It's mostly rock and pop this time but featured along the way are some pretty out there rock, pop, jazz and classical...
New discoveries this week include Armand Margjeka, The Champs, And One, Dÿse, Ambergris, Valgeir Sigurðsson, TrommelTobi and Bly De Blyant...
And so I beseech you to prick up your ears to my soundtrack of the last seven days...
...was also created by light entering the CBQ camera...
Press play and away we go...
Laura Pausini - Benvenuto 3:58
from "20: The Greatest Hits"
We start loud this week with the lead off track from Laura Pausini's last album "Inedito" - her 2013 double CD best of popped through the letter box last Saturday and has been entertaining both me and the Exec Producer...
Alice Cooper - What Baby Wants 3:44
from "Welcome 2 My Nightmare"
I mentioned in the blog that Alice's last album was given a listen again, first time for a while and, somehow, didn't seem as good as I recalled. However, I still love this track - which got me "into" Ke$ha, maaan..
Bidiniband - The Fatherland 3:05
from "The Motherland"
A second track for a second week, first of three repeated artists in a row, is this great wee track from Dave Bidini's Bidinband's new LP "The Motherland", their third, which maintains the high standard set by "The Land is Wild" and "In The Rock Hall"...
Ernst Reijseger - Crystal Palace XX 3:23
from "Crystal Palace"
Last week, I featured over 40 tracks and, consequently, some were a little short. This week, I've given slightly longer to a few of these recent acquisitions. This is an album of solo cello which rewards repeated listening. The very dab...
Gentle Giant - Mister Class And Quality 3:23
from "Giant Steps The First Five Years"
Once again the mighty Gentle Giant have been on the cans. This track comes from their third LP "Three Friends" from 1972, which tells the story of three school friends growing up and moving on to completely different roles in later life...
David Bowie - Silly Boy Blue 3:53
from "The Deram Anthology 1966 - 1968"
A track from David Bowie's first album under his then new name. Probably the best song on the LP - and it may well be the only song ever to mention statues made from Yak butter. Go Dave...
Roedelius - Geradewohl 3:31
from "Deutsche Elektronische Musik"
Originally from the 1980 album "Selbstportrait Vol III" by Berliner and one half of Cluster, Hans-Joachim Roedelius, this takes me right back to my days living near Kassel, almost 35 years ago now, when a goodly number of such LPs were bought and recorded to cassette at the school at which I was teaching English, to be enjoyed back at my flat with a cool bottle of Weissbier...
Armand Margjeka - Move Slow 3:59
from "Hummingbird"
Six new acquisitions from the last seven days in a row now. First comes from Albanian born American Armand Margjeka who, by the looks of the credits on his LP, has made some excellent connections along the way. "Hummingbird" is a great album which will no doubt sink without a trace but you could be one of the few "in the know" if you explore further...
BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah - Six Degrees 2:53
from "Six Degrees"
Last week, the jazz/hip-hop trio Badbadnotgood came to my attention and what should happen but, on a trip to Glasgow last Saturday, I should stumble across a two track CD single in top music store, Mono, of their recent collaboration with rapper Ghostface Killah. If you can get beyond the aggressive delivery and listen to the poetry involved, raps like this will reward your attention...
Webern - 6 Bagatelles, Op. 9 4:05
from "Winter Was Hard"
In the same pack which contained Laura Pausini, was this superb recital disc from the Kronos Quartet, bought to obtain a version of Barber's Adagio for strings in the quartet version. Eschewing that for its familiarity when looking to include a track here, I've opted instead for the abstract noodling and meaningful silences of Mr Webern...
The Champs - Only A Bullet Knows Where To Run 3:01
from "Down Like Gold"
Also from the racks at Mono in Glasgow, came this LP by two young men from the Isle of Wight who have an interesting and very accessible sound. See what you think...
And One - Mannermusik 3:06
from "Magnet (Trilogie Edition)"
A major discovery this week - I ended up with six albums worth (three studio and three live) of their material in the collection - there's a lve track later on - was this German trio who come across like a mix of DAF, Yello and Depeche Mode - I've reflected their DAF side on this playlist but there're plenty of great electro tunes in their repertoire too. Check them out...
Dÿse - Reudikamm 3:55
from "Das Nation"
An eclectic sounding East German duo featuring guitar and drums and an uncategorisable sound, Dÿse first came together in Amsterdam and have apparently formed a solid reputation as a live act across Europe. I just took a chance on this one as, from the cover info, they appeared to be singing in German. Strange what encourages a purchase by Mr CBQ...
Ut Gret - Dinosaur on the Floor 3:51
from "Ancestor's Tale"
Possibly the best track from over the two albums by US complex music outfit Ut Gret, downloaded a couple of weeks back. Shades of "Lizard" era King Crimson and of Gentle Giant - and a superbly weird bass clarinet solo along the way. Top notch...
Adebisi Shank - Chaos Emeralds 3:42
from "This Is the Third Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank"
This Irish trio show their routes with a cheeky wee homeland theme which pervades this track from their 3rd LP. Another recent discovery which I believe deserves wider attention - this piece is more representative of their robotic vocalising sound than that included in last week's playlist...
Tingvall Trio - Cowboy 3:40
from "Beat"
A slightly more laid back piece than the previous, shall we say, onslaught, calms things down a bit. "Cowboy" comes from the Hamburg based trio's latest LP, which impressed enough to have a track included for a second week in a row...
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Terminal I (Detail) 10:00
from "Morphinecodex (Details)"
The full ten minute "detail" of a 31 minute piece from the upcoming Cloudland Blue Quartet 24 track, 15 hour 25 minute extravaganza, which will be released by Crispycat Recordings towards the end of this year in various formats, from a massive 24 CD set, right down to a single disc version, under the title "Morphinecodex"...
GWAR - School's Out 3:44
from "Beyond Hell"
Disappointment last week from old buddy Grant Henderson who, like me, is a big Alice Cooper fan. He was hoping for the inclusion of some GWAR, so who am I not to be open to requests? Their cover of the Coop's 1972 classic seemed an apt choice. Let's rock....
Ambergris - Play On Player 3:07
from "Ambergris"
Always intrigued by the big chicken faced-cover of this bargain box inhabiting LP from the earliest days of my record buying career, I finally downloaded it this week and, while it's not BS&T or (good-period) Chicago, it's certainly what might be termed as "no bad"....
Preisner - Dekalog V-Part 1 & 6 3:15
from "Kieslowski"
Stumbled across this quite rare disc of self-compiled Preisner film music composed fro the works of Polich director Kieslowski, famous for his "Three Colours" Trilogy. The featured pices come from the soundtrack of the ten film series "Dekolog"...
Valgeir Sigurðsson - Reverse Erased 3:37
from "Architecture Of Loss"
One of a couple of releases on the Iceland based Bedroom Community label in Glasgow's main branch of Fopp on our trip their last week. Everything I've heard of this label's output thus far is worthy of your time and attention. Get to it listeners...
The Revillos - Do The Mutilation 3:38
from "Attack Of The Giant Revillos"
A real blast from the past and one of much missed sister Pam's favourite bands - she had a huge crush on drummer Rocky Rhythm and was thrilled to have once been offered (and accepted) a lift in his pink Cadillac. The name change from Rezillos came about as Sire owned the "z" based name at the time when the band were looking to record new music. Rocky himself collated and compiled this collection of recordings from which the band's then record company rushed a second album on to the market place before it was ready...
And One - Die Mitte 3:36
from "Live On Stage"
More from German discovery And One. They are very successful indeed in their homeland but I'd not heard of them before Monday. Both tracks included in the playlist come from the 6CD box set "Magnet" which contains three studio albums and three of live material. Play loud...
David Sylvian - Camp Fire: Coyote Country 3:51
from "Gone To Earth"
Apologies for the rather abrupt changeover. But it kind of works given the relaxed nature of this next piece, one of the first collaborations between David Sylvian and Robert Fripp. Quite beautiful. It wasn't included on the initial CD version of the double LP which I bought back in 1985. This week, I finally upgraded to the 2CD remaster...
TrommelTobi - Forget 3:28
from "Le Gruyère"
Ten tracks to go and the first is from yet another new discovery, Berlin based drummer, producer and "beatmaker" TrommelTobi...
BADBADNOTGOOD - Camel 3:05
from "BBNG"
Taken from their debut LP "BBNG", counting the track above with Ghost Killah, this is the fifth piece by BBNG included in the last two playlists. So I think we can safely say I quite like them. But will they stand the test of time?
Bly De Blyant - Westkreuz 3:32
from "Hindsight Bias"
Norway's Hubro label has been providing me with some superb new jazz/not jazz this year - in fact another two albums from the label made their way into the collection last night as I was recording this so tracks from those may feature next week. In the meantime, enjoy this piece from Bly de Blyant a "genre smashing" trio (it says here)...
Lotus - Let Me In 4:17
from "Gilded Age"
Some intelligent pop now from Lotus, whose album "Gilded Age" received some more listening this week and was found to be good, interesting and entertaining - all three subjectively of course as is the nature of music loving. Uplifting...
John Zorn - Sacred Emblems 3:03
from "Psychomagia"
An understated track now from one of four John Zorn jazz or classical LPs downloaded this week. This particular album features two ex members (Shanir Ezra Elumenkranz on bass and Eyal Maoz on guitar) of one of my all time fave jazz combos, the sadly departed Lemon Jazz Quartet. Good to hear their playing again...
Gentle Giant - Valedictory 3:27
from "The Power and the Glory [Steven Wilson Remix]"
Yet another track from Gentle Giant - am I featuring the too often? No I didn't think so. This is taken from the new Steven Wilson mix of their 1974 classic "The Power and the Glory" a kind of concept album re political chicanery which, at the time, dovetailed nicely with the Watergate scandal in the States. Astounding musicianship...
The Front - Polaroid 3:04
from "Berlin 61 / 89: Wall of Sound"
On to the driving electro driven sound of The Front's "Polaroid" from a two LP set of music from Berlin which made its way into the collection this week. Just realised that around a fifth of the content this week is Teutonic in nature. No bad thing...
Anoice - Drops 4:04
from "From The Studio"
From Germany to Japan and a second inclusion for post rock chamber outfit Anoice. This is the opening piece from their impressive collection "From the Studio" which I'm not altogether sure as to its availability actual album-wise - it may just be a download only collection...
Art Ensemble Of Chicago - Ericka 3:23
from "A Jackson In Your House"
I took a chance on this 2Cd set yesterday during a visit to Fopp - it contains three 1969 LPs by the strange abstract jazz quartet The Art Ensemble of Chicago. Let's just say it's not the easiest listening experience I've ever had. But worthy of inclusion here, if merely to bamboozle you as we head to the final track...
Roger Glover - Love Is All 3:17
from "Mightier Than The Sword (The Ronnie James Dio Story)"
...which is taken from a career spanning 2CD collection of the work of Ronnie James Dio, for me one of the all time great rock vocalists. While there are some stunning examples of his recordings with Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven & Hell, it was this wee gem from Deep Purple bassist's solo project "Butterfly Ball" which struck a chord with me. An old favourite I'd not heard for years...
...and, as Mr Dio fades into the distance, I hope you enjoyed this eclectic mix and will pop back next week for some more...
...and, as Mr Dio fades into the distance, I hope you enjoyed this eclectic mix and will pop back next week for some more...
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