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" Are you sick of always reading reviews of the same bands at the newsstand? There is so much music out there, oftentimes we find ourselves simply perched at the tip of the iceberg. Here is your pick-axe. Break through to the other 90% of the music realm..." |
m i n i o n s unxmaal |
2001-05-06
- 2:23 a.m. Okay, so I decided on a site redesign and came up with this so far. It has that fun retro look, so I think it will stay (at least for a while). Any comments? My guestbook is lonely... Well, on to the real deal. John Taylor (ex-Duran Duran bass player) has just released his third solo outing and it just arrived in my grubby hands early this week. I need to write a review of it and post it up here, but until I can, here is a blast from the past -- a review of his last solo effort (sometimes simply referred to as "The Japan Album," though technically it is just self-titled). Enjoy! * * * John Taylor - Self-Titled Review written: 12/99 What can I say about this CD? This has been the question that has been rolling through my mind as I have sat and sat with this piece. When you write about music, you take the selected album into your life, your care, and you get to know it, inside and out. To write objectively about the piece, you then must step back from it and make your observations. The funny thing is, I can’t seem to step back from this album. I can’t seem to separate it from myself. I have played this album ad nauseum, just living with it, letting it reveal to me its secrets and still, every time I play it, I discover something new - a new surprise or gift. Classification is also another challenge, with such an eclectic offering of musical styling, what approach does one take? Ironically, within the undercurrent of this chaos lies a cohesiveness to the songs, all of them with similar themes, bringing about a top line of peace and liberation. Perhaps that is the message of this album. With “Feelings Are Good (And Other Lies)” it was “Crisis = Opportunity,” can we gather with this album that within chaos and disarray in our lives and work, we can still find peace of mind? This album is a journey, from the beginnings of John Taylor’s first baby steps into the unknown of a solo expedition, and within the tale are those who he has met and have helped him along the way. Familiar names like John Shanks and Dan Chase who were there in the beginning right up through the familiar Terroristen personalities like Gerry Laffy, Michael Railton, Larry Aberman, and John Amato. So, to start with a review of this album, one must start from the beginning.> The opening track, “The Panhandler,” has been a piece of music running along the undercurrent of John’s solo efforts since these beginnings. It was a part of his live repertoire back then and soon sunk into the depths of obscurity. It has been a favorite of mine since its inception at John’s 1997 Stuttgart, Germany show and admittedly I was worried it was a song that would be lost to time, only to show up on some bootleg ten years from now. Still, it has been fascinating to watch this song alter and grow over time, from its initial stages as the shy, acoustic number in Germany, New York and Santa Monica in 1997, though its medley version with the premiere of “Hey Day” back at DuranCon 1998, to end up the spectacular version that graces the album. This track is the bridge from the past, bringing the listener up to speed, so to speak. From “Panhandler” we move to “Air Miles,” an almost unsettling descent into the depths of the album. Here chaos is again evident in the jerky rhythms and the vertigo of the groove. Throughout the chaos, is the strength of the song’s statement, further the statement of the album “I am strong, throughout diversity.” We then wade through the humor and honesty of each of the other songs each song a piece of a puzzle, putting together the story, yet strong enough to stand-alone and retain its own magic. The songs come at you from all angles, be it sonically or emotionally, and there are a few interesting notables with the comedy of “Coventry Carole” and the updated jam of the Zombie’s classic, “She’s Not There.” Then of course, we have also some recognizable moments, like the familiar miscue and then backbeat of Sugarhill’s West Street Mob’s “Break Dance-Electric Boogie” leading us into the concert favorite “Anon” and the haunting imagery and groove of “Silent Skin.” Still, these songs almost seem different now, surrounded by a newer musical maturity and confidence. My favorite album track though, “Spirit of the Times,” is the one that tells it all. It takes you all the way from the beginning and hints at the future. “Spirit of the Times” is the spirit of all of time and experience. It is the backbone of the album, the backbone of all that is John Taylor’s career and life. It is a glimpse inside the subconscious and the superconcious, culminating in the album’s apex and leading the listener to the plateau and resolution of the album’s final track, “My American Muse.” All loose ends are tied and all we need to know is told. “Feelings Are Good (And Other Lies)” is an album that changed my life, this album is one that will become a big part of it.
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