I picked up this Geraint Watkins albums at Borders on a whim a couple of years ago. There was a time when my choosing music "on a whim" (say, because I liked the album cover or the title), I'd usually end up with crap (i.e., the Rainmakers, and my classic faux pas, Black Tape for a Blue Girl).But in the mid-nineties I hit my stride and most of my random pics have panned out well. Case in point, Dial "W" for Watkins, his 2004 release. I had no idea who he was, just liked the cover and some song titles. Turns out he's been around for quite a while as a session man for some of the greats (of which he is indeed one), including Dave Edmunds, Rory Gallagher, John Martyn, Van Morrison and Paul McCartney. Nick Lowe is a huge fan, playing bass and singing on the album. The Dave Edmunds connection led Watkins to record with the Stray Cats on their album Rant n' Rave with the Stray Cats. That's his piano playing on "Look at that Cadillac."
Oh yeah, the song of the day is "Soldier of Love," written by Watkins (there's a few other same-named songs out there ).
How to describe? A song to roller-skate to on Valentine's Day. Slow and lovely, so hip it's perhaps beyond extrapolation, made only for listening and absorbing into your psyche. God damn, the whole f-ing album is royalty!
2 comments:
I can't comment on any of the music you've recommended so far (I haven't bought an album or even downloaded a song in about a year and a half), but I had to chime in on your notoriously crap random choices of back in the day.
The one I remember most was that Pilgrim Souls album. It was horrible, and I remember looking at the CD and realizing that the lead guy's last name--Yetnikoff--was the same as the guy who ran Columbia Records at the time, and, by a remarkable coincidence, the album was released by Columbia.
As hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqis would tell you if they could: nepotism really sucks.
Oh yeah, forgot about that one. Christ, there were so many! Bought some vinyl yesterday: couple of Nilssons, a Joni Mitchell. Oh, and a Klatuu!
Post a Comment