Feelgood Hits For The Summer

1. Dr. Dre – The Chronic (1992)

His second album, 2001, may have the chart dominating singles that come to mind when one’s mind drifts to Dr. Dre but you really don’t have to look any further than his debut for real flashes of genius.

This LP may be as pissed off, homophobic and misogynistic as the majority of gangsta albums but Dre’s pioneering ‘G-Funk' sound still provides a surprisingly great summer listen.

Counteracting all the bile is Parliament styled beats, soaring synth lines, and great old school backing vocals that deliver boatloads of soul. With The Chronic the good Doctor arguably shaped the sound of '90s rap and R&B without selling out his N.W.A street cred, as well as making Snoop Dog a star before his own album had even hit shelves.

2. Queens Of The Stone Age – Rated R (2000)

Josh Homme’s intake of sweet mary jane is a surprise to no one - every Queen’s album has its share of stoned out grooves and surreal lyrics – it’s just Rated R does it better than any of the others.

The occasional whiskey-soaked lead vocal by The Screaming Tree’s Mark Lanegan really bring the good times, while Homme and bassist Oliveri stop at nothing to insure heads are banging and feet and gently tapping in equal measure.

Arresting opener ‘Feel Good Hit of The Summer’, with its name check of illicit substances and rock 'n roll piano, set the mood for forty-two minutes of very pleasurable listening, taking the lucky victim into the bands own red eyed, scorched desert world.



3. Shpongle - Nothing Lasts…But Nothing is Lost (2005)

One sixty-seven minute continuous Psybient head fuck. Why waste journalistic time when you can just look at the album cover to get the general idea? Crammed full of spoken word samples and a fusion of world, trance and electronica scenes, Nothing Lasts… is for those who will leave Pendulum and their peers to the masses. More enjoyable on a hot night while preoccupied with the extra meaning you just garnered from your lava lamp. Dance on.



4. The Beach Boys – All Summer Long (1964)

This was the sun-tanned sons' second release of '64, and the first to really showcase writer Brian Wilson’s growing talent as a songsmith.

With the British Invasion giving the local bands a good scare, America's favourite surfers retaliated with twelve tracks of pure sunshine, racking in at under thirty minutes - it’s like injecting Sunny D straight into the blood stream.

The bands trademark harmonies now sound positively delirious and amphetamined to cynical contemporary ears. More impressive is the fact that Wilson produced such a smooth Surf Rock sound at the tender age of twenty-one, hinting towards his later promise on seminal release Pet Sounds.

Kicking off with 'I Get Around', one of greatest tunes recorded in popular music, the pace doesn’t let slip, with each number never reaching the three-minute mark. It may be lacking the attitude of The Beatles but All Summer Long makes up for it by giving the audience a taste of America never beaten. Naturally, this should be enjoyed on the beach as you work up the stones to walk over and ask Susy-Lee to the prom.



5. The Doors – The Doors (1967)

To some Jim Morrison was a drunken buffoon, to others a first class rock star and poet. Whatever the case may be, the fateful day when two L.A film students got together and decided to start a band they were soon on the way to creating one of the greatest LP’s to grab when the weathers playing nice.

A heady mix of late sixties psychedelic and good old fashion rock and blues energy, tracks such as 'Break on Through' and 'End of the Night' made The Doors’ debut an instant classic.

Avoiding the usual frontman/guitarist-led direction it is actually Ray Manzarek’s organ that proves to be the album's secret weapon. Hypnotically weaving amongst the sparse arrangements, Ray’s Vox Continental Organ grabs the listener and gently leads them into Morrison’s sexual pseudo-spiritual fantasies.

It’s not all hippie contemplation though. Willie Dixon cover 'Back Door Man' is a dirty slice of Chicago Blues updated for the new generation, while 'The End' was later given a new weight by its inclusion on Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece Apocalypse Now.

False prophets or not, The Doors first slice weird ass rock is a great accompaniment to any day off and to any endless road trip.



FURTHER LISTENING...

Ummagumma - Pink Floyd
The Head on The Door – The Cure
Horses- Patti Smith
Da Capo – Love
(and anything by a man named Hendrix)