Showing posts with label eels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eels. Show all posts

Sunday, 3 June 2018

Log #88 - Tonight's The Zeit

Eddy Bamyasi

A really strong series this week bolstered by new investments. I've been planning to get Tangerine Dream's classic Zeit album for ages and finally cashed in an amazon voucher for this and Midlake's Trials of Van Occupanther album. Charity pick ups this week come from US rockers Eels and UK festival favourite Scott Matthews. If that wasn't enough bringing up the rear is many people's favourite Neil Young album. I'm not sure Tonight's the Night is his very best but in a strong field I'd have it in my top 5.


~

1. Tangerine Dream - Zeit
2. Tangerine Dream - Zeit cd 2 / The Klangwald Performance
3. Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther
4. Eels - Shootenanny!
5. Scott Matthews - Passing Stranger
6. Neil Young -  Tonight's The Night

~

Zeit

Although this album is famously one (and probably the best) of Tangerine Dream's early ambient releases (before they introduced the pulses and rhythms) there is a lot of listening here. You need to play such static music a bit more before you can really appreciate it's subtle intricacies.  And then there is the bonus "live" album on top too.  It's gonna be great. Tangerine Dream are definitely one of the groups who have enjoyed a new lease of life in my listening since starting this blog. Tbc.

Shootenanny!

I've never heard any Eels before. I am only aware of the cover of their early album with the strange looking girl with the big eyes. This is pretty good in a rock guitar sort of way although many would accuse them of "rock by numbers". The laid back singing reminds me of that bunch of bands around Whiskeytown, Wilko, Golden Smog, Ryan Adams - not a bad bunch at all but this isn't particularly remarkable on early listens (it is so hard to be different in this crowded field). This is one of the more exciting tracks:



Passing Stranger

This, his 2006 debut album, is excellent stuff from Scott Matthews who obviously has a talent for acoustic, electric and slide guitar, soulful singing, and an ear for a great hook and a liking for some world music flavours. It even sounds a bit like Led Zeppelin (and Jeff Buckley and James Morrison) in places - not what I was expecting. Again a crowded market, being that solo soulful singer songwriter guitar player area, but different enough to warrant further listens.



Midlake

As I've said before this is an even more crowded market but this band is class. This was their "breakthrough" album released in 2006. First track "Roscoe" is a good place to start:



Tonight's The Night

Neil Young's Tonight's The Night is almost certainly his bleakest album (and there have been a few). Officially the final part of his "ditch" trilogy it was actually recorded in 1973 shortly after Time Fades Away and before 1974's On The Beach, but the release was delayed until 1975.

Most of the tracks were recorded over one night with the band in an apparent drug and drink induced state of relaxation. The songs are extremely raw and live. Whereas the roughest edges have been honed off of the similar On The Beach recording the production here, where it exists at all, is rough and ready, warts and all. Some of the songs sound out of tune and the volume and stereo separation is variable.

I used to play this depressing album to cheer me up. Things could never be as bad as this.

However it works! The band literally sound like they are in your front room. The underlying quality of the songwriting, the melodies, the bar room authenticity of the live band, and the heart rendering beauty of Young's solo tracks on piano or acoustic guitar, all shine through to make this one of his best loved collections.

Kids, this is what real music sounds like.

The album explores the depth of Neil's pain over the heroin overdose deaths of Crazy Horse's Danny Whitten and roadie Bruce Berry. The bookends of Tonight's The Night are the title track which opens and concludes the album - the two versions are pretty indistinguishable, and apparently (in response to heckles to "play something we know") Young would repeat the song more than once in the same set when touring the album in late 1973:

Bruce Berry was a working man
He used to load that Econoline van
A sparkle was in his eye
But his life was in his hands
Well, late at night when the people were gone
He used to pick up my guitar
And sing a song in a shaky voice
That was real as the day was long

Early in the morning at the break of day
He used to sleep until the afternoon
If you never heard him sing
I guess you won't too soon
Because people let me tell you
It sent a chill up and down my spine
When I picked up the telephone
And heard that he'd died out on the mainline

Just wow, this is crushing stuff and it is relentless throughout this amazing record I will never tire of.

The personnel (courtesy Wiki) dubbed The Santa Monica Flyers included Young collaborators from the Stray Gators (Harvest)After The Goldrush, and Crazy Horse:

Neil Young – vocals; guitar on "World on a String," "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown," "Mellow My Mind," "Roll Another Number," "Albuquerque," "New Mama," "Lookout Joe," and "Tired Eyes"; piano on "Tonight's the Night," "Speakin' Out," and "Borrowed Tune"; harmonica on "World on a String," "Borrowed Tune," and "Mellow My Mind"; vibes on "New Mama"

Ben Keith – pedal steel guitar, vocal on "Tonight's the Night," "Speakin' Out," "Roll Another Number," "Albuquerque," and "Tired Eyes"; pedal steel guitar on "World on a String" and "Mellow My Mind"; vocal on "New Mama"; slide guitar, vocal on "Lookout Joe"

Nils Lofgren – piano on "World on a String," "Mellow My Mind," "Roll Another Number," "Albuquerque," "New Mama," and "Tired Eyes"; vocal on "Roll Another Number," "Albuquerque," and "Tired Eyes"; guitar on "Tonight's the Night," "Speakin' Out"

Danny Whitten – vocal, electric guitar on "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown"

Jack Nitzsche – electric piano on "Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown"; piano on "Lookout Joe"

Billy Talbot – bass all tracks except "Borrowed Tune," "New Mama," and "Lookout Joe"

Tim Drummond – bass on "Lookout Joe"

Ralph Molina – drums, vocal all tracks except "Borrowed Tune," "New Mama," and "Lookout Joe"; vocal on "New Mama"

Kenny Buttrey – drums on "Lookout Joe"

George Whitsell – vocal on "New Mama"



Powered by Blogger.

Leading Artists (by appearance)

neil young (26) van morrison (22) john martyn (18) tangerine dream (18) felice brothers (16) pink floyd (14) led zeppelin (13) black sabbath (12) brian eno (12) whitest boy alive (12) bonnie prince billy (11) can (11) david sylvian (11) radiohead (11) talk talk (11) beatles (10) cluster (10) cocteau twins (10) laura marling (10) nick cave (10) afro celts (9) beck (9) bob dylan (9) fennesz (9) genesis (9) iron and wine (8) loscil (8) midlake (8) paolo nutini (8) tom waits (8) autechre (7) foals (7) nucleus (7) richard hawley (7) stars of the lid (7) camel (6) david bowie (6) dj vadim (6) efterklang (6) elo (6) fairport convention (6) harmonia (6) holger czukay (6) kings of convenience (6) low (6) luke vibert (6) matthew e white (6) miles davis (6) sahb (6) the doobie brothers (6) tord gustavsen (6) war on drugs (6) william basinski (6) arovane (5) bear's den (5) black keys (5) boards of canada (5) bob marley (5) calexico (5) edgar froese (5) father john misty (5) hawkwind (5) jan jelinek (5) king crimson (5) mouse on mars (5) nils frahm (5) public service broadcasting (5) robert plant (5) sigur ros (5) takemitsu (5) arbouretum (4) badly drawn boy (4) budgie (4) carly simon (4) carole king (4) decemberists (4) emeralds (4) four tet (4) handsome family (4) hidden orchestra (4) jethro tull (4) jj cale (4) john legend (4) klaus schulze (4) kruder and dorfmeister (4) manuel gottsching (4) opeth (4) penguin cafe orchestra (4) ravi shankar (4) soft hair (4) steely dan (4) the unthanks (4) tim hecker (4) trees (4) ulrich schnauss (4) KLF (3) alan parsons project (3) alex harvey (3) alison krauss (3) alva noto (3) barclay james harvest (3) bon iver (3) bonobo (3) caitlin canty (3) caribou (3) chicago (3) coldplay (3) curtis mayfield (3) david crosby (3) deep purple (3) depeche mode (3) eilen jewell (3) enid (3) fleetwood mac (3) floating points (3) free (3) gorillaz (3) gram parsons (3) grateful dead (3) grobschnitt (3) incredible string band (3) james morrison (3) jill scott (3) john grant (3) john surman (3) keith jarrett (3) kraftwerk (3) lal waterson (3) last shadow puppets (3) lift to experience (3) lynyrd skynyrd (3) mahavishnu orchestra (3) manitoba (3) mike oldfield (3) mike waterson (3) monolake (3) neu! (3) palace brothers (3) philip glass (3) popol vuh (3) quantic (3) rodriguez (3) rokia traore (3) rolling stones (3) rory gallagher (3) roxy music (3) rush (3) simon and garfunkel (3) sly and the family stone (3) steve hillage (3) suede (3) sufjan stevens (3) the comet is coming (3) tim buckley (3) wagon christ (3) wilco (3) 4hero (2) abc (2) ac/dc (2) al stewart (2) amon duul II (2) aphex twin (2) arctic monkeys (2) baka beyond (2) band of horses (2) belle and sebastian (2) blue oyster cult (2) blue states (2) bonzo dog band (2) boris salchow (2) burial (2) cardigans (2) carlos barbosa-lima (2) charles mingus (2) chemical brothers (2) chris rea (2) cinematic orchestra (2) compilations (2) crosby stills nash (2) david darling (2) death in vegas (2) debussy (2) dj shadow (2) doors (2) earl sweatshirt (2) eloy (2) emilie simon (2) erik satie (2) farben (2) festivals (2) fleet foxes (2) francois and the atlas mountains (2) fripp and eno (2) gas (2) gong (2) granados (2) green on red (2) griffin anthony (2) jazzland (2) jean sibelius (2) jeff buckley (2) john coltrane (2) johnny flynn (2) josh t pearson (2) julian cope (2) kamasi washington (2) kanye west (2) kate bush (2) ketil bjornstad (2) la dusseldorf (2) lambchop (2) larkin poe (2) little feat (2) ludovico einaudi (2) magma (2) marianne faithfull (2) marvin gaye (2) mike lazarev (2) money mark (2) morton feldman (2) nektar (2) nightmares on wax (2) ninja (2) nirvana (2) nitin sawhney (2) peace (2) porya hatami (2) prefuse 73 (2) prem joshua (2) randy newman (2) robert fripp (2) ryan adams (2) scorpions (2) scott and maria (2) scott matthews (2) servants of science (2) soft machine (2) steve miller (2) susumu yokota (2) talvin singh (2) the who (2) thievery corporation (2) traffic (2) truckstop honeymoon (2) ufo (2) up bustle and out (2) weather report (2) wiley (2) willard grant conspiracy (2) wishbone ash (2) wyclef jean (2) yes (2) abba (1) acid mothers temple and the cosmic inferno (1) aimee mann (1) air (1) alabama 3 (1) alice coltrane (1) amadou and mariam (1) andy shauf (1) anthony hamilton (1) april wine (1) arcade fire (1) ashra (1) asia (1) badger (1) barber (1) beach boys (1) bee gees (1) beirut (1) bert jansch (1) beuno vista social club (1) bill laswell (1) biosphere (1) bjork (1) blow monkeys (1) bob geldof (1) bob holroyd (1) bob seger (1) bombay bicycle club (1) boubacar traore (1) broken social scene (1) bruce springsteen (1) bruch (1) byline (1) captain beefheart (1) cardi b (1) cast (1) cat stevens (1) catfish and the bottlemen (1) charles and eddie (1) chopin (1) chris child (1) christine and the queens (1) chuck prophet (1) climax blues band (1) cosmic jokers (1) crowded house (1) d'angelo (1) daft punk (1) david goodrich (1) davy graham (1) dexy's midnight runners (1) dolly collins (1) donald fagen (1) dreadzone (1) dub pistols (1) eagles (1) echo and the bunnymen (1) eden espinosa (1) eels (1) elbow (1) electric ape (1) emerson lake and palmer (1) erlend oye (1) erukah badu (1) essays (1) euphony in electronics (1) faust (1) feist (1) flaming lips (1) future days (1) gamma (1) gang of four (1) gentle giant (1) goat roper rodeo band (1) godspeed you black emperor (1) gorecki (1) groove armada (1) grover washington jr. (1) gun (1) guru guru (1) hatfield and the north (1) hats off gentlemen it's adequate (1) heron (1) hiss golden messenger (1) hozier (1) human league (1) idles (1) india arie (1) iron and wire (1) isaac hayes (1) james brown (1) james joys (1) jamie t (1) janelle monae (1) jayhawks (1) jean-michel jarre (1) jerry paper (1) jim croce (1) jimi hendrix (1) jjcale (1) john cale (1) john mclaughlin (1) jon hassell (1) jurassic 5 (1) kacey musgraves (1) keith berry (1) kid loco (1) king tubby (1) king's consort (1) kings of leon (1) kirk degiorgio (1) kodomo (1) lenny kravitz (1) lighthouse (1) love supreme (1) luc vanlaere (1) lumineers (1) mark pritchard (1) mark ronson (1) me'shell ndegeocello (1) messiaen (1) metallica (1) micah frank (1) michael hedges (1) michael jackson (1) mike west (1) mitski (1) modest mouse (1) moody blues (1) morte macabre (1) motorhead (1) national health (1) nick drake (1) nusrat fateh ali khan (1) oasis (1) omd (1) orb (1) orquesta reve (1) other lives (1) oval (1) paco pena (1) paladin (1) panda bear (1) pat metheny (1) paulo nutini (1) pentangle (1) pierre bensusan (1) portishead (1) proprio (1) protoje (1) purcell (1) pussy riot (1) queen (1) rainbow (1) ramsay midwood (1) rautavaara (1) rem (1) rhythm kings (1) richard strauss (1) robyn (1) roni size (1) ryuichi sakamoto (1) sada sat kaur (1) saga (1) sam jordan (1) sammy hagar (1) santana (1) scaramanga silk (1) shakti (1) shirley collins (1) shostakovich (1) snafu (1) snatam kaur (1) sparks (1) st germain (1) stanford (1) steeleye span (1) stereolab (1) steve reich (1) styx (1) supertramp (1) susumo yokota (1) t bone walker (1) terry riley (1) the band (1) the clash (1) the jayhawks (1) the streets (1) the wreks (1) tricky (1) tycho (1) uriah heep (1) velvet underground (1) venetian snares (1) vladislav delay (1) whiskeytown (1) whitesnake (1) william ackerman (1) yngwie j malmsteen (1) zhou yu (1) μ-Ziq (1)