Ain't that nice (The Dixie Cups) (LP 4661 - 4664)

Jimmy Smith  Midnight Special  (Vinyl, Blue Note Records, 1961, 2023 reissue) ****  

The Dixie Cups  Chapel of Love (Vinyl, Sun Records, 1964, 2023 reissue) *** 

Various  Hotel Jolie Dame (Vinyl, Jazz Dispensary Records, 2023) *** 

Various  Transmissions from Total Refreshment Centre (Vinyl, Blue Note Records, 2023) **** 

Genre: Jazz, sixties pop. 

Places I remember: JB Hi Fi

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Crescent (Jake Long on Transmissions...)

Gear costume: Chapel of Love (The Dixie Cups)

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: JB Hi Fi's sale bins, plus a King's Birthday 20% off deal proved too much of a temptation, recently.

The Jimmy Smith album was in the jazz section and when I did a quick search on AllMusic, I had to grab it. The lineup is great - Stanley Turrentine on sax and Kenny Burrell on guitar, and the album was part of the sessions for Back at the Chicken Shack (which I still need to buy). Both albums have Jimmy posing in the same clothes even!

This is my second Jimmy Smith album, Boss Man was the first - from my father's collection. For some reason that was the only Jimmy Smith album dad owned. Actually, now that I come to think of it, apart from Paul Desmond's work with Dave Brubeck, dad didn't seem to favour the sax sound. Trumpets? Big band horn sections? Pianos? Oh hell, yes. But not the sax as a lead instrument.

Anyway, Midnight Special is an excellent album as Turrentine and Burrell share the lead role with Jimmy. I think dad would have liked it too.

Chapel of Love was the debut album for The Dixie Cups in 1964. My attention was elsewhere at the time (I was 7) and later on with The Beatles' efforts from 1964. So, it's taken me a while to catch up (and a $9 price tag helped).

The singing threesome was made up of sisters Barbara and Rosa Hawkins and their cousin, Joan Johnson. The girls hit it big with their first single - Chapel of Love, written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector. 

The album is full of bright tunes/fun songs produced by the legendary team of Leiber and Stoller, but nothing could top that first song on side one.

The Hotel Jolie Dame compilation is a 2023 Record Store Day offering from The Jazz Dispensary label. A cunning way to present a selection from their jazzy roster. Their mission was to take listeners 'on a trip back to the summer of 1978, to an imaginary hotel deep in the heart of the French Riviera, for a day of love, abandonment, and a whole lot of psychedelia, soundtracked by sweet themes from Dizzy Gillespie, The Blackbyrds, Dorothy Ashby, and many more'.

It was a pressing limited to 5,000 copies worldwide on 'Psych-Sunset Orange Marble' vinyl. 

The music certainly lives up to their vision/hype (read more here), and is good value for $9.

Transmissions from Total Refreshment Centre is a compilation of jazz/ funk/ dub/ soul/ hip hop workouts from London's Total Refreshment Centre collective.

I'm not a hip hop fan so I tend to skip the first track from Soccer96 and, to a lesser extent, Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange - their music is a treat and the hip hop is a fitting accoutrement even if I'm not a hip hop fan, but the rest of the album is superb. Special mentions go to the lengthy jazz work outs by drummer Jake Long and lead off track on side 2 - Matters Unknown.

Given they are a collective, the music of the whole compilation hangs together well. The Blue Note album cover is also a thing of beauty. On the whole it's also well worth the $9 I paid for it. BTW - the Pitchfork review is recommended reading for its background information.

Where do they all belong? Obviously, JB Hi Fi bought a lot of stock during 2023, which is great for punters like me who are discovering new sounds via their discounted sales. Keep 'em coming JB!

Move it on over (George Thorogood and the Destroyers) (LP 4657 - 4660)

George Thorogood and the Destroyers  George Thorogood and the Destroyers (Vinyl, RCA Records, 1977) ****  

George Thorogood and the Destroyers  Move it On Over (Vinyl, Rounder Records, 1978) ***** 

George Thorogood and the Destroyers  More George Thorogood and the Destroyers (Vinyl, Rounder Records, 1980) ***   

George Thorogood & the Destroyers  Live (Vinyl, EMI Records, 1986) ****  

Genre: Blues rock 

Places I remember: Marbecks Records, Move It On Over came from a Sydney record shop (bought by dad), Live - Real Groovy Records.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Move It On Over (live version)

Gear costume: So Much Trouble (live version), I Drink Alone (Live), One Scotch, One Bourdon, One Beer (Live)

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: My first taste of George Thorogood came via the song Move It On Over which prompted me to ask dad to buy a copy for me on a business trip to Sydney. I loved that album, and that lead to me back tracking to the debut. As with so many albums, the first one that I experienced became my favourite.

The debut album is not as orgasmically great as MIOO but it has some terrific songs, mostly on side one. You Got To Lose and Can't Stop Lovin' bookend the side which also includes Madison Blues and the beyond great One Bourbon, One Scotch One Beer. This album's as raw as George would get.

Those are all excellent songs written by blues greats like John Lee Hooker, Elmore James and Earl Hooker. George and his band The Destroyers (a.k.a. The Delaware Destroyers) rock them up a storm thanks to George's boogie slide guitar playing.  This album is George at his boogie blues best.

More George Thorogood changes it up a bit and goes for a more rock'n'roll sound with the introduction of Hank Carter on saxophone. This is the version of the band I heard at the Auckland Town Hall in 1981. It was a brilliant show - one of my favourite gig memories. Although good, the album pales next to Move It On Over.

The final album on my list is the live version of the band from the mid-eighties, recorded at the Cincinnati Gardens, Ohio. 

It's a good representation of the excitement to be had at a George Thorogood and the Destroyers concert and the combo of I Drink Alone with One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer is a beast!  Yes, George - we've heard the story before, but it never gets old!! 

Where do they all belong? The boogie slide and retro blues of the Move It On Over album is the best place to start.

Closer to the edge (Thirty Seconds to Mars) (LP 4656)

Thirty Seconds to Mars  This Is War (CD, Virgin Records, 2009) **  

Genre: Rock

Places I remember: Virgin Megastore

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Closer to the Edge

Gear costume: Stranger in a Strange Land

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 band centres around two brothers - Jared Leto (lead vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards) and Shannon Leto (drums). On This Is War they are joined by Tomo Miličević (guitars, bass, keyboards, violin).

The war that the title refers to is a legal dispute the band had with Virgin Records that lasted the two years it took them to make This Is War. The sound is a mix of synth pop, and prog rock histrionics. They remind me a bit of U2 at the pomp rockiest or Evermore (Truth of the World era). Not a bad thing, but also not something I listen to much now. Mainly because I lack the patience these days.  

Where do they all belong? I think I bought this because it featured in a list of records to hear before you die, but this one is going in the selling off pile, now that I've heard it.

Small town girl (Tracey Thorn) (LP 4651 - 4655)

Tracey Thorn  A Distant Shore  (CD, Cherry Red Records, 1982) ***  

Tracey Thorn  Out of the Woods  (CD, Virgin Records, 2007) ****

Tracey Thorn  Love and the Opposite  (CD, Strange Feeling Records, 2010) ****

Tracey Thorn  Tinsel and Lights  (CD, Merge Records, 2012) ****

Tracey Thorn  Record  (CD, Merge Records, 2018) ****

Genre: Alt rock, Pop 

Places I remember: HMV, Real Groovy Records, FOPP

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Long White Dress (Love and the Opposite)

Gear costume: It's All True (Out of the Woods) 

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 will come as no surprise, by now, that I'm a big fan of anything Tracey Thorn does, whether it be her books, the two albums by The Marine Girls or her sublime work in Everything But The Girl. Clearly, she is a really talented writer (non-fiction and songs), singer and musician. Now my attention turns to her solo career.

That started in muted style with 1982's A Distant Shore - an acoustic album that came after The Marine Girls and before Everything But The Girl got going two years later. The understated nature of the album allows Tracey's voice to assume more importance. Her guitar work is also pretty impressive.

Solo album number 2 emerged in 2007, 25 years after her first (she'd been busy with EBTG and raising three children). It turned out to be a terrific pop album - full of great dance floor fillers.

She uses a wide range of collaborators on the album (none of which are her husband - Ben Watt) but the whole album sounds and feels like a Tracey Thorn solo album. What a remarkable and singular talent she has, and egoless!

Love and the Opposite again employs a lot of collaborators to great effect, as she pivots away from synth pop and embraces a more organic folk rock sound. That's appropriate, as it's definitely a more grown up record - as she said, it's "a record about the person I am now and the people around me ... about real life after forty". 

She succeeds brilliantly as she chronicles the changes life throws at us all, and that voice! Always brilliant.

Tinsel and Lights is her fourth solo album. It concentrates on Christmas songs by a range of modern songwriters, as well as one standard (Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas). Ben Watt appears on most tracks, and even their three children join in with some backing vocals on Tracey's song Joy.

Record is her latest solo album, as EBTG became active again in 2023. It's a return to the impressive  synth pop of Out of the Woods.

Where do they all belong? I'll always be there, thanks to Tracey Thorn's warm vocals, thoughtful lyrics and sympathetic collaborators.

You take me up (Thompson Twins) (LP 4650)

Thompson Twins  Into the Gap (Vinyl, Arista Records, 1984) ***  

Genre: Pop, Synth pop 

Places I remember: Margy's brother's collection

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Hold Me Now

Gear costume: Doctor! Doctor!

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: Thompson Twins eventually became a trio (ha!) comprising Tom Bailey (vocals, keyboards, guitars), Joe Leeway (keyboards), and New Zealander Alannah Currie (acoustic drums, percussion, marimba, xylophone).

Into the Gap was the sixth album by Thompson Twins of various configurations and it was also their most commercially successful album, thanks to Hold Me Now and other singles off the album.

Despite my distaste for synths and programmed drums, I retain a soft spot for the band thanks to Tom's vocals, Allanah's presence and the cover which has the globe stopped to feature NZ. Nice!

Where do they all belong? That said, one Thompson Twins album is definitely enough.

Mountain top (Paul McCartney) (LP 4647 - 4649)

Paul McCartney  The Boys of Dungeon Lane (Vinyl, Capitol Records, 2026) **** 

Joni Mitchell  Miles of Aisles  (Vinyl, Asylum Records, 1974, 2022 reissue) ****  

Joni Mitchell  Rolling Thunder Revue (Vinyl, Rhino Records, 2025) ****  

Genre: Pop, folk rock 

Places I remember: JB Hi Fi

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Home To Us (Macca)

Gear costume: Both Sides Now (Joni)

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: These three albums came from a recent spending spree at JB Hi Fi during their 20% sale. That takes away some of the pain of paying nearly $90 for a new slice of vinyl (that was the price on the new McCartney album).

There aren't too many artists still around who I make a special hour journey to the record store for, to buy their latest album on the day of release. Macca is certainly one. His latest is The Boys of Dungeon Lane. The boys he refers to are his mates back in Liverpool's Speke district, where he grew up.

The whole album has a lovely nostalgic vibe about it - from the cover illustration that leans on a street sign from the Speke district, to an inner sleeve with copious photos of John Paul George and Ringo plus others (such as Brian, Mike McGear, and Neil Aspinall), to Ringo's appearance on one track - Home to Us, a real standout. I'd love to hear a complete album of songs like this - with both of them playing and singing up a fab storm.

It also sounds absolutely current thanks to Andrew Watt's presence and Paul's brilliance (he plays most of the instruments and obviously is the main writer). Yes, his vocal abilities as he approaches his mid-eighties aren't what they used to be, naturally, but he still sounds recognisable and full of vitality. This won't be his last studio album, I'm sure.

Joni Mitchell released her first ever live album, Miles of Aisles, in 1974. For some bizarre reason, it's taken me until 2026 to buy a copy. Bizarre because I love Joni and I've always wanted a copy of this album. When it was re-released four years ago it was priced well above my comfort level. so when I spied a new copy for $50 (with JD's 20% reduction) it was time to finally make the purchase.

Tom Scott's jazz fusion band (LA Express) are a perfect foil for Joni at this point, in between Court and Spark and The Hissing of Summer Lawns. That is balanced by half of the album being Joni alone with her guitar - so, you get the best of both worlds.

Joni's Rolling Thunder Revue was a Record Store Day album that is of historic significance. She hitched aboard Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue and this album includes material she was working on for Hejira (my favourite Joni Mitchell album). Two reasons why I enjoyed the album immensely.

Where do they all belong? Full credit to the delights of JPM and Record Store Day releases!

Walking on a wire (Richard & Linda Thompson) (LP 4646)

Richard & Linda Thompson   Shoot Out the Lights (CD, Hannibal Records, 1982) ****  

Genre: Folk rock 

Places I remember: Hope family collection

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Wall of Death

Gear costume: Did She Jump or Was She Pushed?

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: Richard Thompson and his wife Linda had a lengthy back catalogue before all turned sour in their relationship. Shoot Out the Lights was their final album together.

It's more rock than folk rock when Richard sings, and more folk than rock when Linda takes over the vocals. Her singing is a joy - even if she's singing about painful circumstances.

The AllMusic review highlights the production by Joe Boyd (clean, uncluttered), the arrangements (Spartan), and Richard Thompson's guitar work (wiry,remarkable, displaying a blazing technical skill that never interfered with his melodic sensibilities).

Where do they all belong? The only album of theirs in my collection.