MOJO
For a recent plane trip, I picked up London's MOJO Magazine. The June issue - on some newstands now - is full of interesting reading, including an article about Nick Drake and an interview with Jeff Beck. But the highlight of the issue is the celebration - love letter, really - to what MOJO calls "Britain's most influential record label, Island Records." And in addition to listing the fifty greatest Island albums, they also include a 'free' CD - the cover price of the magazine is $9.99, so you pay for it - called 'Island Folk.'
I listened to it yesterday for the first time. It is fantastic!
Until now, I never really thought about Island Records except in relation to Bob Marley and the Wailers. I didn't think of Island as the label that produced Tom Waits, Grace Jones, Cat Stevens, Traffic, U2, and more.
The CD, however, focuses on their folk rock freak jam music, artists like John Martyn, Sandy Denny, Richard and Linda Thompson, The Incredible String Band, and the original Nirvana. Yes, there was a band called Nirvana back in 1967.
MOJO's 'Island Folk' is worth the price of the magazine alone. Starting with the moody bassline of John Martyn's 'Go Down Easy,' the album progresses through many sounds that somehow cohere and ends with the medieval rhythms of Amazing Blondel.
I have listened to this over and over again for the last 24 hours and have not tired of it yet. It makes we want to hear more John Martyn and to check out Jethro Tull again - 'We Used To Know" is included here off of 'Stand Up.' Reading about Chris Blackwell and how he established Island as a creative label also makes me curious about revisiting some of his other discoveries, not least of whom is Nick Drake. There is a great article just about Drake here as well.
Next on my reading list is the interview with Jeff Beck, on tour in Japan. If you are a devoted Jeff Beck fan, which album would you recommend starting with? Beck-ola?
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