UFO - Lights Out

This one is just too, too hot - baby - too hot to handle.  Are these guys on the Rock and Roll HOF?  Please.  They totally should be.  This has a killer side one: Too Hot to Handle, Just AnotherSuicide, and Lights Out.  Side two closes with Love to Love, which you will know from this: the classis piano opening and the chorus that goes: "Misty green and blue; Love to love to love you; Misty green and blue; Love to love to love you..."  What an awesome record.  UFO was in town recently, with Michael Schenker's brother's band opening.  But I think Rudolph Schenker was in UFO.  Dang - I should have gone to that show.  These guys are fantastic.

Van McCoy: 1940 - 1979

Van McCoy - Disco Baby.  The more I read about Van McCoy - the more impressed I am with his talents.  Such as - he took the theme from the hit TV show Star Trek and funked it up.  Click on post title for a clip of that.  Last winter, she and I saw the Armstrong/Ellington tribute concert by the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, featuring (then) music director and first trumpet Jon Faddis.  Faddis has trumpet credits on The Real McCoy (above right).  Born Van Allen Clinton McCoy (January 6, 1940 – July 6, 1979), "hit for the cycle," meaning he was a musician, producer, arranger, songwriter, and conductor.  Quincy Jones level?  Maybe not - but in those very few years - he was prolific.  Best known for his writing "The Hustle", the ubiquitous disco hit.  I read that Van owns over 700 song copyrights.  He has also produced records and songs for Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Stylistics, Aretha Franklin, Brenda & The Tabulations, David Ruffin, Peaches & Herb, and many others.

Rickie Lee Jones - Pirates, part one

Larry G. should have written this one - since it was in his dorm room in college where I first heard this record played, in Walker Hall (may it RIP).  He bought it at Apple Tree Records, in Normal, IL.  It can be somewhat intimidating to write about great records.  And this Rickie Lee Jones record, Pirates (her 2nd album, from 1981), is unapproachable.  In other words, if a record collector hobbyist/blogger comments, what can be added?  I'll try.  Besides the funky and suave tunes here, what is more noteworthy is the majestic roster of premiere musicians she amassed to play on this record. That smokin' bass on We Belong Together is Chuck Rainey.  And I swear Steve Gadd drums on like 90% of the records I own (exaggeration, yes).  Toss in a Donald Fagan and a Steve Lukather.  Oh, and David Sanborn and Tom Scott too.  I read somewhere recently that, over the years, this record has actually been steadily moving up the all-time great record lists, improving with age.  On the back of the record cover, very uniquely, we see each song's lyrics. Usually the lyrics at on the inner dust sleeve, if anywhere.

Weather Report (and Freak Easy) - two records

I am posting about my two Weather Report records because she and I caught a really fun, loose, local jazz quartet we dig play a gig at a local supper club last week.   And I was blown away when, during their first set, they segued into those deep and foreboding opening chords of Birdland.  The group is called Freak Easy, featuring easily Chicago's premier saxophonist - Pat Mallinger.  Pat is in the world renowned Chicago Jazz Ensemble, along with his own duo called Sabretooth, and sits in with many other groups.  Sabretooth has played over 900 Saturday nights in a row (without missing a one) at Chicago's Green Mill.  Above are Black Market and Mysterious Traveller.  I bought Black Market in college.  The price sticker shows it was marked down to $2.99 - in early eighties dollars by Divinyl Madness - the college record store I frequented.  I was not trying to be overly or artificially sophisticated by buying, owning, and playing that record.  I think I thought there'd be something choice on it.  I don't recall playing it much during college Sessions.  Mysterious Traveller is their fourth release. This album marked the end of bassist Miroslav Vitous's tenure with the band. Vitous was replaced by Alphonso Johnson. Another addition to the line-up is drummer Ishmael Wilburn. Greg Errico was the drummer for the tour between the previously released Sweetnighter and this album, but declined an invitation to be a permanent member of the band.