Kaleidoscope - A Beacon From Mars 1968

Kaleidoscope's second album is the best non-compilation showcase of their legendary eclecticism and versatility. It takes in a blues-rocking cover of Willie Cobbs' "You Don't Love Me"; Doug Kershaw's Cajun "Louisiana Man"; a scary old folk song ("Greenwood Sidee," about a woman who kills her two babies); a hilarious country-ish indictment of marriage ("Baldheaded End of a Broom"); two good acid-folk originals ("Life Will Pass You By" and "I Found Out"); and two completely dissimilar ten-minute-plus originals: the Middle Eastern "Taxim," and the psychedelic workout "Beacon from Mars." Every one of these disparate styles is performed with authority and commitment, and the result still has the power to amaze. AllMusic.

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Jim Capaldi - Let the thunder cry 1981

Although multi-instrumentalist Jim Capaldi (keyboards/drums/guitars/vocals) is arguably best known for his work with Traffic, he began an extensive and varied solo career in 1972 when Traffic came to a proverbial stand still. Almost a decade on, Capaldi's Let the Thunder Cry (1981) was among the efforts initially released on the French indie Carrere label. Like its predecessor, The Sweet Smell Of ... Success (1980), it proved more difficult for Stateside enthusiasts to find, prior to being issued on CD. Capaldi draws upon a wide spectrum of personnel ranging from longtime collaborator Chris Parren (keyboards) to U.K. session heavies Andy Newmark (drums) and Mel Collins (sax) to Traffic bandmates Rebop (aka Rebop Kwaku Baah) (percussion) and Steve Winwood (keyboards). As the opening "Let the Thunder Cry" and the closer "Anxiety" exemplify, Capaldi has not lost his ability to churn out edgy rockers. Conversely, "Old Photographs," "Child in the Storm" and the ethereally beautiful "Warm" demonstrate his tragically underutilized penchant for emotive balladry. One of the catchier selections is the amiable Brazilian homage "Favella Music," directly contrasting the mostly forgettable remake of "Louie Louie." The update of the 1960s garage anthem is dusted off to little or no fanfare. The interpretation suffers immediately from the synthetic keyboard organ intro and ersatz drum machine -- both ultimately fail to ignite the reckless spirit of the original with the same incendiary innocence that has graced the infinite numbers of erstwhile covers. The mid-tempo "Only Love" would have fit in with the early-'80s pop milieu, yet was inexplicably passed by for the comparatively unassuming "Child in the Storm." Overall however, this outing would become the basis for Capaldi's next project, Fierce Heart (1983), spawning the Top 20 hit "That's Love" on what is otherwise an equally strong collection. Interested parties should note that Let the Thunder Cry [Bonus Tracks] (2003) boasts several supplementary non-LP sides as well as an entire bonus CD with a dozen-song live set from Capaldi and Chris Wood (guitar/vocals) circa their 40,000 Headmen tour in 1996. AllMusic.

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Neil Merryweather - Vacuum Cleaner 1971

Neil Merryweather and Lynn Carey, using a pool of musicians, recorded the "Vacuum Cleaner" LP for RCA, then came out with a more permanent unit, Mama Lion, which recorded two albums. The first Mama Lion lp had a topless photo of Lynn which while not shocking demonstrated her exquisite beauty complementing her vocal talent. AllMusic.

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Black Cat Bones - Barbed Wire Sandwich 1969

London’s Black Cat Bones were one of those bands from the late '60s that served as an incubator for its various members’ later rock incarnations, in this case the bands Free, Foghat, and Bad Company, all of whom drew members from Black Cat Bones. As an intact band, they only released a single album, Barbed Wire Sandwich, on Decca Records in 1969, and then splintered into the future. The album itself is a collection of rather generic period British blues pieces, a bit reminiscent of Cream in sound, although that doesn’t hinder cuts like “Chauffer” and the best track here, “Please Tell Me Baby,” from taking off into some interesting territory. But it’s straight British blues, however well executed, and there’s really nothing prog rock about it, although the band has been given that label in some circles. Barbed Wire Sandwich, like the band that recorded it, is straightforward and professional, but also like the band, it seems to suggest that more is down the road than has actually arrived yet. That said, collectors of British blues-rock are going to love the sound on this reissue, which sounds full, rich, and immediate. AllMusic.

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The Lovin' Spoonful - Everything Playing 1968

The Lovin' Spoonful's fourth album, Everything Playing, was made under trying circumstances. Musically, the Sgt. Pepper/Summer of Love era had made the Spoonful's good-time, jugband approach obsolete, and chief songwriter John Sebastian had to try to keep up. Personally, the group had suffered the disaster of a drug bust that resulted in the departure of lead guitarist Zal Yanovsky, who was replaced in August 1967 by Jerry Yester. Despite these problems, Sebastian was able to turn out a good album paced by its three Top 40 hits, "Six O'Clock," "She Is Still a Mystery," and the deceptively comic "Money," in which he castigated financial aspects of the music industry. Also excellent were "Boredom" and "Younger Generation," which Sebastian later would sing at Woodstock. When Sebastian wasn't at the mic, the singing could be mediocre, and the group was often all over the map in its attempt at musical sophistication, but the record was saved by Sebastian's writing and singing. Then he too jumped ship. AllMusic.

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People - Both Sides of People 1969

A pedestrian late-'60s California band, People hit the Top 20 in 1968 with a fluke cover of an old Zombies B-side, "I Love You." Aside from that single, their brand of psychedelic- and soul-influenced heavy rock made little impact. Group member Larry Norman eventually became a noted figure in contemporary Christian music. AllMusic.

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John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band 1970

The cliché about singer/songwriters is that they sing confessionals direct from their heart, but John Lennon exploded the myth behind that cliché, as well as many others, on his first official solo record, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. Inspired by his primal scream therapy with Dr. Arthur Janov, Lennon created a harrowing set of unflinchingly personal songs, laying out all of his fears and angers for everyone to hear. It was a revolutionary record -- never before had a record been so explicitly introspective, and very few records made absolutely no concession to the audience's expectations, daring the listeners to meet all the artist's demands. Which isn't to say that the record is unlistenable. Lennon's songs range from tough rock & rollers to piano-based ballads and spare folk songs, and his melodies remain strong and memorable, which actually intensifies the pain and rage of the songs. Not much about Plastic Ono Band is hidden. Lennon presents everything on the surface, and the song titles -- "Mother," "I Found Out," "Working Class Hero," "Isolation," "God," "My Mummy's Dead" -- illustrate what each song is about, and charts his loss of faith in his parents, country, friends, fans, and idols. It's an unflinching document of bare-bones despair and pain, but for all its nihilism, it is ultimately life-affirming; it is unique not only in Lennon's catalog, but in all of popular music. Few albums are ever as harrowing, difficult, and rewarding as John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. AllMusic.

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Paul Brett's Sage - Paul Brett's Sage 1970

Tying together many of the musical threads of their day, Paul Brett Sage was a progressive band in the best sense of the word, with an adventurous sound that was accessible to all, though they never lost sight of their origins. The group grew out of the folk duo of guitarist/singer Paul Brett and percussionist Bob Voice, and their eponymous debut album sees Paul Brett Sage retain a folksy bend, which reaches grand agit-folk heights on "Trophies of War." Elsewhere, Brett's fiery licks and solos, particularly on the anthemic "3D Mona Lisa," paints rock right across the backwoods vista. Evocative flamenco-tinged guitar sizzles around "The Sun Died," while Brett's aggressive performance on both 12-string and electric guitar creates a "Warlock" worthy of the modern age. With the band's prominent use of percussion, Nicky Higginbottom's haunting flute, their strong melodies, and infectious choruses, Paul Brett Sage hovers between folk, rock, world, and pop; an album that deftly manages to be all things to all people. AllMusic.

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The Band - Cahoots 1971

In comparison to its predecessors, Cahoots, the Band's fourth album, may be characterized as an essentially minor effort that nevertheless contains a few small pleasures. These pleasures begin with the leadoff track, "Life Is a Carnival," a song that continues the theme of Stage Fright by emphasizing the false nature of show business and its impact on reality. The song features a lively Dixieland horn chart courtesy of Allen Toussaint. "When I Paint My Masterpiece," a Bob Dylan song making its recorded debut here as the second selection, is another welcome track, buoyed by mandolin and accordion in a charming arrangement appropriate to its tale of an odd trip to Europe. "4% Pantomime" is a duet between the Band's Richard Manuel and Van Morrison that is entertaining to hear, even if the song itself is slight. Unfortunately, that just about completes the list of the album's attractions. Annotator Rob Bowman claims that the overriding theme of the songs is "extinction and the sadness that accompanies the passing of things that once were held to be of great value"; actually, there is no overriding theme to the minor songs written by Robbie Robertson. Several of the songs' lyrics come across as half-baked film scenarios, but they fail to be evocative, and they are paired to music lacking in structure. The failure is solely in the writing; the Band sounds as good as ever playing the songs, with singers Manuel, Levon Helm, and Rick Danko all performing effectively and primary instrumentalist Garth Hudson filling in the arrangements cleverly. It's just that the material is not strong enough, particularly in comparison to the three impressive albums the Band had released previously. [By adding four good bonus tracks, the 2000 reissue significantly strengthens the collection.] AllMusic.

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Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel 1977

Peter Gabriel tells why he left Genesis in "Solsbury Hill," the key track on his 1977 solo debut. Majestically opening with an acoustic guitar, the song finds Gabriel's talents gelling, as the words and music feed off each other, turning into true poetry. It stands out dramatically on this record, not because the music doesn't work, but because it brilliantly illustrates why Gabriel had to fly on his own. Though this is undeniably the work of the same man behind The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, he's turned his artiness inward, making his music coiled, dense, vibrant. There is still some excess, naturally, yet it's the sound of a musician unleashed, finally able to bend the rules as he wishes. That means there are less atmospheric instrumental sections than there were on his last few records with Genesis, as the unhinged bizarreness in the arrangements, compositions, and productions, in tracks such as the opener "Moribund the Burgermeister" vividly illustrate. He also has turned sleeker, sexier, capable of turning out a surging rocker like "Modern Love." If there is any problem with Peter Gabriel, it's that Gabriel is trying too hard to show the range of his talents, thereby stumbling occasionally with the doo wop-to-cabaret "Excuse Me" or the cocktail jazz of "Waiting for the Big One" (or, the lyric "you've got me cookin'/I'm a hard-boiled egg" on "Humdrum"). Still, much of the record teems with invigorating energy (as on "Slowburn," or the orchestral-disco pulse of "Down the Dolce Vita"), and the closer "Here Comes the Flood" burns with an anthemic intensity that would later become his signature in the '80s. Yes, it's an imperfect album, but that's a byproduct of Gabriel's welcome risk-taking -- the very thing that makes the album work, overall. AllMusic.

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Third Ear Band - Third Ear Band 1970

Although they were loosely affiliated with the British progressive rock scene of the late '60s and early '70s, Third Ear Band was in some ways more of an experimental ensemble performing contemporary compositional work. For one thing, they didn't use electric instruments, or even guitars, instead employing violin, viola, oboe, cello, and hand percussion. More important, they didn't play conventional rock "songs." They featured extended instrumental pieces that often built up from a drone, or hypnotic pattern, to a dense, raga-like crescendo, somewhat in the manner of some of Terry Riley's work. Their "progressive rock" tag probably arose because they recorded for Harvest Records, Britain's leading art rock label, which was home to Pink Floyd, Kevin Ayers, Pete Brown, Edgar Broughton, and many other progressive acts.

The group was founded by drummer Glen Sweeney, who had roots in Britain's free jazz scene, and had played with an avant-garde ensemble, the Sun Trolley. Sweeney described Third Ear's music as "electric acid raga," although the electricity was shut off shortly after they formed, when their electronic equipment was stolen. Sweeney simply molded Third Ear into an acoustic ensemble, with the addition of oboe, violin/viola, and cello. The personnel (with the exception of Sweeney) would rotate over the next few years; their early albums were produced by Andrew King, who had helped manage Pink Floyd in their early days.

Commercial success, or even widespread underground success, was never in the offing for Third Ear Band, and one gets the feeling that was not ever a consideration. Their albums were too somber and experimental for the rock audience, and in the U.S., they are still only known to a very few. Their biggest coup was getting commissioned to score and perform the soundtrack to Roman Polanski's film version of Macbeth (issued on record as Music From Macbeth). The original incarnation of Third Ear Band disbanded in the early '70s. Surprisingly, they re-formed in the late '80s, and released a few albums that boasted sounds and ambitions that were similar to those found in their early work. AllMusic.

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Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band - Doc at the Radar Station 1980

Generally acclaimed as the strongest album of his comeback, and by some as his best since Trout Mask Replica, Doc at the Radar Station had a tough, lean sound owing partly to the virtuosic new version of the Magic Band (featuring future Pixies sideman Eric Drew Feldman, New York downtown-scene guitarist Gary Lucas, and a returning John "Drumbo" French, among others) and partly to the clear, stripped-down production, which augmented the Captain's basic dual-guitar interplay and jumpy rhythms with extra percussion instruments and touches of Shiny Beast's synths and trombones. Many of the songs on Doc either reworked or fully developed unused material composed around the time of the creatively fertile Trout Mask sessions, which adds to the spirited performances. Even if the Captain's voice isn't quite what it once was, Doc at the Radar Station is an excellent, focused consolidation of Beefheart's past and then-present. AllMusic.

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Colin Blunstone - One Year 1971

After the Zombies split in 1968, Colin Blunstone opted for the security of a 9-to-5 job and took a position with a London insurance company. However, the posthumous success of the Zombies' "Time of the Season" made a return to the music business almost inevitable. Blunstone accepted an offer from producer Mike Hurst to cut a remake of the group's first hit, "She's Not There" for Deram Records. Released under the pseudonym "Neil MacArthur," the record was a hit and two further MacArthur singles followed in 1969. Neither charted, and Blunstone soon decided to start recording under his own name. He ran into ex-Zombies Rod Argent and Chris White, who had just signed a production deal with Epic Records. The duo were eager to produce their former bandmate, and soon Blunstone was preparing his first album for Epic. Recorded between June 1970 and June 1971, the album was titled One Year (for the length of time spent making it). The initial sessions found Blunstone backed by Argent's new group, Argent, but later sessions saw the singer backed by Chris Gunning's lovely string arrangements. The first singles, "Mary Won't You Warm My Bed" and "Caroline Goodbye," flopped, but the third -- a cover of Denny Laine's "Say You Don't Mind" -- was a hit in Britain. Widely considered to be Blunstone's best solo album, One Year is the perfect showcase for his distinctive, breathy voice. He also came into his own as a songwriter on this record. Although he had penned only two songs during the Zombies' career, he was responsible for most of the songwriting on One Year, including such classics as "Caroline Goodbye" and "Let Me Come Closer to You." [Originally relased in 1976, One Year was reissued on CD in 2006 and includes a bonus track.] AllMusic.

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