Joan Armatrading - Love And Affection

[Funky]

A genuine classic here - even though it was only a hit in UK and Ireland, and other singles fared better globally, this is her signature tune and quite right.

The most striking aspect is that it's positively timeless. Could honestly be from any decade.

 

[Funky]

This is also LOVELY

 

[COB]

An obvious ten!

 

[COB]

My parents had this on a compilation tape that we'd always play on long car trips, so it's very nostalgic for me.

 

[Funky]

This is also much better than it has any right to be, leveraging the Soul II Soul sound for an interesting pop cover

 

[Ill Advised]

Gorgeous

Love Drop the Pilot too but literally don’t know anything else. I should investigate

 

[Funky]

My parents had this on a compilation tape that we'd always play on long car trips, so it's very nostalgic for me.

I imagine it's definitely one of those "passed down in generations" songs. Lovely seeing all those young people singing along in the Glastonbury performance.

 

[Funky]

Gorgeous

Love Drop the Pilot too but literally don’t know anything else. I should investigate

She is totally worth investigating. I don't feel like I've scratched the surface either. She's a musician's musician and prolific as an artist - she has released 20 studio albums and 4 live albums to date

 

[Ill Advised]

She is totally worth investigating. I don't feel like I've scratched the surface either. She's a musician's musician and prolific as an artist - she has released 20 studio albums and 4 live albums to date

I love At Seventeen by Janis Ian so much but never ventured any further. Love that old folksy sound.

Love artists like this for one offs but always assumed I’d not like anything else

 

[Funky]

This is also SO EXTRA but great to watch because Melissa Etheridge is amazing and the vocals from all of them (Paula Cole, Joan Osborne, Jewel) are on point (6:20)

It's just SUCH a great song!

 

[Funky]

bumping this

 

[Zu]

This is also much better than it has any right to be, leveraging the Soul II Soul sound for an interesting pop cover

This is the best mix though. I fucking love this one

 

[Funky]

Sampling Primal Scream. What a great mix. God I miss the early 90s.

 

[BoysForSeles]

Joan Armatrading is so talented, some of her 70s and early 80s albums are works of genuis and so diverse in sound though a lot of it takes a few listens to pick up everything that’s going on.

 

[Funky]

I also noticed how she tends to stray away from typical song writing conventions. Her songs don't have a typical verse-chorus-bridge structure and her melodies shift and change. She's definitely an artist you have to commit to, to really appreciate.

 

[BoysForSeles]

These are, off the top of my head, essential too:

Down To Zero
The Weakness In Me
Willow
Warm Love
Turn Out The Light
Me Myself I
I’m Lucky
All The Way From America
Somebody Who Loves You
Rosie
Wrapped Around Her

 

[Funky]

I LOVE The Weakness In Me. What a glorious melody and the lyrics so raw.

 

[BoysForSeles]

This was a blueprint for a lot of tracks by artists who followed her. She was on the Jonathan Ross show with Stormzy and he (Stormzy) was in awe of her.

 

[straightorbroken]

Late night radio staple. I adore it so.

 

[aquaplex]

I love this house cover from 2002.


And yes the cheapskate label then used the same video a year later for Damaged by Plummet

 

[RJN]

I heard Love and Affection for the first time an hour ago and I've listened to it about 10 times (and The Weakness in me about 5 times) so I've queued up this entire list:

Down To Zero
The Weakness In Me
Willow
Warm Love
Turn Out The Light
Me Myself I
I’m Lucky
All The Way From America
Somebody Who Loves You
Rosie
Wrapped Around Her

 

[RJN]

Somebody Who Loves You is stunning too

 

[lolly]

She premiered her first symphony in London last week, to an absolutely scathing review one star review in the Guardian ('how did a brilliant pop melodist produce such a baffling mess?'), and I thought I read it was going to be on Radio 3 in the week, but if it was I can't find trace of it on the website or in the Sounds app now.

I don't claim to know anything about classical music, but I thought the idea of her doing a symphony was intriguing enough for me to want to investigate it, and see if that one star review was just simple elitism.

 

[Christian]

She premiered her first symphony in London last week, to an absolutely scathing review one star review in the Guardian ('how did a brilliant pop melodist produce such a baffling mess?'), and I thought I read it was going to be on Radio 3 in the week, but if it was I can't find trace of it on the website or in the Sounds app now.

I don't claim to know anything about classical music, but I thought the idea of her doing a symphony was intriguing enough for me to want to investigate it, and see if that one star review was just simple elitism.

I'm quite intrigued too. It's here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001sly5

 

[BoysForSeles]

She premiered her first symphony in London last week, to an absolutely scathing review one star review in the Guardian ('how did a brilliant pop melodist produce such a baffling mess?'), and I thought I read it was going to be on Radio 3 in the week, but if it was I can't find trace of it on the website or in the Sounds app now.

I don't claim to know anything about classical music, but I thought the idea of her doing a symphony was intriguing enough for me to want to investigate it, and see if that one star review was just simple elitism.

In contrast the Telegraph gave it a five star review. I suspect the Guardian reviewer was probably resentful of someone not staying in her supposed lane.

 

[lolly]

In contrast the Telegraph gave it a five star review. I suspect the Guardian reviewer was probably resentful of someone not staying in her supposed lane.

That's good to hear and what I wondered. So I'll listen to it with my no knowledge ear and decide simply whether I like it or not, without worrying about whether it's good or bad.

 

[Funky]

I suspect the Guardian reviewer was probably resentful

You could have just stopped there

The Guardian entertainment reviewers are so fucking awful. At this point, if they dislike an album or film, it's probably worth investigating.