What are you listening to? January 2018

Status
Not open for further replies.
Talking Heads - Remain In Light (1980)

220px-TalkingHeadsRemaininLight.jpg
 
Rolling Stones - Black and Blue (1976)

220px-Blackblue.jpg


Ron Wood's first albums with the Stones. Love the early years and the Mick Taylor years so much, I sometimes pass over their late 70s stuff or at least this one while making the jump to Some Girls. Still a good 'un with "Hot Stuff" containing a deliciously funky hook and "Memory Motel" and "Fool to Cry" both with a sad beauty about them. "Melody" has some nice bluesy piano too. No bad songs and though several songs (like "Cherry Oh Baby", not one of the best reggae-influenced rock songs to say the least) are less than memorable, they each have some musical moments that showed the Stones still had it.
 
Antonio Carlos Jobim - Wave

MI0001628526.jpg

Love those Creed Taylor-produced album. He left Verve to join A&M and there (in 1968 a year after this one) formed CTI albums (A&M distritubted CTI records for a year before Taylor made in an independent company). Has that same vibe as CTI's wonderful jazz albums of the early '70s. Many might listen today and find the production too much of its era, but I still love the dreamy, easygoing sound (which fits Jobim and his bossa nova well).
 
Cut Copy ~ Zonoscope (2011)



As different from the album before it as night and day. Modern classical of Dakota Suite crumbles under the dance electropop of Cut Copy. Each has its place.
 
Big Country - The Crossing (1983)

220px-Big_Country_-_The_Crossing.jpg


A good 'un that I haven't played in years.
Getting this image I discovered that Big Country has nine studio albums (plus many live albums) dating from '83 to 2013. Does anyone listen to any of these besides their stellar debut. I'm sure someone does/has (their first six were UK top 40 albums) but I'm not about to explore their discography. I'll just stick to the comfort food of their debut
 
Big Country - The Crossing (1983)

220px-Big_Country_-_The_Crossing.jpg


A good 'un that I haven't played in years.
Getting this image I discovered that Big Country has nine studio albums (plus many live albums) dating from '83 to 2013. Does anyone listen to any of these besides their stellar debut. I'm sure someone does/has (their first six were UK top 40 albums) but I'm not about to explore their discography. I'll just stick to the comfort food of their debut
The followup, Steeltown, is excellent, in my view criminally overlooked:


I haven't gotten around to their later work.
 
Last edited:
Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo de Cotonou - The 1st Album (1973)


last.fm sez:

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou is arguably West Africa’s best-kept secret. Their output, both in quantity and quality, was astonishing. During several trips to Benin, Samy Ben Redjeb managed to collect roughly 500 songs which Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou had recorded between 1970 and 1983.

The cultural and spiritual riches of traditional Beninese music had an immense impact on the sound of Benin’s modern music. Benin is the birthplace of Vodun (also Vodoun, or, as it is known in the West, Voodoo), a religion which involves the worship of some 250 sacred divinities. The rituals used to pay tributes to those divinities are always backed by music. The majority of the complex poly-rhythms of the vodun are still more or less secret and difficult to decipher, even for an accomplished musician. Anthropologists and ethnomusicologists agree that this religion constitutes the principal “cultural bridge” between Africa and all its Diasporas of the New World and in a reflection of the power and influence of these sounds many of the complex rhythms were to have a profound impact on the other side of the Atlantic on rhythms as popular as Blues, Jazz, Cuban and Brazilian music.

Two Vodun rhythms dominate the music of Orchestre Poly-Rythmo: Sato, an amazing, energetic rhythm performed using an immense vertical drum, and Sakpata, a rhythm dedicated to the divinity who protects people from smallpox. Both rhythms are represented here mixed in with Funk, Soul, Crazy organ sounds and Psychedelic guitar riffs. Bandleader Melome Clement explains: “Sato is a traditional rhythm derived from Vodun. It is used in Benin during annual rituals in memory of the dead; you can’t just play Sato at any given time. Sato is also the name of a drum which is used during the ceremonies. It’s huge: about 175 centimeters high. The drummers, armed with sticks, dance around it and hit it all at the same time. It’s very coordinated. The Sato drummers are backed by an orchestra of smaller drums and shakers. We also did some modern versions of a Vodun rhythm called Sakpata. ‘Mi Ni Non Kpo’ and ‘Houi Djein Na Da’ are Sakpatas, which in Fon means "god of the Earth".

Ojai Sam sez the hard dance beats of this one will bounce your speakers right off their stands. Highest recommendation.
 
Bill Connors ~ Theme to the Gaurdian (1975)



More fun facts to know and tell keep to yourself:
Not a review - just a note to anyone who thinks there's something wrong with the title ... there is.

'Guardian' is misspelt/misspelled (we could have fun with this!). Bill Connors has confirmed it was simply a mistake.

You don't often see this happen and it struck me at the time as ironic that it was on an ECM cover.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top