I vaguely remember this! Played "Green" again last night. Yep. Still the ultimate REM album for me. One cracker after another. You think Side 1 is ridiculously strong, and then comes Side 2. Wow. EG.
Definitely have a listen. The range of styles and overall quality is superb. I even made an expanded edition for myself, with the B-sides, remixes and non-album single Sweet Lies. I called it Super Nova EG.
I've still got mine (Q sleevenotes) tucked into... umm.... Revolver (Beatles), Graceland (Paul Simon), Hounds of Love (Kate Bush), DSotM (Pink Floyd), Blonde on Blonde (Dylan) Brothers In Arms???... They did it for at least two issues... EDIT: Google says they also did: Station to Station (Bowie) Tunnel Of Love (Bruce) & The Smiths debut...
So (in case we care!) - the full list of Q SleeveNotes seems to be (in groups of 4 per issue): Revolver (Beatles), Tunnel of Love (Bruce) Blonde on Blonde (Dylan) Brothers in Arms (Dire Straits) Graceland (Paul Simon) Hounds of Love (Kate Bush) Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd) Exile on Main Street (Rolling Stones) Station to Station (Bowie) The Smiths (debut) The Stone Roses (debut) ?? London Calling (The Clash) ?? And I still have at least (the first) 8 of them in their relevant CD cases...
This album gets a lot of criticism for being half-baked or being some kind of sellout move on signing to Warners, but I wonder if those folks ever really listened to it. It sounds well in line with their previous albums to me, and I dig it.
It’s a really strong album, you could say that Stand was a deliberate attempt at a hit, but you could say the same for the singles from Document, which is accepted by fans because it was on the IRS label.
Green has a really ballsy sound, the heavy stuff is really grounded by the guitars and drums, but then the acoustic tracks have a clarity which allows them to soar. They got it 100% spot on for me, whereas later albums either overdid one or other, or came across as a bit clumsy. I remember thinking Out Of Time was surprisingly sparse and lightweight when it came out. EG.
Q: The Music, Part 4 (1989-1990) With hindsight, 1989 was one of the best years for (the) music (that I was interested in), especially the final quarter of the year. If anything, there was just too much to take in at the time. A few of the big releases proved to be disappointments (Terence Trent D’Arby, Phil Collins, even Eric Clapton as far as I was concerned), while others felt a bit underwhelming but have since become more loved (Billy Joel, Chris Rea, Belinda Carlisle). As early as February 1989, we’d already had the return of Elvis Costello and New Order, Q‘s curiously undermarked new Simply Red album (just 2 stars, under the headline “THREADBARE“!) and The Raw & The Cooked by Fine Young Cannibals which I thought sounded like half a decent album but for some reason was very popular with the public and critics alike. 4 stars (Q30) February 1989 Come the middle of the 1980s, XTC were drifting; no longer the brash, angular alt.pop combo of Making Plans For Nigel and Sgt Rock (Is Going To Help Me), their star had waned since 1982’s excellent English Settlement and its big hit single Senses Working Overtime. A succession of lovingly crafted singles got nowhere on the charts, and their brand of pastoral English pop was met with ever-decreasing sales and waning interest. I’d taken a shine to 1985’s Wake Up single, a herky-jerky nod to their past with its chopped guitars and tumbling rhythm, but it didn’t even reach the Top 75. Clearly, a rethink was required. What XTC did next was to totally indulge their 60s psychedelic influences and trippy leanings, and record some of the most outrageously, unashamedly Beatles-esque pop of the decade, all under a pseudonym – The Dukes Of Stratosphere. A couple of mini-albums deliberately evoked a Magical Mystery Tour vibe, and for the first time in a long time, Andy Partidge and co. were having fun. They were also getting better reviews and more acclaim than they had done in years. In amongst all this creative freedom, they tried to make another traditional XTC album with Todd Rundgren in the producer’s chair. Skylarking eventually emerged in 1986, and ended up quite successful in America when one of its UK single’s B-sides (Dear God) became a surprise cult favourite and got added to US versions of the album. Oranges & Lemons turned out to be a dizzying mixture of the Dukes Of Stratosphere’s psonic playground and Dear God‘s folky directness. The song titles say it all; The Garden Of Earthly Delights, Scarecrow People, Chalk Hills And Children, Miniature Sun. The (double) album also happened to feature two of XTC’s most commercial, and radio-friendly, singles in living memory, The Mayor Of Simpleton and King For A Day. EG.
4 stars (Q35) July 1989 Fast forward to the end of June (it’s a “sorry, but you just miss out” to albums from Deacon Blue, Simple Minds, Stevie Nicks and Paul McCartney), and (then still-former) Eagles drummer Don Henley announced his return with the sublime adult soft-rock that characterised The End Of The Innocence. Q observed that Henley could basically get away with singing the phone book, and I am not about to disagree. EG.
2 stars (Q36) August 1989, album released July 1989 Q and I had very differing opinions, however, on The B-52’s first album since the loss of founding member and chief songwriter Ricky Wilson to AIDS in 1986. Another of Warner Bros. recent acquisitions, to go with Lou Reed, R.E.M., Elvis Costello and Rush, The B-52’s hadn’t set the world alight with their parting gift to Island Records, 1987’s much-delayed Bouncing Off The Satellites, so perhaps Q‘s initial coolness to Cosmic Thing‘s charms wasn’t such a shock. It’s possible the 2-star review caused me to shelve any plans to investigate the album on release, waiting until Cosmic Thing began to catch on in America later in 1989 before discovering that I’d been missing out on an absolute gem of a record. EG.
3 stars (Q37) September 1989 Yet more division ensued with Q‘s grading of Janet Jackson’s ambitious follow-up to Control. In mitigation, perhaps they found the between-song monologues and the sheer length of the album (well over 60 minutes) a hindrance to comparing it favourably with its predecessor. I must admit that only in the past year or so has Rhythm Nation 1814 properly established itself as my favourite Janet album. Control is still iconic in ways RN1814 could never be, but when you’re creating a homemade 8-disc “Super Deluxe Edition” of an album, and you’re still enjoying the Shep’s Work It Out Dub Edit of Love Will Never Do (Without You) on the 7th CD, then perhaps you must really like it…. EG.
5 stars (Q37) September 1989 Tears For Fears were back…back!!….BACK!!! Could it really be true?! More than four years on from Songs From The Big Chair, it may as well have been fourteen…so much had changed in my own life, in the world of pop, and judging from the first fruits of The Seeds Of Love, a lot had changed with Tears For Fears too. Sowing The Seeds Of Love was a clever, affectionate pastiche of you-know-who, replete with producer and noted drummer Chris “Merrick” Hughes doing a perfect approximation of Ringo’s trademark style, and lyrics urging “kick out the Style, bring back the Jam” (a coincidence that Weller jacked in his current band not long after?). The only slight problem was XTC had got here first, with Oranges & Lemons’ colourful take on the Beatles Universe. But top 5 it went, and the scene was set for a grand return to the album charts. The record has aged remarkably well, with Woman In Chains still the stunning standout on a lush, kaleidoscopic set of songs that have been over-produced and over-thought almost to breaking point, yet still manage to sweep and soar. The Seeds Of Love ought to have been the defining musical moment of 1989 for me; my favourite band of 1985 emerging from a truly torturous journey with a beautiful new album that revealed fresh things with every listen. But within a fortnight, they were rudely eclipsed by something extraordinary…. EG.
I absolutely adore this album and believe it to be the best that TFF did and well worth the 5 stars Q awarded it. My favourite track, is the epic Badman’s Song, which is more than a nod to Steely Dan: just perfect. The Seeds Of Love, though, is just one great song after another. I’ll have to play it right now.
Any other time, and Seeds would have been my #1 of the year. It really is the most amazing sounding album. I love Advice For The Young At Heart and, lately, Famous Last Words too. But all of it is brilliant. EG.
I had this briefly. I remember it being quite a poor sounding CD and I don’t think I could be bothered to persevere with the often lengthy songs. Loved the title track, though. Later on I bought a 3” CD single of it that also included The Boys Of Summer. Should probably get this album again and put the work in.
Your ears didn't lie...it's a very unevenly produced/mastered album...always a chance of that when multiple producers/studios are involved, as on a project like that. It makes it hard to settle into as a whole album. I kind of love it despite that, as the material is so strong, but I was surprised that a Don Henley album didn't have a better sound. Inside Job, from 2000, was much better in that regard. EG.
I own this album (bought years later) but while I agree it’s excellent, I don’t play it that often because it’s so long and Janet’s insistence on interludes (worse on the next album, though) annoys the hell out of me. I wouldn’t say I’m really a big Janet Jackson fan, though I’ve ended up with 5 of her albums.
Bought this on release week. I sold it 2 years later. A while ago I picked it up again. I’ve no idea why I got rid of it as it’s a really stunning album. Possibly because I was buying lots of CDs then (this hasn’t changed) and I didn’t give it time to shine. There was a great deal of fuss around this album when it came out. This seemed to fall away quickly as although it was successful, it’s not really packed with hits. So glad I gave it another go. Absolutely wonderful sounding CD too.
