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My 174 favourite albums of 2017

John Mulvey
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My 174 favourite albums of 2017

Chronic underachieving here maybe, since I’ve only managed to find 163 albums I liked in 2017 for this year’s list; one down on my 2016 total. I’m sure many of you find implausible the idea of so many new albums being worth a listen. But as usual, I think it’s really important to share enthusiasms, to give a platform to a wealth of music that might not always be getting much attention in other end-of-year round-ups.

I can’t pretend that every album here will be acknowledged as a classic in 20 years’ time. But the richness and possibilities of a vast musical world still seems worth celebrating in the here and now, even while plenty of other commentators around my age seem so keen to claim that creativity has dried up, rock is dead, or whatever. Please note that this is very much a personal list, and that the official Uncut countdown, compiled from the charts of 40-odd key contributors, can be found in the current issue of Uncut.

I doubt I’m done with this yet, and so if I discover anything else I like in the next few weeks I’ll add them to the list: the Robert Stillman album only turned up the other day, for instance – glad I got to squeeze that in. I’ll resist fucking about with the order, since it’s obviously mostly arbitrary, and because I’ve flipped numbers one and two a few times too many in the past week; enough.

Thanks for your patience and indulgence – I hope, as ever, I can lead you to some interesting music as a consequence of all this…

UPDATE: As of December 19, I’ve found another 11 good ones. Here’s my amended list…

174 El Michels Affair – Return To The 37th Chamber (Big Crown)

173 Ifriqiyya Electrique – Rûwâhîne’ (Glitterbeat)

172 Gospelbeach – Another Summer Of Love (Alive Naturalsound)

171 The Heliocentrics – A World Of Masks (Soundway)

170 Mountain Movers – Mountain Movers (Trouble In Mind)

169 Peacers – Introducing The Crimsmen (Drag City)

168 Peter Oren – Anthropocene (Western Vinyl)

167 The Magnetic Fields – 50 Song Memoir (Nonesuch)

166 Ka Baird – Sapropelic Pycnic (Drag City)

165 Visible Cloaks – Reassemblage (RVNG INTL)

164 Alasdair Roberts – Pangs (Drag City)

163 NERD – No One Ever Really Dies (Columbia)

162 Shannon Lay – Living Water (Mare/Woodsist)

161 Anna St Louis – First Songs (Mare/Woodsist)

160 The Frightnrs – More To Say Versions (Daptone)

159 David Grubbs – Creep Mission (Blue Chopsticks)

158 Dead Rider – Crew Licks (Drag City)

157 Robert Finley – Goin’ Platinum (Easy Eye Sound)

156 Richard Osborn – Endless (Tompkins Square)

155 Shabazz Palaces – Quazarz: Born On A Gangster Starr/Quazarz Vs The Jealous Machines (Sub Pop)

154 Bill Orcutt – Bill Orcutt (Palilalia)

153 Joseph Shabason – Aytche (Western Vinyl)

152 Laraaji – Bring On The Sun (All Saints)

151 Sam Amidon – The Following Mountain (Nonesuch)

150 Charlotte Gainsbourg – Rest (Because)

149 Astrïd & Rachel Grimes – Through The Sparkle (Gizeh)

148 Laura Marling – Semper Femina (More Alarming/Kobalt)

147 Omar Souleyman – To Syria, With Love (Mad Decent/Because)

146 Orpheo McCord – Recovery Inhale (Bandcamp)

145 Mind Over Mirrors – Undying Color (Paradise of Bachelors)

144 Matt Jencik – Weird Times (Hands In The Dark)

143 Juana Molina – Halo (Crammed Discs)

142 Bargou 08 – Targ (Glitterbeat)

141 Neil Young & Promise Of The Real – The Visitor (Reprise)

140 Blanck Mass – World Eater (Sacred Bones)

139 Hologram Teen – Between The Funk And The Fear (Polytechnic Youth)

138 David Nance – Negative Boogie (Ba Da Bing)

137 Downtown Boys – Cost Of Living (Sub Pop)

136 Big Thief – Capacity (Saddle Creek)

135 Nick Hakim – Green Twins (ATO)

134 Sampha – Process (XL)

133 Angelo De Augustine – Swim Inside The Moon (Asthmatic Kitty)

132 Kate Carr – The Story Surrounds Us (Helen Scarsdale)

131 Filthy Friends – Invitation (Kill Rock Stars)

130 Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – Best Troubador (Domino)

129 Mapache – Mapache (Spiritual Pajamas)

128 Rhiannon Giddens – Freedom Highway (Nonesuch)

127 Jeff Tweedy – Together At Last (dBpm)

126 Como Mamas – Move Upstairs (Daptone)

125 Julie Byrne – Not Even Happiness (Basin Rock)

124 Colleen – A Flame My Love, A Frequency (Thrill Jockey)

123 Girl Ray – Earl Grey (Moshi Moshi)

122 Kelela – Take Me Apart (Warp)

121 Nadia Reid – Preservation (Basin Rock)

120 Robert Haigh – Creatures Of The Deep (Unseen Worlds)

119 Tamikrest – Kidal (Glitterbeat)

118 Gospel Of Mars – Gospel Of Mars (Amish)

117 Antibalas – Where The Gods Are In Peace (Daptone)

116 Queens Of The Stone Age – Villains (Matador)

115 Mark Eitzel – Hey Mr Ferryman (Décor)

114 SZA – Ctrl (Top Dawg)

113 Anjou – Epithymia (Kranky)

112 King Gizzard – Flying Microtonal Banana (Heavenly)

111 Alvarius B – With A Beaker On The Burner And An Otter In The Oven (Abduction)

110 The Feelies – In Between (Bar/None)

109 Zimpel/Ziołek – Zimpel/Ziołek (Instant Classic)

108 Thurston Moore – Rock’n’Roll Consciousness (Caroline)

107 Mavis Staples – If All I Was Was Black (Anti-)

106 Jaimie Branch – Fly Or Die (International Anthem)

105 On Fillmore – Happiness Of Living (Northern Spy)

104 Woods – Love Is Love (Woodsist)

103 Julia Holter – In The Same Room (Domino)

102 Trio Da Kali & The Kronos Quartet – Ladilikan (World Circuit)

101 Kevin Morby – City Music (Dead Oceans)

100 Fever Ray – Plunge (Rabid)

99 Tootard – Laissez Passer (Glitterbeat)

98 Kevin Drumm – October(Early Warning) (Bandcamp)

97 Gregg Kowalsky – L’Orange L’Orange (Mexican Summer)

96 Jen Cloher – Jen Cloher (Milk)

95 Thundercat – Drunk (Brainfeeder)

94 Zombie Zombie – Livity (Versatile)

93 Feist – Pleasure (Polydor)

92 Seabuckthorn – Turns (Lost Tribe Sound)

91 The Dream Syndicate – How Did I Find Myself Here (Anti-)

90 Prana Crafter – MindStreamBlessing (Eiderdown)

89 Oh Sees – Orc (Castle Face)

88 Bjork – Utopia (One Little Indian)

87 Goran Kajfes Subtropic Arkestra – The Reason Why Volume 3 (Headspin)

86 Elkhorn – The Black River (Debacle)

85 Jlin – Black Origami (Planet Mu)

84 Les Filles De Illighadad – Eghass Malan (Sahel Sounds)

83 Jay-Z – 4:44 (Roc Nation)

82 The Deslondes – Hurry Home (New West)

81 Circuit Des Yeux – Reaching For Indigo (Drag City)

80 Bedouine – Bedouine (Spacebomb)

79 Frozen Corn – Frozen Corn (Idea)

78 SAICOBAB – Sab Se Purani Bab (Thrill Jockey)

77 Bibio – Phantom Brickworks (Warp)

76 Heron Oblivion – The Chapel (Self-Released)

75 Various Artists – The Hired Hands: A Tribute To Bruce Langhorne (Scissor Tail/Bandcamp)

74 Prins Thomas – Prins Thomas 5 (Prins Thomas Musikk)

73 Man Forever – Play What They Want (Thrill Jockey)

72 Širom – I Can Be A Clay Snapper (Tak:til)

71 Thor & Friends – The Subversive Nature Of Kindness (Living Music Duplication)

70 House And Land – House And Land (Thrill Jockey)

69 Robert Stillman – Portals (Orindal)

68 Dean McPhee – Four Stones (Hood Faire)

67 Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – Soul Of A Woman (Dap-Tone)

66 Art Feynman – Blast Off Through The Wicker (Western Vinyl)

65 Wand – Plum (Drag City)

64 Feral Ohms – Feral Ohms (Silver Current)

63 Lindstrøm – It’s Alright Between Us (Smalltown Supersound)

62 Six Organs Of Admittance – Burning The Threshold (Drag City)

61 Bill MacKay – Esker (Drag City)

60 Brokeback – Illinois River Valley Blues (Thrill Jockey)

59 William Basinski – A Shadow In Time (Temporary Residence)

58 Alexander – Alexander (No Label)

57 Vince Staples – Big Fish Theory (Def Jam)

56 Ron Gallo – Heavy Meta (New West)

55 Aldous Harding – Party (4AD)

54 The Cairo Gang – Untouchable (God?/Drag City)

53 Daphni – Fabric Live 93: Daphni (Fabric)

52 Tinariwen – Elwan (Anti-)

51 Laura Baird – I Wish I Were A Sparrow (Ba Da Bing)

50 Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith – The Kid (Western Vinyl)

49 James Elkington – Wintres Woma (Paradise Of Bachelors)

48 Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile – Lotta Sea Lice (Marathon/Matador)

47 Zara McFarlane – Arise (Brownwood)

46 Claire M Singer – Fairge (Touch)

45 Wet Tuna – Livin’ The Die (Feeding Tube/Child Of Microtones)

44 Grizzly Bear – Painted Ruins (RCA)

43 Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires – Youth Detention (Don Giovanni)

42 David Rawlings – Poor David’s Almanack (Acony)

41 Nicole Mitchell – Mandorla Awakening II: Emerging Worlds (FPE)

40 Beast – Volume One/Volume Two (Pre-Echo Press)

39 Saz’Iso – At Least Wave Your Handkerchief At Me: The Joys And Sorrows of Southern Albanian Song (Glitterbeat)

38 Ty Segall – Ty Segall (Drag City)

37 Margo Price – All American Made (Third Man)

36 Träd, Gräs Och Stenar – Tack För Kaffet (Thanks For The Coffee) (Subliminal Sounds)

35 Tomaga – Memory In Vivo Exposure (Hands In The Dark)

34 Arbouretum – Song Of The Rose (Thrill Jockey)

33 Brooklyn Raga Massive– Terry Riley’s In C (Northern Spy)

32 James Holden & The Animal Spirits – The Animal Spirits (Border Community)

31 Chris Robinson Brotherhood – Barefoot In The Head (Silver Arrow)

30 LCD Soundsystem – American Dream (Columbia)

29 Fleet Foxes – Crack-Up (Nonesuch)

28 Bill MacKay & Rykey Walker – Spiderbeetlebee (Drag City)

27 Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band – Adios Senor Pussycat (Violette)

26 Chuck Johnson – Balsams (VDSQ)

25 Gas – Narkopop (Kompakt)

24 Michael Chapman – 50 (Paradise Of Bachelors)

23 Brian Eno – Reflection (Warp)

22 Amir ElSaffar/Rivers Of Sound – Not Two (New Amsterdam)

21 Floating Points – Reflections: Mojave Deser (Pluto)

20 Anthony Pasquarosa With John Moloney – My Pharaoh, My King (Feeding Tube)

19 Rick Tomlinson – Phases Of Daylight (Voix)

18 Kendrick Lamar – DAMN. (Top Dawg)

17 Four Tet – New Energy (Text)

16 Hans Chew – Open Sea (At The Helm)

15 Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – The French Press (Sub Pop)

14 Gunn-Truscinski Duo – Bay Head (Three Lobed Recordings)

13 The Necks – Unfold (Ideologic Organ/Editions Mego)

12 Wooden Wand – Clipper Ship (Three Lobed Recordings)

11 Endless Boogie – Vibe Killer (No Quarter)

10 Kamasi Washington – Harmony Of Difference (Young Turks)

9 Jake Xerxes Fussell – What In The Natural World (Paradise Of Bachelors)

8 Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band – Dreaming In The Non-Dream (No Quarter)

7 Hurray For The Riff Raff – The Navigator (ATO)

6 Joan Shelley – Joan Shelley (No Quarter)

5 Psychic Temple – Psychic Temple IV (Joyful Noise)

4 The Weather Station – The Weather Station (Paradise Of Bachelors)

3 Hiss Golden Messenger – Hallelujah Anyhow (Merge)

2 Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society – Simultonality (tak:til/Glitterbeat/Eremite)

1 Bitchin Bajas – Bajas Fresh (Drag City)

Hüsker Dü – Savage Young Dü

Louis Pattison
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Hüsker Dü – Savage Young Dü

The last two decades have been open season for the band reunion, a phenomenon that has seen all manner of broken relationships and battered egos salved by the prospect of lucrative comeback tours and a thriving reissue market eager for new ways to package the past. For all this, there have been a few holdouts, groups for whom no cheque could paper over the cracks. The Smiths, for one. Talking Heads, another. And of course Hüsker Dü, the prolific Minnesota punk rock trio whose collapse on the road in 1988 after nine years and six furious albums amounted to one of the most acrimonious splits in rock.

In the years hence, the trio continued with new projects – most notably, Bob Mould’s Sugar, a sleek, commercially solvent update on the Hüsker Dü template, and a string of solo albums from drummer and co-vocalist Grant Hart that explored bold conceptual realms (2013’s The Argument was inspired by Milton’s Paradise Lost). There was the briefest of reunions in 2004, when Mould and Hart came together at a benefit concert for Karl Mueller of Soul Asylum, playing a couple of Hüsker Dü songs, before informing the audience not to hold their breath for more. But the promise of a Hüskers reunion was never entirely dispelled, and the news in 2015 that Mould, Hart and bassist Greg Norton had opened collective communications – if only to sell T-shirts from an official website – raised hopes anew.

Any lingering ‘what if?’ was blotted out forever in September, when Hart succumbed to a battle with liver cancer. It is difficult to imagine Hüsker Dü lacking any of its three core members, but in particular, the dynamic between its two songwriters is the fulcrum the band revolved on: Mould, intense and buttoned-down, his songs caustic and bitter; Hart, hippyish and energetic, with a generous melodic sense and a taste for raw, confessional songwriting. If their relationship could sometimes feel competitive, a sort of Lennon/McCartney one-upmanship, it certainly worked in the service of the songs. “You hear some live bootlegs, and Bob and I are working so hard to outshine each other that it just lifts the whole thing off the ground with peace and wonderfulness,” Hart told The AV Club in 2000.

Just two months on from Hart’s death comes Savage Young Dü. A 69-track boxset collecting freshly remastered and largely unheard music from Hüsker Dü’s first five years, it captures the group in first flush, evolving from green teenage punks rehearsing in the basement of St Paul record store Northern Lights into a savagely tight and notoriously fast power trio, cutting a swathe through clubs across North America. That Hüsker Dü were real road dogs is sometimes forgotten, but a thorough hardcover book packaged with the box lays out their hectic live schedule through tour dates and a wealth of photos and hand-written flyers –countless support slots at Minneapolis venues, extensive sorties along the West Coast, all the way down to Texas and all the way up to Canada. Some hardcore bands were strictly local heroes, but not Hüsker Dü. Like Black Flag before them, they were DIY networkers, building their reputation and honing their sound out there on the road.

So what’s here? Of the familiar stuff, we have the group’s debut single, “Statues/Amusement”, the A-side an uncharacteristically slow post-punk lurk with spiky Keith Levene-style guitars; a newly mixed recording of second single “In A Free Land”, warp-speed hardcore with a thrilling anti-authority vocal from Mould; and the group’s debut studio album Everything Falls Apart, a 12-track charge that sometimes holds tight to the hardcore template (“Bricklayer”, “Afraid Of Being Wrong”) but throws in some wild cards along the way. The title track buries a brilliant array of melodies amidst its mopey, greyscale guitars, while a surprising cover of Donovan’s “Sunshine Superman” is played not for the hyucks, but for the hooks. Careful remastering throughout makes the melodies crisper and the noise crunchier.

And what’s new? Primarily, there’s a new take on the group’s 1981 live album Land Speed Record. Like the original, it’s taken straight from the soundboard at Minneapolis venue 7th Street Entry. But this take was recorded a couple of weeks later, with Hüsker Dü fresh from a tour that saw them play bills with a stack of hardcore groups from up and down the West Coast. Land Speed Record was already fast – the title says it all – but here you can hear the trio pushing themselves further and further, faster and faster, keeping it together even as they dare the songs to fall apart. There are hints, too, of a musical scope reaching beyond that of their punk peers. “It’s like free jazz,” Hart says in the sleevenotes. “When you listen to the whole thing – the gestalt of the thing – there’s Bengali music, Indian music, because we were able to get this raga thing happening. That’s part of what people say was our unique hardcore sound.”

Elsewhere, there is valuable live and rehearsal material, much of it taken from the archive of the band’s live sound engineer, Terry Katzman. An early show recorded at Minneapolis venue Jay’s Longhorn captures the group in vestigial form – the Norton-sung “You’re So Obtuse” might be considered new wave, if it wasn’t for Hart’s chaotic drum batteries, while an appropriately bug-eyed song called “Insects Rule The World” closes with a great Hart public service announcement: “We’re not the most professional band in the Twin Cities… we have fun though…” An early 1980 session spawns a breathless take on Johnny Thunders standard “Chinese Rocks”, while lost Mould originals like “Stick It To Me” show how the group were exploring pensive, introspective material in rehearsal, even as their live shows were gaining in speed and intensity.

But probably the most thrilling material comes towards the box’s close. Live takes on “Real World”, “It’s Not Funny Anymore”, “Out On A Limb” and Hart’s harrowing serial killer fable “Diane” – all of which would appear on the band’s debut release for SST, Metal Church – mark the band truly arriving at their signature sound: a raging tug-of-war between the fulsome melodies and thematic broadness of classic rock, and the pent-up range and pedal-to-the-metal pacing of hardcore punk. There is the slight sense that Savage Young Dü cuts out just as things are getting good, but that’s more than countered by the quantity of material here, and the promise of what else might be to come.

That Savage Young Dü exists at all is surely in large part to do with Hart. When Ken Shipley at Numero Group first contacted him about piecing together Hüsker Dü reissues back in 2010, the drummer was initially sceptical, but his increasing enthusiasm for the project proved crucial, even as his illness sapped his energy. “When plans were made to fly out to the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle to pour through his archives, he wanted to join,” recalled Shipley. “But when it came time to go, he suddenly cooled to the idea and withdrew from the project entirely. ‘Can you get it out before I go?’ he asked.” It was not to be, but Savage Young Dü stands as some testament to his wild, energetic creativity, and the protean energy of the band that first brought his songs to the world.

The January 2018 issue of Uncut is now on sale in the UK – with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. We also celebrate the best of the last 12 months with our Ultimate Review Of 2017 – featuring the best albums, reissues, films and books of the year. Elsewhere in the issue, there are new interviews with LCD Soundsystem, Bjork, The Weather Station, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Mavis Staples and more. Our free 15 track-CD celebrates the best music from 2017.

Watch Neil Young’s hometown acoustic concert

Michael Bonner
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Watch Neil Young’s hometown acoustic concert

Neil Young played a solo acoustic show in his hometown of Omemee on December 1.

The occasion was the launch of his latest album, The Visitor, as well as the opening of his online archives.

The invite-only event took place in the town’s Coronation Hall, a small venue which seats about 225 people.

Titled Somewhere In Canada, the concert was livestreamed by CTV on various platforms, including CTV.ca, iHeartRadio.ca and on Facebook outside Canada.

You can watch the entire concert by clicking here.

No public tickets were available for the show, which will be mostly attended by friends and family of the singer, as well as contest winners. Proceeds from the show are reportedly to be donated to the local Scott Young Public School, named after Neil’s father.

The set contained a number of surprised. “Tumbleweed” got only its second-ever outing while “I’m Glad I Found You” has only been played live on five previous occasions, during the solo tour of 2014.

The rarest track Young performed was the Harvest track, “There’s A World“, which he hasn’t performed live since 1971. It was only the song’s 8th performance.

Neil Young’s set list from December 1, 2017. Coronation Hall, Omemee, Ontario, Canada:

Comes A Time
Love Is A Rose
Journey Through The Past
Long May You Run
I’m Glad I Found You
Tumbleweed
Old Man
Old King
Someday
There’s A World
Stand Tall
War Of Man
Don’t Be Denied
Helpless
Heart Of Gold
—
One Of These Days
Mother Earth (Natural Anthem)
Sugar Mountain

The January 2018 issue of Uncut is now on sale in the UK – with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. We also celebrate the best of the last 12 months with our Ultimate Review Of 2017 – featuring the best albums, reissues, films and books of the year. Elsewhere in the issue, there are new interviews with LCD Soundsystem, Bjork, The Weather Station, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Mavis Staples and more. Our free 15 track-CD celebrates the best music from 2017.

Watch The National’s new video for “Dark Side Of The Gym”

Michael Bonner
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Watch The National’s new video for “Dark Side Of The Gym”

The National have released the video for “Dark Side Of The Gym“.

The video was directed, choreographed and stars NYC Ballet resident choreographer and soloist Justin Peck and former Miami City Ballet principal dancer Patricia Delgado.

The track is taken from their current album, Sleep Well Beast, which has recently received Grammy nominations for Best Alternative Music Album and Best Recording Package.

The National headline the inaugural All Points East festival on Saturday, June 2 at London’s Victoria Park, alongside special guests The War On Drugs, Future Islands, The Districts, Warpaint and more to be announced.

The January 2018 issue of Uncut is now on sale in the UK – with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. We also celebrate the best of the last 12 months with our Ultimate Review Of 2017 – featuring the best albums, reissues, films and books of the year. Elsewhere in the issue, there are new interviews with LCD Soundsystem, Bjork, The Weather Station, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Mavis Staples and more. Our free 15 track-CD celebrates the best music from 2017.

Hear Graham Coxon’s new song, “Falling”

Michael Bonner
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Hear Graham Coxon’s new song, “Falling”

Graham Coxon has released a new song, “Falling“.

Part of the proceeds of the song will go to the Campaign Against Living Miserably, an organisation dedicated to suicide prevention.

The song will be available from Parlophone on digital download from December 1 and as a limited edition 7” vinyl on December 15.

“Falling” was written by songwriter Luke Daniel, a songwriter and friend of Coxon’s, who tragically ended his own life last year following a battle with chronic pain. Coxon’s version of the track features on a double A side, which includes Luke’s original home recording.

The January 2018 issue of Uncut is now on sale in the UK – with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. We also celebrate the best of the last 12 months with our Ultimate Review Of 2017 – featuring the best albums, reissues, films and books of the year. Elsewhere in the issue, there are new interviews with LCD Soundsystem, Bjork, The Weather Station, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Mavis Staples and more. Our free 15 track-CD celebrates the best music from 2017.

Watch Morrissey’s new video for “Jacky’s Only Happy When She’s Up On The Stage”

Michael Bonner
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Watch Morrissey’s new video for “Jacky’s Only Happy When She’s Up On The Stage”

Morrissey has released a video for “Jacky’s Only Happy When She’s Up On The Stage“.

The track is taken from his new album, Low In High School.

Morrissey tour dates for early next year are:

February 16th – Aberdeen, BHGE Arena
February 17th – Glasgow, The SSE Hydro
February 20th – Dublin, 3Arena
February 23rd – Newcastle, Metro Arena Arena
February 24th – Leeds, First Direct Arena
February 27th – Birmingham, Genting Arena
March 1st – London, Brixton Academy
March 3rd – Brighton, Brighton Centre SOLD OUT
March 7th – London, Royal Albert Hall SOLD OUT
March 9th – London, Alexandra Palace SOLD OUT
March 10th – London, London Palladium SOLDOUT

The January 2018 issue of Uncut is now on sale in the UK – with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. We also celebrate the best of the last 12 months with our Ultimate Review Of 2017 – featuring the best albums, reissues, films and books of the year. Elsewhere in the issue, there are new interviews with LCD Soundsystem, Bjork, The Weather Station, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Mavis Staples and more. Our free 15 track-CD celebrates the best music from 2017.

Stick In The Wheel share new song, “Follow Them True”

Michael Bonner
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Stick In The Wheel share new song, “Follow Them True”

Stick In The Wheel have shared the title song from their forthcoming album, Follow Them True.

The East London five-piece release Follow Them True, their second album, on January 26.

The band play London’s Rough Trade East on December 21 and follow the album’s release with a full tour running through February to April.

Stick In The Wheel play:

December 21 – London @ Rough Trade East
January 20 – Glasgow @ Celtic Connections: Oran Mor
February 2 – Doncaster @ Roots
February 3 – Kendal @ Brewery Arts Centre
February 8 – London @ Borderline
February 9 – Basingstoke @ The Forge: The Anvil
February 10 – Widcombe Bath @ Wharf Room
March 2 – Edinburgh
March 3 – Sheffield @ Greystones
March 4 – Liverpool @ Philharmonic Hall
March 10 – Bury @ The Met
March 11 – Halifax @ Square Chapel
March 29 – Colchester @ Colchester Arts Centre
April 6 – Sevenoaks @ St Ediths Hall
April 7 – Aldershot @ West End Centre

The January 2018 issue of Uncut is now on sale in the UK – with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. We also celebrate the best of the last 12 months with our Ultimate Review Of 2017 – featuring the best albums, reissues, films and books of the year. Elsewhere in the issue, there are new interviews with LCD Soundsystem, Bjork, The Weather Station, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Mavis Staples and more. Our free 15 track-CD celebrates the best music from 2017.

The 45th Uncut Playlist Of 2017

John Mulvey
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The 45th Uncut Playlist Of 2017

Working from home today, which means thus far I’ve played a long Dead mix by Tyler Wilcox consisting entirely of different versions of “Fire On The Mountain”, then the lovely new Robert Stillman album, which sounds a bit like a raggedy Terry Riley, three times in a row.

Wish I could find you something from the Tomaga record which has been hogging the list these past weeks, but new, recommended and accessible here: yet another Ty Segall single; a couple of Wooden Wand songs that have just surfaced from the Clipper Ship sessions; heavy jams from Carlton Melton; and further attention to the Khan Jamal reissue and the Solar Motel spin-off, Desertion Trio, both of which rule.

Follow me on Twitter @JohnRMulvey

1 Tomaga – Memory In Vivo Exposure (Hands In The Dark)

2 Brigid Mae Power – The Two Worlds (Tompkins Square)

3 Alexander – Alexander (No Label)

Alexander (preview) by alexander

4 Desertion Trio – Midtown Tilt (Shhpuma/Clean Feed)

5 Khan Jamal Creative Arts Ensemble – Drum Dance To The Motherland (Eremite)

Drum Dance to the Motherland by Khan Jamal Creative Arts Ensemble

6 Fela Kuti – Vinyl Box Set #4 Curated By Erykah Badu (Knitting Factory)

7 Joan As Police Woman – Damned Devotion (Play It Again Sam)

8 Tom Petty – Wildflowers (Warner Bros)

9 Tyler Childers – Purgatory (Thirty Tigers)

10 Ty Segall – The Main Pretender (Drag City)

The Main Pretender by Ty Segall

11 Alela Diane – Cusp (Believe)

12 Red River Dialect – Broken Stay Open Sky (Paradise Of Bachelors)

13 Wooden Wand – Aurora (Bandcamp)

Aurora – digital single by Wooden Wand

14 Xylouris White – Mother (Bella Union)

15 Carlton Melton – Mind Minerals (Agitated)

16 Bitchin Bajas – Bajas Fresh (Drag City)

Bajas Fresh by Bitchin Bajas

17 Joan Shelley – Joan Shelley (No Quarter)

18 Anthony Pasquarosa With John Moloney – My Pharaoh, My King (Feeding Tube)

19 Träd, Gräs Och Stenar – Tack För Kaffet (Thanks For The Coffee) (Subliminal Sounds)

20 YoshimiO/Susie Ibarra/Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe – Flower Of Sulphur (Thrill Jockey)

21 Bruce Springsteen The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle (Columbia)

22 The Lightmen – Free As You Wanna Be (Now Again)

23 Pauline Anna Strom – Trans-Millenia Music (RVNG INTL)

Trans-Millenia Music by Pauline Anna Strom

24 The Grateful Dead – Almost Ablaze (Doom And Gloom From The Tomb)

25 Robert Stillman – Portals (Orindal)

Portals by Robert Stillman

Kris Kristofferson to celebrate his 82nd birthday at special UK show

Michael Bonner
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Kris Kristofferson to celebrate his 82nd birthday at special UK show

Kris Kristofferson will celebrate his 82nd birthday at special show at Kenwood House in Hampstead.

The show takes place on Friday, June 22 and is part of Heritage Live Concert Series.

On the show, Kristofferson said: “I look forward to coming back to England this summer, and feel pretty blessed to still be doing what I love to do. Performing and turning 82 at the Kenwood House in London will be a real honour.”

Tickets go on sale today to English Heritage members and on general sale on Friday, December 1.

The Heritage Live Concert Series will take place across two weekends in June; other shows will be announced soon.

The January 2018 issue of Uncut is now on sale in the UK – with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. We also celebrate the best of the last 12 months with our Ultimate Review Of 2017 – featuring the best albums, reissues, films and books of the year. Elsewhere in the issue, there are new interviews with LCD Soundsystem, Bjork, The Weather Station, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Mavis Staples and more. Our free 15 track-CD celebrates the best music from 2017.

Neil Young to auction guitars, cars, model trains and more

Michael Bonner
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Neil Young to auction guitars, cars, model trains and more

Neil Young is putting up for auction a huge trove of personal possessions.

These include his collection of model trains, classic cars, guitars, recording gear, clothing and memorabilia.

“Collecting all of these items have been my great joy. They have provided a source of inspiration, fun and creativity throughout my life,” said Young. “Now it is time to share them with others in the world whom I hope will enjoy and love them as much as I have.”

The auction takes place on December 9 at Julien’s Auctions, Los Angeles.

If it’s gear you’re after, the auction includes a 1935 Martin F-7 acoustic guitar (estimate: $6,000-$8,000), a 1965 Gibson ES-345 left handed electric guitar (estimate: $4,000-$6,000), a 1999 Gretsch White Falcon SS (estimate: $3,000-$5,000), sixteen Universal Audio 610 preamp console modules (estimate: $8,000-$10,000) and two Studer A800 Mark III Master recorders known as ‘The Twins’ from Young’s studio (estimate: $10,000-$12,000).

Meanwhile, the car listings contain a 1948 Buick Roadmaster Hearse (estimate: $8,000-$10,000), a 1953 Buick Roadmaster code 76X Skylark Convertible Buick’s 50th anniversary special edition (estimate: $200,000-$300,000) and a 1941 Chrysler Series 28 Windsor Highlander 2-Door 3-Person Coupe (estimate: $15,000-$20,000).

Highlights from the model trains collection include the Lionel 773 New York Central Hudson Factory Prototype locomotive ($10,000-$20,000), the Lionel Western Pacific “1954” Blue Feather Boxcar Factory Prototype (estimate: $5,000-$10,000) and the Lionel Santa Fe “Clear Shell” F-3 locomotive (estimate: $3,000-$5,000).

You can find the full catalogue at Julien’s website.

The catalogue will also be on display from Monday, December 4 to Saturday, December 9 at the auction house on 805 North La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90069.

The January 2018 issue of Uncut is now on sale in the UK – with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. We also celebrate the best of the last 12 months with our Ultimate Review Of 2017 – featuring the best albums, reissues, films and books of the year. Elsewhere in the issue, there are new interviews with LCD Soundsystem, Bjork, The Weather Station, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Mavis Staples and more. Our free 15 track-CD celebrates the best music from 2017.

Introducing… The Beatles: A Life In Pictures

John Mulvey
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Introducing… The Beatles: A Life In Pictures

Another week, another essential new mag from the Uncut stable. Following the success of our David Bowie: A Life In Pictures (which you can still buy here), our next special is The Beatles: A Life In Pictures, an extravaganza of rare and in some cases totally unseen photographs, stylishly presented in a mirrored cover. It goes on sale this Friday in the UK, but you can already order The Beatles: A Life In Pictures from our online shop.

John Robinson, who edited this one, can explain more…

“The Beatles: A Life In Pictures is a lavish tribute to the four lads who shook the world. Fashions come and go, but The Beatles still amaze us with their music.

Fifty years on from their classic album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, their stature is completely undiminished, and this fresh new selection of pictures – many seldom-seen; some previously unpublished – tells their story, and helps to explain some of that enduring appeal.

“Their music was remarkable for its rate of change, and so were the band themselves, taking on new influence, new hairstyles, and whole new outlooks. What didn’t change was the band’s essential personality – throughout their career, they remained as charismatic, intelligent and playful as at they were at the start.

“Theirs were public lives, and yet they only rarely shut the door to the world. In a time of copy approval and scripted reality television, it’s hard to conceive of the level of access The Beatles granted to the world’s press. Their off-the-cuff remarks could be hilarious. Pictures of them taken as they worked on something else entirely can speak volumes.

“A day in the life? This is the life of the Beatles, in 100 pages. From their residencies at disreputable Hamburg clubs, to recording their hits, charming a whole new medium – television – and conquering America, The Beatles: A Life In Pictures brings you closer to John, Paul, George and Ringo.  On each spread, you’ll also find contemporary remarks from the Beatles themselves and their associates, selected from the archives of NME and Melody Maker.

“Step right this way…”

Reviewed! The Rolling Stones – On Air

Michael Bonner
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Reviewed! The Rolling Stones – On Air

By their own admission, the success of last year’s album Blue & Lonesome caught the Rolling Stones by surprise. A collection of blues covers, recorded on the hoof in just three days, it reached No 1 in 15 countries and gave the reinvigorated Stones the second-highest opening week sales for any album in the UK during 2016. “I’m looking forward to Volume Two already,” remarked Keith Richards with understandable enthusiasm.

The Rolling Stones – On Air is essentially that sequel. If Blue & Lonesome was the sound of the Stones, as they are now, paying tribute to the music they played as young men, On Air transports us back to those early days. The first legitimate release for material the Stones recorded for BBC radio between 1963 and 1965, it captures the band between their rise to fame and the full flowering of the Jagger and Richards’ songwriting partnership.

Unlike TV, where bands mimed to backing tracks, radio required a full live recording. All the same, the sessions for programmes like Saturday Club, The Joe Loss Pop Show and Top Gear weren’t intended to be broadcast more than once or twice. Their historical significance, though, shouldn’t be understated. Recorded fast – often on their way to or from other engagements – the Stones’ BBC sessions offer compelling evidence of a young band making a dramatic entrance onto the early-60s rock scene.

The first track here is a version of their debut single “Come On”, recorded for Saturday Club on September 26, 1963 – six days before the Stones began their first national tour of Britain. As with much of what follows, it is a straightforward, unvarnished performance; but clocking in at two minutes, it’s a full 25 seconds longer than the single version. What’s new? A thrilling, nine-note guitar riff solos in at the 50-second mark before getting into a lively tussle with Jagger’s harp. And it’s not the only difference. The BBC’s Maida Vale studios give the song a warm, spacious sound absent from the rather perfunctory 7” they cut on May 10 that year at Olympic Studios. Bill Wyman’s bass, too, is a revelation: heavy, thudding notes played nonetheless with quick, dexterous precision.

Click here to hear the Stones’ previously unreleased 1963 recording of “Roll Over Beethoven”

What the BBC engineers at Broadcasting House made of Keith Richards’ Gibson Maestro fuzzbox when he plugged in on August 20, 1965 is, sadly, lost in the mists of time. As it is, the version of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” here proves particularly strong on guitars. There is an enhanced physicality to Richards’ demonic fuzztone riff, while the sustained control behind the thrust and chop of the chords adds a different but equally impressive texture. One abrupt crash of a cymbal and the song ends; a more dramatic exit than the single’s fade out.

The same freshness and changed emphasis reveal themselves through the sessions. A raucous “It’s All Over Now”, from The Joe Loss Pop Show of July 17, 1964, finds Richards and Brian Jones’ guitars scything across one another, far more vigorously than on the version they cut at Chess the previous month. Transmitted live, this is one of a handful of tracks from On Air to be accompanied by screaming. Although only “Little By Little”, from the April 10, 1964 Joe Loss show, includes any kind of engagement with the audience: a hasty “Thank you.”

As with similar BBC sessions sets by The Beatles and Led Zeppelin, unfortunately The Rolling Stones – On Air isn’t sequenced chronologically. Instead, it moves like a best of, stacking the hits up top. A major selling point of this set – available as either an 18 track or 32 track edition – is the inclusion of eight songs the Stones never formally recorded. These are assembled from the band’s core repertoire of blues covers honed during countless long nights in venues as far flung as the Red Lion in Sutton or the California Ballroom, Dunstable.

Certainly, the heavy blues of “Hi Heel Sneakers” and “Fannie May” go some way to giving an authentic representation of the Stones’ live sound during this period; foregrounding tight musicianship and purposeful swagger. There’s a breathless “Roll Over Beethoven” – how does Charlie Watts find time for those fills? – while “Cops And Robbers” finds Mick Jagger doing his best Americ-ay-un accent over a 4/4 bluesy strut, interspaced with some expansive harp soloing. Elsewhere, “Ain’t That Loving You Baby”, “Beautiful Delilah” and especially “Crackin’ Up” are wonderful, if slight, hits of hopped-up R&B. For “Memphis, Tennessee”, Jagger’s curiously reserved delivery is goosed along by some crisp guitar interplay between Richards and Jones. It seems the ancient art of weaving was a work in progress even in these early days.

If it’s hidden gems you’re after, the connoisseurs choice is a 3:47 version of “2120 South Michigan Avenue” – their instrumental tribute to the home of Chess, recast as a thrilling, protracted blues jam. The song’s breakdown section and the teasing back-and-forth between Jagger’s harp and Richards’ guitar sounds like a prototype workout for “Midnight Rambler”. You might wish it lasted at least twice as long. Recorded in October, 1964 for Alexis Korner’s Rhythm And Blues show, it is a moment when you can hear the band really start to become the Rolling Stones.

Follow me on Twitter @MichaelBonner

The January 2018 issue of Uncut is now on sale in the UK – with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. We also celebrate the best of the last 12 months with our Ultimate Review Of 2017 – featuring the best albums, reissues, films and books of the year. Elsewhere in the issue, there are new interviews with LCD Soundsystem, Bjork, The Weather Station, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Mavis Staples and more. Our free 15 track-CD celebrates the best music from 2017.

Bruce Springsteen extends Broadway run

Michael Bonner
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Bruce Springsteen extends Broadway run

Bruce Springsteen is extending his Broadway run.

Springsteen on Broadway was originally due to finish its run at the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York City in February but has now been extended to June 30, 2018.

Meanwhile, Springsteen is on the cover of the new issue of Uncut as we explore the phenomena behind the Broadway shows. We follow the Boss from the Jersey Shore to the Walter Kerr Theatre and ask, what does it mean to be Springsteen in 2017? Is a new album imminent? Or is his latest show a final bow?

“We have this illusion that we’re going to live forever,” says his manager. “Bruce is at a point in his life where he’s given that up.”

You can read more about the new issue of Uncut by clicking here

The January 2018 issue of Uncut is now on sale in the UK – with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. We also celebrate the best of the last 12 months with our Ultimate Review Of 2017 – featuring the best albums, reissues, films and books of the year. Elsewhere in the issue, there are new interviews with LCD Soundsystem, Bjork, The Weather Station, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Mavis Staples and more. Our free 15 track-CD celebrates the best music from 2017.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds announce huge outdoor UK show

Michael Bonner
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0
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds announce huge outdoor UK show

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds have been confirmed for a huge outdoor London show as part of the new All Points East Festival – with support from Patti Smith, St Vincent and many more.

With LCD Soundsystem, The xx and Bjork already announced to headline the main weekend of the All Points East festival, Cave will be joining The National in headlining a separate APE Presents night to close the 10 day event at Victoria Park.

Not only is this a UK Festival exclusive for Cave, but his show on Sunday June 3, 2018, will see him joined by Patti Smith, St Vincent and Courtney Barnett – with more acts to be announced.

The full All Points East line-up so far is:
Friday 25 May
LCD Soundsystem
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Phoenix
Glass Animals
Richie Hawtin CLOSE
Dixon
George FitzGerald Live

Saturday 26 May
The xx
Lorde
Sampha
Popcaan
Lykke Li
Rex Orange County

Sunday 27 May
Björk
Beck
Father John Misty
Flying Lotus 3D
Mashrou’ Leila
Sylvan Esso
Alexis Taylor
Agoria Live

APE Presents… The National – Saturday 2 June
The National
The War On Drugs
Future Islands
Warpaint
The Districts

APE Presents… Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Sunday 3 June
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Patti Smith
St. Vincent
Courtney Barnett

The January 2018 issue of Uncut is now on sale in the UK – with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. We also celebrate the best of the last 12 months with our Ultimate Review Of 2017 – featuring the best albums, reissues, films and books of the year. Elsewhere in the issue, there are new interviews with LCD Soundsystem, Bjork, The Weather Station, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Mavis Staples and more. Our free 15 track-CD celebrates the best music from 2017.

Hear Ty Segall’s new song, “The Main Pretender”

Michael Bonner
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Hear Ty Segall’s new song, “The Main Pretender”

Ty Segall has shared a new song called “The Main Pretender”.

The track features longtime collaborator Mikal Cronin on saxophone. You can hear the track below.

“The Main Pretender” is the latest release in an especially productive year for Segall. In recent months, he’s released “Alta”, “Meaning” and “My Lady’s On Fire” among other tracks.

The January 2018 issue of Uncut is now on sale in the UK – with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. We also celebrate the best of the last 12 months with our Ultimate Review Of 2017 – featuring the best albums, reissues, films and books of the year. Elsewhere in the issue, there are new interviews with LCD Soundsystem, Bjork, The Weather Station, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Mavis Staples and more. Our free 15 track-CD celebrates the best music from 2017.

Happy End

Michael Bonner
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Happy End

Followers of Michael Haneke will be delighted to learn that Happy End opens with mobile phone footage, taken secretly, of a woman as she goes about her nighttime ablutions. The sequence feels like a contemporary update on Haneke’s 2005 film Caché, about a Parisian family who receive videotapes of the outside of their house.

We learn that this phone footage was shot by Eve (Fantine Harduin), shortly before she is shipped off to stay with her father Thomas (Matthieu Kassovitz) and his family on their splendid estate in Calais.

The Laurents are a classic Haneke clan. 84 year-old patriarch, Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant), is an advocate of euthanasia; Eve’s aunt Anne (Isabelle Huppert) is struggling to control both the family construction business and also her erratic son Pierre (Franz Rogowski). Admirers of Haneke’s devastating Amour will note the reteaming of Trintignant and Huppert. And into this nest of family grievances, revenge, guilt and repression, it is a pleasure to welcome Toby Jones – a man clearly born for Haneke films, who plays Anne’s fiancé, a British lawyer handling a deal for the family’s company.

Happy End – the title is ironic, like Funny Games – plays like a Haneke Greatest Hits set, full of misery and creeping dread. Early on, we see part of a wall collapse on a building site belonging to the Laurent’s firm. It is an ill-omen, of course, which provides some kind of narrative motor for the film; though essentially Haneke is more interested in the sociopathic behaviour of almost all the characters here. In that respect, Georges and Eve become the film’s most interesting characters – their transgressions are the most severe. One scene late on in the film, where they swap secrets, manages to be both terrifying and weirdly moving.

Follow me on Twitter @MichaelBonner

The January 2018 issue of Uncut is now on sale in the UK – with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. We also celebrate the best of the last 12 months with our Ultimate Review Of 2017 – featuring the best albums, reissues, films and books of the year. Elsewhere in the issue, there are new interviews with LCD Soundsystem, Bjork, The Weather Station, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Mavis Staples and more. Our free 15 track-CD celebrates the best music from 2017.

Joan Didion: The Centre Will Not Hold reviewed

Michael Bonner
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Joan Didion: The Centre Will Not Hold reviewed

Frequently, this splendid documentary about the great American writer resembles a love letter to its subject. Filmed by Joan Didion’s nephew, the actor Griffin Dunne, it has a warm, candid intimacy, where “Aunt Joan” – now in her 80s –reflects on her remarkable career. Drawing on a library of home movies and archival footage and accompanied by interviews with friends and former colleagues, Dunne reconstructs a remarkable life.

After graduating from Berkeley in the late 50s, Didion glided into a job at Vogue, though it’s not until the late 1960s that she came into her own – chronicling the hippie scene in Haight-Ashbury in Slouching Towards Bethlehem. Visiting a squat, she encountered a five year-old child tripping on acid. “Let me tell you, it was gold,” Didion reveals to her nephew. “That’s the long and the short of it, is you live for moments like that if you are doing a piece. Good or bad.”

Such journalistic acuity became Didion’s stock in trade. One of the pleasures of this Netflix documentary is hearing Didion reading passages from own essays; her voice firm and strong, as coolly dispassionate as the work itself. Didion wrote about the cultural disintegration of the ‘60s and ‘70s – everything from the Manson family to Ronald Reagan’s empty gubernatorial mansion and the California water system.

She reserved a special affection, though, for the Doors – “bad boys!” she says here, with a broad laugh. Latterly, her writing became focused around the deaths of her husband, the writer John Gregory Dunne, who died in 2003, and their adopted daughter Quintana, who died two years later. These tragedies occupy the final third of Dunne’s film and here – perhaps understandably – the filmmaker treads lightly. You suspect Didion herself would have pushed harder.

Follow me on Twitter @MichaelBonner

The January 2018 issue of Uncut is now on sale in the UK – with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. We also celebrate the best of the last 12 months with our Ultimate Review Of 2017 – featuring the best albums, reissues, films and books of the year. Elsewhere in the issue, there are new interviews with LCD Soundsystem, Bjork, The Weather Station, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Mavis Staples and more. Our free 15 track-CD celebrates the best music from 2017.

Eric Clapton to play London’s Hyde Park

Michael Bonner
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Eric Clapton to play London’s Hyde Park

Eric Clapton will play Barclaycard Presents British Summer Time Hyde Park on Sunday July 8.

Support comes from Steve Winwood, Santana and Gary Clark Jr.

Clapton and Winwood have their own history at the Park: Blind Faith‘s first show took place there in 1969.

Tickets for the show range from £65.00 for general admission to £249.95 for a Diamond Circle view. You can buy them here from 9AM on Friday December 1.

Amazon customers are also able to take advantage of a pre-sale from Wednesday 29 November at 9AM, which can be accessed here.

“I have happy memories of performing in Hyde Park in the past,” Clapton said of the gig.

“I’m really looking forward to playing there again – the whole atmosphere is very special.”

Clapton’s show sees him take his place as the fourth headliner at next year’s series of British Summertime gigs, joining an already announced line up that also includes Roger Waters.

The January 2018 issue of Uncut is now on sale in the UK – with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. We also celebrate the best of the last 12 months with our Ultimate Review Of 2017 – featuring the best albums, reissues, films and books of the year. Elsewhere in the issue, there are new interviews with LCD Soundsystem, Bjork, The Weather Station, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Mavis Staples and more. Our free 15 track-CD celebrates the best music from 2017.

Chris Bell – The Complete Chris Bell

Bud Scoppa
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Chris Bell – The Complete Chris Bell

Chris Bell is the rock’n’roll equivalent of a posthumously exalted painter who failed to sell any canvases during his lifetime. Making matters worse, Bell’s considerable contributions to Big Star’s landmark debut album, 1972’s #1 Record, have long been overshadowed by those of Alex Chilton, who joined Big Star months after Bell founded the band and went on to make two more revered Big Star albums following Bell’s departure. Thus, it’s been left to dedicated archivists to unearth and piece together the music Bell put on tape before and after his time with Big Star into a coherent narrative. The initial breakthrough was Rykodisc’s I Am The Cosmos, a compilation of Bell’s post-Big Star work that surrounded the majestic title song and the poignant “You And Your Sister” with 13 tracks cut during the same period.

The story became more detailed in 2009 with the expanded Rhino reissue of Cosmos, following a thorough scouring of the Ardent Records archives and tapes in the possession of Bell’s older brother David for the label’s four-CD Big Star anthology, Keep Your Eye On The Sky. That archeological dig also yielded a number of recordings cut between 1969 and ’71 by Big Star forerunners Icewater and Rock City, whose moveable lineups of young, British rock-obsessed Memphis musicians included Bell as guitarist, backing vocalist and emerging songwriter/lead singer. These recordings, which include early versions of #1 Record’s “My Life Is Right” and “Try Again” by Rock City, as well as Icewater’s Badfinger-like Bell co-write “All I See Is You”, were recorded primarily at Ardent, which was becoming ground zero for local talent.

Rhino’s Cheryl Pawelski, Ardent’s Adam Hill and archivist Alec Paleo, who co-produced these archival projects, ramped up their joint labor of love after Pawelski co-founded Omnivore Records, which has become the de facto home of all things Big Star-related. In recent months, Omnivore has released Big Star’s four-disc Complete Third, a further beefed-up Cosmos and the Bell-focused Looking Forward: The Roots Of Big Star. Pawelski’s motives in putting out these sets was twofold – the previous iterations were on the verge of going out of print, and she wanted to continue “refreshing” the Big Star family’s body of work.

The Complete Chris Bell serves as the apotheosis of these efforts. The six-vinyl-LP limited-edition set reshuffles the two recent Bell compilations, devoting the first disc to Icewater, the second to Rock City and the third to the 12-song “official” Cosmos, with two discs of post-Big Star bonus tracks and a sixth devoted primarily to the only previously unreleased material, a 40-minute 1975 interview (though the latter seems like a waste of good vinyl). With the Ardent and Bell archives exhausted, barring the unlikely unearthing of more undiscovered material, one wonders what Omnivore will do for an encore.

The January 2018 issue of Uncut is now on sale in the UK – with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. We also celebrate the best of the last 12 months with our Ultimate Review Of 2017 – featuring the best albums, reissues, films and books of the year. Elsewhere in the issue, there are new interviews with LCD Soundsystem, Bjork, The Weather Station, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Mavis Staples and more. Our free 15 track-CD celebrates the best music from 2017.

Scott Walker to release lyric book, Sundog

Michael Bonner
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Scott Walker to release lyric book, Sundog

Scott Walker is to release a lyric book.

Sundog has been curated by the artist himself and will be published by Faber on January 11.

Featuring an introduction by novelist Eimear McBride, Sundog will be available in three editions – deluxe (edition of 100), limited (edition of 300) and standard.

The book is separated into six parts: The 60s, Tilt, The Drift, Bish Bosch, Soused and New Songs.

For more information about both the deluxe and limited editions click here. Pre-orders will be available from December 15.

The January 2018 issue of Uncut is now on sale in the UK – with Bruce Springsteen on the cover. We also celebrate the best of the last 12 months with our Ultimate Review Of 2017 – featuring the best albums, reissues, films and books of the year. Elsewhere in the issue, there are new interviews with LCD Soundsystem, Bjork, The Weather Station, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Mavis Staples and more. Our free 15 track-CD celebrates the best music from 2017.

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