Hi Folks,
Here is the list with 8 years of 'best of the year music at Caffenation'.
It is a personal list of best new CD's (or down loads) by me. Of course you understand that it's mostly music from long ago, but only discovered, reissued or remastered between 2008 and 2015.
Hope this inspires people at home or in their (espresso) bar.
2008 :
1) Jacques Dutronc, Jacques Dutronc (at Disques Vogues, 1966)
2) Ethiopiques Hypnotic Grooves, The very best off
3) The Horace Silver Quintet, Doin' the Thing, Live At the Village Gate
4) Sammy Davis Jr/Buddy Rich, The sounds of '66 (again that year!)
5) Bohannon, Greatest Hits
6) Trijntje Oosterhuis, Strange Fruit (and the only 'new' recording)
7) Freddie Hubbard, Hub Cap
8) Donny Hatheway, Come Back Charleston Blues Soundtrack
9) Jimmy Smith, The Sermon
10) Bo Diddley, The Essential
11) French Cd's from Brigit Bardot, Francoise Hardy, France Gall, Serge Gainsbourg, Femmes de Paris et d'autres.....(this was a very French year).
2009 :
1) Mulatu Astatke/The Heliocentrics : Inspiration Information (2009 on Strut)
Ethio Jazz Hybrid, Hypnotic beats, wicked breaks and a touch of Addis Ghetto funk. Buy this!
2) Alan Hawkshaw : Mo'Hawk; The Essential Vibes & Grooves 1967-1975 (RPM Records).
Nobody seems to know much about this English Library music maker. He was half performer, half composer and never had his own band.
The CD is a must have, and a mixture of TV themes and free work, and as the title explains : it's old and packed with Vibes & Grooves.
3) Good Fellas Soundtrack (Atlantic Records)
The most popular new music trend in 09 at Caffenation was our devotion for crooners and 50's music. On this CD you find a lot of this kind of music.
4) Nigeria 70 : Lagos Jump (2008 on Strut)
Different from Ethiopiques but almost as good. Very authentic and groovy.
5) The Meters : The Meters Remastered (1969 Rhino Records)
Very fat bas lines, disturbed scats and unstoppable rhythms, very well remastered.
6) Horace Silver : Serenade to a Soulsister (1968 Blue Note)
7) Lee Perry The Upsetter : Essential Madness from the Scratch files (Metro)
8) Ramsey Lewis Trio : In Chicago + Stretching out (1960 Jazz Beat)
9) Lee Morgan : The Finest In Jazz Compilation (Blue Note)
10) Air : Love 2 (2009 Virgin)
2010 :
1) Fela Kuti : Box Set 1 on Wrasse Records. Favourite track : Alagbon Close. Listen.
2) Big Boss Man : Humanize (from 2001 - but it does sound like the 60's! - on Blow Up records). Here they are live.
3) Bollywood Funk Experience from Jonny Trunk and Joel Martin (on Nascente Records). Listen to this wicked shit. The CD is packed with crazy tunes and so are all Experience Compilation CD's by Nascente. Buy em all if you have an espresso bar. If not : Buy em all as well.
4) Curtis Mayfield : Theres no place like America today (1975 on Curtom Records).
5) Charlotte Gainsbourg : Irm (on Because Music). Best release in 2010 if you ask me.
2011 :
1) I remember myself, long ago, collecting rare Jazz. And one of the wickiest labels was 'Cadet Mainstream'. This year I was really impressed by a best of Mainstream CD, called THE MESSAGE.
Wicked Jazz Funky fat bass groovy horns kinky keys. I totally dig this one.
Listen why by clicking this link.
2) TRUE BLOOD Compilation. Never saw a minute of the TV show-series, but the Grammy Nominated CD's are really rockin. Volume 1 as hard as Volume 2. And the 3rd one is coming. A must have for every espresso bar!!!
Check out the first compilation.
3) BATTLES : GLOSS DROP (on Warp Records Japan).
New Wicked shit and good to theme with a double ristretto.
See their funky Clip.
Want more? Click this.
4) Soul & Funk : Bill Withers, Still Bill (from 72 on Sbme Special Mkts)
5) French : Wizz, Volume 2 (on Born Bad Records
2012 :
1) JACK WHITE : BLUNDERBUSS, on Third man/Colombia
This genius sounds like a Jimmy Page/Robert Plant kind of hybrid and back at full force with this epic album.
It's funky, soulfull, bluesy, romantic and agressive at the same time. It's melodic and funny, very acoustic, feminin and with touches of country and garage rock. Yes, a magic disc indeed.
Click here for one of my favourite parts. (crazy shit!)
2) HERBIE HANCOCK: BLOW UP (SOUNDTRACK) on MGM Records 1966.
I remember buying this vinyl almost 20 years ago (in Hasselt) and rediscovering it now on CD.
The movie is a classic, but the music is even better.
What a band Herbie collected; My favourite trumpetist Freddie Hubbard was there that day, but also Jimmy White, Jim Hall, Jack deJohnette, Phil Woods and Ron Carter.
And then I didn't even mention Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page with their Yardbirds rocking and rolling for 2 minutes and 49 seconds!
Enjoy this epic 60's moment in this 3 minute clip.
3) PLASTIC BERTRAND : AN 1 on amc records in 1978.
I didn't even know he ever did more than dancing in this absurd 'Ca Plane Pour Moi' video. And the full album those days just stopped climbing in the charts at number 42, but I love it.
It's funny punk rock from Belgium from a decade long ago. It reminds me of Jacques Dutronc, but even less serious.
You wanne have fun in your bar? Turn it on and play it loud!
4) Johny Cash & June Carter : The collection.
5) Gary Numan : The Pleasure Principle
6) Sly And Robbie : Taxi
7) Stanleys Clarke : School Days
8) Archie Shepp: For Losers/Kwanza
9) Airto : Fingers
10) The Legendary Shack Shakers : Swampblood.
2013 :
1) Sixto Rodriguez : Searching for Sugar Man (Soundtrack '71).
I took a while to hit me. The first time i thought it was 'so-so'. Then i saw the positive reviews on amazon, tried it again and liked some of the songs. I decided to order the CD. Now it's my number 1.
Rodriguez sounds like Bob Dylan meets Henri Manchini meets Neil Diamond meets Johnny Cash. The lyrics are incredible, his voice as sweet as honey, the music poetic, exotic, minimal, vulnarable and very addictive.
Check this link for a teaser or the famous rockamantory bout him and more info.
2) Bob Marley : Soul Revolution part 2. ('72)
When i thought I heard everything from Bob Marley it seemed like i missed this CD. And now it became my favourite Marley record.
Lee Perry gave it a pure and timeless production when Bob sounded still fresh and vibrant. His voice is pure and melodic. The songs feel all very natural and never bores you. Totally essential brilliantly remastered stuff.
Listen for yourself.
3) Muchacho : Phosphorescent ('13)
The only new CD in the list.
Intelligent recording. Good songs. Sometimes he sounds like Springsteen, sometimes Sly Fox, sometimes Ry Cooder. He keeps on surprising time after time.
Maybe not the ideal music for everyday in your bar, but sure thing this CD is gonna last.
The 'Song for Zula' clip here. (sorry for the stupid clip, but what a song!)
4) JJ Cale : The very Best of JJ Cale
5) Dub Collosus : Road To Addis
2014 :
1) The War on Drugs : Lost in the dream. This CD won dozens of prices this year, and with reason. It reminds us at the young Springsteen and a bit of Pink Floyd and goes on where Muchacho left us with Phosphorecense in 2013.
Addictive rhythms, mysterious voices, brilliant composing, good lyrics. Lost in the Dream had it all.
Here a link to the album
2) Disco not Disco : Post Punk, Electro & Leftfield Disco Classics 1974-1986 on Strut.
Strut albums cover these charts every year. This year with Disco not Disco compilation that should be on every espresso bars' playlist!
"Can i lick the crunch of your biscuit?"
Hypnotic and funny, and vibes that bring me back to my youth when i liked this kind of 'white boy punk/funk/disco'.
Listen yourself.
3) Black Sabbath : Sanctuary : Greatest Hits :
I know this band my whole life but never went any further then their Paranoid chapter. This CD is totally different from the other metal bands from the past.
Or as i read it in their biography :
The group took the blues-rock sound of late '60s acts like Cream, Blue Cheer, and Vanilla Fudge to its logical conclusion, slowing the tempo, accentuating the bass, and emphasizing screaming guitar solos and howled vocals full of lyrics expressing mental anguish and macabre fantasies. If their predecessors clearly came out of an electrified blues tradition.
4) Kavinsky : Drive original Movie Soundtrack. Dark & Wicked.
5) Bombino : Nomad. Desert guitar punk boom.
6) Funky Chicken : Belgian Grooves from the 70's
Two Belgian CD's in 1 list!!! As funky as it goes. Brilliant.
7) Intergalactic Lovers : Little Heavy Burdens. What a voice.
8) Coeur de Pirat : Coeur de Pirat. Subtle French stuff for the morning cups.
9) The Pioneers : Long Shot. Bring on the good mood.
10) Jack White : Lazaretto. Head Banging Psycho shit for the dark evenings.
2015 :
CAFFENATION AMSTERDAM :
1. Coxsone’s music: the first recordings of sir Coxcone the downbeat 1960-63 2015 Souljazzrecords LISTEN HERE
2. Condor Gruppe (BE Antwerp!!) Latituds del cavall 2014
ON YOU TUBE
3. Black devil disco club (reissue uit 1978) 2015
MORE INFO IN THIS LINK
4. Patrick Cowley Muscle up 2015
5. Ata Kak Obaa Sima 2015 Awesome tapes from Africa
CAFFENATION ANTWERP :
1. The Mattson 2 : Feeling Hands
CLIP ON YOU TUBE
2. Rod Stewart : Every picture Tells a story
TO HAVE AN IMPRESSION : CLICK HERE
3. John Mayal with Eric Clapton : Bluesbreakers
4. The Tallest Man On Earth : Dark Bird is home
5. La Priest : Inji (with Oino)
SONG OF THE YEAR CLIP
This year 2016, this last CD is the most popular one at Caffenation, so last on the list, first through the speakers. THIS INJI CD IS A MUST-BUY!!!!!