THE THE
MIND BOMB
1989 – EPIC
Produced By WARNE LIVESEY, ROLI MOSIMANN & MATT JOHNSON
1. Good Morning Beautiful
2. Armageddon Days Are Here (Again)
3. The Violence Of Truth
4. Kingdom Of Rain
5. The Beat(en) Generation
6. August & September
7. Gravitate To Me
8. Beyond Love
One of the stranger UK band histories, for sure. The The has been both a band and the solo project of one Matt Johnson since 1979. The The has released just seven non soundtrack studio albums over 45 plus years (also four soundtracks),
but they also have seven unreleased albums. Mind Bomb was released in 1983, the fourth The album. It’s notable for being the first of two albums to include as a member former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, and for their biggest US hit, “The Beat(en) Generation”. Johnson has kept the name alive for all of these years by recording music for films, but it’s their output from 1983’s Soul Mining through 1993’s Dusk that remains the stuff of legend. They were too fractured and unable to sustain a lineup for long enough, but those first four The The albums are part of what was great about the music of the eighties.
Mind Bomb is a special creature. The music at times strays from the dance pop that had dominated the eighties…and sometimes it’s right there. These songs are expansive and thickly layered, and heavy despite Marr’s guitars being more textured than loud. There’s a level of rage to this music that almost boils over nearly all the time…but not quite. “Gravitate To Me”, “Kingdom Of Rain” (with vocals by Sinead O’Connor), and “Armageddon Days” are highlights, and you also get the excellence of “The Beat(en) Generation) and the smoldering opener, “Good Morning, Beautiful”. Mind Bomb was critically panned at the time, but it has grown in stature as one of the more adventurous and interesting albums of the period. It’s yet another album that slipped past American listeners, but it’s never too late…and it holds up well after all this time. A should be classic.
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And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
KING SUNNY ADE
SEVEN DEGREES NORTH
2000 – MESA / BLUEMOON
Produced By ANDREW C FRANKEL
1. Samba
2. Suku Suku Bam Bam
3. Appreciation
4. Ode Ma Ti P’Ogidan S’Oko
5. Solution
6. Ogidan O Ni Se Barber
7. Ariya
8. Merciful God
9. Sijuade
10. Congratulations (Happy Birthday)
King Sunny Ade is one of the greatest musicians…ever. His career has spanned nearly sixty years, and he has released more than 120 albums. He was once promoted as the next Bob Marley by Island Records, and he’s probably the most influential Nigerian musician of all time. His recorded output since the mid 2000’s has slowed to a standstill, but he’s still a legend. Seven Degrees North is one of his later releases, coming out in 2000. It was released that year on cassette in Nigeria, and on CD in North America…and that’ it. It’s never been re-issued, so find it if you can. It was not a hit outside of his home country, as is the case with most of his albums. But that does not mean it’s not worth seeking out. Because King Sunny has always been a lot of things, and consistently very good musically is definitely one of them.
Juju music is very danceable, and King Sunny is the best at it. His guitar work is always great, and these songs stretch out and simply groove. Seven Degrees North is not all beats and movement: it’s music with something to say. You probably can’t understand his native lyrics, but that’s okay. He’s known as a legendary live performer, which means his albums are often overlooked. But you’ll want to experience the joy of songs like “Solution” and “Ariya”, and appreciate his unique percussion touches, as well as his great guitar work. His earlier work is great, and his brush with western audiences is amazing. But despite the ups and downs, Ade has maintained a level of excellence throughout his long career that can’t be denied. 120 plus albums in, and you’d still be hard pressed to find an album of his that isn’t at least a very good one.
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Of dying history
US
IN THIS PLACE
1999 – FANFARE
Produced By PARK PETERS & ROGER DRIENKA
1. Won’t You Tell Me
2. In This Place
3. This Is The Time
4. Come Together Now
5. For The Children (Say A Prayer)
6. Under The Gun
7. It’s Alright, It’s Okay
8. Brother
9. Colors Of The Sun
10. Look Into The Shadows
11. I Love You Still
12. King Of Nothing
Us was a local Colorado band led by Roger and Lori Drienka. They incorporated strings and woodwinds into their rock music. Not sure if there were any other albums by this six piece band. The Drienka’s are still in the Denver area, performing and releasing music under their last name.
This album can be found on eBay. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
B.B. KING
BLUES ON THE BAYOU
1998 – MCA
Produced By B.B. KING
1. Blues Boys Tune
2. Bad Case Of Love
3. I’ll Survive
4. Mean Ole’ World
5. Blues Man
6. Broken Promise
7. Darlin’ What Happened
8. Shake It Up And Go
9. Blues We Like
10. Good Man Gone Bad
11. If I Lost You
12. Tell Me Baby
13. I Got Some Outside Help I Don’t Need
14. Blues In G
15. If That Ain’t It I Quit
What a massive career B.B. King had. From the end of the 1940’s until his death in 2015, The King Of The Blues did it all. Sure, as the visible public importance of the blues fell away later in his life, so did the impact of his records. But B.B. King was never not one of the greatest to ever take a stage, play a blues lick, or sing his heart out. In 1998, King released Blues On The Bayou. It was his 36th studio album, and while it was not a hit, it showed that King, who was now in his seventies, could still bring it. The album opens with King playing one of his trademark bluesy guitar swoons, which in 1998, was a sound heard unfortunately less and less. But one of the great things about King was that he always did his own thing his own way, and if it was blues you wanted, then he was by God gonna give you what you wanted.
One of the great things about Blues On The Bayou is that it was produced by King himself. He stated that this was one of his favorite later albums, and wrote in the liner notes about how relaxed and fun the sessions were. These live studio recordings feature a band that’s as tight as a drum, and King’s vocals are loose and easy. But, man…that guitar just swings. His songwriting breaks no new ground, but it’s solid. and when the band jams, it’s really great. Blues On The Bayou is not perfect by any means, and yeah. The blues isn’t for everyone. But what you get here is latter day music from one of the greatest ever that doesn’t disappoint. Even at this point in his life, B.B. King still had it, could still deliver it, and absolutely did. This is well worth exploring, the master still able to being it at a high level.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
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