Love and Affection
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Rating


Album: Love and Affection: Joan Armatrading Classics (1975-1983)
# Song Title   Time
  Disc 1
1)    Cool Blue Stole My Heart More Info... 5:31
2)    Travel So Far More Info... 3:08
3)    Dry Land More Info... 4:21
4)    Down To Zero More Info... 3:51
5)    Help Yourself More Info... 4:04
6)    Love And Affection Album Version More Info... 4:29
7)    Water With The Wine More Info... 2:49
8)    Save Me More Info... 3:34
9)    Somebody Who Loves You More Info... 3:35
10)    Flight Of The Wild Geese More Info... 2:00
11)    Woncha Come On Home More Info... 2:40
12)    Show Some Emotion More Info... 3:30
13)    Warm Love More Info... 3:02
14)    Kissin' And A Huggin' More Info... 4:41
15)    Willow More Info... 4:52
16)    Barefoot And Pregnant More Info... 3:41
17)    Bottom To The Top More Info... 3:35
18)    You Rope You Tie Me More Info... 4:08
19)    Your Letter More Info... 3:41
20)    Mama Mercy Live More Info... 3:34
21)    Steppin' Out Live More Info... 3:50
  Disc 2
1)    Rosie More Info... 3:14
2)    How Cruel More Info... 3:04
3)    He Wants Her More Info... 3:17
4)    I Really Must Be Going More Info... 4:30
5)    Me Myself I More Info... 3:16
6)    Ma Me O Beach More Info... 3:01
7)    Friends More Info... 3:07
8)    Is It Tomorrow Yet? More Info... 3:31
9)    Turn Out The Light More Info... 4:18
10)    All The Way From America More Info... 4:50
11)    Feeling In My Heart (For You) More Info... 3:35
12)    Simon More Info... 3:39
13)    I'm Lucky More Info... 3:04
14)    When I Get It Right More Info... 3:02
15)    The Weakness In Me More Info... 3:32
16)    No Love More Info... 3:57
17)    (I Love It When You) Call Me Names Album Version More Info... 4:22
18)    Drop The Pilot Album Version More Info... 3:39
19)    Everybody Gotta Know More Info... 3:48
20)    What Do Boys Dream? More Info... 2:55
21)    Frustration More Info... 3:34
22)    Heaven More Info... 4:42
3)    Dry Land More Info... 0:04
4)    Down to Zero More Info... 0:04
5)    Help Yourself More Info... 0:04
6)    Love and Affection More Info... 0:04
7)    Water With the Wine More Info... 0:02
8)    Save Me More Info... 0:03
9)    Somebody Who Loves You More Info... 0:03
10)    The Flight of the Wild Geese More Info... 0:02
11)    Woncha Come On Home More Info... 0:02
12)    Show Some Emotion More Info... 0:03
13)    Warm Love More Info... 0:03
14)    Kissin' And Huggin' More Info... 0:04
15)    Willow More Info... 0:05
16)    Barefoot and Pregnant More Info... 0:03
17)    Bottom to the Top More Info... 0:03
18)    You Rope You Tie Me More Info... 0:04
19)    Your Letter More Info... 0:03
20)    Mama Mercy More Info... 0:03
21)    Steppin' Out More Info... 0:04
22)    Heaven More Info... 0:04
 
Album: Love and Affection: Joan Armatrading Classics (1975-1983)
# Song Title   Time
  Disc 1
1)    Cool Blue Stole My Heart More Info... 5:31
2)    Travel So Far More Info... 3:08
3)    Dry Land More Info... 4:21
4)    Down To Zero More Info... 3:51
5)    Help Yourself More Info... 4:04
6)    Love And Affection Album Version More Info... 4:29
7)    Water With The Wine More Info... 2:49
8)    Save Me More Info... 3:34
9)    Somebody Who Loves You More Info... 3:35
10)    Flight Of The Wild Geese More Info... 2:00
11)    Woncha Come On Home More Info... 2:40
12)    Show Some Emotion More Info... 3:30
13)    Warm Love More Info... 3:02
14)    Kissin' And A Huggin' More Info... 4:41
15)    Willow More Info... 4:52
16)    Barefoot And Pregnant More Info... 3:41
17)    Bottom To The Top More Info... 3:35
18)    You Rope You Tie Me More Info... 4:08
19)    Your Letter More Info... 3:41
20)    Mama Mercy Live More Info... 3:34
21)    Steppin' Out Live More Info... 3:50
  Disc 2
1)    Rosie More Info... 3:14
2)    How Cruel More Info... 3:04
3)    He Wants Her More Info... 3:17
4)    I Really Must Be Going More Info... 4:30
5)    Me Myself I More Info... 3:16
6)    Ma Me O Beach More Info... 3:01
7)    Friends More Info... 3:07
8)    Is It Tomorrow Yet? More Info... 3:31
9)    Turn Out The Light More Info... 4:18
10)    All The Way From America More Info... 4:50
11)    Feeling In My Heart (For You) More Info... 3:35
12)    Simon More Info... 3:39
13)    I'm Lucky More Info... 3:04
14)    When I Get It Right More Info... 3:02
15)    The Weakness In Me More Info... 3:32
16)    No Love More Info... 3:57
17)    (I Love It When You) Call Me Names Album Version More Info... 4:22
18)    Drop The Pilot Album Version More Info... 3:39
19)    Everybody Gotta Know More Info... 3:48
20)    What Do Boys Dream? More Info... 2:55
21)    Frustration More Info... 3:34
22)    Heaven More Info... 4:42
3)    Dry Land More Info... 0:04
4)    Down to Zero More Info... 0:04
5)    Help Yourself More Info... 0:04
6)    Love and Affection More Info... 0:04
7)    Water With the Wine More Info... 0:02
8)    Save Me More Info... 0:03
9)    Somebody Who Loves You More Info... 0:03
10)    The Flight of the Wild Geese More Info... 0:02
11)    Woncha Come On Home More Info... 0:02
12)    Show Some Emotion More Info... 0:03
13)    Warm Love More Info... 0:03
14)    Kissin' And Huggin' More Info... 0:04
15)    Willow More Info... 0:05
16)    Barefoot and Pregnant More Info... 0:03
17)    Bottom to the Top More Info... 0:03
18)    You Rope You Tie Me More Info... 0:04
19)    Your Letter More Info... 0:03
20)    Mama Mercy More Info... 0:03
21)    Steppin' Out More Info... 0:04
22)    Heaven More Info... 0:04
 
Product Description
Product Details

Tracks

1. Cool Blue Stole My Heart

2. Travel So Far

3. Dry Land

4. Down To Zero

5. Help Yourself

6. Love And Affection

7. Water With The Wine

8. Save Me

9. Somebody Who Loves You

10. Flight Of The Wild Geese

11. Woncha Come On Home

12. Show Some Emotion

13. Warm Love

14. Kissin' And A Huggin'

15. Willow

16. Barefoot And Pregnant

17. Bottom To The Top

18. You Rope You Tie Me

19. Your Letter

20. Mama Mercy

21. Steppin' Out

22. Rosie

23. How Cruel

24. He Wants Her

25. I Really Must Be Going

26. Me Myself I

27. Ma Me O Beach

28. Friends

29. Is It Tomorrow Yet?

30. Turn Out The Light

31. All The Way From America

32. Feeling In My Heart For You

33. Simon

34. I'm Lucky

35. When I Get It Right

36. The Weakness In Me

37. No Love

38. I Love It When You Call Me Names

39. Drop The Pilot

40. Everybody Gotta Know

41. What Do Boys Dream?

42. Frustration

43. Heaven

Performer Notes
  • Producers include: Pete Gage, Glyn Johns, Joan Armatrading, Henry Lewy, Richard Gottehrer.
  • Compilation producers: Mike Ragogna, Cheryl Pawelski.
  • Includes liner notes by Scott Schinder.
  • Liner Note Author: Scott Schinder.
  • Photographers: David Alexander ; Neal Preston.
  • This is the way a Joan Armatrading best-of collection should be assembled in the first place. The numerous single-disc compilations never came close to being representative of her achievement as a recording artist. Culling 43 tracks over eight years and 11 albums is even better in many ways than issuing an Armatrading box set. All of the expected material from the early years is included on disc one, such as "Cool Blue Stole My Heart," "Travel So Far," "Dry Land," "Down to Zero," "Love and Affection," "Help Yourself," "Woncha Come on Home," "Show Some Emotion," "Willow," "Barefoot and Pregnant," "Bottom to the Top," "You Rope You Tie Me," "Your Letter," and many more, including "The Flight of the Wild Geese" from the soundtrack to the film. It covers Armatrading's prolific period from 1975-1979, where a lot of old hippies, now upwardly mobile professionals seeking mellow escapes from their relentless and often ruthless pursuit of "the good life," got off the bus and remained stuck, listening only to her early records along with those of the Jacksons, Eagles, and James Taylor. The only problem with this is that Armatrading was just beginning to gain a confidence that led her to become really adventurous, taking huge chances with both her songwriting and production styles in the 1980s. She became a pop singer whose lyrics were anything but pop and whose music expanded the boundaries of pop to include reggae, jazz, and slippery folk music. Admittedly, the results were sometimes erratic, but were never, never less than utterly compelling. Disc two features all four tracks from the excellent How Cruel EP, including the reggae soul-drenched bluster of "Rosie," the title track, and "He Wants Her," with its dubbed-out drums and snaky guitar slinking through her sensual vocal. Eight cuts from the Me Myself I album represent the vast majority of it; it also marked Armatrading's first true rock & roll outing. She had heard the late-'70s music from England and Jamaica -- as well as the Lower East Side of New York -- and was affected by it. She didn't try to make punk rock or new wave music, but she let its freedom enter her songwriting consciousness and open it up. As she hung out with producers like Richard Gotteher (Robert Gordon, Mink DeVille, and Lou Reed) and Henry Lewy, rock and roll became Armatrading's chosen vehicle of expression.
  • By the time she made her bravest recordings, Walk Under Ladders in 1981, The Key in 1983, and Track Record with Steve Lillywhite (U2, Ultravox, Psychedelic Furs, etc.) in 1983, the English audiences went crazy while the Americanskis walked away almost entirely. Armatrading's songs had turned dark and grew tenser with the times, dealing with themes of emotional and physical abuse, vulnerability that is not necessarily willful, but is welcomed in a first-person way. They made folks who wore designer clothes, drove BMWs, and spouted "liberal" causes feel queasy -- one listen to "The Weakness in Me," "I Really Must Be Going," or the infamous "(I Love It When You) Call Me Names" made the yuppies flee in droves. The final two tracks, "Frustration" and "Heaven," are awesome. The former is post-rock and downright right funky with its collapsible backbeat. She took South African township jive, mixed it with greasy fretless basslines and celebratory melodic schematics, and juxtaposed it against tough lyrics of street life and cultural suffocation. "Heaven" is, in a sense, a small nod back to where Armatrading had come from, asking a wider and darker series of the questions she was asking on her earlier records, but its twists and turns make it as much a spiritual love song as a secular one. For Armatrading, need, love, obsession, sensuality, and excess had all become inseparable from one another in her songwriting; along with the pumped-up rock aesthetic, it made her music downright dangerous. She dared to proclaim her darkness without regretful confession or repentance. She dared to make anthems out of raw need and insecurity, and made the tension between lovers something truly sensual. As an artist, Armatrading never sought to find innocence; her vision as an artist has always been expansive, and she took on race and class issues in her songs via amorous relationships, daring both parties to step out of their fear. These songs tell stories so intimate and so encompassing it's no wonder most that people don't get them; they can't even imagine what addressing that fear would be like, let alone have somebody do it in wondrous pop songs you can hum to. Necessary, explosive, and brilliant, listen and behold the songs of a sage whose wisdom is from the school of hard knocks and transcendent courage, and whose musical sophistication is second to none. This is the only Joan Armatrading collection worth owning. ~ Thom Jurek
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