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Annie Lennox: Medusa

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: RCA Records
Released: 1995
Time:
 46:26
Category: Pop/Rock
Producer(s): Stephen Lipson
Rating: ********.. (8/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.annie-lennox.com
Appears with: Eurhytmics
Purchase date: 2000.09.02
Price in €: 6,99



 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] No more "i love yous" (D.Freeman/J.Hughes) - 4:51
[2] Take me to the river (A.Green/M.Hodges) - 3:31
[3] A white shade of pale (K.Reid/G.Brooker) - 5:17
[4] Don't let it bring you down (N.Young) - 3:36
[5] Train in vain (Strummer/Jones) - 4:38
[6] I can't get next to you (B.Strong/N.Whitfield) - 3:09
[7] Downtown lights (P.Buchanan) - 6:42
[8] Thin line between love and hat (R.Poindexter/R.Poindexter/J.Members) - 5:43
[9] Waiting in vain (B.Marley) - 5:40
[10] Something so right (P.Simon) - 3:54

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Annie Lennox - Voclas, Keyboards, Flute

Stephen Lipson - Programming, Guitar, Keyboard, Bass

Marius De Vries - Keyboards, Programming, Pre-production
Peter-John Vettese - Keyboards
Andy Richards - Keyboards
Matthew Cooper - Keyboards
Louis Jardim - Percussion, Bass
Tony Pastor - Guitar
Dann Gillen - Drums
Neil Conti - Drums
Doug Wibish - Bass
Judd Lander - Harmonica
Mark Feltham - Harmonica
Pandit Dinesh - Tablas
Kirampal Singh - Santoor
James McNally - Accordeon
Anne Dudley - Orchestral brass, String arrangements

Heff Morales - Engineer, Mixing
Laurence Stevens - Sleeve design
Bettina Rheims - Photography

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


This album contains a selection of songs I have been drawn to for all kinds of reasons. They where not choosen with any particular theme or concept in mind - the method was more by instinct than design.
The work undertake was truly a labour of love for me and I feel priviledged to have been given this opportunity.

My sincere thanks go once again to Steve and Heff who devoted so much of their talent and time to [help me] realise this dream. Also to Simon and Catri, and everyone at 19 Management who have been with me every step of the way. To Marius for laying down the foundations, and to Anne Dudley and all the musicians who played.

Decided to my family with love and gratitude.

To the writers of this beautiful songs I offer my profound respects.

Annie Lennox, MEDUSA



Annie Lennox called her justifiably popular solo debut "Diva," but it's actually on the follow-up effort "Medusa" that she really starts acting like one. This wildly uneven album of cover versions starts with perhaps its highest point -- a truly wonderful interpretation of "No More I Love You's," a relatively obscure British hit by the Lover Speaks. Unfortunately, Lennox doesn't work the same magic with more familiar material like Al Green's "Take Me to the River" and Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale." Better, however, are Lennox's versions of the Blue Nile's underappreciated "Downtown Train" and Paul Simon's "Something So Right."

DAVID WILD (RS Online, July 1995)
Copyright © 1968-1999 Rolling Stone Network. All Rights Reserved.



Annie Lennox's second solo album reprises the slick R&B/pop approach of Diva, complete with sophisticated arrangements and impressive vocal workouts. Unfortunately, it was applied to a set of songs that are considered pop classics, and Lennox's interpretations add nothing except the sheen of upper-class glamour.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All-Music Guide



In der Post-Beatles-Ära hat die Tugend gekonnter Liedinterpretation zunehmend an Stellenwert verloren - zugunsten der selbstgenügsamen Künstlerkomponisten - und das zeigte sich selten so deutlich, wie in den ersten Reaktionen auf dieses Soloalbum von Annie Lennox, das zweite nach Diva. Sicher verdienen die fesselnden, originären Stücke ihres Solodebüts besondere Anerkennung, grundsätzlich aber ist die Schottin mit ihrem satten Alt eine der fesselndsten Popsängerinnen der vergangenen zwei Jahrzehnte, und die vorliegende hervorragende Auswahl feinsäuberlich arrangierter Coverversionen bezaubert mit seltenen Schmuckstücken und echten Klassikern von Al Green, Procol Harum, Neil Young, Clash, den Temptations, Paul Simon und Blue Nile. Die Songs sind hier die wahren Stars und Annie Lennox trägt Leidenschaft und Nuancierung zu der wunderschön gespielten Musik ihrer Begleitband bei. Vom "filmreifen" Leiden in "No More I Love Yous" bis zur sehr originalnahen Neuschöpfung von Blue Niles "Downtown Lights" - ist das atemberaubende Popmusik.

Sam Sutherland, Amazon.de



Post-Beatles, the virtues of deft song interpretation have been consistently devalued in favor of self-contained composer-performers, seldom more so than in the initial response to this sequel to Annie Lennox's triumphant solo debut, Diva. That album's gripping originals deserve acclaim, but the lush Scottish alto remains one of the most riveting pop singers of the past two decades, and this smartly chosen, meticulously arranged collection of cover versions boasts its own abundant charms in her selection of obscure gems and bona fide classics from Al Green, Procol Harum, Neil Young, the Clash, the Temptations, Paul Simon, Bob Marley, and the Blue Nile. The songs are the rightful stars here, and Lennox brings passion and nuance to a set that plays beautifully. From the cinematic heartbreak of "No More I Love Yous" to the faithful recreation of the Blue Nile's "Downtown Lights," this is ravishing pop.

Sam Sutherland, Amazon.com



...The songs on MEDUSA are fine showcases for [Annie Lennox's] wistful, understated elegance, her ability to milk a lyric for all its beauty and poignancy without resorting to histrionics...

Rolling Stone (4/20/95)



...fiercely intelligent and beautifully sung, and the material is consistently fine...

New York Times (1/6/96)



Von der kongenialen Partnerschaft von Sängerin/Performerin Annie Lennox und Gitarrist/Komponist Dave Stewart lebte ihr Projekt Eurythmics jahrelang und gab der britischen Popszene viele wichtige Impulse. Viele, vor allem jene, die mit den Soloprojekten der Beiden weniger anfangen können, weinen dem Duo noch mehr als eine Träne nach. Aber eine Wiedervereinigung scheint im Moment in ganz weite Ferne gerückt. Annie Lennox scheut die Öffentlichkeit, frönt dem Familienleben und dem Muttersein und hat mit "Medusa" ihr zweites Soloalbum produziert. Sie ist und bleibt eine geniale Interpretin. Unglaublich, mit wieviel Nuancen sie gesanglich Emotionen zu modellieren versteht. Ein Wehrmutstropfen: es handelt sich hier "nur" um eine Kollektion von Coverversionen von Annie Favourites wie "Take Me To The River" und Procul Harums "Homburg". Annie Lennox' zweiter Solostreich ist eine Kollektion von Neuinterpretationen ihrer Lieblingslieder aus drei Jahrzehnten.

Interpretation: 6-8
Klang: 7

Detlef Kinsler, © HIFI Test



Erst debütierte die frühere Eurythmics-Frontfrau Annie Lennox 1992 solo als Diva, nun kommt sie als Medusa. Das schlangenhaarige Ungeheuer der griechischen Mythologie darf da als Symbol für Vielfalt gelten. Die reicht bei der nur aus Coverversionen bestehenden CD vom synthetisch renovierten Procol-Harum-Klassiker A Whiter Shade Of Pale über Neil Youngs Don't Let It Bring You Down und Bob Marleys Waiting in Vain bis zum funky swingenden Train In Vain von The Clash - mit ein, zwei zu seichten Ausnahmen individuell genug, die Originale fast vergessen zu lassen.

© Audio
 

 L y r i c s


NO MORE 'I LOVE YOU'S'

I used to be lunatic
from the gracious days
I used to be woebegone
and so restless nights
My aching heart would bleed
for you to see
Oh but now...
(I don't find myself bouncing home whistling
buttonhole tunes to make me cry)

No more "I love you's"
The language is leaving me
No more "I love you's"
Changes are shifting outside the word

(The lover speaks about the monsters)

I used to have demons in my room at night
Desire,despair,desire,so many monsters
Oh but now...
(I don't find myself bouncing home whistling
buttonhole tunes to make me cry)

*No more "I love you's"
The language is leaving me
No more "I love you's"
The language is leaving me in silence
No more "I love you's"
Changes are shifting outside the word

They were being really crazy
They were on the come.
And you know what mammy?
Everybody was being really crazy. Uh huh.
The monsters are crazy.
There are monsters outsides.

(Repeat*)

Outside the word


TAKE ME TO THE RIVER

I don't know why I love you like I do
All the changes you put me through
Take my money,my cigarettes
I haven't seen the worst of it yet
I wanna know,can you tell me
I'd really like to stay

*Take me to the river
Drop me in the water
Take me to the river
Drop me in the water

Wash me down,wash me down
Wash me down,wash me down

I don't know why you treat me so bad
Think of all the thing that we could have had
Love is an ocean
And I can't forget my sweet sixteen
I'll never fret
I wanna know,can you tell me
I'd really like to stay

(*Repeat)

Love me,squeeze me
Love me,tease me
Till I can't,till I can't
Till I can't,till I can't-

I don't know why I love you like I do
All the trouble that you put me through
Sixteen candles blowin' on the wall
And here I am the biggest fool of all
I wanna know,can you tell me
I'd really like to stay

Take me to the river
Drop me in the water
Dip me in the water
Drop me in the water
Dip me in the water
Drop me in the water...


A WHITER SHADE OF PALE

We skipped the light fandango
Turned cartwheels cross the floor
I was feeling kind of seasick
The crowd called out for more
The room was humming harder
As the ceiling flew away
When we called outfor another drink
But the waiter brought a tray

*And so it was later
As the miller told his tale
That her face at first just ghostly
Turned a whiter shade of pale

You said there is no reason
And the truth is plain to see
But I wander through my playing cards
And would not let it be
I'm one of the sixteen virgins
Who are leaving for the coast
And although my eyes were open
They might just as well been closed

(*Repeat)

A whiter shade of pale
Turned a whiter shade of pale
A whiter shade of pale


DON'T LET IT BRING YOU DOWN

Old man lyin'
By the side of the road
With the lorries rollin' by
Blue moon sinkin'
From the weight of the load
And the buildings scrape the sky
Cold wind rippin'
Down the valley at dawn
And the morning paper files
Dead man lyin'
By the side of the road
With the daylight in his eyes

*Don't let it bring you down
It's only castle burning
Find someone who's turning
And you will come around

Blind man runnin'
Through the light of the night
With an answer in his hand
Come on down to the river of sight
And you can really understand
Red lights flashin'
Through the window in the rain
Can you hear the sirence moan
White cane lyin'
In a gutter in the lane
And you're walkin' home alone

(*Repeat x2)
(**Repeat)
(*Repeat)

You will come around

(*Repeat)


TRAIN IN VAIN

They say you stand
By your man
Tell me something
I don't understand
You said you loved me
And that's a fact
And then you left me
Said you felt trapped

Well,somethings you can explain away
But the heartache's with me till this day

*Did you stand by me
No,not at all
Did you stand by me
No way

All the times
That we were closed
I remember
These things the most
I've seen all our dreams
Come tumblin' down
I can't stay happy
Without you around

So alone I keep the wolves a bay
And there's only one thing I can say

(*Repeat)
You must explain
Why this must be
Did you lie
When you spoke to me

Did you stand by me
No,not at all

Now I got a job
But it don't pay
I need new clothes
I need somewhere to stay
But without all these things I can do
But without your love I won't make it through
Without you love I won't make it through

But you don't understand my point of view
I suppose there's nothing I can do

(*Repeat x2)

Stand by me,no way
Stand by me,not at all
Stand by me,no way
Stand by me,not at all
Stand by me,no way


I CAN'T GET NEXT TO YOU

I can turn the grey sky blue
And I can make it rain
Whenever I want it to
And I can build a castle
From a single grain of sand
And I can make a ship sail
On dry land
But my life is incomplete
And I'm so blue
'Cause I can't get next to you

*I can't get next to you,babe
I can't get next to you
I can't get next to you,babe
I can't get next to you

I can fly
Like a bird in the sky
I can buy anything
That money can buy
I can turn a river into a raging fire
I can live forever if I so desire
But I don't want it all these things I can do
'Cause I can't get next to you

(*Repeat)

I can turn back the hands of time
You better believe I can
I can make the season change
Just by the wave of my hand
I can change anything from one to two
The thing I wanna do the most I'm unable to do
I'm an unhappy woman with all the powers I possess
'Cause man you're the key to my happiness
'Cause I can't get to next to you

Ooh you're blowin' my mind
'Cause I can't get next to you
Can't you see these tears I'm cryin'
I can't get next to you
Oh it's you that I need
I gotta get next to you
Can't you see these tears I'm cryin'
Can't get next to you

I,I,I,I,I,I
Can't get next to you
I,I,I,I,I,I
Can't get next to you


DOWNTOWN LIGHTS

Sometimes I walk away
When all I really wanna do
Is love and hold you right
There is just one thing I can say
Nobody loves you this way
It's all right,can't you see
The downtown lights

In love we're all the same
We're walking down an empty street
And with nobody calling on me
Empty street,empty night
The downtown lights

*How do I know you feel it
How do I know you feel it
How do I know you feel it
How do I know you feel it
It's all right

Tonight and every night
Let's go walking down this empty street
Let's walk in the cool evening night
Wrong or right,be t my side
The downtown lights
It will be all right
It will be all right
The downtown lights

(*Repeat)

Neons and cigarettes
The rented rose and rented cars
The crowded streets,the empty bars
Chimneytops,the trumpets
The golden lights,the loving prayers
Colored shoes,the empty trains
I'm tired of cring on the stairs
The downtown lights


THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE

*It's a thin line between love and hate
It's a thin line between love and hate

It's five o'clock in the morning
And you're just getting in
A knock upon the door
A voice sweet and low says
(who is it?)
She opens up the door
And she lets you in
And never once does she say
"where have you been?"

She says,"Hold it,
Are you hungry,did you eat yet,
Let me hang up your coat now"
And all the time she's smiling
Never raises her voice
It's five o'clock in the morning
And you dn't give it a second thought

(*Repeat)

The sweetest woman in the world
Could be the meanest woman in the world
If you make her be that way
She might be holding something in
That's really gonna hurt you
One of these fine days

There you are in the hospital
Bandaged from foot to head
In a state of shock
That much from bein' dead
You didn't think your woman
Could do something like that to you
You didn't think she'd got the nerve
Actions speak louder than words
Louder than words
Louder than words
Louder than words,come on

Come on,baby,baby
If you won't give a damn about me
Come on baby,bay
You don't really care about me

Hear what I say
Hear what I say


WAITING IN VAIN

From the very first time I rest my eyes on you,boy
My heart said follow through but I know now
That I'm way down on your line
But the waiting feeling's fine

So don't treat me like a puppet on a string
Because I know how to do my thing
Don't talk to me as if you think I'm dumb
I wanna know when you're gotta come,you see

*I don't wanna wait in a vain for your love
I don't wanna wait in a vain for your love
I don't wanna wait in a vain for your love
'Cause sommer is here
And I'm still waiting there
Winter is here
I'm still waiting there

Like I said
It's been three years since I'm knocking on your door
And still I can knock some more
Ooh boy,ooh boy,is it crazy look,I wanna know now
For I to knock some more,you see

In life I know
That there is lots of grief
But your love is my relief
Tears in my eyes burn
Tears in my eyes burn
While I'm waitin'
While I'm waitin' for my turn,you see

(*Repeat)

Like I said-
I don't wanna,I don't wanna
I don't wanna,I don't wanna
I don't wanna wait in vain
I don't wanna,I don't wanna
I don't wanna,I don't wanna
I don't wanna wait in vain

It's been three years since I'm knocking on your door
And still I can knock some more
Ooh boy,ooh boy,is it crazy look,I wanna know now
Like I said,the tears in my eyes burn
Tears in my eyes burn
While I'm waiting
While I'm waiting for my turn,you see
Ooh boy,ooh boy,is it crazy look,I wanna know now
For I to knock some more
In life I know there is lots of grief
But your love is my relief


SOMETHING SO RIGHT

You've got the cool water
When the river runs high
And you've got the look of love
Right in your eyes
And I was in a crazy motion
Till you calmed me down
It took a little time
But you calmed me down

Some people never say the words
"I love you"
It's not their style to be so bold
Some people never say the words
"I love you"
But like a child
They're longing to be told

They've got a wall in China
It's a thousand miles long
To keep out the foreigners
They made it strong
And I've got a wall around me
That you can't even see
It took a little time
To get next to me

If something goes worng
I'm the first to admit it
The first to admit it
But the last one to know
If something goes right
Well,it's likely to lose me
It's apt to confuse me
Because it's such an unusual sight
Oh I can't get used to something so right
Something so right

Some people never say the words
"I love you"
It's not their style to be so bold
Some people never say the words
"I love you"
But like a child
I'm longing to be told

They've got a wall in China
And I've got a wall around me
It took a little time
To get next to me

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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