Listen to “Winter in America” as many times as you can, savor each listen for the different textures it will bring with each spin. This album deserves to be listed on every “top album of the (fill in your favorite)” list. From introspective jams to romantic interludes, Gil’s voice and the music that the band wraps it in work to create an atmosphere of emotion across all the spectrums. Don’t forget that this is a Brian Jackson album as well, Gil’s partner in crime for some of the most exciting sounds of revolution. He provides a great counterpoint to piano and bass with a funky flute playing and great arranging. If you have been wondering about all the hype attatched to a “grandfather of hip-hop” listen to Gil and think of him as musician of message, over a funky backdrop, rather then a footnote to Rap.
Jive Time Turntable
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson “Winter In America” (1974)
Tom Tom Club “Tom Tom Club” (1981)
For the longest time I could never see what it was that got people going about Tom Tom Club. Being a staunch proponent of “literate” music, the whole thing seemed, well, stupid. Then I saw the critical flaw in my thinking was OVER-thinking – trying to assess it on the same terms you’d assess Talking Heads, King Crimson, or any of the more deliberate art music of the period. In a way, Tom Tom Club were the flip side of Talking Heads anxiety-funk – the same stiff white people trying to loosen up, look at the bright side, and just HAVE FUN.
The stylistic framework of their debut doesn’t stray terribly far from the ethno-world-groove their main band had been gradually working itself into, but it went even further afield from the verse/chorus/verse guitar pop formula. Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth’s sinewy 4-on-the-floor bedrock kept the limbo line moving from the beach to the discotheque, inadvertently creating what would be a MASSIVE club record to this day in the process. The unrelenting grooves and party vibe here closely echo what was bubbling under the surface in New York’s still nascent hiphop scene, locking step with the formative moves of Grandmaster Flash and Sugarhill Gang, but with lyrical concerns even (and especially) a pre-schooler could relate to (maybe not the part about going insane on cocaine). Under it all remains a playful experimentation that reflects the era’s spirit of transition and musical discovery, a palpable excitement that would hold up and get bodies moving in any era. —Jonathan Treneff
Kaleidoscope “Side Trips” (1967)
Wildly eclectic mixture of Psychedelia, Mid Eastern music, Appalachian Folk, jug band, hokey jump blues and undefinable weirdness that could only have come from the 60′s California music scene. The original 10 song album is only 26 minutes long, yet it goes through such a wide variety of styles that it really does feel like a full listening experience. Best tracks are the Mid Eastern opening track “Egyptian Gardens”, the very psychedelic antiwar song “Keep Your Mind Open” and that cheery little Appalachian folk ditty “Oh Death” (lately best known from the more traditional, dirge-like rendition on the hit soundtrack to Oh Brother Where Art Thou). There’s also an oddly faithful cover of “Minnie The Moocher”. —Flaregun
Glass Palaces:Navigating the Paisley Underground
Even by the fleeting standards of today’s internet-fueled micro-movements and trends, the Paisley Underground was a particularly short-lived musical moment. Springing forth from the Southern California suburbs in the early-’80′s, the movement eventually coalesced around Los Angeles. While most of the bands quickly splintered, or lost their spark under the influence of commercial pressure, their influence can be felt more acutely three decades down the line, coming home to roost in the contemporary indie underground’s renewed infatuation with all things psychedelic and of the ’80′s. While “psychedelic” bands with a Velvet Underground fetish or a Byrds fixation are as commonplace as yoga mats and kombucha in a Whole Foods re-usable tote today, they stuck out like a sore thumb in… Read more›
David Bowie “Lodger” (1979)
An orphan in the Bowie canon, crowded together with Low and “Heroes” as part of the Berlin trilogy when in fact it’s best understood as the transition from those albums to Scary Monsters, Lodger is perhaps the most underrated record from Bowie’s classic period. In fact, I would argue it’s the most satisfying of the Berlin trio.
There’s something odd and slightly uncomfortable about Lodger – it’s hurt by a surprisingly muddy mix, and its flow feels disjointed, even after repeated listens – but that’s part of its appeal. I hesitate to use the term “avant-pop,” because that’s a phrase that gets thrown around a lot, but I think it’s fitting in this case. A working title was “Planned Accidents,” and that aesthetic is consistently present on all ten tracks. The songs here are mostly melodic and catchy, but they’re ripped apart by tape-warped guitar solos (courtesy of the always excellent Adrian Belew,) weird flourishes of faux-exotica, and odd song structures.
All in all, there’s not a bad song in the bunch. From the thrilling rush of “Look Back In Anger,” which features wonderfully melodramatic vocals from Bowie, to the catchy ersatz Turkish reggae of “Yassassin,” to the gently swaying, socially conscious opener “Fantastic Voyage,” Bowie is in top form. Even the deliberately jarring, dissonant “African Night Flight,” which bears Eno’s fingerprints all over it, is fascinating. And I haven’t mentioned “DJ” or “Red Sails,” two of the very best songs on here! on’t overlook this gem. —Mason
Flower Travellin’ Band “Satori” (1971)
Mindblowing Japanese rock classic, heavier than a thousand planets: meaty, doomy power chords on top of driving basslines and tribal drums with a sinewy, molten, eastern-tinged lead guitar soaring above it all like hookah smoke — the bastard love child of Black Sabbath and Godzilla emerging from the sea not to destroy Tokyo but just to ROCK!!!! Intense and partially unintelligible English vocals plus a smoking harmonica solo on Satori IV round out the incredible sound. Each track is a masterpiece. One of the finest albums to come out in the early 70s, which of course makes it one of the finest albums ever and possibly the best album you’ve never heard. This is one heavy album that might go into heavy rotation for the rest of your life, or at the very least for the rest of the year. —Ben
Miles Davis “Filles de Kilimanjaro” (1969)
Miles was cranking out about two studio works a year with this, his great 60′s quintet when “Filles De Kilimanjaro” was recorded, and he was about to embark on his groundbreaking “jazz/fusion” era of career. It’s a time of transition too with Miles adding electric piano, played here by Herbie Hancock, and Chick Corea, and Dave Holland providing bass on two of the cuts in place of Ron Carter. On this album, Mile’s mood seems to be much lighter than displayed on “Neffertiti” the year before. The soundscapes seem to hold much more color, and there’s even an element of funk beginning to creep in. As with just about everything this group recorded, the playing is flawless. My favorites are “Tout De Suite”, and the beautifully rambling “Mademoiselle Mabry”. This is Miles in a state of transition with his music to be sure, although I doubt there was ever a time in his career that his music wasn’t in transition. That’s part of being a genius. Here he begins to explore acoustically for the most part, the territory that he would tear wide open with electric instruments in just a few years. That alone is enough to make this great album important, but the music alone more than speaks for itself. —Tim
Joe Jackson “Will Power” (1987)
In the context of his entire body of work, it’s neither out of place nor a difficult listen…quite the opposite. Even after 20 plus years, whenever I play this CD, it seems to fly by and end too soon – I can’t find a boring or wasted second on here. Jackson takes his cues from a wide range of composers (Aaron Copland, Ennio Morricone, Philip Glass to name a few), and comes up with an utterly original and fresh take on contemporary classical music. “No Pasaran” is pensive and slightly nervous with excellent use of dynamic range and spiky orchestral stabs. “Solitude” is beautifully mournful, one of the great treasures of his catalogue. The title track may be my favorite, it incorporates many styles into a unified and exciting whole and does so in a masterful way. “Nocturne” is Jackson’s piano solo showcase, and it’s fantastically beautifully composed and played…so much soul coming from the performance. The album closes with a piece reworked from a score he wrote for a Japanese film, that trivial tidbit hardly matters though. It’s certainly cinematic, or maybe I should really say it’s program music as it conveys a meaning that is forced to be separate from the film music that spawned it (having never seen the movie, that is). The sound quality of this release is expertly engineered – a full digital recording but done right with warmth and fullness. I’ve owned this album since it’s release and it gets played several times a year. As time passes, familiarity has caused a strong personal bond with the music and it’s become one of my favorite albums. —BabeHardy
Record Store Day Sale!
Join us this Saturday, April 21 for our annual Record Store Day sale: All records and CD’s will be 20% off!
Plus, receive this limited-edition, hand-screened poster FREE with your purchase (while supplies last)!
Thank you for supporting Jive Time and all of your local, independently-owned record stores on Record Store Day and every day. Brick and mortar (and vinyl) is alive and well in Seattle!
Judas Priest “Stained Class” (1978)
From its chrome dome cover down through a production job as dry as a sun baked skeleton, Judas Priest’s “Stained Class” is a tight-fisted onslaught of gleaming metal riffs overlaid with Rob Halford’s villainous vocals and earsplitting screams. With the buzzsaw guitars of “Tipton and Downing” sending blue sparks of electricity through the rallying cry “Exciter,” other-worldly attackers of “Invader,” and burnt human cinders littering “Stained Class,” the album is both a frowning indictment and energizing call to rock without reservation. The band’s Spooky Tooth cover, “Better by You, Better Than Me” is an instantly infectious groover, while on the other end of the spectrum lies morbid suicide solution, “Beyond the Realms of Death.” Another bulletproof set from the masters in their prime. Fall to your knees and repent if you please! –Ben
