Amazon exiles discussion

I think it's about time we had a thread for the usual end of year roundup. Your favourite albums of 2020? EPs? Compilations? Reissues? Record label of the year? Most disappointing album? & on & on...

I've bought very little new music this year, as compared to deep catalogue and reissues, so...

2020 albums which have stood out for me (in no particular order)
1. Diana Collier - Ode To Riddley Walker
2. Bob Dylan - Rough And Rowdy Ways
3. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - The Mosaic Of Transformation

Best Reissues (again in no particular order)
1. Jon Hassell - Vernal Equinox
2. King Crimson - The Complete 1969 Recordings
3. Renaissance - Turn Of The Cards

Other older stuff bought during 2020 that's stood out for me (I.N.P.O.)
1. Chris Carter - Chemistry Lessons Vol. 1
2. Jóhann Jóhannson - The Miners' Hymns
3. Múm - Finally We Are No One
4. The Residents - Eskimo
4. The Residents - Commercial Album
5. The Shaggs - Philosophy Of The World
6. Yes - Fragile (Steven Wilson remaster)

The Guardian's best of 2020. Seems terribly young and hip making me feel awfully old and passe and I only have 4 with perhaps a further 2 I'd be interested in. The 4 I have wouldn't make my end of year top stuff list (what would I hear you ask? That'd be telling).

https://www.theguardian.com/music/202...

The only one I own from that list is the Dylan album. The handful I've even heard of I might have bought in years gone by but these days I tend to buy albums I know will interest me rather than just chance my arm.

I have 21 albums dated 2020. Two were gifted to me (thanks Brass!), eight are Australian and three are anthologies.

Standouts are :
International
Blues With Friends - Dion
Dixie Blur - Jonathan Wilson
Rough And Rowdy Ways - Bob Dylan
The Third Mind - The Third Mind
The Unraveling - Drive-By Truckers (must get their new one)

Honourable mention to:
Life On The Flip Side - Jimmy Buffett

Local:
Batflowers - Washington
Push The Blues Away - Josh Teskey & Ash Grunwald
See You On The Other Side - A Postcard From April 2020 - Mick Thomas

Best compilation:
From An Old Guitar: Rare And Unreleased Recordings – Dave Alvin

Biggest disappointment:
Maybe I need to persevere but Marlon Williams' Plastic Bouquet (a collaborative effort with Saskatoon duo Kacy & Clayton) is a bit too folky for me. I don't get why he thought the collaboration was a good idea. The couple of tracks that feature Marlon are fine but the whole album is rather meh.

ok,

2020

'nick cave alone at alexandria palace' - nick cave
'live by the spirit' - ras michael

2020 singles/eps

'covid 19' - keety roots
'normal never was 1' - crass
'normal never was 2' - crass
'normal never was 3' - crass
'alle tage ist kein sonntag' - till lindemann and david garrett
'runnin'' - kitma
'murder most foul' - bob dylan

re-issues

'revelation time' - max romeo
'beat down babylon' - junior byles
'heavenless extended' - vin gordon and the real rock band
'herzeleid xxv' - rammstein (mrs tech)

pre 2020

'hit the road jack' - big youth
'in satan's dub' - lee scratch perry and bullwackies
'feeding of the 5000' (as it was in the beginning) - crass
'stations of the crass' (aiwitb) - crass
'penis envy' (aiwitb) - crass
'christ the album' (aiwitb) - crass
'yes sir, i will' (aiwitb) - crass
'10 notes on a summer's day' (aiwitb) - crass
'best before 1984' (aiwitb) - crass
'do they owe us a living - first and last' flexidisc - crass
'12 crass songs' - jeffrey lewis
'on the other side of dub' - lone ranger
'jah works' - vivian jones
'nature's dub/dub roots' - lloyd 'bullwackies' barnes/prince douglas
'fat man dubs vol 1' - fat man riddim section
'45s 1992-1997' - jah shaka
'megaton dub 1 & 2' - lee perry
'black symbol' - black symbol
'chris carter's chemistry lessons vol 1' - chris carter
'chris carter's chemistry lessons - course work' ep - various
'disturbance' - test dept
'disturbance disordered' - test dept/various
'studio kinda cloudy' - keith hudson & friends
'girls fiesta' - ranking dread
'headline news' - capital letters
're-wired' - pama intl meet the mad professor
'trojan sessions in dub' - pama intl meet manasseh
'love and austerity' - pama intl
'outernational' - pama intl
'untitled' - rammstein
'liebe ist fur alle da' - rammstein
'rosenrot' - rammstein
'reise reise' - rammstein
'made in germany' - rammstein
'f&m' - lindemann
'f&m/skills in pills' - lindemann

disappointment

that bruce springsteen still breathes

This is more like it; I have 15 of these and have a hankering after about 5 more.
https://www.allmusic.com/year-in-revi...

I'll put my list together over the weekend. Do try & contain your excitement while you wait.

"This is more like it"

more like what? hell?

My top 10 albums of 2020 (inpo): -

Despair Anthems by Executioner's Mask (doomy post-punk)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Despair-Anth...

Black Aura My Sun by Deserta (shoegaze)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Aura-M...

Living For Nothing by Horror Vacui (deathrock)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Nothi...

The Second Siren by The Loud Age (techno)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Siren...

Tales Of Faith And Lunacy by Nero Kane (minimal psych-folk or something)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tales-Faith-...

Kalte Nacht by Kalte Nacht (darkwave)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kalte-Nacht/...

Trópicos by Seatemples (shoegaze)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tr%C3%B3pico...

Zola-Zemlya by Morwan (dunno)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/%D0%97%D0%BE...

Thin Mind by Wolf Parade (indie rock)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thin-Mind-Wo...

Nostalgia by Spectres (post-punk)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nostalgia-Sp...

Bits & bobs (reissues etc.) to follow, tomorrow, probably.

And...

Reissues:-
The Comforts Of Madness - Pale Saints
The Final Destruction - Fatal Morgana
And Also The Trees - And Also The Trees
The Anvil - Visage

Best Compilation/EP:-
Endangered Species Vol 1 - V/A Dark Entries Records

Best Live/session album:-
ON'T BBC 1980​-1982 - The Danse Society

Disappointment of the year:-
Still no sign of The Sisterhood Gift reissue. Announced in Sept 2019 but still no actual release date. Shouldn't be surprised really, should I? :-(

Reissue
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Goats-Head-V...

Includes Brussels Affair live.

2020 releases (alphabetically):
Aching Muscle - There Are No Degrees Of Uniqueness
Arch Garrison - The Bitter Lay
Barringtone - Bonanza Plan
Rob Crow - Everybody’s Got Damage EP
Rob Crow - BLM EPs
Elliot. - As He Now Appears
Stephen EvEns - Employee Of The Month
Field Music - Making A New World
Field Music - Live At Tapestry (recorded 2006)
Paul Morricone - Cruel Designs
Bill Nelson - The Jewel
Bill Nelson - New Vibrato Wonderland (ordered, not arrived yet)
Bill Nelson - Transcorder (fan club recordings 1982-1990 - ordered, not arrived yet)
Nova Twins - Who Are The Girls?
Parachute For Gordo - Best Understood By Children And Animals
Parachute For Gordo - Tender Indignities
The Physics House Band - Metropolis (recorded live in 2019)
Sanguine Hum - Archive Vol.1 (recorded 2003-2015)
Sanguine Hum - A Trace Of Memory
School Of Language - Eye Could’ve Loved U Better EP
Kavus Torabi - Hip To The Jag
Wire - Mind Hive

Artists who's previous albums I've bought this year:
Berries, The Besnard Lakes, Bis, Cat Bear Tree, P J Harvey, Hiromi, Mick Karn, Levitation, Manda Rin, Aimee Mann, Anna Meredith, North Sea Radio Orchestra, Nova Twins, Holly Partridge, Rozi Plain, Poppy, Primus, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Release The Bats, Rush, Sanguine Hum, Soul Coughing, Thank You Scientist, The Utopia Strong.

1. Letter To You - Bruce Springsteen
2. World On The Ground - Sarah Jarosz
3. Holy Smoke & Future Jokes - Blitzen Trapper
4. Nothing as the Ideal - All Them Witches
5. Blacktop Run - Sonny Landreth
6. Lamentations - American Aquarium
7. Misfit's Jubilee - Jim White
8. Ever-Roving Eye - James Elkington
9. Wreckless Abandon - The Dirty Knobs
10. Ghosts of West Virginia - Steve Earle & The Dukes

Reissue:
Tom Petty - Wildflowers Deluxe

+ If the "Whatever You Want" single is anything to go by, really excited to hear the upcoming album from the new Crowded House lineup.

Working Men's Club - Working Men's Club

Haven't listened to the album yet but did get it for Christmas along with; The Specials 'More Specials', Visage 'The Anvil' an album I've wanted on cd for many years, and St Etienne's 'Fox Base Alpha', happy daze!

'More Specials'

easily in top ten u.k. albums ever - a 'not a note wasted' kind of record! double version?

Tech XXIII wrote: "'More Specials'

easily in top ten u.k. albums ever - a 'not a note wasted' kind of record! double version?"

CD 2 - More extra Specials, singles, b-sides and rarities. Has my favourite Specials song, 'Do Nothing' on the album. Years ago I had the double cassette that had The Specials/More Specials on it. The latter album was one of my favourites.

TheFoe wrote: "Working Men's Club - Working Men's Club

Haven't listened to the album yet but did get it for Christmas along with; The Specials 'More Specials', Visage 'The Anvil' an album I've wanted on cd for m..."

Yay! You got The Anvil. Enjoy.
I got absolutely nothing music related for Christmas :-(

Helen The Melon wrote: "TheFoe wrote: "Working Men's Club - Working Men's Club

Haven't listened to the album yet but did get it for Christmas along with; The Specials 'More Specials', Visage 'The Anvil' an album I've wan..."

Had this like The Specials album on cassette for years, but until a few years ago you couldn't get The Anvil on cd without paying silly prices. A lot of my English hip hop albums I have on cd from the 80's are worth a small fortune, but I'd never part with them because I still give them a blast now and then.

Many of my music purchases 2020 were vinyl replacement stuff, remasters and remixes. Delighted to get an affordable CD copy of Jess Roden's eponymous debut album - superb.
The best of the stuff i bought new (to me) was:
Riverside - Anno Domini High Definition
Snarky Puppy - Immigrance
Loudon Wainwright III- History
Jeff Beck - Live at Ronnie Scott's
Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood - Live at Maddison Square Garden
Counting Crows - New Amsterdam (Live)
Jethro Tull - Catfish Rising
Joe Henderson - In 'n' Out
Popol Vuh - Hosianna Mantra

hey huck, good to see you posting - even if you still haven't taken the proggie cure yet! :)

Tech XXIII wrote: "hey huck, good to see you posting - even if you still haven't taken the proggie cure yet! :)"

Hi Tech, been isolating :-)
Is there a proggy vaccine available? Actually only one of those is really proggy - Riverside, and it's more Pink Floyd with some riffs