Every CD I own . . .

Paul_C

mart said:

Paul_C said:

Day 39

...

CD#162 The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers

Recorded in 1972 - released in 1976, two years after the band had split up.

...

With Jerry Harrison from Talking Heds? Or am I getting muddle up? What's it like? Will a TH fan like it?

It does have Jerry Harrison on keyboards, yes. It's nothing like Talking Heads

It's described as proto-punk, you can listen on YouTube if you're curious:

mart

Thanks. I should have googled myself, but I'm enjoying your reviews so actually wanted to hear your opinion.

I can kinda see some similarities with the Heads, but obviously it's quite different too. I probably won't be rushing out to buy the album, but maybe some day.

UnclePsychosis

mart said:

Thanks. I should have googled myself, but I'm enjoying your reviews so actually wanted to hear your opinion.

I can kinda see some similarities with the Heads, but obviously it's quite different too. I probably won't be rushing out to buy the album, but maybe some day.

The Modern Lovers were awesome. You should buy it sooner rather than later.

Paul_C

Day 40

CD#166 P.I.L. - Metal Box

I've got one of the original vinyl copies of this, and was amused to get the CD in a smaller tin, but I'm not a huge fan of either ;O)

CD#167 Juliet Turner - Burn The Black Suit

I definitely prefer the backing and arrangements on her live album but the songs are still great. 

CD#168 Roger Waters - The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking

Written at the same time as The Wall, there is inevitably a Floyd feel to it even without Roger's familiar vocals. It's more of a complete piece but there aren't any stand out individual moments as a consequence. I haven't heard it for a while and it's much better than I'd remembered.

CD#169 The Decemberists - The King Is Dead

This band have been a source of great joy for me in the last few months, and this is another cracking album.

ICBM

Paul_C said:

CD#168 Roger Waters - The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking

Written at the same time as The Wall, there is inevitably a Floyd feel to it even without Roger's familiar vocals. It's more of a complete piece but there aren't any stand out individual moments as a consequence. I haven't heard it for a while and it's much better than I'd remembered.

I'm a big Waters fan but I didn't like it all that much for a long time, probably for that reason - it is very much a concept album that only works as a whole. But I recently got a proper copy of it again and listened to it on purpose rather than bits of it on random shuffle, and  it's actually very good... and maybe I had to reach a similar point in my life where it meant more to me .

I think it's better than Radio KAOS, but Amused To Death is still his best solo work.

Paul_C

CD#170 Therapy? - Troublegum

Three songs are huge fun, the rest are less so - that's better than The La's !

Paul_C

Day 41

CD#171 Radiohead - The Bends

It's pretty close, but this is probably my favourite.

CD#172 Taj Mahal - Mo' Roots

Roots reggae mixed with some James Brown mixed with some blues, it's possibly all things to all men.

CD#173 The Zutons - Tired Of Hanging Around

Valerie's great but the rest is a bit forgettable, I'm afraid.

CD#174 Pink Floyd - Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

I like the weird Floyd, the silly Floyd, the shouty Waters period and the mellower post-Waters period. So I like this.

Sporky

Paul_C said:

CD#146 Radiohead - Pablo Honey

Even people who like Radiohead don't all rate this album highly, but I like it a lot.

I think it may be their best album. Close with The Bends, certainly, but I think PH edges it.

ICBM

Paul_C said:

CD#173 The Zutons - Tired Of Hanging Around

Valerie's great but the rest is a bit forgettable, I'm afraid.

It's important to remind the entire universe that THIS SONG IS NOT BY F***ING AMY WINEHOUSE.

A possible candidate for worst cover ever.

But I have the album too and I have to admit I couldn't name one other song on it either...

Paul_C

Day 42

CD#175 Gail Ann Dorsey - I Used To Be

Bass player to the stars, this is Gail being a star in her own right, nice and chilled for a Sunday morning.

CD#176 Bellowhead - Matachin

I'm not a traditionalist when it comes to any genre of music, so enjoying Bellowhead's take on classic folk tunes has never been a problem for me, though as one who dips in and out of things as the fancy takes I haven't got round to hearing their most recent work as what I have has been sufficient.

A quick look at their Wiki page tells me that they're currently playing a farewell tour which ends next month and then Bellowhead will, for the time being at least, be no more. Which is a shame.

CD#177 No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom

I've not listened to this for ages, there's more good stuff on here than I'd remembered.

TTony

Do you get to listen to anything else whilst you're doing this, or do you *just* listen to the CDs that you write up?

Paul_C

Only 5 Live for sport, BBC iPlayer (radio) for comedy and drama and the No Such Thing As A Fish podcast.

If I'm going to listen to music then it's something from the pile of CDs, with the aim of averaging four a day if possible, though I have acquired around 20 more since I started and listened to all of them, so I haven't had to only listen to old stuff.

Fortunately there are quite a few I like a lot and because I like quite a lot of different stuff I can mix things up a bit, though I imagine I might get 100 CDs out having left quite a few duds - I might give up early if I do

Paul_C

Day 43

CD#178 The Jayhawks - Music From The North Country

This compilation has been described as "tracing their story from their beginnings as a struggling local act to their final chapter as a struggling national act." despite that there some great tunes to be enjoyed.

CD#179 Rogue State Circus - Songs From The Sea Of Serenity

Since this album's release I have gigged with the Rogues, on drums once or twice, on guitar for a while and most recently on bass, so I know these songs very well indeed - still fun to listen to this nevertheless as the songs are great, and well played.

CD#180 Echo And The Bunnymen - Evergreen

I bought their first album (vinyl) and saw them live back in the early 80s. They were pretty good back then, much better than this. It isn't awful but it's no Crocodiles.  

CD#181 Chyco Siméon - Finally

Funky, jazzy, Marcus Miller-style bass led tunes. Groovy.

CD#182 The Story - Grace In Gravity

Jonatha Brooke (previously mentioned on Day 1 and Day 37) and Jennifer Kimball (I don't have any of her solo work), this their first album (of two) before Jonatha went solo.

ICBM

Paul_C said:

CD#176 Bellowhead - Matachin

I'm not a traditionalist when it comes to any genre of music, so enjoying Bellowhead's take on classic folk tunes has never been a problem for me, though as one who dips in and out of things as the fancy takes I haven't got round to hearing their most recent work as what I have has been sufficient.

A quick look at their Wiki page tells me that they're currently playing a farewell tour which ends next month and then Bellowhead will, for the time being at least, be no more. Which is a shame.

Broadside is probably their best, although the bonus-tracks version of Revival (the last one) is very good too.

I sadly couldn't make it to see them on the final tour either.

Paul_C said:

CD#177 No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom

I've not listened to this for ages, there's more good stuff on here than I'd remembered.

Brilliant album.

Paul_C said:

CD#180 Echo And The Bunnymen - Evergreen

I bought their first album (vinyl) and saw them live back in the early 80s. They were pretty good back then, much better than this. It isn't awful but it's no Crocodiles.

It's not bad, but I think What Are You Going To Do With Your Life is the best of their later stuff. Although none of them are quite as good as the Electrafixion 'Burned' album.

Paul_C

Day 44

CD#183 Thunderclap Newman - Hollywood Dream

Their only album, it has Pete Townshend on bass. The single is good but there's not much else to get excited about.

CD#184 The Congos - Heart Of The Congos

This pops up on Top Album charts a lot, which is what encouraged me to buy it recently. Released in 1977, when I was listening to Elvis Costello, Sex Pistols and The Ramones, it feels like something from a generation before, though that's not necessarily a bad thing.

CD#185 Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - In Step

He's a fantastic player, and I like his voice which is great for his style of music, but I'm not enough of a fan to be able to sit through two albums in a row (sometimes even the whole of one) without getting bored. This is true of a number of the CDs I own but SRV is noticeably consistent in his ability to satisfy my cravings for his music in a short space of time  

CD#186 The Incisors - Demos/We All Have Stories

The Incisors describe themselves as "turbo melodic pop rock" and sound like a lot of post punk/new wave stuff I listened to in the 80s. I bought these two CDs after seeing them play at The Cavern Pub in Liverpool (IIRC they were on just before the band I was playing in - Rogue State Circus) and really enjoying their set, particularly the song "Indonesia" which is possibly one of the best songs ever written.

CD#187 Counting Crows - This Desert Life

Second to August And Everything After in my personal CC chart, Mrs Potter's Lullaby is one of my favourites of their songs.

EricTheWeary

I had an SRV period and I probably only like about 50% of now listening back. The stuff I don't like I don't really not like I just can't get enthusiastic about. The Congos equally hard going in one sitting. I often find the link between punk and reggae odd, I get the outsider thing but much 70s reggae has production values more like classic rock than punk and some of it's leading figures were pretty overtly homophobic or mysoginistic. Thunderclap Newman still going in some way I think, I was in the car at about 1 am one night a few months ago and there was a phone in thing and they had one of them ( Newman? no idea) chatting about being on the way back from playing a gig.

xSkarloey

Evergreen's a fine album. "What are you..." is more of a McCulloch solo effort. Odd.

I find Metal Box hard going but think when PiL are good they're very good.

Paul_C

Day 45

CD#188 Beth Rowley - Little Dreamer

I can't remember how I came to buy this, as it's not something I'd usually look out for. Having said that the songs are good and well played, and she has a lovely voice. So despite it not being "my sort of thing" I like it a lot.

CD#189 Split Enz - True Colours

As far as I can recall, my first encounter with Split Enz was I Got You, which made my reaction to their earlier work more pronounced. It's more conventional than the glorious wackiness of something like Stranger Than Fiction, but still good to hear again.

CD#190 The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

My favourite of the albums I have (three or four), I'm wondering if I should buy some more.

CD#191 Moses - The Swimming Zoo

Their first album, full of good songs and lovely harmonies.

CD#192 The Monkees - The Definitive Monkees

I was heartbroken when told that they didn't play their own music (even though by that time they had been doing so for years). Regardless of who wrote what and who played what, The Monkees are/were/always will be great.

Paul_C

Day 46

CD#193 Eva Cassidy - Songbird

A Christmas present from the year when she was posthumously popular in the UK. A sad story but a lovely voice.

CD#194 Julia Nunes - Settle Down

I first heard Julia on YouTube, playing a cover of a Counting Crows song. She got quite a following on the back of quirky videos, mostly of covers, shot alone or with friends. Sadly, due to her career getting serious, a lot of them have been removed from YouTube. This was her first crowd-funded CD and the enclosed booklet has my name on it somewhere.

CD#195 Marcella Detroit - Jewel

Hopefully this was one of my Britannia freebies, because while I like "I Believe" there's not much else going for it.

CD#196 Meshell Ndegeocello - The World Has Made Me The Man Of My Dreams

There have been four albums released since I bought this, none of which I have heard. I shall have to do something about that.

CD#197 Invocal - Uneven Keel

Oestrogen-laden left-field acoustic music (their words, not mine), Invocal were (until 2010) an all female acoustic act that performed with cello, guitar and four harmonious voices. Lots of fun . . . and local.


CD#198 Muse - Origin Of Symmetry

This has my two favourite Muse songs on it, New Born and Plug In Baby, though if I'm listening via YouTube I always pick live versions as they seem to have just a bit more excitement to them even though the CD versions are pretty damn perfect.

CD#199 R.E.M. - Monster

There's more to this than I remembered, though they could have eased up on the use of tremolo a bit.

TTony

Slow down, slow down.

I can't keep up ...

So much of what you're listing is replicated in my collection that I'm trying to listen to the stuff that I *don't* have (thanks Spotify) to see what else I might like!