happy birthday: barry adamson
Guest bloggers? 17 Dots has hit the big-time, surely. Or we’re lazy. Either way, here’s eMusic UK freelancer Neil Mason celebrating the birthday of one of the UK’s most underrated bass players.
Most sensible people will recall that Manchester’s Mr. Adamson was a) bass player with Magazine, and b) bass player in The Bad Seeds. You know, Nick Cave’s lot. Others will know him for his delightful solo recordings, the first of which, 1989′s magnificent Moss Side Story you really should dig out and get it on the stereo to celebrate the great man’s 50th birthday today.
The great thing about musicians of Adamson’s obvious quality is that, even after almost 20 years, they don’t swerve too far from their original blueprint. If it ain’t broke and all that. And when what you do is delicious, widescreen and cinematic, there is very little to go wrong.
Case in point would be his latest outing, Back to the Cat, the second long-player for his own Central Control International label and his eighth solo full-length. It’s bathed in brass and clattering drums and is cocked at just the right jaunty angle. Best listened to headphones on, wandering around a big city of your choice, at dusk—it kind of makes you feel all Frank Sinatra.
Anyway, happy birthday old chap. I hope you are spending your day wisely.
hm, i’ll be checking it out, of course, as i consider myself quite the fan of barry up to and including oedipus schmoedipus. his last two albums were mighty awful, though – messy, pointless, and long-winded. messy is ok, as long as it’s going somewhere or is interestingly messy. these just seemed half-assed.
Todd,
Thanks for the rec! I’d never heard of Barry before your post, but your description (and my stash of Circuit City cards) convinced me to download. I’m listening to it right now and it’s great. Motown-ish, Nick Cave-ish, just really good-ish.