Pornography of Despair (Part One) Matt Johnson is The The . Occasionally with a few other blokes as well, but for the most part they're just him. For those who are familiar with The The, you're already aware that they have several legendarily unreleased albums. Spirits , Gun Sluts , See Without Being Seen , Silent Tongue , and the one I'm dealing with today, Pornography of Despair . [...]
American born singer-songwriter-guitarist Ben Harper plays a mix of folk, blues, rock, etc. etc. You ever get tired of reading these things? Does anybody even pay attention? I'm betting not. Anyway, here's the music you're actually here for: Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals - "Wicked Man" B-side of "Ground On Down", later issued on the Music For Our [...]
Here's another one of those if- you- haven't- heard- of- him- you- should- just- stop- trying- to- pretend- you- know- about- music posts. Tom Waits was born in California in 1949. He began his professional recording career in 1973, with an album of bluesy beat-poet style songs. Over the years he has evolved into an avant garde singer-songwriter (and actor) whose style spans the range of jazz, folk, blues, experimental, rock and funk. And probably a few more that aren't popping to mind at the moment. But [...]
Mick Hucknall is Simply Red . Him and anyone else that he decides to put in the band at any point. They, or rather he, came out of England back in the eighties playing a mix of pop, jazz, and blue-eyed soul. Breaking on the scene with the massive hit "Holding Back the Years". A few minor hits later, they sunk back into obscurity in the states, but remain a big name act elsewhere. Big name with good reason, Mick has a hell [...]
They came straight outta Scotland in the early eighties, playing a brand of lengthy dramatic rock songs that can only be described as progressive. At this point in the write up comes the obligatory reference to Genesis . Originally calling themselves Silmarillion (after a J.R.R. Tolkien book), they shortened their name to Marillion a bout the time lead singer Fish joined up. [...]
Alrighty, here's the poop on one Luka Bloom . His real name is Barry Moore . His brother is the Irish singer Christy Moore . The stage name comes from Suzanne Vega 's "Luka", and the character, Bloom, in James Joyce 's novel Ulysses . Luka has been recording, first under his given name, and later under the pseudonym, since the seventies, with much critical acclaim, but little mainstream success (here in America, anyway). That's alright, though. Mainstream, [...]
I mentioned the Irish band Hothouse Flowers once before, in the post about fellow Irishmen The Frames . Back in the late eighties and early nineties, the Flowers were among my favorite bands. Strange because at the time I was big into angry and depressing stuff, which is the opposite of Hothouse Flowers. By the mid-nineties, the original line up had split (alright, it wasn't the original line up, but the line up from the first album), and I haven't really taken the [...]
Consider this a congratulatory post. Peter Garrett, former lead singer of the Australian band Midnight Oil , was recently named Minister for Environment in the Australian government. Those who are familiar with Midnight Oil, beyond the mega hit "Beds Are Burning", know that Peter has long been an environmental advocate. We here at the Pile of Vinyl offer our congratulations. Let's hope Peter retains both the power and the passion. (ouch, that's a groaner) In [...]
The Boomtown Rats hailed from the town of Dun Loaghaire (pronounced dun leery), near Dublin, Ireland. They formed in the mid-seventies, and stuck around for a little over a decade. Until lead singer Bob Geldof got all political, and went and organized that Live Aid thing. Best known for their international hit "I Don't Like Mondays", they had several other big songs in the UK ("Rat Trap", "Looking After Number One", etc.) When they split up in '86, they left behind six albums of [...]
Tom Jones has been around since. . . Hell, if you don't know who Tom Jones is, you should just be put down now. Though best known for his many classic songs ("It's Not Unusual", "She's a Lady", "Delilah", "Thunderball", etc., etc.) he's never been one to shy away from trying something new. In recent years, that's found him covering many younger bands, both live and on his albums. Here's a few things from his recent past you won't find on his discs: [...]
So, the all-time best Christmas song ever is still "Fairytale of New York", but that one is all over the internets this time of year. I wanted to put up a few Christmas songs that are less often heard. Fishbone - "Slick Nick, You Devil You" From the It's A Wonderful Life EP. Dread Zeppelin - "All I Want for Christmas" A band that does mostly Led Zeppelin covers in a reggae style, lead [...]
Canadian rockers The Tragically Hip have been playing together since the early eighties. It took a few years for them to get signed, but since their debut EP in 1987, they've been putting out fresh material every couple of years. Even better than the many fantastic albums, their live shows are worth driving hours to see. If you haven't heard of them, this probably isn't the best introduction, for that buy their best of (I know, best of's are for housewives and little girls) or look around [...]
Thirty years ago, Billy Bragg made his first splash on the music scene with his band Riff Raff . The band released a few singles, but didn't make the impression they had hoped for, and Riff Raff dissolved after a couple of years. After a very brief stint in the British military, Billy began again as a solo musician. His first solo album, Life's a Riot with Spy Vs Spy , was issued in 1983, and [...]
The Wonder Stuff formed in England in 1986. They are best known for sarcastic hits like "It's Yer Money I'm After, Baby" and "Give Give Give Me More More More". The band broke up after 9 years, and four albums (though Rob "The Bass Thing" Jones had left a few years prior). During the years that followed, they released a few cash-in albums (the usual best-of, live, and b-side comps). They briefly reformed in 2000, but most of the band again went their [...]
Part Two They just announced a Pogues box set will be released next year. It's currently slated for St. Patrick's Day. No track listing has been given, yet, so I don't know if any of these songs will be on it. Which brings me to a small point. All of the songs I post here are in good quality, but not CD quality. That's on purpose. If a Pogues fan downloads these, they will be worth it. But if that [...]
The Frames have been tooling around their native Ireland (and other places) since the early nineties. Word has it that in their homeland, they are nearly as popular as the mighty U2 . That's a good thing, since their recent output far surpasses the recent offerings of Bono & Co. Not that I'm trying to slag U2. Their earlier work still ranks among my favorites, but I grew tired of them about the time Bono did that whole McPhisto thing, which is about when The Frames showed up on the scene. [...]
The Proclaimers are a couple of Scottish twins named Craig and Charlie Reid. They're pretty much only known in the States for their mega-hit "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", which achieved it's success thanks in part to the now forgotten movie Benny and June . Your kids might recognize their song "I'm On My Way" thanks to its inclusion in one of the Shrek films. Here's a few things you won't find on a soundtrack, or on any of their albums: [...]
The Tindersticks formed in England in the late eighties. Starting out under the name Asphalt Ribbons . The name change came, reportedly, when lead singer Stuart Staples found a book of matches on a beach in Greece. They were best known for their cinematic music, coupled with Stuart's deep, Roger Whittaker -like, vocals. Tindersticks have released two combination best-of / rarities albums. Donkeys (1998) and Working For the Man (2004). [...]
I'm sure you've already heard of Sinead O'Connor . Either from her massive hit "Nothing Compares 2 U", or from her ripping up a picture of the Pope on Saturday Night Live. Love her or hate her, you have to admit she has one hell of a voice. Over the years, she has used that amazing voice on every style of music she wanted to try. From big band to reggae, traditional to trance. Lately, she's been doing [...]
A few years back (2001 to be exact) the members of Grant Lee Buffalo culled their archives, and issued the double album Storm Hymnal. (buy) One disc of album tracks and singles, the second of b-sides and rarities. It's a great package. I highly recommend it. If you've never heard of Grant Lee Buffalo, download a song or two and give them a try. Their sound was a mix of folk rock, with a bit of Americana. If you like early [...]
deadbilly's steaming pile of vinyl
Bison - Quill
Neutral Milk Hotel- Aeroplane Over the Sea
Shinichi Osawa – Big Beach Mix 2012
