Album reviews

There was precious little rock and pop music on TV or radio, and even that was difficult to access. How well I remember pleading with my parents to be allowed to watch The Old Grey Whistle Test on late night BBC2.

Listening to John Peel's radio show was a similar struggle when sharing a bedroom with a younger brother who would complain about being kept awake by the tinny sound of my small transistor.

The weekly music papers were definitely the most convenient way of keeping up to date with the music scene. They would get passed around at school with any information about a new release by one of your favourites being greeted with great excitement.

Getting any kind of access to the latest albums was, however, even more of a problem. LPs were expensive and some serious saving had to be done before a purchase could be considered. Again, the album reviews took on great importance in deciding how to spend those scarce resources.

A trip to the record shop would be required, of course. If it was a particularly obscure LP that was under consideration then a journey into Birmingham was usually required to hunt through the racks of the original Virgin Records. Who would have guessed back then that such a dismal little shop would grow into the mighty business empire it is today?

If you were lucky, you could persuade the record shop assistant to play a few tracks of the record you were interested in. Some of the bigger record shops even had listening booths. This was the only way you could actually listen to the music before spending what seemed like a small fortune. If the shop was busy you would only hear a few minutes worth so buying an album was always a bit of a gamble. I relied heavily on the reviewers to get it right in terms of influencing my purchases.

Contrast that early 1970s experience with the situation today. Music fans have easy access to an abundance of information via multiple media sources. Streaming services such as Spotify allow you to sample albums, often for free. Services such as iTunes list all the new releases which can then be instantly downloaded if you decide to make a purchase. So is there still a role for the album reviewer?

Yes, I believe there is still a place for the album review but in a different sense from the days of my youth. Album reviews back then were very descriptive. They needed to be when getting access to the actual music was so difficult. Not nowadays though. Why read a description of an album when you can listen to it yourself? The modern album review needs to be more analytical, putting the music in context and pointing out interesting features that might not be immediately apparent as well as providing an alternative point of view.

That sounds daunting but I'll try my best with four very different albums that came my way this week.

Eric Clapton - Live In San Diego With Special Guest JJ Cale

I've been a Clapton fan for many years and seen him live on several occasions, which has always been a great experience. There have been quite a few live Clapton albums over the years and it seems strange perhaps to be releasing another, especially as the concert in question took place back in 2007.

The unique feature of this recording is the appearance of JJ Cale, who sadly died in 2013, on five of the songs. JJ and Eric were close friends and released an album together in 2006, The Road to Escondido. Live in San Diego is Eric's belated tribute to a fine musician and probably one of the last times they played together. RIP JJ.

The album contains many of the classic tracks that one would hope to hear at a Clapton concert, including Layla, Wonderful Tonight, and Cocaine. The performances are excellent and Clapton fans will invariably enjoy it. Nothing new, just classic Clapton.

Joan As Police Woman & Benjamin Lazar Davis - Let It Be You

Call me old fashioned but the names of the artists responsible for this album are just too much of a mouthful. Band names are best kept short and sharp in my humble opinion, e.g. Yes, Free, U2, etc. If you must list all the personnel, like Emerson, Lake & Palmer, be prepared to have it abbreviated to ELP. I shall therefore refer to Joan & Ben as JAPW & BLD (which is still very inelegant).

JAPW is Joan Wasser, a 46-year-old American musician, singer-songwriter and producer. Throughout her career she has regularly collaborated with other artists including BLD, a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, arranger, composer and producer. A multi-talented duo then, at least on paper.

Their combined talents pleasingly shine through on this album, an enjoyable collection of melodic electro pop songs at its best when featuring Wasser's distinctive vocals. There is a different feel to the music when BLD takes the lead which for me added a nice contrast.

Let It Be You won't sell as many copies as the other three albums reviewed here but is definitely the one I most enjoyed listening to. It just goes to show that in pop music 'more popular' doesn't necessarily mean 'better'. Either that or I've got a lousy taste in music.

Michael Bublé - Nobody But Me

Let me say from the start that Michael Bublé is just not my cup of tea. He's supposed to be 'easy-listening' but working my way through Nobody But Me was far from easy.

The 41-year-old Canadian has a very good voice and, from what I've seen of him on various TV talk shows, a very appealing personality. He certainly appeals to a burgeoning fan base and has been the recipient of four Grammy Awards. I'm sure his fans will love this latest album but I'm afraid I found it heavy going.

My main problem with the album is Bublé's choice of material. There's simply no coherence from one track to the next. One minute you are listening to lightweight pop (with even an incongruous rap thrown in for good measure on one track), then big band style swing numbers before switching to over-sentimental string laden ballads. It's as if he's trying to cover all the bases by mixing in a little bit of everything but the overall result is a mess with little musical integrity.

Then, on the final track, Bublé commits the cardinal sin of attempting a cover of one of my all-time favourite pop songs, God Only Knows by the Beach Boys. I'm sorry but for me that was the final straw.

I did like the artwork on cover of the CD though. With a slight twist of the wrist a photograph of Michael as a cute blond haired child turns into a photo of the handsome hunk Bublé is today. You don't get that with downloads.

Phil Collins - The Singles

After Michael Bublé, a compilation of 30 plus Phil Collins singles almost came as a relief. Almost.

Phil Collins had more US top 40 singles than any other artist during the 1980s. He scored a hat-trick of UK number ones as well as no less than seven singles hitting the top of the US charts. His most successful singles from that period include In The Air Tonight, Against All Odds, Sussudio, and Another Day In Paradise. He was prolific.

The problem for me is that I don't remember 80s pop with any great affection. My recollection is that it was hardly a golden decade and listening to Phil's contributions did nothing to change that view.

What I did find revealing listening to the Collins singles one after the other is their similarity. He found a formula that worked at that particular time and he milked it for all it was worth. As a piece of pop archeology this collection is of passing interest.

Another way of looking at it is that this album is a cynical attempt to get one last pay day from a collection of songs that have already been extremely profitable in their day. Collins has recently published his autobiography and has come out of retirement for a final tour.

In a Guardian interview last weekend, 65-year-old Collins is quoted as saying "I realise in hindsight how annoying I was". Some things never change.

GKH