R.E.M. "Up" 1998***

Strangely enough, after 10+ years, I haven’t yet reviewed a single R.E.M. album among the 20 or so in my collection (all of their studio LPs, plus some live albums and comps). I guess random selection can make mistakes, so it’s time to fix one of those. For that reason, I chose 1998’s Up. It may not be one of my favorites, but it reminds me of the first time I saw the band live in Athens—not their hometown of Athens, GA, but mine: Athens, Greece. The date was July 23, 1999. The support act, chosen by Stipe and co. themselves, was a Greek folk-rock band called Pyx Lax—hugely popular at the time, although I hadn’t seen them before either. I had my doubts about that choice, but they proved to be a good fit. Could R.E.M. outshine the local heroes? Everyone loved “Losing My Religion,” but their recent albums weren’t all that popular - in particular Up, with its more experimental sound. In the end, there was no contest; the opening trio (“Lotus,” “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” and “The Wake-Up Bomb”) may not have been anyone's favorite songs, but they were played with such energy that the crowd got carried away. Here’s a description from remtimeline.com: “At the front it was bedlam and although it never got dangerous, a couple of people made their way out of the mosh pit even before R.E.M. had begun the second verse... the crowd continued to replicate the energy displayed by the band... they continue to rock with all the vigour of the so-called ‘youthful’ bands emerging today and then some. Forty thousand Greek fans singing along word for word can’t be far wrong.”

As I said before, Up was never among R.E.M.’s most popular albums. It sold well enough, but that was mostly on the strength of the albums that preceded it. It was a strange time for the band; drummer Bill Berry had just quit, and they chose not to replace him, opting instead to experiment with various analogue synths and drum machines. The end result sounded very contemporary given the popularity of trip hop at the time, but not very R.E.M.—at least until the vocals were added at the very end of the creative process. Peter Buck's guitar, especially, is conspicuous by its (near) absence. “Airportman” is certainly an alienating opener for fans of the band, an understated ambient piece (is the title a nod to Eno’s Music for Airports?). Then “Lotus” comes in to hook listeners back; there may be no guitars, but it’s still an upbeat tune with a strong melody and a hooky chorus. “Suspicion” is a slow elegant piece, while “Hope” picks up the pace again, featuring electronic percussion and new-wavey synth lines, culminating in a noisy outro. “At My Most Beautiful” is an exquisite piano ballad, followed by “The Apologist,” which builds on a hypnotic, quasi-threatening rhythm and endless repetitions of “I’m sorry” that somehow sound less than sincere. “Walk Unafraid” is another relatively upbeat piece with ’80s-style electronic effects and melodic synth lines. “You’re in the Air” is atmospheric and string-laden, while “Why Not Smile” reminds me of their cover of the Velvet Underground’s “Pale Blue Eyes” years earlier. Together with “Suspicion,” “Daysleeper,” and the closing trio (“Diminished,” “Parakeet,” “Falls to Climb”), they could almost make for a trip-hop Automatic for the People. Tempo-wise, at least—only the lyrical “Daysleeper” could effortlessly fit into their 1991 masterpiece. Maybe they could have pushed further in that direction and released a whole album of slow ambient electronica. Or, alternatively, trimmed some of the moodier pieces to create a more sonically balanced record with poppy highs and atmospheric lows. But this was the late ’90s: with CD capacity nearing 80 minutes, anything shorter than an hour would feel like cheating the buying public. In any case, Up didn’t really signal a new direction for the band; if anything, they would rein in their experimental tendencies, releasing poppier, sunnier albums (Reveal, 2001) as well as angrier, punkier ones (Accelerate, 2008). Up remains an outlier in their discography—it almost sounds like a different band with Michael Stipe on guest vocals. Still, it makes for great listening: a few outstanding songs, and no real missteps.

**** for Lotus, Hope, At My Most Beautiful. The Apologist, Walk Unafraid, Why Not Smile, Daysleeper

*** for Airportman, Suspicion, Sad Professor, You're in the Air, Diminished, Parakeet, Falls to Climb

Pazuzu "Awaken The Dragon" 1996***

I remember finding this CD in the clearance bin of the Metropolis record store in Athens. It was almost 30 years ago, and I was with a friend who advised me to buy it. He was into epic/power metal, but this was, according to him, a "folk" CD, which he was sure I would like. Now how could he possibly have known about folk albums, especially ones that I had never heard of? I had my doubts, but it was cheap enough for me to take the risk. At the time there weren't any streaming platforms, youtube and whatnot - if one wanted to know whether a record was good enough to buy, they'd have to wait until they heard it on the radio, or ask a record store clerk to play it for them (not too likely), or rely on the opinion of others, either friends or music critics. 

My friend must have heard it on some kind of metal radio show, seeing as Pazuzu (not to be confused with the newer band Oranssi Pazuzu from Finland) were a side project of Austrian Black Metal band Summoning. Summoning's lyrics was heavily Tolkien-inspired (sample titles from their discography: Minas Morgul, Dol Guldur) and Pazuzu (named after an ancient Messopotamian demon) deal in similar themes, while their music is of an appropriately medieval nature: one can imagine a song like the upbeat "Bal Of Thieves" playing at the Prancing Pony, while revelers dance merrily and, at one corner, Thorin the dwarf enlists the help of the grey wizard in his daring scheme to reclaim the stolen dwarven gold from a certain winged serpent. Now this isn't the story behind this CD, but it might as well be; after all there is a dragon here, too, and he is awakened. The music belongs to a genre I'm not really familiar with: people call it dark ambient or dungeon synth. Very much inspired by medieval folk, but darker and more atmospheric, making heavy use of synths often emulating the sound of traditional instruments like the harpsichord, as in "The Five Emperors". The song "Pazuzu" has a Dead Can Dance-like oriental melody, while "King Of Vermin" is the only track that reminds me of Black Metal because of the guttural "demonic" vocal. There are, of course, also lighter songs like the sea-shanty-like "In A Tavern" and the elegant "Royaume Des Rèves (Baronnesse Chap. II)" which features a female narrator speaking in French. "Outro" is a strangely ill-fitting new wave instrumental, while "Verfal" has a German (male) narrator using a theatrical but rather normal voice. Mostly, though, the narration employs a more sinister tone. The main narrator reminds me of Laibach's Milan Fras - especially when he talks in German, as in the appropriately funereal-paced "Im Mondschein (Die Tragik Des Todes)". Another similarity to the Slovenian band lies in the military-style drumming and heavy Wagnerian synths; but while Laibach have achieved cult recognition, Pazuzu are laughed at outside a very small circle of "dungeon synth" fans. I guess the main reason is that their subject matter and medieval fantasy obsessions are perceived as "silly". On the other hand, if you're a Dungeons & Dragons fan, you may have just found the perfect soundtrack for your role-playing games. Not that I am; after all, Dungeons and Dragons players are notoriously nerdy. Unlike, for example, Heroes Of Might And Magic. If I'm not mistaken, Part II of that video game came out around the same time that I bought Awaken The Dragon; I spent many hours playing  HoMM2 with this CD on repeat. Listening to it again after all these years, I can't help but feel nostalgic for the days that I could afford to waste countless hours on silly stuff like that without remorse.

*** for Awaken The Dragon - Millennium Two, The Five Emperors, Bal Of Thieves, Royaume Des Rèves (Baronnesse Chap. II), Until The Sun Returns, In A Tavern, Pazuzu, Outro

** for The Messenger And The Spiritwind, The King Of Vermin, Verfall, Im Mondschein (Die Tragik Des Todes)

The Clash "Cut The Crap" 1985**

Some people call this "the worst album ever made". But then again, they've said the same for Dylan's Self Portrait, and it's not that bad - it's just not genious, like most of his work up to that point was. It makes sense now, even if it didn't at the time. Could Cut The Crap be a similar case? I had some songs on cassette at the time; later I also bought the CD for completeness' shake, but hardly ever listened to it, so my memories of that album are more from hearing it on cassette in the late 80's. I remember I liked some of the choruses; the synth-heavy production didn't alienate me that much, since I was used to it from mainstream pop and rock of the time. But as I got deeper into garage rock and classic punk, it started to annoy me so much that I didn't listen to it again. Until now. But before reviewing the music, one first needs some background information: in 1982, The Clash had their biggest hit with Combat Rock. It contained such classics as "Rock The Casbah" and "Should I Stay Or Should I Go", and was their first to get into the Top 10 in the US (as well as No.2 in UK). But it wasn't the album the band had in mind; Mick Jones had initially delivered a double album with longer, dancier mixes. Strummer wasn't happy with it, and neither were their management and record company, so they hired experienced producer Glyn Johns to remix it. He edited some of the songs and left others out, coming up with a leaner, better, version. The commercial appeal of the finished product proved him right, but it drove a wedge between the two principal songwriters, while drummer Topper Headon 's dismissal dut to his uncontrolled heroin habbit further unbalanced the band. Instead of enjoying their success, they started bickering with each other, leading to Strummer and manager Bernie Rhodes taking control of the band. Jones left, as did Topper's replacement, Terry Chimes. Strummer co-wrote a new bunch of songs with Rhodes, and went into the studio to record them with the new band, which included bassist Paul Simonon and three new members on guitars and drums. Rhodes then took over the production and mixing process, which is where -according to general opinion- everything went horribly wrong: he removed the bass and drums, replacing them with drum machines, and added layer over layer of synthesizers, fake horns, and all kinds of effects. Opener "Dictator", for example, is full of samples of people speaking unintelligibly in Spanish. Many years later, Manu Chao would use the same trick with success - but sparingly, not throughout the whole song! It's this excess that completely destoys Cut The Crap; less synths, and it'd just sound dated, now tracks like "Dictator" are rendered almost unlistenable. "Dirty Punk" is an improvement, a classic punk song with loud guitars and a nice chorus. "We Are The Clash" ("No you aren't" said most fans and critics) is a passable song with a big chorus which is reminiscent of football chants. The album is full of those; they are in fact -along with the synths and drum machines- one of its defining characteristics. People object to those, too, but I certainly don't mind. I think that these football chant-style choruses are part of Strummer's vision rather than Rhodes'. I've seen his interviews of the time, and all he talked about was about how bad the political situation in Britain was (remember, it was the height of Thatcher's dismantling of the welfare state, and of the great miners' strike) and how much the original fighting spirit of punk was needed. So yes, Strummer's mohawk hairstyle and Oi! - style choruses were a stylistical and musical regression for The Clash, but there was a reasoning behind it. On live bootleg recordings "Are You Red...Y" sounds like one of the funkier tracks on Sandinista! The proto-techno production doesn't do it any favors, but neither does ruin it completely. If it lost the chorus and electronic effects "Cool Under Heat" would fit well in one of Strummer's later albums with the Mescaleros. "North And South" is another Mescaleros-like song, a Latin-tinged semi-ballad. "Movers And Shakers" benefits from a great chorus (even if it's repeated a bit too often), but is ruined by this atrocious Herb Alpert and Tijuana Brass-emulating synth part. Thankfully we now come to the good part: "This Is England" is, according to Strummer, the last great Clash song. His vocal is upfront instead of buried under a cacophony of electronic sounds, the chorus is anthemic, and the lyrics paint an insightful and eloquent picture of Thatcher-era Britain. It's followed by the second-best song of the collection, the ska-punk "Three Card Trick". With better production, it'd fit perfectly in London Calling. "Play To Win" and "Fingerpoppin'" unsuccessfully try to experiment with Latin and hip hop elements, while "Life Is Wild" starts off promising but quickly gets drowned in a cacophony of samples, electronic effects, and backing vocals all playing simultaneously. Normally the album ends here, but my CD adds the B-side of "This Is England", "Do It Now". It's quite mediocre, but thankfully not messed up too badly by Rhodes. Why did Joe Strummer allow him complete controle over the mix of this album is a mystery. Or why Rhodes decided to take it to the polar opposite of the band's declared intention to return to the simplicity and energy of original punk. It may have something to do with Strummer being distracted due to family problems (his father died suddenly, and mother was simultaneously diagnosed with terminal cancer), Rhodes' famous stubborness, or the record company's insistence to deliver the album (for which they had already paid in advance) as soon as possible. But, then again, couldn't they see it was crap? Couldn't they get someone like Glyn Johns to save it? More importantly, might it still be saved? Many fans, myself included, think there are some good songs here. Given a sympathetic production, it would still be The Clash's weakest album, but not the embarassment it is now. For some mysterious reason, noone has gone back to the master tapes to make a radical remix that might salvage it. Some fans have tried; a German musician under the pseudonym Mohawk Revenge tried to isolate the vocals and re-create the instrumental part playing all the instruments himself. The result has been released under the title Cut The Crap Rebooted, and it's already better than the official version. Imagine how much further it could be improved if someone like e.g. Tim Armstrong from Rancid had access to the master tapes, was able to remove all the synths and other added-on crap, reinstate the bass and drums, and play some judicious overdubs where needed. I believe that we'd have a solid punk rock album in our hands, instead of a failed experiment.

**** for This Is England, Three Card Trick

*** for Dirty Punk, We Are The Clash, Are You Red...Y, Cool Under Heat, Movers And Shakers

** for Dictator, Play To Win, Fingerpoppin', North And South, Life Is Wild, Do It Now

アナーキー [Anarchy] "アナーキー" (1979 or 1980)*****

I think I first heard this album blasting from the speakers of a music bar on a warm evening in Tokyo (I think it was Bar Rockaholic? It was directly above a record store I visited for my record stores of shibuya post). The songs sounded like The Clash with Japanese lyrics; I remember there were a few customers shouting the lyrics at the top of their lungs. They seemed quite drunk even though it was still early. Later, I found in second hand shops some LPs by this punk band called Anarchy, and decided to take a couple together with me to The Netherlands - I've always been a sucker for non-English language rock. 

The band's self-named debut アナーキー (1979 or 1980? my sources do not agree) does sound a lot like The Clash , which makes me think they must have been the same band I heard play at the Shibuya bar that night. Three songs are more-or-less direct Clash covers: "東京イズバーニング [Tokyo is Burning]", "ホワイト・ライオット [White Riot]" and  "アナーキー [Anarchy]" (A.K.A. "Safe European Home"). "3.3.3." is a cover of Stiff Little Fingers' "Suspect Device", and "ジョニー・B・グッド" is Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode", while the band took their name from Sex Pistols' "Anarchy In The UK". Other songs sound familiar too, but I couldn't place them - in any case, the aforementioned bands should give an indication of their influences. I must say that this is exactly my favorite punk rock style: short, fast, aggressive, but still somehow melodic. In general, Anarchy seem to be closer to the English punk school rather than the American one. If you think about it, there are quite a lot of similarities between England and Japan in the 70's: former empires in decadence, ages-old society structures with an emphasis in decorum, repression and self-restraint, the institution of monarchy - Anarchy's disparaging attitude to the Imperial Family caused as much a backlash as Sex Pistols' "God Save The Queen" did. The lyrics form, apparently, a rejection of modern Japanese society, attacking consumerism, conformism, and the "worker ant" ethos. More in-your-face than the sarcastic British school or fun-loving American one. Vocals are aggresive, words spat out rather than sung, and tempos fast. Half the songs clock well under 2 minutes, the rest between 2' and 3'. Song structures usually follow the same pattern: Short intro→Verse→Chanted chorus→Short solo/noise break→Final chorus→abrupt ending. The guitarwork is relatively basic (power chords, minimal chord changes), but then again, that's punk; in any case, the guitarist sounds rather more profficient than his counterparts in classic English punk bands. On the other side, there's less variety in the music, at least in this debut lp: no reggae/funk influences like The Clash, or hard rock ones like Sex Pistols. Despite a certain sense of sameness, the urgency and short duration of each track here ensure the listener won't get bored at any point. There are no weak tracks here, on the contrary there are a lot of highlights e.g. the repetitive chant of "Not Satisfied", melodic guitar break of "Aburamushi", rockabilly guitar in "Mou Out", call-and-response vocals of "City Surfer" etc. As I said previously, many of these songs here are either covers of, or partly lifted from, contemporary Western punk rock. Yet, there's also something distinctively Japanese about this LP - other than the obvious, which is the language. It turned out to be hugely influential for the local scene and is listed at No.16 of Rolling Stone Magazine's All Time-Greatest Japanese Rock Albums list. Is the music here derivative? Yes, absolutely. But so is Green Day's, and they are one of the most popular -and therefore important- punk rock bands, ever.

***** for ノット・サティスファイ [Not Satisfied], あぶらむし [Aburamushi], 3・3・3, シティ・サーファー [City Surfer], 団地のオバサン [Danchi no Obasan], アナーキー [Anarchy]

**** for ジョニー・B・グッド [Johnny B. Goode], 東京イズバーニング [Tokyo's Burning], 缶詰 [Kandume], もうアウト [Mou Out], 季節の外で [Kisetsu no Soto de], ホワイト・ライオット [White Riot], 教室の中で [Kyoushitsu no Naka de]

*** for ロック・スター [Rock star]