Hammers Tongues And A Bakewell Tart - Tufty Swift & Sue Harris

Advantages: A brave step forward, experimental
Disadvantages: This doesn't necessarily equate as good music

...to diminish. This record certainly didn't do as well as those that preceded it, not staying in the charts for that long. This is chiefly because,as the band have since alleged, the record company did very little work to promote the album at the time, only releasing two singles (which both hit number one, go figure) and instead concentrating on an upcoming solo album from Debbie Harry, which, funnily enough, bombed. The album opens with 'Europa', a filmic introduction composed by Blondie's lead guitarist Chris Stein (and in truth, only guitarist, as Frank Infante was increasingly left out of proceedings, resulting in a 1981 lawsuit where Infante would sue the band for leaving him out of key decisions). 'Europa' is like nothing else in the Blondie cannon, with its orchestra and Debbie Harry not singing but narrating. Perhaps this is a little... Read review

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Advantages: Brutal and unrelenting
Disadvantages: The image of the band

...The opening snippet of Slipknot's debut album - a low rumble of noise and an old lady sampled over the top saying "the whole thing, I think it's sick" - lets you know just what you're in for. The first track proper, Sic, drops you swiftly into the heart of Slipknot's warped and intoxicating vision, spurned by their upbringing in Iowa. Second track, Eyeless, starts off with a drum 'n bass loop wich quickly gets lost in the mix as everything kicks in around you. There are some blinders on here, from the out-and-out harshness of Wait And Bleed to the twisted closer, Scissors. One of the things you'll notice about Slipknot is that even though they feature samples, the biggest bass you've ever heard on a metal album and sick Jonathan Davis style vocals, they still manage to hammer in some beautiful hooks through the whole twisted journey... Read review

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Advantages: Two or three unique Maiden classics
Disadvantages: Weaker tracks are atrocious!

...to pursue a solo career. His replacement was shaggy-mopped former White Spirit guitarist Janick Gers. The album was a catalogue of errors. After 'Seventh son....', Steve Harris felt that Maiden should change direction. The direction, in Harris' opinion, was to go back to the 'raw' feel of earlier (i.e. Di'Anno era) Maiden albums. This meant no synthesisers, little keyboards, and lashings of dark and heavy guitars. But the album itself sounds too commercial in places, especially with semi-comic parody 'Holy Smoke', and 'The Assassin'. This was not in the Maiden spirit, as they have always played to their fans, not the masses. The spirit of the album was summed up by the artwork by Derek Riggs. Very understated compared to the marvellous 'Seventh son....' graphics, it is simply a rather gruesome 'Eddie' smashing out of a tomb, and reaching... Read review

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