I was so turned off by what Dan Auerbach did to "Alone," only to be put off even further with that cringe-making solo covers record from Miss Hynde two years later, I thought I'd never listen to another Pretenders record again. But then "Hate For Sale" arrived and I found out that the entire record, all 30 minutes of it, was co-written by guitarist James Walbourne, who is also the co-leader of one of my favorite acts The Rails. Some "back to basics, old-school, Chrissie's back" type reviews later, and I went in. And then I went in again. And then again...because it just wasn't taking.
The best thing about "Hate For Sale" is its running time and I don't mean that in a bad way. The songs do indeed sound like vintage Pretenders, but only a few, like "The Buzz," "You Can't Hurt A Fool" and "I Didn't Want To Be This Lonely" are truly memorable. The others seem to fly by in a "the one that sounds like 'Precious,' and the one that sounds like 'Private Life'" kind of way. It could be worse. It could be "Packed." But I do think the raves are a bit much. "Hate For Sale" is just fine. 6/10
It's been eight years since Rufus Wainwright released a conventional...for Rufus Wainwright...pop album. I know many are either in or out regarding Rufus, citing difficulty with his voice. I've been in since his brilliant 1997 debut, though admittedly jumped off the train after one too many sonnets.
Now with the release of "Unfollow The Rules," a strong return to form, both he and I, are back. There's no denying Rufus Wainwright's ability to write a melody. Whether an uplifting ode to joy, or mournful hymn, Wainwright's melodies always pack an emotional wallop, thanks to the stellar harmonies or sweeping strings he seems to utilize so effectively. "Unfollow The Rules" has it all, at times reminding me of both classic Elton and Freddie Mercury.
But if the length of the new Pretenders album is an asset, the length of the new Rufus is a handicap. At 52 minutes, "Unfollow The Rules" could use a trim. "You Ain't Big" is a bit of a toss-off, and at 2:36, it doesn't help by either staying or going. The record begins to drag on the last third, though that last third does feature "Hatred," with sister Martha Wainwright on vocals and that track is a winner. "Unfollow The Rules" is a big record, with enough pop sense and record making for a small country. And if you've been a fan, this new one should not disappoint. 8/10
10 comments:
Totally agree on the Pretenders, Sal--and I like Walbourne a lot. But it's underwhelming. Your allusion to "Packed" reminded me that when I interviewed Chrissie around the time of "Isle of View," at one point I said something like, "Well, you haven't really put out a bad album yet." Her immediate response: "Have you listened to 'Packed' lately?"
Hiya Sal!
I have to weigh in on Pretenders PACKED!--which I admit, I wasn't knocked out by at first.
I should say that I have a history of liking/loving the albums even the artists say suck.
Iggy Pop's PARTY is one of my favorites, for it's goofiness: "In the gas station where I work, everyone treats me just like a jerk." Iggy definitely has a goofy trailer-park kid side to him, and it anything is more primitive than GARAGE rock, it's TRAILER PARK rock ("We don't PRACTICE in a garage, we LIVE IN ONE!")
Similarly, The Ramones slagged SUBTERRANEAN JUNGLE (because they were all under the influence during the recording of it) and I personally love that album for the same reason. Songs like PSYCHO THERAPY are wonderfully dumb and rocks like hell, and I love seeing da bruddahs run through the songs that inspired them to rock & roll.
Chrissie Hynde is a fantastic songwriter, and anyone who feels she isn't should stop reading this, and listen to TATTOOED LOVE BOYS right now... (Welcome back!)
I didn't think she'd hit her usual high water mark as a songwriter with PACKED either, but when ISLE OF VIEW came out, those were some of my favorite songs when I heard them performed LIVE.
In a lot of cases, it helps an album if the songs to have been "lived in" for a while by the band playing them in front of audiences BEFORE they were recorded. I'd bet money that I don't even have that PACKED! had simply not been road tested and "had the bugs banged out of" the performances. Something written and recorded in the studio usually suffers from the writer never having seen an audience's reaction to it. They make adjustments until it goes over as well as it can.
After seeing ISLE OF VIEW, and almost wearing out my CD of that DVD, I had to admit that Chrissie's songwriting had NOT dropped off on that record, but that the songs weren't served by the recordings captured, or chosen.
Like PARTY and SUBTERRANEAN JUNGLE, PACKED is a much better album than anyone gives it credit for, and I'll fight anyone who says differently.
- Stinky
@Stinky,
I will say this...if you have been reading this blog for awhile, you should know that I rarely give up on records by artists I like/love. Quite often, I'll trash a record on first and second pass, only to revisit in a different head at a different time and hear it a completely different way. See: Macca- Chaos & Creation, trashed on its release in 2005, becamse one of my three fave McCartney records in 2010.
That said, I'll have to revisit "Packed."
We're totally in sync.
I was really looking forward to the new Pretenders album based on the 3 songs you mentioned, which were released early. When the full release became available, I was disappointed. Nothing else matched the promise of those 3 cuts. Nothing atrocious but nothing to make men want togo back for seconds.
It's been such a long time since Rufus release a new album of songs. He's been a fave of mine forever. He hasn't disappointed. Great stuff except for "You Ain't Big" which for whatever reason really irks me. But there's so much to love that its a minor hiccup.
I've been a Rufus fan since day one, returning often recently to every live version of "One Man Guy" I can find.
Now on this new song - nice. This lyric is one of his best - super, super strong:
"But between sex and death and tryin' to keep the kitchen clean
Remember wild roses bloom best in ruins forever after"
In fact, that lyric lifts me right up in these pandemic days.
Thanks for confirming that I wasn't the only one who found "Alone" to be just awful. And I'm not sold on Hate 4 Sale either. I spent a lot of time recently with the Pirate Radio box set, and most of it really holds up well. IMO, Chrissie Hynde's last really good record was Stockholm.
I'm late to Rufus despite having been a big Loudon fan. He won my heart with his duet with Sean Lennon covering the latter's Pop's "This Boy."
Hi Sal:
"you should know that I rarely give up on records by artists I like/love."
I have found this to be 100% true!
As a frequent visitor Todd Rundgren comes to mind. :)
- Stinky
Stinky,
I see what you did there!!
BUT.. I am sorry to say, Mr. Rundgren is not a good example, as I am the first to point out his crap.
I was thinking more along the lines of giving a record more than a few spins before making any decision, and even after a few drives around the park, I will take a record out for a spin months later if an opinion I respect tells me I should.
Ha! I think we both sort of agree on the new albums by Rufus Wainwright and The Pretenders. Yet you are a little disappointed by the Pretenders and a little pleased by Rufus whereas I am a little disappointed in Rufus and a little pleased by the Pretenders. Ain't expectations a bitch? I haven't devoted a lot of time to the Pretenders over the years since their salad days so just hearing her voice is a nice jolt and it's pretty good! Rufus, on the other hand, I had high hopes for as a return to Want One form. But as you say it's waaaaay too long and a number of the tunes are just not grounded in good songwriting. That's the problem with a voice that can make damn near anything sound momentarily striking and beautiful. (See: Norah Jones.) If anything, re-listens are reinforcing my first impressions.
And you absolutely give artists and albums far more re-listens than I do. I loved your reaction to Allison Moorer's 2019 album Blood. You've given her countless opportunities over the years. And yet, when Blood really clicked for you (as it did for me), instead of thinking Terrific! She finally put it all together and created a great album, you said, Maybe it's me! Maybe I was missing something on those earlier albums and need to re-listen to them all over again.
It's a generosity of spirit (and time) I can't offer anymore. Though like you I do def keep a much more open mind on artists I've been a fan of for a long time and will give second or third chances when time has passed or others insist it's really good. But in general, as the finish line approaches, I have less patience for "pretty good" and will toss books and TV shows and albums aside. Life is too short when I've got a mountain of Miles Davis and Squeeze et al to listen and re-listen to.
Post a Comment