Lee Hazlewood's Woodchucks - "Cruisin' For Surf Bunnies" (1964/2018)

The label Light In The Attic has among other things released a number of fine reissues of some of Lee Hazlewood's albums. When they dug around in LHI's archive (Lee Hazlewood Industries, a record label he started and managed for some creative years in the 60s and early 70s), they came across a tape bearing the name Woodchucks. It soon became apparent that it was a pseudonym for Lee himself and his legendary studio band The Wrecking Crew. The music was recorded in 1964, and was instrumental surf music. Left over studio time was probably used, as no official studio booking for the band was found in the archive. People who knew Lee at the time, and who have now heard the music for the first time, think it is too well done to be a demo, but lacks the overdubs you usually find on finished albums. So somewhat unclear what the purpose of the album was. Some think it was just a cheap attempt by Lee to get a piece of the surf music wave that was happening at the time, and make some easy money. Who knows.

Personally, I think it's a fantastic album. A lead guitar that plays a fairly simple melody, with a reverb usually maxed beyond all boundaries, and a rhythm section that keeps it rather simple. Probably music any newly hatched teenage band could play. Nevertheless, I immediately fell for it. The songs are soaked in an almost surreal mood, sometimes bordering to the bizarre, and you almost want to laugh. Sure, there might be better surf music out there, and certainly the sound is extremely similar throughout the album, but knowing Lee is behind the music gives it an extra dimension.

Suzi Jane Hokom had a surf band for a while, she also became a producer at LHI, and Lee's girlfriend. As I understand it, it's her and her band colleagues on the album's cover. All of the songs are previously unreleased in these original versions, but two of them were released by Woodchucks as singles, and a bunch of them have been released by other well-known surf bands and artists, including John Paul Jones, before Zeppelin. A really fun album, and just as fun was that it was $10 cheaper in my local record store than on Amazon, which is unusual. If you want to read more about LHI's history, Light In The Attic has also released the LHI box There's A Dream I've Been Saving, in which a nice book is included, filled with photos from the LHI time and texts / interviews with people who were part of it. Fun and and fascinating reading.

Tracklist

Side A
1. Movin'
2. Baja Pt. 1
3. Bangkok Cock Fight
4. Johnny October
5. The Nomads
6. The Man

Side B
1. Angry Generation
2. Baja Pt. 2
3. Quiet Village
4. Batman
5. Tower Sarong
6. Crickets Of Karachi

Giorgio Moroder & Joe Esposito - "Solitary Men" (1983)

I have a few albums where Moroder has been involved, both as an artist and as a producer. And I like them, he creates a nice, slightly dark and dangerous, disco sound. So a record with his name on could be something, I thought. Joe Esposito was an unknown name, but I thought that Moroder's name was enough for some kind of quality guarantee.

But I was wrong. This is a real 80's album, with everything negative that means, including a cheesy saxophone. Shitty sound with cheap drum machines and as cheap synths. Uninteresting songs and Esposito singing with soft, sleazy voice. The previous owner had noted every song's BPM on the back, maybe they were a DJ, what do I know. But this is not music that makes me want to dance. There is not beat enough in it, no nice hooks. They've thrown in a cover of Moody Blues' Nights In White Satin, but not even that gets interesting.

I, who have an instinctive loathing towards typical 80s music, am completely the wrong target group for this record. My children will inherit it in exactly the same condition as it is in now. Rubbish, honestly. The $1 bin.

Tracklist

Side A
1. Solitary Man 3:47
2. Show Me The Night 3:48
3. My Girl 3:52
4. Too Hot To Touch 3:28
5. Diamond Lizzy 3:20
6. Washed In The Neon Light 4:08

Side B
1. A Love Affair 3:46
2. Nights In White Satin 4:02
3. Lady, Lady 4:14
4. White Hotel 4:32
5. To Turn The Stone 3:11

David Bowie - "David Bowie In Bertolt Brecht's Baal" (1983)

In 1982, BBC aired a TV version of Bertolt Brecht's Baal (recorded in 1981), in which Bowie played Baal. It's an EP with 5 songs, 11 minutes of playing time, the album was recorded in Berlin, and it was the last record Bowie released on RCA. His next album was released on EMI. Brecht wrote Baal in 1918, and it was set up in 1923 for the first time.

I bought the record about ten years ago when I lived in the city of Quebec, mostly because I thought it seemed to be an odd album with Bowie. I thought I had a pretty good idea about his catalog, but had never heard of this one. It was cheap, so I decided to cure my curiosity (and maybe it was worth a lot more than the store asked!). Since then, it has mostly remained standing in the shelf without being played. Perhaps one reason has been that it has hardly been worthwhile to put it on for 11 minutes of music, which includes one turning of the record. The CD / Streaming era has probably made me a bit lazy.

The TV version of the songs has only banjo accompanying the singing, but it was decided to have a slightly fuller arrangement on the record. Remember these are not Bowie's own songs, the songs are of Brecht character, so if you like that kind of music, you probably like this album. I have never been a Bowie fanatic, I find his songs quite mixed, with both bland and fantastic creations. Brecht is also not someone I've had very much interest in, so for me this album is nothing special. If I want to listen to Bowie, I will definitely choose another one of his albums. It may be added that the album was released during Bowie's Let's Dance period, but the music on Baal is very far from put on your red shoes and dance the blues ...


Tracklist

Side A
1. Baal's Hymn 4:02
2. Remembering Marie A 2:04

Side B
1. Ballad Of The Adventurers 1:54
2. The Drowned Girl 2:24
3. Dirty Song 0:37

Robert Broberg - "Robert sjunger Broberg" (1966/68)

Robert Broberg is a Swedish legendary artist I have always had an ambivalent relationship to. On the one hand, I have a great admiration and respect for his creativity, his talent with words and ability to write music. On the other hand, I have never been a big fan of humorous and "funny" music, where puns and wordplay are the main focus. And at least during the first part of his career, that was what he mostly was doing. He had a serious side also, and I like that one better, from a musical point of view anyway. He has created several very beautiful songs, when humor has not been the priority.

This is a compilation with a somewhat unknown release year. The record states 1966, but I have read online that several of the songs were written in 1967-68, so I guess the album was released around -68. The title means Robert sings Broberg. How it found its way into my collection is also somewhat unknown. I don't know if I bought it myself, based on the idea that a collection should contain something with Broberg, or if I got it as a gift.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of songs are the humorous kind, some perhaps almost burlesque creations, with an intense wordplay. And that's not my thing. And if you don't understand Swedish, these songs will probably be kinda meaningless to listen to. There is actually only one song I really like, and that is the beautiful love song Medan Årstider Kommer Och Går (While Seasons Come And Go). And since I either got the record as a gift, or paid max 2 bucks for it, just that song is worth the space the LP occupies in my shelf. The classic Båtsång (Boat Song) is a song somewhat between the humorous and serious, so that one's OK, too. And sure, Gummimadrassen (The Rubber Mattress) is fun, because an arrangement with bagpipe must be admired.

I've seen Robert Broberg live once, probably during the 1991 tour, in Uppsala. My mother and I were there, and it was a great concert. I don't know how many times he had to come in for encores. A beautiful musical memory, and I'm glad I saw him live. He died in 2015, and Sweden lost a strong creative force. He wasn't only engaged in music, but also visual art. But I have even less knowledge of that.

Tracklist

Side A

1. Båtlåt

2. Jag Är En Brygga

3. Taxifiket

4. Örat

5. Gummimadrassen

6. Pacifisten

7. Krigsfrossaren

Side B

1. Det Som Göms I Snö

2. Väderleksfelprataren

3. Snoriga Sture

4. Medan Årstider Kommer Och Går

5. Fantomen

6. Vi Har Ingen Lägenhet

7. Alla Springer Omkring Och Försöker Fånga Den Stora Kärleken

Mighty Sparrow - "Party Classics 2" (1988)

This record is what my 11-year-old daughter chose completely by herself, without any directions or influence, from a record store as a Christmas gift for me. One can of course wonder what she was thinking. Why did she choose this particular record from the thousands of LPs that were there? Was it something on the cover that attracted her? Did the album give the impression of something fantastic? It is interesting anyway, as it's not something I would have chosen myself. The record collection has become a bit more eclectic. Mighty Sparrow was a completely unknown name to me.

Mighty Sparrow, aka Slinger Francisco, is a legendary calypso and soca singer (soca = Soul of Calypso, a hybrid of these styles, created as a way to energize the calypso in the 70's). He was born in Grenada in 1935 but moved to Trinidad at the age of one, where he grew up. He started performing music early, and got his artist name because he was unusually active on stage, and his friends thought he was jumping around as a sparrow. He became an important person for the musicians in Trinidad as he struggled to improve their conditions. and as part of that, he orchestrated a series of boycotts of calypso competitions. In the 50's, the calypso became popular in the UK for a while, and Mighty Sparrow had some success there. He also tried to succeed in the US, but it was more difficult. Over the decades, however, he achieved an increasing international success, and from the mid-80s he lived in New York half of the year. He's still alive, lives in New York, and has some occasional appearances. During his career he has won a large number of titles, Calypso King, King of Kings etc. (competitions and titles seem to be a popular thing in the calypso world). The number of LPs he has released is immense, at least 60-70. A living legend.

A cold, dark winter day, an album like this is the right medicine. The home becomes a beach in the Caribbean, I want to stay home from work and sunbathe, my wife demands all inclusive and stops cooking, and the kids refuse to leave the hotel because they just want to be by the pool. We have to go to the ocean, I say, and they answer in unison NO! So the album creates a nice, pleasant atmosphere. It's energetic and happy music, no depressive ballads about death. In my ears, which are quite inexperienced with calypso, everything sounds pretty much the same. But that's wow it usually is with musical styles you are not so familiar with. When I hear the songs, I think that life in the Caribbean must be wonderful, they sound so happy and carefree, no worries. No heavy winter months. I know this is not often the case in reality, and that life is / has been quite hard in many of these countries, maybe in the moments of musical creation that is left behind, what do I know. If you want a record with happy and energetic tones, filtered through Caribbean sand, then this could be something.


Tracklist

Side A
1. Medley: Miss Mary / Jane / Royal Jail / Benwood Dick / Sa Sa Yea / Congo Man

Side B
1. May May
2. Bag O 'Sugar
3. Elayne Harry & Mama