Mike Oldfield – Discovery (1984)
https://www.discogs.com/Mike-Oldfield-Discovery/release/96973
Mike Oldfield – Discovery (1984)
This was as far as I recall one of the first records by Mike Oldfield I heard, the first song I listened to by him was Moonlight Shadow. And thus Crisis would be the first lp by him I laid ears on.
Discovery (or as a local DJ used to pronounce it: Disco Very (sic)), is not my favourite lp by Oldfield, but not the worst either. Personally I guess my eternal # 1 is Ommadawn. What I think about the songs here are as follows:
SIDE A:
To France: Obviously an attempt to make Moonlight Shadow 2, and not a bad attempt either. I love the way the lyrics weave around the melody, and Maggie Reilly’s voice is sweet as ever. The guitar solos (both acoustic and electric) also works well for me.
Poison Arrows: This has been ruined for me by the Zombies re-make made a few years back. Still an ok song, I imagine it’s a return to the mood Oldfield had when he made Shadow on the Wall. There is some of the same gloomy-ness. The delay/phaser effect on the drums are supercool. Even the faux werewolf howl in the end comes out not too tacky.
Crystal Gazing: Here we are in Family Man territory, again a return to earlier moods and recipies from Gordon Mikefield. This is not the most exciting song. A bit gumpetung, and too repetitive without being hypnotizing (and me likes monotony when done properly).
Tricks of the Light: Is a song I don’t really like.
Discovery: Again a bit of a Shadow on the Wall feel here. I remember liking this song a lot back when the lp came out, but I was a sucker for powerballads then. Not as much now
SIDE B:
Talk About Your Life: I love this song, easily the best song on the record, the vocals are majestic and all comes together in a higher synthesis. It still speaks to me as powerfully as it did in 1984.
Saved by a Bell: A bit of a Disney-banger here. A universe-themed grandiose epic 70’s style rock-ballad. That works!! Much better than the title track. Love it!
The Lake: The final song and the only instrumental on the lp. Starts off with faux pan flutes in delay loop. Urgh, It sucks. Sorry to say, but if I was randomly shuffling through this lp I would never listen to the entire song. And then the progressive stuff comes in. Not good, I really don’t like this. Gumpetungt and uninspired. Western guitar??
My final verdict is that this isn’t Oldfield’s finest hour, but still an ok record to put on once in a while.
Sodom – Demonized (2017)
I ❤️ Sodom! And the Witching Metal demo from 1982 is an old favorite of mine. I was very happy, when I got the news that Floga Records was about to release an lp with the Witching Metal demo and also the Victims Of Death demo from 1984.
This is a great release, and a must have for the connoisseur of early thrash. Enough said, go get it!!
Autopsy – Mental Funeral
I quite vividly remember when this lp was released. I already knew Autopsy’s first lp Severed Survival, and liked it. So it was with great enthusiasm I put this lp on my record player. I think it was my friend Morten Lose who bought it and brought it to my tiny flat in Hundegade in Ribe. So there we were, in a house built in 1588, listening to what seemed like a brand new form of death metal. I wasn’t prepared for a sound so filthy and uncompromising. The song Dead is still among my eternal favorites. The song structures are strange and twisted compared to the death metal that preceded it. This is for me still the ultimate soundtrack for a trip to the deepest pits of Hell. Dirty!! DIRTY!!!!
I have lost count of (never had it, really) how many times I’ve listened to this. But it wasn’t until 2003 I got around to buy it, so I could lay my dubbed cassette to rest. At that point I bought it on cd, but hooray! Today I finally got it on lp. And it’s an absolute pleasure to listen to.
The lp: https://www.discogs.com/Autopsy-Mental-Funeral/release/9845487
The cd: https://www.discogs.com/Autopsy-Mental-Funeral/release/739946
Sedem Minút Strachu – General Fucking (2017)
This is a record you want, if you are at all into noisy stuff. Sedem Minút Strachu – or Seven Minutes of Fear – is the shit for me these days.
This 12″ will no doubt be a classic of the genre.
Listen here: https://sedemminutstrachu.bandcamp.com/album/general-fucking-12lp
And buy it here: http://www.atwarwithfalsenoise.com
https://www.discogs.com/Sedem-Minút-Strachu-General-Fucking/release/9679652
Lärm – Straight On View (LP 1986)
Fuck… Where do I even begin… I think I heard about Lärm back in 1987, and bought the lp by mail order from Rock Uglen that same year. Unfortunately the record had suffered in the mail and had cracked from the center to the edge, so I had to record it to cassette before it was totally destroyed. So for many years I lived with a cassette with a noticable crack every time the lp had revolved. I had the iconic cover pinned to my wall.
I think it was through Napalm Death interviews that I learned about Lärm. Their speedy hardcore was hyped by many a band at that time, and since I was heavily into fast bands like Wehrmacht and Cryptic Slaughter I was rather stoked to hear Lärm. And I wasn’t disappointed!
Their fast punk music has followed me throughout the years, first on that shitty cassette, then on the discographic cd Extreme Noise which unfortunately omitted the live tracks from side B of the Straight On View lp.
And now. Finally. 30 years after the release, and 29 years after I received my broken lp in the mail, I have gotten my hands on another copy.
My old band Sardonic Death wrote a song called Terror Lärm in homage to Lärm, and my current band Kusari Gama Kill has released an EP with the same title.
https://www.discogs.com/L%C3%A4rm-Straight-On-View/release/1832030
Gruesome – Dimensions Of Horror (2016)
Oh yes indeedy! This is some classic old school death metal in the vein of Scream Bloody Gore. I’m just finishing my second listen, and I’m very satisfied!
Get this before it’s sold out. As for Gruesome – I suspect they’ll never sell out!
Heh, seems like I inadvertently almost quoted my review of their LP Savage Land here…
Deep Purple – Deep Purple (LP, 1969)
I love this record. A lot.
I first heard it sometime around 1988, when my old pal Kenneth gave me a cassette with it on one side. I remember listening to it while lying in bed, and drifting in and out of sleep.
I almost slept when Lalena began, and Rod Evans’ voice startled me, sounding as if he was in the room with me.
I accidentally sold my lp, but have recently repurchased it – this time a 1976 re-issue with a cool German hype sticker on it.
If you aren’t familiar with this gem, you should give yourself the pleasure of listening to it whenever you’re ready to.
https://www.discogs.com/Deep-Purple-Deep-Purple/release/5903490
Sissy Spacek – Disfathom (LP)
Catchy dirty grindcore from Sissy Spacek, I know very little of this band, which serves to prove my ignorance of all things worth knowing. I know I like this record though, and that’s something I guess. Musically I’m reminded of Gridlink, but this is a bit darker and dirtier. The lp comes with a fat wad of xeroxed concert posters and postcards.
https://www.discogs.com/Sissy-Spacek-Disfathom/release/8338909
Exithippies/Lotus Fucker – Disgrace To The Corpse Of Elmo/Lotus Fucker (LP)
I bought this split for two reasons, first and foremost because it’s a Lotus Fucker record, and I really like Lotus Fucker. Second, due to the Exithippies cover art, which is another take on Sore Throat’s classic lp Disgrace To The Corpse Of Sid (Deche-Charge also made a version).
I couldn’t find a video for this one…
Cows – Cunning Stunts
I honestly can’t tell how and when I discovered this album. But recently I stumbled upon a Spotify playlist I made with it, and I have listened rather much to it since.
The opening slap and crying child, is a instant attention-getter, and the following 39 minutes is catchy rocky bliss.
I rather quickly decided to obtain this album, and luckily at has just been rereleased, so it was a nobrainer getting it.
I really dig the cover, and I have a very soft spot for extensive liner notes.
https://www.discogs.com/Cows-Cunning-Stunts/release/7986638
I have stolen the images for this blog post from the discogs entry, as I’m writing this away from my own copy of the record.
Now Playing Records 