King Crimson - "THRAK" CD, Album, 1995 (Virgin)

I have entered into the forbidden.  For the past year or so, I  have been listening to King Crimson, a band that I once avoided due that I couldn't stand the word "Prog."   Prejudice is an ugly thing to have in one's life, but in my fashion, I slowly started listening to the first five King Crimson albums and realized that I enjoy the music due to the intensity of the band's playing, but also their compositional streak.  In a way, it reminds me of Duke Ellington, not in style, but the fact that Robert Fripp has firm control of the band, but yet allows each musician to participate in the overall sound of the project on hand. "THRAK" is the only album I have that features guitarist and lyricist Adrian Belew in the King Crimson line up.

"THRAK" is a right name for this album, because that is what it sounds like.  It's a tense, textural record with incredible percussion flourishes, but also the intensity of the guitars riffing against each other, but with the overall approach of Fripp's soundscaping, that in a sense is the foundation of this work.   Of the King Crimson albums I own and listened to, "THRAK" is by far the heaviest due to the force of the instrumentals and some of the vocal works.  As usual, I think the weak link to King Crimson is the lyrics.  Whatever it is by Belew or others, it seems to be second thought compared to the sound of the music.   

Moreover, it's the sound of the recording and arrangements that give it a full sonic plate.   The beauty of Fripp and company is that they do look back, but always go forward.  The unique line up of a double trio or having two percussionists (Pat Mastelotto & Bill Bruford), two bassists (Tony Levin & Trey Gunn), two guitarists (Fripp & Belew), is that it's not a mess, but again, like an Ellington big band, it fits the entire motif of the big sound. 

British Electric Foundation - "Music of Quality & Distinction, Volume 1" Vinyl, LP, 1982 (Virgin)

In the late 70s and early 80s, there was this procedure where bands like Public Image LTD and Heaven 17's British Electric Foundation (B.E.F.) were into the corporate identity.  Not only a group but also a company.  I imagine in those days that there were no band meetings, but instead, and in its place, a board meeting took place.   I'm a massive fan of Heaven 17's first album "Penthouse and Pavement," which at its heart is a synth-pop soul sound, but also mixing in real instruments as well. When Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware left Human League to form Heaven 17/B.E.F., it was an ambitious move on their part.  Through Virgin Records, they clearly wanted to have their separate identity as a production house, songwriting group, as well as having a radical approach to corporation life, which I suspect was in itself a critique of that world. 

With that in mind, and also playing the game of marketing an image/music for the consumer, B.E.F. put together "Music of Quality & Distinction, Volume 1" which is a collection of 1960's Motown soul music with 70's Glam era rock.   Each song had a guest singer, and it was usually an iconic figure in the music world.  You have Tina Turner covering the Temptations' "Ball of Confusion," Sandie Shaw doing "Anyone Had a Heart," and Gary Glitter doing a pretty great glam version of Elvis' "Suspicious Minds."  The brilliant aspect of this project is having singers who were fading out in the mainstream music world at the time, and giving them a decent song, as well as a commentary on their era of music making.   The great Paul Jones of Manfred Mann fame does a remarkable version of Northern Soul "There's a Ghost in My House." 

In 1982, the pop singers on the album that were happening at the moment like the excellent Billy MacKenzie (Associates), Heaven 17's Glenn Gregory, and TV announcer Paula Yates (tragic life that one) making mostly classic music from the 60s.  Gregory does the Jimmy Webb song "Witchita Lineman" as well as Lou Reed's "Perfect Day," which is from the 70s.  Ware and Marsh attempt to freeze an era through music, but the brilliant part is their choice of artists doing the material, yet working in the B.E.F. mode of production and vision. 

For me, MacKenzie never fails.  His version of Bowie's "The Secret Life of Arabia" and Roy Orbison's "It's Over" are magnificent due to Billy's voice and approach to these songs.  Having the Shadows' Hank Marvin on the Orbison song is a nice touch as well.  Again, it's the mixture of electronics with real instrumentation, as well as choosing the right iconic singer doing the material makes this album a real joy. 

David Sylvian -"Pop Song" 12" 45 RPM, Single, Vinyl, 1989 (Virgin)

"Pop Song"  creeps up on the listener, it's like watching a single fly on a window pane, moving around and not going anywhere.   It's a beautiful song/recording, due to David Sylvian's croon, which is an instrument in itself, where he sings of disappointment and resentment.  "Tell you I love you, like my favorite pop song."  "Pop Song" can be seen as a critique of the nature of commercial music or being in a position where one has to produce a product for the listener or the masses.  With jazz like piano riffs and the tension built in its rhythm, this is classic Sylvian.  

Rain Tree Crow - "Blackwater" b/w "Red Earth" & "I Drink To Forget" 12" Vinyl, 45 rpm, Limited Edition, 1991 (Virgin)

In reality, Rain Tree Crow is the band Japan.  Why they changed their name when they decided to get back together to make an album is a mystery to me.  Still, this 12" single is one of their best songs.  "Blackwater" is a beautiful moody melody that expresses not exactly a romance, but the essence of looking back, and the need to move on.   Mick Karn, Steve Jansen, Richard Barbieri, and of course David Sylvian, with assistance from guitarist and Cocteau fan Bill Nelson.  Mellow, with the ultimate Sylvian croon, "Blackwater" is a dream existence or location that one can feel, but maybe never touch or be in that location again.  It's a sad song.  It's melancholy with traces of wistfulness.   

Side two of this 12" single are two instrumentals.  "Red Earth" is on the Rain Tree Crow album, and it's very cinematic I think due to Brian Gascoigne's orchestration, and he also worked with Scott Walker's later recordings.  "I Drink To Forget" (don't we all) is prepared piano played by Sylvian with the rest of the band doing electronics is very slight, and it's almost an afterthought, but it is also very beautiful in its nature.  

Rain Tree Crow (Japan) - "Blackwater" b/w "Red Earth" & "I Drink to Forget" Vinyl 12" 45 rpm, Limited Edition, 1991 (Virgin)

For whatever reasons, the band Japan decided to regroup to make an album under the name of Rain Tree Crow.   David Sylvian, Mick Karn, Steven Jansen, and Richard Barbieri co-wrote all the music, but Sylvian dominated the lyrics.   I have the album on CD, but I just recently found a copy of a limited edition 12" of one of the songs that are on the album, "Blackwater." 

Without a doubt, it is one of the most beautiful recordings from Sylvian and company with an elegant melody played with great sensitivity by all above, including guest guitarist Bill Nelson.  It's ironic that this song is hidden in the Rain Tree Crow project, even though it is on a Sylvian compilation, it really needs full attention from Japan fans and elsewhere.  Whatever it is tensioned between Sylvian and Karn that caused the unit to break up, they clearly work well together, with respect to the results of their recordings.   Both have an interest in Eastern music or melodies, and it's borderline tragic that they didn't stick it out to make further albums.  The Sylvian and Karn solo recordings are good, but I often listen to a Sylvian solo release and think "where's Karn's fretless bass?"  Still, perhaps it wasn't meant to be.  At least Japan has made three excellent albums and Rain Tree Crow is very good as well.  Although it's a mystery to me why they didn't go under the name of Japan. Legal reasons?   It's a stupid name for a band, and maybe they wanted a fresh start.  Nevertheless, "Blackwater" is a great record.  

Nöel (Sparks) - "Is There More To Life Than Dancing?" Vinyl, LP, Picture Disc, UK, 1979 (Virgin)

I only heard about Nöel's "Is There More To Life Than Dancing?" in whispers.  Recorded sometime between Sparks' "No. 1 in Heaven" and "Terminal Jive" during their exploration of the electronic dance medium, the Nöel album is an enticing part of the trilogy.   Perhaps Giorgio Moroder inspired, during, or after working on "No. 1 in Heaven, Ron Mael and Russell Mael had put together their own project where they wrote and produced songs for another artist.  I know nothing about the mysterious Nöel, and to be frank, it is not her that is of interest, but of course, Sparks.  

In a time of countless 12" remixes and the interesting aspect of the Disco era, this album exists only in that framework.  I wasn't aware of the album until the 1990s, and even that, I only heard about it, and not heard one note of it.  On my recent trip to Tokyo, I found a copy at Vinyl Records in Shinjuku, and I couldn't pass it up.  For a Sparks' fan, this Nöel album is a must, but beyond that, this is a very good album.   As a friend once noted to me "there is no such thing as a bad Sparks' album or song."  Which is a strong statement to make, but also perfectly true.   The picture-disc release (did it ever come out as just black vinyl?) is non-stop music, and there is technically five songs, yet, it builds up as a work of one piece.  What comes through is Sparks' brilliance or trademark sound whatever they do.   They can't help themselves being Sparks, and even when they're writing songs for another, it is still a Sparks record.  And that includes them remixing/re-recording other's records, such as Morrissey's "Suedehead."  

There is not a bad moment on this album, but the masterpiece is "I Want a Man" which I think is up there in Sparks' melodic genius work.  The one thing that strikes me as odd, is that they use a real saxophone in the mix, due that the rest of the album is electronic.  At the moment, I can't think of them ever using a solo saxophone in their songs or arrangements.  Although the album yells out 1980 Disco, there are textures here that can only belong or made by Sparks.  Which makes this an essential listening experience. 

Magazine "Secondhand Daylight" LP, Album, Vinyl, 1979 (Virgin)

Out of the furnace that's punk came Magazine.  More Roxy Music than Sex Pistols, but in truth, Magazine lives within its own world.  Howard Devoto is the foundation where the music serves his lyrical and vocal talent.  Not a classical singer in the Bowie mode, but more of the street urchin who's deformed and not quite ugly, but beautiful.  "Secondhand Daylight" is the second album by Magazine.  It's different from the first in that the sound or songs are most majestic and cinematic in its scope.  It has been said that the band wanted John Barry, the film composer, to produce this album.  That would have been a natural relationship between the icy professionalism and amoral aspect of Barry's work against the Magazine aesthetic of emotional loss and slightly unbalanced in a world of harsh realities.  

Magazine made great albums, but "Secondhand Daylight" has always been a favorite of mine, and I notice hardcore Devoto fans prefer this album the most, compared to the others.  The scope is larger and the talents of the band are pretty magnificent.  John McGeoch is an underrated guitarist with plenty of elegance and orchestrational sense in playing within the band's grooves.  Dave Formula is the keyboardist with the closest abilities to 'think'  soundtrack music in the Magazine texture, and drummer John Doyle and bassist Barry Adamson are dream players, within the context that's Magazine.   Elegance comes to mind when listening to this album.   Not by wealth, but education. This is smart music made by aware musicians.  "Permafrost" is perhaps the perfect Magazine/Devoto song. It builds and builds and the language was shocking when I first heard the song in 1979. I remember it being direct and to the point, and when I hear it now, it's like honesty being played out in a world of ill illusion. 

Devoto has the Dylan bite but I prefer his poetry to the American master songwriter.   He has Johnny Rotten's snare, but there's a great deal of tenderness in his anger.   The jazzy overtures that show up here and there is close to Bowie/Mike Garson's approach to throwing that additional texture into the mix.  I'm also haunted by the beautiful opening of side two's "The Thin Air" which may be McGeoch's greatest moment on vinyl/tape.  

Japan - "Oil On Canvas" 2 X Vinyl, LP, Album, Live, 1983 (Virgin)

David Sylvian, Mick Karn, Richard Barbieri and Steve Jansen and on this album, guest guitarist from the country Japan is Masami Tsuchiya.  Not to be confused with the name of the band, which is Japan.  I loathe groups that name themselves after countries, cities or even states, but Japan is a different type of category.   As mentioned before in other of my writings, I have always felt Japan were influenced by Roxy Music, if not in style, in the music adventuresome of the Eno era of that band.   What I first thought was imitation, it eventually turns into originality.   I can't think of another group at the moment that had that odd journey to me.    I fell in love with Japan because of Mick Karn's darkened eyes and David Sylvian's mixture of preppy clothing and makeup.  Japan physically and musically changed in a rapid process from glam rock guys after that movement to a more spiritual and at times, border on a New Age aesthetic.  Sylvian and company have the good taste to go to the root of their obsessions.  Joseph Beuys, Jean Cocteau, Erik Satie, and a Westerner's fascination with the Asian East.  That, in a nutshell, is Japan. 

One thing Japan never was, is an overnight sensation.  With the assistance from their (brilliant memoirist) Simon Napier-Bell, he engineered their changes and a darker melancholy into a salable hit in England and oddly enough, in Japan.   The band at the end of their career as a group worked out a sound that was minimal and ambient but still had a funk rhythm, with Sylvian sad sounding vocalizing.  The combination was hard for me to avoid, and I ended up purchasing not only their original albums but also all the 12" remixes and the very few b-sides.   "Oil On Canvas" was the last official release from Japan, and it's a live album.  

For the tour, they brought in Masami Tsuchiya, who was at the time, in a band called Ippu-do.   At the time that band sounded like a combination of Bill Nelson and Japan, so his guitar work, as well as his aesthetic (makeup), fitted perfectly in the Japan format and sound.  It's a shame that he never became a permanent band member for recordings.   Still, this is a live album that is not a museum nor a document of a live show.   Among the live recordings are three studio pieces.  "Oil on Canvas" (composed and performed by Sylvian, and very Satie sounding), "Voices Raised In Welcome, Hands Held in Prayer" (composed and performed by Sylvian and Jansen) and to finish off the album "Temple of Dawn" composed and performed by Barbieri.    It's interesting that these instrumentals are placed in the beginning, the end of side two, and the last is the finishing track on side 4.   All of them frame the live material in the sense that these pieces expose the musicians' interest and future, while the rest of the album is very much like the studio recordings.  The riffs are longer, and the songs are stretched out, but not that far from the studio work.   So like "Oil on Canvas" as you mix paint, it becomes something new or an added texture.  I think Japan was of that opinion in that line of thought as well.   I don't feel this album is a product but in actuality a statement of sorts.  The great painter, Frank Auerbach's work, is on the cover, and he's known for his portraits that merge from massive paint strokes.  

The classic Japan sound is really two instruments up front.  That is David Sylvian's voice and Mick Karn's fretless bass.  The rest of the instrumentation backs up those two sounds, and this is what makes Japan so unique and wonderful.  

Cowboys International "Thrash" b/w "Many Times (Revisited)" 45 rpm vinyl single, 1979 (Virgin)

I have this thing about Cowboys International.   I need to own every recording by them, which includes their first album in U.S. and British edition, as well as all the singles that came from the album.  And I need to have it on CD.  The fear I have is that someone will either steal or borrow that album and never give it back.  So like a man who wanders into a market and buys all the bottled water to put in their 'safe room' in case disaster strikes - I feel the same way about Cowboys International's recordings. 

"Thrash" is the first song I have heard from Cowboys International, and it's a record that absorbed my soul.  When I listen to this cut, I feel I become one with it, as the object in front of me, but also the sound and voice of Ken Lockie.   The start of the synth beat that's both primitive and basic cuts through the noise that's inside my head.  Lockie's vocals are relaxed, thoughtful, and worldly.  It reminds me a bit of Morrissey when he's wishful and singing about a particular place.   Lockie writes in a similar mode, but not an actual place, but more of a location in the mind.  Something that sticks to one, because it's part of you.  

The beauty of "Thrash" to me, is a song about not communicating or not connecting to the world. The singer is conveying a world where nothing is being expressed fully, except he puts his arm around your shoulder, and then goes on. The word 'thrash' means to hit, strike, clobber and so forth.  There is this strange juxtaposition of two ideas at the same time.  One is someone giving comfort to another, but in a vague manner and two, the chorus is just the word "Thrash."  I never heard such a beautiful melody attached to a violent word.   Because of the violence and the helpful characteristics of the singer, the song is jarring and pulls the listener in different directions at the same time. 

"When everything not together I put my arms around your shoulder / the words that say won't mean anything/ change the face change everything/ Thrash, Thrash/  There's not one little thing I regret/ to spend my  time walking/ but don't forget the words/ they say won't mean anything / Thrash Thrash." There are no printed lyrics, so this is all due to me hearing the song.  Still, it conveys a singer who may be unbalanced, but again the melody is sad but upbeat.  Or perhaps as he states in the song, 'thrash' "won't mean anything."    The lyrics intrigued me (if I caught them rightfully, and if not, that's interesting as well).  For 38 years I have been thinking about this record.  I love it, but there is more to it, every time I hear it on my computer or on vinyl.  A remarkable piece of work that doesn't have answers, but makes one think about the Albert Camus like a sense of existentialism or being separated from thought and action. 

Roxy Music - "Roxy Music" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Limited Edition, 1972/2008 (Virgin)

There are only a handful of albums that had such a powerful effect on me on the first listening of such a record.  I can still remember when I played "Roxy Music" for the first time.  It was in the evening at our home in Topanga, and on the first cut "Re-make, Re-model," I thought to myself that this is the sound of 1972.  By the time of the second song "Ladytron," it was like if someone brought a brand new language into my life.  I never heard anything like Roxy Music. 

"Roxy Music" is a combination of camp, serious noise in the avant-garde world, futuristic sounds, and a glance to the past.  Years later I can pick up on the influences of the album - vintage Hollywood cinema, Joe Meek recordings, 1950s kitsch aesthetics, a touch of prog-rock,  and an appreciation of artists like Marcel Duchamp.   It's a heady brew of images and sound, that to this day still gives me the kick that never tires.     The first thing one notices is Bryan Ferry's voice - a croon that seemed manufactured but with incredible lyrics that painted a picture in one's head.   Borderline outrageous, but with a firm footing on a foundation that is art, cinema and music history.  One can hear the traces of David Bowie's presence, but it's like Roxy Music was hearing Bowie, not at the present time (1972) but in a sometime way in the future.   

There is not a bad cut on this album.  One of the great strengths that are Roxy Music is that it is truly a band.  Bryan Ferry wrote all the songs/lyrics, but it takes someone like Andy Mackay, Phil Manzanera, Paul Thompson, Graham Simpson (one of many bass players in this band), and of course, Eno.  The electronics are all over "Roxy Music."  Through the sound of vintage synths, to the layered electronic sounds of treated guitars, vocals, and god knows what else on this album.   I can't say that this album changed my life, but for sure made me appreciate the layers of textures that make a sound, and that is what I heard on "Roxy Music."  

John Lydon - "Psycho's Path" CD, Album, 1997 (Virgin)

If I'm not mistaken, this is the first (and only?) John Lydon solo album.   I bought this due to my dedication to the brand of Mr. John (Rotten) Lydon.  With all due respect he won't more likely go back to the brilliance of the first two Public Image Ltd albums, but still, "Psycho's Path" has its (and many) high points. 

The first cut "Grave Ride," sounds very much like classic Howard Devoto/Magazine, well, at least to me.  I never thought of the relationship between the two artists, but I believe that there are similarities due to both are willing to take a chance or leap into the unknown.   For one, Lydon never sounded better than this album.   The vocals are very strong,  melodic even, with layers of electronic effects, his voice is used as an instrument in the overall mix.  This is Lydon in a cocoon, and the results are surprisingly good.  "Psychopath" is practically a ballad, that would remind one of the classic "Poptones."  Lydon is very much taking care of the instruments on this album, with the assistance of Martin Lydon (brother?) and Mark Saunders.  

The one classic cut here, and I think it is Lydon's best song ever is "Sun."  It's the Lydon rant but done in such a superb fashion.   It reminds me of Men Without Hats!  And that is no snarky insult.  Fighting against 'nature,' Lydon lists all the delights of life beyond the dirty world.  What makes this song and the others on this album is songcraft.  I sense Lydon is experimenting with traditional pop song format, which for him, is basically an avant-garde move.  So yes, this is actually a very commercial (in a good way) album.  The truth is, following Lydon is an up and down adventure, yet, he's truly a brilliant singer/artist.   In the tradition of Morrissey, Devoto, Gene Pitney, I think Lydon is one of the great white/British vocalists.   "Psycho's Path" went under the radar.  The World, time to give it a proper listen.

Sex Pistols - "Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 2008/1977 (Warner Brothers Records)

My first impression of when I first heard of the Sex Pistols is ho-hum.   At the time I was totally in love with the New York City Punk/No Wave scene.  The British side of the Punk world seemed to be more fashion orientated (which is laughable on my part, because clearly, NYC had that as well) and more bullshit media attention than anything else.   It wasn't till I bought the original single of "Anarchy in the U.K." that I went "oh my god."   For the reasons above I suspected that this song or recording would be so-so.  I didn't expect it to be a sonic masterpiece on a higher level.  Lyrically, theme wise, melody and just the production of this song became a huge wow for me.  Clearly up there with "My Generation,"  "Psychotic Breakdown" and "Talk Talk" of the 1960s.  Yet though the roots of the song were in those recordings, "Anarchy" is very much the sound of that moment or time.  There are a few records for me that yell out a moment and becomes a snapshot of life then.  

It's fun to know the story behind this album, and the relationship between band members and their manager. As well as the entire British music scene of the time - but I will also like to distance this album from that world, and listen to it as music.  Is that possible?  In my opinion, no.  It's very much of a product/artwork from 1977. 

Johnny Rotten's lyrics are like journalism.  He's reporting the world through his eyes, and his work is very unpoetic and straight forward.   In that sense, it is very much part of the social world of Punk, but not only is he making art here, but also reporting it at the same time.   Sex Pistols could have wrapped this album around a British newsprint, which would have made great sense.  It is also a work where you don't need a second album or further thought.  The band did all their work on that one disc, and there is no reason why there should be another album.   Them breaking up makes perfect sense in the Pistols world.  In my opinion Rotten's next adventure, Public Image Ltd. is a much better band (with Wobble and Levene) and vision.   Still, "Never Mind The Bollocks" is a great rock album.  A classic like the first Doors album.  And like that album, it fits perfectly in that year or decade, but the power doesn't last.  The music still sounds good, but it's not an essential sound in my life anymore.  Like a flower that blossoms, we love the instant second that happens.  A lovely memory of that flower, but once gone, it's gone. 

Public Image Limited - "Metal Box" 3 x Vinyl, LP, Album, 45 rpm, 2006/1979 (Virgin/4 Men With Beards)

For me, this is the greatest album from the post-punk era: PIL's "Metal Box."   The first Public Image LTD. album I thought was pretty good.  Way more interesting than the Sex Pistols.  I like how Johnny Rotten (Lydon) took it up a notch with his ability not playing to the fans of the Pistols.  He was going to explore new worlds, and through "Metal Box" he not only entered a new space but kicked the door to that area and entirely caused a large entrance, where one can't close that gate anymore.  

This is a band that couldn't do wrong.  Keith Levene a brilliant guitarist and Jah Wobble, who re-invented the bass for me, were a band that was the definition of perfection. It couldn't last.  And that's OK.  When I think the word 'original,' it apparently means this album and its package.  For my all thumbs style of opening anything more complicated than a can of beans, this album was a real test for me. It must have caused Virgin Records a series of nightmares that is probably still in their conscious years later.  Minimal with maximum results. 

The music is incredibly touching, I even come to tears time-to-time when listening to "Death Disco" (Swan Lake) and "Poptones."   Who would think a Sex Pistol would draw so many tears on my face? "Death Disco" with it "Swan Lake" melody sneaking into the hard mechanical funk is a wonder.  One of the great meetings between rock and classical music ever.  It's almost like a memory that is too powerful to forget.  For me, the album is about memory and how one digests the pain over the years. In that sense, it reminds me of John Lennon's first solo album "Plastic Ono Band."  Not only in sound, but it's emotion right on the top of the tongue.  

Thanks to Geo Blance, who out of the blue, sent me the new edition of "Metal Box" a few years ago. One of the great gifts ever. 

Magazine "The Correct Use of Soap" CD, Album, U.S., 1991 (Original release 1980) (Caroline Records)

One of my favorite (and there are many, to be honest)  post-punk bands is Magazine.  Howard Devoto backed by a super band of sorts, with Barry Adamson, Dave Formula, John Doyle, and guitar god John McGeoch.  Their sound is orchestrational in the same line as Roxy Music, in fact, they remind me of that band, due to not an image, but the way the music is put together.  Every player in the group contributes to the group, and Devoto turns on his magic to make it work fantastically.  

Without a doubt, this is their most commercial album, with solid songwriting, but the album moves from one track to another without a weak link.  The one other influence I pick up on is Motown.  I suspect the whole band is into the classic Motown sound.  That, and a touch of funk mixed with the post-punk aesthetic and that vision to look out to the world makes Magazine a very unique musical force of its time. 

Devoto is a superb lyricist.  No one writes lyrics like him.  Full of literary references, such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky runs through the songs, especially their incredible "A Song From Under the Floorboards."  One of the great classics to come out of that era.  Sinister, disturbing, and yet magnificent.   Their cover of Sly Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" shows that they truly admire genius in other worlds. 

Japan - "Tin Drum" CD Album, Reissue, 1994 original release 1981 (Virgin)

This was my first introduction to the band Japan, and the voice of David Sylvian.  My first hearing experience was "a Roxy Music rip-off."  And on top of that, what a horrible name for a band.  It's common knowledge that any band that names itself after a city, a state, a country or continent, sucks.  But I do have to admit, it's a great album cover.   The second listening experience brought me pleasures that are still with me.   Japan was a very original band.  

Sylvian's voice is very mannered in the Bryan Ferry mode, but he uses it in a different method with respect to his music.  As for the band, the strongest presence on "Tin Drum is Mick Karn's fretless bass playing.  A remarkable musician.  To me, he's the Brian Jones of the band.  The rest of the instrumentation the drums or percussion is sparse (by Sylvian's brother Steve Jansen) but in a very jazzy complexed manner.  The keyboards (Richard Barbieri) add electronic effects that are mood more than melody.  Sylvian carries the melody in his vocals.  The band and recording (by the great Steve Nye) are tight.  Almost if the air has been sucked out of the room.  

On the surface, it's Asian sounding, but why?  It's almost like a Wittgenstein response in that you know what's in front of you, but one can't define the experience.  There are song titles that bring the image for instance "Cantonese Boy," "Visions of China," and "Canton."  But it's a very romantic, yet at the same time, dry look at a culture or country.  This is not negative criticism.  I think Japan is exploring worlds that are known, but to them at the time, perhaps not that well known.  

The band is eye-candy as well.  You can't go wrong with a group of young guys in make-up.  But their style at this time was sort of like Asian minimal chic, with a touch of Brooks Brothers button collar shirts, but of course, with make-up.   Fans take them seriously, but I think if there was no Japan there would be no Radiohead. 

Cowboys International "The Original Sin" Virgin Records, 1979 (Vinyl)

Every (little) once in a while one is exposed to pop music that is perfect.   Usually, it comes from the unknown, or one may just read a paragraph in a musical weekly, and somehow it captures one's attention.  For me, two things got my attention on Cowboys International's "Original Sin."   Keith Levene plays guitar on one song on it.  At the time, 1979, my life was totally devoted to Public Image Ltd. (PIL).  The Sex Pistols were of course, great, but what Johnny Rotten did afterward was the great adventure for me with respect to hearing new sounds.  Such a devoted fan of the first two PIL albums, that I purchased hard-to-find 12" singles by both Levene as well as recordings by Jah Wobble. So, obviously Cowboys International should be of great interest.  The second thing is the cover of the album.  It came in a vinyl plastic clear colored bag, where you can see the inner sleeve cover - which listed the name of the band, the songs, and credits.   The design was and is so smart looking.  No way in heaven or hell can this possibly be a bad album. 

In 1979, I put this album on my turntable and I think something in me changed a bit.  What I wasn't expecting was a perfect pop album.  I thought through the PIL connection, it would be noisy, chaotic perhaps - but no. This is a very proper pop album.  Electronic, guitar, bass, drums, and Ken Lockie's beautiful sad voice.  "Thrash" is clearly one of the great singles of the 70s that should have been called out as a classic.  The fact that the press and public missed the boat on this, is a tragedy in my mind.  The songs are so tuneful that if he wasn't singing in English you would think it was a classic French pop song.  Jacno or Gainsbourg level of genius pop.  But no, Ken Lockie, the headman of the band, is a brilliant songwriter.  

"Here Comes a Saturday" is just perfect.  Noel Coward meets Morrissey. Yes, but very much a Lockie piece of work.  Wistful, sad, and almost British sink level of misery, yet a song of great beauty.  This is music that has no trace of the blues, or even rock tradition.  Perhaps in British music halls as well as music that's rooted in strong melodies.   For the modern listener, I think the closest artists would be a Morrissey and Sparks combination.   The music, if eccentric, is mostly that it's due to wit, charm, and unforgettable melodies.   Clearly, this is a desert island must-have.  A lot of energy and beauty on this album.  

Philip Glass: "Music in Twelve Parts: Parts 1 & 2" Vinyl (Virgin)

Due to finances and just hard-to-find in used record shops, I can only afford Parts 1 & 2 of Philip Glass's "Music in Twelve Parts."  If one purchased all 12 parts, the music would last for three hours.  Time is an essence in my life as well.  Still, better than nothing, and with respect to minimalism, nothing doesn't exist here.  

"Part 1" is really beautiful.  One hears the three electric organs, but it's the voice and the horns that sneak and embrace the organs, that really grabs the listeners attention.  Reflective and not a mood changer, but more of a platform to sit and contemplate one's destiny.   Also this particular track has a way of destroying the awareness of time.   I like the idea of being somewhere that is not confronted by a clock or a reminder that time is very much a presence in one's life.  Just the listener and the music.  No life beyond that. 

"Part 2" is much more of an intense listening experience.  It's faster, and therefore more demanding for the listener.  The thing about this work is that it lures one to presume it will be all the same. Yet when something dramatic happens, and that becomes an ah-ha moment.  What seems simple in execution, is actually complex - and it plays with one's emotions as well.   It's a great piece of work.  

Blur - "Blur" CD Album

Blur – Blur

CD Album, US, 1997

Virgin Records

This is the album where I got on the Blur train. In certain angles a perfect album, but a tad long. But I did fell in love with Blur by the first note from the opening song “Beetlebum” which struck me as a moment of perfection. That followed by “Song 2” was like the perfect 45rpm single that doesn't exist. The other cut that I can't get enough is the hyponitic “Death Of A Party” which I can listen to on endless repeat from now to ever.

It's an interesting album compared to what they have done before. It seems that they thrown away their image as teenage pop-makers into a more dark murky world. Whatever it is hard drugs or just the entrapment they felt being part of the Brit-Pop affair, it forced them against the wall, and they fought back to obtain a new landscape for their songs. All four of them add to the chemistry that is necessary Blur. It's a cool album made when things were not that 'cool.'