My first touch point with Chris Harry was drumming in a band called Civil (which still owns btw) and now in the excellent two piece Toucan Slam hitting the skins. I asked Chris what made his top o' the heap...
(1) Gong - Camembert Électrique
In 1967, founding member of Soft Machine
Daevid Allen was denied re-entry into the UK after a tour of France. Being at that time more or less completely at the peak of his creative powers (there are stories from that tour of Soft Machine playing 'We Did It Again', which is a 3 minute song off of their debut LP that consists of one perpetually propulsive riff for over 44 minutes at the Bataclan in Paris) he decided to form Gong. The space jazz style they are often associated with is in its primal form here, later albums would have a lot more framework, even an entire mythology about "Planet Gong" along with a main character "Zero the Hero". I prefer it for that very reason, the band is just cutting loose and creating these deep walls of psychedelic noise that hover around every song and structure. Allen approaches song writing with a very playful, almost childlike delicacy amidst the organized chaos unfolding all around him, which for me translates into utmost accessibility. Space jazz is not for everyone I imagine, but Camembert Électrique is a good opportunity to open up some windows to those who may not be able to stomach the more intense avant garde jazz from that era. Also it was recorded in a castle, which is just awesome.
(2)Ruins
- Hyderomastgroningem
Ah, Tatsuya Yoshida, you absolute madman.
This album was my introduction to Ruins, and it didn't take very long to
convince me. Something about their absolute relentlessness like songs on
Speedball, or Memories of Zworrisdeh is just nothing short of legendary. Their
pared down drum and bass set up is somehow never lacking or empty, unless they
mean it to be. People like to call them Zeuhl, simply because of the frantic
pace and complex rhythmic changes that serve as the building blocks for that
genre, but also for the fact that Tatsuya composed an entire language to sing
his music in (Hint: It's not Kobaïan). Don't be fooled by the veil of insanity:
Tatsuya is first and foremost a composer, literally scoring out every single
note on paper before ever performing it. If that doesn't impress you, I don't know
what will.
(3)Magma
- Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh
Now THIS, this is Zeuhl. This band literally coined the term. Zeuhl,
which is Kobaïan for 'Celestial', is quite possibly the best way to describe
it. Drummer and leader Christian Vander is just another language inventing
drummer dude who took way too much LSD during the student protests in France in
1968 and writes with an affinity for space mythology on this list. Comparable
to Gong in that sense of being its really dark and Nihilistic brother, as well having shared a member or two in the early
70's. This album employs a very polyrhythmic feel throughout, juxtaposing a 7/4
build up against a straight 4/4 drum pattern, to great effect I might add. This
album lends itself to a very dark and almost, John Williams or Gustav Holst
brand of compositional fabric. It sounds like the Empire coming down hard on
the Rebels. I usually play it on my phone at the bar, sort of like a pickup
line. Women fucking love some good Zeuhl.
(4)CAN
- Tago Mago
Despite being made in the 70s, this album
probably featured more sampling than anything up until DJ Shadow's Endtroducing
in 1996. Holger Czukay, the band's bassist and de-facto leader employed tape
splicing to great effect on this album, incorporating everything from recordings
of various whistles, flutes, drums, filters, etc. (Halleluhwah) to some impressively
tasteful tape echo (Aumgn) to absolutely jarring beat machines (Peking O) and
even the sound of a nuclear bomb (Mushroom). On top of all that, the band is
unbelievably tight considering how much improvisation lies at the core of this
album. Jaki Liebezeit, CAN's drummer and resident asshole, keeps better time
than the Sun. He sounds like a helicopter at times, others a train engine. The
break beats on Mushroom are some of the best you'll ever hear. Just a little
forewarning though, this band is not exactly "about" traditional
vocals. They literally found their second singer, Damo Suzuki, busking outside
of a cafe (Malcolm Mooney, the draft dodging original singer had a mental
breakdown on stage in 1969). They then proceeded to invite him, without
rehearsal, to play a sold out show at a sports hall that same night. One of the
grooviest albums around.
(5)Love
- Forever Changes
Arthur Lee used to be the king of the
Sunset Strip. Before Los Angeles was Doors town, it was Love town. He's even
allegedly responsible for showing Elektra records founder Jac Holzman The Doors
in the first place. By the time this album rolled around, the early days of his
bands unbridled success were starting to fade, along with the overall health of
the bands relationship. Conflicts over
drugs and women, along with addiction and a lack willingness to even
perform was taking its toll. All of this contributes to the albums overall
sombre tone. Arthur Lee was, for one reason or another, convinced that he was
going to die in 1967, and he wrote Forever Changes in that time. His mercurial
outlook and little lyrical puzzles are noteworthy, along with the string and
horn arrangements, which don't play out the way they often did on other records
in those days. Instead of having that 'cut and paste' feel, they tend to be
more important sounding when they appear, very cleanly and vitally woven to the
songs themselves.
(6) Bert
Jansch - Bert Jansch
Having a dark period in your life? This
album is the one for you. When it comes to British folk in the 60s, there are
three names that stick out to me: Davey Graham, John Renbourn and Bert Jansch.
(The last two are also in folk rock band Pentangle, who are absolutely magical)
The exasperation in Bert's voice can be as warming as it is haunting. This is
the voice of somebody who's spent a lot of time alone, walking around the
middle of nowhere with nothing but cigarettes, a few dollars and a guitar. He
doesn't slack on the former either, his playing is incredibly elastic and
appropriately tailored to suit every lyric or chord progression. He tears it up
on songs like Angie and brings you through some darker sides of himself on
Alice's Wonderland and Veronica. For fans of Big Bill Broonzy.
(7)Idiot
Flesh - Fancy
This album is very difficult to describe in
terms of genre, it is very influenced by 20th century classical music and avant
garde traditions, but at the same time retains a hardcore edge found on a lot
of straight ahead metal or rock. Nils Frykdahl is one hell of a composer, he
can turn absolutely anything into a song. This band was pretty famous for its
elaborate stage presence as well as making their own instruments. Nils went on
to form the legendary Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, who have permanently set the
freak flag so high up the pole that Captain Beefheart standing on the shoulders
of Wild Man Fischer atop of a ladder secured by The Shaggs couldn't even reach
it. Huge wafts of Zappa here, if you pay close enough attention. Not
necessarily in the arrangements themselves, but the attitude and way they fuse
different styles together into something very new and different. Not for the
faint of heart, these guys can bring you to some pretty dank places, if you let
them.
(8)Meat
Beat Manifesto - At The Center
It's my opinion that Jack Dangers is one of
the best producers ever to be offered up by our species. He's been at the helm
of electronic dance music before there even was one, the elder statesmen if you
will. As a drummer, this album is particularly enticing as it features Dave
King of The Bad Plus on almost every track, along with pianist Craig Taborn and
flutist Peter Gordon. The majority of this record is just psychedelic uncut
studio jams (. Two songs are soundscapes built around old recordings of beat
poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti reading want ads in the 1950s, these are some very
beautiful pieces of work. Jack's knowledge of recorded sound and film, along
with just talent overall, is far too vast to even begin to extrapolate here. He's
playing the friggin bass clarinet, sampling everything from just about every
source imaginable, mixing a well as mastering. Needless to say, he's that type
of creative catalyst that is so dedicated to his craft that nobody hears about
him. We wouldn't have Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy or The Future Sound of
London, along with a lot of others were it not for this guy.
(9)Steve
Lehman - Dialect Fluorescent
Steve
Lehman is that hot new thing in experimental jazz, the rising star of the last
few years. He's worked with Anthony Braxton, Vijay Iyer, and Jackie Maclean.
You name it, he's done it. This album catches him in trio format, which lends
itself to the swift and booming nature of the album. You can actually sort of,
you know...keep up with what's happening, for the most part. The drumming and
bass playing in this album can only be described as post mortal, the level of
interplay between Matt Brewer and Damion Reid escapes definition, both
literally and musically, as they bounce back and forth on the beat. "Mr.
E" is a particularly hard swing/bop, a relentless one at that.
"Foster Brothers" is one of the more straightforward songs on the
album, having a very pronounced beat, regardless of how intensely Damion flies
over it (That song was previously featured on Lehman's octet album with Rudresh
Mahanthappa, so it's nice to be able to hear it in core form). The crown jewel
here though, is the cover of 'Pure Imagination' from the Willy Wonka
soundtrack. I know, right? Don't expect to be hearing any chords on this album.
Thoroughly post modern jazz at its finest.
(10)Fela
Kuti and Africa 70 with Ginger Baker - Live!
Yeah, I watched that documentary on
Netflix. The one where Ginger Baker is smashing his cane in the director's face
within the first 5 minute of the film. I'm fine with it too, it brought me this
absolutely amazing piece of work I would never have imagined even existed
otherwise. For those who don't know, Ginger Baker left randomly for Nigeria in
1970 after the collapse of Blind Faith. He set up the first 16 track studio
that country ever had, but most ultimately, teamed up with Fela Kuti for some
live performances. If you like Cream and you think Jimi Hendrix is the most
influential guitarist of all time, chances are you won't be super fond of
Ginger's drumming on this album. There isn't a whole lot of flash, mostly
because that's not what this music requires. He just simply holds everything
together and still manages to do it with a lot of panache. A great shag record,
if you know what I mean. Literally oozing with rhythm and so goddamn groovy, I
was absolutely stunned when I heard this last summer, and it continues to be very
high on my list of favorites.
Another fine installment for sure and some incredibly intense picks. Stay tuned for more of these two come as well. Again, check out Chris in the very excellent Toucan Slam. They dropped a new burner in August that is more than worth a look see.
