Divine Comedy - Regeneration
****
Cruelly underrated LP with understated but strong melodies, thought-provoking , intelligent lyrics and nice musical textures. A new direction for Neil Hannon - less bombastic, brassy and ironic than before. An excellent album.
Released - 2001
Acquired by me: 20.5.01 - Bought (Present for Simon)

Divine Comedy – Victory For The Comic Muse
****1/2
Unlike the “good old days” of vinyl where the most commercial tracks were spread out evenly over the two sides of an LP, most CDs now cluster the potential singles towards the beginning of the album to satisfy the impatient modern listener.  This is the case with the Divine Comedy’s latest LP Victory For The Comic Muse though repeated listening beyond the first three tracks will reap considerable rewards.
VFTCM begins with the catchy quality pop of To Die A Virgin which, with the old-fashioned risquéness of its subject matter and effective use of spoken samples, is reminiscent of 90s DC classics Something For The Weekend and Generation Sex.  With its mixture of pop and heavy bombastic orchestrations Comic Muse is also more akin to these songs' parent albums (Casanova and Fin De Siecle) rather than 2004’s Absent Friends which felt more like a Neil Hannon solo LP.
Following To Die A Virgin, we get the touching, country-influenced Mother Dear and stately pop of the album’s first single Diva Lady.  Although modern tracklisting has put these three commercial songs together, the recording techniques used were anything but modern with Neil opting to record most of the backing tracks live with everyone playing together.  This gives the album a warm, quite spontaneous sound as illustrated in the excellent making-of-the-LP documentary DVD available with the limited edition First Day Cover version of the album.
Highlights of Victory For The Comic Muse beyond the opening tracks include the heavily orchestrated drama of The Plough and a cover of The Associates’ Party Fears Two which by all accounts sounds like a Divine Comedy song with its epic swooping riff. 
Another highlight is the elegant melancholy of Lady Of A Certain Age, a literate Forster-ish tale of a retired upper class English lady living on the Continent where she is wooed by “nice young men”.  Only Neil Hannon can write and arrange songs suitable for such subject matter and, while his detractors may accuse him of pretentiousness and over-bombastic orchestrations, this is all part of the package.  The Divine Comedy wouldn’t be the highly individual act they are without the intelligent wit and musical extravagances.  A little old-fashioned maybe but they should be applauded with Victory For The Comic Muse being another excellent LP crafted by a master of his own singular genre.
Released:  2006
Acquired by me:  Bought (1.7.06)

The Doors – LA Woman
****1/2
when assessing the original albums of The Doors, most fans and critics tend to choose either the band’s self-titled debut or their final LP with Jim Morrison LA Woman as their best long-player.  I would go for the latter LP as, though the famous, standout tracks on the two albums are equally excellent, LA Woman has the stronger supporting cast.
LA Woman is the most blues-influenced of the band’s LPs giving guitarist Robbie Krieger a few more opportunities to shine than elsewhere though the band’s trademark organ-led rock is still highly prevalent.  Glistening keyboards are particularly effective on the haunting Riders On The Storm which features on all Doors’ compilations along with the thrilling, hedonistic title track despite both songs being over seven minutes in length,
Aside from these two classics, the other song on LA Woman to be included on virtually all Best Ofs  is the rather more slight though highly catchy Love Her Madly.  Further excellent support is provided by the funky Changeling, and apocalyptic L’America as well as one of the band’s most strum-along songs in Hyacinth House.  The rest of the LP is mostly rooted in the 12-bar structure with the incredible vocal-harmonica impersonating Cars Hiss By My Window a particular highlight.
LA Woman is a fitting, occasionally poignant finale to Jim Morrison and is probably The Doors best original LP.  For many people, one of the excellent compilations by this revolutionary band will be enough.  If however, you would like to investigate their often magical music further then this final original offering is highly recommended.
Acquired by me:  12.09 - Borrowed (Library)

Doors, The – Very Best Of (1 CD Edition)
****
The Doors are one of the groups I loved as a student and young man though they have rarely been on my playlist over the past few years as I approach middle age.  I imagine that this is the case for many other music fans as Jim Morrison’s driven pursuit of hedonism, rebelliousness and somewhat pretentious poetry are really the preserve of the young.  Indeed, The Doors are still worshipped by many youngsters today – more than virtually any other band of their generation.
To commemorate the 40^th Anniversary of the beginning of their brief recording career, their six studio albums have been remixed and re-released.  A new compilation has also been brought out in two formats  - a “light” option featuring their best and most famous tracks on one CD and heavier dish with two CDs and a DVD.  The light option is fine for me thanks but many thanks for giving us the choice…
But does the single CD include the right tracks?  Mostly yes, but not totally.  All present and correct are Morrison’s statement of intent Break On Through (To The other side), the haunting Riders On The Storm and funky Peace Frog, a song that doesn’t always make it onto a Doors’ compilation.  Further highlights for me include the full version of Light My Fire, brassy Touch Me, delicate Love Street and psychedelic Strange Days with its fabulous chorus chordal sequence which makes this listener think about jumping around the room.  Only he doesn’t…
On the downside; there are, at seven, far too many tracks from the band’s slightly over-rated debut album, surely Soul Kitchen and the pedestrian Back Door Man should have been replaced by Waiting For The Sun and Spanish Caravan.  Of the band’s two most lengthy epics, the exclusion of the 10 minute When The Music’s Over was probably the correct decision given the lack of space on a single CD though surely we should have had the full, still shocking version of The End rather than an edit version from Apocalypse Now which only includes half the song.  All justified quibbles though overall the track selection is good and if you or I disagree any more then maybe we should be considering the two CD version instead…
Listening to these songs again, many for the first time in a few years, it’s not difficult to see why the Doors are still seen as a major, iconic group in rock history.  Supporting Jim Morrison’s vocals, lyrics and attitude, we have Ray Manazarek’s prostigious, defining keyboard talents, Robby Krieger’s fluid guitar-work and John Densmore’s often jazzy drums.  Crucially these three gifted musicians knew when not to play and leave space for the atmosphere to flourish as much as when to demonstrate their considerable musical chops.  
The Doors’ legacy has of course been enhanced by Jim Morrison’s tragic yet not surprising early death.  Jim may be forever young and have a special appeal to the youthful, though there’s still more than enough here to appreciate as you get older.  The Very Best Of The Doors is an excellent compilation giving this almost middle-aged fan licence to re-explore some of the best music made by this incredible and distinctive band.  Welcome back!
Released: 2007
Acquired by me:  4.07 (Bought)

Doves - The Last Broadcast
****
Possibly my favourite album of 2002 though, sadly, it may ultimately be an album to strongly admire rather than one to love. Includes a strong variety of musical styles, ranging from acoustic to gospel via Madchester and pounding rock, whilst always maintaining a band identity. Some nice, unusual instrumental touches such as the clarinet in the excellent Friday's Dust. Often majestic and uplifting - definitely one of the best albums of 2002.
Released - 2002
Acquired by me: 7.6.02 - Bought

Doves - Lost Souls
***¾
Solid, belated indie rock debut, successfully re-styled and re-recorded after the band's studio burnt down in the mid-late 90s. Like most good indie-ish albums since then, Lost Souls is discernibly influenced by grunge and Radiohead's OK Computer although the influences are not overbearing and Doves do have their own distinctive sound. Another acknowledged influence by the band are the wonderful Talk Talk as is particularly evident in the use of harmonica and some of the keyboard progressions (especially on the title track). The lyrical mood is of lost love but hope and is more downbeat than the highly acclaimed 2002 follow-up The Last Broadcast. Highlights include the more immediate singles Here It Comes and Catch The Sun as well as the hypnotic folky Sea Song with its muted harmonica solo. Atmospheric and melodic - not quite a classic but a very worthwhile purchase.
Released - 2000
Acquired by me: 14.10.02 - Present (Anne)

Drake, Nick – Made To Love Magic
***1/2
Amazingly a new Nick Drake song was found in 2003.  Engineers listening to the master tapes of what have become known as the last four songs by the late singer-songwriter were astounded to hear a new, completely forgotten song emanate after a few seconds silence.  The song in question Tow The Line has the same polite embitterment of some of Nick's other final songs – disillusioned at the wider acclaim which never came his way during his short lifetime yet highly sceptical of fame itself.  Not an absolute classic but a very worthwhile addition to the Drake canon – sadly the same can’t be said for most of the other material on Magic…
The problem with this album is that most of the songs are virtually identical or inferior to the official versions.  Different versions of the last four songs are included but the only discernible differences to the recordings is the greater emotion in the strained vocal on Hanging On A Star.  There are also virtually identical but slightly inferior versions of Joey, Clothes Of Sand and The Thoughts Of Mary Jane to the versions on Nick’s first posthumous LP, the superb Time Of No Reply.  More dubious still, orchestrations written during Nick’s lifetime have been added to Time Of No Reply and I Was Made To Love Magic – although these were written in his lifetime, he never chose to include them.  More importantly perhaps, the orchestrations detract rather than add to the songs.
Although Magic was put together with noble intentions by people who worked with Nick throughout his career, I feel that they have been misguided.  It’s obviously an essential purchase for massive fans like me though I feel that it would have been better to include Tow The Line and the only other really worthwhile new version, a flute-filled Three Hours, on a new Best Of album. After all, it’s been about 10 years since the Way To Blue compilation and a Best Of would be a much better introduction to Nick’s small but very rich body of work.
Released:  2004
Acquired by me:  6/04 (Bought)

Duckworth & Lewis – The Duckworth Lewis Methodology
****1/2
A concept album with a difference, The Duckworth Lewis Methodology consist of Neil Hannon of the Divine Comedy and Thomas Walsh of Pugwash.  They are named after the intricate statistical method by which targets are decided when rain stops plays in the first innings of a cricket match.  Quite apt really as the DLM album is all about the beautiful game.  It is also probably the best album which Hannon has released in his lengthy career.
Unlike most Divine Comedy albums where a handful of excellent tracks are poorly supported by some unmelodic, over-bombastic weak links, the DLM album bats right down to number 11.  Neil has been reined in with much of the credit for this going to Thomas Walsh who also contributes some fine ELO and glam-influenced moments which would be unlikely to find their way onto a Divine Comedy LP.  There are however still plenty of classic Hannon moments, the finest of which is possibly the hilarious, vaudeville Jiggory Pokery which recalls Shane Warne’s “ball of the century” from the point of view of Mike Gating, its unfortunate, portly recipient.  Other songs on the DLM LP which will please DC purists include the lovely Gentlemen And Players and Flatten The Hay which recalls long summer school holidays spent innocently playing the “gentleman’s game”.
Amongst the best songs on the album probably more musically influenced by Thomas Walsh are the opening Coin Toss and glamtastic Sweet Spot as well as Meeting Mr Miandad which recalls a slightly hippy-ish journey to meet the Pakistani legend.  Lyrically the LP covers many aspects of the game as well as providing a cricketing metaphor for more purely romantic subject matter as in The Nightwatchman.  The Age Of Revolution meanwhile explores the game’s colonial roots in addition to the interesting contradictions around today with the key couplet of "Now we’re driving Bentleys, playing 20/20”.
Excellent both lyrically and musically, the Duckworth Lewis Methodology is funnily enough, the most accessible album ever made by Neil Hannon and quite probably his very best.  Reined in by the equally supreme contributions of Thomas Walsh, it is very highly recommended.  An innings victory then with no need to resort to the statistical methodology after which the duo are named…
Released:  2009
Acquired by me:  12.09 - Borrowed (Record Library)

Dury, Ian – The Very Best Of Ian Dury & The Blockheads:  Reasons To Be Cheerful
*****
I was fortunate enough to go to what became Ian Dury & The Blockheads’ last ever concert at the London Palladium just weeks before Ian’s death in 2000.  Although very frail from the cancer, which was soon to take his life, the man and band were on magnificent form at one of the best (and most moving) gigs I’ve ever been to.  Although he famously said that he didn’t care if he was remembered or not, Dury’s legacy is as high now as ever – especially in 2010 with the Sex And Drugs And Rock’n'Roll movie and inevitable retrospection on the 10^th anniversary of his passing.
Reason To Be Cheerful was released just before Ian’s death and, in my opinion, is a better musical overview than the recent S&D&RnR tie-in, mainly because it includes two excellent tracks from The Blockhead’s 1998 reunion / comeback LP Mr Love Pants.  Either compilation is well worth buying however and I’m sure that S&D&RnR is better packaged than the brief and rather shoddy liner notes accompanying RTBC.
Having said this though, it’s the music that really matters and it is nearly all magnificent here with the unique combination of Ian’s often lewd but always clever cockney wordplay and Chaz Jankel’s punk, funk and disco-influenced tunes.  Comedian and occasional posthumous Blockheads’ singer Phill Jupitus recently remarked that Dury / Jankel were one of the best songwriting partnerships of the late 20^th century with the evidence here showing that he was spot on in his assessment.  Furthermore to the writing, we also have one of the best backing bands ever in The Blockheads with their exemplary, sympathetic funky playing.
An assortment of riches then with virtually every song on Reasons To Be Cheerful having some excellent moments.  Particular highlights for me at the present time include the raucous Blockheads, I Want To Be Straight and Itinerant Child though there are several others classics here including all of Ian’s most famous songs such as Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick, Sex And Drugs And Rock’n’Roll and the title track.
Basically, all music-loving homes should have an Ian Dury compilation with Reason To Be Cheerful probably being the best of the various options available.  An essential purchase or download featuring the best work of a very singular talent.
Released:  1999
Acquired by me:  Spring 2010 – Borrowed (Library)

Dylan, Bob – Essential Bob Dylan, The
****1/2
Essential indeed.  This two CD compilation includes the best moments from the career of the greatest songwriter of the pop era.  Naturally it particularly focuses on his peak periods in the 60s and mid 70s but includes representations right up to the present day.
The first CD is pretty difficult to fault and is crammed with classics such as Like A Rolling Stone, Mr Tambourine Man, Blowing In The Wind and Subterranean Homesick Blues.  The second disc is less essential but includes most of the recognised high-points from Dylan’s more faltering later recordings.
The track selection is good with the only glaring omissions for me being One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later), the moving, very personal Sara and Every Grain Of Sand, one of the key tracks from Bob’s Christian phase at the turn of the 80s.
Even so, lack of space means that several other major, “heavyweight” epics can’t be accommodated and one hopes that the new Dylan fan will move on from The Essential Bob Dylan to discover such delights as Desolation Row, Visions Of Johanna and Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands.  Or Simple Twist Of Fate, Masters Of War or the rustic charm of New Morning…
The list is almost endless but nevertheless, The Essential Bob Dylan is an excellent introduction to the bard’s words and music.  A superb and ahem, essential compilation.
Released:  2004
Acquired by me:  25.12.04 – Present (from Mum)

Dylan, Bob – Live 1966:  The “ Royal Albert Hall” Concert (The Bootleg Series Vol. 4)
****1/2
For the first time in the rock era, the artist is not giving the audience what they want.  Boos and slow handclaps are drowning out the between-song cheers till just before the final song a climactic taunt of “Judas” is clearly heard above the din.  The artist, a man of religious upbringing, is clearly stirred.  He snarls “I don’t believe you” before launching into a deafening version of what later became his signature tune.  Like A Rolling Stone indeed…
A truly legendary, defining moment in the history of rock, Bob Dylan’s infamous 1966 “Royal Albert Hall” concert is finally available as an official release.  Collectors can now change their muffled bootleg copy of the gig for an excellent, fresh mix taken straight from the master tapes.  This comes as a two CD set, accompanied by a lavish booklet with essays chronicling Dylan’s development towards this seismic showdown.  The times they certainly are a-changing…
Disc One covers the first solo acoustic half of the concert which finds Bob in excellent form playing lengthy spiralling versions of Mr Tambourine Man and the then unreleased Visions Of Johanna as well as shorter, more commercial songs like It’s All Over Now Baby Blue and She Belongs To Me.  After the interval, Disc Two contains the confrontational full band set which includes newish songs like Ballad Of A Thin Man and Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues as well as fuller arrangements of One Too Many Mornings and I Don’t Believe You, which always sounded more like a good pop song anyway.  The sound mix here is much cleaner and clearer than legend has dictated though this is of course freshly mixed and we are much more used to distortion now than audiences were then...
Only years later was it discovered that the so-called “Royal Albert Hall” concert was actually recorded live in Manchester.  This glossy official package has surprisingly excellent music and more importantly, is a worthy souvenir of an event of significant historical importance in the music world.  Not the only occasion on which the rock artist didn’t give his public what they wanted but the climax of the first, definitive showdown, it is an essential artefact in the annals of popular music.
Released:  2002
Acquired by me:  25.12.05  - Present

Dylan, Bob – Love & Theft
***1/2
After some decidedly lacklustre albums during most of the 80s and 90s, Love & Theft continues the critical and commercial Bob Dylan revival which began with 1997’s Time Out Of Mind.  Unlike that album however, L&T is very upbeat, about the happiest Bob has ever sounded on record.  Maybe after all these years of searching, the old coot has found some peace of mind and begun to enjoy himself…
Or maybe like most Dylanographists, I’m falling into the usual trap of seeing too much into the music!  Whether I am or not, there’s no denying that Love & Theft is a fine record by an artist with, perhaps surprisingly, something to prove – that he can still cut it as he enters his seventh decade.
Among the highlights from the LP are Summer Days with its bluesy guitar and Floater with its fine violin interludes.  Indeed many of the songs from Love & Theft hark back melodically and instrumentally to pre-rock’n’roll stylings.  Unlike Rod Stewart’s awful American Songbook efforts however, Dylan’s songs are all self-penned.  They are also not backed by gloopy, sentimental string sections but by a fine sympathetic little band.
And what a band they are.  Excellently economical and focussed yet loose in their playing, Bob’s five-piece group make a major contribution towards the success of Love & Theft.  Their traditional leanings yet modern uses of leaving space to heighten impact are brilliant.  Particular praise should be heaped onto guitarists Larry Campbell and Charlie Sexton for the clipped guitar on Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum and hypnotic riff on Lonesome Day Bleus amongst others.
Great as the instrumental backing is, it could only have a limited impact if the songs weren’t good.  Though not consistently classic songwriting, Love & Theft does have some excellent songs and stands highly amongst Bob Dylan’s incredible canon of work.  A very good album and possibly the most enjoyable long-player that Dylan has ever made.
Released:  2001
Acquired by me:  7.2.07 – Borrowed (Library)