654. Barry Adamson - Moss Side Story (1989)

















Track Listing

1. On the Wrong Side of Relaxation
2. Under Wraps
3. Central Control
4. Round Up the Usual Suspects
5. Sounds From The Big House
6. Suck On The Honey Of Love
7. Everything Happens To Me
8. The Swinging Detective
9. Autodestruction
10. Intensive Care
11. The Most Beautiful Girl In The World
12. Free at Last
13. Alfred Hitchcock Presents
14. Chocolate Milk Shake
15. The Man With The Golden Arm

Review

So a soundtrack to a non-existent film noir set in Moss Side, I have been to Moss Side and this album makes it feel more glamorous than it actually is. Not so much Film Noir as a mix between Spike Lee and Mike Leigh.

That aside there are a lot of interesting things, the main one is that I'd like to see the film that would fit this soundtrack, and if that was his objective he was pretty successful. Then there is a crazy mix of styles, from Vangelis circa Blade Runner to Morriconne and John Zorn they all make a mark here, as does Adamson's own past as a post-punker.

Unfortunately it still sounds like a soundtrack would, slightly disjointed and a bit too varied for its own good. If you take it as a jazz album it would probably be better, but then it would be too cinematic. Still an interesting listen.

Track Highlights

1. Under Wraps
2. Round Up The usual Suspects
3. Everything Happens To Me
4. The Man With The Golden Arm

Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Adamson left school and shifted into graphic design but quit shortly after, favouring to venture into the exploding punk rock scene of the late 1970s. He joined ex-Buzzcocks singer Howard Devoto's band Magazine, playing bass guitar, scoring one chart single, "Shot by Both Sides". He played on all of Magazine's albums, and contributed to Devoto's solo album and his next band, Luxuria. He also contributed to the studiobased band Visage, playing in the ensemble's first two albums, Visage and The Anvil.

After Magazine broke up, Adamson worked with another ex-Buzzcock, Pete Shelley, before joining Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. He appeared in four of that band's albums: From Her to Eternity, The Firstborn Is Dead, Kicking Against the Pricks and Your Funeral, My Trial. After his stint in the band, he released his first solo album, Moss Side Story.

Everything Happens to Me: