Sakalli
Freedom to Music
Embryo – Father, Son and Holy Ghost (1972) (@192)
09 May 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
Somewhere in the musical cavern sandwiched between perhaps Amon Düül II and Miles Davis lies a very underrated band from Germany called Embryo. This is not prototypical German underground prog but very much eastern world influenced raga psych progressive rock (best way I can describe). Embryo utilize a fantastic range of instruments with marimba, vibraphone, flutes, saxophone, violin, a very versatile percussion arsenal on hand.
After their Rache album, Embryo will go in a frenzy recording three albums worth of music in 8 months time but their label only released this one as the rest was deemed too uncommercial for release.
“Father Son & Holy Ghosts” is the third album released by Embryo and marks for this music lover one of the finest pieces of work to have come out of Germany in 1972. It is well in the line of their first two, ever diving deeper into eastern influences producing some of the earliest examples of fusion music (ethnic folk & jazz-prog) much worth the investigation.
Line-up:
- Christian Burchard / drums, vibes, percussion, marimbaphone, vocals
- Edgar Hofmann / violin, soprano saxophone
- David King / bass, flute, alto marimba, vocals
- Sigi Schwab / acoustic & electric guitars, veena, tarang
Track List:
01. The Special Trip (5:56)
02. Nightmares (0:58)
03. King Insano (4:48)
04. Free (6:19)
05. The Sun Song (8:48)
06. Marimbaroos (2:56)
07. Forgotten Sea (9:09)
Link in comments.
Electric Light Orchestra – Out of the Blue (1977) (@256)
09 May 2007
“Out of the blue” should have been ELO’s crowning achievement. The band were at the peak of their success, Jeff Lynne had found the found the formula for creating hit singles at will, and they had sufficient material to justify a double LP set.
While this is indeed a highly enjoyable set, it is the use of that formula which is the main shortcoming of the album. Virtually every track here has a verse/chorus structure, the sole exception being the instrumental “The whale”. Consequently the album has a very commercial feel, and a disappointing lack of anything beyond fairly simplistic pop. Even the four part “Concerto for a rainy day” which occupies side three is just made up of four related pop songs about the weather.
Don’t misunderstand me, the quality of the songs is undeniable. Who for example can fail to find pleasure in songs such as “Mr Blue sky”, “Wild west hero” etc. There are wonderfully crafted songs with perfect hooks, intriguing lyrics, and melodies other bands would die for. They guaranteed ELO success in the singles chart regardless of which tracks were actually selected for release.
The bargain bins in the record shops a couple of years later though told the fuller story. “Out of the blue” must have enjoyed the dubious accolade of being the most traded-in LP in the history of rock. Not because it’s a poor album, but because it is a sickly as saccharine. This album does not stand up well to repeated listening. Play it once every two or three years at most, otherwise it quickly becomes over familiar and lacking in depth. Had they simply made this a single LP release, it may have been deserving of a different fate, but a double album release is usually taken as an indication that a band has something important to say. The problem here is that ELO, and Jeff Lynne in particular, were simply sating the same thing over and over again.
Take any song here, play it a couple of times, and you’ll be able to sing along to it. It is a fair bet you’ll also find it enjoyable, if invariably unchallenging, to listen to. Play it a few more times though, and you’ll quickly tire of it. And there lies the point from a prog perspective. The lasting appeal of prog is that the music does not usually reveal itself fully until you have heard an album many times. The enjoyment grows with each listen. We can therefore safely conclude that “Out of the blue” represents the definition of an anti-prog album!
Line-up:
- Jeff Lynne / lead vocals, backing vocals, lead guitar, slide guitar, rhythm guitar, Gibson EDS 1275, Les Paul Custom, Marauder, Ovation 1615/4, 1619/4, Wurlitzer E.P. 200, Mini-moog, percussion, orchestra and choral arrangements
- Bev Bevan / Slingerland drums, Remo Roto Toms, Avedis Zildjian Cymbals, Slingerland ‘Bev Bevan’ drumsticks, Remo drum heads, gong, various percussion instruments, backing vocals
- Melvyn Gale / William Lewis cello
- Kelly Grocutt / vocals, backing vocals, Gibson G.3 bass, percussion
- Mik Kaminski / Barcus Berry violin
- Hugh McDowell / William Lewis cello
- Richard Tandy / Polymoog, Mini-moog, ARP 2600, Odyssey, Omni, Sequencer, minus noise mixer, Wurlitzer E.P. 200, Yamaha C 7B piano, SLM concert spectrum, mellotron M 400, Hohner clavinet, Gibson S.G. custom guitar, orchestra and choral arrangements
Track List:
01. Turn to Stone (3:48)
02. It’s Over (4:08)
03. Sweet Talkin’ Woman (3:48)
04. Across The Border (3:52)
05. Night in the City (4:02)
06. Starlight (4:30)
07. Jungle (3:51)
08. Believe Me Now (1:21)
09. Steppin’ Out (4:38)
10. Standing in the Rain (4:20)
11. Big Wheels (5:10)
12. Summer and Lightning (4:13)
13. Mr.Blue Sky (5:05)
14. Sweet is the Night (3:26)
15. The Whale (5:05)
16. Birmingham Blues (4:21)
17. Wild West Hero (4:40)
Links in comments.
Electric Light Orchestra – Live at the BBC (1973-76) (@320)
08 May 2007
(Review from hometheaterhifi.com)
“Live At The BBC” covers concerts performed by the band for transmission by the BBC and includes two quite different periods in ELO’s development. From early in 1973, when they were still an arty, experimental rock/classic fusion ensemble, we have songs based around the first two ELO albums. Shortly after this period (in 1974), there are tracks from another concert. The later period of the Electric Light Orchestra is represented by a summer of 1976 concert when they were heading towards their most successful rock/pop period and the all-conquering “Out Of The Blue” album.
The audio on these tracks is, quite simply, superb. The BBC engineers captured every nuance, and the sound is crystal-clear. The concerts were performed in front of respectful audiences, and there are nice introductions from the shows’ comperes. Although live shows, the sound is much more like in a studio, playing to invited fans, so the BBC must have had mic feeds ahead of the band’s own mixing desk. But being live concerts brings us those variations in the set which are unobtainable from normal studio albums. It is these moments which produce the magic of “In The Hall Of The Mountain King” – two versions! The original studio album version of this track always sounded a little flat, but Jeff and the gang really bring it to life on “Live At The BBC”.
I would have liked more ‘showcase’ performances from individual members of the band. Mik Kaminski’s “Violin Solo / Orange Blossom Special” seems to be over before it’s begun! And the sleeve-notes, while adequate, could have usefully catalogued the albums and respective dates to help plot the progression through the band’s various phases. It’s best to ignore the repeated quote of “Oh No Not Susan” as a typo.
Of all the live material from the original Electric Light Orchestra which is available on CD, this album has to be about the best. They are terrific performances backed by fantastic sound quality.
Line-up:
* Jeff Lynne / guitar, vocals
* Bev Bevan / drums and percussion, backing vocals
* Melvyn Gale / cello
* Kelly Groucutt / bass, vocals
* Mik Kaminski / violin
* Hugh Mc Dowell / cello
* Richard Tandy / piano, moog, guitar
* Louis Clark / string arrangements
* Mike Edwards / cello
* Mike de Albuquerque / bass, backing vocals
Track List:
CD1:
01. From The Sun To The World
02. Kuiama
03. In The Hall Of The Mountain King
04. Roll Over Beethoven
05. King Of The Universe
06. Bluebird Is Dead
07. Oh No Not Susan
08. New World Rising
09. Violin Solo / Orange Blossom Special
10. In The Hall Of The Mountain King
11. Great Balls Of Fire
CD2:
01. Fire On High
02. Poker
03. Nightrider
04. Medley from “On The Third Day”
05. Showdown
06. Eldorado
07. Poor Boy (The Greewood)
08. Illusions In G Major
09. Strange Magic
10. Evil Woman
11. Ma Ma Ma Belle
Links in comments.
Caravan – Cunning Stunts (1975) (@256)
08 May 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
“Cunning Stunts” is the last of the great Caravan albums. The school playground humour of the title, and the rather nondescript sleeve disguise an excellent work which features many fine moments. The jazz influence which came to the fore on “Waterloo Lily” is seldom in evidence here, the album being among the band’s most accessible releases, while retaining a significant depth of Canterbury progressive.
“The show of our lives” is a majestic opener, complete with chiming bells contributing to a veritable wall of sound. The stately pace and choral vocals give an almost stage show feel to the track. “Lover” and “No backstage pass” combine well to form a beautiful 10 minute piece which was to become a regular feature of their live set.
The “Dabsong concerto” occupies virtually all of side 2 of the LP. It carries many of the Caravan trademarks, with some fine instrumental work. It does tend to drift a bit midway through, but is brought back together by a reprisal of “The show of our lives” to end the track.
Overall, a slightly more commercial album than their previous offerings, but another classic Caravan release nonetheless.
Line-up:
- Richard Coughlan / drums, percussion
- Pye Hastings / vocals, guitars
- Geoff Richardson / viola, guitars, flute
- David Sinclair / keyboards
- Mike Wedgwood / basses, vocals, congas
+ Jimmy Hastings / brass arrangements
Track List:
01. The Show of Our Lives (5:47)
02. Stuck in a Hole (3:09)
03. Lover (5:08)
04. No Backstage Pass (4:35)
05. Welcome the Day (4:03)
06. Dabsong Conshirto (Pt. 1 the Mad Dabsong… (18:01)
07. The Fear and Loathing in Tollington Park (1:09)
Link in comments.
AC/DC – Back in Black (1980) (@256)
07 May 2007
(Review from wikipedia, popmatters.com)
Back in Black was the first AC/DC album recorded without former lead singer Bon Scott, who had died in February 1980. The band considered disbanding following Scott’s death, but ultimately decided to continue and shortly thereafter hired Brian Johnson as their new lead singer and lyricist. Though the Young brothers had begun work on this album prior to Scott’s death, and Scott had written lyrics for potential new songs, the decision was made to redo the album from scratch upon hiring Johnson. The result of the band’s determined efforts was of course, 1980′s Back in Black.
The record opens with the memorable tolling intro to “Hells Bells”, ominous and foreboding in its somber tribute to the fallen Scott. The world is introduced to Johnson’s howling vocal shortly thereafter, and listeners can once again experience the power chord crunch of Angus Young’s brilliant guitar work. The rock radio staples “Shoot to Thrill”, “You Shook Me All Night Long”, “Shake a Leg” and “Have a Drink on Me” are as potent now as they were when first heard in 1980, while the songs “What Do You Do for the Money Honey”, “Givin’ the Dog a Bone”, “Let Me Put My Love into You” and “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution” fill out the album in true AC/DC fashion. Together these nine songs make a tremendous record, but the crown jewel of Back in Black is undoubtedly the title track, the opening to which lays claim to being one of the two most recognized riffs in hard rock history, (the second being Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”). Few songs, (and albums), have ingrained themselves more into the collective consciousness of music fans, nor have motivated greater numbers of fledgling teenage air guitarists to purchase real instruments. Equally important is the impact Back in Black generated in bridging the gap between metal and the music mainstream. Bands from Metallica to Queens of the Stone Age owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to their Aussie counterparts for opening up previously inaccessible media outlets and broadening metal’s overall fan base.
Much of Back in Black’s success comes from its content having transcended time and musical genres. The fact that the songs still resonate as strongly as they do, while garnering consistent radio airtime, signifies that the album has evolved over two decades into something more than just a rock record. Back in Black, like the band that created it, has become an institution.
Line-up:
* Brian Johnson — lead vocals
* Angus Young — lead guitar
* Malcolm Young — rhythm guitar, backing vocals
* Cliff Williams — bass guitar, backing vocals
* Phil Rudd — drums
Track List:
01. Hells Bells – 5:12
02. Shoot to Thrill – 5:17
03. What Do You Do for Money Honey – 3:35
04. Given the Dog a Bone – 3:32
05. Let Me Put My Love into You – 4:15
06. Back in Black – 4:15
07. You Shook Me All Night Long – 3:30
08. Have a Drink on Me – 3:59
09. Shake a Leg – 4:06
10. Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution – 4:15
Link in comments.
Bachman-Turner Overdrive – Four Wheel Drive (1975) (@256)
07 May 2007
(Review from wikipedia, amazon.com)
The precursor to Bachman-Turner Overdrive was the band Brave Belt, formed in 1970 by Randy Bachman and Chad Allan (both of The Guess Who), Robbie Bachman and Fred Turner. An original plan included Keith Emerson of The Nice, though he was dropped due to illness. After two moderately successful Brave Belt albums, Allan was replaced by Tim Bachman, the third of the Bachman brothers, and the band changed its name to Bachman-Turner Overdrive. After two studio albums, Tim Bachman left because of limited performance skills and personal lifestyle issues, and was replaced by Blair Thornton. With their modified line-up, the band steadily produced successful albums through the mid-1970s.
While the first two Bachman-Turner Overdrive albums were serviceable examples of authentic 70′s chug, this album finds the band hitting its stride, both in terms of writing and playing. With its Twin Towers of Tonnage, Randy Bachman and Fred Turner, as always commandeering the assault on your inner ear, songs like the title track, “Hey You”, “Quick Change Artist,” and “Lowland Fling” hammer home our heroes’ raison detre: plug in, turn up, and leave your cerebral cortex at the door.
This album is most often overlooked, mainly because all of the attention was focused on the singable “na na na naa”‘s of one of Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s biggest hits in “Hey You”. But the rest of the album is made up of the band’s lunch-pail rock & roll sound, combining ample amounts of factory-made blues to street-dirty guitar rock.
Line-up:
* Randy Bachman – acoustic guitar, guitar, vocals
* Robbie Bachman – percussion, drums, background vocals
* C.F. Turner – bass, vocals
* Blair Thornton – guitar, background vocals, slide guitar
Track List:
01. Four Wheel Drive (Bachman, Thornton) – 4:20
02. She’s a Devil (Thornton, Turner) – 4:43
03. Hey You (Bachman) – 3:34
04. Flat Broke Love (Turner) – 3:56
05. She’s Keepin’ Time (Bachman) – 4:09
06. Quick Change Artist (Bachman, Turner) – 3:19
07. Lowland Fling (Bachman, Thornton) – 5:20
08. Don’t Let the Blues Get You Down (Turner) – 4:11
Link in comments.
Ten Years After – Cricklewood Green (1970) (@192)
06 May 2007
(Review from amazon.com)
‘Cricklewood Green’ is, for the most part, a bombastic rockfest. In fact, the three tune, fifteen minute opening salvo stack up nicely against any other trio of songs from any rock and roll disc. But any album aspiring to greatness must demonstrate diversity, and ‘Cricklewood Green’ does that as well, although I could have lived with the rockfest through a double-album of this electrifying material! In my mind of minds I imagine Alvin Lee felt the same, and included songs such as ‘Year 3000 Blues’, the lone country-rock number in the set, and ‘Me and My Baby’ a Steve Miller sound-alike track and the lone jazz-rock number, simply to show everyone that Ten Years After was much more than a one-genre pony. As if that wasn’t enough, one other genre is also explored with the acoustic folk-rock number titled ‘Circles’, which adds more than just diversity. The sweet chorus, “Doesn’t/does it matter what I do…” mixes with the bittersweet sentiments and smooth-as-a-smoothie melody to produce what we in the music review business call ‘a beaute’.
The remainder of the disc builds on the solid rock foundation established by the band in four previous albums. The two longest tracks on the disc, ’50,000 Miles Beneath My Brain’ and ‘Love Like a Man’ are epics in composition and performance.
‘Sugar the Road’ opens the disc, and it is the prototypical opening number for an album or a concert, featuring great basic and lead guitar riffs, fun lyrics, cowbells, etc. ‘Working On the Road’, another gritty rocker, follows, with the sweet chorus, “I’ve got a feeling for home…”. ’50,000 Miles…’ opens with a restrained acoustic intro which builds in nicely structured gradients into an anthemic rocker, very reminicent of Tom Petty’s best work, and ending with a fine, distorted, fuzzy guitar lead. ‘Love Like a Man’ returns to the melodic guitar hooks and fleshy fretwork from maestro Alvin, in addition to a great sounding bass bridge. The original vinyl finished with the lumbering rocker ‘As the Sun Still Burns Away’, which builds steam like a locomotive, and winds up in a fog of psychedelic sound effects.
Line-up:
* Alvin Lee – guitar, vocals, harp
* Leo Lyons – bass
* Chick Churchill – keyboard
* Ric Lee – drums
Track List:
01. Sugar the Road – 4:06
02. Working on the Road – 4:18
03. 50,000 Miles Beneath My Brain – 7:39
04. Year 3,000 Blues – 2:27
05. Me and My Baby – 4:18
06. Love Like a Man – 7:32
07. Circles – 3:59
08. As the Sun Still Burns Away – 4:44
Link in comments.
Electric Light Orchestra – A New World Record (1976) (@256)
06 May 2007
Electric Light Orchestra – A New World Record (1976) (@256)
(Review from progarchives.com)
The progression, if it can be called that, of ELO from their early prog influenced roots through the prog pop of “Eldorado” to becoming a singles focused pop rock band was pretty much completed with this album.
When you bear in mind that “Livin thing” was recently voted number one in Q magazine’s “guilty pleasures – uncool songs that are OK to love” you get a pretty good indication of how far they had shifted. That said, this is still a highly enjoyable and undoubtedly accomplished album. Yes, we have the sophisticated 10CC type pop in songs such as “Rockaria” (the inspiration for Genesis “Duchess” perhaps), “so fine” and indeed “Livin’ thing”. Jeff Lynne does however craft such songs with great attention to detail. The longevity of such numbers is no co-incidence, they sound as fresh and appealing today because they have been put together with a great deal of care and attention. Listen closely to any of these pop songs and you’ll find a lot more going on than is at first apparent.
The album also contains some fine, slightly more intricate album tracks. “Mission (A new world record”) is a fine space ballad, the precursor to the band’s “Time” album. The closing “Shangri-La” has a supreme melody and an effective double ending. The chorus lyric “My Shangri-La has gone away, faded like the Beatles on Hey Jude” may be a little corny, but it reflects the major influence of the Beatles music on Lynne’s compositions.
Among the remaining tracks are a routine ballad (“Telephone line”) and a reworking of the classic Move track “Do ya”. The version here is extra heavy with some wonderful guitar riffs.
There is no question this is a pop orientated album. It is however unfair to simply label it as such without recognising the quality of the compositions, the production, and the performances. This is an album of very high quality.
Line-up:
* Jeff Lynne / guitar, vocals
* Bev Bevan / drums and percussion, backing vocals
* Melvyn Gale / cello
* Kelly Groucutt / bass, vocals
* Mik Kaminski / violin
* Hugh Mc Dowell / cello
* Richard Tandy / piano, moog, guitar
* Louis Clark / string arrangements
Track List:
01. Tightrope (5:04)
02. Telephone Line (4:37)
03. Rockaria! (3:13)
04. Mission (A World Record) (4:25)
05. So Fine (3:55)
06. Livin’ Thing (3:31)
07. Above The Clouds (2:17)
08. Do Ya’ (3:44)
09. Shangri-la (5:33)
Link in comments.
Nazgul – Nazgul (1976) (@192)
06 May 2007
Request of anonymous.
(Info from krautrock.com, pugachov.ru)
Great lost gem of spacey and meditative electronic music released in the 70′s as a strictly limited edition for distribution at various art galleries. 4 long tracks of droning ambience that’s easily as good as any current space rock outfit could put together; i.e. Magnog, Labradford or anything else on Kranky. There are slow organs, synths, even horns and funeral drums. Very dark sounding and spooky.
Track List:
01. The Tower of Barad-Dur
02. The Dead Marches
03. Shelob’s Lair
04. Mount Doom
Link in comments.
Jethro Tull – Roots to Branches (1995) (@256)
06 May 2007
(Review from amazon.com)
Roots to Branches was an instant classic from the moment I first heard it. I bought it the day it came out and today it remains on my top three Jethro Tull releases of all time, usually occupying the very top spot and for good reason. Each song sounds at once as if it had always existed in some classic rock time capsule that had just been unearthed, and Eastern influences swirl throughout much of the record like the smoke from a hookah, hanging in the air with poetic grace. With Roots to Branches Ian Anderson found music that perfectly suited the changes in his voice and used it to great effect, sounding not unlike old wood polished with a deep finish over a period of many years.
The songs themselves are well crafted and rich in texture. Roots to Branches builds up slowly from out of the darkness and casts shadowy chords across a lyrical landscape of ever changing beliefs with a mixture of sadness and sarcasm. Rare and Precious Chain snakes its way through a hypnotic rhythm, with enchanting results, while Out of the Noise runs rampant in pursuit of playful disregard to any musical boundaries. This Free Will has a weight to it you can virtually feel, and the song Valley is a deeply moving track set to a parable about the haves and have nots laid bare against a background of moral inconsistencies. It’s one of my favorites in a record filled with favorites. Dangerous Veils dances wildly about in strip tease fashion, Beside Myself sounds refreshingly familiar and new all at once, and Wounded, Old and Treacherous is mischievous and devilishly good. At Last, Forever, Stuck out in the August Rain, and Another Harry’s Bar seem to me to be incredibly beautiful odes to love and mortality told with a sense of wistfulness and melancholy.
Line-up:
* Ian Anderson – Vocals, concert flute, bamboo flute, acoustic guitar
* Martin Barre – Electric guitars
* Doane Perry – Drums
* Andrew Giddings – Keyboards
* Dave Pegg – Bass guitar (tracks 3, 5, 11)
* Steve Bailey – Bass guitar (tracks 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
Track List:
01. Roots To Branches – 5:11
02. Rare And Precious Chain – 3:35
03. Out Of The Noise – 3:25
04. This Free Will – 4:05
05. Valley – 6:07
06. Dangerous Veils – 5:35
07. Beside Myself – 5:50
08. Wounded, Old And Treacherous – 7:50
09. At Last, Forever – 7:55
10. Stuck In The August Rain – 4:06
11. Another Harry’s Bar – 6:21
Link in comments.
Electric Light Orchestra – Face the Music (1975) (@320)
06 May 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
After surprising us with the sublime Eldorado, Jeff Lynne began to fully appreciate the talent he had for writing commercially successful material. His ear for a strong melody and awareness of how to exploit that melody to the full had until then been largely hidden behind cover versions, rambling but admittedly more progressive epics, and prior to that, the charismatic Roy Wood.
With Face the music, Lynne quickly moved to develop the commercial side of the band’s music further, generally simplifying and shortening the songs while ensuring that the melodies were irresistible and the choruses memorable.
The album opens as it were a continuation of Eldorado with the intense orchestrated instrumental Fire on high. This five minute overture moves quickly through a succession of themes, all the while maintaining a pace which insists upon listener participation of some sort.
Waterfall or minor variations thereof was a popular song title around this time, with 10CC and Paul McCartney, among many others, creating strong material of that name. In most cases the songs are similar, the hypnotic effect of these natural wonders clearly being an inspiration to many songwriters. So it is here that we have a reflective ballad along the lines of Can’t get it out of my head from the previous album.
Evil woman is the most significant track here, although by no means the best. The song represents the template which Lynne would use with ELO to create a long succession of massively successful hit singles. Indeed, Evil woman shot to the high reaches of the singles chart so quickly, Lynne would have had little time to appreciate the monster he had created. It is hard to dislike such a song, it is tuneful, catchy, and enjoyable, but it is as formulaic as the string of singles which saw Status Quo labelled as the band of three chords.
Side two of the LP has a good diversity of material, including the superb dynamics of the more interestingly structured Poker, the cod US Southern rock of Down home town (complete with land of Dixie references) and the dreamy Strange magic. It is One summer dream though which is the piece-de-resistance. This lilting ballad paints a delightful picture of natural perfection.
Aside from the rather lacklustre sleeve illustrations, this is a fine if overtly commercial album. It indicated clearly the path which the band would follow as their star rose ever higher over the coming years.
Line-up:
* Jeff Lynne / guitar, vocals, string arrangements
* Bev Bevan / drums and percussion, backing vocals
* Melvyn Gale / cello
* Kelly Groucutt / bass, vocals
* Mik Kaminski / violin
* Hugh Mc Dowell / cello
* Richard Tandy / piano, moog, guitar, clavinet, string arrangements
* Louis Clark / string arrangements
Track List:
01. Fire on High (5:30)
02. Waterfall (4:27)
03. Evil Woman (4:19)
04. Nightrider (4:23)
05. Poker (3:31)
06. Strange Magic (4:29)
07. Down Home Town (3:54)
08. One Summer Dream (5:47)
09. Fire On High Intro (Early Alternative Mix)
10. Evil Woman (Stripped Down Mix)
11. Strange Magic (US Single Edit)
Links in comments.
Electric Light Orchestra – The Night the Light Went On (In Long Beach) (1974) (@320)
05 May 2007
(Info from wikipedia)
Although this live album was intended as the follow-up to On the Third Day, the original recording was marred by technical issues both on and off the stage.
Pressings of the album were of such poor quality that ELO’s management eventually filed a lawsuit against the production company for compensation. The garish gatefold sleeve of the original album also contributed to its poor reception. The front cover showed a cartoony 50′s-era horror film mob running in terror from an unseen source of light, with the album’s title scrawled across the sleeve. The inside held terribly distorted photos of the band performing onstage.
A 1990s CD remastering and reissue corrected much of the poor sound quality of the original album and restored several songs to their full-length versions. It was discovered that the original LP pressing had been mastered using an inferior copy of the concert (according to the CD’s liner notes, the tape used had been marked ‘Rough Mix, Do Not Use’), hence the muddy sound. However, the original master tape was discovered in the record company’s vault and the album was restored to its intended sound quality.
The album remains one of the few official live recordings of the classic ELO line-up. In this recording the individual musicians are allowed to stretch their “chops” somewhat with the strings taking prominent, improvisational solos. Bev Bevan’s drumming on this album is also drastically different than his simplistic, timekeeping-only playing on ELO’s studio recordings.
Line-up:
* Jeff Lynne – vocals, guitar
* Bev Bevan – drums
* Richard Tandy – keyboards
* Mike de Albuquerque – bass, backing vocals
* Mik Kaminski – violin
* Hugh McDowell – cello
* Mike Edwards – cello
Track List:
01. Daybreaker (Jeff Lynne) – 5:34
02. Showdown (Lynne) – 6:54
03. Day Tripper (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) – 6:40
04. 10538 Overture (Lynne) – 5:44
05. Mik’s Solo/Orange Blossom Special (Mik Kaminski / E. T. Rouse) – 2:28
06. In The Hall Of The Mountain King / Great Balls of Fire (Edvard Grieg / Jack Hammer & Otis Blackwell) – 8:35
07. Roll Over Beethoven (Chuck Berry) – 4:25
Link in comments.
Santana – Caravanserai (1972) (@256)
04 May 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
“Caravanserai” is Santana’s fourth album, released in 1972, and is a masterpiece of jazz/rock/Latino/space/fusion.
It contains no hits like the previous three albums. It is largely instrumental, beautiful piece of work that shows great amount of talent, imagination and creativity of Carlos Devadip and his backing band. It sounds like a thematic piece, albeit not a “concept”, about mysticism surrounding caravans, desert, sand, sun and moon, day and night, and the universal values of life in general. The music here performed is Santana’s first real foray into jazz-rock. There are plenty of spacey and ambience keyboards (mostly Hammond and piano) and percussion. Bass is a forefront instrument in many moments on the album and it often sounds as played fretless, thus a wonderful melodic sound. Guitar is less dominant than on previous works, but in turn it fits nicely into the overall music journey, with effective and gentle solos right in proper places (Santana is sometimes prone to excessive “guitar hero” pyrotechnics and unnecessary soloing). The compositions are interconnected without pauses, so the listening process goes smoothly and uninterrupted. Musicianship, composing and production are all perfect.
Line-up:
- Carlos Santana / guitars, vocals
- Gregg Rolie / keyboards, vocals
- Michael Shrieve / drums
- Jose ‘Chepito’ Areas / timbales, congas, percussion
- Neal Schon / guitar
- Tom Rutley / bass
- James Mingo Lewis / congas
- Doug Rauch / guitar, bass
- Wendy Haas / piano
- Tom Coster / piano
- Armando Peraza / congas, bongos
Track List:
01. Eternal Caravan of Reincarnation (4:28)
02. Waves Within (3:53)
03. Look Up (To See What’s Coming Down) (2:59)
04. Just In Time To See The Sun (2:19)
05. Song of the Wind (6:02)
06. All the Love of the Universe (7:36)
07. Future Primitive (4:12)
08. Stone Flower (6:14)
09. La Fuente del Ritmo (4:33)
10. Every Step of the Way (9:04)
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Bad Company – Straight Shooter (1975) (@256)
04 May 2007
(Review from allmusic.com)
One year after Bad Company’s multi-platinum self-titled debut, the British band returned to London to record a follow-up. Utilizing material written earlier in 1973, vocalist and songwriter Paul Rodgers wrote two acoustic-based rock ballads that would live on forever in the annals of great rock history. “Shooting Star” and the Grammy-winning “Feel Like Makin’ Love” helped Straight Shooter rise quickly through the charts. However, critically and commercially the album never achieved the tremendous success of its predecessor, largely due to the lack of strong follow-up singles and supporting tracks. Simon Kirke stepped out from behind the drum-set to help produce and write “Anna” and “Weep No More,” two slower and less aggressive ballads indicative of the overall diminishing quality of the album. Following the release of Straight Shooter, Bad Company headlined their first North American tour.
Line-up:
* Paul Rodgers – Vocals, Piano, Guitar
* Mick Ralphs – Lead Guitar
* Boz Burrell – Bass Guitar
* Simon Kirke – Drums
Track List:
01. Good Lovin’ Gone Bad
02. Feel Like Makin’ Love
03. Weep No More
04. Shooting Star
05. Deal With the Preacher
06. Wild Fire Woman
07. Anna
08. Call on Me
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Pyramid – Pyramid (1976) (@320)
03 May 2007
(Review from planetmellotron.com, progarchives.com)
As written on the back of the cd release: “Personnel Unknown: hammond, electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, mellotron, mini-moog, electric piano and tibetan bells” this is obscure music, played by unknown musicians.
The Pyramid album is one of three concurrent re-releases from the British Psi-Fi label, all apparently originally released in tiny numbers on the German Pyramid label in the mid-’70s. It has been suggested by one or two spoilsports that they are ’90s fakes, but this one sounds far too authentic for that; what is possible is that it was recorded by stoned session men on their day off, supposedly in 1975/76, with the band name tacked on later. It’s basically a half-hour jam, played by musicians who knew what they were doing, ebbing and flowing in all the right places. Tension and release, I believe it’s called…
It sounds like two guitarists, bass, drums and keys, including our beloved Mellotron, which drifts in and out of the album’s single track in best space-rock style. There’s a short choir section at around five minutes, then some strings at ten, more choirs at 18 etc., with a particularly nice (and decidedly authentic) string part starting at around the half-hour mark, lasting until the end of the piece. This is yer typical stoned, trippy sort of mid-’70s stuff, but it’s pretty good at it, and the Mellotron work is nice, if slightly sparse. Recommended for all spaceheads.
Track List:
01. Dawn Defender (33:14)
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