Roger Trenwith is a life long music obsessive who bought his first album aged 11 a long, long time ago. Amassing a vast collection over the years that has now been trimmed down to a collection of about 2500 Roger has been writing album and gig reviews for the last ten years on a number of forums before setting up, with a couple of friends, The Progressive Aspect, who you can find on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/theprogressiveaspect/
You can find songs from nine of Roger’s choices on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/user/21jl67tra4fr3mlbotmk5qh7y/playlist/61PQx7S7TgsDrBXpHQsZ3i?si=bgqp1eiaQzy2PYiJeT-rgQ
So where better place to start than with the album I bought as an 11 year old all those years ago! Are You Experienced, released in 1967, changed the way both the electric guitar and studio were used. As, if not more, influential than the Beatle’s Sgt. Peppers album that followed Jimi’s debut two weeks later, Are You Experienced changed the world and ushered in a new era of music.
A continual 40 minute cut and paste work of brilliance released by Virgin Records, in 1973, for the price of a 45rpm single. The best work they’ve ever recorded and the entry point to Krautrock for many a spotty yoof!
A completely unclassifiable album, The Power of Pussy, featuring Ann Magnusson’s lowlife on acid New York street suss to Kramer’s punky musical backing, Bongwater are a truly psychedelic experience! Not for the faint hearted!
Not featuring on the Spotify playlist, however, check out the video to Fiery Gun Hand https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLoe4DGT3h
The album, Sing to God, is lauded by fans of Cardiacs as ‘the best album ever made’. It took me years to ‘get’ this album, until one day, laid in the bath, listening to Jon Poole’s utterly illogical guitar solo, the penny dropped right through the porcelain.
I’ve played this album so many times over the years that these days it very rarely gets a spin. Rock ‘n’ Roll was, though, for many years my ‘going out’ song, Percy poses in front of the bedroom mirror ‘n’ all.
Furry Sings The Blues…and breathe out. Quite simply sublime from the wonderful Joni Mitchell.
Not content with having been the enigmatic frontman of a band that changed music, Mr Lydon then went on to form the most outré of post-punk bands, showing everyone else the way to go. Every track on this album was an experimental triumph. Watching Lydon’s howls of despair to his mother, dying of cancer, while Jah Wobble grinned maniacally at the camera with a couple of blacked out teeth was probably the most unsettling thing I’d seen on Top of the Pops…apart from Jimmy Saville, of course.
Lost Crowns are a new band currently on heavy rotation chez-moi. When reviewing ENSH on TPA I wrote ‘Having inveigled itself deep within my trusting heart, the album now lives in my pocket on a diet of wishes and kisses. It’s no use sitting on the fence, stand up and say “Scoundrel Get Thee Hence”. It’s getting far too cocky, but I love it and all it’s quirks. You should too.’
Magazine, the nominally ‘punk’ band that prog fans secretly loved! Every track on Secondhand Daylight, their Gothic triumph of a second LP, tells you why!
I don’t have to say anything more about this choice other than…sheer class.
Well thanks Roger for ten great choices of albums that I hope you’ll all enjoy. And don’t forget, if you would like to nominate and share ten great albums please contact [email protected]