Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1976)

Cassettes were the thing back then, far more convenient (or so we thought) then vinyl; I used to buy second-hand vinyl for £1 a time, tape them and sell them back for 50p then listen to the cassettes.  I very rarely bought a new one, but this one time I saw a cassette sampler called FM, which featurd a lot of new bands and singers from the new format sweeping America – FM Radio.  It was cheap if I remember and I loved it, especially a track by this band; ‘American Girl’ – which sounded not only great but possibly a new future.  It was rock and roll but with a sensibility and an edge, a somewhat missing element in the year of punk.  Then I saw an advert for this unheard of band playing live at Hammersmith Odeon.  I went and was blown away; I think they only had this album out and played several songs twice.  Hooked I became a life-long fan and bought every record.  The band was fronted by Tom with his somewhat ‘Dylanesque’ voice and clever lyrics, but was backed by Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench and others – a great solid yet complex sound.  This truly was a brilliant debut, best songs – ‘Breakdown’, ‘Strangered in The Night’, ‘Luna’ and of course the song that started this love-affair ‘American Girl’.  Tom unexpectedly and suddenly died of cardiac arrest, brought on by drugs, a few years ago – such a waste.

Beth Orton – Trailer Park

Now for a late great British singer-songwriter, Beth is from Norfolk, close enough to my home county Suffolk to be a neighbour.  She was born in 1970, so at 54 a relative newcomer to these pages.  She lost both parents early and drifted a bit, but a chance meeting with producer William Orbit led to her singing on a couple of early tracks.  She released a Japan only album but at age 27 this record arrived.  Her style is a mix of folk and newer electronica, almost trip hop, but also a bit Americana.  As with most singer-songwriters it was the voice which captivated me, very laid-back but clear – reminiscent of Sandy Denny and the backing is quite trip-hoppy and compliments the songs perfectly.  She is, of course, a minor star in the firmanent but I like her.  Best songs ‘She Calls Your Name’, ‘Sugar Boy’ and ‘Galaxy Of Emptiness.’

Gram Parsons – GP (1973)

A true musician’s musician, Gram – real name Ingram Cecil Connor III – was born to a wealthy family, both parents being alcoholics and seemingly reckless.  His father shot himself and his mother married Robert Parsons, whose name Gram took. His mother died of alcoholism the day he graduated high school.  Already in love with Rock and Roll and the recipient of a $30,000 per year inheritance he flunked University and turned to music singing ‘folk’ with several small bands. By 1966 he formed ‘The International Submarine Band’, short-lived but made an album which did nothing.  But he came to the attention of Roger McGuinn of ‘The Byrds’ who had just lost members Crosby and Clark.  Hey, this was the sixties.  Already heavily into drugs Gram began to take over the band and wrote and sung many of the songs on the country classic ‘Sweetheart Of The Rodeo’ in ’68, but as he was signed to another label most of his vocals were re-recorded by McGuinn.  A troubled man, he soon left The Byrds and formed ‘The Flying Burrito Brothers’ and they recorded two albums.  This band broke up in 1970 and Gram, now even more dependent on heavy drugs went solo.  By now he was friends with Mick and Keith of the Stones and hung out while they recorded ‘Exile On Main Street’ which seems to be influenced by Parson’s country sound.  This album, GP, came out in ’73 and was recorded largely with EmmyLou Harris.  It sold poorly at the time but has been revered as an Americana classic.  Gram died of an overdose later that year, and his body was stolen by friends and burned in Joshua Tree National Park according to his oft-stated wishes.  Parson’s music, songs and life are the stuff of legend; one more solo album was released posthumously.  Best songs on this classic are ‘She’, ‘The New Soft Shoe’ and ‘Sweep out The Ashes In The Morning’.   

Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells (1973)

This is the most remarkable debut, possibly ever.  A complete unknown recorded a one-track instrumental album on a brand new record label…and it was a huge success that he has struggled to match on subsequent albums. 

I visited Virgin Records first shop, above a shoe shop on Oxford street in the early Seventies.  All I remember were cardboard boxes of Albums and a scruffy man taking money.  I don’t think I bought anything, or went there again.  And then suddenly I was reading in City Limits about this amazing album; it may also have featured a segment on the Old Grey Whistle Test – not sure.  But I bought it and loved it.  I had been a fan of Tangerine Dream and also had bought ‘A Rainbow In Curved Air’ by Terry Riley, which I think helped inspire the young Mike Oldfield.  It was a slow burner, but took off after being used in the film ‘The Exorcist’.  There is something unique and beautiful in this album, especially the opening with it’s chiming ringing guitar breaks.  Also the ending with Viv Stanshall introducing various instruments, including ‘Slightly Distorted Guitar’ and the finale ‘Tubular Bells’ is unforgettable.  By luck really Mike had come to the attention of budding entrepreneur Richard Branson, who was already thinking of not only selling records but having his own label.  By some sort of serendipity or just wonderful co-incidence, this unlikely musical venture was a huge success.  I cannot imagine anything like this, even being released today, or achieving such a special place in so many people’s hearts.  Truly a brilliant debut.

Sinead O’Connor – The Lion and The Cobra (1987)

Sinead was Irish and had a tough childhood, her parents splitting up early and her mother physically and mentally abusing her.  She spent over a year in a teenage institution run by nuns and got involved in writing songs and singing in her mid teens.  To say that she had a tumultuous life is an understatement; highly political and never afraid to speak out she often alienated friends and family but had a loyal fanbase who bought her records as she changed her style often.  Famous for her shaven head but beautiful looks and a voice unlike any other she struggled with her mental health and had four children and was married and divorced four times.  Such a pity that she couldn’t seem to find contentment.  This, her debut album was almost perfect, as several of her albums were.  A couple of heavy, almost screaming songs and some delicate vocals too….best are ‘Troy’, ‘Drink Before The War’ and ‘Never Get Old’.  Sadly she died far too young, not of suicide as first suspected, but a severe lung infection. 

Roy Orbison – A Black and White Night (1988)

Roy was always something of an anomaly; I first heard him in the mid-Sixties with great ‘pop’ songs falling somewhere between crooned ballads and rockabilly.  An operatic voice with a vast range and a rather old-fashioned image, another man in black.  The Beatles loved him and I liked some of his songs, especially ‘Pretty Woman’ with that snarl in his voice.  He had a poor Seventies as new generations swept his old-fashioned style away, but then he seemed to come back into fashion, especially with this album.   Just after he was a part of The Travelling Wilbury’s, a TV special where Roy was accompanied by a few famous musicians, including Sprinsteen and Elvis Costello and Bonnie Raitt – a stellar cast, paying tribute to one of the very special Rock and Roll singers from the late Fifties.  Brilliant versions of his ‘Hits’ including ‘Blue Bayou’, ‘Only The Lonely’ and ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’.  A great concert and Roy’s voice was still pitch perfect.  He sadly died in 1990. 

Gilbert O’Sullivan – Himself (1971)

Firstly – the name is ridiculous, and the street urchin schoolboy image not much better.  But, boy, could he write songs – and not a bad voice either.  Real name Raymond O’Sullivan was Irish born and English bred.  He was writing songs from an early age and was hawking them around for a year or two with no luck, a handful of singles flopped too – then he caught the ear of Gordon Mills who became his manager and early mentor.  A hit single with ‘Nothing Rhymed’, followed by this album.  It is certainly ‘poppy’ but was full of excellent songs which were witty and thoughtful with great tunes and the production was spot-on.  Then he followed this up with far more middle of the road ballads and ended up having hits for a couple of years but drifting further away from originality as the years went on.  He has, to his credit, continued releasing albums to the present day but nothing I have heard has ever come close to this brilliant debut – best songs are ‘Matrimony’, ‘Permissive Twit’ and ‘Thunder and Lightning’ – but all the other songs are excellent too.

Laura Nyro – Eli and the Thirteenth Confession (1968)

One of the unsung heroes of ‘popular music’, Laura was a natural and self-taught singer and pianist from a Polish Jewish immigrant background in the Bronx, New York.  She sung in a completely different style, neither ‘pop’ or ‘folk’ with a more jazz-inflected take on melody.   She never achieved real fame but was what later became known as a musicians musician; her songs were recorded by many others, including Barbra Streisand and 5^th Dimension who had hits with a more commercial take on her music.  This record was her second, but her first that made any impact.  With a soulful voice more reminiscent of black singers she managed to cross musical boundaries.  Best on this are ‘Sweet Blindness’, ‘Stoned Soul Picnic’ and ‘Emmie’.  She retired from music when she had her only child briefly resuming in the late 80’s.  She sadly died at age 49.

Harry Nilsson – Pandemonium Shadow Show (1967)

Well, what do you say about Nilsson?  He was an incredible singer, a pretty good songwriter but a very rare live performer, and a pretty self-destructive personality.  Oh, but his records were sublime.  He was a very early computer engineer but was more interested in music.  He had an early album which is largely unavailable now, then he signed for RCA and released this one.  He used multi-tracking and orchestral backing and wrote most of the songs (one by Spector, two by The Beatles – and they referenced him when asked by reporters for artists they liked).  Harry would go on to have chart success with ‘Everybody’s Talkin’ and ‘Without You’.  He later released an album of classic American songs and one produced by Lennon.  He sadly died in 1994 aged just 53.  On this superb debut my favourites are ‘Sleep Late My Lady Friend’, ‘1941’ and ‘Cuddly Toy’. Playing Nilsson always makes me smile.

Randy Newman – 12 songs (1970)

Actually, his second record (his first bombed badly).  Randy was born into a highly successful musical family, already steeped in writing semi-classical film soundtracks; which Randy would himself do in the late 90’s to great acclaim.  Not the greatest singing voice; Nilsson would record an album of Newman songs a year or so later with his much better voice, and yet the inflections which Randy’s vocals hinted at brought out far more of the irony and hidden humour and pathos of these songs.  Newman must be one of the most recorded of songwriters, many having huge hits with his songs – hits which largely eluded Newman himself.  He seems to have been content to simply be the brilliant songwriter in the background, although he did have a few high-selling albums in the late 70s.  This record is almost deadpan and is sometimes only Randy’s voice and piano, but at others it approaches in an understated wall of sound – rock music – best are ‘Yellow Man’, ’Old Kentucky Home’, and ‘Mama Told Me Not To Come’.