| Track by Track Review
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Disc 1 - Tracks
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Smile (My Smiler's Smile)
I love the guitar sound that opens this. If you can imagine merging Paul McCartney's Wings with Klaatu you'd probably be thinking of something that would sound a lot like this. This cut is a catchy pop rock number that works very well. The synthesizer solo section is cool. |
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Hold Tight
I can hear some definite ELO elements on this. That's combined with a lot of the sounds from the previous tune. I suppose you could say that this sounds like The Beatles. However you label it, though, it's another effective piece. The strings add something to it. The guitar solo is quite tasteful and tasty. |
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Never the Same Without Love
A balladic piece, this is even more Beatles-like. It's gentle and quite pretty. |
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You Are My Love
Another that lands on the mellower end of things, this has a real dreamy kind of vibe. Yes, the Beatles is a valid reference here, too. This is another effective pop rock tune. |
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She's a Lady
Here is a bit of a trippy kind of rocker. It's a fun tune. It's more modern sounding than some of the others are. This is another cut with some cool synthesizer soloing. |
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Call Me Your Love
Another bouncy pop rock tune, this is effective. |
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It's a Beautiful Day
Starting with the sounds of nature, this is a tasty ballad based on acoustic guitar. |
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(I Remember) Julian the Hooligan
I love this song. It has some great mellower stuff for a lot of the musical concept. The keyboards bring a lot to the table. Then it manages to rock out later. In between we get some cool instrumental work. This really makes me think of Paul McCartney quite a bit. It works back to the mellower side of things. |
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Rosemary
A pretty balladic piece, the strings bring a lot to the table here. |
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Doing It All Again
A bouncy Beatles like tune, this is fun stuff. |
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I'll Never Fall in Love Again
A soft rock cut, this feels like what you might get if you mixed The Beatles with the Eagles. |
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Every Man Must Have a Dream
The comparisons to the Beatles are valid here. This is a balladic piece with a lot of strings and beauty. |
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Bonus Tracks
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Lae Mei
I dig the sound of this cut. It has a nice classic pop rock texture to it. It's fun stuff. |
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Never Be the Same Boy
A rocking cut, this is cool. There is some prominent synthesizer in this piece. |
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Lost for Words
The opening section on this is almost progressive rock. As the vocals join, this makes me think of Klaatu meets Pink Floyd and Supertramp. This is one of the most rocking pieces here. Yet, it's also quite lush and proggy. |
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Disc 2 - Dreamin'
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Low Profile
More of a hard rocker than the stuff on the previous album, there is definitely a McCartney vibe here. This is a cool rocker. The mellower dropped back movement is nicely based on keyboard music. It grows out with a cool ascending section from there, turning out toward psychedelia for a time after that. This is another that makes me think of Klaatu in a lot of ways. |
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So Here I Go Again
European folk music is a big part of this. The cut is based in part musically on a famous cut that I can't quite place. This is a fun, bouncy little number that's quite cool. |
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Last Train Home
A slow moving mainstream rocker, this is classy stuff. |
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Margie
Strings make up the music of this bouncy little number. |
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Songbird Sing Your Song
A mainstream 1970s rocker, this isn't anything that's going redefine genre. It's just another particularly effective piece of music. The instrumental section really makes me think of Klaatu, but to some degree so does the whole song. |
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Little Plum's Last Stand
There is a healthy helping of prog rock built into this cool number. It's a classy piece of music that works really well. |
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Mary and Ann
A piano based ballad, this really sounds a lot like something The Beatles would have done. It gets powerful and lush with lots of strings over the top. There are some more rocking sections of the cut, too. |
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Dreamin'
The title track has a bit of an ELO vibe mixed with the Beatles and other elements. It has some great layers of vocals in the mix. It's a classy tune. |
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All Time Loser
A harder rocking jam, this is solid stuff. There is a bit of a blues rock vibe to this. It makes me think of the band Free a bit. The jam later in the track makes me think of McCartney's Wings. |
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Don't Give Up Your Day Job
This is a weird little cut with some little bits of music along with laughter and studio sounds.
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Bonus Tracks
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Beauty of the B***h
Here is a cool hard rocking piece of music. This is energized and a lot fun. |
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Oh No
This is a cool old school rock and roller. It feels like the kind of thing Elvis often did. That said, it has more of a Beatles vibe in terms of the delivery. It's a fun cut. |
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Don't Stop the Music
A pretty cut, this is a mainstream rock ballad. It's effective. |
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Disc 3 - Lex
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I Want Nobody But You
1970s mellow rock is very much the idea of this cut. It makes me think of what you might get it you mixed 10cc with David Essex. I like the saxophone on this and the whole cut just works really well. |
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Take It Easy with My Heart
That David Essex reference is even more valid on this number. It feels like Essex with some ELO and Beatles in the mix. It's a slower moving cut, but it is missing no energy or vibe. This is so cool. |
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When My Boat Comes In
This is a killer mainstream rocker. This might be my favorite cut of all three discs here. It's just so energized and catchy. It's also very meaty. The drop back mid-track definitely calls to mind David Essex again, too. |
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Last Train Home
Piano starts things off here. This is a classy, soulful kind of tune that works well. It's a ballad. It's also very pretty. |
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Is Your Love in Vain
This is a cover of a Bob Dylan tune. They put in a good folk rock performance here. This is a potent piece of music. |
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Sharing You
Another cover, this is a very mellow ballad. It's pretty, but I don't think it's up to the same level as a lot of the rest of the music here. It's too adult-contemporary for my tastes. |
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Games People Play
This is another cover. It has a cool roots music vibe to it. There is a lot of country and folk sound in the mix. This is fun stuff. |
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Motel Maria
There is a lot of soulful country texture built into this slow moving piece. |
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What a Fool I've Been
This rocker is a lot of fun with a real classic 1970s vibe to it. |
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Bonus Tracks
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You Lied I Cried
A melodic cut with a lot of classic rock sound at its core, this is very effective. |
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Don't Knock Upon My Door
This feels like a cross between Paul McCartney and Wings and Klaatu. It's a killer rocker that works really well. I personally like this better than a couple of songs on the album proper. The horns later bring a real Beatles vibe to it. |
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