This is an ode to the shuffle. How better to get a good insight in your digitized album collection than by a classic shuffle? Finally discover the albums you never got into, finally throw the ones away you will never get into and worship those classics that never grow old again. The Shuffle of this week:
1. The Yardbirds – The Nazz Are Blue (Roger The Engineer, 1966) [singlepic id=236 w=80 h=50 float=left]
Blues rock that sounds like something in between of Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac and later projects that originated in mysterious ways from this group, like Cream and Blind Faith. The name of the album refers to audio engineer Roger Cameron, who is drawn on the album cover by rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja. According to certain rumors, Dreja would have refused an offer by Jimmy Page to become Led Zeppelin’s bass player because he wanted to pursue a career as a photographer.
2. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Keep On Chooglin’ (Bayou Country, 1969) [singlepic id=277 w=80 h=50 float=left]
Closing song from the first album of Creedence’s 1969-trilogy. Including several guitar solos by John Fogerty, this southern rock does in fact not differ much from the previous song. This song, together with opening track ‘Born on the Bayou’, is one of the album’s highlights. Not as strong as a whole compared to its successors though.
3. Marvin Gaye – What’s Happening Brother (What’s Going On, 1971) [singlepic id=141 w=80 h=50 float=left]
Staying in the same period with the velvet soul from Marvin Gaye. Second song of this great album, about a returned Vietnam veteran (based on Gaye’s brother Frankie). While he asks himself whether his baseball team would win or not, I ask myself why this is still Marvin’s only album in my collection.
4. Broken Social Scene – Cranley’s Gonna Make It (Feel Good Lost, 2001) [singlepic id=276 w=80 h=50 float=left]
Debut album from this Canadian indie band. Got it áfter having discovered them through the second and better known album You Forgot It in People, and therefore I was of course surprised by its almost completely instrumental /ambient sound. Time to give it another shot.
5. Kyuss – Caterpillar March (Blues for the Red Sun, 1992) [singlepic id=278 w=80 h=50 float=left]
Another instrumental, with the music written by the band’s drummer Brant Bjork. A rather short song, this one, while Bjork’s other songs ‘Green Machine’ and ’50 Million Year Trip (Downside Up)’ are two of this albums’ highlights.
6. Velvet Underground – Some Kinda Love (The Velvet Underground, 1969) [singlepic id=274 w=80 h=50 float=left]
Perhaps the least song from a genius album. Put on your red pyjama’s and find out all other things about this album. Don’t forget to put jelly on your shoulder.
7. The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band – Sisters! Brothers! Small Boats of Fire Are Falling from the Sky! (Born into Trouble as the Sparks Fly Upward, 2001) [singlepic id=280 w=80 h=50 float=left]
Title says it all, I guess. Music For Walking Through The Woods On An Autumn Day.
8. Queen – Radio Ga Ga (Live at Wembley ’86, 1992) [singlepic id=279 w=80 h=50 float=left]
Roger Taylor’s most famous composition, from Queen’s eleventh album The Works. Together with John Deacon’s ‘I Want to Break Free’, it was one of the two huge hits on this album. However, today we are reliving a legendary concert in the history of live music, during the summer of 1986. Nobody could have imagined at that time what kind of monsters the title of this song would spit out many years later.
9. Beach Boys – We Got Love (The Beach Boys in Concert, 1973) [singlepic id=136 w=80 h=50 float=left]
Another portion of live music, proving that even a shuffle offers you the necessary continuity now and then while exploring rock music’s archives. The previous time I ran into this live album, it concerned its opening track. That song was added to their studio album Holland, because it would otherwise lack a potential hit. Other songs suffered from this adjustment… among others this one. That way this was the first album the song would ever appear on.
10. 13th Floor Elevators – Dust (Easter Everywhere, 1967) [singlepic id=275 w=80 h=50 float=left]
A familiar song, from a great album I just listened for weeks. A serene song when compared to some others on the album, written by singer Rocky Erickson and Tommy Hall, whose electric jug defines this album.