Brian Eno ‘Reflection’ - I came down with covid this week and for a couple of days couldn’t face any music but this, played at minimum volume from my smart phone. Literally endless music to drift in and out of consciousness to;
Jowe Head ‘Pincer Movement’ - silly, spiky pop and roll delivered by a great English eccentric. Great bass licks abound;
Nikki Sudden ‘The Bible Belt’ - Jowe’s former bandmate exhibits less quirkiness but more heart on his second post-Maps LP;
Julian Cope ‘Fried’ - I’ve got a lot of records, but only a few I love so much that I know their catalogue numbers. This is one of them;
Be Bop Deluxe ‘Modern Music’ - I was surprisingly underwhelmed after many years of not hearing this. Maybe it’s my 46 year old LP that’s to blame (or my 61 year old lugs), but the whole album sounded flat and dull to me;
U2 ‘An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart’ (Live) - taken from the excellent 1981 NME ‘Dancin’ Master’ cassette (which is also where I first encountered the ace French language version of ‘Treason’ btw), this has a raw intensity and emotion that I’ve never heard matched in anything U2 released since. The ‘Boy’ studio original sounds tame in comparison, as does most of the band’s output come to think of it;
Loudon Wainwright III ‘Lifetime Achievement’ - it never ceases to amaze me how young - and fresh - this old geezer still sounds. The dude’s never really progressed musically, and hasn’t needed to;
Whiskey Myers ‘Tornillo’ - not much innovation here either, but so what: I need a little southern boogie every now and again, and these guys deliver it fine here;
Gong ‘Angels Egg’ and ‘You’ - Simon Heyworth’s 2018 remasters have made the Radio Gnome trilogy sound widescreen and even more wonderful. Was there ever a greater bliss-out groove than ‘Inner Temple’? And did Gong ever have a finer drummer than Pierre Moerlen (and that’s being asked by Pip Pyle’s greatest admirer)?
Frankie Miller ‘Full House’ - Frankie’s Chris Thomas produced fourth LP is his most enduring: a short but sweet set of originals, covers and dedicated songs aptly showcasing one of the most gifted rock vocalists this sceptered isle has ever borne;
German Jazz Masters ‘Old Friends’ - thoroughly enjoyable 2000 session by a big band of luminaries such as Eberhard Weber, Manfred Schoof and Wolfgang Dauner;
Barre Phillips & Gyorgy Kurtag Jr ‘Face A Face’ - free but accessible meeting of double bass and electronics;
Sullivan: Irish Symphony (BBC
Concert Orch/Hughes) - attractive, tuneful music suitably rendered: a salutary reminder of the talents of a composer whose muse has been too long tarnished by the boorish, dated libretti of his professional partner;
Bruckner: Symphony no.0 (CSO/Solti) - easily the best version of Bruckner’s underrated ‘Nullte’ symphony I’ve heard;
Brahms: Symphony no.1 (CSO)/Mozart: Symphony no.41/Dvorak: Scherzo capriccioso (BRSO/Kubelik) - was there ever a greater Czech conductor than Rafael Kubelik? Whenever I dig out one of his many records I’m never disappointed. Great man of principle too: high time we had a decent biography;
Beethoven: Symphony no.3 and Leonore 1 Overture (Philharmonia/Klemperer) - Klemperer’s 1955 Eroica is as near damn definitive as it gets, despite its mono sound;
Mozart: Piano Concerto no.18, K 456 (Levin/AAM/Hogwood) - it is sad that Levin and Hogwood didn’t complete their Mozart Piano Concerto survey, as the performances that did emerge are chock full of character, detail and musicality. This is a good example;
Bach: Keyboard Sonatas (Trevor Pinnock) - the art of putting all the wrong notes in the right place;
Bax: Clarinet Sonata (Nash Ensemble) - beautifully elegiac English chamber music;
Bliss: Melee Fantasque (LSO/Bliss) - these days, Bliss has suffered for being too traditional for some and too adventurous for others. To me, he was one of the great English composers, and this is one of his most enjoyable scores.
In fond expectoration of Julian’s new album. (I wonder how it will compare with MERL 48?)
Have a great week everyone.
Dave x
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