Swagger [Deluxe Edition] [Original recording remastered]

Having long worn out my tape of this album it's great news that it's back on cd - now with a 14-track bonus cd of related tracks. The Blue Aeroplanes had been around several years by this point, releases such as 'Bop Art', 'Spitting Out Miracles' & 'Friendloverplane' developed that cult audience and saw them get patronage from R.E.M. (whom they supported on the 'Green' tour). Michael Stipe surfaces here on the second disc's 'What It Is' - though looking at the MOR-path he's pursued, I guess this was just hip-slumming like the stuff he did with the Golden Palominos?

The Blue Aeroplanes' had expanded their line-up , vocalist Gerard Langley surviving from earlier line-ups alongside dancer Wojtek Dmochowski (the thinking person's Bez), guitarist/singer Rodney Allen (who sings 'Careful Boy' here and 'Fun' on follow-up 'Beatsongs'), guitarist Angelo Bruschini (who would play on Massive Attack's 'Mezzanine'), guitarist/keyboard player Alex Lee (who would later be in both Strangelove & Suede), bassist Andy McCreeth & drummer Paul Mulreany. 'Swagger' stands out for me as one of the great albums of the early 1990s, and was much more a highlight of 1990 for me than an LP like 'Pills, Thrills & Bellyaches'. 'Swagger' belongs to a series of lesser known gems from 1990 - Fatima Mansions' 'Viva Dead Ponies', Mark Lanegan's 'The Winding Sheet', Bob Mould's 'Black Sheets of Rain' & Ultra Vivid Scene's 'Joy.'

'Swagger' itself has dated wonderfully, merging lit-rock (think Dylan, the Fall, The Dream Syndicate, Wire, the Feelies) with rhythm (especially on single '...And Stones' and its 'Lovers All Around' mix) and the kind of rock-soundscape common to key albums of the time - Crazy Horse's 'Ragged Glory', Lou Reed's 'New York', Sonic Youth's 'Goo', the Replacements' 'All Shook Down', the Smithereens' '11'...people were unafraid to rock and the idea that Madchester changed everything gives more significance to non-acts like the High, Northside & the Paris Angels than they deserve. The Stone Roses' famously came a-cropper with the dire 'One Love' - bombastic rock music of the laziest variety. 'Swagger' was the more interesting side of rock at the time...

Single 'Jacket Hangs' still sounds wonderful, I'm sure Bernard Butler was listening- and it gets better on a truly loaded-album: the jangly-pop of 'World View Blue' (great acoustic version from the 'Loved' e.p.), the charming 'Careful Boy', the Plath-alluding 'The Applicant', the epic 'Weightless' and closing classic 'Cat-Scan Hist'ry'. The expanded second disc offers plenty of material I was otherwise unfamiliar with - 'Razorwalk' and a session-version of 'Careful Boy' are excellent and it's nice to have the 'Loved' e.p. on cd, with the great 'You Are Loved' (probably the kind of record Morrissey should have been making at the time!) and covers of 'Sweet Jane' (not as good as Cowboy Junkies, but great fun all the same) and Richard Thompson's 'You're Gonna To Need Somebody' - which I'm sure they played when I had the pleasure of seeing them play at the Windsor Old Trout in 1990! 'Swagger Deluxe' is a key reissue of 2006 and a welcome reminder of a great, if neglected band...

I have a list of albums currently un-available on CD which if they were to be released I would be rushing out to the shops to purchase fast as my gangly middle aged legs could carry me. Actually I, d be rushing up stairs to my computer as I don't bother with shops anymore but you get my drift. 'Swagger 'by the Blue Aeroplanes was somewhere near the top of that list. I nearly dislocated my big toe bounding up those stair when I realised this was being re-released in a deluxe edition with lots of extra goodies which I will confess I,ve never heard , for make no mistake this is an absolute classic.
It's also very well named as there is a certain inclavated swagger about the material on this album. It revels in some of the most pin sharp riffs and multi layered guitar arrangements you will ever, ever hear and is produced with pristine clarity by Gil Norton to make best use of that. Some claim eh?'.Entirely justified mind. Don't believe me then listen to 'Love Come Round' which has notes cascading like a meteor shower consisting entirely of diamonds or former single 'Jacket Hangs' where the multi faceted riffs run at odds with each other, one will be playing simple rhythmic chords while the other pirouettes like a ballerina on a gigantic sponge. The playing courtesy of Angelo Bruschini, Alex Lee and Rodney Allen is inspired. Gerrard Langley's vocals if indeed they can be called vocals may perturb those unfamiliar with the work of the Blue Aeroplanes as he doesn't really sing at all, just barks in a vaguely in tune kind of way but the music is so wonderful this doesn't really matter and he more than compensates by being a superb lyricist. 'They say you hurt the ones you love but I don't think it's true/ It's just the ones you love are the most prepared to be hurt by the things you do ' or 'Watch these hands /they flutter round your neck like nervous birds' being two prime examples. The intro to 'Jacket Hangs' is sublime -'Pick a card'.any card''Wrong' intones Langley before that memorable guitar line chimes in.
Guitar bands were ten a penny in 1990 when Swagger was originally released as indeed they are now, but back then some bands like My Bloody Valentine, A R Kane and The Band of Susans were doing strange new exciting things with the hoary old medium. The genre was alive and expanding. The Blue Aeroplanes meanwhile were just interested in writing fantastic songs, performing them dynamically and having a damm good time, as anyone who saw them live would testify. Unless I've missed something guitar music has stagnated and hit an impasse but albums like Swagger are welcome anytime because listening to great songs and maybe dancing like a loon are still considered a fine way to pass the time. Great songs and probable good times don't come much finer than they do on Swagger. It swishes like a pair of purple velvet drapes on well oiled rails.

I have already posted a review on here about the actual music but I have decided to add my two penneth about the copy control issue. Firstly it is counter productive as has been pointed out by another reviewer.
However i must say I encountered no problems with ripping the CD. I do not use "I Tunes", just rip them using Windows Media Player. When the CD is first inserted into the drive it utilises it's own in-built player which I surmise is part of the copy control technology. I simply exited that, opened up the media player, clicked on rip and there it was. Ripped the album, no problem then copied the file across ready to load onto my MP3 player.
Believe you me I am no computer expert, regularly working myself into foamed mouth apoplexy about something or other that will not do what I want it to do but this seemed absurdly easy. Still the point remains it's a stupid and counter productive studio device that should cease forthwith.

'Swagger' is undoubtedly a great album - evenmoreso in this remastered expanded edition. However, be warned as the record company involved EMI have placed 'Copy Control Technology' on the CD. This is something I think should be made clear on this product's page - I would not have purchased 'Swagger Deluxe' had I been aware Copy Control technology was placed on it. My sole prior experience of Copy Control was a cheap Bowie compilation last year which would not play in my car, on my computer - which in turn meant I could not put it on my mp3 player where I listen to most of my music.

'On some equipment...playback problems may be encountered' - Copy Control discs are of no use to me - unless I wanted to tape the album to play where exactly? The thing is, I've got an old tape of 'Swagger' - so I may as well stick with that. The record company have stuck this programme on which inserts alien files onto your computer and a program that plays the disc - you can't play it on any player you might already have on your computer. Or transfer to mp3 player (which I'm sure Amazon are pro, what with selling them!).

I loathe the notion here that the CD isn't really mine - and the paranoid notion that everyone who'll buy it will copy it, pirate it and the like. I buy lots of albums - I don't personally download illegal or legal as I like to have originals in my collection. But I need to play on my mp3 player and/or in my car as I have more down-time to listen to music then. The ironic thing is this Copy Control technology will only create more copying - I can't play this on my computer, my car or mp3 player - not very functional. I'm more likely to illegally download this album as at least that'll be in a format I can play on my computer/mp3 player.

An album I've waited years to get on cd and in its definitive form - am very surprised to be returning it. The hours wasted trying to play/load it weren't the best either - I have better ways to waste my time thanks!!!!