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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

The BBC reports on a new trend amongst music lovers for sitting down on big sofas and armchairs, putting a whole album on to the turntable and listening. In silence. No talking. No going to the toilet. No phones. No tweeting.

Lights down and a pint to hand, appreciating the nuances of Ziggy Stardust or Dark Side of the Moon or the first Stone Roses album. 

The idea comes from a sense that the pick n mix approach to music means that your daily soundtrack becomes an endless stream of random tunes thrown up by the shuffle button or a background noise while you update your facebook status, chat to your mates in the bar and check the footie scores. Down with music as part of your multi-tasking day! 

So, if you were to join the Harringay Classic Album Appreciation Society, what would you pop on the turntable first?

For me, I think I'd start with The Beatles Revolver, but where would we go from there...over to you.

Tags for Forum Posts: music

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Marcus Garvey by Burning Spear, Forever Changes by Love, Entertainment by Gang Of Four
Phew! That was quick! I'm still thinking about it. I chose the Beatles album because my kids keep playing it and I realised just what a slice of perfection it really is and now I'm really having a think about what other albums I'd pop on the turntable beyond the obvious ones mentioned in the article.
Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks, Lets start this up, it sounds like a brilliant Idea!
Sly and the Family Stone: There's a Riot Goin' On
Entertainment by Gang Of Four is a very good choice indeed.  I was listening to that yesterday.  I would start with Joy Division -  Unknown Pleasures first.  Heaven 17's Penthouse and Pavement. Sandinista! by the Clash.  Anyway back to work as I am beginning to show my age...
Bob Marley Live! Recorded at the Rainbow with mic feedback and all, and anything by Nina Simone, the Jazz Masters 17 would do it, followed by CUBA All Stars, charting the history ofCuban music, though its not possible to stay sitting down with this on.



Even at 18 years old I didn't and still don't like Jazz, but I loved the 70's band Mahavishnu Orchestra led by (still potent) composer/guitarist John McLaughlin

It's virtuoso psychedelic rock/jazz fusion with indian ragas (that got to number 15 in the pop charts) - still ahead of it's time 40 years later! It soars with joy; beyond hope.

 

If you hear nothing else, marvel at the riffs on the title track of the second album - Birds of Fire (with with Billy Cobham on bass, Jan Hammer on piano and Jerry Goodman on violin) but with other tracks like "Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love" and "Open Country Joy" still cutting it, I guess you might delve deeper, if only to see what I considered to be the world's greatest guitarist play his electric double (one 12 string, one six string - who today could do that?).  This video is poor quality, but then probably so is my recollection (!) - here they play a bunch of stuff from the album:

Nothing can beat a favourite modern classic; Paul Simon, Graceland. Have a good clean and scratch free pressing, and it sounds awesome played back through my recently aquired "classic" Ditton 25's.

 

Portishead's Dummy is tasty in a spectacularly lo-fi way, which requires pretty decent hi-fi to fully appreciate too, but my wife keeps offering to cut her wrists when I put that on ;-)

 

Talking Heads - Remain in Light. Sublime, keeps me going on those cold winter dog walks too.
+1

I'll second Unknown Pleasures. What about Crocodiles by Echo and the Bunnymen? Surely the finest debut ever!

maggie makes a good point - dubnobass by Underworld is a electronic dance classic but could you physically sit still and listen to it?  I forgot to add Real Life by Magazine.

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