Tosh's Favorite Vinyl Albums in the Year 2019

Tosh’s Top Vinyl:

Sparks - “Gratuitous Sax & Seseless Violins”  (BMG) 2019 reissue

Mortimer - “Mortimer”  (Philips) 1968

Kenny Graham and his Satellites - “Moondog and Suncat (Trunk Records) 2010 reissue

Twice as Much - “Own Up” (Outline Records) 1982 reissue

Mark Hollis - “Mark Hollis” (Universal) 2011, Reissue

The Graham Bond Organization - “The Sound of 65” b/w “There’s A Bond Between Us” (Edsel Records) Reissue, 1988

Extended Organ - “Vibe” (Important Records) 2019

Henry Cowell - “The Piano Music of Henry Cowell” (Folkways Records) 1963

Talk Talk - “Spirit of Eden” (Parlophone) Reissue, 2012

Manfred Mann - “Soul of Mann (Instrumentals) - (Umbrella) 2018

David Bowie - “Mercury Demos” (Parlophone) 2019

The Soft Machine “Jet-Propelled Photographs” (Replay) Reissue, 2018

Daevid Allen - “Banana Moon” (Get Back) Reissue, 1999

Giles, Giles and Fripp - “The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp” (Cherry Red)

 Reissue, 2013

Lesley Gore - “Boys, Boys, Boys” (Mercury) 1964

Annette Peacock - “I’m The One” (Future Days Recordings) Reissue, 2016

Jean-Pierre Melville - “Bandes Originales 1956-1963” (Jeanne Dielman) 2018

Matthew Edwards and The Unfortunates - “The Birmingham Poets” (December Square) 2019

Kenny Graham and his Satellites: "Moondog and Suncat Suites" Vinyl, Albums, LP, Reissue, 1957/2010 (Trunk Records)

How can one avoid the great compositions by Moondog, as done by British sax player Kenny Graham with the top English Jazz musicians, and then top it off, Joe Meek was the engineer for these recording sessions. Moondog, a 20-century genius composer, an eccentric figure in Manhattan during the 1950s and 1960s, and even was a roommate of Philip Glass. Graham must be one of the few who went out of his way to record Moondog's compositions. The album is a delight, but if you are a Moondog fanatic, you may find these recordings not as wonderful as the original versions done by Moondog. Still, Kenny Graham brings these works into a very 'British' cool manner that I find intriguing. The playing and arrangements are top-notch. The second-side is all Kenny Graham compositions that are influenced by Moondog. More exotic, popish, and it does have that mid-century design of sound polish. I have two other Kenny Graham albums, and they are different in style and temperament. I suspect the more one gets into Kenny Graham, the more gems one would find. But it seems he only has a handful of recordings. There must be more out there in the world? 

Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Cosmo's Factory" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1970 (Fantasy)

As of three-years ago, if you told me that I would even have a copy of any Creedence Clearwater Revival album in my home, I would laugh at your face. A band I neither liked or admired, but just accepted that they were on the FM/AM radio and that is how the world was at the time. Like King Crimson, I have become more open-minded about bands that I never can imagine I would have in my collection. "Cosmos Factory" is essential to me due to two songs on it. "Ramble Tamble" and their 11-minute take on Marvin Gaye's "I Heard it Through the Grapevine." Both songs are on a genius level, not due to the songwriting, but the arrangements done by the band or John Fogerty. And Fogerty does get the credit, but I suspect that the group is very much part of the sound as well. 

"Ramble Tamble" (hearing or reading the title reminds me of Russ Tamblyn, but that's another narrative) is a groover of a song. Still, it has a great, almost psychedelic guitar that is half that, and surf. It's a fantastic track. The other song of interest, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," has a bit of dark history for me. I remember camping on the beach for a week, and it was with Russ Tamblyn and his wife at the time. The dark part was not the company, but the beach itself. I was freezing in the nighttime air, and the one moment of happiness that night was my AM transistor radio. Some station was playing the entire length of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," and it was scary and intriguing at the time. I never felt so alone at 3 in the morning, and hearing this odd and strange recording. Listening to it to now brings back the memory of that beach trip, but also it's a beautifully arranged version of the song. Never have two electric guitars, bass and drums sounded so seductive. 

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: "Are You Experienced?" Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, Reissue, Japan, 1980 (Polydor)

When I was 12-years old I went to London.  I remember many things on that specific trip, but one of the pleasant memories is discovering The Jimi Hendrix Experience at Robert Fraser's flat in 1967.  He had a copy of this, and I went back to Los Angeles, I immediately found the American version of this classic debut album.  It took me 50 years to realize that the UK and U.S. had a different song order and songs.  Still, when I bought a used Mono version at Tower Records in Shinjuku, I was delighted. First of all, I never heard this album in Mono before, and it's an amazing punch to the stomach and head.  We know how great Hendrix was, but The Experience was an incredible band.  Mitch Mitchell's (is that is the real name?  If not, what a great name) jazz-style drumming was a perfect flow for Hendrix's guitar and Noel Redding's bass playing.  I also love the British cover than the American one.  To me, it is such an iconic image.  

Lucien Goethals - "Lucien Goethals" Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Remastered, 2014 (Cacophonic)

Lucien Goethals (1931-2006) is a composer who had a focus on electronic music.  Or with 'real' instruments such as bass clarinet, which is the focus on side one of this album.  "Difonium" is an 18-minute composition with Harry Sparnaay on bass clarinet, with Goethals's electronic sounds. This 1974 composition is a moody interplay with the wind instrument andmagnétaphone. I think of Edgard Varése's music when listening to this piece.  Not only due to its compositional techniques but for it's the sense of purity in sound and vision. 

Side Two starts off with "Cellotape," and I have to say I love the mixture of electronics and real instrumentation such as piano and violin.   I admire electronic music as it stands by itself, but the tension of having real instruments brings the music a specific type of intensity.  Sometimes this music is instruments treated through an electronic medium (besides the recording studio of course), but here it's on equal ground with Goethals's eternal sounds.  The Piano goes through cluster-sounds, strumming of the piano keys as well as played on the keyboard.  "Studie VII B" is pure electronic composition, and I find it lacking in that it does need the presence of a real instrument in its mix. 

Sparks - "Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins" Yellow Vinyl, Remastered, Reissued, 2xCD, 2019/1994 (BMG)

It's no secret that I'm a Sparks' fanatic. My love for this crazed duo is as immense as the oceans and deep into the distant stars. For me, there is no such thing as a bad Sparks' album, but "Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins" is one of my faves among their recorded masterpieces. There is not another haunting song as "Let's Go Surfing," or "When Do I Sing My Way." Sparks made masterpieces in the 1970s and 1980s but disappeared amid the later 80s, and returned to magnificence with the above album. 

Hardcore electro-pop, this is music made by two men, and it's a tight album with no wasted space. It's a specific and focused set of songs that focuses on some aspects of pop culture, as seen through the Mael brothers. "Gone with the Wind," Sinatra's and Sid's "My Way," Charlie Parker, The BBC, Liberace, and Hong Kong filmmaker (who is on the album as well) Tsui Hark all share space in this work. They bounce off each other, and in some sense, there is communication or sharing between these iconic figures/institutions. 

CD-1 is a compilation of remixes from "Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins." What stands out is Bernard Butler's mix of ("When I Kiss You) I Hear Charlie Parker." He adds guitar textures that give the song a different feel than the standard version. Also of great interest is their version of "Little Drummer Boy," and a great unknown Sparks song, "She's An Anchorman." What makes this reissue a must for the fan is CD-2, which is unreleased (until now) great unknown Sparks songs, which I presume was recorded around the same time as "Gratuitous Sax." 17 songs here and not one is a dud. Also noted are the songs sung by Christi Haydon. She was their live drummer in the 1990s, and it seems at one point and time, was set-up to sing the songs of Sparks. Similar to Serge Gainsbourg working with Jane Birkin/Brigitte Bardot or Lee Hazelwood's work with Nancy Sinatra. All great, especially "Katharine Hepburn," which is an unknown Sparks masterpiece song and her excellent version of The Who's (John Entwistle) "Boris the Spider." Superb packaging and music. A must for Sparks' fans, but also proof of their greatness. 

Big Star - "Radio City" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 1974/2011 (Ardent Records)

I haven't heard this album in a long time, and just tonight, I found a vinyl copy, so I thought, "OK." What's incredible is discovering how much I still love this album. The performance by Big Star on "Radio City" is energetic, powerful, and layered with guitars that pulls the listener into a concept of imagery that comes with their music. It's perfection as practiced by Jody Stephens, Andy Hummel, and of course, Alex Chilton. 

The DNA of their sound, at least for this album, is The Beatles "For Sale" or at the very least, "Revolver." But it's work that doesn't imitate the fab four sound, but more used as a platform for Alex and company to build their music on. At the time, there were a lot of power-pop bands and artists. A lot of them were good, including Cheap Trick. But I find Big Star very much on the spiritual side of the music than getting the right guitar sound, or the perfect melody arrangement. There is magic in these recordings and songs.  I think a lot has to do with the "It" quality of Alex and the band. John Fry, their engineer, really caught the essence of the sound in the studio. For some odd reason listening to this album on vinyl, it really grabbed me by the heart and head. 

The essence of Alex Chilton is here, and there is something reckless, sexy. Yet, in firm control of the material, that is his personality. I don't think there is such a thing as a 'bad' Alex performance or even album. One can like something more than the other, but his genius is to give every song he sang a distinctive quality that can only be Alex. Like hearing Bowie, or Billie Holiday, who' put a stamp on their songs cannot be imitated, Alex is in the same league as those singers. There are those who sound like students when they do this sort of music. Still, Big Star owns their material in such a manner that it is characteristic of their genius. And then there are the Bill Eggleston photos. That's brilliant, as well. 

Philip Glass - "Mishima" Vinyl, LP, OST, 1985 (Nonesuch)

One can argue that there are better Philip Glass albums out there, but I'm very fond of his soundtrack to the film "Mishima" directed by Paul Schrader. I think "Einstein on the Beach" is one of the great pieces in classical 20th-century music, but Glass can do different types of music. "Mishima" is full of beautiful melodies, and the way he builds up the tempo as if adding one pick-up stick on to another, you're waiting for it to collapse. Alas, that doesn't happen. 

The film itself is one of my favorites as well. Ever since I was a teenager, I had a fascination with Yukio Mishima, not only for his writing but for his crazed life as well. On the surface, his whole lifestyle devoted to a mixture of literature, politics, gay life, and his need to be a performer — one thing for sure he didn't hold anything back. The film captures his character, but it is also the best work on a writer creating his (or her) world. Most movies about writers are dull. Still, Mishima is unique because, due to family overtures, Schrader had to rely on Mishima's writings, and that made this film a stronger piece of art.  The Glass compositions add a sense of melancholy as well as grandness. There is even a surf guitar part in the score that is a mystery to me — one of the unusual aspects in a Glass composition ever. There are classic OST albums that stay with me beyond the film. "A Clockwork Orange, "8 1/2," and "Mishima" is right up there with my other faves.