What Happened To Pub Rock # 9

This series about Pub Rock wouldn't be complete if I didn't write some words about Dr. Feelgood. They were the classical type of Pub Rock. Lead by the choppy style guitar of Wilco Johnson and the voice of Lee Brilleaux backed with a phenomenal rhythm section. It was pure energy to see them on stage. In my view the weight-bearing figure was in this group was Wilco Johnson. He was one of those guitar slinger who are able to play riffs and lead guitar at the same time. I recognized them with the release of they fantastic live record Stupidity from 1976. It was just the time when punk and new wave wasn't present and the boring pathetically distended music was played in the radio. Then a band appeared that brought us back to the values of Rhythm and Blues. Songs like Roxette and Back in the Night  were often played in our local pubs. My favorite song is the title track from their 1977 record Sneakin' Suspicion. The song exists only of reefs - nothing more and nothing less. I don't know much songs that make me shiver anytime I listen to it. Their music isn't spectacular but at any time it is true and soulful. Of possible manner this music is not any more up-to-date, however, in spite of all I love them.

Listen and enjoy

Dr. Feelgood - Roxette
Dr. Feelgood - Back in the Night
Dr. Feelgood - She does it right
Dr. Feelgood - Sneakin' Suspicion

Season Of The Rich

Corduroy was a London based band that released a couple of records in the mid 90s. This song was released in 1997 on Big Cat Records at the height of the so called acid-jazz era. They combine a bit of lounge music with the best elements of bands like Steely Dan. I loved that sound so much but didn't listened to their music and remember when I first got a notice from them. It must be about ten years ago when I was in Thailand in a club where the DJ played a couple of their songs. Not too bad to listen to them when the spring will come (hopefully).

Corduroy - Season of the rich

Twanging Tuesday # 22

One more weired singers from GB was Screaming Lord Sutch. He did in his time time shows that combined horror and classical R&B inspired from the legendary Screamin' Jay Hawkins. He made bloody appearances before Alice Copper started it. I like his strange sound and songs for ages. Maybe he's not one of the greatest performers and musician but he's still one of them that done it in his way.

Screaming Lord Sutch - Till The Following Night

Queremos Paz

Let's start this working week with a song from Gotan Project a musical group based in Paris. They released their record La Revencha del Tango back in 2001. Their music is based on classical Tango in the style we know from Astor Piazolla but combined with samples and breaks. I recommended this records to a lot of friends at those days because it is a music nearly everyone could agree with.

Enjoy and have a good week

Gotan Project - Queremos Paz

Blind

Only when I have come back from my vacation I have got to know, the Frankie Knuckles has passed away too early. All the words about him are said and I don't want to add more. He guided me into another kind of music, that I didn't knew before. So I have to say thank you and may you rest in peace, Frankie.

Hercules & Love Affair - Blind (Frankie Knuckles Remix)

40 Records in 40 Years (33/40 - 2006)

First I must rectify something: my sister-in-law does not have married 2004 in Hawaii - their wedding was this year. In this respect I must apologise that apparently my memory does not seem to function for the past years, nevertheless, any more so. But the rest of the details were right. For me it was impossible to go to Hawaii as well this year. We have merged with another bank this year and in my position I got no holidays for the wedding. Anyway I remember that we didn't traveled far away this year. We spent a few weeks at the seaside in northern Germany. I haven't been there for ages and Christiane has never been there. As we used to travel to South East Asia we felt also well at the rough climate at the sea. It was great to walk along causeway feeling the wind in our hairs. This year we went for some weekend trips with a couple of friends as well. In February we went out for skiing and in autumn we went for a boat excursion on the Swabian Sea. Both times we had a lot of fun with them all. In this year the FIFA World Championship took place in Germany. The mood before and after the plays was simply magnificent. For example: the game between France and the Netherlands took place in Stuttgart. The whole city was filled with supporters of each team. Even four hours before the game started the main place was filled with thousands of supporters singing their fan songs. It was so funny to see the Dutch supporters salute to the garbage disposal (just because their dresses are as orange as the supporters dresses). That Germany lost the semi-final against Italy was sad but after all satisfactory.

A year of remarkable records:

• The Whitest Boy Alive - Dreams: Perfect combination of funk, indie pop, electronic and house
• Jan Delay - Mercedes Dance: German singer Jan Delay turned from reggae into funk
• The Long Blondes - Someone to Drive You Home: The smash hits of this summer
• Donald Fagen - Morph, the Cat: Still good after all the years
• Ben Harper - Both Sides Of The Gun: A lot of great songs again on this record
• Willard Grand Conspiracy - Let it roll: Alternative country/Americana at its best
• Lily Allen - Alright, Still: Wonderful pop songs at all
• Amy Winehouse - Back To Black: She got great with this record
• Tom Waits - Orphans; Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards: Even his outtakes are better than something else

And again: some songs we listened to this year:

Some movies that came in the cinemas in 2006:

• Babel: Little things can have influence on the everyone
• The Departed: One more good movie about the good and the bad
• Little Miss Sunshine: Funny road movie for the family
• The Last King of Scottland: Remarkable movie about things happened this way
• The Queen: Brilliant
• The Devil Wears Prada: Another movie for the family again
• The Illusionist: Great story with a fantastic finish
• V for Vendetta: Another comic brought to the cinema
• Volver: Spanish ladies power
• Pan's Labyrinth: Pictures between dream and cruel reality in Spanish civil war

Some things that happened this year as well:

An Egyptian passenger ferry sinks in the Red Sea - more than 1000 people die // Italy wins the FIFA World Cup against France in Germany // Saddam Hussein is sentenced to death by hanging by a Iraqi Special Tribunal // Another Lebanon War because Israeli troops invade Lebanon in response to Hezbollah kidnapping 2 Israeli soldiers and killing 3. Hezbollah declares open war against Israel 2 days later 

For a long time above all a voice has not enchanted me any more so. "The Greatest" earns this title. Quiet, melancholy and touching songs and a magic voice which has pulled me immediately in her spell. Almost floating and hypnotically Chan Marshall's song seems to me. Any more completely as economically does not arrange as on former albums, here her songs have mostly wonderfully been played in in small occupation. 
I was hypnotised from the outset as by this miraculous music and the incredibly intensive voice. Every song is reduced only to the essentials and is interpreted at the same time astonishingly completely. Painfully nice songs and melancholy positive songs flow into each other. No second too much and of course too briefly. This album should be absent in no record cupboard. Even a friend who hears otherwise almost only electronic music was completely enchanted immediately by the album. To emphasise single titles makes no sense - listen to them in a row!

Cat Power - The Greatest
Cat Power - Lived in Bars
Cat Power - Living Proof
Cat Power - Willie
Cat Power - Love & Communication

The Foreign Correspondent - Stories About German Rock Music # 23

Arrived last night back in Germany after a long travel but with enough power to go back to office next week again. I had a relaxed time and now it will be business as usual. This means that I will post regular and my series will continue. Today I will feature a band from the glory days of post punk. Abwärts was formed in the late 70s in Hamburg by Frank Z. and FM Einheit (later member of Einstürzende Neubauten). Their first record Amok-Koma is still a milestone in German punk music. Their songs are dominated by a leading guitar in the tradition of Wire. Short songs with many influences (even Turkish elements) made them great. I saw them in a small club in Stuttgart in 1980 as a support act from The Cure. Their physical presence on stage was very impressive and Robert Smith had to give it's best to beat them. The concert ended with a session by members of both bands playing standards from the early punk era. Never will forget this fantastic concert. Listening to this songs again inspire me to grab out more of this old stuff and listen again. Maybe it's sentimental but anyway - it is still worth to look back at this time and the music we listened to.

Abwärts - Computerstaat
Abwärts - Maschinenland
Abwärts - Monday On My Mind
Abwärts - Bel Ami
Abwärts - Türkenblues