I'll be alright (Jorma Kaukonen) (LP 1014 - 1017)

Hot Tuna  The Last Interview? (Vinyl, Grunt Records, 1978) *  

Jorma Kaukonen with Tom Hobson  Quah (Vinyl, Grunt Records, 1974) *****  

Jorma Kaukonen  Jorma (Vinyl, Grunt Records, 1979) *** 

Jorma Kaukonen and Vital Parts  Barbecue King (Vinyl, Grunt Records, 1981) *** 

Genre: San Franciscan rock, Grunt Records 

Places I remember: Hot Tuna and Jorma - bought recently in Amoeba Music (LA); Quah from Marbecks Records; Barbecue King from Real Groovy.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Genesis

Gear costume: I Am The Light Of This World

Active compensatory factors: I was very very excited to continue my Hot Tuna collection recently with this album, which was released on Grunt Records in conjunction with the Double Dose live album (reviewed here).

Never mind that it's a pretty standard radio station promo for the live album with Jorma, Jack and Bob Steeler interviews. It's on Grunt - so I had to have it! And now I do! Wahoo!!

Quah, Jorma's first solo album, is amazing. A solid gold 5 star classic. He plays unplugged and sings while Tom Hobson sings on two tracks. Originally it was planned to have Jorma on one side and Tom on the other but this morphed into Jorma completing most of side 2 as well. Weirdly, the co-billing lingered on for the actual release.

Jorma in acoustic mode is an unrivalled proposition, and he is amazingly present throughout this album: brilliant guitar work, seemingly effortless singing and great production from simpatico - Jack Casady.

Second solo album, Jorma, is just Jorma singing and playing, this time in more electric mode. It's good, but not as good as Quah.

Barbecue King is Jorma in short haired, eighties mode. It's not as bad as that sounds, but, in common with  many sixties musicians, the eighties was not a good time especially.

Where do they all belong? Much more Jorma to come when we return to CD mode.

I will take you home (Grateful Dead) (LP 1011 - 1013)

Grateful Dead  Go To Heaven (Vinyl, Arista Records, 1980) ***  

Grateful Dead  In The Dark (Vinyl, Grateful Dead Records, 1987) ***  

Grateful Dead  Built To Last (Vinyl, Arista Records, 1989) ***  

Genre: San Franciscan pop rock 

Places I remember: Marbecks Records (one of those ones I bought while working there during my varsity holidays)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Althea (Go To Heaven)

Gear costume: Throwing Stones, Black Muddy River (In The Dark)

Active compensatory factors: I'm pretty naive - it was only while reading the Wikipedia entry on Go To Heaven that I saw the negative 1980 reception of the cover. At the time, I just put the white suits down to a desire to reflect the album title as angels - not disco John Travolta wannabees.

I liked the album then, and I like the album now. The sound has little of the eighties about it. It's a punchy kind of production but sounds exactly like the Dead. Brent Mydland had joined the band, replacing Donna and Keith Godchaux, and he contributed a couple of okay songs but nothing of the Hunter/Garcia or Barlow/Weir quality.

Seven years later (and thereby avoiding many of the eighties production excesses) came In The Dark and that unlikely hit single Touch Of Grey. I couldn't believe it when the video came on via MTV. What the...?

But yes, there they were - playing on my TV set. In truth it was a bit of a fluke. The song is catchy but so is Alabama Getaway or Uncle John's Band or any number of their equally catchy back catalogue songs - but Touch Of Grey somehow made it onto the Top 40 countdown in 1987. Remarkable.

The rest of In The Dark is good solid Grateful Dead - not a million miles from Go To Heaven, but was also a big success on the back of Touch Of Grey (terrible cover though - with seven sets of eyes featuring - 6 for band members and in a nice touch - Bill Graham's are the 7th).

Built To Last, with a slightly better cover, was ironically their last studio album - Garcia's death in 1995 effectively drew a line under the band's continuing under that name. It tends to get a bad press but I think it's under-rated.

Okay the album has four Mydland/Barlow songs which are underwhelming but there are three decent Garcia/Hunter efforts. Plus, there is a clear highlight with the Bob Weir sung Victim Or The Crime. It's like Throwing Stones - the longest and most interesting song on the album.

Where do they all belong? That's it for the time being. I keep being drawn back to the band and its offshoots so I doubt this is the end of their appearances in the collection. The live catalogue keeps expanding on a regular basis after all.

Blind love (Lindsey Buckingham) (LP 1010)

Lindsey Buckingham  Lindsey Buckingham (Vinyl, Reprise Records, 2021) ****  

Genre: pop rock

Places I remember: Amoeba Music

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: I Don't Mind

Gear costume: Scream

Active compensatory factors: I admire Lindsey Buckingham's ability to sound unique in the pop rock world. None of these songs sound like they could have been Fleetwood Mac songs.

Instead you have uniquely Buckingham styled pop with his ridiculous ability to supply hook laden songs.

This album had a lengthy gestation period but you'd never know it - as the flow from quality song to quality song is maintained throughout.

What a talented guy - it's one of those solo albums where the artist does everything bar deliver it to your door.

Where do they all belong? This is my one and only Buckingham solo album, but it won't be the last.

Jamming (Bob Marley) (LP 1008 - 1009)

Grover Washington, Jr.  Winelight (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1980) ****  

Grover Washington, Jr.  Come Morning (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1981) ****  

Genre: Modern jazz, smooth jazz, soul jazz

Places I remember: Marbecks Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Jamming (Come Morning)

Gear costume: Two Of Us (Winelight) 

Active compensatory factors: I was working at Marbecks when I picked these up in the early eighties. That smooth soul jazz sound was all the rage.

I've hung onto them because they remind me of those times (blissful late Friday nights especially) and they still sound smooth. Jazz has moved on, into other areas and these now sound quite dated in some respects.

Grover's sax still sounds pretty cool to my ears and although I've highlighted the two popular tracks, most of the rest of these albums is all about cruisey soul jazz instrumentals.

Where do they all belong? A best of compilation is probably your best starting point. The Motown years one is slightly sharper in style but any will give a good taster.

Beverly Hills (Claude Bolling) (LP 1006 - 1007)

Claude Bolling & Hubert Laws   Claude Bolling's California Suite (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1980) *** 

Claude Bolling & Yo-Yo Ma   Claude Bolling's Suite for Cello & Jazz Piano Trio (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1984) ***  

Genre: Jazz piano

Places I remember: Amoeba Music (LA), Record Surplus (Santa Monica)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Galop (with Yo-Yo Ma)

Gear costume: California Suite

Active compensatory factors: Claude manages to attract quality collaborators. Yo-Yo Ma and Hubert Laws are on display here and each manages to stretch themselves against the jazz piano format.

Maybe it's because I bought these while visiting California recently and they were super cheap (California was $1.99 in Amoeba Music) but I think these are both super additions to my Claude Bolling section in the jazz piano genre.

The California set captures the cool, laid back LA vibe especially well and Yo-Yo Ma adds an edginess to proceedings that makes that album stand out.

Claude's piano is always a brilliant counterpoint when needed or a solo vehicle that assists the song - he's never show-offy, just always coolly in command.

Where do they all belong? And that should now do it for a while, unless I find his Concerto for Classic Guitar and Jazz Piano with Alexander Lagoya in my travels that is.

Funny funk (George Duke) (LP 1005)

George Duke  Feel (Vinyl, MPS Records, 1974) ***  

Genre: Jazz fusion 

Places I remember: Amoeba Records (Los Angeles)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Old Slippers

Gear costume: The Once Over 

Active compensatory factors: Truthfully, I wanted to find a copy of this because Zappa appears on two tracks (credited bizarrely as Obdewl'l X). I have kinda been underwhelmed by George's solo albums over the years. Given his brilliance on the Zappa albums this is always something of a mystery to me.

Feel has all the usual funny funk George Duke touches but is again not in the same league as his work with Frank. So - it's Zappa's leadership and direction and songs that are clearly the difference.

Old Slippers is a standout and not only because of Zappa's trademark smart as a whip guitar cameo. It's everything I love about the jazz fusion genre.  

I'm not much of a Flora Purim fan so her two Brazilian cool vocal tracks are not something I will be revisiting much.

Where do they all belong? And that will be it for George Duke solo albums.