The Heyday [Import] [Original recording remastered]

Fairport Convention in performance have often been an entirely different animal to the studio band and I can testify to that having seen them in such disparate venues as Fusion, Sunderland and Newcastle Poly.

Tracks 1 through 12 sound good but the style does not suit the band in retrospect. Importing new and upcoming songwriters' songs certainly brought a breath of fresh air to the British scene and served an important purpose in reawakening our own roots but despite the beauty of the singer's voices, the approach is still borrowed and although sounding authentic does not really gel. Please don't mistake me, I love those songs and the performance but I prefer the later material.

My greatest joy in owning this CD comes from having a live version of Tam Lin which I have always preferred to the crowd favourite of Matty Groves. It is a little different to the studio version but is awesome. Other standout tracks are Autopsy and Reynardine. Later period Fairport with probably their most powerful lineup is a joy to listen to even when they are playing their Top of the Pops Si Tu Dois Partir. The playing is a delight, the singing amazing and the tightness of the band and their empathy with the other band members is clearly evident.

An excellent album and an absolute for all Fairport fans.

Surf Music Unplugged
Average customer rating:

An exciting album all guitar fans will love!

Incredible!

Fabulous Guitar -- a must buy!

Even People Who Don't Like Surf Genre Will Love This

Not surf music........ but great stuff!!

Surf Music Unplugged
The Duo-Tones
Manufacturer: Heyday
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
Surf Rock | Oldies & Retro | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

War of The Surf Guitars

Nomad

Surf Sensation

Surf-N-Burn

World of Surf Music

ASIN: B00004ZEIG
Release Date: 2007-03-26

Tracks:

Crystal-T
Mr. Moto
Baja
Apache
Walk, Don't Run
Baja Nights
Hide Away
Outside
Scratchy
Last Date
Kamikaze
California Dreamin'
Pipeline
Song For My Father
Beach City Bop
The Lonely Bull
The Wedge
More Love, More Power
Last Night In Waikiki

Customer Reviews:

An exciting album all guitar fans will love!.......2006-03-26

This is a great album which is exciting to listen to. The level of playing skill is astonishing and the tunes are very enjoyable. I first heard one cut on the internet and it immediately caught my ear and I had to find out where it came from and try to get the CD. I'm very glad I did. This is one of my all time favorite guitar albums, period.

Incredible!.......2004-09-08

This is a fantastic CD. Fans of both surf and classical guitar have a huge hole in their collection if they do not own it, period. I got my copy a few days ago and I haven't stopped listening to it since. "The Lonely Bull" actually captures a melancholy feeling I have never gotten from that song before, which is just awesome. The sound quality is great, too. It seems that every album from every band on Amazon gets at least four stars, but honestly, this recording truely deserves it.

Fabulous Guitar -- a must buy!.......2004-09-04

This is without a doubt one of my best music purchases of the past year. As other reviewers have noted, you don't have to like surf music (acoustic, or not) to love this album. I also highly recommend a follow-up album called "Plugged In & Live" which is just awesome (this live album has the amps and reverb, which one reviewer here said makes music "real" surf music! :) It's fabulous too. Steve

Even People Who Don't Like Surf Genre Will Love This.......2004-07-02

I don't particulary care for Surf music. One day I heard a couple of tracks from this album and I liked it so much I had to have it. "Unplugging" this type of music really allows the depth, complexity, and beauty of the music to shine through. This CD contains phenominal guitar performances and is one of the best qualility and "listenable" accoustical guitar recordings I've come across. Many of the songs on this album evoked complex Flamenco and/or Classical flavors for me-- and every now and again I find myself recognizing one of the classic Surfer pieces, I'm taken by suprise finding myself saying, "I didn't think THAT song could sound so wonderful!".

Not surf music........ but great stuff!!.......2003-09-10

I didn't believe anyone could do a decent version "Walk Don't Run" with just 2 _acoustic_ guitars. I was wrong--and glad of it, because while its very cool, that's not even the best of the tracks here.

Yep, this CD is wonderful--but mislabeled! You simply can't have surf music without electric guitars dripping with reverb! Now as much as I love that stuff, this CD is fantastic. Okay, so it's not surf but it is excellent stuff. Listening to these two guys enjoying themselves is almost as much fun as sounds like they had making the CD. Both artists are world-class electric guitarists and although they're "merely" excellent on acoustic, that doesn't hurt the things in the slightest.

What's it sound like? Two guitarists who really know these tunes, really know the other one's style and who enjoy playing this music together. The interplay of the two guys as they seamlessly trade lead/rhythm roles back and forth is impressive to say the least. The music is fairly laid-back but will repay a careful listen. Its a CD you can put on for the backyard BBQ -- I really can't see anyone objecting to this stuff, no not even gran'ma!

Tracks:

Straw Man
Smoking Her Wings
Don't Rewind
Sympathy Wreath
Green
Lock Yer Room (Uptight)
Someone Wants You Dead
Sympathy Wreath (Demise)
Scissors
Breathe Lies
Somewhere Soon
Talk All Night
Make It Go Away
Never Park
Every Pretty Girl
Mark E. Smith & Brix
Something You've Got (Isn't Good)
Prophecy Written

Amazon.com

Possibly the finest postpunk troubadour out there, this San Francisco-area singer-songwriter has long been one of the rock underground's most vocal baseball fans (as evidenced by the title of this disc). That obsession isn't chronicled here--although it does permeate the Baseball Trilogy EP she recorded with the SF Seals, a backing band named after a famed minor league franchise--but Manning's vulnerable vocals drive home her cutting, introspective lyrics with power to spare. Songs like "Sympathy Wreath" (which appears twice) and "Someone Wants You Dead" rank with Manning's finest work, and as a bonus the CD appends her 1988 solo debut, the powerful Lately I Keep Scissors, in its entirety. --David Sprague

Customer Reviews:

18 songs: all hits, no errors.......2006-01-17

While it lacks the epic scope of what I think's her best album, "1212," this double-header of a disc sounds satisfyingly consistent and, considering a probably miniscule budget, strong in both the guitar and the vocal departments. Barbara Manning's singing style may leave the uninitiated rather nonplussed. Like Mary Timony, she offers her musings in an unadorned, straightforward approach; but Manning is less willful or idiosyncratic. She lacks any attitude but her own, and in refusing to play into whatever hipness could have anointed her the latest singer-songwriter, she keeps my and her respect.

The tunes, while direct, have that wonderful hint of New Zealand-Flying Nun undertow that moves them along winningly. These tunes, especially "Sympathy Wreath"--which merits two at-bats here--hold up well and the pace does not slacken over 18 songs, a rarity for any artist. It's good to see that this is still in print, and I urge you to support her and the label with your purchase of a sadly under-promoted talent.

A Must-Own Album.......2003-10-08

Barbara Manning has her quirks. She worships baseball (her non-solo act band is named after defunct minor league San Francisco Seals), is excessively fond of semi-obscure New Zealand bands like The Bats, and as a previous reviewer pointed out, doesn't have the best self esteem. Still, I'll take her any day over the hoards of angry, self-obsessed, art school dropout female singer-songwriters currently populating the scene (and you know who you are).

This beautiful album (actually two packaged together) is loaded with great pop songs sung in Manning's sweet, occasionally bitter voice. As a songwriter, she favors pop hooks ("Straw Man," "Sympathy Wreath," "Scissors," "Somewhere Soon") but isn't afraid to explore the less obvious in songs like "Make It Go Away" and "Mark E. Smith & Brix." The latter gives you some idea of her influences which include The Fall, along with Brian Eno, The Clean and, oddly enough, Hoagy Carmichael.

Manning likes to pay tribute to these influences and this CD features several covers--a nice version of Smoking Her Wings by The Bats' Robert Scott and several by former 28th Day bandmate Cole Marquis. But her own songs are the standouts, particularly Scissors, a song that reels between self-blame and good-riddance anger--all against an infectious beat. "Someone Wants You Dead" is a mystery of a song that reminds me in its eerie meaning of Freedy Johnston's "This Perfect World." Finally, "Talk All Night" is a gorgeous acoustic number that you'll want to play well, all night.

This is a great introduction to Barbara Manning and an essential American indie-rock album. Listeners interested in more of Manning should also check out her solo 1212 and the S.F. Seals album Truth Walks in Sleepy Shadows.

Part of my rotation for 10 years (often on 3 days rest!).......2001-12-06

(...) In what I believe are her first 2 "solo" albums (after World of Pooh, which you should definitely check out if you can find it in an antique store that carries vinyl), Barbara Manning proved herself to be a clever songwriter, bursting with catchy hooks, well-crafted indie pop sensibilities, and moody (yet melodic) soundscapes. I first heard this disc as a college DJ in 1991 (which, unfortunately, is where much of Barbara's fan base is located), and I've played it at least once a week for the last 10 years. It's just superb. (...)

She Hits, She Scores.......2001-10-15

One Perfect Green Blanket is the ideal introduction to Barbara Manning, long one of the Bay Area's finest singer/songwriters. The CD includes eight tracks, three of which were previously released on compilations and flexi-discs ("Smoking Her Wings," "Don't Rewind," and "Someone Wants You Dead") plus an additional 10 from 1988's Lately I Keep Scissors. "Smoking Her Wings" is a sublime, cello-laden cover of New Zealand band the Bats' original (from The Law of Things). "Mark E. Smith & Brix", an ode to the leader of The Fall and his ex-wife/sometime collaborator, is done in the minimalistic style of the Young Marble Giants. All of the songs are quite catchy, but "Scissors," "Every Pretty Girl," and "Something You've Got (isn't good)" are particularly infectious.

The title reflects Manning's love of baseball. "One perfect green blanket"--as depicted on the cover--is a baseball diamond (the CD includes a broadcast sample from the San Francisco Giants Western Division win). Manning would explore this enthusiasm further as a member of the SF Seals on the 1993 EP, The Baseball Trilogy (featuring tributes to Joe DiMaggio, Denny McLain, and Dock Ellis).

Get your hands on this cd any way you can.......1999-07-19

This "Green Blanket/Scissors" cd is amazing. Angry, sharp lyrics, wonderful melodies, great singing. Barbara Manning doesn't play the virgin/whore card that her erstwhile label-mate, Liz Phair, does, but she deserves all the credit in the world for introducing an original, remarkable voice to popular music.

Average customer rating:

New Born
Calvin Newborn
Manufacturer: Yellow Dog Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Goes Blue
The Duke Meets the Earl
Up City
Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall
The Best of the Capitol Masters: 90th Birthday Edition

ASIN: B0009HBPC6
Release Date: 2005-05-10

Tracks:

When Kingdom Comes/Sho' Nuff
The Streetwalker's Stroll
Newborn Blues
Spirit Trane/Omnifarious
Lush Life
Restorations
After Hours Blues
Blues & Beyond

Album Description

Meet guitar legend Calvin Newborn: He played on B.B. King's first recordings, taught Elvis how to dance, and tore up the Big Apple in the heyday of bop. Now Calvin - brother of jazz virtuoso Phineas Newborn - is hot on the comeback trail with New Born, a brand-new album chronicling his distinctive mix of Memphis blues and jazz.

Born and raised in Memphis, in the heart of the city's gutbucket blues scene, Calvin paid his dues on Beale Street when R&B was king. His impeccable jazz pedigree was honed at New York City recording sessions (and in smoky after-hours joints) alongside players like Jimmy Forrest, Hank Crawford, Charles Mingus, and Earl Hines.

Tracks:

The Guitar Man
The Auteur
The Dope Show
Mickey Rourke Blues
The Auteur (Thievery Corperation remix)

Customer Reviews:

Another Step Forward for David J.......2003-01-22

I don't tend to expect much from an EP. These days, it's usually just a radio single with a few cheap remixes and a second rate b-side tossed together onto a cd. Which is why it is so refreshing to listen to David J's 'The Guitar Man' and find that it has the quality and consistency of a mini-album.

Since his first solo foray with 1983's 'The Etiquette of Violence,' David J has been refining his work with every new release and constantly raising his fans' expectations. Like Tom Waits or Leonard Cohen, David J and his music only become more like themselves with time, slowly distilled into something that is unmistakable in even the smallest drop.

'The Guitar Man' has main ingredients recognizable from his last 2 solo albums in particular. The country sensiblity of 'Songs from another Season' with a bit of the darkness of 'Urban Urbane.' His signature dry wit is evident in the (surprisingly well-arranged) cover of Marilyn Manson's 'The Dope Show.' 'Mickey Rourke Blues' is both funny and a testament to David J's abilities to weave clever character study into good songwriting (a la 'Bouquets, Wreathes and Laurels').

The title track features lead guitar work by occasional co-consiprator Dave Navarro (Jane's Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc.). It's a fun cover, but Navarro's guitar sound seems a little out of touch with the rest of the arrangement.

Altogether, this is a 'must buy' for any David J or Love and Rockets fans. David's work in general (but not necessarily this release) would be likely to interest fans of Nick Drake, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen or John Cale. Look out for his forthcoming full-length album, which promises to be a favorite for anyone who has ever put Beck's 'Sea Change' on repeat.

David J.......2002-07-22

The talent of David J shines again in this great EP, from his blistering arrangement of "Guitar Man" to the lush melancholia of "The Auteur". A body of work that includes the brilliant albums Etiquette of Violence('83) Crocodile Tears And The Velvet Cosh '85), Songs From Another Season('89)and Urban Urbane('92) will soon be joined by a new album, Estranged. Get hold of them all, for David is a very special songwriter and an awesome lyricist. His work is to be cherished.

David J.......2002-07-22

The talent of David J shines again in this great EP, from his blistering arrangement of "Guitar Man" to the lush melancholia of "The Auteur". A body of work that includes the brilliant albums Etiquette of Violence('83) Crocodile Tears And The Velvet Cosh '85), Songs From Another Season('89)and Urban Urban('92) will soon be joined by a new album, Estranged. Get hold of them all, for David is a very special songwriter and an awesome lyricist. His work is to be cherished.

Beautiful one.......2002-06-26

I obtained it a little early by the mail order of the Heyday records site.
If I express this CD, it is "Heal".
His soft singing voice and acoustic guitar are endlessly gentle, calm and beautiful.
There is the world of David J himself different from Bauhaus and Love & Rockets.

You can also listen "The Auteur", "Mickey Rourke Blues" and "The Dope Show" for here.
They were able to listen at his recent live performance, but, they have a further taste which is different from a live version.

You should be surprised of Marilyn Manson's cover tune "The Dope show".
If you listen and compare it with the original song, it might be interesting.
I really recommend you this one.

Estranged
Average customer rating:

A genuine songwriter, folks....

Almost Perfect

Shelf life = infinity

David J grows me up, and then take me back

a Zen Tone review

Estranged
David J
Manufacturer: Heyday
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Goth | Goth & Industrial | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Britain | British Isles | Europe | International | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Crocodile Tears & the Velvet Cosh

Urban Urbane

On Glass: The Singles

Songs from Another Season

So Alive

ASIN: B0000BV20T
Release Date: 2003-09-09

Tracks:

The Guitar Man
Mess Up
Pulling Arrows From Our Heels
Ruined Cities
Static Cling
In The Great Blue Whenever
Crashed
If Anythign Should Ever Happen To You
The Ballad Of August And June
Bright In Your Absence
Trophy Wife
Arc Of Return
Estranged
Time In The Sun

Amazon.com

David J seventh solo album is a cerebral affair complete with brainy wordplay, sly cultural references, and dreamy folkloric parables. This is where the former Bauhaus/Love & Rockets bassist indulges his whimsical side, creating eccentric and morally ambiguous characters who offer their wry and spot-on asides on modern life and love. While J's singing is deceptively mild, his lyrics are not. He may no longer be a member of Bauhaus, but his irony and dark humor is still honed to a sharp edge, as he paints skewed musical portrait of an array of damaged characters like the near psychopath of "Mess Up," or the teed off husband who plots an elaborate revenge fantasy for his partner in "If Anything Ever Happened to You." However, the artist seems to have shed most of the chilly, dissonant musicianship that colored the music of his former bands, adopting an almost Beatlesque sound. Breaking up the prettiness is the feral and guitar playing of Dave Navarro on "Guitar Man," the Bread chestnut that David J. seems inordinately attached to, having covered it previously on an EP. --Jaan Uhelszki

Customer Reviews:

A genuine songwriter, folks...........2005-08-19

The history of this album alone makes it pretty special. Just before I bought it I read an online interview with David J. I'm pretty sure he now lives in California. Actually Love and Rockets might all live there. Anyway, this album is the only album David J worked on that he owns the rights and masters to. Recorded in 1999-2000, finally released in 2002. He self-financed it exclusively with proceeds from auctioning twenty years of Bauhaus /Love and Rockets memorabilia from out of his closet on Ebay!! He took this step because he knew he was going to put his heart into making it. The whole album is about intimacy and loss.

OK, so about the music. It's really evident here that all the songs have their own distinct character. The whole things seems fully realized and incredibly concise. David J's arrangements are wonderful, encompassing his usual use of guitar (acoustic, electric and slide), piano, drums (real kit and also beat box programming), and the slightest touches of synthesizer effects and cameo instruments. For the most part, the saddest songs are up the first half of the album, and the lighter ones towards the end - except for the bittersweet "Estranged". The song forms here haven't changed one bit from what he established in earlier times, although the subject matter is starkly new. It seems actually that David J has spun these songs as if he is synthesizing all of what he learned on earlier albums. This is slightly distracting for me, because the thing I love about Bauhaus and everything that followed is the care taken to never repeat anything. However with this album it is a self-reflection (on himself personally and his solo work too) that seems to be a deliberate choice. I really like all that David J has ever done, and this one musically feels closest to his second record, Crocodile Tears and the Velvet Coch, which alas is still not reissued on CD. In a landscape where pop music vogues constantly flash by, what a wonderful thing it is to have David J records, a body of work that really channels the tradition of songwriting economy. After my being tempted to ignore Estranged, my collection now thankfully includes it.

Thank you Mr. David J, you have many fans.

Almost Perfect.......2004-12-15

David J's body of work has created a very high standard. Even if we ignore his hugely influential and groundbreaking work with Bauhaus and Love & Rockets, Mr. J has put a number of truly timeless masterpiece albums.

Th tone of the album at times reminds me - favorably - of Beck's 'Sea Change.' 'Static Cling' and 'Estranged' are painfully sad and beautiful songs about the apparant end of a marriage. I find these songs particularly heart-wrenching having listened to David J's album 'Songs from Another Season' constantly from the age of 14 through the present. For the uninitiated, that album's lyrics offered a touchingly pleasant view of marriage, children and life in general. There were entire songs devoted to the importance of a good work ethic and counting one's blessings. Who else writes songs about that stuff? 'Songs from Another Season,' with it's nearly ideal view of conventional adult life had a profound effect on me and certainly on others. I would truly not be the person I am today without that album. So to hear songs on this new album about the disintegration of the marriage that seemed to ground his previous work is really a very painful experience. Surely it takes real creative talent to have that kind of effect on an audience.

This is a very good album with some very high points but it falls just shy of the 5 star standard that the artist's past work demands. Lower points include 'Pulling Arrows from Our Heels' and 'In the Great Blue Whenever.' Both songs - and moments of others - needed a little more work. Perhaps I am venturing into analyzing things that a critic ought not to, but David J's past solo work tended to involve a creative partner in the studio. A producer to insist that rough edges be smoothed out and point out that certain touching lines may also be cliched. No matter how brilliant an artist is, he or she needs that from time to time. This album appears to lack such a partner.

This is very much worth buying and listening to. Any fan of John Cale, Beck's slower work or David Byrne would do well to buy this CD along with any of his earlier work you can get your hands on.

Shelf life = infinity.......2003-10-24

It's all too easy to become excited about a new album from an artist whose work you've loved for many years. Sometimes the results disappoint, or become dulled after a few spins (for example much of David Bowie's recent output). However, there are some recent & extremely notable exceptions, like "Estranged" (along with Sparks "Lil Beethoven" & John Cale "Hobosapiens"). Virtually all David Js solo & Love & Rockets work since his artistically timeless 1983 "Etiquette of Violence" album, is impossible to tire of, & I suspect I'll be playing "Estranged" regularly until the day I expire. Knotty, dark pop beats with twisting refrains, beautifully produced acoustic/electric/string melodies, wonderful lead & backing vocals, & lyrics which stop you in your tracks, like when a supremely-written novel keeps you on the same page, rendering you unable to turn from truly poetically stated perceptions & feelings or a staggering metaphor. This record, musically & lyrically, is deeply sad, hopelessly hopeful, unspeakably beautiful, subtly deranged & bloody good. Buy it.

David J grows me up, and then take me back.......2003-10-18

I grew through being a teenager with David's music and words, in his various bands. His music grew more mature, and yet remained connected to that youth. Now I have a real job and two little boys, and David's still right there.

He doesn't sing like a man who knows he has been a legend. Here we see the thin, lone(ly) man behind the cutain of Bauhaus and Love&Rocket's mighty wizardry.

One criticism: too much slide guitar. It costs him a star.

a Zen Tone review.......2003-10-15

I have to correct myself, due to the fact I'm a music snob.
I can't find it in my heart to stiff this guy a star. I still stand by my first review, but one song doesn't deserve to take this album down a notch. This could be one of David's best. Heyday is doing one heck of a job for this guy. A bonus dic for free to boot. I can't stop spinning it... Get this record in your collection. If your a snob like me, just skip the first track...The production on this album kicks arse.

Average customer rating:

Heyday .... The Gress way
Exellent writing and playing by bassist Gress

Heyday
Drew Gress' Jagged Sky
Manufacturer: Soul Note Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00000AGDN
Release Date: 1998-09-01

Tracks:

Mikrokosmos #125
One-Man Mexico City
Becoming Unraveled
Andrew John
Beeline-Back In The Cage
Mikrokosmos #132
Dolomite
Away
29
Clear Through
Devil In The Details

Customer Reviews:

Heyday .... The Gress way.......2000-03-24

My family and I had the pleasure of a chance meeting with Drew Gress and his wife Barb in Florence in mid 1999. He is the kind of guy you like to strike up a conversation with and enjoy his easygoing yet keen sense of humour. One evening our conversation turned from sight seeing and Drews acrobatic attempts to rid the hotel Ungeresse of its population of free loading mosquitos, to our mutual interests in music. Drew showed us a review of his new release Heyday, trouble was none of us could understand Italian. We figured it must be good but I promised if I could get hold of the album I would and have a listen. Amazon.com faithfully delivered the CD all the way to Tasmania and so here is my review.

With Heyday Drew has concieved and bought forth a highly innovative and original Jazz experience. His personality and talent must surely be reflected in the cohesion he achieves with his fellow musicians. The album is a fresh experience from the start with Drews original treatment of themes by Bartok in mikrokosmos#125 being embraced by his peers mssrs. Binney(alto sax) Monder (guitar) and Wollsen (drums & percussion). The highlight of the album for me is the pacy "one-man mexico city" just listen for the doubling of the melodic line between Binney & Monder - supurb stuff -.The piece progresses via a very interesting and moody harmonic prelude between Binney and Monder to an exciting and expectant exploration of Wollesens innovative percussion. This leads to a revisiting of the fine opening statement of one-man mexico city. I was also particularly impressed with the concept and creation of "becoming unravelled" it must be appreciated for Drews insistent though subtle bass,Monders use of harmonics,interjected with bold statements by Binney, fine drumming all leading to a complete unravelling.

Overall the Album is a very crisp and cohesive production and concept, these guys enjoyed Drews ideas and compositions, cogratulations & full marks - it shows.

Exellent writing and playing by bassist Gress.......1999-09-28

One of the finest albums to come in a while. Drew is a highly imaginative composer and player. His writing is complex, but not in a overbearing, "in your face", way. The playing on the album is superb. David Binney and Ben Monder both create incredible atmospheres for Drew and drummer Kenny Wolleson to set up daring yet swinging grooves. Highly recommended.