Back To The Days Of Glam

 

Suzi Quatro and The Sweet were the heroes beside of T. Rex of my very young days when I took my first steps into music. They were almost everything what we now call glam more than 50 years ago. Of course it is not the music I listen now but they built the basis of everything that came afterwards. Maybe it is a sentimental journey back to the days when everything was easy and everything was possible and we didn't thought about the future days to come.

Magik

The godfather of dub Lee Scratch Perry released a new EP in collaboration with Peaking Lights and Argentina musician Ivan Lee and like the most of his output is well worth to listen. I have a only a few records by him but everyone is timeless and always worth to listen. And so it is Life of the Plants another dub album that makes me feel happy listening to it and I suppose I will come back to him for the rest of my life.

Monday's Long Songs

Swans-Mastermind Michael Gira announced during the release of the latest Swans album Leaving Meaning that the band will not further exist with a fixed line-up of members. So this album might be the first solo album by him under the trademark of Swans. Gira is a shaman that brought us true dark and apocalyptic sounds during the year and often focusing power, death, religion and sex in his songs. The more I was surprised when I listened to his new album after a few years of absence. There is still a timber mood in their songs and The Hanging Man is an blues based on heavy drums and soft acoustic guitars to company a sinner walking through the desert. At the end the sun shines a little brighter. A great album for sure

Murder

I have to admit that I heard the name Jack Penate said nothing to me until I listened to his latest song a few days ago. The internet tells me that he had a small hit more than a few years ago but also this songs are new to me. Anyway here's an artist that made one of the best pop-soul-songs of the year. Starting slowly to with an electronic beat to turn into a massive groove. Perfect for a Sunday morning.

The Foreign Correspondent Returns

I used this series a few years ago to introduce worldwide readers to music from Germany. If it was music from the past or it was new didn't mean anything if it was worth to listen to. Now I will use this series if there was something real new from Germany. One of the best albums from German artist last year was by International Music and their lead single was featured here. Now they changed their drummer and added an organist to the band and returned to their former name Düsseldorf Düsterboys. While International Music had rough riffs and a roaring singer now they reduced speed. Most of the songs were built on picked guitar strings and a warmer organ sound. The lyrics are still cryptic and senseless to me but probably gigantic for young people. Anyway, a band that found a sound of their own and they develop it step by step.

Right On

Another release surprised me these days. What's Going On Live features one of the rare performances when Marvin Gaye played his immortal album live on stage. It was after he struggled after his friend and long time duet partner Tammi Terell passed away and his slipped into a depression. This album was a landmark in modern soul and played often at my place. Listening to the songs he played live is another evidence of what he and his voice are able to do. Perfect songs in a perfect arrangement and with the time to fathom what his voice was able to.  An album I will play often the next times.

Marvin Gaye - Right On
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

Back To The Days Of Glam

If we are talking about glam-rock and the bands that stamped this genre we should talk about a band that made the difference in these times. Roxy Music were the band that showed us a new kind of music. After times when the blues-rock bands of the late 60's slowly vanished in the mist of history and before the days punk turned everything upside-down Brian Eno and Bryan Ferry showed up with something we never heard before. Dressed in crazy outfits and suits they brought us a different kind of rock. If only a few got into their music because this weird outfit Roxy Music could name this a success. Their songs were very arty of course but still in the tradition of pure rock and they opened my ears to a very different view of music. Probably they are the link between old fashioned music and the sound of the future. Eno and Ferry went different musical roads in their future careers but in the early 70's almost nobody could beat them.