1090. life’s a gas

T-Rex from the peak of their almost absurd success (in Britain anyway where they had no less than eleven top ten hits in less than four years; over here in the Americas, they barely had one). And anyway, Life’s A Gas was only ever a b-side, and an album cut, which is perhaps more important. Because, it speaks to the depth of what Marc Bolan had going at the time of Electric Warrior. The only thing cooler at the time was Bowie.

1091. Europe Endless

From one of those albums that changed everything forever, Kraftwerk give us superlative Euro-travel music. Just put on the headphones, stare out the window of your moving vehicle, get lost in the trance of history and modernity, wreckage and beauty.

Kraftwerk-Europe

 

1092. sweet murder

The Blow Monkeys being typical of much of the big, passionate so-called blue-eyed soul that was coming out of Britain in the 1980s – the singer’s voice just wasn’t fully up to it. So it tends to be the more instrumentally “out there” tracks that stand the test, like Sweet Murder (once the normal singing has concluded), free to funk up and space out.

1093. Kotton Krown

Sister being the album where Sonic Youth seemed to start liking what normal people might begin to call music, Kotton Krown being a song that suggested it was time to take control of the chemistry again, manifest the mystery again. The 1980s seldom sounded so eloquently psychedelic.

1094 . rainbow enemy

Count the Ids among the very many solid outfits that got signed to record deals in the confusing wake of the grunge thing of the early 90s … but then not much happened. We only heard one album from them, and it was a good one, but for whatever reason, the world wasn’t up to taking notice. Maybe The Man wasn’t amused with their smartass point of view. “F*** the system, eat the machine, make them pay for my room and board.”

1095. no fun

The Stooges don’t get explained. You either get them or you don’t. In the case of No Fun, that means you luxuriate in the simple to the point of dumb repetitiveness of what amounts to a bored seven year old throwing a tantrum. Because who among us is not sometimes that seven year old? F*** this boring sh** – I will now roll around on broken glass and it will be beautiful.” (Philip Random)

(image source)