Iggy Pop & James Williamson - Kill City (2010 Reissue)

My latest review of the reissued 1977 album Kill City by Iggy Pop and James Williamson is now available on Virgin Media. Go ahead and check it out!

Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 (1972)

There were a lot of bands in the 60s. So many that most people have never heard of most of them. After the 'British Invasion' of the American pop charts in 1964 the amount of bands in America seemed to explode overnight. In 1972, this double LP was released to celebrate those bands from the grooviest era of music who went largely unheard. Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 is a journey through all those missed gems of early garage rock and psychedelic pop. Usually I'm not a big fan of compilation albums, but Nuggets is so much more than your average compilation album. Twenty-seven of the best songs of the 60s made by young and upcoming bands who inspired countless bands after them. The conception and popularity of young, loud garage bands such as The Seeds and The Blues Magoos would also go on to influence punk and hard rock in the 70s.

Putting the historic context of the album aside, Nuggets is a fountain of brilliant bands and songs, all with their own unique twist or sound. The Thirteenth Floor Elevators are a prime example of a band who have been forgotten by the world after the 60s ended. Their song "You're Gonna Miss Me" features an instrument called an 'electric jug' which makes the most unusal sounds whilst the rest of the band give it all they've got. Whether you're a fan of psychedelic music or not, it makes little difference; this album will blow you away. I challenge anyone to listen to this album and not have at least one song stuck in their head by the end of the second side. If you want to see a side of the 60s that regularly goes unnoticed then you should make it your duty to track Nuggets down.

Label: Elektra

Tracklist:
1. I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night) - The Electric Prunes
2. Dirty Water - The Standells
3. Night Time - The Strangeloves
4. Lies - The Knickerbockers
5. Respect - The Vagrants
6. A Public Execution - Mouse
7. No Time Like The Right Time - The Blues Project
8. Oh yeah - The Shadows of Knight
9. Pushin' Too Hard - The Seeds
10. Moulty - The Barbarians
11. Don't Look Back - The Remains
12. Invitation To Cry - The Magicians
13. Liar, Liar - The Castaways
14. You're Gonna Miss Me - The Thirteenth Floor Elevators
15. Psychotic Reaction - Count Five
16. Hey Joe - The Leaves
17. Just Like Romeo and Juliet - Michael and The Messengers
18. Sugar and Spice - The Cryan Shames
19. Baby Please Don't Go - The Amboy Dukes
20. Tobacco Road - The Blues Magoos
21. Lets Talk About Girls - Chocolate Watch Band
22. Sit Down I Think I Love You - The Mojo Men
23. Run Run Run - The Third Rail
24. My World Fell Down - Sagittarius
25. Open My Eyes - Nazz
26. Farmer John - The Premiers
27. It's-A-Happening - The Magic Mushrooms

Talking Heads - Little Creatures (1985)

Following the two darker and much more funk orientated albums Speaking in Tongues and Remain in Light, this album is large departure from anything else Talking Heads head done before. The sound is far more simple, yet just as sharp as their earlier work. The lyrics are also a lot less cynical and lead singer David Byrne has his nicest (if still rather strange) singing voice on show. Little Creatures oozes style and confidence, it shines out good feelings in a completely honest way, something not very easily done, if ever. Country elements are strong throughout the album, combined with the twinkling guitars and harmonies it almost sounds like 60s psychedelic pop but created by a post-punk band in the 80s.

The opening track 'And She Was' is a straight forward pop number and starts the album perfectly. You won't find the usual paranoia and claustrophobia of a Talking Heads album here, just smooth music and good vibes. The child-like illustration on the album cover and the multi-coloured outfits worn by the band on the reverse signal that the band are ready to show their sunny side. For an album that is 25 years old this year it sounds surprisingly fresh, unlike a lot of music from the era, which is an achievement in itself. Chilled out, but not too sloppy. Happy, but not too proud. Sharp, but not so sharp that they cut themsevles. Little Creatures is a celebration of human spirit via Talking Heads' post-ironic positivist attitude to the world. Sometimes its fun just to sit there smiling instead of thinking too much, and its nice to have this album around with you when you do.

Label: EMI

Tracklist:
1. And She Was
2. Give Me Back My Name
3. Creatures of Love
4. The Lady Don't Mind
5. Perfect World
6. Stay Up Late
7. Walk It Down
8. Television
9. Road To Nowhere

Record Store Day! April 17th

As an avid collector of record stores I decided to celebrate Record Store Day's fourth year in the appropriate fashion by visiting my local record shop, Rubber Soul Records in Stoke.

To read my latest article, head over to Virgin Top Music Blogs: http://www.virgin.com/music/top-music-blogs/i-saw-god-record-store-day

Can - Tago Mago (1971)

After the 60s had died down a new musical direction arose in Europe. Dubbed 'krautrock' by British music journalists, the music which originated in Berlin was a combination of psychedelic and progressive rock with other genres such as jazz and electronica. Although the krautrock scene was short lived, half a dozen or so bands remain forever popular and of those bands the one which stands out the most is Can. Their magnum opus Tago Mago, released in 1971, gained high critical acclaim on release and still stands as one of the most popular alternative albums ever.

Slick grooves and repetitive funky beats are Can's signature sounds. The long double album leaves room for extremely long free jams which might seem a bit overpowering if they weren't done with such undeniable style. The lead singer, Kenji "Damo" Suzuki sings in a combination of Japanese, English and German, making the lyrics almost indecipherable at times but this adds to their mystery and haunting power. Combined with swaying beat the effect produced is enough to send you in to a trance. The few more experimental tracks such as 'Peking O' and 'Augmn' are impressively complex if a little hard on the ears. It's not an album that will grab you with its full force on first hearing, its a slow burner and takes time to understand but once you get there you'll find out that it was worth every second.

Label: United Artists

Tracklist:
1. Paperhouse
2. Mushroom
3. Oh Yeah
4. Halleluhwah
5. Augmn
6. Peking O
7. Bring Me Coffee Or Tea

Sleep - Holy Mountain (1992)

If Black Sabbath were from 1990s Los Angeles instead of 1960s Birmingham, this is how they would've sounded. Sleep, a psychedelic stoner metal band, rose to prominence during the surge of stoner metal bands in the early 1990s. But Sleep are a little different to other bands, for example, before Sleep recorded their second album Holy Mountain, one of the members left to band to become a monk and moved to a deserted island in Alaska. Whilst only a three piece band they manage to make a LOT of noise. The vintage fuzzy bass drives the sound through hard and harder riffs. This is heavy stuff, not for the faint-hearted. The endless droning and thumping makes you long for the relief of 'Some Grass', a bluegrass tune quite out of character given the rest of the album but the change of pace makes all the difference.

The album is based on the 1973 Alejandro Jodorwsky film of the same name, a legendary cult film about the meaning of life and everything else. The dark tone set by the film is equally matched by the epic ambitions of Sleep. The lyrics and vocals sound as if they are ancient chants over the hard, crashing rhythm. The first track, 'Dragonaut', is a perfect example of psychedelic music at its best. Holy Mountain is a classic psychedelic metal album with a really unique quality and sound.

Label: Earache Records/Kreation Records

Tracklist:
1. Dragonaut
2. The Druid
3. Evil Gypsy/Solomon's Theme
4. Some Grass
5. Aquarian
6. Holy Mountain
7. Inside The Sun
8. From Beyond
9. Nain's Baptism

The Rolling Stones - Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967)

The psychedelic trend sweeping western pop music in the late 60s was one of the defining moments of the decade's music. After the 'Summer of Love' in 1967 it seemed as if everyone was wearing flowers in their hair and following a new kind of music: psychedelic rock. The Rolling Stones were no different to anyone else and in December 1967 they released their album Their Satanic Majesties Request. The Rolling Stones have an infamous record for apparently copying whatever The Beatles did in order to equal their fame and popularity, but this record is far different to The Beatles' sunny pop masterpiece Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. The Rolling Stones psychedelic offering has a darker side. The beautiful multi-coloured sleeve appears to be both a parody of and a tribute psychedelic culture.

Their Satanic Majesties Request is the only Rolling Stones album that was produced by the band themselves and the result is fairly obvious. Each song is so detailed, the incredible soundscapes only become apparent after several listens. From cheery baroque pop tunes (such as 'She's a Rainbow') to futuristic space rock ('2000 Light Years From Home') the album only gets better with the more you notice about the subtle production techniques. Unusually for a Stones' album, Mick Jagger is not given his usual stage to showcase his vocals. This time he is tucked away in between the instruments as the overall sound takes centre stage instead. His voice weaves in and out of each line instead of carrying the rhythm of the song and it works surprisingly well. The Rolling Stones would soon abandon psychedelic rock as the trend started to die out and the 60s ended but this album is as groovy and brilliant as any they've ever made.

Label: Decca

Tracklist:
1. Sing This All Together
2. Citadel
3. In Another Land
4. 2000 Man
5. Sing This All Together (See What Happens)
6. She's A Rainbow
7. The Lantern
8. Gomper
9. 2000 Light Years From Home
10. On With The Show

Bent Wind - Sussex (1969)

Nobody has heard of Bent Wind. Even the most trained of psychedelic connoisseurs could be forgiven for having not heard of them. They were a Canadian garage band formed in 1969 and in the same year released their debut album Sussex. Sussex has an almost unique sound, despite using established psychedelic rock conventions. The guitars are sharp and heavy, the drums are thick and booming and the vocals seem to float hauntingly over the rhythm. During the song Riverside the sounds of a bird singing and screeching over the top completely catches you by surprise and changes the song entirely.

Altough the sound is as lo-fi as can be, It's a credit to the production of the album that the band can sound eery as well as loud unlike any other band I've ever heard. The highlight of the album is the first track on the second side ('Look at Love'), a beautiful slower song proving that Bent Wind can chill out as well as rock out. This album is as brilliant as it is hard to find, nowadays its quite a collectors item and an album any die hard psychedelica fan would love to have in their collection.

Label: Heyoka

Tracklist:
1. Sacred Cows
2. Riverside
3. Mistify
4. Going To The City
5. Look At Love
6. Hate
7. Touch of Red
8. The Lions

Big Brother and The Holding Company - Cheap Thrills (1968)

Sex, Dope and Cheap Thrills was the intended album title for Big Brother and The Holding Company's second record, later shortened to meet their record label's more mild taste. It comes as no surprise then that this record is a celebration of youth and freedom like only the 60s can do. A milestone album for psychedelic and blues rock coming out of San Francisco in the mid to late 1960s. Big Brother and The Holding Company were one of the first 'acid rock' bands in San Francisco. Acid rock bands were called so because they regularly played at gatherings of people taking LSD with the groovy music aiming to improve the trip of the audience.

The outdated cartoon artwork might shows its age (over 40 years old) but the music is only as young as it sounds. Lead singer Janis Joplin wails and screams in joy, pain and anguish as vintage psychedelic rock blasts out from behind her. The album opens with 'Combination Of The Two', a song that you cannot help but move to. There's songs to dance to, there's songs to sing along to, there's songs to that make you sad and songs to make you feel good. Although Big Brother and The Holding Company did little else in their short career, this album will always be remembed for it's perfect representation of 60s counterculture, like a zeitgeist moment for late 60s alternative music. Well, that and the guitar solos.

Label: Columbia

Tracklist:
1. Combination of The Two
2. I Need A Man To Love
3. Summertime
4. Piece of My Heart
5. Turtle Blues
6. Oh, Sweet Mary
7. Ball & Chain

The Black Lips - 200 Million Thousand (2009)

In the face of their growing fame you could be forgiven for thinking that The Black Lips might finally warm to a cleaner sound, without the screaming and scratchy guitars. But their new record proves that they haven't lost any of their edge, despite being together for a decade now. If anything, their latest release hints at a darker edge than before. The production sounds almost claustrophobic at times, like the band are trapped in a basement, crying for help (which, appropriately enough, is actually what the song 'Trapped In A Basement" attempts to portray).

At first, it sounds as if the band are hiding behind their wall of harsh noise, too scared to use open and honest melodies and sounds. But if you continue listening, The Black Lips' brilliance shines through once more. From the first two raucous opening tracks all the way through to the climactic ending (from which this blog takes it's name), the album oozes style. It's not easy for a band to create a piece of work that has it's own feel and it's own personality but all that and much more has been accomplished by the garage rock American band. Wailing solos, simple sing-a-longs, block rocking hip-hop, latin flavoured riffs and an encounter with god: what more could you want from a rock album?

Click here to listen to 'Drugs' by The Black Lips

Label: Vice

Tracklist:
1. Take My Heart
2. Drugs
3. Starting Over
4. Let It Grow
5. Trapped In A Basement
6. Short Fuse
7. I'll Be With You
8. Big Black Baby Jesus Of Today
9. Again & Again
10. Old Man
11. The Drop I Hold
12. Body Combat
13. Elijah
14. I Saw God
15. Meltdown (Hidden Track)