Ella Fitzgerald "Classic Ella Fitzgerald" (2000)

Classic Ella Fitzgerald (compilation)
release date: May 29, 2000
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]

Track highlights: 1. "Makin' Whoopee" - 2. "Dream a Little Dream of Me" (with Louis Armstrong) - 4. "How High the Moon" - 8. "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair" - 11. "Lover, Come Back to Me" - 12. "How Long Has This Been Going On?" - 14. "It's Only a Paper Moon"

A compilation album with Ella Fitzgerald released on Universal Records in the series 'The Universal Masters Collection'. It's a another fine collection of mostly standards and big band vocal jazz.

The Psychedelic Furs "All of This and Nothing" (1988)

All of This and Nothing (compilation)
release date: 1988
format: vinyl (CBS 461110 1)
[album rate: 3 / 5]
producer: various
label: CBS Records - nationality: England, UK

1st compilation album by London-based new wave, alt. rock band The Psychedelic Furs.
I had heard about the band before and therefore purchased the album without any knowledge of the music, but I never quite understood why they were interesting...

Morrissey "Southpaw Grammar" (1995)

Southpaw Grammar
release date: Aug. 28, 1995
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]
producer: Steve Lillywhite
label: RCA Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 2. "Reader Meet Author" - 3. "The Boy Racer" - 5. "Dagenham Dave" - 7. "Best Friend on the Payroll" (4 / 5) (live on BBC)

5th studio album by Morrissey is his first after leaving EMI and signing with RCA Records. The album is like the predecessor produced by Steve Lillywhite; however it represents another change of style by Morrissey who hasn't released similar albums after launching his solo career. Naturally, he's very dependent on musical collaboration work when writing new songs as his strengths are not in the musical composition chair. He writes lyrics and sings songs and very much rely on other peoples contributions when it comes to arrangements and the final musical output. On the debut album he was brought together with longtime The Smiths producer Stephen Street, which secured a recognisable sound, but already on his follow-up album, he had turned to Mark E. Nevin (of Fairground Attractions) and Clive Langer, which completely altered his style into more mainstream pop / rock, and on his 3rd solo album he mostly worked with guitarist and composer Alain Whyte, and together with producer Mick Ronson they assisted and collaborated in giving birth to his so far best rocking album. On his 4th solo album it was both Whyte and (new) guitarist Boz Boorer, but also Steve Lillywhite who, again in a collaboration work, made a new style shine through, which perhaps was the album that is closest to his solo debut.
Now although, both Whyte, Boorer and Lillywhite also has worked with Morrissey on this album, the style is much more experimental, progressive and introvert, and altogether strangely makes a rather big step away from Vauxhall and I. Some tracks like "Reader Meet Author", "The Boy Racer", "Dagenham Dave", and "Best Friend on the Payroll" are stylistically close to the predecessor but it also contains two tracks of more than 10 minutes playing time and "The Operation" (6:53 min.), which has a drum intro of more than 2 minutes, an outtro of approx. 2 min. (and a great middle part of almost 3 minutes) consisting of mostly noise rock and all three being tracks where Morrissey [?] experiments with a progressive alt. rock, which is completely new and ultimately less successful.
The front cover is rather different from all of his solo albums as they all feature a photo of himself. Here it's a photo of American "southpaw" [left-handed] boxer Kenny Lane (from 1963) that underlines an overall theme about boxing. In 2009 the album was reissued (and remastered) with 4 bonus tracks (and a different track list), which was released with a b/w front cover of... Morrissey.
All in all, I'm not particular fond of this album that I suspect of being a bit of record label manoeuvre. With a new artist under its roof, the management could use something to be remembered by. Sadly, the result is not one for the better.
[ allmusic.com 2,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 3 / 5, Q Magazine 4 / 5 stars ]

Nova Mob "Nova Mob" (1994)

Nova Mob

release date: May 1994

format: cd (US issue)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]

producer: Nova Mob & Chopper Black

label: Restless Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Old Empire" (4 / 5) (video) - 2. "Shoot Your Way to Freedom" - 3. "Puzzles" - 5. "Little Miss Information" - 7. "I Won't Be There Anymore" - 8. "Please Don't Ask" - 9. "The Sins of Their Sons" - 10. "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" - *12. "Not Talking About"

*Bonus track on US issue

[ full album ]

2nd and final studio album by Nova Mob following more than three years after The Last Days of Pompeii (Feb. 1991). Since the debut, the line-up has changed a few times ending up with just two members from the initial line-up: primary songwriter, guitarist and lead vocalist Grant Hart and bassist Tom Merkl. They are here joined by new guitarist Chris Hesler and new drummer Steve Sutherland now making the band a quartet.

After the album release also bassist Merkl left and was subsequently replaced by Marc Retish, and with this line-up Nova Mob embarked on a European tour before disbanding by the end of the Summer of '94 after which Hart continued as a solo artist.

The style and music this time sounds like a mix of the debut album and the music by Hart's former band Hüsker Dü - at least when compared to their last three albums. This means the tempo has slightly been turned up and there's a bolder use of distorted guitars, which bonds with the playing style of Bob Mould. The standard international issue comes with eleven tracks, whereas the US release is expanded with two bonus tracks. Hart is credited all lyrics and music except two compositions on which he is co-writer with Merkl and Hesler respectively (tracks #7 and #11).

Strangely, the album received mixed reviews commenting (see allmusic.com review) that the songs and the songwriting suffers from being a mere Hüsker Dü rip-off. Grant Hart wrote and composed half of the music in that band, and if anything it only bonds more closely with the music of his former band, and then there're some very fine new songs on this. The production sound was kind of poor on the debut, and here there's an improvement as it demonstrates more dynamics, but on the other hand it's still not all that impressive. The drums sound flat and one-dimensional and the album simply seems short of layers, which makes the single instruments battle too much in having the most power. Perhaps there's a desire to come close to the sound of live recordings - but as far as the songwriting goes and after the disbandment of Hüsker Dü, this is not only the best by Nova Mob, it's also the (so far) best by Grant Hart.

I like it, it's gooood..

[ 👎allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

Bob Mould "The Last Dog and Pony Show" (1998)

The Last Dog and Pony Show
release date: Aug. 25, 1998
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]
producer: Bob Mould
label: Rykodisc / Creation Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 2. "Moving Trucks" - 3. "Taking Everything" - 4. "First Drag of the Day" (4 / 5) - 5. "Classifieds" - 6. "Who Was Around?" - 7. "Skintrade" - 9. "Sweet Serene" - 11. "Reflecting Pool"

4th solo album by Bob Mould following nearly 2½ years after the self-titled '96 album was intended to be his last studio album. In an interview he referred to the troublesome almost 20 years of life on the road, but supposedly it was (also) his sufferings from tinnitus that had him accepting this to be incompatible with a lifestyle as a musician.

My first impression was one of disappointment as it doesn't reach the level of his '96 release, but then again: how many does that? Also, despite the effort to continue the success of his most recent album, it really contains some fine tracks but also points in too many directions.
It's by no means a mediocre release, but it may be regarded as his last good album for a long period of time as a comeback would be launched with Modulate in 2002, which initiates a period of... let's just call it experimentation.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]

Ane Brun "Spending Time with Morgan" (2003)

Spending Time with Morgan [debut]

release date: May 25, 2003

format: cd (DEMCD01)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]

producer: Kim Nelson; Katharina Nuttall & Cecile Grudet

label: DetErMine Records / V2 - nationality: Norway

Track highlights: 1. "Humming One of Your Songs" (4 / 5) (live - live) - 2. "Are They Saying Goodbye?" - 3. "On Off" - 4. "I Shot My Heart" - 7. "One More Time" - 9. "What I Want" - 11. "Wooden Body" (live)

Studio album debut by Norwegian soloist Ane Brun (aka Ane Kvien Brunvoll) released with assistance from V2 on the small independent label DetErMine, founded by the three singer / songwriter friends: Ane Brun, Canadian Wendy McNeill, and Swedish Ellekari Larsson (from the band The Tiny) - the album number reveals this as the first on the label, DEMCD01. From 2009 Brun exclusively releases her albums on her own label Balloon Ranger Recordings, however, these releases still comes with the catalog numbers beginning initiated with 'DEM' + continued numbers, either in respect of her co-founded early label, or simply because she has took over the old label when realising her own label. Ane Brun was born and raised in Molde in Norway, but she has been living in Sweden since 1999.

Spending Time with Morgan is mainly acoustic folk rock in a singer / songwriter format with elements from chamber pop and with strong ties to a predominantly American tradition, which in terms of style and genre has much in common with Danish Marie Frank and Tina Dickow, all of which especially bring to mind the strong legacy of Joni Mitchell. That said, I think that Brun is in a league of her own, both with a stronger international appeal than her Danish colleagues, and for having an apparent original voice of her own.

Both music and lyrics here are Brun's own, and although you may find clear bonds to well-known styles and other artists, the album exudes a self-assured individuality with its quiet, introverted tone, and Brun's vocal suits the simple arrangements ever so fittingly.

A very fine and promising debut.

[ Gaffa.dk 4 / 6 stars ]

Steve Kilbey "Earthed" (1987)

Earthed
release date: May 25, 1987
format: vinyl (clear vinyl) / digital (1988)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]
producer: Steve Kilbey [recorded by]
label: Ryko Analogue - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "The Dawn Poems" - 5. "A Loveletter From Sydney" - 6. "Carthage" - 7. "City of Women" - 9. "...The Empire Mourns Her Sun Without Tears" - 10. "Cornucopia" - 11. "Memory (c)" - 12. "Aphrodite" - 16. "Atlantis"

2nd solo album by Steve Kilbey released on Ryko Analogue, a Rykodisc-sublabel used for cassette- and vinylreleases. The vinyl issue is an American import on clear vinyl. As on his solo-debut Unearthed from '86, Kilbey is in charge of most things on this one, thus being credited: played by, recorded by, mixed by, as well as composer and as responsibe for (printed) material. Only a few other people are mentioned as contributors to this album: some who have assisted in creating artwork, some who have helped with mixing and mastering, and also his Swedish girlfriend at the time, Karin Jansson, who is co-writer on track #9. The album is published as a 'musical companion' to his homonymous lyric and essay publication on the modern life of mysticism. The back of the book cover contains the following description of the music: "An album of music which could be seen instrumental to the reading of the book..."

This was the first album I purchased of Kilbey's solo releases, which is probably quite fortunate, because if it had been the other way around and I had heard his actual solo debut first, I might not have considered buying this one, which consists entirely of instrumental tracks. It's quite a different collection of tracks by being far more experimental and more complex. The music is predominantly electronic in the sense that Kilbey makes use of synthesizers, drum programming, loops and tapes, and it's a release that is quite far from what he has released with the band The Church.

Some tracks (#7, #9, #10, #13, and #20) sound much like music inspired by Ryuichi Sakamoto and / or David Sylvian with a constant underlying presence of ambience. Another striking feature of the album is that it consists of twenty tracks and yet 'only' has a total running time of under 48 minutes. Three compositions are shorter than one minute, ten tracks have a duration of one to three minutes, five are between three and four minutes and two tracks are longer than four minutes.

Although, I do believe I acquired his solo debut a few weeks after this, I've always found this one that bit more entriguing. Yes, it's quite experimental, but at the same time it's also rich in ideas, and so it still holds up as quite a timeless work.

Arctic Monkeys "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" (2006)

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not [debut]
release date: Jan. 23, 2006
format: cd
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,28]
producer: Jim Abbiss, Alan Smyth
label: Domino - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "The View From the Afternoon" (4 / 5) - 2. "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" (4 / 5) - 4. "Dancing Shoes" - 7. "Riot Van" (4 / 5) - 8. "Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured" - 9. "Mardy Bum" - 10. "Perhaps Vampires Is a Bit Strong But..." - 11. "When the Sun Goes Down" (4 / 5) - 13. "A Certain Romance"

Studio debut album by Arctic Monkeys is a great release. Yes, they were hyped the next big thing like hundreds of artists before them, and often just without much evident basis or talent, but these guys really play their British asses off. It's great garage rock in the a typical British working class style that draws on The Kinks, The Who, and 1970s big working class band, The Jam, and then adds some indie rock, and alt. rock. What really holds the band together is the lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter, Alex Turner. He's fantastic!
The album won many prizes and was picked as album-of-the-year including that of NME, Q Awards, Time Magazine, Hot Press, it won the Mercury Prize in 2006, and it's included in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".

2006 Favourite releases: 1. Amy Winehouse Back to Black - 2. Arctic Monkeys Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - 3. Band of Horses Everything All the Time

Rod Stewart "Unplugged... and Seated" (1993) (live)

Unplugged... and Seated (live)
release date: May 24, 1993
format: vinyl
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,16]
producer: Patrick Leonard
label: Warner Bros. - nationality: England, UK

Live album by Rod Stewart with special guest Ronnie Wood on acoustic guitar recorded Feb. 5, 1993 at Universal Studios, Los Angeles as part of MTV’s Unplugged series.

[ collectors' item - from ~ €50,- ]

Jan Garbarek "I Took Up the Runes" (1990)

I Took Up the Runes
release date: Aug. 1990
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5]

Track highlight: 1. "Gula Gula" (4 / 5) - 2. "Molde Canticle Part 1" (5 / 5) - 3. "Molde Canticle Part 2" - 4. "Molde Canticle Part 3" (3,5 / 5) - 5. "Molde Canticle Part 4" (2,5 / 5) - 6. "Molde Canticle Part 5" (3 / 5) - 7. "His Eyes Were Suns" (4 / 5) - 8. "I Took Up the Runes" (4 / 5) - 9. "Bueno Hora, Buenos Vientos" (3,5 / 5) - 10. "Rahkki Sruvvis"

Studio album by Jan Garbarek, which is stylistically close to Legend of the Seven Dreams (1988) with a little less focus on ambient but still it's modern free jazz with traditional folk elements, also on this what could be Indian sounding fragments. Overall, I like this a bit better.

Pearl Jam "Vitalogy" (1994)

Vitalogy
release date: Nov. 22, 1994
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,46]
producer: Brendan O'Brien, Pearl Jam
label: Sony Records, Japan - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Last Exit" - 2. "Spin the Black Circle" (3 / 5) - 5. "Nothingman" - 8. "Corduroy" - 11. "Better Man" (4 / 5)

3rd studio album by Pearl Jam org. released on Epic Records. This is the second and final album to feature drummer Dave Abbruzzese, who was replaced by Jack Irons (former Red Hot Chili Peppers, also substituting Abbruzzese on track #14).
With Vitalogy the band embarks on a journey into more experimental alt. rock compared to the previous two albums. It's no longer just grunge rock but more of a alt. rock and hard rock combo. The whole album is really a huge blend of styles and songs, some of which are quite aggressive hard rock-styled touching punk rock elements, a few are just alternative... or mere experimental, others are fine rock hymns with harmony vocals, and the then there are also quiet singer / songwriter folk rock ballads. Best track here is "Better Man", and I know the album is a favourite among many Pearl Jam fans - I just don't find it that great and frankly find it too mixed as a whole with a big gap between highs and lows.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone, Q Magazine 4 / 5 stars ]

Arctic Monkeys "When the Sun Goes Down" (2006) (single)

When the Sun Goes Down, 7'' single
release date: Jan. 16, 2006
format: digital
[single rate: 3,5 / 5]

Tracklist: 1. "When the Sun Goes Down" (4 / 5) - 2. "Stickin to the Floor" (3 / 5) - 3. "7"

Single release from Arctic Monkeys. The first track is taken from the forthcoming album debut, and the two other tracks are rather fine but not quite on par with the first track.

Arctic Monkeys

~ ~ ~

Arctic Monkeys: is a British band formed in High Green, Sheffield, England, in 2002. Members: Alex Turner (lead vocals, lead & rhythm guitar), Jamie Cook (rhythm & lead guitar), Nick O'Malley (bass guitar, backing vocals), Matt Helders (drums, backing vocals). Former member: Andy Nicholson (bass guitar, backing vocals) left shortly after the debut album's release in 2006. The driving force in the band is the lead vocalist, guitarist, as well as its main composer, Alex Turner. From the start, the band was very much in the spotlight, and the debut album became the fastest-selling debut album in British music history. They have already won dozens of prizes, and all their albums have peaked at #1 on the British album hit list, and they have all sold "Platinum" or "Gold".

~ ~ ~

Jean-Michel Jarre "Oxygene 7-13" (1997)

Oxygene 7-13
release date: May 20, 1997
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: Jean-Michel Jarre
label: Disques Dreyfus - nationality: France

Tracklist: 1. "Oxygène 7 (Part 1, 2, 3)" - 2. "Oxygène 8" - 3. "Oxygène 9 (Part 1, 2, 3)" - 4. "Oxygène 10" - 5. "Oxygène 11" - 6. "Oxygène 12" - 7. "Oxygène 13"

12th studio album release by 'Jean Michel' Jarre is a return to his masterpiece from 1976, Oxygène, and an album that continues where the '76 album ended - a premise you should think could only fail.
In my mind, this is nontheless a rather underrated album of the 1990s. Jarre has always belonged to the 1970s in one sense or the other - it was with his Oxygène and Equinoxe became internationally renowned, and everything that followed somehow pointed back to his starting point. And then all the following musical styles with synthpop and electronic had his name and legacy of the 70s written all over. I have, however, only paid him little interest since his albums of the 70s. Occasionally, I heard some of his music, and I saw his extravagant live performances on tv, but I always turned his new-found music down - that is, his music of the 80s and onwards; 'cause this new chapter is actually more than just fine. It's not only because it sounds much alike his original and highly praised first chapter but because it's an updated musical journey that makes use of the former as foundation and then explores musical landscapes on new terms of shape, sound, and style. This is not pop loops and form but experimental progressive electronic. I cannot help but think, this is the sequel he could and should have made instead of making commercial pop albums in the 1980s and I'm glad that I found this 'cause it's a recommended album.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

The Radio Dept. "Against the Tide" (2000) (ep)

Against the Tide, ep
release date: 2000 / 2002
format: digital (2002)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,48]
producer: Johan Duncanson and Martin Larsson
label: Slottet Recordings - nationality: Sweden

Tracklist: 1. "Against the Tide" - 2. "Liebling" - 3. "Why Won't You Talk About It?" (4 / 5) - 4. "We Would Fall Against the Tide"

First ep release by Swedish band The Radio Dept., originally released as a demo in 2000 and later in 2002 pressed and released on 7'' vinyl.
The first formation of the band goes back to 1995 when vocalist Elin Almered and guitarist Johan Duncanson started playing together as a teenage project. The two soon split but around '98, guitarist Martin Larsson (aka Martin Carlberg) and Johan Duncanson started playing together under the band name, and in autumn 2001 they were joined by bassist Lisa Carlberg and drummer Per Blomgren - and this four-piece was later expanded to a quintet by keyboardist Daniel Tjäder.
Both track #1 and #3 are also found on the debut album, Lesser Matters from 2003, and #2 and #4 are included on the compilation album Passive Aggressive: Singles 2002-2010 (2011).
Despite being self-recorded and self-produced 'lo-fi' compositions the potential is truly remarkable.

Hothouse Flowers "People" (1988)

People [debut]
release date: May 1988
format: vinyl / digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: Clive Langer, Alan Winstanley
label: London Records - nationality: Ireland

Studio album debut by Irish folk rock, pop / rock band Hothouse Flowers, who played as an in-between act at the Eurovision Song Contest 1988 with the song "Don't Go", which had been chosen for the second promotional single. I recall the show, and mostly only because of their song, which together with their very first single "Love Don't Work This Way" convinced me to go out and purchase this album.

Recommended.

Best of 1985:Ry Cooder "Paris, Texas" (OST) (1985)

org. album cover

Paris, Texas (soundtrack)
release date: 1985
format: cd (1988 RE) / vinyl (2025 RE, 40th Anniversary, red vinyl)
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,48]
producer: Ry Cooder
label: Warner Bros. - nationality: USA

Tracklist: 1. "Paris, Texas" (4 / 5) - 2. "Brothers" - 3. "Nothing Out There" - 4. "Canción Mixteca" (5 / 5) (live version with Harry Dean Stanton) - 5. "No Safety Zone" - 6. "Houston in Two Seconds" (4 / 5) - 7. "She's Leaving the Bank" - 8. "On the Couch" - 9. "I Knew These People (feat. Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski)" - 10. "Dark Was the Night"

Soundtrack by Ry Cooder to the movie "Paris, Texas" from 1984 directed by Wim Wenders.

Ry Cooder plays a twangy Americana guitar accompanied by two other perfectly skilled musicians: Jim Dickinson and David Lindley. Together they play music by dusty angels, and it suits this fantabulous movie like... cheese and red wine... a Ferrari and my garage... a pink sweater on Nastassja Kinski... like... hand in glove. I love the music just the way I love the movie by Wenders, which I may have seen 4 or 5 times and haven't found boring or too long yet. The music on this album is just perfect for an evening listening to old vinyl records, and I don't really need any other company - this is more than just fine. In my mind, this is by far Cooder's best album.
[ movie trailer ]

Edit 2026:
The 40th Anniversary edition is pressed on red vinyl and comes with the original cover art.

1985 Favourite releases: 1. Ry Cooder Paris, Texas - 2. The Smiths Meat Is Murder - 3. The Pogues Rum, Sodomy and the Lash

'my' alternate CD version and the 2001 remaster

Ry Cooder "Bop Till You Drop" (1979)

Bop Till You Drop
release date: Aug. 1979
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5]
producer: Ry Cooder
label: Warner Bros. - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Little Sister" - 3. "The Very Thing That Makes You Rich (Makes Me Poor)" - 8. "Don' t Mess Up a Good Thing" - 9. "I Can't Win"

7th studio album by Ry Cooder marks another change of style towards mainstream pop / rock. His first three albums were all dedicated to roots rock and americana with music written by "forgotten" composers from before WW2. On his fourth album Paradise and Lunch (1974) he incorporated more contemporary music with a new style: jazz. On his fifth album Chicken Skin Music (1976) he mixed his americana style with gospel and Hawaiian music, and on his sixth studio album, Jazz (1978), well, I guess that sort of says it all. On this album he does what he has become famous for: re-arranging other artists compositions in new ways. The selected songs are rhythm & blues and rock & roll classics, and in Cooder's versions they are all added a certain roots rock element. The album sold well, but I don't find it as good as his more stylistic "clean" and traditional arrangements. Although, it's solid workmanship, I find that it's too much r&b to my liking.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

Ry Cooder "Boomer's Story" (1972)

Boomer's Story
release date: Nov. 1972
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]
producer: Jim Dickinson, Lenny Waronker
label: Reprise Records - nationality: USA

3rd studio album by Ry Cooder who keeps to his roots rock combining with americana. It's really impressive how this young-less-than-25-yo man sounds like a mature cowboy doing the blues of his life. This is just as impressive as his 2nd album, Into the Purple Valley (also 1972).
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Ry Cooder "Into the Purple Valley" (1972)

Into the Purple Valley
release date: Feb. 1972
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]
producer: Jim Dickinson, Van Dyke Parks, Lenny Waronker
label: Reprise Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 3. "Money Honey" - 4. "F.D.R. in Trinidad" - 5. "Teardrops Will Fall" (3,5 / 5) - 7. "On A Monday" - 8. "Hey Porter" - 11. "Vigilante Man"

2nd studio album by Ry Cooder is an even bolder return to the heart of sources to contemporary rock. He interprets Agnes Cunningham, Leadbelly, Johnny Cash, and Woody Guthrie, and a number of other artists who made music in the earliest decades of the century. I have never been a great fan of the blues, traditional rhythm & blues nor country, but one has to hand it to Cooder: he does a fabulous job in making this music live again, and the album has an authenticity and genuine quality that simply came in smaller dozes on his debut. At the point of recording the album Cooder is 22 years old but mostly just sounds like a mature man with a long and lively life behind him.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]