Roxy Music

This the true Glamorous Rock - the perfect melding of pop, rock, prog and (plastic) soul, there's very few bands that can match the run of albums that Roxy Music put out. They look and sound in equal parts stunning and ridiculous, from their learning-on-the-job debut through to the sonic perfection of Avalon, they rarely put a foot wrong. I love every one of these albums.

I've always claimed that, with Remake/Remodel, the opening track from Roxy Music, the band said more in 5 minutes than most bands say in their entire career. They could've quit then and the music world would already have been in a better place, but then we wouldn't have the (to choose a song from each subsequent album) In Every Dream Home a Heartache, Mother of Pearl, Out of The Blue, Love is the Drug, Dance Away, The Same of Scene or More Than This. And especially, we wouldn't have Virginia Plain.

Ian McNabb - Star Smile Strong

Just arrived today, here's the long awaited double vinyl edition of Star Smile Strong, with new artwork and a signed print.

I've already given this two spins and it really is a stunning pressing. I knew and enjoyed the album from the original 2017 CD release, but there's a much fuller sound audible here, with the two discs allowing the tracks to breathe and really come to life. The new artwork is also much improved from the original (sorry, but I was never a fan of the original sleeve design) and we're also treated to the song lyrics on the inner sleeves.

Clarabella, the 13 minute closing opus, deservedly gets a side to itself. As requested on the inner sleeve, I cranked up the volume for this one.

Already a good Ian McNabb album, with this pressing it's just got better. A highlight in a career of highlights.

Rick Wakeman - Rock N' Roll Prophet

I've just picked up this album from Hurley Books in Mevagissey (a great selection of records), sold by the cover, allmusic review (the fans give it 1.5 out of 5) and the text on the back sleeve:
"It takes an album of music such as this to really know who your friends are...".

It's apparently a Buggles spoofing synthpop album with Rick singing on it. He didn't want it released under this name and has since gone on record to say he thinks it is "a little ahead of its time [and] a little off the wall".

I mean, how bad can it be? I'll have to wait until I'm home tomorrow to find out.

Monday Morning Easy Listening

Heaven 17 - Bigger Than America RSD 2019

I must confess that, despite calling myself a fan, I'd never listened to this album before. After the brilliance of the first three albums, there was a noticeable drop in quality with subsequent releases - sure, 'Pleasure One' and 'Teddy Bear, Duke and Psycho' had their moments, but I found them more miss than hit.

But then sometimes you just can't resist the lure of translucent orange vinyl and so this debut vinyl pressing ended up in my bag as a last minute decision on record store day. It doesn't disappoint. Expecting another Temptation, Fascist Groove Thang or Let Me Go is a bit much (for ANY artist), but there's enough quality over these 12 tracks to draw me in - the band ditching their quest for a more "authentic' soulful sound over the previous two albums and instead offering up a more polished take on the electronic Penthouse side of Penthouse and Pavement.

ABC on the Phone

Bridgewater Hall
12/4/19

My Thoughts on The Godlike Genius of Scott Walker

I was shocked to hear the sad, sad news that Scott Walker has passed away. It's strange how these things - the news that someone over 70 - can still shock us, but such is the nature of artists who make music that will stay forever young in our memories.

Some things that I will forever link with my rediscovery and love of Scott Walker
1. Julian Cope. Although he briefly dismissed him in Reposessed, saying that he "sucked existential shite", JC was still a massive Scott fan and, if his vocal performance on China Girl (amongst others) wasn't enough, then the Fire Escapes In The Sky album that he compiled was a bit of a give away.

2. The Alan Rickman/Juliet Stevenson performance of The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore in Truly, Madly Deeply reinforced, and reminded me of, the fact that it is one of THE great songs and a true desert island disc.

3. The Crooning On Venus edition of David Toop's Oceans of Sound compilations, featuring a host of pioneering vocalists - one of the standout moments was Scott singing The Dealer, from his 1984 album Climate of Hunter - his sole album from the 1980s and an album that planted the seeds for his avant garde renaissance from the 90s onwards.

4. David Bowie. That bit on the radio where he is lost for words after hearing a happy birthday message from Scott Walker. And all those vocal performances where there was an undeniable Scott influence.

5. Loving Midge Ure's cover of No Regrets in 1982 without knowing the original and then discovering years later that Ultravox cited the Walker Brothers' track The Electrician as a key influence on Vienna.

6. Pulp (again, you can hear the Scott influence in much of Jarvis's singing) getting Scott Walker to produce their final album - a great understated sound with some exquisite sonic moments - and then, on one track (Bad Cover Version), complain that the second side of Scott's album 'Til The Band Comes In isn't much cop.

7. The video footage from 30th Century Man of him instructing someone on how best to punch a side of meat to get the right sound effect for the track Clara.

8. Montague Terrace in Blue and The Old Man's Back Again, amongst other songs.