DOVES
THE LAST BROADCAST
2002 – HEAVENLY
Produced By DOVES, STEVE OSBORNE & MAX HEYES
1. Intro
2. Words
3. There Goes The Fear
4. M62 Song
5. Where We’re Calling From
6. N.Y.
7. Satellites
8. Friday’s Dust
9. Pounding
10. Last Broadcast
11. The Sulphur Man
12. Caught By The River
The trio that is Doves (Jimi Goodwin and twin brothers Jez and Andy Williams) hit their peak with their second album in 2002. The Last Broadcast is a successful follow up to their debut, Lost Souls. It’s a surprisingly consistent set of recordings, especially given that almost every song was recorded at a different location. A top selling album in their native UK (as all of their releases have been), it was their highest charting album in America (where they have been considerably less successful), reaching only #83. “There Goes The Fear” is their highest charting single, despite the fact that the band pulled it from shelves after just one day. Simply because they wanted to. They pulled the other two singles for the same reason as well. Not the coolest move, but their choice.
“There Goes The Fear” is the clear highlight here. “Caught By The River” is a fine closer, and “Pounding” is good as well. “M62 Song” was recorded under a motorway that circles Manchester, and is credited to members of King Crimson as it is based on their 1969 song “Moonchild”. Much of the album was done in a country setting, with the band having said the songs came quickly and easily. This was followed up by another #1 seller, 2005’s Some Cities. Their lack of American success has not been a problem for them, as their 2025 album, Constellations For The Lonely, made it five straight UK top five entries. Further proof that the two audiences don’t always agree…and proof that in many cases, Americans simply miss out on really good bands and albums.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
RANDY NEWMAN
SAIL AWAY
1972 – REPRISE
Produced By LENNY WARONKER & RUSS TITELMAN
1. Sail Away
2. Lonely At The Top
3. He Gives Us All His Love
4. Last Night I Had A Dream
5. Simon Smith And The Amazing Dancing Bear
6. Old Man
7. Political Science
8. Burn On
9. Memo To My Son
10. Dayton, Ohio – 1903
11. You Can Leave Your Hat On
12. God’s Song (That’s Why I Love Mankind)
Before there was Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello and Graham Parker, there was Randy Newman…the original snarky, angry young man. Throughout the first half of the seventies, he made terrific albums that no one seemed to care about. Except for just about every musician on the planet, who all wanted to record his songs. Newman was recorded by everyone from Harry Nilsson, Linda Ronstadt, Three Dog Night, and just about everyone else who was anyone during that time. But his first five albums (including a live one) sank like stones on the charts. This includes his finest work, 1972’s Sail Away. This perfect and underrated record is one of the best releases of the early seventies. Song after song shows what an amazingly gifted songwriter Randy Newman is.
The title track is pure gold, once described as “a vision of heaven superimposed on hell”. “Simon Smith” had been a hit for Alan Price in 1967. “Political Science” is satire at it’s greatest (“Let’s drop the big one and see what happens”). “You Can Leave Your Hat On” would later be a big hit for Joe Cocker. And the closer, “God’s Song (That’s Why I Love Mankind)”, is a masterful explanation from God that he basically loves us because we’re weak and easy. Every track here is a joy, and this album should have been a career maker. It wasn’t. Newman got a big hit finally with “Short People” five years later, but he ended the decade with a bomb (Born Again), and soon turned to soundtracks, where he’s had much more success. Sail Away is his masterpiece, and deserves much more love than it gets.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
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