Max Roach - Speak, Brother, Speak! 1963

This reissue CD of a live set originally put out on Debut has two very lengthy tracks (the 25-minute "Speak, Brother, Speak" and the 22-and-a-half-minute "A Variation") featuring solos by tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan, pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Eddie Khan, and drummer Max Roach (who wrote both of the pieces). The music is somewhere between hard bop and the avant-garde, and the musicians really push each other, although the results are not quite essential. Clifford Jordan fans in particular will find this to be an interesting set. AMG.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

Aerosmith - Get your Wings 1974

Often overshadowed by the subsequent twin highlights of Toys in the Attic and Rocks, Aerosmith's 1974 second album, Get Your Wings, is where Aerosmith became Aerosmith -- it's where they teamed up with producer Jack Douglas, it's where they shed much of their influences and developed their own trademark sound, it's where they turned into songwriters, it's where Steven Tyler unveiled his signature obsessions with sex and sleaze. Chief among these attributes may be Douglas, who either helped the band ease into the studio or captured their sound in a way their debut never did. This is a leaner, harder album, bathed in grease and layered in grit, but it's not just down to Douglas. The band itself sounds more distinctive. There are blues in Joe Perry and Joey Kramer's interplay, but this leapfrogs over blues-rock; it turns into slippery hard rock. To be sure, it's still easy to hear the Stoneshere, but they never really sound Stonesy; there's almost more of the Yardbirds to the way the group works the riffs, particularly evident on the cover of the early 'Birds classic "The Train Kept a Rollin'." But if the Yardbirds were tight and nervy, Aerosmith is blown out and loose, the sound of excess incarnate -- that is, in every way but the writing itself, which is confident and strong, fueled by Tyler's gonzo sex drive. He is the "Lord of the Thighs," playing that "Same Old Song and Dance," but he also slows down enough for the eerie "Seasons of Wither," a powerful slow-churning ballad whose mastery of atmosphere is a good indication of how far the band has grown. They never attempted anything quite so creepy on their debut, but it isn't just that Aerosmith is trying newer things on Get Your Wings, it's that they're doing their bloozy bluster better and bolder, which is what turns this sophomore effort into their first classic. AMG.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

Hot Knives - Hot Knives 1976

Hot Knives was a band with an impressive pedigree and plenty of talent which unfortunately was in the right place at the wrong time -- playing enthusiastic and tuneful power pop and folk-rock with a faint psychedelic undertow, the group should have been right at home on the San Francisco music scene, but in the mid-'70s, they were too late for the Ballroom scene, stuck out like a sore thumb in the age of stadium rock, and were a poor fit for the harder sounds of new wave and punk that were lurking on the horizon. Hot Knives was formed by the brother-and-sister team of Michael Houpt (lead vocals and guitar) and Debra Houpt (lead vocals), who began singing together as teenagers growing up in Pennsylvania, playing folk tunes in the style of Peter, Paul and Mary.
By 1969, Michael had relocated to Northern California, and he began working with a political improvisational theater troupe in San Francisco; the Flamin' Groovies sometimes rehearsed at the company's performance space, andMichael struck up a friendship with bandmembers Tim Lynch (lead guitar) and Danny Mihm (drums). By 1972, Debra had moved to San Francisco, while Lynch and Mihm were looking for a new project after the Flamin' Groovies' original lineup fell apart. With bassist Ed Wilson joining Michael, Debra,Tim, and Danny, Hot Knives was born, with the group taking their name from Michael's favored method of smoking hashish. Hot Knives gigged regularly in the Bay area and the group slowly built a following for their engaging melodies, Michael and Tim's guitar interplay and the soaring vocal harmonies of the Houpts. However, they were far enough from the mainstream that record companies weren't interested, and in 1976 Hot Knives took matters into their own hands, self-releasing a single, "Lovin' You" backed with "Around the World," which was produced by Cyril Jordan of the Groovies. Another 7" followed later the same year, "I Hear the Wind Blow" b/w a cover of Moby Grape's "Hey Grandma." The singles earned some enthusiastic press (Greg Shaw in Bomp! called them "the best thing happening in San Francisco these days") but didn't lead to a record deal, and while the group had a wealthy and enthusiastic patron in Casper Weinberger, Jr. (whose father was Secretary of Defense under Ronald Reagan), it wasn't enough to keep the lineup intact after Tim Lynch left the band. WhileHot Knives continued for a while with guitarist Bob Kinney, they quietly called it quits by the end of the decade. In 2011, the Australian label Grown Up Wrong released a Hot Knives collection that featured both sides of their two singles, along with ten unreleased tracks. AMG.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

Donald Byrd - Mustang! 1966

Donald Byrd, a talented hard bop trumpeter during his prime (although rarely reaching the technical heights of Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard), performs a varied repertoire on Mustang!. "Dixie Lee" has dated rhythms, and "Mustang" was an attempt to achieve a hit on the level of Morgan's "The Sidewinder." However, Byrd sounds fine on those numbers; he digs into the complex chord changes of "Fly Little Bird Fly," is sensitive on "I Got It Bad," swings on his "I'm So Excited by You," and performs his memorable countermelody to "On the Trail," which had been recorded earlier by several other musicians. Teamed with a typically impressive Blue Note crew (altoist Sonny Red, tenor saxophonistHank Mobley, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Walter Booker, and drummer Freddie Waits), Byrdperforms high-quality straight-ahead jazz that fits the modern mainstream of the era. Also on the CD reissue are a pair of selections ("Gingerbread Boy" and "I'm So Excited by You") from an earlier quintet date (with tenorman Jimmy Heath, Tyner, bassist Walter Booker, and drummer Joe Chambers) that, despite being excellent, went unissued until 1997. AMG.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

Chick Churchill - You and me 1974

Michael George "Chick" Churchill is a classically-trained pianist best-known as on/off keyboard man with Ten Years After, possibly the archetypal British blues/rock band, featuring Alvin Lee's lightning-fast guitar work.
You and Me is Churchill's only solo album, is an unfairly forgotten rock gem with quite strong, progressive influences. A bevy of famous friends Jethro Tull's Martin Barre, Cozy Powell, Leo Lyons, Rick Lee, Roger Hodgson, Bernie Marsden, Garry Pickford Hopkins, it’s really hard to imagine a better configuration on one record.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

The Neighb'rhood Childr'n - The Neighb'rhood Childr'n 1968

It's truly a marvel the impact that travel, locale, and hallucinogenic drugs can have on talented young musicians. The Navarros were a band from the sleepy town of Medford, Oregon, specializing in R&B and surf material, who decided to pay a visit to San Francisco in the summer of 1967. While they only planned to hang out for a few days, they ended up diving head first into the local hippie scene, and leader Rick Bolz started a new band with a handful of local players who shared his new taste for psychedelia. He called the band Neighb'rhood Childr'n, and their sole album, released in 1968, suggests a mid-point between classic San Francisco psychedelic rock and the poppier constructs of acts like the Turtles and the Beau Brummels. The goofy playfulness of their cover of "Over the Rainbow," the Baroque pop touches of "Please Leave Me Alone," and the waltz-time eccentricity of "Happy Child" are a bit of out of step with what one would be likely to hear on a typical night at the Fillmore West, but the wickedly fuzzy guitar leads from Bolz and the spaced-out textures of "Long Years in Space" and "Hobbit's Dream" are clear indicators of the time and space that spawned this music. (Bolz and keyboard player Dyan Hoffman also deliver harmonies that would have done the Jefferson Airplane proud, while the hooky concision of the songs suggests they'd listened to Moby Grape's debut album a few times.) This music leans toward the commercial end of the psychedelic rock spectrum, but only just; between the guitar interplay of Bolz and Ron Raschdorf, the steady and versatile drumming of W.A. Farrens, and the strong original songs (mostly by Bolz and Hoffman), Neighb'rhood Childr'nclearly had an edge in talent and potential over most of their compatriots on the Bay Area scene of the day, and while it's unfortunate they never released another album, this set is an overlooked gem that still sounds fresh and enthusiastic more than four decades after it quietly came and went. AMG.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

Kenny Dorham - Matador 1962

Kenny Dorham's Matador can safely claim the all too common distinction of being a classic among jazz connoisseurs while virtually unknown to the casual listener. Dorham is joined here by Jackie McLean, Bobby Timmons, Teddy Smith, and J.C. Moses, all of whom deliver outstanding performances. More than anything, this session is perhaps best known for including a stunning version of McLean's composition "Melody for Melonae," used less than a month earlier on his groundbreaking Blue Note LP Let Freedom Ring. For this session, though, the tune is renamed "Melanie" and, if not better, this version at least rivals the take under McLean's leadership. For starters, the addition of another horn adds some tonal depth to the proceedings, a situation arguably lacking in the tune's earlier recording. Also of note is what has to be Bobby Timmons' most intense moment on record. One rarely has the opportunity to hear Timmons dig and scrape as hard as he does during this solo, and his barely audible vocal accompaniment (à la Bud Powell) only helps to prove this point. This is a case where a performer not commonly associated with seriously stretching out goes at it with a life-affirming fervor, making "Melanie" a treat for listeners who revel in emotional performances. Other highlights include the opener, "El Matador," a 5/4 number that, frankly, fades out just when things were getting good, and the otherwise unaccompanied Dorham/Timmons duet, "Prelude." A fantastic session by any standard. AMG.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

The City Blues - Blues For Lawrence Street 1967

Ultra-rare private garage blues LP from the Los Angeles area (released on Nouveau Records in 1967); reminds many of early Quicksilver Messenger Service, specifically the 1966 pre-Cipollina lineup as heard on the Groucho releases. Trebly guitars, wailing harmonica, etc. One of the rarest California private LPs with originals virtually non-existent and fetching large sums. Limited to 500 copies." As Bob Lescher recalled, "I got mad at Dick and threw a harmonica at him. My patience was pretty short in those days. Lucky that he ducked. It left a hole in the acoustics on the wall of the studio. The final track, 'Smokestack Lightning,' is about twelve minutes long with all sorts of noddling going on. It was our take on Butterfield's East-West.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

Ray Charles - Hallelujah I Love Her So! 1957

Issued under the title Ray Charles in 1957, this Jerry Wexler-produced set was Ray Charles' debut album for Atlantic Records, and it was a gem, with powerful, timeless performances of "I Got a Woman,"Henry Glover's "Drown in My Own Tears, Ahmet Ertegun's "Mess Around," a stomping version of "Hallelujah I Love Her So," and Lowell Fulson's "Sinner's Prayer," among other vintage Charlesdelights. The album was reissued in 1962 with the title Hallelujah I Love Her So, and has since also been reissued under the title Rock & Roll, but whatever it's called, it introduced one of the most dynamic performers of the 20th century to a new and wider audience. AMG.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

Gene Chandler - Just Be True 1964

Led by the title track, Gene Chandler's biggest hit of the '60s after "Duke of Earl," Just Be True is a set of period soul tracks including "You Threw a Lucky Punch" (an answer record to Mary Wells' "You Beat Me to the Punch") and the lame "Duke of Earl" knockoff "Walk on With the Duke." Chandler's wonderful voice raises all this material to a level unimagined by any but the half-dozen best soul singers out there. The Collectables reissue includes four bonus tracks. AMG.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

Carmell Jones - The Remarkable Carmell Jones 1961

Of the few records that trumpeter Carmell Jones led throughout his career, his first date was by far his best known and was generally his most satisfying. Teamed in Los Angeles with tenor saxophonist Harold Land, pianist Frank Strazzeri, bassist Gary Peacock, and drummer Leon Pettis, Jones is featured on music that is essentially cool-toned hard bop. In addition to a couple of Jones' originals, there is an obscurity by bassist Jimmy Bond and three other tunes, including an 11-minute investigation of Duke Ellington's "I'm Gonna Go Fishing." Jones' Clifford Brown-influenced style blends well with Land, and the music swings throughout in fine fashion. This album was reissued by the British Charly label on their Affinity subsidiary in the mid-'80s. AMG.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

The Rolling Stones - Their Satanic Majesties Request 1967

Without a doubt, no Rolling Stones album -- and, indeed, very few rock albums from any era -- split critical opinion as much as the Rolling Stones' psychedelic outing. Many dismiss the record as sub-Sgt. Pepper posturing; others confess, if only in private, to a fascination with the album's inventive arrangements, which incorporated some African rhythms, Mellotrons, and full orchestration. What's clear is that never before or after did the Stones take so many chances in the studio. (Some critics and fans feel that the record has been unfairly undervalued, partly because purists expect the Stones to constantly champion a blues 'n' raunch worldview.) About half the material is very strong, particularly the glorious "She's a Rainbow," with its beautiful harmonies, piano, and strings; the riff-driven "Citadel"; the hazy, dream-like "In Another Land," Bill Wyman's debut writing (and singing) credit on a Stonesrelease; and the majestically dark and doomy cosmic rocker "2000 Light Years from Home," with some of the creepiest synthesizer effects (devised by Brian Jones) ever to grace a rock record. The downfall of the album was caused by some weak songwriting on the lesser tracks, particularly the interminable psychedelic jam "Sing This All Together (See What Happens)." It's a much better record than most people give it credit for being, though, with a strong current of creeping uneasiness that undercuts the gaudy psychedelic flourishes. In 1968, the Stones would go back to the basics, and never wander down these paths again, making this all the more of a fascinating anomaly in the group's discography. AMG.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK

Dave Van Ronk - Van Ronk Sings 1961

Guitarist, singer, songwriter, and native New Yorker Dave Van Ronk inspired, aided, and promoted the careers of numerous singer/songwriters who came up in the blues tradition. Most notable of the many musicians he helped over the years was Bob Dylan, whom Van Ronk got to know shortly after Dylanmoved to New York in 1961 to pursue a life as a folk/blues singer. Van Ronk's recorded output was healthy, but he was never as prolific a songwriter as some of his friends from that era, like Dylan orTom Paxton. Instead, Van Ronk's genius was derived from his flawless execution and rearranging of classic acoustic blues tunes.

Born June 30, 1936, in Brooklyn and raised there, Van Ronk never completed high school, and left home for Greenwich Village, a few miles away, in his late teens. He took his inspiration from blues and folk singer Odetta, who encouraged the then merchant seaman to play the classic jazz music that he was so keenly interested in. Often regarded as the grand uncle of the Greenwich Village coffeehouse scene, the self-effacing Van Ronk, an engaging intellectual and voracious reader, would have been the first to tell you that there were others, like Odetta, who were around the Village before him. As the blues and folk boom bloomed into the '60s, Van Ronk became part of an inner circle of musicians who lived in the Village, including then up-and-coming performers like Dylan, Paxton, Phil Ochs, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, and Joni Mitchell. An expert fingerpicker, Van Ronk was influenced as a vocalist by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong.

Van Ronk's recording career began in 1959 with Sings Ballads, Blues & a Spiritual on Moses Asch's Folkways label. His reputation wasn't solid, however, until he began recording for the Prestige label in the first half of the '60s. These recordings allowed him to tour throughout the U.S. and perform at major folk festivals like Newport. Although he had a short-lived folk rock band called the Hudson Dusters in the mid-'60s, the bulk of Van Ronk's recordings were solo acoustic affairs. Van Ronk's various recordings serve different purposes; to check out Van Ronk the songwriter, pick up Going Back to Brooklyn (Gazell Productions, 1985), which was his first all-original album, containing only his own songs; for students of Van Ronk's complex guitar technique, pick up Dave Van Ronk, a compact disc reissue of two earlier Prestige albums, Dave Van Ronk, Folksinger and Inside Dave Van Ronk. Another compilation, The Folkways Years (1959-1961), is available from Smithsonian Folkways. His 1967 album for Verve Forecast, Dave Van Ronk and the Hudson Dusters, is worthy of reissue on compact disc for its sound quality and for the statements it makes about American society in the '60s.

Van Ronk continued to record throughout the '90s and beyond, with the Alcazar Records label releasingFrom...Another Time and Place in 1995 and Justin Time issuing Sweet and Lowdown in 2001. He died unexpectedly while undergoing post-operative treatment for colon cancer on February 10, 2002. A CD of his last concert, from October 2001 in Takoma Park, Maryland, was released by Smithsonian Folkways in 2004 as ...And the Tin Pan Bended and the Story Ended. AMG.

listen here

Buy @ Amazon: USA - FR - UK