This week's drugs:
Sassafras 'Wheelin' and Dealin'' - I spent an inordinate length of time transferring this vinyl fave to CD for myself (via the massively compicated Steinberg Clean noise-reduction package) this week. But the end results are more than worthwhile. The never hip Welsh combo's second release from 1975 has always been the best cruising album ever to these ears. Great, vastly underrated band that Wishbone Ash fans will dig;
Blue Oyster Cult 'Blue Oyster Cult' - classic dumb-rock debut chocca with ace songs and riffs; leading nicely into
Kiss 'Dressed To Kill' - dumb, dumb, DUMB, and sheer pleasure from start to finish. Makes The Ramones sound like Gentle Giant. Paul Stanley manages to be simulataneously the coolest and uncoolest guy in rock and roll. I love the dude;
Alan Hull 'Pipedream' and Lindisfarne 'Dingly Dell' - perennial pleasure sources in the Fitter household these be. The man was a social-conscience songwriter of the highest order and these are from the early 70's period when he was at his absolute creative peak;
Steve Winwood 'Arc Of A Diver' - quite possibly my favourite album of the 80's, this second solo album by the Midland Maniac is entirely self-played and produced with some weedy keyboards and rhythm boxes that date it massively, yet maybe that's part of its appeal. It has a lovely, quite nostalgic feel running all the way through it. 'Spanish Dancer' is desert island stuff for me: perfect music for driving up a deserted motorway as dawn is breaking and the summer sky is that beyond-real shade of red. And that's exactly how I first heard it;
Free 'Heartbreaker' - time has rendered Free's final album their best for me, in terms of composition anyway. Okay, it doesn't have the raw appeal and corking riffs of 'Tons Of Sobs' or 'Fire And Water', and the absence of Paul Kossoff for much of the record is tragic, but the soul of this collection is so big it justs envelopes the whole room when its on. Rabbit's songs are lovely, and Rodgers has never sounded better than on 'Muddy Water';
Robert Wyatt 'Rock Bottom' - six perfect vistas of heaven and hell: twisted, unsettling and beautiful;
Maynard Ferguson 'New Vintage' - another undigitalised gem I immortalised onto CD this week. My dear late Dad's favourite trumpeter was (and possibly still is) the most thrilling exponent of his instrument ever, able to reach stratospheric heights with ease - a true "screech man". This is from his mid 70's 'disco' phase that all the jazz purists sniff at. Well sod 'em: this is great funky big band music with marvellous arrangements and a ass-kicking production. Love it to bits. This one's for you, Dad;
Loop 'Wolf Flow' - the art of taking a bad riff and playing it so many times it achieves greatness. I miss this band;
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club 'B.R.M.C' - this is slowly but surely invading my world. Insistent and invigorating, you can hear the influence of a million predecessors throughout the album but the end sound is quite uniquely theirs. Rock ain't dead yet;
Julian Cope and Donald Ross Skinner 'Rite' - played this through the WSYM Radio page on this very site. Terrific background music - and I don't mean that disparagingly - reeking of hippy-period Miles. Wish I had a copy (hint hint, anyone?);
AMM 'Combine + Laminates + Treatise 84' - more great background sounds. How a band can get a groove going without any rhythms, tunes or riffs is beyond me, but these do just that.
No classical this week. Just cities aflame with rock and roll.
Make noise, not war
Dave W
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