Fretplay.com Howard Jones CD reviews Howard Jones guitar tabs Howard Jones CD reviews Howard Jones tabs Perform '01


Howard Jones - Perform '01 Audio CD

A fair review of the Howard Jones "Perform '01" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Howard Jones reviews here, or go back to the Howard Jones tabs.

Howard Jones Band: Howard Jones
Title: Perform '01
Rating:
Release Date: 2001-10-23
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: You Know I Love You...Don't You? 2: Love Is a Good Thing 3: No One Is to Blane 4: Someone You Need 5: Everlasting Love 6: I Must Go 7: Tomorrow Is Now 8: Pearl in the Shell 9: Hide and Seek 10: What Is Love? - Howard Jones, Howard Jones 11: Let the People Have Their Say 12: Like to Get to Know You Well 13: New Song 99 14: Things Can Only Get Better

Simply wonderful!
I absolutely love it, and it sounds great on my HIGH end home system!. This is a great collection of reworked songs from HJ.


Perhaps it was better live...
It sounds that way. The liner notes state that this album was basically a recording of the band and arrangements created for a tour, with the disc being something of an afterthought. The material is sparkling, as always, and a nice blend of 'greatest hits' and new material from one of the best pop songwriters around. Unfortunately the arrangements and production quality don't hold up to the source.

The band is very tight, but the arrangements sound like they were intended for a live concert crowd, with plenty of "extended breakdowns", solos, and groove sections. These sorts of things are great for pumping up an audience, but fall a little flat on a CD.

The production of the recording, whether Mr. Jones intended it as such or not, almost makes it unlistenable. Compression is applied as an effect where it seems out of place, and the whole album is bathed in "look what I can do!" style delays and reverbs, which cause some of the tracks to be extremely muddy. Vocals get buried under their own echoes, organs playing the backing chords drown out guitars playing the leads, and the late Kevin Wilkinson's final, strong drum tracks are either mashed into your ear or made to sound like they're coming from a cavern. The album has no 'overall sound' to it. . . each track displays moments of clarity followed by sonic atrocities.

There are a few gems on the disc, but for the most part it seems a little haphazard and homemade compared to the artist's prior catalog. A good buy for the diehards, but others might be better off waiting for the next tour.


Great performance, lousy engineering
It sounds OK in the car and other "low resolution" listening environments, but with good equipment, it just sounds flat and lifeless. I like all the songs on the CD, but I can't listen to it on the good equipment I have.

There are also some technical problems with the disk. Two songs have obvious compressor pumping problems. The cymbals and drums "suck out" and get quieter when they are supposed to get louder. Overall, the songs/CD is compressed too much for real enjoyment. That's what's causing it to sound flat and lifeless.

I wrote Howard himself about the problems and he was kind enough to write back. This is what he wrote me:

"Dear Chris,

Thanks for your your email.
Everything you hear on a hojo record has and always will be exactly as I intended it to be.
If the cymbals are over compressed that's because I wanted it that way! this is not the result of incompetence!
Everyone has a different way of hearing things, which is great, but there is no "absolute right" in music, as I'm sure you know.
It is great that you care enough to let me know your concern, but please be assured that the records sound like they should, and I will continue to try to get new and interesting sounds on my records, and be vigilant about sonic integrity. Please feel free to comment at any time, we all make mistakes sometimes and they need pointing out.
Good Luck with your mastering facility you obviously have the "ears' for it.
Thanks
Howard Jones"

I know there is no "absolute right" in music, but NO ONE should destroy good music with poor engineering. I want to hear music as it was played/perfomed, with whatever engineering "enhancements" needed to make it sound better. I don't appreciate it when a song or songs on a CD have been processed to the point of ruin to make them LOUD. I want to listen to music, not "audio goo".

Chris Hudec.


Great performance, lousy engineering
It sounds OK in the car and other "low resolution" listening environments, but with good equipment, it just sounds flat and lifeless. I like all the songs on the CD, but I can't listen to it on the good equipment I have.

There are also some technical problems with the disk. Two songs have obvious compressor pumping problems. The cymbals and drums "suck out" and get quieter when they are supposed to get louder. Overall, the songs/CD is compressed too much for real enjoyment. That's what's causing it to sound flat and lifeless.

I wrote Howard himself about the problems and he was kind enough to write back. This is what he wrote me:

"Dear Chris,

Thanks for your your email.
Everything you hear on a hojo record has and always will be exactly as I intended it to be.
If the cymbals are over compressed that's because I wanted it that way! this is not the result of incompetence!
Everyone has a different way of hearing things, which is great, but there is no "absolute right" in music, as I'm sure you know.
It is great that you care enough to let me know your concern, but please be assured that the records sound like they should, and I will continue to try to get new and interesting sounds on my records, and be vigilant about sonic integrity. Please feel free to comment at any time, we all make mistakes sometimes and they need pointing out.
Good Luck with your mastering facility you obviously have the "ears' for it.
Thanks
Howard Jones"

I know there is no "absolute right" in music, but NO ONE should destroy good music with poor engineering. I want to hear music as it was played/perfomed, with whatever engineering "enhancements" needed to make it sound better. I don't appreciate it when a song or songs on a CD have been processed to the point of ruin to make them LOUD. I want to listen to music, not "audio goo".

Chris Hudec.


Like fine wine Howard improves with age!
From the very first release back in 83, his music has had a freshness about it. Howard Jones has always been to my mind a musician's musician. At the same time he has kept pace with technology much in the same vein as people like Thomas Dolby. This long awaited U. S. version of "perform 00" skillfully retitled "perform 01" (WOW!)is a bona fide bargain and surely the best Howard has ever sounded! The re-worked versions of old favorites like "no one is to blame" for example have breathed new life into always classy songs. A good song is a good song from no matter what era it originated. Howard proves to me that he has written some excellent songs over his career. His band, featuring the late Kevin Wilkinson on drums and the stella guitarist Robin Blount and the always inventive and groovalicious Nick Beggs on bass and chapman stick, as well as a tight horn section, give every track a consistent yet fresh appeal. "hide and seek" is a ten minute sonic marvel as it wraps around the listener. The new(er)material sounds wonderful led by the atmospheric duet with Duncan Sheik "someone you need". Every track sparkles and Jones is not content to stop there. . . . his latest concerts have moved into a more progressive house influence incorporating Robbie Bronniman and Shaz Sparks of dba. Buy this gem share it with your friends and enjoy often . . . . just like a fine wine!.


You can see a complete list of all Howard Jones discography, or go back to the Howard Jones tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

Search guitar tabs

#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
[ Search tabs | Guitar tabs | Bass tabs |
Easy guitar tabs | Guitar solo tabs |
Acoustic guitar tabs | Guitar chords |
How to read guitar tabs ]
Forum topics
Music forums
- Bands and artists - Songwriting and lyrics - Tablature talk - Promote your band
Instrument forums
- Guitar basics - Gear & accessories - Bass guitar
Community
- The pit - Site Feedback - Reviews
[ User survey | About us | Privacy statement ]