Sandie Shaw - "Sandie Shaw" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1965 (Reprise)

The greatest British Yé-Yè singer ever.   A pop vocalist who had/has a look that shook the United Kingdom.  Wearing no shoes on stage, or in her publicity photos, she is no hippie, but a Juliette Gréco for the teenage set, and of course, in a British sense.   Her main creative partner is Chris Andrews, a man I know little about, except that he made recordings under his name, which is pretty fantastic.  Yet, his work with Sandie Shaw is remarkable.  His "I'll Stop at Nothing," "Talk About Love," "Girl Don't Come" (great song title), and others made Sandie a classic artist, along with her distinctive vocal style.   And Robert Wyatt recorded a version of his "Yesterday Man."

Back to Sandie Shaw, the pure pop here is not sugar coated, but it is full of emotion.  She's classic 'girl-pop' with a vengeance.  "Girl Don't Come" has menace.   One of my favorite pop records to come out of the British Invasion.   Now, reading the title, it has sexual overtures, but in fact is about a woman who won't show up. Still, unusual phrase.  And perhaps it's a duality, but not sure how songwriters thought out their song titles in the 1960s.  Still, this is Sandie Shaw's first American release, and it's classic British girl pop.   Sassy, sexual, tender, and for those who love The Pretenders, a must-have.   

Mick Karn - "Titles" CD, Album, Reissue, 1990/1982 (Caroline)

Bass playing in my listening experience is not always, but usually distinctive to a specific player.  Mick Karn, I can identify within a few seconds of his playing. For one, he plays a fretless bass, and the way he treats melodies is like containing water by cupping your hand. It will slowly leak out, but the essence of the taste of the cool water will stay with you.  Karn's playing works in the same fashion.   It throbs with sexuality, and it is almost like hearing someone crying.   Karn was a member of the band Japan.   His bass playing for that band was essential to their overall sound.  David Sylvian the lead singer and writer for Japan never really changed that much in his solo recordings, except maybe be more experimental in its overall sound.  Still, when I hear the Sylvian solo release, I think, where is Mick?    And when I listen to Karn's solo recordings, I think "where's David."  In truth, or whatever their problem was, they needed each other.  The original band should have never broken up, even though I do enjoy the solo recordings by both artists. 

"Titles" is the first solo Mick Karn album.   One would not expect that much because he's not known as a composer or songwriter, but still, the bass playing is the essence of everything he did.  The truth is "Titles" is a very good album.  Ambient in parts, and totally exotic sounding throughout the record.  It reminds me of David Bowie's "Low," in that Karn gives in to the instrumental side of the world.  The album features members of Japan (except David of course), but it's mostly Karn doing all the overdubs and it's great noise.  Spiritual in a pop sensibility way, the album is Karn stretching out his muscles and brain.  His death from Cancer was a terrible tragedy.  As I mention, the bass playing is very individual practice, and with him out of the picture, we lost a unique and brilliant musician. 

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."  

Various - "Mister Melody - Les Interprètes de Serge Gainsbourg" 4 x CD, Box Set, Compilation, 2006 (Mercury)

The problem or the genuine delight, there is not one Serge Gainsbourg album to purchase.  I shudder when someone asks me advice with respect to choosing their first Serge album.  My honest reaction is to buy them all!   Although when push comes to a shove or a kick, I would easily recommend the box set called "Mister Melody."   What makes it unique is that it's 4 cd's that covers every major (and nonmajor) period in Gainsbourg's music career.  Besides making his own albums, his bread and butter job was writing songs for other artists.  This CD Box Set focuses on Serge Gainsbourg as the composer (or co-songwriter).

I bought this album at the Charles de Gaulle Airport, just right before I enter my plane back to Los Angeles.  It's funny that I couldn't find anything to buy for myself in Paris, and it was at the airport that I found the greatest music package.  For a package that has almost 100 songs, it's rich with quality.  There are the songs that we all know and love with Brigitte Bardot, Jane Birkin, and France Gall, but it's the rare or unknown cuts, at least for this American, that are the delights of this CD set.  Marianne Faithfull's "Hier Ou Demain" is a standout track as well as recordings by Michèle Torr, Régine, Nico ("Strip Tease" - a wow), Catherine Sauvage and so forth. 

Gainsbourg was a genius.  He also worked with the best talents, such as arrangers Jean-Claude Vannier, Alain Goraguer, Michel Colombier - all of them superb and their talents were individualistic.  Not all female artists, there are some male artists here as well.  But Gainsbourg actually knew how to use the female's sensibility in getting his songs across to the public.  "Mr. Melody" is clearly a work of many decades, and the one thing that is consistent is Gainsbourg's excellence throughout the years.  Even the later years have their gems.  Fantastic.  

James Brown - "Live at the Apollo" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 1963 (Polydor)

The best live album ever.   A great aural snapshot of a genius writer/performer at the tip of his greatness.   Another album that I was raised on.  My parents had this record, and my dad played it on a regular basis.  I remember putting the album on in his studio numerous times while he worked on his art.   As I have mentioned before, if Wallace (my dad) liked a record, he would play it over and over till it becomes a meditative or ambient presence in that room.  

When I play this album, I get such a vivid image in my head.  James Brown with a cape wrapped around his shoulder as he's being led off the stage.  But the intensity of the moment is too high, and he throws off the cape and runs back to the microphone.  James does this over and over again.  The repetition becomes a burning fuse, and one wonders if he is just going to explode.  The practice or discipline of art is very prominent in Brown's work.   That is what he has in common with Wallace Berman.  A performer is a performer no matter if they're on a stage or in the studio.  The mediums are different, and they have their own set of rules and practices, but the essence of repetition is to build the intensity to a level that is a natural high.  

When you look at the songs, Brown performed that night in 1963, that itself is perfection.   As I read the song listing, such as "I'll Go Crazy," "Think," "Lost Someone," and then the incredible melody on side two, it's all there in my head.  I can hear it now, as well as the audience screaming in ecstasy.  So yes, an incredible document of a time and place (the Apollo), but also a great work of art.  You can't beat the Four B's.   Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, and Brown. 

Chet Baker - "It Could Happen To You" LP, Album, Reissue, Vinyl, 1958/1987 (Riverside)

I studied this album cover as if it's a coded message from another world.  For some reason, and you can't see it here due to the sticker, but Baker is wearing light boat tennis shoes, with the heaviest sweater possible.   Which brings to mind it is probably not winter, but spring or summer time when this photograph was taken for "It Could Happen To You."  An album, if you listen to it carefully enough, it will cause the sound of zippers opening and slips/underwear dropping to the floor.  

Chet Baker is the Johnny Thunders of Jazz.  A hopeless drug addict with the looks of a more dangerous James Dean.  His young beauty matching his soft whispering vocals must have been a hard combination to avoid with respect to a sexual adventure of some sort.  The other amazing thing is his music sounds exactly the way he looks.  His lyrical trumpet playing is soulful, and when he opens his voice, it is like the sound of a thousand pillows being puffed up. 

This is the only album I have of Chet's singing.  There are others, but I can't make a comparison, but the focus on this album is, of course, songs from the great American songbook.   Rodgers and Hart, the Gershwin brothers, and Kern/Mercer all have a presence on this album.  It's Baker's voice that conveys the desires and the angst of being in love, or in the pursuit of earthly romance. 

Backed by an excellent band with Kenny Drew on piano throughout the album, and also the magnificent drummer Philly Joe Jones and others make the musical landscape the perfect vehicle for Chet's seductive stance within the vinyl grooves.  It is also interesting to hear or compare the trumpet playing by Baker, and then how he uses his voice.  He based his vocals on the trumpet, perhaps in the same manner as Frank Sinatra being influenced by Tommy Dorsey's horn playing.  So in a sense, Chet's vocals is an instrument as well, in this exquisite landscape of romance, music, and god knows what else. 

The Smiths - "Strangeways, Here We Come" Vinyl, LP, Album, Remastered, Reissue, 1989/2009 (Rhino)

"Strangeways, Here We Come" is the best Smiths album.   For me, the weakest album was the first, then the second is better than the debut, and then the third is better than.... till we reach the best, SHWC.  As a singles band, always brilliant from the very beginning.  Overall I feel Morrissey/Marr & company are true believers in the 45 rpm single.  That is one reason why some of their compilation albums are so superb.   When I listen to a Smiths album, I think of it as a collection of B-sides waiting for their better half (the A-Side) to show up.  Then again, I do greatly admire the aesthetic of a good B-Side song or set of songs. 

"Strangeways, Here We Come" is the last Smiths album. In fact, I think they broke up before the album's release in 1987.   A hardworking band with one of the most incredible front man of all times. Morrissey never fails as a lyricist.  Like Serge Gainsbourg, he has the knack of turning a phrase around to give the song its complexities.  Highly literary as well as working in the pop format of a song, Morrissey was (and still is) an exceptional talent. Also as their albums get better so does Morrissey's singing.  This maybe an argumentive statement, but I truly believe Morrissey solo is a better artist than he was in The Smiths.  I feel The Smiths was a training ground or a University for Morrissey.  Johnny Marr was a perfect partner.  In his looks as well as talents on the guitar and melodic songwriting.   Mike Joyce on drums and Andy Rourke on bass are equally important in The Smiths.  They were truly a band. 

Listening to this album, I realize that the Smiths couldn't go any further   As mentioned each album was a springboard to the next, and "Strangeways" was the end of the road.  This is not a tragedy.  Although there were tears, them breaking up at this point was the best thing that they have done as a band.  To leave on a perfect note is perfection in practice.  Johnny Marr made that brilliant choice to leave.  Oddly enough, I would think his career would take off like a missile, but as fate would have it, Morrissey had put together many other collaborators.  Marr seemed to like the position of being in a band or partner with other acts - all a great distance from his previous singer.  

"Strangeways" appeals to me because I feel that the band knew exactly what they wanted to do, and they could make the noise that will serve their purpose.  "Death of a Disco Dancer" is a troublesome song, due to Morrissey's odd sense of humor.  It is also my favorite piece on this album. The way Morrissey distances himself from the world, and in this case, he is reporting news that he heard, but it's not precisely known what or who the Disco Dancer is, or why they are defined by the term "Disco Dancer."   Morrissey is very much a coded artist, in that I feel everything he has done is related to one or the other or everything.    I can see The Smiths' albums being one long narrative or novel, perhaps in the sense of Marcel Proust's "In Remembrance of Things Past."   The same goes for "Girlfriend in a Coma."   Is he joking?  Or is he just stating a narrative in place of him?  It is these type of Morrissey lyrics that one goes back to him again and again because it's like a story coming out of the fog.  That's, in a nutshell, is his genius. 

The most beautiful and of course, dramatic is "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me."  It's classic Morrissey woe me, but clearly, I don't think he really cares if someone loves him or not.  He likes to project an image of him in pain, but in his own way, he's delighted in his world.  Morrissey is all about projection of a picture, a style, a piece of cultural (usually Gay) history, and pain as a theatrical presentation.  Like Andy Warhol, the surface has lots of information, and all we need to do is to rub our hands on it.  However, he stirs controversy (his bread and non-animal butter) as an art form, and he is the artist who keeps on giving.  

Miles Davis - "Sketches of Spain" Vinyl, Album, Mono, LP, 1960 (Columbia)

This album was a big presence in my childhood, but not in my parent's house.  This is the one Miles album that they didn't like.  On the other hand,  the Preppy-set and architects adored Miles Davis' "Sketches of Spain."  The album feels like a mid-century home.  Hi-fi world loves "Sketches of Spain."  For a Jazzier, the idea of the string section with Jazz is a no-no.  Which in theory is totally correct.  Then there is this album, which is not really a jazz or classical album  Maybe it's the combination of the two "Classjazz."  

The album is arranged and conducted by Gil Evans, and this is very much his album as well as Miles'.   The music is based on the Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez."  I never heard the original so I can't comment on it, except that it's a score for guitar and orchestra.  Miles, of course,  removed the guitar for his trumpet.  Beyond that, it is a magnificent Gil Evans album.  In truth, both of them collaborated on the album.  Hand-in-hand they made this album.  Two sessions: first on November 20, 1959, and the other on March 10, 1960.  I wasn't kidding that this is an album made for and by the influence of mid-century design.  

The modernist approach is someone who keeps the eye on the present and stays alive for the future. The past is the past unless you can somehow control the imagery and power of the former.  Like the music of the late 1950s, "Sketches of Spain" has traces of exotica.  To my ears, it's not far off from Martin Denny's take on exotic islands.  Spain is a romantic image, especially for those who never visited that country.  "Sketches of Spain" by its very title admits that it is a work that doesn't go into Spain, but the observation of an outsider looking within a culture. 

Miles doing "Porgy and Bess" with Gil Evans was another trip through a different landscape. Most of the Miles' recordings are all placed in a location that is totally Milesville.  I think Paris, Manhattan, San Francisco as not as a foreign destination, but a home to Miles and his aesthetic. "Sketches of Spain" is a tourist visiting with a map in place, but then through the eyes of Miles/Evans, it becomes an adventure of sorts.  

The music is gorgeous and the arrangements strike me as perfection.  It's an album that is easy on the ears and the heart.  What is important to know is that once this music is done, Miles is going to travel without a map.  And that is what he did.  

Erik Satie / Aldo Ciccolini - "Piano Music of Erik Satie, Vol. 3" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1968 (Angel Records)

The composer, Erik Satie, was a goof-ball.  On the other hand, his music isn't.  Probably one of the most enjoyable music from the 20th century has come from this eccentric figure.  Again, this was music that was married to our family wall paper.  I was pretty much raised by the album cover with the portrait of Satie by Picasso.   Perhaps one of the great album covers of all time!  The trio of recordings performed by Aldo Ciccolini of him doing Satie's music is a landmark recording.  Volume one is very much the hits.  Volume 2 is the b-sides, and Volume 3 is for the fans.   This is a great collection, for one, it's the more obscure music by Satie.   In a sense, it's going to the closet and cherry picking the pieces.  

Satie was fortunate to be in the right place and history.  His contemporaries from Debussy to Francis Picabia were his partners in crime.  The music on Volume 3 is from 1887 to 1913.  One of the great things about this album, besides the music (of course), are the liner notes.  François Lesure had put together specific writings by Satie on some of the pieces here.  As well as commentary by Lesure which puts the whole package into a perspective of time and place. 

One can take one work by Satie, which is fine and dandy, but it's a better ride to get all of his music.  Such an exceptional artist, and a witty and of course, a bizarre sense of humor.  Satie had one foot in the 19th century, but his other foot was clearly planted on the 20th side of the world.  Aldo Ciccolini does the great composer extremely well. 

David Bowie - "No Plan EP" 12" Vinyl, Single-sided, 2017 (Columbia)

It took over a year to come to terms with David Bowie's death.   Before that, I was one of the millions who looked at his last full album "Blackstar" as a final statement.  Now, and thinking about it, I don't think that was the case.  Bowie always wrote about death or a major change in one's life in all of his work.  If nothing else, Bowie doesn't give in to the emotional aspect of 'his' life, but more of a reflection on the pathway from one world to the next.  

As legend has it, these three songs "No Plan," "Killing a Little Time," and "When I Met You" (including "Lazarus")was recorded during the making of "Blackstar."   Even when he was ill, he was thinking ahead with respect to his music and craft.    I think Bowie based his lyrics on certain aspects of his life but then goes over it to make the music/narration a larger canvas for him to work on.  "Lazarus" is both a song on "Blackstar" as well as the title of his theater piece he co-wrote for the theater.   On his album, and video it seems to speak directly about his illness, but in the context of the theater piece, it's about the narration of "Lazarus."  

The three 'new' songs are superb and classic Bowie.  Written in character with respect to the theater show, it shows that Bowie was thinking ahead, and as much as possible being focused on his art and the overall project that was, or is "Lazarus."  Strong melodies, performance and voice, this is not a work of a dying man, but someone who was very much into the moment that's life.   When I hear "Blackstar" and the "No Plan EP" it makes me happy that someone can deliver such a powerful work in a situation that couldn't have been pleasant.  Bowie is truly a heroic figure. 

Jacques Lasry - "Chronophagie 'The Time Eaters'" LP, Album, Vinyl, 1969 (Columbia Masterworks)

Hearing this without reading the liner notes you think it's acoustic instruments (Tabla, Flute, Bass Violin) with electronics.  That is not the case whatsoever.  the instrument is actually sculptures made by François Baschet who often worked with his brother Bernard and the composer Jacques Lasry.   The sculptures work as a visual art work, but also are instruments, and often when shown in public, the audience can play or make noise on these beautiful sculptures. 

Lasry's compositions are similar in the vein of Pierre Henry but again done on Baschet's sculptures.  These metal or plastic sculptures are strong, in that they need to interact with viewers including children, not known for their gentleness.  I don't know how the music is composed, but I suspect that it's not improvised.  There is an arrangement, and I feel that space and sounds convey a relationship that is controlled by the participants or the composer.   Voice and flute (Tedd Lasry) match perfectly with the sound sculptures. 

Similiar not to Harry Partch's music, but in the theory of building instruments that also serve as a sculpture or artwork in itself.  There is a great deal of eccentricities in Partch's aesthetic and music.  Lasry and the Baschet brothers are not outside artists.  Perhaps because one is American and the others are French that separates their aesthetic but not their art.  "Chronophagie" is a beautiful piece of work. Also, I have to note that this vinyl album (in excellent condition) sounds incredible on my stereo system.  The room becomes part of the sculpture.  Time and space even work on a piece of vinyl. 

Glenn Gould -Three Beethoven Sonatas: "Moonlight Sonata"/"Appassionata Sonata"/Pathétique Sonata" LP, Vinyl, Album, 1967 (Columbia Masterworks)

Glenn Gould has the knack (and skill) to perform music by great composers, yet still, question their composition while playing the piece.   The iconic "Moonlight Sonata" sounds less iconic in his hands, as he takes us what seems to be a different listening experience for the audience.  Usually a very romantic piece of music, but on this recording, Gould makes it into the blues. I always get the impression that Gould's purpose is not to give the ultimate version of a piece but to investigate, question, and poke the work, and see how and why it operates in such a fashion. 

Gould is like someone with architectural knowledge, and he takes a building by Frank Lloyd Wright part-by-part and studies all the individual pieces that made the building.  And therefore get a view how the architect thinks.  This is what he does with Beethoven and Bach.  I get the impression that he's not trying to interpret the work, more like getting into the composer's head, regarding a particular work. 

Thelonious Monk comes to mind when I hear Gould.  It's not the melody of the piece, but how they trace the theme through their skills as a pianist.   Gould is an excellent musician.  A skilled artist. But the reason why we talk or write about him is due to his intellect when connected to his playing.  The same goes for Monk.   "Appassionata Sonata" is a dynamic and romantic piece of music, but in Gould's hands he brings out the poetry of the melody and brings the pomposity of the work down a notch so we can focus on the construction of the work and its natural sense of beauty.  Always an enjoyable experience. 

Pulp - "Different Class" Vinyl, LP, Album, 2011/1995 (Music on Vinyl/Island)

The perfect storm.  I was standing at the Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo, waiting for the walk sign where thousands are doing the same.  As I looked up, there was this video on the side of the building, and it was Pulp's "Common People."  I stood there and waited till the video was over.  At the time, and it may have been due to jet-lag, but I thought that this was the greatest video I have ever seen in my life time.  The year was 1995.  At that point (and still) whatever is happening in England, Tokyo will have all the recordings at Tower or at the local HMV music shop down the road from where I'm standing. I went to the Foreign music section, meaning English/American pop music, and found Pulp's "Different Class" at one of its many listening stations.  It was the only time in my life where I played the first to the last song, the whole album while standing up and with headphones on at a record store. 

I never heard such pop perfection!  It brought an emotional response from me, due that I pretty much gave up on contemporary pop music in the 1990s.  I was buying music, but it was the peak of the CD re-releases at that time, which means I was buying hard-to-find soundtracks or old Joe Meek recordings on CD.  And since I was in Japan, I was discovering new music to me - the charms of Jun Togawa.  But Pulp brought me back to the present with such force, that while I was in Tokyo, every day I would stop by and listen to the entire album in the listening section of the store.  Eventually, I did buy the British edition at HMV.   Looking through my collection, I have every CD single released from that album as well as a regular CD British release as well as a Japanese special release with an extra CD, full of remixes and b-sides. All excellent. 

What impressed me about Pulp was, of course, Jarvis Cocker, their lead singer, and lyricist. Jarvis at the time reminded me of a combination of Nöel Coward and Ray Davies.  Distantly, also Roxy Music.   One of the great frontmen of a band, Jarvis's take on the world was very focused on the fact that they came from Sheffield and with a strong literary bent he could sketch these incredible narratives about life around him.   In a fashion, he was very much in the tradition of John Osborne and other writers of the Kitchen Sink Realism school of literature.  Pulp although a band in 1995, very much reminded me of the aesthetics of 1966, with a foot in the world of Soho London and more likely specific locations in Sheffield.  

"Different Class" is 12 songs and not one is a loser.  Highly orchestrated in the sense that this is a real band behind Cocker.   Going back to Roxy Music, it seems to me that like Bryan Ferry, he's the architect, but he wouldn't have shit if not for the talented and visionary musicians in the band.  Mark Webber, Russell Senior, Candida Doyle, Nick Banks, and Steve Mackey play a vital role in the makeup that's Pulp.   Also having the great Chris Thomas as the producer is a super plus as well.  With that foundation in place, Jarvis Cocker can shine like the shining star.  All the songs are credited to the band, with lyrics by Cocker.  

"Common People" is the last great pop song.  One of the things why I love that song, and the album is that it doesn't represent the future, but more of the time, place (Tokyo?) and the emotional state that I was in when I first heard this album.   Re-listening to it (many times) as well as watching all the official video releases, and the b-sides, it strikes me as the perfect moment for this band.  I'm also a huge fan of the previous album as well as the two records that followed "Different Class."  So that lineage of albums kept on building till they broke up.  Perfection!

Swans Way - "Soul Train" b/w "Summertime" & "Gloomy Sunday" 12" 45rpm Vinyl, 1983 (Exit International Records)

It's a bit of mystery how I came upon this 12 single in 1983.  I don't believe it was a hit in the UK, nor in the States.  I was working at a record store that year, so I suspect that it came upon the turntable in a mysterious fashion.  "Soul Train" is your typical 1980's British white guy soul, but, I think a brilliant song/recording.  Swans Way (named after Marcel Proust) is a trio that consists of singer/guitarist Robert Shaw, Rick P. Jones on stand-up bass, and percussionist Maggie De Monde, and that is all I know of this band.  "Soul Train" is full of images of despair.  "I don't wanna walk in the rain," or "I tried and tried' mixed with  "I'm tired, I'm tired" and "I know I know" The strings match the rhythm of a train getting started, and it's going somewhere not nice.  "It's Midnight, it's midnight."  And "I'm almost there."  This is a song that is very reflective, and the mood is dark.  Suicide is on this young man's mind.  It's an excellent record.  It should have been a huge hit here in the States as well as in the rest of the world. 

The b-side is two live recordings of classic songs.  "Summertime" and "Gloomy  Sunday."  What's interesting is their instrumentation which is very minimal and allows Shaw's vocals plenty of room to roam, but not far away from the subject matter of the songs.   They added a horn section for "Summertime," and I presume that when they did play live, it was just the three of them. I think I like the minimal sound of Swans Way, because it really focuses on the song, and with this EP as an example, they have excellent taste.  They did release a full album but never heard it. Come back Swans Way! 

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.

The Fortunes - "You've Got Your Troubles" b/w "Here It Comes Again" 45 rpm 7" vinyl single (London)

My dad, Wallace Berman, played music on his portable turntable in his studio, and The Fortunes' "You've Got Your Troubles" is one of the songs that he played over and over again.  When he played a record and loved it, that means it can be played 10 or 12 times in one sitting.  My job, as a child, was to make sure to pick up the needle at the end of the song and start it over again.  At the time, it was a song that seemed sad to me.  The melody always caught me in a very reflective state of mind. As a child and one who tends to play by himself, I often had time for quiet meditation, which was always backed by a record.  

The trumpet played in such a manner, like in this song, always seems like someone is crying.  The singer lost his love that day.  Nothing is good.  Here the singer wants sympathy, but he comes across another one in the dumps.  Misery loves company.  The brilliant part is the reframe where another voice comes in and sings over the vocal  of the one who is suffering, and comments "And so forgive me if I seem unkind/I ain't got no pity for you."  As a grown-up, I realize that this song is about self-pity, and is making a humorous statement of sorts.  

The beauty of this song, written by Greenaway and Cook, is that it is both a song of romantic despair as well as making fun of one who allows themselves to be in such a state, and not imagines anyone else feeling that similar type of romantic angst.  The duality, now as an adult, appeals to my sensibility.  As a child or teenager, the song always spoke to me as being in the bottom of a well, and just hearing my voice echoing among the walls.   "You've Got Your Troubles" is an amazing song and a superb recording by The Fortunes.   Not sure if it meant to be ironic, but the very name of the band seems to mock the song's sentiment as well. 

George Crumb - "Music For A Summer Evening (Makrokosmos III)" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1975 (Nonesuch)

I know his name well, but not his music whatsoever till I purchased this piece of vinyl of George Crumb's "Music For A Summer Evening."   I was intrigued by reading that the music on this album consists of two amplified pianos and percussion.  How can that possibly be a bad thing?  

The music here is a combination of great peace, and then dramatic mood change with the percussion and the sound from the two pianos.   There are also vocals in the mix as well.  That reminds me of Japanese Kabuki music, and that is another added twist to this work that's very American, yet looks beyond its border.  At parts, when the pianos are playing a melody, it sounds like something from the 18th-century European court music.  It's only traces of the melody here and there that comes through the textures, especially in "Myth" on side two.  

The percussion on this piece is a lot of instruments: vibraphone, xylophone, glockenspiel, tubular bells, bell tree, claves, maracas, sleigh bells, wood blocks and other such instruments. "Music For a Summer Evening" is a solid piece of mood, which I'm fond of, or at the very least a visitor in those woods. 

Love - "Da Capo" Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, 1966 (Elektra)

Love's second album.   More musicians and fewer songs on the second round.  The first six songs on the A-side is magnificent.  The band was progressing soundwise from the first album to "Da Capo" and what one hears here, can see the congo line that led to "Forever Changes."  Another significant change was to remove Alban "Snoopy" Pfisterer from the drums to organ and harpsichord.  His playing gives the first side a masterful baroque pop feel to the material.  Also, the addition of Tjay Cantrelli on sax and especially flute adds a potent part of the cocktail to the Love sound.  Johnny Echols' guitar blends into the orchestration of the songs, as a soloist, but as part of the overall power of its instrumentation. Most of the songs are by Arthur Lee, but Bryan MacLean's "Orange Skies" is just heartbreakingly beautiful.  "7 and 7 Is" my favorite garage/punk/god knows what piece of sonic delight.  When I was a child, I couldn't get enough of this song. In Los Angeles, it was played on the AM radio, and it was like a spiritual being was connecting to me as a listener who had the portable radio glued to my ear.  Perfection!

It's interesting to compare "Da Capo" to another album that was recorded and released that year (1966) and sharing the same recording studio (RCA Studios in Hollywood) and engineer, David Hassinger and that is The Rolling Stones' "Aftermath."   Like Love, the Stones were experimenting with instrumentation within the pop song format, and both had a long jam track.  The Stones' "Goin' Home" and Love's "Revelation."   Without a doubt, both are very similar.  "Aftermath" came out first, but Arthur Lee claims that the Stones saw Love do this song live, and therefore copied or inspired to do their own version.  The big difference between the two is that Stones' song lasts for ten minutes, and Love's "Revelation" takes up the entire side of the album.    Musically it's different, but sonically and recording wise it's a brother or sister related recording. 

The prevailing opinion is that no one talks about "Revelation," but for me, it works on different levels.  For one, the guitars are great and how they interact among the musicians is fantastic, and the opening and closing of the piece is Pfisterer's harpsichord, him playing Bach's "Partita No. 1 BWV 825."  I like the frame of Bach and having "Revelation" caught between the old world, and the then recent Sunset Strip jam piece.  "Da Capo" is the beautiful bridge between "Love" and "Forever Changes." 

Ennio Morricone - "La Proprieta' non e' Più' Un Furto" Album, Vinyl, Italy, 2017/1973 (Goodfellas)

The great fun of purchasing an Ennio Morricone album is that you don't know what to expect. For the beginner (and of course, you were introduced to the Spaghetti Western and "The Mission" soundtrack), I would look for the name Bruno Nicolai on the cover.  He sometimes arranges or conducts the orchestra for Morricone.  Think of him as David Bowie's Mick Ronson.   Stating all of this, "La Proprieta' non e' Più' Un Furto" is Morricone at his most adventuresome.  The hum of a synth, an acoustic guitar playing the melody at times, a voice through some electronic process, crazy percussion, harpsichord with another electronic keyboard of some sort - and bingo instant Morricone. For what looks like an Italian sexy comedy, this is very much an avant-garde work of music.  With touches of a glorious melody, of course.  If I walked into the room, and not knowing what is being played in front of me, I would swear it's a recording from The Letterists.  There is also some crazy Trumpet work, which I'm sure is played by Morricone.  The album turns like chasing a lizard.  You don't know what direction it's going - except you know it's a work of genius and therefore you just sit back and bathe yourself in the sounds of this record.   Also note, this is an excellent album package. It comes with a movie poster!  - Tosh Berman

Donovan - "Barabajagal" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1969 (Epic)

A very good, but not classic Donovan album.  "Barabajagal" is Donovan at his most hippie twee, with songs like "Happiness Runs" and "I Love My Shirt."  And even "Atlantis," still, there is really no such thing as a bad Donovan song or performance.  There is the image of Donovan as the universal folkie turned flower child, which is true.  On the flip of the other side of the coin is that Donovan is a brilliant stylist/singer who brings jazzy overtures to his melodies and arrangements.  Mickie Most produced the classic Donovan sides (like this album), but I'm never sure what Most brings to the sonic table to a Donovan session.  Most is/was comfortable working with the Jeff Beck Group (who back Donovan on two songs on this album) and Terry Reid at the time who had a "heavy" sound.  

One of my favorite Donovan songs is on this album, and it's "To Susan Waiting on the West Coast."   A tune about a soldier in Vietnam writing to his girl back home.   Simple narrative but Donovan can bring out the pathos with his overly British twee-Jazz, that works brilliantly with this song.  I'm also a fan of "Superlungs My Supergirl."  Terry Reid also did a fantastic cover of this song around the same time this album was released - again, the Mickie Most connection.   Beck and gang back Donovan on the title cut, and clearly the Beck aesthetic on guitar is very prominent on "Barabajagal."  He's riffing like crazy under the mix of rhythm and the backup singers.   Although not individually credited, I imagine Nicky Hopkins is on the album.  The piano playing is superb throughout the disc, and the only song besides the Beck group (none of the musicians besides Beck is clearly credited) is the song "Where Is She," with session great Alan Hawkshaw on piano.  The rest I think is Hopkins.  

In real time, I bought the Donovan albums when they originally released. This was the last Donovan album for me.  Perhaps due to the marketing of that time, or me moving on to my teenage years, I gave up on Donovan.  It wasn't until recently that I started to pick up on Donovan's great Epic albums to provide them with that serious re-listen.  I'm now a bigger fan of his work, looking back on material that is of course, charming, but also has elements and textures that was very much present in the late 1960s - the acceptance of music from other cultures.  In that sense, Donovan was or is a great traveler. 

Ennio Morricone - "Eat It" Vinyl, LP, Album, OST, Limited Edition, Italy, 1969/2016 (Cinedelic)

Ennio Morricone.  "Eat It."   I think the composer's name and the title of the film say it all.  The original Italian title of the movie is "Mangiala."  I haven't the foggiest idea what the film is about, but I suspect it has something to do with science, eating meat, and sex.  I'm sure it's a good film, but the soundtrack is incredible.  This may be a good introduction to the overall sound of Morricone's music. Because you have the strong melodies part, the amazing orchestration (arranged by pal Bruno Nicolai), and total noise ambient all in one package.  

Then again, it's hard to contain Morricone on just one album.  I just did an inventory of the albums that I own by him, and it came to 60.  None are bad, some are super good, and there are the exceptional ones.   "Eat It" is for sure up there.  There is one major melodic theme that runs through the album but re-arranged in many ways.  My favorite cut, and for a future club hit, is "Quinta Variazione Aricami."  A percussion work- out that Adam Ant must have heard somewhere in his musical past.  An incredible rhythmic song, with the classic Morricone melody laying on top of it or by its side.  A chef's method, which Nicolai brilliantly arranged.  

As mentioned, there are various types of music on this soundtrack, and all of them are essential Morricone.  There is a need to actually go through his entire catalog and write about it.  Perhaps I can do this as a book.  Till then, I'll write about my Morricone collection here ... and there... but mostly here now. 

Duke Ellington and His Orchestra - "Masterpieces by Ellington" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 1956 (Columbia)

My favorite Duke Ellington disc.   It's also an important statement about the 12" album format as well.    In the era of the 10" album or 78 rpm recordings, there was/is a time limit.  When the 12" album came out, I think one can have 20 minutes on each side of the record, and anything beyond that can affect the sound quality or mastering.    "Masterpieces by Ellington" is only four songs, but all in their original length the way Duke thought it out and played with his orchestra when they did live shows.   So in that sense, this format is the real meaning of the Ellington aesthetic. 

One of my all time favorite songs is "Mood Indigo."   I'm a huge fan of Frank Sinatra's version on his album "In the Wee Small Hours," but here on the Ellington album, I get goosebumps when I listen to this version.  The singer for the orchestra at this time, Yvonne Lanauze, gives a sexual presence to the smokey and seductive "Mood Indigo."   The long instrumental passage before the vocal just builds up and then - bingo!  There she is, and it's like a release after being teased for the first seven or however long the instrumental passage is.    The other three cuts here, "Sophisticated Lady," "The Tattooed Bride" (what a great title), and "Solitude" adds depth due to the natural length of the songs.  If you're an Ellington fan, more likely you have this album.  If you're not, or not have been introduced to this genius' work, then "Masterpieces by Ellington" is a great entrance way to Ellington & company's magic. 

Love - "Love" Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, 1966 (Elektra)

Love, the band, from my hometown Los Angeles.   I was 12 when this album was released.   I have no recollection of them before "Love" was released.  I imagined that they played on the Sunset Strip. Still, this album is the best music to come out of Los Angeles 1966.  I always felt that they were sophisticated.  Not exactly a garage rock band, but something classy.  I listen to this album 51 years later, and I'm still in love with the sound made by Arthur Lee and others.  

Arthur Lee, perhaps the lead Love (with Byran Maclean as secondary importance in the band) had a rare talent to throw an unusual lyric, such as "slip, slip, slip" in "A Message to Pretty."  Johnny Mathis sounding on the ballads, or rocking with intensity on the upbeat numbers.  It's not surprising that they covered Bachrach/David's "My Little Red Book."  There are these jazzy approaches to the straight ahead pop song in Love's work.  Maclean also had an incredible voice; that's angel-like but perhaps carrying brass knuckles behind his back.   There is something very street/smart about Love.  The Byrds I know are Los Angeles based, but I sense Love was more in tuned to the streets of L.A. and all the by products of that culture. 

Love's first album sound is the very rhythmic guitars with a beat.  It reminds me of Lou Reed in the Velvet Underground.   Both Lee and Reed can write and sing something that sounds simple, but then there's the complexity in what we think is simple.   It's that juxtaposition of sweetness and hardness in their music that keeps me listening to this record.  The other thing I want to note is that I strongly suggest listening to the Mono version of "Love."  The stereo mix or format doesn't work for me, with regards to this album.   The music here needs to be confined in a space that comes from one direction. 

Pablo Cassals -"Pablo Casals Conducts Bach: The Six Brandenburg Concertos; Orchestral Suites Nos. 2 and 3" 3 x Vinyl, LP, Album, 1965 (Columbia)

When I listen to this box set of Pablo Casals' recordings of the Six Brandenburg Concertos; Orchestral Suites Nos. 2 & 3, I think not of pictures, but shapes.  Bach's music is very circular, and one can enter and exit from that circle.  What I hear is not passion but an obsession of mathematical systems and the organized culture that is an orchestra or string section.  A perfect balance between the musicians and the give and take at a particular point in the music.

It's shocking to hear someone breathing or even singing along (Glenn Gould style) with the piano.  It's the series of moments where the human essence is felt and not the concept. This is the beauty of Bach's music performed.  It's a chemistry formula that has been tested through the ages and played well.   The other thing that comes to mind is that Bach's music is truly timeless. As I listen, I don't think of a specific age.  To me, it could have been written in the 21st century.   The precision of the idea and the practice of that craft makes Bach an essential experience.

Les Rita Mitsouko - "The No Comprendo" CD, Album, France, 1987 (Virgin)

In 1987, I was visiting my friend Erik Blum in his studio in Los Angeles, and he played this album by Les Rita Mitsouko, and I was immediately transformed into a  hardcore fan.  At the time, or that first listening experience, I thought to myself T Rex meets Sparks, but singing in French.   It's a very confining album made by a couple, who were totally self-contained.  And with help and assistance from Tony Visconti.   Somehow a friend of mine made me a VHS tape of their videos off this album, and that was another little explosion that went off in my body. I must have been the only person in the United States that had a copy of all their videos at the time.  I have never seen such a visually appealing and seductive band like Les Rita Mitsouko.  In two words: Catherine Ringer.

Ringer is what one would call "the real deal."  She's the gift that keeps on giving.  I want to say she resembles or perhaps even influenced by Edith Piaf, but that's wrong.  I think she is even better than Piaf!  This woman can walk across a room and cause an emotional riot within me.  For me, she represents everything that is good regarding a musician and the perfect set of songs.  "No Comprendo" is perfection as practiced by a skilled duo (with her husband the late and great Frank Chichin) with the right attitude, and performance (of what I have seen on numerous live videos) that is perfectly made out of our elements.  She's too good to walk among us, humans!

"No Comprendo" is a combination of chanson and synth-pop, with rock overtures.  Catherine and Frank played most of the instruments, with the help of Visconti, and Ringer's vocals are exceptionally heartbreaking, fun, and of course, erotic.  Ringer, who worked with Sparks and told Serge Gainsbourg to fuck off is clearly a hero of mine.   Why Ringer is not the biggest star in the English speaking world is beyond my brain.   In three words:  I love her. 

Olivier Messiaen - "Méditations sur le Mystère de la Sainte Trinité" 2 x Vinyl, Album, LP, 1974 (Musical Heritage Society)

I wanted to find the heaviest organ sounding album possible, and I believe I found it:  Oliver Messiaen's "Méditations" with him playing the organ at the Church of Sainte Trinité.  Messiaen is a composer that I know very little of but wasn't much of a laughing guy. This is meditation in the religious sense, where one focuses on the nature of a God in a church and reflecting on the offshoots of such a belief.  Think St. Thomas Aquinas. 

On the other hand, I get off on Messiaen's organ playing and the majestic overpowering sense of power out of his instrument and his skill as a composer.  It's not all bombast and power, there are quiet moments as well, but having this album in full volume is clearly a tunnel from one side (my home and turntable)  to God.  

André Hodeir - "L'écume des jours" OST, 45 rpm Vinyl Single, France, 1968 (Philips)

André Hodeir is a fascinating figure in French Jazz.  Think of him as sort of a more adventuresome Gil Evans.  Musician, composer, arranger, and author.  He wrote numerous books on Jazz aesthetics that were published by Grove Books in the 1960s.  Hodeir is also a challenging artist to find record wise.  Even in Paris I had trouble locating his works, but now, with the internet, it's a tad easier, but not a whole lot of recordings are readily available.   One of the hard finds for me, is this record, the soundtrack to Charles Belmont's French film "L'écume des jours."  It's based on a fantastic Boris Vian novel ("Foam of the Daze" which I published through my press TamTam Books).   

Header uses jazz as a foundation, but he also had an interest in Musique Concréte practices as well.  "L'écume des jours" in parts, is almost electronic in that he processes the children's vocals into a hypnotic and haunting sound.   There is nothing on this French EP that is predictable. Incredibly melodic in parts, but also obsessed with the sound process as well.  Hodeir was a genius and very worth while to locate his recordings.  I think I have most of his work in my collection, as well as a huge Boris Vian presence in my sound and book library.  

Gillian Hills "Vue Intégrale (Twistin' The Rock Vol. 9) 2 x CD, Compilation, 2002 (Barclay)

Gillian Hills is a British actress who lived in France to become a singer with a fascinating Father and Mother.   Father is Denis Hills, an adventurer, writer, and traveler, who wrote about Idi Amin in Uganda, who was sentenced to death for espionage in that country.  The intervention of the Queen allowed him to safety and back to the UK.  Her mother is Dunia Leśmianowna, the daughter of Polish Poet Bolesław Lésmian.  Gillian, at 14, was discovered by Roger Vadim, who put her in the film "Les liaisons dangereuses."  At 15, she starred in the British film "Beat Girl," with the first soundtrack by the great John Barry.  It was at this time she went back to France and made a series of recordings with artist Henri Salvador, and was one of the few Yé Yé singers to write her material.   After recording the French sides,  she eventually came back to London to be in the films "Blow Up" by Michelangelo Antonioni and Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange."  After that, she moved to New York to focus on a career as a book and magazine illustrator.  Whew!



"Vue "Intégrale" is a collection of her recordings she did in France for the label Barclay, and it's pretty remarkable in its sophistication in the Yé-Yé pop song market.   The fact that she co-wrote or wrote these songs are pretty amazing in itself.  Oddly enough, she is unknown, except for those who are obsessed with French pop from the 1960s, and of course her film appearances in such cult classics.  I think it's more than Hill being in the right place and time; she truly had the stars above her lead her to interesting aspects of the French and British entertainment world.   Beautiful as Bardot, Hills expressed an urgency and restlessness in her approach to the recording arts as well as film.  A remarkable talent at an exceptional time in cultural history.  It's time to rediscover her work.

Mike McGear - "McGear" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1974 (Warner Brothers)

Mike McGear is a McCartney, meaning he's the younger brother of Paul.  He was in a band called The Scaffold, which was a Liverpool super group that consisted of Poet Roger McGough and comic talent John Gorman.  "McGear" is Mike's second solo album, and it's produced and co-mixed (with McGear) by Paul.  The album is pretty much co-written with Paul as well. "McGear" is also the best Paul McCartney related project outside the Beatle or solo Paul world.  Perhaps, the best Paul record of all time!

"McGear" is backed by Wings circa 1974, which includes Linda (of course) as well as Denny Laine and Jimmy McCullogh (Thunderclap Newman).   Perhaps due to Mike's input, these songs are superior to anything recorded by solo Paul.  "What Do We Really Know?," "Have You Got Problems," "Norton," and the beautiful "The Man Who Found God On The Moon" are songs that fell through the cracks of Beatleolgy.  McGear is just as good as a vocalist as his big brother, and they even do a fantastic (Beatlesque) version of Bryan Ferry's (Roxy Music) "Sea Breezes."   Why this record is not more known is beyond my comprehension.  

There's a whole category of an album that seems to be throw-away or second-thought recordings.  The essence of the b-side of a 45 rpm single.  I find these records either unusual or exceptional.  "McGear" I suspected was recorded in a downtime for Paul and Wings.  Still, "McGear" is an intriguing piece of music making.  I strongly suggest for all Paul or Beatles' fans to check out "McGear."   And why this hasn't been re-released is beyond the ability to think.  

Jimmy Ruffin - "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" b/w "I've Passed This Way Before" 45 rpm Vinyl Single, 1966 (Motown)

Perfection as sound.  Jimmy Ruffin, the younger brother of David, the lead singer of The Temptations, had a voice that can express severe romantic disappointment on a Wagner level of theater and angst.  The land of broken dreams, where happiness is just an illusion.  He walked in shadows looking for light.  And so forth.  The singer is not expressing just a romance going bad, he's singing about the darkness that absorbs the land.  The production is just as dark and confined as the lyrics. The backup vocalists echo the singer's observations. There's no opening or entrance to the outside world to get some fresh air.    Motown during the 1960s was mostly great, but for me, "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" is the tip of the mountain of greatness.  

The b-side "I've Passed This Way Before" is a song with a sense of hope.  Perhaps a commentary on the "Brokenhearted."   Still, the gloom is in place. 

Buddy Holly - "The Complete Buddy Holly" 6 X Vinyl, LP Box Set, Compilation, 1979 (MCA)

The first album I purchased when I got a turntable in the 21st century was Buddy Holly's "The Complete Buddy Holly."  Six vinyl albums that start off at the very beginning of Buddy with the influence of Country and Rockabilly to the recordings he did in New York City, right before his plane accident.  For me, Holly was the essence of modernity.   When I listen to him, I don't connect to a given moment or even place.  There was something futuristic about his vision and songs that I don't think was thought out to a great degree.  He just had that essential genius approach to music.  Also, the Crickets were an amazing band, so he had that fantastic backing to wander the music landscape of his time.  

"The Complete Buddy Holly" is a museum piece, and unlikely a package one is going to listen to in one sitting.  Well, you can, but I think mentally it may be healthier to take it bit-by-bit.   There are even interviews with the great man on the last disc.  I may have miscounted, but I think there are 119 songs in this box set.  That's a lot of work from a young man who died way too young.   If Buddy lived, I suspect that he would be making exciting music until he was an old man.  There were reports that he frequent the jazz clubs in New York during the 1950s, and god knows what sort of influence would have shown up in his music of the 1960s if he lived.   

Strangely, I see Holly as the less-eccentric brother of Moondog.  Both had a sense of minimalism in their work, that's driven by rhythm.  Also, Holly was interested in the recording process, and I think he would have used the recording studio as a separate instrument, in a similar fashion as Eno (but not...).   He was an artist that explored the cultural landscape, and his death took away a talent that I feel was much needed in our world.  "The Complete Buddy Holly" is a collection that I keep going back to, due that it's endless and nothing but beauty left on its grooves.