Yesesis´s & Mortte`s Album Thread

Bruce Springsteen: Greetings From Asbury Park, N. J.

Manfred Mann´s Earth Bands version of "Blinded by the light" came from the radio today (I think it´s that Bruce´s song although it sounds quite different) so I remembered that I was going to listen this his first album. I am not the biggest Bruce-fan, but I have got his albums from this first to Nebraska, also I have liked his two other acoustic albums and his last years "country"-album. I have listened this least from my albums, maybe because I haven´t got this as cassette as others before I bought these all. I read from some of his book, that record company tried to make him new Dylan, when he was recording this. Now when listening it there might be some Dylan, but I think he sounded himself already in this, I believe he would have sounded ridiculous trying to sound as Dylan. Anyway I think in this album has something that has in no-other his album, something very innocent and excited. Of course this is no "Born To Run". Really like the very intensive "Lost In Flood", really great organ from David Sancious in it, also beautiful ballad "the Angel". Also I think this has something in common as atmosphere as Tom Waits two first albums.

Gnidrolog: In Spite Of Harry´s Toenail

This band has really personal style, it has compared to Jethro & VdGG, but there is only that flute sounding Jethro in some places, and Colin Goldring vocals reminds little bit Peter Hammill, although he is much more one-sided. Really like the rough sounds in this album, changing dry to echoed many times. But at least first time listening I don´t believe this will become my big faves. I think there is one big problem in many these quite unknown progalbums, that has at least interesting compositions, that they very often got weak singers (on the other hand for example that UK Circus album singer is great but material weak). But I am really going to listen their second album, I believe I will also listen this again.

So, what to listen to tonight. John Barleycorn Must Die by Traffic.. Another one of those masterpieces.. Power by Kansas.. Something from The Alan Parsons Project.. Something from Talking Heads.. this Gnidrolog deal...

Alright I went with one of Mortte's suggestions this afternoon, so tonight it's... Lady Lake. See how this goes.

Emerson, Lake and Palmer: Welcome Back To My Friends To the Show That Never Ends - Ladies and Gentlemen

Have to say at first that it´s Greg Like why I listen ELP. His voice and also his songs are amazing! But of course I really like Palmer´s drumming and even Emerson is not bad all the time. Anyway this was quite a starting of the day! But...I mostly liked this! "Toccata" and parts of "Tarkus" & "Karn Evil" (Aaargh 36 minutes of that in this live) are not my biggest faves also in the studio. On the other hand I think "Tarkus" sounded better in this live, really I was gladly surprised when Greg started to sing "Epitaph" in the middle of that! Of course versions of "Jerusalem" and "Take a Pebble" (with two Greg´s great acoustic songs in it) are absolutely fabulous! But almost 2 hours...I think it will take sometime I will listen this again.

The Red Crayola with the Familiar Ugly: The Parable Of Arable Land

For the balance´s sake I have to listen this after that massive ELP bulk. Again masterpiece (this should have been also in that 10 masterpieces of last ten years list), but this time psych rock masterpiece! Originally band got idea to make whole album in improvisations with their 50 friends (they played all kinds of "instruments" from the bottles to match sticks), but of course record company didn´t like that idea. So those improvisations are round the songs. They are really interesting sounding, but I thank record company for their puritanity in this album, because without them we don´t have such psyc rock masterpieces as "Hurricane Fighter Plane", "Transparent Radiation", "War Sucks", "Pink Stainless Tail" and "Former Reflections Enduring Doubt". To me this album rises into level of psych rock classics as "The Velvet Underground and Nico" and "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" and as a matter of fact this album is somewhere middle of those. But really sad this is quite unknown, although of course got respect already when it came.

Pekka Airaksinen: Paramitas

Gladly I found out there were five Pekka´s albums in bandcamp I´ve never heard! This was originally released as CDr in 1997, but in bandcamp sites it is said "2014 version". So Pekka could have edit this from that original. At first very attacking & twisting drum machine really disturbed me, but in the end of album I started to use in that. I liked the weird techno of longer "Prajna Paramita" and twisting valse and tango of "Upaya Paramita". But really at the moment this isn´t my fav Pekka album and really don´t recommend it to anybody´s first listening from him.

Mulatu Astatke + Black Jesus Experience: Cradle Of Humanity

Quite recently heard this collaboration is going to release a new album and today I decided to pre-order it! Then I remembered this album from 2016 and it is some time for the last listening. This has really great mix of Ethio Jazz (Mulatu is grand old man of Ethio Jazz), funk & hip hop (one of the rare albums with hip hop-influences I really like). They recorded new, but interesting versions from old Mulatu classic pieces like "Sabye", "Yekatit" & "Netsanet" but there are also good new pieces that I liked the most "We Pray" and ending piece "It´s Time".

Nina Simone: Wild Is the Wind

I have become Simone fan not until last half years. Of course I knew her for the name, but really hadn´t got the right picture of her. I read last spring 1001 albums before you die and this album was there. So I decided to listen it and become fan immediately! Now I have listened all her albums before this and at the moment I think this is her strongest effort what I´ve heard! Just that very soulful voice with great piano playing and really in the title piece and 2 songs after those you don´t need anything more! I think it was Nina´s version of the tittle song that inspired Bowie making his own!