Early May, I figure
Well, people started to get restless and do dumb things, but at least George Floyd was still alive. Never say it can't get worse.
The Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy
This starts off with one of the greatest (and loudest) rock songs of all time. Alas, the rest of the record is not quite so accessible or tuneful.
B+
Billy Joel: The Nylon Curtain
There’s nothing really bad on this record. (Unfortunately, with Billy you usually get something godawful.) At some points he’s trying to make a Beatles record and doesn’t succeed but that’s better than a Billy Joel record that doesn’t succeed. And "Allentown", of course, is great.
B+
R Johnson: King of the Delta Blues
What a hard record to listen to on a bright, sunny day, but a great record to hear in the basement at 6am! Perfect Covid music.
A-
Janis Joplin: I Got Dem Ol' Kosmic Blues Again, Mama!
God, I hated this record when I first heard it. I was always a guitar guy, not a horn guy, and a pop guy, not a blues guy. But I'm younger than that now, and this sounds pretty darn good.
B+
BB King: Live at the Regal
One of the most entertaining live blues records ever made.
A-
The Kinks: Face to Face
Simply their best.
A
Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti
If you like their sound it’s hard to find fault with this record. Me, I can take it, or in a pinch, leave it.
B
Various Artists: Let Them Eat Jellybeans
A haunting howl from a very dark time - 1981. Some nasty parts that haven’t aged well, but still a great distillation of a music and subculture completely estranged from the mainstream.
A-
Gordon Lightfoot:
In Concert
The sound is too echoey for an album (but oddly perfect for an actual concert) and it accentuates the more irritating aspects of his vocals. Still it’s not a bad record and "The Canadian Railroad Trilogy" makes it all worthwhile.
B+
Summer Side of Life
Side one is pretty powerful, side two pretty okay.
B+
Don Quixote
Side one edges out side one of SSOL, as does side two. The sound is cleaner, too. This is one of those records that hits me hard – as the kids say – in the feels, coming at a time when I was a delicate young man. But those songs that hit me then still hit me now.
A-
Little Feat:
The Last Record Album
By this time Lowell George has lost a step. The result is the quintessential "not bad" album that can be more frustrating than an outright mediocre one, like Down On The Farm. The material works for me, as does the sentiment. Now if they just played a little faster and louder… Like side two of Feats Don't Fail Me Now.
B+
Hoy Hoy
There's some really nice stuff on this collection of alternate takes, almost hits, etc. The live stuff sounds better than Waiting for Columbus, which I’ll have to listen to again to be sure.
B+
Nick Lowe:
Pure Pop for Now People
Brilliant pop fluff but not genius.
A-
Labour of Lust
Now he's not trying for genius and that's okay. A little less brilliant but a lot more straight-ahead and consistent. Which makes it my go-to NL record.
A-
By this time I was getting the hang of working from the basement, and was outright enjoying some of this music, as opposed to just admiring/taking solace from/wallowing in it. These are all legitimate uses, by the way. Especially in this time.
I'd only get to do this for a little bit longer before the shite would really hit the fan.
But for now...
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