Festive cock fifty 2011

[Jim]

Happy end of November all


What an incredible year it has been both Harper-wise with gigs and releases etc I've met so many Stormcockers this year it has been great. It's always so strange to put faces to people.

Now it is time for you to start thinking about submitting your top albums of the year for THE FESTIVE COCK FIFTY 2011

I know I always say this BUT it has been an incredible year for new music (and re-releases) New releases from old Festive Cock favourites like Laura Marling, The Decemberists The Unthanks & Noah & The Whale + a re-working by Nick and a superb compilation by Roy + lots of completely new stuff (the nu-folk thing just goes on and on - listen to any of the Communion records artists - what a movement - I noticed the brilliant Michael Kiwanuk on Jules Holland last night - saw him at Green Man really outstanding) and repackaged rereleases as always from Pink Floyd etc + new Kate Bush etc

A lot of what I have listened to over the last few years has been due to this chart - let's face it - if 10+ stormcockers all vote for the same album - the chances are it's worth a listen.



These are the rules:



Any album released in any format in 2011 can be included.

This DOES include reissues.

You send me your top 20 or top 10 or top 7 or top 3 or whatever of the year. You don’t have to have bought it – it might be a Spotify job - but you should have at least listened to it a few times – or why would you vote for it?

I write them down in my large cock book (!)

I add em up & work out the top 50ish. Published on the mailing list on 31st December.Usually an album will need 2 or 3 votes to get into the bottom of the charts.


We all get to chat about what people are voting for & some of us even go out & buy some of them that we
haven't got - I promise you our communal taste is damn good.


SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE 28th DECEMBER 2011 (allowing for
Xmas present last minute votes)



we all live happily ever after & the world is a better place etc

please email me your votes on jfel2@yahoo.co.uk

Looking forward to it

Thanks

James




PS will publish last year's chart later - in case you can't remember how great it was....

[Jim]

Yes I did make a couple of mistakes - one album got a couple of votes and should have been in there but I got confused because one person had written the artist then the title and the other person had written the title then the artist. I thought they were 2 different albums.... Ho hum I'm sorry I'm not very bright. Will try harder this year.....

FESTIVE COCK Forty-three 2010

36= Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz
Field Music - Measure
The Coral - 'Butterfly House'
Paul Mc Cartney - Band On The Run 3cd
David Bowie - Station to Station special edition
The Fall - Your Future Our Clutter
The Orb ? Metallic Spheres
Live at Leeds (reissue) - The Who
Edwyn Collins - Losing Sleep
28= The Black Keys - Brothers
Trembling Bells - 'Abandoned Love'
The Owl Service - The View From A Hill
Beach House - Teen Dream
Alisdair Roberts - 'Too Long in this Condition'
Bruce Springsteen - The Promise
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers ? Mojo
Band Of Horses - 'Infinite Arms'
22= Midlake - 'The Courage Of Others'
Robert Wyatt, Gilad Atzmon, Ros Stephen - The Ghosts Within
Ffion Regan - The Shadow of an empire
Stornoway - Beachcomber's Windowsill
Gil Scott-Heron I'm New Here
Bellowhead - Hedonism
15= Kate Rusby Make The Light
Peter Gabriel - Scratch My Back
Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
Belle and Sebastian - Write about Love
Johnny Cash - American VI - Ain't No Grave
MAry Jane - Eve
Hawkwind - Blood of the Earth
14 Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series Volume 9: The Witmark Demos
13 Exit Calm Exit Calm
12 Villagers - Becoming A Jackal
10= Grinderman -Grinderman 2
Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
7= Wolf People Steeple
John Grant - Queen Of Denmark
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
6 Richard Thompson - Dream Attic
5 Neil Young - Le Noise
4 The National - High Violet
3 Robert Plant - Band of Joy
2 Nick Harper - The Last Guitar
1 Laura Marling - I speak Because I Can

The only weird thing I notice now is how low down Bellowhead are - I would have thought they would be top 5 at least.... Anyhow looking forward to hearing what you've been listening to this year

[Jim]

Come on, I know everyone is strapped for cash but less than half of the usual voters have voted so far! And.....oh it doesn't cost anything anyhow

From the votes so far we have a fascinating situation: 7 or 8 front runners and unusually a pop record in the lead... Not all the usual folk/rock stuff. That's what makes it interesting.

Get your cheque books out, oops I mean get your laptops out and send me a list of your favourite albums of the year. It's not difficult...

Enjoy the festive season

James

votes to jfel2@yahoo.co.uk

[Jim]

I don't want to name names but...

nothing from our leader, El Rose, Big Chris or Winstanley yet. No pressure.... but .....

[HarperPR]

End of year apathy? Hard to remember albums from start of year? Too many Christmas parties and too much alcohol to remember lists?

I have done so many for different sites, am bored with thinking about them now! But this was mine for my blog http://t.co/qztzVPC8

A #21 would have been A A Bondy's Believers. Think Leonard Cohen crossed with The Doors, in a midwestern town, on a David Lynch film set...yeah, it's like THAT!

[Jim]

About 130 different albums voted for so far, of which 10 could get that covetted (?) top spot.



Lots of people haven't voted yet. Come on!



James

[Jim]

Apologies thought I'd already posted this here...


Well the dust has settled & serious thanks for all the lovely emails and comments.* Only one mistake noticed so far: there's not such an artist as Scarlett Tulip with an album called 'KT Tunstall' Great name for a band tho don't you think? I think that it is is a really interesting chart this year - the bottom reaches are always interesting as it shows a couple or three cockers like an album so well worth a listen - you will rarely be disappointed. Personally anything by the band Low I would recommend - a bit of an acquired taste but worth acquiring. They had another album this year as well that didn't get any votes but is also excellent. I'm investigating and spotifying quite a few of the other*artists that I haven't heard of and it is really interesting. Higher up in the chart some of it seems quite predictable but why*should loads and loads of people vote for fleet foxes, bon iver, laura marling etc if they aren't any good? The Decemberists hardly get a mention on the list all year*yet they won the whole thing a couple of years ago & got massive votes once more this year. I saw them at Hammersmith this year - my gig of 2011 -*If you haven't heard them yet I seriously recommend them - ignore the REM comparisons - they have a few small similarities but they are much more influenced by fairport and English early 70s folk rock mixed with a bit of country and slide guitar and songs that tell a story - what more could you want?* If you want an introduction to them I would suggest: Rise To Me, Jan & June Hymn & any of the faster ones*from this year's album, the whole of Hazards of Love (obviously) and the following earlier tracks: We Both Go Down Together (great song about suicide - jumping off the cliffs of Dover hand in hand), The Crane Wife (first song on the album), My Mother Was A Chinese Trapeze Artist, California One / Youth & Beauty Brigade. That should get you started - if you don't like them then give up, you can't say I haven't tried! I was really pleased that Adele got so many votes - proof once again that just because it's popular doesn't mean it's not good! At one stage she was even leading the chart. We were years ahead with Laura Marling - everyone seems to like her now & she wins all the awards - I'm not so taken with this album yet - but I haven't realy given it a proper listen yet.* As for Kate - well at first I was a bit annoyed she got so many votes (& so many late votes - Xmas presents?) - I thought it was a bit predictable Stormcockers voting for Kate Bush - but I trust your judgement & it's on spotify & I can't stop playing it - what a superb album - mad, quirky, single-minded and beautiful - a deserved winner. And a winner by miles - you can't argue against the public vote. Anyhow I know we should all have voted for Roy but of course many of us did not buy the album as we have every track already, so I'm presuming that*only people who actually got 'Songs of Love & Loss' voted for it - which is fair I think. Sorry for the ramble, I shall start drinking now - hope to catch some of you again in 2012. My favourite album of the year? King Creosote Diamond Mind - breathtaking. Make a cd of it & add Since We've Fallen Out by the Burns Unit at the end & you have the perfect album... Love to all Happy New Year! James

The Chart in Full (for those who like it that way)











*
33= Trembling Bells - The Constant Pageant*
White Hills - H-P1
Van Der Graaf Generator - A Grounding In Numbers.
Feist – Metals
Lisa Hannigan - Passenger
Billy Bragg - Fight Songs
Rory Gallagher – Notes From San Francisco
Various Artists - Johnny Boy would love this*
June Tabor & Oysterband - Ragged Kingdom
Nick Harper – Instrumental 2011 version
Ed Sheeran +
Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink (2011 remaster)
Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of The Moon Immersion Edition
Seasick Steve - You Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks
Frank Turner - England Keep My Bones
Beach Boys: Smile Sessions
Amy Winehouse – Lioness
Arctic Monkeys – Suck It And See
Kate Bush – Director's Cut
Scarlet Tulip - KT Tunstall

25= Low – C'Mon;
John Martyn -Heaven and Earth
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
Bjork - Biophilia
Wild Beasts – Smother
King Crimson - Starless & Bible Black
Bill Callahan – 'Apocalypse'
Wilco – 'The Whole Love'

19= Noah And The Whale – Last Night On Earth
Iron & Wine – 'Kiss Eachother Clean'
Josh T. Pearson – Last Of The Country Gentlemen
James Blake – James Blake
Radiohead – The King Of Limbs
Gruff Rhys – Hotel Shampoo

16= Peter Gabriel - New Blood
The Low Anthem – Smart Flesh
Jonathon Wilson – Gentle Spirit

12= The Waterboys-An Appointment with Mr Yeats
The Unthanks – 'Last'
Tom Waits – Bad As Me
Florence & The Machine – Ceremonials

11 The Unthanks - 'Diversions vol 1 The Songs Of Robert Wyatt and
Anthony and the Johnsons'

*
9= King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – Diamond Mine
Gillian Welch - The Harrow & The Harvest
*
8 PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

5= Bon Iver - Bon Iver
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Roy Harper - Songs of Love and Loss

4 Adele – 21

2= The Decemberists - The King is Dead
Laura Marling – A Creature I Don’t Know

1 Kate Bush -50 Words For Snow

[scotpaulabear]

Did I put that Tunstall info the wrong way round? Bad me, sorry!

Thanks for doing this again James, I really enjoyed reading it...