The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses

The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses (1989)

One of my all-time favourite records, but I won’t even try to write about the music here. If you do a search for “stone roses” online I bet you can find a hundred thousand blog entries about “a legend” and “heroes” – because that is what a lot of British people think The Stone Roses were. They simply love them, especially in (and around) Manchester, where the band was from.

If you wanna know about the music, check out youtube and the likes, the most popular songs are I Wanna Be Adored, She Bangs The Drums, Waterfall, Sugar Spun Sister, Made of Stone and I Am The Ressurection. For a single record, The Stone Roses has a lot of hits – I heard that all but two of the songs on this record have been released as singles. And the record is still incredibly popular after 20 years.

In 2006, the NME, weekly music magazine infamous for putting gossip over music, had their readers vote for the best album of all times, and, at the same time, the best British album of all times. Oasis‘ Definitely Maybe was voted as the best record ever, but only came third in the best British record poll. The Stone Roses “only” reached number seven in the first poll, but were still voted the best British record of all times. You may think that’s ironic, but apparently, for the Brits it takes something special to become the British number One.

Now, I think Oasis are an extraordinarily British band. Union Jack iconography and Beatles references are only two things they use to show this. But that is something that not only Britain understands – it’s something the whole world is familiar with. The Stone Roses are extraordinarily British, as well, but their Britishness may be more subtle. It could well be that it is not something as tangible as a Union Jack stage display, but rather an attitude that has developed in their fans minds. Live footage of Oasis always shows extreme devotion of the audience, but the fans are just as devoted when they attend an Ian Brown (who was the Stone Roses singer) gig. They are so loyal in their support of the bands that their praise of the records (“legends” and “heroes”) may sometimes seem exxagerated. But Oasis have been a globally succesful band, while The Stone Roses remained national heroes with a strong tie to their local identity. This notion of regionalism is what makes them essentially British, I think.

I bought this record when I was in the city The Stones Roses came from, Manchester. I hate the record. I mean, I love the record itself very much, but I hat the copy I own. It is a cheap yellow vinyl bootleg copy with a bad quality print. There are disctracting noises at the beginning of side A. At first I thought thatis because the record is so bent that the edge of the cartridge scratches on the surface of the record when I play it. But after careful examination I realised it is not bent that badly. Instead, there are probably some heavy scratches on the record, which I just cannot see, because the vinyl is yellow. I had not thought about it before I got the record, but I realised afterwards that it is good to get original editions. or at least black proper ones. I wont buy a coloured vinyl again!

I never listen to this record. One day I’ll take the time to hunt down a first pressing, thought I it is really hard to get one.  Because all the Brits cling to their copies so much.

Blondie – Blondie

Blondie - Blondie (1976)

When you are starting to build a record collection from scratch it is nice to get some consistency into it from early on. Most of the time I have ( and still do) buy whatever I can find that suits me and that I really like. Still, a small collection is not really representative for what you really love listening to. So many of my favourite artists and records I do not have on vinyl yet. Looking at the list I have comprised so far it must look like I am and have always been a huge Blondie and Stevie Wonder fan. That is not the case actually. But I am turning into one.

I have been aware of these artists for a long time, but you wont find Blondie in my CD collection or in my mp3 files. However, it’s nice to have more than one record from one artist when you get started with record buying, it gives record buying a bit of a plan, it is not headless-buying-whatever-you-can-find.

And it is so easy when you find a little diamond in a 2-pounds-crate, so this is how I got around to my second Blondie record. And I like this one so much. This is a record full of vitality, it is fun to listen to it, and you hear the fun the band must have had when they recorded it. I did not know the songs before, but some of them, like Little Girl Lies, Look Good in Blue or Man Overboard have become naughty little earworms for me.

Here is a theory I have:

In the old times of proper albums, when people did not just download their favourite songs as mp3s and ignored the rest of the bands’ stuff, the first song on an artists first album was always something the listener should pay special attention to. It is used to catch the audience’s attention, and it has to sum up the rest of the record and what the band wants to say with their music, because in a record shop (or at home) it is the first thing you will be listening to.

I know other people think similarly because some people make lists of bands that have extraordinary first songs on their debut albums. Yes, that’s what proper music freaks do. You can find some nice examples here and here. If you read through the posts a bit you will see what I mean. Personally, I think Definitely Maybe by Oasis is a perfect example: Rock’n'Roll Star is  Oasis at their best already, and the chorusline “Tonight/ I’m a Rock’n'Roll Star” already hints at everything Oasis was going to be later – not only the stardom, but also the attitude towards it.

So having said that, give X Offender a try, the first song on Blondie. Its a masterpiece that blew me away.

Everything you must know about Blondie you can find in X Offender. If you liked it, you will love the whole record.

Stevie Wonder – Innervisions

Stevie Wonder - Innervisions (1973)

On we go with the next Stevie Wonder vinyl Innervisions, released just one year after Talking Book. I bought this one when I was on holiday in Manchester. When I went there I reserved one day just for record shopping, as Manchesters Oldham Street (with surrounding streets) has the highest density of record shops in the UK. You walk down the street and it seems like every fifth store sells records. It is record collectors heaven, really. I bought this one in one of the second hand record shops in a side street just round the corner.

This story is also a good example of how well I was into serious record buying at that time already. I remember the store had two copies of Innervision – the first original Motown edition and a re-issue that had been released a couple of years later. Of course, I went for the (more expensive) original one.

Stevie Wonder – Talking Book

Stevie Wonder - Talking Book (1972)

This is the first of a lot of records I bought in my favourite record store – which actually is just an antiquarian bookshop that happens to also have some crates of all sorts of second hand records on their shelves. Their record collection is well-assorted for a shop that specialises in books! Other records I bought there later (and will write about later) include The Cures Disintegration, a Motown collection, a The Who Best of and some more Stevie Wonder). I had Talking book on CD long before I got this vinyl, so I knew there are some killer songs on it. Superstition is absolute hit material, a dancefloor killer. I also like the slower songs like Blame it on the sun oder You are the sunshine of my life. They are all Stevie Wonder classics. All the other songs I would not want to skip either. Buying this record has cemented my admiration for Stevie Wonder and led to serious Stevie Wonder record collecting.

Simon and Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits

Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits (1972)

This record is driving me insane. I bought this the same day I bought the Warren Schatz record I wrote about below – it was a hot summer sunday I spent at the flea market. A couple of weeks before I had seen some artist performing a Simon and Garfunkel song on TV, and although the performance was not particularly good, I said to myself: It’s time you get some Simon and Garfunkel classics.

Only, I wanted pure classics, not this. Of course, the songs on this record are not the problem. They are pure masterpieces, goldies (if you allow me to use this terrible word) that everyone has heard and been touched by. I mean, I am sure even people who say that the sort of music is not their cup of tea can nevertheless acknowledge how good it is.

However, I do not need other people’s applause to appreciate that. The problem with this record, then, is that at the beginning and end of certain songs, the sound of applauding people has been mixed into the songs. Sometimes the applause goes on way into the first line of the lyrics. I just find that so annoying.

This is quiet music. You (or rather I) would want to listen to it in a quiet moment, to give me some peace of mind, to make my heart melt a bit and muse about things. and then all of a sudden way too loud hand clapping disrupts me.

Iin comedy shows they have fake laughter to point people to the jokes, in case they did not get it. Fake applause has the opposite effect on me. I am seriously thinking about getting rid of this record again.

Warren Schatz – Warren Schatz

Warren Schatz - Warren Schatz

Again it was my mother who had the record in the first place, but this time it is not her who gets the credits for introducing me to the artist. It was my brother, who, when he became old enough to be interested in our parents records, soon discovered Warren Schatz. He instantly fell in love with one particular song call I need your smile. I agree with him that it is one of the most heart-wrenching love song about desperateness that you can find. you can listen to it here:

However, I need your smile is not on this record. But when I found this one in a 2-€ box on the flea market I could not not buy it. Just because one song stands out as absolutely awesome does not mean the rest cannot compete with it. As time drew on, my brother turned into a big Warren Schatz fan and found out a few things about him: His rock records were extremely successful in the Eastern parts of the world and also produced some disco stuff after that. That’s about all I know, but I’m gonna start finding out more with this record.

PS: Why on earth did the Eastern countries never print dates on the records? the sleeves never tell you which year the record is from! damnit!

Mind Kiosk – MMMM

Mind Kiosk - mmmm (2001)

Remember MMMM, that smashing hit song by the Crash Test Dummies? mmm…yeah? Well, this here got nothing to do with it. Although…if you think about it: Was the Crash Test Dummies song about speechlessness? Not knowing what to say? Maybe thats the same reason why this record is called mmmm. “Hey Mind Kiosk, whats your record gonna be called like?” – “mmm…don’t know..”

mmmm is also a popular method of expressing tastyness. “How’s the icecream?” – “mmmm, yummy”. And yes, this is a tasty record. In fact, it is so tasty, that back then when it was released, Berlins radio station Radio Eins (Eins as in “One”) made it their record of the month. It contains beautiful ballads called Laugh About It and On Fertile Ground, but also straight hit material like Mr. Important and Summer Camp, along with psychedelic psychic things such as Nothing You Can Do.

All this came from a young promising band that had another song, Corrective Lenses for Earthling Souls, played by the master himself in John Peels Radio 1 show.

With all this airplay by various Number One Radios, you may wonder why Mind Kiosk never became a number one band and why you haven’t heard of them yet? Well, just after mmmm was pressed, the band fell out with their record company due to disagreements over their record contract (who wants to sell their souls for nothing?) and allmost all of the vinyls were destroyed. So this is defnitely the rarest record I have.

For you without the vinyl, there is last.fm. Also, if you missed that one episode of John Peels radio show, here’s another chance to listen to and read about Corrective Lenses.

Soul Train

One day when I went to see a friend, I saw a big box standing in the doorway of her house. Somebody had been throwing away stuff, but in a good, friendly manner: That person simply put a box full of stuff they did not want anymore into a place where it was warm, sheltered from the rain, and where other people could have a look at it. The box was full of books, mainly, and some empty folders. I was curious and started looking trough the books, then I saw the records underneath them. There were a couple of singles and one LP. None of them was wrapped into anything, no inner sleeves, no outer sleeves, just the records themselves. The singles were kind of strange, two edith piaf songs and some German Schlager, from the horrible part of the Schlager world. the LP looked interesting, though. It is called Soul Train, and is a record from Atlantic Records.

I looked at the tracklist. The artists I knew were Aretha Franklin, Sister Sledge and the Meters. That sounding tempting enough – I took it with me. At home I gave it an inner sleeve and typed Soul Train into a search engige.

With confusing result. Soul Train was a TV show that has a youtube channel. It is also a German Music magazine, a party line in bristol (with similarly named parties in lots of other cities, probably),  a radio show of Frankfurts city radio, a Black music award and probably a hell of a lot more. And guess what, it’s all got to do with Soul music. After searching all this stuff I realised that on the record it says ” Burbank, Home of Warner Brothers Records”. So I tried to find out if the TV show was produced by Warner Brothers. But I couldnt. Still, my guess is that the LP is a form of early Merchandising, an LP released to promote a TV show, or rather an LP that would sell well because lots of people watched the TV show with the same name. I would appreciate it very much if somebody could answer this for me. Point me to a link, write a comment! also, is this the cover?:

Soul Train DVD cover

This is not the cover, although it looks very much like it should be:

Soul Train Hall of Fame

It is not, because these artists are not on my record.

Lets have some more about the record itself. I enjoy it. There are probably too many songs squeezed onto each side. Not all of them have been popular, and with some, its not difficult to tell why. It is not a compilation of hits, but it is still great music.

Now I just wonder why somebody threw it away..

George Harrison – The Best of

The Best of George Harrison (1976)

My George Harrison Best of record is probably a rip-off of the one you can see on this picture. My cover is different, but the tracklist is exactly the same.

The record was released on Capitol, however my record says “Music for Pleasure”, it seems to be a branch of Emi. Music for Pleasure is a nice name for a record company. That’s the reason why I mention it. Apart from that: Whatever.

This record is a nice compilation split into two parts. Side A has some Beatles tracks written by George. I can’t really tell whether they are his most famous ones, or the commercially most successful ones or why they were chosen. They are not in chronological order either. Two definite hits are on there for sure, Something and While my Guitar gently weeps. Here comes the Sun also rings a bell. On the B Side there is some of his solo stuff, f.e. from the All Things Must Pass album.

Probably like most of my generation, I got introduced to the Beatles properly with the 1 compilation that had all their number one singles on it. I bought that when it was released in 2000 and a bit later a friend gave me All Things Must Pass, which had just been released in a remastered 30th anniversary edition. I listened much more to this then to any Beatles stuff. What is life has become a particular favourite of mine.

Looking at the tracklist now I realise the two sides seem to somewhat mirror each other. The first songs could be the two big (Beatles and Solo) hits Something and My Sweet Lord, Taxman and Bangla-desh (both song 4) reveal the political side of George Harrison’s song writing, while the two last songs somehow incorporate the same kind of spirit. Both have an amazing melody that is incredibly mellow, but when the song gets stuck in your head for a time, it turns into a jolly nice sing-along thing.

The best discovery I made on the record is this brilliant little song called You. Popular trivia says George Harrison rehearsed this one just singing all those “I”s and “You”s and couldnt really come up with any lyrics, until finally someone said he should just leave it like that. And it sounds right, the utter wordlessness just seems like the perfect proof of someone being hopelessly in love.

And here is another personal trivia. Back then at the time of 1 and All Things Must Pass, a friend of mine told me her dad, as a practising Christian, downloaded a Hallelujah-only version of My Sweet Lord – a version, where the backing choir only sings Hallelujah, no Hare Krishna etc. Whether this was an official version or a converter’s edit, I have no idea. Also, how the act of (likely) illegal downloading corresponds with being a practising Christian, I do not know. But since the concepts and understandings of religion seem to be so difficult to grasp, maybe belief lies in what you believe feels right.

Holger Biege – Wenn der Abend kommt

Holger Biege - Wenn der Abend kommt

This is the third artist in a row (or forth,  if you count both Manfred Krug records), that my mother influenced me to listen to. She had this one on a double cd together with another one of his records called Circus. We listened to it, and we both fell in love with one particular song called Als der Regen nieder ging (When the rain came down).

Holger Biege is another artist from the East Germany of the Seventies. This is about all he has got in common with Manfred Krug and Günther Fischer (-> blogpost). I do not think he was that popular back then when his records were released, and he certainly could not ride any of those German music hype waves of the recent years. I guess that’s because his records are not funky or catchy at first listen, but more sensitive, with thoughtful lyrics about the meaning of life and how love changes over time. I doubt you can enjoy this without being able to understand German.

However, there is one songs that stands out. Als der Regen nieder ging, the first song on the record, can keep up with any other funky dance tune. It blows you away with trumpets and saxes and has a stomping rhythm that you can’t help but dance to. Well, my mother and I can’t.