One two three four…
Frankie Miller ‘Full House’ - the best LP by Scotland’s finest rock vocalist. Proof that 1977 had great albums by not just punk and new wave bands;
Saxon ‘The Inner Sanctum’ - metal at its primal best. Sometimes I just have to rock;
Ride ‘OX4 - The Best Of Ride’ - fabbo, and pretty much all the Ride I ever really need. I used to think that ‘When The Levee Breaks’ had the greatest drum intro ever until I heard ‘Dreams Burn Down’, the song with the most awesome dischords in rock history. There, I’ve said it. Mind you…
Led Zeppelin ‘IV’ - … I could never fail to be moved by this, even if I’ve heard the last track on Side One about three thousand times more than I’d care to. It’s the weakest link on an otherwise classic album;
Queen S/T, ‘Queen II’ & ‘Sheer Heart Attack’ - it’s too easy to diss Queen the pop group, notwithstanding a handful of decent (if overplayed) 45s. What I could never diss are their first three albums, which created a very distinctive blend of hard rock and prog with just enough check on the cheese factor to keep them credible. Remember them this way;
Catherine Wheel ‘Ferment’ - I always thought this band would make it, but I was wrong. Sad, because their recorded legacy reveals a powerful and melodic band that really should have conquered continents. Their debut remains my favourite;
Fleetwood Mac ‘Mystery To Me’ - the albums that Mac released between their blues and megastar periods are relatively forgotten. This 1973 effort is one of the best, with Bob Welch and Christine McVie providing some state of the art pop/rock songs every bit the equal of Mac’s later years;
Wigwam ‘Dark Album’ - denied a UK release at the time of its making, Wigwam’s first phase swan song still sounds fresh and original 47 years on, and not dark at all! Jim Pembroke RIP. Hull’s loss was Helsinki’s gain;
Bob Dylan ‘More Bob Dylan Greatest Hits’ - the album that kickstarted my personal Dylan journey in 1973, and still one of my favourites;
Ramones ‘It’s Alive’ - one of THE great double live albums, even if it barely lasts longer than most single ones. Unremitting ramalama at its best;
Van der Graaf Generator ‘Still Life’ - I’ve nothing to say about this record beyond the fact that it’s part of my very soul;
Robert Wyatt ‘Rock Bottom’ - comments as above;
Fairport Convention ‘Fairport Live Convention’ - from Sandy Denny’s unsung second term with Fairport. Good, but not great;
Sandy Denny ‘Rendevous’ outtakes - the massive box set released in 2010 revealed a host of rejected songs and altermate takes that could have made Sandy’s final album a classic;
Radiohead ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’ - it’s been too long, guys;
The Beatles ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ - the Fabs’ psych apex;
Julian Cope ‘Fried’ - utter shite ;-)
Streetwalkers ‘Red Card’ - always in the shadow of Family, yet for me a more consistent band on vinyl. This was their finest hour;
Grant Green ‘Idle Moments’ - just another awesome Blue Note session;
Schoenberg: Verklaerte Nacht (ECO/Vladimir Ashkenazy) - Arnold’s “greatest hit” caught just before his move into atonality and serialism. In either its string sextet or (as here) string orchestra guise it’s a lovely, late romantic wallow;
Haydn: String Quartet Op.77 no.1 (Emerson Quartet) - the Emersons are often criticised for being too technically gifted, which seems preposterous to me. Their musicality in this late Haydn masterpiece is right bang in the spirit of the music;
Beethoven: String Quartet Op.59 no.1 (Hungarian Quartet) - much as I love all Beethoven it’s his middle period works that thrill me most, and this idiomatic 1960s account of the first Rasumovsky Quartet is a real gem;
CPE Bach: Sonatas & Sonatinas (Christopher Hogwood) - this dude’s musical influence has been understated. There are harmonic progressions in these works that even his father wouldn’t recognise. And what a lovely record this is;
Brahms: Piano Pieces Op.118 (Wilhelm Kempff) - late Brahms played for all it’s worth. I’m not sure there was ever a greater pianist than Kempff.
And…
And…
And…
… he spilled his guts all over the stage.
Long may your lums reek
Dave x
|
