Band Of Horses - Warning Signs - The Best Of Band Of Horses (2022)

Ben Bridwell formed Band of Horses with bassist Chris Early and drummer Tim Meinig in 2004 after the break-up of his previous band Carissa's Wierd along with bassist Chris Early and drummer Tim Meinig. They were soon joined by former Carissa's Wierd bandleader Mat Brooke on guitar and vocals, and under the name Horses they received attention from Sub Pop, after opening for Iron & Wine during Seattle area shows. In 2005 the band released the 'Tour EP', which was sold at shows and on Sub Pop's website, and later that year they recorded their first full-length album, 'Everything All The Time', which was released by Sub Pop in March 2006. It included new versions of five of the six songs from the 'Tour' EP along with five brand new songs, and was a minor hit in Scandinavia, entering the lower reaches of the Swedish and Norwegian album charts. During the recording the the album Bridwell found that there was a personality clash between himself and Meinig and Early, and they left soon after the recording finished, being replaced for the subsequent tour by Joe Arnone on guitar and keyboards, Rob Hampton on bass and guitar, and Creighton Barrett on drums. Before recording their second album, Bridwell decided to relocate the band from Seattle to his native South Carolina, and after losing Arnone and recruiting Matt Gentling on bass, Robin Peringer on guitar, and Ryan Monroe on keyboards they recorded their second album, 'Cease To Begin', in Asheville, North Carolina. 

It was released by Sub Pop Records in October 2007, and gave Band Of Horses their first hit in the U.S. by reaching number 35 on the Billboard 200. Following the release of 'Cease To Begin', Monroe became a permanent member of the band, along with new recruits Tyler Ramsey on guitar and vocals and Bill Reynolds on bass. Third album 'Infinite Arms' was released worldwide between May 14 and 19, 2010 on the Columbia, Brown, and Fat Possum labels, and was the first to be self-produced by the band, with additional production from Phil Ek. On 20 April 2010 the band appeared on the BBC television series 'Later... with Jools Holland', and following this appearance, the band's two earlier albums entered the UK Albums Chart for the first time. The band toured Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, and opened for Pearl Jam and Snow Patrol, and in 2011 'Infinite Arms' was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Alternative Album category. In April 2012, Bridwell announced that the band's fourth studio album was scheduled for release in late 2012 and would be produced by Glyn Johns. 

In July the album's title was confirmed as 'Mirage Rock', and following the release of 'Knock Knock' as the debut single from it, the album appeared in September 2012. In July 2015 Bridwell and Sam Beam of Iron and Wine released a covers album titled 'Sing Into My Mouth', and the next year saw the appearance of the fifth Band Of Horses studio album, 'Why Are You OK', produced by Jason Lytle of the band Grandaddy, and issued through Rick Rubin's American Recordings and Interscope Records. Over the next five years the band went through numerous line-up changes, and in October 2021, they issued the single 'Crutch' as a taster for their sixth record 'Things Are Great', which was released in March 2022. Despite their music being generally well-received by the critics, and having a Grammy nomination to their name, Band Of Horses have yet to break through to the mainstream, particularly in the UK, and so I hope this this selection of their best work will tempt you to try some of their albums.  

Track listing

01 The Funeral (from 'Everything All The Time' 2006)
02 No One's Gonna Love You (from 'Cease To Begin' 2007)
03 Is There A Ghost (from 'Cease To Begin' 2007)
04 Laredo (from 'Infinite Arms' 2008)
05 Weed Party (from 'Everything All The Time' 2006)
06 In A Drawer (from 'Why Are You OK' 2016)
07 Infinite Arms (from 'Infinite Arms' 2008)
08 NW Apt (from 'Infinite Arms' 2008)
09 Slow Cruel Hands Of Time (from 'Mirage Rock' 2012)
10 Marry Song (from 'Cease To Begin' 2007)
11 The Great Salt Lake (from 'Everything All The Time' 2006)
12 Factory (from 'Infinite Arms' 2008)
13 Crutch (from 'Things Are Great' 2022)
14 Warnings Signs (from 'Things Are Great' 2022)
15 Knock Knock (from 'Mirage Rock' 2012)

JoBoxers - Skin And Bone (1985)

JoBoxers were formed in London in 1982, when former Subway Sect members Rob Marche (guitar), Dave Collard (keyboards), Chris Bostock (bass), and Sean McLusky (drums) teamed up with England-based American singer Dig Wayne (aka Timothy Wayne Ball)who, under the name of Buzz Wayne, had previously fronted the New York–based rockabilly band Buzz and the Flyers. Adopting a working-class look complete with caps, suspenders, and work shoes, JoBoxers got their first break appearing on the BBC television series 'Oxford Roadshow', and were then signed to RCA Records. Their debut single, 'Boxerbeat', came out in 1983 and peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart, at the same time that the group were the opening act on the Madness Rise and Fall tour. However, it was their next hit, 'Just Got Lucky', that broke the band internationally, selling over 250,000 copies, and making the UK top 10, and the US top 40. The third UK hit, 'Johnny Friendly', is a homage to the Marlon Brando film 'On The Waterfront', and British boxer Frank Bruno appeared in the promotional video for the song. The next single was the double A-side 'Jealous Love'/'She's Got Sex', with the latter song later being covered by on Samantha Fox's double platinum-selling album 'Touch Me'. The band's debut album, 'Like Gangbusters', appeared later in 1983, and featured all of the abovementioned hits, reaching the top 20 of the UK Albums Chart. In 1985 The band released another single, 'Is This Really The First Time', which was the lead track from their second album 'Skin And Bone', but record company interference meant that it was shelved, and so the band moved on to start on their third album, 'Missing Link', but they ended up splitting during the sessions, and so that record was also consigned to the vaults. Sean McLusky joined Rob Marche in the indie-dance band If?, which Chris Bostock joined David A. Stewart to form his post-Eurythmics group, the Spiritual Cowboys, achieving two gold albums in France. A number of tracks from the aborted 'Skin And Bone' later appeared on 1996's 'Essential' compilation, but it's taken until now for the remaining few to appear, so that we are now finally able to piece together that abandoned second album. 

Track listing

01 Is This Really The First Time (You've Been In Love)
02 Strictly Business
03 Some Kind Of Heart
04 Don't Keep The Ladies Waiting
05 Cry Uncle
06 Don't Add Up 
07 Lon Chaney Jr.
08 My Best Friend
09 Dead End Streets
10 One In A Million
11 Skin And Bone

12 Two Weeks Notice

The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are Four Long Lines (2024)

The Besnard Lakes are a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Canada, who were formed in 2003 by the husband and wife team of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas, and the band are currently a six-piece, featuring  Kevin Laing  on drums, Richard White on guitar, Sheenah Ko on keyboards and Robbie MacArthur on guitar. Centered around the atmospheric songs of Lasek and Goreas, whose expansive sound draws from numerous aspects of rock 'n' roll history, their name comes from Besnard Lake in North-Central Saskatchewan. They released their first album, 'Volume 1', on their own Breakglass Records label in 2003, and after signing to Jagjaguwar Records, their second album, 'The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse' was recorded at singer Lasek's own Breakglass Studios, with members of Stars, The Dears and Godspeed You! Black Emperor/Silver Mt. Zion making guest appearances, This was my introduction to their unique sound, and I was not at all surprised when it was nominated for the 2007 Polaris Music Prize. It was followed in March 2010 by 'The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night', and it was preceded by a 12" single featuring album track 'Albatross' and the non-album 'Four Long Lines' in February. Once again, the album was shortlisted as a nominee for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize. The band next wrote their first film score for the film 'Sympathy For Delicious', from actor/director Mark Ruffalo, and they also wrote and performed the score for the National Film Board of Canada web documentary 'Welcome To Pine Point', which they released as a 12" EP entitled 'You Lived In The City'. 

A new studio album, 'Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO', was released in April 2013, and inevitably it was longlisted for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize. In 2014, guitarist Richard White removed himself from the band's touring line-up, although he continues to play on their albums, and he was replaced for live performances by guitarist Robbie MacArthur. Following the completion of the 'Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO' tour, both MacArthur and touring keyboardist Sheenah Ko joined the band's full line-up, and the six-piece began work on their fifth studio album, 'A Coliseum Complex Museum', which was preceded in late 2015 by an EP entitled 'The Golden Lion'. After a gap of two years, the band reappeared with the 'The Besnard Lakes Are The Divine Wind' EP, but it was to be another four years before we heard any new music from them, and so 'The Last Of The Great Thunderstorm Warnings' was gratefully received by their fans. A 27-minute long EP, entitled 'The Besnard Lakes Are The Prayers For The Death Of Fame', came out in October 2022 on Full Time Hobby, and their most recent release was the 14-track live album, 'The Besnard Lakes Are A Live', which appeared just a few months ago. The Besnard Lakes have been one of my favourite bands ever since I first heard '...The Dark Horse' album, and having now collected and listened to these non-album singles, b-sides and covers, I love them even more.  

Track listing

Disc I - 2004-2010
01 Life Rarely Begins With Tungsten Film #2 (single 2004)
02 Aviation (b-side of 'Life Rarely Begins With Tungsten Film #2')
03 Would Anybody Come To Visit Me (single 2005)
04 Casino Nanaimo (single 2007)
05 The Beautiful Ones (Prince cover 2008)
06 Love You (from 'The Madcap Laughs Again!' 2010)
07 Four Long Lines (b-side of 'Albatross' 2010)
08 I've Got A Feeling (from the MOJO compilation 'Let It Be Revisited' 2010) 

Disc II - 2011-2015
01 We're Here For A Good Time (Not A Long Time) (from the 'You Lived In The City' EP 2011)
02 Holiday Sin (from the 'You Lived In The City' EP 2011)
03 Some Colour In The Sky (from the 'You Lived In The City' EP 2011)
04 The Corner (from the 'You Lived In The City' EP 2011)
05 You Make Loving Fun (from 'Rumours Revisited' 2013)
06 The Motorway (b-side of 'Golden Lion' 2015)
07 In The Forest (b-side of 'Golden Lion' 2015)

Disc III - 2017-2024
01 Laura Lee (from '...Are The Divine Wind' EP 2017)
02 The Divine Wind (from '...Are The Divine Wind' EP 2017)
03 Superego (free 7" single with 'Thunderstorm Warnings' album 2021)
04 She's An Icicle (from '...Are The Prayers For The Death Of Fame' EP 2022)
05 A Jackey For A Rainy Lady (from '...Are The Prayers For The Death Of Fame' EP 2022)
06 Silver Shadows (from '...Are The Prayers For The Death Of Fame' EP 2022)
07 (Dizzy) Eagle (single 2024)

Thanks to _ilovebeans for providing the copy of 'Aviation'. 

Mike Solof - Off The Beatle Track - Episode 44 (2019)

This episode of 'Off The Beatle Track' has come personally recommended by Mike himself as one of his favourites. Older visitors to the blog might recall a US comedy show from the late 70's called 'WKRP In Cincinnati', about a small local radio station. I remember it fondly, and have gone back and watched a few episodes of it here after Mike jogged my memory about it. This show is his tribute to the series, and the whole show was done as if by DJ Venus Flytrap, who is being forced to do a daytime show (he was usually the midnight to 6am DJ) because construction work was being done on the toilets at night. So he brings his mellowness to the daytime shift and decides to do an all jazz Beatles show. It was one of Mike's favourites to do, not only because of the comedy which he loved doing (as well as slowing down his voice), but because he found so many cool jazzy Beatles tunes to fill it with. 

Track listing

01 Episode 44 - Tribute to 'WKRP In Cincinnati'

The Mamas And The Papas - Welcome To Our World (1971)

In February 1967 The Mamas And The Papas released their 'Deliver' album, followed in October by the non-album single 'Glad To Be Unhappy', which reached No. 26 in the US, but did nothing in the UK. The group had cut their first three albums at United Western Recorders in Hollywood, while subsequent records were recorded at the eight-track studio that John and Michelle Phillips had built at their home in Bel Air. While having his own studio gave Phillips the autonomy he craved, it also removed the external discipline that may have been beneficial to a man who described himself as an "obsessive perfectionist". Denny Doherty, Cass Elliot and producer Lou Adler found the arrangement uncongenial, with Elliot complaining to Rolling Stone magazine that Phillips had spent one whole month recording the vocals for just one song, 'The Love Of Ivy', and inevitably the recording sessions for the fourth album stalled. In September 1967 John Phillips called a press conference to announce that the Mamas And The Papas were taking a break, which the band confirmed on The Ed Sullivan Show that aired on 24 September. Concerts had been planned at the Royal Albert Hall in London and the Olympia in Paris before taking time out on Majorca to "get the muse going again", but when the group docked at Southampton on 5 October, Elliot was arrested for stealing two blankets and a hotel key when in England the previous February. 

The case was dismissed in the West London Magistrates' Court the next day, but later at a party hosted by the band to celebrate Elliot's acquittal, John Phillips interrupted her as she was telling the Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger about her arrest and trial, and a screaming match erupted, with Elliot storming out of the room. The Royal Albert Hall and Olympia dates were cancelled, and the four went their separate ways. John Phillips and Elliot reconciled to complete 'The Papas & The Mamas', which was released in May 1968, but it was the band's first album not to go gold or reach the top 10 in America. In June 1968 'Dream A Little Dream Of Me' was released as a Cass Elliot solo single, although credit to Mama Cass with The Mamas & The Papas against John Phillips' wishes, and it reached number 12 in the US and number 11 in the UK, which was higher than any of the band's recent singles. The success of the single confirmed Elliot's desire to embark on a solo career, and by the end of 1968 it appeared that the group had split. John Phillips, Doherty and Elliot all recorded solo albums immediately after the split, with Elliot, billed as Mama Cass, releasing her second solo album 'Make Your Own Kind Of Music - It's Getting Better' in 1969, Phillips released 'John Phillips (John, the Wolf King of L.A.)' in 1970, and Doherty followed with 'Watcha Gonna Do?' in 1971. Michelle Phillips took time away from music, and didn't release a solo album until 1977, although she did record a few tracks earlier in the 70's. 

In mid-1971 the band were sued by Dunhill Records, who were determined to get the group's contractually obligated last album, for which it had given them an extension until September 1971. A lawsuit and countersuit between the band and label were settled out of court, and it was determined that the group would record under John Phillips's label, Warlock Records, distributed by Dunhill Records. Phillips wrote a collection of songs, which were arranged, rehearsed, and recorded throughout the year, depending on the availability of the other group members, but they were rarely together at one time, and most tracks were dubbed, one vocal at a time. The Mamas And The Papas last album of new material, 'People Like Us', was released in November 1971, but the sole single, 'Step Out', only reached No. 81 in the US, with the album peaking at No. 84 on the Billboard 200, making it the only record by the group not to reach the top 20 in the US. Considering that three of the four members of the group had recorded an album's worth of material before that ignominious final record was released, they could have made a very different album in 1971 by cherry-picking the best of their individual songs, so this album does just that, and imagines what a pre-lawsuit 1971 album from the group could have sounded like, with the addition of a mid-70's single by Michelle Phillips so that she was not completely left out.  

Track listing

01 Make Your Own Kind Of Music
02 Captain
03 Tuesday Morning
04 Move In A Little Closer, Baby
05 Got A Feelin'
06 No Love Today
07 Mississippi
08 It's Getting Better
09 Sail The Waterway
10 Holland Tunnel
11 Where's Mine
12 Neighbours
13 Welcome To The World

Fundisha - Lessons (2002)

Fundisha Johnson is an American R&B singer, who started her musical career back in 1998 as background singer for artists such as Lauryn Hill, Tyrese, Lil Bow Wow, Fabolous and Jermaine Dupri. In 2002 she began releasing her own records, with 'Live The Life' becoming a minor R&B hit as the lead single from her first album 'Lessons'. The album was originally scheduled to be released on 18 June 2002 but was cancelled shortly after her label So So Def merged with Arista Records, resulting in a large number of releases being shelved. She never get to release an album, and leaves just one single of her own and a few collaborations as her legacy. It could have been so different if this album had actually been released, so here it is for you to check out. 

Track listing

01 Intro 
02 You Make Me
03 Black
04 Never Taught, Never Told
05 Party Joint
06 Gotta Be Me
07 Married Man
08 Live The Life
09 Wanna Be Intro
10 Wanna Be
11 Commitment Interlude
12 Pull A Left Eye
13 Daddy
14 Lessons
15 Don't Judge Me

Updates 4

As usual I took a number of these albums on holiday with me to listen to on headphones, and you might not be surprised to hear that two of them were the recent U2 and Bruce Springsteen albums. U2 was pretty good, but I just felt the gap between the first two tracks could be a few seconds shorter, and I've trimmed the beginning to 'Smile'. Springsteen was pretty much perfect, but the extended coda I had to add to the end of 'Reason To Believe' had some noticeable joins, so I've smoothed them out.

The only other album that I felt could do with an upgrade was 'I Need A New Adventure 'by Television, where I've trimmed the beginning to 'Last Night', and also to 'The Dream's Dream', as well as removing the acetate surface noise at the beginning, and giving it a better ending. 

Most of the others sounded fine, but I haven't actually listened to all of them yet, so if I do find anything wrong later I'll upgrade them and let you know. 

Lastly, Paul over at albumsthatshouldexist has found an extra couple of tracks that I could have included in my recent post from Sade, so I've added those in to make a more acceptable 49-minute album. 

All post are updated on Soulseek, and new links for all four posts are in the download folder.

Elizabeth & The Catapult - Happy Pop - The Best Of Elizabeth & The Catapult (2021)

Elizabeth & the Catapult is a Brooklyn–based project by the American singer-songwriter Elizabeth Ziman, who grew up in Greenwich Village, and trained from youth as a classical pianist, writing her first songs on an upright piano at age 6. She attended the Berklee College of Music on a scholarship to study classical composition, and her original plans to pursue film scoring were changed in 2002 when Patti Austin came to Berklee to recruit background vocalists for an Ella Fitzgerald tribute tour. Ziman toured with Austin for 18 months, causing her subsequent compositional style to draw heavily from jazz vocalists such as Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan. She met fellow students Dan Molad and Esperanza Spalding at a party during their final semester at Berklee, and they began performing together shortly afterward. Spalding left the band soon after and another Berklee student, guitarist Pete Lalish, later joined the band after Ziman saw him performing at a Boston bar and invited him to collaborate, with the band moving to Brooklyn in early 2005 after they'd completed their studies. Using Molad's home studio, the band financed, recorded and produced an EP, 'Elizabeth & The Catapult' in 2006, which led to them being signed to Verve Records in 2008. 

Having been popular on New York's Lower East Side, the band achieved a measure of national notoriety in the spring of 2009 with their first Verve album, 'Taller Children', which the band had chosen to record at Mike Mogis' studio in Omaha, Nebraska. In 2009, Ziman was commissioned by John Schaefer of NPR's Soundcheck to write a song cycle for a Lincoln Center show, and having gone through a band breakup, Ziman turned to Leonard Cohen's poetry collection 'Book Of Longing', recording demos for much of the new album as a duo at Molad's father's home in Austin, Texas. Following their record label's suggestion of working with a producer, Molad suggested Tony Berg, and the band moved into the studio to complete the album. 'The Other Side Of Zero' was released in October 2010, and featured Gillian Welch and David Rawlings on the title track. In 2014 she performed at Madison Square Garden opening for Sara Bareilles, and later that year the band released their third album 'Like it Never Happened' on Thirty Tigers Records, which was produced by Dan Molad, Peter Lalish, and Paul Loren with string arrangements by Rob Moose. 'Keepsake', the fourth album from Elizabeth & the Catapult and the first on Compass Records, was released in October 2017, followed by 'sincerely, e' in March 2021. Despite releasing five albums over a twelve year period, Elizabeth & The Catapult are still something of an unknown quantity to most people, so I hope that this collection will introduce the band to a wider audience. 

Track listing

01 Underwater (from 'Keepsake' 2017)
02 Rainiest Day Of Summer (from 'Taller Children' 2009)
03 Right Next To You (from 'Taller Children' 2009)
04 Salt Of The Earth (from 'Like It Never Happened' 2014)
05 Time (We All Fall Down) (from 'The Other Side Of Zero' 2010)
06 Something More (from 'Keepsake' 2017)
07 Open Book (from 'The Other Side Of Zero' 2010)
08 Pop The Placebo (from 'sincerely, e' 2021)
09 Race You (from 'Taller Children' 2009)
10 Happy Pop (from 'Like It Never Happened' 2014)
11 Complimentary Me (from 'Taller Children' 2009)
12 Julian, Darling (from 'The Other Side Of Zero' 2010)
13 Apocalypse In A Major (from 'sincerely, e' 2021)
14 You And Me (from 'The Other Side Of Zero' 2010)
15 Ambrosia (from 'Keepsake' 2017)

Whiskeytown - Forever Valentine (1997)

After performing punk rock with a band called The Patty Duke Syndrome, Ryan Adams founded Whiskeytown in 1994 in Raleigh, North Carolina, with the music of country-rock artist Gram Parsons serving as his inspiration. The band initially consisted of Adams, violinist Caitlin Cary, drummer Eric "Skillet" Gilmore, bassist Steve Grothmann and guitarist Phil Wandscher, and after signing to Mood Food Records, they released their debut album, 'Faithless Street', in 1995, establishing the group as one of the genre's leaders, thanks to glowing reviews in publications such as No Depression, This helped the band score a major-label record deal with the Geffen Records imprint Outpost, who re-released 'Faithless Street' in 1998 with nearly a dozen bonus tracks from the era, including previously unreleased tracks, and songs that had been released on earlier albums and EPs. One track, 'Oklahoma', was removed, and Adams claimed that the reason for the re-release was the muddy sound of the original version, and his distaste for 'Oklahoma', which was added to the album despite his objections. Whiskeytown's 1997 major-label debut, 'Strangers Almanac', helped to establish Adams' reputation as a songwriter, but in the midst of the album's recording, Gilmore and Grothman left, with Wandscher following soon after the album's release. 

The band cycled through numerous members throughout the next year, including Jeff Rice and Steven Terry, both of whom were involved in the recording of 'Strangers Almanac' but left later that year. Despite the band's internal strife, '...Almanac' was a successful album with critics, with the tracks '16 Days' and the Replacements-esque 'Yesterday's News' receiving significant radio play, and Rolling Stone magazine praised them as the Nirvana of alternative country. During the tour to promote the album most of the band was fired or quit at a concert in Kansas City, with the only people who started and finished the tour being Adams, Caitlin Cary, and tour manager Thomas O'Keefe. The band managed to add a new core member in multi-instrumentalist Mike Daly, who contributed significantly to the band's sound. This new line-up quickly recorded an album without their record label knowing about it, since it fell outside of the terms of their contract at that time. 

Produced by Chris Stamey, it also featured his his bass-playing, alongside Ben Folds on piano and ex-Firehose member Ed Crawford on guitar, 'Forever Valentine' was recorded between their 'Strangers Almanac' and 'Pneumonia' albums, and music critic Steven Hyden of Grantland ranked it with Adams's best Whiskeytown material. Work then began on their third album, 'Pneumonia', but possibly because of the band's constantly changing dynamic, the traditional country was largely replaced with a more sophisticated country-rooted pop sound, very similar to Wilco's 1999 album 'Summerteeth'. Despite the album's completion and Whiskeytown's sizable fanbase, Outpost Records closed during the merger between Polygram and Universal, and as a result the album stayed in limbo for nearly two years, effectively ending the band. Lost Highway Records, the roots-minded label imprint of Universal Music, picked up the album after signing Adams, following the recording of his highly acclaimed debut solo record 'Heartbreaker' on indie label Bloodshot Records, and they released 'Pneumonia' in May 2001. 'Forever Valentine' remains one of Ryan Adams's great lost albums, and so here it is so that you can hear what could have been Whiskeytown's official third record. 

Track listing

01 Anyone But Me 
02 Don't Wanna Know Why
03 Easy Hearts
04 Sittin' Around
05 Rays Of Burning Light 
06 Ghost Without Memory
07 Runnin' Out Of Road
08 Can't Take A Lover
09 I Don't Care What You Think About Me
10 Crazy Lonesome (A Memory Away)
11 Caroline

Janet Jackson - Pops Up (2004)

In April 2001 Janet Jackson released her seventh studio album 'All For You', which saw her working with new producers for the first time since 'Control' in 1986, while maintaining her partnership with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. It debuted at number one in the United States, and its title track became the first song by a female artist in the decade to reach number one in the United States, where it remained for seven weeks, becoming her second-longest single to stay at the top. Following the album's release, Jackson embarked on the All For You Tour, which grossed over US$40 million in ticket sales. Upon completion of the tour in 2002, she started recording a new album, with a hope to release it in early 2003. As Jackson completed work on the album, she was featured as a performer on the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, which took place on February 1, 2004, in Houston. At the end of the performance, guest artist Justin Timberlake pulled off a part of Jackson's costume, which accidentally exposed her right breast, and although the costume tear was orchestrated, her breast's exposure was not the intended result. As a consequence, the singer suffered a backlash from the media, who accused her of planning the incident as a publicity stunt for her then-upcoming album, and it resulted in the blacklist of Jackson's singles and music videos from many major radio formats and music channels worldwide. 

Recording sessions for 'Damita Jo', a title taken from Jackson's middle name, lasted for a total of 18 months, and was the longest that she had spent recording an album. She reunited with Jam and Lewis for initial writing sessions in August 2002, concluding in February 2004, and during its initial sessions, Jam described its musical direction as "all over the place", and that there was no clear direction at that moment. The record saw Jackson teaming up with several new producers, among them Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Kanye West, Dallas Austin, Scott Storch, and duo Bag & Arnthor, consisting of Anders Bagge and Arnthor Birgisson, in addition to Jam and Lewis. The album was released first in Japan on 22 March 2004, before its release in Europe by EMI a week later, followed by a US release by Virgin Records on 30 March 2004. Although it debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 381,000 copies in its first week, the album was considered a sales disappointment compared to Jackson's previous efforts. Prior to the Super Bowl incident and blacklist, music journalists predicted 'Damita Jo' would have massive chart success and outsell its predecessor 'All For You', which had sold eight million copies worldwide, and although the album received positive to mixed reviews upon release, some critics concentrated on the controversy over the Super Bowl incident, or the sexually-charged nature of some of the songs, which were composed well before the incident. Even though the album contained 22 tracks, there were a number of recordings which were left off the final running order, including a Just Blaze remix of 'Just A Little While' with new vocals, lyrics, and instrumental, titled 'Love Me', and this post takes that and a number of other out-takes to compile an excellent companion album to 'Damita Jo'. 

Track listing

01 Sex, Lies & Videos
02 Put It on You (Speed It Up) (feat. Jinx Bezzle & Hasan) 
03 Love Me (Just Blaze Mix)
04 Could This Be Love
05 All Nite (Don't Stop) (Remix)
06 Put Your Hands On 
07 Ruff (I Like It) (feat. Pharrell & Jevar)
08 I'm Here
09 What Can I Say
10 Pops Up 

Terrorvision - Funny Feels Fine (2001)

Terrorvision were formed in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England in 1987, and after abandoning the name Spoilt Bratz in 1991, Terrorvision (named after a cult B-movie) formed around vocalist Tony Wright, guitarist Mark Yates, bass player Leigh Marklew, and drummer Shutty. A single demo tape was enough to convince EMI Records to offer them not only a deal, but their own imprint, Total Vegas. Their first release on the label was the 'Thrive' EP in 1992, swiftly followed by the 'Formaldehyde' album later that year. Although showing their obvious Heavy Metal influences, there was a sense of humour and pop leaning which could not be hidden, particularly in their breakthrough single 'My House'. It was those pop quirks which informed their breakthrough second album 'How To Make Friends And Influence People' in 1994, which was a collection of exuberant pop-metal classics, featuring the single 'Oblivion', which showed off their trademark mix of disenfranchised lyrics coupled with enormously catchy tunes. The singles released from the album all charted well, propelling the decidedly unfashionable Terrorvision firmly into the mainstream. By the time their third record, 'Regular Urban Survivors', was released in 1996, Briptop was firmly established in the mainstream, but perhaps surprisingly Terrorvision thrived, with their 'Perseverance' single charting at number five, and the band even got in a few digs in at the Briptop elite, with 'Superchronic' taking a decidedly humourous swipe at Oasis. 

Following the critical and chart success of 'Regular Urban Survivors', hope were high for the next record, but 1998's 'Shaving Peaches' was a curiously restrained record, which in hindsight sounds like an ill-founded attempt to gain a mainstream audience, which in truth they probably already had. Despite the album selling poorly, it ironically spawned their biggest hit in 'Tequila', although admittedly it was a Mint Royale remix of the track which reached number 2 in the UK charts. Possibly due to the poor sales of 'Shaving Peaches', Terrorvision were dropped from EMI, and after a two year break they finally returned in 2001 with the independently released 'Good To Go' on Papillion Records. Probably knowing it would be their final record, it is very much a return to 'classic' Terrorvision, and while the record lacks some of their prime period sparkle, the choruses are undeniably huge and the album brims with the band's trademark good time party vibes. Terrorvision played their 'final' gig in October 2001, in their hometown of Bradford, and the riotous celebration of all things Terrorvision was eventually released as a double live album, 'Take The Money And Run', after which the band called it a day. While they have never returned to music full-time, Terrorvision have reformed numerous times since their initial split, and in 2011 Wright announced that they band would be releasing a new album, 'Super Delux'. They remained elusive in the following years, emerging in 2016 for a U.K. tour alongside Thunder, and another in 2017 alongside Reef and the Wildhearts, but they finally returned to the studio in the early 2020's, resulting in their seventh studio album, 2024's 'We Are Not Robots'. This post looks back at their classic period between 1992 ans 2001, and all the non-album tracks that they tucked away on the b-sides of their singles, including some well-chosen covers, from artists as diverse as Free, Cheap Trick, Iggy Pop, Kraftwerk and 70's teeny-boppers Slik.  

 
Track listing

Disc I - 1992-1994
01 Blackbird (from the 'Thrive' EP 1992)
02 Coming Up (b-side of 'My House' 1992)
03 Psycho Killer (b-side of 'American T.V.' 1993)
04 We Are The Roadcrew (b-side of 'Problem Solved' 1993)
05 Corpse Fly (b-side of 'Problem Solved' 1993)
06 Sailing Home (b-side of 'Problem Solved' 1993)
07 I'll Be Your Sister (b-side of 'Middleman' 1994)
08 Wishing Well (b-side of 'Middleman' 1994)
09 The Passenger (b-side of 'Middleman' 1994)
10 Surrender (b-side of 'Middleman' 1994)
11 What Do You Do That For? (b-side of 'Oblivion' 1994)
12 The Model (b-side of 'Oblivion' 1994)
13 Remember Zelda (b-side of 'Oblivion' 1994)

Disc II - 1994-1996
01 What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor (b-side of 'Alice What's The Matter?' 1994)
02 Suffocation (b-side of 'Alice What's The Matter?' 1994)
03 Blood On My Wheels (b-side of 'Some People Say' 1995)
04 This Drinking Will Kill Me (b-side of 'Some People Say' 1995)
05 Mr. Buskerman (b-side of 'Some People Say' 1995)
06 Wake Up (b-side of 'Perseverance' 1996)
07 What Goes Around Comes Around (b-side of 'Perseverance' 1996)
08 Sick And Tired (b-side of 'Perseverance' 1996)
09 Hard To Feel (b-side of 'Perseverance' 1996)
10 You Really Got A Hold On Me (b-side of 'Celebrity Hit List' 1996)
11 Tom Petty Loves Veruca Salt (Remix) (b-side of 'Celebrity Hit List' 1996)
12 Don't Come Here (b-side of 'Celebrity Hit List' 1996)
13 Crossed Line On The Grapevine (b-side of 'Celebrity Hit List' 1996)

Disc III - 1996-2001
01 Fobbed Off (b-side of 'Bad Actress' 1996)
02 Too Stoned To Dance (b-side of 'Bad Actress' 1996)
03 Funny Feels Fine (b-side of 'Bad Actress' 1996)
04 Conspiracy (Hexadecimal Dub) (b-side of 'Conspiracy' 1996)
05 Moonage Daydream (from 'Long Live Tibet' charity album 1997)  
06 Forever And Ever (from the 'Come Again' compilation album 1997)
07 Reasons To Deceive (b-side of 'Josephine' 1998)
08 Go Jerry (b-side of 'Josephine' 1998)
09 Falling Down (b-side of 'Josephine' 1998)
10 28 Hours (b-side of 'Josephine' 1998)
11 Risk Worth Taking (b-side of 'Tequila (Mint Royale Shot)' 1999)
12 If That's What It Takes (b-side of 'Ill Wishes' 1999)
13 100 Things (b-side of 'Ill Wishes' 1999)
14 It's The CD's Or Me (b-side of 'D'You Wanna Go Faster' 2000)
15 Business As Usual (b-side of 'Fists Of Fury' 2001)

Holiday Time...

Time for a break, so I'm off on holiday for two weeks, and there will be no posts until I get back. Take the time to look through the old posts and perhaps try something new that you wouldn't normally think that you'd like. Soulseek will be off while I'm away as I'll be closing the laptop, but Soulseekers can email aiwe2@yahoo.com for the Mega links. See you when I get back. 

Eleventh Dream Day - Vanishing Point - The Best Of Eleventh Dream Day (2021)

When I recently asked for suggestions about what people would like to see on the blog, two visitors came up with the same idea, and that was to present 'Best Of...' albums for bands who don't have an official one. I thought this was a great idea, as most of the artists that I now love were introduced to me by a 'Best Of...' album, and so I started to trawl through my record collection to find bands and artists who deserve more recognition, but who you might be wary of investing in without some idea of what they sound like. So here is the first of what could be a long-running series, and the only restrictions I've imposed are that they must have released at least three albums, they have no official 'Best Of...', and most importantly, I like them. 

Eleventh Dream Day's origins dated to 1981, when singer/guitarist Rick Rizzo met vocalist/drummer Janet Beveridge Bean at the University of Kentucky. Inspired by punk, Rizzo taught himself to play guitar with the aid of Neil Young's Zuma songbook, and Young remained the group's major inspiration throughout its career, with his incendiary aesthetic informing much of Rizzo's own raw, rootsy style. The couple soon relocated to Chicago, where they teamed up with bassist Douglas McCombs and guitarist Baird Figi, and after several years of honing their explosive live set, Eleventh Dream Day finally recorded their eponymous debut EP for the Amoeba label in 1987. Their full-length debut ,'Prairie School Freakout', was recorded in one six-hour span with a buzzing, dilapidated amplifier, and following its release in 1988, it brought the band to the attention of Atlantic Records, which signed them for 1989's assured 'Beet'. Despite critical acclaim, the record failed to find an audience, and the follow-up, 1991's 'Lived To Tell', suffered the same fate. In the middle of a tour to promote the album, Figi abruptly quit, and was replaced by Bodeco's Matthew "Wink" O'Bannon prior to 1993's superb 'El Moodio', which also failed to set the charts alight, and after three commercial strikes, Atlantic unceremoniously dropped the group. 

Following a hiatus that allowed Rizzo and Bean to concentrate on raising their newborn child, Eleventh Dream Day enlisted co-producers Brad Wood and John McEntire (McCombs' partner in the post-rock supergroup Tortoise) for 1994's 'Ursa Major', released on City Slang. After another break, during which time Rizzo returned to college, Bean focused on her country side project Freakwater, and O'Bannon exited to return to Bodeco. Eleventh Dream Day then signed to the Chicago-based indie Thrill Jockey to record 1997's 'Eighth', followed by 'Stalled Parade' in 2000, but at this point they were a part-time venture at best, as Rizzo was teaching and Bean and McCombs both had other musical ventures. They continued to play live in Chicago occasionally, ably assisted by Mark Greenberg on keyboards, and in 2003 Thrill Jockey reissued the long out of print 'Prairie School Freakout', paired with the 'Wayne' EP, and Baird Figi joined the band for a one-off reunion show in November of that year. 'Zeroes And Ones', the band's first new material in six years, and the first album recorded with Greenberg, was released in 2006, but five more years would pass before they returned with 2011's 'Riot Now!', an album inspired by the apathy of American youth. 

In 2013, it was revealed that Eleventh Dream Day's major-label tenure had been an even more tragic tale, as following 'Lived To Tell', the "alternative" branch of Atlantic who had signed the band moved to another label, and communication with the band basically ended, with the label in turmoil. As a result, Atlantic missed the deadline that continued the contract, and band's management informed the label that they were out of their contract, to which Atlantic agreed. So the band got together with Brad Wood and recorded their next album on their own, with the idea of shopping it around for release. The new head of Atlantic heard about this and went to Chicago in an effort to re-sign the band, and thinking that Atlantic wouldn't go to all this trouble if they didn't actually care, the group ended up re-signing with them. It was a near fatal move, as at the label's insistence, the album was re-recorded in New York, and when sales weren't what was expected the band was unceremoniously dumped, and 'El Moodio' was destined for immediate cut-out status. 

Fast forward 20-plus years when a Facebook comment brought back memories of the original album sessions with Brad Wood, and the search was on for the "missing" album, and when the tapes were tracked down, the 1991 recording of 'New Moodio' was finally released on vinyl in May of 2013. In 2014, the band prepared for recording again with a series of shows at Chicago's The Hideout, adding James Elkington on second guitar to the existing four-piece band, and the resulting 'Works For Tomorrow' was released in July 2015. In 2021 they reconvened to record 'Since Grazed' at Wilco's Chicago sound studio/rehearsal space the Loft, where keyboard player Mark Greenberg worked as a studio manager. This set features some great tunes, including 'Watching the Candles Burn', which showcases the band's youthful energy, 'Sonic Reactor', featuring an extended guitar solo by Rizzo that has been praised for its intensity and craftsmanship, and 'The Lure', led by Janet Beveridge Bean's vocals, and which offers a captivating melody. Eleventh Dream Day have long been a favourite band of mine, and if you are a fan of Neil Young's guitar workouts then do yourself a favour and give 'Prairie School Freakout' a listen.  

Track listing

01 Watching the Candles Burn (from 'Prairie School Freakout' 1988)

02 Bagdad's Last Ride (from 'Beet' 1989)

03 Makin' Like A Rug (from 'El Moodio' 1993)
04 Among the Pines (from 'Prairie School Freakout' 1988)
05 The Arsonist (from 'Eleventh Dream Day' EP 1987)
06 Since Grazed (from 'Since Grazed' 2021)
07 Vanishing Point (from 'Works For Tomorrow' 2015)
08 Rose of Jericho (from 'Lived To Tell' 1991)
09 History of Brokeback (from 'Ursa Major' 1994)
10 For A King (from 'Eighth' 1997)
11 Sonic Reactor (from 'Riot Now!' 2011)
12 Bomb The Mars Hotel (from 'Beet' 1989)
13 The Lure (from 'Zeroes And Ones' 2006)
14 Awake I Lie (from 'Beet' 1989)
15 Go Tell It (from 'Works For Tomorrow' 2015)