List : Top ten albums of the moment

Since i got an email from my Swiss friend Alessio he was kinda prompting me to make a new 'list', so here is my fave Lp's at the moment just for Alessio. Sometimes only one track needs to strike a chord with me to make it a good album but a truly wonderful album needs something much more than that. these records all have that special something for me. Most of them are old , most of them cost me less than £5. Its finds like this that make me go out most days looking for records. Its quite a serious addiction to be perfectly honest. I sometimes see people that i may end up like, in record shops older than me and still on the hunt for that illusive record. this list is starting with a record i listened to three times today just because i can. while i was stamping and wrapping all the forthcoming ono releases.

10* so the first on the list at number 10 is the very interesting FRANCE By Gordon Jenkins. Recorded in 'process 70' this album is an incredible sounding thing considering its age. The sound you get on this record is likened to watching a film, with all the drama of these little 'scenes' you get as you listen. its all about a trip to paris for a group of american tourists. its quite a journey that involves flying, being robbed, dancing with smooth talking french men, going to the Louvre, love, car crashes. All this is accompanied with the glorious soundtrack by Gordon Jenkins (and his orchestra) Favorite track has to be : Danse Avec Moi , this is the track where the lady gets caught in the rain and then becomes prey for a smooth talking french man with an umbrella. its magic waiting to happen.

9* Number 9 on the list is Cul De Sac : Ecim , mice backwards, see > nice record found dead cheap but i only knew about this thanks to Danny from Piccadilly records he played it one time and shared his knowledge. i'm not sure what track he played off it but it sounded out of this world. i was very impressed, he's got a wide ranging taste has that man! this record is well worth picking up but you dont see it often. Pick of the album has to be the John Fahey Song : 'The Portland Cement Factory at Monolith, California'. its a screeching train wreck of a song. download it if you can find it somewhere...

8* number 8 is Chris Corsano : The Young Cricketer. another record indirectly linked to Danny@Piccadilly, i saw Chris Corsano play as a member of sunburned hand of the man at the bowls club a while ago and my friend monika bought the CD version of 'The Young Cricketer' we listened to it on the car on the way home and i thought it was painful but some things take time to sink in. the thing about young cricketer is its all done without any editing and no overdubbing or anything like that so its basically an undiluted listen to chris corsano making music at home when he was living in manchester using all the things he could get his hands on. Recorded in Manchester England Feb 1-3, 06 (Except for side a track 2 recorded January sixth. Using drums, cymbals, baritone & alto saxophone mouthpeices with plastic tube and/or funnel, and/or shower attachment apparatus, pot lids, lamp base, scotch tape, violin-string-snare-drum contraption, bows, sticks, butter knives, and a superball on a stick, some distortion used on side B when mixing tracks 7 and especially 8, but other than that, no electronics either. No track choice cos its more of a journey and inspiration as a whole album.
7* Next on the list is Antena : "Camino Del Sol" reissued last year this still a brilliant album initially i really loved camino del sol the title track but i have since been drawn towards 'To Climb the Cliff' , so much so that i dj'd it on wednesday, i originally got this album as a cdr off my friend john, he was buzzing about it so he wanted me to hear it too. i absolutely loved having the cdr and when i got the Lp i just carried on listening to it. sometimes when you actually have the record itself i find i have already listened to it too much on my ipod but this is long term quality. its summer music definitely. i wish it was summer now.

6* Next one has got to be No One Cares By Frank Sinatra just because of the number of times i have listened to it recently. This Lp is the best I've heard from Sinatra, also arranged By Gordon Jenkins i already wrote about this ages ago so i'll not go on again. standout track is 'I Dont Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You'. Tip of the century. Gloomy rain music for singletons with too much time on their hands. This is dedicated to my future girlfriend whoever she may be, i'm sure i dont stand a ghost of a chance with her lets hope she likes me anyway just the way i am.
5* Number five on the list today is Martin Rev LP on Lust Unlust Music. if only for a few tracks that just shine. Mari, Recommended listening from Matt Wand and Jomo , My favourite track. i wish all electro music sounded this raw, this loud. on top of that it was a total find for me, super cheap 1979 original. i was very happy to find this. I just need some more Suicide now.
4* number 4 is another Sinatra album this time alongside Count Basie and arranged by the "ON FIRE" Quincy Jones! after watching that documentary on Quincy Jones's life i really needed to track down the sinatra LPs that he had a part in. as you can imagine this is pretty swinging. its such quality just imagine the kind of kit they must have used to record it with. The VERY BEST , thats what . the best players the smoothest most naughty voice of the 20th century. Those mafia connections just make sinatra a little bit more interesting. With "Q" and sinatra and basie all together doing a studio album magic was bound to happen and this is rich with upbeat immensely powerful songs. my choice on this one has got to be the upbeat monster 'I Believe In You' for instant uplift when you've just finished listening to 'No One Cares'. Absolutely Swingin party music. i want this at my wedding, take note dj friends. plus its got "Frank & Splank" on the cover. Bonus.

3*Number 3, the magic number goes to Arthur Russell. This LPx3 cost me a whole lot of cash and its probably only got about one Lp's worth of music that justifies the price tag but its a nice item and the tracks on the Orange coloured LP "Instrumental's Volume 1&2 make it the special album that deserves to be at no 3 on the list! dont want to say too much because so many people must gas about Arthur Russell but these tracks are mostly his Cello Compositions and they sound like music i'd want to hear in heaven. Pick of the Bunch is Instrumentals 2 track 1, previously released on Les Disques Du Crepuscule in 1984. Joyful sounds that will live forever absolutely timeless.
2*its late but i'm almost there so i'll carry on... number 2 on the list has to be special hasn't it so for number two i will pick Flying Lizards first LP on Virgin. Its another all good album but the best track for me is 'Her Story' produced buy the man who produced This Heat. David Cunningham. The late seventies and early Eighties would just not have been the same without this man's input. Not that i was even born when he was doing his best stuff... oh well its ok to like old stuff and this is excellent. All the Flying Lizards records are worth checking out.

1* The top spot is saved for the lady that sang from her soul. Nina Simone : At Newport. Its nice and ive still not found live at Carnegie Hall so this will have to do for now. if anyone sees it for less than 20 quid on Colpix then please get it for me i'll pay you back. since i'm flagging now cos i wrote way too much on some of the others. i suppose there is no real need to talk about nina because i know relatively little. pick of the album is 'Flo Me La' special mention to Bobby Hamilton on Drums, Al Shackman on Guitar and Chris White on Bass. They are the ones that make this one stand out a bit more to me than more common Nina Simone albums. Flo Me La Means "To Walk" or "Walking Along" its got real power... the whole album is a winner but that track is a booming driving powerhouse.

That completely wraps it up, i'm going to bed. I really hope that Alessio appreciates that effort. lets hope he comes up with some good lists as a response. come on Alessio (or anyone else for that matter. do me a list or even just scan an old list for me to check out! shopping lists are fine too. zzzzzz