Outlaw blues (The Great Society) (LP 4319)

The Great Society with Grace Slick  Conspicuous Only In Its Absence (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1993) ****  

Genre: Psychedelic rock, Acid rock

Places I remember: Marbecks Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: White Rabbit

Gear costume: Outlaw Blues 

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: Before Grace was drafted into Jefferson Airplane, she was a member of The Great Society. The band was made up of Grace, her then-husband Jerry Slick on drums, his brother Darby Slick on guitar, David Miner on vocals and guitar, Bard DuPont on bass, and Peter van Gelder on flute, bass, and saxophone.

Conspicuous... is a live album - recorded at renowned San Franciscan rock venue, The Matrix, in 1966. It was released in 1968, but then relaunched with additional tracks in 1971 as a double album. My copy is the original single album version.

Grace is already a great presence within the group - her singing is powerful and nuanced (already). The band are good, but not in the same league as the Airplane. That must have been obvious to Grace as The Great Society supported JA at gigs.

Certainly the two best songs on the album are Grace's Somebody To Love and White Rabbit which she'd rerecord with JA, but the rest of the material is strong too - notably their version of Dylan's Outlaw Blues and Sally Go 'Round The Roses.

Where do they all belong? An excellent document of the band in the mid sixties who wanted to combine The Beatles' influence with new rock moves in San Francisco.

Have you ever wondered (The Graeme Edge Band) (LP 4317 - 4318)

The Graeme Edge Band featuring Adrian Gurvitz  kick Off Your Muddy Boots (Vinyl, Threshold Records, 1975) ***  

The Graeme Edge Band featuring Adrian Gurvitz  Paradise Ballroom (Vinyl, London Records, 1977) ***  

Genre: Rock

Places I remember: Music shop by Notting Hill Gate tube station.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Have You Ever Wondered (Kick Off...)

Gear costume: My Life's Not Wasted (Kick Off...)

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 would not really have bought these albums without The Moody Blues' association. Their drummer, Graeme Edge, being a constant member of that band.

Maybe the covers would have drawn me in with their vagely prog rock looks, but the music is pretty standard British rock. For some reason guitarist/vocalist Adrian Gurvitz is a popular foil for drummers like Graeme and Ginger Baker.

Graeme seems happy to cede the limelight to Gurvitz on their debut and so he cruises through a variety of styles on these albums, but without anything sticking into my brain. Graeme is more to the fore on their second album - Paradise Ballroom, but the mixture of styles continues.

Where do they all belong? Both are worthwhile interludes before The Moody Blues reconvened for Octave, and The Graeme Edge Band was no more.

Old Bog Road (The Fureys) (LP 4316)

The Fureys & Davey Arthur  The Scattering (CD, Harmac Records, 1988) **  

Genre: Folk 

Places I remember: The Shona Walding collection

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles/ Gear costume: Tara Hill

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 Fureys are an Irish folk band originally formed in 1974. The group were initially built around the four Furey brothers who grew up in Ballyfermot, Dublin - Eddie, Finbar, Paul and George. 

They are a prolific outfit; this album is one they did in collaboration with Irish folk singer, Davey Arthur.

It's of the gentle folk music with a smooth gloss school of Irish folk music. This album is the mainstream, easy listening style that obviously Shona liked. I've kept it because it's easy on the ear and undemanding given the right circumstances. 

Where do they all belong? A non-essential addition, but it fits certain moods.

How you doing (The Front Lawn) (LP 4315)

The Front Lawn  Songs From The Front Lawn (CD, Front Lawn Records, 1989) ****  

Genre: NZ Music, alt pop 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Andy

Gear costume: Claude Rains

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: Let's start with the obvious stand out track - Andy. It's brilliant. One of the main reasons being that it stands up to repeat listens - it never gets old for me. That heart-felt slow reveal is without the kind of smart arse grinning cynicism that a few of the other Sinclair dominated songs have. Justifiably, it is seen as one of the greatest NZ songs ever.

Never fear - thanks to Don McGlashan's presence, there are a few other beauties on this debut. Notably Claude Rains, and Tomorrow Night.

I do find Harry Sinclair's delivery a bit smarmy so I'm less inclined to his material. Theme (from the lounge bar) is an example - the rinky dink music suits the idea of a lounge bar in the imagination but it ultimately feels rinky dink.

The idea for How Are You Doing? feels like a logical extension of some characters from Walkshort - a very cleverly filmed NZ short film The Front Lawn made a couple of years before. But it doesn't really work as a song.

The rest are so so as songs. The problem at times is the music is mixed down a lot, Harry's vocals are not as strong as Don's, and the actual songs feel like works in progress. But, hey! This was their debut, so some slack is called for here.

Where do they all belong? Overall, The Front Lawn are kiwi as - the vocal tics and the subject matter, that I can identify with as a kiwi, mark them out as a lovely little backwater bach that I visit from time to time.

Certainly, Bret McKenzie and Jermaine Clement were paying close attention to McGlashan and Sinclair. 

How to save a life (The Fray) (LP 4314)

The Fray  How to Save a Life (CD, Epic Records, 2005) ****  

Genre: Alt pop 

Places I remember: Virgin Megastore Dubai.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: How to Save a Life

Gear costume: Over My Head (Cable Car)

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: This was the debut album by The Fray - a band from Denver Colorado. In my head I thought they were like Embrace - a band from England. 

I like both bands for their warm harmony rock approach. The album may not be wildly original but it does contain a delightful mix of mid-tempo piano-driven rock songs and a smattering of effective power ballads. 

Where do they all belong? This is my only album by The Fray but I'd certainly snap up any others if I come across them.

Revelate (The Frames) (LP 4313)

The Frames Longitude (CD, Anti- Records, 2015) ***  

Genre: Folk rock 

Places I remember: Fopp

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Revelate

Gear costume: Fitzcarraldo

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: This is a compilation celebrating 25 years of The Frames. They are an Irish band, known by me at least - as principally the band that includes Glen Hansard, of Once fame.

Once is where I was first aware of Glen's talent. The film itself was written and directed by The Frames former bassist, John Carney. They are a talented bunch.

The music on Longitude comprises the band's favourite songs in their first 25 years (they are still a going concern), so it serves as a good taster.

Where do they all belong? Fans should also seek out The Swell Season and Hansard solo albums, but you need to start with the Once soundtrack, which is sublime.

Nirvana (The 40 Watt Banana) (LP 4312)

The 40 Watt Banana  Peeled  (Vinyl, Pharaway Sounds Records, 2019) ****  

Genre: NZ Music, indo-afro psychedelic jazz-rock (you read that right)

Places I remember: Spellbound Wax Co.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Amanzi (not available on Spotify or YouTube as a single track)

Gear costume: Nirvana (YouTube)

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 40 Watt Banana is a complete one-off that you won't find on Wikipedia or Spotify.

They formed in Wellington, 1968, and went about performing their own unique brand of   Indo-Afro psychedelic music. They only released one single, in 1971, so this album is made up of other material from old reel to reel tapes. It sounds amazing! No problem with sound quality - Spanish re-issue label, Pharaway Sounds, have done a great job. It also sounds amazingly of the moment. Fans of Nubya Garcia would love this!

 

The band with the oh so 1968 name were formed by the nucleus of Kevin Clark on trumpet and keyboards and Dave Parsons on Sitar, Sarod drums and percussion. 

There are elements of jazz, Indian and African music in their creations. Has to be experienced really.

Where do they all belong? A superb addition to my collection.