5 4 3 2 1 (Manfred Mann) (LP 3056 - 3070)

Manfred Mann  The Hits (CD, BR Music Records, ?) ****  

Manfred Mann's Earth Band  Manfred Mann's Earth Band (Vinyl, Bronze Records, 1972 - this copy a reissue in 1976) **** 

Manfred Mann's Earth Band  Glorified Magnified (Vinyl, Polydor Records, 1972) ***** 

Manfred Mann's Earth Band  Messin' (Vinyl, Vertigo Records, 1973) **** 

Manfred Mann's Earth Band  Get Your Rocks Off (Vinyl, Polydor Records, 1973) **** 

Manfred Mann's Earth Band  Solar Fire (Vinyl, Polydor Records, 1973) ***** 

Manfred Mann's Earth Band  The Good Earth (Vinyl, Bronze Records, 1974 - reissue from 1976) **** 

Manfred Mann's Earth Band  Nightingales & Bombers (Vinyl, bronze Records, 1975) **** 

Manfred Mann's Earth Band  The Roaring Silence (Vinyl, Warner Bros Records, 1976) **** 

Manfred Mann's Earth Band  Live in America (CD, The Store For Music, 2007) **** 

Manfred Mann's Earth Band  Watch (Vinyl, Bronze Records, 1978) **** 

Manfred Mann's Earth Band  Angel Station (Vinyl, Warner Bros Records, 1979) **** 

Manfred Mann's Earth Band  Chance (Vinyl, Bronze Records, 1980) *** 

Manfred Mann's Earth Band  Somewhere In Afrika (Vinyl, Bronze Records, 1982) *** 

Manfred Mann's Earth Band  Criminal Tango (Vinyl, Virgin Records, 1986) **

Genre: Pop, Prog rock

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records, Amoeba Records, Spellbound Wax Co.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: I'm Gonna Have You All (Glorified Magnified)

Gear costume: Joybringer (Solar Fire); Blinded By The Light (Live in Budapest)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: I have a ridiculous number of Manfred Mann Earth Band albums. A ridiculous number! But before I get to them, I need to acknowledge Manfred Mann, the band that started it all off. And to do so, I need to break my rule about including compilations in this cavalcade through my collection.

Manfred Mann (the band is named after the keyboardist) started out as a singles band. The group was blessed with two exceptional lead vocalists - Paul Jones (1962 to '66) and then Mike d'Abo ('66 - '69). Jones ended up in The Blues Band, which I've already included on this blog).

This band was a bit like John Mayall's Bluesbreakers in the way it was a proving ground for a large number of other musicians like Mike Hugg, Tom McGuiness, Jack Bruce, and Klaus Voormann.  

I have three greatest hits compilations to choose from - This is...Manfred Mann (Vinyl), The Very Best of Manfred Mann (CD) and the one I've chosen.

It includes in its 22 tracks material from 1964 to 1969 so it's the most comprehensive of the three. I also like the way it's chronological in approach so you can trace their development.

The band was pretty cunning in covering seminal artists like Barry/Greenwich, Goffin/King, Bacharach/David, Bob Dylan and Randy Newman. Of course, Manfred Mann's Earth Band covered a couple of Bruce Springsteen's early songs with great success but we'll get to them later.

The hits were aplenty for Manfred Mann: Oh No Not My Baby; Pretty Flamingo; If You Gotta Go, Go Now; Just Like A Woman; Semi-Detached Suburban Mr Jones; Ha! Ha! Said The Clown; Mighty Quinn; My Name Is Jack; Fox On the Run; and Ragamuffin Man are all on The Hits. Phew! See what I mean! A singles band.

Manfred Mann Chapter Three were formed before The Earth Band came into existence in 1971. I don't have either of their albums (from 1969 and 1970) but I'd be keen if I ever spotted them. Apparently, they are more jazz-fusion than pop/rock and I lurve jazz-fusion.

Manfred Mann's Earth Band got under way with their first self-titled album in 1972 and it's pretty experimental/prog oriented. Again - right up my street. A Dylan song from the Basement Tapes era is included, as well as a Randy Newman tune but the rest are mostly self-written things.

The band at this point was, apart from Manfred: Mick Rogers (guitar, lead vocals); Colin Pattenden (bass) and Chris Slade (drums). This was the stable group until The Roaring Silence (1976)

Glorified Magnified was a second album for 1972 and with the same lineup. If anything, it's better than their debut. It's a tad more together and the confidence oozes from the band. It's also a lot heavier. The riff to I'm Gonna Have You All is a classic hard rock one but then it ends with Manfred going to town on his keyboards until the bass riff returns before the abrupt (but appropriate) end. All of the bands strengths are on display.

A Dylan song is included too - It's All Over Baby Blue. The team does their creative thing and it well and truly becomes a Manfred Mann's Earth Band song. Mick Rogers sings it really well and the augmented instrumentation is superb.

All up, Glorified Magnified is a stunning album which lives up to its title boast. 

Next up were two albums in 1973 - the band worked hard! Yes, two rather than three because Messin' (released in the UK) and Get Your Rocks Off (USA) are basically the same album - there's only one track that is different to suit the American market. The second album of 1973 was The Good Earth.

Okay, so Messin'. The boys were riding a creative wave as Messin' is another terrific album. Some topical subject matter is addressed - 'we're messin' up... the land/sea/air/you and me', and done with a prog sensibility. And it works!

The Dylan song this time out is the obscure Get Your Rocks Off from The Basement Tapes. It's pretty cool as the guys tear into it as if they were channeling Deep Purple! Although there is nothing showy or flash about Mick's guitar or Manfred's keyboard style.

They also cover Black and Blue, a song by Australian band Chain. Coincidentally, next up after MMEB are albums by Phil Manning and Matt Taylor of that band.

Solar Fire was that most prog rock of things - a concept album. This time I get it because it's simply a set of songs build around cosmology. It's also heavily instrumental in its approach so it's very accessible. Given all that, it still has a Dylan song - Father of Day Father of Night to kick things off. Of course it does. This is Manfred Mann's Earth Band, after all.

The whole thing works spectacularly well. It even has a hit single in Joybringer. I have the US version of the album - most of those albums all had different covers/ labels/ even song selections for UK and US releases which makes it quite confusing at times. Stunning album though in whatever format you have it.

The Good Earth came out with a nifty publicity gambit. The front cover reveals that early owners of each copy of the album were 'entitled to rights over 1 square foot of the earth situated at Llanerchyrfa in the County of Brecon, in Wales'. 

The inner sleeve included a coupon that had to be sent for registration. There was no swindle and thousands of fans were registered. Registration could be done on or before 31 December 1975. So, too late for me who caught up with the joys of MMEB well after that date.

As for the actual album? It's another excellent example of British hard rock/ prog rock. Shock horror - there is no Dylan cover on this album!!

Although often compared to King Crimson in these early albums, I find MMEB more melodic, less defiant in their approach. They are certainly progressing/ experimenting but these guys are no show offs. Manfred is no Keith Emerson, and Mick is no Ritchie Blackmore (or Robert Fripp). Instead, they have their own confident/ compact/ tasteful style.

Nightingales & Bombers was the last album to feature Mick Rogers for a while (he would return for Criminal Tango in 1986). This was a breakthrough album as the songs were shorter and more poppy in nature. It was also the album that housed the cover of Springsteen's Spirit In The Night, which became a big hit for the band.

There were two new members on board for The Roaring Silence in 1976 to replace Mick Rogers: Chris Thompson (a Kiwi) in on vocals/guitar; Dave Flett lead guitar. It was a case of instant success as lead track and single - a cover of Springsteen's Blinded By The Light, went crazy and went to Number One on Billboard.

The rest of the album is MMEB on top form throughout. As one critic wrote - The Roaring Silence basks in veiled poetry, cryptic but at the same time intriguing, verging on the complexities of progressive rock but far from its pretentiousness.

Live in America was recorded from a gig in Boston 1977 with The Roaring Silence band members. It includes a nice mix of recent singles (both Springsteen covers) and older Dylan songs (The Mighty Quinn and Father of Day). 

The quality of the performances is high throughout. This was the last we heard from Colin Pattenden as he left at the end of the tour but he had been a key part of the band's sound since 1971 and his bass sounds were in total synch with the Earth Band sound.  

New bassist, Pat King, made his debut on Watch. Sadly, this was also the final album for another long-standing member - original drummer Chris Slade (plus the last album for Dave Flett).  

There weren't any big hits coming from this album, although California is a terrific song and coulda/shoulda been a hit. The album is a lovely collection of songs done in Earth Band prog rock style. There's also room for a rerun of The Mighty Quinn - a live version. It and a live version of Davy's On The Road Again are not out of place on Watch. I think this one is an under-appreciated album in their catalogue.

Angel Station was their final album of the seventies. New members were coming (and going) around this time. Geoff Britton (later briefly of Wings) was on drums just for this album. Steve Waller was on guitar/vocals to replace Dave Flett.

The songs embrace some fresh production ticks and there is a Dylan cover (You Angel, You) back in the line-up. Angel Station ended the seventies well, with not one but two under-valued albums.

Their first album of the eighties, Chance, was a stab at new sounds - in that pursuit they stayed true to their progressive rock aesthetic. I love the way this band never sits still - new people come and go but Manfred Mann sticks to his MMEB mission statement. He's at the core of their sound, even if Trevor Rabin's more hard rock presence is on this album. 

The Springsteen cover of For You is another spectacular success. It always takes me by surprise because it sounds like a MMEB song.

Somewhere In Afrika is an intriguing blend of African rhythms with rock band moves MMEB style, best summed up by side 2's Africa Suite and their version of Bob Marley's Redemption Song. Manfred pays a kind of homage to the land of his birth with this album. 

Live In Budapest is subtitled The Best of Manfred Mann's Earth Band Live. It certainly has all the cover version hits on it: 3 from Springsteen; 1 from Marley; 1 from Dylan; 1 from Robbie Robertson. That makes for a very enjoyable set of hits!

The final album in my list is Criminal Tango from 1986. Mick Rogers, who had made appearances on some of the previous albums was back in the band. Manfred Mann's eye for others' songs continued with Paul Weller, Joni Mitchell, and even a Beatles cover (Hey Bulldog).

Unfortunately, the things I dislike about mid eighties music and production are all over Criminal Tango - hence my reluctance to buy their albums after '86.

Where do they all belong? A few more post Criminal Tango from the late eighties onwards to track down but I'm wary. The good thing about MMEB is that you can pick up their albums comparatively cheaply and as shown above - they contain some superb music.

Put me on top (Aimee Mann) (LP 3049 - 3055)

Aimee Mann  Whatever (CD, Geffen Records, 1993) **** 

Aimee Mann  I'm With Stupid (CD, Geffen Records, 1995) *** 

Aimee Mann  Magnolia (Soundtrack) (CD, Reprise Records, 1999) *** 

Aimee Mann  Bachelor No. 2 or: The Last Remains Of the Dodo (CD, V2 Records, 2000) ***** 

Aimee Mann  Lost In Space (CD, V2 Records, 2002) **** 

Aimee Mann  The Forgotten Arm (CD, SuperEgo Records, 2005) **** 

Aimee Mann  @#%&*! Smilers (CD, SuperEgo Records, 2008) **** 

Aimee Mann  Charmer (Vinyl, SuperEgo Records, 2012) **** 

Genre: Alt-pop, Indie-rock 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records, JB Hi Fi, Fopp, HMV 

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Red Vines

Gear costume: I Was Thinking I Could Clean Up For Christmas

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: Red Vines was my first clue that I was on to a winner with Aimee Mann. So, I bought Bachelor No. 2, then Lost In Space, and then...I was gone burger.

There were a lot of traumas in her family background (long story short: an affair by her mother led to a divorce when Aimee was 3, then a kidnapping by her mother, and a second kidnapping/ rescuing by her father) which have surely influenced her view of life and relationships. Naturally, that kind of PTSD was going to eventually emerge in her artistic life. It's amazing that she's as well adjusted as she appears to be.

Her first solo album, Whatever, came after she left the band 'Til Tuesday. What a hilarious title - this is not music that is tossed off with a shrug of the shoulders. It's on Geffen, has both Roger McGuinn and Jim Keltner guesting and is a clear statement of intent: erudite songs, sung well, catchy melodies and with a sting in the tail/tale. 

She is amazing, is Aimee Mann. 

Follow up, I'm With Stupid, breaks out the electric guitars and boosts the bass, thus creating a tougher sound - more alt-rock than indie-pop. The three minute song length remains intact and as a second album it successfully shows a different side to Aimee's skills.

The Magnolia soundtrack came next (the film starred Tom Cruise so it generated wide exposure). Aimee features heavily (there are tracks by Supertramp and Gabrielle as well which jar a tad). A few of the songs were from earlier in her career and a few would turn up on her next studio album.

Her cover version of Nilsson's One is fantastic - she makes the song her own.

As I said above, it was Bachelor No 2 (etc) that gave me the chills when I first heard it. I couldn't stop playing it! I think it's her most commercial album, ironic given Geffen wouldn't release it because they didn't hear any singles. Yet Red Vines made for a superb single. 

The album was released by Mann independently on her own label - SuperEgo, and was a triumph!

Artistically, I think it's her first classic album. It sounds terrific and every song hits home. It sounds effortless too, which means it's assured and the result of Aimee's confidence.

The momentum was maintained for Lost In Space. By now the Aimee Mann style for textured, complex, wryly sardonic songs was embedded. She delivers again on this album.

The Forgotten Arm is a concept album (about two characters who try to escape their problems but end up worse off) but still contains 'coolly elegant pop arrangements and displays of tart wordplay' according to one reviewer.

I can hardly ever follow the story line on concept albums so I just enjoy the songs and the performances. This one returns to a more alt-rock sensibility for the most part. I have to applaud her ambition with this album - and trying for something new.

@#%&*! Smilers has Aimee returning to a simpler, song-based process after The Forgotten Arm. It's reminiscent of Bachelor No. 2 and therefore it's hardly surprising it's one of my favourites. The piano and horn arrangement on Medicine Wheel are brilliant.

I think that's the thing with Aimee's songs. The brilliance factor is high, and consistent throughout these albums and therefore it's hard not to get complacent. 

The final album in my list is Charmer from 2012. It's the only one of hers I have on vinyl which is a shame. The packaging on her CDs and Charmer is usually superb. definitely value for money after she left Geffen.

Charmer is not a lot different to her previous work - melodies, sparky lyrics, hooks aplenty. Her standards remain high. I've yet to hear a bad or uninspired album from her.

Where do they all belong? I have a few gaps to plug post Charmer but I'm not sure if I'll chase her Christmas album from 2006.

Lucky star (Madonna) (LP 3038 - 3048)

Madonna  Madonna (CD, Sire Records, 1983) ****  

Madonna  Like A Virgin (Vinyl, Sire Records, 1984) *** 

Madonna  Like A Prayer (Vinyl, Sire Records, 1989) **** 

Madonna  Bedtime Stories (CD, Sire Records, 1994) **** 

Madonna  Something To Remember (CD, Sire Records, 1995) *** 

Madonna  Ray Of Light (CD, Sire Records, 1998) ***** 

Madonna  Music (CD, Warner Bros Records, 2000) **** 

Madonna  American Life (CD, Warner Bros Records, 2003) **** 

Madonna  Remixed & Revisited (CD, Warner Bros Records, 2003) **** 

Madonna  Confessions On A Dance Floor (CD, Warner Bros Records, 2005) **** 

Madonna  MDNA (CD, Interscope Records, 2012) *** 

Genre: Synth pop, pop 

Places I remember: Shona Walding collection, Second hand shop, Music shop in Richmond (Nelson), Real Groovy Records, The Warehouse, Fives (Leigh-on sea),

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Holiday, Like A Prayer; Sky Fits Heaven (Ray Of light)

Gear costume: Till Death Do Us Part (Like A Prayer)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: I find myself owning quite a few Madonna albums. She's had an incredible career.

It was the Live Aid appearance from 1985 that sealed the deal for me as it showed that Like A Virgin wasn't a fluke. Instead, she was a great performer - she put on a show that day and then some - a star was born, and I was onboard! When she did Holiday I was hooked! I still love that song.

Plus, of course, she looked really cool! A full length Madonna poster that I had on my classroom wall was very popular with the boys. 

That first album has some excellent songs apart from Holiday - Borderline, and Lucky Star. Of course, this being dance pop and 1983, the music leans heavily on synths and drum machines but her sheer presence transcends those production ticks. It's quite an assured start!

Her second album created a splash on NZ radio with the title track. So much so that the album went to number one! Except, I didn't initially buy a copy - mine would come many years later.

I was listening, but, being a tad music snobbish, I thought it was a kind of novelty song - done for shock value rather than something of substance. Her voice also sounded too high - kind of helium like, which meant I also avoided buying her next album - True Blue. As I said, it would take her Live Aid performance a year later to prove how wrong I'd been.  

It was her fourth album that won me over (I still don't have a copy of True Blue). The video for Like A Prayer was on high rotate on TV video shows and the time was right to jump onboard. These songs finally sounded like rock songs, rather than dance songs. I bought it in 1989 and the patchouli oil fragrance is still on the inner cover.

I sat out Erotica and her Sex book (I saw a copy and it was hardcore, and decidedly unsexy it seemed to me), but I was back for Bedtime Stories, her version of Marvin's Let's Get It On. I mean by that - romance and softness replaced the hard grind of Erotica. And it was good!

The thing I like about this one is the unified vision and sound. It's great for evening listening. As is the compilation album Something To Remember, which came out the next year.

It was an interesting presentation of her softer side via a collection of ballads. It included a reworked version of Love Don't Live Here Anymore as well as three new songs and a cover of Marvin Gaye's I Want You. 

Both of those albums righted the ship but then her next phase kicked off in spectacular fashion with the 5-star classic, Ray Of Light. Her voice was more mature, stronger and now an instrument of power.

Her collaborations with William Orbit resulted in a more experimental direction for this album and with Mirwais Ahmadzaï on the next one.

Ray Of Light was an important stylistic shift and started the move towards more experimental genres like ambient and Eastern flavours. Important because she never stood still for long and this pioneering spirit continued on Ray Of Light. She wasn't ever a follower - up to this point at least, she was the innovator.

There are many highlights but I always come back to a couple of songs like Frozen and Sky Fits Heaven - one of her best ever songs.

Madonna emerged in 2000 on Music with a new look - as a cowgirl! The music wasn't a deep dive into country though. Instead, the experimenting with different genres continued, effectively too for the most part. I could probably live without the vocoder effects because those kinds of gimmicks tend to age quickly.

Her version of American Pie shows she doesn't need gimmicks, although the song ends abruptly - I'd love to hear a full version of the song.

American Life is kind of Music Part 2. There are again some great moments, like Hollywood, Die Another Day and the title track and the vocoder is retained.

Madonna's Remixed & Revisited is a second compilation in my list (I've not included the straight Best of compilations). It's a seven track EP companion to American Life. Madonna's work lends itself to this remixed format and this EP provides value for money as it includes some MTV performances as well.

That includes her Like A Virgin/ Hollywood medley with Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and Missy Elliot - worth the price of the EP on its own!

She was riding a real wave of commercial and artistic success and Confessions On A Dance Floor continued the momentum.

I got this while living in England and it was played a lot when we lived in Leigh-on-sea. Particular favourites are Hung Up and Sorry. Feels a lot more autobiographical in parts. The song for New York, for instance, feels like a heartfelt paean to her city.

I bought her next album - Hard Candy, but I sold it pretty quickly as it didn't do it for me. I was back on board for MDNA though.

At this point it's a little hard to see where Lady Gaga ends and Madonna starts. Certainly the harder edged dance pop of Lady Gaga has been an influence on MDNA.

This album reflects the Madonna post-divorce from Guy Ritchie in typical tough post-divorce fashion (Gang Bang is pretty nasty).  

It's a good album, different in its own way to Music, Ray Of Light, and American Life, but also linked to those other albums. There weren't too many hits on the album, at the end of the day.  

Where do they all belong? I haven't bothered with her last few albums, even though the response to both was positive. 

Madonna continues to defy the odds, she's not getting any younger, and delivers cool dance pop into the 2010s. How long can she continue with this kind of material though? She hasn't put out an album since Madam X in 2019 so the next one should be interesting as she closes in on her seventies.

Searching (Lynyrd Skynyrd) (LP 3036)

Lynyrd Skynyrd  Gimme Back My Bullets (Vinyl, MCA Records, 1993) ***  

Genre: Southern rock 

Places I remember: Margie's brother's collection.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Searching

Gear costume: Give Me Back My Bullets

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: I've written about the other Skynyrd albums I own before, both the studio efforts and the live ones.

Their fourth studio album came to me via Margie's brother who used to be a rep for Festival Records. I sold his collection for him (we had a 50-50 deal). He had them in old cardboard boxes and hadn't looked after them really. So, I sorted them out, cleaned them, priced them and sold them for him. Along the way I spotted a few to keep and this was one of them.

Tom Dowd was the producer chosen for this set of songs and it's not really a happy marriage. The recording just doesn't sound as exciting as their earlier studio efforts (I don't own Nuthin' Fancy*).

There are a couple of good songs but the album is a bit inconsistent, and the JJ Cale cover this time out - The Same Old Blues Again falls flat.

Where do they all belong? *I really should grab a copy of their third album, Nuthin' Fancy. I'm not sure why I haven't done that along the way.

And, that's if for L! Madness kicks off the M's next post.

Out on a limb (Lunatic Soul) (LP 3030 - 3035)

Lunatic Soul  Lunatic Soul (CD, Kscope Records, 2008) ****  

Lunatic Soul  Lunatic Soul II (CD, Kscope Records, 2010) ****  

Lunatic Soul  Impressions (CD, Kscope Records, 2011) *** 

Lunatic Soul  Walking On A Flashlight Beam (CD, Kscope Records, 2014) ***** 

Lunatic Soul  Fractured (CD, Kscope Records, 2017) ****

Lunatic Soul  Under the Fragmented Sky (CD, Kscope Records, 2018) ****

Genre: Prog rock

Places I remember: Fopp, HMV

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Cold (Walking on the Flashlight Beam)

Gear costume: Out On A Limb (first album)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: It's maybe a little hard for the uninitiated to figure out where Riverside ends and Lunatic Soul begins, even though they go in different directions.

Both are the musical children of Mariusz Duda - Polish bass guitarist, singer and composer extraordinaire.

Lunatic Soul began life as a side project for Duda - a very prog rock thing to do. The sound on the first album is a lot more experimental, atmospheric and short of guitars (generally, Riverside are big on guitars and prog metal sounds). Instead, it has ambient passages and uses electronic soundscapes to project a pretty heavy sound - the project is named Lunatic Soul remember.

The second album veers away from prog metal even more with hypnotic beats and electronics taking centre stage. It even sounds vaguely Middle Eastern at times. The lyrics by Duda maintain a very introspective stance throughout.

Duda was a busy guy - his third album under that name came out a year after Lunatic Soul II. 

Impressions is an album employing ambient sounds and with no vocals. Each of the tracks is called Impression I to VIII. It's another successful experiment. The ambient nature means it floats by very pleasantly.

Lunatic Soul took a bit of a rest as Riverhead were reactivated, but were then back for 2014's Walking On A Flashlight Beam.

Duda appears a lot more like his prog rock self on this one. The vocals are back and the songs are back. Not only that but they are prog rock length - in fact Pygmalion's Ladder is over 12 minutes long. The interest is sustained during these longer songs. I think this one is Lunatic Soul's best album to this point. 

Fractured continues the momentum. Like the title and the cover image it moves the Lunatic Soul sound forward. As he said prior to its release: I’d call it dark melancholic trance with more electronics and more powerful sounds. But there will also be some lyrical fragments, and a couple of tracks will feature a symphonic orchestra I have worked with for the first time in my career.

The almost techno beats do take a little getting used to, but his bass sounds, his vocals, and other instrumental textures like sax contribute to the success of Fractured.

The final album in my list is Under The Fragmented Sky from 2018. It was intended as an addendum to Fractured but grew legs into a full album. It has predominately instrumental passages compared to Fractured but also builds well on that earlier album.

Where do they all belong? Their latest album from 2020 - Through Shaded Woods, so far has alluded me - will look for that one, although I'm not desperate for it. A lot more to come when we get to Riverside!

Ain't it somethin' (Lyle Lovett) (LP 3029)

Lyle Lovett  I Love Everybody (CD, MCA Records, 1994) ***  

Genre: Country

Places I remember: Another one from Shona Walding

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Just The Morning

Gear costume: Record Lady

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: I wouldn't normally buy an album by Lyle Lovett, not that I have anything against him, just that I prefer my country like Dwight Yokam.

This is a bit of a weird one in his catalogue - it's his fifth album but it consists of his early songs written prior to the recording of his first album.

I don't know enough about his work to consider this as better or worse than others. It's an interesting, stripped back set of songs including some wry observations and some great musical accompaniment.

Lyle has a nice and easy, laconic delivery that sells these songs well. I bet it sold a truckload!!

Where do they all belong? A one-off. As I said, I'm more of a Dwight guy.