Stevie Wonder "Hotter Than July" (1980)

Hotter Than July
release date: Sep. 29, 1980
format: vinyl (T8-373M1) / digital (2012 remaster)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,42]
producer: Stevie Wonder
label: Motown - nationality: USA

19th studio album by Stevie Wonder containing the two classic hits "Master Blaster (Jammin')" and "Happy Birthday".

U2 "October" (1981)

October
release date: Oct. 20, 1981
format: vinyl (ILPS 9680) / 2 cd (2008 remaster)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Steve Lillywhite
label: Island Records - nationality: Ireland

Track highlights: A) 1. "Gloria" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "I Fall Down" - 3. "I Threw a Brick Through a Window" - 4. "Rejoice" (4,5 / 5) - 5. "Fire" - - B) 1. "Tomorrow" - 3. "With a Shout (Jerusalem)" - 6. "Is That All?"

2nd studio album by U2 following one year after the fine debut is the difficult sophomore album. With this the band undoubtedly showed new sides to their talents, but the album was generally met as a disappointment from almost everyone who fell for the energetic catchy songs on the debut. The tracks are generally slower, although the album contains two of their most beloved songs: the Van Morrison composed "Gloria", and "Rejoice", which alongside "I Will Follow" from the debut was the band's signature tracks before The Unforgettable Fire. I used to really like this album, but I also found it lacking in coherency. Having said that, the album is still a solid and unique release on its own terms.

The 2008 2-disc remaster comes with the addition of 17 tracks, which mostly count live versions and radio sessions with three outtakes, and generally makes it a fine album with extra material unlike the Deluxe Edition of War.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]

2008 remaster

Skids "Charade" (1979) (single)

Charade, 7'' single

release date: Sep. 1979

format: vinyl (VS 288)

[single rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]

producer: Bill Nelson

label: Virgin Records - nationality: Scotland, UK

Tracklist: A) "Charade" (5 / 5) - - B) "Grey Parade"

Single release by Skids is the promo single taken from the band's forthcoming second album Days in Europa (Oct. 1979). The title track is credited by songwriter and vocalist Richard Jobson and composer and guitarist Stuart Adamson. The B-side is credited Jobson / Adamson and producer Bill Nelson. "Charade" peaked at number #31 on the singles chart list and nevertheless stands as one of the band's great singles with the magic touch of guitarist Stuart Adamson and his special sense of creating highly original compositions.

back cover

The Jam "Beat Surrender" (1982) (single)

Beat Surrender, 7'' single
release date: Nov. 26, 1982
format: vinyl (2059 575)
[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]
producer: Peter Wilson
label: Polydor Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: A) "Beat Surrender" (4 / 5) - - B) "Shopping"

Final single release by The Jam released on Polydor. Both title and cover art are symbolic insofar as the band's undisputed leader Paul Weller had decided to stop the band.
The title track went straight to number #1 on the UK singles chart but the decision had been made. Foxton and Buckler were sad to end it there, but the lead vocalist and songwriter felt trapped and wanted room to take his music in another direction. The Gift already proved where he was going with the strong neo-soul and r&b inclusion. Paul Weller soon initiated a new band, the collaboration work The Style Council together with keyboardist Mick Talbot, which basically was a continued journey into pop soul, and returning to the cover art to this single is actually much in the tradition of the new band.

Sort Sol "Everything That Rises ... Must Converge!" (1987)

Everything That Rises ... Must Converge!
release date: Mar. 1987
format: cd (1997 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,32]
producer: 4-eyed Thomas [aka Ulf Lindquist]
label: EMI Records - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Ode to Billy Joe" - 2. "A Knife for the Ladies" - 4. "Abyss Revisited" - 7. "Searching Down in the Block" - 10. "Marguerita"

4th studio album by Sort Sol originally released on Medley Records, and the band's second album after renaming from Sods is released more than three years after the predecessor Dagger & Guitar (1983). Since then, the band has been expanded to a quintet with guitarist Lars Top-Galia (aka Lars Top Jensen, former member of Danish punk rock band ADS). The album title is taken from the title of a short story by American writer Flannery O'Connor.
Musically, the band appeared in search of a new expression after leaving Sods behind, and this serves as another example of the attempt to find a style of their own. The music is a alt. rock and a simpler version of their earlier post-punk.
Imho, the album seems strongly influenced by the music of The Birthday Party and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and although, it's not one of the their most original nor best releases, it's an album with a more coherent expression than found on the band's second and third albums.
The '97 reissue of the album contains a bonus disc titled "The Violent Bear It Away" - also the title of a short story by O'Connor. The bonus disc contains seven tracks of primarily cover versions, and truly improves the album release.

Ayub Ogada "En Mana Kuoyo" (1992)

En Mana Kuoyo
release date: 1992
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5]
producer: Ayub Ogada, Richard Evans
label: Real World Records - nationality: Kenya

Studio album debut by, now England-based, Ayub Ogada is a quiet Lou folk, or African / Kenyan folk album with music of his Lou tribe. This is not Westernized African pop music but a subtle release with compositions in a fine traditional style. Ogada are credited as writer of most of the tracks. At first, the 10 tracks may sound almost similar, but one may realise that they are not.
The album is released on the Peter Gabriel-founded label Real World, which was intended for releasing world music as well as his own albums. Ayub Ogada also appears on two tracks on Gabriel's '92 album Us, as well as the live album Secret World.

Ramones "Road to Ruin" (1978)

Road to Ruin
release date: Sep. 21, 1978
format: vinyl (yellow vinyl - SRK 6063) / cd (1990 reissue)
[ album rate: 3,5 / 5 ] [3,68]
producer: Tommy Ramone, Ed Stasium
label: Sire Records / Warner - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "I Just Want to Have Something to Do" - 2. "I Wanted Everything" - 3. "Don't Come Close" - 4. "I Don't Want You" - 6. "I'm Against It" - 7. "I Wanna Be Sedated" (5 / 5) - 10. "She's the One" (4 / 5) - 12. "It's a Long Way Back"

4th studio album by Ramones follows the demand for a quick follow-up by succeeding Rocket to Russia by only 10 months. Despite the well-produced '77-album, Tommy Ramone (aka Thomas Erdelyi) left the band in the aftermath of Rocket to Russia to dedicate his work as a studio producer, which he also should continue to take part as concerning the band - this time together with Ed Stasium. As replacement of Tommy, new family member and drummer is now Marky Ramone (aka Marc Bell).
Several tracks showcase the continued journey of great Ramones kicks but the album also introduces a softer and more mainstream-oriented style on several tracks as on the ballad "Questioningly" and "Don't Come Close", a song I mistook for a 1960s cover but which simply turns out to be written by Ramones. The band had always included covers on their albums and this time it's a bolder mainstream composition "Needles and Pins", a The Searchers cover (made famous by Smokie) written by Sonny Bono and Jack Nitzsche. Some saw the album as an attempt to satisfy a broader audience but the album still contains some of the bands more aggressive and popular compositions like "I Don't Want You", "I'm Against It", "I Wanna Be Sedated", "Go Mental", "She's the One", and "Bad Brain". The album was my first and (so far) only vinyl purchase by the band. Imho, this is the fourth of five successive great studio albums by Ramones.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone not rated but less enthusiastic ]

[ collectors' item - yellow vinyl pressing - from ~ €30,- ]

The Beatles "Yesterday / Act Naturally" (1965) (single)

Yesterday / Act Naturally, 7'' single

release date: Sep. 1965

format: vinyl (DK 1635)

[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,45]

producer: George Martin

label: Odeon - nationality:

Tracklist: A) "Yesterday" - - B) "Act Naturally"

Single by The Beatles originally released on Parlophone in the UK (Capitol in the US) and first included on Help! (Aug. 1965), and it followed the singles Ticket to Ride (Apr. 1965) and Help! (Jul 1965). I fully understand the song is a worldwide classic but I've never really enjoyed it that much.

The Danish issue on Odeon comes from my parents' record collection, and the cover has gone missing long ago.

~ ~ ~

This post is part of MyMusicJourney, which enlists key releases that have shaped my musical taste when growing up and until age 14. Most of these releases come from my parents' and / or my older brother's collection.

Bachman-Turner Overdrive "Hey You" (1975) (single)

Hey You, 7'' single

release date: 1975

format: vinyl

[single rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]

producer: Randy Bachman

label: Mercury - nationality: USA

Tracklist: A) "Hey You" (4,5 / 5) - - B) "Flat Broke Love"

Single by Canadian band Bachman-Turner Overdrive written by Randy Bachman was the lead single from the album Four Wheel Drive (May 1975), and it also reached number #1 on the Canadian singles charts. The song is the band's second single to make it to the top of the charts, but the song (and single hit) "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" from Not Fragile (Sep. 1974) remains the band's best-charting song, which also topped the charts in Germany, South Africa, New Zealand, and in the US.

I listened to this over and over again back when I was 10-14 years old and discovered the single in my brother's leftovers. It took me some time to realise the name of the band wasn't Batman-Turner Overdrive.

~ ~ ~

This post is part of MyMusicJourney, which enlists key releases that have shaped my musical taste when growing up and until age 14. Most of these releases come from my parents' and / or my older brother's collection.

U2 "R.O.K." (1981) (single)

R.O.K., 12'' single
release date: Jul. 1981
format: vinyl (1985 reissue)
[single rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]
producer: Steve Lillywhite
label: Island Records - nationality: Ireland

Tracklist: A) 1. "Fire" - 2. "J. Swallow" - - B) 1. "11 O'clock Tick Tock" - 2. "The Ocean"

Single release by U2, which feels like a rather redundant one, as both "Fire" and "The Ocean" are found on the forthcoming album October, and the track "11 O'clock Tick Tock" is taken from the debut. The only new composition here is "J. Swallow", and it's simply not up there on level with the band's album songs.

"Somewhere Outside - Etellerandetstedudenfor" (1983)

Somewhere Outside - Etellerandetstedudenfor (compilation)
release date: 1983
format: vinyl 2 lp (gatefold - Irmg 8)
[album rate: 3 / 5]
producer: various
label: Irmgardz - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: A) 1. Moral "Frosty Nights" - 3. Moral "Whispering Sons" - - B) 1. Escape Artists "The Pain" - 2. Escape Artists "The Voice" - - C) 1. Næste Uges TV "Hvide flag" - 2. Næste Uges TV "Ærlige brugte"

A double vinyl compilation album of various Danish post-punk artists released on Irmgardz as 'IRMG 08, 2LP'. Side 1 features Moral, and Inspiration for Scanners. Side 2: Escape Artists, and Crap. Side 3: Næste Uges TV, and Tristan T. Side 4: World in Motion, Poets of the Signature, and De Tilfældige Fra Igår. The album is a rare 2 lp featuring bands of the Danish music underground.
Moral, Næste Uges TV, and also Poets of the Signature later showed more substantial material with full length albums and with Jens Unmack (from Næste Uges TV) forming the successful band Love Shop and with Poets of the Signature becoming The Poets.
The production is not poor, the punk era considered, but the material varies to a large extend. However, the compilation stands out because of its contribution as a remarkable musical and historical evidence.

[ collectors' item - 'near mint' 1st pressing - from ~ €80,- ]

Pixies "Surfer Rosa" (1988)

Surfer Rosa [debut]
release date: Mar. 1988
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,96]
producer: Steve Albini
label: 4AD records - nationality: USA

Tracklist: A) 1. "Bone Machine" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "Break My Body" - 3. "Something Against You" - 4. "Broken Face" - 5. "Gigantic" (4 / 5) - 6. "River Euphrates"  - B) 1. "Where Is My Mind?" (4 / 5) - 2. "Cactus" - 3. "Tony's Theme" - 4. "Oh My Golly!" - 5. "Vamos" - 6. "I'm Amazed" - 7. "Brick Is Red"

Full studio album debut by Pixies is a very strong and highly original album released 6 months after the ep Come on Pilgrim. The sound is heavy and Pixies reveal a trademark of theirs, which is utilizing the contrast between what is soft and quiet and LOUDness. Almost all the songs are written by Francis. The album is credited as a cornerstone and quoted as a huge source of inspiration for many artists including Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan and Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, and the music press only has high praises for the album and the band but the release failed to provide the record label with noteworthy sales. But that's also the story of Pixies: the vast crowd and commercial breakthrough never came until the band split. The music was probably too original and far away from the ordinary. I bought the album shortly after their second album release Doolittle (1989), which was the first time I heard them and I immediately fell for their style. The album is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
The cover is by the English photographer Simon Larbalestier who stayed as a preferred choice and made all other album covers by the band later on.
[ allmusic.com, Blender, Rolling Stone Music Guide 5 / 5, NME 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Juliette and the Licks "Four on the Floor" (2006)

Juliette and the Licks

Four on the Floor (2006)

"Purgatory Blues"

Red House Painters "Down Colorful Hill" (1992)

Down Colorful Hill [debut]
release date: Sep. 14, 1992
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,54]
producer: non-produced (Red House Painters recordings)
label: 4AD Records - nationality: USA

Tracklist: 1. "24" - 2. "Medicine Bottle" - 3. "Down Colorful Hill" (4 / 5) - 4. "Japanese to English" - 5. "Lord Kill the Pain" - 6. "Michael"

Studio album debut by American quartet Red House Painters consisting of songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Mark Kozelek, guitarist Gordon Mack, bassist Jerry Vessel and drummer Anthony Koutsos released on the British label 4AD Records.
This is a 6-track album / ep without actual production credits. Fact is, it's practically only the demo-recordings by Red House Painters, which has been mixed by 4AD supervisors, Ivo Watts-Russell and John Fryer. All tracks are credited Mark Kozelek, and like its successor from 1993, it's characterized by a shoegaze or dream pop sound familiar to many other releases on 4AD Records.
This is a more introvert and dark album compared to most other albums by the band, and it also contains styles that may seem a bit confusing. The tracks "Lord Kill the Pain" and partly "Michael" sounds like copies of some tracks by The Smiths, which is far from the rest. Having said that, this is highly recommendable, and a great debut.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Simple Minds "Empires and Dance" (1980)

Empires and Dance
release date: Sep. 12, 1980
format: vinyl (1982 reissue - VG 50033) / cd (1982 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]
producer: John Leckie
label: Virgin Records - nationality: Scotland, UK

Track highlights: 1. "I Travel" - 5. "Capital City" - 8. "Thirty Frames a Second"

3rd studio album by Scottish band Simple Minds originally released on Zoom Records succeeding Real to Real Cacophony (Nov. '79) marks a big change of style with emphasis on bolder use of bass and keyboard to draw a more simplistic output. Also, Jim Kerr's vocal performance has changed drastically. He no longer sounds like a Howard Devoto copycat, and he exhibits a clearly darker vocal. The kraut-rock style of the first two albums has been turned much more down and it has been replaced by a distinct synthpop with rhythm at its core, and here and there resembles the initial music by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, which is both a good thing and also a negative one, as they still appear a bit unoriginal.
It's not a great album but it points in a much more original direction, and where Real to Real could easily have been the last by the band this one seems much more like a new beginning. It may not be great, as it simply lacks more fine compositions, but it has a nice tone of melancholy and what appears as delicate darkness.

XTC "Black Sea" (1980)

Black Sea
release date: Sep. 12, 1980
format: vinyl / cd (1987 reissue)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]
producer: Steve Lillywhite
label: Virgin Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Respectable Street" - 2. "Generals and Majors" - 3. "Living Through Another Cuba" ( live) - 4. "Love at First Sight" - 5. "Rocket From a Bottle" - 7. "Towers of London" - 11. "Travels in Nihilon"

4th studio album by XTC is produced by Steve Lillywhite just like the predecessor. Although, the music is still art pop and new wave like the previous Drums & Wires (1979), this is also very classic pop / rock. On this, Andy Partridge seems to take a stronger role as the band's leading figure. On the '79 album Moulding and Partridge almost shared writing credits but here Moulding has only contributed with two songs (tracks #2 & #4) and Partridge has written the remaining nine compositions.
With Black Sea the band was compared to The Beatles by the English music press, and the writing duo, Partridge / Moulding was like Strummer / Jones of The Clash put on line with Lennon / McCartney, although they never wrote their songs together. It was either Partridge or Moulding who came to the studio recordings with new songs, but I have always thought of this as the band's "Sct. Pepper" album.
Black Sea was my favourite XTC album in the early 1980s. I had it on cassette and played it a lot, although, they were never my favourite band back then. Their music was simply too extravagant and demanding for a young teenager's mind, I guess. In the mid 80s, I simply couldn't listen to the album anymore - I was fed up with it, and thought of it as mostly annoying. Today however, I understand my fascination as well as my later contempt because of its strict, almost narrow form. From a contemporary perspective the production may seem poor but by standards of the time it's really a high-end spacious production. Most new wave and early post-punk albums were truly no masterpieces in that respect but the Lillywhite production takes sound into a new era. The album is one of XTC's most coherent albums and naturally highly recommendable.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Q Magazine 4 / 5 stars ]

Pink Floyd "Wish You Were Here" (1975)

Wish You Were Here
release date: Sep. 12, 1975
format: vinyl (reissue) / cd (2011 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5]
producer: Pink Floyd
label: Harvest - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: 1. "Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Part One) (1-5)" - 2. "Welcome to the Machine" - 3. "Have a Cigar" - 4. "Wish You Were Here" - 5. "Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Part Two) (6-9)"

9th studio album by Pink Floyd following 2½ years after The Dark Side of the Moon (Mar. 1973), which had been an enormous commercial and artistic success, and as a result the band then found it difficult to work on new material.
Wish You Were Here is far from its predecessor but nevertheless it's still another great achievement by a highly innovative band. Stylistically, this it signals a move away from the experimental and psychedelic universe, and it's more like the band's first combo of progressive rock and art rock album, a style the band would later continue on The Wall (1979) and later successive albums.
Wish You Were Here is one of my favourite Pink Floyd albums and like their '73 album this is enlisted in countless lists with the best albums of all time, and thus (deservedly) included in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". Again, the iconic cover art is made by (George Hardie at) Hipgnosis.

My vinyl issue is a Swedish print purchased around 1982-84.
[ allmusic.com, Blender, The Daily Telegraph 5 / 5 stars ]

1975 Favourite releases: 1. Bruce Springsteen Born to Run - 2. Patti Smith Horses - 3. Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here

R.E.M. "Fables of the / Reconstruction of the" (1985)

vinyl cover

Fables of the / Reconstruction of the
release date: Jun. 10, 1985
format: vinyl (1987? reissue) / cd (1992 - The I.R.S. Years Vintage 1985)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: Joe Boyd
label: I.R.S. Records - nationality: USA

Tracklist: 1. "Feeling Gravitys Pull" - 2. "Maps and Legends" - 3. "Driver 8" (4 / 5) - 4. "Life and How to Live It" (3,5 / 5) - 5. "Old Man Kensey" - 6. "Can't Get There From Here" (4 / 5) - 7. "Green Grow The Rushes" (4 / 5) - 8. "Kohoutek" - 9. "Auctioneer (Another Engine)" - 10. "Good Advices" - 11. "Wendell Gee" (4 / 5)
Bonus tracks on 1992 extended edition: 12. "Crazy" (single B-side) - 13. "Burning Hell" (single B-side) - 14. "Bandwagon" (single B-side) - 15. "Driver 8" (live) (single B-side) - 16. "Maps and Legends" (live) (single B-side)

3rd studio album by R.E.M. is released on I.R.S. and produced by Joe Boyd. It's an interesting and complex album. The title in itself is strange. The front cover of the vinyl album has the words 'Fables of the', and the back cover reads 'Reconstruction of the'. And when you look at the vinyl A-side, it's titled 'Fables of the Reconstruction', and B-side 'Reconstruction of the Fables', which is to say the title is either meant to be repeated indefinitely; or it refers to the two titles given on the vinyl sides. So there's that, and that's it! Already, quite peculiar at first look. So much for the wrapping, but same thing goes for the music, the tracks and the style. Everything is somewhat disguised and wrapped up, like... riddles. The tracks are not as much straight forward indie rock-sounding as on Reckoning (1984) but this one comes with a stronger folk rock sound, though, it's still jangle pop.
I always liked the album but at the same time also felt that there was something unfinished about it, bringing about a sensation that it generally lacks more great songs like "Driver 8", "Green Grow the Rushes", and "Wendell Gee".
The 1992 expanded cd reissue contains 5 bonus tracks all of which have previously been released on various singles as B-sides. The album was also reissued for a 2-disc '25th Anniversary Edition' with the original album as disc 1, and 14 extra tracks on disc 2 labelled 'The Athens Demos'.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

1992 bonus
tracks reissue

St. Vincent "Strange Mercy" (2011)

Strange Mercy
release date: Sep. 13, 2011
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]
producer: John Congleton
label: 4AD Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Chloe in the Afternoon" - 2. "Cruel" (4 / 5) - 3. "Cheerleader" - 4. "Surgeon" - 11. "Year of the Tiger"

3rd studio album by St. Vincent is like the predecessor produced by John Congleton and released through (British label) 4AD Records.
Stylistically, Annie Clark has moved away from the predominantly chamber pop heard on her two previous full length albums and made a more bold art pop and indie pop album, which incorporates elements from noise pop and progressive rock.
The album reached number #19 on the Billboard 200 in the US - surpassing the 2009 album with some 70 spots on that list, and popular magazines as Q Magazine, NME, and Uncut all ranked the album high on their best of 2011 year-end lists.
I easily find it her so far best album starting off very strongly with four fine compositions, after which it fades somewhat.
[ allmusic.com, The Guardian 4 / 5, NME, Spin 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

"Jeg sidder fast" - Mikael Simpson

Mikael Simpson
"Stille & uroligt" (2006)

Van Morrison "It's Too Late to Stop Now" (1974) (live)

It's Too Late to Stop Now (live)
release date: Jan. 1974
format: 2 cd (2008 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,12]
producer: Van Morrison, Ted Templeman
label: Polydor Records - nationality: Northern Ireland, UK

Track highlights: Disc 1: 1. "Ain't Nothin' You Can Do" - 2. "Warm Love" - 4. "These Dreams of You" - 9. "Domino" - 10. "I Just Want to Make Love to You"
Disc 2: 2. "Saint Dominic's Preview" - 4. "Listen to the Lion" - 5. "Here Comes the Night" - 6. "Gloria" - 7. "Caravan" - 8. "Cypress Avenue"

1st live album by Van Morrison originally released by Warner Bros. as a double vinyl album with a playing time above 90 mins. The album is not taken from one specific concert but is a compilation of 4 live recordings from May to Jul. 1973 held at three different locations: The Troubadour, LA., California (May 23rd); Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, SM., California (May 29th); and Rainbow Theatre, London, England (Jul. 23rd & 24th). The title comes from the 10:20 mins long version of "Cypress Hill", a fan shouts "Turn it on!", Van positively replies "It's already turned on," and seconds later shouts: "It's Too Late to Stop Now!"
The album is said to have been recorded at the time of Morison's peak and it's one of the most acclaimed live albums of popular music and it's featured on many best of lists. It's the third Van Morrison album to be enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
I only came across this album in recent years and up until then only knew his fine 2-disc live album A Night in San Francisco from 1994, which is truly great, but this is really not an album to miss out on. I understand the critics point to the sensation that he was at the heights of his performance strengths in the early 70s, although, with Van the Man it seems he just didn't dive after that. I saw him at a concert in Denmark back on Sep. 9, 2000 where he completely blew everyone away, and from listening to his albums after the new millennium it's only amazing how he has been able to keep such standards to his ever-expanding repertoire.
I can't really tell which album I prefer of the two great live albums 'cause they both document his skills in different ways. This one serves to document his singing strengths and it showcases one great song after the other  - and so does his '94 album, only that one is with emphasis on his later material.
This album is a must. Buy it, get it, put it on and put it on repeat!
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Q Magazine, Record Collector, Rolling Stone 5 / 5 stars ]

Jethro Tull "Minstrel in the Gallery" (1975)

2002 Remaster

Minstrel in the Gallery
release date: Sep. 5, 1975
format: digital (2002 remaster)
[album rate: 2,5 / 5]
producer: Ian Anderson
label: Chrysalis Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Minstrel in the Gallery" 3 / 5) - 2. "Cold Wind to Valhalla" (3 / 5) - 4. "Requiem" (3,5 / 5) - 7. "Grace" (3,5 /5 )

8th studio album by Jethro Tull. After Thick as a Brick (1972) Jethro Tull released another conceptual album A Passion Play (1973) consisting of only one track, which received mixed to negative reviews, except from in the US where the band sold better than in the UK - both the '72 and the '73 album ended up on top of the charts in the US album but 'only' reaching number #5 and #13 respectively in the UK. After that, the band released War Child (1974), which apparently is more ordinarily composed with 10 tracks.

Minstrel in the Gallery is yet again an album of Jethro Tull blend of progressive rock and hard rock with influences from folk and classical. I don't find it as great as their '71 or '72 album nor as fine as the '77 and '78 albums. I think, it's like a more closed and narrow album for the enlightened few.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Sputnik Music 4,5 / 5 stars ]

org. vinyl cover

Sterling "Estadio Camp-Let" (EP) (2005)

Sterling
"Estadio Camp-Let" (EP) (2005)

"Ubesvaret opkald"

Tom Waits "Closing Time" (1973)

Closing Time [debut]
release date: Mar. 1973
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,85]
producer: Jerry Yester
label: Asylum Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Ol' '55" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love With You" (5 / 5) - 4. "Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards)" - 6. "Martha" - 7. "Rosie" (4 / 5) - 9. "Ice Cream Man" - 12. "Closing Time" (instr.)

Studio album debut by Tom Waits (aka Thomas Alan Waits, born Dec. 7, 1949 in Paloma, CA, USA) released on Asylum and the only Waits album to be produced by Jerry Yester.

Although the album has near-mythic status, well, I didn't hear the album until sometime in the 90s at a time when Waits' music was becoming interesting. The album is obviously a must for Tom Waits' fans, but probably also for fans of modern vocal jazz.

The first two tracks are... pure enjoyment and show Waits at his best.

Already here he has established his persona - a man in his 40s who has lived his life in pubs, who has strolled around with several broken relationships behind him and who has strong ties to the beat generation of the 50s and especially to Jack Kerouac. Look at the cover - it's a 23-year-old Tom Waits!

Bauhaus "Ziggy Stardust (1982) (single)

Ziggy Stardust, 7'' single
release date: Sep. 1982
format: digital
[single rate: 4 / 5]

Tracklist: A) "Ziggy Stardust" (4,5 / 5) - - B) "Third Uncle"

A single release by Bauhaus. The title track is a cover of a track by David Bowie (originally released on his great glam rock album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, from 1972). The original track is great but this is likewise a great cover and a much more electrified version. The B-side track is also a cover originally by Brian Eno (from his art rock album Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy), from 1974). I actually prefer the Bauhaus-version to the fine original.