Pretenders – ‘Relentless’ (Rhino Records)

Pretenders – ‘Relentless’ (Rhino Records)

Losing my sense of taste – There is an air of darkened intent and menace ‘Losing MY Sense Of Taste’. Hynde sounds fantastic as she leads the band into this wonderfully sounding rocker. As the subtle melody unfolds behind a wall of guitar noise as the solo howls with delight as every ounce of emotion is rinsed out of the fretboard. Hyde has hit paydirt finding James walbourne who has tone and a swagger that is instantly likeable and has a style that makes the guitar sing in whatever mood he so wishes.

‘A love’ begins with that jangly chorus laden guitar that is something of a Pretenders / Hynde trademark but yet again the standout feature of the track is the mix  – it sounds huge. Excellent guitar pop.

On ‘Domestic Silence’ with its slow groove steeped in controlled overdrive gives the song an air of a well-oiled group locking in on each other, that small club tour they undertook to break these songs in as a unit was a masterstroke. This album sounds like a band, and not a solo Hynde project with hired top-tier session players which it could have sounded also co-writing with Walbourne is a winning team. Again the solo is exceptional as Walbourne delivers with feeling and some.

‘The Copa’ kind drifts Into the promise of love with its melancholy piano sounding like a late night in a smoky hotel lobby after one too many cigarettes and cognacs. The vocal is spot on here and Hynde is peeling back the years sounding as good as twenty years ago.

Side one taps out with ‘Merry Widow’ and another smokey slow number takes center stage. I think three in a row is a bit much as good as they are individually back to back they would have benefitted from being broken up with a more uptempo rocker. Even if the oriental drifting works well. It’s the guitar tone that pulls the end of side one through.

‘Let The Sun Come In’ is more on it, with a quality mid tempo feel and guitar lick lapping round the lips of a really good deep album cut. I like how the chorus soars. Next ‘Look Away’- is a melancholy acoustic pick through a sparse arrangement. Works well with the minimal percussion shaking it up from being just another slow album track it has room to breathe. The theme continues as ‘Your House Is On Fire’ continues with the laid back ambience a more relaxed Pretenders record than the last one but no lesser quality album. ‘Just let It Go’, another bordering on balladeering but is a fuller more traditional slow dive.

Hynde and James work really well together and their songwriting is in sync showcasing a unique voice that is instantly recognisable and can pull through a less than excellent song and with the addition of some superb guitar work throughout the record it’s a really good listen.

‘Vainhlorious’ is exactly what I was looking for as the album heads towards its conclusion, Turn the amps up and let’s play some loud rock n roll because when this band goes for it they can rock out with the best of them.

The record closes out with the beautiful ‘I Think About You Daily’ with strings arranged by the Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood on what is a perfect album full stop with some great arrangment of the finely balanced strings for the pick of the slow songs on offer. Very decent album yet again from The Pretenders who show no sign in giving up their craft just taking it to different destinations along the rocky road.

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Author: Dom Daley

Black Sabbath – ‘Technical Ecstasy’ (Deluxe Version) (BMG)

Black Sabbath – ‘Technical Ecstasy’ (Deluxe Version) (BMG)

Well folks, here we are again as the Sabbath catalogue gets another Super Deluxe version on both CD and Vinyl and once again to be fair to whoever is curating these reissues much like the Motorhead ones these are some of the best box sets out there from the packaging to its content a lot of love has been poured onto these reissues and be it the box office Sabbath biggies or the lesser releases they all have the same quality and eye to detail.  ‘Technical Ecstasy’ is no exception, from the mini-poster to the four-CD packages it’s top-notch in the reissue department.

 

The reprint mini-tour book is quality even if I do need my readers to dive into the text as is the period reflected in the hardback book that’s included. Man, these gents were into their satin even as punk broke they were oblivious somewhat. Iommi sat in the produces chair for this the seventh studio release from the original line up and whilst it has one foot in the prog camp there is also an indication of the direction that Ozzy would head sooner rather than much later.

 

Maybe Sabbath was for the first time taking their cues from elsewhere rather than leading the genre and with the heavy influence of Gerald Woodroffe’s swirling keyboards the band couldn’t be accused of standing still from the proggy opener of ‘Back Street Kids’ through the swirling keyboards creating a good foil for Iommi’s doom-laden riffs on ‘You Won’t Change Me’ is a good example as Iommi and Woodroffe trade solos whilst the rhythm section gets that Sabbath heaviness anchored down.  The Beatles tinged ‘It’s Alright’ is one of the best tracks on offer for me and has stood the test of time and proven that Ward didn’t need a bucket to carry a tune on his moment in the sunshine. Then there’s ‘Gypsy’ again with its keyboard-driven workout.

 

Side two of the album sees the band go for a groovy workout where they get their collective funk on ‘All Moving Parts (Stand Still)’.  I do however love the groove the band gets on ‘Rock And Roll Doctor’ throwing another curveball by just jamming out a real Rock and Roller when everything else screams trying hard to be hip and adventurous it’s as if they just decided to go easy and rock out.  Then step forward ‘She’s Gone’ the album’s hushed acoustic introed song with strings n all and a chance for Ozzy to try out what he would later perfect through his solo career. Then to close it’s Dirty Women’ and on reflection, it’s a decent album and unpackaging the extras this labor of love has unearthed some new mixes and the usual Instrumental mixes of tracks like ‘She’s Gone’.  As for the hardback book, well, it’s full of great pictures and well-researched Japanese single sleeves as well as interview snippets from the band and a well-covered history of the mid 70s Sabbath for the hardcore fans and newcomers alike.  But for me, the treat inside the box of goodies is the live album – recorded on the 76-77 world tour.

 

Mixing together classic Sabbath from the awesome ‘Symptoms Of The Universe’, ‘War Pigs’ and ‘Black Sabbath’ there is also room for ‘Technical Ecstasy’ tracks like ‘Gypsy’ and ‘Dirty Women’ the quality of this live recording is exceptional and through a decent pair of headphones it’s like being sat next to the sound engineer with Bill Ward’s bass drum sounding as big as an arena all by its self.  It’s been a long time since I’ve sat down and actually played a drum solo and Guitar solo on a record but they are here in all their glory and the one thing that stands out is what a powerhouse Bill Ward is – absolutely outstanding. Capping it all off with the monster that is ‘Children Of The Grave’ and whilst listening it makes me smile that the reproduction tour book also has all those tour ads intact especially the £2.50 tour shirt imagine what one of those would be worth in 2021? Wow!

 

So in a nutshell of course its a no brainer for Sabbath fans old and young this is another of those box sets that is a must-have and another exceptional package to while away the hours and marvel at the masters of heavy metal and what a class act they really were even when they weren’t at their best they were still better than most.

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Author: Dom Daley

Stone Temple Pilots – ‘Perdida’ (Rhino)

Stone Temple Pilots – ‘Perdida’ (Rhino)

After the tragic death of Scott Weiland, I (like many other STP fans) had no interest in new music from the band with a new singer, especially an X Factor contestant. The recruitment of Jeff Gutt just reeked of Rockstar INXS to me and it felt like a betrayal on the legacy of their enigmatic frontman. No one could replace Scott Weiland, surely?

But, look at it from their point of view. Dean and Robert Deleo, along with drummer  Eric Kretz have a hell of a back catalogue, one that took them to the top of the charts back in the ’90s, and why should they not continue to write, record and tour as that band? Let’s face it, many bands have continued and even become more successful after the loss of their singer (AC/DC anyone?).

That said, I gave their last album a wide birth and had no interest in the band until word filtered through of an acoustic album they had recorded. Ever since their famous MTV Unplugged session back in 1993, it seems STP were destined to release an acoustic album, it was just a matter of when.

 

‘Perdida’ was self-produced by the band and recorded at Eric Kretz’ Bomb Shelter studios. Using vintage instruments and exploring themes of loss, death and goodbyes, (Perdida literally means loss in Spanish) the band has crafted an introspective album that sees them bare their souls, as they come to terms with the grief and sadness that has filled their lives in recent years.

Opener ‘Fare Thee Well’ is an uplifting, monumental song. Lyrically about lost love, yet full of sentiment and hope. The ghost of Scott Weiland is all over this track, Jeff’s vocals bare an uncanny resemblance, and there is no denying it. And it sort of makes me feel uncomfortable like I shouldn’t really be liking it…but I do, I really do, the hairs standing up on the back of my neck don’t lie.

Dean’s folk-inspired guitar intro leads to a heartbreaking melody that builds and builds to a glorious chorus, with almost gospel-tinged backing. The drums are powerful yet understated, giving a solid base for the instruments to breathe life into a song that is utterly beautiful after just one listen. It sets the tone for the album and sets the bar very high indeed.

With a ‘less is more’ approach to this album, the sparse arrangements create space and the rustic instrumentation is added only where needed to accentuate the songs. Here, the addition of flute, alt sax and guitarrone add another dimension to the STP sound.

The likes of ‘She’s My Queen’ could easily be a bombastic rock song with different production and arrangement, yet here stripped back to bare bones with open chords and lush harmonies, it shines.

‘Three Wishes’ could have sat nicely on the more experimental third album ‘Tiny Music..’. Dean’s signature slide guitar and Robert’s bass runs certainly hark back to that era of the band. Similarly, ‘I Didn’t Know The Time’ with its flute solo and jazzy, lounge feel is something the band has toyed with in the past and here it sits remarkably well.

Nylon string guitar takes precedence over the Spanish influenced title track, it comes on a bit too Euro-folk for its own good for me, but ‘Years’ with its lazy, sun-drenched California vibes, has an almost Beach Boys meets Simon and Garfunkel feel.

Big mention for the folky ‘Miles Away’ that flows on a killer vocal melody and swathes of mournful violin, giving a rustic Parisian feel, more in line with The Urban Voodoo Machine. This is a glorious song – make no mistake.

 

Stone Temple Pilots have delivered the album they have always hinted at making. And while ‘Perdida’ is a departure for the band and something that has been brewing for years, it is still very much Stone Temple Pilots by name and by nature. There’s a newfound vulnerability to the band that brings to mind Alice In Chains classic ‘Jar Of Flies’ acoustic album.

Hauntingly, the ghost of Scott Weiland looms over every chord they play and every note that Jeff sings, it probably always will. Haters are gonna hate, but I for one think that these songs are too good to ignore and am totally surprised and grateful that Stone Temple Pilots have delivered an album I never thought I would hear, and to be honest it has made me fall in love with this band all over again.

Buy ‘Perdida’ Here 

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