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Post by 88keys on Aug 23, 2015 16:15:24 GMT
In 1987, former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters released his second solo album, Radio KAOS. It's a concept album about a young man named Billy, who is severely handicapped, and sent to live with his uncle in Los Angeles, after his older brother is sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit.
Once in L.A., Billy discovers he can modify cordless phones to access computers and speech synthesizers and use them to speak, establishing a friendship of sorts with a freeform radio station. In the final act, Billy hacks into a military satellite in order to fool the world into thinking it’s headed for nuclear destruction, thus beginning a new era of peace and harmony.
The Songs Radio Waves Who Needs Information? Me Or Him Powers That Be Sunset Strip Home Four Minutes The Tide Is Turning (After Live Aid)
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Post by unomusette on Aug 23, 2015 20:00:50 GMT
Yet another album I'll be pleased to explore, I loved The Tide is Turning when it came out as a single and always meant to follow it up
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Post by Chippa on Aug 23, 2015 21:22:41 GMT
I have this cd stashed away somewhere. I admire Roger a lot,because he speaks his mind, even if his opinions aren't always popular. Review coming soon...
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Post by jrmugz on Aug 24, 2015 4:09:44 GMT
I had that tape back when it came out, played it a few times. I can still remember the melody of "he hears radio waves" and the last song called "the tide is turning".
Looking forward to checking it out after all these years again. I remember my brother's friend going on and on about what a great concert it was for his tour for that album.
Jim
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Post by queenofthehours on Aug 24, 2015 16:48:19 GMT
Roger Waters? Not really my cup of tea but you never know, I might like it. That usually happens with stuff I thought I hated.
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Post by Chippa on Aug 24, 2015 20:36:11 GMT
I had that tape back when it came out, played it a few times. I can still remember the melody of "he hears radio waves" and the last song called "the tide is turning". Looking forward to checking it out after all these years again. I remember my brother's friend going on and on about what a great concert it was for his tour for that album. Jim Roger always talks about how the "Radio KAOS" tour as a humbling experience. He recalls how he was playing to 1,200 people at the Cincinnati Gardens, while on the same night right down the street, Pink Floyd played to 30,000 at the Riverfront Stadium. Anyways, my review.... Radio Waves - That's legendary LA disc jockey Jim Ladd doing the narration. He also reprised that role during the Radio KAOS tour. Love this song. The Morse code, going into the percolating synths kinda reminds me of some of the stuff on "Time", and "Secret Messages". Very visual song. Who Needs Information? - Love the banter between "Billy" and Jim. This song tells the story of Billy and his brother Benny, and their last conversation about the dismal state of their local economy. One thing I don't like about this song, and lots of Waters solo songs, is the overuse of female backing vocalists. Somehow, they just seem out of place. Me Or Him - Interesting Celtic sound to the opening of this song. This one would fit in on "The Wall", for sure. I think this song is supposed to be about Benny in his prison cell. Powers That Be - Cool rhythm, and some good lyrical flow. A bit too 80's with the keyboard sound, but that's just me...lol. Sunset Strip - "The fish report with a beat"! Hahaha..I love that. This is a great song. Catchy with a funky feel. Actually, the female backing vocals work just fine on this one. I think this about Billy being homesick, wanting to return to Wales. The fish discussion at the end is silly fun. Home - I like everything going on in the background here--the bass, synths, drum (machine?) beats..etc...Very anthemic. Great lyrics, too. Very emotionally charged. Four Minutes - Countdown to (not quite) destruction. Interesting sound bites, leading to a false alarm.... The Tide Is Turning (After Live Aid) - Amazing piece of work. Stunning. Roger said this song, particularly the line "on Saturday night all those kids in the sun, wrested technology's sword from the hands of the warlords" was directly inspired by Live Aid. Love the choral piece at the end. Really beautiful and inspiring, to end with a message of hope. Overall, I give this album a solid 8/10. Roger can be a lot to take for some people, and he tends to wear his heart (and politics) on his sleeve, but that's why he's so endearing to people.
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Post by 88keys on Aug 25, 2015 23:59:04 GMT
If I have one criticism of this album, it's the VERY dated 1980's production. But I guess we can't do much about that.
Every single song on here is a winner. i see this album as a whole piece, so it's hard to review each song individually.
I will say that Radio Waves, Sunset Strip, The Powers That Be (featuring lead vocal from Paul Carrack), and The Tide Is Turning are the outstanding songs on the record.
The Tide Is Turning should be the anthem of the world. Maybe if enough people sing it, it'll come true!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2015 19:47:14 GMT
I only know Roger Waters from Pink Floyd, so this is somewhat new to me. My takeaway from hearing this album is how angry he seems. But I read some of his biography, and see that he lost his father in WW2, so maybe he has every right to be pissed off. I'm usually not a huge fan of overtly political music, so the political overtones here leave me feeling cold. I'm not saying that people shouldn't speak their minds. Just the opposite. It's just not something I look for in my music. There are two really great songs, here : The Powers That Be, and The Tide Is Turning. The former might be slightly too political for my tastes, but I love the feel and soul of the song. The latter is perhaps one of the most moving songs I've ever heard. As my son would say, it got me right in "the feels".
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Post by jrmugz on Aug 28, 2015 3:48:46 GMT
My review probably coming tomorrow. Looking very forward to checking it out.
Jim
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Post by jrmugz on Aug 29, 2015 19:38:45 GMT
OK, here is my take on Roger Waters' "Radio K.A.O.S." CD.
01. "Radio Waves" - Decent enough melody and interesting enough lyrics to keep the interest, though it doesn't seem to develop too much. He doesn't sound like he's in his natural habitat trying to be upbeat and 80s. It seems like the song needs a strong bridge; but gets too self-invloved to bother with one. Like someone telling jokes thinking everyone is laughing at them and doesn't realize OK they should've stopped while they were ahead.
02. "Who Needs Information?" - Decent attempt at a decent chorus. Perhaps a nod to Mark Knopfler's Dylanesque singing at a point during one of the verses. Which would make sense for 1987 time of the release.
03. "Me Or Him" - Nice Celtic, good hook to the chorus. Showcases good pop craftmanship. The unnecessary f-word, and the "if Reagan" stuff is just plain dumb and take away the status of what should have been a great song and reduce it to just an OK-to-good song.
04. "Powers That Be" - Kind of a busy song that doesn't seem very cohesive. The song should be about Billy going to get a college degree so that he doesn't have to gripe about losing a manual labor job anymore. But, since the hippies have to cater to the blind masses, since they're part of it themselves, it's a song about some abstract "powers that be". Guess painting things with a broad brush eliminates the need to think. Ha ha. Guess Bernie Sanders would like the song anyways.
05. "Sunset Strip" - Has a pretty decent groove, and a lot of spirit; but falls short for what is needed at the middle of a concept album. Comes off as filler.
06. "Home - I like the percussive rhythm a lot, a really intetresting song, with captivating lyrics. Another good chorus.
07. "Four Minutes" - An interesting song that starts off like great gig in the sky song from dark side of the moon. Universal sentiment that there is a home that ain't here. Effective female vocal on this one.
08. "The Tide Is Turning (After Live Aid)" - Anthematic piece, must be something to it, because I remembered the melody after all those years from hearing it. Probably easily the best arranged and produced song on the album. The humble wail of the guitar tones that chime in are effective.
Star Rating: 3.2 out of 5 Prime Cuts: "Me or Him", "Home", "The Tide is Turning" Bottom Line: Some good pop hooks and songs to a somewhat interesting concept album, for all it's imperfections.
One interesting thing about the CD to me, is that I didn't realize Waters' has a good knack for catchy choruses.
The CD makes a decent attempt at cohesion, based on an interesting concept.
For me personally, the concept and the message of it are better than the CD itself.
The message of chill out on the rat race of the news and media, as far as if it detracts one from zeroing in on their family and local community.
On the one hand, I have more appreciation for the CD now than when I bought the cassette in 1987 and played it a few times.
On the other hand, I can see why I didn't continue to play it all the time, since for all it's merits, it is not consistently engaging throughout, and there are a few annoying detractions.
But at this point, now I can say, it's something I will like to give a good spin once every year or two, just to enjoy the story of it and the deep meaning of it.
Thanks for sharing it 88, and letting me revisit what it was all about, after all these years. I have you marked down for a couple months from now!
Jim
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Post by unomusette on Aug 29, 2015 21:56:00 GMT
Radio Waves - Liking the intro, the vocal is quite far back in the mix - is he not that confident a singer? 80's keyboard sound quite prominent but it bowls along nicely and the guitar work is nifty. Gets a bit repetitive towards the end, I'm about to skip to the next track when it finishes. Who Needs Information? - Vocals more upfront here, I like the sound on this more than Radio Waves. The backing vocals are very Floyd-alike, but that might have been his idea all along so why give it up on his solo stuff? Again it does become quite ploddy and same-sounding for me. Me Or Him - Not much of a tune to this, but it's quite atmospheric with the flutey sound effect and spoken parts. Certainly adds to the concept atmosphere. Powers That Be - More 80's keyboards, this one sounds the most like Pink Floyd to me. I like all the different layers of sound going on and the rolling rhythm. Sunset Strip - The vocals remind me of Dire Straits's Money for Nothing - I like it though, it sounds a bit more lighthearted and cheery than the previous tracks. Nice bit of sax too, this is never a bad thing. Home - There's a lot of nattering about fish on this album, or is it just me? This track skips along at a good pace with some great guitar and nice female vocals. Four Minutes - Very proggy with lots of different phases. I can imagine it as part of a film soundtrack. The Tide Is Turning (After Live Aid) - More familiar territory for me here, I remember liking this when it came out as a single. The vocals are right up front here and the backing vocals give it a gospel feel. Love the male voice choir part, it must be the Welshie in me but it's always stirring. Uplifting and hopeful finish to the album, it would be nice to think it was accurate these days but who really knows when the media tells us what the powers-that-be want us to be told? It's an interesting idea to link the tracks as if played on a radio station, the album gets points from me for this. Are there gaps between the tracks on the album though? Does defeat the object a bit if so. It gets better towards the end to my ears, saving the best till last with The Tide is Turning. I think it pulls off the concept feel pretty well and it would probably grow on me with repeated listenings. It does have a distinctive 80's sound to it but it's also quite individual - I'd give it 7 out of 10. Thanks for sharing, 88keys !
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Post by 88keys on Aug 29, 2015 22:08:34 GMT
OK, here is my take on Roger Waters' "Radio K.A.O.S." CD. 01. "Radio Waves" - Decent enough melody and interesting enough lyrics to keep the interest, though it doesn't seem to develop too much. He doesn't sound like he's in his natural habitat trying to be upbeat and 80s. It seems like the song needs a strong bridge; but gets too self-invloved to bother with one. Like someone telling jokes thinking everyone is laughing at them and doesn't realize OK they should've stopped while they were ahead. 02. "Who Needs Information?" - Decent attempt at a decent chorus. Perhaps a nod to Mark Knopfler's Dylanesque singing at a point during one of the verses. Which would make sense for 1987 time of the release. 03. "Me Or Him" - Nice Celtic, good hook to the chorus. Showcases good pop craftmanship. The unnecessary f-word, and the "if Reagan" stuff is just plain dumb and take away the status of what should have been a great song and reduce it to just an OK-to-good song. 04. "Powers That Be" - Kind of a busy song that doesn't seem very cohesive. The song should be about Billy going to get a college degree so that he doesn't have to gripe about losing a manual labor job anymore. But, since the hippies have to cater to the blind masses, since they're part of it themselves, it's a song about some abstract "powers that be". Guess painting things with a broad brush eliminates the need to think. Ha ha. Guess Bernie Sanders would like the song anyways. 05. "Sunset Strip" - Has a pretty decent groove, and a lot of spirit; but falls short for what is needed at the middle of a concept album. Comes off as filler. 06. "Home - I like the percussive rhythm a lot, a really intetresting song, with captivating lyrics. Another good chorus. 07. "Four Minutes" - An interesting song that starts off like great gig in the sky song from dark side of the moon. Universal sentiment that there is a home that ain't here. Effective female vocal on this one. 08. "The Tide Is Turning (After Live Aid)" - Anthematic piece, must be something to it, because I remembered the melody after all those years from hearing it. Probably easily the best arranged and produced song on the album. The humble wail of the guitar tones that chime in are effective. Star Rating: 3.2 out of 5 Prime Cuts: "Me or Him", "Home", "The Tide is Turning" Bottom Line: Some good pop hooks and songs to a somewhat interesting concept album, for all it's imperfections. One interesting thing about the CD to me, is that I didn't realize Waters' has a good knack for catchy choruses. The CD makes a decent attempt at cohesion, based on an interesting concept. For me personally, the concept and the message of it are better than the CD itself. The message of chill out on the rat race of the news and media, as far as if it detracts one from zeroing in on their family and local community. On the one hand, I have more appreciation for the CD now than when I bought the cassette in 1987 and played it a few times. On the other hand, I can see why I didn't continue to play it all the time, since for all it's merits, it is not consistently engaging throughout, and there are a few annoying detractions. But at this point, now I can say, it's something I will like to give a good spin once every year or two, just to enjoy the story of it and the deep meaning of it. Thanks for sharing it 88, and letting me revisit what it was all about, after all these years. I have you marked down for a couple months from now! Jim I disagree with some of your points, but I appreciate your review. We won't get into politics, because I have a feeling you and I are on extreme opposite ends of the spectrum.
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Post by Chippa on Aug 30, 2015 5:11:08 GMT
04. "Powers That Be" - Kind of a busy song that doesn't seem very cohesive. The song should be about Billy going to get a college degree so that he doesn't have to gripe about losing a manual labor job anymore. But, since the hippies have to cater to the blind masses, since they're part of it themselves, it's a song about some abstract "powers that be". Guess painting things with a broad brush eliminates the need to think. Ha ha. Guess Bernie Sanders would like the song anyways. In what world is Waters considered a "hippie"? If anything, he kinda mocked hippies. And did hippies even exist after 1974 or so?
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Post by jrmugz on Aug 30, 2015 21:45:52 GMT
04. "Powers That Be" - Kind of a busy song that doesn't seem very cohesive. The song should be about Billy going to get a college degree so that he doesn't have to gripe about losing a manual labor job anymore. But, since the hippies have to cater to the blind masses, since they're part of it themselves, it's a song about some abstract "powers that be". Guess painting things with a broad brush eliminates the need to think. Ha ha. Guess Bernie Sanders would like the song anyways. In what world is Waters considered a "hippie"? If anything, he kinda mocked hippies. And did hippies even exist after 1974 or so? Just as Billy Joel said "hot funk, cool punk, even it if it's old junk, it's still rock and roll to me", so I use the generalization "beatnik, punk rocker, eighties trender, Cobain downers, they're all just a bunch of hippies to me". Which is admittedly hypocritical of me, since I lament that hippies paint with a broad brush. Maybe I mean to say the whole liberal culture. Or I should just say what I mean and nothing more, which is that too many people blame some abstraction called "the system" or "the powers that be" to make themselves look like a victim, whereas sometimes it may be more accurately true that they chose to be at the mercy of a company there whole life and didn't bother to develop a more lucrative skill. Jim
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Post by jrmugz on Aug 30, 2015 21:53:07 GMT
Here is an interesting quote from Roger Waters about the CD, though I'm sure it was in an older interview, and his appreciation for it has probably improved over time as well. He seems to echo some of the sentiments expressed in some of our reviews:
Since the release, Waters has expressed his dislike for the album and the effort put into creating it.[1] He confessed in an interview that the attempt to make the album sound "modern" had ruined the record:
"Between Ian Ritchie and myself, we really f----- that record up. We tried too hard to make it sound modern. I allowed myself to get pushed down roads that were uncomfortable for me. I should never have made that record.".
But the fact that he admits that means now we can all go back and view the album objectively for all what it means with the dust clears. Seems like the CD has gained more esteem over time from how Wikipedia describes it.
Jim
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