What albums did you listen to today?

`Optical Race' is a terrific album, Tom, (well, maybe the upbeat title track pushes the friendship a little! ), so many very strong melodies, and it's interesting enough to either enjoy in the background or as an attentive listen. They may have made plenty of better albums, but it's in my top five personal TD favourites.

This track is superb as well:

Tom, your Chincilla demands you give `Optical Race' another spin!

Dammit, where's Sam?! I recently convinced him to buy a copy of `OR', and he was singing it's praises to me the other day, he'll back me up!

Has it been a lot of years since you've heard them? I really don't find that trio of `Optical Race/Melrose/Lily...' as bad as they're made out to be (although they do go in order of best to worst with diminishing returns as you go along), and you'd probably be a bit more forgiving of them if you gave them a new spin. I definitely find good value moments on all of those.

Aussie-Byrd-Brother wrote: Meltdowner wrote: Guru Guru - Hinten Ah, so you're a bit of an ass-man, eh Sam?! I'm happy to admit that I am....well, you know, except when it comes to awful hairy fellas on the front of Guru Guru albums! Just kidding, my friend! Hmm, might give that album a play right now myself!

The music is much better than the cover fortunately

Yeah, the title track of Optical Race is the worst one, especialy because it's very different from the album's mood. Good for a Sonic the Hedgehog video game though
I really like the album, it has a great relaxed mood that doesn't get ruined by agressive programmed drums like some of their next albums. It also has interesting and sometimes unpredictable progressions and song constructions. I also find the technological aspect of the album interesting, the fact that it was made using a classic Atari ST with software from the recent Steinberg company (I imagine it was a collaboration with them). It certainly doesn't deserve all the hate and the really low rating and I think it's better than Melrose. I don't know 'Lily on the Beach'... should I?

I am reluctant to give Optical Race a spin........
However, these are the albums my TT has spun this weekend :
PANZERPAPPA - Astromalist
SEMIRAMIS - Dedicato a Frazz
THE ENID - In The Region Of Summer Stars
NEW TROLLS - Searching For A Land
KAJAGOOGOO - Islands and some 12" E.P.'s (really digging these guys lately, as if you can't tell)
MASTODON - Crack The Skye
JOURNEY - Dream After Dream
.....and currently the debut album of DIAGONAL.

Meltdowner wrote: Yeah, the title track of Optical Race is the worst one, especialy because it's very different from the album's mood. Good for a Sonic the Hedgehog video game though It certainly doesn't deserve all the hate and the really low rating and I think it's better than Melrose. I don't know 'Lily on the Beach'... should I?

Sonic the Hedgehog!! Funniest thing I've read on here in ages, mate, and 100% true! I can picture the little blue jerk racing for those rings accompanied by that track as we speak! I say jerk, because I was always a Mario man, and I sucked at the Sonic games! I'd even take Alex the Kidd over him!

I think `Race', `Melrose' and `Lily' are kind of a trilogy of sorts, they all have a fairly similar sound (although `Race' is the best by far), and they all have superior tracks. Definitely throwaway moments, and on the latter two the sax was starting to be brought in, but if you like `Race', you should find good moments on them as well, Sam.

Just a few choices from last night:

Annexus Quam – Osmose
Akasha – s/t
Soft Machine – Fifth


Edited by Aussie-Byrd-Brother - April 26 2015 at 20:01

Tom Ozric wrote: ^ That AQ album is a bit of a gem, actually. So is SM 5. I still haven't fully warmed to the AKASHA album yet.

I used to really like it, but giving it a fresh spin the other night, it was a shcoking night at work, endless phone calls every two or three minutes, so I was stopping and starting it, plus there's those kind of strained vocals - drove me MAD!! Turned it off after 15 minutes this time!

Yep, the `Osmose' album calmed me down nicely though!

Aussie-Byrd-Brother wrote: Tom Ozric wrote: ^ That AQ album is a bit of a gem, actually. So is SM 5. I still haven't fully warmed to the AKASHA album yet. I used to really like it, but giving it a fresh spin the other night, it was a shcoking night at work, endless phone calls every two or three minutes, so I was stopping and starting it, plus there's those kind of strained vocals - drove me MAD!! Turned it off after 15 minutes this time! Yep, the `Osmose' album calmed me down nicely though!

I don't have that Osmose album but I've listened to it a few times on the tube over the years, it's definitely good.
I'm guessing it was released on CD right?

Aussie-Byrd-Brother wrote: Sagichim wrote: I don't have that Osmose album but I've listened to it a few times on the tube over the years, it's definitely good. I'm guessing it was released on CD right? Yeah, it's great, Sagi, a lazy comparison would be a mix of early Floyd with jazz and a pinch of RPI! I've got a vinyl reissue I transferred onto the computer, but looking on Discogs, there seems to have been CD reissues up until about 2008, so probably would be too hard to track down?

Thanks man I'll try and track down this album, I feel I gotta have it in my collection and also I'll try to play it today.

Murple - Io Sono Murple (Such a great musical trip )
Baffo Banfi and Matteo Cantaluppi - Frontera (Very good new release from this Italian electronic artist. It has some danceable beats but very discrete, many interesting progressions and an obvious Italian touch Certainly a better comeback than the new Jarre song )
Daal - Dances of the Drastic Navels (I heard Floyd, Marillion and Tangerine Dream on this album )
Handwrist - Random by Design (Great new album from this jazzy Avant-Prog Space Rock multi-instrumentalist. Soon on PA )

The Beatles - Help!
The Beatles - With The Beatles
The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Magma - 1001 Centigrades
Gentle Giant - The Power and The Glory
The Doors - The Best of the Doors