Grandaddy - The Broken Down Comforter Collection

Big Cat ABB1005692. 1999

Comprising the Machines Are Not She and A Pretty Mess By This One Band eps.

I prefer early Grandaddy like this and ...Freeway. It can't be just me that thinks everything they've done in the last five years sounds like one long boring record.

Nothing much to say really. Sorry. Not in a writing mood. Too much to do. I'll stop now.

Girls Against Boys - **House of GVSB**

Touch and Go TG149CD. 1996

Better, but nothing really stands out. It's all a bit samey. Yawn.

Girls Against Boys - Nineties vs Eighties

Adult Swim AS3CD. 1990

First three are canny (side A of orig. 12"). 4-6 suffer from eighties-itis. Annoying crappy samples. Could be deliberate (hence the name?), but why spoil what could have been perfectly decent songs?

Greg Ginn - Let It Burn (Because I don't live there anymore)

Cruz CRZ CD 036. 1994

If you can't say anything nice...

Genesis - Nursery Cryme

Charisma CASCD1052. 1985 (1971)

WHAT?!?!?!?!

It's Peter Gabriel era, right, so just fuck off.

Actually, scrub that. Gabriel or not, it's shite.

Grasshopper and the Golden Crickets - The Orbit of Eternal Grace

Beggars Banquet BBQCD 201. 1998

Decent effort from the Mercury Rev guitar chap. It's mosty MR-esque, apart from a few of moments of madness (the twisted head-nodder Univac Bug Track particularly).

Worthwhile.

Highlights: opener Silver Balloons, Univac Bug Track

Goldie - Angel (Single)

FFRR FCD266. 1995

The dreaded ad-nauseum female vocal sample.

The multiple 'mixes' of the same tune that all sound the same.

Not very good at all. Next.

Steve Gibbons - Short Stories / Stained Glass (2xCD)

Road Goes On Forever Records. RGF/SGDCD048. 2001

This is the first time I've listened to either of these disks. I only have this as I did the artwork for the CD reissue.

Short Stories - 1971. I wouldn't know what to describe this as. Dull. Mainstream. Nondescript RnB. Early seventies twaddle. There's nothing actually wrong with it, it just doesn't have anything at all on here that grabs my attention. Albert Lee plays on it, if that's any help.

Stained Glass - 1996. More mainstream nothingness. All of the above. His voice veers between Man Who Sold The World-era Bowie and seventies Dylan. I don't know how you can fail with Tom Waits' Looking for the heart of Saturday night, but he does.

Not for me. Sorry Steve. Cracking artwork though!

Vince Guaraldi Trio - A Boy Named Charlie Brown

Fantasy FCD-8430-2. 1989

Pure brilliance. This is (mostly) lounge jazz perfection. VG has an exquisite touch on the piano. It sounds casual and effortless.

I defy anyone to suppress a smile during Linus and Lucy. All that's missing is Snoopy doing his mad little jig.

This is labelled as Children's Jazz on discogs.com, but forget the Charlie Brown thing and listen to this for what it is - great tunes.

Finished off with an out-there version of Fly Me To The Moon.

I

LOVE

IT

Groove Armada - Vertigo

Zomba Records 0523782. 1999

Not nearly so good as my memory would have it. Pleasant enough in the car but I wouldn't play it at home again. A couple of classic funky tunes (I see you baby / If everybody looked the same) and the mellow groove of At the river stand out.

Godflesh - Slavestate

Earache MOSH30CD. 1991

Just different enough to get away with it in a world that already had Big Black, Swans, Cop Shoot Cop, Skinny Puppy et al. Though if they weren't from the UK I doubt they'd have even raised an eyebrow with this.

Should have put a bit more thought into the shoddy synth bass bits though.

Godflesh - Pure

Earache MOSH32CD. 1992

The first 20 seconds of Avalance Master Song on Godflesh (1988) won me over. I saw them tour with God shortly after, and they were great. (I'm pretty sure Kevin Martin spent the entire God set cupping one hand to his ear and furiously pointing to a monitor. Really, the entire set.) I was inspired to buy a drum machine. I wish I could remember what kind it was. I stood in the tiny electronics department of (I think) Rock City in Newcastle, where I'd previously bought myself a Charvel Model 1 pointy headstock rock guitar, and said to the guy 'Will it go 'du-dum, du-dum, du-dum-du.... du... du'', mimicking those first few bars. He assured me it would, so I spent my cash. I think I sold it to NF a few years later, who it turned out had owned it before me. Bizarre.

I digress. I lost interest in GF with this release. Instead of the relentless, sludgy dirge they'd spewed out previously, they got a bit melodic here. Some of the riffs even sound a bit bluesy-rock. I'd put that down to the new presence of Robert Hampson (Loop) in the line-up, but a quick look at the track-list would indicate otherwise. He doesn't play on the rockity ones.

The production sounds a bit weak to me. Doesn't hurt the head like it should. Never mind.

Gwar - Scumdogs of the Universe

Master MAS CD001. 1990

My copy pre-dates the 'explicit lyrics' gumph on the cover. 

This is, frankly, fucking dreadful.

I think my ex must have bought it after the first time we saw them live. It was an outstandingly brilliant spectacle, which left us coloured pink for weeks from the torrent of fake blood. I remember walking around town the following weekend, you could tell who'd been to the gig. They weren't so good the second time around, but that could be down to us knowing what to expect. I had the hots for Slymentra Hymen pretty bad.

How do you hide money from a hippy? Hide it under the soap!

Genius/GZA featuring D'Angelo - Cold World (single)

Geffen GFSTD22114. 1995

I swear to whatever the atheist equivalent of god happens to be, I've NEVER heard this. Where do these things come from?

Again with the disk full of remixes of the same damn track. Three versions of the title track on here, when one would actually be too many.

The guy obviously is a genius if he's managing to get people to buy shit like this. Including me, apparently.

Rubén González - Introducing....

World Circuit WCD049. 1997

Oh, what the hell. I need something to take the taste of Diamanda Galas away...

Part of that whole Buena Vista Social Club thing that made Cuban music reet popular a few years back. This chap is pretty damn good with his joanna. 

I was in Havana in November 2003 to look at some artsy stuff, and while wandering the back streets at night the air is heaving with music like this. Literally every other bar has a live band belting out Cumbanchero.

Hang on, I've been through this in the BVSC entry. Sorry. 

Back to Rubén. Good stuff, but nothing to make it stand out from everything else BVSC-related.

Diamanda Galás - Plague Mass

Mute CDSTUMM83. 1991

Did I ever really like Diamanda Galas? Or did I just want to appear strange? 

Recorded live in NYC, 1990, this is all about the Aids n that. I'm not sure it could possibly be any more miserable and depressing to listen to. I was quite cheery earlier on. Now I'm on edge, have a headache and just want to go to the pub.

That's put me off listening to stuff for the rest of the day now.

Check it out!

The Goats - Tricks of the Shade

Columbia/Ruffhouse CK53027. 1992

Damn funky intelligent hip-hop. 

I programmed a 'favourites' setting on my old CD player for this to cut out every other track, as they've got an annoying story thing going on through the album in between the toons. Don't people listen to their records before releasing them? Surely they'd have realised it would boil the piss of even the most patient hippity-hopster to have to skip the skits every listen.

Just to reiterate - this is really, really good. And that's from a chap who wears clothes that actually fit.

Grooverider - Mysteries of Funk (2 x cd)

Higher Ground/Sony HIGH06CD. 1998

I used to love this, but I prefer my DnB a bit more straight forward. Less of the annoying 'atmospherics' samples, more.... well, drums and bass really.

This also suffers that cancer on the spleen of many a potentially good DnB record - those damn spurious female vocal snippets. Honestly chaps, leave them out!

It'll go on again, but with a finger poised on the FF button on the remote.

10 months in a Saudi jail is a bit much for a bit of dope the size of a mouse's tit in your pocket, mind you. Welcome home Groove. Hope you get your job back at the BBC.

The Go's (Genbaku Onanies) - On Time, Live At Open House

Alchemy ARCD019. 1991

Bought at Volume Records, Newcastle upon tyne, £8.49 (sale price).

Very playable three chord punk. Glitchy live recording, but fun enough to get past that. I haven't got a clue what they're singing as it's all in Japanese.

According to a scribbled note stuck in the case by one of the kindly staff of Volume (I'd imagine, being the kind of music this is, it'd be Lee or Has), the name translates as 'A-bomb Masturbations'. Fancy that. Come to think of it, I'd say this is the first time I've actually seen the front cover, as I'd never removed the note.

One of the more obscure items on my shelves, and there it shall stay.

That'll have to do for the moment....

.... as next in the queue is Grooverider, The Go's, The Goats and Diamanda Galas. Can't cope with any of that right now.

Back when my head is better.

In the meantime, here's some music.........................

Galaxie 500 - On Fire

Rykodisc RCD10357. 1989

Recorded the year after Today (1989), again by Kramer at Noise New York, this follows the same basic formula of its predecessor. They've obviously been practising a bit, and they seem to be a little more forthright and confident in their delivery, especially the vocals. 

I must say I prefer the more delicate, almost apologetic presence of the first album, but this is still an absolute peach.

I really don't like people squawking away on harmonicas when they can't play them though. It ruins the start of Leave The Planet. 

Includes a nice version of Red Krayola's Victory Garden, a nice simple version of George Harrison's Isn't It A Pity, and shoegazing stroll through New Order's Ceremony that's most agreeable.

Galaxie 500 - Today

Ryko RCD10356. 1988

What a fortuitous spot to be at on the shelves, considering the state my head is in.

Some of the mellowest 3-chord jangle strum this side of Yo La Tengo. They can barely play their instruments, Dean Wareham can't sing, and it's lovely. This is where Kramer's production shows what it's worth. Ah, the late 80s.

I don't wanna go to your party, I don't wanna talk to your friends..... I wanna be a tugboat captain.

Yet another hefty break from the music....

I got a nasty concussion (amongst other ow-ies) in a car crash a few weeks ago, which meant I wasn't really up for listening to much music. The constant headache and fuzziness kind of takes the edge off the pleasure. Hence the break. It isn't fixed yet, but comes and goes, and it's mellow enough right now to play a few tunes. There's always something....