617 Aztec Camera - High Land- Hard Rain (1983)

 617 Aztec Camera - High Land- Hard Rain (1983)

Studio Album - Pop



About the Act:

Aztec Camera were a Scottish band from East Kilbride. Thy existed between 1980 and 1995, in which time their frontman, Roddy Frame was the only constant member. I have counted 40 other musicians on the Wikipedia page, which is a crazy turnover! They created six studio albums.

About the Album:

This was their first studio album, and gained quit a lot of attention and sales.

My History with this Album:

None

Review:

For most genres of music I seem to have a list of band and act names that I associate with it. For 80s pop, one of those names is Aztec Camera, alongside Spandau Ballet and Deacon Blue. Roddy's voice, to me, is almost indistinguishable from those others, it is possessed of a particular 80s pop quality.

The music is pop, with maybe a particular emphasis on acoustic guitars, and some jazz chords. In other senses, but especially the drums, the sounds of the 80s ring out loud and clear here. Is it any good? Yes, it's decent. There are some recognisable songs, and there is a reasonable variety. 

The songs are about - well various things I suppose. Love, life, and a pub called "The Dip". Actually, that last on is the last track "Down at the Dip" which is an acoustic guitar and singing, and is my favourite song on the album. Possibly the low point was "The Bugle Sounds Again". Generally, there is some quite good wordsmithing going on, it's not fluffy rubbish, but it's not soul-gripping either. It's a reasonable listen and I generally enjoyed it.

7/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1VduWll7rkJvGmwe5gYu72

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLq3x4Lz2f2S06txN0AEvzulf2ktOEBOci

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Land,_Hard_Rain



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990)

Image
 840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990) Compilation (double) - Girl Group (Soul/Bobby Soxer/Do-Wop) About the Album: This is a highly acclaimed compilation in 2CDs by Rhino Records. It's the sort of thing that in this country you might expect to see at 3.99 in a Garden Centre. My History with this Album: None Review: There are not many multi-artist compilations in this series for reviewing. There is not information about it on Wikipedia, but the reception seems to have been positive. It is choc-full of hits with a smattering of lesser-known songs, and it's hard not to imagine Grease or similar situations - girls with cardigans and white socks, listening to the juke box while sipping milkshakes in the drug store. On one level it's a fun collection of songs that you could use to feel nostalgic, or as the music for a themed party. On another level it's kind of like a cultural artefact. I feel honour-bound to describe it, even though if I drop
Read more

944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001)

Image
 944 Manu Chao - Próxima Estación Esperanza (2001) Studio Album - World Music About the Act: Manu Chao is a French-Spanish musician of Spanish descent who grew up on the outskirts of Paris. In the mid-80s he was in a Spanish/English rockabilly group called Hot Pants. In 1987, with his brother and cousin he founded the band Mano Negra, combining punk and world music influences and playing on the Paris Metro. This band took off and had 4 studio albums. In 1995 Manu "went solo", forming the band Radio Bemba Sound System to be his backing band. The punk elements were less prominent, but he started to make music that "replicates the sound of street music and bar scenes from a variety of cultures". He has been really popular in parts of Europe.  About the Album: This album was Manu Chao's second studio album as a "solo" artist. In Spanish, the name means "Next Station: Hope", after a real station on the Madrid Metro. The album reached top 10 slots
Read more

591 Harry Smith, Ed. - Anthology of American Folk Music (1952)

Image
 591 Harry Smith, Ed. - Anthology of American Folk Music (1952) Compilation Album - Americana About the Act: Harry Smith is not the performer here, he is the collector. He was a film-maker, occultist, and eccentric. About the Album: Harry Smith had a collection of early 78rpm records of various "folk" styles dated from 1927 when such things first started to be commercially available to 1932 when the Great Depression put a stop to the sales of folk records. In 1947 he approached a label, Folkway Records, about releasing a collection of them transferred onto LPs. This they did in 1952, without seeking copyright permission, making this technically a bootleg. It was released as three double-LP boxed sets, and sold very poorly. In the first year it sold 50 copies, 47 to libraries and colleges. It was reissued later, and gained traction and sold better. It now has a reputation for being one of the most influential compilations in the history of Americana, and is cited as being a ma
Read more