Everybody’s getting well narky:
Television ‘Adventure’ - always overshadowed by its mighty predecessor but still a fine, guitar based album in its own right. A perfect accompaniment to my morning walk;
Matthews Southern Comfort ‘Second Spring’ - good English C&W I guess, and much better than that clumsy description may indicate;
Loop ‘A Guilded Eternity’ - repetitive guitar drones, tribal beats and underpowered vocals make for a strangely fulfilling listen. I just love this band;
Depeche Mode ‘Memento Mori’ - on first hearing a distinctive, thought provoking album with just enough hook factor to hold the interest. But a pop album this ain’t (well, given the shock death of a founder member in its planning, how could it be). I’m particularly drawn to ‘Caroline’s Monkey’ which sounds like the best song Marc Almond never wrote;
Sweet ‘Give Us A Wink’ - inside a comically naff sleeve is a rock album as hard and loud as any more lauded 70s acts could muster. This really is some seriously heavy shit, one of more than a few examples I know of vibrant Brit rock immediately before ‘Anarchy In The UK’. I only wish I’d got to know more than its ace 45 ‘Action’ back in the day.
The Smiths ‘Louder Than Bombs’ - quite the most enjoyable collection of tracks issued under The Smiths’ name, methinks - and thats from a fan of pretty much everything they did. If there’s nothing you can dig amongst its seventy-odd fab minutes then I guess they’re not the band for you;
Sleaford Mods ‘UK Grim’ - y’know what? There’s real emotion in this record. I’m not joking;
Public Image Limited ‘First Issue’ - this has got better with age. ‘Theme’ is one helluva opening salvo, totally unlike anything of its time: the very definition of what we now term ‘post punk’ IMO;
Eric Clapton ‘August’ - a rare example of a mid-80s album that still sounds good and is, for me anyway, the last decent album Clapton ever released;
Stray Cats ‘Gonna Ball’ - where the Cats bring in a few more players for a whole lot of rockin’ groove;
John Lennon ‘Shaved Fish’ - all killer, no filler comp from 1975. If only it had ‘Working Class Hero’ on it;
Ruts ‘In A Rut’ 45 - which still hits me in the solar plexus (in a gut) as much as it did at the age of consent. Sheer class;
Buzzcocks ‘Time’s Up’ - I stand by every word of my old Unsung review of this ecstatic half hour of seminal punk;
Alexander ‘Skip’ Spence ‘Oar’ - thank you, fellow posters, for prompting me to dig this charmingly murky gem from my shelves (Sundazed vinyl in my case). It arouses the same emotions I get from Syd Barrett’s solo oeuvre: admiration, sadness and joy, sometimes all at the same time. One of those artistically rare and wonderful records that occupies its own unique sound world;
G.U.S. Footwear Band ‘Gold & Silver’ - one of my late dad’s brass band LPs forming a soundtrack to my childhood which, in my own advancing years, I can appreciate for its skill and craft almost as much as he did;
Beethoven: Symphony no.4 (LSO/Jochum) - I’ve started replaying the recordings that introduced me to my favourite classical pieces. This was my first Beet 4 back in the late 70s, which still holds its own against the 100+ versions I’ve heard since;
Mozart: Piano Concerto no.8 in C, K 246 (Kempff/BPO/Leitner) - early Mozart played with the wisdom of old hands, with very enjoyable results;
Haydn: 6 String Quartets, Op.9 and 6 String Quartets Op.17 (Festetics Quartet) - I’ve several other sets of these works but the period sonorities made by this Hungarian ensemble add a new dimension to my ears. The slow movements are particularly lovely here: effectively chamber violin concertos. I got the Festetics’ complete Haydn Quartets box for a bargain price from a well known online retailer this week. I’ll enjoy hearing more anon.
We only wanted to be loved.
Best
Dave x
|
