My Record Collection 212
Wilco – An American band, fairly Alt/Country I would say. Having read great reviews of them I bought Being There (1966) – a double album which I remember being very impressed by. Not so much now on listening almost 30 years later – though they do have a distinctive style and Jeff Tweedy’s voice is pretty distinct in its laid-back weariness. I seem to remember that I was quite impressed by this record a quarter of a century ago, though now it impresses me less – so it goes. Best songs are ‘Misunderstood’, ‘Someday Soon’ and ‘someone Else’s Song’. Though as a double it is, as usual, far too long. I bought Summerteeth in 1999 – and again I remember liking the record. Though now, as I re-listen, the songs just drift by unremarkable and largely unnoticed. Still, a couple are listenable – The title track and ‘Via Chicago’. 2001 saw Yankee Hotel Foxtrot – and the instrumentation was varied and experimental, Jeff’s voice – even wearier and desperate – and I like it more now. A few songs stick in the brain now – ‘Kamera’, ‘I’m The man Who Loves You’ and ‘Reservations’ are pretty good. I don’t know why, but I stopped buying Wilco albums after this – too many other distractions I suppose.
Lucinda Williams – Another American Country singer; Lucinda is wonderful, her voice raspy and full of a raw emotion I find quite addictive. And although she is almost as old as me, she never really got going until the late 80’s and has had a sporadic recording career. She came to my notice with probably my favourite album of hers Car Wheels On A Gravel Road (1998). Already 45 this was her third album and her real breakthrough record. It is simply wonderful. Almost every track has a magical melody and seems just right; Lucinda often repeats over and over the choral refrain, which is a very good way of involving the listener. Best songs are the title track, ‘Concrete and Barbed Wire’ and the sumptuous ‘Lake Charles’. Next up is 2003’s World Without Tears. Another excellent album, maybe the songs are not quite as good – but pretty darned good anyway. My favourites are – ‘Those three Days’, ‘Atonement’ (where she gets really angry), ‘Your Sweet Side’ and the title track. I have only bought her albums sporadically, not sure why as she is really very good. My last by her was West, released in 2007. This album ventures into talking blues and her musical palette drifts quite far from her original American style. Best songs are ‘Are You Alright’, ‘Come On’ – another shoutout at a former lover and ‘Unsuffer Me’. I haven’t bought any more of this great singer. I simply don’t have the time or capacity to keep on buying every singer I like. However, I do seem to have a compulsion to own everything by certain other singers, which probably just reinforces my prejudices. So it goes.
Robbie Williams – never a great fan, especially of Take That and boybands in general – but you have to admit that Robbie was a phenomenon. I saw him once along with a lot of others at Wembley and he had the audience in the palm of his hands. Just the one album – I’ve Been Expecting You. Pretty good, and contains ‘Strong’, ‘Millenium’ and ‘You’re the One’ – so you can’t really go wrong with songs like that.
