Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Bluejeans And Moonbeams 1974

About the best one can say about 1974's Bluejeans & Moonbeams is that it's not as bad as his other release of the year, Unconditionally Guaranteed. In fact, there are two tracks, the pretty reverie "Observatory Crest" and the stomping blues-rocker "Party of Special Things to Do," that are actually quite good. The rest of the album, however, is fairly dire. Recorded with anonymous studio musicians who are clearly out of their league and glossed to a soul-less polish by producer Andy DiMartino, Bluejeans & Moonbeams never catches fire even at its best, and its worst tracks -- those would be "Pompadour Swamp" and the utterly wretched proto-disco "Captain's Holiday" -- are the worst things that have ever borne the Captain Beefheart name. Captain Beefheart would eventually return with the revitalized Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) in 1978, but Bluejeans & Moonbeams sounds like a tired and cynical make-work project. AMG.

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Mallard - Mallard 1975

Fans always had trouble assessing the Magic Band's contributions on Captain Beefheart's albums because his presence was so overweening. When they did break away, guitarist Bill Harkleroad (Zoot Horn Rollo), Mark Boston (Rockette Morton), and drummer Art Tripp (Ed Marimba) maintained that they'd played a significant role in shaping the sound; this album bolstered their case somewhat. Not surprisingly, many of the Beefheartian trademarks -- such as the guitar/marimba interplay -- are present. So are the off-kilter rhythms, which are more accessible than anything in Beefheart's realm. Harkleroad is the dominant presence, writing or co-writing the material with Boston and drummer/guitarist John (Drumbo) French (who didn't join the band). Vocalist Sam Galpin proves to be another wild card: a former lounge singer who'd reputedly never heard Beefheart, yet sounds eerily like him -- especially on the piano ballad "Desperadoes Waiting for a Train." The overall feel might well be called "country progressive," with lots of tempo changes, and a twangy attack -- as Harkleroad's slide guitar on "She's Long & She's Lean" shows. The Beefheart connections get more intriguing on the elaborately timed instrumental "Road to Morocco" and "Winged Tuskadero," which sets spoken lyrics over country-rock backing. They're either neatly executed bits of plagiarism, or else the band assimilated Beefheart's methods more than they cared to admit. The biggest surprise is "Peon," from Lick My Decals Off, Baby; its appearance seems curious for a band so bent on asserting its own identity. (The band claimed they'd covered the tune so their former boss could earn some badly needed royalties.) The final impression is one of impeccable musicians' more distinctive production and consistent writing to sway the masses; like Beefheart, they weren't anymore successful at the task. AMG.
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The Gil Evans Orchestra - Plays the Music of Jimi Hendrix 1975

This CD reissue (which adds additional material to the original LP program) is much more successful than one might have expected. Jimi Hendrix was scheduled to record with Gil Evans' Orchestra but died before the session could take place. A few years later, Evans explored ten of Hendrix's compositions with his unique 19-piece unit, an orchestra that included two French horns, the tuba of Howard Johnson, three guitars, two basses, two percussionists and such soloists as altoist David SMG.nborn, trumpeter Marvin "Hannibal" Peterson, Billy Harper on tenor, and guitarists Ryo Kawasaki and John Abercrombie. Evans' arrangements uplift many of Hendrix's more blues-oriented compositions and create a memorable set that is rock-oriented but retains the improvisation and personality of jazz. [This album was re-released in 2002 on the Bluebird label with four bonus tracks from the same sessions] AMG.

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Joe Beck - Nature Boy 1969

Studio and session guitarist Joe Beck was well known for hits when backing vocalist Esther Phillips on Kudu in the '70s, although his session credentials over the years also included the likes of Miles Davis, James Brown, Paul Simon, Frank Sinatra, and Gil Evans. During the '80s he made a series of competent fusion and pop-jazz recordings for DMP and had a big hit recording with Dave Sanborn on CTI in 1975. His career continued into the '90s and beyond with albums like 1991's Relaxin', 1997's Alto, and his 2000 collaboration with Jimmy Bruno, Polarity. Beck was active throughout most of the new millennium’s first decade with recordings on a variety of labels, including a number of CDs on Whaling City Sound, such as 2002's Just Friends, 2007's Tri07, 2008's Coincidence (a duo recording with John Abercrombie), and 2009's Golden Earrings. The latter album, featuring Beck and singer Laura Theodore performing music made famous by singer Peggy Lee, proved to be Beck’s final recording -- the guitarist was diagnosed with lung cancer soon after work on Golden Earrings had been completed and died from complications of the disease in July 2008 at age 62. AMG.

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The Dimensions - From All Dimensions 1966

Not an original bone in their body on this 1966 album of 12 covers, but The Dimensions did a good job as aspiring Rolling Stones. Killer versions of "Carol" and "Do You Love Me" highlight this timepiece, with the kind of crudely amplified raw guitars and frenetic drums that could not be reproduced by the most exacting current scientific methods. AMG.

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Bob Welch - Bob Welch with Head West 1970

Head West is a self-titled album released in 1970 by the American band Head West, who were based in Paris, France. The band are best known today for their vocalist/guitarist Bob Welch, who went on to join Fleetwood Mac in 1971. Since 1973, by which time Welch had become more well-known, the album was repackaged as more of a solo album, credited to Bob Welch with Head West. Singles were also released but with little success.

After Head West had split up, organist Bobby Hunt toured with Fleetwood Mac and as a back up keyboard player for Christine McVie in 1974. After Welch had left Fleetwood Mac, he and Hunt recorded demos for Warner Bros. which were then developed into the Paris power trio project.

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Guns and Butter - Guns and Butter 1972

Jeff Lyons (vocals), Peter Cohen (bass),Paul Cohen (guitar) and Peter Tucker (drums) have been fooling around since their early teens. In 1970 Richard Ploss (sax, flute) joined the band, nad the band took the name Guns And Butter. In the summer of the same year, Lenny Federer, classically trained violinist started jamming wit them and soon joined the band, which found a new musical direction.

The music of this bizarre Boston-based combo is a mixture of classical music, radio friendly rock, jazz-rock, blues and many other things: they released one album (in 1972) before falling into obscurity. The music of Guns and Butter is well worth checking, especially if a listener is into early eclectic artists, like East of Eden.

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Sandy Coast - From The Workshop 1968

Sandy Coast was a Dutch beat group from Voorburg that was especially popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their best known hits were "True Love That's A Wonder" from 1971 and "The Eyes Of Jenny" from 1981. The lead singer of the group was Hans Vermeulen.

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Siren - Siren 1969

Before beginning his career as a solo artist, Kevin Coyne was the centerpiece of Siren. The group recorded two albums in the late '60s and early '70s for Dandelion, the British underground-oriented indie run by DJ John Peel. The paths that Coyne would follow on his many solo albums are much in evidence in Siren's work, which spotlight his pained, scraggly, and soulful vocals, as well as his funny, sometimes bitter lyrics. Guitarist Dave Clague (who was once in the Bonzo Dog Band) and pianist Nick Cudworth helped Coyne pen much of Siren's material, and provided much of the low-key bluesy, folksy arrangements. Siren's slim discography was doubled and then some in the mid-'90s, when DJC came up with three albums of mostly unreleased material. AMG.

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Clear Blue Sky - Clear Blue Sky 1970

Clear Blue Sky were still in their teens when they were discovered by Nirvana's Patrick Campbell-Lyons, and their youth shows. Clear Blue Sky, the trio's one and only album, is a mishmash of hard rock leanings, prog rock fascinations, and occasionally jazzy delivery that is best regarded today by collectors of classic Vertigo albums and early Roger Dean artwork. John Simms' vocals are extraordinarily uncertain, and the record itself sometimes sounds more a youth club rehearsal than a major-label release. Campbell-Lyons' production doesn't help much either, remaining strictly in the sonic background. That said, it is certainly an ambitious effort -- a freshman term paper for aspiring young metalheads. Side one is devoured wholly by "Journey to the Inside of the Sun," a three-part thunderclap that not only provided labelmates Black Sabbath with the title "Sweet Leaf," it also rode rock's current fascination with the classics by hijacking an element of Gustav Holst's The Planets suite for an occasional quirky interlude. Other diversions crop up on side two, as "Tool of My Trade" and the almost acoustic "My Heaven" at least kick off with something less than the full frontal riffery of the other numbers, while the closing "Birdcatcher" (the band's best-known number, courtesy of its inclusion on the fabled Heads Together, First Round Vertigo label sampler) sounds extraordinarily close to period Budgie and, "Sweet Leaf" aside, is the best-developed track on the album. AMG.

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Vos Voisins - Vos Voisins 1971

Keyboardist J Perron and drummer P Ringuet had worked together with local celebrities and then with Les Enzymes (L Forestier and Y Deschamps) before hooking up with Guitarist Vallieres and bassist Parenteau and making Vos Voisins (your neighbours). The group made a huge scandal with the releases of their debut (and sole album) with its artwork depicting the scandal paper Allo Police (one of the trashiest ever "newspaper" to ever exist on Earth) and their album had to be taken away from the record shelves after a week or so, after lawsuits... Well the group survived it by changing their artwork and album name, as soon as they could, but failing to capitalize on their "coup", even though one track Monstre De La Main got quite a bit of radio airplay. Needless this original artwork album is worth a small fortune. Musically the standard prog quartet developed an organ-driven hard prog laced in with plenty other influences, with drummer Ringuet and keyboardist Perron writing all the music, but getting extra help for the lyrics. Historically important for Quebec's scene, their hard rock (sometimes Crimsonic). Vallières would be later in Ville Emard Blues Band.

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Samuel Prody - Samuel Prody 1971

The band from Brighton (East Sussex) was formed in 1969 by vocalist and guitarist Tony Savva. It existed for 3 years and recorded the only album of improvised rock that became a classic among fans of psychedelic rock. The group was famous for its wild, reckless performances and an extraordinary approach to creativity. Broken rhythms, carbon monoxide heavy blues, keys, hard hard rock, folk inclusions put this group on the level of original and original groups in their genre. 

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Rufus - Rufus 1973

In 1973, Rufus had yet to start going by the name Rufus & Chaka Khan. The band was still obscure, and the single that made Khan a superstar (1974's "Tell Me Something Good") was still a year away. Khan was handling most of the lead vocals, although keyboardist Ron Stockert was still doing a fair amount of lead singing. It was in 1973 that ABC released Rufus' self-titled debut album, which wasn't the big seller that 1974's Rags to Rufus, 1975's Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan, and 1977's Ask Rufus would be. From a commercial standpoint, the problem with this LP was its lack of a really strong single -- there wasn't a "Once You Get Started," a "Sweet Thing," or a "Tell Me Something Good" to drive radio programmers wild. But from a creative standpoint, this is a decent and promising, if imperfect, debut. In 1973, Rufus' original pre-Tony Maiden, pre-Bobby Watson lineup favored an earthy soul/rock blend along the lines of Ike & Tina Turner; in fact, Khan's passionate vocals on "Feel Good," Stevie Wonder's "Maybe Your Baby," and Stephen Stills' "Love the One You're With" point to the fact that Tina Turner was among her early influences. Not that Khan is actually emulating Turner, Aretha Franklin, or anyone else; in 1973, Khan was quite distinctive herself. As time passed, Rufus & Chaka Khan became sleeker and less rock-minded -- if your introduction to them was "Once You Get Started" or "Sweet Thing," you might be surprised to hear how rock-minded this LP is. Rufus falls short of essential and isn't recommended to those with only a casual interest in Khan's years with the band, but it's an enjoyable debut that certainly isn't without historic value. AMG.

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The Contours - Do You Love Me (Now That I Can Dance) 1962

The first LP released on Gordy Records is also the Contours' first and only regular album release on Motown; a later collection also titled Do You Love Me was a greatest-hits compilation. This is worth a few bucks if you can find a copy. Three cuts were released on the Motown label before they were switched to Gordy ("The Stretch," "Funny," and "Whole Lotta Woman"); all stiffed. On Gordy, the group enjoyed their biggest hit the first time out in "Do You Love Me." "You Better Get In Line," a slick dance number, died as the flipside of "Shake Sherrie." A lively "You Must Be Love" has Billy Gordon swapping leads with Joe Billingslea. "Shake Sherrie" has a looping beat, a wandering baritone sax, and incredulous vocals from Gordon, Billingslea, Sylvester Potts, Billy Hogg, and Hubert Johnson. The rest suffer from a lack of identity; neither the group nor Motown had defined their sound when these were cut. AMG

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The Bushes - Assorted Shrubbery 1968

This one's fairly rare (good luck finding another online review of it), but hasn't exactly set the collector world on fire. The main reason for that lack of interest probably has to do with the fact this short-lived Chicago outfit was more interested in doing white boy covers of classic soul numbers, rather than your standard deep dives into blues, psych, or rock. Moreover, by the time "Assorted Shrubbery" was released in 1968, the age of integrated musical enjoyment had already begun to exit stage left. The result was these guys were simply too pop-oriented for R&B and soul audiences, and too soul for pop and rock audiences. Those were the perfect ingredients for instant obscurity which is pretty much the fate met by the short-lived Bushes.

Bushes featured the talents of lead guitarist Al Johnson, keyboardist/bass player Ron Stockert, singer Joel Wilson, and drummer John Zefo. Their sole album was recorded at Golden Voice Recording Company and as you can tell by Johnson's liner notes, the band seemed pretty hot on themselves:

"The music in this album is a product of all environments know to mankind. The controversial sounds of today, as well as the treasures remaining from yesterday. Music for those who hope for those who dream, and music for the sad. Here is a polyphonic portrayal of the proud happiness and the stumbling failures so common, so well-known to all. Here is the music for everyone because it was born in the minds of artists representing everyone. That alone makes this important music. Important to those who created it, and important to those who interpret it correctly and understand it fully." No idea what that all meant, but it certainly sounded like Johnson could have enjoyed a career as a politician ...

So what's this puppy sound like? Well as you could tell by a quick scan of the ten songs, these guys had a deep affection for Chicago and Detroit soul. In fact, five of the tracks were popular soul covers, with one well known Chicago blues cover thrown in (T. Bone Walker's 'Stormy Monday Blues'). They exhibited good taste in their covers (George Clinton, Curtis Mayfield, Smokey Robinson), but no matter how good, their largely rote covers simply couldn't come close to the source material. At the same time the album included a couple of band originals; the best being the atypical psych-rocker 'Most Girls' and the worst being a brief Frank Zappa inspired belch of freak-out experimentation ('Polyphony'). So that encapsulates the dilemma with this one. If you enjoy blue-eyed soul this is probably an album you'd like. Wilson and Stockert were both pretty good singers and as a band these guys were quite talented with Johnson showing some fine lead guitar moves when he was given a shot at the spotlight. Stockert was similarly good, bring a deft Vanilla Fudge keyboard sound to much of the material. If you weren't a soul aficionado, then there was less to interest you here.

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