Billy Nicholls - "Would You Believe" 2 x Vinyl, Compilation, Limited Edition, 2007/1968 (Immediate)

I had the CD of the original album but recently purchased a reissued limited-edition double-set, with the extra songs being demos and stuff that didn't make it on the original release in 1968.  "Would You Believe" is incredible.  Imagine the Psychedelic sounds of The Small Faces meeting The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds," and that equals Billy Nicholls.  I don't have that much information on Nicholls, but I believe he is sort of like Speedy Keen of Thunderclap Newman, who was a pal of Pete Townshend and helped out in the studio here and there.   Billy did the same thing for The Who in the 70s and afterward.  This comes to mind perhaps Pete hires people more talented than him!

The Small Faces helped out with the production and arrangement for the song "Would You Believe," and it clearly has their sound, but Nicholls' talent doesn't disappear in the mix whatsoever.  This album is full of brilliant British musicians of its time, with great arrangements by John Paul Jones and Arthur Greenslade, who even worked with Serge Gainsbourg.  My favorite cut here is "Girl From New York," which is the perfect combination of power pop melody with heavy 60s guitar groove that is total Mod-tastic.  The album comes from the sensibility of British Mod-era music as it went into the late 60s.  This album is the perfect sound and example of what was happening at that time, especially in London.  Try to find the double-album set, with the demos attached, because they to are fantastic.  Perfect record. 

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.  

David Bowie - "Lady Stardust demo" b/w "Crystal Japan" Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single, Picture Disc , Japan, Limited Edition (Parlophone)

I bought this rarity at the right moment and time.  It was at the V&A "David Bowie Is" exhibition that took place in Tokyo in 2017.  I was like a child going to Disneyland for the first time. I was extremely excited to go to this exhibition to see or feel David Bowie, which was tragically taken away from us in this natural world.   The exhibition overall was fantastic, but the curating I felt could have been stronger.  The placement of the outfits I thought was wrong, and I hate the multi-media aspect of such an exhibition.  As I walked through the show, I kept a mental list of where I should place that item or costume in the exhibition.  But again, that was also part of the fun of such a show.  The gift shop, on the other hand, was a total joy, even though not everything was equal in its worthiness.  Still, I did purchase a picture disc 45 rpm single of a demo of "Lady Stardust" and an obscure instrumental that Bowie did during the "Low"/"Heroes" era, for a Japanese water or was it a sake commercial?  Nevertheless, a remarkable piece of music.  It could easily fit on side-two of the "Heroes" album.  Electronic in nature, but it had a slight Asian or Japanese approach to the melody as well.  

"Lady Stardust" is neither better or worse than the recorded version of the song on the Ziggy album.  It's just another layer of paint or texture one wants to bath themselves in the greatness of that song as well as sharing a few moments of worship on one's time. 

Sparks - "The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman" Box Set, LP, Album, 4 x Vinyl, CD, Limited Edition, 2009 (Lil' Beethoven Records ‎)

It's always been my opinion that Sparks music or roots don't necessarily go back to rock but to theater music.   Ron Mael and Russell Mael are in the same school as the Gershwin brothers, Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hart and Stephen Sondheim.  Although their medium can be considered, and more likely pop or rock, but I have always thought of them as the American brothers of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weil.  "The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman" is very much in line with something similar to Brecht/Weil's "Three-Penny Opera." 

The narration of this radio and stage musical (and hopefully film) is about Bergman being trapped in Hollywood and dealing with the nightmare of working in a film factory of not his choice or temperament.  Isolated from his world, he plots his escape, but can one flee from a living nightmare? This is the first theater project that came to fruition by the Mael brothers, and it's an essential Sparks' recording.   The album is truly a soundtrack to the entire production, including some dialogue.   Still, the music is excellent, and of great wit and beauty.   The melodies are perfectly beautiful, but it also serves as a critique or commentary on the nature of an artist dealing with an industry that seems supportive, but in actuality, it's restricting the filmmaker's vision.  

Ron Mael who is usually silent sings lead as the Limo Driver, but the rest is sung by Russell, as well as actors singing various roles, such as Jonas Malmsjö as Bergman, and a beautiful vocal from Elin Klinga as the ghost of Greta Garbo singing the heart-stopping "Garbo Sings."  Superb brilliance. 

David Bowie - "Welcome to the Blackout (Live in London '78) 3 x Vinyl, 2018 (Parlophone)

If I can look into the fortune teller's crystal ball, I can safely predict that there will be many more live David Bowie albums in the coming years.   Which by the way, I'm not complaining.   "Welcome to the Blackout" was recorded on June 30, and July 1, 1978, and the last shows of this particular tour.  Oddly enough I do not have "Stage" in my collection, so I can't make the comparisons between the two live albums, which were both recorded on the same tour.  On the other hand, it's an exciting mix of musicians backing Bowie up.  There's the Station to Station lineup of George Murray, Carlos Alomar, and Dennis Davis - a powerful rhythm section with Alomar mostly on rhythm guitar. Then there is the arty side, which is Adrian Belew, Roger Powell (from Todd's Utopia), Sean Mayes, and violinist Simon House who played with Hawkwind.

If this were a sandwich, Murray/Alomar/Davis would be the meat, and the others are expensive dressings on those two pieces of bread.  It's a terrific band, but on record, I think I prefer the Station to Station group because it was more focused and had a more of an attack on the material.  The songs on this album are almost speeding metal versions, in that the pacing is upbeat, and goes quite quickly.  Bowie's vocals and pronunciations are perfectly pitched and entirely understandable.  The Ziggy Stardust side doesn't allow any space or silence between the songs.  It's one rush of a full-length melody that is effective.  Their version of "Ziggy Stardust" is very textured and exciting interplay between the electric violin and Belew's guitar.  

The material is very much Ziggy (all in one go) with a few songs from "Station to Station" and the rest from "Low" and "Heroes."  Oh, and there is an excellent Weill/Brecht song as well.  A must for the collection or completist, but is it essential?   Tony Visconti did the original recording of the album, and Bowie did finish this live album at the time, but forever reasons, was never released until now.  Perhaps Bowie himself is a completionist as well. 

John Zorn's The Dreamers - "The Gentle Side" Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Picture Disc, 2010 (Tzadik)

When I hear or read the two words put together John.  And then Zorn.  One is going on an adventure and never knows what turns or exits on that road will be.  You just hold on for dear life and go with the Zorn flow.  Zorn composed, conducted, and arranged "The Gentle Side" with his band The Dreamers, which by the way is a perfect name for a group that does this type of music.  Which is dreamy of course, but it has traces of jazz, exotica, and lounge, but not in a gimmicky fashion.  The Dreamers is profound music made by great musicians, which I need to credit: Marc Ribot on guitar, Jamie Salt on keyboards, Trever Dunn on bass, Joey Baron on drums, Cyro Baptista on percussion, and on vibraphone Kenny Wolleson.

Ribot's work on "The Gentle Side" is a combination of surf, cinematic noir, and maximum taste in adding his sound to the mixture, which is always a soft groove.  All the musicians play as if they are one brain but with many arms and hands.   This I think is due to Zorn's approach to these songs on the album.  They are written compositions, and I don't know the working method to "The Gentle Side" is,  but it's very sophisticated lounge music that is true to its tradition. There is an edge that lurks underneath the surface.  A tension that swims in the under-currents of the songs and arrangements.  That's the beauty of this album.  Also, Zorn writes strong melodies.  The Dreamers take that aspect and expand on it as jazz musicians focusing on an idea or concept.   They never make a false move, and of course, there is great respect for the composer and his work.   Also noted is the great graphic design from Heung-Heung Chin.  It's lovely to watch this picture disc go round and round on one's turntable.

Egisto Macchi - "Bioritmi" Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue (The Omni Recording Corporation)

I know little to nothing about Egisto Macchi, except that he's an Italian composer who worked on music for film and Television, and is a close associate of Ennio Morricone and is a member of Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza.  I have two albums by him, including "Bioritmi," and he's exceptional.  

Originally released in 1971, and reissued/remastered by the great label The Omni Recording Corporation, "Bioritmi" is a record of great feeling and beauty.  It's noted in its informative sleeve notes that there are traces or a hint of Moondog's music within its grooves.   The music here is very much a quartet of strings and distant percussion and it does move in a circular fashion just like Moondog. It's very machine-like but done by humans.  The music builds and then slowly releases its intensity.   Listening to this I think of insects working in a hive.  It's almost a musical portrait of a society working, but not necessarily a human's approach to society unless they're watching insects building a nest and obtaining food.   A quiet album or work, but with great feeling and the clockwork of giving and releasing makes "Bioritmi" a give and take the pull as one listens.  An amazing album and the composer is a genius.  

George Russell and His Orchestra, Featuring Bill Evans - "Jazz In The Space Age" Clear Vinyl, Album, LP, Limited Edition, 2016/1960 (Doxy)

The ultimate and very obscure Mid-Century America, with a ting of the Space Age, the jazz album. "Jazz in the Space Age" is John Cassavetes walking down Time Square in the middle of the night, and there's rain and he is smoking.  Or it could be "Sweet Smell of Success."  Nevertheless, this is a classic noir jazz album that sounds like an original soundtrack recording, but alas, it is not the case.  At the crisp of the 60s, this is an album that theme wise looks to the future, but in reality, it's a brilliant work with Bill Evans at his peak, with Paul Bley on the piano as well.  In fact, it's dueling pianos.  

George Russell plays "beats and timed drums."   He also wrote all the pieces on this album.  It's a combination of orchestrated jazz but with interesting 'bop' type of solos and improvising sections within the orchestration.  especially from Evans and Bley.  I was sort of expecting a Joe Meek like recording, and that is not the case.  Still, the playing by Evans and Bley are incredible.  Since I got this album last week, I have played it a lot in the house.   The album cover is great, but the music is not kitsch whatsoever or even space exotica.  But it is Evan/Bley-tastic. 

Gilbert & George - "The Thoughts of Gilbert & George" Vinyl, LP, Album, Spoken Word, Limited Edition (MoMA)

I'm very much of a veggie-meat & potatoes type of chap, and I think of Gilbert & George the same, with respect to their stance and art.  Ever since I was a teenager, I have followed this duo in all of their work, and sudden u-turns, and their ability to remain British to the core.   I also have a deep curiosity about how artists work together or collaborate on specific art pieces.  To this day, the more time I spend with Gilbert & George, the less I know about them.  They're a complete mystery to me.  

They have lived in East London for decades, and reportedly they eat at their local caff (cafe), which I think is part of their building or right next door. Legend has it that they purchased the local restaurant, and eat there every day.   They have a work ethic going, where they are in their building/studio every day, and consistently making art.  One can presume that they are a couple or lovers, but I'm not even sure if that's the case or not.  All I know is that I love them.

This is very much a spoken word album, with a song "Underneath The Arches"  The focus of the album and Gilbert & George's obsession is this British  1930's era Depression pop song.  It's a lovely tune.  They found the recording in a second-hand shop, and bingo, it becomes an essential performance piece by the duo.   It's a beautiful song about dreaming upward when everything is pretty much hell.  Gilbert & George generally deal with oppression due to politics, sexual mores, and culture. For fifty years their theme has been consistent, although their artwork has changed or they use different mediums, they are still a unique work of art.  I say that because they treat themselves as objects and whatever they do it becomes a work of art or an art object.  

"The Thoughts of Gilbert & George" is them talking about their aesthetic, but even that itself is an art piece.  That, and their focus on "Underneath The Arches" makes this album remarkable 

Steve Reich, Ensemble Avantgarde - "Four Organs" / "Phase Patterns" / "Pendulum Music" Limited Edition, Vinyl, LP, 2014 (Karlrecords)

"Four Organs" is actually more than four organs, it also features the maracas, which is a big part of the piece.  Four electric organs that play in short bursts of a note, but as the piece goes on, the notes become longer, yet the crazy maracas stay in place and in the beat. What makes this work listenable to me at the very least, is the dynamic relationship between the organs and maracas.   It's a remarkable piece of music, and when played loud, it brings a new meaning to a sense of bliss. 

"Pendulum Music" is an early work (1968) that consist of microphones, amplifiers, and loudspeakers.   It sounds like a sea creature in a mating call.  The key element here is the rhythm, which is prominent in all three pieces here by Steve Reich.  "Phase Patterns" is another work with four organs, and it's more frantic, but oddly enough a meditative piece of work. Reich always seemed to me to be a composer who is inspired by the sounds of life - traffic noise, electricity running through a fridge or speakers - he makes these sounds into a strong rhythmic melody.  I have to imagine that it's a high of sorts for the musician who plays these music pieces.  It's about discipline.  A lot of modern works, such as John Cage, is about noise being organized.  I think Cage and Reich do have a relationship through their music.  Different sounds, techniques, yet there is a rigid way of looking at the world.  Open, yet see the world in a frame.  

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. 

Ennio Morricone - "Comandamenti per un Gangster" (OST) Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, 2015 (Dagored)

The album as perfection.   From the graphics of the cover to the vinyl design to the aural delights within the package, it's a must to obtain and enjoy.  For me, Ennio Morricone is one of the greatest composers of the 20th century.  The mixture of instruments, the haunting melodies, and the imagination that goes through his compositions is magnificence at work.   "Comandamenti per un Gangster" is basically two songs, but totally re-arranged to give it a new listening experience. It never grows old, and one is amazed at the arrangements by Bruno Nicolai.  

The music on this album is very much in one's face.  Some original soundtrack music is very ambient and there to serve the images on the screen, but Morricone is listenable without the specific images coming from the projected light.  One can tell that this is not a romantic score but tied in with elements of suspense and violence.  Beyond that, it's a landscape of sound that is one moment soothing, and then gripping in its intensity.  This album should be played loud with all the windows in the house closed. Don't have mercy for your neighbors down below or next door.  

Sparks - "Islington N1" CD Single, Special Edition, 2008 (Lil' Beethoven Records)

Perhaps my most prized music object.  The very limited edition of Sparks' "Islington N1."  Not sure how many were made.  I got one because I got the Gold Ticket to their series of concerts that took place in Islington London in 2008.   I wrote all about it in my book "Sparks-Tastic."  Which is more of a memoir of a Sparks' fan than a Sparks bio - but it does cross that line within the book.   Besides having such a special CD, the song is one of the great tunes from Ron Mael and Russell Mael.  It's dramatic, it's funny, and somewhat moving.  Perhaps because it is a song dealing with a real time, with respect to the area around the concert hall where these concerts took place.  It's a snapshot of a time and place, and anyone who received this CD at that particular time, it's very much like watching an event on Live TV.  Listening to it now, it brings back memories of all the shows and even what my mood was like at that time.   On another level, it's a drag that this song is not more available to the masses.   You can find the recording on YouTube, but the time of its release (or giveaway), it seemed no one posted it on the Internet.  Which was unusual, because everything gets posted as soon as possible.  It seemed that the fans who did receive this CD pretty much kept it to themselves.  

The song is brilliant.  Lyrically it's in the Noel Coward/Cole Porter world.   No one writes songs like Sparks.  I often mentioned it (maybe too many times) but their music harks back to a literate world - especially in songwriting.  There is nothing abstract in their writing, nor is it realistic. It's impressionistic that people can tie themselves into the narrative or wordplay.   I have come upon music that is inspired by Sparks, and even some imitated them, yet, their originality is unique and of course, rare.   Sparks is an endless amount of interest for me because what they do is delicate like eating sashimi with chopsticks, not stabbing food with a fork.  It's music that is sensitive and perfectly balanced.  I often wonder how they can keep it up.  In one word: Genius. 

Tom Recchion - "Proscenium" Vinyl LP, Limited Edition with Vinyl 7" 45 rpm (Elevator Bath)

Tom Recchion's "Proscenium" is like going into a room, and there is nothing there, but this eerie, beautiful sound, that is hard to distinguish from something natural in the air, or man (person) made.  All I know is I can sit at a table in this room and do some writing or something creative.   The music (sound) is demanding, so you can't read a book there, but you can think through the levels of aural pleasure that is this album.

I'm not sure how Tom made this record.  I once in awhile hear what sounds like a piano, but is it him playing or just a sample?  Listening to the album becomes a mental exercise where you describe smoke that lingers in the air, which is the graphic on the cover by the way.  Or is it a spirit of some sort?  Or both?   Music that is abstract becomes a sound sculpture. I can almost see it, but not really.  Although I feel I can walk right through it.  Artists like Brian Eno has done ambient music - sometimes for a specific space and time - "Music for Airports" for example.  "Proscenium" is a work that gives me a sense of place, but not time.  I sense not a large space, but a room.  It's interesting to read the titles which is "Entrance Music No. 1" or "Exit Music No. 1."  There is also "The Mesmerized Chair" and of course, "The Haunted Laboratory."  I don't have to know the titles, but it's interesting that they do convey a space or studio of some sort.  Space is vague, but the emotions are not.  It's a very warm album, and I feel good being contained by its sense of seduction.   I have this album on vinyl as well as an MP3 (code comes with the album), and I often listen to it while writing.   I like it because it doesn't free up my brain/mind but puts me in a room that I can focus in.  In a practical way, I can recommend this music if you're a writer and need time to reflect on your thoughts.  Or it can be music that you enter in, but you can stay inside for hours.

I didn't know this, till I started writing this piece, but the proscenium is a theatrical term meaning "an arch framing the opening between the stage and the auditorium in some theaters."  It's a great album. I keep hearing new things in it, and it maybe just my ears playing tricks on me, but the vinyl listening experience is different from the MP3.  The medium alters same music, but space.  It never ends.   I like that.

Andy Starr - "Rockin' Rolllin' Stone" 2 x Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, EP, Limited Edition (Sundazed/MGM)

Rockabilly music is for sure, falling into the rabbit hole and struggling to get up for some air.  It's a potential minefield of great recordings lost to history.  I have never heard of Andy Starr, until one day at Rockaway record shop, I decided to pick up this disc due to its cover.  I'm glad I did because it's an excellent record.

I imagine at one time there were thousands of Andy Starrs' out there, making records and then having those recordings disappear into the mist of time.   Luckily, this has recently been released as a double 45 single set,  and it's hardcore rockabilly that reminds me of the essence of someone like Jack Scott.   The band on these recordings are excellent - and very much the standard set-up of stand-up bass, electric guitar, and acoustic guitar.  The backup vocalists are also superb, which again, reminds me of Scott's arrangements and recordings.  Nevertheless,  Starr is not unique, but clearly wonderful. 

The four songs here pretty much captures the Starr universe.  I don't think there are any more recordings by Starr in commercial existence, but what we have here is four exceptional performances with great vocals and band, doing their best to burn down the studio and elsewhere beyond its walls.   Great rockabilly music.  

Miles Davis - "Asceseur Pour L'Échafaud" Vinyl 10" album, Limited Edition, Mono (Sam Records)

My favorite Miles Davis music.  Recorded in 1958, in Paris, with the great French musicians Pierre Michelot, René Urtreger, Barney Wilen, and the legendary American drummer Kenny Clarke.  This album has been re-released numerous times.  But I think Sam Records version is the best.  For one, they went back to the original analog tape to make this disc as well as the original negatives of the front and back cover.   Sam Records is a one-man operation, and he focuses on jazz that was recorded in France, mostly from the 1950s.  

Limited edition of 1,000 copies, is not the easiest find, but once you do, you'll love it.  For one, the sound is incredible.  The music for me is like if someone turned the lights off by a switch.  A mood changer that works like no other music.   A beautiful smokey aural experience. 

The other item of interest for me is that they have the original liner notes including the one by Boris Vian.   Long-time readers of my blog and my work know that I have an intense passion for Vian's writing and his social world.    It's a great reminder of his presence and importance in the French and American Jazz world.