Category ACROSS THE DECADES
1971 COUNTDOWN: #7—#5
7 DAVID BOWIE — Hunky Dory This is David Bowie hitting his straps. Looking outward, observing; turning inward, mining; drifting starwards, dreaming. Confidence growing, stature expanding, ambition exploding. This is a singer-songwriter straining against the leash, still with an arm around his folk-rock roots (“Song for Bob Dylan”) but also pointing towards the future with […]
1971 COUNTDOWN: #10 — #8
10 KING CRIMSON — Islands Perhaps the most misunderstood album in the King Crimson catalogue, Islands signalled a change in direction for Robert Fripp’s merry band. With Keith Tippet on piano and compositions that took elements of the band’s live improvisational style into the studio, the pieces on Islands stretch and search, incorporating woodwinds and […]
1971 COUNTDOWN: #15 — #11
#15 FLEETWOOD MAC — Future Games Mick Fleetwood described Danny Kirwan as “an exceptional guitar player”, and so he was. Kirwan joined the band in August 1968 and appears on the albums from Then Play On to Bare Trees, contributing many excellent songs. One of his absolute best opens Future Games, the shimmering, mesmeric “Woman […]
FOCUS ON JAN AKKERMAN
In the post 1971 COUNTDOWN: #29 — #26, an instalment in the seemingly endless Vinyl Connection series, Focus’s second album, Moving Waves, was featured. Scott, veteran blogger at HMO, expressed his appreciation of the album, mentioned my other favourite Focus LP, and revealed his acquisition of a boxed set of solo albums from the band’s guitarist, […]
1971 COUNTDOWN: #20 — #16
#20 FUNKADELIC — Maggot Brain One listen to the brief opening monologue and you know you are entering a different world… “I have tasted the maggots in the mind of the universe…” One look at the cover and you know you are not dealing with production line funk here. Still confronting half a century on, […]
COVER ART | ON THE CHAIR
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, […]
1971 COUNTDOWN: #25 — #21
#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 […]
COVER ART | ON THE TURNTABLE
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 […]
1971 COUNTDOWN: #29 — #26
#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 […]
“THE NAME’S BOND” | EVERY JAMES BOND SONG RANKED
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, […]
COVER ART | ALBUMS AL FRESCO
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 […]
1971 COUNTDOWN: #34 — #30
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 […]
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