What Album Have You Just Bought?

**Thu Nov 15, 2012 9:28 am**

The Staves: Dead & Born & Grown

There are albums that you're not sure whether you should really like, and if someone described them to you you certainly wouldn't, but somehow they just get to you. I think this is one of those. Three sisters singing sweet harmonies. I guess it may be about having seen them live. Mark Radcliffe swooned over them, in the way he does.

Bellowhead: Broadside

This, on the other hand, I just can't warm to. Muchly enjoyed their first and third albums, but this seems nothing new. And too much choral singing. Went to see them last weekend, and the gig wasn't improved by someone's decision (whose exactly seems to be a matter of dispute) to stick a whole big stack of speakers right in front of the wheelchair viewing area. So you couldn't see the front of the stage. And the sound was carp anyway, so that it was only intermittently possible to hear the lead vocals. So in effect you couldn't either see or hear the lead singer. Not a great gig experience. Though I suspect Shaz, for one, might think that not seeing or hearing Bellowhead's lead singer is a Good Thing.

**Thu Nov 22, 2012 5:03 pm**

Got the new Madness album today..thought I ought to hear their new stuff as we off to see 'em in Nottingham in a fortnight..it aint a patch on the oldies!

**Fri Nov 23, 2012 2:42 pm**

The Notes & The Words : Sandy Denny.

**Fri Nov 23, 2012 11:47 pm**

firehazard wrote:
Though I suspect Shaz, for one, might think that not seeing or hearing Bellowhead's lead singer is a Good Thing.

*Claps hand over mouth and maintains diplomatic silence*

**Fri Nov 23, 2012 11:50 pm**

Johnny Cash: At Folsom Prison/At San Quentin

A remastered/expanded pack with the two gigs in together. At San Quentin was the first album I ever heard - my parents, whose music taste was generally iffy, had it. This one was the exception to the rule!

**Mon Nov 26, 2012 4:02 am**

"Havana 3a.m." - Self titled (w/ Paul Simonon). Uninspired, poorly produced, dissapointing.

"Waking Up" - Topper Headon. Similar response.

"Heartstings" - Willie P. Bennett. Marvelous. Probably one of the best folk singer songwriter albums anywhere, ever. Won him his first Juno award.

I've had a downloaded copy for years now. Despite having been at an "album launch" type gig for this when I lived back east (Willie was my upstairs neighbour) it has remained the one album of his I didn't own until now. Not for lack of trying: i've been scouring the internet for a copy for several years. I passed the first one up at $60 thinking that was crackers, but have since only seen a handfull, all more expensive (one at $120!) But i found a copy from just around the corner last week for the comparitively reasonable price of $40. An independant artist at end of his life, his albums all went out of print when he passed. This one being newest i guess means there were fewer copies ever produced, and nobody is getting rid of their copies!

And Now with the liner notes i finally get to learn who played what. Tony Trischka, Prairie Oyster, Bruce Cockburn, Melanie Doane, Stephen Fearing, David Wilcox....

There was a video made (his only one) for the track "Blue Valentine", recorded with Praire Oyster (who earlier scored a #1 hit with Willie's "Goodbye Hello So Long"):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YijWr1qQauw&feature=player_detailpage

And there's a few homemade videos for some other tracks off this album:
"One Vessel": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aREugG8l1VI
"Brave Wings": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUJxkctQZlI
"Caney Fork River: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1NHPXPxzlc&feature=related

**Thu Nov 29, 2012 9:16 pm**

i hate real life!
Bought the new Pogues lp and ltd dvd but have yet had no time to listen to any of it.Hate real life when its gets in the way of things that really matter..

**Thu Nov 29, 2012 9:22 pm**

Low D wrote:
"Havana 3a.m." - Self titled (w/ Paul Simonon). Uninspired, poorly produced, dissapointing.

"Waking Up" - Topper Headon. Similar response.

"Heartstings" - Willie P. Bennett. Marvelous. Probably one of the best folk singer songwriter albums anywhere, ever. Won him his first Juno award.

I've had a downloaded copy for years now. Despite having been at an "album launch" type gig for this when I lived back east (Willie was my upstairs neighbour) it has remained the one album of his I didn't own until now. Not for lack of trying: i've been scouring the internet for a copy for several years. I passed the first one up at $60 thinking that was crackers, but have since only seen a handfull, all more expensive (one at $120!) But i found a copy from just around the corner last week for the comparitively reasonable price of $40. An independant artist at end of his life, his albums all went out of print when he passed. This one being newest i guess means there were fewer copies ever produced, and nobody is getting rid of their copies!

And Now with the liner notes i finally get to learn who played what. Tony Trischka, Prairie Oyster, Bruce Cockburn, Melanie Doane, Stephen Fearing, David Wilcox....

There was a video made (his only one) for the track "Blue Valentine", recorded with Praire Oyster (who earlier scored a #1 hit with Willie's "Goodbye Hello So Long"):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YijWr1qQauw&feature=player_detailpage

And there's a few homemade videos for some other tracks off this album:
"One Vessel": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aREugG8l1VI
"Brave Wings": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUJxkctQZlI
"Caney Fork River: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1NHPXPxzlc&feature=related

Bought the Topper lp back in the day & really wanted to like it but did not. Guess it was just too jazzy?musical for my ears. That said Topper is still one top drummer.I like Havana 3am. Dispite not owning a bike.Justice.

**Fri Nov 30, 2012 1:12 am**

Tal wrote:Bought the Topper lp back in the day & really wanted to like it but did not. Guess it was just too jazzy?musical for my ears. That said Topper is still one top drummer.I like Havana 3am. Dispite not owning a bike.Justice.

The drumming was the real let down. Most of that could have been played by a machine with rudimentary programming.

**Fri Nov 30, 2012 1:17 pm**

Low D wrote:
Tal wrote:Bought the Topper lp back in the day & really wanted to like it but did not. Guess it was just too jazzy?musical for my ears. That said Topper is still one top drummer.I like Havana 3am. Dispite not owning a bike.Justice.

The drumming was the real let down. Most of that could have been played by a machine with rudimentary programming.

Trouser Press' review:

Topper Headon, who vanished from the Clash and the music business soon after the release of Combat Rock, reportedly because of drug problems (Terry Chimes — "Tory Crimes" of the first LP — replaced him for live work), launched a solo career in 1986 with Waking Up. Ambitious and plucky but surprisingly underwhelming, this horn-soul album is so humble his drums aren't even mixed high enough. Despite an impressive talent roster (including ex-Blockhead and frequent Clash collaborator Mickey Gallagher and ex-Beck guitarist Bobby Tench), Headon's songs are amateurish, and the arrangements routine and uninvolving; even another version of Booker T's can't-miss "Time Is Tight" doesn't hit a nerve.

**Fri Nov 30, 2012 5:53 pm**

Doktor Avalanche wrote:even another version of Booker T's can't-miss "Time Is Tight" doesn't hit a nerve.

Yeah, and that was the highlight of the album!

**Sat Dec 01, 2012 11:45 pm**

Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left

Hmmm, do I need to smoke more weed to appreciate this? 'Day is Done' is moving, apart from that I am struggling? So much made of this album I was expecting it to be a lost gem.

Bowie - Low

Is this Bowie's best? Really? Robert Smith from The Cure reckons it's the best album ever. I...do not agree.

**Sun Dec 02, 2012 12:37 am**

MJ1 wrote:Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left

Hmmm, do I need to smoke more weed to appreciate this? 'Day is Done' is moving, apart from that I am struggling? So much made of this album I was expecting it to be a lost gem.

Bowie - Low

Is this Bowie's best? Really? Robert Smith from The Cure reckons it's the best album ever. I...do not agree.

Low was undoubtedly hugely influential in lots of ways, but Bowie made several more interesting albums. Much as I love the sound of it - it's why the Radiators borrowed his producer for our second album - most of the songs are fairly artless which is, I think, the point of them but, y'know, I'm more of a "Bewlay Brothers"/"Life on Mars?"/"Sweet Thing"/"Young Americans" type meself.

Can't help with Nick Drake, he's always eluded me.

**Sun Dec 02, 2012 1:33 am**

philipchevron wrote:
MJ1 wrote:Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left

Hmmm, do I need to smoke more weed to appreciate this? 'Day is Done' is moving, apart from that I am struggling? So much made of this album I was expecting it to be a lost gem.

Bowie - Low

Is this Bowie's best? Really? Robert Smith from The Cure reckons it's the best album ever. I...do not agree.

Low was undoubtedly hugely influential in lots of ways, but Bowie made several more interesting albums. Much as I love the sound of it - it's why the Radiators borrowed his producer for our second album - most of the songs are fairly artless which is, I think, the point of them but, y'know, I'm more of a "Bewlay Brothers"/"Life on Mars?"/"Sweet Thing"/"Young Americans" type meself.

Can't help with Nick Drake, he's always eluded me.

It's great that there is a world still to explore in music! I know Bowie's 'key' tracks, but not his albums. OK, so 'Low' is a pass, or maybe a piece in a wider jigsaw, I'll try 'Station to Station' & 'Lodger', from the same era, see how that goes.

With 'Low' I must admit I was expecting something revelatory, like 'Transformer', with Eno & Iggy on the payroll.

Great photos of the 'Thin White Duke' on the sleeve though.

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