989-988. Mister 10% + A Million Dollar

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“Two songs joined as one side long epic c/o Triumvirat, Germany’s answer to Emerson Lake + Palmer, the key point being that Triumvirat ended up being at least as good as ELP, probably even better to the degree that they could contain their various egos and actually deliver cohesive suites of music every now and then. Not that there still wasn’t some wanking, but we needed their kind of wanking back in the mid 70s. What else were you going to air-keyboard to after the girls had all split the party? And seriously, the whole Illusions on a Double Dimple album is worth your time. Passion and finesse, even groovy in places.” (Philip Random)

990. atomic nevermore

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“Avant jazz terrorist Copernicus unleashes a rant that comes across like a Catholic mass on bad acid. Or more to the point, he’s riffing on that knife’s edge of impenetrable physics which seems to argue that nothing exists anyway, so go ahead, humanity, blow yourself the f*** away. Nothing gets lost if it never even was in the first place. As with many an apocalyptic, I’m impressed with his enthusiasm, skeptical of his conclusions. ” (Philip Random)

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991. brimstone in a barren land

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Danielle Dax (pre-teen opera star turned pop experimentalist) was supposed to be the next Kate Bush, but for whatever reason, her textured approach to all things rhythmic, melodic, strange never quite caught on. Dark Adapted Eye, a compilation of some of her earlier releases, is well worth a listen with Brimstone in a Barren Land a standout for its overall feeling of impending doom crossed with cool, possibly hopeful light. 1987 in a nutshell.

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992. you have it all

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John Miles‘ timing sucked. Because he really did seem to have it all on his debut album Rebel. Solid songs, kickass band, world class production c/o Alan Parsons (who had his own big deal project going by then). Except it was 1976, which meant Punk was breaking out across town. Even cutting your hair redneck short and posing with a shotgun wasn’t going to slow that storm down.

993. miles from nowhere

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“A Cat Stevens gem about being profoundly somewhere that managed to not overstay its welcome in my ear drums. Top 40 radio didn’t play it much. It wasn’t on the Greatest Hits album that everybody and his big sister owned. You had to actually play the album Tea For The Tillerman to hear it, or find a movie theatre that was cool enough to be showing Harold and Maude.” (Philip Random)

994. name of the game

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“Badfinger were supposed to be the next Beatles. Hell, some people thought they were the Beatles, signed as they were to Apple Records and showing a penchant for strong melodies and harmonies, and no fear of rocking out if required. In which case, Name of the Game would have been one of Paul McCartney’s songs, sad, beautiful, perhaps even meaningful. Maybe too meaningful in Badfinger’s case, as Pete Ham, the guy who wrote it, killed himself four years after its release (age twenty-seven) due, it seems, to deep despondence at the trajectory of the band’s career. Eight years later, fellow band member Tom Evans would do the same.” (Philip Random)

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