MGMT - 'Oracular Spectacular' (2008)

Versions:

CD

LP

Tracklisting:

1. Time To Pretend

2. Weekend Wars

3. The Youth

4. Electric Feel

5. Kids

6. 4th Dimensional Transition

7. Pieces Of What

8. Of Moons, Birds & Monsters

9. The Handshake 

10. Future Reflections

Best Tracks:

Kids

Pieces Of What

Weekend Wars

Time To Pretend

Currently listening to: LP

I first heard this album during my first trip to London in 2008. One of my friends that I was staying with was part of a record club that mailed him CD’s of new, up-and-coming albums. None of us had ever heard of MGMT, but we popped it on to see what we thought. I quite enjoyed it. I remember thinking that it sounded a little psychedelic, which I quite liked. After that initial listen, I largely forgot about it, other than being surprised to see a billboard for it near a hostel I stayed in a few days later near Wembley. It certainly didn't strike me as a particularly commercial record.

Fast forward six months, once I was back in Australia, and the thing fucking exploded. I didn't expect that. After hearing (and liking) 'Electric Feel' and 'Time To Pretend' all over Triple J, I saw the album cover and realised that it was the same band that my friend in London had played me. Then, they were everywhere. Which was great. I always enjoy when music I like actually hits the mainstream in Australia (I would have also never picked The XX to ever be as popular as they were, either. Goes to show what I know).

It wasn't until 'Kids' that I bought the album. Every weekend, my friends and I would go out dancing to the same place we always did. And the DJ kept playing this fucking great song. I didn't know what it was for a few weeks, but I eagerly waited for it and danced like a spastic when it did, inevitably, come on. Then, I found out it was 'Kids'. What a fucking great song! I became obsessed with it. When I first got the album, I just played 'Kids' on repeat. It took me a few months to actually listen to the whole album. I still love 'Kids'. I think it’s easily one of the best singles of the 00’s (probably Top 3, along with 'Hate To Say I Told You So' and 'Standing In The Way Of Control').

Once I got past 'Kids', I discovered the album was pretty good. 'Weekend Wars' had been a free single on iTunes at some point before I got the album, and I really liked that, too. The first half of the album (or, all of Side A if you’re listening to the vinyl version, which I am) is pretty much all gold. 'Kids', 'Time To Pretend', 'Weekend Wars', 'The Youth' and 'Electric Feel' are all great. 'Electric Feel' is actually my least favourite of the singles from this album, but it works much better in the context of the album.

Side One is, easily, the more accessible. The second half of the album, or Side Two, gets a bit more interesting, which isn't always a good thing. Until tonight, I’d forgotten how much I loved 'Pieces Of What'. '4^th Dimensional Transition' is also good. 'Of Moons, Birds & Monsters', 'The Handshake' and 'Future Reflections' aren't bad, they just pale in comparison to the preceding seven tracks.

Oracular Spectacular is still a great listen, even if it does slightly die in the arse by the end. It certainly hit more times than it misses.

PJ Harvey - 'The B Sides' (1995)

Versions:
CD
CD (with To Bring You My Love)

Tracklisting:
1. Reeling (Four Track Version)
2. Daddy
3. Lying In The Sun
4. Somebody's Down, Somebody's Name
5. Darling Be There
6. Maniac
7. One Time Too Many
8. Harder (Studio Version)
9. Goodnight

Best Tracks:
Somebody's Down, Somebody's Name
Lying In The Sun
Maniac

I touched on this one in the To Bring You My Love blog. This is a promo only album (I remember reading somewhere years ago that it was a mail order only thing. Despite my encyclopaedic knowledge of PJ Harvey, I could be wrong), and it was also released as a bonus disc with To Bring You My Love.

PJ Harvey has a wealth of great b-sides and non-album tracks. I could be, and probably (definitely) am, a little biased. Though, more than any other artists I've ever fallen in love with, PJ Harvey's vast back catalogue is full of obscure treasures. The more you dig, the more you're rewarded. When I first starting listening to PJ, back in the days of Napster, I downloaded all I could get my hands on. And, I was always impressed with the quality of her b-sides. To Bring You My Love was the album that made me fall in love with her, and I ended up loving the b-sides from that album just as much as the album tracks. I made a CD of b-sides to listen to in my CD player, mostly To Bring You My Love and Is This Desire? b-sides, and I absolutely played it to death. So in love with PJ was I, that I’d take my discman to bed with me so I could listen before I went to sleep (which isn’t uncommon, but this was the only time I ever did it). My two favourite CD’s to play before bed were the b-sides CD and a bootleg called Black Monsoon, which was a live recording from the To Bring You My Love tour.

With the decline of singles in the music business, b-sides are becoming less and less common. And, this saddens me. For the most part, however, PJ Harvey has consistently given us b-sides, in one form or another. And, most have equalled the tracks that ended up on her records. As I said, when I first discovered her, I was taken with the quality of the b-sides, particularly those from To Bring You My Love. I remember reading an old interview with her many years ago, where she said that she left some of her favourite tracks off of To Bring You My Love because they didn't fit anywhere on the album. And, she was right. Despite the quality of the songs that didn't make the album ('Somebody's Down, Somebody's Name', 'Lying In The Sun', 'Maniac'), To Bring You My Love is so meticulously sequenced that any of these songs would have, indeed, been out of place. And, this has rung true for most of her career. She'll put a stunning song on a b-side ('Nina In Ecstasy', '66 Promises', 'Reeling', 'Angel', '30', 'Sweeter Than Anything', 'Liverpool Tide', to name but a few), where it will remain largely unnoticed, save for those of us devout to enough to savour anything and everything she puts out.

I will, no doubt, gush about these songs as I review the individual singles for this blog. But, back to The B Sides.

It's fitting that it was later released as a bonus disc to To Bring You My Love, it serves as a nice companion piece. All of the To Bring You My Love b-sides are included, except for the wonderful 'Long Time Coming' from Send His Love To Me. It's exclusion is curious - not only is a great song, it would have also brought The B Sides up to 10 tracks. 9 tracks seems a little paltry. Also missing is her rousing cover of Howlin Wolf's 'Wang Dang Doodle', from the Man-Size single. The only other b-sides not included were demo versions of tracks from Dry and Rid Of Me, all of which (aside from 'Man-Size') are easily available on Dry Demonstration or 4-Track Demos. At 32 minutes long, there was certainly room for both 'Long Time Coming' and 'Wang Dang Doodle' on The B Sides. Even more perplexing is the addition of the 4-Track Demos versions of 'Reeling' and 'Goodnight' - neither were ever b-sides. However, given that The B Sides was released when PJ Harvey was transitioning from a band to a solo artist, this decision - along with the omission of 'Wang Dang Doodle' - does make sense. The only Rid Of Me b-side included is 'Daddy', which sounds nothing like PJ Harvey, the trio. 'Daddy' is also interesting when viewed as a bridge between Rid Of Me and To Bring You My Love. That said, the band version of 'Reeling' is, for me, the definitive version. The inclusion of 'Goodnight' could be due to the fact that it was often played on the tour supporting To Bring You My Love. The first version of it I ever heard was the live version from Glastonbury 1995, which remains one of my favourite PJ Harvey songs. It's a shame that, with 'Hook' and the beautiful performance of 'Water' from Glastonbury released as b-sides to Send His Love To Me, 'Goodnight' remains unreleased (I do hope the whole show sees a proper release someday). It took me a long time to warm to the demo version. The only other curious fact about The B Sides is that 'Harder' is listed as the 'Studio Version'. While it was recorded during the same BBC session that produced 'Long Time Coming' (and is included on the wonderful My Life bootleg), the studio version of 'Harder' is the only version that was officially released. In the heady days before Discogs, morsels like this ('oooh, maybe the live version has been released on an obscure single?!', 'What if there's a studio version of 'Goodnight' somewhere?!') would send my brain into a frenzy.

It’s a nifty little compilation to have. The only problem is that finding the individual singles from which these tracks were culled is much easier than finding a copy of The B Sides. After many years of searching, I finally found my copy on eBay about two years ago. I think I paid about $60 for it (and have watched, in dismay, as it sold for as little as $30 since), which I was happy with, since I'd spent so long looking for it. The first copy I got was the 2-CD version of To Bring You My Love, which was much cheaper. While it's a nice addition, the stand-alone version, complete in a digipak with fantastic exclusive artwork, is the better version to have. If you're dedicated enough to fork out for it, of course.

One of the great things about PJ Harvey, and also one of the most frustrating, is her reluctance to re-issue her old material. While it is certainly admirable that she, unlike many of her contemporaries, hasn't repackaged and re-released her back catalogue, she may be the one most deserving of such treatment. The lady has released a vast amount of material that hasn't been included on her albums. I can only hope that she one day sees fit to release another compilation of her non-album tracks, much in the same vein as The Bad Seeds' dignified B-Sides & Rarities set. For now, The B Sides is the closest we have. It was the first, and last, compilation of it's kind. Being that this CD is almost 20 years old, it's due for an update. 

Madonna - 'Like A Virgin & Other Big Hits!' (1985)

Versions:
CD

Tracklisting:
1. Like A Virgin (Extended Dance Remix)
2. Holiday
3. Lucky Star (Extended Dance Remix)
4. Borderline (Extended Dance Remix)

Best Tracks:
Holiday

Currently listening to: CD


If I'm to listen to every item in my collection, I'd really better get cracking on the singles. Especially, the Madonna singles. I have a lot. I am something of a completest. I like to get every album, every single, every everything of my favourites artists. In most cases, this is acquirable (over time). Collecting Madonna, however, is another story entirely. There's just so much out there. Like this curio from Japan.

I only got this one about a year ago. Most of Madonna's 80's singles are fucking expensive when you find CD copies. The 12" or 7" versions are usually easier to find, and cheaper. I've only been (obsessively) collecting Madonna vinyl for the last 7-8 years (aside from the small collection I'd amassed over the years), whereas CD's I've been collecting for over 20 years. So, I still have a bee in my bonnet about getting every Madonna single on CD. Generally, I keep my eye out to find them cheap (because I have so much Madonna shit, I have to draw the line somewhere) and I'm most of the way there. Along the way, you find odd releases, like this one, which I got cheap on eBay.

My main attraction to this, I must admit, is that fact that is it tackily titled, Like A Virgin & Other Big Hits! There were a surprising amount of Japanese only Madonna EP's from the early 80's, up until the early 90's. This may have been the first? (I'm too lazy to actually see if it is. I'm assuming it is, since there's none from the first album). Many of these Japanese EP's are of interest to collectors, as they usually contain an album's worth of material, as opposed to the usual CD single.

The 4 tracks on this one aren't that exciting, given that I already have them on multiple formats. Plus, every time 'Holiday' appears on one of these things, they shove the album version on. (Sure, it's already 6 minutes long, but I do wish they'd done a crappy 80's 12" version of it at some point. You Can Dance almost rectified this in 1987). This CD is, honestly, only for the devoted. However, there is something I love about it. Maybe it's that all the songs, aside from the then-new 'Like A Virgin', are remixes from Madonna's fantastic first record. Like many Japanese CD's from the 80's/90's, it does contain a booklet of photos and lyrics (in English and Japanese, of course). The whole affair is fairly tacky and, as far as Madonna's vast back-catalogue goes, pretty undignified.

For me, though, that's the appeal. This is a real curio from Madonna's early career, that would be a welcome addition to any obsessive fan's collection.

Love Outside Andromeda - 'Love Outside Andromeda' (2004)

Versions:
CD

Tracklisting:
1. Tongue Like A Tether
2. Made Of Broken Glass
3. Gonna Try To Be A Girl
4. Boxcutter, Baby
5. Something White & Sigmund
6. Your Baby, My Blood
7. Hecate Pose
8. Chameleon
9. Improper Methods
10. Juno
11. If You Really Want So Little From Me
12. Achilles (All 3)

Best Tracks:
If You Really Want So Little From Me
Juno
Something White & Sigmund
Made Of Broken Glass
Tongue Like A Tether

Currently listening to: CD

Love Outside Andromeda are still one of my all-time favourite Australian bands. It's a shame that they're no longer with us (and that I only fell in love them about 18 months before they broke up). This is their first album, which came out in 2004, and it's stunning. And, unfortunately, in 2014, it seems to be largely forgotten.

Many people had told me to check out this Melbourne band called Andromeda, as they were originally known, after 'Something White & Sigmund' took off on Triple J. Mainly because, I was told, they sounded like PJ Harvey. I saw the video for the song, and quite liked it. I added the band to the growing list of bands I needed to investigate, and all but forgot about it. It didn't help that, not long after, the band changed their name.

A year or so later, rage played a special on female artists. I have rage to thanks for many of my musical discoveries of the late 90's/early 00's. Being that I taped rage most weekends, and that most of the music I loved was (and still is) predominantly made by women, I eagerly relished this particular rage special (even if it was a little sexist). It featured 'Something White & Sigmund' and 'Made Of Broken Glass'. I was instantly smitten with both. I also (finally) worked out that Andromeda and Love Outside Andromeda were, in fact, the same band.

I bought the album the next day (happily, it was packaged together with the Something White & Sigmund EP). I loved those two songs so much that I was worried that the album wouldn't live up to my expectations. How wrong I was. I was instantly gob-smacked.

'Tongue Like A Tether' kicks the album off, and you know they mean business. I remember reading an interview with Sianna Lee where she said the song was inspired the anger in Hole's 'Violet'. 'Tongue Like A Tether' is possibility even more convincing than 'Violet'. It's not a happy song. And, this is not a happy record. From the gritty 'Gonna Try To Be A Girl', to the tender 'If You Really Want So Little From Me', this album will rip your face off with it's sheer force, then rip your heart out with it's raw beauty. It became the soundtrack to my life for a few years in my early 20's when I was falling in love with the wrong people and generally crap at life. Which is an indication of the subject matter. Oh, yes, this is one for anyone who's had their heart chewed up and spat out again. And, it's perfectly executed. It's a fucking great album.

Here we are ten years later (ten years!) and I still love this record. There's so many good songs on this album. 'Made Of Broken Glass' and 'Something White & Sigmund' should have a much bigger place (or, at least a place) in Australian music history than they do. I think that Sianna Lee is possibly the most underrated songwriter in Australian music of the last ten years (and not just for this album - the second, even more underrated, Love Outside Andromeda album and her solo album are both testament to this).

The first time I saw Love Outside Andromeda live was about a month after I first got this album. And it's still one of the best gigs I've ever seen. I saw them play a few more times before they broke up, but the first gig was really special. They had the cello player that played on the album with them. The main thing I remember was being really impressed with the musicianship - it sound wanky, and I'm not a musician, so rarely worry about such things. But, they were all such good players, and such a tight unit together. They were really impressive live. I saw them a few more times, before they broke up, which was - incidentally - on the same day they were due to play in Adelaide to support their second record, Longing Was A Safe Place To Hide. It's a shame. I still miss them.

I'd highly recommend this album, particularly to fans of PJ Harvey and Cat Power and that sort of thing. Love Outside Andromeda were often compared to PJ Harvey during their short lifetime - as much as that may be a compliment, it is also a lazy comparison that sells them incredibly short of what a great, great band they were.

Marilyn Manson - 'Antichrist Superstar' (1996)

Versions:
CD
LP

Tracklisting:
1. Irresponsible Hate Anthem
2. The Beautiful People
3. Dried Up, Tied And Dead To The World
4. Tourniquet
5. Little Horn
6. Cryptorchid
7. Deformography
8. Wormboy
9. Mister Superstar
10. Angel With The Scabbed Wings
11. Kinderfeld
12. Antichrist Superstar
13. 1996
14. Minute Of Decay
15. The Reflecting God
16. Man That You Fear

Best Tracks:
Antichrist Superstar
Man That You Fear
1996
Mister Superstar
The Reflecting God

Currently listening to: LP

Now, this is an interesting one. For me, at least. In case you haven't read the previous posts in this blog, my musical preferences/discoveries as a teenager centred wholly on 60's and (to a lesser extent) 70's music. I even repressed my love for Madonna (my first true music love) during this period. Something else that should be obvious by the previous posts, and has probably been mentioned, is my obsession once I find something that I love (especially as a teenager).

As an obsessive 14-year old fan of Janis Joplin, The Who and Led Zeppelin, I somehow discovered Marilyn Manson sometime in 1997. I must confess, I am a little embarrassed by it, but Marilyn Manson became another obsession for the next few years. I'm also a little embarrassed to admit that it was through Manson that I (finally) opened my mind to music that was current (so, I essentially discovered PJ Harvey via Marilyn Manson. Ack. At least I got there in the end).

I can't quite explain it, because it was unlike anything else I listened to (aside from vague connections to 70's rock I listened to, like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and, of course, Alice Cooper), but something struck a chord with me when I first heard Antichrist Superstar. It could have been that I was an increasingly grumpy 14-year old boy in the late 90's. It could have been the image - the first time I heard of Manson was when I saw his 1997 Rolling Stone cover, and I thought it just looked fucking cool. It could have been that my closest friends were into a lot of heavy metal and - try as I might - I could never find anything that I really liked. Until Antichrist Superstar (although, is Manson even classed as metal?). It could have also been how much it pissed people off. My family, my friends - everyone else I knew fucking hated Marilyn Manson. Which I, of course, always enjoyed. I think people tend to forget how shocking Manson was during the Antichrist Superstar period. It may seem tame by today's standards, but by mainstream 1997 standards, it was far from tame.

Whatever it was, I instantly became obsessed with Antichrist Superstar and immersed myself in all things Marilyn Manson. And yes, I dyed my hair black and started painting my nails. I never fully committed to the whole goth thing (especially when the word on the street was that Manson was too mainstream for real goths), but I gave it a go. There's enough embarrassing photos floating around to remind me. I also covered my room with Manson posters (everything else came down, save Janis) and started running a few amateurish Marilyn Manson websites. I was committed to the cause, even if I wasn't a full blown goth. In retrospect, I think I got a lot out of, what I like to call, 'the Manson years'. Inevitably, I did out-grow Marilyn Manson (not coincidentally, around the same time I discovered PJ Harvey), though I can't deny the impact that Manson had on me during those formative years.

Fast forward to 2014, and Marilyn Manson has become something of a nostalgic, guilty pleasure. Occasionally, I'll pop one of the old albums on and still enjoy it. The last one of his records I bought was The High End Of Low, which I half-listened to once and forgot about. The last Manson album I loved was Holy Wood (which, I think, still stands as possibly his best record), and I've only liked the odd song here and there since. A big part of my disillusion with Marilyn Manson was that old foe, age. As of my early 20's, it says nothing to me about my life. Which doesn't mean I can no longer enjoy it. It's just a nostalgia trip for me now.

Which brings me to the point I want to explore. Is Antichrist Superstar actually any good? How does it hold up now, nostalgia aside? The first thing I need to get past is Manson's ghoul voice. He's never had a particularly good voice (as most live Manson bootlegs attest), but he's managed to use it to good effect. However, it's the main reason I can't stomach any of his albums since 2000. It sounds way too contrived. Antichrist Superstar doesn't suffer too much, but it still takes a bit of getting used to these days. On songs like 'Man That You Fear', 'Deformography' and 'Cryptorchid', which used to be favourites, it's distracting. Which is a shame, because these are pretty good songs.

My favourite thing about Antichrist Superstar in 2014 is how noisy and abrasive it is. Thanks, in no smart part, to Trent Reznor's production. There's no denying that Antichrist Superstar is Marilyn Manson's Downward Spiral. And, I say that more as a compliment than a criticism (because, in my 30's, I have some of the same misgivings about The Downward Spiral that I do about Antichrist Superstar). Indeed, Antichrist Superstar does sound like a cross between Portrait Of An American Family and The Downward Spiral (and that is a compliment). Manson (the man and the band) invest enough of themselves into this album that it is, undeniably, a Marilyn Manson record. And, probably would have been, had Reznor not produced it. 'Irresponsible Hate Anthem', 'Mister Superstar' and '1996', in particular, sound like a trashy punk band being molested by Trent Reznor (again, a compliment). 'Dried Up, Tied And Dead To The World' sounds particularly NIN-y. This, along with much of the album, show that Antichrist Superstar is a very interesting bridge between The Downward Spiral and  The Fragile. 

It is hard for me to listen to this album objectively. Part of what makes it great is the context in which it was released. Which may be lost on someone listening to it for the first time any time after, say, 2003. However, while it's initial impact may be lost, I think it still holds up.

I only have two copies of Antichrist Superstar, which is only surprising given the extent of my Manson obsession between 1997 and 2001. Aside from the original CD (which I looked at for the first time in a long time tonight. Oh, the memories within that CD booklet!), I have a vinyl copy, which Discogs tells me was released in 1998. Which makes me think I bought it in 1999. It was $60. At the time, it was the most expensive record I'd ever bought (and it was only the second or third time I'd ever bought a new, not second hand, record). I actually put it on lay-by at Big Star. Which seems ridiculous now, but $60 was a considerable amount of money when I was 16 - especially, for a record (I think Mechanical Animals had previously been the most expensive record I bought at $40). I played it tonight for the first time in, at least, 10 years. It's an odd pressing. The record itself is wider than a normal 12" (and only just - maybe a pressing error?) and my turntable didn't quite agree with it.

As I said, Antichrist Superstar is a complete nostalgia trip for me now. I'd be reluctant to call myself a Marilyn Manson fan in 2014. I haven't seen him live since 2003 (when the obsession had faded, but I was still devout enough to go see him in Melbourne), despite the fact that he's played in Adelaide numerous times in the years since. Which is telling. Though, unlike other albums I loved around the same time (Tool's Aenima or Korn's first abum, for example), I still quite like Antichrist Superstar. It's probably still the definitive Marilyn Manson album. Where the quality of the music ends and the nostalgia begins, I honestly do not know. Nor, do I care. Antichrist Superstar will, for better or worse, always have a special place in my heart.

Ramones - 'End Of The Century' (1980)

Versions:
LP

Tracklisting:

Side One
1. Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?
2. I'm Affected
3. Danny Says
4. Chinese Rock
5. The Return of Jackie and Judy
6. Let's Go

Side Two
1. Baby, I Love You
2. I Can't Make It on Time
3. This Ain't Havana
4. Rock 'N' Roll High School
5. All the Way
6. High Risk Insurance

Best Tracks:
Do You Remember Rock N Roll Radio?
I'm Affected
Chinese Rock

Currently listening to: LP

I've never been a huge Ramones fan. I've always been a casual fan. I've had Ramones Mania for years, and always enjoyed it. But, I've never been compelled to look much further into the Ramones.

This was one of the first records I ever bought from Clarity Records on my very first visit when they first opened. The other was Iggy Pop's Naughty Little Doggy. I think I played it once before it was absorbed into the library. I haven't played it again until I randomly pulled it out tonight.

I actually don't have a lot to say about it. It's pretty much as I remembered/expected. Although, it is poppier than I remembered. Phil Spector's production generally works fairly well. It's an interesting mix, to say the least. I am quite fond of 'Do You Remember Rock N Roll Radio?'. I'm not as fond of 'Baby, I Love You'. It's a decent cover, but something about it doesn't sit well with me. I really enjoyed the section of 'I'm Affected', 'Danny Says' and 'Chinese Rock'.

I must admit, halfway through Side Two, I've lost interest. Even 'Rock N Roll High School' is a bit too cheesy for me now, though I did love seeing the video on rage back in the day.

End Of The Century is an enjoyable listen. However, it certainly hasn't deepened my interest in the Ramones. I'm still very much a casual fan. Somehow, I've still never heard their first album. Or Rocket To Russia. I'd probably get more out of those ones.

The Stooges - 'Fun House' (1970)

Versions:
LP
LP (Russian bootleg)
CD (2-disc re-issue)
The Complete Fun House Sessions Box Set


Tracklisting:

Side One:
1. Down On The Street
2. Loose
3. TV Eye
4. Dirt

Side Two:
1. 1970
2. Fun House
3. LA Blues

Best Tracks:
Down On The Street
1970
TV Eye
Dirt

Currently listening to: CD

Given that the last blog was Patti Smith's Teenage Perversity And Ships In The Night, now seems like an appropriate time to cover Fun House.

As I said in the last blog, I got my first Patti Smith record and my first Stooges record a week apart, when I was 16. And they were both big game changers for me. I'd seen The Stooges on the same documentary I'd seen Patti Smith on (the BBC's great Dancing In The Street series, in case you were wondering) and had the same urge and curiosity to find out more about them. Of course, I knew of Iggy Pop. At least, I thought I did.

It does strike me as odd, all these years later, that both The Stooges and Patti Smith were so alien to me when I was 16. It was like a big secret that I was finding out about. Many adults in my life were impressed that I loved 60's music as much as I did, and many were happy to offer recommendations ('Hey, you should listen to Jethro Tull!') but no-one I knew had any knowledge of anything like The Stooges or Patti Smith. Today, thankfully, just about everyone I know loves The Stooges. As well they should.

Being in my happy teenage bubble of (classic, Dad-approved) 60's music, the first sign I got that people were fucking shit up in the 60's was, of all people, Yoko Ono. I'm glad John Lennon put her on all his b-sides. Side Two of Live Peace In Toronto, which ends with 15 minutes of feedback and Yoko screaming, struck a chord with me. Suddenly, I wanted more from my new musical discoveries than 'Whole Lotta Love' and 'Black Night'.

Enter THE STOOGES.

My first copy of Fun House was a Russian bootleg vinyl copy. Pictures below stolen from the internet:

This is how the tracks were printed in the back cover:

I was mates with the guy that owned the record shop I bought it (and the Patti record) from. He wrote out the track listing from this encyclopaedic book he had. Looking inside the cover tonight, it's still there:

Seeing his hand-writing, after all these years, reminds me of the many, many CD's I ordered from his shop. On the other side of the paper bag, he'd written the tracklisting of the first Stooges album, which he also had a Russian bootleg LP of  (a picture, for shits and giggles and nostalgia):

...which I bought the week after I bought Fun House. I couldn't decide which one to buy first. I ended up buying Fun House because it was $5, whereas the first album was a whopping $7 (which I know, because - for reasons best known to myself - I stuck the price sticker on the paper with the tracklisting for the first album. Also, I miss the days when records were cheap). It must have been divine intervention, because - as much as I love their first record - I made the absolute right choice in getting Fun House first.

Even today, this record has me by the balls as soon as 'Down On The Street' starts. And it doesn't let up until the final moan of 'LA Blues'. I can still remember the excitement I felt listening to this album for the first few times. I still feel it when I listen to it. Maybe that's why I love it so much. I also remember playing it to a few of my friends, with a real sense of urgency. 'YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO THIS RIGHT NOW'! My best mate loved it, too. I'd never heard anything quite as unhinged. It's madness. There's so much energy. I remember wondering how the fuck they recorded it - let alone that it was recorded in 1970.

This really was a life changing album for me. About 6 months after I discovered The Stooges, I joined my first band. While world domination evaded us, we stayed together for nearly 10 years. And, that whole time, I stole a lot from Iggy. As many others have. And many more will continue to.

I also started smoking around the same time I got Fun House. 'Dirt' became my smoking song. There were many weekend nights where I'd save a cigarette, wait for my Dad to leave the house, light some incense, turn off the lights, then pop on 'Dirt'. And, happily smoke away. I'm tempted to do it again now. But, sneaking cigarettes inside in your 30's isn't as fun as in your teens. Sigh.

After the Russian bootleg LP, I bought the standard CD. I gave that away after the 2005 re-issue came out. The 2005 re-issue has a bonus disc, which serves as a best-of the Complete Fun House Sessions box set (that set will get a blog of it's own). I also have a German LP, which Discogs tells me is a 1982 pressing. It was just nice to find a vinyl copy with an English tracklisting. I also ended up, after buying a Stooges bundle from Pop Market, with the gorgeous 2010 pressing, but gave it to a friend who didn't have a vinyl copy of the album. He was obviously in greater need of it. Like many albums on this blog, I'm playing the CD tonight, because it's the version I listen to least. The bonus disc is great, Iggy's intro to 'TV Eye' is a hilarious highlight.

I truly believe that Fun House is one of the best, and most important, albums ever recorded. I could go on about the influence it's had and ponder where we'd be without it. I don't need to. What matters is that it's a fucking amazing record. I got it when I was 16. I'm almost 32. That's half my life I've been with Fun House. Obviously, it's been the better half. And, Fun House, somehow, keeps getting better with every listen.

Patti Smith - 'Teenage Perversity And Ships In The Night' (1976)

Versions:
LP

Tracklisting:

Side One:
1. Real Good Time Together
2. Privilege (Set Me Free) (listed as 'Watching The Breeze')
3. Ain't It Strange (listed as 'Strained On Strange')
4. Kimberly
5. Redondo Beach
6. Pale Blue Eyes/Louie Louie (listed as 'Sort Of Louie Louie')

Side Two:
1. Pumping (My Heart) (listed as 'The Smooth Stone Beyond')
2. Birdland (listed as 'Radio Ethiopia')
3. Gloria/In Excelsis Deo
4. My Generation

Best Tracks:
Birdland
Gloria
Ain't It Strange
Privilege

Currently listening to: LP

Teenage Perversity And Ships In The Night was the first Patti Smith record I ever got. It's a bootleg, recorded at The Roxy in Los Angeles in January 1976. My copy has a plain white cover, with the tracks listed in pen (and, mostly, with incorrect track names) on the insert. It's cost me $5 when I was 16. And, it ignited a passionate obsession with Patti Smith that continues to this day.

As a teenager, I listened exclusively to music made between 1965 and 1975, mostly classic rock stuff. The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix - that sort of thing. And, of course, my beloved Janis. The great music being made at the time (this was the early mid-90's) was, for better or worse, lost on me until much later. But, I was always hungry to discover new music. Once I started digging around for something a bit more obscure, I discovered The Velvet Underground, The Stooges and, of course, Patti Smith. Not that those three are particularly obscure. However, in the dull suburbia of my teenage years, they were. They were also incredibly exciting.

I got Teenage Perversity And Ships In The Night and The Stooges' Fun House within a week of each other. As wanky as it is to say, they were both life changers. Life hasn't been quite the same since that fateful week in 1998.

I first heard of Patti on a documentary about the early punk scene in New York. They played a clip of her singing 'Land'. It was like nothing I'd ever heard before. I became obsessed with knowing more about this woman. My local record store had just started stocking vinyl and had Teenage Perversity And Ships In The Night. I was dubious. I wasn't sure if this plain sleeved record would satisfy my curiosity. But, it was only $5. I took the chance. I bought it.

I'm so very glad I did.

This record served as a perfect introduction to Patti Smith. It was recorded between Horses and Radio Ethiopia, and heavily features tracks from both. It's a great, energetic performance. So much so that it took me a little while to get used to the recorded versions of these songs, particularly the Radio Ethiopia tracks. The version of 'Birdland' here is absolutely brilliant. It was the moment I decided I loved this woman. It perfectly encapsulates what I love about early Patti Smith. Patti improvises the beginning of it (including a hilarious rap about not caring about destroying the ozone layer), then goes into a story about an incestuous relationship between a father and a son - it fits the story of the song surprisingly well, and gives the song a darker edge than the Horses version.

Here it is, for those interested.

The versions of 'Gloria' and 'Privilege' here are still my favourites. They're easily on par with the recorded versions. I also loved 'We're Gonna Have A Real Good Time Together' - another song that was featured on the documentary I'd seen. It took me a long time to work out that, to my disappointment, it had never been released on any of Patti's albums - though, it is a standard on just about every bootleg from this period, as is her great version of 'Pale Blue Eyes'. Both are still favourites.

Not long after I bought this record, I got Horses - which, I shouldn't have to tell you, is brilliant. It feels like Horses should be the perfect introduction to Patti. And it probably is. For me, though, Teenage Perversity And Ships In The Night did the job nicely. It's a great record. It's a shame that no official live album has ever been released from this period. That said, it hardly matters. There's a few great vinyl bootlegs (this, I Never Talked To Bob Dylan and Live At The Bottom Line, the latter two will get their own blogs later), that serve their purpose, probably better than any official release would.

The Who - 'Tommy' (1969)

Versions:
LP
CD
CD (Deluxe Edition)

Tracklisting:
1. Overture
2. It's a Boy
3. 1921
4. Amazing Journey
5. Sparks
6. Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker)
7. Christmas
8. Cousin Kevin
9. The Acid Queen
10. Underture
11. Do You Think It's Alright?
12. Fiddle About
13. Pinball Wizard
14. There's a Doctor
15. Go to the Mirror!
16. Tommy Can You Hear Me?
17. Smash the Mirror
18. Sensation
19. Miracle Cure
20. Sally Simpson
21. I'm Free
22. Welcome
23. Tommy's Holiday Camp
24. We're Not Gonna Take It
25. See Me, Feel Me

Best Tracks:
See Me, Feel Me
Amazing Journey
Christmas

Currently listening to: LP/CD/Deluxe Edition CD

I became obsessed with The Who as a teenager. While the obsession faded over the years, the love never did. Though, ashamedly, I do sometimes forget just how much I love The Who these days. Every 6 months or so, I stumble upon a Who album and am quickly reminded.

The Who's back catalogue is an interesting one to trawl through in 2014. Back in the mid-90's, when I started buying their albums, all of their albums were newly remastered (and many remixed) on CD with a ton of bonus tracks. Almost 20 years later, most of the albums have been re-issued again since - at least once - with more bonus tracks. There's been a staggering amount of Who stuff released (or re-released) over the last 20 years. I've kept up with most of it.

Tommy is an interesting one. I have three versions and each one is noticeably different. Unlike most albums I have, I think I've played the vinyl version the least. Playing it now, I think it may be only the 5th time I've listened to the record. The main reason for this, though, is that the vast majority of my Who vinyl was given to me by my Media Studies teacher in high school. My record collection was meagre back then, and being impressed by my taste in music, this teacher was happy to indulge me. God, he gave me some fucking great records. This was also the height of my Who obsession, and it just so happened that The Who were also his favourite band. Like many people in the 90's, he was happy to see his records go to a good home. He had no use for them. In return, a few years later, I made him an mp3 disc of every Who album. He was extremely happy with this at the time. In retrospect, it hardly seems like a fair deal. The records he gave me were mostly American imports and in immaculate condition. I was too scared to play them to death, like many of my other records. I felt as if I'd let him down if I trashed his beautiful records. Not that I frequently trashed my records, I was just ultra paranoid about these ones. Today, I feel like I'd let him down if I didn't listen to them. And, they're still in great condition. I just hope he doesn't, after all these years, regret giving them away.

The first version of Tommy that I ever heard was the 1975 film soundtrack. I somehow ended up with the record, after falling in love with Live At Leeds and Who's Next. Being that Tommy was their best known work, I was excited to hear it. Once I did, I didn't understand what all the fuss was about. It was pretty ordinary. My favourite Who song was (and probably still is) the version of 'See Me, Feel Me' from the Woodstock film - and, the version on this record sucked. Thankfully, in these days before the internet, someone educated me and I realised it wasn't the original album. Once I did get the proper Tommy album, it took a bit of getting used to. I was madly in love with the sound of Live At Leeds and the Woodstock performance - and Tommy didn't pack the punch I expected it to. It didn't take long, however, for me to fall in love with it. For a time, though, I preferred the live version of Tommy. The Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 album came out around the same time that I got Tommy, and, while I played both to death, I came to like the live version a little more. I always longed to get the Live At Leeds version of Tommy, but by time it was finally released in 2001, I realised I preferred the original album (although, Live At Leeds is probably the definitive live version of Tommy. More on that when I re-visit Live At Leeds).

And, yes. There are lots of fucking versions of Tommy.

The version of Tommy that I came to know and love was the 1996 remixed CD. Despite reading in the linear notes that this was a new mix, I didn't realise how different it was until many years later. Having not listened to the vinyl version often, it wasn't until the Deluxe Edition was released in 2003, using the original mix, that I realised the differences. Listening to the vinyl version tonight, it seems different again from the 2003 version. When I first got the Deluxe Edition, I fell in love with Tommy all over again. I loved the original mix, and it's been my preferred version since. I thought it made the 1996 version limp in comparison. Revisiting the 1996 remix tonight, for the first time in many years, however, has made me re-think which version I like more. The remix is actually really good.

The 2003 Deluxe Edition is probably the definitive CD version. For hardcore fans, the 1996 CD is a very interesting addition. The Deluxe Edition does, of course, feature a bonus disc of outtakes and demos. Most of the tracks on the bonus disc are unremarkable, however. There's an interesting outtake called 'Trying To Get Through'. And there's a studio version of 'Young Man Blues' (which is different, and not as good, as the studio version released as a bonus track on Odds & Sods). And, that's about it. Pete's demos are quite interesting - I think he's since released all of his Tommy demos (yep, another version out there!). Of course, like most of The Who's re-issues, the Deluxe Edition is beautifully presented. Although, the 1996 CD faithfully recreates the original artwork.

Fuck it. Both are great. If you've got one, but not the other, you're not going to lose sleep. If you don't have either and you're curious which to get, both will do the job nicely. Tommy is a great album, however you find yourself listening to it.

Magic Dirt - 'Life Was Better' (1994)

Versions:

CD

Tracklisting:
1. Daddy
2. Ice
3. Amoxycillin
4. Fairy Park
5. He Man

Best Tracks:

He-Man
Ice
Amoxycillin

Currently listening to:
CD

Magic Dirt is another big one that I need to get started on. I could (and probably will, later) wax poetic - at considerable length - about Magic Dirt. They're still my favourite band. Ever.

For now, we'll start with Life Was Better. Partly, because it's possibly the one Magic Dirt release that I only have one copy of. And partly, because it's perfect. I can't think of a better EP - one that, in five tracks, completely sums up what's great about a band. Despite the great work they did in the years after Life Was Better, I feel like this is still the perfect summation of Magic Dirt. The fact that most of the tracks on Life Was Better remained staples of Magic Dirt's live set, right up until they stopped touring, is testament to that. It's pop. It's catchy. It's sloppy. It's grungey. It's noisy. In Life Was Better, you can hear the roots of the sloppy masterpiece Friends In Danger, the riffy/stoner Young And Full Of The Devil, the poppy hooks of What Are Rock Stars Doing Today and Tough Love, and the noise freak-out of Roky's Room. More than 1993's Signs Of Satanic Youth EP (which is also great), Life Was Better, feels like a planted seed. From which, greatness sprang.

Life Was Better could not have been an album. It's potency lies in that it only contains 5 tracks. The self-titled Magic Dirt album that became their American debut, which contains all the tracks from Signs Of Satanic Youth and Life Was Better, is proof of that. Or maybe it's that I'm so used to hearing the two EPs separately, that they don't pack the same punch when compiled together. Either way, Life Was Better deserves to be taken on it's own.

The EP opens with 'Daddy', which is the only song on the EP that, for me, was a grower. In retrospect, I'm not sure why. It's great. Then onto 'Ice', which is probably one of their best known songs, but is nowhere near as revered as it should be. It should be classed with Ratcat's 'That Ain't Bad' or Silverchair's 'Tomorrow' or even You Am I's 'Berlin Chair' as an essential early 90's Australian rock song. These days, it seems to be remembered by a small handful of Triple J listeners and people who saw Magic Dirt play in shitty pubs in the early 90's. I must admit, I kinda like that. Although, I hope I'm wrong.

Then, 'Amoxycillin'. Which is possibly even catchier than 'Ice'. So, what do Magic Dirt do? They put ten minutes of feedback onto the end of it. Which is one of the many, many reasons I love them so.

'Fairy Park' is one of the few tracks of Magic Dirt's career that sees bass player Dean Turner take on vocal duties. Sincer Turner's passing in 2009, the song has taken on a new significance. For me, it's full of memories of many Magic Dirt gigs, from the Big Day Out to shitty country pubs.

'He Man' closes Life Was Better and remains one of my favourite Magic Dirt songs. It encapsulates everything I love about this band. It's dirge-y, but has a great hook. And, Adalita's vocals are insanely good. When I first got Life Was Better, I was in a band myself, and just wished I could sing like that. Her scream at the end of 'He Man' makes me weak at the knees, even now.

As I said, I only have one copy of Life Was Better, which is only unusual because it's the only Magic Dirt release from their years on Au-Go-Go Records that was never released on vinyl. Considering it was one of their better selling releases, it's surprising. And, a shame. What I wouldn't give for a beautiful vinyl pressing of this EP! It'll probably never happen (even the CD is long out of print), but after Adalita's debut album was pressed on vinyl for the first time this year, I'm quietly hopeful that anything could happen. I won't hold my breath, however.

I never quite understood how Magic Dirt weren't huge. I fell in love with them, hard and fast, back in the day. And, my tastes were pretty mainstream. If you're a new convert, interested in checking Magic Dirt out, this is a good place to start.