Swim, Freeze

Standing shivering
Harpenden open air pool
School swimming class

John Prine by John Prine

They say that you shouldn’t judge a book (or an album) by its cover, but in this case the record company very much wanted to give us a picture of an amiable looking denim clad fellow sat on a straw bale with a guitar propped up beside him, making sure that we knew to expect a country album. John Prine later said “I thought they coulda has on a bus or something”

The music is very much country but the vocals (at least initially) sound more like Bob Dylan. Pushing past that and listening to the lyrics shows a sharply written album with a wry sense of humour (“I knew that topless lady had something up her sleeve”). There are some pointed protest songs about the Vietnam War (“Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore”) and a hard hitting number about a wounded soldier coming home only to get hooked on morphine.

The highlight for me was the heartbreaking song “Hello In There” which is about growing old and suffering from loneliness.

Haybale-tastic!

Owl

Gliding on soft wings
Sharp eyes spot a twitching tail
Captured by cruel claws

Back to Mystery City by Hanoi Rocks

80’s hair metal was a short lived but tremendously enjoyable genre with impressive guitars and even more impressive hair styles. They probably got through enough hairspray to put a sizeable dent in the ozone layer.

This album is a lot of fun and not quite as over the top as some later examples of the genre. There are solid drums and guitars, and the vocals are pitched at a level audible to the human ear.

Hanoi Rocks from Finland were pioneers, and could possibly have hit the big time if not for the tragic death of their drummer Razzle in a car crash in 1984, caused by Mötley Crüe’s singer Vince Neil driving drunk. The band broke up not long after.

Fifth Dimension by The Byrds

This is an interesting crossover between folk music and psychedelia, especially on the title track which genuinely sounds like Bob Dylan floating through the universe on a particularly freaky acid trip. This is followed by an oddly out of place cover of a traditional Scottish folk song - I’m guessing that they don’t have much purple heather in San Francisco, but then we are back to the weirdness with a song about ufos and little green men.

The highlight is probably the best known track here, the soaring Eight Miles High which has echos of some of the Beatles experiments with Eastern mysticism that were in the zeitgeist at the time. Apparently many radio stations refused to play it as they thought it was a drugs reference. Wonder where they got that idea from?

Parched, Grass

The lawn's turning brown
Meanwhile data centres churn
As the ocean boils

Maxinquaye by Tricky

Bristol has always been a city of contrasts. Leafy suburbs sit alongside sink estates. Grand civic buildings (which even a cursory glance at a history book will tell you were paid for by the slave trade) were of little comfort to a generation of young people with no jobs and no prospects. It’s hardly a surprise that the 80s saw riots born of despair and hopelessness, but from the literal ashes a new musical genre appeared that reflected something of the mood of the time.
Tricky was part of the Massive Attack project, but was understandably frustrated to be seen as just a vocalist (albeit a damn good one). This is first solo album and it is noticeably darker and more introspective. It’s a musical evolution of the trip-hop sound rather than a revolution, but the real revelation on this album is the discovery of Martina Topley-Bird who Tricky found sitting a wall near his flat, singing to herself after finishing her college exams. Her voice perfectly complements the music here.