Customer Reviews

North Star

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

All 10 songs are a "Bloodline of True Talent" I am one of many long time fans,and as a songwriter, I'm gonna wear this one out!

JDL.

I bought this album almost 4 years ago and have been addicted from the first listen. It is a superlative artistic achievement; every song is a priceless jewel glowing with its own inimitable radiance of tempo, lyric, emotion, tenor, atmosphere, instrumentation, and meaning. There are songs whose instrumental austerity and raw human tenderness reverberate with the melancholy of purest memory, and evoke the most bittersweet, lonely moments in silent wooden rooms graced with dying autumnal light. In exhilarating counterpoint to such simple, plaintive ballads are tracks like "Sister Shadow" (my favourite on the album), which cascades down endless rainbows of glorious guitarwork that mingle with ragged vocal passion and wondrous lyrics to bear the listener up in a glorious maelstrom of melodic-harmonic perfection, and into an untarnished spiritual stratosphere...

Roddy Frame is an artist of rare gifts: intensely lyrical, deeply sensitive, philosophically mature. And of course, awesome on the guitar.

This is one of my immutably favourite albums. All 10 songs are good, while at least four are SUPERB.

All one can say is--inexpressible gratitude to you Roddy, for sharing the priceless fruit sewn from your personal sufferings and joys with the rest of we mortals living on the same planet and also struggling against emotional mundanity, apathy and insensitivity...

This CD includes the blend of the freshness of early Aztec camera and the maturity of late Aztec camera , for example "Dream land" and "Flestonia". This music heels our tired middle aged mind, but reminds me our adolescence and flare up in our heart. If you like Roddy's naive and romatic melody, you should click and get as fast as you can.
This CD will become your North Star of your music life.

This album combines the heights of Aztec Camera melody and the maturity you would expect from Mr. Frame after nearly two decades of song writing. If only radio played songs like these.

Roddy decided to put his given name on this CD instead using the Aztec Camera name; however, the sound is the same. This CD has some of Roddy's finest lyrics, melodies and guitar work. What is best about the CD is how it leaves you feeling good about yourself. Very few musical artists are still making music that can move you like Roddy does.

He showed the world that he could write songs as good as the best of them with his first albums, while only being in his late teens and early 20's. Then in the 90's, Roddy moved the notch up and released his masterpiece "Dreamland," which was followed by "Frestonia" and "North Star."

Of course The United Statess is happy listening to the same empty, boring, cheap pop that it has been listening to for a couple decades now, so no record company bothered to pick this one up in the States. However, if you like quality, sophisticated pop that makes you feel something, "North Star" is worth the import cost; and certainly, no Aztec Camera fan will be disappointed. My favorite song on this CD is called "Bigger, Brighter, Better." I think this title describes the CD perfectly. Roddy's music just becomes bigger, brighter and better with each CD. I can not wait for the next one.

Roddy Frame WAS Aztec Camera, so why this solo effort in his name instead of the Aztec Camera brand? Well, this album is good, I mean very, very good, and Roddy must have known that. For about twenty years Roddy F. had to live with the putdowns that nothing he ever did lived up to the brilliance of the debut 'High Land, Hard Rain'. Well, if you don't know either, pick up Aztec Camera 'High Land, Hard Rain' and Roddy Frame's 'North Star'. Both are 5 star works without a doubt.

This is brilliannt, panoramic, atmospheric pop rock that Scots seem to excel at. Americans might need a bit adjusting to the UK style production, but they are unlikely to hear anything so tuneful on their radio. It's great to hear Roddy in midlife putting out music that equals what he did in his youth.

There isn't a single weak cut on this l.p.

Well what can you say about this lad from Scotland. He keeps getting better with age. Growing up with Aztec Camera I knew Roddy would save his best work for later and its right here. This is a great CD even for the first time listeners. Every song on Northstar is a gem and Roddy is such a master with his lyrics. He truly knows how to write songs and cheer ya up. Go buy this disc! 5-stars for The North Star.

As a huge Aztec Camera fan I stumbled across this album while I was in New Zealand and it was on sale for $...! I have to say that I was very impressed, not sure how his solo album would go but I have to say, if you love Aztec Camera you will love this album, particularly 'Back to the One'.

Go Roddy!

Why are there less than five reviews for this gorgeous album? Roddy Frame has "come of age" with this release. Songs like "The North Star" and "Sister Shadow" will run through your head like dandelion fluff for hours after listening. Frame is an excellent lyricist- the only problem is that you'll want to sing along but have a hard time remembering all the words. Oh well! That has never taken anything away from any of his albums. Why oh WHY can't good, exciting music like this get on mainstream radio. Whenever I put this CD in my car stereo, it stays there for a week. The lovely verses BURST into rich, full chorus. The last album I got that made me feel this happy was "Grand Parade" by The Frank And Walters. Congrats on a near-perfect disc, Roddy.

I had one Aztec Camera EP in the 80's, but never got into them any further. Recently while reliving my youth through 80's videos on YouTube, I discovered a wonderful talent that had been overlooked. Oblivious is one of my Top 5 songs of all time, which lead to this discovery. In the past 2 months, I have purchased 8 of Roddy's CDs, and probably won't stop until I have them all. I purchased this CD, because I loved "Reason for Living." There are so many great songs on this CD. I think my favorite now is "Hymn to the Grace." He is an amazing songwriter and I can't understand why he is not more well known in the U.S.