Big sky country (Chris Whitley) (LP 4854)

Chris Whitley  Living with the Law (Vinyl, Columbia Records, 1991) ***  

Genre: Blues, blues rock

Places I remember: Mail order music club.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Living with the Law

Gear costume: Poison Girl

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8

Active compensatory factors: This album has survived many culls over the years because the sound he gets from his guitar is amazing. Every time I played it to decide whether to flick it on or not, I realised how good it was.

This was his debut album, released in 1991. It features Chris on a variety of guitars - national, acoustic, slide, pedal steel, and electric. The songs are his, but it sometimes feels like these are delta blues standards newly brought to life. The topics are dark and doomy but as with many blues songs - I find them really uplifting.

Where do they all belong? Sadly he passed away from lung cancer in 2005, aged 45 - way too young! His 17 album catalogue remains his legacy. I'm on the lookout for others, including his album Dirt Floor.

Open up your door (Kieran White) (LP 4853)

Kieran White  Open Door (Vinyl, Gull Records, 1975) **  

Genre: Country rock, folk rock 

Places I remember: Spellbound Wax Co.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Open Up Your Door

Gear costume: Cajun Moon

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8

Active compensatory factors: Kieran White was a member of the British blues rock band, Steamhammer, and Open Door was his only solo album. It's a gentle swaying folk/ country rock sound that he has going - which is easy on the ear but doesn't do much.

The cover of J.J. Cale's song, Cajun Moon, is interesting, but not fully effective as it doesn't improve on the original (so, it wouldn't be a contender for the WTWMC - Copy That playlist). 

Other than that one and the title song, the rest of the album is pleasant but contains too many fairly forgettable songs.

Where do they all belong? Probably one destined for the sale bin.

Alone in my home (Jack White) (LP 4851- 4852)

Jack White  Blunderbuss (CD, Third Man Records, 2012) ***  

Jack White  Lazaretto (CD, Third Man Records, 2014) ***  

Genre: Alt rock

Places I remember: JB Hi Fi

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Sixteen Saltines (Blunderbuss)

Gear costume: That Black Bat Licorice (Lazaretto)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8

Active compensatory factors: I'm not too sure why I like Jack White enough to buy some of his solo albums. Maybe his adventurous spirit. He's never less than fascinating. 

Blunderbuss was his first solo album and it's full of different types of songs and styles, from blues, folk, even country. He has abandoned the restrictions of The White Stripes for this album - employing a wide range of musicians and instruments to great effect.

Lazaretto was the follow up, two years after Blunderbuss. It again got excellent reviews so it was a must listen back in 2014. Apparently, the album was partly inspired by a collection of short stories, poems, and plays White wrote when he was 19 years old and rediscovered years later in his attic.

It's another eclectic set of song styles for Jack, as he continues his sonic adventures. That makes for variety and keeping listeners on their toes. Plus, I hear new nuances every time.

Where do they all belong? I ran out of putt with Jack but I enjoy these albums along with The White Stripes (my review here) and especially The Raconteurs (my reviews here).

Giddy (Alan White) (LP 4850)

Alan White  Ramshackled (Vinyl, Atlantic Records, 1976) ***  

Genre: Prog, Jazz fusion, soul/funk, reggae

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Avakak

Gear costume: Song of Innocence 

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8

Active compensatory factors: Yes members all embarked on solo records around 1976. Alan takes advantage to play drums on a set of songs (none written by him). He employs a range of musicians to sing and play along.

It's quite fun, although it does betray a restless approach. I prefer the jazz fusion of Avakak and the proggy Song of Innocence (with Anderson and Howe joining in), A whole album of those songs would have been great.

Where do they all belong? A real one-off - Alan's only solo album.

Like a plate (West Bruce & Laing) (LP 4847 - 4849)

West Bruce & Laing  Why Dontcha (Vinyl, Polydor Records, 1972) *****  

West Bruce & Laing  Whatever Turns You On (Vinyl, 2 copies - Windfall/RSO Records, 1973) *****

West Bruce & Laing  Live n' Kickin' (Vinyl, RSO Records, 1974) **** 

Genre: Rock

Places I remember: Sydney's David Jones - music section, Marbecks Records, Amoeba Music, Bookshop in Leigh-on-sea, Real Groovy Records.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Love is Worth The Blues (Why Dontcha)

Gear costume: Shifting Sand (Whatever...) sadly not on Spotify, The Doctor (Why Dontcha)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8

Active compensatory factors: West, Bruce & Laing were a blues-rock power trio super-group consisting of Leslie West (guitar and vocals), Jack Bruce (bass, harp, keyboards and vocals) and Corky Laing (drums and vocals).

The trio formed in early 1972. West and Laing's previous band was the great Mountain and Bruce, of course, notably came via Cream.

They toured extensively and released two studio albums, 1972's Why Dontcha and 1973's Whatever Turns You On. They disbanded shortly before the release of their live album Live 'n' Kickin' in 1974.

It's the first one that does it for me. Why Dontcha. No question mark required. My copy is an Australian one. My family and I went on an Australian holiday in 1973 and I had a shopping list of albums to buy which included: Houses Of The Holy (Led Zeppelin); Made In Japan (Deep Purple); Why Dontcha (West, Bruce & Laing).

When I got back home I was really disappointed with the latest Led Zep opus but Why Dontcha was seldom removed from the turntable.

It's a case of delivering on expectations. Leslie West plays guitar like he's chipping away at a mountain of granite with a sledgehammer, Jack Bruce is an amazingly distinctive and innovative bassist and Corky...well he plays rock drums.

It really is a great album, where the individuals combine into a stunning band performance. There are some great rock songs on the album (Why Dontcha and The Doctor are stand outs); some blues showcases for Jack (a la Cream), most notably on the harp fest that is Turn Me Over (think Rollin and Tumblin), a rolling piano lead workout Shake Ma Thing (Rollin Jack), the slowish blues of Third Degree; some wonderfully soaring vocals by Jack (Out Into The Fields), an acoustic guitar and piano driven ballad with more of those soaring vocal harmonies and some great dobro picking by West (While You Sleep) and then there is the classic heavy guitar wig out for Leslie West - Love Is Worth The Blues.

Their follow up, Whatever Turns You On was a different proposition for me back in 1973 because, although I loved the album, the NZ pressing (on RSO) was a muddy/ distorted mess. It wasn't until I found a clean US press on Columbia that I could really enjoy the album wholeheartedly for the first time. 

The songs are terrific. Sifting Sound and November Song make me swoon with pleasure every time, and the down and dirty blues tunes are brilliant. Two superb studio albums!

The live album is a nice to have as well. There are only four tracks, which lets the three guys expand outwards with some improvisations. For some reason they marry their Love Is Worth the Blues song lyrics from the Rolling Stone's Play With Fire. As such, it becomes an epic 12 minute long epic. Cream's Politician is revived in Jack's expert hands and the other two tracks are The Doctor and Powerhouse Sod.

Where do they all belong? Three crucial parts of my early seventies record collecting.

High roller (Leslie West) (LP 4844 - 4846)

Leslie West  The Great Fatsby  (Vinyl, Phantom Records, 1975) ***  

The Leslie West Band  The Leslie West Band (Vinyl, Phantom Records, 1975) **** 

Leslie West  Theme (CD, Passport Records, 1988) *** 

Genre: Rock

Places I remember: Amoeba Music

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Money (Whatcha Gonna Do) (The Leslie West Band)

Gear costume: Love is Forever (Theme) 

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8

Active compensatory factors: Solo Leslie West material and Mountain's early records blur considerably, and the repackaging is very confusing, as I mentioned when featuring my Mountain collection earlier. During that entry I included West's 1969 debut called Mountain (1969).

So, I regard The Great Fatsby as his solo launch in 1975 (after West Bruce & Laing who are coming up next). It's an interesting album as Leslie tries out some variations on his blues rock guitar hero status. Mick Jagger appears on rhythm guitar and there's a Stones rarity as High Roller is a cowrite between Jagger/ Richards and West/Laing/Palmer. 

Corky Laing is of course on drums, the two musicians go hand in hand, and Gary Wright is one of the keyboardists joining in on the fun. There are a number of covers on the album which are also designed to present Leslie in different ways. He's clearly a Free fan.

The Leslie West Band is a better, bigger, crunchier, funkier album. Corky is still a permanent fixture. Right from the opening track the sound is much more in-yer-face which suits the big fella.

Mick Jones (from Foreigner) is a big influence on The Leslie West Band; most of the songs are by West Jones & Laing, and Mick adds guitar. The covers of Dear Prudence and We Gotta Get Out Of This Place are excellent as well. An inspired album for the most part with Leslie still trying new things while knowing his strengths.

And so to the dodgy eighties for Theme, his next album after The Leslie West Band from 1975. He's back to a power trio formation, as Joey Franco occupies the drum stool (shock horror - no Corky), and Jack Bruce is back on bass and some vocals (wahoo!!). 

Like The Great Fatsby, there are a lot of cover songs (the pick of them being an interesting version of Red House) but the highlight for me is the one West/Laing song - Love is Forever. Jack does a nice job on his classic Theme from an Imaginary Western and the live version of Spoonful is good too, with Jack in great form.

Where do they all belong? West Bruce & Laing are next up.

Friday night (Wellington Heads) (LP 4843)

Wellington Heads  Midnight Down in the Jungle (CD, Wellington Heads music, 2005) ***  

Genre: Jazz, NZ music

Places I remember: Shona Walding's collection

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Food of Love

Gear costume: The Sheik of Araby

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8

Active compensatory factors: This was the third album (of six) from this NZ band, recorded live at Bar Bodega in 2005.

According to the band's website - Wellington Heads have evolved their own sound through the influences of Kansas style blue jazz, the swinging rhythm n blues of Louis Jordan and Ray Charles, Chicago blues and infused with Pacific/Hawaiian rhythms, New Orleans grooves and Latino feels.

One of my recent posts centred on Nick Waterhouse; Wellington Heads and Nick are very similar in feel and approach, with Neil Worboys sounding very similar to Nick. The line up on this album is: Neil Worboys – vocals, guitar, harmonica; Bill Wood – guitars; Geoff Keith – bass; Justin Hooper – drums. Sax, trombone and trumpet flesh out the sound. Worboys, Wood and Keith write all of the material aside from a deft cover of The Sheil of Araby.

Where do they all belong? The band are growing on me!