The rest is noise (Jamie XX) (LP 649)

Jamie XX  In Colour (CD, -, 2015) **** 

Genre: Electronic music 

Places I remember: JB HiFi (Palmerston North)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Obvs

Gear costume: Gosh

Active compensatory factors: Electronic music would be the least comprehensive genre in my collection - haha - pretty much this, Kraftwerk and some compilations (Synthpop is a different beast and is housed in the pop section). 

For me, it's all about guitars for the most part, unless it's progressive rock like Emerson Lake and Palmer or Rick Wakeman.

But I do like this. The album has a cool selection of sounds as Jamie sets out his stall. Gosh is the lead off song but it's not representative of his approach.

Where do they all belong? I thought I'd mislaid the XX albums I owned, but I must have sold them off. So, this is the only remnant of XX left.

Great southern land (icehouse) (LP 648)

Icehouse  Primitive Man (CD, Warner Music, 1982) ***

Genre: Australian pop/rock

Places I remember: The Warehouse Cambridge

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles/ Gear costume: Great Southern Land

Active compensatory factors: I bought this for the featured track: Great Southern Land is a great slice of Australian synthpop. 

The band was huge in NZ and Aussie in the early eighties with songs like Street Cafe and Hey Little Girl all over our radio at the time.

Being something of a musical snob at the time, I didn't rush out to buy this but thanks to that lingering appeal of Great Southern Land. I did catch up with it when it was remastered in 2002 and released with a slew of bonus tracks.

Where do they all belong? My only brush with Iva and Icehouse.

Good love (Isaac Hayes) (LP 644 - 647)

Isaac Hayes  Hot Buttered Soul  (CD, Stax, 1969) ***

Isaac Hayes  The Isaac Hayes Movement  (CD, Stax, 1970) ***

Isaac Hayes  Shaft  (CD, Stax, 1971) ****

Isaac Hayes  Black Moses  (CD, Stax, 1971) **** 

Genre: Soul 

Places I remember: Virgin Megastore (Dubai); Kings Recording (Abu Dhabi); Fives (Leigh-on-sea)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: By The Time I Get To Phoenix

Gear costume: Soulsville (Shaft), No Name Bar (Shaft) - great horns!

Active compensatory factors: Sometimes I just need to hear the extended versions of Something (phew - an epic) or By The Time I Get To Phoenix - yes all 18 plus minutes of it).

Then again - I also sometimes just need to listen to Shaft. The whole album from the opening theme is captivating and fresh, Soulsville is a great song - with Isaac Hayes distinctive vocals, and No Name Bar always gets the juices flowing with that awesome horn arrangement by Hayes.

All that and then Do Your Thing is a nearly 20 minute wig out before The End Theme - just what I love!

The first two albums here follow a similar pattern - four songs over two sides with lengthy workouts on familiar songs - something like Walk On By or I Stand Accused.

Black Moses is the big double album and something of a culmination of the Isaac Hayes method; familiar songs like Never Can Say Goodbye are Isaac-ised so you don't even remember the original (Michael Jackson's) version.

Everything about the album reeks of confidence and coolness. The original album cover was a lavish affair that suited the scope of Black Moses.

Where do they all belong? All done for Isaac Hayes. 

Omkaaraaya Namaha (LP 643)

Note the fine print

Ravi Shankar  Chants Of India (CD, Angel Records, 1997) ***

Genre: Apple/Dark Horse Records 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Asato Maa

Gear costume: Sarve Shaam

Active compensatory factors: The link to The Beatles and Apple/Dark Horse Records is, of course, the appearance of George Harrison as producer, and the fact that Ravi recorded albums for release on both Apple Records and Dark Horse Records.

It's a well named album because instead of Ravi's instrumental approach, all of these tracks are Vedic and other sacred Hindu chants set to music.

It's brilliantly realised too, as if George was destined to produce this album - the last collaboration between the two.

Where do they all belong? There's much more Shankar to come when we return to the vinyl, for now, allow these themes of peace and harmony to wash over you.

Within you without you (The Beatles) (LP 642)

Big Daddy  Sgt. Peppers (CD, Rhino, 1992) ***

Genre: Beatles pop/rock 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: A Day In The Life 

Gear costume: Getting Better 

Active compensatory factors: If the idea of a doo wop, rock a billy, Sha-Na-Na style retro rock'n'roll outfit doing the whole of The Beatles' album is your thing, then, this is a lotta fun.

It's fun trying to match the inspiration to the treatment - for instance the opening song - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, is done a la The Coasters doing Youngblood, Lucy is Jerry Lee Lewis' Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On, Getter Better is Del Shannon's  The Wanderer, and so on. 

A Day In The Life, reconditioned as a Buddy Holly song (think Oh Boy, Peggy Sue, Every Day, Heartbeat) is probably the most successful.

Where do they all belong? A one off, most definitely.

Playing my music (Papa John Creach) (LP 639 - 641)

Papa John Creach Papa John Creach (Vinyl, Grunt Records, 1971) ***

Papa John Creach Filthy! (Vinyl, Grunt Records, 1972) ***

Papa John Creach & Zulu Playing My Fiddle For You (Vinyl, Grunt Records, 1974) ***

Genre: Grunt Records

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records, Amoeba Records (San Francisco)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: The Janitor Drives A Cadillac (PJC) 

Gear costume: String Jet Rock (PJC),  Walking The Tou Tou (Filthy)

Active compensatory factors: Papa John Creach recorded three solo albums for Grunt Records and here they are! 

The first one includes the contributions of various famous friends from Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Santana.

Filthy includes fellow Grunt Records artist Jack Bonus and the band Zulu, who are credited on the third album - Playing My Fiddle For you. 

Both are more funky and cohesive than the first one with all the famous west coast players, but that was has more high spots.

Filthy also includes a fabulous cameo from Big Joe Turner!

Heavy friends for a fiddle player!

Where do they all belong? Next up in Grunt Records is Hot Tuna and Papa John Creach will make a telling contribution to their sound as well. But well before then, it's back to the CD collection for a spell.

Smiling phases (Blood Sweat and Tears) (LP 636 - 638)

Blood Sweat & Tears  Blood Sweat & Tears (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1968) *****

Blood Sweat & Tears  3 (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1970) ***

Blood Sweat & Tears  B S & T 4 (Vinyl, Columbia Records, 1971) *** 

Genre: American pop/ rock 

Places I remember: Chaldon Books and Records; Second hand record stores in Greenwich, London.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: God Bless The Child (woh Nelly - that organ sound!!)

Gear costume:  Lisa, Listen To Me , Smiling Phases, And When I Die

Active compensatory factors: For many fans of the band, this was where it really took off - with their second album called Blood Sweat and Tears (cunning that) and the introduction of David Clayton-Thomas on vocals. 

The cross-over pop hits came along and they were set. Cross-over? Well, I say that because my jazz fan father was the one who bought the album after hearing a CBS sampler which cunningly included snips from the opening four songs. It sounded like jazz!

It appealed to him from that jazz connection and from the hi-fi aspect - the album sounds huge, with fantastic production that just explodes out of the speakers.

In the end it was a bit too rock oriented for him (and then my ears pricked up - especially after they appeared at the Woodstock music festival).

Their third and fourth albums continued the pop-ward trend with more Spinning Wheel style hits: Hi-De-Ho; Lucretia MacEvil - both on 3; Go Down Gamblin': Lisa, Listen To Me (covered in brilliant fashion by Headband) - both on 4.

Both of these albums suffer a little from the band being in something of a transition from that second album. The pop hits sit alongside more progressive jazz rock moments and covers of others' songs. The third album's choice of the Stone's Sympathy For The Devil is an odd one and doing Fire And Rain is unnecessary really.

Where do they all belong? Much more to come as I morphed into a BS&T completist. It snuck up on me!

Waiting for the great leap forwards (Billy Bragg) (LP 634 -635)

Billy Bragg  Talking With The Taxman About Poetry (Vinyl, Chrysalis Records, 1986) ***

Billy Bragg  Workers Playtime (Vinyl, Liberation Records, 1988) ****

Genre: British pop rock

Places I remember: Marbecks Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: The Short Answer, Greetings To The New Brunette

Gear costume: Levi Stubbs' Tears, Must I Paint You A Picture

Active compensatory factors: The difficult third album, Taxman, and Workers Playtime (no apostrophe) are his best two albums for me; the first couple were rougher with DIY solo Billy and a strident guitar - these have more arranged songs and it helps a lot.

Although Billy correctly labels Taxman that difficult third album for a reason as he transitions from the early solo guitar songs (The Passion) to the more embellished songs (Greetings To The New Brunette).

Fourth album, Workers Playtime, is where he gets the mixture finally right and so, for me, it's his masterpiece.

Side note:  both albums mix up the personal, character based, relationship songs which I prefer, with the political ones (which is fine but not being British working class I don't truly get them). Workers Playtime only has two of the latter and they are the less successful tracks.

Where do they all belong? 2013's Tooth and Nail on CD is to come. I flirted with the idea of including it here but given the quarter century gap, it deserves its own entry.

Too good for this world (Crowded House) (LP 633)

Crowded House  Dreamers Are Waiting (Vinyl, Lester Records - EMI, 2021) **** 

Genre: NZ pop/rock 

Places I remember: JB HiFi (Palmerston North)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: To The Island

Gear costume: Whatever You Want, Playing With Fire 

Active compensatory factors: I'm not a Crowded House completist but I am a fan. Their 1996 compilation Recurring Dream is an amazing collection of Beatley pop.

Since then they've reformed a few times to create interesting, if somewhat inessential albums. This time out (the first Crowdies album in eleven years) Neil carries on the tradition of employing fellow Finns to flesh out the band (not Tim this time, but his two sons - Liam and Elroy, and his wife Sharon).

Bassist Nick Seymour remains onboard - along with Neil, he's the only constant member of the original band.

And so to the music - it's fresh but instantly recognisable as a Crowded House record. The harmonies and melodies are present and correct, while the younger generation Finns add plenty of flavour. Liam even contributes two of the songs and co-writes others with Neil.

I've only played the record twice but already it sounds like the effort to resusitate the band was a brilliant decision. 

Where do they all belong? I must find a copy of Together Alone!

We'll sing in the sunshine (The Mike Curb Congregation) (LP 632)

The Mike Curb Congregation  Come Together (Vinyl, MGM Records, 1970) ** 

Genre: Easy listening 

Places I remember: The Little Red Bookshop (Hastings)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Games People Play lends itself to this kind of treatment.

Gear costume: Raindrops Are Falling On My Head (ditto) 

Active compensatory factors: Famous for Burning Bridges, the theme from Kelly's Heroes, this was the first album from MGM records head honcho Mike Curb.

I was drawn to the album by the Beatles' covers (Come Together/Hey Jude) and the record cover which, although tragically unhip for 1970, does feature the NZ flag! Curb also has a go at Give Peace A Chance and I was keen to hear what he did with it (it's as you'd expect - pretty dire). All that, plus it was cheap - only $10.

Ultimately it's anodyne schmaltzy pap and I should have known better given Curb was a right wing Nixon supporter who ditched acts from MGM because of their drug associations, but sometimes you have to have a punt. Right!?

Worst moments: Sweet Caroline, Long Haired Lover From Liverpool - yeuch!!!

Where do they all belong? I've learned my lesson with The Mike Curb Congregation. Burning Bridges is still cool though.

Body and soul (Thelonious Monk) (LP 630 - 631)

Thelonious Monk  Brilliant Corners (Vinyl, WaxTime Records, 1956, this re-released version 2013 ) ****

The Thelonious Monk Quartet  Monk's Dream (Vinyl, WaxTime Records, 1962, this re-released version 2013) **** 

Genre: Jazz piano 

Places I remember: Music shop in Taupo

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles/ Gear costume: The consistency is set to high and impressive over these four sides but Bemsha Swing has something extra special.

Active compensatory factors: Although I had the CD versions, it was great to pick these two up on reissued prime vinyl on a recent Taupo holiday.

Both are classics and rightly so. Monk is a musical genius and no one on earth plays like him.

Brilliant Corners features Sonny Rollins on tenor sax. He is, of course, a star in his own right. I'm not qualified to pass technical judgement on his playing but he and Monk sound great throughout.

Monk's Dream features Charlie Rouse on tenor sax, John Ore bass, and Frankie Dunlop. Downbeat originally said this 'is a beautiful album in every respect, completely stimulating in each second of its more than 47 minutes'.

I heartily concur!

Where do they all belong? A lot more Monk to come on CD, but that's it for vinyl at this stage.