Beau - Beau 1969

Part of Cherry Red's ongoing reissue of albums from the late British DJ John Peel's short-lived indie label Dandelion Records, Beau is undeniably a minor work that would likely not get much attention were it not for its connection to such a beloved figure. Although released in 1969, the skeletal arrangements -- just a 12-string acoustic guitar and vocals -- have more in common with the very first wave of post-Dylan singer/songwriters. Think David Blue, Tom Paxton, andPhil Ochs, not the later swell of rock and psych-influenced pretenders to the throne. Christopher John Trevor Midgley -- it's immediately obvious why he chose to change his name professionally -- was the first act signed to Dandelion; as the comprehensive liner notes point out, Peel's business partner, Clive Selwood, was also the European head of A&R for Elektra Records, and the stripped-down earnestness of these songs is entirely in keeping with Elektra's singer/songwriter aesthetic. However, it's also clear that Dandelion got Beau because Elektra wasn't interested in an act that was already a throwback by the standards of then-current Elektra acts like the Stooges and the Doors. With several decades' hindsight, however, the low-key and gentle charms of Beau are more obvious. Although the album is clearly overshadowed by the outstanding single "1917 Revolution," a piece of passionate folk-rock weirdness that bears fruitful comparison to Tom Rapp's Pearls Before Swine, even less unique tunes like "Pillar of Economy" and "A Nation's Pride" are thoughtful folk songs with better than average lyrics powered by Beau's truly inventive guitar playing. AMG.

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Oliver Nelson - More Blues And The Abstract Truth 1964

Unlike the original classic Blues and the Abstract Truth set from three years earlier, Oliver Nelson does not play on this album. He did contribute three of the eight originals and all of the arrangements but his decision not to play is disappointing. However there are some strong moments from such all-stars as trumpeter Thad Jones, altoist Phil Woods, baritonist Pepper Adams, pianist Roger Kellaway and guest tenor Ben Webster (who is on two songs). The emphasis is on blues-based pieces and there are some strong moments even if the date falls short of its predecessor. AMG.

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REQUEST: Return To Forever - Light As A Feather 1972

Always tied to a confusing time line, the first released recording from the original configuration of Return to Foreverwas actually their second session. An initial studio date from the ECM label done in February of 1972 wasn't issued until after the band had changed in 1975. The Polydor/Verve recording from October of 1972 is indeed this 1973 release, featuring the same band with Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Airto Moreira, Joe Farrell, and Flora Purim. There's no need splitting hairs, as both are five-star albums, showcasing many of the keyboardist's long enduring, immediately recognizable, and highly melodic compositions. Farrell's happy flute, Purim's in-the-clouds wordless vocals, the electrifying percussion of Airto, and Clarke's deft and loping electric bass guitar lines are all wrapped in a stew of Brazilian samba and Corea's Fender Rhodes electric piano, certainly setting a tone and the highest bar for the music of peer groups to follow. "Captain Marvel" -- the seed for the band sans Farrell and Purim that was expanded into a full concept album with Stan Getz -- is here as a steamy fusion samba with Corea dancing on the keys. By now the beautiful "500 Miles High" has become Purim's signature song with Neville Potter's lyrics and Corea's stabbing chords, and unfortunately became a hippie drug anthem. Perhaps Corea's definitive song of all time, and covered ad infinitum by professional and school bands, "Spain" retains the quirky melody, handclapped interlude, up-and-down dynamics, exciting jam section, and variation in time, tempo, and colorations that always command interest despite a running time of near ten minutes. "You're Everything" is a romantic classic that surely has been heard at many weddings, with another lyric by Potter sung in heaven by Purim, while the title track is Purim's lyric in a looser musical framework with Clarke's chart coalescing with Corea and Farrell's pungent flute work. As much as the others have become icons, the extraordinary sound of Farrell on this date should never be trivialized or underestimated. The final track, "Children's Song," was a springboard for several of Corea's full-length album projects, and is heard here for the first time via a trio setting in a slow, birthlike motif. The expanded version of this recording includes many alternate takes of four of these selections, but also includes "Matrix," which was not on any RTF albums, and there are four versions of "What Game Shall We Play Today?," which was only available on the ECM release. From a historical perspective, this is the most important effort of Corea's career, quite different than his prior previous progressive or improvising efforts, and the pivotal beginning of his career as the most popular contemporary jazz keyboardist in history. AMG.

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Brenton Wood - Baby you got it 1967

Getting it while the getting was good, Double Shot records issued this LP the same year they dropped Oogum Boogum. "Gimme a Little Sign," which was also included on Oogum Boogum, exploded worldwide and "Baby You Got It" had the same potential. An organ is the most dominant instrument on these half-baked but likable tracks. The songs are bubblegum-ish lyrically and musically but are not nearly as inane as the idiocy Buddah records was releasing on Ohio Express, 1910 Fruitgum Company, and others; besides, you can't help but admire Wood's vocal aerobics. Cuts to hear include: "Catch You on the Rebound," "Me and You," and "Three Time Loser." AMG.

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Re-Post: Ginger Baker's Air Force - 2 (1970)

Denny Laine took "Go Now," a Larry Banks/Milton Bennett tune originally cut by Bessie Banks and the Jelly Beans, and made it his own with the Moody Blues. That Ginger Baker's Airforce has Laine cover the Drifter's "I Don't Want to Go on Without You" is very clever, and a hint that this band was very serious about making a go of it. The Bert Berns/Jerry Wexler composition might have been a bit too soulful for Top 40, while Graham Bond's rendition of Roebuck Staple's "Let Me Ride" is beyond soul, it's rock-gospel and genuinely great. Here Ginger Baker is far more restrained than he was in Cream, and fans of his former supergroups seeing this Airforce album with its childishly psychedelic cover probably had no idea what was inside. Laine's guitar is a tremendous contribution -- as this is Laine in his prime, post-Moody Blues and pre-Wings. Cream's "Sweet Wine" has a majesty here with the lead vocals of Aliki Ashman accompanied by Diane Stewart and Catherine James. Although Laine is listed as an "additional personnel" along with Rick Grech, Harold McNair, Rocki Dzidzornu, and Catherine James, Laine makes three appearances. On an album with seven tracks, that's pretty significant. "Do U No Hu Yor Phrenz R?" is pretty much this version of Ginger Baker's Air Force and the music is solid on the Baker original. Horns and keyboards combine and sway to the lilting vocal -- a very expressive and well-constructed track -- leading one to think maybe Baker wasn't the madman he portrayed, or at least that there was a method to his madness. His other contribution to side one is "We Free Kings" which weaves percussion and flute with the jazzy vocals of Ashman and Stewart. There are solos galore by Bud Beadleon saxes, Steve Gregory, and Graham Bond. The barely audible lyric sounds like something about Lady Godiva, togetherness, and happiness. Nice pyschedelic '60s sentiments, except that the '60s were over. "Humpty Dumpty had a great fall" can be clearly heard, making it obvious that this song is about the music, and the music is refreshingly intact and enormous. Baker's excess has to emerge on at least one track, and his drums are all over "Toady," of course, which is like a "Son of" "Toad" from the previous live album produced by Jimmy Miller. Baker does the production work here, and after eight minutes and 21 seconds of "Toady"'s haunting vocal and piano, Bond's "12 Gates of the City" concludes the disc. This material was clearly as hip as Eric Clapton's Layla album, just not as commercially organized or executed. There is no doubt that Derek & the Dominoes contained a special magic elevating those performances and songs to a sacred realm, but something should be said for the honesty and purity ofGinger Baker's Air Force 2, and if it is too musical and avant garde for an audience that embraced Clapton, it should be commended for its sense of adventure and elegance. "12 Gates of the City" is a delight, swimming with sounds from the Arabian nights and the swamps of New Orleans, a sublime and uncharted mix that sounds better years after it was recorded. A timeless, yet pretty much forgotten record which deserved more FM airplay in its day than it got. AMG.

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Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - Uncle Meat 1969

Just three years into their recording career, the Mothers of Invention released their second double album, Uncle Meat, which began life as the largely instrumental soundtrack to an unfinished film. It's essentially a transitional work, but it's a fascinating one, showcasing Frank Zappa's ever-increasing compositional dexterity and the Mothers' emerging instrumental prowess. It was potentially easy to overlook Zappa's melodic gifts on albums past, but on Uncle Meat, he thrusts them firmly into the spotlight; what few lyrics there are, Zappa says in the liner notes, are in-jokes relevant only to the band. Thus, Uncle Meat became the point at which Zappa began to establish himself as a composer and he would return to many of these pieces repeatedly over the course of his career. Taken as a whole, Uncle Meat comes off as a hodgepodge, with centerpieces scattered between variations on previous pieces, short concert excerpts, less-realized experiments, doo wop tunes, and comedy bits; the programming often feels as random as the abrupt transitions and tape experiments held over from Zappa's last few projects. But despite the absence of a conceptual framework, the unfocused sprawl of Uncle Meat is actually a big part of its appeal. It's exciting to hear one of the most creatively fertile minds in rock pushing restlessly into new territory, even if he isn't always quite sure where he's going. However, several tracks hint at the jazz-rock fusion soon to come, especially the extended album closer "King Kong"; it's his first unequivocal success in that area, with its odd time signature helping turn it into a rhythmically kinetic blowing vehicle. Though some might miss the gleeful satire of Zappa's previous work with the Mothers, Uncle Meat's continued abundance of musical ideas places it among his most intriguing works. AMG.

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Eric Burdon & War - Love Is All Around 1976

When War debuted as Eric Burdon's backing band in the late '60s, they were on ABC-Paramount. The group was still hot in 1976, and ABC reissued vault material from their early days in a deceptive package trying to coast on the band's hitmaker status. The album deservedly flopped, and ABC's clumsy attempt failed. AMG.

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Dr. John - Remedies 1970

Remedies is not rock and roll, it is something nearly otherworldly, and almost beyond comprehension. While it includes such standout Dr. John tracks as "Wash Mama Wash" and "Loop Garoo," it also includes "Angola Anthem," which is murky, mysterious and downright evil-sounding. Much of this very long cut is lost without headphones, for the music floats about in a smoky fog while Dr. John and his backup singers chant, moan, and cry out. Progressive radio loved this stuff, and it still sounds great during those late-night flirtations with the dark side of the psyche. Remediesmust be heard to be believed. AMG.

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Black Zé - Só para loucos... só para raros 1975

Rock band Black Zé was formed in Rio de Janeiro in 1973. His proposal was to merge lyrics and melodies of their vocalist Luiz Roberto Peçanha with a Latin and Brazilian touch, besides a lot of guitar and percussion, formed one of the best bands in brazilian soils unfortunately was not given due recognition by the record companies. The concerts shows high capacity for technical and melodic by its members. Give it a listen.

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1860 Band - 1860 Band 1978

Formed from the chain-smoked ashes of Wellington’s Quincy Conserve, Malcolm Hayman’s unofficial training academy for session and touring pros, The 1860 Band killed off its parent group when it proved the more popular of the two with pub patrons.
While Hayman receded into ill-health and obscurity with Captain Custard, The 1860 Band – whose name was imaginatively taken from the Lambton Quay tavern at which it held an extended Saturday afternoon residency – kept drinkers happy with a selection of jazz, funk and disco grooves, culminating in the release of their self-titled 1978 debut and swansong, now a sought-after item by rare groove hunters. Thanks to B.!

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Bodacious D.F. - Bodacious D.F 1973

Marty Balin didn't bring together the hottest band or the best set of songs for what amounted to his comeback album, but it was still inspiring to hear his emotive tenor, one of the most distinctive elements of the '60s San Francisco rock scene, rising again. The album's loose, groove-oriented arrangements pointed the way to the kind of thing Balin would do more effectively in Jefferson Starship: listen to "Drivin' Me Crazy" for hints of the transfixing style of the Starship's "Caroline" and "Miracles." Nevertheless, Bodacious D.F. must go down as a footnote in the career of a major artist. AMG.

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Bill Evans - Symbiosis 1974

Legendary jazz pianist Bill Evans is most often thought of as a "trio" player, as most of his albums have been piano/bass/drums, with the occasional solo or duo album. But he did record a select few albums with orchestras, and that's what makes SYMBIOSIS a special and unique entry in Evans' hugh catalog. Recorded in 1974, it was released in 1994 on CD for the first time. Further, this albums contains no standards or Evans originals--the title piece is a multi-part suite composed, arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman (who also collaborated with Stan Getz and Frank Sinatra, among many others).

The album runs the stylistic gamut: there are moments of Philip Glass-like minimalism (!), samba-flavored big-band passages, echoes of the early 20th century Russian composers, Third Stream jazz, lush yet slightly ominous string arrangements and '70s film music. Throughout, Evans, alternating between acoustic and electric pianos, shimmers and entrances with his inventively lyrical solos. Not your "typical" Bill Evans album--but that's what makes SYMBIOSIS such a fine, gently challenging listen.

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Butch Hancock - The Wind's Dominion 1976

As a member of the groundbreaking Flatlanders, singer/songwriter Butch Hancock helped kick-start the progressive country movement of the '70s. As a solo artist, Hancock recorded a series of country-folk albums for his own independent Rainlight label, which showcased his literate wordplay, quirky humor, and dry, Dylan-esque vocal delivery. Going the independent route certainly cost Hancock some name recognition and wider exposure, but he did earn a devoted cult following, especially in his native Texas.
Somewhere within The Wind's Dominion, a masterpiece is waiting to get out. At least eight lovely songs, including "Fightin' for My Life," "Row of Dominoes," and "Personal Rendition of the Blues," clock in around 35 minutes, or about the same length as Neil Young's Harvest. But Butch Hancock sinks his sophomore effort by loading it down with 30 more minutes of weak tunes and a mixed bag of arrangements. Cuts like "Once Followed By the Wind" and "Long Road to Asia Minor" would have sounded fine as outtakes on a box set, while other oddities like the a cappella "Sea's Deadog Catch" should have been left in the vault. All pale beside the real stuff, and since the good tunes weren't front-loaded, it gives the impression that no one involved could separate the chaff from the wheat. Several of these tunes, like the title cut, "Gift Horse of Mercy," and "Smokin' in the Rain," would show up later on a couple of Sugar Hill collections, and they're as good as anything on his debut, West Texas Waltzes and Dust-Blown Tractor Tunes. Besides differences in production, The Wind's Dominion also lacks the social-political dimension of his first album.Hancock's left-field point of view, sense of wordplay, and rough and ready vocals, however, remain intact. Despite lapses and misfires, The Wind's Dominion qualifies as a valuable album that captures the genius and growing pains of a vital artist. AMG. Thanks to B.!

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Stephen Miller - Stephen Miller 1970

Stephen Miller, organ/vocalist for Linn County. He played for a crowd of known people as side man like Tom Fogerty, Elvin Bishop, The Allman Brothers Band, Clifton Chenier John Lee Hooker and others. Miller is joined on this album by Elvin Bishop and members of his band.

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