Issue No.4 – April 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…

Rejuvenation

By The Meters

A fabulous funk set (with occasional moments of introspection as well) from one of the finest purveyors of the genre. Enjoy it, it you haven’t had the opportunity already.

Super Ape

By Lee Scratch Perry & The Upsetters

This reminds me ofa Lee Scratch Perry gig that I had the pleasure of attending at the Jazz Café (Camden) in the depths of winter from a few years back…

With track titles such as “Croaking Lizard” “Dread Lion” and “Curly Dub “, you can’t really go far wrong!

Aqualung

By Jethro Tull

This album always reminds me of an old mate (who’s sadly no longer around), and the itinerant, sleep anywhere “tramp and trench coat” phases that some of us went through as young guys.

I always liked and respectedTull (though not to my mate’s level of fanaticism!), as they were one of the most original sounding bands out there. It was a shame they were derided by large sectors of the music press for pursuing their unique vision – there was nobody else like them.

If you want to hear something that’s really f*****g unhip, try the demented laughter at the beginning of “Up To Me”. Perhaps it was too frightening for the critics!

DC EP

By John Frusciante

Four fine tunes that appeared somewhere in the middle of a prolific period of releases for the ex Chili Peppers guitarist/creative muse.

Anything he does is worth a listen, and certain to be interesting.

Black And White

By The Stranglers

A masterpiece of controlled aggression from the Stranglers at their most menacing.

My favourite is the angular and threatening “Enough Time”.

Atavachron

By Allan Holdsworth

Holdsworth was, and though hepassed away in 2017, still is a giant in the world of modern jazz and musical exploration, possessing a unique and special sound, and an other-worldly musical intelligence.

On this album, he expands the tonal palette of the guitar, with regular forays into guitar synthesis. With recordings like this, the guitarist’s world just got bigger.

This is true originality, light years beyond the scope of imitators. Where on earth did those lines and melodies come from? And how did he play them?

One Star Awake

By Wigwam

Here’s a nice little obscurity that I unearthed from somewhere a good few years back.Expect a mixture of dreamy folk and electronica (among other things). A nice recording

Blowback

By Tricky

A good album featuring various influences such as pop, rock, funk, hip hop – you name it, it’s in there somewhere.

If you want testosterone, try “Girls”, or maybe you’ll enjoy the take on the “Wonder Woman” theme tune! There’s quieter moments, too.“Juxtapose” is another good record by Tricky.

Out of The Blue

By ELO

I loved this album when I was kid, living in the village, listening to it repeatedly on my cassette player. I still love it now, actually.

It’s the recording where Jeff Lynne’s vision of rock and pop being married to strings came perfectly together.

Contained within could be some of the best songs ever written and it’s no surprise that Lynne was heavily influenced by the Beatles.

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

By Black Sabbath

The earlier years of Black Sabbath produced some amazing recordings from the dark side of the psyche, with themes of alienation, torment and the life of being an outsider.

Tracks like “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” and “Spiral Architect” are superb and show the band to be great songsmiths as well as riff masters.