Perhaps vampires is a bit strong but...(Arctic Monkeys) (LP 104)

Arctic Monkeys Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (CD - Domino, 2006) ***

Genre: English pop/ rock

Places I remember: Fives - Leigh-on-sea

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: When The Sun Goes Down




Gear costume: Fake Tales of San Francisco.

Active compensatory factors: In 2005-2006, there was no escaping Arctic Monkeys if you lived in the UK as we did then.

They were exciting. Fresh. Young. Organic. Articulate. Guitar driven. Seemingly new (listen carefully and the sixties beat groups were clearly an inspiration) and not hyped by a record company.

Singing in a blatant Sheffield dialect, Alex Turner was clearly right for the time. I'm not too sure that it's aged well but who cares. This is about a new band in 2006, not an aging band in 2017.

Take a look at that video and get a feel for a band alive in the moment!

Where do they all belong? The next album was my favourite worst nightmare!

Riff raff (AC/DC) (LP 103)

AC/DC Powerage (CD - Epic, 1978) *****

Genre: NZ/Australian pop/rock

Places I remember: The Warehouse Cambridge

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Riff Raff is GREAT rock and roll!!




Gear costume: Take yer pick - a strong collection of yer classic AC/DC filthy funky guitar noise. Try Up To My Neck In You though, it is impossible to sit still during most of these songs but this is especially infectious!!!

Active compensatory factors: Five stars Wozza, really?

Well, yes. It's a clear classic in my eyes and ears. Bon Scott in all his aussie battler glory!

Powerage is a peak moment in the studio albums. Not a duff track to be found and everything clicks. A classic!

Where do they all belong? Next up - If you wanted blood you got it during Akka dakka's finest hour.

Concerto Grosso (Corelli) (LP 102)

Corelli 4 Concerti Grossi (CD - Point Classics, 1994) ***

Genre: Classical

Places I remember: The Warehouse Cambridge

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




Active compensatory factors: The baroque era is by far and away my favourite within the classical genre.

I'd heard an edited piece on a sampler, so I knew I liked Corelli's music. This is a nice example - it's very melodic and joyous; surprisingly spritely at times and quietly contemplative at others. 

Where do they all belong? Nicely nestled within the Baroque section of my limited classical section.

Positive Vibration (Bob Marley) (LP 101)

Bob Marley and The Wailers Rastaman Vibration (CD - Tuff Gong, 1976) ****

Genre: Reggae

Places I remember: The Warehouse Cambridge

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: War




Gear costume: Positive Vibration

Active compensatory factors: The uplifting start from Positive Vibration is what makes this album such a joy to return to from time to time.

Say you just can't live that negative way 

If you know what I mean 

Make way for the positive day' 

Cause it's news (new day) news and days 

New time (new time), and if it's a new feelin' (new feelin'), yeah 

Said it's a new sign (new sign) 

Oh, what a new day

I love that - it's what connects so many people to Bob Marley and his music - this message. He had some terrible things happen to him in his life and he saw a lot of bad things too. And still - oh what a new day!

That's pretty special. Jah love.

I've chosen War to highlight here as well because the positivity is maintained until the end of the album (War is track nine of ten). Rather than highlight war's brutality and degradation, Marley looks forward:

And we know we shall win 

As we are confident 

In the victory 

Of good over evil - 

Good over evil, yeah!

Good over evil, yeah Bob!

Where do they all belong? This album kind of embedded things for the band after Live! kicked off things properly in the west. Next up - the five star classic, Exodus. 

Ramy (Anouar Brahem) (LP 100)

Garbarek/ Brahem/ Hussain Madar (CD - ECM, 1994) ***

Genre: Jazz

Places I remember: Weird little shop in the Souq Waqif (Doha, Qatar) that had an amazing ECM collection of CDs.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles/ Gear costume: Opener Sull Lull sets the scene.




Active compensatory factors: Anour Brahem was the reason I bought this. Jan Garbarek is an acquired taste as a saxophonist. He can be quite harsh in his tone and I'm more a smooth sax sound lover.

But forget that! On this album the Norwegian complements the Tunisian oud master, Anouar Brahem, and Ustad Shaukat Hussain, from Pakistan, on tabla.

So much so that these three create something beyond their usual individual sound. The mix of Scandinavian cool, middle eastern oud and the anchoring sound of the tabla works to create some fascinating, and at times, challenging, sound collages.

Where do they all belong? Much more Brahem magic to come.

Gonna make you love me (Ryan Adams) (LP 96 - 97)

Ryan Adams Gold (2CD 2for1 - Lost Highway, 2001) ****

Ryan Adams Demolition (2CD 2for1- Universal, 2002) ***

Genre: Americana

Places I remember: Virgin Megastore Dubai Mall

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Answering Bell




Gear costume: Nobody Girl, Starting to Hurt (from Demolition)

Active compensatory factors: Everything seems to come easy to Ryan Adams. He's a guy with a prodigious talent and he can write classic songs. These two albums bear testimony

Gold is well named - Ryan Adams manages to distill his Dylan, Byrd, Beatle, Rolling Stones influences into his own thing to record his best selling album.

It's a run of one great song after another until Enemy Fire, which tries too hard to rock it up and sounds stodgy as a result. Try Starting To Hurt from third studio album, Demolition, instead.

Good news though - the deft touch returns from Gonna Make You Love Me.

All up it's a terrific set - well recorded too. There's tons of space for the acoustic guitars, organ, voice...

Demotion followed Gold and suffered in comparison but it's actually a fine album in its own right. Ryan takes on a more experimental stance with some of the instrumentation and he's, therefore, only partially successful.

Ultimately, I do have a real soft spot for Gold - it formed the soundtrack for plenty of driving around Al Ain and Dubai. Go fer Gold!

Where do they all belong? A  lot more Ryan Adams to come - some hits, some misses. You definitely need a 'how to buy' guide for his prolific output. Trust me with Gold though - along with Heartbreaker, it's a high water mark!

Doin' just fine (Boyz II Men) (LP 98 - 99)

Boyz II Men II (2for1 CD - Motown, 1994) ***
Boyz II Men Evolution (2for1 CD - Motown, 1997) ****

Genre: Soul

Places I remember: Originally I had II on cassette and Evolution was from the music shop at St Luke's Mall but this 2for1 package came from The Warehouse Hastings.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Harmony!




Gear costume: Some great ballads on both records - I'll Make Love To You/ On Bended Knee/ Water Runs Dry on II and Doin' Just Fine/ A Song For Mama/4 Seasons of Loneliness on Evolution.

Active compensatory factors: They kept me hanging on, long after the initial rush of End Of The Road. The first three albums all hold up!

II was the mega seller and it does contain some amazing stuff but some of the more up tempo material doesn't do it consistently for me.

Interestingly, Evolution is the one I return to the most - just a smooth-a-thon without peer. It formed the soundtrack for a lot of nights on duty at Mount Albert Grammar's School House hostel!

It's crammed with brilliant harmony, brilliant ballads, brilliant music - one great song after another . They even make a hugely over sentimental thing like a paean to mothers (A Song For Mama) sound amazing! It's a very impressive feat which they manage to sustain for 3/4 of the album, until Dear God proves a sentimental bridge too far.

Where do they all belong? Hard to sustain that amazing run and sure enough they struggled with label problems and health issues before coming up with fourth album Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya.