Tied To The 90s: Part 9

Finally shamed into posting this. I can't believe it's taken me this long to get around to it.

These albums are now all at a stage where I don't feel like my writing skills, such as they are, can do them justice.

15. Air - Moon Safari

Having fallen in love with Sexy Boy with its heavy airplay I couldn't wait to get my hands on Moon Safari.

I had a voucher from the paper which gave me £1 off in Woolies and bought it on a day trip to Liverpool.

There aren't many albums that are as chilled out as this one. Over the years it's become a staple for bedtime so I will have heard the first half of the album a hell of a lot more than the second half, which is a shame really. As I type this I'm listening to You Make It Easy and remembering what a great song it is.

As you'll be aware if you saw my top 100 tracks list, All I Need is on my top ten tracks of all time, and is probably the closest MrsJ & I have to a "song". And it would certainly have been my choice for the first dance at our wedding, rather than Starship's Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now (a song that's almost as impossible to dance to as Welcome To The Cheap Seats).

With the exception of the The Virgin Suicides soundtrack, subsequent Air albums haven't really done it for me, so I'm just grateful that they have this one masterpiece.


14. The Lilac Time - Astronauts

Ah, Stephen Duffy.

Like most people of my age I was aware of the intelligent pop of Kiss Me and Icing On The Cake from his 80s "Tin Tin" period but my interest and knowledge of his work didn't really extend much beyond that.

But Return To Yesterday by The Lilac Time was on The Chart Show one week and Eifion went out and bought it. And then, as he has a habit of doing, bought everything else they released too.

The self-titled debut was released (on vinyl only?) by Birmingham's Swordfish Records before being reissued in a slightly tweaked form once TLT signed to Fontana. I remember finding the Swordfish version of the album on CD in the shop of the same name on one of my day trips to Birmingham from Coventry and being over the moon.

When Eifion & I went to see them play 2 shows in Manchester one day, they were moved along by the park police whilst setting up in Piccadilly Gardens so their manager came over to us to apologise and told us to go and see him after the show that evening and he'd sort us out with a free t-shirt.

Lovely bloke that Alan McGee.

Stephen Duffy is one of those people that can't really do much wrong in my book. His solo albums, whether collaborating with Nigel Kennedy on Music In Colours, or going "a bit Britpop" on Duffy, there's always great songwriting and tunes.

Sadly he's never had the hits that he had in the 80s so it's unsurprising that when celebrity fan Robbie Williams came calling asking him to write songs for his Intensive Care album Duffy took the money and ran with it.

Astronauts is, in my humble opinion, the best thing he's ever produced. Their only release on Creation Records, it's full of great love songs and tales of English country life, as well as a brief foray into almost-trip-hop on the single Dreaming. It's another album I'd be hard-pushed to find a weak song on - a measure of Duffy's supreme songwriting skills.

I bought it in what was basically a newsagent/bookshop in Germany. Kind of a WH Schmidt's I guess.

13. Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen

Purchased on a whim from Rhyl Our Price, probably based on a glowing NME review, the Afghan Whig's more soulful take on what the kids were all calling "grunge" was a hit with me from first listen. Unfairly bundled into the grunge scene mostly by virtue of initially being on Sub Pop, Greg Dulli's band were far better than that.

The barely concealed emotion of songs like Debonair and Fountain And Fairfax shows Dulli's voice off at its best, but the whole album is full of great songs and great vocal performances.

Subsequent albums Black Love and 1965 are also right up there, but this is the one for me.

12. The Boo Radleys - Giant Steps

I listened to this the other day for the first time in a long while and it's lost none of its charm. 

A classic example of an act who I discover a couple of albums into their career and buy all their subsequent releases but never show an interest in their back catalogue.

My good friend Paul was the one who went for the early EPs and I think his reputation for being the one who was into shoegaze put me off a lot of things he liked. 

Thankfully by the time Giant Steps was released I'd become slightly more receptive and the Boos had become a bit more... well... fun. 

With the tunes here like Lazarus, Wish I Was Skinny, I Hang Suspended etc you can't go wrong. It was hands down my favourite album of that year and I remember being really chuffed that Select made it their album of the year. This 

11. Buffalo Tom - Let Me Come Over

I've told you all already what Buffalo Tom mean to me. They're easily in my top ten favourite acts of all time. And this album, bought in Germany (like so many others), is them at their finest. There aren't any weak BT albums truth be told but this and Smitten are the ones I go back to the most. 

Prince: Manchester Academy 22/2/2014

Quick list of the songs I can remember from last night. Full review to follow hopefully...

Let's go crazy
Purple Rain
Nothing Compares 2 U
I would die 4 U
The Beautiful Ones
Sign of the times
Housequake
Alphabet Street 
Raspberry Beret
Guitar
She's Always In My Hair
Cause and effect
Sometimes it Snows in April
Hot Thing
Forever In My Life
I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
If I Was Your Girlfriend
Under the cherry moon
Play That Funky Music
Screwdriver
Crimson and Clover / Wild Thing 
Diamonds And Pearls
Something in the water does not Compute
Starfish And Coffee
When Doves Cry
Take Me With U

Probably some newer ones that I'm not familiar with too, but that'll do for now. Hard to remember 3 1/4 hours worth of stuff.

Tied To The 90s: Part 8

I need to crack on with this a bit don't I? I've got no real excuse not to now that I've finished watching Breaking Bad, and especially since I've found myself watching bloody Angels & Demons on a Sunday night when I could be listening to some music and writing about it.

If anything I think the main thing that's holding me back from writing about the next 20 albums is the fact that they are so great that I don't think that my inane ramblings will do them justice. There's only so many times that you need to hear me say that I bought something at Rhyl Our Price.

Still, let's see where these 5 take us...

20. Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman

I bought this in Rhyl Our Price. There must have been some amazing reviews of this about at the time for me to commit to what was basically a dance music album. I realise that it's indie-music-press-friendly dance music (see also Chemical Brothers, Orbital, Prodigy, Aphex Twin etc) but it was a break from my usual guitar heavy fare.

There was a time after this album came out when I went a bit ambient/dance-y for a while. I bought Aphex Twin / Polygon Window, mu-ziq, Seefeel & Banco De Gaia albums. I have the Warp Artificial Intelligence 2 compilation and a few of the Trance-Europe Express ones that the folks who brought us the Volume magazines released, and the excellent Junior Boy's Own collection, all of which have long since been consigned to the loft, but this album will never suffer such a fate.

The main reason for that is Mmm...Skyscraper I Love You. Of course the album is full of great stuff: Cowgirl, Spoonman, Dark & Long, Dirty Epic, M.E. - all great tracks, but towering above it all is the thirteen minutes of Skyscraper with its typically meaningless Karl Hyde vocals, its tempo changes from the banging "30,000 feet about the earth" segment to the closing few minutes which are almost dub-like, and just the sheer scale of the thing.

I love Underworld to this day, (Beaucoup Fish being their other masterpiece) and I would love it for people to realise that there's so much more to them than Born Sluppy NUXX.

Of course I remember when Born Slippy NUXX was just an extra track on a single that barely registered with anyone. I still prefer that original mix.

19. Radiohead - The Bends

I can't remember where I bought it. I don't doubt for a second that it was on the day of release though. I hadn't listened to Pablo Honey as much as I had expected to, given how much Creep got played when I bought it, but I'd bought the singles from this and was happy with their progress.

"They'll do alright for themselves" I thought to myself.


18. Tricky - Maxinquaye

I may have mentioned before that Prestatyn Record Shop had a rack of reduced CD singles that they reduced to 50p each, or 3 for £1.

I picked up Aftermath from that rack, probably to make up the numbers. I certainly have no memory of having heard it before I bought it.

Then I found Ponderosa there too and most likely bought it based on how great Aftermath was.

In 1995 I was working at Rhyl Sainsburys and I remember being stunned to see Maxinquaye in the CD chart there. I had waited for this album to be released for (what felt like) SO LONG, and there it was for sale in work. I can't think of another debut album I'd been so keen to buy before or since, except maybe The Streets' Original Pirate Material.

And of course it was worth the wait.

Martina Topley-Bird's vocals (and Alison Goldfrapp's on Pumpkin) were the perfect foil to Tricky's lazy, easy raps & beats. The album was so perfectly formed that, even though I went out and kept buying the singles, none of the remixes or alternate versions seemed to bring anything to the party (Hell Is Round The Corner with Gravediggaz anyone?) - the best ones were already out there.

So expectations were high for Nearly God and Pre-Millennium Tension, and while the former had its moments, and the latter was by no means bad, they suffered the fate of many an album that has to follow something of the magnitude of this flawless debut.

17. Cornershop - When I Was Born For The 7th Time

Cornershop was one of those bands that were always there - albums, singles, NME interviews - but always just off my radar. Not quite getting the reviews that would attract my attention.

To this day I don't think I could name a track of theirs from before this album.

But then came Brimful Of Asha. Of course I'm going to tell you about how I heard it somewhere in its original version, before Norman Cook got his hands on it and made it the hit it deserved to be. I get the feeling it was on Radio 1. Remember when you used to listen to Radio 1 and hear something genuinely brilliant?

The album has all sorts to keep you interested from start to finish.

Pop hits? Brimful Of Asha, Sleep On The Left Side, Good Shit - check.
Indian wig-outs? We're In Your Corner - check.
Country & western duets? Good To Be On The Road Back Home Again - check.
Hip hop? Candyman - check.
Punjabi covers of Norwegian Wood? Norwegian Wood - check.

Naturally, as I always do, I kept buying their stuff (Handcream For A Generation is another stunner), but never went back to what they'd released previously. I'm happy to stick with this as my starting point as by all accounts nothing from earlier quite hits the heights of this one.

They'd have to go some to get anywhere near it to be honest.

16. The Sundays - Reading, Writing & Arithmetic

Harriet Wheeler.

Two words that are guaranteed to set the hearts of a generation of indie boys all a-flutter.

Eifion had the 3" CD single of Can't Be Sure with I Kicked A Boy and Don't Tell Your Mother on it and did me a copy. Having seen the video for it on The Chart Show, of course there was little a 17 year-old lad could do but fall for the lovely Harriet.

Eifion fell harder. He paid a tout well over the odds to go and see them in Manchester, and I remember him telling me in his student room in Salford once, that he was playing the album for the 7th time so far that day.

I bought the album myself from a little record shop in Coventry (whose name escapes me) that was upstairs above another shop of some description. A very pretty trilobite-design picture disc. The only other things I remember buying there were a round Wonder stuff Hup! poster and two limited versions of the second Sugarcubes album Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week! - one one silver vinyl, and one sung in Icelandic (Illur Arfur!).

It seems they specialised in exclamation-marked stock.

I never got the CD before Rough Trade folded and the album became hard to find. I did eventually pick up the reissue though, and have since passed up the opportunity to get the Rough Trade version at a knock-down price.

I think this has to be the epitome of girl singer jangly indie for me. I'm sure all you Primitives / Alterd Images / Darling Buds fans will disagree.

You're wrong of course.
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Right, it late. I'm off to bed to dream of Harriet Wheeler. Please don't judge me.

Buffalo Tom top ten for @thelostrecord

You may remember that earlier this year I posted a rundown of my 10 favourite Mountain Goats songs for the rather marvellous Twitter account @thelostrecord. 

Last night they were kind enough to let me count down my top ten of another of my favourite bands, @buffalotomband

As I did last time, here's the ten in handy blog format, with basically the tweets from last night copied and pasted in here...

I first encountered Buffalo Tom when my good friend James & I went to see The Wedding Present at Leicester De Montfort Hall in 1991. We were both huge Gedge fans at our first Weddoes gig but both left highly impressed by the support band, Buffalo Tom.

Our love of "The Tom" has lasted right through, and we both stood front & centre like real fanboys at their 2011 Manchester gig.

I've tried to be as honest as I can with this and I feel bad for leaving some stuff out. I know some of you will be disappointed that your favourites aren't there, but this is MY top ten so I'm afraid you'll have to argue amongst yourselves!

Before we start, Late At Night hasn't made the list,but here's the band performing it in My So-Called Life 

So, here we go. Place your bets for the number one - the @maffrj @buffalotomband top ten countdown starts here.

10. Birdbrain - Birdbrain (1990) Great rock track from the era when I first heard them.

During my research for this I've noticed that J Mascis' production on the first 2 albums isn't so hot. Prime remaster material.

9. Reason Why - Buffalo Tom (1988) Again early, rocking BT but with a great hook.

Part of the reason why I love that track so much is that this version showed me what else BT could become.

8. Velvet Roof - Let Me Come Over (1992) I'm really front-loading with rockers here. From a GREAT album.

Could have posted the video for that one, but the sound was really tinny. Much better on this version 

7. Torch Singer - Big Red Letter Day (1993)  Didn't expect this to be in but research has secured its place.

6. Summer - Sleepy Eyed (1995) Sleepy Eyed is such a good LP and this is my pick as the best track from it. 

We're halfway through so for some light relief, here's one of my favourite BT clips on YT 

5. Guilty Girls - Skins (2011).  2011 - 23 years since their debut they can still do it.

4. Mineral - Let Me Come Over (1992) Seems popular. Just about anything from LMCO could be in this list.

3. Going Underground - Fire & Skill: The Songs Of The Jam (1999) A top 10 hit (courtesy of Liam Gallagher).

BT have a great way with a cover. Their version of New Order's Age Of Consent and Psychedelic Furs' Heaven both worth seeking out.

2. Taillights Fade - Let Me Come Over (1992) Controversially not in the top spot. It was 5 minutes ago.

And so we approach the end of the @maffrj Buffalo Tom top ten countdown. Before I go, here's some tips for you.

Some great mp3 of covers by Bill Janovitz http://billjanovitz.com/blog/?page_id=997 … and a new solo album too http://billjanovitz.bandcamp.com/album/walt-whitman-mall … 

Oh right, that number one...

1. Wiser - Smitten (1998) I've mellowed in my old age. The acoustic & piano on this gets me every time.

So there it is. My favourite ten Buffalo Tom songs today. Tomorrow maybe I'd include something from Three Easy Pieces, who knows.

The list was kindly set up as a Spotify playlist by @CushinaMan so you can listen to that HERE

That's it then, my 2nd stint as guest host of @thelostrecord. Thanks for indulging me. I've been @maffrj. Come say hi.

Tied To The 90s: Part 7

Strewth. Remember me? Remember when I was counting down my top 50 albums from the 90s? I got myself into a watching-Breaking-Bad-from-the-start thing and neglected you people, both of you, for far too long.

Let's see if I can finish this thing off any time soon...

23. Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space

Spiritualized then, and this album. Surely everything's been said? Well, maybe not everything.

I'm pretty sure no-one's told you before that I bought my copy in Rhyl Our Price, rushed home with the intriguing medicinal packaging, carefully, ever so carefully, slit the foil around the edge of the CD just enough that I could remove the disc, and never put it back in there.

I set about listening to this amazing piece of work and trying to absorb the brilliant wording of the precription. Oh, and making a hand made copy of it.

I often made myself homemade cases & inlay cards for CDs that have packaging that doesn't necessarily fit in with your normal standard CD jewel case. I did it with Prince's Batman soundtrack that I bought in a special embossed tin, with Kristin Hersh's Hips & Makers, and with this. I'm no artist. I'm not even that good with a photocopier, so what on earth possessed me to do this kind of thing? No idea, just the need to have all my CDs looking nice and tidy I guess.

You know about the music here of course (you don't? Sort that out straight away [full album on YouTube]) but contrary to popular opinion I can't quite bring myself to make it my top Spiritualized album. I mean it's great - all-time great - but it's not the one I go back to over and over again. We'll come to that later.

I had the previous album Electric Mainline in the limited edition glow in the dark packaging (another home made jewel case inlay) but sadly I never got the extra special 12x3" CD single version of this one. In fact I only ever saw it in one shop - Kavern Records in Llandudno - years after it was released and it was battered and overpriced so I didn't get it. I kind of wish I had now.

So there you have it, the second best Spiritualized album.

22. Throwing Muses - The Real Ramona

So here we have it, the best Throwing Muses album.

Now that's a thing. Think about that for a minute: the *best* Throwing Muses album. That takes some doing. You don't get bad Throwing Muses albums. You don't even get weak Throwing Muses albums. At worst you get Throwing Muses albums.

But you also get stuff like Red Heaven and The Real Ramona.

The Real Ramona was the final staging post for Tanya Donelly before she went off to be in The Breeders and Belly. You only have to listen to Not Too Soon here to hear what Belly could do, but her influence on the album is apparent throughout.

But the Throwing Muses has always been Kristin Hersh's band. Her songwriting skills and ability to construct a twisted pop song never ceases to amaze me. The songs here are for the most part short and sweet (I know for a fact that the album clocks in at less than 45 minutes as I had a C90 with this on one side and REM's Out Of Time on the other) but they're perfectly formed.

And that's all you need to know. An album of perfectly formed Throwing Muses songs.

21. Nirvana - MTV Unplugged In New York

I remember the first time I heard Nevermind. I was in my student room in my halls of residence in Wolfenbüttel when one of the guys from my course who was out there with me, a guy called Derek Garside, came to me with a CD and asked me to put it on a cassette for him because he didn't have a CD player out there with him.

I'm an obliging kind of chap generally so we sat and listened to it as it recorded and I can remember my faint praise as clearly a if I'd said it today: "It's OK, but it's a bit too metal for me".

Of course I soon saw the error of my ways and went back to Derek to ask him if I could make my own copy. I didn't end up buying it until after Kurt died. In fact on the day after he died I was in Swindon and decided to go to HMV in the town and buy myself a copy, but was thwarted in my efforts by Fish from Marillion doing an instore show.

But I'm really here to talk about MTV Unplugged In New York. I'd seen the show on the TV and fallen in love with the songs (and the band) all over again. I had it recorded onto video for years before I actually got the album.

When I first met MrsJ she had a crate of CDs in her house that had been left there unclaimed by an ex of hers. There were loads in that box that I already owned, but one of the few I kept before trading the rest in at Vinyl Exchange in Manchester was this one.

I think I can point at this show as one of the starting points of my move further from your indie-rock towards slightly more acoustic stuff. The Unplugged format generally brings the songs to the fore and this set is no exception. Drawing from all 3 studio albums and with a smattering of stand-out covers there's nothing on this album to criticize. Kurt's voice just the right side of desperately frail and Novoselic, Grohl & Smear providing the perfect accompaniment to Cobain's guitar.

One of the greatest live albums ever made. Thank you MTV.

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That's all for tonight. You'll find that from here on in it'll just be gushing praise I'm afraid.

P.S. Before I go I should warn you of something. I know I raved on about MTV's Unplugged format just now, but whatever you do try to avoid the Dashboard Confessional one.