"many miles away something crawls to the surface / of a dark Scottish lake"

[larryhammer]

As I cull the CD collection, I've been listening to some older albums to see how they hold up. Three mini-reviews:

Human's Lib, Howard Jones -- Ah, this calls up my teenage self but something fierce. I can see why, too, though many of the songs sound overly naive now -- for example, while it's possible to distinguish a habitual pose of pessimism from depression, the lyrics of "Don't Always Look at the Rain" do not actually do a good job of this. On the other hand, adult!me still likes "What Is Love," "Natural" (which are both appropriately naive), and "Hide and Seek" (Short shameful confession #1: my second attempt at writing a fantasy novel in high school was a Tolkienian job* with the cosmology of "Hide and Seek" grafted on.) Surprisingly, the mid-80s synch-pop sound is only a little dated -- holds up better than, say, early Depeche Mode.

Synchronicity, The Police -- OTOH, there's nothing dated about the sound of this rock. Solid stuff. A good number of solid songs, too, if it comes to that: I still hate "Mother," but everything else is either good or better. I still think "Synchronicity II" and "King of Pain" are the best, but I also have a secret fondness for "Wrapped Around Your Finger." (Short shameful confession #2: my third** high-school attempt at a fantasy novel blended that song and parts of The Farthest Shore.) Sting may be a wanker, but his wankery hadn't fully flowered forth yet.

Tracy Chapman, Tracy Chapman -- This could be issued today as a new album and still sound contemporary: I don't know whether this says more about how little has changed socially since the mid-1980s or how little folk-rock has changed since the mid-1980s. Either way, damn this is good stuff. It doesn't have my favorite Chapman song, "I Used to Be a Sailor," but it's got most of my next several faves. (I have no shameful confessions*** about this one.) Keep singing the revolution, Ms Chapman -- keep singing.

All three are, needless to say, keepers.

* My first attempt was purely sub-Tolkien, with a thinly concealed New World-based setting.

** There was no fourth attempt until after university.

*** I have no shame over how the protagonist of yet another fantasy novel is a contralto because of "Fast Car."

---L.

Subject quote from "Synchronicity II," The Police.

Comments

[oracne.livejournal.com]

I never got into Howard Jones. But I listened to The Police over and over again. I should check out Tracy Chapman's recent stuff.

[larryhammer]

She sounds more or less the same, only with more life experience and a bit more of the Blues sound.

[movingfinger.livejournal.com]

I feel like folk rock has become a formal format with its own conventions, like (I think) the blues.

[larryhammer]

It feels that way to me too, though I don't think I could define them.

[barry-king.livejournal.com]

Everyone hates "mother"

[larryhammer]

Good to know.

[tabouli.livejournal.com]

I retain a fondness for Howard Jones's 'Things Can Only Get Better', though the synth sounds on it are painfully 80s. He is, btw, an excellent live performer and pianist. Saw him a few years ago.

[larryhammer]

Very oh-so 80s.

I was surprised to realize he's still recording. Hadn't heard from for years.

[sovay]

I have no shame over how the protagonist of yet another fantasy novel is a contralto because of "Fast Car."

+1.

[larryhammer]

:-)