Personal discovery of the year (non-current division)

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A friend suggested this--an old record you heard the first time this year, or an artist you weren't aware of (or hadn't heard if you were aware of them) that you blah blah.

Hers: Vernon Dalhart. Mine, believe it or not: the Smiths.

― M. Matos, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yours? (Merry Christmas, by the way, everybody.)

― M. Matos, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Run On, Dusty Springfield

― sage, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I can think of a few rather disparate musicians. Not necessarily the most notable unearthed oldies of the year for me, but the ones that immediately leapt to mind and that I feel like talking about on this sleepless night.

Tim Blake
His Crystal Machine and New Jerusalem albums. Tim Blake spent some time in Gong and Hawkwind (when Gong made Flying Teapot & Angel's Egg and when Hawkwind made Levitation). I'm crazy about both of those bands, but I guess I hadn't paid much attention to the personel because I didn't know who Tim Blake was until I stumbled across old vinyl copies of his solo records (which I only bought because they have such great covers). The music is late 70s electro synth space-music. Crystal Machine is swirly and formless in an almost ambient way. Hard to get into if you have too many lights on in the room, but I enjoy it quite a bit. New Jerusalem is more accessible. It has vocals and the pieces are a bit more "song- like", but it's still very lost in space. The song "Lighthouse" off of it was later recorded by Hawkwind. I think I like both versions equally.

Bruce Woolley & Camera Club
The self-titled LP from 1979. Maybe the only LP. I'm not sure how the relationships sort out, but either The Buggles left Bruce Woolley or Bruce Woolley left The Buggles. The album has earlier versions of "Video Killed the Radio Star" and "Clean Clean", which later appeared on the first Buggles album. Bruce Woolley rocks 'em up a little harder, though. If The Buggles are sort of like C-3PO and R2-D2 then Bruce Woolley is definitely Han Solo. He's more virile and romantic, with a "sensitive handsome guy" croon.

The whole album is a gas. Melodies just spillin' all over the place. The "famous" songs aren't even the best things on it. There's some 60's pop influences at work, but they're very New Wave-d out. I particularly like "Flying Man", a frantic twitchy rock song, and "Get Away William", which is all swooning sci-fi synth-pop.

The Beagles
The Here Come the Beagles album from sometime in the mid-60s. The Beagles were a fictional band based on an obscure cartoon show. The album is pure promotional product bubblegum, but its great. It's probably really hard to find. I managed to hear it when I bought a Banana Splits bootleg CD that compiles the Banana Splits album & singles and then, for some reason, adds on the (completely unrelated) Beagles album. I'm glad they did it, though. The Beagles outshine The Splits here. Songs like "Be the Captain" and "Foreign Legion" are perfect pop children's music with dizzying melodies. I particularly love "Thanks to the Man on the Moon", which has a really odd, descending, almost psychedelic guitar intro that repeats throughout the song throwing the 50s-ish makeout music melody off-kilter.

― Oliver Kneale, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If I might be allowed a shameless plug, look for Pitchfork list at the end of this week containing each writers' top 5 non-2001 faves discovered this year, with brief commentary.

What Smiths, Michaelangelo? And what did they do for you?

― Mark, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Leon Ware, early '70s Donald Byrd, and umm... ummm... a couple Deep Purple songs. *Runs away*

― Andy K., Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Alexander "Skip" Spence ..."Oar"

Had heard about it when it was re-released (in 99?). But just recently eyed it at the store and had extra cash. It is quite brilliant.

― Gage-o, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I discovered the Smiths recently too. Also, being v. damn young I've only been listening to Most of My Favorites for a year or two anyway. This Year's Discovery: Music That Isn't Pop

― Keiko, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Old breakbeat hardcore. due to hearing a bunch of it while hung over, coming down w/fierce head cold, trying & failing to get some sleep on couch in university student house w/no heat in early February, as raging party next door carries on at full blast 'til 11am the next day. So this is Manchester...
Anyway, "Blow Out (Part II)" = best thing EVER.

― daria gray, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Anyway, "Blow Out (Part II)" = best thing EVER.

i'm sorry daria, but clearly "close yr eyes (optikonfusion!)" is the best thing ever. ;)

― jess, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i'm sorry jess, but i think blow out part ii has the slight edge. but y'all wrong because the house crew's euphoria (nino's dream) is evenbetter.

― gareth, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You're all wrong: Trip II The Moon (Part 1) is by far the best.

― RickyT, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

All the weird-ass Turkish psyche stuff that's surfacing. Oh yeah.

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

A watershed year for me... Spacemen 3, Bark Psychosis, Cluster, Neu!, Spiritualized, Mercury Rev, Basic Channel/Chain Reaction, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Fela Kuti, Orbital, etc...

― Clarke B., Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Smiths: singles, mostly--got Louder Than Bombs but none of the albums yet, not really in a hurry for 'em yet. all standard objections apply, but they're better than I thought they would be.

Daria: merry Xmas! about goddamned time you got into breakbeat hardcore! (greatest ever, since that's what this is turning into: Acen, yes, but "Trip II the Moon pt. 1 & 2." and who does "Blow Out," pardon my ignorance?)

― M. Matos, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

new old alb's that i had not heard before - the Spokesmen - "Dawn of Correction", the Dillards - "Wheatstraw Suite", Chesterfield Kings - 1st album, Edgar Broughton Band - "Oora", 31st Febuary, Fever Tree.

drifting back to the front of the pile - John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Reed, Slim Harpo, "Blow You A Kiss In The Wind" by Boyce & Hart.

― duane, Monday, 24 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

blow out part ii is by Bass Selective

― gareth, Tuesday, 25 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm not sure I even knew of UK Garage before this year.

― Honda, Tuesday, 25 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

british volk music (steeleye span, fairport, sandy denny) and PROG (soft machine, kevin ayers, robert wyatt, henry cow)..not sure how much i actually -like- it, but there we go.

disovering the breeders were just as good as frank black solo (if not the pixies.)

family fodder. kitchens of distinction. african pop.

― jess, Tuesday, 25 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The Go Betweens, of all people, to the extent that Before Hollywood and Liberty Belle are now two of my favourite albums ever. Am I getting old or something?

― RickyT, Tuesday, 25 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Realizing that for at least four albums (Career of Steel through Hemispheres) Rush was one of the greatest, weirdest, most versatile rock bands ever. Peter Gabriel/Genesis. King Crimson's first album. Wire. LL Cool J. Disco. Destruction. Different Class.

― sundar subramanian, Tuesday, 25 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Just very recently A.R. Kane's '69' and New Order's 'Technique'. I also caught up with a lot of old hip-hop stuff such as Kurupt's 'Tha streetz iz a mutha' and the two Ol' Dirty Bastard albums. St. Etienne as well.

― Michael Bourke, Tuesday, 25 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

this year i discovered heavy metal and all its myriad subgenres. not that i like it any more than i did before, i still find most of it boring, ugly and relentlessly silly. entirely an investigative thing really, business-not-pleasure (except i'm not in the business, so i truly make no sense).

― marek, Tuesday, 25 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Michael, does Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha live up to the promise of "Who Ride Wit' Us"? Because that song is utterly awesomely untouchable, but I can't conceive of the rest of the album being nearly as good.

― Tim, Wednesday, 26 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Sincerity and fun are the two things I've discovered in the past year or so. Considering the first, this is simple: Dexy's Midnight Runners -- both Searching and Don't Stand Me Down. It's been said here before and better, but it just somehow nails that most difficult of intangibles: honesty. KR even feels the need to apologize for or couch his sincerity, he continually asks permission to speak his mind ("can I" or "may I" leading off many lines/sentences), which makes it even more heartfelt and heartwrenching.

Uh, as for fun, I can't think of anything terribly specific -- that's more relishing everything that is Now. Also, the Soul Jazz releases have opened up a lot of musical avenues for me to explore.

― scott p., Wednesday, 26 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I got big into mod revival stuff this year. I mean, I had liked the Jam for a long time, but this year I went and found The Chords, the Lambrettas, Secret Affair, etc. etc.

― g, Wednesday, 26 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Shuggie Otis'InspirationInformation.

The radio seems to have rediscovered the Smiths. Very weird. Every single HOUR they seem to play some Smiths song.

― helenfordsdale, Wednesday, 26 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Loveless".

― Sean, Wednesday, 26 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Glad to hear you liked it, Sean.

― Mark, Wednesday, 26 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

What, no Buffy St. Marie, Sean? Hey, I did end up getting off the highway at Exit 18 for gas and coffee and what should I stumble upon but the Cedar Brook Cafe! Can't miss it, actually. It looked like my kinda gay bar--a collapsing barn with a faded rainbow flag painted on the side. "Where people meet and become friends forever"--sound familiar? Of course, it was closed. So I went and got my hair done at the Nu Wave salon down the street. I love the Post Road and Western CT in general. Did you have an Ice Storm childhood?

My discoveries: Talk Talk-Laughing Stock (thanks, Ned), Brigitte Fontaine, the Millenium.

Stuff I rediscovered with a vengeance: World of Twist (thanks whoever contributed that thread), Talking Heads (thanks to Mark S and dave q), post-Chelsea Girls Nico.

― Arthur, Wednesday, 26 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I obsessed over the glorious Cinerama in 2001, buying eveything I could get my hands on, and revelling in the plesure of discovering a new soundtrack for my lovelife. Sing DLG's praise!
Orange Juice: why had I not cared about them b4 is a mystery, considering how the Postcard 45s are fantastic. And would "Rip It Up" sell 5 copies if it were released today? I wonder. No problem to swallow my pride, either!
As for your Smiths discovery, well, it was about time, now, wasnt it?
Cheers all!

― Simon, Wednesday, 26 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Japan, "Quiet Life" and after, and David Sylvian's solo stuff. It took me twenty years to get it. Only after I'd evolved into a deep, deep spiritual being did it begin to make any sense at all.

― dan, Wednesday, 26 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ah yes, Dan, but "Quiet Life" and before is where the real thrills lie!

― Sean, Wednesday, 26 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I disagree. I have already stated my views on Japan a while ago, but let's do it again.
My usual take is pre-Tin Drum Japan: bad-yet-good darkly funky glam wankery. "Adolescent Sex" and the likes are cool, but at that point I dont think Japan had found their own private sound yet. That would come in the über-polished absolute piece of wondrous garbage that is Tin Drum.
Post-Tin Drum Japan: bad-yet-fah-bulous unique-sounding European coffe-table music for 80s fashion Marxists, strangely possessing a soul despite its obvious flaws (FAKE!).
Best represented by the "live" (the most polite crowd I've ever failed to hear...)Oil on Canvas (utter fretless brilliance - "Still Life in Mobile Homes").

― Simon, Wednesday, 26 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Just to clarify, BTW, I still think Rush in the 80s and 90s was (is?) one of the worst bands of all time. And even the good albums all contain at least one substandard song. (Death to that horrible fruit- fusion instrumental track on Hemispheres). But they're just so good when they're good (which, usually, is when they're playing sci-fi progmetal operas and not when they're trying to do Presence right). "Cygnus X-1" has to be one of the most extreme pieces of rock music made up to that time. And the prelude to "Hemispheres" made post-rock and math rock irrelevant (and was actually good too).

Also, going back to the original question, the first Bauhaus. Trompe Le Monde.

― sundar subramanian, Thursday, 27 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Gang of Four, Patti Smith, Spacemen 3, Stereolab.

I've found some Wire albums going cheap. Are they worth investigating?

― Ben Squircle, Thursday, 27 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i have heard "chairs missing" and "pink flag" and the peel sessions record. i definitely recommend the peel sessions for that version of fly in the ointment. i know a lot of people disagree with me but i prefer pink flag to chairs missing, but if they're going cheap get them both and then you can make up your own mind. later albums - don't bother.

― di, Thursday, 27 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"chairs missing" and "pink flag" and the peel sessions record. i definitely recommend the peel sessions for that version of fly in the ointment. i know a lot of people disagree with me but i prefer pink flag to chairs missing, but if they're going cheap get them both and then you can make up your own mind. later albums - don't bother.

― di, Thursday, 27 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

ooops, posted twice.

as for my personal discovery of the year, it would have to be connie francis.

― di, Thursday, 27 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I also prefer pink flag to chairs missing by Wire, pick it up if you can. If you like rock and early punk you'll probably dig it.

Discovery for this year: Big Star, the first two albums. Both are among my faves of the year though I didn't care too much for third sister lovers. Also Television; I'm not sure how they slipped past me for so long but luckily that has now been rectified.

― Ian M, Thursday, 27 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

154 is one of the best rock albums ever.

― sundar subramanian, Thursday, 27 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hey, Matos, merry Xmas to you too.
Yes, it's Bass Selective. I wouldn't have known it except I happened to buy a massive boxed set of old drum and bass & breakbeat hardcore, it was super cheap & only drawback is that I'm stuck w/ 2 discs of happy hardcore which are tolerable for approx. 5 seconds apiece. eew. Anyway, the song I'd heard through the wall several months earlier was on it - a lucky coincidence, since I hadn't even KNOWN what genre it was/what year it was made when I heard it & decided it was the best thing EVER. Well, that, and Daft Punk's robot helmets.
How about an anti-discovery? I discovered that I didn't care about indie rock.

― daria gray, Thursday, 27 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

A friend of mine in college devised the perfect two-hour radio show: Pink Flag, Chairs Missing, 154, Snakedrill.

I used to think that post-154 Wire was mostly not worth bothering with, though I loved loved loved the earlier Wire enough that I got everything anyway. (Also very fond of the first two Colin Newman solo albums.) Then, this summer, I was out in the middle of the desert and somebody about 200 yards away started blasting _It's Beginning To And Back Again_ at maximum volume. And it sounded REALLY REALLY good. Hard to reproduce at home, though.

― Douglas, Thursday, 27 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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