Day 166: Dans le porte d'Amsterdam, Y a des marins qui chantent...

Album 543/1031

Jacque Brel - Olympia '64 (1967)

All tracks composed by Jacques Brel, except where noted.

1. "Amsterdam"
2. "Les Timides"
3. "Le Dernier Repas"
4. "Les Jardins du casino" (Brel / Gérard Jouannest)
5. "Les Vieux" (Brel / Jouannest)
6. "Les Toros" (Brel / Jouannest)
7. "Tango funèbre" (Brel / Jouannest)
8. "Le Plat Pays"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enregistrement_Public_%C3%A0_l'Olympia_1964

Golf's verdict: HIDDEN GEM! Have loved Jacques since discovering his songs via Scott Walker and Marc Almond. 

Maire's verdict: HIDDEN GEM! I prefer English lyrics so I can understand what they're singing about. Maybe it was the passion or because I'm a sucker for the French language but I loved this anyway.

Album 544/1031


The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Now I Got Worry (1996)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Skunk"	Spencer/Explosion	2:39
2.	"Identify"	Spencer/Explosion	3:08
3.	"Wail"	Spencer/Explosion	3:09
4.	"Fuck Shit Up"	Dub Narcotic	3:08
5.	"2Kindsa Love"	Spencer/Explosion	3:02
6.	"Love All of Me"	Spencer/Explosion	1:58
7.	"Chicken Dog" (featuring Rufus Thomas)	Explosion/Thomas	3:01
8.	"Rocketship"	Spencer/Explosion	3:14
9.	"Dynamite Lover"	Spencer/Explosion	2:58
10.	"Hot Shot"	Spencer/Explosion	2:09
11.	"Can't Stop"	Explosion/Mark Ramos Nishita	2:53
12.	"Firefly Child"	Spencer/Explosion	3:24
13.	"Eyeballin"	Spencer/Explosion	3:17
14.	"R.L. Got Soul"	Spencer/Explosion	4:05
15.	"Get Over Here"	Spencer/Explosion	2:09
16.	"Sticky"	Spencer/Explosion	2:54

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

Golf's verdict: Apparently this 3 piece blues band felt a bit robbed when The White Stripes and The Black Keys became so huges, as they've been working the same seam for years with little to show for it. Hearing this the obvious difference is the quality of the tunes. Sadly Jon does not seem to have much of an ear for a good one.

Maire's verdict: The opening sounded like a murder of crows. Couldn't get into it after that.

Album 545/1031

Ray Charles - The Genius of... (1959)

Side one

1. "Let the Good Times Roll" (Sam Theard, Fleecie Moore) – 2:53
2. "It Had to Be You" (Gus Kahn, Isham Jones) – 2:45
3. "Alexander's Ragtime Band" (Irving Berlin) – 2:53
4. "Two Years of Torture" (Percy Mayfield, Charles Joseph Morris) – 3:25
5. "When Your Lover Has Gone" (Einar Aaron Swan) – 2:51
6. "'Deed I Do" (Walter Hirsch, Fred Rose) – 2:27

Side two

1. "Just for a Thrill" (Lil Hardin Armstrong, Don Raye) – 3:26
2. "You Won't Let Me Go" (Bud Allen, Buddy Johnson) – 3:22
3. "Tell Me You'll Wait for Me" (Charles Brown, Oscar Moore) – 3:25
4. "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'" (Joe Greene) – 3:46
5. "Am I Blue" (Grant Clarke, Harry Akst) – 3:41
6. "Come Rain or Come Shine" (Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen) – 3:42

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


Golf's verdict: Great interpretations of some classic American songbook tunes.

Maire's verdict: HIDDEN GEM! He's got a gorgeous voice. Not something I would put on generally (just wouldn't think to) but put a smile on my face on a cold winter's morning when walking to the bus stop in the dark. Everyone needs to listen to this.

Album 546/1031

Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Music from the... (1976)

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

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Penguin Cafe Single"	Simon Jeffes, Steve Nye, Gavyn Wright, Helen Leibmann	6:16
2.	"From the Colonies" (for N.R.)	Jeffes	1:38
3.	"In a Sydney Motel"	Jeffes	2:28
4.	"Surface Tension (Where the Trees Meet the Sky)"	Jeffes	2:22
5.	"Milk"	Jeffes	2:22
6.	"Coronation"	Jeffes	1:33
7.	"Giles Farnaby's Dream"	Jeffes, Giles Farnaby	2:19
8.	"Pigtail"	Jeffes	2:44

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
9.	"The sound of someone you love who's going away and it doesn't matter"	Jeffes, Nye, Wright, Leibmann	11:46
10.	"Hugebaby"	Jeffes, Nye, Wright, Leibmann	4:48
11.	"Chartered Flight"	Jeffes, Nye, Wright, Leibmann	6:41

Golf's verdict: A little bit random. From the record label of Brian Eno, this has some pleasant folkie tunes, played expertly. But little in evidence to warrant its inclusion on the list.

Maire's verdict: A couple of lovely tracks but many of the others were a bit too irritatingly jazzy for me.