| Author | Message | ||
     Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5308 Registered: 05-2005 |
The Style Council - Introducing. I bought this in HMV Dublin on the last day of its existence. (I also bought it 30 years ago on vinyl) | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 2492 Registered: 01-2005 |
Pádraig, I only have Cafe Blue. How is The Style Council - Introducing compared to Blue? It's hard to believe that REM's Murmur will be 30 years old this year. Time just gets away from us. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5314 Registered: 05-2005 |
Michael, I think I preferred Cafe Blue at the time because by then enough time had passed since The Jam's break up that I was able to consider The Style Council its own thing, not just a Jam replacement (I adored The Jam, and still do). But listening to Introducing the other night it sounded great. At a 30 year remove I'm certainly not comparing it to what I'd lost at the ending of The Jam. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5315 Registered: 05-2005 |
Marillion - Seasons End (I'm sure no-one else here likes, or has even heard, this) The Pogues - If I Should Fall From Grace With God. Oh, what an album. Seriously, one of the greatest records ever made. The Fatima Mansions - Bertie's Brochures. Cathal Coughlan at his mellowest. Mostly. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5319 Registered: 05-2005 |
Adam & The Ants' Kings Of The Wild Frontier just popped up in iTunes. | ||
| David Gagen Member Username: David_g Post Number: 422 Registered: 02-2007 |
Agree Padraig, love that Pogue's album. . | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 2160 Registered: 10-2008 |
Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 2162 Registered: 10-2008 |
Curtis Mayfield - Superfly | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5341 Registered: 05-2005 |
The Folk Implosion - Natural One. Checking how 90s "alternative" is sounding through my new speakers. | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 2166 Registered: 10-2008 |
Gram Parsons - Grievous Angel | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 2167 Registered: 10-2008 |
Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers - LAMF. | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 2494 Registered: 01-2005 |
Kev, It's hard to believe but come this September it will be 40 years since Gram left us. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5419 Registered: 05-2005 |
Take Me To The River: A Southern Soul Story 1961-1977 (Disc 2) Just played Don Bryant's I'll Go Crazy. Bill Brandon's Rainbow Road is on now. I'm betting that on this board only Randy knows these songs (apart from me). | ||
| andreas Member Username: Andreas Post Number: 1043 Registered: 04-2006 |
lost, padraig... | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5421 Registered: 05-2005 |
Glad to hear it Andreas! | ||
| andreas Member Username: Andreas Post Number: 1045 Registered: 04-2006 |
padraig, i love soul. i have the wonderful take me to the river collection and also the marvellous follow-up kentbox the fame studios story 61-73. both sets are highlights of my record collection and if anyone likes soul and don't have the a.m. box sets, please buy it. | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 2183 Registered: 10-2008 |
Does James Carr count as Southern Soul? One of my favourite soul albums http://www.allmusic.com/album/you-got-my -mind-messed-up-mw0000050289 | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 3157 Registered: 03-2005 |
Padraig, I have to admit that I only have "I Go Crazy" in a cover version, by the Denny Laine-era pre-mellotron Moody Blues, so you have me trumped there. I don't know if the anthology you have is one of the great string of American soul anthologies that Rough Trade East sells in London but I was sorely tempted to buy one or two of them when I was last there. (I got the JPS Experience and I don't remember what else instead.) When the Brits put their minds to it, they do some of the best anthologies of American music. Though Bear Records in Deutschland have done some awesome country sets. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 3158 Registered: 03-2005 |
Oh yeah he counts, Kevin. But I don't have that album so you're ahead of me. Country soul is totally a Southern thing. As a kid I was a typical white suburban American brat. I barely tolerated the likes of James Brown and the other soul acts played on the radio. Then when my brother got a copy of the International Submarine Band's album--he probably bought it in 1969, definitely after "Sweetheart of the Rodeo"--I remember reading the liner notes about country being white soul. That woke me up and I started listening more carefully to both musical genres. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5425 Registered: 05-2005 |
Hi Randy, yes, you would have seen that comp in Rough Trade East. I'm pretty sure I saw it there a few weeks ago! Take Me To The River: A Southern Soul Story 1961-1977 is indeed a British compilation of US musicians. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5426 Registered: 05-2005 |
Amazon US is selling the import cheaper than Amazon UK. http://www.amazon.com/Take-Me-The-River- 1961-1977/dp/B001E7ONZQ | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 2193 Registered: 10-2008 |
The Laughing Clowns - Cruel, But Fair. Have had this over a week now and really need to devote some time to it (For the last week or so I have been solidly listening to the wonderful new albums by MBV, Nick Cave and Atoms for Peace, with some playing time also being allocated to various Bowie albums on vinyl,both Gram Parsons albums, and some Townes Van Zandt stuff so not much time for anything else), when I first got Cruel But Fair I listened to all 3 discs and found it pretty fatiguing - to the untrained ear every song just seemed to blur into a sax filled oneness, and main impression is the guy can't sing to save his life. My strategy is therefore going to be that I should play disc 1 over the course of a few weeks, before moving on to discs 2 and 3. The voice might be a major stumbling point mind you! | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 2502 Registered: 01-2005 |
Matthew Sweet-Girlfriend (Deluxe 2cd Edition) | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 3164 Registered: 03-2005 |
Kevin, I've been listening the Ed Kuepper as a vocalist for close to a decade so obviously I'm used to his voice. He does not have a conventional lead singer voice, to be sure. But I do have to wonder how you have difficulties with him but can listen to John Lydon with no problem. For me, one of the hallmarks of independent music is that the big record biz notion of a lead singer is out the window. The consequence for me is that after decades of listening to indie people, the big label people always sound very slick, contrived, show-bizzy, cloying. The bit of homely or even ugly that finds its way into the singer's voice--especially while singing a lovely song--is part of what makes it happen for me. Think of Robert Forster's performance on "Bow Down." That is a very lovely stylish song. And Robert's voice is definitely not made for that type of song so it's a real struggle for him. It's wonderful. But, yeah, in the voice department Ed Kuepper is the big boned gal with the wild hair and the buck teeth. | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 2196 Registered: 10-2008 |
Randy, I've admitted here in the past that sometimes the vocals can be a deal breaker for me regarding a band/album, and I fully admit it's my problem and not the artist that puts me in that position, I should rise above it. I love Lydon/MES/Mark Eitzel/Lou Reed/Neil Young/Burning Spear/Joe Strummer/Ian Curtis. None can be thought of as being technically gifted singers, but each just has a certain "something" in their voice that lifts them above ordinary singers. I don't think at this moment in time that Kuepper has that "something", that may change but I doubt it and obviously the whole thing is totally subjective - he will have that certain "something" for others. Having listened to Disc 1 of Cruel, But Fair three times now it is definitely sounding a lot better to my ears, well musically at least! | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5462 Registered: 05-2005 |
Evan Dando & Tom Morgan - Missing You from the Triple J Acoustic Session which I taped off the radio one Sunday afternoon in 1992. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5466 Registered: 05-2005 |
Microdisney - Herr Direktor. Such a sublime pop song. Sean O'Hagan's guitar just shines. Why didn't BBC Radio 1 play this to death a quarter century ago and make them stars? (Maybe because the title and the lyrics didn't quite fit with Mrs Thatcher's third term agenda.) | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5467 Registered: 05-2005 |
Now for something completely different: The Passage - Carmen | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5468 Registered: 05-2005 |
R.E.M. - Can't Get There From Here (single version) | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5472 Registered: 05-2005 |
Unbunny - I Leave Stones Unturned. A lost US indie classic. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5473 Registered: 05-2005 |
3Ds - The Wish | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5476 Registered: 05-2005 |
The Clash - Straight To Hell (Rat Patrol From Fort Bragg version) | ||
| Andrew Kerr Member Username: Andrew_k Post Number: 787 Registered: 04-2005 |
Randy Nice turn of phrase ! "But, yeah, in the voice department Ed Kuepper is the big boned gal with the wild hair and the buck teeth." | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5480 Registered: 05-2005 |
Brendan Benson - Lapalco As for Ed kuepper's voice, I like it and always have. Guess I'm OK with the big boned gal with the wild hair and the buck teeth. | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 2200 Registered: 10-2008 |
Well, I'd say its more Big Bertha, with a skinhead and no teeth. He is quite possibly one of the worse vocalists I've ever heard. Interestingly Hugh sent me an acoustic version of the song Eternally Yours on which his singing was not too bad. I've been listening to disc 1 of Cruel, But Fair and its pretty good, but I stuck on disc 2 yesterday and thought it wasn't too great. It's just that sax, it's everywhere and it grinds you down!! I guess I'll just need to dip into this bands work occasionally. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5483 Registered: 05-2005 |
Stick with the mainstream pop Kevin. This stuff is too challenging for you.  | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 2201 Registered: 10-2008 |
ps - and yes my comment above means that Ed Kuepper is actually an even worse singer than Wayne Coyne in my book - no mean achievement :-) | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 2202 Registered: 10-2008 |
Or maybe it's just not very good Padraig :-) The jury's out for me on this band. I've not given up yet! | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5484 Registered: 05-2005 |
I saw Laughing Clowns live four years ago Kevin. It was a stunning show. But I know his voice and all that sax would grate if it was not your thing. | ||
| skulldisco Member Username: Skulldisco Post Number: 2203 Registered: 10-2008 |
Go-Betweens - 1978-1990. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 3168 Registered: 03-2005 |
The Laughing Clowns was Kuepper's first turn as vocalist. While he can't do anything about his vocal timbre, he did learn to sing reasonably as a pop singer in his subsequent solo career. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 3169 Registered: 03-2005 |
I'm not a fan of the Flaming Lips but it never occurred to me to object to Wayne Coyne as a singer. He can definitely carry a tune. It's that bombastic drummer I can't handle. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5490 Registered: 05-2005 |
The Soundtrack to Hal Hartley's Amateur. Mind Full of Worry - The Aquanettas Only Shallow - My Bloody Valentine Water - PJ Harvey Japanese to English - Red House Painters Shaker - Yo La Tengo Tom Boy - Bettie Serveert Girls! Girls! Girls - Liz Phair Then Comes Dudley - The Jesus Lizard Here - Pavement Original score - "Ned Rifle" (a Hal Hartley pseudonym) and Jeff Taylor | ||
| cosmo vitelli Member Username: Cosmo Post Number: 703 Registered: 05-2005 |
Pretenders - Pretenders my wife heard me playing this and wondered why they were covering a Grace Jones song | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5493 Registered: 05-2005 |
Johnny Cash - The Night Hank Williams Came To Town. "Harry Truman was our president A Coke and burger cost you 30 cent" | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 815 Registered: 10-2006 |
Johnny Winter - Second winter Some days, only the blues will do. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5524 Registered: 05-2005 |
Codeine - Barely Real EP. Still sublime, 20 years on. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5529 Registered: 05-2005 |
Echo & The Bunnymen - World Tour E.P. (1997) | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5534 Registered: 05-2005 |
Gemma Hayes - Let A Good Thing Go EP | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 818 Registered: 10-2006 |
Miossec - 1964 The most exhilaratingly inspired album by this interesting Breton singer-songwriter, with one great song cracked out after another - his voice may be an acquired taste, sort of sounds like someone trying to sing up the plughole of an evacuating bath, but I've grown to love it. Here are two tracks, the first a punchily nostalgic homage to his home town, the second a wonderfully romantic orchestral ode entitled "Disgusting", it seems, though I haven't investigated further yet. Highly recommended, anyway. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dYsyS6_Q YU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e44CVjPT6 q4 | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 3186 Registered: 03-2005 |
On first superficial glance, Stuart, he sounds much more conventional musically than, say, Dominique A. But he does seem to know how to put together songs. I don't notice anything wrong with his voice. Maybe I'm more forgiving. I will examine further. Meanwhile, youtube saw fit to tease me with this great Mina/Battisti classic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL7yAtmqm iM For my taste, her records started to lose their way a little bit later in the 1970s but from around the time of "Chihuahua" in 1962 through her early 1970s period she made a LOT of great classic records. Gotta love the big poofy wig she's wearing in this video. I am forever indebted to a former colleague who turned me onto her records, now over 20 years ago. | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 819 Registered: 10-2006 |
Oh yes, he's quite straightforward compared to Dom A, and often lacks the melodic originality to really make his work stand out - not on this album, though. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5545 Registered: 05-2005 |
Gwen McCrae - Lead Me On. Soul goodness. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 5546 Registered: 05-2005 |
The Hair & Skin Trading Company - On Again Off Again |