Showing posts with label georgie fame. Show all posts
Showing posts with label georgie fame. Show all posts

Friday, 18 August 2017

GEORGIE FAME – THE TWO FACES OF FAME: THE COMPLETE 1967 RECORDINGS (DELUXE 2CD EDITION) (2017)


Georgie Fame’s back catalogue has been well served recently with 2015’s five-disc The Whole World’s Shaking: Complete Recordings 1963-1966 and last year’s Survival: A Career Anthology six-disc set. This latest addition, a more modest two-CD package, picks up where The Whole World’s Shaking left off to focus on Georgie’s first album for CBS, following a high-profile switch from Columbia, plus everything else he recorded during 1967.

The original The Two Faces of Fame, split between live and studio recordings, backed by a mix of big band sessions and his post-Blue Flames combo, is presented here in stereo and mono versions. Some folk might get the horn comparing the two, fill yer boots, I’ve no strong preference but what’s noticeable is both sound far punchier than the original LP. Yes, I know we’re all supposed to have a vinyl fetish – my penchant too – but it doesn’t always make the audio better.

As for the album, I’d always been lukewarm towards it. ‘Great Back Dollar Bill’ is a smart opener and ‘El Pussy Cat’ a fun instrumental but while the Harry South Big Band, rolling over from Fame’s previous Sound Venture, swing with a Who’s Who of British jazzers – Tubby Hayes, Dick Morrissey, Ronnie Scott, Pete King etc - Georgie tackling three Great American Songbook standards would then, and now, have many feeling underwhelmed. I can tolerate Bob Dylan’s recent attempts at crooning his way through these standards in his twilight years but Georgie was 23 years old. In ’67 Brian Auger had cannily teamed up with hip priestess Julie Driscoll, Zoot Money was running like a psychedelic madman in his kaftan with Dantalian’s Chariot and Graham Bond’s extreme nature was pushing the boundaries of tolerance for him and his music. Georgie Fame meanwhile was doing supper club jazz with ‘It Could Happen To You’ a hit for Bing Crosby in the 1940s. There’s a slight perversity I can appreciate now but it’s taken a long time. Listening repeatedly to The Two Faces of Fame again I’ve warmed to it. It’s not a classic but it’s better than I remember and helps I don’t expect everything to be ‘The Monkey Time’ anymore.

I wouldn’t unreservedly recommend purchasing the album on its own but this deluxe edition features an additional 24 tracks (seven previously unissued) and, as Nick Rossi suggests in his thorough liner notes, when taken as a whole, 1967 was as strong a year for Georgie as any and makes this a must-buy.

There’s so much to take in. A-sides, B-sides, EPs, storming instrumentals, swinging pop, up-tempo soul, sensitive ballads, a kitsch chart-topper (kitsch being polite, if I never hear ‘The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde’ again it’ll be too soon), Italian translations and even an International Pop Song Festival entry released for the Brazilian market.

A few highlights: the improved audio quality gives a massive boost to the Georgie Fame EP which originally sounded flat but now brings ‘Knock On Wood’ and ‘Close The Door’ to soul stomping life; ‘Roadrunner’ (the Bo Diddley one) is everything you’d imagine and was new to me; ‘Because I Love You’ and the dreamy ‘Try My World’ were excellent singles; ‘A Waiting Time’ a planned but dropped 45 – leaning towards an increased MOR style yet showing it could be done gracefully – remained unreleased until Survival and deserves repeating here for a wider audience; ‘Celebration’ is pop competition fun; the seven unreleased tracks show Georgie’s quality was consistently high – the version of ‘Tell It Like It Is’ is gorgeous; ‘Jumpin’ The Gun’ is in a similar vein to the old Hammond and horns fave ‘Beware of the Dog’; and – the length of this list tells you something - ‘Respoken’ and ‘Conquistador’ are class new discoveries for everyone.

One new discovery to me is ‘No Thanks’, the flip to ‘Try My World’. I can hear many of you now scoffing incredulously, “What? You’ve never heard it before? They played it every week down the Purple Bubblegum Curiosity Shop club in Camden on Thursday nights in the 90s when we were wearing bootcut cords and buzzing off our tits on cheap speed and Mad Dog 20/20”. I’m sure you did and quite right too. It includes every club classic ingredient and lands perfectly in the swirly/soul crossover dancefloor dynamite box, much like the later ‘Somebody Stole My Thunder’ which you’d only have to step outside your front door to hear throughout the Brit-Pop years.

This reissue (although it’s much more than simply that) is well packaged and, thanks to the abundance of bonus tracks, is bursting with great music. In 1967 alone Georgie proved he had more than two faces and, whichever one he showed, he did so with style.

The Two Faces of Fame is out now on RPM/Cherry Red.
A heavily edited version of this review appears in latest issue of Shindig magazine.

Thursday, 26 January 2017

GEORGIE FAME - "BECAUSE I LOVE YOU" (1967)


This rather wonderful Georgie Fame single, performed here in Offenbach, Germany, reached a respectable number 15 in the UK singles chart in March 1967. Written by Georgie and John Shakespeare, I’m unable to ascertain with any certainty who penned the immortal line, “You look so good, I’m touching wood”. Whoever it was, take a bow.

Thursday, 21 January 2016

CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE MOD: FIVE ALBUMS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

Those fine people at Adaptor Clothing – purveyors of modernist garb from Mikkel Rude, John Smedley, Brutus, Fred Perry, Bass, Baracuta and so forth – have scooted up and asked for five albums that inspired me from the “Mod subculture”. Never one to turn down an opportunity to chat about records, Mods and myself, I thought it’d make any interesting post, so let’s see.

All five on the list were acquired during the formative stages of my Mod conversion, a long time ago, during the early to mid-80s, and all provided a bedrock which sustains to this day. Back then Mod adhered to a very strict set of rules. Things were or weren’t Mod and no one had much difficulty with it. It felt a unified scene; there was a kinship with others, as you shared the same values and passions. It was a wonderfully exciting time. Non-Mods hated us and it only added to our sense of righteousness and air of superiority.

Mod today is wide open. There are a multitude of factions; people have individual takes on what it means and it’s been assimilated into the mainstream. It is now possible to pick and mix elements and different generations put their own spin on it: it stretches from the late 50s/early 60s modern jazz of John Coltrane or Tubby Hayes to current young guitar band The Spitfires and talented individuals like Paul Orwell. There are parts I feel no connection with but at the same time it’s been at the core of nearly everything I’ve enjoyed over the years. It’s led to the best nights out, with the best dressed people, listening to the best music, and it still steers into new areas of discovery. All of that can be traced back to the influence of these five albums, listed in the order I encountered them.


THE WHO - MY GENERATION
It’s testament to Townshend’s understanding of his young Mod audience that Mods continue to love The Who even long after the band moved from participants to occasional observers in the scene. Their debut LP is a record full of macho swagger, feisty attitude and flickers of vulnerability.

I’ll sheepishly admit to miming with a tennis racket in my bedroom mirror to ‘It’s Not True’, ‘The Kids Are Alright’ and ‘La-La-La-La-Lies’ (I skipped most of the bluesy tracks). They made me want to be in a band. Many years later when I was, playing my second ever gig, I attempted to do-a-Townshend during the final song in the set. After ramming my cheap guitar into the amp I tried smashing it on the stage. What I hadn’t considered was the stage was built of plastic beer crates and when I axed it to the floor it immediately bounced up, almost whacking me in the face. It didn’t look good, the guitar survived unscathed and I never tried it again.

The sleeve perfectly fits the record: the military-style stencilling; David Wedgbury’s photograph showing them stood next to highly inflammable propane drums; hair dyed orange and black; the clothes; jackets made of union jacks draped over their shoulder; Keith Moon with the face of an innocent cherub. They’re extraordinary looking geezers, especially Roger Daltrey who fixes the camera with a mix of frown and smirk. He’s telling the onlooker to f-f-f-f-off. What teenager couldn’t relate to that? I was lucky enough to get the album signed by Daltrey and he couldn’t have been friendlier or more accommodating. “You guys look great,” he kept saying to my group of friends.  It meant the world to us. We tried to approach Pete Townshend but he screamed “Argh, Mods!” and darted down the stairs. Even that felt like a compliment.


GEORGIE FAME – 20 BEAT CLASSICS
If you’re going to “do Mod” you need to assume a position of cool. Not everyone can do it. Some try hard and if you have to try hard you’re not cool; it’s one of life’s unfortunate truths. Coolness radiates from Georgie Fame. Whereas The Who turned up the volume, thrashed instruments, demanded attention, Georgie sat behind his Hammond – which he made the Mod instrument - and with the minimum of fuss served up a selection of soul, jazz, bluebeat and threw in a few pop touches. This was a Mod diet and this compilation served as an invaluable entry into those worlds. And look at the photograph here. Poised to light his fag, sleeves rolled up and about to get to work. Georgie means business. I love the look: the way his hair is cut in a French Crop and he’s wearing a simple pink button-down. It’s understated, there’s no need to overdo anything. Georgie Fame had exquisite taste in clothes and in the music he adopted. If you want a neat definition of Mod, there’s one right there.


VARIOUS ARTISTS – MOTOWN CHARTBUSTERS VOL. 3
Imagine a world without Motown. Makes me shudder. With a $600 family loan Gordy built his empire of labels which continue to fascinate and inspire. Even now previously unreleased gems surface and that’s in addition to absorbing all the rarities hidden in the dark recesses of Hitsville’s vast series of releases. Someone at school also gave me Tamla Motown Presents 20 Mod Classics which was equally important – it’s probably a better LP  - but Motown Chartbusters Vol. 3 was one of only a few records I managed to “borrow” from my parents and being an original 60s copy felt more authentic and treasured. It has this amazing silver and glittery sleeve, as if Tamla Motown knew what a special record it was so threw extra money at it. It’s full of classics: ‘Roadrunner’, ‘I Heard it Through The Grapevine’, ‘Stop Her On Sight’, ‘Get Ready’ etc. Songs built to last. Who can ever tire of listening to Smokey Robinson and the Miracles’ ‘The Tracks of My Tears’? For all the incredible records and songs I’ve unearthed in a never ending quest to discover something new and exciting, sometimes the very best are right there in plain sight. It’ll be one hell of day I find anything to top ‘This Old Heart Of Mine’.


VARIOUS ARTISTS – ON THE SOUL SIDE
One of the earliest Kent compilations and the first one I bought. Soon after, in the school holidays, I attended my first all-nighter, at the 100 Club. It is incredible those all-nighters are still running and although I’m no longer a regular I still dip in and out. Ady Croasdell, for his efforts with Kent and the 100 Club all-nighters, isn’t a musician but his influence on me – and many, many others - has been immeasurable. To Ady, it’s always been about the artists, not the DJs, a point too frequently forgotten with the who-played-what-where-first debates. It’s interesting to note there are no references to “Northern Soul” on this LP – it’s all “60’s Soul”. To me, 60’s Soul is pure Mod and Northern Soul is something else. There’s plenty of overlap of course between scenes and sounds but my mind’s eye associates the former with sharp dressers doing The Block and the later conjures visions of vest wearers performing handstands. That aside, soul music – as a whole, in all its forms – is a satisfyingly deep well. Over time it becomes more difficult finding truly exceptional songs but that increases the joy when it happens. Don’t stick with the familiar: keep on pushing.     


THE ACTION – THE ULTIMATE ACTION
The most played LP in my collection by the longest piece of tailor’s chalk. When I bought this from The Merc off Carnaby Street in the mid-80s little did I know how it would remain a constant in my life. The Action are my favourite band of all time. Back then there was a great mystery about them, which undoubtedly added to their appeal. All the information the young kids of my generation had were the photos on the cover and inner sleeve and a few paragraphs from Paul Weller to accompany The Action’s small output. Since then I’ve watched with delight every time a new piece of information, a new photograph, even previously unheard recordings have been made available. I’ve had the honour of having articles published about them, interviewed them, seen them reform and play live, been invited in to some of their homes, written liner notes for Reggie King releases on Circle Records, and with deep sadness attended Reggie’s funeral where hearing ‘Since I Lost My Baby’ in a tiny chapel provided a profoundly moving and privileged experience. I remain in awe of The Action: they had style, class, looks and talent in abundance. My life has been enriched beyond words thanks to the day Jimmy at The Merc passed me this record.

What albums influenced your initiation in to the world of Mod?

Monday, 28 December 2015

MASTERTAPES: GEORGIE FAME & THE BLUE FLAMES - RHYTHM & BLUES AT THE FLAMINGO


A couple of months ago Monkey Snr and I were fortunate to witness the recording of BBC Radio 4’s Mastertapes programme in which Georgie Fame discussed and played tracks from his classic 1963 Rhythm & Blues at the Flamingo LP.

It was a great afternoon, skilfully hosted by John Wilson, with chat surrounding the album, the Flamingo Club itself, the performance of six songs and the reunion of former Blue Flames Colin Green, Mick Eve and Eddie ‘Tan Tan’ Thornton plus the Flamingo’s John Gunnell reprising his introduction to the band.

The recording is now available on-line in two half hour shows and any disappointment the listener may feel in the editing of the music will surely be offset by scene-stealing contributions from Monkey Snr and I in the second show. 


Wednesday, 30 September 2015

SEPTEMBER PLAYLIST


September has been soundtracked by these...

1.  Lead Belly – “On A Monday” (1943)
Huddie Ledbetter sings the old prison song which Johnny Cash later cut as “I Got Stripes”. An arbitrary selection from the wonderful treasure chest that is the five-CD boxset Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection.

2.  Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames – “Humpty Dumpty” (1964)
Was fortunate to attend BBC’s Maida Vale studios this week with Monkey Snr for the recording of Radio 4’s Mastertapes, focusing on Georgie Fame’s Live At The Flamingo. John Wilson interviewed Georgie about the album and the era, interspersed with live performances of Work Song, Eso Beso (with special guest appearances from Blue Flames Colin Green on guitar, Mick Eve on tenor and Eddie ‘Tan-Tan’ Thornton on trumpet), Green Onions, Yeh Yeh and Humpty Dumpty, which as well as appearing on the LP was also on one of the very first records to migrate from my dad’s collection to mine, the Rhythm and Blue-Beat EP.  The show will be broadcast in two parts later in the year.

3.  The Victorians – “Monkey Stroll” (1964)
A whacking, echo-drenched, Gold Star studio, Wall of Sound, monkey dancer. What’s not to love?

4.  Mary Love – “Baby I’ll Come” (1966)
There’s a touch of “I Can’t Wait Until I See My Baby’s Face” about this slow and moody winner from Ms Love. Great vocals, great strings, great song from Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson.

5.  Cool Benny Velarde & His Stone Swingers – “Wobble-Cha” (1966)
Not generally a fan of Latin stuff but this is cool release on Virgo Records from timbalero Velarde and his Bay Area band.

6.  Modern Jazz Quartet – “Home” (1966)
If you wake up one Sunday with the hangover from hell, The Modern Jazz Quartet’s Blues At Carnegie Hall, with the vibes of Milt Jackson, might ease you back to some semblance of normality. 

7.  The Faces – “You Can Make Me Dance, Sing Or Anything (Even Take The Dog For A Walk, Mend A Fuse, Fold Away The Ironing Board, Or Any Other Domestic Shortcomings)” (1974)
Now that’s a song title.

8.  Janko Nilovic – “Drug Song” (1975)
Man, this is some super-strength shit. Spectacularly groovy funky flute from Montenegrin Nilovic’s Soul Impressions LP.

9.  Bronco Bullfrog – “Marmalade” (2015)
During the great British pop party of the 90s, Bronco Bullfrog tapped gingerly at the window, outsiders, scandalously uninvited and thus arriving late. It was a shame as the Broncos had much to offer: specifically a holdall stuffed with magical gems, and in a backward looking scene they were masters of evoking old memories, even if tinged with sadness. On the strength of this new 45 they’re now more than content in their isolation, managing to squash ‘I’m A Man’, ‘Funeral Pyre’, some Hollies harmonies and some Who powerchords into a track that finishes before their Mother’s Pride pops out the toaster.

10.  Kontiki Suite - The Greatest Show On Earth LP (2015)
It seems an aeon since I made Kontiki Suite's debut, On Sunset Lake, my album of 2012 but three years later their new one, The Greatest Show On Earth, finally sees the light of day in October and is odds-on to snatch the prize again. Things are slightly more muscular in places this time around, more confident, but everything I fell in love with is here - the meticulous playing, the carefully crafted arrangements and, of course, most of all, the gorgeous cinematic songs and guitars which don't so much jingle-jangle but shimmer and sparkle. The Greatest Show On Earth sees Kontiki Suite canter into view on horseback, with the autumn sun beginning to set, before pitching up to open their hearts under glistening stars and a listening moon. It's a beautiful trip. To put simply - it's bloody magnificent!

The Greatest Show On Earth by Kontiki Suite is available on CD and download from Kontiki Suite's Bandcamp page from Friday 2 October and on vinyl from 30 October via Sunstone Records (Broncos 45 from them too). 

Wednesday, 20 June 2012

RICKY TICK CLUB, WINDSOR. COLLECTION OF FLYERS 1965-1966

Following the recent post mentioning the Ricky Tick Club in Windsor, Monkey Snr. has very kindly given me these old flyers.  They are shown in order from July 1965 to September 1966.  It seems incredible now to imagine wandering along the River Thames in Royal Berkshire to catch the likes of Solomon Burke and Bo Diddley.  No need to buy a ticket, just stroll in.  Monkey Snr. saw Graham Bond and Georgie Fame.  I would have gone every week.  Also, I love that some of the flyers were picked up from David’s Record Shop in Slough, which was the same place DJ Martin Fuggles bought his records to play in the club. Thanks Dad.  








Tuesday, 24 April 2012

GEORGIE FAME & THE BLUE FLAMES at RONNIE SCOTT’S, LONDON


Chat, make noise, do what you want, just don’t take photographs was the message from Georgie Fame as he settled behind his battered Hammond for Friday’s late show before easing into a lengthy scene-setting “Flamingo Allnighter” recalling the club he’s synonymous with, it’s owner Rik Gunnell, Speedy Acquaye, Zoot Money, parties on the Cromwell Road, purple hearts, good ganja and ladies of the night. He did a lot of reminiscing, giving the detailed history to songs and colouring them with funny impressions of a grumpy Van Morrison or Bob Dylan.

Considering the time he spends referencing the Flamingo it’s a puzzle why he stubbornly refuses offers from promoters to play a full Blue Flames Flamingo set. His song choices remain fairly constant from year to year: Ray Charles’s “Get On The Right Track Baby”; Willie Nelson’s “Funny How Time Slips Away”; and he can’t get away from “Yeh Yeh”, the song which finally “broke us out of the Flamingo, and out of the country”. His voice is still is good shape, probably thanks to his early decision to sing as if a land owner from banks of the Mississippi, with Jamaican housekeepers, than adopting the persona of a blues shouter more expected from a native of a Lancastrian industrial town.

Another number from that early period was “Preach and Teach”, written by Johnny Burch, whose Quartet the Flames often played alongside at the Flamingo, and was the flip side to “Yeh Yeh”. Fame spoke movingly of Burch (who died in 2006) so after the gig I mentioned to him that Monkey Snr. often saw both groups at the Flamingo (primarily to see Burch) but Georgie wasn’t remotely interested. Not at all. Okay, I’ll grant you it wasn’t the most fascinating piece of news, but one could purchase Mose Allison’s entire back catalogue for what it costs for a night at Ronnie Scott’s so it wouldn’t have hurt to be more courteous. It’s not like he was being harassed whilst out with his family or schmoozing someone else; he was alone near the exit of his own gig. The only other person nearby was a girl who dared to ask to take his photograph, to which he flapped, protested and drafted a contract to be signed in blood promising not to post to the internet. What’s his problem? In fairness though, had I teamed a black silk shirt with bright orange jeans I wouldn’t have wanted it posted either.

Back to the gig and he balanced the old with the new pretty well and his band of Guy Barker (trumpet), Alan Skidmore (tenor), Anthony Kerr (vibes), Tristan Powell (guitar), Alec Dankworth (bass) and James Powell (drums) kept things cooking at an even temperature. “Skiing Blues” though, written after an argument with a girlfriend was supposed to demonstrate it was possible to write a song about anything, but was so terrible lyrically (“I just didn’t get the drift/ When you stayed down by the lift/ And you traded your boots for shoes”) I was scoffing to myself, yet one woman openly laughed out loud. I hope they were deliberately bad, or if not, she didn’t try approaching him afterwards.

When he said they were going to do a Bob Dylan song none immediately sprang to mind, and if asked to guess I’d still be there now as the bluesy rocker “Everything Is Broken” from 1989’s Oh Mercy would’ve been long down my list. If the song choice was surprising, it was nothing compared to Georgie adding his own audience participation refrain of “It’s all fucked up!” Fame’s talent has always been to interrupt other people’s songs in his own style and “Everything Is Broken” proved it’s a talent he’s not completely lost. Shame he’s a bit of an arse.

Tuesday, 13 September 2011

RHYTHM AND BLUE BEAT - FRIDAY 23rd SEPTEMBER 2011


It’s been a while since I’ve been behind the decks, so with a clutch of new purchases adding strength to the box and competition for places, I’m raring to go once again.

First game of the new season is next week thanks to the Rhythm and Blue Beat Club in Camden Town. I’ll be in the team alongside Smart Phil, Southern Sam and Si Cheeba spinning sweet smelling dusty old records for hipsters to dance, drink and listen to. Between us covering R&B, Rhythm and Soul, Mod Jazz, Popcorn, Hammond Grooves and Latin Boogaloo, and if anyone creates a hip new genre by then with its roots in the blues, we’ll maybe play that too. I might even take along Monkey Snr’s copy of Georgie Fame's Rhythm and Blue Beat EP – which is in much nicer condition than the one pictured above.

You’ll find us upstairs in a room away from the oi polloi at the Camden Head, 100 Camden High Street, London, NW1 from 9pm-3am. £5 entry.

Sunday, 31 January 2010

GEORGIE FAME - MOD CLASSICS: 1964-1966

A fabulous new Georgie Fame collection, Mod Classics: 1964-1966, was released on Monday and Monkey Mansions has swung to little else all week. To read my gushing review, see over at Modculture. Rather than repeat it here, let’s instead watch the man at the NME Poll Winners Party, Wembley in 1965. You’ll have to grit your teeth to get past Jimmy Saville but it’ll be worth it.

Georgie Fame – Mod Classics: 1964-1966 is released by BGP.

Friday, 29 January 2010

JANUARY PLAYLIST


What a long month that was. These have kept the spirits up.

1. Hank Mobley – “Three Way Spilt” (1963)
A Blue Note LP No Room For Squares – with Hank donning the shades and balancing an inch of ash off the end of his fag – is always going to look the business casually (yet oh-so-deliberately) positioned on view in any sophisticated hipster abode. Sounds alright an’ all.

2. Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames – “Monkeying Around” (1965)
Fame’s new Mod Classics collection contains not one but two monkey related songs. Would have been a stewards enquiry if he’d failed to make this month’s picks.

3. Dusty Springfield – “I’ve Been Wrong Before” (1965)
If we ignore the ugly blemish of “La Bamba”, Ev’rything’s Coming Up Dusty is a beautiful album. Difficult to pick one track but this gets the nod for its Scott Walkeresque arrangement and production.

4. The Chocolate Watchband – “Don’t Need Your Lovin’” (1967)
The Watchband out stone the Stones with this snarling one-fingered garage salute. I met Dave Aguilar, singer and writer of this once. He was backstage after a gig and I asked him all sheepishly if he wouldn’t mind signing a record. “Yeah man, just give me a minute will ya?” He was a bit off. He was stood in his underpants.

5. Lou Donaldson – “Snake Bone” (1968)
After using the ultra-modish Peggy Moffitt for his cover star on previous albums, Lou played the Black Power card next and stuck a couple of right-on sisters on the front of Say It Loud. Not one of his most inspired LPs but the title track and “Snake Bones” cut an acceptable soul-jazz rug.

6. Keith Jarrett – “Mortgage For My Soul (Wah Wah)” (1972)
This is what we want: freaky duelling horns and what sounds like Rolf Harris’s wobble board played through a wah wah pedal.

7. Primal Scream – “Silent Spring” (1987)
The Scream’s Sonic Flower Groove always strikes me as the younger sugar spun sister of the first Stone Roses album. Of the two, I’d date Bobby’s mob.

8. Sonic Youth – “Mary-Christ” (1990)
Back in my Indie DJ days of the early 90s I never played this. I hereby apologise to the regulars at Freak Scene, Sticky Wicket and Club Skinny for such an appalling oversight. Would’ve sounded the business next to The Pixies’ “Debaser”.

9. Suede – “She’s In Fashion” (1999)
Time to borrow your sister’s blouse once more, Suede are back. Bernard won’t be there swishing his mane but plenty of Brett’s clunky couplets (“She’s employed where the sun don’t set/ She’s the shape of a cigarette”) will be, as will I. Note to Suede: Please do “To The Birds”. I thank you.

10. The Jim Jones Revue – “Elemental” (2009)
The Jim Jones Revue don’t simply raise the rock ‘n’ roll bar but incinerate it.