2021 Top Ten

But I am choosing to not count very well as I wanted to share a lot of stuff. I was at home for most of the time – of course. An amazing time to live through. Knowing most of the entire world was going through the same thing, figuring out the same problems, trying to work out what was real and what wasn’t in the daily news. Incredible.

And it levelled the music scene. I loved that! All the competitive shit between players just stopping for a while. I also kept doing a  weekly show on RRR in Melbourne - doing it remotely like most of the volunteers on air – and all I wanted to play was music made in this time. And there was a lot of music coming out.

“Lines of Flight” by Georgio “the Dove “ Valentino
My friend, Georgio “the Dove “ Valentino , now resident in Athens but formerly St Augustine , Florida  and Brussels put out another album. This track was started by myself and Clare Moore as he needed a rhythm track to send to other players, so we set the groove. It’s a Rowland S Howard song. I was on bass, though he got another guy to add some as well. Everybody likes to play for Georgio, cos he’s a nice guy!

“Illusions” by The Yugoslav Attack
A great jazz band from Melbourne led by James Wiley on vocals and guitar .

MF Tomlinson – Them Apples from Strange Time
I found this via Bandcamp – the most ethical of music platforms- and really loved it. Long and prog-gy but very musical. From London, but later I discovered he is actually from Brisbane.

“I Get a Little Lost in This Town” by Nathan Detroit
Great track from a Melbourne player., Nathan Detroit.

"Happy For Him" by The Jimmy C
An incredible album where Jamie Coghill plays all instruments – and its mostly all high energy pop rock music in that kind of Roy Wood–Cheap Trick flow. It’s not easy to do that all by yourself! From the album “DUCKING”.

“Dragon’s Breath” by Infinity Broke
Jamie Hutchings from Sydney rolled the dice on a full-on, post punk bawler/baller of an album.

Stravinsky
Opening track from Stravinsky – an album by Melbourne jazz guitarist James Sherlock and bass player Ben Hanlon.

Malcolm Hill
Primo Geelong/Melbourne FREAK with such amazing pipes and song-writing skills.

“Flick” by Pookie
A great track by a young woman from Perth. An African background I think. She has got IT! The attitude and the skills.

Annekins Bay by Van Wyck
A female singer songwriter from Amsterdam with a  new album coming out soon.

“The Golden Path”  by Ben Ely
Ben Ely from Regurgitator put out a great album. Such a  great melodic songwriter. A very positive album too.

“Rodriguez For A Night” by David Crosby
I love to check out what vintage players are up to and David Crosby has been amazing over the last five years. Seven albums in that time I think! He collaborated with Donald Fagen (Steely Dan) on this track.

Place In The Sun by Tex Perkins and The Fat Rubber Band
Tex Perkins and The Fat Rubber Band put out an album. These are songs Tex has been working on with Matt Walker for a while.

“Syco” by Bagful of Beez
Link McLennan aka Link Meanie put out an incredibly good album. Playing multiple instruments. The artist is billed as Bagful Of Beez- the song is "Syco",

“The Waterboy” by You Am I
You Am I put out a really great ‘70s sounding album with Davey Lane continuing to blossom as a writer and singer. Some great moments of proggy R&B on this record. I love the way they still continue to work in the studio and live. Their late period records are my favourites of theirs. This was the first single,

“Riders On The Storm” by Richard Clapton
Richard Clapton put out an album of sixties songs he loved. I have always found his singing style a bit much but this album is just a great piece from a vintage player. Doing stuff because he loves it. Also, a really great sounding album because he is from that ‘70s school and has those ‘70s skills of recording and singing and attention to detail.

The album is full of huge hits of the period, nothing secretive or esoteric. A great version of “Eight Miles High” by the Byrds and also “Music Is Love” by David Crosby. Here he is doing “Riders On the Storm” by YOU KNOW WHO!