The 1980 Listening Post - Steve Winwood - Arc of a Diver

 

Steve Winwood - Arc of a Diver

#477

By Carl Hays

December 31 1980

Steve Winwood

Arc of a Diver

Genre: High-Hair, Moody-Disco, Light-Funk

Allen’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Carl’s Rating: 2.9/5

Highlights:

When You See A Chance 

Spanish Dancer 

Night Train

This album is simply confused.  I am not sure if Steve is being pushed into the 80's because he has the 80's vocal chops or he really wants to go there; but other than track 1, he appears to resist that push on every other track except the first - like he gave his label what they wanted - a hit that made it to #7 on the billboards, and the REST of this album seems like Steve's middle finger because he loves disco and funk - or his Pirates of Penzance moment.  He isn’t particularly good at either Disco or Funk so there is that- but his band can smash but not to the point I am jumping up and doing the shopping cart or sprinkler if you get my drift- but they can play.  The producer likes to sprinkle some synth around just to remind you (and Steve) they are not in the 70's anymore.  He hits some notes here and there that remind me of Peter Gabriel- especially Spanish dancer.  There is some solid blues guitar in here but you need geo-location to find it.

While You See A Chance 4.5/5

Love the organ lead in with this song and the message.  I would anticipate Steve does not enjoy playing this song but I have not researched to confirm.  Solid message, melody, he sounds like and 80's jukebox hero.  I am not requesting this at a wedding but It's A Beauty Eh.

Arc Of A Diver 2.95/5

Immediately after "See" Steve seems like he is pumping the breaks on the 80's as this has a funk feel to it.  Unfortunately his vocals are not. They seem a little misplaced .  They want to sing Sledgehammer when he is feeling Beegeeish. 

 "While You See A Chance" which was firing on all 80's cylinders and I do not understand at all why the album is named after this song other than he must be really proud of it.  It has a pleasant funk to it but really nothing to get worked up about.  The lead guitar in the middle is nice and relaxed not really shredding.  This is a pleasant cocktail melody blending in the background of whatever life conversations were happening at the bar - and it is 5 1/2 minute song so settle in.

Second-Hand Woman 2.5/5

Funky rhythm and beat. This is where I am wondering what Steve thinks this album is?  There is a pretty strong classic disco rhythm which you cannot miss.  Maybe he is trusting his gut on what his fans want or he is just uncomfortable moving All In to the 80's. The synth player goes a little nuts at the end so if you love that sound this track is for you.

Slowdown Sundown 2/5

Slow paced melody with acoustic guitar pushing a weepy slow dance.  You certainly could shuffle around a Homecoming dance floor to this but it would be at the end of the night and you missed out on Journey.  

Spanish Dancer 2.5/5

More synthesizer in this song leading in.  This feels like the producer is messing around with beats for the fit and feel with it.  It has a nice groove as it settles in.   I do not love or hate this song.  

Night Train 3.5/5

Annnnd back to disco/funk.   I like that he riffs in the beginning here and throws some improv lead guitar early.  I can see his band in a dank bar rummaging through the music like a collection of notes on napkins.  The lyrics aren't particularly mesmerizing but I do like this groove and I can bob my head like Ace Ventura Pet Detective to it.  Some very NICE blues lead winding the song down and taking the train home.  I would almost prefer he doesn't sing at all on this track.

Dust 2/5

Synth again. Slowing it down.  "Time they call the universal healer."  Not a super profound lyricist.  I appreciate that he is at least running his vocals around on this last track pushing the notes a little.

https://open.spotify.com/album/6st1dtm8abvdd1S9vWLUQL?si=6XT6BrkgQ7u9USLYq83qBQ

The 1980 Listening Post - Motorhead - Ace of Spades

Motorhead - Ace of Spades

#439

by Carl Hays

November 8 1980

Motorhead

Ace of Spades

Genre: Heavy Metal

Allen’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Carl’s Rating: 2.5 out of 5

In April of 1975 the Vietnam war officially ended for America and in England, July of 1975, Motorhead played at the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm, London.

Lemmy, the lead singer of Motorhead, could have been a Hollywood villain.  He was a leather wrapped skeleton of long hair, 

handle bar mustache, wrinkled skin and a protruding cigarette whisping smoke into the sweaty rafters of every dark bar he ground his music into.

Planted firmly underneath a black bull hide hat, he drank and smoked like they were extra appendages he was simply born with.  

Metal as a genre was cold, sharp, hard, fast, ugly and hateful like the side of life that cut you up and threw you out.  But it was music, frantic, freeing, and adrenaline rushing...

5 years and five studio albums after their first show, Ace of Spades hit the scene like a jackhammer.  At the tip of this vibrating spear was

their signature song "Ace of Spades" after its title.  This is by far the best song on the album which overall isnt that great - I recommend listening

to it while doing something physically difficult so it blends in the background and keeps in sync with your heartbeat at around 175.  This would have been a kickass adrenaline

pumping live show. 

R.I.P. Lemmy 12.28.2015

Highlights

Ace of Spades- kicks the door in immediately with a loud thrashing guitar followed closely with a crashing drumbeat while Lemmy pulls the mic to his jack soaked mouth and pounds your ears with his adrenaline rush anthem. He spits his lyrics at you flashed by an electric riff every few seconds so he can breathe. He pushes the song so hard and fast through his throat you can feel it rattle and each note is on the verge of a catastrophe.  His words thrust at you because "The ACE of Spades!" "that's the way I like it I dont want to live forever, and dont forget the choker." He holds this avalanche of sound together until it collapses against a wall of silence a brief pause before the next thrash. This song will destroy your notion of control and is The Metal Standard Bearer, reckless, energizing, consuming, hard and fast until its violent end. 6/5  

  

Love Me Like a Reptile- I can envision the naming process for the majority of these songs as having a tension between those who want to be direct or overt with those who enjoy innuendoes, and then there is the camp that just picks a line from the song to check the "name the song" box.  I am not going to unpack the analogy of what loving someone like a reptile might look like and just benefit the doubt SOME effort was directed at this title. The music is a basic RIFF song where Rhythm guitar sets the boundaries and the drummer is pushing the tempo and the chorus is "love me like a reptile."  This song reminds me so much of AC/DC with the emphasis on sex.  The bright light is the lead guitar shredding this scaley reptile not once but TWICE fading the end of song out.  We just need drugs and the trifecta is complete. 2.5/5

Shoot You in the Back-  Lemmy kicks your teeth in with this anthem and the band has settled in to the album - no apologies they know their formula - raging rhythm, punishing drums, straining vocals.  This is Motorhead. 3/5 

Live to Win- I am familiar with the cadence and push at this point, what I love about this song is there is a motto here that I can get into.  I feel pumped and exhilarated! Lead guitar for this group is a must hear they know it is an essential piece of the formula to smash your ear drums.  4/5

Fast and Loose- Middle of the list and Lemmy is letting us know he has more to go - "2am in the morning baby, I know it's late...you know I am fast and loose."  I can imagine that live this band crushes it.  They keep the tempo high and hard through the whole album and soak the audience with whiskey, sweat and body heat. 3/5

(We Are) The Roadcrew-  Shout out to the road crew, nothing special here, the rhyming in his lyrics are in high gear. 2/5

Fire Fire- I am in a trance at this stage of the album and either need to give in a bang my head or walk away because this music is either going to become one giant blend of drums rhythm and scratchy vocals or transcendental. 2.5/5

Jailbait-hitting the issue of teenagers in bars and at his gigs head on, the notion is disturbing to me and frankly a problem Motorhead wasnt just dealing with.  I dont recommend this song. 0/5 

Dance, Bite the Bullet, and The Chase is Better Than the Catch- these sound like the first 6 songs I just listened to. 2/5

The Hammer- tempo and rhythm are really the same on every song, this one they switch it up a little in the middle giving it a different flavor but we are talking blended Cabernet vs a Cabernet.

Dirty Love-  Nothing special here, sex song, sex is dirty.  Moving on. 2/5

Please Dont Touch - Performed by HeadGirl - this song is the only one on the album that is tweaked with the addition of HeadGirl, which didnt make it better but it was nice to hear some female vocals. 2/5

Emergency-  closes out an album I can best describe as a Flinstones anthem because it was carved out of rock and wasnt meant to be pretty, soothing, or artistic - just get the fucking job done and trash your ears.

https://open.spotify.com/album/37FCe3XT8UMLDr8pYNE6Am?si=_GhW3Gl9RD6NlJUd_jwzLQ