‘These days? You know what? Ed Sheeran is really interesting to me… Yeah, yeah. Lovely guitar and he’s a one-man band at the moment but he has the potential. And James Bay. They’re the two that come to mind immediately.” ’60s and ’70s legends seem to just love the shit out of Ed Sheeran; you should hear Elton John talk about him on his Beats 1 Radio show.’
What is with Ed, you ask? I doubt the NBC special would have had much effect on sales, however a discount to a dollar a holla might certainly have had a rush of sales. Remember, sales doesn’t equate to money earned: that depends on price of course.
Now that’s something you don’t see every day, two Ed Sheeran album, his only two albums, one from 2014 and one from (astoundingly) 2011, in the charts. Why? Because of his residency at Wembley Stadium. Between the two maybe six great songs.
‘I was a very, very weird child. I had a port-wine stain birthmark on my face that I got lasered off when I was very young; one day, they forgot to put the anesthetic on, and ever since then, I had a stutter. I also had very big, blue NHS glasses — NHS is the National Health Service, one day I hope you’ll have the same! And I lacked an eardrum on one side of my ear, so stuttering was actually the least of my problems!’
The stage was a beauty, the lighting dramatic and the screens like a Greek chorus of Ed’s one moment, and then individual (during “Thinking Out Loud” the music video played on one screen right behind him). The result was a world of Ed’s or only two Ed’s, but always a flux of concepts echoing the songs, which can’t really withstand too much
With Ed off on his stadium tour, which reaches New York this week, I thought it might be worth remembering his set at Mercury Lounge three and a half years ago. Already a star in the UK, he hadn’t broken the US yet, hadn’t become best friends forever with Taylor Swift and hadn’t recorded the double album X. Though he was still thinking out loud… at the 200 capacity Mercury Lounge!!
I like the kid a lot, but don’t love him, still he has a handful of cracker songs. Two of his best songs are here, one of them “Even My Dad Does Sometimes” is MIA. Plus a little skimpy? I figure he is giving 90 minutes.
If Trance has won the battle for the singles charts, the album charts are very volatile, it is a world where the cult band can make its presence felt… if only for a week. Blur at # 2 and Mumford at # 1, the revenge of rock? Yeah, but not really, because who knows how long it will last\. Meanwhile, Sheeran and Swift are still hanging on. Sheeran? one month short of a year in the top ten
Of those I am seeing, Ed is always a blast live and should have no problems rocking the joint. I do wonder if he has an actual band yet? James Taylor I had tickets at MSG last winter but found myself in Florida instead, and Alabama Shakes have a terrific new album, so, yeah, let it rock.
Nothing new here, last year it was Tay keeping Meghan down, this year Mark keeping ed out of the # 1 position. That ten weeks at the top is pretty damn impressive I will say that.
I’ve always liked Ed, he is like a miracle of science, a guy who quite literally did it his way and yet managed to get away with singer songwriter angst and pop moves I’ve never seen him perform poorly. So consider this an absolute must see.
Today, there is certainly a lot of mediocrity, any American Idol, X Factor product is an example for me! But at the same time, there is a lot of excellent music, it is just harder to find it because of the enormous amount of bands formed every year and songs released each day!
Ed Sheeran is the poster boy for over achievement. I saw him three years ago at the Peppermint Lounge, now he owns the world. He sold over 200K albums last week alone which means (one, carry the one) every person in England now owns a copy
On the album charts boy band rules, here it is the world of dance on the top of the charts to less telling effect. Though the Ed Sheeran is one of the years best, along with the brilliant “Even My Dad Does Sometimes” it makes X a better album that I thought it was. It lifts it.
Taylor moved 90K units, impressive for the UK and her former (?) best buddy Ed Sheeran is right next to her as the album has spent the entire year in the top ten… plus Ed hasn’t even released “Even My Dad Sometimes”, a short shot in the UK though probably hanging till Xmas when it hopes to be the Christmas song.
Women rule, OK? Ok. But why must Ed lose his Top 10 virginity with such a lousy song? The UK has the awesome “Thinking Out Loud” and what we get??? meanwhile, Meghan’s third album out in Janury plus we get to see her at Jingle Ball!
This may well be the best singles charts I’ve seen since I started seriously monitoring the charts; Trainor followed by Taylor we have been used to for the past month, but than a good 1D and then a GREAT Ed Sheeran, the best on his current album, and it doesn’t really end, the Paloma and Jeremih I can live without but they aren’t that bad, and the Vamps S&G cover is awesome.
This is a real rarity, a better album than a single chart. From Coldplay to Clapton to Petty to,,, Guetta? The album is two years old!!! Still there isn’t one, well maybe “X” but no more than one, bad album in the lot, and Ed is more disappointing than lousy.
This is the price of music overload: I know in theory both Hurray For The Riff Raff and Wreckless Eric are among the best albums of the year, I just can’t find the time to give them the attention they deserve, so they are relegated and filed away.
The Ed Sheeran album isn’t great but two songs on it are great, and the Bleachers album isn’t great either but “Roller Coaster” and “Leave Your Lover” are both such terrific songs they are gonna be duking it out for the rest of the year for supremacy round our way. I love one more, but the other one is better
Ed Sheeran’s fifth week at the top of the UK charts with an amazing 400K units moved and more power to him even if I don’t like the album as much as all those folks, the best moments have grown on me. By the way, quite why Dolly Paton called her new album and a greatest hits collection is well out of my pay bracket.
What is Halycon doing back on the charts? Those English are crazy. Also, Morrissey deserves to be number one, and I ashamed, yes shame on the English for letting Ed win the battle. Ed is a nice bloke but Moz is an institution.
Hip hop, R&B but also electronic dance music and beyond so what’s the problem exactly? Well it’s no mystery that the format ‘Urban’ has been associated with black music and 1Xtra is even described on its website as a ‘black music network’. Let’s be honest, urban is just a politically correct term for black music, and in this case the outrage sadly came from a racial point of view.
If Bey was a great artist, not a great person, but somebody who could delve deeply into the collective unconscious, like a Billie Holiday or an Etta James, she might deserve this regard. But she isn’t, as good as her last album was, what she is is the prancing self regard and low to the land swaggering woman who play acts a vicious robber and murderer. Is that what women want to be? I certainly hope not.
So, English rock bands, what’s the story? we haven’t gotten Kasabian yet which is bad, but we haven’t gotten one of the UK’s great rock bands Manic Street Preachers, and that’s worse. I once saw MSP from the fourth row of Jones Beach between Screaming Trees and Oasis, and of the three they came… what’s before first?
Three really good albums and boatloads of whatever with at least two serious dogs in the mix. Take it or leave it, I don’t care, I mean yeah Trey is # 1 but he only sold 105K so oh well whatever, right. I wonder how many of these albums will go, forget platinum, gold.
If I had more time to offer it the Ed Sheeran might prove to have depths that are lost on me right this moment, maybe three good song doesn’t not an album make. 5 Seconds of Summer got held off the top spot by Ed, so I’m shocked.And David Grant? Didn’t realize he was that big and this is a good album that might be great if I had the time to offer it
Na Na – Trey Songz – Very catchy sex song by a guy I once saw open for Mariah Marey, he sucked but man, the women in the audience could care. This is better than usual, a tricked out beat and a cute metaphor – B
Not bad right? Two years ago I was watching Ed Sheeran at the Mercury Lounge and now, holding tight to Taylor Swifts coattails, here we are. Sam smith was probably still a virgin two years ago and as for G. Easy? Man, he must have deep pockets, I bet it cost a coupla million on advertising to get him here. iIt must break down to $20 per sold CD!!!
No one shocked to see this list, though I wonder if Ed Sheeran can maintain. He is a huge star in the UK, and this is the best selling first week of the year so far, but there is only one “Thinking Out Loud Here”, and I wonder if it will be enough.
Gimme A Feelin’ – Ace Frehley – This is so over the top it is funny in a Kiss sort of way, a lambasting rifaramadingdong with a touch of Simpson’s like parody… not intentionally of course, “gimme a feelin’ because you’re on my mind…” I see, I’d love to be in the meeting where they brainstorm the lurics – C-
Fuego – Phish – here’s a switch up, their New years Eve run at MSG in December was a disappointment but this is as good as Phish has ever gotten on record, “Devotion To A Dream” is better than “Backwards Down the Number Line”. It’s like the Grateful Dead with jazz replacing country – A-
I am most excited for Marsha Ambrosius because I loved her last one so much (and she was fabulous live) so that’s my top pick, though A Sunny Day In Glasgow, Ed Sheeran, Move To Pain (just because Telefon Tel Aviv are such a great band), Phish because they record in the studio so rarely (though I bet it’s not on Spotify) and, ahem, Ed Sheeran.
The question is, are 5 Seconds Of Summer the next One Direction or the next the Wanted. The Australian boy band was not the world beater we expected, the EP didn’t stiff but you don’t hear much about it either and while a # 1 song in Ground Zero for 1D matters, 5SOS are not getting where they want to go.
Don’t – Ed Sheeran – I’ll believe most things given the opportunity, but Ed as a tousle headed ladies man, sleeping with a popular pop singer and writing songs about it? That’s pushing me to the outer limits of credibility. Maybe if he had sex appeal? – B-
Ella Henderson came in 6th in the 2012 UK X Factor contest, and so the eighteen year old went away for two years and returned with a new song that sold over 140,000 copies (in the UK, mind) and went straight to the top of the charts. That’s all I’m saying.
Just Snap Your Fingers – Marshall Crenshaw – The best song off Jaggedland is also a view of Crenshaw the lyricist the you don’t always hear: “You can count on my love till the ultimate end” is pop poetry of the first order – A
Marvel came first and then DC, but also Archie, Harvey, Mad Magazine and from their I graduated to an appetite for all things sci fi. So to connect the two was obvious though I have been beaten to it as the drawing illustrating this story attests in no uncertain terms.
Everything cools down to room temperature and therefore we are all gonna freeze to death when that happens to the sun. And the axiom is actually true of rock stars. Take a look at Pharrell Williams.
I love when Sheeran raps, and though he doesn’t quite get there in this tune, but gets really close. I love it. It has a definite Justin Timberlake-vibe, dancey and upbeat but complex and funky.
Produced by Pharrell Williams, this isn’t as good as the stuff on Pharrell’s new album and it isn’t as good as the stuff on Ed’s old album: handclapping, rapping, falsetto singing, synth lines by the dozens, typical lyric
I don’t know what is floating your boat in 2014, but I am eagerly awaiting the new Marla Mase and Kevin Jenkins. I’ve heard some of the new Marla Half Life dropping February and would be surprised if it doesn’t emerge as one of the best albums of 2014. Meanwhile, I’ve been busy cutting and pasting for you in 2014
