| Author | Message | ||
     kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 836 Registered: 05-2005 |
Beck - The Information. On 2nd listen just now, initially sounds like a cross between Odelay and Midnite Vultures, some funky bass sounds going on here, programmed rather than played though I think. Josef K - Entemology. Domino comp of all the big tunes from their back catelogue. A good friend supplied me with CD-Rs of these two albums, both out next month. Jay Z - best of. Does just what it says on the tin. The La's - The La's at the BBC. This lot could have been amazing, what a lost opportunity. I had heard they were gigging a little while back, seems to have went all quiet again though. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 820 Registered: 03-2006 |
The Last of the Jewish Cowboys - Kinky Friedman | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 767 Registered: 05-2005 |
Kev you naughty boy! Give me the CD immediately! How's the JK comp, has it been remastered? Can't wait for it over here, mind you the Marina comp from 98 is hard to beat. I love Beck so much, the guy deserved the genius tag. La's sounds good, great sleeve eh! Was listening to the best of Billy Joel today, sorry. Blue Nile Peace at last too. | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 837 Registered: 05-2005 |
Spence, was on the ROL website for more info on Entemology and noticed there was info for some Paul Haig albums. I used to have THE WARP OF PURE FUN and RHYTHM OF LIFE on vinyl and thought they were great. Luckily Napster have THE WARP... but not ROL so I am downloading now. How do these albums stand up now? Napster also has THEN AGAIN which I have never heard of so I am going to download as well, do you have this? Full details here http://www.rolinc.co.uk/news.html | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 578 Registered: 03-2005 |
Toots & the Maytals -- Monkey Man, including 13 extra tracks including the great "It's You" right now. Earlier this a.m.: The Chills -- Sunburnt. I really like this album a lot. I don't mind the absence of the big production of the two previous albums. And this one is loaded up with Martin Phillips' guitar playing. "Stand By" also got another listen. | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 625 Registered: 04-2005 |
Listening to lots of Velvet Underground right now, inspired by the excellent four-hour Andy Warhol "American Masters" documentary on public TV this past week. And...once again, "Modern Times." | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 580 Registered: 03-2005 |
Yeah, Kurt, that documentary was great! My only wishes are that it was six hours long and that there had been more VU in the soundtrack than there was, especially in the "silver factory" part. "All Tomorrow's Parties" would have been the perfect backing to a series of clips of the Warhol coterie from that period. The instrumental John Cale was a nice touch. | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 839 Registered: 05-2005 |
Spence, I know you are a big Josef K fan. Listening to the comp just now, Endless Soul and Chance Meeting are just great,great songs in anybodys language. My one regret about them was never seeing them live. The one chance I missed was when they were second support to The Clash in 1980 in Edinburgh. I foolishly went to The Clash gig at The Glasgow Apollo(it was a toss of a coin between Glasgow and Edinburgh) and I cant even remember who second supported them. Main support was Mikey Dread. | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 770 Registered: 05-2005 |
kev, warp is great, bits of it are dated but its still great, rrythm of life is one of those... i like it, but its not a stunner. what a shame missing the k aye!? i adored bankrobber which was out that year, that and ashes to ashes blew my young mind. i remember being scared by bank robber! hey mikey dread was on the b side of that if i remember. i'll take a look at the k thing. i really loved their john peel session and stand outs for me are its kinda funny, chance meeting, the missionery and the album only fun in town, because it sounds like it was recorded in a giant baked bean can! | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 590 Registered: 05-2005 |
Neville Brothers' Yellow Moon right now. Talk about re-discovering and old classic! | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 581 Registered: 03-2005 |
Another trip to Amoeba. Right now I'm listening to Midlake's "Bamnan and Slivercork." It's the only Midlake they had, all by itself behind a handwritten "Midlake" card. This is a fun record. On first listen they seem like a wimpy version of the "Soft Bulletin"-era Flaming Lips. In other words, without the bombastic drums. I also got the YLT album since everybody's gushing about it. I heard a handful of tracks yesterday and then decided to check out something else I'd bought. I liked the first super long guitar drone number. I don't remember if it was the second or third song but something started which had me thinking "has somebody already played this to me?" It started out sounding almost purely 1968-vintage British pop. By the time I decided to check out one of the other things I'd bought, YLT had turned into a "name that tune" exercise. I'll get back to it, but I'm not a big fan of the folks who devote so much energy to sounding like someone else. Andreas says that one of the tracks on YLT is pure John Cale and I'll bet I find myself agreeing with him. I honestly can't remember if I got as far as "Black Flowers" before deciding to listen to something else. I also picked up "Love and Theft" because I really don't have much Dylan other than the mid-60s classics. I loved the first two tracks and after that he wandered off into the ersatz antique stuff that I personally don't get much out of. I also like the last track and in the right mood I can enjoy tracks like "High Water." Incidentally, I'm color blind and it's super hard to read the song titles on this CD so that's why I'm skipping the names. I also picked up The Handsome Family's "Last Days of Wonder." On first listen, while I was admittedly multitasking, it sounded like Handsome Family alright but maybe not quite as strong as "Singing Bones." More listens will clear that up. | ||
| andreas Member Username: Andreas Post Number: 237 Registered: 04-2006 |
john fahey - the yellow princess that i am a fahey addict i need to reply. this is my latest fahey cd i bought ( i still don't own all his releases). the yellow princess is surely another fahey-highlight. the booklet of this vanguard re-release includes a appreciation by M.Ward and a quotation by lee ranaldo. i just want to quote one sentence: john fahey's music is a beautiful illumination of history, philosophy, art and melody... it sdoesn't take much research to reralize he is truly th ewillaim blake of american music... btw: yes, handsome family is always handsome family. i like the new one very much. | ||
| andreas Member Username: Andreas Post Number: 238 Registered: 04-2006 |
my local radio plays elvis costello's watching the detectives. wow, still great (don't listen for years to this gem). | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 584 Registered: 03-2005 |
Second listen of what turn out to be the same songs I heard first time off YLT. It seems the best way for me to listen to music nowadays is while driving because I cannot get up and do something else and the music surrounds me in my metal cubicle. "Black Flowers" sounds like something ripped from Paris 1919 and it ain't subtle. I got as far as the ersatz Byrds song. Now I can't remember if that was "The Race is On Again" or "The Room Got Heavy." Everything is very well done but I still have to ask what is the point? Whichever one has the lyrics about getting on the dancefloor--is that "Mr. Tough"?--mines the same white-boy pre-disco Northern soul seam that a lot of British mod bands did much better back in '65 through '68. I'm hoping the other two really long numbers I haven't yet heard are more guitar freakouts because I really really like "Pass the Hatchet." The first CD that went into the changer was "Submarine Bells." "Heavenly Pop Hit" scrubbed Hollywood's streets of their patina of dried vomit, sun-melted chewing gum and loose litter as I drove down them. | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 843 Registered: 05-2005 |
Lemonheads - Lemonheads. Getting better with each listen but still not a patch on early 90s output. YLT - I am not afraid..... Still loving this one, the best they have done for a decade. Black Flowers is definetely Cale like (well spotted Andreas and Randy)but who cares, its fantastic. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 822 Registered: 03-2006 |
Randy, you say "dried vomit" like that's a bad thing...you're totally deflating our Tinseltown dreams...what's the expression? champagne dreams and caviar kisses. I don't recall the words "sun-melted chewing gum" being anywhere in there  Well said, Kev. Unless you're absolutely zealous about insisting that your music sound completely unlike any sounds ever before produced by humans in the history of the world, who cares? Originality is a myth, anyway...And Cale-like it is, but it's not slavishly imitative...I think they draw from a broad palette of sixties influences, but they're pretty seamlessly integrated...put simply, it's just a great record, probably bested this year only by Bobby D.'s latest opus... I have a new discovery I came upon through my obsessive blog surfing - Denzil...know anything about em, anybody? At first blush, it sounds like an amalgam of a lot of the kinds of vocal and songwriting tics I love - A. Partridge, Costello, Squeeze, etc.... | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 628 Registered: 04-2005 |
Randy, I don't totally disagree with you about the new Yo La Tengo. The new album reminds of Beck at times, in that "look at us, we can do any style!" way. The falsetto of "Mr. Tough" is pretty much the same one Beck used in "Debra" (or was spelled "Deborah"?). By now, you've probably discovered the other long guitar-freakout track that closes the album, "The Story of Yo La Tango." You might consider the album a keeper just for those two tracks--they make up 20 minutes of the running time, after all. And both harken back to Yo La Tengo's more original sound, a la "I Heard You Looking," "From a Motel 6," "Blue Line Swinger," etc. I think they're genre-dabbling these days because they're bored with their old trio sound. But I think it works on this album; it didn't so much on "Summer Sun." | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 827 Registered: 03-2006 |
Actually, to me, their genre-hopping seems much more felt than Beck's and less showy...part of the fun of Mr. Tough is the weird juxtaposition of it to your typical YLT stylees and the other part is the fact that it has to be a diss to that rude Mr. Bush...I agree James, "we've had enough"! | ||
| Allen Belz Member Username: Abpositive Post Number: 33 Registered: 09-2006 |
A box set of the Spinners. A musical story with some not uncommon elements: they spend nigh upon ten years at Motown, the lowest of the low on the totem pole, so much so that for much of the time they're chauffering the other acts, and what they have to show for it is a number of not-bad tunes and one Stevie Wonder-written-and-produced gem ("It's a Shame"). They bounce over to Atlantic, acquire a near-genius producer (Thom Bell) and a crazed compleat soul man genius tenor (Phillipe Wynne) and for the next four years proceed to roll out one amazing hit after another as well as a good number of great album tracks. Then producer and soul man depart, and the longtime members spend the time between then (1977) and now becoming a casino oldies act. 1 and 2/3 discs of greatness, one disc utterly expendable. | ||
| Andrew Kerr Member Username: Andrew_k Post Number: 118 Registered: 04-2005 |
Kevin Re: Josef K "The one chance I missed was when they were second support to The Clash in 1980 in Edinburgh." I used to play in a couple of bands with Malcolm Ross's brother Al (the 'horn section' on the re-recorded Chance Meeting): that gig at the Odeon was the first big gig that Al ever went to + apparently Josef K went down like a lead balloon with the punks. Arty posers! I saw them once in London + they were great: Malcolm is such a charismatic guitarist to watch. And seeing Paul Haig crooning Velvets covers with Malcolm and Spike Priggen in an Edinburgh pub was absolute heaven a few years back. Especially as it was not long after seeing the lack-lustre Velvets reunion. And Paul Haigs' 'Sweet Jane' sure beat Lou Reeds! | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 844 Registered: 05-2005 |
Sparklehorse - Dreamt for light years... My only criticism of this really good album is that some tracks are spoiled by Dave Fridmanns annoying insistance of turning the knobs to 11 during recording. What is it with this guy? You just know that in X amount of years in the future he will be confessing "you know, my one big regret was ruining all those great albums by turning the knobs to 11 blah blah blah" Interestingly I dont think he was guilty of this on the last Flaming Lips album, wonder if the record company put pressure on him what with that record potentially being the most important album of The Lips career. Beck - The Information. Earlier I had said this was a mix of Odelay and Midnite Vultures, well I think you can add Guero to the mix too. I guess that means it showcases Beck doing what he does best. | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 845 Registered: 05-2005 |
Heres NMEs review of the Beck album http://www.nme.com/reviews/beck/8026 | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 228 Registered: 01-2005 |
David Sylvian - Gone To Earth (2 disc set) I played the first disc 3 times since getting it from amazon on Friday. I can't wait until my copy of Japan - Tin Drum shows up. | ||
| TROU Member Username: Trou Post Number: 47 Registered: 05-2005 |
I'm in a nostalgic mood too... Since one month, Anna Domino in the car, at work, in the kitchen...everywhere ! I've compiled her four records. It's timeless. Finally I've just received her Snakefarm cd (nearly 7 years after the release!). It's very fine too, these old american songs with half-belgian flavours... | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 830 Registered: 03-2006 |
Killer stuff, Allen. Ddoes your box set have "Living a Little, Laughing a Little" on it? I could listen to Phillip Wynne sing till the cows come home - great voice. I downloaded a coupla new Lemonheads songs, Kev, and I gotta admit - not bad. They're sneaking past my skepticism. Though I'm a bit dubious about artists who issue stuff under an old band name, when it's really just them, a la Son Volt. You have to think that it in some way is counting on people being misled... | ||
| Jerry Clark Member Username: Jerry Post Number: 411 Registered: 08-2004 |
Midnite Vultures is Beck's homage to Prince, especially Deborah, it's that surface horniness. Never liked Beck's folky offerings. Mutations put me off. He did a great duet with Emmy Lou Harris on a Gram Parsons tribute, he could do the country rock thing IMO, he's got the voice. | ||
| andreas Member Username: Andreas Post Number: 239 Registered: 04-2006 |
my opinion to the japan/sylvian related postings over the last few days:david sylvian had made some fantatsic recordings. his latest release nine horses with a german guy called burnt friedamn is so great, maybe his best since his first two solo albums. what i also recommend is blemish. music somewhee betweeen avantgarde and fine acoustics.great,too. so, to what i listened today? david kitt - the big romance reduced electronic-elements improve these perfect songs which winds themselves upwards. haven't heard nothing new from this singer/songwriter. does anyone knows what this guy does today? shack - here's tom with the weather some days i find this music boring, some days i think that this is fine, perfect music. today it was the last-mentioned. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 592 Registered: 05-2005 |
David Kitt has a new record either out or coming out soon Andreas. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 590 Registered: 03-2005 |
The Cannanes >>> also their "Arty Barbecue" | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 840 Registered: 03-2006 |
The new Stereolab comp, which is a really good one, and more gypsy music: "Alone At My Wedding" by Kocani Orkestar and an old one by Taraf de Haidouks called "Honourable Brigands, Magic Horses and Evil Eye"...they are, I believe, the most famous gypsy music ensemble in the world. Damn this stuff is habit-forming... | ||
| jerry hann Member Username: Jerry_h Post Number: 241 Registered: 07-2005 |
The Wife bough the MArk Knoffler/Emylou Harris CD at the week end, thats OK back ground music.Enjoyed it more than I thought | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 599 Registered: 05-2005 |
Tapes 'n Tapes right now. Digging it! A Pavement for today's indie kids. | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Nemo Post Number: 82 Registered: 07-2005 |
The Everyman's 4th Dimension by Ashtray Boy. Randy, might be worth a listen if you are not familiar with them. Formed by Randall Lee who was a one time member of The Cannanes. | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 857 Registered: 05-2005 |
Padraig, I hear Pixies in there as well on "The Loon" | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 594 Registered: 03-2005 |
Thanks Hugh, I will check Ashtray Boy out. My thing with the Cannanes is still an evolving one because I've only heard 4 of their albums to date and they are a little bit challenging to locate. I love Frances Gibson's voice and their wonderfully willful "unprofessional" sound but really their core appeal to me is ineffable. My introduction to them was "Communicating at an Unknown Rate" and then the other "new" one "Trouble Seemed So Far Away." Both albums are timeless. They're also old, dating from the beginning of this decade. I hope they do something more. I'm now working my way backward and am at the David Nichols era. | ||
| andreas Member Username: Andreas Post Number: 244 Registered: 04-2006 |
today: eagle seagull - eagle seagull (surely good music, maybe a little to much piano) death from above - you're a woman , i'm a machine (sometimes such music is necessary) and thanks, padraig, for the kittser information. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 845 Registered: 03-2006 |
Kev, I'm surprised you haven't blagged a copy of the new My Morning Jacket live disc, or are you not a fan? | ||
| jerry hann Member Username: Jerry_h Post Number: 243 Registered: 07-2005 |
I've just downloaded Beachfield form their myspace site, Glenn's band, I really like them dare I say very Go-Betweensesque | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 859 Registered: 05-2005 |
LK, I think MMJ are okay, never had any time for live albums to be honest. | ||
| Allen Belz Member Username: Abpositive Post Number: 34 Registered: 09-2006 |
Responding to Keith a little ways back there: yep, it has "Living Just a Little..." on there...it's very well-chosen overall, though as I intimated above it could do with even more of their golden period - an entire disc devoted to their decline is just depressing. Best celeb quote from the booklet: Elvis Costello, who says that when "The Rubberband Man" came out he and the Attractions used to hang around listening to it over and over again. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 851 Registered: 03-2006 |
That's a great quote and I completely understand the impulse - I could listen to it over and over again...I have a great version of Costello and John Hiatt doing "Living a Little", so I figured he was a fan... | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 852 Registered: 03-2006 |
Joseph Arthur - Nuclear Daydream Not as funky as the Spinners, but still great. In fact, so good that I actually went to a store and bought the disc. | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 860 Registered: 05-2005 |
Beck - The Information King Tubby - Meets Jacob Miller Inna Tenement Yard - This is dub music from outer space, Tubby deserves to be spoken of in the same breath as Phil Spector and George Martin Devestations - Coal Dylan - Modern Times. First play for a week or so, can see this being lots of peoples album of the year. Its very good, but it wont be mine. The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls In America. | ||
| jerry hann Member Username: Jerry_h Post Number: 244 Registered: 07-2005 |
Sonic Youth been getting a bit of a repeat airing ,I like the first 2/3rds but then start not caring about it. Bob Dylan-MT seems to get better Townes Van Zandt-Drama Falls Like Teardrops | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 855 Registered: 03-2006 |
Kev, you dawg, how'd you get the HS? The guy is hooked up...I don't think that's sposed to come out for another month..howzit? | ||
| Wolfgang Steinhardt Member Username: Berbatov Post Number: 4 Registered: 09-2006 |
Interference from a baby-poster: Konono No. 1 - Congotronics http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/world/reviews/kononono1_congotronics.shtml from Kinshasa for everyone who may imagine a raw version of Remain in Light vs. Neubauten on amplified Congolese thumb pianos and other equipment adapted from car parts... Flowers in the Wildwood - Women In Early Country Music (these DeZurik Sisters are nightingales...) ...and still a surprise packet: The Chills - Secret Box | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 863 Registered: 05-2005 |
LK - its released in the UK next Monday, I got a CD-R from my "hooked up" source. Dont tell me you guys over there are missing out again on an early release date? I suppose if its a few weeks before its released in the States you could buy it on import from Amazon. | ||
| andreas Member Username: Andreas Post Number: 245 Registered: 04-2006 |
by public demand: stereolab - emperor tomato ketchup. great album, yes it is. | ||
| andreas Member Username: Andreas Post Number: 246 Registered: 04-2006 |
bonnie prince billy - the letting go susanna and the magical orchestra - melody mountain | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 859 Registered: 03-2006 |
I'm probably not going to take such an extreme step as to buy an import copy, but hypothetically speaking, would it be worth it? Is it as good as "Separation"? How's the wee Bonnie Prince, Andreas? | ||
| andreas Member Username: Andreas Post Number: 250 Registered: 04-2006 |
Hardin, the new Bonnie Prince Billy CD is like a good cup of tea. Sounds very english, despite the fact that it is recorded in Island. Sounds a bit like Fairport Convention with Sandy Denny singing. The Sandy on this record is named Mrs. McCarthy. The strings are nice too. It is a good one, a very good one. Some say that it is his Masterpiece. maybe they are right. | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 864 Registered: 05-2005 |
LK, as good as Separation Sunday? Too early to tell, but I would say it is very similar sounding. If it aint broke and all that. The bonnie ones album is enhanced considerably by the female backing vocalist, she is very prominent. I would guess this is right up your street LK, in a Gram/Emmylou stylee. | ||
| jerry hann Member Username: Jerry_h Post Number: 248 Registered: 07-2005 |
An Itune compilation I've done with all Elvis Costello "live" recordings collected over multiple CDs. Now we really could do with a live EC compilation. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 602 Registered: 03-2005 |
This board affords me endless avenues to explore. I've never heard Bonnie Prince Billy, but I love British Isles folkie stuff. I will never be able to keep up with you folks and I suppose I shouldn't try. I am still resisting the download option so everything I get still has to come in physical form. Arrived in the mail at work today: Martin Phillips' Sketchbook #1 which fortunately I found much more enjoyable than Padraig's comment about it led me to. Wolfgang, I am very jealous of your copy of "Secret Box." Another listen to the current Handsome Family in the car and starting on Mark Lanegan's "Bubblegum" which is just a great album. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 617 Registered: 05-2005 |
I must give Sketchbook another go Randy. I think I was just a bit disappointed at first because it's quite lo-fi. I think I probably only played it about three times when I first got it and not at all since. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 605 Registered: 03-2005 |
There are three songs that ended up on "Stand By," but a number of other really nice pieces. Plus one almost doowopish thing I can easily live without. But I should point out that I don't mind low-fi at all so long as I can hear what is going on. This certainly isn't "White Light/White Heat." | ||
| XY765 Member Username: Judge Post Number: 102 Registered: 01-2006 |
Dreamt for light years - Sparklehorse Sonic Souvenirs - Sonic Boom remix of Dean Wareham & Britta Phillips Trompe Le Monde - Pixies | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Nemo Post Number: 84 Registered: 07-2005 |
Randy, I don't download and I doubt very much if I will ever go down that road. Like you, I prefer to own the package. Sketch Book: Volume 1 is an excellent album given that it is merely a bunch of unreleased songs in demo form and the sound quality, although lo-fi, is very good. To be honest, I actually prefer the sound on it to that on Stand By as it reminds me of the band in their early days on Flying Nun when, for me at least, they were at their peak. Martin has been promising to re-release 'Secret Box' for a couple of years but some people are now suggesting that it may never happen due to copyright issues. Best idea would be to try and acquire a copy until the real thing is re-released ( if ever ) and I cannot see that proving difficult. I'm sure there will be someone on here who can help out. :-) If you have exhausted The Chills back catalogue then make sure you check out The Clean, The Verlaines and particularly The Bats who I rate very highly ( as does Donat.) There are video clip of The Bats performing 'Courage' and 'Too Much' over on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE7j6tQkV60 http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bats+too+much I hope I'm not recommending too many things to you. Currently listening to Pickin' and Fiddlin'/Wheatstraw Suite/Copperfields by The Dillards ( Three Albums On 2 Disc Set.) | ||
| Wolfgang Steinhardt Member Username: Berbatov Post Number: 5 Registered: 09-2006 |
Randy, I refer to Hugh's :-) and might help out if you want :-) | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 867 Registered: 03-2006 |
Andreas and Kev, based on your recommendation, I picked up the new Bonnie Prince. It is excellent, really top notch, and probably the best thing he's ever done, so thanks. I really like it a lot. Randy, Bonnie Prince Billy is actually a (very wacky) American guy, in his thirties, named Will Oldham, who records under that name (what is it with these people who use aliases and aren't satisfied with one name?)...He seems to be a few bricks shy of a load and sounds like some ancient Applalachian miner on his records, but also has happened to have written some very great songs, including "I See a Darkness", which Johnny Cash covered. He's also gone by the names Palace Music and Palace Bros., I believe, though there might be others. He might be something you'd like...then again he might not... | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 871 Registered: 05-2005 |
LK/Randy, Will Oldham is actually a fully trained actor who just kinda drifted in to music. I've always liked Bonnie PB, but his albums were too inconsistent to be classics. I think this new one is his best so far | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 868 Registered: 03-2006 |
That's right - another interesting facet of Mr. Oldham's CV...have you ever seen any of his movies, Kev? I've only seen stills and he looks like a right mad bugger! You may be right - I listened to the new one straight through last night (while cooking spaghetti) and it had me all the way through - my interest flagged at no point, which is something I can't say about the other records by him I've heard. I must figure out who his new female accompanist is, where she came from, etc...she really adds flava. | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Nemo Post Number: 87 Registered: 07-2005 |
LK, I think this might be her. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Nemo Post Number: 88 Registered: 07-2005 |
LK, the link does not appear to be working. Check under 'Faun Fables.' | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 607 Registered: 03-2005 |
Thank you very much for those links Hugh. The Bats go on the list then. The youtube links also matched me up with the video for the Chills' "Wet Blanket." So is Bonnie Prince Billy a Brett Sparks type character? He does sound like somebody I'd like. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 625 Registered: 05-2005 |
Start with Silverbeet by The Bats Randy. As the band have said themselves it's the album that best represents what they are like live (which is great). I wrote here before about seeing them in Sydney after a very long day in which I had to get a pre-dawn propellor plane flight to Canberra, have an entirely unsucessful day there and then fly back to Sydney (737 this time) in time for the show. I remember you commenting on the prop plane aspect of this trip! I also met the Bats in the Thai restaurant beside the venue and they were very nice people. I figured they would be there as I'd seen on their website that they like Thai food! BTW I also can help you out with SB. In fact I've long expected an email about it! | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 609 Registered: 03-2005 |
Duly noted Padraig, and thanks. After checking the couple of Bats video links above I went on Amazon and first picked the two cheapies on their considerable list, Fear of God and Couchmaster. I was wondering where I should start and decided arbitrarily to do it on cost. And thank you for the offer on Secret Box. It never occurred to me to ask somebody to go to the hassle and expense of sending me something like that but when I came home for lunch today Andrew Kerr had e-mailed me very kindly offering to send me a copy. And as I replied to Andrew, if anyone is curious about hearing anything I've referenced in these posts just drop me a line. In fact, for those of us now equipped to do so we could be mailing songs to each other. If it's not a no-no to mention that subject on here. I can send out things in mp3 format or iTunes m4a. That can be a really good way to introduce each other to obscurities we are passionate about. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 627 Registered: 05-2005 |
Fear Of God was my introducution to The Bats. It's a fantastic album. Quite dark lyrically in places. Couchmaster is also brilliant but very dark. It's mostly, if not all, about Rober Scott splitting up with his long-time girlfriend. When the album came out I was going through a tough time and it made uncomfortable listening. I got it on vinyl which meant I could only play it when I visited home as, at the time, I did not have a record player in Dublin. I was glad I could not play it too often! I subsequently picked it up on CD for one pound. I haven't played it in ages, I wonder how it will resonate with me now having long gotten over that ex and being happy still to be her friend (she brought her daughter to my daughter's birthday party recently!). | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 628 Registered: 05-2005 |
BTW, I don't think swapping the occasional mp3 is such a crime. Every last one of us on this board spends a fortune on music and being introduced to a new artist is just going to make us go and buy their CDs anyway. We, and like minded people, are the ones keeping the music industry afloat. People who buy 10 CDs a year are not keeping record company execs in the comfort they've become accustomed to. | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 873 Registered: 05-2005 |
Howlin Wolf - Cadillac Daddy (Memphis recordings 1952) - I didnt even know he had recorded for Sam Phillips, just assumed he did all his stuff at Chess. The Fall - Grotesque. Tonight this is my favourite ever Fall album. Trojan 12" Box Set - The best way to listen to reggae, the song itself followed by the dub. REM - I feel fine,the IRS years. Truly magnificent. Beck - The Information. This one is really growing on me, could be his best since Odelay. The only review I have saw of it so far is in todays edition of The Independent. http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/music/reviews/article1769758.ece | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Nemo Post Number: 89 Registered: 07-2005 |
Padraig, good to see another fan of The Bats on the forum. I don't know if you like The Verlaines but there is a video of 'Death And The Maiden' on YouTube at the moment. Classic stuff from the early days of Flying Nun. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eeuy8PD0bFM. Randy, nice to see so many people come forward and offer to help you out with 'Secret Box.' I am however feeling slightly guilty as the purpose of my smiley was a ( poor? ) attempt to hint that all you needed to do was e-mail and ask. Currently listening to:- Routine by Don Lennon For anyone interested, a video of 'Last Comic Standing' which appears on the album can be seen on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doeC2mByAa8 | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 631 Registered: 05-2005 |
Hi Hugh, yeah, I like most of the Flying Nun bands from mid-80s/mid-90s. I once went to their Dublin PR flack's office and came away with 14 Flying Nun CDs! It felt like Christmas in July! | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 885 Registered: 03-2006 |
Hey Kevin, you haven't mentioned the new one by Richard Buckner, though you're typically very up on all the new releases. Do you not like him? It's actually very good - I downloaded it. He's got a great band behind him and there's not a duff track in the lot... | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 897 Registered: 05-2005 |
LK, no I havent checked out Richard Buckners CD yet. He's one that hasnt made my radar yet, I'm sure Uncut were praising him to the skys a few years ago. I'll check him out, thanks. Did I say the new Beck was fantastic? Ive seen maybe 8 to 10 reviews, split roughly 50/50 between "he's trading water" 6/10 reviews", or "5 star thank f*ck he's back with a great records" type reviews. I'm in the 5 star camp. I always think back to when Odelay came out, most UK reviewers gave it mediocre reviews, they were wrong and I'm sure they know it now. This ones a grower too I think, it took me maybe 6 to 8 plays to truly appreciate it. PS - Cruelty to Animals on the Pernice Brothers album is the dogs bollocks. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 635 Registered: 05-2005 |
Lambchop Damaged right now. Had it for a while but playing it for the first time. God it sounds beautiful already on track 1, Paperback Bible. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 636 Registered: 05-2005 |
Now listening to a great song called Doubt Crowds The Door by one Randy Adams of this parish. It's at http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=114375 595 | ||
| Cichli Suite Member Username: Cichli_suite Post Number: 175 Registered: 08-2004 |
I'm also listening to songs by Randy Adams and liking them alot. A friend asked me to make a compilation of songs currently being discussed on the Go-Betweens forum. I think 'Doubt crowds the door' will fit in very well. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 621 Registered: 03-2005 |
I don't really know what to say, except thanks Padraig and Cichli. I'm still working my way through your highly useful reviews Padraig, noting certain people in particular. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 887 Registered: 03-2006 |
Me too...guess I'm the last on the block to know about Randy's artistic ascension. Great stuff. For a guy who professes not to care about lyrics, Randy, you sure write some meaty, deep ones - very philosophical. Nice geetar pickin', too - you've got some chops there, buddy. Remember your pals on the GBs board when you hit the bigtime! | ||
| andreas Member Username: Andreas Post Number: 254 Registered: 04-2006 |
hey, that's good. i mean randy's songs on myspace to which i listen by reading/writing. about the lyrics i can not saying anything. you know my problem. but love the guitar, too. i am away with my son for a couple of days. randy have a nice trip to and through italy and if you have the chance visit chichli's area. the 'trentino' is a beautiful place to be and trento is a nice town. cichli, my wife and me was in yr.area a few times. we stayed at the caldonazzo lake, enjoyed the look at the sea, rode racebikes, did a bit hiking and visited trento and drove to lovely verona where we had tickets for aida. due to the weather -it rained sometimes, but just a little- they interrupted the opera very often. at last they stopped the whole thing. so we paid a lot of money, sat there in the arena, waited for hours and then we had to drove back to the caldonazzo lake without hearing the opera. altough it was fun. we hope to come back to the trentino area someday. | ||
| Cichli Suite Member Username: Cichli_suite Post Number: 176 Registered: 08-2004 |
Hi Andreas, Caldonazzo is a great place for a swim in the summer, also Levico lake. What a pity about Aida. I saw Keith Jarrett last year in the arena in Verona - I wished it had rained and the concert had been interrupted! He was such an asshole - rude and truculent throughout the concert, verbally abusing the audience at the end for taking photographs. The tickets were expensive too. I'll never buy anything by him again. If you are in Trento again, send me an email. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 888 Registered: 03-2006 |
The Cramps - A Date With Elvis | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 684 Registered: 04-2005 |
Nicely done, Randy. I especially like "Rue de Rivoli"--hope you won't mind me saying that I found myself thinking "Triffids" a bit while listening to it. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 889 Registered: 03-2006 |
Excellent spotting, Kurt...there are some definite Triffids-like moments there, without being, in any way, derivative... | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 893 Registered: 03-2006 |
Fer Kev: Have you seen this great clip of the Hold Steady live? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm4hqZuKr_g They look like they put on a hell of a show. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 622 Registered: 03-2005 |
Thanks, Kurt. I never would have thought of Triffids. Notwithstanding the nice comments from Hardin and Andreas, I am a thoroughly crap player and how anything turns out is always a bit of a surprise. When I was writing it, I thought it might sound like pop Dylan. When I was done with it, I thought it sounded like Buck Owens as a rock 'n roller. Hmmm . . . maybe that adds up to the Triffids! | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 905 Registered: 05-2005 |
Cheers LK, The Hold Steady look like they would put on a hell of a show. To give you a taster of the album, Vagrant Records are streaming it on their website - sound quality, for one of these things is excellent. http://www.vagrant.com/holdsteady_listeningparty/ | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 906 Registered: 05-2005 |
Ray La Montagne. Till The Sun Turns Black. Well LK, what can I say, this is surprisingly good. A few weeks ago you mentioned this and I said I didnt care for Trouble so probably wouldnt be interested. Well I saw that Napster had it so I thought I would give it a go. Its a lot more subtle than Trouble, and the vocals more restrained than the over the top howl(imo) he affected on that album, one of the main reasons I disliked it. I actually think it sounds similar to Heartbreaker by Ryan Adams which is no bad thing. Also from Napster I downloaded the My Morning Jacket live album and a new Tim Buckley compilation. Not had a chance to play them yet. Speaking of not having time, I quickly played Rue de Rivoli from Randys site and thought it sounded intriguing to say the least. I want to take time out to listen to all the songs, preferrably with headphones on and no distractions, hopefully later tonight. | ||
| jerry hann Member Username: Jerry_h Post Number: 262 Registered: 07-2005 |
Randy what I've heard sounds really good.I shall down loaad the 4 songs only heard 2 of them so far due to time pressures ans not being totally tied to the computer and the need to do other things.I'm really enjoying browsing listening to my myspace,and contemplating to a compilation for the car. Randy you are a really modest guy, thanks for the chance of listening to your music. | ||
| jerry hann Member Username: Jerry_h Post Number: 263 Registered: 07-2005 |
Worthless Thing (live)-E.Costello Apeman-Kinks iPod on random | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 907 Registered: 05-2005 |
Jerry, sounds like we both need to manage our time better How spooky that we both posted something similar within 1 minute of each other. Looks like I may be managing my time ever so slightly better !! | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 624 Registered: 03-2005 |
Thanks Jerry. Kevin, not the $500 headphones! You'll hear every error. Having wearied a bit of allowing the iPod to shuffle because I SWEAR it keeps hitting certain things over and over again, this morning's listen: Ann Peebles' Greatest Hits Barbara Lewis --"The Many Grooves of . . . ." Yesterday in the car: "The Cannanes." | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 894 Registered: 03-2006 |
The new one RL is good, Kev. For obvious reasons, I didn't bring it up, thinking such praise would fall on deaf ears... Yeah, you really got me jonesing for that new Hold Steady...in the video, the guy looks like quite the unlikely rock n roll star. He looks more like an accountant or a large appliance salesman at Sears...they sure raise up a delightful ruckus, though. Other cool things coming out tomorrow I guess I'll have to have - the new Robyn Hitchcock (was it Michael, from these pages, who raved about it) and the new Lindsey Buckingham, who may not be everybody's cuppa tea, but whom I think is some kind of pop wunderkind, plus it's already getting good reviews... As for what I'm listening to, Yo La Tengo's demon life still has me in its sway: I've been playing "Painful" and "Electr-o-pura", two mighty fine slabs of indie pop goodness...Ira Kaplan has risen into the ranks of my favorite Jewish musicians, along with Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan and Sammy Davis, Jr. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 896 Registered: 03-2006 |
I wonder if he's related to Gabe Kaplan, of TV's "Welcome Back, Kotter"? |