Pererin "Yng Ngolag Dydd" 1985****

...Talk about rarities, it doesn't get much rarer than Pererin's 4th album, whose very existence was debated for years, since almost no-one had ever seen it. Only a handful of copies were originally released - copies, but not records, because no record company had shown the slightest interest in it. The band self-funded a cassette release and then began seeking for distributors but no-one would even go near this album, so most of the cassettes were left to rot in some warehouse. Now, if that fate befell a bunch of kids on their first attempt, it'd be understandable. But this band were already veterans, having released 3 albums as Bran (1975-1978) and another 3 as Pererin (1980-1982). Their style was progressive-folk and (here's the rub) they sang in Welsh. Still, for such an established band to be totally snubbed by everyone, it would have to be a very poor album indeed, right? Well...no. As the world (if by "world" you mean a few hundred persons, that is) found out in 2008, when the album got a very limited CD-release, "Yng Ngolau Dydd" is a perfectly charming and well crafted piece of folk music that stands up very well compared to modern-day folkish pop stars like Midlake and Devendra Barnhart. The musicians made minimal use of electric instruments and opted instead for the warm and natural sound of mandolins, violins, flutes, bodhran and hand percussion. None of the synthesizers and loud snare drums that were all the rage in the 80's. Opener "Yng Ngolau Dydd" ("In the Light of Day" according to google translate) sets the blueprint for the whole album, as it brings together medieval, celtic and country influences. "Mab y Saer" and "Cyntaf Dydd O Fai" are familiar traditional tunes, while "Dacw Nghariad i Lawryn y Berllan" offers a change of pace, as it's an almost funky song with driving electric bass and a short whistle solo. "Ar Gyfer Heddiw'r Bore", "Can Job" and "Y Ddraenen Wen" are gentle, introspective ballads and "Jasmin" is as close as the album comes to pop (not very close at all). "Hogia Llandegai" and "Mae gen i farch glas" are a couple of good-natured, upbeat songs. I can imagine them raising hell at an inn in Westeros, maybe as a medley with "The Bear And The Maiden Fair". The pastoral "Bachgen Bach O Lyn" and the melancholic instrumental "Henffych I Ti", on the other hand, would sound more at home at the closing credits of The Hobbit. Well, not only did I really enjoy listening to that album - now I'm also intrigued to learn Welsh: What kind of language sounds as strange as this and how did it survive in the British Isles when English is threatening to sweep away lesser-known languages all over the world?

**** for Mab Y Saer, Cyntaf Dydd O Fai, Dacw Nghariad I Lawryn Y Berllan, Hogia Llandegai, Mae Gen I Farch Glas, Y Ddraenen Wen

*** for Yng Ngolau Dydd, Ar Gyfer Heddiw'r Bore, Can Job, Jasmin, Bachgen Bach O Lyn, Henffych I Ti

Johnnie "Guitar" Watson "Gettin' Down With" 1963(orig) 1978(reissue)**

This record cover makes one yearn for the Seventies: Those were the times - no arty-farty covers, give the people what they want! Alas, it's all too misleading: First of all, this album wasn't recorded in the 70s. It was initially released in 1963 with the title "The Blues Soul Of...", then in 1967 as "I Cried For You" ‎and in the 90's as "...Plays Misty" and again as "Witchcraft": 5 different editions, 5 different titles and covers. They must have thought that if they keep changing the package, someone will eventually buy it. Judging from the title and aesthetic, this 1978 edition seems to be trying to exploit the artist's success in the Funk/Dance scene of the 70's, but this isn't Disco Watson or even Blues Watson (remember his hit "Gangster Of Love", covered by Steve Miller and Jimmy Hendrix?). Hell, it isn't Guitar Watson at all, because there isn't a single guitar note in the whole album! Now, isn't that misleading when you call yourself Johnny "Guitar" Watson and put the picture of a girl making love to a guitar on the cover? Well, although it is weird for an urban blues label like Chess Records to put out an easy listening jazz album with songs made famous by the likes of Frank Sinatra, it's not a bad record per se. The 8 jazz standards on the album are well played by a small band with an excellent pianist. Two of them are instrumentals ("I'll Remember April" and "Misty"), one blues (Lowell Fulson's "Reconsider Baby") and the rest classic crooner material. Johnny Watson sings well enough, but why would you choose him over Frankie, Billie Holiday or Louis Armstrong? Well, probably because this is a record cover you can also frame and hang on your wall...

**** for Reconsider Baby

*** for Witchcraft, I Cried For You, Exactly Like You, When Did You Leave Heaven, Misty

** for I'll Remember April, Polka Dots And Moonbeams

The Fall "The Less You Look The More You Find" 1983-1992(orig) 1997(comp)***

This isn't the album I wanted to present today. The appropriate CD would be Fall's "I Am Kurious Oranj", which I don't have. Well, at least this compilation contains that record's "Big New Prinz", a song that I lately found out refers to the Dutch Prince Willem van Oranje-Nassau. All of the "Kurious Oranj" album, as well as the accompanying ballet by a modern dance troupe, was initially commissioned by the Dutch Government as part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of his ascension to the throne of England, together with his wife (and cousin) Mary Stuart. Although he was King of England, Scotland and Ireland and elected Stadthouder for a number of Dutch provinces, he never reigned in The Netherlands, as there wasn't a monarchy here yet. There is of course now, so today on April 27, the whole country is infected with orange fever as it celebrates the birthday of King Willem Alexander, a relative of the "Prinz" The Fall sang about. The 3-day celebrations include open concerts and DJ-sets, a huge flea market where everyone sells their old stuff and buys his neighbor's junk and, of course, beer drinking of epic proportions. Buildings are adorned with orange flags (the colour of the House of Oranje) and everyone is required to wear an orange item of clothing. I just came back from the supermarket where they were selling orange-colored cheeses, sweets, potatoes and an incredible amount of food in the same color - not to mention orange oranges, but I'm used to those. Yep, these Dutchies love their Oranjes. Something few Greeks like me would understand, since our (former) royal family was almost universally hated and finally definitively deposed in 1974. Even more puzzlingly: why the hell would someone sane choose Mark E. Smith to commemorate Willem? Mark is a permanently bitter, ugly, obnoxious and aggressive character - which is perfect for an old punk, but not to perform for royalty. I can't help but wonder what passed through Queen Beatrix's mind while she and the rest of the dignitaries watched The Fall accompanying that freaky modern ballet. I'm guessing it was something along the lines of "too bad I'm not allowed to behead anyone for this". Anyway, despite their leader's anti-social attitude and limited musical vocabulary, one has to hand it to them: The Fall may do only one thing, but they do it incredibly well: They've filled more than 30 albums with their repetitive rhythms, abrasive guitar/bass riffs, aggressive shouted vocals and cryptic lyrics. They're always (variations of) the same, yet never boring and rarely off the mark. This compilation collects tracks from their more "commercial" period, when Smith's wife Brix on second guitar helped them tone down the experimentalism and play some more structured pop/rock. It contains a lot of almost hits, but (here's the catch) not in their original versions. Instead, the songs here are culled from three collections of demos, live songs and outtakes: "Sinister Waltz", "Oswald Defence Lawyer" and "Fiend With a Violin". As such, this collection is generally snubbed by music critics and I would also suggest to the newcomer to get their "A-Sides" compilation instead. On the other hand, you could get any of their dozens of albums and The Fall experience will be there. Plus, many alternative versions of their "hits" work just as well as the originals: "Couldn't Get Ahead", "Blood Outta Stone", "I Feel Voxish", "What You Need", "L.A", "2 x 4" and "Bombast" belong to this category. Some, like "Telephone Thing", "Gut Of The Quantifier" and "The Man Whose Head Expanded" pale in comparison to their studio versions. Smith shows his knowledge of 60's psychedelia by covering unsung heroes like Idle Race ("Birthday") and The Monks ("Black Monk Theme"). "Arid Al's Dreams" is an original composition that draws inspiration from 60's psych and 70's krautrock and "Edinburgh Man" a rare un-ironic melodic song with a 60's Kinks feel. The Kinks' "Victoria" (another paean to a long-gone royal)  gets a rousing live rendition and Kurious Oranj's "Big New Prinz" is stretched to 7,5 minutes, while "Bad News Girl" from the same record also makes an appearance. To summarize, I can think of a few reasons you would buy this CD: 1)You are one of those "50.000 fans" The Fall boast of having, you have everything else and are convinced that anything with The Fall's name on it is worth having. 2)You saw it contained a number of well-known titles and thought it was a Best-Of compilation. You may justifiably feel a little bit cheated, as it doesn't say anywhere that these are all alternative versions. On the bright side, it still is a good listen and, when you're finally converted to the Fall cult and buy the original versions, you won't have any duplicates. 3)It was really cheap and you bought it out of curiosity: can't argue with that! Enjoy that specimen, we'll be posting more Fall in the future...

**** for Edinburgh Man, Couldn't Get Ahead, Blood Outta Stone, I Feel Voxish, L.A., Victoria, 2 x 4, Guest Informant, Big New Prinz

*** for Arid Al's Dreams, Birthday, Wings, What You Need, Bombast (Live Version), Married Two Kids, Hostile, Petty Thief Lout, You Haven't Found It Yet, Gentlemen's Agreement, A Lot Of Wind, Just Waiting, Get A Hotel, Carry Bag Man, Bombast (Alternative Version), Oxymoron 

** for The Knight The Devil And Death, Telephone Thing, Black Monk Theme, Gut Of The Quantifier, The Man Whose Head Expanded, Oswald Defence Lawyer, Bad News Girl

Jack Bruce "The Collector's Edition" 1986-1995(orig) 1996(comp)****

It's been six months to the day since Jack Bruce passed away. I started blogging a few weeks afterwards and didn't commemorate him at the time, but this anniversary is as good an opportunity as any. Despite a long career spanning rock, blues, jazz, progressive and metal, he was only ever mentioned in relation with Cream, the 60's supergroup he created with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker. I'll try to rectify that by presenting a latter-day compilation focused on his output for the German CMP label (1986-1995). It opens with two superb tracks from "Somethin Els", in which he's reunited with Cream alumni Pete Brown (lyrics) and Eric Clapton (trombone - just kidding! Guitar, of course). "Waiting on a Word" is a breezy number with trademark blues guitar while "Ships in the Night" a nice, romantic piano-led duet with Maggie Reilly until halfway through...when Clapton unleashes a Pink Floyd-ish solo and the song really takes off. "Childsong", the 3rd track from "Somethin Els" doesn't feature any guitar at all - it's all about acoustic bass and saxophone and reminds me of Robert Wyatt's jazz-prog fusion or the mellower moments of Van Der Graaf Generator. The songs from the "Monkjack" album ("Folksong", "Time Repairs" and blues classic "Third Degree") tread similar territory, jazzy ballads with piano at the forefront. Bruce's singing throughout is excellent but rather understated. New experimental versions of Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary" and Bruce's "Politician" and "Rope Ladder to the Moon" come from a collaborative effort with Mark Nauseef - a jazz drummer with a rock past (Elf/Ian Gillan Band/Thin Lizzy) - and Serb guitarist Miroslav Tadić. Which brings us to the live recordings from the "Cities of the Heart" album. They're all quite powerful readings of solo and Cream material and feature stellar musicians: Humble Pie guitarist Clem Clempson on proggy "Theme for an Imaginary Western" and blues "Sitting On Top of the World", Ginger Baker drumming on "Top of the World" and "NSU" and Gary Moore dispensing heavy metal solos on  "Life On Earth"and "NSU". Taken as a whole, this CD is a testament to Bruce's skill (on vocals, bass and piano) and versatility. A dive into his back catalogue will reward you with a number of rare gems scattered throughout his discography - not to mention the Cream albums, which are of course essential listening. 

**** for Waiting on a Word, Ships in the Night, Theme for an Imaginary Western, Life On Earth, Childsong 

*** for Sitting On Top of the World, NSU, Folksong, The Wind Cries Mary, Rope Ladder to the Moon, Time Repairs, Third Degree 

** for Politician, Colotomix II

The Last Drive "Blood Nirvana" 1991****

I recently bought Last Drive's "Blood Nirvana" for the 2nd time. Now, when you have a large collection, that's bound to happen by mistake sometimes - but this time it was purely intentional. See, I had the US version of their album (above) that contained 1 bonus track: An alternate mix of "Time Has Come Today" from their 1989 Time EP. I figured I'd get the EP in time, but no such luck. It is possible to get secondhand - if you're willing to part with a few dozen euros. Then I stumbled into the German version of the Blood Nirvana CD (below), which contains the entire Time EP and thought what the hell, let's buy it once more for the bonus tracks. Now, if you're from Greece and listen to rock music, you know who Last Drive are: They're synonymous with the Greek Alternative scene of the 80's. They started out as a garage/surf/psychobilly band (in 1983) and gradually drifted towards a more hard rock/guitar dominated sound. I've seen them more than a dozen times: solo, supporting visiting groups or in political events in support of the underground movement. They had always been great live but, around the time of this album, their concerts had begun getting noisier with layers of distorted guitars. It was the Drive's "Judas" moment, when some older garage-psych fans began booing them and calling them metalheads. At the time I was one of the garage purists, too. I would have loved it if they had produced another Heatwave. Despite the noticeably harder guitar sound though, Blood Nirvana (produced by Dream Syndicate's Paul Cutler) still retains many garage/surf elements, while their next albums would flirt with the emerging grunge/stoner scene. "Bite" opens with a slow menacing bass that is soon drowned by a tidal wave of distorted guitars while "Overloaded" is an incredibly catchy number that's reminiscent of Radio Birdman who, along with Wipers, Screaming Trees and Dream Syndicate, seem to be the band's new heroes. Old heroes get a nod, too: The Cramps on "The Bad Roads'' and Stooges on "Cool Spine", while "Slave To The Wave" is, as the title suggests, a throwback to their surf origins - with added metallic guitar heroics. "Desert Rose" and "Sweet Thing" are the fast punky ones and "Chain Train" and "Holy War" the guitar-dominated metallic ones. Their concerts around that time ended usually with an elongated version of "Holy War", wreaking havoc with loud distortion and feedback. It'd leave you with your eardrums buzzing and ensure that demand for encores were less persistent. "Flesh Diver" is a heavy slow number that used to close the original LP. As previously mentioned, the German edition adds all 3 songs from the 1989 Time EP: "Time Has Come Today" is a garage/hard rock take on the Chambers Brothers psychedelic soul classic, "Black Limo" a typical Last Drive garage rocker and "Have Mercy" their poppiest song ever with its "fun fun fun" chorus and perfect indie/surf mix, like Pixies and Jesus & Mary Chain meeting The Beach Boys. It was the only reason I bought this CD again, as I had "Time..." in the US version and "Black Limo" in The munster dance hall favorites 3 comp. Well, as it turns out, I was just a tad too hasty. The "time" EP is set for a (possibly very limited) vinyl re-release later this year - with extra unreleased tracks. As for Last Drive, their new direction cost them some fans and they disbanded in 1995 to form other projects. A reunion gig 12 years later was such a triumphant success that it led to a full-blown reunion - a story we'll get back to...

***** for Overloaded, Have Mercy

**** for Bite, The Bad Roads, Cool Spine, Slave To The Wave, Black Limo

*** for Chain Train, Holy War, Sweet Thing, Time Has Come Today

** for Desert Rose, Flesh Diver

Rolling Stones "Dirty Work" 1986**

"Dirty Work" is considered one of The Stones' weakest records, which is why I kept postponing buying it for so long. Recently, it was given away as premium with Greek newspaper Real News and thus came in my possession. The circumstances under which it was made were not the best: Jagger had just made his solo album, much to Richards' annoyance. It had gotten into his head that he'd have more success as a solo pop artist rather than with The Stones' rock'n'roll direction. It flopped and managed to estrange him from his co-writer and co-leader of the group. Drummer Charlie Watts (with the blue shirt, falling asleep and sliding down from the couch) was addicted to alcohol and heroin and barely took part in the proceedings. A number of replacement drummers was used to finish the album. 2nd guitarist Ronnie Wood thankfully stepped in and, for the first time, contributed to 4 songs. But the songwriting results were so poor that they resorted to covers for the first time in a decade. Not only that, but these two covers were among the highlights of the album: "Harlem Shuffle" was the leading single, a soul number that at least achieves its purpose - if that purpose is getting people dancing. The other cover is a white-boy-reggae tune called "Too Rude", sung by Keith Richards. Keith also sings on "Sleep Tonight", the Dire Straits-like ballad that closes the record and, although his voice isn't the sharpest instrument in the world, he sounds at least honest and emotionally vested in the songs. More than what I can say for Mick Jagger. He came to the studio after the rest had finished their contributions and added his vocals on top of the already finished instrumental tracks: He growls, he shouts, he roars - but he forgets to sing. Somehow he must have gotten the idea it's enough to wear a smart suit and jump up and down while spitting the words. Well, maybe that works when appearing live in huge arenas, but not on record. It's a pity, if only for Richards who kept piling great riffs one after another. It's not often remarked, but his guitarwork in this album is brilliant. It's just buried under that 80's "state of the art technology" sterile production that managed to suck the life out of so many mainstream albums. Those modern techniques is the reason the record sounds even more outdated (if that's at all possible) than it looks (Check the Stones' suits on the album cover: aren't you glad the 80's are over?) Add to the mix the lazy, incomplete compositions, perfunctory singing and monotonous beat - would anyone buy this album without The Stones' name on the cover? Opener "One  Hit (To the Body)" is probably the best of the bunch, a hard rocker that features three world-class guitarists (Richards, Wood and Jimmy Page). "Fight", "Hold Back" and "Dirty Work" are similarly hard rocking, with good riffs but otherwise totally indifferent. "Back to Zero" is pseudo-funky New Wave and sounds like something discarded from a contemporary Talking Heads album. "Winning Ugly" and "Had It with You" are bluesier numbers, the latter being the only natural sounding R&B rocker. With an actual harmonica instead of layers of synthesizers,horns and backing vocalists. And if I have to praise the Rolling Stones song for sounding like Dr. Feelgood, you know it's not a good record! A short piano instrumental rounds up the record. It's a small tribute to early band member and later road manager Ian Stewart, who had recently died of heart attack at the age of 47. Final verdict: Only buy this album if you're really intent on collecting The Stones' complete studio output. I am - and still have just a couple of records to go!

**** for One Hit (To the Body)

*** for Harlem Shuffle, Too Rude, Dirty Work, Had It with You, Sleep Tonight

** for Fight, Hold Back, Winning Ugly, Back to Zero, Piano Instrumental

Black Sabbath "Master Of Reality" 1971(Original) 2009(Deluxe Edition) *****

This is the 3d album of the heavy metal pioneers, who were at the time faced with the impossible task of following "Paranoid" with something as good. Well, maybe it's not as good (how could it be?) but a pretty fine album it is. Lyrically it's lighter than its predecessor and touches on a variety of subjects, embracing youth rebellion in "Children Of The Grave", marijuana in "Sweet Leaf" and tackling pollution in the dystopian sci-fi "Into The Void". "After Forever" gets criticism for its infamous line "Would you like to see the pope at the end of the rope?" Very visual and shocking, but it's actually sung from the point of view of a reborn Christian denouncing atheism. Sabbath could be that way, playing the satanist card for shock value but never actually following it through. Ozzy usually assumes a persona, so he can sing as a Christian the one moment and as Satan himself the next (e.g. "N.I.B." or this album's "Lord Of This World"). Two short acoustic instrumental interludes ("Embryo" and "Orchid") provide some respite from Iommi's riff assault, together with the delicate flute-adorned ballad "Solitude". Compared to the two unparalleled albums that preceded it, "MoR" may have slightly weaker songs (although "Leaf" and "Children" are rightly considered classics), but it sports a momentously heavy groove thanks to its revolutionary low tunings. Together their with next record Vol.4, it has proved hugely influential and served as a template for countless doom/stoner bands. The Deluxe Edition adds instrumental and alternative versions plus an unreleased song from the sessions, "Weevil Woman '71", which would actually not be out of place in any of the classic Sabbath albums. It's that good. The instrumental versions will allow you to appreciate Iommi's riffs without distractions, while also of interest are the different lyrics on Sweet Leaf (which seems to have started as a love song) and Children Of The Grave. The latter has Ozzy making up some nonsensical lyrics which were later rewritten by the group's better lyricist, bassist Geezer Butler. It's impressive how songs like this or "War Pigs" connect with the concerns of the flower power generation (this was still the aftermath of Woodstock) while they're esthetically their polar opposite. The alternate "Lord Of This World" comes with extra production flourishes (piano, slide guitar, double tracked vocals). Intriguing, but I can understand why they decided to dispense with them at the end - with Sabbath, it's all about the riff. IMO, the Deluxe Edition is of interest only for serious fans. If you're a fan and overtly familiar with this classic album, you'll be more than glad with the alternative versions and newly remastered sound. Most Classic Rock/ Metal fans would be well served by the regular remastered edition, while the simply curious need only a good compilation and probably "Paranoid" or the debut "Black Sabbath".

***** for After Forever, Children Of The Grave, Sweet Leaf
**** for Orchid, Lord Of This World, Solitude, Into The Void
*** for Embryo, Weevil Woman '71, Children of the Grave (alt.version), Sweet Leaf (alt.version), Lord Of This World (alt.version)
** for After Forever (instr.), Children of the Grave (instr.), Orchid (alt.version), Solitude (alt.version), Spanish Sid (early version of Into The Void)