PUPIL: LIMITERS OF THE INFINITY POOL – “THEY HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD ON THIS ONE”...”WELL, ALMOST “

                  I can’t locate this cd in the place where it should be-- on the P-section of the cd rack,  OPM category,  of my favorite music bar at  Araneta Center in Cubao. It bothered me enough to break the  ongoing chatting of the two salesladies near me . “There is no stock sir.” Really?  I thought to myself , rather incredulously.

                Off to the only other music bar at the Araneta Center, I was relieved that there are several copies in stock. I hate the feeling of not finding the cd you want  when you needed it; and so, I grabbed one,  after taking it for granted for about a year and a half since it was  released.

                   Listening to the first three tracks-- I was euphoric,  sensing I’m into a treat.

                 I was smiling as I put down the newspaper after the 12^th and final track, “The Low End”,  ended. That was great listening; however, it felt short. 

                 It actually clocked a little over forty seven minutes. I enjoyed it immensely  that time seemed to have gone so  swiftly.

        After a few more listens, I came up with my conclusion: In my opinion this is another excellent album by the Pupil and just like their two previous releases, by international standards. It is hands down Pupil’s best album so far. They hit the nail on the head  on this one. Well, almost…

    

I will enumerate my reasons why I think this is their best album so far:  

1.       First, although it doesn’t have the 'classics' found in their two previous releases, Beautiful Machines and Wild Life , such as “Monobloc,” “Dulo ng Dila” and "Disconnection Notice”,  this however, has overall a stronger set of songs. There is no weak track here.  

             As   usual, E. Buendia’s penned songs  provides the backbone. The  opening two English tracks “Let Her Rip” and “Distortion” jives well with his vocals which I’ve always thought is best suited for Filipino songs. The way he sang the angst-laden tune ”Distortion”  made me think of Liam Gallaghers’( of the Oasis) swagger. 

           Although the  best songs  in the album I think are Buendia’s “Let Her Rip,” "Distortion," ”TNT(tago ng tago)"  and "20/20" , other band members also contributed strong tracks such as  Dok Sergio’s downbeat “Pampalakas,” with its interesting lyrics; Y. Yuzon’s fuzzy and heavy  “One Two” reminding me of Jesus and the Mary Chain;  and  W. Garcia’s “Morning Gift."

2.        This  has a better flow of songs compared to their previous albums. It provides listening pleasure from the beginning up to the end.      

3.       The band is sounding  cohesive and very tight. I take notice of the excellent drumming.

4.       Great production. This is  more complex and heavy with lots of 'distortion' but is actually not 'noisy'. I can set the volume of my amplifier higher on this one without blasting my eardrum as compared to their previous releases. Everything is sounding clear and great in my sound system.

5.         This is more accessilble.  Even with a more complex style, instrumentation,  and experimentations the group  not only retained  their melodic sensibilities , they even fine- tuned it.  "Accessibility in the midst of complexity."  

                  My only gripe with this album is the track  “Pikit Bukas.” If I would pretend to be a reviewer,   I could easily give this album  9/10  or even a  10/10 stars for their efforts in making such a superb  and classy album which  I think no local band at the moment can approximate or compete  with; however, “Pikit Bukas” prevents me so.  Although it  is by no means  a clunker, I think, it  could even be  one of the stronger  tracks with its catchy melody and  memorable lines ”hindi porket maitim madumi, hindi porket malakas maingay ,hindi porket mayaman masaya, hindi porket mahirap malungkot ”, but the inclusion of English lines towards the end of the song doesn’t 'fit'; and it seems  out of place with the  album itself.   Well, this is just my opinion anyway, as if  it  matters. Buy it. 

Beautiful Machines, Wild Life and Limiters of the Infinity Pool.

  

A-ha 25: Catching up with A-ha

              This  2CD/DVD latest compilation by A-ha, released in 2010  is an import (Made in E.U.); and unlike the locally pressed,   Very Best Of Morrissey CD/DVD , which suddenly popped out in every music stores  I’ve visited after his concert here last May 13, 2012,   I haven’t  seen this one  in my favorite music store in Cubao.  I got my copy(Php 600) unexpectedly, at Astrovision in Greenhills, San Juan branch although it is also available in Fully Booked in Fort Bonifacio.  Anyway, I’m not sure if this is  being sold  here  in a very limited quantity or it just happened to be not available in the music stores I frequented.     

                Propelled  by their worldwide hit-- and U.S. billboard chart-topper  debut single   “Take on Me” in 1985( with its pioneering and unforgettable music video), this Norwegian  New Wave synthpop  band rose to prominence.  A-ha is compose of Morten Harket (vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards), and Pål Waaktaar (guitars). Their  debut  album Hunting High and Low, released also on the same year  is a certified classic,  spawning other  popular international  singles such as “Hunting High and Low,” "The Sun Always Shine on T.V.,"  and  ”Train of Thought.” Another track from the album,“Love is Reason” was  released here in the Philippines  as a single, and next to “Take on Me,” it was probably their most popular song here during those days as I  remembered  it  receiving  lots of  radio airplay. Another track from the album, “Living a Boy’s Adventures Tale,” is a fan favorite here and  even nowadays I still hear it  being played  in New Wave circuits.

Their subsequent albums: Scoundrel Days and Stay on These Roads were successful in many parts of Europe and South America particularly in Brazil; however, for whatever reasons , it did not fare well in the U.S.A., where they are  (supposedly) remembered today  only for the song “Take on Me”, earning them the erroneous and unjust moniker , 'one hit wonder.' (“The Sun Always Shine on T.V.” was a U.S.  billboard top 20 hit,  by the way.)

 I remember watching the music video of their cover of the  Everly Brothers’  ”Crying in the Rain” in the early '90's and heard it on the radio many  times. But my last exposure to A-ha for a long time  was their 1991 greatest hits compilation, Headlines and Deadlines, which covers their first four albums. I bought that CD in the mid-'90's. About a decade later, I got hold of a copy of their 2002 live DVD , A-ha Live in Vallhall.

As it turned out, they actually took a hiatus in 1993, each went  their own ways, reunited initially for a benefit concert in 1998   before releasing their critically acclaimed sixth album, Minor Earth Major Sky, in 2000.  The live concert  DVD  Live in Vallhall  was a homecoming concert celebrating their return after a seven year  absence.  Excellent songs  such  as , “Velvet,” “Summer Moved On” and “I Wish I Cared”  are my favorites among the new songs I heard and  reintroduced me to a  more  mature and mellower A-ha sound .  Watching them performing  made me realized how great  musicians they truly are. Morten Harket's  voice is  amazing , matching his still sharp looks.( No wonder majority of the audience were females.)

 After three more studio albums , in October 15,  2009, the band members  announced  A-ha's  retirement( after a world tour  in 2010).

This compilation, essentially made their  two previous compilations Headlines and Deadlines – The Hits of a-ha and The Definitive Singles Collection 1984–2004, obsolete as it is far more comprehensive.

Wikipedia: " It  includes all 33 of the band's singles (excluding the promo singles "I Wish I Cared", "Birthright", "Waiting for Her", "Lie Down in Darkness", "Maybe, Maybe" and "Love Is Reason", as well as the original 1988 single "The Blood That Moves the Body" and the 2003 live single "The Sun Always Shines on T.V. (Live)"),  along with 5 album tracks and  a b-side ("Cold as Stone (Remix)".

 To listen to this compilation in its entirety is literally  taking a journey into  A-ha’s  25 year history as it begins with their very first single, “Take on me” ,  proceeds chronologically,  and ends in their last recording, “Butterfly, Butterfly(The Last Hurrah)” in 2010. 
  CD 1:

1. "Take on Me" – 3:49
2. "The Blue Sky" – 2:36
3. "The Sun Always Shines on T.V." – 5:08
4. "Train of Thought" (7" remix) – 4:15
5. "Hunting High and Low" (7" remix) – 3:48
6. "I've Been Losing You" – 4:26
7. "Scoundrel Days" – 4:00
8. "The Swing of Things" – 4:15
9. "Cry Wolf" – 4:06
10. "Manhattan Skyline" (edit version) – 4:21
11. "The Living Daylights" – 4:12
12. "Stay on These Roads" – 4:46
13. "Touchy!" (UK DJ edit) – 3:38
14. "There's Never a Forever Thing" – 2:51
15. "You Are the One" (7" remix) – 3:50
16. "The Blood That Moves the Body" (Two-Time Gun Remix) – 4:08
17. "Crying in the Rain" – 4:21
18. "Early Morning" – 2:59
19. "Slender Frame" – 3:43
20. "I Call Your Name" (slightly edited) – 4:29

CD 2:

1. "Move to Memphis" (single version) – 4:17
2. "Dark is the Night for All" – 3:45
3. "Cold as Stone" (Remix) – 4:33
4. "Angel in the Snow" (edit) – 4:07
5. "Shapes That Go Together" – 4:14
6. "Summer Moved On" – 4:37
7. "Minor Earth Major Sky" (Niven's Radio Edit) – 4:02
8. "The Sun Never Shone That Day" (radio edit) – 3:31
9. "Velvet" – 4:20
10. "Forever Not Yours" – 4:06
11. "Lifelines" – 4:17
12. "Did Anyone Approach You?" – 4:11
13. "Celice" – 3:40
14. "Analogue" – 3:49
15. "Cosy Prisons" (Radio Mix) – 3:58
16. "Foot of the Mountain" – 3:57
17. "Nothing Is Keeping You Here" (single remix) – 3:05
18. "Shadowside" (single edit) – 3:31
19. "Butterfly, Butterfly (The Last Hurrah)" – 4:10

 DVD (25: The Videos)

1. "Take On Me" (1985 Version)
2. "The Sun Always Shines On T.V."
3. "I`ve Been Loosing You" (Original Version)
4. "Manhattan Skyline"
5. "Stay On These Roads"
6. "Crying In The Rain" (Alternate Cut)
7. "Dark Is The Night For All" ("Banned" Version)
8. "Move To Memphis"
9. "Shapes That Go Together"
10. "Angel In The Snow"
11. "Summer Moved On"
12. "Minor Earth, Major Sky"
13. "Lifelines"
14. "Did Anyone Approach You?"
15. "Velvet" (European Cut)
16. "Butterfly, Butterfly (The Last Hurrah)"
17. Take on me (1984 version)

  A-ha's Studio Albums:

1985	Hunting High and Low
1986	Scoundrel Days
1988	Stay on These Roads
1990	East of the Sun, West of the Moon
1993	Memorial Beach
2000	Minor Earth Major Sky
2002	Lifelines
2005	Analogue
2009	Foot of the Mountain

" NEW WAVE Compilation": Pure… alternative 80s cd set

                   

This excellent 4-disc CD set is part of a series of compilations released by Sony Music last year 

under the heading  Pure. Other titles are the following: Hip-hop, Disco/Funk, Love 90’s Dance

Party, Hard Rock, Singer/songwriter,  Psychedelic,America,  Dance Party, Pure R& B, Pure

 50’s, and  Pure 60’s, amongst others.

It contains 68 tracks, mostly of the New Wave, Post-punk, and (some) C86/Indie genre. Artists 

and Bands included are varied,  from (lots of) 'mainstream' alternative, to bands only avid New

Wave and Post-punk followers are probably familiar with, some obscure, and some never- heard 

of ( by this blogger).

This 4-disc set is an absolute winner as it is loaded with many gems and some pleasant surprises 

with not a single bad track in it-- making it totally enjoyable. This is highly recommended to those 

who dig 80’s alternative  music. Available locally for only 250 pesos, that’s  more value for the 

money.   

Tracklist:

CD1
1. Stand And Deliver - Adam Ant
2. No Mercy - Stranglers
3. E=Mc2 - Big Audio Dynamite
4. Pretty In Pink - Psychedelic Furs
5. You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) - Dead or Alive
6. Love And Pride - King
7. Crash - Primatives
8. People Have The Power - Patti Smith
9. The First Picture Of You - Lotus Eaters
10. When Love Breaks Down - Prefab Sprout
11. A Girl In Trouble (Is A Temporary Thing) - Romeo Void
12. I Want Candy - Bow Wow Wow
13. John Wayne Is Big Leggy - Haysi Fantayzee
14. Sweet Sanity - Hurrah!
15. Liberator - Spear of Destiny
16. Brassneck - Wedding Present
17. I Wanna Be Adored - Stone Roses

CD2
1. Wishing (I Had A Photgraph Of You) - Flock of Seagulls
2. (Feels Like) Heaven - Fiction Factory
3. Einstein A Go Go - Landscape
4. Der Kommissar - After the Fire
5. Brilliant Mind - Furniture
6. Bridge To Your Heart - Wax
7. Dream To Sleep - H2O
8. I'm Not Scared - Eighth Wonder
9. She Bop -Cyndi  Lauper

10. Loco Mosquito - Iggy Pop
11. Up Around The Bend - Hanoi Rocks
12. Birth, School, Work, Death - Godfathers
13. And We Danced - Hooters
14. All Cried Out - Alison Moyet

15. Disappearing - Sinceros
16. Something's Jumpin' In Your Shirt - Malcolm McLaren
17. Can U Dig It? - Pop Will Eat Itself

CD3
1. Quiet Life - Japan
2. I Love You, Suzanne - Lou Reed
3. Talking In Your Sleep - Romantics
4. Goodbye To You - Scandal
5. Freak - Foxton, Bruce
6. Boxerbeat - JoBoxers
7. Hot Shot - Herman Brood& His Wild Romance
8. She Talks In Stereo -Gary Myrick & the Figures
9. Irene - Photos
10. Video Killed The Radio Star - Bruce Woolley & the Camera Club
11. Love Plus One - Haircut 100
12. Doot Doot - Freur
13. In The Name Of Love - Thompson Twins
14. Radio Africa - Latin Quarter
15. I Like Chopin - Gazebo
16. Flaming Swords - Care
17. Digging Your Scene - Blow Monkeys

CD4
1. Happy Birthday - Altered Images
2. Living By Numbers - New Musik
3. Baby's Got A Gun - Only Ones
4. Motorcycle Rider - Icicle Works
5. Heaven (Must There Be) - Eurogliders
6. Your Love - Outfield
7. Sweat As Radio - Spliff
8. The Rhythm Of The Jungle - Quick
9. People - Mi-Sex
10. So Good To Be Back Home Again - Tourists
11. My World - Secret Affair
12. Burst - Darling Buds
13. Voices Carry - 'Til Tuesday
14. Beasley Street - John Cooper-Clarke

15. Rain, Steam And Speed - Men They Couldn't Hang
16. Through The Barricades - Spandau Ballet
17. 99 Red Balloons - Nena

The Beatles: The Mystery Behind The Abbey Road Album Cover. A Coincidence?

             Three weeks ago I saw Senator Bong-Bong Marcos in a talkshow at Studio 23. Aside from the recently concluded impeachment trial of Chief Justice Corona, he discussed two interesting topics, amongst others. One is the Beatles fiasco in Manila in 1966 and the other one is the popular urban legend surrounding his personality wherein the real Bong-Bong Marcos supposedly died in London during the 70s and the Bong-Bong Marcos we  see today  is just an impersonator.

            Silly as it may seem, I recalled the similar urban legend surrounding Sir Paul McCartney  during the late 60's. He supposedly died in a car crash in 1966 and  was replaced by a look-alike. Among the many clues cited by the believers or perpetrators of this urban legend were the following:

1. Near the end of the song “Strawberry Fields Forever” John muffled, “I burried Paul.” It was later explained as “cranberry sauce" instead.
2. If you play the song Revolution 9” backwards, you will supposedly hear John say, “Turn me on, dead man.”
3. The most famous of all clues is the  Abbey Road album cover.

1. On the left, the plate number of the Volkswagen Beetle which  supposedly just happened to be there during the photo shoot reads LMW 281F.  The LMW  was interpreted as Linda McCartney widowed, whereas  28IF,  means  Paul would have been 28 years old if he was alive (actually only 27 years old at that time) .

b. The black car on the right symbolizes a hearse.

c. The Beatles outfits: John in white symbolizes, God or an angel. Ringo dressed in black the preacher or mourner. George Harrison in denim  as the gravedigger. The  barefoot and out of step with the others  McCartney symbolizes the corpse. He was also holding a cigarette on his right hand although he is a well-known lefty. 

      Well , this  issue surrounding his supposed death  was debunked by Paul McCartney himself in an interview published in Life Magazine.

WIKIPEDIA:

            On 21 October 1969, The Beatles' press office issued statements denying the rumour, deeming it "a load of old rubbish"^[12] and saying that "the story has been circulating for about two years—we get letters from all sorts of nuts but Paul is still very much with us."^[13] Rumours started to decline when,^[14] on 7 November 1969, Life magazine published a contemporary interview with McCartney in which he said,

“

Perhaps the rumour started because I haven't been much in the press lately. I have done enough press for a lifetime, and I don't to say these days. I am happy to be with my family and I will work when I work. I was switched on for ten years and I never switched off. Now I am switching off whenever I can. I would rather be a little less famous these days.[4]  ********************************************************************* Years later , he made a parody of the Abbey Road album cover with his 1993 live album, Paul Is Live.

                                                                                                                                                         

WIKIPEDIA:

The infamous "281F" on the Volkswagen Beetle's license plate – mis-read as "28IF", and purportedly saying that McCartney would have been 28 if he had lived – is edited to read "51IS", indicating his age at the time is 51.

McCartney is wearing shoes; on Abbey Road he had appeared with bare feet.

He is stepping with his left foot. In the original cover, McCartney was stepping with his right foot, instead of the left like the other three Beatles; this lack of synchronism was perceived as another eyecatch to the hoax.

He holds the dog's leash in his left hand; since he is left-handed, many thought that another clue of the "dead Paul" from Abbey Road was the cigarette he held in his right hand.

On the original Abbey Road cover, many conspirators said that if you were to connect all of the cars on the left side with a line, the line would go through Paul's head. On this cover, Paul is leaning forward, and his head falls out of such line.

The police car was removed as well because on Abbey Road the police car was said to symbolise the policemen who had been bribed by the other three Beatles to keep quiet about Paul's death to stop fans around the world from committing suicide.

     *************************************************************************

          

            The question that  remains today is,  did the Beatles ride on this “Paul is dead legend” and toyed with  their fans  with this mysterious  Abbey Road album cover? Did they offer explanations for their outfits and Paul’s being barefoot and out of step with the others in the picture. One thing  certain though is the plate number LMW 281F is genuine. Personally, I find it hard to believe that   any of the Beatles or someone who belong to their inner circle would thought of this imaginative plot. Perhaps everything was just really a  coincidence.

            As far as I’m concerned, everything's water under the bridge   regarding  the mysterious Abbey Road album cover-- until I read that  the title of Sir Paul McCartney’s 2005 album, MEMORY ALMOST FULL, is actually an anagram of “FOR MY SOULMATE LLM”( Linda Louise McCartney). When ask if this was intentional, he replied, “ Some things are best left a mystery.” My question is-- could   the man behind the Abbey Road  and  Memory Almost Full album-covers,  be the same?  Looks like a clue to me.

               

           

HEAVEN: THE BEST OF THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS

            
            Last week,  I chanced upon an ongoing sale of CDs and DVDs in my favorite music store in Cubao.  One CD that immediately caught my attention was a double disc compilation of the Psychedelic Furs released by Sony Music last year. It was selling at a very enticing  price of only 99 pesos (from the original 255 pesos). Although I already have a compilation CD by the Psychedelic Furs which I bought more than a decade ago, I wasn’t able to resist  the urge to purchase this one as it was selling so cheap for a 2 discs compilation comprising of 33 tracks. That’s really value for the money.

  
          To me, this is an excellent compilation because all of their popular hits  heard on the radio during the 80's, as well as their other songs  I’m familiar  with, are all here. With 33 tracks and their first six albums  well-represented,  this is definitely a good starting point to those who want to explore their catalogue . Although it  only has a four-page booklet (that includes the front and back covers), it has a good liner notes which gives a concise history of the band beginnings in 1977, break-up in the early 90’s,  formation of Love Spit Love by the Butlers ,and their reunion in 2000. The back cover of the booklet features the  pictures of the front covers of their first six albums. The sound quality is superb.

Tracklist:
1. Pretty in Pink (Original Version)
2. We Love You
3. Mr Jones (Single Version)
4. Susan’s Strange
5. Dumb Waiters
6. Into You Like a Train
7. Sister Europe
8. I Wanna Sleep with You
9. India
10. Goodbye
11. Yes I Do (Merry-Go-Round)
12. Only You and I
13. Midnight to Midnight
14. Alice’s House
15. All of This and Nothing
16. All of the Law
17. All That Money Wants
18. Heaven
19. President Gas
20. Love My Way
21. Here Come Cowboys
22. Sleep Comes Down
23. The Ghost in You
24. Forever Now
25. Blacks/Radio
26. Heartbeat
27. Heartbreak Beat
28. Angels Don’t Cry (7″ Remix)
29. Imitation of Christ
30. House
31. Shine
32. Torch
33. Entertain Me

        

         For my sake (and for those who are  interested), I will  make a chronological arrangement of the tracks,  place them in the order as they appeared  in the albums and from what album they were taken. This, by the way, is how I would arrange  the songs in my Ipod's playlist.

1980 – Selt-titled debut album:  5 out of 9 tracks from the original U.K. release: (first 3 tracks, 6 and 8 respectively)

1. India

2. Sister Europe

3. Imitation of Christ

4. We Love You

5. Black Radio

6. Susan Strange – not included in the original U.K. album but included in the U.S. album version.     

1981 – Talk, Talk, Talk:  6 out of 10 tracks: first 3 tracks, 5, 6,and 9)

 7.   Pretty in Pink (original version)
 8.   Mr. Jones (singles version)

 9.   Dumb waiters

10.  Into you like a train

11.  I wanna sleep with you

12.  All of this and nothing

1982 – Forever Now: 7 out of 10 tracks ( 1-6 and 10)

13.  Forever now

14.  Love my way

15.  Goodbye

16.  Only you and I

17.  Sleeps come down

18. President gas

19. Yes I do (merry go round)

1984- Mirror moves: 5 out of 9  tracks  ( 1-4, and 7)

20. The Ghost In You

21. Here comes cowboy

22. Heaven

23. Heartbeat

24. Alice House

1987 – Midnight to Midnight : 4 tracks ( 1, 4, 5,and 7)

25. Heartbreak beat

26. Angels don’t cry (remix)

27. Midnight to midnight

28. All of law

1988- All of this and nothing (a best of compilation)

29. All that money wants – recorded exclusively  for this compilation

1989 – Book of days: 4 tracks: (1,2,5,and 8)

30. Shine

31. Entertain me

32. Torch

33. House

             There you have it! All their popular  radio  tunes  are here such as "Pretty In Pink," "Love My Way," "The Ghost In You," "Heaven," "Angels Don't Cry" and "Heartbreak Beat" as well as  classics such as "India,""Sister Europe," Mr. Jones," "President Gas,"and "Dumb Waiters"  among others. For 99 pesos-- I'm very thankful.

Brief history from Wikipedia:

The Psychedelic Furs are an English post-punk/New Wave band founded in 1977.^[1] Led by singer Richard Butler and his brother Tim on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from the British post-punk scene. Their music went through several phases, from an initially austere art rock sound, later touching on new wave and hard rock.

They scored several hits in their early career, but were launched to international attention in 1986 when the film director John Hughes borrowed their song title "Pretty in Pink" for his movie of the same name. A newly recorded version of the song became the Psychedlic Furs' biggest hit to that time. "Heartbreak Beat", from their 1987 album Midnight to Midnight, was to be the Furs' biggest Top 40 entry in the US.

The Psychedelic Furs went on hiatus in 1991, and the Butler brothers formed a new band called Love Spit Love. The Psychedelic Furs later regrouped in 2001 and continue to perform around the world.

 The Psychedelic Furs Studio Albums:

• The Psychedelic Furs (1980)
• Talk Talk Talk (1981)
• Forever Now (1982)
• Mirror Moves (1984)
• Midnight to Midnight (1987)
• Book of Days (1989)
• World Outside (1991)