If music be the food of love, play on;*
Duke Orsino is asking for more music because he is frustrated in his courtship of Countess Olivia. He muses that an excess of music might cure his obsession with love, in the way that eating too much remove's one's appetite for food. (* From Twelfth Night Act 1, scene 1, 1–3 ).
Much in the same way I find that sitting down with some good music is one of the best ways of reducing the stress and worries of the day.
Much in the same way I find that sitting down with some good music is one of the best ways of reducing the stress and worries of the day.
Afro Celt Sound System:
From the very first time I was introduced to this band it became a firm favorite with me. The mixture of modern techno, Celtic and African themes makes this a 'World Music' tour de force and I feel they can offer something for everyone. truly wonderful musicianship. My favorite albums are Volume 2:Release & Anatomic.
Andwella:
In the seventies I bought an LP called 'Worlds End' by this band and I've been listening to it ever since. Psychedelic folk rock(?) - well whatever its classification great music, elements of the progressive genres, with orchestration al la Moody Blues, with a few Jazz themes. This will always be on my play-list!
Big Big Train:
For me this was truly a wonderful find, listening to some live streamed prog rock INTERNET radio, I heard some music which evoked thoughts of Yes, Pink Floyd, Marillion and (early) Genesis. Bold sweeping stories, grand musical soundscapes, this was the album The Underfall Yard. It gets played continually, though I have to say I've not been so impressed with their other releases.
Michael Brecker - Pilgrimage:
Recorded whilst he was gravely ill, this was to be has last album - intense, complex and oh so wonderful. Supported by the likes of Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau, John Patitucci and Jack DeJohnette, meant it was always going to be a good album, but the the very circumstances seem to add extra energy to the proceedings.
Joe Cocker - Sheffield Steel:
I've never really been a fan of Joe Cocker, but with this album recorded in the Compass Point Studios (Bahamas) featuring Sly Dunbar (drums) & Robbie Shakespeare (bass) and a host of other interesting musicians it is another one of those albums which I always seem to reach for. A true classic from the 80's when there was so much rubbish being pushed out, every track is sheer quality.
Mo Foster - Bel Assis:
The first solo outing for British session musician, noted primarily for his jazz/fusion & rock bass work. Having been involved with so many big artists and films over the years this was alway going to be a superbly crafted album. Supported by many wonderful musicians, including Ray Russell and Simon Phillips (who made up the group RMS) Gary Moore and Rod Argent, among others this is a smooth, soulful, beautiful set of Mo Foster compositions.
Dave Grusin - Mountain Dance:
Dave Grusin has written many wonderful film scores & TV show themes over the years, such as The Graduate, Three Days of the Condor (one for my Best Films list) Tootsie, On Golden Pond, The Goonies & over forty more. However, one of the LP's I reach for regularly is Mountain Dance, not only for it's vibrant recording but mainly for the shear cohesiveness with which the band members play. Not quite jazz, not quite easy listening, not quite MOR - just very good music and the better the stereo the better the music.
Crusaders - Street Life:
My all time favorite Crusaders LP and not just because of the inclusion of Randy Crawford's vocals on the title track (though they are wonderful) but again it's the way the band plays together with my favorite track being Rodeo Drive (High Steppin'). In truth there isn't a weak moment from start to finish and I adore Joe Samples keyboard work - then again I always was one for a well played Fender Rhodes.
Nanci Griffith - Last of the True Believers:
I was given this CD for simply turning up at a local Naim Audio dealers and asking for one of the listed 'recommended' CD's. Well I'm glad I made the effort, as it was a freebie I decided to try someone I'd not heard anything of before and this was that choice. What a good choice it turned out to be, like many of the above it's one of those albums that seems to always get a regular play. Whilst I can't say NG has a great voice, she can put across a song and these folk/country ballads have great lyrics, plus the band is very good as well.
Quincy Jones - The Dude:
Quality, pure and simple -
Van Morrison - A Period of Transition:
Now I never used to get "Van the Man" when I was younger, then one evening (late 70's) when listening to the Old Grey Whistle Test, there was a live version of 'The Eternal Kansas City' within a few days I bought the LP - A Period of Transition. This LP has been a firm favourite ever since so over 40 years of listening pleasure, although it doesn't seem to feature on many fans lists. Many critics didn't like this album and it wasn't too well received, but for me this album has a real balance to it and delivers enjoyment from the moment the 'needle touches the groove' . This was flagged by many as a 'come back' album as there had been a three year break in recording - of course I knew nothing of this, not being a fan until this point so approached it on its own merits. Since that moment in the late seventies, my collection of Van Morrison albums has grown and there are many great songs to be found in his works. The other standout album I have is;
Poetic Champions Compose:
which is from a decade later and was very different from his previous works having some reflective jazz tracks. One track that may be familiar to many (perhaps) would be "Someone Like You" covered by Rod Stewart, and cropping up in several film, most notable Bridget Jones Diary
Joni Mitchell - Wild Things Run Fast:
Along side Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell has the biggest section of LP's & CD's in my collection and the one I tend to play the most is 'wild things'. Whilst it still maintains the jazz feel of much of the previous output it encloses it in a far more 'pop' mainstream guise (well 80's mainstream). Playing is, as aways exemplary and in the 80's this more mainstream feel to the album re-kindled my interest in Joni Mitchell. Given the significant volume of work that Joni Mitchell has produced over the years it will always be difficult to pick the 'best' but as this is the album that get most playtime on my turntable, it has to get my vote!
Renaissance - Turn of the Cards:
Now this was classed as "Art Rock" in it's day, mainly I feel due to the lack of the usual guitar based anthems so plentiful within the "progressive" movement erupting around them. This was a sweeping generalisation for all those bands that tried to merge element of the classical and rock genres, these days of course this is more ordinary, but in the 70's far less so. This really is classical in it's grandeur with orchestral themes and classically trained musician - not least the wonderful 5 octave voice of Annie Haslam. There is a purity and honesty about this music that speaks to the heart and soul.
Boz Scaggs - Silk Degrees:
Way back in the mid 70's when this was released it was an instant must have LP. I've been playing regularly since then, so nearly 35 years of musical pleasure and it still sounds as fresh to me today as it did all those years ago. Wonderful ballads, up tempo R&B numbers, great session musicians & superb production. I would also whole heartedly recommend the "Live Greatest Hits" DVD which is not only beautifully filmed but the standard of musicianship is great & Boz Scaggs' voice is still doing the business.
John Martyn - Solid Air:
In my youth, this was the end of party chill LP, when everyone was just sitting about chatting & enjoying the mellow feeling of having a wine filled evening with great company. This album is in many ways a true British classic of the 70's and is one recommended in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (as indeed do quite a few of my albums).
Steely Dan:
A musician friend once told me that if you don't have Steely Dan's album 'Aja' in your collection, you don't have a problem as this is considered to be by many one of the albums to own, certainly when I first heard 'Josie' being played in my local music shop in 1977 I was smitten, not only that I think it has one of the best, yet understated album covers of all time. There isn't a single bad track on this album and I still play my copy regularly along with my two other favourites from this band; 'Goucho' (1984) and 'The Royal Scam' (1976). This band was a total class act, great lyrics, stunning musicianship and I love to have these playing as I'm driving.
John Stewart:
A consummate story teller, composer, musician & perhaps political activist. I first heard John Stewart, when he was a member of the Kingston Trio and there was a 'protest song' in the late 60's " Where have all the Flowers Gone" though at the time I didn't know he was a member of the Trio. I have to thank Noel Edmunds (when he was a Radio 1 DJ) for my first introduction to JS, when he played some tracks from his solo album 'The Lonesome Picker Rides Again' released in 1977, I went straight out and bought the album, Country but with a huge difference! From here I did a bit of research in to this man, picking up the previous albums 'California Bloodlines' and 'Willard' (loved Bloodlines, but never really like Willard that much). It should be noted that a few years prior to this the Monkey's had a smash hit with his song 'Day Dream Believer' which is featured on 'The Lonesome Picker Rides Again'
In '69 he released 'Armstrong' and it is perhaps appropriate to revisit the lyrics of that song as we're currently celebrating the 50th adversary of the moon landing and with ever growing concerns over the environment;
Black boy in Chicago
Playing in the street
Not enough to wear
Not near enough to eat
But don't you know he saw it
On a July afternoon
He saw a man named Armstrong
Walk upon the moon
Young girl in Calcutta
Barely eight years old
The flies that swarm the market place
Will see she don't get old
But don't you know she heard it
On that July afternoon
She heard a man named Armstrong
Had walked upon the moon
She heard a man named Armstrong
Had walked upon the moon
The rivers are getting' dirty
The wind is getting bad
War and hate is killing off
The only earth we have
But the world all stopped to watch it
On that July afternoon
To watch a man named Armstrong
Walk upon the moon
To watch a man named Armstrong
Walk upon the moon
Oh I wonder if a long time ago
Somewhere in the universe
They watched a man named Adam
Walk upon the earth
Truly a man before his time, back then it was considered un-American and only achieved a lowly 74 in the charts. The John Stewart album I listen to the most of his over 30 released is 'Fire in the Wind'. However, I can see that John Stewart is a bit of a 'marmite' musician with some people just not getting him at all and certainly toward the end of his life, his voice, which was never great, I thought was dreadful. John Coburn Stewart (5th September, 1939 – 19th January, 2008) RIP
Steve Winwood:
What a history; 5 decades of music, 50 million records with Landmark bands; Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith, reformed Traffic, plus huge amounts of session work which if listed would sound like a roll call of pop royalty! But it wasn't until the late 70's that I really took to Steve Winwood with the release of his first solo album and one that I still listen to 40 years later Arc of a Diver. The other favourite album is Talking Back to the Night from 1982 which features the instantly recognizable 'Valerie'. Of course this year 2019 see's Whitney Houston and Kygo’s version of 'Higher Love', though I still prefer Steve's original from the album Back to the High Life.
Allan Holdsworth:
Probably the best guitarist you've never heard of, truly a guitarist's guitarist! His playing is absolutely stunning and for me the album I come back to again and again is 'Metal Fatigue' not only do I find it a musical tour de force, but at the same time both musical and approachable. My liking for this album of course has nothing to do with the fact that lyrics & vocals were provided by Paul Williams on the title track and track 4 (Panic Station) obviously not me as I can only sing in tune in my head and sadly not what comes out of my mouth! In any case I was introduced to Allan Holdsworth by a friend of mine (also a guitarist) who loaned me this album and who rated him as one of the most frighteningly awesome players he'd ever seen - I have to agree, even as a non-player it isn't difficult to appreciate the sheer virtuosity on display here - the rest of the band isn't to bad either ;-)
Narada Michael Walden - Dance of Life:
Perhaps a bit different from many of the other albums listed here as it is firmly an R&B/Disco album from the late 70's but this album truly has everything, stunning musicianship from the whole band (Michael Walden is a spectacular drummer) but where this album really changes gear is for the title track 'Dance of Life' which isn't at all like anything else on the album but provides an exquisite vehicle for musical virtuosity, including the jaw droopingly fabulous guitar playing of Corrado Rustici. All this gives an early indication of why he went on to be such a successful producer for an amazing list of world renown artists.
Paul Brady:
Toto:
