Wednesday, September 14, 2011

My Music - Albums R

Some substantial letters towards the end of the alphabet and, as we reach R, Radiohead make their entry. I reckon they have been the most creative, risk-taking band of the last twenty years, almost never producing an album that I like first time through but only their debut I rarely play these days. Gerry Rafferty's album has some good tracks other than Baker Street. Jess Roden, first encountered as the vocalist with the Butts Band supporting Roxy Music at Birmingham Odeon, is one of the finest white soul r&b voices of recent history. Dan Reed fused rock, electronica, hip-hop and great songs. One of my finest gigs of all time was him at Newcastle Riverside (a now defunct, members-only venue) in about 1991. REM have always been good value. Saw them twice, twenty years apart. Roni Size made me realise there was more to drum n' bass than I thought (thanks DJ 'Jamin), Roots Manuva made hip hop acceptable to the white masses and the title track off Power in the Darkness was a desert island disc for many years with its wonderful anti-establishment rant about what sort of freedom the Tories wanted at the time. It was a liberal manifesto. Hear it here. The rant starts at 2:14. N word warning. It was 1978. Reverend and the Makers Heavyweight Champion of the World is an outstanding song which dwarfs the album.

Radiohead 1993 (CD) Pablo Honey
1994 (CD) The Bends
1997 (CD) OK Computer
2000 (CD) Kid A
2001 (CD) Amnesia
2003 (CD) Hail to the Thief
2007 (CD) In Rainbows
Gerry Rafferty 1977 (V) City to City
Robert Randolph & the Family Band
2003 (CD) Unclassified
The Rapture 2003 (CD) Echoes
Red Hot Chili Peppers 2002 (CD) By the Way
Dan Reed Network 1988 (V) Dan Reed Network
1989 (V) Slam
1991 (V) The Heat
Lou Reed 1972 (V) Transformer
REM 1983 (V) Murmur
1985 (V) Fables of the / Reconstruction of the
1986 (V) Lifes Rich Pageant
1987 (V) Document
1988 (V) Green
1991 (V) Out of Time
1994 (Tape) Monster
1996 (CD) New Adventures in Hi-Fi
1998 (CD) Up
2001 (CD) Reveal
2003 (CD) In Time 1988-2003
2004 (CD) Around the Sun
2008 (CD) Accelerate
Reverend and the Makers 2007 (CD) The State of Things
Roni Size Reprazent 1997 (CD) New Forms
Rilo Kiley 2007 (CD) Under the Blacklight
River City People 1989 (V) Say Something Good
Roachford 1988 (V) Roachford
Tom Robinson Band 1978 (V) Power in the Darkness
Jess Roden 1974 (V) Jess Roden
1977 (V) The Player Not the Game
Jess Roden Band 1976 (V) Play It Dirty ... Play It Class
1976 (V) Keep Your Hat On
1977 (V) Blowin'
Rolling Stones 1971 (CD) Sticky Fingers
1974 (V) It's Only Rock n' Roll
1984 (V) Rewind
1989 (V) Steel Wheels
Roots Manuva 2001 (CD) Run Come Save Me
2005 (CD) Awfully Deep
2006 (CD) Alternately Deep
2008 (CD) Slime and Reason
Roots Manuva meets Wrongtom 2010 (CD) Duppy Writer
Don Ross 2006 (CD) Live in Your Head
Roxy Music 1972 (V) Roxy Music
1973 (V) For Your Pleasure
1973 (V) Stranded
1974 (V) Country Life
1975 (V) Siren
1979 (V) Manifesto
Röyksopp 2001 (CD) Melody A.M.
Leon Russell 1970 (CD) Leon Russell

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