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

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

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

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

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

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

The Modern Lovers - "The Modern Lovers Vinyl, Album, Reissue, 2019/1976 (Music on Vinyl)

The first time I heard the words "Modern Lovers" was in Interview magazine, and there was an interview with Jonathan Richman, the lead lover in this band. It was before I heard any music by them, and they were a band that mostly played in the Boston/NYC area. I was equally intrigued and amazed about Richman's stance on rock n' roll as a highly poetic/romantic platform but through his unique eyes. Not precisely innocence, but one who ruled out anything negative by taking ugly and making it beautiful. If rock n' roll is deformed in the sense of its decadence, then Jonathan only sees enlightenment that is borderline spiritual. Still, there are emotional feelings in every song. The way he portrays "Pablo Picasso" as a stud-in-the-make, in it's Velvet Underground minimalism. The juxtaposition of Picasso's image as an artist, human being, and Richman is treating him like a Velvet's subject matter. His observation strength is through, and his guitar playing is glued to the Lou Reed/Sterling Morrison aesthetic. If Reed is cynical, Richman is hopefully in the most profound manner. "Roadrunner," of course, is the ultimate car and get on the highway song.  An essential album because it's a unique voice, which artists like Morrissey and others used as a springboard for their angst and work. John Cale's production is never fussy, just reporting the fact.  With Jarry Harrison (Talking Heads), David Robinson (The Cars), and Ernie Brooks supply the foundation for Jonathan's flight into the genius level. 

France Gall - "1968" Vinyl, Album, Reissue, 1968/2020 (Third Man Records)

France Gall, a teenage singer, for whom Serge Gainsbourg wrote many of her hits. That is interesting, but France is also a great Jazz orientated singer singing French Pop. Beside Gainsbourg, her pop, Robert Gall, wrote a lot of her lyrics with various composers. On the surface, Gall sang for teenagers, but the songs were all written by men in their 30s. This is not an unusual occurrence in the world of French pop music. One of her principal arrangers is Alain Goraguer, a remarkable music figure as well. He worked with everyone from Boris Vian, to Gainsbourg and made a significant electronic soundtrack album "La Planète Sauvage." The other arranger on this album is the English composer and arranger David Whitaker. All of the above, including France Gall, contributed to "1968."

The album captures the year 1968 as if it was an early colored photograph. "1968" yells out the decade due to the exotic instrumentation as well as the balance of pure pop with something substantial. The interesting thing about following French pop music is one should not only pay attention to the headliner (the singer of course) but also equally important are the arrangers. Whitaker and Goraguer have a unique sound, and they truly put their mark on their recordings. "1968" is not only a great France Gall disc but also a crucial recording made by the French, with the help of an Englishman (Whitaker) in a highly inventive album. There are two Gainsbourg songs on the album as well. They are highly recommended. 

The Monkees - "The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees" Vinyl, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo, 1968/1996 (Sundazed Music)

This past 12-months, I have been slowly and carefully purchasing The Monkees' catalog on vinyl. Never a huge fan, but for sure, an admirer of their complicated work and history. The Monkees seemed to be made for a man like me, due to my age and era as a teenager. I watched every episode of the Monkees show as it was originally broadcast, I believe on NBC Network (this is from memory). Also, I purchased the first two Monkees albums, due to my love of the show. I quickly moved on to other aural pleasures, but alas, The Monkees never left! How a band that had the last grasps of the Brill Building aesthetic working for them, as well as being part of the Hippie world, and then this 'fake' band became a 'real' band. Not only that, they sabotaged their Monkees career by making the most post-punk film of its era "Head." It's laughable that the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame, so far, ignored them. Is there anything more rock n' roll and crazed than The Monkees?

"The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees is their fifth album and was made when the TV series was dead in 1968. In such a manner, this album is their version of The Beatles "White Album." In that, each member of the band produced their own songs, in separate studios, away from the others. Peter Tork, I believe, is not even on the album, except for the one song and hit "Daydream Believer." Still, when everything is falling apart, some exciting art does come up. The stronger cuts on the album are contributed by Michael Nesmith. His work here is psychedelic, with traces of drones and wild keyboard playing. There are seconds or maybe a whole minute where one would think that Tony Conrad or La Monte Young showed up at the sessions. The Davy Jones contributions are very Pop (with the capital P).  His head and soul are very much part of the London West-End stages, even as a rock n' roll figure on an American TV show and in real life. I miss Mickey Dolenz's voice on this album. He is singing on three songs, but for my taste, I feel Dolenz is one of the great pop/rock singers of his era and is still fantastic. I suspect that there is no such thing as a bad Mickey Dolenz vocal or track. 

"The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees" is very much a transitional work that is between their beginnings and their wandering years. Boyce and Hart contribute to their production (uncredited) and songwriting on two songs, and that reflects on the past. Nesmith is very much the present on this album. A strange record in an appealing manner. 

Kenny Graham and his Satellites: "Moondog and Suncat Suites" Vinyl, Albums, LP, Reissue, 1957/2010 (Trunk Records)

How can one avoid the great compositions by Moondog, as done by British sax player Kenny Graham with the top English Jazz musicians, and then top it off, Joe Meek was the engineer for these recording sessions. Moondog, a 20-century genius composer, an eccentric figure in Manhattan during the 1950s and 1960s, and even was a roommate of Philip Glass. Graham must be one of the few who went out of his way to record Moondog's compositions. The album is a delight, but if you are a Moondog fanatic, you may find these recordings not as wonderful as the original versions done by Moondog. Still, Kenny Graham brings these works into a very 'British' cool manner that I find intriguing. The playing and arrangements are top-notch. The second-side is all Kenny Graham compositions that are influenced by Moondog. More exotic, popish, and it does have that mid-century design of sound polish. I have two other Kenny Graham albums, and they are different in style and temperament. I suspect the more one gets into Kenny Graham, the more gems one would find. But it seems he only has a handful of recordings. There must be more out there in the world? 

Sparks - "Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins" Yellow Vinyl, Remastered, Reissued, 2xCD, 2019/1994 (BMG)

It's no secret that I'm a Sparks' fanatic. My love for this crazed duo is as immense as the oceans and deep into the distant stars. For me, there is no such thing as a bad Sparks' album, but "Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins" is one of my faves among their recorded masterpieces. There is not another haunting song as "Let's Go Surfing," or "When Do I Sing My Way." Sparks made masterpieces in the 1970s and 1980s but disappeared amid the later 80s, and returned to magnificence with the above album. 

Hardcore electro-pop, this is music made by two men, and it's a tight album with no wasted space. It's a specific and focused set of songs that focuses on some aspects of pop culture, as seen through the Mael brothers. "Gone with the Wind," Sinatra's and Sid's "My Way," Charlie Parker, The BBC, Liberace, and Hong Kong filmmaker (who is on the album as well) Tsui Hark all share space in this work. They bounce off each other, and in some sense, there is communication or sharing between these iconic figures/institutions. 

CD-1 is a compilation of remixes from "Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins." What stands out is Bernard Butler's mix of ("When I Kiss You) I Hear Charlie Parker." He adds guitar textures that give the song a different feel than the standard version. Also of great interest is their version of "Little Drummer Boy," and a great unknown Sparks song, "She's An Anchorman." What makes this reissue a must for the fan is CD-2, which is unreleased (until now) great unknown Sparks songs, which I presume was recorded around the same time as "Gratuitous Sax." 17 songs here and not one is a dud. Also noted are the songs sung by Christi Haydon. She was their live drummer in the 1990s, and it seems at one point and time, was set-up to sing the songs of Sparks. Similar to Serge Gainsbourg working with Jane Birkin/Brigitte Bardot or Lee Hazelwood's work with Nancy Sinatra. All great, especially "Katharine Hepburn," which is an unknown Sparks masterpiece song and her excellent version of The Who's (John Entwistle) "Boris the Spider." Superb packaging and music. A must for Sparks' fans, but also proof of their greatness. 

Big Star - "Radio City" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 1974/2011 (Ardent Records)

I haven't heard this album in a long time, and just tonight, I found a vinyl copy, so I thought, "OK." What's incredible is discovering how much I still love this album. The performance by Big Star on "Radio City" is energetic, powerful, and layered with guitars that pulls the listener into a concept of imagery that comes with their music. It's perfection as practiced by Jody Stephens, Andy Hummel, and of course, Alex Chilton. 

The DNA of their sound, at least for this album, is The Beatles "For Sale" or at the very least, "Revolver." But it's work that doesn't imitate the fab four sound, but more used as a platform for Alex and company to build their music on. At the time, there were a lot of power-pop bands and artists. A lot of them were good, including Cheap Trick. But I find Big Star very much on the spiritual side of the music than getting the right guitar sound, or the perfect melody arrangement. There is magic in these recordings and songs.  I think a lot has to do with the "It" quality of Alex and the band. John Fry, their engineer, really caught the essence of the sound in the studio. For some odd reason listening to this album on vinyl, it really grabbed me by the heart and head. 

The essence of Alex Chilton is here, and there is something reckless, sexy. Yet, in firm control of the material, that is his personality. I don't think there is such a thing as a 'bad' Alex performance or even album. One can like something more than the other, but his genius is to give every song he sang a distinctive quality that can only be Alex. Like hearing Bowie, or Billie Holiday, who' put a stamp on their songs cannot be imitated, Alex is in the same league as those singers. There are those who sound like students when they do this sort of music. Still, Big Star owns their material in such a manner that it is characteristic of their genius. And then there are the Bill Eggleston photos. That's brilliant, as well. 

Talk Talk - "Laughing Stock" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 2016/1991 (Polydor)

Friends of mine who have taste always recommended Talk Talk to me.  For years I have avoided hearing their music, not due to being put-off by the band, but just totally absorb into the music of my choice at the time.  It wasn't until Mark Hollis passed away this past month that I decided to make the leap and I purchased "Laughing Stock," which is I think was the last Talk Talk album.  

I was first introduced to Talk Talk in Reseda California when I worked at Licorice Pizza.  We got free tickets to see Talk Talk at a nightclub in the San Fernando Valley.  At the time, they had a hit song "Talk Talk" which I thought was strange that it was the name of the band as well.  At the time, it bothered me that they both had a song and a band name that was the same.  In my psyche, I felt that this wasn't right.  I have a faint memory of seeing them, and I think it was Holley singing lead, and then there was a bass player, keyboard, and drums.  Very minimal in that fashion.  They didn't leave a strong impression on me at the time.  What impressed me later is that they abandoned the new wave world into the moody jazz planet. Or I was told that by numerous acquaintances.

I like "Laughing Stock." I like it a lot.  My first impression is always to make a comparison of what you hear, and try to match it with another artist. In this case, it reminds me of a bit of  Steve Winwood / Traffic meeting David Sylvian solo recordings.  Talk Talk is more abstract than those two. It's hard to define their sound, which is dreamy and also free of electronics but use the recording studio in a manner that is like an additional musician in the band.  Which sounds like Eno, but Talk Talk work on a different type of canvas than Brian Eno.   

Six songs but it are easy to drift from one track to the next.  The appearance of the songs seems laid back, but there is actually bits of noise or extreme electric guitar sounds which for sure, does not make this music ambient by any means.  There's an electric Miles Davis vibe attached to the aural landscape as well.  The beauty of the music is that it's not easy to put into words, but as music, as one listens to it, the album makes excellent sense. 

The Kinks - "The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Mono, 2014/1968 (Sanctuary Records)

It took me a while, but I finally purchased a new or mint copy of the Mono edition of The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society." The sound of the record is brilliant, but what's more important is the music itself.  Clearly a masterpiece, and I think it is at that status due to its powerful images of a world that is a combination of William Makepeace Thackeray, Henry James, and a touch of Oscar Wilde. In other words, it's British, but not the lad England of Oasis but the world of English gentlemen, quiet pubs, and great inner depression.  Perhaps there is a touch of the Angry Young Men movement as well.  It's a shame that this album was never turned into a musical in London's West End.  There is no narrative, but one can quickly write the 'book' and make this an instant classic, just due to the excellence of the songs.  

I originally bought this album in the time of its original release in 1968.  I have been a somewhat consistent Kinks fan, but life in Los Angeles didn't always allow an easy route to purchase a Kinks album, even though they were on Reprise Records in America.   For one, they dropped out of the press or TV appearances, and for about six months, I totally forgot that they even existed.  I came upon this album when I lived in Topanga Canyon, and I felt like a prisoner in that area of the world.  "Village Green" unknown to me at the point of purchase, exposed me to another prison, but one in Merryland England.   My sense of alienation perfectly fitted the mood of this Kinks' album.  When I got home with the record and put it on my turntable, I think I felt tears from my eyes.  I never had a record that encouraged such an emotional response before.  It wasn't sadness exactly, but more of the fact that I too felt I lived in a village, and there is something rotten in that neighborhood.  

Also, this is very much music made by and for Dandies.  I like the cover, but I feel that it should have been a painting portrait of The Kinks, perhaps in oil, or even an image of Francis Bacon at the very least.  Still, over the years I have purchased this album in every format possible, and it was until very recently I bought the Mono mix of "Village Green."   For my ears, it sounds more punchy and forceful, and therefore I prefer the Mono to the stereo mix.  Not one wrong musical moment on this record, it's perfection as an art form, with the band performing this delicate music as an oil painting or perhaps building the village as a sculpture.  One of the remarkable albums from the 20th-century.

The Walker Brothers - "Nite Flights" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 2016/1978 (Music on Vinyl)

To follow Scott Walker's career is like traveling on a parallel universe where things look similar but are very different than things back home.   "Nite Flights" is the last album from The Walker Brothers.  I think they realize that this road is coming to a dead end, and decided to make an album that will please themselves, but also their need to explore other sounds, yet, keep The Walkers mystique in order.   In a sense, it's three solo albums in one package, with four songs by Scott, four by John Walker, and two by their 'drummer' Gary.  The big surprise is how good the Gary cuts are on this album.  "Death of Romance" and "Den Haague" have a groove, but Scott through the production gives it another dimension sonically.  I don't know the working relationship between the "brothers," but I feel that Gary was more in tune with Scott's experimentation and sense of adventure.   The John Walker cuts are OK, but the one song of his that stands out is "Rhythm of Vision" just due to the chorus hook. 

The masterpieces here are of course from Scott, and it is a blueprint of the type of music he will do in the future.   Although it seems he dropped out of releasing music for five years until his next recording "Climate of Hunter."  A lot of listeners separate the early Scott from the current Scott, but in my opinion, I think he has been consistent ever since his early work with The Walker Brothers.  He moves slow, but his thinking and art making of sounds has been consistent.  "Nite Flights" is the first 'obvious' step into making new music that is emotionally drained, dark humor, and contained in a space.  I often think of Walker's work as a piece of sonic sculpture, and here he takes the first step to make that happen.  

The way the album is set up is that you have four songs by Scott, two by Gary, and then the remaining four by John.  So physically there are two EPs by Scott and John, and a single by Gary.  The album opens up with the Scott Walker's set, and it is a collaboration in the sense that John sings along with Scott, but beyond that, the density of the recording/sounds is very much like a solo Scott album.  I feel that these four songs were very much influenced by David Bowie's "Low," in that they are pop songs, but filtered through a relentless rhythm that gives it a Claustrophobic feel with the urgent voices of Scott and John.  Probably the most well-known song here is the title cut, "Nite Flights" which Bowie covered on his album "Black Tie White Noise.  A beautiful song that seems to belong to both Bowie and Scott.  "The Electrician" is a combination of Scott's new direction, but also his later film composing.  The string section is lovely, but it does go against the darkness of the main melody, which causes tension.  And Scott Walker is the genius of music tension.  

Orange Juice "The Orange Juice (The Third Album)" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 2013/1984 (Domino)

One, and not too far in the distant past there used to be bands that were both tuneful and literary.  Scotland's Orange Juice was one of those bands, and with leader Edwyn Collins' remarkable skills as a songwriter, but also a gentleman who appreciates pop music culture from the not-so-far past, at the time of this recording, which was in 1984.   Orange Juice brings up the idea of a crooning Al Green, or some other Memphis soul artist, as well as Neil Young in his electric guitar phrase.  The combination of those two make up the sound of Orange Juice, but of course, with a very post-punk attitude.

"The Orange Juice" or sometimes known as "The Third Album" was the band's last full-length album.  And one that had only two members at the time of this recording, along with Collins there's the drummer Zeke Manyika.  "The Third Album" is produced by Dennis Bovell, who was known in the 1980s for his 'dub' production work for bands like The Slits and The Pop Group.   His work has always been dub music, but also the more experimental British bands and artists.  So, the fact that Edwyn and company are using Bowell's services is an interesting collaboration, since Orange Juice is basically a guitar-pop band, with a rather traditional manner.  Or are they?  Again, Edwyn Collins has a very Scottish white soul croon, but his lyrics are also very sophisticated in the tradition of Cole Porter and Lorenz Hart.  One can criticize his writing as being a tad post-modern in a sense his work is very much about the 'songwriting,' but he's equally skilled in putting a stunning melody along with his words.  When you add it all up, they are lovely songs about communication among lovers or a commentary on the world of Edwyn Collins.

Clearly, an artist who has a record collection, and its the love of music or certain types of pop songs that makes Orange Juice very enjoyable.  "The Orange Juice" is a solid work that is a tribute to the power of pop songs, but also an individual approach to the art as well.  

Harry Hosono and the Yellow Magic Band - "Paraiso" LP, Vinyl, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, 2018/1978 (Light in the Attic)

Haruomi Hosono, is without a doubt, one of the most important musicians/record maker in Japan.  If I have to make a comparison with a Westerner, Van Dyke Parks comes to mind.  Hosono is a producer, songwriter, founding member of YMO (Yellow Magic Orchestra) and very much a music historian.  Of course, there are other figures in Japanese pop music that are important, but Hosono is unique in that he has a perspective that is very much Japanese but also has an understanding about music from other cultures. Also, to note, he knows about outside music that influenced Japanese taste and contemporary culture.  In that sense, he's like Parks in that he knows his history and how to use it or comment on current culture by going back into the past and bringing back music, but in a different way or arrangement. 

To dwell into Hosono's world is difficult just due to the range of music he made in his career.  He went from traditional Japanese pop music to Hawaiian to rock to electro-pop, and ambient.   The unique aspect of Hosono is that each style he investigates he does so with expert knowledge and an organic manner in appreciating the different types of music. It doesn't seem to be on a 'fashionable' or surface level, but a deep appreciation of how music has traveled around the world.  It's interesting to note that Hosono uses the name Harry for these 'exotica' recordings. 

"Paraiso" is a fascinating album that bridges his interest in tropical/exotica music but entering into the electronic world by baby-steps.  Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi make their first appearance here with Hosono before they formed YMO.  So, the album is very much a journey, and it's not the destination that's important but the travel itself.  'Asatoya Yunta" is a traditional Okinawa song, but he also rips into "Fujiyama Mama," an American rockabilly song, which some may think is in rather bad taste, with respect to the bomb.  Nevertheless, with humor and wit, Hosono makes his own planet of music that connects from dot to dot.  A beautiful reissue from Light in the Attic, with a great interview in English with Hosono as an additional plus to the whole package. 

Suede - "Suede" Vinyl, Reissue, Album, 2014/1993 (Demon Records)

As mentioned before on this blog, I have been avoiding Suede for 25 years.  Usually, when I do something like that, it's for a good reason.  I here now to admit I was wrong.  They're a terrific band with solid songs.  My problem with them is that they wear their influences quite loudly, and that got on my nerves.  25 years later I read lead singer Brett Anderson's rather remarkable childhood/teenage memoir which led me to re-listen to their catalog.  I'm slowly buying up their albums on vinyl, and it's an exciting listening experience. 

Suede's first album, simply called "Suede" is a homage to both Bowie and The Smiths.  Bernard Butler, the co-writer as well as their guitarist, is a mixture of Mick Ronson and Johnny Marr.  Incredibly skillful with the many-layered sounds of his strings, I'm often drawn to his playing over the music or anything else on this album.  The music is sensual with a JG Ballard/Bowie lyrical stance of wasted young people on the verge of death or some sort of life on the boundaries of a world gone wrong.  In other words, it's a romantic work.   Mat Osman and Simon Gilbert are a terrific rhythm section, but it's really the presence of Butler and Anderson that is the first stage of Suede.   Butler does remind me of Marr in a sense they are both music geeks.  There is a formula at work, in that most of the songs reach the chorus dreamily with the phrasing and echo of Anderson's vocals.  

Beside the Brit-Pop being full of good looking lads (and ladies), all the bands of that time don't sound the same.   If I had a gun to my head, I could see traces of Pulp and Suede sharing a certain sensibility, but Jarvis Cocker is a much more realist at looking at his world.  There is nothing romantic about Pulp which is a significant part of their appeal.  Also, I believe they may have been slightly older, so therefore more experienced in the relationship department.  Suede is very teenage angst, but also on a street level.   I look back at those times and hear this album as something new to me.  

Miles Davis - "Ascender pour l'Échafaud" 3 × Vinyl, LP, 10", Album, Deluxe Edition, Limited Edition, Reissue, Remastered (2018/1958 (Fontana)

According to my current bank statement, I'm broke, yet, I couldn't help myself purchasing this three-10" disk set of the Miles Davis' definition of perfection "Ascenseur pour l'échafaud."  The Louis Malle film is fantastic of course, but the soundtrack music is one of those series of perfect aural moments.  With incredible backing from French Jazz musicians Pierre Michelot, René Urtreger, Barney Wilen, and the great American drummer Kenny Clarke.   The mood is consistent, which has traces of sadness and reflection.  The ultimate 'Modal' sounding album, it reflects the sound of a moody sea or a sense of moisture on a Parisian pavement.  

I have at least four versions of this soundtrack album.  It is consistently reissued in various formats, but my favorite is the 10" record.   Last year, they released a 10" original version, but this package includes all the outtakes throughout three discs.  For the new listener, I would suggest this above package because it sounds phenomenal, and there is not a bad or wasted cut on this album, including the extra bonus cuts.   Economically you can find a more inexpensive version, but then again, why do you want a discount of vinyl greatness?  

The album works in the early morning as well as late in the evening.  It has a purity or a sense of place that is meditative, but not background music.  Choosing a favorite Miles album is almost pointless, due to his vast recorded history.  Although, on a very subjective level, this is my favorite Miles album.  It never fails in supplying me the food I need to move on, and although I don't feel it's a spiritual work, but perhaps more of a sexual experience.   Sensuality that is the forefront, and therefore the ultimate sound of lovemaking that enters the brain.  

Paul McCartney - "Chaos and Creation in The Backyard" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 2018/2005 (Capitol)

Online I have been chatting away about the subject matter of Lennon and McCartney songs and the aspect that both of them have (or had in John's case) an incredible amount of craft in getting from point A to B.  That alone is almost if not on a genius level.  What they do lack in their solo career work is a lack of passion or doing things by the number, which again, in the hands of these two, that alone can be awarding experience.  For me, the solo work of both one time Beatle members is that without the inspiration or passion, their work suffers greatly.  On the other hand, both had or has a very long career in the music writing business.  There will be the dips and heights, and one should acknowledge that, even if they are heroes of some sort.   "Chaos and Creation in The Backyard" strikes me as a Paul masterpiece.  For one, I can feel the sadness that wraps around the voice and melodies.  There are albums such as Lennon's "Plastic Ono  Band" that hits your heart and head in an equal manner, due to its frankness and skills of putting a great collection of songs together for an album.   "Chaos and Creation" is such an album where it was either the right series of moments or a reflection that McCartney was going through at the time; nevertheless, this all added up to a superb album.

McCartney chose to work with people who were sympathetic to his heritage as well as the 'Paul' sound. Produced by long-term Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, shows a respectful but a strong hand in getting that sound perfectly, and with the addition of Joby Talbot, who worked with Divine Comedy" doing some of the string arrangements was an excellent choice as well.  Talbot is the contemporary walking version of Baroque Pop sounds.  He did remarkable work with Divine Comedy, and his light touch on the arrangements is very sympathetic to the McCartney aesthetic.  Paul had outside help, but it's mostly him on most of the instrumentation on the album, and it doesn't have the first solo album feel, but still, when he's devoted to a recording, it comes clear that he is working fully with his talent and vision.  

McCartney is very much a collaborative artist.  Still, he sometimes falls behind the wrong people in recordings, especially in his solo years.  Godrich, I think pushed him for excellence, and I have read that their relationship was tense, or that could be just gossip.  What I do hear is an artist who is pushing himself in a manner that is frank, but skilled with brilliant musical skills and chops to convey a world that is sad and reflective.  In other words, "Chaos and Creation" is very much a middle-aged man's type of record.  Not far off from Frank Sinatra's brilliant "September of My Years."  It's an album of deep feeling but with the light and upbeat melodies of songs such as "Fire Line," "Promise To You Girl," or the beautiful rumba ballad "A Certain Softness."  There is a range of feelings, but all of them looking back in a manner that comes with age and experience.  Some sections remind me of The Beatles "Revolver" where I feel certain songs "Promise To You Girl" or "A Certain Softness" comes to mind, that would fit perfectly in that Beatle album.  This is not nostalgia, but an artist working with what he has, which of course, is remarkable.  At the moment in my life, this is my favorite Paul McCartney album.  

Joe Meek and The Blue Men - "I Hear A New World" LP, Album, Reissue, Italy, 1991/1960 (RPM Vinyl)

"I Hear A New World" is a masterpiece.  When I first heard the album, around 1989, I was living in Japan, which at the time, was indeed living in a world that seemed so familiar to me through films and books, yet a new world.  Not saying that Japan is another version of outer space, but to my sensibility and aesthetic, it indeed was an out-of-space and mental landscape.   Joe Meek's half-exotica (or the space-age) and Musique Concrete, with a touch of pop melodies, is a strange hybrid of science and the imagination.

Meek made this album after his odd career as an engineer for a large recording company, which mentally and aesthetically he didn't fit in.  He wrote and recorded "I Hear A New World" in a London apartment (Flat) in 1960.  Mostly made of tape reels and experimentation with speed, both slowing and speeding up the tape, as well as recording odd effects such as the toilet being flushed and so forth.   The Blue Men were a Rhythm and Blues outfit that had strange instrumentation when they added a Hawaiian steel guitar to their mix.  A weird mixture of Western and R n B and Meek had the genius even to advance that sound to another galaxy.   The leader of the band, Rod Freeman, helped Meek with his compositions by transforming it into 'songs.'  The Meek method was him humming the melody either in person or on a tape.  The fact that Meek was tone-deaf added more work for Freeman as the music arranger.  After that, it's Joe Meek 100%.

When I first heard these recordings in 1989, I thought it was music made by a madman.  Re-listening to the album very recently, I conclude that it's a remarkable piece of work.  Composition wise as well as how he brilliantly uses sound and shapes the aural like a magnificent sculpture in front of clay or steel.  The thing with Meek, since he did work independently by choice, away from the mainstream recording industry, he truly wanted to have hits and be commercial. He succeeds it at times, but he lived the life of an outside artist, due to his homosexuality (illegal in the UK during his lifetime) and temperament, which was on the violent side.  He eventually had no separation of home life and studio work, since he lived and worked in the same space.   The Meek world is one of a small apartment in Northern London.   The compressed sound he makes is not really of a world that is open, but in actuality very closed and almost locked up in a mixture of security concerns and paranoia.  "I Hear A New World" is although about outer-space, it is more in tune with Meek's life in London at the time.  Closed off from the mainstream culture, he invented a workspace where he can fully expose his demons, dreams, and sensuality.

"I Hear A New Year" if you were not aware that Meek did it, one would easily think it was a Pierre Henry piece of music in parts.  Total "Musique Concrete" that is both experimental and expressing a mood of otherness.  It is only when the melodies kick in that you realize it's a work by Meek, but still, the album is more avant-garde than a pop release. Especially for the year of its partly release in 1960.   Meek only released vol 1 on a 7" 45 rpm disc during his lifetime.

The one album that comes to mind while listening to this Meek album is Brian Eno's "Another Green World."  Both artists use the studio as a recording instrument, and both, I think could visualize another world through their sounds.  Eno's album was made in 1975, and although he never credits Joe Meek, I find it difficult to believe that he wasn't aware of "I Hear A New World."  Listening to both albums - side-by-side, "Another Green World" is the brother or sister (nephew or Niece) to "I Hear A New World."   Eno's world is more inner, and Meek's sounds are approaching the sky above and beyond, but still, both are a very contained and cut-off world of sorts. "Another Green World," I think is Eno's best album of 'pop' songs, and Meek's album is another masterpiece of its time and place.  For me, "I Hear A New World" due to the optimism of the space age, it's a painful work to look back on, considering Meek's suicide and murdering (or shooting accident) his landlady in his studio/living space.  

Scott Walker - "Scott" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 2008 (4 Men With Beards)

Probably one of the most unique artists that appeared in the 20th century.   Scott Walker is a remarkable singer of course, but what is even more interesting is that he's a singer that was placed in the teenage world of England and Europe, and as an American who has a strong taste in European culture, that goes beyond being a mere fan.  If one can transform oneself into another being or spirit, Scott Walker succeeds greatly.  

"Scott" is the first of many albums, and although he only wrote three songs out of the 12 cuts, each one has his stamp or personality tattoed on the grooves.  For one, it is a mature work done by a young man.  While Mick & Keith were concerned about getting a "Connection" or the Fab Four reflecting on Lovely Rita, Scott was meditating on "My Death."   For a pop album of that period, 1967, it must have stood out like a diseased object, swelling with strings and orchestration, and then Scott's voice cutting through the arrangements like a hot knife cutting bread.    One can compare his work at the time with the Sinatra world of the 1950s, specifically his ballad albums, but the truth is Scott's take is more internal, private, and of course, angst.  

None of the covers on this album are obvious.  Even though they are written by classic songwriters like Mann/Weil, Wayne Shanklin, and Andre Previn, it's mostly unknown material, at least to my knowledge and ears.  The big discovery here is both his Jacques Brel obsession, and one of the first singers to dwell into his work in English, and his songwriting.  "Montague Terrace (In Blue)," "Such a Small Love," and "Always Coming Back to You" sound like classic songwriting from an earlier era.  He has nothing in common with his age group of fellow writers.  Scott comes from an alternative universe, and listening to "Scott" is still a discovery of something new that seems to come from an imagined past. 

Kraftwerk - "Trans-Europe Express" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 1980/1977 (Capital)

If someone approached me and said: "Kraftwerk is the most important band in the world," I would not dispute that.  In fact, I may agree with that mysterious someone.   I discovered Kraftwerk when "Autobahn" came out, but it was "Trans-Europe Express" that changed everything.   For one, they were the first band to me that didn't come from America or England.  They were hardcore German.  They looked German, sounded German, and the traces I picked up were European classical music, with a touch of Musique Concrete.  No blues, or Beach Boys which I think was an influence on their previous album.

I remember showing this album cover to my German (Hamburg born) grandmother, and she said: "ah, they look like young men from my youth."    "Trans-Europe Express" was my first gateway to a European aesthetic.  I admired European films, but this was (sort of) my contemporary entrance to the European aesthetic.  When I went to Europe for a huge traveling trip, it was Kraftwerk's music on this album that served as a soundtrack to my adventures in Italy, Germany, France and the UK.  At times when I was in Munich, I wasn't sure if what I was seeing was truly my experience, or I was re-living the imagery from "Trans-Europe Express."

There are many brilliant artists in the pop music world, but Kraftwerk seemed to me another or unique version of genius at play.   The icy perfection of their image/music (the same thing for me) as well as the beautiful melodies, made a huge dent in how I saw the world.   I love other Kraftwerk albums, especially "Radio-Activity," but "Trans-Europe Express" is my sonic version of someone else's "On The Road," or another romantic literary title.   Once bitten, you've changed.  Kraftwerk was the bite that keeps on giving.

King Crimson - "In The Court of the Crimson King" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 1969/2010 (Discipline Global Mobile)

By its reputation, I should be naturally hating this album.  If not ground zero for prog-rock aesthetics, it's at the very least very close to that dangerous neighborhood.  As a 1960s popster with touches of French avant-garde Musique Concrete, and a feel for a great torch song here and there, logic would tell you that I should remain far away from "In The Court of the Crimson King." In fact, I never wanted to be in any court of any sort, especially one attached to King Crimson.  But alas, I'm a prejudiced soul!

I have been curious about this album for decades now.  As mentioned in another commentary on King Crimson, I admired Robert Fripp as a guitarist and his work with David Bowie, Eno, among others.   Still, is it possible for me to ever love or like a song called "I Talk to the Wind?"  Or worse yet, "Moonchild?"  The odds were even against this ever ending up in my home or on my turntable.  But under a weak moment, and perhaps the effect of wine, I purchased this album, due to curiosity, but also the fact that it's almost impossible to hear this album in its entirety online.  That I find is admirable.   If I want to hear it properly, I'm going to have to get the credit card out, and deal with the fallout if that's the case may be.   I did, and I kind of love "In The Court of the Crimson King."

To be honest, at the height of the FM radio years I loved to hear the song "In the Court of the Crimson King."  I'm a total sucker for the grand over-the-top melody, and when one adds a mellotron to the mix, it's a guilty pleasure.  Still, listening to the entire album, and looking at the credits, I was shocked that Fripp didn't write or co-write the actual "In the Court..." song!  Also, the big ballad "I Talk to the Wind" was written by its' multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald and lyricist Peter Sinfield, who produced the first and great Roxy Music album.  It is actually through Roxy that I started to change my mind about Crimson, in that I realized that they shared similar roots and characters.  Still, the big masterpiece by King Crimson and Fripp had nothing to do with it, on a songwriting level is a shock to me. 

As an album, "In the Court..." is extremely well-paced, and the band knows something about avoiding excess, and still manage to bring out different sides of the band/work.  Side one starts off with the killer riff of "21st Century Schizoid Man" and leads perfectly to "I Talk to the Wind," and then the final cut on that side "Epitaph" (must they always have pretentious titles). This is a perfect example of economy, pace, and seducing the listener to their world.  Greg Lake is a good singer, and anyone who can sing those lyrics by Sinfield, alone, is a magnificent effort. 

Side two of the album, compared to the first, is more interesting. "Moonchild" is free-form playful music that leads up to the swelling and majestically structured "In the Court of the Crimson King."   The other surprising aspect of this album is that I always have the sound of the mellotron was attached to Fripp, but according to the credits on the record, it's McDonald who plays the instrument.  King Crimson is always a band that collaborates with all the musicians, in all forms of Crimson.  Fripp is the mainstay, but one can't underestimate the contributions from the other members of the band.  If there is another active music force on this group/album, it's for sure McDonald.  Lake comes through on his own, and the drumming of Michael Giles is solid. 

In conclusion, I'm now buying all the early King Crimson albums, for the purpose to explore whatever my taste is or was.  It is something that I can't imagine I would have done in the past, but still, there were signs of this to come. My best friend in the 1970s was very much into King Crimson and a mega-Eno fan.  He liked Fripp/Crimson first, which led him to Roxy/Eno world. That always stayed on my mind, even after all these years.