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

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

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

T. Rex -"T. Rex" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered, 1970/2016 (Reprise Records)

Where have I been for the last 40 or so years? I purchased "Electric Warrior" and "The Slider" numerous times over the years, yet, I somehow missed "T. Rex."   I just recently purchased it, and this album is incredible.   At the moment it's my favorite T. Rex album, and to hear something new from a band that I thought I knew... And to be honest I don't know the recordings Bolan made with Steve Took - so that's another avenue I need to explore.  But now...  What impresses me about the album is the songwriting is superb, as well as the performance.  The minimal sound of Bolan's guitar work, but with the added textures from Tony Visconti's production, is a great combination.   In fact, I think this may be Visconti's best work in the studio, sound wise.  Sun Records is surely the model to study from, and Bolan, Mickey Finn, and Visconti studied very well under the beauty of that Memphis label.   Also noted the king of the big sound (for Queen among others) Roy Thomas Baker was the engineer.  

Also, as far as I know, I don't think there are any drums on this album, just percussion work from Finn.   Yet, the sound is full, and Visconti's tasteful use of strings here and there is a loving campanion to Bolan's croon.   If like me, and you overlooked this album, get it now.  Bolan is the real deal. 

Egisto Macchi - "ll Deserto" 2 x Vinyl, Album, LP, Limited Edition, Reissue 1974/2016 (Cinedelic Records)

Egisto Macchi's "ll Deserto" is a masterpiece.  The orchestration of all four sides is one of quiet, but mixed in with real instruments such as 'maybe' a french horn, oboe, various orchestrational string instruments as well as percussion over an electronic hum that comes in and out of the mix.  "ll Deserto" is very much a sonic portrait of a North African desert, or at the very least a desert in one's imagination.  One wonders if Brian Eno heard this album before he made his ambient classic "Discreet Music," because in parts the music is very similar, if not in style, in the mood that carries the landscape.  

The white album cover is so minimal that it makes The Beatles White Album a complex design.  Yet the cover conveys the vastness of Macchi's music within its vinyl grooves.  Nine pieces are on this double album, and each one flows into the other as natural as the wind blowing across the white sands of a desert.  The rhythm conveys an African feeling and clearly not a Southwestern Desert in the United States.    The original edition of the album came out in 1974 on a small record label based in Florance Italy called AYNA.   Macchi did a lot of music for Music Libraries, which means it is used by a film producer to pick and choose their music if they need something cheaply or quickly for a scene in their film.   Macchi is very much a soundtrack composer, but in Library Music one can make their own soundtracks to fit their own mood.  In other words, the compositions can be experimental or groovy dance tune - nevertheless, it's an area of great experimentation.   

As mentioned, "ll Deserto" can easily fit into the ambient music world, but again, one marvel at the real instrumentation of actual instruments that is a great deal of the final sound.   The music is relaxing, but it has its quiet sinister qualities as well.  A beautiful album to reflect on one's daydreams. 

The Cramps - "Songs The Lord Taught Us " Vinyl, LP, Album, 2016/1980 (Drastic Plastic Records)

The first full-length Cramps album.  Originally released in 1980.  Alex Chilton is the producer.  If I was at these recordings in the studio, I would sit by the exit just in case something weird breaks out.  More likely nothing odd happened during the recording of "Songs The Lord Taught Us" but sound wise it sounds like mayhem and within its vinyl grooves there are these people trapped within those grooves and they're trying to break free.  In other words, this is very much an intense listening experience.   It is also the perfect rock n' roll album.

The genius aspect of the early version of The Cramps is that they didn't have a bass player, neither an electric or stand-up bass.   It's two electric guitars, a voice, and drums without cymbals.  On paper, it sounds primitive, and that is an often descriptive term for their sound, but for me, that is like saying Harry Partch's music is primitive.  It's actually so simple that it's complex within the wave of sounds between the two guitarists with the addition of the big beat of the drums. 

Alex Chilton doesn't smooth out the sound but allows it to go crazy within the studio landscape.  It's Sun Records, but leave out the sanity button on the mixing/recording table.  It's both a tribute to the Sun sound and also acknowledging that it is using that 'sound' as the foundation to go onward.  The beauty of The Cramps is not their originality (which they have plenty of those ingredients) but also the fact that they are curators of a sound that they know well, and what they convey to the listener is the real deal. 

Chilton is the perfect producer for The Cramps.   The band knows a fellow traveler by instinct and it's interesting that afterward they never used an outside producer for future recordings.  In that sense, The Cramps became an isolated group that kept their world within its reach, and never comprise its sound or image to another corporation or another artist - unless it's a tribute to their sensibility of rock n' roll history.    In the nutshell, the perfect band making the perfect album, with the perfect producer of that time.  The Cramps with the help and assistance of Alex Chilton.   Perfection in practice. 

The Damned - "Machine Gun Etiquette" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 2016/1979 (Chiswick Records)

Is it even possible to dislike a band like The Damned?   I can see people hating Radiohead or Arcade Fire, but The Damned to me seems anti-hate proof, in that its purpose is to entertain and treat the world in a comic book vision, where one lives in a world of punk.  But the punk here is not one type of individual because The Damned represents unique individuals who are members of The Damned.   Rat Scabies is basically a Keith Moon, Algy Ward is the journeyman Punk rocker, Captain Sensible is the punk clown with color, and Dave Vanian is the goth king, but not on the goth planet, but the punk planet.  Clearly, on paper at the very least, a perfect band.  

The first two Damned albums had Brian James in the band, and he wrote all their material. Similar to Syd Barrett who was the chief writer for Pink Floyd, - when James left the group, the thought of the time was, 'there's no band without Brian James (or Syd).  Alas, the other musicians come up to the bat and somehow became even more successful than the original lineup.   "Machine Gun Etiquette" is very much the 'great' rock album.   One would say 'punk, ' but I feel that the music on this album goes beyond the punk, but at the same time, that aesthetic is very much the foundation for the record.  The fact that they had Nick Mason (they wanted Syd, but ...) produce their second album says a lot about their outlook and their presence in their own world, and how they look beyond the island of punk. 

Captain Sensible (proper name) as a guitarist has a robust approach to pop melody, and "Machine Gun Etiquette" is full of catchy and beautiful melodies.  The piano beginning of "Melody Lee" is one of my favorite pieces of music.  I can listen to a much longer version of that work, even if it lasts for one hour.  That is just an introduction when the song turns to the volume of 11, and while keeping the melody intact, it is like having a hyperactive child on one's lap.  The album is chaos, but it works from that format into a pop symphony of sorts. 

As I listened to it recently, it reminds me very much of The Who during their "A Quick One" and "The Who Sell Out" era.  Lots of thrashing with beautiful melodies, but also a sneaking ambition in song concept and projection.  At times, I even think of "Machine Gun Etiquette" as the great lost John Entwistle album.  Or for sure, if The Damned was just a touch younger, Kit Lambert would have surely signed them to Track Records, and produce their recordings.  Then again, perhaps that's my overactive imagination at work.  Nevertheless, "Machine Gun Etiquette" is an album that never ages. A beautiful piece of work. 

Giovanni Fusco - "L'Eclisse" Vinyl, LP, OST, Album, Limited Edition (500), 2016 (Doxy Cinematic)

"L'Eclisse" is an Italian film made in 1962, starring Monica Vitti and Alain Delon, directed by Michelangelo Antonioni.  The soundtrack to the movie is by Giovanni Fusco, who also did the music for Alain Resnais'"Hiroshima, Mon Amour," as well for other Antonioni films.  About a week ago I saw "L'Eclisse, " and I loved the soundtrack.  I located a copy very recently, and I'm very impressed with Fusco's music.   The music is so much of the visuals, but here, I try to not think of the film, and just focus on the music. 

On this album, we get six versions of Mina's "Eclisse Twist."  One in Italian (of course), French, Spanish, English, an instrumental, and a slow-downed version.  That alone is worth the price of the album.   The additional greatness is Fusco's moody music that is minimal and dramatic.  While listening to Fusco's music, it reminded me of Angelo Badalamenti's work with David Lynch.  Perhaps due to the juxtaposition of a rock n' roll tune ("Eclisse Twist") with Fusco's borderline avant-garde composing.  In the same manner of a Roy Orbison song fitting into Badalamenti's score for "Blue Velvet," the same goes for the dynamic combination of Mina (an Italian 60s pop singer) and Fusco. 

The film "L'Eclisse" is slow-paced and takes its time to unveil its seductive relationship between Delon and Vitti, as well as presenting the world that is empty.  The music also conveys that unbalanced where things are not settled.  "Eclisse Twist" throws a wrench in the process, and it's very effective to go from one mood (celebrating) to the other (contemplating).   And back again.  The film and the soundtrack is a beautiful piece of work.  

Also, I want to give praise for the label Doxy or Doxy Cinematic.  I suspect that they operate in the gray area of bootlegging, but do a superb job concerning the sound of the vinyl, as well as the design work, and even more important, their ability to curate their series in a thoughtful and excellently manner.  

The Beach Boys - "Pet Sounds" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Mono, 50th Anniversary, 1966/2016 (Capital)

I have a copy of The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" in Mono, but it's trashed by time and lack of care.  As I was strolling at a local record store in Atwater Village (Jacknife), I found a new copy or edition of this classic in Mono.   I bought it, and in our darkened living room I played the album.  Some records define the time of day, for instance, some recordings work great in the morning, and others in the afternoon. "Pet Sounds" strikes me as a work that is perfect for the late evening.  I'm a firm believer that one should go to, or prepare for bed in a sad state of mind.   "Pet Sounds" is the perfect soundtrack for that mood.

Hearing a fresh new copy is a gift that keeps on giving.  I think one can only listen to The Beach Boys in Mono.  Not only due to Brian Wilson being deaf in one ear, but the aesthetic of the recording needs to come from one direction.   It's a very compressed recording, where you feel the emotion is being put in a tiny room.   Yet the feelings are expansive and vast.  There is lots of tension that runs through the album.  I have written about "Pet Sounds" back in 2013 on this blog.  My feelings are the same, but listening to it last night, strikes me as a very intimate experience.  It's not a record that I'm compelled to share, but to be in a dark room in the middle of the evening - that's the perfect setting for The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds."

Best of 2016 (What I listened to in the year 2016) by Tosh Berman

Without a singular doubt, the year 2016 was a disaster on many levels.  Yet, I heard great music this year.  Mostly re-issues of old music, or old music in general.  When I think of the best of whatever year, it is always what turned me on, and not necessary a new album by a new artist.  Therefore the albums down below are the one's that really inspire and gave me a great deal of enjoyment.  And in no special order:

John Cage - The 25-Year Retrospective Concert of the Music of John Cage (Vinyl) Recorded in 1958.  Modern Science, 2016

Luc Ferrari "Programme Commun"  Sub Rosa, 2013 Vinyl

The Scratch Orchestra - London, 1969 (10" Vinyl) Die Stadt

Scott Walker - The Childhood of a Leader, Vinyl, 4AD, 2016

Ennio Morricone - Spasmo (The X-Ray Version) Vinyl, Dagored

Vince Taylor and his Playboys - Le Rock C'est Ca! Vinyl, Rumble Records, 2015

Otto Luening / Vladimir Ussachevsky - Tape Recorder Music (Vinyl) Cacophonic, 2013  (recorded in 1952)

Maurice Lemaître - Poémes et Musiques Lettristes et Hyperphonie, Vinyl, Alga  Marghen  (Limited Edition)

V.A. - Musique Concrète Vinyl, 2016 Cacophonic (recorded in 1960)

Miles Davis - Get Up With It, Vinyl, CBS, 1974

The Rolling Stones - Necrophilia, Vinyl picture disc, bootleg, Limited Edition

Jacno - Tant de Temps, Vinyl, Gonzai Records, 2 x Vinyl 45rpm, 2016 (recorded in 2006)

Brian Eno - The Ship, Vinyl Warp Records, 2016

Milt Jackson - Wizard of the Vibes 10" Vinyl, Blue Note, 2014.  Recorded in  1952

Michel Legrand - Qui êtes-vous Polly Maggoo? Vinyl, 45rpm Single, We Release What We Want  Records,  2015.  Recorded in 1966

Earth - Earth 2 Special Low Frequency Version, Vinyl, 2006 Sub Pop

David Bowie - Blackstar ISO Records, Vinyl, 2016

MICK HARVEY "Delirium Tremens" (Mute) 2016

Mick Harvey, one-time Nick Cave left hand arranger, and Serge Gainsbourg lover (at least musically), has a new album of Gainsbourg tunes.   This is the third package of Serge tunes, and Harvey's good taste comes through.    The majority of songs on this album comes from his French TV project "Anna," starring Anna Karina.    It's classic all the way from side one to side two.  There are no bad cuts on this album, and the additional pleasure is hearing Serge's lyrics translated from the French to English by Harvey.  I think he stays on track with respect to Gainsbourg's playfulness in his literature, and Harvey does have that masculine swagger in the presentation of these songs.  One thing about this album and the other Harvey / Serge recordings is showing what a masterful songwriter genius the French icon is/was.     The other Harvey / Gainsbourg albums are "Intoxicated Man" and "Pink Elephants."  Get all three of them, and then of course, the original recordings by Serge Gainsbourg as well.