The Oscillation "Cable Street Sessions"

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

Following on from last year's excellent "From Tomorrow", comes this essential companion piece to that second full length. Where "From Tomorrow" dwelt in a swirl of effects laden psychedelia, and was very much a carefully planned and layered record, "Cable Street Sessions" is a live in studio effort that goes a long way towards demonstrating the life that these songs take on in front of an audience.

I'm generally not a fan of live albums. That's a sweeping statement, and there are (numerous) exceptions of course, but I often find live albums to be label product, full of weak facsimiles of the studio material, played faster, with more guitar solos and weak vocals. "Cable Street Sessions" proves to be one of these exceptions, with three of "From Tomorrow"s key songs revisited, and an inspired Deviants cover. While Demian Castellanos still pays noticeable attention to his pedal board, there's an extra propulsion here provided by the crack rhythm section of Tom Relleen and Valentina Magaletti, that when combined with the sparser production, gives these tracks an added push that is pleasingly at odds with the lysergic undertow of their album counterparts.  "All You Want To Be" is an infectious opener that filters their krautrock impulses through a squall of Spacemen 3 guitar, complete with an ominous, hypnotic pulse, while the Deviants "Somewhere To Go" is an inspired choice of cover, and fits the Oscillation's temperament like a glove.

While a four track E.P might sound like a fairly brief offering, the intensity of the lengthy performances contained therein makes for a fairly exhausting affair, which I suspect would be diluted if drawn out. Short but sweet, this paints the Oscillation in an entirely different, but complimentary light to their albums - one which will please existing fans, and likely draw in a few who didn't have the patience to pierce the lysergic fog of "From Tomorrow".

You can stream the whole E.P and order the Cardinal Fuzz vinyl 12" from here:

Concerto For Wah Wah by Century Expanded

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

Here's another excellent slab of psychedelic exploitation rescued from obscurity by Gear Fab Records. Unlike the Gear Fab release I reviewed a few weeks back, this is one that's had to gather word of mouth through reputation alone until this recent CD reissue (and this recent vinyl reissue), and the legendary status it has acquired among collectors turns out to be pretty much deserving.

Originally released in 1970, on Jimmy Curtiss' (The Hobbits) Perception label, "Concerto For Wah Wah" is exactly what it says on the label, and despite the novelty approach (hey, this is an exploitation record after all) is pretty damn great. As is the norm for these sorts of releases, no one really knows who the band members were, but they really cook here.

The side-long "Melodic Variations in D Minor" starts things off with what seems like a very carefully constructed opus that makes excellent use of Beatley, "Abbey Road" era guitar arpeggios with doomy descending basslines combined with a proto prog "Atom Heart Mother" sort of Floyd feel which sounds extremely English. The titular guitar effects make themselves known extravagantly, but whoever the guitar wrangler is on this track is carefully in service of the song which is something of a lost classic, with a great backwards guitar freakout towards the end that paves the way for a wah wahed vocal chorus which by all rights should be the worst sort of cheese, but is totally irresistible.

"Rhythmic Variations in E Major" on the other hand is a total jam-fest with a proto Doobie Brothers soul funk riff acting as launching pad for all sorts of experimentalism, exploring the textural qualities of the pedal, and its rhythmic possibilities. During its playtime it's extremely engaging, even if its improvised nature makes it less memorable in the long run than its predecessor.

Oddly enough there's also a short extra in the form of "Prelude", which seems to be a completely improvised violin instrumental, which sounds like three and a half minutes of cat strangulation (with little in the way of wah wah, or for that matter guitar).

Mad as a bag of hammers, and one hell of a lot of fun.

Available here.

Sadly the best track isn't available on Youtube, but the second side can be streamed here. Skip to around the 3.20 mark to avoid the diabolical violin torture:

Nick Grey & The Random Orchestra "You’re Mine Again"

Reviewed by Grey Malkin (The Hare & The Moon)

Enigmatic singer and musician Nick Grey already has an illustrious and varied darkly psychedelic back catalogue that ranges from the sublime suicide note of solo effort ‘Thieves Among Thorns’, includes his collaborations with such major figures as Charlemagne Palestine and Martyn Bates (Eyeless In Gaza) and which ventures into more avant garde territory with the 48 Cameras collective. His new opus ‘You’re Mine Again’, credited to Nick Grey & The Random Orchestra, side steps into yet further new territory. Featuring the singer resplendent in velvet and make up on the sleeve, this image immediately differs from Grey’s more abstract cover images and photographs and indicates something of a different direction with this outing. Indeed, the songs contained herein have more of a psychedelic classic pop bent, albeit with myriad twisted angles and dark corners. Although still very much recognisably a Nick Grey album (the brooding, melancholic lyrics remain), this is an exciting and courageous delve into the man’s finely honed songwriting and torch song sensibilities. The juxtaposition of experimental inclination and pop beauty is both thrilling and hugely rewarding. Appropriately, these decadent and twilight paeans to heartbreak do come with a warning; the sleeve advises ‘please do not play this record in a state of romantic agitation’.

Opening with the single ‘You’re Mine Again’, a brief burst of laughter leads into a rich tapestry of twinkling acoustic guitars, analogue synths and Grey’s distinctive and emotive vocals. Scrapes and wails build the tension as one of the most twisted pop songs this side of Antony and The Johnsons unfolds; Nick Cave and Marc Almond take note. ‘My Love Affair with Might’ bounces along on an OMD style vintage keyboard riff that is at once catchy yet also tense and affecting. The overall sense of sound and orchestration that is presented is massive; this is Nick Grey imagined by Spector and Trevor Horn. ‘Heart of the Glacier’ is a Berlin era Bowie-esque brooding masterpiece. The forlorn recitation of ‘the body is bound to age, ambition is bound to fade some more, the heart is bound to fail and love is lost’ is recounted over swathes of icy synthesiser. Reminiscent of previous Nick Grey works such as Candlelight Eyes in its sombre, cold stateliness, the track then skips through some interesting sidesteps into unexpected prog keyboard flourishes and an epic ending that wouldn’t be out of place on a Scott Walker album. ‘Structure And Faith’ introduces slide guitar and accordion to the bubbling electronics to create a dramatic and truly beautiful torch song. Hints of Human League and a smattering of The Legendary Pink Dots permeate into the analogue tapestry though this remains a unique vision and very much Grey’s own. The sadness at the heart of much of Grey’s earlier material is still strongly evident here; indeed the orchestra of synths and choral voices only enhance this aspect. Forget your Patrick Wolfs and Lana Del Reys; this is the real deal.

‘Wounded, yet Feudal’ is a guitar led cry in the darkest of nights; Ronnettes style drums adding to the doomed yet defiant palette. At times reminiscent of the best of Mercury Rev, at others the electronic elegance of John Foxx this record should really be being hailed as a classic piece of work by the glossy music monthlies. If it can be heard by enough people, it will be. ‘The Wasp Lover’ walks on an air of glistening and ethereal strings and is nearest song here in sound to Grey’s masterpiece ‘Thieves among Thorns’ (which if you don’t already own seek out immediately). Sophisticated and utterly beautiful in its resigned melancholy, the mellotron finale only adds to the timelessness and heartrending power of this music. ‘In The Ravine’ is equally epic and floats on 80s style minor keys and arpeggios to create a mini masterpiece of melancholia. Indeed this album is just that; an epic, lush and ambitious production crammed full of velvet draped and wet eyed perfectly formed vignettes. 'Death of the Dogman’s acoustic Americana alters the pace somewhat though its cinematic and dramatic tendencies fit perfectly in context with the album as a whole and simply add another string to Grey’s bow and another colour to his dark rainbow. A defiant and surreal Julian Cope-esque spoken endpiece reintroduces the synths with breathtaking style and emotional power. It’s a hugely affecting moment and there are many on this album. Never crassly tugging the heartstrings or going for obvious torch motifs, it is the unexpected dramatic twists and turns in Grey’s music and his vulnerable yet passionate baritone that makes this an album for late, candlelit nights involving too much red wine. Opulent yet damaged, the album presents an entirely new form of torch song; one that holds experimental and fiercely individual touches and yet also weeps over some of the most unique, human and truly alive music you will hear this year (or any year for that matter). ‘Enchantee’, as if with this in mind, returns to a more traditional French chanson to close the record, heartbreakingly sung by Sarah Maison.

This album cannot be recommended highly enough. One can also not pin it down in words or do justice to the sheer creativity and beauty contained here; you’ll just have to take my word for it. It is random at times, it is orchestral at others, it is Nick Grey through and through. Your life will be richer for owning this album; light a candle, pour another glass of your chosen poison and lose your heart in ‘You’re Mine Again’.

Available now from Milk And Moon Recordings in a beautiful gatefold CD sleeve or as a download from Nick Grey's Bandcamp site.

New Pink Floyd album Due in October

David Gilmour's wife Polly Samson dropped a bombshell today when she announced on Twitter that a new Pink Floyd album would be released in October.

"Endless River" will be based on material originally recorded in 1994 during the Division Bell sessions.

According to recording engineer Andy Jackson "Endless River" comes from "A bunch of jams from ‘The Division Bell” sessions that have had new overdubs done in the last year or so."

Durga McBroom-Hudson who appears on the album as a vocalist reveals "“The recording did start during "The Division Bell" sessions (and yes, it was the side project originally titled ‘The Big Spliff’ that Nick Mason spoke about),” she explained. “Which is why there are Richard Wright tracks on it. But David and Nick have gone in and done a lot more since then. It was originally to be a completely instrumental recording, but I came in last December and sang on a few tracks. David then expanded on my backing vocals and has done a lead on at least one of them."

An official announcement with more information is expected very soon.

Free Download Roundup - Kingdom of the Holy Sun, Tara King th., Shadow Folk

It's been a little while since I brought you one of these free download features, so here's another rundown of some great new releases in the psych world - all available on a free or name your price starting with $0 basis through Bandcamp.

Kingdom of the Holy Sun "Thirteen Eyes" E.P
Guido Anselmi's prolific tribal psych project Kingdom of the Holy Sun gets better with every release, and their latest E.P has the songs, arrangements and production to match any major label release head on. The title track is a re-recording of an earlier Kingdom track given some extra shine by Anselmi's increasingly confident production skills. It's a killer and the remaining tracks are easily a match too - intense, shamanistic, tribal anthems with driving percussion, waves of tremeloed guitars, vintage organs, Indian strings, all topped off with Anselmi's brooding Bauhaus / Psychedelic Furs vocals.



Tara King th. "Mostla Tara"
I was extremely taken by last year's "Hirondelle et Beretta", a deserving heir to Broadcast's highly contended crown, so it's a bit of a no brainer for me to recommend this new Tara King th. collection covering work originally released as far back as 2007 and including a track recorded with Halasan Bazar, which acts as a primer for an upcoming full length collaboration between the two bands which will be out in October. "Mostla Tara" is the best vintage space-pop / cinematic experience you'll have this year, effortlessly combining classic French pop, cinematic vibes, library breaks, psychedelia and a million other influences into the sort of unclassifiable melange we don't get the chance to hear enough of in a post-Broadcast / Stereolab world.
Your new favourite band. Someone needs to sign these guys for some vinyl reissues.



Shadow Folk "Season's End"
More excellent psychedelic pop from the thriving scene in Nova Scotia. You've heard a lot from me about these guys before (their previous E.P was briefly available on Active Listener Records), so it's no surprise that their latest three track offering is on high rotation here.
"Here at Home" is a pleasingly choogling piece of sixties pop fused with a little Stealers Wheel boogie, while "Hey Ganeymwa" delves into free form guitar chaos and treated vocal chants with a George Harrison vibe. And the title track? Well, that's a genius piece of winsome, minor key pop which fittingly conveys its message.
Another essential download from these chaps then.

Electric Citizen "Sateen"

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

Cincinnati's Electric Citizen have developed quite a reputation in the eleven months since I reviewed their debut E.P, culminating in a recent tour with Fu Manchu and now their debut full length on Riding Easy Records.

Recorded under the watchful eye of Brian Olive, "Sateen" is an extremely confident debut, taking the strengths and versatility of their E.P and expanding upon them exponentially.

For those just catching up, Electric Citizen combine the heavy rock of late sixties/early seventies Vertigo records, with layers of mellotrons and other vintage keyboards, as well as a shade of the heavy riffing of early NWOBHM.

Laura Dolan's vocals are still the most attention grabbing element at play here, often multi-tracked with a hazy overlap that makes it sound like looking at one of those old 3-D pictures without the blue and red glasses on. There are moments where she really lets rip and you'd swear it was a young Joan Jett. Phwoar. Guitarist Ross Dolan channels some pretty memorable influences too, particularly Tony Iommi (the intro to "Shallow Water" has the restrained pre-fuzz tones of the first Black Sabbath album) and Pentagram's Vincent McAllister.

There are a lot of bands around doing this sort of stuff, and doing it very well; Blood Ceremony, Witchcraft, Graveyard - but Electric Citizen are refreshing for their lack of over the top occult references, not something I have a problem with at all, but certainly something that lesser bands tend to use as a bit of a novelty crutch, where Electric Citizen need none.

It's definitely a heavy rock record, but the lines are blurred between genres here to the point where "Sateen" is likely to appeal to a lot of Active Listener readers that aren't usually drawn to these sorts of things. Vintage appeal aside, the reimagining of "Hawk Nightingale" is recast as one of the most deeply lysergic pieces I've heard this year, and leaves the original (itself a highlight of the E.P) for dead.

Extremely memorable.

Availabe here on vinyl, CD, and digital formats.

A Chat with the In-Between Girl, Tatiana Hammond of Daisy House

Interview by Elizabeth Klisiewicz, originally presented on The Big Takeover.

I had the great pleasure of reviewing Doug Hammond of Daisy House last year, and this time I am talking to his daughter Tatiana about her background and about the band’s beautiful new album, Beaus and Arrows. It’s a departure from their first album’s folk rock in that it introduces music hall stylings and pure pop that could have come straight from the 1960s. It is nice to see the band stretch their wings, and I wish them the best in achieving the recognition they so richly deserve.

What is your earliest musical memory? Do you have any vocal training? Because the clarity of your voice is simply superb.

First of all, thank you. It’s definitely improved on this second album. I’d never recorded anything before the first. I think the sound of my voice owes a lot to the ladies I’ve sung along with over the years , like Joni Mitchell, Sandy Denny, Chrissie Hynde, Mary Hopkin, Vashti, Feisty (Leslie Feist, ha), Mama Cass, and Marianne Faithfull. All of them are truly superb singers and my Dad’s given me tips like making sure to pronounce lyrics clearly, and breath control. My most important vocal training has come out of our relationship; it’s always been my Dad’s keen ear, his funny analogies, and our shared musical references that kept me going when it was hard for me in the beginning. When I get behind the mic, we basically start speaking in hilarious code to each other.

Earliest memory? If you grow up with my Dad, music transcends memory. ;) He made a mix tape for nap time for me when I was little that had Sebadoh, Talk Talk, Nina Simone, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Clannad, and Joni Mitchell on it…all mellow stuff. So I suppose “New Grass” is my earliest memory, either that or “This Frog” by Kermit ;)

What has been your involvement in the creative process with respect to songwriting and instrumentation on this new record? I saw the video where it looks like you are playing guitar and piano.

My Dad and I have collaborated on lyrics for some of the newer songs. Lots of the songs from the second album were based on things I was experiencing at the time. He knew if he turned my anecdotes into songs, I could own them when I sang. We’ve got a new co-written song called “Battle Days” which is a sweet, “I’ll follow the sun”/Leonard Cohen/ Beatles-y ballad, with half the lyrics in French, which I’ve studied for 7 years now.

In the video for “Raise High The Roof Beam Carpenter,” I sat down at that piano and accidentally blonked out that chord while the camera was rolling so Dad threw it on the album track. He writes and plays almost everything you hear, like 90% of it, and I interpret what he writes. I intend to write a bit more of my own going forward, but he’s been doing this since he was 10. It might take me a little while to catch up to him.

Have you and your Dad played out live with Chris since the first album was released?

Chris Stiles was a high school friend of my Dad’s and they hooked up after decades, and jammed a bit for old time’s sake. Chris had those opening chords for “Ready To Go”, and Dad, who’d been kicking around the idea of a freak-folk song collection, went home and finished it off in a Fairport Convention style for me to sing, which I’d never done before at that point. Chris and Daddy worked like that for about half the 1st album; a few chords from Chris, Daddy finishing it off. Pretty soon we had a whole album, but Chris wasn’t able to commit much time to it from the very beginning; he’s had a full time job and family to deal with, and since music is just a hobby for him, he basically bowed out. Dad and I have done about 17 shows “unplugged” locally and been invited to do some pretty amazing shows in the UK; like a 500 year old Royal Observatory! But until I graduate in May, touring is problematic. Once I graduate, look out!

What are your favorite tracks on the new album? What was the hardest song to record?

I like them all, but I get visibly giddy when I listen to “Time to Make Up For;” the instruments are so playful. I love the majesty of “Beaus and Arrows,” and the string arrangement my Dad came up with for it is amazing. I also love the melody and lyrics to “Why do you Dive so Deep in Beauty.” My Dad sings that one, and when I hear it my soul smiles.

Hardest to record? Probably “Woman From Walkern,” I have allergies and they always hit when I’m back home. “Woman” was sung through a handful of tissues! I also really, really like “Raise High The Roof Beam Carpenter”, which my Dad wrote when he was 21. He likes to say, “I had to wait 30 years for another 21 year old to sing it properly”.

“In Between Girl” was written in about 15 minutes while we were recording my vocals on something else. We love Sixties pop music in general; that’s a favorite and Dad wrote “Time To Make Up For” about me and my boyfriend. A sweet song.

Do you only work on Daisy House when you’re home on school vacation, or do you have ideas you communicate with Doug as they come to mind?

No, we’re always swapping song ideas and Youtube videos. My musical education never ends, and I don’t think we’ve had more than three conversations in the last few years that didn’t at least touch on music. We talk all the time about it, even when I’ve been away overseas.

What has been your biggest influence musically and artistically?

The Sixties (and the folkies, also present in the Seventies). I love the sounds of the Sixties. I love the enthusiasm and the freedom they had to be playful and innovative that I hear in things like Sandy Denny and Joni Mitchell especially, but also in Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Merry Go Round, The Association, The Left Banke etc. I like the fact that experimentation was more ubiquitous in pop culture. Creativity and “weirdness” and “music for music sake” seemed to be more encouraged back then by record labels.

I think that creativity is coming back today, though. I think there are a lot of people turning away from over-commodified music, and a renewed search for what feels more like “authentic art and expression.”

Do film and literature ever come into play as an influence? It appears so since your song “Raise High the Roof Beam Carpenter” is a J.D. Salinger title.

Definitely. “Raise High” is an old song of my Dad’s. It’s his nod to Dylan. We like to give our songs lots of richness, so if any art form inspires us, some of its mojo will go into our work. Folk tales are also a really good starting point for cool spooky things. So the Child Ballads and other old stories are inspiration for a lot of our folkier numbers (“Two Sisters,” “Why do you Dive”, “Emma”, “The Woman From Walkern”, “Beaus And Arrows”). Most of them have either a folk tale feel or were adapted. You may also notice we reference Cain and Abel in “Beaus and Arrows,” which is possibly one of my favorite songs on the album, and definitely our richest, in terms of its epic sound and story. The Bible, like folk tales, has big sin, big mystery, and big poetry in it. There’s nothing out of bounds for what we do.

Besides conquering the world, what would you like to see happen with Daisy House?

More radio. More press. More shows. More videos. When I think of Daisy House “conquering the world,” I think of our songs reaching across the world and I imagine people I’ve never met smiling the way I do when I hear these songs. I also think it would be nice to have the opportunity to inspire kids coming up, the way I’ve been inspired, to explore wit and creativity, rather than accepting conformity to a standard that tells girls they have to get breast implants and tattoos and be “transgressive” or something like that. I’d like our music to remind people that you don’t have to get things “perfect”, that the boundaries of life and self-expression are much wider than currently understood.

What can fans look forward to with upcoming musical works?

TH: I think after the first album, we had come up with a solid folk-rock template, so we developed that theme a bit further on “Beaus And Arrows”. We had a lot of fun playing with hybrid folk/pop themes, so there’s “molten-folk” as my Dad calls it on “What’s Your Time Bought?”, 60’s folk go-go on “In Between Girl”, Baroque-folk… you get the idea.

We really enjoyed making the pop stuff on B&A so I think we may be ready to drop our “El Camino”. I’d rather become the first “Daisy House”, instead of the next Mumford, and do for Folk-Rock/60’s Pop what the Black Keys did for blues-rock and the White Stripes did for mid-Sixties British invasion/Garage rock. We go to sources like they did, but it’s a slightly different vein of forgotten greatness that we mine that translates to modern kids as something fresh. Daisy House is generous music, and very old school at heart. Who knows? It might even be revolutionary.

Bozmo "Leather Umbrella"

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

"Leather Umbrella" is an extremely appealing second album from Berkeley native Bo Moore, which combines a nice, lo-fi Velvet Underground vibe, with just the right amount of shaggy, sunny psychedelia to ensure that it's all about the tune rather than the drone.

Moore's tunes aren't retro just for the sake of it either - each song is appropriately attired according to its needs, whether that be the winsomely multilayered psychedelic pop of the title track, or the more Pavement-like swagger of "Wig Strut".

And while this grab bag of influences may sound a bit messy on paper, Moore has a strong enough identity of his own to never get swamped by whomever he's channeling.

Highlights are numerous - initially I was drawn to the opening one -two of "Sad Bishop" (Beatlesque tape loops and mellotrons included) and "Leather Umbrella", but I've become increasingly attached to the strong middle section with "In a Dream" (a beautiful, reverb dranched garage pop ballad that reaches back to the late fifties), the unhealthily addictive "Perry & The Vest", and particularly "Cheap Blue Memory" which is blessed with a melody that draws on my deepest reserves of melancholy, in a way that few other than Elliott Smith can do. Come to think of it, the closing stretch is pretty solid too.

If you're a Burger, Trouble in Mind or Lolipop Records disciple, you'll need this.

Digital and cassette available here:

Mark Alan Lofgren "The Past Perfect"

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

It's taken founding Luck of Eden Hall member Mark Alan Lofgren twenty years to get around to putting together his first solo release, and it has something about it that suggests that it has been a labour of love.

The vintage psychedelic tendencies of the Luck of Eden Hall are dialed way back here, with more of a latent neo-psychedelic vibe that manifests as hazy, out of focus vocals and fuzzy guitars with a vaguely shoegaze / alternative edge that suggest early Smashing Pumpkins and Dinosaur Jr as much as Ride and Slowdive. Lofgren's production is impeccable, with added layers of keyboards creating a warm cocoon of sound which, coupled with vocals that often sound just out of reach, results in an album with the epic peaks of the likes of "Souvlaki", but also a sense of intimacy that can only come from a solo project.

The strength of Lofgren's songcraft is the key element here that lifts this above simply being an album that sounds great. "A Life Electric" and "Never Coming Back" are direct but elusive little gems with inviting earworm hooks that go about their business without relying on a big, obvious chorus, when a subtle invitation is much more inviting. And that in a nutshell is the (considerable) appeal of "The Past Perfect" - the chorus you're expecting to arrive never does, and on the next listen you realise that the hooks you were looking for in all of the normal places were there all along, just in unfamiliar guises.

This is a habit forming, and gorgeous album that repays repeat listens exponentially. Highly recommended.

Digital download, stream, and limited edition CD available here:

"Bowie Heard Them Here First"

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

Expecting little more than the source material for "Pinups", with the odd extra thrown in, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this is the a particularly well thought out, chronological collection, which delves deep, and does a startling job of illustrating the pool of influences (particularly early on) that once mixed and refined, would yield the classic Ziggy Stardust sound.

The title concept is occasionally treated loosely (I suspect Bowie is more likely to have first heard Scott Walker's version of "Amsterdam", before working his way back to the live Brel version included here), but the track selection is largely inspired. Notable absences such as Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and Neil Young (presumably down to the expense of licensing) largely work in the collection's favour, especially when considering it as an educational tool, as well as an entertaining collection in its own right.

Stretching back as far as his days with the Manish Boys (Bobby Bland's "I Pity The Fool", early highlights are provided by Biff Rose's "Fill Your Heart",which Bowie and producer Ken Scott seem to have used as a template for the mellower, spacious production of "Hunky Dory", and The Mersey's "Sorrow", the original of which is likely to be unheard by the majority of my generation, and is surprisingly beaty and brassy compared to Bowie's approach.

After the "Pinups" material the approach becomes more eclectic (as did Bowie's approach to making music), making the second half a more disjointed listen, but with plenty of inspiration still, including a few tracks that casual listeners may not have realised weren't Bowie originals (Tom Verlaine's "Kingdom Come" and Metro's "Criminal World (with great guitar work which predicts David Gilmour's playing on "Keep Talking")), as well as the Walker Brothers' classic "Nite Flights", the Pixies, the Modern Lovers, and a potentially divisive closer in "I Took A Trip (On A Gemini Spaceship)". Originally by infamous outsider music character the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, its stoned Johnny Cash sci-fi/rockabilly drawl veers unpredictably between the ridiculous and the sublime.

All in all, a very interesting collection that highlights Bowie's skills as an accumulator as well as an innovator.

Available here.