the Rolling Stones

Week 10: Liam Gallagher & John Squire- Liam Gallagher John Squire

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As you know, the Stone Roses guitarist John Squire joined Oasis onstage in 1996 at their iconic Knebworth Park shows to play lead on ‘Champagne Supernova’. He also repeated this on Liam’s return to the venue as a solo artist in 2022. Back when John was rehearsing the song with Liam, John mentioned that he was in the process of writing an album and needed a vocalist. He said that Liam’s vocals would be ideal, and from there, Liam listened to the demos and decided he would be interested in collaborating with John. Liam grew up a Stone Roses fan, and in the earlier Oasis recordings, his vocals sounded like Ian Brown. The duo would head over to Los Angeles to record the self-titled album in the studio.

Of course, the project only came to light during the first month of the new year, when the duo released their first single, ‘Just Another Rainbow’ —a typical Stone Roses-esque song.

Once it was confirmed that the duo was releasing a record, Liam described it as Stone Roses and Oasis in their prime. When you listen to the album, that is certainly evident. As you can imagine, there are many Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who, et cetera, within the songs because those bands heavily influenced both of them.

As well as being a nostalgic record filled with romance, there are modern references in songs like ‘I’m So Bored’, where John attacks modern technology, expressing that we tend to live in our phones rather than connecting with the real world.

You can tell Liam and John had fun on the album, with Greg Kurstin on production. Many Liam’s fans complain about it not being full-on rock n roll. It was never meant to be. Stones Roses are more psychedelic, so this would always lean heavily towards that. Apart from finding the lyrics cheesy, I also found them quite basic, and Liam’s vocals feel strained and nasal over the music. John is excellent as always and has retained his ability to show his axemanship. It wasn’t my cup of green tea, but good luck to them.

Song recommendations: ‘Mars to Liverpool’, ‘Just Another Rainbow’, ‘I’m So Bored’

7/10

Week 9: Rod Stewart & Jools Holland- Swing Fever

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Well, it goes without saying that I am a big fan of Jools Holland; as you know, I discover many bands/artists through his show. Jools started off as the keyboardist in Squeeze before leaving to go solo while presenting The Tube on channel 4. He then went on to form His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra and present the Late Show’s spin-off “Later…with Jools Holland in a pokey studio in Shepherd’s Bush. The show would expand and move to Maidstone Studios in 2011 (The Annual Hootenanny still takes place there.) before returning to Shepherd’s Bush in 2019 and then moving onto the current venue deep in the bowls of Alexandra Palace, where the first television broadcast for the BBC took place. The show had a live half-hour midweek show until 2019 before reverting back to a show that lasted just an hour on weekends from 2020 onwards. Of course, the series during 2020/21 was locked down, so it was limited to one guest per episode discussing their music and their favourite moments from the show’s archives with other bands/artists performing elsewhere. Now, onto Rod Stewart. I have no idea when how I came into his music because my mum is a big fan of his, and during the 80s/90s, she would go to quite a lot of his London shows. I guess I grew up with his music.

As you know, Rod was in the Faces with Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, among others. He then decided to go solo, and the rest is history. He has amassed hit after hit and collaborated with a slew of artists.

You might think, “What’s the point of this album? It will be the usual compilation”. Well, I didn’t share that notion after listening to them talk about the project on the One Show and Jools’ Later Show. I know it all started after a love of building model railways, et cetera( Look closely at the opening credits of Later…with Jools Holland from 2015 onwards. You will see what I mean.). Honestly, I knew this wouldn’t be a compilation album with no love put in, because Jools and Rod are passionate about Swing. One thing that I was surprised about was the front cover. Why is Rod, with a whiskey shot, sitting in front of Jools, while Jools is in the background, sitting on a table leaning on an upside-down chair in what looks like a bar setting? This is supposed to be a collaboration. They should have been sat parallel to express this. The cover art gives the impression that this is Rod’s record.

As the album is set around the Big Band Era, the bulk of the songs are strikingly short, falling under the 3-minute mark regularly. This is how it used to be back in that era so that they could be played on the radio. Of course, songs can now qualify for anything up to five minutes. Talking of five minutes, the opener ‘Lullaby of Broadway’ is the longest track on the record, packed with brass, Rod’s swooning vocals and Jools’ iconic boogie-woogie. This is followed by ‘Oh Marie’ with more of the same, but much shorter. ‘Sentimental Journey’ is where Rod’s vocals hit top gear surrounded by brass and trumpets. Jools takes centre stage on ‘Pennies from Heaven’ with his band backing their leader. Rod’s vocals synchronise with Jools and his band on ‘Night Train’.

Rod and Jools have a lot of fun on this album. Where it falls down for me is that I thought this was supposed to be a collaboration. Too often on this record, I felt Rod was taking centre stage, and Jools was simply blending into the background. Jools is a phenomenal boogie-woogie player, but there wasn’t enough of that for me. We were not shown Jools’ pure craft on the piano. However, if you want an upbeat album for a knees-up, then this is it. 

Song recommendations: ‘Sentimental Journey’, ‘Night Train’, ‘Oh Marie’

8/10

Week 42: the Rolling Stones- Hackney Diamonds

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Here is a track-by-track review of the band’s new material for a very long time:

Angry:

The teaser for the record is undoubtedly up-tempo and effortless. It reminded me of some of their songs from the 80s. More so with the riffs rather than Mick’s vocals, which never seem to change.

Get Close:

What I liked about this track is the band went rogue with this one and added a saxophone solo and harmonies that are hardly “a la mode”. However, I like all that avant-garde stuff, so fair play to them for not trying to follow the trend—the first of two tracks to feaure Elton John.

Depending on You:

It is a radio-friendly country ballad complete with soaring strings.

Bite My Head Off:

Paul McCartney (Who recommended they return to the studio for the first time in over a decade.) features on this punk-fuelled track. You wouldn’t know his presence on the track until Mick bellows, “Come on, Paul!”. 

Whole Wide World:

Another high-energy track that discusses Mick and Keith addressing youngsters about the things to look out for before they grow old and wise.

Dreamy Skies:

This is the halfway point and the end of the A-side of the vinyl (if you happen to purchase it.). As you can imagine, as it is the final track on the A-side of the vinyl, the tempo eases to a plodding country ballad, yet instead of lulling you to sleep, it still maintains the energy enough to grab your concentration.

Mess it up:

The vinyl’s flip side, or the second half of the record, begins with an outro/intro to give you the sense of being involved in the recording process in the studio with the band. Disco is not their most robust genre for experimenting, but it works with the stomping piano thrown in at the breakdown—this is one of the final tracks to feature their late drummer, Charle Watts.

Live by the Sword:

This is the final track to feature his drumming, leading off from the Charlie Watts thing. It is fitting, then, that this is also another uplifting track with a vibrant piano riff. However, this one is less disco and more what can only be described as a nod to the late Elvis Presley with Elton John(second and final track.) providing the aforementioned vibrant piano riff. Although not lyrically strong, it is surpassed by Mick’s vocal skills and Elton’s dazzling piano playing. Don Was from Was(Not Was) is on production. Ex-bassist Bill Wyman also makes a cameo.

Driving Me too Hard:

It’s a quintessential Stones track with recycled riffs. One for the purists rather than the casuals who might find this “safe” and just a filler.

Tell Me Straight:

It was the first track to have guitarist Keith Richards take over vocal duties. His vocals suit this melancholic ballad. Surprisingly, you want this one to last longer because there appears to be beauty in listening to this. I like melancholic songs, which the Smiths and Noel Gallagher have mastered, so I’ll let you cast your aspersions here.

Sweet Sounds of Heaven:

A sublime track. With Lady Gaga singing and the great Stevie Wonder working his magic on the keys, it doesn’t feel like the Rolling Bones(Deliberate.)are on this in any way, shape or form. It’s quite surreal seeing the band cede control of their track. It is the longest, weighing in at over seven minutes. Although Lady Gaga soars with her vocal performance, what happens when Mick returns to duet is beyond words. This gospel-inspired song is just exquisite. My favourite by far.

Rolling Stone Blues:

We end the album with the cover ‘Rolling Stone Blues’ by the legendary and late Muddy Waters. This is the first time the band have recorded the cover, despite it inspiring their name. It is a comedown after celestial ‘Sweet Sounds of Heaven’, but it doesn’t feel inferior in the slightest. 

Song recommendations: ‘Sweet Sounds of Heaven’, ‘Angry’, ‘Mess it up’

Week 21: Paul Weller- Fat Pop (Volume 1)

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I have waited ages to listen to and review another Paul Weller album. I was delighted to have found out that he worked on it during the original lockdown. Paul told Charlatan’s Tim Burgess that he was bored and needed something to do. He also told Tim this might be his final album (let us hope not.). It’s great that some artists took the opportunity to be productive while isolated last year. Funnily enough, just as he started work on this one, his previous record, “on Sunset,” was not far from being released. The album begins with ‘Cosmic Fringes’ which sounds like electro-pop straight out of the 80s. You know, bands like Roxy Music, Heaven 17, or the Human League would have done. The end catches you by surprise because it stops without any warning. That sudden ending would last until the third track. From then on, the tracks would fade out.

‘Glad Times’ was like Paul went into a time machine and returned to the studio with the Style Council, and ‘Testify’ is a blues and gospel track with flutes. ‘Cobweb Connections’ is a sublime acoustic song, and ‘Moving Canvas’ is like hearing Paul playing songs from the “Stanley Road” era. I didn’t find much Jam-inspired music in there, though.

The album is just a mix of several genres; you never know which way Paul will take you with it, which will keep your ears entertained. It’s great when a record is made that way. You don’t want a predictable album; you want something that will surprise and differ from the track you just heard to keep your interest. The cover and the name certainly had me fooled. I was expecting an album full of cosmic pop or psychedelic. Even the title “Fat Pop (Volume 1)” screams that the record will be focused on those two genres. It’s more like a trip down memory lane with influences from the Style Council, the Paul Weller Movement, and everything after 1992. As I said earlier, I didn’t notice anything the Jam might have done. It also has Volume 1 at the end of the title. I would like to know what volume 2 will be like.

Now, as I said earlier, the album is spontaneous and will keep your ear, but at the same time, if you do not find that concept interesting, you might lose interest as it might start to annoy you. Personally, that’s on you because it didn’t annoy me in the slightest. I loved the way the record was spontaneous. If you enjoy dipping your fries into your Strawberry milkshake (Thanks, Siân. Watch this space on her. She might well be presenting a radio show soon, and trust me. Her taste in music is eclectic.), then you will enjoy how this album works. Many may argue that the tracks on “Fat Pop (Volume 1)” simply do not work without structure due to its spontaneous nature. Well…I liked it, and it’s entirely different from a Paul Weller LP.

Despite how the album is structured, either to your satisfaction or not, there is no denying that Paul still has that fire burning to be creative after a 44-year career. One minute, Paul is in the 60s playing with the Rolling Stones, and the next, he’s back in the Style Council with songs like ‘Glad Times’. That is how Paul approached every session with spontaneous songwriting. It certainly makes for an exciting experience when you listen all the way through for the first time. You cannot knock it because Paul Weller is far from finished with business despite what he told Tim. How many albums are there left in him creatively? Who fucking knows. Going by this, he still has plenty more on the way. The only thing stopping Paul is if he decides to retire of his own accord.

Song recommendations: ‘Glad Times’, ‘Cosmic Fringes’, ‘Testify’

8/10

Week Thirty-Seven: the Rolling Stones- Goats Head Soup 2020

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I have always liked the Rolling Stones more than the Beatles because the Stones’ sound is a lot edgier and has more attitude than 12-bar blues. It’s ironic when you consider the Beatles wrote a track for them that set them on their way. Anyway, this particular record has never been loved by the critics, so being typical rebels, what do they do? They reissue it for the Compact Disc, Digital Versatile Disc, and Download age. 

Of course, from 1968 to 1972, the band were flying in terms of their success, which many have said they haven’t reached since, but they sell out on pretty much every tour and are still one of the most-watched bands live, so think on this “lack” of success what you will. All-in-all, they have released 26 studio albums spanning from 1964 to now.

Of course, “Goats Head Soup” was originally the 13th album released in 1973, and many critics said the record, which was a two-sided ten-track vinyl (five both sides.), lacked that edge the band was renowned for at the time. On another note, the album was named after a Jamaican aphrodisiac.

Of course, the biggest hit they garnered from it was “Angie”, which sounds just as good now it has been remastered, but if I’m being honest, the first disc didn’t capture my imagination because I heard it before in its original form.

The second disc, though, is where my interest picked up with its unreleased songs that I imagine were from the recording sessions and the featured remixes, especially the one by the War on Drugs. So, being typical Stones, they rereleased this record three years before its 50th anniversary, which most bands and artists would tend not to do, but not the Stones; they have always been rebels and done as they have pleased.

I enjoyed “Scarlet”, with Jimmy Page taking over from Keith Richards on lead guitar, bringing a sense of funk into it, not forgetting the contribution to the War on Drugs remixing it. Then, I was impressed with “All the Rage” and finally, the alternative mix of “Hide Your Love”. However, this reissue seems to be for collectors only, I feel. 

A third disc features the performances from the “Goats Head Soup Tour” at the Forest National Arena, Brussels, Belgium from both of their shows. I wasn’t fussed about listening to that as I have heard the band many times performing live, so I wasn’t expecting anything I hadn’t heard before.

Song recommendations: Disc two only: “Scarlet”, “All the Rage”, “Hide Your Love”

7/10