Yes I believe (The Moody Blues) (LP 4461 - 4469)

The Hollies  Russian Roulette (Vinyl, Polydor Records, 1976) ***  

The Moody Blues December  (CD, Universal Records, 2003) *** 

Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass  Whipped Cream & Other Delights (Vinyl, Festival Records, 1965) *** 

John Sebastian  Cheapo-Cheapo Productions Presents Real Live John Sebastian (Vinyl, Warner Bros. Records, 1971) *** 

Argent  Argent (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1970) **** 

Argent  In Deep (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1973) *** 

Argent  Nexus (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1974) **** 

Brian Auger  The Best of Brian Auger (Vinyl, RCA Records, 1977) ***** 

Jackie DeShannon  Lonely Girl (Vinyl, Sunset Records, 1974) *** 

Genres: Pop, Prog rock, Easy listening, Folk-rock

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Daddy Don't Mind (The Hollies)

Gear costume: Dance in the Smoke (Argent), A Taste of Honey (Herb Alpert), Inner City Blues (Brian Auger)

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: Recently, I had a trip to Auckland for a couple of days which included my usual pilgrimage to Real Groovy Records in the CBD. All of the vinyl in the list above comes from their sale bins, which always reveals some treasures.

Doing this blog a while ago, I was surprised I didn't have a copy of The Hollies 1976 album, Russian Roulette, so I found a copy for $10. It's a pretty spirited affair with some electric guitar-based rock - the title track and Louise are good songs but they are no competition for the final song on side 2 - Daddy Don't Mind. It's superb and if the rest of the album was as good as that one it would have been a five-star effort.

The Moodies Christmas album, December, only has three members appearing on it - Graeme Edge, Justin Hayward and John Lodge. It's also their final studio album. I've been after it for a few years so I was delighted to find a CD copy of it.

It's very typically The Moody Blues - some lovely orchestral backing, Lodge and Hayward's distinctive vocals, and a theme - Christmas! Most of the songs are by Hayward and/or Lodge but there are some telling covers - John and Yoko's Happy Xmas (War is Over) delivers a nice message, while White Christmas and A Winter's Tale are also fab. 

As the AllMusic critic wrote: There is no new age drivel here; its topics and themes are indeed Christian, but weigh on the side of those that are universally held: brotherhood, compassion, hope, goodwill, and generosity. In addition, it's beautifully orchestrated and produced. Its sound is pristine, and Hayward and Lodge with their trademark elegance sound as if they mean every word they write and sing.  

As I've indicated previously here, my parents were big fans of Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, but for some strange reason they didn't buy his most popular one, his fourth album - Whipped Cream & Other Delights, so I've bought a copy for them.

I doubt it was because the cover image was a bit racey. Although pretty conservative, my parents weren't prudes. So, they bought three Herb Alpert albums but decided against Whipped Cream.

The live John Sebastian album came quickly after an unauthorised live album was issued and quickly withdrawn in 1970. That one is pretty impossible to find as it's never been re-released and so it's ultra-rare. The Cheapo-Cheapo alternative lives up to its name - just John and a guitarist friend to flesh out the sound, plus a quick succession of songs.

He plays with spirit and a certain level of commitment and while he hasn't got the warmth and humour of Arlo Guthrie or the political focus of Country Joe, it's still an interesting live document. A curio, if you will.

Argent was Rod Argent's creation after exiting The Zombies (they are coming in the countdown). I've already written about their live album and their third album - All Together Now. The new band spent six months workshopping ideas and jelling as an entity - the result was Argent.

The band lineup for their 1970 debut album, Argent, was Russ Ballard – guitar, lead vocals, Rod Argent – organ, piano, vocals, Jim Rodford – bass (later on he played bass in The Kinks), Robert Henrit – drums (also a Kink later on).

It's a strong album with a rockier approach to things than The Zombies more orchestrated pop ways. Rod contributes some excellent organ to the album and Russ Ballard shows his commercial abilities to good effect. For example, Lies is a standout pop song.

In Deep is the band's fourth studio album. It includes their big hit God Gave Rock and Roll to You, another Russ Ballad effort. The rest of the album is a succession of heavier prog songs like It's Only Money. 

The vocals are also more layered on this album. The album liner notes by Rod indicate that it was a focus to improve the vocal sounds and this was job done, I believe. 

Nexus is my third Argent album coming from this visit to Real Groovy. All three were fairly dusty with fingerprint marks but a good clean with some warm water has improved all of them dramatically.

Nexus sounds HUGE. Try Infinite Wanderer and marvel at Rod's keyboards! They are brilliantly to the fore, and the band is wailing behind his lead. It helps if you turn this album up really loud too. Just sayin'.

The Brian Auger compilation is absolutely superb. Every track is a wonderful example of his genius, whether than be on piano (Listen Here) or organ (Inner City Blues). The man is a true master!

Jackie DeShannon (a.k.a. De Shannon) is someone I admire a lot and I continue to buy her albums whenever they cross my path. Lonely Girl is a compilation from 1968. Weirdly it avoids two of her big hits - When You Walk in the Room and What the World Needs Now Is Love.

However, it does include her version of Needles and Pins, and her own terrific songs like Lonely Girl and I Remember the Boy. It also has some of the bombastic pop of the sixties which hasn't aged that well.

Where do they all belong? I'm keen to eventually find the three albums that I'm missing from the Argent catalogue - their second album - Ring of Hands and their two post Russ Ballard albums from 1975 - Circus and Counterpoints.

Crazy words, crazy tune (The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) (LP 4460)

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band  The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (Vinyl, Liberty Records, 1967) ***  

Genre: Country rock, folk rock 

Places I remember: The Spellbound Wax Co.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Buy for me the Rain

Gear costume: Song for Jutta

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 their debut album in the year of Sgt. Pepper, which just goes to show what an interesting year for music 1967 was.

There are some strong songs on the album. Apart from the clear stand-out (Buy for me the Rain), there are a couple by Jackson Browne who was briefly associated with the band before this album was recorded: an instrumental (Dismal Swamp), and Song to Jutta (which sounds like The Byrds).

There are also a number of songs using old-timey vaudeville style vocals which just don't work for me.

Where do they all belong? A good start for the band and a handy album from the year of Sgt. Pepper.

Flower king of flies (The Nice) (LP 4455 - 4459)

The Nice  The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack (Vinyl, Columbia Records, 1968) ****  

The Nice  Ars Longa Vita Brevis (Vinyl, Intermediate Records, 1968) **** 

The Nice  Nice (Vinyl, Intermediate Records, 1969) *****  

The Nice  Five Bridges (Vinyl, Mercury Records, 1970) **** 

The Nice  Elegy (Vinyl, Charisma Records, 1971) *****  

Genre: Prog rock

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records, Chaldon Books and Records, Amoeba Music

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: War and Peace (The Thoughts...), Hang on to a Dream (Elegy)

Gear costume: Rondo (The Thoughts...)

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 Emerson Lake & Palmer there was The Nice. They were a progressive rock band with one foot in the pop charts as well. Which is probably why Andrew Loog Oldham signed them to his label - Immediate Records.

For their debut, the awkwardly titled The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack, they were a foursome: Keith Emerson – keyboards;   Lee Jackson – bass, guitar, David O'List – guitar; Brian Davison – drums. 

It's a heady mix of quirky psychedelic pop with prog rock moves. The vocals are 'of their time' (i.e. psychedelic). Rondo became a signature song for Keith Emerson, and it appears on The Nice's debut.

Second album, Ars Longa Vita Brevis, sees the band continuing to explore new territory. Side one is a continuation of the debut's shorter songs and side 2 is a suite (the title song). David O'List is on the album but was fired during it, and the band opted to continue as a keyboard led trio.

The third album, Nice, was their final studio album - although side 2 featured live versions of Rondo and a Dylan cover. In many ways it's the bands best album before Emerson left to form another keyboard led power trio. It's a brilliant dose of rock combining psychedelic rock, jazz, and classical approaches.

Two further (mostly) live albums remain on my list. Both released as Emerson Lake & Palmer got underway. Five Bridges was released in 1970. Most of the album was recorded live in concert at Fairfield Halls, London, in 1969. The last track, One of Those People, is a studio recording. 

The Five Bridges Suite is made up of five-parts. The Nice perform with the Sinfonia of London in the concert. It's an excellent combination of prog rock and classical music. I think it's the equal of ELP's similar approach on Pictures at an Exhibition.

Keith is an amazing musical talent. He can skip into different styles in a heartbeat so what may seem classical becomes jazz and then back to rock in the same movement. Remarkable, and all clearly Keith Emerson in feel.

Elegy was their final album. It's another live album and a stunning record of The Nice at their peak. The version of Tim Hardin's Hang on to a Dream features Keith on piano and is amazing. The twelve minutes fly by in the hands of the master. The rest of the album shows what a terrific band The Nice were and it's an appropriate sign off to end their career. 

Where do they all belong? Eclipsed by ELP, The Nice are superb in their own right.

Sweet honey dripper (The Neville Brothers) (LP 4453 - 4454)

Neville Brothers  Fiyo on the Bayou (CD, A&M Records, 1981) ****  

The Neville Brothers  Family Groove (CD, A&M Records, 1981) ****  

Genre: Funk, soul, R&B

Places I remember: The Hope collection

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Fiyo on the Bayou

Gear costume: Let Me People Go (Family Groove)

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 are not albums I'd buy if left to my own devices. New Orleans style rock and soul has never been my go-to. That said, I'm happy to have these albums in my collection.

The Neville Brothers are pretty famous but I'm struggling to name any of the brothers apart from the honey-voiced Aaron, who had a successful solo career. Research tells me that the four brothers include Art, Cyril and Charles.

Fiyo on the Bayou was their second album and it's got that funky New Orleans combo of Cajun rock and reggae down. The title track is an instant classic with those massed Chamber Brothers style vocals to the fore.

Family Groove is a lot rockier by comparison but it still has that funky beat and the same distinctive Neville Brothers sound. As AllMusic sums up - All the usual Neville elements are here: Charles Neville on the saxophone, Cyril Neville on the drums, Art Neville on piano, and the inimitable voice of Aaron Neville.

Where do they all belong? That will do me for The Neville Brothers.

Pulled along by love (The Mutton Birds) (LP 4451 - 4452)

The Mutton Birds  Envy of Angels (CD, EMI Records, 1996) ****  

The Mutton Birds  Rain, Steam & Speed (CD, shhhh! Records, 1999) ****  

Genre: NZ Music, pop rock.

Places I remember: The Warehouse, JB Hi Fi

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Come Around (Envy of Angels)

Gear costume: April, She's Been Talking (Envy of Angels)

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 have only scratched the surface of The Muttom Birds by owning these two albums. Maybe weirdly, I have far more of Don McGlashan's other work, either with Front Lawn or solo. He's a singular NZ talent and I should get their other albums at some point.

The band on Envy of Angels (their third album) is made up of Don, Ross Burge (drums), Alan Gregg (bass), and David Long (guitar, keyboards). They recorded the album in Wales, as they had relocated to England just prior. Therefore, many of the songs deal with the sense of being away from home. Something I can relate to. It's an excellent album - not every song is a masterpiece, but it's close.

Rain, Steam & Speed was their fourth and final album (there are plenty of compilations out there). It's not as consistently strong as Envy of Angels but it is a cut above loads of other bands (NZ or otherwise).

Where do they all belong? As I said, I probably need those first two Mutton Bird albums.

The voyage (The Moody Blues) (LP 4446 - 4450)

The Moody Blues  Caught Live + Five (Vinyl, London Records, 1977) ****  

The Moody Blues  Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 (CD and DVD, Eagle Records, 2008) ****  

The Moody Blues  Hall of Fame (CD, Threshold/ Universal Records, 2008) ****  

The Moody Blues  Live at the BBC 1967 -1970 (CD, BBC Records, 1996) ****  

The Moody Blues  Transmissions 1966 - 1968 (CD, MCPS Records, 2008) ****  

Genre: Prog rock

Places I remember: Chaldon Books and Records (Caught Live), JB Hi Fi, Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Gypsy (Isle of Wight)

Gear costume: Legend of a Mind (Isle of Wight)

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: Caught Live + Five was released in 1977 but it is made up of three sides live in 1969 at the Royal Albert Hall and five previously unreleased songs from 1967-1968.

The live versions are pretty faithful to the studio ones, albeit delivered with a musclier sound. The vocal blend is also a terrific feature of their live work in the late sixties. Amazing, given the comparatively primitive on stage monitors they had to use back then.

The five previously unreleased songs (one from Lodge, one from Pinder and three from Hayward) all sit very comfortably in the Moodies soundscape.

The Isle of Wight Festival in 1970 is an obsession of mine (I collect anything I can find from it) and I was thrilled that The Moody Blues were in the line-up. They are ragged and magnificent during their set - all jagged guitars and Graeme Edge is on fire! 

They start with an amped up version of Gypsy and then deliver a tight, focused, energised set. Ray's Legend of a Mind is particularly effective in a live setting. On both of these first two live selections Mike Pinder's mellotron is a real star turn - delivering all those orchestral flourishes without an actual orchestra. 

Side note - the expanded CD version is the better bet as the DVD has less songs. Still great to have the visuals though.

The Hall of Fame set is again from The Royal Albert Hall in London, but recorded in 2000, so it's great to compare it to Caught Live + Five. This time they had a real orchestra to help out (Mike Pinder was long gone by 2000). The versions are delightful on this live set and having an orchestra onboard certainly suits them.

The compilations of their BBC and radio broadcasts are the subject of two double CDs: Transmissions 1966 - 1968 and Live at the BBC 1967 - 1970. There is some duplication along the way on these two sets but they both present a terrific alternative sound/look to their studio output from those years.

Where do they all belong? As well as the above, my collection has some groovy DVDs of live shows: The Lost Performance - Live in Paris '70; A Night at Red Rocks (with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra); and a nifty documentary - Legend of a Band.

The voice (The Moody Blues) (LP 4441 - 4445)

The Moody Blues  Long Distance Voyager (Vinyl, Threshold Records, 1981) ****  

The Moody Blues  The Present (Vinyl, Threshold Records, 1983) ***  

The Moody Blues  The Other Side of Life (Vinyl, Polydor Records, 1986) ***  

The Moody Blues  Sur La Mer (Vinyl, Polydor Records, 1988) **  

The Moody Blues  Keys of the Kingdom (CD, Polydor Records, 1991) **  

Genre: Synth pop, prog rock

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: The Voice (Long Distance Voyager)

Gear costume: Gemini Dream (Long Distance Voyager), Your Wildest Dreams (The Other Side of 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: With Mike Pinder departing, the Moody Blues brought in keyboardist Patrick Moraz as a replacement. Patrick had been in Yes as a replacement for Rick Wakeman and now he was charged with the same duties in The Moody Blues. Sadly, that meant more synths, no mellotron. I am consoled by the fact that the synth presence is quite understated.

That still means the band sound more like Electric Light Orchestra than The Moody Blues at times (Gemini Dream) but overall Long Distance Voyager is a strong opening statement with The Voice a clear highlight on their first album of the eighties.

The Present was their eleventh album, and Patrick Moraz's second album as a Moodie. His synths are a little more intrusive than they were on Long Distance Voyager and while it has the usual Moody Blues' catchy melodies, it's lacking in pizzazz.

The Other Side of Life came three years after The Present, which came two years after Long Distance Voyager. The album was now on Polydor Records, rather than their own Threshold imprint. Given it's 1986, and Patrick Moraz is again involved (for the last time as it happened), the band was heavily reliant on synthesizers, sequencers and drum machines.  

Tony Visconti is in the producer role for this album, and he does a great job. I can even move past the synths because the songs are good, kicking off with Your Wildest Dreams - another Justin Hayward pearler.

Sur La Mer starts off again with a Justin Hayward pop song that has a catchy hook - I Know You're Out There Somewhere. It's the clear standout on a sub-par album.  That takes nothing away from Justin Hayward though, as he is a terrific musician and composer (I've already written about his solo albums here). 

Tony Visconti is again involved and so was Patrick Moraz, so that means so were those pesky eighties sounds - even more so on Sur La Mer. While the songs are still recognisable (just) as Moodies songs, the synth pop sound is a long way from their sixties'/ seventies' prog pomp. It's pretty telling that Ray Thomas does not appear on this album, although he hadn't left the band.

The final album on my list is Keys of the Kingdom from 1991. Ray is back, and so too is the pop sound without the synth pop of the previous two albums. That said, there were no hit songs off the album, and even Sur La Mer had one of those!

Where do they all belong? That's it for the studio albums. I am missing their last two albums - Strange Times (1999) and December (their Christmas album from 2003). So, live Moodies and a couple of compilations are next.