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10
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King's X (©1992 Atlantic)
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9
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Electric Fire (©1998 EMI Records)
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8
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Strength (©2004 Marathon Records #0001 / 1098)
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7
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Jamie Rowe |
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Dios De Amor (©2004 Vida Music)
Sheesh, the guy appears twice in my list this year - greedy bugger. |
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6
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Collected (©2002 edmundscrown.com)
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5
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You're So Lucky (©2004 Atenzia Records)
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4
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Pukka Orchestra (©1984 Solid Gold)
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3
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Lost Horizon (©1988 Alternative Records)
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2 |
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MUTT (©2004 Lo-Fidelity / Fools of the World)
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1
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77's |
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Sticks And Stones (©1990 Broken)
Not bad for an album that was new to me fourteen years after it was released. |
Coming
in at number ten. King's X. This past year I kind of overdosed on King's
X which at first was a good thing, but trying to digest the band's catalog
in a single year probably wasn't a good thing. However, this one grabbed
me and was pretty bloody good. As you can tell, I'm a little behind
the times.
Oh
look, it's Queen's drummer, not the guy from Duran Duran. Guess what?
He has a bunch of solo albums, and this one is freaking great. Not available
in North America? Pity. Not impossible to get, as evidenced by me having
a copy. Roger rocks!
Who'd have figured some guy from the back woods of Canada would scoop
the first copy of this gem? Nicely produced, and wonderfully executed.
If you were a fan of Aunt Bettys and liked what you heard on Kevin Clay's
Watch Me Fall - this is what Andrew Carter sounds like when he's in
front of the microphone. Also features Jeff Elbel on bass.
The
English title is Songs for Heaven and Earth. It doesn't seem to matter
if he's singing in Spanish or English, the care and attention this young
man brings to the writing and arrangements are so far above most of
what it out there it's criminal. So how come he's not on a major label
and lip synching on SNL like the other talents out there?
Edmund's
Crown features the talented Greg Pope (film maker, singer, guitar player,
father), who I first heard in a band called Eager with former PFR guy
Patrick Andrew. This is a really good album, and who knows, these guys
may actually get their big break. Here's hoping, they really are something
special.
Counting
down my top five. Starting with a wonderful import from London Calling.
The band first came to my attention when Jon Gilbert contacted me and
told me he had a new band he was part of called London Calling which
featured most of the members of The Frantics, and Jamie Rowe. He was
pretty proud of what they were up to. The guys worked the band for a
while, and who knows what the future holds, but this is a great treat
for fans of true power pop in the spirit of Cheap Trick and The Cars.
I
love this album. 20 years and counting and it is still a marvel to behold.
Listen to the Radio got a bunch of play in Canada, but you have
to hear Might As Well Be on Mars - now there's a bloody classic.
The whole album is a marvel. Thank you Solid Gold for remastering and
reissuing! Thank you, thank you thank you.
This
one caught me completely off guard. Steve is backed by most of The 77's
and it flat out smokes. Based on album I immediately sought out whatever
I could find by Steve (without spending a fortune), and well, um - he's
an artist and the other couple of discs I currently have are interesting
and absolutely nothing like this in any way shape or form. However,
this is an unbelievably good album, and still sounds fresh.
Those
who know me will probably be surprised at this one getting to number
2 (not to mention that those who know me, also know I love to go on
about number two) Sure, the new album by the Dogs took a few listens
to get under my skin, but once there it stuck like a tick. There are
some great rearrangements of some classic DA / 77s / Choir songs here.
If you don't have this and are a fan of great songs done by three of
the most talented men (Terry Taylor, Michael Roe, Derri Daugherty) in
the business what are you waiting for?
2004
was the year of The Seventy Sevens; I just about broke the bank getting
the stuff I didn't already have off e.bay and other money pits. Am I
sorry? Not a chance. Sticks and Stones may not be the best 77's album
ever, but holy crap it's close, and of the albums I spun and reviewed
this year this one stayed in the changer for months.|
2004
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