R.I.P. 2024

Once more we get to the most unpleasant task of the year, the one where we get to list musicians who left the world in the last year. Why do I do it, if it gives me no pleasure? It started early in 2016, when we lost a lot of my favorite artists in a period of a few weeks. Each death took me back to the artist's records, listening to them, and eventually presenting some of them in this blog. But after awhile the deaths kept piling up, and I decided to commemorate them all collectively in a special post. Since then, it seems unfair not to repeat this tiniest of tributes for other worthwhile artists, so here we are now. This year's list doesn't include any death as shocking to me as the first months of 2016 did (David Bowie and Prince were among the heavier and more unexpected ones) but it does include some of my favorites: the father of British blues John Mayall is one of them - but then again the man was 90, he was productive until the very end (his latest, critically acclaimed, album was released just two years ago) and venerated as a veritable blues institution. Who wouldn't like to go out like that? Someone else I'd like to make a special mention of: this year we lost the last two surviving members of MC5, Wayne Kramer and Dennis Thompson - but not before they completed Heavy Lifting, the first new band recording in more than 50 years! See? Silver linings! I see many other favorite names here, too, and probably you do too - so let's take a minute to read through the list and give them all a mental farewell.

Thank You For The Music,

January 2, Chris Karrer (Amon Düül, Amon Düül II, Embryo) 76
January 4, Glynis Johns (Actress and singer), 100
January 4, David Soul (Actor and singer), 80
January 5, Gene Deer (Blues guitarist and singer)  59
January 5, Del Palmer (Audio engineer, Kate Bush bassist) 71
January 6, Iasos (New-age musician) 76
January 7, Tony Clarkin (Magnum) 77  
January 9, James Kottak (Drummer for Scorpions, Kingdom Come, Warrant) 61
January 10, Audie Blaylock (Bluegrass musician) 61
January 12, Bill Hayes (Actor and singer) 98 
January 19, Marlena Shaw (Jazz and soul singer) 84
January 19, Mary Weiss (The Shangri-Las) 75

January 19, Luis Vasquez (The Soft Moon), 44

January 21, Cynthia Garrison (The Three Degrees)
January 23, Melanie (Singer-songwriter) 76
January 23, Anders "Dagger" Sandberg (Rednex), 55
January 23,Margo Smith (Country singer-songwriter) 84
January 26, Dean Brown (Jazz guitarist) 68
January 31, Paul Brett (rock guitarist) 76
February 2, Wayne Kramer (MC5) 75
February 2, Derrick McIntyre (Jamiroquai) 66
February 3, Aston "Family Man" Barrett (Bob Marley and the Wailers) 77
February 5, Toby Keith (Country singer) 62
February 6, Donald Kinsey (The Kinsey Report) 70
February 7, Henry Fambrough (The Spinners) 85                    
February 7, Mojo Nixon (alt-country singer)  66
February 9, Damo Suzuki (Can) 74
February 9, Jimmy Van Eaton (Rock and roll drummer) 86
February 11, Randy Sparks (The New Christy Minstrels) 90 
February 13,Kerry "Fatman" Hunter (New Orleans Nightcrawlers) 53
February 14, Ian Amey (Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich) 79

 February 16, Dexter Romweber (Flat Duo Jets), 57

February 16, Cynthia Strother (The Bell Sisters), 88
February 19, Bobby Tench (Singer, Jeff Beck Group, Van Morrison) 79
February 20, Vitalij Kuprij (Trans-Siberian Orchestra) 49  
February 22, John Lowe (Pianist for pre-Beatles band The Quarrymen) 81

February 22, Roni Stoneman (bluegrass banjo player, Hee Haw), 85

February 25, Peter "Peetah" Morgan (reggae band Morgan Heritage) 46

February 28 Cat Janice (American singer-songwriter), 31

March 1, Don Wise (R&B saxophonist) 81

March 2, Jim Beard (Keyboardist, Steely Dan) 63
March 2, W. C. Clark (Blues musician) 84
March 3, Brit Turner (Blackberry Smoke) 57
March 4, B. B. Seaton (The Gaylads) 79
March 5, Pavel Zajíček (DG 307) 72
March 10, Paul Nelson (Rock and blues guitarist) 63

 March 10, T. M. Stevens (bassist, The Pretenders), 72
March 10, Karl Wallinger (The Waterboys, World Party) 66 
March 11, Eric Carmen (Raspberries) 74

March 12, Russell Wilson (Junkhouse) 62

March 13, John Blunt (drummer, The Searchers)

March 13, Dick Allix (Drummer, Vanity Fare) 78
March 14, Angela McCluskey (Wild Colonials) 64    
March 17, Steve Harley (Cockney Rebel) 73

March 18, Jimmy Hastings (Caravan), 85

March 18, Kevin Toney (The Blackbyrds) 70
March 19, Greg Lee (Hepcat) 53
March 20, Gene Elders (Ace in the Hole Band) 80

March 24, Dennis Schiavon (The Rezillos), 63
March 25, Chris Cross (Ultravox) 71
March 26, Zero a.k.a. Clare Elliott (Suburban Reptiles) 66
March 29, Gerry Conway (Jethro Tull, Fairport Convention) 76
April 1, Michael Ward (The Wallflowers, School of Fish) 57
April 4, Keith LeBlanc  (drummer, Little Axe), 69

April 4, Graeme Naysmith (English guitarist,  Pale Saints), 57
April 5, C. J. Snare (FireHouse) 64
April 7, Clarence "Frogman" Henry (Rhythm and blues singer) 87

April 8, Jon Card (Canadian drummer, SNFU), 63

April 9, Max Werner (Dutch singer/drummer, Kayak), 70

April 12 Lucy Rimmer (British vocalist for The Fall)

April 14, Ben Eldridge (The Seldom Scene) 85 

   April 15, Eugene Wolfgramm (The Jets), 57
April 16, Arthur Tavares (Tavares), 81
April 16, Rusty Gauthier (New Riders of the Purple Sage), 73    

       April 16,  Gavin Webb (The Masters Apprentices), 77  

April 18, Dickey Betts (The Allman Brothers Band), 80

April 18, Larry Page (pop singer, producer), 86

April 18, Jack Green (T. Rex, Pretty Things, Rainbow), 73

April 19 Eddie Sutton (Leeway singer), 59

April 20,Tony Tuff (Reggae singer, The African Brothers), 69

  April 21 Jean-Marie Aerts (Belgian guitarist for TC Matic), 72

April 22 Chan Romero (Rockabilly singer "The Hippy Hippy Shake") 82
April 24, Mike Pinder (The Moody Blues) 82

 April 26 Robin George (British guitarist, singer and producer), 68

 April 26 Frank Wakefield (Bluegrass mandolin player), 89

April 30, Duane Eddy (Rock and roll guitarist) 86
May 1,Richard Tandy (Electric Light Orchestra) 76

May 2, Gary Floyd (The Dicks, Sister Double Happiness), 71

May 7, Steve Albini (Big Black/Shellac, record producer) 61
May 8, John Barbata (Drummer, The Turtles/ CSN&Y,/ Jefferson Airplane) 79
May 8, Dennis Thompson (MC5) 75      
May 12, David Sanborn (Saxophonist) 78
May 14, Jimmy James (Singer) 83
May 15, John Hawken (Renaissance, Strawbs) 84
May 16, Randy Fuller (The Bobby Fuller Four) 80
May 17, Charlie Colin (Train, The Side Deal) 57  
May 18, "Spider" John Koerner (Folk and blues singer) 85
May 18, Jon Wysocki (Staind) 53
May 24,Mark Gormley (Singer-musician) 67  
May 24, Doug Ingle (Iron Butterfly) 78

May 29, Mansour Seck (Senegalese singer), 69
May 30, Doug Dagger (The Generators) 56
May 31, Ed Mann (Keyboardist and percussionist, Frank Zappa band) 69

June 2, Colin Gibb (Black Lace) 70        
June 3, Brother Marquis (2 Live Crew) 57
June 11, Françoise Hardy (French Singer-songwriter) 80
June 11, Arthur "Gaps" Hendrickson (The Selecter), 73
June 18, James Chance (James Chance and the Contortions) 71   
June 24, Shifty Shellshock (Crazy Town) 49
June 26, Kinky Friedman (Country singer-songwriter) 79

June 28, Betty Veldpaus (Pussycat) 72

July 1, Laurie Lindeen (Zuzu's Petals)
July 2, Tom Fowler (The Mothers of Invention, It's a Beautiful Day) 73

July 6, Joe Egan (Stealers Wheel) 77
July 9, Joe Bonsall (The Oak Ridge Boys) 76
July 10, Dave Loggins (Singer-songwriter) 76
July 16, Bernice Johnson Reagon (The Freedom Singers, Sweet Honey in the Rock) 81
July 17, Pinche Peach (Brujeria) 57
July 19, Toumani Diabaté (griot, kora player) 58
July 20, Jerry Miller (Moby Grape) 81
July 20, Sandy Posey (Country singer) 80
July 21, Evelyn Thomas (Disco singer) 
July 22, Duke Fakir (Four Tops) 88

July 22, John Mayall (John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers) 90
July 24, Bill Crook (Spiritbox, Living with Lions)
July 26, Jason Clark (50) , Kelly Nelon Clark (64), Amber Nelon Kistler (35)
July 27, Danny Clarke (The Meditations) 72
July 27, Pat Collier (The Vibrators) 72
July 28, Martin Phillipps (The Chills) 61
July 28, Mick Underwood (The Herd, Episode Six, Quatermass)
July 29,Joey Gilmore (Guitarist for James Brown, Etta James)
August 2,Nicu Covaci (Transsylvania Phoenix) 77
August 3, Shaun Martin (Snarky Puppy) 45
August 5, Maurice Williams (The Zodiacs) 86
August 7,Jack Russell (Great White) 63
August 9, Carl Bevan (60 Ft. Dolls) 51
August 9, Carl Weathersby (Guitarist for Albert King, Billy Branch) 71
August 13, Greg Kihn (The Greg Kihn Band) 75
August 15, Joe Chambers (The Chambers Brothers) 81
August 16, Bobby Hicks (Bluegrass fiddler) 91

August 16, Tore Ylwizaker (Norwegian keyboardist for Ulver), 54

August 17,  Johnny "Dandy" Rodríguez (bongo player for Tito Puente), 78

August 21,  Russell Stone (Brotherhood of Man) 77
August 23, Catherine Ribeiro (French folk psych singer, The Alps) 82

July 27 Mísia (Portuguese fado singer), 69
September 5, Herbie Flowers (Blue Mink, T. Rex, Sky) 86 
September 5, Sérgio Mendes (Bossa nova musician) 83

September 6, Screamin' Scott Simon (Sha Na Na) 75

September 6, Mark Moffatt (The Monitors) 74

September 7 Jimmy Gilmer (The Fireballs), 83

September 8, Zoot Money (The Animals, Humble Pie) 82
September 10, Frankie Beverly (Maze) 77
September 13, Chalmers Davis (Keyboardist for Little Richard, Johnny Cash) 73

September 14 Gerry Robinson (The Purple Gang), 76
September 15, Kenny Hyslop (Simple Minds, Slik) 73         
September 15, Tito Jackson (The Jackson 5) 70
September 15, Roli Mosimann (Swans, Wiseblood) 68     
September 17, JD Souther (Singer and songwriter) 78       
September 18, Juan Brujo (Brujeria) 61
September 18, Dick Diamonde (The Easybeats) 76 
September 18, Nick Gravenites (Big Brother and the Holding Company, The Electric Flag) 85
September 21, Eddie Low (Country singer) 81
September 21, Roger Palm (Drummer, ABBA) 75
September 23, Freddie Salem (Outlaws) 70        
September 24, Cat Glover (Prince's band) 62
September 27, Pit Passarell (Viper) 
September 28, Kris Kristofferson (Country songwriter and singer) 88

September 29, Martin Lee (Brotherhood of Man) 77
September 30, Dave Allison (Anvil) 68
October 2, Ken Tobias (Singer and songwriter) 79

October 5, Mimis Plessas (Greek composer and pianist), 99

October 5, Nell Smith (The Flaming Lips collaborator), 17

October 6, Johnny Neel (The Allman Brothers Band) 70

October 7, Cissy Houston (Singer, mother of Whitney Houston)  91
October 16, Liam Payne (One Direction) 31
October 20, Barbara Dane (Folk Singer, activist) 97
October 21, Paul Di'Anno (singer, Iron Maiden, Battlezone) 66
October 23, Linda LaFlamme (It's a Beautiful Day) 85 
October 23, Jack Jones (Singer), 86
October 25, Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead) 84

October 28, Manuel "Guajiro" Mirabal (Buena Vista Social Club) 91

October 30, Richard Andrew (Underground Lovers drummer) 58

November 3, Quincy Jones (Record producer, songwriter, and arranger) 91
November 3,Andy Leek (Dexys Midnight Runners) 66
November 4, Tyka Nelson (Singer; sister of Prince) 64
November 9, Lou Donaldson (Jazz alto saxophonist) 98  
November 9, Ella Jenkins (Folk singer) 98
November 12, Roy Haynes (Jazz drummer) 99
November 14, Dennis Bryon (Bee Gees, Amen Corner) 75
November 14, Peter Sinfield  (Lyricist, King Crimson) 80
November 13, Shel Talmy (producer, The Kinks, Who)

November 18, Colin Petersen (Drummer, The Bee Gees) 78
November 20, Andy Paley (The Paley Brothers, The Modern Lovers) 72
November 20, Mike Pinera (Blues Image, Iron Butterfly) 76

November 21, Willy Quiroga (Argentine musician for Vox Dei), 84

November 22, Harry Williams (Bloodstone) 80

November 22, Toni Price (country blues singer), 63
November 24, Bob Bryar (My Chemical Romance) 44
November 29, Will Cullen Hart (Olivia Tremor Control) 53

December 16, Steve Lewinson (Simply Red) 58
December 16, Ruth McArdle (Belgian singer, Lords of Acid)
December 17, Alfa Anderson (Chic) 78
December 17, Mike Brewer (Brewer & Shipley)  80
December 18, Slim Dunlap (The Replacements) 73
December 20, Helena Zeťová (Black Milk) 44
December 20, Sugar Pie DeSanto (R&B Singer) 89
December 21, Casey Chaos (Amen, Christian Death) 59 
December 25, Dulce (Mexican Actress and singer) 69 
December 29, Eric Carlson a.k.a. Sickie Wifebeater (The Mentors) 66

End of the year retrospectives 2024

As (any possible) regular readers would know, every December I buy music magazines for their end-of-the-year-retrospectives and publish the respective best albums lists on this blog. It used to be Q, Uncut, Mojo, and Classic Rock. Unfortunately, the former publication has closed, while I stopped buying the latter ever since it stopped giving away sample CD's; I do publish CR's list nevertheless because it has a singular focus that distinguishes it from the rest. This year, I noticed that the website albumoftheyear.org also publishes an aggregate list that draws from many different publications across many different genres, so I'm including the Top 20 albums from that list, too, for a more nuanced approach: So since my own focus is on classic and/or alternative rock, I would have completely bypassed Charli xcx's Brat which apparently is Metacritic's highest-rated album of 2024. I remember reading about the word "brat" being a big trend this year, and about the artist endorsing Camala Harris' presidential race (for all the good it did her), but had never listened to the music. So I had to go to youtube and seek the album's lead single, "Von Dutch", and was completely amazed.

 

Amazed that people can write about this shit as if it's important stuff! Like, people who actually write about music in magazines, not just 14-year old girls who follow whatever's the latest trend on tick tock. Seriously, what's to like? I mean sure, the singer is kind of cute, but she's got no voice, her "rebel girl" antics in the video are just pathetic, and the music is just generic beats which could have been written by an A.I. Thankfully, Fontaines D.C. are on number 2; a bunch of talented young men with a rebel attitude that's only partially rock star posing. Romance is their 4th album (I haven't got it yet, but I have the previous 3, all great). They performed almost all of it when I saw them live lately; lead single "Starbuster" almost brought the house down during the encore.

 

On No.3, The Cure's long-awaited return Songs of a Lost World. That's more like it! I'm about to receive this as a Christmas present, and haven't listened to it yet. For the purposes of this presentation I checked lead single "Alone" on youtube: total antithesis to the previously mentioned, upbeat, tracks: a return to the elegiac tone of 80's albums like Pornography and Disintegration that may well spawn yet another generation of emo kids.

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As for the rest of the list, well of course there's a lot of commercial stuff I'm not particularly fond of: pop, hip hop, modern R&B etc. The inclusion of the latest Nick Cave album Wild God isn't so much an indication of its worth (it's an above average Nick Cave LP, so of course it's great) as much as of an indication of the artist's growing acceptance by the mainstream: it took them 40 years, but the world is finally catching up. Another pleasant surprise is the inclusion of Jessica Pratt's Here in the Pitch; another artist in this Top 20 that I got to see recently- low key, but absolutely deserves all the plaudits

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AGGREGATE LIST (ALL GENRES, ALL PUBLICATIONS) TOP 20: 1 Charli xcx - BRAT 2 Fontaines D.C. - Romance 3 The Cure - Songs of a Lost World 4 MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks 5 Beyoncé - COWBOY CARTER 6 Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood 7 Cindy Lee - Diamond Jubilee 8 Billie Eilish - HIT ME HARD AND SOFT 9 Kendrick Lamar - GNX 10 Tyler, The Creator - CHROMAKOPIA 11 Jessica Pratt - Here in the Pitch 12 I Got Heaven - Mannequin Pussy 13 Sabrina Carpenter - Short n' Sweet 14 Mk.gee - Two Star & The Dream Police 15 Kim Gordon - The Collective 16 Clairo - Charm 17 Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future 18 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Wild God 19 English Teacher - This Could Be Texas 20 Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us

MOJO's No.1 is the new Jack White, No Name. This album appeared out of nowhere when customers at White's Third Man record stores were given a mystery LP as a present, which of course turned out to be his latest album. Generally hailed as a return to The White Stripes' garage rock heyday; I've only heard the two tracks included in the two magazines' Best Of 2024 samplers but tend to agree.

  

MOJO MAGAZINE:  1. Jack White - No Name  2. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Wild God 3. Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown  4. Gillian Welch & David Rawlings - Woodland  5. Bill Ryder-Jones - Iechyd Da  6. Kim Deal - Nobody Loves You More  7. Fontaines D.C. - Romance  8. The Lemon Twigs - A Dream Is All We Know 9. Jane Weaver - Love In Constant Spectacle  10. Kim Gordon - The Collective  11. John Grant - The Art of the Lie  12. Shabaka - Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace  13. The Smile - Wall of Eyes  14. Cassandra Jenkins - My Light, My Destroyer 15. English Teacher - This Could Be Texas  16. Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band - Loophole  17. Paul Weller - 66  18. David Gilmour - Luck and Strange 19. Peter Perrett - The Cleansing  20. Lady Blackbird - Slang Spirituals  21. Gruff Rhys - Sadness Sets Me Free 22. Mdou Moctar - Funeral for Justice  23. Richard Thompson - Ship To Shore 24. Mercury Rev - Born Horses  25. St. Vincent - All Born Screaming  26. Dirty Three - Love Changes Everything 27. The The - Ensoulment  28. John Cale - POPtical Illusion  29. Charles Lloyd - The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow  30. Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood  31. The Cure - Songs of a Lost World 32. Pet Shop Boys - Nonetheless  33. Ezra Collective - Dance, No one's Watching 34. Amyl and The Sniffers - Cartoon Darkness 35. Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future  36. Jessica Pratt - Here in the Pitch  37. Common & Pete Rock - The Auditorium Vol. 1 38. Leyla McCalla - Sun Without the Heat 39. Arooj Aftab - Night Reign  40. Brittany Howard - What Now  41. Laura Marling - Patterns in Repeat  42. Michael Kiwanuka - Small Changes  43. The Black Crowes - Happiness Bastards  44. Kamasi Washington - Fearless Movement  45. Nubya Garcia - ODYSSEY  46. The Last Dinner Party - Prelude to Ecstasy  47. The Jesus and Mary Chain - Glasgow Eyes 48. Nick Lowe - Indoor Safari  49. Joan As Police Woman - Lemons, Limes And Orchids 50. Lee "Scratch" Perry & Youth - Spaceship to Mars  51. IDLES - TANGK  52. Richard Hawley - In This City They Call You Love 53. Public Service Broadcasting - The Last Flight 54. MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks 55. The Bug - Machine  56. Nadine Shah - Filthy Underneath  57. Johnny Blue Skies - Passage du Desir  58. Naima Bock - Below a Massive Dark Land  59. Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling & Andreas Werliin - Ghosted II  60. The Hard Quartet - The Hard Quartet  61. Oisin Leech - Cold Sea  62. Hermanos Gutiérrez - Sonido Cósmico  63. Floating Points - Cascade  64. Hamish Hawk - A Firmer Hand  65. Cassie Kinoshi's Seed - Gratitude 66. Khruangbin - A LA SALA 67. Ghost Dubs - Damaged  68. Julia Holter - Something in the Room She Moves  69. The Harlem Gospel Travelers - Rhapsody 70. Kelly Finnigan - A Lover Was Born  71. The Bevis Frond - Focus on Nature  72. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Flight b741  73. Tindersticks - Soft Tissue  74. Pom Poko - Champion  75. Field Music - Limits of Language.

Quite low at the list, but still a kind of vindication after decades of cultdom, Nick Saloman a.k.a. The Bevis Frond.  Not just a psychedelic legend, but a vastly underrated songwriter as well.

   

Uncut features Nick Cave on the top spot, and real-life couple Gillian Welch & David Rawlings on No.2. Somewhat expected, seeing as Uncut has a soft spot for Americana music. This is the couple's first album under both names, usually they release albums under either one or the other. Both magazines rate the return of the Kims quite highly: years after leaving The Pixies and Sonic Youth respectively, Kim Deal and Kim Gordon prove they have always been an artistic force to be reckoned. K-pop wunderkind Kim Jong Un doesn't make an appearance this time, but Former Portishead Beth Gibbons does, at both magazines' lists, at No.3.

 

UNCUT MAGAZINE:1. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Wild God, 2. Gillian Welch & David Rawlings - Woodland, 3. Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown, 4. Arooj Aftab - Night Reign, 5. Jessica Pratt - Here in the Pitch, 6. Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future, 7. The Smile - Wall of Eyes, 8. MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks, 9. Cindy Lee - Diamond Jubilee, 10. Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood, 11. Cassandra Jenkins - My Light, My Destroyer, 12. Julia Holter - Something in the Room She Moves, 13. Fontaines D.C. - Romance, 14. Mdou Moctar - Funeral for Justice, 15. Jack White - No Name, 16. Bill Ryder-Jones - Iechyd Da, 17. Johnny Blue Skies - Passage du Desir, 18. Shabaka - Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace, 19. Peter Perrett - The Cleansing, 20. Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Past Is Still Alive, 21. John Cale - Poptical Illusion, 22. Alan Sparhawk - White Roses, My God, 23. High Llamas - Hey Panda, 24. Phosphorescent - Revelator, 25. Nala Sinephro - Endlessness, 26. Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band - Loophole, 27. English Teacher - This Could Be Texas, 28. Jake Xerxes Fussell - When I'm Called, 29. Oisin Leech - Cold Sea, 30. Kim Gordon - The Collective, 31. Mabe Fratti - Sentir Que No Sabes, 32. Mabe FrattiBeak> - >>>>, 33. Willie Nelson - The Border, 34. Rosali - Bite Down, 35. Brittany Howard - What Now, 36. Myriam Gendron - Mayday, 37. Shellac - To All Trains, 38. Dirty Three - Love Changes Everything, 39. Brown Horse - Reservoir, 40. Grandaddy - Blu Wav, 41. Paul Weller - 66, 42. Kim Deal - Nobody Loves You More, 43. Richard Thompson - Ship to Shore, 44. Christopher Owens - I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair, 45. Laura Marling - Patterns in Repeat, 46. Charles Lloyd - The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow, 47. Sarah Davachi - The Head As Form’d In The Crier’s Choir, 48. David Gilmour - Luck and Strange, 49. Still House Plants - If I Don't Make It, I Love U, 50. Oren Ambarchi / Johan Berthling / Andreas Werliin - Ghosted II, 51. Chuck Johnson - Sun Glories, 52. Basic - This Is Basic, 53. Bonny Light Horseman - Keep Me on Your Mind/See You Free, 54. Kaia Kater - Strange Medicine, 55. Nilüfer Yanya - My Method Actor, 56. Fievel Is Glauque - Rong Weicknes, 57. Jlin - Akoma, 58. Linda Thompson - Proxy Music, 59. Charli XCX - Brat, 60. Nadine Shah - Filthy Underneath, 61. Idles - Tangk, 62. Kamasi Washington - Fearless Movement, 63. The Jesus and Mary Chain - Glasgow Eyes, 64. Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft, 65. Tindersticks - Soft Tissue, 66. Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us, 67. John Canning Yates - The Quiet Portraits, 68. Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department, 69. The Cure - Songs of a Lost World, 70. Arab Strap - I'm Totally Fine with It Don't Give a Fuck Anymore, 71. Beachwood Sparks - Across The River Of Stars, 72. Laurie Anderson - Amelia, 73. Nick Lowe - Indoor Safari, 74. Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore - TexiCali, 75. Pye Corner Audio - The Endless Echo, 76. Personal Trainer - Still Willing, 77. Kali Uchis - Orquídeas, 78. Wadada Leo Smith & Amina Claudine Myers - Central Park's Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Garden, 79. Yasmin Williams - Acadia, 80. Leyla McCalla - Sun Without the Heat.

Rather low at No.63, we find the return of Jesus and Mary Chain with Glasgow Eyes. Just like with The Cure (here at No.69), they sound as good as they did in their heyday 4 decades ago!

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Classic Rock's choices are usually wildly different from the others; this time, not so much: The Black Crowes'  Happiness Bastards (No.1) and David Gilmour's Luck and Strange (No.3) have received unanimous praise. Recent reviews focus on Gilmour embracing a simpler, less proggy, production approach. To me, it'll always come down to the voice and guitar of Pink Floyd:  I'm happy that Gilmour and Roger Waters still make great music, 40 years after the bitter divorce. Just don't ask me to choose between Mommy and Daddy.

          

CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE 1. The Black Crowes - Happiness Bastards, 2. Judas Priest - Invincible Shield, 3. David Gilmour - Luck and Strange, 4. Bruce Dickinson - The Mandrake Project, 5. Black Country Communion - V, 6. Pearl Jam - Dark Matter, 7. Ian Hunter - Defiance Part 2: Fiction, 8. The Black Keys - Ohio Players, 9. Deep Purple - =1, 10. Gary Clark Jr. - JPEG RAW, 11. The Cure - Songs of a Lost World, 12. Myles Kennedy - The Art Of Letting Go, 13. Jack White - No Name, 14. FM – Old Habits Die Hard, 15. Massive Wagons - Earth to Grace, 16. The Quireboys - Wardour Street, 17. Blackberry Smoke - Be Right Here, 18. Orange Goblin - Science, Not Fiction, 19. Von Hertzen Brothers - In Murmuration, 20. Bad Nerves - STILL NERVOUS, 21. Big Big Train - The Likes of Us, 22. Sebastian Bach - Child Within the Man, 23. The Lemon Twigs - A Dream Is All We Know, 24. IDLES - TANGK, 25. Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks - TRUE, 26. Magnum - Here Comes the Rain, 27. Moggs Motel - Moggs Motel, 28. The Hot Damn! – Dancing On The Milky Way, 29. Slash - Orgy of the Damned, 30. Royal Republic - LoveCop, 31. Terrorvision - We Are Not Robots, 32. Green Day - Saviors, 33. Fantastic Negrito - Son Of A Broken Man, 34. Hawkwind - Stories From Time and Space, 35. Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts - Rogue To Redemption, 36. Blues Pills - Birthday, 37. Gun - HOMBRES, 38. The Virginmarys - The House Beyond The Fires, 39. MC5 - Heavy Lifting, 40. Opeth - The Last Will and Testament, 41. Joanne Shaw Taylor - Heavy Soul, 42. Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown - Electrified, 43. His Lordship - His Lordship, 44. Saxon - Hell, Fire And Damnation, 45. Peter Perrett - The Cleansing, 46. Nightwish - Yesterwynde, 47. The Cold Stares - The Southern, 48. Sweet - Full Circle, 49. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Wild God, 50. Bon Jovi - Forever.

 

Other artists that managed to draw praise from all three magazines include veterans Jack White, Nick Cave, and The Cure, as well as younger bands like The Lemon Twigs and Idles. The most surprising name included in all three lists is that of Peter Perrett formerly of The Only Ones. Where has he been since he wrote "Another Girl, Another Planet" 45 years ago? Further, I'm not surprised that the other magazines ignored albums lauded by CR by bands like Judas Priest and Deep Purple. I am nevertheless very surprised that no-one else acknowledged the release of new albums by Pearl Jam and Green Day. Have they already become the kind of nostalgia act that fills stadiums while their new release goes unnoticed? Let's hope that the new Trump presidency will inspire another masterpiece, the way George W Bush did with American Idiot. Besides, Trump did inspire Green Day's new single "The American Dream Is Killing Me" with its allegoric "zombie apocalypse" video: