Five more interesting albums to check out. Again, nice listening through these again. And again, music from different genres, rock, jazz, hiphop.
The Velvet Underground: VU.
First, VU is not a regular album, and not a proper Velvets album, but a collection of previously unreleased recordings. Released in 1984, it came out long after Velvet Underground had left the world stage as a working band. Recorded between February 1968 and September 1969, it includes 10 tracks from Velvets prime time. And it is a lot of interesting, prior unreleased material here. In short, VU is a very rewarding complement to the proper Velvets album. A must for serious Velvets fans.
A-side include two more Velvets songs titled after a woman saying… This time Stephanie Says, a smooth ballad that easily is another says-highlight. Lisa Says is another fine song, if not fully in the same class as Stephanie. Overall, the two songs from 1968, including Stephanie, with the original four Velvets are, not surprisingly, the best cuts here. The other eight are from 1969 with the later Doug Yule-quartet, after he had replaced John Cale. They are generally very good too, in some cases excellent.
VU is a welcome and fine addition to the Velvet Underground song treasure. It is a compilation of moments and cuts prior missed and unheard. But it is not a Velvets album proper, and it is not on par with the albums that the active group The Velvet Underground released. That’s vital to remember, and therefore it is better to start there and later complement with this fine album.
Bruce Springsteen: BossInEastBerlin - Anatolia (3LP).
Classic Radio broadcast from East Germany, presenting The Boss live in East Berlin on July 19th 1988, over 3 LP:s. Great setlist and great concert. According to Discogs there is also a 3 CD version available that includes the whole concert, with four cuts that are said to be from audience sources. I bought this 3 LP album in a record store in Helsinki, not in Germany.
Wonderful concert opener Badlands is unfortunately interrupted in the middle by a short radio broadcast announcement. It increases the authenticity of course, this really is The Boss in East Berlin, but sadly disturbs a great version of Badlands. Bruce and The E Street Band then continue with The River and Promised Land. Hard to imagine a greater start. Deeper cut Spare Parts ends a wonderful side A.
On Side B Bruce takes a strong political stand with War, followed by Born In The USA and cover Chimes Of Freedom. The audience go wild and loudly sings the chorus in an amazing version of Born In The USA. A definitive highlight, perhaps the highlight on this album. Unfortunately the short speech Bruce gave before Chimes Of Freedom is not included on this recording, but the song itself is magnificent and can’t be underestimated. This landmark concert has been referred to as a significant moment for raising freedom sentiments that contributed to the development that later lead to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. An interview with Bruce is included (and simultaneously translated to German), where he explains how overwhelmed he is by the audience and their knowledge of the songs. Fine instrumental Paradise By The C with saxophonist Clarence Clemons in the driver seat closes this wonderful and significant side.
The second record brings in both classic hits and deeper cuts on side C. I’m On Fire and Dancing In The Dark as well as I’m A Coward and Light Of The Day. The audience gives a roaring response. Side D is on paper perhaps the most formidable side, packed with classics Born To Run, Hungry Heart and Glory Days.
Side E starts and finish with wonderful covers of I Can’t Help Falling In Love and Sweet Soul Music respectively, and three fine Bruce originals in-between, before Side F brings closure to a superb concert experience with Raise Your Hand and a pumpin’ Twist And Shout. The sound quality is quite fine throughout, some smaller dips of muddiness in sound, but overall good technical quality, not excellent or exceptional. The concert, alas, is excellent. Bruce and the Band are in superb form and they really give their all here. An exceptional performance.
Elephant9: The Greatest Show On Earth (LP + CD).
This Norwegian jazz album starts slowly in a mellow rhythmic mode. Almost eerie soundscapes in mesmerizing Way Of Return. The Norwegian trio was among the best things that happened on the jazz scene in the 2010’s. After the slow and meditative start on the album, Actionpack 1 certainly do credit to its title, directly increasing speed and intensity from the go, before settling for a groovier and tempo-varied beat. It’s hard to overstate the brilliance of these three musicians as they vary the soundscape and each impresses with both respective solos and as parts of the common full band soundscape. Farmer’s Secret has a multifaceted soundscape that draws you in and creates a puzzling listening experience. It is a feeling of surprised emptiness when, suddenly, the last tone ends. So far side A.
Dancing With Mr. E gives us an enjoyable jazz-funky bass-driven beat. It is a highlight among highlights. Bass features overall soundwise much more center-stage on side B. Slowing down the tempo significantly, mellow Mystery Blend puts bass prominently in the center of the soundscape. Freaks also starts slowly and with a prominent bass rhythm. Hammond solo and pumping drums puts all three members center-stage here. And they complement each other exceptionally well. This is a masterclass of three highly talented musicians creating a truly great show on Earth. I only dislike the faded ending, which is far inferior to the strong, direct ending on side A. But otherwise, hey, this is a superb album.
Damn The Band: Damn The Band.
Damn The Band were founded already in 1987 and pioneers on the Finnish hiphop-scene. This debut album from 1991 is the very first Finnish hiphop-album in English. An important early landmark album. At that time it was also controversial, for example front figure J.A.K. said in an MTV interview 2015 that they were threatened with violence only for releasing such an album. Sounds unbelievable today, but hiphop was truly underground in Finland 1991. And luckily Damn The Band released this album. Today we can enjoy a true classic.
The tone is set right away with the pumpin’ beat and sirens on opener Violence. An earlier release on 12” (Radical World/J.A.K. Is On The Mic) preceded the album in 1990 and both those cuts are also found here. J.A.K. Is On The Mic is a definite highlight on side A. I Am The Prince & I Am Proud continue the same vibe before Remember ends side A on a slightly slower and heavier funky beat.
J.A.K. Is Back opens side B and, yes, it is more of the same great same. J.A.K. Is Back is another essential highlight and Damn The Band presents catching grooves, one after another, on this debut album. Wonderful that the strong and rare 12” Radical World is included too, as is a fun and supershort ”hood” cut, South-Haaga. Sexism that is just too often present in hiphop is here represented by Kinky Women. Another strong and mesmerizing driving beat, but why not a hood-reflecting South-Haaga lyric instead? You could put that same kind of question forward to most hiphop-artists. And really should. That aside, this is superb Finnish old school hiphop. A classic album.
Hurriganes: Roadrunner (50th Anniversary Edition, 2LP).
And talking about classics, Roadrunner by Hurriganes is the classic Finnish rock album. The cornerstone of Finnish rock, by the most legendary of all rock band. The album itself is a mammoth, a review must be 5/5, especially when considering it’s importance and influence. But put that aside and you still have a superb rock album. Recorded in great studio in Stockholm and performed well by a very tight and talented trio. Albert Järvinen is the greatest guitarist ever in Finnish rock and we get many fine examples of his superb guitar licks and solo technique here. Get On is of course the most well known blockbuster, perhaps the best Finnish rock song ever produced. The rhythm section is extremely tight and guitar god Abe is just unearthly amazing. But also for example covers Tallahassee Lassie and Slippin’ And Slidin’ or original Oowee-Oohla leaves you breathless when Abe solos on his Stratocaster. I Will Stay is a sweet ballad moment among the rockers. Title track, cover Roadrunner, is another strong cut, and amazing finale.
The proper album is truly ace and needs no more introduction. The selling point for another version, 50th Anniversary, then, would be the bonus disc. And here lies the problem. It is really a meager bonus-LP with only about 12 mins of sound. What you get is just five cuts, in total much shorter than one normal LP-side. And of the five cuts three are jams. Albert’s Boogie comes in two versions, one previously released and another (the better one) unreleased. Plus an alternative Roadrunner intro. Not the song, though, just the intro, unfortunately. Side C is in turn less than five minutes music and include unreleased songs Somebody Help Me (interesting but not exceptional, and not the one from 10/80) and Boogie Boogie Morning (fierce rocker, the best bonus cut). The bonus cuts are in themselves fine, but it is just a little too little, too short. Some unreleased live versions from the period would really have helped and made the bonus disc worthwhile - and are there really no second takes to include of the original album songs? Or are they cynically saved for next anniversary album? If you already have the mother album, it is expensive to buy it again just for the bonuses. I bought mine in a second-hand record store, and I am happy I did. Seems like the record company acted like fat cats and didn’t bother to give fans and listeners a really full-worthy 50th Anniversary Edition. Devoted Hurriganes fans deserve more. It is too easy to compare this edition to the Anniversary editions of Rock And Roll All Night Long (which included a bonus LP with rare released songs, newly remastered single cuts from the period, and two great unreleased gems) or Crazy Days (that included a bonus album with live cuts of the album tracks, some released earlier in box sets and others unreleased gems). For those albums the record company released fine Anniversary packages, and the bonus albums definitely were worth the cost, but unfortunately not for this, the most legendary of Hurriganes’ albums. Completists will still want this edition too, not least for the bonus cuts, but will most likely feel somewhat cheated to only get about 12 mins bonus sounds. A wonderful opportunity missed by the record company.
There you have it. Five more reasons to own a record player in 2026. I love most formats, but vinyl is closest to my heart.
