Lady Loser's Lottery .... Pt. 3

Dearest friends,

first of all - of course - a very merry Christmas to all of you: I really do hope you are feeling well and are enjoying your days off as much I as I do. I'm sitting here in my brandnew chef-style-chair, a present from Mrs. Loser ... and what a treat it is, to be sure! And here's what my dear wife picked for you today, I hope it meets with your approval:

1) [from the 12" - shelf]: Harry Morse Project - 'Laziness' (mp3). Well, this is a pick I'm not convinced by at all. But that's the way this lottery works: I'm totally out of control. A DJ-colleague of mine used to play this a lot and I quite liked it back then, so he provided me with a copy of the 12". I think I haven't listened to it again until today and I must admit I don't know what to make out of it: it isn't a bad song after all, but it won't change your life as well, I'm afraid. But: judge for yourself and download it, if you want to. On Bigwave Records from Paris, France, released in 2000, the 12" is simply titled '#2'.

2) [from the CD - shelf]: The Feelies - 'Crazy Rhythms'. There are very few albums indeed to which you can listen to for, say, 20 years or so, and when the final song is over you think to yourself: 'Oh my God, that was simply outstanding!'. A measurement of such brilliance, at least for me this is the case, is when you owe the record as well on vinyl as on CD. There are just a handful of records for which this is true in my collection, and The Feelies' debut is but one of them. A true masterpiece, and I'm willing to have a small bet that it will put a smile on my face when I listen to it again when I'm 65. Released back in 1980 on Stationary Music and this is what I chose from it: 'Loveless Love' (mp3).

3) [from the 7" - shelf]: David Bowie - 'Ashes To Ashes' (mp3). I'm old enough to know that it's always dangerous to say something against Bowie, especially when you don't want to lose all of the five female readers who visit your blog on occasion. But, frankly speaking, I still can't cope with all he did, in fact I can't cope with most of what he did in his career. I mean, 'Heroes' is one of my all-time favourites and will most probably remain so forever, also 'Ashes To Ashes' is a fine song. But if you listen to his first albums in one go, you will find out that it is a relief when you have finished and are able to put something else on instead. At least I feel this way. That doesn't necessarily mean that I wouldn't want to look as good as him, of course. And have his money .... either way: on RCA Victor from 1979.

4) [from the Compilations - shelf]: 'Martin - The Work Of Record Producer Martin Hannett'. Well, the name should ring a bell for most of you. If it doesn't, here are the (inner) sleev notes:

"This collection is a sample of the work of record producer Martin Hannett from his early work with the Buzzcocks until his death in April 1991. Martin, as producer, was the mastermind behind the sound of Joy Division, and his influential production skills were employed by many of today's major bands. In later life he produced the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays, giving the latter their first hit: 'Wrote For Luck'. The final tracks on the album represent some of his more recent work before his death at the age of 41. The proceeds of this album go to his family."

On the album you'll find: World Of Twist, A Certain Ratio, Buzzcocks, Happy Mondays, High,
John Cooper Clarke, Joy Division, O.M.D., New Fast Automatic Daffodils, Slaughter & The Dogs, U2, which doesn't make it a lot easier altogether to pick something (apart from U2, of course). I'll go for John Cooper Clarke, I think, with his first (and best) release from 1977: 'Suspended Sentence' (mp3). 'Martin' was released on Factory Records in 1991.

5) [from the LP - shelf]: The Specials - 'The Specials'. Again a top choice, as with The Feelies. One of the classic debut albums of all time, full of good tunes and I never get tired of hearing it again over and over. Rather hard to chose a specific song, but I'll go for 'Stupid Marriage' (mp3) on this occasion. The Specials always were my definitive favourites when it comes to Ska ... nothing against Madness or Selecter or The Toasters, but The Specials really have stood the test of time. The album was produced by Elvis Costello and released in 1979 on Chrysalis.

Okay, enough for today: gotta run, shower and dress myself in order to be at my sister's place in time .... where I'll be served with even more to eat - and drink, I'm afraid - than yesterday. Oh, isn't Christmas fun?

See you soon,

Dirk