Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information 1974

Ignored upon its release in 1974 and celebrated upon its reissue in 2001, Shuggie Otis' fourth and last album Inspiration Information exists out of time -- a record that was of its time, but didn't belong of it; a record that was idiosyncratic but not necessarily visionary. It was a psychedelic soul that was released far too late to be part of any zeitgeist and it was buried at the time. Yet no matter what Luaka Bop's grand poobah David Byrne claims on the sticker -- he says Shuggie's "trippy R&B jams are equal to Marvin's and Curtis', but somehow more contemporary sounding...closer to D'Angelo meets DJ Shadow" -- this isn't revolutionary. It can occasionally sound modern, such as on the rolling head trip "XL-30," but only because it's the kind of groove Shadow would sample and build on; the slow, liquid instrumental head trips sound the same way. Perhaps that's why it can seem more contemporary -- contemporary ears are more attuned to these relaxed, warmly trippy soundscapes. Otis crafted all of this essentially alone, playing each instrument himself, and it's quite clearly a reflection of his inner psyche, and no matter how much it floats and skates upon its own sound, it's a welcoming, inviting sound. But, no matter how much the partisans claim -- and their effusive praise is plastered all over the liner notes, with Sean O'Hagan claiming that it shocks you out of a rut, Stereolab's Tim Gane says it is "almost like a new style of music that could've developed but never did" -- this isn't revolutionary, even if it's delightfully idiosyncratic. So, don't fall for the hyperbole. This isn't an album that knocks your head off -- it's subtle, intricate music that's equal parts head music and elegant funk, a record that slowly works its way under your skin. Part of the reason it sounds so intriguing in 2001 is that there just aren't that many musicians that doggedly pursue their individual vision while retaining a sense of focus. But it isn't a record without precedent, nor is it startling. It's a record for people that have heard a lot of music, maybe too much and are looking for a new musical romance. [Luaka Bop's reissue contains four fine bonus tracks, including the original version of "Strawberry Letter 23," which the Brothers Johnson later had a hit with. The reissue also replaces the original cover -- which is nowhere to be seen in the liner notes -- with a "hip," self-consciously retro cover. Also, it has put in the "World Psychedelic Classics" with Os Mutantes, which is slightly misleading and a little unsettling -- with that subheading, there's just a little too much self-conscious, scholarly distance at play.] AMG.

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Aunt Mary - Loaded 1972

Norwegian prog rock group from Fredrikstad, formed in 1969. They signed a recording contract with Polydor Records in Denmark, to facilitate the release of "Aunt Mary" in 1970. The group gradually moved towards progressive rock with the records "Loaded" in 1972 and "Janus" in 1973. Disbanded in 1973, but they have performed several reunion concerts since 1978.

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The Rolling Stones - It's Only Rock 'n Roll 1974

It's uneven, but at times It's Only Rock 'n Roll catches fire. The songs and performances are stronger than those on Goats Head Soup; the tossed-off numbers sound effortless, not careless. Throughout, the Stones wear their title as the "World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band" with a defiant smirk, which makes the bitter cynicism of "If You Can't Rock Me" and the title track all the more striking, and the reggae experimentation of "Luxury," the aching beauty of "Time Waits for No One," and the agreeable filler of "Dance Little Sister" and "Short and Curlies" all the more enjoyable. AMG.

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Quicksilver Messenger Service - Quicksilver Messenger Service 1968

Quicksilver Messenger Service's debut effort was a little more restrained and folky than some listeners had expected, given their reputation for stretching out in concert. While some prefer the mostly live Happy Trails, this self-titled collection is inarguably their strongest set of studio material, with the accent on melodic folk-rock. Highlights include their cover of folksinger Hamilton Camp's "Pride of Man," probably their best studio track; "Light Your Windows," probably the group's best original composition; and founding member Dino Valenti's "Dino's Song" (Valenti himself was in jail when the album was recorded). "Gold and Silver" is their best instrumental jam, and the 12-minute "The Fool" reflects some of the best and worst traits of the psychedelic era. AMG.

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The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation - Remains To Be Heard 1970

On their self-titled debut album, the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation flashed a British blues-rock approach that was rather similar to that of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers circa 1967. That was unsurprising considering that leader and drummer Dunbar had played on the Bluesbreakers' 1967 A Hard Road album, and that bassist Alex Dmochowski would later play with Mayall himself. Although everyone in the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation was a skilled player, the record ultimately comes off as rather second-division late-'60s British blues, though in a little heavier and darker a style than Mayall's. That's not to say it's mediocre, but the material (mostly original) is only average, and not quite up to the level of the musicians' instrumental proficiency. Too, Victor Brox isn't the greatest singer, though he's okay, and while Jon Morshead plays guitar well, his style sometimes seems quite influenced by Peter Green (listen especially to his work on the cover of Percy Mayfield's "Memory of Pain"). Additionally, some of the original material wasn't all that original; the work song-style "Watch 'N' Chain" certainly bears similarities to the tune that Donovan popularized under the title "Hey Gyp" (itself similar to a song that Lonnie Young, Ed Young, and Lonnie Young, Jr. had recorded under the title "Chevrolet" on Atlantic's 1960 Roots of the Blues LP of Alan Lomax field recordings [reissued in 1993 under the title Sounds of the South]). It's not a bad record overall, however, with the players getting a chance to take extended solos on the instrumentals "Sage of Sidney Street" and "Mutiny." AMG.

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Alceu Valença - Molhado De Suor 1974

Alceu Valença is a successful Brazilian singer/songwriter and the creator of a distinctive musical style that mixes his northeastern roots (São Bento do Una, in the state of Pernambuco) and contemporary MPB grooves. He is also an energetic, even mesmerizing live performer. His songs have been recorded by several major artists, including Luiz Gonzaga (with whom he wrote "Plano Piloto"), Maria Bethânia, and Elba Ramalho. His life was depicted in Anamelia Maciel's book Alceu Valença em Frente e Verso.

The son of a locally renowned lawyer, Valença always worried his father with his rebellious character. At five he participated in a music contest, singing a song by Capiba. At 11, his mother took ill and his family moved to Recife. During this period, Valença became interested in the acoustic guitar and viola. However, he didn't get one for a few years -- he won an instrument during a song competition when he was 15. In 1965 he began a long period of attending law school in Recife with several interruptions. Three years later he began his musical career with the group Tamarineira Village. He also played with Zé Ramalho and Elba Ramalho during this period. While attending law school, he took part in an essay competition that offered a three-month course at Harvard University as its first prize. Without knowing a word of English, he drafted an essay comparing Marxism to the Catholic Church and pointed poetically at the contradictions of political ideologies in vogue. He won. During his Harvard period, he played his political songs in coffee houses when not studying. He was profiled by the student newspaper, which referred to him as the "Brazilian Bob Dylan." After returning to Brazil, he graduated but never practiced law. In 1972, he met Geraldo Azevedo. Together, they participated in many song festival competitions and recorded their first album, Quadrafônico, on Copacabana, produced by none other than Rogerio Duprat. He recruited musicians who were already established, including Zé Ramalho (who played the Brazilian viola) and Elba Ramalho (a chorus girl). Valença placed numerous songs in festival competitions, but due to controversial lyric contents, he was often disqualified -- though these banned tunes won him a following among like-minded young people. Disappointed, he returned to Recife with the conviction of abandoning music. This decision proved short-lived. In 1974, he released the Eustaquio Sena-produced album Molhado De Suor (Som Livre). An avant-folk outing, it also featured the talents of Azevedo and Lula Cortes. He toured several Northeastern cities. That same year, he participated in Sérgio Ricardo's film A Noite do Espantalho as the main character; he also scored and recorded its soundtrack. Neither album received much attention from consumers, but both were well-received by critics. In February 1975, he scored a big hit with "Vou Danado pra Catende," at a festival; inspired by modernist Pernambucan poet Ascenso Ferreira, crowd support led the competition's jury to create a special "Research" prize. In 1975, he recorded the now-classic rock album Vivo, a rock album recorded at the Teresa Raquel Theater in Rio de Janeiro. While touring and entering song competitions constantly, he didn't record again for two years; the studio effort Espelho Cristalino was issued in 1977 and charted. These two recordings (and a couple of important television performances) put him over the top as a unique stylist and songwriter in the MPB tradition, but he was also embraced by an entire generation of rockers. In 1979, he recorded Saudade de Pernambuco in Paris. The album presented the interface between his previous, more contentious songs, his experimental phase, and sophisticated pop songs that were heavily derived from northeastern song traditions. (It remained unreleased in Brazil until 2016.) In 1980, he released Coração Bobo, which contained the hit single "Na Primeira Manhã," and followed it in 1981 with Cinco Sentidos. 1982's Cavalo de Pau included the smash hits "Tropicana" and "Como Dois Animais." It was a prolific and insanely busy period: Valença was either recording, touring, or competing -- and sometimes all three at once -- and he had little time for anything else. In 1983, he released Anjo Avesso with "Anunciação," and a live date recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), entitled Brazil Night: Ao Vivo em Montreux. In 1984, his Mágico album scored a hit with the single "Solidão." 1985's Estação da Luz was both a best-seller and registered high with critics. Valença was successful beyond anybody's dreams but his own. Several of his songs became soap opera themes (the fastest way to reach a mass audience in Brazil) and grew his already large following. 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). The '90s were equally prolific for Valença. He began the decade with the 1990's Andar, Andar, and Sete Desejos (1991). The latter contained the Top Five smash "Tesoura do Desejo." During the latter year, he participated in Rock in Rio 2 festival. 1994's Maracatus Batuques e Ladeiras featured the track "Pétalas" (with Herbert Azul), which received the Sharp Prize for the Best Song of the Year. Together with Azevedo, Elba, and Ze Ramalho, he cut 1996's live album O Grande Encontro and the studio offering Mourisco. Valença issued two more recordings during the 1990s in Sol e Chuva (1997) and, Forró de Todos os Tempos (1998). Both recordings sold reasonably well, and showcased material that juxtaposed his pop sound with Afro-Brazilian rhythms.
After a three-year break, Valença issued Sino de Ouro in early 2001. De Janeiro a Janeiro was released a year later and the audio-video package, Ao Vivo Em Todos Os Sentidos, followed in 2003. Valença earned a position as one of the most respected singers and songwriters in Brazilian popular music by this time, and his albums and singles continued to chart. In August of 2006, he performed in Recife for over 100,000 fans. The concert was shot with numerous cameras and the show was recorded for the 2007 live outing Marco Zero Ao Vivo. The songwriter reverted to his acoustic roots for Ciranda Mourisca, issued by Biscoito Fino in 2009. It featured unplugged versions of lesser-known songs such as "Mensageira Dos Anjos," "Dente de Ocidente," the high-charting "Ciranda da Rosa Vermelha," and other hits. After several long spates of touring, Valença retreated to write and work on other projects, while Universal remastered and reissued select titles from his catalog. He resurfaced publicly in 2014 with the studio outing Amigo da Arte. The set celebrated the frevo, maracatu, and cirandas of Pernambuco's legendary carnivals. Portuguese singer Carminho duetted with Valença on "Frevo No. 1: Recife," penned by Antonio Maria. Two years later, he issued three different live recordings. First, Encontros 20 Anos with longtime friends and collaborators Elba Ramalho and Azevedo, followed by a collection of hits rearranged and revisioned for orchestra entitled Valencianas: Alceu Valença E Orquestra Ouro Preto, and finally Vivo! Revivo! along with an original score and soundtrack for the film Luneta do Tempo, issued by Deck. The occasion of his 70th birthday was celebrated in 2017 with the release of Anos 70, a box set containing his '70s albums on 180-gram vinyl -- Molhado de Suor (1974), Vivo (1976), and Espelho Cristalino (1977). Also included was the reissue of 1979's rare Saudade de Pernambuco. AMG.

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Alice Cooper - Killer 1971

Alice Cooper wasted little time following up the breakthrough success of Love It to Death with another album released the same year, Killer. Again, producer Bob Ezrin was on board and helps the group solidify their heavy rock (yet wide-ranging) style even further. The band's stage show dealt with the macabre, and such disturbing tracks as "Dead Babies" and the title track fit in perfectly. Other songs were even more exceptional, such as the perennial barnstorming concert standard "Under My Wheels," the melodic yet gritty "Be My Lover," and the tribute to their fallen friend Jim Morrison, "Desperado." The long and winding "Halo of Flies" correctly hinted that the band would be tackling more complex song structures on future albums, while "You Drive Me Nervous" and "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" showed that Alice Cooper hadn't completely abandoned their early garage rock direction. With Killer, they became one of the world's top rock bands and concert attractions; it rewarded them as being among the most notorious and misunderstood entertainers, thoroughly despised by grownups. AMG. 

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Yes - Yes 1969

Yes' debut album is surprisingly strong, given the inexperience of all those involved at the time. In an era when psychedelic meanderings were the order of the day, Yes delivered a surprisingly focused and exciting record that covered lots of bases (perhaps too many) in presenting their sound. The album opens boldly, with the fervor of a metal band of the era playing full tilt on "Beyond and Before," but it is with the second number, a cover of the Byrds' "I See You," that they show some of their real range. The song is highlighted by an extraordinary jazz workout from lead guitarist Peter Banks and drummer Bill Bruford that runs circles around the original by Roger McGuinn and company. "Harold Land" was the first song on which Chris Squire's bass playing could be heard in anything resembling the prominence it would eventually assume in their sound and anticipates in its structure the multi-part suites the group would later record, with its extended introduction and its myriad shifts in texture, timbre, and volume. And then there is "Every Little Thing," the most daring Beatles cover ever to appear on an English record, with an apocalyptic introduction and extraordinary shifts in tempo and dynamics, Banks' guitar and Bruford's drums so animated that they seem to be playing several songs at once. This song also hosts an astonishingly charismatic performance by Jon Anderson. There were numerous problems in recording this album, owing to the inexperience of the group, the producer, and the engineer, in addition to the unusual nature of their sound. Many of the numbers give unusual prominence to the guitar and drums, thus making it the most uncharacteristic of all the group's albums. AMG.

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The Foundations - Digging The Foundations 1969

The Foundations were a surprisingly obscure late-'60s outfit, considering that they managed to reach the tops of both the British and American charts more than once in the space of a year and had a solid three years of recordings. At the time of their debut in mid-1967, they were hailed as being among the most authentic makers of soul music ever to emerge from England -- the best practitioners of the Motown sound to be found on the far side of the Atlantic -- and were also accepted in jazz circles as well. "Baby Now That I've Found You," "Build Me Up Buttercup," and "In the Bad, Bad Old Days" were the biggest hits for this multi-racial octet, made up of Londoners and West Indians.

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The Moody Blues - A Question Of Balance 1970

The Moody Blues' first real attempt at a harder rock sound still has some psychedelic elements, but they're achieved with an overall leaner studio sound. The group was trying to take stock of itself at this time, and came up with some surprisingly strong, lean numbers (Michael Pinder's Mellotron is surprisingly restrained until the final number, "The Balance"), which also embraced politics for the first time ("Question" seemed to display the dislocation that a lot of younger listeners were feeling during Vietnam). The surprisingly jagged opening track, "Question," recorded several months earlier, became a popular concert number as well as a number two (or number one, depending upon whose chart one looks at) single. Graeme Edge's "Don't You Feel Small" and Justin Hayward's "It's Up to You" both had a great beat, but the real highlight here is John Lodge's "Tortoise and the Hare," a fast-paced number that the band used to rip through in concert with some searing guitar solos by Hayward. Ray Thomas' "And the Tide Rushes In" (written in the wake of a fight with his wife) is one of the prettiest psychedelic songs ever written, a sweetly languid piece with some gorgeous shimmering instrumental effects. The 1997 remastered edition brings out the guitar sound with amazing force and clarity, and the notes tell a lot about the turmoil the band was starting to feel after three years of whirlwind success. The only loss is the absence of the lyrics included in earlier editions. AMG.
 

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Jade Warrior - Released 1971

If Jade Warrior's second album has any overwhelming flaw, it is that its predecessor traveled so far off the conventional beaten tracks of early-'70s prog that anything less than absolute reinvention could only be regarded as a rerun of past glories. To write off Released as little more than a slapdash shadow of Jade Warrior, however, is to overlook the leaps and bounds that the band did make. The opening "Eyes On You" journeys in on a positively spiky guitar and horn duel, while Glyn Havard's vocals have taken on tones that are far-removed from the Jethro Tull-shaped nuances with which they were once most readily compared. Staggering, too, are the almost bluesy guitar work-outs that leap unexpectedly in and out of the mix, overwhelming all but the most ferocious elements elsewhere in the arsenal -- judging only by the crescendo that closes it, "Three Horned Dragon King" could not have been better named. Similarly, "Water Curtain Cave" is as much a melting of souls as it is a gentle song, while other numbers tackle light jazz and classical prog without once vacating the band's accustomed framework of brilliance. Again, there is little here that Jade Warrior itself did not predict, but the unerring delivery of those predictions is a marvel in itself. AMG.

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Big Brother & The Holding Company - Big Brother & The Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin 1967

The debut, self-titled album from Big Brother & the Holding Company is an evolving paradigm, ten tracks initially issued on Mainstream Records, a label that would have success in 1968 with "Journey to the Center of the Mind" by Ted Nugent's Amboy Dukes. Unfortunately for Janis Joplin and Big Brother & the Holding Company, the respectable performances and all of the material on this disc are undercut by a weak production that sounds rushed. Recorded on December 12, 13, and 14 of 1966, it's quite telling that perhaps the best two songs from the sessions, Peter Albin's tribal-sounding "Coo Coo," and Janis Joplin's fiery "The Last Time," were only available on a 45 rpm and played as treats on FM radio "rare tape" nights. Those two songs have an intensity and drama missing from laid-back album cuts like "Easy Rider" and "Intruder." Big Brother's strength sans Janis was their ability to experiment and rely heavily on ideas to make up for their lack of musical prowess. Sad to say, there is little of that experimentation here. Even a potential science fiction Peter Albin composition, "Light Is Faster Than Sound," comes off like an audition tape instead of the hit it could have been had it the cosmic explosion of a "Journey to the Center of the Mind." The album does contain interesting studies of future classics, like Moondog's "All Is Loneliness" (the street poet eventually signing with Columbia himself), and Joplin's creative arrangement of "Down on Me," making it more of an entertaining textbook than a deep musical experience. It was the lack of product from superstar Janis Joplin that kept putting an emphasis on this release with little else available to satisfy rabid fans who couldn't get enough of Janis. Columbia picked up the album and re-issued it in its original form, then reissued it again with "The Last Time" and "Coo Coo" added. AMG.

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Luis Gasca - For Those Who Chant 1972

Some people call this one the forgotten Santana album, after all, more than half of the classic Santana lineup is here, as well as Stanley Clarke on bass. It's 1972, fusion is becoming the next sound in jazz, and everyone is digging Bitches Brew and these new sounds on the scene: Incessant melodic lines over mystical vamps,  with a classy afro-latin rock sound holding down the groove for a very long time. 
 

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Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left 1969

It's little wonder why Drake felt frustrated at the lack of commercial success his music initially gathered, considering the help he had on his debut record. Besides fine production from Joe Boyd and assistance from folks like Fairport Convention's Richard Thompson and his unrelated bass counterpart from Pentangle, Danny Thompson, Drake also recruited school friend Robert Kirby to create most of the just-right string and wind arrangements. His own performance itself steered a careful balance between too-easy accessibility and maudlin self-reflection, combining the best of both worlds while avoiding the pitfalls on either side. The result was a fantastic debut appearance, and if the cult of Drake consistently reads more into his work than is perhaps deserved, Five Leaves Left is still a most successful effort. Having grown out of the amiable but derivative styles captured on the long-circulating series of bootleg home recordings, Drake imbues his tunes with just enough drama -- world-weariness in the vocals, carefully paced playing, and more -- to make it all work. His lyrics capture subtle poetry of emotion, as on the pastoral semi-fantasia of "The Thoughts of Mary Jane," which his soft, articulate singing brings even more to the full. Sometimes he projects a little more clearly, as on the astonishing voice-and-strings combination "Way to Blue," while elsewhere he's not so clear, suggesting rather than outlining the mood. Understatement is the key to his songs and performances' general success, which makes the combination of his vocals and Rocky Dzidzornu's congas on "Three Hours" and the lovely "'Cello Song," to name two instances, so effective. Danny Thompson is the most regular side performer on the album, his bass work providing subtle heft while never standing in the way of the song -- kudos well deserved for Boyd's production as well. AMG.

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Spheroe - Spheroe 1975

Despite having a stable career for almost the whole 70's decade, Spheroe remained widely unknown to the public for a long time. This french band was formed in 1972 and consisted of Patrick Garel on drums/percussion, Gerard Maimone on keys, Rido Bayonne on bass, and Micheal Perez on guitars. Spheroe had good live activity but had to wait until 1977 for its first official release. The self-titled LP was originally released on Cobra, later to be presented in CD format by Musea Records. Obviously influenced by Return To Forever and to a lesser extent Brand X, the band delivers highly-energetic jazz/fusion rock with tight performances and impressive musicianship. The pieces associate fever, nervosity, and sometimes serenity but always musicality. Spheroe is into delicate, smooth, contrasted, and impressionist music, based on melodic and harmonic research. Especially keyboardist Gerard Maimone had to be a great Chick Corea fan, his electric piano work is very solid and professional, but he also delivers strong doses of Moog solos. Apart from the typical groovy and filled with interplays parts of the album, there is also lots of space for Michael Perez to show his talent with nice solos and decent melodies, while in some moments the music gets really dark with obscure guitar chords and massive ''in your head'' synths, creating a haunting atmosphere. This is a quite good release from a lesser-known band with both enjoyable and well-arranged jazz/rock music, fine interplays, and always an intensive delivery. Recommended, especially to the fans of the genre. Progarchives.

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