Mail Order Magic
| Mail Order Magic | ||||
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| Roger Chapman's studio album | ||||
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Publication |
September 1980 |
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| Label (s) | Line Records | |||
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Format (s) |
CD, LP |
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Title (number) |
10 |
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running time |
41:26 |
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| occupation |
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Paul Smykle, Terry Barham |
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Studio (s) |
Portland Studios, Pebble Beach Studios, Matrix Studios & Marquee Studios |
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Location (s) |
Portland, Pebble Beach and Matrix Studios |
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Mail Order Magic (German: "Magische Postbestellung") is Roger Chapman's second solo album . It was first published in Germany and the Netherlands in 1980. It wasn't until months later that Mail Order Magic was released in the UK, even though it was produced there. Like its predecessor, it was released under the Line Records label and belongs to the blues rock genre. The album was produced after a successful tour of Germany, the Netherlands (and a few gigs in England) and, after its release, promoted with a two-month tour of Germany in 1981.
| source | rating |
|---|---|
| Allmusic |
 
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Music genre
Mail Order Magic was well received by critics and fans with a rating of four and a half stars (out of a possible five). Chapman did not vary his music style as much as with his previous album Chappo , but stayed musically close to classic rock. Many pieces of music can be assigned to blues rock. This is all the more surprising because the Neue Deutsche Welle reached its peak in the early 1980s and punk spread all over the world. Punk scenes emerged not only in the countries of Western Europe, America and East Asia, but also in the socialist states of the Eastern Bloc and replaced classic rock.
The rocky, poppy opening piece Unknown Soldier is sung in typical Chapman style with an energetic voice, mostly screaming and with vibrato. It was released as a single. Although the song could not place itself in the charts, it remained an integral part of his live performances for years. He Was She Was is a mid-tempo blues rock song. Barman, the third track on the album, is a ballad that Chapman performs almost narrative with great dynamism. Right To Go is again a mid-tempo blues rock song arranged with simple riffs. Ducking Down and Making The Same Mistake are pieces of music held at a moderate tempo. While Ducking Down is based on classic rock harmonies, the triad . Another Little Hurt is a calmly performed piece of music with the piano as the supporting instrument. Mail Order Magic and Ground Floor stand out musically from all other songs. Mail Order Magic's guitar style and vocals clearly have funky influences. The title track of the album is about Aladdin's magic lamp that makes the impossible possible with magic spells and voodoo magic. The album cover takes up this statement again graphically. It shows a comic-style illustration of Aladdin, who literally captivates a woman with his magical power and makes her so dependent on whoever owns this magic lamp. The penultimate song Higher Ground is carried by a catchy riff and Chapman once again proves with his singing why he is nicknamed 'King of the Shouters'. In terms of content, the song deals with the constant behavior of humanity, whether they love each other, wage war or otherwise do evil. A sinner, from whose perspective the song is sung, has a second chance to return to earth after his death and to live godly. In his previous life he had led an unsteady sinful life ("I lived a whole world of sin") through God's second chance, with whose help he achieved redemption on a higher level ("Higher Ground").
I'm so glad that he let me try it again
'Cause my last time on earth I lived a whole world of sin
I'm so glad that I know more than I knew then
Gonna keep on tryin '
Till I reach my highest ground ... Whew!
Till I reach my highest ground
No one's gonna bring me down
Oh no
Till I reach my highest ground
Don't you let nobody bring you down (they'll sho 'nuff try)
God is gonna show you higher ground
He's the only friend you have around
[Roger Chapman, Higher Ground - 1980]
The last song Ground Floor is not only the shortest, but also the only piece of music that adapted to the sound of the eighties. Poli Palmer's synthesizer is the driving instrument here.
History of origin
The production of Mail Order Magic turned out to be extremely difficult. Despite positive reviews about his completed tour of England, Chapman had problems to gain a foothold in his home country. In addition, the English label "Human Records Limited", with which he had signed a contract, was facing bankruptcy. He was given a deadline to finish his album. Chapman, however, tried to upgrade his backing band "The Shortlist" with other first-class musicians and hired his former family colleague and King Crimson bassist John Wetton , as well as the former Jimi Hendrix drummer Mitch Mitchell . However, due to lack of capital, the songs could only be recorded in sessions in different studios. Eventually Paul Smykle and Terry Barham were hired to finish producing and mixing the album. Both gained experience as producers, cover designers and sound engineers with David Bowie , Ultravox and above all with Bob Marley . Given these circumstances, the result can only be rated as fantastic, according to music critic Patrick Little. This album is the most convincing and most powerful of his career.
Track list
- Unknown Soldier (Can't Get To Heaven) (Chapman) - 3:44
- He Was She Was (Whitehorn / Chapman) - 4:48
- Barman (Palmer / Chapman) - 5:24
- Right To Go (Chapman) - 4:05
- Ducking Down (Whitehorn / Chapman) - 3:53
- Making The Same Mistake (Whitehorn / Chapman) - 4:58
- Another Little Hurt (Chapman / Hinkley) - 3:53
- Mail Order Magic (Chapman) - 4:26
- Higher Ground (Palmer / Chapman) - 4:15
- Ground Floor (Palmer / Chapman) - 1:56
Individual evidence
- ^ Roger Chapman And The Shortlist - Mail Order Magic. Retrieved March 16, 2019 .
- ^ Roger Chapman - Mail Order Magic. Retrieved March 14, 2019 .
- ↑ Mail Order Magic - Roger Chapman | Songs, reviews, credits. Retrieved March 14, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ fbandstand: Roger Chapman | FamilyBandstand. April 4, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Mail Order Magic - Roger Chapman | Songs, reviews, credits. Retrieved March 16, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Noël Bonhomme, Emmanuel Mourlon-Druol: Institutionalizing Trust? Regular Summitry (G7s and European Councils) from the Mid-1970s until the Mid-1980s . In: Trust, but Verify . Stanford University Press, 2016, ISBN 978-0-8047-9809-9 .
- ^ Roger Chapman and the Shortlist Tour Statistics | setlist.fm. Retrieved March 16, 2019 .
- ^ Label: Camera Records - Rate Your Music. Retrieved March 14, 2019 .
- ↑ Terry Barham | Credits. Retrieved March 16, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Paul "Groucho" Smykle | Credits. Retrieved March 16, 2019 (American English).
- ↑ Mail Order Magic - Roger Chapman | Songs, reviews, credits. Retrieved March 16, 2019 (American English).
Web links
- Mail Order Magic at Allmusic (English)
- Flash lyric Roger Chapman