Here we all are again for another exciting instalment of the World Wide Woozle. Music to engage, motivate and perhaps irritate; who knows. Whether it's the soundtrack to your life or a tune that leads you elsewhere I hope that you enjoy this episode.
Let's start with the two albums from the "100 albums you must own on vinyl". Mathematics was never my strongest subject, in fact my Year 12 teacher was amazed that I passed. So was I. With 52 weeks in a year and 100 albums to get through it seems as though one a week won't be enough. Accordingly, this week I spent time with two long players. Here we go…
Album 3/100 - Stevie Wonder - Songs In The Key Of Life
For the rest of the episode I'd like to play you a few tracks that I will refer to as "guilty pleasures". They're probably never going to be the critics' choices but they're the ones I like to sing along to in the car. What I'm saying is that these are songs that make me feel good.
Firstly, Diana Ross' "Chain Reaction". This is a killer track with all the hallmarks of an 80s Motown hit. You get the flawless vocals, epic key changes and a huge chorus. This one was playing at the coffee shop I was at with DJ ZedBoots today and I was nodding my head and humming the tune for the rest of the day.
Diana Ross - Chain Reaction - https://youtu.be/X_9N1u19Gus
Van Halen's classic album, "1984", was released this week in (you guessed it) 1984. 35 years on it still stands the test of time as one of their finest. I think the self titled release is their best followed by "5150". I'll let others fight out who the best singer is. I like them both. "1984" is definitely an album to play in the car. It's the sound of a great party on a warm evening bottled up and released on vinyl. This is my favourite track…
Van Halen - Panama - https://youtu.be/fuKDBPw8wQA
Fans of the TV comedy, "The Young Ones" and "Bottom" will understand my love for the band Bad News. They're so bad that they're good. They released an album and a single in the 80s as well as appearing at Donington's Monsters of Rock festival. If low brow humour including loads of toilet jokes, swearing and general hilarity are your thing then get a copy of Bad News. Truth be told, if you've ever been in a band there's no doubt you'll identify with a lot of what goes on! It's on Spotify too. Extra points if you can guess the guest guitarist on this track without phoning a friend or Googling…no-one else sounds like him.
Bad News - Drink 'Til I Die - https://youtu.be/5Angg8rJlDI
I don't often dream of being the frontman in a band but this is one song that makes me wish I had the pipes to do so. One we never played in Junk Sculpture's run of Oil's shows but that I'd love to do if we ever did a reunion show. Check out the hard tremolo effect on the guitar at the start - such an iconic Oils sound.
Midnight Oil - Armistice Day (live) - https://youtu.be/nNVCR39dX0o
Lastly; Steve Earle. "Guitar Town" was, and is, an album that inspires me. For a major label debut it is almost flawless. Great songs, well recorded and delivered with hunger and conviction. Whilst I have a soft spot for almost all of Steve's work, this album is particularly special. It's one that has helped dig me out of some deep holes in the past. "But when my boots hit the boards I'm a brand new man, with my back to the riser I make my stand"
Steve Earle - Guitar Town - https://youtu.be/AINUPFbFpqg
And just in case you were looking for something new this week…a song of genuine beauty and gentleness. These guys went to the same school as me, just a bit more recently!
Wolf and Willow - Into The Night - https://youtu.be/yEGXHMz01kc
Rock on Brothers and Sisters,
Rob
Let's start with the two albums from the "100 albums you must own on vinyl". Mathematics was never my strongest subject, in fact my Year 12 teacher was amazed that I passed. So was I. With 52 weeks in a year and 100 albums to get through it seems as though one a week won't be enough. Accordingly, this week I spent time with two long players. Here we go…
Album 3/100 - Stevie Wonder - Songs In The Key Of Life
Not having ever been a huge fan of Stevie's work I wasn't totally sure what to expect. Would it be super cool and funky a la "Superstition" and "Higher Ground" or would I be doomed to an hour or so of schmaltzy, easy listening love songs like "I Just Called To Say I Love You". Both would be a fair answer. I must admit that after the first two tracks I was ready to call off the 100 albums challenge in favour of having needles stuck in my groin but I persevered. And a good thing I did as track 3 is an absolute gem. There's a lot going on musically for the not so casual listener. Stevie's wonderfully busy keyboard skills are on show as is his harmonica playing. For me though the album isn't particularly cohesive. There are definitely lyrical themes that make their way into many tracks and they certainly add a lot of impact. But overall I didn't enjoy it as an album. Plenty of good songs and a few easy listening fillers.
Stevie Wonder - Village Ghetto Land - https://youtu.be/sGOQTRvVaYo
Stevie Wonder - Village Ghetto Land - https://youtu.be/sGOQTRvVaYo
Album 4/100 - The Jam - Sound Affects
My method for choosing albums out of the book is to flick through the pages with my eyes closed and wherever it opens I'm stuck with. Sound Affects was the fifth out of six albums for The Jam. I've always thought of the band as an arty version of punk and this album reinforces that. You get the energy of contemporaries like Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks and the like with a wider range of sounds and lyrical content. I thought that many of the tracks on Sound Affects would be at home on a record by The Clash. The production is excellent and the bass in particular was a highlight for me providing an excellent counterpoint to the guitar and vocals. The well known track, "That's Entertainment" is on this LP but it almost doesn't fit in. I certainly enjoyed this record (I'd never heard it before) and wouldn't hesitate to go back to it.
The Jam - Set The House Ablaze - https://youtu.be/dv7_p7c19VM
My method for choosing albums out of the book is to flick through the pages with my eyes closed and wherever it opens I'm stuck with. Sound Affects was the fifth out of six albums for The Jam. I've always thought of the band as an arty version of punk and this album reinforces that. You get the energy of contemporaries like Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks and the like with a wider range of sounds and lyrical content. I thought that many of the tracks on Sound Affects would be at home on a record by The Clash. The production is excellent and the bass in particular was a highlight for me providing an excellent counterpoint to the guitar and vocals. The well known track, "That's Entertainment" is on this LP but it almost doesn't fit in. I certainly enjoyed this record (I'd never heard it before) and wouldn't hesitate to go back to it.
The Jam - Set The House Ablaze - https://youtu.be/dv7_p7c19VM
For the rest of the episode I'd like to play you a few tracks that I will refer to as "guilty pleasures". They're probably never going to be the critics' choices but they're the ones I like to sing along to in the car. What I'm saying is that these are songs that make me feel good.
Firstly, Diana Ross' "Chain Reaction". This is a killer track with all the hallmarks of an 80s Motown hit. You get the flawless vocals, epic key changes and a huge chorus. This one was playing at the coffee shop I was at with DJ ZedBoots today and I was nodding my head and humming the tune for the rest of the day.
Diana Ross - Chain Reaction - https://youtu.be/X_9N1u19Gus
Van Halen's classic album, "1984", was released this week in (you guessed it) 1984. 35 years on it still stands the test of time as one of their finest. I think the self titled release is their best followed by "5150". I'll let others fight out who the best singer is. I like them both. "1984" is definitely an album to play in the car. It's the sound of a great party on a warm evening bottled up and released on vinyl. This is my favourite track…
Van Halen - Panama - https://youtu.be/fuKDBPw8wQA
Fans of the TV comedy, "The Young Ones" and "Bottom" will understand my love for the band Bad News. They're so bad that they're good. They released an album and a single in the 80s as well as appearing at Donington's Monsters of Rock festival. If low brow humour including loads of toilet jokes, swearing and general hilarity are your thing then get a copy of Bad News. Truth be told, if you've ever been in a band there's no doubt you'll identify with a lot of what goes on! It's on Spotify too. Extra points if you can guess the guest guitarist on this track without phoning a friend or Googling…no-one else sounds like him.
Bad News - Drink 'Til I Die - https://youtu.be/5Angg8rJlDI
I don't often dream of being the frontman in a band but this is one song that makes me wish I had the pipes to do so. One we never played in Junk Sculpture's run of Oil's shows but that I'd love to do if we ever did a reunion show. Check out the hard tremolo effect on the guitar at the start - such an iconic Oils sound.
Midnight Oil - Armistice Day (live) - https://youtu.be/nNVCR39dX0o
Lastly; Steve Earle. "Guitar Town" was, and is, an album that inspires me. For a major label debut it is almost flawless. Great songs, well recorded and delivered with hunger and conviction. Whilst I have a soft spot for almost all of Steve's work, this album is particularly special. It's one that has helped dig me out of some deep holes in the past. "But when my boots hit the boards I'm a brand new man, with my back to the riser I make my stand"
Steve Earle - Guitar Town - https://youtu.be/AINUPFbFpqg
And just in case you were looking for something new this week…a song of genuine beauty and gentleness. These guys went to the same school as me, just a bit more recently!
Wolf and Willow - Into The Night - https://youtu.be/yEGXHMz01kc
Rock on Brothers and Sisters,
Rob
"....this is where I come from...this land is mine...", This Land Is Mine, Gary Clark Jr., 2019
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