Best of Year 2019
It is finally here! If there's a better reissue this year, I want to hear it. Originally released in 1978, "Blue" Gene Tyranny's Out of The Blue is a personal favourite of mine, and one I've habitually returned to again and again after first discovering it a few years ago. Opener, "Next Time Might Be Your Time" is the bonafide all time classic that's contributed most obviously to Out of the Blue's hallowed status - consider it BGT's "Aaj Shanibar" if you like. A kind of cosmic country jazz-inflected romantic epic, led by a Patrice Manget vocal so compelling the track would be afforded GOAT status if it were to end at the four minute mark. What comes after that and extends past the eight minute mark is a remarkable thing - the tempo shift is one of those moments in music that demands repeated reloads. Total genius. As stand out as that song is, it doesn't tell the full story of the album. The closer, ‘A Letter From Home’, is sent from a different dimension and, in its own unique way, is a near-perfect new age spiritual. A 25-min+ symphonic odyssey featuring a turn from Peter Gordon and Kathy Morton's wonderful narration of a sprawling letter to Gene himself that extends from informal greetings into a magical philosophical meditation that I actually find incredibly emotional. "Are they really out there, Blue?" Yes, all the way and back again. If you buy nothing else this year, buy this. Highest possible recommendation from WOE.
