Brian Eno "Ambient 1 Music for Airports" 1978****

This is probably Eno's most celebrated album, yet I avoided it for years and only came around to buying it after finishing with his conventional, song-based, 70's  discography. I'm not a fan of instrumental music, still less of new age and ambient styles. But I thought I'd make an exception since this is widely considered the first (and, by some, the best) ever ambient album - in any case the first that was expressly created as a mood piece. Eno's purpose was to create music that, although interesting, would pass unnoticed while "inducing calm and space to think”. This is its saving grace as well as what separates Eno's ambient albums from shopping mall muzak, which steers away from thoughtfulness towards shopping-friendly mild euphoria. As you may have guessed atmospheric is the keyword here, tranquil instrumental music with no obvious hooks such as you might find in classical or jazz. Resonant melodies played by synths, pianos and human voices (I know I said it's an instrumental album, but the wordless vocals are strictly used as a musical instrument) are intertwined but, because the music is so sparse, the result isn't discordant or busy sounding. Rather like the calming sensation of lightly falling raindrops, birdsong and a running brook, if I may get poetic for once, the elements are neither harmonising nor conflicting. The first track "1/1" is the longest: 17,5 minutes of lovely piano snippets (composed and played by Soft Machine's Robert Wyatt) repeated endlessly over an atmospheric synth background. If you're listening intently, it'll bore you to death. Which makes it the perfect opener for this album: after 5 minutes or so, either the music has melted into the background and dug itself into your subconscious or you feel the need to yank the record out and put something more meaty. On "2/1" the piano is replaced by "angelic" female vocals inducing a choral spiritual/meditative feel. "1/2", opening what originally used to be the LP's side 2, blends the sparse piano and vocals of  the previous two tracks to great effect. Probably the prettiest piece on the record. While still being extremely calm and hypnotic, "2/2" is a fuller piece than what preceded it, almost like a conventional jazz/modern classical composition. The synths emulate a wind instrument playing an actual melody next to the usual wave-like sound. Apparently the record fulfilled its stated purpose for a time, serving as background music at New York's LaGuardia airport -until commuters started complaining that it was too "depressing". For myself, I couldn't disagree more. I find it a gorgeous piece of music that never fails to set the mood right when used in the correct occasion.

***** for 2/1

**** for 1/2, 2/2

*** for 1/1

Can "Tago Mago" 1971*****

Tago Mago is a standard addition to best-albums-ever lists. Understandable, since it's the quintessential Can/Kraut Rock album. American singer Malcolm Mooney had just returned to his homeland and his replacement was another foreigner, Japanese Damo Suzuki, whom the band found playing music on the streets of Munich. His style suited Can's experimentalism. He was more of a whisperer and screamer rather than a conventional singer and his interplay with the other musicians is phenomenal, everyone seemingly in his own little universe yet the band playing as if they share a collective mind. "Paperhouse" starts the album off and for a few seconds it sounds like West Coast psychedelia before any notion of a song is dissolved in chaos. Great improvisational jazzy guitar and drumming, with Suzuki mumbling in the background, shouting and then hiding again. "Mushroom" is a chilly song about Hiroshima that draws a nakedly emotional performance from Suzuki, while the band plays with controlled menace. It sounds like nothing ever heard up to that point, paving the way for future bands from Radiohead to The Fall. "Oh Yeah" is an atmospheric song with a steady motorik rhythm. Once more the guitar work is excellent and Suzuki sings partly in Japanese. I'm willing to bet it's just stream-of-consciousness nonsense but it sounds nevertheless great. "Halleluwah"is an 18,5 minute monster of a track. It starts off with a bluesy intro and soon enters into a funky groove - I'd say about as funky as genetically possible for a bunch of  German guys. There's a long drumming section, various effects and vocals alternating between lazy and loud. All in all, a mindblowing achievement. Following track "Aumgn" is almost its equal in duration but an exercise in tunelessness full of effects, shrieks and barks. Some interesting drumming appears halfway into the song, but otherwise just a curiosity. "Peking O" is another experimental song with frantic and unintelligible vocals. It reminds me of Captain Beefhart in Trout Mask Replica. Like that album, depending on where you stand, it can be considered either genius or nonsense. I'm more of the second opinion, myself.  Finally "Bring Me Coffee or Tea" closes the album with some cool atmospheric pre-chillout pre-new wave music. Overall it's an amazing record. Though by no means an easily accessible one, it's full of original ideas and proved an influential landmark, a mysterious monolith of an album that appeared out of nowhere,  dispensing inspiration and creating evolution without giving any clues to its true nature (cool 2001:Space Odyssey reference, ja?). Some of its dark magic may be explained by the supposed links to occultist and high priest of Satanism Aleister Crowley who is somehow connected to the enigmatically named Isla de Tagomago (just off Ibiza) whence this album's title stems.

***** for Mushroom, Halleluhwah 

**** for Paperhouse, Oh Yeah

*** for Bring Me Coffee or Tea

** for Aumgn, Peking O.

R.I.P. 2017

Hello, and best wishes for the New Year. Last December was the laziest I've ever been in terms of blogging, only 3 posts. It had to do with moving house, lack of access to my listening equipment and limited time on the laptop. I'll bounce back soon, I promise. For a start, a sobering subject after the festive days: A list of musicians that passed away last year. Some of them, like Chuck Berry & Fats Domino, had already passed to legend after having lived a long and full life. Others were still relatively young (I've marked the ages of those who died before turning 60). Especially poignant this year, the suicides of two friends and iconic hard rockers of the 90's and 00's, Soundgarden's Chris Cornell and Linkin Park's Chester Bennington. Also, one which I almost missed: the passing of Dead Moon's Fred Cole went unreported on mainstream media end-of-the-year absence lists, and was barely mentioned on Mojo's "they also served" section of obituaries. He was an underground legend and a real rock'n'roll idol of mine, and I'll be sure to write a review/tribute on him in this blog when I can. It't be nice to do the same for each of the deceased, but alas there's too many of them. Let's at least take time to read their names and bid them a mental farewell: 

Thank you for the music,

Chuck Berry (Rock ’n’ Roll Pioneer)
Fats Domino (R&B/Rock ’n’ Roll Pioneer)
Tom Petty (Singer, also member of Traveling Wilburys)

Gregg Allman (Singer/Organist Allman Brothers)

Chris Cornell 52 (Singer, Soundgarden/Audioslave)

Chester Bennington 41 (Singer, Linkin Park)
Walter Becker (Bassist/Guitarist, Steely Dan)

Grant Hart 56 (Drummer/singer,Hüsker Dü)

J. Geils (Guitarist, J. Geils Band)

Malcolm Young (Guitarist, AC/DC)
George Young (Easybeats guitarist, AC/DC mentor/producer)

Johnny Hallyday (The ultimate French rock star)

John Wetton (Bassist, Asia/King Crimson/Roxy Music/Uriah Heep)
James Cotton (Chicago Blues Singer/harmonica player)
Chuck Mosley 57 (Singer, Faith No More/Bad Brains)

Jaki Liebezeit (Drummer for Kraut rockers Can)
Holger Czukay (Bass/Guitar, Can)
Al Jarreau (Soul Singer)

Charles Bradley (Soul Singer)

Lonnie Brooks (Blues Guitarist)

Pat DiNizio (Singer, The Smithereens)

Banner Thomas (Bassist, Molly Hatchet)
Dave Hlubek (Guitarist, Molly Hatchet)
Joni Sledge (Singer, disco act Sister Sledge)

Martin Eric Ain 50 (Bassist, metal band Celtic Frost)
Pentti Glan (Drummer, Alice Cooper/Lou Reed)

Gordon Downie 53 (Singer, Tragically Hip)

Glen Campbell (Country singer/guitarist)

Geoff Nicholls (Keyboards, Black Sabbath)
David Axelrod (Composer/arranger, Jazz/Soul/Psych)
Fred Cole (Singer/guitarist, Dead Moon/Lollipop Shoppe)
Larry Coryell (Jazz guitarist)

Butch Trucks (Drummer, Allman Brothers)

Maggie Roche (Singer, The Roches)

Mike Kellie (Drummer, Spooky Tooth/The Only Ones)

Don Williams (Country singer)

Sib Hashia (Drummer, AOR hitmakers Boston)
Rick Stevens (Singer, Tower of Power)

Pete Overend Watts (Bassist, Mott the Hoople)

Tommy Allsup (Guitarist for Buddy Holly & other acts)

David Peel (Folk singer, hippie activist)

Dave Rosser 50 (Guitarist, Afghan Whigs)
Scott Putesky aka Daisy Berkowitz 49 (Guitarist, Marilyn Manson)

Melissa Bell (Singer, Soul II Soul)
Goldy McJohn (Organist, Steppenwolf)
Steve Lang (Bassist, April Wine)
Deke Leonard (Guitar/Keyboards, Man)
Robert Dahlqvist 40 (Guitarist, The Hellacopters)
Larry Steinbachek 56 (80's pop band Bronski Beat)
Allan Holdsworth (Jazz/prog guitarist, Soft Machine/U.K.)
Earl "Wire" Lindo (keyboards, Bob Marley's Wailers)
Gil Ray (80's New Wave band Game Theory)
Toby Smith 46 (Keyboards, Jamiroquai)
Bobby Freeman (60's R&B singer)
Kevin Garcia 41 (Bassist, Grandaddy)
Dikmik (Electronics/Synths, Hawkwind)
Sonny Geraci (Singer, US 60's group The Outsiders)
"Skip" Prokop (Canadian rocker, Paupers/Lighthouse)
Robert Fisher 59 (Willard Grant Conspiracy)
Lionel Augustus "Saxa" Martin (Sax, The Beat)
Keni Richards (Drummer, 80's "hair metal" band Autograph)
David Cassidy (Actor/singer, Partridge Family)
Robert Lee "Pops" Popwell (Bassist, The Young Rascals/Crusaders)
Jimmy Copley (Drummer, Manfred Mann's Earth Band)
Iain Shedden (Drummer, Aussie punks The Saints)
John Lever (Drummer, The Chameleons UK)
Wayne Cochran (60's R&B singer)
Franz Jarnach (German rockers The Rattles)
Jimmy Nalls (Guitarist, Sea Level)
Joey Alves (Guitarist, Y&T)