REAL MUSIC BEST OF 2007 PLAYLIST

Round about October time I was asked to produce my Best of 2007 Albums for www.getreadytorock.com. I produced my list as requested but felt uneasy about it being so early in the year. This week (late Dec 07) I was also asked to do the same for www.netrhythms.com and realised I had already included a couple of albums that back in October hadn’t yet surfaced. So after much thought I submitted my new list which is essentially what you see below, with a few extra thoughts.

The two above requests also got me thinking. Whenever we moan about the lack of good contemporary music or complain about a lot of the rubbish we are subjected to on the radio, I usually take a step back and think about some of the brilliant live music that marked 2007 as musically memorable (see the best of gigs below). I also head back to the net and check out some of the great net radio stations, some of which I will hopefully in due course share with you on my web site.

Then I moved on to casually glance through some of the albums I listened to last year and realised it will take me a good few days to edit them all down to a list of just 10 CD’s. It proved to be a hard call, and this year was harder than ever as there really were some very good albums. In the end I ditched some of the more obvious ones, some of the borderline choices and went for a mix of the outstanding and those that combined the music some of the best gigs of the year with equally great albums. Of course no sooner had I done my list when I realised I’d missed some essential albums. But I decided I had made my choice and stuck with them and if you end up shouting out, ‘what about so and so?’ then you hopefully will realise that you are as passionate about great music as all those wonderful people who have over the last 12 months either bought a ticket to a gig or possibly purchased one of the choices below.

Happy New Year and thanks for all your support
Pete Feenstra

1). Joe Jackson -Rain (Rykodisc) www.joejackson.com
This is actually an advance copy of a Jan 08 release, and it's a cracker. Joe is in stripped down trio mode comprising just piano, bass, and drums for some elemental down to the wire material. He slips from tightly structured jazzy arrangements and minimalist melancholy to sweeping melodies and heartfelt ballads and occasionally slips into falsetto mode to wring out every last nuance of an album destined to be a career highlight.
‘Rain’ seems to have brought all Joe’s core elements to the fore including his need to keep things minimal, some personal lyrics and an exploration of both his love of the piano and his on going love for music complexity. Standing always just left of centre Joe mixes power pop with jazzy influences to great effect on a superb album.

2). Joe Bonamassa - Sloe Gin (Provogue) www.jbonamassa.com
Joe finally delivers the album that fulfils his potential. No longer the up and coming blues rock guitarist, Joe has improved his vocals, gathered together a mix of acoustic and electric material, and added producer Kevin Shirley's Eastern sounding post-Zeppelin brush strokes to his searing guitar. In effect Joe reverses the 60’s British Invasion of the US and squares the circle in bringing rock blues back to the forefront of the UK/European music scene.

3). Sparks - Dee Vee Dee (Liberation Entertainment) www.allsparks.com
I'm actually cheating by switching formats to DVD for a glorious set that showcases all of 2006's 'Hello Young Lovers' CD and a 'best of' second set. Unlike most of their contemporaries Sparks have produced their very best material 33 years after their initial success in the UK. A totally unique audio visual experience with stunning songs from Ron Mael, and impossible vocals from Russell Mael, this is simply breathtaking stuff and is destined to become a career highlight.
The show is both clever, funny and rocks out by turns, while the lyrics and audio visual sequences make you realise that Sparks are indeed more than just what the traditional rock format normally offers us. The second set is a more stripped down affair, but if nothing else shows how the duo have never stood still, dipping their collective toes in different musical genres. So while ‘Amateur Hour’ and ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us’ remain essential, the newer material such as the mesmerising ‘Perfume’, and the twice played ‘Dick Around’ are simply the best songs they have ever produced. File under art rock, but always with lashings of humour and dark irony.

4). Hans Theessink - Slow Train (Blues Groove) www.theessink.com
Exquisite gospel blues from the Austrian based Dutchman who out Cooder's Ry Cooder. And while Hans beautifully emotes in the company of African gospel accompaniment, he delivers some hard hitting political lyrics concerning 9/11, Iraq and contemporary Zimbabwe without ever compromising his wonderful music.
A brilliant and intuitive acoustic guitarist, Hans is also a fine singer, and as this album shows a top draw songwriter. So while the afore mentioned Ry Cooder and Paul Simon may have explored this territory before, Hans has his own three decade career to fall back on and the result is a new and contemporary take on gospel blues.

5). Ian Parker - Where I Belong (Ruf) www.ianparkermusic.com
Ian Parker is a genuine British white boy soul singer with the younger Peter Green's touch on guitar, and a hatful of relationship songs that would give Robert Cray a real run for his money. A major talent working within but not trapped by the blues idiom, Ian Parker's lyrics gloriously match his licks. ‘Where I Belong’ is a very brave record as it stands and falls by some heartfelt personal lyrics.
The strength of the album comes by virtue of the fact that the music and searing guitar work underpins the many emotional moments in songs. Robert Cray employed the same building blocks to his song craft and while Ian is an artist in his own right, this album shows he has both matured and broadened his musical palette to play some of the classiest soulful blues on this side of the Atlantic.

6). Roger Chapman - One More Time For Peace (Mystic) www.chappo.com
Here's a real turn up for the book as the former Family/Streetwalkers and long time successful Euro solo artist, re invents himself as an introspective Dylan disciple. The voice may be weathered but the songs are superb, most notably 'All Too Soon' and a plaintive reworking of 'Jerusalem'.
There’s a rare introspective feel about this record. And with its change of musical direction and overall feel of wistfulness Roger concentrates much more on the songs. There are still moments of the old brusque bleating Chappo, but the combined emphasis on both songs and ‘real in the studio playing’ gives this album an edgy rootsy feel that after repeated plays really works. Undoubtedly a shock for long time fans, ’One More Time For Peace’ is one of the most underrated albums of the year and deserves your attention.

7). Devon Allman's Honeytribe - Torch (Provogue) www.honeytribe.com
Yes he's got the name and undoubtedly he is influenced by the family dynasty, but Honeytribe are very good band in their own right. Mixing some surprisingly rootsy material with bluesy and Latino influences. Devon himself has a rich baritone voice, plays sole sublime licks over Jack Kirkner's' intuitive keyboards, trades licks with guest Joe Bonamassa and effortlessly switches to acoustic when required.
Devon Allman is an impressive player, but above all he is a heavyweight vocalist who has taken the old fashioned approach of gathering together a real band and gigging relentlessly. And ‘Torch’ is the kind of album that could only have been made with a band that strains at the leash and fulfils the possibility of every song.

8). Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (Merge) www.arcadefire.com
The much lauded Canadian indie band really had it all to do after such an impressive debut album 'Funeral'. But on 'Neon Bible' they have managed to infuse their new songs with the equal amounts of raw intensity, emotional drive and spell binding playing within a successful restrained self produced album. Win Butler's angst ridden vocals are simply perfect as on the majestic 'No Cars Go' and the Springsteen infused 'Keep The Car Running'.
Perhaps the litmus test for Arcade Fire is that once if you finally get to hear some of their material outside of the media hype, you might realise just how resonant their music is. There is no substitute for raw intensity, drive and passion and this album has all those core elements.
9). Man - Diamonds & Coal (Point) www.myspace.com/themanbanduk
40 years old, the enduring Welsh guitar band have successfully passed the baton between generations with sole survivor Martin Ace being joined by the twin guitars of his son Josh and George Jones (Micky's son) and Bob Richards on drums. The title track sets the standard for an album full of compelling riffs, dark ironic lyrics and an enduring west coast feel, albeit from Swansea!
‘Diamonds & Coal’ is in many respects Man’s most important album for years. For having lost the services of both Micky Jones to illness and Deke Leonard to his solo career and parallel existence as an author, the new generation band had to prove they could produce new material to match their continuing excellent live shows. And for the most part this CD does exactly that, with all members contributing fully to the song writing process, and Martin Ace of course delivering the driest of humour and caustic irony on ‘Freedom Fries’

10). Stackridge - Something For The Weekend (Angel Air) www.stackridge.net
2007 saw the return to the boards of this much loved whimsical and archetypal English band complete with key members James Warren, Andy Davis and Mutter Slater as part of an octet. The album continues Warren's fascination with Beatles as he eschews the keyboard led aspects of the Korgis and refocuses on his roots, as evidenced by the George Harrison influenced 'Fascinating World' and the self explanatory 'Something About the Beatles' .
Stackridge were originally an eclectic college band who surprisingly morphed into the million selling Korgis, enjoying international success with ‘Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime’. Now with their personal differences seemingly resolved the reformed Stackridge are still driven by the songs of James Warren and Andy Davis, and all that mid 70’s eclecticism has finally matured into brilliant reformed band.

BEST GIGS OF 2007

If picking your best album of the year is tough, then imagine what it is like choosing the best 10 gigs. The choices here certainly require a dip into the diary so as not to overlook a show simply by virtue of it being last January for example. Anyway you can imagine the problems and ultimately I made the decision to go with the ones that literally stand out in my mind. So apologies for overlooking your favourites, but certainly no apologies for the type of music because for 95 percent of the time all the gigs were excellent, a tribute to a mix of professional pride and the enthusiasm of the audiences who support the bands and clubs concerned. Finally the 10 gigs should be considered as equally good, and in this case there is no more value attached to number one than ten, these are after all ten highlights of the year

1). Stackridge at the Boom Boom Club/Sutton Utd FC 27/4/07
Their first time in Sutton with the full 8 piece line-up saw people travel from all parts of Europe and the band didn’t disappoint. The harmonies were spine tingling, the playing mesmerising - including two violins- and above all the band looked joyously happy.

2a). Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes at The Boom Boom Club/Sutton Utd FC 18/11/07
2b). Focus at The Boom Boom Club/Sutton Utd FC 23/11/07
Can’t separate the two, so they must be a joint highlight.
Albert Lee is no stranger to the Boom Boom Club, but was on scintillating form. Above all the band had changed their set and the capacity crowd inspired both performer and band to extraordinary heights.
Focus were in fact making their second appearance of the year and while the March gig was memorable, this end of year show was absolutely magnificent with Thijs van Leer and Pierre Van Deer Linden being pushed all the way by new guitar giant Nils van der Steenhoven. The bursting room filled with subtle thematic developments, clever dynamics, and timeless riffs. It was almost the rebirth of Prog Rock, right there and then!

3). Ian Parker & band Zoom @ The Moon, Herne Hill SE24 1/12/07
Rarely can a rock blues artist reduce a raucous room to total silence as the spellbound crowd held on to his every word, but such was the emotional levels of this gig that it would take some special kind of gospel show to top it. Backed by a stellar band, his guitar soared, and the band earned a reception that could be heard in East Dulwich!

4). Ruthless Blues Zoom @ The Moon Herne Hill SE24 3/3/07
There is no substitute for a charismatic front man and in the dynamic Steve Smith, Ruthless Blues have one of the very best in the business. This was the ultimate home coming gig for the harp playing vocalist who came down from the highlands of Scotland to kick over his traces in South London. Stevie's incredible performance on the night brought new meaning to the concept of hitting the crowd hard as the diminutive Smith stood on the lip of the stage and mugged his audience to sing along, clap, shout, stomp and damn it, have a good time. The band and a wildly excite crowd collectively rejoiced in the refrain, that is also one of their best songs, ‘Is that the Blues, Sure Enough!’

5). Walter Trout Power Trio at The Boom Boom Club/Sutton Utd FC 26/3/07
There was an unspoken feeling that when this concept was announced that Walter’s full sound might sound a bit Spartan without Sammy Avila’s Hammond. In the event up stepped bass player Rick Knapp who shared some mesmerising moments with Walter. Trout who took the concept of a jam to new heights playing everything from Hound Dog Taylor’s ‘Give Me Back My Wig’ to the Beatles. He also reinterpreted some of his own classics like ‘Leave This Town’ and sounded like an artist reborn. Later in the year Sammy rejoined the Radicals for an equally inspired but different show.

6). Devo at The Royal Festival Hall, London 19/6/07
And to think we often dismiss the 80’s as a musically barren era. Devo were one of the pioneers in combining video with music in the early years of MTV (before it became rigid and formulaic) with songs like the magnificent ‘Whip It’. There was always more to their music than mere zaniness what with an on going de-evolutionary message, and deconstructed songs like the Stones ‘Satisfaction’. Now well into middle age, Devo still rocked the place to its foundations with a combination of audio visual and musical messages that proved just as poignant today as over 25 years ago.

7). Carvin Jones Band at The Greenwood/Northolt, Middx 23/2/07
This was an unusual gig in that over half the crowd had apparently never seen the flamboyant guitar slinger before. And so it came to be that Carvin went on several of his off stage forays and played out of his skin. The capacity crowd roared him on to new heights, and having satisfied the calls for Hendrix, launched into his own rock and roll shuffle ‘Born To Win’ and brought every last person in the room to their feet for a rocking tongue in cheek ‘I’m What You Need’.

8). Lou Reed playing ‘Berlin’ at The Hammersmith Odeon, London 1/7/07
This was like a coming of age for Lou Reed’s own rock opera Berlin’. Panned by the critics in the 70’s and long forgotten by many, this epic show did sound a little dated at times but together with a magnificent arrangement that included an orchestra and choir, as well as Lou’s core rock band, he fleshed out the story one more time with real passion, fervour and by the time of a belated encore of ‘Walk On The Wild Side’ was positively beaming.

9) Otway Big Band /John O’Leary band/Man/Thunder at The Cambridge Rock Festival 18-19/8/07
This excellent festival made light of four days of unrelenting rain by making maximum use of the indoor facilities normally reserved for an animal rescue centre. And while the 4 days were packed full of familiar faces, it must have been a long time since so many of the assembled bands played so thrillingly to their potentially. And while the manic John Otway and his big band had over 3000 people in tears on a wet Sunday afternoon, John O’Leary and his superb band dragged everyone in from the bars with some high class rocking funky blues. Their set was so good that it took something very special from Man with their twin guitar jam sensibilities and sledgehammer riffs to win back the crowd. Their closing extemporised ‘Spunk Rock” was a brilliant set closer. Festival headliners Thunder were the perfect finale to a great festival. Basically, they came, they saw, and they conquered with a classic fun filled set that balanced slick but heavy rock blues with a musical equivalent of rock & roll pantomime.

10a). Devon Allman’s Honeytribe / Zoom @ The Moon, Herne Hill SE24 8/12/07
10b). Eddie & The Hot Rods / Zoom @ The Moon, Herne Hill SE24 15/12/07
Had to have a joint effort as I couldn’t miss out either of these two great shows; Devon Allman’s Herne Hill show fell on the night of the 60th birthday of his dad, Gregg Allman. I’d been extolling the virtues of Honeytribe as a band in their own right, but on this special night they dipped generously into the Allman Brothers repertoire for a killer show, best exemplified by their version of ‘One Way Out’ and Devon’s own Hendrix meets Santana influenced instrumental ‘Mahalo’
Eddie & The Hot Rids took it right back to 76 when Southend inspired r&b masqueraded as Punk. From the moment they hit the stage to the end of their impromptu second encore, the band seated buckets and blasted their happy pre Xmas fans with a classic show, all in front of a beaming Graham Douglas who wrote their rapturously received hit ‘Do Anything You Wanna Do’.