Albums You Should Own Part 4

After another random interval, I'm back with the fourth instalment of my suggestions for the perfect record collection. If you stick with me, by the time I'm done, your collection could be as good as mine. No, really, it's possible! If the previous offerings made you think I was well and truly stuck in the 60's or 70's, well, now I'll prove there's more to me than that. Not much more, but a little more. Enough waffling, let's get down to business.

Thriller by Michael Jackson
Released in 1982, as the follow up to 'Off The Wall', this album is widely considered to be one of the best albums of modern times. The production by Quincy Jones certainly plays a huge part in the feeling and sound of the songs, and shouldn't be underestimated. With unbridled success worldwide, the album spawned 7 (count 'em) singles, which leaves just 2 "album tracks", which is fairly unusual to be honest. In my opinion there are three reasons why this album is a 'must-have'.

Number one is the song 'Thriller' - possibly one of the most iconic songs of the last 50 years of popular music. Take the video out of the equation, the song stands on its own. From that bass line to the howling wolf sound effects, with the intro building to the synthesised brass sound, and the spoken word ending, voiced by horror legend Vincent Price. All squeezed into six minutes of timeless pop.

Reason number two is 'Beat It'. The intro ambles along until the guitar riff kicks in. It's a harsh, manufactured sound, but it ties the song together and it works. And then, from nowhere, comes the guitar solo. And the man who provides it? Eddie Van Halen. If you don't know, then it's just another solo. But once armed with the information, you can go back and listen to it, and it all makes sense. A typical Van Halen sounding guitar solo, am I wrong?

The third reason is 'Billie Jean'. When you've listened to this song, you can see how he ended up at 'Bad'. The vocal styling was beginning to emerge, with the "he he's" and the "whoo's" and the slight funk-style instrumental arrangements. Apparently written about an experience he had whereby a deranged female (obviously!) fan wrote to him claiming he had fathered a child. Hence the line "but the kid is not my son."

You'd be hard pushed to find an artist these days with three tracks of such impeccable quality on the same album (and greatest hits don't count). And I haven't even mentioned 'Wanna Be Startin Somethin' or 'PYT (Pretty Young Thing)'. I will just mention the cringe-worthy duet with Paul McCartney, 'The Girl Is Mine'. Oh, it's so, so cringe-worthy! The song isn't that bad, it's the chatty interchange between them both that does it. And another thing to note, this meeting sowed the seeds that resulted in Michael Jackson controlling the publishing rights to the Beatles catalogue.

So, whilst many find it hard to see past the controversy and mystery that surrounded his later life and ultimate death at the age of 50, if you seal yourself off from all that, and just listen to the craft contained in this album, you will agree that you have missed out by not having this album in your collection. And don't forget that album cover - another iconic image that has been mimicked and parodied time and time again (Ricky Gervais on the cover of his 'Animals' DVD is one example that springs to mind).

Albums You Should Own Part 3

A warm welcome to the third instalment of my series that aims to help you add some top quality music to your record collection. And I mean collection, in a physical form. It's all well and good simply downloading music straight to your iPod or PC, but in my opinion, there's still a little bit of added 'cool' when you actually have the album, along with the cover and any notes etc. Something to read on the bus or train back from town, building the anticipation to a point where all you want to do when you get home is head straight for the stereo and whack on your new purchase. Ask your parents/grandparents about the wonder that was vinyl(raise the subject tactfully though, don't just go up to grandad and say "you're old, tell me about those big black round things"), and they'll no doubt go all misty-eyed and drift away on a sea of rose-tinted reminiscence. But anyway, on to the latest classic album that you simply MUST have:

Let It Bleed by The Rolling Stones
Released in 1969, this is the last Stones album to feature the late Brian Jones before his final swim in July of the same year.
The album kicks off with the classic 'Gimme Shelter', easily one of the best songs written by the Jagger/Richards partnership to date. It has a sort of echoey distance about it, perhaps summing up the mood of the times, after the 'Summer of Love' in '67 and the widespread riots in '68, the world was in a dark place.
From there, you get the country blues sound of 'Country Honk' a country re-working of 'Honky Tonk Women', which, while being essentially the same song, has it's own charm.

The second side opens with another rumbling monster of a song, 'Midnight Rambler'. Again, it seems to have that distant, menacing ambience to the recording, similar to 'Gimme Shelter'. As the album draws to a close, 'Monkey Man' is a standard rock song featuring Mick Jagger screaming "I'm a monkey" (has a truer word ever been spoken?!) and 'You Can't Always Get What You Want', a choral-led intro which moves into a good old lighter-aloft sing along to close the album.

The album cover itself is quite a work of art. Items layered on top like a cake, with an actual cake topping featuring figures of the band. According to the Wikipedia page, the real cake parts were prepared by a then unknown food writer called Delia Smith. But whether that's actually true or not, only she knows!!

Well, that's that then. One more classic album to add to your collection. By the time I'm finished with you, you'll be the envy of all your friends. Either that, or you'll get bullied for not having downloaded the latest Tinny Temper crap. Can you believe he's never been to Scunthorpe??!!!!

Adios music fans. Until next time.

Albums You Should Own Part 2

Welcome to the second in my series of completely biased opinions aimed at persuading you to put down that Nintendo DS, pack away that iPad, and get out there to your local record shop.

Four Symbols/IV by Led Zeppelin
It's difficult to pick out just one album by Led Zeppelin. They've all got oodles of class. But I tried, and this is my recommendation to you.

It kicks off with 'Black Dog', a monster of an opening track with the silence of expectation shattered by Robert Plant screaming "Hey, hey, mama, said the way you move, gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove." Then the guitar riff kicks in and it's rock heaven from then on in, until the end of 'When The Levee Breaks' which is leant an aura of menace thanks to John Bonham's pounding drum beat.

And in between, you've got rock gems like 'Rock And Roll', and then the complete detour into Folk territory that is 'Going To California'. Not forgetting a track that some people will know, and others that don't know, well you bloody well should do! 'Stairway To Heaven' is probably the one Led Zep track that anyone with half a brain could name if push came to shove. The spiralling guitar picking intro, the mystical, fairytale style lyrics, and then Jimmy Page takes over, weaving a kind of guitar magic that only he seems capable of.

With all that to think about, it may come as a complication to you, as you scan the racks in the shop, that this particular record doesn't have a title as such. That's right. No title. The album cover contains no information whatsoever. So, take a look at the picture on this blog, consign it to memory and then set out. Or, be a cocky swine and read this blog on your iPhone, Blackberry or other smartphone whilst you are looking through the CD racks. Whatever you do, just find it, pick it up, pay for it (obviously! I'm not going to advocate shoplifting) and go home. Then, once you've listened to it all the way through, you can leave a comment telling me how right I was!

Albums You Should Own Part 1

Welcome to the first in a no-doubt irregular series of blog posts which aim to point you in the direction of  great albums that you should have in your collection. You should actually buy these. Go into one of the fast disappearing record shops and impress everyone as you pick a copy off the shelf and take it to the till. Then, as you walk down the street, take it out of the carrier bag and purposely read the back (ensuring the front cover is fully on display much like the latest VW Polo ad). In all honesty you will probably be thought of as a bit of a fruitcake, and be subsequently targetted as a potential mugging target, but hey, at least you'll feel cool!

Anyway, to the first album.

Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys
Released in 1966 and driven by competition between Lennon and McCartney and the Beach Boys' creative force, Brian Wilson, Pet Sounds was a direct riposte to the Beatles' Rubber Soul album. Until that point, the Beach Boys had been pouring out gems like Surfin USA, Little Deuce Coupe and so on. But the creative maturity being displayed by Lennon and McCartney and their almost God-like status in the USA (we're talking pre-Lennon furore) awoke Brian Wilson to try and attain greater things.

Brian Wilson teamed up with Tony Asher to try and create something that put Rubber Soul into the shadows. And they succeeded to an extent. Whilst the Beach Boys touring entity took the music to the masses, Brian, who had given up touring to concentrate on writing and recording new music, was creating something that was a complete departure from what had gone before.

Case in point is the song 'I Know There's An Answer'. Apparently with an original title of 'Hang On To Your Ego', the title was changed because Mike Love refused to sing the lyrics. Then, there's 'I Just Wasn't Made For These Times', which seems to be Brian Wilson telling the world how he feels at odds with his existence at the time.

From these introspective, atmospheric songs to upbeat numbers like 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' and 'Sloop John B', the album takes your mood up and down and up and back down again, ending on the melancholy 'Caroline, No'.

'Good Vibrations' was originally listed on the album, but Brian Wilson removed it to continue work on it. The creative battle with the Beatles was temporarily won, until the release of Revolver later the same year. The recording of the follow-up, 'Smile' sent Brian on the way to a mental breakdown, precipitated by his drug use.

The best way to listen to this album is through good headphones and in the dark. Give it a go. You might just like it...

Books, Books, Books

Yesterday, I finished reading Man and Boy by Tony Parsons. Or should I say re-reading it. In fact, I'm a serial re-reader. But you can never read a good book more than once, in my opinion. There are lots of books I've read more than once. The Adrian Mole series, James Ellroy books, my Nick Hornby collection, and Tony Parsons too. That's alot of books, I assure you.

But, back to my most recent re-read. When I first read it, I was younger and hadn't had any of my life experiences, and couldn't really appreciate the story for what it was, it was just a good book written by a good author. Fast forward about eight or nine years, and I've been through it all and come through the other side. I started re-reading it and the more I read, the more I realised that this book was now incredibly relevant to me.

To sum up, a happily married guy, Harry Silver, hits 30, has a one night stand and causes his marriage to break up. So far, the only relevance is the age thing. Then his wife moves away to Japan to work, leaving their son, Pat, with our main character. No relevance there. His parents are of the old-school, where families stayed together through thick and thin, and this causes them to over-compensate with Pat, allowing slack where perhaps normally they wouldn't. Now I feel that this situation is becoming more apparent in my own life. It's not a bad thing, as such. But it can leave my authority as a parent a bit ineffective at times.

Then, when Pat's mother returns from Japan with a new man, she states her intent to get her son back. Cue the sniping and solicitor involvement (check!) as both parents are more intent on rubbishing the other rather than promoting the benefits of their care. Ultimately, when Harry's dad dies of cancer (no relevance there thank God), he asks his mum how she copes. She tells him that part of love is knowing how to let go. This prompts Harry to agree to let his son live with his mother. I can definitely appreciate that. When I left my son with his mum, I wasn't in a particularly good place and in no state to look after a 2 year old under the same house as my parents. Then, when I had another chance to look after my son on a permanent basis about two years ago, I felt that to have my son on these terms (basically his mum had refused to collect him from nursery after a ridiculous incident in a pub car park) was purely by default, not by his choice. So, after much soul searching and disgusted views, I permitted my ex-wife to take him back again. However, this much is true: should the occasion arise again, I will not falter. He will be with me, Marisa and Anthony.

Anyway, back to the book. All along, Harry goes through lack of work (been there more than once!), and unexpected new love. This I can definitely relate to!

Dammit, as I finished the last page, I wiped a tear from my eye.

And my family always mock me for reading books more than once. More fool them!

I'm now re-reading the sequel, Man and Wife. I'm prepared for more tugged heart strings.