Hello, another Mohammed Salah show again tonight, Liverpool must be over the moon with last summers transfer from tonights opponent AS Roma, when he left the field after 75 min it was 5-0, clearly this caused some concentration lapses because 10 min later it was 5-2, which offers the Romans some hope for next weeks return.
Today's artists with idealistic spirit, a powerhouse live show, and bigger-than-big hair, were part of an early-'80s wave of bands (the Call, Big Country, and the Waterboys among them) who dealt in soaring anthems inspired by the righteous idealism of punk. Clearly influenced by the impassioned political fervor of the Clash, the band also worked in a mostly acoustic, folk-punk vein that provided a counterpoint to their hard-driving guitar rockers. Their stage look was unquestionably a product of the '80s, with enormous spiked-up hair accompanying a cowboy/old-time cavalry wardrobe. Yet the numerous comparisons to U2 in the press were not unfounded; despite a more conservative sonic palette, the Alarm had much the same earnest intensity, the same messianic ambitions, even the same vague spirituality. The British music press habitually savaged their records as derivative and pretentious, but this meant little to their zealous following, who supported the band to the tune of over five-million sales worldwide and 16 Top 50 U.K. singles..............N'Joy
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
The Alarm was formed in Rhyl, Wales in 1981 by vocalist/guitarist Mike Peters, who'd started out in a local punk band called the Toilets along with Alarm drummer Nigel Twist (b. Nigel Buckle). When that band broke up, Peters -- then playing bass -- formed a new outfit called Seventeen (after the Sex Pistols song) with guitarists Eddie MacDonald and Dave Sharp (b. Dave Kitchingman), both local scenesters and longtime friends. Seventeen was initially influenced by the Pistols, the Clash, the mod-revival punk of the Jam, and the punk-pop of ex-Pistol Glen Matlock's Rich Kids. As their songwriting interests grew more socially conscious, and in early 1981, the group reinvented itself as the Alarm, taking the name from a Seventeen song called "Alarm Alarm." Later that year, they moved to London and self-released their debut single, a Peters/MacDonald-penned political rocker called "Unsafe Building," backed with Sharp's folk-punk tune "Up for Murder." By this time, MacDonald and Peters had switched instruments, with Peters taking up rhythm guitar and MacDonald moving to bass.
In 1982, the Alarm signed with IRS and issued another single, "Marching On." On the strength of their live shows, U2 tapped them to open their 1983 supporting tour for War, which helped make the group's next single, the Stephen King retelling "The Stand," into an underground hit. The Alarm's self-titled debut EP appeared later in 1983, compiling previous single releases, and setting the stage for the release of their first proper album, Declaration, in 1984. A Top Ten U.K. hit, Declaration spun off several popular singles, including the Seventeen holdover "Sixty-Eight Guns" (which made the pop Top 20), "Where Were You Hiding When the Storm Broke?" (which just missed), "The Deceiver," and the live staple "Blaze of Glory." Non-LP singles followed in a cover of "The Bells of Rhymney," the new wave dance tune "The Chant (Has Just Begun)," and the British Top 40 hit "Absolute Reality."
The Alarm's sophomore effort, 1985's Strength, was another U.K. success, and brought them into the Top 40 of the U.S. album charts for the first time; additionally, the single "Spirit of '76" was a Top 40 U.K. hit. Strength displayed greater subtlety and maturity in both their songwriting and arrangements, and was often hailed as the group's best overall album. The Alarm took a break after the supporting tour, and returned in 1987 with Eye of the Hurricane, which featured more polished, mainstream production reminiscent of U2. The gambit helped them gain some rock radio play in America with the singles "Presence of Love," "Rescue Me," and especially the more danceable "Rain in the Summertime," and they landed a tour slot supporting Bob Dylan. A concert EP, Electric Folklore: Live, followed in 1988.
1989's Change was an homage to the group's native Wales, and was accompanied by an alternate Welsh-language version, Newid. Produced by Tony Visconti, Change spawned the group's biggest modern rock radio hit in America, the bluesy "Sold Me Down the River," which also put them in the U.S. pop Top 50 for the first and only time. "Devolution Working Man Blues" and "Love Don't Come Easy" also earned radio airplay, and the track "A New South Wales" boasted an appearance by the Welsh Symphony Orchestra. Although it was hugely popular in Wales, it didn't sell as well as the group's earlier works, and internal band dissension -- exacerbated by deaths in both Peters and Twist's families -- made 1991's Raw the original Alarm's final effort. "The Road" was their final radio hit, but with the band's impending breakup, IRS found little reason to promote it.
Mike Peters and Dave Sharp both embarked on solo careers. Sharp issued albums in 1991 and, after relocating to New Orleans, in 1996. Peters, meanwhile, issued his solo debut in 1995 and was subsequently diagnosed with lymphoma; fortunately, the "cancer" turned out to be benign, and Peters completed two more solo records before forming Colorsound with former Cult guitarist Billy Duffy. Peters subsequently reunited the original Alarm lineup for several live appearances, and then formed a new unit consisting of guitarist James Stevenson (Gene Loves Jezebel, Chelsea), bassist Craig Adams (the Cult, the Mission UK, Sisters of Mercy), and drummer Steve Grantley (Stiff Little Fingers). In February 2004, this lineup of the Alarm pulled off a masterful hoax on the British music industry by issuing a garagey punk-pop single, "45 RPM," under the fictitious name the Poppy Fields. Peters, having gotten positive feedback on the song, decided to disassociate it from his veteran band to have it judged on its own merits, and recruited a young Welsh group called the Wayriders to lip-sync the song in the video. The so-called Poppy Fields took "45 RPM" into the U.K. Top 30 before the hoax was revealed, setting the stage for the new Alarm's first album together, In the Poppy Fields. Soon after the album's release, production for a film based on Peters' manipulating of the music industry began with Shrek producer John H. Williams backing the project.
In 2006, another iteration of the band released Under Attack, which featured the hit single "Superchannel." They returned two years later with Guerilla Tactics, and in the same year, Sharp formed another version of the band, AOR - The Spirit of the Alarm. The band put out Direct Action and The Sound and the Fury in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The latter was a collection of re-recorded tracks from the band's and Mike Peters' catalog. 2014 saw the band and Peters create the soundtrack for the film Vinyl, which also featured guest vocals from the film's stars Phil Daniels and Keith Allen.
In 2014, Peters began to record reimagined version of the Alarm's albums as a means of updating them for the 21st century. He began with Declaration, and followed that with Peace Train, which was comprised of re-recorded B-sides. By 2017 he had also re-recorded both Strength and Majority, and that same year he released the two-album project Blood Red and Viral Black.
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
The Alarm’s first ever recordings are included on the remastered ‘Eponymous 1981-1983’. Painstakingly put together by Mike Peters from original sources, the Eponymous 1981-1983 album brings together the first four Alarm singles and B-sides including all the tracks that featured on the band’s self titled debut US EP release, and for a first time since 1983, a reissue of the rare – Sixty Eight Guns [Part Two] b-side. Everything has been re-mastered from the original master tapes by mastering engineer Pete Maher (u2, White Stripes….) under the supervision of Mike Peters. It features an iconic cover photo that has been sourced from one of the eras leading photographers – Erica Echenberg.
It comes with complete lyrics, recording and production information, plus comprehensive sleeve notes with quotes from original band members, also features many additional and unseen photographs exclusive to the format making it the most comprehensive in Alarm history.
The Alarm - Eponymous 1981-1983 (flac 594mb)
01 Unsafe Biulding (Electric)
02 Up For Murder (Acoustic)
03 Reason 41 (EMI Demo)
04 The Deceiver (EMI Demo)
05 Lie Of The Land (EMI Demo)
06 Sixty Eight Guns (Demo Version)
07 What Kind Of Hell (Demo Version)
08 Marching On (Single Version)
09 Lie Of The Land
10 Across The Border
11 The Stand (Single Version)
12 Blaze Of Glory (Long Version)
13 Sixty Eight Guns (Single Version)
14 Thoughts Of A Young Man (Part One)
15 Sixty Eight Guns (Part Two)
16 The Stand (Long Version)
Bonus
17 For Freedom (Live)
18 Reason 41 (Live)
19 The Deceiver (Live)
20 Third Lght (Live)
21 Lie Of The Land (Live)
22 Legal Matter (Live)
23 Marching On (Live)
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
With hair bigger than Bono's ego and an anthemic, socially aware repertoire, The Alarm never really escaped the shadow of Clash and U2 comparisons. But unlike their Irish counterparts who merely thought their music had the power to alter the course of human history, this Welsh foursome was a legit heir to Strummer and company's warrior legacy. Declaration, The Alarm's 1984 full-length debut, was largely comprised of singles recorded throughout the band's infancy, and as such it burns with youthful idealism and a bold purpose bordering on pretension. Every song comes off like an intended anthem – the barnstorming set list closer that incites an enthralled crowd to go home and change the world, to overcome the forces that oppress by any means necessary. Such aspirations would be hard to stomach…if the songs weren't so freaking good! Who can manage to listen to "Sixty Eight Guns" and not want to immediately run out into the street and start kicking the oppressors' asses? Not I! With its rousing chorus and indelible melody, it's not just a call to arms – it's a great, even classic, rock n' roll song.
Previously a punk band out of Rhyl, Wales called Seventeen, The Alarm adopted a new moniker to go with an evolved sound and a more pronounced political angle. But while the Top 20 U.K. hit "Sixty Eight Guns" is an obvious nod to punk's high-powered indignation, much of the album favors an acoustic/folk approach that's more Dylan than Clash, more Woody Guthrie than The Jam. "Blaze of Glory" demonstrates that you don't need high voltage to make a soaring anthem, while "Tell Me" improves immensely upon the early U2 blueprint. And the songs that rock really rock. "Where Were You Hiding When the Storm Broke?" is like "Sixty Eight Guns" V.2; "Marching On" is pure jangly adrenaline. These anthems, while vague about specific social ills, call for a collective fight against all that ails the world. Lyrics about fighting the good fight and standing up against the powers-that-be abound - and with music this convincing, who could possibly resist joining The Alarm's army?
Here now a reissue from Welsh new wave band with 25 tracks includes acoustic & alternate versions. The release contains album tracks, singles & b-sides plus rarities from the groups seminal debut full length LP of 1984. Remastered from the original master tapes under the supervision of singer Mike Peters with extensive sleeve notes featuring contributions from original members. Package includes original art & unseen photos.
The Alarm - Declaration (flac 349mb)
01 Declaration 0:45
02 Marching On 3:35
03 Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke? 2:56
04 Third Light 3:25
05 Sixty Eight Guns 5:49
06 We Are The Light 3:16
07 Shout To The Devil 4:10
08 Blaze Of Glory 6:04
09 Tell Me 3:14
10 The Deceiver 5:05
11 The Stand (Prophecy) 1:15
12 Howling Wind 6:44
xxxxx
The Alarm - Declaration Bonus (flac 391mb)
01 Peace Train
02 Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke? [Take One]
03 Sixty Eight Guns [Drum Take Version]
04 Unbreak The Promise [Acoustic Version]
05 Howling Wind [Acoustic Version]
06 What Kind Of Hell
07 Pavilion Steps
08 Reason 41
09 Second Generation
10 The Chant Has Just Begun [Single Version]
11 Bells Of Rhymney
12 Bound For Glory
13 The Chant Has Just Begun [12" Version]
14 Absolute Reality [Single Version]
15 Reason 36
16 Room at the Top
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Revolution or evolution, pretty much the end result is the same, things change and the old order is wept away; sometimes into obscurity, at others into the realms of fondness and nostalgia. Whichever way is chosen, what is always needed in the dark days after the shots have been fired and before the new way forges ahead, is Strength. For Mike Peters, strength is a word that is keenly associated with him, it is a bond, a undeniable connection that just keeps on getting stronger with every passing gig or every new record, evolution or revolution, both serve the same purpose in the end. For Mike Peters it arguably acts as a catalyst in which to return once more to the back catalogue of The Alarm and re-imagine the songs that made up the band’s second album, Strength.
Following on in very much the same vein that saw Declaration once more enter the thoughts of the long term fan but more importantly grasp hold of a new generation in which to share the future with, Strength is an album of character, of burning desire and anger. It has the added attraction that 30 years can change an outlook somewhat, it can either add fuel to the fire of revolution or can bring harmony through evolution; both are viable, both have The Alarm strewn through every fibre and corpuscle.
Where Strength differs from the re-imagining from Declaration is in the inevitability that it is realised in songs such as The Day The Ravens Left The Tower and Deeside whilst hope abounds in the changing of lyrics of the classic Spirit of ’76. The Day The Ravens Left The Tower is a melancholic wonder, the darkening of the angst and spirit, the inevitable of the fall of the house of England at some point is wistful, affirming but also strangely hypnotic. The song captures the rawness and shortness of Empire and as tides can change history, so superstition and folklore have a habit of being at one when the past becomes greater than the prospect of the future.
In Spirit of ’76, the opposite is true; a song which dealt in the bleakness of memory and the falsehood of empty promises is given a fresh look. Not everything that happens in the past can forever tarnish and to hear the evolution of the man called Johnny, no longer hampered with dead eyes at the prospect of having spent time in Walton Jail, is something to take hold of and dare to dream that as listeners, we too can escape whatever jail we place ourselves into. With songs such as Walk Forever By Your Side, the excellence of Father To Son and the addition of the songs Last Train and Absolute Reality thrown into the melting pot, The Alarm have once more added to the conundrum of whether revolution or evolution is the key to change, perhaps as Mike Peters shows, it is both.
The Alarm - Strength (flac 440mb)
01 Knife Edge 5:08
02 Strength 5:35
03 Dawn Chorus 5:24
04 Spirit Of '76 7:06
05 Deeside 3:10
06 Father To Son 4:05
07 Only The Thunder 4:08
08 The Day The Ravens Left The Tower 4:46
09 Absolute Reality 3:27
10 Walk Forever By My Side 3:35
Bonus
11 Knife Edge 5:05
12 Howling Wind 4:20
13 Caroline Isenberg 2:56
14 Unbreak The Promise 2:26
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
During the early '80s, the Alarm were seen as rivals to U2 -- a Welsh variation of the passionate Dublin quartet, driven by the same righteous anger, anthemic hooks, and love for the Clash. They never quite matched their inspirations in terms of sales or critical respect, despite a series of acclaimed records that were minor sensations during the '80s. By the time the career retrospective Standards was released in late 1990, the band had already been somewhat forgotten, partially because they never had a big crossover hit, and also because they were forever tied to the Reagan/Thatcher era. Consequently, the Alarm were relegated to also-ran status and nearly forgotten by anyone who didn't actively read the music press in the '80s -- not an entirely fair fate, yet not an entirely undeserved one either. Listening to Standards, a thoroughly representative, basic collection of their singles and significant album tracks, confirms that the band were certainly not without talent or charms, but they suffered at the hands of state-of-the-art record production. They have a number of solid anthemic songs -- "Sixty Eight Guns," "Marching On," "Spirit of '76," "Sold Me Down the River," among them -- but it's hard to hear them as anything other than a product of their times, largely due to the glossy, shiny production. Such studio skills were evidently designed to make the band sound a bit like U2, but the band's music didn't have the jagged edges of U2 -- it was straight-ahead, driving rock, derived from the earnestness of folk-rock and the Clash's huge, rallying sound. This is not necessarily a bad thing, and it did produce some satisfying music, all of which is included here. But it ultimately produced music that was a sign of the times, not music that transcended it. The Alarm remain an interesting footnote because, ironically, while they strove to make music mean something in a slick commercial age, they were constantly plagued by overly slick productions -- an irony only the '80s could produce, actually.
The Alarm - Standards (flac 448mb)
01 The Road (Rmx Mick Glossop) 3:13
02 Unsafe Building 4:07
03 The Stand 4:43
04 Sixty Eight Guns 3:15
05 Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke? 2:57
06 Absolute Reality 3:26
07 Strength 5:35
08 Spirit Of '76 7:06
09 Rain In The Summertime 5:11
10 Rescue Me 3:20
11 Sold Me Down The River 4:10
12 Devolution Workin' Man Blues 4:11
13 Happy Christmas (War Is Over) 3:41
14 Marching On 3:32
15 Blaze Of Glory 6:04
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Today's artists with idealistic spirit, a powerhouse live show, and bigger-than-big hair, were part of an early-'80s wave of bands (the Call, Big Country, and the Waterboys among them) who dealt in soaring anthems inspired by the righteous idealism of punk. Clearly influenced by the impassioned political fervor of the Clash, the band also worked in a mostly acoustic, folk-punk vein that provided a counterpoint to their hard-driving guitar rockers. Their stage look was unquestionably a product of the '80s, with enormous spiked-up hair accompanying a cowboy/old-time cavalry wardrobe. Yet the numerous comparisons to U2 in the press were not unfounded; despite a more conservative sonic palette, the Alarm had much the same earnest intensity, the same messianic ambitions, even the same vague spirituality. The British music press habitually savaged their records as derivative and pretentious, but this meant little to their zealous following, who supported the band to the tune of over five-million sales worldwide and 16 Top 50 U.K. singles..............N'Joy
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
The Alarm was formed in Rhyl, Wales in 1981 by vocalist/guitarist Mike Peters, who'd started out in a local punk band called the Toilets along with Alarm drummer Nigel Twist (b. Nigel Buckle). When that band broke up, Peters -- then playing bass -- formed a new outfit called Seventeen (after the Sex Pistols song) with guitarists Eddie MacDonald and Dave Sharp (b. Dave Kitchingman), both local scenesters and longtime friends. Seventeen was initially influenced by the Pistols, the Clash, the mod-revival punk of the Jam, and the punk-pop of ex-Pistol Glen Matlock's Rich Kids. As their songwriting interests grew more socially conscious, and in early 1981, the group reinvented itself as the Alarm, taking the name from a Seventeen song called "Alarm Alarm." Later that year, they moved to London and self-released their debut single, a Peters/MacDonald-penned political rocker called "Unsafe Building," backed with Sharp's folk-punk tune "Up for Murder." By this time, MacDonald and Peters had switched instruments, with Peters taking up rhythm guitar and MacDonald moving to bass.
In 1982, the Alarm signed with IRS and issued another single, "Marching On." On the strength of their live shows, U2 tapped them to open their 1983 supporting tour for War, which helped make the group's next single, the Stephen King retelling "The Stand," into an underground hit. The Alarm's self-titled debut EP appeared later in 1983, compiling previous single releases, and setting the stage for the release of their first proper album, Declaration, in 1984. A Top Ten U.K. hit, Declaration spun off several popular singles, including the Seventeen holdover "Sixty-Eight Guns" (which made the pop Top 20), "Where Were You Hiding When the Storm Broke?" (which just missed), "The Deceiver," and the live staple "Blaze of Glory." Non-LP singles followed in a cover of "The Bells of Rhymney," the new wave dance tune "The Chant (Has Just Begun)," and the British Top 40 hit "Absolute Reality."
The Alarm's sophomore effort, 1985's Strength, was another U.K. success, and brought them into the Top 40 of the U.S. album charts for the first time; additionally, the single "Spirit of '76" was a Top 40 U.K. hit. Strength displayed greater subtlety and maturity in both their songwriting and arrangements, and was often hailed as the group's best overall album. The Alarm took a break after the supporting tour, and returned in 1987 with Eye of the Hurricane, which featured more polished, mainstream production reminiscent of U2. The gambit helped them gain some rock radio play in America with the singles "Presence of Love," "Rescue Me," and especially the more danceable "Rain in the Summertime," and they landed a tour slot supporting Bob Dylan. A concert EP, Electric Folklore: Live, followed in 1988.
1989's Change was an homage to the group's native Wales, and was accompanied by an alternate Welsh-language version, Newid. Produced by Tony Visconti, Change spawned the group's biggest modern rock radio hit in America, the bluesy "Sold Me Down the River," which also put them in the U.S. pop Top 50 for the first and only time. "Devolution Working Man Blues" and "Love Don't Come Easy" also earned radio airplay, and the track "A New South Wales" boasted an appearance by the Welsh Symphony Orchestra. Although it was hugely popular in Wales, it didn't sell as well as the group's earlier works, and internal band dissension -- exacerbated by deaths in both Peters and Twist's families -- made 1991's Raw the original Alarm's final effort. "The Road" was their final radio hit, but with the band's impending breakup, IRS found little reason to promote it.
Mike Peters and Dave Sharp both embarked on solo careers. Sharp issued albums in 1991 and, after relocating to New Orleans, in 1996. Peters, meanwhile, issued his solo debut in 1995 and was subsequently diagnosed with lymphoma; fortunately, the "cancer" turned out to be benign, and Peters completed two more solo records before forming Colorsound with former Cult guitarist Billy Duffy. Peters subsequently reunited the original Alarm lineup for several live appearances, and then formed a new unit consisting of guitarist James Stevenson (Gene Loves Jezebel, Chelsea), bassist Craig Adams (the Cult, the Mission UK, Sisters of Mercy), and drummer Steve Grantley (Stiff Little Fingers). In February 2004, this lineup of the Alarm pulled off a masterful hoax on the British music industry by issuing a garagey punk-pop single, "45 RPM," under the fictitious name the Poppy Fields. Peters, having gotten positive feedback on the song, decided to disassociate it from his veteran band to have it judged on its own merits, and recruited a young Welsh group called the Wayriders to lip-sync the song in the video. The so-called Poppy Fields took "45 RPM" into the U.K. Top 30 before the hoax was revealed, setting the stage for the new Alarm's first album together, In the Poppy Fields. Soon after the album's release, production for a film based on Peters' manipulating of the music industry began with Shrek producer John H. Williams backing the project.
In 2006, another iteration of the band released Under Attack, which featured the hit single "Superchannel." They returned two years later with Guerilla Tactics, and in the same year, Sharp formed another version of the band, AOR - The Spirit of the Alarm. The band put out Direct Action and The Sound and the Fury in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The latter was a collection of re-recorded tracks from the band's and Mike Peters' catalog. 2014 saw the band and Peters create the soundtrack for the film Vinyl, which also featured guest vocals from the film's stars Phil Daniels and Keith Allen.
In 2014, Peters began to record reimagined version of the Alarm's albums as a means of updating them for the 21st century. He began with Declaration, and followed that with Peace Train, which was comprised of re-recorded B-sides. By 2017 he had also re-recorded both Strength and Majority, and that same year he released the two-album project Blood Red and Viral Black.
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
The Alarm’s first ever recordings are included on the remastered ‘Eponymous 1981-1983’. Painstakingly put together by Mike Peters from original sources, the Eponymous 1981-1983 album brings together the first four Alarm singles and B-sides including all the tracks that featured on the band’s self titled debut US EP release, and for a first time since 1983, a reissue of the rare – Sixty Eight Guns [Part Two] b-side. Everything has been re-mastered from the original master tapes by mastering engineer Pete Maher (u2, White Stripes….) under the supervision of Mike Peters. It features an iconic cover photo that has been sourced from one of the eras leading photographers – Erica Echenberg.
It comes with complete lyrics, recording and production information, plus comprehensive sleeve notes with quotes from original band members, also features many additional and unseen photographs exclusive to the format making it the most comprehensive in Alarm history.
The Alarm - Eponymous 1981-1983 (flac 594mb)
01 Unsafe Biulding (Electric)
02 Up For Murder (Acoustic)
03 Reason 41 (EMI Demo)
04 The Deceiver (EMI Demo)
05 Lie Of The Land (EMI Demo)
06 Sixty Eight Guns (Demo Version)
07 What Kind Of Hell (Demo Version)
08 Marching On (Single Version)
09 Lie Of The Land
10 Across The Border
11 The Stand (Single Version)
12 Blaze Of Glory (Long Version)
13 Sixty Eight Guns (Single Version)
14 Thoughts Of A Young Man (Part One)
15 Sixty Eight Guns (Part Two)
16 The Stand (Long Version)
Bonus
17 For Freedom (Live)
18 Reason 41 (Live)
19 The Deceiver (Live)
20 Third Lght (Live)
21 Lie Of The Land (Live)
22 Legal Matter (Live)
23 Marching On (Live)
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
With hair bigger than Bono's ego and an anthemic, socially aware repertoire, The Alarm never really escaped the shadow of Clash and U2 comparisons. But unlike their Irish counterparts who merely thought their music had the power to alter the course of human history, this Welsh foursome was a legit heir to Strummer and company's warrior legacy. Declaration, The Alarm's 1984 full-length debut, was largely comprised of singles recorded throughout the band's infancy, and as such it burns with youthful idealism and a bold purpose bordering on pretension. Every song comes off like an intended anthem – the barnstorming set list closer that incites an enthralled crowd to go home and change the world, to overcome the forces that oppress by any means necessary. Such aspirations would be hard to stomach…if the songs weren't so freaking good! Who can manage to listen to "Sixty Eight Guns" and not want to immediately run out into the street and start kicking the oppressors' asses? Not I! With its rousing chorus and indelible melody, it's not just a call to arms – it's a great, even classic, rock n' roll song.
Previously a punk band out of Rhyl, Wales called Seventeen, The Alarm adopted a new moniker to go with an evolved sound and a more pronounced political angle. But while the Top 20 U.K. hit "Sixty Eight Guns" is an obvious nod to punk's high-powered indignation, much of the album favors an acoustic/folk approach that's more Dylan than Clash, more Woody Guthrie than The Jam. "Blaze of Glory" demonstrates that you don't need high voltage to make a soaring anthem, while "Tell Me" improves immensely upon the early U2 blueprint. And the songs that rock really rock. "Where Were You Hiding When the Storm Broke?" is like "Sixty Eight Guns" V.2; "Marching On" is pure jangly adrenaline. These anthems, while vague about specific social ills, call for a collective fight against all that ails the world. Lyrics about fighting the good fight and standing up against the powers-that-be abound - and with music this convincing, who could possibly resist joining The Alarm's army?
Here now a reissue from Welsh new wave band with 25 tracks includes acoustic & alternate versions. The release contains album tracks, singles & b-sides plus rarities from the groups seminal debut full length LP of 1984. Remastered from the original master tapes under the supervision of singer Mike Peters with extensive sleeve notes featuring contributions from original members. Package includes original art & unseen photos.
The Alarm - Declaration (flac 349mb)
01 Declaration 0:45
02 Marching On 3:35
03 Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke? 2:56
04 Third Light 3:25
05 Sixty Eight Guns 5:49
06 We Are The Light 3:16
07 Shout To The Devil 4:10
08 Blaze Of Glory 6:04
09 Tell Me 3:14
10 The Deceiver 5:05
11 The Stand (Prophecy) 1:15
12 Howling Wind 6:44
xxxxx
The Alarm - Declaration Bonus (flac 391mb)
01 Peace Train
02 Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke? [Take One]
03 Sixty Eight Guns [Drum Take Version]
04 Unbreak The Promise [Acoustic Version]
05 Howling Wind [Acoustic Version]
06 What Kind Of Hell
07 Pavilion Steps
08 Reason 41
09 Second Generation
10 The Chant Has Just Begun [Single Version]
11 Bells Of Rhymney
12 Bound For Glory
13 The Chant Has Just Begun [12" Version]
14 Absolute Reality [Single Version]
15 Reason 36
16 Room at the Top
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
Revolution or evolution, pretty much the end result is the same, things change and the old order is wept away; sometimes into obscurity, at others into the realms of fondness and nostalgia. Whichever way is chosen, what is always needed in the dark days after the shots have been fired and before the new way forges ahead, is Strength. For Mike Peters, strength is a word that is keenly associated with him, it is a bond, a undeniable connection that just keeps on getting stronger with every passing gig or every new record, evolution or revolution, both serve the same purpose in the end. For Mike Peters it arguably acts as a catalyst in which to return once more to the back catalogue of The Alarm and re-imagine the songs that made up the band’s second album, Strength.
Following on in very much the same vein that saw Declaration once more enter the thoughts of the long term fan but more importantly grasp hold of a new generation in which to share the future with, Strength is an album of character, of burning desire and anger. It has the added attraction that 30 years can change an outlook somewhat, it can either add fuel to the fire of revolution or can bring harmony through evolution; both are viable, both have The Alarm strewn through every fibre and corpuscle.
Where Strength differs from the re-imagining from Declaration is in the inevitability that it is realised in songs such as The Day The Ravens Left The Tower and Deeside whilst hope abounds in the changing of lyrics of the classic Spirit of ’76. The Day The Ravens Left The Tower is a melancholic wonder, the darkening of the angst and spirit, the inevitable of the fall of the house of England at some point is wistful, affirming but also strangely hypnotic. The song captures the rawness and shortness of Empire and as tides can change history, so superstition and folklore have a habit of being at one when the past becomes greater than the prospect of the future.
In Spirit of ’76, the opposite is true; a song which dealt in the bleakness of memory and the falsehood of empty promises is given a fresh look. Not everything that happens in the past can forever tarnish and to hear the evolution of the man called Johnny, no longer hampered with dead eyes at the prospect of having spent time in Walton Jail, is something to take hold of and dare to dream that as listeners, we too can escape whatever jail we place ourselves into. With songs such as Walk Forever By Your Side, the excellence of Father To Son and the addition of the songs Last Train and Absolute Reality thrown into the melting pot, The Alarm have once more added to the conundrum of whether revolution or evolution is the key to change, perhaps as Mike Peters shows, it is both.
The Alarm - Strength (flac 440mb)
01 Knife Edge 5:08
02 Strength 5:35
03 Dawn Chorus 5:24
04 Spirit Of '76 7:06
05 Deeside 3:10
06 Father To Son 4:05
07 Only The Thunder 4:08
08 The Day The Ravens Left The Tower 4:46
09 Absolute Reality 3:27
10 Walk Forever By My Side 3:35
Bonus
11 Knife Edge 5:05
12 Howling Wind 4:20
13 Caroline Isenberg 2:56
14 Unbreak The Promise 2:26
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During the early '80s, the Alarm were seen as rivals to U2 -- a Welsh variation of the passionate Dublin quartet, driven by the same righteous anger, anthemic hooks, and love for the Clash. They never quite matched their inspirations in terms of sales or critical respect, despite a series of acclaimed records that were minor sensations during the '80s. By the time the career retrospective Standards was released in late 1990, the band had already been somewhat forgotten, partially because they never had a big crossover hit, and also because they were forever tied to the Reagan/Thatcher era. Consequently, the Alarm were relegated to also-ran status and nearly forgotten by anyone who didn't actively read the music press in the '80s -- not an entirely fair fate, yet not an entirely undeserved one either. Listening to Standards, a thoroughly representative, basic collection of their singles and significant album tracks, confirms that the band were certainly not without talent or charms, but they suffered at the hands of state-of-the-art record production. They have a number of solid anthemic songs -- "Sixty Eight Guns," "Marching On," "Spirit of '76," "Sold Me Down the River," among them -- but it's hard to hear them as anything other than a product of their times, largely due to the glossy, shiny production. Such studio skills were evidently designed to make the band sound a bit like U2, but the band's music didn't have the jagged edges of U2 -- it was straight-ahead, driving rock, derived from the earnestness of folk-rock and the Clash's huge, rallying sound. This is not necessarily a bad thing, and it did produce some satisfying music, all of which is included here. But it ultimately produced music that was a sign of the times, not music that transcended it. The Alarm remain an interesting footnote because, ironically, while they strove to make music mean something in a slick commercial age, they were constantly plagued by overly slick productions -- an irony only the '80s could produce, actually.
The Alarm - Standards (flac 448mb)
01 The Road (Rmx Mick Glossop) 3:13
02 Unsafe Building 4:07
03 The Stand 4:43
04 Sixty Eight Guns 3:15
05 Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke? 2:57
06 Absolute Reality 3:26
07 Strength 5:35
08 Spirit Of '76 7:06
09 Rain In The Summertime 5:11
10 Rescue Me 3:20
11 Sold Me Down The River 4:10
12 Devolution Workin' Man Blues 4:11
13 Happy Christmas (War Is Over) 3:41
14 Marching On 3:32
15 Blaze Of Glory 6:04
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3 comments:
Any chance for re-ups!Love your blog!
Thank you very much!
Hi Rho
Any chance of putting
The Alarm - Declaration on different server other than Zippyshare?
Cheers
Lee
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