This week’s album-length playlist with music from artists including Tom Petty, Roy Harper, James and more
The Gems album-length playlist of new and classic tracks, compiled by Ian Sharp of LP.
Welcome to Gems, my weekly playlist of classic tracks and new releases. In keeping with the ethos of LP, each playlist is 40–45 minutes long, sequenced as ‘Side 1’ and ‘Side 2’. Editing is a discipline.
Side 1: Traveling Wilburys, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate, Roy Harper, Linda Thompson.
Side 2: James, The Tangent, Judee Sill, Kavus Torabi.
Side 1 begins by picking up from my recent Long Gaze at the Traveling Wilburys and the Wilbury Twist. Then it’s Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers with a preview of my next Glimpse (for all subscribers), out early next week. The Hats Off Gentlemen single, reviewed a couple of weeks ago, is now streaming.
In the UK, the cricket season has just started, and it seems to have stopped raining, so it’s the perfect time to be reminded of Roy Harper’s beautiful elegy.
Linda Thompson has a new album, Proxy Music (complete with her take on the iconic Roxy Music album cover) on the way and the first track to be released is very encouraging. Given the struggle with her voice, the songs feature guest vocalists - in this case, her daughter Kami.
Side 2 begins with two songs about the state of the world from James and The Tangent (the whole of this album was written and played by Andy Tillison, but it’s still considered a band release). We hear very briefly from the excellent Judee Sill in light of the new biopic (see more below) and an amazing track by Kavus Torabi.
If you create music, I’d love to consider one of your tracks for inclusion here. Your links are welcome.
What are you listening to? Which of the tracks on Gems #029 caught your ear? Are there any bands/artists you’d like to hear from in future Gems?
Video Gem of the Week
The trailer for the new Judee Sill biopic, Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill
Live Gems of the Week
With their well-received album This Could Be Texas out this week, here’s English Teacher performing The World’s Biggest Paving Slab on Jools Holland’s BBC show Later.
Roy Harper playing When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease live? Oh yes.
What’s next? A Glimpse of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Into the Great Wide Open, early next week.
Enjoy the music,
Ian
I don't know much about Judee Sill except her lovely song "Lady-O", which I heard The Turtles do. But the biopic seems fascinating.
I hadn’t realized your next Glimpse is on Into the Great Wide Open. Looking forward to that.
I’m aware of Judee Sill’s short and seemingly tragic life and look forward to learning more about her in the documentary. I’ve listened to some of her music and she certainly seems to have been overlooked/under appreciated in her lifetime.
‘Song for Judee’ from the absolutely stunning Case/Lang/Veirs album (one of my desert island discs) is definitely worth a listen (as is the whole album) if you haven’t heard it: https://open.spotify.com/track/0MJ83AyuzSPkrLYdZHyi7W?si=bswGskrtTbuw2nPiWXXe9w