Saturday, 23 April 2022

300 Greatest Albums Of Uncut's Lifetime

The latest (May 2022) issue of Uncut Magazine celebrated not only 300 issues but also a lifetime of quarter of a century. They did so with a CD featuring some of the musical highlights of these last 25 years, as well as with a special feature presenting the "300 Greatest Albums Of Uncut's Lifetime". You know I'm a sucker for lists, so of course I got it, and I am presenting the list here. If I haven't miscounted, I own 121 of these. Some are minor albums from major artists, some have left their mark on modern music, others are already forgotten. Unfairly? The list provides us with an incentive to take them out for re-appraisal! Every time I review one of them, I'll add the relevant link here. 

1. David Bowie - Blackstar - 2016
2. Bob Dylan - Time Out Of Mind - 1997
3. Gillian Welch - Time - 2001
4. Spritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space - 1997
5. Radiohead - In Rainbows - 2007
6. LCD Soundsystem - Sounds Of Silver - 2007
7. The Strokes - Is This It - 2001
8. Amy Winehouse - Back To Black - 2006
9. Kate Bush - Aerial - 2005
10. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly - 2015
12. Air - Moon Safari - 1998
13. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake - 2011
14. Radiohead - Ok Computer - 1997
16. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - 2002
17. Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels On Gravel Road - 1998
18. Mercury Rev - Deserter's Songs - 1998
19. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Push The Sky Away - 2013
20. Bjork - Vespertine - 2001
21. Radiohead - Kid A - 2000
22. Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea - 1998
23. The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin - 1999
24. Robert Plant And Alison Krauss - Raising Sand - 2007
25. Daft Punk - Discovery - 2001
26. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois - 2005
27. Paul McCartney - McCartney III - 2020
28. Bruce Sprinsteen - The Rising - 2002
29. Massive Attack - Mezzanine - 1998
30. Portishead - Third - 2008
31. The Avalanches - Since I Left You - 2000
32. The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs - 1999
33. Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell - 2019
34. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes - 2008
35. Outkast - Stankonia - 2000
36. The War On Drugs - Lost In The Dream - 2014
37. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange - 2012
39. Bob Dylan - Love And Theft - 2011
40. D'Angelo - Black Messiah - 2014
41. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - I See Darkness - 1999
43. The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday - 2005
44. The Streets - Original Pirate Material - 2002
45. Paul Weller - Wake Up The Nation - 2010
46. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Ghosteen - 2019
47. Boards Of Canada - Music Has The Right To Children - 1998
48. Mark Hollis - Mark Hollis - 1998
49. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago - 2007
50. Yo La Tengo - And Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out - 2000
51. Bjork - Homogenic - 1997
52. Tortoise - TNT - 1998
54. Beyonce - Lemonade - 2015
56. Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun - 1999
57. D'Angelo - Voodoo - 2000
58. Drive-By Truckers - Decoration Day - 2003
59. The White Stripes - White Blood Cells - 2001
60. Bob Dylan - Modern Times - 2006
61. PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea - 2000
62. Low - Double Negative - 2018
63. Jason Isbell - Southeaston - 2013
64. Destroyer - Kaputt - 2011
65. Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising - 2019
66. J Dilla - Donuts - 2006
67. The Go-Betweens - Oceans Apart - 2005
68. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - 2010
69. Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around - 2002
70. Super Furry Animals - Radiator - 1997
71. Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish I Was An Eagle - 2009
72. Silver Jews - American Water - 1998
73. Songs: Ohia - Magnolia Electric - 2003
74. Broadcast - Haha Sound - 2003
75. Teenage Fanclub - Songs From Northern Britain - 1997
76. The Coral - The Coral - 2002
77. Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation Of… - 1998
78. Pulp - This Is Hardcore - 1998
79. My Bloody Valentine - mbv - 2013
80. Wilco - A Ghost Is Born - 2004
81. Leonard Cohen - You Want It Darker - 2016
82. Tom Waits - Mule Variations - 1999
83. Roy Harper - Man & Myth - 2013
84. Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions - 2006
85. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool - 2016
86. The National - High Velvet - 2010
87. Cat Power - The Greatest - 2006
88. The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat - 2004
89. Lift To Experience - The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads - 2001
90. Calexico - Feast Of Wire - 2003
91. Neil Young - Peace Trail - 2016
93. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion - 2009
94. Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below - 2003
95. Roddy Frame - Surf - 2002
96. Paul McCartney - Chaos And Creation In The Backyard - 2005
97. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend - 2008
98. Sonic Youth - Murry Street - 2002
99. The Weather Station - Ignorance - 2021
100. Lambchop - FLOTUS - 2016
102. Brian Wilson - Smile - 2004
103. Scott Walker - The Drift - 2006
104. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - 2006
105. Bon Iver - 22, A Million - 2016
106. Drive-By Truckers - Southern Rock Opera - 2001
107. Elliott Smith - Xo - 1998
108. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest - 2009
109. The XX - XX - 2009
110. Beasty Boys - Hello Nasty - 1998
111. Warren Zevon - The Wind - 2003
112. Purple Mountains - Purple Mountains - 2019
113. Tinariwen - Aman Iman - 2007
114. Margo Price - Midwest Farmer's Daughter - 2016
115. The White Stripes - Elephant - 2003
116. Big Thief – UFOF - 2019
117. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell - 2003
118. Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man - Out Of Season - 2002
119. Emmylou Harris - Red Dirt Girl - 2000
120. The Cure - Bloodflowers - 2000
121. Low - Things We Lost In The Fire - 2001
122. Modern Nature - How To Live - 2019
123. The Black Keys - Brothers - 2010
124. Stereolab - Dots And Loops - 1997
126. The Weather Station - Loyalty - 2015
127. Broadcast - Tender Buttons - 2005
128. Gillian Welch - The Harrow & The Harvest - 2011
129. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Dig Lazarus Dig - 2008
130. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues - 2011
131. Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights - 2002
132. Israel Nash - Lifted - 2016
133. Dizzee Rascal - Boy In Da Corner - 2003
134. Boards Of Canada - Geogaddi - 2002
135. Blur - 13 - 1999
136. Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots - 2002
137. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake It's Morning - 2005
138. Courtney Barnett - Tell Me How You Really Feel - 2018
139. Smog - Knock Knock - 1999
140. Solange - A Seat At The Table - 2016
141. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell - 2015
142. The National - Boxer - 2007
143. Jay-Z - The Blueprint - 2001
144. Aphex Twin - Drukqs - 2001
145. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour - 2018
146. Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me - 2010
147. Robert Wyatt - Comicopera - 2007
148. Mia - Kala - 2007
149. Shack - HMS Fable - 1999
150. Burial - Untrue - 2007
151. Peter Perrett - How The West Was Won - 2017
152. Scritti Politti - White Bread Black Beer - 2006
153. Slowdive - Slowdive - 2017
154. Jessica Pratt - On Your Own Love Again - 2015
155. John Grant - Queen Of Denmark - 2010
156. Father John Misty - Fear Fun - 2012
157. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood - 2006
158. Prefab Sprout/Paddy McAloon - I Trawl The Megahertz - 2003
159. Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate - In The Heart Of The Moon - 2005
160. LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem - 2005
161. Wilco - Summerteeth - 1999
162. Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks - Real Emotional Trash - 2008
163. Metronomy - The English Riviera - 2011
164. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, Maad City - 2012
165. Beck - Sea Change - 2002
166. Stereolab - Sound-Dust - 2001
167. Primal Scream - Xtrmntr - 2000
169. LCD Soundsystem - American Dream - 2017
170. Broadcast - The Noise Made By People - 2000
171. Brian Eno - The Ship - 2016
172. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo - 2011
173. John Murry - The Graceless Age - 2012
174. Dr John - Locked Down - 2012
175. Jim O'Rourke - Insignificance - 2001
176. Silver Jews - Bright Flight - 2001
177. Tame Impala - Lonerism - 2012
178. Randy Newman - Dark Matter - 2017
179. Billy Bragg & Wilco - Mermaid Avenue - 1998
180. Elvis Costello & The Roots - Wise Up Ghost & Other Songs - 2013
181. Comets On Fire - Field Recordings From The Sun - 2002
182. Floating Points, Pharoh Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises - 2021
183. Jim O'Rourke - Eureka - 1999
184. Patti Smith - Banga - 2012
185. Whisky Town - Strangers Almanac - 1997
186. Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club - 1997
187. Bill Fay - Life Is People - 2012
188. Paul Weller - 22 Dreams - 2008
189. Bruce Springsteen - Western Stars - 2019
190. Cornershop - Handcream For A Generation - 2002
191. The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan - 2005
192. Elliott Smith - Figure 8 - 2000
193. Scott Walker & Sunn 0))) - Soused - 2014
194. Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas - 2012
195. Richard Dawson - Peasant - 2017
196. Belle & Sebastian - The Boy With The Arab Strap - 1998
197. Booker T Jones - Potato Hole - 2009
198. Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies - 2006
199. Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow - 2011
200. Neil Young And Crazy Horse - Americana - 2012
201. Real Estate - In Mind - 2017
202. Laura Marling - Once I Was An Eagle - 2013
203. Tame Impala - Currents - 2015
204. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky - 2007
205. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Hope Downs - 2018
206. Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump - 2000
207. Cate Le Bon - Reward - 2019
208. Bill Callahan - Apocalypse - 2011
209. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand - 2004
210. Khruangbin - Con Todo El Mundo - 2018
211. Hurray For The Riff Raff - The Navigator - 2017
212. Sons Of Kemet - Your Queen Is A Reptile - 2018
213. Tom Waits - Bad As Me - 2011
214. Calexico - Hot Rail - 2000
215. The Black Keys - El Camino - 2011
216. Jack Rose - Jack Rose - 2006
217. Robbie Fulks - Georgia Hard - 2005
218. The Necks - Drive By - 2003
219. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers - 2009
220. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs - 2010
221. Gillian Welch - Soul Journey - 2003
222. Donald Fagen - Sunken Condos - 2012
223. Allah-Las - Allah-Las - 2012
224. Bon Iver - Bon Iver - 2011
225. Midlake - The Trials Of Van Occupanther - 2006
226. Richard Dawson & Circle - Henki - 2021
227. Manu Chao - Clandestino - 1998
228. Myriam Gendron - Not So Deep As A Well - 2014
229. Missy Elliott - Supa Dupa - 1997
230. James Blackshaw - The Cloud Of Unknowing - 2007
231. Lou Reed And Metallica - Lulu - 2011
232. Rilo Kiley - The Execution Of All Things - 2002
233. Sleater-Kinney - The Hot Rock - 1999
234. The Good, The Bad & The Queen - The Good, The Bad & The Queen - 2007
235. Todd Snider - East Nashville Skyline - 2004
236. The Olivia Tremor Control - Black Foliage - 1999
237. Charlotte Gainsbourg - Irm - 2009
238. Aphex Twin - Syro - 2014
239. Beachwood Sparks - The Tarnished Gold - 2012
240. Big Thief - Capacity - 2017
241. Goldfrapp - Felt Mountain - 2000
242. Joan Shelly - Over And Even - 2015
243. Justin Townes Earle - Harlem River Blues - 2010
244. Charlie Haden/Liberation Music Orchestra - Not In Our Name - 2005
245. Mark Eitzel - The Ugly American - 2003
246. R.E.M. - Up - 1998
247. Burial - Burial - 2006
248. William Tyler - Modern Country - 2016
249. The Handsome Family - In The Air - 2000
250. White Denim - D - 2011
251. Dry Cleaning - New Long Leg - 2021
252. Smog - A River Ain't Too Much - 2005
253. Ian Hunter And The Rant Band - Fingers Crossed - 2016
254. Sharon Van Etten - Are We There - 2014
255. Four Tet - Rounds - 2003
256. Dexys - One Day I'm Going To Soar - 2012
257. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - Diamond Mine - 2011
258. Courtney Marie Andrews - Old Flowers - 2020
259. Natural Information Society - Simultonality - 2017
260. Paul Westerberg - Suicaine Gratification - 1999
261. Fleet Foxes - Shore - 2020
262. Sault - Untitled (Rise) - 2020
263. My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves - 2003
264. Sleaford Mods - Key Markets - 2015
265. Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow - 2005
266. The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night - 2010
267. Kraftwerk - Tour De France Soundtracks - 2003
268. The Delgados - The Great Eastern - 2000
269. Arctic Monkeys - Am - 2013
270. Bitchin Bajas - Banjas Fresh - 2017
271. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Sings Greatest Palace Music - 2004
272. Antony & The Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now - 2005
274. Beth Orton - Central Reservation - 1999
275. Fennesz - Endless Summer - 2001
276. Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color - 2015
277. Janelle Monae - The Arch Android - 2010
278. Pj Harvey - White Chalk - 2007
279. Neil Young - Le Noise - 2010
280. Pink Floyd - The Endless River - 2014
281. The Breeders - Title Tk - 2002
282. Hiss Golden Messenger - Bad Debt - 2010
283. Mos Def - Black On Both Sides - 1999
285. Cornershop - When I Was Born For The 7th Time - 1997
286. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest - 2010
287. Kamasi Washington - The Epic - 2015
288. Cat Power - Moon Pix - 1998
290. Timikrest - Tamotait - 2020
291. Mogwai - Come On Die Young - 1999
292. Ty Segall - Freedom's Goblin - 2018
293. Fontaines DC - A Hero's Death - 2020
294. Panda Bear - Person Pitch - 2007
295. The Who - Endless Wire - 2006
296. The Oh Sees - Floating Coffin - 2013
298. Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds In Counrty Music - 2014
299. Thundercat - Drunk - 2017
300. Ryley Walker - Course In Fable - 2021
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Sunday, 17 April 2022

Berlin Record Stores

This is my second visit to Berlin, the previous one was 15 years ago. Then, too, I spent some time checking out record shops, although I wasn't buying any more vinyl at the time. I remember spending half a day at a multi-story shop (I believe it was the one called KulturKaufhaus), and another half at a big Saturn store (an electronics chain with a big and cheap CD section), mostly listening to CD's at the listening stations. You see, there were no streaming services at the time, and youtube was just beginning, so those listening stations at the shops offered a rare opportunity to listen to new music. This time I decided I'd pass on the big chains and try to visit as many independant record shops as possible for the sake of this blog. One look at vinylhub (no less than 114 entries!) convinced me I should be a realist and limit myself to the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district, which is the most happening and alternative part of the city. I divided it into two clusters and visited one each day.

Cluster One - Friedrichshain. This is on the opposite side of the Spree river from Kreuzberg. You can combine it with a visit to the East Side Gallery, which is the biggest part of the Berlin Wall still left standing, decorated by nice graffiti murals by artists from all over the world. I started out with Warschauer Music Store on Warschauer Str. 77. Right next to it there's a nice English book store also serving coffee & bagels, called Shakespeare & Sons. I thought my girlfriend might like to sit there and read while I browse records. Alternately, you can schedule it for later in the day, as a nice pause to rest your feet. In the boxes outside Warschauer Music you can find €3 LP's and CD's. That would be mostly East German vinyl from the state label Amiga. Not just boring old schlager music either, but Western pop and rock music too. I bought some cheap LPs here; the album covers are a bit worse for wear but they play very well. Inside the shop, you can find all kinds of genres on 2nd hand. CD's cost mostly around €8, and LP's €10-12 although there are some racks for €5 LP's too. As always with the prices, these are indicative and relevant to the time of my visit, April 2022. Right around the corner on Grünberger Straße 54 there's HHV, which I'm told stands for Hip Hop Vinyl. So you know you can find a good selection of hip hop artists here, but also techno, world music, indie, and more. There are vinyl listening stations, and an overall pleasant ambience. The shop doesn't have any CD's, but it does sell streetware fashion items. The vinyls are all new, so the prices are what you'd normally expect, €15-30. Another specialty record shop in the neighborhood (Simon-Dach-Straße 1) is Blessed Love, which is dedicated to reggae. Really cool ambience, and a nice selection of reggae and world music records. I was especially impressed by the number of ska/reggae 7' singles on sale. There were no prices on the records on display, but a look at the shop's website will give you an idea.



Wax Art Records (Gärtnerstr. 23) only has 2nd hand vinyl in very reasonable prices, which I realized is the norm for Berlin used records shops. The boxes outside have a wide variety of LP's for €3, while inside you'll find a lot of classic rock, blues, jazz, funk etc. for €5-10. This may be your best bet for cheap Kraut Rock, too. Only downside is: it stinks of cigarette smoke. Just around the corner there's Schaalplanet Records (Boxhagener Str. 34), a shop so old-fashioned it has no website. Some web entries describe it as a thrift store, but that's selling it short. On the outside there's the usual boxes of used records of all kinds (€3 or €5), but inside there's a room of pop and rock (€10-20), plus another one with music from all around the world. If you're into world music, you'll love this place. In Boxhagener Platz, you'll find Vinyl A Go Go. Cool name, and cool exterior too! As always, cheapo's outside: LPs from €2 (mostly East German vinyl), singles/CD's starting at €1. Inside it's a bit crammed but there's lots of cool stuff: Classic rock, East Europe prog, world music, alternative... mostly €10-20 but there are also some rare and expensive ones. Last record shop I visited in the neighborhood was Galactic Supermarket, a bit to the north from the rest (Petersburger Str. 89). The boxes of special offers (50% off) outside prepare you for some rare delights. I got a couple of limited edition reissues of rare 60's-70's LP's (Danish heavy blues and Brazilian symphonic prog) and went on to explore the interior. It's an eclectic selection of new and 2nd hand records (mostly €10-25) many of which I had never seen in a shop before. I was holding Carmen Maki's album with Japanese blues-proggers Creation on one hand (€20) and Gal Costa's psychedelic samba debut (15€) on the other, then I put them both back to pick up something from the punk and new wave section. There's also reggae, classic rock, folk, psychedelia, kraut rock, and lots more. The last room at the back has some of the rarer and more expensive items. I could spend half a day and 100's of €'s here, but I had neither, so I contended myself with the two special offers I started with. 

This little stroll took me around 4 hours, and I hurried through most of the shops. I didn't get to visit all of the record shops in the area though, so I'll just namecheck some of the ones that got away: Elevate Berlin (Gubener Str. 24) is focused on techno/dance music, which isn't my kind of thing, so I just passed it by. Audio-In (Libauer Str. 19) apparently also carries a lot of electronic music as well as an array of 2nd hand vinyl of all kinds. Bis Aufs Messer (Marchlewskistraße 107) is self-described as  "record shop for Avantgarde, Drone, Electronic, Jazz, Noise, Post Punk and more". Ghost Town Records (Holteistraße 12) is more focused on punk and reggae 7' and LP's. Judging from their discogs online shop, the median price for LP's is around €20. Power Park (Boxhagener Str. 19/20) has  new and 2nd hand vinyl. Supposedly especially good for techno, jazz and indie. 
Slightly north-west to Friedrichshain there's a district called Prenzlauer Berg. I had a stroll there during my previous visit, for no other reason than that Beirut has written a beautiful song about it. It's a pleasant enough neighborhood, and there are interesting record shops here too, although not so densely scattered as in Kreuzberg/Friedrichshain. I didn't visit any this time, but I'll make a passing mention of some, based on my internet research: Oye Records ("mostly devoted to house and disco there is also enough hip hop, jazz, and brand new electronic 12-inches"), Melting Point  (techno/dance/Jazz/soul/indie etc), Dodo Beach East (punk/rock/hiphop/indie/reggae), Purple Penny Records (2nd hand, Garage/Psychedelic/Soul/ Prog/Punk etc), Vinylvaquero Records ("45s and LPs, Blues/Soul,Garage/Psychedelia, Kraut/Prog, Punk/Wave" etc), Record Store Berlin (big selection of classic rock, jazz, soul, world music, punk etc), Franz & Josef (used vinyl/CDs, owner gets bad reviews for being rude), and  Da Capo (used vinyl & books).

Day Two of record hunting was centered around Kreuzberg, a formerly poor and underdeveloped immigrant neighborhood. Still a multi-cultural place, after the German re-unification it was gentrified and is now considered the heart of "alternative" Berlin, a center of the German punk and art scene. Its spirit is perfectly encapsulated in Lefter Records (Gneisenaustr. 114), which is owned by a Turkish refugee, one of those intellectuals (I think an urban planner?) persecuted by Erdogan's regime. I was intrigued by the shop's name, which sounds Greek rather than Turkish. Well, apparently it was inspired by a Turkish football legend of Greek descent who became a symbol of friendship between two peoples whom geopolitics have set against each other even though they have a lot in common. It goes without saying that Lefter Records has the biggest selection of Turkish vinyl in Berlin, which might also mean in the whole world outside Turkey: from Anatolian rock to folk to modern Turkish artists. There's also a huge variety of world music and reggae (both new and 2nd hand), as well as (mostly 2nd hand) jazz, new wave, prog and classic rock. Used LPs cost €8-35, new €20-35, some CDs and cassettes also available. The owner is friendly and passionate about music, always eager to discuss records and play samples for you. A few meters further you can find Marla Records, a "concept store" also serving drinks and coffee, and selling fashion items next to vinyl (funk. reggae, electro). Many other record stores in the immediate vicinity, of which possibly the most famous is Space Hall (Zossener Str. 35). A spacious place, one of the few I saw still selling a lot of CDs (used, €8-12), as well as LPs both new (€25-35) and used (€10-35), and other music-related items. 

Holy's Hits Records (Solmstrasse 33) will take you a few steps below street level to browse its selection of (2nd hand) LP's of classic rock, indie, prog etc. Mostly €10-20 but also some rare stuff €35-70. Logo Records (Nostitzstraße 32) is quite big and carries lots of cool stuff. Offers include some CD's €0-2 (yeah, they have freebies, too) and LPs for €3 - the latter aren't just the same-old overproduced vinyls you find everywhere, too. Among them I found some rather unknown but interesting indie and psychedelia. As I said there's lots of other stuff here: rock, indie, psych etc, mostly €10-20. Last shop I visited that day was Sound Vinyl Store Berlin (Nostitzstraße 18). Also a bit underground, the owner is relaxed and friendly but his cute doggie less so - don't take it personally if it barks at you. This is the best place in Berlin for cheap vinyl. Lots of it goes for €0,50/1/2/3: classic rock, jazz, new wave, country etc. The "expensive" ones cost €7-20. Also CD's, all genres, mostly €2-3. I was already overloaded but I have difficulty passing good bargains by, so I left with a armful of ridiculously cheap LP's. Now, the fact that I stopped here doesn't mean you should do the same. There's a bunch of other record stores in the neighborhood, I'll mention some more: Vinyl From Berlin (Fürbringerstraße 24) is another 2nd hand place that seems to have a bit of everything. Judging from its online discogs shop, a lot of it goes for less than €10. All these shops were situated close to the food market (Marheineke Markthalle). Further to the west you'll find: Pop (Yorckstraße 52), Twintoe Records (Monumentenstraße 33-34, seems to be small and specialized in punk/alternative rock), Dodo Beach (Vorbergstraße 8, new and second hand, rock/punk/metal etc, seems to be a bit on the pricey side), end Lolodiscos Records & Vintage (Barbarossastraße 65, 2nd hand). 

To the east, between the market and Spree river, there's another record shops cluster that would take half day to check out. First off, the dance music-oriented ones include: The Consulate (Mittenwalder Str. 6), Muting The Noise/Innervsions (Blücherstraße 22), the famous Hard Wax (Paul-Lincke-Ufer 44A, techno/reggae/dub etc), Sound Metaphors (Reichenberger Str. 152), Record Loft (adalbertstr 9), Bikini Waxx Records (Manteuffelstraße 48) and the second OYE Records (Friedelstraße 49). Mion Records (Ohlauer Str. 10) sells a lot of Japanese stuff. Wowsville Records (Ohlauer Str.33) Rock’n’Roll, Soul, Jazz, Punk, 60’s Garage. Seems to also function as a bar. 33 RPM (Wrangelstraße 95, "small shop inside the cafe Mukkefukk, new & 2nd hand vinyl") gets bad google reviews because of the owner's allegedly snubby attitude to customers. Next to it Satori Records (Wrangelstr. 64) "offer a lot of second hand jazz, blues & world music on vinyl". Comeback Records (Hasenheide 9) offers a variety in 2nd hand rock/new wave/punk/metal/soul. Coretex Records is the iconic punk/metal/ska store Kreuzberg store for assorted music, T-shirts, and accesories. I remember visiting there 15 years ago, and being stunned by the number of punk bands I had never even heard of. Similar focus for Groove Records (Pücklerstraße 36, punk/alternative/garage/psych etc), Static Shock Music (Bürknerstraße 6, punk/hardcore), Recordsberlin (Wiener Str. 32, 2nd hand punk/metal/indie), and Real Deal (Gneisenau Street 60). Take into account that some of the shops mentioned here typically fall into the Neuköln district, which inspired Bowie's same-named instrumental. That's because I can't quite tell where Kreuzberg ends and Neuköln begins. Also, keep in mind that some of the info I found on the internet may be outdated. As I said, my own info, prices etc. are current as of April 2022. Alberto Records (Gneisenaustraße 56) combines records  with antique lamps(!), Soultrade (Sanderstraße 29) is a popular shop selling soul/disco/jazz/world music etc. Heisse Scheiben (Ohlauer Str. 44, 2nd hand vinyl and CDs, mostly rock) All rights deserved (Maybachufer 19) apparenty has "anything from 5 Euro crate to hard to get rarities, all genres except electronic". Others in the neighborhood include A & V Records (Friedelstraße 7, vinyl/CD/DVD), Love For Sale (Weserstraße 189, electronic music) X-Tone (Karl-Marx-Straße 43, used vinyl & CDs) Latitude (Karl-Marx-Straße 58, Funk/Techno/Disco/Reggae) and Jackson Records (Weichselpl. 8, "techno, hiphop, disco, soul etc"). 

Wow, it took hours to tap into googlemaps, vinylhub, yelp, and other databases to just get some names and info - not to mention putting down my own impressions. Hope it's useful to you. In general, the market for vinyl and CDs in Berlin is easily the best I've ever seen - and I've done many of Europe's biggest cities. The sheer number of shops (just this presentation mentions 55 of them, and doesn't even cover all of the city) and the variety of music on sale is stunning, while prices are also usually very reasonable. Whether you're a serious collector, bargain hunter, or just vinyl enthousiast it's well worth adding an extra day to your Berlin visit for a little record hunting.

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Thursday, 7 April 2022

Pearls Before Swine "Balaklava" 1968*****

Last week's anti-war concert in Athens generated a lot of hate. It sounds strange, I know. Who, after all, could possibly be against a peace concert, and why? But this is Greece for you: since the peace concert had the support of left-wing opposition parties, government-controlled media (which is all of them, since ties between this governmant and Greek media moguls couldn't be tighter) made a huge fuss about the fact that initial posters didn't point the accusatory finger at Russia but carried the vague slogan "whatever the question, peace is the answer" (later amended with the addition "Stop the war in Ukraine/ Solidarity to refugees"). It gave them the chance to accuse the organisers as pro-Putin. The artists were bullied by the media, and their social media flooded by hate messages calling them "Putin's lackeys" or worse. Excessive maybe… but think of all the pent-up frustration of a lifetime of being confronted with left-wing righteousness. Now the center-right masses have a righteous cause of their own: not hippy-dippy peace, but the fight against a dreadful dictator and warmonger. They're even willing to welcome refugees - as long as they're white, Christian, and anti-communist, of course.

As for me, I'm one of those hippy-dippy peace lovers for sure. I was at kindergarten when the Vietnam War ended, but the Cold War was still in full swing while I was growing up. The influence of both on popular culture helped shape my ideas and tastes in music, literature, and films. Looking back on it, while activists of the time called specifically for the end of USA's intervention in Vietnam, it is the more abstract anti-war works that have stood the test of time better. I chose one of those to review, and - oh what a coincidence! to present the evils of war, Pearls Before Swine (PBS)'s leader Tom Rapp had chosen an obscure battle few of his listeners would have ever heard of: Balaklava. I never thought of researching what the cryptic album title meant before beginning this review. Well, Balaclava was a battle in the Crimean War, a war fought 170 years ago in the same fields that are now bloodied by the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. A look at military history maps eerily reveals the same place names that dominate today's news: Cherson, Odessa, Mariupol… Back in the 1850's, England and France had sent troops to what is now Ukraine (then part of Russia) to aid Ottoman Turkey. Turkey wasn't their ally, the aim of the Western powers was to stop Russia's expanding influence in the Balkans. Later (at World War I), England, France and Russia would team up against Turkey, Germany and Austria - until Soviet Russia changed sides, helping Turkey get rid of the Western powers' occupation… and round and round and round we go, killing and burning and destoying in the name of God, democracy, nationalism or communism - but really for money and power. The battle of Balaclava, incidentally, was only famous for the incompetence and disregard for human life on behalf of its generals. In what became known as the charge of the light brigade, the English commander sent his light cavalry into a frontal assault against the Russian canons, an act of foolish bravado and pointless sacrifice. Trumpeter Landfrey was the man who sounded the call for the charge, and he is also the one that opens this record in an audio clip lifted from a 1890 archival recording. This segues into "Translucent Carriages", a serene acoustic piece where Rapp's frail and melancholic vocal is accompanied by whispers. Ancient Greek writer Herodotus gets a co-write credit for his line "In peace/Sons bury their fathers/In war/Fathers bury their sons". Poignant words; indeed there can't be many sights more heartbreaking than that of a parent burying their child - yet 2,5 thousand years after Herodotus here we are still. "Images Of April" sounds idyllic with its flute flourishes and bird tweeting, but Rapp sings only of happiness lost. "There Was A Man" is a simple folk song: a stranger (Jesus?) comes to a town, performing beautiful miracles; when he hears the news from the war he leaves with tears in his eyes. The townspeople face his departure with indifference. "I Saw The World" is a more complicated composition featuring wind chimes and rich string arrangements while the singer pleads for peace "Hate is a chain/It all comes back again/Everything you do/Returns at last to you/So why don't you do love". It's this naivety that gets on conservatives' nerves: everyone knows you have to arm yourself to defend what's yours from your greedy neighbors - better yet, don't let them get strong; just kill them in their sleep before they do it to you, right? "Guardian Angels" seems like an escape attempt to a romantic past, a waltzy tune with wistful strings and a production that makes it sound like an old 78RPM record. It's followed by a faithful cover of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" - Cohen being then an unknown new Canadian singer, rather than the legend we now know him as. This made me realize the similarities between the artists, even though Rapp's voice is trembly and emotional where Cohen's is warm and soothing. "Lepers And Roses" is a materpiece of acid folk with gentle piano and flute backing, whose cryptic lyrics are full of mythical connotations. This is followed by another short archival recording: the voice of Florence Nightingale, a nurse during the Crimean War and a pioneer of public health and medical humanitarianism. The album closes with "Ring Thing", an amospheric piece with ambient sounds including gongs and bagpipes playing in the background while Rapp chants the "three rings for the elven kings" passage from Tolkin's Lord Of The Rings. The message is clear: the magic rings of the fable were supposed to bring power to their wielders but ultimately only benefited the Dark Lord - and the same is true for war: people on all sides always lose, only Death and Destruction are the winners of wars. After that, we hear the tape rewinding and come full circle to trumpeter Landfrey. Maybe Rapp wants to tell us that the cycle of war never ends; as it says on the back cover "only the dead have seen the end of war". Also on the back cover we see a photo of a "flower child" from an anti-war rally, and some disturbingly surreal drawings by Jean Cocteau. The front cover is one of the most striking I have ever seen, and a serious reason to buy it on vinyl: the eerie 16th Century painting The Triumph of Death by Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel manages to convey the horror of war better than any realistic depiction. This album is at once thought-provoking, melancholic, beautiful, and depressing. Musically it was a pioneering record in its experimental use of studio effects, archival recordings, and unusual instruments. Lyrically, its release at the height of the Vietnam War connected it immediately to the zeitgeist. How disappointing that it's still as relevant as it was then!
***** for Translucent Carriages, Images Of April, I Saw The World, Lepers And Roses
**** for There Was A Man, Suzanne, Guardian Angels, Ring Thing
*** for Trumpeter Landfrey, Florence Nightingale
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Friday, 1 April 2022

Eric Burdon and The Animals with Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison "Live At The Troubadour, 1969" (released 2022)****

More than 30 years ago, I found a record by Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison called Woke Up This Morning And Found Myself Dead. When I went home, I played it immediately, excitedly waiting to hear the musical meeting of two giants. What a disappointment! Hendrix played well as he always did, but Jim was completely wasted and his singing just ruined the songs. Hendrix was recording the session and was initially happy to jam with him, but one could feel his growing annoyance. Famously, the night ended when (also present) Janis Joplin broke her whiskey bottle on Morrison's head to shut him up. It goes without saying that I sold that record a long time ago. Until recently, this was the only collaboration of the two that had seen the light of day. But as it turns out, there was another, much happier affair. It took a common friend of the two musicians to bring them together again after that fiasco: The Animals' Eric Burdon, who had moved to America a few years before, was Jim's drinking buddy at the time. He was in fact the one the other Doors called when they couldn't handle Jim's drunk antics, because he had a calming effect on him. Eric's relation with Jimi Hendrix went even deeper: The Animals' bass player Chas Chandler was the man who ''discovered" and managed Jimi, while the two singers remained close literally until the end: two nights before his death, Hendrix was jamming onstage with Eric and his new band, War. In '69, they talked about collaborating in a side project of some sort, and Eric wanted to bring Morrison along. The three of them tossed ideas around and had fun playing each other's songs in the studio, but the collaboration never took place. The furthest it got was a joint concert at The Troubadour club in West Hollywood; ostensibly an Eric Burdon & The Animals gig, with the other two as surprise guests. Famous artists getting on stage to jam with the band was not uncommon: in California, at least, the rock community was very tight at the time, always hanging around with each other and playing together. I'm sure that the night lived in the memories of the 300 or so people present for a long time, but it was otherwise forgotten until now. Burdon did record the show, but I suppose that he was too busy with his own career to spend energy negotiating a copyright deal with the estates of his two dead rock star pals, so the recording didn't see the light of day, even in bootleg form, until now. A promo copy just found its way to my collection, so I suspect it'll appear at record shops everywhere soon enough. Sound quality is good, although not impressive. The performance is strong, but the real draw is the camaraderie and easy connection the three of them have, the way Jim and Eric trade verses singing each other's songs and Jimi lets loose on the guitar. Their backing band is The New Animals as they appeared on Burdon's Love Is LP from the previous year, minus Andy Summers (later the co-founder of Police). They start off with a bluesy jam which segues into "Tobacco Road", a cover that they had been playing for some time but hadn't recorded yet. Eric would release his own definitive version later, with War. At this point Hendrix joins the band onstage and they launch into a hard rock version of The Animals' "Don't Let me Be Misunderstood". Next up, the audience is up for a rare treat: Jimi sings his own "Are You Experienced?", followed by Eric's answer "Yes I Am Experienced" (originally in his Winds Of Change LP) before the two join together in a -then very new- Doors composition "Roadhouse Blues". This is Jim Morrison's cue to enter. His reputation at the time was at its all-time low following the infamous Miami incident, but L.A. was still his hometown, and he got a warm greeting, if not as warm as Hendrix. Eric introduces him, and Jim makes a small speech about the blues, racism, and the Vietnam War. These are followed by a long distorted bluesy guitar solo by Jimi, which slowly morphs into the familiar arpeggios of "House Of The Rising Sun". Eric and Jim trade verses here, and it's a marvellous combination, while on "Hey Joe" Eric goes play the tambourine or something, leaving the stage to Jim who relishes the chance to re-enact the story, adding a lot of gruesome details about "Joe's" wife's infidelity, murder, and his subsequent arrest; basically he turns the song into a mini theatrical play while Jimi, who obviously had no idea this would happen, is caught off-guard and can be heard improvising in the background. Next up, Eric returns to the front where the two of them perform The Animals' anti-war classic "Sky Pilot" and finish the concert with more slogans against the war in Vietnam. The band are, of course, called back onstage for an encore, which is a fantastic 15-minute rendition of The Doors' "Light My Fire" with all three of them on vocals and Jimi trading solos with The Animals' organist Zoot Money. All in all a great reminder of a bygone era, and a huge, poignant, what if: what if Eric, Jim, and Jimi had gotten to make that album together? What if Hendrix and Morrison hadn't died at the age of 27? Which direction would they have taken and what would they have sounded like in the 70's and 80's? I'm afraid we'll never know, but this album provides a valuable glimpse in exciting possibilities never realized. Highly recommended for any fan of Classic Rock! 
***** for House Of The Rising Sun, Light My Fire
**** for Don't Let me Be Misunderstood, Hey Joe
*** for Blues Jam, Tobacco Road, Are You Experienced? / Yes I Am Experienced (Medley), 
Roadhouse Blues, Sky Pilot
** for Introducing Jim Morrison
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