Mike’s Comebacks

I don’t have a lot to offer this month, but have these comebacks of three different sorts:

1. XTC–Apple Venus Volume 1.

By the end of the 90s it was beginning to look like XTC might never resolve their contract squabbles and put out another release. That they did release what is arguably as good as anything they ever did gives me hope that they might still summon one more gem.

River of Orchids

2. Neil Young–Freedom.

I’ll be honest, I’ve never heard his six previous 1980s releases. Things like Trans and Landing on Water, I’ve never heard a good thing about them and am going to just trust that they’re every bit as bad as everyone says they are. Life is too short. Freedom is just intense.

Don’t Cry

3. Penguin Cafe–A Matter of Life…

This is the brainchild of Arthur Jeffes, the son of Simon Jeffes who founded and led the original Orchestra. Simon passed in 1997. This album, released in 2011 almost 25 years after the last Orchestra studio album, and its followup The Red Book, does a surprisingly great job of carrying on the tradition as though no time passed at all.

That, Not That

Mike’s 1982

I know I’m prone to exaggeration any time I talk about music, but I’ll be damned if this isn’t one of my favorite years of all time. Had a very hard time removing some favorites from my list. Here’s my collection: http://rateyourmusic.com/collection/madherb/strm_relyear/1982/1

Songs 

1. You’ve Got Another Thing Coming (Judas Priest). Best song off a great album. Not sure if Bob or Tim will agree, but for me no other record of theirs comes close to this. Ranks in my top 5 metal albums of all time. The only reason it doesn’t appear in my albums list  is that I just don’t listen to it much anymore, but this song always pushed me over the edge when I heard it on the radio.
2. Shabby Doll (Elvis Costello). Elvis continues the maturation process begun on Trust (I picked it up, John, and like it), and so while I find this generally less exciting than his first four albums (especially my favorites, Armed Forces and Get Happy!!), I’d have to seriously consider including this cut in an all-time EC top ten list. It might not surprise you that my favorite cuts, including this one, are those that would fit right in with those aforementioned albums.
3. On the Road to Fairfax County (The Roches–Keep on Moving) or Losing You (The Roches). I had somehow forgotten for a while that this album existed. One of the nice things about these exercises is that you become reacquainted with things you once loved but had put aside for whatever reason. This is the last of three Roches records produced by Robert Fripp in the late 70s/early 80s. Aside from providing the ladies with exquisite production, he accompanies them with an occasional acoustic guitar accompaniment or solo that fits the songs perfectly. There is hardly anything else like early Roches; if there is, I have certainly never heard it. Great songwriting and harmonies (e.g. I Fell in Love)… Maybe doesn’t have the highs of the first album, but this might be the more consistent record; every song hits its mark.
4. Space Age Love (A Flock of Seagulls). Their entire first album is, maybe surprisingly, pretty damn good.
5. Lost Weekend (Wall of Voodoo). Here’s a great example of that 80s production that John so lovingly refers to. I don’t have too much trouble getting past that when the song is as good as this.
6. Naturliche liebe or Mikrokosmos (Tri Atma with Gyun Nisharda—Sehnsucht & Einklang). A different version of this song and maybe the entire album was re-recorded in 1983 with a new accompanist, Klaus Netzle, who brought on Kraftwerk/Software style keyboards. That album (“Yearning and Harmony”) was going to appear in my album list until I realized the ’82 release was different.
7. Pigs (Robert Wyatt—Animals Film ep).
8. Mt. Teidi (Mike Oldfield). I’ve always thought of Five Miles Out as one of my favorite Oldfield albums, but the truth is that only this song, coupled with “Orabidoo” on the second side and to a lesser extent the album closer “Five Miles Out”, make me think so.
9. 1999 (Prince). Or, obviously “Little Red Corvette”.
10. Airwaves (Thomas Dolby–The Golden Age of Wireless)

Albums

1.  Too-Rye-Aye (Dexys Midnight Runners). Includes at least two songs I’d be hard pressed not to include on a top ten songs of the 80s list: “Old” and “Come on Eileen”, but since you all know the latter and are likely sick of it, how about “All in All“? Every other song is very nearly as good, especially “The Celtic Soul Brothers“, which establishes the infectious bonhomie to come, followed by “Let’s Make This Precious“, As close as most any record in my collection to being perfect.
2. The Record (Fear). I know that Brent could have guessed most of my picks for this year, this among the easiest. I actually hadn’t played this one in a while and before I pulled it out, I guessed that it might not make my top ten list. Holy crap was I wrong. Takes me right back.I have always been struck by the musicianship and enthusiasm. Go on, play it, its only 27 minutes short, manic and hilarious.
3. Big Science (Laurie Anderson). Another Desert Island Disk for me, and another perfect record. Not many of those in this life.
4. Joe McPhee—Oleo and a Future Retrospective. “Pablo” is the only track on youtube, but that’s ok because it is as good as every other cut on the album (in other words, they are all this good). I think the reason I love this album so much, and everything else I’ve heard from him, is that the song and melody rather than the chords serve as the basis of the improvisation. So beautiful. How lucky some of you are that he lives so close and plays in Milwaukee so often!
5. The Dreaming (Kate Bush). I’m sure I’ve talked about this record before. Seems to me this was the most creative and daring point of her career, resulting in a shockingly original folk/pop/prog amalgamation. I know some people judge the quality of a song based on whether it can be sung accompanied by only a piano or a guitar. Can’t do that with some of these. Hard to imagine what “Get Out of My House”, as one example, would be if not for the ingenious background vocals and the 10 million other things that are going on there.
6. Combat Rock (The Clash). Unlike Bob, I loved this thing right away, even including the pop hit “Rock the Casbah”, which I also purchased as a 12″ single upon release. Favorites right now might be “Car Jamming“, which my son told me was ripped off by someone (I’ll ask him who later) in a recent top 40 single and “Straight to Hell“, but I love it start to finish.
7. Nothing Can Stop Us (Robert Wyatt). People downplay this record mostly because of a couple of (what some consider) throwaway political statements at the end. Even if you don’t go for those, the brilliance of the rest more than makes up for it. In addition to “Shipbuilding” (John, you’ve got to hear it if you haven’t already), I especially love “Born Again Cretin”, “Caimanera”, and the Chic cover “At Last I Am Free” (tinny production and drums warning, John!), and his gentle, as ever, “Strange Fruit”.
8. English Settlement (XTC). Hard to pick just one or two songs, every one of them brilliant. Astonishing that we’ve not yet discussed XTC. I would think they might be one band we could all agree on.
9. Logos–Live at the Dominion – London 1982 (Tangerine Dream). The closest thing to drugs in my collection.
10. Urban Bushmen (Art Ensemble of Chicago). I know I’ve mentioned this one before. It took me years to fully embrace it in its entirety. Sure, start with the Ellingtonian “New York is Full of Lonely People”, but be patient with the rest if it doesn’t hit you straightaway. Crank “Sun Precondition Two/Theme for Sco”, for example, up like its metal and be overwhelmed and transported. One of my great regrets is never seeing this group live.

Honorable mention: The Cortege (Mike Westbrook). Long on my wishlist, I finally got around to purchasing this last month. In spite of the ridiculous competition, this could find its way into my top 10 for 1982. Big band music along the line of “Escalator Over the Hill”. I like it better, which is saying something.

Brent’s Supers

This one was tough as I had a bit of trouble defining SUPERGROUP in my head. Whenever SUPERGROUP is mentioned I always think of Blind Faith, Derek & The Dominos, etc….either that or King Crimson and Pere Ubu (aren’t all incarnations of Crimson/Ubu SUPERGROUPS of a sort?). No straight Jazz here as I’m not sure it applies. Anyway…here goes:

1) Carla Bley/Paul Haines/Michael Manter

Tropic Appetities (Cast) – Indonesian Dock Sucking Supreme, Caucasian Bird Riffles

Escalator Over The Hill (Cast) – Businessman, End of Rawalpind

The Hapless Child (Cast) – The Remembered Visit, The Sinking Spell

Not Jazz, Not Prog, Musical Theatre perhaps? I find these recordings such great fun!

2) Venomous Concept –  Infest

Shane Embury (Napalm Death), Danny Herrera (Napalm Death) Buzz Ozborne (Melvins),Kevin Sharp (Brutal Truth, Primate). Guest appearance (front row in baseball hat…Bobby)…I was wise enough to stay the hell away from the pit.

3) Jack Bruce/Bill Lorden/Robin Trower –  No Island Lost, Into Money

Power Trio…I admit it…I love me some Robin Trower.

4) Centepede (Cast) – Septober Energy

Keith Tippett’s conglomeration of pretty much the entire Canterbury scene.

5) Slapp Happy/Henry Cow –  Riding Tigers

6) League Of Gentlemen – Minor Man, Dislocated

Robert Fripp (Crimson), Barry Andrews (XTC)

7)  Cato Salsa Experience/The Thing/Joe Mcphee –  Who The Fuck, I Can’t Find My Mind

Nuff Said…

8)  The Styrenes – All The Wrong People Are Dying

Gut…Wrenching…

Cleveland amalgamation of Mirrors/Electric Eels/Pagans etc…this track includes Cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm as well.

9)  Rova Saxophone Quartet & Nels Cline Singers –  Trouble Ticket

Ok…Maybe one Jazz outing here 😉

10) Macha Loved Bedhead – Believe, Only The Bodies Survive