I wrote the following for a publication celebrating my primary schools 150th year. Gladstone Central Primary school is a small school at the bottom of Auckland hill, when my mum went there the harbor came right up to the school fence, you could go fishing in the lunch break! Now all that is reclaimed for the port and there are railway tracks and silos but it was a great primary school to attend, small enough that you knew just about everyone. Three generations of my family attended there and while it's very unlikely that my kids will attend, I'm very glad that just down the road from us is a very 'Central' like school.
Most of my mates were in the year below me in primary school. That made it very easy for my parents to take me off traveling for a year and let me start high school with them. It was a good deal. When I returned and went off to my new school everything had changed. Not my mates, rather the way we spent our lunch hours. For some reason we were all suddenly too cool to play sport during the lunch hour.
Sport is what I remember the most from my days at Central. There was those innocent first two years up in the top playground where you just ran around chasing each other. What you really wanted was to go down to the oval. Where the big kids played. You always had a try, but the small school defeated you every time as the teacher always knew where you should be. Year three therefore, was a big step, you got to get onto the main oval and play sport.
The year was divided up into three sections. Summer of course was cricket. There would be games on the basketball court before school. The good players brought their own bats and everyone would bring a tennis ball, as quite a few would make it on to the nearby railway tracks. Lunchtimes would see multiple games, usually in year groups, using the trees along Auckland Street as stumps. I seem to remember one tree being particularly ours, at least until year seven, when the school managed the previously unthought of luxury of a kanga cricket stumps set. We could then set up shop in the middle of the oval and imagine the MCG or Gabba.
Imagination and sport went hand in hand. Being the eighties we all imitated the West Indies bowlers and Dean Jones batting. When winter came it was soccer and rugby league. Of course at origin time both teams were mostly stacked with Alfie Langer clones, unless you were from NSW and were weird. We would always push the boundaries and try and play tackle, each successive hit up becoming more tackle than 'hold', before a teacher would come and warn us and we practiced our innocent looks.
One of the biggest questions of my school life at Central was when you actually changed sports. There was always boys that liked one more than the other so would start bringing the bat or footy to school, setting up the stumps or piling the bags into try lines. We sorted this tense situation out with diplomacy that would not be out of place in the middle east, by playing a third sport called Sandwich, or more succinctly, Kill.
It was a game breathtaking in it's simplicity. Throw a ball into the air and watch 30 odd boys run like made to be first to get it. If you got the ball, you were fair game and you ran like hell until you thought your life was in danger at which point you threw the ball as high as you could into the air. Fear and self preservation usually kept the ball moving but occasionally you'd misjudge and find yourself at the bottom of a scrum of blokes, with latecomers doing swan dives onto the pile. It was usually at this point that the teacher of the day would politely suggest that perhaps we could find some other form of entertainment.
The worst thing that could happen to you at Central was forgetting your hat. Lunch, you could do without but to miss cricket or soccer at lunchtime was a tragedy. I'm sure Shakespeare first got in the mood for Hamlet by missing out on a game of cricket.
Every time I return to Gladstone I'll drive past that oval and instantly remember the times running around that green oval, wolfing down lunch so I could fit another oval or kick in, turning up early at school for just one more game.
- Lantanaland from my iPad.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Coda. Recap and top ten live albums
So I really enjoyed writing about my favorite albums and the comments on here and twitter. Even found out a few things I didn't know. When Dr Yobbo and I were setting this up on twitter and arguing out the ground rules, he correctly excluded live albums, because we figured if a band couldn't get their shit together to write a good studio album then they didn't deserve the spot. He's right, I've never understood why a band like Hunters and Collectors would produce such overproduced anemic studio recordings but sound so amazing live. They should have just miked up a big room and played all their albums like a live set. So here is my top ten live albums. Some of these bands are just better live than with a producer playing with their shit.
No 10. New York City - Peter Malik Quartet and Norah Jones
Great laid backed sound, which suits her voice to a tee. I think she is a bit underrated because of her profile. Great singer.
No 9. Live at Brighton Beach - Fatboy Slim
The Wife was on a train to see this set, or the second one I can't remember and missed a connection and missed out. A shame cause Fatboy Dlim live would be a great party!
No 8. Live on Earth - The Cat Empire
A good album, not a great album, but there a great live songs here that capture the essence of what makes them a kick arse live band. The little live show they played at The Rev for radio executives was probably the second best gig we had.
No 7. Ben Folds Live - Ben Folds
Amazing to think that a guy behind a piano could be so captivating. He has a fantastic voice and writes killer melodic pop songs with thoughtful lyrics. The version of Fred Jones Part II on this is haunting.
No 6. Live at the Matterhorn - Fat Freddys Drop
4 songs. 70 minutes. That pretty much sums up the Fat Freddys live experience. They don't just hit you between the eyes. They sneak up on you slowly, adding layer upon layer of music. When I first saw them live, they had just the bass player and the singer on stage for the first three or four minutes, and the singer was just grooving to the bass line! One by one the band came on stage, joined in and eventually the whole crowd was dancing to this amazing tightly played song, but the buildup was so relaxed and subtle.
No 5. Live Like Dogs
Again, Resin Dogs never truly captured their live style that made the beloved in the Brisbane Live scene. This album captures them pretty well, with the tracks with DNO rapping, The Mics Sound Nice and Freak the Funk the standout.
No 4. Feel The Seasons Change - Salmonella Dub and the NZSO
A band marrying with and orchestra doesn't always work, re listening to the Metallica one has left me a bit cold, but this is a great example of what it can be. It has that cinematic or stage show feel, with ebbs and flows and I would have loved to seen this live.
No 3. A-Z - Paul Kelly
I'm not sure that this has even been released yet, I have all these songs from the slow release Paul did on his website. These are from the A-Z shows Kelly does every year, shows which are amazing in itself, how many artists could even do an A -Z show without boring everyone to tears with obscure tracks. The tracks are being released with a huge book of liner notes which I can't wait to get.
No 2. Roseland NYC Live - Portishead
An electronic band playing with an orchestra? Sounds a bit contrived but this totally works, with her voice soaring above the music and the electronic parts blending into the background.
No 1. Living in Small Rooms and Lounges - Hunters and Collectors
Terrible, terrible studio band. They had this huge big kick arse sound and somehow manage to make it sound like a three piece on a record. Here though, they capture all the sound, the driving energy, the fantastic brass, that made them one of the best bands to see live. I only saw them once, on their last ever tour and it was amazing.
That's the record that would have easily slipped into my top ten. All those live records are on pretty high rotation at my place though, well worth a listen.
No 50. Dire Straits - Dire Straits.
No 49. Good Gracious - M-phazes
No 48. Achtung Baby - U2
No 47. Manipulating Agent -
No 46. Stone Broke - Brothers Stoney
No 45. Based on a True Story - Fat Freddys Drop
No 44. Unit - Regurgitator
No 43. Apocalypso - The Presets
No 42. Signs of a Struggle - Mattafix
No 41. GRand Theft Audio - Resin Dogs
No 40. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - The Smashing Pumpkins
No 39. Elephant - The White Stripes
No. 38 Chutes too Narrow - The Shins
No 37. Stoned and Dethroned - The Jesus and Mary Chain
No 36. Alright Still - Lily Allen
No 35. Sea change - Beck
If you were a fan of Odelay than you'd be mighty surprised to find Beck writing sad assed country songs. Bloody good at them though.
No 34. In the Nude - Pornland
No 33. An Elefant Never Forgets - The Herd
No 32. Felt Mountain - Goldfrapp
No 31. Orchid for the Afterworld - Sonic Animation
No 30. La Roux - La Roux
No 29. Renegades - Rage Against The Machine
No 28. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
No 27. Play - Moby
No 26. Mezzanine - Massive Attack
No 25. The K&D Sessions - Kruder and Dorfmeister
No 24. You've come a Long Way Baby - Fatboy Slim
No 23. Rocking the Suburbs - Ben Folds
No 22. Tragic Kingdom - No Doubt
No 21. Prozac Beats - 2 Dogs
No 20. Dummy -Portishead
No 19. Kick - INXS
No 18. Fashion Nugget - Cake
No 17. Think Tank - Blur
No 16. Ok Computer - Radiohead
No 15. Power in Numbers - Jurassic 5
No 14. Nevermind - Nirvana
No 13. Wild Colonial - Ozi Batla
No 12. War Stories - Unkle
No 11. Two Shoes - The Cat Empire
No 10. Decoder Ring - Decoder Ring
No 9. Taste the Secret - Ugly Duckling
No 8. Surrender - Chemical Brothers
No 7. Angel Dust - Faith No More
No 6. Deep Down and Dirty - Stereo MCs
No 5. Blood Sugar Sex Magic - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
No 4. Shin Ki Row - Shin Ki Row
No 3. Killervision - Salmonella Dub
No 2. Foggy Highway - Paul Kelly
No 1. The Calling - Hilltop Hoods
- Lantanaland from my iPhone
No 10. New York City - Peter Malik Quartet and Norah Jones
Great laid backed sound, which suits her voice to a tee. I think she is a bit underrated because of her profile. Great singer.
No 9. Live at Brighton Beach - Fatboy Slim
The Wife was on a train to see this set, or the second one I can't remember and missed a connection and missed out. A shame cause Fatboy Dlim live would be a great party!
No 8. Live on Earth - The Cat Empire
A good album, not a great album, but there a great live songs here that capture the essence of what makes them a kick arse live band. The little live show they played at The Rev for radio executives was probably the second best gig we had.
No 7. Ben Folds Live - Ben Folds
Amazing to think that a guy behind a piano could be so captivating. He has a fantastic voice and writes killer melodic pop songs with thoughtful lyrics. The version of Fred Jones Part II on this is haunting.
No 6. Live at the Matterhorn - Fat Freddys Drop
4 songs. 70 minutes. That pretty much sums up the Fat Freddys live experience. They don't just hit you between the eyes. They sneak up on you slowly, adding layer upon layer of music. When I first saw them live, they had just the bass player and the singer on stage for the first three or four minutes, and the singer was just grooving to the bass line! One by one the band came on stage, joined in and eventually the whole crowd was dancing to this amazing tightly played song, but the buildup was so relaxed and subtle.
No 5. Live Like Dogs
Again, Resin Dogs never truly captured their live style that made the beloved in the Brisbane Live scene. This album captures them pretty well, with the tracks with DNO rapping, The Mics Sound Nice and Freak the Funk the standout.
No 4. Feel The Seasons Change - Salmonella Dub and the NZSO
A band marrying with and orchestra doesn't always work, re listening to the Metallica one has left me a bit cold, but this is a great example of what it can be. It has that cinematic or stage show feel, with ebbs and flows and I would have loved to seen this live.
No 3. A-Z - Paul Kelly
I'm not sure that this has even been released yet, I have all these songs from the slow release Paul did on his website. These are from the A-Z shows Kelly does every year, shows which are amazing in itself, how many artists could even do an A -Z show without boring everyone to tears with obscure tracks. The tracks are being released with a huge book of liner notes which I can't wait to get.
No 2. Roseland NYC Live - Portishead
An electronic band playing with an orchestra? Sounds a bit contrived but this totally works, with her voice soaring above the music and the electronic parts blending into the background.
No 1. Living in Small Rooms and Lounges - Hunters and Collectors
Terrible, terrible studio band. They had this huge big kick arse sound and somehow manage to make it sound like a three piece on a record. Here though, they capture all the sound, the driving energy, the fantastic brass, that made them one of the best bands to see live. I only saw them once, on their last ever tour and it was amazing.
That's the record that would have easily slipped into my top ten. All those live records are on pretty high rotation at my place though, well worth a listen.
No 50. Dire Straits - Dire Straits.
No 49. Good Gracious - M-phazes
No 48. Achtung Baby - U2
No 47. Manipulating Agent -
No 46. Stone Broke - Brothers Stoney
No 45. Based on a True Story - Fat Freddys Drop
No 44. Unit - Regurgitator
No 43. Apocalypso - The Presets
No 42. Signs of a Struggle - Mattafix
No 41. GRand Theft Audio - Resin Dogs
No 40. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - The Smashing Pumpkins
No 39. Elephant - The White Stripes
No. 38 Chutes too Narrow - The Shins
No 37. Stoned and Dethroned - The Jesus and Mary Chain
No 36. Alright Still - Lily Allen
No 35. Sea change - Beck
If you were a fan of Odelay than you'd be mighty surprised to find Beck writing sad assed country songs. Bloody good at them though.
No 34. In the Nude - Pornland
No 33. An Elefant Never Forgets - The Herd
No 32. Felt Mountain - Goldfrapp
No 31. Orchid for the Afterworld - Sonic Animation
No 30. La Roux - La Roux
No 29. Renegades - Rage Against The Machine
No 28. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
No 27. Play - Moby
No 26. Mezzanine - Massive Attack
No 25. The K&D Sessions - Kruder and Dorfmeister
No 24. You've come a Long Way Baby - Fatboy Slim
No 23. Rocking the Suburbs - Ben Folds
No 22. Tragic Kingdom - No Doubt
No 21. Prozac Beats - 2 Dogs
No 20. Dummy -Portishead
No 19. Kick - INXS
No 18. Fashion Nugget - Cake
No 17. Think Tank - Blur
No 16. Ok Computer - Radiohead
No 15. Power in Numbers - Jurassic 5
No 14. Nevermind - Nirvana
No 13. Wild Colonial - Ozi Batla
No 12. War Stories - Unkle
No 11. Two Shoes - The Cat Empire
No 10. Decoder Ring - Decoder Ring
No 9. Taste the Secret - Ugly Duckling
No 8. Surrender - Chemical Brothers
No 7. Angel Dust - Faith No More
No 6. Deep Down and Dirty - Stereo MCs
No 5. Blood Sugar Sex Magic - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
No 4. Shin Ki Row - Shin Ki Row
No 3. Killervision - Salmonella Dub
No 2. Foggy Highway - Paul Kelly
No 1. The Calling - Hilltop Hoods
- Lantanaland from my iPhone
Location:Late.
Coda. Recap and top ten live albums
So I really enjoyed writing about my favorite albums and the comments on here and twitter. Even found out a few things I didn't know. When Dr Yobbo and I were setting this up on twitter and arguing out the ground rules, he correctly excluded live albums, because we figured if a band couldn't get their shit together to write a good studio album then they didn't deserve the spot. He's right, I've never understood why a band like Hunters and Collectors would produce such overproduced anemic studio recordings but sound so amazing live. They should have just miked up a big room and played all their albums like a live set. So here is my top ten live albums. Some of these bands are just better live than with a producer playing with their shit.
No 10. New York City - Peter Malik Quartet and Norah Jones
Great laid backed sound, which suits her voice to a tee. I think she is a bit underrated because of her profile. Great singer.
No 9. Live at Brighton Beach - Fatboy Slim
The Wife was on a train to see this set, or the second one I can't remember and missed a connection and missed out. A shame cause Fatboy Dlim live would be a great party!
No 8. Live on Earth - The Cat Empire
A good album, not a great album, but there a great live songs here that capture the essence of what makes them a kick arse live band. The little live show they played at The Rev for radio executives was probably the second best gig we had.
No 7. Ben Folds Live - Ben Folds
Amazing to think that a guy behind a piano could be so captivating. He has a fantastic voice and writes killer melodic pop songs with thoughtful lyrics. The version of Fred Jones Part II on this is haunting.
No 6. Live at the Matterhorn - Fat Freddys Drop
4 songs. 70 minutes. That pretty much sums up the Fat Freddys live experience. They don't just hit you between the eyes. They sneak up on you slowly, adding layer upon layer of music. When I first saw them live, they had just the bass player and the singer on stage for the first three or four minutes, and the singer was just grooving to the bass line! One by one the band came on stage, joined in and eventually the whole crowd was dancing to this amazing tightly played song, but the buildup was so relaxed and subtle.
No 5. Live Like Dogs
Again, Resin Dogs never truly captured their live style that made the beloved in the Brisbane Live scene. This album captures them pretty well, with the tracks with DNO rapping, The Mics Sound Nice and Freak the Funk the standout.
No 4. Feel The Seasons Change - Salmonella Dub and the NZSO
A band marrying with and orchestra doesn't always work, re listening to the Metallica one has left me a bit cold, but this is a great example of what it can be. It has that cinematic or stage show feel, with ebbs and flows and I would have loved to seen this live.
No 3. A-Z - Paul Kelly
I'm not sure that this has even been released yet, I have all these songs from the slow release Paul did on his website. These are from the A-Z shows Kelly does every year, shows which are amazing in itself, how many artists could even do an A -Z show without boring everyone to tears with obscure tracks. The tracks are being released with a huge book of liner notes which I can't wait to get.
No 2. Roseland NYC Live - Portishead
An electronic band playing with an orchestra? Sounds a bit contrived but this totally works, with her voice soaring above the music and the electronic parts blending into the background.
No 1. Living in Small Rooms and Lounges - Hunters and Collectors
Terrible, terrible studio band. They had this huge big kick arse sound and somehow manage to make it sound like a three piece on a record. Here though, they capture all the sound, the driving energy, the fantastic brass, that made them one of the best bands to see live. I only saw them once, on their last ever tour and it was amazing.
That's the record that would have easily slipped into my top ten. All those live records are on pretty high rotation at my place though, well worth a listen.
No 50. Dire Straits - Dire Straits.
No 49. Good Gracious - M-phazes
No 48. Achtung Baby - U2
No 47. Manipulating Agent -
No 46. Stone Broke - Brothers Stoney
No 45. Based on a True Story - Fat Freddys Drop
No 44. Unit - Regurgitator
No 43. Apocalypso - The Presets
No 42. Signs of a Struggle - Mattafix
No 41. GRand Theft Audio - Resin Dogs
No 40. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - The Smashing Pumpkins
No 39. Elephant - The White Stripes
No. 38 Chutes too Narrow - The Shins
No 37. Stoned and Dethroned - The Jesus and Mary Chain
No 36. Alright Still - Lily Allen
No 35. Sea change - Beck
If you were a fan of Odelay than you'd be mighty surprised to find Beck writing sad assed country songs. Bloody good at them though.
No 34. In the Nude - Pornland
No 33. An Elefant Never Forgets - The Herd
No 32. Felt Mountain - Goldfrapp
No 31. Orchid for the Afterworld - Sonic Animation
No 30. La Roux - La Roux
No 29. Renegades - Rage Against The Machine
No 28. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
No 27. Play - Moby
No 26. Mezzanine - Massive Attack
No 25. The K&D Sessions - Kruder and Dorfmeister
No 24. You've come a Long Way Baby - Fatboy Slim
No 23. Rocking the Suburbs - Ben Folds
No 22. Tragic Kingdom - No Doubt
No 21. Prozac Beats - 2 Dogs
No 20. Dummy -Portishead
No 19. Kick - INXS
No 18. Fashion Nugget - Cake
No 17. Think Tank - Blur
No 16. Ok Computer - Radiohead
No 15. Power in Numbers - Jurassic 5
No 14. Nevermind - Nirvana
No 13. Wild Colonial - Ozi Batla
No 12. War Stories - Unkle
No 11. Two Shoes - The Cat Empire
No 10. Decoder Ring - Decoder Ring
No 9. Taste the Secret - Ugly Duckling
No 8. Surrender - Chemical Brothers
No 7. Angel Dust - Faith No More
No 6. Deep Down and Dirty - Stereo MCs
No 5. Blood Sugar Sex Magic - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
No 4. Shin Ki Row - Shin Ki Row
No 3. Killervision - Salmonella Dub
No 2. Foggy Highway - Paul Kelly
No 1. The Calling - Hilltop Hoods
- Lantanaland from my iPad
No 10. New York City - Peter Malik Quartet and Norah Jones
Great laid backed sound, which suits her voice to a tee. I think she is a bit underrated because of her profile. Great singer.
No 9. Live at Brighton Beach - Fatboy Slim
The Wife was on a train to see this set, or the second one I can't remember and missed a connection and missed out. A shame cause Fatboy Dlim live would be a great party!
No 8. Live on Earth - The Cat Empire
A good album, not a great album, but there a great live songs here that capture the essence of what makes them a kick arse live band. The little live show they played at The Rev for radio executives was probably the second best gig we had.
No 7. Ben Folds Live - Ben Folds
Amazing to think that a guy behind a piano could be so captivating. He has a fantastic voice and writes killer melodic pop songs with thoughtful lyrics. The version of Fred Jones Part II on this is haunting.
No 6. Live at the Matterhorn - Fat Freddys Drop
4 songs. 70 minutes. That pretty much sums up the Fat Freddys live experience. They don't just hit you between the eyes. They sneak up on you slowly, adding layer upon layer of music. When I first saw them live, they had just the bass player and the singer on stage for the first three or four minutes, and the singer was just grooving to the bass line! One by one the band came on stage, joined in and eventually the whole crowd was dancing to this amazing tightly played song, but the buildup was so relaxed and subtle.
No 5. Live Like Dogs
Again, Resin Dogs never truly captured their live style that made the beloved in the Brisbane Live scene. This album captures them pretty well, with the tracks with DNO rapping, The Mics Sound Nice and Freak the Funk the standout.
No 4. Feel The Seasons Change - Salmonella Dub and the NZSO
A band marrying with and orchestra doesn't always work, re listening to the Metallica one has left me a bit cold, but this is a great example of what it can be. It has that cinematic or stage show feel, with ebbs and flows and I would have loved to seen this live.
No 3. A-Z - Paul Kelly
I'm not sure that this has even been released yet, I have all these songs from the slow release Paul did on his website. These are from the A-Z shows Kelly does every year, shows which are amazing in itself, how many artists could even do an A -Z show without boring everyone to tears with obscure tracks. The tracks are being released with a huge book of liner notes which I can't wait to get.
No 2. Roseland NYC Live - Portishead
An electronic band playing with an orchestra? Sounds a bit contrived but this totally works, with her voice soaring above the music and the electronic parts blending into the background.
No 1. Living in Small Rooms and Lounges - Hunters and Collectors
Terrible, terrible studio band. They had this huge big kick arse sound and somehow manage to make it sound like a three piece on a record. Here though, they capture all the sound, the driving energy, the fantastic brass, that made them one of the best bands to see live. I only saw them once, on their last ever tour and it was amazing.
That's the record that would have easily slipped into my top ten. All those live records are on pretty high rotation at my place though, well worth a listen.
No 50. Dire Straits - Dire Straits.
No 49. Good Gracious - M-phazes
No 48. Achtung Baby - U2
No 47. Manipulating Agent -
No 46. Stone Broke - Brothers Stoney
No 45. Based on a True Story - Fat Freddys Drop
No 44. Unit - Regurgitator
No 43. Apocalypso - The Presets
No 42. Signs of a Struggle - Mattafix
No 41. GRand Theft Audio - Resin Dogs
No 40. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - The Smashing Pumpkins
No 39. Elephant - The White Stripes
No. 38 Chutes too Narrow - The Shins
No 37. Stoned and Dethroned - The Jesus and Mary Chain
No 36. Alright Still - Lily Allen
No 35. Sea change - Beck
If you were a fan of Odelay than you'd be mighty surprised to find Beck writing sad assed country songs. Bloody good at them though.
No 34. In the Nude - Pornland
No 33. An Elefant Never Forgets - The Herd
No 32. Felt Mountain - Goldfrapp
No 31. Orchid for the Afterworld - Sonic Animation
No 30. La Roux - La Roux
No 29. Renegades - Rage Against The Machine
No 28. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
No 27. Play - Moby
No 26. Mezzanine - Massive Attack
No 25. The K&D Sessions - Kruder and Dorfmeister
No 24. You've come a Long Way Baby - Fatboy Slim
No 23. Rocking the Suburbs - Ben Folds
No 22. Tragic Kingdom - No Doubt
No 21. Prozac Beats - 2 Dogs
No 20. Dummy -Portishead
No 19. Kick - INXS
No 18. Fashion Nugget - Cake
No 17. Think Tank - Blur
No 16. Ok Computer - Radiohead
No 15. Power in Numbers - Jurassic 5
No 14. Nevermind - Nirvana
No 13. Wild Colonial - Ozi Batla
No 12. War Stories - Unkle
No 11. Two Shoes - The Cat Empire
No 10. Decoder Ring - Decoder Ring
No 9. Taste the Secret - Ugly Duckling
No 8. Surrender - Chemical Brothers
No 7. Angel Dust - Faith No More
No 6. Deep Down and Dirty - Stereo MCs
No 5. Blood Sugar Sex Magic - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
No 4. Shin Ki Row - Shin Ki Row
No 3. Killervision - Salmonella Dub
No 2. Foggy Highway - Paul Kelly
No 1. The Calling - Hilltop Hoods
- Lantanaland from my iPad
Location:Late.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
The Final Countdown. 10-1 Beeso's 50 top albums.
I wrote this post yesterday in a sparkling and witty price of writing that surely was one of my best. And then lost it. So you get this instead. On to the last ten.
No 10. Decoder Ring - Decoder Ring
You'd have to be happy with this if it was your debut album. Dark, moody, cinematic, it is so seamless it is more one price than several tracks. Big chunky guitar riffs, throbbing organ lines, or was that the porno I watched last night? Not on iTunes unfortunately but well worth tracking down.
No 9. Taste the Secret - Ugly Duckling
Only one US hip hop band could write a hip hop lullaby, or in this case a concept album set in a fictional fast food chain called Meatshake. Great songs with tight beats and witty and mocking lyrics, the skit between the manager of Meatshake and his nemesis, the manager of rival VegeHut is hilarious. Good enough that a mate of mine who has rock music through his veins and shoots greenies on sight might actually enjoy some hip hop.
No 8. Surrender - Chemical Brothers
If only all electronic music was this good. Driving beats and fantastic guest vocals from start to finish this is one of my favorite albums to play really, really loud.
No 7. Angel Dust - Faith No More
Speaking of playing loud, this is how I like my rock music. Big riffs and chunky, funky bass lines and then Mike Patton's voice. It can do more tricks than a cirque de solie troop, going from an evil low croon to a howl that would rival most metal bands in a nano second. Then throw a chart topping cover in for a bit of a laugh.
No 6. Deep Down and Dirty - Stereo MCs
I got this album in a bunch of promo CDs that I regularly got for The Alley and it sat on my desk until the week before the Livid festival. I popped it in when my house mate mentioned they had written Connected, which by law must be used by every telecommunications company in the world at least once. I'm so glad I had a listen or I would have missed one of the top live experiences of my life. The albums has really tight song writing, with the contrast of that gravelly, serious British MC and the bright, happy vocals of the backing singers. I'm not a fan of the albums before and after, in complete contrast to the UK, which wanted the pop style of the other albums and trashed this one.
No 5. Blood Sugar Sex Magic - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Easily their best album, with that funk style still rough enough to not be commercial poppy crap. A mate of mine, upon hearing Califonication, wanted to put together a fighting fund to send them some more drugs, in the hope that it might get them to write more albums like this.
No 4. Shin Ki Row - Shin Ki Row
A band with the wrong timing. Today, when hip hop is played regularly outside community radio and JJJ these guys would have had a great career. They had a live band with a MC and they were a good band too. The lyrics were like a hip hop version of Paul Kelly, examining the suburban life. "wrap tape round a tennis ball, over the fence it's out, on the bounce it's four." Unfortunately they had come and gone by the late 90s and not many people would have this album.
No 3. Killervision - Salmonella Dub
It was a really long and hard think to decide which album to put in for Salmonella Dub. They have so many styles they draw on, the main one being dub and it's easy to think that most of the percussive sounds you hear on this record and that give it that special sound come out of a sampler. Until you see them live and look at the huge box of instruments they dive into during a set. Never get sick of this album.
No 2. Foggy Highway - Paul Kelly
It seems strange now but I was never a fan of Paul Kelly until this album. It was another that came across my desk from EMI and sat there for a while, despite Darryl talking it up when he gave it too me. I mean a Paul Kelly bluegrass album? However from the very first listen I was hooked and it made me appreciate the quality of his writing and I have since become a huge fan and devoured his back catalogue. Easily Australia's best song writer and I would say he puts guys like Bob Dylan in the shade as well.
No 1. The Calling - Hilltop Hoods
Easily the most influential Australian hip hop album in the last twenty years, because it was the album that broke out of the community radio, JJJ cycle and onto the Nova's and Sea FM's of the world. I even gave my copy to Gold Coast FM through a record company mate because the distributor hadn't sent them a copy. Why would they? It wasn't that far removed from MMM's no rap crap ads. It is a great record. Party tracks like The Nosebleed Section right through to the hip hop version of Hotel California, (The Sentinel) it holds up well even now and they have gone on and sold bucket loads of records and are pretty much as mainstream as you can get. When this album came out, that was unthinkable.
That's it. It was an interesting exercise thinking about my music collection and what I actually thought were the strong records and about ones I loved when they came out and no longer really listen to. Sorry to the Phil Collins and Coldplay fans, no joy for you.
- Lantanaland from my iPad
No 10. Decoder Ring - Decoder Ring
You'd have to be happy with this if it was your debut album. Dark, moody, cinematic, it is so seamless it is more one price than several tracks. Big chunky guitar riffs, throbbing organ lines, or was that the porno I watched last night? Not on iTunes unfortunately but well worth tracking down.
No 9. Taste the Secret - Ugly Duckling
Only one US hip hop band could write a hip hop lullaby, or in this case a concept album set in a fictional fast food chain called Meatshake. Great songs with tight beats and witty and mocking lyrics, the skit between the manager of Meatshake and his nemesis, the manager of rival VegeHut is hilarious. Good enough that a mate of mine who has rock music through his veins and shoots greenies on sight might actually enjoy some hip hop.
No 8. Surrender - Chemical Brothers
If only all electronic music was this good. Driving beats and fantastic guest vocals from start to finish this is one of my favorite albums to play really, really loud.
No 7. Angel Dust - Faith No More
Speaking of playing loud, this is how I like my rock music. Big riffs and chunky, funky bass lines and then Mike Patton's voice. It can do more tricks than a cirque de solie troop, going from an evil low croon to a howl that would rival most metal bands in a nano second. Then throw a chart topping cover in for a bit of a laugh.
No 6. Deep Down and Dirty - Stereo MCs
I got this album in a bunch of promo CDs that I regularly got for The Alley and it sat on my desk until the week before the Livid festival. I popped it in when my house mate mentioned they had written Connected, which by law must be used by every telecommunications company in the world at least once. I'm so glad I had a listen or I would have missed one of the top live experiences of my life. The albums has really tight song writing, with the contrast of that gravelly, serious British MC and the bright, happy vocals of the backing singers. I'm not a fan of the albums before and after, in complete contrast to the UK, which wanted the pop style of the other albums and trashed this one.
No 5. Blood Sugar Sex Magic - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Easily their best album, with that funk style still rough enough to not be commercial poppy crap. A mate of mine, upon hearing Califonication, wanted to put together a fighting fund to send them some more drugs, in the hope that it might get them to write more albums like this.
No 4. Shin Ki Row - Shin Ki Row
A band with the wrong timing. Today, when hip hop is played regularly outside community radio and JJJ these guys would have had a great career. They had a live band with a MC and they were a good band too. The lyrics were like a hip hop version of Paul Kelly, examining the suburban life. "wrap tape round a tennis ball, over the fence it's out, on the bounce it's four." Unfortunately they had come and gone by the late 90s and not many people would have this album.
No 3. Killervision - Salmonella Dub
It was a really long and hard think to decide which album to put in for Salmonella Dub. They have so many styles they draw on, the main one being dub and it's easy to think that most of the percussive sounds you hear on this record and that give it that special sound come out of a sampler. Until you see them live and look at the huge box of instruments they dive into during a set. Never get sick of this album.
No 2. Foggy Highway - Paul Kelly
It seems strange now but I was never a fan of Paul Kelly until this album. It was another that came across my desk from EMI and sat there for a while, despite Darryl talking it up when he gave it too me. I mean a Paul Kelly bluegrass album? However from the very first listen I was hooked and it made me appreciate the quality of his writing and I have since become a huge fan and devoured his back catalogue. Easily Australia's best song writer and I would say he puts guys like Bob Dylan in the shade as well.
No 1. The Calling - Hilltop Hoods
Easily the most influential Australian hip hop album in the last twenty years, because it was the album that broke out of the community radio, JJJ cycle and onto the Nova's and Sea FM's of the world. I even gave my copy to Gold Coast FM through a record company mate because the distributor hadn't sent them a copy. Why would they? It wasn't that far removed from MMM's no rap crap ads. It is a great record. Party tracks like The Nosebleed Section right through to the hip hop version of Hotel California, (The Sentinel) it holds up well even now and they have gone on and sold bucket loads of records and are pretty much as mainstream as you can get. When this album came out, that was unthinkable.
That's it. It was an interesting exercise thinking about my music collection and what I actually thought were the strong records and about ones I loved when they came out and no longer really listen to. Sorry to the Phil Collins and Coldplay fans, no joy for you.
- Lantanaland from my iPad
Location:Should save my work.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Over the crest. Beeso's top 50 albums 20-11
I guess the key factor to the last twenty albums is that I like to listen to these ones in the whole form. There is something about sitting and listening to a whole album start to finish that gives it a sense of what the band was about, gives it another depth.
No 20. Dummy -Portishead
Fantastic voice and great production. These guys were the best of the moody electronic bands going around when I was at uni, top of a killer class that included Massive Attack, Morcheeba, Faithless and Sneaker Pimps.
No 19. Kick - INXS
I missed seeing them live because of a small problem with not having a lead singer for the gig I'd bought tickets too and they've well and truly trashed their legacy now. But listen to this album and you can understand what a great band they were, one that was selling out Wembley and the football stadium in Rio.
No 18. Fashion Nugget - Cake
Give me quirky lyrics and brass hooks and I'm yours. Bought this album because of the two big singles, but the writing is so offbeat and out there, you can't help but enjoy this record.
No 17. Think Tank - Blur
To me there is no question who was the best band of the Brit Wars in the 90's. Blur kicked Pulp and Oasis arse. This is a great rock album, full of light and shade but still has some great rocking songs as well. Gets better the more you listen to it.
No 16. Ok Computer - Radiohead
Still enough of the chunky guitars and great rock songs that The Bends had, but the album as a whole has this great cinematic feel, like it was written to a story. Sadly, they discovered samplers.
No 15. Power in Numbers - Jurassic 5
Great MCs and storytelling on this album, proving that not all hip hop has to be about guns and bling and bitches. Cut Chemist and Newmark put together some of the most inventive beats going round. On the bonus DVD I got, Cut Chemist recorded Newmark banging on the plastic lids covering their rider and then turned it into a beat for a song. Amazing.
No 14. Nevermind - Nirvana
Strangely enough I wasn't one of those conflicted teens that worshiped Kurt Cobain. I vaguely knew of Nirvana when he died, probably just Teen Spirit but it wasn't until I saw the classic albums doco on them that I gave the album another look. It's a fucking masterpiece, so simple and raw, yet I don't think grunge ever made another album as good as this. Not a bad song in the whole thing.
No 13. Wild Colonial - Ozi Batla
Most of you might not have heard of this solo album from one of the MCs from The Herd unless you listen to the Js, but this is OZ hip hop growing up. A varied and layered album both lyrically and musically it goes from party track to a dark historical introspection. Reminds me of Paul Kelly, varied and deeply Australian.
No 12. War Stories - Unkle
A kick ass album, big fat driving beats, great guest vocals. Just doesn't let up. MUST be listened to for the first time start to finish and really fucking loud.
No 11. Two Shoes - The Cat Empire
Party music. Not everyone likes these guys and I don't know why. Good tunes, brass, two vocalists.... It's not like there is anyone else out there doing anything like this. How those clowns with their top 100 Australian albums included a bunch of mediocre rock pop at the expense of an album like this is beyond me.
Only the top ten to go. I am certain Havock is going to be disappointed, pretty sure Phil Collins is not going to slip in, no matter how cool the cadbury gorilla ad was.
- Lantanaland from my iPad
No 20. Dummy -Portishead
Fantastic voice and great production. These guys were the best of the moody electronic bands going around when I was at uni, top of a killer class that included Massive Attack, Morcheeba, Faithless and Sneaker Pimps.
No 19. Kick - INXS
I missed seeing them live because of a small problem with not having a lead singer for the gig I'd bought tickets too and they've well and truly trashed their legacy now. But listen to this album and you can understand what a great band they were, one that was selling out Wembley and the football stadium in Rio.
No 18. Fashion Nugget - Cake
Give me quirky lyrics and brass hooks and I'm yours. Bought this album because of the two big singles, but the writing is so offbeat and out there, you can't help but enjoy this record.
No 17. Think Tank - Blur
To me there is no question who was the best band of the Brit Wars in the 90's. Blur kicked Pulp and Oasis arse. This is a great rock album, full of light and shade but still has some great rocking songs as well. Gets better the more you listen to it.
No 16. Ok Computer - Radiohead
Still enough of the chunky guitars and great rock songs that The Bends had, but the album as a whole has this great cinematic feel, like it was written to a story. Sadly, they discovered samplers.
No 15. Power in Numbers - Jurassic 5
Great MCs and storytelling on this album, proving that not all hip hop has to be about guns and bling and bitches. Cut Chemist and Newmark put together some of the most inventive beats going round. On the bonus DVD I got, Cut Chemist recorded Newmark banging on the plastic lids covering their rider and then turned it into a beat for a song. Amazing.
No 14. Nevermind - Nirvana
Strangely enough I wasn't one of those conflicted teens that worshiped Kurt Cobain. I vaguely knew of Nirvana when he died, probably just Teen Spirit but it wasn't until I saw the classic albums doco on them that I gave the album another look. It's a fucking masterpiece, so simple and raw, yet I don't think grunge ever made another album as good as this. Not a bad song in the whole thing.
No 13. Wild Colonial - Ozi Batla
Most of you might not have heard of this solo album from one of the MCs from The Herd unless you listen to the Js, but this is OZ hip hop growing up. A varied and layered album both lyrically and musically it goes from party track to a dark historical introspection. Reminds me of Paul Kelly, varied and deeply Australian.
No 12. War Stories - Unkle
A kick ass album, big fat driving beats, great guest vocals. Just doesn't let up. MUST be listened to for the first time start to finish and really fucking loud.
No 11. Two Shoes - The Cat Empire
Party music. Not everyone likes these guys and I don't know why. Good tunes, brass, two vocalists.... It's not like there is anyone else out there doing anything like this. How those clowns with their top 100 Australian albums included a bunch of mediocre rock pop at the expense of an album like this is beyond me.
Only the top ten to go. I am certain Havock is going to be disappointed, pretty sure Phil Collins is not going to slip in, no matter how cool the cadbury gorilla ad was.
- Lantanaland from my iPad
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Hump Day. Beeso's 50 greatest albums 30-21
Ok. No we are getting into the territory of albums I listen to fairly often. enough introductions, let em rip.
No 30. La Roux - La Roux
Welcome to the eighties revival. Anyone who sneers down their nose at music being too derivative is just an idiot who can't read history. And this stuff is fun!
No 29. Renegades - Rage Against The Machine
Their first album was fantastic, but what they did with this album, which is to cover a bunch of songs in a way that unless you were a huge fan of the original, you'd never know. That's not easy to do. RATM just make me fire up. Cracker album.
No 28. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
This might seem a bit strange but they do write great songs, with lyrics better than most of what you would see on video hits on a Saturday morning.
No 27. Play - Moby
Definitely an album that has probably suffered from overuse especially in ads, but still a great listen. I fondly remember coming home at 5 am from the live show and playing this really loud while I lay on the lounge room floor.
No 26. Mezzanine - Massive Attack
A brooding electronic album but with the typical fantastic vocal performance and great beats. So many great songs off this record, angel, teardrop, inertia creeps....
No 25. The K&D Sessions - Kruder and Dorfmeister
Bought this fantastic double album completely on a whim after hearing Myf Warhurst and someone discussing it on the Js. Even though this is a remix album of sorts, really just one long track with bits of songs twisted through it, anyone who has tried to do a mix like this will appreciate how hard it is to get this good.
No 24. You've come a Long Way Baby - Fatboy Slim
That guy kicks ass! Damn straight a great album guaranteed to get an absolute flogging at any party we had at Chapel Hill and we had a few.
No 23. Rocking the Suburbs - Ben Folds
While I like the live version better, there is no denying the Ben Folds is a fantastic songwriter. This album is full of good songs and I love his slightly offbeat style.
No 22. Tragic Kingdom - No Doubt
While I view Gwen Stefani now with a certain detachment and disinterest back in the day I loved this rocking little band with the cool chick vocalist. I thought I'd grow out of this album but I never have.
No 21. Prozac Beats - 2 Dogs
You have to love an album that starts with a scratched up vocal from Rodney Rude. This is pretty much what it would have been like if you'd dropped into Dj KATCH and Dave Dog's house for a beer and they were playing around.
Definitely more beeps and blips than chunky riffs in that section it's a great mix. I could quite happily listen to all of those in a row on a Saturday afternoon.
- Lantanaland from my iPad
No 30. La Roux - La Roux
Welcome to the eighties revival. Anyone who sneers down their nose at music being too derivative is just an idiot who can't read history. And this stuff is fun!
No 29. Renegades - Rage Against The Machine
Their first album was fantastic, but what they did with this album, which is to cover a bunch of songs in a way that unless you were a huge fan of the original, you'd never know. That's not easy to do. RATM just make me fire up. Cracker album.
No 28. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
This might seem a bit strange but they do write great songs, with lyrics better than most of what you would see on video hits on a Saturday morning.
No 27. Play - Moby
Definitely an album that has probably suffered from overuse especially in ads, but still a great listen. I fondly remember coming home at 5 am from the live show and playing this really loud while I lay on the lounge room floor.
No 26. Mezzanine - Massive Attack
A brooding electronic album but with the typical fantastic vocal performance and great beats. So many great songs off this record, angel, teardrop, inertia creeps....
No 25. The K&D Sessions - Kruder and Dorfmeister
Bought this fantastic double album completely on a whim after hearing Myf Warhurst and someone discussing it on the Js. Even though this is a remix album of sorts, really just one long track with bits of songs twisted through it, anyone who has tried to do a mix like this will appreciate how hard it is to get this good.
No 24. You've come a Long Way Baby - Fatboy Slim
That guy kicks ass! Damn straight a great album guaranteed to get an absolute flogging at any party we had at Chapel Hill and we had a few.
No 23. Rocking the Suburbs - Ben Folds
While I like the live version better, there is no denying the Ben Folds is a fantastic songwriter. This album is full of good songs and I love his slightly offbeat style.
No 22. Tragic Kingdom - No Doubt
While I view Gwen Stefani now with a certain detachment and disinterest back in the day I loved this rocking little band with the cool chick vocalist. I thought I'd grow out of this album but I never have.
No 21. Prozac Beats - 2 Dogs
You have to love an album that starts with a scratched up vocal from Rodney Rude. This is pretty much what it would have been like if you'd dropped into Dj KATCH and Dave Dog's house for a beer and they were playing around.
Definitely more beeps and blips than chunky riffs in that section it's a great mix. I could quite happily listen to all of those in a row on a Saturday afternoon.
- Lantanaland from my iPad
Location:Are we there yet?
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Beeso's top 50 albums 40-31. The wonder years.
While Dr Yobbo mocks me by doing yet another large post I will chip away at my list, mainly because I'm not quite sure of the ordering of the final 40. I think I'll start with a bit of nostalgia.
No 40. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - The Smashing Pumpkins
There are a few bands that could've filled this spot. Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden, but not Pearl Jam, oh no, never, ever Pearl Jam. This one holds up the best for me. I still can sit down and listen to the whole album without feeling like I need to buy an $18 bottle of scotch and sit in a squalid share house to enjoy it.
No 39. Elephant - The White Stripes
I love these guys, so stripped back and raw. The kick drum alone is enough to warrant owning this.
No. 38 Chutes too Narrow - The Shins
Beautiful layered lush rock pop. If all rock pop was this good I'd take up poetry and give up sport and become a floppy boy.
No 37. Stoned and Dethroned - The Jesus and Mary Chain
I loved this little quirky album so much I bought the rest of their catalogue one day and was massively surprised to find out that they normally played fuzzed out guitar rock. I'm glad that they did this for whatever reason, because it's such a sweet gem.
No 36. Alright Still - Lily Allen
I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS SHE WRITES GOOD SONGS WHO CARES IF SHE IS A SLAPPER A GOOD SONG IS A GOOD SONG. Let's move on.
No 35. Sea change - Beck
If you were a fan of Odelay than you'd be mighty surprised to find Beck writing sad assed country songs. Bloody good at them though.
No 34. In the Nude - Pornland
Great, great fun, it pretty much is all summed up in the name of the band. Big band, big sound, orgasms a plenty.
No 33. An Elefant Never Forgets - The Herd
One of the two albums I think really broke Australian hip hop into the mainstream. This might not have been to everyones taste because of the politics, but at least they had something to say and they said it forcefully, getting notoriety for getting the C bomb on national radio.
No 32. Felt Mountain - Goldfrapp
I really struggled to pick which Goldfrapp album I liked the best but I feel that this one just captures that ethereal quality that I love about her voice the best.
No 31. Orchid for the Afterworld - Sonic Animation
A fantastic dance band and a fantastic album, I always rated them much higher than the Avalanches who were around about the same time. Another album that got a thrashing in the share house living. The Presets might have listened to this one a thousand times or so.
That's it. Deciding who gets in the middle third will be hard, I mean no one really loves the middle child as much right?
- Lantanaland from my iPad
No 40. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - The Smashing Pumpkins
There are a few bands that could've filled this spot. Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden, but not Pearl Jam, oh no, never, ever Pearl Jam. This one holds up the best for me. I still can sit down and listen to the whole album without feeling like I need to buy an $18 bottle of scotch and sit in a squalid share house to enjoy it.
No 39. Elephant - The White Stripes
I love these guys, so stripped back and raw. The kick drum alone is enough to warrant owning this.
No. 38 Chutes too Narrow - The Shins
Beautiful layered lush rock pop. If all rock pop was this good I'd take up poetry and give up sport and become a floppy boy.
No 37. Stoned and Dethroned - The Jesus and Mary Chain
I loved this little quirky album so much I bought the rest of their catalogue one day and was massively surprised to find out that they normally played fuzzed out guitar rock. I'm glad that they did this for whatever reason, because it's such a sweet gem.
No 36. Alright Still - Lily Allen
I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS SHE WRITES GOOD SONGS WHO CARES IF SHE IS A SLAPPER A GOOD SONG IS A GOOD SONG. Let's move on.
No 35. Sea change - Beck
If you were a fan of Odelay than you'd be mighty surprised to find Beck writing sad assed country songs. Bloody good at them though.
No 34. In the Nude - Pornland
Great, great fun, it pretty much is all summed up in the name of the band. Big band, big sound, orgasms a plenty.
No 33. An Elefant Never Forgets - The Herd
One of the two albums I think really broke Australian hip hop into the mainstream. This might not have been to everyones taste because of the politics, but at least they had something to say and they said it forcefully, getting notoriety for getting the C bomb on national radio.
No 32. Felt Mountain - Goldfrapp
I really struggled to pick which Goldfrapp album I liked the best but I feel that this one just captures that ethereal quality that I love about her voice the best.
No 31. Orchid for the Afterworld - Sonic Animation
A fantastic dance band and a fantastic album, I always rated them much higher than the Avalanches who were around about the same time. Another album that got a thrashing in the share house living. The Presets might have listened to this one a thousand times or so.
That's it. Deciding who gets in the middle third will be hard, I mean no one really loves the middle child as much right?
- Lantanaland from my iPad
Location:Lantanaland
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