Album UFO (Monnie, 1970) Chart Pos: N/A
If legends were to believed Jim Sullivan is probably in outer pace playing a wonderful blend of country and folk music to extraterrestrials, but alas on earth his music has been forgotten, until now.
Last year this masterpiece after years of being bootlegged on shitty sounding vinyl was instead mastered from um... better quality vinyl, at least this album is back in print though about 35 years after its creator mysteriously disappeared in New Mexico.
Highways the opening track from the second side (The Monnie Mix) with its galloping bass and ominous strings is a standout song from an album stuck in a milleau of endless highways, ghost towns, gas stations and of course UFO's
There's an amazing short YouTube documentary on the story of his music and his strange disappearance.
Monday, 21 March 2011
Friday, 18 March 2011
Momus - Hairstyle of the Devil
Album: Don’t Stop The Night (Creation, 1989) Chart pos: N/A
He's got a devils haircut on his mind.
Momus (aka Nick Currie) was on Creation back in the days when they could barely sell an album, during his tuenure on the label he released 7 albums during his tenure on the label. Ironically being dropped because of the fact his affair with a teenage girl of bangladeshi caused some pissed off bangladeshi guys to threaten label boss Alan Mcgee.
Hairstyle of the Devil from the album sound an awful lot like a low rent Pet Shop Boys led by a lanky sex obsessed scottish guy. The songs sleasy razor-sharp wit no doubt owes a great debt to Serge Gainsborg as well.
He's got a devils haircut on his mind.
Momus (aka Nick Currie) was on Creation back in the days when they could barely sell an album, during his tuenure on the label he released 7 albums during his tenure on the label. Ironically being dropped because of the fact his affair with a teenage girl of bangladeshi caused some pissed off bangladeshi guys to threaten label boss Alan Mcgee.
Hairstyle of the Devil from the album sound an awful lot like a low rent Pet Shop Boys led by a lanky sex obsessed scottish guy. The songs sleasy razor-sharp wit no doubt owes a great debt to Serge Gainsborg as well.
Thursday, 17 March 2011
Dexys Midnight Runners - My National Pride
Album: Don't Stand Me Down (Mercury,1985)
1985's Don't Stand Me Down was the Astral Weeks of the 1980's but thanks to shortsighted critics it became the bands death knell. As much as critics seem to say how wonderful the band is every time they re-release their music, Kevin Rowland was repeatedly lambasted by critics. My National Pride is the albums epic centerpiece a classic of yearning and nostalgia that sadly fell on deaf ears. Now the album is shamefully out of print and these days i generally get funny looks for allegedly 'liking a band who only had one hit', if only people knew they were a band capable of more.
Interestingly the Young Guns Go For It doc is on YouTube at last.
1985's Don't Stand Me Down was the Astral Weeks of the 1980's but thanks to shortsighted critics it became the bands death knell. As much as critics seem to say how wonderful the band is every time they re-release their music, Kevin Rowland was repeatedly lambasted by critics. My National Pride is the albums epic centerpiece a classic of yearning and nostalgia that sadly fell on deaf ears. Now the album is shamefully out of print and these days i generally get funny looks for allegedly 'liking a band who only had one hit', if only people knew they were a band capable of more.
Interestingly the Young Guns Go For It doc is on YouTube at last.
Friday, 11 March 2011
The Brains - Money Changes Everything
Album: Single (Grey Matter, 1979) album: The Brains (Mercury, 1980) Chart Pos: N/A
The Brains are a band that I discovered via scouring the internet looking for rare music. Legend goes that this obscure band was plucked from obscurity when Cyndi Lauper covered this track, pity it was half a decade after the band split up after being chewed up and spat out by a major label with nary a hit. These days the band are almost forgotten due to the fact that none of their work has been released digitally, Which is a pity. even though they weren't quite as good as The Cars or Devo the two albums they released on Mercury were impressive. If you could imagine a nerdier (and slightly more pissed off version) of The Cars and you have a pretty good idea of this bands music.
Here's a link to the album and the rest of their back catalog.
Tom Grey the lead singer still plays the song with his new band Delta Moon
Funnily enough Arcade Fire have played the song live before.
The Brains are a band that I discovered via scouring the internet looking for rare music. Legend goes that this obscure band was plucked from obscurity when Cyndi Lauper covered this track, pity it was half a decade after the band split up after being chewed up and spat out by a major label with nary a hit. These days the band are almost forgotten due to the fact that none of their work has been released digitally, Which is a pity. even though they weren't quite as good as The Cars or Devo the two albums they released on Mercury were impressive. If you could imagine a nerdier (and slightly more pissed off version) of The Cars and you have a pretty good idea of this bands music.
Here's a link to the album and the rest of their back catalog.
Tom Grey the lead singer still plays the song with his new band Delta Moon
Funnily enough Arcade Fire have played the song live before.
Thursday, 10 March 2011
Etta James - Out on the Street Again
Album: Come a Little Closer (Chess,1974) Chart pos: US(R&B)#84
Dem Heroin withdrawl blooze.
Any Etta James comp worth its weight in gold has at least 3/4 of At Last! (her best album IMO),huge chunks of her muscle shoals sessions and finally some of her later funkier material. This number with its extended funky intro (Etta doesn't sing a note for the first 90 seconds) is possibly her most underrated moment. Etta is on fine form despite being in the middle of Heroin withdrawal (she recorded this on day release from rehab).
Its a pity that some of Etta James' music is out of print, or in some cases not even available on CD. I think somebody should petition Universal who own the Chess back catalog to re-release her OOP albums. Once upon a time Temptations fans managed to successfully petitioned Universal to remaster Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin's solo records.
Sometimes its easy to find a cheap copy of the album on Amazon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000002OCO/ref=s9_simh_gw_p15_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0WGHE2E6DR9WPVQWPJ1C&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846
Dem Heroin withdrawl blooze.
Any Etta James comp worth its weight in gold has at least 3/4 of At Last! (her best album IMO),huge chunks of her muscle shoals sessions and finally some of her later funkier material. This number with its extended funky intro (Etta doesn't sing a note for the first 90 seconds) is possibly her most underrated moment. Etta is on fine form despite being in the middle of Heroin withdrawal (she recorded this on day release from rehab).
Its a pity that some of Etta James' music is out of print, or in some cases not even available on CD. I think somebody should petition Universal who own the Chess back catalog to re-release her OOP albums. Once upon a time Temptations fans managed to successfully petitioned Universal to remaster Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin's solo records.
Sometimes its easy to find a cheap copy of the album on Amazon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000002OCO/ref=s9_simh_gw_p15_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0WGHE2E6DR9WPVQWPJ1C&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846
Sunday, 6 March 2011
Roxy Music - Ladytron
Album: Roxy Music (Island,1972) Chart pos: N/A
Roxy Music is a band that i can't really dismiss these days due to the fact that nearly every sodding band I like owes a debt to them. And while I like some of their music, I've never had a burning desire to actually own anything they did. Ladytron from their début album sounds way ahead of its time especially Brian Eno's
electronic textures that beautifully augment the song. If Brian Eno never bumped into Andy Mackay on that certain underground station, popular music would have been whole lot poorer as a result.
Roxy Music is a band that i can't really dismiss these days due to the fact that nearly every sodding band I like owes a debt to them. And while I like some of their music, I've never had a burning desire to actually own anything they did. Ladytron from their début album sounds way ahead of its time especially Brian Eno's
electronic textures that beautifully augment the song. If Brian Eno never bumped into Andy Mackay on that certain underground station, popular music would have been whole lot poorer as a result.
Saturday, 5 March 2011
Bob Seger Sysyem - 2+2=?
Album: Ramblin Gamblin Man (Capitol,1968) Chart pos: CAN: #79
After a busy six moths which included failing a Msc thesis twice I've decided to reactivated this blog as something to keep myself occupied.
Firstly off the tune for today is from an artist whose always been written off as a poor-man's Bruce Springsteen, while in all honesty I don't really have much interest in his later music, some of his early nuggets-esque garage rock is pretty impressive. 2+2=? is a protest song against the Vietnam War from the perspective of a young man who seen a High School acquaintance being sent way to die, ironically a few years previously Seger wrote a song mocking draft dodgers. Some people have noted similarities in this song with fellow Michigan natives The White Stripes 2003 hit Seven Nation Army.
After a busy six moths which included failing a Msc thesis twice I've decided to reactivated this blog as something to keep myself occupied.
Firstly off the tune for today is from an artist whose always been written off as a poor-man's Bruce Springsteen, while in all honesty I don't really have much interest in his later music, some of his early nuggets-esque garage rock is pretty impressive. 2+2=? is a protest song against the Vietnam War from the perspective of a young man who seen a High School acquaintance being sent way to die, ironically a few years previously Seger wrote a song mocking draft dodgers. Some people have noted similarities in this song with fellow Michigan natives The White Stripes 2003 hit Seven Nation Army.
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