All-time favourite records
After Dinner: After Dinner
1984, Recommended Records [RR C20]
Art Bears: Hopes And Fears
1978, Recommended Records [Re 2188]
Derek Bailey & Han Bennink: Post Improvisation, Vol. 2: Air Mail Special
1999, Incus [CD 35]
Les Batteries: Noisy Champs
1986, Ayaa [DT 0486]
Black, Dunn, Noriega & Speed: Endangered Blood
2011, Skirl Records [SKIRL RECORDS 015]
Terry Bozzio, Gerald Preinfalk & Alex Machacek: Delete & Roll
2002, Next Generation Enterprises [NGE 021]
John Cage: Sonatas And Interludes For Prepared Piano
1951, Dial Records [19/20]
Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band: Lick my decals off, baby
1970, Straight Records [STS-1063]
Not easily available and less known record, but together with Trout mask replica a real jewel of the time. Hard to believe how wild and unrestrained the music is on this album. Detailed info can be found here
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Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band: Dog at the radar station
1980, Virgin Records [VA 13148]
Third Beefheart's record in my "all-time" selection, but I can't help... This is a later record, only a few years before Beefheart retreated into the realm of painting. A new band, a new, "modernized" sound and musical forms, but everything lovable about Beefheart is here, abundantly and in the best shape. More details here.
Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band: Trout mask replica
1969, Straight Records [STS-1053]
Billy Cobham: Crosswinds
1974, Atlantic [SD 7300]
Chick Corea: Children's Songs
1984, ECM Records [ECM 1267]
Elvis Costello: When I Was Cruel
2002, Island Records [586 775-2]
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: Déja Vu
1970, Atlantic [SD 7200]
Miles Davis: On The Corner
1972, Columbia [PC 31906]
Bob Drake: The Shunned Country
2005, Crumbling Tomes Archive [CTA SC01]
Bob Drake: 13 songs and a thing
2003, Crumbling Tomes Archive [CTA 13]
Dunaj: La La Lai
1996, Rachot Behémót [R 000 9]
Encore Plus Grande: Total Bliss
1987, Inoui Disques [06911]
Brian Eno & David Byrne: My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
1981, Sire Records Company [SRK 6093]
Ellery Eskelin: Quiet Music
2006, Prime Source [CD 4010]
Fire! Orchestra: Ritual
2016, Rune Grammofon [RCD 2182]
Fred Frith: Cheap At Half The Price
1983, Ralph Records [FF 8356]
Fred Frith: Prints (Snapshots, Postcards, Messages and Miniatures, 1987-2001)
2002, ReR Megacorp/Fred Records [ReR/FRA 02]
Satoko Fujii: Bell the Cat!
2002, Tokuma Japan [TKCB-72369]
Philip Glass & Robert Wilson: Einstein On The Beach
1979, CBS Masterworks [M4K 38875]
Milford Graves: Grand Unification
1998, Tzadik [TZ 7030]
Jon Hassell & Brian Eno: Fourth World Vol. 1 - Possible Musics
1979, Editions EG/Polydor [EGED 7]
Hudba gamelanů z ostrovů Jáva a Bali
1978, Supraphon [1 17 2561-63]
Joe Jackson Band: Beat Crazy
1980, A&M Records [AMLH 64837]
Joe Jackson: Look Sharp!
1979, A&M Records [AMLH 64743]
Janota, Fidler, Richter: High Fidelity
2001, Indies Records [MAM 135-2]
Jethro Tull: Heavy Horses
1978, Chrysalis [CHR 1175]
Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti
1975, Swan Song [SSK 89400]
Low: Drums And Guns
2007, Sub Pop [SPCD 736]
Magma: Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandöh
1973, Vertigo [6499 729]
Albert Marcoeur: Celui ou y'a Joseph
1984, CDM/Harmonia mundi [LDX 74796]
The Wailers (& Bob Marley): Burnin'
1973, Island Records [ILPS 9256]
Billy Martin & G. Calvin Weston: Percussion Duets
1995, Amulet Records [AMT001]
Czeslaw Niemen: Katharsis
1976, Polskie Nagrania Muza [SX 1262]
Jim O'Rourke: Eureka
1999, Drag City [DC162CD]
OOIOO: Gold and Green
2000, Shock City [SHOCKCITY007]
John Parish & Polly Jean Harvey: Dance Hall At Louse Point
1996, Island [314-524 278-2]
In my opinion, the best record by PJ Harvey. I admire John Parish for his simple, elementary playing guitars. He has good solo records (and I enjoyed very much his concert in Prague, few years ago), but the songs on this record with PJ are true masterpieces: raw, yet catchy; gentle, but sometimes quite hars; elaborated, but performed as if with negligence... I've read that Parish and PJ are preparing a new record together again - a good news. PJ's last solo record White Chalk had some good reviews, but I clearly prefer this one.
Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Han Bennink: The Topography Of The Lungs
1970, Incus [INCUS.1]
Pere Ubu: New Picnic Time
1979, Chrysalis [51.1248]
The Police: Reggatta De Blanc
1979, A&M Records [AMLH 64792]
Public Image Ltd: First issue
1978, Virgin [V 2114]
I like all the first three records of Public Image Ltd. very much; and I find all what followed quite disappointing. The First Issue is still partially rooted in punk, although at the same time it is a clear departure from the style and sound of Sex Pistols - the strongest link, of course, is the specific vocals of John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten). Not many punk or post-punk records from those times can really be considered contemporary even today, but I consider the first records of PIL really timeless. Wild, devastating, deviant and independent.
Lou Reed & John Cale: Songs For Drella
1990, Sire Records Company [7599 26205-2]
The Residents: Duck Stab/Buster & Glen
1978, Ralph Records [RR 0278]
The Residents: Eskimo
1979, Ralph Records [RZ 7906]
Terry Riley: A Rainbow In Curved Air
1969, Columbia [MS 7315]
SBB: SBB
1974, Polskie Nagrania Muza [SXL 1142]
Scorch Trio: Scorch Trio
2002, Rune Grammofon [RCD2025]
Skeleton Crew: Skeleton Crew
2005, ReR Megacorp/Fred Records [ReR/FRO 08/09]
Guitarist Fred Frith and cellist Tom Cora (died in 1998), later joined by Zeena Parkins. A fortunate assembly, which unfortunately lasted only too short. The musicians playing each several instruments, sometimes simultaneously (reportedly, this was usual also during concerts), while singing charming ditties. In fact, I should list two original albums: Learn to talk (1984) and Country of blinds (1986) - both released by Rift & RecRec Music; for the sake of simplicity, however, I put here only this double CD consisting of the two original albums, plus several bonus tracks. An absolute peak.
Slapp Happy & Henry Cow: Desperate Straights
1975, Virgin [V 2024]
The Slits: Cut
1979, Island Records [ILPS 9573]
Snakefinger: Greener Postures
1980, Ralph Records [SN-8053-L]
Jan Spálený: Edison
1978, Supraphon [1 13 2267]
Chris Speed: Emit
2000, Songlines Recordings [SGL-1532-2]
David Sylvian: Blemish
2003, Samadhisound [sound-cd 001]
Talking Heads: Remain In Light
1980, Sire Records Company [SRK 6095]
Thinking Plague: In This Life
1989, ReR Megacorp [ReR tpCD]
This Heat: Deceit
1981, Rough Trade [Rough 26]
Vltava: Šťastnej jako trám
1996, Monitor-EMI [660421-2331]
Tom Waits: The Black Rider
1993, Island Records [314-518 559-2]
The Work: Rubber Cage
1989, Woof Records [WOOF 012], Ayaa [DT 1090], In-Poly-Sons [IPS 1289]
Robert Wyatt: Rock bottom/Ruth is stranger than Richard
1981, Virgin [VGD 3505]
Joint edition of two remarkable records published originally in 1974 and 1975 - if these albums had not been re-released together, I would have to list them both, separately. Robert Wyatt: clearly recognizable, passionate, covered voice, melancholic melodies, stroung and distinct songs, sometimes very personal, sometimes openly political. Robert Wyatt became famous as drummer and vocalist of Soft Machine in late 1960 and early 1970. Since falling out of a window in 1973, he has remained on a wheel chair, with both legs paralyzed. In the subsequent years, he produced a number of unique, beautiful albums.
Tatsuya Yoshida: A million years
1997, Magaibutsu [MGC-12]
