Babylon's burning (The Ruts) (LP 4560)

The Ruts  The Crack (Vinyl, Virgin Records, 1979) *****  

Genre: Punk rock, New wave, reggae

Places I remember: Marbecks Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Babylon's Burning

Gear costume: S.U.S.

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

Active compensatory factors: Virgin Records' Virginity sampler was a double album that I bought in 1979. It was a key purchase that was the gateway to a large number of acts, one of which was The Ruts.

The song on Virginity was Babylon's Burning - a pure adrenalin rush by The Ruts. At this point the band was Paul Fox (guitars), Segs (bass), Dave Ruffy (drums) and Malcolm Owen on vocals. Owen would die from a heroin overdose the next year, so this is one of two albums with him on it in all his glory. The second album (Grin & Bear It) was a compilation of singles and live tracks released after Owen's death.

The punk rock sound on The Crack is a cultured one - high energy but played well, and the reggae influenced songs are brilliant. This is one awesome album!

Where do they all belong? I should grab Grin & Bear It at some point. Even though the punk/ska/rock of The Ruts is now over 50 years old their music retains a vitality and freshness that is very appealing.

We've arrived! (and to prove it we're here) (The Rutles) (LP 4559)

The Rutles  Archaeology (CD, EMI Records, 1996) ****  

Genre: Parody pop (a rare genre)

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Shangri-la

Gear costume: Unfinished Words

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

Active compensatory factors: I've written about The Rutles before (here) and this is their second album of Fabs parodies.

Three of the original Rutles (Neil Innes, John Halsey, and Ricky Fataar) regrouped in 1996 and recorded a second album, Archaeology, an affectionate send-up of The Beatles Anthology albums.

It's another great send up and fun for the listener picking The Fabs numbers that Neil Innes (a genius) is using for source material. While I don't hear anything as great as Cheese and Onions, Neil seems particularly adept at sounding like JOL.

Where do they all belong? That's it for The Rutles.

Garden of your smile (The Rumour) (LP 4554 - 4558)

The Rumour  Garden of Smiles  (Vinyl, Polydor Records, 1971) ****  

The Rumour  Land of New Vigour and Zeal (Vinyl, Polydor Records, 1972) *** 

The Rumour  Holy Morning (Vinyl, Karussell Records, 1972) ***

The Rumour  An Evening at Home (Vinyl, Karussell Records, 1973) *** 

The Rumour  The Rumour Collection (CD, Ode Records, 2009) ***** 

Genre: NZ Music, pop 

Places I remember: Slowboat Records, Real Groovy Records, Tron Records (Hamilton), JB Hi Fi

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Garden of Your Smile (Garden of Smiles)

Gear costume: L'Amour Est L'Enfant De La Liberte (Garden of Smiles)

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

Active compensatory factors: The Rumour are to me what Split Ends/Split Enz are to amigo K Simms. That is - a New Zealand band (like Headband) that I instantly fell in love with and became a completist for over the years.

The Rumour grew out of another band - The Surfires. When they spluttered to an end, John (a.k.a. Shade) Smith and his twin brother Gerard Smith formed The Rumour with the following line-up: Shade Smith (Guitar / Piano) Gerard Smith (Vocals); Colleen Ralph (Vocals); Sjaaki Koolan (Guitar / Vocals).

They recorded their debut Garden of Smiles in 1971. Ross Hindman (from Surfires' days) had replaced Colleen by this stage. From the album came the single L'Amour Est L'Enfant De La Liberte which was my first exposure to their brilliance. I still have the copy I bought in 1971. 

The album is excellent - full of their unique harmonies and Shade Smith's superb songs (he wrote everything and produced the album. He's a very talented guy!

Second album - Land of New Vigour and Zeal had two hit singles from it - Holy Morning and No Money On Our Trees. Sadly, my copy is a bit warped and although it still plays I'll need to find a better copy at some stage. The album's theme was focused on the NZ cultural identity and was partially successful. Apart from the two singles, the songs overall, weren't as strong as those on the debut. The orchestrations by Bruce Lynch are nice but they give the album an odd vibe - not very NZ actually.

A third album Holy Morning was also released in 1972 on budget label Karussell. It contained songs from the first two albums, plus a few new songs - cover versions like Our House and Leaving on a Jetplane.

The next two albums on my list are also compilations. The first, An Evening at Home is another el cheapo one from Karussell which covers similar territory to Holy Morning. The Rumour weren't best served by their record company.

The Rumour Collection is a much better compilation. There's a nice booklet and some love and care associated with the selections. There are also some songs by The Surfires  and some later hits (Queen Of Paradise) to give some context to the band. 

Where do they all belong? A band with a formidable catalogue given their short history.

 

Home James (Mel Brown) (LP 4546 - 4553)

Mel Brown  Chicken Fat (Vinyl, Impulse Records, 1967) ****  

Bethany Cosentino  Natural Disaster (Vinyl, Concord Records, 2023) **** 

Chico Hamilton  Chico The Master (Vinyl, Stax Records, 1973) *** 

Mike Oldfield  Opus One (Vinyl, EMI Records, 2023) * 

Dr. Lonnie Smith  All In My Mind (Vinyl, Blue Note Records, 2018) ***

The Flirtations Sounds Like The Flirtations (Vinyl, Deram Records, 1969) *****

Ray Columbus and the Stargazers Happy Birthday Rock'n'Roll (Vinyl, RCA Records, 1969) ***

Larry Coryell Live at the Village Gate (Vinyl, Vanguard Records, 1971) ****

Genre: Blues, soul-jazz, pop rock, Americana, Jazz, Jazz fusion

Places I remember: JB Hi Fi, Little Red Bookshop

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Natural Disaster (Bethany Cosentino)

Gear costume: This Must Be the End of the Line (The Flirtations)

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

Active compensatory factors: I had a rummage through the $10 sale bins at the Hastings branch of JB Hi Fi recently, and came away with some glorious purchases.

Mel Brown's album, his first, was originally released in 1967. He was previously playing with T Bone Walker and John Lee Hooker. The album is in the blues or bluesy jazz styles and the band is as tight as a fish's bum. Gerald Wiggins' organ playing is pretty cool, as is Herb Ellis, also on guitar. 

The star of the show is Mel Brown though. AllMusic says 'Leave it to Impulse! to put a new spin on the guitar/organ sound. This is hot stuff'. Yes it is! Mel gets his groove on and no vocals to spoil the cool vibe he gets going.

Bethany Cosentino is a new name to me but I'm an instant fan. What a great rock voice she has. Sheryl Crow is a touch point. There is a smattering of Americana about her approach as well (Bonnie Raitt style) but her voice is more rock than folk/ country/ pop. 

The first half of the album is the stronger - I tend to lose track of songs on side two. The album is a keeper though and one I'll return to when in the mood. I'll probably use it as an Album of the Week for the WTWMC at some point as well.

Chico Hamilton is a well known, and highly regarded jazz drummer. He was used as a sideman by such jazz giants as Lester Young, Gerry Mulligan and Count Basie. Subsequently, he led his own bands playing cool jazz, post bop, and jazz fusion.

Chico The Master is an album from 1973 that uses Little Feat members as his core collaborators. Bill Payne, Lowell George, Kenny Gradney, Paul Barrere, Sam Clayton all appear as well as other musicians.

It's a very cool jazz rock/ fusion sound created with polyrhythmic drumming from Chico. Side one is the more frenetic of the two, side two takes a slower pace and Chico allows others to shine. I prefer side one.

Mike Oldfield's Opus One is a Record Store Day special that includes his demo of Tubular Bells from 1971 - recorded in a small flat in Tottenham and a house in Essex. It's fun to listen to as he didn't veer too much from it in essence. Side two of this album is a collection of other demos. It's been made available as bonus material on various issues of TB over the years, so it's not rare - but good to have as a separate album.

Lonnie Smith (he liked to add the Dr.) was (he passed away in 2021) a Hammond B3 organist who was a member of the George Benson quartet in the 1960s. He has an extensive discography of his own though and All in My Mind was obviously recorded towards the end of his career and life. It's recorded live at a small jazz club.

I'm not a huge fan but for $10 I took a punt. I like the jazz fusion organ/guitar on the opener, the Wayne Shorter tune Juju, and the version of Paul Simon's 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, but the rest is a little too laid back for me. It's certainly very tasteful and the band is tight with nice interplay between organ, guitar and drums. I don't think it is a long-term keeper though.

The Flirtations were a major revelation! How is it they weren't as big as The Supremes. Their debut album is enough for me to ask that question. If they'd had writers like Holland-Dozier-Holland providing them strong follow-up songs they could have been. As it is - Sounds Like The Flirtations is an awesome debut. Full of great songs and man oh man those girls could pack a vocal punch.

The last two albums were from Little Red Bookshop. I've looked at the Ray Columbus album in the bins there for many months. I used to own the album but sold it off at some point. I finally succumbed to the temptation - mainly because there are a couple of Headband members involved - Jimmy Hill (drums) and Ron Craig on guitar. Ray sings well on a selection of fifties and sixties tunes but it's not his finest hour. 

Final selection is another album I've thought about for many years - ever since seeing the cover in a record club magazine and then in Marbecks Records racks amidst the other Vanguard albums.

I've been a steady purchaser of Larry Coryell's albums over the last few years and I was delighted to see his Live at the Village Gate album in Little Red Bookshop. The album was recorded over two nights with Larry in a Hendrix style power trio (Mervin Bronson on bass, Harry Wilkenson on drums). His then wife, Julie Coryell also appears on vocals on one track.

AllMusic on this album: Live at the Village Gate finds Coryell and his bass-and-drums combo stretching out on five tunes (including a Jack Bruce cover), merging the brutal crunch of rock with the dexterity of jazz.

Where do they all belong? My usual eclectic buying pattern yielded quite a good haul, right! 

Make it easy (The Rubinoos) (LP 4545)

The Rubinoos  The Rubinoos  (Vinyl, Beserkley Records, 1977) ****  

Genre: Pop, Power pop

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: I Think We're Alone Now

Gear costume: Leave My Heart Alone

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

Active compensatory factors: I love power pop like The Records, Badfinger, Raspberries et al. To that list add The Rubinoos.

This self-titled album was their debut in 1977. Their first song on the album - a cover of I Think We're Alone Now was their biggest hit, but the rest of the album zips by in a similar spirit.

The songs are catchy guitar-based power pop, played with energy and enthusiasm. They should have been huge!

Where do they all belong? I'll certainly keep an eye out for their other seventies album - Back to the Drawing Board from 1979.

Shine a light (The Rolling Stones) (LP 4540 - 4544)

The Rolling Stones  Jump Back - The Best of The Rolling Stones '71 - '93 (CD, Virgin Records, 1993) ***  

The Rolling Stones   Stripped (CD, Virgin Records, 1993) ***

The Rolling Stones   A Bigger Bang (CD, Virgin Records, 2005) ****

The Rolling Stones   Blue and Lonesome (CD, Polydor Records, 2016) ****

The Rolling Stones   Hackney Diamonds (CD, Polydor Records, 2023) ****

Genre: Rock, pop, disco

Places I remember: The Warehouse, JB Hi Fi.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Whole Wide World (Hackney Diamonds)

Gear costume: Rough Justice (A Bigger Bang)

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

Active compensatory factors: As the nineties kicked off Bill Wyman decided he'd had enough and left them to it. Bill is an amazing bassist, maybe not such a great human being. His melodic bass was a great companion for Charlie's drums. Together they had a distinct personality - which doesn't exist anymore in the band.

The Rolling Stones had a few studio albums post Jump Back but I didn't bother keeping them. I even went to the Voodoo Lounge tour gig in Auckland but that and Bridges to Babylon were too long and average sounding so I flicked them off. It had been a long time since the Stones were cutting edge and relevant.

Jump Back is okay - their first compilation of the CD age but the same criticisms I made about Time Waits For No One still apply.

The next real album I bought and kept was Stripped. Only because it's different to the other live albums (I also sold off Flashpoint). I don't play Stripped much these days to be fair, but the acoustic mood is at least pleasantly consistent. On the negative side it is just a tad too cozy.

A Bigger Bang was the second to last album to have Charlie Watts occupying the drum stool. He's great on this album and Blue and Lonesome too. Mick at one point on El Mocambo quips that Charlie is a jazz drummer who was doing it for the money. The first part is right. I like to think he hung in there as a Rolling Stone for the lads and the music. But who knows.

The aim for A Bigger Bang was apparently to make a basic, hard rock album that hearkened back to their 1960s – 1970s heyday. Darryl Jones was again on bass (he'd been on Stripped). Although it's still a couple of songs too long, the album is a return to form. They certainly sound like they mean it again.

Interestingly, many of the songs are love songs where love has turned sour and it's her fault. It's a really strong set of songs, coupled with the band doing what they do best - be The Stones! Almost a five-star effort this one. Almost.

After an 11 year gap, Blue and Lonesome came next in 2016. It was a covers album and a perfect length at around 40 minutes. It was also the band having fun. It was recorded over three days, and it sounds like they rolled in and thought - what shall we have fun with today? Mick's harmonica playing is awesome on these old blues songs.

Their latest studio album and the last one on my list is Hackney Diamonds. Simply: it's a triumph. Andrew Watt is the producer and he does a great job working with the band's well-established strengths: Mick's vocals; Ronnie and Keef's guitars. It sounds like The Stones in all their glory even though there are some notable guests - Lady Gaga, Bill Wyman, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Paul McCartney and even Charlie Watts makes an appearance. 

Where do they all belong? Few would be betting on Hackney Diamonds being the last Stones album. What a career and what an amazing body of work that they've sustained on and off since the early sixties. Truly, one of a kind.

Dance (The Rolling Stones) (LP 4534 - 4539)

The Rolling Stones  Emotional Rescue (Vinyl, Rolling Stones Records, 1980) *** 

The Rolling Stones  Tattoo You (Vinyl, Rolling Stones Records, 1981) ****   

The Rolling Stones  Still Life (American Concert 1981) (Vinyl, Rolling Stones Records, 1981) **** 

The Rolling Stones  Undercover (Vinyl, Rolling Stones Records, 1983) **

The Rolling Stones  Dirty Work (Vinyl, Rolling Stones Records, 1986) **

The Rolling Stones  Steel Wheels (Vinyl, Rolling Stones Records, 1989) ****

Genre: Rock, pop 

Places I remember: Marbecks Records, 

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Black Limousine (Tattoo You)

Gear costume: Under My Thumb, Twenty Flight Rock (Still Life)

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

Active compensatory factors: It's hard to imagine what Mick was trying to achieve with Emotional Rescue. There are so many different styles on it and the pull of disco was a strong one for him.

It does have some good Stonesy moments - Let Me Go, Where the Boys Go and especially She's So Cold. Then again it has some terribly cringey moments as well - Indian Girl and the title track are just wrong. Charlie and Bill's expressions on the mimed video for She's So Cold are perfect.

Keef's vocal cameo had become a thing on each album and each one, so far, was either great or at least a breath of (authentic) air amid the disco extravaganzas. All About You was a case in point on Emotional Rescue.

Tattoo You continued the blend of styles that had appeared on Some Girls,  but with a great lead off song - Start Me Up. Although the album is made up of songs held over from the last few albums (like Emotional Rescue) it still hangs together far better than Emotional Rescue. 

It certainly has loads of more great moments like Start Me Up. Hang Fire is a lot of fun, Slave has one of Keef's effortless but effective riffs, Neighbours is an excellent punk rush of energy, Black Limousine harks back to Exile on Main St. greatness and Waiting On A Friend is a terrific ballad (great videos too for once).

The fun was sustained during the 1981 American tour which resulted in Still Life. I love this album! Mainly because it's full of oldies but goldies given a new lease of life in the eighties. Under My Thumb starts the arena party and it ends with Satisfaction. They even include a terrific Twenty Flight Rock.

The next studio album was Undercover which suffered from being the start of the schism between the modernist looking Mick (always wanting to embrace the new sounds), and Keef's retro blues rock leanings. For the time being things hadn't yet reached their nadir (that was coming though).

Undercover's highlights: I actually like the title track and She Was Hot but the wild eclecticism means the whole album is very bitty. In the end, I'm in the Keef camp, so, although this album was okay in 1983 when I was living in New Plymouth, I find its Mick endorsed dance style songs have dated quite a bit since then.

Dirty Work was that widely anticipated low point in relations but it's not a completely bad album. Anger is an energy (according to John Lydon) and that fuels a lot of Dirty Work which kicks off with two frenetic songs - One Hit to the Body and Fight - both by Jagger/ Richards/ Wood. 

The mid-eighties production values surface a bit too much for my liking (Keith's Too Rude solo spot is not good), but at least they were recording again after a three-year delay.

Steel Wheels was a major return to form (Mick and Keef had kissed and made up by this time). The big numbers - Mixed Emotions and Rock and a Hard Place set the album up for success.

Where do they all belong? Against the odds (including a poor start to the decade with Emotional Rescue) the band had survived Mick's attempts at a solo career, some mid period stinkers, and had ended the decade with their best eighties album by some distance. They did so by returning to what the Stones did best - rock and roll baby! Could they sustain it into the nineties?