My trips require a bit of planning because, ideally, I would
like to get to my destination without any unnecessary stops. Last time I had to stop to scroll through my
iPod and was determined that not reoccur.
This time I decide to have the next album set up in it so that as soon
as the first album ends, I can pick up the iPod, click to get me out of that
album and then go straight to the first track on the next. In other words, just two clicks without
having to take my eyes off the road.
I’ve made this discovery as a result of wearing out the CD
player in the car. As I plan to get a
new car before year’s end, I’ve decided not to replace it. Instead I’ve got one of those devices that
you plug into both the iPod and the car cigarette lighter and which enables you
to play music from it through the car speakers on a radio frequency. This device has a lengthy cord so it sits far
closer to me than the CD player, adding to driver safety provided you’ve prepared yourself beforehand.
And so on to the day’s listening which commenced with an
album from the masters of stoner rock;
(217) Monster Magnet –
Powertrip
This is 1970s era Hawkwind as retooled by Americans. A long slow build up heralds the start of the
magnificent Crop Circle, a track I heard for the first time when I had the pleasure
of watching these guys on the main stage of the Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium
in 1998. There is a case to be made that this is their best album, given that
it also contains the title track, the incredibly funky (for stoners anyway)
Space Lord, Bummer Temple Of Your Dreams and Atomic Clock.
(218) Various Artists
- American Hardcore. The History Of
American Punk Rock 1980 – 1986
This was the album I wanted to play on my last trip only to
be stymied by my re-import troubles. It
is, apparently, the soundtrack to a film documentary and this is where I have a
minor problem. If you use the definitive
article as has been here, the onus is on you to make this the definitive collection
because this is “The History”. If you can’t get clearance for some of key acts
from the era, as I suspect is the case here, such as the Dead Kennedys and The
Germs, the best claim that can be made is that this is “A History”. But I'm being
pedantic. This provides a fine overview
of the scene including acts such as Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Flipper, Black
Flag, D.O.A and the Circle Jerks. But as
is inevitably the case with compilations like this, it is the acts you haven’t
heard that grab the attention. That was
certainly the case with me being tremendously impressed by the contributions from Battalion Of Saints, 7 Seconds and Really Red.
(219) The Sex Pistols
– Filthy Lucre Live
Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols is an
acknowledged classic but this is my Sex Pistols album of choice. This is the live recording of their comeback
gig at Finsbury Park London on 23 June 1996.
It reveals the Pistols for what they truly are, essentially pub rockers
who played much faster than usual. More
importantly, it demonstrates just how crucial Glen Matlock is to the band as
his basslines provide the songs with the bottom end that they really
needed. (If you’ve ever seen or heard live
footage of the band with Sid Vicious on board, you’ll know what I mean.) The other advantage is that the album functions
as a live best of because tracks not on Bollocks such as Satellite, the cover of (I’m
Not Your) Steppin’ Stone and Did You No Wrong get a run here. Why their performance of No Fun from the gig
was not included is a mystery. Bodies,
God Save The Queen, New York, EMI, Pretty Vacant and Anarchy In The UK are all
sensational inspiring the audience (and yours truly behind the wheel) to sing
along with gusto.
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