Sidney's Blog

10 favourite albums and EPs

7/7/2018

'Let It Bleed' (1969) marked the end of 1960s hippie idealism and announced the world's coming of age into the darker and more troubled 1970s. The album was also a coming of age for the Stones themselves, who finally came into their own after a string of debut albums featuring R'n'B covers, Kinks and Beatles pastiches. This is an album I love listening to by myself in the evening.
'Elephant' (2003) by the White Stripes is a masterpiece of minimalistic, catchy and aggressive rock. Full of character, verve and spite, this band and album got me into rock 'n' roll in the first place. And for that, I am eternally grateful. Track after track, there isn't one bad song on here - from the iconic 'Seven Nation Army', to 'Ball and Biscuit' and 'Hardest Button to Button.' Really great stuff.
'Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia' (2000) is the Dandy Warhols' masterpiece. Painting a landscape of suburban bourgeois-chic, hipster counter-culture, the Portland band manage to comment on and subvert classic rock tropes. I actually had the chance to see these guys for the first time when I moved to London at the Electric Ballroom in Camden.
'Hang' (2017) by Foxygen is an excellent example of 1960s pastiche done right. Cocky, upbeat and completely uncynical, the band was once described to me as a 'mellow Rolling Stones.' Have a listen and figure it out. They're also a hilarious mess live. I really love this band. From orchestral sweeps to catchy choruses and guitar riffs, the album really demonstrates how sincere imitation can be the highest form of flattery.
'White Light/White Heat' (1968) by the Velvet Underground really impacted my approach to music in terms of songwriting. This is such a minimalistic, dark and gritty album, with very few choruses and hooks. Instead, Lou Reed and co. deliver an experimental art-rock jam loud enough to kick the speakers out of your amp. It's also got that really interesting Edgar Allan Poe-influenced short story 'The Gift', written by Reed and read by John Cale himself.
'Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid' (1973) is an amazingly simply and effective folk-rock soundtrack. Bob Dylan himself even features in Peckinpah's western. I used to listen to this album during the summer. It's relaxing, nostalgic and somewhat melancholic, with the classic 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' carrying the album.
'Why Try Harder' (2006) by Fatboty Slim Bit of an oddball one. It's a greatest hits compilation that features Norman Cook's work over a ten-year period, however is cohesive enough if it had been released as an album today. I love it because it really takes you back to the old days of 1990s electronic, acid-house funk - like disco, it's unpretentious feel-good music.
'Please Please Me' (1963) by the Beatles shows striking verve and cohesion for a band who's only just released their first songs. For some reason, I keep revisiting this LP every couple of years. 'Twist and Shout' easily stands out as the liveliest and most energetic track. Even the duds like 'A Taste of Honey' are charming enough to carry you through the rest of their efforts.
'Winter Nets' (2018) by Sports Team is the quintessential British indie Cambridge-educated post-punk 80s band. They're great. It's a shame their latest single, 'Kutcher', doesn't feature on the EP as it's a great example of the band's witty commentary on young love and romance. From the classic 'Beverly Rose' to more conventional rockers like 'Stanton', I've been listening to this album on loop since it was released.
'Dookie' (1994) by Green Day is a classic. I don't really have much to say about it. It's fast, it's dark, it's punk rock.

5 underrated Rolling Stones gems

23/4/2018

‘Worried About You’ (Tattoo You, 1981): Mick Jagger’s falsetto is one of music’s best kept attractions. In the soft and sensitive ‘Worried About You’, we’re lucky to hear some scintillating vocals as well as a sweet and measured guitar work that characterises the uneven ‘Tattoo You’ album. This unusually relaxing and sincere song breaks in tone with much of the band’s previous work.
‘Time Waits for No One’ (It's Only Rock 'n' Roll, 1974): Mick Taylor, who replaced fated bandleader and lead guitarist Brian Jones after his death at the end of the 1960s, here proves his place in the band wasn’t just a convenient fit. Taylor’s fantastic solo and improvisation throughout this nostalgic and bittersweet ballad, married with Jagger’s lyrical work and Charlie Watt’s steady drumming, constitute some of the band’s most poetic music to date.
‘Sweet Virginia’ (Exile on Main St., 1972): this song can be found on the Stones’ flawed masterpiece ‘Exile on Main St.’ ‘Sweet Virginia’ isn’t one of their stage favourites. However, the country-shuffle rhythms and squealing lyrics about struggles and heartbreak are supported by some pretty brilliant guitar work as well as a casually killer saxophone solo by the underrated Bobby Keys. A breezing listen to be enjoyed with a beer.
‘Hand of Fate’ (Black and Blue, 1975): taken from the jam-driven ‘Black and Blue’ album, ‘Hand of Fate’ is a sublime rock ballad about a lovesick murderer on the run. Written in the first-person, the narrative is underscored by one of Keith Richards’ best riffs. Short, cutting and violent, it’s puzzling that this song never makes any of the Stones’ greatest hits collections, as Jagger’s lyrics effectively convey a sense of tragedy and fatality almost to the same level as ‘Gimme Shelter.’
‘Midnight Rambler’ (Let It Bleed, 1969): given its frequent live appearances, the song isn’t exactly a hidden gem for Stones enthusiasts. However, for other listeners, this would be a lesser known example of some of the sterling work featured on 1969’s ‘Let It Bleed.’ ‘Midnight Rambler’ showcases one of Richards’ best riffs alongside suitably dark and seductive lyrics by his Glimmer twin. This is one of my favourite songs and is lots of fun to play on guitar.

<<Previous

Forward>>