0001 - Lull Account

Advantages: A truly spectacular voice.
Disadvantages: One or two weaker songs.

...Away', a wonderful introduction to Martha's captivating voice. The song manages a thoughtful and reflective air while resisting the temptation to become bitter, gently lulling the listener into Martha's world. A magnificent opening track by all accounts followed by the significantly more up-tempo 'G.P.T.' (Greenpoint Tavern). The song eases in in typical Martha style - just acoustic guitar and vocals with the rest of the band kicking in on the third line. The lyrics, as ever, display a stark honesty carried by Martha's smoky, sandpaper vocals, a no-holds barred narrative of drunken desire. One of the more notable songs on the album is that of 'Factory'. At first listen one is easily carried away by the breezy, melodic guitar riffs, it is only on closer inspection that the song reveals a sense of utter displacement and uneasiness... Read review

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Advantages: Simple, lucid, powerful songs, Dylan is playing under conviction, a man with a musical mission
Disadvantages: Rushed, unbalanced production which hasn't transferred well to CD. Not your usual Dylan, be warned!

...and transplanting them dramatically into the new breed of rock & roll, changing an entire culture from within. In 1966 Dylan was the hottest property in rock, and his energy, brilliance and sheer eccentricity was turning the world upside down, he was almost unstoppable. Almost, because in June of that year a serious motorcycle accident took him out of action for a while, allowing him time to reflect, and slow down some. Dylan did a lot of reflecting over the next few years, almost to the point of becoming a recluse, locked away in his Woodstock home, ruminating on life, family and the bible. In 1968 he emerged once more with 'John Wesley Harding', a back-to-basics sound and a strong moral message Dylan called it 'the first biblical rock album' and a new genre, 'country rock' is born. Following a creative 'lull' at the start of the 70's (in which... Read review

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Advantages: a breath of fresh air in a world of over produced music
Disadvantages: none

...to breath a new life into these traditional formats. The results was a band that played Irish folk inspired music with a punk mentality and after only a couple of years the band had toured as the support to Clash, the band that inspired MacGowan in the first place, signed to Stiff records and released this highly acclaimed debut album, "Red Roses for Me" The ragged trousered ranters had arrived. The opening number "Transmetropolitan" has an opening refrain that would lull even the folk purists into a false sense of security. The wash of an accordion and a strummed guitar ease you in but there is a growing drone in the background that grows and finally breaks in a wave of attitude as the rest of the band kick in and MacGowan lays out his tale of hooliganism and rabble rousing. The Pogues have the knack of making new songs sound old... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful