Five more albums from my shelves that I haven't listened to in at least ten years.
Thee Headcoats - Headcoatitude
I picked this one up in a used bin somewhere. It's the only album I have that involves the estimable Billy Childish. It's a pretty lo-fi document, but I'm led to understand that all of Billy's work falls into that aesthetic. I can just imagine at least one of my friends blanching at the sound quality of this album, openly wondering why I even bother to keep it. But if he were to ask, the answer would be simple: this record is an instant party, or at least a surefire fun zone. The trio careens and rocks out with wild abandon. Listening to this, you can almost picture them moving in the studio as they play, occasionally stumbling, having a laugh and sipping a wee dram of whatever they're enjoying between takes (or perhaps during). "My Dear Watson," "Hog's Jaw," "By Hook or by Crook," "It's Gonna Hurt You More Than It Hurts Me" and "Neither Fish nor Fowl" all juice up the proceedings. Sure, they wear their blues and British Invasion influences like a big overcoat (or "mac," as the Brits would say), but when the results are this much sheer fun, I see no reason to complain.
Idle Eyes
I probably married into this one; I honestly have no memory of listening to it previously. According to Wikipedia, this band from Vancouver BC has long centered around singer Tad Campbell; nearly thirty other musicians have come and gone from the group over the years. This album (their first) is an undeniably Eighties-sounding item, with the phased guitars and overloaded echo on the singer's voice. None of the songs is familiar to me; this band may have had a hit someplace, but wherever that was, I wasn't there when it happened. And the lyrics are pretty simplistic, bordering on the dumb from time to time. Yet somehow, to my ears, the end result never crosses the line into execrable. Or perhaps my listening experiences on the last two or three iterations have made me re-think that designation ... or increased my tolerance level. To put it another way: it's pretty Eighties -- very Eighties, in fact -- yet it doesn't plumb the depths of Corey Hart, Dead Or Alive or Cutting Crew. And yeah, it's going back on my shelf, till another day.
Jo Jo Zep & the Falcons - Screaming Targets
I picked this up in a used bin some time in the '80s, probably on the strength of the single "Hit and Run." (I have that song on a compilation, so yeah, that's probably how I chose this album on that long-gone day.) That song's reggae bounce, opening the album, remains as enjoyable as ever; what surprises me (only because it's been so long since I played this whole album) is that they sustain that appeal throughout the album. Its flow works well as background music while puttering around the house, and its individual tracks work just fine if I sit and listen attentively. With summer around the corner, I may have rediscovered this album just in time.
Jon & Vangelis - The Friends of Mr. Cairo
My brother picked this one up from a used bin somewhere; it eventually migrated to my collection. I'm not a big fan of Yes, and I hadn't heard of Vangelis until the title track of this album hit the airwaves. Listening to it now, none of the songs on Side A stirs me at all, save for Jon's pompous recitation about the year 1620 in "Mayflower." That part stirs me, but not in a positive way at all. (Come on, Jon, the Moody Blues drove that shtick into the ground. Seriously, you were around while they were doing it! Don't you remember?) Flipping it over, I enjoyed the title track as much as I ever had, but I'd forgotten how Jon and Van extend it with a slow, unnecessary coda. In fact, I think the portion that qualifies as the coda is longer than the portion that I'd call the song. Then "Back to School" starts, and before I know it, I wish the preceding coda was still playing. This tune, where synth-pop meets sock-hop, doesn't work for me. By the time Side B limps to its end with a soft yet not disagreeable ballad, what I'm left with is a 12" extended-mix single with a lot of bonus tracks.
K.D. Lang & the Reclines - Angel with a Lariat
Another one that I married into. In fact, I don't recall ever listening to this album; knowing me, the fact that Lang started out as a nominally country artist gave me all the reason I needed to ignore it. Had I only looked on the back cover and seen Dave Edmunds credited as the producer, I probably would've given this a spin. So how does it strike me now? "Turn Me Round" comes on really strong, right out of the chute, in all the best ways, with Lang and her band hitting on all cylinders. From there, it goes through more rollickin' upbeat numbers, ballads (well, more like slow-dance tunes), and a cover of Loretta Lynn's "Rose Garden" that doesn't improve on the original but doesn't do it any harm either. Violinist/collaborator Ben Mink is the MVP in her band, bringing just the right touch to the grooves. It ends with an orchestrated weeper "Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray," which isn't really to my taste but showcases Lang's voice probably better than any track that precedes it. Definitely a keeper, and definitely an album I shouldn't have ignored or dismissed so blithely.
