Sakalli
Freedom to Music
Sea Level – Sea Level (1977) (@256)
01 Oct 2009
(Review from amazon, wikipedia)
Fusion combo Sea Level was formed in 1976 by keyboardist Chuck Leavell, bassist Lamar Williams, and drummer Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson. Initially, it was an offshoot of Allman Brothers Band, but as tensions grew between the loss of two of its founding members, and personal greivances between Gregg Allman and other bandmates and associates, Sea Level took on a life of its own as an independent band.
The band based its name on a phoenetic pun of their new bandleader’s name: “C. Leavell”. They toured relentlessly, experimenting on and refining their sound, eventually recording their self-titled debut album in 1977.
With a bright piano hammering over the infectiously brisk rhythm, “Rain In Spain” kicks off the half-instrumental album; it’s an altogether unique mix of rock, blues and jazz. “Tidal Wave” continues the pace, with Leavell adding electric piano underneath Nalls exceptionally clean and crisp guitar.
Side two starts of promisingly with “Nothing Matters but the Fever” and then continues with the excellent Chuck Leavell opus “Grand Larceny”. The Paul Simon penned “Scarborough Fair” features some cool and restrained piano work from Leavell. The album closes with the inoffensive but relatively nondescript instrumental “Just a Good Feeling”.
Line-up:
- Chuck Leavell / Piano, Moog Synthesizer, Organ, Clavinet, Percussion, Keyboards, Vocals
- Jaimoe Johnson / Percussion, Drums
- Jim Nalls / Guitar, Vocals
- Lamar Williams / Bass, Vocals
Track List:
01. Rain In Spain – 6:47
02. Shake A Leg – 3:53
03. Tidal Wave – 5:40
04. Country Fool – 3:40
05. Nothing Matters But The Fever – 7:20
06. Grand Larceny – 5:23
07. Scarborough Fair – 5:31
08. Just A Good Feeling – 3:01
Link in comments.
Jethro Tull – Pot Pourri – Live Across The World & Through The Years (1969-1992) (@256)
30 Sep 2009
(Review from amazon, allmusic)
This is a hodge-podge of live recordings from 1969 to 1992, at various locations around the world.
Opening with the loud, bluesy “To Be Sad Is a Mad Way to Be” (which is a definite throwback to the This Was album), the music advances across the decades, crossing the 1970s with a three-minute excerpt from A Passion Play into a medley of Aqualung material and on to their various 1980s incarnations and repertory, by which time Martin Barre is pretty much sharing the spotlight with (if not outright stealing it from) Anderson.
The “Passion Jig” from a 1975 Paris concert is an instrumental piece salvaged and adapted from part of A Passion Play, which is a clever way of reviving music from a concept album. It contains a slightly harder edge too. Another excellent track is a medley, “Wind-Up/Locomotive Breath/Land of Hope and Glory”. There are a number of lesser-known works that are well done and enjoyable. One such work is the nearly 11 minute long song “Budapest” which is somewhat devoid of catchy hooks, and yet is interesting to hear and analyze.
Line-up:
- Ian Anderson / flute, mouth organ, claghorn, piano, vocals, harmonica, mandolin
- Martin Barre / electric guitar, marimba
- Clive Bunker / drums, hooter and charm bracelet (1, 2)
- Glenn Cornick / bass (1, 2)
- Barriemore Barlow / drums, percussion (3, 4)
- John Evans / piano (3, 4)
- Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond / bass (3)
- John Glascock / bass, vocals (4)
- David Palmer / keyboards, orchestra conductor (4)
- Dave Pegg / bass, mandolins, vocals (6-15)
- Gerry Conway / drums, percussion (5)
- Peter-John Vettese / piano, synthesizer (6, 7)
- Doane Perry / drums (6-11)
- Martin Allcock / mandolin, keyboards (8-11)
- Dave Mattacks / drums (12-15)
- Andy Giddings / keyboards (12-15)
Track List:
01. To Be Sad Is A Mad Way To Be (Stockholm Concert Hall, 01-19-1969)
02. Back To The Family (Stockholm Concert Hall, 01-19-1969)
03. Passion Play Extract (Paris, 1976)
04. Wind-Up + Locomotive Breath + Land Of Hope And Glory + Medley (London, 1977)
05. Seal Driver (Hamburg, 1982)
06. Nobody’s Car (London, 1984)
07. Pussy Willow (London, 1984)
08. Budapest (Leysin, Switzerland, 1991)
09. Nothing Is Easy (Leysin, Switzerland, 1991)
10. Kissing Willie (Tallin, Estonia, 1991)
11. Still Loving You Tonight (London, 1991)
12. Beggar’s Farm (Pullman, WA, 1992)
13. Passion Jig (Chicago, IL, 1992)
14. A Song For Jeffrey (Chicago, IL, 1992)
15. Living In The Past (Montreal, Canada, 1992)
Link in comments.
Jethro Tull – Beacons Bottom Tapes (1993) (@256)
29 Sep 2009
(Review from amazon, allmusic)
This album features the then-current lineup of the group, documenting their latest approach to songs ranging across 24 years of their history — featuring some reimagined and reworked arrangements.
There are three groups of songs: a recording session from Beacon’s Bottom in Nov ’92 with the full band playing their live arrangements of classic songs, 4 songs recorded at Ian Anderson’s house in a similar manner in December, and a rearrangement of Cheerio by Dave Pegg playing all the instruments.
With the exception of Cheerio, this is Tull live without an audience. Some pieces are very similar in arrangement to the originals; some differ considerably.
Line-up:
- Ian Anderson / flute, mouth organ, harmonica, mandolin (1-7, 9, 11-14)
- Martin Barre / electric guitar, marimba (2, 6-7, 9-14)
- Dave Pegg / bass, mandolins, vocals (2, 6-9, 11-14)
- Andy Giddings / keyboards (2, 5-7, 9, 11-14)
- Doane Perry / drums (2, 6-7, 9, 11-14)
Track List:
01. So Much Trouble (2:30)
02. My Sunday Feeling (3:56)
03. Some Day The Sun Won’t Shine For You (2:02)
04. Living In The Past (3:26)
05. Bouree (3:32)
06. With You There To Help Me (6:13)
07. Thick As A Brick (9:01)
08. Cheerio (3:58)
09. A New Day Yesterday (8:01)
10. Protect And Survive (3:06)
11. Jack-A-Lynn (4:57)
12. The Whistler (2:52)
13. My God (10:02)
14. Aqualung (7:31)
Link in comments.
Jethro Tull – In Concert (1991) (@256)
28 Sep 2009
(Review from progarchives.com)
Rather than “little light music”, in this album we are treated with a more rocking live experience, from the “Catfish Rising” tour.
The opener seems to be “Minstel in the Gallery” at first, but only for 25 seconds (much like a radio spot) then transitions into a harder rocking “Crossed-Eyed Mary”. “Heavy Horses” is a highlight, its acoustic passages are very well rendered, the vocal part being on par. As the song develops the band plays harder and harder without denaturalizing the song. “Still Loving You Tonight” from their then-latest album is a great song with a very strong guitar play from Martin. Slow-paced, just to cool down, very emotional solo.
A concert staple, “Thick as a Brick”, a bit too short for its fans is not forgotten. The band returns to its bluesy roots with “A New Day Yesterday” followed with a “Blues Jam”. A rocking “Jump Start” from the “Crest of a Knave” concludes this live affair.
Line-up:
- Ian Anderson / flute, acoustic guitar, vocals mandolin, harmonica
- Martin Barre / electric guitar
- Doane Perry / drums
- Martin Allcock / keyboards
- Dave Pegg / bass
Track List:
01. Minstrel In The Gallery / Crossed-Eye Mary – 4:08
02. This Is Not Love – 5:04
03. Rocks On The Road – 6:41
04. Heavy Horses – 9:19
05. Tall Thin Girl – 3:40
06. Still Loving You Tonight – 4:42
07. Thick As A Brick – 7:48
08. A New Day Yesterday – 5:49
09. Blues Jam – 3:15
10. Jump Start – 6:56
Link in comments.
Jethro Tull – Live in Carnegie Hall (1970) (@256)
27 Sep 2009
(Review from allmusic)
This album contains an additional hour of the group’s November 4, 1970 concert at Carnegie Hall in New York (two pieces were previously issued on Living in the Past album). Preserved on a 16-track master tape, this “Benefit” tour show for the drug rehabilitation program Phoenix House was the group’s most prominent American gig up to that time.
The band’s sound at the time of the recording is a pounding mix of hard rock, acoustic folk music, jazz elements, and Ian Anderson’s vocals, alternately sage-like and fierce; some of the flute acrobatics don’t translate too well to tape, even in Carnegie Hall, but the transition from “Sossity, You’re a Woman” into “Reasons for Waiting” — featuring exquisite organ playing by John Evan — is beautiful enough as to make up for the flaws elsewhere, as well as reminding listeners of one of the more hauntingly beautiful songs in the group’s early repertory; they also unveil a song that was still, by Anderson’s own account, a work-in-progress, entitled “My God”.
It’s a good representation of what the band sounded like in its second incarnation, when they were still establishing themselves outside of England.
Line-up:
- Ian Anderson / flute, mouth organ, claghorn, piano, vocals, harmonica, mandolin
- Clive Bunker / drums, hooter and charm bracelet
- Glenn Cornick / bass
- Martin Barre / electric guitar, marimba
- John Evans / piano
Track List:
01. Nothing Is Easy – 6:06
02. My God – 11:10
03. With You There To Help Me – 6:46
04. A Song For Jeffrey – 5:45
05. To Cry You A Song – 7:59
06. Sossity, You’re A Woman – 2:15
07. Reasons For Waiting – 3:55
08. We Used To Know – 3:18
09. Guitar Solo – 8:23
10. For A Thousand Mothers – 4:47
Link in comments.
Edition Speciale – Horizon Digital (1978) (@256)
26 Sep 2009
(Review from progressor.net)
After the almost awesome Aliquante, Edition Speciale came back the following year with a fairly different album, one that would be recorded in Chateau D’Herouville and recorded by Laurent Thibault, with a very different line-up with only Lorenzini-Ballester couple remaining.
“Ma Vie Degenerate” is the only track that Ann Ballester and Mireille Bauer stay in background, they shine through the whole album. The guitar player Martian “Mimi” Lorenzini is tireless in providing spectacular leads in this track, but nevertheless the piece is sonically dichromatic at best, besides being both vocal-heavy and comparatively repetitive. As also on the other two tracks with lyrical content, Ann and Mimi sing in chorus, but since the male is the possessor of a sort of asexual voice, the uninitiated may think the vocals are delivered by two women.
The instrumentals, Jungle’s Jingle, Aurore and Confluence, best of all depict Edition Speciale as a very strong ensemble with great versatility. Each comes across as a storm of swords as regards their richness in intense, avalanche-like arrangements in combination with their providers’ technical filigree. Effortlessly, with equally outstanding results, the band jumps from style to style, now following classic jazz-rock traditions, now disclosing a fine thematic evolution with the prevalence of symphonic passages, though Confluence contains also some ethnic motifs.
“Camara” and “Daisy”, are both largely instrumental which is good bearing in mind that singing has been always a kind of soft underbelly of Edition Speciale, despite all the originality of their approach. Both compositions possess a lot of virtues, the first standing out for some blazing acoustic guitar leads, though the latter is more complicated, comparable with the instrumentals in profundity.
The 5 bonus tracks were planned to use on their fourth album, which was never realized at the time. They were all recorded during only one studio session in 1980. Apart from the two founding members, Ballester and Lorenzini, they feature keyboardist Thierry Tamain, bassist Emmanuel Binet, drummer Frank Raholison and singer Fernand Pena whose vocals are almost reminiscent of Uriah Heep’s David Byron. It seems the band’s willingness to make a compromise with the requirements of the times has then coincided with their creative crisis, as the signs of decadence are obvious throughout the extras. Four of those are songs, all being straightforward, varying only in style: from jazz-tinged hard rock (Rouge Champs) to funk (Open It Up) to a kind of reggae (both Time Will Make It Better and Babylone). Some echoes of Edition Speciale’s past grandeur can only be heard on the instrumental ES Blues, though most of the time the band remains within the bounds of standard swingy jazz rock there.
Line-up:
- Mimi Lorenzi / guitar, synthesizer, vocals
- Ann Ballester / keyboards, vocals
- Francois Grillot / bass
- Alain Gouillard / drums
- Mireille Bauer / vibes, percussion
Track List:
01. Aurore – 5:44
02. Camara – 9:26
03. Ma Vie Degenere – 2:58
04. Daisy – 7:06
05. Jungle’s Jingle – 6:33
06. Confluence – 4:49
07. Rouge Champs (Bonus) – 4:03
08. ES Blues (Bonus) – 4:20
09. Open It Up (Bonus) – 4:50
10. Babylone (Bonus) – 7:10
11. Time Will Make It Better (Bonus) – 6:13
Link in comments.
Edition Speciale – Aliquante (1977) (@256)
25 Sep 2009
(Review from dprp.net)
The band’s second album Aliquante was released in 1977, one year after their debut.
The first track is “Vedra”, a mid-tempo instrumental. Edition Speciale sets the theme for the entire album with the first offering: the listener will be treated to fantastic bass work, quicksilver rock drumming touched up with fusion embellishment, numerous rapid-fire guitar licks, and synths aplenty. The compositions don’t shy from odd time signatures but they do always manage to stay more to the rock and roll side of fusion a bit more structured with identifiable motifs. The mix of “Vedra” and really all of Aliquante is first-rate; there’s never a point where the separation of instruments isn’t crystal clear and well balanced.
“A La Source Du Reve” showcases the true strength of Edition Speciale. The members all possess incredible chops but, where wankery might be expected, there is never any sacrifice of taste or ensemble congruity. All four musicians play expertly and accent the song without overriding other contributions. The track starts as a ballad but then breaks into a hard groove. The drumming is reminiscent of King Crimson’s Michael Giles, especially in the staccato work on the toms. The bright synth solo recalls Happy the Man and employs a great variety of keyboard tones. The precision and melodicism of the first two tracks is impressive.
“So Deep Inside” sounds quite a bit like Relayer-era Yes. In fact, the chord progression is straight out of the Yes songbook and the Shindleria Praematurus-style wetness and bass throb is instantly recognizable. Lorenzini’s recurring electric riff is a nice blend of Howe and Fripp. The acoustic piano fits well. The drumming here (and throughout) very much makes me suppose that Alan White has left for US to form a jazz-rock band; it’s propulsive and blistering but it’s full of fusion flair and subtle fills.
The remainder of the album is in a similar vein with a few minor adventures (like the near-disco funk of La Ville En Beton and the English language singing on “Alone Completely Unknown” which sounds remarkably like Jon Anderson at times).
Edition Speciale are to some degree a one-trick pony but that doesn’t detract from the quality of the music at all, and there is enough variation to keep each track enticing. At times the music recalls Jeff Beck and the early, heavily guitar-oriented Steely Dan (as on Le Temps D’Un Solo). In other spots, it’s nothing but pure American amped-up jazz. And there are moments, especially in the synth-driven songs, where the music is not too far away from, say, Gentle Giant, Happy the Man, U.K., or Utopia. Edition Speciale uses very strong hooks and repeating passages to anchor the listener’s attention and then the soloists shine over a very solid, sometimes wild rhythm accompaniment. The arrangements are lively and the instrumental sections are always forceful.
This edition of the album offers two bonus tracks, both of which are demos for Edition Speciale’s upcoming third album Horizontal Digital.
Line-up:
- Ann Balester / keyboards
- Alain Gouillard / drums
- Josquin Turenne des Pres / bass
- Martial Lorenzini (Mimi) / guitars
Track List:
01. Vedra – 6:39
02. A La Source Du Reve – 7:48
03. So Deep Inside – 5:45
04. Le Temps D’Un Solo – 5:46
05. La Ville En Beton – 5:07
06. La Fille Du Ruisseau – 6:44
07. Alone Completely Unknown – 6:56
08. Camara (Bonus Demo) – 9:23
09. Aurore (Bonus Demo) – 4:44
Link in comments.
Edition Speciale – Allee des Tilleuls (1976) (@256)
24 Sep 2009
(Review from progressor.net)
Probably the only female-fronted jazz-fusion band ever existed, France’s Edition Speciale was formed in 1975 and were active all through the second half of the 70s. Although their music is usually labeled as jazz-rock, it doesn’t concern this style almost at all. While all of the solos here are highly virtuosi, only some of them may remind some of you of improvisations.
The band’s debut album is stylistically uniform and classic symphonic art-rock with elements of hard rock is what all eight of the songs on it are about (no instrumentals here). Almost everything that is presented on “Allee des Tilleuls” is marked with signs of romanticism, originality, and complexity, which is typical for most of the progressive works of 70s.
Ann Ballester and Martial Lorenzini sing both separately and as a duo on the album and all of their vocal parts are very original. Only when the bassist joins them, and he does it from time to time on each of the songs here, their polymorphous singing is a bit reminiscent of Yes.
Each of the band members seems to be a master of their instrument, and Ann’s solos on keyboards are as wonderfully complex and virtuosi. The fourth song is the only track that features an acoustic guitar, the passages of which are here interwoven with basic, ‘electric’ textures. Apart from the large-scaled, hard-edged, and intricate joint instrumental arrangements that, though, are present everywhere on the album. The namesake Allee des Tilleuls track is notable also for a few separate episodes featuring the ‘exclusive’ solos by each of the band members.
This edition of the album, also includes three of the album tracks’ early demo versions as bonus.
Line-up:
- Martial “Mimi” Lorenzini / guitars
- Ann Ballester / keyboards, vocals
- Josquin Turenne Des Pres / bass
- Jean-Francois Bouchet D’angely / drums
Track List:
01. Rock N’ Roll – 3:40
02. Reve, Reve – 5:59
03. Tomorrow Mourning – 4:18
04. Un Coup Je Te Vois – 6:37
05. Tu Naitras Demain – 5:30
06. Marie Qui Te Maries! – 4:23
07. Monsieur Business – 2:59
08. Allee des Tilleuls – 5:57
09. Marie Qui Te Maries! (Demo version) – 4:14
10. Tu Naitras Demain (Demo Version) – 6:34
11. Allee des Tilleuls (Demo version) – 7:42
Link in comments.
Family – As & Bs (1969-78) (@256)
23 Sep 2009
(Review from amazon)
The title A’s and B’s sounds like a report card but in fact refers to all the singles released by the stellar English band Family between 1969 and 1973. Many of these tracks are significant for their relation to the state of the band and to the music industry of that time, when it was common practice to release singles by bands not necessarily connected with their albums.
For instance, “No Mule’s Fool”, the first single to chart well, is also the last Family song featuring Jim King. This is the original version of “Strange Band”, not the live version best known to most Family aficionados. “In My Own Time” may be the best track here of those not originally included on any of the Family LPs. Chappo delivers another vintage performance while the band flat out rocks. “Stop this Car”, an oddball track, swerves wildly from the terrain Family staked out into country. “Drink to You”, another oddity, is a nice, churning tribute to the alcohol, but who’s on the mike here? It’s not Chappo, so odds are Cregan or Ashton took the lead vocals.
Track List:
01. No Mule’s Fool – 3:23
02. Good Friend Of Mine – 3:34
03. Today – 5:00
04. Song For Lots – 3:41
05. Strange Band – 3:16
06. In My Own Time – 3:33
07. Seasons – 2:21
08. Burlesque – 4:04
09. The Rockin’ R’s – 3:27
10. My Friend The Sun – 4:22
11. Glove – 4:51
12. Boom Bang – 3:02
13. Stop This Car – 2:53
14. Sweet Desiree – 3:40
15. Drink To You – 3:34
Links in comments.
Family – BBC Radio Volume 2 (1971-73) (@256)
22 Sep 2009
(Info from cduniverse.com)
This is the second of two volumes including Family’s previously unreleased BBC Radio 1 sessions. Covering the period from early 1971 up to mid 1973, these recorded sessions are mastered from the original BBC transcription tapes and feature one of Britain’s finest bands playing in the studio, but with an extra edge that is normally only captured at live performances.
Included here is a rare session by Family as a 4 piece, previewing songs such as ‘Save Some For Thee’, using a synthesizer in place of bass guitar.
Line-up:
- Roger Chapman / vocals, harmonica, percussion
- John ‘Poli’ Palmer / flute, piano, vibes (1-11)
- Rob Townsend / drums, percussion
- John ‘Charlie’ Whitney / guitars, keyboards
- John Weider / bass, violin, guitars (1-5)
- John Wetton / bass, guitars, vocals (10-11)
- Tony Ashton / piano, Hammond organ (12-14)
- Jim Cregan / bass, guitars, vocals (12-14)
Track List:
01. Strange Band – 2:45
02. Hometown – 3:49
03. Procession – 4:56
04. Part Of The Load – 9:52
05. Lives And Ladies – 8:13
06. Buming Bridges – 3:49
07. Save Some For Thee – 3:08
08. In My Own Town – 3:01
09. Seasons – 2:12
10. Children – 2:12
11. Between Blue & Me – 5:04
12. Boom Band – 3:03
13. Buffet Tea For Two – 5:20
14. Check Out – 5:14
Links in comments.
Family – BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert (1973) (@256)
21 Sep 2009
(Review from starling.rinet.ru)
This live album was the only recording of the album till the “Live” album surfaced only a few years back. As it frequently happened back then, it was recorded for live retransmission on the BBC airwaves. The album has an additional audience overdub (which can be annoying).
It is January 1973, Poli Palmer and John Wetton had already quit, and the band stepped into its last incarnation with Cregan on bass and Ashton on keyboards – in fact, they are actually previewing one of the songs from their future “It’s Only A Movie” album on here (‘Buffet Tea For Two’, here entitled simply ‘Buffet Tea’).
From the very opening chords – they rip into action with ‘Burlesque’ – it’s obvious that Family follow the standard classic-rock trick of discarding the smooth edges in concert and concentrating on energizing the audiences with everything loud, distorted and aggressive. Whitney’s guitar suddenly starts sounding gruffer and rougher than ever, he definitely goes out of his way to provide Family with a noble hard rock background in a live setting. In the meantime, Tony Ashton adds all kinds of nifty touches on the keyboards, bashing on the keys as if he were hammering in an enemy’s head, adding Emerson-like distortion effects to his organ parts.
Many of the songs are significantly extended in concert, or just as significantly modified. There’s the matter of lengthy intros with Whitney soloing and Chappo following him with his wailings, or occasionally they just give Roger additional time about his vocal gymnastics. The band knows well the stunning power of teasing the audience with slow soft passages suddenly crashing into loud and gruff ones and back – ‘Top Of The Hill’, for one thing, does it all the time, finally exploding in the biggest climax of the record. Of course, no show can pass without a couple “softies” to illustrate the band’s sensitive side; the minimalistic, drum-less ‘My Friend The Sun’ does the job nicely. ‘Buffet Tea For Two’ is notable for Ashton’s jazzy piano solo.
‘Glove’ is also particularly good, a bit slowed down from the studio version, but conveying the same sense of “weird majesty”, and ‘Ready To Go’ rocks harder than the original, mostly due to Whitney’s broken ‘ragged’ distorted chords in between the verses and wah-wah soloing. And on a less pompous note, they finish the show with a blistering version of the barroom classic ‘Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu’ – done in classic Family half-sloppy style, incorporating audience singalongs and the band just giving it all away, remembering their roots and boots.
The last three tracks come from 1970/1971 “BBC in Concert” performances (obviously with a different line-up). Out of the three, ‘Part Of The Load’ is a real stunner, and no mistake about it: ten minutes of ferocious avantgarde rock’n'roll, with everybody soloing like a pack of stray demons and I can only imagine the inhumane convulsions rattling Chappo’s body while the band were doing this.
Line-up:
- Roger Chapman / vocals, percussion
- John “Charlie” Whitney / guitars
- Tony Ashton / organ, piano
- Rob Townshend / drums, percussion
- Jim Cregan / bass, guitar, vocals
Track List:
01. Burlesque – 5:47
02. Sat’dy Barfly – 4:49
03. Top Of The Hill – 7:48
04. My Friend The Sun – 4:10
05. Buffet Tea – 4:37
06. Children – 3:02
07. Glove – 6:00
08. Ready To Go – 7:04
09. Holding The Compass – 4:53
10. Rockin’ Pneumonia And Boogie Woogie Flu – 6:08
11. In My Own Time (Bonus 1970-71) – 3:46
12. Weaver’s Answer (Bonus 1970-71) – 8:22
13. Part Of The Load (Bonus 1970-71) – 9:59
Links in comments.
Gone swimming
11 Sep 2009
I’ve at last gone on the vacation I was longing for. Despite what I hoped, I’ve limited internet connection here so I won’t be able to post regularly.
See you in ten-days time.
Family – Bandstand (1972) (@256)
09 Sep 2009
(Review from progarchives.com)
Released in 1972, “Bandstand” is the second album recorded by the line up which made “Fearless” a year earlier. While the ever present Roger Chapman’s voice is of course the band’s signature, it is perhaps surprising that the continuing presence of journeyman John Wetton is largely low key; apart from one co-credit he does not even contribute to the song writing. Wetton would in fact leave the band after this album, heading for King Crimson.
The single “Burlesque” opens the album, a dirty, funky piece of magic with slightly risque lyrics, and a wonderful vocal performance by Chapman. The album as a whole though is not as aggressive as previous offerings, the reflectively harmonic “Bolero Babe” being more representative of the mood. Del Newman’s string arrangements are unobtrusive, but nonetheless uncharacteristic for a Family album. The downbeat mood continues on “Coronation” where Chapman’s higher range vocals sound a little odd. The track benefits from the addition of some synth and violin and a more spirited chorus. “Dark Eyes” is a brief Poli Palmer (who was also to leave the band) contribution, in very much the same vein as its predecessors on the album. The track rather strangely fades in mid verse.
“Broken Nose” finally returns us to the heavier and noisier sounds we expect from the band. This story of unrequited love across the classes has a rather messy melody and some of the most obvious synthesiser the band have added to a song.
“My Friend the Sun” was perhaps too different to their previous releases to succeed as a single. The song is a soft acoustic ballad with Crosby, Stills, Nash like harmonies, and accordion backing. “Glove” sets out as a quiet blues featuring just vocal and piano. As the song develops, it becomes a more orthodox Family song, with some nice lead guitar and ever more dominant strings. The final choruses have a sing-a-long anthem feel.
“Ready to go” is a sort of back to basics affair, with acidic lyrics. Whitney and Chapman are clearly getting something off their chests here, but rather at the expense of a decent tune. The closing “Top of the hill” is a mid paced traditional Family song, with a simple melody. The arrangement is reasonably lavish, accentuated by the ubiquitous strings.
Unlike “Fearless”, “Bandstand” is very much a single mood album.
Line-up:
- Roger Chapman / Vocals, Guitars, Percussion
- John ‘Charlie’ Whitney / Guitars, Mandolin, Percussion
- John Wetton / Guitars, Vocals, Keyboards
- John ‘Poli’ Palmer / Vibes, Piano, Flute, Percussion
- Robert Townsend / Drums, Percussion
with:
- Del Newman / String Arrangements
Track List:
01. Burlesque – 4:07
02. Bolero Babe – 4:39
03. Coronation – 3:49
04. Dark Eyes – 1:47
05. Broken Nose – 4:10
06. My Friend The Sun – 4:22
07. Glove – 4:52
08. Ready To Go – 4:36
09. Top Of The Hill – 5:40
Link in comments.
Family – Live (1971) (@256)
08 Sep 2009
(Info from sleeve)
“Family Live” catches one of the band’s strongest line-ups in the middle of their 1971 winter tour, with an anchor date at London’s pretigious Rainbow.
Unlike the under rehearsed 4 live tracks that occupied side one of “Anyway”, these live cuts find the band giving full reign to their muse. Roger Chapman as ever is in fine form, and the band sound like a coherent unit. The 10 tracks here suggest Family had played enough tour dates to confidently stretch out on both older favorites such as “Drowned in Wine”, “In My Own Time” and “Weaver’s Answer” as well as four relatively speaking new cuts from the new “Fearless” album.
In short, Family were enjoying one of the most rewarding periods of their career. The line-up was growing creatively and as this live album suggests, the band’s European and UK dates, either side of the new album, had put them in good stead for the future.
Playing live was really what Family were about. Long time fans have all got a story about a particularly favorite gig or incident. This live album culled from a batch of old tapes in Chappo’s loft, includes what is thought to be a large chunk of the band’s November show at the Rainbow, and is full of all the band elements that colour such memories.
The album demonstrates both the power and quirkiness of one of Britain’s original rock bands. Chappo’s own performances of course have been well documented and his moments of wild abandon and sheer involvement in some of the songs comes across on the live set. “Good News Bad News” for example, is full of exclamatory woops and shouts, while the ending of “Part Of The Load” includes a typical Chapman scat on the lyrics.
On the extended work out on “Weaver’s Answer”, both Charlie and Poli work up on a head of steam on both guitar and synth/keys, Chappo scats away on vocals, to great effect. On the hook of the single “In My Own Time”, Chapman holds back until the very last minute to deliver the word “time”. Wetton joins him in the chorus for a great reading of one of the band’s greatest efforts.
While the Rainbow performance is only a snapshot of what became known as the “Fearless” line-up, this belated live Family album is a reminder both of some hugely original material, some incredible live performances and above all a band that was forever forging new iddeas whatever the line-up.
Line-up:
- Roger Chapman / vocals, percussion
- John “Charlie” Whitney / guitar
- John “Poli” Palmer / keyboards, vibes, flute
- John Wetton / bass, vocals
- Robert Townsend / drums
Track List:
01. Good News – 8:23
02. Spanish Tide – 4:13
03. Part Of The Load – 9:28
04. Drowned In Wine – 4:12
05. Holding The Compass – 4:05
06. Between Blue And Me – 5:28
07. Children – 2:40
08. In My Own Time – 3:26
09. Take Your Partners – 6:21
10. Weaver’s Answer – 8:25
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Family – New Songs, Old Songs (1971) (@256)
07 Sep 2009
(Review from progarchives.com)
By 1971, Leicester band Family had pretty much reached the height of their popularity and commercial success. That height was however not great when compared to their peers, such as Free, Ten Years After, Deep Purple etc. Despite having had several hit singles, and attracted a small but loyal following, Family never managed to make the leap from pub-rock band done good, to fully fledged headliners.
In preparation for what was hoped to be their breakthrough US tour, the band and their record label put together this compilation of selected album tracks and non-album singles (A and/or B). Some of the tracks were remixed, and the backing tracks to four of the songs (“Weaver’s Answer”, “Hung up Down”, “Observations from a Hill” and “Hometown”) were re-recorded all together. In the event, the tour was cancelled, and this album became a stopgap UK release.
The period covered by this set, which is technically a compilation but is effectively a bona fide studio album, is from the band’s debut album (“Music in a doll’s house”) through to their fourth album (“Anyway”), although the latter is only represented by the CD bonus track “Today”. During the period, bassist and violinist Rick Grech left to join Blind Faith and Jim King was sacked due to the band’s style mutating and rendering him superfluous. A certain John Wetton, who does not appear here, arrived before their next studio album was recorded.
As was common in the 1960′s and early 70′s, several singles by Family never appeared on their original studio albums, and four of the tracks here fall into that category, including the minor hit single “No mule’s fool”.
Musically, the album consists of eleven diverse Chapman/Whitney composed songs. Some of these such as “Hung up down”, Drowned in wine”, and “Peace of mind” are very much of their time, and have not aged particularly well. They have echoes of early Uriah Heep/Spice (“Peace of mind”), Slade’s “Cos I love you” (Drowned in wine”), and early Genesis (“Today”).
There are softer reflective numbers such as “No mule’s fool” and “Home town” where Roger Chapman demonstrates that he did not need to utilise his demented warble to get noticed. The latter song was criminally hidden away for years as a non-album B side.
The standout track by far though is “The weaver’s answer”, from which the lyrical quote at the start of this review is taken. Indeed, Chapman’s virtually unintelligible vocal style on this track disguises some incredibly accomplished prose. The song is an exceptional work, which suits Chapman’s unique voice perfectly.
Line-up:
- Roger Chapman / Vocals, Percussion
- John ‘Charlie’ Whitney / Guitar, Banjo, Organ
- John Weider / Guitars, Violin, Dobro
- Robert Townsend / Drums, Percussion, Harp
- John ‘Poli’ Palmer / Vibes, Piano, Flute
- Jim King / saxophone
Track List:
01. Hung Up Down – 3:29
02. Today – 5:01
03. Observation From A Hill – 3:11
04. Good Friend Of Mine – 3:33
05. Drowned In Wine – 4:07
06. Peace Of Mind – 2:23
07. Hometown – 3:10
08. The Cat And The Rat – 2:29
09. No Mule’s Fool – 3:20
10. See Through Windows – 3:48
11. The Weaver’s Answer – 4:55
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