Day 0153 - The Velvet Underground

The Velvet Underground "The Velvet Underground" (1969) - got it

The Velvets aren't doing too badly so far.  This was their third album released, it's also their third album on this list.

A much more straight-ahead, mellower album (and possibly my favourite from VU) than previous outings. "Some kinda love"  is almost like a more languid, loping read on the Beatles' "Get Back". "Beginning to see the light" is cathartic, "Jesus" is lovely, "the murder mystery" is a touch of the older, weirder Velvets (and is brilliant).  Things calm back down for the closing track "after hours" ...which, incidentally, is the first VU song that I ever heard.

According to the book, the band's equipment was stolen when they arrived in town to record, but that didn't stop them from having quite a relaxed, enjoyable recording session.

Day 0152 - From Elvis in Memphis

Elvis Presley "From Elvis in Memphis" (1969)

 
Elvis had been sinking a bit of time into making his movies.  He got back into the music thing with a TV special that was hugely popular and revitalised him and inspired him to get back into the studio. He went down to Memphis and unlike Dusty (in yesterday's post) he apparently had a laid back and enjoyable recording experience, dipping back into the RnB sound that worked so well for him in the past.

Another success, and some great tracks.  You can kind of hear the start of the added cheese that would segue the King into his sequinned disco suits and Vegas residencies.

Day 0151 - Dusty in Memphis

Dusty Springfield "Dusty in Memphis" (1969)

The old "one person's trash is another's treasure" thing.  Apparently Dusty was appalled when she heard this music.  She didn't want to do easy-listening ballads, she wanted to sing gritty funk and RnB.

Ahmet Ertegun (that genius again) persisted and, after some fraught recording sessions with the odd ashtray flung, they came out with a wonderful album.

The album gave Dusty her first hit in ages with 'Son of a Preacher Man'.  The album received rave reviews, but it tanked commercially.  Personally, I love it.

Day 0150 - Five Leaves Left

Nick Drake "Five Leaves Left" (1969)

ND seems to have attracted a few followers from being slightly ambiguous and morose in his music, and then dying young.  I'm not slamming his music or anything, but it kind of seems like a number of people get into him before they even hear a note of one of his songs because they like his mystique or backstory or something.
I prefer to listen to this album just taking the music on its own merits.

In the past when I've listened to ND (I keep wanting to refer to him as Drake but... y'know) I haven't been overly impressed, but this time it turns out I quite enjoyed this album.  It's delicate and nicely orchestrated.  Sparse in places and lush in others to match what the songs need.

Apparently the album features contributions from folkies from the Fairport Convention and The Pentangle but feels somewhat grounded in a hippy pop sensibility.  "Fruit Tree" is probably my favourite of these tracks.

Day 0149 - Let it Bleed

The Rolling Stones "Let it Bleed" (1969)

Another solid RS album, almost feels like it's half greatest hits album or something, with gems like "Gimme Shelter", "Country Honk" "You Can't Always Get What You Want".  This is the Stones at the height of their powers: snarling, moaning, musically vital, Jagger tapping into the angst of the unsettled times to come up with some great lyrics.

This quest has kind of turned me onto the Stones a bit.

Day 0148 - Basket of Light

The Pentangle "Basket of Light" (1969)

I'd never heard of these guys but it sounds as they're a sort of folk 'supergroup' led by Bert Jansch. Their music is a thing of beauty with occasionally complicated time signatures, wistful vocals and virtuosic musicianship. It all works to serve the music, rather than being musical wank just for the sake of it.  The mix of male and female voices works beautifully.

Day 0147 - Odessa

The Bee Gees "Odessa" (1969)

Wow, so double albums seemed to be fairly popular back in the day. I wonder if it was because there was (I think) a 50 minute limit to how much you could fit on an LP/record, so as soon as bands went over that they just thought "well okay, let's do a double album!"

Apparently this album was released shortly before the band broke up for a while.  It was an attempt at a concept album based around the story of the loss of a fictional ship... I don't have much time for concept albums, unless I like the music.  I don't mind the Beegees, but to be honest, aside from the odd melody that worked its way under my skin, this one didn't really impress me that much.