Craig Randall » Music

Album Review: Nirvana – Bleach (20th Anniversary Edition)

Craig Randall — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:48:44 +0000

It seems a bit weird to review an album that was first released 20 years ago but the new release of Bleach is different to the original and is worth a review. The album comes in a really nice digipack case with a booklet full of rare photos of the band in their early days. The album also contains a bonus live show which I expected would be on a bonus disc but it is added on to the end of the disc instead. The live show is from February 9th 1990 and was recorded at Pine Street Theatre in Portland. This show was available on a bootleg but it is not as good quality as it is on this disc. The only bad thing about this show is there is nothing special about it. It is just live performances of songs with no mid song banter and average crowd reaction. I would like to have seen a show such as the Vienna show from November 1989 which is widely known as THE best Bleach era Nirvana gig. The main highlight from the live show is that it contains the song Sappy, which is the best Nirvana song that was never released officially.

The first 13 tracks on the disc were the original release of Bleach plus the song Downer that was added in later releases of the album. Bleach is a favourite among many Nirvana fans because it is Nirvana at their rawest and punkiest sound. Apart from About A Girl all the tracks have destorted guitar, heavy bass and tinny drums. It really makes you realise just how polished their later albums were in comparison and this is the only album where you’ll really hear Nirvana sounding the way they always wanted to. For me personally there are not really any tracks on this album that stand above the rest. I really could not pick out the top 5 but songs such as School, Floyd The Barber and About A Girl really stood the test of time and were performed by Nirvana the most in their career.

Verdict: If you like Nirvana and don’t have Bleach then buy this album. If you love Nirvana and already have Bleach, buy this album anyway. If you want to get into Nirvana I suggest Nevermind or In Utero first.

Album Review: Flight of the Conchords – I Told You I Was Freaky

Craig Randall — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:18:54 +0000

If you are a fan of the Flight of the Conchords TV show then you will no doubt love this CD. The album contains songs from the second series of the cult musical comedy, and these songs definatly top those form the first series, and the first series had some very funny songs.

For those of you who are not familiar with the TV series you may find this CD a little odd but still enjoyable. There are many different varieties of musical genres throughout this album from the bands attempted rapping in the opening track Hurt Feelings to a dark 80′s sound in Fashion is Danger, with vocals that sound slightly like Marilyn Manson and a cheesey reference to Thatcher and Reagan. You are also treated to an odd Russian styled track called Petrov, Yelyena And Me which in the TV show has an odd video to match.

The lyrics in all of the songs are not just amusing but also on the verge of genius. Rambling Through The Avenues of Time and Carol Brown are prime examples of the skillful and clever song writing the band frequently produce, although that could easily be said about the other tracks too.

Verdict: These guys may not be to everyone’s liking but they are certainly to mine. You have to get the humour to really appreciate them and I highly recommend watching the TV show first. If you enjoy the second series of the show you will find it hard not to buy this.

Song of The Decade

Craig Randall — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:13:47 +0000

Absolute Radio have teamed up with Spotify and Shortlist magazine to find the song of the decade. The last 10 years has seen some fantastic bands/artists and songs come to light so choosing one song is very difficult indeed. Luckilly you can vote for more than one song if you wish but if I had to choose just one song then I would choose One Day Like This by Elbow. It’s a bit of a weird choice for me as I am not a massive Elbow fan and I don’t listen to this song that much (in fact as I write this it’s 98th on my last.fm page). However this is one of those songs that can brighten up a rainy day and i’ve even heard of couples playing it at their weddings. It really is just one of those songs that everyone has their own reason to enjoy, it has great lyrics and is the only song I know that has ‘Holy Cow’ in it. It was also the song that launched Elbow into the mainstream. So if you agree then please follow the banner below to vote for it.

Nirvana Bootlegs

Craig Randall — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:24:00 +0000

I have been interested in Nirvana bootlegs for years now. I have only recently became serious about collecting them and I have gathered a small number of them from various sources.

What is a bootleg? A bootleg is an unofficial cd release which usually contains a live performance from a band. Some bootlegs are compilations that contain TV appearances and radio recordings. Before the Internet made this kind of material easier to obtain, bootlegs were very popular with hardcore fans. Nirvana are one band that were around during the time when bootleg cds were at their peak and therefore have more bootleg albums in circulation than most bands in history.

I have recently aquired a very special Nirvana bootleg entitled: First Live Show which is exactly that, Nirvana’s first ever live show. The show itself was at a friend’s house party in 1987 and at the time the band were not even called Nirvana. The set list contains tracks from Bleach and Incesticide plus two Led Zeppelin covers: Heartbreaker and How Many More Times. The fact that a recording like this even exists is astonishing, especially as this was recorded long before current technology made recording and sharing easier. Considering the show was just recorded by someone at a house party in 1987, the sound quality is pretty good too. It is cds like this one that make’s collecting bootlegs worth while.

I have dedicated a page on this website to my Nirvana Bootleg Collection. This is mainly for me to keep track of them and to be able to share further details about them.
My Nirvana Bootleg page

Album Review: Muse – Resistance

Craig Randall — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:40:49 +0000

Muse are a band who have changed their style slightly over the last years. From being a riff heavy, effects driven, high tempo alternative band they have slowed down the overal pace and added to the generic bass, drums and guitar. Resistance is good example of the new direction Muse have taken. All the old elements are there and in Unnatural Selection especially you are still treated a fast paced guitar riff which shares a lot of similarities to Origin of Symmetry’s New Born. The album kicks off with the first single from the album, Uprising. The mix of guitar and voice shouting ‘come on’ during this track is definatly the highlight. The rest is what you would expect from Muse, as is the title track, Resistance. What stands out for me on this track is the backing vocals from Chris and Dom. Although at first they may sound a bit cheesy, I think they really work with Matt’s lead vocals and it also seems like the band are communicating with each other through song. You are treated to Matt Bellamy’s piano skills on United States of Urasia and I Belong to You, which the more and more I listen to is quickly becoming my favourite track from the album. Bellamy also showcases more of his musical skills in the beautiful Undesclosed Desires in which he composed the string section but he does not play neither guitar or piano on this track.

The album ends with the three part track, Exogenesis Symphony. I will admit I am not too fond of these three tracks. They certainly wont get much love if they came up on your ipod on shuffle. The three parts do work on their own but you can’t really get the full potential out of them unless they are all played in sync. The tracks themselves are just examples of the way Muse like to branch off from the traditional Guitar, Bass and Drums combo. Although this is nice in small doses throughout the album I think these tracks do let it down a bit.

Verdict: The first 7 tracks are all great Muse tracks in their own way but Exogenesis Symphony is just not for me. The band, Matt Bellamy in particular showcase their many musical talents and it wont disappoint any Muse fan. If you don’t like the album at first, give it a few more listens. It grew on me very quickly and now I find it hard to stop listening.