COLDPLAY
PARACHUTES
2000 – PARLOPHONE
Produced By CHRIS ALLISON, COLDPLAY & KEN NELSON
1. Don’t Panic
2. Shiver
3. Spies
4. Sparks
5. Yellow
6. Trouble
7. Parachutes
8. High Speed
9. We Never Change
10. Everything’s Not Lost
Coldplay’s debut album, Parachutes, was one of the more promising debut albums of the new millennium. Alternative rock that relies more on piano than guitar, this band came out of the gate with a mature and polished sound, and enough sales to guarantee the band a solid future. Led by Chris Martin, Coldplay made a solid and splendid debut, powered by the whimsical and inescapable hit “Yellow”. And although the band would exceed this by far with their second album, A Rush Of Blood To The Head, and while Martin has said that Coldplay disliked this record a lot…this is still as solid a debut album as you’ll find.
Parachutes isn’t just about “Yellow”. It also includes the excellent tracks “Don’t Panic”, “Shiver” and “Trouble”. “High Speed” is also a high point. And while each of Coldplay’s eight albums since this one has shown a lot of growth…popular with fans and critics or not…there is a lot of charm in how simplistic this debut was. And the truth is, every Coldplay album has reached number one in their native UK, but you’ll find many who still point to Parachutes as their favorite. It’s a great starting point for the band…but it’s also not to be taken lightly. For me, not their greatest…but still a great listen, and well worth hearing as it’s the foundation of what was to come.
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Of dying history
For those of you wondering why no Slayer so far…here you go. Along with mid eighties classics by Anthrax, Metallica and Megadeth, Reign In Blood, Slayer’s third album, stands as one of the most influential thrash metal albums of all time. The band took a chance and signed with the hip hop label Def Jam, and were paired with producer Rick Rubin. The results are stunning. Reign In Blood is relentlessly fast, loud, loaded with riffs and packed with some pretty disturbing images…all of which makes this one of the best metal albums you will ever hear. It’s less than 30 minutes long (without the bonus tracks from 1998), and it doesn’t waste a single second of that time.
The two most memorable tracks start and end the album. “Raining Blood” is a live favorite, a song about heaven being overthrown. It was also used to chase away the hippies on an episode of South Park. Even darker is the opener, “Angel Of Death”. The album release was delayed because the album’s distributor, Columbia Records, felt that the subject matter (it’s about the Nazi physician Josef Mengele) was too dark and disturbing. Yes, it’s not the most pleasant record in the world. But it’s also as metal as metal has ever been, from a band that wasn’t afraid to say what they wanted to say. Slayer released twelve studio albums before calling it a day in 2019…Reign In Blood still remains their finest hour. Or rather…half hour.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
FischmanRockMonster, JazzMeister, Bluesboy,ClassicalMasterProfile Land of Enchantment
For those of you wondering why no Slayer so far…here you go. Along with mid eighties classics by Anthrax, Metallica and Megadeth, Reign In Blood, Slayer’s third album, stands as one of the most influential thrash metal albums of all time. The band took a chance and signed with the hip hop label Def Jam, and were paired with producer Rick Rubin. The results are stunning. Reign In Blood is relentlessly fast, loud, loaded with riffs and packed with some pretty disturbing images…all of which makes this one of the best metal albums you will ever hear. It’s less than 30 minutes long (without the bonus tracks from 1998), and it doesn’t waste a single second of that time.
The two most memorable tracks start and end the album. “Raining Blood” is a live favorite, a song about heaven being overthrown. It was also used to chase away the hippies on an episode of South Park. Even darker is the opener, “Angel Of Death”. The album release was delayed because the album’s distributor, Columbia Records, felt that the subject matter (it’s about the Nazi physician Josef Mengele) was too dark and disturbing. Yes, it’s not the most pleasant record in the world. But it’s also as metal as metal has ever been, from a band that wasn’t afraid to say what they wanted to say. Slayer released twelve studio albums before calling it a day in 2019…Reign In Blood still remains their finest hour. Or rather…half hour.
THE POLICE
REGGATTA DE BLANC
1979 – A&M
Produced By NIGEL GRAY & THE POLICE
1. Message In A Bottle
2. Reggatta De Blanc
3. It’s Alright For You
4. Bring On The Night
5. Deathwish
6. Walking On The Moon
7. On Any Other Day
8. The Bed’s Too Big Without You
9. Contact
10. Does Everybody Stare
11. No Time This Time
Reggatta de Blanc pretty much translates to “white reggae”, which is the road that The Police were traveling down in 1979. Following their initial success with Outlandos d’Amour the previous year, Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland solidified their standing with a fine trio of hits from this record…but the truth is, this may well be their weakest effort. While their playing here is impeccable, as always, the songwriting takes a temporary dive in quality. Particularly after “Walking On The Moon”, where you’ll find three of the last five songs written by Copeland. Also, Sting has adopted a rather grating Caribbean style accent to go with the more reggae feel of the album.
“Message In A Bottle” completely saves this record. It’s fast, endlessly catchy, and the band plays the snot out of it. Their reggae stylings were deemed a success, thanks to both “Bring On The Night” and the haunting “Walking On The Moon”. The first six tracks here range from very good to exceptional, and make Reggatta de Blanc a worthwhile purchase...but The Police stutter badly on the last five. They would recover quickly…the next three albums would be their best before they split up acrimoniously in 1984. In all, five strong albums from this band. This one is the weakest of the five. This does not mean that it’s a bad record…but it’s not their best effort.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
GARY NUMAN
THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE
1979 – ATCO
Produced By GARY NUMAN
1. Airlane
2. Metal
3. Complex
4. Films
5. M.E.
6. Tracks
7. Observer
8. Conversation
9. Cars
10. Engineers
11. Random (Demo)
12. Oceans (Demo)
13. Asylum (B-side Of Cars)
14. Me! I Disconnect From You (Live)
15. Bombers (Live)
16. Remember I Was Vapour (Live)
17. On Broadway (Live)
In 1979, I had little use for electronic music. If it wasn’t guitar based rock, the I simply wasn’t interested. Electronic music was for weird people who liked Kraftwerk. Thankfully, gradually, the musical narrow mindedness of my youth would soon begin to fade. Numan came from London, and had fronted the band Tubeway Army (which had the distinction of owning the very first electronic #1 hit) before going solo in 1979. The Pleasure Principle is his solo debut, released just five months after Tubeway Army’s successful Replicas. Numan rode that wave to stardom, thanks in large part to the strange but inescapably catchy single “Cars”, still one of the most recognizable electronic songs ever made.
For an album drenched in synthesizers, with songs about robots and machines and such, sung by a man who showed as much emotion as a carrot, The Pleasure Principle is somehow…warm. Although there is not a single guitar to be heard, Numan does use live drums, which balances things out. And the songwriting is above interesting, as are his strangely robotic (yet tuneful) vocals. And though commercial success (in America, at least) has been fleeting since this record, Numan has carved out a very long and fruitful career. And I’m glad that the older me has learned to enjoy artists like this. The Pleasure Principle is a great way to start with Numan…if you like it, there’s a lot more where this came from.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
ROBERT WYATT
SHLEEP
1997 – HANNIBAL
Produced By ALFREDA BENGE, BRIAN ENO & ROBERT WYATT
1. Heaps Of Sheeps
2. The Duchess
3. Maryan
4. Was A Friend
5. Free Will And Testament
6. September The Ninth
7. Alien
8. Out Of Season
9. A Sunday In Madrid
10. Blues In Bob Minor
11. The Whole Point Of No Return
Robert Wyatt began his career as a drummer and vocalist with the important UK bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole. His life and his career were forever changed in 1973, when he fell from a fourth story window and became a paraplegic. To his credit, Wyatt adapted extremely well and forged ahead, creating a fruitful solo career that carried him to his retirement from music in 2014. He’s played on albums by a large variety of artists, but it’s his solo work that has stood out and made him such an important musical figure. Shleep is Wyatt’s seventh solo album, and it’s a truly wonderful record. Progressive, experimental, fun, and highly listenable.
Shleep is a cool journey. Wyatt gets a lot of help from friends like Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera and Paul Weller. This is so far outside of the realm of normal rock that it’s really a jazz album, yet it’s completely accessible. The best track is “Blues In Bob Minor”, which can best be described as a strange alternate take on Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited”. This record is adventurous, daring and ten different kinds of fun. It’s also completely off kilter, meaning that you’ll need an open mind to take in what Wyatt is doing. But if your mind IS open, the rewards here are exceptional. If you like this, then a gateway to the rest of Wyatt’s different and more than interesting career will be wide open for you. A great place to start for one of music’s great comeback stories.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
LOUIS ARMSTRONG
THE HOT FIVES & HOT SEVENS, VOLUME II
1988 – COLUMBIA
Produced By RICHARD M. JONES
1. Lonesome Blues
2. Sweet Little Papa
3. Jazz Lips
4. Skid-Dat-De-Dat
5. Big Butter And Egg Man
6. Sunset Café Stomp
7. You Made Me Love You
8. Irish Black Bottom
9. Willie The Weeper
10. Wild Man Blues
11. Alligator Crawl
12. Potato Head Blues
13. Melancholy
14. Weary Blues
15. Twelfth Street Rag
16. Keyhole Blues
A pair of notes about this one: it was apparently originally released back in 1972 as Louis Armstrong 2, and this is a reissue that is not only miles away from the original packaging, but it also makes no mention of that earlier release anywhere. Also, on a personal note, this was the first album I purchased over 30 years ago into what is now this collection. As for the music here…just wow. The second of two volumes, this collects the recordings of Armstrong’s early bands, The Hot Fives and The Hot Sevens, made almost 100 years ago in 1926 and 1927. The historic recordings are important for their excellent quality, and for reminding us that Armstrong was not just the novelty singer that he ended up being later in life.
Louis Armstrong was, above all else, one amazing jazz trumpet player. These two Dixieland bands are as great as you will ever hear, and this is the best music Armstrong made in his lifetime. This is the music that keeps him legendary after almost a century has passed. Every one of these tracks is perfect: the horn trios of trumpet, trombone and clarinet are magical, while the guitar and banjo are joined in the later band by tuba and drums. Armstrong’s wife at the time, Lil Armstrong, plays piano and sings as well. This music should never be forgotten, and as long as these two volumes can remain in circulation, they never will be. This is not just great, it’s exceptional. A must hear.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
FischmanRockMonster, JazzMeister, Bluesboy,ClassicalMasterProfile Land of Enchantment
ROBERT WYATT
SHLEEP
1997 – HANNIBAL
Produced By ALFREDA BENGE, BRIAN ENO & ROBERT WYATT
1. Heaps Of Sheeps
2. The Duchess
3. Maryan
4. Was A Friend
5. Free Will And Testament
6. September The Ninth
7. Alien
8. Out Of Season
9. A Sunday In Madrid
10. Blues In Bob Minor
11. The Whole Point Of No Return
Robert Wyatt began his career as a drummer and vocalist with the important UK bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole. His life and his career were forever changed in 1973, when he fell from a fourth story window and became a paraplegic. To his credit, Wyatt adapted extremely well and forged ahead, creating a fruitful solo career that carried him to his retirement from music in 2014. He’s played on albums by a large variety of artists, but it’s his solo work that has stood out and made him such an important musical figure. Shleep is Wyatt’s seventh solo album, and it’s a truly wonderful record. Progressive, experimental, fun, and highly listenable.
Shleep is a cool journey. Wyatt gets a lot of help from friends like Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera and Paul Weller. This is so far outside of the realm of normal rock that it’s really a jazz album, yet it’s completely accessible. The best track is “Blues In Bob Minor”, which can best be described as a strange alternate take on Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited”. This record is adventurous, daring and ten different kinds of fun. It’s also completely off kilter, meaning that you’ll need an open mind to take in what Wyatt is doing. But if your mind IS open, the rewards here are exceptional. If you like this, then a gateway to the rest of Wyatt’s different and more than interesting career will be wide open for you. A great place to start for one of music’s great comeback stories.
LOUIS ARMSTRONG
THE HOT FIVES & HOT SEVENS, VOLUME II
1988 – COLUMBIA
Produced By RICHARD M. JONES
1. Lonesome Blues
2. Sweet Little Papa
3. Jazz Lips
4. Skid-Dat-De-Dat
5. Big Butter And Egg Man
6. Sunset Café Stomp
7. You Made Me Love You
8. Irish Black Bottom
9. Willie The Weeper
10. Wild Man Blues
11. Alligator Crawl
12. Potato Head Blues
13. Melancholy
14. Weary Blues
15. Twelfth Street Rag
16. Keyhole Blues
A pair of notes about this one: it was apparently originally released back in 1972 as Louis Armstrong 2, and this is a reissue that is not only miles away from the original packaging, but it also makes no mention of that earlier release anywhere. Also, on a personal note, this was the first album I purchased over 30 years ago into what is now this collection. As for the music here…just wow. The second of two volumes, this collects the recordings of Armstrong’s early bands, The Hot Fives and The Hot Sevens, made almost 100 years ago in 1926 and 1927. The historic recordings are important for their excellent quality, and for reminding us that Armstrong was not just the novelty singer that he ended up being later in life.
Louis Armstrong was, above all else, one amazing jazz trumpet player. These two Dixieland bands are as great as you will ever hear, and this is the best music Armstrong made in his lifetime. This is the music that keeps him legendary after almost a century has passed. Every one of these tracks is perfect: the horn trios of trumpet, trombone and clarinet are magical, while the guitar and banjo are joined in the later band by tuba and drums. Armstrong’s wife at the time, Lil Armstrong, plays piano and sings as well. This music should never be forgotten, and as long as these two volumes can remain in circulation, they never will be. This is not just great, it’s exceptional. A must hear.
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