So we come to my favourite three albums of 2014 which I shall as usual reveal in reverse order.
Cue drum roll.
At number 3. 'They Want My Soul' by Spoon
I have been a fan of this band since their 2007 album 'Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga' and while this latest release offers nothing new in terms of a musical progression since then, it is sonically far superior to 2010's 'Transference'. The lack of musical progress to me is not necessarily such a bad thing, particularly when the band are doing what they do best. In case you aren't familiar with their work, they do really catchy rocking tunes on a sublime aural landscape created in this instance with help from renowned co-producers Joe Chiccarelli and Dave Fridmann. If something works as well as this, why change?
Why indeed!
At number 2. 'Lateness of Dancers' by Hiss Golden Messenger
They made it as far as number 6 in my selections for 2013 which considering that the album 'Haw' is every bit as good as 'Lateness of Dancers', demonstrates that the quality this year has not been quite as high as last. In my opinion of course.
This is a wonderful album though and if you don't believe me, read here what I wrote about it in September, or better still, get the album and play it.
1. 'Lost in the Dream' by The War On Drugs
I recorded my initial thoughts on this album in March. Read them here.
Rather surprisingly I find that my own choice for best album of 2014 is also featuring very heavily in most other 'Best Album' selections in the music press. Maybe I'm not so out of touch after all.
It's a great album, so I suggest you drop everything and go to listen to it now.
Whatever you do, have a very happy and healthy new year.
Well I hope all of you had a very merry Christmas. I'm just catching my breath after all of the festivities and while everyone else seems to be at the sales, I at last have time to sit and ponder on the best new album releases of 2014.
I have to say, for my money it hasn't been a year of outstanding album releases. For a start there were a few disappointments which included a lacklustre album from Bruce Springsteen with the ironic title 'High Hopes'. Neil Young released not one but two albums but neither quite hit the heights of his best work. 'A Letter Home' featured some fine cover versions but was recorded in such a lo-fi way as to drastically reduce any enjoyment one might have had of listening to it. The other, 'Storytone' did feature Young's original material but sadly fell well short of what we have come to expect from him. The fact that we were presented with two versions of each song, one performed solo and the other performed in front of an orchestra or band, did little to alleviate the disappointment with the material.
Goat were a band I had high hopes for after their 2012 debut 'World Music'. Despite plaudits from a number of critics, I found the follow-up, 'Communion' to be just more of the same. I was also disappointed with '... And Star Power' from Foxygen who had impressed me greatly with last year's 'We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic'. Shame, but that gets the disappointments out of the way so we can move onto the good stuff.
The early part of the year saw the release of 'English Oceans' by the Drive-By Truckers. As I asked at the time, have they ever released a duff record? OK this may not be quite up there with their finest work but it is good to see Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley equally sharing the songwriting credits again. For some time it looked as though it might make it into my top slot.
The album 'Benji' by Mark Kozelek who operates under the moniker Sun Kil Moon was another early contender. Pitchfork were even daring enough to declare it one of the best albums of the decade so far. Heavy praise indeed! The subject matter of the album tends to be mortality so there are a few deaths to deal with but there is humour in there also. All in all it is a very fine album though fans of Sun Kil Moon don't need me to tell them that.
I was impressed with the return to form of Jack Bruce with his album 'Silver Rails' on which he was supported by several family members and friends. It was almost as if Jack was saying his goodbye and although he sounded strong on the album itself I
watched a documentary about the making of the album and I thought he looked vary frail. Of course as we now know, he did not have long left with us which makes this album all the more poignant.
Another elder statesman, Leonard Cohen also returned with another fine album 'Popular Problems'. Full of bluesy themes and witty lyrics, the album carries on from where 'Old Ideas' left off which isn't a bad thing.
Two British bands that are forging quite a reputation in the melodic jazz style are the Neil Cowley Trio and Gogo Penguin, Their respective 2014 albums, 'Touch & Flee' and 'V2.0' were very much on my playlist in a year when I have been absorbing myself in an awful lot of jazz music both old and new. Of course Ginger Baker also produced a very jazz influenced album this year with 'Why'.
I have already commented on the releases from Lucinda Williams, Jack White, Jolie Holland, Royal Blood, Robert Plant, Pere Ubu, Opeth, Ryan Adams and Anais Mitchell. Clicking any of these links will take you to my original thoughts.
They are all very enjoyable albums but you may be surprised to hear that none have made it into my own personal top 3 this year.
To find out what has, I suggest you check back here in the next few days.
Another very sad death in the music business is Joe Cocker who has succumbed to lung cancer at the age of 70.
I confess that I have never owned an album by him but was obviously familiar with a good deal of his music especially from the early years. I recognise that he had a unique voice and was a rare talent.
Could he possibly have been responsible for the best ever cover of a Beatles tune ('With a Little Help From My Friends'). A question I intend to ponder later this evening when I meet friends for a pre-Christmas drink or two. We'll raise a glass to him.
RIP Joe.
The fairy-lit and decorated tree stands in the living room and supermarkets are beginning to clear their shelves to make room for Easter eggs which means it must be time to look back at the best albums of 2014. Beginning as usual with the best re-releases and box sets.
The most excitement this year seems to have been generated by the release of Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series Volume 11.
In other words 'The Basement Tapes'.
Understandable I guess when one considers the significance of those recordings. Without those informal sessions I doubt there would have been any 'Music From Big Pink'
nor any of the genre which we now call 'Americana'. So, pretty important then. But what of the actual musical content of the set itself?
Well to satisfy the Dylan fans, it simply had to be a complete release of all the tracks available including alternate takes, demos and false starts. But therein lies the problem for me because the truth is that most of that stuff is not very good. Nevertheless it is an historic document and most of those who were prepared to fork out about £100 appear to have been well pleased. Personally I have found it more enjoyable to create a playlist of my favourite pieces, and let's be honest, there are some truly great songs there, but each to his own.
Other box sets this year have included the Small Faces excellent 'Here Comes The Nice' which I wrote about here. Of course this release has been made even more poignant by the recent death of Ian McLagan.
Also Led Zeppelin have released remastered and expanded versions of their first five albums, Wilco have released a collection of rarities entitled 'Alpha Mike Foxtrot' and Crosby Stills Nash & Young have also brought us a 4 CD set of live recordings from their 1974 stadium tour. Another fine box set came from the occasionally overlooked Mike Bloomfield. 'From His Head To His Heart To His Hands' is a mixed bag of material from throughout Bloomfield's career including a dozen previously unreleased tracks. It has all been nicely compiled by his friend and frequent collaborator, Al Kooper.
All very nice indeed.
However I suspect that they will all pale into insignificance when I eventually get to hear Volume 2 of 'The Rise and Fall of Paramount Records'. I have repeatedly been drawn back to the wonders of Volume 1 which was released last year, and the second volume covering the period 1928 to 1932 promises to be even more wonderful, featuring the recordings of Charley Patton and my own personal favourites, Geeshie Wiley and Elvie Thomas. I can't wait to hear it in it's entirety (800 tracks)
I'm now turning my attention to the best of the new releases of 2014. Check back soon to see if you agree with my selections.
In June I commented on a strange street sign I encountered on the banks of the River Tyne in South Shields. I set about doing some research into the origins of the name Comical Corner but alas without much success.
While walking in that area again the other day, I noticed that an information sign has been erected nearby. This provides a couple of old pictures of the area including this one dating from around 1920. It also suggests that the name derives from the awkward or 'comical' river currents which could cause havoc for sailing ships negotiating this first bend in the Tyne.
So now we know.
I have no idea why but for some time I have been drawn to the idea of undertaking the pilgrimage walk known variously as the Camino de Santiago, St James's Path or merely The Way. Santiago de Compostela is of course the capital of the Spanish autonomous region of Galicia and is said to be the site of the remains of St James who it is believed was the first Apostle of Christ to be martyred.
The earliest records of pilgrimages to the shrine of St James date from the 9th century and the route became particularly popular during the middle ages. It is therefore safe to say that literally tens of thousands of people have trodden those well worn paths through the years.
In more modern times, the walk has been popularised by several writers, artists and filmmakers who have recorded their own accounts of their own personal journeys or indeed those of others. These include Paulo Coelho who wrote the novel 'The Pilgrimage' based upon his own experiences of the walk. More recently Emilio Estevez wrote and directed a film entitled 'The Way' in which his father Martin Sheen played the part of a man whose son died in the very early stages of the walk and who felt compelled to complete the walk carrying his sons ashes. Having watched the film recently I found myself very moved by it and the compulsion to complete the walk myself was resurrected.
As I said at the beginning of this post, I have no idea why.
Which raises an interesting question as to why anyone takes on such a challenge. The walk can be completed in various ways and from various starting points but as the Spanish consider the Pyrenees to be the true starting point. it is traditional to begin at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on the French side of the Pyrenees or at Roncesvalles on the Spanish side. The distance from there to Santiago is about 800 Km.
It is no stroll in the park!
So why do people take on such a gruelling challenge? Some do so as a true pilgrimage, for spiritual reasons. For others it is more of a physical challenge while to the majority it seems to be something of a journey of discovery. What is discovered invariably has more to do with themselves rather than the sights and sounds they encounter on their journey. I saw an interesting explanation which suggests that the early parts of the walk test the physical abilities of the walker, the flatter, more boring middle section tests the walker mentally and the eventual journey into Santiago is the part which finally reveals the true character of the traveller.
Besides the numerous books that have been written on the subject of el camino (the name simply means the walk in Spanish) a number of people also have online blogs or have uploaded short films of their experiences. Many dwell on the more pleasant aspects of the walk taking in beautiful scenery in perfect weather but my favourite (of those I have watched) was produced by an Australian named Mark. It certainly shows the good, the bad and the ugly side of completing the walk but is a fascinating film for anyone who has an interest in this subject (and if you have read this far, I assume you have).
The film is 1 hour 15 minutes long and you can watch it by clicking here.
All of this has resurrected my own desire to complete the walk one day; so it is now on my ever-growing 'bucket list'.
After a busy but very good day of music related events yesterday, I returned home late in pretty good spirits only to learn the sad news of the death of Ian McLagan at the age of 69.
What did Ian mean to me personally? Well, back in my teenage years, I recall loving the sound of the Hammond organ. A friend of mine was very much into that sound, particularly the more jazz related players such as Ray Charles, Georgie Fame and Roy Phillips of The Peddlers. However I tended to veer more to the pop / rock side of things and I remember playing to death the second Small Faces album (the first on the Immediate label - released on Columbia in the USA with a different track list under the title, 'There Are But Four Small Faces').
That one album for me best demonstrates the skill of McLagan not just on Hammond organ but on a range of keyboard instruments. His Hammond B3 (which he named Betsy) added such colour to some of those songs that one wonders whether they would have been so great without Mac's embellishments. Personally I doubt it. On the recently released Small Faces box set 'Here Come The Nice' there are several, stripped down early versions of some of those tracks and through these one can truly appreciate just what a brilliant musician McLagan was.
Of course McLagan also went on to play alongside Rod Stewart and Ronnie Lane in the Faces and continued to add his masterful touches to their repertoire.
I understand that there had been plans for a full Faces reunion in the near future. That will never happen now but at least McLagan is reunited with his old mates Ronnie Lane and Steve Marriott.
So long 'Mac' and thanks for all that great music.
Last week I read an interesting review of the book 'Different Every Time' by Marcus O'Dair. The review appeared in The Guardian newspaper and if you have been paying attention you will know that the subject of the book is Robert Wyatt.
You can read the review yourself by clicking here.
It is worth a read but you will notice that in the first paragraph, Wyatt is referred to as a National Treasure. Now I am a massive fan of Robert Wyatt and warts and all, I love him to bits, but on seeing him described as a national treasure, my immediate reaction was - "Is he?"
And that got me thinking. What exactly is a national treasure and how does someone become one? It strikes me that the term is being used more and more within the UK and my own definition was probably along the lines of "someone who the nation have taken to their hearts". So I suppose the Queen must obviously be a national treasure as indeed was her old mum. I suspect that veteran actresses such as the Dames Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren and Judi Dench have been referred to as national treasures as has Sir Cliff Richard (though one wonders whether that might change in the future). Aside from being showbiz personalities, there's no connection to the aforementioned and I could be wrong, but weren't Jimmy Savile and Rolf Harris referred to as national treasures?
Others that spring to mind include David Beckham and Johnny Wilkinson from the world of sport and the Monty Python Team and The Goons from the world of comedy. You can of course start your own list now.
A little bit of research revealed that back in 2008, The Independent newspaper ran a feature on 50 National Treasures. You may or may not be surprised to learn that among the 50 were Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, Amy Winehouse and Sid Vicious.
I suppose that if they feature in the list, then so too should Robert Wyatt, - which is where we came in.
Happy listing.
