...Curtis Collects Vinyl Records

Leon Redbone

2012-02-16T10:11:00.000-06:00

Leon Redbone...my brother, for some reason, had that album on the left, way back in mid-seventies. Ha - Steve Gadd drums on it. No shock there, either Gadd or Jim Gordon drummed on everything then. Don McLean plays banjo. I love the old standards Leon does. The cover art is by the great Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones, most noted for Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio. He directed Bugs, Daffy, Road Runner, and Wile E., Sylvester, and Pepe. He adpated How the Grinch Stole Christmas for TV. As for Leon Redbone (born Dickran Gobalian, August 26, 1949), he is a singer and guitarist specializing in contemporary and true interpretations of early 20th-century music, of jass and blues standards and classics. Redbone has released approximately 15 albums and once had a sizable cult following. His shtick is his claiming to have written works originating well before his time. And he sang the theme to the television series Mr. Belvedere. Who knew?

Poco - Cantamos. Were a couple of Eagle chicks stolen from the nest by an evil predator?

2012-02-15T09:26:00.002-06:00

The eight album by Poco, Cantamos. With band lineups changing every few years, this is who played on this Poco record: Paul Cotton – guitars, vocals. Rusty Young– pedal steel guitar, banjo, Dobro, guitar, mandolin, and vocals. Timothy B. Schmit– bass, harmonica, and vocals. And George Grantham on drums and vocals. It’s on Epic records, which likely surpassed Atlantic during the impending 80’s, and the recording engineer is listed as Mark Henry Harman, who was assisted by Michael Verdick. I was searching for the music clip on Youetune that I wanted to have accompany this post. By the way - are you aware that if you click on the title of each post here – you are automatically linked to a corresponding song that I select over on youtube relating to the band or the song? I do hope you try that. I read this comment on Youtube, "..if it wasn't for that twit David Geffen, who convinced Richie Furey he'd be better off on his own; and if he (Geffen) didn't put all his efforts into creating that other "super" country rock band (gee, I wonder who that is?) instead of promoting the one true country rock band with ALL the talent, Poco would have been THE mainstream country rock act. And, if Don Effing Henley didn't steal away not one, but two Poco players for his own gain, then again, Poco would have been the more commercially successful band. Still, they shine!"

Linda Rondstadt - Different Drum, and the Stone Poneys

2012-02-14T10:04:00.000-06:00

Linda Rondstadt. This is her collaboration lp called Different Drum. It is her first compilation album, released on the Capitol label. Half of the songs (those recorded in the 1960s) were taken from the second and third albums of hers with the Stone Poneys, while the other half are from her first three solo albums. This album was issued ten months prior to the November 1974 release of her last album for Capitol, Heart Like a Wheel - which became her breakthrough #1 album – but after she had already signed with Asylum. The album reached #92 on the Billboard Top LP's & Tapes album charts. Tapes? She covers Jackson Browne's Rock me on the Water quite nicely. And two songs here are penned by Mike Nesmith (hey hey he's a Monkee), including the title track. She also covers a Dylan tune, and one by Laura Nyro. And also Goffin/King's Will You Still Love me Tomorrow.

Here is more about the Stone Poneys. Linda visited a friend from Tucson, Bobby Kimmel, in LA during Easter break from college in 1964, and later that year, shortly before her eighteenth birthday, she decided to move there permanently to form a band with him. Kimmel had already begun co-writing folk-rock songs with guitarist-songwriter Kenny Edwards, and eventually the three of them were signed by Nik Venet to Capitol in the summer of 1966 as "The Stone Poneys."

The trio released three albums in a 15-month period in 1967–68: The Stone Poneys; Evergreen, Volume 2; and Linda Ronstadt, Stone Poneys and Friends, Vol. III. More than 40 years later, the song remains one of Ronstadt's most popular recordings. Many of her songs, including "Different Drum," were written and composed by male songwriters and had minimal lyric changes, allowing Ronstadt to toy with gender roles that were in ferment in the 1960s and 1970s. While the Stone Poneys broke up before the release of their third album, Kenny Edwards recorded and toured with Ronstadt from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. (In 2008—as a testament to the continuing interest in Ronstadt's early work with this band - Australia's Raven Records released a compilation CD titled The Stone Poneys. The disc features all tracks from the first two Stone Poneys albums and four tracks from the third album.)

Whitney Houston.

2012-02-13T11:20:00.000-06:00

Whitney Houston. We certainly may never know the details, but what a tragic shame. As with Elvis, Michael, and so many others: no one of import in their life who could or would say to them, with enforceability, "no, you cannot do that." On that topic, at dinner this evening before the Grammys, I rattled off my list of all-time favorite soul divas, starting with: Tina - to hell and back. Then Donna, who Nile Rodgers claims her Love to Love You, Baby was the one of the most influential (to him), pre-disco songs. Then Diana (see Nile Rodgers), Billie, Etta, Big Mama Thornton, and Natalie. Just my list...

The Bar-Kays...try a Little Tenderness...on Stax Records

2012-02-12T07:10:00.001-06:00

The Bar-kays...The Bar-Kays are a soul, R&B, and funk group who began performing in 1966 and continue to perform today, although with only one original member. The group had dozens of charting singles from the 1960s to the 1980s, including "Soul Finger" (U.S. Billboard Hot 100 #17, R&B #3) in 1967, "Son of Shaft" (R&B #10) in 1972, and "Boogie Body Land" (R&B #7) in 1980. The Bar-Kays began in Memphis, Tennessee as a studio session musician group, backing major artists at Stax Records. They were chosen in 1967 by Otis Redding to play as his backup band. But on December 10, 1967, Redding, his manager, and band members Jimmy King (b. 1949; guitar), Ronnie Caldwell (b. 1948; electric organ), Phalon Jones (b. 1949; saxophone), and Carl Cunningham (b. 1949; drums) died in a plane crash in Lake Monona while on their way to a performance in Madison, Wisconsin. Trumpeter Ben Cauley survived the crash and bassist James Alexander was on another plane, since there were eight members in Redding's party and the chartered plane could only hold seven. Cauley and Alexander rebuilt the group. The re-formed band consisted of Cauley; Alexander; Harvey Henderson, saxophone; Michael Toles, guitar; Ronnie Gorden, organ; Willie Hall, drums and later Larry Dodson, lead vocals. The group backed dozens of major Stax artists on recordings afterwards, including Isaac Hayes's Hot Buttered Soul. Cauley left the group in 1971, with Lloyd Smith joining in 1973 and the band changed musical direction in the during that decade to have a successful funk music career on Mercury Records. The Bar-Kays continued to have hits on R&B charts well into the 1980s. Marcus Price was also a member of the Bar-Kays, until he was murdered coming from rehearsal in 1984, a crime never solved by the Memphis police. The band took a hiatus in the late 1980s, but regrouped in 1991, with Alexander once again being the only original member involved.

Air Supply...their second Eponymous album, but their eighth overall...

2012-02-11T06:35:00.002-06:00

Air Supply...OK, this album cover and photo thereof, is really more about my Photoshop skills. I took two separate photos, one each of the front and back covers and using Photoshop, I merged the images into one photo. Then I cropped that image. You get the idea. This album is called Air Supply, it is the eighth studio and second eponymous album by Australian soft rock band Air Supply, released in 1985. It has the same name as the band itself, that is referred to as "eponymous." But I thought a band can only name an album the same as the band's name just once - usually it would be the band's debut album. Any who...The album was a step down in the band's sales, reaching gold certification and #26 in the US charts. The single "Just As I Am" was their last major entry on the charts, reaching #19 on theBillboard Hot 100, while their interpretation of the Jennifer Rush song "The Power of Love" became a minor hit, reaching #68.

Miles Davis - Tutu...

2012-02-10T08:50:00.003-06:00

Miles Davis - Tutu...I finally own a Miles Davis album. Not that I will play it, it's more for saying I have it, than for actually playing it. Like some clothes I still own. My god, is there a more haunting album cover? His stare on the right (front cover) follows you. I can't think of any words other than cosmic messenger of genius to describe this guy. I probably don't care all that much for his music, but I totally GET that it remains groundbreaking and influential today. This is a good post for a dreary Friday I suppose. Cover photos by the great Irving Penn. George Duke plays on this album, name for Desmond Tutu, as does the great Brazilian percussionist, Paulinho da Costa. It was produced by Marcus Miller, and although I can't find it in the liner notes, but I am guessing it was recorded at Columbia 30th Street Studio, aka - The Church, where Miles made many other records.

Jim Marshall - The Father of Loud; Marshall Amps - Celebrating 50 Years of the Marshall Sound...

2012-02-09T09:47:00.006-06:00

Jim Marshall - the Father of Loud. James Charles "Jim" Marshall, OBE, born July 29, 1923 - ), in London), is THEE pioneer of guitar amplification, and ergo, rock concert-level music we dig. The photo above was taken and cropped by your faithful blogger. You will recognize it from the front of the made in japan Deep Purple album. I am using it because it has that looming and ominous Marshall stack visible. Thanks to Bruce in my LinkedIn vinyl record collectors group, he's ID'ed the band members in the photo, L to R as: Jon Lord – organ, Roger Glover – bass, Ian Gillan - vocals (& congas apparently), Ian Paice – drums, and Ritchie Blackmore – on geetar. From sources available on the Internet..."Jim's company, Marshall Amplification, continues to produce amplifiers having an iconic status in the rock world. Jim Marshall was born in Acton, West London, to a family which included boxers and music hall artists. He started off as a singer, and then, due to the shortage of available civilian musicians during WWII, he doubled as a drummer. In his day job as electrical engineer he built a portable amplification system so his light, crooning vocals could be heard over his drums. "I was making 10 shillings a night and because it was wartime, we didn't have any petrol for cars, so I would ride my bicycle with a trailer behind it to carry my drum kit and the PA cabinets, which I had made! I then left the orchestra to be with a 7 piece band and in 1942 the drummer leader was called into the forces and I took over on drums." In order to become more proficient on the drums and to better emulate his idol, Gene Krupa, from 1946-48 Marshall took weekly lessons from Max Abrams. In 1949 Jim started teaching other drummers, including Mitch Mitchell (The Jimi Hendrix Experience), Micky Burt (Chas and Dave), Mickey Waller (Little Richard) and Micky Underwood (Ritchie Blackmore). "I used to teach about 65 pupils a week and what with playing as well, I was earning in the early 1950s somewhere in the region of £5,000 a year, which was how I first saved money to go into business." After a successful career as a drummer and teacher of drum technique, Jim Marshall went into business in 1962, starting a small shop in Hanwell, London, selling drums, cymbals and drum-related accessories; he also gave drum lessons. According to Jim, Ritchie Blackmore, Pete Townshend and other guitarists often came into the shop and asked why Marshall was not selling or producing guitar equipment. Marshall Ltd. later expanded and started selling guitars and amplifiers, the most notable of which at the time were the Fender amplifiers imported from America. These were very popular with guitarists and bass players, but were very expensive. He thought he could produce a cheaper alternative to American-made guitar amplifiers, but he had limited experience as an electrical engineer. He enlisted the help of his shop repairman Ken Bran and an EMI technician named Dudley Craven, and between them they decided they most liked the sound of the 4x10" Fender Bassman. They made several prototypes using the Fender Bassman amp as a model. The sixth prototype produced, in Jim's words, the "Marshall Sound." The first few production units almost copied the Bassman circuit, with American military surplus 5881 power valves, a relative of the 6L6. Speakers were then rarely able to handle more than 15 watts, which meant that an amplifier approaching 50 watts had to use four speakers. For their Bassman, Fender used four Jensen speakers in the same cabinet as the amplifier, but Marshall chose to separate the amplifier from the speakers, and placed four 12-inch Celestion speakers in a separate closed-back cabinet instead of the four 10-inch Jensens in an open-back combo. Other crucial differences fro Marshall were the use of higher-gain ECC83 valves throughout the preamp, and the introduction of a capacitor/resistor filter after the volume control. These circuit changes gave the amp more gain so that it broke into overdrive sooner on the volume control than the Bassman, and boosted the treble frequencies. This new amplifier, tentatively called the "Mark II", was eventually named the "JTM 45," after Jim and his son Terry Marshall and the max. wattage of the amplifier."

Buddy Rich - the Roar of '74...

2012-02-08T10:35:00.000-06:00

Buddy Rich - the Roar of '74...this record is HC, as the say in the French bike race. That abbreviation stands for Hors catégorie, a French term to designate something (usually a climb) that is "beyond categorization." This record and especially the awesome front and back covers are just that - HC. The Roar of '74 is a 1973 studio album by the Buddy Rich big band, released on the Groove Merchant Records label in the USA. The album was released in the UK in 1974 on the Mooncrest label by B & C Records. There are tons of jazz (likely) greats who play on this record - in his Big Band, the only one I recognize is the great bass player, Tony Levin.

Pure Prairie League: A must-play song on Every Jukebox...

2012-02-07T12:51:00.000-06:00

Pure Prairie League. The photo here of these two record albums, clipped together, is the new background of my Facebook page. If (when?) I ever own a bar, it will have an old jukebox, not a digital one, and it will have a select few songs on it, permanently. I may swap in and out a few current songs and others depending on season or mood, but it will ALWAYS have these on it: PPL's Falling in and out of Love/Amie. David Allen Coe's You Never Even Called me By My Name. The Foundations' Build me up, Buttercup. Zeppelin's Heartbreaker/Livin Lovin Maid. He Stopped Loving Her Today. Dreams, by Van Halen. Talk to you Later, by the Tubes. And Mel McDaniels' Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On. On the Dark Side, by John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band. Girl Can't Help It, Journey. And my personal theme song: Jerry Doucette's Mama Let Him Play. Will add others as they occur to me...

Neil Young tribute - by special request

2012-02-06T11:52:00.002-06:00

One of my long-ago and dear pals from way back in grade school, Sara, is a Neil Young fan, so I told her I would post photos here of some of my Neil Young albums. Another pal of mine, Michael, who works down the hall from me, is also a huge Neil Young fan. I have been after Michael for a while to write a Guest Post for me here on Neil Young, since he is such an expert and has seen Neil in concert a few dozen times. The albums shown here are: On the Beach (above), After the Gold Rush, (below), and Everybody Know this is Nowhere (bottom).

John Denver's DLA - a great Double Live Album

2012-02-05T08:26:00.002-06:00

This is John Denver's DLA...the great Hal Blaine plays on this great Double Live Album. An Evening With John Denver is a live album of music performed by American singer-songwriter John Denver. It was recorded at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, California in August and September 1974. He is backed by an orchestra conducted by Lee Holdridge. More on Hal Blaine, who is still alive. Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky, born 5 February 1929, Holyoke, Massachusetts) is an American drummer and session musician. He is most known for his work with the Wrecking Crew in California. Blaine played on numerous hits by popular groups, including Elvis Presley, John Denver, the Ronettes, Simon & Garfunkel, the Carpenters, the Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra, and the 5th Dimension. Blaine is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Changes; Columbia's 30th Street Studio

2012-02-03T09:01:00.002-06:00

Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Changes. Since I am not an expert here...according to wikipedia, "Time Changes is a 1963 album by The Dave Brubeck Quartet, it is based upon the use of time signatures that were, partially because of Brubeck's previous work, now a mainstay in popular jazz music. The whole second side of the album, the composition "Elementals", resulted from a relationship with Rayburn Wright, The Eastman School of Music and its "Arranger's Workshop" and an impending concert in Rochester, New York. It was Mr. Brubeck's first orchestral composition. It is continuation of Dave's hit albums –"Brubeck Time", "Time Out", "Time Further Out" and "Countdown – Time In Outer Space," exploring the elements of time in jazz and music, while extending itself into a "do-it-yourself" concerto, which comprises the whole of side two, with orchestral accompaniment. The cover painting is by the internationally acclaimed American abstract painter Sam Francis. It was released in 1963, recorded November of that year, at Columbia’s 30th Street Studio in New York, is on the Columbia label, and was produced by Teo Macero. But let's find out more about WHERE is was recorded...

"CBS's 30th Street Studio, also known as Columbia 30th Street Studio, and nicknamed "The Church," was a recording studio operated by Columbia Records from 1949 to 1981, located at 207 East 30th Street, between Second and Third Avenues in Manhattan. It was considered by some in the music industry to be the best sounding room of its time and still others consider it to have been the greatest recording studio in history. (Blogger’s note: Really? OK, what do I know...?) It was at the time one of the most renowned studios and a large number of recordings were made there in all genres, including Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story, and Percy Faith's Theme from A Summer Place in 1960. The 30th Street facility contained both Columbia's "Studio C" and "Studio D." Many celebrated musical artists from all genres of music used the 30th Street Studio for some of their most famous recordings. Bach: The Goldberg Variations, the 1955 debut album of the Canadian classical pianist Glenn Gould, was recorded in the 30th Street Studio. It was an interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations (BWV 988), the work launched Gould's career as a renowned international pianist, and became one of the most well-known piano recordings. On May 29, 1981 a second version of the Goldberg Variations by Glenn Gold was recorded in this studio. This was the last production by this famous studio. Jazz trumpeter Miles Davis recorded almost exclusively at the 30th Street Studio, including his classic 1959 recording, Kind of Blue. In 1964, Bob Dylan and record producer Tom Wilson were experimenting with their own fusion of rock and folk music. The first unsuccessful test involved overdubbing a "Fats Domino early rock & roll thing" over Dylan's earlier, acoustic recording of "House of the Rising Sun," according to Wilson. This took place in the Columbia 30th Street Studio in December 1964. It was quickly discarded, though Wilson would more famously use the same technique of overdubbing an electric backing track to an existing acoustic recording with Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence." The very last recording made in the studio was Glenn Gould's slower and reconsidered Goldberg Variations (Reappraised) in 1981, a year before Gould's death." Wikipedia...

Quicksilver Messenger Service - Shady Grove, and Wally Heider Studios

2012-02-02T08:47:00.001-06:00

Quicksilver Messenger Service...Shady Grove is a 1969 album by Quicksilver Messenger Service. It was one of the first records recorded at Wally Heider Studios. WHS was the go-to recording studio in San Fransiicco from 1969 to about 1980. Look it up and see all the great albums made there. Nicky Hopkins, (who I read all about last summer, and played piano on tons of great albums by the Stones, The Who, The Beatles, Steve Miller, etc.) joined the QMS for just this one album. Hopkins later went and re-recorded the album closer Edward on his solo album, The Tin Man Was a Dreamer, which features members of the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. Joseph's Coat, co-written by John Cipollina and Nick Gravenites, who also appears on Big Brother and the Holding Company's album Be a Brother, which featured Gravenites on vocals. Original guitarist Gary Duncan does not appear on this album. QMS was first popular, not surprisingly, in and around theuir home turf of the Bay Area, and less so nationally. They were one of the first psychedelic rock bands, yet not as commercially successful as contemporaries Jefferson Airplane and the Dead. QMS was in important and vital member of that genre, blending jazz, classical, folk music from their influencers. Apparently, the band has recently attempted to reform despite the deaths of several members. Original members Gary Duncan and David Freiberg have toured together, as the "Quicksilver Messenger Service," using different musicians to back them up.

Gilbert O'Sullivan - Big Jim Sullivan, and Jim Marshall, and Marshall Amps at 50!

2012-02-01T08:48:00.001-06:00

Gilbert O'Sullivan...Himself, Alone Again (Naturally). Gilbert O'Sullivan is best known for Alone Again (Naturally). He was quoted recently as saying rather unabashedly, "I write pop songs. End of story. That's all I wanted to do. That's all I want to do. And that's all I continue to want to do. I have no interest in just touring, and living in the past." OK. Born Raymond Edward O'Sullivan, in Waterford, Ireland, in 1960, his family moved to Swindon, Wiltshire, England. He attended St Joseph's and the Swindon College of Art, where he briefly played drums in a band called Rick's Blues, founded by Rick Davies (who later founded Supertramp). According to a 1972 interview with O'Sullivan, Davies taught him how to play both drums and piano. Imagine Supertramp with a Gilbert O’Sullivan! ANN is a very bleak song really, with sad and tragic lyrics, but the music it’s set to has a up-tempo feel, in some major key. A guy called Big Jim Sullivan plays the guitar break in the original recorded version of the song. Ah, but who is Big Jim Sullivan we ask? He was lots. Allegedly, he’s the first person in the UK to own a Gibson Les Paul guitar, Marty Wilde bought it for him. He gave Ritchie Blackmore and Steve Howe guitar lessons. Jimmy Page borrowed Sullivan's Gibson J-200 acoustic for the recording of Led Zeppelin I. Sullivan was one of the contributors to the 1971 Green Bullfrog album, which also featured guitarists Ritchie Blackmore and Albert Lee. Big Jim Sullivan is an English musician, whose career started in 1959. He is best known as a session guitarist. In the 1960s and 1970s, Sullivan was one of the most "in-demand" studio musicians in the UK, and performed in more than one thousand charting singles over his career. He was called "Big Jim" to distinguish him from Jimmy Page, who was a popular session guitarist at the time and known as "Little Jim". Sullivan, with Ritchie Blackmore and Pete Townshend, persuaded Jim Marshall to make those iconic amplifiers. James Charles "Jim" Marshall, OBE (1923 - ), is known as The Father Of Loud.

Hovie Lister & the Statesmen

2012-01-31T16:36:00.001-06:00

What a find! This record has never been played, or opened! Hovie Lister & the Statesmen. With the Skylite Strings, on the Skylite label, SLP 6080. They sound like would have played a few concerts that Andy and Helen and Barney and Thelmalou would have surely attended in Mayberry on hot Saturday night. Very obscure - so I had to look this up: Hovie Franklin Lister (September 17, 1926 - December 28, 2001) was an American gospel pianist. Lister was born in Greenville, South Carolina, and he learned piano at age six. Lister accompanied a singing group composed of his father and three of his uncles (The Lister Brothers Quartet) at 14, and toured with Mordecai Ham at the same age. He attended the Stamps-Baxter School of Music in Dallas. Following his education, Lister served as an accompanist for The Lefevres, The Homeland Harmony, and The Rangers Quartet in the 1940s. In 1948, he formed The Statesmen Quartet, and remained the group's anchor for decades. Lister's style, which differed from his predecessors in his adoption of jazz, soul and ragtime idioms over the staid, solemn accompaniment of prior generations, influenced the sound of gospel and CCM in the later 20th century. Lister remained a member of The Statesmen Quartet into the 2000s. Aside from performing, Lister also had interests in music publishing and promotion. Lister was inducted into the Southern Gospel Hall of Fame in 2001.

Chaka Khan...and Prince, Rufus

2012-01-31T10:23:00.000-06:00

Chaka Khan...I really like Prince's original version of I Feel for You. She surely makes her cover version of it her own - especially with that killer dub intro, but the swing-y tempo of Prince's (who wrote it) version is just really smooth and silky. Prince's version is on his 2nd LP (which some people think is/was his debut), the eponymous Prince album, called Prince, which was released in October 1979. Apparently, it was slapped together rapidly to keep the momentum gained from his actual debut LP, For You. I wore that album out in college because it has one of my all-time favorite songs on it - "I Wanna Be Your Lover." Which was his first hit, spending two weeks at number one on the R&B singles chart. But back to Chaka and the group she has fronted for many years - Rufus. I read that when Quincy Jones was helping to make Off the Wall, members of Rufus (David J. "Hawk" Wolinski and John "JR" Robinson) were used as the rhythm section on that classic album. The album shown on the right is hers called Naughty, out in 1980, and produced by Arif Mardin, Turkey's second most famous record-maker. There is a veritable who's who of musical geniuses listed as having played on that record too long to list here.

The Byrds...untitled, with 16 minute version of Eight Miles High

2012-01-30T08:27:00.000-06:00

The Byrds, untitled...the band that started it all...this is also the photo I used to have up on my newly formatted Facebook page - called Timeline. Most people don't like that, but this is not about Facebook. The Byrds are/were one of the most important bands ever. I don't think new bands can really attain important-ness. This album is referred to as Untitled, their 9th, it was released in 1970 on Columbia. It is a double album, but s not a DLA, because the first disc is live recordings from some early 1970's performances in New York City, but the second disk is studio recordings. That is an odd format. Genesis had 3 sides live. This album was the first official release of any live recordings by the band as well as the first appearance on a Byrds' record of new member Skip Battin, who replaced the band's earlier bass player John York. The studio disc is has songs by lead Roger McGuinn and a Broadway theater director Jacques Levy, they had some idea to try to do a country rock musical, but that never go off the ground, so those songs ended up here. The single "Chestnut Mare" and b/w "Just a Season", was released in the U.S. in October 1970 and reached #121 (wow!) on the Billboard chart. Side two has one song on it - Eight Miles High, at all of 16 minutes.

The Kingsmen, featuring Louie, Louie

2012-01-28T08:33:00.000-06:00

The Kingsmen...Louie, Louie.

Try this one too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEIP8sHqIgs&feature=related

Wiki entry - "When recorded the band members were Jack Ely (vocalist/rhythm guitar), Lynn Easton (drummer), Mike Mitchell (lead guitar), Don Gallucci (electric piano) and Bob Nordby (bass guitar). Ken Chase (Kingsmen manager and Portland radio station KISN music director) produced the recording session. Robert Lindahl (Northwestern Inc. recording studio owner) was the audio engineer. "Louie Louie" was kept from the top spot on the charts in late 1963 and early 1964 by the Singing Nun and Bobby Vinton, who monopolized the #1 slot for four weeks apiece. The Kingsmen single reached #1 on the Cashbox chart and #2 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart. Additionally in the UK it reached #26 on the Record Retailer chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. The B-side of the single was an instrumental, "Haunted Castle". The band attracted nationwide attention when "Louie Louie" was banned by the governor of Indiana, Matthew E. Welsh, also attracting the attention of the FBI because of alleged indecent lyrics in their version of the song. The lyrics were, in fact, innocent, but Ely's baffling enunciation permitted teenage fans and concerned parents alike to imagine the most scandalous obscenities. All of this attention only made the song more popular. In April 1966 "Louie Louie" was reissued and once again hit the music charts, reaching #65 on the Cashbox chart and #97 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart."

Spooky Tooth - the last puff

2012-01-27T15:14:00.000-06:00

the last puff...Spooky Tooth. Spooky Tooth can trace their roots back a version of Free, and they are in the entry titled Good & Bad Company in Pete Frame's great rock band guide book, called Rock Family Trees. Spook Tooth has 6 iterations, the last and final one has Gary Wright, Mick Jones, Bryson Graham, Mike Patto, and Val Moore in it. And you can see how that flows into Foreigner. Above Foreigner in this groupings Rock Family Tree is Mott the Hoople. It's very complex to explain how his book is laid out (but go get the book - it's awesome!), so I don't use it much here for postings. Back to this record - the last puff, the first track here is a cover of the Beatles' I am the Walrus. And the great and ubiquitous Chris Stainton plays bass guitar, piano, guitar, and organ here. Plus, the record was produced by Stainton, and Chris Blackwell. It was recorded at Island Studios, London - remixed by Glyn Johns. Also, The Last Puff is actually credited to "Spooky Tooth Featuring Mike Harrison." The band broke up shortly after the album's release, reforming two years later.

David Crosby - you are a mensch...

2012-01-26T16:24:00.000-06:00

David, - really? If I Could Only Remember My Name - his debut solo record, released in February 1971 on Atlantic Records. Four high-profile albums were released by each member of CSNY right after Deja Vu. The album gained new recognition in 2010 when it was listed second on the Vatican's "Top 10 Pop Albums of All Time" as published in the official newspaper of the Holy See, L'Osservatore Romano. And these are some of the cast of characters we are reading about in The Last Sultan, a terrific biography of Ahmet Ertegun. So, if you are scoring at home, here they are: Side one, from upper left: Graham, Neil, Phil Lesh, Bill Krevtzmann, David Frieberg, Mickey Hart, Heny Diltz, Paul Kantner, Santana drummer Michael Shrieve, who's performance on Soul Sacrafice captured on the Woodstock film is often credited as the event's finest, certainly the fest's youngest performer, then on to Himself, Laura Allen (not the soap opera actress), Jerry Garcia, and Jack Cassiday. On the right side: Jorma Kaukonen, (a founding member of Jefferson Airplane), and Grace Slick, Gregg Rolie (Santana and later Journey), Joni, Gary Burden, Stephen, Barncard, (record producer and sound engineer, he produced this record), Robert Hammer, David Geffen, Ronald Stone (likely of Greene and Stone), (Woodstock financier) Elliott Roberts (nee Rabinowitz), himself - David Crosby.

Led Zeppelin One - Australopithecus

2012-01-25T21:40:00.001-06:00

And I called myself a vinyl record collector before today, when I bought this record? This is the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock of rock records. The Model T, Abe Lincoln, Apollo 11, it is L'Anse aux Meadows. It is the Rosetta Stone. It's fittingly on Atlantic of course, Produced by Jimmy Page. Director of Engineering Glyn Johns. Executive producer Peter Grant. Back liner photo Chris Dreja. Recorded at Olympic Studios, London. When I saw Jason Bonham in his tribute concert he introduces Your Time is Gonna Come as the portion of the show when he tries hardest to not cry. "TABLA DRUMS on Black Mountain Side Viram Jasani." Speaking of BMS, "Black Mountain Side" was inspired by a traditional Irish folk song called "Down by Blackwaterside". The guitar arrangement closely follows Bert Jansch's version of that song, recorded on his 1966 album Jack Orion. This arrangement was learnt by Al Stewart, who followed Jansch's gigs closely, and who, in turn, taught it to Jimmy Page, who was a session musician for Stewart's debut album." You Shook Me has a credit to Willie Dixon, as is I Can't Quit You Baby. This completes my set of the Zeppelin's entire set of the known 8 studio albums: I-IV, Houses of the Holy, Graffiti, Presense, and In Through the Out Door.

Eighties Rock MTV Reunion Concert Review; Hosted by Jim Peterik

2012-01-24T09:37:00.001-06:00

I took this photo from the 2nd row. As many of you know, there is a living legend and rock and roll God who lives near me in the western suburbs of Chicago. He is Jim Peterik. Known mostly as founding and current member of the (still intact) Ides of March (Vehicle), and Survivor - the eighties band he formed that put out Eye of the Tiger for the Rocky III movie. But Jim is so much more than just that. He is a prolific hit-making song-writer. He penned most of the .38 Special canon, and has co-written hits with and for Sammy Hagar, REO Speedwagon, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Brian Wilson, and many others. Jim hosts an annual concert in January at a nearby community college theater. For the past 11 years, at that he dubs World Stage, Jim assembles some of his very good friends in the bands he used to tour with back with Survivor. I'd call the concert, all 4 hours of it, a Revue, with Jim as MC, host, and guitarist vocalist. He assembles a band made up of some great, local talent like guitarist Mike Acquino and others. Jim did an old Ides gem called LA Goodbye. Fast rising vocalist Lisa McClowerly joins in. Jim's son Sijay too. And a guy who really should be more well-known, the energetic guitar thrasher Anthony Gomes. Then, as the concert unfolded after the intermission, Jim started to bring out the big guns. Jim "turns loose" Mike Reno from Lover Boy, to start the "weekend." Lisa takes Ann Wilson's role in the classic lover's duet Almost Paradise. And Rik Emmett gives us the finest 3-song Triumph mini set imaginable: Lay it on the Line, Fight the Good Fight, and the ultimate '80's uplifter - Magic Power. Just when it can't get any better, Night Ranger's Kelly Keagy does Sister Christian. And the whole assemblage comes out for Eye of the Tiger.

Jefferson Airplane - Played at Woodstock...

2012-01-23T21:16:00.001-06:00

Jefferson Airplane - played at Woodstock...if this record and album cover was in better shape, it would quite valuable. It was a throw-in at the Record Show a couple of weeks ago. One dealer was selling a VG issue of it for close to twenty dollars. This one, that I own - as you can see - it pretty banged up. Here is what wiki tells us about it. Jefferson Airplane Takes Off is the debut album of San Francisco rock band Jefferson Airplane, released on RCA Victor Records in September 1966. The personnel differ from the later "classic" lineup and the music is more folk-rock than the harder psychedelic sound for which the band later became famous. Signe Toly Anderson was the female vocalist and Skip Spenceplayed drums. Both left the group shortly after the album's release and were replaced by Grace Slick and Spencer Dryden, respectively.

Jr. Walker and the all stars

2012-01-21T09:03:00.000-06:00

Jr. Walker and the all stars. What an album cover. I am sure that this kind of artwork never pass muster and make it out of the record company's legal department. It's trademark lawyer's dream! And you likely know much about Jr. Walker. But I had forgotten this nugget: He played that most awesome sax solo on Mick Jones' Foreigner track Urgent. On the recording, apparently that "solo" was cobbled together in the studio from bits and pieces of earlier recorded tapes he had made previously with the band. I got this record for fifty cents last weekend at a record collectors tradeshow.

Faces - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, 2012. Faces...

2012-01-20T14:26:00.001-06:00

Faces - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, 2012. In honour of their impending induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, here is their double album. This is A Nod Is as Good as a Wink... to a Blind Horse, the third album by Faces, and their second album of 1971. It was their most successful album, peaking at #6 in the US. It has Stay with Me on it. Apparently, the original issue of the album came with a poster inside consisting of a picture collage, including images of pills and pharmaceutical capsules, as well as photos apparently taken on tour of band and crew members reveling with naked groupies in hotel rooms. Within weeks of release, the record company had second thoughts and re-issued the album without the poster, making original copies with the poster into collector's items. I am pretty sure this album does NOT have the poster inside - but I will double check. Here is what the RNR HOF website tells us. Some say the Small Faces are on equal footing, or at least creative peers with the Beatles, the Who, and the Stones. Reborn in the early seventies with a shorter name, under either moniker – they’ve made a lasting inspiration. They were bassist Ronnie Lane, organist Ian “Mac” McLagan, drummer Kenney Jones, and singer Steve Marriott. They made some high-powered singles and a couple classic albums, mostly written by Marriott and Lane. Actually Rod himself was a bit of a late addition to the group, replacing Marriott. I think Rod brought Ronnie Wood along with him. They broke up in 1975 when Stewart went solo and Wood joined the Stones. Lane passed away in 1997.

Taylor Dane - tell it to my what?

2012-01-19T08:34:00.002-06:00

Taylor Dane. Really...? Yes, really. OK, ok....so I bought this record last Sunday at the Chicagoland Vinyl Record Collectors Convention and Trade Show. I got there late and many of vendors had vacated their tables. I took it home and played it. Once you get past Tell it to my Heart, there are a couple of decent songs on side one. It is now my collection, and accessible, and I guarantee there will be an evening when someone comes across this album and screeches out - OMG, play this one!

Ray Parker, Jr. - Woman Out of Control (wiki down today - still posting!)

2012-01-18T13:08:00.001-06:00

Ray Parker, Jr., Woman Out of Control. Skooter and I wore this album out in college. After living in the "big house" on Broadway with 11 pals, we scaled down into apartment living, 8 guys in two, 2-bedroom apartments on Willow Street. We would have these "after set" parties after the bar closed and this was one of our go-to records. It keep things lively. And while we're at it - Ray Parker, Jr. is one of the most talented music-makers of all time. Just as Michael Jackson was no Prince, and Lionel Richie was no Michael; Ray Parker, Jr. has at least as much pure musical talent at those I mentioned. Other than the lame-ish Ghost Busters, his songs from that same era seemed to always get the short shrift. For instance - on this (like his other albums) all songs were written and produced by Ray. Plus - Ray Parker, Jr. is credited in the liner notes as playing "Drums, Bass (guitar), Guitar, Piano, Synthesizer, and Lead and Background Vocals." He does invite a few others to help on on things like flute, congas, tambourine, "percussion," and assorted background vocals.

Van Halen - their best album: 5150

2012-01-17T16:18:00.001-06:00

Van Halen - my favorite album. 5150 is also their best work. The debate will rage on, David Lee Roth or Sammy, but I look at the Van Halen canon in its entirety, and pound (cake) for pound, I think this was their musical peak. I also really enjoy For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. 5150 is both brash and melodic at the same time. I read Sammy's autobiography over the summer and he pretty much ended up hating not only his time with VH, but also the brothers themselves. But that's his side of the story. I think this wa/is a case of them needing him more than he needed them. Back to Fifty One Fifty, it is their 7th studio record, released in 1986 on Warner Bros. Foreigner's Mick Jones was brought in to Produce it. It was their first of 4 records with Sammy Hagar. It was named after Eddie Van Halen's home studio, 5150, which is a California police term for a mentally disturbed person. The 5150 name has been used several times by Van Halen. It is the name of a custom red and white Frankenstein-striped Kramer Pacer Special electric guitar used by Eddie Van Halen throughout the '80s, and the model name of a signature guitar amplifier endorsed by Eddie for his own EVH brand. The album shipped numero uno on Billboard - something no previous VH album had, but it's the collection of songs that make this a great album.

Joe Sample - The Hunter

2012-01-16T15:47:00.001-06:00

Joe Sample - The Hunter...what do we know about Joe Sample? Well, this for starters...be was a child prodigy, having begun playing the piano when he was five years old. He was a student of the late great organ and piano extraordinaire Curtis Mayo. Since the early 1980's, he has enjoyed a successful solo career and has guested on many recordings by other performers and groups, including Miles Davis, George Benson, Jimmy Witherspoon, B. B. King, Eric Clapton, Steely Dan, and The Supremes. Sample incorporates jazz, gospel, blues, Latin, and classical forms into his music. Perhaps he is best know for being a founding member of the Jazz Crusaders, later shortened to just The Crusaders. The Crusaders are an American music group popular in the early 1970's and well known for their amalgamation of traditional jazz, pop, (funk) and soul sound. Since 1961, more than forty albums have been credited to the group (some live and compilations), 19 of which were recorded under the name "The Jazz Crusaders" (1961–1970). I have many Crusaders records - and when you type The Crusaders into youtube, the first video song clips that you see at the top of the list are the tune Street Life, from the album of same name.

Kansas - their eponymous debut album; about to carry on...a Great Album Cover

2012-01-15T07:30:00.001-06:00

Kansas - their eponymous debut album. Is this one of the all time great album covers? I think so. Here is why: yes, we all know that the album cover depicts abolitionist John Brown in a scene from a painting titled, Tragic Prelude, which is a mural by Kansas native John Steuart Curry. The original mural is painted on a wall at the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka. The album cover image is severely discolored and cropped to show less than half of the painting. But what of John Brown. John Brown (May 9, 1800 – December 2, 1859) was an American revolutionary abolitionist, who in the 1850s advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery in the United States. Brown led the Pottawatomie Massacre during which five men were killed, in 1856 in Bleeding, Kansas, and made his name in the unsuccessful raid at Harpers Ferry in 1859. Later that year he was executed, but his speeches at the trial captured national attention. Brown has been called one of "the most controversial of all 19th-century Americans" and "America's first domestic terrorist." Below is a screen shot of the entire painting. On the album cover - the Kansas twister is cropped out. Rethinking the album cover for the band, in retrospect, they should have made the album a gatefold (even with single disk) with the entire painting laid out. Looking at the painting - it's even in the proper rectangular proportions.

Rufus and Chaka Khan...featuring Chaka Khan...

2012-01-14T08:36:00.001-06:00

Rufus and Chaka Khan. What a great band. I've been going back and sample a bunch of sides of all of the Rufus albums I own (5), and finding some gems. There in an instrumental on side two of this one called On Time. I am also tweaking my photo image sizes here to show you clearer pictures. I had been compressing the images in my photo editing software - then enlarging them here - but that turns them fuzzy. Let's see how this looks.

Eric Clapton - Money and Cigarettes

2012-01-13T10:36:00.000-06:00

Eric Clapton - Money and Cigarettes. Maybe it is just because I like to compartmentalize and group things - but to me, this is the last record in Eric's 3-album trilogy that I categorize as his post-Tulsa era. Money and Cigarettes was released in 1983. The cover depicts Clapton, cigarette in hand, standing next to a melting Fender Stratocaster guitar. Eric Clapton named the album like this "because, that's all I saw myself having left." The rather wimpy single "I've Got a Rock 'n' Roll Heart" became a modest. The other three studio albums in this 3-record grouping are: No Reason to Cry, and Backless. [He also had the one-off Slowhand in this era - which is the out-lyer, for many reasons, to be discussed.] And and a nondescript live album called Another Ticket - which was his last on Polydor. Many artists' last albums on or for a particular label are greatest hits or live albums, put out just to satisfy (and thereby end) the contract. Having fulfilled is commitment to RSO/Polydor, his next studio album would be on a label of his own making - Duck Records.

Climax Blues Band - two similar records; Couldn't get it wrong

2012-01-12T11:40:00.001-06:00

Climax Blues Band. Shine On and Gold Plated. With sax-playing lead singer! Climax Blues Band - (did not know they were originally known as the Climax Chicago Blues Band. Formed in Stafford, England - in 1968. Original members were guitarists Peter Haycock and Derek Holt; keyboardist Arthur Wood; bassist Richard Jones; drummer George Newsome; and vocalist and harmonica and sax player, Colin Cooper. In 1970, they shortened their name to just Climax Blues Band due to "pressure" from the a band called Chicago Transit Authority, who in turn felt pressure from the actual CTA (our mass transit system), to shorten their name. CBB released at close to 20 albums, with "Couldn't Get It Right" their seemingly sole hit. What a band - what an era.

Country Joe and the Fish - played at Woodstock

2012-01-11T14:02:00.000-06:00

Country Joe and the Fish. First off - they played at Woodstock. Next - "their biggest hit was the anti-war "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag", which debuted the same year as the band, but became best known after Country Joe's solo acoustic performance of it at Woodstock. Country Joe was sued in 2001 by Kid Ory's daughter, Babette Ory, who claimed Joe's "Fixin" Rag infringed her copyright to Kid Ory's Dixieland jazz standard "Muskrat Ramble". In August 2003, the court case was decided in Joe's favor, since Kid Ory, Babette Ory, and the Muskat Ramble publisher had all known of Joe's song in the late 1960s but no complaint was made for decades. Finding the complaint objectively unreasonable, the court awarded McDonald some of his attorney's fees and costs. Due to the long delay and prejudice, including death of key witnesses, the court did not even reach the lack of substantial similarity issue. Babette Ory and her attorney appealed, and the appellate court affirmed the decision in favor of Joe McDonald. Way to go, Joe! Country Joe's anti-war activity led to his being called as a witness at the Chicago Seven conspiracy trial in 1969, where he recited the lyrics to "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag." Nice. Oh, and I bumped into Carlos Santana last weekend. Almost feinted!

Brass Construction - they got up, in order to get on down

2012-01-10T09:15:00.000-06:00

Brass Construction - their 2nd and 3rd albums. I just can't figure out why I dig this group so much. They are a bit like EWF with their bright, hornsy sound, but sadly with songs that are/were less catchy. I made one mistake recently when I took many of my duplicate and "common" records to a huge, local vinyl record convention and sold them. My copy of Brass Construction's eponymous debut album was surely in one of those 14 crates. Oh well - I will probably find it again somewhere soon and then buy it back to fifty cents. But what are Brass Construction? First off, brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in which the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties. But the band was signed in 1975 by Sid Maurer, and former Epic Records promotion man Fred Frank, they scored two US Billboard Hot 100 entries in 1976 - the most successful being "Movin'," which hit #14. BC had success on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart, with nine chart entries, including "Movin'," which one BC'er later had as a number of R&B hits when he joined Skyy.

BW Stevenson - His Maria...

2012-01-09T09:06:00.000-06:00

This is a Best Of...record, and it's the only B.W. Stevenson album I own. Known mainly (only?) for the catchy My Maria, B.W. Stevenson (October 1949 - April 1988), was born as Louis Charles Stevenson. He was a country pop artist, working in a genre that would later become known as progressive country. "B.W." stood for "Buckwheat." Born in Dallas, he attended W.H. Adamson High School with such other future noted musicians as Michael Martin Murphy, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Larry Groce. "My Maria" became a large hit, reaching #9 on Billboard's Hot 100 for the week of September 29, 1973. Co-written by him and Daniel Moore, that gorgeous guitar portion (I think that is called a bridge) was played by the great Larry Carlton. As you probably know - it was covered much later by the country duo Brooks & Dunn, for whom it was a three-week #1 country hit in mid 1996. I read that Stevenson had several other successful chart singles, including "A Little Bit of Understanding" and the original version of Daniel Moore's "Shambala," which as a cover version by Three Dog Night reached #3. But alas - Stevenson never regained the success he had with "My Maria." He did make one Contemporary Christian album later on. Author Jan Reid devotes a chapter to Stevenson in his book, The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock, dubbing him "The Voice." Sadly, he passed away while undergoing heart valve surgery at the age of 38. A place called Poor David's Pub in Dallas holds an annual songwriting competition in his memory.

Kansas - Vinyl Confessions

2012-01-08T16:19:00.001-06:00

This is Vinyl Confessions, the eighth studio album, and ninth album overall, by American rock band Kansas, released in 1982 (see1982 in music). It includes "Play the Game Tonight", which broke the Top 20 and is Kansas's third highest-charting single, surpassed only by "Carry on Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind". The album was reissued in remastered format on CD in 2011. Apparently - the founding members became (were?, are?) born again Christians. Then - on that topic, wiki reports...Vinyl Confessions was a major turning point for the band. After the conversion of both guitarist/keyboard player Kerry Livgrenand bass player Dave Hope to Christianity, and the focus that Livgren placed on his religion in the band's lyrics, lead singer Steve Walsh did not agree with the new direction of the band and left to form his own band, Streets. Walsh had also contributed much as a songwriter, so the band was forced to find a new lead singer who not only had a vocal style that fit the band's music, but also could contribute material for the upcoming album. After a long audition process, the choice came down to three strong candidates: Warren Ham, Michael Gleason and John Elefante. The band eventually settled on Elefante.

Robert Palmer - two solo albums...

2012-01-06T10:08:00.000-06:00

Robert Palmer - solo albums. He's on my Saw him play live List. He has a ton a great songs! What a shame to have lost him. Once of the great voices of rock. Right up there with Paul Rodgers. The one on the left, Secrets, came out when I was a freshman in college and I got very sick of Bad Case of Lovin' You, (Doctor, Doctor, Gimme the News) - so that song is ruined for me to this day. On the right is his epic monster Riptide, with the deeply pounding Addicted to Love. Hey - it was produced by my all-time favorite bass player - Bernard Edwards. Tony Thompson drums on it too! Try to listen to more of Robert Palmer's songs and find his other gems.

Gary Puckett and the Union Gap

2012-01-05T22:19:00.000-06:00

Gary Puckett and the Union Gap.

Santana - Abraxas

2012-01-04T09:45:00.003-06:00

Santana - Abraxas. This is a request post. Over on my Linkedin group that I moderate (Vinyl Record Collectors), a guy - Randy - mentioned that this great album has two song pairs best played in order. They are: Black Magic Woman & Oye Como Va. The great Michael Shrieve drums on this album. His was perhaps the finest bit (from a techincal standpoint) of playing captured on the feature-length Woodstock movie/documentary. The once and future Journy keyboard player - Greg Rolie - is on this record. As for the above album cover artwork: Abdul Mati Klarwein (April 9, 1932 – March 7, 2002) was a painter best known for his works used on the covers of music albums.

The inside of the record album cover.

David McCallum - Music, a Part of Me, Conducts Personal Impressions of

2012-01-03T08:39:00.000-06:00

Illya, Kuryakin - aka David McCallum. Yes, he was in the TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. He was actually Scottish - born to Glaswegians. Duh. A friend of mine also told me that David is on a wildly popular TV (have never seen it), called NCIS. McCallum made this record in 1966, according to the jacket. He plays no instruments on it nor sings any tunes on it. Rather, he conducts. OK, fine. From the back cover - I read and transcribe here, these are songs he states that are "a part of me." They are Turn Turn Turn, The IN Crowd, A Taste of Honey, Yesterday, (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, We Gotta Get out of this Place, Downtown, The Far Side of the Moon, Louise, Insomnia, and The Sugar Cane. The back cover liner notes, David writes, "Eight of the 12 songs need no introduction. Of the other 4, one was written by my arranger H.B. Barnum. Another by the producer of this album David Axlerod. Two of them are very much a part or me. I hope you like it." David McCallum.

Kenny Rogers and the First Edition: Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town

2012-01-02T06:39:00.000-06:00

Kenny Rogers and the First Edition. Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town. I have some newly found and rather huge level of respect for Kenny Rogers. After viewing some old video clips of him - many with this band, the First Edition - we can see Kenny playing the bass guitar while singing in many of those videos. I really thought he was just a "microphone in the face" vocalist, albeit with a great voice. But he really had some nice bass chops back in the day and he looked very cool with that Fender 4-string (Jazz or P Bass) strapped to his shoulder! Just sayin'. Since his hey day (Gambler are), I don't think I've seen him play the bass guitar while singing since his First Edition days. Try this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yReKOy6QP_s&feature=related

New Year's Day - U2: WAR

2012-01-01T08:49:00.000-06:00

New Year's Day, from U2's WAR. To paraphrase..."All is quiet on new year's day. A world in white (not here) gets underway. A crowd has gathered in black and white, arms entwined, the chosen few. And so we are told in this golden age, and gold is the reason for the wars we wage. Nothing changes on new year's day."

Les Paul and Mary Ford - Hits of Les and Mary, Guitar Legend & Music Deity

2011-12-31T06:30:00.002-06:00

Les Paul and Mary Ford...wow, I scored this for fifty cents. When I spot records like this, it matters not what the condition they are in. They get added to my collection without hesitation. What an icon Les is. Actually more like the electric guitar deity, who is immortalized for all time in rock and roll and electronically recorded music. And this would have been an even better cover if he was holding a Les Paul model Gibson guitar. But I think this one is an Epiphone make. And now I think that Epiphone is a wholly-owned unit of Gibson Guitars. But if you know your guitars - please let me know in the comment section - thanks.

Black Sabbath - Tony Iommi - Reading his autobiography: Iron Man

2011-12-28T12:41:00.001-06:00

I have just started reading Iron Man, the autobiography of Tony Iommi. I will let you know how it is as I get deeper into it. So far (page 14), so good. The book is a fun read; I no practically nothing about this band - but apparently they invented heavy metal. I moves at a rapid clip - with chapters averaging 2.5 or 3 pages. This is Never Say Die. Never Say Die! is the eighth studio album by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in September 1978. It was the most recent Sabbath studio album with Ozzy Osbourne as the band's lead singer released to date until it was announced in November 2011 that the original Sabbath lineup will return to the studio for a new album to be released in 2012. As for the album cover - The sleeve was another by Hipgnosis and the US and UK releases differed slightly in the faint images of British military pilots seen in the sky. The inner-bag featured graphics in keeping with the sleeve and credits, but no lyrics. The airplane on the cover appears to be a North American T-6 Texan.

Dave Mason - new title page album (a DLA no less, above), Certified Live...

2011-12-24T07:17:00.004-06:00

Totally forgot how awesome this DLA is. More than that - it might have one of the all-time best album sides from ANY DLA, ever. It is Side One. Dave Mason comes out of the gate on this DLA - guns blazing with Feelin' Alright, Pearly Queen, Show me Some Affection, and All Along the Watchtower. Some could say and have said that Dave's version of AATW is the greatest take ever on that great song. And it's been done by many. No argument here. Dave Mason, as the years go by, continues to rise in my all-time lists.

Ray Charles - The Spirit of Christmas - and to all a good night...

2011-12-22T14:17:00.001-06:00

Ray Charles - The Spirit of Christmas.

Argent - they Helds Their Heads High

2011-12-21T10:57:00.001-06:00

Argent - In Deep. Argent is an English band, I really thought they were American. Also did not know Rod Argent was in The Zombies. Their hit was the somewhat droning Hold Your Head Up. But this record we show today is called In Deep, it was released in 1973 and it features the original full length recording of "God Gave Rock and Roll to You", which reached No.18 in the UK charts (U.S. #114). When released as a single in edited form later the same year, before being remade by Kiss as "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II" for the film Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey in 1991, when it was a massive worldwide hit. The original Argent lineup reunited at the High Voltage Festival in Victoria Park, London in July 2010, and undertook a short five-date concert tour in December 2010, with gigs in Frome, Southampton, Wolverhampton, Leamington Spa and London. Speaking of Wolverhampton - I will be at the Arsenal match at Emirates Stadium.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCftkwQwy5Q&feature=related

Charlie Rich - on Sun Records. Sun's Best of Charlie Rich

2011-12-20T15:52:00.001-06:00

The Great Charlie Rich - on Sun Records. It's not on this record - but I really dig his song - Behind Closed Doors. But this my only LP record in my collection on Sun Records. I don't usually like to post here about Best of or Greatest Hits albums - but I find myself breaking that rule pretty often. So maybe I will just permanently rescind it. OK - done: new rule in effect.

Also - it was worth it to look this up on wiki: "Rich was a session musician for Judd Records, owned by Judd Phillips, the brother of Sun Records founder Sam Phillips. After recording some demos for Sam Phillips at Sun Records that Phillips didn't find commercial enough, and too jazzy, legend has it that he was given a stack of Jerry Lee Lewis records and told: "come back when you get that bad." In 1958, Rich became a regular session musician for Sun Records playing on records by Lewis, Johnny Cash, Bill Justis, Warren Smith, Billy Lee Riley, Carl Mann, and Ray Smith. He also wrote songs for Lewis, Cash, and others. His third single for the Sun subsidiary, Phillips International Records, was the 1960 Top 30 hit, "Lonely Weekends," noted for its Presley-like vocals. None of his seven follow-up singles was a success, though several of the songs became staples in his live set, including "Who Will the Next Fool Be," "Sittin' and Thinkin'," and "No Headstone on My Grave." These songs were often recorded by others to varying degrees of success, such as the Bobby Bland version of "Who Will the Next Fool Be." Rich's career stalled, and he left the struggling Sun label in 1963, signing with a subsidiary of RCA Records, Groove. His first single for Groove, "Big Boss Man," was a minor hit, but again his Chet Atkins-produced follow-ups all stiffed. Rich moved to Smash Records early in 1965. Rich's new producer, Jerry Kennedy, encouraged the pianist to emphasize his country and rock & roll leanings, although Rich considered himself a jazz pianist and had not paid much attention to country music since his childhood. The first single for Smash was "Mohair Sam," an R&B-inflected novelty-rock number, and it became a Top 30 pop hit. Unfortunately again for Rich, none of his follow-up singles were successful. Rich was forced to change labels, moving over to Hi Records, where he recorded blue-eyed soul music and straight country, but none of his singles made a dent on the country or pop charts. One Hi Records track Love Is After Me from 1966 belatedly became a Northern Soul favorite in the early 1970s.

Beach Boys Christmas; We'd Like to Wish You a Very Merry Christmas

2011-12-19T08:11:00.001-06:00

The Beach Boys...I have to admit, Carl Wilson was the best of them. Brian - of course is and was the songwriting genius, Dennis the true rock and roller. But when I listen to the old clips of Carl singing lead vocals on songs like I Can Hear Music. Goose bumps. But here is their most famous Christmas song - Little Saint Nick. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSynDh_K0EE

Black Sabbath - the birth of heavy metal

2011-12-18T07:56:00.001-06:00

This is their eponymous debut album. I really have no business commenting and on Black Sabbath here on this little hobby blog. I just don't know enough to add anything here. They are revered as rock legends. And most experts count this group among the forefathers of heavy metal. But this is an awesome album cover. This record also represents this rare triple play: The band's name, their debut album, and first song on their first record all have the same name. There is only one other band that I know of that can also say that. The song here I really like is called The Wizard. And according to wiki, this - their eponymous debut album: "Black Sabbath is the debut studio album by English heavy metal band Black Sabbath. Released in 13 February 1970 in the UK, and in June 1970 in the US, this album reached number eight on the UK Albums Chart and has been recognized as the first album to be credited with the development of the heavy metal genre." It was recorded at the famed Trident Studios, which is my second favorite recording studio in England, after Olympic. In March 1968 Manfred Mann recorded Trident's very first number one at the studio, the single "My Name's Jack", launching Trident as a top professional studio. During the early 70s, some of the most reputed artists used the studios for their recordings, including Black Sabbath, Elton John, Marc Bolan/T.Rex, Carly Simon, Frank Zappa, The Rolling Stones,Free, The Plastic Ono Band, Lindisfarne , Dusty Springfield, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Krisma, Jeff Beck/Rod Stewart and Joan Armatrading, (with Pam Nestor).

Muddy Waters - Hard Again

2011-12-16T16:58:00.000-06:00

The real deal - Muddy Waters - Hard Again. Muddy Waters is on my personal They are No Longer Around, but I Saw Them Play Live list. He passed away in 1983. And I saw him on one of his last tours - shortly before this record came out. I was fortunate to score a ticket to a great performance when I was in college - at ISU, in Normal, IL. That particular concert was on Thursday, February 21, 1980. I know that because his tour dates on all listed here: http://www.muddywaters.com/1980.html That website also says this about Mud's final years of making records, "In 1977, his long association with Chess at an end, he signed with Blue Sky Records, a label operated by another of his young proteges, the guitarist and singer Johnny Winter, and over the next several years produced four spirited albums under Winter's sympathetic guidance."

Con Funk Shun - Burnin' Love and Spirit of Love

2011-12-15T10:11:00.001-06:00

Con Funk Shun...not the most well-know of the funk-style horn bands. This is not at all meant as a put-down, but to me they are sort of Earth Wind & Fire-lite. A big, bright horn section carries their songs. Besides this one (Burning Love), and I also own Spirit of Love - which has a catchy title track. Click on this post's title to sample that song. And - I read this about their background: "The band was formed by a pair of high school students in Vallejo, California, drummer Louis A. McCall Sr. and singer/guitarist Michael Cooper. The two got their start as a backup group for the Soul Children under the name Project Soul. They began working with Stax Records staff songwriters, and while recording at Audio Dimensions, a Memphis, sound studio, producer Ted Sturges both named the group (after an instrumental recording by The Nite-Liters) and produced their first album, called Organized Con Funk Shun. In 1976, Con Funk Shun signed to Mercury Records, releasing eleven albums in ten years. The group's 1977 LP, Secrets, was certified gold in the US, as were 1978's Loveshine, 1979's Candy, and 1980's Spirit of Love. They scored a string of top ten hits on the US Billboard black singles chart, including 1977's "Ffun" (#1), 1978's "Shake and Dance with Me" (#5), 1979's "Chase Me" (#4), 1980s "Got to Be Enough" (#8), and "Too Tight" (#8). Some tensions from within the group built over the 1980s, and the group's last album, Burning Love, (above) was recorded without songwriter and vocalist Felton Pilate. After leaving Mercury, the band broke up in 1986, but some members of the group reunited alongside touring musicians for concerts in the 1990s."

The Buffalo Springfield - Retrospective

2011-12-14T09:13:00.001-06:00

Here it is - The Buffalo Springfield - with For What It's Worth.
Perhaps the most significant rock song of all time...

Survivor - Rebel Girl - EP single on 12 inch vinyl

2011-12-13T16:04:00.000-06:00

I can't wait to get this record autographed! From my research results, I can attest that it is a fairly rare record. This is the single (on EP 33 and 1/3 RPM) Rebel Girl, by Survivor. It was played heavily on Chicago's numerous AOR FM stations - back when it came out in the eighties. But the song was never on an LP length album. Survivor achieved national success and acclaim for many songs - the most famous of course being Eye of the Tiger. But it is sort of a shame that that is mainly what they are remembered for. They had a slew of great songs and modest hits along the way.

Ahmet Ertegun on Buffalo Springfield

2011-12-12T15:55:00.000-06:00

Am reading, The Last Sultan, a biography of Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, by Robert Greenfield. Above is a photo I took, and cropped, of the back of a Buffalo Springfield album. ATCO is a division of Atlantic Records. Here is a bit more on this label: "Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who had returned to the company from military service. It was also intended as a home for acts that did not fit the format of Atlantic, which at the time was only releasing blues, jazz, and R&B/soul. The Atco name is simply an abbreviation of ATlantic COrporation. Atco's biggest acts during its early years were Bobby Darin and The Coasters. In the early 1960s Atlantic began to license material from international sources for release on Atco, leading to instrumental hit singles from such acts as Jorgen Ingmann, Acker Bilk and Bent Fabric. Starting in the mid-1960s, Atco became a force on the burgeoning rock scene, with American acts such as Sonny and Cher, Buffalo Springfield and Vanilla Fudge. A relationship with manager Robert Stigwood brought The Bee Gees and Cream to the label. In 1964 Atco released a single in the United States by The Beatles, "Ain't She Sweet"; (flip side "Nobody's Child," with lead singer Tony Sheridan), which had been recorded inHamburg in 1961. With lead vocals by John Lennon, "Ain't She Sweet" reached #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in August 1964. Atco also released an album entitled Ain't She Sweet which featured the other two tracks by Sheridan and the Beatles from the Hamburg session and filled out by eight other songs (Beatles and other British Invasion numbers) covered by The Swallows."

Elton John - Here and There; a tremendous Single Live Album

2011-12-10T07:53:00.002-06:00

Elton John - Here and There. Elton's single (record) live album. It's called Here and There because each side has five songs recorded at two separate concerts, at different venues - (there) New York's famed Madison Square Garden, and at (here) Royal Festival Hall in London. Recorded at RFH are Skyline Pigeon Border Song, Honky Cat, Love Song, and Crocodile Rock. At MSG are/were: Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, Rocket Man, Bennie and the Jets, and Take me to the Pilot. It was produced by Gus Dudgeon. I just read that this album was reissued on an expanded CD, which I will break down and buy. Here is more on that: "For the 1995 CD reissue, original producer Gus Dudgeon remixed both shows and extended the song list for a two-CD set, almost fully restoring the play lists for both concerts. While "Take Me To The Pilot" and "Your Song" appear on both discs, Dudgeon said in the liner notes that this was intentional, since both versions of each song are very different from each other, and in his opinion merited inclusion. Digital editing software allowed Dudgeon and his editing and mastering team to, as he put it in the new CD's liner notes by John Tobler, "fix the occasional musical mistake." In the U.S. it was certified Gold on 5/6/1976 and Platinum on 8/25/1998 by the R.I.A.A. The "There" disc also restores to the set list the tracks Elton and the band performed with special guest John Lennon, who made his last public concert appearance at the Madison Square Garden Thanksgiving night show. The tracks were left off the original vinyl version, though "I Saw Her Standing There" was released as the b-side of the "Philadelphia Freedom" single, and all three songs were later released on a DJM-issued EP. Pop-rock journalist Paul Gambaccini wrote the liner notes to the original LP, which were included in the booklet that came with the 1995 remastered edition."

Survivor - Premonition with Summer Nights, Chevy Nights, and Light of a Thousand Smiles

2011-12-09T10:40:00.000-06:00

Survivor - Premonition. This record contains a song that many would consider to be one of the quintessential rock songs of the eighties. That song is called Summer Nights. Click on this post's main title above for a link to hear that song. Out in 1981, this album came out right before the smash Survivor had with Eye of the Tiger. Not only is Summer Nights a fantastic song, but also check out Chevy Nights, Runaway Lights, and Take you on a Saturday. But my favorite song on this killer album is called Light of a Thousand Smiles. Jim Peterik wrote these and so many other great songs. His main songwriting partner, according to the album cover is Frankie Sullivan.

Eric Clapton - Journeyman; final entry of his three great albums from the late eighties

2011-12-08T08:57:00.004-06:00

Pound for pound, Eric Clapton's best one-record album. As I have written here before, this record - the aptly named Journeyman (from 1989) - it is the last in what I refer to as his Late Eighties Rock Trilogy. Those are some of my favorite albums of his. To me - they give off a Spector-esque Wall of Sound. Many think the three are just too clean sounding and slightly "over" produced, if that is possible, with not enough bluesy jagged edges. Those albums are: Behind the Sun, August, and Journeyman. Also known to me as his Phil Collins period (hence the horns), these are some of Eric's best efforts. Most of what I write here is from what I recall from reading his superb autobiography. In this period (1985 - 1989), Eric had fallen back into an earlier fascination of his and re-exploring his fondness for the "Tulsa Sound." That initially rubbed off on him via his favorite bassist and "domino" Carl Raddle. Which, on this album led him to one of the greatest unknown song-writers in history: the late Jerry Lynn Williams. Eric invites many other greats to to take part in this album. We hear Darryl Hall and Chaka Khan on background vocals. And this might be the last album Eric and George Harrison play on together. A personal favorite of mime is on trumpet - Jon Faddis; music director emeritus of the Chicago Jazz Ensemble. Plus David Sanborn, Darryl Jones (rhymes with Stones), and a fabulous and unsung keyboardist named Richard Tee. If you like this trilogy - then get 24 Nights (available, but very rare on vinyl). There Eric commits many of the songs from this mid- to late-eighties trilogy period to live recorded music on an epic double live album of that name.

Dio - Holy Diver: Guest Post by this album's owner

2011-12-07T09:43:00.000-06:00

Here is a Guest Post by my neighbor and fellow musicologist, Jim - who graciously donated this album to my collection. The cover art is so great - as you can see, it is my Blog's new title backer shot.

"Holy Diver is Ronnie James Dio's first album as a solo artist, following his stints with Elf, Richie Blackmore's Rainbow, and as Ozzie Osbourne's replacement in Black Sabbath. The album's most popular tracks are the title track and Rainbow In The Dark. My favorite tracks are Holy Diver and Don't Talk To Strangers and are excellent representations of the awesome range of Dio's voice. Rainbow In The Dark is likely Dio's most recognizable song among both fans and non-fans. Ironically, Dio didn't particularly care as much for the song as his fans did. But being the consummate professional he was, he would always include it in his set for his fans. Other musicians on the album include Vinnie Appice on drums and Vivian Campbell on guitar. Mr. Appice was also the drummer for the Dio-fronted version of Black Sabbath and is the younger brother of drummer Carmine Appice who played for Vanilla Fudge, Rod Stewart, Cactus, and his own band, among other ventures. Holy Diver was responsible for introducing Mr. Campbell to the world, and Vivian subsequently played with the likes of Whitesnake, Def Leppard, and Thin Lizzy. A couple of other interesting facts about Mr. Campbell: 1) his second-ever performance with Def Leppard was on stage at the Freddy Mercury Concert For Life (talk about pressure!), and 2) he plays on Lou Gramm's solo album Long Hard Look (I didn't realize this until now, I'll have to give that album a closer listen now)." Thanks Jim - what a great Guest Post!

Scorpions - Blackout

2011-12-06T08:46:00.001-06:00

The Scorpions - Blackout. This might be the best side of any one rock album released in the first half of the eighties. Five monster songs are on Side One: the title track Blackout, the utterly monsterful Can't Live Without You, followed by (There's) No One Like You, then You Give me All I Need, and finally - Now! During the first half of the eighties - we had Pyromania. And Bon Jovi's breakout debut album (my personal fav of theirs). Yet Aerosmith put nothing out worth noting her during this period of time. What am I missing from say 1980 - 1985? It seems like the the early eighties (when I was in college), was the advent of the MTV era - and we had Duran Duran, Flock of Seagulls, Thriller, Stevie Nicks' great solo albums, the Thompson Twins, the Fixx, Toto, blah blah blah. But during these six years (80-85) who was putting out the hard stuff? More on that later, but back to the Scropes. What a completely unique band they were. In 1979 they won Playboy magazine's award for Best artwork of the year for their Lovedrive album cover - which I don't own. Rats. I really need to get that one. There is a great song on that album - called Loving You Sunday Morning. And a huge thank-you here to my neighbor and fellow musicologist Jim for donating this record to my collection.

Paul McCartney - His Regards to Broad Street, and getting by with some friends

2011-12-05T08:46:00.001-06:00

Does anyone remember this Paul McCartney record? It has some new songs on it - and some old BEATLES songs on it - that were re-worked. Plus his Wings smash hit - Silly Love Songs. I faintly recall that is was a movie soundtrack album. Paul is not afraid to call in some heavyweights to come play with him on this record. David Gilmore, John Paul Jones, Steve Lukather, Jeff Porcaro, Uncle Ringo, Dave Edmunds, and Chris Spedding - to name a few. Here is what I read about it: Give My Regards to Broad Street is the soundtrack album to the 1984 film of the same name. This album was fairly successful, garnering Sir Paul a #1 song on the UK charts for its lead single, "No More Lonely Nights" - which was also a Golden Globe award nominee. It was produced by Sir George Martin, CBE. Besides "No More Lonely Nights" (also heard in a dance version), the only previously-unheard tracks were "Not Such A Bad Boy", "No Values" and a symphonic extension of "Eleanor Rigby" entitled "Eleanor's Dream." The scope of the album was so immense that when it saw release that October, its vinyl issue had specially edited versions of its songs. The cassette and the later CD edition preserved the tracks' full lengths, while the CD went one further by including a bonus 1940's-styled piece called "Goodnight Princess."

Elvis - A Canadian Tribune

2011-12-04T09:34:00.000-06:00

This one is called Elvis - a Canadian Tribute. I think it's the only record I own that is not on black vinyl. Over on Linkedin - I moderate and group called Vinyl Record Collectors that has close to 400 members. It's really a great group of fellow vinyl enthusiasts. There we post comments and questions about collecting vinyl records. Then, just for kicks - I joined a very specialized Linkedin group for people who collect Elvis Presley records on vinyl. So that is why I am posted this record today. That, and how cool the record itself looks!

Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble - Texas Flood, in a Rude Mood

2011-12-03T07:31:00.000-06:00

Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble - Texas Flood. The gentleman grinning broadly in Stevie's direction is the legendary music producer and A&R man (artist and repertoire) John Hammond, Sr. One cannot overstate his contribution to the music recording business. Hammond furthered, discovered, or outright established the careers of the likes of artists from Benny Goodman, to: Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Teddy Wilson,Big Joe Turner, Pete Seeger, Babatunde Olatunji, Aretha Franklin, George Benson, Bob Dylan, Freddie Green, Leonard Cohen, Bruce Springsteen, Arthur Russell, Asha Puthli andStevie Ray Vaughan. Hammond is also largely responsible for the revival of delta blues artist Robert Johnson's music. But back to this record. First off - the bass part of Double Trouble, Tommy Shannon, played at Woodstock! He was part of Johnny Winter's band. Drummer Chris "Whipper" Layton. I saw Layton play a few years ago at a Jimi Hendrix tribute concert. Try this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC71fFdCsbk

The Raspberries - Go All the Way...

2011-12-02T09:55:00.000-06:00

I should know more about Eric Carmen, and the Raspberries, but I don't. He did that saccharine ballad you surely called All by Myself. You might also remember the pop hit from 1977 called, She Did It. He also scored a hit called Never Gonna Fall in Love Again. And of course Hungry Eyes from the Dirty Dancing movie soundtrack. But me - I will take Go All the Way, from when he was in the Raspberries. The record above is only their greatest hits - it's not the record album where Go All the Way first appeared. That one (I don't own) - but in the video clip of the Raspberries doing Go All the Way on the Mike Douglas Show, Douglas - when introducing the band holds up the album called Side 3, on which Go All they Way DOES NOT appear! C'mon Mike.

Heaven 17 - How Men Are...More H's from the Eighties...

2011-11-30T21:00:00.000-06:00

I've been browsing in my crate of records in the H bin. Human League, Haircut 100, and now Heaven 17. This is Heaven 17 - How Men Are. I checked out some of their youtube clips and I must cut this group some slack. I don't think they created anything that new in the eighties, but they certainly captured the essence of the decade. I prefer Simple Minds. This is technopop at it's zenith. And I certainly also love this band if for nothing else than the fact that they hail from from Sheffield, my favorite city in England. I love Sheffield for having produced Def Leppard, the wonderful tools made by Record, such as vises and chisels, plus Joe Cocker, the story of The Full Monty, race car driver Justin Wilson, Paul Carrack, and the Arctic Monkeys. But I've never been there. H17 was formed from the remnants of the Human League. And I just read that H17 borrowed the Phenix (sic) Horns from Earth Wind & Fire on a few songs on this album.

Haircut One Hundred - Pelican West

2011-11-29T15:40:00.000-06:00

There was no known reason for this album to be be "re-released" on CD in 1992 with 5 new bonus tracks, entitled Pelican West Plus. This band, album, and song are representative of what was on overplay on WBNQ (Bloomington-Normal) during most of my college years. Thank goodness we did not have to suffer this stuff. On our college turntables were Genesis, Roxy, Bowie, King Crimson, Fripp, Eno, et al. Down the hall was still decent: Kansas, Rush, AC/DC. Whew...

Duane Allman - an anthology...

2011-11-28T11:42:00.002-06:00

Duane Allman - an anthology. You will likely be more familiar with the front cover of this 2-record album. It's a photo of Duane standing by the banks of a pond in the deep south. We know that because of the Spanish Moss hanging thick like draperies from the bulbous Cypress trees growing up out of the still waters. In the photo - Duane is shown fishing, with a line in the water from what looks to be the classic, closed-face Zebco model 202 casting reel. This 2-record album is aptly named "an anthology," because it is. The songs on it are not all "Duane Allman songs," but of course he plays on all of them. We get songs by artists such as John Hammond (Jr.), Wilson Pickett's version of Hey Jude, which most agree really put Duane Allman on the map, Clarence Carter, some very early Boz Scaggs, and also Aretha Franklin. Side one starts with a B.B. King meldy by one of Duane's first bands, called The Hour Glass. Then, on sides 3 and 4 - we hear Duane on a sampling of songs by Delaney and Bonnie & Friends, Eric Clapton/Derek & the Dominos, and lastly - the Allman Brothers Band. I bought this record after having recently read Sky Dog - a Duane Allman autobiography.