Customer Reviews

The Beautiful Changes...Plus

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anyone who saw 'Rock Follies' on PBS during the 70s and heard Julie Covington for the first time will always remember her. But, for me Julie is the voice of 'Evita'. Her London 'Evita' is still the best and as far as I'm concerned every other version of 'Don't Cry for me Argentina' is an cover to the original haunting Julie version. So, it was great to search and find this reissue of an old album. Nothing else seems to be out there from Julie. The 'Magic Wasn't There' track is the best on the CD. In general the tracks are OK but the 'voice' overcomes the material. Hearing something fresh (even if it is 28 year-old fresh ) from Julie is fantastic. The purity and clarity of her singing remains unique!

Julie Covington's voice is amazing. One the one hand, it's so natural and uncontrived that it's like listening to someone talking. On the other hand, it's powerful -- remember her singing "Don't Cry For Me Argentina"? Her sound is perfectly suited to the songs. Nearly all of them are by Pete Atkin and (*the*) Clive James, and the re-issue of this album is an indescribable treat for any fans of theirs. JC sings with such sympathy for the material that you can almost hear Pete's voice singing Clive's words. "The Magic Wasn't There" is stunning. Like the other tracks, its strengths are PA's sometimes-unconventional chord sequences and CJ's warming, poetic lyrics and varied rhyming schemes. Similarly impressive, "Friendly Island Song" is one of the beautiful, eye-wateringly melancholy songs you're ever likely to hear. Most of the other tracks are also pretty good, covering a range of styles. The weakest stuff is probably the last two (bonus) songs, but they were originally pre-album demos anyway -- still interesting for PA/CJ completists, though. This album was too adventurous to make a huge commercial impact, but, to me, that's its strength. It's a piece of long-lost musical treasure.

Amazon has no info, but I do so here it is! CD was released in 1999 on See For Miles Records LTD. out of the UK. It has 15 tracks total, the last two being bonus tracks. They are...
1. The Magic Wasn't There
2. Ice-Cream Man
3. If I Had My Time Again
4. He Just Don't Appeal to Me
5. Winter Kept Us Warm
6. Beautiful Changes
7. Queen of Lights
8. For Instance
9. The Standards of Today
10. The Original Original Honky Tonk Night Train Blues
11. Don't Bother Me Now
12. Friendly Island Song
13. My Silks & Fine Array
14. (bonus track)The Way Things Ought to Be
15. (bonus track)Tonight Your Love is Over

Catalog number SEECD 687 . Hope this is enough info for you!