Seven Songs for the Week #145 - 14th Jan 26

This week I read about the legend of Hermann Szobel, so now I will share it with you....

In 1975, a 17 year old Austrian walks into a Roberta Flack recording session in NYC and proclaims himself the greatest keyboard player in the world. When asked to prove it, he wanders over to a piano and proves it. The following year he records his debut, and to date only, album. A remarkably accomplished jazz fusion record that is hard to believe was written and performed by a teenager. The album does not sell, and Szobel disappears.

According to Wikipedia he then goes missing, until a filmmaker finds him living on the streets of Jerusalem a decade or so ago, but leaves him alone. One account says that a YouTube video made about him in 2024 has made him return to the US for what must truly be the pinnacle of "the difficult second album". We'll see.

This is the opening track of the album. A dense, tight performance, with occasional Zappa-esque flourishes, albeit without any random misanthropy.

Got around to listening to the Geese album this week. I need more listens, but I get the hype and I'm looking forward to becoming a fan.

I found my old copy of Fossil Fuel, a 1996 compilation of XTC's singles, and have had it in the car. Listened to the whole thing chronologically, and out of 31 singles over 15 years they rarely put a foot wrong. All You Pretty Girls might be the duff one. Anything written about XTC often talks about the "tragedy" that they weren't huge, or their foreshadowing of Britpop. Maybe it's somewhat understandable. Personally I got on board in 1989 as a teen and seeing the Mayor Of Simpleton video on MTV, and then buying the Oranges and Lemons album in the very useful 3x 3inch CD format. What thirty-something men are making pop music for teenagers in 2026, I ask you.

It is a pity that XTC ceased as a live band in the early 1980s for two reasons: (1) they were very good, check out the transistor blast boxset, and (2) it inevitably affected their popularity. The fact that Great Fire never got to be belted out as part of an XTC set seems a shame.

A few weeks ago I read a thread on the Hoffman forums praising this record, a record I had avoided for decades because of its title. I went to YouTube and found myself watching the "video album" created to go alongside its release. It was 1982 after all. It is pretentious and solipsistic, but then again this is Pete Townshend we are talking about. I gave the album a spin on streaming and it was fine - I included the track Communication on a playlist at the time.

A half-speed remaster vinyl reissue appeared in the sale of the excellent SpinDizzy store in Dublin - 50% off, "only" €18. Bought it, gave it a spin and... it's a pretty good record. Who knew?

The latest Mojo came with a free CD of late 70s notreallypunknornewwavepop and right in the middle was Cruel to Be Kind - possibly the greatest song ever. But imagine my disappointment, dear reader, when the CD hits track 8 and it's a latter-day live version. Not dissing the live take, but I felt lied to. So here is the original power pop classic.

Here's my Nick Lowe story: In 1989 I blaggarded my dad to bring me to see Elvis Costello. The ticket said "No Support" but a dude came on stage with a guitar as support. I did not know who it was. At some point he starts singing Cruel To Be Kind and part of me went "I know this song, this must be the guy who does this song" and by the end of the set I was a fully signed-up Nick Lowe fan. I got his Basher compilation that came out that summer and it is the greatest compilation. Getting to hear all these 25 tracks in one go is an embarrassment of Richards. And this was before he even got to his second act in 1994. https://www.discogs.com/release/3838124-Nick-Lowe-Basher-The-Best-Of-Nick-Lowe

I think it's important to listen to new music -coughs-. Apple Music served this up to me, and really, it's rather good. Why a solo album and not another Quo album? That's quite a nice album cover too, and it looks a bit like the new album from Bruno Mars.

Barry White was a guest this week on the Comedy Bang Bang podcast. Now, I know what you're thinking, but I'm pretty sure it was him. He now spends his time doing ad-reads over the unimpeachable drum intro to I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby. I am NOT making this up - check it out for yourself: https://overcast.fm/+AA0_4gXRdzw/29:22