I got these slings I got these arrows I force myself to…
AC/DC ‘Powerage’ - Bon’s penultimate studio gig, and he was on lascivious form;
Opeth ‘Damnation’ - showing the band’s mellower side, yet in its way as menacing as ever, as is its harder sister record…
Opeth ‘Deliverance’ … which pretty much defines Opeth for me. Jeez, this is HEAVEEE;
Led Zeppelin I & II - which I wrongly take for granted in my old age, but which pretty much define the art of rock and roll. In fact, why even attempt to comment. Maybe I should shut the fuck up from now on;
Zodiac Mindwarp & The Love Reaction ‘Prime Mover’ - metal by numbers from 1987, and still the riot it always was;
Nazareth ‘Loud ‘N’ Proud’ - very 1973, and very good. Not faking it;
Caravan ‘Better By Far’ - perhaps Caravan’s poppiest album, predictably ignored in the year of punk. Well I bought it anyway, loved it, and still do;
Egg ‘The Civil Surface’ - far more echt-Canterbury Scene than the aforesaid, with time signatures and wind quartets all over the place - and wonderfully so. My favourite of Egg’s trio of LPs;
The Smile ‘Wall Of Eyes’ - well, lordy be. This is stuopendous;
Rory Gallagher S/T - my go-to Rory studio platter: paired back, full on playing and singing with emotion and verve. This dude was so much more than a great axeman;
Richard & Linda Thompson ‘Sunnyvista’ - R&L’s fifth and rockiest album, sounding better now than it did in 1979. Not their best perhaps, but THAT guitar always rings like a bell. And talking of Thompson connections:
Clive Gregson & Christine Collister ‘Mischief’ - the second, and IMHO best, of G&C’s five albums. Two great singers (individually and collectively) and eleven excellent songs in that rare thing: a record from 1987 that didn’t have the soul overproduced out of it. This is an unsung gem that deserves more attention;
Urs Leimgruber & Evan Parker ‘Twirl’ - strange yet enticing improvised reed warbling from two masters of the art;
John Surman ‘Words Unspoken’ - after more than five decades Surman continues to beguile on soprano & bass saxes, this latest fine combo featuring a fine blend of guitar, drums and vibrophone. Talking of which…
Tom van der Geld/Children At Play ‘Out Patients’ - little known ECM pearl from 1980 with sax and vibes in wild accord;
Maynard Ferguson ‘New Vintage’ - sounded dated in 1977, and sounds neolithic now, but how I dig its funky big band ways. Guilty pleasures ahoy;
Bruckner: Symphony no.9 & Te Deum (Chicago SO/Daniel Barenboim) - whether or not officially authorised by the composer, the Te Deum makes a satisfying conclusion to Bruckner’s last symphonic utterance - especially in this vibrant version;
Schumann: Symphony no.3 ‘Rhenish’ (SDR SO/Carl Schuricht) - lively and dramatic take on Schumann’s Third. I’ve been playing quite a few of Schuricht’s recordings lately and have enjoyed them all: good, straight Teutonic interpretation free from affectation;
Schubert: Rosamunde Overture/Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto no.3 (w. Gieseking)/Brahms: Symphony no.1 (all Concertgebouw/Willem Mengelberg) - crumbly radio recordings preserving the wilful, wayward yet fascinating art of a conductor rightly castigated for his political naivety yet blessed with a unique interpretative gift;
Wagner: Siegfried Idyll (VPO/Wilhelm Furtwaengler) - Wagner’s musical gift to his wife, played more lovingly here than in any other performance I’ve heard. Just beautiful.
I love TV and I love T. Rex!
Take care out there
Dave x
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