The Vinyl Countdown

Neneh Cherry, Inna City Mama [12” Single] (1989)
Yes, yes I’ve gone about this enough I know – but when my son Oscar met Neneh Cherry it was a big deal for me, as was interviewing her and seeing the gig. She was one of those ones, one of the musical acts I felt like I discovered for myself – not passed down via my folks or older brother (and hey, I ain’t complaining, they put me onto some great-great stuff). But the earliest, best music you discover with your mates or find on your own means the world to you. And I feel that way about Ms. Cherry. And her “comeback” – not that she ever went away, or at least only ever to disappear when she felt like it and because he wanted/needed to – was so, so good. Showed her true artistry once again. Anyway, it sparked me in me quite the renaissance – so here I am digging through to find singles and EPs and the earlier albums on vinyl. And well, you know, that’s how it goes… Read More »

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July 9, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 391

Rockmelons, Tales of the City (1988)

Rockmelons – or “The Rockies” in that Australian parlance of the day (and now). Fairly ordinary band, possibly dreadful. Listening to it now – well it only seems absurd. Why did I want this? I have no fuckin idea. Rockpile… Now there’s a fucking band! Read More »

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July 3, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 392

Gimmer Nicholson, Christopher Idylls (1968/2016)
A good story, this – one of those ones where you have to thank the reissue labels – and LightInTheAttic usually gets it right. I bought this on a whim really – having heard about it. The recording took place in the late 1960s, it was eventually issued years later, then reissued more recently…Gimmer’s only record. He died in 2000 in his early 50s, he leaves behind this wonderful curio – the sort of album that is genre-less and possibly without antecedent. You can hear so many things in it. It’s music that takes you someplace special. I’m chuffed to have found it.

Sample Track: Millennial Harbinger

The Vinyl Countdown is a document of every LP I listen to, brand new discoveries and old-old favourites; extremely pre-loved, previously abandoned or with the shrink-wrap having just been removed it’s all here at The Vinyl Countdown

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July 1, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 393

Steve Winwood, Chronicles(1987)
I have vinyl copies of Arc of a Diver and Talking Back To The Night but both are quite scratched – and rather than replace them (though I guess I might one day) I got hold of this compilation, which cheery picks from them and represents, up to that point, Steve Winwood’s solo career. I like most facets of his career – a genuine Boy Wonder. But I definitely have a soft spot for the 1980s solo records. He seemed to steer over towards cheese but rescue it through strong arrangements and great songwriting. A perfect balance, or remedy. I’m a fan through and due to nostalgia. My father had the tapes in our cars when I was a kid. It all got soaked up from there. Then, as a teen, I discovered all the bands he was in as a teenage-wunderkind and on into his early adulthood. Great multi-instrumentalist, strong songwriter, hell of a singer… Read More »

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June 28, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 394

Prince & The New Power Generation, Diamonds and Pearls [Single] (1991)
I have mixed feelings about this song, but it arrived at an important time in my near-lifelong Prince obsession; it seemed to bring him back too – one of four big singles from the album at the time. And this song, to me, is worth it for the performance of Michael Bland (aka Michael B) Prince’s NPG drummer. You can watch a breakdown of the key fill here; a feel/sound/production thing as much or more than it’s a technique-thing; just perfect timing. Where the song goes after the fill is, well, total pomposity. But I still have an appreciation for this… Read More »

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June 24, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 395

Darren Watson, Too Many Millionaires (2018)
I didn’t feel I could review this one…even though I think it’s a terrific record. I got to write about it and plug it though. And I played a track from it on an Aussie radio station several months in advance of it being released. I didn’t review this in a formal capacity because I consider Darren Watson a mate, I still review music by people I know and have met. Sometimes I’ve even lost friendships over reviews. Or they’ve been impacted hugely. No, the reason I didn’t review this was because I wrote the liner notes for it. Darren approached me to write some back-cover liners, a huge honour. It was a paying gig too, a professional piece of writing. So in a way I did my review then and there. I wrote about the album – getting to hear it before just about anyone else. It’s remained a favourite. I was so thrilled when I finally saw and heard the Read More »

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June 22, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 396

Electric Light Orchestra, A New World Record (1976)
When my dad got the greatest hits album many moons ago we all sat around the campfire eagerly…he’d swear by this band, ELO, “bloody hell”, he’s say, “they’re fuckin good!” etc…And man, the songs…turns out I knew so many of them, even as a wee one. They’d been on the radio – they’re still there I guess: Tightrope, Telephone Line, Rockaria!, So Fine, Livin’ Thing, Do Ya…and that’s just half of this album. I’ve had ELO best-ofs on tape, vinyl, CD, and I’ve made playlists. But now I’m in deep at the business end of collecting the entire Jeff Lynne catalogue. Piece by piece. This being the latest piece. A good one. A fine one indeed. Read More »

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June 20, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 397

Builders, Beatin Hearts (1983)
Where did Bill/William Direen come from? I tried to find out a bit more about that just the other week – I had him around for a podcast. It’ll be up soon. It was my first time meeting him. Though I know a lot of his music and have read some of his books and his essays and various bits and bobs. I know, on one level, where Direen comes from. But it’s fascinating to me to consider his career – the recent documentary told us some of the story and did a great job of showing the man at work. It also left plenty of mystery. Which I guess is crucial to not only his work but his place; where he is – artistically and spiritually, psychologically, even (sometimes) geographically. Read More »

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June 17, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 398

Bob Dylan, Triplicate (2017)
I am enjoying Bob Dylan’s roll through the standards, serving up evergreens whenever/however he feels like it – this time a triple album, three separate 30-minute, 10-song mood-pieces. I’m still digesting this one in fact – hence the move to the LP, an easier way to take it all in in the end. I started off with the 10-track single-disc sampler. And was interested enough – I’ve loved the first two albums in this phase. The playing, his singing, the song-selection, it’s all perfect. It’s all really lovely, incredibly rich and wise. Now, would I want a fourth album? Well, it’s never our decision, it’s always Bob’s. Would I prefer him to put out some originals again? Sure. But does he actually have to do anything? No. He’s given us more than enough – the veritable embarrassment of riches. But I’m totally on board with him doing this stuff; he is handling it with care, with love, with reverence and respect. And it’s a joy to take in. I sincerely believe that. I recognise I’m probably in the minority there. So be it. Read More »

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June 16, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 399

Madvillian, Madvillainy (2004)
So this guy buzzes me the other day, says “What do you make of this record, any good?” And I tell him that Madvillain – the pairing of MF DOOM and Madlib – was golden as far as I was concerned; like a really big deal for me. It arrived when I was about as into hip-hop as I had ever been and I was a Madlib fan – he was everywhere, his fingerprints on so many recordings, so many aliases trailing behind his blaze. And DOOM was just about as good as he had ever been or would ever get on this album and on a couple of his own solo recordings around this time. It was music that transcended the genre, I told him. You didn’t need to be any sort of hip-hop head to appreciate it, and if you were any sort of hip-hop head you’d totally love it. So he replies, “Cool, I have a copy, I’ve never listened to it, I’ll check it out…” And he does. And he digs it. We meet up for lunch a couple of weeks later and he says, “You know what, you can have that album – it’s good! I listened to it a couple of times, but I’ll probably never play it again. And you seemed to be really excited about the mere mention of it. So, it’s yours…” Well, there have been a few great days in my life obviously: Getting married, having a son, finding out that the band Rush was hanging up its soggy proggy boots….And now this! Read More »

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June 11, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 400

Bobby McFerrin, Spontaneous Inventions (1986)
I’ve loved Bobby McFerrin and I’ve hated him too – and just recently I’ve decided the guy might be a genius. Yes, it’s hard to give his career an appraisal that’s fair because Don’t Worry Be Happy gets in the way. But I was taken with this album – and the live performance captured to make this album – when I was young. When I found out McFerrin was a serious musician before he became a One Hit Wonder. I don’t know. I used to own this album and then I sold it. And now I’ve bought a brand spanking new copy of it. And I’ll probably wind up hating it and him all over again. But for right now I’m in awe of his talent, even if there’s some major cheese here. Well, it was the mid-80s… Read More »

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June 8, 2018 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 401

Moby, Play (1999)
Look, I’m not sure when this album by Moby drove me mad, exactly – or as close as I got to it – but tripping balls, wearing a sarong, stirring a pot full of different leftover spirits and liqueurs with South Side blasting out as if a new religion…yeah, that was a clue. You see this album just became my world. An impulse-buy just as it broke-big. Moby’s fifth album. I’d heard his name, but couldn’t tell you much about him until after I heard this. The earlier albums didn’t mean a whole heap to me, still don’t. I tried them though. Sure. And I stuck around for not long after this. But just recently I’ve found a way back in. I like the most recent album rather a lot. And his recent ambient mega-album is lovely. Good sleeping music. Good waking music. Etc. But Play was played to death. And nearly my death too. I remember running down the road in Newtown in the rain trying to buy cigarettes for a girl that was trying to convince me she had cancer. But, you know, still needed a puff. I was so into this album I nearly tried to like THE FUCKING COUNTING CROWS. Look, it’s fair to say I still don’t know what happened between me and Moby and this album. But I do know that I made it out. And it seems like he did too. And I gave up on this album a long time ago. And then just recently I decided to try it again. And I found a way (back) in. It sounded really good to me, some of it sounded really great. No more ads and movies and TV shows. Just music. Some of it naff, some of it heavily concocted, but some of it really moving; some of it reminiscent of actually happy times too – not just the madness of the day. And so, only recently I bought the album. The record. The double-vinyl. Now I want to buy The B-Sides. (Actually a better listening experience, I think). But anyway, whether that actually happens or not, I’m legitimately signed on to this. A fan. Once again. It’s weird. But hey, if you’d asked the guy in the sarong, “cooking” spirits in a pot on an unlit stove: He’d have put one big thumb up and said Weird Is Good. (This album is nearly 20 fucking years old). Read More »