Description

'The Stars We Are' is Almond's finest solo-album-though 'Open All Night' & 'Torment & Toreros' are close.The preceding albums with Mike Hedges & The Willing Sinners were screamingly over-produced. Confusingly, Almond formed La Magia from The Willing Sinners- though taking on the production himself with Hogan & McGee was a good idea!The title track is one of those classic Almond songs like 'Melancholy Rose' or 'The Flesh is Willing'. It sounds like Almond starting to look back to the Cell-days; it would be a few years before he would play 'Say Hello,Wave Goodbye' again!...'These My Dreams Are Yoursmore…' is a gorgeous song- imagine if Spiritualized were any good & backed 'Scott 3'-Scott & you're near. This is a perfect soul song- as great as Jeff Buckleys' 'Everybody Here Wants You' or Prince's 'Adore'...'Bitter Sweet' is a little twee & commercial- but not as anondyne as 'Love Letter' and bridges the gap to the genius 'Only the Moment'. This is a fantastic song co-written with Annie Hogan- though the single version was better!...'Your Kisses Burn' was the final recording to feature Nico- a sinister duet that sounds like John Cale producing 'Eloise'...'The Frost Comes Tomorrow' is a divine song- Almond's vocals fantastically interprete this nostalgic-melancholy & the accordion sounds not unlike Tom Wait's circa 'Frank's Wild Years'...'The Very Last Pearl' is rather perky & a little throwaway- if charmingly arranged- one to play live methinks...'Tears Run Rings' was the great comeback single, the refrain "We've got to get together/before we fall apart" does that Proustian/'Speak, Memory' thing regarding a semi-naked person in my teenage bedroom. Nice to see some Morrissey-esque politics creeping in-"They're pulling down the old slums/to build the new".The non-Pitney duet version of 'Something's Gotten' is preferable. The original is still the best!..'The Sensualist' is a sublime number- the operatic backing vocals blow me away, after all these years...'She Took My Soul in Istanbul' is suitably overblown- imagine Maurice Jarre doing the soundtrack for an imaginary film of 'Justine' ...Finally 'Kept Boy' surfaces- lots of people I know hate this- but I think it has a certain charm. The late Agnes Bernelle is great & it is proof that Almond could do the Broadway/West End thing at the drop of a hat...This is my favourite Almond solo-album that has dated well & is as strong as the finest of his works before & after- such as 'Torch' or 'Divided Soul'. The fun we had?

Tracks

---

Info:

Category:

Music > Albums

Case Type:

CD

Release Type:

Retail

Comments:

1    read    add

---

Cover Info:

Title:

Marc Almond - The Stars We Are (2002) Retail CD

Part:

Front

Dimensions:

1413 x 1392 px

Size:

236 KB

Downloads:

267 (0 today)

Uploaded:

Report a Problem Wrong Cover Duplicate Image Bad Quality Wrong Info

24/02/08 by Sarge!

Quality Rating:

• Currently /5 Stars.
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Cover not yet rated. Click CDs to vote!

---

Other Available Parts: