Like a lot of people, Spotify recently sent me a snapshot of my listening habits. None of them were particularly shocking but I did get a smile that the next track was my favourite for 2019 because it certainly is. The happy thing for me was that The Preatures were a band I became interested in as a result of going to a live show when I knew almost nothing of their music. So a big thanks to DJ CherryP for dragging me along to one of the best shows I've been to in years. This song reaches me on many levels; it has a great groove, the guitars are cool and the lyrics....well...they are sublime. For anyone who didn't read about it when I featured the track a while ago, the band wrote it with the help of speakers of one of Sydney's Indigenous languages. It shows a genuine deep respect to the first inhabitants of Australia.
The Preatures - Yanada - https://youtu.be/wO4tW5GqzGA
The Dollyrots release a lot of one off cool stuff for their fans as well as regular albums. Their Christmas track this year is a cover of a very famous song by The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl. Luis and Kelly's diction is a bit (well, a LOT) better than Shane MacGowan's but I'm a bit undecided about the fact that they sanitised a few of the lyrics. Regardless, The Dollyrots carry on their joyous pop-punk approach and it's a good one to dance around the room to if no-one else is at home.
The Dollyrots - Fairytale of New York - https://youtu.be/RAhSPc24d7E
Album 44/100 - The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (1966)
Another episode and another album out of the supposedly essential 100 that you should have. Pet Sounds may win the award for worst cover but we're here to talk about the music. Here's the thing, I grew up wearing out a copy of The Beach Boys Greatest Hits on vinyl but as we all know, a compilation is a bit different. If you believe the music press, Brian Wilson liked The Beatles' album, "Rubber Soul" so much that he wanted to expand the type of music he write. Fair enough except that what he created, while sounding good, is really quite boring for the main part. The album starts with an absolute ripper of a track in "Wouldn't It Be Nice". It's an anthem dedicated to growing up that always takes me way, way back. When the massive drum beat hits just after the introduction you know you're in for something special...and you are. This track has everything. What then happened to the next few? It's like we left the fun-fair and went to a funeral. They sound lovely but it's a bit of a downer. After six tracks the classic Sloop John B rolls along. Gone is the maudlin dirge and The Beach Boys are back for a couple of tracks before it all slows down and gets dreamy but not in a good way. I loved the variety of sounds and instruments across the entire album; aurally it's a treat but in terms of the songs themselves the whole album has a lot of filler.
The Beach Boys - Wouldn't It Be Nice - https://youtu.be/3y44BJgkdZs
Fair warning, the next album I'm listening to for this series of reviews is from Kanye West. It's lucky I already have a shrink.
Kylie Minogue has a new medley of her hits out. Nothing new but it would be a great party tune. Get down and boogie folks, I did!
Kylie - Step Back In Time F9 Minimix - https://youtu.be/FiWvVqdgsa8
There was very sad news last week with the untimely death of Mental As Anything singer/keyboardist Greedy Smith. Greedy was still playing regular gigs with the band and died from a heart attack whilst driving his car. Mental As Anything are one of Australia's iconic bands. They are more than a little crazy and a bit hard to put into one genre other than that of "good music". I was lucky enough to see them not that long ago. RIP Greedy.
Mental As Anything - He's Just No Good For You - https://youtu.be/mQVz9nuel7I
Ozzy Osbourne has some new tracks out. You may or may not like them. I'm undecided and we'll talk about them in another episode. However, a couple of of live tracks from days gone by have also been released and the version of "Suicide Solution" with guitarist Jake E. Lee is great. Yep, the song isn't a happy one, it's about Ozzy almost drinking himself to death. A cautionary tale I guess.
Ozzy Osbourne - Suicide Solution (live) - https://youtu.be/-5IO66MIq_U
I'll finish off this episode with The Pretenders. As a result of last episode's tattoo question (to be answered in a subsequent post) I listened to their first album...for the first time ever. I'll admit that I was put off by Brass In Pocket being chronically overplayed on TV music video shows! What a huge mistake, this album is great. There's so much going on and the whole thing works so well as an album. It's also got my favourite type of electric guitar sound (after the Young brothers) and that's a classic 80s lightly overdriven sound with phasing/flanging/chorus added.
The Pretenders - Up The Neck (live) - https://youtu.be/PBtsiupIzmA
And just like that...I'll disappear into the haze of bushfire smoke that's enveloping us at the moment. Of course, it has NOTHING to do with climate change according to our glorious leaders.
Get to the chopper!
Rob
"...went into his room and smashed his Billy Bragg record,
didn't want him to hear that communist lecture...", The War's End, Rancid, 1995
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