6th November - The Rolling Stones' Beggars Banquet

Artist – Album: The Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet

Released: 6^th December 1968

Sounds Like: Beggars belief

After the not completely successful foray into psychedelia on Their Satanic Majesties Request, the Stones donned their Stetson hats and went a little bit country-blues for Beggars Banquet. And boy howdy did it work, setting the template for the most successful run of albums of their interminable career (including yesterday’s review Let It Bleed). Dominant slide guitars are married with the Stones’ natural demons to create a deliciously cool and ever so slightly sinister turn by the cockney cowboys.

As with Let It Bleed, Beggars Banquet starts with an undeniably brilliant bang (‘Sympathy for the Devil’ or ‘Gimme Shelter’? Daddy or chips? Daddy or chips?) and contains another stone-cold classic (‘Street Fighting Man’ here, ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ yesterday), but the real strength of the album is that the sum is better than the parts. ‘Jigsaw Puzzle’, ‘No Expectations’ and ‘Factory Girl’ strike me as instant classics but tunes such as ‘Parachute Woman’, ‘Prodigal Son’ and ‘Salt of the Earth’ aren’t especially noteworthy alone. It’s the way they work together with the other seven songs that make Beggars Banquet one of the finest and most complete albums of the Sixties.

Albumaday... rating: 10/10

1.       Sympathy for the Devil – 6:18

2.       No Expectations – 3:56

3.       Dear Doctor – 3:28

4.       Parachute Woman – 2:20

5.       Jigsaw Puzzle – 6:06

6.       Street Fighting Man – 3:16

7.       Prodigal Son – 2:51

8.       Stray Cat Blues – 4:38

9.       Factory Girl – 2:09

10.   Salt of the Earth – 4:48

Listen to ‘Factory Girl’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UZmtqpc6wM

31st August - Neil Young's After the Gold Rush

Artist - Album: Neil Young - After the Gold Rush
Released: 31st August 1971
Sounds like: A comforting arm around your shoulder

One of the albums that I loved most when I was a wee bairn was a mixtape made by my Auntie for my Mum. We only ever listened to it on long journeys, so it invariably meant holidays and beaches and fun. It also meant awesome songs, but the fact that it was on a cassette (ask your parents, kids!) meant that it was soon forgotten about and lost, and I have little idea of how to track down the songs that were on it. Most are now lost to the ether, but there's a few that I've stumbled upon now that I'm older: there's Johnny Cash's cover of 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right', and the splendidly obscure folk-samba of 'Trade Winds' by Mark-Almond (not the Soft Cell lead singer). There was also a couple from classic albums in the form of David Bowie's 'Kooks' and, my then absolute favourite, 'Til the Morning Comes' from this album.

Neil Young has an unparalleled ability to write music that is both sweet and naive, and yet interesting and beguiling.  After the Gold Rush is my favourite of his and its full of such songs. Some, such as 'Tell Me Why' and 'I Believe in You', are adorned with gorgeous harmonies; some rock out, like 'Southern Man' and 'When You Dance I Can Really Love'; and others, for example 'Oh Lonesome Me' and 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart', are deliciously resigned. All are brilliant.

Incidentally, this is also the album that I turned to during a bad break up a few years ago - the rocking 'Southern Man' aside, this is an album obsessed with love and heartache. It's not particularly objective of me to be reviewing an album which I have such personal affection for, but, in this case, I'm not sure it makes a difference: I love the album because of what it did for me, but I'm certain that I'd love it anyway. It's a corker.

Albumaday... rating: 10/10

1. Tell Me Why – 2:54
2. After the Gold Rush – 3:45
3. Only Love Can Break Your Heart – 3:05
4. Southern Man – 5:31
5. Till the Morning Comes – 1:17
6. Oh Lonesome Me – 3:47
7. Don't Let It Bring You Down – 2:56
8. Birds – 2:34
9. When You Dance I Can Really Love – 4:05
10. I Believe in You – 3:24
11. Cripple Creek Ferry – 1:34

Listen to 'Don't Let It Bring You Down': www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBG4vxi9mtk

Also released on 31^st August:

1970: The Beach Boys – Sunflower

Also released on 31^st August:

1987: Michael Jackson – Bad

Also released on 31^st August:

2004: Jill Scott – Beautifully Human

1st July - The Band's Music from Big Pink

Artist – Album: The Band – Music from Big Pink

Released:  1^st July 1968

Sounds Like: The mid-point!

Woahhh, we’re halfway there. Woooah-ohhh! Living on a prayer!

It’s July, which means we’re on to the seventh month of 2013, which in turn means that there’s only half a year left to go. Living on prayer might be a tad strong, but occasionally I have doubted the sanity of this epic enterprise, posts about albums released on that day, every day, for a full year. Still, 183 blogs have been posted, and 182 of the little blighters are all that remain. Half-well done me, but half-well done to you too dear reader. Half-well done. I couldn’t have half-done it without you. Give yourself (half) a pat on the back... Not easy is it?

In some ways it might have been more appropriate to have had Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet as today’s album, seen as I did kick off with one of its lyrics. But that didn’t come out until September in the UK, and a chorus featuring the line we’re three quarters of the way there doesn’t sound nearly as good. No, we’ll have to make do with one of the greatest albums of all instead. That’s all.

Music From Big Pink comes from that fascinating period of the late 60’s, when bands were still producing records of unmatched craft and invention, but the giddy psychedelia of the summer of love felt like a long time ago. The albums sums up the general mood perfectly, The songs have an element of melancholy, but are mostly just wistful for that bygone time of innocence and happiness. A lot of that comes from Richard Manuel’s wispy tenor vocals, that perpetually have an air of loneliness to them. Stunning harmonies ably back him up, whilst the band’s music itself is the pinnacle of melodic Americana.

There’s not a large number of hit material here but songs such as ‘Tears of Rage’, ‘To Kingdom Come’, ‘The Weight’, ‘This Wheel’s on Fire’ and ‘I Shall Be Released’ have long been recognised for their brilliance. If the remaining 182 are as good as this, I’d have no problem doing another year.

Albumaday... rating:  10/10

1.       Tears of Rage – 5:23

2.       To Kingdom Come – 3:22

3.       In a Station – 3:34

4.       Caledonia Mission – 2:59

5.       The Weight – 4:34

6.       We Can Talk – 3:06

7.       Long Black Veil – 3:06

8.       Chest Fever – 5:18

9.       Lonesome Suzie – 4:04

10.   This Wheel’s on Fire – 3:14

11.   I Shall Be Released – 3:19

Listen to ‘The Weight’:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9evTAZM-so

Also released on the 1^st July:

2003: Sufjan Stevens – Greetings From Michigan: The Great Lakes State