What Are You Listening To?

[Ruby]

Things that make my heart happy - 

STRAWBS - From the Witchwood - remarkable album ... love it ... my choice for today - might be the dulcimer that does it - "Witchwood" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XlT1jlD-xU



MIKE OLDFIELD - Ommadawn - it's two tracks so linking in it's entirety - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlNi-zZF6wI




GEOFFREY RICHARDSON - Moving Up A Cloud

Can't find an album cover to post - my pick ... 

[Ruby]

Continuing my Geoffrey Richardson exploration with 2015's The Garden of Love. Super laidback stuff - listened while catching up on some admin. About three songs on this that made me stop and listen, otherwise a bit too generic - future hearings unlikely. He really is quite something though - in terms of his mastery of various instruments. This track reminds me so much of something else and I have nooo idea what! Most frustrating! 

[CRAZY-HORSE]

COUNTING CROWS  "hard candy"  cd, 2002.

American rock band
their fourth of seven...
most tracks border on Americana, heartland rock...
includes a surprise hidden track of Joni's big Yellow Taxi which is cool also..
all up, a solid album but not quite as good as the other two i own ("underwater sunshine" and "august and everything after")..
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

the first single:

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and the cover:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

COLD CHISEL  "east"  cd, 1980

a revisit...
Aussie pub-rock/blues rock band...
known for their hard liquor consumption as much as their music back in the day...
their third album of nine, 5x platinum in their homeland and their biggest seller to date...
lots of ragged raw blues rock on here with several ballads thrown in for good measure...
usually features in the top 5 'greatest albums of all time here in Australia..
and to put them into perspective, they were the only band who back in the day could equal or out sell AC/DC in this country...
if you like simple honest rock and roll give these guys a listen...
love just about everything about this album...
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

not a single but an excellent album opener:






Standing on the outside lookin' in
Standing on the outside lookin' in
Oh-oh, I never strayed outside the law.

Standing on the outside lookin' in
Room full of money and the born to win
No amount of work's gonna get me through the door.

When I go walkin' down Bluewater Bay
Surface in the city at the end of the day
Oh-oh, I got a bad case of the benz
Standing on the sidewalk you can see
Somebody everybody wants to be
They got the means to justify every end
I had a friend broke through illegally
Pulled a job on a small-town T.A.B.
Five grand down on her own piece of Eden
And I know...
And I know...

The first thing I do when I get into town
Is buy a twenty-two and cut the whole thing down
No amount of work's gonna buy my way to Freedom

I'm on the outside lookin' in
Standing on the outside lookin' in
Oh Yeah!

[CRAZY-HORSE]

DAVID GILMOUR  "rattle that lock" cd, 2015.

a revisit...
his fourth of four solo albums, i own all four.... 
"the division bell" is the best PF album IMO so i guess im a fan of his...
ten tracks, three of which are instrumentals and worthy additions IMO...
some rock, some PF sounds and a jazz song also...
good solid album IMO
I LOVE THIS ALBUM:

found a live version of the title track so thats the one im posting:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

GERRY RAFFERTY "snakes and ladders"  cd,  1980

his fourth...
another excellent release from the Scotsman...
follows his stock standard easy dreamy soft rock style...
seems that one knows what theyre going to get with a Rafferty album...quality.
loving most of the tracks and liking the rest.
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

for its pure simplicity:





Oh darlin' do not cry
These clouds will soon pass by
The moon up in the sky
Is crying, he feels just like you.

The moonlight casts its spell
You know that all is well
Even the moon can tell
He's smiling, he feels just like you.

[CRAZY-HORSE]

THE BEATLES  "magical mystery tour" cd, 1967

released everywhere but the UK for some strange reason...
first half was released as a double pack 'ep' in their homeland but elsewhere the second half were UK stand alone singles (a+b sides) included to create an album...
usually considered the 'little brother' or 'second class citizen' to Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band but IMO the songs here are way superior tot he tracks on that album. to me Sgt Peppers is littered with mostly average songs that enjoyed the addition of groundbreaking studio techniques to enhance the songs, this one also uses inventive studio mastery courtesy of George "the fifth beatle" Martin but the tracks themselves are top shelf.
the different emerging styles of John, Paul and George's songwriting talents are evident here as to the different paths they were taking as they matured from George's Indian influenced "blue jay way" and instrumental "flying", through the melodic earworms of Paul's "penny lane" and "hello goodbye" and John's more cryptic psychedelic "i am the walrus"/"strawberry fields forever" and peace anthem "all you need is love".
inbetween all this is rock (the title track), dancehall (your mother should know) and the almost experimental (baby youre a rich man) amongst others...
all up an album that just gets better and better with age, and unlike Sgt Peppers, IMO, doesnt sound dated.
yes, the Beatles made better albums but this is still excellent iMO...
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

tracks:

1:   magical mystery tour ***
2:   the fool on the hill ***
3:   flying **
4:   blue jay way ***
5:   your mother should know **
6:   i am the walrus ***
7:   hello goodbye **
8:   strawberry fields forever ***
9:   penny lane ***
10: baby, youre a rich man **
11: all you need is love ***

3s - 7
2s - 4
1s - 0

rating:  2.6

lets go for George's psychedelic-Indian "blue jay way" this time round:





There's a fog upon L.A.
And my friends have lost their way
"We'll be over soon," they said
Now they've lost themselves instead.


Please don't be long
Please don't you be very long
Please don't be long for I may be asleep...

Well, it only goes to show
And I told them where to go
Ask a policeman on the street
There's so many there to meet.

Please don't be long
Please don't you be very long
Please don't be long for I may be asleep...

Now it's past my bed I know
And I'd really like to go
Soon will be the break of day
Sitting here in Blue Jay Way.

Please don't be long
Please don't you be very long
Please don't be long for I may be asleep...

Please don't be long
Please don't you be very long
Please don't be long...

[CRAZY-HORSE]

ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA "discovery" vinyl/cd 1979

a revisit, and a welcome one at that...
wanted to play some ELO but the pick of album was random...
John Lennon once said: "if the beatles were around now this is what we would sound like",
maybe not literally speaking, but for the fact of orchestrations mixed with rock and roll and the obvious melodies and harmonies...
any Beatles fan would know that ELO's music has Beatles written all over it, so Lennon was right and when you listen to George Harrison/Travelling Wilbury's you can hear the comparisons between him and Jeff Lynne...
back tot he album at hand though...
excellent harmonies, melodies and musicianship along with crystal clear production...
loving the vast majority of the album and liking the other couple,
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

Jeff Lynne's ELO live from only a couple of years ago, he has still got "it" !

[CRAZY-HORSE]

JET  "shaka rock" cd/vinyl, 2009

a revisit...
Aussie rock band, third album of three...
been a few years since i listened to this one
previous listens i didnt like it but i guess the passing of time can change things...
a decent album this time round, still nothing great on in, but nothing i dislike neither for a change...
not a patch on their debut, "get born", but still pretty good...
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

the lead off single:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

THE BEATLES  "with the Beatles"  vinyl/cd 1963

a revisit...
their second..
amazing to think that even then that the biggest band in the UK had the balls to release an album that didnt contain any singles, especially back then when singles off albums were the name of the game, so even then they were pushing boundaries and re-writing the rules of music.
 they could have put any of their three previous singles (non album tracks: she loves you, i want to hold your hand, from me to you) on the album but chose not to.
anyway,
fourteen tracks, six of which are covers and ive got to say, theyre as good as, if not better than the originals as The Fabs make them their own. George Harrison wrote one and the remainder are Lennon/McCartney compositions...
this album sounds like nothing else that was around at the time with its unique melodies, harmonies, guitar sound and brilliant album cover.
loving just about everything on here and my equal favourite Beatles album ever (until the next one i listen to LOL !! )
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

some great archival home videos used int his clip:

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and Lennon's 'longing almost wailing' vocals on this Smokey Robinson classic: