Rolling Stones "Flashpoint" 1991***

The latest Rolling Stones albums given away with Sunday's Real News is a live album from 1991. I would probably not have bought it otherwise, since I already have a bunch of those ("Get Your Ya Ya's Out" from 1969, "Live Licks" 2004. the acoustic "Stripped" from 1995, plus DVD's "Some Girls Live '78" and "Shine A Light" from 2007). As great as "Satisfaction" and "Brown Sugar" are, how many versions does one need? At the time, the album worked well as a souvenir of the record breaking Steel Wheels Tour. Thanks to the hit-laden tracklist, it can also function as a live Best-Of album. More than that, it is an irrefutable document of a great (maybe the greatest?) rock'n'roll band in its natural habitat: the stage. From the opening notes of "Start Me Up", it's evident that the band's 80's slump is behind them and that they've rediscovered their chemistry: Jagger sings with passion rather than just prancing up and down the stage as he sometimes did, Watts hits the drums harder than any time in memory and Wymann propels the band forward flawlessly (albeit for the last time) with his bass. Best of all, Richards' and Wood's intertwined guitars weave an amazing guitar tapestry - even on the disco "Miss You", which Richards claims to hate. It is, of course, Mick's tune and he really rips through it, improvising on spot and interacting with the audience as he goes. More good news: The Steel Wheels tracks "Sad Sad Sad", "Rock and a Hard Place" and "Can't Be Seen" really come alive in a live setting, surpassing their studio counterparts. Then they up the ante by skipping two decades and facing off against their younger selves: Can they match their Sixties heyday? Well, not quite. But, let's be fair: who the fuck can? The inclusion of "Ruby Tuesday" and "Factory Girl" are a nice surprise, as they're not often performed live. But the former's 60's whimsy and latter's sympathy-to-the working-class sentiment seem far removed from today's Stones. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" sounds a bit anaemic but gives Jagger the chance to sing along with the audience and adds to the overall live feel. Which leads us to an amazing sequence of 60's classics, beginning with "Little Red Rooster", a song they originally cut at the fabled Chicago Chess studios in 1965. It's played as it's meant to be played, in a real downhome blues style. Midway through the song, God (Remember the graffitis in London walls back in 1965?) just appears and puts in an amazing blues solo. And yet, the next song beats even that! A Spanish guitar intro gives way to galloping drums and all-time favourite "Paint It Black". After that, who should make an appearance but Lucifer himself? "Please allow me to introduce myself..." Jagger sings and he takes us back to 1968 with "Sympathy for the Devil" - It's as if not a single day has passed! "Brown Sugar" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash" also rock as hard as they ever did and "Satisfaction" is transformed into a soul dynamite with the horns playing the main riff instead of the guitar. Otis Redding's version springs to mind. Adding a couple of new studio recordings after a song sequence as strong as this was a bad idea, but someone must have thought he can hook in fans by including new, previously unreleased songs. Not that they're bad, per se: "High Wire" is The Stones' first political song since the 60's, a competent rocker against the (first) Gulf War, a sentiment I wholeheartedly applaud. If only it was recorded live and placed somewhere in the middle of the album... As it stands now, it sounds like an afterthought and completely out of place. "Sex Drive" is a funky dance number that would sound right at home in "Dirty Work". Hell, it'd be one of the album's highlights. But "Flashpoint" is a pure rock'n'roll record, so if you make a playlist of it, I'd urge you to leave "Sex Drive" out. Generally, this CD left me satisfied beyond my expectations. Still...Am I going to play it often? Don't think so. As good as these versions are, anytime I feel like listening to "Paint It Black" or "Jumping Jack Flash", I'll choose the studio version instead...

**** for Start Me Up, Miss You, Rock and a Hard Place, Little Red Rooster, Paint It Black  Sympathy for the Devil, Brown Sugar, Jumping Jack Flash, Satisfaction

*** for Sad Sad Sad, Ruby Tuesday, You Can't Always Get What You Want, Factory Girl, Can't Be Seen, Highwire, Sex Drive

** for (Intro) Continental Drift (0:27)

(¥) Vintage Trouble "The Bomb Shelter Sessions" 2010***

I spent last weekend in Paris and got to see AC/DC live for the first time. My professional opinion is that they won't be quitting anytime soon - but I'm a dentist, so what do I know? Vintage Trouble were one of the support groups, taking the stage after Frenchies No One Is Innocent, and I was both surprised and glad to see them. You see they had made quite an impression on me the first time around, when I saw them open for Who on their tour for the 40th anniversary of Quadrophenia. They had taken to the stage like a hurricane, singer Ty Taylor displaying all the energy and stage antics of a young James Brown, prancing up and down the stage, getting lost in the audience, spinning around himself while the band played really loud rock'n'roll. After the show, the most hotly wanted item in the souvenir stand wasn't any of The Who paraphernalia, but this (their only, so far) CD. Last weekend's performance was slightly less impressive, maybe due to he size of the huge Stade de France arena - or maybe it was the effect of my sitting too far from the stage. Compared to the live experience, their CD is a more pared-down affair, offering soulful retro R&B/Rock a la Animals, Faces, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke etc. Opener "Blues Hand Me Down" is the closest the album comes to capturing the band's manic onstage energy, sounding like MC5 jamming with Wilson Pickett or -to use a more modern analogy- like Detroit noisemakers the Dirtbombs. "Still and Always Will" has a Creedence choogle (whatever a choogle is) and "Nancy Lee" (released as a single) is a strong rocker - maybe Black Crowes would sound like that if they really were black. "You Better Believe It", Jezzebella" and "Total Strangers" are more blues-inspired classic rock of the Rolling Stones/Led Zeppelin school, complete with dirty rock guitar and the occasional blues harp. On the other end of the spectrum, the second single "Nobody Told Me" is sweet soul a la Al Green. Taylor's warm silky voice is further showcased on other ballads like "Gracefully", "Not Alright By Me" and "Run Outta You". What I can't figure out is how come the band wrote all these songs in a few months and recorded them in three days, yet despite all the intense touring they have yet to produce a follow up. I know they're not lazy 'cause I've seen them sweat their asses off on stage. Writer's block maybe?

Vintage Trouble at the Stade de France, Paris 23/05/2015 

**** for Blues Hand Me Down, Nancy Lee, Nobody Told Me, Jezzebella
*** for Still and Always Will, You Better Believe It, Total Strangers, Run Outta You

**for Gracefully, Not Alright By Me

Various Artists "Sixties Japanese Garage-Psych Sampler" 1987(comp)****

The weirdness factor here is off the charts!

First released on vinyl in 1987, this rare collection of the Japanese “group sounds” movement apparently achieved legendary status and only recently became available on Cd. Let us disregard the questionable aesthetic of the cover and focus on the music: What would you expect when buying a compilation of Japanese beat groups circa 1966-68? I, for one, was taken by surprise. Firstly, although the song titles are in English, most of the groups here sing in Japanese. Secondly, I expected a more pop oriented collection, when a lot of these numbers rival the wildest garage you’ll encounter in the “Back from the Grave” series. Even in the more melodic numbers the vocalist often suddenly freaks out and starts screaming. The guitarwork is amazing throughout, really wild with a lot of fuzz and reverb. Lots of Japanese Jeff Beck-wannabes turning the volume way up. "I'm Just a Mops" is a stand-out track which was already familiar to me since it’s been anthologised before. The Mops were considered the first real psychedelic band in Japan but this is a real slice of rebellious garage ala Stones/Standells. The Spiders were the most well known group of the era but the Japanese-language song included here is not that impressive. On the other hand, The Outcast were unknowns but their cover of "Long Tall Sally" is unforgettable: The singer screams his lungs off in what I think is supposed to be English but sounds more like he’s trying to scare someone away. If the villagers in The 7 samurai had this guy, they wouldn’t need to hire any mercenaries. The Beavers'"Why, Baby, Why?" with its mixed English/Japanese vocals is yet another highlight while the Tempters track is a moody Zombies-like number (although the movie version in the youtube clip below is noticeably faster). 

**** for Love Is My Life (The Golden Cups), Why, Baby, Why? (The Beavers), I'm Just a Mops (The Mops), Everything's Alright (Outcast)

*** for Tunnel to Heaven (The Dynamites), Long Tall Sally (Outcast), Chu! Chu! Chu! (The Carnabeats), Tell Me More (The Tempters), Burning, Burning (The Bunnys), Anything You Want (The Spiders), Please Please Trina (D'Swooners), Gloria (Fingers)

** for Lonely Highway (Zoo Nee Voo), Hey! Chance (instr)(The Bunnys)

Various Artists "URGH! A Music War The Album" 1981****

URGH! A MUSIC WAR is a music documentary, consisting of live performances in various places around 1980. It presented the multi-faceted post-punk musical reality and its soundtrack constantly leaps from one genre to the next. Let's look at the tracks one by one:

1.The Police – "Driven to Tears"*** Proof that, in his pre-millionnaire days, Sting led a tight rock band

2.Wall of Voodoo – "Back in Flesh"*** The Fall meet Captain Beefheart? Or America's answer to John Lydon's P.I.L? In any case, not likely to win many fans. After the song, the singer declares that "Show business is my life". Maybe he should try his hand at prestidigitation.

3.Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – "Enola Gay"***** The opening synths of this song is The Sound of New Wave to me. A perfect single and a great live performance.

4.Oingo Boingo – "Ain't This the Life"*** Danny Elfman's ska/jazz/punk alma matter. Always a weird one, he was bound to end up collaborating with Tim Burton! This one could have been in Corpse Bride, I can't help but picture dancing skeletons when I listen to it...

5.XTC – "Respectable Street"** New Wave with funk overtones. Not impressed with the live performance, though. C'mon XTC, you can do better than that...

6.Go Go's – "We Got the Beat"***. Never mind that popster Belinda Carlisle began her career here. The Go-Gos were a great girl group in the best 60's tradition

7.Klaus Nomi – "Total Eclipse"***** The voice! The wardrobe! The haircut! The make-up! Nomi certainly was one of a kind, with his operatic vocals, Kraftwerk synths and electric guitars. And this song is his zenith, recorded shortly before he regrettably became the first celebrity to die of AIDS...

8.Jools Holland – "Foolish I Know"*** Jazzy piano from former Squeeze pianist, soon to become a successful TV show host. 

9.Steel Pulse – "Ku Klux Klan"**** Top-Class Roots Reggae and antifa message from these Birmingham based Jamaicans

10.Devo – "Uncontrollable Urge"**** Better than expected - an energetic punk rock performance!

11.Echo and the Bunnymen – "The Puppet"**** A rough, full of angst performance by Ian McCullough - different than his usual croon. Interesting!

12.The Cramps – "Tear It Up"**** Inventors of psychobilly in all their psychotic majesty

13.Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – "Bad Reputation"*** Although already a rock veteran with the Runaways, Jett was still young enough to identify with punk's rebellion against the "hippy generation" of rock. This one sounds like a mix of the Beach Boys, Ramones and...Cyndi Lauper.

14.Pere Ubu – "Birdies"** These Art-Punks from Ohio were never big crowd pleasers, yet they receive an enthusiastic reception

15.Gary Numan – "Down in the Park"*** Kraftwerk-like synths and Joy Division detachment from an emblematic figure of New Wave.

16.The Fleshtones – "Shadow Line"*** Garage Soul party rockers, still going strong today.

17.Gang of Four – "He'd Send in the Army"*** Angular guitars, funky bass, socially conscious lyrics - that's what Go4 were always about, that's also what they deliver here.

18.999 – "Homicide"*** By 1980, the music press had officially declared Punk is Dead. 999 sang "I believe in Homicide" and proved it's alive and aggressive as ever. If you see them coming your way, better change sidewalk...

19.X – "Beyond and Back"**** LA's finest punks, whose  records were produced by the most un-punk-like Ray Manzarek. With Siouxsie lookalike Exene Cervenka on vocals and fiery rockabilly guitar licks courtesy of Billy Zoom.

20.Magazine – "Model Worker"** A stellar New Wave band, but I think they underperform here.

21.Skafish – "Sign of the Cross"*** The only band I hadn't heard before. Based on their name I would have guessed they played ska music, but they surprised me with their hardcore punk, almost metal, attack and anti-religious lyrics. They obviously weren't trying to make any friends. Gotta respect them for that!

All in all, URGH! is a perfect snapshot of the scattered musical landscape after the punk attack on the musical industry, catching the fleeting moment of free music expression before the industry took the upper hand again, limiting artistic liberties with "professional" productions, lifeless digital sound and made-for-MTV videos. The film offers more goodies not included in the soundtrack, such as performances by Dead Kennedys, UB40, Surf Punks, Members, Alleycats, Au Pairs etc. Watch it on the big screen or low-resolution VHS, for the full period effect...

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion "Acme-Plus" 1998***

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion is a punk-blues trio comprised by singer-guitarist Jon Spencer, second guitarist Judah Bauer and drummer Russell Simins. "Acme" was their 6th album in 7 years and saw new elements introduced in their sound: Next to funk and garage rock, they now embraced hip hop and electronica. To spice-up their sound, they employed many guests and remixers and amassed enough material to fill two albums, called "Acme" and "Acme Plus", released one year apart and containing alternate mixes from the same sessions. Partly recorded live in Steve Albini's studio and partly reworked and remixed beyond recognition, both are a bit hodge-podge. They have nevertheless many high points, opener "Wait A Minute" being one of them, with its trademark Elvis-meets-James Brown vocals, dirty Stonesy guitar & ghostly theremin. Moby guests on bass, percussion and the mixing desk. "Get Down Lover" is a noisy garage piece with soul horns and "Confused", "Not Yet" and "Leave Me Alone So I Can Rock Again" wired funk. "Magical Colours (31 Flavours)" is a psychedelic soul ballad, probably the softest and most melodic track JSBX ever wrote. Its single counterpart made the Top-100 in the UK. "Get Old" and "T.A.T.B. (For The Saints And Sinners Remix)" remind me of Moby's electronica/blues experimentations. "Bacon" sports Blaxploitation strings, loud guitars and more theremin. "Blue Green Olga (Rmx)" is the most electronic song here, but something in the vocal and organ curiously reminds me of the Doors. "Heavy" combines hip hop with Barry White soul and "Lap Dance" gives them the chance to cooperate with horny 60's legend Andre Williams. "Right Place, Wrong Time" is the one that started it all, a killer cover of the Dr. John classic recorded for the "Scream 2" soundtrack. The remix included here has some rapping that doesn't add to the original, but at least doesn't ruin it either. "Electricity" is the punkiest song (think MC5 meet The Clash) and "New Year" and "Chowder" recall The White Stripes' mix of hard rock, blues and garage - Just don't forget: JSBX were there first! "Hell" is manic rockabilly and "I Wanna Make It Alright (Zebra Ranch)" is the closest JSBX get to justify their Blues prefix. The CD closes with a hilarious ad for the "Acme" album. According to it "Judah Bauer plays his guitar with such fiery passion that it makes grown men weep, Russell Simins has grown women showering him with panties and condoms, and Jon Spencer was voted sexiest man alive three years in a row by Gentleman’s Quarterly". Well, I don't know about that but you can quote me on this: Jon Spencer hasn't failed me yet. He makes great records, has a hot wife and he's a really confident and enjoyable live performer. If he comes your way, don't miss him!

**** for Wait A Minute, Magical Colors (31 Flavors), Blue Green Olga (Remix), Right Place  Wrong Time

*** for Get Down Lover, Confused, Not Yet, Bacon, Heavy (Remix), Leave Me Alone So I Can Rock Again, Electricity, New Year, Chowder, T.A.T.B. (For The Saints And Sinners Remix), Hell, I Wanna Make It All Right (Zebra Ranch), Ad for "Acme"

** for Get Old, Lap Dance, Soul Trance

Stephen Stills "Stephen Stills" 1970****

Stephen Stills' eponymous album was his solo debut after stints in Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young). Judging from the cover, it seems to be a naked affair - an intimate record featuring just Stills and his acoustic guitar. Well, guess again: This is one of the most star-studded albums of rock. Guests include all of CS&N (not just Crosby and Nash, the support players as well), Ringo Starr on drums, John Sebastian, "Mama" Cass Elliot and Rita Coolidge on backing vocals, Booker T Jones on organ, and no less than Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix on guitar. Opener "Love the One You're With" mixes excellent vocal harmonies with Latin percussion and it remains his biggest hit. "Do For The Others" is a delicate folk ballad and "Church (Part of Someone)" a richly orchestrated gospel/soul number. "Old Times Good Times" brings him together with Jimi Hendrix. Stills moves to the organ and lets Hendrix handle the guitar parts alone. Need I remark he totally shreds it? Tragically, he was already dead by the time the album hit the stores, which is why it circulated with a dedication "to James Marshall Hendrix". The bluesy "Go Back Home" finds Stills exchanging licks with another guitar legend, Eric Clapton. Check the live video below, where he plays all the guitar parts alone - you'll see that Stills himself was no slouch when it came to electric guitar (He was ranked #28 in Rolling Stone Magazine's 2003 list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time")."Sit Yourself Down" was the second single of the album and notable for its great backing vocals. "To A Flame" is a psychedelic folk ballad with an elegant string section. "Black Queen" is the simplest production on the album, a blues-folk number with masterful acoustic guitar accompaniment and "Cherokee" is a soul rocker with jazzy flute and sax passages, while "We Are Not Helpless" is an optimistic and uplifting answer to former bandmate Neil Young's desperate "Helpless". The album was very successful (reached #3 of the charts and is included in many an all-time-best-albums list) but Stills wasn't destined for a great solo career and will mostly be remembered as a member of Crosby Stills and Nash (& Young) and for his various collaborative efforts (Manassas, the Stills/Bloomfield/Kooper "super session" etc).

**** for Love the One You're With, Do for the Others,Old Times Good Times, Go Back Home, To a Flame

*** for Church (Part of Someone), Sit Yourself Down, Black Queen, Cherokee, We Are Not Helpless

Buffalo "Dead Forever" 1972***

For those who thought Australia's only contribution to hard rock was AC/DC I present...Buffalo! An unfairly overlooked band at the time, labeled after the fact "proto-metal" and often favourably compared to Black Sabbath. But although they can, and often do, play slow and heavy a la Sabbath, Buffalo were more diverse, with blues and progressive elements. A curious feature of this, their debut, was the presence of two lead vocalists, the bluesier Dave Tice and more high pitched-voiced Alan Milano (who was later to depart from the group). Who knows, maybe Blackmore was copying Buffalo when he casted in Deep Purple Mk.III two lead singers as different to each other as Coverdale and Hughes. The album opens with a Floydian dreamy section before plunging into hard rock territory with "Leader", its message being that politicians are untrustworthy and that the only leader worth following is yourself. "Suzie Sunshine" is boogie rock with bluesy slide guitar and "Pay My Dues" is a Blues Image cover. It starts off with spacey guitar effects and transforms halfway into a heavy blues somewhat reminiscent of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. Free's "I'm A Mover" is a 10 minute jam sporting slow Sabbath-y riffs and a long experimental middle section. Great guitar work, but the real highlight of the song is the vocal interaction between the two singers, with Milano letting off screams to rival Judas Priest's Rob Halford. "Ballad of Irving Fink" and "Bean Stew" have a Southern Rock feel, reminiscent of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Steppenwolf (the latter). "Forest Rain" is a moody psychedelic ballad with a sturdy Tice vocal and the album reaches its climax with "Dead Forever", a metallic boogie every bit as heavy as anything produced by Black Sabbath in their prime. Alas, the only video available is truncated and only featuring one of the two singers (Tice). Nevertheless, it's good to have a visual...

**** for I'm A Mover, Forest Rain, Dead Forever

*** for Leader, Suzie Sunshine, Pay My Dues, Ballad Of Irving Fink, Bean Stew

B.B. King "His Definitive Greatest Hits" 1963-1993(orig) 1999(comp)****

It was all across the news a couple of days ago: B.B. King died at his house in Las Vegas from diabetes complications. Although not unexpected (he was 90 years old and had retired a few years ago because of health problems), the news were nonetheless shocking because they spelled the end of an era. B.B. King was the last link to an almost mythical pre-rock era of music, one of the innovators who shaped modern music, be it pop, rock or soul. He could scarcely have come from humbler beginnings: Born Riley King in a Mississippi plantation in 1925 to a long line of agricultural workers, abandoned by his parents at the age of 4 and raised by his grandmother (probably born a slave herself). He was taught guitar by his uncle Bukka White and left the plantation at the age of 18 to work as a tractor driver and play the occasional gig at taverns and work as disc-jockey (whence he got the nickname "Blues Boy" -later shortened to "B.B."- King). Who could have guessed that he'd die being a household name, known as the King of the Blues, rich certainly beyond his wildest dreams, revered by music lovers and musicians alike, often invited in the White House to be honoured by presidents and the recipient of countless Grammies and other awards? Even his guitar, a black Gibson named Lucille, is famous! His fluid playing and ringing vibrato was inspired by T-Bone Walker, but he perfected this style and has been a huge influence to everyone from Eric Clapton to Jimi Hendrix. His amazing life is celebrated in the documentary "The Life of Riley". For my part, I thought I'd mark his passing with a blog entry. 

The album I chose is "His Definitive Greatest Hits", spanning more than 30 years and containing many of his biggest hits - although some of his most influential early songs recorded between 1949 and 1962 are missing. The song order isn't chronological, but I'll present them this way, starting with his early singles for ABC Records: From 1964 we get "How Blue Can You Get"****, a classic blues with amazing (as ever) guitar, piano and horns and "Help the Poor"****, a livelier R&B number. From his celebrated 1965 "Live at the Regal" album, we get 4 tracks: "Everyday I Have the Blues"**** is an upbeat swing number and "Sweet Little Angel"**** an early blues hit with subtle sexual metaphors as was the fashion with old blues songs. "Woke Up This Mornin'"**** is an upbeat number with a jumping beat in total contrast with the words (e.g. "my baby's gone and I'm in misery'). "Please Love Me"** is another fast song from the same live record. 1966's "Don't Answer the Door, Pts. 1 & 2"**** and 1968's "Paying the Cost to Be the Boss"**** find him employing a slicker sound while remaining firmly in the blues genre, showcasing his guitar skills better than ever before. In 1969's "Completely Well" he'd perfect this sound, even introducing strings for a lusher sound. It contained his greatest ever hit "The Thrill Is Gone"***** that won him a Grammy award and high positions at both the R&B and Pop charts. The funky "So Excited"*** also comes from that album and "Why I Sing the Blues" **** from the same year's "Live & Well" takes us to the root of the blues, which is of course suffering and counting on the music to get you through some really hard times... 

King often mentions 1970's "Indianola Mississippi Seeds" as his favourite album, maybe because he wrote it for his hometown. It is an extremely well realised and successful record, with backing from famous musicians like Carole King, Leon Russel and Joe Walsh. From that album we get the string-laden pop "Hummingbird"*** and another blues inspired by hard times, "Chains and Things"****. 1971's "In London" sees him supported by the cream of English musicians (Alexis Korner, Peter Green, Ringo Starr and members of Spooky Tooth and Humble Pie). From that album we get two straight soul numbers: The Curtis Mayfield-like "Ghetto Woman"**** and Ike & Tina Turner-like "Ain't Nobody Home"***. 1973's "To Know You Is to Love You" featured another celebrated guest, Stevie Wonder, and included the funky title track**** and the silky soul of "I Like to Live the Love"****. Next up we have two duets with Bobby "Blue" Bland, a live version of King's first hit "Three O'Clock Blues" (originally recorded in 1952) from 1974's "Together for the First Time... Live" and "Let the Good Times Roll"*** from 1976's "Bobby Bland and B. B. King Together Again...Live". Although they played together for the first time, the two men's acquaintance goes waaay back to the 50's, when Bobby Bland was an aspiring blues singer and acted as King's chauffeur, driving him from one gig to another. By this time, however, both their careers were waning, so they decided to join forces and tour the world together. Soul party number "Never Make You Move to Soon"*** from 1978's "Midnight Believer" and "Better Not Look Down"*** from 1979's "Take It Home" go for a modern funky sound and miss the mark. In contrast, 1981's "There Must Be a Better World Somewhere"**** plays to his strengths, with blue (as in melancholic) guitar and jazzy horns. From 1980 we have a live version of Louis Jordan's swing classic "Caldonia"***. Jordan's swing and jump-blues music exercised a big influence on King and he has even recorded a whole album dedicated to him (to be presented later).

  

From 1983's "Blues 'n' Jazz" we get "Broken Heart"** and ballad "Darlin' You Know I Love You** and from 1985's "Six Silver Strings" (presented with a lot of fanfare as it was his 50th album) a cover of Wilson Picket's soul classic "In the Midnight Hour"** and the disco influenced "Into the Night"** and "My Lucille"**. It would be fair to say that King's career had reached its low point at the time, but right then he was offered the chance for a big comeback - which he, of course, took. U2, then at the apogee of their success, had written a song specially for him and they pleaded him to record it with them for their new record, "Rattle And Hum" (1988). "When Love Comes To Town"**** is not pure blues but features that unmistakeable Lucille sound and reached number 6 in the UK, introducing B.B.King to another generation of music lovers and revitalizing his career, with more high profile collaborations and world tours (I saw him at the Athens Lycabettus theater around that time). 

Electric soul blues "The Blues Come Over Me"*** and the poppier "I'm Moving On" come from 1991's "There Is Always One More Time", while 1992's "Since I Met You Baby"**** from Gary Moore's "After Hours" sees the two great guitarists exchanging solos - Moore's are wild and loud, while King's elegant. "Playing With My Friends" from 1993's "Blues Summit" is a similar exercise with a young black guitar hero, Robert Cray and, finally, "Rock Me Baby"*** is a popular early hit, re-recorded in front of a live audience in the San Quentin prison in 1990. All in all, a great overview of a long and fruitful career, although no record collection is complete without B.B.King's historic singles for the RPM/Kent label (1949-1962) - not to mention something from the 15 or more albums that followed the release of this compilation, including commercial duets album "Deuces Wild" and the fantastic B.B.King/Eric Clapton collaboration "Riding With The King", both to be presented at a later occasion.

Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers "The Beserkley Years: The Best Of..." 1972-1979(orig) 1986(comp)****

Jonathan Richman (Jo-Jo to his friends) must be rock's most affable man. I've seen him play live twice and he immediately established a relaxed and intimate atmosphere, made you think you're hanging around with a friend that just happens to be a musician. Fortysomething years ago, he formed a band together with a couple of Harvard students, David Robinson (future Cars member) and Jerry Harrison (future Talking Head). They called themselves Modern Lovers and they were obviously in thrall to the revolutionary (and unpopular) sounds of the Velvet Underground. They even recorded some demos in 72-73 with VU's John Cale, but broke up soon afterwards without releasing a record. By 1976 though, the musical climate had begun to change. Those old demos were released as the Modern Lovers album and hailed as the future of rock'n'roll, next to similar bands like the Ramones,Television etc. Four songs of that album are included here and they are all essential listening: "Roadrunner" is a dynamic return to the primitive spirit of rock'n'roll and was immediately covered by the Sex Pistols (and Johnny Rotten; rock's least affable man). "Astral Plane" features some great organ by Jerry Harrison, like an imaginary jam between the Doors' Ray Manzarek, Iggy's Stooges and VU. In "Government Center" he vows to sing until he makes the secretaries that put the stamps on the letters smile. On "Pablo Picasso" (later covered by Cale and Bowie) he sings "Well some people try to pick up girls/And get called assholes/This never happened to Pablo Picasso/He could walk down your street/And girls could not resist his stare and/So Pablo Picasso was never called an asshole". Fun fact: I hear that, apart from being a great ladies man, for which the song celebrates him, old Pablo was also a decent painter. By the time the Modern Lovers album circulated, Jo-Jo had formed another band with a softer sound, encompassing folk, rock'n'roll, children's songs, doo-wop & reggae. Their debut Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers (1976) was also quite remarkable and became the blueprint for everything they made since. It included whimsical songs about lovable monsters ("Here Come The Martian Martians", "Abominable Snowman In The Market"), simple love songs ("Important In Your Life") and paeans to his homeland ("New England","Lonely Financial Zone"). From Rock 'n' Roll with the Modern Lovers (1977) we get "Afternoon", "Ice cream Man" (where he sings with childish glee about his favourite flavours) and the hilarious "Dodge Veg-O-Matic". Now, there have been thousands of love song addressed to a car, but that is certainly the only one to a car that doesn't move at all. From Modern Lovers Live (1978) we get "I'm A Little Dinosaur" and "The Morning Of Our Lives" and from Back in Your Life (1979) 4 love songs: "Back In Your Life", "My Love Is A Flower (Just Beginning To Bloom)", "Affection" and the reggae-ish "Abdul And Cleopatra". More than 20 albums followed, with varied degrees of success but always enjoyable, whimsical and touching. When it comes to Jo-Jo, I've learned there's only one way to approach him and that's become the title of one of his albums: Surrender to Jonathan and dance with abandon to his songs about romance, ufo's, ice creams, famous painters and anything else he chooses to sing about. I promise you' ll love it!

***** for Roadrunner, Astral Plane, Pablo Picasso, Dodge Veg-O-Matic

**** for Government Center, New England, Here Come The Martian Martians, Important In Your Life, Abominable Snowman In The Market, Ice Cream Man, Abdul And Cleopatra

*** for Lonely Financial Zone, Afternoon, I'm A Little Dinosaur (Live), Back In Your Life, My Love Is A Flower (Just Beginning To Bloom)

*** for The Morning Of Our Lives (Live), Affection

The Cult "Electric" 1987*****

When I first met Ian Astbury he was pretending to be somebody else. He knew he wasn't fooling anyone, but he played the part with panache. He made us all put misgivings aside, make believe and have a great time. The band he sang with at the time was called the 21st Century Doors, and his co-conspirators on stage were Doors legends Robbie Krieger and Ray Manzarek. How did he manage to fill shoes as big (not speaking literally, of course) as Jim Morrison's? Only by preparing for it his whole life. While other punks railed against rock stars and their grandstanding, he must have been studying hard rock behemoths Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and Aerosmith. He slowly guided his band towards his objective, every name change bringing him closer to his purpose. As Southern Death Cult became Death Cult and finally plain Cult, the music transformed from Punk to Goth to New Wave and finally, with "Electric", Hard Rock. Under the supervision of hotshot producer Rick Rubin, the songs were stripped bare, so as to better display the muscular guitar riffs and vocals. Guitarist Billy Duffy comes up with riffs that would make even Angus Young jealous and Astbury roars heroically, channelling Robert Plant and Jim Morrison. Opener "Wild Flower" is a classic hard rock single with a monster riff. Two more singles were released from the album and made the UK Top-20. "Little Devil"'s riff is pure AC/DC, while "Love Removal Machine" is as close as you can get to the dream scenario of The Rolling Stones ousting Jagger and bringing in Jim Morrison and Rory Gallagher to duet with Richards on guitar (Gallagher did actually almost become a Stone in 1975, but that's another story). "Peace Dog" is a Doors-influenced song with slightly embarrassing lyrics - let's face it, Astbury's grasp of poetry is a far cry from that of his idol, Jim Morrison. The fact they revisit "Born to Be Wild" (the song that coined the term heavy metal) is further sign of their ambition. The rest of the album follows more or less the same template: "Aphrodisiac Jacket", "Electric Ocean" and "King Contrary Man" offer more AC/DC riff-ola, while "Bad Fun", "Outlaw" and "Memphis Hip Shake" recall Aerosmith in their 70's hard rock heyday. Bringing back hard rock's glory days in the middle of the plastic 80's decade seemed to be mission impossible. That era was long gone and its protagonists like Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and AC/DC were shades of their former selves. Yet the Cult did try, and with aplomb. Call it a resounding success or a colossal failure, there just is no middle road, here...

***** for Wild Flower, Lil' Devil, Love Removal Machine

**** for Electric Ocean, Bad Fun, King Contrary Man, Outlaw

*** for Peace Dog, Aphrodisiac Jacket, Born to Be Wild

** for Memphis Hip Shake

Keith Richards and The X-Pensive Winos "Live At The Hollywood Palladium, December 15, 1988" 1991***

Keith Richards was the last Stone to venture a solo album and even when he did so in 1988 with "Talk Is Cheap", it was with a minimum of fuss and promotion. He wrote some songs together with drummer/producer Steve Jordan, assembled a band he named The X-Pensive Winos and took them on a brief tour around America. It seems that his main motivation was to stretch his musical muscles while co-founder of the Rolling Stones Mick Jagger was busy promoting his solo albums. The Hollywood Palladium concert was recorded as a personal souvenir of the Winos' short existence, but Richards decided to release it commercially after he heard some inferior quality bootlegs that had already gotten out. Musicians that night included, among others, guitarist Waddy Wachtel, Ivan Neville on keyboards and bass and longtime Stones associate Bobby Keys on sax. The band were obviously relaxed and enjoyed playing together. 9 out of 11 songs from "Talk Is Cheap" get an airing, together with a few Rolling Stones numbers. Of those, "Time Is On My Side" is sung by Sarah Dash and gets an excellent soulful treatment. Reggae-ish "Too Rude" sounds great, liberated from "Dirty Works"'s stiff production and Bobby Keys' sax solos really bring it to life. "Happy" and "Connection", from '72 and '67 respectively, get sprightly arrangements and Talk Is Cheap's "Take It So Hard" opens the album swinging, with its big guitars and rolling pianos, easily topping everything the Stones had produced in the preceding years. "I Could Have Stood You Up" serves up old-time rockabilly, "How I Wish" and "Whip It Up" some fiery solos, "Big Enough", "Struggle" and "Rockawhile" funk-rock, and "Make No Mistake" and "Locked Away" are a couple of emotionally honest ballads. All in all, a reminder that Richards is the beating heart of The Rolling Stones, while Jagger is - I don't know...The lips? Ass maybe?

**** for Take It So Hard, Time Is On My Side, Locked Away, Struggle

*** for I Could Have Stood You Up, Too Rude, Make No Mistake, Big Enough, Whip It Up, Happy, Connection

** for How I Wish, Rockawhile

Goliath "Hot Rock & Thunder" 1972***

I know there are 52 (right?) states in the US, but when I try to remember some of them, Indiana never comes up. To be honest, the only thing I know about it is the local NBA team Indiana Pacers, once home to the 3-point demon Reggie Miller and Detlef Schrempf, one of the first Europeans to play in the NBA. For a big guy, he was also no slouch when it came to shooting. Goliath of old was also a big guy, and Goliath the band also came from Indiana - see what I'm getting at? And you thought I was rambling like an old guy with dementia, babbling about an all-but-forgotten German basketball player from 25 years ago, when I don't even know who's today's top scorer? (still Shaquille, right?). Now, where was I? Oh. yeah: Goliath the band from Terre Haute, Indiana. They made this LP in 1972 (or, according to others, 1975). As far as we know nobody bought it. Well, maybe some friends and relatives did buy it, to support the group. - "Here's your Christmas present, a record by Goliath, my cousin Jim's band". - "Ooooh (sarcastic voice), Goliath! And who is that on the record cover? Looks like a crazy mullah or rabbi or whatever. Don't want him in my room. Thanks for nothing, man!". Well, if you had kept that record, you'd be $100 richer now! Because Goliath the band never die! They just float through time, skip a couple of generations and find new listeners - meanwhile, where's David the band? (Still floating through time, I'll be presenting them sometime). Now, where was I? Oh yeah, Goliath! People who saw them back in the day swear they were a kick-ass live band. Since nobody but their fellow Indiana-ites can verify it, we'll have to take their word for it. Fact remains that their album is a very decent slice of proggy hard rock. I could have swore they're an English band - and that's a compliment. Think about it: Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep=English. Kiss, Aerosmith=Americans. Good, but not very complicated musically. Opener "We’re Not Afraid"is indicative of the band's sound, as it combines Glenn Hughes-period Deep Purple funk-rock with some ELP-like prog. "Tell Me You’re Satisfied" and "Hot Rock and Thunder" are more rock'n'roll with boogie woogie piano and touches of The Who and Lynyrd Skynyrd. "Dead Drunk Screamin'" is more than a cool title. It's half Glen Hughes-era Deep Purple and half David Byron-era Uriah Heep - which makes it 100% great hard rock! "The Apocalypse" and "Silver Girl" are more progressive, with futuristic moog synthesizer and weird tempo changes. The latter, for example, goes from aggressive synth riffs to beautiful piano interludes to Sabbath-y guitars. It's the kind of adventurous spirit other American bands of the era lacked. The album closes with nice power ballad "Ordinary Guy". I'd describe it as Uriah Heep jamming with Elton John. Oh, don't look at me like that! Stranger things have happened!

**** for Tell Me You’re Satisfied, Dead Drunk Screamin’

*** for We’re Not Afraid, Hot Rock and Thunder, The Apocalypse, Silver Girl, Ordinary Guy

Stiv Bators "Disconnected" 1980****

I recently saw the movie CBGB, about the historic New York club whence Punk began. The film focuses on the story of the owner Hilly Kristal, rather than the music. Fair enough - I personally couldn't care less about the protagonist, but it's not my film. It was still fun to watch the director trying to cram all of the scene's major players in his movie. Most are given a few seconds and presented with a caption with their name on it, so that we know who we're supposed to be watching: Patti Smith, Joey Ramone, Lou Reed, Debbie Harry, Richard Hell, the members of Television and Talking Heads, even Iggy Pop (who shouldn't be in the film at all, as he never had any connection with CBGB's). All singers play a decorative role, except from the Dead Boys' Stiv Bators. He's one of the basic characters and he's presented as goofy, irreverent, comically self-destructive and talented - although the movie doesn't make it clear exactly where his talent laid. He's said to have been the wildest performer of the CBGB's gang, probably inspired by Iggy's legendary antics.

Watching the film's depiction of him reminded me a story I read about Bators almost choking himself to death with the microphone cord on stage and getting carried to the hospital - he had permanently damaged his neck, just to perform a stage trick! Anyway, by 1980 the punk movement had run out of steam and the Dead Boys had disbanded. Bators would have to continue aping his older self aping Iggy Pop or move on - and move on he did, with a few singles and his only solo album "Disconnected". He toned down the aggressiveness and embraced new wave, power pop and garage rock. Opener "Evil Boy" sports a catchy chorus and melodic hard rock guitars and "Bad Luck Charm" betrays countless hours of listening to the "Nuggets" compilations of obscure 60's garage. "A Million Miles Away" and "Swingin' A-Go-Go" are melodic guitar punk a la Radio Birdman while "Make Up Your Mind" and "The Last Year" recall the Flamin' Groovies with a dash of The Beatles. He was one of the first to re-discover the Electric Prunes' psychedelic classic "Too Much To Dream" and plays it quite well. "Ready Any Time" and "I Wanna Forget You (Just The Way You Are)" are more current sounding new wave/power pop.  "Forget You..." probably wins the prize for imaginative title, but the result is rather forgettable. My version of the CD contains 5 bonus tracks: Alternate versions of "Evil Boy" and "Swingin' A Go-Go", a half-finished song without words ("Crime In The Streets"), a loose  and naughty take on Syndicate Of Sound's "Little Girl" and spoken word "Junebug Skillet". In this album, Stiv Bators managed to find a direction that suited him well, merging his punk origins with the more commercial sounds of power pop and 60's garage rock. Unfortunately, it didn't meet with the success he probably expected (and deserved). The future would hold for him a move to England, another - relatively successful -  band (Lords Of The New Church) and a tragically premature death at 40, after getting hit by a taxi in Paris. In typically self-destructive fashion, he refused medical treatment claiming he felt fine, only to die the same night from internal bleeding. He left behind an underrated musical legacy that is well worth discovering...

**** for Evil Boy, Bad Luck Charm, A Million Miles Away, Swingin' A-Go-Go

*** for Make Up Your Mind, Too Much To Dream, Ready Anytime, The Last Year, Wanna Forget You (Just The Way You Are), Evil Boy (Alternate Take), Swingin' A Go-Go (Alternate Take), Little Girl (Live)

** for Crime In The Streets (Instrumental), Junebug Skillet (Barbecued Yardbird)

Steve Wynn "What I Did After My Band Broke Up/Visitation Rights" 1990-2004(orig) 2005(comp)****

The band that "broke up" was Dream Syndicate, a fantastic neo-psychedelic guitar band, influenced by the likes of Velvet Underground and Neil Young & Crazy Horse, and which in turn influenced a lot of indie rock bands in the 80's. Their singer, Steve Wynn, has gone on to make a string of well crafted yet underrated albums running the gamut from country-ish ballads to fiery garage rock. He was a frequent visitor in Greece and I got to see him many times, always delivering a great show and displaying an agreeable, fan-friendly personality. This compilation covers the first 15 years of his solo career, starting with 1990's Kerosene Man.  Maybe as a reaction to Dream Syndicate's guitar excesses, it was  more conventional singer-songwriter stuff, with echoes of Bob Dylan and Lou Reed. That record's "Carolyn" was an especially catchy and melodic single, but neither that nor "Tears Won't Help" nor Johnette Napolitano duet "Conspiracy of the Heart" became hits. 1994's Fluorescent ("Carelessly", "Collision Course") was a mostly acoustic affair and 1996's Melting in the Dark ("Shelley's Blues, Vol. 2," "Why") a return to the raw guitar sound of Dream Syndicate, with Bostonian indie band Come backing him instead of session musicians. 1999's My Midnight ("Nothing But the Shell", "Cats and Dogs","500 Girl Mornings") contained his most mature songwriting yet,  while 2001's double CD Here Come the Miracles ("Sustain", "Death Valley Rain," "There Will Come a Day") is arguably his greatest achievement, combining the guitar fury of his Dream Syndicate days with a more varied approach that encompasses all indie Americana sounds. What I Did... works well as an introduction to the artist, but inevitably suffers from inconsistency, with different styles and backing bands form different periods mixed together. The second disc, entitled Visitation Rights, contains reworkings of older material with stark piano and/or organ backing by long-time associate (and former Green On Red keyboardist) Chris Cacavas. It provides an alternate setting for the songs and confirms that they can withstand transformation (a mark of great songwriting) but it's otherwise quite inessential listening. All in all, this makes for a nice introduction for an artist we'll be getting back to often in this blog, as I have more than 15 of his albums (solo, with Dream Syndicate, Gutterball, Danny & Dusty etc). Listening to it again brought back memories and made me realize I haven't seen him play live for 10 years, when he played on the last night of the historic Rodon Club. And now that I said Rodon Club; I really feel sad: The temple of music for my generation is gone and my mind goes to all the great artists I've seen there and are no more: The Ramones, Gun Club's Jeffrey Lee Pierce, the Cramp's Lux Interior and so many others close to my heart.  I saw bluesman John Campbell giving a smokin' hot concert there only weeks before he died, just like Les Negresses Vertes whose 30-year old singer Helno also died only weeks after performing in Rodon. Now, let's just stop here with this list and return to Steve Wynn who is alive and well and, according to wikipedia, a billionaire who owns half of Las Vegas - WTF? could that be true?

May 29, 2005: Last show at Rodon Club, the end of an era

***** for Death Valley Rain, Nothing But The Shell, Carolyn

**** for Amphetamine, Sustain, Shelley's Blues Pt 2, Black Magic, Tears Won't Help, Collision Course, Cats and Dogs, Conspiracy Of The Heart

*** for Carelessly, Drag, There Will Come a Day,  What Comes After, Why, 500 Girl Mornings.

Visitation Rights:

*** for James River Incident. Drought, Anthem, For All I Care, Mandy Breakdown, Riverside, Follow Me, The Mask Of Shame, Something To Remember Me By, What We Call Love, Epilogue

** for My Family, Gospel, Crawling Misanthropic Blues

Bone Orchard "Stuffed To The Gills And Other Fishy Tales" 1983-1985(orig) 2011(comp)***

Bone Orchard have been relegated to a footnote in the Goth chapter of musical history. Almost completely forgotten until Jungle Records released this best-of compilation on CD, they are now only semi-forgotten. They busted out of the post-punk/goth scene in 1983 with the "Stuffed To The Gills" EP, included here in its entirety. Connections were immediately made with Birthday Party, because of the barely-controlled chaos over which singer Chrissie McGee howled and growled menacingly. Other influences must have included Siouxsie Sioux and possibly Diamanda Galás, whose flair for theatricality and gloom she shares - though not, alas, her vocal range. Musical cornerstones, besides punk and goth, include jazz and psychobilly. Opener "Fats Terminal" has been included in the seminal "Blood From The Cats" psychobilly compilation (one I've played to death), next to the Meteors, Stingrays and my all-time-favourite English politician Screaming Lord Sutch. "Knuckle The Butcher", "Shall I Carry The Budgie Woman?" and "Kicking Up The Sawdust" from the "Stuffed to the Gills" EP (1983) are closer to Birthday Party while "Picking Appulheads" and "Mancre!" are jazzier though hardly less extreme. Lyrics are dark and desperate, e.g. from Budgie Woman: "Mother, I'm an alcoholic! A creature of lust, not so clean as you...". Next year's single "Swallowing Havoc" contained more psychobilly ("Cold Back Stick" and the Cramps-like "I’m Boned") and mutant jazz ("Love Has Sin"). The band's sole LP "Jack", released in 1984, was a less extreme affair, steeped in noir-ish jazz as much as goth. Almost all of it is included in this compilation. Examples of this jazz-noire direction are the piano and upright bass-dominated "Jack" and "Scarlett Ropes", while the excellent "Marianne" adds dramatic strings and "Five Days In The Neighbourhood" saxophone. "Lynched" and "Girl With A Gun" hark back to the band's earlier Birthday Party obsession. The CD closes with 2 tracks from the 1985 "Princess Epilepsy" single, the same-named wild psychobilly number and bluesy "Same Old Ball And Chain" (a reference to Janis Joplin's "Ball And Chain" perhaps?). A DVD with videos and a live performance is also part of this comprehensive package. Interesting album yes, but definitely of its time. Still, better than the commercial fluff that passes for Goth in U.S. these days, so if you consider yourself a Goth, you should check it out...   

**** for Fats Terminal, Marianne

*** for Knuckle The Butcher, Shall I Carry The Budgie Woman?, Picking Appulheads, Cold Back Stick, I’m Boned, Lynched, Five Days In The Neighbourhood, Girl With A Gun, Princess Epilepsy, Same Old Ball And Chain

** for Mancre!, Kicking Up The Sawdust, Love Has Sin, Jack, Scarlett Ropes

Mick Harvey "Pink Elephants" 1997***

It's not often that friends from grammar school become intertwined for life, but from the moment Mick Harvey met a boy named Nick Cave, he was destined to live a life in his shadow. Fortunately, being in that shadow didn't stop him from growing as an artist and eventually finding his own voice, but one wonders what his fate would have been if he hadn't met Cave in school: Would he ever even become a professional musician? Could he possibly have flowered as an artist of his own and eclipsed his former schoolmate? All the evidence shows he didn't lack in talent but he did lack ambition, seemingly content to be Cave's faithful sideman, beginning from the punk/new wave Boys Next Door to the explosive Birthday Party and the glorious ever-evolving supergroup that were The Bad Seeds. Although he ventured sometimes on his own (e.g. this CD), Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds were always his first priority - until 2010, that is, when his 36-year service in Cave's bands finally ended. "Pink Elephants" was the second instalment in Harvey's Serge Gainsbourg tribute project (after '95's "Intoxicated Man"). With the exception of the same-named orchestral piece that opens the album, all the rest are English-language versions of Gainsbourg's songs. Now, I have a compilation of Gainsbourg's songs and I have to admit I like Harvey's versions more. Firstly, the music of the originals is a hodgepodge of different styles (from orchestral pop to cod-reggae to funk), but Harvey's versions sound (unsurprisingly) like The Bad Seeds, his day job and one of the coolest bands in the world. His voice is also better, a baritone croon not unlike Cave's own. Thirdly, well-translated English lyrics allow those of us who aren't (yet) fluent in French to better appreciate the words. "Requiem Pour Un Con" becomes "Requiem" for a cunt, retains the funky drumming and benefits from organ fills, while "The Javanaise" is a faithful rendition of the romantic waltzy tune. "Black Seaweed", "Non Affair" and "Manon" are Bad Seeds-like piano ballads, while the lush arrangements of others ("Scenic Railway","The Ballad of Melody Nelson","Hotel Specific") remind me of Divine Comedy or Hardcore-era Pulp. "Comic Strip" is especially Pulp-ish, with sensuality and irony complementing each other as Harvey's vocals are interrupted by comical special effects. "The Ticket Puncher" is a particularly ironic song set to a galloping rhythm and "Anthracite" another one, complemented by organ and strings that belong to a 60s spy movie. "To All the Lucky Kids" is a ridiculously descriptive anti-drug song and the album's low point. "Torrey Canyon" and "Who is 'in' Who is 'Out'" pay homage to the originals' ye-ye origins, with their 60's garage rock organ and electric guitars. I saved "I Love You...Nor Do I" for last, with good reason. It's a cover of Gainsbourg's best known song, the scandalous "Je T'aime Moi Non Plus" that had Brigitte Bardot delivering orgasmic moans among erotic mumblings by Gainsbourg. Harvey has another former couple assuming that role, Nick Cave and Anita Lane. Nick Cave sounds very sombre and dark, rather than lusty and Anita's moans speak of suffering as much as desire. Some subtle lyrical changes shift the focus of the song from graphic sex to musings over the hopelessness of physical love. The orchestral backing is sublime as ever and the song proves itself to be more than mere novelty. Tribute albums are usually either too reverential or damage the songs in their effort to find a new angle. This one is a rare exception that does justice to the songs and even on occasion improves on the original versions. An album highly recommended for fans of Serge Gainsbourg, Nick Cave, Pulp, Belle and Sebastian and orchestral indie pop in general...

**** for Comic Strip, The Ticket Puncher (Le Poinçonneur Des Lilas), I Love You...Nor Do I (Je t'aime... moi non plus), The Ballad of Melody Nelson (La Ballade de Melody Nelson)

*** for Pink Elephants, Requiem (Requiem Pour Un Con), The Javanaise (La Javanaise), Black Seaweed (Les Goémons),  Non Affair (L'Anamour),  Scenic Railway, Anthracite (L'Anthracite), Manon, Torrey Canyon, Who is 'in' Who is 'Out' (Qui Est 'In' Qui Est 'Out' ), Hotel Specific (L'Hôtel Particulier)

** for To All the Lucky Kids (Aux Enfants De La Chance)