The Vinyl Countdown

Archive

January 11, 2019 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 342

V/A, Rikky and Pete [OST] (1988)
I was chuffed to find this – something I knew about for a while…it’s the soundtrack to a film of the same name (obviously). Have yet to see the film, just this trailer. But I’ll hunt it out. The songs here (mostly) come from Phil Judd, many under the guise Noel’s Cowards which is a suitable Judd-styled pun and gives credit to Noel Crombie. In fact his Cowards are Judd and the rest of Schnell Fenster with Wendy Matthews on vocals – and there are some great pop songs. Crowded House’s Recurring Dream is on there too. All in all a great score – oh yeah, the actual score is composed and produced by one Eddie Rayner. Wheels within wheels… Read More »

Archive

January 7, 2019 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 343

Mark Knopfler, Going Home / Wild Theme [Single] (1983)
The theme from Local Hero was a big deal before I ever heard the soundtrack and long before I saw the film. The soundtrack – I love. It got me hooked on Mark Knopfler’s soundtrack work, and film scores in general really. But as a Dire Straits fan I knew Going Home from its place as a closing concert track/encore – and it was on some Qantas TV ad, or something like that. I finally got to seeing the Local Hero film and it was sweet and charming and low-key funny and hearing the soundtrack music as actual score for the pictures was some sort of revelation. Like seeing a photo album come to life or something. Anyway, just recently I picked up the 45 of Going Home with its Wild Theme iteration. I don’t really need them on a little vinyl single. I just wanted them. That sums up record collecting in general though, right? A good friend’s father died of the big C some 20 years ago and this music was played at his funeral. We were all there. And it was lump-in-the-throat stuff. It’s funny in a way, or whatever the word is, but I’ve never thought about that more than when I last played these songs; that significance seeming suddenly so crucial, so prominent when I played the 45. Read More »

Archive

January 5, 2019 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 344

Avantdale Bowling Club, Avantdale Bowling Club (2018)
I was sold on this on first listen – I’ve liked most of what Tom Scott has done ahead of this project, but this is the one. And in fact when I reviewed the album I talked about it being the local-act album of the year; more than that one of my favourite albums of the year. I think it’s the beginning of Tom Scott as a real writer too, not just a very good rapper – not merely an MC that spits out zingers. But a poet. Short-story writer. Social commenter, columnist. Journalist even. Ha! I’m sure he’d love that. I met Tom when I sat down to talk with him for my podcast. We had a good yarn. And then shortly after that, a day or two on, the record store put up a post saying they had a copy or two left. That was all. I jumped on the Facebook to message a.s.a.f.p. “Please hold one for me!”  I was down there 15 minutes later. This – the double LP features a few extra tracks, some jazzy instrumentals – hasn’t been off the turntable very often since. A triumph of a record/project. (I believe the vinyl is all sold out. Two print-runs even. Deserved). Read More »

Archive

January 1, 2019 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 345

Michael Houstoun, Piano (1979)
This is my favourite $1 op-shop find. For now at least. I love Michael Houstoun – amazing talent, I feel lucky thinking about the number of times I’ve seen him perform. He threatens retirement this year but I always enjoy his playing. I love classical piano and Beethoven too – so it’s all lined up for me here. But also this $1 find was plucked from a bin of pretty-much garbage. The usual “South Pacifics” and not much besides. And it’s in good nick. Sounds great. A real good score. Also I love how by the cover picture he looks a bit like an Australian cricketer from the 70s or 80s. Read More »

Archive

December 29, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 346

George Harrison, Cloud Nine (1987)
It’s been a big year for me and The Beatles – I’ve fallen in love with the band again and the solo careers of all its members, the big revelation has probably been just how much I really do love a lot of the John Lennon material (far more than I remembered). As for George Harrison – well, I got to spend an hour talking about his music on RNZ earlier this year; amazing! In fact I started the year playing one of the tracks from this album as part of a guest-curation of a Sydney radio station playlist. And my love for this album was rekindled last year, maybe even it was 2016. I got hooked on it all over again. It’s one of Harrison’s finest albums and the last studio effort released under his own name in his lifetime. It arrived after a semi-retirement and it essentially lays the groundwork for the Traveling Wilburys. It had a supergroup of its own at the core of it with Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Elton John and producer/player Jeff Lynne all heavily featured. And it contains some of George’s best songs, singing and playing. It’s a great driving album and a great anytime-album in fact. Just recently I found it on vinyl. Along with finding Jeff Lynne’s first solo album it made me very happy to collect this. Sad maybe. But true. Read More »

Archive

December 26, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 347

Ringo Starr, Sentimental Journey (1970)
Poor old Ringo Starr. I say “Poor old Ringo Starr”, when there’s nothing poor about him. Nice life, great drummer, in the best band in the world, lucky timing on that too, etc. And it really hasn’t mattered what he did after. I mean he’s as well-known – actually probably far better known – for his narrating of Thomas The Tank Engine than for any of the music he made post-Beatles. He made a few films too. He could act. Kinda. Better than a lot of musicians that make that move. He had presence. But his legacy is with The Beatles. The other three did things after that meant something. Ringo never did. And never will. And so I say “Poor old Ringo Starr” because his first two albums are brilliant. The third’s not bad either for that matter. But his first two, released in the same year, the year the Fab Four called it a day, show that he could have had a great solo career as a crooner. A country singer. This first album is all old standards. The second was country flavours. He was brilliant in that role. But the albums got sillier, lazier, dumber. And the drinks got larger, and so the drinking grew heavier. Etc. Anyway, I love his first two albums. And I was chuffed to find this one only recently. I had the CD back in the day, but now I have the LP. It’s a gorgeous set of tunes, with killer arrangements by guest stars and great players involved. It’s up there. I really believe that. One of my favourite albums by any of the Beatles-as-a-solo-act.  And just a classy set of tunes served up well. Read More »

Archive

December 19, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 348

Paul McCartney, No More Lonely Nights [Single] (1984)
The mark of Macca the craftsman, the master of conjuring melodies, making magic out of almost anything, out of nowhere, can be heard her. His Give My Regards to Broadway is a barely-endearing flop (I bought it years back on VHS and watched it more than once, baffled that it had seen a green-light at almost any stage in its process). But the hit, the magic, the moment – musically – is the song No More Lonely Nights; one of his first real call-backs to The Beatles. It arrived a mere 15 years after the band broke up and was written in something like 15 minutes of course. Asked to pen a hit because the soundtrack album (and film) was not up to much he returned the next day with this. Replete with one of Dave Gilmour’s best guitar solos. I sincerely love this song. It’s Paul McCartney at his schmaltzy best. I have always loved this song. I can’t say that about all of the balladry of Sir Macca. But this is a shining gem to me. Its B-side…well…that’s really something. I recently bought this single again – misplacing my original copy I guess. I have the soundtrack album, and never play it; decided I had to have the hit. On its own. That B-side though. As I say… Read More »

Archive

December 16, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 349

Wings, Getting Closer [Single] (1979)
I never understood the idea that the band Wings was not good. I grew up on them. I love The Beatles and a lot of what Paul McCartney does solo, but for a while there at least I was a Wings fan – number one. And I always dip back in. Sure, I get that there’s some cheese. There always is with Macca. It’s part of his charm. I’m not saying you’re a mug to not like it all – there’s some dross. But I grew up on this stuff, including the much-maligned final Wings album, Back To The Egg. Actually, that’s probably my favourite Wings album if anything. And so here’s one of the singles from that – two great tracks, the b-side just an album track from ‘Egg’. So I guess I don’t really need to have this…but I like to bump up the 45 collection when I remember.
Read More »

Archive

December 13, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 350

The Black Crowes, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (1992)
I loved The Black Crowes back in the early 1990s – and I stuck with them for a while, good band; great players, even liked some of the stuff many of the members went on to do outside and away from the band. It was good music arriving at the right time for me, the perfect combo. And just recently I’ve been revisiting it all – and I reckon the first four albums are all great, though particularly the first and second albums. And this is the one. If you could only have one Black Crowes record it would be this. So I went and picked this up just the other week. Remedy is a stonkingly good rocker. And so many other great songs here. I interviewed their drummer, Steve Gorman back a decade or so ago – when they released one of their better late-career records. He was a really nice guy to chat with – also interviewed singer Chris Robinson, also very pleasant and a fun chat though that was under the guise of his then brand-new project, Chris Robinson Brotherhood. I’ve not kept up with all of their stuff but I liked them enough. Loving getting right back into this though. And the albums either side of it too. Read More »

Archive

December 11, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 351

The Beach Boys, The Beach Boys Today! (1965)
It’s about here – on their eighth album (already!) – that The Beach Boys start to grow up and away from the “Surf” songs; not that there’s anything wrong with the best of the surf songs. But here we get the start of the real sophistication – moves towards shaking off the branding and just releasing good music. It’s not all perfect of course – that would come in another year or so. But the best of the material here is in keeping with what the Mamas and The Papas and The Beatles were offering in the mid-60s, to name just two obvious contemporaries. Many years back I collected up everything I could find by The Beach Boys on CD – reissues with bonus discs and fresh liner notes. But I couldn’t be bothered with keeping a CD collection so I moved them all on. I regret that – or at least getting rid of some of the albums anyway – despite not listening to The Beach Boys all that much these days. So, it was nice to find this, and it might be the start of a way back in… Read More »

Archive

December 4, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 353

Pet Shop Boys, Please (1986)
I’ve been on a big Pet Shop Boys kick of late – I’ve liked them since I first heard them, which was back when this album was released. Though I’ve never owned a copy of this until just recently. I’ve had most of the other albums and a couple of hits compilations, and I really – mostly – just love the material from the first three albums (with a few selected highlights following and maybe some gold in them there hills that I’ll re-discover) but for some weird reason I’ve never got to owning this. The two songs that forever blow me away on here are West End Girls and Suburbia, and though different from one another they are both immaculately conceived, clever, sharp, wistful, sophisticated pop music that appears to never really age in spit of being released in the middle of the main period of pop music that seems to, for the most part, have instantly dated. Not the great songs here, nor the other great songs – an embarrassment of riches – from across their nearly 40-year career. There’s something in waiting five years to make a debut album too; I’m sure that served them so well. Great group. The very best of their work is some of my favourite pop music ever. Read More »

← Older posts