Opeth ‘Live At Red Rocks’ - 87 glorious minutes of some seriously heavy shit is all;
Crazy Cavan and the Rhythm Rockers ‘Our Own Way Of Rockin’ - from the wonderful late 70s Welsh rockabilly scene came this venomous little audio viper. Still rocks to this day;
Van der Graaf Generator ‘Still Life’ (2021 remix) - oh Jeez, this is magnificent. An always near-perfect album has just got even better. Superb songs, superb band, and Hammill’s most cogent set of words clearer than ever. Buy, stream or steal this immediately;
John Foxx & Robin Guthrie ‘Mirrorball’ - a simply beautiful album which fans of both artists will dig. Music to dream along with;
Caravan ‘Blind Dog At St Dunstans’ - cheery and tuneful pop rock with not a hint of prog pomposity;
Slade ‘Slade In Flame’ - it’s high time that Nod was recognised as one of THE great Brit vocalists and not just a party shouter;
Jimi Hendrix Experience ‘Axis: Bold As Love’ - and my second Chas Chandler production of the week just happens to be his finest. Sod ‘Electric Ladyland’: this is JMH’s finest hour;
Henry Cow ‘Unrest’ - where the mostly improvised second side has now overtaken the more composed first in my affections nearly half a century after I first heard it;
Soft Machine ‘The Soft Machine’ - my Chas (co-) production #3 is also a bundle of joy, and Kevin Ayers’ finest creation. Well, pre-‘Joy Of A Toy’ (the album) anyway;
Cheech & Chong ‘Los Cochinos’ - very 1973 and very funny;
Respighi/Rossini: La boutique fantasque (LSO/Ernest Ansermet) - delightful confection of Rossini tunes later turned into a ballet by Respighi. And never done better than this venerable old Decca LP from the 1950s;
Dvorak: Symphony no.4 (LSO/Witold Rowicki) - one of Dvorak’s more unsung works, convincingly rendered in this fine 1970 recording;
Strauss: Metamorphosen (VPO/Herbert von Karajan) - Strauss’ alleged threnody for the victims of the holocaust has never received a more moving recording than this, recorded in 1947 during Karajan’s post-war exile;
Beethoven: Symphony no.7 (ECO/Michael Tilson Thomas) - chamber sized forces but no lack of power in this recording from four decades ago;
I’m bold as love. Just ask the axis. He knows everything.
Vibe on, friends
Dave x
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