R.I.P. 2021

Another year under the shadow of the pandemic, another year away from rock concerts. I still have my tickets for gigs and festivals that were supposed to take place in the spring & summer of 2020 - they have been postponed for 2021, and then again for 2022. You get the impression that time stands still, but that's not quite true: this year, time has robbed us of some of our favorite musicians. Everyone is waiting for politicians and scientists to give the green light for performing in front of a public again. The Rolling Stones and ZZ Top have big tours ahead of them, but Charlie Watts and Dusty Hill will not be there. So let's make the most of the time we still have with our favorite artists, and take some time to mentally say goodbye to those that fell.

Thank you for the music,

Charlie Watts (drummer, The Rolling Stones)

Lee "Scratch" Perry (reggae, dub pioneer)

Phil Spector (producer, creator of "The Wall Of Sound")

John Lawton (singer, Uriah Heep/Lucifer's Friend)

Vic Briggs (guitarist, Eric Burdon And The Animals)

Hilton Valentine (The Animals)

Dusty Hill (bassist, ZZ Top)

Sylvain Sylvain (New York Dolls)

Jimmie Rodgers (country singer)

Mary Wilson (The Supremes)

Chick Corea (jazz pianist)

Nanci Griffith (country singer)

Ron Bushy (drummer, Iron Butterfly)

Gerry Marsden (Gerry & the Pacemakers)

Mike Mitchell (singer/guitarist, The Kingsmen)

Tim Bogert (bassist, Vanilla Fudge/Cactus)

Jon Mark (Mark-Almond, John Mayall)

Michael Nesmith (singer, The Monkees)

Gary "Chicken" Hirst (Drummer, Country Joe and the Fish)

Don Everly (singer, The Everly Brothers)

Gil Bridges (singer/saxophonist, Rare Earth)

Anita Lane (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds)

Sean Kilkenny (Dog Eat Dog/Mucky Pup guitarist)

Dee Pop (Bush Tetras drummer)

Hank von Helvete (singer, Turbonegro)

Bill Tsamis (guitarist, Warlord)

Susan Anyway (singer, The Magnetic Fields)

Franco Battiato (Italian singer-songwriter)

John Miles (singer, guitarist)

János Kóbor (singer, Hungarian prog rockers Omega)

Robbie Shakespeare (bassist, Sly and Robbie)

Lew Lewis (vocals/harmonica, Eddie and the Hot Rods) 

Mick Bolton (Mott the Hoople, Dexys Midnight Runners)

David Donato (singer, has played with Black Sabbath, White Tiger)

John 'Hutch' Hutchinson (jazz guitarist, David Bowie collaborator)

Alan Cartwright (bassist, Procol Harum)

Chris Barber (British jazz pioneer)

Françoise Cactus (Stereo Total)

Prince Markie Dee (The Fat Boys)

Eric Wagner (singer, Trouble)

Al Collins (Jason & The Scorchers)

Chuck E Weiss (singer/songwriter)

Bob James (singer, Montrose)

Ralph Tavares (singer, R&B band Tavares)

Bunny Wailer ([Bob Marley &] The Wailers)

Keith Allison (bassist, Paul Rever & The Raiders)

Gene Taylor (pianist, Fabulous Thunderbirds/Blasters)

Michael Fonfara (Electric Flag/Lou Reed keyboardist)

Stefan Cush (vocalist/guitarist, Men They Couldn't Hang) 

Mark Keds (singer, Senseless Things/ The Wildhearts)

Anne Feeney (singer-songwriter/activist)

Philip Margo (singer, The Tokens)

Alan Cartwright (bassist, Procol Harum)

James MacGaw (guitarist, Magma)

B.B. Dickerson (bassist,War)

Pat Rizzo (Sly & The Family Stone/War)

Tony Pola (drummer, Beasts of Bourbon)

Phil Chen (bassist, Butts Band)

Neal Ford (singer, Neal Ford & The Fanatics)

Thomas 'Mensi' Mensforth (singer, Angelic Upstarts)

Ralph Schuckett (keyboardist [Todd Rundgren's'] Utopia)

Les Emmerson (singer/guitarist, Five Man Electrical Band)

Brett Bradshaw (drummer, Faster Pussycat) 

LG Petrov (singer, Entombed A.D.) 

Graeme Edge (drummer, The Moody Blues)

Bob Petric (Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments)

Paul Cotton (guitarist/singer, Poco)

Rusty Young (guitarist, Poco)

Barby Kelly (The Kelly Family)

DMX (rapper)

Steve Bronski (singer, Bronski Beat)

Sophie Xeon (DJ, electro-pop musician)

Double K (People Under the Stairs)

Paul Oscher (Muddy Waters' harmonica player ) 

Lars Ratz (bassist, Metallium)

Jim Steinman (producer, songwriter)

Les McKeown (singer, Bay City Rollers) 

Joe Long (bassist, The Four Seasons)

Denny Freeman (blues guitarist)

Paul Couter (guitarist, TC Matic)

Michael Chapman (folk singer/guitarist)

John Hinch (drummer, Judas Priest/Bakerloo)

Lloyd Price (singer, R&B pioneer)

Dr. Lonnie Smith (jazz organist)

Everett Morton (drummer, The Beat)

Nick Kamen (singer)

Louis Clark (keyboardist, ELO/Ozzy Osbourne)

Alix Dobkin (folk singer, songwriter)

Florian Pilkington-Miksa (drummer, Curved Air)

John Davis (the [real] voice of Milli Vanilli)

B. J. Thomas (60's hit singer)

Phil Johnstone (musician, Robert Plant collaborator)

Lil Loaded (rapper)

Don Hill (Saxophonist, The Treniers)

Ellen McIlwaine (singer,songwriter)

Johnny Solinger (singer, Skid Row [post-'99])

Jon Hassell (jazz trumpet player)

Sanford Clark (country/rockabilly singer)

Rick Laird (jazz bassist, Mahavishnu Orchestra)

Raffaella Carrà (Italian pop diva)

Jeff LaBar (guitarist, Cinderella)

Gary Corbett (Keyboardist, Cinderella/Kiss)

Robby Steinhardt (violinist, Kansas)

Joey Jordison (drummer, Slipknot)

Mike Howe (singer, Metal Church)

Johnny Ventura (Dominican singer/bandleader)

Pervis Staples (The Staple Singers)

Roger Hawkins (session drummer, Muscle Shoals studio)

Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas (saxophonist, Kool & the Gang)

Joey Ambrose (saxophonist, Bill Haley & His Comets)

Brian Travers (saxophonist, UB40)

Eric Wagner (singer, Trouble/The Skull/Probot)

Timo Kaltio (bassist, Hanoi Rocks)

Rickie Lee Reynolds (guitarist, Black Oak Arkansas)

Sarah Harding (Girls Aloud)

María Mendiola (singer, Baccara)

Ron Leejack (guitarist, Cactus)

Sarah Dash (singer, LaBelle)

Julz Sale (lead singer, Delta 5)

Tom Stevens (bassist, Long Ryders)

Richard H. Kirk (Cabaret Voltaire)

Pee Wee Ellis (saxophonist, James Brown Band)

Alan Lancaster (bassist, Status Quo)

Richie Albright (drummer, Waylon Jenkins)

George Frayne (pianist/singer AKA "Commander Cody")

Barry Ryan (60's pop singer)

Greg Gilbert (singer, Delays)

Grady Gaines (R&B saxophonist)

Pat Fish (The Jazz Butcher)

Andrea Meyer (Cradle of Filth)

Richard H Kirk (Cabaret Voltaire)

Fritz McIntyre (keyboards, Simply Red)

Ron Tutt (drummer for Neil Diamond, Elvis Presley)

Mike Finnigan (keyboards, Hendrix/CS&N)

John Drake (singer, The Amboy Dukes)

Don Maddox (contry singer/fiddler)

Tom T Hall (country singer)

Einár (Swedish rapper)

Deon Estus (bassist, Wham!)

Jay Black (singer, Jay and the Americans)

Willie Cobbs (blues singer)

Randy Parton (country singer)

Tony Markellis (bassist, Trey Anastasio Band)

Will Mecum (guitarist, Karma to Burn)

Wondress (singer, Mantronix)

Alvin "Seeco" Patterson (percussionist, Wailers)

Ronnie Wilson (The Gap Band)

Terence "Astro" Wilson (Percussion/trumpet/vocals, UB40)

Andrew Barker (keyboardist /bassist, 808 State)

John Goodsall (guitarist, Brand X/ Atomic Rooster)

Billy Hinsche (member of The Beach Boys touring band)

David Longdon (singer, Big Big Train)

Darrell Bath (guitarist. Ian Hunter) 

Alexi Laiho (singer, Children Of Bodom)

Melvin Parker (drummer, James Brown)

Stonewall Jackson (country singer)

Roger Newell (bassist, Rick Wakeman's band)

John Rossall (saxophonist, The Glitter Band) 

Jem Targal (Third Power bassist/co-vocalist)

Hank Carter III (saxophonist, George Thorogood’s Destroyers)

David Lasley (singer/background vocalist for Chic)

Charles Connor (drummer, Little Richard)

Joe Simon (soul/R&B singer)

Billy Conway (drummer, Morphine)

2021 - End Of The Year retrospectives

Every year about this time, I buy the music magazines for their "Best Of The Year" retrospectives. It used to be MOJO, UNCUT, Q, and Classic Rock. Then Q kicked the bucket sometime in the beginning of the pandemic. Classic Rock  stopped giving away CD's. The new issue is out but I don't think I'll buy it this year, because without the free CD it's just not worth €12 any more. But I thought I'll present their Best Of 2021 List anyway - they're interesting to me because they're so different from the rest of the music press. I mean, Iron Maiden on Number 1? In 2021? Seriously? On the other hand... duh! For some people out there, there's no choice more obvious! Certainly more obvious than MOJO's Number 1 (and Uncut's No.2) Promises by Pharoah Sanders and Floating Points. I mean, what's that? When these magazines reviewed this album, they gave it 4* (Mojo) and 3,5* (Uncut). How come they bypassed all the 5* records, and chose this one? I think what happened is that the editor of MOJO thought he'd show his subordinates how original he is by choosing a jazz record for album of the year while they're hard at work trying to think up something new to write about Dylan, The Beatles, or The Stones (who together account for 70% of the magazine's articles). Then the editor of Uncut thought "what the hell? I can be a stuck up snob, too!" and put the same album on number 2 - because it's Uncut, and obviously it has to have an Americana artist on number 1 (Weather Station's Ignorance, in this case). Don't get me wrong - I love jazz. I listened to "Movement 1" from this album (both publications featured it in this month's covermount CD), and it's fantastic for falling asleep to. Then I played the whole album in my dental practice, and none of my patients noticed something was playing - isn't that the very definition of ambient music? For this one, think Brian Eno meets Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue with the strings playing the soundtrack of Lawrence Of Arabia in the background. If that sounds like really good music, let me tell you it is!  It may very well be the jazz album of the year. But it's jazz! There's no serious competition, all the great jazz musicians are dead! Except, obviously, for Pharaoh Sanders who is 81 years young. Another album highly rated by both publications was Nick Cave and Warren Ellis' Carnage. I've been a huge fan of Cave's work since the mid-80's, and there's some great material on Carnage, but can I be honest here? I think he's been relying on Ellis a bit too much for his own good. What's with all the synths lately? Bring The Bad Seeds back, please! The Coral are apparently bringing back the concept album with Coral Island. They are a good band, and the reviews have me convinced their new CD may have a place in this year's Christmas stocking. When she first appeared, I thought that Lana Del Rey was just the latest pop idol, but she has proved time and again that she's got real depth. Chemtrails Over the Country Club got good reviews. I'm sure they're well deserved, a bit less sure that I want to collect her whole discography. No matter how consistently good, she's just not one of the artists I can't get enough of. Robert Plant, with the exception of his 80's period, is. His new collaboration with Alison Krauss, Raise The Roof  made the Best-Of list of all three magazines. Other albums with a similar unanimous appreciation are Lindsey Buckingham's eponymous solo LP, David Crosby's For Free (the old hippy is on a roll, lately), The War on Drugs' I Don't Live Here Anymore, Paul Weller's Fat Pop (Volume 1) and, probably the most surprising of all, Mdou Moctar's Afrique Victime. What does it take for a poor guitarist from The Niger to find himself in the company of all these legends? huge fucking talent, that's what! The man sounds like Van Halen on one song, like John Lee Hooker on another, and like an African nomad playing a desert gathering on another (which he is, and probably does all the time). I thought of adding it to my Christmas list, but finally settled on the previous year's Optimisme by Moctar's neighbors, Timbuktu's Songhoy Blues. Lastly, Classic Rock surprises us once more by including albums by Styx(!), Thunder(!!), and Cheap Trick(!!!). Who even knew those bands still exist? I'm not surprised anymore by the addition of 90's alt-rockers like Garbage, Weezer, Manic Street Preachers, and Foo Fighters - that magazine has a warped idea of what constitutes Classic Rock.

UNCUT 75. Rose City Band - Earth Trip 74. Rosali - No Medium 73. Sleater-Kinney - Path of Wellness 72. Marianne Faithfull With Warren Ellis - She Walks In Beauty 71. Buffalo Nichols - Buffalo Nichols 70. black midi - Cavalcade 69. Dave - We're All Alone In This Together 68. Cathal Coughlan - Song of Co-Aklan 67. Lucy Dacus - Home Video 66. Sarah Davachi - Antiphonals 65. Moor Mother - Black Encyclopedia of the Air 64. Pino Palladino & Blake Mills - Notes With Attachments 63. Chris Schlarb & Chad Taylor - Time No Changes 62. Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine - A Beginner’s Mind 61. The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are the Last of the Great Thunderstorm Warnings 60. Grouper - Shade 59. Strand of Oaks - In Heaven 58. Big Red Machine - How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? 57. Haiku Salut - The Hill, The Light, The Ghost 56. Damon & Naomi - A Sky Record 55. LoneLady - Former Things 54. Daniel Bachman - Axacan 53. The Black Keys - Delta Kream 52. Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble - Now 51. Yasmin Williams - Urban Driftwood 50. Lindsey Buckingham - Lindsey Buckingham 49. Sunburned Hand Of The Man - Pick A Day To Die 48. David Crosby - For Free 47. Elephant9 - Arrival of the New Elders 46. Israel Nash - Topaz 45. Bobby Gillespie & Jehnny Beth - Utopian Ashes 44. Rhiannon Giddens With Francesco Turrisi - They're Calling Me Home 43. My Morning Jacket - My Morning Jacket 42. Faye Webster - I Know I'm Funny haha 41. Damon Albarn - The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows 40. Sturgill Simpson - The Ballad of Dood & Juanita 39. Squid - Bright Green Field 38. Madlib - Sound Ancestors 37. Dean Wareham - I Have Nothing to Say to the Mayor of L A 36. Arab Strap - As Days Get Dark 35. John Murry - The Stars Are God's Bullet Holes 34. Courtney Barnett - Things Take Time, Take Time 33. Chuck Johnson - The Cinder Grove 32. The Hold Steady - Open Door Policy 31. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raise The Roof 30. Teenage Fanclub - Endless Arcade 29. Steve Gunn - Other You 28. Ryley Walker - Course In Fable 27. Arlo Parks - Collapsed In Sunbeams 26. Paul Weller - Fat Pop (Volume 1) 25. Jane Weaver - Flock 24. Valerie June - The Moon And Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers 23. St. Vincent - Daddy's Home 22. The Coral - Coral Island 21. Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert 20. Modern Nature - Island Of Noise 19. John Grant - Boy from Michigan 18. Hiss Golden Messenger - Quietly Blowing It 17. Dry Cleaning - New Long Leg 16. Sleaford Mods - Spare Ribs 15. Mogwai - As the Love Continues 14. Saint Etienne - I've Been Trying To Tell You 13. Mdou Moctar - Afrique Victime 12. Sons of Kemet - Black To The Future 11. Lana Del Rey - Chemtrails Over the Country Club 10. Richard Dawson & Circle - Henki 9. Black Country, New Road - For the first time 8. The War on Drugs - I Don't Live Here Anymore 7. Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview On Phenomenal Nature 6. Arooj Aftab - Vulture Prince 5. SAULT - Nine 4. Low - Hey What 3. Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - CARNAGE 2. Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises 1. The Weather Station - Ignorance

MOJO 75. BLK JKS - Abantu/Before Humans 74. Gruff Rhys - Seeking New Gods 73. Stephen Fretwell - Busy Guy 72. Hiss Golden Messenger - Quietly Blowing It 71. Emma-Jean Thackray - Yellow 70. black midi - Cavalcade 69. Dinosaur Jr. - Sweep It Into Space 68. Loretta Lynn - Still Woman Enough 67. AC/DC - Power Up 66. Lucy Dacus - Home Video 65. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END! 64. Tony Allen - There Is No End 63. Howlin' Rain - The Dharma Wheel 62. Parquet Courts - Sympathy for Life 61. Steve Gunn - Other You 60. Cedric Burnside - I Be Trying 59. Billy F Gibbons - Hardware 58. Ryley Walker - Course In Fable 57. Reigning Sound - A Little More Time with Reigning Sound 56. Lorde  53. Angel Bat Dawid & Tha Brothahood - LIVE 52. Nathan Salsburg - Psalms 51. Dean Blunt - Black Metal 2 50. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & Matt Sweeney - Superwolves 49. Public Service Broadcasting - Bright Magic 48. Squid - Bright Green Field 47. Tyler, the Creator - CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST 46. Faye Webster - I Know I'm Funny haha 45. Jungle - Loving In Stereo 44. Arab Strap - As Days Get Dark 43. Damon Albarn - The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows 42. Durand Jones & The Indications - Private Space 41. Nala Sinephro - Space 1.8 40. Chrissie Hynde - Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Dylan 39. Jane Weaver - Flock 38. Saint Etienne - I've Been Trying To Tell You 37. Sturgill Simpson - Cuttin' Grass - Vol. 2 (Cowboy Arms Sessions) 36. Wolf Alice - Blue Weekend 35. The Stranglers - Dark Matters 34. Greentea Peng - MAN MADE 33. Endless Boogie - Admonitions 32. Paul McCartney - McCartney III 31. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - L.W. 30. Yola - Stan 27. Lindsey Buckingham - Lindsey Buckingham 26. Mogwai - As the Love Continues 25. The Black Keys - Delta Kream 24. SAULT - Nine 23. Teenage Fanclub - Endless Arcade 22. Amyl & The Sniffers - Comfort to Me 21. The Bug - Fire 20. Mdou Moctar - Afrique Victime 19. David Crosby - For Free 18. Idles - CRAWLER 17. The War on Drugs - I Don't Live Here Anymore 16. Manic Street Preachers - The Ultra Vivid Lament 15. Dry Cleaning - New Long Leg 14. Black Country, New Road - For the first time 13. Sleaford Mods - Spare Ribs 12. The Weather Station - Ignorance 11. John Grant - Boy from Michigan 10. Villagers - Fever Dreams 9. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raise The Roof 8. Sons of Kemet - Black To The Future 7. The Coral - Coral Island 6. Paul Weller - Fat Pop (Volume 1) 5. Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - CARNAGE 4. Low - Hey What 3. Lana Del Rey - Chemtrails Over the Country Club 2. St. Vincent - Daddy's Home 1. Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises

CLASSIC ROCK 50 MONSTER MAGNET A Better Dystopia 49 PAUL WELLER Fat Pop 48 HAWKWIND Somnia 47 VEGA Anarchy And Unity 46 DAVID CROSBY For Free 45 THE WAR ON DRUGS I Don’t Live Here Anymore 44 THE DEAD DAISIES Holy Ground 43 WEEZER Van Weezer 42 JERRY CANTRELL Brighten 41 THE STRANGLERS Dark Matters 40 THE RECORD COMPANY Play Loud 39 GARBAGE No Gods No Masters 38 DENNIS DEYOUNG 26 East Vol 2 F 37 SAMANTHA FISH Faster 36 BLACKBERRY SMOKE You Hear Georgia 35 GOJIRA Fortitude 34 AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS Comfort To Me 33 PRINCE Welcome 2 America 32 DANKO JONES Power Trio 31 BUCKCHERRY Hellbound 30 INGLORIOUS We Will Ride 29 ROBERT PLANT & ALISON KRAUSS Raise The Roof 28 STYX Crash Of The Crown 27 BIFFY CLYRO The Myth Of Happily Ever After 26 MASON HILL Against The Wall 25 THE DEAD DEADS Tell Your Girls It’s Alright 24 MASTODON Hushed & Grim 23 DEEP PURPLE Turning To Crime 22 AYRON JONES Child Of The State 21 GRETA VAN FLEET The BattleAt Garden’s Gate 20 THE DUST CODA Mojo Skyline 19 MYLES KENNEDY The Ides Of March 18 MDOU MOCTAR Afrique Victime 17 THE DARKNESS Motorheart 16 WOLF ALICE Blue Weekend 15 ALICE COOPER Detroit Stories 14 THE BYSON FAMILY Kick The Traces 13 CHEAP TRICK In Another World 12 THUNDER All The Right Noises 11 BIG BIG TRAIN Common Ground 10 FOO FIGHTERS Medicine At Midnight 9 LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM Lindsey Buckingham 8 MANIC STREET PREACHERS The Ultra Vivid Lament 7 ROYAL BLOOD Typhoons 6 STEVEN WILSON The Future Bites 5 BILLY F GIBBONS Hardware 4 JOE BONAMASSA Time Clocks 3 THE WILDHEARTS 21st Century Love Songs 2 MAMMOTH WVH Mammoth WVH 1 IRON MAIDEN Senjutsu

Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes "Live at the Greek" 2000***

It's been more than 20 years since this album came out, and I remember feeling conflicted about whether I should buy it. On the one hand I hoped that it would be great: Like every other red-blooded rock fan, I love Led Zeppelin, which of course also means Page's guitar playing. Since Zeppelin disbanded, his releases have been few and far between, but he rarely revisited their classics on record. I enjoyed the couple of albums he made with Robert Plant, but they were both too different to their old band. Plant had taken his distance from hard rock, and as a consequence Page's playing was also too restrained. Even when they did play Zeppelin classics together, it was with a new twist: more acoustic, and with different arrangements. Then they went their separate ways anyway, and hopes for a Zeppelin reunion were quashed once more. So Page's return alongside a younger hard rock group was a good omen: he'd surely now be able to cut loose on the guitar. On the other hand, there were doubts: For starters, would the old man be able to stand the comparison to his virile young self? Nowadays that seems a little laughable: Page was still only 55; twenty years later, his contemporaries (Clapton, Richards, Jeff Beck) still play their old hits without fear of disgracing their legacies. Secondly, and more importantly, could anyone other than Robert Plant sing these songs and do them justice? Live at the Greek was recorded during a two-night gig at the Greek Theater in L.A. Page and the band have incredible chemistry and are obviously enjoying themselves. They don't replicate Zeppelin's majesty and mystique, but display playfulness and easy affinity with the material. The arrangements do not deviate much from the originals, but there's room for stretching out, including some nice piano and harmonica solos that bring the songs closer to Southern Rock territory. Chris Robinson sings his ass off, successfully emulating Plant's style even though his voice is quite different - when he was singing "You Shook Me" he didn't remind me of the Led Zeppelin version, but the one by the Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stewart on vocals. Ditto during the cover of The Yardbirds' "Shape Of Things To Come". The song choices seem a bit random at first: it's not "the best of Led Zeppelin" - hell, there isn't a single track from their most popular album (Led Zeppelin IV, Four Symbols, or however you want to call it - they never named it). But, by including a few B-list numbers, they do more to remind us how great Zeppelin were than if they played the familiar hits like "Stairway To Heaven" and "Black Dog". There are a couple of crowd pleasers from II ("Heartbreaker", "Whole Lotta Love"), as well as blues workouts ("In My Time Of Dying", "The Lemon Song", "Nobody's Fault But Mine", "You Shook Me"), folkier tunes ("What Is And What Should Never Be", "Ten Years Gone", "Your Time Is Gonna Come"), and the atypically poppy B-side "Hey Hey What Can I Do".  Above all, there's a heathy dose of hard rock ("Celebration Day", "Custard Pie", "Sick Again", "Out On The Tiles"). But, competent as the Zeppelin covers are, the singer and band sound more natural and relaxed during the blues covers ("Woke Up This Morning", "Sloppy Drunk", "Mellow Down Easy", "Shake Your Money Maker") and Fleetwood Mac's ""Oh Well". Everyone's being themselves instead of trying to sound like Led Zeppelin. I know that everybody was there to hear Page perform classic Zeppelin (I would, too), but these blues covers are the highlight of the record for me. I wish he dipped into that well more often, rather than offer mediocre original compositions like he did in the rare occasions he did resurface after the group disbanded. Incidentally, a few Black Crowes songs were performed during the L.A. shows, but they have never surfaced due to contractual reasons. After the success of these concerts, Page and The Crowes decided to take the show on the road, only to have the tour cut in half when Page packed it up and left. Health problems were cited as the reason, although according to others it was (guitarist) Rich Robinson's fault for insulting Page by turning down his idea to write new songs together. This aural document of their cooperation was released as a souvenir of their short time together - initially very limitedly, and then more widely on TVT Records. It was very well received by an audience starved for live Led Zeppelin material - and rightly so: if the original band had stayed together and sounded this good in 2000, nobody would complain. Except that... the original band (with Jason Bonham taking his father's place beside the drums) did get together one last time in 2007, and they sounded way better than anybody could have expected - the resulting live album Celebration Day is easily better than Live At The Greek,  rendering it superfluous. Effectively, with the exception of the one-off Zeppelin reunion, Page retired as a performer after breaking up with The Black Crowes - he hasn't made another record or toured. Which is a great pity, because he's the only one who could have kept Led Zeppelin's legacy alive, and there's every indication that he had been up to the task all along, if only Plant was a willing collaborator or if he could find a suitable replacement. Now, it's unfortunately too late - or is it?

**** for Sick Again, Woke Up This Morning, In My Time Of Dying, Your Time Is Gonna Come, Nobody's Fault But Mine, Heartbreaker, Hey Hey What Can I Do, Mellow Down Easy, Shake Your Money Maker, Whole Lotta Love

*** for Celebration Day, Custard Pie, What Is And What Should Never Be, Shape Of Things To Come, Sloppy Drunk, Ten Years Gone, The Lemon Song, Oh Well, You Shook Me, Out On The Tiles

Villagers Of Ioannina City "Age Of Aquarius" 2019****

Having recently reviewed The Hu, I couldn't help but make the connection to the Villagers Of Ioannina City (VIC), which is in some ways their Greek counterpart. Their breakthrough album Age Of Aquarius came out on the same year with Gereg, getting a worldwide release from Napalm Records the following year, and gained positive reviews. Similarly to The Hu, VIC mix hard rock with elements of local folk music, utilizing traditional instruments. Unlike them, they refuse to dumb down their music: this rich stew of Greek folk, metal and psychedelia, may not have you punching the air and singing along - though headbanging is a strong possibility. The first thing that caught my attention regarding this band was their awkward name: "villagers" and "city" don't go that well together, do they? Mind you, despite being the biggest city in the Epirus province, Ioannina is hardly a modern metropolis: a medium-sized city perched by Lake Pamvotis, it has 100,000 inhabitants and is renowned for its university and for the beauty of its surroundings. Epirus in general is a wild and mountainous place, with thick forests and rivers. One of them, river Acheron, was believed to lead to the underworld; on its banks there was the famous Necromanteion, a place where the priests of Hades communicated with the dead. Death casts its shade over Epirotan music as well; one of its most famous genres is moiroloi (lament for the dead), characterized by slow and prolonged vocals or instrumental phrases. The other kind of Epirotan music is reserved for feasts and festivals, and it's based on the piercing sounds of the klarino (clarinet) and gaida (bagpipes) as well as the more melodic fiddle. This music, despite being slower and heavier than the jaunty tunes of the Greek islands, has an ancient Bacchic quality to it, inviting you to dance. It is bucolic in a literal sense, since Epirotan villagers have always mainly been sheep and goat herders, and their lifestyle has hardly changed in millennia. I'm guessing that, by calling themselves Villagers of Ioannina City, they want to stretch their bonds to the ancient pagan tradition which still largely lives in the music and customs of Epirotan villages.

The klarino and gaida are very much present in VIC's music, along with the floghera - an end-blown flute used by Greek shepherds since ancient times, it produces a sweeter, more pastoral sound. Next to those, the arrangements add touches of 60's - 70's psychedelia, including groovy Hammond, heavy guitars, and on some cases backing vocals. This album begins with a short semi-acoustic piece called "Welcome" marked by powerful singing. The vocals throughout the album are very strong, and remind me of the golden age of grunge vocalists, specifically Eddie Vedder and the late Layne Staley. I don't detect a Greek accent, but maybe that's because I'm Greek myself? This segues into "Age Of Aquarius", a heavy/space rock number with a suitably pagan/mystical theme. "Part V" is a proggier piece, reminiscent of Tool or the heavier side of Porcupine Tree. There's a rich heavy psychedelic scene in Greece at the moment, with bands like Chickn, Planet Of Zeus, 1000 Mods, the poppier Prins Obi and Baby Guru, and of course the patriarchs of Greek Stoner rock, Nightstalker - all worth your attention. VOIC certainly fit into this scene, but the use of traditional elements also sets them apart from the rest. Up to this part of the CD, the Epirotan influence wasn't all that evident, except for the elongated vocal which is reminiscent of moiroloi. This all changes with "Dance Of The Night", which is strongly influenced by Greek pagan lore and the aforementioned festival music, and which places the clarinet and bagpipes in the forefront. Here is a song that makes you want to drink strong tsipouro, and to dance naked under the stars like the followers of Dionysus did in the ancient times. It is followed by a short folk instrumental called "Arrival". "Father Sun" and "Millennium Blues" continue on the same heavy/psychedelic/folk path, neither adding to nor subtracting from the album's worth. "Cosmic Soul" plays down the folk element, giving off a more new-wavey Madrugada-meets-Porcupine Tree vibe, and augmenting it with lots of distorted guitars. Like most of the songs that preceded it, it goes on for more than 8 minutes; something that, despite the loudness, gives them a hypnotic quality. "For the Innocent" is faster and shorter, rendering it the best-suited for radioplay. The CD closes with "Sparkle out of Black Hole", at 2:30 more of a coda than a standalone tune - almost the mirror image of the introduction: where that was a melodic (albeit heavy) vocal piece, this is an experimental instrumental. To round up: This is a highly original but superbly listenable heavy rock and folk hybrid, one of the few alternative/experimental albums that justify their enthusiastic reviews. VIC seem to have struck the perfect balance between folk and rock, local and universal (previous albums were much more folk oriented and had mostly Greek lyrics). Age Of Aquarius getting distribution by Napalm Records is a good start. Hopefully, they have a great international career in front of them. The only requisite is that more people must hear them, so share the link to this page or the youtube videos below with anyone you may know who is interested in intelligent heavy rock music. Your friends will thank you for it!

***** for Age of Aquarius, Part V, Cosmic Soul, For the Innocent

**** for Welcome, Dance of Night , Father Sun, Millennium Blues 

*** for Arrival, Sparkle Out of Black Hole

The Hu "Gereg" 2019****

It was two years ago in December, when music magazines published their best-of-the-year lists, that I first came across the name of The Hu - I remember remarking in this blog that only Classic Rock magazine could have included both The Who and The Hu among the year's best. So I checked the band on youtube, and I liked what I saw. Also: Mongolian folk metal? How can a genre this cool be missing from my collection? Strangely enough, this is wasn't my first encounter with Mongolian rock: a friend of mine spent some time with nomads on the Mongolian steppes, and brought back the CD of a local band called Mohanik. I made a copy which I've listened to from time to time but, good as it is, it's really alternative rock often imbued with oriental melody. On the other hand, Hu belong to a different genre; plus their CD is easier to get, so I went ahead and ordered it from amazon.

The members of Hu apparently all have music diplomas and come from Mongolia's capital Ulan Bator, a Soviet-style "modern" city - so, urban kids rather than the yak-herding nomads most of us envision when we think of Mongolia. But they're clearly in love with their country's nomadic and war-like past, and their lyrics and music reflect that: while many other folk rock bands employ traditional instruments only to give a folk color to their music, here they are often placed in the frontline, especially the Morin Khuur (horsehead fiddle), while other instruments include the Tovshuur (a kind of lute), Tumur Khuur (jaw harp), and Tsuur (flute). These are all relatively crude compared to their Western counterparts and indeed Mongolian melodies don't have the complexity of Western music, but they usually have a pleasant buccolic quality and soothing effect. In The Hu's case, however, these are often amplified and played in a galloping, militaristic, manner. Combined with the loud and hollow drums, it makes for an exhilerating noise that rockers can identify with. The band combine mainstream rock vocals with that highly idiosyncratic guttural throat singing of the region which became more widely known in the 90's when Huun-Huur-Tu briefly became "world music" stars. I never expected to hear it in the context of rock, but it seems pretty natural - after all in metal we're accustomed to deep booming voices and otherworldly growls. Throat singing is practiced by all Hu members, often in harmony. It is the first human sound we hear on the opener "The Gereg", whose propulsive riff and repetitive chorus are strangely reminiscent of Rammstein. The band's rousing choruses are probably the main factor in the band's success with rock/metal audiences: instantly catchy, they make you want to sing along even though you don't understand a single word, which (seeing as the band sings in their mothertongue) probably is the case for all of us. The first song I heard from The Hu, and probably the most westernized of all, is "Yuve Yuve Yu". It's basically a Status Quo-like boogie with a bluesy riff and catchy chorus, while "Shoog Shoog", with its riff and chorus reminding us of bands like AC/DC and Rammsten, is another tune that may instantly appeal to Western ears. "Wolf Totem" is introduced with the atmospheric sounds of the morin khuur, before it's taken over by a metallic riff, sinister throat singing and defiant war cry "Hu!Hu!Hu!Hu!". "The Great Chinggis Khaan" is slower, with hefty throat singing and a suitably heavy/epic chorus, while the rest of the album is closer to folk than metal, similar to a heavier form of traditional Chinese music - with the obvious exception of the vocals which are unique to Mongolia. These may be less exhilerating for rock fans; I find myself less carried away by the energy and more attentive to the musicians' playing: especially the horsehead fiddle on "Mother Swan",  Jew's harp on "The Same" and flute on "Shireg Shireg". Needless to say, masterful as their playing and deep as their knowlegde of traditional music is, the real draw here is their ability to dumb down this ancient spiritual music into something Western teenagers can enjoy, by combining it with big fat riffs, punchy choruses, and the kind of boastful lyric one expects from the likes of Manowar. Don't get me wrong: the dumbing down is the genius move that turns what would otherwise be an indulgence for chin-stroking intellectuals into something fresh and fun to listen -or, occasionally, headbang- to. One final word of praise must go to the production: It's very clean, the sound is full but never clattered, with the instruments clearly audible. It's nuanced, heavy at the right places and lyrical at other. I especially like the drum sound, the playing is not fast or loud, but huge, hollow and imposing where appropriate. This is for sure one of the most original metal CDs I've heard in the last decade!

***** for The Gereg, Wolf Totem, Shoog Shoog, Yuve Yuve Yu

**** for The Great Chinggis Khaan, The Legend of Mother Swan

*** for The Same, Shireg Shireg, The Song Of Women

Les Pirates Avec Dany Logan ‎"Le Rock Des Années 60 Vol.1" 1961-1962(rec) 1973(comp)***

I got this LP, together with and a bunch of others, from the bargain bin of a record shop in Tours, France. I had never heard most of these bands, so I just chose some judging by the cover, thinking that at €1 per piece they were worth the risk. I later searched for some info on Les Pirates, but couldn't find much: they appeared in '61 with "Oublie Larry", a French-language version of Del Shannon's "Hats Off To Larry" which they cut only a couple of months after the original's release. It was backed by French versions of Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls Of Fire" ("Tu Mets Le Feu") and "Let's Talk About Us" ("Je Bois Du Lait"), and "Le Jet" (Chubby Checker's "Let's Twist"). The EP sold relatively well, and the band had a busy year recording more EP's, appearing on TV, and giving concerts around Paris, including a short residency at the famous Olympia Theater, amusingly sponsored by the French Committee of Milk Producers who must have taken the band's song "Je Bois Du Lait" ("I Drink Milk") way too seriously. The next year, band members starting getting called up for (then still compulsory) military service, resulting in an unstable line-up and subsequent breakup. They hadn't released any LP's during their original run, but their songs were later compiled into LP's like this one. All of them are American rock'n'roll hits with French lyrics. The band is enthusiastic and proficient enough, so whether you'll like this record depends on how you feel about classic oldies re-interpreted in French - a language which isn't always a natural fit for this music. It's clearly meant to be a party record, only slowing down twice for covers of Elvis' "Danny" and "One Night" (as "Un Jour Sans Toi"). Besides the 4 songs from their debut, other highlights include "Comme Un Fou" (Elvis' "Blue Suede Shoes"), Je Te Dis Merci, (Marty Wilde's "It's Been Nice") , "Laissez-Nous Twister" (Sam Cook's "Twistin' The Night Away"), and "Le Locomotion" (obviously Little Eva's "Locomotion"). Little more than a curio, but fun nevertheless.

**** for Tu Mets Le Feu, Je Bois Du Lait, Comme Un Fou, Le Jet

*** for Oublie Larry, Dany, Je Te Dis Merci, Laissez Nous Twister, Caroline, De Tout Mon Coeur, Le Loco-Motion

** for Un Jour Sans Toi

My French Road Trip , including visiting Record Shops in Pas De Calais, Normandy, and the Loire Valley.

I recently returned from a road trip in the north of France. It was a long time in planning, but kept getting postponed, lately due to the pandemic. Well, we may not yet be finished with Covid-19 but there's no time like the present: we're fully vaccinated, and there was a lull lately with corona cases (which unfortunately seems to be over by now). We were still careful: we didn't use any public transports, and were relieved to notice that every restaurant, museum, or shop we visited asked for the our health pass/vaccination certificate before admitting customers in. I was struck by the beauty of the French countryside and small villages (we avoided the main highways, opting for the scenic route instead). During the trip, I also indulged my record hunting hobby whenever possible, so I thought I'd share the relative info (along with some travel tips) with the rest of you.

Hauts-De-France

Ypres is actually in Belgium, but close enough to France for me to include in this part of our road trip. This beautiful Flemish town had been pounded to dust during successive battles on World War I (1914-1918), but has since been rebuilt and retains its timeless charm. The scale of the madness of that war is unbelievable: by adding the numbers on wikipedia, the toll of the dead in the small stretch of land around Ypres rises to 1 -1,4 million. The weather on the way was appropriately somber, as was the music: somewhat literal-mindedly, I had put on Tinderstick's Ypres, a mostly instrumental album composed in commemoration of the victims of W.W. I. We stopped here for a couple of hours before midday, and the only record shop wouldn't be open for a few hours yet. According to Google, opening times on Friday are 2:30pm-2:00am. At first I thought it was a typo, but apparently it's correct: Vinyl and Chill is a cafe/bar that also sells records, hence the name and weird opening times. Sounds like a great proposition, sorry to have missed it. It gets good reviews, so it'd be a shame not to visit if you're in the neighborhood. On the French side, we stopped at Saint-Omer and Montreuil-Sur-Mer. I can recommend a visit to the former's library and to the latter's medieval citadel, but no record shops since, as far as I know, there aren't any. Interesting fact: Montreuil is the town that apparently inspired Victor Hugo to write Les Miserables - in the summer there's a spectacle bringing the masterpiece to life, supposedly an unmissable experience. Before embarking on the trip, I had resolved to buy local wines and ciders at every stop, but apparently the Pas-De-Calais region doesn't produce any of note. What they do make is artisanal beers and fruit-based aperitifs. Of course I got some, but I have yet to try them, so I can't say whether they are a must-try kind of thing. We then spent a night at the old fortified part of town in Boulogne-Sur-Mer. From there we could easily take a stroll along the castle ramparts, or visit France's longest crypt: situated under the cathedral, featuring great murals, and not as claustrophobic as you'd expect, it is highly recommended. To visit Sono Music (Rue Nationale 131), I had to leave the castle and walk downwards for 7 minutes. It sports a good collection of RSD items, and vinyls new (€20-30) and old (rather overpriced €15-30) as well as few CD's. About 50% of the albums are French music. Of course, like in every major French city, one can also buy records in the local FNAC store (65-67 Rue Faidherbe). On the way back, one week later, we spent a night at another town in this region, Arras. Also quite beautiful, with two impressive Flemish-style town squares and nice shops and restaurants, it is home to a record store called Big Star Records (8 Rue des Balances). It wasn't open when I visited (Saturday afternoon & Sunday), but I could see it was rather large and had many vinyls on display. It goes without saying that there are many more record stores in Hauts-De-France; first and foremost in its biggest city, Lille. But we left it out of this particular road trip, so any presentation of its record shops will have to wait.

Normandy

The next days we drove a lot around Normandy. Unfortunately, we reached its capital Rouen on Saturday afternoon, and I didn't get to visit any record shops, as they all close from Saturday afternoon to Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning. I will mention some here anyway: there's Select Records (97 Rue de la Vicomte, old/new vinyl and hi-fi), Aesthetic Circle (41 Rue des Bonnetiers), Un Son Impure (37 Rue Beauvoisine, Lp's new/used) Urban Shop (72 Rue Cauchoise, seems to be specialized in hip hop), and a 2nd hand/vintage store that seems to deal in everything including vinyl, called Ouh la la! (46 Rue aux Ours). Even though I missed out on all of them, it was fun to walk around the old town, visit an interactive museum on Jean D'Arc, and the Gothic cathedral. This majestic building, consecrated in 1063 by William The Conqueror, houses the remains of his ancestor Rollo the first Duke of Normandy (yes, the one from the Vikings series, though his portrayal there was heavily -if not completely- fictionalized) as well as the heart of his great-great-grandson, Crusader king Richard The Lionheart. You just get overawed, standing next to the mortal remains of such legendary figures. And hungry - luckily there was a big open market for food and local produce on that weekend. There, I bought some hydromel, the fermented honey mead one reads about in historical romance. While it's not something you readily find in liqueur stores, French farmers still make their own and sell it at local markets. It's similar but different to hypocras, another medieval drink which is basically wine infused with honey and various spices. The latter is much rarer, though I did buy a bottle from the gift shop of the abbey on Le Mont-Saint-Michel. Now, this place is one of the main reasons I wanted to visit Normandy, and did not disappoint me at all. It's so impressive that you think it must surely be an imaginative artists' creation, maybe an illustration for the Game Of Thrones books or some similar fantasy series. It is a fortified town built around a Benedictine abbey on a tidal island connected to the nearby marshes during the morning ebb, and isolated from land during high tide. Next to its religious significance, it was a strong defensive position that proved to be impervious to repeated attempts of conquest by the English during the 100-Year War. Long-time readers would expect me to make a culinary remark by now, and they would be right: The most famous dish on the island is Mère Poulard's famous omelet, so we had to try it. The original chef has of course been dead for 80 years, and an omelet in her old (Michelin star) restaurant costs €35 and requires reservation, so we settled for one of the competitors that advertised they followed the original recipe. Well, it was certainly the fluffiest omelet I had ever eaten (and, at €22, still the most expensive), but not the tastiest at all! As for the omelet at the famous Mère Poulard restaurant, most reviewers describe it similarly to what I myself tasted, so I highly doubt it's worth its price. As you may have already guessed, the small commune inside the island walls doesn't have a record shop, and neither did some other (nevertheless highly recommendable) destinations in our trip, like the beautiful seaside towns of Honfleur, Deauville and Trouville. I did have better luck in Caen, capital of the cider-making Calvados region. Of course I bought a bunch of different ciders to try, and the famous apple brandy that bears that region's name, as well as another drink I hadn't heard of before: it's called pommeau, and it's a mixture of Calvados and apple juice that's left to age in oak barrels for 30 months. It has a 16–18% alcohol percentage, and it's drunk as an aperitif. But I was going to tell you about the record shops: I visited two of them, plus the local Fnac store, all very close to each other. This Fnac (25 Rue de Bras, inside the Paul-Doumer department store) has a big vinyl department, all new of course. Most LP's cost €25-32, some offers for €17-25, and a few jazz/rockabilly ones for €10. CDs are noticeably cheaper, while there are also listening stations. Very close to it (43 Rue de Bras) you can find Sonic-Records. The shop gets some bad reviews on google, citing the owner's attitude as rude, but that was not my impression. The man is friendly enough, he was willing to speak English with me, and to answer my questions. He promoted his online shop, saying that the physical shop only holds 20% of his merchandise while the rest can be found here. It wouldn't hurt to take a look online before you visit. The shop has an especially good post punk/new wave collection, but you can find all styles incl. French music, jazz, rock, soul etc. New LP's cost mostly  €20-30, while used LPs and CDs cost €10-20; prices in general are quite reasonable. Espace Disc (7 Rue Arcisse de Caumont) has a big CD/DVD inventory. Used CD's cost mostly €5,90-9,90. LP's (about 40% French and 60% international rock/pop) go for €10-25 (used) or €20+ (new). The stereo was playing The Pros And Cons Of Hitchhiking when I got in, I was surprised because I hadn't heard it for ages, actually not since I reviewed it for this blog, and not for a very long time before I did. It sounded better than I remembered.

Loire Valley

On the way to the Loire valley, we stopped at Le Mans (typically part of the same region). The city is famous for its 24 hour car race, but I couldn't care less about that. During the stop, I tried to get to both of the city's independent record stores: The first one, Vinyles Store France (4 All. du Bourg d'Anguy) was supposed to be open, but the owner/clerk had just put a sign on the door with his telephone number, and disappeared. Maybe he had an emergency, or more probably just didn't feel like working that day. At least the second one Unik Music (104 Rue Nationale) was open. A little further from the center, this shop seems to have a specialty in world music: lots of Afro & Caribbean LP's, music from the Maghreb, Pakistan, Latin America etc. Used LP's around €15-25, new ones €25+. The city also has a quite large Fnac (inside Les Jacobines Mall, 13 Rue Claude Blondeau). Next stop on our journey, Tours. I didn't know what to expect, but I absolutely loved its vibe! The city houses a big university and is home to some 20,000 students. It's full of bars and restaurants, many options to go out, and lots of young people hanging out till late at night. In a city with a demographic like that, I always expect to find good record shops, and the first one didn't disappoint me: Passe Passe Store had many good records at reasonable prices: used LP's mostly went for €8-15, while there were some for €3 or €1 - not just junk, too. I left with a big bagfull of (mostly cheap) LP's. Based on the number of Japanese editions available, it seems that the owner has business connections with Japan, or travels there regularly. There were also lots of Latin and world music records, pop, rock, jazz and prog. I also tried to visit another shop called Madison Records. Unfortunately, although the opening times stated on the door coincided with the ones google gave, the shop was closed - this time there wasn't even a note. Shame, because the records on the front window piqued my interest. Inside, I could see mostly vinyl LP's, some CD's and music-related merchandise. I kinda liked the neighborhood, too (it's on 135 Rue Colbert). It's a bit further from the center, but has interesting shops. Now that I'm checking the internet again, I see two more record stores: O'CD (45/47 Rue Marceau) and Baromètre (13 Rue du Petit Saint-Martin). I must have ignored them because Google describes the former as a DVD shop and the latter as an appliance store. A more careful look at the photos and reviews would have revealed they both sell music CD's and vinyl. Anyway, I doubt I'd have the time to visit them all anyway. For those interested in cooking, there's an amazing shop with spices from all around the world called Terre Exotique with the sublabel "Civilisations & Gastronomy". It's based on a beautiful mansion on the bank of the Loire, a few kilometers outside Tours. We stopped there on the way to the castle of Amboise, and my partner bought all kinds of nice stuff. There are almost 300 chateaus on the Loire valley and we would have loved to see them all, but chose the royal castle of Amboise for its history: Leonardo Da Vinci was a guest here, and is buried in its chapel. Many other historical personages have lived here too. If you've seen the TV series Reign which concerns the young Mary Stuart a.k.a. Mary Queen of Scotts, a lot of it is supposed to take place in Amboise even though it's actually filmed in Ireland. A visit is certainly recommended. Last stop, the city of Orléans. Probably the best record shop I visited in this trip was Planète Claire (11 Rue Croix de Malte). It is packed with records (and CDs) of all kinds. I was especially interested in  the many garage rock/post punk/alternative records, but there was also classic & hard rock, jazz, psychedelia etc. Used LP's mostly cost  €9-16, new ones  €17-30, and CD's  €6-8, all pretty affordable. After an hour of browsing around, I took a handful of records to the cash register where I was informed they didn't accept any cards, so I had to leave most of my choices behind. The other independent record store in town is Haffidread Records (133 Rue de Bourgogne, at the center of the old town). It's only open 2-7 p.m. so I didn't catch it open, but it gets good reviews for its selection, prices, and for its affinity with reggae. On the same street (Rue de Bourgogne 239) I also passed a second-hand store selling records, books, CDs etc. May be worth a look, too.

All in all, this was a great road trip. I didn't have much luck with the record shops, many of them were closed even during their self-proclaimed opening times (that's France for you!). But it was full of amazing sights, experiences, and tastes. I could give a lot of pointers on the latter, but I'll try to keep it short: Sample all the local alcoholic beverages. Eat any local cheeses they serve, especially the smelly ones. Don't be afraid of the frog legs, they're delicious even though there's very little meat on them. Skip the pricey omelet at Mont St. Michel, but don't leave Honfleur without tasting the sea food in one of the taverns. If you're on a budget, you can subsist on crêpes or their savory counterparts, galettes. Do not order any dish with ris, unless you're feeling brave! I thought it meant rice (which is riz), but it really means "sweetbreads", which is a fancy word for pancreas, thymus glands, ovaries and testicles. It was the only dish I didn't manage to finish on this trip.

Lambchop "Nixon" 2000****

Each time I see an album given glowing reviews by the press, I can't help but wonder whether it will prove to be a future classic or get forgotten after a decade or two. Lambchop's Nixon got great reviews when it was released, and was even awarded the Album Of The Year 2000 title by Uncut Magazine, prompting me to buy it at the time. I've since sometimes used it as background music, but given it little attention otherwise. So when my random album selection method picked it for review in this blog, I was curious to see whether, 20 years after its release, I'd recognize it as a classic album. Seeing that Lambchop come from Nashville Tennessee, one expects to hear some country influences in their music. It's in there somewhere, but don't expect the familiar country twang: the band's sound initially was understated indie folk, augmented with judicious string and brass arrangements that made them sound like a cross between The Cowboy Junkies and Tindersticks. Singer/songwriter Kurt Wagner remains the focal point for Lambchop, which by this time had grown into a 13-member band, not counting session musicians. Despite that fact, the music is always breezy, never busy. Wagner himself employs two different singing styles: One is a sing-talking voice that reminds me of Leonard Cohen, packing similar warmth but without Cohen's gravitas. The other is a surprising falsetto that he seems to have copied from Prince, and probably uses here a bit too liberally - most notably in tracks "You Masculine You" and "What Else Could It Be?" - both fine songs, despite the unconvincing, pseudo-black, falsetto. "Grumpus" is another mid-tempo funky piece. The arrangements here are reminiscent of the smooth soul of Barry White and Isaac Hayes (I'm talking Hayes, as in his version of "Walk On By", not "Shaft"), but apparently since he can't emulate their rich baritone, he tries for Prince's high register. The result isn't sensual as in the case of the aforementioned black artists, but it is quite warm and pleasant, at least to my ears. The tempo is generally pretty slow, with two exceptions: lead single "Up with People" is rather upbeat, with the handclaps and choir giving it a gospel colour. Closer "The Butcher Boy" is also fast, with relatively louder drums and a more abrasive, experimental guitar sound. Penultimate track "The Petrified Florist" may differ in its lethargic pace and sparse arrangements, but also makes for a relatively "difficult" listening. Their placement at the end of the disc is probably meant to undermine the comfortable feeling created by the previous smooth easy listening sounds, and to remind you you're still listening to an "underground" artist - in case you weren't listening to the lyrics, which is a twisted, David Lynch-like, take on American suburban life. In interviews, Wagner trolled reporters about Nixon being a concept album about the same-named former U.S. president, but apparently the title was inspired by the album cover, not the other way round. So, is Nixon a classic album after all? I'd say yes - not just because of its quality, but also of the sense that something new is happeing here, that this mix of country, chamber pop, alt-rock, and soul is a bold and successful experiment. Its follow-up Is A Woman is another great step in the same direction - with the funk overtones slightly turned down. Only downside: the lack of any great standalone songs, with the exception of "Up With People". But as a whole... the atmosphere, the arrangements, the musicians' playing, everything about it is top notch!

***** for Grumpus, Up with People

**** for The Old Gold Shoe, Nashville Parent, What Else Could It Be?, The Book I Haven't Read, 

*** for You Masculine You, The Distance from Her to There, The Petrified Florist, The Butcher Boy

ZZ Top "Fandango!" 1975****

Dusty Hill's demise a couple of months ago was another unexpected rock'n'roll death this year. I was curious to see whether the band would continue without him - ZZ Top were one of a few bands that remained consistently together, they haven't had any personnel changes for 50 years. As it turned out, the band didn't even pause, immediately replacing Hill with longtime associate Elwood Francis and going ahead with 2021 tour dates as planned. As far as I can tell, the same is happening with every other band that recently lost a founding member without whom they are difficult for us to imagine: The Stranglers also replaced keyboardist Dave Greenfield who died from COVID-19 early in the pandemic -  Jean-Jacques Burnel is now the sole original member left. At least the new tour is called Final Full UK Tour, indicating they might retire soon (though the "UK" and "full" prefixes leave a lot open on that front). Charlie Watts' death did not seem to bother The Rolling Stones too much, their tour also going ahead as planned. I seem to remember Keith Richards very clearly stating: "Without  Mick, Charlie or me there isn't any Rolling Stones", half-jokingly leaving Ron Wood out as he's the "new boy", having only been in the band for 45 years. To make myself clear... I wouldn't want bands to retire after losing a member. If you love the songs, you'll want to see them performed live even after the originators are gone. Hell, I was getting ready to go see Queen with Adam Lambert in Amsterdam - and then I saw the price of the ticket. Are you fucking kidding? not even if Freddy Mercury came back (well, maybe yes in that case, but not for any artist not supernaturally resurrected from the dead). But this haste to go out on tour seems to me somewhat indecent. Take some time to grieve folks, and let the fans also grieve. I guess it's the pandemic effect: 2 years without concerts were too much, and had everybody impatiently waiting for the doctors to allow big gatherings again. Still... ZZ Top could have waited a few months for Francis to grow a real beard in emulation to his predecessor, rather than wear a fake one in his first gig. What, did they hope no-one was going to notice?

Despite being rather uneven, Fandango! is one of my favorite ZZ Top records. I think the reason is "Blue Jean Blues". When I was young, in Greece the word "blues" did not denote a music genre: it just meant slow dancing, that dance where you wrap your arms around your partner's waist and hold her close to you, slowly swaying to the music. Consequently, a "blues song" was any song that could be slow-danced: Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" was a blues, Muddy Waters' "Hoochie Coochie Man" wasn't. When I was 14 or 15, someone gave me a cassette with "blues" songs: it contained ballads by the Scorpions, Moody Blues etc. but also ZZ Top's "Blue Jean Blues". Sure, a couple could slow-dance to it, but the sadness of the music and expressiveness of the guitar solos put it on another plane altogether. It was my introduction to the real blues. Even if ZZ Top were never a pure blues band, they had incorporated the real thing into their music - even their name was inspired by legendary bluesman B.B. King. They then electrified it, and added some hard rock and country to create their own mix, doing for Texas what The Rolling Stones did for the UK - or, more correctly, for the world. 1975's Fandango! is a half-live half-studio affair, something that doesn't bode well for them. It says "I don't have enough songs for an LP but I've promised one to my record company, so I'll just record my set and use some of it to fill the album". Side 1 (the live one) opens with a couple of energetic rock'n'roll covers: The Nightcaps' "Thunderbird" and Elvis' "Jailhouse Rock". When the writers of the former song demanded a share of the profits, they found out they didn't own the rights to it: back in the 50's,  the Nightcaps, who were still in their teens at the time, had neglected to copyright it, so ZZ Top filed the copyright under their own names. That's followed by "Backdoor Medley" consisting of their own "Backdoor Love Affair" mixed with a couple of blues numbers: Little Walters' "Mellow Down Easy" and John Lee Hooker's "Long Distance Boogie". It sounds like it could be an entertaining interlude in the context of a ZZ Top concert, but not so much on record. "Nasty Dogs And Funky Kings" and "Balinese" are a couple of typical Southern boogie rockers, pleasant but forgettable. "Heard It On The X" is a great hard rock boogie about Mexican radio, and "Mexican Blackbird" a slower one in praise of a Mexican hooker. The things rock bands sang about in those pre-politically correct days! Good slide guitar, though! Saving the best for last, they close with one of their most infectious, good-time Southern rock tunes, called "Tush". I have this album on CD, which I'm told is a different mix to the original one - at least regarding the studio side. You'd have to get the deluxe 2006 CD edition or the 180gr vinyl reissue to listen to the LP the way it sounded originally - or, of course, get the original vinyl second hand. Listening to this again, I think the song sequencing doesn't serve it well at all. Especially on CD, you have to sit through the mildly interesting side 1 and mediocre side 2 opener before you encounter the disc's first highlight "Blue Jean Blues", while the other two very strong tracks are tucked away at the very end of the album. Still, on the strength of those 3 veritable classics, the album still merits a 4* rating, and a position among the band's Top 3. Which are the other two? Stay tuned...

***** for Blue Jean Blues, Tush

**** for Heard It On The X

*** for Thunderbird, Jailhouse Rock, Nasty Dogs And Funky Kings, Balinese, Mexican Blackbird

** for Backdoor Medley (Backdoor Love Affair/Mellow Down Easy/Backdoor Love Affair No.2/Long Distance Boogie)