Yesesis´s & Mortte`s Album Thread

Nazareth: Loud `N` Proud

"Not Faking It" came from the radio, so I decided to listen this album already bought in the begin of nineties. I have never been the biggest hard rock fan, but always loved dirty R´n`R of Nazareth, Bon Scott´s Ac/Dc, the Faces and the Stones. And this album really has it! Most known piece is of course their great version of Joni Mitchell´s "This Flight Tonight". It´s those rare songs, that I think cover is better than the original (also I think Fairports´s version of Joni´s "I Don´t Know Where I Stand" is better than original, so maybe Joni hasn´t succeeded in her own songs). But this album has also other than dirty R´n`R: "Child In the Sun" is good southern rock style piece and album end really great with over nine minutes version of Dylan´s "The Ballad Of Hollis Brown". That sad & cruel story has very impressive background with very distorted & effected bass & really haunting guitars. It´s protodoom-piece, something prog also in it!

Kansas: Vinyl Confessions

Really big difference between this and earlier album! Well, this is still sounding Kansas, I quite a like for example songs "Play On" & "Crossfire", but on the other hand this album sounds much more commercial, also they really recycle their old ideas. It was in the eighties when I heard first time Kansas, when there came a concert from them in television. This album had just released. I really remember that I din´t fully like John Elefante although I haven´t then heard Steve Walsh. Elefante´s voice is quite close to Steve´s, but he really isn´t Steve. It´s almost same as in Gabriel and Collins, although I prefer Collins to Elefante. I like this more than Moodies Other Side and it´s very possible you Yesesis will like this album, but I am not sure will I listen this again. I think I continue listening Kansas-albums, just because Steve came back to Power-album and I remember it be ok, although much more AOR than their old albums.

Kari Peitsamo ja Ankkuli: s/t

Kari Peitsamo may not be the most eccentric person in Finland, but I believe he´s on the top of that list. This album is really his fourth album, Ankkuli is the name of his band that played on his first album, but in next three albums there is just Kari playing guitar and singing (and doing piano in few pieces). Although he´s style is really naive, you can hear he´s a great musician and lyricist. But have to say this double album is too much even me, two earlier with their shorter lengths are much better. Also I don´t believe non-Finnish listener got much from his music.

Family: a Song For Me

The greatest album was the last of this day! We already talked about this in that "Other Side"-thread, so I just say I noticed why those five first Family albums sound so great: band just has so great chemistry and musicianship, although they line-up changes three times! In the last album I think line-up just didn´t work as great. But of course this album has just so great songs, really it´s hard to me say which of the albums "Family Entertainment" - "Fearless" is the best!

David Sylvian: Brilliant Trees

Sylvian seemed to continue where he left in Japan. If somebody had said to me this is Japan album I would have believed. The most I liked the double bass and flugelhorn in "the Ink In the Well". Also the second side of the album is more experimental and also interesting. I have thought Japan has something in common with Talking Heads, but Japan is more dark and introverted. I prefer Talking Heads more, though like also Japan. All the way this album didn´t increase my willing to listen Sylvian´s solo more, I think I will get enough this kind of music listening Japan albums.

Pekka Airaksinen: Vitamins

I made a review in PA from this album, so I just say Pekka´s music is something people love or hate. He really was a kind of his own.

Country Joe And the Fish: I-Feel-Like-I´m-Fixin-To-Die

I think everybody has seen this band performing the title song in the Woodstock-film. Have to say that song is the most mediocre song in this great album! I really love both this and "Electric Music For the Mind And the Body"-albums, but this is much more stronger as a whole! This is all the way really hippie, beautiful album and reminds a lot "The United States of America"-album both in experimental parts and sounds. "Colours For Susan" is just so meditative ending in this really great album!

Sweet: Off the Record

I saw this album first time in a record shop in the eighties and really liked it´s cover with a big needle in the vinyl! I knew then "Sweet Fanny Adams" a great album, but haven´t got any idea how´s this album. So it was today I listened it first time as whole (listened some songs from youtube some years ago, album wasn´t then in spotify). I got picture they went more pop with this album, but to my surprise this was also quite much hard rock! Maybe songs are not as strong as previous three albums, but anyway this rocks very great way too!

Harry Partch: the Bewitched

If Pekka went the path of his own, so did Harry! He questioned the whole understanding of western music making the instruments, you can play 43 unequal tones of the octave. Also he thought arts of music, play and dance should not divide! I haven´t got any idea how known Partch is today´s US, but I believe he´s very unknown in Finland. It was Tom Waits book where I found him, also read later Iggy Pop favors him too. This was the first his long pieces together with Oedipus he released as vinyl. Really hard to get so I am really glad this recording from 1957 is released as CD in "The Harry Partch Collection" and so also in Spotify. Partches music is really dark, but when using just acoustic instruments not so hard. Also in this work there are with Partch really unique sounding own made instruments used bass clarinet, cello, clarinet & piccolo flute. This man really was genius, but not achieved full respect even after his death!

Talking Heads: Fear Of Music

This is really good album, but still I think "Remain In Light" better. This album is the closest of post-punk, there is even maybe only really aggressive vocals of Byrne in "Animals" which is my fav of this album. Also really great guitar playing in this, not as much in their later albums. The world music influences started also come in this album, but only first song "I Zimbra" clearly has them. Other fav songs are "Mind", "Memories Can´t Wait", "Air" & "Drugs". I believe this is the most paranoid album of TH!

Arco Iris: Agitor Lucens V

This album is masterpiece! Also it´s the greatest album I`ve heard from South-America! I am really glad I found this as vinyl about year ago in record fares, really you can´t find South-American albums easily from Europe! Arco Iris has used a lots of Argentinean traditional music influences, but in this album they mix also western electric prog into those influences very successfully. Here are variety of styles, very beautiful acoustic pieces (Principe Del Alba - Aurora Boreal is my fav of those), Hendrix-style guitar playing, beautiful ballad with female voice, even short free-jazz piece, avantgarde and all ends into very spiritual piece that´s is played with the church organs. One thing really wonders me - this album has lots in common of Finnish prog, although I don´t believe Arco Iris or on the other hand Finnish prog artists had heard then each others. So shame this album seems to be quite unknown, but one reason could be it hasn´t got official CD-version. Anyway I prefer this double album to Yes Tales Of Topograph.

Circus: s/t

There are many bands under this name, but this was UK band that made only one album and Crimson Mel Collins played in it. I believe I would not never heard this at all, but Finnish Svart records just made re-release of this. As the many bands of those times who made only one album, I didn´t expect much of this, but anyway something because Collins playing in it. Have to say at first I liked this album, it has good sounds and good playing, really like also Ian Jelfs voice. Also I think it´s great Jelfs seem to have skills to play very "macho" style guitar, but he do that only in the opening Beatles cover "Norwegian Wood". But as the many other not so known albums of that time this album lacks good songs. Their own songs are not bad, but not really great. Also it´s funny coincidence this album also has South-American influences (when just listened that Arco Iris-album), but really those are very superficial comparing to Arco Iris. I may be wrong, but I don´t believe there will be any new interesting albums in UK or US to me, I believe I have heard them all.

The Who: Live at the Isle Of Wight Festival 1970

One more Who-live album that I´ve never heard. Have to say immediately they weren´t playing there their best gig. To me it sounds Moon has quite muddy day then. Also bass sound hasn´t succeeded in this recording. But when they started to play "Tommy" that they played almost as whole those days, Moon also started play better and all the way normal standards of Who lives fulfill! Have to mention there are two pieces from aborted Life House-project that I have never heard before, "I don´t Even Know Myself" is really great of those!

Circle: Sunrise

In this album Circle started to add their Krautrock elements from hard rock and also acoustic music. But in their hard rock they sound more Hawkwind than AC/DC except "Kylän Suurin Miekka" sounds like Accept whose members have take LSD. Acoustic pieces are really psychedelic. Specially towards the end album changes really hypnotic.

Tommy Johnson: (1928-30) Complete Recordings In Chronological Order

I have started quite recently listen this delta-blues man. I have read about him from few blues books, but somehow always forgotten him. I believe he hasn´t been as famous as Charlie Patton, Skip James or Robert Johnson, but Canned Heat took their name from his "Canned Heat Blues", also they recorded a version from Johnson´s Big Road Blues. Short time he has become also my favorite, he´s got really personal voice and style, trembling voice and often do falsetto in the end of lines, just like old Country singers. Also he was really skillful guitar player. Just like Patton and Robert Johnson (not relation) he died before blues boom of sixties rose those old bluesmen into fame!

Here are ten albums I think masterpieces that I´ve found in the last ten years, in order:

1. Family: Music In a Doll´s House

2. Faust: Faust IV (I think many others them masterpieces too)

3. Can: Tago-Mago

4. Magma: s/t

5. Comus: First Utterance

6. Nico: the Marble Index

7. Arco Iris: Agitor Lucens V

8. Caravan: In the Land Of Grey & Pink

9. the Pop Group: Y

10. Pere Ubu: the Art Of Walking