Day 56: Two months down and we're ahead of schedule...

Maire here. I'm not feeling too great at the moment due to a viral infection which may be why I've been reasonably underwhelmed by most of the albums from the last few days - just too grumpy and sorry for myself when I actually get round to listening. May have to re-evaluate when I'm feeling better.

Album 180/1031

Sleater Kinney - Dig Me Out (1997)

All music composed by Sleater-Kinney.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Dig Me Out"	2:40
2.	"One More Hour"	3:19
3.	"Turn It On"	2:47
4.	"The Drama You've Been Craving"	2:08
5.	"Heart Factory"	3:54
6.	"Words and Guitar"	2:21
7.	"It's Enough"	1:46
8.	"Little Babies"	2:22
9.	"Not What You Want"	3:17
10.	"Buy Her Candy"	2:02
11.	"Things You Say"	2:56
12.	"Dance Song '97"	2:49
13.	"Jenny"	4:03

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

Golf's verdict: Another band where the name's familiar, but I did not quite know what to expect. I liked it. Nothing to make me think I'd missed out first time around, but this is good indie-rock in the mould of L7 or Hole rather than Throwing Muses or The Breeders.

Maire's verdict: Couldn't get into this. Didn't keep my attention.



Album 181/1031

The Yardbirds - Roger the Engineer (1966)

All songs written by Chris Dreja, Jim McCarty, Jeff Beck, Keith Relf, and Paul Samwell-Smith (Dreja and McCarty's last names are misspelled as "Drega" and "McCarthy" on the labels of the US album). All songs are recorded in stereo, except where noted.

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Lost Woman"	3:16
2.	"Over Under Sideways Down" (Rechanneled)	2:24
3.	"The Nazz Are Blue"	3:04
4.	"I Can't Make Your Way"	2:26
5.	"Rack My Mind"	3:15
6.	"Farewell"	1:29

Side two
No.	Title	Length
7.	"Hot House of Omagararshid"	2:39
8.	"Jeff's Boogie" (Rechanneled)	2:25
9.	"He's Always There"	2:15
10.	"Turn into Earth"	3:06
11.	"What Do You Want"	3:22
12.	"Ever Since the World Began"	2:09

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

Golf's verdict: The Yardbirds did not feature in my childhood. My parents were more Elvis, Beatles & Stones than Yardbirds, Cream and Hendrix. Only really started listening to them in the past few years, working backwards from the late '60s of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, the previously mentioned Cream and Jeff Beck. This is a very fine slice of Anglicised blues, with the odd touch of Eastern mysticism thrown in. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Maire's verdict: Pops used to have a double tape which I loved. Doesn't sound as good as I remember.

Album 182/1031

Laura Nyro - Eli and the Thirteenth Confession (1968)

All tracks written by Laura Nyro.

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Luckie"	3:00
2.	"Lu"	2:44
3.	"Sweet Blindness"	2:37
4.	"Poverty Train"	4:16
5.	"Lonely Women"	3:32
6.	"Eli's Comin'"	3:58

Side two
No.	Title	Length
7.	"Timer"	3:22
8.	"Stoned Soul Picnic"	3:47
9.	"Emmie"	4:20
10.	"Woman's Blues"	3:46
11.	"Once It Was Alright Now (Farmer Joe)"	2:58
12.	"December's Boudoir"	5:05
13.	"The Confession"	2:50

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

Golf's verdict: I could have sworn she was one the largely interchangeable American singer-songwriters with guitars currently ploughing the solo artist furrow. But this is from the late '60s and I immediately recognised the voice - a little like Judy Collins crossed with Joni Mitchell. This is not really my cup of tea however, but she undoubtedly inspired many who have followed in her footsteps.

Maire's verdict: Nice voice. Too jazzy.

Album 183/1031

Madonna - Ray of Light (1998)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Drowned World/Substitute for Love"	Madonna William Orbit Rod McKuen Anita Kerr David Collins	Madonna Orbit	5:09
2.	"Swim"	Madonna Orbit	Madonna Orbit	5:00
3.	"Ray of Light"	Madonna Orbit Clive Muldoon Dave Curtiss Christine Leach	Madonna Orbit	5:21
4.	"Candy Perfume Girl"	Madonna Orbit Susannah Melvoin	Madonna Orbit	4:34
5.	"Skin"	Madonna Patrick Leonard	Madonna Orbit Marius de Vries	6:22
6.	"Nothing Really Matters"	Madonna Leonard	Madonna Orbit de Vries	4:27
7.	"Sky Fits Heaven"	Madonna Leonard	Madonna Orbit Leonard	4:48
8.	"Shanti/Ashtangi"	Madonna Orbit	Madonna Orbit	4:29
9.	"Frozen"	Madonna Leonard	Madonna Orbit Leonard	6:12
10.	"The Power of Good-Bye"	Madonna Rick Nowels	Madonna Orbit Leonard	4:10
11.	"To Have and Not to Hold"	Madonna Nowels	Madonna Orbit Leonard	5:23
12.	"Little Star"	Madonna Nowels	Madonna de Vries	5:18
13.	"Mer Girl"	Madonna Orbit	Madonna Orbit	5:32

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

Golf's verdict: I have not listened to a Madonna album all the way through in many a year. Ray of Light, nearly 20 years old, was likely the last time. If nothing else this album achieved two beneficial things: it introduce electronica and William Orbit to the masses; and it provided David Curtiss, one of the original writers of the Ray of Light melody and lyrics back in the early '70s a comfortably well off retirement. It's overall a very strong effort with Frozen and To Have and Not to Hold the other stand-outs.

Maire's verdict: I think this is the last album I bought by the Queen of Pop. I haven't listened to it for a good 10 years at least but it's still a decent album with 'Frozen' being the stand-out track for me. Not a patch on True Blue, though.