VARIOUS TROJAN Flashing Echo
The Trojan dub collection tracing the evolution between Andy Capp’s Pop a Top to 1980. Listening to this I hear how deeply the jazz influence comes through in the instrumentalists playing. This is mainly repetitive bass driven stuff with weird effects but the small combo jazz thing gets me. Possibly not surprising thinking about the background of some of these guys, the reform school outside of Kingston doubled as a musical education especially in jazz, possibly an attempt at actual reform –giving the players a sense of self-worth?
PROCOL HARUM Classic Tracks And Rarities
This too has a sense of swing. I hadn’t really heard the band too much before picking this up. I did that cos Mr Mills of Shindig fame said that the SRC sounded like they were heavily influenced, that I don’t see but this is great. Has the sombre stuff like Whiter Shade of Pale and Homburg alongside a lot of lighter, whimsical stuff.
I’ve got The Paramounts cd with the cover of Mingus’ The Mule which possibly makes the jazz influence less surprising. Wondering what the story is on Robin Trower since he was a Paramount and seems to be on all but a coupla tracks here.
Is his solo stuff any cop?
THIN WHITE ROPE Sack full Of Silver
The first major label lp by Davis California twisted twin-guitar crew. Television discover the west? Black Sabbath of Americana? Whirling Dervish here is taken from a tune Guy Kyser used to hear Daffy Duck sing in early 30s cartoons.
Yoo Doo Right is the Can track cut down to 6 minutes by a band that sound on first listen to be a lot more improvisational than repeated listening might reveal.
On The Floe is floaty semi acoustic existentialism.
Diesel Man is downright creepy the soundtrack to a psycho conversing with an empty telephone to the sound of feedback swathes.
ROBERTA FLACK First Take
Small jazz group plus orchestration backing Flack. Pretty different to her later stuff.
Nice. Her version of The First Time I Saw your face runs shivers through me. Plus she gives Leonard Cohen funky beats and gets away with it on That’s No Way to Say goodbye. Wonder what the original of the Eugene Mcdaniels track sounds like since Brian Auger does it very differently.
TIM BUCKLEY Return Of The Starsailor
Live at knebworth, most tasty. Love the Coltrane on guitar stylings. Wish I knew the instrumental line-up. Wish somebody’d commercially release the video this thing appears to soundtrack. I need to see this cos I can’t work out why I don’t hear keyboards until several tracks in.
Also includes a gig from Detroit just before he died in poorer sound quality.
And the Monkees version of Song To The Siren with the ‘Puzzled as an oyster’ lyric intact.
STEREOLAB Sound-Dust
Bought this last year neglected it stuck it on and it’s awful tuneful
CABARET VOLTAIRE The Original Sound Of Sheffield 78/82
The early stuff from the garagey new wave era including the No Escape cover.
See the reissues have finally come out, must get more. Wish somebody’d bring out The Clock Dva stuff too
CONGOS Heart Of The Congos
Spacious dub production on folk-gospel reggae lp leads to heaven? The two voices are some of the sweetest ever and the repetition rivals Reich or Glass.
HEARTS AND FLOWERS Now’s The Time For Hearts And Flowers
Early country rock stuff with strings. And a version of Two little boys that retains some level of poignancy. Bernie Leadon and co on 2fer cd version of their 2 lps. I think this is the same material that Collector’s Choice have split across 2 discs.
ELF POWER
Weird noisy rock melodies from Elephant 6 stable. Bouncy Folk rock type noise with Dungeons and dragons type lyrics though there's a real down edge to the sound here I really like it. Also something carnivalesque running through.
SONIC MOOK EXPERIMENT "Future Rock & Roll"
Blast first compi from last year including Buff Medways, Liars , Hives etc.
The cover caused awful trouble, but everybody does it don’t they?
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