above us only sky
CONNEMARA
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Thursday, 28 April 2011
DUBNOBASSWITHMYHEADMAN: UNDERWORLD..................................
MMMMMM SURFER ROSA: MMMMMM PIXIES
The Pixies "Surfer Rosa" is an amazing experience. This 1988 album is a superb mix of brilliant songwriting, insane lyrics, abrasive guitars and stunning melody. Many of the songs are brutal, with heavily distorted guitars and strange lyrics about incest and injury, yet they are often quite catchy and melodic. This single album influenced more bands than any other album of the late 80s. But none of them can ever even hope of making something even half as brilliant as Surfer Rosa.
The first song, "Bone Machine" is a classic. It's the quintessential Pixies song. Also, listen to it and you'll realize how much they influenced Nirvana. "Break My Body" and "Something Against You" are fast and furious, "Broken Face" is one the best Pixies songs. "Gigantic" is haunting and beautiful, with thunderous guitars and drums swirling around Kim Deal's lone bass and beautiful voice. "River Euphrates" is all about melody, and it is excellent.
"Where is my Mind?" is the climax of the album, and possibly the best song made in the 80s. It is chillingly beautiful and unforgettable. If you haven't heard it, it's the song used over the credits at the end of Fight Club (great movie). "Cactus" is different, and "Tony's Theme" rocks. Although the last four songs don't seem quite as focused, they are still excellent.
The first song, "Bone Machine" is a classic. It's the quintessential Pixies song. Also, listen to it and you'll realize how much they influenced Nirvana. "Break My Body" and "Something Against You" are fast and furious, "Broken Face" is one the best Pixies songs. "Gigantic" is haunting and beautiful, with thunderous guitars and drums swirling around Kim Deal's lone bass and beautiful voice. "River Euphrates" is all about melody, and it is excellent.
"Where is my Mind?" is the climax of the album, and possibly the best song made in the 80s. It is chillingly beautiful and unforgettable. If you haven't heard it, it's the song used over the credits at the end of Fight Club (great movie). "Cactus" is different, and "Tony's Theme" rocks. Although the last four songs don't seem quite as focused, they are still excellent.
To close, Surfer Rosa is one of those timeless, brilliant rock albums that everyone should own. What are you waiting for? The NINJA
WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER : OASIS...............................................
This is the debut album from another great manchester band. I know it seems odd how one city can produce so many top flight bands, it must be something to do with the dark satanic mills, oh and the rain. Joking apart OASIS came up with a cracker with this. DEFINITELY MAYBE is a feel good album from start to finish. I could never understand why it didnt go meltdown in the USA maybe the hype surrounding the band turned the listening public off, I dunno but who wants to live forever? I personally think they never sounded as vital as this again. Go and buy this you will be surprised how much it ROCKS
BIRDSONG A BOOK TO READ BEFORE YOU DIE...............................
Birdsong, by Sebastian Faulks, is as good a book as I've ever read. It's imagery is most stunning and so real, I found myself thinking that I had seen the unmade movie some weeks after having finished the book.
It begins with an offbeat love story - no mush - that is captivating even for one who doesn't read romance novels.
When the war scenes begin, you are initially upset that the romance portion has ended. But this is the heart of the book. To give too many details would be a disservice to potential readers. I can say, however, that the graphic descriptions of bunker life have you wondering just how much the human mind and body can endure.
The characters are very real and you certainly feel, while reading, that you are indeed Stephen Wraysford, the central character.
You feel pleasure, joy, horror and revolt as surely as if you were within the pages. At one point, I felt the physical sensation of touch, as Stephen was experiencing a particularly wrenching moment.
When this book is over, you are upset. You want it to last longer. You never want it to end!
This is an important and brilliant novel. Truly a masterpiece. Those to whom I have recommended this book have all started with a skepticism. Surely I was raving. Each has thanked me and echoed my enthusiasm.
It begins with an offbeat love story - no mush - that is captivating even for one who doesn't read romance novels.
When the war scenes begin, you are initially upset that the romance portion has ended. But this is the heart of the book. To give too many details would be a disservice to potential readers. I can say, however, that the graphic descriptions of bunker life have you wondering just how much the human mind and body can endure.
The characters are very real and you certainly feel, while reading, that you are indeed Stephen Wraysford, the central character.
You feel pleasure, joy, horror and revolt as surely as if you were within the pages. At one point, I felt the physical sensation of touch, as Stephen was experiencing a particularly wrenching moment.
When this book is over, you are upset. You want it to last longer. You never want it to end!
This is an important and brilliant novel. Truly a masterpiece. Those to whom I have recommended this book have all started with a skepticism. Surely I was raving. Each has thanked me and echoed my enthusiasm.
To sum up the entire book in 2 words I would proclaim loud and strong "READ THIS!" Andy Capaloff.
WORD OF MOUTH: VERY BEST OF JOHN COOPER CLARKE.......................
John Cooper Clarke was part of the last great eruption of brilliance in British music, circa 1976 - 1980. The big front end that touched America was the Pistols, Clash, Costello, Pretenders, but behind the more popular faces of British punk/independent were all kinds of one-of-a-kinds like Ian Dury, X-Ray Spex, Stranglers, Jilted John and John Cooper Clarke. John Cooper Clarke came on like a punk/electronic poet with a Dylan circa BlondonBlond era hairdo & shades. He never hit as big in Britain as other lyrical geniuses like Costello and Dury, perhaps because he was wierder, more psychedelic and also more street. Elvis Costello has written a glowing review of Clarke here on Amazon, so he is obviously a fan. Including JCC's "Chickentown" on one of the last Sopranos episodes may ignite more American interest; it's well deserved. Beasley Street, Cycle Sluts, Chickentown, there's no-one else who rhymes quite like JCC on these gems. JCC was streets ahead of the "Streets" way back in '79. Just buy this, you won't be sorry. Michael C Stephens. This has got real Mancunian muck under its fingernails by the bard of Salford himself JOHN COOPER CLARKE.
PABLO HONEY...RADIOHEAD
Debut albums can be either awesome or slow burners. This one is a slow burner that rewards the patient listener with the sounds of a truly great rock band finding their way. Ok its got CREEP on it which RADIOHEAD thought at the time it might do them long term harm but it didn't because its a great tune. I have followed the progress of RADIOHEAD from the beginning and they have gone on to make some truly remarkable music. I think this is a great introduction to this very innovative band
AND THE GODS MADE LOVE, WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM JIMI HENDRIX
After decades of listening to literally thousands of records and CDs, "Electric Ladyland" still holds a strong position in my list of top 5 recordings of all time. After two landmark albums of the psychedelic era, Hendrix reaches new heights of creativity in the incredible "double LP" release. The long version of Voodoo Chile, which features Steve Winwood and Jack Cassidy (bassist from the Jefferson Airplane), is one of the best hard blues jams of all time. Following a set of shorter titles, including the superb "Gypsy Eyes" and "Burning the Midnight Lamp", you are presented with another great blues jam --- "Rainy Day, Dream Away". Now that Jimi has your blood really flowing, he soothes you back to earth with the dreamy combination of "1983" and "Moon, Turn the Tides". You then soar back up with four more acid rock masterpieces, including the famous Hendrix cover of Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower". If you do not own any Hendrix albums, this is absolutely the one to get! You will not be disappointed. Kevin Carswell.
THE FAB FOUR STILL THE GREATEST BAND OF ALL TIME..............
Revolver wouldn't remain the Beatles' most ambitious LP for long, but many fans--including this one--remember it as their best. An object lesson in fitting great songwriting into experimental production and genre play, this is also a record whose influence extends far beyond mere they-was-the-greatest cheerleading. Putting McCartney's more traditionally melodic "Here, There and Everywhere" and "For No One" alongside Lennon's direct-hit sneering ("Dr. Robert") and dreamscapes ("I'm Only Sleeping," "Tomorrow Never Knows") and Harrison's peaking wit ("Taxman") was as conceptually brilliant as anything Sgt. Pepper attempted, and more subtly fulfilling. A must. --Rickey Wright I think Rickey is spot on with his review of this fantastic BEATLES album, it really has stood the test of time.
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
PERE UBU FOR BEGINNERS AND LOVERS.......................
Pere Ubu are a great band. Truly. They are also out in the lunatic fringe of sound that probably would turn off listeners who prefer more conventional stuff.
That said, this album is a good cross-section of their early work (1975-80) and is a nice way for people to get a sense of Pere Ubu without diving headlong into "The Modern Dance" or "Dub Housing." The tracks they have on this one are more accessible to a casual listener, which is good and bad (good in that it gets people to listen to them, bad in that they don't entirely do the band justice).
My favorite tracks on this are (of course) the haunting "30 Seconds Over Tokyo," "Final Solution," and "Heart of Darkness." I like "Cloud 149" and "My Dark Ages" as well, but not as much as these first three tracks. Earlier version of later works "Untitled" (later the much-superior "The Modern Dance") and "Humor Me" are interesting snapshots of the band, which is always in transition, anyway.
"The Book Is On The Table" is fun, but seems sort of self-consciously so, which weakens its impact, given what Pere Ubu is capable of. The reggae beat of "Heaven" (coupled with the lurking Ubu feedback buzz, surfacing rhythmically like a shark) is entertaining.
Anyway, if you want to hear for yourself what all the noise about Pere Ubu is about, but are leery of getting more than your feet wet, then this is worth your time. If you find you like it, then definitely go for "The Modern Dance" and "Dub Housing" and you'll never look back.Daibhidh
That said, this album is a good cross-section of their early work (1975-80) and is a nice way for people to get a sense of Pere Ubu without diving headlong into "The Modern Dance" or "Dub Housing." The tracks they have on this one are more accessible to a casual listener, which is good and bad (good in that it gets people to listen to them, bad in that they don't entirely do the band justice).
My favorite tracks on this are (of course) the haunting "30 Seconds Over Tokyo," "Final Solution," and "Heart of Darkness." I like "Cloud 149" and "My Dark Ages" as well, but not as much as these first three tracks. Earlier version of later works "Untitled" (later the much-superior "The Modern Dance") and "Humor Me" are interesting snapshots of the band, which is always in transition, anyway.
"The Book Is On The Table" is fun, but seems sort of self-consciously so, which weakens its impact, given what Pere Ubu is capable of. The reggae beat of "Heaven" (coupled with the lurking Ubu feedback buzz, surfacing rhythmically like a shark) is entertaining.
Anyway, if you want to hear for yourself what all the noise about Pere Ubu is about, but are leery of getting more than your feet wet, then this is worth your time. If you find you like it, then definitely go for "The Modern Dance" and "Dub Housing" and you'll never look back.Daibhidh
NEBRASKA SPRINGSTEENS MOST INTIMATE ALBUM................
One of the truly great pieces of Art in American recording history, NEBRASKA explores the dark stories of the characters who chose to take to the road in THE RIVER.
They hit middle America and go crazy. Simple as that.
These are stories of killers and cops, truck drivers and, frankly, people who have been driven to such a degree that they can no longer find their way through the comprimises and grey areas that they find themselves swimming in.
I've always been fascinated by Springsteen's phrasing on NEBRASKA. "Me and her went for a ride, sir." There's always that "sir," or "mister," and the wording is sparse. To me, these songs sound like death row confessions.
To me, "Atlantic City" ranks as one of Springsteen's finest moment, a tough-as-nails story of a man comprimising his own morals/ethics in order to get himself and his wife out of a dying town--and considering the unimaginable in order to finance their escape. But he still needs to console himself, rationalize his decision, before he can live with it:
"I've been looking for a job but it's hard to find. Down here it's just winners and losers, and don't get caught on the wrong side of that line. Well, I'm tired of coming out on this losing end. So honey last night I met this guy and I'm gonna do a little favor for him...but I guess everything dies baby, that's a fact, but maybe everything that dies one day comes back..."
NEBRASKA is not a fun-time party album. It's dangerous to listen to it in your car at 3 a.m.. But it is a piece of perfection, a story of the cultural decay Springsteen and his characters found in the USA in 1982, stories of desperate people in bad situations. It is a record that will be just as vital and important in 100 years as it was upon it's release.
They hit middle America and go crazy. Simple as that.
These are stories of killers and cops, truck drivers and, frankly, people who have been driven to such a degree that they can no longer find their way through the comprimises and grey areas that they find themselves swimming in.
I've always been fascinated by Springsteen's phrasing on NEBRASKA. "Me and her went for a ride, sir." There's always that "sir," or "mister," and the wording is sparse. To me, these songs sound like death row confessions.
To me, "Atlantic City" ranks as one of Springsteen's finest moment, a tough-as-nails story of a man comprimising his own morals/ethics in order to get himself and his wife out of a dying town--and considering the unimaginable in order to finance their escape. But he still needs to console himself, rationalize his decision, before he can live with it:
"I've been looking for a job but it's hard to find. Down here it's just winners and losers, and don't get caught on the wrong side of that line. Well, I'm tired of coming out on this losing end. So honey last night I met this guy and I'm gonna do a little favor for him...but I guess everything dies baby, that's a fact, but maybe everything that dies one day comes back..."
NEBRASKA is not a fun-time party album. It's dangerous to listen to it in your car at 3 a.m.. But it is a piece of perfection, a story of the cultural decay Springsteen and his characters found in the USA in 1982, stories of desperate people in bad situations. It is a record that will be just as vital and important in 100 years as it was upon it's release.
NEBRASKA is true Art of the highest order. David Bradley. This a truly fantastic album one of the bosses best
OH BONDAGE UP YOURS....................................
Punk, in its classic Brit manifestation, doesn't get any better than this. Powerhouse guitars and strong hooks galore, of course. But what makes this album a masterpiece is Polly Styrene's lyrics -- there's more telling commentary on the dehumanizing aspects of modern civilization in any randomly selected verse of hers than in the entire oeuvre of Roger Waters (and ten times as much humor). And she sings like a human howitzer. The influential critic Greil Marcus once listed this as the greatest record of all time, period; that's not an unreasonable opinion. So buy it!. Eric M VAN. I just thought I would slip this one in. In memory of POLY STYRENE God bless her she was a star and will be sadly missed
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
ANOTHER GREEN WORLD BY BRIAN ENO
In an interview ten years after the release of his acknowledged 1975 masterpiece ANOTHER GREEN WORLD, Brian Eno said, "I want the music to be as much as possible a continuous condition of the environment...in the same way as a painting is." This goes a long way toward explaining Eno's approach to music, where tone and texture take precedence over lyrics and melody. These are not so much songs as they are ambient sound paintings. Even on songs like "I'll Come Running", which seems to follow a conventional song structure, there is an ethereal beauty about it.
Even on the songs where Eno includes lyrics, they seem to be there not so much for meaning, but for the images they conjure. Consider these lines from "St. Elmo's Fire": "Then we rested in the desert/ Where the bones were white as teeth, sir/ And we saw St. Elmo's Fire / Splitting ions in the ether." In fact, in the Lyrics to "Sky Saw," Eno seems to be saying the words really aren't that important since most people don't pay any attention to them: " All the clouds turn to words / All the words float in sequence / No one knows what they mean / Everyone just ignores them." Besides, only five of the tracks include vocals; the remainder are instrumentals.
Several tracks are less than two minutes ("Over Fire Island," "Little Fishes" and the title track), but the longest track--the vocal "Everything Merges with the Night"--is just barely over four minutes. While the opening track ("Sky Saw") is a gritty guitar-driven song, the rest of the album has a gentle, lush quality. Eno is joined on some tracks by John Cale, Phil Collins and Robert Fripp, as well as a handful of other musicians. If you're new to the music to Brian Eno, this is the place to start. ESSENTIAL. Steve Vrana a great review.
Even on the songs where Eno includes lyrics, they seem to be there not so much for meaning, but for the images they conjure. Consider these lines from "St. Elmo's Fire": "Then we rested in the desert/ Where the bones were white as teeth, sir/ And we saw St. Elmo's Fire / Splitting ions in the ether." In fact, in the Lyrics to "Sky Saw," Eno seems to be saying the words really aren't that important since most people don't pay any attention to them: " All the clouds turn to words / All the words float in sequence / No one knows what they mean / Everyone just ignores them." Besides, only five of the tracks include vocals; the remainder are instrumentals.
Several tracks are less than two minutes ("Over Fire Island," "Little Fishes" and the title track), but the longest track--the vocal "Everything Merges with the Night"--is just barely over four minutes. While the opening track ("Sky Saw") is a gritty guitar-driven song, the rest of the album has a gentle, lush quality. Eno is joined on some tracks by John Cale, Phil Collins and Robert Fripp, as well as a handful of other musicians. If you're new to the music to Brian Eno, this is the place to start. ESSENTIAL. Steve Vrana a great review.
BLOOD ON THE TRACKS, STEALS THE SHOW...................
Over 10 years after the release of such acclaimed works such as 'Highway 61 Revisited" and "Blonde on Blonde," Bob Dylan once again reclaimed his throne as the poet laureate of rock and roll with "Blood on the Tracks." It was the crowning jewel of a major commercial and artistic comeback hinted by the hugely successful (though somewhat uneven)
"Planet Waves."
Inspired by his disintegrating marriage to Sara Lowndes, "Blood on the Tracks" is Dylan at his most honest and vulnerable. The gripping characters and vivid imagery that painted his most beloved works of the 1960s', but in a much more mature and accessible manner that makes "Blood on the Tracks" Dylan's most beloved and indispensable work to date.
Very rarely has there been a record where ever song is as perfect as the last. There is not a single bad line or gratuitous instrumental break that detracts from the quality. Even the lengthy "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" is a precise, cohesive tale despite its obtuse lyrical premise. Even a standard blues number like "Meet Me in the Morning" becomes far more special with the amount of soul Bob puts into it. "You're a Big Girl Now" and "If You See Her. Say Hello" have the best vocals Bob has ever layed down on record. While never a traditionally great singer, Dylan was certainly at his peak here, and the phrasing and emotion he pours into these song shatter notions he can't sing properly.
"Tangled Up in Blue," Shelter from the Storm," and "Simple Twist of Fate" remain the album's best known, "Tangled" in particular reaching the same fabled heights of "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Blowin' in the Wind." It houses one of his best vocals and most intriguing stories, a tangled, cryptic web of a couple whose paths intercross when they least expect it. "Simple Twist" is a heartbreakingly beautiful tale of missed opportunity, and "Shelter" is a bittersweet reflection. The closing "Buckets of Rain" tugs at the heartstrings" like no other song Dylan has ever written. The only song that stands out in a negative way is "Idiot Wind," which is lyrically as good any track on the album (or any Dylan song for that matter) but the album arrangement suffers from a flat arrangement that lacks the bite to make such an angry song come alive. Both the quiet, eerie acoustic version from the Bootleg Series and the raging live performance of "Hard Rain" blow it out of the water.
The sound quality on the remastered edition is absolutely terrific. "Blood on the Tracks" is an essential record from one of rock's most important voices. Anthony Nasti Tony
"Planet Waves."
Inspired by his disintegrating marriage to Sara Lowndes, "Blood on the Tracks" is Dylan at his most honest and vulnerable. The gripping characters and vivid imagery that painted his most beloved works of the 1960s', but in a much more mature and accessible manner that makes "Blood on the Tracks" Dylan's most beloved and indispensable work to date.
Very rarely has there been a record where ever song is as perfect as the last. There is not a single bad line or gratuitous instrumental break that detracts from the quality. Even the lengthy "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" is a precise, cohesive tale despite its obtuse lyrical premise. Even a standard blues number like "Meet Me in the Morning" becomes far more special with the amount of soul Bob puts into it. "You're a Big Girl Now" and "If You See Her. Say Hello" have the best vocals Bob has ever layed down on record. While never a traditionally great singer, Dylan was certainly at his peak here, and the phrasing and emotion he pours into these song shatter notions he can't sing properly.
"Tangled Up in Blue," Shelter from the Storm," and "Simple Twist of Fate" remain the album's best known, "Tangled" in particular reaching the same fabled heights of "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Blowin' in the Wind." It houses one of his best vocals and most intriguing stories, a tangled, cryptic web of a couple whose paths intercross when they least expect it. "Simple Twist" is a heartbreakingly beautiful tale of missed opportunity, and "Shelter" is a bittersweet reflection. The closing "Buckets of Rain" tugs at the heartstrings" like no other song Dylan has ever written. The only song that stands out in a negative way is "Idiot Wind," which is lyrically as good any track on the album (or any Dylan song for that matter) but the album arrangement suffers from a flat arrangement that lacks the bite to make such an angry song come alive. Both the quiet, eerie acoustic version from the Bootleg Series and the raging live performance of "Hard Rain" blow it out of the water.
The sound quality on the remastered edition is absolutely terrific. "Blood on the Tracks" is an essential record from one of rock's most important voices. Anthony Nasti Tony
Friday, 22 April 2011
NO MEAN CITY
No book is more associated with the city of Glasgow than No Mean City. First published in 1935, it is the story of Johnnie Stark, son of a violent father and a downtrodden mother, the 'Razor King' of Glasgow's pre-war slum underworld, the Gorbals. The savage, near-truth descriptions, the raw character portrayals, bring to life a story that is fascinating, authentic and convincing. A great read from start to finish. All about life in the mean streets of GLASGOW, SCOTLAND
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
"You! You're losing! you're losing! you're losing! You're losing your VITAMIN C!"
West German experimental Krautrock band Can were best known for their tracks "I Want More", "Vitamin C" and "Spoon". Their albums Ege Bamyasi and Tago Mago are cited as influential by a long list of artists, including David Bowie and Talking Heads. More recently their echoes can be heard in the works of Primal Scream and Gorillaz. This is a very interesting record, who would have thought a German underground music group would have have made EGE BAMYASI. It still sounds fresh today and if you listen carefully you will hear all the artists who have been influenced by this record. Parts of it remind me of the HAPPY MONDAYS, weird I know. Definitely an album to savior over the barbecue season.
ON THE BEACH WITH NEIL YOUNG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sparse, underproduced, and at times downright dour, On the Beach was Neil Young's first studio album after Harvest had transformed him into a mainstream superstar two years before. It was a career move akin to "pissin' in the wind," as the artist himself describes life on one of the album's most famous lines. Young had already recorded the harrowingTonight's the Night, his indictment of '60s drug culture and the damage done, but his label rejected it as too abrasive. So the artist gave them this instead. Less mournful but still haunting, the album is basically Young's rejection of rock stardom and what had become of the counterculture, covering a range of subjects, including Richard Nixon and Patty Hearst (the epic "Ambulance Blues"), his affair with actress Carrie Snodgrass ("Motion Pictures"), and, most famously, years before it became "chic" to do so, Charles Manson (the rocking "Revolution Blues"). "Vampire Blues," meanwhile, seemed to be about all those topics, as well as Young himself. Full of despair and little hope, On the Beach would nevertheless eventually come to be reappraised as a rock culture masterpiece. --Bill Holdship. One of the best neil young albums
THE HOLY BIBLE EXPLODES.....................
Coleen frankie-machine writes-One of the greatest recordings of the 1990's...this album affected me the same way the first Clash album did. EVERY song is a killer! However, this does not sound like the Clash, except it is influenced by them - it is much darker than the Clash - lyrically, more like Joy Division, VERY dark. And the JD comparisons don't end there. JD's lyricist, Ian Curtis, hung himself right after recording the band's epic, "Closer". MSP's co-lyricist (with Nicky Wire), Richey James Edwards, went missing and still hasn't been found (in fact, has been declared dead) after this album was released. Listening to the lyrics, it's not surprising. But the album is somehow uplifting, too, with James Dean Bradfield's powerful vocals and surging melodies. This album truly is a classic! Check it out! You'll probably wear it out. I agree, I like to put this album on before I go on a night out. After listening to this I can put up with any crap muzak in bars I might hear, because this will still be rattling around my head until I get home.
MY FAVOURITE REM ALBUM
If you read the critics, they cite Murmur or Document as REM's best albums. But this is one of the few times that the critics are absolutely wrong. There is no question that Murmur is a great album, but it is not as accessible as Pagent. And by the time Document came out REM's sound had become very commercial. But Pagent lies in that wonderful but exceedingly rare territory where songs are richly textured and complex but highly accessible. Very few bands have ever been able to pull this combination off. This combination of complexity plus accessibility make it an album that can be listened to over and over. I think its the only album I own that I've listened to over 100 times, and still find fresh. That's why I rate it my favorite album, and the most underrated album I know of. Thank you Jerayr Haleblian I could not have put it better myself. THIS IS A TRULY BEAUTIFUL ALBUM. I know everybody has a favourite REM album, and sure this is mine. Its just so cuddly
I WANNA BE ADORED...YES TRULY I DO ha HA ha HA ha HA
Manchester band the Stone Roses are partly responsible for the media renaming their home city "Madchester" in the late 80s/early 90s. Along with the Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets and the rave and acid-house scenes promoted by the Haçienda nightclub, the hype surrounding the Stone Roses' breakthrough brought the UK music media to England's north-west in droves. I just looked this up on AMAZON and surprisingly there are no reviews of this mighty fine album? Maybe that's because it didn't take off in the USA? Anyway this is the real deal. NME voted it the best album of all time? I personally think its a great album, and its got the super funky FOOLS GOLD on it which is a classic.
DIP YOUR TOE INTO THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF LEONARD COHEN
This is the legendary debut. The lilting poetry of Suzanne lures the listener into Cohen's world of spiritual and romantic yearning while introducing the essence of his sound: a deep monotone framed by sublime female backing vocals over simple but engaging melodies. A truly wonderful debut album, songs that will pull on your heart strings for years to come, pulling you this way and that way. it contains SO LONG MARIANNE I dare you not to sing along to this if you can. I personally find it impossible...
ELECTRIC WARRIOR.. STILL ROCKS..T.REX..MARC BOLAN..
This is one of the first albums I ever bought and I still love it. You get remastered versions of the eleven songs on the original album, plus a number of extras: All of the non-album UK/US singles and B-sides that were released in 1971, a previously unissued acoustic version of "Planet Queen," a nearly 20-minute interview with Marc Bolan, the cardboard digi-pak maintains the look of the original release (lyrics of all songs--including the bonus tracks. Its amazing to think that back in 1971 when this was released T.REX mania was at its peak and every one went around with corkscrew hair.
BEST BOB DYLAN ALBUM EVER ? BLONDE ON BLONDE?
What would you have to be to be the best album of all-time...
Well, you'd have to have lines like "the ghost of 'lectricity howls in the bones of her face...". You'd have to be "that thin, that wild mercury sound". And? Well, obviously, it's a wholly subjective thing. But you'd have to be an album to last forever, to constantly sound fresh and exciting, to provide more defining moments in music than any other...In short, you'd have to be 'Blonde On Blonde'. By Bob Dylan. This is my favourite quote by MARTIN DAWSON about BOB DYLANS BLONDE ON BLONDE a truly fitting tribute to a fantastic record. I remember the first time I heard this, A mate and I went wild camping in the mountains in SNOWDONIA in WALES, and I remember listening to this on a little ghetto blaster we had for these camping expeditions. This must have been about 1995 and I loved how fresh it sounded. My favourite song is SAD EYED LADY OF THE LOWLANDS. This is a remarkable record for its time and DYLAN was in his prime. This another album any half decent collection will contain. Go and buy and enjoy.....
LOVE....... FOREVER CHANGES
Psychedelic folk-rock band Love were formed by enigmatic singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Arthur Lee when he was just 20 years old. Wow and what a great album forever changes is, This is another desert island disc, which I can never be without its just a beautiful piece of work. Well recommended.
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
STRANGEWAYS HERE WE COME
One of the most influential bands to ever come out of the uk, indeed anywhere THE SMITHS. I remember the first time I heard the name, I thought WOW whats that all about, then I heard them I was totally blown away. Everybody should have at least one SMITHS album to love and cherish. If you are new to THE SMITHS I would recommend LOUDER THAN BOMBS only because its got some great singles on it. I mean who could not love. Shop lifters of the world unite, or the the sublime UNLOVEABLE. With the immortal lines. I WEAR BLACK ON THE OUTSIDE, BECAUSE BLACK IS HOW I FEEL ON THE INSIDE. Its actually very funny when you think about it. anyway treat yourself to one of ENGLANDS finest groups albums. NUFF SAID
Monday, 18 April 2011
WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD
Hi just a few lines, I hope you are enjoying my blog. I do hope you have taken my advice with some of these great musicians. Just remember I only put music on my page which I have bought myself, I will be doing some varied acts real soon. Its nearly summer here in the UK and my wife and I are going camping in the outer Hebrides in a few weeks. I seriously cant wait. So I'm going to be busy planning our trip. I promise I will take plenty of photos, the isle of Lewis where we hope to stay for 7 days has got some of the best beaches in the world. pure white sand battered by the Atlantic ocean. Yeah its windy and wild, and theres no trees, but loads of mountains and Lochs. Also my son JAMES is doing a gig in NEW YORK CITY in may. I wish I could be there to support him but I cant, I will be there with him in spirit tho. bye for now see you soon DAVE
Sunday, 17 April 2011
PERE UBU THE MODERN DANCE 1978
What a great debut album by one of America best underground groups. This sounded weird in 1978 and thank god it still does now. This is one of desert island discs and for good reason, its simply brilliant and for all the right reasons. Square people need not apply, old frumpy housewives, steer clear this is the real deal xxx
LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND..WELL MOST OF THE TIME
Here is one of the best albums by the VELVET UNDERGROUND. A perfect selection of songs for a nice romantic night in with the one you LOVE.
Thursday, 14 April 2011
HEART AND SOUL- JOY DIVISION
Hi Dave here, here's a 4cd box set that should be in every JOY DIVISION fans collection. It is quite simply the best. You get UNKNOWN PLEASURES, CLOSER, and loads of other tracks, there is a fantastic live version of DISORDER, which is stunning, radio outtakes plus rehearsal tracks. All in all its worth every single penny of your hard earned cash. It also includes all the lyrics. These will blow you away IAN CURTIS was a genius. A poet in any other age, but with the backing of JOY DIVISION these are songs you will never forget. they are simply beautiful. I hope you buy and enjoy as much as I have. If you need to find out more about JOY DIVISION. Watch the film CONTROL its as close to the original story and the music contained is great. Also read the book WATCHING FROM A DISTANCE. Its got all the info even where IAN CURTIS is buried if you would like to pay your respects as so many have. It also contains unpublished lyrics and photos. Last year at Macclesfield heritage centre. May to August 2010. They held UNKNOWN PLEASURES- THE LIFE //WORK OF IAN CURTIS AND JOY DIVISION. My wife and I went and it brought back so many memories. Although it was very sad.
Monday, 11 April 2011
WIRE..PINK FLAG..CHAIRS MISSING..154
Three really good albums from WIRE. They were very influential. The list of fans is endless. Even now these albums sound fresh and exciting. Go and check them out. You know I wouldn't recommend just any old album. I am very proud to have all three of these much loved discs. they will irritate you and get under your skin and you will find yourself singing along to them.
Sunday, 10 April 2011
NASHVILLE SKYLINE V JOHN WESLEY HARDING
These are two of my fave BOB DYLAN albums. The first NASHVILLE SKYLINE has the sublime, Girl from the north country duet with JOHNNY CASH. This is a great rendition of an early DYLAN song. Also included is LAY LADY LAY, Great song, but for me the best song is. Tell me that it isn't true. deffo one of dylans great songs, and its so nice it hasn't been played to death on the radio. This was my first DYLAN album and I still play it. The Second album. DYLANS eighth album is a belter JOHN WESLEY HARDING. Is a very personal album which rewards the listener with repeated plays. Its also got .ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER on it. You are probably familiar with the HENDRIX version of this song. Which is brilliant, but DYLANS version is much more personal. There is not one dud track on this album. I cant even tell you my fave track as I usually just play it from start to finish, it really is that good. I remember on a weekend away to PARIS getting up early one morning, and going for a walk along the seine. It was a beautiful sunny spring day. I had my Walkman with a tape of JOHN WESLEY HARDING on. It was the perfect soundtrack to that day,place,time of my life.
Sunday, 3 April 2011
HERE MY DEAR...WHATS GOIN ON
These are two beautiful albums by MARVIN GAYE. The critics choice has always been. WHATS GOIN with its anti war message, and it is a truly fantastic piece of music. Especially INNER CITY BLUES, which is sublime. It takes a few listens to get into this album. But when you do wow, it just blows you away. MARVIN GAYE was such a complex guy, He had the voice of an angel, and he was so cool. HERE MY DEAR is as good as WHATS GOIN ON. But this album is about the break of his marriage, It was an album he had to make to meet his alimony payments. When he entered the studio to record it, he just thought he would throw together any old tracks, to get it over with. But MARVIN being MARVIN, just couldn't do that. He really got into it and made this truly beautiful record of the break up of his marriage. You either love him or hate him, for the person he is, but see past his failings and enjoy his music, you will not be disappointed
Saturday, 2 April 2011
THIS IS THE END MY ONLY FRIEND THE END
The DOORS is a contender for the best debut album, in rock, pop, or what ever you pidgeon hole it in to. It starts with BREAK ON THROUGH, A great song to kick off the affair and finishes with. THE END. There no filler on this album whatsoever, just a great ride through the sixties JIM MORRISON is everything it says on the tin. A bona fide rock god with no rival.
IM A STREETWALKING CHEETAH WITH A HEART FULL OF NAPALM
Wow when I first heard the opening lines to SEARCH AND DESTROY. I was hooked. IGGY was angry and so would I be if I had just released a milestone album. RAW POWER and it had been largely ignored. IGGY AND THE STOOGES are my fave pre PUNK band period. The new remastered version mixed by IGGY himself is totally wild. This is what the stones could have sounded like if only they had turned the amps up to 11. If you like this album go and check out THE STOOGES 1st album. loads of fuzz guitars and some fab tunes. NO FUN, I WANNA BE YOUR DOG, REAL COOL TIME. Its a good album. Next up was FUNHOUSE this album should be in everybodies collection. Its cool like COLTRANE. the record company at the time did not share IGGYS vision so did not promote it, but its got some classic tracks on it, such as TV EYE, DIRT,DOWN ON THE STREET, and the free jazz of LA BLUES.
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