Purely by coincidence, next up is a band with very close links to The Angels, The Screaming Jets. This is their mid-career Greatest Hits, released in 1999.
The grunty rock mood kicks off in style with C'mon. While hardly a memorable song, it works perfectly to get you in the mood for some sweaty Aussie rock.
Thus primed, Better is an iconic song for the ages. Based on an incredible groove, the other elements come and go to maintain interest from start to finish. I have no idea what it is that he so passionately claims isn't fair, but it makes for fantastic lyrics! Other highlights are the perfect sing-along chorus and the explosion of energy that is the final chorus.
To be brief, I Need Your Love reminds me of early Hunters & Collectors, which unfortunately means generic riff-rock which angrily stumbles around aimlessly. However, I do enjoy the squelchy guitar sound for the pre-chorus.
Blue Sashes took me by surprise. Over the years it has never really appealed to me, but today when I cranked the volume to eleven, the song took on a whole new life. The energy is amazing, I'm guessing the crowd would go nuts for this at a concert. Not that I'm advocating "mowing down Commies", but the song is a great blood-boiling experience...
Needle follows a very similar formula to Blue Sashes. The chorus is fantastic, but the rest of the song somehow doesn't captivate me as much. Nor does their take on punk with the song Living In England. Not to mention the strange notion in the lyrics that someone would aspire to be a whingeing pom!
I'd best stop whingeing myself, so on to the recording quality. Simply, it is well-executed meaty rock. The guitars are nicely crunchy, and the chorusing and overdubs is very well used. To nitpick, the effects on the vocals are often laid on too thick, but that was typical for rock bands of this era.
Individuality won't ever win any awards for musical innovation, but it's a lesson in the perfect punk-rock song. The chorus is simplistic, yet great headbanging fun.
The over-processed vocals are taken to the extreme in Sacrifice, which is a deal-breaker for me. Tunnel and Silence Lost have their moments, but overall the compositions are a bit of a mess. And their take on a George Thorogood blues in Shine On somehow doesn't click for me.
Is Shiver a great ballad in its own right? Or is it flattered by being the perfect interlude for the album? Either way, I really enjoy the change of intensity it brings, and the narrative is superbly heartfelt.
October Grey is another oddball gem, thanks to its bouncy feel. I really dig the layering of this song, in particular the acoustic guitar, the gently wailing electric guitar and the piano also filling out the sound.
Political rock protest songs often feel to me like the need to spread The Message means the artistic elements of lyrics (eg narrative, imagery, intruige) are overlooked. Eve of Destruction is a wonderful exception, thanks to lyric which tell a compelling story while getting the point across.
So that's almost it. Has anyone noticed which songs I've missed?
...Helping Hand? A gold star for you, sir or madam. This song is truly a diamond in the rough! Featuring the rare combination of rock and jazz, in this case perfectly blended. The smooth verses and rollicking chorus are both fantastic in their own right. Yet when put together here, the result is even better than the sum of these excellent parts. The icing on the cake is brilliantly poetic lyrics.
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