Day 28: Some early ZZ Top, a Smiths classic, Sam Cooke in Harlem and Massive Attack make their mark

Album 92/1031

ZZ Top - Tres Hombres (1973)

Side One
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Waitin' for the Bus"	Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill	2:59
2.	"Jesus Just Left Chicago"	Gibbons, Hill, Frank Beard	3:30
3.	"Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers"	Gibbons, Hill, Beard	3:23
4.	"Master of Sparks"	Gibbons	3:33
5.	"Hot, Blue and Righteous"	Gibbons	3:14

Side Two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
6.	"Move Me on Down the Line"	Gibbons, Hill	2:32
7.	"Precious and Grace"	Gibbons, Hill, Beard	3:09
8.	"La Grange"	Gibbons, Hill, Beard	3:52
9.	"Shiek"	Gibbons, Hill	4:05
10.	"Have You Heard?"	Gibbons, Hill	3:15

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tres_Hombres

Golf's verdict: Before the beards and the orbiting car took centre stage, ZZ Top ruled as a fantastic swamp-blues band. La Grange is the standout tune on here, but it is all good. Tellingly though, the live versions included in the reissue of the album, recorded in the early 70s, have more energy than the studio versions. Would have loved to have seen them in Austin in 1973.

Maire's verdict: I think their gigs would be great but not sure I actually want to own the record.



Album 93/1031

The Smiths - Meat is Murder (1985)

All tracks written by Morrissey and Johnny Marr.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Headmaster Ritual"	4:52
2.	"Rusholme Ruffians"	4:20
3.	"I Want the One I Can't Have"	3:14
4.	"What She Said"	2:42
5.	"That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore"	4:59
6.	"Nowhere Fast"	2:37
7.	"Well I Wonder"	4:00
8.	"Barbarism Begins at Home"	6:57
9.	"Meat Is Murder"	6:06

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meat_Is_Murder

Golf's verdict: Not a dud on it. It starts with 'Belligerent ghouls run Manchester schools...', takes in a note perfect Elvis pastiche, a 'tatooed boy from Birkenhead' leads to that famously flat joke and then Andy Rourke's finest 7 minutes in 'Barbarism Begins at Home'. The proselytising of Meat is Murder never had any effect on me as a teenager and still fails to persuade me to give up the odd hamburger, but otherwise - if you don't understand why so many people love The Smiths - this is a great place to start.

Maire's verdict: I knew someone at school who came in one day and announced they were vegetarian as they'd listened to this album the night before. It's not my go-to album by The Smiths but it's a damn good one.

Album 94/1031

Massive Attack - Blue Lines (1991)

All tracks written by in part by Massive Attack (Marshall, Vowles, Del Naja).

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Safe from Harm" (featuring Shara Nelson)	Massive Attack, Nelson, Cobham	5:18
2.	"One Love" (featuring Horace Andy)	Massive Attack, Andy, Williams, McLaughlin, Wolinski	4:48
3.	"Blue Lines"	Massive Attack, Thaws, Max Bennett, Brown, Carlton, Guerin, Sample, Scott	4:21
4.	"Be Thankful for What You've Got" (featuring Tony Bryan)	DeVaughn	4:09
5.	"Five Man Army" (featuring Horace Andy)	Massive Attack, Thaws, Williams	6:04
6.	"Unfinished Sympathy" (featuring Shara Nelson)	Massive Attack, Nelson, J. Sharp	5:08
7.	"Daydreaming" (featuring Shara Nelson)	Massive Attack, Nelson, Thaws, Badarou	4:14
8.	"Lately" (featuring Shara Nelson)	Massive Attack, Nelson, Redmond, Brownlee, J. Simon, F. E. Simon	4:26
9.	"Hymn of the Big Wheel" (featuring Horace Andy & Neneh Cherry)	Massive Attack, Andy, Cherry	6:36

Sample Credits

• "Safe from Harm" contains a sample of "Stratus" by Billy Cobham and "Good Old Music" by Funkadelic.
• "One Love" contains a sample of "You Know, You Know" by Mahavishnu Orchestra and "Ike's Mood I" by Isaac Hayes.
• "Blue Lines" contains a sample of "Sneakin' in the Back" by Tom Scott & The L.A. Express.
• "Five Man Army" contains a sample of "I'm Glad You're Mine" by Al Green and "Five Man Dubb" by Lewin Bones Lock.
• "Unfinished Sympathy" contains a sample of "Planetary Citizen" by Mahavishnu Orchestra.
• "Daydreaming" contains a sample of "Mambo" by Wally Badarou.
• "Lately" contains a sample of "Mellow Mellow Right On" by Lowrell Simon and "Joy" by Isaac Hayes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Lines

Golf's verdict: When you record and release an album that has one the hands down greatest singles of all time on it and that single ends up with a hugely memorable video by an all time legend then the remainder of it is always going to struggle in comparison. So it is with Blue Lines, which, were it not for Unfinished Sympathy (video from David Lynch) would possibly still have made this list based on a really strong group of songs featuring Tricky and Shara Nelson on vocals. But the presence of that unforgettable single seems to minimise, rather than maximise the contribution of the whole.

Maire's verdict: A couple of truly brilliant tracks but, surprisingly (at least to me), I preferred the Tricky album from a week or so ago.

Album 95/1031

Sam Cooke - Live at The Harlem Square Club, 1963 (1985)

1. "Feel It" (Sam Cooke) – 3:46
2. "Chain Gang" (Cooke) – 3:11
3. "Cupid" (Cooke) – 2:46
4. "Medley: It's All Right/For Sentimental Reasons" – 5:11
5. "Twistin' the Night Away" (Cooke) – 4:19
6. "Somebody Have Mercy" (Cooke) – 4:45
7. "Bring It On Home to Me" (Cooke) – 5:37
8. "Nothing Can Change This Love" (Cooke) – 3:45
9. "Having a Party" (Cooke) – 4:09

Total Time 37:29

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_at_the_Harlem_Square_Club,_1963


Golf's verdict: What a great live album. Not sure I realised so many of these were his own tunes, but it made me wish I had been there and that his all-too-short career had not been stopped in its tracks the year after this was recorded.

Maire's verdict: I really, really wish I had been at the Harlem Square Club. Gorgeous voice and some classic songs make a great album.