Following a run of 2 years 9 months I’ve decided to wind things down with Living To Music, perhaps making it an irregular feature of the blog from herein. Up until now it had been a monthly series, but something has to give and, as I’m currently stuggling to fit in all the things I need to be doing, I can’t maintain this commitment, although I don’t want to stop the series completely. […]
ARTIST: JOHN LENNON ALBUM: JOHN LENNON / PLASTIC ONO BAND LABEL: APPLE YEAR: 1970 This Sunday (March 7th) at 9pm, you’re invited to share a listening session with some likeminded souls, wherever you might be. This can be experienced either alone or communally, and you don’t need to leave the comfort of your own home to participate. If it’s not possible to make the allotted time, hopefully you can join in at your convenience at some point during the following weeks. See update here: https://blog.gregwilson.co.uk/2012/07/living-to-music-update-july-2012/ […]
ARTIST: BJÖRK ALBUM: DEBUT LABEL: ONE LITTLE INDIAN YEAR: 1993 This Sunday (March 3rd) at 9pm, you’re invited to share a listening session with some likeminded souls, wherever you might be. This can be experienced either alone or communally, and you don’t need to leave the comfort of your own home to participate. If it’s not possible to make the allotted time, hopefully you can join in at your convenience at some point during the following weeks. See update here: https://blog.gregwilson.co.uk/2012/07/living-to-music-update-july-2012/ […]
I did an interview last July with James Thirkettle for a documentary project he’s working on called ‘How Do You Listen To Music?’ He’s just uploaded it to YouTube, where he describes it as follows: […]
ARTIST: SHUGGIE OTIS ALBUM: INSPIRATION INFORMATION LABEL: LUAKA BOP YEAR: 2001 (ORIGINAL RELEASE 1974) This Sunday (February 3rd) at 9pm, you’re invited to share a listening session with some likeminded souls, wherever you might be. This can be experienced either alone or communally, and you don’t need to leave the comfort of your own home to participate. If it’s not possible to make the allotted time, hopefully you can join in at your convenience at some point during the following weeks. See update here: https://blog.gregwilson.co.uk/2012/07/living-to-music-update-july-2012/ […]
ARTIST: THE BEATLES ALBUM: SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND LABEL: PARLOPHONE YEAR: 1967 This Sunday (January 6th) at 9pm, you’re invited to share a listening session with some likeminded souls, wherever you might be. This can be experienced either alone or communally, and you don’t need to leave the comfort of your own home to participate. If it’s not possible to make the allotted time, hopefully you can join in at your convenience at some point during the following weeks. See update here: https://blog.gregwilson.co.uk/2012/07/living-to-music-update-july-2012/ […]
I’m going to indulge myself this month with an album that I don’t think has ever been given its full dues, despite selling over a million copies following its release in 1974. As far as I’m concerned, it should be recognised as one of the great Soul / Funk albums of the 70’s, but, having introduced it to so many people down the years, a fair percentage of whom I was surprised had never previously heard it, I’m aware that there’s a blind spot when it comes to ‘Rufusized’, which, to my mind, perfectly fits the description of ‘hidden classic’.
The second David Bowie Living To Music selection (the first being ‘The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars’ in Jan ’11, ‘Hunky Dory’ flopped on its UK release in Dec ’71 failing to even enter the lower regions of the chart (although it was a minor hit in the US, reaching #93), but in Sept ‘72, following the success of ‘Ziggy Stardust’, Bowie’s breakthrough album (which had been released just 6 months after, in June ’72), it would finally enter the chart in its slipstream, eventually peaking 2 places higher, at #3. It’s regarded by many as their favourite Bowie album – it’s certainly right up there alongside ‘Ziggy’ for me.
Arctic Monkeys make a great noise, vital and vibrant with hooks galore, but what really sets ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’ apart is the lyrical excellence of their then 20 year old frontman Alex Turner. He brilliantly articulates the experience of city centre nightlife / street life, warts and all, telling it as it is, in his own language and his own endearing broad South Yorkshire accent.
Back in 1990, with the Rave scene at its height, ‘chill out rooms’, where you could escape the constant main room 4/4 thud, were now a feature at a number of club nights and parties. Here the DJ’s set a more spaced-out atmosphere, creating trippy ambient soundscapes as opposed to rock the house rhythms. Ambient music had, of course, existed outside of the clubs previously, its best-known exponent being Brian Eno, whose electronic experimentations set the tone back in the 70’s (although you can trace its origins further back via the avant-garde). The DJ’s would pepper things up further with perhaps Pink Floyd, a BBC sound effects album, a section from a sci-fi movie score, a Strauss Waltz, or some weighty Dub – anything that fitted the vibe and enhanced the vibrations.
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