h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

For those who like such things, here are my top 10 albums of 2003. For those who don't, there's a whole world out there.....

The order is as of 8:35pm on January 2nd and is subject to change depending on which I played last.

1. Slingshot Professionals - Kelly Joe Phelps

Kelly Joe brought us his most accessible album yet in 2003. Slingshot Professionals has a more 'band' oriented sound than anything he's produced before, and the songs are more complete and structured, but without losing any of their intimacy. Not quite up to "Sky Like a Broken Clock" perhaps, but a superb album nonetheless. He's stonking live too if you get the chance
to see his show.

2. Volume 4 - Joe Jackson Band

I love Joe Jackson, even when everyone else hates him, but somehow he's at his best here, back with the original line up who made the first three albums back in the late 70's / early 80's (hence the title).

As usual the lyrics are cutting ("Thugz'r'Us"), spot on ("Awkward Age"), hilarious and touching ("Love at First Light") but here the rhythm section rather than the piano drives the whole record from the beginning, and the mix deliberately highlights it to make a driving, hard edged sounding album that you can't help but get involved with.

3. Never, Never Land - UNKLE

Everything Massive Attack's "100th Window" should have been - from the atmospheric opener "Back and Forth" you're drawn in, then "Eye For An Eye" attacks you on every level, and the rest of the album flows beautifully from there. "Inside" finishes the standard CD, but the bonus track on the UK edition "Awake the Unkind" is possibly the best closing track I've heard on
an album this year.

4. Conversations with the Unseen - Soweto Kinch

That this man didn't win the Mercury Music Prize is the crime of the century - fabulous sax playing, coupled with a rock solid rhythm section and seamlessly blended with rap and hip-hop influences which somehow sound warm rather than aggressive and are never out of place or forced.

Perhaps not 'prog', but definitely 'progressive' , this is a totally unique album which is being called the greatest British jazz album of all time by people who know a heck of a lot more about jazz than I do.

5. Feel Euphoria - Spock's Beard

This one's divided the fans, but I loved it from the outset. Rocking opener "Onomatopoeia" is a definite statement of intent, and that statement is "we're still here!". The sound is different from Neal Morse's Beard, but what do you expect from a band who's lost their main creative force? Nick D'Virgilio proves he's more than capable of filling Morse's shoes in that respect, and centrepiece "A Guy Named Sid" showcases every member of the band individually, which I'm not sure 'Old Beard' ever did.

A few over-indulgences (most notably on the title track) could have been ironed out by stricter production, but "Ghosts of Autumn" is worth the price of admission alone....

6. Absolution - Muse

2003 was the year I finally noticed Muse. I heard "Time is Running Out" and was hooked - and the album's a belter too. It's an album I don't pick tracks out of, but "Butterflies and Hurricanes" is a standout, and although I don't particularly hold with the 'new Queen' tag they're getting, the Bo-Rap comparisons are unavoidable - in terms of power and drama it's all there.

7. Just Like Blood - Tom McRae

Tom's second album improves immeasurably on his first. It's a strange album that always seems to sound too loud.... It chills the soul and somehow manages to be uplifting too - haven't quite worked out how. A beautiful late night chill-out album.

8. Permission to Land - The Darkness

Ah, what can one say about The Darkness that hasn't been said already. I'll just say I'm firmly in the 'love it' camp =)

9. Big Beautiful Sky - Venus Hum

At first listen, this is a bog-standard dancey pop record, featuring some bird doing an uncanny Bjork impression on vocals. Listen closer though, and it's actually a very unique album - sure, the lead singer does sound a little like Bjork, but to these ears the voice is sweeter, and better controlled. The sounds used for the synth percussion are wonderfully weird -
one souds like an egg being broken against a pebble-dashed wall.

There's influences of techno, rock, jazz and even flamenco in there (notably on "Beautiful Spain") which raise this well above the standard pop-dance fare of the year. The layering of the melodies and the rich soundscapes make it always an involving and uplifting listen. High hopes for a follow up in 2004.

10. The Thorns

When three brilliant solo artists get together to make a record you've got me interested. It's just a lovely, lovely record - the harmonies are as sweet as the acoustic strumming; it's just recorded sunshine.

Hi, TPC: I'm so glad to see "Volume Four" made SOMEBODY's year's best list. I've been looking at the ones in the newspapers and harrumphing.

BTW, I picked my new parenthetical ender after my name just for you.

Twenty years late, but never mind

Oh, you might be interested to know that on March 12th there's a live album coming out from the recent reunion tour called 'Afterlife', although I also hear rumours from my sources of an official live album from the Night and Day II tour, most probably the same as 'Two Rainy Nights'

20 years ago _ hell, 10 years ago _ there WAS no Internet, silly, so I wouldn't have known you and couldn't have impressed you. Then there's the fact that you probably were running around with skinned knees and a frog in your pocket 20 years ago and weren't so into music then.

Re the live album, yes, I do know about it, because I'm on JJ's email group. I always know what he's up to. He was on TV here last month but I MISSED IT because my private email was acting up and didn't let me know on my work email that I had a message and to go look for it.

20 years ago.... Not quite skinned knees and pocket frogs, but not far off. In 1984 I was 9 going on 10. I was a pretty early starter in music though and was already into the usual early-80s synth stuff(I was, and occaisionally still am, a huge Ultravox fan) and new-wave stuff like The Police and Blondie. Soon after that it was all Simple Minds and Tears For Fears.

I do actually clearly remember "Stepping Out" being a hit and I also remember liking it. It wasn't until much much later though that I discovered JJ and found out it was he who'd made that song I loved as a kid.

for such late late response. been tied up with presidential electioneering over here.

"Steppin' Out" was when I discovered JJ too (although of course I remembered hearing "Is She Really Going Out With Him" on the radio before that; that song never impressed me much), because I lived in a cultural backwater and it was hard to discover great things on my own. A friend had the album, and played it for me along with his earlier stuff. Just like that I was hooked! I saw him for the first time around that time too. I think it probably was 1982 or 1983.

When I was 9 or 10 it was all the Beatles and -- I'm sorry to say -- the Monkees. When I was *very* little I loved Herman's Hermits (OK, I loved Herman.) I am proud, though, that I never liked the Osmonds or Bobby Sherman. My teenybopper phase ended with the Monkees.

You're allowed to be busy when you work for a newspaper during election time. You're also allowed to like the Monkees at 9 or 10. 11 is pushing it though .

My musical taste started off fairly good. It went awol a bit in my early teens, before I became a metal fan (complete with hair) and eventually a student and all the musical dross that comes with that.

The progressive rock thing's been around since I was about 16 I think, at least with Genesis, Marillion and the like before getting into the serious prog stuff. How you doing with Anoraknophobia by the way - new album in April!!!

Nowadays I listen to just about anything. Some dance music's alright when you're in the mood, and really discovering Jazz (must be nearly 30 or something ). John Coltrane's my favourite so far, but also some of the newer jazz artists are impressing me too. Right now I'm playing a British band who are just starting to break in the US called Porcupine Tree. They're fantastic.

Ah, the musical oddyssey of The Psycho Chicken is neverending.....!!

Sorry for the slow reply. I wrote a long answer awhile back and then I hit some key and it disappeared! Haven't had time to try to re-create it until now.

I have never been too into jazz (my motto: F--- art, let's dance!!)

I like the Marillion album, but I will never love them more than Joe. I liked prog rock in the '70s, was a HUGE Yes fan and enjoyed Renaissance and early Genesis, King Crimson. I still like keeping track of whatever Bill Bruford is up to.

I've seen a couple of great shows with Adrian Belew (he was in one incarnation of King Crimson for about 15 minutes, if I'm remembering right). He had a fun band awhile back called the Bears that did a great album and then disbanded. I saw him in a wonderful solo show a few years ago; he took questions from the audience and everything.

Jon Anderson of Yes did a similar show here just last week. I read about it in the paper after it happened. If I'd known, I probably would have tried to go, just for old times' sake.

Listening to XM is turning me on to a group called Fountains of Wayne that's fresh and funny. They're playing here in a few weeks; may try to go see them.

Here's their Web site. They have a European tour planned, too. They'll be in Glasgow on March 1.
http://www.fountainsofwayne.com/home/

And furthermore:

Norah Jones will be in Glasgow on April 18.

...and I'll be front row in the first circle

Really? Hooray!

Lined up concerts:

Gary Jules
Norah Jones
Peter Gabriel
Marillion
Marillion
Marillion (they're on tour this year

I saw Gabriel in the fall. Only problem was it was one of those HUGE arenas where the performers look like ants. Binoculars saved the day. But that's not really fun.

He's playing a medium sized hall here, which should be fine especially since the concert is 'in the round' so everyone should be reasonably close to the stage.

I hate stadium concerts - mind you I went to see Bruce Springsteen last year in a stadium, and that's about the only one I've enjoyed.

I hate them too. I like small clubs the best, but often you have to stand the whole time and I'm definitely getting too old for that! Saw JJ both times in small clubs here. First time we sat and studied him through binoculars; second time we stood and squeezed our way to fourht row. Heaven.

It's hard not to enjoy The Boss just about anywhere! He can light up a whole stadium easily, and so can U2.