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Tim Buckley |
081 |
| Goodbye And Hello |
1967
Elektra
UK: -
US: -
Producer: Jerry Yester |
| Goodbye And Hello established Tim Buckley as a song-writer of great vision and ambition, willing to push musical boundaries and sacrifice commercial success. A large part of the attraction of Goodbye And Hello was due to Buckley’s remarkable and unique voice, soaring and graceful throughout this collection. With half of the album’s songs written with lyricist Larry Beckett, many of the songs lyrics seemed initially impenetrable - as experimental and elegant as the music they accompanied. It was on two ballads in particular that Buckley’s remarkable gifts really shone through; the longing desperation of ‘Once I Was’ and the unsettling closing song ‘Morning Glory‘. The title track hinted at the wilful experimentation that would mark a lot of his later work, and would alienate many fans who were not able to appreciate his increasing jazz leanings. Buckley continued to embrace a number of musical styles from folk to jazz through to soul on future releases, always willing to experiment and challenge the listener, but his talents were never quite as engaging as on this 1967 release.
Track Listing: No Man Can Find The War / Carnival Song / Pleasant Street / Hallucinations / I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain / Once I Was / Phantasmagoria In Two / Knight-Errant / Goodbye And Hello / Morning Glory.
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Van Morrison & The Chieftains |
082 |
| Irish Heartbeat |
1988
Mercury
UK: 18
US: -
Producers: Van Morrison & Paddy Moloney |
| Largely a collection of traditional Irish songs, with a couple of Morrison originals, Irish Heartbeat remains one of many highlights in Morrison’s canon of work. Beautifully arranged by Morrison and head Chieftain Paddy Moloney the group would skip between rousing numbers, such as ‘I’ll Tell Me Ma’ and ‘Star Of The County Down‘, and deeply reflective balladry, ‘She Moved Through The Fair’ and ‘My Lagan Love‘, with equal aplomb. However, it was on ‘Carrickfergus‘, that the union truly sparkled; Morrison’s gruff soul voice portrayed the sense of longing for the song’s narrator’s homeland perfectly. The Chieftains had recorded the definitive instrumental version on their 1973 release Chieftains 4, and where no strangers to the heart-rending emotion of the song. While Morrison’s career would achieve something of a commercial renaissance for the rest of the 80s and throughout the 90s, there was nothing to quite match the emotional resonance of Irish Heartbeat.
Track Listing: Star Of The County Down / Irish Heartbeat / Ta Mo Chleamhnas Deanta / Raglan Road / She Moved Through The Fair / I’ll Tell Me Ma / Carrickfergus / Celtic Ray / My Lagan Love / Marie’s Wedding.
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Scott Matthews |
083 |
| Passing Stranger |
2006
San Remo / Island
UK: 45
US: -
Producer: Jon Cotton |
| Commercial success largely eluded this impressive debut, although Matthews picked up a prestigious Ivor Novello award for his single ‘Elusive’, a graceful and subtle ballad that was a highlight of this album, and also significant radio airplay. The other two singles ‘Dream Song’ and the title track with its dramatic strings parts were also impressive, as were ‘The Fool‘s Fooling Himself‘ and the gentle ’Earth To Calm’. There was a hint of Jeff Buckley in Matthews’s voice and Beatles and Led Zeppelin influences were equally evident, although Passing Stranger is an engaging work that has established Matthews as an impressive talent with a sound of his own, largely due to his emotive vocal style and his subtle melodic talents. While handling all vocal, guitar and bass duties himself, Matthews also made effective use of Sukhvinder Singh Namdhari’s tabla and producer Jon Cotton’s elegant string arrangements, creating an impressive and engaging debut from a promising talent.
Track Listing: Little Man Tabla Part 1 / Dream Song / The Fool’s Fooling Himself / Eyes Wider Than Before / Blue In The Face Again / Sweet Scented Figure / Passing Stranger / Prayers / Musical Interval / Still Fooling / City Headache / Nylon Instrumental / Elusive / Earth To Calm / White Feathered Medicine / Little Man Table Jam Part 2 / Bruno Finale.
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Gene Clark |
084 |
| White Light |
1971
A&M
UK: -
US: -
Producer: Jesse Davis |
| Another great collection from the ex-Byrd, that received critically favourable reviews that refused to translate into commercial success. White Light relies mainly on the acoustic country-rock template that Clark had explored with the Godsin Brothers and with Doug Dillard on previous releases, with some impressive harmonica playing from Clark and some sympathetic backing from the likes of Chris Etheridge, Mike Utley and Ben Sidran. However, it was Clark’s voice, compelling and intimate, and his prodigious song-writing talents that continued to set him apart from his contemporaries; ‘The Virgin’, One In a Hundred’ and ‘For A Spanish Guitar’ perfectly displayed his vocal gifts and his simple, yearning melodies. A reading of ‘Tears Of Rage’, written by Dylan and The Band’s Richard Manuel, was also particularly impressive. Clark would follow White Light with the ambitious opus No Other, where he stretched his musical boundaries to encompass soul and psychedelia to great artistic effect, although once again commercial success would elude him.
Track Listing: The Virgin / With Tomorrow / White Light / Because Of You / One In A Hundred / For A Spanish Guitar / Where My Love Lies Asleep / Tears Of Rage / 1975.
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The Shins |
085 |
| Oh, Inverted World |
2001
Sub Pop
UK: -
US: -
Producers: James Mercer & The Shins |
| Given wider exposure by the inclusion of ‘New Slang’ and ‘Caring Is Creepy’ in the film Garden State in 2004 the Shins would soon emerge as darlings of the US indie music scene, eventually reaching number two on the Billboard chart with their 2007 release Wincing The Night Away. While favourites in the independent music scene, it was clear from Oh, Inverted World that their influences embraced folk, pop and alt-country styles, and that the influence of 1960s West Coast pop also loomed large; the reverb soaked double-tracked vocals and inventive melodies inviting comparisons with the Beach Boys. However, the groups instrumentation was very much rooted in the simple dynamics of the garage indie band, only relying on some sparingly used cello and horn parts on a couple of tracks. Indeed the charm of this collection is partly down to the uncluttered, unpolished production. One of the most laidback and simple numbers ‘New Slang’ was a particular highlight; a mesmerising number with a wondrous melody.
Track Listing: Caring Is Creepy / One By One All Day / Weird Divide / Know Your Onion! / Girl Inform Me / New Slang / The Celibate Life / Girl On The Wing / Your Algebra / Pressed In A Book / The Past And Pending.
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Spiritualized |
086 |
| Ladies And Gentleman We Are Floating In Space |
1997
Dedicated / Arista
UK: 4
US: -
Producer: Jason Pierce |
| Mixing a Spector-esque wall of sound with gospel and blues influences, Jason Pierce’s Spiritualized realised the grand ambitions that they had hinted at on previous releases. Critically acclaimed, it would be named NME’s album of the year, the album became their most commercially successful offering. The lyrical content was intimate and at times despairing, with references to failed relationships and heavy drug use. The music ranged from fragile and tender at times, on the likes of the title track and the emotive ‘Broken Heart’, to the driving and hypnotic rock of ‘Come Together’ and ‘Electricity’. Pierce would complement the band’s nucleus of four core members with a large number of outside musicians, including the likes of B.J. Cole on pedal steel and Dr. John on piano. It would be another four years before the band’s next studio release Let It Come Down, with Pierce returning with a different line up but continuing in a grand and ambitious gospel and blues influenced vein.
Track Listing: Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space / Come Together / I Think I'm in Love / All of My Thoughts / Stay With Me / Electricity / Home of the Brave / The Individual / Broken Heart / No God Only Religion / Cool Waves / Cop Shoot Cop...
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The Smiths |
087 |
| The Queen Is Dead |
1986
Rough Trade
UK: 2
US: 70
Producers: Morrissey & Johnny Marr |
| Despite the rather thin 80s sound courtesy of Stephen Street, The Queen Is Dead is one of the Smiths’ most impressive releases with some of Morrissey and Marr’s most engaging songs. Morrissey’s lyrics were at their most acerbic and witty, with Marr’s innovative guitar lighting up the likes of ‘The Boy With The Thorn His Side’ and ‘Frankly, Mr Shankly.’ The band had been experiencing tensions with their label Rough Trade and were feeling the pressure of matching their number one album Meat Is Murder from the previous year, but any doubts were assuaged on release as The Queen Is Dead provided the group with further critical acclaim and commercial success, even denting the US album charts at number 70. Songs such as the dramatic ‘I Know It’s Over’ and the frenetic ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’ were creative peaks in the Smiths’ impressive musical catalogue. The group would spilt up the following year, shortly before the release of the equally impressive Strangeways Here We Come.
Track Listing: The Queen Is Dead / Frankly, Mr Shankly / I Know It’s Over / Never Had No One Ever / Cemetery Gates / Bigmouth Strikes Again / The Boy With The Thorn In His Side / Vicar In A Tutu / There Is A Light That Never Goes Out / Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others.
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Steely Dan |
088 |
| Pretzel Logic |
1974
Probe / A.B.C.
UK: 37
US: 8
Producer: Steve Katz |
| Mixing the more commercial approach of their debut Can’t Buy A Thrill and the experimental nature of their second release Countdown To Ecstasy, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker produced one of the most impressive albums of their careers. Preceded by the radio friendly single ‘Rikki Don’t Lose That Number’ that hit number four in the US singles’ charts, Pretzel Logic was a commercial and critical success. Exploring their interest in jazz music more than on previous efforts, especially on the likes of ‘Parker’s Band’ and the Duke Ellington song ‘East St. Louis Toodle-O’, Steely Dan would branch out into ever more experimental fare, further utilising the cream of the session musician community to reach their goal of studio perfection. The tour they undertook to promote Pretzel Logic led to severe disillusionment with touring for Fagen and Becker, and it would be several decades before they would do so again. Critics would claim that future releases would become ever more clinical and produced, and although their barbed lyrical talents would remain, nothing would come quite as close to the artistic heights of their earlier albums.
Track Listing: Rikki Don’t Lose That Number / Night By Night / Any Major Dude Will Tell You / Barrytown / East St. Louis Toodle-O / Parker’s Band / Through With Buzz / Pretzel Logic / With A Gun / Charlie Freak / Monkey In Your Soul.
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Arcade Fire |
089 |
| Funeral |
2004
Rough Trade / Merge
UK: 33
US: 131
Producers: Arcade Fire |
| Arcade Fire emerged in 2004 with a debut release that met with widespread critical acclaim, topping many album of the year lists and fuelling widespread interest amongst music fans especially in the UK and their native Canada. While addressing sombre lyrical themes of personal loss, Funeral is an empathic and uplifting collection mixing a symphonic pop music sensibility with driving indie-rock rhythms, making dramatic use of string arrangements and unexpected instrumentation, such as the striking use of accordion on ‘Neighborhood #2 (Laika)’. Much of the appeal of Funeral stems from the yearning vocal style of Win Butler and his emotive sense of melody, none more so on the frantic opener ‘Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)’ and the monumental ‘Wake Up’. Arcade Fire followed this impressive debut with the 2007 release Neon Bible that also met with critical acclaim and considerable commercial success, topping the charts in Canada and reaching number two in both the UK and US.
Track Listing: Nieghbourhood #1 (Tunnels) / Neighbourhood #2 (Laika) / Une annee sans lumiere / Neighbourhead#3 (Power Out) / Neighbourhood #4 (7 Kettles) / Crown Of Love / Wake Up / Haiti / Rebellion (Lies) / In The Backseat.
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Kevin Rowland & Dexys Midnight Runners |
090 |
| Too-Rye-Ay |
1982
Mercury
UK: 2
US: 14
Producers: Clive Langer, Alan Winstanley & Kevin Rowland |
| Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ 1980 debut Searching For The Young Soul Rebels had enjoyed considerable success due to their melodic and intense take on 60s soul music, none more so than on their number one single ‘Geno‘. Kevin Rowland, adding three violin players, prior to this, their second album, kept the soul influences but took the group in a more folk-based direction, drawing influence from the likes of Van Morrison, covering his 1972 hit ‘Jack Wilson Said (I’m In Heaven When You Smile)’ in their own indomitable style. The group experienced huge commercial success with this collection, in now small part to the single ‘Come On Eileen’, a number one hit on both sides of the Atlantic. Despite the phenomenal success, the group line up quickly shifted again, and Rowland, disillusioned with the machinations of the music business, retreated for three years before offering a decidedly more low key follow-up in 1985, disbanding the group shortly afterwards and embarking on a sporadic and disappointing solo career.
Track Listing: The Celtic Soulbrothers / Let’s Make This Precious / All In All (This One Last Wild Waltz) / Jackie Wilson Said (I’m In Heaven When You Smile) / Old / Plan B / I’ll Show You / Liars A To E / Until I Believe In My Soul / Come On Eileen.
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| THE GREATEST ALBUMS
EVER 81-90 |
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