Covid blues:
Abba ‘I Still Have Faith In You’/‘Don’t Shut Me Down’ - well, after all the hype and hoo-hah, what we have here are two typical Abba tunes that fans (like me) will dig and others will meh. The first is a delightful waltz ballad with a “do I have it in me” earworm that ensures instant memorability. The second is a slightly more uptempo thing that could’ve been a ‘Visitors’ outtake and ends too suddenly. I’m not disappointed, but have a nagging feeling that four decades have went for nothing where Abba are concerned. But then again, what did I expect - progression? No, this is just Abba doing what I expect and, frankly, love. They can keep the virtual concerts though;
Jethro Tull ‘Aqualung’ - the fourth and last truly great Tull album. Their albums started to get progressively patchy from ‘Brick’ onwards;
Kevin Coyne ‘Blame It On The Night’ - there’s some seriously harrowing shit going down here. No-one else sounded like this;
Cream ‘Wheels Of Fire - Live At The Fillmore’ - indulgent muso dreck at its best. Even Ginger’s near side-long drum solo has merit;
Small Faces ‘From The Beginning’ - the first of many exploitation releases released in the immediate wake (pun intended) of their leaving Decca was actually not at all bad. Well, how could it have been;
REO Speedwagon ‘A Decade Of Rock & Roll 1970 -1980’ - double LP capturing the harder, rawer side of a fine US band pre-megastardom;
Syd Barrett ‘The Madcap Laughs’ & ‘Barrett’ - returning to these after a long absence, I was touched anew by the man’s individual musical and lyrical talent which even his degrading mental facility could not silence;
Caravan ‘The Battle Of Hastings’ - decent mid-90s release of astute, mature progressive rock with real pop sensitivity. Why were Caravan never huge?
Various ‘Streetsounds 5’ & ‘Streetsounds 9’ - in the mid-80s it was comps like this (and The Smiths) that kept my classical-bound tastes at least partly contemporary. Heard again in the cold light of pension age these sound fresher than ever. Kenny Lynch rocked!
John Greaves & Peter Blegvad ‘Kew. Rhone.’ - freaky Canterbury sideline song cycle dripping in free jazz and Henry Cow. As you’d expect;
Slapp Happy ‘Acnalbasac Noom’ - Blegvad’s old combo’s first recordings, backed by Faust. Surprisingly accessible. In fact, sounds like Abba in places;
Otomo/Rowe/Sugimoto ‘Ajar’ - indefinable, chance sounds from another star;
Faust ‘BBC Sessions +’ - great to hear Faust’s awesome Mar 73 Top Gear session again, including the uber-funk that is ‘The Lurcher’. One of those odds’n’sods albums that almost outdoes the “proper” stuff;
John Tilbury ‘Sissel’ - free music of serene beauty, with the room itself the principal sound source;
Buddy Rich ‘Rich In London’ - bitin’ hot big band set from Ronnie Scott’s in late ‘71;
Maynard Ferguson ‘Hot’ - the Canadian screechmeister at his blistering best on a long-forgotten late 70s disc;
Rheinberger: Works For Organ, Vol.3 (Wolfgang Ruebsam) - an illuminating programme of late romantic German organ music played on a superb instrument in Fulda;
William Mundy: Sacred Choral Music (Choir of St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh/Duncan Ferguson) - profound 16th Century polyphony beautifully recorded;
Mozart: Symphony no.36 & Piano Concerto no.17 (with Brendel) Butterworth: A Shropshire Lad; Shostakovich: Concerto for Piano, Trumpet & Strings; Nielsen: Little Suite, Op.1 (all ASMF/Sir Neville Marriner) - well engineered, straight-down-the-line readings from a much-recorded and greatly missed conductor and his superlative chamber orchestra;
Mahler (ed. Cooke): Symphony no.10 (Bournemouth SO/Simon Rattle) - echt Mahler this may be, but it contains some lovely music and IMHO has never sounded better than on this early Rattle recording. His later BPO account is of course better played, but lacks the edge and sense of discovery so prevalent here;
Beethoven: Piano Concerto no.4 (Krystian Zimerman/LSO/Simon Rattle) - fine new recording;
Beethoven: Symphony no.4 (ECO/Michael Tilson Thomas) - Beethoven’s cheeriest symphony in a nicely proportioned reading;
Brahms: Symphony no.2 (LGO/Herbert Blomstedt) - no concessions to modernity by the veteran conductor, who plays his Brahms with a serious, romantic approach befitting this magnificent music.
Half the day’s gone and we haven’t earned a penny. Isn’t that a crime?
Love all and always
Dave x
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