10 o'clock all is well (Judy Collins) (LP 4167- 4174)

Steve Allen  The Greatest Show on Earth (Vinyl, Viking Records, 1973) **  

Dickey Betts & Great Southern  Dickey Betts & Great Southern (Vinyl, Arista Records, 1977) *** 

Judy Collins  #3 (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1963) ***  

Judy Collins  Wildflowers (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1967) *** 

Judy Collins  Whales and Nightingales (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1970) *** 

Judy Collins  True Stories and Other Dreams (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1973) *** 

Carly Simon  Spy (Vinyl, Elektra Records, 1979) *** 

Celebration  Celebration (Vinyl, Stetson Records, 1979) *** 

Genre: NZ Music, pop, Southern rock, folk rock 

Places I remember: Viking's Haul (Woodville)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Bougainvillea (Dicky Betts)  

Gear costume: Deportee (Judy Collins #3), Both Sides Now (Wildflowers)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: A recent trip to Viking's Haul in Woodville resulted in these albums. Most were 5 dollars, and most were in great condition. The oldest album is Judy Collins #3 from 1963 and that one is in good condition - plays well after a clean.

Steve Allen is a NZ singer who peeked in 1973 with this album on the back of Join Together - his anthem for the tenth Commonwealth Games which happened in Christchurch.

His smooth style is very much of the time and the instrumental backings are some distance from rock'n'roll but I have always liked his vocals. Buying this album for $5 was a no-brainer.

Speaking of smooth - Dickey Betts' guitar sound is an integral part of the Allman Brothers Band and when they split in the seventies he embarked on a solo career. This was his second album and the first with Great Southern. It's got that easy southern blues-based boogie sound that is reminiscent of The Allmans. Highly recommended, this one.

The majority of the albums I bought were by Judy Collins - someone must have been having a clear out. I've written about her before (her album Who Knows Where the Time Goes). I'm not a huge fan, but I couldn't resist these Elektra Records albums. The history of the label is well represented in these selections.

Judy's #3 from 1963 has that great cover (Judy Blue Eyes). It has Jim (a.k.a. Roger) McGuinn playing guitar and banjo. It also has a terrific version of Woody Guthrie's Deportee/Plane Wreck at Los Gatos. Elsewhere she provides nice covers of compositions by Dylan, Bob Gibson, Pete Seeger, Ewan MacColl, and Shel Silverstein.

Wildflowers is from 1967 and her sixth album. It was her most successful album - even charted as high as 5 on Billboard charts. Not bad for a folkie.

This is the one that includes her version of Joni's Both Sides Now. She does a great job on Joni Mitchell songs generally. There are also three Leonard Cohen songs on Wildflowers. She even does a few of her own songs and they don't sound out of place. On the whole, Wildflowers is my favourite Judy Collins album - fitting that it's from the summer of love!

Whales and Nightingales is from 1970. The instrumentation is a little more lush this time out. This is the one with her version of Amazing Grace on it. The standout track for me is her version of Dylan's Time Passes Slowly.

The final Judy Collins purchase is True Stories and Other Dreams from 1973. The music is a little sombre - the cover image is accurately extended to the vibe on the album. Although the lead off song - Cook With Honey is fun and upbeat. That song's by Valerie Carter, much of the rest are Judy Collins' originals. 

Overall, her ninth studio album is a somewhat downbeat collection of songs. As you know, I'm a day person, so this is not destined to get much air time in Wozza's World.

Next in this list is Carly Simon's Spy from 1979. It joins the other albums that I've already reviewed here. It was her eighth studio album and her last for Elektra Records. The jazz-pop sound is again the vibe here as Carly sings with a husky kind of voice. Sadly the album was too slick and it became her worst seller.

Celebration by Celebration, the last album on this list, is an album I sold off many years ago. Five dollars from Viking Haul was too tempting though. 

The band is a seventies, outside The Beach Boys, project by Mike Love that held promise - Charles Lloyd is a band member after all. It largely delivers because of Mike's democratic approach - he shares the vocals around - mostly with Dave Robinson, and Lloyd is all class! 

This was their second album (the Almost Summer soundtrack was their first which we'll get to in time). It's worth the search as it had a very limited print run originally. This copy is a NZ pressing on the Stetson label (for Mike Nesmith's Pacific Arts label).

Where do they all belong? A good haul from Viking's Haul. I was also able to get a copy of Steve Forbert's Little Stevie Orbit on the Nemperor label (not Epic). Score!

Settle down (Steve Forbert) (LP 2565 - 2568)

Steve Forbert  Alive On Arrival (Vinyl, Nemperor Records, 1978) ****  

Steve Forbert  Jackrabbit Slim (Vinyl, Nemperor Records, 1979) *** 

Steve Forbert  Little Stevie Orbit (Vinyl, Nemperor Records, 1980) **** 

Steve Forbert  Steve Forbert (Vinyl, Nemperor Records, 1982) ***  

Genre: Pop rock 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records, Slow Boat Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Get Well Soon (Little Stevie Orbit)

Gear costume: Cellophane City (Little Stevie Orbit)  

Active compensatory factors: Full disclosure - I am not the world's greatest Steve Forbert fan. Ask my mate, Greg Knowles!

Steve recorded all of his first four albums for Nemperor Records and I collect Nemperor Records. So, I own all four - even though I am not the world's greatest Steve Forbert fan.

But, I've decided to give him a fair go and embark on a reassessment. 

First album - Alive On Arrival is a strong debut. It's actually pretty good and makes me wonder what my problem is.

Then I listened again to Jackrabbit Slim and I realised a couple of things. I heard this one first back in 1979 because of the hit - Romeo's Tune and it turned me off him. The vocal quirks are more accentuated on that album.

Whereas, if I'd heard any of the other 3 in this list I could have actually been a fan. They each contain the kind of enjoyable, tuneful, articulate folk/pop songs that I was into at the time.

Little Stevie Orbit would be my favourite album of these four. He seems to be in full control of his talent on this one. 

Where do they all belong? That will do it for Steve, snuggled into the Nemperor Records collection.