The Listening Club - 28th May 2023

Hey there, listening chums! @kleptones is en vacances this weekend so it's me, @JimMcCauley, doing the do for the first time in quite a while. Unfortunately I won't be joining you this evening as I'm assisting at an audition (having actually auditioned for the same play last weekend), but maybe I'll be back in time for the last few minutes. Who knows?

Okay, so last week it was @simonlandmine at the decks with his pick of the soundtrack LP from the famous 1993 film, 'Judgment Night', a very-much-of-its-time blend of raps and loud guitars that I'd never heard of, despite it being right up 1993 me's alley. Needless to say it hit the spot, so thanks to Simon for the pick and for flicking the frisbaton at @woj...

Who, of course, has an extra week to think about a pick. You know the procedure as well as I do; it's vortex time! I've been spending the morning assembling the #WorkingVortex, shepherding, cajoling and occasionally strong-arming 27 tracks into more or less the right order. Thanks to everyone who lobbed in a tune or two!

Download it here, or stream it below.

Enjoy! 8PM BST and all that, maybe catch you later on. Cheerio!

The Listening Club - 21st May 2023

Greetings,

Hope you're all doing good. Nearly-summery here in Amsterdam, as it stays bright and dry, but there's one hell of a cool breeze harshing the warm mellow, and restricting the early wearing of shorts, which is a shame. Still, forecast is looking good for next weekend, which is fortunate, as I'm off for a long weekend trip down to the land of cheese and wine (and baguettes)...

...and it'll be #vortex week also, so all hail @JimMcCauley, who will be tending to things #LC related in my absence. And get your thinking caps on for #vortex ideas too...

Last Sunday we had @AqiDraco in the chair, who, despite not quite ending up with the album they'd intended, still managed to charm the assembled with the one delivered, "A Greater Good (History 1998–2008)" by Neuroticfish. Thanks to Aqi for the pick and for sailing the frisb across to @SimonLandmine, who's here with tonight's intro...

"This album is now about thirty years old, and likely seems like old hat now, but at the time, the concept was somewhat groundbreaking.

I've owned it since it came out, and it's been on my increasingly-misnamed 'shortlist' for quite some time, but a conversation a while back pushed it up several notches. I know that it's familiar to a couple of you, and there were a few singles that came from that got some club play in a few venues (and that I still play for folk occasionally), but hopefully Listening Club will appreciate hearing the whole thing this time.

Parental advisory: This album had that logo/sticker on the front cover that indicated that the lyrics included a few swears - some tracks more than others.

DrinkingClub: Pick something from the early 90s, possibly something that combines two unexpected ingredients and might be drunk in a borrowed Winnebago. Or maybe just gin and juice."

Right then. Download's here, stream's below:

See you 20:00 BST (GMT+1) tonight.

The Listening Club - 14th May 2023

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good. Sunny and warm here in Amsterdam, with yesterday definitely winning the award for "Start of the summer" as it was nicely simmering. Kinda odd as we've had a very late spring (the wisteria is finally out and looking lovely, a good few weeks later than usual), but not complaining, afternoons spent lazing around in parks on picnic blankets drinking beer and watching the herons nesting high above us is, well, always time well spent in my opinion...

Worth a note that I'll be away in a couple of weeks time (weekend of 28th May) which will also be a vortex, so reaching out in the customary channels for assistance. Will also be away end of June also, as it's that Pilton party again, so there's a very advance heads up. Nice to be on top of one's diary for once.

Last Sunday I was off getting my ears smashed in in the best possible way watching Gnod, whilst the #LC assembled had @faberfedor laying Bruce Springsteen's legendary lo-fi bonanza "Nebraska" at their feet. Much boss conversation was had, so thanks to Mr. F for the pick, and for sailing the frisb over to @aqidraco, who has this to say by way of introduction to tonight's selection:

"I had my audio file all ready and uploaded online on Wednesday. It did not quite feel right. It was more a selection of availability rather than choice. I had all these criteria, one specifically, of wanting to share something German which that first one was. I listened to more German options throughout the week but none really quite felt like the “one”. Then today, Saturday, I nixed it and uploaded the album I really wanted to share and listen with you together on Sunday. You probably know a number of their more famous songs. This album is more, well, experimental. It is an album I discovered through Mastodon only a few months ago. I keep coming back to it.

As choice of beverage, I dare you to try something new, something experimental, outside of your usual choice of beverages and invite you to join me on this soundscape escape.

Happy Mother’s Day, please thank your mother for listening to that same chord / music over and over and over again."

Right then. Download's here, stream's below:

See you 20:00 BST (GMT+1) tonight.

The Listening Club - 7th May 2023

Greetings folks,

Hope you're all doing good. Sunshine and showers here in Amsterdam, but the temps are staying up, so at least I'm sat here typing this in a t-shirt (no hoodie), which is a definite improvement. Kinda enjoying having a little breather, as it's been an intense month for activities and visitations, and although those things were all awesome, it's nice to have a few quiet days, if only to catch up on laundry and mop the floor... Still, quiet days actually aren't all that quiet, as we're off to see GNOD tonight, so you'll be #LC-ing without us...

Last Sunday we went deep into history with the #songsyourparentslovedorhatedvortex (or #syplohvortex for short), which went down a treat with all concerned, it seems. Thanks to eveyone for chipping in tunes, and to @akx for the collection and assemblage. Looking up, we see @faberfedor dusting off his jacket and declaiming this, by way of introduction to tonight's pick...

"If you were around for @zensolo 's selection, you know @woj is expecting Queen 1 or 2, so those are out. They have this other album that would work...man, I forgot how much fun that album is to listen to but still, too obvious. 

Then it hit me. There's this album that is quite good IMO and it meets each of the ZenSolo Criteria: 1. Big name artist; if you're of a certain age and American, you almost had to have this artists' big album in your vinyl collection. 2. This album was released just before The Big One. 3. Relatively obscure; I haven't heard the album in 30, 40 years, it hasn't shown up on my radar since, nor has it *ever* come upin any conversation I've ever had about this artist. Perfect!

So, I'm doing my Monday morning doomscrolling with bagel and cream cheese, when I see a post an author of a new book about this exact album! I think That's freaking weird, eh?

So I go looking to buy the mp3 on line--not as easy a task as I expected--and I kept coming across post after post saying how this album is the artists' most impressive and enduring of their career, a true tour-de-force, beloved by millions of fans... and I'm all like da'FUQ?!

It's still too early in the day to deal with this so, here's an album.

See you at $LOCAL_LISTENINGCLUB_TIME!"

Right then. Download's here, stream's below:

See you 20:00 BST (GMT+1) tonight.