Rock - what are you listening to?

[mcq]

Tonight I'm listening to Chris Bell's I Am The Cosmos. In a similar way to Nick Drake, something about his voice just breaks my heart (although the music is very different). Big Star was about so much more than Alex Chilton.

Thank God for Youtube. These recordings are special and the real thing is so much better than my attempts to articulate how I feel about this music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR594Kkxmzg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-yvdIHO ... xt_from=ML
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAdUM-dzBxw&NR=1

And a few favourites from Big Star's Third/Sister Lovers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsQ977u8Wuk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF8fnoA1 ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwxjt144 ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP2t6flT ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOF7x-rW ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrXM7fKK ... re=related (Do ya wanna dance?)

I remember fondly buying these albums in the early Nineties and listening long into the night to this great music (in tandem with the first two Big Star albums). Were there ever more glorious pop songs written than September Gurls and Life is White (to take just two examples)?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNKSs1J3 ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_ddynyb_JA

Time will not wither the great music.

[cybot]

[quote="mcq]
Excellent advice from cybot there, DaveF. Take it slow and savour each album one at a time. Nick Drake was a one-off and everything he recorded is to be treasured. His music will last you a lifetime. Let us know your thoughts on the great man's work.[/quote]

Thanks mcq (good to have you back on board again!).What you said about Nick above was perfect! When people ask me about Nick I almost fear that the person asking (not you Dave or JAW!) will expect too much or worse still not understand....I clearly remember making up a tape (remember them?) for someone and he later told me he didn't like River Man because it was boring?!?!?!?!?! Never again.....

[cybot]

Leave Pink Moon until last Dave even though the NME Book of Rock (sic) says it contains his finest guitar (acoustic) work.
Start with his first one Five Leaves Left,followed by Bryter Later and ending up with Pink Moon; he only made three albums in his lifetime! The real treasure trove is outlined in my previous piece on the home recordings,outtakes etc.... If it was me and I wasn't sure I'd buy the first one on CD (only a fiver!) and if I was impressed I'd then search out the vinyl or CD box set... The best box set to buy for sound quality is the Hannibal set (Fruit Tree 1986) which also includes the important 4th album of outtakes including the fabled last four songs (they actually found the 5th song for the last compilation Made to Love Magic!);the last version of Fruit Tree (2008) is a sumptiously thick (for the vinyl set) box set which replicates the original Lp covers exactly (the Hannibal set only used single sleeves),includes an even thicker booklet with more contributions from various people and also includes a 1986 DVD film about Nick himself (A Skin Too Few);But....it doesn't contain the important 4th album outlined above!Still I'm sure you can get that seperately. Enjoy the journey :-)

Thanks for all that! I'll keep it in mind.

That's ok Dave, just take it slow and you will savour every precious moment.... BTW I forgot to mention that the second box set (the Universal one) has a completely revised booklet and it's a good one too;the original book is worth searching out imo...

[cybot]

Tonight I'm listening to Chris Bell's I Am The Cosmos. In a similar way to Nick Drake, something about his voice just breaks my heart (although the music is very different). Big Star was about so much more than Alex Chilton.

Thank God for Youtube. These recordings are special and the real thing is so much better than my attempts to articulate how I feel about this music.



I remember fondly buying these albums in the early Nineties and listening long into the night to this great music (in tandem with the first two Big Star albums). Were there ever more glorious pop songs written than September Gurls and Life is White (to take just two examples)?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNKSs1J3 ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_ddynyb_JA

Time will not wither the great music.

Thanks for all that mcq! Looking forward to watching them later :-)) What about The Ballad of El Goodo ?

[cybot]

The afro hairdo was really ghastly when you look back at it!!!

LOL Just look at Noel's :-))

[mcq]

Forgive the genre-hopping, but whilst we're on the subject of Nick Drake, I really have to mention jazz pianist Brad Mehldau's wonderful versions of River Man (one solo and one with his band), Day is Done, Things Behind The Sun and Time Has Told Me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn7bTlxWoMg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPGwPLrELoQ
http://youtube.com/watch?v=-yx9Ft9HAJk
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Xr4hjzzq2Gw
http://youtube.com/watch?v=UtDj9sTqGQI

[mcq]

Tonight I'm listening to Chris Bell's I Am The Cosmos. In a similar way to Nick Drake, something about his voice just breaks my heart (although the music is very different). Big Star was about so much more than Alex Chilton.

Thank God for Youtube. These recordings are special and the real thing is so much better than my attempts to articulate how I feel about this music.



I remember fondly buying these albums in the early Nineties and listening long into the night to this great music (in tandem with the first two Big Star albums). Were there ever more glorious pop songs written than September Gurls and Life is White (to take just two examples)?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNKSs1J3 ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_ddynyb_JA

Time will not wither the great music.

Thanks for all that mcq! Looking forward to watching them later :-)) What about The Ballad of El Goodo ?

The Ballad of El Goodo is a classic, Cybot, as is Thirteen, My Life Is Right, Watch The Sunrise, Way Out West, I'm In Love With A Girl and many others. The list goes on and on. Alex Chilton and Chris Bell are badly missed, but the music will endure. I think Bob Mould with Husker Du and Sugar and his solo recordings carried the torch for this music in the Eighties and Nineties. Mould took the best bits of power pop and combined it with the intensity of the American hardcore scene of the late Seventies (which, to me, was always more interesting than the bland UK punk scene) to produce some stunning albums - Candy Apple Grey and Warehouse Songs And Stories - before going on to produce some very fine solo work - Workbook and Black Sheets Of Rain in particular - and then two excellent albums with Sugar - Copper Blue and the mighty Beaster. He's still doing good work.

His first solo album, the very personal Workbook, was an extraordinary departure from the Husker Du sound and remains a personal favourite:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRvgNfjG ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llOksyhZ ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i-TmSEc ... re=related

And his second album with Sugar, Beaster, is a potent 30-minute ride which might well be Mould's finest hour:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrLcNWi94Wk

[cybot]

Jesus, I'm never gonna get to sleep this night with all that stunning music running round my brain (no, I'm not talking 'bout the Eurovision!). Thank you mcq :-))))

[DaveF]

I've listened to this twice this afternoon and quite enjoyed it. 'River Man' and 'Man in a Shed' are the stand out tracks for me so far but I'm sure that might change later as I get to know it better. Thanks lads for the tips. This forum always comes up trumps on how to spend my money! :-)

[mcq]

I've listened to this twice this afternoon and quite enjoyed it. 'River Man' and 'Man in a Shed' are the stand out tracks for me so far but I'm sure that might change later as I get to know it better. Thanks lads for the tips. This forum always comes up trumps on how to spend my money! :-)

So glad you're enjoying it, Dave.

So many great songs and my personal favourites change every time I listen to it, but Saturday Son seems to stick in my mind. The piano has a lovely hymnal devotional quality and the vibes complement this beautifully. It reminds me of a gospel song.

It still sounds to me like one of the great debut albums - it all sounds so accomplished in terms of the songwriting, the musical arrangements (the flute and cello on The Thoughts of Mary Jane, the congas on Cello Song and the vibes on Saturday Sun come to mind) but, perhaps, most of all, the phrasing of his words as he sings them which is something you get with the great ones - Dylan, Cohen and Hammill to name three examples. It's in their vocal phrasing that they make their songs their own and their versions the definitive ones. And, of those three, only Cohen was as assured as Drake in his phrasing on his debut album. There is an uncanny confidence and unaffectedness in the way he sings his songs that reminds me of someone older and wiser.

By the way, have you heard any of Tim Buckley's work?