Sole survivor (Asia) (LP 1030)

Asia  Fantasia Live in Tokyo (CD, Eagle Rock Entertainment, 2007) ***  

Genre: Prog

Places I remember: The Warehouse

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Heat Of The Moment 

Gear costume: Sole Survivor 

Active compensatory factors: I continue to have a soft spot for this prog supergroup. Yes - the Geoff Downes synths are cheesy as all get out, yes - Asia songs feel like Yes lite at times, yes - they were a record company's dream of prog pop, and yes - this sometimes feels like prog Karaoke as the big four (Downes, Palmer, Howe and Wetton) celebrate their day job 'hits'.

So what? It's OTT good fun for the most part. The slower paced version of Roundabout doesn't do it for me, nor does The Buggles genuine hit - Video Killed The Radio Star, but the kitchen sink version of Fanfare For The Common Man hits the spot nicely (although there's not much for Chris Squire to contribute to that one).

And the Wetton 'hit' is done well - bizarrely he chose In The Court Of The Crimson King and yes, he was a member of King Crimson, but that song was originally sung by Greg Lake. Maybe it's done as a tribute to Carl's bandmate, because John Wetton sounds eerily like Lake.

BTW - terrible knock-off looking cover, it has to be said.

Where do they all belong? Obviously, this is the CD version of the video, but I don't mind as I can pretty much see the concert thanks to the music on offer. Enough Asia though.

Up the hill backwards (David Bowie) (LP 1026 -1029)

David Bowie  Low (CD, RCA Records, 1977) *****  

David Bowie  Heroes (CD, RCA Records, 1977) ****  

David Bowie  Lodger (CD, RCA Records, 1979) ***

David Bowie  Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (CD, RCA Records, 1980) **** 

Genre: Pop/rock

Places I remember: Kings Recording (Abu Dhabi); Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Subterranean (Low)

Gear costume: Sound and Vision (Low); Heroes; Ashes To Ashes (Scary Monsters) 

Active compensatory factors: It's taken me a while to get back to the Bowie albums. That's thanks to a few circulations through the vinyl albums which delayed my return. That previous Bowie entry was August 2021.

The good thing about that is I can re-examine the German albums (Low to Lodger) with a bit more distance. 

I can see why he returned to the Heroes artwork for his re-emergence with The Next Day in 2013. The experimentation on the 1977 albums is outstanding and clearly something he thought The Next Day echoed in some way.

There is still commercial brilliance on the albums - Sound and Vision, Heroes, Boys Keep Swinging,  but the main feature on display is Bowie's questing spirit for new combinations of sounds.

It's taken me a while to embrace these albums, and without The Next Day and Blackstar I doubt I would have actually got there. 

Low gets an extra star as it's my fav of this bunch but it's also the bravest one as he ditched the Station To Station persona completely.

Lodger gets three stars from me because it's a bit cacophonous to my ears - maybe it would be better on vinyl?

I indicated in the 2021 post that I was going to look at the 1977 to 1980 output so here's the final one of the four - kinda sitting outside it, but also kinda linked because after it he went full bore pop again.

1980's Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) synthesizers all that experimentation and largely applies it skillfully to his commercial instincts. Ashes To Ashes and Fashion spring spectacularly from those antecedents. Even Major Tom makes a return!

Where do they all belong? Only three more Bowie CDs in the collection. Might be a year or so before I get there, but it will be worth it!

Bite the bullet (D-Super) (LP 1025)

D Super  Straight To The Sun (CD, Wildside, 2001) ***  

Genre: a mash up of Rock and roll, surf, garage, punk; NZ music

Places I remember: Roger Marbeck gave me a promo copy

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: We Ride Tonite

Gear costume: Song 4 Linc

Active compensatory factors: A short lived flame out band at the start of the millennium, D-Super created a bit of a stir around student radio circles and managed to cobble together this album.

They wore their influences on their sleeve and created some interesting singles (both featured above) but somehow the songs don't make for a coherent album.

However, I enjoy their energetic approach for the most part and I'm a sucker for sixties rock and roll surf garage punk recorded well, which this is. So I'm pleased to add this to the NZ music collection.

Where do they all belong? A one off. Those two highlighted songs are all you really need.

Everyday I have the blues (Lou Rawls) (LP 1023 -1024)

Lou Rawls  Black and Blue (CD, Capitol Records, 1974) ***  

Lou Rawls  Tobacco Road (CD, Capitol Records, 1974) ***  

Genre: Jazz vocal; soul; blues 

Places I remember: JB Hi Fi

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: St James Infirmary

Gear costume: Summertime

Active compensatory factors: This a twofer CD comprising his work with the Onzy Matthews' Orchestra over two albums - Black and Blue and Tobacco Road.

I'm not ordinarily a fan of vocals in jazz but Lou is special. His hits with Grover Washington Jnr clued me in to his brilliance.

He presents some real standards on these two albums and they all sound fresh and weirdly original.

Where do they all belong? This one is in the soul section of the CDs - that seemed the most appropriate even though he's with a jazz orchestra.

Games people play (Joe South) (LP 1021 - 1022)

Alexandro Jodorowsky/ John Barham  Original Motion Picture Score El Topo (Vinyl, Apple Records, 1971) ***  

Various  Original Soundtrack Recording Come Together (Vinyl, Apple Records, 1971) **  

Genre: Soundtracks; Apple Records

Places I remember: Both of these came from swapping stuff with Noel Forth.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: La Primera Flor...

Gear costume: Love is Blue - The Dells

Active compensatory factors: John Lennon's interest in the El Topo film lead to this weird oddity appearing on the Apple Records label. 

The film itself is a violent, surreal anti-western that will either expand your consciousness or test your patience (sometimes both at the same time).

The music is interesting and stands alone as a series of instrumental compositions.

Come Together is a ménage à trois road movie, also from 1971. The soundtrack is a mish mash of dialogue from the movie, hits by The Dells and Joe South and instrumental interludes. 

Someone at Apple thought this was a good idea at the time. It wasn't.

Where do they all belong? Just a various collection from Phil Spector to come in the Apple Records collection - the great Christmas album.

Everybody seems to think I'm lazy (the Beatles) (LP 1020)

John Lennon Plastic Ono Band   Imagine (Vinyl and CD, Apple Records, 1971) ****  

Genre: Beatle pop/rock, Apple Records

Places I remember: George Courts (K Rd); JB Hi Fi (CD); HMV (Oxford Street) - special edition

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Jealous Guy

Gear costume: Imagine 

Active compensatory factors: For a self-confessed lazy sod (I'm Only Sleeping, Watching The Wheels) he was certainly a busy musician. He didn't slow down at all when The Beatles wound up activities after they's passed the audition on the rooftop's final live performance.

Instead things kept going at a frenetic pace. Every year from 1968 onwards: solo albums; Yoko 'sister' albums; cameos; production for others; peace activities; agitation activities; art shows; films...it just boggles the mind how much this lazy sod was capable of doing up until the house-hubbie years starting in 1975.

Imagine (the song) is where I first sat up and took notice of solo Lennon. As a Fab, he'd mesmerized and captured my whole imagination on The Ed Sullivan Show (my eyes just kept going back to him!),  but the weird Lennon/Ono album phase and first true solo album in 197o had passed me by.

Then I bought Solid Gold Hits Vol 2. The one with Imagine on it. That did it. I had to have the album!

I played it so much in 1971/1972 that I wore out the grooves a tad.

The album has all the best and all the worst of John Lennon on display - he was, like many of us, a contradiction, an enigma, But, unlike many of us, he was also a true genius.

So, we get the sublime (the title track's love for mankind) and the petty (How Do I sleep's laceration of Macca). We get the tender (How?, Oh My Love) and the brutal (I Don't Want To Be A Soldier). We get the self-obsessed examination (Jealous Guy) and the deep consideration for others (Oh Yoko). We get the depressed and unsubtle (It's So Hard) and the wide eyed and hopeful (Imagine). We get the playful (Crippled Inside), and we get the plain and serious (Gimme Some Truth).

He was complicated, and that's why I love him and his work so much. That's why so many gravitated to him.

The musicians are brilliant too; something not often acknowledged was his ability to spot talent and keep loyal friends onboard (he discovered Paul McCartney after all). So, say hello to Klaus Voormann, Alan White, George Harrison, Jim Keltner, Nicky Hopkins. All appear again and again on his solo albums.

Sidebar: Given the use of the genius word, you may be wondering about the 4 stars. I have to deduct a star for the last two songs on side 1. I've just never liked them much and they seem to jar.

Where do they all belong? The political New York double album is up next.

Don't you know who I am (Reb Fountain) (LP 1018 -1019)

Reb Fountain Reb Fountain (Vinyl, Flying Nun Records, 2020) *** 

Reb Fountain Iris (Vinyl, Flying Nun Records, 2021) ****  

Genre: NZ music

Places I remember: JB Hi-Fi (Palmerston North)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Lacuna (Iris)

Gear costume: Beastie (Iris)

Active compensatory factors: I like each of these albums by NZ singer, Reb Fountain. You'll notice I decided to label the genre NZ music because it straddles lots of sub-genres - pop, folk, indie without really settling on a dominant one. So NZ music it is.

Her debut album uses sparse instrumentation, and space to tell her impressionist stories, while Iris features a fuller sound, even drums.

There is a nice modern sensibility around her musical choices, yet she's also grounded in folk and pop tropes. A great mix. Do try her!

Where do they all belong? She's a real talent and I'll be looking for more of her albums in the future.