Stuck in My Head: Five Albums I Recently Bought
Written by Col. Hector Bravado // February 17, 2008 // The Conservatory // 10 Comments
I’m fond of raiding the used stacks at Twist and Shout when my checking account is on swole. In no particular order…
Riot Squad
No Potential Threat
In 1984, I had the “I’m OK – Fuck You” EP. I saw this anthology and was reminded of the chorus of “Society’s Fodder,” sung so that “fodder” barely registers as two syllables: “Faaaa-aaa!”
Mostly middling and tiresome, but worth it for tracks 5 and 7 alone — pure, blistering slabs of Margaret Thatcher-era skinhead rage.
Venom
Possessed
You know you’re on an incurable speed metal kick when you’re listening to Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All and you’re screaming “Play it faster, you faggots!” at the speakers because it’s not as fast as Slayer’s Reign in Blood. I bought this release from the early princes/morons of early ‘80s British black metal, hoping for something truly energizing, but this is one of the worst albums recorded ever, in any genre. I still haven’t made it through the whole thing. Just awful.
Wayne Shorter
Juju
I don’t have the vocabulary to technically describe a jazz album with any precision. But I remember my friend Sam Deleo lent me his copy of this album four years ago, and I didn’t want to give it back. I was hoping he’d forget I had it, but he bugged me until I gave it back. Now I have my own copy and I can listen to “Yes or No” any weekend morning I want. It’s beautiful.
Albert Hammond Jr.
Yours to Keep
Some of the tracks seem too ripe for co-opting by hot-shit branding shops who roll out Gen Y/Millennial lifestyle ads for portable media, where elfin tribes of freckled what-nots frolic in a fartless utopia. And some of the songs — “Blue Skies,” “101,” “Scared” — are so pretty that I forget all of that. Solid songwriting on display here, with pristine instrumentation to boot. Yep yep.
Cowboy Curse
Nod Up and Down
It’s tough when you get your taste for a band by seeing them live. No local production can hope to match the night when you were agog at the sheer surprise of such fine music, put back on your heels. The only thing I can say about this album is that is that I can’t wait to see them play live again.
Thanks for listening.
Col. Hector Bravado
From Denver, Colorado
10 Comments on "Stuck in My Head: Five Albums I Recently Bought"
Nice descriptions, good sir…
“fartless utopia” makes “cellar door” look like a John Grisham construction.
you forgot to pick up that one we found plumb full of Julie Andrews….she’ll be so disappointed. also, weekend mornings are the best. i’d say……yes.
A sensible music fan. I like it.
I didn’t realize anyone bought a Venom album, ever. I thought they only existed as a poster on Kurt Cooley’s wall, above the stacks of Celtic Frost Maxells and the homemade bong.
I know it’s been said, but I just want to make sure everyone caught this:
“Some of the tracks seem too ripe for co-opting by hot-shit branding shops who roll out Gen Y/Millennial lifestyle ads for portable media, where elfin tribes of freckled what-nots frolic in a fartless utopia.”
It just might be my favorite sentence ever written on the subject.
Alex:
I’ve Googled it and I still don’t get it: WTF is Kurt Cooley?
ah, shucks. thank you for listening.
He’s the iconic balding redhead metal fan of your youth.
He’s the one that said “heavy? You fucking pussies don’t know from heavy.”
He also built homemade bongs.
I’m going to see Cowboy Curse at Bender’s on Friday. Should be fun…