Jackson Browne - Running On Empty 1977

Having acknowledged a certain creative desperation on The Pretender, Jackson Browne lowered his sights (and raised his commercial appeal) considerably with Running on Empty, which was more a concept album about the road than an actual live album, even though its songs were sometimes recorded on-stage (and sometimes on the bus or in the hotel). Unlike most live albums, though, it consisted of previously unrecorded songs. Browne had less creative participation on this album than on any he ever made, solely composing only two songs, co-writing four others, and covering another four. And he had less to say -- the title song and leadoff track neatly conjoined his artistic and escapist themes. Figuratively and creatively, he was out of gas, but like "the pretender," he still had to make a living. The songs covered all aspects of touring, from Danny O'Keefe's "The Road," which detailed romantic encounters, and "Rosie" (co-written by Browne and his manager Donald Miller), in which a soundman pays tribute to auto-eroticism, to, well, "Cocaine," to the travails of being a roadie ("The Load-Out"). Audience noises, humorous asides, loose playing -- they were all part of a rough-around-the-edges musical evocation of the rock & roll touring life. It was not what fans had come to expect from Browne, of course, but the disaffected were more than outnumbered by the newly converted. (It didn't hurt that "Running on Empty" and "The Load-Out"/"Stay" both became Top 40 hits.) As a result, Browne's least ambitious, but perhaps most accessible, album ironically became his biggest seller. But it is not characteristic of his other work: for many, it will be the only Browne album they will want to own, just as others always will regard it disdainfully as "Jackson Browne lite." AMG.

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Daylight - Daylight 1971

An interesting album, Daylight was formed by Mike Silver (guitar, vocals), Steve Hatton (guitar, vocals), and Chrissy Quaye (guitar, vocals), they were joined by Tony Carr on drums and Spikey Heatley on bass. The LP featured many influences ranging from folk, rock, Latin and was beautifully recorded with Mike and Chrissy’s vocals blending well together. Steve would contribute two songs, Yes and Never Say Never as well as the funky Carry Me, which was a joint composition with Mike. Worth the listen.

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Craig Nuttycombe - It's Just A Lifetime 1978

After being part of country folk duo Lambert and Nuttycombe, Craig Nuttycombe released an album with some of Fairport Convention musicians produced by Andy-Fairweather Low.

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J.F. Murphy and Free Flowing Salt - The Last Illusion 1973

J. F. Murphy and Salt was an utterly unique sextet that became a popular college campus fixture during the early 1970s. The band's rebellious stance against the Vietnam War was part of the picture, but it was the original compositions by bandleader, J.F. Murphy, and an overtly creative non-traditional approach to the covers they developed that brought them such a dedicated fan base.

Dropped by MGM the band signed with Elektra.  Produced by Eddie Kramer, 1972's "JF Murphy and Salt" was a mostly live set capturing the band at a series of college performances including dates at The University of Hartford, Nassau Community College, and Trent State College.  The closing country-flavored track ' If Wishes Were Horses' was clearly a studio effort. Musically the set showcased the band's weird mixture of blues ('Kansas City'), country ('Country Jam'), jazz-rock fusion, traditional Irish tunes, straight-ahead rock, and social and political activism (the anti-war 'Waiting Hymn of the Republic').  It was definitely different and occasionally a bit disconcerting; particularly when they mixed all the genres together in one song - check out 'First Born', or 'Silver Horn' - the latter having a plotline about a young guy trying to pass himself off as a Leprechaun at an Irish dance). Murphy was an okay singer who occasionally reminded me a bit of a bluesier Burton Cummings.  

All six members were impressive musicians (guitarist Joe Parrino deserved special notice), and there was no denying their professionalism, but there just wasn't much here that caught my ear.   The need to stretch out musically also didn't do the band any favors.  Their cover of the blues classic 'Kansas City' went on for over 12 minutes and was basically unlistenable. Guess you had to be in the audience to get the full effect.

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Doug Sahm - Groover's Paradise 1974

Anyone who finds hippies irritating might want to throw this record across the room -- and that's a good review right there since it has been long established via intense scientific study that music which somehow motivates people to throw records across the room is usually quite good. No exception to this rule here, as fans of Doug Sahm often choose this as a personal favorite, while it is also one of the better side projects of the Creedence Clearwater Revival rhythm section. If Sahm was writing the review himself in 1974, he would have no doubt described the whole thing as some kind of "trip"; after all, this expression is used three times alone on the back cover of this album, actually less than one might expect considering the stoned-out nature of the accompanying comics. These black-and-white illustrations by Kelly Fitzgerald are a great part of the record's enduring charm, but the music itself is deeper than the coolie hippie vibe. This is simply a great roots rock album, and like much of Sahm's work, it is loaded with complex details as well as the loving interplay between the musicians. These tracks indicate mastery of many basic forms such as blues, rhythm & blues, norteño, country, and Cajun and the players always seem to be probing beyond this to find something new. Creedence Clearwater Revival drummer Doug Clifford produced as well as played, and did a superior job, irrigating the proceedings with a range of available Sahm streams like some kind of master gardener. The use of horns is excellent, not only providing plenty of punch in the arrangements but memorable effects such as the spooky baritone sax solo on "Just Groove Me."  A large section of the sonic spread is always reserved for Sahm's lush guitar playing, including lots of rock, country, and blues licks, while bassist Stu Cook sometimes adds additional guitar, expertly mocking the patented hypnotic John Fogerty sound for an effect that is not unlike Sahm sitting in on a Creedence album. Of course, the range of that classic '60s and '70s rock group seems quite limited compared to Sahm, who whips off an expert version of the Tex-Mex instrumental "La Cacahueta," the only track here which he did not compose himself. The well-crafted yet daringly personal and unembarrassed songs include haunting country-influenced ballads such as "Her Dream Man Never Came," as well as really top-notch examples of good old rock & roll, the hilarious "For the Sake of Rock 'N' Roll" and the bewitchingly cooking "Devil Heart." The second side of the original vinyl is one of this artist's most perfect sets of songs. The final track, "Catch Me in the Morning," is one of several on this album that benefits from a long, satisfying arrangement -- hardly the kind of simple dirt that is often tossed off the shovel in the quest for roots rock. The band tends to move through these pieces with confidence as if already expecting to have lost the attention of the simpletons in the crowd. At the same time, there are those listeners who will find it hard to believe a simple song, let alone such a magnum opus, could be created from the almost nonexistent message of this song. "Call me in the morning, I am too tired to talk right now," is just about all this song says, and it is one of the marvels of Sahm that he is able to parlay a near-operatic sense of importance into such a typical part of daily life. Giving him an instrumental credit for being a "dreamer" -- nicely enough, it comes right after the credit for bajo sexto -- is one of the most appropriate details, or "trips," on Groover's Paradise. AMG.

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Gilberto Gil - Refazenda 1975

Recorded the same year as Gil e Jorge, his brilliant collaboration with Jorge Ben, Refazenda keeps up the pace, but in a completely different way. Instead of the acoustic Brazilian folk of Gil e Jorge, Gil focuses on breezy pop. "Jeca Total," "Ê, Povo, Ê," "Tenho Sede," and the title track are dominated by flute, accordion, horns, and gentle strings. Gil is in excellent voice, whether he's delivering a driving song like "Essa é Pra Tocar No Rádio" or more intimate ballads like the last two tracks, "Lamento Sertanejo" and "Meditação." Though "Pai e Mãe" and a few other tracks are slightly reminiscent of the Gil e Jorge LP, Gil reasserts himself here as the pop star whom all of Brazil had expected him to be. AMG.

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Dull Knife - Electric Indian 1971

With a heavy sound, Dull Knife ranges from the hard prog with some good blues vein, where robust guitar solos and a mighty Hammond take over much of the record. English vocals with clear opulence and distortion of voices, most likely caused by a Vocoder, a kind of human voice synthesizer widely used in the 1970s and 1980s. The lyrics are based in gospel speech, often marked by aggressive riffs, intense vocals, leading to believe it to be a gospel record, however, with all the experimental Krautrock vein.

Recorded in 1971, the album was produced by Dieter Dierks, who was primarily responsible for Scorpions' meteoric commercial success in the '70s. The vocalist and also keyboardist, Gottfried Janko joined Jane for the recording of the album Lady in 1975, leaving the band after its release.

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Aretha Franklin - Young, Gifted and Black 1972

It's nearly impossible to single out any of Aretha Franklin's early-'70s albums for Atlantic as being her best, particularly given the breadth of her output during this era. In terms of albums rather than singles, it's probably her strongest era, and if you count live albums like Amazing Grace, choosing a standout or a favorite record isn't any easier. Yet of this stunning era, Young, Gifted and Black certainly ranks highly among her studio efforts, with many arguing that it may be her greatest. And with songs like "Rock Steady," that may be a valid argument. But there's much more here than just a few highlights. If you really want to go song by song, you'd be hard-pressed to find any throwaways here -- this is quite honestly an album that merits play from beginning to end. You have upbeat songs like the aforementioned "Rock Steady" that will get you up out of your seat moving and grooving, yet then you also have a number of more introspective songs that slow down the tempo and are more likely to relax than rouse. And if that wide spectrum of moods isn't enough reason to celebrate this album, you get some unlikely songs like a take on "The Long and Winding Road." Plus, you also have to keep in mind that Franklin was in her prime here, not only in terms of voice but also in terms of confidence -- you can just feel her exuding her status as the best of the best. Furthermore, her ensemble of musicians competes with any that she had worked with on previous albums. So even if this isn't the greatest Aretha Franklin album of the early '70s, it's certainly a contender, the sort of album that you can't go wrong with. AMG.

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Mint Tattoo - Mint Tattoo 1969

The Mint Tattoo was born as an offshoot of the legendary 60's proto-punk acid band Blue Cheer. Bruce Stevens and Ralph (Burns) Kellogg had played together in Blue Cheer on the band's self-titled album in 1969, but after that one album, Stevens left the band to pursue other interests. Kellogg stayed on with Blue Cheer until the demise of the band in 1971, but during his tenure with Blue Cheer, he reunited with Stevens along with drummer Gregg Thomas to form the band Mint Tattoo. Produced by James William Guercio (Chicago) and engineered by Phil Ramone in New York, the Mint Tattoo is a mixture of blues-styled original songs, a cover of classic blues numbers, and some rather uninspired, typical for the era hard rock tunes. Not an overly exciting album, compared to the early Blue Cheer material, but nonetheless a period piece and better than most material that was being released in the early '70s. This reissue contains one bonus track and has faithfully reproduced the original graphics in digipack CD format as it originally appeared on Dot Records in 1969. AMG.

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Gomorrha - Trauma 1970

Gomorrha were an obscure early 70s hard rock Krautrock band from the Rhineland, Germany, who were barely recognized during their lifetime even in their homeland. Since then, their records have become highly collectable, and their name even appeared on the Nurse With Wound list of influences. The group began in the late 60s when drummer Helmut Pohl and organ and bassist Eberhard Krietsch began to compose songs together. In early 1969 they formed the band with guitarists Ad Ochel and Ali Claudi, and by the end of the year they recorded their first album with Connie Plank, who was just beginning his career as sound engineer and producer. The eponymous album, released by Cornet the next year, was an unsuccessful mix of Beatle-esque pop and beat songs sung in German that the band quickly distanced themselves from.

The next year they returned to the studio with Plank and re-recorded the material from their debut, this time with the lyrics in English and with a more progressive sound. By now Peter Otten had joined the group to be the lead vocalist. This record, Trauma, came out in 1971, and though this record was far better than the debut, much of it was still quite conventional rock, with only the 13-minute title track hinting at what was to come.

Near the end of 1971 Gomorrha acquired fulltime bassist Mike Eulner so that Eberhard didn?t have to switch off from organ to bass. By now they came to the attention of Brain Records, who gave them full artistic freedom on their third album, I Turned To See Whose Voice It Was, recorded in early 1972 in four days, again with Conny Plank behind the sound board. Released later that year, the record took the best elements of Trauma into far more creative realms, and is considered a masterpiece for Gomorrha, and one of the high points in Krautrock recordings.

Gomorrha only lasted another year. The members were not prepared to commit themselves to the uncertain life of musicians, so they split up and went back to their regular jobs, and none of them have ever returned to music. AMG.

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McLuhan - Anomaly 1970

The sole album of jazz-fusion from this Chicago band is an interesting eclectic mix of various unorthodox instruments which include not only the standard instrumentation but also a trumpet, tenor sax, slide whistle, a xylophone, timpani, chimes, and something called a Maestro Woodwind Device. Some sources say this came out in 1971 and others in 1972. The group was created by fellow students of the University of Illinois on the wreckage of the former Seven Seas group at the initiative of David Wright, who played any wind instruments and became the inspiration for this project. The idea was to try to combine and successfully apply different interesting techniques in performances: a crying baby, various strange instruments, background noises. They even wanted to run old films on a slide projector - "Monster Bride", for example, was influenced by "Bride Of Frankenstein", and at the performances, they played the film at the moment when the "20th Century Fox" theme was played. The performances were so good that they were able to sign a contract with Brunswick Records. 

The musicians existed as a group for only a year or a year and a half and did not have time to play at least one concert on their album, because the recording of “Anomaly” is the last thing they did, wanting to remain in history. Give it a listen.

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Agostinho dos Santos - Agostinho dos Santos 1973

Agostinho dos Santos was an important singer and composer, closely linked with the presentation of bossa nova to a broader international audience. He toured through the U.S., Italy, Germany, Portugal, Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, Venezuela, and Mexico, perfoming in the U.S. and in Brazil with Johnny Mathis, and, in Italy, with Caterina Valente. He appeared on TV in France, Portugal, England, and Belgium. Among his compositions, can be mentioned "Forças Ocultas" (with Antônio Bruno), "Sozinho Com Você" (with Dirce Morais/Heitor Canilo), "Chuva Para Molhar O Sol" (with Edison Borges), "Podem Falar" (with Renato Duarte), "Distância é Saudade," and "Quem Levou Maria," among others.

His professional debut was as a crooner in Osmar Milani's orchestra. In 1951, he was hired by Rádio América, and, in 1955, by Rádio Nacional (both from São Paulo). The first record came in the same year, with "Meu Benzinho" (Polydor). The song was a hit, yielding a gold record and the Roquette Pinto trophy. He also had a rock & roll experience in the '50s, recording "Até Logo, Jacaré," version by Julio Nagib for "See You Later, Alligator," by Bill Halley & His Comets.

In the next year, he recorded the LP Uma Voz E Seus Sucessos, dedicated to Tom Jobim and Dolores Duran's songs. The album contained "Estrada Do Sol," which remained as one of his biggest hits. He was then invited by Tom Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes to record the soundtrack (together with João Gilberto) of the Marcel Camus film Orfeu do Carnaval, which launched several of the most famous classics of the soon-to-be bossa nova internationally). In 1958, he released the LPs Antônio Carlos Jobim e Fernando César Na Voz De Agostinho Dos Santos and Agostinho Espetacular. In the following year came O Inimitável Agostinho, in 1960 Agostinho, Sempre Agostinho, and in 1961 Agostinho Canta Sucessos.

In 1962, he participated in the Carneggie Hall's Bossa Nova Festival, backed by Oscar Castro-Neves's band. In the same year, he released A Presença de Agostinho, followed by Vanguarda (1963), Agostinho dos Santos (1966), Música Nossa (1967), Agostinho dos Santos (1970), and Agostinho dos Santos (1973). In 1968 was present at the III FIC with "Visão" (Antônio Adolfo/Tibério Gaspar). Died in a plane accident at the Orly airport. AMG.

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999 - 999 (1978)

A truly neglected classic, 999's eponymous debut album was issued in March 1978, on the back of three stunning 45s -- the romping "I'm Alive," the anthemic "Nasty Nasty," and the oddly ambitious "Me and My Desire." The first and last of these appeared on the album, together with the summer smash that never was, June 1978's, "Emergency," and it is with these tracks as its benchmarks that 999 should be judged. A ferocious live band, the group harnessed every iota of their stage performance for the studio, turning in an album that zips past at the speed of light, in a blur of chant-worthy choruses and pogo-able riffs; even better, three bonus tracks round up the absent "Nasty Nasty" 45, plus a pair of period B-sides, to deliver a picture-perfect portrait of 999's first year. There would, of course, be many more to come. AMG.

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Ohio Players - Pleasure 1972

When the Ohio Players recorded their second Westbound album, Pleasure, in 1972, they weren't as big as they would be from 1974-1976. But their popularity was growing -- slowly but surely -- and those who were hip to the band recognized them as one of the most cutting-edge acts in the funk field. A lot of bands were providing funk in 1972, but not many of them used jazz progressions as creatively as the Players use them on "Laid It," "Walked Away from You," and Pleasure's title song. Those tracks are gems, and the Players are equally captivating on the sweet soul ballad "Varee Is Love." But the best known tune on the album is the goofy "Funky Worm," which employed the Players' amusing Granny character and was, in 1972, their biggest hit to date. Long after the band's popularity faded, "Funky Worm" would live on in the 1980s and 1990s thanks to the various hip-hoppers who sampled its irresistible bassline. Like Pain in 1971, Pleasure had a kinky cover that generated some controversy -- the same bald woman who brandished a bullwhip and wore dominatrix attire on the front cover of Pain was chained up on the cover of Pleasure. Some folks found the Players' kinky LP covers intriguing, while others were shocked and offended. And the Players, having struggled in the 1960s, were happy to be noticed. But ultimately, it is the quality of the music -- not the bondage-minded cover -- that makes Pleasure a funk classic. AMG.

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Magma - Magma 1970

Led by classically trained drummer Christian Vander, the Paris-based Magma have been, in their way, perhaps the ultimate progressive rock group; while other artists have achieved greater commercial success and critical acclaim, Magma have typified the many ambitions and excesses of the genre that won them as many detractors as fans, even going so far as to invent their own lyrical and musical language in order to bring their unique vision to life. The son of a jazz pianist, Vander initially followed in his father's footsteps, modeling his technique on the work of John Coltrane alum Elvin Jones and starting his career with a number of jazz and R&B outfits. While in Paris in 1969, however, he was struck by a vision of Earth's spiritual and ecological future so disturbing to him that he decided to explore his fears by musical means, assembling Magma with the aid of wife and vocalist Stella, singer Klaus Blasquiz, and fusion bassists Francis Moze and Jannick Top.

As outlined on the group's eponymous 1970 double-album debut, Vander's tale -- projected to be told over the course of ten LPs -- pitted Earth against a rival planet named Kobaia. Over the course of 1971's 1,001 Centigrade and 1973's Mekanïk Destructïw Kommandoh (recorded with a choir), the story -- much of it told in native Kobaian -- unfolded to depict an Earth so uninhabitable that its citizens must flee to the nearby planet, where years of conflict culminated in the achievement of cosmic harmony and reconciliation with the deity Ptäh. Chart success was not forthcoming, and after a few early tours of the U.S. and Britain Magma spent the middle years of the decade almost exclusively in France, where they launched records including 1974's Kohntarkosz and the next year's Live. After the commercial failure of 1976's Üdü Wüdü and 1977's Inédits, Magma essentially disbanded, although the group lived on in various forms, as alumni founded a number of loosely affiliated splinter groups to carry on Vander's work, while a number of bands -- including Art Zoyd, Univers Zero, Ensemble Nimbus, Happy Family, and Koenji Hyakkei -- would be influenced by Magma during the years to follow. In 1983, Vander himself resurfaced with the acoustic project Offering, but later returned to more grandiose designs with Les Voix de Magma, an attempt to resurrect his early material for a new generation of listeners. In the mid-‘90s Vander re-formed Magma proper -- including Stella Vander, various musicians new to the Magma fold, and appearances by members of the band's earlier lineups -- and they began an extended period of recordings and live appearances featuring both new music and material from their "classic" period. In 1995 the album Kohntarkosz Anteria (K.A.) appeared as the second part of a trilogy that began with the Kohntarkosz album in 1974; the third and final part of the trilogy, Emehntehtt-Re, was issued in 2009. Meanwhile, Magma documented a number of their live shows on both CD and DVD releases, including the La Trilogie au Trianon CD and DVD sets recorded at the band’s 30th-anniversary concerts in Paris during May 2000 and the Live in Tokyo two-CD set recorded in 2005. Magma also performed music from 35 years of the band’s history during a four-week residency at the Le Triton club in Paris during May of 2005; the Le Triton concerts were documented on the four-volume Mythes et Légendes DVD series released between 2006 and 2008. AM.

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