| Author | Message | ||
     Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 639 Registered: 05-2005 |
Greg Garing - Alone. It's his only album and I love it. It came out in 1997 and mixes honkey tonk, a little western swing and some trip-hop sound effects. Sounds awful, I know, but it's a brilliant album. Have any of you heard it? Have any of you even heard of it? What albums do others love that no-one else seems to have heard of? I'll add more when I think of them; there are loads. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 897 Registered: 03-2006 |
Yes. I had it - I think I lost it in a CD reduction move, which is not to say I didn't like it. I thought it was great and my memory of it is much as you describe. It seems that there might've been a Lucinda Williams connection, too, which no doubt picqued my interest. Wasn't there a single of sorts, that was getting a lot of play, perhaps the title track? It'll be tough to slide one by you, Padraig, but howzabout "The Maudlin Years" by Amy Allison, Mose's daughter? Great lovelorn ballads, a bit on the honky-tonkish side. Kind of a jazz chanteuse, with heaping helpings of Patsy Cline mixed in. Contains the immortal, "The Whiskey Makes You Sweeter", which always grabs me and was covered to great effect by Laura Cantrell. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 640 Registered: 05-2005 |
I've heard of her Hardin, but not heard anything by her I think. My Love Is Real from Greg Garing's album might have gotten some limited radio play. He played in Dublin one night and I really wanted to go but it was on the other side of the city, there was biblical rain that night and I didn't trust the bus service. I really wish I had gone. | ||
| Cichli Suite Member Username: Cichli_suite Post Number: 177 Registered: 08-2004 |
'Speak Slowly' or 'Sacred Heart Hotel' by The Stars of Heaven: an Alex Chilton, Gram Parsons, Byrds, Richard Thompson -influenced combo from Ireland of the 80s. They were my favourite group for years. Did any of the Irish contributors here ever attend the incredible gigs they used to play in the tiny Baggot Inn in Dublin? | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 908 Registered: 05-2005 |
The Distractions. They were on Factory records, but were not a Factory type band, quite poppy with an Attractions style sound. They signed to Island and released an album called Nobodys Perfect, think it came out about 1980 , probably havent played it in over 20 years. They were music press darlings round about the time of the album, which I think was the only one they ever made. | ||
| Matthias Treml Member Username: Matthias Post Number: 150 Registered: 05-2005 |
The Dancing Hoods - 12 Jealous Roses. (2nd release They released three albums with an alternative hit on 120 minutes for Baby's Got Rockets. | ||
| abigail law Member Username: Abigail Post Number: 86 Registered: 06-2005 |
no fish shop parking by jacobs mouse. fuzzy, grunge indiepop from the early nineties. one of my top 50 all time albums. see also the follow up i'm scared | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 687 Registered: 04-2005 |
It's pretty hard to name anything you lot haven't heard of, but I guess my most obscure beloved album is the self-titled debut by the Bizarros, the Akron band that was a contemporary of Pere Ubu, Tin Huey, Devo, etc. It came out in '78, I think, and I must have been one of only 10 people who bought it. They were doing VU-influenced stuff years before it became hip again. Very, very good band. | ||
| Duncan Hurwood Member Username: Duncan_h Post Number: 59 Registered: 05-2005 |
I like "Somebody's Rocking My Dreamboat" by Sally Timms. I've never met anyone else who's got that. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 643 Registered: 05-2005 |
I really like The Stars of Heaven Cichli. I did a few radio shows on classic albums (Television, Big Star, maybe one more) with ex-members of The Stars. Very nice fellas. | ||
| Cichli Suite Member Username: Cichli_suite Post Number: 178 Registered: 08-2004 |
Pádraig, if you don't already own copies 'Speak Slowly' or 'Sacred Heart Hotel' have been re-released on the Irish label Independent records: http://www.independentrecords.ie/store.shtml Nicely priced too at 10 euro each. | ||
| Andrew Kerr Member Username: Andrew_k Post Number: 127 Registered: 04-2005 |
'Me and Mr Ray' by Miracle Legion (Mark Mulcahy's old band). A quiet lost classic of American alt-country/lo-fi (delete as applicable). Not strictly one that no-one has ever heard of as Peter Buck had it as one of his albums of the year ('89?) in Rolling Stone I believe. I used to have a Peel session by The Stars of Heaven that was magnificent, featuring 'Tried So Hard' and 'Calvary Cross'. And Sally Timms' 'Revenge' on the live Mekons tape (ROIR) is wonderful, but I don't know her solo work. So much music, so little time! | ||
| fsh Member Username: Fsh Post Number: 86 Registered: 05-2005 |
That singer from the Stars of Heaven - Stephen Ryan was it? He couldn't sing. And that other guy Stan Erraught, he couldn't sing either. Used to see various members of the Stars of heaven cycling around Dublin 7 (wherein living is heaven), probably to and from the Social Welfare office. The Golden Horde's 'In reality' is my pick of obscurity. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 649 Registered: 05-2005 |
I have Me And Mr Ray Andrew. Haven't played it in a while though. Must dig it out. I have a Stars Of Heaven album of BBC sessions. That's probably the same one you have. | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 787 Registered: 05-2005 |
Happy Family - The Man on your Street. I think Jeff has a copy, probably only jeff and I on the board do! I really like it, but the rest of the world hated it. It was released on 4AD in 1982 and sold F*@k all! It featured members of Josef K and was fronted by Momus, whos now a fairly successful ex Creation, and Cherry Red artist extraordinaire. | ||
| Elizabeth Robinson Member Username: Liz_the_new_listener Post Number: 5 Registered: 10-2006 |
I thought I would mention 'Blinking Lights and Other Revelations' by the Eels.... who are actually a singer/songwriter named Mark Oliver Elliott and whichever musicians he feels like working with at the time. The song that got me buying this semiacoustic album was a semi-country sounding lament called 'I'm Going to Stop Pretending That I Didn't Break Your Heart.' It's about 15 degrees more sentimental lyrically than 'The Wrong Road', but for a person getting over someone moving clear to San Francisco and leaving us all without him 'I'm Going to Stop....' really hit the spot. There is also one song that reminded me of Brian Wilson and 'Pet Sounds' right off the bat - it's nothing but wordless voices, strings and keyboard. The Eels went on tour with a string ensemble last summer and came to Minneapolis only days before I had ever heard of them. There are a few curse words in a few of the songs and I've always skipped over those. George W. Bush once made his disapproval of this group public.... | ||
| Andrew Kerr Member Username: Andrew_k Post Number: 135 Registered: 04-2005 |
Kind of a similiar theme? http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1888537,00.html | ||
| Cichli Suite Member Username: Cichli_suite Post Number: 181 Registered: 08-2004 |
Thanks for that link, Andrew. Someone on that page mentioned James Yorkston & the Athlete's 'Moving Up Country'. I also think its great. I don't know what you'd call it - folk fusion? I didn't think Yorkston's follow up record, the 2004 release 'Just Beyond The River' was very good. The songs, arrangements and live acoustic sound on his new one, 'The Year Of The Leopard' are much stronger. It was produced by Paul "Rustin Man" Webb from Talk Talk. Paul Webb also produced Beth Gibbon's 'Out of Season', one of my absolute favourite records, which nobody seems to have heard either - certainly not in Italy anyway! | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 658 Registered: 05-2005 |
Thanks for the link Andrew. What a coincidence! Seeing as I started this thread three days earlier; were they copying me? I'm kidding of course. | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Nemo Post Number: 94 Registered: 07-2005 |
Elizabeth, you might already be aware of this but prior to forming Eels, Mark Oliver Everett released two albums ( A Man Called; Broken Toy Shop ) under the name of E. They are well worth seeking out. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 659 Registered: 05-2005 |
I have those two albums Hugh. I remember liking them a lot but have not played them in many years. | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Nemo Post Number: 95 Registered: 07-2005 |
Padraig, I think they are are vastly underrated albums and not too far removed in style from what he does with Eels when fronting his string ensembles. I like them very much and listen to them regularly. I actually prefer them to some of the stuff he has recorded as Eels ( Souljacker springs to mind instantly.) | ||
| Elizabeth Robinson Member Username: Liz_the_new_listener Post Number: 6 Registered: 10-2006 |
Dear Hugh - Thank you for your reply! E is definitely a character, though, isn't he? He makes a lot of his music out of his pain. Another group I discovered perhaps eight years ago are Canada's now defunct Tragically Hip. Gordon Downie, their wonderfully histrionic frontman (think David Byrne here), has apparently been trying a solo career. The Hip were a cult band in Canada, and not so much here in Minnesota. My sister and I went to see them when they played at the Minnesota Zoo only to be rained out, and found out that people followed the band to hear them play. I can't decide which album is better, 'Fully Completely' or 'Day for Night'.... | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 668 Registered: 05-2005 |
Bobby by When People Were Shorter And Lived Near The Water. I love this album. It's a collection of Bobby Goldboro covers. I've never met another person who has even heard of it and I've never seen a copy other than my own cassette copy! Has anyone ever heard of it? | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 255 Registered: 01-2005 |
I'll chime in with a couple I have, although some of you folks might have them! Barry Reynolds - I Scare Myself Going for big bucks ($75.00) on amazon.com The Ophelias - The Big O SF band from the late 80's that I liked. | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Nemo Post Number: 98 Registered: 07-2005 |
Padraig, I remember reading some reviews of it at the time ( late 1980's/early 1990's?.) It sounded very interesting but I never managed to hear anything from it and did not follow up my initial interest. My choice is Rio Grande by Rio Grande which was issued back in 1971 on the RCA label. They were a country/rock outfit who, to the best of my knowledge, only released the one album. I keep hoping it will be re-released on c.d. but deep down I know it will never happen. | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Nemo Post Number: 99 Registered: 07-2005 |
Elizabeth, I am not familiar with the Tragically Hip but I am a big fan of the Rheostatics and Martin Tielli. | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 964 Registered: 05-2005 |
Hugh, Go to www.netsounds.com or www.gemm.com and do a search on rio grande. most copies appear to be vinyl, but there are some CD copies there. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 669 Registered: 05-2005 |
Hugh, it was 1989. I knew I bought it that year (as I was living in Boston at the time) but I was not sure it came out that year as there is no date on the monochrome sleeve or the cassette itself. The 4 extra tracks from an EP are just listed as "4 extra tracks from the Ben 7"! But I found a mention of it on the web yesterday which said the album was from 1989 and the EP from the year before. | ||
| Hugh Nimmo Member Username: Nemo Post Number: 101 Registered: 07-2005 |
Kevin, I have it on vinyl but it must be at least 20 years since I last listened to it as I dismantled my turntable a long time ago. I am pretty certain it has never been re-released on c.d. as I have been watching out for it for a long time. There is, unfortunately, a Portugese Supergroup ( Amazon's words not mine ) with the same name. They released a self titled album in 2000 and I suspect it is this disc which is being offered for sale. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 914 Registered: 03-2006 |
Padraig, curious about "When People Were Shorter..." (GREAT name, btw)...they have to be fairly ironic covers of Bobby Goldsboro, right? Or, maybe that particular style of irony that's so freakin' ironic, it comes back out the other side and is sincere? | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 670 Registered: 05-2005 |
I'm convinced they actually have a great respect for Bobby Goldsboro Hardin. I'm sure they did it because they grew up with their parent's Goldsboro records. I used to sing along ironically with their version of the mawkishly sentimental Watching Scotty Grow, now - having a child of my own - I sing along and think how damn accurate it is as a song of unconditional love! Their is one track which is about a really bitter breakup and I can't imagine the original piles on the bile in the way WPWSALNTW do. There is also one beautiful love song which is the only one sung by the only WPWSALNTW member with a voice in the same ball park as melodic. (Five of their six members are listed as vocalists, but the Beach Boys they ain't.) | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 651 Registered: 03-2005 |
Hardin, your question betrays your snobbery. I share it. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 916 Registered: 03-2006 |
mea culpa |