Holger Czukay - "Der Osten Ist Rot"/Rome Remains Rome" 2 x Vinyl 10", Compilation, UK, 2014 (Grönland Records)

I'm not a total Can virgin, but I do have two Can albums and one Holger Czukay "Movies" LP.  Just recently I found some odd Holger releases that I know very little about, and I suspect that they were originally released as 12" LPs, but recently re-released by Grönland Records (out of Germany) as a trio of 10" double disc sets.   "Der Osten Ist Rot/Rome Remains Rome" is one such set.

I like Can a lot, but I prefer the solo music by Czukay.   Eccentricity rules the aural world, and I'm a huge fan of Czukay's mix-and-match style of music making, where I suspect he uses samples of classical music, voices, and outtakes from Can sessions.   This particular package of music is both catchy, danceable, and experimental in the Musique Concrete style of making music.  There are also moments of great beauty, that is like watching the sunrise or set, and not expecting to see that due that maybe a building or mountain is covering the rise and fall.  "Der Osten Ist Rot/Rome Remains Rome" is a joyful experience from Side A to the end of Side D.  

Lewis Furey - "The Sky is Falling" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1979 (RCA)

Lewis Furey is one artist that is hard to follow due to the obscurity of his recordings and most of his work is in France.  This French Canadian somehow missed his mark in the United States, even though he was signed to A&M Records during the mid-1970s.  The fact is I purchased most of his albums as cut-outs at the time, and when I went to Japan in 1989, I re-purchased them as CDs, due that some Japanese music company purchased the rights to distribute and re-release the entire A&M catalog for the market there.  One of the reasons why I'm devoted to Japan is due that they released Lewis Furey albums in that country. 

"The Sky is Falling" is the third album by Furey, and it is similar to the first solo album in that John Lissauer produced and did some of the arrangements for both records.  Furey is a combination of many talents that reminds one such as Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen for example,  yet not like them at all.  Their resemblance is based on their observation lyrical skills, with some musical overtures.  The one connection between Cohen and Furey is Lissauer, who also produced/arranged the Cohen recordings of the late 1960s and early 70s.  Furey is very much had his feet in the musical theater, as well as writing French Chanson songs in English, that tells a narrative that is usually sexual and there is a strong off-Broadway aspect to his work.  "The Sky is Falling" was only released in Japan and France, and it's a fascinating collection of songs.  Some were meant for a theater piece, but the other songs match perfectly with respect to mood and location.  "Thieves" is a show-topper of a chorus, and the beautiful song that ends side two "Ordinary Guy" is a French composition that's translated and adopted by Furey.  He's an artist that should be better known, and especially for those who are fans of Leonard Cohen.  I feel that they are missing a creative link here. 

Philip Glass - "Solo Music" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1975 (Shandar)

There are two different periods in Philip Glass's work or recordings.  The early works were truly minimal, and the later operas, orchestrations, are very much driven by melody.  Both periods have driven rhythms, but there is something special about the early works that I like a lot.  There is a zen quality to the work, that I don't want to say puts me in a spiritual place, but more aware of my mind going to other worlds.  Steve Reich hits me differently, because I'm aware of a system taking place, but Glass strikes me as being more emotional and riff-driven in that making a fist and hitting the air stance. 

"Contrary Motion" on side one is just Glass and his electric organ.  It's not a peaceful existence, but it is one that makes me sit down and listen to the work.  I never want to read the liner notes of a Glass album while I'm playing the record, on the other hand, I tend to read Reich's album notes, because of the structure of that piece being put together.   Reich is conceptual that focuses on the practice as well as the sound and Glass I think is just music.   Both do have a strong visual sensibility, but looking at the back cover of "Solo Music" it does truly look like a Brice Marden work of art.  A great album. 

Dan Melchior - "Melpomene" Vinyl, LP, Album, U.S., 2017 (IDEA Records)

"Melpomene" is an album that is hard for me to forget or get off my turntable.  It's a combination of Musique Concrete with beautiful melodies running in-between the cracks of sound and mayhem.  But there are samples (I think) of piano or orchestration that is heard that gives it a moody scary vibe.  What's interesting is that one doesn't know what is going to happen around the corner.  I know nothing of Dan Melchior, but this is not an experimental album of compositions.  I think he knows exactly what he's going for.  The construction of the pieces on "Melpomene" is constructed like a fine building. The only other album that I can think of that one can 'maybe' compare this album to is Brian Eno's "Another Green World."  Melchior does not sound like Eno, but only in the sense that they share a great love of melody within what we think is an experimental music context.  Perhaps Melchior is more of a Morricone than an Eno.  I also admire the cover painting he did for the album cover.  I suspect that there is a visual element in his work, or he works things sonically that can convey a visual to a listener. 

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich : "Time To Take Off" Vinyl, LP, Album, U.S., 1968 (Imperial)

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich is the worst name for a band ever made.  Beyond that, I have a fondness for DDDBM&T.  As one can gather, if you read this blog on a regular basis, I have an odd collection of their recordings.  Why I collect them I can't possibly give you an answer.  The truth is I have an obsession with Joe Meeks' The Honeycombs, whose first album I adore to bits. All their songs on that album are written by Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, who go by their name "Howard Blaikley."  The material they wrote for DDDBM&T is very different from The Honeycombs' songs.  For one, the scope of their subject matter is huge for DDDBM&T.

"Time To Take Off" is DDDBM&T's 1968 album, which means for a British pop band they had to get serious or make a statement of some sort on their album.  In other words, the sound on this album is huge and clearly advanced to another level, compared to their early works.  Of course, the early recordings are superior to anything on this album.  Still, they had two hit singles off this album, the wacky "The Legend Of Xanadu" and the bizarre "Zabadak."  The rest of the album is crap, but it's 1968 type of crap, and that makes this album listenable, even enjoyable in a bad taste manner.  Their version of "If I Were a Carpenter" written by Tim Hardin is probably the strangest version of that classic song yet.   It sounds out with respect to the rest of the songs on "Time To Take Off."   Also, note that this album in the U.K. is called "If No-One Sang."

Sparks - 'Mael Intuition: The Best of Sparks 1974-76" CD, Compilation, 1990 (Island)

I was living in Japan in 1989/1990, and I purchased a lot of CDs at the time.   I bought the Sparks compilation of their first three Island releases "Mael Intuition" because I didn't bring any Sparks' music from Los Angeles with me on this particular visit.   At the time, I didn't even know if I was going back to Los Angeles, due to visa issues and finances.  Nevertheless, due to my budget, this was one of the great buys in Japan.   Released in the UK and Europe, "Mael Intuition" focused on the albums, "Kimono My House," Propaganda," and "Indiscreet."  Interestingly enough, there are no b-side songs on this collection, which is a mystery to me, because all were excellent.  

For a lot of long-term fans of Sparks, or those of that generation,  this is probably the best introduction to their work, especially focused on when they were on Island Records.  First of all, there is no such thing as a bad Sparks' song or album.  So, with four decades of music, there is a lot to choose from, and most are in print, or not that difficult to find used or new.  Still, I would disagree with the subtitle saying this collection is the best of Sparks 1974-76, because there are essential Sparks' songs that were released as b-sides at the height of the Island years, and for all purposes, it should have been included in this compilation.  On the other hand, it's a great snapshot of what makes Sparks so fantastic.    Also, if I wasn't thousands of miles away from my Sparks' albums back in Los Angeles, I would never buy this CD.  It's the distance from home, and I wanted a memory, or at the very least, have some excellent music in my new world. 

Within two years or less, Sparks made huge jumps from "Kimono" to "Indiscreet."  A band that never gave the listener the same thing twice, yet their sound was always Sparks because that is within their DNA.  Ron Mael and Russell Mael (and their band) worked in an environment that had no outside influences, at least nothing obvious.   There are traces of music hall music, or bands like Move, that one can hear within their world, but Sparks manages to twist their songs into something that is not only unique but with incredible original melodies.  I'm sure one can find 'another song' in Ron's songwriting, but I personally can't find it.  It seems that their originality is always based somewhere inside their (Ron and Russell's) collective mind. 

Sparks to this day make perfect music, and yet, for history sake, one looks back to the Island years as of one of great importance.  It's interesting to note,  that there are no songs from "Big Beat" on this compilation because in the UK there were four Island albums, not three.  Whatever it's record business mishaps or a creative choice, the three original albums make sense in a stand-alone 'greatest hits' album.    The changes between the albums are not great, but it's the joy of its subtle differences between the three albums that make this collection a perfect joy.   For me, I run into people who don't know Sparks' music at all, which of course, is a sin.  On the other hand, I find "Mael Intuition" a very good welcome mat to the Sparks' world for these new listeners.  There are quite a few compilations of Sparks music out there in the world, but they may be too large for a new listener.  This, of course, is a subjective choice, but if one can't pass this collection, then I have no hope for them. 

The Outlaws (Joe Meek) - "Dream of the West" LP, Vinyl, Album, 1961 (His Masters Voice)

The Outlaws is an instrumental band and worked with Joe Meek being their producer and songwriter.  Meek wrote all the songs on this album under the name of Robert Duke, as well as writing the liner notes.  The two guitars, bass and drums on a Meek recording can sound like it was recorded somewhere on the other side of the moon, yet pretend to be human.  Which is ironic, because this is an album that has a theme of the wild west.  "Dream of the West" is a concept album, but not one with a narrative, but with a place, a time, and of course, since it's British, more about the cinematic Western than the real west. 

If one compares The Outlaws to another band, it will have to be The Shadows.  Twangy guitars that are more British sounding than say surf, yet it's almost like scientists studying the surf guitar sound, and somehow getting it wonderfully wrong.   There is not one authentic western song on this album. All of the material, written by Meek (Duke) is a western that is imagined than real.  It's a beautiful album in the sense that fantasy plays a great role in Meek's world.  Yet, I sense he feels that all of it is 'real,' at least to him.   

Rod McKuen - "Beatsville" Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, 1959 (HiFi Records)

As the son of an artist who lived in the so-called "Beat" world, I had the first-hand experience being in such a world, yet years later, one realizes that such a world was being mocked and made fun of by the establishment - both in the entertainment media and in the press.  I lived with my family at the height of the "Beatnik" era at the most iconic "Beat" location - San Francisco.  Eventually, my dad and mom had to move out of that city, due to the consistent harassment of the tourists who came to San Francisco to see "Beatniks."   At the time, there was a very popular TV show "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" which featured the most famous Beat(Nik) at that time, Maynard G. Krebs, played by the wonderful Bob Denver.  It didn't help my father at the time who was trying to live a private life in San Francisco. 

One of the by-products of the commercial world is an album by America's number-one poet Rod McKuen's "Beatsville."  It's McKuen reciting his poetry with jazz music in the background. On a cultural level, this is far away from Jack Kerouac's recordings with Steve Allen.  In fact, it's very much a knock-off of that theme and idea from an actor, poet, and songwriter.  Still, "Beatsville" offers specialty charms, such as a snapshot of that era and how the sub-culture was treated in the mass media.  McKuen's poetry reflects on the Beat landscape but seen through the eyes of corporate America, which in that Situationist stance, appreciates the spectacle of looking at the Beat culture from a safe distance for the average listener to this album.  Clearly, no one in the Beat world would be seen within a mile of this album. 

McKuen is a terrible poet, but his saving grace is that he had the good taste to admire Jacques Brel and introduced him to the English speaking world.  The way he was portrayed in the TV world is that he was a sensitive voice (due that he's a poet) and had a handsome face and appearance.  I'm a fan of his clothing sense, and I also like his voice, when he reads and when he sang.  I remember when I worked at Book Soup, McKuen was shopping at the store, and a few minutes later, David Bowie walked in.  Both were, of course, huge Brel fans.  McKuen actually was a pal of Brel, and in my mind, I wanted to introduce McKuen to Bowie just for that reason alone.  Of course, I didn't because I didn't know these guys, and in no fashion did their body language acknowledge one to the other.  In fact, I don't think either of them was aware of the other that afternoon at the shop.  Still, I feel it was a lost opportunity on my part - on the other hand, one couldn't possibly ignore McKuen in the 1960s.  I remember buying "Axis Bold as Love" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience when it first came out.  To my surprise when I put the disc on the turntable, it was a huge orchestra.  I thought "wow this is a very strange direction for Hendrix" and then I heard McKuen's croon, and went 'oh-oh.'   Both shared the same label, so in the factory, they put the wrong album into the wrong jacket.  

The other day I found "Beatsville" in my favorite local record shop, Mono Records in Glendale, and couldn't pass up the chance of buying this rarity.  In an odd way, it brought back memories of hanging out in The North Beach in San Francisco with my Dad, although the McKuen recording is a total Disneyland version of that location.  I imagine McKuen been there and maybe even lived in that town, but clearly, his interest in that world was more commercial than the reality of the location.  Still, "Beatsville" is very much a spectacle in the Guy Debord sense, and it's an interesting by-product of that era.    And the album cover, of course, is the real masterpiece.  A beautiful album cover!

On the other hand, I strongly recommend Bob McFadden and Dor's "The Beat Generation," which is written by our Rod.   Richard Hell turned this song into "The Blank Generation."  So McKuen not only made his presence in the Beat world, but also on the Punk planet as well. 

The Aranbee Pop Symphony Orchestra - "Todays Pop Symphony" LP, Album, Vinyl, Remastered, 1999/1966 (Immediate/Sequel Records)

Not for one minute do I think that even Keith Richards made an appearance in the recording studio for this all-instrumental album of Rolling Stones, Beatles, 4 Seasons, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, and of course, Sonny & Cher songs.  "Under the direction of Keith Richard," I think took place when he was in another room or even in another city.  Nevertheless, I suspect that this album was pulled together by the great and brilliant Andrew Loog Oldham.  

On one level this is or was a knock-off album to probably cash in the song publishing dough, but beyond that hustle, this is a great album.  As one can gather I'm a huge fan of the Andrew Loog Oldham Orchestra, which is Oldham's version of doing Phil Spector, but in turn, and due to the temperament of Oldham, it becomes an original piece of work.  "Todays Pop Symphony" is the classical baroque version of the Oldham orchestra.  Stings galore as well as huge brass arrangements at that time (and always) classics.  The beauty of this album, although it's based on the melodies of the classic Stones and soul, through the arrangement it sounds very different.  This is a classic album of doing arrangements right and should be used in a classroom for further study.  I'm going to take a wild guess that John Paul Jones had a hand in the arrangements, but there is no clear credit, except for Keith Richard, which again, I greatly doubt he had much to do with this album.  

As Noel Coward once noted there is beauty in 'cheap music,' and The Aranbee Pop Symphony is a total delight from track one to the last track eleven.  

Led Zeppelin "Led Zeppelin" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1969 (Atlantic)

I bought the first Led Zeppelin I think very close to the day of its original release.   My educated guess, because I have no memory of the details, I must have heard "Good Times Bad Times"

 on the FM radio, and that's a type of record I have always liked.  Over time I learned to hate Led Zeppelin.  The funny thing is I 'm a huge fan of Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones' studio work of the 1960s.  I love what Jones did with Immediate recordings, as well as Herman's Hermits.  And Page's work on Dave Berry's "The Crying Game" (if that is him?) is superb.   He also played guitar on John Barry's "Goldfinger."  How great is that?  And to this day, I think his best work is when he was an overly busy studio musician.  Still, there is something about Led Zeppelin that I can't fully dismiss. 

There are a lot of practical reasons for disliking Led Zeppelin.  Their horrible behavior toward groupies and people who work in the theaters, as well as them ripping off songwriters left and right - including the great song "Dazed and Confused," which is an amazing record. Jake Holmes wrote it, and when you hear the original compared to the Zep's version, it's outrageous that Page took songwriting credit on that song.   The truth is, Led Zeppelin is more in the lines of The Cramps, with respect how they re-arrange other material to suit their aesthetic.  And Jimmy Page is a brilliant arranger.  I also suspect Jones did a lot of the arranging as well, but it seems he's pushed aside with respect to crediting his arrangement work.  Nevertheless, that's Led Zeppelin in a nutshell, and one shouldn't dwell on the negativity of the situation.

What I do like about this album is that Page and company arranged these songs in a very textural and sonically powerful presence, especially when one puts up the volume.  Led Zeppelin is not about originality, but the way they present their (or whoever wrote the damn) songs in a manner that is magical.  The band is basically a trio, plus singer, but the big sound is the drumming of John Bonham who is a great drummer, and the layers of Page's guitars.  It's a joy to closely listen to his multiple layering of guitar sounds.  Page is technically a fantastic guitar player, but his genius is that he can think and play his instrument as if it was the lead player in a Wagner or operatic piece.  There are the riffs, but his playing is very subtle as well as being over-the-top. He knows how to balance the two and make it spectacular for that song, or album.   

Robert Plant has a voice.  A really good voice, but I don't think he's a great singer. He knows how to bend the notes, and play his voice as a fellow instrument with Page's guitar, but his delivery is always flat to me.  I think now, he is a much better singer as he got older, but as a teenager, a powerful voice but with no taste.  Led Zeppelin is very much a teenager's aesthetic.  Re-listening to this album after 39 years doesn't take me back to my youth, but now, I can appreciate the way the puzzle was put together, and Jimmy Page and band were very good in making this album as a statement at the time. I like it when "You Shook Me"goes right into "Dazed and Confused" and the same goes of the blending of "You're Time is Gonna Come" into the instrumental "Black Mountain Side, " which he originally recorded for The Yardbirds.   To me, Led Zeppelin is not a great album, but a work that is very much suited to its original era.  Skillful music that is tasteful, yet never went far enough.

Egisto Macchi - "Messico" Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Italy, 2016 (Cinedelic Records)

"Messico" (Mexico) at times reminds me of recordings that are tourist-like, in that it gives the listener a taste of that foreign culture.  It's traveling the world within one's Hi-Fi setup. Italian composer Egisto Macchi composed and made these recordings for film libraries, where a filmmaker or editor can go and locate music for their specific scene.   Under such anonymous service, it's amazing that the brilliant talent of Macchi served this industry so well.   "Messico" brings images of Mexico, but the Mexico that is in our imagination.  The music has strong folk melodies but expanded by an Italian's view of such a culture.   

There are touches of spaghetti western overtures, but most of all I think of Sergi Eisenstein's ¡Que viva México!  It's a fascinating culture and country, and Europeans (and one Russian) I think were drawn to its allure due to a sexual and intellectual curiosity of a distant place.  "Messico" captures the sense of wonderment and it's another brilliant album by Macchi. 

Les Rita Mitsouko - "Rita Mitsouko" LP, Vinyl, LP, Album, France, 1984 (Virgin)

Les Rita Mitsouko is my favorite band.   At first, I thought that they are my favorite French rock n' roll band, but the truth is they are my number one favorite band.   If one can call them a band.  Les Rita Mitsouko was a couple:  Catherine Ringer and the late Fred Chichin.  Both were multi-instrumentalists and wrote the songs together.  Like The Cramps and Sparks, they were a perfect individual unit who used outside players, but the main core is always the two of them. "Rita Mitsouko" is their first album.  I loved them by the first note on the first song of side one "Restez Avec Moi."   The rhythm is very much a Bal Musette dance, and it's a combination of electronics and guitar that makes this song irresistible.   If one can fall in love with a human, then inevitably a listener can fall in love with Les Rita Mitsouko.  

Catherine Ringer is one of the significant figures in contemporary music, and the fact that she's unknown in the United States is apparently a crime against culture.  Her voice and even more important, her stance, is a beauty to behold.  There are individuals that for no other reason that they just have that "it" quality, which is a rarity, and Ringer oozes personality and talent.   She's up there with her country's Juliette Gréco or Edith Piaf but is obviously both a traditionist as well as a standout in any category of popular music.   Chichin and Ringer have a robust sexual aura as well as classic groove chops, and I can never resist their sensual pull to their music. 

If I have to make a comparison to their sound, I think of Iggy Pop's "The Idiot" as the closest album that kind of resembles Les Rita Mitsouko's sound and world.   There is a strong "I don't give a damn" quality in their work, that's is essential rock n' roll spirit.   Wonderfully unique, and equally charming at the same time.   Their first album "Rita Mitsouko" captures a freshness that I find so enticing that their work is close to falling in love for the first time. 

The Beatles "Rubber Soul" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissued, Remastered, Mono, 2014/1965

As a gentleman (if I may call myself that) born in 1954, The Beatles were truly a band that I grew up with, as the albums were released.   It's so odd for me to hear such a sophisticated album "Rubber Soul" when I was 11 years old.  How could I possibly understood "Norwegian Wood" at that age, yet, on its original release I played that song over and over again.  Even as a young child I like songs that sounded sad, that somehow I felt was a reflection of my being at the time.   Of all the Beatle albums, "Rubber Soul" is an album that I can listen to in my head by just reading the songs off the back cover.  They're etched not in color, but in black and white, just like the photos on the back cover of the album.  A very contrast black & white, compared to high definition images replaced by "Revolver" their next album. After that, it was all bright technicolor photos of The Beatles from "Sgt. Pepper" to "Abbey Road."

The sound I hear on "Rubber Soul" is four men, who seemed to be older (of course) and perhaps wiser, yet, in reality, it's a record of reflection of men still young.  Almost like a soldier who came from the front lines of a war, young, but bitter from the experience.   In reality, there is not one bad song on this album, yet, it's not my favorite Beatles album anymore.  I recently purchased the album in mono (all the Beatle records I own are in mono, except "Abbey Road") and as I played it, I didn't feel any emotional attachment to "Rubber Soul" whatsoever.  Yet, as a child, it had a huge impact on me by how it brought a sense of sophistication into my world.  If you think of the pop music (almost all great) being made in 1965, especially by the British Invasion bands of the time, "Rubber Soul" in comparison is a rainy day with thick clouds in the sky type of record.  "Michelle" is probably the first time I heard a song that is sung in partly French.   How could I possibly relate to that, except I loved how the language was sung by Paul in that song.  Not exotica in the sense of an American tourist in a foreign part of France, but conveyed a sense of bitter romanticism just by Paul's voice and instrumentation.  

"Rubber Soul" is an important album, and when you think of it as being released in 1965, the Fab Four were somewhat distanced from all the others in the music market at the time.  It reminds me image-wise of Fellini's early film "I, Vitelloni" (1953) when one of the characters at the end of the film moves on from his childhood/teenage friends to a new world, but traveling alone.  In a sense, The Beatles were waving goodbye to their contemporary fellow musicians and some fans, that they are moving on, to territory that is not yet formed or idealized at the time. 

Dave Berry - "The Crying Game...The Best Of Dave Berry

The beauty of pop music for me is the strangeness and eccentricity that sneaks into the format.  I used to watch "Shindig!" every week because it was my window to the rock n' roll world of the 1964/1965 years.   Once in awhile, the British singer Dave Barry would make an appearance, and it was a total foreign object in front of my eyes.  As he sang, he would use his hand microphone as a visual tool and use the long cord as an extension to another world.   He would move slow-motion as he used the cord to slowly swing the microphone from one hand to the other.   I was amazed how he could fit his songs into that extra slow movement of his body.  I never have seen anyone like that on stage or screen that can move in that fashion.   His biggest hit in the United States was this beautifully haunting song "The Crying Game" which reeks of sadness and regret.  Perhaps the first "Emo" song in teenage pop that wasn't about a car or motorcycle crash, but about sadness itself.  It's either Jimmy Page or Jim Sullivan on electric guitar, but the echo is not one of rockabilly, but more likely from within the echo walls of one's brain or heart. 

Berry as far as I know never wrote his own songs.  The material is very much the songs that a lot of British Rn'B artists were doing at the time.  For example Chuck Berry's "Memphis, Tennessee," and so forth.  Again what is unique is that Berry used this song not sounding like a bluesman from the American South, but almost like an alien who discovered the joys of such songs.   His version of "Memphis, Tennessee" is very different from Johnny Rivers or Chuck Berry or even the Rolling Stones.   The other great song he recorded was a Ray Davies' (The Kinks) "This Strange Effect."  Which like "The Crying Game" has an oddness that is appealing but also profoundly moving in tone and gesture.   Written in the height of the Ray Davies great songbook, this like his other songs deal with feeling in such an intimate nature.

Decades later I went to a Shinto ceremony in Japan, and there was a parade which featured women from the court that goes down a walk away but moves in a very stylized manner.  It was at that moment when I saw this, that I was immediately reminded of Dave Berry's stylized movements on stage.   These women would move in a very slow manner, and when the music stopped or changed, they would freeze frame.   It was to me at the time a mixture of old Japanese culture (of course), voguing done in gay clubs of the 1970s and 1980s, and Dave Berry.  On top of that, Berry had the wonderful taste in doing a version of Barbara Lewis' "Baby, It's You" and "Little Things."  "The Best of Dave Berry" is very much music that is tattooed on my brain and DNA. 

The Ronettes - "Be My Baby" b/w "Tedesco and Pitman" 45 rpm 7" single, 1963 (Philles)

It's sad that I bought this piece of vinyl masterpiece for $2.99 at my local second-hand record shop here in Los Angeles.  The feeling I get is exactly like when one finds a photo album in one's closet, and haven't seen it for years.    The drum pattern that starts off the song is probably one of the most identifying physical marks of any introduction for a recording.  The work is only 2:20 long, yet, it's after-effect lasts a lifetime.   

The beauty of a Phil Spector recording is not its perfection, but the violence and tragedy behind such recordings.  For those who try to place The Ronettes recordings as an oldie but goodie are missing the big landscape.  Spector represents not the teenager, but the idealized idea of a teenager, and the emotional pains that life gives them.  The truth is, even as an older fellow, Spector never really grew out of his childhood fears and passions.   Everything he did in the recording studio left a physical tattoo on the musicians, the aural sound, and how the audience (the listeners) respond to his productions.  "Be My Baby" is both a brilliant performance by Ronnie Spector, who captures that vulnerability in her vocals, but also brings up the drama between the instrumentation or arrangements (by Jack 'Specs' Nitzsche) and the strong presence of Phil Spector himself. 

For whatever reason, "Be My Baby" is not a happy-go-lucky love song.  It's almost a prayer during an emotional turmoil.   The melody is haunting, and seductive at the same moment.  Whenever I hear it as a soundtrack ("Mean Streets") or on a jukebox in some diner or bar, I immediately stop whatever I'm doing and I have to focus on the record.   It's a brilliant piece of work.   No doubt a masterpiece.  Many fingers are in the Phil Spector world, and in a sense, his name is like a company or a label like Motown or Factory Records.  He's not only a brand, but he's also a presence that is equally disturbing and profound.  

Kraftwerk - "Autobahn" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 1977/1974 (Mercury)

Not my favorite Kraftwerk album, but a very important piece of work from Germany's fab four.  Which at that time (1974) included, of course, Florian Schneider & Ralf Hütter, Wolfgang Flur, and the mysterious Klaus Roeder who played guitar (!) and violin on "Autobahn."   It's no large estimation on my part that Kraftwerk is one of the most important bands in the 20th century.   Their influence is just as large as Elvis or the British Fab Four.   Not only in image, which to this day, is full of wonder and mystery, but their musical concepts are equally fascinating.  

"Autobahn" is a narrative without a story.  It takes place on the famous German highway that is Federally controlled by that country.  It is also famous for not having a 'speed limit,' as such, but if you're in an accident going that speed, it can count against you in a court of law.   So, in a sense, it's a very libertarian landscape, and it takes you to point A to Point B.  Kraftwerk's "Autobahn" is a documentary at the very least, and at its most important level, an impressionistic aural painting of experiencing such a journey on the famed highway.  This is a band that doesn't deal with sexual matter or fantasy, but look at everyday life as an inspiration for their art.  

With an ironic and funny (total respectful) take on The Beach Boys' "Fun Fun" this is a band that does not hide from its Germanistic characteristics.  The album is also very Musique Concrete than an electro-pop album.   "Autobahn" as an album is a bridge between the old Experimentation of Kraftwerk into their more polished mode of music making.  Side one is "Autobahn" and side two is more of the impressionistic view of a 24-hour day, perhaps in nature.  There is something very 'being in the country' about Kraftwerk.  This is a band that loves nature, and life between the major cities.  For instance, they make an album about going to Berlin, but rarely it's about Berlin itself, it's more about the travel to a major city than anything else. Their music is about movement, and it has a touch of the Situationists need to travel without a map.    

Midge Ure & Mick Karn - "After A Fashion" b/w "Textures" 12" Vinyl, 45 rpm, 1983 (Chrysalis)

One of the things I love about the New Romantics period in pop is artists embracing the foreign and at the time, very exotic landscapes on this planet.  In a sense, they take the idea from Paul Bowles, not only as a writer, but his iconic personality as the Westerner in the exotic Middle East, or North Africa.   Bands like Duran Duran, Japan, and Ultravox liked to present themselves as an international artist(s) in a very adventurous world.   Very much of an exploitation in theory, because when you get down to it, we're all tourists.  Which I think is the most honest aspect of The New Romantics era.  Once in awhile great music comes from the juxtaposition of British pop (once part of the grand occupation) and the world that is out there.  We can almost taste it, but at the time we could only admire the tourist postcards, or in this case, album covers or publicity photographs.  Mick Karn is very much the exotic musician who started from one place and ended up embracing the world.  "After A Fashion"a one-off recording by two musicians who were prominent in British pop during the early 1980s.  Midge Ure I suspect was the more successful pop star due to his musical history with other bands, but especially with Ultravox.  

Karn was the brilliant fretless bassist, and who added exotic color to David Sylvian's Japan.  The sounds he made from his bass was like liquid being poured into a glass, or on the sand.   His textural playing and compositions (especially on his early solo albums) reflect on a world that was exciting, and sexual.  Midge Ure in his fashion (no pun intended) also explored the same landscape but through a more pop format than Karn and Japan.  What makes this 12" single fascinating is the combination of Ure's pop awareness with Karn's outer world sounds.  

The 7" single is very different than the 12", in that the song is expanded in a textural manner that flirts with the main chorus.   Almost a dub version, but not quite.  I have to imagine that it's only Karn and Ure on this recording, doing all the instruments.  It has that 'studio' feel and truly the image on the cover of this long single, is quite accurate.  The picture of Ure and Karn in Egypt is both a postcard as well as a visual interpretation of the sounds with on the record.  Paul Bowles had taken numerous photos of himself among the desert of North Africa, and for the literate or aware, this is clearly the influence of Ure and Karn's "After A Fashion."  The b-side is an instrumental that is a sound piece that reflects the aesthetic of travel and being aware of one's limits.  

Wings - "Wild Life" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1971 (Apple)

In my heart (or what's left of it) my favorite Paul McCartney album is Wings' "Wild Life."  An album he made pretty much after "Ram," which is very good, but in a way, I felt he was trying to make a 'proper' McCartney album, in light of being in the shadow of The Beatles.  There are three albums by Paul I adore.  "McCartney," his first solo release, his brother Mike McGear's album "McGear" and of course, the first Wings album.   After that, I pretty much lost interest in his work until the criminally underrated "Chaos and Creation in The Backyard" album.  But to focus on "Wild Life," this is an amazing album from Paul and Linda (and Denny & Denny).  For one, I'm not sure what Denny Laine's role was at the time.  I think he played bass and I'm not sure if there were overdubs during the recording of this record.  It has a rough sound where one imagines that each musician was looking directly into each other eyes.  And Linda, did she actually co-wrote these songs?

This is the real "Get Back" album.  Unlike The Fab Four, the new Fab Four wanted to tour, and tour hard.  The baroque pop of The Beatles were history, and Paul wanted to rock out, in a manner that reminds me of Neil Young and Crazyhorse.  The title song "Wild Life" is very much the spirit of Neil's "Down By The River."  Melody is different but both songs are simple and very guitar orientated.  It's a beautiful sound and I suspect Paul is playing guitar on this track.  The beauty of pretty much side one is that it is one throwaway track after another until "Wild Life."  "Mumbo," "Bip Bop" and a reggae version of "Love is Strange" probably considered the low points of a McCartney recording, but due to that, they're my favorite Paul songs.   The one song that is total brilliance is "Tomorrow."  The ultimate solo Paul song.  It's odd to me that this wasn't neither a single nor a popular McCartney song.  It's up there with "Lady Madonna" or "Oh Darling" The other songs on side two are very much the throwaway Paul songs as well, but they're very pretty.  His brilliance around a melody is for sure unhuman in his manner to reach that point.  The thing is, he doesn't have the genius of a David Bowie or mid-60s period Ray Davies.  There is a very little bite or intensity, except for his mastering of making a great noise.  I suspect many feel "Wild Life" is not a good McCartney album, but I say tsk tsk to that opinion.  "Wild Life" is wildly amazing. 

John Cale - "Helen of Troy" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 2015/1975 (Wax Cathedral)

My favorite John Cale album from the Island Records era.  What I find appealing about his work, is more of his arrangement skills than his compositions.   For instance, I think Lou Reed is a better songwriter than Cale, but it's the talent of Cale to bring out the best in Lou Reed's songs.  That's the beauty of the early Velvet Underground recordings.  The same goes for his work with Tony Conrad as well.   This is not saying that Cale does not come up with wonderful songs, but for me, it's the way he puts the music together that I find his greatness.  

"Helen of Troy" is the third of the three Cale solo albums that were released on Island records, and it's the one where I feel he's working on a huge canvas for the first time on that label.  "Helen of Troy" is very a Cale sampler, and I mean that in a very good way.  You have the orchestrational Cale ("I Keep A Close Watch") and the gritty/electro "Engine" and the title song, but again, it is how the layers all the textures together that only a superb arranger can accomplish.  His version of The Modern Lovers (he produced their first and only album) of "Pablo Picasso" is pretty great.  That, and Jimmy Reed's "Baby What You Want Me To Do" are the perfect bar band sound that only can be placed in a saloon run by David Lynch.   

Cale is an artist of great taste and skill. The fact that he produced The Stooges, Nico, Squeeze, Patti Smith and The Modern Lovers shows that he was either in the right place at the right time, but more likely he had the brilliant touch to know what's important.  A very sophisticated taste, and "Helen of Troy" is nothing but, an album of great style, grace, anger, and brilliant arrangements.  "My Maria" is a perfect example of all of his skills placed in one song.  Here on this album, you have the grit to latter-day Beach Boys harmonies.  This is the best!

Gary Glitter - "Glitter and Gold" Vinyl, 10", Mini-Album, Compilation, U.S., 1980 (Epic)

Gary Glitter is a by-product of the British pop industry.   "Gary Glitter" was invented by record producer  Mike Leander and Paul Francis Gadd, who first entered into the pop market as Paul Raven in 1960.   Leander is that rare combination of a visionary - both as a manager and as a songwriter.  The fact that he made the film soundtrack "Privilege" with Paul Jones, is the first step to his most brilliant creation, Gary Glitter, with incredible input by Gadd, who transformed himself into Glitter. 

A formula was made, that not only made money (all the gold in glitter) but also gave the world a sound - Glitter Rock.   Stripped down sound with a super heavy drum sound, mixed in with what sounds like a distorted electric guitar or maybe even a synthesizer of some sort.   For me, it is one of the great sounding rock n' roll records since Sun recordings.  It's all echo, compressed sound that sounds like Rockabilly, but from outer space.  There is a touch of Joe Meek in the madness (sound wise)  as well. 

The American side of CBS (on Epic Records) released a six-song 10" compilation that is very much the essential Gary Glitter.   I don't think anyone needs any more than the six-songs here on this mini-album, with respect to the Glitter sound and aesthetic.  It's perfection as practiced.  "Rock n' Roll" Part 1 and 2 was until ten years ago, the sound of sports rallies all around the world.  The call and response approach to rock is essentially important.  Pumping the air with your fist, it has a hyper-macho beat that swaggers and straight-forward.   Rudd and Leander made a character that is truly Ziggy Stardust but without the intellect.   Dumb, and beautiful music that's pure sound, with a mighty beat.  For me, it was a series of perfect moments.  Gary Glitter was not meant to last.  Rudd's character got in the way, and Leander went on to other adventures.