Firth of Fifth by Genesis

 

About the band: Genesis are a British rock band formed in 1967, whose output in the period 1970-1976 (the Gabriel and/or Hackett years) is among the very best of prog rock. After the departure of first Gabriel, and then Hackett, the remaining three members (Collins, Rutherford, Banks) opted for a more commercial rock sound that was highly successful for about 12 years. The band released 15 studio albums. One of my favourite bands for their prog years, even though I also appreciate some songs that came later. 

 
About the song: Firth of Fifth is the best song on the brilliant 1973 album Selling England by the pound. It is cited by many as the best prog rock song of all time. This majestic song of the sea weaves a magic spell for almost ten minutes, alternating between Peter Gabriels magnificent vocals and Tony Banks' keyboard virtuosity, and with Steve Hackett pulling off an amazing guitar solo in the middle section. 

 

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Give up your guns by the Buoys

 

About the band: The Buoys were an American pop/rock band from the early 1970s. Their career was short-lived, they never got to record an album. They are remembered for two singles: the notorious Timothy about cannibalism, and Give up your guns. 

 
About the song: for some reason, Give up your guns from 1971 is appreciated much more in Holland than elsewhere: it featured regularly in the all time top100 organized yearly by a Dutch radio station in the period 1970-2000, peaking at 22 in both 1974 and 1975, and getting a last entry as late as 1996. This story song with its desperado motive ("Shooting here or hanging there - and either way I lose") rather remarkably foreshadows later Eagles songs. 

 

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The Watchmaker by Steven Wilson

About the artist: Steven Wilson (1967) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer, most closely associated with the progressive rock genre. He became known as the founder, lead guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter of the band Porcupine Tree, as well as being a member of several other bands, including Blackfield and No-Man. He released his first solo album in 2008, followed by many more over the years, mostly to great critical acclaim. 

 
About the song: as good as his first solo albums were, he outdid himself with the 2013 album The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories) - a beautiful but spooky homage to seventies' prog. Genesis and Pink Floyd are the main influences on the track The Watchmaker. The lyrics are extraordinary even by Steven Wilson standards with lines like "You were just meant to be temporary while I waited for gold" and "I never really loved you but I'll miss you anyway". An extraordinary track from a brilliant album. 

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Winter by Tori Amos

About the artist: Tori Amos (1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist, and one of the most successful women in her genre. To date she has released over 15 studio albums, many of which have received high praise. 

About the song: the fragile ballad Winter from the phenomenal 1992 debut album Little Earthquakes is one of the best Tori Amos ever recorded. In this song she goes back to her childhood days, and her relationship with her father, dealing with growing up and getting sufficient self-esteem, knowing her father will not always be there to support her. The lyrics are poetic and extraordinarily image provoking ("Skating around the truth who I am, but I know Dad, the ice is getting thin"), climaxing in the recurring image of the wild horses. The beautiful piano work that drifts through the song couldn't have been more effective and mood setting. 

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Bedshaped by Keane

 

About the band: Keane are a British rock band formed in 1995. They achieved mainstream, international success with the release of their 2004 debut album, Hopes and Fears. I consider this one of the best debut albums ever, and unfortunately the quality if their work has gone down gradually since then - even so, they made many worthwhile songs. 

 
About the song: their 2004 debut album Hopes and fears is a beautiful collection of melodic songs, but even so, one track stands out for me: Bedshaped. Musically, a little more complex than most of their songs, and an amazing accomplishment for a new band. Especially the start of the instrumental section, where for a few seconds an Enya like atmosphere is created, which quickly gives away to powerful synthesizer magic. The lyrics are, well, interesting. Somehow I don't think that my wife would regard a line like "bedshaped with legs of stone" as a compliment....

 

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Cup of Coffee by Garbage

 

What goes well with chocolate? Right, coffee. So another post inspired by the current ChocolArt exhibition.

 

About the band: Garbage is an American rock band formed in 1993 with Shirley Manson as lead singer. Garbage has released six studio albums and sold over 17 million albums worldwide.

 
About the song: the 2001 album Beautiful Garbage received rather mixed responses. Some critics even accused the alternative rock band of selling out. Granted, it is a little more mainstream, but still a highly accomplished artistic effort. And it does sport the best song they have recorded. Cup of coffee describes the emotions after a love affair has ended in a very recognisable way without ever getting overly sentimental. Great lyrics, including lines such as "And no, of course, we can't be friends, not while I'm still so obsessed - I want to ask where I went wrong, but don't say anything at all". With a very original arrangement (including the eerie sounds of an ondes martinot), and Shirley Manson in vocal top form, this is so far one of the best songs of the 21st Century. 

 

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New Year's Day by U2

 

Pretty much unavoidable to pick my favourite U2 song for today. Happy New Year everybody!

About the band: U2 are an Irish rock band, formed in 1976. They have released 14 studio albums and are one of the world's best-selling music artists, having sold an estimated 150–170 million records worldwide.

About the song: it is difficult to imagine that there was a time when U2 were struggling for success, but they actually had to wait for their fourth album to make it big. Their first album (Boy) was a good collection of straightforward rock songs, but it gave no indication yet of things to come. The second album (October) was a bit mixed, with some questionable tracks, and some great songs, in particular the title song. Their third album (War) from 1983 was their artistic breakthrough, helped to a large extent by the success of the single New year's day, one of a number of my favourites inspired by the continued violence in Northern Ireland. 

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Kites by Simon Dupree and the Big Sound

 

 

About the band: Simon Dupree and the Big Sound were a British psychedelic band formed in 1966, and dissolved in 1969, after which the core members formed the prog band Gentle Giant. They released only one studio album, and their only big hit Kites was not included on it.

About the song: Kites is the only sixties' one-hit-wonder that has stood the test of time. The band hated it, but their manager loved it, as its psychedelic sound was exactly right for the time. The colourful tones of the mellotron create a distinctly Asian atmosphere, enhanced by the images of the lyrics (the white kite flying in the sun, with a message of love on it), and topped off by the recitation of an Asian sounding poem by actress Jacqui Chan, who apparently reproduced phonetics taught to her by her grandmother with the result that no-one knows what she is saying or even what language it is in. 

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Jeder's manchmohl einsam by Wolfgang Niedecken

 

About the artist: Wolfgang Niedecken (1951) is a German singer, musician, and visual artist. He is the founder and lead singer of the rock group BAP. Since 1987 he has also released a handful of solo albums. Niedecken sings his songs in Kölsch, the local dialect of Cologne. 

 
About the song: Jeder's manchmohl einsam is a track from the 1996 album Leopardenfell: seventeen covers of Bob Dylan songs, translated into Kölsch. He achieves the impossible on this album: he makes you forget that these are Dylan songs (even though he takes some of the most famous ones like A hard rain's a gonna fall and Mighty Quinn) and makes them sound like his own work. Absolutely brilliant is his version of It's all over now, baby blue, which translated becomes Jeder's manchmol einsam. Sandwiched between some of the best sax playing this side of Baker Street, this sensitive ballad unfolds to great effect.

 

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Tequila Sunrise by The Eagles

 

About the band: The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. They are one of the world's best-selling bands, having sold more than 200 million records, including 100 million albums sold in U.S alone. Their highest popularity was in the seventies, when they released six of their seven studio albums.

 
About the song: the hit single Tequila sunrise from the 1973 album Desperado is a prime example of early Eagles, when their country-rock style still leaned very much toward country rather than rock. A simple melancholy ballad, lyrics that are rather run-of-the-mill, and somehow, some way, this song settles in your mind and you like it forever. The title is a play of words on the sunrise observed after a night of drinking, as well as on a well-known cocktail.

 

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Chance for a Lifetime by Kayak

 

 

About the band: Kayak is a Dutch progressive rock band formed in 1972, and still going strong after a time-out from 1982 until 1999. Their singles and albums sold well in the Netherlands, but they made little impact internationally. A pity, because they are my favourite Dutch band. 

 
About the song: a track from one of their best albums, 1975's Royal Bed Bouncer. This song is the highlight of this great album with its tremendous drive and a science fiction theme (humans leaving a dying earth in a spaceship). Unfortunately, the record company decided to cut out a marvelous instrumental interlude when they released this as a single, and that version appears on all compilations as well. I clearly prefer the longer version on the album.

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A coral room by Kate Bush

 

 

Under the label "Pop/Rock songs" I will feature some of my favourite songs - and I will also take the opportunity to see whether I can get some suitable images for them with AI....

 

About the artist: Kate Bush (1958) is a British singer/songwriter, who in 1978 topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single Wuthering heights. Many hits (singles and albums) followed. She is generally seen as one of the greatest influences on a generation of female pop/rock artists who came after her. 

 
About the song: A coral room is a track from her 2005 double album Aerial. It is a beautiful solo piano accompanied ballad of the type that she should have a patent on, a very personal sharing of her feelings upon the death of her mother. 

 

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