New York City (John Lennon, Yoko Ono) (LP 1049 - 1050)

John & Yoko/ Plastic Ono Band with Elephant's Memory  Sometime In New York City (Vinyl and CD, Apple Records, 1974) ****  

John Lennon with Frank Zappa  The Fillmore Tapes (CD, Master of Orange, Bootleg) ****  

Genre: Pop, rock, Apple Records

Places I remember: DJ Records (for the vinyl); Real Groovy Records (CD) for the 2010 double CD version.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: New York City

Gear costume: Well (baby please don't go)

Active compensatory factors: After Imagine I was really keen for more Lennon and so the vinyl version was bought on release in 1972. Dad brought it home for me from Otahuhu's DJ Records.

I had Zappa's Fillmore East live album from 1971 so I was familiar with him and the art work which SINYC takes as a source material for the second (live) album in this package.

I genuinely loved this record in 1972. I pored over the artwork and I loved many of the songs on the studio set: John Sinclair; The Luck Of The Irish; We're All Water; Woman is the Nigger Of The World; and New York City were often on my teenage turntable.

Then there's the live stuff - a relentlessly intense Cold Turkey is amazing and I loved the Zappa side. John and Yoko just slot right into the Zappa universe.

The second of these albums, The Fillmore Tapes, is for collectors only I suspect. It's a bootleg and features three different versions of the Fillmore tapes. First up is a non edited version direct from the mixing board (it sounds terrible), then Zappa's mix and finally Lennon's original mix (from SINYC).

The Zappa mix is also available on his album Playground Psychotics. I like his version as it pushes the music more to the fore (it would though wouldn't it), but overall the Lennon mix is better.

BTW The Wikipedia entry for this collaboration effort between Lennon and Ono is fantastic.

Where do they all belong? On to some Mind Games next in the Lennon countdown.

It's alright with me (Hot Tuna) (LP 1046 -1048)

Hot Tuna  Pair A Dice Found (CD, CBS Records, 1990) ****  

Hot Tuna  Bearsville Theater December 13 2009 (CD, Festivalink, 2010) *** 

Hot Tuna  Steady As She Goes (CD, Red House Records, 2011) *** 

Genre: San Francisco bands/ Grunt Records artists 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records/ Vinyl Countdown/Amoeba Music

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Flying In The Face Of Mr Blue (Pair A Dice Found)

Gear costume: It's Alright With Me (Pair A Dice Found); Blue Railroad Train (Bearsville Theater)

Active compensatory factors: Although Spotify has acres of live material from Jorma and Hot Tuna, studio albums from Hot Tuna pretty much dried up after Hoppkorv  in 1976 - in fact, there have only been two since then!!

1990's Pair A Dice Found is a superb collection of songs. Jorma's singing is at a peak in my humble opinion, and the band feel and sound at home in the studio so I'm flummoxed as to why there have only been two studio albums for the last 47 years. Maybe he just doesn't enjoy the studio experience much.

Steady As She Goes (great ironic title) is the second studio album since 1976. Jorma contributes more songs to this set (only three on Pair A Dice), but he's never been that prolific so I don't think that's the reason he neglects the studio.

It's not as in-the-pocket as Pair A Dice though. Since this one Jorma has concentrated on his solo career and Hot Tuna no longer seem a going concern.

The live double CD finds Jorma and Jack in acoustic vein over a great set that takes in all corners of Hot Tuna/Jorma Kaukonen music. They are joined by Barry Mitterhoff on mandolin and various other stringed instruments. The three play brilliantly together.

Where do they all belong? That completes the Hot Tuna collection. One of my favourite bands, with the majority of their albums on Grunt Records. Love it!

Still feeling blue (Gram Parsons) (LP 1044-1045)

Gram Parsons  GP (CD, Reprise Records, 1973) ***  

Gram Parsons  Grievous Angel (CD, Reprise Records, 1974) ***

Genre: Country rock

Places I remember: The Warehouse

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Return Of The Grevious Angel (Grevious Angel)

Gear costume: Medley Live From Northern Quebec (Cash On The Barrelhead/Hickory Wind) (Grevious Angel)

Active compensatory factors: I'm a Johnny come lately to Gram Parsons. He leans a bit too close to the country end of the country rock continuum for me to be an acolyte.

Instead I love him in the Byrds when he doesn't have to carry every song. Still, there is plenty to like about his easy singing style and the country rock sounds. 

This is his debut solo album and his second, released posthumously, coming as it does from those same sessions - so it sounds like a double album really. There is a unity of sound and Emmylou Harris contributes significantly to her duets with Parsons over the two albums.

Where do they all belong? That's it for Gram - I'm not really interested in the live albums and lost songs stuff that's come out since his death.

Trouble (Shawn Colvin) (LP 1043)

Shawn Colvin  Whole New You (CD, Columbia Records, 2001) ***

Genre: Folk rock, Americana 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Whole New You

Gear costume: Matter Of Minutes 

Active compensatory factors: Shawn's voice is smooth and rich, relaxed and expressive. I like it a lot. 

Sunny Came Home hooked me first from her previous album (A Few Small Repairs). While that album was about her divorce, Whole New You came four years later and by that time the songs were about family and commitment in relationships.

So it's a more relaxed, laid back, Shawn -which suits her (and my moods) better that divorce (something I know nothing about). Family and commitment? Yes - happier with that as I celebrate our 39th wedding anniversary. 

Where do they all belong? A stand alone, nestled into the folk rock section.

Who do you think I am (Joan Baez) (LP 1042)

Joan Baez  Gone From Danger (CD, Guardian Records, 1997) ****  

Genre: Folk, Americana 

Places I remember: Amoeba Music (LA)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Reunion Hill

Gear costume: Mercy Bound

Active compensatory factors: I used this album recently as my album of the week selection for the WTW Music Club. I aim to only use 4 or 5 star rated albums for my selections and I was pretty confident my mates would like it a lot. Which they did.

You don't have to love Joan, as I do, to appreciate the joys of Gone From Danger. Joan sings superbly of course, but these songs and the instrumentation fits snuggly in the Americana genre, hence broadening her appeal.

I love my CD copy, which I found recently on our trip to California at Christmas time, but it's also worth exploring this Spotify link for the expanded version as it includes some incredible live material showcasing this album and more. 

Where do they all belong? Always on the lookout for more albums from Joan. That's it for now though.

Tell the truth (Winwood and Clapton) (LP 1041)

Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood  Live From Madison Square Garden (CD and video, Reprise Records, 2009) ****  

Genre: Blues rock 

Places I remember: Tron Records in Hamilton (CD); Electric City Music (Napier) for the VHS.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Had To Cry Today

Gear costume: Voodoo Chile

Active compensatory factors: For some reason this is something of a rarity. I had been after a copy for a few years until I stumbled upon one last year in Hamilton's Tron Records (great shop - well worth your time when visiting Hamilton).

Then I managed to find a copy of the video of the concert last month in Napier. 

This was a great reunion concert featuring these old friends and the video adds a lot to the experience as you can sense the friendship from the pair.

Songs come from each of their solo careers, Derek and The Dominos, Traffic and Blind Faith, plus some Hendrix covers that are standouts.

Where do they all belong? A one off it seems as they haven't recorded anything together since then.

My time after a while (John Mayall) (LP 1037 - 1040)

John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers  Crusade (CD, London Records, 1967) ****  

John Mayall's Bluesbreakers  Diary Of A Band Vol 1 (CD, Decca Records, 1967) **

John Mayall's Bluesbreakers  Diary Of A Band Vol 2 (CD, Decca Records, 1967) **

John Mayall  The Blues Alone (Vinyl, Decca Records, 1967) ***  

Genre: Blues rock

Places I remember: Amoeba Music (Los Angeles); Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Man Of Stone (Crusade)

Gear costume: Sonny Boy Blow (The Blues Alone)

Active compensatory factors: He was pretty busy in 1967. These three albums plus A Hard Road come from that year - hence my grouping them together.

Crusade is the third Bluesbreakers album in two years. Given that it's Mick Taylor's debut and he was only 18 at the time I guess it's natural there wasn't much fanfare at his arrival, given that both Clapton and Green had jumped ship after an album each.

It's a third brilliant album in a row for Mayall and band (Taylor and Mayall are joined by John McVie and drummer Keef Hartley plus horns). All three Bluesbreakers' albums have different approaches and remain fresh and essential listening for blues rock fans in 2023.

The Diary Of A Band Volumes one and two (they were released separately at the time but my CD copy compiles both sets) are pretty rough live documents from 1967 (featuring basically the Crusade version of the band), as opposed to the studio recordings of Crusade and The Blues Alone, so approach these with some caution.

The Blues Alone is the result of one day's work (1st of May 1967) with Mayall doing everything except playing drums on some tracks - that's Keef Hartley's area of expertise. He even wrote all of the songs and designed (as usual) the cover art. Given all that it's another remarkably confident set by Mayall, with some inspired harmonica from him featuring in particular.

Phew - 1967! Quite a momentous year!

Where do they all belong? The sixties versions of John Mayall will continue to gather steam.

Jade visions (Bill Evans) (LP 1034-1036)

Bill Evans  Everybody Digs Bill Evans (CD, Avid Jazz, Originally released 1958) ****  

Bill Evans  Portrait In Jazz (CD, Avid Jazz, Originally released 1960) *****  

Bill Evans  Sunday At The Village Vanguard (CD, Avid Jazz, Originally released 1961) *****  

Genre: Jazz piano 

Places I remember: Fopp (Covent Garden)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Autumn Leaves (Portrait In Jazz)

Gear costume: What Is This Thing Called Love (Portrait In Jazz); All Of You (Sunday...)

Active compensatory factors: Everybody Digs Bill Evans was only his second album as a leader. Remarkable.

He may have made a poor album at some point, but I've yet to hear it. 

These are all trio albums and both Portrait In Jazz and Sunday At The Village Vanguard are great examples of his languid, smooth genius.

Sunday... is my favourite of the three because it sounds like he and the boys are playing in your front room! There is a real intimacy to the recording that I love.

Where do they all belong? If I see other Bill Evans albums I'll be buying them, but that's it for now. 

P.S. Just back from a holiday in Taupo where I picked up two more of Evans' albums from 1961 on vinyl!!

Oops (Powerband) (LP 1033)

Powerband  Powerband (CD, Ode Records, 1990) ***  

Genre: Jazz fusion/ Modern jazz 

Places I remember: JB Hi Fi (Palmerston North)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Bobbin

Gear costume: Oops 

Active compensatory factors: For a while there, I profited a lot from JB Hi Fi's sale bins - mainly when CDs had begun waning in popularity and vinyl was starting to make a comeback in their shops. They off loaded quite a few Ode recordings of people like Frank Gibson, Brian Smith, and this one by Powerband.

They recorded this in 1989-1990 and it's influenced by the kind of jazz moves being made at the time by bands like Yellow Jackets and Spirogyra.

This album holds its head up high amidst that company thanks to stellar NZ musicians like Martin Winch on guitar and Kenny Pearson on bass.

Where do they all belong? More NZ jazz fusion coming (eventually).

Happy house (Frank Gibson) (LP 1031-1032)

Frank Gibson's Parallel 37  Frank Gibson's Parallel 37 (CD, Ode Records, 1982 - re-released 2007) **** 

The Frank Gibson Quartet  Rainbow Bridge (CD, Ode Records, 2003) ****  

Genre: Jazz, NZ music 

Places I remember: JB Hi Fi (Palmerston North)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Tinkle Tinkle (Rainbow Bridge)

Gear costume: Lennie's Pennies (Rainbow Bridge)

Active compensatory factors: Frank Gibson Jnr is a NZ drummer who can play it all. He's been a session drummer and a group leader in a variety of genres. His bio is extremely impressive!

These two albums present him leading a jazz quartet - classic sax, drums, bass, piano; while Parallel 37 has him playing in all sorts of formats from solo to quintets.

Parallel 37 came out in 1982 and was the jazz album of the year in NZ. He's accompanied on his explorations with NZ musicians like Mike Nock, Bruce Lynch, and Brian Smith, plus Milt Jackson and John Scofield. It's a remarkable album - even Zappa-esque on some tracks.

Sadly it's not available on either YouTube or Spotify so I've featured two selections from Rainbow Bridge.

Where do they all belong? More to come from Frank as a member of NZ jazz fusion band Space Case.

Sole survivor (Asia) (LP 1030)

Asia  Fantasia Live in Tokyo (CD, Eagle Rock Entertainment, 2007) ***  

Genre: Prog

Places I remember: The Warehouse

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Heat Of The Moment 

Gear costume: Sole Survivor 

Active compensatory factors: I continue to have a soft spot for this prog supergroup. Yes - the Geoff Downes synths are cheesy as all get out, yes - Asia songs feel like Yes lite at times, yes - they were a record company's dream of prog pop, and yes - this sometimes feels like prog Karaoke as the big four (Downes, Palmer, Howe and Wetton) celebrate their day job 'hits'.

So what? It's OTT good fun for the most part. The slower paced version of Roundabout doesn't do it for me, nor does The Buggles genuine hit - Video Killed The Radio Star, but the kitchen sink version of Fanfare For The Common Man hits the spot nicely (although there's not much for Chris Squire to contribute to that one).

And the Wetton 'hit' is done well - bizarrely he chose In The Court Of The Crimson King and yes, he was a member of King Crimson, but that song was originally sung by Greg Lake. Maybe it's done as a tribute to Carl's bandmate, because John Wetton sounds eerily like Lake.

BTW - terrible knock-off looking cover, it has to be said.

Where do they all belong? Obviously, this is the CD version of the video, but I don't mind as I can pretty much see the concert thanks to the music on offer. Enough Asia though.

Up the hill backwards (David Bowie) (LP 1026 -1029)

David Bowie  Low (CD, RCA Records, 1977) *****  

David Bowie  Heroes (CD, RCA Records, 1977) ****  

David Bowie  Lodger (CD, RCA Records, 1979) ***

David Bowie  Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (CD, RCA Records, 1980) **** 

Genre: Pop/rock

Places I remember: Kings Recording (Abu Dhabi); Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Subterranean (Low)

Gear costume: Sound and Vision (Low); Heroes; Ashes To Ashes (Scary Monsters) 

Active compensatory factors: It's taken me a while to get back to the Bowie albums. That's thanks to a few circulations through the vinyl albums which delayed my return. That previous Bowie entry was August 2021.

The good thing about that is I can re-examine the German albums (Low to Lodger) with a bit more distance. 

I can see why he returned to the Heroes artwork for his re-emergence with The Next Day in 2013. The experimentation on the 1977 albums is outstanding and clearly something he thought The Next Day echoed in some way.

There is still commercial brilliance on the albums - Sound and Vision, Heroes, Boys Keep Swinging,  but the main feature on display is Bowie's questing spirit for new combinations of sounds.

It's taken me a while to embrace these albums, and without The Next Day and Blackstar I doubt I would have actually got there. 

Low gets an extra star as it's my fav of this bunch but it's also the bravest one as he ditched the Station To Station persona completely.

Lodger gets three stars from me because it's a bit cacophonous to my ears - maybe it would be better on vinyl?

I indicated in the 2021 post that I was going to look at the 1977 to 1980 output so here's the final one of the four - kinda sitting outside it, but also kinda linked because after it he went full bore pop again.

1980's Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) synthesizers all that experimentation and largely applies it skillfully to his commercial instincts. Ashes To Ashes and Fashion spring spectacularly from those antecedents. Even Major Tom makes a return!

Where do they all belong? Only three more Bowie CDs in the collection. Might be a year or so before I get there, but it will be worth it!

Bite the bullet (D-Super) (LP 1025)

D Super  Straight To The Sun (CD, Wildside, 2001) ***  

Genre: a mash up of Rock and roll, surf, garage, punk; NZ music

Places I remember: Roger Marbeck gave me a promo copy

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: We Ride Tonite

Gear costume: Song 4 Linc

Active compensatory factors: A short lived flame out band at the start of the millennium, D-Super created a bit of a stir around student radio circles and managed to cobble together this album.

They wore their influences on their sleeve and created some interesting singles (both featured above) but somehow the songs don't make for a coherent album.

However, I enjoy their energetic approach for the most part and I'm a sucker for sixties rock and roll surf garage punk recorded well, which this is. So I'm pleased to add this to the NZ music collection.

Where do they all belong? A one off. Those two highlighted songs are all you really need.

Everyday I have the blues (Lou Rawls) (LP 1023 -1024)

Lou Rawls  Black and Blue (CD, Capitol Records, 1974) ***  

Lou Rawls  Tobacco Road (CD, Capitol Records, 1974) ***  

Genre: Jazz vocal; soul; blues 

Places I remember: JB Hi Fi

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: St James Infirmary

Gear costume: Summertime

Active compensatory factors: This a twofer CD comprising his work with the Onzy Matthews' Orchestra over two albums - Black and Blue and Tobacco Road.

I'm not ordinarily a fan of vocals in jazz but Lou is special. His hits with Grover Washington Jnr clued me in to his brilliance.

He presents some real standards on these two albums and they all sound fresh and weirdly original.

Where do they all belong? This one is in the soul section of the CDs - that seemed the most appropriate even though he's with a jazz orchestra.

Games people play (Joe South) (LP 1021 - 1022)

Alexandro Jodorowsky/ John Barham  Original Motion Picture Score El Topo (Vinyl, Apple Records, 1971) ***  

Various  Original Soundtrack Recording Come Together (Vinyl, Apple Records, 1971) **  

Genre: Soundtracks; Apple Records

Places I remember: Both of these came from swapping stuff with Noel Forth.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: La Primera Flor...

Gear costume: Love is Blue - The Dells

Active compensatory factors: John Lennon's interest in the El Topo film lead to this weird oddity appearing on the Apple Records label. 

The film itself is a violent, surreal anti-western that will either expand your consciousness or test your patience (sometimes both at the same time).

The music is interesting and stands alone as a series of instrumental compositions.

Come Together is a ménage à trois road movie, also from 1971. The soundtrack is a mish mash of dialogue from the movie, hits by The Dells and Joe South and instrumental interludes. 

Someone at Apple thought this was a good idea at the time. It wasn't.

Where do they all belong? Just a various collection from Phil Spector to come in the Apple Records collection - the great Christmas album.

Everybody seems to think I'm lazy (the Beatles) (LP 1020)

John Lennon Plastic Ono Band   Imagine (Vinyl and CD, Apple Records, 1971) ****  

Genre: Beatle pop/rock, Apple Records

Places I remember: George Courts (K Rd); JB Hi Fi (CD); HMV (Oxford Street) - special edition

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Jealous Guy

Gear costume: Imagine 

Active compensatory factors: For a self-confessed lazy sod (I'm Only Sleeping, Watching The Wheels) he was certainly a busy musician. He didn't slow down at all when The Beatles wound up activities after they's passed the audition on the rooftop's final live performance.

Instead things kept going at a frenetic pace. Every year from 1968 onwards: solo albums; Yoko 'sister' albums; cameos; production for others; peace activities; agitation activities; art shows; films...it just boggles the mind how much this lazy sod was capable of doing up until the house-hubbie years starting in 1975.

Imagine (the song) is where I first sat up and took notice of solo Lennon. As a Fab, he'd mesmerized and captured my whole imagination on The Ed Sullivan Show (my eyes just kept going back to him!),  but the weird Lennon/Ono album phase and first true solo album in 197o had passed me by.

Then I bought Solid Gold Hits Vol 2. The one with Imagine on it. That did it. I had to have the album!

I played it so much in 1971/1972 that I wore out the grooves a tad.

The album has all the best and all the worst of John Lennon on display - he was, like many of us, a contradiction, an enigma, But, unlike many of us, he was also a true genius.

So, we get the sublime (the title track's love for mankind) and the petty (How Do I sleep's laceration of Macca). We get the tender (How?, Oh My Love) and the brutal (I Don't Want To Be A Soldier). We get the self-obsessed examination (Jealous Guy) and the deep consideration for others (Oh Yoko). We get the depressed and unsubtle (It's So Hard) and the wide eyed and hopeful (Imagine). We get the playful (Crippled Inside), and we get the plain and serious (Gimme Some Truth).

He was complicated, and that's why I love him and his work so much. That's why so many gravitated to him.

The musicians are brilliant too; something not often acknowledged was his ability to spot talent and keep loyal friends onboard (he discovered Paul McCartney after all). So, say hello to Klaus Voormann, Alan White, George Harrison, Jim Keltner, Nicky Hopkins. All appear again and again on his solo albums.

Sidebar: Given the use of the genius word, you may be wondering about the 4 stars. I have to deduct a star for the last two songs on side 1. I've just never liked them much and they seem to jar.

Where do they all belong? The political New York double album is up next.

Don't you know who I am (Reb Fountain) (LP 1018 -1019)

Reb Fountain Reb Fountain (Vinyl, Flying Nun Records, 2020) *** 

Reb Fountain Iris (Vinyl, Flying Nun Records, 2021) ****  

Genre: NZ music

Places I remember: JB Hi-Fi (Palmerston North)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Lacuna (Iris)

Gear costume: Beastie (Iris)

Active compensatory factors: I like each of these albums by NZ singer, Reb Fountain. You'll notice I decided to label the genre NZ music because it straddles lots of sub-genres - pop, folk, indie without really settling on a dominant one. So NZ music it is.

Her debut album uses sparse instrumentation, and space to tell her impressionist stories, while Iris features a fuller sound, even drums.

There is a nice modern sensibility around her musical choices, yet she's also grounded in folk and pop tropes. A great mix. Do try her!

Where do they all belong? She's a real talent and I'll be looking for more of her albums in the future.