Tag Archives: reviews

May 12 to 18

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Nightmares On Wax Shape The Future

I’m unsure how I stumbled upon this album, but I’m glad I did. Shape The Future is electronic by genre, but world music outside of that label. It has samples of music and building blocks from all over the place. It flows with an easy continuity and becomes two cohesive slabs of vinyl. Highly listenable.

Larry Norman  Upon This Rock

Larry Norman was an American musician, singer, songwriter, record label owner, and producer. He is considered one of the pioneers of Christian rock music and has released more than 100 albums. I do not recommend buying or even listening to all 100. Upon This Rock, So Long Ago the Garden and Only Visiting This Planet are albums that I would highly recommend. These three became known as Larry Norman’s trilogy of albums and comprise his most widely recognized albums, as well as his best material.

Oxbow  Thin Black Duke

The Oxbow album, Thin Black Duke, is another mystery as to how I found it. Oxbow was an experimental rock band known for the vocal prowess of frontman Eugene Robinson. If you are listening to this for the first time, I recommend having Wikipedia and Genius open to track what you are listening to. Thin Black Duke is an interesting album with twists and turns that kept me busy listening intently.

Gary Numan  The Pleasure Principle

The Pleasure Principle is a blast from the past. I would be willing to place a bet if you asked a random sample of people who were 15 or older when this album was released if they knew it. Then ask them if they have ever intently listened to it. I was guilty of using this album as background noise rather than paying attention as I listened to it. This time, I sat down with a cup of coffee, my second addiction after listening to music, opened Wikipedia and Genius, and paid attention to the grooves in The Pleasure Principle. It had a depth that I hadn’t heard before, and I developed a deeper appreciation for what Gary Numan created on this album. 

The Oak Ridge Boys  The Oak Ridge Boys Have Arrived

The Oak Ridge Boys Have Arrived sounds like a wheelbarrow full of other southern USA Nashville Pop vocal groups. Generic and quickly forgotten after the needle is lifted from the runout groove.

The Oak Ridge Boys    Heartbeat

The same band delivers Heartbeat as The Oak Ridge Boys Have Arrived, but it does not sound the same as the Oak Ridge Boys I listened to previously. Heartbeat is more polished, and while still a Nashville pop-flavoured album, it is more listenable, for me at least. The vocals are tighter, and the bass vocal is moulded into the vocals instead of the occasional bass word or two featured on the Arrive album. The Oak Ridge Boys don’t write any songs on this recording, but they have chosen some tasteful songs to cover. They are a pure vocal band, not playing any instruments themselves, but they use top-notch session musicians. Adding up, we get this: great vocals, well-written songs that fit their vocal style, and delivery by the aforementioned top-notch musicians.

Phil Ochs  Pleasures of the Harbor

Pleasures of the Harbor isn’t an album on my deserted island list. But Phil Ochs is an important musician to hear and to read about. Pleasures of the Harbor was released in 1967, and the Vietnam conflict and the protest movement were in full flight. And, naturally, it wouldn’t be much of a protest movement if there weren’t protest songs.

Pleasures of the Harbour is Phil Ochs’ fourth album, and a significant departure from the previous three albums, which were definitely folk music. Pleasures of the Harbour features traces of classical, rock and roll, Dixieland jazz and experimental synthesized music, and of course, folk music.

The songs in Pleasures of the Harbor are less apolitical than his folk albums. Pleasures of the Harbor features songs that are more in the realm of social commentary. “The Party” savaged high-class snobs, and “Outside of a Small Circle of Friends” is a sarcastic jab at the apathetic nature of people in certain situations. Ochs also used the medium of music to tell stories. The title track, Pleasures of the Harbor, is a dirge to lonely sailors seeking human comfort and connection while in port.

Pleasures of the Harbor is not a go-to album for me, but an entertaining and illuminating album just the same.

Mike Oldfield  Tubular Bells

This album is the same as The Pleasure Principle. Well known but not well listened to. I listened intently and had the same result as on The Pleasure Principle. There is much more going on in this album than I had heard before I started listening to albums focused and alert to what was going on musically, what the lyrics said, and how the message was delivered.

Michael And Stormie Omartian

Omartian Odyssey

Michael Omartian has created a pleasant album, but I enjoy him more for his work with other artists. Brace yourself, the list is impressive to say the least.

Michael Omartian produced number-one records in three consecutive decades. He has earned 11 Grammy Award nominations and won three of those nominations. He spent five years on the A&R staff of ABC/Dunhill Records as a producer, artist, and arranger; then he was hired by Warner Bros. Records as an in-house producer and A&R staff member. Omartian moved from Los Angeles to Nashville in 1993, where he served on the Board of Governors of the Recording Academy, and has helped to shape the curriculum for the first master’s degree program in the field of Music Business at Belmont University.

Artists whom Michael Omartian has produced albums for include:

Clint Black, Michael Bolton, Debby Boone, Steve Camp, Peter Cetera, Christopher Cross, Joe “Bean” Esposito, Amy Grant, Benny Hester, Whitney Houston, the Imperials, The Jacksons, Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton, Cliff Richard, Steely Dan, Rod Stewart, Donna Summer, Wayne Watson, Billy Joel and Trisha Yearwood.

I told you it was impressive.

Roy Orbison  Roy Orbison’s Greatest Hits

Roy Orbison  In Dreams

Roy Orbison  The Very Best of Roy Orbison

Roy Orbison  The All-Time Greatest Hits of Roy Orbison

I was blessed to see the Big O live, and that show stood unchallenged for decades as the best concert I had ever attended. It has been nudged aside and shares that podium now, but I still deeply revere Roy Orbison and his music. I listened to all four of these albums, but you could get away with listening to In Dreams and the double album, The All-Time Greatest Hits of Roy Orbison. 

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

Architecture and Morality

Architecture and Morality completes the trilogy of albums I had to appreciate and pay attention to, intentional listening. The Pleasure Principle and Tubular Bells are the other two. I have an earworm from Joan of Arc, the only song off the album that I carried forward from when I bought it. Architecture and Morality was a more challenging listen, but well worth the effort.

Gilbert O’Sullivan  Himself

Alone Again Naturally is the big hit for Gilbert O’Sullivan and the only reference I had for him and his music. He is a great storyteller and delivers the lyrics in a manner that is unique to him. It turns out he had a long and prosperous career, besides “Alone Again Naturally.” If you had asked me on Friday what I thought of Gilbert O’Sullivan, I would have labelled him a one-hit wonder. He isn’t. He had a long and productive career in music that spanned from his debut album, Himself, to his twentieth release, which was released last year, 2024. I may have to go bin diving to expand my discography of Gilbert O’Sullivan.

So, there we have it. Another week of great music checked off with Roy Orbison being the heavy hitter this week. I love my newest turntable, the Fluance 81+. It is paired with my Cambridge Azur 351A and image Concept 200 speakers. The sound is warm, and the separation is immaculate. I can hear sounds left, right and in between clearly. It is also capable of pushing the sound to a slightly higher volume when the music, or I, ask it to. I use it so much that the stereo in my office rarely gets used. It is a new Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB with Romanca R2 speakers, a decent stereo in its own right. It will get its turn to shine as time passes; meanwhile, onward and upward to another week of music.

The New Pornographers

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The New Pornographers Discography

Mass Romantic

  • Released: November 21, 2000

Electric Version

  • Released: May 6, 2003

Twin Cinema

  • Released: August 23, 2005

Challengers

  • Released: August 21, 2007

Together

  • Released: May 4, 2010

Brill Bruisers

  • Released: August 26, 2014

Whiteout Conditions

  • Released: April 7, 2017

In the Morse Code of Brake Lights

  • Released: September 27, 2019

Continue as a Guest

  • Released: March 31, 2023

I’m not sure if I was brave or foolish, but I listened to the entire discography of The New Pornographers in one week, actually in five days. I didn’t go insane and enjoyed revisiting some albums I hadn’t heard recently. I had this notion that I would write down thoughts, inclinations and assorted comments sifted from the internet and my noggin as I listened to each album. That didn’t happen, at least not in any meaningful or helpful way. I jotted down some notes as I listened to the first two albums and then quit. There were so many notes and comments that I would have written a short book rather than the short format I employ in my blogs. In a truncated style, here are some of my takeaways from this music marathon. A.C. Newman and Destroyer frontman Dan Bejar wrote all the songs on the album. Lead vocals were mainly by A.C. Newman and Neko Case. The New Pornographers’ membership has ebbed and flowed over the years and album to album, with Neko Case, A.C. Newman, Dan Bejar, and Kathryn Calder as more or less consistent members. The New Pornographers are often called a Canadian supergroup; as a Canadian, I am OK with that assessment; even if Neko Case isn’t a Canadian, she should be.

Mass Romantic

Wikipedia tells us that Mass Romantic was written over the three years prior to its release on November 21, 2000. Standout samples for me started with track one, appropriately, and blended into track two, then three and all the way to twelve.

“In the streetlight dawn

This beat turns on.”

In “Way Back Machine,” Sonny & Cher sang “The Beat Goes On.”

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.” – Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, drummer of Le Figaro. 😉

The Beatles sang that they “read the news today” & “the news was rather sad.”

The New Pornographers “wrote the news today” and then “Make headlines.”

Living in the modern era of social media, we have come to accept that “fake news” is the new normal, especially when Trump is proclaiming it. The New Pornographers wrote a song that goes from “make headlines” to “fake headlines.” They recorded Mass Romantic well before the era of Trump’s fake news nonsense.

Several more comments in my jotted notes have penmanship that make them all but indecipherable. So I won’t mention The Who seeing for miles and miles while The New Pornographers “claim to see for miles, you don’t, but I believe you do.” I have no idea what is going on there.

And I won’t mention that The Mary Martin Show ignited some random synapses in my brain that brought to mind Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, a television parody show. Go figure, eh?

“Breakin’ the Law” closes the album Mass Romantic with a cornucopia of delightful music. 

Mass Romantic must be one of the greatest debut albums. I asked the internet, and it appeared on a few lists, including Paste magazine, which I consider a legit music source, and The Village Voice, which is equally legit.

The New Pornographers‘ first four albums placed in the top 40 on The Village Voice‘s Pazz & Jop year-end poll of hundreds of music reviewers. From 2000 to 2006, either a New Pornographers’ album or a solo album from one of the band’s members ranked in the top 40 on the list each year. In 2007, Blender magazine ranked the New Pornographers’ first album, Mass Romantic, the 24th best indie album ever. In 2009, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the band’s second studio album, Electric Version, No. 79 in the “100 Best Albums of the Decade”. Stereogum has retrospectively praised the band’s debut album, Mass Romantic, as “one of the greatest” power pop albums. I agree.

See what I meant by writing a short book instead of a short blog? What we have here is the edited short version of the notes.

Their sophomore album is Electric Version. I lay awake at night, wondering where the acoustic version is.

On Electric Version, we have From Blown Speakers. That is a great song title; I didn’t drive my speakers that high, but I once worked with a guy who turned the volume so high it vibrated the speaker cabinet off the shelf and crashed to the floor. I had made the shelf and put the speaker on it with no expectation that anyone would listen to music that loud. He did.

New Face of Zero and One was a standout track for me. It’s Only Divine Right is a driving rock number. July Jonesreminded me of Danielson Famile. Why? I don’t know. It just does.

As a whole, the Electric Version sounds like The New Pornographers but dressed up a bit more posh. They are learning as they go, and it sounds good. It’s a more mature sound, fuller somehow.

Track 7 on Brill Bruisers is Another Drug Deal of the Heart with the line “Don’t meet me here

Just meet me out on that corner stop.”

In my mind, it jumped to “Just Walk On By.”

“Just walk on by, wait on the corner

I love you, but we’re strangers when we meet.”

written by Kendall Hayes and performed by American country music artist Leroy Van Dyke. Everyone and their children have subsequently recorded covers of it.

Here are some condensed takeaway thoughts from listening to the discography of The New Pornographs from Mass Romantic to Continue as a Guest. They retained their overall sound but matured and polished their skills as they moved from album to album. 

Mass Romantic, their debut album, stuck with me, which is incredible considering the fact that I listened to all eight of their records after Mass Romantic in chronological order. It isn’t amazing when I reconsider the album; it has always been a highlight favourite of mine. Their sophomore release, Electric Version, is a solid album that proves that Mass Romantic wasn’t a one-off. Twin Cinema, their third release, didn’t stick like glue; it was more like bubble gum. The song “Sing Me Spanish Techno” is a good un. I’ll always hold the album Together in a special place because that was the first time I saw them live. I scored a t-shirt, a poster and a CD from the show.

The Together record is a solid listen, with a couple of tracks that stood out to me, such as Crash Years and Silver Jenny Dollar. Brill Bruisers was gifted to me, which means it will stick with me forever. It is also a good listen for a bonus, and I love the cover art. Whiteout Conditions features Katherine Calder on vocals and harmony. Their last two albums, In The Morse Code of Brake Lights and Continue as a Guest, are good, but one of us is missing something. I will have to listen to them again. The fact that I had listened to all of their albums released up to these two in five days may have coloured my vision. Final comment? It was a good five days of good music; I wonder what will be next in my odyssey through my album library from Eh to Zed.

It was purely coincidental that I listened to this band in the week after their drummer, Joe Seiders, was arrested for possession of child pornography. The band cut all ties to him, and I imagine fans like myself will also distance themselves from him.

The name of the band, New Pornographers, has nothing to do with pornography. The New Pornographers‘ name was chosen by Carl Newman, who said that he came up with it because he was a fan of a Japanese film called The Pornographers. It was also an homage to The New Seekers and “The Pornographers,” a track on bandmate Dan Bejar‘s first Destroyer album, We’ll Build Them a Golden Bridge. My son, Joel Weatherly, and I have seen the New Pornographs live several times and Destroyer once, and it was intense.

April 21 to Star Wars

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As usual, I had an eclectic week of music, from Willie Nelson’s outlaw country to Sixties Music’s hard rock. I didn’t listen to a large number of albums this week, 13, which works out just short of two per day. In reality, I listened to four albums on some days and nothing on other days.

Willie Nelson  Red-Headed Stranger

This album is labelled by many sources as a classic in modern music, and rightfully so. Red Headed Stranger is a quasi-concept album about love, lust and loss. It is very high on my list of songs on the boat ride to the deserted island, when I get their I’ll let you know if it made it to the island or not.

Wikipedia: “Red Headed Stranger was a blockbuster among country music fans and mainstream audiences. It was certified multiple-platinum and made Nelson one of the most recognized artists in country music. The cover of “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” released as a single before the album, became Nelson’s first number-one hit. The title of the album became a lasting nickname for Nelson. It was number 183 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and number one on CMT’s 40 Greatest Albums in Country Music. In 2010, it was inducted into the National Recording Registry.”

Willie Nelson  The Troublemaker

The Troublemaker is a good album, containing gospel standards with the trademark Willie Nelson feel running through it.

Willie Nelson  To Lefty From Willie

I have listened to this album dozens of times and never tired of it. As far as tribute albums go, Willie nails it on To Lefty From Willie. Willie captures the emotion Lefty wrote into his songs and can retain most of the song’s musical and lyrical feel. Lefty Frizell was an incredible all-around musician, a guitar picker, a singer, and a writer. This album is a good place to start if you are getting acquainted with Willie Nelson or Lefty Frizzell. To Lefty From Willie is a deserted island pick in my library.

Willie Nelson  Somewhere Over The Rainbow/The Minstrel Man

It’s a waste of vinyl. These are overcooked, with the orchestra obliterating any notion of this being a C/W album. Willie was good when he was an outlaw, not so hot as a pop crooner. I’ll go back and listen to Red Headed Stranger again to get The Minstrel Man out of my brain.

Pink Floyd  Wish You Were Here

This album has been overdue for a listen. I plopped down in the recliner, cranked the volume to 8, and opened Wikipedia to read about the album as I listened to it. I need to hear this more often; it has some very good music.

Oxbow  Thin Black Duke

I don’t know what genre Thin Black Duke belongs in; I hear alt-rock and experimental rock. Something quirky about this album caught my attention and has stuck with me. I have never listened to any of their other recordings, but I frequently listen to Thin Black Duke—a quality-over-quantity situation.

Various.  Electric Sixties

What a fun listen this was! Electric Sixties was a trip down memory lane with an album full of top-notch songs. The Electric Sixties will reside in my various artist’s collection with five stars beside it. It leans towards the harder rock bands of that era, and I was carried away hearing these songs again.

Juice Newton  Juice

Juice Newton has enjoyed a stellar career in music, with numerous cross-over albums that charted, as well as a long list of charting singles in both pop and country charts. Juice is her third solo album and the only one I have ever owned; it is a good one if it is the only one. Juice is packed with good songs and three charting singles, with Angel of the Morning being my favourite song from the album.

Bobby Bond  The Roger Miller Songbook

I could swear that this is a recording by Roger Miller. It isn’t. The Roger Miller Songbook is the first album, recorded in 1965, for an aspiring musician named Bobby Bond. The Roger Miller Songbook sold more for the name Roger Miller than Bobby Bond. Bobby Bonds’s next album, which was dedicated to Jim Reeves, enjoyed good sales, but like The Roger Miller Songbook did nothing to establish Bobby Bond as a singer. The Roger Miller Songbook is a nice album, especially for those of a certain age who can remember these songs from years long gone.

Van Morrison  Enlightenment

Enlightenment is a cassette that I used to sound test a new old cassette deck that I had purchased. The cassette is good, but the deck needs some TLC. Several Moments Later… I ran a pair of cleaning cassettes through the deck and it sounds better, but not good. It has a dirty sound that I suspect is more than I can fix.

A person that I used to work with was a fan of Van Morrison but stated that if you heard one Van Morrison album, you’ve heard them all. There is an element of truth in that statement. There are, however, different lyrics, fresh musical arrangements, and new emotions and feelings in every one of Van Morrison’s albums. I liked listening to Enlightenment and can see myself returning to this album someday. 

The Violet Burning  Chosen

The Violet Burning is a Christian alternative rock band from the days when I went to church. It is still a decent album; it has aged well. I suspect this could easily be categorized as an alternative rock band, but they got labelled as a Christian band. That label has been a weight around the necks of many good bands. They get stuck in the nowhere world of music, they are too Christian for popular media and too rock for most churches. Larry Norman and Daniel Amos are two fantastic bands, in my opinion, that never broke out of that wasteland. All three of those artists were able to make a career of walking that tightrope. The Violet Burning went on from this debut album to record about a dozen more albums and a slew of other related music projects. I enjoyed listening to this album again and realized that this is the only recording by The Violet Burning that I have. I’ll keep my eyes open for more in my search through thrift and second-hand stores.

Kevin on Repeat #294

I wasn’t familiar with these bands, other than Hendrix, but being open to listening to new music, I listened to this while I tapped out this blog. They are all good, Kevin, according to Norman.

April 1-7 2025

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Isolated Youth miserere mei

This band and their album are new to me, courtesy of Bark PR. I’ve given this album easily a half-dozen listens, and I want more. Addictive? Perhaps. It’s definitely music that I want to hear again and again. They churn out distortion-fueled post-punk that charges out of the speakers and assailes my ears. It is not dark, moody music. No, no! They serve the music up raw and gritty with lyrics that touch on faith and the search for meaning in life. Who isn’t?

From the press handout:

“Hailing from the remote coastal town of Norrtälje, Sweden. Isolated Youth’s debut LP is deeply shaped by the atmospheric Nordic landscape they grew up in. From the icy hooks of ‘Ghost Town’ inspired by the desolate streets of Stockholm to the ghostly ‘Psykosoma’, conceived in a studio nestled between a forested graveyard, the band channel the play of light and darkness of their region through a gothic, distortion-fueled lens. Formed by brothers Axel and William Mardberg, along with drummer Andreas Geidemark and bassist Elmer Hallsby, the band channels a raw and atmospheric style that draws influence from icons like The Chameleons, The Gun Club, and Siouxsie & The Banshees. With Axel’s piercing falsetto and William’s intricate, Johnny Marr-esque guitar lines, Isolated Youth have crafted an album that feels both nostalgic and deeply contemporary.”

The song Love Locked In A Dark Room mesmerizes me. It has a jaunty rhythm that reminds me of someone but sounds fresh and original at the same time. It has crashing cymbals and chugging guitars that melt into the lyrics that cry out in longing not to be left alone in a dark room like a bird in a cage. As I listened to this song and meditated on the lyrics, I was reminded of a poem by Maya Angelou, Caged Bird.

Love Locked In A Dark Room:

“Hold me

Before the sun hits and the walls they turn

The dark room is bending

Bird in a cage

Dancing in the Devil’s lair

Love locked in a dark room

I can’t see where I stay.”

Maya Angelou, Caged Bird:

“The caged bird sings   

with a fearful trill   

of things unknown   

but longed for still   

and his tune is heard   

on the distant hill   

for the caged bird   

sings of freedom.”

I would love to hear Isolated Youth perform Love Locked In A Dark Room live. I may be in Sweden, their home and native land, in October. They don’t have any tour dates on their web page, but I remain optimistic. In conclusion, I rate this album as a 5 out of 5. It is a well-crafted musical experience with powerful music and insightful thought-provoking lyrics.

DISCOVER ISOLATED YOUTH 

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | SPOTIFY 

For all press enquiries, please contact james@barkpr.co.uk or Charlotte@barkpr.co.uk

miserere mei is available via Memorials of Distinction and Birthday Productions

Joe Jackson Stepping Out

I hadn’t listened to the music of Joe Jackson other than competing with road noise on the radio back in the days when listening to the radio was a thing. I popped this in the big stereo, sat back in my recliner, closed my eyes and let the music come to me. What I heard was a side of Joe Jackson that I didn’t know existed up to that moment. I could hear sumptuous bass underscoring the songs, powerful but understated. It starts on the first track, Is She Really Going Out With Him? The bass is the bedrock on which the rest of the song is built. I won’t do a long track-by-track review of Joe Jackson’s greatest songs. This listening session gave me another side of Joe Jackson I never knew. I’m listening to it again, focusing more on the vocals and the lyrical content.

Modest Mussorgsky Pictures At An Exhibition

From Wikipedia:

“Pictures at an Exhibition is a piano suite in ten movements, plus a recurring and varied Promenade theme, written in 1874 by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky. It is a musical depiction of a tour of an exhibition of works by architect and painter Viktor Hartmann put on at the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg following his sudden death in the previous year. Each movement of the suite is based on an individual work, some of which are lost.

The composition has become a showpiece for virtuoso pianists, and became widely known from orchestrations and arrangements produced by other composers and contemporary musicians, with Maurice Ravel’s 1922 adaptation for orchestra being the most recorded and performed. The suite, particularly the final movement, “The Bogatyr Gates,” is widely considered one of Mussorgsky’s greatest works.”

Pictures at an Exhibition is easily my favourite classical music album, CD or record. It is a good bit of easy listening for winding down from some business. It is also a favourite of mine for what I call intentional or focused listening. I sit back with no distractions and just listen. I pay attention to different aspects of the music every time I listen to it. I listen to what instruments are used. What is the pacing of the music? Is it going faster? Slower? Escalating or depressing? And other aspects of the album. Yeah, Pictures at an Exhibition is my go-to for classical music.

March 2

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Another fine week of fine music gracing my ears. Some familiar faces that you may recognize and no fresh music this week.

Kate & Anna McGarrigle Pronto Monto

Kate & Anna McGarrigle love over and over

Sweet harmonizing with thoughtful lyrics. The McGarrigle sisters are a win-win. I need to get more of their music. No, I don’t; I need to listen again to the ones I already have.

McGuinn, Clark & Hillman McGuinn, Clark & Hillman

These are three talented men, but this album is barely palatable pop pulp. Next album, please.

Jethro Tull Aqualung

Aqualung is not pop music; it is hit-you-in-the-face rock and roll with a flute. Aqualung is very easy to consume. AllMusic gave it four and a half stars, and most of the initial reviews were positive. The album is generally lauded and viewed as a classic in retrospective reviews.

Aqualung is a classic in my music realm. I remember buying this album in 1973 and listening to it on my parents’ record player in the living room. Their reviews were harsh. Dad didn’t like any music that wasn’t country and western. ‘Nuff said. My mom is a protestant and protested vigorously about the religious imagery on the album. I bought headphones, and they didn’t critique my music again. Aqualung still gets played frequently. I plugged this one into the car and rock and rolled around the city for a week or two. Good music never gets old.

Bob & Doug McKenzie Great White North

Great White North was worth a chuckle or two. Some comedy doesn’t age very well. This album rides the middle of the road. You will probably find this amusing if you are already familiar with Bob & Doug McKenzie. Let me know how it fared with you if you had never heard of them before today.

Rod McKuen Greatest Hits Greatest

Rod McKuen delivers classic 1960s folk music. It’s not my jam; this should have stayed in the ’60s.

Murray McLauchlan Whispering Rain

Murray McLauchlan Only the Silence Remains

Forget Rod McKuen, Murray McLauchlan is a real folk singer. Maybe a bit more popish than folkish, but still a great entertainer who I would gladly buy a coffee to nurse while I listened to him sing. Perhaps best known for his hit single The Farmer’s Song, he also struck gold with Whispering Rain. Only the Silence Remains is a live album showcasing Murray McLauchlan’s talent as an entertainer. The instrumentation is scaled down to Murray on guitar and vocals and accompanied by Dennis Pendrith on bass guitar. I was fortunate to have heard Murry live, and it was a pleasant evening.

Men At Work Business As Usual

1982 is when this came out. I am sitting here listening to it with my foot tapping and loving it. Listening to this has been a pleasant walk down memory lane. Sure, it’s pop music, but it is well-made pop music. I liked it in 1982, and I like it today. “Who Can It Be Now?” is the opening salvo, and it hit me solidly. “Down Under” is probably a bar anthem in Australia; it is instantly recognizable here in their cousin country, Canada. Unfortunately, I don’t find side two as captivating as side one. Next album, please. Two days later, I am still listening to an earworm of “Who Can It Be Now?“

Bette Midler The Divine Miss M

Bette Midler Thighs and Whispers

I love her singing on these two albums, the only two I have featuring The Divine Miss M. Is it ironic that these are the only two?

Wikipedia: “The Divine Miss M reached the Top Ten on Billboard’s album chart and was later awarded a Platinum Disc by the RIAA. It featured three hit singles—”Do You Wanna Dance?”, “Friends”, and “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”—the third of which became Midler’s first No. 1 Adult Contemporary hit. In 1973, the album won Midler a Grammy Award for Best New Artist. “Do You Want to Dance?”, “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and “Friends” were all Top 40 hit singles from the album, with “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” climbing to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching #1 on Billboard‘s Adult Contemporary chart.”

Thighs and Whisper received mixed reviews from music critics, but most were lukewarm and garnered only two stars on AllMusic. But I liked it. I like both of these records, one that got rave reviews and another that barely caused a ripple, and I like both of them. Go figure, eh?

Mike + The Mechanics Mike + The Mechanics

Top ten music that never really revved up; it may be time to see a mechanic.

So, there you have my music for the last week. I will continue my trip through the alphabet this week and try to squeeze in some new tunes.

February 3

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February, time flies, 1/12 of the year is gone. What do I have to show for it? I have a new turntable and speakers. I cleaned my office desk and moved things around a bit. I volunteered for a couple of hours at RCP and took 2 new CDs home. I was happy to find a sealed copy of the LSU album Wakin’ Up The Dead. The other was a near-mint copy of the Van Der Graaf Generator album Still Life on CD. I have continued my odyssey through our vinyl collection and have nearly made it out of the letter L. I’ve also received some good music from Big Stir Records, Shameless Promotions, BARK and Mystic Sons PR to review. Yeah, it’s been a good start to the year.

What follows is a blend of my writing and the press release from Big Stir Records for the album Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow by the band Sorrows

From Big Stir Records, I have been listening to the album Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow by the band Sorrows. This album was recorded in one night back in 1981. There is an interesting backstory to this album. Feeling angry and alienated by their label and the label’s lack of support and empathy for their work, the band took those emotions into the studio and recorded this album in one all-night session. The raw emotions come pulsating from the speakers as the band vents and rage with their voices and music. While the album certainly has a 1981 vibe to the punk and post/punk era it was created in, the new mixing brings a fresh appeal to an already exciting recording session.

From the opening salvo of the song Never Mind with the power of the lyrics, “Never mind, never mind, never mind, just leave me alone!” we get a taste of the energy in that recording studio. From the Rolling Stones, Sorrows, borrow “Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow?” and give an already great song a fresh energy boost.

This is not the only song with a retro vibe and shows the influence of other bands from that era. Ricky Street tells us that “What A Good Boy” is clearly inspired by my love of early Who records. I did my best to craft a lyric that felt in keeping with the kind of modtastic feeling their records possessed at the time. While the music is all mine, I also owe a lot to Joe and Arthur for channelling Pete Townshend and really bringing it home.”

The story of Sorrows – Arthur Alexander (vocals, guitar), Joey Cola (vocals, guitar), Ricky Street (vocals, bass) and Jet Harris (drums) – is breathtakingly brief. Still, it has taken nearly five decades to play out. Rising from the ashes of the revered Popees in the late ’70s, they were blending hooks and harmonies with punk rock energy on stages like CBGB and Max’s Kansas City just as the new wave and power pop sounds were about to break through to the mainstream. Their 1980 debut, Teenage Heartbreak, showed what they could do, and the timing was right for a follow-up to catapult them to the same stages as The Cars, The Knack, and Cheap Trick or earn a place among the genre-defining likes of 20/20 and The Plimsouls. History and the band’s label had other ideas, and the 1981 debacle of their overproduced-against-the-band’s-will second album nearly ended the band. A wave of defiant anger and an undimmed gift for pop songcraft fueled the band’s writing and onstage energy for a time before their ultimate breakup. Still, that final phase of Sorrows and a clutch of terrific unreleased songs seemed lost to the back pages of rock history.

Things began to change forty years later as, on the opposite coast in LA, the band’s Arthur Alexander found himself back in the game as a solo performer with his acclaimed albums One Bar Left and … Steppin’ Out! (and his relentless live shows with Arthur Alexander Band) picking up right where he’d left off. But Arthur and his Sorrows bandmates had been pursuing the rights to the material on the ill-fated Love Too Late album all along, and finally, having secured them (as well as the session masters), recreated the album as they had envisioned it, leading to the surprise 2021 release of Love Too Late… the real album. Much to the delight of fans old and new (and critics worldwide), it was a revelation. The record was set straight, and it was clear to everyone who listened that Sorrows should have been huge.

But the story wasn’t complete then, any more than it had been in 1981, and we flashback to that year to tell the tale of the final chapter, now soon to be heard in all its raucous splendour on the aptly-titled Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow. Because our heroes, stung by the label interference that had tried (and failed) to remake their music into bland Top 40 fodder, had retrenched to a sound that was, if anything, a more raw and powerful brand of rock and roll than ever before. It’s crystal clear that the experience had given them something to prove, and you can hear that immediately when the lead track “Never Mind” comes blasting out of your speakers, with Alexander defiantly declaring, “Never mind, never mind, never mind, just leave me alone! Never mind, never mind, never mind, I’ll work it out on my own!” It’s well-earned fury at the music industry’s machinations and thus as relevant now as then. Still, as the album progresses, you can hear that same fire fueling all of Arthur’s originals. There are seven undiscovered gems from his pen, including the single “Out Of My Head,” the heartfelt, in-the-moment elegy for John Lennon’s “Cricket Man,” the rockabilly-infused scorcher “Let Me Know,” the revved-up Buddy Holly tribute “Kiss You Later” and the intense drivin’ song, “Too Much Love” which he describes as “classic Sorrows.”

But Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow is the band’s album and a singular and cohesive record. Far from a posthumous collection of outtakes or leftovers, it’s a document of its time and was created on purpose in one night in 1981. The band, still stalking the stages of NYC while smarting from their treatment on the Love Too Late album and feeling a need to reclaim their identity, reconnected with Mark Milchman, who’d co-produced their debut, and booked into the iconic Mediasound Studios where their initial magic was born, for an all-night marathon session. “We just wanted to play a bunch of new songs we had been working on and rock the demons out of our system,” recalls Arthur. “We went in late in the evening, set up our amps, drums and mics in the middle of Studio A – ‘The Church’ – all out in the open as if we were on stage, then we plugged in and just let ‘er rip! By the time we left the studio, the sun was up, and we had our next album!”

In addition to capturing the band firing on all cylinders as a performing unit, the session yielded terrific new originals from Ricky Street (“What A Good Boy,” “Just One Fool To Blame,” and “Love Ain’t Nothing (Without You)”) and Joey Cola (“That’s Your Problem”), heard here for the first time. And the covers show the band uniting in their mutual love for the music that inspired them. Their takes on classics by The Rolling Stones and Eddie Cochran are jaw-dropping one-take wonders that could only be delivered by a band with something to prove. The closing cover of The Pirate’s “You Don’t Own Me” is absolutely blistering (and, given what Sorrows had just been through, perhaps the record’s definitive statement of purpose).

Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow is a miracle on more than one level. It’s too inspired and rambunctious to be bittersweet, but it might be the album the band was meant to create from the beginning. “When I started this band, part of my musical vision was of a band juxtaposing a bit of a ‘down,’ melancholic vibe, with an uplifting, relentless, kick-your-teeth-in drive, energy and aggression,” recalls Arthur. And while he, Joey, Ricky and Jett might have wished the tale would end differently, the magic preserved here is a pure realization of that vision. It’s a monster of a swan song, and Arthur’s 21st-century mix of this nothing-to-lose, go-for-broke 1981 session packs more punch than any record label would have countenanced at the time of its recording. It’s sweet indeed, and at long last, Sorrows can lay claim to a trilogy of albums worthy of their talents and a legacy that will resonate for many, many years to come.

The album sees release at last on February 28 on Vinyl, CD and Streaming and is up for pre-order/pre-save now:

BIG STIR RECORDS

Burbank, CA / Distributed Worldwide

Copyright © 2024 Big Stir Records

All Rights Reserved.

Design © Big Stir Records

Next up, we have the UK synthpop duo Dragon Welding presents ‘We Dance Among You,’ the second offering from ‘The Naughty Step’ album, out February 28 via Dimple Discs. This insanity is captured in a dynamic ‘stop-start’ animation. Dragon Welding was founded by Andrew Golding of UK indie noise-pop legends The Wolfhounds, who shares, “The next generations of people will look back at our generation in absolute horror. It’s about those hiding amongst us in plain sight. Profit over the planet every time with a complete disregard for the next generations…” 

Bandcamp  https://dimplediscdragonwelding.bandcamp.com/track/we-dance-among-you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waTKLSwzfMA

I watched the video, which is rare for me. I am not an alumnus of early MTV. I was captivated by the video and the music. So, I listened to the whole album. It is good, and I can see why it might encourage us to dance.

‘We Dance Among You’ is out now via  Bandcamp.  ‘The Naughty Step’ album, set for release on February 28, is now available for pre-order. Vinyl and CDs will be available from Rough Trade, Amazon and Resident Records.

‘The Naughty Step’ album pre-order  https://orcd.co/dragonweldingnaughtystep
Vinyl & CD pre-order  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Naughty-Step-Dragon-Welding/dp/B0DSPH4N5N
Get tickets  https://wegottickets.com/event/645621

Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

On My Turntable

Spacemen 3 – A Perfect Prescription

A Perfect Prescription is a perfect trance/psychedelic/drone music album. I found Spacemen 3 through the band Spiritualized, started by band member Peter Kember after Spacemen 3 disbanded. I listened to this album twice a couple of days apart, and each listen revealed more details to me. They only recorded four albums over the space of five years while they were a band. I also have Playing With Fire and their live album, Performance. I will start shopping for their other two studio albums. I also have the Spiritualized album, And Nothing Hurt, which is also an excellent album that we will experience when we reach “S.”

Lulu Belle and Scotty – Down Memory Lane

Down Memory Lane is what Country & Western music sounded like before it got gentrified and became pop music in 4/4 time. I grew up listening to my Dad play music like this with nothing but his voice and his guitar. We lost his voice in 1999. I have his guitar hanging on the wall in my office.

Jimmie Lunceford Blues In The Night Vol. 4

Vintage jazz/blues/swing fusion album. Jimmie Lunceford was active in the music scene in the 1930s and 40s. While only attaining modest sales of his records and a reputation for underpaying his band, Jimmie Lunceford never broke through to the level of success of other bands like Duke Ellington and Tommy Dorsey. This album is still a good listen and a history lesson on what the big bands played 100 years ago.

Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti

I have tried several times over the years to really ‘get’ Led Zeppelin. To this day, it has not happened. I listened to this in my car for about a month. It is two discs, and I still don’t get LeZep. Moving on…

Corb Lund Losin’ Lately Gambler

Corb Lund Cabin Fever

Corb Lund Counterfeit Blues

Corb Lund Things That Can’t Be Undone

Where to begin writing about Corb Lund and his music? I was introduced to the man and his music when he did a couple of live shows as part of a free festival downtown. I was working in the Herb Jamieson and a couple of my co-workers got excited about it and went to watch him. I had the next day off, so I went downtown with my family to catch his show. I immediately heard why my co-workers liked him. He played music that resonated with my “Hurtin’ Albertan” core. I have been to numerous shows featuring Corb Lund since then.

Corb Lund started his music career fresh out of Grant MacEwan College, studying jazz guitar and bass. Lund and three of his classmates formed the hard rock/metal band The Smalls in 1989. They toured hard and released four albums plus one compilation over their time together. Noted for technical ability, speed guitar attack of Dug Bevansand arching vocal style of lead singer Mike Caldwell, whose wide vocal range is well showcased in the band’s cover of Natural Woman as it appeared on their last release, My Dear Little Angle. Caldwell was known for his considerable vocal skills, unassuming stage manner, and refusal to banter with audiences. Corb Lund is more recently known for his work with his roots and country project Corb Lund and the Hurtin’ Albertans. Lund formed his country trio, the Corb Lund Band, in 1995. He focused exclusively on Country and Western music when The Smallsbroke up in 2001. Digging into his roots in the farming communities of Taber, famous for their corn, Cardston and Rosemary, Lund found a voice in C/W that suited his voice and lyrics better than heavy metal had. He spends his downtime on his ranches between extensive tours and recording a dozen albums. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the four vinyl albums that I have at hand. I have a couple more on CD that I will savour another day. I don’t want to overdose on Corb Lund’s music; I want to savour it.

All his albums are good in my world, but I mostly gravitated to Counterfeit Blues by Corb Lund and the Hurtin’ Albertans. Ranging from the sly humour of “Five Dollar Bill” and “Truck Got Stuck” to the redneck anthem “Roughest Neck Around,” Corb Lund hits the C/W sweet spot in his songs. There is no mistaking his country roots and his love of the rodeo life on songs like “Buckin’ Horse Rider” and “(Gonna) Shine Up My Boots.” It’s good music that even non-cowboys could enjoy, but the cowboy in me relishes music like Corb Lunds.

January 27, 2025

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It has been a very interesting week, very interesting indeed, but not super silly. I brought the week in with yet another shot of Bob Dylan, Empire Burlesque this time. That makes my twentieth Dylan album, and the time has come for a respite from Bob; too much of a good thing can be too much. However, I can’t part ways without mentioning my take on Empire Burlesque. I concur with the general reviews that this is an ’80s album; it has that feel. It is also eclectic, with a revolving door of talented accompanists, bringing a different taste to the album’s flavour. I won’t rate this album in the top echelon of Dylan albums, but it is still a pleasant listen and thus avoids the fate of Dylan’s self-titled 1973 album, banishment, never to be heard again.

Moving on, I listened to Resurrection Song by Mark Lowry—a shot of white Christian Bible belt church music. Just as popular music artists go on tours to take their messages to the masses, popular Christian artists also did that. They would go from town to town and church to church. The bigger the artist, the bigger the churches. Mark Lowry was of the Southern Baptist flavour and was an accidental comedian. As the backing tracks for his songs were set up and guitars tuned, he would do monologues that he noticed were bringing laughter to his routine. He began making that a staple of his shows and was quite good at it. Mark scored one mega-hit with the song “Mary, Did You Know?” I can remember a missionary that our church supported singing this song. It was a powerful performance. This album isn’t of that calibre, but as far as white Baptist singers go, this is par for the course.

Next, we have a different flavour of gospel music: black southern gospel, John Littleton Et The Clarence Jones Family, and Steel Away. This album seemed uneven to my ears and never really got a head of steam going, which is unfortunate because there is some excellent music to be heard on this album. I will do bin diving to find more from either of these two artist groups, John Littleton and The Clarence Jones Family.

K.O.G. Zone 6, Agege (feat. Franz Von & Gyedu-Blay). I have been listening to modern African jazz lately and enjoying what I hear. This album is more in the world music category but excellent in any genre. I’ve listened to it several times and am sure more spins will come.

Next in the queue, we have Nick Lowe. I have been listening to his music since his first solo album, Pure Pop For Now People. I am, in fact, listening to that album now. This album is titled “Jesus of Cool” in the UK and has some different tracks; check out Wikipedia for the long story. From his days in the band Brinsley Schwarz to playing bass in another band, Rockpile, Nick has had a stellar career and collaborated with some of music’s heavy hitters, including his once-upon-a-time wife, Carlene Carter.

I went on a binge with Nick Lowe this week: Pure Pop For Now People, Labour Of Lust, Nick the Knife, The Abominable Showman, Rose of England ( Nick Lowe and his Cowboy Outfit), Pinker and Prouder Than Previous, and closing with Love Starvation/Trombone/Tokyo Bay/Crying Inside.

These are only his solo albums, and I don’t have all of them. Elsewhere on our journey through the alphabet, we will encounter Nick in the records of Elvis Costello, Ian Gomm, Rockpile, Dave Edmunds and many others. Nick also produced albums for Dr. Feelgood, The Rumours and others and collaborated with Johnny Cash and a laundry list of others. Nick genuinely plays well with others. 

I listen to the first two albums by Nick Lowe most frequently, Pure Pop For Now People and Labour of Lust. Two album titles hint at the wordplay in Nick Lowe’s songs. These albums came out in 1978 and ’79, fertile years for New Wave music for which I was a sponge. Although he didn’t have a long list of top ten hits, he did chart a few times and a couple of heavy hitters written by Nick Lowe and covered by others charted. He is best known for the songs “Cruel to Be Kind” (a US top 40 single) and “I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass” (a top 10 UK hit), as well as his production work with Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, and others. Lowe also wrote “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding,” a hit for Costello and “I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock ‘n’ Roll),” a hit for Rockpile bandmate Dave Edmunds.

Nick Lowes’s influence is impressive. Paraphrased from Wikipedia:

In 2011, The New York Times claimed: “The 40-year career of the English singer-songwriter Nick Lowe constitutes a paradox: the songs he has written are better known than he is.” Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys described Lowe as one of his favourite lyricists. In another interview, he said he was “blown away” and sent “back to square one” by Lowe’s songwriting.

Wilco covered the Nick Lowe song “I Love My Label” as the B-side to “I Might” (2011) on their dBpm label. Nick Lowe toured with Wilco for their album The Whole Love and made guest appearances on his “Cruel to Be Kind” and (along with Mavis Staples) appeared onstage for a cover of The Band‘s song “The Weight.” The quality of this video sucks, but it gives a hint of the power that occupied the stage that night. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qn75TFZA5k&t=4s

So there we have it, a week dominated by Nick Lowe with brief interludes by others. Happy listening, and  “If the Good Lord’s Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise,” I look forward to exploring our musical journey again next week.

January 20, 2025

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It has been a marvellous week in my music corner. Record Collectors Paradise had a sale of overstocked records that they were selling for $5 each, and the CDs were two for $5. I walked out with ten albums and two CDs and settled in for some serious listening. I made it through five albums, and a new CD player is in the mail. A road trip may be on the to-do list to listen to music; it’s a thing that we love to do: drive, listen to some music, and talk about it.

I also listened to music from Bark and Mystic Sons, PR firms, so I will include some mini reviews of them today as well. So, let’s dive into what I listened to this week.

Ira & Charles Louvin Ira & Charles Louvin

These guys are mostly remembered for the cover of one of their albums, Satan Is Real. For 1959, this was a real kicker. It has mellowed with age and is considered more of a cheesy oddity today. Apart from the album cover, these two gentlemen could sing great harmony between them. Their star shone briefly, but it shone brightly. They mostly played bluegrass with a strong gospel flavour. I grew up listening to this music, so giving it a positive review is only natural.

Loggins & Messina Full Sail

Loggins & Messina So Fine

I was never much of a Loggins & Messina fan, and these two albums did nothing to change that. They aren’t bad; they just aren’t albums that appeal to me.

Spacemen 3  Perfect Prescription

Spacemen 3 are just what the doctor ordered to lift your spirits. I don’t know where to put them genre-wise. Psychedelic trance? It is good music to flop on the sofa and read a book with.

Lee Scratch Perry Reggae Greats

Lee Scratch Perry was a pillar in the reggae scene. He worked with and produced for various artists, including Bob Marley and the Wailers, Junior Murvin, the Congos, Max Romeo, Adrian Sherwood, Beastie Boys, Ari Up, the Clash, the Orb, and many others. That’s an impressive resume.

Crosby, Stills & Nash CS&N

I have been listening to the music of CRN and sometimes Y for a long time. I saw Neil Young live in 1984 and Crosby in 2016, and their albums from the 1970s to the present. This album follows on the heels of Déjà Vu, and that is a hard act to follow. I liked listening to this, but it is not as strong as some of their other material, solo and collectively.

Bob Dylan Slow Train A Coming

The Slow Train is the first of Dylan’s Christian albums, which probably turned a few folks away from listening to this album. The Christians filled that gap nicely. Dylan had been riding a downer with some of the worst reviews in his career. Slow Train pulled him up, and this album received mostly positive reviews and a Grammy. I enjoyed it immensely. I also love the album artwork.

Iron Butterfly In-Gadda-Da-Vida

In-Gadda-Da-Vida is one of those albums that everyone should have in their collection. It is famous for its 17-minute track, In-Gadda-Da-Vida. I doubt if many people could name a song on side one of this album. I listened to it and was surprised at how good it sounded. I hadn’t listened to In-Gadda-Da-Vida for donkey years; this was a good blast from the past.

Bob Dylan Dylan

Dylan, the album, was not a good blast from the past. File this album at the bottom of the pile under oddities. I doubt if I will ever listen to this again.

RORO and snapir COLORS LEFT

I had been savouring the single Mass that RORO and Snapir released last year and anxiously awaited the release of this whole album, Colors Left. It does not disappoint. From the energetic opening track, Tehran Jewel, to Mass, to Colors Left, there is not a dull moment to be had. This needs curated listening, over and over, to catch all the nuances. If this is Colors Left, I am curious to know what Colours Right was all about.

“Our goal was to create a soundscape that represents emotional rebirth,” the duo explains. “Each track is a deliberate exploration of bringing colour back into a monochromatic experience.” The album’s creation served as both a healing process and a platform for artistic discovery, combining digital glitches, dark ambient, and future garage elements with sophisticated production techniques.

From the club-ready rhythms of ‘Fractures’ to the enveloping warmth of ‘Lacuna’ and the primal intensity of ‘Mass,’ each track contributes to a carefully curated sonic journey. Yet, the album’s focus track, Tehran Jewel, establishes the album’s distinctive character, beginning with distorted electronic elements before transitioning into powerful, dark rhythms. The track creates an atmospheric foundation that invites deep listening and interpretation. Throughout the album, carefully constructed moments of dissonance challenge listeners to find meaning within the seeming chaos. As the artists themselves reflect, every element is intentional, making the apparent disorder all the more compelling—. “Nothing is superfluous, making the disorder more intriguing. If everything has its place, how can the pieces feel so randomly fractured?” says the duo.

The music of RORO and snapir on Colours Left challenged and engaged me. The whole album complemented the single Mass, which I had kept on repeat since it hit my inbox last year. I have a strong feeling that this will be on a playlist at the end of the year.

DISCOVER RORO

INSTAGRAM | WEBSITE | SOUNDCLOUD 

DISCOVER SNAPIR 

INSTAGRAM | WEBSITE |  SPOTIFY

For all press enquiries, please contact james@barkpr.co.uk, or dan@mysticsons.com 

Until next week, happy listening, my friends.

January 13, 2025

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I rarely miss a blog week, but I did that in the first week of 2025. In my defence, I was rather sick and hadn’t listened to any new music until then. I listened to some good albums in the letter L as I continued my journey through our vinyl slabs. So, without further ado, let’s see what we listened to in the first two weeks of 2025, up to Sunday, January 12.

The good folks at Big Stir (https://bigstirrecords.com/home) came through first to the post with the album Back To California by the band 20/20. But before getting there, we must travel the road from January 1 to today, January 13. These will be mini-readers to add some context to the sounds.

Joyce Landorf  For People Who Don’t Hear The Music Anymore

She has a good voice, which could be used better than it is on this album; it is a great album name, though.

Leapy Lee Little Arrows

Earworm warning. Thinking about this song without hearing it is enough to generate an earworm. Little Arrows is a catchy, radio-friendly song that causes the remainder of the album to be overlooked, and that is a shame because Leapy Lee has a good voice.

Byron Lee and The Dragonaires  Dancing Is Forever

Byron Lee is recognized in Jamaica for his contribution to the music of Jamaica, the Caribbean, and eventually abroad. Lee has a deep catalogue: https://www.discogs.com/artist/29820-Byron-Lee-And-The-Dragonaires

Alvin Lee & Mylon LeFevre On The Road To Freedom

On The Road To Freedom is an interesting mash-up of two artists who play in different worlds. Alvin Lee is best known for contributing to the band Ten Years After. Mylon LeFevre is a Christian musician.

John Lennon John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band

John Lennon Imagine

John Lennon Shaved Fish

I don’t have words to express my feelings while playing John Lennon’s music.

Lettermen All-Time Greatest Hits

Lettermen All-Time Greatest Hits

Good harmony and folksy music.

Gary Lewis And The Playboys This Diamond Ring

I had a first print of this once upon a time. I also encountered a lovely lady who liked this album and deserved better than me.

Gordon Lightfoot Don Quixote

Gordon Lightfoot Here On Earth

Gordon Lightfoot Sit Down Young Stranger

I like Gordon Lightfoot’s music. He has a unique vocal style that is his alone, and he does Canada proud.

Centrale Discotheek Rotterdam

Pink Floyd Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

I played this twice.

Spacemen 3  Performance

I need to plug this into the amp and crank it.

The Limeliters  Our Men in San Francisco

The Limeliters  Time To Gather Seeds

Nice harmony in folk music.

Little Feat Waiting For Columbas Disc 1

Little Feat Waiting For Columbas Disc 2

I listened to Little Feat in my first incarnation, then lost contact with them during my lost years, and then found them again just now. I still like them.

Todd Rundgren  Something Anything

There is something about Todd Rundgren that has a magical, magnetic pull on me.

That brings us to today, January 13, as I write this, and Back to California by the band 20/20 is on the virtual turntable. I put this album on repeat, and I have racked up a dozen trips as I kept Coming back to California. There are some albums that I have heard once, and that is enough. There are some albums that I have listened to once, and that was one too many times. There are some albums that I can listen to more than once, and I still find them enjoyable. Some albums will become anual listeners given enough time to find that groove from the turntable to my brain. And some of those albums will become deserted island albums.

Coming Back to California by 20/20 isn’t a Deserted Island album yet, but it has passed the first test, the “repeat listener and still like it” category. The next step needs several months to see if I still like it. We’ll see how it fares in the year-end summary. Meanwhile, let’s listen to the album again and focus on the details.

The lead track is the title track, Coming Back To California. There are multiple reasons as to why we would be going back. The lyrics are open to speculation, giving us, the listeners, a chance to think about why we would be going back. I was a long-haired hippy when a friend and I dropped everything, jumped in my car and pointed it in the direction of California. I put some figurative flowers in my hair in 1975 and travelled up and down the west coast. We didn’t have Trump back then, but I would like to know what he would have thought of a Mexico-to-Canada border trip with some long-haired hippy freaks (Signs by Five Man Electrical Band.)

It’s gut-wrenching time when we get to track two. “Why Do I Hurt Myself?” I have an addictive personality; I easily get hooked on things, and then I ask, “Why Do I Hurt Myself?” I could go through this song line by line, nodding my head in demonstration of agreeing and keeping tempo because half the fun is in the music, and the other half is the lyrics. Great song, with credit to:

STEVE ALLEN: VOCALS, GUITAR, KEYBOARD

RON FLYNT: VOCALS, BASS, KEYBOARD, BARITONE GUITAR 

RAY FLYNT: DRUMS, PERCUSSION

p.s. I love the harmonica coda

p.s.s. There is some lovely bass work, not just in this song. Play the album from start to finish, and listen for just the bass.

Dang it all, I am only on the third track, and this is changing from a glance at what I listened to in the last two weeks to a short book of music observations.

Throwing all caution aside, we dive in deeper, and the Springtime Love Song gives us some excellent guitar work. As a former guitar player, I know excellent pickin’ when I hear it, and I hear it in the Springtime Love Song.

This album takes a harsh grinding of the gears and shifts into some rocky terrain. “Lucky Heart” cries out for Donald and hopes that he has a heart. The headlines shout the news that Los Angeles is on fire and Laurel Canyon is in there. I hope everyone gets out safely, and I hope that their lives can heal and have hope for the future.

Wow, these lyrics hit home. Jumping ahead to the closing track, Farewell.

“Farewell farewell my good friend 

Farewell farewell my good friend

I hope that I told you that I love you

I hope that I told you that I care”

I hope I have told you that I love this album.

I hope I told you that Coming Back to California is an album you should add to your collection.

I hope to go back to California.

I hope that you like this album as much as I do.

2024 In The Rearview Mirror

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Making year-end summaries is always a long and occasionally tedious process. I have to review all the blogs I wrote this year and take notes on which bands I liked and some fringe players I think deserve a second listen. Then, I listened to all the albums (some get a brief glance) again, reviewing what I had written, which was enjoyable. Generally speaking, I wouldn’t say I like making best-of lists, but I will indulge and offer some highlights from this year’s listening sessions.

I listened to about 400 albums this year, with a mix of vinyl, streaming, CDs and a few cassettes thrown in. Having broken my hip certainly impacted my listening for the first 3 or 4 months of the year. I didn’t make a spreadsheet this year, so I don’t have the data on my listening that I usually have.

Regardless of the numbers, it was a good year. There were plenty of new albums and artists that I had not heard of before. I want to thank the PR firms that kept entertaining me with new music. A few independent bands sent me their albums. Thank you. p.s. I am always grateful for the physical copies, any media type.

My beloved Technics turntable reached its last run-out groove. It is 42 years old, so it is ready for retirement. I bought a new audio-technica turntable from Record Collectors Paradise, and look forward to hearing it play music in 2025. I also put new speakers in my office, where I do most of my writing. So, without further ado, here is what I heard in 2024.

Best New Music

Evidence of a Struggle – Keep It

From Shameless Promotion PR, I was offered this album to blog something about. I listened to it numerous times, and apart from saying that I enjoyed it, I provided no commentary on why I liked it.

The press sheet called the music ‘lush, cinematic, beautiful and sometimes chaotic compositions.’ Yeah, it is all of those words, ’nuff said.

Modern Guilt – We’ll Always Have Vegas

I am listening to Modern Guilt’s album We’ll Always Have Vegas. I blogged it in February, so there has been a significant amount of time between my first exposure to the music and now.

I originally wrote that We’ll Always Have Vegas felt very personal, and the lyrics’ sent me chills.’ I am listening to the album as I write this, and it has not lost anything since my first listen and today. It has enjoyable music and good lyrics; Modern Guilt hit a home run with We’ll Always Have Vegas.

Between the Dead and the Dreaming from Ten Millimeter Omega Recordings

Atmospheric chill music. Bandcamp describes Between the Dead and the Dreaming as “dark ambient/instrumental music from Jason Herring of the Mystery Plan, the Interstellar, and Muchacho.” That about sums it up.

Thanks to Ten Millimeter Omega Recordings for suggesting this album to me.

Welcome to The Marble Zone. I am still figuring out what to add to my blog in April. It sums it up well. I enjoy this album; it is a standout for the year, to be sure. Thank you to Bark Music for this audio gem.

GCBC

Best Compilation Albums

Generation Blue from Big Stir Records

I like mix tapes and compilation albums, so when Christina & Rex from Big Stir Records told me about Generation Blue, I was happy to give it a virtual spin. The Shufflepucks’, Where The Hell Is She is the opening salvo, which has retained its energy since my first spin in March. Broken Tooth by Campfire Girls is another standout song I am enjoying as I blog about it. It’s good music. This is a good collection of good tunes.

Various – Stiffs Live

Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello and Ian Dury & the Blockheads appeared on this compilation album. I’ve said a hundred times and will say again, ‘I like compilation albums.’ And this is a humdinger of a collection, loaded with favourite artists of mine from the British New Wave period.

Best Live Show 

Explosions In The Sky – Live at Midway

It still sends a chill down my spine when I think about this live show. I was enthralled, held, and fixated for a couple of hours. A handful of bands and artists have wrapped their music around me like chains fashioned from sheet music. Explosions In The Sky is the most recent band to do so. They are not a flashy band. The lights used on stage were subtle and occasionally blinding when they used backlighting for the stage, Explosions In The Sky is not the only band guilty of this. That was the only mar on an otherwise enchanted evening. Thank you Joel. https://jweatherly.ca

Best New Vintage Album

CSN&Y – Live At Fillmore East, 1969

This album was recorded shortly before their standout album, Déjà Vu (1970), and before their live album, 4 Way Street (1971.) On Live At Fillmore East, 1969, we get to hear four talented musicians, who are arguably stars outside of CSN&Y, coming together and feeling their way towards being a group and not four men on guitars. They are rough in patches and golden on other tracks. A highlight for me was the 16-minute solo of Down By The River showcasing what Young brought to the band. It’s not as polished as 4 Way Street, but it is part of its charm to hear the rough edges before they did Déjà Vu, their most successful album and a studio album squeezed between these live albums.

Best Video 

David Byrne – American Utopia

The American Upopia show was one of the best live shows I have been to, and this video captures a lot of the charm. The video is from the Broadway show of American Utopia, which received a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.

Best Band Name

Ned’s Atomic Dustbin – God Fodder

Thanks to Kevin from On Repeat for reviewing this album, which I promptly listened to.

Best Album/band names

Jerry Jerry and the Sons of Rhythm Orchestra – Road Gore: The Band That Drank Too Much

Best Electronic/Rock/Industrial/Coldwave

PIG – Red Room 

Thanks to Shauna (contact@shamelesspromotionpr.com) at Shameless Promotion PR for suggesting this to me. 

Best Single

RORO and snapir – Mass

Thank you to Daniel Jones at Mystic Sons music publishing.

My Favourite Albums That I Play Every Year

Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon

The consistent yearly winner 51 years in a row. I never tire of listening to this album. I first bought it on vinyl, the next day I bought it on cassette so I could play it in my car. Between 1973 and 2024 I have probably acquired over a two dozen copies of this album in various formats. I use this album for the first listen on any bit of new hardware I acquire since I know how DSotM sounds. Within the last week or so I have used DSotM twice, a new turntable and a new set of speakers. It’s getting better all the time.

The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

I don’t know what I could at to this album’s notes. It fully deserves to be called a classic album.

Bee Gees – Best Of The Bee Gees

Best Of Bee Gees is the first album I bought with my own money.

King Crimson – In The Court Of The Crimson King

I have 12 records by King Crimson, and I listened to all of them chronologically this year. The photo below was taken in London at the Royal Albert Hall in 2019, where King Crimson put on a fantastic concert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of In The Court Of The Crimson King.

Assorted and Sundry Albums

Isaac Hayes – Hot Buttered Soul

A fantastic album, Isaac Hayes’s cover of ‘By The Time I Get To Phoenix’ is brilliant on an already excellent record. Hot Buttered Soul is on my list of deserted island records.

Jethro Tull – Aqualung

1971 for this one, 53 years ago. I remember when I bought Aqualung and played it when I got home. Mom and Dad had one stereo in the living room, and my parents were less enthusiastic about Jethro Tull than I was. It’s funny; the only two albums they ever complained about were Aqualung and Imagine by John Lennon. And then I bought a stereo and a good pair of over-the-ear headphones and never heard them critique my music again.

Talking Heads – Fear Of Music

I can remember surveying a well site south of Hardisty and playing this cassette over and over. Now I play it on vinyl or CD, it is still an album that gets played yearly.

Jefferson Airplane – Surrealistic Pillow

Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – No More Shall We Part

Bill Evans Trio – Live at the Village Vanguard

Bill Evans Trio performing Live at the Village Vanguard ranks up near the top of my favourite live album, and it is a damn good record even if it wan’t live.

Dave Brubeck Quartet – Time Out

Musicians That We Lost In 2024 

Kris Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – Sept. 28, 2024)

Melanie (Feb. 3, 1947 – Jan. 23, 2024)

They have shuffled off their earthly coils, but they will live on through the gift of music that they have given to us.

Best Late Addition

St. Vincent – All Born Screaming

I am at a loss to explain how this flew under my radar since it was released in April. I have been a casual listener of St. Vincent’s music, but this album made me a fan. Powerful music that leaps out of the speakers and engulfs me, this album pumps energy to the next level. All Born Screaming opens with pulses of bass/percussion, and then Hell Is Near settles into a smooth crooner. All good, right? Yes, it is good. Any album’s opening track should draw the listener in and pique their curiosity enough to keep listening past track one. St. Vincent accomplishes that with ease. Track two, Reckless, comes along with soft piano musings and the smooth vocals of St. Vincent, showing the versatility of her vocals, accompanied by a gentle bit of orchestration. Boom! At 2:40, the song explodes and jars our attention to ensure we are still listening. I am! I am listening! The drama, suspense and energy keep unfolding through the remainder of the album; this truly deserves to be included on my list of good ones in 2024.

2024 is fading in the rear view mirror and 2025 is unfolding before me. I finished the letter K in my quest to listen to all my records. I started this journey January 2022. I look forward to the letter L in January.

I wonder what musical gems I will listen to in the year ahead.