Hare

Running through long grass

Under endless clear blue skies
Mad March hares boxing

Low Tide

The sea ebbs away
Leaving rock pools and seaweed
Crabs scuttle and hide

Astral Weeks by Van Morrison

A question that arises time and time again on this list is whether you should separate the artist from the art and indeed if that is even possible. There are a lot of cases of musicians who turned out to have problematic personal lives or political opinions but the music still has something to say. In Van Morrison’s case his public persona on this album is of a fairly liberal hippy singing jazzy love songs with a bit of a spiritual side, and this album is perfectly fine if you like that sort of thing.

However, in recent years Van Morrison has made no secret of his far right antisemitic views (writing a jaw droppingly offensive song called “They Own the Media”) as well as his tinfoil hat anti-vax conspiracy theories. It’s also no secret that he has had a turbulent private life and taken a petty dispute with a neighbour about a driveway all the way to the Irish Supreme Court to prove a point (which he lost). Lovely guy. 

So, I can’t really appreciate these songs as I might have done had I heard the record with no prior knowledge of his character. 

Your mileage may vary. 

https://album.link/gb/i/1031002336

Spring Sky

Sunshine and showers
From clear blue to overcast
Changeable spring sky

Blood Sugar Sex Magik by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Let’s start with the positive stuff. There are some really nice guitar riffs on this with funky bass lines and solid production values. After that, it goes downhill. The biggest red flag is not only white people rapping, but white people rapping about sex. Badly. 

I mean, they’re not even trying to be subtle here. It’s all hard dicks and creamy beavers like a bit of fevered fan fiction. I imagine. Lead singer Anthony Kledis was 30 when he wrote this, so he hasn’t even got the excuse of being a horny teenager. Seriously dude, take a cold shower and ask yourself what you’re doing with your life.

Also, this was 74 minutes long to fill up a cd and if they’d trimmed the beavers (ho, ho) there was probably a passable album in there.

https://album.link/gb/i/945581828

Plough

Plough parked by the pub
While the ploughman eats his lunch
Pork pie and pickles

São Paulo Confessions by Suba

Musician and producer Mitar Subotić moved from his native Serbia to Brazil in the 1990s, adopting the name Suba and was immediately captivated by the country. He played with combining traditional Brazilian rhythms with experimental European electronica and quickly became one of the country’s pre-eminent producers. He produced Tanto Tempo by Bebel Gilberto - one of my favourite albums from this list - and had just finished this record when he was overcome by smoke trying to rescue tapes from a fire in his studio and tragically passed away as a result. 

This album gives a perfect example of his unique and influential style and it’s a great loss that he was taken from the world of Brazilian music so young. It shows how much different cultures can learn from each other, to the enrichment of both. 

Rest in Peace Suba and thank you for your music.

https://album.link/gb/i/1760208251