LP’s
STRANGE DAYS – The Doors
It’s easy to take The Doors for granted, and post-movie they have become something of whipping boys. Jim was a cock, his poetry was shit, etc, etc. Maybe – and Ray Manzarek certainly comes across as a somewhat laughable figure in his Light My Fire autobiography – but...listening to this album is still an absolute treat. Great songs – I particularly enjoyed the more ballady numbers like You’re Lost Little Girl and Moonlight Drive this week – played with such great understanding by these musicians. I’m not big on guitar solo’s, but Kreigers guitar work here is awesome. And When The Music Takes Over, which I wrongly considered a poor relation to The End the first time I heard it in my Sixth Form days, is a staggering piece of music. That intro, with RM’s keyboards leading into Densmore drum roll and Jim’s scream, still sounds awesome.
THE BACK ROOM – Editors
I liked this Interpol-lite debut album at the time, but hadn’t liked anything else by them till I heard the Cagedbaby Remix of the new single, You don’t Know Love, and positively disliked some tracks. This , however, is fab. Available to download here...
http://www.zshare.net/audio/7004654673a6c68e/
9.30 CLUB 2007 – The Stooges
Pretty good live recording. Interesting running order, though. They play all the classics from the first two albums first and then start playing newer stuff 2/3 of the way in.
Also...
BRYTER LAYTER – Nick Drake
LANDING – Githead
PRIMARY COLOURS – The Horrors
LIVE & INTERMITTENT – Magazine
45’s
OUT OF THE FLESH – Chakk
A quick check confirms that this was my favourite single of 1984!
NOTHING BROKE EP – Meursault
Kinda folky act from Scotland (I think). My wife said the fab opening track reminded her of Sigue Ros, however, and I can see what she means.
RUSSIAN ROULETTE – Rihanna
There I was, taken hostage by the rest of the family, and forced to endure one of the closing episodes of the last series of X Factor...I was doing my best not to grumble, and moan about how shite the last few remaining contestants were and try to enjoy it for what it was – a living soap opera based around a talent contest, rather than doing my usual and sitting there like some old cantankerous git in the corner, endlessly quoting Neil Tennant about how this ‘revenge of the stage school brat’ had taken pop music back to its pre-Beatles days when puppets sang carefully selected songs. And then the special guest Rihanna came on. Sure she’s got years of experience compared to these bland wannabe’s, but immediately you were struck by the fact that she was the real deal. A proper pop star. Not everyone thought it was a great performance – there were murmurs that she was slightly out of tune, but to me this was a victory for feeling over technique. It probably won’t be many people’s cup of tea here, but it’s my favourite mainstream pop single in ages.
WAR SUCKS – Spectrum
I missed out on this last year, but early listens are promising indeed. Contains covers of Red Crayola and Lurie Anderson tracks apparently though TBH I don’t know either of them. This is what the blurb says...
Between the four tracks it covers the whole gamut of SPECTRUM's unique & influential take on Pop, Psychedelia, Rock & Experimental formats. Known for pushing the boundaries with experimental music whilst also writing pop-styled classics such as How You Satisfy Me and highly charged songs like Revolution, the EP draws together the best of SPECTRUM's material hinting at the variety of songs that will feature on the album due for release later in the year.
Also...
LOVE IS A WAVE – Crystal Stilts
THE MESSAGE – Grandmaster Flash
REBEL YELL – Billy Idol
SEE THA' LIGHT – Alan Vega / ARE Weapons
LIQUID MERCURY – Wild Swans
1983 PEEL SESSION – The Fall
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