R.I.P. 2023

Another year is over, which inevitably means more loss for music lovers everywhere. We don't live in the 70's anymore when every pop star death was a shock; many of our music idols aren't young any more, and their passing is less of a surprise. Still, however full their lives have been and great the artistic legacy they leave behind, it's sad to have to say goodbye to, among others, legends like Tina Turner, David Crosby, and Jeff Beck. Music-wise 2023 was an especially bad year for Brazil and Ireland: Within a few months, we lost the three great ladies of Brazilian music (Gal Costa, Rita Lee, and Astrud Gilberto), while Irish singers Sinead O' Connor and Shane Mac Gowan, both only middle-aged, also passed away. The latter's best-known song has become a holiday season classic, and I guess it's only fitting for it to be the last video I post this year:

So, please take a moment to celebrate their work and art, and to give a mental

Thanks for The Music to:

[January 1] Fred White (Earth, Wind & Fire), 67

[January 1] Sebastian Marino (Overkill/ Anvil), 57

[January 1] Gangsta Boo (Three 6 Mafia), 43

[January 3] Alan Rankine (The Associates), 64

[January 3] Notis Mavroudis (Greek guitarist),77

[January 5] Gordy Harmon (The Whispers), 79

[January 6] Jeff Blackburn (Moby Grape/The Ducks), 77

[January 10] Dennis Budimir (The Wrecking Crew), 84

[January 10] Jeff Beck (The Yardbirds/The Jeff Beck Group), 78

[January 11] Yukihiro Takahashi (Yellow Magic Orchestra/Sadistic Mika Band), 70

[January 12] Lisa Marie Presley (singer, daughter to the King), 54

[January 12] Robbie Bachman (drummer, Bachman-Turner Overdrive), 69

[January 12] Keith "Duke" Beaton (Blue Magic), 72 

[January 16] Johnny Powers (Rockabilly guitarist and singer), 84

[January 17] Larry Morris (Larry's Rebels), 75

[January 17] Renée Geyer (Singer), 69

[January 18] Van Conner (Screaming Trees), 55

[January 19] David Crosby (The Byrds), 81

[January 19] Alex Napier (Uriah Heep), 75

[January 20] Marshall Tucker (The Marshall Tucker Band), 99

[January 23] Anthony "Top" Topham (The Yardbirds), 75

[January 26] Dean Daughtry (Atlanta Rhythm Section/Classics IV), 76

[January 27] Floyd Sneed (drummer, Three Dog Night), 80

[January 27] Daniel Boone (Pop musician), 80

[January 28] Tom Verlaine (Television), 73

[January 28] Barrett Strong (Singer-songwriter), 81

[January 31] Charlie Thomas (The Drifters), 85

[February 2] Tim Quy (Cardiacs), 61

[February 2] Butch Miles (Jazz drummer), 78

[February 3] Paul Janovitz (Cold Water Flat), 54

[February 3] Lillian Walker-Moss (The Exciters), 78

[February 6] Phil Spalding (GTR/Original Mirrors/Toyah), 65

[February 8] Burt Bacharach (songwriter and pianist), 94

[February 12] David Jude Jolicoeur (De La Soul), 54

[February 13] Huey "Piano" Smith (R&B pianist), 89

[February 14] Tim Aymar (Pharaoh/Control Denied), 59

[February 16] Chuck Jackson (R&B singer), 85

[February 16] Alberto Radius (Formula 3), 80

[February 17] Kyle Jacobs (Country singer), 49

[February 17] Michael "Majk Moti" Kupper (Running Wild), 65

[February 19] Davis Causey (Sea Level), 74

[February 20] Bruce Barthol (Country Joe & the Fish), 75

[February 21] Ron Altbach (King Harvest), 76

[February 25] François Hadji-Lazaro (Pigalle, Los Carayos), 66

[February 27] Ismaïla Touré (Touré Kunda), 73

[March 1] Leon Hughes (The Coasters), 92

[March 2] Steve Mackey (bassist, Pulp), 56

[March 2] Wayne Shorter (Miles Davis Quintet/Weather Report), 89

[March 3] David Lindley (Kaleidoscope, multi-instrumentalist), 78

[March 4] Robert Haimer (Barnes & Barnes), 68

[March 4] Michael Rhodes (The Notorious Cherry Bombs), 69

[March 4] James "Owl" Walsh (Gypsy), 74

[March 5] Gary Rossington (Lynyrd Skynyrd), 71

[March 9] Robin Lumley (Brand X/The Spiders from Mars), 74

[March 10] Napoleon XIV (Singer, "They're coming to take me away haha"), 84

[March 13] Canisso (Bassist, Raimundos), 57

[March 13] Paul Beasley (Blind Boys of Alabama), 78

[March 13] Simon Emmerson (Afro Celt Sound System), 67 

[March 13] Jim Gordon (Derek and the Dominos/Traffic), 77

[March 14] Bobby Caldwell (Singer-songwriter), 71

[March 14] Dix Denney (guitarist,The Weirdos/Thelonious Monster), 65

[March 16] Tony Coe (Jazz musician), 88

[March 17] Fuzzy Haskins (Parliament-Funkadelic), 81

[March 17] Mick Slattery (Hawkwind's original guitarist), 77

[March 20] Dima Nova (Cream Soda), 35

[March 22] Tom Leadon (Mudcrutch), 70

[March 22] Wayne Swinny (guitarist, Saliva), 59

[March 27] Howie Kane (Jay and the Americans), 81

[March 28] Ryuichi Sakamoto (Yellow Magic Orchestra), 71

[March 29] Brian Gillis (LFO),47

[March 29] Sweet Charles Sherrell (The J.B.'s), 80

[March 30] Ray Shulman (Gentle Giant), 73

[April 4] Vivian Trimble (Luscious Jackson), 59

[April 6] Guy Bailey (The Quireboys), 61

[April 6] Paul Cattermole (S Club 7), 46

[April 7] Ian Bairnson (The Alan Parsons Project/Pilot), 69

[April 7] John Regan (Frehley's Comet), 71

[April 7] Lasse Wellander (ABBA Guitarist), 70

[April 14] Mark Sheehan (The Script), 46

[April 16] Ahmad Jamal (Jazz pianist), 92

[April 18] Ivan Conti (Brazilian jazz-funk trio Azymuth), 77

[April 19] Otis Redding III (soul singer), 59

[April 21] Mark Stewart (The Pop Group), 62

[April 22] Ron Cahute (singer, accordionist), 68

[April 23] Isaac Wiley Jr. (drummer, Dazz Band), 69

[April 24] Lilian Day Jackson (singer, Spargo), 63

[April 25] Harry Belafonte (Calypso/folk Singer), 96

[April 25] Ralph Humphrey (drummer, The Mothers of Invention), 79

[April 26] Billy "The Kid" Emerson (Singer-songwriter), 97

[April 28] Tim Bachman (guitarist, Bachman-Turner Overdrive), 71

[April 28] John Fean (guitarist, Horslips),71

[May 1] Gordon Lightfoot (Singer-songwriter), 84

[May 3] Linda Lewis (Singer-songwriter), 72

[May 4] Rob Laakso (Kurt Vile and the Violators), 44

[May 7] Seán Keane (fiddler, The Chieftains), 76

[May 8] Rita Lee (Os Mutantes), 75

[May 9] Jon Povey (Pretty Things), 80

[May 11] Francis Monkman (Curved Air/Matching Mole/Sky), 73

[May 14] John Giblin (bass player for Kate Bush), 71

[May 17] Algy Ward (bassist, The Damned/The Saints), 63

[May 19] Pete Brown (Singer/Lyricist, Cream) 82

[May 19] Andy Rourke (The Smiths), 59

[May 22] Kirk Arrington (drummer, Metal Church), 61

[May 22] James Lewis (Trans-Siberian Orchestra), 63

[May 22] Chas Newby (The Quarrymen, pre-Beatles), 81

[May 23] Mark Adams (bassist, Saint Vitus), 64

[May 23] Redd Holt (Ramsey Lewis Trio),91 

[May 23] Sheldon Reynolds (guitarist, Commodores/Earth, Wind & Fire), 63

[May 24] Tina Turner (Singer), 83

[May 25] Jean-Louis Murat (French singer), 71

[May 26] Jack Lee (The Nerves), 71

[May 26] Reuben Wilson (Willis Jackson/Melvin Sparks), 88

[May 31] Dickie Harrell (drummer, Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps), 82

[June 1] Cynthia Weil (songwriter), 82

[June 1] Jeff Blackburn (Blackburn and Snow), 77

[June 5] Astrud Gilberto (Brazilian singer), 83

[June 6] Tony McPhee (The Groundhogs), 79

[June 10] Yannis Markopoulos (Greek composer), 84

[June 12] Lee Clayton (Country singer-songwriter), 80

[June 13] Blackie Onassis (drummer, Urge Overkill), 57

[June 18] Teresa Taylor (drummer, Butthole Surfers), 60

[June 20] John Waddington (The Pop Group/Maximum Joy), 63

[June 22] Robert Black (Bang on a Can All Stars), 67

[June 23] Lee Rauch (drummer, Megadeth), 58

[June 30] Rick Froberg (Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes),55

[June 30] Lord Creator (Trinidadian singer), 87

[July 5] George Tickner (Journey), 76

[July 16] Jane Birkin (chanteuse, Serge Gainsbourg's muse), 77

[July 17] João Donato (bossa nova pianist), 88

[July 21] Tony Bennett (Singer), 96

[July 23] Patty Ryan (Eurodisco singer), 62

[July 24] Brad Houser (Edie Brickell & New Bohemians), 62

[July 26] Sinéad O'Connor (Singer-songwriter), 56

[July 26] Randy Meisner (Eagles/Poco), 77

[August 3] John Gosling (keyboardist, The Kinks), 75

[August 6] David LaFlamme (It's A Beautiful Day), 82

[August 7] Erkin Koray (Anatolian rock legend), 82

[August 7] Toussaint McCall (R&B singer), 89

[August 9] Robbie Robertson (The Band), 80

[August 9] Sixto Rodriguez (subject of the "Sugarman" documentary), 81

[August 11] Ron Peno (Died Pretty), 68

[August 17] Bobby Eli (Songwriter and guitarist), 77

[August 17] Gary Young (drummer, Pavement), 70

[August 24] Bernie Marsden (Whitesnake/UFO), 72

[August 26] John Kezdy (The Effigies), 64

[August 30] Jack Sonni (Dire Straits), 68

[August 31] Curtis Fowlkes (Jazz Passengers), 73

[September 1] Jimmy Buffett (Singer-songwriter), 76

[September 4] Steve Harwell (Smash Mouth), 56

[September 4] Gary Wright (Spooky Tooth), 80

[September 5] Larry Chance (The Earls), 82

[September 5] Charles Gayle (Jazz musician), 84

[September 5] Bruce Guthro (Runrig), 62

[September 10] Brendan Croker (The Notting Hillbillies), 70

[September 13] Roger Whittaker (Singer-songwriter), 87

[September 15] Paul Woseen (The Screaming Jets), 56

[September 16] John Marshall  (Nucleus/Soft Machine), 82

[September 19] Lou Deprijck (singer, producer "Ca Plan Pour Moi"), 77

[September 20] Katherine Anderson (The Marvelettes), 79

[September 20] Kent Stax (Scream), 61

[September 22] Dave Pahoa (The Plimsouls), 67

[September 23] Terry Kirkman (The Association), 83

[September 29] Ron Howden (drummer, Nektar), 78

[September 30] Russell Batiste Jr. (The Funky Meters/Vida Blue), 57

[September 30] Carol Buschmann (singer, The Chordettes), 96

[October 9] Buck Trent (Country instrumentalist), 85

[October 10] Michael “Ibo” Cooper (Inner Circle/Third World), 71

[October 11] Rudolph Isley (The Isley Brothers), 84

[October 17] Carla Bley (Jazz composer and pianist), 87

[October 18] Dwight Twilley (Singer-songwriter), 72

[October 22] Gregg Sutton (Lone Justice), 74

[October 23] Mervin Shiner (Country singer), 102

[October 23] Angelo Bruschini (guitarist, Massive Attack), 62

[October 24] Paul Harris (Manassas/Souther–Hillman–Furay Band),  78

[October 24] Steve Riley (W.A.S.P./L.A. Guns), 67

[October 29] Heath (X Japan), 55

[November 3] Pete Garner (The Stone Roses' original bassist), 61

[November 6,] Sean Martin (The Night Café), 26

[November 9] Gal Costa (Brazilian singer), 77

[November 11] Conny Van Dyke (Singer and actress), 78

[November 16] George Brown (Kool & the Gang), 74

[November 17] Charlie Dominici (singer, Dream Theater), 72

[November 20] Mars Williams (saxophonist, Psychedelic Furs), 68

[November 22] Jean Knight (Soul singer), 80

[November 25] Les Maguire (Gerry and the Pacemakers), 81

[November 25] Julio Anderson (Chilean bassist, Los Jaivas), 74

[November 26] Brian Godding (Blossom Toes), 78

[November 26] Geordie Walker (guitarist, Killing Joke), 64

[November 29] Scott Kempner (Dictators/Del-Lords), 69

[November 30] Shane MacGowan (The Pogues), 65

[December 3] Myles Goodwyn (April Wine), 75

[December 4] Vlado Pravdić (keyboardist, Bijelo Dugme), 73

[December 5] Denny Laine (Wings/The Moody Blues), 79

[December 11] Jeffrey Foskett (Beach Boys), 67

[December 11] Essra Mohawk (Singer-songwriter), 75

[December 14] Giorgos Tolios (drummer, Trypes), 58

[December 16] Colin Burgess (early AC/DC, The Masters Apprentices), 77

[December 17] Amp Fiddler (Parliament/Funkadelic ), 65

[December 22] Laura Lynch (Dixie Chicks), 65 

[December 28] Tommy Talton (We the People), 74

The Reverend Horton Heat "We Three Kings" 2005***

Who is the Reverend Horton Heat? Until now I had never asked myself that question, despite having 3 of their CD's. Well, they're a trio comprised by Jim Heath (AKA The Reverend) on guitar & vocals plus Jimbo Wallace on bass and Scott Churilla on drums and they've been going at it as far back as 1985. Their self-described sound is "country-fed punkabilly" and -given their music- I wasn't surprised to learn they come from Dallas, Texas. In 2005 they decided to put out a Christmas record covering their favorite holiday songs. For this one they've pulled all the stops and delivered a fun record for the whole family, giving their surf/psychobilly sound some jazz infusions. They're at their best when they're themselves though: "Run Rudolph Run" rocks its heart out and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" is a garage rock dynamite fusing Santa with Batman (the one from the 60's series, of course). "Frosty the Snowman" starts off slowly but soon turns to a hard rocker with wild boogie-woogie piano. "Santa Bring My Baby Back" is given a faithful rockabilly rendition and the ballads ("Silver Bells" and "Pretty Paper") are also played straight-not a great idea, that. The surf instrumental versions, on the other hand, are all cool: Jingle Bells, We Three Kings, What Child Is This and Winter Wonderland. "Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy" is  a country/rockabilly number and one of my favorites and "Santa on the Roof" is its psychobilly brother, a Reverend original that should be added to the classic holiday repertory. For once, I can summarize a whole album in just 3 letters: F-U-N. The Reverend are obviously having fun playing and you'll have fun listening.

**** for Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy, What Child Is This, Run Rudolph Run

*** for Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me), We Three Kings, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Winter Wonderland

** for Jingle Bells, Silver Bells, Pretty Paper

Let me add my own personal holiday greetings to everyone to has wandered into this blog. Best wishes for a happy Christmas and great New year! Enjoy...

Sons and Daughters "The Repulsion Box" 2005****

Have you ever heard a band for the first time and thought they must have been made with you in mind? Well, I kinda had that impression when I first heard Sons and Daughters. I'm a big fan of the post punk Americana of Gun Club and The Violent Femmes, and of early Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, but I also love bands featuring female lead vocals by dynamic frontwomen. Somehow an amalgam of all this materialized in Glasgow Scotland circa 2001. It was started by two members of Arab Strap (Adele Bethel on lead vocals/guitar/piano, and David Gow on drums/percussion) who were later joined by Ailidh Lennon (bass/mandolin/piano) and Scott Paterson (vocals/guitar). The Repulsion Box (2005) was nominally their 1st LP, released two years after their debut mini album Love the Cup. Not that Box is a "normal" length CD: 10 songs bristling with nervous energy, it's all over in half an hour. "Medicine" is introduced with pounding drums and scratchy guitars and features a manic lead vocal by Adele. "Red Receiver" starts off similarly to Violent Femmes' "Kiss Off", and doesn't disappoint: once again a very energetic piece, with Adele's unbridled shouting combined perfectly with Paterson's more controlled baritone and backing vocals reminiscent of The Bad Seeds. A bit of mandoline adds folk flavor, while there's also a slow bit where the music stops while the two singers continue with the sole accompaniment of handclaps. "Hunt" begins with a burst of noise and continues in the same vein, reminding me of Birthday Party. The most "difficult" track on the record gives way to the most "commercial": lead single "Dance Me In" - and it's telling that they're not too dissimilar, after all. "Taste The Last Girl" is the second single, even though not, in my opinion, among the highlights. "Rama Lama", on the other hand, certainly is. Here Scott takes most of the lead - really most of the songs in this album are duets between the two singers, while often Adele takes on lead with Scott backing her up. "Rama Lama" shows a strong spaghetti western influence, with quieter sections driven by low bass and percussion followed by outbursts dominated by Adele's shrieks. Not to demean any of the other members, who are all excellent at what they do, but it's her ability to sing, shout, holler and scream like there's no tomorrow that drives this band above all else. In this she reminds me of another personal favorite, coincidentally also from Glasgow, Sue Tompkins. Sons and Daughters made two more albums before their final dissolution in 2012; all are good but this is really my favorite. Highly recommended!

***** for Medicine, Red Receiver, Dance Me In, Rama Lama

**** for Hunt, Choked, Taste the Last Girl, Monsters

*** from Royally Used, Gone

Van Morrison, Lonnie Donegan & Chris Barber "The Skiffle Sessions: Live in Belfast" 1998(rec) 2000(released)***

Like any grammar school essay, this review will start with a Wikipedia definition "Skiffle is a genre of folk music with influences from American folk music, blues, country, bluegrass, and jazz, generally performed with a mixture of manufactured and homemade or improvised instruments". It became immensely popular in the UK during the late 50's, to be subsequently forgotten; but not before leaving an important legacy in its wake: the success of skiffle convinced British youths that one doesn't have to be black to play jazz and blues, or a hillbilly to play country; if a Scotsman like Lonnie Donegan can do it, they thought, so can we. So they went on and bought themselves their first guitar - or made themselves one from scratch, using a cigar box and some wires. Thus, in 1956 Liverpool, John Lennon started a skiffle group called The Quarrymen; pretty soon Paul McCartney and George Harrison joined in. The skiffle craze passed the Irish sea, infecting Rory Gallagher and Van Morrison who also proceeded to form bands playing in this idiom. Individual Rolling Stones started their career playing with Alexis Korner, who was Chris Barber's guitarist at the time. Barber introduced trad jazz to the UK; his idea to include folk and blues songs into his repertoire is what gave birth to British Skiffle music. Donegan, a former member of Barber's band, struck out on his own, and had a huge hit in 1955 with a sped-up version of traditional folk blues "Rock Island Line". For a few short years, he was the biggest star of British radio, to be subsequently completely forgotten - by everyone, it seems, except Van Morrison, who organised his reunion with Chris Barber's band for this concert and CD. It's obviously a work of love, a most warm and convivial affair. Barber plays bass and trombone, while Donegan and Morrison share the lead vocal duties; if the latter is the better singer, the former's voice carries more authenticity to the project. Dr. John adds his New Orleans-style piano on two songs, "Good Morning Blues" and "Goin' Home". The presence of an American could be construed as an anomaly in an album that offers homage to a British phenomenon, but, seeing as it all began as an attempt to bring the music of New Orleans to Britain, one can see it as the closing of a circle: an American jazzman paying tribute to Brits paying tribute to American jazz and folk. The material leans heavier on jazz and blues than folk and country, somewhat inverting the analogy of original skiffle. The choice of overtly familiar material (traditionals, songs by Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Jimmie Rodgers etc.) is the weakest feature of this collection; one can immediately recall a better-known (or better performed) version of each tune here. I was surprised to hear them close the CD with "I Wanna Go Home", which I knew as The Beach Boys' "Sloop John B" from Pet Sounds. Little did I know that it's a traditional Bahamian tune which has been recorded by various folk singers over the years - Donegan's own version predated The Beach Boys' by 5 years. According to the liner notes, the concert is unrehearsed, which sounds unbelievable considering the perfect coordination between the musicians. I guess the lack of rehearsal time accounts for the fact that they chose these famous songs that everybody was already very familiar with. Ultimately, there's not much here that's novel or particularly interesting; just a fun, good-natured, exercise in nostalgia by the progenitors of British blues and rock - which is enough for me. It certainly was nice to see Donegan rise from decades of obscurity; this (his last ever) recording, together with a honorary MBE by the Queen in the same year, served as belated recognition of his important contribution to British music before his sudden death from a heart attack in 2002.

**** for It Takes A Worried Man, Goin' Home, Good Morning Blues, Outskirts Of Town, Goodnight Irene, I Wanna Go Home

*** for Lost John, Don't You Rock Me Daddio, Midnight Special, Dead Or Alive, Frankie & Johnny, Railroad Bill, Muleskinner's Blues, The Ballad Of Jesse James

The Grapes of Wrath "Seems Like Fate 1984–1992" 1994 (comp)***

When random selection came out with this CD I thought I knew what I was in for "aah, Irish folk rock, hadn't heard it in a while"  - obviously I had them confused with some other band, which goes to show just how useful this blog is in re-acquainting me with my record collection! These guys are Canadian, and although there is a bit of folk rock here, it's not the Celtic kind - more like the Byrds/Feelies one. Actually, the feeling I got on first listen was a welcome return to that old paisley underground sound: melodic, jangly power pop with 60's influences but modern -for the 80's- production values; albeit thankfully without the omnipresent for that period synths. I expected them to be real literary types, but apparently they chose their band name by looking at random entries in a movie encyclopedia; at the time they were neither familiar with the book nor the film. According to allmusic.com the band "formed in Kelowna, British Columbia in 1983 by brothers Chris Hooper (drums) and Tom Hooper (vocals, bass), along with Kevin Kane (vocals, guitar) and the later addition of keyboardist Vincent Jones". During their initial run (1983-1992), they recorded 4 LPs which gained them local hero status in Canada but failed to make waves internationally. This is the period anthologized in this collection. To lure in old fans who already own the original albums, the compilers often choose alternate or live mixes over the album versions. The compilation isn't chronologically arranged, but we will get to the tracks in chronological order. The only song from their debut September Bowl of Green (1985) included here is the opener, "Misunderstanding" - en excellent sample of that period's 60's revival bands, similar to Rain Parade or Three O Clock, if you know what I mean. Most reviewers bypass the debut as nonconsequential, mentioning instead Treehouse (1987) as the band's breakout LP. The hit from that album "Piece Of Mind" is presented here in a live, relatively slower, version. "Run You Down" is more upbeat, with louder drums and the band's trademark harmonies. "O Lucky Man" and "Seems Like Fate" are more reminiscent of British bands of the time (e.g. Housemartins), and "Backward Town" is presented here in a live acoustic version. The 60's influences persist on their 3rd LP Now And Again (1989); "Stay" combines melodic Byrdsian jangle folk with 80's production values, as does the more psychedelic "Do You Want To Tell Me". "What Was Going Through My Head" emulates The Beatles circa 1965, and "All The Things I Wasn't" is the band at their most pastoral. The last album of their first incarnation was These Days (1991), a generally rockier affair, as evidenced by the two biggest hits, included here in alternate versions "You May Be Right" (here in its "AOR mix"), and "I Am Here" (included both in a punchy single edit and an ill-advised "dance-oriented" 12' extended mix). Another single from that LP was the upbeat "A Fishing Tale" - this one reminded me a bit of Hüsker Dü. "I Can't Find My Home" is also from that album, although here we get a different, acoustic, mix. Of the songs that only previously appeared on single B-sides, "Down So Close" is another country-ish ballad, while "All the Time" is more upbeat. Two covers included here reveal a lot about the band's influences, these being "Let Me Roll It" (by Paul McCartney and The Wings) and "See Emily Play" (early Pink Floyd). Last -and probably least- of the tracks included in this comp is "Fid's Theme", a short, previously unreleased, instrumental from 1988. Well, I must admit this was a really good CD. Long, but pleasant listening from start to finish. I know why I had forgotten all about it, though; when I got it, 15 or more years ago, it already sounded like a relic from a bygone era. There are similar records I still love listening to, but with them I have a experiential relation; I bought them when these bands were still young and active. Some of them visited my town where I got to see them perform live, while their songs played on the radio and rock bars of my youth. Canadians of my generation who have a similar relation with Grapes of Wrath will probably rate this CD higher. To me, this is simply a collection of nice songs I won't be listening to very often because I have so much similar music to which I have a stronger personal connection. But, for sure, if you're a fan of the 80's indie/college rock scene, stuff like REM and The Replacements, The Smiths and The Smithereens, this one will not disappoint you.

**** for Misunderstanding, I Am Here (7" Edit), Peace of Mind (Live), You May Be Right (AOR Mix), Do You Want To Tell Me, Stay, All the Things I Wasn't, O Lucky Man

*** for Backward Town (Acoustic), A Fishing Tale (Single Edit), All the Time, Run You Down, Fid's Theme, Was Going Through My Head, Let Me Roll It, See Emily Play, I Can't Find My Home,Down So Close, I Am Here (12" Extended Mix), Seems Like Fate

Andwellas Dream "Love And Poetry" 1969(rec) 2009(reissue)***

This is a very sought-after album from 1969. Released in the UK by CBS Records, it initially fell through the cracks just as many others had at the time; the amount of psychedelic pop records released between 1967 and 1970 in the UK was just too large to be consumed by the public, but many of them were reappraised in time, which led to them becoming coveted collectors' items at first, and then to get re-released. This specific CD reissue by Sunbeam Records adds contemporary singles and a couple of modern recordings (2008) by the band's singer/guitarist/organist David Lewis, who has also overseen this reissue. The band, which originally hailed from Northern Ireland, was previously called The Method and at one point counted Gary Moore among its members. By 1968, however, they had changed their name and moved to London, releasing this LP. Lewis wrote all the songs, sang and played guitar and keyboard, aided by Nigel Smith (bass) and Gordon Barton (drums) as well as guest Bob Downes on flute and various exotic instruments. Opener "The Days Grew Longer For Love" is a nice acid-folk piece that gets progressively louder with steady drumming and an electric guitar crescendo near the end. "Sunday" is a Yardbirds/Hendrix-like rocker, followed by a pastoral piece with flute and chimes called "Lost A Number, Found A King". "Man Without a Name" and "Clockwork Man" are Dylan influenced, and "Cocaine" is atmospheric blues with groovy organ a la Stevie Winwood. Another organ filled tune, "Andwella" sounds like a lighter Atomic Rooster or Uriah Heep, while "Midday Sun" is a laidback hippie ballad. The album proper stops here, but this reissue adds all four sides of the band's singles: the earthier blues rock "Mrs. Man" b/w "Mr. Sunshine", orchestral pop "Every Little Minute" and atmospheric jazz "Michael FitzHenry". The new songs "Paradise Isle" and "Miles Away From My Baby" don't really belong here as the're closer to Celtic Soul than psychedelia, but it's pretty good, Van Morrison-like stuff. The band released two more LP's under the shortened Andwella moniker. I haven't heard them yet, but Love & Poetry alone has secured them a place in the pantheon of 60's psychedelic heroes anyway. The playing is amazing, and the compositions are varied and accomplished - impressively so, considering Lewis was still in his late teens. The colorful cover is also quite nice, and very much into the zeitgeist of the late 60's. If it's one of your favorite periods too, you'll probably also love this CD.

**** for The Days Grew Longer For Love, Sunday, Cocaine, Andwella, Midday Sun, Mrs. Man (45 A-side)

*** for Lost A Number, Found A King, Man Without A Name, Clockwork Man, Shades Of Grey, High On A Mountain, Take My Road, Felix, Goodbye, Mr. Sunshine (45 B-side), Every Little Minute (45 A-side), Michael FitzHenry (45 B-side), Take My Road (Alt. Mix), Man Without A Name (Alt. Mix), Paradise Isle (2008), Miles Away From My Baby (2008)

AC/DC "For Those About To Rock" 1981***

I believe this is the 4th AC/DC album I present in this blog, which is somewhat disproportionate seeing that as of this moment I've presented less than 10% of my collection. Normally this is the kind of music I prefer to listen to on vinyl, but that's mostly for aesthetic reasons; these recent remasters sound really good on my (average quality) stereo. The packaging contains a nice booklet, and the embossed canon on the cover is another fine touch, but why would the company glue a huge sticker on the front of a digipack CD case? It took up roughly 20% of its surface, and when I tried to remove it to get the cover photographed - well, you can see for yourself:

At the time of its release, For Those About to Rock was a huge success, both critically (Rolling Stone magazine declared it their best album, so far) and commercially (their first LP to reach No.1 in the US). Nevertheless, I believe this is less because of this album's qualities, and more because of those that preceded it: Highway To Hell (1979) and Back In Black (1980) won them legions of new fans eagerly awaiting for the follow-up. Indeed, its initial record sales slowed down; it's now the 8th best-selling album by the band, with the two lead positions taken by the aforementioned masterpieces. At first glance For Those About to Rock seemed to fulfill expectations, as it is cut from the same cloth with its mighty predecessors: Using the same producer (Mutt Lange) guarantees sonic continuity, the Young brothers' riffs and solos are distinctive as ever, Phil Rudd's savage drum beating too. Brian Johnson is certainly no Bon Scott, but his shrill vocal didn't bother anyone when he was handling superior material as he did with Black In Black. Unfortunately though, from here on out the songwriting gets weaker. Tunes with catchy hooks and uplifting riffs like "Put the Finger on You" and "Let's Get It Up" are betrayed by embarrassingly bad lyrics/titles. "Evil Walks and "C.O.D." are good fun, but aren't they a tad too similar? And isn't the intro of the former recycled from "Hell's Bells?" "Inject The Venom" is another of the highlights, but falls into the easy trap of hitting on a good title/chorus and repeating it endlessly - one of AC/DC's calling cards. Few details offer an occasional detour (e.g."Night of the Long Knives" Aerosmith-like riff), but in general this is mostly generic AC/DC. A lot of it could have been the work of any of their imitators; "Snowballed" and "Breaking the Rules" especially sound like someone trying to copy a dish by guessing the recipe based on its appearance. It's no wonder that the title song is the only one here that's earned a permanent place in the band's live repertoire: with its Who-like intro, anthemic chorus, and cannon-firing sound effects, it's one of their more memorable compositions. All in all, For Those About To Rock is a slightly above average Brian Johnson-era AC/DC album: typically those may have one stone cold classic if you're lucky (in this case the title track), and two or three good tunes that are nevertheless too reminiscent of older hits. The rest is usually filler. Good fun, certainly - but not nearly as enjoyable as one of their concerts. That's where this lineup really shines, I hope they can keep it up a while longer!

***** for For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)

**** for Put the Finger on You, Inject the Venom, Evil Walks, C.O.D.

*** for Let's Get It Up, Night of the Long Knives, Spellbound

** for Snowballed, Breaking the Rules

Bob Dylan "The Real Royal Albert Hall 1966 Concert" (2016)**** vs."The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966, The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert" (1998)*****

Today (I'm writing on a Tuesday) I was free from work and had nothing planned for the day, so I started getting random records out to play. My eye fell on this double Bob Dylan LP entitled The Real Royal Albert Hall 1966 Concert. Of course I had listened to it a few times when I bought it, then put it aside; it sounded pretty good to me, but I was overly familiar with the songs, both from the studio versions and from the other live album recorded during the same tour: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966, The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert (note the quotation marks). The story of the latter one is a huge part of Dylan's mythology, and so well-known it feels unnecessary to recount it again - yet, just like with well-worn jokes, there's always a first time one hears something, and this may be yours. Here's the story in a nutshell: a few short years into his career, Dylan had become the unwilling poster boy of protest folk. Resenting this, he strove for artistic freedom by abandoning political lyrics and going electric. The live unveiling of this new direction happened in July 1965 at the high profile Newport Folk Festival; after a short acoustic introduction, Dylan brought onstage The Paul Butterfield Blues Band for an electric set that shocked the conservative audience to their core. According to legend, veteran folkie Pete Seeger cut the electrical wires with an axe to stop Dylan from corrupting the audience's sensitive ears with his musical onslaught. This detail, which had been reported in press and endlessly repeated throughout the years, is untrue; yet it does convey the reaction of the folk establishment: Seeger has admitted to feeling offended by the sheer volume of the music, at the time the loudest anyone had experienced at a festival, and frustrated that the lyrics were impossible to hear. The latter has of course become a permanent fixture of Bob Dylan concerts; the few times I saw him perform I only got to recognize which tune was playing when he was already halfway through the song. Anyway, the controversy followed Dylan throughout his 1965-1966 tour. During this tour Dylan would play two sets, an acoustic one reminiscent of the "old" folkie, and a loud electric one, backed by rockers The Hawks, soon to be renamed The Band. Audiences politely applauded during the acoustic set, but had diverse reactions to the electric one: as word had gotten out, some fans came to the concerts not only to hear their old favorites but also to boo him for abandoning traditional folk and protest music. A few of the concerts were recorded, and the electric part of one of them came out in bootleg form around 1970. According to many, myself included, this is the ultimate Bob Dylan live album, yet it wasn't officially released until 1998 in the cader of the Bob Dylan Bootleg Series project. It was recorded at Manchester Trade Hall on May 17, but the bootleg was erroneously entitled Royal Albert Hall. Since it was already known thusly, the company also used "Royal Albert Hall" -albeit in quotes- for the official release title. Aside from the band's spirited playing (Robertson's electrifying guitar fills in particular) and the fact one gets carried away by the youthful enthusiasm and conviction (Dylan had just turned 25, Robertson was 23) the album is famous for an exchange between Dylan and an audience member: between songs, a punter shouts at Dylan "Judas!" This is greeted by the audience with laughter and applause - to which the singer replies "I don't believe you... You are a liar." and then turns to his guitarist with the following instruction "Play fucking loud!" as the band launches into a tremendous performance of "Like A Rolling Stone". This here is a piece of rock history captured on tape - it alone would be worth the price of admission, but of course what we have here is much more: an amazing document of Dylan live in his prime. And don't let the whole back story about him going electric distract you from listening to the acoustic disc, either: containing solo performances of hits ("She Belongs To Me", "It's all over now, Baby Blue", "Mr. Tambourine Man") and marathon song-poems ("Visions of Johanna", "Desolation row") this is the quintessential folk troubadour experience - just voice, acoustic guitar and harmonica.  

As for The Real Royal Albert Hall 1966 Concert, this came out on the semi-centennial anniversary of the concerts. As I said, I just listened to both albums back to back, track for track. It's extraordinary, how similar they sound: recorded with the same musicians within a few days from each other, they follow the same arrangements and identical setlist - deriving mostly from the three landmark albums Dylan had recently recorded, all in a space of 18 months (Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde On Blonde). Which isn't to say that the performances are identical; seeing as Dylan wasn't a conventionally qualified vocalist, he probably couldn't sing a tune the same way twice if he tried. They're just very similar and -IMO- equivalent with each other. Don't expect me to get into details like in-between song banter, or which concert has a better guitar or harmonica solo here or there. I do have a slight preference for the London acoustic set and Manchester electric one, but in truth they are both fantastic in terms of performance and sound quality. I guess that, for everyone but the biggest fans, The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert (in quotes) is essential because of the history it caries, while The Real Royal Albert Hall 1966 Concert is, however good, similar enough to be superfluous. I for one am very happy to have the former on CD (it is ridiculously rare on vinyl) and the latter on double vinyl; in this way I can choose which one to play depending on whether I feel like getting up to change sides or not. I just can't believe it took me this long to sit down for a combined listen.

P.S. Away from home, I re-listened to some tracks from the Manchester concert on Spotify to check something before posting, and guess what I discovered? The notorious Judas incident has been edited out of the Spotify version of the album. Could they have been so offended by Dylan using the F_ word? Hard to believe, when other singers (not to mention rappers) on the platform use much coarser language. This is another reason why streaming sucks, people! Vinyl or CD, that's the way to go!

The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert:

***** for It's all over now, Baby Blue, Desolation row, Just like a woman, Tell me Momma, I don't believe you (She acts like we never have met), Baby let me follow you down, Leopard-skin pill-box hat, Ballad of a thin man, Like a rolling stone

**** for She belongs to me, 4th time around, Visions of Johanna, Mr. Tambourine Man, Just like Tom Thumb's blues, One too many mornings

The Real Royal Albert Hall 1966 Concert:

***** for 4th time around, It's all over now Baby Blue, Desolation row, Just like a woman, Mr. Tambourine Man, Baby let me follow you down, Leopard-skin pill-box hat, Ballad of a thin man, Like a rolling stone

**** for She belongs to me, Visions of Johanna, Tell me Momma, I don't believe you (She acts like we never have met), One too many mornings

*** for Just like Tom Thumb's blues

Têtes raides "Gratte Poil" 1999***

I can't remember when, where, or why I bought this CD. It must have been during one of my visits to Paris, or maybe Brussels but way before my Belgian sojourn circa 2015-16. But why? I am not familiar with this band in any way. The CD may have been playing at a record shop I visited at the time, or else it must have been displayed at one of the shop's listening stations and I decided to give it a listen. Anyway, here it is; one of relatively few Francophone albums in my collection. I think I can adequately describe it in a few words as a mix of indie rock and chanson - Jacques Brel in particular, both because of singer Christian Olivier's phrasing, and because of the orchestrations. The latter are quite full, featuring a lot of accordion, violin, and horns. The music is closer to traditional styles like waltz and bal musette than contemporary rock, even though the fact that Têtes Raides started as a post-punk band is sometimes evident. The tunes are mostly quite upbeat and playful, and sometimes too childlike for their own good - songs like "Chapeau" immediately reminded me of that old nursery rhyme "Frère Jacques" - and that's not a good thing. "Bibliothèque" is another kids' tune, which for some reason is cut up in four pieces and scattered throughout the album. Despite a certain feeling of sameness, there are some brilliant moments that really stick out, especially "Le cabaret des nues" (featuring Yann Tiersen of Amelie fame), "Dépèche toi" and noisy rocker "L'iditenté", a collaboration with French band Noir Desir with the two singers sharing the lead vocal. Other highlights are the Brel-like "Je chante", "Les choses" and "C'est dimanche". As for the lyrics, my French isn't good enough to judge adequately but they struck me as playful and original. In the end, the quirky Frenchness, joyful vibes and cute details (barking doggies in "Ennemis", little kiddie choirs in "Patalo") win one over; but I must admit that, taken as a whole, Gratte Poil can be a bit tiresome.

**** for Je chante, Les poupées, C'est dimanche, Dépèche toi, L'iditenté, Le cabaret des nues, Patalo

*** for Les choses, Bibliothèque II, KO, OK, Ennemis, Le gratte poil, Dans la gueule

** for Bibliothèque I, Chapeau, Bibliothèque III, Bibliothèque IV, Urgence

Neil Young "Mystery Train" 1982-1988(rec) 2001(comp)***

As a general rule, any Neil Young LP should be a solid purchase. There are at least 50 of them, and they mostly fall in one of two categories: folk rock balladry or guitar-heavy psychedelic rock, the latter usually featuring Crazy Horse as a backing band. He is an expert on both styles, and remarkably consistent - the sole exception being his time on Geffen Records (1982-1987). Indeed during this period his work was so inconsistent and unpredictable that the record company sued him for making "unrepresentative" and "uncharacteristic" albums. Those records get such a bad rep that I too avoided buying any of them: I have all 13 LP's that preceded the Geffen contract, as well as the first 8 that followed. Post-2000 my Neil Young collection gets patchy - like I said, most of them are solid but samey. So Mystery Train marks my first approach to the maligned Geffen period. It's the second attempt to anthologize it, after Lucky Thirteen which contained mostly alternate/live mixes. As expected, it doesn't gel that well as an album; besides Neil's voice, each album of the period has a wildly different character: First off, we have Trans (1982), his electronic/synth album which baffled everyone when released. On most of the tracks he used a vocoder device to scramble his vocals, rendering the words incomprehensible. Ηe later provided an explanation, connecting this creative decision with what was happening in his personal life, raising a quadriplegic child lacking the capacity to speak. That inspired the main theme behind Trans, which is communication, or difficulty thereof, hence the vocal distortion. Only one of these vocoder songs is included here: "Transformer Man" which, despite the alien feel you get by the electronic effects, is a rather sweet ballad. "Little Thing Called Love" and "Like an Inca" are two great guitar rockers; especially the latter which, with its 10-minute duration, sounds like "Like A Hurricane" given a typical 80's production. Recorded in 1983, but shelved by Geffen until 1985, Old Ways is the polar opposite of the futuristic Trans; an album of straight up traditional country, complete with fiddles, mandolines, steel guitars, and cameos by country legends. Half of it is included here: upbeat country "California Sunset", blues-influenced "Old Ways", and sappy ballads "My Boy" and "Once an Angel". Willie Nelson adds more authenticity on the Hank Williams-like "Bound For Glory". Old Ways is a passably good country record, but when Young presented it to the company, they initially told him to stick it where the sun don't shine and give them a rock album. Which is what he did, as a fuck-you: Everybody's Rockin' (1983) is rock alright, just not the 80's kind: it's 50's rockabilly, half of it original songs and the other half covers. It's the only one I was familiar with, as a former girlfriend had it on cassette tape and I had listened to it with her a few times; my opinion then and now is that it's pleasant enough but nothing special. The covers are better than the originals, which is why we get 4 of the former and only one new composition, retro rocker "Everybody's Rockin'". Neil's voice doesn't suit these oldies a lot (with the possible exception of Jimmy Reed's "Bright Lights, Big City") but there's otherwise nothing wrong with these covers. The compilers bypass Young's next album for Geffen (Landing On Water, 1986), and only include one track from Life (1988). Featuring Crazy Horse, "Around the World" is an all-out hard rock basher that sounds to me like a predecessor to "Keep On Rockin' In The Free World" - except for the weird synth-dominated chorus, that is. Despite the infamy surrounding the albums anthologized here, they evidently contained some good songs. Certainly there's nothing in this compilation that might be considered embarrassing for the artist. I might even go ahead and buy some of the original LP's, if I find them cheap enough. Until then, this CD will suffice.

**** for Around the World, Like an Inca, Transformer Man

*** for Everybody's Rockin', Little Thing Called Love, Mystery Train, California Sunset, Bright Lights  Big City, Bound for Glory, Betty Lou's Got a New Pair of Shoes

** for My Boy, Old Ways, Once an Angel, Rainin' in My Heart

 

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O./ The Observatory "Trails to the Cosmic Vibrations" 2018***

Two world traveller friends of mine found this at a record store in Singapore, and were kind enough to bring me a copy as a present. It is a split EP by two bands, Singapore's The Observatory and Japan's Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. (AMT for brevity's sake). What initially drew their attention was that each side plays at different RPM speed (33 for AMT, 45 for The Observatory). Plus the gimmicky cover art, which produces multi-colored psychedelic effects with the use of a foil included in the package (see:above). I was only slightly familiar with AMT, from reviews I had read and half-watched youtube videos - although youtube can be a handy medium to discover music, I can't stand listening to music on the laptop and will rarely watch full clips of bands unknown to me. Anyway I had seen enough to be somewhat interested in AMT but their discography is a mess and I wouldn't know where to begin. They play some sort of experimental space rock, influenced by Can, Gong, and the atonal work of modern composers like Stockhausen. Hawkwind are another important influence, especially evident in this specific track called "Flatwoods Monster A Go Go ~ Cometary Orbital Drive 00∞00". Hidden inside the 20-minute cacophony there's a piece with "normal" song structure, and it's a good one; it takes place roughly between minutes 8 and 16. The other (45RPM) side was rather more interesting to me, if not for anything else then because I didn't have any other Singaporean rock music in my collection. Despite being the more obscure of the two, I like The Observatory better. Like AMT, they've been around quite some time: apparently the band members are veterans of other Singaporean bands who formed Observatory in 2001 and already have 8 LP's under that name. Their song "Vibrational" starts off as dreamy acoustic psychedelia reminiscent of certain early Pink Floyd soundtrack work, and gets progressively louder. It was recorded live at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Arts Festival 2017, and features 30 students as guest guitarists. Nevertheless it thankfully doesn't sound as clattered as one might expect, as the multitude of guitarists is only intermittently audible. Impressed with what I heard, I was convinced I should delve deeper, and found more of their stuff on bandcamp. They combine experimental prog with moody vocals, melancholic melodies and occasional violent instrumental outbreaks. If you're into the likes of Porcupine Tree, Tame Impala, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Anathema etc, I think you'd also like these guys. A word to the wise; their albums are limited edition (this one came out in 300 copies only) so if you hear something you'd like to add to your collection, move fast!

**** for Vibrational (The Observatory)

*** for Flatwoods Monster A Go Go ~ Cometary Orbital Drive 00∞00 

(Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O.)

Iron Maiden "The Number Of The Beast" 1982*****

Now, that can't be a coincidence. A few days after I presented 666, a.k.a. Vangelis' adaptation of the Book of Revelation, my random selection method came up with Iron Maiden's similarly themed The Number Of The Beast. It must be a sign from Heaven - or, at the very least, VALIS. And I take it to mean that I should take a holiday to Patmos island, Greece, next summer. There, one can still visit the cave where St. John The Apostle wrote the Book of Revelation. As well as swim in the clear blue Aegean Sea, bask in the sun, and eat delicious Greek food. Yes, the more I think about it the more I get convinced that this is The Creator's plan for me.

The Number of the Beast was a huge turning point for Iron Maiden. With two successful albums behind them, they decided to replace their lead singer Paul Di'Anno with Bruce Dickinson, formerly of Samson. Risky move, but it was what propelled them to the upper echelon of heavy metal, where they've stayed for four decades and counting. It was Dickinson's operatic vocals that prompted main songwriter Steve Harris to write more challenging and epic material something he obviously aspired to but believed that Di'Anno could not pull off. Somehow, nevertheless, he starts off on the wrong foot: "Invaders" is a fast-paced opener featuring competent playing and singing, but a weak and unoriginal composition. Thankfully it's followed by "Children of the Damned" a true epic reminiscent of Dio-era Sabbath. The story is inspired by a 60's B-movie, while "The Prisoner" refers to a 60's TV show. The latter is another great track and features all of Maiden's trademarks: aggressive riffs, melody, and catchy choruses. This is followed by "22 Acacia Avenue", the sequel of "Charlotte the Harlot" from a previous album. Which brings us to "The Number of the Beast" itself; unlike Vangelis' 666, this wasn't actually inspired by The Book of Revelation, but rather by horror movie Damien: Omen II, a 1978 film utilizing the antichrist bit off the Bible for the purpose of commercial entertainment. It does however feature a short spoken intro lifted straight off St. John's gospel. Musically it's among their best: fast paced, with great solos, killer chorus, and a fantastic vocal performance bringing the menacing lyrics to life. This song, along with the album cover, created a huge backlash, especially in the U.S. where the religious Right organized protests including the public destruction of Iron Maiden records and other relative merchandise - which. of course, had to be bought first, so no harm done to the band. I personally find the cover quite humorous; it shows band mascot Eddie puppeteering a Satan caricature which in turn is puppeteering an Eddie-doll, all set in an "apocalyptic" landscape. I mean, how can anyone think that it's possible for the band to be devoted Satanists and to portray Satan as a puppet? Heavy metal may not be the most sophisticated genre in the world, but it manages to make its opponents look like complete idiots. Last year in Greece, the first page of ultra-right newspaper Eleftheri Ora attributed forest wildfires raging near Athens to an Iron Maiden "concert-slash-demonic ceremony" taking place in the region 3 days earlier. Anyway... here, the title track is followed by lead single "Run to the Hills" an anthem about the conquest of the West from the viewpoint of native Americans. Its galloping rhythm and great playing by all the members render it another classic; with a live play count of 1490 as we speak, it's their 5th most performed song ever. On number 3 of that list, we find "Hallowed Be Thy Name", also from this album and arguably Iron Maiden's finest hour. First of all, it contains some of Harris' deepest (don't laugh!) lyrics; it actually manages to convincingly convey the thoughts of a man before his execution. Fantastic riff and solos, galloping rhythm, and an inspired vocal at turns operatic and theatrical as Dickinson tries to inhabit the role of the condemned man. "Gangland", which preceded "Hallowed..." seems pedestrian in comparison, but I rather like it's thrash-like speed. My own edition of Number... adds one more song called "Total Eclipse". Originally the B-side of the Run to the Hills single, it nevertheless belongs here as it was only left out of the LP because of time restrictions. A mini-epic featuring pace changes and artful solos, yet forgettable compared to the many other highs this album has to offer. Essential listening for anyone even remotely interested in heavy metal.

 ***** for The Number of the Beast, Run to the Hills, Hallowed Be Thy Named

**** for Children of the Damned, The Prisoner

*** for Invaders, 22 Acacia Avenue, Gangland, Total Eclipse

Mark Lanegan "Whiskey for the Holy Ghost" 1994*****

Was Mark Lanegan the Tom Waits of grunge? Judging from this album, one might certainly surmise that. Not only is the album title and front cover positively Waits-ish, but his voice has the required grit, not to mention a world-weariness unbecoming of a man in his late 20's. Of course, even though Waits also sang like a washed-up old wino in his youth, he was just an observer of that decadent Bukowskian underworld. Lanegan's tortured vocal, on the other hand, was hard-earned; the horrific story of his trajectory from abused and neglected child to juvenile delinquent to junkie rock star has been well documented in his autobiography; when he sounds like he's singing from the gutter, that's because it's exactly where he was at the time. When he recorded these songs (1991-1993) he was still a member of his infamously dysfunctional band, Screaming Trees. He had already made a tentative step towards a solo career with his acoustic low key debut, but Whiskey... was the big one in terms of songwriting (by Lanegan exclusively), production, and performance. It proved to himself and to the world that he had what it takes to make great music on his own, an idea his former bandmates had tried to suppress. Here, he is the sole writer, lead singer, co-producer, and occasional guitarist. Dinosaur Jr. bassist Mike Johnson (co-producer, multi-instrumentalist) does most of the rest, while other friends also help out. The mood is mainly subdued and instruments mostly acoustic, although there are some louder tracks featuring distorted electric guitars (e.g. "Borracho"). The arrangements are generally subtle but not necessarily sparse - there's the odd piano, organ, sax, and violin, all used to good effect. For this album, Lanegan has admitted to deriving inspiration from Van Morrison and "southern gothic" novelist Cormac McCarthy; as always, the influence of Jim Morrison and Johnny Cash in his singing is also evident. The album opens with a bit of whistling, followed by folky acoustic guitar and wistful vocal ("The River Rise"). "Carnival" is more upbeat, akin to a Screaming Trees track with completely different instrumentation (great use of violin, here). "Pendulum" is another highlight, featuring the desert country sound that Calexico would popularize a few years later, while "House a Home"s slide guitar and violin also give off a country vibe. Beautiful harmonies and sax give "Sunrise" a lighter tone, but the rest of the album is comprised by mournful blues and ballads - of the best sort, I hasten to add. Whiskey... set a trend with grunge musicians who wanted to show their more mature/emotional side. Great albums in the same vein were released in the same year, including Alice In Chains' Jar Of Flies and Nirvana's mega-hit MTV Unplugged in New York. Furthermore Whiskey is not just where Lanegan found his true voice for the first time, but probably the purest expression of his art. He would go on to release cover albums, acoustic ones, hard rocking ones, to incorporate elements of electronic music, and to be a serial collaborator to, among others, QOTSA, Isobel Campbell, Greg Dulli etc. A diverse body of work, united by his unmistakable voice. It's a voice that makes basically all of these albums worth hearing, but if I only had one choice, this would probably be it.

***** for The River Rise, House a Home, Carnival, Sunrise, Pendulum

**** for Borracho, Kingdoms of Rain, Riding the Nightingale, El Sol, Dead on You

*** for Shooting Gallery, Judas Touch, Beggar's Blues