What a difference a day made, as Esther Phillips once sang. Thursday was unending, like a 307-year wait for nationhood with no happy ending: little stampface action and even less on the vinyl front. Thank heaven for James Brown, and for him having been Live At The Apollo in 1960-whatever, and for him then leaving the building with a grateful punter late in the afternoon, and for him thereby saving us from an unthinkable vinyl shutout. They didnt call James the hardest working guy in showbiz for nothing, evidently. Today, though, with the dream of independent nationhood truly dead and buried, the public came out in numbers and we had a frantic day on the stampface (much of it currency-related) and an equally fulfilling day of vinyl action, with plenty of platters leaving the building and plenty more arriving. Cant wait to check out some of the new talent tomorrow morning. Heres what kept us entertained over the last two days, anyway: Andy Mackays In Search Of Eddie Riff (Island, 1975) - in which the Roxy Music saxman conjures an album of delightful warmth and 50s nostalgia, with his signature sax doing a better job than Hanks strat did in displacing Cliffs vocal line, if you get my drift. Interesting if not entirely successful covers of Jimmy Ruffins What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted and Maccas The Long & Winding Road on here too. Genesis - Trick Of The Tail (Charisma, 1976). I hated this band and most progism as a rocking teen and this playthrough did little to square the circle. Too much footling keyboards and wistful dorm-penned bullshit, sorry. I think Peter Gabriel should have got out of the machinery earlier, quite frankly. Apparently hed already left before this one was recorded. I didnt notice that, sorry. There doesnt seem to be much appetite for these public school noodlers in Holt, anyway, so relegation from the racks remains a distinct possibility, I fear. The Whos Tommy (Track, 1969). Enjoyment of this original 1969 recording is much enhanced by awareness of the visuals Ken Russell would add six years later. Its annoying that platter-flipping leads to side 1 being followed by side 4, but overall I feel this LP has stood the test of time pretty well. Chuck Berrys San Francisco Dues (Chess, 1972), which finds Chuck on jocular but somewhat downbeat form, though happily without a Ding-a-Ling in sight. What a relief! The Beatles - Help! (Parlophone, 1965) The songwriting has really hit its stride on this one, particularly on Johns wondrous Hide Your Love Away. The Beatles - Abbey Road (Apple, 1969). Poor old Macca, pulling this one together pretty much on his own, but the best songs are Johns and Georges. Its an album I grew up with, Live At The Drive, so Ill never tire of it. This much is certain in an uncertain world, good people. Steeleye Span - Please To See The King (Mooncrest, 1971). Mooncrest, not B&C? Research needed! Excellent dose of Englishe folke music, anyway. Im not yet ready to join Terry Pratchett in calling myself a Spanner, but am definitely warming to these guys, 40-odd years late. R Dean Taylor - Indiana Wants Me (Sounds Superb, 1969?), which leaves one wondering not so much why R Dean was the only white man on Motown (can you name the equivalent white woman?), but just why his reputation has survived as well as it has in the face of this dogs breakfast of shoddy songs, bar of course those pertaining to Jane, who hes gotta see, and the ghost whats in his house. Johnny Cash - title forgotten but it was four sides long and pretty much completely enjoyable, especially Johnnys take on Kristofersons Sunday Morning Coming Down. The man in black never disappoints. Zep II on plum and red - still sounds great, even Bonzos drum solo on Moby Dick. The Stones - Aftermath (Decca, 1966). This is an album that truly proves that less is more. It happened like this. Mick n Keef are now writing everything in sight and the band is an unstoppable force - so much so that they persuade their producer to include 50-plus minutes of music on this platter when everyone on planet pop already knows that it starts to sound rubbish if you go past 40 mins on two sides of vinyl. The result? Great songs undermined by really shoddy production. And you thought that only happened to The Kinks! Roy Orbison Sings Don Gibson (Decca stereo). Really fine album, this, even without Roy taking on Dons peerless Oh Lonesome Me, a la Neil Young. Happy Mondays - Bummed (label forgotten but its drug-soaked Madchester and its 1989, and this album is just so very very groovy). A bit frantic for the stampface, mind, so I let it leave for free with a guy who bought loads of other stuff Meanwhile, The Serene Sarah continues to recuperate from her misty mountain hop. Ive just watched her dramatic helicopter rescue from the wilds of Snowdonia almost live on Yousnooze, but it would seem unethical to repost the link here without her consent, so instead, a propos of Led Zep II, heres hoping that the whole experience doesnt deter her from her admirable impulse to Ramble On: https://youtube/watch?v=DW5ZLyY9w0Y
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 21:14:14 +0000
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