Elvis Presley, “Spin Out” (RCA, 196)
Soundtrack with a nice mix of work-rockers, ballads, and a Dylan cover that shows the King really got what Bob was about.
Try 2/ 1, 2/2, 2/4
7/11/18
Elvis Presley, “Speedway” (RCA, 1967)
Later soundtrack by the King, some cool rockin’ stuff (a slight heavy/spacey contemporary influence trickling into his mountain fastness?) and a kicky little tune by co-star Nancy Sintra (of course).
Try 1/ 1, 2/ 1
7/11/18
Eno, “Taking Tiger Mountain Strategy” (Editions EG, 1974)
Second solo album in the wake of his departure from Roxy Music. This one has lush drumless daydreams that indicate the beginnings of his ambient explorations, frantic rhythm-chopping guitar-rock that helped pave the way for postpunk, and pure pop songs that could only have come from the addled mind of a guy who stood apart even as everyone else followed him, at his peak here.
Try 2, 3
11/10/16
Eyeliners, “Confidential” (Sympathy, 1997)
Neat little item from Albequerque trio. Fresh-faced, fleet-footed garage-punk so full of yearning, rage and joy it sounds like they invented the form themselves just the other day.
Extreme Noise Terror, “A Holocaust In Your Head” (Head Eruption, 1989)
The late ‘80s UK “grindcore” scene took rock’s most brutal subgenres to their ultimate, apocalyptic limit, and what Boltthrower did for metal, Extreme Noise Terror did for hardcore. Wind-tunnel guitar-roar that blows out anything that isn’t nailed down and puts NORAD on alert, drums going for the demolish-your-kit-the-quickest Guinness-book record, some unwashed Brit crust-punk haranguing McDonald’s customers about vivisection and corporate genocide way back in the mix. This makes Negative Fix and Void sound like the Knack.
All great, especially 2, 5, 6, 12, but nobody who hasn’t had a few hundred cups of coffee will understand the vocals anyway.
Exposé, “Exposé” (Arista, 1987)
Scene-leading Cuban-American “freestyle” dance-pop from the late ‘80s, like prime Kylie or Bananarama with harder beats and more polyrhythms. Bright, beautiful stuff.
Try 3, 6, 9
Exposé, “Exposé” (Arista, 1987)
Scene-leading Cuban-American “freestyle” dance-pop from the late ‘80s, like prime Kylie or Bananarama with harder beats and more polyrhythms. Bright, beautiful stuff.
Try 3, 6, 9
Even Worse, “You’ve Ruined Everything” (Grand Theft Audio, 2002; original recording 1980-84)
Even Worse were part of the relatively neglected early NYC hardcore scene, along with Kraut and the pre-rap Beastie Boys. This is catchy, sloppy, snotty junk-culture/lowlife punk rock, akin to really earl Replacements, but more HC-oriented. The songs are excellent, but their great calling card was Rebecca Korbet’s volatile, don’t-give-a-shit vocals, which sound kind of like Peppermint Patty grown up an din a really bad mood.
Picks: 2, 4, 7, 9
4/4/11
Eurythmics, “In The Garden” (RCA, 1981)
Little known in the US, this debut features their richest, most interesting music – synth not yet dominant but blended imperceptibly with the guitar in a pale, dazzling rainbow-spray, songs with the sweet, slightly eerie quality of Eno’s early pop stuff.
Try 1, 5, 8
4/17/16
Eurythmics, “Greatest Hits” (RCA, 1991; original release 1981-9)
We already have some of this on vinyl, but not 11, their best – a cool, pulsing synth-pop nocturne that sneaks up on you with a sinister, sensual, disorienting force. 3 is great too, all lush, haunted brilliance.
10/13/11