and so another day of release, look you see. one what i was able, to be sure, to actually purchase on the day of release. well, to not have done would have risked the artist what released it finding out and punching me in the face; presumably quite hard. yes, that means the recording featured on this day of release account is of course rock and roll's one true, genuine, bona fide hard man - Mr Roger Daltrey.
you get the feeling it will always be Mr Roger Daltrey, really. one cannot see him accepting any sort of honour without being allowed to earn it via combat. undoubtedly the palace has contacted him, saying we would like to make you Sir Roger or Lord Daltrey on top of his CBE thing, but he would probably say "only if i earn it via a duel with a senior member of the Royal family". or, knowing his other passions, only if as Sir Roger or Lord Daltrey he was granted the power to pardon Reggie, Ronnie or any of the other East End ganglords what he admires as they "only ever killed their own sort".
i digress some. so, anyway, Roger Daltrey has released a solo album, his first for many, many years. this album is called As Long As I Have You, and, for those what are in a rush and feel you need to know this up front, it's rather good. and i am saying that because it is, not just out of fear of Roger seeking me out and punching me in the face, quite hard.
provenance of my copy? HMV, totes obvs. as and when i can go to HMV to buy my vibes, in particular on day of release (or close enough), i do. yes, this is me clutching to my youth, recalling when buying music was a thing and music was an actual social not social media thing, but if not me, then who. and, as you can see above, for Roger Daltrey one pays £1 north of the accepted 1p south of £10 for a new CD release, but we will get to that.
the provenance of the actual recording that is As Long As I Have You? somewhat more complex. by all accounts to hand this has taken some 2 - 3 years to produce. it was recorded, should i remember the interviews and articles correctly, either side of Roger having to battle a bout of meningitis. one can so easily see Roger demanding that the beaten illness be placed in a bottle or similar such receptacle, so that he may punch it in the face to teach it a lesson, then buy it a pint to say no hard feelings and further invite it to watch on in awe as Roger downed a bottle of brandy.
and even then, on the basis of interviews, Roger did not want to release this. he has made no secret of the fact that he dislikes his own voice, and it took quite a lot of encouragement to get him to put this out. the biggest push came from he who one would argue is Roger's biggest hero that is not an East End ganglord, Mr Pete Townshend. Pete stepping up and playing guitar on a substantial number of songs (7 of the 11, i think) was what swayed it.
yes, that there above is HMV on the day of release of the new Roger Daltrey recording. no, but of course there is no mention that one may buy Roger Daltrey music on display in the window. quite disrespectful i agree, and no doubt Roger shall come along and punch someone in the face, quite hard, about this. and no one shall complain and all shall apologise to Roger for their actions or lack thereof.
so, anyway. if it's got Roger Daltrey on all of it and Pete Townshend on some of it, why not release it as a recording by The Who? because it's not a Who album, not at all. whereas The Who did some celebrated live covers, it was rare to record them dans le studio. of the 11 tracks here, i think it's that 9 are covers, with the other 2 being Daltrey compositions or collaborations. other than the standard pressure of releasing anything by The Who, when one gets something saying The Who then one expects to find Townshend as the principal, chief or dominating songwriter. that is how it is.
the album starts off well, with the titular track that Roger has played a bit on TV shows and some radio gigs. but there is also an issue with it. for some inexplicable reason the song, As Long As I Have You for the purposes of clarity, has an alarming, sharp, erratic and jolting fade out. one can only assume that the record producer, credited as Dave Eringa, got punched in the face, quite hard, for this.
an interesting thing happens on I've Got Your Love, unless it was on Into My Arms. from a music / melody perspective, one feels like they are hearing Angie off of the Stones with different words. a curious nod.
how does Daltrey sound? really good. the affront, the confidence, the aggression, the arrogance and all that stuff is alive and well in those vocal cords he does not like. every now and then, and this is perhaps in light of the nature of the songs what he does, it sounds like Roger Daltrey now has a 2018 voice which sounds more than a bit like a late 60s / early 70s Joe Cocker. this is no bad thing at all, and not intended to sound as one.
indeed, wisely - and this might be what stopped HMV getting punched in the face, quite hard, off of Roger Daltrey, As Long As I Have You has, at the least, prime position for their releases of the week, or "trending" section. yes, i am reluctant to say the last bit, because i have every confidence that if someone went up to Mr Daltrey and said "hey, Roger, you are trending", they would get punched in the face, quite hard.
the vocals of Roger Daltrey have always been fascinating. yes, always brilliant, but fascinating. here is a challenge you can do at home, for surely you are resplendent in recordings to do so. play some Daltrey singing in The Who, then play his solo and / or covers stuff. it's the same voice, but decidedly different. being the engine what drives the words and music of Townshend has always seemed to elevate Daltrey's voice to levels few ever achieve.
but, that makes sense. Daltrey, and Freddie Mercury, are in a peerless bracket in that their voice is just as powerful and as important as any instrument in their respective bands. so, it's good to hear Roger flexing his, and a very good thing that he was persuaded to release this.
what can i tell you of the appearance of Mick Talbot, from the less communist / socialist aspect of The Style Council, being on this record? not a great deal. just the one track so far as i am aware, and he does what is asked of him. again, and this is me as a Style Council fan, good to hear him about.
any highlights on the record? it's all good. basically, if in doubt, give the first three songs a spin - As Long As I Have You, How Far and Where Is A Man To Go. that's the sound of the album for you. either you like it, and will appreciate owning it, or you won't, and should be punched in the face, quite hard.
as mentioned earlier, Roger costs £1 more than a standard new CD release. above is Morrisons, where i happened to be the day after day of release, and saw that they are charging 1p more than HMV for it. why? if the stores are doing it, perhaps "because they can". they know there is a demographic, and i am part of it, who will hand over money without looking at how much for any or all items with "Roger Daltrey" written on it.
further, we are quite close to Father's Day, at least here in England. everything about this release screams "that will do" Father's Day gift, and i have no doubt this will push sales. a tried and tested model, make no mistake. it was a couple of years ago, i think, when the Stones clocked an unexpected number one album with the (superb, and by Stones standards not too different from this album in terms of style) Blue & Lonesome, released just in time for Christmas. Adele, for a "modern" artist of sorts, has also clocked that releasing an album close to gift season is a shrewd move.
but no, goodness no, this album is not some sort of well timed cash in. Daltrey is old school. he would only record something if it was destined to be listened to, and to be permanent. casual stars of today, in particular that omnipresence that is Ed Sheeran, may well be happy or content with fleeting fame (and riches) off of songs that shall not be remembered far beyond the last few years of the decade in which they were released. that is not what Daltrey is about.
as the record has Roger Daltrey quite clearly written on it there is no need for me or anyone else to tell you that it is well worth getting. but, should for some reason you require such assurance, yes indeed it is. one of the finest records to be released thus far this year, and probably in contention for the best of the year.
what lies ahead in terms of day of release adventures? in recent days both James and Suede have announced new records on the way, which could make this the best vibes year since 2016. alas, 2017 was mostly forgettable. and you never know, someone else might come along and cause a surprise.
spending time reading this is taking up part of the life that you have when you could be listening to Roger Daltrey. off you go, then. now.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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