Something happened. What is not clear. But something happened in between Treasure and Victorialand. Some of my sources (& I have many) tell me that Guthrie & Frasier rekindled their love. Others tell me that bassist Simon Raymonde, who was absent for this session & not missed in the slightest, is simply a mega downer. But whatever the cause, whatever the reason, their is a warmth to this album that was not present on their three previous releases. The iciness that used to cover their songs like the morning frost is gone. Winter has thawed and the pearly dewdrops of a new spring shimmer & bask in the rays of the early rising Summer sun. It’s like the black & white world that dominated Cocteau Twins world for so long has been colored in with a super deluxe Crayola crayon set. A softness and gentleness is present. Instead of a cold shoulder, we are given a warm, much needed hug.
Whereas on Treasure, Fraser sounded in pain. Tormented. Like she was exorcising some demons deep inside her. Here, those demons are long gone. Newly saved by the Lord, she’s turned into a loving Pentecostal preacher. A channeler. Taken over by the Holy Spirit and singing in tongues. She is not in control. She is simply a conduit letting the higher forces of goodness work their magic through her. Delivering holy radiance to the masses to heal us. Save us. To let us know that the universe is a divine and wondrous place. That the Gods still exists and are taking care of us. She’s certainly not speaking in English or any other language decipherable by mere human ears. No, she speaks in an ancient tongue long forgotten. A remnant from when the Gods still roamed the the Earth and mated with mortals. And perhaps that was what actually happened. For if any mortal could lure one of the Gods back down to earth for a toss in the hay with just her voice, it is certainly Elizabeth.
Grade: A+. It’s funny. Back in my teens and twenties this was (by far) my least favorite Cocteau Twins album. (Well, except for Four Calendar Cafe which I don’t even count and quickly gave to my Mom. What can I say. My Mom loves Enya. Give her a break. She’s a Mom.) Anyways, back then I loved the dark goth of their early albums and the shoe gaze wonders of Heaven or Las Vegas, but I could never quite get into Victorialand. It was too mellow. Too “nice”. It was missing the bleak drum machine and bass lines that belted out on their early releases. I wanted to be consumed by their dark power. Now, I have embraced the light. The warmth. The sunshine. And you know what? Warmth & sunshine suits them. And this is unquestionably their best. The fullest fruition & distillation of the magic of their inimitable sound. And my chart gives it a big warm hug and channels it all the way to number four.
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Essential
1. Donovan - A Gift From a Flower to a Garden
2. Mum - Finally We Are No One
3. Townes Van Zandt - Townes Van Zandt
4. Cocteau Twins - Victorialand
5. The Durutti Column - Another Setting
6. Vashti Bunyan - Another Diamond Day
7.. Harold Budd/Brian Eno - The Pearl
8. Judee Sill - Judee Sill
9. Real Estate - Atlas
10. Virginia Astley - From Gardens Where We Feel Secure
11. Bonnie "Prince" Billie - The Letting Go
11. Cluster & Eno - Cluster & Eno
12. The Fun Years - One Quarter Descent
13. Townes Van Zandt - High, Low and In Between
14. Harold Budd - Pavilion of Dreams
15. Bob Dylan - New Morning
15. John Phillips - John, The Wolf King of L.A.
16. Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out
17. Gene Clark - No Other
18. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
19. Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars
20. A Winged Victory for the Sullen - A Winged Victory for the Sullen
21. Real Estate - Days
22. Bob Dylan - Self-Portrait
23. Beach House - Bloom
24. Real Estate - Real Estate
25. Deerhunter - Fading Frontier
hey buddy I listened to Harold Budd/Brian Eno - The Pearl...how beautiful
I noticed it in a mp3 carpet a friend gave to me in 2012; this friend is really a special one, I met him in India and he's one of the most peaceful person I've ever met.
When I saw "the pearl" in that carpet I thought: "alright, that's definitely the time to give it a spin"
thanks, it's amazing
do u know this one:
hey buddy I listened to Harold Budd/Brian Eno - The Pearl...how beautiful
I noticed it in a mp3 carpet a friend gave to me in 2012; this friend is really a special one, I met him in India and he's one of the most peaceful person I've ever met.
When I saw "the pearl" in that carpet I thought: "alright, that's definitely the time to give it a spin"
thanks, it's amazing
do u know this one:
Awesome! I thought u might dig it. Your friend sounds like someone I'd love to me. He has great taste too. lol. I wonder what else is in that magic carpet of his. lol.
It's on Spotify so I'll check out that rec soon, pa. Peace!
lol. That is pretty ironic. You know I worship Maiden, right? In Junior High they were my favorite band easily. Hallowed Be Thy Name is one of the best metal songs of all time. No doubt. Great, great album.
Truly a beautiful review, Tilly! And not just cuz its about my bf, or because you mentioned me, or because (I think) I recommended this album back in the dawn of our Tilly to Mercury PM connection. Those all are features that make my heart glow, but even seperate from those, its a nice little insight into how you view music. And there's a lot of truth in it. I have a whole room which I have usurped from my roommate, and along with an old ping pong table, It is the MUSIC ROOM. It contains racks and racks of about 2000 CDs, 100 old tapes (some made by me from listening to the radio, or from making mix tapes for the ladies in my life), and about 300 vinyl records. These were THE important possession of my life. I still adore them and am glad they exist. But back in the day the way I discovered music was a very old school method, I always found the album and listened to it many times on my walkmen or stereo. Etc. I did this for a couple records a week (okay, may 5 on average each week) for about 15 years. Then I discoved apple music. And now I just fon't even fuck with my CDs or albums anymore. And a part of that makes me sad to think about.
Now, more often than not, when I give a whimsical thought to my album collection, its cuz I'm behind on rent or I need money for dates or I am just straight up strapped and I'm thinking of my albums in the context of "How much could I get for those things? Which of them are "rare"?". Then I go on with my day.
It's sad. And now I have millions of gems at my fingertips and the fire isn't quite as strong for music anymore. Its not a scarce commodity, so I don't remotely "adore" or "cherish" my apple music account a 100th as much as I did my 500 albums I had when I was 16. Its weird.
Long response ends in 3... (again awesome write up...) 2... (you're amazing with this lil diary)... 1!
This is a great question for us huge music addicts. How has streaming services and the easy availability of downloads changed our listening habits. Is it for the better or worse? How has it changed how we interact with music.
Hey, Rocky! Do you still do those threads where you discuss interesting topics? Was this ever brought up as a topic? If not I'd love to get people's differing opinions & perspectives on it. I'm sure Mecca & Norman have a lot to say about it as well.
Ras Michael aka Dadawah has a big heart. He feels, like few others, the suffering of the repressed. He's a true empath. And his mourning and sadness and empathy for all the repressed people of the world lives in his voice and and in his songs. But, these songs are far from sad. They're triumphant. For this is a deeply religious and spiritual album. One that essentially echoes Jesus in that the meek and oppressed will eventually rise above and inherit the Earth. For Nas (his religion’s name for God) is on their side. That with perseverance and faith, the multitude will overcome their oppression. That the walls of hatred and fear and ignorance will tumble before their triumphant and joyful love. For love is the answer. No matter what the question. No matter how you’ve been wronged. And through this love for Nas and for yourself, the sheep can and will turn into the lion. And then and only then will you truly be free.
Grade: A+. This is my favorite reggae album. I’m no Jimmy Dread. I’m no expert. Going to college with a bunch of prep school boys who literally force fed me Bob Marly’s Legend a zillion times (there was seriously no escaping it. It echoed through the freshman dorms like some kind of zombified monster) stifled my reggae growth good and proper back in my late teens. But, I’m now a late bloomer and, with the help of Jimmy, I’m beginning to see the light. But, Jimmy totally hates this album. lol. And, I believe it was actually Hayden who turned me onto this majestic record way back when. And she’s a keeper. This is the album I play when I need to rise above.
For this is one of the most spiritually uplifting albums I’ve ever heard. The purity of Dadawah’s faith and vision comes bellowing out of the speakers and literally has the power to lift you up, take you out of your small, self-absorbed world and connect you to something far bigger than yourself - the global human struggle. It enables you to shake off the paralysis of self pity and realize that suffering is not a unique experience. That it is universal. And that most importantly, you can do something about it. You can sing. You can drum. You can believe. In Nas. In yourself. And thereby rise above and walk with the lions. And this powerful album roars itself all the way to number 3.
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Essential
1. Donovan - A Gift From a Flower to a Garden
2. Mum - Finally We Are No One
3. Dadawah - Peace and Love
4. Townes Van Zandt - Townes Van Zandt
5 Cocteau Twins - Victorialand
5. The Durutti Column - Another Setting
6. Vashti Bunyan - Another Diamond Day
7.. Harold Budd/Brian Eno - The Pearl
8. Judee Sill - Judee Sill
9. Real Estate - Atlas
10. Virginia Astley - From Gardens Where We Feel Secure
11. Bonnie "Prince" Billie - The Letting Go
11. Cluster & Eno - Cluster & Eno
12. The Fun Years - One Quarter Descent
13. John Phillips - John, The Wolf King of L.A.
14. Townes Van Zandt - High, Low and In Between
15. Harold Budd - Pavilion of Dreams
16. Bob Dylan - New Morning
16. Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out
17. Gene Clark - No Other
18. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
19. Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars
20. A Winged Victory for the Sullen - A Winged Victory for the Sullen
21. Real Estate - Days
22. Bob Dylan - Self-Portrait
23. Beach House - Bloom
24. Real Estate - Real Estate
25. Deerhunter - Fading Frontier
Jimmy DreadOld skool like Happy ShopperModeratorProfile 555 Dub Street
Ahh Peace And Love... The roots LP I just can't understand why people rate so highly. Oddly enough I was chatting to a dread the other day who stuck this LP under my nose and seemed a bit taken aback when I told him I'd never dug it, so I decided to give it another spin just to check my ears hadn't been playing tricks on me.
I think the main reason I've never been a huge fan (to say I 'totally hate' it may be a little strong - there's very little that would fall into that category) is twofold. The first of these could be purely down to chance, as the first time I was exposed to the spiritual messages in 'Run Come Rally' and 'Seventy-Two Nations' was via Yabby You's Conquering Lion. To me, this is the ultimate roots reggae LP, only bettered by Heart Of The Congos - anchored in the vocal harmony tradition of Jamaican acts from The Heptones to The Gaylads to The Wailers (at least before Blackwell got hold of them), deep in texture and spiritual message, and crucially for this old skank effortlessly danceable. Naturally I'm rather partial - and therefore biased in favour - of Yabby's versions over Ras Michael's.
Which brings me onto my second and somewhat more controversial point. This album, and in particular the second half, verges on the self-indulgent and - dare I say it - dull. Now I totally get why you love it Tilly and it certainly fits in with your mellow aesthetic which defines your beautiful personality and positivity, but for this grumpy sod whose compass may be a bit skewiff tracks that prattle on aimlessly without a beat to hypnotise for 10 mins+ just do zilch for me. In fact I'd go so far to say that side two of the album is probably some of the most boring 'reggae' I've ever heard. But hey, it takes all sorts to make the world go round. Which is why I'd wholeheartedly recommend meeting me in the middle and giving Dadawah/Ras Michael's live album a spin, which proves that long Nyabinghi hymns can both inspire and allow you to dance yrrr dreads off:
Nyabinghi chants are just amazing, I've always been fascinated by them.
I guess that Count Ossie was the first to record Nyabinghi;
if u like Ras Michael u should definitely check this one out:
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Repo
pa
Jimmy Dread
