Day 5: Living for the (Manchester) city with The Roots & 10cc

Album 15/1001

The Roots - Phrenology (2002)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1	Phrentrow (featuring Ursula Rucker)	Ahmir Thompson, Ursula Rucker, Omar Edwards	0:18
2	Rock You	Tariq Trotter, George Spivey	3:12
3	!!!!!!!	Thompson, Benjamin Kenney, Leonard Hubbard	0:24
4	Sacrifice (featuring Nelly Furtado)	Trotter, Thompson, James Gray, Hubbard	4:44
5	Rolling with Heat (featuring Talib Kweli)	Trotter, Thompson, Gray, Kyle Jones, Talib Greene, Karl Jenkins	3:42
6	WAOK (Ay) Rollcall (featuring Ursula Rucker)	Thompson, Gray, Hubbard	1:00
7	Thought @ Work	Trotter, Thompson, Hubbard, Gray, Kenney	4:58
8	The Seed (2.0) (featuring Cody ChesnuTT)	Trotter, Antonious Bernard Thomas	4:27
9	Break You Off (featuring Musiq)	Trotter, Thompson, Hubbard, Gray, Jones, Kenney, Jenkins, Taalib Johnson, Jill Scott	7:27
10	Water	Trotter, Thompson, Hubbard, Gray, Kenney, Tahir Williams	10:24
11	Quills	Trotter, Karriem Riggins	4:22
12	Pussy Galore	Trotter, Scott Storch	4:29
13	Complexity (featuring Jill Scott)	Trotter, Thompson, Hubbard, Gray, Scott, Edwards	4:47
14	Something in the Way of Things (In Town) (featuring Amiri Baraka)	Thompson, Kenney, Amiri Baraka	7:16

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrenology_(album)

Golf's verdict: This is the band with Questlove from Jimmy Fallon's show in it, right? Pretty fine hip-hop to my ears, but it's not like I'm an expert. Would probably listen to this again though, once the other 986 albums are out of the way.

Maire's verdict: My problem was, for some reason, I heard Orville's 'I Wish I Could Fly' during the first few songs and then I couldn't un-hear it. Maybe that's for the best.


Album 16/1001

10cc - Sheet Music (1974)

Side One[edit]

1. "The Wall Street Shuffle" (Stewart, Gouldman) – 3:54
   • Lead vocal, lead guitar, piano, organ, mellotron by Eric Stewart
2. "The Worst Band in the World" (Gouldman, Creme) – 2:49
   • Lead vocal, guitar, piano by Lol Creme
   • Lead guitar by Eric Stewart
3. "Hotel" (Godley, Creme) – 4:54
   • Lead vocal by Kevin Godley
   • First lead guitar, synthesiser by Lol Creme
   • Second lead guitar by Eric Stewart
4. "Old Wild Men" (Godley, Creme) – 3:21
   • First lead vocal, lead guitar, slide guitar by Eric Stewart
   • Second lead vocal by Kevin Godley
   • Guitar, Gizmotron, synthesisers by Lol Creme
   • Tambourine, autoharp by Graham Gouldman
5. "Clockwork Creep" (Godley, Creme) – 2:46
   • Lead vocal, piano by Lol Creme
   • Second lead vocal by Kevin Godley
   • Third lead vocal by Eric Stewart

Side Two[edit]

1. "Silly Love" (Stewart, Creme) – 4:01
   • Lead vocal, guitar by Lol Creme
   • Lead guitar, piano, vocal by Eric Stewart
2. "Somewhere in Hollywood" (Godley, Creme) – 6:39
   • Lead vocal by Kevin Godley
   • Lead guitar, piano, synthesisers, vocal by Lol Creme
   • Slide guitar by Eric Stewart
3. "Baron Samedi" (Stewart, Gouldman) – 3:46
   • Lead vocal, lead guitar, electric piano, marimba by Eric Stewart
   • Second lead guitar, grand piano, mellotron, vocal by Lol Creme
   • Congas, bongos, vocal by Kevin Godley
4. "The Sacro-Iliac" (Godley, Gouldman) – 2:33
   • Lead vocal by Graham Gouldman
   • Harmony vocal by Kevin Godley
   • Piano by Lol Creme
   • Guitar by Eric Stewart
5. "Oh Effendi" (Stewart, Godley) – 2:49
   • Lead vocal by Kevin Godley
   • Second lead vocal, lead guitar by Eric Stewart

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheet_Music_(album)

Golf's verdict: A band with four songwriters delivering a massively varied and eclectic mix of styles, sometimes verging on the pastiche. Bit of a Curate's Egg as it is the only 10cc on the list, yet lacks any of their biggest hits. I throughly enjoyed it. It has more ideas in one album than many bands fit into their entire career. Reminded me quite strongly of Sparks, meaning it's likely Maire will HATE this. (Also features a 'Gizmotron': http://www.gizmotron.com/aboutus - the device invented by Godley & Creme that promised much, but ultimately delivered little. Glad to hear it's been recently resurrected.)

Maire's verdict: One of the songs said they were the worst band in the world. That's slightly harsh - there's always Aqua.

Album 17/1001

Stevie Wonder - Innervisions (1973)

All songs written, produced, and arranged by Stevie Wonder.

Side one

1. "Too High" – 4:36
   • Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, Fender Rhodes, harmonica, drums, Moog bass
   • Lani Groves – background vocal
   • Tasha Thomas – background vocal
   • Jim Gilstrap – background vocal
2. "Visions" – 5:23
   • Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, Fender Rhodes
   • Malcolm Cecil – upright bass
   • Dean Parks – acoustic guitar
   • David T. Walker – electric guitar
3. "Living for the City" – 7:22
   • Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocals, Fender Rhodes, drums, Moog bass, T.O.N.T.O. synthesizer, handclaps
4. "Golden Lady" – 4:40
   • Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, piano, drums, Moog bass, T.O.N.T.O. synthesizer
   • Clarence Bell – Hammond organ
   • Ralph Hammer – acoustic guitar
   • Larry "Nastyee" Latimer – congas

Side two

1. "Higher Ground" – 3:42
   • Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, Hohner clavinet, drums, Moog bass, percussion
2. "Jesus Children of America" – 4:10
   • Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, Fender rhodes, Hohner clavinet, handclaps, drums, Moog bass
3. "All in Love Is Fair" – 3:41
   • Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, piano, Fender Rhodes, drums
   • Scott Edwards – electric bass
4. "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" – 4:44
   • Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, piano, drums, Moog bass
   • Yusuf Roahman – shaker
   • Sheila Wilkerson – bongos, Latin gourd
5. "He's Misstra Know-It-All" – 5:35
   • Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, piano, drums, handclaps, T.O.N.T.O. synthesizer, congas
   • Willie Weeks – electric bass

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

Golf's verdict: What an album. He was really knocking 'em out in the early 70s. Watch this to learn more about the amazing T.O.N.T.O. synthesizer: (http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2009/06/26/tonto-stevie-wonder/)

Maire's verdict: Haven't heard this album before. Great voice and wonderful songs. Loved it.

Album 18/1001

Barry Adamson - Moss Side Story (1989)

All music composed by Barry Adamson; except "Everything Happens to Me" by Barry Adamson and Seamus Beaghen; "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" by Charles François Gounod and "The Man with the Golden Arm" by Elmer Bernstein

Act One - "The Ring's The Thing"

1. "On The Wrong Side of Relaxation" - 5:27
2. "Under Wraps" - 4:27
3. "Central Control" - 2:10
4. "Round Up The Usual Suspects" - 0:43

Act Two - "Real Deep Cool"

5. "Sounds from The Big House" - 6:24
6. "Suck On The Honey of Love" - 2:13
7. "Everything Happens to Me" - 2:43
8. "The Swinging Detective" - 5:45

Act Three - "The Final Irony"

9. "Autodestruction" - 3:49
10. "Intensive Care" - 2:42
11. "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" - 4:07
12. "Free at Last" - 1:23

'For Your Ears Only'

13. "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" - 2:24
14. "Chocolate Milk Shake" - 4:24
15. "The Man with the Golden Arm" - 5:13

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

Golf's verdict: Barry has 2 (yes, 2!) albums on this list. Not bad for a past and now rejoined current member of the Bad Seeds. Of course, he was also in the unique Magazine (only 1 entry in the list), so has impeccable pedigree. But this sounds like an imagined film soundtrack and there are plenty of great examples of that genre not considered worthy of inclusion. 'The Man with the Golden Arm" is the standout track and that is - obviously - not an original composition. Long on mood, short on hummable tunes.

Maire's verdict: I think you need a dark room to listen to this rather in than the car. It seemed to me as if he wanted to be a filmmaker but didn't have enough money for a camera so wrote the soundtrack instead.