"Best of 2012" continues....
Bonzo Dog Band "Keynsham" 1969 Liberty Records
Another weird, endearing and in my opinion brilliant record. A wide variety of styles here- Very, Very British. Friends with the Monty Python gang, Neil Innes of the Bonzos is the coconut wielding "horse" of Sir Robin The Chicken Hearted. A masterpiece. If I didn't know better I'd swear it was Paul McCartney singing "How Sweet to be an Idiot"...
And here, the format abandons the concept for the love of felonius page-turning gimps (not literally of course- how could one simultaneously love and refer to the loved as a felonius page-turning gimp? Begs it's own question!). Forced to precede the introduction with a conclusion, the entirety is lost to blustering whim in the nascent chaos of the moment; revealing the purpose of all at the beginning of the end, only to circle back upon itself, an entity that disappears itself by ingesting its own foot until invisibilty is its inevitable consequence. To recapitulate in a more concrete fashion and for the sake of brevity, please disregard what you've read up until now and continue with the next blog entry as if you'd not read this. After reading the page below, continue to the top of this page and read the first paragraph, then stop. Yes, really (I know)...
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Best of 2012
My "Best of 2012" list starts here...
Beginning with the postulate that good music is good music regardless of it's date of issue my "Best of..." will consist of music I found captivating this year; the stuff that got/gets played the most without regard to its release date.
Like many folks I've been leaning toward the sound of vinyl records more heavily this year. The list will reflect that- surprises from the shelves of local thrifts. Most of these cost me a buck. Do I like 180 gram vinyl? You bet I do. Do I like discovering new music? Sure! Would I have paid $18.99 for any of these not having heard them first? Likely not. (With the exception of Ween "Quebec")
The list:
Emmylou Harris: "Luxury Liner" 1977 Warner Bros.
When you've got Albert Lee, James Burton and Ricky Skaggs working together on your record,
you're somebody. One of a few singers to eschew vibrato for tremolo...unbelievable ability to record her own harmony parts in pitch.Backing harmony is so subtle I missed it the first couple of times through.
Supertramp: "Breakfast in America" 1979 A&M Records
Okay it's cheesy, I know.The guys voice bugs me sometimes.The cymbals are sibilant crap on this recording. The bass line/drum pacing during the "Take a look at my girlfriend..." bit (title track) is a good indicator of system synergy- speakers/amps with weak bass will wimp out.
XTC: "English Settlement" 1982 Virgin Records
Hugh Padgham production. Superior sonics meet the unique nasal-whine of Andy Partridge. Rickenbackers aplenty and lots of toms sprinkled with percussive fairy dust and imaginative production. Odd meter will sneak past you and you may not notice the effortless fretless bass.
Elvis Costello: "King of America" 1986 CBS Records
T-Bone Burnett produced this rather odd sampling of Elvis Costello's attempt at Americanized pop- or at least leaning toward traditionally American instrumentation/musicians. Jim Keltner, James Burton, David Hidalgo (Los Lobos) bring a unique flavor to table here. The cover "Don't let me be misunderstood" is well done- the marimba in particular...
Ten Years After: "A Space in Time" 1971 Chrysalis Records
Alvin Lee covers a lot of ground here- heavy blues, acoustic space-rock, heartfelt confessions of drug-abuse, straight up rock-n-roll (Jimmy Page might/should buy Alvin a drink at the very least;not a note-for note theft, but he sure as hell copped the feel!). I've been listening to Ten Years After "Cricklewood Green" for years, "A Space in Time" allows a more human side of Alvin Lee to come through.
Ween: "Quebec" 2003 Sanctuary
I'm not going to mince words; I love this record. It's a touch windy and conceptual in one or two spots but the good bits are fantastic. These guys (Dean and Gene Ween) are master satirists ala TheTubes, or Frank Zappa, but somehow manage to be satirical without resorting to blatant parody. If you haven't heard them or doubt their songwriting ability, Listen to "Chocolate Town" or "Transdermal Celebration". Frequently I have no idea what in the f*&^ it is that they're singing about. I guess it's a part of what keeps bringing me back. (to be continued...)
Beginning with the postulate that good music is good music regardless of it's date of issue my "Best of..." will consist of music I found captivating this year; the stuff that got/gets played the most without regard to its release date.
Like many folks I've been leaning toward the sound of vinyl records more heavily this year. The list will reflect that- surprises from the shelves of local thrifts. Most of these cost me a buck. Do I like 180 gram vinyl? You bet I do. Do I like discovering new music? Sure! Would I have paid $18.99 for any of these not having heard them first? Likely not. (With the exception of Ween "Quebec")
The list:
Emmylou Harris: "Luxury Liner" 1977 Warner Bros.
When you've got Albert Lee, James Burton and Ricky Skaggs working together on your record,
you're somebody. One of a few singers to eschew vibrato for tremolo...unbelievable ability to record her own harmony parts in pitch.Backing harmony is so subtle I missed it the first couple of times through.
Supertramp: "Breakfast in America" 1979 A&M Records
Okay it's cheesy, I know.The guys voice bugs me sometimes.The cymbals are sibilant crap on this recording. The bass line/drum pacing during the "Take a look at my girlfriend..." bit (title track) is a good indicator of system synergy- speakers/amps with weak bass will wimp out.
XTC: "English Settlement" 1982 Virgin Records
Hugh Padgham production. Superior sonics meet the unique nasal-whine of Andy Partridge. Rickenbackers aplenty and lots of toms sprinkled with percussive fairy dust and imaginative production. Odd meter will sneak past you and you may not notice the effortless fretless bass.
Elvis Costello: "King of America" 1986 CBS Records
T-Bone Burnett produced this rather odd sampling of Elvis Costello's attempt at Americanized pop- or at least leaning toward traditionally American instrumentation/musicians. Jim Keltner, James Burton, David Hidalgo (Los Lobos) bring a unique flavor to table here. The cover "Don't let me be misunderstood" is well done- the marimba in particular...
Ten Years After: "A Space in Time" 1971 Chrysalis Records
Alvin Lee covers a lot of ground here- heavy blues, acoustic space-rock, heartfelt confessions of drug-abuse, straight up rock-n-roll (Jimmy Page might/should buy Alvin a drink at the very least;not a note-for note theft, but he sure as hell copped the feel!). I've been listening to Ten Years After "Cricklewood Green" for years, "A Space in Time" allows a more human side of Alvin Lee to come through.
Ween: "Quebec" 2003 Sanctuary
I'm not going to mince words; I love this record. It's a touch windy and conceptual in one or two spots but the good bits are fantastic. These guys (Dean and Gene Ween) are master satirists ala TheTubes, or Frank Zappa, but somehow manage to be satirical without resorting to blatant parody. If you haven't heard them or doubt their songwriting ability, Listen to "Chocolate Town" or "Transdermal Celebration". Frequently I have no idea what in the f*&^ it is that they're singing about. I guess it's a part of what keeps bringing me back. (to be continued...)
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