Signé Furax (1981) [re Up]

Phil Collins' first solo album, 1981's Face Value, was a long time coming, but it proved worth the wait, both for the Genesis drummer/vocalist himself and fans of thoughtful, emotionally charged pop. He'd been wrestling with the idea of doing a solo record for years, finding great inspiration in the pain caused by an impending divorce and craving artistic independence after years of collaboration…

The title cut of this near-classic album became a sort of theme song for Ernestine Anderson, but it is not the only high point. The singer sounds in top form on such fine material as "As Long As I Live," a touching "Old Folks," "My Shining Hour," and "Poor Butterfly." With fine assistance from pianist Monty Alexander, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Frank Gant, Ernestine Anderson is heard throughout in prime form, sounding quite enthusiastic and powerful.

The set was advertised vigourously in the national press from 5th November 1980 through into 1981. This means it was at the forefront right across the period of John's murder, and therefore sales must have been quite good, but as this box set was sold only by mail order the figures did not qualify for chart entry, and consequently are not publicly known.

Despite the massive talents of vocalist David Coverdale and his supporting cast of musicians (not to mention the unimpeachable resumé of producer Martin Birch), Come an' Get It was another maddeningly average Whitesnake album. A thoroughly boring set that played it too safe and yielded no lasting live favorites, Come an' Get It was competent to the max – in the hands of a debuting artist, it may have qualified as a classic – but for a near-supergroup of such experience and pedigree, it instead smacked of severe underachievement…

Shot of Love finds Dylan still in born-again mode, but he's starting to come alive again – which isn't as much a value judgment as it is an observation that he no longer seems beholden to repeating dogma, loosening up and crafting songs again…

This budget LP, which Accord put out in 1981, reminds us just how frustrating inadequate liner notes can be. The liner notes briefly discuss the rise of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Hendrix's tremendous influence on rock, but they don't tell you anything at all about the material on the LP…

Anyone who knew anything about Pink Floyd knew that a dance band they were not, so this compilation, courtesy of Columbia Records, was intended ironically…