Frank Zappa - 1972 - Waka-Wazoo (2022)

Frank Zappa - 1972 - Waka-Wazoo (2022) @320

During the aftermath of being pushed off the stage at the Rainbow Theatre in London, England, FZ found himself recuperating for months in his home in Laurel Canyon. Although he was confined to a wheelchair, his work ethic could not be tamed. During this time, he managed, among other things, to assemble an ensemble that quenched his thirst and desire to work with a large “Electric Orchestra.” Ultimately, a 20-piece group was contracted, along with recording sessions and an 8-city tour. Shortly thereafter, a scaled down 10-piece configuration, now known as the “Petit Wazoo” toured for almost two months. After all was said and done, FZ finished the experiment with two albums in the can, Waka/Jawaka & The Grand Wazoo, plus two tours and an archive of show masters in his Vault. It was a monumental feat for a guy with a cast on his leg and a conductor’s baton in his hand.

The Waka/Wazoo box set features a complete historical run-down of the entire project, featuring alternate takes of almost every composition recorded during the album sessions, along with Vault mix session outtakes and oddities. Also included is the full final show of the 10-piece tour, recorded at the famous Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on December 15, 1972. The Blu-ray Audio disc features both albums with brand-new, first-time-ever Atmos and 5.1 mixes from the original multi-tracks and the 96kHz 24-bit high-resolution stereo remasters.

Finally, during the album recording sessions at Paramount Studios, FZ worked with George Duke on some of Duke’s solo material. These demos were produced by Zappa, who also played guitar. Although George would go on to re-record the compositions for his own albums, the versions with FZ have never been officially issued until now. (Improvised Music)

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Little Feat - 1972 - Sailin' Shoes (Deluxe Edition) (2023)

Little Feat - 1972 - Sailin' Shoes (Deluxe Edition) (2023) @320

Released in 1972, Sailin’ Shoes was the second studio album from the founding quartet of singer-guitarist Lowell George, drummer Richard Hayward, keyboard player Bill Payne, and bassist Roy Estrada. Ted Templeman produced the record, which was the first to feature artwork by illustrator Neon Park, who created covers for nearly all of Little Feat’s albums.

SAILIN’ SHOES (DELUXE EDITION) opens with a newly remastered version of the original album, which introduced signature tunes like “Easy To Slip,” the title track, and an updated version of “Willin’” a song that also appeared in 1971 on the band’s eponymous debut. Several outtakes from the album’s recording sessions make their debut on the Deluxe Edition, including alternate versions of “Cold, Cold, Cold,” “A Apolitical Blues,” and “Willin’.”

The magic that Little Feat conjured in concert takes center stage in the new set with a newly discovered and previously unreleased complete show recorded at the Palladium in Los Angeles on August 28, 1971. This live set marks the only multi-track recording in existence to feature the original lineup of the band. The performance features songs from both Sailin’ Shoes (“Tripe Face Boogie,” “Teenage Nervous Breakdown”) and Little Feat (“Hamburger Midnight,” “Snakes On Everything.”) The set also comes with illustrated liner notes written by acclaimed music journalist, David Fricke. (Goldmine)

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Tommy Bolin

Energy

(1972)

 

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1972 - Stevie Wonder - Talking Book

1972 - Stevie Wonder - Talking Book @320

After releasing two "head" records during 1970 and 1971, Stevie Wonder expanded his compositional palette with 1972's Talking Book to include societal ills as well as tender love songs, and so recorded the first smash album of his career. What had been hinted at on the intriguing project Music of My Mind was here focused into a laser beam of tight songwriting, warm electronic arrangements, and ebullient performances -- altogether the most realistic vision of a musical personality ever put to wax, beginning with a disarmingly simple love song, "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" (but of course, it's only the composition that's simple). Wonder's not always singing a tender ballad here -- in fact, he flits from contentment to mistrust to promise to heartbreak within the course of the first four tracks -- but he never fails to render each song in the most vivid colors. 

In stark contrast to his early songs, which were clever but often relied on the Motown template of romantic metaphor, with Talking Book it became clear Wonder was beginning to speak his mind and use his personal history for material (just as Marvin Gaye had with the social protest of 1971's What's Going On). The lyrics became less convoluted, while the emotional power gained in intensity. "You and I" and the glorious closer "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" subtly illustrate that the conception of love can be stronger than the reality, while "Tuesday Heartbreak" speaks simply but powerfully: "I wanna be with you when the nighttime comes/I wanna be with you till the daytime comes." Ironically, the biggest hit from Talking Book wasn't a love song at all; the funk landmark "Superstition" urges empowerment instead of hopelessness, set to a grooving beat that made it one of the biggest hits of his career. It's followed by "Big Brother," the first of his directly critical songs, excoriating politicians who posture to the underclass in order to gain the only thing they really need: votes. 

With Talking Book, Wonder also found a proper balance between making an album entirely by himself and benefiting from the talents of others. His wife Syreeta contributed two great lyrics, and Ray Parker, Jr. came by to record a guitar solo that brings together the lengthy jam "Maybe Your Baby." Two more guitar heroes, Jeff Beck and Buzzy Feton, appeared on "Lookin' for Another Pure Love," Beck's solo especially giving voice to the excruciating process of moving on from a broken relationship. Like no other Stevie Wonder LP before it, Talking Book is all of a piece, the first unified statement of his career. It's certainly an exercise in indulgence but, imitating life, it veers breathtakingly from love to heartbreak and back with barely a pause. (AllMusic)

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Lyn Collins

Think [about it]

(1972)

 

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Foghat

(1972)

 

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1972 - Neil Young - Harvest (50th Anniversary Edition)

1972 - Neil Young - Harvest (50th Anniversary Edition) @320

Produced by Elliot Mazer and originally released in February 1972, Neil Young’s Harvest album has become one of his best loved projects. It topped the Billboard Top 200 chart for two weeks and produced a number one single “Heart of Gold”—Young’s solitary U.S. chart-topping single. Following the end of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in 1970, he employed a group of session country musicians to record Harvest with, which he dubbed The Stray Gators.

Available on vinyl and CD formats, this 50th Anniversary bundle is an absolute treat for Neil Young admirers. Along with the original record, it includes the previously unseen movies—Harvest Time and the 1971 BBC live performance—along with three studio outtake tracks (“Bad Fog of Loneliness,” “Journey Through the Past,” “Dance Dance Dance”) and a hard-bound book with liner notes from photographer Joel Bernstein. The vinyl version also includes a lithograph print.

The album consists of some unusual changes of direction away from the sessions at the ranch. “Needle and the Damage Done”—a plea to his friends and Crazy Horse bandmate Danny Whitten about the obliterating effect of heroin—was recorded the previous year at a live performance at UCLA. “A Man Needs a Maid” and “There’s a World” were recorded by Nitzsche with the London Symphony Orchestra at Barking Assembly Hall in the UK. You can see from the film footage that this process with the orchestra was at times a tense and uneasy one, with Young yearning to get back to those playful, joyous, and almost innocent days at Broken Arrow. Despite Young’s sometimes awkward, equipment-fumbling, endearing interludes during the BBC concert footage, his version of “Don’t Let it Get You Down” here is jaw-dropping.

Harvest was recorded during a seemingly settled period of Young’s life, with much of its music inspired by his loving relationship with the late actress Carrie Snodgress. Young manages to bring in the likes of James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, and old band pals Crosby, Stills & Nash in such a subtle and unobtrusive way. It remains a sonic blend of love, melancholy, mortality, and vulnerability. Harvest is an album to be truly celebrated and this half-century edition is a fitting tribute (Under the Radar)

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Frankie Miller - 1972 - Once in a Blue Moon

Frankie Miller - 1972 - Once in a Blue Moon (2011 Remaster) (Flac)

MENTION THE NAME Frankie Miller to any musician of a certain era and their face will immediately light up regarding his singing ability and subsequent influence on a generation of British vocalists. The owner of one of the finest blues voices of the era, Frankie’s shadow loomed long and hard across a multitude of styles, with enough true grit and authority to carve out a top tier reputation. Compared in the same exalted breath as Rod Stewart, Paul Rodgers, Terry Reid and Joe Cocker, Frankie quickly established a reputation second to none. Originating from Glasgow, Frankie’s first brush with fame came via Jude, a supergroup, including guitarist Robin Trower, which inexplicably failed to connect with the public. It was, however, enough of a career boost to secure him a solo recording contract with Chrysalis records and the release in 1973 of this, his debut album, ‘Once In A Blue Moon’. 

The record was lauded by critics and supporters, yet inexplicably failed to sell at the time. As a mixture of hardnosed blues and gritty R&B it established Miller as a real force in British rock, with most supporters predicting a bright future. The album was record at the famed Rockfield studio in Wales, backed by pub rock stalwarts the Brinsley Schwarz group and produced by their manager Dave Robinson, a man who would later go on to form Stiff Records. With tight arrangements and gritty instrumental support, the album focussed on an earthy blues rock, allowing Miller’s voice to take centre stage. It also highlighted his compositional skills, setting up a reputation for writing material that would find many varied and successful outlets over the years. (Horizon Music)

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1972 - Milton Nascimento & Lô Borges – Clube Da Esquina

1972 - Milton Nascimento & Lô Borges – Clube Da Esquina (Flac)

 

The cover of 1972’s Clube Da Esquina perfectly encapsulates the music and the context that surrounds it. In the photograph, two young boys perch by the side of a dusty Brazilian road, both staring into the camera with differing expressions. Above this image of rustic innocence, a barbed wire ominously hangs. The picture perfectly complements the record’s playfulness, its quiet sensitivity, and the horrendous circumstances under which it came to be. Indeed, by 1972, Brazil was eight years into an aggressive US-backed military junta, unable to mount any meaningful opposition, and left stranded by most international powers. Though the key architects of Clube Da Esquina – Milton Nascimento and Lô Borges – were not as overtly rebellious as their contemporaries in the Tropicalismo movement, the artists remained under the watchful eye of right-wing authorities, often facing extensive censorship.

Clube Da Esquina is MPB (Música Popular Brasileira) that both subtly reflects this context and exists well beyond its shadow. The record begins with “Tudo Que Você Podia Ser,” a buoyant introduction to the album’s shapeshifting. The following “Cais” is a perfect example. It starts as a beautifully sparse track, allowing space for Nascimento’s delicate vocals. Its abrupt segue into a simple piano melody makes for one of the understated highlights of the record. Similarly, the Spanish bolero “Dos Cruces” is initially stripped back and mournful, but soon explodes into grand progressions.

Nascimento’s voice is a highlight throughout, especially on the gently affecting “San Vincente,” which features both a stunning performance and subtly unpredictable phrasing. The song makes plain that this album is built on compatible opposites. It is at once accessible but experimental, warm but haunting, ebullient but melancholic, gentle but deeply resonant, fragile but righteous. Often this duality is held just within Nascimento’s voice.

One of the most impressive things about Clube Da Esquina is its sheer ambition and range of influences. Given Nascimento and Borges’ upbringing in the state of Minas Gerais, there is a rural folk influence, a trace of the local church music, and a love of the popular bossa nova that had dominated Brazil’s charts. But this is far from adequate in explaining the intricacies of Clube Da Esquina’s unique sound. Throughout the record, you can also hear traces of the adventurous pop of The Beatles, as well as an incorporation of the many regional variants of toada (a style of Amazonian folk music); there is orchestral psychedelia, an understated compositional complexity, and experiments that were uncommon in much MPB. Through it all, Nascimento’s voice brings a vital cohesion. Though the compositions and arrangements by Lô Borges, Márcio Borges, Eumir Deodato, and Wagner Tiso are remarkable on their own terms, it’s Nascimento’s affecting navigation of the tracks that elevates the record to its current status as one of the most important Brazilian records of the 20th century.(Discover Music)

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Carly Simon

No Secrets

(1972)

 

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1972 - Santana - Caravanserai

1972 - Santana - Caravanserai (Flac)

Drawing on rock, salsa, and jazz, Santana recorded one imaginative, unpredictable gem after another during the 1970s. But Caravanserai is daring even by Santana's high standards. Carlos Santana was obviously very hip to jazz fusion -- something the innovative guitarist provides a generous dose of on the largely instrumental Caravanserai. Whether its approach is jazz-rock or simply rock, this album is consistently inspired and quite adventurous. Full of heartfelt, introspective guitar solos, it lacks the immediacy of Santana or Abraxas. Like the type of jazz that influenced it, this pearl (which marked the beginning of keyboardist/composer Tom Coster's highly beneficial membership in the band) requires a number of listenings in order to be absorbed and fully appreciated. But make no mistake: this is one of Santana's finest accomplishments.

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1972 - Captain Beefheart - Clear Spot

1972 - Captain Beefheart - Clear Spot (Flac)

 Producer Ted Templeman was a bit of a surprising choice given his firmly mainstream production credits, with the Doobie Brothers already under his belt and Van Halen lurking in the near future. As it turned out, such a combination led to a better-working fusion than might be expected, making one wonder why in the world Clear Spot wasn't more of a commercial success than it was. The sound is great throughout, and the feeling is of the coolest bar-band in town, not to mention one that could eat all the patrons for breakfast if it felt like it. Consequently, fans of the fully all-out side of Beefheart might find the end result not up to snuff, but those less concerned with pushing back all borders all the time will enjoy his unexpected blend of everything tempered with a new accessibility. "Nowadays a Woman's Got to Hit a Man," besides having a brilliant title, shows the balance perfectly -- Van Vliet serves up his rough asides with all his expected wit and sass, while the Magic Band trade off notes here and there just so. At the same time, the track is strong blues-rock that doesn't pander, with a particularly fierce solo thanks to Zoot Horn Rollo. "My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains" is a great love song, the softer arrangement saved from being too off by Beefheart's delivery. Other winners include the title track, a sharp combination of an off-kilter arrangement for a straightforward melody, the great shaggy-dog story of "Golden Birdies," and "Big Eyed Beans from Venus," a fantastically strange piece of aggression. (AllMusic)

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The O'Jays - 1972 - Back Stabbers (Expanded Edition)

The O'Jays - 1972 - Back Stabbers (Expanded Edition) @320

Back Stabbers is the sixth studio album by Philadelphia soul group the O'Jays, released in August 1972. Back Stabbers was a breakthrough album for the group, reaching the top 10 of the Billboard Pop Albums chart. It also featured two of their most successful singles, "Back Stabbers" and "Love Train", which hit number 1 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. This album has gained the reputation as a landmark album of early 1970s soul.

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Mer-Da

Long Burn The Fire

(1972)

 

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Fania All Stars

Live at the Cheetah, Vol. 1

(1972)

 

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Fania All Stars

Live at the Cheetah, Vol. 2

(1972)

 

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Willie Colón

Crime Pays

(1972)

 

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Bobby Patterson

It's Just a Matter of Time

(1972)

 

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The Raeletts

Ray Charles Presents

 The Raeletts 

Yesterday...Today...Tomorrow

(1972)

 

320

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