More music, more music, more music, more music:
Roddy Frame ‘Surf’ - a lovely, lovely record is all. Frame has always had a unique gift for inserting that killer chord in just the right place and here, with just acoustic guitar and voice, its impact is overwhelming, unlike
Aztec Camera ‘Love’ - in which those killer chords are themselves near seen off by a dire 80s production of big drums and polyphonic synths. I beg Roddy for an unplugged version;
Rory Gallagher ‘Deuce - 50th Anniversary Edition’ - Rory’s second solo album still sounds great, even if the outtakes don’t add much (do they ever?);
The Who ‘The Who Sell Out’ - still The ‘Oo album I turn to first, especially in its superior mono version. A perfect marriage of psychedelia, baroque pop, period whimsy and out-and-out rock, they’ve never bettered it for me, not even with ‘Who’s Next’;
Spock’s Beard ‘Beware of Darkness’ - and this lot’s second album is no slouch either in its Gentle Giantesque kind of way;
Radiohead ‘The Bends’ - another great sophomore release. In fact, so much finer than ‘Pablo Honey’ is this that it’s hard to think that both were made by the same band;
David Bowie ‘Low’ - 45 years after first hearing this, I’ve finally learned to love - rather than just respect - this unique album. I guess it was waiting for me;
Teenage Fanclub ‘A Catholic Education’ - ever-fresh debut by a band that went on to greater success but, to these ears, lesser art;
Steve Marriott & Ronnie Lane ‘Majik Mijits’ - short and sweet one-off reunion sesh from 1981. Oh to have them back;
UFO ‘Phenomenon’ - capturing a great hard rock band at its creative peak;
Beethoven: String Quartet no.15, Op.132 (Hungarian Quartet) - to quote the great Artur Schnabel, this is music “greater than it can ever be played” but my, the Hungarians gave it their best shot anyway. How refreshing to hear the great central adagio played relatively straight instead of the emotional roller coaster ride it’s so often subjected to;
Vaughan Williams: A Pastoral Symphony (RLPO/Manze) - VW’s most cowpat symphony given a suitably ethereal reading;
Vaughan Williams: Symphonies 6 & 8 plus choral works (BBC SO/Brabbins) - both symphonies are excellently done but the songs, whilst mostly fun, are inessential; the closing ‘England, my England’ being outdated jingoistic toss;
Vaughan Williams: Symphony no.5 (BBC SO/Brabbins) - played this, probably VW’s most rounded symphony, in the version chosen by this month’s Gramophone as the best overall. Happy 150th birthday, Ralph;
Schubert: Symphony no.8 ‘Unfinished’ (Le Concert des Nations/Savall) - surprisingly straight reading by this most radical of period ensembles, which sort of makes me wonder why they bothered;
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas no.23 ‘Appassionata’ and no.28 Op.101 (Claudio Arrau) - highly romantic takes on these most dramatic of sonatas: Arrau’s patented big tone in extremis.
Enjoy your week, everyone.
Dave x
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