Monday, 8 September 2008

Lindisfarne "Elvis Lives On The Moon" (1993) (News, Views and Music 3)


Please visit http://alansalbumarchives.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/lindisfarne-elvis-lives-on-moon-1993.html for a much longer and more detailed edition of this album review, which is left here simply for archival and accounting purposes 



An Old Favourite I’m Currently Grooving To: “All I ask is...THINK!” Lindisfarne’s ‘Elvis Lives On the Moon’ from 1993. Not the greatest of the Geordie band’s reunion albums, but great to have nonetheless for the last band statements ever made by main songwriter, occasional lead singer and rhythm guitarist Alan Hull before his untimely death from a heart attack at the age of 51. It’s almost a ’concept’ album too— and there aren’t many of those in Lindisfarne’s back catalogue—with many of the songs inspired by Lindisfarne’s brief tour of Russia and the poverty they witnessed there (they were one of the first ’Western’ acts invited to perform in the USSR, shortly before the ’iron curtain’ got lifted).



Most loved moment: Hully’s almost-farewell message ’Speak Like A Man’, which just is Lindisfarne on so many levels; half-mournful, half angry, slow burning and suddenly piercing, ramshackle blues and polished protest all at the same time and with a gloriously hypnotic chorus to boot. Classy stuff. Most reviled moment: nothing is actually ’bad’, but even the most fanatical fan would be hard-pressed to tell you that the Hull-written but new member Marty Craggs sung-ballad ’Don’t Leave Me Tonight’ was the work of Lindisfarne (It sounds more like a Simply Red b-side; err on second thoughts maybe it is pretty ‘bad’ after all on those terms alone!) Star rating /10:  ♫♫♫♫♫♫ (6/10)

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