10.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Orange
This album pretty much inspired a whole movie of mine.
It means a lot to me – very special, very influential. I was hearing it as it came out. I’d just moved to London. I think I’d seen them on The Word doing ‘Afro’, which is an amazing TV appearance
If this album just had ‘Bellbottoms’ on it would still be a corker. ‘Bellbottoms’ is pretty much the greatest opening track of any rock album ever – an insistent and stirring widescreen opening. There’s a string quartet playing on it and it sounds immense.
I really think the first 60 seconds of ‘Bellbottoms’ made me want to direct a car chase movie because it just made me feel so amped up. And on top of that, what’s so great about the album is that there are so many other killer tracks. I love a lot of the Blues Explosion albums but this one is their greatest collection of songs. You’ve got ‘Sweat’, which is just an incredible song, so is ‘Brenda’, so is ‘Blues X Man’. ‘Full Grown’ has an incredible opening and they cap it off with ‘Flavor’ which is one of their most memorable tracks. The calling out of the cities is both epic and hilarious; I like that Public Enemy shout out. There is a great crossover vibe with ‘Flavor’. The influence of hip hop and dub. That ending is hilarious when Beck is literally phoning it.
Orange is stripped down but has such great song writing and interesting instrumentation and these moments when it fully explodes, like Jon’s vocals on ‘Full Grown’, the chorus of ‘Blues X Man’; it’s just a fucking sexy record.
If you were to make a compilation of the best of the Blues Explosion – and believe me, I’ve thought of that – you’ve got to take at least six from Orange. It’s great. It’s an amazing album
And this is not a band that has lost it at all. Their last two albums (Meat & Bone and Freedom Tower – No Wave Dance Party 2015) are excellent as well. ‘Black Mold’ is fantastic and ‘Wax Dummy’ is a great track too.
I’m very happy to have become friends with Jon over the years. He did a song in Hot Fuzz. Not only does ‘Bellbottoms’ open Baby Driver, but Jon is in the movie. Wait till you see ‘Bellbottoms’ in the movie. It’s nuts.
