Not necessarily stoned… but beautiful:
Lou Reed ‘Sally Can’t Dance’ - time has been kinder to this album than the overrated ‘Berlin’ IMHO. I know I’m in a minority thinking that, but I knaa worra like, y,knaa;
Simon McBride ‘The Fighter’ - Deep Purple’s fourth official axeman has some serious solo chops, as this 2022 album exemplifies. He’s a decent singer too;
Judas Priest ‘Invincible Shield’ - so formulaic it could’ve been made by AI but… sheeat, this is red hot metal at its best: one steamroller riff after another. I can’t believe a 72 year old could wail like this;
Ride ‘Interplay’ - AI indie pop this time, from a band sounding eternally young. Little really stands out, but maybe that’s the intention;
The Jesus and Mary Chain ‘Glasgow Eyes’ - sorry to admit that I’m finding this a little hard work too. There are some very tired riffs going down here and an over-reliance on a clunky rhythm machine. I much preferred ‘Damage and Joy’. And is Jim Reid turning into Mark Everett? On a couple of songs they sound identical to each other;
Traffic ‘Last Exit’ - scrabbled together collection of outtakes and live recordings that gets scant attention but actually makes for a highly satisfying listen;
Kiss ‘Creature of the Night’ - not Kiss’ finest hour, alas. Dull. I much prefer their 70s hard rock era to their post-70s metal one. In other words, no Ace - no deal;
Elton John ‘Honky Chateau’ - Elton’s first true rock album (as distinct from the subtler epics that preceded it) has dated not a jot. In fact, I think it’s overtaken ‘Madman’ as my top Elton opus. The 2022 deluxe edition adds some choice demo and live recordings to make an irresistible deal;
The Jimi Hendrix Experience ‘Are You Experienced?’ - I’ve took this near-perfect album too easily for granted. It just blew my mind this week;
Caravan ‘In the Land of Grey and Pink’ - y’know, until this week I don’t think I’d played this for ten years or more, despite it being part of my very psyche. More fool me. Canterbury cup of tea perfection;
The Wedding Present ‘24 Songs’ - I’ve caught up with this too late to count it as a favourite album/collection of the year, whatever. Suffice to say I sense genius at work here. David Gedge has long since assumed - maybe even surpassed - Pete Shelley’s throne in the punky love/lust song stakes;
Tangerine Dream ‘White Eagle’ - strange how the commercial sounding TD of the 1980s has dated more than their experimental work of the previous decade. Not that ‘White Eagle’ is bad - far from it. It’s just that it sounds like a completely different band, as if they themselves have taken from the synthi-pop acts that emerged in their own wake;
David Bowie ‘Pinups’ - the first Bowie LP I ever bought new mightn’t be his most lauded but it’s great to hear The Spiders (sans Woody - why?) sounding as vibrant in their studio swan song. And some of these covers are quite decent;
Don Byas ‘Classic Don Byas Sessions 1944-1946’ - more sublimely sensual sax from the underrated Byas;
Beethoven: 3 Violin Sonatas, Op.12 (Gidon Kremer & Martha Argerich) - the sort of performances that I can’t imagine ever being improved upon. Music to ease depression. I know;
Beethoven: Symphony no.2/Gershwin: An American In Paris (Pittsburgh SO/William Steinberg) - more D major Beethoven, performed with suitable joy and panache. I didn’t enjoy the Gershwin as much, but that’s probably due more to the music than the interpretation. The Tchaikovsky is good but not great;
Wagner: Meistersinger Ov/Brahms: Double Concerto (w.Fournier & Francescatti)/Bruckner: Symphony no.9 (all Columbia SO/Bruno Walter) - Walter’s studio indian summer produced consistently fine recordings such as these. Distinctive, but never wayward;
Haydn: String Quartet Op.20 no.5 (Chaos String Quartet) - I had to hear what a quartet named after a 4 Skins song (I jest) sounded like. This is from their first, newly issued album that couples Haydn with Ligeti and Fanny Mendelssohn: a curiosity in itself. I don’t so much hear chaos as excellent musicianship, and a depth that belies the members’ youth;
Isn’t it nice when you find your heart is made out of ice?
Have a great week
Dave x
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