As we inch towards Summer, what could be better than Australian Crawl and a classic Leunig cartoon… While others seek warmth inside a green house. Leo Kottke is one of the masters of finger-picking guitar. “Greenhouse” came out in 1972 and while not quite as jaw-dropping as his classic “6 and 12 String Guitar” LP, […]
#25 GENESIS — Nursery Cryme After their initial 60s album and the exploratory but not-quite-there-yet “Trespass”, Genesis started to define and grow into their own sound with this third LP. The eccentric Englishness (particularly in Peter Gabriel’s theatrics) sparkles, while the ambition of the compositions makes for music twists and turns that would be further […]
A selection of what has recently been on the Vinyl Connection turntable. * Bowie’s 2003 release is a strong album. Really enjoyed it during a recent re-visit. * “The Hermit” (Transatlantic 1976) John Renbourn was one of two brilliant guitarists in Pentangle. He also had a rich solo career, including this excellent album. * Bo […]
#29 FOCUS — Moving Waves The second album from the Dutch progressive rock band contained their surprise hit “Hocus Pocus”. Who knew yodelling could be cool? The side-long “Eruption” suite is a highlight in the Focus catalogue and the album is consistently inventive and entertaining as the music dances between Jan Ackerman’s mercurial guitar and […]
Here is the article written for Discrepancy Records, reproduced by kind permission. The competition is open until 12 midnight, Thursday 18 November 2021 AEST. * * * When Monty Norman took ideas from one of his earlier compositions and created the “James Bond Theme”, he could not have foreseen how the piece would take on […]
From 1962 to 2021, films featuring Ian Fleming’s super spy have been entertaining millions as the suave martini-drinking agent saves the world from yet another crazed megalomaniac. When Paul from Discrepancy Records suggested that ranking the best Bond songs was one way to review the new 3 LP set The Best of Bond… James Bond, […]
It’s Spring in Melbourne. The weather tends to be varied—drizzle, downpours, showers, storms, occasional sun—but when time and inclemency allow, I’ve been taking some records for walks. They need a change of scenery after the long lockdowns. * The adventure began in the back garden, celebrating Joni Mitchell’s 78th birthday (7 November) during a break […]
34 TANGERINE DREAM — Alpha Centauri In some ways the most psychedelic of the early Tangerine Dream albums, Alpha Centauri is as powerful as a neural freight train and as spacey as a black hole. This is powerful cosmic music. It starts with a brief preamble, “Sunrise in the third system” before launching into the […]
I partook of a #Halloweenvinyl challenge over at the ‘gram. Here is a selection… * JEAN MICHEL JARRE — Oxygene [1976] * GOBLIN — Suspiria [OST 1976] * Two Suspirias being better than one, hello Radiohead’s Thom Yorke… THOM YORKE — Suspiria [2018] * A kind of a black magic vibe, also marking Peter Green’s […]
39 EMERSON LAKE & PALMER — Tarkus The twenty-one minute “Tarkus” suite is the best side of vinyl in the EL&P catalogue. Powerful, cohesive, with brilliant playing and a suitably dramatic sci-fi-ish story about warlike robot-animal hybrids, it is one of the pinnacles of progressive music. Co-written by Keith Emerson and Greg Lake, this second […]
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