Tears for Fears “The Seeds of Love”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#1019 in the Series) is Tears for Fears, The Seeds of Love. I Would love to know how much time Tears for Fears spent in the studio recording this album. It has so much texture and so many layers that it had to have taken many, many months. Released in 1989, this was their third release following The Hurting and Songs from the Big Chair. The latter having reached #1 on the strength of two singles, “Shout” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” The Seeds of Love peaked at #8 but top to bottom, this this was a stronger album in my opinion. There was a major difference in this album that...
Genesis “Seconds Out”
Today’s Cool Album Of the Day (#976 in the Series) is Genesis, Seconds Out. How much do I like this album? Well, if I could only take ten albums to a desert island, I might have to take two copies of this and then eight others. This was the album that made me fall in love with Genesis. I don’t know why I didn’t get into them earlier. After this was released I did go back and loved all the Gabriel era works. For some reason I missed it when it was happening. I remember seeing all those ads about them playing the Auditorium for three nights. I can kick myself now for not going. I guess I did...
“Genesis – Together and Apart” New BBC Documentary Coming Soon.
Genesis and the BBC have been working together over the last few months on GENESIS: TOGETHER AND APART A feature length documentary on one of the most successful bands in rock history. From its first beginnings as a band of songwriters in the late 1960s to its final incarnation as a rock giant in the 1990s – via full-blown theatrical progressive rock in the mid-1970s and the subtler jazzy pop of the early 1980s – Genesis could perplex and enrage the die-hards, whilst exciting and exhilarating the newer disciples. Made with the full co-operation of Genesis, the film reunites all original members of the band together – Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford – for...
Philip Bailey ‘Chinese Wall’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#930 in the Series) is Philip Bailey, Chinese Wall. Chinese Wall is Earth, Wind and Fire vocalist Philip Bailey’s second solo album. It was released in 1984 and it follows Continuation from the previous year. Continuation did…. OK, but not great. It peaked at #72 on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart. Chinese Wall reached #22. Why the difference? Well, mainly it was because of Phil Collins, but we’ll also say that it did have a bunch of good songs on it too. So what did Phil Collins have to do with the success? For one, he produced the album. Secondly, he plays drums on the entire album, but he also sang the...
‘Johnny Boy Would Love This … A Tribute to John Martyn’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#842 in the Series) is Johnny Boy Would Love This…A Tribute to John Martyn There are some artists who open their hearts to us. They are the jewels, the ones that never fail you when you go back to their music. And their songs are the ones that live on, because the beauty of the truth they tell does not die, even when the artist does. A tribute album is a tricky thing. It always sounds like a good idea, but we all know cases where the end result leaves you wishing the material had been left alone. Bringing too few new ideas to the arrangements can leave us wishing for the original....
Genesis “Foxtrot”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#700 in the Series) is Genesis, Foxtrot One thing that we do here at Cool Album of the Day is endeavor to bring you something special for our milestone numbered posts. As you’ve just read, this piece represents entry number 700. So today we bring you an album that more than arguably could be considered the best progressive-rock album of all time. It contains a song that could also potentially be considered the best progressive rock song of all time. You already know the album is Foxtrot, and the song of course that I’m referring to is “Supper’s Ready.” Some may say that Genesis’ magnum opus should be considered The Lamb lies...
Brand X “Product”
Today’s Cool Album of The Day (#582 in the Series) is Brand X, Product. Brand X was a band that wasn’t a band, well not at first were they a band, but then became a band. You Got it? Here’s the idea. Genesis drummer and new lead vocalist Phil Collins along with Atomic Rooster guitarist John Goodsall were looking for something to do as a side project. How long was it supposed to go on? Well not long really. Just do some jamming and maybe record a platter or two if the sound came together. This was in 1976. They added bassist Percy Jones and keyboard Robin Lumley to complete the band. They decided to release an album here and there....
Genesis “Wind and Wuthering”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#574 in the Series) is Genesis, Wind and Wuthering “..And There Were Still Four.” That could have been the title for Wind and Wuthering when you look back at it. I’m of course referring to the fact that this was indeed, the last album with four of the historic Genesis lineup members. We know that Peter Gabriel left the band at the end of the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway tour. The next year saw the release of the first post-Gabriel album, A Trick of the Tail. That great release was followed up with Wind and Wuthering. Yes, like many of the band’s fans, we love the Gabriel era. My favorite will...
Howard Jones ‘Human’s Lib’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#441 in The Series) is Howard Jones, Human’s Lib I actually started a write up for Howard’s second album, Dream Into Action when I started doing some research. I wanted to know the usual, chart positions, songs I may have forgotten, how many other albums the artist had etc. So I saw it was his second and I took a peak back at the debut. I remembered how much I liked that album and called an audible! So now we’re going to do Human’s Lib. Not as successful as Dream Into Action, chart-wise, but a very good piece of music. Two songs received most of the airplay. They were, “New Song” and “What is Love.”...
George Harrison “All Things Must Pass”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#418 in the Series)is George Harrison, All Things Must Pass I know I’ve mentioned the purpose of the Whale Wednesday Series. Yeah, the plan was to feature some of the bigger releases and give them some representation on the site as well. However I meant that to mean “bigger” in regards to profile or sales etc. I didn’t intend it to mean the actual size of the recording! So here we have one that fits the term ‘Huge’ on a couple fronts. The first of those being that it was recorded by George Harrison along with some well-known friends. The second being how well this was accepted. All Things Must Pass sold over...
