Listen to the music (The Isley Brothers) (LP 2030)

The Isley Brothers  3+3 (CD, Sony Music, 1973) ****  

Genre: Soul

Places I remember: Fives (Leigh-on-sea)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Summer Breeze

Gear costume: That Lady

Active compensatory factors: This is the one that had those gigantic hits on it - That lady and Summer Breeze, but the rest of this album is great throughout. Plenty of different looks as a younger generation of Isleys mix with the veterans (hence the 3 plus 3 title for the album).

Ernie Isley and his guitar are featured to great effect and he's the star turn on the big hits, but it's a family affair.

This year, 1973, was a great year for music and the Isleys were a key contributor as they mixed rock and soul together for a unique blend.

Where do they all belong? I only have this and a greatest hits compilation in the soul category, but I feel that's enough.

Be-bop-a-lula (John Lennon's version) (LP 2028 - 2029)

John Lennon  Walls And Bridges (Vinyl and CD, Apple Records, 1974) ****  

John Lennon  Rock'n'Roll (Vinyl and CD, Apple Records, 1975) ****  

Genre: Beatle pop/rock 

Places I remember: DJ Records (Otahuhu); Marbecks Records; Chaldon Books and Records (Caterham on the Hill) for the vinyl copies; CDs from a variety of places.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Be-Bop-A-Lula (Rock'n'Roll)

Gear costume: #9 Dream (Walls and Bridges)

Active compensatory factors: Walls and Bridges was the unlikely decent album produced while chaos reigned in those mid seventies years before his reconciliation with Yoko.

It had hit singles, dream pop brilliance, an instrumental, self-pity, vitriol, bravado aplenty, love songs to May and Yoko, and those great Lennon vocals. It even had young Julian featuring on one track. 

He threw it all in with gay abandon and somehow it worked a treat. Yes, I'm a huge Lennon fan, but I still really like this album. And #9 Dream is a superb song.

I also love his Rock'n'Roll album. It's truly heartfelt - yes, I know he was in a bind and had to sort out the Morris Levy situation and the Spector sessions were mad, but nevertheless he doesn't phone these covers in. Again - brilliance will out and out of chaos came a terrific album.

His love for the material shines through time and time again, and it rocks like crazy. There's also a great variety on show. I could go on gushing but you get the idea. He signed off in 1975 for a few house husband years on a true peak.

Where do they all belong? In the ever expanding Lennon catalogue (bonus features, compilations, new remasters and so on). I still need to find a replacement copy of Roots (lost in a house move a few years ago).

Sand and foam (Donovan) (LP 2014 - 2027 )

Donovan  Wear Your Love Like Heaven (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1967) ****  (A)

Donovan  Mellow Yellow (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1967) ****  (A)

Donovan  Donovan P. Leitch (Vinyl, Janus Records, 1970) **** (A)

Donovan  Slow Down World (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1976) ***  (A)

Donovan  Donovan (Vinyl, Rak, 1977) *** (B) 

Justin Hayward  Night Flight (Vinyl, Decca, 1980) *** (B) 

Slade  Old New Borrowed And Blue (Vinyl, Polydor, 1974) *** (B) 

John Lennon  Rock'n'Roll (Vinyl, Apple Records, 1974) ***** (B) 

Hamilton County Bluegrass Band  Orange Blossom Special (Vinyl, HMV, 1983) **** (B) 

Hamilton County Bluegrass Band  HBCC These Old Hands (CD, Self produced, 2016) **** (B) 

XTC  White Music (Vinyl, Virgin Records, 1978) ***** (A) 

XTC  Black Sea (Vinyl, Virgin Records, 1980) **** (C) 

XTC  Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2) (CD, Idea Records, 2000) ***** (B) 

Hawkwind  Doremi Fasol Latido (Vinyl, United Artists Records, 1973) *** (D) 

Genres: (in order) Folk rock; prog; pop/rock; Beatle pop; New Zealand/ Country; Pop/rock; prog.

Places I remember: A) Real Groovy Records (Auckland)/B) Tron Records (Hamilton)/ C) Passionate About Vinyl (Waipawa)/ D) My Music (Taupo)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Wear Your Love Like Heaven (Donovan)

Gear costume: This Is Pop (XTC - White Music)

Active compensatory factors: This entry combines last week's record collecting via on-line purchases (Real Groovy) and then my trip to Hamilton for work included a visit to Rocky at Tron Records - a fine little record and CD shop just outside the CBD. Plus some stop offs in Taupo and then, finally, Waipawa on Saturday

Having listened to Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness' The Album Years podcast, I needed to expand my Donovan collection because they raved about his 1967 album A Gift From A Flower To A Garden with gay abandon. Back in 1967 it was released as a double but also as two individual albums:  Wear Your Love Like Heaven and For Little Ones. 

The first song is the title track which has been a continual earworm all week. It's a peach of a song. The rest of the album is not quite replicating that audacious peak but it's close.

The title track, Mellow Yellow, is where I first became aware of Donovan. NZ's pirate radio station - Radio Hauraki, started operations in 1966 and I can distinctly remember hearing this song appearing often on their playlist. It really captured my 10 year old imagination at the time. 

Again - that first song somewhat overshadows the album. That said, it's full of Donovan's lovely voice and hippy philosophy and this time features a wider musical palette. Session musicians like Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Phil Seaman, Big Jim Sullivan are joined by John McLaughlin and Paul McCartney as well.

The sound is fuller, but nothing detracts from Donovan's fine playing and songs. A lovely album that captures 1967's hazy days well. 

The Donovan P Leitch double album from 1970 is a compilation of tracks from his 1965 albums. I love this period of folk songs delivered in simple settings (mainly acoustic guitar and some harmonica) with Donovan's smooth, beautiful voice. Search Donovan on this blog to find a fullsomer review of the source albums.

On the surface, not a lot had changed by 1976 and Slow Down World. Donovan is still singing songs about flowers, silk, and incense on the first song, but it quickly becomes clear that Donovan in 1976 felt the need to warn us to slow down.

Cryin' Shame details the things that are bothering him, and there are a lot! Apart from relationships gone bad, religious fundamentalism and the evils of the government, he also lists sex in the cinema and fear in the school! Maybe it was the pace of change for the worse that he's warning us about.

Then there's the scary Black Widow. Yikes. What was happening in Donovan's world that he wrote that song?

His contract with Epic ended with Slow Down World, and he was on Mickie Most's Rak label for his next one - Donovan, in 1977.

It was his (last) big push to recapture his sixties mass adulation and I like it. But it didn't do the trick for him commercially. 

Justin Hayward is another sixties musician aiming to remain relevant in the eighties. I find his solo albums to be tricky things. With John Lodge and in the context of The Moody Blues the man is peerless! Even without them, he is never without melodies and that voice, but the solo role finds him a little exposed at times.

Like Donovan's late seventies albums, Night Flight from 1980 is like punk never happened. These guys just keep doing what they do - gotta admire that, right? So, we have some typical catchy songs, but also some out of character synth based dance moves and some love songs - not really his typical subject matter. It's a good, brave album, but not essential.

Slade is a band that I've loved since Slade Alive destroyed me in 1972. Of course I bought and loved Slayed? next and then, in 1974, came Old New Borrowed And Blue and I was disappointed because they had moved away from their trademark sound. That included piano! Whaat?? Each track also sounded different sonically. As a teenager I was yet to develop a more mature, sophisticated appreciation for a band's need to develop. So I sold it.

Fast forward many years later and I have long since bought a replacement CD, and then, this week, I finally decided to regain a vinyl copy, having become a Slade completist of late. An attempt at recapturing my youth? You bet.

It still sounds like lesser Slade to my ears, but lesser Slade is still a million miles better than zillions of other bands.

The John Lennon record is a rarity that I found in Tron Records for Noel Forth, an old friend in Australia. Noel's been after my Apple Records orange label copy of this album to complete his collection of oranges so I've been looking for one for him for a while now. Success at Tron! Go Rocky!!

While at Tron, Rocky gave me the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band compilation called Orange Blossom Special after we had a discussion about Colleen Trenwith and when she'd passed away (it was in 2021). Thanks Rocky - it's found a good home alongside all of my other HCBB records - only Kersbrook Cottage evades my grasp!

The second HCBB album is a CD copy of an album made by the 2016 version of the band with next generation players and friends joining Paul Trenwith and Alan Rhodes - the two originals. Colleen also makes an appearance through the magic of digital recording.

The 2016 version is terrific, by the way. The familiar country/bluegrass tropes are all delivered effortlessly and Pam Findlay's vocals are a very welcome addition. Song selection is spot on as always.

The re-collecting of my missing XTC albums continued this week with three additions, two of which I didn't actually have in the collection previously (Black Sea and Wasp Star).

White Music is a five star classic - every song a work of genius. I'm so glad to have that back in the collection. I'm not that fussed with the title though. White Noise would have been better - even though this is brilliant pop (This Is Pop has been an earworm all week) rather than any kind of incoherent industrial noise. White Music is kind of appropriate if you ignore the jingoistic aspect that wasn't intended.

Special mention needs to go to the extraordinarily brilliant deconstruction of Dylan's All Along The Watchtower. What an amazing piece of art-rock! Totally inspired. And Set Myself On Fire is such a confident song for a band's debut album. What a giant band they had with both Andy Partridge AND Colin Moulding writing these songs. Another Lennon and McCartney situation with them egging each other onwards and complementing each other marvelously.

Their fourth album, Black Sea, came along after Drums And Wires and I have no idea why I didn't buy it back in 1980 as it was fantastically successful commercially and I'd bought the previous three records without a second thought. Stupid, but I suspect I wasn't as keen on the new singles from it compared to previous ones.

To my ears back then there was a slightly more mainstream sound to Generals And Majors and Towers Of London which I guess I was worried would translate to a greater extent to the album. Baseless fears. It's a great album - still experimental in an art-rock fashion and a grower. I'm glad I eventually caught up with it! 

I'm even later to the charms of Wasp Star. What a stunning album! Easily a 5 star classic. How did I miss this first time around? 

The guys (just Moulding and Partridge by 2000) have molded (pardon the pun) into a less abrasive duo. Partridge always appeared to be the one with the spikier ideas and sounds but by Wasp Star he's as melodic as Moulding. I love this album!

Another album that Wilson and Bowness discussed in passing, and waxed lyrical about on their podcast was Hawkwind's Hall Of The Mountain Grill. They were obviously discussing 1974 at the time. So I saw a copy in My Music (Taupo) on my home from Hamilton.

When I got home and put the album on the turntable I noticed that it was actually their previous record, 1973's Doremi Fasol Latido inside the Mountain Grill sleeve. Hilarious! A cosmic joke.

Hawkwind were not something I explored in my teenage years - they seemed too tripped out on acid for me to take a punt. I'm not sure I missed too much. This is pretty incomprehensible stuff but fun all the same! I'll be hanging on to it and contacting My Music to see if they actually have the other disc [I subsequently have, and they do - another trip to Taupo needed at some stage].

As well as all those records and CDs I also managed to find three singles by The Chills at a second hand shop in Woodville last weekend while Jacky looked for cushion covers.

All three were in good to very good condition, all dressed in their original picture sleeves and they cost $1.50 each. Great find I'd say! 

Where do they all belong? A few more Donovan albums to collect - For Little Ones and Sunshine Superman being two. I don't have anything post 1977 but I'd be keen if I come across any. Donovan is a great talent with a terrific catalogue. 

Kersbrook Cottage by the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band remains on my list and I'm slowly reclaiming my XTC collection, but still more albums to get than those I've found so far.

The world goes on (Barclay James Harvest) (LP 2008 -2013)

Various  Central Park Music Festival (Vinyl, Capitol Records, 1968) *** 

Herman's Hermits  There's A Kind Of A Hush All Over The World (Vinyl, Columbia Records, 1967) *** 

Roy Harper  In Between Every Line (Vinyl, EMI Records, 1986) ****

Poco  Poco (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1970) *****

Barclay James Harvest  Octoberon (Vinyl, Polydor Records, 1976) ***

XTC  Drums and Wires (Vinyl, Virgin Records, 1976) ****

Genre: In this order - Jazz/ pop/ folk rock/ country rock/ prog rock/ alt-pop

Places I remember: Little Red Bookstore Friday August 10, 2023

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: No Milk Today (Herman's Hermits)

Gear costume: Nobody's Fool/ El Tonto De Nadie Regresa (Poco); Making Plans For Nigel (XTC)

Active compensatory factors: After a full on week at school, last Friday I stopped off on the way home, to the Little Red Bookstore in Hastings.

Steven Wilson says that he now buys records in clusters and I'm the same. In our youth we would obsess for weeks over what album to save up for and then read everything we could get our hands on for background details (was it good? Who was on it? What label? What genre? and so on - all the minutiae that would mean either a purchase or not). These days I can afford to buy a few at a time and take a knowledgeable punt - years are important, producers, band line ups, covers, labels, types of instruments...

Anyway, I came away with these albums. BTW, I put a few back from the $5 bin because of the record quality. I really wanted a John Barry compilation of his themes but it was in a terrible, unplayable state. The first two on the list were also in that $5 bin but are in the very good quality category.

The Central Park Music Festival album is from 1968 - one listen to Lou Rawls' pre song raps will immediately tell you that. Apart from Lou sockin' it to em (dig) we have Maxine Brown ramping the crowd up and asking the musical question who's got soul? with great effect and The Ramsey Lewis Trio take over proceedings on side two. Hurrah. 

The trio's three songs. including a great Hang On Sloopy, steel the show for my money.

Hermit's Hermits were an interesting band - a charismatic singer, good production, excellent singles made for the teen pop market. They weren't noted as an album band though, and I couldn't name any of the band apart from Peter Noone. There's A Kind Of A Hush is a good solid effort however, although even here the hits are the stand out tracks. No Milk Today is peerless!

The Roy Harper is a double album, comprising of live tracks. The first side is made up of one track with Harper accompanying himself: One Of These Days In England. That's a sign of how uncompromising Harper is, and the song becomes an intensely mad outpouring of emotion. It's quite visceral in parts, and beautifully bucolic in others. The rest of the concert is superb also with a band approach also featured. The Harper/Dave Gilmour songs are stunning as well!  

Poco's second album is a classic, with inventive song structures and beautiful playing. They created vastly influential country rock ripples via those early albums. I've highlighted a composite track that takes up the bulk of side two. It's a brilliant non-compromising song suite that heads into almost jazz rock directions. It's as barking mad brilliant as the title suggests.

Barclay James Harvest's Octoberon is a laid back progressive rock addition to their catalogue that doesn't break any new ground and is firmly in their signature style. That's fine, and what I expect from BJH. They are not a band who are going to stretch too much out of their comfort zone. Fans pretty much know that going in!

Finally, XTC. For some stupid reason I think I must have sold off all of my XTC albums many years ago. I can't believe that I did that because I loved their albums. Actually, I've just remembered they were in the albums I lost in a house move!!

Now I am engaged in a retrieval exercise - trying to buy them back. Starting with this classic album. It sounds amazingly in the pocket sonically and very very familiar. I've since writing this found the five star White Music. Now to find the rest without spending a fortune.

Where do they all belong? They have all fitted snuggly into all the relevant genres, with Central Park Music Festival heading into the Festivals section.

One thing to try (Robert Hunter) (LP 2006 - 2007)

Robert Hunter   Tales of The Great Rum Runners (Vinyl, Round Records, 1974) ***  

Robert Hunter   Tiger Rose (Vinyl, Round Records, 1975) *** 

Genre: San Francisco rock 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Arizona Lightning (Tales..)

Gear costume: Rum Runners (Tales..)

Active compensatory factors: I was intrigued by the cover of Tales of The Great Rum Runners when I came across it in a book of album covers. So, when I saw it in the ten dollar bins at Real Groovy it was a no brainer.

Robert Hunter was the lyricist for many of Jerry Garcia's songs, and was considered a fully fledged non-performing member of The Grateful Dead, but he also had an under the radar solo career.

These are his first two albums under his own name. His palette is broad - for instance bagpipes appear on Children's Lament (on Tales...), which is appropriate given he's related to Scottish poet Robbie Burns. Other songs include banjo, guitar, sax, or are a cappella.

Depending on the song he'll adopt folk, Americana, rock or country stylings. His voice is distinctive but maybe not his strongest suit. That's probably why he didn't enjoy the same solo popularity as the other members of the Dead.

The most Grateful Dead sounding song on offer on Tales is Must Have Been The Roses which appears on Garcia's solo Reflections album. It's great to hear that song with a different, grainier approach.

Tiger Rose was his second album. It came out a year later than Tales and again features Garcia and a variety of San Franciscan musicians, including members of Grateful Dead and Jefferson Starship.

It continues the eclectic mix of styles. Hunter's voice sounds a little more at ease with the material on Tiger Rose. Basically, everyone sounds like they are having a blast! 

Where do they all belong? I'd snap up any other albums if I ever come across them. I love his down home scuzzy approach. He's an interesting guy!

Stronger than dirt or milkin' the turkey (Grateful Dead) (LP 2003 -2005)

The Grateful Dead   Vintage Dead/Historic Dead (Vinyl, Sunflower/Polydor Records, 1972) ****  

The Grateful Dead   Anthem Of The Sun (Vinyl, Warner Brothers Records, 1968) ****  

Grateful Dead   Blues For Allah (Vinyl, Grateful Dead Records Records, 1975) ****  

Genre: San Francisco rock 

Places I remember: All three from My Music (Taupo) a few weekends ago

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Crazy Fingers (Blues For Allah)

Gear costume: Dancing In The Streets (Vintage Dead) 

Active compensatory factors: These three albums were a real find - sitting in one of the three second hand bins in My Music. We were on a weekend retreat to Taupo and I couldn't believe my luck. I'd been looking for a copy of Blues For Allah for a while and there it was with the other two.

Even more of a bonus - I can't believe how good they sound on Vintage Dead and Historic Dead. Both come from live tapes made in 1966 at San Francisco's The Matrix club. That's a year before their debut studio album!

On extended workouts they sound eerily recognizable as the Grateful Dead they would evolve to be through the sixties and seventies. The sound isn't as good as it would become but it's still a really worthwhile purchase.

I've always shied away from Anthem Of The Sun. I'd figured that an LSD fuelled recording session with the band overlaying like tracks with studio ones would be an unholy mess.

Man alive! Was I wrong! It sounds great - very experimental, sure, but wholly recognisable as the Dead. I'd liken it a little to Jefferson Airplane's psychedelic epic After Bathing At Baxter's. Both albums are kind of anomalies in their catalogue, but, unlike the Stones' Their Satanic Majesties Request mess, they successfully explore new psychedelic territory while being listenable. Quite a trick really.

Blues For Allah comes while the band were on hiatus in 1975. It's on their own label which possibly explains why I've struggled to find a copy for so long.

It's also quite experimental as the band were working out these songs in Bob Weir's home studio. Unusual time schemes and the twisting turning song structures are intriguing! I love their lengthy workouts like Terrapin Station. In this case the whole of side two plays like one long song suite, even though its really five individual songs.

Where do they all belong? I'm not really a Dead completist - there are a plethora of live albums that I'm not that keen on collecting but if I come across them on vinyl I'd be tempted. Aoxomoxoa from 1969 is the only studio album I'm missing so I'd be keen to get that at some point.

Comes a time (Jerry Garcia) (LP 2002)

Jerry Garcia  Reflections (Vinyl, Round Records, 1976) ***

Genre: San Francisco rock 

Places I remember: Vinyl Countdown (New Plymouth)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Might As Well

Gear costume: Mission In The Rain 

Active compensatory factors: I'm not sure I could ordinarily tell the difference in a blind taste test between late seventies Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia 'solo' albums.

After all, all of the Dead appear on this, songs are also mostly Garcia/Hunter compositions, and Garcia's distinctive voice/guitar style are features of both.

However, this one comes between the Dead's Blues for Allah and Terrapin Station and it's way less experimental and adventurous than those albums. The boys and Donna are instead in a more laid back groove - which is fine and dandy to my ears. I guess he just had some songs and some down time during the Grateful Dead's mid seventies hiatus.

For a hippy, he and the rest of the gang certainly had a great work ethic.

Where do they all belong? One further solo Garcia album to find - Compliments.

Sunrise (Eric Carmen) (LP 1099 - 2001)

Eric Carmen   Eric Carmen (Vinyl, Arista Records, 1975) ***  

Eric Carmen   Boats Against The Current (Vinyl, Arista Records, 1977) ****

Eric Carmen   Change Of Heart (Vinyl, Arista Records, 1978) ***

Genre: pop/rock 

Places I remember: Marbecks Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Sunrise (Eric Carmen)

Gear costume: She Did It (Boats Against The Current)

Active compensatory factors: I've picked Sunrise off his first solo album because it's the first track on the album and it sums up his gifts well.

The Raspberries albums are all in my collection, and Eric is responsible for many of their great songs. The solo albums are different to that band's output though. The rough edges are smoothed over, sometimes too much, and he misses having strong collaborators.

That first solo album is also a bit uneven, with side one having all the hits. Great hits they are too - apart from Sunrise, side one features a couple of huge selling weepies: All By Myself and Never Gonna Fall In Love Again.

The second album, Boats Against The Current, is something of an under-rated gem in my eyes. Carmen at his rocky best - Take It Or leave It is a song that Rod Stewart would cover effortlessly, and the ballads are of his usual high quality. Plus the album hangs together better and ends with Runaway - an 8 minute epic.

Change Of Heart continues the path towards overly slick commercialism. It does contain some good moments - the title track and the cover of Baby, I Need Your Lovin' are great. Even Hey Deanie is cool and catchy (or trite and shallow depending on your mood). But all up, the album is a bit too Toto for my taste.

Where do they all belong? I didn't follow Eric into the eighties. Too slick for my money.