Classic Albums: Moon Pix by Cat Power

31st of March today and for my Friday’s post, I’ve just got to do this album by Cat Power or her real birth name Chan Marshall. It’s just come down to what really, really, really should be included in my very own Classic Albums pile of records, it’s been an arm wrestle in between a few acts so a lot missed out because I ended up picking Moon Pix album but it’s not going to be the last of female artists here just because Women’s History Month is almost over. Now the last three of four albums have been from the 90’s but I guess it’s like the early, the mid and now today the late. I should do something else next month so I’ll go back to 60’s, 70’s, 80’s for April and focus on just bands to start with too because I do have a lot of solo artists in CA list so far.

Anyway one of the main reasons she won out in the end is because the songwriter of this epic masterpiece sat down one night and pretty much complete wrote this whole album in one sitting, I don’t think I can name another artist who’s done that of the top of my head. Maybe recording their album in a day and night or something but actually the songwriting process takes a little longer. Apparently if I remember right she was living in big old country house in the southern states of America somewhere and it was the end of relationship with the singer-songwriter Bill Callahan aka Smog because basically he was forever gone on tour. Now it might have been a very long night with, just guessing no sleep but oh my god words fail me again how great this album is. She even now in hindsight has called it her best too.

Yet another reason I chose Moon Pix was she traveled to Australia to record it too, she borrow money for her record label for the very time ever to come down under. So she an American born artist and at this stage this record was only her fourth album, her last one just called Sun in 2012 is I think her most popular, when top ten in the U.S. and was her ninth album. Part recorded in Sing Sing studio, Melbourne and You May Know Him and Peking Saint at Scuzz studio which is code for Dirty Three‘s Mick Turner home studio. Both Dirty Three’s Mick and Jim White play on the album plus the late great double bass player Andrew Entsch and flute by Belinda Woods too. Moonshiner is yet another traditional song but basically it’s Bob Dylan’s arrangement and on her later album called Jukebox she re-recorded Metal Heart. 

One more thing before finishing up is, when she was on that Aussie TV Rage Chan told a funny story about the above video. It was her first one and she didn’t know what to do so they decide to just copy an old Madonna video clip from the 80’s, I forget which one right now but it’s even got a white background was that Lucky Star? Anyway after it was out for a little while the artist Beck called her up out of the blue, raving about how great the video was and asking who the director was? etc. and she just told him and then got him of the phone but never heard from him again ever but soon after then Beck’s thrown back to the 80’s albums came out with very Prince looking video clip/s, what was it called again?

Oh she and her band are the opening act for Nick Cave in L.A. for his upcoming U.S. tour.

So who else love a bit of Cat Power? Is it this one or another? What’s your fave one by her?

Moon Pix track listing and times:

1. American Flag – 3:30
2. He Turns Down – 5:39
3. No Sense – 4:50
4. Say – 3:24
5. Metal Heart – 4:02
6. Back Of Your Head – 3:43
7. Moonshiner – 4:50
8. You May Know Him – 2:46
9. Colors And The Kids – 6:35
10. Cross Bones Style – 4:32
11. Peking Saint – 2:24

All my Classic Albums posts are in that link or they’re all linked below too!

• Tales From The Australian Underground – Volume 1 & 2 by Various Artists
• Station To Station by David Bowie
• Unplugged In New York by Nirvana
• Rust In Peace by Megadeth
• Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs by Marty Robbins
• Henry’s Dream by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
• Whatever You Love, You Are by Dirty Three
• Gala Mill by The Drones
• Black Monk Time by The Monks
• Ex Tropical by Lost Animal
• Work (Work, Work) by HTRK
• In The Wee Small Hours by Frank Sinatra
• The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn by Pink Floyd
• Songs Of Love And Hate by Leonard Cohen
• Warm Leatherette by Grace Jones
• The White House by The Dead C
• Silence Is Sexy by Einstürzende Neubauten
• Lulu by Lou Reed & Metallica
• Kaira by Toumani Diabaté
• Kings Of The Wild Frontier by Adam And The Ants
• Drowning In The Fountain Of Youth by Dan Kelly And The Alpha Males
• Aerial by Kate Bush
• The Future by Leonard Cohen
• Rock For Light by Bad Brains
• Last Splash by The Breeders
• Sex by The Necks
• Emergency Ward by Nina Simone
• Paradise by My Disco
• Batman by Prince
• Sings Christmas Carols by Mark Kozelek
• What Are Rock Stars Doing Today by Magic Dirt
• Love Of Life by Swans
• Big Name, No Blankets by Warumpi Band
• Blue Valentine by Tom Waits
• In The Pines by The Triffids
• Where Joy Kills Sorrow by Various Artists
• TV Sky by The Young Gods
• King For A Day, Fool For A Lifetime by Faith No More
• Jean Lee And The Yellow Dog by Ed Kuepper
• Law Of Nature by Laughing Clowns
• (I’m) Stranded by The Saints
• Super Ape by Lee “Scratch” Perry & The Upsetters
• The Soft ‘N’ Sexy Sound by Dave Graney ‘N’ The Coral Snakes
• Mutiny/The Bad Seed by The Birthday Party
• Bahdeni Nami by Omar Souleyman
• Ascension by John Coltrane
• The Definitive by Blind Willie McTell
• Rid Of Me by PJ Harvey
• Horses by Patti Smith
• Vespertine by Björk
• Hex Enduction Hour by The Fall
• Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood by DMX
• I’m New Here by Gil Scott-Heron
• Charcoal Lane by Archie Roach
• In My Own Time by Karen Dalton
• Stay Sick! by The Cramps
• Primary Colours by Eddy Current Suppression Ring
• Veedon Fleece by Van Morrison
• Trainspotting by Various Artists
• After School Session by Chuck Berry
• Body Language by Kylie Minogue
• Bricks Are Heavy by L7
• Trailer Park by Beth Orton
• Arular by M.I.A.

So the idea here is simply for me to write a post about each of my favourite albums that I consider total stone cold classics!

Please do leave a reply below and tell me what you think about this album and/or artist or whatever you’d like to say about it?