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Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Hazel O'Connor - Sons and Lovers

Name: Hazel O'Connor
Album: Sons and Lovers
Year: 1980
Style: New Wave,
Similar Bands: Blondie, Long Blondes, Waitresses, Toyah
"One-Word" Review: Celtic Moon Bounce Punk
Based Out Of: Coventry England
Label: A&M records
Cover, Record
Record, Back
Sons and Lovers (1980)
  1. D-Days 3:10 (single)
  2. Waiting 2:35
  3. Who Will Care 3:19
  4. Zoo 4:33
  5. Gigolo 2:44
  6. Do What You Do 4:37 /
  7. Sons and Lovers 4:38
  8. Glass Houses 3:19
  9. Ain't It Funny 3:58
  10. Danny Boy 2:30
  11. Bye Bye 3:18
  12. Time (Ain't On Our Side) 3:19
Album Rating (1-10): 8.5

Members & Other Bands:
  • Hazel O'Connor - Writer, Vox, (Ferry Aid, Megahype, Anti-Heroine Project, Stranglers, Eberhard Schoener, GOSH, KFT, Billy Currie, Andy Bell)
  • Nigel Gray - Producer
  • Ed Case - Drums (999, Eternal Triangle, JC Mainmen)
  • Wesley Magoogan - Sax (Phil Cordell, Lambrettas, English Beat, Anti-Nowhere League, Joan Armatrading, Ward Brothers, Crazy House, Russ Abbot, Magnum, Gina G)
  • Andy Qunta - Keys (Factory, Icehouse, Manfred mann's Earth Band, Stallion, Chris Thompson) 
  • Wild Oscar - Bass 
  • Neil O'Connor - Guitar (The Flys, Die Toten Hosen, Whereabouts, Papillon, Adam Bomb, Ginger Snaps)
  • Garry Tibbs - Bass (Adam & the Ants, Code Blue, Louie Louie, Merrick & Tibbs, Roxy Music, Vibrators, Zu Zu Sharks, Believers, Kirsty MacColl, William Sheller, Mickey Jupp, Anthony More, Corey Hart, Brian May, Aztec Camera, Let Loose, The Fixx, Amanda Kramer)
  • Edward Bell - Sleeve
  • Modern Mgmt - Direction
Unknown-ness: Never heard of Hazel O'Connor, but it could be great, or really bad...unsure based on the artwork. Good year, but A&M had a wide variety of bands on their bill, so not a giveaway. She's a little reminiscent of Annie Lennox, so i'm going with that as my best guess.

Album Review: Half the album is really fun and full of a bouncy energy. Those songs straddles the edge of Punk and new wave, eccentric musically, but a fast, driving punk pace. Blondie is a great comparison. But the sax almost gives her an X-Ray Spex feel at times, and falls into a Celtic groove on occasion, too (inluding her own arrangement of the traditional "Danny Boy"). The other half of the album feels a bit more theatrical; slow and pronounced, allowing her to tell a story. Her big break came as an actress before her albums, in a film and accompanying album Breaking Glass, an award winning film from 1980. Opening band on tour with her to promote the soundtrack/album was an unknown Duran Duran. She's been a fixture in the UK music scene, as well as acting in theater and television, still performing to this day (2020). Her brother, playing guitar on this album, was also in the punk scene in the late 70's, early 80's

Stand Out Track: Gigolo, D-Days

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