The downward spiral never ends:
Steely Dan ‘Can’t Buy A Thrill’ - even on their first album Fagen and Becker sound confident and in charge. I’m not sure there’s ever been a more fully realised debut than this;
Black Star Riders ‘Wrong Side Of Paradise’ - sometimes you just gotta rock. There’s little that’s original going down here but it just hits you where you want it. As does
The Answer ‘Sundowners’ - again, what’s there to say except… turn the fucker up until those lugs bleed;
Julian Cope ‘Jehovahkill’ - Julian’s 90s take on kosmische music has sustained longer than much of its antecedents have for me. He’s made many other fine records but this one will always find a place in my heart;
U2 ‘An Cat Dubh/Into The Heart’ (live) - from NME’s 1981 ‘Dancin’ Master’ tape, the best thing U2 ever did by light years. Ok, so I checked out on them quickly afterwards, but I stand by my comment. There’s genuine emotion going down here, in spades;
Opeth ‘Garden Of The Titans’ - up there with THE great rock double live albums, and harder than almost all of them. Check out the cranium busting final three minutes of ‘Deliverance’ and feel the world collapse;
Jethro Tull ‘17’ - a semi-lost B side that is right up there with the best of Tull’s music, IMHO anyway, available in three separate mixes in their ‘Benefit’ 50th anniversary box. The stereo mixes are clearer, but the mono punches hardest. No chorus, no middle eight: just a fab three chord verse played again and again for six glorious minutes;
The Smiths ‘Louder Than Bombs’ - the only band that made the mid-80s matter - at their best;
Luther Grosvenor ‘Under Open Skies’ - Ariel’s first solo album from 1971, post-Spooky Tooth and pre-Mott, with a wide range of musical flavours mostly played by the man himself. The original version of ‘When I Met You’ (later reworked by Widowmaker) and the shuffling ‘Rocket’ are particular highlights, the latter featuring a fabulously psychy guitar solo. And the dude ain’t no slouch on bass either. Blag this new reissue while it lasts;
Rolling Stones: self selection of fave back catalogue tracks - ‘cos I needed to. Won’t bore you with song details, except to say that great riffs ruled my choices;
Waylon Jennings ‘Folk-Country’ & ‘Leavin’ Town’ - Waylon’s first two RCA albums from 1966 are much more mainstream C&W fayre against the outlaw country he went on to pioneer, but his patent rich baritone is already in place. I’ve just shelled out on Cherry Red’s recent CD reissues of his 1960s albums and look forward to playing them all;
Brahms: Symphony no.1 (Lucerne SO/Michael Sanderling) - measured but epic reading that registers much higher with me than the same forces’ lacklustre Second that I played a few weeks ago. This Brahms’ First positively sings, with loads of subtle instrumental detail I miss in other recordings. What a fine orchestra Lucerne has. Who knew;
Schubert: Symphony no.9 (Orch of 18th Century/Frans Bruggen) - well played but slightly routine interpretation of a work that can move mountains;
Bruckner: Motets (Corydon Singers/ Matthew Best) - much as I love Bruckner the symphonist, there’s something uniquely pure in his vocal writing that moves me to the core, and this old Hyperion record captures it magnificently;
These days it’s all secrecy, with no privacy.
Happy trails
Dave x
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