(50th) Derek and the Dominoes: Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs

First of all, I find it funny that during those years of excellent music (1970-1975 plus before and after :D ) several albums were named with ridiculously long names. Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, The Rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars and so forth ;). Despite the length of the title, Layla (etc. Blah-blah-blah) is a record filled with beautiful melody lines created with guitars, basslines, keyboard or even drums. And the sound is hungry! All the way from the beginning the whole album seems to be filled with guitars sounding like they are really in desperate need of something. A fix, perhaps. During the years there's been rumours and facts telling the audience that this album was distilled under heavy drug and alcohol abuse. Which can also be seen from the inner sleeve of the album. Nevertheless, this is once again one of the roadmarks on my musical path.

I'm just wondering, is the hungry sound on guitars achieved by using a certain equipment; Fender Stratocaster(s) jointed with Fender Champ amp or what was the case, then. At the moment, I'm not quite sure what type of guitar-amp combination was used by Duane Allman, Clapton was definitely using the Strat. Still, the sound is great!

Later on, mr Slowhand has surprised with albums filled with more or less nonsense and lame music. The pleasant surprise from him was, of course, the 'From the Cradle' album, although it was a 'bit' too clean and well played to raelly ring the bell. This one, in the other hand, still seems to keep on sounding at least a bit dangerous, dispite the fact that the songs are more or less light pop-music mixed together with the brilliant blues-stylish licks.

The music in this album is consisted of more or less pre-composed songs and structures combined with studio jamming. (If I got it right!? - Comments welcome!!) Which brings the music closer to mere mortals than for example the brilliant masterpieces like Electric Ladyland and Bitches Brew, where the actual composing and arrangement was done during the long and totally free jam-sessions plus the time used behind the mixing table together with the tracks themselves. The instrumentation here is more the same thing you could hear while the band was playing, the studio equipment was made for recording only, not used as an external instrument itself. Which, I suppose, makes the music easier to approach and adopt.

It also seems that on this record, Clapton was capable of creating the personal sound of a whole band on the record. And used the similar setup later on, too. At least on 461 Ocean Boulevard and Slowhand, you can hear the same tonal approach in the final mixdown. But I have to remember to really point out the Duane Allman's brilliant guitar techniques, which really lift this record to the climatic spaces of eager rock noice. If I can say so ;)

Check out at least these songs: Bell Bottom Blues, Key to the Highway, Little Wing, Layla (The end part and mr. Allman !), Thorn Tree in the Garden, Have You Ever Loved a Woman, Tell The Truth. And the others, too ;)

(48th) Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band: Trout Mask Replica (1969)

Whohah!? Tom Waits meets someone here. It's the Mothers Of Invention or then some part of King Crimson :D. This seems to be some kind of original specie.
Listening to this is an experience, no doubt about that.

The whole stuff is like twisted re-born son of the blues in the modern world. When the blues was made, the rhythm and the tonal world was a description about the life around, rhythm came from the horse carriage, sounds where someone's screaming, moaning or whatever then. This is something similar, but brought to a more modern world. Rhythm of cars passing by, people crushing to each other, running away from the truth of life. (Which is what? Oh author, thou art unambiguous ;)

The complete musical expression is against every possible genre, even today. Timeless and a true rebel statement, this is (as Yoda might say;). The whole tonality is like a view of the mankind from some point where everything seems, if not stupid, then at least ridiculous.

When listening to this, I strongly suggest to forget the traditional approach for pop-music. The multiplex variety of arrangements forces the listener more to focus on the whole tonal world than in single instrumental performances. If you have any borderlines concerning music, after listening this they can be easily ripped apart, if you have the will to throw yourself to this hallucinated dream of misused brain.

This ironfeet blues is dancing on the toes of puristic people, a perfect album when having a hangover party, I'd say. It's like a teenage Uruk-Hai in love affair collecting dandelions.

Does (or did) this group, who wanted significantly to abandon the tradition, have an ambition in creating another tradition for others to follow? Whether they did or not want it, they certainly did accomplish that task. I think they didn't give a single thought of that kind of stupid nonsense. You can't make timeless masterpieces thinking you are doing it. Only by following your instincts. And here we go again...

This is a masterpiece of rebellion or then just an endless circle of dopeheaded mess. An effective piece of art, still.

And the ranking machine gives this four j:s, in here: jjjj
The last j is missing because of the length and collapsed structure (which also make this a masterpiece!)

PS.
I am and was a completely sober human being when writing this down ;)

(47th)Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go (1996)

The start of the album is nice, and explotion in the first song is amazingly good. I have to admit that I've fallen in to later manics releases beforehand and, for some odd reason, skipped this one. I've heard the Hit Singles (A Design For Life etc.), but mainly missed the album.

The amount of melodies in this album is amusing. Totally awsome record that seems to be a significant source for new era bands like Muse etc. 4th song ongoing (Enola Alone) and no weak songs this far. I can clearly hear the path towards the 'This is my truth, tell me yours' -album, which blowed my head the first time with this band.
Regardless to the message that these songs have (the message is Great, from my point of view they ar not wrong in doing this!) the lyrics follow same high standards that the music crates and requires. The whole package seems to be in balance.
The sounds could be better, I just can't tell what I would change in here. Overall, in latter albums also, the tonic world of the songs is consistent and recognisable. I myself would have made the sound more analogic, but then, it wouldn't be the Manics album at all ;)

All together, the arrangements, tonal environment, musicians and, whattahell, the album is brilliant! Actually it seems to beat up the feelings that the 'This is my truth..' -album gave.

And the rating will be five capital j:s

JJJJJ

And their official site is (if you didn't know:
http://www.manics.co.uk/04/

(46th) Re-grouping personalities.

I noticed this morning while on my way to work that I seem to have quite too many sidepersons here in the web. Even here in the blogger. For example 1001 Impressions of Albums, which contains my album reviews. And the albums have been selected by the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Which is something a bit weird, since I like to do things my way, even on the highway ;) (Why don't we do it on the road!?)

Ok, back to something. I'm going to put the album review -articles in here and contuinue maintaining only this blog. And the reviews might be titled as 1001 Albums I must've been listening before I got killed. Or something like that. :D