Last week’s spins:
Linda Ronstadt ‘Silk Purse’ - Linda’s 1971 second album is still one of her best: a stripped-down country set bereft of the saccharine lushness of her later work;
Marshall Tucker Band ‘Dedicated’, ‘Tuckerised’ and ‘Just Us’ - good mid-period albums from one of the more adventurous Southern Rock bands; a bit safe in places but hey, that was most established acts in the 1980s;
The Stranglers ‘The Raven’ - which sounds even stronger now than it did when I bought it. Naive, angry words allied to fab music. Safe this is definitely not, especially the uber-creepy ‘Meninblack’;
Julian Cope ‘Cope’s Notes 3’ and ‘World Shut Your Mouth’ (2CD edition) - this is the best Cope’s Notes yet, a real appetiser for the Drude’s fab debut that could’ve been a decent double on the strength of what we have now. The demo version of ‘Kolly Kibber’s Birthday’ is worth buying the new release for alone. As for the album itself, it sounds so much less 1980s than so many of its contemporaries, and that’s a good thing in my book;
Julian Cope ‘Autogeddon’ - once free of expectant record labels, Julian could do what he wanted and man, did he do that here. A seamless sequence of folk rock, psychedelia and guitar wizardry, all liberally doused in the Drude’s patent lyrical musings;
Spooky Tooth ‘It’s All About’ - which is a nearly fine debut spoilt by Gary Wright’s off key falsetto vocals. If only Mike Harrison had been left to sing up front alone;
Paul Weller ‘Whoosh!’ EP - download only EP of four previously unreleased tracks as a taster for his upcoming ‘Will Of The People’ rarities set. Whilst I’d freely admit to fan bias, this amounts to a varied and highly entertaining 13 minutes;
Gene Clark ‘No Other’ - not to my ears the great lost classic it’s now held to be, but a decent album nonetheless. Gene’s vocals were very like those of Michael Nesmith, but I prefer the latter;
Various ‘Saturday Night Fever’ OST - laugh if you like, but this is just serious fun. Unlike the film, which is at least as sleazy, gritty and nasty a view of New York as anything Scorsese conceived;
Eric Clapton S/T - Eric Clapton’s own mix of his 1970 solo debut is the best sounding to my ears, irrespective of popular opinion. And the album itself is still his most vibrant, and best, solo effort IMHO;
Brahms: Violin Sonata no.3 (Yehudi & Hephizbah Menuhin) - spirited 1934 recording of one of Brahms’ many chamber masterpieces;
Mozart: Symphony no.40 (Capella Istropolitana/Wordsworth) - from the days when Naxos CDs were £3.99 at Woolies comes this far from cheap rendering of Mozart’s potboiler. I’ve heard many less convincing recordings from much more famous names; in fact, tempi and dynamics seem near ideal here;
Beethoven: Symphony no.3 (Malmo SO/Trevino) - another enjoyable instalment from Trevino’s underrated Beethoven cycle. There are subtle instrumental details in the first movement I haven’t heard in any other version;
Beethoven: Symphony no.6 (VPO/Furtwaengler 1952) - one of the slowest readings of the Pastoral I know, but simply glorious;
Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik & Brahms: Violin Concerto (w.Menuhin) (VPO/Furtwaengler) - there’s an indescribable aura about Furtwaengler’s recordings that I don’t hear from any other conductor.
Enjoy your week, everyone
Dave x
|
