The Stranglers - Aural Sculpture

This is The Stranglers 8th album and the second for Epic Records. It was a more mellowing sound of the band although some of the lyrics to the songs showed they had lost none of their bite. The tracks were recorded in Brussels the previous year and into early 1984 and was produced by the now very much in demand Laurie Latham, thanks to his work on the Paul Young debut album. This album was quite a departure for the band, after the last album which had more of a European sound, this album was the first one to have a three piece horn section on. The lead single off the album was Skin Deep, which was a great keyboard featured track which managed to get to number 15 in the UK charts but the following two singles fared less well. The album came out in November 1984 and reached number 14 but also helped the band gain a following in Europe.

As typically Stranglers, I originally had the album on cassette, at the end of the album was a short explanation and screams from the band before it went into a game for the ZX Spectrum. It was the Aural Quest, where you had to complete parts of the game to build parts of an ear. I never completed the game as it was always a pain to load up onto the computer, but when it worked, you had to think how would one of the band think, their strange humour featured too, it was a nice added touch to the album. Have a listen to the album on Spotify, it is quite a departure from the previous Punk and New Wave sounds, you'll probably enjoy it. Skin Deep is one of my favourite tracks, along with North Winds Blowing, Souls and No Mercy. Here's the sleeve

Stevie Wonder - Superstition

Another hit single from Stevie Wonder, this great track was released here in the UK in early 1973 and managed to climb to number 11 but did so much better in the States as it got to number 1. Stevie played many of the instruments on this single, including the drums, he wrote it and also produced the track which mentions a few of the superstitious tales of old. Taken from the 1972 album Talking Book which managed a number 16 chart placing here had enough sales to make it a gold album, but I don't think Stevie's UK success matched the States as in chart placing's. Shooting forward to 1986 and Peter Gabriel released Sledgehammer which gives a nod to Superstition. Here's the single

Alice Cooper - From The Inside

I'm not a huge Alice Cooper fan, although I saw him live in the late 80's and he was awesome, but I really like this unbelievably over looked album by Alice. Released in 1978 it was a concept album based about his stay in a New York institution for his alcoholism. This is a raw Alice, with help from Elton John's side kick Bernie Taupin and a couple of Elton's band mates, they helped create an album with each track with a storyline of a situation and character who he had met in the institution. From The Quiet Room about a guy in a padded cell to avoid self harm (also my favourite track on this album), with Millie And Billie which is a tale of two lovers which one is married who kill her husband to be together. There's Nurse Rosetta about a nurse that tuned on the inmates with a verse describing just what happens when he sees her! There is also the single How You Gonna See Me Now about an unsure Cooper wondering how a partner will treat him once he is freed. The single was a fairly big hit in the US but only managed 61 in the UK charts.

The album didn't chart in the UK which is a real shame as I think it is a classic. The album artwork was great too, featuring opening doors on the front cover and doors on the back which opened too all revealing Alice in various shots of the institution. To me, when I listen to this album it seems such a personal album but also bringing the other inmates to life too, where those people he sings about really there? I think it also a lot more of a softer rock album with, dare I say strings added to a couple of tracks! An album I think should be listened to from start to finish and follow the story to the final track singing about the inmates in Inmates (We're All Crazy). Originally released on Warner Brothers, try and listen to it if you can as it is a shame it wasn't such a bigger hit. Here is the sleeve from the cd!

White Lies - To Lose My Life

White Lies are a band hailing from Ealing near London and originally were in a band called Fear Of Flying. They felt that the songs they were coming up with didn't fit in with that band so White Lies came from that band with a more darker sound to the material they had played previously. The band formed in late 2007 and began gigging with the new band and songs they had written. Almost straight away they began to have record company interest and signed to Fiction Records which was an off shoot from Polydor and started work on their debut album.

To Lose My Life was the title of the album and third single off the album and the single reached 34 in the UK charts. A mixture of rock, pop and punk with plenty of 80's sounds, the single and album sound like Echo & The Bunnymen with a bit of Billy Idol in places I think. But don't let that put you off, listen to then as it is a great debut album and a cracking single. Here's the single which was released in clear vinyl.

The Hollies - The Air That I Breathe

Going back to being an 8 year old, just really getting into music and listening to the radio and hearing all kinds of music mixing together on the radio. I remember hearing this single from an old band that were having hits before I was born! The Hollies were a band from Manchester who were towards the end of their chart hit career. They had a lot of hit singles here and in America during the 60's as part of the so called ''British invasion'' which happened after the Beatles had hit America.

Graham Nash had left the band to form Crosby, Stills & Nash. The Hollies hits were drying up and they recorded this track written by Albert Hammond & Mike Hazlewood, which was included on Hammonds solo album. The Hollies heard the album decided the track was their kind of track and complete with lush orchestral arrangements, this ballad hit the charts in February 1974 and raced up to number 2 and made the top 10 in America. It would be the last major hit for the band until the mid 80's re- issue of He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother after an advert had used the song and pushed it to number 1!

The song has been covered many times by a number of different artists and has become a standard. In 1992 Radiohead were sued as the chords in their single Creep were very similar to the chords on the Hollies version of The Air That I Breathe so they were sued by the writers of the track and are now listed as co writers on the Radiohead track. Here's the single.

Record Store Day 2014

Last Saturday (19th April) was Record Store Day in the UK and as usual some really odd and wonderful pieces of vinyl were released in very limited issues. For some reason I couldn't find if there was a record store in Hull that was taking part this year. Last year there was a shop but they closed down the beginning of this year so no joy for me this year.

I have always called this day Ebay Store Day as some of the vinyl that should be released on the Saturday had made it's way onto Ebay for a inflated price, which to me is really unfair. Paul Weller now seems to agree too. He released a single for the day in a limited run of 500 copies. His fans complained via his website, as they had seen his single appear on Ebay the night before and yet again ruined any chance of his fans getting hold of this single. He was mad enough to issue a statement on his site saying how angry he was about it and as a result of this, will not be taking part in the Record Store Day again.

If only all the other artists who take part for this day, saw what was happening and followed Paul in the same way. The organisers would have to take it seriously do something about sorting the problems out and making it a little fairer on the record buying public. It would be nice as well if there was a web site we could purchase some of the releases on for those who don't have a record shop taking part.

Sarah Brightman & Hot Gossip - I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper

Thanks to one of my TV heroes, Kenny Everett, this is where the Hot Gossip story began. Hot Gossip were a dance troupe that were more sexy with the clothes and moves than what Legs & Co were off Top Of The Pops. Kenny Everett had the dancers on his show and used them in odd sketches and because they were mostly gorgeous women, they became well known and talked about certainly at my school and no doubt loads of other schools around the UK in 1978.

Sarah Brightman was in her late teens when she was in the dance group and also was the one who could sing. To cash in the their popularity and of the disco boom they released this camp single I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper and was written by the two guys who were known in the UK as Typically Tropical who got to number one with Barbados in 1975. The song was a tongue in cheek name checking reference to Star Wars, Close Encounters, Star Trek, Flash Gordon and plenty of innuendo for good measure. The song did well and reached number 6 in the UK charts.

They tried to follow up the single with The Adventures Of The Love Crusader but it didn't do that much. Not long after that Sarah Brightman left Hot Gossip to concentrate on her singing career which was to scale enormous height over the next few years. A great song from an amazing show, here's the single