Procal Harum, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

Liverpool sound and Vision Rating * * * *

They are responsible for one of the most endearing and enduring songs of all time, the sense that without them adding the classic A Whiter Shade of Pale to the musical history books, that it would still be played 50 years later as memories of the Summer of Love captivate the mind is more than astonishing. It is alongside the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, of Woodstock, of the emergence of Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airship, The Small Faces, of images of humanity stepping forth on an alien surface, the Mamas and the Papas and the flourish birth of Progressive Rock that defines the period of 67-69 as one of great highs daunting hopes.

Procal Harum, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. full post

(465 words, estimated 1:52 mins reading time)

The Promise. Film Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Oscar Isaac, Charlotte Le Bon, Christian Bale, Marwan Kenzari, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Angela Sarafyan, Tom Hollander, Numan Acar, Milene Mayer, Igal Naor, Tamer Hassan, Alicia Borrachero, Abel Folk, Jean Reno, James Cromwell, Kevork Malikyan.

You may believe you know a story, you may bury it in the past in an effort to move on, to think that humanity has learned its lessons and we have become more attuned to dealing with the atrocities a nation can inflict upon its people, on another group of people just because they are different, because they pray a different way, because their customs are not your own, that they perhaps are more successful so bitter jealousy comes into play; humanity never learns, humanity keeps repeating the same sense of the damned and inexcusable and it is a lesson sharply delivered in The Promise.

The Promise. Film Review. full post

(538 words, estimated 2:09 mins reading time)

Helium.

I don’t envy

at all,

that you get to play

with the helium all the time,

I don’t require the need to

hog it, to keep others

from dipping their fingers

into the fun

and pulling the vital resource

into ever quicker decline,

I have used it once,

I enjoyed it

and whilst I would like to hear

someone else giggle as their voice

went higher and more ridiculous,

I have no envy that you keep it

wow all to yourself;

Helium. full post

(106 words, estimated 25 secs reading time)

Erasure, World Be Gone. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

There is a kind of reflection that requires no mirror, that needs only the seeds of an artist or a group of like minded individuals to prove that the world is as insane, as bitter and reclusive as you believe, that the resentful have control, that the compassionate have been locked away and the embittered, sulky one track minds full of greed and power are somehow chipping away at the last vestiges of decency to be found in society and soon they will be coming for you. It is enough to shout out to the remains of humanity, World Be Gone, enough to wash your hands off the pungent and festering remains which used to be sweet.

Erasure, World Be Gone. Album Review. full post

(467 words, 1 image, estimated 1:52 mins reading time)

Paul Wilkes, Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

There is something very comforting in realising that Paul Wilkes has returned from the studio, armed with new songs, possessing stunning arrangements and taking on the world once more.

Not that the world would argue, they would applaud, holler, whoop a while and then sit back and let the words of a genuinely wonderfully lyricist and observer of the human condition take his stance, put his name out before the song and then let the music roll; it is in that comfort that such an artist strives for, that no matter the lyric or the song’s intention, the last thing they desire is to take away someone’s hope, for in hope there is always still a chance of love.

Paul Wilkes, Album Review. full post

(456 words, 1 image, estimated 1:49 mins reading time)

Antigone Project, Stellar Machine. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

There are souls out there that can captivate you with their wit and unassailable charm, that just seem to have the ability, the passion, to find the best way to turn art into majesty, into the unconsidered desire and one that will make anyone reflect upon the music as a skill as much as they would going into the finest art gallery and contemplate the meaning and the purpose of life as they stand infront of Van Gogh’s Starry Night.

Antigone Project, Stellar Machine. Album Review. full post

(373 words, 1 image, estimated 1:30 mins reading time)

An Apology From Her.

There is a carving, whittled by skeletal hand

and conceived of by a man angry with God

that sits beyond Time and the whistle

of a train carrying death.

I echo those thoughts, even as an atheist,

I repeat the philosophy

daily, not out of spite, not out of fear

and retribution by those seeking revenge,

just honesty,

that if there is a God,

for the wrongs done in her name,

the next time we meet,

she had better apologise.

Ian D. Hall 2017

An Apology From Her. full post

(87 words, estimated 21 secs reading time)

The Undercover Hippy, Truth & Fiction. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

It really is a blurred line that makes the properties of Truth & Fiction such a divisive and talked of machine, both used to the same effect, both used to either subjugate or release the listener, both designed to either control or free the willing recipient, after all people hear what they need to and mainly the open mind gets allowed to wallow in the cell of its open making because facts are manipulated and lies are watered down to make them palatable.

The Undercover Hippy, Truth & Fiction. Album Review. full post

(464 words, estimated 1:51 mins reading time)

Blondie, Pollinator. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * *

The willing is there, you would obviously expect nothing less than that from the woman who dominated iconography and pictures on many a teenage wall across the generations, yet sometimes the final product is not enough to make up for the lack of enthusiasm a fan or a listener might appreciate that comes across in less than exciting, less than fulfilling terms as they take in the latest album by Blondie, Pollinator.

Blondie, Pollinator. Album Review. full post

(469 words, estimated 1:53 mins reading time)

The Suns, Tears Me Away. Single Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

The Suns return to the thoughts of Liverpool’s music loving public with a superbly arranged track which does wonders for the senses and for the craftsmanship of song-writing; one that really does showcase how a group or a duo can take their songs to a different level and perspective without losing quality and the prospects of who they are or what they stand for. It is a song that you find listening to more than just a few times in a row and one that you will find difficult to tear yourself away from.

The Suns, Tears Me Away. Single Review. full post

(416 words, estimated 1:40 mins reading time)