Some people have way too much time on their hands, or maybe they just prioritise differently. I’m sure that plenty of people out there would think that spending 12 hours a week cycling is a bit excessive. I can tell you that now and then it feels that way but not often! But what I’m referring to in the clumsy beginning to this week’s ramble is the following website: http://www.bobdylanisis.com/contents/en-uk/d94.html
Whilst trying to gain a better appreciation for Bob Dylan I stumbled across this site. As a result I’ve organised a mono copy of “Highway 61 Revisited” to check out. I’ve been listening to the stereo mix this week but I’ll let it stew in my brain a while longer before reporting back.
The exciting news this week is that H found his Desert Island Discs list (the one that I lost in a fit of laptop rebuilding). Now, H couldn’t survive with just a CD of his favourite tunes so he delivered a list of essential albums! Fair enough, I can work with that. After all, with today’s MP3 technology you could fit them all on one CD anyway. So here we go, 10 albums.
Glenn Campbell – Ghost on the Canvas. I couldn’t agree more. I read about this album and just had to buy it. When it arrived I was astounded at how good his voice sounded as well as at the poignancy of the tunes given his Alzheimer’s. Even if you’re not a country music fan it would be hard not to be both impressed and moved by this album. This next track is right up there for me with Johnny Cash’s version of “Hurt”.
Glen Campbell – A Better Place (2011) - http://youtu.be/JMh78jF-fMQ
Johnny Marr – The Messenger. Many of you will know Johnny from his rather famous band, “The Smiths”. I don’t like them. But I do like the work he did with Billy Bragg. The Messenger is his first solo album and all the reviews I have read are quite positive. I’ve played one of his tracks before on the show here and I’ll go back and listen to the whole album before too long. Here’s some guitar Brit-Pop for you all…
Johnny Marr – Upstarts (2013) - http://youtu.be/LLOlo2zYqt8
Peter Hammill – Fireships. Peter should be familiar to any prog-rock fans out there as a member of Van Der Graaf Generator. Given that I know next to nothing about his work I’ll defer to the internets for my research. He’s certainly prolific with 35 studio album from 1971 till the present. Check out a track with me and see what you think…
Peter Hammill – I Will Find You (1992) - http://youtu.be/DEbdbYYQkr4
Hole – Celebrity Skin. Courtney Love does write a good tune and she isn’t scared of a little publicity. This track has a great rock and roll guitar sound as well as a healthy dose of attitude. Joining the writing team of Love along with her guitarist Erik Erlandson is the Smashing Pumpkin’s Billy Corgan.
Hole – Celebrity Skin (1998) - http://youtu.be/O3dWBLoU--E
Ronnie Wood – Got My Own Album To Do. Ronnie has been a Rolling Stone since 1975 and he’ll be here in Australia touring with them in 2014. As I’ve mentioned before one of their more recent DVDs has either a very strange mix and video timeline or there is someone else out the back playing the guitar that we can’t see. Would I go and see them? Probably not. Should Stones fans go? Absolutely. Mick is 70 so you have to wonder how long they can keep it going. But, back to Ronnie. This album is his first solo outing and being from 1974 it is pre-Stones. Some great musicians appear on it including Keith Richards, Ian McLagan, George Harrison and David Bowie. Jagger’s on there too as is Rod Stewart.
Ron Wood – Far East Man (1974) - http://youtu.be/jsdYGdg-ayw
Verbow – White Out. H introduced me to Verbow earlier this year. Jason Narducy who plays in the band also plays with Bob Mould so that’s the link used to get me listening! If you like Sugar, The Lemonheads or cellos then this should be on your list.
Verbow – New History (2000) - http://youtu.be/B1h-QObKiZk
Foxy Shazam – Welcome To The Church of Rock n Roll. This one is my fault. I gave H the CD and I’m really glad he liked it. I’ve featured Foxy Shazam before and no doubt I will again. It’s a wonderfully fun blend of Queen, The Darkness, Elton John, KISS, Iggy Pop and Meatloaf. The only thing that annoys me about it is the cigarette on the album cover. Rock on.
Foxy Shazam – I Like It (2012) - http://youtu.be/Rq3hyX99nbg
Cheap Trick – Rockford. This is a 2006 outing from Cheap Trick named after their hometown in Illinois. H reckons it is arguably their best album. I’ve always thought that Cheap Trick were pretty cool. They have tons of groovy guitars and they write a good rock ‘n’ roll song. When I was younger I used to mix up Robin Zander and Tom Petty though. And whilst it’s cheesy I’ve always been a big fan of their cover of Elvis’ “Don’t Be Cruel”. This is the single from “Rockford”..
Cheap Trick – Welcome to the World (live)(2010) - http://youtu.be/Ni03BRFN8Q8
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Push The Sky Away. Yeah, I really don’t know about this one. I like Nick and his schtick but this album left me feeling a little, well, blah. Maybe it’s one I need to spend more time with. If H likes it then it’s worth another try without a doubt. Certainly a quick read of snippets from reviews reveals that “it is not a work to be appreciated casually” (Randall Roberts in the LA Times). Time for a serious listen…soon. This song is dark and brooding but there’s a light touch in the instrumentation which resonates with me.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Jubilee Street (2013) - http://youtu.be/G6rTZe6gtS8
So there you have it, an eclectic mix for a desert island from my good friend H. I’m looking forward to discussing some of these in person with him as well as playing a few in the band….you never know!
To finish up, it’s a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Dad. He’s my major musical influence so I better play a tune just for him.
Tom Paxton with Pete Seeger – Ramblin’ Boy (1965) - http://youtu.be/IVCdAIMdoxs
DJ Rob
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