Issue No.3 – March 2020

By Jeremy Cuff

I’ve always been a voracious and inquisitive listener of music; I never seem to tire of it.

The spirit of those teenage years of hunting down vinyl in record shops has never left me and I still get a buzz out of acquiring new recordings to listen to. It’s a great journey to be on, with one’s mind opening and broadening as you travel along.

Here’s ten albums from different eras and diverse genres to check out and explore. If you wish, do share ten albums of your own choice and tastes in reciprocity…

Aerial

By Kate Bush

This double CD appeared after years of silence on the Kate Bush front.

It’s a work of true genius, and I think the best thing she’s ever done. CD2 (called “A Sky of Honey”) is simply stunning.

One can guess at the huge amount of effort that went into making something sound so “effortless”!

Out Of The Tunnels Mouth

By Steve Hackett

Steve Hackett rose to prominence as one of the guitarists that played in Gabriel-era Genesis.

I had the good fortune to see him play at Komedia in Bath, accompanied by a great band.

It’s certainly not fashionable music, but it is very good. Expect a prog rock backdrop, but with many other influences coming into the melting pot.

Live In Leverkusen

By The Billy Cobham Band

My wife Amanda and I went to see (essentially) this same band at Ronnie Scott’s.

Billy Cobham himself is a highly skilled and influential drummer who’s played on a wealth of electric jazz and fusion recordings, most notably perhaps with the Mahavishnu Orchestra.

This impressive live set is very similar to what we saw and heard.

Beach Samba

By Astrud Gilberto

Exquisite latin jazz from this great Brazilian vocalist, with superb musical accompaniment.

Listening to this record is like being transported to another era. Very good for the soul, this one.

“Canoeiro” is particularly great, I think.

At Action Park

By Shellac

Angry noise from producer and writer Steve Albini, and rather different in vibe to “Beach Samba” above!

I especially like the “early Stranglers/JJ Burnel style” bass groove of “Crow”.

Three of A Perfect Pair

By King Crimson

Though sometimes thought of as an archaic 70’s prog rock behemoth by some lazy cynics who haven’t troubled themselves to understand the true reality, Crimson’s music continued to evolve and progress (as prog rock should do, right?) throughout the 80’s, 90’s and beyond into the 2000’s.

There’s a good mix of stuff to soak up here, ranging from short and concise pop inflected tunes such as “Sleepless” to the disturbing and bleak machine-like crescendo of “Industry”. If you want weird, look (or hear) no further than “Dig Me”.

Pet Sounds

By The Beach Boys

A classic recording which has had a huge influence over popular music and culture.

To hear how far that influence has travelled, check out the fantastic vocal harmonies on the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s “By The Way” album for a more recent interpretation of the Beach Boys sound.

Schindlers List Original Soundtrack

By John Williams & Itzhak Perlman

Schindler’s List was a monumental film about the horrors and inhumanity of the holocaust, and one that had a huge effect on me for a long time after seeing it.

If you think that you’re having a bad day, or that life is shit, films like this can put things back in perspective.

This yearning and mournful soundtrack perfectly complimented the shocking subject matter.

Beautiful Mess

By Thelonius Monster

I figured that any album that can inspire John Frusciante (former Red Hot Chili Pepper’s guitarist and eclectic solo artist) into bouts of “unbridled creativity” must be good, so I eventually managed to track this down.

It’s a nice mix of stuff. There’s even a really good duet with Tom Waits (“Adios Lounge”) featuring some inspiring lyrics.

Superfly

By Curtis Mayfield

One of my all time favourite albums. A brilliant soundtrack album about drug dealing, addiction and personal struggle on the ghetto streets of the USA.

Enjoy!