Log #97 - A Gang Of Dead Bees

The Guardian's readers recommend series, which I only discovered two weeks ago, is now being withdrawn after 13 years! This was a disappointment for both new contributors like me who was hoping to curate a playlist myself in the future, and stalwarts who have kept the concept going all this time. They will now be congregating over at the similarly formatted song-bar.com .

The final topic was on the subject of The Influence of India and I was chuffed to have one of my nominations (out of over 600) selected for the final play list of 13. It was Krishna Blue by David Sylvian which appears on his Dead Bees On A Cake album.

Here's the Guardian write up:

I certainly couldn't have described it better.

David Sylvian got so good after he went solo with a string of excellent albums. The first one I discovered was (ironically also on a bee theme) Secrets Of The Beehive which I remember most for the stunning acoustic guitar as on this track below.

It's a truly beautiful album and for a few years probably my favourite album of all, and not something I would have expected from the ashes of a pop band like Japan. I am shocked now to remember that that album came out in 1987 as it is one of those I remember clearly where I was at the time on first hearing.

Dead Bees was the follow up coming 12 years later!

1. Bonnie Prince Billy - Master and Everyone
2. David Sylvian - Dead Bees On A Cake
3. Efterklang - Springer
4. Mojo Presents - Return to the Dark Side of the Moon with Wish You Were Here Again
5. Fairport Convention - The History Of
6. Gang of Four - Entertainment!

The Gang of Four album isn't my usual sort of listening. Why have it then? Well, several reasons - I like to try all sorts of new music all the time. And the second reason is it literally fell into my lap. I found it in a bush on my walk home from work the other evening - along with three other Cds - REM's Automatic For The People, Cast's All Change, and Echo and the Bunnymen's Killing Moon The Best Of.

On first listen, as expected, I didn't like the simple Jam / Ramones post punk ranting and scattered guitar strumming over pumping bass. It was made in 1979 and so sounds like it. A few more listens and I am beginning to appreciate the Wilko Johnson like staccato guitar. Late in the album there are even a few variations on the theme.

Gang of Four - mostly like Dr. Feelgood but a hint of new romantic dress sense too

How about this for plaudits though - the album was ranked as fifth Greatest Punk Album of All Time and at number 483 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The album was listed by Pitchfork Media as the 8th best album of the 1970s. Kurt Cobain listed it as his 13th favourite album!

Here's his Top 20 for passing interest:

1. Iggy & The Stooges - Raw Power 
2. Pixies - Surfer Rosa 
3. The Breeders - Pod 
4. The Vaselines - Dying for It 
5. The Shaggs - Philosophy of the World 
6. Fang - Landshark 
7. MDC - Millions of Dead Cops 
8. Scratch Acid - Scratch Acid
9. Saccharine Trust - Paganicons 
10. Butthole Surfers - Pee Pee the Sailor 
11. Black Flag - My War 
12. Bad Brains - Rock for Light
13. Gang of Four - Entertainment! 
14. Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols 
15. The Frogs - It's Only Right and Natural 
16. PJ Harvey - Dry 
17. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation 
18. The Knack - Get the Knack 
19. The Saints - Know Your Product 
20. Kleenex - "anything by" 

...interesting, not many I'm aware of there.