Chameleon (Herbie Hancock) (LP 791 - 792)

Herbie Hancock  Crossings (CD, Warner Brothers Records, 1972) *****

Herbie Hancock  Headhunters (CD, Columbia Records, 1973) ****

Genre: Piano jazz (because he's a pianist but these two could easily fit into the jazz fusion category as well) 

Places I remember: Virgin Megastore (Dubai)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Water Torture (Crossings)

Gear costume: Vein Melter (Headhunters)

Active compensatory factors: First track of Crossings, Sleeping Giant, is a beast - 24 minutes of intense jazz fusion which twists and turns during its forward moving evolution. After 13 full on minutes Herbie plays some groovy electric piano before launching headfirst into the rest of the song. It's all pretty jaw dropping.

Generally, Herbie Hancock's career has been pretty amazing - from Blue Note sessions to Miles Davis' band to these albums and onwards - he's still active at age 82.

He epitomises that restless jazz pursuit of new sounds, with a long list of collaborators. These two albums from the early seventies see him combining feverish rhythms with meditative calm. Sometimes (like in Water Torture on Crossings) all in the same track.

Headhunters is slightly funkier, slightly more commercial sounding, than Crossings but still at the cutting edge.

Where do they all belong? As I said - they are found in my piano jazz section, which comes after the jazz fusion section. Just a very thin cardboard marker card between them.

Summer breezin' (George Duke) (LP 790)

George Duke  A Brazilian Love Affair (CD, Epic Records, 1980) *** 

Genre: Jazz fusion 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Brazilian Sugar

Gear costume: Up From The Sea It Arose And Ate Rio In One Swift Bite 

Active compensatory factors: I have a soft spot for George Duke as I'm sure I've mentioned before. His time with Zappa left a lasting impression on me.

His solo output is definitely different to his Zappa years and I guess I shouldn't expect Zappa's genius to extend to people who have been in his bands. I'm a slow learner sometimes.

This is by no means a bad album - those criss crossing Brazilian rhythms provide inside fun and the experiment is a qualified success.

Where do they all belong? I think I've stopped automatically collecting albums by George. I'll now stick to the wonderful things he contributed to the Zappa band.

Pace (Nubya Garcia) (LP 789)

Nubya Garcia  Source (CD, Concord Jazz, 2020) ***** 

Genre: Jazz 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: The Message Continues

Gear costume: Source 

Active compensatory factors: I came across tenor saxophonist Nubya Garcia via a Mojo Magazine covermount CD.  What a great discovery. She is an incredible talent.

This is her debut album but it sounds like her 4th or 5th - she is that accomplished throughout the songs here.

Her playing is so fluid and the other musicians blend around her so well. This is an album I play a lot and it's always rewarding.

Where do they all belong? I'll be looking out for more Garcia albums.

Rising son (Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee) (LP 785 - 788)

Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee Get On Board (CD, Not Now Music, 1952) **** 

Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee Washboard Band - Country Dance Music (CD, Not Now Music, 1956) *****

Brownie McGhee Brownie McGhee Blues (CD, Not Now Music, 1955) ***

Sonny Terry Sonny Terry's Washboard Band (CD, Not Now Music, 1955) ***

Genre: Blues 

Places I remember: The Warehouse (Palmerston North)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Cindy

Gear costume: Rising Son

Active compensatory factors: This is a 2-CD pack called Cripple Creek (after a song on the second album listed above). The first album is pretty much just Sonny and Brownie doing what they do best.

The Washboard Band's Country Dance Music has both of them augmented by Pete Seeger on banjo and two other musicians. It is a hoot and a half! Just brilliant playing on exactly what it says in the title - country dance music.

The other two discs are solo albums and while they are, of course, worthwhile, they do both prove that they needed each other to create magic - Sonny's harmonica and Brownie's guitar and vocals are a dynamite combination as those first two albums clearly demonstrate.

Where do they all belong? I missed this compilation when I wrote about Sonny and Brownie's other albums. I loved rediscovering this - especially that Country Dance Music album.

New blood, old veins (Ian Anderson) (LP 784)

Ian Anderson  Homo Erraticus (CD, Kscope, 2014) ***

Genre: Prog rock

Places I remember: Fopp (Covent Garden)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: The Turnpike Inn

Gear costume: Doggerland, Meliora Sequamur

Active compensatory factors: This maybe, possibly, could be, the third part of Jethro Tull's Thick As A Brick (and Anderson's Thick As A Brick 2 from 2012), as the lyrics are again by the fictional Gerald Bostick.

It is a worthy third part (if that's the plan). Homo Erraticus is a progressive rock album which, according to Anderson, blends folk and medieval as well as heavy metal music styles. He does so with aplomb!

The music reminds me of classic flute/electric guitar style Jethro Tull.

The story line is something I've yet to get my head around (it's a conceit within a conceit), but I really like the way the album reveals more and more with each hearing. 

It is a rewarding experience. So, bravo Mr Tull.

Where do they all belong? As prog as prog gets in the 2010s.

All hell breaks loose (Black Star Riders) (LP 783)

Black Star Riders  All Hell Breaks Loose (CD, Nuclear Blast, 2013) *** 

Genre: Pop/rock 

Places I remember: HMV (East Croyden)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Valley Of The Stones

Gear costume: All Hell Breaks Loose

Active compensatory factors: The band grew organically out of the, post Phil Lynott, Thin Lizzy touring band. Rather than get in a vocalist like Phil Lynott to continue as Thin Lizzy the band restyled themselves with the new band name.

In truth the sound is very much the latter day hard rock version of Thin Lizzy, with Scott Gorham leading the guitar line and Ricky Warwick sounding the part.

The mythic Celtic vibe continues on intact - the band's name, and Warwick's vocals plus the songs like the featured two songs make sure of that. 

Where do they all belong? This is their debut album. I haven't bothered with others (I bought this one after reading a review in Mojo - it sounded like it would be down my alley).

Love this life (Crowded House) (LP 780 - 782)

Crowded House  Crowded House (CD, Capitol Records, 1986) ***

Crowded House  Temple Of Low Men (CD, Capitol Records, 1988) ***

Crowded House  Together Alone (CD, Capitol Records, 1993) ****

Genre: NZ music

Places I remember: Vinyl Countdown (New Plymouth)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Private Universe

Gear costume: Don't Dream It's Over

Active compensatory factors: These three complete my Crowded House collection. For some reason I hadn't got around to getting these albums earlier - that Greatest Hits collection is a beauty!

Their debut album is a bit uneven but still includes some wondrous Neil Finn songs: Mean To Me, Don't Dream It's Over and Something So Strong stand out.

Second album, Temple Of Low Men also has some terrific songs: I Feel Possessed; Into Temptation; and Better Be Home Soon. 

Fourth album (I've discussed third album - Woodface elsewhere) is my favourite - mainly because of the enormity of the stand-out tracks: Pineapple Head; Private Universe; Distant Sun and Together Alone, but also because it feels like a proper album, rather than some great songs mixed with other songs.

Kudos to Michell Froom, Tchad Blake, Youth and Bob Clearmountain for their expertise in making these songs sound great!

Where do they all belong? That's it for Crowded House but there are still some Neil Finn/Tim Finn albums to come on CD.