R.I.P. 2022

Time for the most difficult post of the year, the one where we remember all the musicians we lost this year. Certainly the old Guard of rock-'n'-roll disappearing was inevitable - I believe Jerry Lee Lewis was the last of the great rock and roll pioneers left standing. His passing was to be expected, I just count myself lucky to have seen him perform, 30-something years ago. But others I expected to be able to see play again, and to listen to new records by them. Rachel Nagy from The Detroit Cobras was a personal favorite, even though she's not that well known. An even more beloved artist to me was Mark Lanegan, arguably the finest voice of his generation. He had only recently come back from COVID - related coma and written an inspirational book about his experience, but apparently was still too frail and succumbed a few months later, aged 57. Terry Hall, and the reunited Specials, were another band I was eager to see when the concerts restarted, post-lockdown. Alas, this was also not meant to be - he died of cancer, aged 63. Depeche Mode are playing in Amsterdam in a few months, but without Andy Fletcher, who died before his 61st. Not to mention Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie, and so many others whose music has been the soundtrack of my life.

So let's take a moment for a silent "goodbye, and thanks for the music" to:

[31 Dec 2022]  Jeremiah Green (drummer, Modest Mouse), 45

[31 Dec 2022] Anita Pointer (The Pointer Sisters), 74

[30 Dec 2022] Don Williams (Williams Brothers), 100

[29 Dec 2022] Ian Tyson (Ian & Sylvia), 89

[28 Dec 2022] Black Stalin (Trinidadian calypso musician), 81

[27 Dec 2022] Jo Mersa Marley (Jamaican musician, Bob's grandson), 31

[25 Dec 2022] Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson (Blues guitarist), 83

[23 Dec 2022] Maxi Jazz (Faithless), 65  

[21 Dec 2022] Harvey Jet (Black Oak Arkansas), 73 

[20 Dec 2022] Iain Templeton (drummer, Shack/The La's), 50+

[19 Dec 2022] Terry Hall (The Specials/ Fun Boy Three), 63 

[18 Dec 2022] Martin Duffy (Primal Scream/Felt), 55 

[17 Dec 2022] Charlie Gracie (50's rock'n'roller), 86

[16 Dec 2022] Bertha Rick Anderson (The Tubes), 75

[16 Dec 2022] Barbee-McNeal (girl group The Velvelettes ), 82

[15 Dec 2022] Dino Danelli (The Rascals), 78

[13 Dec 2022] Benjamin Bossi (Romeo Void), 69

[13 Dec 2022] Kim Simmonds (Savoy Brown), 75

[13 Dec 2022] Sol Amarfio (Ghanaian-British drummer for Osibisa), 84

[13 Dec 2022] Grand Daddy I.U. (American rapper), 54

[13 Dec 2022] Lalo Rodríguez (Puerto Rican salsa singer), 64

[11 Dec 2022] Angelo Badalamenti (film composer, Twin Peaks/Blue Velvet), 85

[10 Dec 2022] J. J. Barnes (American R&B singer), 79

[08 Dec 2022] Yitzhak Klepter (Israeli singer-guitarist, The Churchills), 72

[06 Dec 2022] Jet Black (drummer, The Stranglers ), 84

[06 Dec 2022] Hamish Kilgour (The Clean), 65

[04 Dec 2022] Manuel Göttsching (Ash Ra Tempel), 70

[03 Dec 2022] Svenne Hedlund (Swedish singer for Hep Stars), 77

[30 Nov 2022] Christine McVie (Fleetwood Mac), 79

[25 Nov 2022] Irene Cara (of "Fame" fame), 63

[23 Nov 2022]  Shel Macrae (The Fortunes), 77

[21 Nov 2022] Wilko Johnson ( Dr. Feelgood), 75

[19 Nov 2022] Danny Kalb (Blues Project), 80

[17 Nov 2022] B. Smyth (American R&B singer), 28

[11 Nov 2022] Keith Levene (Public Image Ltd/The Clash), 65

[11 Nov 2022] Rab Noakes (Stealers Wheel), 75

[10 Nov 2022] Nik Turner (Hawkwind), 82

[10 Nov 2022] Chris Koerts (Dutch guitarist for Earth and Fire), 74

[09 Nov 2022] Gal Costa (Brazilian singer), 77

[08 Nov 2022] Pierre Kartner (Dutch musician and songwriter), 87

[08 Nov 2022] Garry Roberts (Boomtown Rats), 72

[08 Nov 2022] Dan McCafferty (Nazareth), 76

[07 Nov 2022] Jeff Cook (Alabama), 73

[06 Nov 2022]  Dan Fawcett (Helix), 52

[05 Nov 2022] YOSHI  (Japanese singer and actor), 19

[05 Nov 2022] Mimi Parker (Low), 54

[05 Nov 2022] Tyrone Downie (Bob Marley and the Wailers), 66

[05 Nov 2022] Aaron Carter (American singer), 34

[03 Nov 2022] Noel McKoy (British soul singer), 62

[02 Nov 2022] Atilio Stampone (Argentine pianist, composer and arranger), 96

[01 Nov 2022] Takeoff (Migos), 28

[28 Oct 2022] D. H. Peligro (Dead Kennedys), 63

[28 Oct 2022] Jerry Lee Lewis ("the killer"), 87

[24 Oct 2022] Gregg Philbin (REO Speedwagon)

[18 Oct 2022] Robert Gordon (rockabilly singer), 75

[18 Oct 2022] Franco Gatti (Ricchi e Poveri), 80

[15 Oct 2022] Joyce Sims (soul singer/songwriter), 63

[15 Oct 2022] Noel Duggan (Clannad), 73

[10 Oct 2022] Anita Kerr (jazz singer), 94

[08 Oct 2022] Steve Roberts (The Exploited/U.K. Subs), 68

[04 Oct 2022] Loretta Lynn (country singer), 90

[28 Sep 2022] Coolio (rapper), 59

[24 Sep 2022] Pharoah Sanders (jazz saxophonist) 81

[22 Sep 2022] John Hartman (Doobie Brothers), 72

[21 Sep 2022] Anton Fier (Golden Palominos/The Feelies), 66

[14 Sep 2022] Irene Papas (Greek actress/singer), 93

[13 Sep 2022] Jesse Powell (soul singer/songwriter), 51

[12 Sep 2022] Ramsey Lewis (jazz pianist), 87

[2 Sep 2022] Drummie Zeb (Aswad), 62

[26 Aug 2022] Luke Bell (country singer), 32

[25 Aug 2022] Mable John (Motown recording artist), 89

[22 Aug 2022] Jerry Allison (The Crickets), 82

[21 Aug 2022] Stuart Anstis (Cradle of Filth), 48

[08 Aug 2022] Olivia Newton- John ("Grease" soundtrack), 73

[15 Aug 2022]  Steve Grimmett (Grim Reaper/Onslaught), 62

[08 Aug 2022]  Lamont Dozier (soul singer/songwriter), 81

[08 Aug 2022] Darryl Hunt (The Pogues), 72

[07 Aug 2022] Gord Lewis (Teenage Head), 65

[05 Aug 2022] Judith Durham (The Seekers), 79

[04 Aug 2022] Ray Majors (Mott/The Yardbirds), 73

[04 Aug 2022] Sam Gooden (The Impressions), 87

[29 Jul 2022] Jim Sohns (The Shadows of Knight), 75

[27 Jul 2022] Tom Springfield (The Springfields/The Seekers), 88

[24 Jul 2022] Bob Heathcote (Suicidal Tendencies), 58

[20 Jul 2022]  Frederick Waite Jr. (Musical Youth), 55

[20 Jul 2022] Jody Abbott (Fuel)

[19 Jul 2022]  Michael Henderson (jazz soul bassist/vocalist),72

[15 Jul 2022] Paul Ryder (Happy Mondays), 58

[14 Jul 2022] William Hart (The Delfonics), 77

[09 Jul 2022] Barbara Thompson (Colosseum), 77

[05 Jul 2022] Manny Charlton (Nazareth), 81

[23 Jun 2022] Massimo Morante (Goblin), 70

[19 Jun 2022] Jim Schwall (Siegel–Schwall Band) , 79

[19 Jun 2022] Brett Tuggle (Fleetwood Mac), 70

[09 Jun 2022] Julee Cruise (Twin Peaks, B52's), 65

[06 Jun 2022] Jim Seals (Seals and Crofts), 80

[05 Jun 2022] Alec John Such (Bon Jovi), 70

[30 May 2022] Hempo Hildén (Dokken), 69

[29 May 2022] Steve Broughton (Edgar Broughton Band), 72

[29 May 2022] Ronnie Hawkins (rock'n'roll singer), 87

[26 May 2022] Andy Fletcher (Depeche Mode), 60

[26 May 2022] Alan White (Yes), 72

[18 May 2022] Cathal Coughlan (Microdisney/The Fatima Mansions), 61

[17 May 2022] Vangelis (Greek composer, keyboard player), 79

[13 May 2022] Rosmarie Trapp (Trapp Family), 93

[12 May 2022] Ben Moore (The Blind Boys of Alabama), 80

[10 May 2022] Trevor Strnad (The Black Dahlia Murder), 41

[04 May 2022] Howie Pyro (D Generation), 61

[01 May 2022] Ric Parnell (Spinal Tap/Atomic Rooster) 70

[30 Apr 2022] Naomi Judd (The Judds), 76

[30 Apr 2022] Ray Fenwick (Spencer Davis Group/Ian Gillan Band), 75

[27 Apr 2022] Judy Henske (folk singer), 85

[26 Apr 2022] Randy Rand (Autograph), 62

[26 Apr 2022] Klaus Schulze (Tangerine Dream/Ash Ra Tempel), 74

[25 Apr 2022] Susan Jacks (Poppy Family), 73

[25 Apr 2022] Andrew Woolfolk (Earth, Wind & Fire), 71

[20 Apr 2022]  Guitar Shorty (blues guitarist), 87

[18 Apr 2022]  Jerry Doucette (Canadian singer-songwriter), 70

[17 Apr 2022] Rick Turner (Autosalvage), 78

[17 Apr 2022] Roderick "Pooh" Clark (Hi-Five), 49

[14 Apr 2022] Stavros Logaridis (Greek rocker, Poll/Akritas), 68

[12 Apr 2022] Charles E. McCormick (Bloodstone), 75

[09 Apr 2022] Chris Bailey (The Saints), 65

[08 Apr 2022] Con Cluskey (The Bachelors), 80

[07 Apr 2022] Ken West (Big Day Out), 64

[05 Apr 2022] Bobby Rydell (rock'n'roll singer), 80

[04 Apr 2022] Joe Messina (Funk Brothers), 94

[03 Apr 2022] Pamela Rooke (aka Jordan, Adam and the Ants) 66

[01 Apr 2022]  Bunny Simpson (Mighty Diamonds), 71

[30 Mar 2022] Tom Parker (The Wanted), 33

[30 Mar 2022] Yanick Étienne (Haitian singer, Roxy Music back.voc.), 64

[29 Mar 2022] Tabby Diamond (Mighty Diamonds), 67

[25 Mar 2022] Bobby Hendricks (The Drifters), 84

[25 Mar 2022] Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), 50

[24 Mar 2022]  Bert Ruiter (Focus/Earth and Fire), 75

[112022] Timmy Thomas, (R&B singer) 77

[10 Mar 2022] Bobbie Nelson (Willie Nelson's band), 91

[09 Mar 2022] Richard Podolor (The Pets), 86

[06 Mar 2022] Mike Cross (Sponge), 57

[05 Mar 2022] Jeff Howell (Foghat bassist), 61

[22 Feb 2022] Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees), 57

[19 Feb 2022] Gary Brooker (Procol Harum), 76

[17 Feb 2022] Dallas Good (The Sadies), 48

[14 Feb 2022] Sandy Nelson (jazz drummer), 83

[13 Feb 2022] King Louie Bankston (Exploding Hearts), 49

[11 Feb 2022]  Chet McCracken (The Doobie Brothers), 75

[09 Feb 2022] Ian McDonald (King Crimson), 75

[09 Feb 2022] Betty Davis (soul singer), 77

[06 Feb 2022] Syl Johnson (blues singer),85

[02 Feb 2022] Willie Leacox (America), 74

[31 Jan 2022]  Jimmy Johnson  (blues guitarist, Syl's brother), 93

[30 Jan 2022] Hargus Pig Robbins (session keyboard player) 84

[30 Jan 2022] Norma Waterson (The Watersons), 82

[22 Jan 2022] Don Wilson (The Ventures), 88

[20 Jan 2022] Meat Loaf, 74

[18 Jan 2022] Dick Halligan (Blood, Sweat & Tears), 78

[15 Jan 2022] Rachel Nagy (Detroit Cobras), 48

[14 Jan 2022] Dallas Frazier (country singer), 83

[13 Jan 2022] Fred Parris (Five Satins), 85

[12 Jan 2022] Ronnie Spector,78

[11 Jan 2022] Rosa Lee Hawkins (Dixie Cups), 76

[10 Jan 2022] Burke Shelley (Budgie), 71

[7 Jan 2022]  R. Dean Taylor (Motown recording artist), 82

[7 Jan 2022] Bobby Harrison (Procol Harum/Freedom/Snafu), 82

[6 Jan 2022] Calvin Simon (Parliament-Funkadelic), 79

Vince Guaraldi Trio "A Charlie Brown Christmas" 1965 🎄🎄🎄🎄

I was surprised to see this one voted as the all-time best Christmas album in a seasonal feature by Mojo Magazine, while the perennial Phil Spector Christmas Gift LP took only third place. So when I chanced upon a cheap CD copy at my neighborhood record shop, I decided to add it to my collection. I bought it blindly, not knowing if it contained instrumental music or songs, Muppet Show-like. As it turns out, this is a jazz piano album, containing both original compositions and jazz arrangements of traditional Christmas tunes. The music was commissioned for a 1965 Holiday Special based on the Peanuts comic strip. Next to pianist Vince Guaraldi who wrote the original songs and arranged the covers, the trio also consists of bassist Fred Marshall and drummer Jerry Granelli. The opening "O Tannenbaum" is a great slice of cool jazz, playful but relaxed, while "What Child Is This" is completely subdued. "My Little Drum" is a semi-cover of "Little Drummer Boy" with unobtrusive vocals humming the familiar melody. "Linus and Lucy" is a lively tune before the original ballad "Christmas Time Is Here", delivered both in instrumental and in vocal version featuring a children's choir, which also appears on traditional carol "Hark the Herald Angels Sing". The composer used on purpose a slightly off-key take instead of a perfect one, because he wanted the children to sound like kids, rather than professional singers. "Skating" and "Christmas Is Coming" are a couple of cheerful jazz piano pieces, followed by a short detour through Beetoven's "Für Elise" and a slow instrumental version of "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)". This 2012 CD reissue adds 3 tracks featuring Guaraldi fronting a different band augmented with trumpet and trombone: the traditional "Greensleeves" and two originals referencing other holidays: "Great Pumpkin Waltz" and "Thanksgiving Theme". The album exceeded expectations by transcending its creation as TV soundtrack to become both a popular holiday listen and an influential jazz recording thanks to the lively and emotive playing achieved by the piano, bass and drums combination. The general feel of the album is one of laid back contentedness rather than the extreme cheerfulness of most holiday albums. Ideal background music for decorating the tree or stuffing the Christmas turkey, or just to put a smile upon your face.

***** for O Tannenbaum

**** for What Child Is This, My Little Drum, Linus and Lucy,Christmas Time Is Here (Instr.), Christmas Is Coming, Für Elise, Greensleeves

*** for Christmas Time Is Here (Vocal), Skating, Hark The Herald Angels Sing, The Christmas Song, Great Pumpkin Waltz, Thanksgiving Theme

2022 - End Of The Year Retrospectives

The end of the year is approaching, and as it's our habbit here we look into some of the end-of-the-year reviews of music magazines. Some years ago I settled on 3 of them: Mojo, Uncut, and Classic Rock - even though I stopped buying the latter when it stopped giving away CD's. As usual, this year I've been busy researching the past and filling holes in my record collection, and haven't listened to a lot of new music. I believe I have 3 albums which were newly released in 2022: Fontaines D.C.'s Skinty Fia (Mojo's No.10, Uncut's No.17), Hurray for The Riff Raff's Life on Earth (Mojo No.30, Uncut No.22) and Los Bitchos' Let The Festivities Begin! (I believe it just made it into Rolling Stone's Top 100, but that's a list I won't delve into here). But I've listened to the free Best Of The Year samplers from Mojo and Uncut, as well as a few tracks on youtube, so I can share my impressions with you: Michael Head (formerly of Shack and The Pale Fountains) found himself on an improbably high position in these lists (No.1 Mojo, No3 Uncut). Based on what I've heard here Dear Scott must be a pretty charming acoustic indie LP, I was reminded of Paul Weller circa Wild Wood. Does that justify its high position? I'm not sure. Uncut's No.1 (Mojo No.11) is A Light for Attracting Attention by The Smile. Featuring two members of Radiohead, it's inevitably similar - but better than anything they've done in years, as here the experimentation doesn't lead to self-sabotage, opening them instead to different directions including funk - if your idea of funk is Can's "Vitamin C". Wet Leg (Mojo No.2, Uncut No.7) seem to have released the debut of the year - most other music publications seem to agree, too. It's a fresh-sounding upbeat indie-pop album with post-punk elements. Skinty Fia finally delivers on the promise of Fontaines D.C.'s debut, while Hurray for The Riff Raff's Life on Earth surprised me; based on what I had read about Alynda Segarra, I expected something folkier. Instead I got a combination of Lana Del Ray and P.J. Harvey - as you can imagine, I wasn't disapponted. Other magazines have placed Beyoncé's Renaissance on No.1 but it features relatively low here (number 27 Mojo, 53 Uncut). To be honest, I didn't find much to like either. I did like Horace Andy's Midnight Rocker (No. 4 Mojo, 32 Uncut). Nice to hear good old-fashioned dub reggae. Khruangbin have been on the rise for years, and here they team up with Vieux Farka Touré for an album dedicated to his legendary father, Ali (Mojo No.37, Uncut 39). Interesting pairing, but I think Khruangbin are the ones with the upper hand here. This sounds completely different from the Vieux Touré I saw in Groningen some 12 years ago, doing his "Hendrix in the Sahara" thing; I would have liked some more desert blues, certainly on an album named after Ali Farka Touré. On the Americana front, Wilco seem to follow a more traditional country route (the cuts I heard remind me of Grateful Dead and Gram Parsons) while Lambchop, Bill Callahan and Cass McCombs feature a more alt-rock sound. The new Arctic Monkeys LP makes a respectable showing (No. 5 Mojo, 23 Uncut), while Jack White has two albums in the lists: Fear of the Dawn (No.8 Mojo) and Entering Heaven Alive (No.69 Uncut). 90's rock heroes Spritualized (No.13 Mojo, 30 Uncut) and Suede (No.6 Mojo, 54 Uncut) are back in form; the sample tracks included are as good as anything they did in their heyday. Older veterans in these lists include Elvis Costello (No. 39 Mojo, 10 Uncut), Brian Eno (No. 65 Mojo, 9 Uncut) Levon Helm and Mavis Staples (No.22 Mojo, a version of "The Weight" on the free CD is reminiscent of their fantastic older takes on this song with The Band and Staple Singers), and Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder (Mojo No.38). Both free samplers also include tracks by Rich Ruth's I Survived, It's Over (No.16 Mojo, 47 Uncut). It's instrumental, somewhat experimental music. Interesting, but not for everyone. The last years a lot of great young female singers have appeared, and you can find some here (e.g. Aldous Harding, Weyes Blood, Joan Shelley, Angel Olsen, Julia Jacklin et al.) That's all very well, but as much as I like listening to the new Joni Mitchells and new Stevie Nickses, I have to ask: where are the female rockers? C'mon girls, you know you can rock! Just do it! Speaking of hard rock, Classic Rock magazine resides as ever in its own universe, a place where hair metal still rules: new albums by Def Leppard, Scorpions, Ozzy and Skid Row vie for the top position, while ZZ Top round up the top ten with yet another live album featuring 40-to-50-year-old tunes. If I'm not mistaken, the only overlap with the other lists is The Black Keys' Dropout Boogie (on No.47 here, 69 Mojo, 59 Uncut). Classic Rock is also the only one to include some prog rock in their top 10: Porcupine Tree on No.3 and Marillion on No.6. Nice to see some personal favorites like The Hellacopters, Fantastic Negrito, and Mongolian über-rockers The Hu make the list, too. Well, for some people Ozzy backed by Eric Clapton on guitar will always be infinitely more exciting than anything Michael Head can come up with. And if you think that bands like Def Leppard and Scorpions (not to mention Red Hot Chili Peppers, Muse, Rammstein, and Cult, whom mainstream magazines seem to have forgotten of) are irrelevant in 2022, just look at which bands are that fill the stadiums.

 

MOJO MAGAZINE TOP 75 1.Dear Scott (Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band) 2. Wet Leg (Wet Leg) 3. Cheat Codes (Danger Mouse and Black Thought) 4. Midnight Rocker (Horace Andy) 5. The Car (Arctic Monkeys) 6. Autofiction (Suede) 7. YTI⅃AƎЯ (Bill Callahan) 8. Fear of the Dawn (Jack White) 9. Stumpwork (Dry Cleaning) 10.Skinty Fia (Fontaines D.C.) 11. A Light for Attracting Attention (The Smile) 12.Warm Chris (Aldous Harding) 13. Everything Was Beautiful (Spiritualized) 14. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow (Weyes Blood) 15. Cruel Country (Wilco) 16. I Survived, It's Over (Rich Ruth) 17. This Is A Photograph (Kevin Morby) 18. Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam (The Comet Is Coming) 19. In These Times (Makaya McCraven) 20. Weather Alive (Beth Orton) 21. Pompeii (Cate Le Bon) 22. Carry Me Home (Levon Helm and Mavis Staples) 23. Welcome 2 Club XIII (Drive-By Truckers) 24. Reset (Panda Bear and Sonic Boom) 25. Angels & Queens – Part I (Gabriels) 26. The Spur (Joan Shelley) 27. Renaissance (Beyoncé) 28. Tresor (Gwenno) 29. Chloë and the Next 20th Century (Father John Misty) 30. Life on Earth (Hurray for the Riff Raff) 31. Timbuktu (Oumou Sangaré) 32. Endless Rooms (Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever) 33. Forfolks (Jeff Parker) 34. Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (Kendrick Lamar) 35. Cool It Down (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) 36. I Love You Jennifer B (Jockstrap) 37. Ali (Vieux Farka Touré & Khruangbin) 38. Get On Board: The Songs of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee (Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder) 39. The Boy Named If (Elvis Costello & The Imposters) 40. The Mars Volta (The Mars Volta) 41. Breaking The Thermometer (Leyla McCalla) 42. Heartmind (Cass McCombs) 43. Gold (Alabaster DePlume) 44. Fear Fear (Working Men's Club) 45. The Overload (Yard Act) 46. Ants From Up There (Black Country, New Road) 47. Fever Dreams Pts. 1-4 (Johnny Marr) 48. For The Sake of Bethel Woods (Midlake) 49. Anaïs Mitchell (Anaïs Mitchell) 50. Jazz Codes (Moor Mother) 51. (watch my moves) (Kurt Vile) 52. All Of Us Flames (Ezra Furman) 53. Heart Is Strange (Xpropaganda) 54. Good and Green Again (Jake Xerxes Fussell) 55. Dentures Out (Proclaimers) 56. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You (Big Thief) 57. Shebang (Oren Ambarchi) 58. Most Normal (Gilla Band) 59. Fossora (Björk) 60. Lucifer on the Sofa (Spoon) 61. See You in the Stars (Lightning Seeds) 62.Topical Dancer (Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul) 63. Riderless Horse (Nina Nastasia) 64. Loggerhead (Wu-Lu) 65. FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE (Brian Eno) 66. Big Time (Angel Olsen) 67. Spencer Gets It Lit (Jon Spencer & the HITmakers) 68. The Bible (Lambchop) 69. Dropout Boogie (The Black Keys) 70. For McCoy (Eiko Ishibashi) 71. Pre Pleasure (Julia Jacklin) 72. The Line Is A Curve (Kae Tempest) 73 Recordings from the Åland Islands (Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer) 74. LP.8 (Kelly Lee Owens) 75. I Got a Love (Elizabeth King)

UNCUT TOP 75 1. A Light for Attracting Attention (The Smile) 2. The Spur (Joan Shelley) 3. Dear Scott (Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band) 4. Big Time (Angel Olsen) 5. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You (Big Thief) 6. Cruel Country (Wilco) 7. Wet Leg (Wet Leg) 8. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (Kendrick Lamar) 9. FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE (Brian Eno)10. The Boy Named If (Elvis Costello & The Imposters) 11. The Sea Drift (The Delines) 12. How Is It That I Should Look At The Stars (The Weather Station) 13. Pompeii (Cate Le Bon) 14. Weather Alive (Beth Orton) 15. The Bible (Lambchop) 16. The Ruby Cord (Richard Dawson) 17. Skinty Fia (Fontaines D.C) 18. Tresor (Gwenno) 19. We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong (Sharon Van Etten) 20. (watch my moves (Kurt Vile) 21. Hellfire (black midi) 22. Life on Earth (Hurray for the Riff Raff) 23. The Cars (Arctic Monkeys) 24. Stumpwork (Dry Cleaning) 25.Heartmind (Cass McCombs) 26. I Love You Jennifer B (Jockstrap) 27. Ants From Up There (Black Country, New Road) 28. The Comet Is Coming - Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam 29. Julia Jacklin -  Pre Pleasure 30. Spiritualized - Everything Was Beautiful 31. Kevin Morby - This Is A Photograph 32. Horace Andy - Midnight Rocker 33. Sudan Archives - Natural Brown Prom Queen 34. Daniel Rossen - You Belong There 35. Panda Bear & Sonic Boom - Reset 36. S.G. Goodman - Teeth Marks 37. Bitchin Bajas - Bajascillators 38. Courtney Marie Andrews - Loose Future 39. Khruangbin & Vieux Farka Touré - Ali 40. Ty Segall - "Hello, Hi" 41. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Endless Rooms 42. Jana Horn - Optimism 43. Revelators Sound System - Revelators 44. Makaya McCraven - In These Times 45. Aldous Harding - Warm Chris 47. Rich Ruth - I Survived, It's Over 48. Carson McHone - Still Life 49. Bill Callahan - YTI⅃AƎЯ 50. Drive-By Truckers - Welcome 2 Club XIII 51. Jake Xerxes Fussell - Good and Green Again 52. Tim Bernardes - Mil Coisas Invisíveis 53. Beyoncé - Renaissance 54. Suede - Autofiction 55. Amanda Shires - Take It Like a Man 56. Father John Misty - Chloë and the Next 20th Century 57. Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling & Andreas Werliin - Ghosted 58. Pye Corner Audio - Let's Emerge! 59. The Black Keys - Dropout Boogie 60. Sarah Davachi - Two Sisters 61. Yard Act - The Overload 62. Jenny Hval - Classic Objects 63. Robyn Hitchcock - Shufflemania! 64. Ghost Power - Ghost Power 65. Beach House - Once Twice Melody 66. The Unthanks - Sorrows Away 67. Jake Blount - The New Faith 68. Kathryn Joseph - for you who are the wronged 69. Jack White - Entering Heaven Alive 70. Tommy McLain - I Ran Down Every Dream 71. Angeline Morrison - The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience 72. Širom - The Liquified Throne of Simplicity 73. Aoife Nessa Frances - Protector 74. Chris Forsyth - Evolution Here We Come 75. Drugdealer - Hiding in Plain Sight

 

CLASSIC ROCK TOP 50 1. Def Leppard - Diamond Star Halos 2. Ghost - Impera 3. Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation 4. Clutch - Sunrise On Slaughter Beach 5. Scorpions - Rock Believer 6. Marillion - An Hour Before It's Dark 7. Ozzy Osbourne - Patient Number 9 8. Alter Bridge - Pawns & Kings 9. Skid Row - The Gang's All Here 10. ZZ Top - Raw: That Little Ol’ Band From Texas Original Soundtrack 11. Tedeschi Trucks Band - I Am The Moon 12. Ann Wilson - Fierce Bliss 13. Massive Wagons - Triggered! 14. Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators - 415. Von Hertzen Brothers – Red Alert In The Blue Forest 16. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Unlimited Love 17. The Cult - Under The Midnight Sun 18. Thunder - Dopamine 19. Michael Monroe - I Live Too Fast To Die Young 20. Big Big Train - Welcome To The Planet 21. H.E.A.T.: Force Majeure 22. Saxon - Carpe Diem 23. Reef - Shoot Me Your Ace 24. Eddie Vedder - Earthling 25. Journey - Freedom 26. Halestorm - Back From The Dead 27. The Sheepdogs - Outta Sight 28. Rammstein - Zeit 29. Eric Gales - Crown 30. Rosalie Cunningham - Two Piece Puzzle 31. Muse - Will Of The People 32. Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts - Ballad Of A Misspent Youth 33. The Hu - Rumble Of Thunder 34. Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners - Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners 35. Jethro Tull - The Zealot Dream 36. Megadeth - The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead! 37. Monster Truck - Warriors 38. Joe Lynn Turner - The Belly Of The Beast 39. Magnum - The Monster Roars 40. The Hellacopters - Eyes Of Oblivion 41. Dan Reed Network - Let's Hear It For The King 42. Fantastic Negrito - White Jesus Black Problems 43. Nickelback - Get Rollin' 44. Whiskey Myers - Tornillo 45. FM - Thirteen 46. Cardinal Black - January Came Close 47. The Black Keys - Dropout Boogie 48. Bonnie Raitt - Just Like That 49. Buzzcocks - Sonics In The Soul 50. Cats In Space - Kickstart The Sun

Deuter "Cicada" 1982***

OK, so this isn't the kind of album one usually finds in my collection: alphabetically it sits between Greek punk rockers Deus X Machina and German industrial punks Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft, both of whom are the antithesis of Deuter's introspective melodies. I brought it back from the neighborhood record shop, because it was in the bargain bin and I remembered coming across the composer's name in the progarchives website. That was somewhat misleading, as this album isn't even remotely connected to progressive rock - which is not to say that it's without its charms. Having bought it in the pre-Christmas period, I found it puts me into holiday mood, especially the serene but joyful opener "From Here To Here" and the slightly sprightlier "From Here To Here (reprise)". The composer though seems to have other religious interests: German-born Georg Deuter moved as a young man to India, changing his first name to Chaitanya Hari after a Hindustani saint, and living in an ashram, which is the local equivalent of a monastery. Nevertheless his music doesn't sound like other Indian albums in my collection (I have some Ravi Shankar, a little Bollywood etc). It sounds more like the kind of meditation CD's one hears play as a musical background at yoga/reiki centers, albeit with better musicianship than most. Kudos for that to Deuter, who plays all the instruments himself. The most prominent sound here is that of the flute, backed by discrete synthesizers, gentle acoustic guitar, a little sitar, bells, etc. Deuter's synths also imitate birdsong, most notably on the title track, while some other nature sounds (splashing waves, rustling leaves) may or may not be sampled. It's warm and soothing music, a bit too sweet and placid for my taste to tell the truth. My interest is sometimes piqued when the synthesizers come to the fore, as in the longer tracks "Light" and "Alchemy" which remind me of Vangelis similarly blending electronic music with acoustic instruments and oriental themes in his China LP. Other than that, it slips into the background, which is I guess the intended function of ambient music. Another notable piece is the bucolic "Haiku", if only for featuring the only guest musician, Deva Renu on harp. All in all, this may well be a prominent work in the field of spiritual/new age music. I would probably recommend it to someone looking for some nice background music for relaxation and meditation, but it's definitely not my cup of tea. 

**** for From Here To Here, Light, From Here To Here (Reprise)

*** for Sun On My Face, Sky Beyond Clouds, Haiku, Alchemy

** for Cicada, Between Two Breaths

Espiritu "Espiritu III" 1982***

 

As I said last week, nowadays I'm not browsing used record shops looking for the familiar, but rather for those records that slipped through the cracks, especially during the 70's. So OK, an unknown (to me) Spanish-language album from 1982 merits a listen on the stores' record player. I decided I liked what I heard enough to ignore the bad state of the cover (heavy ringwear, as you can see on these photos) and take it home. Truth be told, if it came from UK or the USA, I probably wouldn't have bothered but I'm always interested in how the rock experience was perceived outside the Anglo-Saxon world. Espiritu formed in Buenos Aires in 1972, and released two highly regarded symphonic rock LP's: Crisalida (1975) and Libre y Natural (1976), then disbanded. By 1981, singer Fernando Bergé and guitarist Osvaldo Favrot were working together again under the name Aspid, when a record company approached them, offering them a record contract if they considered reviving the name Espiritu. They recruited three younger musicians, including Ángel Mahler, whose keyboards, both classical-style piano and new wavey synthesizer, came to be this record's most prominent feature. Opener "Antes Tal Vez" belongs clearly to the symphonic rock genre, utilizing both aforementioned keyboards as well as melodic vocals and electric guitar. "Policolor" is more upbeat and pop oriented - somewhat strangely for a song dealing with war and culminating with alarm sirens. "Nacer" is a pretty ballad with nice sax, followed by a strong melodic prog piece; at 7+ minutes "Lento Juego De Luces" finds the time for some Renaissance-like symphonic rock with great keyboard and guitar solos. Side 2 opens with the largely acoustic "Toma Un Tiempo". "Elemental" is a more pop oriented song which reminded me of Asia's prog/new wave hybrid. "Un Viaje Por Los Recuerdos" is a sweet song with jazz rock leanings and great musicianship, especially on the piano and acoustic guitar. Instrumental "Guardianes En Pie" is even more progressive, reminding me of jazz rockers Weather Report. The musicians all shine here: the guitars and keyboards, of course, are consistently great, but Claudio Cicerchia's funky bass steals the show. The band had arranged a big stadium gig for the presentation of their album, but unfortunately the sirens of "Policolor" proved to be prophetic, and the outbreak of the Falklands War between Argentina and UK would divert people's attention elsewhere. Contemporary reviews were also not very positive, as prog rock had gone out of style and the album was deemed to be backwards-sounding. The band released one more LP (En Movimiento,1983) before calling it quits, while Favrot led a completely different lineup on the band's last studio venture Fronteras Mágicas (2003). Espiritu III finds the band in a crossroads between their Yes/Genesis- influenced symphonic past and a more modern (for the 80's) AOR sound. It may also be interesting to note that for the first time their record consisted of a simple collection of songs, as opposed to a concept album revolving around a single theme. While the musicians' playing is excellent, I find that the compositions are pleasant but lacking in either originality or power, while the vocals are good but a bit soft for my taste. Nevertheless, it's a worthy LP whose provenance from the Southern hemisphere and use of Spanish language make stand out among other similar albums of the period.

**** for Antes Tal Vez, Lento Juego De Luces, Guardianes En Pie

*** for Policolor, Nacer, Toma Un Tiempo, Elemental, Un Viaje Por Los Recuerdos

Mike McGear "McGear" 1974***

As it so often happens, I was drawn to this album by the cover - in this case, the Gulliver reference. Usually I browse second-hand record shops not looking for something specific but hoping for a new discovery. It may be a striking album cover or a familiar name in the credits that leads me to take a record to the listening station or look for reviews on my mobile. In this case, both tests were positive: I liked what little I heard, and read good things about this album (4,5* stars on allmusic.com). So this guy McGear comes from Liverpool, and he isn't your average singer/songwriter. Instead he used to be part of various collectives (Scaffold, Grimm, McGough & McGear) combining music, poetry, and comedy. This album though is, with the exception of Kinks-like parody "Norton", a straight pop rock affair. It opens with a cover of Roxy Music's "Sea Breezes". As a singer he's no Brian Ferry, indeed his vocals on this album are competent rather than sensational, but it's still a great song beautifully played. "What Do We Really Know?" is a glam rock boogie with a crunchy guitar riff coda. This track was written by McGear's brother Paul, whose imprint is all over the record: as co-writer, backing vocalist and musician, while many members of his band are here providing instrumental backing. Lead single "Leave It" is another of his compositions, an fun upbeat number with nice sax. Side 1 closes with "Have You Got Problems?" a retro number with rockabilly and doo wop elements. Pleasant-sounding, but at 6+ minutes, it overstays its welcome. Side 2 opens with ballad "The Casket", in some respects a Celtic sister melody to "Sea Breezes". "Rainbow Lady" is a sympathetic mid-tempo piece, "Simply Love You" a (probably too) sweet and earnest lovesong, and "Givin' Grease a Ride" a interesting hard rocker with futuristic synths. The album closes with "The Man Who Found God on the Moon", a pretty tune with country and prog influences, somewhat reminiscent of Cockney Rebel. In general, the album displays a lot of variation, which is not necessarily an advantage. Glam, pop, rock, prog, and the English music hall tradition are part of the mix, while the influence of big brother Paul is evident everywhere. But there's also a consistency in quality, with good compositions and performances throughout. As I said previously, the album cover is also nice, featuring McGear as Gulliver, as well as many tiny figures representing friends and band members. So maybe this isn't exactly a lost classic, but it's certainly a good 70's album well worth listening. It nevertheless didn't save McGear's career - he'd never make another solo LP, and would soon retire from music altogether and revert to his original name: Peter Michael McCartney.

**** for Sea Breezes, Leave It, The Casket, Givin' Grease a Ride

*** for What Do We Really Know?, Norton, Rainbow Lady, Simply Love You, The Man Who Found God on the Moon

** for Have You Got Problems

 

Darmozjady "Darmozjady" 1990***

They say you shouldn't judge a record by its cover, but sometimes that's all the info that's available to you. I found this LP in the bargain bin and decided that it must be Polish-language rockabilly, which I'd be interested to listen to, if only for novelty's sake. It turned out slightly different than I expected; more like late 70's pub rock/ new wave - a mix of Chris Spedding, Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello etc. Songs in that style include "Nie Chce Mi Się", "Gdzie Są Panienki", "Było Nas Ze Dwóch", and "Skończ Te Fanaberie". Rockabilly is also part of the mix ("Mój Flipper Gra", "Droga Redakcjo", "Dostaję Cipca"), while there's a punk element too - especially in the nonchalant vocals and prevalent DIY esthetic evident everywhere from the production to the cover artwork. Incidentally, the band name apparently translates as "parasites/freeloaders", I wonder if that's a Polish derogatory term equivalent to the English word "punk". Rounding it up, there are a few slower songs, drunken ballads like "Maleńki Stasio" and "Jest Mi Smutno" as well as the reggae-ish "Afryka Korzenie" and "To Oni". Not the strongest tracks of the album, they highlight the singer's (Dariusz Dusza) deficiencies as a vocalist. On the other hand, I'd be the first to admit that he's an above-average guitarist. In conclusion, this is a rather mediocre record, albeit with a certain lo-fi charm. There are better Polish new wave albums in my collection, which I intend to present soon; stay tuned for my reviews of LPs by Porter Band and, especially, the fantastic Republika.

**** for Nie Chce Mi Się

*** for Mój Flipper Gra, Droga Redakcjo, Gdzie Są Panienki, Było Nas Ze Dwóch, To Oni, Dostaję Cipca

** for Maleńki Stasio, Afryka Korzenie, Jest Mi Smutno, Skończ Te Fanaberie

Porcupine Tree "Warszawa" 2004****

It's been 20 years and a few months since I first saw Porcupine Tree (PT) play live. The place was a huge parking lot next to Ellinikos Kosmos cultural center in Athens. I remember being satisfied by their performance, but they were totally eclipsed by the support band, Love, whose leader Arthur Lee was recently released from prison and making up for a lost decade with a sensational, and very emotional, presence. A few years later, I saw PT again, this time supported by another legend, Van Der Graaf Generator. Which makes last week's show in Amsterdam the 3rd PT concert I've been to. The band were back from a 10-year hiatus and eager to prove they are still relevant. The lineup featured Steven Wilson, keyboardist Richard Barbieri and drummer Gavin Harrison from the old band as well as new members Randy McStine from New York, UK, and Nate Navarro from Texas, UK (according to Wilson, at least). No support band this time - and none was needed, as the show lasted for 3 hours, minus a 20-minute interval. They played their new album in its entirety, as well as a selection of past favorites - mainly from In Absentia and Fear of a Blank Planet. The new songs went down well with the crowd. Hearing them for the first time myself, I got the impression that the new album must be a typical, albeit above average, PT affair. Including many older songs was probably meant as a reward for the fans who had patiently waited for their return, but the result was an over-long show, which can be a bit tiresome for a "band without hit singles" as Steve Wilson himself described PT. That said, the band played impeccably, while some numbers were nicely augmented with visual content on a big screen. The whole show was being filmed for a possible BluRay release - which would make it the second time a Dutch PT show is released officially, after Anesthetize (recorded in Tilburg in 2008). A few times during the concert, Wilson had to ask for a more enthusiastic audience participation, even jokingly threatening to dub audience noise from a Harry Styles DVD. Well, he may be a talented songwriter/musician, but his stage banter needs some work. I wonder if they'll edit these bits out.

Still under the influence of the concert, I decided to present a PT album for my next blog entry. The obvious choice would be their latest release Closure/Continuation, but since I don't have it yet, I chose one of the 3 live CDs in my collection. As it is, none of them had a similar tracklist to the show I just witnessed: Coma Divine (1997) is mostly based on Signify and the band's period on the Delerium label, Warszawa (2004) is mostly based on Lightbulb Sun, and Octane Twisted (2012) contains the entirety of The Incident plus a few extra tracks. I settled on Warszawa as it has some of my favorites on it. This is not a concert recording, but a 2001 session for Polish radio, recorded live in the presence of a small audience. The session was widely bootlegged, prompting the band to release their own, superior, version, remixed from the 32-channel multitrack ADAT tapes. 6 out of the 11 tracks come from the band's then-latest CD Lightbulb Sun (2000), which is the apex of the band's psychedelic/space rock phase. Their later move towards a prog/metal hybrid would prove more successful, but for me PT never bettered Sun. Warszawa opens with "Even Less", a typically Floyd-ish song from the Stupid Dream album, and one of only 2 songs here that also featured in last week's concert. It's followed by another track from the same album, "Slave Called Shiver" featuring a more alt-rock sound with a funky foundation. "Shesmovedon" is among their poppier melodic songs, great guitar and excellent backing vocals reminiscent of 60's folk rock (think CSN&Y). "Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth" (the other track still in their setlist) also starts as an acoustic piece but veers off into space rock territory with spacey guitar and keys, and a weird spoken word excerpt by the leader of a suicide cult. "Lightbulb Sun" brings the electric guitar back to the foreground, followed by 12-minute prog epic "Russia on Ice", and a shorter melodic piece called "Where We Would Be". Next up there's aggressive rocker "Hatesong" and the atmospheric "Stop Swimming". The CD closes with two (even) older tracks. First off is "Voyage 34". In its original form it was a 30-minute electronic/trance track describing a fateful LSD trip. Hearing it re-purposed for live performance is pretty exciting: spacy guitar solos and synths reminiscent of Pink Floyd circa Meddle, while the narration and Dead Can Dance samples from the original are reprised here to provide that other-worldly atmosphere. An excellent showcase of PT's early space rock sound. After that, closing with an instrumental, even one as kinetic and complex as "Signify" seems anticlimactic. A recent (2020) remaster reinstates "Tinto Brass" in its rightful place - it was the only song performed during the session but initially omitted from the CD so that the show could fit into a single disc. Now, as a live band PT are always solid. What they lack in showmanship they make up for with their arrangements and musicianship. One's choice of live PT release would depend on which of their periods they like the best. For myself, I slightly prefer Warszawa to their other live CDs and DVDs, because it draws mostly from Lightbulb Sun and Stupid Dream, two of my favorites. I'd like to see them compile their all-time best songs in a single set some time, instead of focusing on their latest release. They might end up with a great live album for once, instead of another solid one. 

**** for Even Less, Slave Called Shiver, Shesmovedon, Lightbulb Sun, Hatesong, Voyage 34

*** for Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth, Russia on Ice, Where We Would Be, Stop Swimming, Signify

The Multicoloured Shades "House Of Wax" 1985****

There was a period during the late 80's - early 90's when I used to collect all the neo-psychedelic LP's I could get my hands on. Especially if they were keyboard-heavy, like The Multicoloured Shades (TMcS) are. Most of them survived The Great Vinyl Purge, too. I sold a ton of (now ultra-rare) 90's vinyl, as well as classic rock LP's because I had stopped listening to the former, and had replaced most of the latter with newly remastered CD's. But most of my garage and psychedelic vinyls got out intact. This is why I now still have, without ever meaning to, a decent collection of German neo-psychedelic vinyl LPs: TMcS, as well as The Dizzy Satellites, Les Black Carnations, CHUD [aka Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers(!)], Clockwork Wizards, The Dukes etc. TMcS were formed in 1984 in a town near Dortmund called Marl. Within a year they had released an (eponymous) mini-LP as well as this album, both on a local indie. At this point they caught the attention of Virgin Records, becoming one of the first German alternative/neo-psychedelic bands to sign with a major label. They released two more LPs, Sundome City Exit (1987) and Ranchero! (1989) having some success with single "Teen Sex Transfusion" off the former album. Due to disappointing sales, they were dropped by the label, and finally disbanded in 1990, while a 2002 reunion was cut short by the death of singer Pete Barany from a (voluntary or not) overdose. A new incarnation of the band, featuring original organist Detlev Bizer, seems to be active right now: a 2021 single called "The Greatest" is available on Spotify, as well as a couple live videos on youtube, but I couldn't dig any more info on them. Regarding House Of Wax now, opener "So Sad" is an organ-dominated garage rocker displaying the expected influences (Electric Prunes, 13th Floor Elevators, ? And The Mysterians). "It's Your Life" is another 60's-sounding garage/beat track while "Brain Patrol" is darker and reminiscent of early Pink Floyd and Velvet Underground (VU), and "Witches" has an, of-its-time, Gothic character. Side 1 concludes with "The Special One", another rocker combining psychedelia and new wave. Side 2 is dominated by "Sometimes", a 12-minute psychedelic drone referencing Suicide (the band, not the act). This is followed by "Frozen Hearts", again channeling VU albeit with a bit of Beach Boys-like effervescence. The album closes with the "Bleeding In Jayne Mansfield's Car". The organ takes a back seat for once, allowing acoustic guitar and harmonica to shine; Lou Reed and Bob Dylan come to mind here. For those unfamiliar with the 50's/60's sexbomb's death, she was decapitated in a gruesome automobile accident which also instantly killed the two other adult passengers, but spared the lives of her children, also in the car. Quite a macabre way to close the album, wouldn't you say? I used to play this LP often when I bought it 30+ years ago, but hadn't listened to it for many years before today. I'm less impressed with it now (3,5* would be a more accurate rating, but I decided to be generous because it's an old favorite) but I still love the atmosphere it creates due to its dark organ sound, as well as the theatrical vocals by Pete Barany, who sounds like a German-accented Sky Saxon. The compositions are neither very original nor instantly memorable, but all the right ingredients are here: VU, Electric Prunes, Pink Floyd, The Doors, and 70's Kraut Rock. The striking red-black cover is in contrast to the band's name, but they make up for it with an impressively multicolored marbled red/blue/grey vinyl. Worth spending a few extra €€'s to get the album's initial pressing on Last Chance Records - there are also a few more contemporary (1985/86) editions on regular black vinyl. If you like the samples below, you may want to look for House Of Wax at ebay or discogs. It won't cost you too much, and it's worth every pfennig...

**** for So Sad, Brain Patrol, Witches, The Special One, Frozen Hearts

*** for It's Your Life, Sometimes, Bleeding In Jayne Mansfield's Car

Black Sabbath "The End" (DVD+CD) 2017💀💀💀💀

Oh no! It's Halloween, and I don't have a relative album to post! And, to make matters worse, I've missed too many Friday the 13th's too. So I decided to cheat and repost an older review. You may think I've run out of "horror rock" albums to present, but that is absolutely not the case! I just don't want to do any of the obvious ones - not yet! I still have a few centuries for that - and I will need centuries to finish presenting my record collection at this pace. All I need is a vampire to come and bite me, and then I've got it made: listen to my records and CD's all day long (no wasting daytime sleeping in coffins for me, thank you), write in my blog, and roam the streets of Delft at night hunting juicy TU students for their blood. Next morning there'll be another bloodless body floating in the canal - call Van Helsing to the rescue! I'm not kidding, professor Van Helsing lives right down the street and teaches at TU Delft! And if you think Delft is no place for vampires, you obviously haven't watched Werner Herzog's Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht. Most of the town scenes were filmed here - boy do I know some crazy stories about the filming of that movie, that guy Herzog was a first-class loon, just like his protagonist Klaus Kinski. But I'm not going into them today - no, I want to write instead about the DVD playing on my home cinema right now.
It's called Black Sabbath The End, and it documents the last concert of the last tour ever by that happy-go-lucky boy band, Black Sabbath. The boys have been through a lot these past years: when I last saw them in concert almost a decade ago, guitarist Tony Iommi was battling cancer but he looked healthier than Ozzy who looked and sounded like one of the zombies from Walking Dead. In this DVD, though, he just sounds like an older version of himself, and seems in good shape: a bit like an artificially re-animated corpse who has recently been taken care of by a master undertaker. Iommi and Geezer Butler ooze class, and drummer Bill Ward looks thirty years younger - scratch that, he has been replaced by Tommy Clufetos. Maybe Ward had an embalming fluid accident, it wouldn't be the first time a musician's reanimation goes bad - if you've seen the cult movie Dracula Of Exarchia you know what I mean. Adam Wakeman (son of Rick, who also played with Sabbath in the 70's) has the unenviable task of playing keyboards at a Sabbath show. Of course pitted against the heaviest guitar in the universe he stands as much chance as Tiny Tim in a boxing match against Mike Tyson. The concert in this DVD took place on February 4th, 2017 at the band's home town of Birmingham. It is augmented by "The Angelic Sessions" a few tracks recorded live-in-studio a few days later. I thought I was getting both the concert and bonus tracks on CD plus the DVD but no - you can get either the audio CD or the DVD plus a CD with The Angelic Sessions. If you want everything, you'll have to spend a small fortune for the super deluxe edition.

If you have to choose, go for the DVD. It's well-filmed, and the 5.1. surround sound is fantastic. The editing gives the movie a fast pace, many different angles are used, and the picture is given an atmospheric tint. Every instrument sounds crisp and clear, allowing you to admire the mastery of the musicians, especially Butler whose bass was previously all-too-often buried in the mix. Iommi is, of course, the riffmaster but he lays down a few nimble solos too. Clufetos also takes the spotlight for a long and powerful solo, and Ozzy sounds pretty good. Except when he talks, I can hardly make out anything he says. How the hell did he end up with his own TV show? What do they do - dub him or use subtitles? The concert starts with the perfect Halloween tune: the eponymous song "Black Sabbath", slow and heavy with menacing lyrics like "What is this that stands before me? Figure in black which points at me...Satan's sitting there, he's smiling/ Watches those flames get higher and higher". Well, what did you expect from a band named after a horror movie with Boris Karloff? Lucifer appears frequently in the lyrics, together with a homicidal Iron Man, bloodthirsty generals, fairies with boots who dance with dwarves, Death as the Grim Reaper, paranoid men, dirty women and the children of the grave. References to marijuana and cocaine also abound. The songlist relies heavily on the first four albums, while the Angelic Sessions CD finds some room for 5 classics left out of the concert: On "The Wizard" we get a rare chance to hear Ozzy blow some blues harp, "Wicked World" sports some pretty wicked guitar, and "Sweet Leaf" is a solid run through an old favourite. I found the performance on "Tomorrow's Dream" a bit sloppy, but the emotive piano and vocals on the closing ballad "Changes" made for a fittingly emotional coda to the career of this iconic band.

DVD (*** to ****) Black Sabbath, Fairies Wear Boots, Under The Sun / Every Day Comes And Goes, After Forever, Into The Void, Snowblind, War Pigs, Behind The Wall Of Sleep, Bassically/ N.I.B., Hand Of Doom, Medley:Supernaut/Sabbath Bloody Sabbath/Megalomania, Rat Salad/Drum Solo, Iron Man, Dirty Women, Children Of The Grave, Paranoid
CD **** for The Wizard, Changes *** for Wicked World, Sweet Leaf ** for Tomorrow's Dream