14 June 2013 (Day 165) – Listening, Forgetting and Appreciating

Although it’s the Friday at the end of a shorter working week thanks to the Public Holiday for Iggy’s Birthday, the day seemed the same as yesterday.  But I was in the mood in listening to albums with a much fuller sound;

(# 432) The Church – Priest = Aura (1992)

As the years go by, this album is increasingly being regarded as just about the best album in the band’s lengthy career, although I personally still rate Starfish and The Blurred Crusade ahead of it.  What’s not in doubt is how the band’s career artistically turned on this. Indeed the band announced their break up on the Australian tour that supported this album but this resulted only in the departures of guitarist Peter Koppes and this album only drummer Jay Dee Draugherty (of the Patti Smith Group).  Church albums since have, more or less, adopted the same musical outlook pioneered as the majority of tracks on this.  The Byrds type jangly rock of previous albums is largely gone replaced by tunes that place a great deal of emphasis on evocative widescreen moodscapes.  The tone is set by the keyboard driven Aura, an incredibly lush track with the usual enigmatic lyrical musings of Steve Kilbey and the guitars of Marty Willson-Piper and Koppes poking around in the background.  The seven 7 minute Ripple which follows is one of arguably two signs of past guitar glories.  The other is the penultimate track, the ten minute Chaos, which suitably describes the guitar noise that erupts within it.  But most of the remaining tracks are mood pieces like Aura with tracks like Swan Lake, Feel and Dome standing out. 

(# 433) Cabaret Voltaire – The Original Sound Of Sheffield ’83-’87 (compilation 2001)

Cabaret Voltaire existed for over 20 years and released at least 18 albums.  And yet the compilers of this “Best Of” have done a sensational job of demonstrating how the act developed from produced post-punk industrial soundscapes to sensational techno dance tunes in the space of only 14 tracks.  The early tracks are an acquired taste but once catchy tunes such as Nag Nag Nag, Silent Command and No Escape kick in, there was no looking back.  The relentless nature of Split Second Feeling is sensational and Yashar adds some Arabic influences into the mix.

After I played this, something quite bizarre occurred.  It didn’t occur to me to play anything else for the rest of the work day.  I have no idea why this happened and can’t account for it.  All I can say is that sometimes you just enjoy the silence.  After work, I joined “M” at a nearby pub with some of her workmates to celebrate the weekend and we proceeded home. Even more strangely I developed the urge to play something and so, whilst “M” threw dinner together, I thought I’d play something she would like, provided she identified the songs;

(# 434) Easy Star All-Stars – Thrillah (2012)

I really love the All-Stars reggae version of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of the Moon album.  Their version of The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s is acceptable but I could never bring myself to purchase their take on Radiohead’s OK Computer.  This is the latest attempt at covering a musical landmark and, as the title implies, its Michael Jackson’s Thriller that is the subject.  It’s a reasonable attempt but my main concern here is that some of the tracks, notably Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’, Beat It and Pretty Young Thing barely pass muster as reggae tunes.  Baby Be Mine, Human Nature and, incredibly, The Girl Is Mine fare much better.  A second go at Beat It, a dub version titled Dub It, is the album’s stand out.

(# 435) Bettye LaVette – I’ve Got My Own Hell To Raise (2005)

This is an unbelievable album.  After a long and fairly undistinguished career, R&B singer LaVette hooked up with musician turned producer Joe Henry who helped turn her into a star.  Having assembled a crack band including Doyle Bramhall II and former Prince keyboardist Lisa Coleman, Henry and LaVette considered over 100 contemporary songs before settling on a sensational  selection of 10 tracks, none of which, ironically are R&B tunes and all written by female songwriters.  Sinead O’Connor’s I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got followed by Lucinda Williams’ Joy began the album sensationally.  After that there was no let up with inspired treatments of songs as diverse as To The Limit (Joan Armatrading), Little Sparrow (Dolly Parton) and Sleep To Dream (Fiona Apple).  LaVette so commands the material that anyone unfamiliar with the original tunes would not have reason to think these are covers.