Singer Sowing Machine - a Fan's Review
GOS with his "wolly hat"
Les from the UK was kind enough to send me his impressions on Gilbert's latest music offering. He sums it up nicely by saying "Gilbert's style is still evolving and...the influences on his music are many and varied."
Gilbert O' Sullivan's latest album, available on Park records, once again shows that Gilbert is a man of many talents. Over the last three albums we have been treated to the back to basics 'By Larry' and the stage production of 'Every Song Has Its Play'. Now Gilbert has released his Rock album, its even got Gilbert on the cover trashing his keyboard into a Marshall Speaker.
To some, a number of the 14 tracks on the album will come as a shock. GOS moves from Dance through Pop to bass thumping Rock and Roll, but all in his very personal style. Here's my run down of the 14 tracks.
1. Heaven's Above, the opening track, sets the scene for the whole album. A set of bonGOS and electric guitar slap out a Caribbean theme that you just can't stop your toes from tapping to. This is real single material with the catchiest chorus I've heard on a Gilb song for ages. Lyrically strong, the song has what has become the trademark of all my favourite GOS songs - the whity play on words that turn away from the obvious straplines just as you think you can sing along and guess the next word.
2.In Bed By Ten is the first big shock on the album. Gilbert does a Gary Numan track. The same throbbing bass synth with all the other synths swirling round and building the tune to the vocals. Where as a track with a sound as heavy as this could be about killer robots from mars, Gilbert instead sings that you can do all sorts of naughty things - but only if you have a reasonable bed time. Don't you just love this guy. Personally I think its a fantastic track, but I can see this being the track that you either love or hate on the album.
3.Sex Appeal starts with a real dance feel, why its almost techno. A wah wah bass that reverberates into your bones starts off proceedings and is then joined by a very 90's drum loop. Then as the vocals kick in everything pauses for a second and then its off again with the dance loop. On first listening I didn't really get into this track, but now after a couple of runs through the CD it has definitely grown on me and I love that way wah. This track could be the second time Gilbert gets played in the night clubs, as I bet any DJ who hears this is going to want to remix that backing track.
4.You Better Believe It. East meets West with this track. A real rock track with wah wah guitars, Japanese rhythms and some chap screaming at the mike. Hang on I just have to check the CD cover again.....Yes it definitely says Gilbert O' Sullivan on the cover. This is not like any Gilb track you have heard before and 'You better believe it'. Gilbert's voice is treated to give an echoing and slightly distorted quality to it. This is simply amazing. This is definitely a track you could play to your friends with the bet of a tenner if they can guess who its by. (Unless they know your a rabid Gilbert O' Sullivan fan). A word of caution though , don't play this on your Walkman as you will find yourself yelling along with the track.
5.Please Don't Let My Weakness Show is the first track that gives the game away that this is in fact a Gilbert O' Sullivan album. The first ballad of the album. It reminds me in many ways of one of my favourites 'Its easy to see when your blind' and sounds like a real plea from the heart. A really beautiful track with lots of musical meanderings. As I listen to it a drift away to a little Parisian café by a sandstone church, its a glorious day but the day hangs heavy inside me. Then I realise this to me is the track I would play after 'Alone Again'. Its like that melancholy day has just clicked on a few more hours and our Gilbert still feels down. One to try not to cry to.
6.I'll Be The Lonely One is Gilbert's folk song. The most basic track on the album just jangly guitar and vocals. Then suddenly a steel guitar plays a few chords and it goes Country and Western for a couple of seconds. Give it a few years and the local folk group at the Frog and Wolfhound will be playing this one. On any other Gilbert album this would fit right in but for some reason it sound odd here. Its not that I don't like the tune, I really do. Its just that my ears where getting accustomed to all those layers of instruments and someone's just nicked them.
7.Con-Lab-Lib Gilbert still has that knack of observing the world and showing its absurd. Lyrically the song reminds me of the Himself album, socially aware and written in that same conversational manner. Arrangement wise though its more like I'm A Writer LP with a guitar lick lifted straight from Status Quo. In fact the more I think about it the more that this reminds me of the track I'm a Writer not a Fighter.
8.Doesn't It Make You Sick (Mortar and Brick). No that's the title not a comment on how much more talented than I am Gilbert is. Another social observation track with a familiar theme of why can't we all just live together in harmony. A jolly number with the synthesisers of the earlier track being replaced with more familiar piano bashing as the underlying rhythm. I don't know what it is but musically this track conjures up images of TV themes of those great BBC drama programs. But then I am odd.
9. Not So Great Britain. Was that Rick Wakeman just then. Track nine starts with an amazing church organ sound just like Yes always used and then the song proper starts. This one reminds of the Police. No not the guys in blue uniforms but the ones that had the guy in the bumble bee jumper fronting them in the 80's. Gilbert's voice even has shades of Sting's as he strains it to hit those high notes. A real jamming session track, the jazz players in the band could probably have done the 3 hour version of this with saxophones and slap bass. Thankfully they restrained themselves and we get to here a fab tune instead.
10.I Don't Care is Gilbert tribute to Jake and Elwood. 'Who they' You need to ask - the Blues Brothers. This track is best played loud, and if your able, hoping from leg to leg. If you can invest in a black suit, bowler hat and wrap around shades. This is the funky song Gilbert's been after for years so he doesn't have to sing Get Down at every concert. But watch out if your in the audience as this could be a real chair breaker. (Remember that little incident in the TV studio during the special a few years ago Gilb?, Sometimes you don't know your own strength.)
11. I'm About has a stark beauty about it. The tune is stripped down to the bare bones of piano and vocals of Gilbert and I assume Carole Cook or Katie Humble, though I can't find a direct credit on the album (naughty). Its a lovely song which shows just how . The simple structure adds to the atmosphere of the song about one of Gilberts common themes, that of loneliness and loss of love.
12.Break A Leg. Turn down the lights, shut your eyes, lie back and let the music on this track wash over you . Its an American road movie in 3 1/2 minutes. You can feel the rumble of the tyres on the baked tarmac and feel the heat of the sun as a warm breeze whips through the open windows. In usual Gilbert style, the lyrics take on a different slant, as a thought provoking analysis of the stupidity of the things we say.
13.Say Ireland. Gilbert returns to his roots in this very personal song about being Irish and what that means to him. Atmospherically this track would fit well on the 'Every Song Has Its Play' album as it has both the autobiographical content and similar orchestration. It also has 31 people saying 'Ireland'.
14.An End.... No intro on this album but the outro returns. If you've heard the very, very , very early stuff, you've heard Gilb sing like this before. Disappear re-appears for a one off until the knock at the door end it all once more.
In conclusion, 'Singer Sowing Machine' shows that Gilbert's style is still evolving and that the influences on his music are many and varied. In my humble opinion this is one of his great albums and I think it contains a few tracks that , for me at least, will become classics and stalwarts hopefully of his live performances. I can't wait to see 'In Bed By Ten' and 'I Don't Care' performed live. If I had to level one negative criticism at the album it would be very minor and it this - Gilbert, who on earth got you to wear that woolly hat for the photo shoot. (Maybe Mike Nesmith from the Monkees- Joe)
I hope you enjoy the album and thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts and observations.
Submitted By Les Birchall