Put the O Back in Country
Put the O Back in Country
Customer Review: Outlaw Country ain’t dead!
This disc is fantastic. Shooter tells it as it is, sings incredibly well and makes you feel much better for listening to it. As anyone with their ear to the ground will know, modern country has no “o”, so this cd is all the more special simply because it destroys all other competition. There’s plenty of country, rock n roll, and ballads here. Good ole George Jones features in the opening two tracks which gives the cd a homely feel! I honestly can’t say enough good things about this album. And the fact that the version with the bonus live tracks is much cheaper than the regular cd just screams “buy me!”
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The Day The Country Died [2007]
The Day The Country Died [2007]
Customer Review: A DIY account of the DIY era
For a brief period during the early to mid 1980s, an underground movement rose from the ashes of 70s punk. When its first wave imploded thanks to its own nihilism and its cynical exploitation by commercial interests, a new breed of ‘hardcore’ punks emerged, united by a healthy disregard for authority that necessitated a DIY ethic and put bands in charge of their own gigs, labels and distibution networks.
Along with the music came a commitment to radical politics, freedom of expression and non-violence. The fold-out sleeves that accompanied many releases informed and mobilised the dole generation into a serious political force, powerful enough to breathe new life into the moribund CND movement and be considered a threat by the paranoid and authoritarian Thatcher government.
This DVD provides a snapshot of that era that captures its vital energy, reflecting the dole generation’s attempt to turn its back on a government that sold them out and forge a better world for themselves. This DIY ethic was embodied by bands such as Crass who lived and breathed its values and proved a formative influence on later movements such as the Exodus collective and the DIY sound system. The DVD’s content reflects the messiness, the struggle and the internal rivalries inevitable in a movement which celebrates personal freedom and carries within a hidden warning against being too overzealous. Witness the bafflement of Boff from Chumbawamba as he recounts some cheeky crusty turning up on his doorstep with a sleeping bag, then criticising him for drinking instant coffee!
Kids - turn off Kerrang! and put this in your DVD player instead. It will teach you everything the music industry doesn’t wnat you to know, namely that they need you far more than you need them, and even if it doesn’t inspire you to form your own band/zine/label, it will provide a valuable history lesson. If you’re an old punk you will find the nostalgia trip interesting and feel relieved that your old heroes look just as tired and fat as you do with increasing age.
One small quibble - The Stop the City footage is great, right movement right era, but why is there also loads of footage of the Poll Tax riot in Trafalgar Square, which took place much later (1990 IIRC)?
Customer Review: Noble but disappointing
The film starts off with a title declaring that it isn’t the definitive story but more a personal account of what was/is an important chapter of punk/protest music. Despite Dick Subhuman’s superbly candid intro, it bears little resemblance to the excellent book and disappoints. The story structure is very jumbled. The interviews don’t include enough of the
main movers and shakers but do include many minor fish (deliberately anarcho? surely not) The archive live footage was bound to be poor old vhs quality but this also applied to the makers of the recent AMERICAN HARDCORE film. Tons of fast cut interview clips made it an excellent film. Footage of some of the bands still performing like Subhumans, Conflict etc. could have also helped. Nevertheless, it is a unique on screen account and full marks for having a go with presumably limited resources. The definitive story that the subject muchly deserves, remains to be seen.
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Charlotte Church - Voice of an Angel
Charlotte Church - Voice of an Angel
Charlotte Church is a smashing young girl, no doubt about it. On stage and TV she is exuberant, and has moved a whole generation of grandmothers to tears. There is something very endearing about a pure young voice, its owner still relatively unscathed by the sorrows of this world, wholeheartedly delivering a sonorous message of peace and goodwill. But to be quite honest, Church’s voice isn’t that remarkable, even for her age. And compared to the sky-high level some instrumentalists reach at a similar age, Charlotte’s achievements are not outstanding. Musically she depends on meticulous coaching from Sian Edwards, and voice production seems to be the main focus when she sings. It is the combination of the freshness of her youth and the old familiarity of the songs that makes her so embraceable. This inventory of classic hits, invariably Christmas shopping material, is inoffensively orchestrated for further “angelic effect”. There’s noticeably more depth and phrasing in the numbers accompanied by harp only and some imaginative mixing has taken place to help the general balance. –Yngvil V.G.
Customer Review: Highly recommended
Charlotte Church has been something of a phenomenon in the United Kingdom, a prodigy who leaped to national attention during a television talent show. This album was produced in 1999, when Charlotte was a mere slip of a 13-year-old girl. The songs are gentle, and show off Charlotte’s abilities to good effect. I bought this CD as a gift for my wife, and she loves it. We both highly recommend it to you!
Customer Review: An truly captivating album
Charlottes voice has an amazing clarity that transports the listener captivating your interest. At once you are aware of a maturity and a childlike quality to her voice. Yes, there are times when the technique falters ever so slightly (this will improve with time and patient practise) but adds a real presence to her singing. I am stunned that some one so young can have a voice that is so capitivating. I can only say that if I had a daughter who sang as well as Charlotte I should be very proud indeed. Indeed my 7 year old daughter and I listen every morning on our way to school. Truly captivating. Keep it up Charlotte!
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