Only 3 to give you today, and to be honest, there isn't much to say about the third of them so only 2 proper write-ups. Sorry, but it's late & I've got a hell of a day tomorrow. The 3 albums that follow today's post are real big-hitters and deserve more than an over-tired half-recalled ramble from your humble host, whose writing isn't up to much even at the best of times.
36. The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
I managed to miss The Flaming Lips until this point. I mean I knew the name, and I remember seeing a (shaped?) picture disc of This Here Giraffe in Prestatyn record shop, but that was it. And then this came along.
I know my feats of record-purchasing-recollection have been pretty impressive so far, but I can even remember where in Rhyl Our Price this was. I guess if I went into what is now the O2 shop I could still pinpoint the exact spot.
I've never really been into the more psychedelic side of music I guess but this is so obviously great from start to finish that that isn't even an issue. Really my appreciation for them waned (see what I did there?) after Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots but I think this is more down to me not having the time and energy to properly investigate subsequent releases.
35. Beck - Odelay
As I mentioned previously, the first time I heard Beck was when Jo Whiley played Loser on Radio 1. And of course it was a work of genius (Loser that is, not the Jo Whiley show). It had great b-sides, it had a classic TOTP performance with a band of old-timers and breakdancing, but it didn't really have the killer album to back it up. I remember a guy I worked with called Charlie Bass (and yes, he played the bass) coming around with Mellow Gold on CD and me being, well, disappointed.
So I was not expecting great things from the follow-up, although lead-off single Where It's At was nicely funky and got my attention. I'm convinced I actually bought this on release (Rhyl Our Price) so maybe it was just funky enough. And then of course the hits kept coming. Devil's Haircut, The New Pollution, Sissyneck and the fabulous Jack-Ass. I bought the "maxi-single" of that one in a record "store" in a "mall" somewhere in North Carolina, and also got Stereopathic Soul Manure and One Foot In The Grave at the same time so as to avoid paying the cost of buying them as imports from the ads at of the back of the NME. Of course the cost of a holiday to North Carolina never occurred to me at this point. These were the only music purchases I made on that trip. I know The Drugs Don't Work was released the day we set off, and that The Fat Of The Land was all over the shops over there, but I never looked for anything beyond those 3 Beck releases.
I haven't listened to Odelay for quite some time (I tend towards Mutations these days) but I know it's always there and I know it's great.
In fact typing this has made me want to listen to it right now.
34. Various Artists - Chess 50th Anniversary Collection
Just look at this tracklisting. Have you ever seen a more influential set of tracks on one compilation?
CD1
1. Smokestack Lightning' - Howlin' Wolf
2. Hoochie Koochie Man - Muddy Waters
3. Let me love you baby - Buddy Guy
4. Boom Boom (Out go the lights) - Little Walter
5. Tell Mamma - Etta James
6. I had a talk with my man last night - Mitty Collier
7. Summertime - Billy Stewart
8. I'm a Man - Bo Diddley
9. If walls could talk - Little Milton
10. The Entertainer - Tony Clark
11. Flat Foot Sam - T.V. Slim
12. Mama talk to your daughter - J.B. Lenoir
13. T.W.A. - Jimmy Witherspoon
14. Dirty Old Man - Laura Lee
15. Wang Dang Doodle - Koko Taylor
16. So many roads - Otis Rush
17. Seventh Son - Wille Mabon
18. Jock-A-Mo - Sugar Boy Crawford
19. The Walk - Jimmy McCracklin
20. Reconsider Baby - Lowell Fulson
CD2
1. One Bourbon, one scotch, one beer - John Lee Hooker
2. Roadrunner - Bo Diddley
3. Reelin. & Rockin. - Chuck Berry
4. That's all right - Jimmy Rogers
5. My Time after awhile - Buddy Guy
6. But I do - Clarence "Frogman" Henry
7. Rescue Me - Fontella Bass
8. The "In" Crowd - Ramsay Lewis Trio
9. Soulful dress - Sugar Pie Desanto
10. Stay in my corner - The Dells
11. Voice your choice - The Radiants
12. Talk to me baby - Elmore James
13. Good to me - Irma Thomas
14. Rocket 88 - Jackie Brenston & his delta cats
15. Selfish One - Jackie Ross
16. Juke - Little Walter
17. Grits ain't Groceries - Little Milton
18. 29 Ways - Willie Dixon
19. Help me - Sonny Boy Williamson
20. Rollin' Stone - Muddy Waters
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