Issue No.5 – May 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…
Pursuit Of Radical Rhapsody
By Al Di Meola/World Sinfonia
A few years back, I saw American jazz/ latin guitarist Al Di Meola perform with his World Sinfonia band/ensemble at Ronnie Scott’s in London. It was an enjoyable show abounding with stellar musicianship. As well as the virtuosic Al Di Meola himself, I especially enjoyed the quirky and animated onstage presence of accordion player, Fausto Beccalossi.
Expect an eclectic mix that incorporates jazz, latin, tango and other “world” influences (though I dislike the phrase – isn’t all music “world” music?).
This album summarises the style of music that I heard at Ronnie’s.
Jazz From Hell
By Frank Zappa
Zappa’s version of “electronica”. In a way, much of this is not so different to stuff by the Aphex Twin.
Aion
By Dead Can Dance
I dug this one out of the vaults recently and remembered how much I appreciated this when I bought it quite some years back.
Their music is hard to describe, perhaps “goth-folk-choral”.
I had the good fortune to see them perform in 2019 in a rare live performance and enjoyed the experience immensely.
A Pert Cyclic Omen
By Electric Company
This is quite an obscure album from a long time back. Expect mildly disturbing electronica and assorted dissonance.
Written by prolific electronica andavant-gardist American Brad Laner, all the titles are supposedly made up from the letters in “Electric Company”, though I’ve never bothered to verify the fact. Might be something to pass the time for those in lockdown.Good luck finding it!
Quickness
By Bad Brains
Punk, reggae and metal combined.
Does it work? I think it does.
Da Da
By Alice Cooper
Sometimes, Cooper is thought of for some of the more clichéd hair metal stuff that he did in (I think) the 80’s and 90’s.
This is a shame because there’s a lot more to him than that. Da Da is a great example of Cooper’s song writing talent, laced with doses of macabre wit.
XYZ
By Andy Summers
A decent collection of tunes by Summers in post-Police mode, before he got into more ambient and jazzy excursions that came in later years.
That unique “textural” approach to the guitar that coloured so many of the Police’s tracks is also at work here.
The Eraser
By Thom Yorke
I enjoyed this solo outing from Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke.
I think it could easily be a later period Radiohead album, containing “slightly odd” melodies, glitchy electronica, synths, beats and guitar minimalism.
Lets Go Eat The Factory
By Guided By Voices
This band caught my attention in recent years, and I’m slowly gathering up a few recordings.
This was the first one I bought, and it’s quite an interesting record.
Expect short bursts of unpolished leftfield oddness.
Sailing The Seas Of Cheese
By Primus
My wife Amanda calls this “elastic” music because of Les Claypool’s twangy (elastic) bass sound.
A unique and eccentric band with a unique sound.
BTW, Les Claypool’s “side projects” include a collaboration called Sausage and more recently the Claypool Lennon Delirium.