Posts Tagged ‘Air’

Albums

1) In Praise Of Learning – Henry Cow (Living In The heart Of The Beast) Second collaboration between HC & SH simply going by Henry Cow at this point.  Just for fun an earlier Henry Cow only version (Halstern), fantastic. 1b) Slapp Happy/Henry Cow – Desperate Straights (Riding Tigers, Apes In Capes) First collaboration between these two bands. Rumor has it that the Henry Cow folks asked Dagmar Krause to join and she refused so they merged bands. Most of this material is clearly Slapp Happy with Henry Cow as the backing band as opposed to the above In Praise of Learning which again is both bands but credited to Henry Cow and a more HC leaning vibe.

2) Tonight’s The Night – Neil Young (Borrowed TuneTonight’s The Night)

3) Bongo Fury – Zappa/Mothers/Beefheart

4) Another Green World – Brian Eno (Sky Saw, Golden Hours)

5) Fish Rising – Steve Hillage – A delightful dish of the Canturbery! Dig how Hillage, Dave Stewert, Pierre Moerlin and company  go absolutely PROG during the “Hiram Afterglid meets the Dervish” movement (10:30 – 13:30) of Solar Mystik Suite…what a jam!

6) Hissing Of Summer Lawns – Joni Mitchell ( The Jungle Line)

7)  Voyage Of The Acolyte – Steve Hackett

8) Sunset Glow – Julie Tippetts (Sunset Glow)

9) The Mothership Connection – Parliament (Give Up The Funk) Parliament/Funkadelic attempt to conquer the world in 1975. Also see Chocolate City (Side Effects), Let’s take It To The Stage (Better By The Pound).

10) Warrior On The Edge Of Time – Hawkwind

Honorable Mention – Bob Dylan & The Band – The Basement Tapes (Tiny Montgomery, Lo And Behold!) Understood that this is not technically 1975, more like ’67/’68 but released officially in ’75.

Songs

1) Throw Back The Little Ones – Steely Dan (Katy Lied)

2) Cobrade – Eddie Palmieri (Unfinished Masterpiece)

3) Right – David Bowie*

4) Barstool Blues – Neil Young/Crazy Horse (Zuma)

5) Symptom Of The Universe – Black Sabbath (Sabotage)

6) Gary’s Step – Sonny & Linda Sharrock

7) ¾ -Carla Bley

8) Deixe Entrar Um Pouco D’água No Quintal – Os Mutantes (Tudo Foi Feito Pelo Sol)

9)  See Land – Neu (Neu ’75)

10) Minstrel In The Gallery – Jethro Tull (Minstrel In The Gallery)

* If you are in the unfortunate habit of disregarding Young Americans as I was guilty of please give this an honest listen.

The “Other 10”

1) Julius Hemphill – Coon Bidness – A left over track from the Dogon A.D. sessions, The Hard Blues is perhaps the heaviest thing ever…Jeez, could Abdul Wadud’s Cello burn and slower?

2)  Frank Lowe – Fresh –  Wadud from the above Hard Blues and Shaw from the below Rocket along with both Bowie brothers (Lester & Joseph…not David) can be found laying out the classic Fresh as well as a gloriously loose (sloppy?) take on Monk’s Epistrophy.

3)  Roscoe Mitchell – Quartet – A lot of overlap again as this features Abrams as well as the recording debut of George Lewis on trombone. Troona…I find this so very intense!

4)  Oliver Lake – Heavy Spirits – An unheralded and underappreciated absolute gem. Dig Charles Bobo Shaw’s rhythm on Rocket.

5)  Air – Air Song – Debut Lp from Henry Threagill, Steve McCall, & Fred Hopkins who would lay down some of the greatest composed and free music of the 70’s.

6)  The Revolutionary Ensemble – The Psyche – Leroy Jenkins and company…anything but your typical chamber jazz outfit.

7)  Creative Construction Company – Volume 1 – AACM heavy weights Anthony Braxton, Steve McCall,  Muhal Richard Abrams, Leo Smith, Leroy Jenkins,&  Richard Davis. Seen by many as THE representation of AACM it’s fitting two tracks are composed and named after the founder (Muhal Part 1, Muhal Part 2).

8)  Don Cherry – Brown Rice – That’s Don’s electric piano on the title track while Frank Lowe blows his guts out over the top.

9)  Peter Brotzmann, Fred Van Hove, Han Bennink – Tschus

10)  Anthony Braxton Five – New York Fall 1974 (Composition 23a, Composition 23b) Wow Mr. Braxton hanging out at the bottom…who would have thought?

Great year for music.

Songs
1. Loro (Pinback) – One of the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve heard
2. Big Trucks (Pedro The Lion) – brilliant lyrics
3. Count Five Or Six (Cornelius) – Check out this live video from Yo Gabba Gabba!
4. Two-Headed Boy (Neutral Milk Hotel) – Amazing stamina!
5. Chaos of the Galaxy/Happy Man (Sparklehorse) – Mark Linkous at his kick-as best
6. Teardrop (Massive Attack) – featuring the incomparable Elizabeth Frazer (Cocteau Twins) on vocals – a rare great track from the largely boring Massive Attack.
7. No Sense (Cat Power) – from her strung-out and beautiful debut album
8. The Exhumation of Virginia Madison (Strung Out) – the late 90s saw the pinnacle of US pop/hardcore punk with Green Day et al – this one is bordering on thrash and math-rock
9. Dr Worm (They Might Be Giants) – Just one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard
10. Opus 40 (Mercury Rev) – Chorus chokes me up every time.

Notable omissions:
11. Kelly Watch The Stars (Air) – Great Video
12. I’m Gonna Fall (Ash) – mellow Teenage Fanclub tribute from these Irish punkers
13. The Most Beautiful Girl In The World (Spacehog) – very pretty song despite the dodgy lolita fantasy

Albums
1. Fantasma (Cornelius)
2. Pinback (Pinback)
3. In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (Neutral Milk Hotel)

4. Music Has The Right To Children (Boards Of Canada)
5. XO (Elliott Smith)
6. People Are Strange (Stina Nordenstam)

7. Moon Pix (Cat Power)

8. Tally Ho! (Wagon Christ)

9. The Broken Down Comforter Collection (Grandaddy)

10. Good Morning Spider (Sparklehorse)

Songs

Arnold are a pretty obscure bunch – try and get hold of ‘The Barn Tapes’ to hear ‘Sun’ along with some other perfect acoustic songs. The Apes are also pretty obscure – 3-piece organ-driven psychedelia from the 2000s. Altered Images are brilliant – The Strokes owe them for ‘I Could Be Happy’. I hope I get double points for Adam and the Ants, along with Luke Vibert’s alter-ego Amen Andrews. Oh and if you haven’t heard David Axelrod’s ‘Holy Thursday’ – crank the volume and take a seat.

1. Sun (Arnold)
2. Lightning (The Apes)
3. I Could Be Happy (Altered Images)
4.Christian Dior (Adam and the Ants)
5. How Does It Make You Feel? (Air)
6. Plantlife (Autolux)
7. London (Amen Andrews)
8. Holy Thursday (David Axelrod)
9. A Life Less Ordinary (Ash)
10. Tumblin’ Tumbleweeds (Gene Autry)

Near Misses: 
Hurt (Christina Aguilera – Deadmau5 mix)
Miserere mei, Deus (Gregorio Allegri)

Albums

In truth, my top 10 A albums would all be ABBA – but I settled for their disco-heavy classic Voulez-Vous – guilty pleasure for sure. Be sure to check out Arlo’s ‘Up High In The Night’, a brilliant ‘grunge’ album of exquisite songwriting. If you’re feeling a bit more edgy, try Adam Ant’s art-punk debut. Rikk Agnew’s solo album is another unsung masterpiece of punk. The Avalanches album is an incredible feat of mixing, Air’s soundtrack to The Virgin Suicides is sublime, and yes, Anthrax and Anvil on the same list – you’re welcome.

1. Voulez-Vous (ABBA)
2. Fistful of Metal (Anthrax)
3. Up High In The Night (Arlo)
4. All By Myself (Rikk Agnew)
5. 666 (Aphrodite’s Child)
6. Metal On Metal (Anvil)
7. Dirk Wears White Sox (Adam and the Ants)
8. The Virgin Suicides (Air)
9. Since I Left You (Avalanches)
10. Joy Of A Toy (Kevin Ayers)

Songs

 

1. Airships – Athletico Spizz 80 (Do A Runner)

2. Rheinhardt and Geradline – Kevin Ayers (Joy Of A Toy)

3. Admit It – Ambitious Lovers (Greed)

4. すべて売り物 – Aunt Sally (Aunt Sally)

5. Epilogo – Ars Nova (The Devil’s Nest)

This is a cover version: Il Balletto Di Bronzo’s out of sight original  – HERE!

6. Nothing Means Nothing Anymore – Alley Cats (Dangerhouse 7”)

7. Kitchen Life – After Dinner (Paradise Of Replica)

8. Akan Konomama Kaesanai  – Afrirampo (Afrirampo)

9. La Novia – Acid Mothers Temple & Melting Paraiso U.F.O (La Novia)

10. Tensity – Cannonball Adderley (Quintet & Orchestra)

Should most likely have placed “Somethin’ Else!” on this list but this is my pick today.

Albums

 

1. Spirits Rejoice – Albert Ayler – (Spirits Rejoice)

2. Fanfare For The Warriors – Art Ensemble Of Chicago (Nonaah)

3. Big Science – Laurie Anderson (From The Air)

4. Sightsong – Muhal Richard Abrams

5. Fred Anderson/DVK – Fred Anderson/DVK Trio – (Black Woman)

6. Open Air Sweet – Air (Card Two: The Jick Or Mandrill’s Cosmic Ass)

7. The World As It Is Today – Art Bears ((Armed) Peace)

8. Yeti – Amon Duul II (Eye Shaking King)

9. Tel – Maarten Altena Octet

10. Boom Boom – Atomic