Ennio Morricone - "Le Clan des Siciliens" Vinyl, LP, Album, OST, Reissue, 2010 (Vadim Music)

Listing a favorite Ennio Morricone original soundtrack album is impossible.  His burp is a symphony of brilliance, so to choose the various sounds he made, as the best, is like commenting that a sunny day is sunny.   On the other hand, "Le Clan des Siciliens" is my favorite Morricone, and on a good clear day for my thinking and feelings, the best album of them all.   It's basically one melody that lasts for an album-length, and it's a piece of music that I never tire of. 

For those who love melodies over Morricone's more avant-garde music awakenings will appreciate "Le Clan des Siciliens" for its lushness and very sad, yet distantly romantic yearning.  Which comes to mind is that I actually met Morricone.  I was working in a bookstore in West Hollywood, and he came in to shop before his appearance at the Academy Awards later that evening.  He was going to be rewarded for a lifetime Oscar for his music.   For one, I couldn't believe I was in the same room as Morricone.  One of the fellow employees, knowing that I was a huge fan, came up to me and dragged me to meet him.  Knowing that he spoke very little English, I decided to say something grand but true to my feelings. I told him that when I die, I want the music at my funeral to be the main melody of "Le Clan des Siciliens."  He looked at me slowly and with no expression on his face said "You don't have to die."  He then whistled the entire theme of "Le Clan des Siciliens" which took about a minute or so, I think, because time stood still.  After he finished, he reached out to my hand to shake it and said: "see you don't have to die."   I look at this brief meeting as fate.  

Fleetwood Mac - "The Green Manalishi with The Two Prong Crown" b/w "World in Harmony" 7" 45rpm Single, 1970 (Reprise Records)

In many ways, this is a perfect single.   As far as I know, these two songs are not on any official Fleetwood Mac albums, and to discover this disc is finding perfection as practiced.  The beauty of Fleetwood Mac during the height of the Peter Green years is the interaction of three guitars that one can listen to separately, but more likely admire the way they build a wall of sound.   The interplay of the guitars is one of the many joys, and it all comes together on this single. 

"The Green Manalishi" is classic Green/Kirwan/Spencer on guitars and the great rhythm section of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie.  The beauty of their arrangements and how they work out their guitar parts, with individual players is remarkable.  The awesome aspect is that each guitarist has its own sound and identity, and in that sense, they remind me a bit of the band Television, with respect to the dialogue between Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd.   Why "The Green Manalishi" never made it on their "Then Play On" album is a mystery to me.  

The b-side, "World in Harmony" is an instrumental that is highly melodic, and again its the beauty of the guitars working toward each other, yet remarkably distinctive styles at work.  Exceptional record. 

Chris Andrews - "Yesterday Man" b/w "Too Bad You Don't Want Me" 45 rpm 7" Single, 1965 (Atco)

Chris Andrews is a bit of a mystery to me.  I first came upon his name when I look at the credits for Sandie Shaw songs during the early 1960s.  He wrote all her major hits, and I'm a fan of her work.  The second time I became aware of this songwriter's talent was when I heard Robert Wyatt's 1973 version of "Yesterday Man," which is one of my favorite Wyatt recordings.   Chris Andrews wrote that song as well, and I think it's the best I have heard of his songwriting.  

Wyatt's version is slow, mournful, with a touch of regret and of course, romantic angst.  Chris Andrews recorded his own version of the song in 1965 and of course, it's upbeat with a strong Ska rhythm going through it, but the chorus has that Sandie Shaw sound.  It's particular talent of Andrews to add a clatter of vocals that are busy and frantic at the same time.  I like his approach to his song.  If I have to choose between the two, it would be the Wyatt version, just because he can milk the pathos deeply and profoundly.  Yet there is something sinister in the happy-go-lucky Andrews conveying the fact that he is genuinely a Yesterday Man in some woman's life.  In other words, a great tune. 

David Sylvian & Holger Czukay - "Plight & Premonition Flux & Mutability" Vinyl, LP, Album, Compilation, Reissue, 2018 (Grönland Records)

David Sylvian and Holger Czukay became good friends when Czukay helped Sylvian on his first solo album "Forbidden Trees," which by the way is an excellent album.   Around that time, Czukay invited Sylvian to come to his studio in Germany, where he recorded and played with his previous band Can.  They made two albums together "Plight & Premonition" and "Flux & Mutability."  Both albums are now reissued on vinyl in one beautiful package, courtesy of Grönland Records, who have been reissuing a lot of Czukay's recorded work. 

On the surface, first, listen one thinks of the David Bowie instrumental sides from "Low" and "Heroes."  They border on the ambient side, but there is something textural that is not precisely like wallpaper music.   The same goes for the Sylvian and Czukay pieces.  Also, these four pieces on the album are improvised works, and I'm not sure how to improvise the Bowie tracks were.  Nevertheless, these primarily instrumental works (with some borrowed voices deep in the mix) are very much in the aesthetic and sound of the Sylvian and Czukay world.  Their relationship is perfect for making music.  To my ears, Sylvian is attracted to third world or Asian melodies, and Czukay has his ears tuned into the European 20th-century classic mode.  There are traces of western orchestration that comes and goes in the mix, and it is indeed a world where the band Japan meets Can.

My favorite cut is "Mutability" which has a lot of guitars, with various pedals/effects.  It's a majestic piece of music.  The music is mellow, but one is never sure how things will play out in the music.  For instance, at the beginning of "Plight," there's a sound of either a voice or a bird screeching that is startling to the listener.  It reminds me of the famous film cut in Orson Welles'  "Citizen Kane" where a parrot shows up suddenly with a loud screech.   A superb collection of two albums, with a beautiful essay by David Toop.  

Pink Floyd - "A Saucerful of Secrets"" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered, 2016/1968 (Pink Floyd Records)

I'm such a huge Syd Barrett /Syd's Pink Floyd that I never bothered to hear the second and onward of their albums.  It was a moment of either boredom or curiosity that I listened to Pink Floyd's second album "A Saucerful of Secrets."   And even odder, I never heard "Jugband Blues," which is the last Syd record with the Floyd.  I did purchase a pair of compilations to get some of the Syd/Floyd singles or b-sides but was pleasantly surprised with the Richard Wright songs.   So, it was a sense of hesitation, yet I was aware of this album for 50 years, and now it was time for my first listening experience.

Recorded at the height of Syd falling apart, and being tossed out of the band, "A Saucerful of Secrets" is an enjoyable affair, and it doesn't touch on the drama that must have been felt during this time.  Except for "Jugband Blues" which is disturbing, but perhaps due to hindsight after hearing Syd being kicked out of the band.  Again, the true highlight of the listening experience is the pair of Wright songs.  "Remember a Day" is a breezy melody, but wrapped in a cloak of sadness.  It sounds like Syd's younger brother, but even more interesting is his "See-Saw" which has a slight late Beach Boys vibe to it. Half exotica, but with a Brian Wilson touch.   A wonderful song.  The rest is Roger Waters, and although I do enjoy the psychedelic aspect of the instrumentals, there is something heavy-handed in his songwriting.  He doesn't have the lightness (with a tinge of true darkness) of the Syd and Richard songs.    It's a solid album, and even with the troubles of that present time, they, of course, went on to become an iconic and wealthy band.  I regret that Richard Wright didn't do more of these type of pop tunes that are a total delight.  

Frozen Corn - "Frozen Corn" Vinyl, LP, Album, 2017 (IDEA)

I wish that my blog cannot only see but to feel the texture of a record cover.  Tom Recchion (friend, hero, graphic artist, and composer) designed this cover based on his ceramic dishes/artwork.  The cover is also textural to the touch, in that the images arise such as the lettering and the ceramic plates.  The budget to make this cover must have been 'forget the budget!'  The music within this great package is a trio of two banjo players and an acoustic guitarist called Frozen Corn.  Which is a good descriptive name for this band, because one can imagine that these three guys are sitting by some frozen lake, with luke-warm hobo coffee on the side, and maybe beef jerky as well.  

The thought of two banjos and a guitar plus voice(s), brings up an image of a trio of cowboys, but that is only in my imagination.  There is something hypnotic with the playing that is perfectly arranged among the other string instruments.  Also, the main singer has a voice that reminds me of a combination of Smog and a low-key Scott Walker. There are two different voices, the other has an everyman vocal, which again, reminds me of hobo activity around a fire.   It's a beautiful sexy voice that yearns as well as tell a tale.  The trio's names are Anthony Pasquarosa, Chris Carlton, and Joshua Burkett.   This album I suspect is a limited edition, just due to the printing of the cover.  Pick it up, and go outside and face the night of stars.  

The Ventures - "Pops in Japan" 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Japan, 1980 (United Artists Records Japan)

If for nothing else The Ventures brought the electric guitar to Japan.  To this day, The Ventures (or whoever is left of the band) still do yearly tours of Japan, and it is one of the significant areas of the world to complete your Ventures vinyl collection.  Other then that, The Ventures made two albums for the Japanese market covering Japanese pop songs and Enka, which is similar to the blues, but in Japanese.  These sad Japanese pop ballads have a natural relationship with the electric guitar.  For the Westerner, it's a cool combination.  For my wife, who is Japanese she may find it kitsch.  Since I'm writing this review, I will say it's fine art.

The liner notes are all in Japanese, and I suspect that side one & 2 of this double set was released as it is sometime either in the 70s or 60s.   It is also better than the second disc, which has keyboards and has a late 70s vibe in its recording.  Still, a remarkable document.  I have heard songs or singles that is devoted to the Japanese market, but it's rare to listen to a whole album by a Western band dedicated to the Japanese songcraft and hits.  The Ventures play their twang guitar sound, but it fits in perfectly with the Japanese melodies.  Also, I must note that side one is all original songs by The Ventures focusing on a Japanese 60s pop sound.  The rest of the double-album set are cover songs.

It took me years to find a vinyl version of this album, even in Japan, it's hard to find. I found this perfectly beautiful edition at Counterpoint Music and Books.   It was the last thing I expected to see in a shop.   The Ventures generally are not my favorite instrumental band.  For instance, I prefer The Shadows, and I think it comes to the Jet Harris bass and the Hank Marvin guitar. Still, one has to acknowledge the importance of The Ventures, and the little-known knowledge that they had a massive impact on Japanese pop music and aesthetics.  Before The Beatles, the other fab four, The Ventures, came and stole the hearts of future Japanese guitarists.  

Suede - "Suede" Vinyl, Reissue, Album, 2014/1993 (Demon Records)

As mentioned before on this blog, I have been avoiding Suede for 25 years.  Usually, when I do something like that, it's for a good reason.  I here now to admit I was wrong.  They're a terrific band with solid songs.  My problem with them is that they wear their influences quite loudly, and that got on my nerves.  25 years later I read lead singer Brett Anderson's rather remarkable childhood/teenage memoir which led me to re-listen to their catalog.  I'm slowly buying up their albums on vinyl, and it's an exciting listening experience. 

Suede's first album, simply called "Suede" is a homage to both Bowie and The Smiths.  Bernard Butler, the co-writer as well as their guitarist, is a mixture of Mick Ronson and Johnny Marr.  Incredibly skillful with the many-layered sounds of his strings, I'm often drawn to his playing over the music or anything else on this album.  The music is sensual with a JG Ballard/Bowie lyrical stance of wasted young people on the verge of death or some sort of life on the boundaries of a world gone wrong.  In other words, it's a romantic work.   Mat Osman and Simon Gilbert are a terrific rhythm section, but it's really the presence of Butler and Anderson that is the first stage of Suede.   Butler does remind me of Marr in a sense they are both music geeks.  There is a formula at work, in that most of the songs reach the chorus dreamily with the phrasing and echo of Anderson's vocals.  

Beside the Brit-Pop being full of good looking lads (and ladies), all the bands of that time don't sound the same.   If I had a gun to my head, I could see traces of Pulp and Suede sharing a certain sensibility, but Jarvis Cocker is a much more realist at looking at his world.  There is nothing romantic about Pulp which is a significant part of their appeal.  Also, I believe they may have been slightly older, so therefore more experienced in the relationship department.  Suede is very teenage angst, but also on a street level.   I look back at those times and hear this album as something new to me.  

The Cramps - "Smell of Female" Vinyl, 12", 45 rpm, Reissue, 1983 (Big Beat Records)

Is it even possible to dislike The Cramps?  Another definition of 'perfection' is The Cramps.  To call them psycho-billy or rockabilly or even rock n' roll seems to limit their greatness.  "Smell of Female" is a live recording that took place at The Peppermint Lounge, February 25 & 26 1983.  There are many reasons to buy and enjoy this mini-album, but what makes it essential is their version of the Russ Mayer theme song to "Faster Pussycat Kill Kill."  One of the great unknown songs that I don't think ever was properly released is a DNA piece of work for The Cramps.  

Which brings to mind another aspect of their greatness.  Poison Ivy and Lux Interior are tastemakers as well as brilliant curators of everything 1950s culture and beyond.  They are never corny, and I imagine what it must be like to spend an hour in their home in Glendale, California.  A live-in museum, but the fact is, that they are cultural historians of great importance.   The death of Lux is one of the significant losses in the 21st century.  Nevertheless, with the brilliance of the late Nick Knox on drums, and at this point of time of the recording, Congo Powers on the second guitar - they transcend an aural sound that is also visual, and you can feel it in your sexual being.   For me, the two guitars and no bass is the prime Cramps.