Rock and roll, hoochie koo (Rick Derringer) (LP 232-233)

Rick Derringer All American Boy (Vinyl- Epic, 1973) ***
Rick Derringer Derringer Live (Vinyl- CBS, 1977) ***

Genre: Power Pop  

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records (Auckland) 

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Teenage Love Affair (two versions for y'all - studio and live - you choose!)






Gear costume:  Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo; Jump Jump, Jump (guitar chops galore); Beyond The Universe

Active compensatory factors: Rick seems to have been around forever. In 1965, age 17, he was that voice on The McCoys' Hang On Sloopy, and he's still singing and playing in 2018 (a rarity for Goo Goo artists).

Teenage Love Affair and Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo did the trick for me in 1973. And they still do, although my response isn't as hormone fuelled as it was as a 15 year old male desperate to meet a cute little thing about 15 who liked to make the school boys stare!

Four years on and Derringer Live only has three All American Boy songs. New recruits to the gig list almost hold their own with the others. Almost. 

Best amongst them is the Hendrix-ian Beyond The Universe - sure 'nuff!!

Bottom line: the studio versions are still where things are captured best for Rick (but I hope you had a look at that live version above - Rick TEARS IT UP!!!).

Where do they all belong? Solo debut All American Boy was the best studio album, a few live albums to come on CD that sum up the years since this peak.

The words are just rules and regulations to me (Patti Smith) (LP 228 - 231)

Patti Smith Horses (Vinyl - Arista, 1975) *****
Patti Smith Group Radio Ethiopia (Vinyl - Arista, 1976) *****
Patti Smith Live at Bottom Line (Vinyl, 1975) *** 
Patti Smith Teenage Perversity and Ships In The Night (Vinyl - Free Flight, 1976) *****

Genre: Alternative rock  (she's not pop, she's not rock, she's, um, something else)

Places I remember: Marbecks Records x2 

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Pumpin' (my heart); Gloria 






Gear costume:  Land, Pissing In A River, Ain't It Strange 

Active compensatory factors: These two landmark studio albums are linked here in that they represent Patti Smith's great creative gush of 1975/1976. 

For me, Radio Ethiopia shades Horses in the canon - just for personal reasons. I realise everyone is amazed by Horses because it was so fresh and revolutionary in 1976, but Radio Ethiopia felt even more on the ledge to me in 1976. 

And I believe the songs on these albums stand up better in 2018. It shouldn't be possible but the depth and heft of these songs just increases over time. Extraordinary.

When I started at varsity in 1977, I'd bought all of Patti's poetry books I could find from the Auckland University bookstore. I especially loved Babel and her way with words. It was a constant companion during those wonderfully self indulgent years. Now it sits on my shelf alongside Woolgathering, Just Kids, M train, Seventh Heaven, Ha!Ha! Houdini!, The Night, WITT, and The Coral Sea.

Pleasures and charms abound: Lenny Kaye's guitar; voices voices mesmerize; words twist and shout; the spirit of rock'n'roll (Gloria - holy moley!); the pop of an intellect and connections beyond earthy understanding; experimentation; Richard Sohl's perfect piano; love and energy; hard driving rythum by Jay Dee's drums/Ivan Kral on bass; and always, always - the one off visionary poet/priestess sole/soul screamer - Patricia Lee Smith!! 

She moves in another dimension.

The two bootlegs which present Patti Smith in live settings  [The Roxy (January 1976)/Bottom Line (December 1975)] provide different visceral punk pleasures entirely. 

The sound quality is pretty good for bootlegs (better on Teenage Perversity...) and the performances are brilliant (especially on Teenage Perversity...).

Highlights of Live at Bottom Line: three stars because the sound is a tad murky and because of the edits between songs; the album kicks off with a spirited version of the Velvet Underground's Real Good Time Together; a perfectly formed Privilege (Set Me Free) and Space Monkey (called Spunky on the cover) - they wouldn't turn up on record for another three years; Free Money is turbo charged; then there's the one two three punch to end the album - Land/Gloria, Time is On My Side, and an amazing version of My Generation with John Cale on John Entwistle style bass.

Highlights of Teenage Perversity and Ships in the Night: An extra couple of stars for this one because the sound is much better and it retains the links between songs, plus the electric energy hisses and pops in a live scenario; A month later and opener Real Good Time Together sounds even tighter; Privilege (Set Me Free) is great (bizarrely called Watching The Breeze on the cover); Ain't It Strange (called Strained On Strange on the cover) is such a great song - transcend, transcend; a starkly beautiful Pale Blue Eyes; a brief but hard driving prototype of Pumpin' (My Heart) here prosaically named The Smooth Stone Beyond on the cover; Gloria (everytime, a highlight); and, again, the perfect encore - My Generation.

Where do they all belong? Easter and the rest of the Smith discography to come.

Fine horsemen (Lal and Mike Waterson) (LP 227)

Lal and Mike Waterson Bright Phoebus (CD - Domino Recording, 1972) ****

Genre: Folk

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records (Auckland)  

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: The Scarecrow (is scary man!)



Gear costume: Winifer Odd  

Active compensatory factors: Slight detour here because this album came up for discussion in the MNAC (Monday night album club) I contribute to with some family in the UK.

Unusually, I already owned a copy so in the interests of killing two birds with one stone...

Actually death, killing and foreboding filthy weather are heavily represented as themes in the song lyrics of the album: The Scarecrow (an old man hanging from a pole); Never The Same (Rosemary's sitting in a shower of rain and it'll kill her); Fine Horsemen (my family's dead my heart is in the ground); Winifer Odd (she waited for death to come); Child Among The Weeds; and Danny Rose dies dramatically in his automobile.

Balancing this is the sunshine that creeps through at various times on Shady Lady, Bright Phoebus, Red Wine Promises, and Fine Horsemen.

Oh and, yes, ha, birds are in plentiful supply as well - raven wings, starlings, crows, sparrows, turtle doves. 

The album isn't without humour thanks to opener The Rubber Band but from then on it's of the creepy macabre black kind (the end of Winifer Odd for instance with the ambulance arriving).

Apologies for coming over all English teacher like, but I love the lyrics to the album - they often feel like very old folk songs (The Scarecrow, Winifer Odd) and they often contain some deceptively sharp turn of phrase - Winifer Odd was born on one cold May morning in June.

Instrumentally the album is stunning - but with folk royalty all aboard, it would be wouldn't it: Martin Carthy; Richard Thompson; various Steeleye Spanites - Maddy Prior/ Tim Hart/ Ashley Hutchings join in the fun.

But the real stars here are Lal and Mike's songs and vocals - real, earthy, rural, unrepentently provincial. There's substance and honesty in this singing that is rare in this day and age.

Where do they all belong? It's a stand alone, yet deeply entrenched in the folk tradition.

I'm so glad (Cream) (LP 220 - 226)

Creme de la Cream vinyl box set (1980)

Cream Fresh Cream (Vinyl - RSO, 1966) ***
Cream Disraeli Gears (Vinyl - Polydor, 1967) *****
Cream Wheels Of Fire: In the studio (Vinyl - RSO, 1968) **
Cream Wheels Of Fire: Live at the Fillmore (Vinyl - RSO, 1968) ***
Cream Goodbye Cream (Vinyl - RSO, 1969) ****
Cream Live Cream (Vinyl - RSO, 1970) ***
Cream Live Cream Volume II (Vinyl - Polydor, 1972) ****

Genre: Blues (a stretch, I know, but it keeps all the Clapton material roughly in one place)  

Places I remember: Roger Marbeck's Cannongate St house, early eighties.  

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Sunshine Of Your Love (Disraeli Gears), Crossroads (Live)




Gear costume: Badge (Goodbye), Strange Brew (Disraeli Gears) 


Active compensatory factors: Welcome to the longest Goo Goo entry for ages. That's because I'm tracking through the contents of my Creme De La Cream vinyl box set.

But first: some context.

It all started with I'm So Glad on an el cheapo knock off Cream compilation album (called Swlabr) on Polydor's el cheapo knock off Karussell label, bought from a supermarket back at the dawn of time. 

I'm So Glad, as featured on that album in long/live form, hooked me. Forever.

Fast forward to 1980 and I'm helping Roger Marbeck dig out wet clay from under his house. As a thank uou, Roger gives me this box set: all the studio and live albums together, along with Extra Cream (a bonus 12 inch single). He's a great guy is our Roger!

In a four year whirlwind of activity, the Cream super group juggernaut conquered the world and then flamed out. 

Here's everything they recorded!

Things began with Fresh and my copy's crazy stereo separation (Ginger and the bass on the right, Eric and vocals on the left) is the first bizarre aspect of note (it was also released on mono but quickly deleted - shame coz it's probably the better way to hear this).

Maybe it's done to showcase the three master musicians' individual genius and Eric's guitar pyrotechnics are, indeed, mind blowing, but it sounds weird and on the tinny side at times (especially on Four Until Late).

Highlights:  Spoonful still sounds remarkable, Rollin' and Tumblin' is an extraordinary firestorm thanks to Bruce's gob iron and vocals (my mother always hated this song!), and I'm So Glad retains its, erm, freshness.

Disraeli Gears is by far the best of the two studio albums (double album Wheels Of Fire and Goodbye are mixtures of live and studio tracks), even though it includes the weak Blue Condition and bizarre Mother's Lament to end each side.

Highlights aplenty: apart from the amazing riff at the heart of Sunshine Of Your Love, take your pick from Strange Brew, Tales Of Brave Ulysses (Clapton on spectacular wah wah) or SWLABR, or We're Going Wrong or Take It Back and Dance The Night Away is a psychedelic musical representation of the cover all on its own.

Third offering was the double Wheels Of Fire - one studio album and one live (it was released as a double at the time but the Creme de la Cream set presents them as the two individual albums that were later released).

It's my least favourite Cream album. The studio sides are patchy and the live tracks bloated.

Highlights: Crossroads is, of course, a highlight of Clapton's entire career and Traintime on the live album is worth your time (still can't get through all of Spoonful or Toad without getting distracted). Studio album highlights are even less plentiful - White Room is barking mad and shouldn't work but somehow does;  and Born Under a Bad Sign is energetic.

As  a final statement (the remaining two live albums come from roughly the same source as those that appear on Wheels Of Fire), Goodbye Cream is a doozy!

Highlights: That brilliant version of I'm So Glad that I heard first on the Karussell album is here (the sound of three great musicians kicking the shit out of the blues), the best version of Politician (great guitar by Slowhand), and Badge with George Harrison on rhythm guitar. 

The two live albums are enjoyable without being essential. Curiously, even though it seems a cash in two years after the first collection, Volume II is much the better album thanks to the greater brevity and variety 0n show.

Rather than a full concert, we get individual tracks - never my favourite approach, as you know.

Live Cream highlights: A Lawdy Mama that sounds like Strange Brew, an epic Sweet Wine that takes in some interesting side roads and a less frenetic but worthy Rollin' and Tumblin'. 

Live Cream Volume II highlights: muscular versions of Deserted Cities of the Heart, White Room, Politician, and Hideaway. The version of Sunshine Of Your Love ain't too shabby either!!

Where do they all belong? More Clapton related material when we roll around to the CD collection again - specifically Journeyman.

The hills of Greenmore (Steeleye Span) (LP 218 - 219)

Steeleye Span Hark! The Village Wait (CD - Castle, 1970) ***

Steeleye Span Below The Salt (Vinyl - Chrysalis, 1972) ***

Genre: Folk

Places I remember: Fives (on The Broadway, Leigh-on-sea, UK); Slow Boat Records (Wellington, NZ) 

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: The Blacksmith (Hark!)




Gear costume:  John Barleycorn (Salt)

Active compensatory factors: Earthy, is the best adjective I can think of to describe the appeal of Steeleye Span. Although I started late - around the Thomas The Rhymer era (via Ian Anderson), I have come to appreciate these early albums for their honesty and earthiness.

Apart from the life weary instrumentation and the everyday content of the folk songs - shoemakers, miners, blacksmiths, sailors and fisherfolk inhabit these songs, it is the peerless vocals of  Tim Hart and Maddy Prior (along with Gay Woods on that first Steeleye Span album) that make this such a rewarding experience.

Perfect starts to debut albums are scarce as hen's teeth (tip o' the hat to I Saw Her Standing There and Good Times Bad Times at this point) - but here's another contender thanks to the one two punch of a capella A Calling-On Song and then The Blacksmith. 

Being transported back to my spiritual home of England is one of my favourite-ist things in the world and hearing Ar-a blacksmith courted ME (etc) does the trick admirably!

The rest of the album is set up for more rollicking tales from England's folk past via fiddle/dulcimer/ banjo/ autoharp/bodhran/mandolin on top of a drum/bass bed and I'm thankful to be along for the ride. Yes sirree!

By 4th album, 1972's Below The Salt, The group had undergone radical transformation personnel wise.

Bit of a shock when you see the cover - all look like they are in their bloom of youth, but then they sound like they've accessed a time tunnel from the 16th century.

Folk rock bands often have fluid line-ups and so it is with Steeleye Span. Gay and Terry Woods had left after Hark! and, further down the road, so had Ashley Hutchings.

That left the glorious Maddy Prior and Tim Hart as the core members. Cue a simpler sound in many ways but all the Spanisms are intact - a cappella, jigs, catchy folk rock, Tim and Maddy harmonies - all present and correct.

Where do they all belong?  Now We Are Six is next.

Too much fun (Commander Cody) (LP 216 - 217)

Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen Live From Deep in The Heart Of Texas (Vinyl - Paramount Records, 1973) ***
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen We've Got A Live One Here! (Vinyl - Warner Bros. records, 1976) ***

Genre: Country  

Places I remember:  Real Groovy Records (Auckland)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: I'm Comin' Home (Live from Deep in the Heart of Texas)




Gear costume: Too Much Fun/ Riot in Cell Block #9 (Live FDITHOT); Rock That Boogie (WGALOH)

Active compensatory factors: Although there are boogie woogie, rock'n'roll, and western swing elements to the Airmen's repertoire, overall the country genre is a big one and Cody has a place there. Yes, he does.

Actually, come to think of it, the old Country and Western tag fits their endeavours more but that term has gone wildly out of date and only those of us of a certain vintage would even know about it. But take my word for it young 'uns - Cody and his swinging Airmen fit it to a T.

Live...starts off as all good live albums should! With an introduction. Then it's onwards fulfilling the good rockin' tonite credo.

Give the folks what they want! It ain't brain surgery.

Of the two We've Got A Live One is the better overall experience as it traces the pace of an actual performance - building up to the climax of side 4 and classic killer song after classic killer song - Don't Let Go - Too Much Fun - Hot Rod Lincoln - Lost in the Ozone.

The main take away from these six sides of live Commander Cody and his Airmen is how much genuine fun they seem to have playing and how much fun they provide for us.

Too much fun? Ha!

Where do they all belong? They link to the previous entry on Texas Roadhouse Favorites. That's it though for their part in this on-going story.