Hard times (Curtis Mayfield) (LP 875 - 877)

Curtis Mayfield  There's No Place Like America Today (CD, Charly, 1975) ****  

Curtis Mayfield  Live In Europe (CD, Charly, 1988) *****  

Curtis Mayfield  People Get Ready (Live at Ronnie Scott's London) (CD, Castle, 1990) ****  

Genre: Soul

Places I remember: Virgin Megastore (Dubai), HMV Croydon, and Lindsay Hope's collection - in that order.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Hard Times

Gear costume: Freddie's Dead

Active compensatory factors: I'm a late comer to Curtis Mayfield but I've caught up with his work in The Impressions and his solo work thanks to some compilations, and these three CDs.

There's No Place Like America Today is a studio album from 1975. Curtis' social justice stance is obvious from the cover onwards. Jesus is a remarkable song. The horn charts are exemplary.

I must confess the falsetto voice takes a bit to get used to. I'm not a fan generally - whether it be Prince, Mick Jagger or whoever. It fits for Curtis Mayfield though.

I do tend to visit the live albums more as they create a great atmosphere, include all his greatest songs, plus Curtis and band are in great form. His sincerity and compassion are fully on display on both sets. He was quite a live draw!

Where do they all belong? I'd suggest starting with the live albums, then the compilations, then the studio albums. But that's me.

Not alone anymore (Traveling Wilburys) (LP 873 - 874)

Traveling Wilburys  The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1  (CD and Vinyl, Wilbury Records, 1988) *****  

Traveling Wilburys  The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3  (Vinyl, Wilbury Records, 1990) *** 

Genre: Beatles pop/rock (filled under Harrison in my collection)

Places I remember: Marbecks Records; Record store in Nelson for Vol 3.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Handle Me With Care (featuring Nelson Wilbury)

Gear costume: Not Alone Anymore (featuring Lefty Wilbury)

Active compensatory factors: Growing out of George's need for a B-side following his Cloud Nine album - Handle Me With Care kicked off the whole Traveling Wilbury's schtick. 

The subsequent album called Volume 1 from this multi-national supergroup (Dylan, Petty, Harrison, Orbison, Lynne) was a delightful surprise when it emerged in 1988.

Undisputed star turn of the bunch was Roy Orbison (Lefty Wilbury). His vocals lift every song he approaches on the album. The over-riding feelings throughout are ones of spontaneous joy/happiness/fun/brotherhood (hence the Ramones style names).

They probably had a lot of fun singing and playing together on Volume 3 (there was no Volume 2 from these cheeky chappies) but, compared to Volume 1, it doesn't quite sound like that.

Maybe the fact Roy O had passed away (Lefty had left the building), or maybe because the songs weren't as strong, or maybe second album syndrome or maybe it was because George's songs weren't the lynchpins this time. Maybe all of the above. Who knows. But it wasn't a patch on Volume 1.

Where do they all belong? A lot more than a footnote on their careers - Traveling Wilburys fashioned a really distinctive group sound. That said, it sits at the end of the George Harrison section in my collection.

Silver spoon (Kantner/Slick) (LP 870 - 872)

Paul Kantner/ Jefferson Starship  Blows Against The Empire (CD and Vinyl, RCA Records, 1970) ***** 

Paul Kantner/ Grace Slick  Sunfighter (Vinyl, Grunt Records, 1971) ***  

Paul Kantner/ Grace Slick/ David Freiberg  Baron Von Tollbooth and The Chrome Nun (Vinyl, Grunt Records, 1973) ****  

Genre: Grunt Records/ San Francisco rock

Places I remember: Real Groovy for Blows...; Roger Marbeck gifted Sunfighter; Marbecks Records for Baron... 

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Hijack, Have You Seen The Stars Tonite?, Starship

Gear costume: Flowers Of The Night

Active compensatory factors: These albums are the product of an amazingly fertile Bay area rock scene. Like David Crosby's first solo album, they all feature members of Grateful Dead, Crosby Stills Nash, Jefferson Airplane/Starship and others.

The Kantner 1970 concept album emerged while the original Jefferson Airplane was falling apart. 

The name of the album is tricky as four years later Jefferson Airplane became Jefferson Starship as a band. In the meantime Kantner helmed these three 'solo' albums with that large collection of Bay area musicians - including principally Grace and David Freiberg.

It all gets a bit confusing but the albums, the songs, the playing - they all hold up!

Blows Against The Empire is superb from start to spectacular finish. Those voices! Paul and Grace were just magic together. Starship is a great example. The acoustic guitars and Grace's piano playing are standouts. The science fiction storyline holds things together. It's a classic!

Sunfighter came out straight after Jefferson Airplane's Bark - for a bunch of hippies these people had a great work ethic! It's another terrific album for JA fans to listen to, what with Grace's distinctive piano and the awesome vocal interplay between Slick and Kantner who were now parents of China Wing Kantner and the Bay musical family again coming to the party. It gets three stars because it's a fine album but it doesn't have the memorable songs needed to get to 4 or 5 stars.

Baron Von Tollbooth and The Chrome Nun is the third Kantner offshoot album from Jefferson Airplane and the songs are back to top quality again. It features all the usual Kantner/Slick strengths plus the vocals of David Freiberg - filling the Marty Balin harmony role, and the inspired choice of Craig Chaquico on three tracks. Then there's also the cameo by Jack Traylor who recorded for Grunt Records fleetingly (coming up later in the countdown). He contributes the song and vocals for Flowers of the Night.

Where do they all belong? It's back to the CD collection next. First up - Traveling Wilburys Vol 1.

You win again (Grateful Dead) (LP 869)

Grateful Dead  Europe '72 (Vinyl, Warner Brothers Records, 1972) ****  

Genre: San Francisco rock 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Jack Straw

Gear costume: Morning Dew

Active compensatory factors: This triple album of Dead highlights from their April/May trek through Europe in 1972 looms large in their legend. It was commercially and artistically a big hit with Deadheads.

For simple reasons: the playing is great; the songs were new and presented in their best light.

Otherwise it's NOT a great live album in my estimation. The crowd noise is forensically removed so this, along with a number of studio overdubs, plus the fact it cherry picks from a number of venues, all means this is presented more like a studio recording than a live document.  

The band personnel was interesting too - Pigpen's last tour and the first by Keith and Donna Godchaux. The combination most definitely worked!

Where do they all belong? A transitional record in some respects but it's a benchmark in the vast Dead canon.

Good rockin' (Molly Hatchet) (LP 866 - 868)

Molly Hatchet  Molly Hatchet (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1978) *****  

Molly Hatchet  Flirtin' With Disaster (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1979) ***** 

Molly Hatchet  Double Trouble Live (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1985) *** 

Genre: Southern rock

Places I remember: Marbecks Records for the first two, Slow Boat Records for the double live one.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Gunsmoke

Gear costume: Flirtin' With Disaster

Active compensatory factors: I had a real job picking Fab and Gear tracks to highlight above. Anything on those first two studio albums would have done the trick. The first three songs are crucial on any album and each of these albums sets a blistering pace with real quality.

There's nothing wildly original about the songs on these albums - they simply base everything on the southern rock template of guitars, shuffle beat, down home drawl vocals and a local setting for subject matter. But it's damn fine to listen to! Fun times!!

Molly Hatchet (the first album) sounds insanely brilliant and fully formed right from those first three superb tracks: Bounty Hunter; Gator Country; Big Apple. 

The interplay between the three lead guitarists is superb and the confidence oozes out of each track. I guess Tom Werman (producer) and Antonio Reale (Engineer) should take some credit for that - it sounds great!!

Second album Flirtin' With Disaster is even better - their biggest selling album too. Definitely a peak moment for the band.

It contains their own 'Free Bird' epic - Boogie No More and hits other peaks other southern bands could only dream of. Only The Allman Brothers and Skynyrd ahead of them in my humble opinion.

Warning: the double live album came out in the mid eighties. By that time Danny Joe Brown was back in the band so you're in safe hands vocally as they run straight atcha baby, with some great songs and the version of Free Bird is brave (and terrific).

One star off for replacing the third lead guitarist with a keyboard player (including a synth!). Side one is a cracking trip through 4 songs off those first two albums - then side 2 opens with two melodic pop songs featuring a synth and la la la la backing vocals. So, there's that. But the rest is damn fine.

Where do they all belong? Like Lynyrd Skynyrd, the first two albums are all you really need (I sold the third album as I didn't like the replacement singer for Danny Joe Brown as much).

Call it a loan (Jackson Browne) (LP 862 - 865)

Jackson Browne  Running On Empty (cassette tape, then CD and Vinyl, Asylum Records, 1977) *****  

Jackson Browne  Hold Out (Vinyl, Asylum Records, 1980) ****

Jackson Browne  Lives In The Balance (Vinyl, Asylum Records, 1986) ****  

Jackson Browne  World In Motion (Vinyl, Elektra/Asylum Records, 1989) ***

Genre: Pop/rock

Places I remember: Spellbound Wax Company (Gisborne); Real Groovy Records (Hold Out - cost me $3.50!); Slow Boat Records 
 
Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Call It A Loan

Gear costume: Running On Empty

Active compensatory factors: Running On Empty is a great concept album centred on a musician's life on the road (think Rambling Man by The Allmans supplemented and stretched into an introspective album of songs).

The album is a true Wozza classic - it's an album I return to a lot (along with his first two) because it's always rewarding me in different ways and (crucially) it feels like a complete story of burn out, redemption, constant movement, needs, loves and hates of constant travel.

I also like the way he incorporates songs by others (most notably Danny O'Keefe, Rev. Gary Davis and Maurice Williams) and makes them his own. Apart from Stay (Maurice Williams), I thought they were Jackson Browne songs for many years.

Hold Out is close to another 5 star work (every song a masterpiece, remember). It resonates, I think, because it is linked very specifically to a time (1982 during my year at Auckland Secondary Teachers' College) when I lived alone. The only ever time I've lived alone actually. I was keen on a girl in our year at ASTC called Sue. We went out but she had a boyfriend already back where she came from down country so I played her side two and especially Call It A Loan/ Hold On Hold Out - hoping it would turn things around - but alas. It didn't.  

When I play the album I'm back in that awkward situation in 1982, and when I hear Missing Persons/ Call It A Loan/ Hold On Hold Out I'm back in my Windmill Road flat in the half dark - wondering whether I'd ever find true love. Sad, huh?

What happened next? Fate intervened - took me off to New Plymouth and within weeks I met Jacky. True love via love at first sight on February the 26th!

Unlike so many sixties/seventies musicians, the eighties was pretty good to JB.

Lives In The Balance was something of a return to form after Lawyers In Love in 1983 (I bought it at the time, but sold it pretty quickly). It's the start of a more overtly political JB - a movement away from affairs of the heart (and those lawyers) towards songs with more of a social conscience. And the songs stand up because of the tougher rockier sound from the now short haired JB. 

World In Motion continues the transition - not too many love songs on this one!  

Although it all sounds pretty fine, the problem with earnest songs about the state of the world persists - they just don't hit the rock'n'roll spot as the personal love songs do.  

Where do they all belong? We'll see how he did as he moved into the nineties and beyond when we get into the CD collection again.