A few weeks worth here....
S/T – Joan Armatrading
Face The Music – ELO
Band On The Run – Paul McCartney & Wings
Three albums I liked a lot in my teens. I watched a JA live gig from 1977 on TV recently and wasn't keen TBH. It was a bit muso for me and sadly after the lovely early numbers her most famous LP veers off in this direction, too.
FTM found ELO in a bit of a hole commercially in the UK and other than Evil Woman, the other singles – the rather lovely Strange Magic and the even-more-Beatlish-than-usual Nightrider - pretty much bombed. All this was, of course, soon to change! As for this LP....well, the opening instrumental Fire On High might not sound as freaky now as it did to my 14 yr old ears, but overall I think it holds up well with some strong Jeff Lynne songs. The country-ish Down Home Town is a bit of a stinker though.
BOTD? Well it's pretty darn good isn't it!
Greatest Hits – Elton John
I really enjoyed the recent Davey Johnstone 'Rockonteurs' episode, so I had a listen to this old collection. He's written far more accomplished songs but I'm a sucker for Crocodile Rock!
Hergest Ridge – Mike Oldfield
Amazingly I'm pretty certain I had never actually heard this until a few weeks ago. I always really liked Tubular Bells but never felt sufficiently motivated to hear the sequel which always seemed to be dismissed at TB Pt II back then. Obviously in those days either you or one of your mates had to put their money where their mouth was or the liklihood was that you didn't hear something. Nowadays...well everything is served up on a plate isn't it. And...well I understand some of the comparisons because there are some definite MO-by-numbers moments but also others that are quite different with some odd, almost jarring chord sequences. On one play it didn't sound in the same league as its esteemed predecessor and whilst there's obviously a decent chance that it would grow on me I wasn't sufficiently taken with it to bother listening again as yet.
Words From The Front – Tom Verlaine
I hadn't played this in a long time. I always liked it but I don't remember it being THIS good. What a great surprise this was.
Innervisions – Stevie Wonder
Songs In The Key Of Life - Stevie Wonder
SITKOL might be regarded as a classic these days but it was considered a bit of a disappointment by many at the time. There was a feeling back then that it wasn't worth the wait – and three years or whatever was a loooong wait in those days! There are some great songs – As is one of my fave ever SW numbers and Another Star sounded especially good this week - but I much prefer Innervisions myself.
Also...
The Lexicon Of Love - ABC
Isles – Bicep
Angel's Flight – Biosphere
Shortwave Memories - Biosphere
Harder Than The Rest – Culture
Combolo – Culture
So, Who's Paranoid? - The Damned
Rome – Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi
Cheat Codes – Danger Mouse & Black Thought
Entertainment – Gang Of Four
The Love Invention – Alison Goldfrapp
For Ever - Jungle
Plastic Ono Band – John Lennon
Solid Air – John Martyn
Protection – Massive Attack
Original Rockers – Augustus Pablo
Infected – The The
Dusk – The The
Pure Mania – The Vibrators
That Feels Good – Jesse Ware
Odessey & Oracle - The Zombies
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