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Post by Chippa on Jun 14, 2015 5:37:35 GMT
In 1993, Jeff Lynne did something that he rarely-if ever-does, and that is work with an unknown artist. This particular artist was Julianna Raye, who had found some success as a session singer. Warner Bros. Records executive Lenny Waronker suggested that Jeff produce the newly signed Raye's debut album, and the result is a fun , if sadly overlooked, album of catchy pop, ballads, and even jazz influence, called "Something Peculiar".
Track List Limbo I'll Get You Back Tell Me I'm Alright Taking Steps Peach Window Something Peculiar Roses Laughing Wild In My Time My Tribe Nicola
Unreleased Bonus Track Wandering Soldier
Credits Julianna Raye- Vocals, Backing Vocals, Songwriter Jeff Lynne - Producer, Arranger, Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Harmonium, Keyboards, Bass, Vibraphone Richard Tandy - Piano Phil Jones-Drums Jim Horn- Saxaphones Mike Campbell- Guitar on "Laughing Wild" Kris Wilkinson- Choir Arrangement on "Nicola" Richard Dodd- Engineer, and Backing Vocals on "Limbo"
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Post by jrmugz on Jun 14, 2015 14:26:31 GMT
Sounds very cool and very intetresting, Chippa! Looking forward to checking it out, look for my thoughts in the coming days!
Jim
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Post by 88keys on Jun 14, 2015 16:33:00 GMT
I haven't listened to this whole album, just various tracks over the years. I can't wait to dig into it!
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Post by unomusette on Jun 14, 2015 22:24:13 GMT
Have heard this lady's name mentioned a lot but never actually listened to any of her music. Now's my chance! Will try to get my thoughts posted before the end of the week
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Post by jefflynnenut on Jun 15, 2015 10:49:58 GMT
Yeh!!!! Thanks for this! will have a listen while painting this afternoon! Good on ye!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2015 21:05:43 GMT
This is one CD I've been meaning to hear,for years. Now I have a good excuse!
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Post by unomusette on Jun 16, 2015 21:02:39 GMT
Get me, reviewing CD of the Week actually within the week it's posted, gasp! Been keen to give this a try, so here goes: Limbo - straight away you can hear Jeff's influence, I can easily imagine him singing this on one of his own albums. Catchy and foot-tapping, she has a good voice and it's a great opener. I'll Get You Back - I like the clear vocals, you can make out every word. Interesting eastern european folky sound to this, another good 'un. Tell Me I'm Alright - Back to a more obvious Lynne sound, but it does suit her songs very well. Nothing spectacular but still listen-able. Taking Steps - Her voice here reminds me of someone else's, someone folky like Judy Collins. A pretty tune but again nothing stands out for me. Peach Window - Intriguing title, back to the foot-tapping tempo. I like this better than the last two, it's a short, happy slice of catchiness. Something Peculiar - I can imagine this on one of the Wilbury albums, it has that quirky feel to it. I think the trademark blunt drum sound might be a bit overdone on it though, makes things plod somewhat. Still a good track and something out of the ordinary. Roses - Oooh, shades of Secret Messages as it kicks off. Not mad about the tinny keyboard sound in parts - it's a bit disappointing, maybe because it doesn't actually match up to Secret Messages (which is unfair, sorry Julianna) Laughing Wild - Doesn't do a lot for me, again it plods and doesn't really go anywhere. In My Time - The vocals seem to be more upfront on this one, which makes it more attention-grabbing. Much better than the last few tracks. My Tribe - Gets better as it progresses, the backing vocals fill it out in a way I've not noticed in previous tracks. Another goodie. Nicola - This is a rare song from this album that's not had the Lynne sound plastered on. I can hear an American folk singer here again, as in Taking Steps, maybe not Judy Collins but someone more contemporary like Gretchen Peters? Wandering Soldier - Look out, Jeff's back from tea break and he means business. To be fair, his trademarks aren't as much in evidence here as on some previous tracks. Going out with more than a whimper than a bang for me, but inoffensive and would still stand up well on a mainstream radio playlist All in all I enjoyed listening to this album, her voice is really sweet and I didn't tire of it by the end of the album. Some of the tracks had a bit too much of Jeff's influence on them for me, but it does give the album a polished sound which must have helped it sell when it came out. I'd give it 6 out of 10, and I might follow up on her later output to see what happened when she worked away from his influence. Thanks for sharing @chippa!
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Post by 88keys on Jun 17, 2015 7:19:34 GMT
Limbo ....Energetic way to kick this off. Favorite moment - "well Dante never had it so good".
I'll Get You Back ..... It's a fun Middle Eastern sounding track with some funny lyrics. It sounds like Jeff had a lot of fun working on this song. Favorite Moment - the snickering laughter right before "oh, say it isn't so".
Tell Me I'm Alright ....This sounds to me like some of JL's work with Tom Petty, especially some songs on Into The Great Wide Open. Favorite moment - The guitar solo. Very crisp and clean!
Taking Steps ....This song is soooo sad. Probably about a girl who finally accepts her father for what he is, and maybe vice versa. Favorite moment - "You're closer since I'm further from your home."
Peach Window ... A catchy song with some pretty tripped out lyrics. Favorite moment - "I am listening to Rubber Soul, oh I wonder how they got that name?"
Something Peculiar ....This has the same overall tone as something like Hello My Old Friend, or A Day In The Life. Favorite Moment - The psychedelic sounding middle.
Roses ....The star of this song is Jeff's production, which keeps what would be an otherwise mediocre song interesting. Favorite Moment- The sax/guitar combo.
Laughing Wild ....I've listened to this about five times and still can't get enough. The singing, the melody, Jeff's production and the interplay of the instruments make for a almost perfect song. Favorite Moment - "Hold me, laughing like a child amidst the sorrows of the world".
In My Time .... I enjoy the almost Celtic sounding tone of the song. Favorite Moment- when the drums emulate a beating heart. Very cool!
My Tribe ....This one has the descending chord progression that is almost a Jeff trademark. After a couple of listens, this tune gets stuck in my head. Favorite Moment - The echo effect on her vocals towards the end.
Nicola....Sooo beautiful. Obviously about a young girl coming to America from her homeland. Favorite Moment-Richard Tandy's gorgeous piano playing.
Wandering Soldier....Why was this left off the original release? It's almost my favorite song! Favorite Moment - "I wear civilian clothes, but goodness knows I'm not free".
Thanks for choosing this album, Chippa. I ordered it from Amazon, so now I'll have my own copy!
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Post by queenofthehours on Jun 17, 2015 16:36:31 GMT
Brilliant choice, Chippa!
I have this CD and love it to bits. It's a hugely enjoyable album.
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Post by jrmugz on Jun 19, 2015 21:05:32 GMT
OK, here is my review of Julianna Raye "Something Peculiar"
"Limbo" - Good singer. Clever pop song. Catchy.
"I'll Get You Back" - Middle Eastern meets reggae. Nice. This one works pretty good, like "The Lights Go Down" on "Time".
"Tell Me I'm Alright" - Good solid pop song, with good message of people needing to hear that they are OK.
"Taking Steps" - Interesting song about dynamics of a father - daughter relationship.
"Peach Window" - Nice fun song.
"Something Peculiar" - Interesting title track, but doesn't do much for me.
"Roses" - Unique, like it. A little bit of a change-up with the saxaphone and all.
"Luaghing Wild" - Like the title track, kind of run of the mill, doesn't do much for me.
"In My Time" - Works really good, nice tune.
"My Tribe" - A little bit blasé.
"Nicola" - Very very nice.
"Wandering Soldier" - Her vocal sounds best on this one.
Star Rating: 4 out of 5 Prime Cuts: "I'll Get You Back", "Nicola", "In My Time", "Peach Window" Bottom Line: Good production and songwriting. Pretty decent singer, would be interesting to hear her other CD. Too bad she didn't catch on, seems like "I'll Get You Back" was her best shot at fame.
I have a 2nd job where I get shoes to sell on Amazon from stores. One of the stores I go to is DSW, and they only play pop songs like this from women, no songs sung by men for some reason. So I felt like I was in DSW scanning shoes to sell on Amazon while playing this. "Ooh, these Saucony's should sell for about 90, so for my cut, I'll make about 12 bucks on this pair."
Thanks for posting Chippa, a pretty decent CD, I have to admit I like the songs better each time I hear them. It was fun to play, and I never would have played it if you didn't put it here, so good choice, thanks! Got you marked down for a couple months from now, will keep you posted, lest you forget.
Jim
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2015 0:21:29 GMT
Someone else mentioned the similarities to Judy Collins, and that's the first thing that hit me while listening to this-Judy Collins if she had forgone folk and decided to become a pop singer with Jeff Lynne producing.
I really love most of this record, with the exception of Wandering Soldier, which sounds like it was left as a demo.
There are slight imperfections in her voice, which makes it all the more charming. I'm happy that Jeff didn't sanitize the flaws, but rather left them in to give the songs a bit more of a raw sound.
Nicola is the real highlight of the album, in my opinion. It reminds me a little bit of Into The West by Annie Lennox. A beautifully soaring, inspirational song.
Kudos for having this as CDOW! This is on my "to buy" list, so with any luck I will be able to find a copy somewhere.
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Post by Helmut83 on Jun 20, 2015 6:19:14 GMT
- Limbo: wow! Pretty neat track for catching your attention since the beginning. Awesome verses. The refrain is simple but effective. It’s a very direct pop song and very ‘80s, I really like it.
- I’ll get you back: very interesting rhythm on this one, so much that it’s hard to classify as any pre-defined rhythm. In fact it’s very similar to some Argentine or Bolivian folkloric rythms, and as has been said, it has something of reggae too. Winding, sinuous melody. I might be wrong, but it sounds like they used some rare scales on it (Arabic probably). Good vocal performance.
- Tell me I’m alright: this sounds so Jeff, could be part of “Armchair Theatre”… nice pop track. Another very simple (but decent) chorus. Great solo. Very pleasant track to listen to.
- Taking steps: not a big fan of this one. The melody seems pretty meaningless to me, like anyone would be able to write it at any moment. A great vocal performance means very little to me when it’s not singing a good song, and I don’t think this is one.
- Peach window: the verses don’t convince fully, but then when it enters the… what? Chorus…? Well, that part where the chords change faster… it gets much better. In the sum, it ends up being a pretty decent short song.
- Something peculiar: good one. I love how the verse goes creating tension and it resolves it greatly when it says “something peculiar”. The part of the “oh, ohs” and “yeas” was unnecessary, it didn’t add nothing good to the song. In spite of that, a pretty decent love song.
- Roses: hhhmmm… not terrible but it sounds a forced. Even the voice, which until the moment had been perfect, doesn’t sound completely good in this one. Those cascading bits at the end of the verses (which are probably Jeff’s work) are pretty bad too. I didn’t like it.
- Laughing wild: now we go back to a good vocal performance, something which helps, and the song is really god too. It doesn’t sound that different to “Something peculiar”, although better. The melody has some really interesting twists that quite got me. The chorus is not better or more memorable than the verse, but at least there is an easily identifiable chorus (something which some of the previous songs didn’t), and it doesn’t bring down what the rest of the song had built.
- In my time: it didn’t work much for me. I found nothing special on it.
- My tribe: that descendant line is so late ‘80s Jeff it’s almost a trademark. There’s something I don’t like on the verse though, there’s one chord change that sounds really forced. The melody is nothing special either, although this time it’s the chorus what saves it to be completely irrelevant.
- Nicola: beautiful song, and I’m not someone who is a ballad lover. This is when a ballad is worthy doing: when it is based on a really strong, inspired, memorable, easily identifiable melody. The song has a few elements of an anthem, probably those huge jumps in distance from one note to another. The vocal performance is outstanding. That percussion sound (what is it?) gives it an epic touch. Probably the best track of the album.
- Wandering soldier: after “Nicola” I was expecting the album to be closed with some more uplifting pop song. This is just another ballad, and it’s not better than any of the 3 previous ballads of the album.
All in all I think this is a pretty solid album, totally worth listening. I wouldn’t go running to buy it but I wouldn’t mind having it on my CD collection and giving it a listen from time to time.
For a pop album, I think it lacks a bit on the choruses’ department. I mean, it needed a few better hooks (or a few more hooks, because some of the songs sound like the songwriter wasn’t even interested in getting a chorus), particularly on the fast songs. It made up for it with verses being stronger than choruses, which is a bit of a strange formula. Also, at the beginning it appears to be more fast-paced, but towards the middle and end you find several slow songs.
As for the good things, well, of course as a Jeff fan I felt like home with the sound. Her vocal performance is outstanding and the instrumentation is not excessive (although it goes quite stingy on a couple of songs) and very tidy. It looks as if Jeff had worked the instrumentation in order to make her voice stand out. And the other good thing is, of course, it featured several good songs, with some inspired melodies, and well distributed along the album.
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Post by Helmut83 on Jun 20, 2015 6:27:37 GMT
My Tribe ....This one has the descending chord progression that is almost a Jeff trademark. Holy crap, I swear I hadn't read your review before I made mine! I mean, identifying that descending line wouldn't be so uncommon for Jeff's fans, but I used the word "trademark" too! Heck, I used the expression "almost a trademark" too!!! How can I explain that I didn't copy it?
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Post by Chippa on Jun 20, 2015 6:55:01 GMT
- Wandering soldier: after “Nicola” I was expecting the album to be closed with some more uplifting pop song. This is just another ballad, and it’s not better than any of the 3 previous ballads of the album. Actually, "Nicola" is the closing track. "Wandering Soldier" isn't on the album, but was recorded during the same sessions, so I included it.
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Post by Helmut83 on Jun 20, 2015 7:09:12 GMT
Actually, "Nicola" is the closing track. "Wandering Soldier" isn't on the album, but was recorded during the same sessions, so I included it. Aaahh, thanks for the data. I hadn't seen it at the bottom of your list, now I see it. That makes so much more sense now. "Nicola" is a wonderful track and much better as an album closer.
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