The good old ’69

And I thought ’67 was a transitional year, but ’69 is all over the map. Samba, Psychedelia, Country and Reggae all nail it in ’69!

Songs

1. Forget All About It (Nazz) – A really innovative psychedelic sound and songcraft, like the Byrds if Bob Dylan had never existed, and they were all on amphetamines.
2. The Old Man’s Back Again (Scott Walker) – Amid the lavish string-arrangements and french death ballads Walker delves into some more conventional songs – this is among the best. A rare opportunity to hear him play bass too – and what a bass-line! Some nice latin guitar chops too.
3. Nine Times Blue (The Monkees) – well actually just Mike Nesmith. In my opinion one of the best country artists of all time, and this is his masterpiece. Here he is doing it live  with Davy and Mickey on the Johnny Cash show.
4. Pais Tropical (Jorge Ben) – this is where Brazilian music starts getting fun~! ’69 also sees the rest of the world adopt the grooves of Brazil – one of my faves is from Swedish super-hottie Sylvia Vrethammar.
5. Please No More Sad Songs (Idle Race) – Before The Travelling Wilburys, ELO, The Move and a billion other projects and masterworks of production, Jeff Lynne was in this obscure British psychedelic band. The album has some good stuff on it – and some very experimental production!
6. Sic ‘Em Pigs (Canned Heat) – I feel like this song is one of the greatest expressions of life in the late 60s, especially if you’re a big fat pot-smoking blues-hippy. Fuck the police, incidentally.
7. Barricades (The Koobas) – coming from Liverpool, via the Hamburg circuit, managed by Brian Epstein and opening for The Beatles on their last tour, you’d think The Koobas would’ve made a bigger impact. Their one and only album is fantastic. They certainly took great influence from Syd Barrett on this song.
8. Whispering Pines (The Band) – I get that The Band are important, but I don’t dig their songwriting that much. This song is a stunning exception.
9. Noitasinagro (Organisation) – fledgling Krautrock – lovely tonal noise.
10. Hco 97658 (Kak) – How could a band called ‘Kak’, with an album called ‘Kak-Ola’ not succeed? A really nicely produced song (and album) – but sadly one of the casualties of the SF psychedlic overflow.

Notable omissions: Hawaii 5-0 (The Ventures), Je T’aime Moi Non Plus (Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin), and the bizarre In the Year 2525 (Zager & Evans).

Albums

1. Tighten Up Volume 2 (Various Artists) – along with ‘The Harder They Come Soundtrack’ this is the most essential roots-reggae album of all time. Equally mellow, rough and tough, and full of fun, sun and sex! Check the lyrics of ‘Wreck A Buddy’ – “…and if he’s ugly I don’t mind, him have a dick and I wanna grind…”
2. Philosophy Of The World (The Shaggs) – if you haven’t heard this album, you’re in for a mindfuck my fine friends. The ultimate ‘outsider’ art project. A lot has been written about this album so I won’t waffle about it, but if you’re new to it, yes it is real, yes they are teenage sisters, and yes they have accidentally invented an entirely new way of writing and playing music. The thing that got me hooked was the title track (track 1) in which they are playing totally out of time with each other and then impossibly re-synchronize for each chorus, then instantly fall apart again. When I first heard it, I thought this was very clever post-rock, but it’s not – its genuinely naive teenage sister-telepathy. Its a wonderful world where this sort of music becomes popular.
3. Cérebro Eletrônico (Gilberto Gil) – funky Brazilian electronic psychedelia of the highest order. This album is incredible.
4. Joy Of A Toy (Kevin Ayers) – there’s something so charming about this gentle psychedelia, even if it is a little trite. Track 2 is my fave.
5. The Velvet Underground (The Velvet Underground) – in my view the perfect album in terms of structure and content. Its got it all – great writing, amazing pop songs, punk ethic, country vibe and a nice dose of humour to round it all off. I feel there’s a direct lineage between this album and those of Bowie et al in 70s.
6. The Gilded Palace Of Sin (The Flying Burrito Brothers) – This album is rightly considered the seminal country-rock album, but its also one full of winning tunes. As far as I’m concerned country music could happily have ended right after this album (well – maybe after Sweetheart of the Rodeo)!
7. The Soft Parade (The Doors) – by far my favourite Doors album, though it’s whimsy makes it a guilty pleasure! I really feel like they were super-focused and into this project. The production is also amazing, some of Morrison’s best vocals and lyrics – mature but not too fucked up by booze. The addition of soul-horns and bass guitar really takes the band to a new level, and Touch Me is a brilliant (though weird!) pop single. Runnin’ Blue is one of my faves due to it’s great drumming and horn arrangements (especially in the bridge) – even Kruger’s absurd blue-grass sections have grown on me. But its the title track that really does it for me, from it’s impassioned intro to the bizarre easy-listening verses, whimsical interlude and finally the main groove – “the best part of the trip” as Jim describes it. I dig where he says “yeah…proud to be a part of this number” – a public salute to his beloved band-mates.
8. Scott 3 (Scott Walker) – This album has some beautiful ethereal songs like ‘It’s Raining Today’ or ‘If You Go Away’ along side unique and disquieting songs like 30 Century Man. Stunning album.
9. Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town (Kenny Rogers & The First Edition) – long before Kenny was a Disney-eyed TV Santa with a chicken franchise he was leader of a psychedelic country band – they even had a girl in the group. The title track really started the craze for those awful morose country songs about terrible things happening to the protagonist, but it’s got a wry humour to it, not to mention some wonderful songcraft. Even more brilliant is the song Reuben James – Kenny is totally overlooked in country music history, but I feel this hit was a really important transitional track in the genre. It would make perfect sense if you played it to hillbillies in the 1920s just as it would to fans of those modern-day country guys, you know, the millionaire ones called Cleetus or Dingus or whatever. Interestingly Kenny’s quality plummets the second he disbands The First Edition – but I’d highly recommend everything preceding this to country lovers.
10. The Monkees Present (The Monkees) – though Mike Nesmith’s best song was released on ’69’s Instant Replay, he has a bunch of great ones on this album, notably knocking it out of the park with the psych-country hit Listen To The Band. Check this raw, live (if staged) version. On a roll, Mike also kicks out some fashionable Samba with ‘Calico Girlfriend‘, and yet more country-honk funk-rock with ‘Little Red Rider‘.

 

 

Tim’s A Lists

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)

Brent’s “A” List

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

Madherb (Mike’s) 1972

Albums

1. Roxy Music—Roxy Music (“Chance Meeting“)

2. Al Green—I’m Still in Love with You (“Love and Happiness“)

3. Nick Drake—Pink Moon (“Horn“)

4. Randy Newman—Sail Away (“Dayton, Ohio 1903“)

5. Willis Alan Ramsey—Willis Alan Ramsey (“Northeast Texas Women“)

6. Genesis—Foxtrot

7. Deep Purple—Machine Head (“Space Truckin‘)

8. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band—Will the Circle Be Unbroken (“I Saw the Light“)

9. Steely Dan—Can’t Buy a Thrill (“Fire in the Hole“)

10. Yes—Close to the Edge

Songs
1. Julius Hemphill—”Dogon A.D.”
2. Argent—”Hold Your Head Up”
3. Van Morrison—”Almost Independence Day”
4. Annette Peacock—”I’m the One”
5. J.J. Cale—”Call the Doctor”
6. Stevie Wonder—”Maybe Your Baby”
7. Kevin Ayers—”Whatevershebringswesing”
8. Matching Mole–“Starting in the Middle of the Day We Can Drink Our Politics Away”
9. Rastus—”Lucy Bluebird” (excerpt)
10. Cymande—”One More”

All of these are car-wreck songs. That is, every individual song listed and every song off of each of these albums, when I hear one in the car the accelerator hits the floor and I either erupt in a dash-pounding shout-along or the tears generously flow. I hope you enjoyed revisiting this year as much as I did. It gave me an opportunity to revisit less stellar, but still enjoyable and occasionally invigorating stuff from the era as well as the many many greats. Still didn’t get through my entire collection of records from ’72 so in some cases relied on memory.

Enjoyed listening to a variety of folky stuff from the year like Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks (including his best ever song I Scare Myself, which just missed the cut here), Tir Na Nog, Steeleye Span, Morris On. Kevin Coyne’s first solo record (Case History—almost as good as it ever got for him, offering his cracked blues, empathetic character studies of the forgotten, lost souls of the street and of the institution). There is some dispute about whether it came out in 71 or 72. I have it as part of a ‘Dandelion’ box set that offers no help. I eventually decided it was 1971 so I could fit other things. Sure would have liked to include “God Bless the Bride” from that album. I understand the Willis Alan Ramsey is finally available on CD. If I had included songs off albums I selected, at minimum two of his would have made my top ten, but it would have been damn hard to choose them, every song off that album is so damn good. For starters, check out “Northeast Texas Women”. Same goes for any of the other album selections.

Some good hard rock stuff like Twenty Sixty Six, Randy California, Mick Abrahams Band, Atomic Rooster, West, Bruce & Laing, Blue Oyster Cult, etc. None of which of course comes within spitting range of Vol. 4 or Machine Head (not to mention Live in Japan). Only one could make it here. I’ve enjoyed acquainting myself with the hard rock since living in Cleveland from 97-03. There was a Saturday morning DJ who played only hard rock from the seventies. I listened to his show for several hundred hours and swear I never heard the same cut twice.

Some great psych and prog stuff of course. Aside from the classics—Foxtrot, Close to the Edge, Roxy Music (if that belongs in this category, but it doesn’t really belong in any category, does it?), Thick as a Brick, Focus 3, maybe even Argus and Trilogy—we get the first Scorpions album (more prog/psych than metal and maybe my favorite of theirs), two Gentle Giants, and my favorite Kevin Ayers (Whatevershebringswesing) and Captain Beyond albums. Trilogy is the only ELP I’ve listened to in 20 years and an album I continue to get a tremendous kick from, critical status thankgod notwithstanding. Then there’s all the Kraut stuff which I don’t have a great appreciation for, or collection of, I’ll admit. I do like the Amon Duul 2 album Wolf City and Faust So Far quite a lot though and considered a couple cuts off each album, “Green Bubble Raincoated Man”, especially. The Matching Mole song is a great opening cut off a weak album.

As far as jazz, fallouts include three of my favorite all-time cuts by Rahsaan Roland Kirk (Blacknuss, I Love You Yes I Do, Ain’t No Sunshine), one of my favorite Herbie records based only on spotify listens (forever on my LP wishlist), Space is the Place, a groundbreaking Joe Henderson (Black is the Color), a very fine Sonny Rollins (Next Step), and by far my favorite Santana album (Caravanserai) that moved them solidly into the jazz realm. The only Santana album I ever listen to. I’ve still never heard the entire Dogon A.D. album. Not a huge fan of Weather Report, but my favorite album of theirs is here (I Sing the Body). I was surprised that the first RTF record nearly made my top ten. This is just so damn fun, the melodies and ridiculous bass that is just so volcanic and prodigious it throws you on the floor and makes you giggle, I could play it all day long. Also, an unheralded (at least in this country) Neil Ardley  album (Symphony of Amaranths).

We’ve also got the best albums by six of my favorite solo artists: T. Rex (really, how much are we attributing to his cohorts?), Al Green, Nick Drake, Annette Peacock, David Bowie and Randy Newman (happy to debate this, it’s a close call in all cases). And admirable and better efforts from other favorite all-time, first name artists: J.J. (two!), Joni, Van, Neil, Elton, Stevie (two!). (Aside, Stevie Wonder’s two 1972 releases represent the first two of what would be an unbelievable run of releases following his emancipation from the production/song selection strictures of Motown. As it happens, Waylon and Willie in 1972 began to release albums under their personal control for the first time, free from the hit-making, string-laden reaches of the Nashville studios. This artistic independence would reach its greatest fruition for all three artists in 1973 with the release of the seminal Innervisions (SW), Honky Tonk Heroes (WJ) and Shotgun Willie (WN).)

Country was still in a pretty bad state in 1972, although hope emerged: Jerry Jeff Walker, Steve Young, and inklings from the aforementioned. But then The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band produced an historical document of America, and they sowed the future of Americana. I guess the Stones’ Exile fits in this category as well as any other. I keep giving it a try, but I simply don’t like it much aside from a couple songs.

Several other albums from 1972 that I don’t care for are short-list critical faves. I know I’m missing out, but at this point in my life I can only say I like Something/Anything, tolerate Ege Bemyasi, and cannot stomach On the Corner, in case you’re wondering about their exclusion. I am going to have to give Big Star another try as well someday, but have to admit I’ve tried a few times now and it’s never hit home with me.

Have to mention The Harder They Come and my favorite song off the album, “Many Rivers to Cross”. Alas, they are another casualty, along with another favorite dub song, Prince Jazzbo’s “Crab Walk”.

I nearly added a pop hit of the day, “Guitar Man”, even if it were to disqualify me from any further contributions here. That bridge, man, cheesy as it is, just takes me to a higher plane:

Then you listen to the music and you like to sing along,
You want to get the meaning out of each and ev’ry song
Then you find yourself a message and some words to call your own
And take them home.

Would have liked to include a couple of my other favorite pop songs, a should-have-been pop hit, the Raspberries’ “I Reach for the Light”, and Roy Wood’s “Wake Up”. Had to drop those along with one of my favorite Elton John songs, “Rocket Man”.

On the soul side, it doesn’t get much better than 1972, does it? Aside from the great Stevie albums, two all-time classics from Al Green, great Dramatics, Spinners and War albums, the all-time soul classic “Papa was a rolling stone” and the second consecutive start-to-finish classic from Bill Withers. Holy crap, “Backstabbers” and “Love train” too from the O’Jays and another near miss, Bobby Womack’s “Across 110th street”. Then, the early strains of disco in an unheralded Chakachas album, one cut of which I nearly selected (“Jungle Fever”). Imagine hearing that on the radio in 1972. Or, hell, any of this shit. Tell me, did it really happen? I gave serious consideration to doing just a soul top ten for the year. As it stands, the genre is underrepresented here. Seriously, “Superfly”.