One man rock and roll band (Roy Harper) (LP 508 - 511)

Roy Harper Stormcock (CD, Science Friction, 1971) ***** 

Roy Harper Whatever Happened To Jugula? (CD, Science Friction, 1985) **

Roy Harper Death Or Glory (CD, Science Friction, 1994) *** 

Roy Harper Man & Myth (CD, Bella Union, 2013) **** 

Genre: Folk 

Places I remember: JB HiFi; HMV

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: All of Stormcock! January Man (Man & Myth)

Gear costume: Elizabeth (Jugula)

Active compensatory factors: Roy's been at it a while - these four CDs cover four of his six music making decades.

I've covered the classic, brilliant Stormcock before. 

Jugula features Jimmy Page on guitar, but is uneven - what with a poem, and Advertisement - a weird 'humourous' track. Although  Elizabeth is great, the eighties were a tough decade for many sixties artists and Roy is no exception.

 

The nineties brought Death Or Glory - a much more coherent effort. Sounds great too!

But the best of the post Stormcock bunch is Man & Myth. If it's to be his last album, then it's a fitting high point to go out on. The amazing January Man is my favourite but the rest of the album is particularly strong.

Hats off to you Roy!

 

Where do they all belong? That's it for Roy Harper on CD.

Running on faith (Eric Clapton) (LP 507)

Eric Clapton Journeyman (CD, Reprise, 1989) *** 

Genre: Blues 

Places I remember: Another CD inherited from Lindsay Hope

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Bad Love

Gear costume: Running On Faith, Run So Far

Active compensatory factors: Widely acknowledged as a return to form at the time, Journeyman has a lot of good songs. Quite a few of the tracks ended up on the Unplugged setlist - which is a good indication of quality.

Note of caution though: there's a whiff of the lingering eighties production values throughout, with the drums and synth sounds. Shudder!

Beatles completists please also note: George Harrison appears on one track - Run So Far, playing some trademark guitar and doing some harmony vocals.

Where do they all belong? And that's it for Eric on CD in my collection.  

Gimme something good (Ryan Adams) (LP 505 - 506)

Ryan Adams 1989 (CD, Pax-Am, 2015) ***

Ryan Adams 10 Songs From Live At Carnagie Hall (CD, Pax-Am, 2015) *** 

Genre: Americana 

Places I remember: The Warehouse (Hastings)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Welcome To New York (1989); Oh My Sweet Carolina (10 Songs)

Gear costume: Bad Blood; How You Get The Girl (1989) 

Active compensatory factors: The 1989 album is, of course, his take on Taylor Swift's original album. It's definitely different to Ta Ta's album. Shake It Off for instance is almost unrecognisable.

After the bravura first track, Welcome To New York, the real strength of the album comes in the middle with Bad Blood, Wildest Dreams, How You get The Girl forming an impressive trio.

The live 10 Songs are culled from the longer Live album. It cuts the between songs' patter and is a tight collection of Ryan solo on guitar and piano. It's a strong combination.

Strpped down versions work for him here. None of Ta Ta's songs are featured though. 

Where do they all belong? That's it for Ryan in my collection. He's been accused of various things by the MeToo movement and has yet to surface again from that. Which all makes him a problematic listening experience but he's not Ian Watkins from Lostprophets right?

Easy from now on (Emmylou Harris) (LP 504)

Emmylou Harris Quarter Moon In A Ten Cent Town (CD, Warner Bros, 1978) ****

Genre: Country 

Places I remember: The Warehouse (Cambridge)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: To Daddy; Defying Gravity

Gear costume: Two More Bottles Of Wine

Active compensatory factors: I picked this up in a sale and then wondered (still do) why I don't have more of her stuff.

Weird - because this is great country music.

The playing is deft, the vocals crystal clear, the songs terrific. But somehow, and I really don't know why, it doesn't stick for me.

Maybe it's my rockist sensibilities but this is nice, without being essential listening in my world. Sorry Emmylou.

Where do they all belong? It's the only album I have by her, coming up are some Gram Parsons albums which she appears on. They are more to my taste.

Dance with waves (Anouar Brahem) (LP 502 - 503)

Anouar Brahem Le Pas Du Chat Noir (CD, ECM, 2002) ***

Anouar Brahem the Astounding Eyes Of Rita (CD, ECM, 2009) **** 

Genre: ECM Jazz 

Places I remember: Dubai Mall - Virgin Megastore

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: The Astounding Eyes Of Rita

Gear costume: Two great classy ECM covers on show.

Active compensatory factors: I prefer The Astounding Eyes Of Rita overall to Le Pas Du Chat Noir purely because of the accompanying instruments. I've touched on Rita before.

Anouar's oud is matched on Rita with bass, bass clarinet and darbouka, while Chat has piano and accordian.

Both have wonderful playing by all concerned, and room to breathe. 

One of Jacky's horse friends was around home recently while Chat was playing and asked what the wonderful music was. Anouar's music is different, interesting and pleasing to the ear/air.

Where do they all belong? That's it for Anouar in the ECM CD pile.

I do it for your love (Bill Evans) (LP 501)

Bill Evans Affinity (CD, Warner Bros, 1979) ***

Genre: Piano Jazz 

Places I remember: Kings Recording (Abu Dhabi)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Blue in Green

Gear costume: Great cover! 

Active compensatory factors: We start the next 500 albums with this little oddity: Bill Evans, jazz pianist and legend (he played on Kind Of Blue - enough said), here teams up with Toots Thielemans (harmonica).

It's sometimes as odd as that sounds, but also ends up being pretty cool when bass (Marc Johnson's debut), drums, and sax are added to the mix.

Gotta say, I'm an absolute sucker for the Fender Rhodes electric piano. It's such a great sound and Bill Evans is a master!

Where do they all belong? A bit of a one-off in my collection - the only album I own by Bill and/or Toots.