Albums you've been hearing for first time lately

Never heard of them Balldog. Will check it out.

Some bits I've been listening to over the past few weeks

The Style Council - Introducing The Style Council (1983) [7]

Always liked a few Style Council singles and heard a few records but never really given them my full attention so decided to start from the beginning. THAT intro for long hot summer really does make me want to vomit. Also the fact theres a club mix of the song on the E.P is a pain in the arse. Minus that theres some great tunes in Headstart for Happiness & Speak Like A Child. Really excited about Weller's new album so hopefully the sounds of the Style Council will give me my Weller fix until then.

Whipping Boy - Submarine (1992) [5]

Musically I'd say this sounds like a cross between Sonic Youth & Ride which sounds great on paper but they don't have the imagination of Sonic Youth or the tunes to match ride. Alright but very forgettable.

My Latest Novel - Wolves (2006) [4]

Really jank Indie-folk type stuff. Some embarrassing tracks but mostly just dull.

Prince - Prince (1979) [5]

I quite enjoyed Prince's debut 'For You' but this his second album was just too cheesey for me. Too many slow ballads with cringeworthy lyrics. A few good moments but despite his debut being a mixed back I think this is a step backwards in terms of quality.

Tom Waits - The Heart of Saturday Night (1974) 7

The imagery in his lyrics is almost perfect. The album just makes you want to walk down a dark street into a lonely bar and sit with a pint watching the world go by. Saying that I think this & his debut I like but more in small doses. I prefer Tom Waits when he's being weirder. 11 songs in this style somehow feels a bit much.

Jerry Lee Lewis - Jerry Lee Lewis (1958) [6]

The really upbeat Rock N Roll numbers still pull a punch & sound great. Unfortunately theres too many mid tempo & slow ballads which don't float my boat.

what a mongoloid

man, you listen to so much music! where d'you find the time to do so? fucking geek cunt, lemme tell ya

He just said that he has listened to a bit of one band in two years. I dont know where he finds the time either.

he just said a SHITLOAD of things, mate. and he's daft.
fuck him, will you?

Having watched Morse last night I think I can answer your original question that. He has an ipod.

Funkadelic - Maggot Brain

i avoided this one for a while until i came across norwegian wood. to make a long story short, it's is just brilliant. what a discovery!

Maggot Brain is indeed fantastic.

Discovered to records which have completely blown me away. It's been so long since I've found something new I've not heard of that has floored me so to find two in the space of a week or so is insane.

Yabby You - Conquering Lion (1975)

This is officially now the best Reggae LP I've ever heard. Every single track is really strong but it's the production that makes it, it has a muddy kind of sound but it fits the songs perfectly. Theres some really dark tunes mixed in with some uplifting stuff. Amazing amazing record.

Mandingo - The Primeval Rhythm of Life (1973)

I don't even know how I came across this one. This is an instrumental record of Jazz-Funk made by a bunch of studio musicians that mixed the sort of sounds you get on the old Bond soundtracks with some African rhythms and percussion. It's fucking mental & completely knocked me out when I first heard it.
Turn the speakers up and blast this cunt out, such power.


Both records right now I'd say are up there with anything I've heard. Obviously I'll see in a few years if I still feel the same but I recommend everybody to check those two out.

Commodores - Machine Gun (1974)

Surprisingly good. Their first record is full on FUNK. Obvioulsy later they would get the ballads out and Lionel would become the king of cheese but this record is alot of fun. Nothing special & the lyrics are a bit silly but this is a strong record.

Bruce Springsteen - The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973)

Two records into my discovery of The Boss & I'm loving it. I think this is slightly better than the debut. The musicianship seems much stronger & theres more of a loose feel to most the songs. Theres two tracks which I think don't match up to the rest of the record which stops this being a real classic but it's a great record.

Unfolding - How to Blow Your Mind and Have a Freak-Out Party (1967)

Should of known from the title what I was in for. I can just imagine them doing a load of mushrooms and acid and thinking this sounded great at the time. The opening three songs are pretty good but then it just feels like predictable 60's drug music.

really excited about hearing those first two records from your review karl

the yabby you downloads i've found are all under 30mb...does this sound right?

Are any Go-Betweens / Crowded House fans round here? Any albums worth checking out from those bands?

Mine is 42mb though it's only 192. I'm not 100% sure if it's ever been released on CD so all there is are vinyl rips. Sounds great still though

absolutely!
Conquering Lion so powerful without doubt.

It was Krburg's pick on the soapbox's highly unsuccessful Album club a year or two back.

The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy - Hypocrisy Is the Greatest Luxury (1992) [6]

I expected a bit more from this. There are some fantastic politically Conscious lyrics on here but it fails in over departments. Michael Franti has a great deep voice that feels like he's preaching, a bit like Chuck D but everything is delivered at a slow pace & it's never delivered with any venom. Musically it sounds a bit dated & not in a old school hip-hop kind of way, it flirts with the sort house music a little which is a little off putting, also the album probably outstays it's welcome a little. Decent but I expected more after hearing good things.

Julian Cope - Jehovahkill (1992) [5]

I really tried constantly with this record to get into it but for me it feels a bit of a mess. Too many ideas & none ever feeling like they reach their potential. I like Julian Cope as a person, seems a bit of a lunatic with some out there opinions but his music as of yet hasn't really grabbed me.

Iggy Pop - Soldier (1980) [5]

I'd say this is the first not very good record of Iggy's career. It's not terrible though there are a few tracks which are fucking atrocious. One where he sings about his love for dog food being the worst of the bunch. Theres a few good tracks but it all feels a bit lackluster. Shame as he had good musicians around him but apparently he fell out with most people & James Williamson & Bowie both left as producers so I'd imagine Iggy was on the hard stuff more than usual around this time.

Jerry Butler - The Iceman Cometh (1968) [8]

What cool artwork. Top notch smooth soul, typical of '68 soul really. A couple of numbers are a bit below par but the majority of this is golden. 'Never Give You Up' was covered by The Black Keys on their 'Brothers' album.

Gram Parsons - GP (1973) [5]

Someone will have to explain to me the appeal of this record. I know there are a few fans on here. This is really the first record I've spent any time with by Gram and for me it's about as middle of the road as you can get. Nothing on here is bad, it's just that wishywashy MOR country shit you expect to hear on a film when somebody walks into a shady Texas bar. I know Gram was important for making country music 'cool' to the rock audiences but if all his other LP's are similar in style to this I can't see myself ever being a fan.

A compilation of Can's earliest recordings, when Malcolm Mooney was on vocals. Contains the absolutely brilliant track 'Thief', which Radiohead would later cover. Badly.

Nice one Chrissy, I really love that album.

I think it was actually supposed the be their debut to be titled 'Prepared to meet thy Pnoom' (What a great title), but I don't think they could get a label to release it, it's up there amongst their best I think, I prefer it to the actual debut.

Nice one. Yeah, it's a great album.