Pink Floyd - A Saucerful Of Secrets - Review

Songs: Let There Be More Light, Remember a Day, Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun, Corporal Glegg, A Saucerful of Secrets, See-Saw, Jugband Blues. 

Type of Music: Psychedelic Rock   

Comments:

Set the Controls for the Future of the Band. 

The Pink Floyd´s second Album is basically Part II of the Star Wars that started with The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. But there is one big difference: Syd Barrett. Or better, his absence. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds got the better of him and he had to leave the band. 

One final song, Jugband Blues with the immortal last words "And what exactly is a joke? " marks his departure. It´s not a very good song unfortunately.

I'm sure that many a tear was shed by the remaining band members but I also suspect that Roger saw his chance here to lead the band in the direction he saw in his mind.

Still, with Syd out we miss the genius or the "madness" that had marked The Piper. Because Roger Waters is no Syd Barrett. He wrote his version of the Interstellar Overdrive and named it A Saucerful of Secrets. It´s not bad but I hear a craftsman and not a genius, crazy as Syd might have been. And Syd´s Scarecrow is now called Corporal Glegg and it´s only half as funny. Roger would find his own way in the seventies but to me this record is Roger´s Piper Revisited.

Richard Wright wrote (Weird Word Sequence) two songs for the album namely Remember a Day and See-Saw of which the first one is the better of the two. So everybody did their best to show they could manage without Syd, but maybe it was too early for that in 1968.

That leaves us with Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun. It was written by Roger but the other band members contributed to the song as well and it is the only moment on the album where you sense that they are capable of writing an interesting, complex and experimental song as well. It´s too little to save A Saucerful from being more than an average Psychedelic Rock Album. It did however gave them confidence. The confidence they needed to be able to make Dark Side in the future.

Syd of course was replaced by Singer/Guitarist David Gilmour and that was a lucky hand as time would tell. 

Rating: ******* (7 out of 10)

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Who should buy this Record:  Only for the real Floyd Fans. Of which there are a lot of course, including me!

Buchanan's De Luxe 12 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Buchanan’s De Luxe

Bottled by James Buchanan & Company

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: 12 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Light Golden (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: Toasted Cereals, Grain Alcohol, Toffee, Caramel, Vanilla, Toast, Toasted Oak, Straw, Grass, Heather-Honey, Cocoa Powder, Salted Almonds, Citrus Peel, Ginger and the faintest hint of Smoke. 

Taste: Thin and slightly Watery Delivery. Quite Sweet with Toasted Cereals, light Vanilla, Caramel, Toffee, Orange-Peel, Green Apple, Straw, Grass, Cocoa Powder, Sugared Tea, Pepper, Salt, Ginger and hints of Tobacco and Smoke. 

Finish: On the short side. Sugary Sweet at first but Dry towards the end with Toasted Cereals, slightly Bitter Nutshells, Toasted Refill Oak, Heather-Honey, Black Pepper, Salt, Caramel, Mandarin, Cocoa Powder and hints of Tobacco and Smoke from a distant fire.

When adding a few drops of Water you get some Fruit on the nose. Think of Pear and Apricots. Bit of Lemon as well and some extra Honey. On the Palate it almost becomes Ice Tea Lemon. The Finish gets more Sugary. You can certainly experiment with a few drops. The Nose opens up quite a bit and the Ice Tea Lemon feeling on the Palate is remarkable.

Rating: 79 

Nose: 20,5 – Taste: 20 – Finish: 19 – Overall: 19,5

General Remarks:

I can’t tell you a lot about this Blend I’m afraid. It was created in 1884 by one James Buchanan in London. Today, the company belongs to the Diageo Group. At the heart of this Blend lays the Dalwhinnie Distillery (Highlands). It is Scotland’s highest Distillery. Only 10% of its production is sold as Single Malt. The rest goes into Blends like Buchanan’s and Black & White. Buchanan's 12 Years its very popular in South America.

Drinking Experience Neat: Average/Okay

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good

Conclusion: It’s not an expensive Blend at US$ 30/35. But it’s yet another of those Blends of which 13 are found in a dozen. There’s no real character, no adventure, no challenge. It’s sugary and a bit boring. And it doesn’t inspire me to write more about it.

Jan van den Ende                                    March 8, 2012 and August 16,2017

Fleetwood Mac - Heroes Are Hard To FInd - Review

Fleetwood Mac - Heroes Are Hard To Find - 1974

Songs:  Heroes Are Hard To Find, Coming Home, Angel, Bermuda Triangle, Come A Little Bit Closer, She´s Changing Me, Bad Loser, Silver Heels, Prove Your Love, Born Enchanter, Safe Harbour. 

Type of Music: Mid-Seventies Pop-Rock.

The Band:

Mick Fleetwood                                     Drums and Percussion

John McVie                                             Bass

Christine McVie                                     Keyboards and Vocals

Bob Welch                                              Guitar and Vocals

Comments:

Bob Weston and Dave Walker had left the band by now and you would expect a return to true form from the remaining four key members.  Unfortunately this is not the case. Seven of the eleven songs are written by Bob Welch and none of them seem to go anywhere. Sometimes you get the feeling he tries to write prog-rock a la Yes or Pink Floyd like in Coming Home or Angel. He does not succeed though. Christine McVie wrote the remaining four songs. Of these, Heroes Are Hard To Find and Bad Loser are not too bad. But Prove Your Love and Come A Little Bit Closer are dull. With this Album Fleetwood Mac seemed to have reached a dead-end. But help was on its way!

Rating: ***** (5 out of 10)

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Who should buy this Record:  Even True Mack Fans will find this a difficult listen.

Beatles - Help - Review

Beatles - Help - 1965

Songs:  Help, The Night Before, You´ve Got To Hide Your Love Away, I Need You, Another Girl, You´re Going To Lose That Girl, Ticket to Ride, Act Naturally,It´s Only Love,You Like Me Too Much,Tell Me What You See,I've Just Seen A Face, Yesterday,Dizzy Miss Lizzy.

Type of Music: Mid Sixties Quality Pop. 

Comments:

The first seven songs on the Album form the Soundtrack of the Film of the same name, you´ve heard about but probably never saw. If you like a pleasant Pop album this is the place to be. Only two covers this time and, as usual, they don´t impress me. Ringo is allowed to sing Act Naturally and John rapes his own voice in Dizzy Miss Lizzy. 

But the Lennon/McCartney songs are mostly well done. The Title Track, Ticket to Ride and Yesterday are all Classics. It´s worthwhile to follow Ringo´s percussion in Ticket to Ride. Ringo is absolutely the underrated Beatle while in fact many times his drumming carries the songs. George participates in the party with two songs. Both I Need You and You Like Me Too Much are Okay. It´s also interesting to observe the Dylan influence in songs like You´ve Got To Hide Your Love Away and I´ve Just Seen A Face.      

In short, tons of fun on this album that is not superb all the time but hardly ever disappointing.  

Rating: ******** (8 out of 10)

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Who should buy this Record:  Everyone who enjoys a pleasant  Sing-Along Sixties Pop-Album.

Highland Park 1994 16 Years Review (2012)

Country: Scotland

Brand: Highland Park 1994 Travel Retail Bottling

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Highland

Age: 16 Years

ABV: 40%

Colour: Old Gold/Amber

Nose: Light. Familiar combination of Malt, Peat, Sherry and Light Smoke. Dried Fruits like Apricots and Sultanas. Biscuits. Hints of Wood and Spices. There is something there that reminds me of walking alongside a quay in a harbour but I’m not able to pin it down. All in all it’s not an unpleasant nose but it’s not spectacular as well.

Taste: Quite Sweet with Honey, Heather and some Peat Smoke. Herbal Tea comes to my mind. It’s rather uneventful I’m afraid.

Finish: Very short. Sweet at first, than dry. A bit of Honey, Licorice or Anise and Earth. Rather disappointing.

Rating:  82,5 

Nose: 22 - Taste: 20,5 - Finish: 19 - Overall: 21

General Remarks: This whisky is a special bottling for the Global Travel Retail aka Tax Free Shop. It matured for 16 years. I suspect in Bourbon Casks. It was distilled in 1994 and was bottled in 2010. You might remember that Highland Park is the Most Northern Scottish Distillery on the Orkney Isles. It was founded in 1798.

I added a few drops of water that brought more Peat and Malt to the nose. You can nose this one with-and without water. Taste-wise a few drops of water don’t add anything, so better drink it straight.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: I don’t know what it is with these Global Travel Retail expressions from Highland Park. So far I tasted the 12 Years, distilled in 1998 and now the 16 Years distilled in 1994. They simply aren’t in the same class as the Standard Distillery 12, 15 and 18 Years. The Travel Retail expressions are a bit light and frankly boring. Were older Refill Casks used or batches with a less distinct quality? To be honest I think that lots of people would have difficulties in recognising the Retail expressions taste wise as Highland Park during a Blind Tasting Session and that says something for a Distillery quite capable of delivering quality whiskies with a distinct Distillery character. Or is it just me? Anyway, this is not a bad Single Malt but is it really worth the US$ 70,- they’re asking for it? I don’t think so.

Jan van den Ende                                                                  March 3, 2012