SEE ALSO:
Best of 2019- Theatre
Best of 2019 – Concerts
The issue is the same as last year. What percentage of new releases am I considering? Heard? Heard of?
Let’s take UNCUT’s Top 75 albums of 2019. I have just four and I’ve never even heard of #1 (Weyes Blood). I have #7, Western Stars by Bruce Springsteen, #20 Jaime by Brittany Howard, #22 Thanks For The Dance by Leonard Cohen, #57 Out of Sight by Jake Xerxes Fussell.
I do better on their reissues … #1 Rolling Thunder Revue by Bob Dylan, #2 Abbey Road by The Beatles. #15 Arthur by The Kinks, #23 Travelin’ Thru by Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, though obviously I have originals of 1999 by Prince and No Other by Gene Clark.
Turn to Mojo’s 40 best: #3Western Stars by Bruce Springsteen, #11 Jaime by Brittany Howard, #18 New Adventures of P.P. Arnold, , #33 Out of Sight by Jake Xerxes Fussell. , #37 Thanks For The Dance by Leonard Cohen, #39 We Get By by Mavis Staples .
Reissues in Mojo? #1 Abbey Road by The Beatles, #2 Rolling Thunder Revue by Bob Dylan, #8 You’re The Man by Marvin Gaye, #17, Woodstock: 50th Anniversary.
Yet I buy at least one CD every week, usually more. Surprise? I don’t rate Western Stars by Bruce Springsteen in the Top Ten, possibly not in the Top 20. It just failed to get to me. Nor did Who by The Who.
I buy a lot of vinyl, and mainly it’s old. Vintage? Heritage? Heirloom? Well, old. I listen to a lot of old vinyl. This year, recovering from an operation I did a long article on Nancy Sinatra for Toppermost, and an even longer one for this blog. I then started on Lee Hazlewood, so they’re my two most listened to artists this year. (Natalie Merchant last year). None of it was new material.
So deep breath …
MY 10 ALBUMS of 2019
1 The New Adventures of P.P. Arnold
Too many male artists this year, but at least P.P. Arnold gets deserved best album. Great live show this year, even if she didn’t sing Daltry Street, one of the best tracks, nor the long Last Thoughts of Woody Guthrie. Most of the rest, she did. Still the greatest soul singer resident in the UK.
2 My Brilliant Friend (OST): Max Richter
This is probably my most played album of 2019. I have it on my iPad and I usually listen to it just before drifting off to sleep! Not that I could name any tracks. I could have added more Max Richter too. Hostiles OST was a contender.
3 Sinematic: Robbie Robertson
I bought the CD and the vinyl. My favourite track is Walk in Beauty Way, with Laura Satterfield. He should do more work with female singers. I Hear You Paint Houses from The Irishman is a duet with Van Morrison. Once Were Brothers is also outstanding. Let Love Reign is a fine revisit to the Smokestack Lightning riff at the start.
4 Three Chords & The Truth: Van Morrison
I’d begun to think Van was turning out far too many mediocre albums, then he drops in with his best in many years.
5 Other People’s Stuff: John Mellencamp
Basically, a compilation of earlier cover versions and released right at the end of 2018. Some great tracks too … I always thought Ry Cooder defined Teardrops Will Fall but this one rivals it.
6 Thanks For The Dance: Leonard Cohen
Posthumous incantations, lovingly assembled and backed.
7 Reckless & Me: Keifer Sutherland
Jack Bauer sings. We saw him live … he really is good. This is no Richard Chamberlain cashing in on Dr Kildare … this is great Americana. Try Saskatchewan and Faded Pair of Blue Jeans.
8 Undress: The Felice Brothers
I can’t have a Best of … without a Felice, but in the absence of Simone this year, the brothers get it.
9 Out of Sight: Jake Xerxes Fussell
Try Jubilee.
10 Mad Lad: A Live Tribute to Chuck Berry: Ronnie Wood
Recorded at the Tivoli, Wimborne, my favourite local venue. Who needs another white boys band covering Johnny B. Goode? OK, but he does some of my personal favourites … Talking About You, Little Queenie, Worried Life Blues, Blue Feeling and Wee Wee Hours. Imelda May sings Wee Wee Hours too.
MY 10 TRACKS of 2019
Live version on YouTube linked. This was the band I saw at Newbury (link to review),with Steve Craddock on guitar. Go for it, Pat!
They remade the 1998 single version (produced by Steve Craddock) for the new album, still with lots and lots of rhythmic strings. This is the studio version (LINKED).They managed extremely well live on stage. It was written by Mike Nesmith, who submitted it to The Monkees producers who rejected it. So it went to The Greenbriar Boys for a bluegrass version, then Linda Ronstadt with The Stone Poneys had an international hit with it in 1967. There are many versions. P.P. Arnold’s is the best whether in its 1998 incarnation or its 2019 remake.
2 Walk in Beauty Way: Robbie Robertson & Laura Satterfield
Laura Satterfield worked with Robbie Robertson at the Agrigento shows after Music From The Native Americans with her aunts Rita and Priscilla Coolidge.
Yes, a second track, which is why it was the #1 album for me. Written by Coby Fletcher.
4 Fame Will Eat The Soul: Van Morrison & Bill Medley
Van Morrison AND a Righteous Brother! Van always worked well with other singers … Chris Farlowe, Tom Jones, Georgie Fame, Brian Kennedy. Er, Cliff Richard. Bill Medley is an all-time great. The Hammond organ harks back to the Beautiful Vision era (as does the melody.)
5 Saskatchewan: Keifer Sutherland
Moving lyric. I bounced between this and Faded Pair of Blue Jeans. See also a LIVE VERSION in Licoln, Nebraska (noisy audience)
6 Happens To The Heart: Leonard Cohen
Link to official video. I can’t get enough of Leonard’s voice.
7 Wee Wee Hours: Ronnie Wood & His Wild Five, with Imelda May
For the British, this Chuck Berry song was on the essential Pye International (US Chess) compilation The Blues Volume II. We all had it. And The Blues Volume 1. They put a Chuck which went with Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters and Little Walter. On the earlier one was Worried Life Blues also covered here. Recorded Live at my local venue: The Tivoli Wimborne, Dorset.
8 Dark As The Dungeon; John Mellencamp
A Merle Travis song from 1946, on this great album of cover versions.
9 Quicksilver Girl: Rickie Lee Jones
From her album Kicks. This is my favourite Steve Miller Band song (no relation to David Milliband or Ed Milliband). I have spent many many happy hours with Steve Miller’s version playing it over and over while writing the character of Marieke in the “Dart Travis” novel Pulling Into Nazareth, so this had to be very good to hold my attention. It did (but my Sophie’s Choice would still be the original).
10 Piece of Clay – Marvin Gaye
When You’re The Man emerged this year, much was made of this as the best track. It’s NOT its first airing … it was on a box set Marvin Gaye: The Master 1961 to 1984 (4 CD box set, 1995) , then Robbie Robertson curated it for the soundtrack of Phenomenon in 1996. But its presence as a great unreleased 1972 single brings it back to mind and I have played it a lot!
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It missed last year, though it was released in September 2018. It should have been there in 2018. I caught up with it in 2019 and it was on my 2019 playlist. Near the top.
Levon & The Hawks single on Atlantic from 1965. Written by Robbie Robertson. Sung by Levon’s daughter, Amy Helm. It’s been a major earworm for months.
REISSUES of 2019
A further year of mega box sets.
1= The Band: The Band
The De Luxe box set. My favourite album of all time, remastered. I love the 5.1 surround sound Blu-Ray (and had found the Music From Big Pink remaster too clean and shrill in comparison).This is much better. The original album is now on two LPs at 45 rpm – that is 12″ single speed. And you get the remastered unreleased (though heavily bootlegged) Woodstock 1969 set. Plus lots of pictures. I didn’t find any new light shed by the text though.
1 = Abbey Road: The Beatles
Super De Luxe Box Set. Two equal number ones.In December 1969 I stood outside HMV in Oxford Street. Three albums filled the window display: The Band (their best album), Abbey Road (Side two is their best album side) and Let it Bleed (Definitely The Rolling Stones best album). The Rolling Stones box set was of no interest … mono, stereo on LP and CD. Nothing new. Abbey Road gives the full works. Shame about Octopussy’s Garden, Maxwell’s Silver Hammer and I Want You on Side One then. Remastered and remixed too, by Giles Martin. The 5.1 mix on Side Two of the LP is phenomenal. When George plays bass guitar on one track you can hear his speakers farting (I thought mine were going first time).
3 Arthur: The Kinks
Beautiful package, as with The Village Green Preservation Society (but that was a better album intrinsically). Still wonderful.
4 You’re The Man: Marvin Gaye
Allegedly the lost 1972 album. Also this year sees What’s Going On Live. Marvin Gaye was one of the best few live performers I’ve ever seen.
5 Woodstock: 50th Anniversary
Available as … the full 39 disc box set, or the 10 CD super de-luxe, a 5 LP set or a mere 3 CD.
