20 Foot Tappin' Greats
23 June 2009
I approached this with some caution. I realise that he's a legend and all, but country isn't entirely my thing. However, apart from the cringe-worthy Forty Shades of Green which gives me hives, it's good stuff. I can't have listened to this much -- if at all -- as some songs were new to me, but the benefit of the greatest hits package can't be gainsayed.
You can't deny there's strong stuff in there and really, 'I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die', how bad ass can you get?
And look -- my foot -- it's a-tappin'!
Labels: CDs, johnny cash
1979-91 The Best of ...
21 June 2009
... Julian Cope and the Teardrop Explodes
This has a much better sub-title -- Floored Genius.
Man this is a good album, from the opening brass section in Reward to the grungy guitar on Safe Surfer, I love every single song. You could argue that Jellypop Perky Jean and Spacehopper are somewhat slight affairs, but the sweep of the twenty tracks is wonderful.
Mr. Cope's eccentricities are on show (especially on Reynard the Fox) but he's just such a good tunesmith and though he's on the madder side of say, Kate Bush, he deserves recognition as one of English pop's true originals.
Definitely in the top twenty.
13
Like most old people I am continually amazed at the passage of time. It's ten years since this album was released -- ten!!
The opening track of this thing, Tender, is one of those songs that's hard to be indifferent about. I like it well enough, but I can see where one reviewer was going when they described it as like Hey Jude.
Depending on how you feel you might be disapointed or delighted when that track in no way indicates what's to come. The mild, bland Coffee and TV aside, the rest is horribly grating and cacophonous. I couldn't even listen to the end.
100th Window
11 June 2009
Massive Attack have a great record in getting great singers on their albums. Shara Nelson, Tracy Thorn, yer one from The Cocteau Twins and, on this, Sinead O'Connor.
Sinead sings her little heart out on both the best track -- A Prayer For England -- and elsewhere and in between the beats and grooves trip along nicely. Not as good as Mezzanine, lacking that album's punch and energy, but will not be relegated to the archive hard disc just yet.
Labels: CDs, massive attack, sinead oconnor
<unknown>
09 June 2009
A few tracks are tagged <unknown> as an album, mostly because I picked them up here and there or just bacause of bad tagging. However Luther Wright and the Wrongs performing songs from The Wall ended up there and I have to say if you like your prog rock performed by a bluegrass band, they're the people to see.
100% Columbian
This is not the Scooby Snacks album, but is not unpleasant listening for all that. These guys don't strike me as the sort of people I'd hang around with, but what with being a card carrying misanthrope, that group is probably a bit small to begin with.
It's all a bit sleazy and feels like they're wannabe Sopranos types. Can't say I'd bother to listen again.
Labels: CDs, Fun Lovin Criminals
(What's the Story) Morning Glory?
This one of those albums that one just *has* in a collection -- a bit like Queen's Greatest Hits used to be -- without knowing how or why.
I paid no attention to Oasis before or after this and only know the Gallagher brothers by their eyebrows, but you know what? There are some stonking songs on this album (and I use that word advisedly) and it is amazing that Wonderwall doesn't make you want to kill yourself after all this time. He made three million quid the week that single was released, apparently.
So there it is, a somewhat significant album in the canon that is Britpop and not as irritating as I had supposed for all these years.
