Vinyl Score: Amen Corner
Wednesday, 7. May 2008, 21:54:00
That's the Allmans sorted, time to move on alphabetically to Amen Corner.
Greatest Hits - Amen Corner
In these days of political correctness it is odd that it is still acceptable to deride the Welsh. Well, not just acceptable, it's practically mandatory.
Of course they are not all sheep-shagging, wife-beating neanderthal miners who burst into song at a moment's notice. Take Amen Corner, for instance, a nice bunch of Welsh lads who had a distinctive brass-based sound back in the sixties, and who were the first Welsh band to score a British number one.
They had a few hits but not quite enough to fill a whole album which is why this "Greatest Hits" is padded out with covers of "Get Back" (nice try but pedestrian) and "The Weight" (not bad). Mind you, I may be being a bit unfair on the band as this album should more accurately be called "Greatest Hits on the Immediate label" though they get round licensing rights by including live versions of their big hits on the Deram label.
How to describe them?
Well, the most distinctive feature is lead singer Andy Fairweather-Low's high-pitched gruff vocals that sound like Kelly Whathisface from the Stereophonics played at 78rpm. Fairweather-Low is a regular in Eric Clapton's band where he is employed for his guitar playing, not his singing.
A lot of the tracks feature brass prominently which by the late sixties was a tad unusual for British bands; I can think of Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers as another brass heavy outfit but no others. (Unit Four Plus Two?)
The songs are lightweight, poppy and riddled with that sixties innocence, though their big hits hint at a punchier approach which probably came across more in their live performances which, judging by the numerous live cuts on this album, would have been wasted on the screaming girls that attended their gigs.
The album kicks off with "(If Paradise Is) Half A Nice", a track with a baffling set of lyrics:
If paradise is half as nice as heaven that you take me to
Who needs paradise? I'd rather have you
Well, yeah? If I can have you, and you are twice as nice as paradise, why would anyone choose paradise?
Their finest hour is the bouncy "Hello Susie", which swings nicely. Coming a close second is the live rendition on this album of their first hit, "Gin House", a blues number which suits Fairweather-Low's strained vocals well.
Also included are their other big hits "High In The Sky" and "Bend Me, Shape Me" ("the song that turned us into a pop group," says Fairweather-Low on the introduction to this live rendition.)
Keep or dump? If this were on CD then I would probably play it occasionally. The thing with vinyl, however, is that it takes a bit more effort to set it all up and as such this album is unlikely to be near the front of the queue. 5/10
Greatest Hits - Amen Corner
In these days of political correctness it is odd that it is still acceptable to deride the Welsh. Well, not just acceptable, it's practically mandatory.
Of course they are not all sheep-shagging, wife-beating neanderthal miners who burst into song at a moment's notice. Take Amen Corner, for instance, a nice bunch of Welsh lads who had a distinctive brass-based sound back in the sixties, and who were the first Welsh band to score a British number one.
They had a few hits but not quite enough to fill a whole album which is why this "Greatest Hits" is padded out with covers of "Get Back" (nice try but pedestrian) and "The Weight" (not bad). Mind you, I may be being a bit unfair on the band as this album should more accurately be called "Greatest Hits on the Immediate label" though they get round licensing rights by including live versions of their big hits on the Deram label.
How to describe them?
Well, the most distinctive feature is lead singer Andy Fairweather-Low's high-pitched gruff vocals that sound like Kelly Whathisface from the Stereophonics played at 78rpm. Fairweather-Low is a regular in Eric Clapton's band where he is employed for his guitar playing, not his singing.
A lot of the tracks feature brass prominently which by the late sixties was a tad unusual for British bands; I can think of Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers as another brass heavy outfit but no others. (Unit Four Plus Two?)
The songs are lightweight, poppy and riddled with that sixties innocence, though their big hits hint at a punchier approach which probably came across more in their live performances which, judging by the numerous live cuts on this album, would have been wasted on the screaming girls that attended their gigs.The album kicks off with "(If Paradise Is) Half A Nice", a track with a baffling set of lyrics:
If paradise is half as nice as heaven that you take me to
Who needs paradise? I'd rather have you
Well, yeah? If I can have you, and you are twice as nice as paradise, why would anyone choose paradise?
Their finest hour is the bouncy "Hello Susie", which swings nicely. Coming a close second is the live rendition on this album of their first hit, "Gin House", a blues number which suits Fairweather-Low's strained vocals well.
Also included are their other big hits "High In The Sky" and "Bend Me, Shape Me" ("the song that turned us into a pop group," says Fairweather-Low on the introduction to this live rendition.)
Keep or dump? If this were on CD then I would probably play it occasionally. The thing with vinyl, however, is that it takes a bit more effort to set it all up and as such this album is unlikely to be near the front of the queue. 5/10
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By CaptainPenguin, # 11. May 2008, 15:42:08
I can't believe they named themselves after a hole on a golf course or a road in Tooting, so there must be an even more famous Amen Corner, probably just around the bend from the Wailing Wall.
By fiendishgames, # 25. May 2008, 09:29:02