The angels of this world are not rendered in bronze or stone:
Any Trouble S/T - signing to a big label did Clive Gregson few favours, as this dated and overproduced third LP evidences. His songs were as fine as ever but they were made to sound bland and ordinary here. I’d love Clive to redo this in the stripped down form in which he’s made so much fine music in the ensuing decades;
Big Star ‘’#1 Record’ - an album I always enjoy, if not venerate as much as the learned critical masse say I should. A solid 7/10 I’d say;
The B-52s ‘Party Mix’ - y’know, mebbes it’s my jaundiced view of the current state of things but I’m struggling to hear anything as purely danceable as this now. This is just wonderful, and not just because it reminds me of drunken student parties forty years ago;
Talking Heads ‘Fear Of Music’ - as does this. Is it only me who gets his rocks off on just the first three Talking Heads albums and gets bored with their later stuff?
Julian Cope ‘Cunts Can Fuck Off’ single - I’m gonna have to watch my habit of singing along to my iPhone playlist while out walking when this next comes along, or I’ll get myself nicked. What an ear-worm that chorus is;
Henry Cow ‘Trondheim’ - from their exhaustive Redux box, this totally improvised 1976 concert tests the tolerance in places but has enough lyrical moments to reward careful listening;
Big Big Train ‘Ingenious Devices’ - revised and expanded versions of three of BBT’s epics. Great modern prog with a heart of gold;
Big Big Train ‘Swan Hunter’ - ace single from a few years back that would’ve been huge a couple of decades ago (think Mike and the Mechanics with a decent song). Alas, it sank without trace. David Longdon RIP. Talking of whom:
David Longdon ‘Door One’ - posthumously released second solo album that takes a less overtly prog path than his old band, with equally satisfying results;
Nazareth ‘No Jive’ - Naz’s first post- Manny Charlton album was - and is - surprisingly good. What a shame that by 1991 no-one here in Blighty really cared;
Genesis ‘And Then There Were Three’ - at risk of shedding any musical cred I have around here, I’m tempted to pen a full Unsung review about this record. Yeah, it sold shitloads, but it was also the last time that the post Gabriel and Hackett line up made a proper rock album, and a truly fine one at that. There’s a genuinely emotive quality to most of these tracks that they never achieved again…
Marillion ‘An Hour Before It’s Dark’ … but this is emotive beyond words. I’ve never heard a more carefully crafted, yet natural, album for many years than this. The way Marillion insert little cross references between these apparently unrelated songs is masterful, and Steve Hogarth’s lyrical prowess has never shone brighter than here. If there ain’t a tear in your eye at the end of this then Jack, you dead;
Marillion ‘Seasons End’ (Deluxe Edition) - the 2022 remix adds little to what was always a fine sounding album, but the extras - especially the making of documentary - make this worth buying for fans. The 2022 live rendition is excellent though, like most live recordings, the crowd are annoyingly invasive in places. And why are the B sides relegated to the DVD? There is plenty of room for them on the third CD;
Bax: Symphonies 1 (SNO/David Lloyd-Jones) and 6 (LPO/Norman del Mar) - Arnold Bax established a unique harmonic language from his very earliest works. Influences of other composers are only fleeting. There is drama and excitement in abundance here, and both performances are excellent;
Beethoven: Symphonies 2, 3‘ Eroica’, 8 and 9 ‘Choral’ (Verbier Fest CO/Gabor Takacs-Nagy) - from a newly released set of Beethoven symphonies recorded at the Verbier Festival over a thirteen year period. These are fresh and lively performances focusing on the joy of the music over absolute precision. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever heard Beethoven sound such fun. Sample the brief Scherzo of the Second to see what I mean;
Beethoven: Symphony no.7 (Concertgebouw/Eugen Jochum) - Jochum’s 1960s Beethoven cycle for Philips is rarely mentioned these days, but is a near ideal example of the old school, kapellemeister approach that is all but obsolete in these historically informed times. This Seventh is a good sampler: nothing controversial tempo or dynamic wise, yet individual in its approach. With Jochum you get the composer, not the conductor;
Mozart: Violin Concerto in D, K 218 (Krebbers/Netherlands CO/Zinman) - delightful charity shop bargain. Nuff said;
Beethoven: Piano Sonata no.17 in D minor, Op.31 no.2 ‘Tempest’ (Daniel Barenboim) - from Barenboim’s first recorded survey of the mighty 32, released at the same time as ‘Sgt Pepper’. And every bit as worthy;
Apostel: Kubiniana, Op.13 (Therese Malengreau) - ten picture-inspired piano pieces by Hans Erich Apostel, a former Schoenberg pupil whose work was banned by the Nazis. This is fascinating, involving music at the very edge of tonality, beautifully rendered and recorded here;
Ligeti: String Quartet no.2 (LaSalle Quartet) - isn’t it funny how relatively extreme music such as this becomes more accessible the older you get? That’s certainly how I feel about this half century old recording. Rock and roll.
Don’t live today for tomorrow like you were immortal.
Sweet dreams
Dave x
