David Bowie & the Spiders from Mars - Ziggy Stardust

David Bowie & the Spiders from Mars - Ziggy Stardust. A superb album and not a bum track on it. Picked this up from eBay for £2 still sounds as good as when it came out. This is a German 80's black RCA label version from the original masters. I reckon it sounds better than my original UK Orange RCA label version.

Standout tracks are: Starman, Ziggy Stardust, Suffragette City and Rock n Roll Suicide.  Great musicianship from the Spiders and a great drum sound from the famous Trident Recording studios. I worked at Trident from 78 to 79 and listening to the track Lady Stardust this is the track that sounds so like the ambience in Studio 1 in the basement of Trident.

The Piano is the original famous Bechstein Grand as played by Elton John on his early albums and on Hey Jude by the Beatles. I used to have to polish the beast and have a tickle of its ivories every now and then. Rod Lumley (Joanna's cousin) was keyboard player for Brand X and he would play the Bechstein and chat to me for hours about his time playing live with Bowie at the famous Hammersmith Odeon gig.

The drum sound is what the studio is famous for. Simply amazing for 1972. You'd be hard pushed to better it today: 40 years later.

Pink Floyd - the Final Cut

Great album but sad as it's the the last Floyd Album with Waters, Rick had gone and David and Nick were about to take Floyd in a new direction (after some mediocre solo albums). This one has a Great album label with an image of Poppies on side 1 and a similar image side two but with a dead soldier with a knife in his back with a dog beside - was this a dig at Gilmour?

I love side two, a deep and anti-Thatcher, Anti-war masterpiece.  On the images inside there is one of a soldier holding a film canister with a knife in his back - apparently directed at Alan Parker with whom Waters fell out after the making of the Wall.

Home taping is killing music?

Who'd have thought it. I found this on an album inner sleeve. So funny as I do have some tapes left and they have all deteriorated so badly they are unusable.  And the government has recently said It's ok to copy a cd you have purchased to mp3 or other digital format. It's been a long time coming. I think Apple and their cloud probably had something to do with this change in law. 

Do you remember that you had to tape in real time and the whole process took ages. Then you had to cram long albums on more the one side of a C90 (90 minute tape 45 per side).  The plus side was that you could create a mix tape.

Wind & Wuthering

Wind & Wuthering my favourite post Gabriel Genesis album.

One for the Vine is probably the best post Gabriel song ever.   Amazing virtuoso and great lyrical content.

One man commanding many men to fight for a cause no one is sure about. Familiar?

Then this album has You Have Your Own Special Way.

Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation

Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation.  Great album by a great band. Lizzy were really polished by the time this album came out. Dancing in the Moonlight is a great Track but real smooth. Great twin guitars of Gorham and Brian Robertson.  However, Robertson had been in a Brawl and only played on Opium Trail and Killer Without a Cause.   Theres something I really like about Tony Visconti's production. This album went to number 4 in the UK.  Of note Jon Heliwell of Supertramp fame plays sax and clarinet. This album dedicates special thanks to their friends Rush.  Mary Hopkin was married to Visconti and sings on the final track Dear Lord.

My standout track is Killer Without a Cause. On vinyl you can really enjoy the double tracked acoustic and lead guitars.

David Bowie first Album

This is the superlative first real bowie album re-released in a special 40th anniversary edition package with the original sleeve and on 180gm supergrade vinyl. I was told EMI vinyl pressings are bad but this is noiseless.

The album sounds so fresh with great masters recorded at the famous Trident RECORDING studios in Londons Soho. I used to work there and we played the quarter inch masters of this album.

Standout tracks: Space Oddity, Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed.  My personal favourite is Memory of a Free Festival. I simply adore this album made in 1969. Now pass me that Stylophone will you?

Jon Anderson - Survival & Other Stories

Jon Anderson - Survival & Other Stories.  At last Jon Anderson back to what he does best. Personal and uplifting this album is full of life. Wonderfully mixed a pleasure to listen to. Anderson's voice is as good as its ever been. How I wish he was still with Yes. Fly from Here would have been so much better with him. Lyrically 1,000% better the his Yes counterparts.

Stand out tracks: Love and Understanding, Unbroken Spirit and New New World, Just One Man.