The dB's - "Stands for Decibels" Vinyl, Album, UK, 1981 (Albion)

There is something criminally wrong when a band like The dB's are not considered to be one of the great groups that came out of the U.S.  in the early 80s.  Their good friend's REM became mega-successful, yet The dB's are thought of as an afterthought than a group of musicians and songwriters who were crucial in their time and place.  Those who know the band's music loves them.  The question is why are they not huge in their time, and more importantly why are there records out-of-print?

"Stands for Decibels" always struck me as a greatest-hits album, because that is what this record sounds like. Every other song either sounds like a magnificent A-side to a single, or a very interesting B-side.  Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple are the songwriters in the group and Gene Holder and Will Rigby are the rhythm section.  A too-easy comparison is with The Beatles era "For Sale/Beatles '65", but like the Fab Four album, these are songs with twisted emotions and intense deliveries. Stamey and Holsapple have their distinctive way of writing songs, which makes them stand out, so one can tell which is a Chris or Peter song.  Still, this variety pack is equally fantastic in the mix that is "Stands for Decibels."   Broadly speaking (or listening) Stamey's songs are dreamy and biting in that John Lennon sense, while Peter's work is straight forward with great choruses.  Very much an underrated band, and this album is a masterpiece. 

Jeff Beck -"Love is Blue" (L'amour Est Bleu) b/w "I've Been Drinking" 45rpm 7" single, Blue Vinyl, 1968/2015 (Sundazed)

For a few months after leaving The Yardbirds, Jeff Beck was unpredictable. He could go heavy, Psych, blues, but I wouldn't suspect him doing Middle-of-the-Road music.  "Love is Blue" is a MOR standard, and to me, it's a crazy concept between him and the producer Mickie Most. Still, at its best, there is a trace of a Shadows influence, regarding how Beck handles his guitar duty on this French pop song.  The first 20 seconds must have people look at the record label to see it wasn't a mistake.  Once the guitar kicks in, it's Beck, but a weird Jeff.   On a kitsch level, it's masterful. But Beck and kitsch really doesn't really mix well. Especially when the backup chorus kicks in. Did Mickie Most really see Jeff Beck as the guitar hero for the granddad set in the middle of the swinging 1960s?

The B-side (thank god for B-Sides) is "I've Been Drinking" a co-write between Beck and his vocalist at the time, Rod Stewart. I have to imagine that this is the classic Jeff Beck Group lineup with Ron Wood on bass, Mickey Weller on drums, and Nicky Hopkins on piano.  I like the echo effect on Rod's voice and the underhanded backup vocals.  Sturdy, workman-like, but not on a genius level. Still, there is something always cool about Jeff Beck. It's in his DNA. 

David Bowie - "Is It Any Wonder?" Vinyl, EP, Limited Edition, 2020 (Parlophone)

A six-song 12" EP is another must-have if one is a David Bowie fanatic. Bowie is resembling after-life as a version of Elvis's reissues. Still, the quality is high, and I wonder if it is even possible for Bowie to make a truly bad record?  The answer is no!   The songs here are not totally new, but they are recent recordings made between 1995 and 1998, during his come back, quality-wise, after his "Outside" album and the next underrated "Earthling" recordings.    There are two songs from Tin Machine "Baby Universal" and "I Can't Read," as well as "Stay" from "Station to Station," and "The Man Who Sold The World."  The new songs (at least for me) are "Nuts,' which sounds like the technique of bass n' drums of "Earthling," but has the darker mood of a selection from "Outside." The other tune "Fun (Clownboy Mix)" is not familiar to me.   The song has a nice flow, in fact, the entire collection melts from one song to another.  

This EP is not a rehash but a fresh approach to some of his older songs or re-thought out in a manner for his electro-rock aesthetic at the time. Nevertheless, it's classic Bowie and does show the talents of Reeves Gabriel (now in The Cure) and Mark Plati.  Both contribute a lot to the mixes and their fingerprints on the work come up splendidly.   The Bowie estate is really doing a nice and thorough job in putting out these releases.  When you can, I suggest you buy "Is It Any Wonder? on the Rhino website, here: David Bowie Is It Any Wonder?

Haruomi Hosono - "Philharmony" Vinyl, Reissue, Album, 1982/2018 (Light in the Attic)

Techo-pop as perfection.  Haruomi Hosono, who is no stranger on my blog here, is a combination of Van Dyke Parks and Brian Eno.  His stance in Japanese contemporary music is vast and of great importance.  Hosono is active as a producer, songwriter, arranger, and solo artist, as well as being part of the YMO (Yellow Magic Orchestra).  There is something late 20th-century Japan that fits in perfectly with the sound of analog synths and the way music is used in public areas, such as train stations and retail shopping areas.  Often, and to this day, one can hear interesting electronic music being in the background while traveling or shopping.   "Philharmony" is the ground zero of this type of aesthetic.  Hosono has made pure electronic ambient albums, but "Philharmony" is based on pop songs done in an electronic manner. 

There's a touch of purity in its approach, but Hosono is very expressive in that framework. This album is light, airy, but with a strong sense of melodies.  At the moment it is either difficult to find, or very expensive, but I do swear that it is worth the game of searching this album down. 

Ennio Morricone -- "Le Foto Proibite Di Una Signora Per Bene" OST, Vinyl, LP, Album, 1970/2014 (Dagored)

The genius of Ennio Morricone's score for "Le Foto Proibite Di Una Signora Per Bene" is the mixture of easy listening samba beats with threatening orchestration that something bad is going to happen around the corner.  Morricone is a master of tension being built up, and then the blissful melody or beauty arrives. Featuring the eternal vocals of the great Edda Dell'Orso, this is one of the important soundtracks by the Italian master.  As I have written before, I think of Morricone as one of the great composers of the 20th-century.  Here he also orchestrated the music as well as writing the score and incidental music for the film.