| Lester Burnham 27.06.2005 10:45 |
Well, I'm doing this a bit early, as I will be away for a week starting Wednesday. As usual, the rules:
1. If you don't own the album, do not contribute. I want this to be a discussion, and posts by somebody saying only ''I like 'Keep Yourself Alive' on Classic Queen, is that on this album?'' or something to that nature contributes nothing to the discussion. 2. As most people have been quick to jump down the throats of foreign posters about their English, I can only ask that those not familiar with the language do their best. For those who speak English as their first language, there really is no excuse. Try to formulate your thoughts so that everyone can enjoy them. No speaking in tongues, please. 3. You don't need to like the album - these aren't appreciation threads, these are discussion threads. If you don't like the album, don't be afraid to say so! Everyone should be responsive to constructive criticism, so if the album isn't one of your favorites, explain why in a decent manner instead of just saying, ''This album sucks because of X song.'' 3a. Disagreements are encouraged. Well, okay... not exactly encouraged, but don't be afraid to disagree with someone as long as you disagree in a dignified manner. BAD: Poster A: '''The Kiss' is probably my favorite song off the album.'' Poster B: ''WHAT?! 'THE KISS' IS ABSOLUTELY THE WORST SONG RELEASED BY QUEEN! YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT, YOU JACKASS! ANYONE WHO LIKES 'THE KISS' LIKES BOILS ON THEIR FACE AND BEING TORTURED BY TOADS BITING THEIR FINGERNAILS! A POX ON YOUR FAMILY AND ANYTHING YOU SHOULD SPAWN, YOU HEATHEN!'' Poster A: ''...'' GOOD: Poster A: '''The Kiss' is probably my favorite song off the album.'' Poster B: ''It's not that great, in my opinion, but what do you like about it?'' Poster A: ''I like the segue from 'Execution Of Flash' and the orchestration. Freddie's vocalisations are just great.'' Poster B: ''Hmm. That's exactly what I don't like about it.'' *Posters A and B share a beer and become best friends* 4. These will be posted every two weeks. They won't necessarily follow the chronological order of Queen albums, nor will they be restricted to Queen-only albums. I know that many people don't have the solo albums, myself included - I do not possess any of The Cross's records - so if there is someone who would like to take control of those three albums, please let me know and I would be more than happy to surrender my duties in those instances. However, for the most part, I'm going to be in charge of this. If anything should happen to me, then I would hope the album discussion threads would be the LEAST of your worries!Today, instead of discussing one particular album, I would like us all to compare Brian's two major solo releases (''Back To The Light'' and ''Another World'') as well as his mini-album, ''Star Fleet Project''. I'm aware that not many of us have that last album, so that is not mandatory to discuss. If you do have it, great - let's talk about it. If not, please at least have the other two albums - they're the most readily accessible of Brian's (and Queen solo) works. Do it to it, all! |
| Lester Burnham 27.06.2005 12:22 |
Well, in order to get things going here, and perhaps set the precedent for discussion, I'm going to choose ''Back To The Light'' as my prefered album by Brian. Surprisingly, Brian was the last member of the group to embark on a solo career of sorts: Roger started in '77, Freddie followed in '85. Hell, even John had formed a group in '86 and released a single ('No Turning Back'). But I think it's well worth the wait, and, if you care to delve deeper into the meanings of the songs, you'll find that Brian was really going through a lot. ''Back To The Light'' isn't Brian's first release, though. In '83, during a lull in Queen activity, he put out ''Star Fleet Project'', a mini-album of three largely improvised songs, with the shortest one running at just over seven minutes. With Eddie Van Halen on additional guitar and a slew of Los Angeles-based backing musicians, the band is shit hot and play some amazing stuff. 'Star Fleet' stands out as my favorite song, especially when the synthesizer makes its appearance for the first time. However, it's obvious that there is no coherency to the album, and that it's just five musicians having some fun and not taking themselves very seriously. ''Back To The Light'' is his first proper solo album, then, and what an album it is! Brian was still trying to find his voice, both figuratively and literally, and his nervous vocal approach is both a blessing and curse. He can handle the softer stuff like the title track, 'Just One Life', 'Too Much Love Will Kill You', as well as the acoustic 'Let Your Heart Rule Your Head', but his voice strains on almost everything else, especially 'I'm Scared'. However, this doesn't detract from the performances whatsoever, and it almost adds a human touch to the recordings; it's likely that if Freddie had recorded these vocals, it would be very powerful, but Brian's voice adds another dimension to the songs. I'm a big fan of 'Rollin' Over', the old Small Faces hit from 1968, and it's really a powerful rocker given the ol' Queen treatment. I particularly like when Brian throws in the riff from The Beatles' 'Day Tripper'. There really isn't a weak song on here, though 'Love Token' and 'I'm Scared' are probably the songs I skip the most, while 'Driven By You', originally commissioned by Ford, sounds very much like an ad campaign jingle and little else. I also tire very quickly of 'Last Horizon', but it's still nice for Brian to come up with another showcase for the Red Special after wearing out the echoplex solo from 'Brighton Rock'. If I had to choose a top five from the album, it would be: the title track, 'Resurrection' (one of the best performances on the album, hands down), 'Too Much Love Will Kill You', 'Let Your Heart Rule Your Head', and 'Rollin' Over' - incidentally, these five songs I could see fitting in on any Queen album between 1988 and 1991. I can't tell you how delighted I would be if a Queen version of 'Back To The Light' existed. Interestingly, several alternate versions were made, many instrumentals ('Nothin' But Blue', 'Too Much Love', and 'Just One Life') that feature the Red Special in lieu of the vocals. These are some pretty powerful rearrangements, and I would recommend seeking them out by whatever means necessary. As far as I'm aware, the album was recorded over several years, between 1988 and 1991, and those four years were undoubtedly his most emotionally-charged. It's for this reason that I prefer ''Back To The Light'' over ''Another World'', which very obviously screams ''follow-up'' and it almost seems that Brian is trying to recreate the formula used on ''Back to The Light''. While there are some excellent songs on that album - 'Business', 'Why Don't We Try Again', 'On My Way Up', 'All The Way From Memphis', and the title track - it all seems too planned to really succeed all that well. It's an album that I could listen to once a year or so and not really miss all that much, whereas ''Back To The Light'' is somet |
| PieterMC 27.06.2005 12:45 |
Another World always sounded to me like a mish mash of songs. A number of the songs were already available elsewhere, a cover version or had been recorded for another purpose. I was kinda disappointed with the album when I got it. 1. Space 2. Business - TV Theme 3. China Belle 4. Why Don't We Try Again 5. On My Way Up - TV Theme 6. Cyborg - From Rise of the Robots 7. Guv'nor, The 8. Wilderness 9. Slow Down - Cover Version 10. One Rainy Wish - Jimi Hendrix Tribute Album 11. All The Way From Memphis - Cover Version - Previously Released 12. Another World I would go with Back to the Light as the best solo album. |
| Lord Fickle 27.06.2005 15:22 |
Fortunately, I have all three albums (Star Fleet on vinyl and CD - the CD version is on the Back To The Light CD Single), so I'll start with Star Fleet:- Of the three tracks, Star Fleet, Let Me Out, and Blues Breaker, my favourite by far, is Let Me Out. This would have made a brilliant Queen song, and I wonder if there was ever a demo of it by the band? I seem to remember Brian saying it was a song Queen had rejected. This would have fitted in perfectly on News Of The World, in my opinion. Star Fleet is a basic standard rocker, in a similar vein to Rock It (Prime Jive), and Blues Breaker is an instrumental ramble, with Brian and Eddie Van Halen 'duelling' guitar riffs. (Eddie VH also appears on Let Me Out). Back To The Light was, at the time, the best Queen album they never made! Brian had returned to 'that guitar sound', which had been sorely lacking on later Queen albums. Basically, this album is heavy as f**k! Side 2 is definitely the weaker, and tracks like Nothing But Blue, Just One Life and Rolling Over are easily skippable. many people also don't like I'm Scared, but despite hating it at first, this one has grown on me. Best tracks - The Dark, Back To The Light, Driven By You (although the Cozy Powell mix is miles better), Resurrection, Too Much Love Will Kill You, and Love Token (ish). Another World kind of took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting another album, and it was a pleasant bolt from the blue. I LOVE The Business (best track), and China Girl, Cyborg, Wilderness, Slow Down, One Rainy Wish, All The Way From Memphis and Another World are all great tracks, with (excepting Cyborg) the added power of Cozy Powell's sledgehammer drumming. It doesn't really bother me all that much that he included three covers on the album, as they are all good tracks. All in all, I think you could make one fantastic album out of all three, and my track listing would be:- The Dark Back To The Light Business China Belle Driven By You Too Much Love Will Kill You One Rainy Wish Cyborg Let Me Out Let Your Heart Rule Your Head Wilderness Resurrection Slow Down All The Way From Memphis Another World |
| YourValentine 27.06.2005 16:40 |
Apparently, most of Brian's songs were accepted by Queen, therefore he did not have that many solo albums as Roger, who did not contribute that much to the Queen albums but had much more solo material released. Looking at the careers of the two most prolific Queen contributors you can say that Freddie wrote less for Queen in the 80s and had 2 solo albums out while Brian kept contributing to the Queen albums at the expense of his solo output. Both Brian albums reflect a lot of pain and depression. I cannot think of a single Brian song that I would call happy. He writes fantastic tunes (Too much Love.., Wilderness, On my Way Up, Resurrection Back To The Light, Another World)but sometimes these songs are hard to listen to because they express so much loneliness, despair and hopelessness. Although we cannot say that a song reflects the inner self of the artist it's obvious that these two albums were not written and performed by a happy person with no care in the world. From the listener point of view both albums require an emotional involvement that people are not always willing to provide when listening to a Rock album. My personal favourites are harder songs like Resurrection because they allow for a release of all this emotion. I think that Resurrection is one of the best Rock songs of all times. I don't mind Brian's voice which has often been criticised, it's his voice to his own songs and I think it fits the songs by nature. Although it was not suggested - my favourite Brian solo album is Live At The Brixton Academy - and even more so the video. While the studio albums give me a feeling that I am listening to a therapy session - and I do not mean that nasty - the live album sounds more joyful and more like a Rock album of Queen's guitarist. Because if it had not been for Queen I would probably never have listened to a Brian May album. It may sound trivial but the truth is that most people who bought a Brian album are Queen fans and he will always be compared with Queen just as Roger who really tried much harder to get away from the 'mother ship' and did not succeed, either. |
| bigV 27.06.2005 18:17 |
Several quick points: 1. In my opinion, if Roger and John had played on BTTL it could easily have been a Queen album. That album has so much of the Queen sound in that it's frightening. 2. I don't think we should forget "Furia" in this thread because love it or loathe it, it's a Brian May solo album and I think that as a piece of film music it stans out very well. 3. Someone once suggested that Brian May should release a blues album. I think he's right - a great rock musician though he is, Brian May is quite the bluesman. If you don't believe me listen to "Let Me Out", "Lost Opportunity", "Teasin' Around" and "Only Make Believe". 4. I don't think it's fair to run down "Another World" [the album]. In my opinion it has a very interesting theme [going through changes] and all songs worl well within that. Additionally it features one of Brian May's most delicate ballads ["Why Don't We Try Again"] as well as one of the heaviest songs he's ever written ["Cyborg"]. These two songs are practically on the opposite ends of the rock spectrum, but nevertheless they fit in well with the theme and they still retain the Brian May/Queen sound. All in all I think that Brian's solo work stands up very well and it probably has more of the Queen sound than Roger's or Freddie's solo work. V. |
| Lester Burnham 27.06.2005 18:29 |
That's right, I'm sorry - by all means, discuss ''Furia'' and ''Live At Brixton Academy''. |
| Bobby_brown 27.06.2005 19:51 |
Well i have all is albums and this is what i think of them: Star Fleet: I just hate that song and video. I like let me out and Blues breacker. I didn't feel there was a big chemistry between Eddie and Brian. Edward Van Halen was the top guitarrist in the world by this time (still is) and the impression i get is that he's slowing down because if he turns on the turbo, then, goodbye Brian ... And i don't like Brian's voice on the song Star Fleet. But hey, not bad for a jam!! Back to the Light: Great songs but i think Brian is struggling to sing on a high pitch as Freddie. I still don't like his voice on some of the songs simply because they don't fit Brian vocal range. The thing is, i like Brian voice on the slow ones/Ballads but his voice doesn't rock (although it fits Driven by You pretty well)! Live at Brixton Academy: The greatest moment is Cozy Powel drum solo. What a BEAST! You can see what i meant earlier when i said some songs didn't fit his vocal range. It's too obvious, sometimes you can hear him scream to get to the pitch. He ends the concert almost without voice. In what guitar is concern he's good but i can't understand why he never plays the solo for Driven by You the right way. You can tell that sometimes he has not a very high self esteem while playing guitar, and one thing that i notice is that he plays a lot better when he has Roger behind drums (it's a phsicological thing i guess)! Another World: This is my favourite album. You can tell that his voice has developed well, it's more stronguer, and better songs that fitted well his vocal range. My favourite song is Another World, and one thing that two friends of mine have noticed is the superb sound quality of the CD. It was on two different ocasions during the guitar solo on Another World that they said that the sound was very clear. And it was/is amazing. I can't find a low point on this one. Furia: It's Ok, but not excelent. I mean, if you're gonna play with an orchestra i think you have to take more risks as a player. I'm not ask him to play like Yngwie Malmsteen or Uli JOn Roth but i think that he needs to develop his self esteem as a guitar player and take more risks. There you have it! Take care |
| Gunpowder Gelatine 27.06.2005 23:01 |
For me, and probably most people, I think Brian's solo work is the easiest to get into, since it's so close to the Queen sound. And a lot of his tracks would sound great given the Queen treatment. Both Another World and Back To The Light have their share of strong tracks and are surprisingly solid albums. Most of the tracks are instantly likeable, which wasn't really the same case with me for albums like Mr. Bad Guy or Strange Frontier (But it has to be said, Barcelona is amazing! I'll save that for another one of Lester's album discussions, though!). Then again, Brian was probably the most consistent writer in the band, and it really shows. And Back To The Light and Another World have really similar feels to them, and there's so much desperation in the lyrics. So the highlights from Another World for me are... Another World - Business, Why Don't We Try Again, Wilderness, One Rainy Wish and Another World. Business always reminds me of Back To The Light (the song) and Ressurection - not a bad thing - these songs are probably my favorites of Brian's. Like Why Don't We Try Again, you can so easily picture the situations Brian's going through in his life through the lyrics. It's hard to be so open and put yourself out there for everyone to hear, but he does an amazing job of this. Wilderness is a track I forgot about for awhile, but read something about it on Brian's Soapbox and revisited it. It's got a somber tone to it, which you kind of have to be in the mood for to really appreciate, but I love the lyrics. One Rainy Wish is one of the few covers I actually like. Brian doing Jimi Hendrix is always good. And the title track, Another World...the piano section has always reminded me a little bit of Layla by Derek & The Dominoes. Typical great lyrics and guitars, but with piano added in! It's got some less than amazing songs (I've never been a huge fan of All The Way From Memphis or Slow Down) and even though, like YourValentine said, it's only really interesting to Queen fans, it's still a relatable album. |
| Maz 28.06.2005 00:54 |
PieterMC wrote: Another World always sounded to me like a mish mash of songs.I have to agree with Pieter. BTTL was a great album and one that I listened to ad nauseum in the Spring of 1993 (after Hollywood finally released it). I always thought Love Token/Resurrection/TMLWKY/Driven By You was a great set of songs played back to back and there was a certain cohesion and flow to them. This album easily beats more than a few Queen albums, in my opinion. Another World, on the other hand, is just missing BTTL's cohesion. At first, I really liked the album, but I soon felt like it didn't all fit together properly. Too much of a mish-mash. I think some of Brian's remarks about the album (that it was originally going to be a tribute to his heroes, the various covers recorded at the time) show how it lacks direction. There are some good songs on Another World, but overall it gets played less and less than Brian's other stuff. |
| Fenderek 28.06.2005 08:55 |
I absolutely adore STAR FLEET. I wish Queen recorded "Let Me Out"- such a great tune!!! The other two aren't bad and the album is just pure fun- that's what rock'n'roll is all about, isn't it? It's raw, honest, fun... Back To The Light is- as someone nicely put- the best Queen album they have never made. It's brilliant and it really IS an album, not just bunch of songs... I love the Small Faces cover- Roolin Over- few riffs remind me of Hendrix, great stuff! Ressurrection is just awesome, Driven By You, TMLWKY, Last Horizon, Just One Life, Back To The Light... Those are all great tunes... Love Token is also brilliant... The ones that I'm not so crazy about are Let your Heart Rule Your Head and I'm Scared, but... I love the sound- guitars are a huge part of this album, more than any Queen album from 80s... In fact- this record is much better than few that Queen did put together!!!- AKOM, Works, Hot Space... Love it to bits... Still listen to it very often. And as Lester mentioned- some B-sides are worth seeking... Another Worls has some extrodinary moments- Wilderness, Why Don't We Try Again, China Belle (what a riff!), Business... In fact I can almost mention every single one of them! Those are really great tunes, but just simply don't work together... The album is unfortunately just a few songs (good ones...) put together on one CD... Furia is... good. I love the THEME, I really love the melody- and "Dream Of Thee" is one of the most beautiful things Brian ever sang... But he could have been a little bit more adventurous on that album... Still- I do enjoy listening to this one and am coming back to this score every now and than... IMO Brian had the best solo records out of all 4 Queen memebres... Roger has a great voice but I'm not that crazy about his songwriting skills, Freddie recorded a lot of very bad tunes (most of Mr bad Guy album) and John... Well, we can forget this one song... His albums sound most Queen-like but he couldn't avoid it, that's the same guitar... Prove that it was Brian's guitar sound that was making Queen what they really were- Freddie's records, even though it's the same voice, sound nothing like Queen. Oh- and of course there is BRIXTON. What a gig!!! Brian has a lot of problems with his voice... Still- what an energy, what a great rock fest. I wish I was there...! :) |
| Benn 28.06.2005 09:27 |
I remember receiving an advance promo CD of Another World, sometime in early 1998. I'd been looking forward to what Brian was going to follow BTTL with as there wer esome exciting ideas on there and he'd been noticeably absent from recording those previous few years. After listening to that advance promo, I threw it in the bin and vowed NEVER to buy another Brian May solo album. The reason being that so much of the material included had already been released before - The Business and On My Way Up were already featured on a TV show here in the UK and therefore well-known (to me at least); One Rainy Wish had appeared on a Hendrix Tribute; All The Way From Memphis had featured on a Mott The Hoople tribute; Cyborg had featured in a computer game. The rest if it was slushy ballads save for the stunning Slow Down which was an example of how Brian and his band really could stretch out if they wanted to. BTTL showed some glimpses of the great guitar player that Brian truly is - his use of tone, trebble and volume are almost unparalelled. Then after years of nothing we get a collection of multiple cover versions, slushy ballads and material that has been available for some time in other formats. I'd been hping for a showcase for one of the greatest guitarists of our time. I got nothing near that and immediately reverted back to the Star Fleet Project for some solace. I hope to hear of something more exciting in the future, but I don't thik Brian is interested enough to even bother. |
| pertica 28.06.2005 22:11 |
In my perspective, I started listening to Queen in 1991. I bought Back to the Light in 1993, which is still one of my favourite albums EVER: amazing melodies and ideas, this album made me became a guitarist. I bought Another World when it first came out, and listened to it about 10 times since then. In my feelings, it hadn't that spark, although business is a great song. 15 days ago I downloaded Starfleet project, (didn't know about the existence of it before) and I fell on my knees discovering Starfleet is the best song I've ever heard. Cheers, Totonno |
| AC 08.07.2005 23:25 |
I've finally found the time to post a review for these album, althought it's past 5 A.M., I'm drunk and I've finished drinking the beer I was drinking during the review of "Queen" (only water now). I think threads like this are important for this board and I want to add all I can do. I have to say the album I prefer is "BACK TO THE LIGHT" as a whole album, although I'm very fond of the songs "Starfleet" and "Let Me Out". But the "STARFLEET" album lacks the coerehence I find on "BACK TO THE LIGHT". Obviously the "ANOTHER WORLD" album completely lacks from this point of view, as pointed out by others on their posts. I have never had the opportunity to listen to the "FURIA" album (the only time I found it in a store, there were also Red Special, Strange Frontier and Shove It and I bought those instead of it). "LIVE AT BRIXTON ACADEMY" is a wonderul live, also if I've never seen the video which is longer than the CD. According to a friend of mine, the LIVE cd has a problem which affected also the 2005 Queen + PR tour: the guest musicians (Jamie Moses above all) as mixed very low, really in the background. I don't think it's good, but I still enjoy it as one of the most beloved CD my friends bought as a present for me. STARFLEET: Good songs, but it is not an album, it's just a "special session" with some good musicians jamming together and althought I love the result I cannot think about it as a real Brian May Solo Abum. BACK TO THE LIGHT: From "THE DARK", a nice opener, together with the true album opener/closer, this album really has the Brian May mark typed with fire on it. "BACK TO THE LIGHT" is a very nice track, althought I'm not very fond of it, also in the live version. "LOVE TOKEN" and "RESURRECTION" must be the best Rock couple of songs ever, especially the second is a song I cannot be bored by listening to it, also in the live version with Bohemian Rhapsody and Overture 1812 in it (I would love to hear a studio version of it - I think studio it has a much better sound, although the live one is more emotional). "TOO MUCH LOVE WILL KILL YOU" is superior to the Queen version because I think I can really hear the pain in Brian's voice. "DRIVEN BY YOU" is a song I was never fond of, it really has the "adversitement" feeling and I never liked it in the acoustic set when permored live. "NOTHING BUT BLUE" is a nice song but Brian didn't add something special like he did with the other Powell's song. "I'M SCARED" is a strange song but I think about is as an interval in the album: nice but nothing special when compared to other tracks. "LAST HORIZON" is simply wondeful, a nice instrumental which leads your mind to different world if you let it flow (although this can also be said of other instumental tracks by other artists). "LET YOUR HEART RULE YOUR HEAD" is a nice song, especially live. I never understood what the '39 intro had to do with it, but I liked it (a complete live version of '39 would have been better though). The end of the album, with "JUST ONE LIFE" and the cover "ROLLING OVER" never convinced me. This could have been much better. "ANOTHER WORLD" to use someone else's words sounds like a "mish mash of songs". Although I was not a Queen fan during its creation, I recognize the fact that it lacks the "album feeling". Unlike the previous album, "SPACE" is an opener I was never fond of, although it is followed by "BUSINESS" which is a good track. It could have been miles better in my opinion but I still like it. "CHINA BELLE" is a nice song to listen to but it ends here. "WHY DON'T WE TRY AGAIN" is a wonderful song. I think it is a really sad song and very emotional. I don't like the drums pattern and I think it |
| Suigi 29.10.2005 00:39 |
Back to the Light surprised me quite a bit. I didn't think Brian would be the heaviest rocker of the bunch, but lo and behold. The intro one-two of The Dark and Back To The Light is quite interesting. BTTL has some gospel mixed in, which I find cool. Love Token was a bit of a let-down. A bit of an "old-school" rock-n-roller, but just not doing it for me. Resurrection...wow. I am truly impressed with this tune. If Freddie IS alive, he should record vocals for this tune, and it'd be an anthem. TMLWKY...not that big of a fan of the Brian version. Call me biased, but I liked having the whole band in on it better. Driven By You...heard it too many times on GH3, pass it every time. Nothin' But Blue...skip. Not a fan of it. I'm Scared...Brian shows his paranoid side, and I rather like it! Last Horizon...nostalgic would be the word that comes to mind. Quite evocative. Let Your Heart Rule Your Head...this little campfire-ish acoustic tune has been the one I've been putting into heavy rotation on my Media Library. Just works. Just One Life...forgettable. Seriously, I have forgotten what the song is like. List this one as a "N/A" Rollin' Over...it starts out pounding, and a truly great way to end the album, but why did they have to do the whole "complete-the-cycle-open-ended" thing?! If it had a rock-out finish like All the Way from Memphis, this would've been the best track on the second side. All in all...I'd give it 4/5. |
| Benn 31.10.2005 05:59 |
Ha - it's funny, because, to be honest, I thought that BTTL would be *THAT MUCH MORE* heavy than it actually was. The production of the album sounded very thin and tinny (almost as if they had consciously decided to rely on trebble as the bedrock of the sound). I actually thought that Neil Murray was an incredibly poor choice as bass player for his backing band. Presumably brian thought that he and Cozy having played together a lot in the past would gell together, but I thought he was terribly embarassin - I remember his shitty attempt at a bass solo in '98 and nearly keft the building (after also having to sit through Conway Shitty). AW was altogether more meaty and beefier sound-wise, but I still thought that they had held back. |
| Lord Fickle 31.10.2005 06:38 |
Benn wrote: Ha - it's funny, because, to be honest, I thought that BTTL would be *THAT MUCH MORE* heavy than it actually was. The production of the album sounded very thin and tinny (almost as if they had consciously decided to rely on trebble as the bedrock of the sound). I actually thought that Neil Murray was an incredibly poor choice as bass player for his backing band. Presumably brian thought that he and Cozy having played together a lot in the past would gell together, but I thought he was terribly embarassin - I remember his shitty attempt at a bass solo in '98 and nearly keft the building (after also having to sit through Conway Shitty). AW was altogether more meaty and beefier sound-wise, but I still thought that they had held back.What did you expect when you played BTTL? Cradle of Filth? Machine Head? Sepultura? It was never supposed to be a Heavy Metal album, and in my opinion, it had an excellent production, apart from Driven By You which was a bit thin on the drums, until the new version came along, with Cozy Powell, who, incidentally, was an excellent choice of drummer, and gelled with BMs guitar style perfectly. Neil Murray could have been there or not, as far as I am concerned. I don't think he's a bad bass player, but certainly isn't distinct enough to be irreplaceable. I agree, it was probably because Murray and Powell were old mates, that they got together. I also conceed that AW sounded slightly heavier than BTTL, but BTTL is by no means a 'weak' production, and Brian's sound was 100% heavier then on the last few Queen albums! |
| Daburcor? 31.10.2005 07:29 |
I love both 'Back To The Light' and 'Another World' for different reasons, however, 'Back To The Light' works better as an 'album'. 'Another World', as some of you have already stated, sounds more like a mish-mash of songs that were thrown together, and while those songs may be great, they don't flow together as seamlessly as I think an album should. 'Back To The Light' on the other hand, DOES. The way Brian melds soft and heavy, darkness and light, happiness and sorrow, and so forth, make 'Back To The Light' sort of an emotional thrill-ride, if you will. The album shows the struggles and triumphs of a man who has gone through so much in such a small time frame (a divorce, his father's death, Freddie's death, the loss of his band, etc.), and seems vulnerable, confused, and uncertain to what his future holds, yet somehow manages to hold on to hope. Listening to the album takes you through those experiences in such a way that you almost feel as though you went through it all with him, the good times and bad. I'll leave you with this quote from Brian (that I think perfectly sums up the album): "This is not a set of ideas put down at one moment, nor is it the story of my life; it is merely a collection of attempts to make sense of life's journey." |
| motbq 01.11.2005 03:29 |
back to the light is a decent rock album, it has alot of queen trademarks, great guitar work and cozy is a great drummer. Another world is another decent outing from brian but not as strong in the songwriting department. Both albums have now officially collected dust, i must be in the mood to listen to those albums. "barcelona" is easily my favorite solo album from a queen member. |
| Benn 01.11.2005 06:27 |
Lord Fickle, re: >What did you expect when you played BTTL? >Cradle of Filth? Machine Head? Sepultura? It >was never supposed to be a Heavy Metal album, No - and neither did I sugest that's what it should have been...... I *HOPED* for an album that showcased Brian as a ROCK guitarist as opposed to someone that was trying to get recognition in the singles charts. I don't hear anything on there that represents him taking a chance. >with Cozy Powell, who, incidentally, was an >excellent choice of drummer, and gelled with >BMs guitar style perfectly. Couldn't agree more. >I also conceed that AW sounded slightly heavier >than BTTL, but BTTL is by no means a 'weak' >production, So, by extension, BTTL was weak compared to AW....... >and Brian's sound was 100% heavier then on the >last few Queen albums! OK - let's see - examples; Innuendo, The Hitman (thinly produced but the idea is there), Headlong, The Show Must Go On, Was It All Worth It, Breakthru, Party, I Want It All...... All of those are heavier and more rocky than ANYTHING on BTTL. I spoke to Brian soon after the release of the Star Fleet EP and the fact that he'd bothered to dedicate Bluesbreaker to Clapton. At the time, Queen were clearly going nowhere and I wanted to challenge him on the direction that he would take should Queen not go any further. He was interested int he idea of "doing a Gary Moore" and, when BTTL was announced, that's what I'd hoped for - absolutely, sompletely the opposite. Then AW came along with the same old mix of lushy ballads and material that had already been released before and I am now left witht he feeling that he's probably better off concentrating on producing musicals. I don't know where his playing muse has gone to be honest. For someone with as distinctive a style as Brian has, you get the feeling (well, I do anyhoe) that he's happy to settle for turnign out the same old stuff time and again as opposed to laying himself down a challenge. Q&PR is hardly that. |
| Lord Fickle 01.11.2005 11:22 |
Benn wrote: Lord Fickle, re: >I also conceed that AW sounded slightly heavier >than BTTL, but BTTL is by no means a 'weak' >production, So, by extension, BTTL was weak compared to AW.......I still can't agree there. AW was 6 years down the road from BTTL, and studio techniques change and improve. Although certain tracks do sound 'bigger' on AW, in my opinion, it doesn't make BTTL sound poorly produced. At the time BTTL was released, I remember being overjoyed that Brian had finally got back 'that sound' from the classic Queen albums, which was lacking on the David Richards produced material. Benn wrote: >and Brian's sound was 100% heavier then on the >last few Queen albums! OK - let's see - examples; Innuendo, The Hitman (thinly produced but the idea is there), Headlong, The Show Must Go On, Was It All Worth It, Breakthru, Party, I Want It All...... All of those are heavier and more rocky than ANYTHING on BTTL.Yes, the Queen tracks you mentioned do sound OK, apart from The Hitman, but when you compare Brian's sound then to his sound on the likes of The Prophet's Song, It's Late, or White Man, it does sound thinner and slightly watered down. However, this is a point which could be argued ad-infinitum, as people naturally hear things differently, and it much depends on each persons preference as to the sound they think is best. |
| k-m 01.11.2005 18:03 |
I don't listen much neither to "BTTL" nor "AW". Reason: those are not very good albums. However, I like a few songs from each of them. Maybe, put together, they would make a good record. Let's see: Possible tracklisting: 1. Driven By You 2. Business 3. On My Way Up 4. Too Much Love Will Kill You 5. Cyborg 6. Resurrection 7. Last Horizon 8. Nothin' But Blue 9. Wilderness 10. Why Don't We Try Again 11. One Rainy Wish 12. Another World Yup, that would work! 5 songs from BTTL plus 7 from AW and you have a good record. And if I was to choose between those two I'd go for AW. |
| motbq 02.11.2005 04:09 |
i agree "k-m" if you took the best songs on both albums then you would have a pretty good album, but as is, BTTL and AW are two forgettable albums. even hot space is better, at least the boys were still trying new sounds. |
| motbq 03.11.2005 00:34 |
bttl-out of ten i give it a 4 another world-3 both are unoriginal rock albums, i listened to them once or twice then threw them out. |
| g2000 03.11.2005 07:09 |
ive always liked the star fleet project as it wasnt really an album, just three tracks, but the rest of his solo stuff i cant listen to (apart from the back to the light intro which is genius). i find the albums devoid of any real personality and insipid and if it wasnt brian may i would have forgotten i even had them. i always thought the problem was, for me anyway, was that brian sound is really so close to the queen sound, and when listened to it, you realise how brians voice seems unsuited to that kind of music |