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Post by Helmut83 on Sept 21, 2014 8:00:06 GMT
Hey, there! This week I will be the one posting a new album. I chose “Joyride”, which came out in 1991 and is the 3rd official studio album by the Swedish duo Roxette. All of the songs were written by Per Gessle (aka “the guy”) except for two which were written by Marie Fredriksson (aka “the girl”, at least back then). The album was uploaded by myself some time ago and is just hitting the 800.000 views mark. Additional Wiki data about the album: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyride_%28Roxette_album%29#cite_note-10
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Post by Helmut83 on Sept 21, 2014 8:03:41 GMT
And now, following what other album posters did, my quick review: “Joyride” is for me the 2nd best album I’ve ever heard, only beaten by the Beatles’ “Abbey road”. All of the songs but one could be rated from 7/10 upwards in my opinion, with many 10/10. It's the best expression of Roxette’s strong, powerful pop. 1) Joyride: a naive, catchy, somewhat slow song to open the album. In my opinion, it’s OK, but what comes afterwards makes it look pedestrian in comparison. 2) Hotblooded: written by Marie Fredriksson. All Roxette albums had a couple of heavier, more rocky songs and this is one of them. 3) Fading like a Flower: the first pop masterpiece of the album. Brilliant melody, the chorus couldn’t have more energy. 4) Knocking on every door: one of my favourites. It’s mainly a pop song but with some rap influence on it. The chorus is fantastic. 5) Spending my time: a classic singalong powerful ballad with a very recognizable melody. 6) I remember you: on other album it wouldn’t be bad, but on this one it is among the weakest. The guitar riff is good though. 7) Watercolours in the rain: the other song written by Marie Fredriksson is the only song of the album I dislike. Too slow, weak and draggy. 8) The Big L: now is where the best part of the album begins. An uptempo, catchy song with a great hook and counterpoints between male and female singer. 9) Soul deep: another “rocky”, heavier song, somewhat similar to “Satisfaction”. I love it. 10) (Do you get) excited?: it starts like a quiet slow song but then goes to be a typical Roxette powerballad. It has an air of mystery and features a brilliant vocal performance by Marie. 11) Church of your heart: a sweet masterpiece. The melody is simple yet fantastic all along. I’m surprised at how it wasn’t a hit back then. 12) Small talk: in my opinion, the best song of the album and one of my favourites ever. A happy, uplifting song. Clever stingy use of bass and backing guitars. 13) Physical fascination: a sexy, strange, original song. I remember not liking it at first listen but then it grew up on me. You may want to skip it, Jim . 14) Things will never be the same: a somewhat melancholic mid-tempo song sung by both of them. 15) Perfect day: a sad, brilliant ballad that this time doesn’t deform into a powerful song but stays quiet all the way. The best way possible to close the album.
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Post by Horacewimp on Sept 21, 2014 8:35:11 GMT
I'm looking forward to listening to this, I only know Joyride (the track) but I'm a sucker for a good euro pop tune.
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Post by 88keys on Sept 21, 2014 17:28:32 GMT
I'll have to dig deeper into this one. I kinda like the title song, but don't know much after that.
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Post by Helmut83 on Sept 21, 2014 17:49:47 GMT
Also, guys, I'm interested in knowing two things, if you would be so kind:
1) Did you know the band previously? 2) Which songs of the album (if any) did you know from before?
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Post by jrmugz on Sept 21, 2014 18:53:14 GMT
Hey Helmut, looking forward to checking it out throughout the week and providing my thoughts, and comparing them with your and others' review notes. In the meantime to answer your questions, nope, never heard of the band or any of the songs, and thanks for the warning on the one song! Jim
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Post by Helmut83 on Sept 21, 2014 19:28:29 GMT
In the meantime to answer your questions, nope, never heard of the band or any of the songs, and thanks for the warning on the one song! Haha... there are a few others too. Some you can realize by the title. In any case, I hope you can enjoy them all the same.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2014 22:28:34 GMT
I'll have to listen to the whole thing. I was always very intrigued by Roxette.
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Post by jrmugz on Sept 22, 2014 16:28:02 GMT
Sounding a little like a stripped-down version of Abba meets some funky twists on first listen. Will continue to play through the week and send thoughts.
Some good stuff. Kind of like Phil Collins in very relationship-centered music.
Jim
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Post by Horacewimp on Sept 23, 2014 15:32:50 GMT
….and here's the voting from the United Kingdom (shameless Eurovision reference) 1) Joyride: I already knew this song well after much radio airplay, good song and ideal opening track. 2) Hotblooded: Good album track, not too heavy. 3) Fading like a Flower: Very good song, think I have definitely heard it before, I see it was a single release 4) Knocking on every door: Worst track so far, did nothing for me. 5) Spending my time: Nice track. 6) I remember you: Album Filler track 7) Watercolours in the rain: Sleepy song, but that's fine, it's ok. 8) The Big L: Good vocals as you say Helmut between the male/female singer 9) Soul deep: Marie has a great voice, so why shout this track this ruins it. 10) (Do you get) excited?: Much better use of her vocal talent. 11) Church of your heart: Great track. 12) Small talk: Another Euro pop classic tune. 13) Physical fascination: Reminds me of Joyride, but no where near as good. 14) Things will never be the same: Love Marie's vocal again. 15) Perfect day: Bad Salad, good closing song. The album does come across to me as very Euro pop, is that a bad thing, I guess not, I do like a good pop tune and this album has plenty. If I didn't know I would of guessed it was an 80s record not early 90s, most of the tracks could easily be entered into the Eurovision Song Contest and they would do very well, even in 2014. Marie has a great voice and all in all it's a great album. Thanks Helmut, good choice.
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Post by queenofthehours on Sept 23, 2014 15:56:59 GMT
I was wondering which album Helmut would pick and I can’t say I’m surprised it’s Roxette .
I’m really looking forward to hearing this record as I’ve known of the band for years at least since ‘The Look’ came out as a single but I’ve never consciously made an effort to listen to their music properly. I’ve deliberately not read anyone’s comments on the album so far, just so I have a blank slate to go on. I think the only tune I know from this album is 'Joyride'.
‘I Wish I Could Fly’, though not on this LP, is my favourite Roxette song so far.
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Post by Horacewimp on Sept 23, 2014 16:16:31 GMT
‘I Wish I Could Fly’, though not on this LP, is my favourite Roxette song so far.
I thought that was Keith Harris and Orville.
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Post by Helmut83 on Sept 23, 2014 16:30:54 GMT
‘I Wish I Could Fly’, though not on this LP, is my favourite Roxette song so far.
I thought that was Keith Harris and Orville. It's funny that you say that, because I get a lot of that with Roxette. Many people are surprised to realize how many Roxette songs they knew without even knowing they were it's authors, or, like in your case, thinking they were someone else's song (don't be surprised if "Fading like a Flower" sounds familiar to you because it was a hit back in the early '90s). To give some examples out of this album you may know: - The Look - Dangerous - Dressed for success - Listen to your heart - It must have been love - How do you do - Sleeping in my car - The center of the heart Queen: I like "Wish I could fly", but the chorus sounds to me too much like "It must have been love" (kind of a copy of their own song).
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Post by jrmugz on Sept 23, 2014 18:40:11 GMT
Seems like they manage to have a lot of instrumentation without sounding cluttered, which is cool.
Jim
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Post by queenofthehours on Sept 24, 2014 18:58:15 GMT
This is a really great pop album, easy to listen to and easier to sing along with. I could definitely listen to this whenever I need a bit of a boost. Each song seems more likable than the last.
The best part of the record is it's unity. I couldn't remove or add one song without spoiling the overall thing. On the downside I think it's quite a long album - a shorter LP would have been more punchy.
Joyride – I forgot how much I love this song. It’s fun and reminds me of the old days when music was more varied. Very Europop. Nice whistles Hotblooded – A wonderful heavy, loud tune. Love the drums and guitar. Fading like a Flower – I love this melody. The guitar here is great again. Knocking on every door - Keeps up the tempo of the album. Nice to hear some differing vocals. I really enjoyed this song a lot. A gem in my opinion. Spending my time - Something a bit different. Acoustic but still upbeat. A very nice melody. Epic even. I remember you - Great upbeat pop. Watercolours in the rain - A slower style song but still retains positivity. A nice change from the loud pop tracks. The Big L - Wonderfully catchy. Soul deep - I like this too. (Do you get) excited? - Very nice. Church of your heart - Even nicer. Small talk - Excellent. Starts small but once it get's going it reminds me, for some reason, of ELO. No idea why. Maybe it's the guitar which is tasteful and never overpowers the tune.
The last three tracks, though I enjoyed them, aren't up to the standard of the rest of the record in my opinion. Maybe they would have been better in the middle of the album. 'Small Talk' would have been a lovely end to the LP.
I think this album needs a lot more getting used to as I expect different songs sound better depending on the time of day you listen to the record.
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