Rocks In The Attic #124: Alison Moyet - ‘Raindancing’ (1987)

Alison Moyet has never really been on my radar, but for some reason I have both of her first two albums on vinyl. I think her first one, Alf, is courtesy of my Dad’s collection. I must have been passed this, her second album, from somebody else’s vinyl clearout.

I saw Moyet the other night on a television chat show. She looked damn good. I always remember her as being a rather rotund lady, with big drapey clothes, standing like a nightclub bouncer, on Top Of The Pops. In fact, she looked like the female version of Ozzy Osbourne in his tubby post-Sabbath early years. She’s lost all that weight now, and is quite the fox.

Still, this album belongs in 1987, like her waistline.

Hit: Is This Love?

Hidden Gem: Blow Wind Blow

Rocks In The Attic #68: Van Halen - ‘Van Halen’ (1978)

Aside from a slightly misplaced running order (I so would have opened this album with Eruption - something they would do in retrospect on their Best Of Volume 1 package), this is a killer rock album.

History - and Ozzy Osbourne - would try and have us believe that Randy Rhoads was the hottest new guitarist on the block at the time, but this debut by Van Halen came out a full two and a half years before Blizzard Of Ozz, and Eddie is on fire here. People say there’s no soul in the way that these guitarists play, but like any virtuoso, soul and feel will always take a backseat to speed and technique.

This album is also very California - although a lot of the music is in minor keys, it feels sunny and happy all the way through, with even some Beach Boys-esque harmonies employed on Feel Your Love Tonight.

When it comes to David Lee Roth versus Sammy Hagar on vocals, obviously the original frontman is the purist’s choice, but those crazy yelps and creams that Lee Roth peppers all over this album is a little off-putting. So the choice comes down to that, or the middle-of-the-road soulful vocals of Hagar. At the end of the day, I’m only listening to Eddie anyway.

Hit: Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love

Hidden Gem: Eruption