, the front cover shot [by Bruce Weber] shows Browne up to his shoulders in the water, a black and white portrait, nice and sharp, out of focus foreground and background.

The tracks i liked the best were 1-3 & 9, and even though the first three are excellent, it's still this near last one that gets to me, it's my favourite Jackson Browne song,
9 Sky Blue And Black - It starts off a piano solo [0:00-0:11], i guess Browne composed this on the piano, in the credits it's him playing the piano, and the video link too, he starts off singing about a beach scene 'the cries of the seagulls circling the sand', i guess the California coast, and the city is Los Angeles, when the chorus comes in [1:19+], there's a flavour of a reggae guitar, and a sort of synth panpipes, Browne really does have a strong vocal, he sings with real passion, my favourite line 'there's a need to be separate, and a need to be one, and a struggle neither wins', Browne quietens the music down to sing [3:56+] with great effect, the outro is really effective [5:13+], the music takes on a certain coda-esque quality, Browne's piano gently brings things to a close, a phenomenal six minutes of music.

Bruce Cockburn [Dart To The Heart]

A disc which has slowly become a fairly regular staple in my player, and one which appeared twice before in my Blog [15th December 2010 & 25th August 2012], i can't exactly remember how i got into Bruce Cockburn, it might be that i bought this disc straight off cheap in a second hand shop, and i'm glad i did, tried some of his other stuff, but nothing else seems to really jive with me, Cockburn [pronounced Co-Burn] is a little hard to pinpoint as to his genre of music, some feel he's a Folk Singer, but i feel he's more Soft Rock.

Bruce Cockburn is Canadian, he's now 69, and this album came out in 1994, the front cover shows an Archer, which i take it is Cockburn himself [photography by Dana Tynan], a bleached yellow shot, nicely composed, lettering in dark blue and red, the front and back cover gives a real feel of the wilderness i guess, and of the heat of the sun.

The tracks i loved the most on this listen were 6 & 8, here's a synopsis of both,
6 Southland Of The Heart - Very acoustic, Cockburn plays acoustic guitar, there's pedal steel and organ too, and a background of brass [sax & trumpet], a really lazy number, you can feel the breezes wafting in and cooling you down on this number, best lyric = 'when the nightmares creeping closer, and your wheels are in the mud'.
8 Someone I Used To Love - Even more acoustic, if all the tracks were like this, then maybe yes i would call him a Folk Singer, it's a love song, and a gorgeous one at that, very endearing, it's in three verses, the first is gently acoustic, in the next two new instruments come in, certainly pedal steel, but there's also a mandolin in the background, and the accordion features highly too, it's the start of the second verse where the whole thing goes up a notch, and then there's an extended instrumental between the second and third verses, now that's Cockburn at his best, best lyric = 'you draw me in towards you, like the moon pulls at the tide'.

Various Artists [Over The Rainbow 'The Songbird Collection']

And another double compilation album, this one's dedicated to female Artists, basically getting out of the poppy / dancy end of the genre, and into the more jazzy / folky end of the spectrum, there's a great mix here, shame they didn't round things out to forty tracks, there's some stuff here i've never heard before, as this is the first outing of these discs.

This compilation came out in 2005, i really like the front cover picture, an almost silhouette by the sea, sun on the horizon, and a rainbow in the sky, lovely glowing warm tones on deep blue sky / sea.

On this listen i liked tracks 1, 6 & 18 the most, here's a synopsis of each,
1 Eva Cassidy Over The Rainbow - Ok, whatever you feel about this song, however kitsch you might feel the original is, or maybe that the song is now overexposed, i was touched by this today, it's a land of make belief, of dreams and desires 'the dreams that you dare to dream, really do come true', there's a truth there that rings so true, Cassidy slowly builds it up to a real vocal blast.
6 Texas Say What You Want - A real lovely beat to this song, there's a complexity to it which makes it work, just a good Rock song really, the lyrics aren't particularly deep, just a soppy love song really, but i really liked it today.
18 Roisin O'Reilly Down By The Sally Gardens - Sounds like the theme music for the movie Titanic, very atmospheric, with an angelic Enya like voice, the story is touching, one of regret of a romance that never was, really touched me today.

Chuck Prophet [Feast Of Hearts]

I remember first getting into this disc, back in 2003, driving in a van around London, and having this playing, and thinking 'wow!, this is a great album', i've tried to delve into other Chuck Prophet albums, but with no success, they're not a match on this once, i played this today while sitting on a park bench and writing my Journal, and what a great album it is, Prophet sings of all sorts of issues, a great life commentator, this disc has featured in my Blog quite heavily [19th March 2012 & 16th March 2013].

Chuck Prophet is American, he's now 51, wow he's even younger than me!, he has a major back catalogue of albums, and even used to have a Rock group 'Green On Red', he recorded this in 1995 [happy 20th birthday!], i'm not sure what he's been up to since, i hear he's got a new album out, this one has the most stunning front cover booklet [photo by Kim Stringfellow], highly coloured, it's that flowery shirt that does it, great use of Autumn colours, the motel room [i guess] is a sickly yellow, looks quite psychedelic really, the face is rather a sickly yellow too, somewhat washed out, dark shadow lines on the left, wonder if the whole thing has been touched up with dayglo colours, and a great use of lettering emblazoned across his chest, i love the finished product, it almost shouts out that this album was composed in a load of motel rooms while travelling the country.

On this listening i really loved tracks 1, 8 & 10, and i would like to talk deeper about each one,
1 What it Takes - The album opener, and it's a nice rocker, nice use of twangy guitar, nice little mid instrumental where Prophet shouts 'here i go' [1:48-2:02], best lyric 'Before the fools-golden sun, sets on your million dollar view'.
8 Oh Mary - My favourite track of the whole album, starts off with the drums, and there's such a lovely beat there, those lovely treble toms sound so good, it's a complex and off kilter drumming vibe [Michael Urbanok], i think it's the drums and bass that make it sound sort of funky, it really makes the whole track, plus it's a great tune also, the second verses lyrics are great 'i followed you through the churchyard, down your crooked path', when he sings 'churchyard', in comes the organ swirls, a nice little touch, it's incredibly catchy. 
10 Madam Rosa's - About a Brothel run by Madam Rosa, starts off with what sounds like a national guitar, nice and dull sound, again a great tune, great beat, great use of strumming guitars too, best lyric 'with so many rooms to hide in, and only the light of the moon to follow you around'.

Sting [Mercury Falling]

This is Sting's best album by far, though it doesn't contain his best song [Fields Of Gold], it's such a consistent album, plus so varied too, lots of styles are on show, and the lyrics are always thoughtful, a disc featured in my Blog fairly regular [27th December 2010 & 21st February 2013].

Sting is English, he's now 63, hard to imagine how he got so old, i really like the black & white cover shot [by William Claxton], a grainy shot which works really well, and a close cropped side portrait, really nice natural light.

I played this disc on random, and just recently it seems that the best track always comes last!, i really liked tracks 2, 6, 8 & 11, and my favourite track is 'I Hung My Head', it's one of Sting's most touching and forgiving songs, it has a real 'reverse' happy ending to it, a story of a guy who accidentally shoots a horse rider, and is condemned to hang, but after death is where the real magic happens, i love the opening rhythmic drive, the percussion is tremendous, lovely knocking sound throughout, it's in 9/8 time, very off beat, with the drum beats hitting on the 3rd and 8th beats, a whole off kilter feel to it, Sting knows how to build up a song, the second verse has that little extra that builds things up [1:04+], after the second verse / chorus, the thing really explodes into life [1:47-2:09] with a tremendous instrumental interlude, lovely organ swirls, and jazzy brass, which throws the third verse into more power when it comes in, and the meaningful words 'i orphaned his children, i widowed his wife', and another instrumental interlude between the third and the fourth verse [2:58-3:20], this time the organ swirls are harder, the last verse is really poignant, the dead rider's ghost comes back, and together they ride off into the distance after the hanging, the ultimate forgiveness from the very person he wronged, Sting is a genius.

Here's Sting singing 'I Hung My Head' on YouTube.

Dire Straits ['Sultans Of Swing' The Very Best Of Dire Straits]

Well to start off with i need to explain the the track listing label on the back inlay, i didn't actually agree with the track list for this release, they added stuff i detest 'Calling Elvis' yuck, and 'Heavy Fuel' really!, very best of?, plus they then leave out stuff which is essential 'Down To The Waterline' and 'Skateaway', so of course the obvious solution is to record my own disc!, and so here's my take for what it's worth.

Dire Straits is the brainchild of Mark Knopfler, and it's hard to separate the two, of course Dire Straits have ended, and Knopfler is now 65, yes all the Young Rockers become Old Rockers eventually.

So the tracks i liked the best were 1, 3-5, 10 & 12, it certainly brings back memories, i used to own some of these as 45 singles, 'Sultans Of Swing' takes me back, used to be my favourite Dire Straits song, and 'Your Latest Trick' is an ingenious later song i really love, but the very best track is 'Tunnel Of Love', which always sticks in my mind, the lyrics are filled with double meanings, there's a longing and nostalgia there, i guess it talks of a real life experience by Knopfler, visiting an amusement park in Whitley Bay called the Spanish City, meeting a girl there, and they both decide to remain anonymous, at the end they part with a kiss, never to meet again, and then the subsequent searching / yearning to re-create that feeling of an event in the past that is just simply impossible to re-live, each time i hear it i also feel the sadness / happiness that an event was bottled up into a package, never to be opened again, you love that you've created something untouchable, yet at the same time you're sad that you can't get to touch it again.

Here's Dire Straits playing 'Tunnel Of Love' on YouTube.

Sting ['Fields Of Gold' The Very Best Of Sting 1984-1994]

Early to mid Sting, i like his album 'Mercury Falling' the best, his earlier albums all have something essential on them, but at the same time they have enough average that a compilation like this can make the ideal substitute, don't agree on every track, and yes there are some omissions too, but this really fits the bill, i listened to this early in my blogging career [20th March 2010].

Sting is now 63, and even though he looks 50, his music seems to have gone the other way, his latest album The Last Ship' sounds like he's turning into Roger Whittaker!, 'The Last Farewell' wouldn't go amiss on that album, i think i gave up on him when 'Brand New Day' was released.

So on this listen i love tracks 3-6 & 14, but i always come back to that wonderful song of his, as the title track says 'Fields Of Gold', it has one of the most simplest melodies, a constant sharp clicking on the drums, that doesn't get annoying, a great story too, a seeming act of pure lust i guess, but within there's promises made, and at the end the lines,

Many years have passed, since those summer days

Among the fields of barley

See the children run, as the sun goes down

Among the fields of gold

to me it sounds like the children were a product of 'among the fields of barley'!

Here's Sting singing 'Fields Of Gold' on YouTube.

Madonna [The Immaculate Collection] 

Well first off, about the cover, it's obviously not 'The Immaculate Collection', but i hate that cover, so i used this superb 'visual' album of hers to use as her Greatest Hits, and i'll talk about that below, this is a great album, one of the best i own, whatever anyone says, Madonna is a genius, her songs transcend time, these are 'old' now, and yet they're still fresh and lively, it's amazing how many times she really hit the spot, and i'm marvelling at her ability to play a number of different styles, and still be so consistent, i do play this regular, but with nearly 1600 disc in my collection, this gets in my player not as often as i would like, last time it was in my Blog was in 2010 [22nd June 2010].

Madonna, or Madonna Ciccone, is American, she's now 54, this album came out in 1990, and yes i admit it's getting old hat for a Greatest Hits collection, as there's another 20 years more material since then, but somehow i still feel it represents her at her best, she would delve into more electronic type music later, and i feel she's lost her sparkle of what she's very best at, plus the two disc 'Celebration' that came out in 2009 has a slight feel of 'filler' to it, yes even Madonna has a hard time filling two discs, i love this more, as i said above, the disc inside is 'The Immaculate Collection', but the booklet / back insert is from her album 'Ray Of Light', its visuals are superb, a stunning shot of Madonna on the front, golden haired, blowing around her face, and a blue PVC dress!, the booklet doesn't show the opposite side of the back insert, where more of her hair shows on the spine on the left, a great visual idea, i rubbed on transfers on the front cover for the title, and on the back i made a self adhesive sticker with lettering on, i think it looks fantastic, so much for the original visual issue.

Chuck Prophet [Feast Of Hearts] 

Listened to this almost exactly last year [19th March 2012], and in giving it another spin, i realise how this album has really seeped into my consciousness, at first i liked a couple of songs, but now they are almost all working their magic on me, it's one of those tremendous Singer / Songwriter albums where all the lyrics make sense, Prophet gives us little vignettes of life, he seems to have an angle or take on most things, there's wry humour in his observations, and of course profound insights too, but the key is couching it all in great music, otherwise he would just be a poet, this album is becoming a little treasure to me.

Chuck Prophet is American, he will hit the big 5-0 this year, he has recorded 13 solo albums, and this is the third effort from him, he recorded this in 1985, what initially attracted me to the album was the front cover, a shot of Prophet on i guess a Motel bed [photo by Kim Stringfellow], a great pose, a flowery shirt which just adds to the very plain room, overlit from the left casts shadows on the bed, and the lamp gives the whole thing a certain glow, i like the lettering also, nicely laid out across his chest, altogether a stunning solo portrait which speaks more than words.

So onto the music, and this time a whole slew of tracks really impressed me, tracks 1, 5, 8 & 10 especially, it's good to hear 1 & 5 inching their way into my brain, and not letting the other two hog the limelight, but ultimately it was tracks 8 & 10 that really got me going, so here's a synopsis of both,
8 Oh Mary - Starts off with a superb drum solo intro [Michael Urbano], nice and resonant, really makes a statement, and it's this drumming beat which permeates the whole track, giving it its tremendous rhythm, and the lyrics are great too 'i followed you through the churchyard, down your crooked path', and 'i get up in the morning, my head is buzzing like a cheap TV', there's an extended guitar solo by Prophet [3:02-3:46], the whole track is so infectious from first to last, you really get swept along by the rhythm of the whole thing, a masterpiece. 
10 Madam Rosa's - A nice and twangy intro [0:00-0:16], with what sounds like a national guitar, lovely intro which sets the scene, there's a nice deep twang to some of the acoustic guitar work, Madam Rosa i guess is a Prostitute, or possibly Madam Rosa's is a Brothel, the lyrics are great, 'when she's lying beside me, i love to see the world through her eyes', and 'with so many rooms to hide in, and only the light of the moon to follow you around', a great rocking track.

Billy Joel [The Ultimate Collection] 

Again i'm surprised in listening to these two discs, how Joel can create an even bunch of hits over a long period of time, and fill up two discs without resorting to the dreaded 'filler', even the lesser known songs have a tendency to be gems, Joel has a knack of knowing what musical devices in the composing stage, create musical satisfaction in the hearing stage, plus Joel sings about some off the beaten track themes, Russian Clowns, Vietnam, Fishing Boats etc, of course there's lots of love songs, but his lyrics still touch a nerve, plus the tunes really are smart and memorable, and Artist full of satisfaction, this got into my Blog in 2010 also [13th October 2010].

Billy Joel is American, he's now 63, and this compilation came out in 2000, the front cover image shows Joel as somewhat of a blur, a black & white shot that's more full of greys, not the greatest pic they could have used, but the lettering is actually quite smart, the inner booklet has all the lyrics to all the songs, one of the surprising things is that all of the tracks were written by Joel, no covers, no collaborations, and amazing feat.

Well, of all the tracks it was 2-3, 5, 12-15, 19, 23-24 & 32-34 that i liked the best, and the real cream of the crop was two songs, one on each disc, tracks 14 & 34, and here's a synopsis of both,
14 She's Always A Woman - 
34 The Downeaster Alexa - 

Sting [Mercury Falling] 

My favourite Sting album, i notice lately he's gone downhill, but this album was a real surprise, he's had an up and down career, it was only because of the excellent photography that i thought i'd give it a go, and it's amazing how Sting blends many genres of music together on one album, whether it's Reggae, or Country, or Folk, or whatever, i found myself enjoying all the tracks, even those that i feel are a little below par [Valparaiso & Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot for instance], one of the joys of compact discs, is the ability to just press 'random / shuffle', and enjoy a stream of tracks where you just don't know what you're going to get next, i played this at the end of 2010 [27th December 2010].

Sting [Gordon Sumner] is English, he's now 61, how time flies, i remember when he hit 50, he recorded this album in 1996, the photography throughout is fantastic [by William Claxton & Febrizio Ferri], the front cover picture is a great pose, black & white really says something, an atmospheric and grainy pic, and yet really sharp too, the back inlay photo is great too.

Well it was tracks 2, 4, 6 & 8-9 that i loved the best,  and again like last time it was track 2 that really moved me, here's a synopsis,
2 I Hung My Head - The song has this tremendous drum clap throughout, a nice sharp crack, and yet earthy and a dull thud at the same time, Stings vocal is nice and lyrical, i love the moment that the brass kicks in [1:46+], the whole thing livens up, and the way the organ really swirls in a solo [2:58-3:19], the lyrics are great too, and the morale of the story is touching, about a guy he accidentally shot, and condemned to die for, but the ending is one of real forgiveness, as the very guy he shot dead comes to collect him once he's dead, a truly great song.

Paul Weller ['Modern Classics' The Greatest Hits] 

A traverse through the early back catalogue of Paul Weller, this disc is now getting a bit old [a 1998 compilation consisting of his first four solo albums], since then he's brought out another seven studio albums, so i guess the title 'The Greatest Hits' is now questionable, it must be time for another 'best of', probably a double disc compilation, although there's a certain something about early solo Weller, some of his middle period albums missed the mark, even though it's considered he's back to his best, i really need to discover his present self, when Sonik Kicks gets cheap enough i'll get it, so here's 55 minutes of 16 tracks of Weller, there's a consistency there, it really sounds like this could all be one album, and yet a great variety of music, i'm really warming to him, and this disc has appeared in my Blog twice before [5th April 2012 & 16th March 2011].

Paul Weller is an English Singer / Songwriter, he's now 54, a free man to pursue almost any musical creative spark or experimentation he wishes, this compilation came out in 1998, and consists of his first four solo albums 1992-1997, the front / back cover photography is by Lawrence Watson, and the booklet has some wonderful photographs within its pages [also by Watson], showing Weller in the studio and in a more relaxed mood, excellent photography throughout, the front cover shows Weller almost cut in half, as if it's the top half of a snap, enlarged that makes the pic somewhat low quality, but i love the blue of it, and the squashed lettering at the top is excellent, the wheatfield theme is a good one, and even though he's always worked with a Band, really he's a loner as a composer, and certainly a 'solo' Artist.

On this listen, i enjoyed how consistent Weller is, there really isn't a dud on the album, but most of all i liked tracks 2-3, 9 & 14-15, and here's a synopsis of each,
2 Peacock Suit - A hard chugging song, with Weller in some sort of angry mode.  
3 Sunflower - A love song, and yet sung hard, with a nice bubbly beat to it, best lyric 'You cloud my days, messing up my nights'.
9 The Changingman - A clangy rhythm, again there's this sense of anger, and about the song, Weller readily admits to using the vibe of ELO's 10538 Overture throughout, you get that feel of cellos that they have, right at the end there's a bang of finality, but then right away it starts up again to immediately fade [3:18+], a nice and effective idea, best lyric 'Too in touch with myself, i light the fuse'.
14 Mermaids - More of a lyrical love song, reminiscent of the Style Council, but also Beatlesque in its jangly sort of way, the singing is really heartfelt, best lyric 'I often hide in her magic hair'.
15 Broken Stones - Probably my favourite on this listen, the beat at the beginning is really nice, a nice combination of drum and cymbal, Weller sings as a Soul Singer, towards the end some instruments stop, so the drumming beat comes to the fore [2:41+], i like minimalistic feel.