The big time (Dwight Yoakam) (LP 972 - 974)

Dwight Yoakam  Under The Covers (CD, Reprise Records, 1997) ***  

Dwight Yoakam  Population: Me (CD, Audium Records, 2003) *** 

Dwight Yoakam  Second Hand Heart (CD, Reprise Records, 2015) ****  

Genre: Country

Places I remember: The Warehouse, Virgin Megastore (Dubai)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues

Gear costume: Train In Vain

Active compensatory factors: The covers album is interesting as he visits a lot of British pop bands like The Kinks (epic fail on that one as he tries a rat pack style lounge act), The Beatles, Rolling Stones, and more up to date - The Clash.

For my money he's better when doing countryish takes on material like Claudette, The Last Time, and Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues.

Population Me is his 13th studio album, and last with producer Pete Anderson (the split after 20 years wasn't a happy one). It's a good blend of songs with a broad approach to covers and a whole lot of originals. The covers are again my favs on this one - The Late Great Golden State and Trains And Boats And Planes.

Second Hand Heart is my final Dwight Yoakam album and it shows his powers were undiminished in 2015. It's another polished set of songs, more upbeat than Population Me, and something of a return to earlier form, but also a statement about how far he'd come. 

She is a good example - the sound on that one is bang up to date and a strong pop song, but a fair distance from where he started. But then, there are other songs on this one that could have come from his early period. I like the mix.

Where do they all belong? And that is that for Dwight in the collection. I'm not a completist for his albums so I doubt I'll be adding to the tally. His best work is early and on the Reprise label.

Hello, hooray (Judy Collins) (LP 971)

Judy Collins  Who Knows Where The Time Goes (CD, Elektra Records, 1968) **  

Genre: Folk rock 

Places I remember: The Warehouse 

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Pretty Polly

Gear costume: Hello Hooray

Active compensatory factors: I do like the purity of Miss Judy Blue Eyes' voice but I was a little too young to appreciate her records as they came out in the sixties and now my tastes have changed. So when I came to own this album many years after its release I did so out of interest rather than love.

When she opens the album with Hello Hooray I immediately struggle because I only know the Alice Cooper version (from Billion Dollar Babies). I'd never considered that Alice was doing a cover version.

Judy's version is great because it is radically different - almost a different song in her hands. But still - Alice's version lingers in my brain.

The backing is stellar with rock aristocracy appearing on various songs; Stephen Stills, Van Dyke Parks, Jim Gordon, Chris Ethridge and James Burton all make their presence felt.

Female vocal styles have changed a lot since her heyday, so post Joplin, Slick, Adele, Winehouse et al, Judy sounds very much of her time. Nothing wrong with that but it does limit my enjoyment - hence the two stars.

Where do they all belong? A stand alone in my collection. 

Powerhouse sod (Jack Bruce) (LP 969 - 970)

Jack Bruce  Spirit: Live At The BBC 1971 - 1978 (CD, Polydor Records, 2008) ****  

Jack Bruce  Live On The Old Grey Whistle Test (CD, Strange Fruit, 1998) *** 

Genre: Blues rock

Places I remember: EMI (Vienna); HMV (East Croyden)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: A Letter Of Thanks (Graham Bond on keyboards on the Spirit version but it's not available on Spotify)

Gear costume: Powerhouse Sod  

Active compensatory factors: There is a bit of crossover on these live session CDs. The first eight songs on Live on The OGWT from 1975 are replicated on Spirit disc 2, but it then adds a further eight songs that aren't on Spirit.

Spirit is a triple CD package and is the one to get if you want a more comprehensive wrap up of Jack's BBC dates in the seventies.

The sound on disc one (from 1971) takes a bit to adapt to - it's a bit lop-sided with the guitar by Chris Spedding heavily on one channel, but Jack is superb throughout - all impassioned lead vocals and his usual sublime bass lines. Once they've taken a couple of songs to warm up the band clicks into a mighty unit.

Disc two is that OGWT set from 1975. Mick Taylor is the featured guitarist this time out, with Carla Bley contributing as well, on keyboards. The sound is a lot calmer and less jazz fusion than the 1971 one - maybe the presence of Carla Bley and her mellotron? Whatever the case there's definitely more space around the instruments in this set.

What I love about Jack is that he was forever questing for different sounds, so the music is never formulaic or easy.

Disc three covers a 1978 concert with Simon Phillips and Tony Hymas as the rhythm section and Hughie Burns on guitar. It concentrates on tracks from Jack's How's Tricks? album. Times is particularly effective in this live version. 

Making up the numbers over the three CDs are songs from a trio - John Surman  on sax, Jon Hiseman on drums. It's a great vehicle for more musical experimentations.

Where do they all belong? And that is it for the Jack Bruce collection to this point! More Clapton is next up in this genre.

Jazzy (Bolling/ Rampal) (LP 968)

Claude Bolling and Jean-Pierre Rampal  Suite For Flute & Jazz Piano Trio No. 2 (CD, CBS, 1987) ****  

Genre: Jazz piano 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Jazzy

Gear costume: Vagabonde 

Active compensatory factors: I finally completed the set of these collaborations a few months ago.

Spring/ summer seasons are not complete without the beauty of a Claude Bolling jazz trio with Rampal guesting on flute.

There is an ethereal quality to these records. The sounds just float around, form into curlicues, and then drift heavenwards.

Where do they all belong? This completes my catch up of Claude Bolling's albums with Rampal. The others can be found here and here.

Blue Aura (Passport) (LP 963 - 967)

Passport  Hand Made (CD, Atlantic Records, 1973) ***  

Passport  Doldinger Jubilee '75 (CD, Atlantic Records, 1975) ***  

Passport  Cross Collateral (CD, Atlantic Records, 1975) ***  

Passport  Infinity Machine (CD, Atlantic Records, 1976) **** 

Klaus Doldinger  Passport Live (CD, WEA Records, 2000) ***

Genre: Jazz fusion 

Places I remember: Kings Recording (Abu Dhabi); Virgin Megastore (Dubai)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Abracadabra (on Hand Made and Jubilee '75 as a live version)

Gear costume: Cross Collateral (album of the same name); Morning Sun (Infinity Machine)

Active compensatory factors: As Klaus Doldinger continued to lead various versions of Passport lineups through these years and albums the consistency of music and style is remarkable, all linked by those iconic covers.

The music varies between Spirogyra pleasantries at one end of the continuum (Morning Sun), with some ferocious ensemble playing at the other (Infinity Machine) - sometimes, as in those two songs, on the same album. 

Indeed, if you want to pick one out of the bunch, I'd go with Infinity Machine as a good starting point. The band and Klaus are in good form.

Truth be told these are nice to have, but none are essential purchases. 

The live albums do add another dimension though. Buddy Guy even makes an appearance on Jubilee '75!

The live album released in 2000 is another fantastic recording by Klaus. I think this one includes his best tenor sax playing. He's in full mastery mode throughout these German concerts. It is a tad long though - one point deducted for that.

Where do they all belong? That concludes the Passport CDs that I racked up in the Middle East. No need for any more (but I do love those covers!)

Tune up (Stan Getz/ Albert Dailey) (LP 960 - 962)

Stan Getz & Bill Evans  Stan Getz & Bill Evans (CD, Verve Records, 1973) ****  

Stan Getz & Albert Dailey  Poetry (CD, Blue Note Records, 1984) *** 

Stan Getz  Heart Place (a.k.a. The Sound Of Jazz Volume 11) (CD, Memo Music, 1988) ***   

Genre: Jazz 

Places I remember: The two collaborations - Kings Recording (Abu Dhabi); Heart Place - The Warehouse

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: My Heart Stood Still (Getz & Evans)

Gear costume: Funkallero (Getz & Evans); Autumn Leaves (Heart Place)

Active compensatory factors: I really like the Getz and Evans collaboration. It comes with the brilliant Elvin Jones on drums and Ron Carter or Richard Davis on bass. What a line-up!

There's something magic about a quartet anyway but when the musicians are titans it makes for something extra special.

Poetry is just tenor sax and piano and it has taken me a lot of listens to open up to it. It was recorded in 1983 and finds Getz and Dailey reaching for different types of sounds from their instruments. It's going to take a few more listens I think.

Heart Place is an inconsistent set with the eleven minutes Billie's Bounce being the most challenging to listen to. Autumn leaves though highlights the Getz brilliance well.

Where do they all belong? That's it for Stan Getz. next up in the jazz CD section is The Frank Gibson Quartet.

Everybody heals (Anderson/ Stolt) (LP 959)

Anderson/ Stolt  Invention Of knowledge (CD, Inside Out Records, 2016) *** 

Genre: Prog rock

Places I remember: Fopp (Covent Garden)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Chase and Harmony (from Knowing)

Gear costume: Everybody Heals

Active compensatory factors: Jon Anderson has one of those voices that is instantly recognisable. It doesn't matter much if he's performing with Yes or solo, or, as in this case, in collaboration with others.

I'm a fan but I understand how it's an acquired taste - liking one vocalist, but disliking another is in the ear of the beholder after all.

Roine Stolt is a Swedish prog musician who has had two significant bands - Kaipa in the seventies, and now The Flower Kings. 

This album is a collaboration between Anderson and Stolt, two big names in prog, but also features members of Stolt's band.

It's a very successful venture. The music has prog flourishes but doesn't sound like Yes, while Jon Anderson sounds like Jon Anderson and his lyrics are the usual hippy cosmic-centred vibe he's made his own over the years.

My one gripe is that the music floats by in four lengthy suites, without being distinctive enough to hook inside my brain. That makes it difficult to highlight some 'songs' to highlight.

That said, it sounds brilliant!

Where do they all belong? A one off project from Anderson and Stolt.

Pretty baby (Blondie) (LP 956 - 958)

Blondie  Plastic Letters (CD, Chrysalis Records, 1978) ***  

Blondie  Parallel Lines (CD, Chrysalis Records, 1978) *****  

Blondie  Blondie Live (CD, Chrysalis Records, 1999) ****  

Genre: Pop/ rock

Places I remember: The Warehouse (Hastings)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Hanging On The Telephone (Parallel Lines)

Gear costume: Sunday Girl (Parallel Lines); Rip Her To Shreds (Blondie Live)

Active compensatory factors: Blondie's second album, Plastic Letters, is interesting as it still hangs on to some punkish sensibilities while expanding into rock and pop areas at times.

The hits were Denis and (I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence Dear and they stand out from the rest of the album. Fan Mail would have been a good single too IMHO.

Nothing on Plastic Letters prepared the world for the mega success of Parallel Lines though. It signaled a giant leap in production, song-writing and sheer presence (dear). It's a pop master class.

Blondie and Debbie Harry were everywhere in 1979 - that video for Heart Of Glass alone had an immense impact. It managed to skirt around the fringes of disco and was just palatable enough for rock fans like me in 1979.

By 1999 the band had broken up, Debbie Harry had split from Chris Stein and had had an intermittently successful solo career. 

The live album was recorded during their successful 1998-1999 comeback tour with most of the classic lineup present (Harry, Stein, Jimmy Destri and Clem Burke).

It's made up of songs recorded at a variety of gigs but sounds like one unified concert. All of the big hits are there from their career to that point so it doubles as a great retrospective.

It's recorded really well and the band are in fine form. Debbie is, of course, the iconic star of the show as is right and proper!

Where do they all belong? That's it for Blondie. Next up in this genre is Bon Iver.

Keep a light on (Dave Dobbyn) (LP 955)

dave dobbyn  the islander (CD, Columbia Records, 1998) ***  

Genre: NZ pop rock 

Places I remember: Vinyl Countdown (New Plymouth)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: waiting

Gear costume: beside you, blindman's bend (yes - everything about this album is in an unassuming lower case)

Active compensatory factors: This was a big one back in the last century - went number 1 in NZ, and, in retrospect, it's pretty clear why.

First of all everyone loves our national treasure (now Sir DD) and second of all it includes some great playing by the usual suspects (Neil Finn, Ross Burge, Ian Morris included) during, third of all, a fine collection of songs sacked in the experience of being a New Zealander.

The best of his solo albums? I'm not sure because, although I have three of them and have owned another two at various times, I'm not a huge fan (like my bros GK and KS). It's certainly my favourite if anyone is asking.

Where do they all belong? That's it for Sir David Dobbyn for now (I have kept coming back to him over the years so I may well add other albums by him to the collection yet).

Crack rock (Frank Ocean) (LP 954)

Frank Ocean  channel ORANGE (CD, Island/ Def Jam, 2012) *** 

Genre: Soul

Places I remember: HMV Oxford St.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Lost 

Gear costume: Pyramids

Active compensatory factors: While visiting London from the Middle East, I bought this to see what all the fuss around Frank Ocean was about. Youth culture is hard to ignore while travelling around London.

I can see the attraction - offbeat songs, elliptical lyrics, and a smooth soul voice, Frank presents as a slightly eccentric one off. I didn't feel inspired to buy any other albums by him, so it's a one off for me too.

I can also truthfully say I don't listen to this album much. This is probably the third or fourth time I've listened all the way through.

This is mainly because I have a big collection and there are always other albums I'd rather listen to instead. Somehow the whole album lacks something for me to focus on: maybe it's the snippets of cinema verité he includes along the way; maybe it's all the various contributors; maybe it's the wide stylistic canvas - soul, pop, jazz, funk, psychedelic; maybe it's the length - it feels long and unfocussed to me!

Where do they all belong? Lou Rawls is next up in the soul section.

No bed for Beatle John (Yoko Ono) (LP 950 - 953)

Yoko Ono/ John Lennon  Unfinished Music #1: Two Virgins (Vinyl and CD, Apple Records, 1968) * 

John Lennon/ Yoko Ono  Unfinished Music #2: Life With The Lions (Vinyl and CD, Zapple Records, 1969) * 

John Ono Lennon & Yoko Ono Lennon  Wedding Album (Vinyl and CD, Apple Records, 1969) * 

The Plastic Ono Band  Live Peace In Toronto 1969 (Vinyl, Apple Records, 1969) **** 

Genre: Beatle pop/rock

Places I remember: Vinyl: Noel Forth helped me get Two Virgins, Wedding Album (from Japan), and Live Peace. Life With The Lions came from Marbecks before I knew Roger and all the CDs are from Real Groovy.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Blue Suede Shoes (Live Peace)

Gear costume: Yer Blues (Live Peace); No Bed For Beatle John (Unfinished Music #2)

Active compensatory factors: These first four albums outside of The Beatles will severely test your resolve and commitment to both John and Yoko. I passed that test but it was a close thing at times.

Unfinished Music #1 (and yes my vinyl version came in a brown paper sleeve with cut outs for the faces and the album name as pictured above) is more infamous for its cover (the pair celebrating their union with a frontal nude shot - as you do) than its contents. 

It's not music as such - more a continuation of the sound collage they started with Revolution #9 on The Beatles.

Except, I really like Revolution #9. Two Virgins is much less effective as a collage.

Unfinished Music #2 collects an appearance the two made at Cambridge University - John on squawking feedback and Yoko on screaming for 26 minutes and 31 seconds, with material from a hospital stay in 1968 during which Yoko tragically miscarried.

She sings No Bed For Beatle John, the baby's heart beat is recorded, followed by a 2 minute silence and then a track where John flicks restlessly around a radio dial. Shesh.

By comparison, Wedding Album is relatively straight-forward with a side of John and Yoko repeating each other's names and a side of various press conferences from their bedisms.

Finally, there is some music on Live Peace in Toronto 1969! Wahoo, and for the most part it's spirited and remarkably coherent - given the band (Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann, Alan White and the Lennons) rehearsed on the plane ride to Toronto.

Side One's a fab mix of old rock'n'roll numbers, a Beatle song (Yer Blues) and a couple of solo singles. I love it!

The second side is Yoko doing her thing (all over you) on two songs. Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow) has its moments with John and Eric supplying some grunty guitar but the lengthy John John (Let's Hope For Peace) again tests that resolve.

Where do they all belong? After he got those four albums out of his system, our hero put out a five star classic and only my favourite album of all time (coming soon).

The sky is no limit (Paul Kantner) (LP 949)

Paul Kantner  The Planet Earth Rock And Roll Orchestra (Vinyl, RCA Records, 1983) ***  

Genre: San Francisco rock/ Grunt Records (it's not on Grunt Records exactly but it would be strange to put it anywhere else).

Places I remember: Marbecks Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Lilith's Song (Paul dedicates it to Grace - the model of the witch Lilith, and to the memory of John Lennon - silver Beatle)

Gear costume: The Mountain Song (Kantner/Garcia song, sung brilliantly by Paul and Grace)

Active compensatory factors: A weird one, as again Paul taps into the San Francisco rock aristocracy for musicianship. The cast is large and esteemed.

It's only credited to Paul though, so it makes it his one and only solo album - and a sequel of sorts to Blows Against The Empire. It's also a kind of soundtrack to his science-fiction novel (also called, The Planet Earth Rock And Roll Orchestra).

Got all that? You can see why I didn't include it in Kantner's previous post looking at Blows, Sunfighter and Baron Von Tollbooth. It's just too complicated. Plus, we'll come to Grace's solo albums in due course so it's only fair that I separate this one out.

I love Paul Kantner and I love Grace Slick, so I'm not a very reliable commentator. Everything they do is worth hearing! Still, I wouldn't rate this an unconditional success. The concept Paul's hanging this on is okay as it goes (I haven't read the novel, but I need to) but you don't need to really follow the plot to enjoy the album.

As a sequel to Blows Against The Empire it's also a little un-convincing - it seems more of a stand alone album. This time out it's quite electric based where Blows was performed on a bed of acoustic guitars (which I like more).

It may be that I've heard Blows oodles of times, and Planet Earth only a few times, so Blows has more impact. Time will tell, because I need to come back to it again!

Where do they all belong? Back to Jorma when I return to Grunt Records.

Ship of fools (Grateful Dead (LP 945 - 948)

Grateful Dead  Wake Of The Flood (Vinyl, Grateful Dead Records/ Atlantic, 1973) ***  

Grateful Dead  Grateful Dead From The Mars Hotel (Vinyl, Grateful Dead Records/ Atlantic, 1974) ****  

Grateful Dead  Terrapin Station (Vinyl, Arista, 1977) ****

Grateful Dead  Shakedown Street (Vinyl, Grateful Dead Records/ Atlantic, 1978) ***   

Genre: San Francisco rock

Places I remember: Marbecks Records/ Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Terrapin Station

Gear costume: Ship Of Fools (Mars Hotel);

Active compensatory factors: The studio albums in the seventies are under-appreciated I feel, and are ripe for reappraisal and rediscovery. 

While Wake Of The Flood has a brilliant cover, it is a somewhat downbeat, transitional album, with new members, the Godchauxs, now fully replacing Pigpen. Even so it includes the standout Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo.

After that one they revived quickly and put together a good run of radio friendly, fun records from then onwards.

I like both Mars Hotel and Terrapin Station a lot. They are more upbeat, more confident with the new members and while they still seem constrained in the studio they could at least update their sound in that setting.

Side two of Terrapin Station has the title track in eight parts and I adore this brilliant song, principally written by Garcia/Hunter but including compositional contribution from all the band. It is a delight! Everything works spectacularly on this track - the quasi medieval instrumental sections, and the singing by Garcia is superb. Robert Hunter's lyrics are again unique!

I'm also quite partial to their final seventies album - Shakedown Street. Not only featuring a brilliant cover by Gilbert Shelton, but with Lowell George as producer (shortly before he passed away).

He sets up a very cool California soft rock groove for the album.

I bought Terrapin and Shakedown while working at Marbecks in my varsity holidays and they, along with 1980's Go To Heaven, formed a lot of the soundtrack for these years. Special times with special people!

Where do they all belong? For some reason I've never bought Blues For Allah - also from this period. I'll have to rectify that. The eighties and beyond to come.