Roy Wood exemplifies the crazy guy with the long hair and the beard, and if anyone was ever going to make an album like Boulders, it would be him. Boulders is the ultimate eclectic album; it is full of quirky, humorous lyrics, catchy tunes, and interesting genres from gospel to '50s rock. What's more, Wood played every instrument on the album (including overdubbed vocals for all of the harmonies). From drums to cellos and everything in between, Boulders demonstrates Woods mastery of music.
A quick history lesson for you: Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne were band mates in a band called The Move and in a band called Electric Light Orchestra (you may have heard of them). After ELO's first album, Wood left the band and left Jeff Lynne in charge, where he was able to display his talents as producer, composer, and hit-song writer (if you've never heard ELO, here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2ds8tCtomQ). If you have ever wonder where Lynne got his skills, its Wood, and Boulders demonstrates that.
Tangent aside, the songs on Boulder are great. Songs of Praise kicks it off. As Wood says in the song, "I just wrote a gospel/Feeling mighty good today." The song isn't necessarily a song of praise to God or anything like that: it's more Wood's appreciation joy for life. You can here the thrill in his voice when he is singing. That emotion comes across and smacks a smile right on your face.
Apart from the fairly traditional instrumentation on Song of Praise, many of the songs on Boulders have a very unique sound due to Wood's strange taste. Wake Up, for example, has a main percussion line carried by slapping sound. Upon careful examination, this turns out to be Wood slapping at a bowl of water. When Grann'ma Plays the Banjo is a banjo song. Plain and simple. In this song, Wood tells the story of a grandma who, similar to the Who's "pinball wizard," displays an unlikely talent: she can play a mean banjo. I personally love a bit of the song where the grandma's son/grandson comes in to play a solo, and is booed off the stage for his awful performance.
The album does not really have any low points. My Dear Elaine is the slowest feeling song on the album, and leaves a bit to be desired. The lyrics lack the brevity of some songs, the vocalization lacks the emotion of others, and overall, the song feels less like a masterpiece than the rest of Boulders.
That all feels a bit nit-picky, though. As a whole, Boulders just works. Nothing is traditional, and everything has Wood written all over it. Nancy Sing Me a Song, for example, has the best sing along moment of the entire album, where Wood absurdly proclaims, "Nancy, Nancy, sing me a song/Something to make my hair grow long!" Who would think of that besides Wood? Miss Clarke and the Computer is another example of Wood's creativity. This song is a love song from a computer to a woman, and it may be one of the creepiest, saddest songs I have ever heard. When the computer cries out in a deep, voice-altered din, "Miss Clarke, Miss Clarke/Don't take my heart away!" as he is being shut down down for the final time, I get goosebumps.
Finally, Wood demonstrates his range in the song Rock Medley, a seven minute mash-up of three traditional-sounding rock songs. The final piece of this medley, Locomotive, will have you on your feet doing the twist in no time.
Listen to this album. That's the long and short of it. Wood does what he wants, when he wants it on Boulders, and I'm perfectly fine with that. He knows what he's doing. That is why Boulders rated this:
Originality: 10/10
Artistic Quality: 8/10
Listenablity: 9/10
Overall: 27/30
