Life’s been shit this week, but music has been my succour:

Echo and the Bunnymen S/T (a truly slow burner: it’s taken me 32 years to finally appreciate this. Of course, it’s always going to pale in comparison with its four near faultless predecessors, especially with its very 80’s production, but this upbeat album really had one sad, stroke-buggered 58 year old gadgie rocking on the number 12 to Fenham this week. Pete de Freitas RIP)

Dexys Midnight Runners ‘Searching For The Young Soul Rebels’ (simply the greatest debut LP ever. Don’t argue. You’d just be wrong)

Peter Hammill ‘pH7’ (possibly the great man’s patchiest album, but worth it for side two)

Uriah Heep ‘Salisbury’ (not bad, but not as good as the first and third albums either side of it)

Pink Floyd ‘Germin/ation’ (which, along with ‘Saucerful’, inclines me to consider ’68 the Floyd’s best year. ‘Point Me At The Sky’ is a lost psych classic)

Kimberly Kelly ‘Don’t Blame It On Me’ (country by numbers, but I just dig her songs)

Edwyn Collins ‘Badbea’ - I can’t pretend that part of the appeal of Edwyn’s excellent new album doesn’t lie in hearing his defiant resurgence in the wake of two debilitating strokes: a real inspiration to me to stop feeling sorry for myself and get on with what life I’ve got left. But there’s also no escaping that there are some really good songs here. The title track in particular is constantly on my mind)

Daryl Hall ‘Sacred Songs’ (one of the most original and unsung efforts ever by a major US artist: this deserves serious reappraisal IMHO, and not just because of the Fripp connection)

Wishbone Ash ‘Elegant Stealth’ (sturdy recentish release, good songs, great playing, but how I wish Andy Powell would get a decent singer back in the band. Martin Turner would do…)

Miles Davis ‘Four and More’ (exhilerating live recording by early version of Miles’ classic 60s quintet)

Haydn: Symphonies 93 & 100 (LPO/Eugen Jochum - oh, I love a good Haydn me)

Haydn: Symphony no.100 (BPO/Herbert von Karajan - good, but Jochum is livelier)

Beethoven: Symphony no.7 (Stockholm PO/Wilhelm Furtwaengler 1948 - slow, stately, and magnificent)

Brahms: Symphony no.1 fourth movement (BPO/Wilhelm Furtwaengler 1945 - only one movement survived but my lord, is this intense shit or what)

Sibelius: Symphony no.2, Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5 (Rubinstein) & Prokofiev: Symphony no.1 (all Philharmonia/Eugene Ormandy. Fine Testament live CD of 1963 concert)

Sibelius: Symphony no.2 (Philadelphia Orch/Eugene Ormandy 1972 - better recorded but not as viscerally exciting as the above)

Sibelius: Symphony no.4 (Philadelphia Orch/Eugene Ormandy - superbly played but ultimately lacking the necessary doom of some rival renderings, especially Karajan and Maazel)

Schubert: Symphony no.9 ‘Great’ (LPO/Sir Adrian Boult - my favourite stereo recording of this symphony)

And last but not least, two classics from the 78 rpm era:

Dvorak: Cello Concerto (Piatigorsky/Philadelphia/Ormandy)
Carl Nielsen: Violin Concerto (Menuhin/Danish RSO/Woldike)

Everything I do will be funky from now on…

I hadn't listened to any music this week until just now...YouTube the official preview track from forthcoming Neil Young and Stray Gators Tuscaloosa album: Don't Be Denied. Put a big grin on face - lovely. What Time Fades Away should've been.

Mark Fry - Dreaming With Alice

Thirteenth Floor Elevators - Easter Everywhere

Jethro Tull - This Was
Jethro Tull - Stand Up

Peter Howell & John Ferdinando - Alice Through The Looking Glass

The High Llamas - Hawaii

Ash Ra Tempel - Ash Ra Tempel

Michael Chapman - Rainmaker
Michael Chapman - Fully Qualified Survivor

The Beatles - Yellow Submarine

Gastr Del Sol - Camoufleur

Kraftwerk - Trans Europe Express

Faust - Faust
Faust - So Far
Faust - The Faust Tapes

Labradford - Labradford

Robert Johnson - King Of The Delta Blues Singers

Bo Hansson - Music Inspired By Lord Of The Rings
Bo Hansson - Magician's Hat

Genesis - From Genesis To Revelation

Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Safe As Milk
Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - It Comes To You In A Plain Brown Wrapper

Harmonia - Musik Von Harmonia
Harmonia - Deluxe

Popol Vuh - Seligpreisung

John Fahey - The Voice Of The Turtle

Witch Hazel - Landlocked

Earth Tongue – Floating Being. This was an unexpected treat. Young female duo from New Zealand rocking out in a pleasingly weird way – Sabbath, Hawkwind, Ruins and, err Broadcast are all in the mix… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYgCeZpGNYo

Trond Kallevag Hansen – Bedehus & Hawaii. Nice ambient-ish, jazz-ish soundscapes with lots of pedal steel. Balmy… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0iOgtuogiM

Ivan The Tolerable & The Elastic Band – Rations. I tend to immediately take against bands with ‘joke’ names, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. But while massively over-long, this contains many fine modern psych/prog moments… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgdjgOig0gk

BEAK> - ‘Life Goes On’. New single from Geoff Barrow’s lot, and suffice to say, it is fab, like Steely Dan playing space rock at gunpoint: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXLW2m_vEmc

Craven Faults – ‘Engine Fields’. Think somebody else has spotted these guys? Lead track from new EP, heavy Tangs meets Pye Corner Audio vibe, recommended: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCgNlc9kY9Q