Another road (Loggins & Messina) (LP 4926 - 4930)

Loggins & Messina  On Stage (Vinyl, Columbia Records, 1974) ****  

Dave Mason  It's Like You Never Left (Vinyl, Columbia Records, 1973) ***  

Dave Mason  Split Coconut (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1975) **** 

Paris  Big Towne, 2061 (Vinyl, Capitol Records, 1976) ***

Mel Parsons  Castle Hill (Vinyl, Cape Road Recordings, 2026) ***

Genre: Country rock, pop rock, glam, NZ music

Places I remember: Brian Smith Collection, The Little Red Bookshop, JB Hi Fi, Vinyl Room, Vinyl Vault Plus, JB Hi Fi

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Angry Eyes (On Stage)

Gear costume: Blue Robin (Big Towne, 2061)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8

Active compensatory factors: I am a late convert to the joys and delights of Loggins & Messina. Their double live album starts off with some solo Kenny Loggins tunes which are okay but the concert sparks to life when Jim Messina joins him on stage for some down-home country rock picking.

The songs from their first two duo albums make up the set (it was released before their third studio album). I particularly like it when they stretch out. Angry Eyes is a good example of that - ten minutes of prime country rock. The side long version of Vahevala is also a standout. That said, side 4 climaxes the show really well.

Dave Mason, who passed away in April this year, was a key member of Traffic, but he also had a successful solo career. He was also a damn fine songwriter (Feelin' Alright, Hole in My Shoe, We Just Disagree are three). 

It's Like You Never Left was his third solo album with some notable friends joining in on the fun, such as Graham Nash, George Harrison (his very distinctive slide guitar is on one song), Stevie Wonder (on one song) and Jim Keltner.

It's a very buoyant, positive record, even though he always seems to look quite miserable and dour on his album covers. Same thing goes for Split Coconut. If anything, this album is even better, with some great harmonies from Crosby and Nash on most tracks. 

Paris was a band Bob Welch put together when he left Fleetwood Mac. They existed for two albums (Big Towne, 2061 was the second) and then Bob went solo (his albums here). It's a good pop rock sound generated by Bob, Hunt Sales on drums and Glenn Cornick, yes - the former Jethro Tull bassist. Sadly, the songs weren't very memorable, and Bob would move on to better things.

Mel Parsons is a New Zealand singer songwriter who I've mentioned before (here). Castle Hill is her latest album, released this year. It's fresh, so I'm still digesting it but so far so good.

Where do they all belong? Queen to the S's are next.