another car journey so more favourites, including:
CD#73 R.E.M. - Out Of Time
One or two strange tracks, but mostly really good.
CD#74 Marillion - Misplaced Childhood
I like all the Fish era albums for different reasons and Steve Rothery once sat on my sofa, so there.
CD#75 Kate Rusby - Awkward Annie
A beautiful voice singing songs about love, loss, sailors and death, plus a Kinks cover that was the theme tune for Jam and Jerusalem.
CD#76 The Decemberists - What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World
Unusually this is my favourite album despite it being their most recent, as I'm mostly all about the "I prefer their early work" school of fandom.
Thursday, 31 March 2016
Day 17
Didn't listen to any CDs today, but I did make a trip to Exmouth Indoor Market . . . and bought 10 more CDs.
As usual they are a mix of artists I know and like, artists I've heard of but don't have anything by and artists I've never heard of but the CD cover looked interesting.
Of Montreals' album Skeletal Lamping packaging is particularly mad and folds out even more than the original vinyl version of Armed Forces.
As usual they are a mix of artists I know and like, artists I've heard of but don't have anything by and artists I've never heard of but the CD cover looked interesting.
Of Montreals' album Skeletal Lamping packaging is particularly mad and folds out even more than the original vinyl version of Armed Forces.
Day 16
CD#69 Fischer Z - Red Skies Over Paradise
Their last album first time round, and my favourite. Battalions of Strangers was one of the first bass lines I ever learned to play.
CD#70 Elvis Costello - Get Happy !!
Another from his best period, 20 songs on one album with barely a drop in quality, great lyrics, great playing - brilliant.
CD#71 XTC - Drums and Wires
Neck and neck with Black Sea for my favourite XTC album this is another winner (I was driving for four hours so picked favourites to listen to rather than ones I have less than utter joy for).
CD#72 Suede - Coming Up
Despite the loss of Bernard Butler this is great fun, though the lyrics are amusingly dreadful in places.
Their last album first time round, and my favourite. Battalions of Strangers was one of the first bass lines I ever learned to play.
CD#70 Elvis Costello - Get Happy !!
Another from his best period, 20 songs on one album with barely a drop in quality, great lyrics, great playing - brilliant.
CD#71 XTC - Drums and Wires
Neck and neck with Black Sea for my favourite XTC album this is another winner (I was driving for four hours so picked favourites to listen to rather than ones I have less than utter joy for).
CD#72 Suede - Coming Up
Despite the loss of Bernard Butler this is great fun, though the lyrics are amusingly dreadful in places.
Monday, 28 March 2016
Day 15
CD#64 XTC - English Settlement
A great album which for some reason I rarely used to listen to all the way through when playing the vinyl and haven't listened to much at all since buying the CD. It's not my absolute favourite but there's some really good music here.
CD#65 Eurogliders - This Island
Or is it ? Bought from Exmouth Indoor Market, the sleeve declares it to be On This Island by 6 Day Riot, who are described as alt-pop with folk and pop influences. The CD agrees that what you're about to hear is indeed their 2010 album, however . . . the music which issues forth is that of an Australian indie pop band called Eurogliders and their 1984 release This Island, which isn't bad at all despite not being as described.
CD#66 R.E.M. - Lifes Rich Pageant
This one's a bit hit and miss, but it has Fall On Me, which I like a lot.
CD#67 The Cure - Galore
I bought this as part of a opening offer for Britannia Music Club - four CDs for £4 (apart from a Hootie and the Blowfish album yet to be listened to I don't recall the others) and for some reason thought it was an album, but in fact it's a singles compilation 1987 - 97.
I really like The Cure but for some reason I only own this CD, and A Forest on vinyl.
CD#68 Max Richter - Songs From Before
Strings, piano, synths and spoken word (Robert Wyatt reading Haruki Murakami) mixed with scraps of short wave radio and rainfall. Ambience but with purpose, restful but also thought provoking.
A great album which for some reason I rarely used to listen to all the way through when playing the vinyl and haven't listened to much at all since buying the CD. It's not my absolute favourite but there's some really good music here.
CD#65 Eurogliders - This Island
Or is it ? Bought from Exmouth Indoor Market, the sleeve declares it to be On This Island by 6 Day Riot, who are described as alt-pop with folk and pop influences. The CD agrees that what you're about to hear is indeed their 2010 album, however . . . the music which issues forth is that of an Australian indie pop band called Eurogliders and their 1984 release This Island, which isn't bad at all despite not being as described.
CD#66 R.E.M. - Lifes Rich Pageant
This one's a bit hit and miss, but it has Fall On Me, which I like a lot.
CD#67 The Cure - Galore
I bought this as part of a opening offer for Britannia Music Club - four CDs for £4 (apart from a Hootie and the Blowfish album yet to be listened to I don't recall the others) and for some reason thought it was an album, but in fact it's a singles compilation 1987 - 97.
I really like The Cure but for some reason I only own this CD, and A Forest on vinyl.
CD#68 Max Richter - Songs From Before
Strings, piano, synths and spoken word (Robert Wyatt reading Haruki Murakami) mixed with scraps of short wave radio and rainfall. Ambience but with purpose, restful but also thought provoking.
Sunday, 27 March 2016
Day 14
CD#59 Michael Manring - Soliloquy
Like the Eric Roche CD, this loses something from only being able to be heard, especially some of the more extreme noises and rhythms.
CD#60 Michael Rattray Allstars - Smile At Who You Need To
As far as I can recall I got this from gigging with him/them but I have no idea where or when (which shows I can't remember much). Perfectly passable indie/pop/rock.
- - - - - - - - - -
At this point I counted up the CDs and discarded those that are downloaded albums written to CD, cover disks and compilations where I later bought all the albums (The Smiths, for example, I had all the albums on vinyl so bought a Best Of CD, then bought all the albums on CD). This has compressed the target to 456 CDs (I can include the rest on another listening challenge if I'm daft enough to).
So I make that just over 13% of the way there.
Onwards !
- - - - - - - - - -
CD#61 Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - How I Long To Feel That Summer In My Heart
I discovered the Mynci's (no idea if they mind me abbreviating their name like that, but it saves writing Gorky's Zygotic Mynci again) on a compilation that will turn up later. Patio Song was the tune, but it's not on this album, one of a number of theirs I own. I'm not sure I've listened to them all up to now but thanks to this blog it's only a matter of time.
CD#62 Blues Traveler - four
Back in the days before the internet I used to watch a US comedy import called Roseanne.
Apart from the episode where they replaced the eldest daughter with a new actress (who I last saw on Scrubs) when they included some "we know you know" gags, and at least three of the actors ending up on The Big Bang Theory at various points, there was an episode where Roseanne and Dan had something to do with a band (no memory as to why and I can't be bothered to look) and it finished off with the band playing a song which I thought was fantastic, with some mad harmonica playing.
I had no way of finding out who the band were until a few years later when I was watching a film about bowling and the Amish (Kingpin - Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid) and it ended with THE BAND playing over the credits.
Because it was on VHS and my TV wasn't great I could barely make out the credits, but I made my best guess and went to a record shop in town (Spinadisc, no longer there) to ask about what I thought might be the name of the band. They had one CD, which I bought and took home.
Skipping through I got to track nine and there it was, a song called Hook.
There are some other tunes which are pretty good too, but nothing beats Hook and the journey I went on to find it. (apart from my two-year search for Lorraine Ellison's original version of Stay With Me, which is a whole other story, but on vinyl - stunning song though)
Nowadays I'd google it and be listening to it on YouTube before the credits had finished.
CD#63 Elvis Costello - Imperial Bedroom
One of his best, when he made interesting music that didn't follow an EC formula, which is how his more recent stuff sounds to me. I don't think his song writing has necessarily changed, but to my ears what comes out of the studio has been diluted over time, probably from Spike, maybe before.
Like the Eric Roche CD, this loses something from only being able to be heard, especially some of the more extreme noises and rhythms.
CD#60 Michael Rattray Allstars - Smile At Who You Need To
As far as I can recall I got this from gigging with him/them but I have no idea where or when (which shows I can't remember much). Perfectly passable indie/pop/rock.
- - - - - - - - - -
At this point I counted up the CDs and discarded those that are downloaded albums written to CD, cover disks and compilations where I later bought all the albums (The Smiths, for example, I had all the albums on vinyl so bought a Best Of CD, then bought all the albums on CD). This has compressed the target to 456 CDs (I can include the rest on another listening challenge if I'm daft enough to).
So I make that just over 13% of the way there.
Onwards !
- - - - - - - - - -
CD#61 Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - How I Long To Feel That Summer In My Heart
I discovered the Mynci's (no idea if they mind me abbreviating their name like that, but it saves writing Gorky's Zygotic Mynci again) on a compilation that will turn up later. Patio Song was the tune, but it's not on this album, one of a number of theirs I own. I'm not sure I've listened to them all up to now but thanks to this blog it's only a matter of time.
CD#62 Blues Traveler - four
Back in the days before the internet I used to watch a US comedy import called Roseanne.
Apart from the episode where they replaced the eldest daughter with a new actress (who I last saw on Scrubs) when they included some "we know you know" gags, and at least three of the actors ending up on The Big Bang Theory at various points, there was an episode where Roseanne and Dan had something to do with a band (no memory as to why and I can't be bothered to look) and it finished off with the band playing a song which I thought was fantastic, with some mad harmonica playing.
I had no way of finding out who the band were until a few years later when I was watching a film about bowling and the Amish (Kingpin - Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid) and it ended with THE BAND playing over the credits.
Because it was on VHS and my TV wasn't great I could barely make out the credits, but I made my best guess and went to a record shop in town (Spinadisc, no longer there) to ask about what I thought might be the name of the band. They had one CD, which I bought and took home.
Skipping through I got to track nine and there it was, a song called Hook.
There are some other tunes which are pretty good too, but nothing beats Hook and the journey I went on to find it. (apart from my two-year search for Lorraine Ellison's original version of Stay With Me, which is a whole other story, but on vinyl - stunning song though)
Nowadays I'd google it and be listening to it on YouTube before the credits had finished.
CD#63 Elvis Costello - Imperial Bedroom
One of his best, when he made interesting music that didn't follow an EC formula, which is how his more recent stuff sounds to me. I don't think his song writing has necessarily changed, but to my ears what comes out of the studio has been diluted over time, probably from Spike, maybe before.
Saturday, 26 March 2016
Day 13
CD#55 The Bluetones - Expecting To Fly
This was released in 1996 and since then I must have listened to it about three . . . times.
Slight Return is the stand out track but it's not enough to raise the album above "it's ok, I guess".
CD#56 Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way
I'm not a huge country music fan, but this is pretty good, well played and powerfully sung.
CD#57 Sheryl Crow - Tuesday Night Music Club
Not sure why I've never bought more than this album, there are some great songs on here, Run, Baby Run being my favourite.
CD#58 Blue Öyster Cult - Secret Treaties
For a long time the only thing I owned of theirs was of course (Don't Fear) The Reaper, but a few years ago I bought this album. According to Wikipedia, in 1975 a poll of critics of the British magazine Melody Maker voted Secret Treaties as the "Top Rock Album of All Time", so there you go.
This was released in 1996 and since then I must have listened to it about three . . . times.
Slight Return is the stand out track but it's not enough to raise the album above "it's ok, I guess".
CD#56 Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way
I'm not a huge country music fan, but this is pretty good, well played and powerfully sung.
CD#57 Sheryl Crow - Tuesday Night Music Club
Not sure why I've never bought more than this album, there are some great songs on here, Run, Baby Run being my favourite.
CD#58 Blue Öyster Cult - Secret Treaties
For a long time the only thing I owned of theirs was of course (Don't Fear) The Reaper, but a few years ago I bought this album. According to Wikipedia, in 1975 a poll of critics of the British magazine Melody Maker voted Secret Treaties as the "Top Rock Album of All Time", so there you go.
Friday, 25 March 2016
Day 12
CD#50 Lee 'Scratch' Perry and The Upsetters
A compilation album full of cool dub, animal noises and gunfire. Weird and groovy.
CD#51 Good Cop Bad Cop - Liberal Hearts Bleeding
Great local band, a Foo Fighters/QOTSA kind of thing with a hint of Bauhaus in the vocals.
CD#52 The Good The Bad & The Queen - The Good The Bad & The Queen
I mostly like this, though if I recall it drags a bit towards the end (it did a little).
CD#53 Annette Bjergfeldt - The Kissing Post
Another one bought on the back of a friend's review, I had it in my head as "a bit meh" but it's much nicer than that, though it's perhaps more nicely played and pleasant rather than striking, or particularly memorable.
CD#54 The Jam - All Mod Cons
A great album from a great band, part of the soundtrack of my teenage years and still fresh and exciting 38 years later.
A compilation album full of cool dub, animal noises and gunfire. Weird and groovy.
CD#51 Good Cop Bad Cop - Liberal Hearts Bleeding
Great local band, a Foo Fighters/QOTSA kind of thing with a hint of Bauhaus in the vocals.
CD#52 The Good The Bad & The Queen - The Good The Bad & The Queen
I mostly like this, though if I recall it drags a bit towards the end (it did a little).
CD#53 Annette Bjergfeldt - The Kissing Post
Another one bought on the back of a friend's review, I had it in my head as "a bit meh" but it's much nicer than that, though it's perhaps more nicely played and pleasant rather than striking, or particularly memorable.
CD#54 The Jam - All Mod Cons
A great album from a great band, part of the soundtrack of my teenage years and still fresh and exciting 38 years later.
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