Music bought in 2017


New [on LP]

Pipes of Peace Remastered by Paul McCartney
Unplayed as of now - apart from the great-great-great Say Say Say duet - so no honest opinion. Bargain at $13.

Jurassic World by Michael Giacchino
Bought in a vain effort to collect all Jurassic memorabilia (I gave up in later years). Perfectly adequate soundtrack, but - in all seriousness and honesty - when am I ever going to listen to the Jurassic World music on its own, without the imagery? This is not the sort of thing that gets extended mileage or airplay. Not the smartest purchase, then. $47 including shipping via Mondo? Yikes. Expensive!

Creed by Ludwig Göransson
Still shrinkwrapped, so no opinion as of now. Excellent movie, though. $54 including shipping via Mondo? Yikes. Expensive!

Tune In, Tokyo... by Green Day
Quite the funky extended play, including a lovely live rendition of Church on Sunday - one of my faves from Warning:.

Aquarium by Aqua
A 'Record Store Day 2017' purchase. Barbie Girl has never been a great song, but Doctor Jones, My Oh My, Turn Back Time and especially Lollipop (Candyman) are fantastic. Aquarium was one of the very first compact discs I ever bought with my own money (in December 1997) and, as such, holds a special place in my nerdy heart. Check out Aqua's more recent output, too. Their third album Megalomania includes shockingly accomplished pop ditties.

Fawlty Towers by Fawlty Towers (Record Store Day 2017)
A 'Record Store Day 2017' purchase. Two full-length episodes of the classic British sitcom. Audio-only, naturally. Not the kind of thing one would spin during a party, a do, a shindig, or a get-together, so no idea why I bought it. Because I'm not a party animal, probably.

Hammersmith Odeon '75 by Bruce Springsteen
A 'Record Store Day 2017' purchase. Four records, $50: hardly affordable, but a must for every Springsteen fan. This live recording had previously been released as part of the 30th Anniversary box set of Born to Run in 2005.

Lindsey Buckingham & Christine McVie by Lindsey Buckingham & Christine McVie
Wow. Did not expect this album to kick as much heinie as it does. 'Too Far Gone' and 'In My World' are grandiose.

Chuck by Chuck Berry
Still shrinkwrapped, so no opinion as of now.

The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico
Wanted the mono version, but that one wasn't available. 'Sunday Morning' is surely one of the purest, most gorgeous songs ever written, and one that perfectly encapsulates that Sunday morning feeling. This was a birthday present from my then-girlfriend, current spouse.

Jungle Eyes by Absynthe Minded
A birthday present (thanks, Sony Belgium!) from 25 September 2017, when I had the chance to interview Absynthe Minded's main songwriter Bert Ostyn. Beam! is a song for the ages. The lyrics 'I'll figure it out, and I will learn/And if I don't, I will burn' struck a chord with me. I figured they referred to the Icarus myth, something Ostyn amusingly denied.

Liefde Zonder Meer by Kommil Foo
'Kom Hier Dat Ik U Draag', a 10 minute epic, deserves to be discovered by every music lover across the globe. Even if you don't speak and/or understand Dutch. Wow. What a song.

You Want It Darker by Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen's final album (released during his lifetime, that is). Unplayed as of now, so no opinion.

Baby Driver by Various
Truly excellent aural companion to a truly excellent movie. Full movie review here.

Summer Solstice - MTV Unplugged by a-ha
Intimate, cosy concert by Norway's finest. Recorded live at the Harbour Hall in Giske, Norway. Guest appearances by Alison Moyet and Ian McCulloch.

Elvis Christmas by Elvis Presley
Third in a series of classic Elvis tunes with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. For the fans. And everyone else.

Let Go by Avril Lavigne
First vinyl release of Lavigne's breakthrough album. One does not not buy this.

Scream by Michael Jackson
Quite the craptacular, unnecessary compilation. A 'Halloween/scary subjects' themed MJ album sounds like a good idea on paper, but why exclude his song Is It Scary? Not scary enough for you?

Star Wars Deluxe by John Williams
$175!!? Madness! Sparta! To quote the sticker on the front: "40TH ANNIVERSARY 3-LP COLLECTOR'S EDITION ON 180-GRAM VINYL FEATURING A DEATH STAR 3D HOLOGRAPHIC EXPERIENCE, 40TH ANNIVERSARY LOGO ETCHING, 48-PAGE HARD COVER BOOK AND MORE" Platter 1 and 2 feature the original soundtrack, whereas the third disc has a Death Star 3D hologram (""exciting"") and an etching of the 'Star Wars 40th Anniversary' logo. Still shrinkwrapped, so no opinion on the actual contents. Why did I spend $175 and not open the contents? There's no accounting for bad taste and/or lousy financial decisions.

Blade Runner 2049 by Hans Zimmer & Benjamin Wallfisch
Great movie, so-so soundtrack.


New [on CD]

Complete Album Collection by Golden Earring
TWENTY-NINE compact discs (I'd have added one more for a nice round number #firstworldproblems) for a mere $99.90, what a bargain. The Netherlands' finest and longest-ruling act called it quits in 2021 due to founding member George Kooymans' ALS diagnosis. What a career, what a legacy.

The Art Of The 12", Volume Three
(A Soundtrack For Living) by Various
Just $2 for two compact discs filled to the brim with rare and less-rare 12" ZTT cuts. A few of my favourites ('Pop Muzik' by M, 'The Look of Love' (Parts I, II, III and IV) by ABC), but the highlight turned out to be something I had never heard before: 'P:Machinery (Complete Machinery)' by Propaganda, 19:02 minutes of pure aural delight. Recommended!

Helder by Jan Leyers
Dutch-language effort by one of my favourite songwriters (half of the duo called Soulsister, whose songs are in English). 'Ridder met rugpijn' (Knight with backache) is perfection. Great song.


New [on MC]

Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Mix
Still shrinkwrapped, so no opinion as of now.

Low In High School by Morrissey
I once liked Morrissey - the greatest lyricist of his generation, with the best song titles to boot - but in later years, he's turned into everything he fought against. Pity. € 8 is a great price for a new cassette tape, though.

This Unruly Mess I've Made by Macklemore
Still shrinkwrapped, so no opinion as of now.
Great album title.

The Force Awakens by John Williams
The underwhelming soundtrack to the perfectly fine Star Wars episode. It feels bad to bash living legend John Williams, though.


New [on MQS SD]

The Essential Elvis Presley by Elvis Presley
Quite the cool collectible. 'MQS SD' is a South-Korean exclusive, a SD card with high-res files of well-known music. Lovely.



Julian De Backer, 20 August 2022