RAM, October 21, 1977: Difference between revisions
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The whole thing has such a sixties feel that it's got to be a 1977 album. (Only too true - ed.) The label says it's Totally Stereo, but I think Mono Enhanced Stereo would be more accurate. Nick Lowe has mixed the rhythm section of bass, drums and (occasional) keyboards into a mono backdrop, put the classic R&B growl of E.C.'s voice way up front (though he's given it at times the kind of off-mike echo that Steve Sholes gave the real Elvis on his first RCA sessions), and kept the stereo separation for the guitars. | The whole thing has such a sixties feel that it's got to be a 1977 album. (Only too true - ed.) The label says it's Totally Stereo, but I think Mono Enhanced Stereo would be more accurate. Nick Lowe has mixed the rhythm section of bass, drums and (occasional) keyboards into a mono backdrop, put the classic R&B growl of E.C.'s voice way up front (though he's given it at times the kind of off-mike echo that Steve Sholes gave the real Elvis on his first RCA sessions), and kept the stereo separation for the guitars. | ||
The songs are self-assured, tight Southern R&B based nuggets understated and subtle but laced with short fiery guitar licks, sparingly coloured by keyboards and vocal harmonies. They're just about all under 3 minutes long, they're self-penned and they have a common theme — the all-time loser misses out again. I mean just look at the cover, E.C. is the all-time loser, the eternal misfit. Apparently he's a computer operator who's lived most of his life in Liverpool and the world has left him with such a chip on his shoulder he keeps a Black Book of all the people that have crossed him — (record execs fill most of the pages). Listen to some of the lines from " | The songs are self-assured, tight Southern R&B based nuggets understated and subtle but laced with short fiery guitar licks, sparingly coloured by keyboards and vocal harmonies. They're just about all under 3 minutes long, they're self-penned and they have a common theme — the all-time loser misses out again. I mean just look at the cover, E.C. is the all-time loser, the eternal misfit. Apparently he's a computer operator who's lived most of his life in Liverpool and the world has left him with such a chip on his shoulder he keeps a Black Book of all the people that have crossed him — (record execs fill most of the pages). Listen to some of the lines from "Alison" — ''"You used to hold him in your pretty hand but it took all that he could take"'' — or "Mystery Dance" — ''"Remember when the lights went out / Tryin' to make it look like it was never in doubt / Underneath the covers in the middle of the night / Tryin' to find my left foot from my right / You've seen these pictures in a magazine / But what's the use when you don't know what they mean".'' The songs are little vignettes about bitterness and failure, but the way they swing you get the feeling that through it all E.C. musta just shrugged his shoulders and gone on his way. | ||
Six of these tracks have been released as A or B sides of singles in England (in fact virtually the whole album is potential singles material) and although "Alison" and " | Six of these tracks have been released as A or B sides of singles in England (in fact virtually the whole album is potential singles material) and although "Alison" and "Less Than Zero" did get good critical reaction, the great British public — or rather the BBC — didn't agree. Still it's good to see someone else having a go at reviving the almost extinct art of the hit single as self-contained pop masterpiece. Who needs the album of the soundtrack of the film of the laser show of the same name when you've got people like Stiff Records putting out The Damned, Roogalator and Elvis Costello — all of whom had no chance of even getting near the studios before small independents like themselves and Chiswick (and Trafalgar here) reappeared. | ||
The story goes that Elvis Costello took his demo tapes to all the majors but was universally rejected as having low market potential. Well, whatever his personal problems, he's put together a collection of instantly memorable tracks that's currently riding at Number 15 in the English charts and deserves a far wider exposure than it's gonna get here. | The story goes that Elvis Costello took his demo tapes to all the majors but was universally rejected as having low market potential. Well, whatever his personal problems, he's put together a collection of instantly memorable tracks that's currently riding at Number 15 in the English charts and deserves a far wider exposure than it's gonna get here. | ||
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{{tags}}[[My Aim Is True]] {{-}} [[Alison]] {{-}} [[Mystery Dance]] {{-}} [[Less Than Zero]] {{-}} [[Stiff Records]] {{-}} [[Nick Lowe]] {{-}} [[Keepitasahobby|Keepitasahobby Productions]] {{-}} [[Graham Parker]] {{-}} [[Van Morrison]] {{-}} [[The Rolling Stones]] {{-}} [[Dr. Feelgood]] {{-}} [[The Beatles]] {{-}} [[Jackson Browne]] {{-}} [[Elvis Presley]] {{-}} [[The Damned]] {{-}} [[Roogalator]] | |||
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{{Bibliography notes}} | {{Bibliography notes}} | ||
{{Bibliography next | |||
|prev = :Category:RAM | |||
|next = RAM, February 24, 1978 | |||
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'''RAM, No. 69, October 21, 1977 | '''RAM, No. 69, October 21, 1977 | ||
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{{Bibliography images}} | {{Bibliography images}} | ||
[[image:1977-10-21 RAM cover.jpg|x120px | [[image:1977-10-21 RAM cover.jpg|x120px]] | ||
<br><small>Cover.</small> | <br><small>Cover.</small> | ||
Latest revision as of 09:43, 28 October 2021
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