It's all but impossible to make a bad record with Solomon Burke; as a vocalist, the man is simply a force of nature, and all you have to do is point him in front of a microphone and let him do his stuff and you'll have something worth hearing. But coming up with accompaniment that's worthy of Burke's talents isn't quite as simple, and for a man who cut his teeth working with the likes of Jerry Wexler and Bert Berns, finding the right producer in this day and age is no simple matter. Nothing's Impossible teams Burke with another legend of Southern soul, the great producer, arranger, and songwriter Willie Mitchell (best-known for his work with Al Green) who had been after Burke to make an album with him for years. One listen to Nothing's Impossible confirms that Mitchell's instincts were right on the money; this music has just the right heft and texture for Burke, rich, strong, and gospel-influenced R&B that's sturdy enough to support Burke's earth-shaking vocals while giving the star of the show enough room to move comfortably. Mitchell's subtle, expressive use of strings and horns is very much in evidence here, and the rhythm section cuts a deep, implacable groove.
The church has always been one of Burke's strongest vocal influences, and on Nothing's Impossible, Mitchell and his studio crew allow Burke to raise up as much Sunday morning fervor as he needs; on longer numbers like "Dreams" and "It Must Be Love," Burke stretches out like a preacher hitting a groove in front of a congregation, and hearing the King of Rock and Soul get the spirit is a remarkable thing. Burke and Mitchell contributed to the songwriting on these sessions, with both men bringing their A game, and though the notion of Burke covering Anne Murray's hit "You Needed Me" might sound dire, once you hear him do it, it's hard not to be awestruck at the way he brings the old warhorse to life. The sad irony of Nothing's Impossible is that after decades of trying to lure Solomon Burke into his studio, Burke showed up in time for what proved to be Willie Mitchell's final production project, as Mitchell succumbed to heart failure a few months before the album was released. But if this record is Willie Mitchell's final musical offering, Solomon Burke made certain that the man closed out his career on a high note; this is old-school R&B that's smart, passionate, and powerful, and proves the King of Rock and Soul still rules his kingdom with a sure hand. (AllMusic)
Following the success of last year’s 40th anniversary edition of the Ramones’ self-titled debut album, Rhino are treating us to a deluxe edition of the band’s follow-up Leave Home. Still revered as a classic album, Leave Home is 30 minutes of no messing punk rock and bubblegum pop. It is a mix that defined the Ramones’ sound. The album also produced some of their most famous songs, like Pinhead and California Sun.
The Ramones are often considered to be one of the first punk bands. Their musical style, stage presence and attitude influenced the likes of Malcolm McLaren, The Sex Pistols and The Clash. It was the Ramones’ insistence to have their records speeded up to match the velocity of their live shows, that helped shape the punk sound. And with their matching leather jackets and straight-fringe haircuts; the band’s cartoony nature made them one of the most recognisable bands of all time.
Fans and collectors alike will love this release. It is a real treat, as it not only includes the original album on CD, but a 40th anniversary mix on CD and vinyl. The 40th anniversary mixes have been created from the original multitrack tapes by original engineer Ed Stasium. The new mixes are designed to reflect the Ramones’ raw power and fatten the sound.
The package also includes a live recording from a gig the band played in 1977, at the famous CBGB. The venue staged the Ramones’ very first shows, and the two have become entwined in music folklore. There are also rough mixes, unreleased material and extras, including the single Sheena Is A Punk Rocker.
No follower of punk can credibly call themselves a fan of the genre if they don’t have an affection for the Ramones. And if you like the Ramones you’re going to absolutely love this 40th anniversary edition of their brilliant sophomore LP. ( Songwriter Magazine)
2022 - Mad Professor - B Sides & Other Sides 40 Years of Dub Pt. 3 @320
Mad Professor's B Sides & Other Sides: 40 Years of Dub Pt. 3 is a deep-digging, 14-track compilation released on March 11, 2022, that continues the legendary producer's celebration of four decades behind the mixing board.
I (Reb) open box 51 with my selections from 1 to 8, then comes Andy's tracks from 9 to 16 and finally Concha's selections close the box, with her tracks from 17 to 24.
If you would like to suggest two tracks for our 2nd birthday Special Edition Box Of Vibes. Then just click on the link below. Suggestions close on Friday September 25th.
2021 - Mad Professor - The First Dubs Are The Deepest -
40 Years of Dub PT 2 @320
The idea of the front room studio came in 1975 from a visit to an audio and hifi exhibition at Earl’s Court, where I was eyeing up a Teac 4 track machine. The salesman who was a few years older than me, was telling me how much joy his personal setup was giving him. The first sessions were simple and raw, with drums on track 1, piano and guitar on track 2, bass on track 3, any vocals would be on track 4 Effects were a home made spring reverb, taken from a practical electronics circuit diagram The tape echo was from a Akai 4000DS mk2 and a 2 transistor phaser developed from my early hobbyist days. The tracks on this album is from those first sessions, up until the first Ampex 16 track sessions with Horsemouth Wallace overdubbing his drums alongside the Terry Crooks originals. The sonic difference between 8 track half inch and 16 track 2 inch is evident on the 2 versions of Naturally raw, mixed 6 months apart. Even Dub has evolved beyond being produced in Kingston, the raw, earthy African spirit remains a fundamental part of the Afro-electronic mission, underwritten in the sub-consciousness of the engineer / producer! Drums: Kingsley Chambers, Terry Crooks, Leroy Horsemouth Wallace, Angus Gayle, Drumton Ward Bass: Preacher, Kirk Service, Black Steel, Larry Professor Vocals: Sister Audrey, Delena, Patricia Smith, Rockaway Keyboards: Dave Morgan, Norman Collins, Flea, Pepper Guitars: Black Steel, Tony Benjamin, Delroy Brass: Roger & Tabanko Produced and mixed Mad ProfessorRecorded at Ariwa Bruce Road, Ariwa Peckham. (BrokenSilence)
1967 - Jefferson Airplane - After Bathing at Baxter's @320
The Jefferson Airplane opened 1967 with Surrealistic Pillow and closed it with After Bathing at Baxter's, and what a difference ten months made. Bookending the year that psychedelia emerged in full bloom as a freestanding musical form, After Bathing at Baxter's was among the purest of rock's psychedelic albums, offering few concessions to popular taste and none to the needs of AM radio, which made it nowhere remotely as successful as its predecessor, but it was also a lot more daring. The album also showed a band in a state of ferment, as singer/guitarist Marty Balin largely surrendered much of his creative input in the band he'd founded, and let Paul Kantner and Grace Slick dominate the songwriting and singing on all but one cut ("Young Girl Sunday Blues"). The group had found the preceding album a little too perfect, and not fully representative of the musicians or what they were about, and they were determined to do the music their way on Baxter's; additionally, they'd begun to see how far they could take music (and music could take them) in concert, in terms of capturing variant states of consciousness.
Essentially, After Bathing at Baxter's was the group's attempt to create music that captured what the psychedelic experience sounded and felt like to them from the inside; on a psychic level, it was an introverted exercise in music-making and a complete reversal of the extroverted experience in putting together Surrealistic Pillow. Toward that end, they were working "without a net," for although Al Schmitt was the nominal producer, he gave the group the freedom to indulge in any experimentation they chose to attempt, effectively letting them produce themselves. They'd earned the privilege, after two huge hit singles and the Top Five success of the prior album, all of which had constituted RCA's first serious new rock success (and the label's first venture to the music's cutting edge) since Elvis Presley left the Army. The resulting record was startlingly different from their two prior LPs; there were still folk and blues elements present in the music, but these were mostly transmuted into something very far from what any folksinger or bluesman might recognize. Kantner, Jorma Kaukonen, and Jack Casady cranked up their instruments; Spencer Dryden hauled out an array of percussive devices that was at least twice as broad as anything used on the previous album; and everybody ignored the length of what they were writing and recording, or how well they sang, or how cleanly their voices meshed. The group emerged four months later with one of the rawest, most in-your-face records to come out of the psychedelic era, and also a maddeningly uneven record, exciting and challenging in long stretches, yet elsewhere very close to stultifyingly boring, delightful in its most fulfilling moments (which were many), but almost deliberately frustrating in its digressions, and amid all of that, very often beautiful.
The album's 11 songs formed five loosely constructed "suites," that didn't ease listeners into those structures. Opening "The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil" (a Kantner-authored tribute to Fred Neil) amid a cascading wash of feedback leading to a slashing guitar figure, the band's three singers struggle to meld their voices and keep up. A softer, almost folk-like interlude, highlighted by Slick's upper-register keening, breaks up the beat until the guitar, bass, and drums crash back in, with a bit of piano embellishment. Then listeners get to the real break, an almost subdued interlude on the guitars, and a return to the song at a more frenzied pitch, the guitar part dividing and evolving into ever more brittle components until a crescendo and more feedback leads to "A Small Package of Value Will Come to You, Shortly." This brilliantly comical and clever percussion showcase co-authored by Spencer Dryden and the band's manager, Bill Thompson, is a million miles beyond any drummer's featured number in any popular band of that era, and it leads into Marty Balin's "Young Girl Sunday Blues," the most rhythmically consistent song here and one of a tiny handful of moments that seem to slightly resemble the band's past work. The aforementioned tracks comprise just the first suite, designated "Steetmasse."
"The War Is Over" suite opens with "Martha," the album's folk-style interlude, almost a throwback to the group's original sound, except that the listener suddenly finds himself in the midst of a psychedelic delirium, heralded by the dissonant accompaniment and a high-energy fuzztone guitar solo (spinning out sitar-like notes) coming out of nowhere and a speed change that slows the tempo to zero, as though the tape (or time, or the listener's perception of it) were stretching out, and the pounding, exuberant "Wild Tyme," a celebration of seemingly uninhibited joy. "Hymn to the Older Generation" is made up of Kaukonen's "The Last Wall of the Castle," an alternately slashing and chiming guitar pyrotechnic showcase that rivaled anything heard from Jimi Hendrix or the Who that year, and Grace Slick's gorgeous "Rejoyce," a hauntingly beautiful excursion into literary psychedelia, whose James Joyce allusions carry the Lewis Carroll literary allusions of the previous album's "White Rabbit" into startlingly new and wonderful (if discursive) directions and depths. "How Suite It Is" opens with the album's single, the lean, rhythmic "Watch Her Ride," whose pretty harmonies and gently psychedelic lyrics persuaded RCA that this was their best shot at AM airplay and, true to form on an album filled with contradictions, it leads into "Spare Chaynge," the crunching, searing, sometimes dirge-like nine-minute jam by Kaukonen, Dryden, and Casady that wasn't ever going to get on AM radio -- ever -- and, indeed, might well initially repel any Airplane fan who only knew their hit singles. "Shizoforest Love Suite" closes the album with Slick's "Two Heads," with its vocal acrobatics and stop-and-go beat, and "Won't You Try"/"Saturday Afternoon," the latter Kantner's musical tribute to the first San Francisco "Be-In" (memorialized more conventionally by the Byrds on "Renaissance Fair"); it features many of the more subdued, relaxed, languid moments on the record, divided by a killer fuzz-laden guitar solo.
Needless to say, this is not the album for neophytes -- "Spare Chaynge" remains an acquired taste, a lot more aimless than, say, the extended jams left behind by the Quicksilver Messenger Service, though it did point the way toward what Kaukonen and Casady would aim for more successfully when they formed Hot Tuna. But most of the rest is indisputably among the more alluring musical experimentation of the period, and Kantner's "The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil" and "Watch Her Ride," as well as Balin's "Young Girl Sunday Blues," proved that the group could still rock out with a beat, even if not so prettily or cleanly as before. (AllMusic)
It's a sad irony that in the 1980s and '90s, many of the great artists of soul and R&B suffered musically at the hands of those who professed to love them the most. After soul had dropped off the major-label radar in favor of hip-hop and new jack sounds, a number of smaller companies stepped forward to record veteran artists who were still giving their all on the road, but for every truly inspired release from labels such as Malaco, Bullseye, or Alligator, there were a dozen others which featured rote, generic production and arrangements which attempted to recapture the thrilling sound of soul's glory days without coming within driving distance of conjuring their ineffable magic.
Solomon Burke was one of the greatest talents of '60s soul, whose strong, burnished voice resonated with a churchy fervor that could speak volumes about either triumph or hurt, but while he continued to record regularly through the '70s, '80s and '90s and always sounded splendid, the records themselves often weren't much to write home about, with Burke using his gifts to prop up second-rate material or re-record tunes he'd performed definitively in the past. So it's good news indeed to report that Burke's new album, Don't Give Up on Me, is nothing short of revelatory, a superb set which presents "the King of Rock and Soul" at the very top of his form. Singer and songwriter Joe Henry produced the set, and rather than trying to replicate the sound of a vintage Jerry Wexler session, he's taken a very different approach, going for a spare and open sound, with nothing but a subdued rhythm section, a guitar, and an organ (the latter played by Rudy Copeland, who performs the same honors at the church where Burke preaches) accompanying Burke on most of these 11 songs.
Henry also put out a call for material worthy of Burke's gifts, and a number of his better-known fans responded, including Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, Brian Wilson, and Nick Lowe, all of whom contributed songs to the project. But for all the songwriting starpower on deck, the focus is squarely on Solomon Burke throughout, and he proves he's lost none of the power, force, or dramatic intensity of his glory days. Henry's low-key production captures the nooks and crannies of Burke's voice, and he delivers a performance worthy of a great actor on each cut, from the deep soul of "Don't Give Up on Me" and the blues-based swagger of "Stepchild" to the inspired tall tales of "Diamond in Your Mind" and the near-operatic passion of "The Judgement."
His voice is in superb shape, too, sounding no less powerful at age 66 than he did in his glory days, and with a depth of emotion and gift for phrasing that's only grown with the passage of time. In many ways, Don't Give Up on Me most closely resembles Johnny Cash's superb American Recordings, in that the spare simplicity of the album's presentation reveals the rich complexities of the singer's gifts as they've rarely been allowed in the past; while it's a very different kettle of fish from his classic sides for Atlantic in the 1960s, Don't Give up on Me leaves no doubt that Solomon Burke is still one of the finest voices of his time, and anyone who has ever been moved by the power of soul music needs to hear this album. (AllMusic)
If you think about it correctly, Neil Fraser is actually the longest-serving, continuously active to this day Dub-Maker of the Planet. Congratulations! He has been producing in his living room since the 4-Track-Ariwa-Studios was founded in 1979 Dubs. In 1982 the legendary album "Dub Me Crazy ”, followed by 11 more albums with the same (sub) title: Milestones of the Dub-History. Now he is celebrating with "40 years of Dub“(Ariwa) himself. He dug deep into the mountain of his recording tapes and - it seems to me - put together his personal favorites from 40 years. What a very personal choice suggests is the fact that its just great Dub-Hits (what a contradictio in adiecto!) Cannot be found here. That makes the album sound fresh and fresh, especially since the crazy professor has remastered his recordings. Many of the titles listed cannot be found in the Ariwa Back Catalog, so it is quite possible that there are previously unpublished ones Dubs of past decades can be heard - unless the madman simply gave the tracks new titles. Be that as it may: The album is fun and the stylistic development of the professor and his music is exciting. With the last track "Forward 2 Africa" he has arrived in the here and now - oh well, he is even a bit ahead of his time! (DubBlog)
Salif Keita's glowing 2002 album is remixed for the electro-dancefloor by a largely French-based crew. "Madan" and "Moussoulou" are the most popular subjects, notching up three versions apiece. This process is anything but repetitive, as each knob-twiddling team manages to shunt off in wildly contrasting directions.
Gekko's "Madan" is given a trouncing momentum, decorated with near-intangible swirls, bolstering Keita's female chorus. The Tim Paris alternative involves a bluntly thudding minimalism, its simple-minded bass beat underpinning a repeated n'goni string-figure. Salif himself is noticeably absent. Then, The Boldz funk up the same song, justifying these multiple trips.
"Moussoulou" fares even better, perfectly illustrating how the remixer's art can be sensitive to the integrity of the original work, yet still boldly experimenting with the raw material. Plenty of acoustic content remains. Ark (Guillaume Berroyer) dices and chops, interrupting Keita's vocals, cutting the track's naked matter up into thin slices. New rhythms are created from vocal fragments. Then, Osunlade lends a Sly'n'Robbie backbone to the same song, using a sped-up dub reggae bassline and glancing snare-strikes.
The lone appearance of "Ana Na Ming" turns out to be a wise choice for La Funk Mob, stuck right near the end, but still a pronounced highlight. It revolves around a compulsive melodic line, quite simply handled. Its climax features a massing of instrumental activity, settled down on a burbling synth-line. This is just as enticing as some of the more radical re-thinks; relatively pure when set beside the preceding electro-collage tendencies.
"Here" has two alternatives.Frederic Galliano throws down a gruff house beat, overlaid with tiny loops, taking pulse-repeats to their shortened limit. Stark and pointed.Doctor L's extended remix has significant instrumental additions,with heavy cello riffs and a willowy flute.Things settle down into a mordant mood before breaking out in complete dub fragmentation.
The project's chief problem could be the under-usage of Keita's voice itself, but in a spread of stripped-down interpretations this can have a striking effect when he does rear up into the mix... (BBC)
So Box 50 is here for your pleasure, Concha starts this week with her selections form 1 to 8, then come my (Reb) tunes from 9 to 16 and finally Andy closes the box with his tracks from 17 to 24.
1965 - My Generation (50th Anniversary Super Deluxe)
[5CD Box Set, 2016] @320
The Who got bigger, brainier, better and generally tougher as they grew. But they were never as fiercely raw as they were on their first album, My Generation. In 36 minutes, they tore through the conventions of British rock 'n' roll until they found a place they could call their own. Five decades after its release, the album stands as one of rock music's greatest debuts.
For its 50th anniversary, My Generation has been expanded to a five-CD Super Deluxe Edition that adds new mixes, B-sides, singles, alternate takes and demos. And over the course of more than 75 tracks, the set sketches out a template the Who would build from and break down several times during their career, pulling in everything from R&B rave-ups and chiming pop to scorching rock 'n' roll and proto-punk anarchy.
While much of this material has surfaced on other collections, including previous anniversary editions of My Generation, the set attempts to wrangle most of the period's songs into one place. A few strays from earlier editions, mostly different alternate versions, are missing, but the Super Deluxe Edition is the most representative collection of a pivotal year in the life of the Who, starting with the "I Can't Explain" single from early 1965.
The center of it all is the My Generation LP, included here in a newly remastered mono mix and a stereo mix of the album from 2014 that was previously available only on iTunes. Both versions heighten the guitars and pulsing rhythm section that drive songs like "The Kids Are Alright," "A Legal Matter" and the classic title tune. The bonus tracks here -- shuffled between mono and stereo mixes, and including some of the singles and B-sides released before and after the album came out -- serve as jagged bookends to the LP's dozen tracks.
It's a vivid portrait of the Who's first several months as professional recording artists. All these years later, the explosive clash of garage-rock R&B and serrated pop from this period that later helped form their identity sounds like a launching point of things to come -- from Roger Daltrey's throaty vocals to Pete Townshend's whipping guitar attacks to that thing Keith Moon did on the drums where he was never quite on the beat but powered the rhythm all the same.
The weakest disc here, the one dedicated to almost a dozen Townshend demos from the era, provide the sketches (and, in one case, just a fragment) for the full-band takes. They're interesting as starting points, but they don't approach the force of the released versions. (Three of the songs are brand new to Who fans; Townshend discovered the stashed-away demo tapes in 2015.)
And that's why My Generation matters the most. As the band grew and got more popular, Townshend took control as its chief songwriter and architect. This Super Deluxe Edition of the Who's debut is all about the band -- before the rock operas, fringe jackets and trashed hotels -- in all of its raging glory. (Ultimate Classic Rock)
2000 - Takashi Hirayasu & Bob Brozman - Jin-Firefly @320
Recorded on the Okinawan island of Taketomi, Jin Jin/Firefly documents a rare encounter between Okinawan singer/sanshin player Takashi Hirayasu and acoustic guitarist Bob Brozman. Forming a duo, the two prove to be highly compatible -- and when you think about it, they're a logical combination. Hirayasu's foundation is Okinawan music, which contains both Japanese and Polynesian elements; Brozman, meanwhile, is considered a master of the Hawaiian guitar and is no stranger to the sounds of the Pacific Islands. So it isn't hard for them to find common ground on "Akata Sun Dunchi," "Chinnuku Jushi," and other traditional Okinawan children's songs that Hirayasu selected. What the duo does with the songs isn't entirely traditional, however. Brozman brings plenty of blues, rock, and Hawaiian influence to the session, and that works for Hirayasu because the Okinawa native is hip to blues and rock himself. Hirayasu and Brozman both have a lot of charisma, and that proves to be mutually beneficial on this excellent CD.(AllMusic)
Dan Hicks - 1997 - Return To Hicksville (Best Of) @320
Just where to place the free-range music of Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks -- are they country? jazz? rock? Western swing? comedy? -- has always been a nettlesome problem, confounding the public and hyphen-crazy critics alike. For Hicks and his all-acoustic band were certainly all of those genres and then some, a marvelous amalgam of American music with a large dollop of humor thrown in for good measure. Subtitled "The Blue Thumb Years, 1971-1973," this 16-track collection touches on all of the group's major stylistic bases and more, making this a greatest-hits album on a group who never really had a hit. Pulling half a dozen tracks from their debut album, Where's the Money? (the title track, "I Feel Like Singing," "Reelin' Down," "Dig a Little Deeper," "News from Up the Street," and "The Buzzard Was Their Friend"), seven tracks from Striking It Rich ("Canned Music," "Walkin' One and Only," "The Innocent Bystander," "I Scare Myself" [which later became a hit for techno rocker Thomas Dolby], the wry humor of "Presently in the Past," "You Gotta Believe," Maryann Price's sendup of "I'm an Old Cowhand [From the Rio Grande]"), and three from their swan-song album, Last Train to Hicksville the Home of Happy Feet ("My Old Timey Baby," "Sweetheart [Waitress in a Donut Shop]," and "Long Comma Viper"), this hits almost all the high spots with not a lick of filler anywhere to be found. The transfers to disc sound vivid and dimensional, and the liners by compilation producer and music historian Todd Everett are fun, provocative, and spot-on, getting into just what made this group so special. As all three of their albums are available on compact disc, this compilation makes an excellent first-purchase introduction to this band. (AllMusic)
With its frankly McCarthyite, anti-Communist iconography, November 1977’s Rocket To Russia may have implied a new level of political engagement on the Ramones’ part; but if anything, was actually a loving genuflection before the altar of pop, with an AM radio pressed against its ear.
Besides which, it casually smelted the sub-genre of surf punk en route. Lyrics of Runyonesque pertinence (“Sittin’ here in Queens, eatin’ refried beans, we’re in all the magazines, gulpin’ down thorazines” – We’re A Happy Family) went toe-to-toe with Empire State choruses and an idiosyncratic worldview which encompassed raucous nihilism on the one hand (I Don’t Care, Teenage Lobotomy), and surfboards and discotheques on the other (Rockaway Beach, Sheena Is A Punk Rocker).
The perfect balance of ramalama and, ah, ding-dong. That simile probably worked better in theory. Without the blazing guitars and self-referencing –“Hey Johnny, hey Dee Dee, Little Tom and Joey” – Ramona would just be The Beach Boys circa 1963.
This deluxe remastered edition also features a crisp ’n’ dry new mix by Ed Stasium – reproduced on the accompanying LP – a bonus disc of extras, and one glorious disc given over to the band’s valorous, inflammatory December 1977 concert at the Glasgow Apollo, attended by this writer. I can clearly remember the mics suspended from the balcony, with punks leaping in the air to nut them or nick them. (Record Collector)
The record represents one of the best blends of folk and rock up to that point and is also notable for its brilliant use of strings and sparing but extremely effective south-of-the-border horn arrangements. Moreover, the songs—nine by Lee plus two by guitarist Bryan MacLean, including the classic “Alone Again Or”—feature complex, absorbing melodies and intriguing lyrics that sound as engaging after a hundred listens as they do the first time around.
The participation of studio pros from L.A.’s so-called Wrecking Crew reportedly inspired Arthur Lee’s cohorts to do their best work.
Lee’s verses could be cryptic, to put it mildly. He did throw in occasional lines that made sense and reflected the times, such as “The news today will be the movies for tomorrow” and “They’re locking them up today, they’re throwing away the key / I wonder who it’ll be tomorrow, you or me?” More often, though, Lee’s impressionistic lyrics sound like the result of an LSD trip: “At my house, I’ve got no shackles / You can come and look if you want to / In the halls you’ll see the mantles / Where the light shines dim all around you / And the streets are paved with gold / And if someone asks you, you can call my name.” No, I don’t know what he’s driving at here, but the vocal and guitar-based music is delivered with such urgency that these lines have become imprinted in my brain; I didn’t have to look them up to write them down.
Bruce Botnick, who produced the album with Lee, apparently deserves much credit for its success. Botnick, who engineered Love’s first two albums and also worked with Buffalo Springfield, brought in session musicians from L.A.’s famous so-called Wrecking Crew. (He also tried to bring in Neil Young, who apparently wound up playing little or no role.) Forever Changes’ “And More Again” and “The Daily Planet” feature the Crew’s Carol Kaye on bass guitar, Don Randi on keyboards, Billy Strange on electric rhythm guitar, and Hal Blaine on drums. Randi also adds piano on “Old Man” and “Bummer in the Summer” and plays harpsichord on “The Red Telephone.” The participation of these pros reportedly inspired Arthur Lee’s cohorts to do their best work on the remaining tracks.
The handsomely packaged Forever Changes: 50th Anniversary Edition (a release limited to 15,000 numbered copies) does justice to this classic recording. The package devotes two of its four CDs to excellent remasters of the original stereo and mono albums. (I often find mono mixes superfluous, but given the importance of the music and the extent of the differences between the two mixes here, I appreciate having both.) A third disc offers alternate stereo mixes of the original LP and “Wonder People (I Do Wonder),” an outtake from the session, while a fourth CD collects 14 related recordings, among them the single versions of “Alone Again Or” and “A House Is Not a Motel”; a cover of Sam the Sham’s “Wooly Bully” from the sessions; a demo called “Hummingbirds” that evolved into “The Good Humor Man He Sees Everything Like This”; and backing tracks for “A House Is Not a Motel,” “Live and Let Live,” and “Wonder People (I Do Wonder).”
For longtime fans, this should add up to a perfect package. For newbies, it will be a revelation. (byjeffburger)
1981 - The Paragons + The Paragons Dubwise (2015) @320
“Featuring”, as the label blurb has it, “the original 1981 Island album, plus the previously unissued accompanying Dub set…” That accurate description sums up this new release from the Paragons, the vocal reggae outfit that gave us the late John Holt and Bob Andy. The year of issue means that these are re-recordings of some of the Paragons’ best known songs, featuring the trio of John Holt, Garth ‘Tyrone’ Evans and Howard Barrett. This collection includes ‘The Tide is High’ (after the versions by U Roy and by Gregory Isaacs, and after Blondie had already fashioned it into a pop/rock hit single), ‘Man Next Door’, ‘Riding on a High and Windy Day’ and (the much-dubbed) ‘Wear You to the Ball’. Engineered by Errol Brown, and recorded at Tuff Gong studio in Kingston, Jamaica, it’s not surprising that the production sound is clear and uncluttered in comparison to the Paragons’ early versions of these songs for Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle records in the 60s. The musicians involved here include Mikey Chung, Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, all adding up to an excellent tour of the Paragons’ best tracks, with the vocals mixed up front. As if that were not enough this release also features a dub set of the entire album and that is really where the sound takes off. Sequenced differently from the vocal tracks, the dub set kicks off with ‘Riding in Rhythm’ (an excellent dub take on the vocal track) and then essentially goes from strength to strength, featuring ‘The Version is High’, ‘Wear Out the Dub’ and a dub entitled ‘My Best Rhythm’ (a perfect dub of ‘My Best Girl’). It’s old-time reggae and still sounds great. (Reggae Music)
By normal industry standards, waiting until you're 53 to make the best album of your career is perhaps leaving it a bit late. But then not much about Salif Keita's story is normal.
Was it a blessing or a curse for this Malian teenager – already singled out for being albino, and of royal descent – to find that he had one of the most remarkable voices anybody in the neighbourhood had ever heard? On the one hand, it set him apart and ahead of the competition to be invited to sing with two leading west African bands during the 1970s. On the other, it led to expectations that perhaps Keita could be something more than the most famous singer in west Africa – what about conquering the rest of the world? In 1987, the album Soro, expensively and elaborately produced in Paris, announced Keita's arrival in the English-speaking world.
For the following 15 years, it was almost as if he wilfully defied the hopes and expectations of those who had supported him, insisting on electric guitarists and synthesiser players in his recordings and for his live shows, despite entreaties that his music should sound less like Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel and more Malian.
Finally, astonishingly, in 2002 Keita relented and delivered the album Moffou, which was exactly what his fans had been praying for. First impressions were that this change of tack was mostly acoustic, but there are many subtle interventions of electric guitar and electronic effects. Moffou might feel like a natural, spontaneous recording, but clearly a lot of thought went in at every stage, from songwriting to arrangements and post-production – and, of course, the singing. If the plan was to deliver a classic album, it succeeded.
One of Keita's distinctive qualities as a songwriter is to set his own voice against female vocalists, and virtually every track here showcases this skill, starting with Yamore, a duet with the Cape Verdean singer Cesária Évora. The combination of the two voices seemed counterintuitive, with Keita being typically extravagant and Évora being laidback. But it works brilliantly, and behind them both, those gorgeous backing vocals answer and comment.
Two other tracks stand out as the high points of a consistently lovely record. On Moussolou, Keita's tribute to women, his gentle vocal is carried along by rippling guitars and percussion. On the haunting Baba, a traditional instrument plays an echoing melody in the background.
Moffou signalled what was to become a hugely successful 10 years for Malian music – in fact, the decade would end with a raft of pop and indie acts looking to the country for inspiration. West Africa provided several outstanding albums during the noughties, but most musicians would surely salute Keita's album as the pinnacle. (The Guardian)
2022 - Travelin' Band Creedence Clearwater Revival At The Royal Albert Hall 1970 @320
The debut release of the long-awaited recording of CCR at London's Royal Albert Hall. More than 50 years after the legendary 1970 show, the original multitrack tapes have been meticulously restored and mixed by GRAMMY-winning producer Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell, and half-speed mastered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios from high-resolution files sourced from the analog multi-track tapes.
Pat Metheny literally sat down One Quiet Night to record some solo guitar in his home studio. Using a semi-acoustic baritone made by the esteemed Canadian luthier Linda Manzer, he recorded most of these pieces towards the end of 2001. After returning from a lengthy tour Metheny was impressed with the results and decided to add six more tunes to make an album's worth of material.
It's as calming as you might expect, with Pat investigating a more esoteric tuning mode and playing pure, with no overdubs. His lone axe is given a big, reverb-soaked sound, acting like a virtual orchestra in a cavernous space. The bass strings resonate with a plump power, silvery high-string phrases dancing above.
Metheny deliberately avoids any flashy fingerpicking, concentrating on gentle plucks, savouring the scrape, rub and click of his strings and allowing gaps for thought. He's completely relaxed and spontaneous, sustaining a mellow mood throughout. Around the midway mark of "Time Goes On" and Keith Jarrett's "My Song", the ideas seem to get cut adrift, yearning for bold gestures or emphatic statements. One problem is that Metheny doesn't vary the sound zones that he's exploring.
On "Peace Memory", ascending lines never quite reach their conclusion, but climb back up from the bottom again, then "Over on 4th Street" introduces a vigorous strum, underpinned by seeping bass notes. "I Will Find the Way" rejoices in singing harmonics, producing a luminous stasis that's in sharp contrast with "Ferry Cross the Mersey", which is certainly an unexpected song-choice for Metheny. (Amazon)
Box Of Vibes number 49, can't believe we are at 49, we have 60 compiled, we will have to start again soon!! Box 49 starts with Andy's tracks this week from 1 to 8, then Concha has the middle section with he tunes from 9 to 16 and I (Reb) close the box with my selections from 17 to 24.
Oh we are going to make a Birthday Special Box Of Vibes to celebrate Vibes being Two in late September, I have 8 tracks submitted to be included at this time (this is a draft to post) so by the time this goes out there could be more tracks.
If you would like you join in then read the post from the link below and post a comment or email us, with your tracks.
As far as I know all the links for Box Of Vibes are still alive and Boxes 1 to 30 are here one the one post, with the download links there, so if your new to this series it's an easy way to catch up or start it. I will do the same when we reach Box 60, with 31 to 60. Or maybe 1 to 60, we will see at the time.
.png)
.png){kind=link}