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. …And You Will Know Us By Thee Trail Of Dead – How Near How Far (Source Tags & Codes, 2002) [singlepic id=199 w=80 h=50 float=left]
Track from the third album of Austin’s alternative rock band, led by Jason Reece and Conrad Keely. Got the album after seeing them perform on a festival, during which the stage suffered a rough time. The album dated from some years before and was widely praised. Couldn’t convince me as a whole, although there are some good tracks on it.
2. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Cross-Tie Walker (Green River, 1969) [singlepic id=14 w=80 h=50 float=left]
Over to California then, where some loner is following the railroad tracks to nowhere. One of the least tracks on probably the best CCR album. It was released just before their performance on Woodstock which, unfortunately, never made the official record or movie.
3. Nirvana – The Man Who Sold the World (Unplugged in New York, 1994) [singlepic id=197 w=80 h=50 float=left]
One of rock’s most famous live performances, with Nirvana performing this David Bowie song. The original Bowie song was on his third album with the same name and was covered by many other bands during the nineties rock revival (e.g. Meat Puppets and Nine Inch Nails). Cobain’s version made Bowie conscious of his musical importance not only in the UK, but also in the States.
4. Tool – Schism (Lateralus, 2001) [singlepic id=200 w=80 h=50 float=left]
One of my favorite bands of today (?) then, with perhaps one of their best known songs. Played the life out of all their albums some years ago and since that moment I’m still waiting for that long-expected new album. Before that (early 2014?), I’m going to enjoy Lateralus once more.
5. Lemonheads – It’s a Shame About Ray (It’s a Shame About Ray, 1992) [singlepic id=105 w=80 h=50 float=left]
Already ran into this one when shuffling the digital record cabinet at an earlier occasion. Listened it for a couple of weeks, but the same goes in fact for this one as for Source Tags and Codes.
6. Pearl Jam – Aye Davanita (Vitalogy, 1994) [singlepic id=198 w=80 h=50 float=left]
Staying in the nineties this week and Pearl Jam can’t of course be absent in the anthology of bands from that era. Strange track on this considerably strong third album.
7. Love – The Red Telephone (Forever Changes, 1967) [singlepic id=196 w=80 h=50 float=left]
To the magical year then, with one of the highlights of the summer of love. I had been waiting a long time already for this one to come by in the shuffle and its timing was perfect: this album (initially intended to be produced by Neil Young) has really coloured my summer. I feel real phony when my name is… Phil!
8. The Beatles – Blackbird (White Album, 1968) [singlepic id=137 w=80 h=50 float=left]
Moving up one year with The Beatles’ double album. One of McCartney’s most praised songs of course, although I guess I can name 40 better songs of his signature.
9. Led Zeppelin – Heartbreaker (How the West was Won, 1972) [singlepic id=195 w=80 h=50 float=left]
Ooooooh Yeah! Pounding live version of this riff dominated classic by Led Zep. This triple live album was only released in 2003 (!), although the gig was already recorded in 1972. As Jimmy Page said himself: pretty much a testament of how good they were. Page has a great improvisational moment in the middle of the song where he plays a part from Bachs’s ‘Bouree’, which was already brought to the rock scene by Jethro Tull earlier, a band Led Zep used to tour with.
10. Tortoise – Benway (Standards, 2001) [singlepic id=40 w=80 h=50 float=left]
A little nostalgia to close with, as this album also featured the first shuffle of the week. Not many other things to say about it since.