Tag Archives: New Musical Express

Stephen Stills: Same

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On November 16, 1970, “Atlantic” label released the self-titled, debut Stephen Stills studio album. It was recorded January – July 1970, at “Island Studios” in London, “The Record Plant” and “Wally Heider” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Stephen Stills and Bill Halverson. In 1974, “New Musical Express” magazine ranked it at number 70 on its list of “The Best Albums of All Time.

Personnel:

  • Stephen Stills – vocals, guitars, bass, piano, organ, steelpan, percussion; horn and string arrangements
  • Jimi Hendrix – electric guitar
  • Eric Clapton – electric guitar
  • Booker T. Jones – organ, backing vocal
  • Calvin “Fuzzy” Samuel – bass
  • Conrad Isidore – drums
  • John Barbata – drums
  • Ringo Starr – drums
  • Dallas Taylor – drums
  • Jeff Whittaker – congas
  • Sidney George – flute, alto saxophone
  • Rita Coolidge, David Crosby, Priscilla Jones, John Sebastian – backing vocals
  • Cass Elliot, Claudia Lennear – backing vocals
  • Graham Nash – backing vocals
  • Judith Powell, Larry Steele, Liza Strike, Tony Wilson – backing vocals
  • Sherlie Matthews – backing vocals
  • Arif Mardin – string arrangements
  • Andy Johns – engineer
  • Gary Burden – art direction, back cover photography
  • Henry Diltz – front cover photography
  • Charles John Quarto – sleeve poem

Track listing:

All tracks by Stephen Stills.

  1. Love the One You’re With
  2. Do for the Others
  3. Church (Part of Someone)
  4. Old Times Good Times
  5. Go Back Home
  6. Sit Yourself Down
  7. To a Flame
  8. Black Queen
  9. Cherokee
  10. We Are Not Helpless

Shack: H.M.S. Fable

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On June 21, 1999, “London” label released “H.M.S Fable”, the third Shack album. It was recorded 1998 – 1999, at “Townhouse” in London, “Rockfield” in Monmouthshire, Southeast Wales, “Ridge Farm” in Capel, Surrey, “Westside” in London, “Britannia Row” in London, “The Chapel” in South Thoresby, Alford, “Lansdowne” in London, and was produced by Hugh Jones and Youth (Martin Glover). In 2013, “New Musical Express” magazine ranked “H.M.S. Fable” at number 332 at its list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.

Personnel:

  • Michael Head – vocals, acoustic guitar
  • John Head – electric guitar, vocals, Hammond organ
  • Ren Parry – bass
  • Iain Templeton – drums, percussion, backing vocals
  • Martin Duffy – piano
  • Richard Payne – Hammond organ
  • Michelle Brown – bass
  • The Kick Horns (Roddy Lorimer and Paul Spong) – trumpets, horns
  • Anne Woods – violin

Track listing:

All tracks by Michael Head, except where noted.

  1. Natalie’s Party
  2. Comedy
  3. Pull Together – Michael Head, John Head
  4. Beautiful – John Head
  5. Lend’s Some Dough
  6. Captain’s Table
  7. Streets of Kenny
  8. Reinstated
  9. I Want You
  10. Cornish Town – John Head
  11. Since I met You
  12. Daniella

Super Furry Animals: Fuzzy Logic

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On May 20, 1996, “Creation” label released “Fuzzy Logic”, the debut Super Furry Animals album. It was recorded in 1996, at “Rockfield Studios” in Wales, and was produced by Gorwel Owen, Gruff Rhys, Dafydd Leuan, Cian Ciaran, Guto Pryce and Huw Bunford. In 2013, “New Musical Express” magazine ranked it at number 245 in its list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. In 2004, “Q” magazine listed “Fuzzy Logic” at number 42 on its list of the “50 Best British Albums Ever”.

Personnel:

  • Gruff Rhys – vocals, guitars, analogues, claps
  • Huw Bunford – vocals, guitars, e-bow, cello, claps
  • Cian Ciaran – vocals, keyboards, analogues, claps
  • Guto Pryce – vocals, bass, Hammond, claps, analogues
  • Dafydd Ieuan – vocals, drums, percussion, piano, claps
  • Gorwel Owen – piano, Hammond, Rhodes
  • Jez Francis – piano
  • Simon James – saxophone, flute
  • Andrew Frizell – saxophone, recorder, trombone
  • Martin Smith – trumpet, tenor horn
  • Matthew Everett – violin
  • Chris Williams – violin
  • Helen Spargo – viola
  • Catherine Tanner – cello
  • Lindsay Higgs – balalaika
  • Rhys Ifans & Dic Ben – answering machine message
  • Andy Wilkinson – engineer
  • Nick Brine – engineer assistant
  • Brian Cannon @ Microdot – design, art direction
  • Toby Egelnick – inside design, layout

Track listing:

All tracks by Gruff Rhys, Dafydd Leuan, Cian Ciaran, Guto Pryce and Huw Bunford.

  1. God! Show Me Magic
  2. Fuzzy Birds
  3. Something for the Weekend
  4. Frisbee
  5. Hometown Unicorn
  6. Gathering Moss
  7. If You Don’t Want Me To Destroy You
  8. Bad Behavior
  9. Mario Man
  10. Hangin’ With Howard Marks
  11. Long Gone
  12. For Now and Ever

Prince: Sign o’ the Times

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Prince_sign-o-the-times

On March 31, 1987, “Paisley Park Records” label released “Sign o’ the Times” (Sign “☮” the Times}, the ninth Prince studio album. It was recorded in 1986 – 1987, at “Lake Minnetonka Home Studio” in Minnetonka, “Galpin Boulevard Home Studio” in Chanhassen, “Washington Avenue Warehouse” in Eden Prairie, “Sunset Sound Recorders” and “Ocean Way Recording” in Hollywood, “Monterey Sound Studios” in Glendale, and “Dierks Studio Mobile Trucks” in Paris, and was produced by Prince. In 1989, magazine “Time Out” named it as the greatest album of all time. Magazine “New Musical Express” ranked “Sign o’ the Times” at number 16 in its list of the “All Time Top 100 Albums”. Magazine “The Times”  ranked  “Sign o’ the Times” as the 29th greatest album of all time, and in 2003, magazine “Rolling Stone” ranked the album at number 93 on its list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.

Personnel:

  • Prince- all vocals and instruments except as noted below
  • Wendy Melvoin- guitar, tambourine, congas, backing vocals
  • Lisa Coleman- Fairlight sitar, wooden flute, keyboards, backing vocals
  • Fink- keyboards
  • Miko Weaver- guitar
  • Brown Mark- bass
  • Bobby Z.- drums
  • Sheila E.- rap, drums, percussion
  • Eric Leeds- saxophone
  • Atlanta Bliss- trumpet
  • Jill Jones- vocals
  • Susannah Melvoin- backing vocals, vocals
  • Sheena Easton- co-lead vocals

Track listing:

All tracks by Prince, except where noted

  1. Sign o’ the Times
  2. Play in the Sunshine
  3. Housequake
  4. The Ballad of Dorothy Parker
  5. It
  6. Starfish and Coffee – Prince, Susannah Melvoin
  7. Slow Love – Prince, Carole Davis
  8. Hot Thing
  9. Forever in My Life
  10. U Got the Look
  11. If I Was Your Girlfriend
  12. Strange Relationship
  13. I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man
  14. The Cross
  15. It’s Gonna Be a Beautiful Night – Prince, Doctor Fink, Eric Leeds
  16. Adore

Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not

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Whatever_People_Say_I_Am,_That's_What_I'm_Not

On January 23, 2006, “Domino” label released “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not”, the debut Arctic Monkeys studio album.  It was recorded June – September 2005, and was produced by Jim Abbiss and Alan Smyth. With sale of more than 360.000, copies in its first week, the album become the fastest selling debut album in British music history and  has gone quintu platinum in the UK. In 2006 it received the “Mercury Prize for Best Album”. In 2013, magazine “Rolling Stone” ranked “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not” at number 371 on its list of “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”, and the 30th greatest debut album of all time. In October 2013, magazine “New Musical  Express” ranked the album at number 19 in ist poll of the “500 greatest albums of all time”.

Personnel:

  • Alex Turner- lead vocals, guitar
  • Jamie Cook- guitars, backing vocals
  • Andy Nicholson- bass, backing vocals
  • Matt Helders- drums, percussion, co-lead vocals, backing vocals
  • Juno Liverpool – design
  • Alexandra Wolkowicz – photography
  • Andy Brown – photography

Track listing:

All tracks by Alex Turner, except where noted.

  1. The View from the Afternoon
  2. I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
  3. Fake Tales of San Francisco
  4. Dancing Shoes
  5. You Probably Couldn’t See for the Lights But You Were Staring Straight at Me
  6. Still Take You Home
  7. Riot Van
  8. Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured
  9. Mardy Bum
  10. Perhaps Vampires is a Bit Strong But…
  11. From the Ritz to the Rubble
  12. A Certain Romance

Melody Maker

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Melody Maker 1926

On January 2, 1926, first issue of “Melody Maker”, British weekly magazine was published.  “Melody Maker” was probably the earliest world music magazine and at its beginnings it was magazine for jazz, dance bands and musicians.  Publisher was Lawrence Wright and the first editor was Edgar Jackson. In 2000 “Melody Maker’ was merged into “New Musical Express”.