Ten Other Albums from 1977

A second bite of the cherry that is 1977. I said on the original post that this was a tough year - there were a lot of amazing records. Anyway, here I get to say a little about a few that didn't make the top ten.

Before I kick off, you may have noticed that the 'major' punk records did not appear. I talk a bit about those in this post, but just to summarise: there are some great records there, but they just don't do as much as others for me. As I say in the 1977 post, the most interesting thing about punk is what came next. 1978 and 1979 have some much more interesting 'punk' records, I think. I still hold, however, that The Damned's debut is the best of that crop.

All the same, I'm going to start by mentioning three albums I deliberately excluded from that post because I'd made the (somewhat dodgy) decision to stick to English bands - I did this because I felt that to do otherwise might have risked an unwieldy and over-long list. All three could have been included, and all three had merits missing from the albums included.

(Wire's Pink Flag ought to be added to these three, but I'm pretty confident that either '78s Chairs Missing or '79s 154 will hit the top ten for one of those years. I'll leave Wire until then.)

Richard Hell and the Voidoids - Blank Generation

Within seconds of Blank Generation kicking off, you know that this is different.  Love Comes in Spurts tears away, and while it has that abrasiveness that you might associate with punk, the energy is less angry, more psychotic. It makes the English bands look a little pedestrian in it's sheer kinetic boundlessness. This continues into the ultra-fidgety Liars Beware and only let's up a little on the third track. When we get to the fourth track, we begin to properly perceive the changes afoot. It's slower and almost bluesy - it pre-figures The Gun Club a little, I think. But it's here that we begin to see the expansiveness of palette that is absent from the English - even the more musical Jam and Stranglers. This album is frayed at the edges and there are times that it threatens to fall apart completely - but it's willingness to pull at the seams of rock and roll is thrilling. It didn't make my top ten, but it was close - of the 'new' crop of so-called punk bands, only his ex-bandmate Tom Verlaine and Television (as well as Blondie, depending on whether you want to include them here) impressed me more.


Suicide - Suicide

Still in New York and perhaps even more out there - certainly an even greater distance from the English bands of the time. What's more, is this the first synth duo? (We have Sparks as a duo in '79 and Soft Cell by '80 - but is there anyone earlier?)

Anyway, there a primitive streak here. Martin Rev's synthesizers are not the shiny, sequenced synths of Giorgio or latterly of the Pet Shop Boys; they sound like they have been unearthed from somewhere deep underground. The drums sound even older - vague, dark pulses. They are repetitive to the point of being oppressive, nasty, unsettling. The ten minutes of Frankie Teardrop grind the listener down - two notes, with only Alan Vega and some otherworldly sounds to break the monotony. It reminds me of the Eraserhead soundtrack. But then: Alan Vega. He mumbles and shouts and shrieks like Elvis possessed. It bears the marks of Jerry Lee and Gene Vincent but fed back from a distant point in space. It's not always a fun listen or a pleasant one, but dammit if it's not thrilling.


The Saints - (I'm) Stranded

From New York to Brisbane, to The Saints. At first pass, with the great single (I'm) Stranded, this sounds of a piece with the British bands. It bristles with power chords, energy and attitude. It's closest in spirit with The Ramone's debut - or even The Damned. There appears to be a deliberate lack of sophistication here - three chords played over and over. Erotic Neurotic holds to this, but channels (and rips off) the Stones' cover of I Wanna Be Your Man. They have the audacity to cover Elvis' Kissin Cousins. But the album isn't afraid to stretch out. Messin' With the Kid sounds like a heavier Neil Young track - it bears similarity, I think, with Knockin' on Heaven's Door. It's still sneering, it still has that attitude, but it's no longer bound to those three chords. Similarly, Story of Love swings for Springsteen territory and does a solid job.

Of these three albums, this is the weakest, but it still stands head and shoulders alongside The Damned, Jam and Clash - by which I mean it's still a cool album. Their next album is even better and is a potential for '78. (I have a massive soft spot for Know Your Product).


Original Soundtrack - Saturday Night Fever

This was number 11. It's problem was simple. While roughly half the record is spectacular, the other half is, to be honest, meh. There are seventeen tracks on the album (a double in old money). Six come from the Bee Gees and are incredible. We have a tracks from Yvonne Elliman, The Trammps and the KC and Sunshine Band - they are all solid. After that, it's a hefty decline; even the mighty Kool and the Gang submit one of their weaker efforts, and when we get to David Shire's Night on Disco Mountain... well, let's not.

But at it's best, it's amazing. The Bee Gees tracks (include Elliman's, which was written by them) are sublime. All seven of them will burrow a path to your brain and stay there forever. Once there, hips and legs will soon respond and feet will tap - they are irresistible.


Blondie - Plastic Letters

This might not be the best Blondie album, but it might well be my favourite. I bought it around the same time that I got Parallel Lines and Eat to the Beat - some point very late 70s, when I was still very much a child. I had a poster of Debbie Harry on my wall (the Andy Warhol's Bad one). When, later on, people would allude to me about her being a sex icon, I always felt slightly out of sync. I think because I had latched onto her at such a pre-pubescent time, she never transitioned into sex object in the way that, say, Madonna did.

As much as the two later albums had more of the hits, I just connected with this one more. It might be the sudden abruptness of both sides A & B - both Fan Mail and I Didn't Have the Nerve bolt out of the gates like it was their last chance. Perhaps it was the production - by Richard Gottehrer rather than Mike Chapman - that has more urgency. Maybe it's because I have a thing for transitional albums - bands struggling to find their feet. That is certainly the case here. The line-up was still in the process of coalescing; losing Gary Valentine, Frank Infante and Nigel Harrison listed only in the 'thanks section'. The two singles (Denis and (I'm Always Touched By Your)Presence Dear) already have that pop sheen, but the rest of the songs still have a roughness. The sixties garage and girl group influences are still plainly visible. Nonetheless, some of the songs are very strong, including the punkiest of all their singles, Detroit 442 and possibly my favourite Blondie song of all (don't ask me why) Cautious Lip.

I saw (what was left of) Blondie live in about '89 or '90 at Liverpool Royal Court. They finished with Cautious Lip. In honesty, it was the only thing I remember from the gig itself, but it made me very happy. (I also remember hooking up with a girl after the gig, but that's a different story).

Anyway, this isn't the best Blondie album - not really. There are a few songs that just don't quite cut it. Parallel Lines is coming in '78, and that is nothing, if not, pop perfection. But Plastic Letters has a place in my heart.

Cerrone - Supernature

I'll admit I only caught on to Cerrone recently. I've been making listening to disco an intention rather than as a by-product of seventies soul and that has led me to some incredible records that are, in all honesty, really growing on me. So far I have only listened to two of Marc Cerrone's albums; this one and his first Love in C Minor. The former is more of the classic disco sound - the lusher, strings-based style associated with Salsoul or MFSB. It's awesome, but this one delves more into the futuristic, synth-based disco we connect with Giorgio Moroder.

This is a concept album - scientists have done messed around with humanity again, it's all gone weird - but let's face it, I'm not really paying attention to that. The album is mixed, a couple of the tracks return to the sound of his earlier records - Give Me Love is old-school disco - as catchy as anything Salsoul put out. I'd love to hear a Tom Moulton mix of it. But the title track is where it's at. It's cold and distant, but as propulsive as anything Moroder did. If you're on the dancefloor and this fails to move you, call an ambulance - you might be dead.


Abba - The Album

Pity poor ABBA. A truly incredible band, but they never mustered a truly killer album. If you listen to their compilation Gold, it is genuine killer pop hit after hit. It's a rare Greatest Hits that manages that. Add to that More Gold, another 20 tracks, and almost as good. There are very few artists/bands that are so consistently awesome - and over a relatively short eight years.

I'd argue that the albums - especially the four from '75-'79 (ABBA, Arrival, The Album and Voulez Vous) - are also very good and contain several hidden gems. But in each case, there are one or two bum notes; tracks that dilute the overall quality from killer to just good, or in this case even, very good. In this album, the bad reaches its pinnacle with One Man, One Woman - a maudlin picture of a mundane marriage in difficulty. It's a move that Abba did much better on countless other occasions. The chorus - a song element that Abba are normally so sure-footed with - lumbers on wearily, much like the couple in the song, I guess. Similarly, Move On, is just a little too European; folksy pipe music, worthy, thoughtful voice-over. Still despite that, at least, it's catchy in a sort of Moomins go Pop! kind of way.

But when it's good, it's incredible. Let's note the singles quickly: Thank You For The Music is a mid-tempo, well-meaning piece of schmaltz, but it does the business. The Name of the Game is similar but has a gentle, soft rock propulsiveness that's killer. The Eagle is Abba at their Yacht Rockiest. They create a huge sound and never sounded more transcendent. Take a Chance On Me is disco gold.

But please, if you're reading this, pop I'm a Marionette on - preferably loud. I don't think that there's anything in Abba's discography that compares to it. It switches briskly from disco to slightly terrifying symphonic pop and back again. Agnetha and Frida never sounded so imperious. They always had a sort of coldness as singers, a sort of detachment. I've often felt that much of Abba's best music sounded like it was created by a future super-computer. The song is theatrical in the chorus and disco on the verse - flipping expectations. It makes no sense, but works brilliantly. If only they could have kept it together for a whole album.


Throbbing Gristle - Second Annual Report

This album ranked bottom for 1977 for me, but it might be one of the most interesting and was certainly more influential than most on the list. It's that thing where I'll admit it's place in the history of music, but I just didn't enjoy it at all. It doesn't help that it was recorded in the worst possible way and the music sounds like sludge. I'm pretty sure it was supposed to. The general unpleasantness of the audio samples that are overlaid are pretty grim too.

Interestingly, their next album 20 Jazz Funk Greats is much more listenable. Throbbing Gristle were an important and influential point on the way to industrial music. What's more, the personnel here went on to other much better things, including one of my favourite bands (Coil).

But no, this is horrible.


Grace Jones - Portfolio

I love Grace Jones very very much. I saw her live a bunch of years ago, and I'll not have a bad word said about her. But dammit, her first few albums just aren't that good. They are examples of the style of disco that veers a little too closely to tacky show music. This album has covers of Send in the Clowns and Tomorrow all gussied up. I just don't enjoy them.

BUT! There is one of my very favourite songs on this one. La Vie en Rose, the Edith Piaf song. Grace's version is stripped down; a bossa nova rhythm of percussion, bass and acoustic guitar with piano on top. Grace sings it like her life depended on it, letting the song build and flow. It is amazing and utterly wasted on this otherwise disappointing album.


Steve Martin - Let's Get Small

I don't really consider comedy or spoken word albums very much in these lists, but this is my favourite. It is a clear reminder of Steve Martin at his funniest. Before the banjo and before the various movies where he was just alright; before all of that, he was a comedy giant. After a decade or so in clubs, he did two proper albums, and then pretty much retired as a stand-up. This was his first and proof, if it were needed, of his genius.

His comedy is not caustic or counter-cultural or directly profane, like George Carlin, or Richard Pryor, but it was, in its own way just as subversive. By co-opting the persona of a schmaltzy Vegas lounge act, he is able to send up the conventions and expectations of show-biz and the people that love it, i.e. everybody else. His whole approach is ridiculous and surreal and childish and stupid, but there's a mixing of concepts that is intellectually satisfying as well. He does an incredible double bluff - leading towards one sort of punchline and delivering another. Like all comedy albums, you need to listen to it...

You know when a comedy album is good, though, when you have listened to it a dozen or more times and you still laugh out loud. I'm laughing out loud right now...

10 'Best' Albums of 1977

As ever, these are my 'best', not the best.

There are a LOT of great records kicking about in 1977. I'm not sure why but this was evidently a period of phenomenal creativity. Quite often, the big story is held to be the proper arrival of punk. I'm not sure how true that is, to be honest. Punk finally has the momentum, but there were plenty of signs of this in '76 and even before. We could just as easily say that the big story was disco. Similarly, it had been developing in the background for a few years and finally became super-massive in '77. The high-cheese factor in disco often obscures the fact that there were some great records to be had. Reggae blossomed in '76, but '77 is, if anything, even better. Classic rock is still, as it always did, producing some killer records and some genres, often regarded as being in the process of slipping back into the shadows (southern soul, for instance), still have plenty of life in them.

I listened to 111 albums in total and the overall quality is incredible. These are all records that I have bought so it's obvious that I am predisposed to liking them, but there are surprisingly few that I would consider anything less than 'pretty good' (only 20 albums scored less than 7.5). This is a bumper year. If you do go and look at the long list and see that your record is lower than you think it ought to, please don't think that I consider it poor.

Anyway...

Iggy Pop - The Idiot

I suppose that this is a spoiler and that I should alert you of such. Low by David Bowie is possibly my favourite record by anyone ever. So it probably oughtn't be much of a surprise that this album also figures very highly on this list. I read an interesting piece in The Quietus that argued that The Idiot should be regarded as a piece with Bowie's Berlin period. This was recorded just before Low and there's a case for describing it as a dry-run. There are certainly similarities.

Again, like Bowie, this was not Iggy's only album in '77 - Lust for Life was released also. The latter album is better known on account of the title track and The Passenger. It is also more plainly an Iggy Pop record. It feels more organic and freer - more spontaneous. It's a great album and one that has grown on my over time, but despite feeling incredibly compressed and contained, this is my favourite. In fact, it is those qualities that appeal to me. Iggy never sounded so menacing, so tightly wound. On Baby, Iggy is apparently trying to be comforting, whilst at the same time being the opposite (We're walking down the street of chance/Where the chance is always slim or none). Nightclubbing (perfectly covered by Grace Jones, by the way) captures the nihilistic nothingness that is familiar to anyone who has spent time in nightclubs for no other reason than to spend time in nightclubs. By the time we get to Mass Production Iggy sounds as lost as ever he did with The Stooges. It's different, though. He's been beaten and processed and the craziness of youth has been replaced by something darker and more deranged. Well, it all sounds pretty depressing and I guess it is, but it's cathartic and liberating and exhilarating. It's very beautiful.


Donna Summer - Once Upon a Time

Donna Summer had an incredible year in 1977. She released two albums (one a double) and contributed to a soundtrack (The Deep). One of the singles released was one of the greatest singles ever released ever (I Feel Love). Frustratingly, that single is on the weaker of the two albums - what can you do? Suffice it to say that when Brian Eno strides into the studio to Bowie and declares it to be the sound of the future, he was right and 43 years later he still is.

Once Upon a Time is produced by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte; it is a double album and a concept album and remarkably it works on that score better than most. It concerns a young girl who moves to the city, struggles, has bad times, finds love, lives happily ever after. It's not the highest concept ever, but it'll do. Musically, it covers the bases from the softer, lusher, organic disco of MFSB, for instance, to the more futuristic, electronic sound we associate with I Feel Love.

One of the most remarkable things about this record is how much it prefigures the 80s. It has a sheen and gloss as well as that brittleness, edge, glassiness we associate with new wave electro-pop. We should hardly be surprised given that it comes from Moroder, but over 14 tracks, Donna Summer is perfect at adding the warmth and natural tones needed to bring it life. Because of it's poppy overtones and the throwaway nature of disco, I think that this record is far too easily disregarded - please don't. Every time I listen to it, I love it more.


Chrome - Alien Soundtracks

This was the surprise. I'd not listened to this for years and when I saw it on the long-list I felt pretty confident that it would run at the lower end of the pack. How wrong I was. Almost immediately it grabbed my attention and refused to let it go. After I listened to it once, I put it straight back on again to double-check.

How to describe it? Draw a line from punk, Hawkwind and Can, plot the point where they meet, and then douse it in acid - the corrosive kind, not the fun stuff (although that might work too). It's rough and abrasive and might have been recorded in the cheapest studio ever, but it is full of ideas, menacing humour, and importantly, for all of its unconventionality, it's a surprisingly fun listen. In that there are echoes of the Butthole Surfers, especially on Slip It To The Android. There are moments of serenity amidst the dislocated chaos - Nova Feedback is spacey and mysterious. I'll not leave it so long before I give it the next listen...


Bob Marley & The Wailers - Exodus

I said, on my '73 post, that for a long time I passed on Bob Marley. I'd thought him a bit obvious,
favouring rootsier, less polished, more 'authentic' artists. A few years ago, I retired this opinion and admitted that Bob was pretty awesome and I was engaging in some pointless snobbery. Even so, part of me was a little sad when this album came up trumps and not The Congos or Culture. Both of their albums are incredible, but, you know what, this is the business. It's deep, thunderous and it has some killer singles on it.

Production wise, perhaps it is more polished. As my taste has changed and developed, I increasingly thing that that is no bad thing. Rougher production is fine sometimes, but then so is smoother. But then, this collection is deep - it's hardly as though Bob sold out and started producing exclusively 'silly love songs'. These are as rootsy as anything Burning Spear had to say. The players that he has along with him here are first class and the production has kept up to date with what Lee Perry has been up to. Younger James was an ass - this is too good an album to miss. Outside of Legend or some other compilation, no Marley album has as many great songs on it. If you want a straight roots reggae album, this is always going to be one of the best - hands down.


Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express

A different view of the future again. Just an aside, but isn't it interesting that six out of the ten albums this year all have an eye on the future? They are all, in quite different ways, operating in a way that is plainly distinct from even the albums from '76, let alone earlier. Also interesting, and possibly relevant - of those six, five have a German connection....

Anyway, back to Kraftwerk and the future. At first glance this seems a sterilised view of things. The sounds are all crisp and precise. There is no room for error or confusion. The vocals too are delivered with stereo-typically Teutonic distance. Even on their 'tour' of Europe, where they meet Iggy Pop and David Bowie, there's a lack of passion, a disconnect. But this is all misleading. For all that what I have said is true, there is, I think, a wonderment at European-ness and an implicit critique of the apparent triumph of reason over nature. I think that in embracing the illusion of artificiality, Kraftwerk are really romantics. Because even here, it is beautiful; even here, there is transcendence. Technology will, in the end, become the tool of nature.

Enough of that - I was becoming pretentious. What's also worth noting is how these guys provided an integral building block to one of the least impersonal and inhuman art-forms: Hip Hop.


Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue

Dennis Wilson was the hidden jewel in The Beach Boys. He was there for the looks and for the fact that he was the only one of the group that actually surfed. He didn't even play on many of the early records. But as the wheels came off the Brian Wilson bus, Dennis suddenly stepped up as a songwriter and provided some of the most interesting post-Pet Sounds records. (Check out Celebrate the News, Slip on Through or Forever.) He was the first of the band to produce a solo album, and although this is his only one, it's incredible.

Pacific Ocean Blue both is and is not like The Beach Boys. The production is lush and rich and many tracks feature vocal harmonies, although not all in Beach Boys style - some have an almost Gospel fervency. But there is a depth and a darkness of tone that is hardly ever reached on Beach Boys records. Brian Wilson, ever the heart and soul of the group, held close the standpoint of the teenager; Dennis' record is very grown up. Coming at it another way: this the hardest soft rock you'll ever hear. Dennis lived a tough life; he had a drinking problem, a marriage grounded in conflict as much as love, not to mention his earlier dealings with the Manson family. And this album bears those scars. It's an album about maturity; navigating the knocks that life throws at you, learning from them, and moving past them. It celebrates that growth. And that's the thing - for all there's a darkness about the record, it's about the light that breaks through it. Listen to the final song, End of the Show: it begins slow, almost mournful, and then it breaks, angelic harmonies slip in, hope saves the day.


Giorgio Moroder - From Here to Eternity

First of all, how cool is that cover? That's one hell of a moustache...

I said earlier that Once Upon a Time was looking towards the future. It was indeed. But whereas Donna Summer was taking her time in getting there, Moroder didn't want to stop and enjoy the scenery - he wanted the future and he wanted it now. And that's what we have here. Eight tracks resolutely set on defining what future music should sound like.

Unsurprisingly, Moroder had learned the lessons of Kraftwerk. The coolness of automation is here, but so is disco and a far more developed pop sensibility. It's a short album - only 30 minutes - but over these eight tracks, he includes pretty much the whole template of electro-pop. They are intentionally, sometimes goofily, fun. Track titles contain stupid puns (Utopia - Me Giorgio) but this does nothing to take away the sense that we are stepping into a new world. Again and again, I hear sounds that would re-emerge in 80s pop stalwarts, or New York, or Detroit House, or Sheffield's Warp Records. The 80s began in 1977 apparently.


Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

What can you say about this album that hasn't already been said? I love it and it isn't even my favourite Fleetwood Mac album - that's Tusk. I first heard it in about '86 or '87. I was right at the apex my goth period. A friend came 'round; she was staying at her aunt's and brought a clutch of records, as you did in those days. This was amongst them but she told me that I probably wouldn't like this one...

Maybe I took that as a challenge or maybe it was reverse psychology. Or maybe, with a record like this, it was inevitable that she was going to be wrong. With Andrew Eldritch keeping me company, how could I resist the charms of Dreams? The essence of Stevie Nicks is the witchy woman that is at least one archetype for the goth girl. And there's nothing goth boys like more than goth girls. I'm pretty sure that's half the charm of the whole subculture. When I started playing guitar, I needed to master the bassline of The Chain. And so on - in other words this was an album that I kept coming back to. And with every listen the clarity of great songs became clearer and more impressed upon me. It wasn't long from being an album with two or three great songs to just being a great album.


Television - Marquee Moon

You might have noticed that there are none of the obvious classic punk albums on this list. Truth is, while I think that they are good enough records, and certainly, as in the case of Never Mind the Bollocks, interesting or important, I just don't love many of them that much. I think that the most interesting things about punk where what happened next; and in certain places, what was happening next was already happening. Bands like Wire and Throbbing Gristle were already taking the energy and ethos of punk, along with their own ideas, to produce (with very different results) new ideas. New York punk was already pushing ahead into new territory. Richard Hell, Blondie, Talking Heads, and others were producing music miles ahead of The Clash or Pistols.

(An interesting side debate: what is punk? Is it a genre or an ethos? My answer is it is both, depending on the context. The sense in which I am using it here is the former sense. Punk as a style of music exemplified by The Clash, The Ramones or The Damned. Also, what is New Wave and where are the parameters for that?)

In 1977, once of the clearest pointers of the ways that punk could move forward was given by this album. First up, it has vitality and nervous tension. Straight from the off See No Evil bursts out the gates with a twin guitar line that wouldn't be so out of place with Thin Lizzy. But it is more brittle and Tom Verlaine has a different energy to Phil Lynott. The solo is simple and unrefined but it does what is required. The songs are bright and vibrant, they chime out. And on it goes. The title track itself is rightly legendary. It is ten minutes and that's something right there for a band associated with punk. And it's exhilarating. The album, like the song, from beginning to end is revelatory and rewards repeated listening more than so many contemporaries. It's a new type of blues. And that's what punk opened up.  Many new avenues were made clear. Television may have only explored one, but down this route came R.E.M., Echo and the Bunnymen, The Smiths, The Gun Club and many more.


David Bowie - Low

I hate being forced to give an answer to this question but for the last few years, if push came to shove and I had to declare my favourite album of all time, it would be this. I'm not sure I've ever put it on and felt anything less than total joy and excitement.

A lot of people prefer "Heroes" and I feel like I ought to say something about that. First up, the title track is legendary and I love it. However, the rest of the album leaves me a little cold. Bowie's doing a thing and I am not sure it's gelling for me. I wonder if I prefer Bowie when he's grasping more than when he knows he's onto something. Alongside this, my favourite Bowie albums are (not in order of preference) Hunky Dory, Diamond Dogs, Young Americans, Lodger and perhaps, Let's Dance. In all of them, it is arguable that Bowie was trying to find the next thing or, in the case of Lodger, trying to shake something off, or both. With Low, he seems to have found a direction from Station to Station, but he doesn't quite know where he's going to land. He's experimented some ideas with Iggy on The Idiot, and sketching them out here for himself with fellow pilgrim, Eno. On "Heroes" Bowie feels more sure of himself. That's no bad thing, of course, but I just don't feel the same way about it. I don't what else to say... Maybe I'm full of shit.

But this. Track by track is a dream to me. Speed of Life has these incredible sounds. I, for one, am glad that Bowie was suffering from writer's block. It's a glorious instrumental with truly spectacular sounds, as has all of the album. Breaking Glass always makes me giggle. Given that I think it's about someone in a pretty bad place I probably oughn't laugh, but the couplet Don't look at the carpet/I Just drew something awful on it amuses me every time. The whole first side feels so urgent and craven and desperate. Each song is short - even the relative languor of Sound and Vision is keen to keep proceedings brisk and not to outstay its welcome. The second side, made of four longer extended instrumentals, does pivot to a different mood. They are longer, sombre, contemplative. For all that, though, they remain lush and engaging, more open to interpretation.

As I said at the top here, I never tire of this record. It's a joy.

Here's a Spotify playlist too!

I'll be back soon with 1977 Part Two. There'll be more pointless discussion there! Hurray!

Oh, yes - here's the long list

10 Classic Albums from On-U Sound

On-U Sound is without doubt one of the most influential British independent labels, and one of the least well known. The label is surprisingly diverse, despite it's being ostensibly a reggae label. It both is and is not that. The label's founder, genius producer Adrian Sherwood, began the journey firmly within the dub tradition of King Tubby. Within a a year or two, the radical experimentation of his production went much further and incorporated far more of the post-punk aesthetic - deconstructing the form of dub into something that only bears a family resemblance. Later albums, from about '85 onwards, begin to embrace more of the digital reggae sound as well as elements of dancehall.

I've focused on the most influential and productive period of the label - roughly the first ten years. On-U Sound has continued to this day, but it is fair to say that, until recently when it has had a period of resurgency and reorganisation, the '90s and early 2000s were sporadic in terms of new releases. I've also selected from amongst the most well known releases. I definitely recommend digging deeper. There are some fascinating and thrilling records to be found back there as well as a few surprises.

Creation Rebel - Starship Africa (1980)

Creation Rebel was the first On-U Sound studio band. It was made up of touring reggae musicians who would typically accompany visiting Jamaican singers around the country. Sherwood would book some down time in local studios and they would record some tracks with Sherwood applying whatever trickery he could.

Strictly speaking not an On-U Sound record. It was initially released on one of Sherwood's earlier attempts at setting up a label. (It did, later, get an official On-U release). Sherwood is still firmly within the Tubby school of dub but the expansiveness of his production is beginning to show. The motif of space was both figurative and literal as Sherwood made more use of the gap between musical elements. Not the most experimental On-U release, but direction of travel was clearly marked out on this record.


New Age Steppers - New Age Steppers (1981)

Another mostly studio based band but the blending of dub and post-punk influences starts here. Alongside members of Creation Rebel and the future Dub Syndicate, were a collection of post-punk luminaries. Mark Stewart, Steve Beresford and Bruce Smith had come over from Bristol pioneers The Pop Group. Ari Up, Viv Albertine and Palmolive are here from The Slits. There's even a very young Neneh Cherry in the mix.

Unsurprisingly, the post-punk aesthetic is to the fore, especially in the vocal stylings. Ari Up's interpretation of the Junior Byles' classic Fade Away is awesome, but only if you also like The Slits. Ditto Stewart's Crazy Dreams and High Ideals - Stewart's caterwaul is an acquired taste. Aside from this, you can see that the intention here is to dismantle dub in similar fashion to how these artists had dismantled elements of rock in their original bands. There's a degree of roughness to the sound here, but the willingness to go out there and try things is what made this period of On-U so influential and radical.


Creation Rebel & New Age Steppers - Threat to Creation (1981)

Given what we've said about the previous two albums, you can pretty much predict the outcome here. Sherwood employs rhythms, in classic dub-style, from their previous releases and adds layers of production and additional instrumentation. The outcome is one of the finest records from this early period.

African Head Charge - My Life in a Hole in the Ground (1981)

Bonjo I was a percussionist from Jamaica employed in a number of touring bands in the UK. His speciality was Nyabinghi drumming as well as other Rastafarian and African modes. Bonjo I formed the nucleus of another On-U 'band', African Head Charge, alongside a growing family of players from other On-U projects. (In fairness, they did, in time, begin to tour and play live a far amount.)

The album title was intended as a snipe at Eno and Byrne's My Life in a Bush of Ghosts. Sherwood had taken exception to a comment from Eno regarding a vision of a psychedelic Africa. The reggae quotia is dialled back here in favour of providing a vehicle for the percussion. The same cannot be said for the weirdness quotia. Tracks are taken apart and reassembled before your eyes (ears) - trumpets like a hoard of elephants enter and exit; atmospherics are added and removed. The net result is both more out there, but also more straightforwardly listenable than The New Age Steppers above. It's a monster - especially the haunting and slightly terrifying Far Away Chant featuring Prince Far I (credited as King Cry Cry)


Dub Syndicate - Pounding Systems (Ambience in Dub) (1982)

Dub Syndicate picked up around the time that Creation Rebel dismantled. It was largely the same collection of musicians but this time coalescing around drummer Style Scott. Until Scott's awful murder in 2014, Dub Syndicate were, along with African Head Charge, one of the longest lasting On-U bands.

This is one of my favourite On-U releases. (Most of this are also favourites.) It is back to a more traditional dub format, but despite this, and Sherwood's commitment here to the form, it has some of the most radical production. Sherwood tried everything to manipulate the sounds to disorientate and draw attention. The result is incredible.


Singers & Players - War of Words (1982)

Singers and Players was yet another studio band, but this time with the intention of allowing various singers to come to the fore. On this album we have the much missed Bim Sherman and Prince Far I, but on other releases there are Mikey Dread and Congo Ashanti Roy.

This is another favourite. This album contains some of Sherwood's most deranged production choices but miraculously he never lets it get in the way of the purposes of the songs. Singers and Players records are amongst the most straightforwardly listenable On-U records and this is no exception. But check out that backwards interlude in Quante Jubila or the pounding rhythms of World of Dispensation on which Bim Sherman never sounded sweeter.


Mark Stewart & Maffia - Learning to Cope With Cowardice (1983)

Talking of deranged production... This is one of the most challenging listens in the On-U Sound canon. Stewart and Sherwood produce a literal monster of an album that manically and violently assaults the listeners with rhythms and sounds layered upon rhythms and sounds. It is bewildering and distracting. On paper this should be a disaster, especially when you add to the mix Stewart's discordant vocal style. Vocals jump back and forth, rhythms chop and change, depth of echo effects twist and turn. It ought to be unlistenable, but it is not. If you're willing to go with it, it's invigorating and exciting and downright thrilling. The cover of Jerusalem ought to required listening for anyone.


Dub Syndicate & Lee 'Scratch' Perry - Time X Boom De Devil Dead (1987)

It was inevitable that Sherwood would eventually work with Lee Scratch Perry. Although I would place Sherwood firmly in the King Tubby dub tradition, he shares an adventurer's spirit with Perry. A willingness to go beyond and travel somewhere more instinctual.

In the mid-80s, Sherwood began to include more digital techniques to his production and unsurprisingly, you can date On-U records accordingly. This is no criticism mind - he managed to establish a distinctly On-U aesthetic that continues right to this day. It was less 'out there' and more danceable - a much easier sound. This was already firmly in place by this release and consequently, it's fairly light and breezy affair. Substantially, it is Perry singing over Dub Syndicate rhythms, but both producers are all over the record. Perry is as insane as you'd want him to be, but it's On-U at it's most accessible.


Gary Clail & On-U Sound System - End of the Century Party (1989)

On-U Sound had picked up all sorts of participants over the previous decade. Amongst the most influential within the stable were Skip McDonald, Keith LeBlanc and Doug Wimbush - previously Sugarhill Records' house band. Bonjo I credits McDonald in particular as integral for the sound of the label. Sherwood joined McDonald and so to form Tackhead. Tackhead were more electronic and funkier, operating with break-beats and samples. It was more American, less Jamaican. Tackhead Sound System was formed as a way of using Tackhead rhythms to perform at different events and venues. Gary Clail (apparently an ex-roofer from Bristol) used these rhythms to shout political slogans over. It was awesome. In 1988 Tackhead's Tape Time was released; this was Clail's second release with the label.

This was less stark and funky and more in line with the classic On-U sound but just as stridently political. It was also very clearly an attempt to align the sound with the growing rave culture. The single Beef, which is the closest On-U ever came to direct chart success (although in a revamped form from Clail's subsequent Emotional Hooligan LP). Two Thieves and a Liar and Privatise the Air are also second period On-U Sound classics.


African Head Charge - Songs of Praise (1990)

By 1985 African Head Charge's sound had also developed into something more coherent and less jarringly 'out there'. Off the Beaten Track had found the balance between showcasing Bonjo I's drumming and Sherwood's experimentation and excursions. (It's probably my favourite On-U record of all time, in truth.) Songs of Praise further develops that. The production is tight and controlled but without overly constraining. It is easily the most professional and polished that On-U Sound had ever sounded to this point. Again, like most things on the label from this period, it is danceable even when it is space- and forboding.

I saw African Head Charge this year at Glastonbury. I'm not a dancer but I danced to that. The crowd was floating and undulating about six inches above the mud. The electrics kept cutting out and all that remained was the booming drumming. A great gig.

Bonus: Sherwood at the Controls Vols. 1 & 2 (2015 & 2016)

There are loads of very good On-U compilations kicking about. The Pay It All Back series are good as they include different versions and some oddities. The two Discoplates compilations are cool too as they compile the series of 10"s the label produced in the early 80s. These two focus not on Sherwood's production within the On-U stable alone but show his work for other artists. Again there are some really interesting bits and bobs here including The Fall, The Slits, Medium Medium and The Beatnigs.

Ten Other Albums from 1976

It's been a long time since my last post about years. I have not forgotten but a few things got in the way. My Mum died - that de-railed things quite a lot. In addition I have had a lot of work and I had a huge influx of CDs to listen to. All the same, I've been keeping half an eye on the blog, wondering when I'd get it together to return. If there is an upside of the coronavirus, perhaps this will be it.

Of course, if I get Covid-19 and die, this may age very badly indeed.

So these side posts are intended to comment a little on a few that didn't make the top ten. I'll mention a couple that missed out that perhaps people might ask 'why not?' I'll comment on a few that are worthy of comment, even if they're not 'the best'. I'll talk about one of the worst albums of the year. Finally, taking advantage of the passing of time, I'll note a couple of albums that I have bought since that initial post that were interesting.

The Ramones - The Ramones

I strongly suspect that if any number of people read this and the original post (they almost certainly won't), a good proportion will be loudly complaining about the absence of this record. I really don't care very much, but here's why (it ain't complicated): even at 29 minutes it outstays its welcome.

There are 14 songs squeezed into this record. The first two are classics. Both Blitzkrieg Bop and Beat on the Brat. Most of the rest of the songs sound like those two, only less good. A couple of songs sound like I Want to Be Your Boyfriend. This is a de-sophisticated version of Phil Spector songs. Not a bad idea and it has some charm. I think that Jesus and Mary Chain did it better, but even so. I kind of get that there is an energy to be found in The Ramones that was sorely lacking in much music from the mid-70s, and the back to basics simplicity of it is liberating. That is fine and if we want to mark The Ramones as a document of that musical turn, then cool - I'll not argue. But you want to say that this is a great album or a high-water mark or something, I'll pass. It's alright. It's two ideas played out 14 times. For my money, 12 times too many.

To clarify: I don't hate this record. It's OK. I just think it's massively over-rated.

The Eagles - Hotel California

The question of why this did not hit the top ten is pretty straightforward - it was pipped at the post. It was a super close number 11 in the mix. There are no two ways about it, this is an incredible record. It is probably fair to say, however, that the best thing about it is also it's biggest problem - and that is the title track. Despite being permanently on the cusp of overplay, it never fails to impress. It's a perfect storm of mid-70s rock tropes; the strained West-coast singing, twin guitars, light reggae rhythm guitar, sophisticated production. But above all, it's a great song that pretty much begs to be sung along to. It's so great that despite being followed up by seven other genuinely solid tracks, none of them quite compare with it. They are all worth your time, though. New Kid in Town marries gentle country rock with latin medodies, Life in the Fast Lane is all rock and roll boogie, Wasted Time is a classic rock ballad, and so on. Each and every one top notch, but not one half as good as Hotel California. Sadly, that's how a great album misses out on being in my top ten.

Starcastle - Starcastle

You know when punks and old music journalist's say that punk was needed to wash away the tedious self-indulgence of prog rock, this is what they have in mind. I'm not a big fan of prog, but I don't mind it - I've a few records by Genesis, and Rush, and so on. But what those bands do is remember to include the bloody tunes. These guys are undoubtedly talented, but there are no hooks, no melody lasts long enough to become familiar, there's no fun, no soul. Frankly, I hated it. When ranking it, they got a couple of points for being good musicians, half a point for the pretty cover, and a point for having a similar musical palette to Marillion (who I love). Beyond that they can fuck right off.


Barbra Streisand & Kris Kristofferson - A Star is Born

Unlike Starcastle, I don't hate this album. Firstly, it's a good deal better. It contains a sold-cold classic song in Evergreen. This is just the sort of song that Streisand excels at; it's a beautiful piece, delivered perfectly. It also homes a hidden gem: Queen Bee. This sneaky little slice of gussied up R&B is sexy and cool. It channels early 60s girl groups and adds a pawing, grasping sensuality that, surprisingly, Streisand pulls off convincingly. Sadly, it's the rest of the album that is disappointing. While Streisand's songs are mostly boring, Kristofferson is embarrassing. In the film he plays a great rock star whose career is faltering, just as he is bringing up a new singer who is rapidly eclipsing him. Drama ensues, etc. Anyway, you know how ageing rock stars sometimes release records that are trying too hard - yes, that's the problem. His songs are utterly unconvincing. I like Kristofferson's own material - he's a great songwriter. Here, not so much.


Leo Sayer - Endless Flight

I always feel bad for Leo Sayer. He was a talented guy in a whole bunch of ways, but the odds seemed against him. Around '76 he lost whatever 'cool' he had and seems to have been deemed 'uncool' ever since. For reasons that are slightly boring, I picked up a Leo Sayer boxset a few years ago and at least two people have judged me poorly for its possession. Now please, I'm not in the slightest bit bothered for me - I can take it - it's Leo I feel bad for. He deserves better and if you want to see why, give this album a whirl.

In 1976, I think that Leo faced a difficult choice. His third LP, while it sold well, produced only one hit and I wonder if he was falling rapidly out of fashion. He had risen to fame as a singer-songwriter, somewhere around the nexus of Bowie's folksier material, Elton John's softer, more lyrically adventurous side (courtesy of Bernie Taupin, of course), and ultra-soft heart-on-their-sleeve troubadours like Gilbert O'Sullivan. By '76, Bowie had moved on, O'Sullivan had disappeared in a funk - only Elton was hanging on. What's more, the UK music scene was heading towards the pub rock/ nascent punk scene. This did not suit Leo very well, and so his best call was to go to the US and embrace pop with a capital 'P'. He was placed in the care of hitmaker Richard Perry who sidelined Sayer's own material and focused more squarely on covers, and hits.

The outcome is a pretty solid album. It's not all killer and the biggest hit of the record, When I Need You, tilts towards the overly sentimental (it is incredibly appealing, though). But when it's good, this is great music. It has the awesome, Bee Gee aping You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, which still stands up as a soft disco giant. His cover of Danny O'Keefe's Magdalena is lilting and compelling. The title track is my favourite, an Andrew Gold cover; I think it's comparable with Elton's best work.

I think this is a album well worth spending time with. For the record, the three preceding albums are all good (his debut Silverbird, especially). The albums that follow steadily dip into the 80s, hitting a low with Have you Ever Been In Love (which ought to win an award for depressing album covers). After that, perhaps because he headed back towards what he was best at - being a singer-songwriter, they pick up again. Voice in My Head is pretty decent.


Ned Doheny - Hard Candy

The music business is full of injustices - people that should have made it but didn't. It's just the nature of the game: poor promotion, bad timing, just not quite latching onto the zeitgeist, sometimes despite everyone's best efforts a record just doesn't hit. That is certainly the case with this dude. Doheny is a rich kid from the west coast who wanted to make records. He was talented, had money, good connections, made a few killer records. Sadly, they only really hit in Japan. What're you gonna do?

This is pretty much the textbook definition of Yacht Rock. It's smooth soft rock with a deep R&B underbelly. A lot has been made of the venn diagram between country rock and southern soul - this is the mid-70s west coast equivalent. And it's smooth, it's soft, it grooves - it's catchy as hell. If you have a yacht, then this will see you good, but frankly a yacht is not necessary. A sunny day, a cold drink and a garden will do it. The lead track Give It Up For Love has rightly been getting some play recently with the overdue re-evaluation of 70s soft rock. That track is a legend, but frankly, the whole LP deserves love.

Deaf School - 2nd Honeymoon

This is a strange album. Partly because of what it is - cabaret-inspired art-rock - but more so because of the role it plays in the history of Liverpudlian music. To present it all rather simplistically; the sixties had The Beatles and after an initial flush of merseybeat bands, the city, musically at least, ran aground. In the early 70s, there was no real scene to talk of until these art-school kids formed a band. Favouring art over substance, their shows became a local attraction on account of their imaginative and ridiculous shows, and consequently over the next year or two rebirthed the city's music scene. Winning the Melody Maker Rock, Folk and Pop Contest in '75 led to a record contract. This, their debut, was produced by Muff Winword, ex-Traffic, fresh from producing Sparks and it's quite something.

It's a really fun record. It flips between pub rock, cabaret, polkas, vaudeville, without much warning. It is wholly unpredictable, but it is never off-putting, taking itself too seriously, or by being clever-clever. It is weird but welcoming. The tunes are catchy and joyous and engaging. It's no surprise, then, that Deaf School lent a nurturing hand to the smaller band forming in their wake, inspired also by the noises coming from London; bands which would, in their own time, become big bands - far more well known than their mentors here. Big in Japan, populated by Holly Johnson (Frankie Goes to Hollywood), Ian Broudie (The Lightning Seeds), Bill Drummond (The KLF), Budgie (Siouxsie & The Banshees) and Jayne Casey (Pink Military), were founded and lent support by Deaf School as a favour. Guitarist Clive Langer supported and produced The Teardrop Explodes. There's no doubt that punk would have hit Liverpool regardless of Deaf School and that these talents and artists would have emerged anyway, but that it developed the way that it did was thanks in no small part to Deaf School. And that alone makes them notable.

Jean Carn - Jean Carn

The mid-70s saw a new archetype emerge from the fields of soul music. It would be tempting to suggest that soul music began to stagnate in the 70s. The world conquering sound of Motown and Stax had either passed or morphed into something less distinct. Of course, this claim is false. It didn't stagnate but it did change and those that were unable to adapt lost their relevance. One way that a certain sort of singer  - most commonly female - was able to manoeuvre, was to become a wholly new thing: the disco diva. Some had been plugging away for years, never quite making it (Gloria Gaynor), some transitioned smoothly from Southern Soul (Candi Staton), and some just found their feet in the sound (Donna Summer). Evidently, some names made it into the eternal consciousness of pop music, but some others slipped back into obscurity.

Jean Carn is one of those singers. Her most notable hit was 1978s Don't Let It Go To Your Head Now, covered, pretty much note for note by The Brand New Heavies in 1990. This was her debut solo album. She was married to Doug Carn, a player with Earth, Wind and Fire; she'd sung on a couple of their earlier albums, as well as singing with Norman Connors. Signing to Philadelphia International, she was given the best writers and arrangers (Gamble & Huff, Dexter Wansel, McFadden & Whitehead) and made a gorgeous record that covers the bases between uptempo dancefloor stompers, deep ballads, and jazzy excursions - check out You Are All I Need, it could be a Charles Stepney arrangement.


Cloud One - Atmosphere Strut

Here's a total obscurity. You might recognise bits and bobs from it as it's been sampled by some cool kids, but if you're anything like me, you'll never have heard of him. Cloud One is basically a dude called Patrick Adams, a producer from New York. When away from his duties producing early disco for a clutch of virtually forgotten labels, had the freedom to make his own sounds on the P&P label, which he did, almost single-handedly. The album is made up of five cosmic, blissed out disco gems. In short, each track is comprised of a solid, if moderately generic, disco rhythm. On top of that are the coolest, spaciest, squidgiest synth lines and ultra-repetitive female vocal lines that all become one and whisk you away. The title track is intoxicating - play it loud in the right head space and you'll NEVER want it to end. It's criminal that this is so unknown. It's rough around the edges, but if you like mid-70s deep disco, this is for you. Insanely good.


Alan Parsons Project - Tales of Mystery & Imagination

I picked this up most recently. It was in the sales at HMV for £3 and after quickly noting it's 4.5/5 rating on allmusic, figured it was worth a punt. I knew nothing of The Alan Parsons Project and truth be told, I still don't beyond this one. On paper, it sounds like it ought to be a little dull and worthy, but every time I pop it I'm pleasantly surprised at how immediate and engaging it is. It also sounds fresh still and not a time-capsule as some albums of a similar ilk can do. Fun fact: The Raven was the first rock record to feature a vocoder.

In short, Alan Parsons was a studio rat who, armed with synths and production nous, as well as some fancy-pants friends, began some artsy projects over the mid to late 70s and 80s. This one is all inspired by the writings of Edgar Allen Poe. He drafts in folk like Orson Welles to read a bit, and then some catchy, proggy, nonsense (see Starcastle, this is how it's done). Anyway, it's jaunty, has a nice groove. It's clever but it never lets that get in the way of a good tune. I recommend it.

The Best of 2019? My round up of the year

OK, this is NOT one of my big-ass surveys of this or that year. I don't think that it is really feasible to do for the current year. Part of what makes an album really great is its longevity. Some of these albums I have had for a few weeks. Hardly long enough to make a good judgement, no? This year I have bought 30 albums - hardly a proper estimate of a year's worth of music. If I ever do my usual blog post on 2019, it'll be many years hence, and I'll probably have bought a bunch more releases from this year by then.

So anyway, here's my round-up of the year - make of it what you will. Please make recommendations if you like or if you think I've missed something. At some point in the future, I promise I'll get around to them.

The Top Ten is numbered at the top. After that, the rest; for the truly committed.

10. 

Big Thief - U.F.O.F.. 

This was Big Thief's first of two albums from 2019. Two albums in a year feels like showing off, especially when they are both this good. People seem to pick a favourite; Two Hands is rawer, less structured, and has the amazing track 'Not'; but I prefer this one, which is more produced, polished and downright weirder. It slips in like gentle American indie-folk (think Mark Kozelek), and then adds (mostly) subtle Espers or Comets on Fire touches. What impresses is the sureness of touch. Nothing is too much or too little; there's a lot of control here. Most importantly, every song is killer.

9. 

Lizzo - Cuz I Love You. 

I've picked up a few pure pop albums this year and all of them are, at worst, fine. Not one of them lays a finger on this, though. Every track is hooky as all hell, fun, catchy and cool. There are 16 tracks and not one fails and outstays its welcome. It may not be big or clever but Lizzo will rock your party if you let her.

8. 

Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka. 

This is some good shit. Kiwanuka's albums have been getting better and better and this one is awesome. He's channelling a raw, early 70s, funky soul feeling. It's deep, soulful, and hooky.

7. 

Nilüfer Yanya - Miss Universe. 

Some records cover a lot of ground stylistically in such a way that it leads you to suspect that the artist or band haven't quite figured out yet who they are. Some other records, like this one, are similar but they suggest a different conclusion - this is an artist or band that simply aren't going to get pinned down like that. I've been listening to this album a few times lately trying to find the words to explain why I like it and why I think it is one of the best albums I have heard this year, and I am struggling. Stylistically, as I say, it covers a lot of ground: it begins in a pretty standard indie-rock kind of way (Bella suggests 90s), but as it goes it shifts through dream pop and sophisti-pop and even rubs shoulders with elements of leftfield r'n'b. I don't know. All I can say is that I bought this in February and it has consistently grown on me since. I saw her play at Primavera and that confirmed that it was something special. The fact that it has ear-wormed itself into Bella's consciousness too is interesting too (we don't always see eye-to-eye). It does lag a touch towards the end and I can live without the interludes, but all the same, I recommend it very highly.

6. 

FKA Twigs - Magdelene. 

Frankly, it took me a while to get FKA Twigs. I think that the penny only finally dropped when I saw her live this year. It is a brand of complex art-pop that rests precariously against the precious. On my first few listens, I swung back and forth between being utterly enthralled and mildly irritated. As time has passed, there's been more of the former and less of the latter. The wealth of ideas, tones and textures is consistently impressive and Tahliah Barnett is an incredible singer, projecting an intimacy in the midst of sometimes overpowering, crushing sonic arrays.

(As an aside, I would massively recommend seeing FKA Twigs live if you get the chance. She conceives this music very much in the context of a performance and hers was one of the most fully realised performances that I ever remember seeing.)

5. 

Sudan Archives - Athena 

Art-pop with a R'n'B sensibility, or R'nB with an art-pop sensibility. Don't know, don't care - I love this. This is possibly the most obscure item on my list, so a brief intro - Brittany Parks, a.k.a, Sudan Archives, inspired by Sudanese traditional music, self-taught violinist, made a small splash 'round these parts with her two Stones Throw released EPs, and the magnificent Come Meh Way. Athena is her debut album. Sultry R'n'B with intriguing use of violins, both plucked and bowed, coupled with gorgeous, satin-y melodies. Parks has a casual vocal style, not a million miles away from Sade.

4. 

Little Simz - Grey Area. 

This summer, I saw Little Simz in Barcelona at the Primavera Festival on a tiny stage (she was mind-blowingly awesome). Three weeks later, Stormzy headlined Glastonbury. I mean no disrespect whatsoever to Stormzy, but there is something seriously wrong with this picture. She probably has a point here when she says on Venom that no-one admits that she's the best just because she has ovaries. Elsewhere: I'm like Jay-Z on a bad day, Shakespeare on my worst days. Debates of who is best often descend into silliness, but any discussion of the best MCs in British Hip Hop that doesn't include her is not worth your time. She should be gaining far more mainstream recognition. Anyway, Grey Area is a monster. The extent to which it has built on the already excellent Stillness in Wonderland is incredible. The decision to play with a band is smart, especially on the killer tracks Boss and Offence, which have a rawness that is so funky.

3. 

Tyler, the Creator - Igor. 

Tyler's transformation from enfant terrible to musical auteur has been impressive. There'll be those that will say that there were always signs, and they're not wrong, but he was also blunt and shapelessly provocative on his first album; that, to be honest, put me off. I saw that there was something interesting, but I wasn't sure that it was worth the effort of sifting through the bullshit. The buzz surrounding his last album (Scum Fuck Flower Boy) was enough to encourage me to pick it up and sure enough, it was cool. Cool enough that this one was pretty much an auto-buy. What's notable about the album is that is barely a Hip Hop album at all but straddles Hip Hop, R'n'B, funk and soul masterfully. It's also incredible the degree that he has learnt from and begun to surpass his heroes. The stamp of Kanye West is present here, for instance, but Kanye hasn't released an album this good for years. Every track is thoughtful, engaging and a blast to listen to. What more could you want?

2. 

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Ghosteen. 

It can't be just me, but Lord, do I find this album heart-breaking. The narrative of this album was always going to hard to avoid, following, as it did, the death of Cave's son. It is, undoubtedly, sodden with grief - thematically, obviously, but also in tone and tempo. It truth, it's an album I find difficult to listen to coming so soon after my mother's passing.

Yet for all that, and it's funereal pacing, and it's length, it's a mark of Cave skill as a songwriter and arranger, that it remains a pleasure and a joy to listen to. That's not to say that it is a fun listen - it's not; but despite all the reasons that this could have, justifiably, been a dirge, it holds on to a lighter side, a beauty - a sedate, gentle, prettiness.

1. 

Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell.

I don't think any album this year has been as giving as this one. It's so insanely rich of ideas, tones, references, connections, and yet all the time without even slightly compromising her own persona and position. Lana Del Rey's records have been growing and becoming more thoughtful and sophisticated since her debut Born to Die in 2012, and this might be, as she sings, The Next Best American Record. It is so embedded in the musical traditions of America, from Laurel Canyon to Oakland. It is a soft rock record that can reference Snoop Dogg, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, the Mamas and Papas, and yet not be afraid to slip back into the 21st century to get all EDM for a verse.

One of my favourite tracks here is Venice Bitch, which begins simply enough, and yet grows and soars, becoming woozier and more and more disorientating. It's such a piece of work. At 10 minutes, it ought to have outstayed its welcome, but it remains comforting to the end.

Lyrically, it never fails to be evocative. With the exception of possibly Cave, I can't think of any record in the last few years that does so much lyrically (and I'm not even a lyrics guy!).

I think that one of the tests of whether an album is really great is the extent to which it might go with us forward into the rest of our lives. I can't speak for anyone else, but I feel that this will be with me for a very long time. Time will tell, but it's my favourite album of the year.

11-20 (I only ever meant to do the Top 10, but then got carried away...)

11. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Bandana. I've not listened to a lot of Hip Hop this year. No reason - just haven't. I've only picked up a few new Hip Hop albums. Luckily for me, they've all been doozies. This one sits firmly within that classic U.S./Boom Bap tradition and truth is, I feel that this record could have been released pretty much any time in the last 15 or so years. (Perhaps someone that knows Hip Hop better than me could tell me why I'm wrong.) But do you know what? I'm not complaining because every damned bit of it is killer - Madlib's production, in particular, makes me woozy with happiness.

12. Aldous Harding - Designer. One part art-pop, two parts wispy folk. It's a simple mixture but very pleasing, and it goes down real easy. I think that one reason for that is that it is nicely reminiscent at times to that early 70's soft rock in that it has a nice ear for melody and a catchy hook. Recommended if you like that sort of thing.

13. Fontaines D.C. - Dogrel. This was an unusual choice for me. Much more rumbunctuous and rocky for my usual tastes. I only gave it a listen at all because it was picking up a lot of buzz. But since I did it's been growing on me. At first glance, you might say that it is too derivative. You can pick up a whole range of 80s indie influences (the ever-present Joy Division, The Fall, Bunnymen, even The Smiths) as well as obvious and slightly lazy comparisons to The Pogues (they're from Dublin). [That said, the closer Dublin City Sky does bear that likeness.] But despite these influences, Fontaines do bring something new and fresh to the record. Most obviously an energy and hunger. If you're not put off, like Bella, by the dude's shout-y non-singing brand of singing (which he does on most, but not all, tunes here), it's definitely one to spend a little time with.

14. Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? Forget that all of this was written and produced by a 17 year old (and her brother). It's a fascinating, dark pop album with a range of neat tricks and nice ideas. Not every move is as remarkable as it might be, and a couple of tracks are 'only' good. But when it's great, it's phenomenal. The singles 'Bad Guy', 'My Strange Addiction' and 'You Should See Me In A  Crown' are 100% killer. And then remember that she was only 17 again. Blimey!

15. Angel Olson - All Mirrors. Female art-pop of this sort has a chequered past for me. For every U.S. Girls or Lorde, there's a St. Vincent or Bats for Lashes album. These latter albums are fine, but I just enjoy them and never listen to them again. So, my question to myself is: is Angel Olson another Meg Remy or Natasha Khan? Thankfully, early indications are good (although time will tell). Anyway, the album is rich and glossy, deep and moving. It's haunting, but not in a precious way. I think the most positive sign is that it has huge great hooks. Hard not to enjoy. Right now, it's a winner.

16. Big Thief - Two Hands. They've managed to release two pretty impressive albums this year. I prefer the other, so I'll keep it super-brief here. If nothing else, check out 'Not' from this one, though. The whole album is good, but slips into the background a touch. But that track always brings it right back.

17. Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next. More high grade pop music. Much like Sigrid, I don't have that much to complain about. The singles, obviously, are first rate, but frankly so are a bunch of the album tracks - at 41 minutes, it hardly even drags; if anything it gets stronger as it goes - Grande smartly placing the singles later in the listing. Smart move and a great album even if not top ten.

18. The Comet is Coming - Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery. Let's be honest, this ain't jazz, no matter how much we pretend - stick it on the Impulse label all you like. That said, I enjoy it plenty despite feeling slightly cheated by it. In short every song has the same formula; the drummer and the dude on the keyboards knock out a rhythm (something spacey, big-beat-y, something at the dancier end of stoner rock, and so on) and then the third guy solos over it with a saxophone or clarinet. It is very cool and a lot of fun.

19. Bruce Springsteen - Western Skies. I enjoyed this far more than I expected - certainly more than I've enjoyed any Springsteen album since the '80s. In short, it's pretty much a melancholy singer-songwriter affair. It's prettied up with some nice arrangements and more than touch of 'country'. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's closest point of comparison (while not being the same) seems to me to be the albums Dylan made in the late '90s (Love and Theft, etc.), where Dylan seemed to come to terms with his age. I can't say how much that is the case here, but it has an 'evening' quality - whatever that means.

20. Chaka Khan - Hello Happiness. This isn't the best album of the year, but it is one of the most fun. Pretty much seven straight dance tracks - five up tempo, last two low; all funky and cool. Chaka Khan is, of course, on fire. 'Like Sugar' is worth the price of admission alone. Also it has the decency to keep things brief - clocking in at just over 30 minutes. I like that!

21-30 (In approximate order)

Raphael Saadiq - Jimmy Lee. It's been a while since Raphael's Saadiq's last album and this one is excellent in a number of respects. Where it falls down is that, in being devoted to Saadiq's brother who recently died following a crack addiction, it has a heaviness that doesn't translate so much into fun. That does not make it a bad record, of course, but it lacks the lightness that Instant Vintage or Stone Rollin' had.

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy  - I Have Found a Place. This is the first album by Will Oldham since 2006's 'The Letting Go' that I have found myself looking forward to listening to. I'm still not quite sure where it will ultimately land in his discography or how fixed it will be in my enjoyment, but there's potential. It's still warming. Ask me again in a year or two.

Sigrid - Sucker Punch. Frankly, this a great pop album in the Scandi-pop tradition of Robyn. It's grand - lots of nice ideas and hooks. However, it just doesn't stand up to the crackle and energy of an album like Lizzo's or Billie Eilish.

Ibibio Sound Machine - Doko Mien. The dance-y end of 80s R&B goes to Africa. Really hard not to like. Not quite enough to fix itself in the memory and thus to ensure a long-standing place in my heart, but plenty enough to my CD shelves.

Charli XCX - Charli. Much like Sigrid, I've nothing negative to say about this album. It's a pretty solid slab of dance-pop. It's more urban, more EDM influenced than Sigrid pure-pop confection, with a nice range of collaborations (including Christine [and the Queens], and Lizzo). But ultimately, not really hitting the upper reaches.

Jessica Pratt - Quiet Signs. Nice, wispy, under-stated folk music. Pleasant with loads of reverb on the vocals, but for a very specific sort of mood. I'm not in that mood often enough and when I am Aldous Harding is going win... Sorry!

Mabel - High Expectations. It's a tough gig when you deliver a perfectly serviceable pop album and you are immediately outflanked by Ariana Grande, Sigrid, Billie Eilish, etc. It's a fine album but, honestly, it is the weakest of all the straight pop albums I've bought this year. Sorry, Neneh Cherry Jr.

Santana - Africa Speaks. I've never really warmed to Santana but of all of the albums of his I've listened to, this one has engaged me the most. Maybe it's because it's produced by Rick Rubin or because he is accompanied by powerhouse singer Buika throughout, or maybe it's because he's managed to resist putting guitar fills all over the place - I don't know, but it's alright. Truth is, though, that for all of that, it all feels a little safe and unremarkable.

Bill Callahan - Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest. Bill Callahan doing his Bill Callahan schtick. I've not very enjoyed one of his records for a while. I think it's fine, but not one of his more memorable.

Calexico & Iron and Wine - Years To Burn. It's been a while since I picked up anything from either of these guys. Not much has changed. The first track is cool, but the rest is just fine... Nothing to write home about.




If you made it this far, thank you! One final note: I think it's been a pretty good year musically. Even the worst album here is pretty good. Looking at others' lists, I have zero doubt that I will discover other great albums from the year as time goes on. It's fair to say that I tend to default to the surface. It will take time for the subterranean jewels to become exposed to me. All the same, I never tire to finding things, and I'll look forward to another year, God willing.