Bronco - Ace Of Sunlight 1971

Formed August 1969 by Jess Roden following his split from The Alan Bown Set, Bronco were signed to Island Records and released two albums 'Country Home' and 'Ace of Sunlight'. Roden left the band mid 1972 to start a solo career, guitarist Robbie Blunt soon followed, the remaining members drafted in Paul Lockey on vocals (who both Kevyn Gammond and Pete Robinson knew form various incarnations of The Band of Joy) and Dan Fone on guitar, they released one last album this time with Polydor records 'Smoking Mixture'. Bronco's bass player John Pasternak died of a heart attack in September 1986. Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant fronted a tribute event for Pasternak in December of that year. Two Bronco tracks are featured on Island records compilation albums: "Love" appears on Bumpers released in 1970 and "Sudden Street" appears on El Pea (1971).
More recently the Bronco track 'Time Slips Away' has been included on the Island Records compilation 'Meet On The Ledge', released as part of Island's 50th anniversary in 2009.

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East Coast - East Coast 1973

This is a funky soul album by the group "East Coast", released on drummer Bernard Purdie's short-lived label Encounter Records in 1973. This is clearly a live party band recorded pretty straight-up in the studio. Hammond B3 organ with full tremelo versus a distorted-wah-wah guitar anchor a heavy sound. A tough brass section push through, while Blackmon's drums are all cymbal crashes. 22-year-old Gwen Guthrie has a strong soulful voice, which she obviously needed over this sort of density.

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Elton John - Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboys 1975

Sitting atop the charts in 1975, Elton John and Bernie Taupin recalled their rise to power in Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, their first explicitly conceptual effort since Tumbleweed Connection. It's no coincidence that it's their best album since then, showcasing each at the peak of his power, as John crafts supple, elastic, versatile pop and Taupin's inscrutable wordplay is evocative, even moving. What's best about the record is that it works best of a piece -- although it entered the charts at number one, this only had one huge hit in "Someone Saved My Life Tonight," which sounds even better here, since it tidily fits into the musical and lyrical themes. And although the musical skill on display here is dazzling, as it bounces between country and hard rock within the same song, this is certainly a grower. The album needs time to reveal its treasures, but once it does, it rivalsTumbleweed in terms of sheer consistency and eclipses it in scope, capturing John and Taupin at a pinnacle. They collapsed in hubris and excess not long afterward -- Rock of the Westies, which followed just months later is as scattered as this is focused -- but this remains a testament to the strengths of their creative partnership. AMG.

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Emergency - No Compromise 1974

The German based band Emergency was founded in 1970 by Czech musician Hanus Berka, who already had a career as an arranger and sideman in the States among others with Jan Hammer and Miroslav Vitous. The multicultural band consisted of Berka (sax & keyboards) fellow Czechs Jiro Matousek (keyboards), Otto Bezloja (bass) and Dusko Goykovic (trumpet), German drummer Udo Lindenberg and Englishman Barrie Newby on guitar.
The band recorded two jazz-rock records with brass arrangements for CBS. 'Emergency' (1971) and in 1972 'Entrance' with a changed line-up.
In the summer of '72 the band split up, only to be reformed in December of the same year with a complete new line-up: Berka, Peter Bischof (ex-Orange Peel, lead vocals), Richard Palmer-James (ex-King Crimson lyricist, guitar& vocals) Jerzy Ziembrowski (bass), Veit Marvos (ex-2066 &Then, keyboards), Martin Harrison (percussion) and Bernd Knaak (drums). The new line-up secured a record deal with Brain and recorded two commercially oriented records 'Get out To the Country' (1973) and 'No Compromise' (1974) the last again with a changed line-up. Both records present jazz-rock with blues and soul elements. Afterwards the band folded for good.

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Abacus - Abacus 1971

German progressive rock band Abacus released four albums during the early '70s; a self-titled debut in 1971 was followed by Everything You Need and Just a Day's Journey Away the following year andMidway in 1974. AMG.

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Baden Powell - Tristeza On Guitar 1966

Baden Powell is a Brazilian musician with a solid international reputation. A gifted instrumentalist and composer, he bridges the gap between classical artistry and popular warmth and was a key figure in the bossa nova movement.

Born in the Varre e Sai district, he was baptized after his grandfather, a musician and conductor himself, whose father was an admirer of the Boy Scouts founder. When he was four months old, his family moved to the hill of São Cristóvão in the city of Rio. His father, the violonista Lino de Aquino, promoted regular get-togethers (rodas) of chorões at his home, at which famous names of Rio's music used to play, such as Pixinguinha, his brother China, the sambista Donga, and so many others. At eight, his father took him to Rádio Nacional where Powell met Meira (Jaime Florence), a famous violonista at the time a member of Benedicto Lacerda's regional. Powell would study violão with him for five years. Through Meira, a broad-minded musician, he discovered classics such as Segovia and Tarrega, along with Brazilian masters such as Garoto and Dilermando Reis. At nine, he presented himself at Renato Murce's show Papel Carbono on Rádio Nacional, winning first place as a guitar soloist. At 13, he used to run from school, earning his first cachets at the neighborhood parties. After finishing high school, he joined the cast of Rádio Nacional as an accompanist. In that time, he traveled through Brazil with the radio's singers. In 1955, he joined Ed Lincoln's trio, playing jazz at the Plaza nightclub. The place was a focal point for musicians, journalists, and aficionados interested in jazz. It should be regarded as the second place where bossa nova was being generated (the first being Cantina do César, after Johnny Alf's first appearances), contrary to the common notion of bossa being born at Zona Sul (South side's) apartments.

At that time, Powell began to compose "Deve Ser Amor," "Encontro Com a Saudade," "Não é Bem Assim," and his first big hit, 1956's "Samba Triste," with lyrics by Billy Blanco and which would be recorded by Lúcio Alves in 1960. In 1962, he met his future partner, Vinícius de Moraes, a composer, poet, singer, and diplomat. Their first song was "Canção de Ninar Meu Bem," a great success from the beginning. Following that, they came up with "Samba em Prelúdio" (recorded still in 1962 by Geraldo Vandré/Ana Lúcia), "Consolação" (recorded by Nara Leão), "Samba da Bênção," "Tem Dó," "Só por Amor," "Bom Dia, Amigo," "Labareda," and "Samba do Astronauta" (recorded by Powell in 1964). At this point, Powell was already a renowned musician and composer, with good connections on the artistic scene and wide exposure in the media. In that year, he accompanied Sílvia Telles at her famous show at the Jirau nightclub. In 1963, he recorded his first LP, Um Violão na Madrugada (Philips). In that year, he traveled to Paris where he presented himself at the Olympia theater with great success, using a repertoire of classical music and his own compositions. He also played regularly in a season at the Bilboquet nightclub and composed the soundtrack to the movie Le Grabuje. In 1964, he returned to Brazil and recorded the LP À Vontade, which included a composition by Tom Jobim and Vinícius, "Samba do Avião." He also wrote, in that year, the samba "Berimbau" with lyrics by Vinícius. Other duo's compositions that year were "Além do Amor," "Valsa sem Nome," "Deve ser Amor," "Canção do Amor Ausente," "Consolação," "Deixa," "Amei Tanto," "Tempo Feliz," and "Samba da Bênção." The latter was included in Claude Lelouch's movie Un Homme et une Femme, under the title "Samba Saravah."

Traveling to Bahia, Powell stayed there for six months and researched the Afro traditions developed on Brazilian soil, especially the musical tradition emanating from the ancient sorcery rituals of candomblé and umbanda. The next phase of his compositional association with Vinícius would be called byPowell as the Afro-sambas, mirroring the findings of that period: 1965's "Tristeza e Solidão" and "Bocoché" and 1966's "Canto do Xangô" and "Canto de Ossanha," the latter recorded by Elis Regina in 1966 with great success. Taking Bahia folklore, Powell added his Carioca touch, bringing the Afro tradition a more Brazilian feeling. In 1999, Powell, recently converted, regretted and deplored the Afro-samba phase as "devil's music" in a controverted and disappointing interview.

In 1965, fundamental singer Elizeth Cardoso presented Powell/Vinícius' "Valsa do Amor que Não Vem" at the first Festival of Brazilian Popular Music (TV Excelsior), São Paulo, winning second place. The next year, Aluísio de Oliveira produced another album by Powell, this time for his own landmark label Elenco, that deeply engaged in the use of the best musicians, leaving the commercial side in the background; unfortunately, it caused the excellent label's demise some years later. Taking advantage of the Brazilian tour of Caterina Valente, who was being accompanied by drummer Jimmy Pratt, de Oliveira took him and recorded Baden Powell Swings With Jimmy Pratt. Also in that year, TV Excelsior promoted the National Festival of Popular Music, at which novice Milton Nascimento won fourth place with "Cidade Vazia" (Powell/Lula Freire) and Powell with Vinícius recorded their Afro-sambas "Canto de Xangô," "Canto de Iemanjá," and "Canto de Ossanha" for Forma, along with "Berimbau" and "Samba da Bênção." He also took a season with Elis Regina at Rio's nightclub Zum-Zum. The LPs O Mundo Musical de Baden Powell (Barclay/RGE), recorded in France; Baden Powell ao Vivo no Teatro Santa Rosa (Elenco); and Tempo Feliz

(Forma/Philips) were all recorded in 1966. In that period, he played in the U.S. with Stan Getz. In 1967, he recorded in Paris, France, the album O Mundo Musical No. 2, accompanied by the Paris Symphonic Orchestra. In that year, his O Mundo Musical de Baden Powell was awarded with the Golden Record in Paris and he presented himself at the Jazz Festival in Berlin, Germany, with American jazz guitarists Jim Hall and Barney Kessel. In 1968, a novice Paulo César Pinheiro (now a renowned samba composer) composed with Powell the samba "Lapinha," which was presented byElis Regina at the TV Record's first Samba Biennial, winning first place. The duo would also compose, among others, "Cancioneiro," "Samba do Perdão," "Meu Réquiem," "É de Lei," "Refém da Solidão," "Aviso aos Navegantes," and "Carta de Poeta." Also from 1968 is the LP Baden Powell (Elenco) with the famous "Manhã de Carnaval" or "Carnival," by Luís Bonfá and Antônio Maria, and the show O Mundo Musical de Baden Powell. In 1969, he recorded Vinte e Sete Horas de Estúdio (Elenco). Next year in Paris, he recorded for Barklay the three-album box set Baden Powell Quartet and the LP Baden Powell, which had Pixinguinha's songs. For Elenco, he recorded the LP Estudos. In 1972, he recorded for Philips the LP É de Lei. Solitude on Guitar was recorded the next year in Germany and in 1974, he recorded in Paris the live LP Baden Powell (Barklay/RGE), and in 1975 recorded the LP Baden Powell Trio & Ópera de Frankfurt. He then moved to Baden-Baden (Germany), staying there for four years. In 1994, already living in Brazil again, he released the record Baden Powell de Rio à Paris. In that same year, he performed together with his sons, Louis Marcel (violão) and Phillipe (piano), at the Cecília Meireles Hall in Rio, with the concert recorded and released on a CD, titled Baden Powell & Filhos, through CID. In 1995, his concert at the Montreux Festival was recorded on CD under the title Baden Powell Live in Montreux. Also in that year, he was awarded with the Prêmio Shell for his complete works. In 1996, he toured in France with Brazilian accordionist Sivuca and recorded the CD Baden Powell Live at the Rio Jazz Club. After spending several weeks in the hospital, Baden Powell died on September 26, 2000, at the age of 63. AMG.

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The Beat of the Earth - The Beat of the Earth 1968

After being discovered by fans of underground psychedelia in the late 1980s, Orange County band BEAT OF THE EARTH's sole 1967 album has grown into a classic within the field, in spite of its rarity and lack of a reissue. The improvisational music on the album cannot be easily described but most who hear it agree that it represents a unique link between mid-1960s California teen sounds and the droning acid rock of the later era.

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Al Di Meola - Elegant Gypsy 1977

Guitarist Al di Meola's second record as a leader is generally an explosive affair, although it does have a fair amount of variety. With Jan Hammer or Barry Miles on keyboards, electric bassist Anthony Jackson, drummer Lenny White (Steve Gadd takes his place on the "Elegant Gypsy Suite"), and percussionist Mingo Lewis on most of the selections, di Meola shows off his speedy and rock-ish fusion style. He was still a member of Return to Forever at the time and was a stronger guitarist than composer, but di Meola did put a lot of thought into this music. The brief "Lady of Rome, Sister of Brazil" (an acoustic guitar solo) and "Mediterranean Sundance" (an acoustic duet with fellow guitaristPaco de Lucía) hints at di Meola's future directions. A near classic in the fusion vein. AMG.

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Dr. Strangely Strange - Kip of the Serenes 1969

Ireland's answer to the Incredible String Band, Dr. Strangely Strange engaged in the same type of psychedelic acoustic music with folksy arrangements. With traditional instruments like penny whistle, fiddle, harmonium, and mandolin, Dr. Strangely Strange was more solidly rooted in melody and structure than the group's flaky Scottish counterparts. Produced by British modern folk guru Joe Boyd,Kip of the Serenes is built around simple and repetitious melodies occasionally interrupted by stream-of-consciousness musical and lyrical diversions. This simplistic approach would be abandoned with their 1970 follow-up, Heavy Petting, which saw their first partnership with electric guitarist Gary Moore. AMG.

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Alçeu Valença - Vivo! 1976

Alceu Valença is an extremely successful composer and the owner of a distinctive style that mixes his northeastern roots and contemporary grooves; he is also an energetic and mesmerizing live performer. His songs have been recorded by several major artists, including Luiz Gonzaga (with whom he wrote "Plano Piloto"), Maria Betânia, and Elba Ramalho. His life was depicted in Anamelia Maciel's book Alceu Valença em Frente e Verso (Edição do Autor, recife, 1988).

The son of a locally renowned lawyer, Valença always worried his father with his rebellious character. At four, he participated in an infant concourse promoted by the postman Luís Jacinto, singing a Capiba tune. He didn't win the competition or the prize (a soap box), but his acrobatic performance during the prize delivery won the sympathy of the audience and he won another soap box. Moving with his family to Recife PE, Valença was always a bad student, and was even expelled from school, until he finally graduated from law school in 1970, but he never worked in that profession. There, he began his first professional musical experiences with the band Tamarineira Village, after transforming into Ave Sangria. He later incorporated new musicians into his band who were highly successful artists: Zé Ramalho (who played the Brazilian viola) and Elba Ramalho (as chorus girl). In 1968, Valença did his first show, Erosão: a Cor e o Show, to enthusiastic critical praise. In September, he participated in the I Festival Universitário Brasileiro de Música Popular (Rio) with "Maria Alice" (written with Sérgio Bahia), defended by Ivete e Arlete. The next month, he concurred in the I Festival Regional Universitário da MPB (Recife). In the next year, he classified two songs at the regional phase of the IV Festival Internacional da Canção: "Acalanto Para Isabela" (first place) and "Desafio Linda" (third place). At the national phase in Rio, he unsuccessfully defended the first song. With a scholarship from Harvard University (Boston), he knew some of the U.S. and reconciled himself to the indigenous culture of his home state, perceiving its universalizing possibilities through the interest displayed by passersby while he played on streets and squares.

In 1980, he released Coração Bobo, which had the hit "Na Primeira Manhã," and in the next year, Cinco Sentidos. In 1982, he recorded Cavalo de Pau with the hits "Tropicana" and "Como Dois Animais." In 1983, he released Anjo Avesso with "Anunciação," and from the live show recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), Brazil Night -- Ao Vivo em Montreux was released. In 1984, he recorded Mágico, which had the hit "Solidão," and in the next year, Estação da Luz.Returning to Brazil in 1970, Valença married Eneida in June and worked together at the III Festival Universitário de Música Popular Brasileira, receiving second place with "Manhã de Clorofila." He returned the trophy to the jury (under applause), declaring (euphemistically) that the jury already had its decision, regardless of the manifest desire of the audiences. It led him to decide to move to Rio with his wife, son, and a recommendation letter from José Humberto Patu. There he met Geraldo Azevedo, another pernambucano (from the Pernambuco state) who had abandoned music and was working with industrial design. Valença convinced him to return to music and they both wrote a song. Valença participated in July at the V Festival Internacional da Canção (Rio) with the songs "Fiat Lux Baby," "Erosão," and "Desafio Linda"; and at the IV Festival Universitário da Música Brasileira (August 1971, Teatro João Caetano), Valença participated with "Água Clara," "78 Rotações" (with Geraldo Azevedo), and "Planetário." Also with Azevedo's songs (which competed against Valença's at the festivals), they recorded together their first LP Alceu Valença & Geraldo Azevedo (Copacabana, 1972). In 1972, Valença asked the great Jackson do Pandeiro to defend his "Papagaio do Futuro" at the VII Festival Internacional da Canção (September, Rio). The song wasn't classified, but was presented with success in several shows by Valença and Azevedo throughout the country, and opened the doors for a friendship with Pandeiro that resulted in live performances by the duo at the Teatro João Caetano's (Rio), Projeto Seis e Meia (1975), and in the national tour of the Projeto Pixinguinha series (1977). Still in 1972, Valença became disappointed with the result of the FIC and returned to Recife with the decision to abandon music. In January 1974, he opened the show O Ovo e a Galinha (Nosso Teatro, Recife), touring several upstate Northeastern cities. In that same year, participated in Sérgio Ricardo's film A Noite do Espantalho as the main character, and recorded its soundtrack (released on LP by Continental in 1974) as singer. He also released his first solo album, Molhado de Suor (Som Livre). The album didn't get major interest from the audiences, but was well-received by critics. In February 1975, he got a big hit with "Vou Danado pra Catende," inspired in the verses by modernist Pernambucan poet Ascenso Ferreira at the Festival Abertura (Rede Globo). The support from the audience led the jury to create a special "Research" prize. It made possible the show Vou Danado pra Catende (Teatro Teresa Rachel, Rio, 1975), which was a complete failure in the first three days until Valença got dressed as a clown and swept through downtown Rio with a megaphone, promoting the show. It then became a full-house success at the theater and in all subsequent national tours. In the next year, he recorded Vivo, a rock album, and in 1977, Espelho Cristalino. In 1979, he recorded Saudade de Pernambuco, and in the same year, began to record frevos on the LP series Asas da América (compilations with several interpreters). The series and the subsequent dedicated shows by Valença, in parallel with his solo career, turned Olinda's Carnival a national success. During a tour in 1979, he recorded an album in Paris, France, that is still unreleased in Brazil.

At that point, with his career established, several of his songs became soap opera themes (the fastest way of reaching high selling records in Brazil). In 1986, he recorded the live album Ao Vivo, and in the same year, Rubi. In 1987, he recorded Leque Moleque, and in the following years, Oropa, França e Bahia (1988), Andar, Andar (1990), and Sete Desejos (1991), which had the hit "Tesoura do Desejo." In that year, he participated in the megafestival Rock in Rio 2. In 1994, he recorded Maracatus Batuques e Ladeirasfeaturing the track "Pétalas" (with Herbert Azul), which received the Sharp prize for the Best Song of the Year. Together with Geraldo Azevedo, Elba Ramalho, and Zé Ramalho, he recorded the 1996 live album O Grande Encontro and the solo CD Mourisco. In 1997, he released Sol e Chuva and, in 1998, Forró de Todos os Tempos. Sino de Ouro followed in early 2001. AMG.

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Jefferson Airplane - Bark 1971

By the time of Bark, personnel changes had gutted much of the original version of Jefferson Airplane, especially with the departure of Marty Balin. Paul Kantner and Grace Slick remained, but their compositions were growing increasingly ill-focused, and Jorma Kaukonen and new drummer Joey Covington were ill-equipped to pick up the songwriting slack. The result was an album that bore hallmarks of the classic Airplane sound, but lacked any classic Airplane songs. That said, the record isn't as bad as many reviewers have made it out to be. It's just mediocre, with little that sticks in the memory, despite occasional nice moments in cuts like Covington's "Pretty as You Feel" and Kaukonen's delicate "Third Week in the Chelsea." AMG.

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Madshoes's Musicology

Here you go again, one more for the road, yeah! Enjoy.