Best Of The Year 2019

Hello, and best wishes for the New Year, which is mere minutes away now! Like always, I bought different music magazines in December for their end-of-the-year retrospectives. Next to the lists (published here) Uncut,  MOJO, and Classic Rock also give away a CD containing cuts from their chosen albums of the year. Since I haven't listened to most of the albums, I'll give you my two cents' opinion based on the samples I heard on these CD's.

UNCUT's album of the year is Titanic Rising by Weyes Blood. Her track here is excellent, akin to a modern-day Fleetwood Mac. One of many female voices in the compilation, mostly reminiscent of past glories: Joan Shelley reminded me of Emmylou Harris, Cate Le Bon of Kate Bush, Rhiannon Giddens of Sandy Denny, Aldous Harding of Joni Mitchell, Mother Nature of Stereolab, and Julia Jackson of a Fleetwood Mac/Portishead hybrid. I'm not talking about copycats, you understand. Just of great traditions being carried on. Big Thief are a bit difficult to pin down, I'll settle for "countrified Velvet Underground" for the time being. Also, speaking of female voices, how about Sampa the Great? Never had heard of her before, but wow! I usually bypass modern R&B and Rap artists but I was impressed by what I heard here. Nick Cave's new album is on No.2. It's quite something for sure: Eerie, poignant and beautiful, if not quite what we're accustomed to by him. I love it, its ghostly synths work well for this particular record, but I'd like The Bad Seeds back, please! Having one of the world's all-time-best backing bands and not using them all is a sin, it is. Bruce Springsteen's on No.7. No sample track for him, but there's none needed. He's The Boss, of course the album's great! Michael Kiwanuka is on No.31. Also no sample in the CD but I got his album as a Christmas present and I'll present it here in due time. Purple Mountains' debut has gathered great reviews. They're represented on the CD by "Darkness and Cold", a fantastic song that sounds like a cross between Neil Young and The Go-Betweens. Which makes the fact that the band's leader David Berman committed suicide this year even sadder. Lana Del Rey's "Norman Fucking Rockwell!" likewise got rave reviews. I haven't heard it yet, actually haven't followed her at all since her debut. I don't know why, she's obviously very talented. Probably I had her pegged as too "mainstream" for me. Bon Iver has also been getting consistently good reviews, but it's only now that he's won me over with "Hey Ma". It reminds me of Paul Simon and of Vampire Weekend - the latter's album is are on Uncut's list but not on the CD. The big names are also predictably here: Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Wilco, Jack White's Raconteurs etc. Of the new bands, watch out for Irish punk-rockers Fontaines D.C.! I'd place their debut alongside those of The Libertines and Strokes. Judging from Uncut's CD it sounds that 2019 was a great year for music indeed!

1.Weyes Blood — Titanic Rising 2.Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds — Ghosteen 3.Purple Mountains — Purple Mountains 4.The Comet Is Coming — Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery 5.Lana Del Rey — Norman Fucking Rockwell! 6.Joan Shelley — Like the River Loves the Sea 7.Bruce Springsteen — Western Stars 8.Bill Callahan — Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest 9.Big Thief — U.F.O.F. 10.Wilco — Ode to Joy 11.Cate Le Bon — Reward 12.Julia Jacklin — Crushing 13.Oh Sees — Face Stabber 14.Richard Dawson — 2020 15.Bon Iver — i,i 16.Sharon Van Etten — Remind Me Tomorrow 17.Modern Nature — How to Live 18.Jenny Lewis — On the Line 19.Peter Perrett — Humanworld 20.Brittany Howard — Jaime 21.Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi — there is no Other 22.Leonard Cohen — Thanks for the Dance 23.Aldous Harding — Designer 24.The Specials — Encore 25.Neil Young — Colorado 26.Angel Olsen — All Mirrors 27.The National — I Am Easy to Find 28.Jenny Hval — The Practice of Love 29.Trash Kit — Horizon 30.Jessica Pratt — Quiet Signs 31.Michael Kiwanuka — Kiwanuka 32.Kim Gordon — No Home Record 33.The Raconteurs — Help Us Stranger 34.Fontaines D.C. — Dogrel 35.Sturgill Simpson — Sound & Fury 36.Dave — Psychodrama 37.The Murder Capital — When I Have Fears 38.75 Dollar Bill — I Was Real 39.Bonnie “Prince” Billy — I Made a Place 40.Vampire Weekend — Father of the Bride 41.Billie Eilish — When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? 42.The Fat White Family — Serfs Up! 43.W.H. Lung — Incidental Music 44.Robert Forster — Inferno 45.Sleaford Mods — Eton Alive 46.Lambchop — This (Is What I Wanted to Tell You) 47.Nérija — Blume 48.Lizzo — Cuz I Love You 49. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks — Groove Denied 50.Shana Cleveland — Night of the Worm Moon

MOJO has compiled some of the best promo CD's in my collection but they blow this one by trying to include a wider (but disparate) selection of tracks. Their No.1 of the year is Nick Cave, followed by Bill Callahan and Bruce Springsteen. Callahan's song here shows him to be a worthy successor to  Americana pioneers like Townes Van Zandt. The Comet Is Coming are on No.4, same place as in Uncut. No songs from it included on the CD, so I had to resort to youtube. It's heady stuff, with spacey saxophones and the like. Not everybody's cup of tea. The CD starts with "History Repeats" from former Alabama Shakes' singer/guitarist Brittany Howard. Alas the song sounds more like a half-baked Gorillaz track instead of her typical Southern Rock and Soul sound. Don't write her off though, there's better stuff in her album. It's followed by Edwyn Collins in his Bryan Ferry-esque best, and P.P. Arnold. The former Ikette picks up where she left off 50 years ago as if not a single day has passed. Next we get Lee "Scratch" Perry (dub), Underworld (techno) and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard (space-metal boogie). Good for their respected genres, but placing them in the middle seriously disrupts the flow of the compilation. The Fat White Family's indie-disco "Feet" reminds me of their labelmates Franz Ferdinand. Sharon van Etten offers classic indie-pop, and she's one of many names repeated in both lists. The Purple Mountain's "Nights That Won't Happen" sounds like those Gene Clark covers by 4AD bands. With lyrics like "This world is like a roadside inn and we're the guests inside/And death is a black camel that kneels down so we can ride/And when the dying's finally done and the suffering subsides/All the suffering gets done by the ones we leave behind" it sounds like Berman announcing his intention to commit suicide. How come no-one heeded it? Tinariwen are obviously the token "world music" track for the CD, but that doesn't matter. On any given album, you can count on their bluesy licks and desert drones to transport you to a campfire in the Sahara with a million stars shining above.

1. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds — Ghosteen 2.Bill Callahan — Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest 3.Bruce Springsteen — Western Stars 4.The Comet Is Coming — Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery 5.Aldous Harding — Designer 6.Fontaines D.C. — Dogrel 7.Lana Del Rey — Norman Fucking Rockwell! 8.black midi — Schlagenheim 9.Purple Mountains — Purple Mountains 10.Lee "Scratch" Perry — Rainford 11.Brittany Howard — Jaime 12.Jenny Lewis — On the Line 13.Weyes Blood — Titanic Rising 14.The Fat White Family — Serfs Up! 15.Tinariwen — Amadjar 16.Amyl and The Sniffers — Amyl and The Sniffers 17.Solange — When I Get Home 18.P.P. Arnold — The New Adventures of... P.P. Arnold 19.Cate Le Bon — Reward 20.75 Dollar Bill — I Was Real 21.Michael Kiwanuka — Kiwanuka 22.Big Thief — U.F.O.F. 23.Dave — Psychodrama 24.Sharon Van Etten — Remind Me Tomorrow 25.Thom Yorke — Anima 26.The Raconteurs — Help Us Stranger 27.Lizzo — Cuz I Love You 28.Underworld — DRIFT Series 1 Sampler Edition 29.Edwyn Collins — Badbea 30.Esperanza Spalding — 12 Little Spells 31.Hot Chip — A Bath Full of Ecstasy 32.Robert Forster — Inferno 33.Jake Xerxes Fussell — Out of Sight 33.Sturgill Simpson — Sound & Fury 34.King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard — Infest The Rats' Nest 35.Sleater-Kinney — The Center Won't Hold 36.Leonard Cohen — Thanks for the Dance 37.Flying Lotus — Flamagra 38.Mavis Staples — We Get By 39.Angel Olsen — All Mirrors 40.slowthai — Nothing Great About Britain 41.Durand Jones & The Indications — American Love Call 42.Modern Nature — How to Live 43.Chris Forsyth — All Time Present 44.Royal Trux — White Stuff 45.Deerhunter — Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared? 46.Bon Iver — i,i 47.Jenny Hval — The Practice of Love 48.Rustin Man — Drift Code 49.Lambchop — This (Is What I Wanted to Tell You)

CLASSIC ROCK now, that's a magazine different from the others: for most of us "classic rock" means the 60's and 70's, but for the purveyors of the magazine it seems to mean the 80's and 90's. Most of their choices are the kind of songs that would be on heavy rotation for a year in (Greek) Rock FM in the 90's, never to be heard again. Take their No 1, for example: The Wildhearts' "Renaissance Men" starts of with a Who power chord and continues with U2-like guitars and a silly/catchy chorus. Perfect recipe for big arena rock, but perfectly forgettable too. On No.2 a band everybody else considers a joke: The Darkness' metallic guitars and histrionic vocals are a complete throwback to the 80's - or is it a parody? The Black Star Riders on No.3 are the first band that deserves the "Classic" label. They sound as expected for a band that rose from the ashes of Thin Lizzy, but I wouldn't call them derivative because the songwriting is up to notch. The Who are, of course, classic rock incarnate. They're on No.5 and, judging by what I've heard on youtube, are still unmistakably the same old rock stalwarts, even though they're two men down. This late in the game, not disgracing your legacy is all one can hope for, and The Who achieve exactly that. Rammstein figure on No.6. They've peaked long ago and their new album will not disappoint their fans - provided all they want is more of the same. Nobody else noticed that Status Quo (No.15) carry on despite the loss of Rick Parfitt, but based on the sample here it's business as usual at The Quo camp regardless. Of the tracks on the CD, I loved Beth Hart (on "Bad Woman Blues" Janis Joplin meets Alanis Morissette) and had fun with Airbourne's AC/DC pastiche. It was also good to see someone acknowledge the return of The Stray Cats (on No.8). Their new album is called 40, which is how many year they've been around, on and off. Apart from Bruce Springsteen (No.9) you'll have to go to the lower reaches to find common entries with the other magazines: Nick Cave at No.26 (right below Slipknot, for fuck's sake!) and The Raconteurs at No.45. Tool's return must have been relatively underwhelming (No.19 for Classic Rock, not mentioned by the others). Similarly low positions for prog-metallers Opeth (No.40) and Dream Theater (No.50). Nevertheless, good to see some veterans like Neil Young and Iggy Pop get a nod. And, of course, CR is the only magazine that could ever feature both The Who and (Mongolian rockers) The Hu on their list! 

1. The Wildhearts - Renaissance Men 2. The Darkness - Easter Is Cancelled 3. Star Riders - Another State Of Grace 4. Rival Sons - Feral Roots 5. The Who - Who 6. Rammstein - Untitled 7. Gary Clark Jr - This Land 8. Stray Cats - 40 9. Bruce Springsteen - Western Stars 10. Big Big Train - Grand Tour 11. Tedeschi Trucks Band - Signs 12. The Black Keys - Let's Rock 13. Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse - Love & Murder 14. Beth Hart - War In My Mind 15. Status Quo - Backbone 16. The Magpie Salute - High Water II 17. The Defiants - Zokusho 18. The Allman Betts Band - Down To The River 19. Tool - Fear Inoculum 20. Diamond Head - The Coffin Train 21. Airbourne - Boneshaker 22.Alter Bridge - Walk The Sky 23.Claypool Lennon Delirium - South Of Reality 24. Royal Republic - Club Majesty 25. Slipknot - We Are Not Your Kind 26.Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds — Ghosteen  27.Volbeat - Rewind, Replay, Rebound 28. Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind - CollectiV 30. Sturgill Simpson - Sound & Fury 31.Whitesnake - Flesh & Blood 32.Steve Hackett - At The Edge Of Light 33.Duff McKagan - Tenderness 34.Iggy Pop - Free 35.Starcrawler - Devour You 36.Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown - Truth & Lies 37. Kris Barras Band - Light It Up 38. Grand Slam - Hit The Ground 39.Jeff Lynn's E.L.O - From Out Of Nowhere 40. Opeth - In Cauda Venenum 41. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Colorado 42. Phil Campbell - Old Lions Still Roar 43.Black Futures - Never Not Nothing 44.The Glorious Sons - A War On Everything 45.The Raconteurs - Help Us Stranger 46.Michael Monroe - One Man Gang 47.The Hu - The Gereng 48.Michael Schenker Fest - Revelation 49.Tigers Of Pantang 50.Dream Theater - Distance Over Time

R.I.P. 2019

It's become something of a tradition for this blog to bid farewell to the musicians who have departed during the last year. Compiling the list is always a full of  unpleasant surprises for me, as I get to discover that some of my favorite artists have died without it being reported widely in the media. Others (Dr. John, Scott Walker, Ginger Baker etc) made justified headlines. No matter what, they all served. Let's take some time to read their names and bid them a mental farewell.

Thanks for the music, 

[30 Dec 2019] Neil Innes (Monty Pythons/Rutles/Bonzo Dog singer/songwriter), 75
[29 Dec 2019] Norma Tanega (American musician, singer), 80, cancer
[28 Dec 2019] Thanos Mikroutsikos (Greek entekhno composer), 72, cancer
[26 Dec 2019] Sleepy LaBeef (American rockabilly singer), 84

[24 Dec 2019] Kelly Fraser (Canadian Inuktitut pop singer and songwriter), 26

[24 Dec 2019] Dave Riley (American bassist Big Black), 59, throat cancer

[13 Dec 2019] Roy Loney (singer and guitarist for Flamin' Groovies), 73

[12 Dec 2019] Jack Scott (Canadian-American rock singer and songwriter), 83

[09 Dec 2019] Marie Fredriksson (Swedish singer-songwriter for Roxette), 61

[08 Dec 2019] Juice Wrld (American rapper), 21, ceizure complications

[04 Dec 2019] Rosa Morena (Spanish flamenco pop singer), 78, cancer

[02 Dec 2019] Andrew "Greedy" Smith (Mental As Anything), 63, heart attack

[01 Dec 2019] Stuart Fraser (Australian musician for Blackfeather), 57, lung cancer

[25 Nov 2019] Iain Sutherland (The Sutherland Brothers), 71

[24 Nov 2019] Goo Hara (South Korean singer for Kara), 28, suicide

[20 Nov 2019] Doug Lubahn (American rock bassist for Clear Light, The Doors), 71

[19 Nov 2019] José Mário Branco (Portuguese singer-songwriter), 77

[16 Nov 2019] Éric Morena (French singer), 68

[08 Nov 2019] Jackie Moore (American singer), 73

[07 Nov 2019] Ivan Maksimović (Serbian rock guitarist for Metro, The No Smoking Orchestra), 57

[05 Nov 2019] Wake Self (American rapper), 30, traffic collision

[04 Nov 2019] Timi Hansen (Danish bassist for Mercyful Fate, King Diamond), 61, cancer

[03 Nov 2019] Wake Self (American hip-hop artist), 30, traffic collision

[02 Nov 2019] Marie Laforêt aka Maïtena Douménach (French-Swiss singer and actress), 80

[02 Nov 2019] Bart Walsh (American guitarist for David Lee Roth), 56, gastrointestinal bleeding

[26 Oct 2019] Paul Barrere (American rock singer and guitarist for Little Feat), 71, liver cancer

[14 Oct 2019] Steve Cash (singer & harmonica player for The Ozark Mountain Daredevils), 73

[12 Oct 2019] George Chambers (American bassist and singer for The Chambers Brothers), 88

[08 Oct 2019] Molly Duncan (Scottish saxophonist for Average White Band), 74, cancer

[06 Oct 2019] Ginger Baker (English Hall of Fame drummer for Cream), 80

[06 Oct 2019] Larry Junstrom (American bassist for Lynyrd Skynyrd), 70

[02 Oct 2019] Barrie Masters (English singer for Eddie and the Hot Rods), 63

[02 Oct 2019] Kim Shattuck (American singer/guitarist for The Muffs, Pandoras), 56, lateral sclerosis

[01 Oct 2019] Karel Gott (Czech singer), 80, acute myeloid leukemia

[24 Sep 2019] Karlos Bareham (UK drummer for Venom), accident

[23 Sep 2019] Robert Hunter (American poet, musician, and lyricist for Grateful Dead), 78

[19 Sep 2019] Larry Wallis (English musician for Pink Fairies, Motörhead), 70

[18 Sep 2019] Tony Mills (English rock singer for Shy, TNT), 57, pancreatic cancer

[16 Sep 2019] Mick Schauer (American rock keyboardist for Clutch)

[15 Sep 2019] Ric Ocasek (American musician for The Cars), 75, cardiovascular disease

[15 Sep 2019] Roberto Leal (Portuguese-Brazilian singer), 67, skin cancer

[13 Sep 2019] Eddie Money (American musician), 70, complications from heart surgery

[11 Sep 2019] Daniel Johnston (American singer-songwriter), 58, heart attack
[9 Sep 2019] Lavrentis Mahairitsas (Greek singer-songwriter with PLJ, Termites & solo), 63
[[26 Aug 2019] Neal Casal (American musician for Ryan Adams), 50, suicide

[19 Aug 2019] Larry Taylor (American bass guitarist for Canned Heat), 77

[07 Aug 2019] David Berman (Silver Jews/Purple Mountains), 52, suicide

[07 Aug 2019] Danny Doyle (Irish folk singer), 79

[07 Aug 2019] Nicky Wonder (American guitarist for Wondermints, Brian Wilson), 59

[05 Aug 2019] Lizzie Grey (American guitarist for glam metal band London), 60

[03 Aug 2019] Damien Lovelock (Australian musician for The Celibate Rifles), 65, cancer

[01 Aug 2019] Ian Gibbons (English keyboardist for The Kinks), 67, bladder cancer

[22 Jul 2019] Art Neville (American singer/keyboardist for The Neville Brothers), 81

[16 Jul 2019] Pat Kelly (Jamaican rocksteady and reggae singer), 70, kidney disease

[12 Jul 2019] Dick Richards (American drummer for Bill Haley & His Comets), 95

[12 Jul 2019] Russell Smith (American singer-songwriter for Amazing Rhythm Aces), 70, cancer

[06 Jul 2019] João Gilberto (Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist, pioneer of bossa nova), 88

[06 Jul 2019] Yannis Spathas (Greek guitarist for Socrates Drank the Conium), 68

[23 Jun 2019] Dave Bartholomew (American Hall of Fame musician), 100, heart failure

[29 Jun 2019] Gary Duncan (American rock guitarist for Quicksilver Messenger Service), 72, seizure

[22 Jun 2019] Jerry Carrigan (American rock drummer for Elvis Presley), 75

[19 Jun 2019] Philippe Zdar (French electronic musician for Cassius), 50, fall

[08 Jun 2019] Andre Matos (Brazilian singer for Viper), 47, heart attack

[06 Jun 2019] Dr. John (American Hall of Fame singer-songwriter), 77, heart attack

[31 May 2019] Roky Erickson (American singer-songwriter for The 13th Floor Elevators), 71

[31 May 2019] Paddy Fahey (Irish composer and fiddler), 102

[30 May 2019] Leon Redbone (Cypriot-American singer-songwriter and actor), 69, dementia

[29 May 2019] Tony Glover (American blues harmonicist for Koerner, Ray & Glover), 79

[29 May 2019] Jeff Walls (American guitarist for Guadalcanal Diary), pulmonary disease

[28 May 2019] Willie Ford (American soul singer for The Dramatics), 68

[21 May 2019] Jake Black (Scottish musician for Alabama 3), 59

[15 May 2019] Chuck Barksdale (American singer for The Dells), 84

[14 May 2019] Mike Wilhelm (American musician for The Charlatans (60s band)), 77, cancer

[13 May 2019] Doris Day (American actress and singer), 97, pneumonia

[04 May 2019] J. R. Cobb (American musician for Atlanta Rhythm Section), 75, heart attack

[30 Apr 2019] Phil Grande (American guitarist for Stevie Ray Vaughn, Blue Oyster Cult), 61

[30 Apr 2019] Boon Gould (English musician for Level 42), 64

[26 Apr 2019] Phil McCormack (American singer for Molly Hatchet), 58

[24 Apr 2019] Dick Rivers (French rock and roll singer for Les Chats Sauvages), 74, cancer

[22 Apr 2019] Dave Samuels (American percussionist for Spyro Gyra), 70

[15 Apr 2019] Joe Terry (American rock and roll singer for Danny & the Juniors), 78

[12 Apr 2019] Johnny Hutchinson (English rock and roll drummer for The Big Three), 78

[12 Apr 2019] Michiel Eikenaar (Black metal vocalist for for Dodecahedron), 42, cancer

[26 Mar 2019] Ranking Roger (British singer for The Beat), 56, cancer

[22 Mar 2019] Scott Walker (American-born British singer-songwriter for The Walker Brothers), 76

[17 Mar 2019] Bernie Tormé (Irish guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, Gillan), 66, pneumonia

[17 Mar 2019] Yuya Uchida (Japanese singer for Flower Travellin' Band), 79, pneumonia

[17 Mar 2019] David White (American singer-songwriter for Danny & the Juniors), 79

[17 Mar 2019] Andre Williams (American R&B musician), 82, colon cancer

[17 Mar 2019] Dick Dale (American guitarist and surf music pioneer), 81

[11 Mar 2019] Hal Blaine (American Hall of Fame drummer for The Wrecking Crew), 90

[08 Mar 2019] Eddie Taylor Jr. (American blues singer and guitarist), 46, heart failure

[06 Mar 2019] Mike Grose (British, first bassist for Queen)

[04 Mar 2019] Keith Flint (English singer for The Prodigy), 49, suicide

[01 Mar 2019] Stephan Ellis (American rock bassist for Survivor), 69

[01 Mar 2019] Paul Williams (English singer for Juicy Lucy), 78

[27 Feb 2019] Doug Sandom (first drummer for The Who), 89

[26 Feb 2019] Andy Anderson (English rock drummer for The Cure), 68, cancer

[25 Feb 2019] Mark Hollis (English musician, singer and songwriter for Talk Talk), 64

[24 Feb 2019] Mac Wiseman (American bluegrass musician for Foggy Mountain Boys), 93

[21 Feb 2019] Gus Backus (American doo-wop for The Del-Vikings and schlager singer), 81

[21 Feb 2019] Peter Tork (American actor, singer, and musician for The Monkees), 77

[20 Feb 2019] Gerard Koerts (Dutch musician for Earth and Fire), 71

[15 Feb 2019] Kofi Burbridge (American rock multi-instrumentalist for Tedeschi Trucks Band), 57

[13 Feb 2019] Willy Lambregt (Belgian rock musician for The Scabs), 59, cancer

[02 Feb 2019] Bill Sims (American blues musician), 69

[01 Feb 2019] Alex Brown (American painter and punk rock musician for Gorilla Biscuits), 52

[29 Jan 2019] James Ingram (American R&B singer-songwriter), 66, brain cancer

[28 Jan 2019] Paul Whaley (drummer for The Oxford Circle & Blue Cheer), 72

[26 Jan 2019] Ingo Bischof (German musician for Kraan), 68

[26 Jan 2019] Michel Legrand (French composer, conductor and jazz pianist), 86

[19 Jan 2019] Ted McKenna (Scottish drummer for The Sensational Alex Harvey Band), 68

[16 Jan 2019] Lorna Doom (American punk rock bassist for Germs), 60

[05 Jan 2019] Eric Haydock (British bassist for The Hollies), 75

[02 Jan 2019] Daryl Dragon, aka The Captain (American musician for Captain & Tennille), 76

[01 Jan 2019] Kris Kelmi (Russian singer-songwriter for Autograph), 63

[01 Jan 2019] Pegi Young (American singer-songwriter), 66, cancer

Danny Elfman "Nightmare Before Christmas" O.S.T. 1993*****

They say that supply and demand is the most important law of economics, so if there is a bombardment of Christmas movies every year around this season, there must be a demand for them? I'm talking about all the movies about Santa, his reindeers and elves, sappy family movies with uplifting messages, and the odd romantic comedies - because when are you going to find true love if not in Christmas, the "miracle season?" I mean seriously, why are people still making those movies if they're all going to be the same? Then, in 1993, came a Christmas movie that was completely different than any other: funny, weird, bitter-sweet, macabre, and... Halloweeny. Walt Disney Pictures was involved but made sure their name and logo was nowhere to be seen. The idea was conceived by the brain behind the best modern Gothic fairytales: Tim Burton. His aesthetic permeates the whole project even if the actual direction of the painstakingly realized stop-motion animation belongs to Henry Selick. The film became a cult hit whose fame kept growing while, lo and behold, was later proudly re-released by Disney under their own name - as one can also see on the cover of the vinyl soundtrack here.

The music is, of course, written by Burton's permanent collaborator Danny Elfman, who was then still active as a member of pop band Oingo Boingo and not yet a full-time film score composer. Here, he not only writes the melodies but also sings the parts of the main protagonist Jack Skellington and writes the lyrics which are integral to the plot as they either recount was is happening onscreen or propel the story further. So, to make sense of the songs it is necessary to let you in on what is happening in the movie when the songs are playing: the album begins with an orchestral "overture" offering samples of the film's main themes. The narrator (actor Patrick Stewart) then explains the film's basic premise: for every holiday there is a different group of creatures living in the respective city, spending a whole year planning and executing that holiday down its last detail ("Opening"). The action then shifts to Halloweentown and its spooky residents introducing themselves in upbeat musical number "This Is Halloween". After that comes "Jack's Lament" in which the town hero both celebrates his ability to terrify and confides his yearning for something different ...which he finds in Christmastown. "What's This?" is a happy number filled with Jack's excitement and amazement at the strange things happening at Christmas (Presents! Singing! Laughter!). He shares his finding with the other Halloweeners ("Town Meeting Song") and finally hatches the plan to organize Christmas himself ("Jack's Obsession"). Cue the snappy "Kidnap Santa Claus" where the Halloween kids fantasize about the terrible fate that will befall Santa. In the New Orleans blues-like "Oogie Boogie Song" Santa is the prisoner of a deep voiced boogeyman, while "Making Christmas" is sung by the citizens of Halloween town as they are mangling the holiday by giving its familiar trappings their own nightmarish twist. "Sally's Song" is the closest we get to the obligatory love ballad. It gives voice to Sally, a ragdoll who loves Jack and who is imprisoned by her creator/evil scientist. Another Elfman-sung number is "Poor Jack" where Jack realizes his mistake and goes to Santa's rescue, saving Christmas just in the nick of time. "Finale" sees the two communities reconciliate and Halloween citizens watching their first snow falling, the music mixing the themes of both "This is Halloween" and "What's This". The narrator returns on "Closing" and the album ends with "End Title" reprising some of the themes we heard earlier. Like all the instrumental passages, it alternates dark and light, tension and calm. This is one of those cases where film and music complement each other perfectly so that the one makes the other seem even better. But even without watching the film, the music is captivating, and the songs are wondrously quirky but utterly hummable, resulting in one of the greatest musicals since the genre's glory days of the 60's. It's hard to understand why neither film nor musical score won an Oscar, in contrast to other Disney movies. Or maybe it is a testament of Burton's peculiar talent, to make a Christmas movie for kids that nevertheless was too dark for both Disney and the Hollywood Academy. Though not for the public, which embraced the movie, rendering it a classic and justifying a 3D re-release, a rock covers album, and, finally, collectible vinyl releases - the latest being this, in striking "pumpkin orange" vinyl. Beautiful edition, though not one for the hi-fi lovers: the volume is rather low, and my brand new copy played with some pops and clicks - not really bad, but a shame considering it costs more than 30€ in the shops. Worth adding to one's collection anyway.

***** for This Is Halloween, Jack's Lament, What's This?, Kidnap The Sandy Claws, Making Christmas, Oogie Boogie's Song, 

**** for Town Meeting Song, Jack's Obsession, Sally's Song, Poor Jack, Finale/Reprise, End Title

*** for Overture, Opening, Doctor Finkelstein/In The Forest, Jack And Sally Montage, Nabbed, Christmas Eve Montage, To The Rescue, Closing

Cannibal & The Headhunters ‎"Land Of 1000 Dances" 1965-66(rec) 2005(comp)***

Looking at the cover I have to admit these guys don't look as scary as their name suggests. After reading the liner notes, though, I got where they come from: they never intended to be a horror rock band, it's just that singer Frankie Garcia has been known as "Cannibal" since he was a kid due to biting another kid during a schoolyard fight. People just kept saying things like "-who's playing at the dance tonight?" "-Frankie...you know, the cannibal", so they had to embrace the name. The band consisted of 4 young chicano kids from the East L.A. ghetto, initially singing Doo Wop emulating the neighborhood's black kids. In the mid-60's they turned to R&B, and had the luck to strike gold with their very first recording: a raucous dance number entitled "Land Of 1000 Dances". It was previously recorded by New Orleans R&B singer Chris Kenner, but Cannibal added the infectious "Naa Na Na Na Naa" chorus which elevated the song and made it a hit (albeit not so much for them as for Wilson Pickett, who copied their version and carried the song to the top of the R&B charts). Still, The Headhunters had a Top 30 hit and built a whole career out of it, even playing to huge crowds while supporting The Beatles and Rolling Stones at their U.S. tours. This compilation by the Spanish Vampi-Soul retro label contains their sole LP, which has been re-channeled from mono to stereo, plus most of their singles. It's immediately evident that the LP was hastily put together to take advantage of the single's success: the production is rudimentary, and there's only one original composition: Max Uballez's "Don't Let Her Go" which sounds like nothing so much as a male version of The Shirelles. The rest are covers, often combining upbeat soul with the sound of vocal groups like The Platters. I'd single out the more straight R&B numbers like "Out Of Sight", "Devil In Disguise" and "The Fat Man". On the other end of the spectrum, there are some pop ballads like "My Girl", "Strange World" and "Here Comes Love". Meanwhile the singles (all in mono) present more interest as they are mostly original compositions by Garcia and Uballez: "Nau Ninny Nau" is a shameless copy of "Land Of 1000 Dances", but it's great fun and went on to become a local hit. "I'll Show You How To Love Me" and "Please Baby Please" are a couple of slow doo-wop tunes. "Follow The Music" and "I Need Your Loving" are more upbeat, but they're all eclipsed by the "long version" of "Land Of 1000 Dances" (long= all of 2 minutes and 50 seconds) which contained an intro instead of charging immediately with the "Naa Na Na Naa" chorus. A nice surprise (despite the low quality audio) is a 20-minute hidden track consisting of an energetic live performance, possibly in support of The Beatles. In any case, despite the fact that they didn't have any more hits -or even recorded a second album- the band kept on playing the live circuit with original members gradually getting replaced, and Frankie "the Cannibal" Garcia surrendering his position to Robert Zapata who keeps the band active up to this day. I wouldn't mind catching them live but, unless you're interested in the story of their one hit, this is an occasionally agreeable but only moderately interesting period piece.

***** for Land Of 1000 Dances (both versions)

**** for Devil In Disguise, Out Of Sight, The Fat Man, Nau Ninny Nau

*** for The Boy From New York City, Don't Let Her Go, Searchin', Shotgun, Strange World, Get Your Baby, Follow The Music, I Need Your Loving

** for My Girl, Here Comes Love, I'll Show You How To Love Me, Please Baby Please

Steeleye Span "Est'd 1969" 2019****

It's been 30 years since I first saw Steeleye Span play at the Lycabetus Theater in Athens Greece. At that time I was just a bit familiar with a few songs: I had probably heard "All Around My Hat", and "Black Jack Davy" and knew "John Barleycorn" from Traffic's version, but I didn't know what kind of group they were supposed to be: folk-rock wasn't a term I was familiar with, even if I did know and like some American folk rockers. As for English or Celtic traditional music, I don't think I had ever before had a contact with - that I knew of, at least. But I was eager to see them play, so I managed to persuade a friend to climb the rocks with me. You see, the Lycabetus Hill theater has a certain peculiarity: it sits almost on top of the hill, meaning that there are still certain vantage points on the rocks overlooking the theater.  If you're reasonably good at climbing, you can balance yourself on the rim or a rock bulge, and with a bit of shoving the other scroungers around, you get a view of the stage. As for the acoustics, these are almost perfect on the top; the theater was built on 1964, but its shape is a copy of ancient Greek theaters, and as anyone who has been in one knows, the sound carries perfectly to the highest seats and beyond. But that time, we were in for a surprise. Arriving 15'-20' after the concert had started, we saw the doormen at the theater's gate gesturing to us. When we came closer, they just opened the doors and let us in. It turns out the band had been playing to an almost empty theater: it holds 3.000 seats, but there were barely 400 people there, most of whom had left their seats to gather in the orchestra (in ancient Greek theaters that means the circular space before the stage) and dance along to the music. Instead of being discouraged by the low attendance, the band played loudly and enthusiastically. I couldn't tell you which songs, but I remember the fiddler playing energetically and Maddy dancing around almost constantly - as did we. My friend and I went down the hill feeling tired but exhilarated, and I became a lifelong fan of Celtic folk. 30 years later, my girlfriend also needed some convincing to follow me to The Paard to see Span, but she didn't regret it: Today's Span are a different band (except for Maddy Prior and drummer Liam Genockey) but they've still got it. They played with gusto, engaging the audience with their music, humor, and explanations of the stories in the songs including witches, kings, lovers, fairies and criminals. Feeling satisfied, we hit the merchandise stand and left with T-shirts and the band's 3 most recent CD's which all sound great. In time, I'll present them all here in this blog...

...starting with the latest: Est'd 2019 is obviously meant to celebrate 50 years of Span, but instead of doing what most bands do in such occasions and revisit old glories they came out with an album of new material - if new can be applied to songs some of which have been around for centuries. With the exception of Maddy Prior and Liam Genockey, this is a completely new band, gradually formed during the 2010's: Littman and Sinclair play guitars and share the lead vocals with Maddy, while all of the band join in the harmonies which are omnipresent here. The lovely Jessie May Smart is not just a talented violinist but also a co-frontwoman who fits in perfectly with the rest of the band. Roger Carey on electric bass manages to ably replace the great Rick Kemp, which is no small feat: it was largely his electric bass that put the rock in Span's folk-rock. The latest addition is multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Benji Kirkpatrick, formerly of the most commercial modern UK folk band Bellowhead as well as son of former Span member John Kirkpatrick. Maddy, of course, as lead singer and frontwoman is the connecting link between past and present, ensuring the band's continuity. Her voice is in great form for a septuagenarian, even if in concert she couldn't hit the high notes as well as in the past. In general the sound of the new band sounds less like a copy of the classic Steeleye Span and more like its natural evolution, in this particular album sounding less electric and more progressive with longer songs (most of them exceed the 5 minute mark). Opener "Harvest" is the longest at 7:30' minutes: a band composition with emphasis on the harmonies. The first half has an almost Christmas carol feel, with the second half adopting a livelier sound. "Old Matron" is another original composition, although the lyrics could easily belong to an 18th century collection. Thanks partly to Ian Anderson guesting on flute, it sounds like a lost song from Jethro Tull's Songs From The Wood sessions. "The January Man" is a fine cover of Dave Goulder's ballad. Great singing by Maddy with stark accompaniment by ringing banjo and emotive violin. "The Boy and the Mantle" is a humorist traditional ballad set on Arthurian times. The music has a proggy style with a Renaissance hue thanks to the violin and harpsichord. Also from the Child song collection, we get "Mackerel of the Sea". Another prog-folk mini epic about a wicked witch transforming her stepchildren to a fish (the girl) and worm (the boy). Sinclair explained during the concert that "worm" was at that time interchangeable with "serpent" or "dragon", which I found hard to believe until I got to the part of the song where the worm admits to having killed seven knights. I guess a regular worm would have troubled doing that. Introduced with a short Gilmour-like guitar part, "Cruel Ship's Carpenter" is a captivating tale of murder most foul and ghostly revenge, dominated by Jessie May's Gothic violin. "Domestic" is an amalgam of two traditional songs about domestic relationships: "John Hobbs"and "My Husband's Got No Courage in Him", the latter originally sung by Maddy as a duet with June Tabor in their Silly Sisters album (1976). It's a rollicking medley with heavy bass and hard rocking guitars, easily the most upbeat song of the collection. It's followed by the almost poppy ballad "Roadways", while the album closes fittingly with the ecologically themed "Reclaimed" sung a capella. The excellent harmonies here reminded me of Crosby Stills and Nash. Very few bands can, after 50 years, release an album that does justice to their history. But today's Steeleye Span do even more than that. Their live concerts and recent albums are sure to not only please old fans but attract new ones, just like it happened with my teenage self when I first saw them 30 years ago.

**** for Harvest, Old Matron, The January Man, The Boy and the Mantle (Three Tests of Chastity), Mackerel of the Sea, Domestic: John Hobbs/My Husband's Got No Courage in Him

*** for Cruel Ship's Carpenter, Roadways, Reclaimed

Mother's Finest "The Very Best of..." 1976-83(orig) 1990(comp)****

Mother's Finest is one of the few bands that successfully bridged "black" and "white" music - if you accept that such a division really exists. It is a relation commonly supposed to have started with white British rockers discovering Blues and Soul, and bringing them back to America where radio was so segregated that each community stuck to its own station and had no contact with the other's music. That is, of course, an oversimplification: African-American music could not have emerged from the slaves' communities without the appropriation of various European idioms: the folk ballad, marching band music etc. Anyway, sometime in the mid 60's the direction changed again: black musicians started including elements of rock and psychedelia which they borrowed from rock musicians who borrowed from the blues who borrowed from old European music who... Jimi Hendrix was one of the first, with the likes of Sly Stone and Funkadelic following. Even classic soul groups like The Temptations went psychedelic. Mother's Finest took Sly & The Family Stone's psychedelic soul and added some heavy metal guitar courtesy of Gary "Moses Mo" Moore - admittedly only the second greatest guitarist bearing that name, but by a narrow margin. The band also featured two great soul singers in Joyce "Baby Jean" Kennedy and Glenn "Doc" Murdock and a super-funky bassist in Jerry "Wyzard" Seay. Apart from the first two, their albums are usually considered to be a hit-and-miss affair, but everyone agrees they were an explosive live band. This specific compilation, though, ignores the live recordings and eponymous 1972 debut and culls studio tracks from the next 5 studio albums. I will present them, as always with compilations, in chronological order: 1976's Mother's Finest is their 2nd eponymous album, signifying the real beginning of the band. Only two songs from this album, the hard rock dynamite "Fire" and funk rocker "Give You All the Love (Inside of Me)" are included. Too bad they didn't include the provocatively titled Southern Rock "Niggizz can't sang rock'n'roll". I know that Southern Rock makes one think of Lynyrd Skynyrd and confederate flags, does the term sound weird appended to a predominately black band? Well, the band did come from Atlanta, Georgia and damn if thet don't sound like it. From 1977's Another Mother Further (reviewed here) we get "Baby Love", "Piece of the Rock" and disco "Dis Go Dis Way, Dis Go Dat Way". 1978's Mother Factor puts hard rock aside to focus on the band's funk/soul side "Can't Fight the Feeling" and "Don't Wanna Come Back" are especially strong contributions, "Watch My Stylin'" is an overtly commercial dance tune. and "Thank You for the Love" a nice ballad with blues licks that remind me of that other Gary Moore. On 1981's Iron Age the band changed direction, embracing hard rock once again, as is evident in "Evolution", "Time" and "Movin' Out". It seems the band's direction changed in accordance with the directives of their company's A&R team pushing them towards funk or metal, depending on which was more commercially promising at the time. My impression is that they were naturally more inclined towards rock, as is evident from various band members' stints in such Southern Rock heroes as Molly Hatchett, Blackfoot, and the Outlaws. Too bad, than, that their company thought they could turn them into the American ABBA. Just a look on 1983's One Mother to Another's cover art is enough to grasp which audience they were aiming at: commercial disco music, with Moore fading into the background and co-vocalist Glenn Murdock disappearing - unless it's him credited with background vocals as "Male Ego". Baby Jean still sang (and looked) pretty well, but she's no Diana Ross and pop ballads like "Some Kind of Madness" and "Love Me Too" are not the best fit for her - not to mention the Euro-Disco of "Big Shot Romeo", "What Kind of Fool" and James Bond-ish "Secret Service". Why the compilers would choose to include half of the band's worst album in the CD beats me - especially when there are only 2 songs from "Mother's Finest" and nothing from 1979's "Live" which is commonly regarded as their finest hour. I considered dropping a ★ from my evaluation, but the fact is that there's still plenty of good stuff here.

***** for Fire, Baby Love, Give You All the Love (Inside of Me)

**** for Evolution, Don't Wanna Come Back, Thank You for the Love, Movin' On

*** for Dis Go Dis Way Dis Go Dat Way, Secret Service, What Kind of Fool, Can't Fight the Feeling, Piece of the Rock, Time, Some Kind of Madness, Watch My Stylin'

** for Big Shot Romeo, Love Me Too