360 records from the year 2000: 260 - 251

260. Ran Blake: Horace is blue: a silver noir

A nice, low-key (just piano, occasional electric guitar and saxophone) tribute record. It drifts in and out of focus. Only one track I would really come back to (‘Only yesterday’ – great solo piano improvisation), but it all drifts by amiably. Not exactly on fire, but not bad, certainly not bad.

At its best: Only yesterday

259. Françoise Hardy: Clair-obscur

Just some French fluff (with Iggy Pop on Everly Brothers covers).

At its best: La saison des pluies

258. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: Dust to gold

I used to have a small selection of Nusrat etc records, but it dawned on me I’d never play ‘em. Maybe I was reading too many Robert Plant interviews or something…
As for this posthumous record of 4 15 minute performances:
Is it really good? Probably
Will I ever be in the mood to enjoy it? Never say never, but it’s doubtful.
Once again, my loss.

257. Whitney Houston: The greatest hits

You haven’t lived until you’ve heard the Hex Hector remix of ‘I will always love you’. It feels like making it out of a car crash alive, and sucking the air into your lungs and thinking ‘No more wasted time, now I know what it means to live’.
Other than that, she has some serviceable ballads. This could have been a nice 10 track compilation, but at 35 songs, including many remixes, what a bore.

At its best: Saving all my love for you, Greatest love of all, One moment in time, I have nothing, I will always love you, Run to you, All at once, Where do broken hearts go, Didn’t we almost have it all, My love is your love

256. Low / Dirty 3: In the fishtank

I could never understand the modern music fan’s fondness for something/anything really slow and dreamy. This team-up between two of the genre’s slow rollers does little for me. But I have to admit, amidst a lot of 2000’s unnecessary records, they’ve got their thing down.

255. Megadeth: Capitol punishment

Listening to this counter-chronological overview you get a glimpse of a well-adjusted adult playing tough devolving into a mean son of a bitch. Of course it happened the other way around, if it happened at all. I wasn’t familiar with Megadeth, and it was at first a relief to hear how hookladen and tuneful this compilation (1985-2000) is. But then again, after a while, that’s exactly what kinda turned me off. There’s strong stuff here, but I wanted more of the complicated guitar arpeggio stuff and less choruses. Still, it rocks. Menacingly.

At its best: Kill the king, Dread and the fugitive mind, Almost honest, Trust, Symphony of destruction, Hangar 18

254. King Crimson: The construkction of light

I tried to get into this, but to no avail. It’s just harsh and unpleasant stuff. I mean, even more so.

253. Pat Metheny: Trio 99>00

Thrum toot tootle-too twang plunk neow neow tootle-too.

At its best: Just like the day, Travels (this one’s really beautiful actually)

252. Anoushka Shankar: Anourag

I’m illiterate when it comes to Indian classical music, so what I say about this record may be completely misguided. But this record is just on the tipping line: there’s nothing wrong with it, in fact I probably couldn’t tell it apart from a Ravi Shankar record in a blind test. I think Ravi chose these pieces, arranged them and plays on the album, so that’s understandable. But it fails to move me. After several spins I’m still on the outside of the music. I don’t know why.

251. Waterboys: Rock in the weary land

Of all the overbearing big music merchants, Mike Scott has something which makes me give him more leeway than most. This record stays on path for the first 15 minutes, with a powerful and sincere big sound and looong tracks. ‘My love is my rock in the weary land’ – how self-important can you get? But somehow he makes it stick – just. After that it’s slim pickings and hollow choruses though. It’s simply not one of his more inspired records

At its best: Let it happen, My love is my rock in the weary land, It’s all gone