Snyder was something else, and I was a huge fan. I remember a 1978 show devoted to Punk and Noo Wave in which he told one of his guests--a heavily made-up Kim Fowley--that he looked ridiculous.by Middle C
Very sad news. Bat Out of Hell is one of my favorite Seventies albums. I remember Tom Snyder accidentally calling him "Meatball" on the old Tomorrow show. RIP.by Middle C
Thanks for posting this!by Middle C
Very sorry to hear this. A fantastic guitarist!by Middle C
Thanks, Bip!by Middle C
I don't have any discs that I listen to only at specific times of the year. However, certain albums always remind me of particular seasons, either because they were released at that point in time or because I bought them then. For example, I always associate David Sylvian's Brilliant Trees with Summer 1984, even though I listen to that great album at least once a month. This morninby Middle C
Jerry Garcia said in a 1981 interview with Paul Morley that "I like Gary Numan a lot....I think his stuff is really interesting. I think he's got a real thing."by Middle C
One of the many delightful discs of 1981 was the Island reggae compilation Raiders of the Lost Dub, compiled by Trevor Wyatt and Paul “Groucho” Smykle, and produced by Sly & Robbie. This album featured remixes of tracks by the Paragons (of “The Tide Is High” fame), Burning Spear, Black Uhuru, and other great artists. Jim Green reviewed the record for TP 77, stating that “oo much of Raidersby Middle C
Don't forget "The Tenant," the concluding instrumental on 1978's Obscure Alternatives, which is très Satie-esque.by Middle C
Very saddened to learn of this.by Middle C
Dance, I submit, is Gary Numan’s masterpiece. The four albums preceding it—all of which constitute the android artist’s “Machine” phase—are stunning records, but Dance is Gazza’s quantum leap forward. Please bear with me. One of the many remarkable things about the earlier discs is how each platter picks up where the previous record ended, then takes the music to new levels. Tubeway Army, Rby Middle C
"Time After Time," "Perfect Way" - Miles Davis "A Whiter Shade of Pale" - R.B. Greaves, The Hesitations, Percy Sledge I had the great good fortune to see Mr. Sledge perform "Whiter Shade" and other classic songs at the 2011 Points of Light conference in New Orleans. He was fantastic!by Middle C
"On Broadway" - Gary Numan. A great future shock cover of this classic tune.by Middle C
Thanks for posting this, Mr. Robbins!by Middle C
Are there any Jan Akkerman fans on this forum? I'm currently enjoying his self-titled 1977 album, which has a tasty mid-Seventies jazz-rock vibe with occasional funk and disco elements. TP included him in the magazine's 1978 "Greatest Guitarists of All Time" article, noting that "As a solo artist, has been erratic. Though he can be fearlessly abrasive when necessary,by Middle C
Very sad to hear this.by Middle C
Very sad news:by Middle C
by Middle C
Rio is definitely Duran Duran's finest achievement. "The Chauffeur" still takes my breath away. I agree that no one creates in a vacuum. I'm reminded of Wilde's observation in one of his short stories that "Influence is simply transference of personality," and that "Every disciple takes away something from his master." Japan's Steve Jansenby Middle C
Olli Wisdom of Specimen / Space Tribe has died.by Middle C
Alice Cooper's classic School's Out album offers special thanks to my favorite writer, Gore Vidal. Cooper has acknowledged Vidal as one of his favorite authors, too, though I’ve never found any evidence that the two men actually met. (At any rate, there’s no record of it occurring in Fred Kaplan’s excellent biography of Vidal.) In Robert K. Stanton’s essential 1980 collection Views Fby Middle C
I'd love to see--for the sake of completeness--the reappearance in the Reviews section of all the artists who appeared in at least one edition of the Guide, but were later dropped. Even if the original entries aren't updated, they're still a part (to me) of those classic books, and they reflect where each volume was, culturally speaking, at a particular point in time. I treasureby Middle C
The great Jon Hassell has died. He had an entry in the second Trouser Press guide, if I recall correctly. He was a marvelous musician with a very distinct sound. Certainly I cannot imagine the second side of David Sylvian's Brilliant Trees without him. His two Fourth World albums are highly recommended.by Middle C
A superb analysis as always, Mr. Monk! Your blog, as well as your comments here, are always a delight to read. The cow sound you hear in "70 Cities" always reminds me of a chainsaw. New Gold Dream does indeed whisper seductively to me--in fact, the album contains my all-time favorite Simple Minds song, "Someone Somewhere in Summertime."by Middle C
I listened to this classic double album again over the last several days. It’s still my favorite Simple Minds record (although the subsequent New Gold Dream [81-82-83-84] comes close), and a definite 1981 Top-Tenner. Sons and Fascination and Sister Feelings Call were also available separately, but these discs are for me inextricably linked. It’s not only that both records contain "Sound iby Middle C
Bravo!by Middle C
Writer Nigel Kneale originally intended the Planet People in Quatermass (1979) to be punks, but the suits at Euston Films turned them into hippies. It’s worth noting, however, that the divine Toyah Willcox portrayed the Planet Person Sal in that British television serial.by Middle C
I got rid of all my old vinyl years ago, but I was certainly fond of the 12” format. I didn’t have many of those discs, but the ones I had I loved. When I was a college DJ, I used to open my show with the 12” of Japan’s live “Canton” recording. Other favorites of mine included the same band’s “The Art of Parties”, as well as the terrific extended remix of John Foxx’s “Endlessly.” I also had,by Middle C
Bird is comparable to the Bava film, as well as to Psycho. It's essentially Argento's adaptation of Fredric Brown's novel The Screaming Mimi, which was previously filmed in 1958 by Gerd Oswald. Bird contains the "I-saw-something-odd-but-can't-remember-what-it-was" plot device later used in Profondo Rosso. Mother of Tears is a mess, all right, but an interestingby Middle C
The Tenebre theme, with its vocoderized pauras, and the same film's "Flashing" are great pieces of New Wave electronica, and would have been perfect for one of Rusty Egan's New Romantic DJ sessions back in the day.by Middle C
