Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence - ROBERT FRIPP.
Information is not knowledge;
knowledge is not wisdom;
wisdom is not truth;
truth is not beauty;
beauty is not love;
love is not music;
MUSIC IS THE BEST - FRANK ZAPPA.
I think we're a little happier when we have a little music in our lives - STEVE JOBS.
Music in the soul can be heard by the universe - LAO TZU.
Rock and Roll is fire, man. FIRE. - DAVID BRIGGS.
Music grips you, gets into your soul -
GEORGE MARTIN
Patti Smith GroupWave(Vinyl, Arista, 1979) *** Patti SmithDream Of Life(Vinyl, Arista, 1988) ***
Genre: Alternative rock Places I remember: Marbecks Records (the record cover has the sticker to prove it!) Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Frederick
Gear costume:Looking For You (I Was);Dream Of Life; Dancing Barefoot; Citizen Ship.
Active compensatory factors: These two albums were much appreciated by me at the time, but, in hindsight, they are somewhat spotty mid period albums. Both tried out more mainstream rock sounds and so I've grouped them together here. Wave is the last album by the Patti Smith Group and when she returned to music nine years later it was without the brilliant Lenny Kaye on guitar (he was replaced on Dream Of Life by her husband - Fred Sonic Smith). Fred was probably a better guitarist technically, but Lenny is the perfect foil for Patti and I missed his presence. Stylistically Dream of Life is more consistently successful than Wave, but Wave has more peaks (no apologies for the pun), and more connections to the firey PSG of old. Still, it's Patti and she is yet to put out a bad record y'all! Where do they all belong? When Patti's next album, Gone Again, came after Dreams, it was another 8 years later and Lenny was back. What's 16 years between friends?
John Mayall with Eric ClaptonBluesbreakers with Eric Clapton(Vinyl, Lillith Records 1966, this version 2008) ***** John Mayall and The BluesbreakersA Hard Road(Vinyl, Lillith Records 1967, this version 2011) *****
Genre: Blues Places I remember: The Warehouse (Hastings NZ) Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Steppin' Out, It Ain't Right (Beano album)
Gear costume:Dust My Blues (A Hard Road)
Active compensatory factors: The Bluesbreakers albums are legendary artifacts - the first one, also known as the Beano album, was the only one to feature a young guitar slinger named Eric Clapton, and the second one was the first to feature Peter Green. Phew - some heavy dudes! What I love about them is that they are so different stylistically but both so brilliant. After Beano, Clapton bailed out to join Baker and Bruce in Cream. It was definitely a logical progression for him. The Beano album is a fine one and the pinnacle of his pre Cream days, but the Bluesbreakers didn't suffer at all from his departure. A Hard Road is a completely new sound thanks to Peter Green's exceptional guitar playing, and great in its own way. Where do they all belong? Basically, this was the start of Mayall's long and extremely distinguished career. And he's still going strong - his latest album came out last year!
Genre: Folk Places I remember: Chaldon Books and Records (Caterham on the hill) Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: There But For Fortune
Gear costume:It Ain't me, Babe, I Still Miss Someone Active compensatory factors: When Joan is on form - There But For Fortune, there is no one to touch her. This record is worth whatever I paid for it (actually I know it was seven pound 50p) just for that one song. Within that one interpretation, there's sincerity, clear vision, pathos, expressiveness without sentimentality. Langston Hughes in his liner notes to this album says: when something is arty, it is held in the hand and looked at with conceit. But when something is art, it is the hand. I think he'd just heard There But For Fortune when he composed that pithy remark. The rest of the album has huge variety, with Joan taking on Dylan and Johnny Cash (successfully) and some old English ballads and a Brasileiras (less successfully to my ears). In the middle ground are songs like Stewball (daft song about a horse that The Hollies also had a go at) and Richard Farina's Birmingham Sunday.
Where do they all belong? In the end, it's There But For Fortune that wins the day.
Stanley ClarkeStanley Clarke(CD, Epic, 1974) *** Stanley ClarkeJourney To Love(CD, Epic, 1975) *** Stanley ClarkeSchool Days(CD, Epic, 1976) **** Stanley ClarkeModern Man(CD, Epic, 1978) **** Stanley ClarkeClarke/ Duke Project(CD, Epic, 1981) ****
Genre: Jazz fusion Places I remember: HMV London Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Modern Man (from Modern Man)
Gear costume: The Dancer (from School Days); Rock and Roll Jelly (from Modern Man) Active compensatory factors: Fusion is a genre that is pretty much made for me. There are elements of prog rock, it's jazz, but not jazz, has guitars and guitar wig outs, mainly instrumentals, some show-off-manship and pretension, a lot of noodling...all there in the genre. Stanley is one of fusion's main heroes - a bass guitarist who creates out there music with some of the best musicians on the planet: Tony Williams (drums); Jan Hammer (keyboards); Chick Corea (piano); George Duke (keyboards); Jeff Beck (guitar); John McLaughlin (guitar); Lenny White (drums). That's only some, and that's only on the first two albums listed above! Each of these five albums contains some sublime playing - and each has at least one peak track: Lopsy Lu (Stanley Clarke); Concerto For Jazz Rock Orchestra (Journey To Love); The Dancer and Hot Fun (School Days); Modern Man (Modern Man); Wild Dog (Clarke/Duke Project). Only down side is his proclivity, from time to time, for solo bass pieces. Youch. Those moments are for the diehard bassists!
Where do they all belong? If you need more - return to Return To Forever.
Genre: Australian pop/rock Places I remember: The Warehouse Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Hells Bells
Gear costume:You Shook Me All Night Long Active compensatory factors: After Bon Scott's death the band ploughed on. That's what AC/DC do. I remember Brian Johnson from Geordie, a British glam/pop band of the seventies and I'm a Bon Scott fan so it took me a loooong while before I actually bought this CD. When I did, my suspicions were confirmed. Truth is a lot of the material here is sub standard AC/DC. There are only two really good tunes and a few nearly make the grade (Shake A Leg and Shoot To Thrill), but overall it doesn't have the heft of Let There Be Rock or Powerage. And I'm not a fan of Johnson's vocals. But having said that, Angus makes up for that on this record. Actually he is AC/DC! Can't imagine the band ever being the same without him. But they have coped well with others falling away and being replaced. Although Malcolm Young's death seems to have put the band into hibernation for now. Anyway, this album: it's slick and heavy but it's not the beast that If You Want Blood is. The sexual double entendre is by this point pretty tired and stoopid too. And at times, plain nasty (Givin The Dog A Bone is exhibit one). Grown men strutting around saying let me put my love into you babe is a worry.
Where do they all belong? That's it for AC/DC - I haven't bothered with any of the post BIB albums. Three reasons: Brian Johnson, mid tempo songs and (therefore), Phil Rudd's ponderous drumming. Cold Chisel are up next for the Aussie battler genre. So, that's 400 albums done and dusted in the collection. A few thousand to go!
Ray BrownSome of My Best Friends Are... The Piano Players(CD, Telarc Jazz, 1995) ***
Genre: Piano jazz Places I remember: Inherited from Graham Purdy's collection Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles:My Romance
Gear costume:Giant Steps, Ray Of Light, How Come You do Me? Active compensatory factors: I love piano jazz albums, and that comes from my dad. Some people reckon that listening to classical music is the best for studying, but for me, it's always been piano jazz compilations. This album acts as something of a compilation set, as it has a variety of genius pianists playing with the core rhythm section of Ray Brown on bass and Lewis Nash on drums. Those pianists: Benny Green; Ahmad Jamal; Geoff Keezer; Dado Maroni; and Oscar Peterson. Phew - quite a line-up. The highlights come along regularly - Dado Moroni on Mr Romance, Benny Green on Ray Of Light and the Oscar Peterson tracks St Tropez and How Come You Do Me? are all wonderful expressions of jazz artistry.
Where do they all belong? This set leads off the piano jazz section in the collection.
