John Prine - John Prine

John Prine

John Prine

Atlantic SD 8296

1971

As Covid-19 rages unchecked through the country, I feel fortunate that no one close to me has come down with it or succumbed to it.  For me the Covid gut check came back in April when I heard that John Prine died from it.  It really brought home to me the danger of the virus.  I've admired Prine for many years although I have to admit that when I first heard him back in the 1970s as a teenager I was turned off by his homespun voice.  Eventually as I developed a taste for country and folk music, I came to appreciate his grit and authenticity.  This is my favorite of his albums.  It was his debut album and it is stunningly impressive, one of the great debut albums of that era.  It is loaded with classic songs that reveal Prine's sensitivity and insight into the lives of ordinary people.  Americana doesn't get any better than this.  The album opens with the catchy "Illegal Smile" which I always thought was a drug song although Prine claimed it was more about mental escapism.  I think it works either way.  I assume the reference to being in court with a judge named Hoffman is a reference to the biased judge who presided over the trial of the Chicago 7.  "Spanish Pipedream" is another escapist song with humorous lyrics set to a perky country melody.  "Hello In There" is one of Prine's best songs.  It is a poignant description of an old man's loneliness supported by a very lovely tune.  I think "Sam Stone" is Prine's greatest song.  It is an incredibly bleak and tragic tale of the downward spiral of a drug-addicted veteran.  It is so depressing I would find it unbearable were it not for the brilliance of Prine's unforgettable words.  Even though Prine delivers it in a matter-of-fact laconic style the song is absolutely riveting.  "Paradise" sounds like an old country classic particularly with Prine's brother Dave driving it with his fiddle.  You can easily imagine the Carter Family covering it and I am partial to the covers of it by Jackie DeShannon and the Everly Brothers, but Prine does sing it with more feeling than is typical with him probably because it was a highly personal song for him.  It is about the Kentucky town his parents were born in being ravaged by coal company strip mining.  The side concludes with "Pretty Good" which is about as close as Prine comes to rocking out on the album.  It is slow but noisy and punchy with loud electric guitar and organ runs.  It reminds me of Bob Dylan with the Band or Neil Young when he is leaning country.  That is even true of the lyrics which are slightly surreal and tongue in cheek.  Side two opens with "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore" which features humorous and understated criticism of supporters of the Vietnam War.  "Far From Me" is a mournful country song about a disintegrating relationship driven by Leo LeBlanc's sorrowful steel guitar lines.  "Angel From Montgomery" vividly describes the unhappiness of a disillusioned middle-aged woman.  My favorite version of this much-covered song is Bonnie Raitt's performance on "Streetlights" but Prine's version is very affecting, particularly Bobby Emmons melancholy organ accompaniment.  "Quiet Man" is more vague than most of the songs on the album, but it makes up for its lack of focus with a forceful rock sound that reminds me of the Band.  "Donald and Lydia" depicts the love affair between an overweight country girl and a young soldier who though separated in their real lives, meet in their dreams to make love.  It is a beautiful song that shows Prine's gift for evocative language.  "Six O'Clock News" is a grim song about a troubled young man who kills himself.  According to Prine the youth kills himself when he finds out that he was born because of an incestuous relationship between his mother and grandfather.  The song is enigmatic enough that I did not realize this from the lyrics, but listening to it after learning about it I can perceive the clues that indicate this.  The album concludes with "Flashback Blues" which is a jaunty upbeat tune with a western swing sound courtesy of Noel Gilbert's fiddle playing.  In contrast to the cheerful music the lyrics look back on a hard-living past with poetic imagery.  If this had been the only album Prine ever recorded he would still have to be considered one of the greatest songwriters in rock.  His gift for generating powerful emotions with understated evocative lyrics is almost unparalleled and as a rock wordsmith he ranks with the best American songwriters like Dylan, Randy Newman, John Fogerty, Bruce Springsteen and Dolly Parton.  No song on this album is less than good, many are great and four of them, "Hello In There," "Sam Stone," "Paradise" and "Angel From Montgomery," are immortal classics.  To my mind that makes this album a masterpiece that everyone ought to own.  John Prine was an American treasure and I greatly mourn his passing.  Recommended to Springsteen fans whose favorite album is "Nebraska."

Jim Brown Tells It Like It Is! - Jim Brown

Jim Brown Tells It Like It Is!

Jim Brown

Main Line Records MLP 101

1967

I bought this at a garage sale in West Hollywood for fifty cents about thirty years ago.  I bought it out of curiosity, gave it a single spin and then eventually it ended up on my purgatory shelf of records I'm thinking of discarding.  I pulled it out this summer and gave it another spin in the wake of the turmoil and racial activism that was sweeping the country.  I was impressed and also depressed that it still sounds relevant today.  The record was made to benefit the Negro Industrial and Economic Union (later renamed the Black Economic Union) which Brown founded.  The record consists of recordings of Brown's speeches as well as interviews with journalist Bill Jorgensen who also acts as a narrator for the record.  The record opens with some football highlights featuring Brown and recordings of civil rights activism before segueing into his speech at Jim Brown Farewell Day at Cleveland Municipal Stadium upon retiring from the National Football League.  The speech excerpt contains no reference to football but rather is devoted to racial equality and Brown's beliefs regarding the proper approach to it which involves economic betterment and earning respect.  This is followed by Brown explaining his program to Jorgensen in an interview which involves getting black Americans and supportive whites to join his union and providing the members with education, training and financial support through loans.  Brown believes economic self-sufficiency will lead to greater racial equality and social integration.  Jorgensen next interviews Brown about black nationalists.  Brown expresses respect but also distances himself from them because of their lack of organization and their attempts to separate from mainstream society.  Brown also makes some general comments about racism and how it deprives black males of their ability to be a "man."  The side concludes with some comments about racial violence.  He states that the violence is one-sided, that blacks are always on the receiving end of the violence.  He also criticizes riots as being unconstructive and a senseless destruction of property.  At the end of side one Jorgensen calls Brown a revolutionary and endorses his approach of equality through economic achievement.  Side two opens with Brown interviewing a new member of his union in his office.  He talks about the membership process.  Next Brown discusses the benefits of his union for young people and black businessmen.  This is followed by Brown talking about the people who have helped him in his life noting that some of them were white.  He argues that although racism is prevalent in American society, that there are sympathetic white people who can help the movement.  The next track is about black pride.  He approves of the expression of pride in their African heritage by young blacks.  He talks about his use of the term "negro" instead of "black" or "Afro-American" (which he does throughout the record) which I don't understand.  He doesn't justify it, just notes that you can get away with it if you don't act like an "Uncle Tom."  He again addresses black nationalism which he associates with young people on the West Coast.  He is sympathetic but rejects economic separatism considering it an impossibility.  He next speaks about black Muslims whose popularity he attributes to racism.  He believes they would be irrelevant if there was racial equality.  This leads into a discussion about Muhammad Ali whose defiant position he attributes to the historical emasculation of the black man.  I'm not sure why he feels a need to defend Ali or why he chooses such a convoluted defense.  He doesn't agree with Ali but he does not oppose him either.  He positions himself somewhere in between Ali and Martin Luther King Jr. who he also does not agree with.  The record concludes with Jorgensen outlining and defending Brown's positions presumably addressing white listeners which is reinforced by a clip of John F. Kennedy asking white people to try to relate to black Americans' frustration and impatience with racial inequality.  I suspect that white people are the principle target of this record.  It is so defensive and wary about being offensive that I think some black listeners of the time would have found it condescending or wishy-washy.  It is also extremely male-centric.  Brown's perspective is defined by a macho interpretation of masculinity.  He rarely has anything to say about black women.  He even complains about black men's authority being usurped by black women in their homes, not allowing them to be the "pillar of strength" in their families.  Given the prominence of women in the Black Lives Matter movement and the current civil rights struggle, this is the most dated aspect of the album along with Brown's insistence on using the term "negro."  Brown's entire ethos revolves around a man being a man.  This is clearly his problem with Dr. King's movement, the idea of being passive and non-violent in the face of aggression is an anathema to him - hardly surprising when you consider the style of football he played.  I think it is also at the core of his economic position.  A man should not take hand outs or complain about others, he should earn his own way in order to gain respect.  Fifty years later Brown's economic solution still makes sense to me.  It is why I find this record relevant.  I wish it was more of a historical artifact, but most of the problems that Brown talks about are still around today.  It is an interesting record and Brown is an engaging speaker, so I moved it off the purgatory shelf and back into my collection.  That said, I would only recommend it to black Republicans and misogynist liberals.

Live Peace In Toronto 1969 - The Plastic Ono Band

Live Peace in Toronto 1969

The Plastic Ono Band

Apple Records SW-3362

1969

My longtime hero, John Lennon, would have turned 80 yesterday if he had not been murdered 40 years ago.  I find that staggering and a little depressing as well.  I like to imagine what he might be like if he were still with us.  I hope he would still be making music, but I'm pretty sure it would not sound anything like this record which I think is unquestionably the hardest rocking album he released outside of the Beatles and that includes his album actually titled "Rock 'N' Roll."  The album was recorded under chaotic circumstances at a rock festival in Toronto by an ad hoc band with little rehearsal time.  The record begins with Lennon announcing that they are only going to play songs they know because they have never played together before.  It gets off to a roaring start with Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes" which features a sizzling guitar solo from Eric Clapton.  I enjoy Lennon's enthusiastic vocal.  It is followed by an extremely heavy version of "Money."  I like the power of the new version but the vocal is much weaker than the version Lennon sang with the Beatles.  Lennon does better with "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" which is also heavier that the Beatles version but retains the intensity and charisma of that version.  The band tackles an original Beatles song with "Yer Blues" off of the "White Album."  Lennon and Clapton had performed the song together previously on the Rolling Stones' television show "Rock and Roll Circus."  The arrangement is similar to the Beatles' version although the song does benefit from the heaviness of the Plastic Ono Band sound and Clapton offers up another smoking guitar solo.  The next song is Lennon's solo single "Cold Turkey" which had yet to be released at the time of the concert.  Yoko Ono makes her presence felt with banshee wails and bleats in the background.  I prefer the studio version, this sounds a little sloppy which is hardly surprising since Lennon says they have never performed it before.  Side one concludes with a lumbering version of  Lennon's first solo single "Give Peace a Chance."  It is messy and Lennon apparently couldn't remember the words to the verses but it gets the job done.  Side two features Yoko doing "her thing all over you" as Lennon puts it.  Like many Beatlemaniacs I loathed Ono's music when I was younger and almost never played side two of this record.  I grew to like her music however as I got older and now play the second side as well.  The opening track "Don't Worry Kyoko" is my favorite Ono song although I prefer the studio version.  Ono howls away over a plodding riff from the band that I think ought to be taken at a little faster tempo.  I still find it compelling though, especially compared to the next song "John, John (Let's Hope For Peace)" which had been introduced in the "Amsterdam" segment of John and Yoko's "Wedding Album."  It features Ono running through her throat shredding bag of tricks over drones of guitar feedback.  If I am not in the right mood it sounds interminable and torturous and even if I am in the right mood it can be kind of grueling but it offers an inspired performance from Ono that impresses me.  She and the band exit the stage but leave their instruments on emitting a prolonged cycle of ringing feedback to conclude the song.  This is definitely a young man's album - loud, heavy, confrontational and experimental.  It is hard to believe that the same two artists were responsible for the cozy domestic bliss of "Double Fantasy" a mere 11 years later.  I assume that if Lennon were still around making music it would be a lot more like "Double Fantasy" than this which would be fine, I'd be thrilled to have any kind of music from him.  But this album represents many of the qualities I most admire in Lennon including his fearlessness, his honesty, his brashness and his sincerity.  Listening to it 80 years after his birth I'm reminded of how much I miss him and how much he has meant to me throughout my life.  Recommended to Kabuki theater fans who dig rock and roll.

Teach Me Tiger! - April Stevens

Teach Me Tiger!

April Stevens

Imperial LP-12055

1960

Even though I have records by Donna Summer, Mae West, Marlene Dietrich, Julie London and Brigitte Bardot, I think this is the sexiest record in my collection.  I was surprised and even a little embarrassed when I first played it.  I bought it because I am a fan of the albums Stevens recorded with her brother Nino Tempo in the 1960s.  On those records she comes across like a sweet girl next door.  On this album she seductively croons sultry ballads in a breathy voice that borders on a cartoonish interpretation of female sexuality.  In the liner notes she disingenuously asserts that she does not understand why people comment on the sexiness of her singing claiming that this is her natural voice and she has been singing like this since she was seven.  Sure.  I often see this record selling for a relatively high price, much more than the Nino and April records tend to sell for, even though I think the Nino and April albums are better.  I assume the difference is due to the album's sexy quality.  The album consists largely of pop standards delivered at a languorous pace with subdued and tasteful accompaniment that places all the focus on Stevens' vocals.  Among the standout tracks are George Gershwin and Buddy De Sylva's old chestnut "Do It Again" which she sings in a alluring manner similar to Marilyn Monroe's interpretation of the song.  It definitely gets me a little hot and bothered when I spin it.  "When My Baby Smiles At Me" is an even older song dating back to 1920.  The song is given an uptempo almost jazzy arrangement with more silky vocals from Stevens that makes it sound almost modern (for 1960 anyway.)  Bart Howard's "In Other Words" is well-known from Frank Sinatra's swinging version under the title "Fly Me to the Moon."  Stevens gives the song a more yearning and exotic quality that I find very compelling.  The arrangement of "I Get Ideas" evokes the songs origins as an Argentine tango although Steven's vocals are pure torch song.  I slightly prefer Peggy Lee's perkier version, but this one is very worthwhile.  Cole Porter's "I'm in Love Again" was published back in 1924 but sounds contemporary when Stevens amorously whispers and sighs her way through the lyrics.  Kim Gannon and Max Steiner's "It Can't Be Wrong" dates back to the early 1940s when Steiner composed it for the film "Now Voyager."  It is one of the most energetic songs on the album and Steven's insistent and sensuous vocal is tremendously appealing.  There are three new songs on the record.  "I'll Wait for Your Love" was written by Jeffrey, Joseph and Marilyn Hooven.  It is a pedestrian song but benefits from an atmospheric arrangement that evokes exotica and a steamy vocal from Stevens that makes it enticing.  Brother Nino contributes two songs that I consider the best tracks on the album.  In "I Want a Lip" Stevens seductively describes her desire for her lover supported by a hypnotic torch song arrangement.  I find it to be the sexiest track on the album.  "Teach Me Tiger" is the most memorable song on the record.  It should have been a hit single but apparently was too sexy for the airwaves.  Stevens coos and moans her way through lyrics that invite her lover to teach her the ways of physical love.  It is a stunning song but so over the top that I find it a little embarrassing though still lots of fun.  If you dig torch songs, this is definitely your album.  Stevens excels at conveying smoldering passion and desire.  Her voice is warm and expressive and if I listen to this record in the proper mood and setting, Stevens absolutely slays me.  The kids might find it corny or dull, but I think you older folks might want to try giving it a spin next time you are having a romantic evening and see what happens.  Recommended to fans of Marilyn Monroe.

The Holiday Inn Tapes - Roky Erickson

The Holiday Inn Tapes
Roky Erickson
Vinyl Lovers 901028
2010

This is my belated tribute to the great Roky Erickson who died last year in May.  I regret that it has taken me more than a year to get around to this, it is more a reflection of my laziness than a lack of respect for Erickson who I have greatly admired since I was a teenager when I first heard Erickson singing "You're Gonna Miss Me" with the 13th Floor Elevators on the "Nuggets" compilation.  I worshiped the Elevators when I was in college and they remain one of my favorite bands.  I think the best records for a tribute to Erickson would be the first two albums by the Elevators: "The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators" and "Easter Everywhere."  I already wrote about those two masterpieces however so I have opted for this more humble solo record.  It was recorded by Patrick Mathé of France's New Rose Records in a hotel room in Austin in 1986.  Erickson stopped by with his acoustic guitar to serenade Mathé with 10 songs which he recorded for posterity.  Mathé issued the recording on a record in 1987.  For this reissue those ten tracks have been supplemented with the "Mine Mine Mind" EP which was issued by Sponge Records in 1977.  I imagine many Erickson fans would illustrate his solo career with some of the highly charged horror-inspired tracks he performed on records like "The Evil One."  I would not dispute that, I admire that music too.  I find those songs exciting and compelling, but they do not really speak to me the way this record does.  This album emphasizes the more sensitive and romantic side of Erickson which was expressed back in his Elevator days on the songs he wrote with Clementine Hall like "Splash 1" and "I Had To Tell You."  There are exceptions to this on this recording most notably the opening track "The Singing Grandfather" which describes a homicidal maniac in lurid detail that belies the jaunty folk melody and Erickson's mellow crooning.  Erickson reprises the song at the end of the recording.  "The Times I've Had" is a hard-travelin' type folk song enlivened by Erickson's lively guitar playing.  "That's My Song" is a similar sounding track.  It is basically a song fragment notable for its optimism and Erickson's perseverance in the face of adversity.  "Mighty Is Our Love" is a pretty song but unfortunately the lyrics are monotonous and banal.  "I Look At the Moon" is one of my favorite tracks.  Erickson sings about how the moon inspires him and supports the song with kinetic fret work.  Most of these tracks are obscure and as far as I am aware were never recorded in a studio.  The two exceptions are "Don't Slander Me" which he recorded in a rocked up version in 1982 and "May the Circle Remain Unbroken" which appeared in a haunting psychedelic version on the 13th Floor Elevators album "Bull of the Woods" back in 1969.  The original tracks are definitive but I enjoy the intimacy of these acoustic versions especially "May the Circle Remain Unbroken" which I find very moving.  Roky also does a pair of Buddy Holly covers, "True Love Ways" and "Peggy Sue Got Married."  I find his earnestness very charming on these tracks and it does not surprise me that this Texas boy admired Holly whose influence I think I can hear in his work (on this album it is most noticeable on "Don't Slander Me.")  The four songs from the EP were recorded in a studio and feature a full band on three tracks.  They are all terrific.  "Two-Headed Dog" and "Click Your Fingers Applauding the Play" are among his best known songs.  They are driven by noisy hard rock riffs and feature Erickson bellowing out horror-themed bizarre lyrics.  "Mine Mine Mind" is more power pop in its sound, but it plows through similar lyrical darkness with its description of demonic possession.  "I Have Always Been Here Before" is a solo acoustic performance by Roky.  In it he sings about the devil in a surrealistic and poetic manner.  I am very fond of this record although it is essentially a bootleg.  Erickson was performing informally for a friend obviously not intending the music to end up on a record.  I doubt it would have bothered him though and the performance is so delightful and unusual that I am glad that Mathé put it out.  If you wanted to introduce someone to Erickson's work this is definitely not the place to start, but I think most fans will dig it.  I listened to it a lot following Erickson's passing and it reaffirmed my devotion to his work.  Recommended to people who prefer Erickson's cover of "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" with the Elevators over "Bloody Hammer."

Beau Brummels 66 - The Beau Brummels

Beau Brummels 66
The Beau Brummels
Warner Bros. Records W1644
1966

This is a mono pressing of the disastrous third album by the Beau Brummels.  The band had previously recorded two very fine albums for the independent San Francisco record label Autumn Records, "Introducing the Beau Brummels" and "The Beau Brummels, Volume 2," which had established them as one of the best new bands in America.  They were in the process of recording a third album for Autumn (which has appeared on archival releases by Sundazed) when Warner Bros. Records acquired the Autumn roster.  Based on those archival releases I think the third album might have been the Brummels' best and certainly would have solidified the band's artistic standing.  Warner Bros., exhibiting the typical taste and insight of corporate record companies, chose to shelve that album (supposedly over publishing conflicts.)  Instead they forced the Brummels to record this album of covers apparently attempting to turn them into Dino, Desi and Billy.  This might have destroyed a lesser band, but they were too talented to be denied and recovered to produce the excellent "Triangle" and "Bradley's Barn."  For a long time I resisted buying this product of record company greed, but I love the Brummels so much that eventually I succumbed to curiosity and a desire to hear Sal Valentino sing a song I had not heard before.  I was pleasantly surprised to find the album enjoyable for the most part although I still bitterly resent that it was ever recorded.  Given that the band's original sound was a mixture of British Invasion and folk-rock, it is no surprise that 8 of the 12 tracks fit into those two categories.  They do extremely well with the two Beatles covers.  "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" is right in their wheel house and they knock it out of the park.  Valentino's vocal is fabulous and I find the song exhilarating, almost as good as the original.  Valentino also provides a wonderful vocal for "Yesterday" which the band performs with an appealing mixture of folk-rock and chamber pop.  Paul McCartney's song for Peter and Gordon, "Woman," is given a subdued performance but Valentino's resonant vocal makes me prefer it to the sappiness of the original version.  The Rolling Stones' "Play with Fire" seems like a great fit and it sounds wonderful aside from Ron Meagher's vocal which is too weak and mannered.  I wish Valentino had sung it.  I assume that Valentino had too much dignity to go anywhere near Herman's Hermits' "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" which Meagher sings with a fake British accent.  The band lethargically copies the original arrangement.  It is easily the worst track on the record.  The best folk-rock song is their version of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" which of course was a hit for the Byrds.  It is jangly like the Byrds version but a little less rocked up although it picks up energy as it rolls along.  It features a strong Valentino vocal and includes the verses the Byrds omitted from the song so it has value to me even though it does not approach the kinetic thrills and beauty of the Byrds' hit version.  The Brummels deliver a quiet and introspective version of the Mamas and the Papas' "Monday, Monday."  Valentino's vocal is very sincere and engaging.  I expected more from their cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "Homeward Bound" but it is largely uninspired.  The four commercial pop tracks that make up the rest of album are a mixed bag.  Their version of Sonny and Cher's vapid "Bang Bang" is the biggest surprise and one of the best tracks on the record.  The song is given a dramatic chamber pop arrangement and Valentino sings the song with genuine feeling.  I love it.  The album is worth picking up for this song alone.  The Brummels' cover of the McCoys' "Hang On Sloopy" is also solid with a robust vocal from Valentino, a compelling bass riff and a frenzied guitar solo.  Meagher sings lead on "Louie Louie" which suits his vocal limitations and the band delivers a perfunctory performance that reveals their lack of interest in the song.  I prefer the version they cut for Autumn which appeared on the Vault Records compilation "Vol. 44."  Meagher provides an amateurish vocal for Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made For Walking" which is unfortunate because I dig the band's rollicking backing track although it is a lot less distinctive than the arrangement on the hit version.  Even though I despise the crass record company motivations that led to this album's existence, I have to admit that with more sympathetic handling this could have been a pretty good album.  As a former bar band, these guys could play just about anything and Sal Valentino is one of my favorite singers, I'd listen to him sing anything he wants to sing.  The problem is that I doubt he wanted to sing most of these songs.  If this was a cover album of songs that he and the band liked, it would have more value.  As it is I enjoy about half of it and the remainder is mostly painless.  It was a mistake, but the Brummels were talented enough to still make it work.  Recommended to Beau Brummels completists and fans of mid-1960s top 40 radio looking for fresh takes on songs they've heard too many times.

The End of the Game - Peter Green

The End of the Game
Peter Green
Reprise 6346
1970 

I was very sorry to see that Peter Green had died.  He was one of my favorite guitarists in rock.  My admiration was entirely based on his work with the band he founded, Fleetwood Mac.  I have a few of his solo albums (mostly on CD) which are fine but uninspired for the most part.  This is my favorite of his solo records.  It was his first solo album and sounds little like his recordings with Fleetwood Mac.  I was extremely disappointed when I first bought it but I've since come to admire it.  I was expecting more of blues/hard rock sound like his previous work, but the album consists of a series of jazzy instrumental jams with a dash of funk.  It reminds me of late period Jimi Hendrix and I would not be surprised if that was an influence on Green's approach to the record.  The record gets off to a strong start with "Bottoms Up" which is my favorite track.  Supported by a heavy bass riff from Alex Dmochowski, Greens cuts loose with smoking hot guitar runs.  The jam lacks direction but it is full of energy and I find it extremely stimulating.  The track goes on for slightly over nine minutes but I still think it fades out too soon.  "Timeless Time" is far more subdued.  Green's solo is lovely although it sounds tentative.  Side one concludes with "Descending Scale" which sounds like jazz fusion.  The song opens with Dmochowski laying down staccato bass riffs while Zoot Money delivers bursts of kinetic piano riffs as Green unleashes a noisy almost discordant guitar frenzy, before the song slows down for an extended interlude of interwoven bass and guitar noodling reminiscent of the Grateful Dead that is moderately engaging to me if I am in the right mood.  The song picks up steam near the end as the piano rejoins the action before the jam is clumsily cut off to end the side.  Side two opens with "Burnt Foot" which starts promisingly with a compelling riff from Dmochowski which unfortunately evolves into a drum solo from Godfrey MacLean that I find as tedious as most drum solos.  The song comes back to life with the rest of the band rejoining for some heavy riffing that produces some of the most satisfying music on the album for rock fans.  "Hidden Depth" is a meandering return to jazz fusion with lyrical guitar runs from Green that display his characteristic grace and fluidity.  Side two concludes with the title track which offers up more jazz fusion.  It opens with the most frenetic and chaotic musical passages on the record with noisy, yet majestic guitar work from Green before settling into a languorous quiet jam that drifts aimlessly before being abruptly cut off to the conclude the album.  If I wanted to demonstrate to someone the brilliance of Peter Green, this would certainly not be the album to start with (I would pick the live recordings of Fleetwood Mac at the Boston Tea Party from 1970.)  However when I heard that Green had died, this was the album I reached for.  I am generally not a big fan of recorded rock jam sessions (aside from Jimi Hendrix), I think they are more appropriate for concerts.  However this one appeals to me for a variety of reasons.  Mostly I am drawn to it because Green's playing is so vibrant and dynamic, it is often a very exciting record despite the unstructured format.  Also as much as I love the early Fleetwood Mac, it is interesting to hear Green in a different context playing with more jazz oriented musicians.  Furthermore I find the record has an immediacy and intimacy that I don't find on his more commercial records.  Finally I think it represents the final flowering of Green's genius.  He recorded it on the verge of his descent into debilitating mental illness.  I have only heard a few of his post-illness albums but none of them even approach the inspired playing on this record.  It has a poignancy and wistfulness to it because it makes me wonder what he might have achieved if he had not been damaged by drugs and mental illness.  It was this poignancy that drew me to this record when I learned that he had died.  Like his contemporary Jimi Hendrix, Green's recorded output of essential recordings was rather small but they burn all the more brightly because of the intensity of the relatively brief period that their creators flourished.  Recommended to fans of Jeff Beck's "Blow By Blow."

Homosapien - Pete Shelley

Homosapien
Pete Shelley
Arista  AL 6602
1981 

Here is my belated tribute to Pete Shelley who passed away in late 2018.  His band the Buzzcocks were easily my favorite of the first wave of British punk bands after the Clash largely because they were just as much power-pop as they were punk and looked more like new wavers than punks not unlike the Jam (another big favorite of mine back then.)  I bought this album after hearing the title track on the radio.  I was surprised when I first played it because it sounded so unlike the Buzzcocks aside from Shelley's distinctive vocals.  It is basically dance-friendly synth-pop with a slight edge.  It lacks the intensity and energy of the classic Buzzcocks songs but after a few spins it grew on me and I like it even better now since I have developed an appetite for synth-pop that I totally lacked in my youth.  The record opens with "Homosapien" which is an extremely catchy ode to homosexual seduction.  It was provocative back in 1981 but seems tame to me today although the line "homo superior in my interior" is fabulous.  Shelley always had a gift for hooks and whenever I play this album this song is stuck in my head for days.  In "Yesterday's Not Here" Shelley looks back at the past with disdain and unhappiness.  The music throbs with a sensuous groove that I find enticing.  "Love in Vain" was not on the U.K. version of the album, it was the B-side on the "Homosapien" single.  In the song Shelley worries that his love is unrequited.  It has a soulful sound to it.  "Just One of Those Affairs" as you might guess is about sex - lots of it.  It sounds very poppy with a very pronounced beat and an enthusiastic vocal from Shelley that reminds me of Graham Parker.  Side one concludes with "Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça," which despite the title is mostly in English, in which Shelley wonders vaguely about life and relationships.  It is a highly propulsive track with a wall of synthesizer sound that gets me bopping.  It is one of my favorite cuts.  Side two opens with "I Don't Know What It Is" which is a banal song about how one experiences love.  The lyrics may be bland, but the music is exciting driven by an insistent staccato riff with waves of sound layered over it and a charged vocal from Shelley.  It reminds me of Berlin trilogy Bowie.  It is another one of my favorite tracks.  "Witness the Change" is another B-side that was not on the U.K. edition of the record.  It features a compelling melody driven by funky percussion and a powerful vocal from Shelley.   In the song Shelley expresses optimism about the potential of love despite bad experiences in the past.  "Guess I Must Have Been In Love With Myself" is a charming love song in which a self-centered guy changes when he finds love.  Unlike his punk peers Shelley was not bashful about being a romantic.  In keeping with the lyrics the music is highly melodic with a soaring chorus.  It is easily the prettiest song on the record.  In "I Generate a Feeling" Shelley uses his feelings of love to escape and find bliss.  The music is jerky with a taste of funk to it and Shelley's vocal has a drone like quality.  The album concludes with "In Love With Somebody Else" which was a single that was not on the British pressing of the album.  The song examines the duality between the ideals and realities of love.  It has a poppy ebullient melody that gives the album a joyful finish.  Unlike many records from this period, this album has aged extremely well.  It would probably make for a delightful party soundtrack with its relentlessly upbeat sound and insistent beat but I find it strong enough for concentrated listening as well.  It stands out with its intelligence and sweeping musical density.  Shelley was a very talented guy whose music has given me much pleasure through the years.  I am going to miss him.  Recommended to romantic Talking Heads fans.

Tigermilk - Belle and Sebastian

Tigermilk
Belle and Sebastian
Matador OLE-361-8
1996

This is the 1999 re-issue of the Belle and Sebastian debut album originally released on Electric Honey Records as a college student music project.  I recently read Stuart David's memoir of the formative years of Belle and Sebastian entitled "In the All-Night Café" which I loved.  He was the first person Stuart Murdoch recruited for the band and he provides an intimate account of the events leading up to this record (Murdoch's account of this in the album's liner notes is fiction.)  The book concludes with the record release party in which David describes fellow students taking their free copies of the album and using them as frisbees in the street which pains me greatly to envision.  It probably ought to pain them as well since original pressings of this album generally sell for hundreds of dollars.  Belle and Sebastian have long been one of my go-to bands when I am feeling down so during these painful times I have been listening to them often.  This is my second favorite of the band's albums (after "If You're Feeling Sinister.")  I think it is one of the great debut albums of all-time which is even more impressive considering the chaotic circumstances in which it was recorded - a true testament to Murdoch's artistic will and integrity.  The album opens with "The State I Am In" which is one of the quintessential early Belle and Sebastian songs.  With its clever and humorous vignettes describing youthful ennui and narcissism delivered by Murdoch in a low-key sensitive voice over a jangle pop/chamber pop music track that gradually builds in strength, it was the blueprint for their next three albums.  It floored me the first time I heard it and I still find it endlessly compelling.  "Expectations" continues in a similar vein, only more cutting and anguished.  It focuses on the suffering of an alienated female adolescent, when Murdoch writes in the third person he often chooses a feminine viewpoint.  Isobel Campbell on cello and Mick Cooke on trumpet expand the group's sound, giving it the chamber pop flavor that is a Belle and Sebastian trademark.  It reminds me of Love's "Forever Changes" which I consider high praise.  The jaunty "She's Losing It" likewise features a female protagonist and includes some lesbian references that are common with the early Murdoch.  Early Belle and Sebastian were often criticized as being "twee" but Murdoch can be pretty tough at times as demonstrated by "You're Just a Baby" which borders on being misogynistic.  It is the hardest rocking song on the record with a strong riff driven sound bolstered by Chris Geddes wailing on organ.  The side concludes with the uncharacteristic "Electronic Renaissance."  It has a disco beat and is driven by a synthesizer and organ with Murdoch's voice being electronically processed.  I always assumed Stuart David had something to do with the song since he pursued a similar sound with his solo project Looper, but in his book he says it was all Murdoch's idea.  Apparently synth-pop was a possible direction the band could have followed and which I am very glad they did not (although it has popped up on some of their recent albums.)   Side two gets off to a dynamic start with the propulsive "I Could Be Dreaming" which is driven by synthesizer and heavily reverberated electric guitar chords.  Murdoch shows his tough side again with numerous references to repressed violent impulses in his youthful protagonist.  The song concludes with a kinetic rocked up instrumental passage over which Campbell recites a passage from "Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving for reasons that escape me.  I wouldn't argue if you called that pretentious but I still like it.  The record shifts direction with the melancholy "We Rule the School" which features some lovely cello passages from Campbell supporting yet another portrait of feminine adolescent angst.  The introspective "My Wandering Days Are Over" is another classic Murdoch song with strong support from Campbell on cello and harmony vocal as well as Cooke on trumpet that foreshadows the sound of the next three albums by the group.  If I was a whole lot younger "I Don't Love Anyone" would have been my personal anthem as an adolescent/college student.  I wish there had been a band like Belle and Sebastian back when I was that age, I would have loved Murdoch like a brother.  Even though I was a lot older than the protagonist of the song, it still resonated greatly with me when I first heard it.  It remains one of my favorite Murdoch songs and I adore the jangle pop that drives it.  The record concludes with the chamber pop sound of "Mary Jo" which is yet another portrait of an alienated young woman.  The song name checks the imaginary novel "The State I Am In" mentioned in the opening track which has a nice bookending effect.  It is a lovely song enhanced by Campbell's breathy background vocals that gives the record a moving finish.  I consider this a flawless album aside from the disruption in its flow caused by "Electronic Renaissance" which is nonetheless a good song.  Murdoch's vision is clear and compelling and the band's sound is surprisingly robust for what was an ad hoc production by a band that was barely even a band.  The group coalesced during the recording of the record but listening to it you would think they had been together for years.  Belle and Sebastian is my favorite band after the Beatles and this record is a big part of my love for them.  I have been playing it regularly for 20 years and it still thrills me.  I'm not sure I have ever heard a songwriter who reaches me as well as Stuart Murdoch and the band's sound pushes all my buttons.  They have helped me a lot these past few weeks.  Recommended to Zombies fans who dig the Smiths.

Golden Eggs - The Yardbirds

Golden Eggs
The Yardbirds
Trademark of Quality  TMQ-61001
1973

I often see this vintage bootleg selling for ridiculously high prices which, even as a Yardbirds collector myself, I think is absurd.  All of the tracks on here were originally commercially released and all of them have been easily obtainable on CD for many years.  I believe they are all available again on vinyl as well thanks to Repertoire Records' recent series of Yardbirds compilations (highly recommended by the way.)  Admittedly back in the mid-1970s a lot of this stuff was pretty hard to find although you could get most of it if you tried hard enough.  I bought this decades ago even though I already had most of it.  I bought it because I wanted to hear the two Keith Relf solo tracks.  I also liked the cover art and I got it at a bargain price.  I certainly don't need it any longer.  I keep it as a dumb collector thing even though it has a major flaw, namely all the stereo tracks were improperly recorded.  Only one of the two channels was dubbed on to the record and that channel comes out of both speakers when you play the album.  Thus either the vocals or some of the instruments are barely audible.  Fortunately only 8 of the 17 cuts are in stereo but it is still often annoying.  This reportedly is not true of all versions of this album, mine is apparently a bootleg of the bootleg.  The Eric Clapton era of the group is represented by two oddly chosen cuts from "For Your Love."  "Putty (In Your Hands)" is a minor song and "Sweet Music" is one of the worst songs they ever did.  "Putty" is in mono and sounds fine, but "Sweet Music" is the stereo version and Relf's vocal is buried deep in the mix so it sounds ridiculous.  The record jumps into the Jeff Beck era with "Steeled Blues" from 1965 which was originally the B-side on the "Heart Full Of Soul" single which is easy to find.  It is an instrumental credited to Beck but it is basically a generic blues given a lethargic treatment by the band although Beck and Relf (on harmonica) have their moments.  It jumps forward to the two songs from "Yardbirds" that Epic Records dropped for their version of the album "Over Under Sideways Down."  Both are in stereo so Beck's dazzling guitar work is generally too far down in the mix on "The Nazz Are Blue" and on "Rack My Mind" Relf's vocal is practically inaudible.  The Jeff Beck/Jimmy Page era of the band is represented by "Stroll On" from the "Blow-Up" soundtrack."  It is my all-time favorite Yardbirds track.  It is in mono so it sounds fine although I prefer the stereo version that I have on my copy of the soundtrack album.  The Jimmy Page era of the band makes up the bulk of the album which makes sense since it was the Yardbirds music that was hardest to find back in the 1970s.  There are four tracks from "Little Games" which are among my least favorite tracks on the album.  All are in stereo and suffer from the missing channel.  The jug band style "Stealing, Stealing" and the largely instrumental psychedelic song "Glimpses" both sound okay even with the missing channel.  On the poppy "Little Soldier Boy" Jim McCarty's vocal impersonation of a trumpet that runs throughout the song is buried deep in the mix which makes the song sound naked like a demo.  On the commercial sounding "No Excess Baggage" the lead guitar can barely be heard.  The album also features "Puzzles" which was the B-side of the "Little Games" single as well as the band's final singles "Ha Ha Said the Clown," "Ten Little Indians" and "Goodnight Sweet Josephine" along with the latter's B-side, "Think About It" written by Jimmy Page.  Relf wrote "Puzzles" which has a pop-psych sound and a sizzling Page solo and I think it is a lot better than many of the tracks that made it onto "Little Games."  "Ha Ha Said the Clown" was released in 1967 and features Relf with a bunch of studio musicians.  It sounds fine although it is not characteristic of the band's sound and I prefer the Manfred Mann recording of the song which this version closely copies.  "Ten Little Indians" was written by Harry Nilsson and also was released in 1967.  The album notes say that this is a stereo track but to me it sounds mono.  I like the way the song builds in strength and its slightly trippy arrangement, but it is far from essential.  "Goodnight Sweet Josephine" is bolstered by expansive use of phasing and is engaging but inane.  Its flip side is much superior, in fact "Think About It" is among the very best tracks the Yardbirds ever did, boasting a heavy riff and some smoking guitar work from Page that clearly anticipates his future work with Led Zeppelin.  Even though I generally disdain singles I paid five bucks to buy this 45 at Rather Ripped Records in Berkeley in 1980 and I still consider it one of my best scores.  The album also contains a 1966 single by Keith Relf.  The A-side is the moody "Mr. Zero" by Bob Lind which sounds nothing like the Yardbirds, but I still really like it.  Its B-side is a Relf composition entitled "Knowing" which is a chamber pop track that sounds a bit like the Zombies.  Despite all of this record's many flaws, the Relf single makes it worthwhile (although you can easily find it elsewhere on better albums.)  I can't recommended my version of this album because of its recording defect but even a properly recorded version is a dubious purchase.  The selections from "For Your Love" and "Little Games" are poorly chosen and frankly the inclusion of only legitimately released music as opposed to unreleased tracks or concert recordings makes this bootleg even more ethically questionable than a normal bootleg.  "Stroll On," "Think About It," "The Nazz are Blue" and "Rack My Mind" are essential tracks that every Yardbirds fan should own, but you should look for them elsewhere.  Not recommended to anyone but fanatics.

The Royal We - The Royal We

The Royal We
The Royal We
Geographic GEOG31LP
2007

I got all excited when I learned that Roxanne Clifford and Patrick Doyle had been in this Scottish group prior to forming Veronica Falls.  Unfortunately this band does not sound much like Veronica Falls, they play slightly retro dance pop reminiscent of Neverever which makes sense since that band's leader Jihae Meek was the lead singer of the Royal We (then using her maiden name Jihae Simmons.)  When I first played this record I was really disappointed, but with repeated spins I started to appreciate it.  I do like Neverever, just not nearly as much as Veronica Falls which was my favorite current band before they broke up.  The album gets off to a quiet start with "Back and Forth Forever" which is an acoustic love song driven by Clifford on ukelele.  The record shifts into gear with the jumping "All The Rage" which the band released as a single.  It is a wonderfully poppy dance song that showcases Simmons' charisma with forceful background vocals from Doyle and Clifford that are as close as this album ever gets to the Veronica Falls sound.  "That Ain't My Sweet Love" continues in a similar rocking vein although without the catchy pop hooks.  Side one concludes with "Three Is a Crowd" which pumps up the sound of 1960s girl group pop to provide a framework for Simmons to vent her spleen.  Joan Sweeney's violin adds some flavor to the band's sound.  "I Hate Rock N Roll" also sounds like an update on 1960s pop and once again Sweeney's violin saves the song from blandness.  "Willy" allows Clifford more space as a romantic counterpoint to Simmons sardonic vocal which I find very welcome.  "French Legality" is a propulsive track driven by a compelling guitar riff that gets me bopping.  Simmons vocal is very strong and builds in strength until she is screaming at the end.  This is my favorite track after "All The Rage."  "Wicked Games" is a cover of the Chris Isaak song taken at a much faster tempo than the original.  Simmons rejects the sensitivity and yearning of Isaak's original vocal in favor of a more bitter and cynical approach.  I don't really approve, but the song is very compelling and gives the album a stirring finish.  This record shows a lot of promise although it was probably for the best that the band broke up.  Veronica Falls might have benefited from a more charismatic lead singer like Simmons, but I think Clifford's more diffident style suited that band's introspective approach.  Simmons is too exuberant and distracting, she needed a different band that would showcase her unbridled personality.  This is still a very enjoyable record and I think the tension between the Simmons and the Clifford/Doyle styles is one of the more stimulating elements of the album.  Recommended to fans of Blondie.