Hi there. Nice to be with you. Happy you could stick around:
Bob Dylan ‘Blonde On Blonde’ - there’s nothing I can say about this that hasn’t already been said thousands of times before. So I won’t. Other than… We’re not worthy;
Jacobites ‘Robespierre’s Velvet Basement’ - there’s something about these simple, heartfelt songs that makes me happy and sad at the same time. That both of its principal protagonists are no longer with us might have an influence but, no - it’s all there in the music;
Gong ‘Camembert Electrique’ - there are increasingly regular times in my old age that I need to hear this, scary space whispers and all;
Discharge ‘Grave New World’ - what could’ve been a very decent punk-metal album was decimated by Cal’s tuneless falsetto vocals. What the hell was he on? Thankfully he reverted to his trademark punk growl thereafter;
Emerson, Lake & Palmer ‘Brain Salad Surgery’ - the nearest ELP came to a decent album is dominated by the epic ‘Karn Evil 9’ which is iconic keyboard-based prog to my mind. Bar ‘Benny the Bouncer’, the rest of the record - and most of their other output - can be safely ignored;
Belle & Sebastian ‘If You’re Feeling Sinister’ - a little cold and knowingly clever for my tastes, but the songs are good;
Hatfield and the North ‘The Rotters’ Club’ - there’s heart here I can’t find in the aforementioned, and there’s the difference for me. I will never, ever, stop loving this wonderful record which, like ‘Joy Of A Toy’, ‘Rock Bottom’ and the first Caravan album have become part of my very being. RIP, Pip and Phil, and long live Kings Richard and Dave;
Wire ‘Chairs Missing’ - where punk got truly inventive and forward looking. In some ways it never really progressed further than this, 45 years on. Joy Division got the plaudits - and rightly so - but don’t forget what Wire did before them;
Tom Verlaine ‘Cover’ - even when in relative auto-pilot as here, Verlaine could move mountains with axe and larynx. Too little of his solo work remains available;
Japan ‘Oil On Canvas’ - capturing the artistry and precision of Japan right at the end of their existence. Why do I always feel like buying a fretless bass after playing this?
Brinsley Schwarz S/T - dripping with American influences (and more than a smidgeon of Van M), the Brinsleys’ first album is a gas, even before their more patently English vibe takes hold;
Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band ‘Gorilla’ - still a hoot 56 years on;
John Illsley ‘VIII’ - Illsley has busied himself with enjoyable, undemanding Dire Straits-like albums like this for three decades now. This is the most recent and best one;
Metallica ‘72 Seasons’ - looking like an early album of the year contender, this. If you dig them, you’ll already agree. If you don’t, steer clear;
Joe Lovano’s Trio Tapestry ‘Our Daily Bread’ - very laid back, unswinging new album from Lovano, with Marilyn Crispell at her limpid best on piano. Music to avoid coronations to;
AMM ‘The Crypt, 12th June 1968’ - as random a sound collage as it’s possible to conceive. I can’t pretend it’s anything but a tough listen but there are moments of relief amongst the melee. What can I say? It’s what you want to make of it, if you care to;
AMM ‘The Nameless Uncarved Block’ - still completely abstract in 1990, but much more user-friendly, largely due to the inclusion of John Tilbury on piano;
Haydn: Six String Quartets, Op.50 (Festetics Quartet) - more excellent renditions from Haydn’s wonderful string quartet oeuvre. What a bargain this Festetics box set is proving to be. Mind you, I also love:
Haydn: Six String Quartets, Op.20 (Chiaroscuro Quartet) - there are several excellent young quartets doing the rounds lately, and the Chiaroscuros are most definitely in their number. Their approach to Haydn is more serious and micro-managed than the Festetics, but equally rewarding. I also played their recording of Beethoven’s Op.18 quartets this week, which proved revelatory. More please;
Ireland: Orchestral Works (Sinfonia of London/John Wilson) - a thoroughly satisfying disc of underrated English music, beautifully rendered and recorded;
Strauss: Sinfonia Domestica (Munich PO/Zubin Mehta) - forget the indulgent programme and just wallow in the lush music;
Beethoven: Symphony no.4 (Czech PO/Paul Kletzki) - Kletzki’s mid-60s Beethoven cycle is rarely mentioned these days but is mandatory listening for woodwind heads like me. No other recordings I know showcase them so strongly, and this Fourth is a good example. Had Kletzki observed repeats and not slowed down for the third movement trio it’d be my favourite recording of this wonderful work;
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf ‘Sings Operetta’ (Philharmonia/Otto Ackermann) - as a sprog I used to wince when my dad played this. I feel very differently now. If there’s a more enjoyable operatic vocal showcase on record than this I’d love to hear it;
Mozart: Symphony no.34 & Haydn: Symphony no.104 ‘London’ (Philharmonia/Rudolf Kempe) - bought for 14/6d from a Roker off licence by my dad back in 1969, and still sounding great now. Those cheap MFP LPs helped make me the music obsessive I was, am, and will die as.
Sons of pioneers are hungry men.
Have a great week
Dave x
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