ItBS!'s "Stuff I Liked in 2005"
If you would like to to buy any of the albums listed here, here is a list of stores that may be able to help you purchase them.
A lot of big impactful things happened to me in 2005, and at least there was some great entertainment to distract me. Here's a list of stuff I liked; it may not be the "best" stuff released last year, but it's stuff I enjoyed. I also cheated a bit, because a lot of albums I reallyreally like got deluxe reissues. I didn't necessarily hear the reissue, but I wanted to acknowledge how much the album meant to me, so I threw it on here. I'm sure there's stuff I'm forgetting, and several artists I love put out albums in '05 that I didn't get a chance to hear, and would probably make this list based on older albums. Perhaps I'll add them to the list (or any '05 I missed) over time, so check back periodically (stuff added May 24, 2006 in red). Anyway, 2005, in alphabetical order:
Annie Anniemal CD (679/Warner Music Canada)
Annie "The Wedding" 12" (K7!)
This album was "The Official Fall Jam of It's the Bryan Show!" A fun little pop album that should've been ruling the airwaves of Top 40 and dance music radio, and blasting out of car windows the city over instead of being stuck on my little dog and pony show with its ever dwindling audience. Madonna made headlines this year by sampling ABBA in a song, but as Annie's "Greatest Hit" shows us, true dance-pop magic happens when Europeans sample Madonna. Later in the year, she released a DJ mix CD showing off her other musical skills, and included on that release was a new track by her called "The Wedding". At first I thought the song was a dumb little tossed-off number (which it may very well be), but I frequently find it stuck in my head.
Arab Strap The Last Romance LP | CD (Chemikal Underground)
Arab Strap returned with a fantastic album, and it's like they have a whole new sound to boot. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were inspired by fellow Scots, Sons and Daughters, who, not coincidentally for my point, is half made up of former associates of the Strap. For the two band comparison, I'm thinking specifically of the second song, "If There's No Hope For Us", and the trade off of male to female vocals at song's end. But where S&Ds made a ho-hum LP this year, AS took on their style of rocking out concisely (this album clocks in at less than 40 minutes) and made a fine record. This "rocking out" feel that I get from the album is key. About half of the tracks have a full band feel to them, and while it's once again the two members of AS plus friends filling out the rest on a 'when a guest is deemed necessary' basis, the use of real drums instead of the usual drum machines give the songs a kick. These faster, fuller songs are something new in contrast to the earlier material which was slower and darker and almost minimal at times. It's very rare that so late into a band's career that they can make such a stylistic shift; it's even more amazing how well Arab Strap pull it off. (North American release February 7, 2006 on Transdreamer)
Black Leotard Front "Casual Fridays" 12" (DFA)
DFA Compilation #2 made my list last year largely on the basis of this track; this year it got a "proper" release as a 12" single, with the instrumental on the flip. The intentionally dumb lyrics make up a lot of the song's appeal, so hearing the instrumental is like hearing the song for the first time, with the music and its construct take centerstage and you can enjoy the actual build up of the music over its 12-minute plus running time. It's a lot more interesting musically than you would initially believe.
Boards of Canada "Chromakey Dreamcoat" song (Warp)
Aside from a couple of tracks on the A Beautiful Place Out in the Country EP, I've never much thought the BoC were all that special, especially in light of their labelmates. So I was more than pleasantly surpised by how much I enjoyed this song while I played it on the radio. It's got a nice splattered, steady beat, but what really grabs me it the repetitive plucked guitar part, which sounds like it was recorded on a dying tape recorder (I've got Aphex Twin, Eric's Trip and John Zorn profiles I recorded off Brave New Waves ten years ago on that have the same var-i-speed sound, so I'm familar with it). Alas, the rest of the album this track comes from is kind of a snoozer. It's nice that they tried to expand their sound a bit, mostly by making such things as a guitar a little more up front, but there are times where the album sounds more like modern day Moby then it really should.
Bridget and the Midget Weeknights, CFRA
This short lived call-in radio show was the ultimate in satire and parody. It was hosted by a woman whose entire contributions amounted to basically saying "Yeah" or "Uh huh" and the occasional comment which couldn't be backed up by anything other than her being "right wing" thus that's the side she had to choose. Meanwhile, a man who sounds as if he's no more that 3'6" proceeded to whine for two hours, and when he read something that he didn't like, would adopted and even nasallier and shrill voice and dumb speech inflection, and it would all be done by using leftist/academic communication (ie, dull the listener with 'facts' and rhetoric), but in a right wing context, thus giving a good attack on both sides, and showing how useless polical discussion has become in North America media. Plus, he played the 'absent minded professor' role to a hilt, mispronouncing such words as "dynasty" and "zebra". Man, this show was so good, and completely over the heads of the typical CFRA listener, so much so that they'd be lucky to get three calls a night. Sadly-- eh, what's that? It wasn't parody? They actually meant everything they said and did? Oh dear God.
The Colbert Report TV (Comedy Network/CTV)
Stephen Colbert was the only* reason I subjected myself to the "comedy" of Jon Stewart for the last four years. No longer! This fall, he got his own show, and it is easily the funniest thing on TV these days. A parody of personality-driven opinion news channel shows that are destroying anything resembling discourse, Colbert becomes a fact-hating patriot you can't help but love. And watch out for bears.
* Well, Steve Carell was great, too, but seeing Colbert on screen generally made me considerably happier than the shows on which he did not appear.
The Cure Pornography: Deluxe Edition Dbl CD (Elektra/Rhino)
Probably my favourite Cure album, and it got a deluxe two-CD reissue in 2005 as part of the reissuing of the Cure catalogue. Just like the other reissues in the series, the first disc is a remastered version of the album, and the second one is a disc of demos, outtakes, singles, and live tracks from the time. The demos on this, unlike the other reissues, are actually pretty darn essential, and give a great insight to the band circa 1980-1. This was probably the darkest the Cure got, as it's an album of huge sounding drums, lost vocals, and sharp guitar. After this they became video pop stars.
Betty Davis This Is It 220gm Dbl LP | CD (Vampi-Soul)
Betty Davis "If I'm Lucky../Walkin' Up The Road" 7" (Vampi-Soul)
Betty Davis "Shoo-B-Doop And Cop In/Mama Wants You Back" 7" (Vampi-Soul)
Betty Davis "F.U.N.K. / This Is It" 7" (Vampi-Soul)
I haven't actually heard this compilation, but Betty Davis rules, so scientific reasoning would have me believe this album does, too. (The first two LPs on Just Sunshine were reissued on vinyl and can be picked up at Birdman Sound; there's songs on those albums that didn't make this collection, so it may be better to go that route. On the other hand, this compilation contains material from her third and final album, which I haven't seen reissued). Betty Davis is probably best known as a footnote to music history, in that she was briefly married to Miles Davis, and in that time managed to hip him to the sounds of Jimi Hendrix and Sly and the Family Stone, which in turn lead to the creation of Bitches Brew and Miles' 1970s electric output. But that would mean nothing if the music she herself made wasn't stellar. The first album is produced by Greg D'Erico, drummer for Sly and the Family Stone, and Larry Graham plays bass, so when you've got the Family Stone's rhythm section, you know the music is going to be tight. The second album is more of a freaky blues type thing.
Dinosaur Jr Dinosaur LP (Baked Goods) | CD (Merge)
Dinosaur Jr You're Living All Over Me LP (Baked Goods) | CD (Merge)
Dinosaur Jr Bug LP (Baked Goods) | CD (Merge)
There's certain things about these reissues that are very eyebrow raising (A 7" b-side is now the opening track on the first album? A song recorded in 1989 has been appended to 1987's You're Living All Over Me?), but it's nice to see these albums readily available again (although the SST pressings did turn up in stores two years ago when that label signed a new distribution deal, so only the first album has been truly difficult to find), and if there's any album that ever needed to be remastered, it was the super-flat sounding You're Living.... The first album is pretty under-rated, considering the great songs on the second side of the album ("Repulsion", "Gargoyle" and "Severed Lips" especially), Bug has always been my favourite of the three original line-up records, and Living contains what may be my favourite song of the bunch, "Little Fury Things". Back when I was in high school, I'd stay up 'til the wee hours of the morning in the summer, listening to the radio and watching tv with the sound off and call up CKCU and request that song. Ah, the memories....
Free Design "Umbrellas (Peanut Butter Wolf remix)" song (Light in the Attic)
I'm not all that bowled over by the Free Design ReDesigned three 12" EPs set/single CD, but I really like this track, which sorta sounds as if your radio was playing two different stations at the same time, with one frequency playing the Fifth Dimension, and the other playing Funkadelic.
Funkadelic Funkadelic LP | CD (Westbound/Ace)
Funkadelic Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow LP | CD (Westbound/Ace)
Funkadelic Maggot Brain LP | CD (Westbound/Ace)
Funkadelic America Eats Its Young DblLP | CD (Westbound/Ace)
Funkadelic Cosmic Slop LP | CD (Westbound/Ace)
Funkadelic Standing On the Verge of Getting It On LP | CD (Westbound/Ace)
Funkadelic Let's Take it to the Stage LP | CD (Westbound/Ace)
Funkadelic Tales of Kidd Funkadelic LP | CD (Westbound/Ace)
A few years back, the Funkadelic albums recorded for Warner Brothers in the second half of the 1970s/early-1980s were reissued on CD and on deluxe vinyl, allowing slowpokes like me to get caught up by finally hearing the songs not called "One Nation Under a Groove" or "(Not Just) Knee Deep". Those albums, leaning more towards disco/dance music, in no way prepare you for what to expect on these releases from 1970-1975. Some unGodly combination of Sly Stone, Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix and even a little Sun Ra burst forth from these records, and they achieve sounds not unlike those that Miles Davis was creating concurrently. Songs such as "Maggot Brain" seem almost ambient, especially after years of hearing covers where people use it to unleash molten guitar solos. Vinyl versions contain the Graffitteria and Pedro Bell artwork in all their 12" or 12" X 24" glory, CD versions contain bonus tracks, usually singles.
Gang of Four entertainment! 180gm LP | CD (Warner Bros/Rhino)
This album has probably been out of print in Canada for twenty years (the 1995 reissue on Infinite Zero was only available as a pricey US import), but it's influence on music has probably not been any greater than it has been over the last few years as "punk rock you can dance to" has become all the rage. And yet Warner Bros. kept it out of print, while EMI imported European copies to North America to take advantage of its increased profile. So when Warner announced its release, they had to do something extra and that they did. This reissue contains both the classic 1979 LP and the impressive 1980 "Yellow" EP (which has been appended to the album on CD in all territories since its 1995 reissue), but also includes new demo versions and live songs to give you an even better picture of how the band were at the peak of their powers (also this year, the reuinited Go4 released a collection of re-recorded versions of songs from the first few releases because they felt they weren't properly represented in the recordings with regards to their drums and guitars; I personally have no idea how the original songs could have been been improved upon). However, the album itself is nearly perfect as it was, so if you have a copy, you don't need the 2005 reissue; if you don't have it, you have no reason to remain that way.
Gris Gris, live at Babylon, April 6
Oakland's Gris Gris dropped into our small town last spring, and preceeded to rip through their self-titled debut like nobody's business. These modern day psych rockers used whatever they could to make the sounds they needed (old keyboards, slides made of half full beer bottles, a soprano sax?) and were very entertaining in doing so. Very faithful in sound to the record, but it was amazing seeing them create those sounds right in front of you. Pictures of the show are available here. These are a lot brighter than I remember the show being, but I had shoulder length blonde hair at the time, so maybe my eyes were obscured.
Heavy Trash Heavy Trash 180gm LP | CD (Yep Roc)
The much hinted at "rockabilly" collaboration between Jon Spencer (of the Blues Explosion) and Matt Verta-Ray (of Speedball Baby) finally saw release this year. If you bought this expecting a straight rockabilly album, well, you were probably disappointed. However, I enjoyed the casual, "let's make a record and have some fun" feel to it, which made it seem more like the JSBX's 1993 LP, Extra Width, than the more laboured-over Blues Explosion album of last year (although I must admit, while I was pretty down on it last year that one did grow on me). And that fun and charm carries over to just a nice little listen. Essential? Probably not, but why does a record have to be? Why did I answer a question with a question?
Richard Hell Spurts: The Richard Hell Story CD (Sire/Rhino)
Richard Hell only made two albums and the last one was in 1982, so under most circumstances, it would be hard to believe that he could put out his second career retrospective in three years this year. 2002's Time focused more on the bookends of Hell's recorded output (1975 material with The Heartbreakers and 1984 material he recorded seemingly for no real reason, as no LP came out of it, with odds and ends and a killer 1977 British concert making up the other material), this compilation showcases the journey of Hell, from around 1973 to present day. Everything's accounted for here: Neon Boys, Television, The Heartbreakers, The Voidoids, Dim Stars and whatever else fit into the overview. The album even contains a 2001 track recorded by the original Voidoids quartet, nearly a quarter of a century after their last material together. Hell calls this his best album, and given the strength of the material chosen, it's hard not to agree. I must, however, take umbrage with two very questionable choices on Hell's part. Why did he make that awful edit of "Downtown at Dawn", that cuts the song's length in half, and manages to removed everything that made it the best song on 1982's Destiny Street? And why, oh why, did he use this awful version of "The Night is Coming On" with his horrible vocal track instead of the Thurston Moore-sung version that appears on (and is the best thing about) the Dim Stars album? I mean, other than because it's his compilation. Those two questionable inclusions aside, this is a great album, and it's nice to get to hear what Television sounded like live at CBGBs in 1974.
The Incredibles Dbl DVD (Pixar/Disney)
Brad Bird is America's greatest filmmaker. Bow down to him, and watch, re-watch, then watch again, this film about retired superheroes and questioning the need to follow the status quo in society. Yeah, a lot of people had problems with that aspect, but I found it easy to ignore as the film is endlessly inventive, in both story and execution, and just flat out fun. I don't think I've ever smiled as continuously as I did the first time I watched this film.
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings Naturally LP | CD (Daptone)
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, live at Babylon, April 28
What can I say about this show? The band was ridiculously great, serving up a modern-day JBs soul/funk concoction, and the 4'11" dynamo up front tearing it up as if she were the second coming of Lyn Collins. Shouting and dancing along to the music in impossible to resist, and you if ever catch them live, you'll probably leave hoarse and drenched in sweat like I did. Unfortunately, I saw them live before I heard the record, and the album can't help but pale in comparison. It did, however, eventually win me over with its charms. Not as intensely over-the-top as the live show, but a good throwback to R&B records of the late-1960s, early-1970s.
Konono No1 Congotronics LP (Ache)
I don't know how to describe this music without making it sound like Kuti meets Neubauten, or A.K. Salim's Afro-Soul/Drum Orgy played on a chipped stylus, so I won't bother. 'Traditional' African music made made on primative electronics and scrap metal, the lengthy tracks are hypnotic, droney, and joyful. (CD version was released in 2004 on the Crammed Discs label out of Belgium. Buy Canadian!).
LCD Soundsystem LCD Soundsystem LP (DFA) | Dbl CD (DFA/Capitol)
On its own, I doubt the long-awaited full-length debut by LCD Soundsystem would've made the prestigeous ItBS! "What I Liked in '05" list, as the album is pretty scattershot. Oh sure, it's more than packed with good songs, from "Disco Infiltrator" to the Pink Floyd homage "Never As Tired As When I'm Waking Up" to "Too Much Love" to the New Order-esque "Tribulations" (which had been circulating on the Internet for years). But some of the songs are a really weak, such as "Daft Punk is Playing at My House" (which also had been circulating on the Internet years prior to this release) and rocker "Movement" (oddly, these two tracks were the first singles off the album), and the varied genres attempted were probably a good idea in theory to show that LCD were an album band, not just a 12" singles one, but the inconsistency of the overall album really hurts it. Luckily, the previously vinyl-only singles were added on a second disc, and show where LCD made their reputation: doing 7-11 minute sidelong tracks. That disc includes 2002's "Losing My Edge"/"Beat Connection" 12" and (most of) 2004's "Yeah" 12", and having all those songs in one place is very nice.
Lady Sovereign Vertically Challenged Dbl 12" | CDEP+DVD (Chocolate Industries)
Hearing the song "Adidas Hoodies" earlier this year made me an instant fan of SOV, but that didn't exactly make her material easy to hear here in North America. A domestic release of the Run the Road compilation late in the summer brought forth another SOV track, plus her contribution as one of many guests on a song by The Streets, which easily stole the song, and made me even more anxious to hear her in the context of a full length. Finally in the fall, Chocolate Industries released an EP of material recorded primarily for the tiny Casual label over the last few years (presumably more recent material will show up on her full length debut, which will most likely be on Def Jam after being signed by Jay-Z), which made me happy, although it's made up of 3 songs, remixes of those songs, and the Run track, so you don't exactly get to see if she's solely a singles artist, or capable of much more. But one of those songs is the mindwarpingly great "Random" and the AdRock remix of "A Little Bit Shhhh" is a pleasant surprise.
The Juan Maclean Less Than Human Dbl LP | CD (DFA/EMI)
The Juan Maclean "Tito's Way" Dbl 12" | CDEP (DFA/Astralwerks)
The Juan Maclean "Give Me Every Little Thing" Dbl 12" | CDEP (DFA/Astralwerks)
In 2002, DFA Records released two 12" singles that became all the rage, in an underground way: "House of Jealous Lovers" by The Rapture and LCD Soundsystem's "Losing My Edge". They weren't the only singles the label released at the time, which actually kicked off with a 12" by this ex-member of noise band Six Finger Satellite, and followed shortly thereafter by a second one. I can't speak for the rest of the population, but I found the Maclean singles to be not especially good, even if they weren't unfairly compared to the bigger releases. They were low key electonic releases, not the house & punk "Jealous" or the spoken word/electo "Edge" or even "Edge"'s B-side, the percussive "Beat Connection". Maclean's tracks were just there. The following year my opinion on him changed somewhat, with a split 12" with The Rapture. Maclean's track, "Give Me Every Little Thing", managed to cause the same jolt in me that the two more celebrated early tracks did, and I'm sure upon its release that I thought it was probably the best thing the DFA had done.
Finally this summer, Maclean became the last of the original wave of DFA artists to release a full length album, and the thing that surprised me most is that the man who had the dodgiest 12" singles, managed to make a better full length than the two more celebrated labelmates. It's got the dance tracks up front, and as the album progresses, it becomes more and more relaxed, eventually giving away to the 14 minute long "Dance With Me". A couple of maxi-singles were also released, containing some great remixes.
various New Thing! Trp LP | Dbl CD (Soul Jazz Records)
This doesn't actually stand out in my mind as a 'great' release when I think back on 2005, but when I look at the tracklisting and actually listen to it, it makes me have to honestly consider it. When Soul Jazz releases compilations, they're usually done thematically (funk/soul from New Orleans, reggae from Studio One, dance music meets punk in early 1980s UK, etc), and this one is in theory based on documenting post-Coltrane avant garde done in loft performance spaces and released on micro-indie labels, but covers everything from a Sun Ra piece recorded 12 years prior to Coltrane's death, to a mid-1980s track the Art Ensemble of Chicago (later sampled by Organised Rhyme!). I think the other thing that prevents me from actually being keener on this album than I am is the fact that it's kind of messy. There's no real flow to it, and spread over two discs, well, it's quite easy to lose focus, and it does. Some of the works are a little too New Age-y for their own good, but the highlights are plentiful: the deep funk of the tracks by Maulawi, the Art Ensemble and Archie Shepp to the soulful Travis Biggs, Lloyd McNeil and Steve Davis songs, to the vaguely Eastern-sounding jazz piece by the East New York Ensemble (the use of soprano sax definitely makes this a post-Coltrane work).
Nine Inch Nails [Only] 9" (Interscope/Island UK)
I haven't heard a NIN record since The Downward Spiral, but this second single from this year's [With Teeth] album makes me want to rectify that. Reznor re-writes "Down In It" from 1989's Pretty Hate Machine and adds the bassline from Spinal Tap's "Big Bottom"; How is that not gonna be one of the best things of the year?! Flip side is the DFA's remix of "The Hand That Feeds", which doesn't exactly turn Trent into the disco diva they claimed it would, but is a grower (that is to say, it's initially a big disappointment, but improves greatly upon each listen).
various No New York 180gm LP | CD (Lilith)
This was one of those albums I've always thought that if I had a label I'd try and licence. Well, the Russians (wink) beat me to it. Anyway, this here is a reissue of a 1978 compilation produced by Eno, and originally released on the Antilies label, showcasing four bands that made up the literally post-punk, New York City art underground of the time. The bands featured are The Contortions, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Mars and DNA. The Contortions tracks are probably the best thing James Chance ever did, and are easily the standout tracks on here. Considering that there was a James Chance 4-CD box a few years back that didn't have these songs on it, it's pretty safe to safe that set was incomplete. TJ&TJ were a trio led by Lydia Lunch, who's better known these days for her spoken word work. These tracks have been available on a compilation on Atavistic for several years now. I've got to be honest though, the band is my least favourite of the four, but they certainly did know how to create a certain mood with their music. Mars' tracks have been available for years on the 78+ release, but those were given a different mix for that release. DNA had a reissue done last year, minus these tracks. I never cared much for DNA, but finally hearing this album made me reconsider that.
various Optimo Presents Psyche Out 12" | Dbl LP | CD (Eskimo)
Coming out just mere months after the release of their first legitimate mix release, 2004's How to Kill the DJ Vol 2, the two Scottish DJs who are the Optimo DJs (Wilkes and Twitch) show a different side to their skills. If the first album was a "throw everything out there and show 'em what we got" exercise in what a dance club can be (there were, after all, 42 songs used to make a 75-minute mix), this one is more for post-club relaxation. The songs play out a little longer, and the blend into each other rather than layer and mix. Perhaps not a strict "psych" comp after the first few tracks, but I'm willing to accept techno, fusion and other music that stretches the traditional definition of psychedelic music as opposed to the Eagles and "American Pie" that CHEZ 106 tries to pass off as psychedelic. I do warn you to brace your eyes for the retina shredding blue and pink artwork, though.
Ottawa radio personalities (commercial)
Hearing Al "Absolutely!" Fleming say on air, and honestly believe, that his two-hour weekly music radio show on a right-wing talk station was the only station in town that plays the Rolling Stones on the radio these days, and Chelsea Miller on CHEZ apologising for giving out the wrong information (Pink Floyd weren't reuniting for a one-off gig in London, Ontario, it was actually happening in London, England) made me glad that no matter how stupid I sound on the radio, I've never said anything as dumb as either of these statements.
Pink Floyd live gig
Growing up, Pink Floyd were most likely my favourite band, but I was far too young to have seen them before Roger Waters had left (aside from seeing the occasional showing of At Pompei on Much Music). When it was announced that he'd rejoin the other three members of PF for a one-off show at Live 8, I didn't really think too much of it. I mean, these would be men in their 60s coming off 20 years of fighting, how good would it be? I was able to download the performance the day after the show, and reading about how they were definitely a highlight, and yes, they were great. I actually had chills when they started, and was thoroughly entertained throughout the performace, which was all that more impressive considering the size of the square I was watching on my computer.
The Rebirth "Evil Vibrations" song (Ubiquity)
Super-dope cover of the Mighty Ryders' disco funk track, is pretty faithful but goes slightly beyond straight recreation by dropping some De La Soul lines in the mix (the original track was heavily sampled for DLS's "A Rollerskating Jam Named 'Saturdays'"). Five and a half minutes of rollerbooging joy.
Rock Detante 94.9 FM "Dieu merci, c'est ____i"
French language station that does a "Disco, soul et Motown" block of music Friday and Saturday afternoons from 4 'til 8 PM. They play the songs you expect to hear in a disco show ("Dancing Queen", huge swaths of Saturday Night Fever), but they also drop plenty of surprises ("Rock Your Baby", "Rapper's Delight"). The last hour tends to be French disco songs, so it's the weakest part of the show (I could've gone my whole life without hearing "Sugar Daddy"), and, to be honest, they play the same songs week in and week out, so you only need to listen to the show once, but that one time is guaranteed good stuff.
Run DMC Raising Hell: Deluxe Edition CD (Legacy/Arista)
Run DMC Tougher Than Leather: Deluxe Edition CD (Legacy/Arista)
Raising Hell was one of those life changing records for me, but with the release of "Mary Mary" as the first single off Tougher Than Leather, I considered Run DMC old hat (how someone in elementary school could be so jaded is a topic for another time). So I finally heard the album after it got a deluxe (remastered/digipak/bonus cuts) release in 2005, and I feel pretty silly having ignored it for the last 17 years. It's not as great as Hell, but it certainly does have charms of its own. Pretty much casting aside the rock aspects of earlier released (they were the "KIIIIIIIINGS OF ROCK!", after all) for a sound based on sampling the popular breaks of the time (James Brown, etc), on tracks such as "Beats to the Rhymes" and "Radio Station", they show a verbal dexterity not really present on the earlier releases. "Christmas in Hollis", the only real Christmas classic recorded in my lifetime, is one of the bonus cuts. I haven't heard the Raising Hell reissue, but I'm adding it to this list because of reasons given in the first sentence of this write-up.
various Run the Road CD (679/Last Gang)
This took a while to get released in Canada, only getting a domestic release in August, but it was definitely worth the wait. I had a really short lived "Grime" period in the summer of 2004, where I couldn't stop listening to Grime artists and finding out about them, and luckily for the listening public, this was right around the time Ryan returned to Whatever's Cool with Me, thus kicking me off the airwaves, and sparing you from this ugly, ugly time. By the time I was over it, I returned to the radio in my current timeslot. A sampler of the more 'pop' side of Grime from the streets (roads?) of England, contains big names such as the Streets, Dizzee Rascal and Wiley, as well as a bunch of lesser knowns, but no less talented acts, specifically Lady Sovereign. I pretty much gave up on hip hop in the mid-1990s, but this really hit the spot, largely because of how different it is from American rap. I was listening to this like crazy, and playing it week after week on the radio this past summer and fall, but eventually stopped because it was getting played every 20 minutes on CKDJ, but that doesn't make it any less good, it just means I'm petty.
Sonny Sharrock Black Woman CD (Water)
I'm unsure if this thing hasn't ever been reissued in North America or not (Organised Sound used to carry a Japanese import CD earlier this century and Water's sister label, 4 Men With Beards, reissued it on 180gm vinyl in 2004), but that doesn't matter because it's out now. Originally released in the late 1960s and released on Atlantic sub-label Vortex, and recorded during the same timeframe as the out there Monkey Pockie Boo album as part of the BYG/Actuel series, I was expecting this to be equally skronky. Boy was I wrong. It's really all over the map, from folk picking acoustic tunes, to almost operatic (courtesy of Linda Sharrock's vocals) ambient pieces. The first time I heard this album was while a rainstorm was happening and it was one of the most perfect audio/visual synch ups I've ever witnessed.
The Slits Cut 180gm LP (4 Men With Beards) | CD (Koch)
The Slits "Man Next Door" 12" (Collision)
The Slits Live at the Gibus Club LP (Earmark) | CD (Castle/Sanctuary)
The Slits Girls Next Door: BBC Recordings 1977-1981 LP (Slitsofrantic)
Twentysome years after the last Slits album, 2005 was the year of the Slits! Well, maybe not quite. The year began with a deluxe vinyl reissue of the band's great 1979 debut. The same album was reissued on CD a few months later. Unfortunately, this domestic reissue is the same price (possibly even higher in some cases) as the 2000 UK edition which was pretty attainable. Even the bonus cuts are the same. I guess it's the thought that counts. The CD contains the band's unbelievably great take on "Heard it Through the Grapevine", and the LP contains a larger cover photo of the band naked and covered in mud. Use whichever of those selling points appeals to you more to pick up this album.
New archival material also saw light of day this year. "Man Next Door" is a three song 12" of demo (?) tracks, post-Cut, one of which is "In the Begining There Was Rhythm", and while I'm sure I will never like this song, this version is preferrable to the previously released one from the Rough Trade album in 1980. The other two songs are slow, reggae influenced tracks, and are very good. On the other end of the spectrum, a 1978 live in France recording surfaced this year. Much like the Peel Sessions that pre-date Cut, this album consists of an insanely high energy workout through the band's material, which includes material not on Cut, and a cover of the Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale". Some good antagonistic in-between songs banter from Ari Up, who seems to hate some of the French audience at the show.
HOLD THE PHONE MARTHA! Late, late 2005 saw a bootleg LP called Girls Next Door appear. It contains the material that's been available on the import BBC Recordings CD, but this time on vinyl and with a different cover (the medium close-up shot of the nude woman with the hand over her crotch has been replaced with a charicature drawing of the three Slits ladies), and a few bucks cheaper. The 1977 and '78 fast, out of control Slits are showcased and contrasted with the 1981, slow and deliberate, reggae-tinged Slits. Forget what I said about "In the Begining..." in the last paragraph; the version contain herein is closer to early hip hop than any other version I've heard.
Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #1 comic book (Marvel)
While Spider-Man creators were busting out a storyline that involved Spider-Man having his eye torn out and eaten, then beaten to near-death, and then Spider-Man temporarily turning into a spider-y man and, in front of Spidey's wife, eating the head of the man who beat him, then collapsing and dying, and then his insides tearing themself out of his dead body and then going and forming a cocoon under a bridge, while spiders devoured his dead body, and then hatching from the cocoon, returning from the dead fully healed in late-2005, Marvel was also releasing this ADORABLE comic, which I'm sure was meant for 8-year old girls, involving a teenage Mary Jane Watson in full out crush mode, trying to make Spider-Man her boyfriend. Sean McKeever, you got me interested in comics again for the first time in a decade and a half. Kudos. By the way, I didn't make up any of that stuff about what was happening in Spider-Man comics.
Sonic Youth "Goo": Deluxe Edition Quadruple LP (Goofin') | Dbl CD (Geffen)
"Goo", EVOL and Daydream Nation always battled for SY supremecy in my mind back in high school, so getting the opportunity to give this album a tip of the hat will be taken. This was their 1990 major label debut, and it's always kind of stung me that the band themselves have never really had good things to say about this record, when I've always thought that it was from their peak period with regards to writing really good songs. The deluxe edition contains the album remastered, the 8-track demos of the album remastered (these are essentially rawer versions that the band preferred, but for the most part, close to what the final album became), a few tracks from B-sides and compilations, and some unearthed instrumental jams. If you're a huge fan, this is a terrific collection. If you like the album but aren't enamored with it, and already own the original CD, there's probably nothing that could justify spending $50+ on two versions of the album (the remastered music on "Goo" can also be found on the considerably cheaper Corporate Ghost DVD, plus you get videos for all the songs). The best part of the reissue, for me, is that the band have seemed to turn in their negative opinion of the album's worth.
The Stooges Funhouse: Deluxe Edition Dbl LP | Dbl CD (Elektra/Rhino)
I haven't heard this, but Funhouse is the greatest rock n' roll album of all time, so it stands to reason that a sonically cleaned up (the original CD, which you can buy for around $7 brand new at Record Runner, sounds a little flat in the bass department), with outtakes and alternate takes, would be a no-brainer for inclusion on a best of list, and I'll take any opportunity to praise this album. The album has roughly three sections: the first three tracks are completely over-the-top rockers; "Dirt" slows everything down, as Dave Alexander performs a huge throbbing, almost dub bassline, Ron Ashton gives up the wah-wah guitar and Iggy Pop is just lost in his own head with the vocals, and allows for a switch in gears to occur. The album's second side, and final three tracks, are, for me, what make the album, because they add sax, and the album then goes far beyond being a rock album. "1970" uses sax to simultaneously pay tribute to early rock and roll, where the instrument had a role, and to move beyond rock into the free jazz spectrum. The title track then keeps this momentum going, and the whole album comes to a close with the completely free noise jam of "LA Blues". Amazing.
Whatever's Cool With Me Thursdays 9:30-Noon CKCU 93.1 FM
Ryan's the only one who plays my show promo, thus inclusion on this list.
Rick White The Rick White Album LP+CD | CD (Blue Fog)
Thanks for the sounds: Obie Benson, RL Burnside, Lyn Collins, Ray Davis, Mitch Hedberg, Johnnie Johnson, Paul "Wine" Jones, Robert Moog, Brian "The Source" Murphy, Danny Taylor, Link Wray