Customer Reviews

Titles

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

 

 

Mick Karn, formerly of the British New Wave/Progressive band Japan, IS my main inspiration when it comes to playing fretless bass, but he's much more than just a bass player. Titles showcases Karn as a great avante-rock composer and multi-instrumentalist. He has a distinct Middle Eastern feel to his music which comes from his early upbringing; he was born in Cypress.Primarily an instrumental album, with some guest vocals, including an appearance by ex-Japan bandmate David Sylvian, Titles is a challenging work with both atmospherics and depth from a very creative and talented musical mind. I would love to see this guy hook up with Robert Fripp for an incarnation of King Crimson.

This gentle, fine young man was merely toying with us in the glam-rock super-group Japan. No, his basslines and creative juices were not free to salivate under the strict guidelines of David Sylvian's songs and melodies. So, he left. And created what any Godlike creature would create; TITLES. This album is a definite staple in the music world, and where critics compare this God to Jaco Pastorius (a mere mortal), I say NO. Mick Karn is the single most creative voice in music today, and this album was only the beginning. Listen to this one, and you're on your way.

Even though he was the first to issue a title after the break-up of Japan, this title was largely ignored by the public who tended to focus on frontman David Sylvian's work. Nevertheless, his unique bass style, imitated by many in the early 80s, was used to great effect on this album. He also proved himself more than capable of developing complete tracks (he plays all the other instruments as well as getting some help from other former band members of Japan) and writing. To say his style is unusual would be an understatement. This is an amazing album which reminds one of Percy Jones' bass work in the 70s. A thoroughly enjoyable `weird' album!

As a bass player I've caught flak from people who expect a bass to play root notes, maybe an occasional fifth. I think those folks would have a heart attack from this album. The bass here does much more than playing support. The instrumental tracks ("the A side") have the bass as a melody instrument, using such weirdness as ocarinas to play backup. The vocal tracks ("B side") have the bass in a more traditional role, riffing and grooving in the low frequencies. Still, Mick Karn doesn't exactly play root notes. In fact, apart from the drum, his bass playing is often the sole accompaniment.

And what bass playing! Karn has a beautiful singing tone, and a creativity that is unmatched. Nothing he plays is like anything any other fretless bassist produces. It feels like he makes up every note from scratch, never relying on precedent.

You can have plenty of quibbles with this album (the song writing is not that stellar), but every bass player needs to absorb this album, to know that this is one of the ways a bass can be played.

Most of the songs sound like filler or b-side stuff. However, I still give it four stars based on two songs that got me hooked and sold me on getting the album: "Sensitive" (a cover of Roberto Carlos's "La Distancia") and "Saviour, Are You With Me?" (a traditional/folk song). I love the downbeat tone of the former and the exotic sound of the latter; definitely songs that cannot be ignored. As for the rest, they're good in the sense that they show Mick Karn's virtuosity at playing bass. He definitely gave each song a recognisable/iconic, almost trademark, sound. As far as recommending it, I'd suggest it for listeners who already have the Japan albums and are looking for additional New Wave material as a part of a broader collection related to Mick Karn's former band.

... that, unfortunately, don't really go anywhere. This is less of an album of complete songs and more of a group of riffs/sketches.
He's a fantastic and very individual bass player, no doubt about it, but if it's good well-crafted songs you're after I'd give this one a miss.

Even though the basslines in this album are amazing...they're mostly looped over and over. Mick Karn is a surprisingly able vocalist, but he can't write pop songs. I will look into his later work...I'm guessing it's a lot better.

"Titles" is very much the sort of solo album fans of Mick Karns' bass playing would want to hear-- its full of warbly-bass driven songs, essentially Japan's "Tin Drum" wiht the synths pushed to the background. This isn't much of a surprise, given that the album includes contributions from Steve Jansen and Richard Barbieri. Half instrumental and half vocal, this album succeeds best when its about atmosphere and style. Take for example "Lost Affections in a Room", its at its most effecting when the percussion rolls interweave the main theme is restatement on bass. Ditto for opener "Tribal Dawn" and "Passion in Moisture", where Karn's wordless vocal, mixed below the bass, has a power and energy to it and assists in emphasizing the monster bass line and tribal percussion. Unfortunately, much of the rest of the album really doesn't go anywhere, and many of the tracks are largely forgettable ("Piper Blue", the totally extraneous b-side bonus track "The Sound of Waves", "Trust Me", and even "Weather the Windmill", which does have a great milky bassline but not much to it). Really the lack of variety in tempo is part of the problem-- everything moves at the same pace. "Saviour, Are You With Me?" does have a nice arrangement, and "Sensitive" is a pretty ballad, even if the lyrics are a bit schlock, but neither of these really stand up well.

Bottom line-- if you're a Karn fan, you should eventually check this one out, but his CMP albums are vastly superior. They're a better place to start.