Orange Juice - "You Can't Hide Your Love Forever" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 2014/1982 (Domino)

Orange Juice was a band from Scotland and was the leading light on the independent Scottish label Postcard.  First of all, no other group was cuter than Orange Juice.  The four young men were all pin-up material, and Edwyn Collins their 'perhaps' leader was striking in his pouty sensual lips and hair over one eye.   Their music was guitar driven but layered and extremely textural. It hints of the band Television, but to me, I hear two other groups influences on their first album "You Can't Hide Your Love Forever."   They are The Velvet Underground, and the other is The Feelies. 

To be specific The Velvets intimate third album, due to the intimacy of their sound, but also the beautiful guitar playing by Sterling Morrison and Lou Reed.  There is the conversational quality of Reed's lyrics that are very much part of Collins' writing as well.  Lou is direct, and Edwyn has a touch of Noel Coward commenting on a relationship in disaster or changed by circumstances.  With respect to The Feelies, and I'm specifically talking about their first album, I hear the interplay of the guitars that build up and then there's a melodic part that opens up the music in a fashion that is beautiful and feminine.  Which is an odd thing to say about a guitar band of all young guys, but there is a strong sense of not power, but the surge of melodies that come through like a sun breaking through the clouds. 

Elvis Presley - "The King In The Ring" 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, 2018 (RCA)

Released in many formats, this is a very recent re-release of Elvis Presley's incredible performance on his NBC-TV special from 1968.  At this point, Elvis was a figure from the past, who made too many mediocre films, and this was an approach to bring him back to contemporary culture.  Either by Elvis or the producers, they had the brilliant idea to do a set of songs unplugged and little to no sets, but surrounded by an audience.   

Covering his Sun-era recordings as well as his early 1950s RCA sides, plus a few Christmas songs (including one of my fave Elvis cuts "Blue Christmas"), he's not only back, but also to my ears has the energy of a young proto-punk band.  The Cramps came to mind when I hear this album, and it's not that weird of a comparison or aesthetic.  The sad thing is that Elvis regained his 'moment' but then lost it in the 1970s, at least image-wise.   Often bloated, but I would argue his magnificent voice never failed him.   Now, I wonder if Elvis actually had made a bad record?  Weak ones, yes, but a terrible record?  Still, clad in an all-leather outfit, and an f**K you to 1960s haircut and stance, he's magnificent. 

For one, to see him with his band is like being in a foreign country to me.  It's William Faulkner coming to life, and the happy relationship between him and the group, is very much like a small club where the membership is secret, and although he and they are human, it is still very much of a foreign culture.  But that's me, the ultimate Southern California fellow!  If The Cramps are exotic then so is "The King In The Ring."  It's a double album, of two live sets recorded for the TV special.  The idea was to film both shows and then edit the songs together for the final program.  So, as a listener, we are hearing repeated but different performances such as Jimmy Reed's "Baby What You Want Me To Do" (five times) "One Night (three times) and so forth.  Each version has its charms, and all are phenomenal.  

The band is basically the original Elvis group of Scotty Moore and drummer D. J. Fontana (playing on a guitar case used as drums), Charlie Hodge guitar and backup vocals, and two Memphis Mafia guys on percussion.  It's a superb band, with Elvis on guitar, and that remarkable voice that cuts down all sense of fakeness, yet theatrical in its presence.  Elvis was a unique artist, where his landscape turned against him, yet, among the rubble, he came out like a pauper King.  These recordings are my favorite Elvis.  It's up there with the Sun Records, but also I like them even better than the RCA early 50s recordings.   They're loose, and he's on fire.

Annette Peacock - "I'm The One" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Remastered, 2016/1972 (Light in the Attic)

I I have heard of Annette Peacock's name through the ECM Jazz world as well as with the David Bowie world.  The first time I heard Peacock's music is through Mick Ronson's two solo albums where he recorded her "I'm The One," "Seven Days" (as a bonus cut on a Japanese issued CD), and to my surprise Peacock's arrangement of Elvis' "Love Me Tender."  I didn't realize that until I heard "I'm The One" album for the first time a few days ago.   In many ways, the missing link between Bowie and Mick Ronson, and also long-term keyboard player Mike Garson is on this album as well.  Perhaps he was the bridge between her and Bowie/Ronson.

One hear traces of future Bowie music in her work.  Specifically "Young Americans" era Bowie, but also even on his later work from the end of the century "Hours" he borrows a section from "I'm The One."  Peacock's album is pretty amazing, due to the mixture of her version of soul, experimentation with the Moog, and singing that is borderline Yoko Ono range.   Her husband Paul Bley and others add a jazzy quality that redefines the border of the music categories that are on this album.  Her version of "Love Me Tender" is a minimal take of the song, and again, Ronson basically borrowed his version on her vision of the song. 

To my ears, this is very much the sound of New York City in the 1970s, where the song format is stretched into other possibilities, and it still sounds fresh with its mixture of Sly Stone funk, and the sound of the Moog coming in and out of the mix.  A remarkable album. 

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.  

Bob Dylan - "Blood on the Tracks" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1975 (Columbia)

The great thing about Bob Dylan is that it's almost impossible to write or discuss him without losing the iconic stance he has on pop culture.  From day one it seems Dylan was made to be great, especially when he changed his name from Zimmerman to Dylan.  In my world, Dylan is very much the pop entertainer and more in tune to someone like David Bowie than the 1960s Folk Music scene. He used the landscape, like Bowie using whatever he read or saw, but the truth is, both characters made themselves up to be what they are - not only great songwriters but a theatrical presentation as well. 

"Blood on the Tracks" is often seen as a personal work by Dylan.  Perhaps due to his divorce or the after-effects of the separation that took place at the time of the recordings.  One can fish into the words of these songs for a clue, but I suspect that Dylan doesn't think in that manner.  A bad incident or day for him is a springboard of imagination and various narrations, and at the end of the day, Dylan wants to tell a tale that will be enjoyed, and therefore he's more of a music hall performer than a raw rock n' roll soul.  Dylan is not a journalist, but more of a short story writer, with an incredible amount of details in his narratives.  "Blood on the Tracks" as an album, can probably be made into a film, or a narrative novel. 

Oddly enough, it was only a week ago that I heard this album as a whole piece.  Before that, it is just what I heard on the radio, and there are favorite songs here: "Tangled Up in Blue," Simple Twist of Fate," and of course, "Idiot Wind." Listening to side one of "Blood on the Tracks" is similar to listening to a greatest hits album.  It's interesting to hear this work as an album, instead of separate songs.  All stand by themselves, but the mood that runs through the collection is consistent, and there is no 'loose' cannon here, it all fits like a well-designed puzzle. 

"Idiot Wind" stands out because it is so angry, or I should say the character in the song is angry, yet, the humor is very tongue-in-cheek.  One can think it's a song from a psycho killer.   On the other hand, it may be my favorite Dylan vocal.  The way Dylan sings he reminds me of Lotte Lenya, in a very Bertolt Brecht method of separating the listener from the emotion, and one hears the intelligence behind the words. The character is angry, but the song itself is not furious.  There is a distance between the character in the song and what he's singing about.  His technique makes the words sting, because of its setting.  Dylan looks at his songs like a scientist looking at an object in a test tube.  There is a strong sense of objectivity, and for the listener, it's a subjective experience, as well as presuming that the character in the song is causally commenting on the 'facts.'

A very melodic record, and oddly enough it reminds me of the softer material on the  Rolling Stones' "Aftermath."  Only in texture, not in the style of songwriting, but one could imagine the Stones doing a version of "Idiot Wind."  There's real beauty between Dylan's voice and the strumming of the guitar, and the minimalist organ.   It's beautifully recorded by engineer veteran Phil Ramone, which brings to mind Sinatra's great ballad albums he made for Capitol Records in the 1950s.   Dylan takes from the past, and he manages to twist it in the fashion of a Teddy Boy using Edwardian design to say something new.   A great album. 

Popera Cosmic - "Les Esclaves" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1969/2018 (Finders Keepers)

Going into the world of Popera Cosmic is like going into a strange foreign neighborhood without a proper map.  I want to say Popera Cosmic is a band, but it feels more like a theatrical experience than a rock band.  What I do know is that the music is arranged by William Sheller, a noted musician/songwriter in France, but unknown outside of French-speaking countries.  The producer (or 'artistic direction') is Jean Eckian, and the rock band is the French progressive rock group, Alice.  Beyond that, it's still a mystery to me.  Still, there is something wonderful about French psychedelic rock, in that when it's trippy, it's really a trip. 

The opening track "Les Esclaves" sounds like a free-form version of The Doors' "Hello, I love You."  "Batman" is what you think it is, but again, approached in a trippy manner that's all nuances and of course, like every song or piece on this album, a groover in the ultimate groove sense of the word.  In such a manner, it reminds me of Gil Evans working with Miles Davis,  that there are two separates thinking patterns at work.  Alice is doing what they are doing, but working in a conceptual model.  I keep thinking that this is a musical like "Hair" but somehow failed to make it big. Still, if one is into French arrangement music, for instance, Jean-Claude Vannier, or admire the conceptual albums of Serge Gainsbourg, one is going to find "Les Esclaves" a fascinating album. 

"Philadelphie Story" is a remarkable and haunting ballad that comes out of nowhere on this album.  They don't make songs like this in the 21st-century.  It's lush but goes with this gorgeous orchestration with the lone female backup vocal that brings everything back to Earth.  "La Chanson du Liévre de Mars" is a mixture of Love era "Forever Changes" mixed with a slow build up of the chorus which is "Whee."   Recorded in 1969, this is very much an album of that era, but that's a great thing.  Listening to Popera Cosmic (they only made this one album) is to marvel the skills and visions of the arranger William Sheller.   It goes from camp to sweet melodies, and it's a bizarre mixture of what can be a soundtrack to a soft-porn film, or a big budgeted counter-cultural (French-style of course) musical.  My favorite album of the year. 

Serge Gainsbourg - "Théâtre des Capucines" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 2018 (Jeanne Dielman)

A very important, and therefore a priceless document of Serge Gainsbourg's French nightclub performance in the year 1963.   Gainsbourg never had that awkward moment when he wasn't a genius.   Backed by a stand-up bass and an electric guitar, Gainsbourg covers his iconic 'jazz-like' songs, such as "Intoxicated Man," "Maxim's," and the ultimate ballad of all-time, "La Javanaise." In my opinion, there are better eras for Gainsbourg than others, and I think most of the listeners who live outside of France, probably prefer the Jane Birkin/Bardot recordings.  Which is understandable, because they are great songs, but I tend to fancy the jazz-era Serge.   I feel he was at the height of his songwriting skills, and he knew how to convey complex feelings into what seems to be like a love song.  In truth, he is expanding those emotions to express a world-view of the landscape that humorous, but also deadly serious at the same time. 

This was the tour before he released his album "Confidentiel," which this live album is a reflection of that official studio recording.  The sound is not that different due to the simple set-up of the guitar (Elek Bacsik), bass (Michel Gaudry), and voice.   Gainsbourg is not known as a great singer, but the truth is, he's unique, which makes him a superb vocalist, especially in the early years of his music career.   For me, this live album is like listening to The Beatles at the Cavern, or The Heartbreakers at CBGB's.  Not only is the band of great importance, but even more so, the theater or concert all.  Gainsbourg didn't tour much.  He did tour during the late 50s to early 1960s, and then again, in the 1980s.  One gathers that he preferred to be in the studio or composing than being in front of an audience.  Still, he never lost his iconic cool, and "Thêâtre des Capucines" captures an important moment in the Serge Gainsbourg world. 

Like the mysterious record label Doxy, Jeanne Dielman seems to be a European record label that specializes in re-issues of recordings that somehow fell between the cracks of copyright laws.  Therefore many of their releases are in limited editions.   I gather that the sound source came from digital or the medium of the CD.  Still, the packaging and sound are good.