Obsession (Jean-Luc Ponty) (LP 3602 - 2603)

Jean-Luc Ponty  A Taste For Passion (Vinyl, Atlantic Records, 1979) ****  

Gerry Rafferty  Can I Have My Money Back? (Vinyl, Passport Records, 1971) ****  

Genre: Jazz fusion, pop-rock 

Places I remember: M

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Beach Girl (Jean-Luc Ponty)

Gear costume: Sunset Drive (Jean-Luc Ponty)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: Here-to-which, I continue with my seventies' obsession, vinyl obsession and mild Jean-Luc Ponty/ Gerry Rafferty obsessions.

Has Jean-Luc ever made a poor album? If so, I've yet to hear it. The jazz rock moves on A Taste For Passion aren't as frenetic and experimental as his earlier albums so it gets into some lovely mid-paced grooves instead.

Gerry Rafferty's debut solo album was 1971's Can I Have My Money Back? The AllMusic review sums this album up well: This record harnesses the cosmic production presence prevalent in the latter discs of the decade, when Rafferty's commercial Renaissance arrived with City to City, but returns to earth with intrinsically fluid melodies, facile poetry, and folksy playing. Simply superlative, Can I Have My Money back is the first of too few full-lengths from a sporadic but splendid talent.

Where do they all belong? Always keen to pick up any Jean-Luc Ponty albums. So far, I've never been disappointed. Joe Egan was onboard for Rafferty's debut and the two would head off together to produce Stealer's Wheel and mega single success.

Spieluhr (Rammstein) (LP 3597 - 3601)

Rammstein  Mutter (CD, Motor Records, 2001) ****  

Rammstein  Reise, Reise (CD, Universal Records, 2004) ***  

Rammstein  Rosenrot (CD, Universal Records, 2005) ***  

Rammstein  Liebe ist für alle da (CD, Universal Records, 2009) ****  

Rammstein  Völkerball (CD and DVD, Universal Records, 2006) ****  

Genre: Heavy metal, Prog metal

Places I remember: The Warehouse, Real Groovy Records, JB Hi Fi

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Adios (Mutter)

Gear costume: Wiener Blut (Liebe ist für alle da); Du Hast (Völkerball) on YouTube.

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: I've written about a few of their albums so far - Herzeleid, Live Aus Berlin, and Sehnsucht. We now pick up the story with their third studio album - Mutter. Quality dial remains on high for this album. You pretty much know what you're going to get with Rammstein and Mutter doesn't disappoint in the slightest. I have no idea what they are singing about and I don't care to find out especially.

Reise, Reise tried to vary the formula a bit, but introducing a girl chorus isn't a great move and Amerika with some English lyrics is a low point from my pov.

Rosenrot was a bit better, in that its experimentation worked more amid the usual Rammstein moves. Even though they verge on Nightwish style prog on a couple of tracks, I tend to play this album as much as I do their first three. 

By this stage I tended to buy Rammstein albums automatically on release. They are great albums for car journeys because Jacky likes them!

Liebe ist für alle da was next and it was a major return to form. They mean it maan (again). This time the beats are more urgent, harder hitting, and more melodic. It became their bestselling album in many areas, even America!

Völkerball is the second live album I have by Rammstein. It's a lavish CD and DVD package (like Live Aus Berlin). They are a very visual band and they put on a real performance, so the DVD component is very welcome. This show was recorded during their 2005 world tour.

The band members have remained unchanged since 1994, so these guys know what they are about. Live is Rammstein in their element. The peaks and highlights are many as they make show! And they do a mighty version of Du Hast!

Where do they all belong? That's it for this band - a lot of metal there I know, and yet - I haven't kept up to date since Völkerball. That means a couple of albums to look out for: Untitled album (2019) and Zeit (2022). 

A light in the black (Rainbow) (LP 3594 - 3596)

Rainbow  Rising (Vinyl, Oyster/Polydor Records, 1976) ****  

Rainbow  Long Live Rock'n'Roll (Vinyl, Polydor Records, 1978) ***

Rainbow  Pot of Gold (CD, Spectrum Music, 2002) ****    

Genre: Hard rock

Places I remember: World Music Club, Marbecks Records & Tapes, The Warehouse

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Kill The King 

Gear costume: Since You've Been Gone, A Light in the Black

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: Ritchie Blackmore is an amazing, iconic, axe hero and by all accounts a curmudgeony kind of person - difficult to work with, a royal pain in the backside - yada yada. 

Luckily, I didn't have to work with him, so I can forget all that personality side show and just focus on what a brilliant guitarist he is. He's also an excellent judge of musician. For instance - Ronnie James Dio is exactly the right vocalist for Rainbow, and he knows that the right kind of drum sound is crucial. Step up Cozy Powell and take a bow - he's an under-appreciated drummer in my opinion.

I didn't buy their first album (Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow was an inauspicious debut), so we start with Rising. It's well named! Side one has shorter songs - good hard rock tunes like Starstruck (and point to where the band would go post Ronnie James Dio) but side two is where the fireworks reside for me with two epics.

Stargazer and A Light in the Black are beyond incredible and if you feel up for a spot of air guitaring from time to time - try this after you've played Deep Purple's Made in Japan.

Long Live Rock'n'Roll has survived a few culls over the years - mainly because it contains Kill The King, Gates of Babylon, The Shed, and the title song. Certainly enough for me to hang onto it.

  

Overall, it's not as strong as Rising (their real peak as a band) but it's still quality hard rock before they moved into poppier waters to chase chart success.

Special mention to Martin Birch again in this blog - he always delivers, and he certainly got the best out of Rainbow.

Where do they all belong? Pot Of Gold is a good budget compilation (there are plenty to choose from) which covers most of the bases over their career (Starstruck is a glaring omission). It does have Since You've Been Gone - their last great song.

Caviar queen (Ragnarok) (LP 3593)

Ragnarock  Ragnarok (CD, Frenzy Records, 1975, resissued 2022) ****  

Genre: NZ Music, prog rock

Places I remember: My Music (Taupo)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Fire in the Sky

Gear costume: Fenris, Caviar Queen

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: Ragnarok was that rare thing - a prog rock outfit from Nu Zild! I was a schoolboy fan. Are you kidding? Lea Maalfrid on vocals was a veritable NZ rock goddess!

The rest of the band were nameless long-haired seventies blokes. Let the record show they were in fact: Ramon York (guitars, vocals, synths); Ross Muir (bass); Mark Jayet (drums) and his brother Andre on keyboards and drums. 

Their first album is drenched in wonderful mellotron and wonderful Lea Maalfrid vocals. Superb!

Where do they all belong? Be keen to find a copy of their second album - Nooks from 1976 (without Lea though).

Fistful of steel (Rage Against The Machine) (LP 3591 - 3592)

Rage Against The Machine  Rage Against The Machine (CD, Epic Records, 1992) *****  

Rage Against The Machine  The Battle of Los Angeles (CD, Epic Records, 1999) ****  

Genre: They put rap, metal, and funk in a blender

Places I remember: Marbecks Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Wake Up (RATM)

Gear costume: Killing in the Name (RATM); Guerrilla Radio (Battle of Los Angeles)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: A real one off, like Hendrix, like Miles, like Coltrane, like the Stones, and The Beatles, Rage Against The Machine are a unique explosion of talent.

They are a visionary band and like that cover image - confronting, violent, political, revolutionary, graphic - RATM make sure you can't ignore them. Everything about them is extraordinary: Zach de la Rocha's committed delivery; Tom Morello's freakish guitar effects; Timmy C and Brad Wilk's singular styles on bass and drums respectively.

The debut album is one long HOWL - glorious in its intention and its execution (wake up). All killer!

Album number 3 - The Battle of Los Angeles is another coherent venting of emotions by the guys. This is a further fiery blast. Guerrilla Radio was a brilliant single that encapsulated the album's strengths.

Where do they all belong? I had their other two albums but decided to sell them and keep what to me are the two peaks in their catalogue.

Home and dry (Gerry Rafferty) (LP 3588 - 3590)

Gerry Rafferty  City To City (CD, United Artists Records, 1978) ****  

Gerry Rafferty  Night Owl (Vinyl, United Artists Records, 1979) ****

Gerry Rafferty  Snakes and Ladders (Vinyl, United Artists Records, 1980) ***

Genre: Pop 

Places I remember: Vinyl Countdown, Spellbound Wax Company

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Baker Street (City to City)

Gear costume: Right Down the Line (City to City); Get it Right Next Time (Night Owl); The Royal Mile (Snakes & Ladders)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: I've written about Gerry's work with Stealers Wheel before (here and here), now it's time for the solo albums.

City to City contains the peerless Baker Street. It still sounds amazing all these years and radio plays later. Gerry's talent is all over this album - his wonderful vocals, his guitar prowess, and his knack for catchy pop hooks are world class.

Night Owl might even be better than City to City. He was in a purple patch in the late seventies. By the eighties though he was starting to run out of steam.

Snakes & Ladders (with another great cover) starts off well with The Royal Mile (Sweet Darlin') but then doesn't quite match that quality throughout the rest of the album. It's still good, just not as great as the previous two albums. And - that voice!! 

Where do they all belong? I need to find more of his albums - Can I Have My Money Back? was his debut before Stealers Wheel kicked off with their chart success.

Stop press! Since writing this post, I managed to find a copy of Can I Have My Money Back? at a record store in Palmerston North. It will come up later in the countdown.

Paranoid android (Radiohead) (LP 3586 - 3587)

Radiohead  OK Computer (CD, Parlophone Records, 1997) *****  

Radiohead  Kid A (CD, Parlophone Records, 2000) ****

Genre: Alt rock, prog rock

Places I remember: St Lukes music shop, The Warehouse in Cambridge 

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Karma Police (OK Computer)

Gear costume: The National Anthem (Kid A)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: I am not a huge Radiohead fan but I do love OK Computer's ability to wash over me. I bought it after I heard Karma Police on an EMI sampler and then the record was named album of the year in various music magazines. It was quite the thing in 1997. Creep and Anyone Can Play Guitar were also songs I knew before being pulled into OK Computer's dystopian world.

It remains a really rewarding album to listen to, and will surely figure in many best album lists from critics and fans alike. Same with Kid A, which was their next album.

It has a totally different feel to OK Computer but retains the experimental direction they were headed in. I bought it to see what all the fuss was about and was impressed. For some reason, though, that's the end of my interest in Radiohead. Hard to figure - I like both of these albums but the rest of their output has passed me by.

Where do they all belong? I should go back and grab a copy of their debut album - Pablo Honey - I love those rock songs.

Everything I am (D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings) (LP 3584 - 3585)

D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings  Troika (Vinyl, InsideOut Records, 2022) ****  

Joe Henderson  Page One (Vinyl, Blue Note Records, 1963) ***** 

Genre: Prog rock, jazz 

Places I remember: JB Hi Fi (Hastings)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Everything I Am (Troika)

Gear costume: Blue Bossa (Page One)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: I needed some retail therapy a few weeks ago and saw these two albums in the sale bins at my local JB Hi Fi. Troika was reduced by 65 dollars to $9.99 and the Henderson album was 30 dollars. Both massive bargains.

The D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings album is a side project instigated by Neal Morse. He wanted to do some acoustic harmony style music like Crosby Stills & Nash, so he engaged former bandmate Nick D'Virgilio (now in Big Big Train) and Haken's Ross Jennings to help him out.

First track Everything I am is as close as anyone can get to that beautiful CSN sound without being CSN. The rest of the album is a three-sided affair on vinyl and includes more of that lovely warm sound, along with some great prog rock songs later in the set. All for less than ten dollars! Ridiculous!!

Page One was Joe Henderson's extraordinary debut album in the year of the Beatles. He is featured in a group with trumpeter Kenny Dorham, the legendary pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Butch Warren and drummer Pete La Roca.

I particularly like the hard bop sub-genre of jazz and this is a great example.

Where do they all belong? JB Hi Fi is a fantastic addition to Hastings. 

Happy trails (Quicksilver Messenger Service) (LP 3576 - 3583)

Quicksilver Messenger Service   Quicksilver Messenger Service (Vinyl, Capitol Records, 1968) *****  

Quicksilver Messenger Service   Happy Trails (Vinyl, Capitol Records, 1969) **** 

Quicksilver Messenger Service   Shady Grove (Vinyl, Capitol Records, 1969) ***

Quicksilver Messenger Service   Just For Love (Vinyl, Capitol Records, 1970) ****

Quicksilver Messenger Service   What About Me (Vinyl, Capitol Records, 1970) ***

Quicksilver Messenger Service   Quicksilver (Vinyl, Capitol Records, 1970) ***  

Quicksilver Messenger Service   Comin' Thru (Vinyl, Capitol Records, 1972) ***

Quicksilver Messenger Service   Solid Silver (Vinyl, Capitol Records, 1975) **** 

Genre: Psychedelic rock

Places I remember: Chaldon Books and Records, Real Groovy Records, Amoeba Music

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Pride of Man (Quicksilver Messenger Service)

Gear costume: Edward, the Mad Shirt Grinder (Shady Grove), The Truth (Quicksilver)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5

Active compensatory factors: I came to Quicksilver Messenger Service via the cover of Happy Trails in an Album Cover Art collection. Then David Freiberg's involvement with Paul Kantner and Grace Slick and his subsequent appearance as a member of Jefferson Starship sealed the deal. I needed to trace him back to his previous band.

Quicksilver Messenger Service, the quintessential San Francisco band, were formed in 1965. Before the debut album they'd appeared on the soundtrack to the film Revolution, which I have (I'll get to that one eventually when I finish the Zeds). 

The debut album has the band membership settled with the classic lineup:  John Cipollina - lead guitar; Gary Duncan - rhythm and lead guitar, vocals; David Freiberg - bass guitar, vocals, viola; and Greg Elmore - drums.

Their debut album is extraordinary! A five-star classic - full of melodic invention, so that the jazzy, folky, poppy, psychedelicy hybrid sounds produce a true original. The experimental nature of the band was explored further on Happy Trails. 

The album is essentially a live recording - using tapes from Fillmore East and West concerts it is enhanced by studio additions. It features extended reworkings of a couple of Bo Diddley songs - Who Do You Love? and Mona. 

This is the original quartet's last album together which is a shame as the interplay between the four musicians is otherworldly. Shady Grove is also from 1969 - for a bunch of stoners they sure had a strong work ethic - three albums in two years would become five albums in three years. Nicky Hopkins had joined the band to record this album, and his influence is keenly felt throughout.

The sound is very different on Shady Grove without Gary Duncan and so it becomes a transitional type of record - away from the psychedelic long form wig out approach to more pop oriented shorter songs.

Just For Love saw founding member Dino Valenti and Gary Duncan return to the mothership. Eight of the nine songs are written by Valenti and a mellow laid-back kind of vibe pervades. In fact, it's almost prog rock at times and Fresh Air, released as a single, is the kind of lovely catchy pop song that Marty Balin would have loved to sing, I'm sure.

What About Me was their second album of 1970. It was also Nicky Hopkins' third and final album as a member of Quicksilver Messenger Service. In many ways, it's a sister album to Just For Love - as the songs came out of the same sessions, but there is a more jazz inflected feel to this one, which I really like.

What About Me (the title song) is another strong pop-oriented song that holds up all these years later. Dino Valenti's vocals are beautiful on this song and throughout the album.

Quicksilver, their sixth album, was the first without David Freiberg and John Cipollina. Gary Duncan took over all the guitar bits and Mark Ryan replaced Freiberg who was heading towards the Starship. 

The band is now unrecognisable from those first two psychedelic classics. Quicksilver leans more towards a folk-rock genre and while pleasant enough I think they miss Freiberg and Cipollina's influence. That said Don't Cry My Lady Love is great and the guitar on final track The Truth is terrific. They both sound like classic Marty Balin era Jefferson Airplane. 

Comin' Thru is generally seen as the band's weakest effort. It certainly didn't sell much at the time and helps explain why it took me so long to find a copy. Eventually Amoeba Music came to my rescue.

Sure enough, the album is a bit hit and miss. Dino Valenti's songs aren't as memorable as he continues to dominate the band (his name is in a bigger font and capitalised in the credit list). 

This time he busts out the jazz rock moves. You have to hand it to them - they don't tend to do the same album twice. His singing remains strong and there are some good rock'n'soul moments on an inconsistent set.

Solid Silver is the reunion album of the classic lineup, and I love it! It's impressive and also the last decent Quicksilver Messenger Service album (Gary Duncan pointlessly resurrected the name in the eighties).  The original quartet are back together plus Dino, with Nicky Hopkins and Pete Sears guesting on keyboards. All the members contribute stellar performances and songs.

Where do they all belong? There are a couple of live albums I'd be keen to find - Maiden of the Cancer Moon (live in 1968) and At the Kabuki Theatre.