January eh? apart from my birthday at the end of it, what a pants month.
In fact, given the events of Friday, January has gone globally pants; although Saturday’s huge marches were a heartening sight. But there again, I was bound to say that, what with me being a 100% pinko liberal snowflake scum and all, running around using ‘facts’* and cheating by using my memory to ‘remember’ contradictory statements. Damnit, it’s about time that lyin’, cheatin’ mainstream media gave me a job. Still, I firmly predict that the next four years will yield a goodly amount of very angry music, which can only be a good thing.
Right, that’s world affairs and the Julian calendar** dealt with, what else do I do here? oh yes, records. So far I’ve bought 11 of them, sort of accidentally to cheer myself up. Well, 11 of them and a couple of box sets that I have bought solely to leave unopened and make money on in the dim distant future^. I need to slow down a bit, but here they are:
Discharge Why
Apocalyptic collection of 1981 EPs, the original 10 tracks now bulked up by 24 bonus tracks (24!!!), all of which are great. You can hear them evolve from sped-up punk into a sound of their own ready to deliver UK punk’s best ever debut LP the next year, which went a sizable way towards creating thrash metal years later. My own particular favourites are ‘Ain’t No Feeble Bastard’ and ‘Why’. Living in the shadow of the mushroom cloud never sounded as raucous and chilling again.
Franck Vigroux & Matthew Bourne Radioland: Radio-Activity Revisited
I was Australianed into buying this LP and it is great, exactly what it says in the title, Kraftwerk’s achingly emotional album revisited and reinterpreted in a beautifully sympathetic and instinctive fashion by two rather fabulous artists. Has already supported me during several mournful commutes.
Rory Gallagher Irish Tour ’74
My Christmas present from my folks, this is the 3LP version of this seminal^ blues rock release. It’s a rather beautiful, tastefully suped-up reissue but that’s not really the point. The point is the way Gallagher plays the living hell out of everything in sight, the performance is electrifying – particularly so when you read about the circumstances of their recording. I’ve got a lot to get into here.
Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard Y Proffwyd Dwyll
What’s in a name? surely Welsh female-fronted doom would sound as sweet by any other name? they’re from about 20 miles away, they write in Welsh and are on close repeat for me at the moment. Plus that name rocks very bigly indeed.
The Cavemen Born To Hate
They’re from New Zealand, they make primeval garage punk, their drummer wears a Motorhead T-shirt on the front cover, they’re on the ever-reliable Dirty water Records and they have songs called ‘I Hope They Drop The Bomb On Me’ and ‘Satan Is Her Name’. You can see why I had to buy it.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Tender Prey
I only need one more now to complete my set. Lots of greatness on this LP, not that I’ve actually got around to playing the thing yet! The bits I already know are wonderful though.
I also popped into the record stall at my dad’s antique’s centre accidentally on Saturday, oops.
- Gillan Futureshock – Complete with groovy 16 page booklet. My word, they weren’t very glamorous.
- Split Enz True Colours. Perfect post-punk pop, a real revelation for me. I only wish someone had told me about them before^^.
- Cheetah Rock & Roll Women – Vanda & Young produced double sister-fronted Aussie rock from 1981. It’s not very sophisticated, but neither am I.
- Stars on Thrash – 1988 thrash metal compilation. At last I now own some Pestilence, Znowhite and Atrophy tracks.
- Tesla The Great Radio Controversy – Scratched like someone sheltered behind it during a knife fight but it plays perfectly – that’s how tough these guys were.
Anyway, I need to stop yakking and start listenin’ and reviewin’ some actual music stuff.
728 Down (hill, still).
PS. I think I fancy the lady who looks like Joe Perry more than the lady who looks like Michael Monroe.
*soon to be made illegal in the US, I understand.
**damn them forever for getting rid of the month of Mercedonius! If only that meddling Pope Gregory XIII had looked to his own business more.
^or to simply use as barter materials for canned food and crossbow bolts, or possibly just use them for fuel, if Trumpism really does hasten the end of civilised society.
^Yukk!
^^Mrs 1537 told me ‘Oh, I used to love that album when I was 12’. I thought marriage vows dealt with disclosure of information.
I’m still picking myself up off the floor after the 1:50 mark of the video up above. That’s beautiful. You are the best! Nicely done girls. I’m looking for a new choreographer for my new act. Thanks for the lead.
You’re fast closing in on my preset day!
Yeah getting close. January is a heavy month on your station. The only reason I peeked in to this take was because of Rory and man did i get a treat. Soon as you said the 1:50 mark I was done. That is probably one of the best things I’ve ever seen. My gal was wondering what the hell i was laughing at.
well we are now at the end of the month, so happy birthday! Hope you can forget about Trump on your B day 🙂
Tender Prey is a really dark album, I love “The Mercy Seat” and Johnny Cash’s cover is excellent. “Up Jumped The Devil” is my second favorite from the LP.
Thanks Chris – I veer from reading everything new-related I can lay my hands on, to avoiding any and all news at all.
I’m still getting to grips with Tender Prey, I knew Mercy Seat and Deanna very well anyway but I’m really taken by ‘City of Refuge’ at the moment – I’ve played it over and over today.
I thought I only had one Nick LP to get, but I’ve got two ‘… Pricks’ and ‘Firstborn’. I’m not counting live albums there.
An extended Discharge Why? Hells yes. This is all fantastic! I totally know what you mean when you accidentally fell into a record stall. IT HAPPENS!
I tend to black out a lot. One minute I’m just walking down the road, minding my own – next minute I’m staggering under the weight of LPs. One day I pray medical science will be able to help me.
Pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants pants!
Pants.
Pants?
Split Enz, Cheetah, you have been dallying in the antipodes, haven’t you?
Oh, True Colours:
https://vinylconnection.com.au/2013/06/20/true-colours-no-loose-enz/
Were you much aware of Cheetah’s genius previously? Saturday was my first ever encounter with them.
Their charms were considered to be more in the visual than the musical domain, really. I don’t have this album, btw.
I have every reason to suspect that it is in fact the greatest rock LP ever made, so sure am I of this fact that I haven’t played it yet – I don’t need to, I am secure in my faith.
On ya, brother. A commune beckons.
Oooft! 11 records! That’s a bit of a spree! Some very interesting records, right enough. That Rory Gallacher one being the pick of the bunch for me. 3LPs, eh? Great album… so what’s on there?
Anyhoo, scrap all that record chat… where do I get one of these pinko liberal snowflake scum t-shirts?
It was sort of inadvertent … Basically all the Gallagher you want, or need. It’s not the songs so much, which are good, it just really captures a great performance.
I said to Geoff, I’ve got some time off coming up so I may get some T-shirts printed up – the movement starts here!
A ‘live’ album, eh? Growing on you, are they?
Who let you in?
Had a wee look at that one (Music On Vinyl’s ‘expanded’ version, aye?) and it looks mighty tempting. I’m not a big fan of live albums, but that album’s one of those exceptions. Guess I might need to see about upgrading to this expanded version…
G’wan wi ye, ye wee radge!
Joe I’ll proudly wear my 100% pinko liberal snowflake scum t-shirt with you!
And I could not agree more about the next few years, as discouraging as the state of the world is, we should be in for some fantastic art as a response
Brilliant – I seem to have inadvertently started a political movement. I have some time off coming up soon, I might get some printed up.
I’ll take a family set of them when they arrive!
Err, what happened Friday?
I watched the Cheetah. Then I decided that I needed to watch some more, and then a little more. I am drawn to Cheetah for some reason. Cheetah, sweet Cheetah.
Irish Tour ’74 is just glorious. I love me some Rory. His Taste days are also worth delving into if you haven’t yet. Saw him open for Rush in ’82. He was magnificent, so magnificent. We could not believe how magnificent.
What happened on Friday? very little according to the Washington Transit Authority!
But back to Cheetah, yesterday you had an existence entirely untroubled by Cheetah, today? they permeate your every conscious molecule. There’s a version of the soppy one about spending the night where the ladies have a very unsisterly cuddle, i really wouldn’t recommend that one. Nosirree.
I’m only part way in but it is a great LP so far and I’m not really a fan of live albums either. My dad would be very envious indeed of your having seen him in the flesh. Very sad tale though.
I would be remiss if I did not come back here to thank you for the impetus to put on my Irish Tour ’74 Blu Ray after leaving it unattended for way too long. Between Rory’s effortless bluesy guitarring and his awesome sideburns, I have been duly reminded of how the Gods kill (musically, cosmetically and figuratively).
Thank you! His music is always tinged with sadness for me because he checked out way too soon and seemed to have been such a genuinely nice chap.
There are some quite awesome jiggly dancing moments in this version, for example. I include it here so you can more easily avoid it.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1-nMEJbVSc&w=560&h=315%5D
This is the one you really shouldn’t watch, especially the bit at 1:50.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDuWOcLKT1o&w=560&h=315%5D
Ok, it took awhile to jerk myself free of the clutches of Cheetah’s endlessly looping siren vids, but after a shower and some sustenance, I was finally able to move on to YouTube the Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard album. Spacey doom metal with female fronts, eh? Methinks these Welshies may be on to something! Now if I can only find a live performance video to check for any “jiggly dancing moments” that might put them over the threshold.
You’ve said something quite interesting about the link between Trump and lots of angry music. I think history is on your side here and it’s given me an idea for a post. Thank you
Thank you, I think Ronnie Reagan is a good case in point if you’re looking for parallels.
Ah! Stay tuned.
And is the Znowhite 4th or 5th wave?
It’s the 4th wave Znowhite – I never liked the mariachi albums they made afterwards.
The Tesla is pretty good – who knew?
Good old Tesla… don’t think I’ve heard a note of their stuff.
You’re shitting me? I’ve been into them since way back in 2013.
Hehe you’re a diehard Tesla maniac! I’m sure I must have heard something but I can’t think what… or when.
Just very good US rock circa-89-ish, when men were men and women weren’t the only ones with lovely soft bouncy perms.
This was fun! Lots of goodness… I’m very intrigued by Discharge, keep eyeing up their albums. Have you got any more of their albums?
Yup, Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing is a Top 10 all-timer for me. If you got that one and Why, you’ve got all their best stuff and could devote your energies to filling those gaps in your Nelson collection.
And that’s a pretty big gap! Did you ever do any Discharge posts? I had no idea they were such favourites of yours. I’ll start with Hear Nothing… then.
No posts, which is probably the only reason they aren’t household names yet. Hear Nothing is awesome, it sounds like sheet metal (no, that’s not a Mexican insult). Some very serious riffs.
I’ve been toying with buying it for ages so that might tip me over into actually buying it. Might have to wait a while though, cause I’ve been doing plenty of January retail therapy too.
These accidental purchases should breathe some new life to your gloomy commutes! What’s on your birthday list? Crossbow bolts should be altenated with every musical acquisition.
We’re going away somewhere for the weekend for my present, oh and socks, I can always use more socks.