This week, the cassette played these poptones:
Boxer ‘Below The Belt’ - after a brief stint with Spooky Tooth, ace vocalist Mike Patto reunited with axe god Ollie Halsall in the sadly under-appreciated Boxer, releasing this debut in late 1975. Inside a very unwoke and of its time sleeve is an excellent record with tasty rock and funk flavours;
Public Image Ltd ‘Metal Box’ - one of those rare records without precedent, where randomness becomes beauty. I will never, ever tire of this. And I’m sure I won’t be alone here in offering sincere commiserations to John Lydon on the sad death of his beloved wife;
Elton John ‘Caribou’ - the weakest of Reg’s stellar album sequence from 1969 to 1975 remains a more than decent listen, a couple of disposable songs aside. Worth the price alone for ‘Ticking’, one of his and Bernie’s most brilliant creations I reckon;
Any Trouble ‘Present Tense’ - Clive Gregson’s got a well-deserved reputation on the folk circuit but periodically exercises his power pop chops with his old band. This, their last album from 2015, is right up there with their venerable Stiff records from way back when;
Rush ‘Counterparts’ - having lost me with some pretty cold records in the eighties, it’s taken me too long to catch up with Rush’s subsequent work which sounds much more amenable to my ears. This 1993 album is excellent: tuneful, powerful and even hip-shaking in places;
The Boys S/T - one of my favourite first wave punk bands was this lot, who pioneered the mixed—down vocal sound that David Gedge was later to perfect. Like the Weddoes, The Boys had an instinctive gift for catchy tunes, nowhere better displayed than on this unsung debut LP;
Ultravox! ‘Live at the Rainbow, 1977’ - a reminder of how exciting the original line up of Ultravox! (with exclamation mark, natch) were at the height of punk. No, they didn’t fit that moniker but were nonetheless fast, loud and venomous. I still rate their Newcastle Mayfair gig in January 1978 as the best show I’ve ever attended. Seven days later I saw the Rich Kids on the same stage who were good, but no more than that. Who’d have known that the same singer would soon jump ship from the latter to the former band? No disrespect to Midge, but I far preferred (and prefer) John Foxx;
Iain Matthews ‘Skeleton Keys’ - this unsung Fairports founder member has made many fine records that more than his devout following need to hear. His 1993 release is a very good case in point. ‘God’s Empty Chair’ is a poignant tribute to a legend of a very different genre to Iain’s. Do stream;
Bob Dylan ‘Time Out Of Mind’ (2022 remix) - the last great Dylan album sounds better than ever now. This is so good I think that it’s the one record that might convert some Dylan agnostics;
Tom van der Geld & Children at Play ‘Patience’ - where mood and feel take precedence over structure and melody, yet still soothe the soul;
Bax: Symphony no.1 (RSNO/Lloyd-Jones) - in many ways Bax’s most austere and dramatic symphony, superbly realised here;
Rachmaninov: The Isle Of The Dead (Concertgebouw/Ashkenazy) - the essence of Rachmaninov is found in his symphonies and tone poems IMHO, and nowhere better than in this taught and dramatic short work. Mind you…
Rachmaninov: Symphony no.3 (BBC PO/Storgards) - …this gives it a run for its money, especially in this surprisingly fine reading from Nov 2022 attached to the latest issue of BBC Music;
Vaughan Williams: Symphonies 6 & 9 and Wasps Overture (BBC SO or RPO/Sargent) - exciting Proms performances of three of VW’s most beguiling scores, the Ninth from its world premiere performance;
Weber: Symphony no.1 (Staatskapelle Dresden/Kempe) - charmingly youthful work from a composer more renowned for his operas, beautifully realised in this late fifties live recording;
Cooke: Suite in D for organ (Tom Winpenny) - Arnold Cooke’s excellent, long neglected music is gradually emerging on record. This is from a recent CD of his complete organ works which exemplifies Cooke’s late romantic muse as well as anything else I’ve heard of his work;
Beethoven: Piano Sonata no.32, Op.111 (Anatol Ugorski) - a performance of extremes that has to be heard at least once, if only to wonder at its perversity. I like it, or at least, I think I do…
That’s how it is when things disintegrate.
Sunny days, fellow musoes
Dave x
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