Customer Reviews

Joan Armatrading

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this CD for one of the wierdest reasons ever. It's listed on Amazon.com's Essential of the Year List for 1976, that was the year I was born, so I decided what the heck and bought this CD not knowing anything about it, boy am I glad. This CD is great. The sounds are awesome, and Joan Armatrading is a very skilled songwriter/musician. So many songs on here are phenomenal like "Water With The Wine" which tells such a heartfelt story. "Tall In The Saddle" which is inspirational at times for me. "Down to Zero" and of course "Love and Affection" are also great songs. It's easy to see where people like Natalie Merchant, Sarah McLachlan, and so many of today's top female artists could have been influenced by this music. I feel that Joan has a stronger emotional attachment to her songs than any of these others do nowadays. A great CD and a great find.

I was living in the great city of Portland, Oregon and one day I heard "Love and Affection" on the radio. It only took one time and I was off to the record store. I remember well the first time I listened to the entire album... It was a unique experience. I knew that I had made a new discovery. Joan Armatrading is an incredible singer/songwriter/musician. I've loved many of her works since and have nearly her entire catalog but none will ever match this effort. To this day...I don't think I will ever hear a song that expresses what it should always be like to find someone new and discover whether or not they are that one and only special someone that we all are looking for like "Love and Affection" does. But, it's not the only one worth mention.... "Water With The Wine", "Down to Zero" and "Save Me" are also among the many great cuts here. A must for any record collection.

Whatever happened to Joan Armatrading? She simply dropped off the face of the planet sometime in the 1980s and it is our loss. This debut album shook England during my teens. I remember trying to learn the lead solo in Tall in the Saddle, slow-dancing with an early girl friend to Love and Affection (wait until you hear the saxophone solo)
This music is full of memories for me and still has great power to move so many years later. Ms Armatrading is a wonderful songwriter and a fabulous guitarist. If enough of us buy her back catalogue maybe she'll come out of retirement.

I've been slowly replacing my album collection, and after ordering Ms. Armatrading's CD, I can only ask myself, "Why haven't I replaced them in alphabetical order?" One of the jewels of my music collection, and HIGHLY recommended. An absolute must for a broken heart. It had been too long since I heard her sing, "I'm a moth with no flame to inspire me." Oh yeah.

This is by no means Joan's first album but it seems it's a favorite of many and alot of fans.I only have two of her recordings (the other being a cassette tape of her 1983 'The Key' album that I also enjoy alot).This is considered her best 70's album and I can certainly see why.Basically what Ms.Armadrading does is combine her singer-songwriter styled acoustic music with electric instruments and bringing in other styles of music such as blues,R&B,jazz and a lite funky groove into the mix.
The key to the music is quiet electism as she weaves in her questioning tales of love,commitment and confusions over the same,all delivered in that wonderful deep,husky voice she has.'Joan Armatrading' works as an intimate album lengh set piece-it's very cohesive and includes slower and faster songs.Of the more mellow tunes "Help Yourself" is my favorite is is definately a reflection on her independant streak."Join The Boys" is a fun uptempo piece with a mildly funk groove and a bluesy melody."Love And Affection" is the best known song here and it's a great one to be known for.
All and all this is one classic album (albeit with some apparent cult status) that I thouroughly enjoy and I will highly recommend to others.Critics standards for classic albums are usually highly subjective all around and doesn't agree with everyones tastes (in my case the status of waaaaayyy overrated Nirvana album 'Nevermind' comes to mind) but this truely deserves any praise given to it!Great to listen to deeply,put on to relax or in a few cases to sway your head to!

Where to begin? Every single song on this album KILLS me. Some (Water with the Wine, Join the Boys) get me out of my chair and make me dance and sing along. Some (Down to Zero, Love and Affection) start me reaching for the nearest bottle of red wine. Some (Save Me) make me want to just climb into bed, pull the covers up around me and cry out loud. The best of the best, though, is Somebody Who Loves You... God! Is there anyone anywhere who can't identify with the song's statement: "You've got somebody who loves you and I want to see you fan the fire... Mistaken shyness can be costly; too hasty a goodbye and then you've lost me." Wow. Just trust me... Buy this album. It'll be your favorite for the NEXT thirty years.

Armatrading's self-titled 1976 masterpiece represents the best musical performance of her career to date. Sultry, introspective lyrics (try "I am not in love/But I'm open to persuasion..." from "Love and Affection," her best known song) combine with exquisite guitar work and a powerfully unique voice to make this a special recording. "Down to Zero," "Love and Affection," "Join the Boys," and "Tall in the Saddle" are my favorites.

This 1976 album was the first Joan Armatrading I owned and I played it till it smoked! I really love Joan's hauntingly beautiful songs like Save Me, Love and Affection, and Somebody Who Loves You. Her 1977 Album, "Show Some Emotion" contains the song, Willow, another exquisite song. Also check out, Visionary Mountains from her first album, "Whatever's For Us", and In Your Eyes from 1995's "What's Inside". I actually enjoy all Joan's music, but the quiet stuff is goosebump material.

It wasn't her first album, but 'Joan Armatrading' helped win her legions of fans. And rightly so. The song "Love and Affection" is one of the most beautiful ballads ever recorded - and a song I will never tire of. There are other standout tracks on this album including "Down to Zero", "Water with the Wine" and "Join the Boys".

I'm really grateful that I got to see her in concert in Australia in 1985. Her performance of "Willow" will stay in my mind forever.

If you only want one Joan Armatrading album, buy this. But be warned, you will want more after listening to the song "Love and Affection". Or how about "Willow" (which is on another album)?

I can remember my reaction when I first heard "Love and Affection" in the 70's, "Wow, what is THAT?!" I didn't pick up the album then but lately I'm shopping for overlooked greats and near the top of my list was "Love and Affection". I could have bought a greatest hits compilation but I am delighted to have this CD.

Whether she is singing high or low and mellow, Armatrading has a sweet voice that is full of heart. She also has some nicely composed lyrics with some unique phrases in them. This is probably due in part to her St. Kitt's upbringing.

She has some great musicians backing her too. I especially like the guitar work in "Love and Affection" and electric guitar in "Save Me". This is provied by Jerry Donahue of Fairport Convention and Hellecaster fame. And the mandolin picking by Bryn Haworth on "Somebody Who Loves You" adds some really nice texture to that tune.

My personal favorite is still "Love and Affection". It starts as a sweet, simple ballad but it transforms itself so that in the second half it becomes less a melodic ballad and more about the various rythmic effects of all the instruments and vocals. I like the chime-like qualities of the 12 string guitar here too.

I also think "Save Me" is a great song and shows Joan's wide ranging vocal talents nicely. For me it evokes the stunned grief of a woman who has been betrayed. She's observing her emotions and the behavior of her former love in a tone that conveys a desperate plea but yet knows it is already too late. It's a description of personal danger and loss that raises the hairs on the back of my neck.

"Down to Zero" and "Somebody Who Loves You" are also beautiful songs. There might be one song on this CD I can take or leave, but I still enjoy Joan's voice on it. I've had this CD about 2 months now and there is seldom a day I do not listen to some of it. Joan's voice, her interesting lyrics, arrangements and musicianship on this CD make should make it enjoyable for a lot of people.

The only other CD of Armatrading's I've heard is "Hearts and Flowers" - I don't think it comes close to this one. Someone new to Joan could buy a compilation, but I also think this one is worth having for tunes not on the compilations.