Album Reviews
Poetry & Fairytales
Steve Turton (drummer from Ian Toomey’s band)
Poetry comments – Braddy’s poetry…divine and meaningful…one complex and impressive guy. Visually and sonically, this is a great trip.
Spinning World – my favourite Bradder’s poem…well done buddy n blends in with Made for Girls beautifully.
Packaging comments – First of all, the packaging is out of this world. Seen nowt like it to be honest.
Production comments – Production – clean as a whistle whilst holding all the depth and realism you need from a sonic performance.
– Live show time now…again what a show and Ben (superman) shooting and direction…flawless…big things ahead for that young man I predict.
– Narration and visualization works beautifully between songs…gorgeous graphics DONT TOUCH THE SPHERE!!!
Comments regarding vocals – Leighanne and Kirsten’s voices blend like LIQUID GOLD…great harmonisation and chemistry between them two…I can hear Ann and Nancy Wilson-esqe vibes here…the early stuff…Dog and Butterfly era…the best stuff.
She’s Waiting comments – with that Hackett-esque intro..classic Genesis…then it loops n morphs into another dimension completely…impressive song-writing…so many genres interlocked here…but they all work as one unit…that can’t be easy to do…nice guitar harmonisation near the end…Christ…now its Wishbone Ash time!!! Must say Rik and Tim lock in …seasoned pros and know their craft well…hats off to you gents.
Made for Girls comments – Made For Girls…another fave…the global hit Madonna never had…love the diversity Poetry and Fairytales throws at you whilst all holding together as one piece of work…clever work guys…classic 70’s pop art with electronic tinged rhythms…again Wolf n Bradder’s twin work…tasteful n neat…love the bass line…Chic-issue…wah wah solo..turns into physcodelia..then back to that pop groove…girls’ voices crystal clear n fit this track perfectly.
Battle of the Sexes comments – Battle of Sexes…a more commercial based edge here…nice solo’s Wolf…again the girls outstanding here…n that good ol’ clunking cow-bell…scoobie doo wails n doo wops 5 mins in…n a Gilmour-esq solo coda…NICE!!
Again loads of colour and scape here…I think the visuals only enhance the audio assault.
Live and Learn comments – Live n Learn…great musicality…nice live stills and great memories.
First Time comments – First time…again twists and turns here…great guitar interlude 4.00 mins in…then at 5.24…another massive hook…lovely harmonious between Leighanne n Kirsten…5.42…back to Wishbone territory…and yes I’m sticking my finger in the air every time I hear First Time…stunning venue by the way…intimate but atmospheric…7.50…kin ell where’s it going now…early Genesis vibe then the girls take it to a modern vibe when they kick in…lovely…and another great coda…Ibanez Wolf!!!
General comments – I think what we have here is unique, conceptual in part but not like Yes or E.L.P …not one directional like the aforementioned…there’s a helluva lot of work, love and attention gone into this and it stands out in spades.
– Love title track…killer hook…been singing it for days
– Lights by Andy…superb…dynamic
– a treat for the mind…the eyes..and the ear…a unique experience for sure…and that my friends is one of the hardest things to pull off in music…9/10…because no one can achieve 10/10…where else is there to go…but 11?
John Taylor (keyboard player- played on numerous sessions with Lol at Cavalier Studios in the 1980s)
Battle of the Sexes review – For me there is definitely a 70’s vibe going on in “Battle” but with a wonderful layer of modern production.
Made for Girls review – there’s almost elements in there touching on disco at certain points.
Overall review – I was expecting a live concert, jumped to “Battle” and what!!!!….. the graphics completely blew my mind… and to be quite honest that’s an understatement!! Can’t wait to see the rest of the DVD!!…
Comment about Lol – you are such an incredible guitarist; the playing is really tasteful without being OTT and fits within the context of the tracks perfectly.
-General comments – it’s been a long time since I heard tracks that I just want to repeat over and over.
– Absolutely love the concept… the book is truly stunning.
– The artwork is just amazing. For some reason it reminded me of the “Test for Echo” CD insert by Rush…. then I noticed the steampunk, which caused me to grab my iPod and listen to “Clockwork Angels” by Rush…. strange.
Comments about the poetry – Love the poetry, in particular “Mockery” resonated very strongly with me as the damage we are doing to the planet is one of the strands of my “Edge of Destruction” album project (which is all about human ignorance/control in various forms) and a very hot topic with me at the moment.
Alison Stoke, pianist and flautist. Ex Cavalier employee
– Lol, it’s amazing. Love it! Looks like you had great fun making it!
Gordon, Jack & Chica- founder members of Lol’s first band in the 70s
Many thanks for the CD/DVD of Poetry & Fairytales. The graphics in particular on the DVD are outstanding. The amount of work involved to produce such a piece of art is mind blowing. We also like the Steampunk elements.
Where do you go from here? The words ‘follow that’ come to mind. We are looking forward to the next installment. We are so impressed.
John Tucker (music journalist)
I have to say that the entire package is quite amazing. The concept, the packaging , the execution – all top notch. Very clever too….And some of the video clips could easily grace a million dollar Hollywood blockbuster.
Peter Gilbert (Lol made a work experience film for him many years ago and also recorded his own songs, which used to accompany the Special Olympics as it was then)
As for your book…..it’s like everything you ever did for me and that means it’s quality and polished…..remember that work experience video you did?? That was brilliant too like the music. I remember when I first came to Cavalier Studio….I was totally bowled over…..I caught a bug that I have never recovered from.
I was immediately impressed then I thought hang on it’s a bit flash……but then I dug deeper and I discovered what it was all about and that it was real, and warm and very affectionate and a tribute to you and those who have been involved with you over the years. A lot of work has gone into this and to be honest I wasn’t sure you had a band……and I certainly never knew that you had something tucked away that’s so good…….it really is good. Do you still perform?
Gaz King (vocalist, songwriter and guitarist)
Very impressed. Nice mix, strong poetry and ethereal rock. Right up my street! A delightful combination of Renaissance, Asia and Fleetwood Mac with some cool Floyd artwork for good measure. Great piece of work!
Gail Godden (massive LCB fan, living in Australia)
WOW! WOW! Amazing musicianship. Voices exquisite, beat ever changing, clarity superb , individual instruments interloping through out. We are loving it. Look forward to reading the book. Just fabulous. Book production is also beautiful, creative plus ethereal.
Peter Wadsworth (music historian)
Well………the whole book/music package is absolutely fantastic! Polished, beautifully performed and sung, I would say this is a worthy addition to the long line of music that has been conceived and created in Stockport. In fact, this is the kind of album that would have come out of Strawberry’s early years (before record companies took too much control) – it is a rocked-up Space Hymns (Ramases) or Eye of Wendor (Manadalband) for the 21st Century. My favourite song is Made for Girls – this would be the single in my world (although we would have to edit it down to under 5 minutes of course – in fact Lol Cooper Band, I would love to hear an album by you of ten 4-minute tracks but I will let you add that to your list of future projects 😀 :D). In the end, I was more drawn to listening and watching on the DVD version as I get the impression that the total experience comes from the music with the visuals = and they all work so well together. Looking forward to the second album 🙂
Rod Mayall – Musician
It is obvious from the start of the Dvd ‘Poetry & Fairytales’ by the Lol Cooper Band that this is a work of love. It’s poetry, it’s music, it’s a story, it’s stunning, it’s deep. In fact it’s unlike anything I have seen before. The editing is seamless and the attention of to detail is flawless. My partner and I watched from start to finish and were both speechless apart from saying “That is amazing, absolutely stunning” The book is superb, and once again exceptional quality.