Dave Shuffle Blog Party (#1)
By: Yaya | in: Dave Shuffle Blog Party |This should be a weekly project of reviewing the first nine or ten songs that the Media Player will play, while the shuffle button was pressed. I cannot guaranty anything. I’m just full of good will. That was designed for the relaxed Sunday morning feeling, therefore the Stoners or deep and heavy Krautrocks were put aside. The list turned out to be pretty folky, but, you know, so is life.
1. Rockfour - Corridors
(Memories Of The Never Happened)
One of the best psychedelic opuses of this wonderful record by Israeli veteran neo-psych-power-pop group. This album contains so many colors and flavors, exactly like its art - eclectic, exciting, collage of paper clips and stove buttons, psychedelic and yet popish. For those of you who don’t know it - it is highly recommended.
2. John Fahey - I’m Going To Do All I Can For My Lord
(The Legend Of Blind Joe Death)
A famous piece by acoustic guitar wizz and eccentric persona John Fahey. Fahey was the mentor for every acoustic guitar player from 62-3 onwards. Deeply inspired by Mississippi Delta blues, he has one of the most amazing guitar feels ever.
3. June Tabor - The Last Time I Ever Saw Your Face
(A Quiet Eye)
June Tabor is probably the most important and influential folksingers of Britain, and one of the most shimmering voices existing on the face of the earth. Almost every June Tabor record is a priceless gem, as she cleverly picks the songs for each album (She often covers Richard Thompson’s songs). Sometimes it’s performed A’Cappela, sometimes with a dramatic piano and sometimes with a full orchestra - but always with an amazing feel, charisma and character. This time she took a famous song by a veteran English Folk singer Ewan McColl. This song was performed zillion times in the past but no one did it like June Tabor did it.
Buy it : Physical, Digital
4. Michael Chapman - March Rain
(Fully Qualified Survivor)
…And from one British enigma to the other…Michael Chapman was an art teacher in a countryside college, and inspite his proven skills on the guitar (as a part of some local jazz and swing bands), it took a while until the good people of A&M records came to him with a contract for his first album Rainmaker. His second album Fully Qualified Survivor had some beautiful strings arrangements, some good old rocknroll (with a wonderful backing band, lead by Spiders’ guitar player and Bowie’s-right hand - Mick Ronson), and some solo pieces. All that made Survivor one of the best albums in the 70’s. Chapman kept releasing albums and performing, but the public somehow forgotten him and Chapman became a musician mainly for fans of the genre, instead of becoming a true legend (like Nick Drake or Gene Clark). He’s still performing and releasing records these days, for people who heard pieces like March Rain and fell totally in love. Maybe it’ll happen to you too.
Buy it : Physical
5. Fraser & Debolt - Walts Of The Tennis Player
(Fraser & Debolt, With Ian Gunther)
A country-folk rare gem from the 70’s that was longtime lost and forgotten, until someone came and did a poetic justice when he reissued the album and made it available on cd’s. I don’t know much about the two, but I do know to recognize beauty when I see it.
Buy it : Physical
6. Fred Neil - The Other Side Of This Life (Live)
(The Other Side Of This Life)
Fred Neil was an American folk legend. He was the superstar and the sheriff of the evolving folk scene of Greenwich Village, when he ran a line of performances in the famous Cafe Wha? When he played, he has his followers sitting close : Gene Clark, Neil Young, Tim Buckley, David Crosby, Jerry Garcia and Bob Dylan. If you’re familiar with Fred’s name, that’s probably because you’ve read Dylan’s Chronicles.
Buy it : Physical, Digital
7. Shalom Gad - A Strange Kid
(Ahava - Love)
Shalom Gad is an alternative rock hero in Israel. A True Poet and storyteller. This album reflected Gad’s rocknroll side when it presented 19 short songs about love, hate, and unfulfilled dreams
8. Neil Young (and Crazy Horse) - Roll Another Number For The Road
(Weld)
The best live album by Neil with his Crazy Horse freak show. The ultimate school of ‘how-to-play-electric-guitar-and-make-it-sound-authentic’. Rocknroll is a way of life, really.
Buy it : Physical
9. John Martyn - Small Hours
(One World)
The closing opus of one of Martyn’s best albums ever. Martyn was in the height of his creative and expermintation process, which exploded in his album Inside Out. Then he packed everything, left to Jamaica, met Lee Perry and god exposed to Reggae and Dub. He comes back, full of passion to continue the experiments he began, but this time he also has Perry’s influence on him. In 1977 he releases One World, his last masterpiece. The deluxe edition, btw, worth every cent you’ll pay for it.
Buy it : Physical
Posted on April 26, 2008
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