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Franks Pyjamas?? A strange title I know! Basically all the songs recorded here (with considerably more help from my friends than I ever expected) are songs I love. I make no excuses for including several songs from the Bryan Ferry/ Roxy Music catalogue either (If anyone in South Wales wanted to form a Roxy/Ferry tribute band???). The songs range from stuff I heard in my early childhood right up to stuff like “Fix you” that I heard recently. There are a range of styles on the album ranging from Glam Rock to Country to New wave. The opening song on the album “Strangers Today” was penned by myself and my good friend John Regan. The album is a complete departure from my previous recording with Rock n Roll/Jump Jive outfit “The Duck And Dive Five” (Also available from CD baby). You cannot do the lindy hop to any of these songs (though I’d like to see you try LOL). If you don't like the whole album you can in a short while from now download the one(s) you like to your ipod from Apple or many of the other digital distribution companys. Oh Just before I go “Frank” is the name of my pet cat.
Thanks for reviewing this album! You should see it show up on the album page in a few days.
Griff Steel: Franks Pyjamas. A strange Collection of songs. When I heard this album the first thing that struck me was the odd set of production values; However it soon dawned on me that this is not one album as a complete project but three partially completed projects on one disc. I spoke with Griff about this a his Cardiff home and Was told " I didn't realise the amount of work I had built up over time that was just lying around not quite finished, so I figured that maybe it was time to finish as many tracks as i could and release them." The album opens with the haunting Strangers Today; A ballad of epic proportions that explains the way we all feel when love goes wrong and from the opening of the track with its mournful cello intro we know that this is a sad song designed to get you crying in your beer. Track two is a take on the Cures "friday i'm in love" a new wave anthem that as a direct tribute does the song justice. There are a couple of standards on the album that show off Griff's ability to be flexible and turn on a crooning style that would shame most cabaret acts into retirement "He'll have to go" and the Dylan Classic "Don't Think Twice It's Alright". Griff's musical hero Bryan Ferry is featured throughout the album with straight takes on "Virginia Plain, A Hard Rains Gonna Fall and Love is The Drug" all taken from his Ferry/Roxy music tribute project. Other songs obviously from a different project are the Presley song "Girl of my best friend" done in a kind of spooky ballad style that made me shiver as the nuances hit home (this is another situation we nearly all experiance albiet secretly at some time). " I Thought" is a cover of a ferry/eno song done somewhat differently from the original and again has some merit. And so we come to the final track a literally stunning version of Coldplay's "Fix You". I felt the emotion pouring out this track from the first chord and the lyrics are sung with an honesty that is simply not present anywhere else on the album. When I spoke with Griff I simply had to ask about this one and his reply was startling: "A couple of years back my brother was murdered and I recorded this song as a tribute to him; That probably explains why the vocals are a little shaky on this track. In fact it took me ages to record and as far as I can see I didn't do it justice and even though I personally wasn't satisfied with the finished track my Friends pursuaded me to put it on the album anyway.....Sorry". All I can say to that Griff is don't be sorry! The song perfectly represnts the way you felt at a tragic time in your life. So in conclusion: A strange collection of songs with the defining track "Fix you" way out in front as the best effort on the album. Eric Vanklien - Cardiff Music Scene (25 Apr 2007) Read more...