Product Description

Formed in 1980 by teenage Glaswegian Roddy Frame, Aztec Camera captivated the UK music scene with their delightful 1983debut album, HIGH LAND, HARD RAIN. Released after a string of singles and compilation tracks on obscure labels like Postcard and Les Disques du Crepuscule, HIGH LAND, HARD RAIN seemed to come out of nowhere, completely at odds with the synthesizers and haute couture then prevalent in the British charts.
Strumming a completely unfashionable acoustic guitar and dressed down in similarly unpretentious clothes, the 18-year-old Frame delivered his heartfelt songs with a charming lack of guile and sincere, boyish enthusiasm. Filled withremarkable, captivating songs, including the singles "Oblivious" and "Walk Out to Winter" as well as the stirring "We Could Send Letters" and the hyperactive "The Boy Wonders", HIGH LAND, HARD RAIN is a timeless pop classic.

Track Listing

1. Oblivious
2. Boy Wonders
3. Walk Out To Winter
4. Bugle Sounds Again
5. We Could Send Letters
6. Pillar To Post
7. Release
8. Lost Outside The Tunnel
9. Back On Board
10. Down The Dip
11. Haywire
12. Orchid Girl
13. Queen's Tattoo

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6786 in Music
• Released on: 1993-09-06
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Roddy Frame was slightly ahead of his time. In 1983, when he wrote, arranged and--with the help of his band, Aztec Camera--recorded High Land, Hard Rain, he was just 19 years old; and Britpop, the genre Aztec Camera in part inspired, wouldn't become popular for another decade. There is certainly more to High Land, Hard Rain than Britpop, however. Frame, a stellar acoustic guitar strummer, fills the 13 songs with jazz chords, and Aztec Camera's grooves foreshadow British jazz popsters the Style Council and Everything But the Girl. Whether making you dance ("Oblivious", "Queen's Tattoos") or reflect ("The Bugle Sounds Again", "We Could Send Letters"), Frame proves a master craftsman. A bonus tip: the sing-songy "Walk Out to Winter" is a fine addition to any holiday mix. --Bill Crandall

Customer Reviews

Quietly Outstanding
Roddy Frame has released some excellent albums and singles over the years, but this little masterpiece may well be his career highlight - all the more amazing when you consider that he was only 19 when the album was released.

It still sounds great today - minor quibbles over some dated 1980s production touches aside - and heralded the arrival of one of the most literate and thoughtful songwriters of the post punk period. Frame's remarkable maturity and guitar virtuosity appear to best effect on the highlights - Oblivious, We Could Send Letters and, best of all, Walk Out to Winter - but the rest of the album suffers little in comparison.

A great purchase - and one you'll always want to dip into.

This album has changed my entire life!!
Well, I'm a 30-something Asian musician,guitarist and song-writer.By the time highland,hardrain came outI was a captain of my school football team.I've never intersested in any kind of music before.I've heard dylan,the beatles,and the velvets etc.from my parents but That was about it.I do remember the first time I've heard "oblivious"on radio.I was absolutely blown away.by the freshness of their sounds plus Roddy frame's naively lost-little-boy vocal.and inevitably his brilliance guitar skills I went to the recordshop the next day to buy this album..I've discovered shortly after that.That he was just 17 or something??And me and him havehad the similarmusical heroes such as Mick jones,dylan and Lou reed.and also I was well surprised by his world-weary point of view and poetic lyrics too.After the whole listening I've retired myself from the football team.and started practicing some tunes on my guitarinstead.eventhough I've been listening to loads great bands until to day,My latest favourite are new tarlents like bloc party,babyshambles,the departure or stuff like that.but none of them are touching me deeply in the heart like Aztec camera did back in those days.tracks like walk out to winter are the pecfect ost.for you-and-yer-Missus holiday by the sea.meanwhile song like we could send letter is some kind of nostalgic heart-felt ballado.Which reminded you of your first kiss at yer scoutday summer camp's campfire.and tunes like The bugle sounds again and Release has portrayed Roddy frame's self-doutbe and Imperfection side.and Back on board and down the dip could easily sung by Bob dylan himeself If he was born and raise in Killburn bride In Glasglow.He has shown me a new perspective of Popular music back the era of O.m.d and a flock of seagulls.He was like a breath of fresh air to me.and for me Roddy is god not Clapton!!.

brilliant
roddy frame and aztec camera at their best. it still sounds fresh after all these years. awesome.