Top 3 of 2002

I have "Up" in my Truly Great Purchases List, just to show how mileage varies... Alongside it in a top 3 will be "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" by The Flaming Lips, which also walks off with "Best Title of the Year". Third is tricky, but will have to await further listening to Jim Lampi's groovetastic "Greazy" and David Paul Jones' genre defying "Something There", both of which landed in the last couple of days, before I can decide whether they'll have staying power to top other goodies.

Pete.

For me, it's gotta be:

Doves - The Last Broadcast
Brilliance, pure and simple (I saw them on Monday night at Briston Academy - they were simply breathtaking. If you ever get to see 'em live, do so!)

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - BRMC
Nothing particularly original here, of course, but sweaty rock 'n' roll at its best

Various Artists - Back To Mine (as chosen by New Order). Fantastic selection of tracks - Can, Beefheart, etc - and a good deal better than their last proper album!!!

Stereolab - ABC Music: The BBC Radio 1 Sessions. The album we've all been waiting for!

Cinematic Orchestra - Everyday. Majestically downbeat. Wonderful. Spooky. Words fail.

David Bowie - Heathen. enuinely,, a return to form after ddecades of decline and false dawns. As for that RFH gig when he played the whole of "Low"... I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!

As for let downs, there have been quite a few. It's not been a vintage year for records, but a great one for gigs, namely:

Stereolab - Royal Festival Hall
Beta Band - Shepherds Bush Empire
Lee Hazelwood - RFH
David Gilmour - RFH
Neil Young - Brixton
Doves - Brixton
Lamchop - Festival Hall
Doves - Brixton
Roger Waters - Wembley
Bowie - RFH (in the second row!)
Cinematic Orchestra - Shepherds Bush
Terry Callier - Jazz Cafe

Biggest letdowns gig-wise were Dylan (London Docklands Arena on the Saturday - he was shit, his band were awesome. A severe disappointment after the landmark 2000 gigs), Chemical Brothers and Spiritualized (both at Brixton in March, and both rather dull)

Kevin

for me it's:
When the man comes around - Johnny Cash
Black Rebel Motorcycle club
The private press - DJ Shadow

Tori Amos - "Scarlet's walk"
Pat Metheny - "Speaking of now"
Bruckner 8 / Chailly


Christian

As ever this is very difficult! Here they are: 1)Dolly Vardon - Forgiven Now 2)Beth Gobbons and Rutin Man- Out of Season 3)Custom Blue- All follow everyone. There are numerous other notables Including the Flaming Lips, Coldplay, Paul Weller etc etc

For me, the top two releases this year were:

Themselves: The No Music

Antipop Consortium: Arrhythmia

I can't pick a third, there's a tone of good stuff I coul put in, but nothing that stands as high as these for me. Seeing Themselves live would have to go down as the gig highlight.

Other good stuff:

The Flaming Lips : ...Robots
Fog: Fog
Restiform Bodies: Restiform Bodies
Buck65: Man Overboard
Mum: Finally we are no one
Boom Bip: Seed to Sun

My top 3 this year:-

Nils Lofgren - Breakaway Angel
James Taylor - October Road
Jackson Browne - Naked Ride Home

Steve D

Years Best

Red Hot Chilli peppers
The Coral
Jimmy Eats World
Beth Gibbons and Rustin Man
The Datsuns


Biggest Disapointments

Flaming Lips
Lambchop


Album I've bought this year that's so bad I can't listen to it:

Grateful Dead - Live dead. That's this all about, I really though I would go for this sort of thing from all i've read, but what an appalling record, Like teenagers mucking about in the garage.

Tough one, I've bought such a lot of stuff this year (not quite Nick Leesian in volume but not far off), much of which was catch-up on 2001 or even earlier.

Of the 2002 releases, the three that spring to mind as being real stand-outs were:

Alison Krauss "Live" - as a live follow on from last years' "New Favourite", it contains the years most moving vocal work from the angel-voiced Ms Krauss.

James Taylor "October Road" - a surprise for me this one, as if I hadn't been forced to listen to it I would have completely ignored it. A truly great album.

John Scofield "Überjam" - he never produces a disappointing album and this is the best fusion album I've heard in years.

I'd also like to put a vote in for "Heathen", which I thought was a terrific return to form, Yeah Yeah Yeahs eponymously titled EP which, whilst being a shite recording, is great primal screech rock (OK, I invented that), the new Coldplay, Dolly Varden's "Forgiven Now" etc.etc.


Oh yes, and an honourable mention must also go to Jimmy Smith's "Blues Dot Com", which Keith at Audio T introduced me to recently. Yes, I know it's a couple of years old now but it has been one of those albums that you just play and play. If it doesn't make you want to groove you're probably dead.

Dave

Not the three best, but three of the best:

Pat Metheny Group - Speaking Of Now

James Taylor - October Road

Alison Krauss - Live

Joni Mitchell - Travelogue


(There are three kinds of people in the world: those who can count, and those who can't.)

There are three things in this world that smell of fish.

and one of them is fish.


P

quote:

---

Originally posted by P:
There are three things in this world that smell of fish.
and one of them is fish.
P

---

I see. But what is the THIRD one?

quote:

---

Grateful Dead - Live dead. That's this all about, I really though I would go for this sort of thing from all i've read, but what an appalling record, Like teenagers mucking about in the garage.

---

More like Lao-Tze, Buddha, and Jerry Lee Lewis mucking about in heaven.

It's true though that some people (like me) think they are (were) the greatest band ever, by a country mile, but most people just hear pointless meanderings. I gave up years ago trying to convert people. You love 'em or you don't. No worries.

"All systems are perfectly designed to get the results they get."

Johnny Cash - When the man comes around. Even his 'Bridge over troubled water' is worth a listen - a real surprise.

Also - all of the Rolling Stones remasters, which are far better than ever heard before and qualify as 'new' on that account. If picking two I'd go for the 2 hits albums 'High Tide and Green Grass' and 'Through the past darkly'. Best of all, these are hybrid SACD discs, so if Naim ever goes in that direction........

No kidding, I'm digging your recommendations out of the Anticon catalog but hey, Buck 65 and Restiform Bodies are both 2001 releases, aren't they?

I gotta laugh tho', 'cause I think The No Music cd is just wack! It does have a couple of good tunes on it but I'd just rather listen to Jel's Greenball cd if I want to here him mix. You do have it, don't you? Also Left Handed Straw. Right?

SO, given your list of top tunes, you're obviously a person with taste. So what else, specifically in the way of instrumental underground hip hop, what else are might you recommend. Do you have Duration by Sixtoo?

Markus

PS, Nick Lee, should you read this be careful, lest your credit card go far, far, far beyond it's limit!

quote:

---

Originally posted by rch:

quote:

---

Originally posted by P:
There are three things in this world that smell of fish.
and one of them is fish.
P

---

I see. But what is the THIRD one?

---

That would also be fish.

I am oly young so you have to allow me the three discoveries this year. And as you will see they have all been fantastic, a real treat and why I love this stuff so much.

In at number three: Fila Brazilla Well, what can I say, heard touch of cloth at a friends, two months later the whole lot in the bag, each full of laid back, phat beat goodness.

Close behind at number two: The Blues Do not mock me good friends, yes I had heard of the blues, but there is a wealth of tasty pickings on vinly to be had, and its of note that I should say I am main stream, EC, John Mayel etc. Still good though.

And in at Number one by a fair mile: Bowie WWwwWwWWooooWww. Lets get something straight for all you non believers, he has done some tracks in his time, a most important figure in popular music and every one of his albums has at least two nuggets of total greatness. Heathen is great, hours, is better his earlier stuff, what can I say, I am working through it and have not been dissapointed yet, and its all soo cheap on vinyl. God bless music!

Now don't you oldie's just yearn after these sorts of dicoveries!?

'Cause we were there when they first came out and we "discovered" 'em at the time... I think the looooong perspective means that I take a somewhat disaffected view of *new* releases. I mean, if you already have multiple hundred standout gems in your collection with another couple thousand strong runners-up, then new releases have to got some pretty tough competition to merit air-time, don't you think?

What I DO yearn for is the time to continue to do the deep deep digging and still have time to listen to all the tons of good stuff I find...

Markus

quote:

---

Originally posted by Markus:
No kidding, I'm digging your recommendations out of the Anticon catalog but hey, Buck 65 and Restiform Bodies are both 2001 releases, aren't they?

I gotta laugh tho', 'cause I think The No Music cd is just wack!

---

Possibly, I came up with stuff I'd bought this year and love, and check the release date against Amazon. Both came up as 2002 in the UK, but it's quite possible Amazon is wrong. Anticon stuff has only recently got easier to get over here. Until a couple of months ago, relied on ebay. Recently though they got a new distributor, so we've got a bunch of stuff (e.g. Circle) rereleased.

You think it's wack? I can't see it. I think it's dope as fuck. Dose goes off like a man possessed. I think it's the best Anticon release since cLOUDDEAD.

Oops, missed a bit.

No, I don't have duration, but I've listened to Psyche Continuum, and love that, so I'll have to keep an ear out. I nearly bought a Sebutones (Buck 65 and Sixtoo) album in town this morning, but I went for a new interconnect, and changed to some NACA5 from my old NACA4. My next splurge will have to wait until next term's grant comes in.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Nick Lees:

Cinematic Orchestra - "Everyday". A big thank you to redeye, whithout whom I'd never have come across it.


Nick
No worries, glad you like it. Their Remixes 98-2000 album is also bloody good.

2002's Next Big Thing...Tift Merritt for the Bramble Rose cd. Classic modern country leading lady stuff worthy of Emmylou (almost)

Oops couldn't wait, grabbed 50/50 where it counts this morning. So far, it's very Sixtoo. Sparse beats, and low-key delivery.

Turns out Buck 65 is in Brighton tonight, as well as Boom Bip, but at different venues. Daftness. I got chatting to the guy in the record shop about the last time Buck was in town. I comented on how good the support act was. Turns out it was him and his mate Sketch (recently signed to Lex Records). He was well chuffed, enough so to give me a copy of album. It's clearly influenced by Dose One, but with a Brighton accent. The beats aren't approaching Jel or Odd Nosdams, but it's endearingly raw.

So far....
Bowie; Heathen
Joni Mitchell; Travelogue
Sigur ros ; ( )
Aimee Mann; Lost in space

I wish it had been more new artists on my list.

Gunnar

stormed in from nowhere into my no.1 slot when I bought it at end of nov.

1. Patti Griffin - 1000 kisses , taking over from
2. Gillian Welch - Time (the revelator).
3. the be good tanyas - Blue Horse.

I think that they are all very different but i am sure they are all labelled in the same catagory at the record shop and definitely all under the "Whiny American Women" tag from my wife.

CNC

Is Rain and Snow on the Be Good Tanyas album you're talking about? That track was featured on an Uncut sampler cd a while back and its a great song. If the rest of the album is as good I'll be ordering it.

redeye