Sunshine sunshine (James Taylor) (LP 906)

James Taylor  James Taylor (Vinyl, Apple Records, 1968) ****  

Genre: Apple Records; pop/rock 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Something In The Way She Moves (just James on vocals and guitar for this one)

Gear costume: Carolina In My Mind

Active compensatory factors: I love this record! 

Yes yes, the songs are often cluttered with extra flowery brass and wind instruments, the links between songs are a tad awkward at times, and he's yet to reach his full powers but it's his first album, he plays fantastic guitar and his voice is there, plus it's on Apple Records!

Paul McCartney was the only fab to make a brief appearance (he plays some tasteful bass on Carolina In My Mind), and in another fabs link - Peter Asher (of Peter and Gordon fame) produces and knew talent when he heard it!

Where do they all belong? A stand alone album in many ways - his only album for Apple Records, the choice of a London recording studio, and it sits proudly in my Apple Records section rather than with all the James Taylor albums. James would relocate back to America with Peter Asher and go stratospheric with his next album - Sweet Baby James. But this is where he started and it's a great period piece!

Learning how to love you (George Harrison) (LP 900 - 905)

George Harrison  Thirty Three & 1/3 (Vinyl, Dark Horse Records, 1976) ****  

George Harrison  George Harrison (Vinyl, Dark Horse Records, 1979) *****  

George Harrison  Somewhere In England (Vinyl, Dark Horse Records, 1981) ***

George Harrison  Gone Troppo (Vinyl, Dark Horse Records, 1982) ***  

George Harrison  Cloud Nine (Vinyl, Dark Horse Records, 1987) ****  

George Harrison  Live In Japan (Vinyl and Cassette, Dark Horse Records, 1992 - 2017 pressing) ****  

Genre: Beatle related pop, Dark Horse Records  

Places I remember: Mostly Marbecks Records, Live In Japan vinyl is from HMV in Oxford St.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: All Those Years Ago

Gear costume: Crackerbox Palace, Blow Away, When We Was Fab, This Song

Active compensatory factors: George's rebirth on Dark Horse Records after the dire Extra Texture (his last on Apple Records) was remarkable. 

Thirty-Three & 1/3 is a terrific bunch of playful, tuneful, fun songs. This Song is a very typical Harrison song in the spirit of Only A Northern Song, Taxman, Old Brown Shoe and so on. He has a gift for a kind of self-deprecating response to challenging situations. Crackerbox Palace is a joyous homage to Friar Park (great video too).

Mostly though, Thirty-Three & 1/3 is a love letter to Olivia. I think we can point to her as the inspiration for the lightness of touch throughout the album.

Other songs on the album speak to his core beliefs, but there is no heavy handedness about See Yourself, or It's What You Value.

George Harrison is even better! A belter of a soft rock album. For me it's a five star effort - every song shines forth brilliantly and George seems very happy and content throughout, thanks to Olivia and Dhani's arrival. 

The next two - Somewhere In England and Gone Troppo have their moments as George settles in, but, post John Lennon's murder, they are understandably missing the joy of Thirty Three & 1/3 and George Harrison. Having said that, they have both grown on me over the years. I was initially luke warm about them as albums, but listening to them now is quite rewarding.

Cloud Nine is a return to some of the joy of playing he had in the old days (the usual crew are supplemented by Jeff Lynne's creative presence) and, of course, there are the big hits! Got My Mind Set On You and When We Was Fab are glorious examples of what makes George Harrison fab, gear and those other pimply hyperboles. 

He even smiles on the cover shock horror!

The Live In Japan double album is a curiosity. Eric Clapton had persuaded his old mate back to the stage in 1991 - a mere twenty years after The Concert For Bangladesh. The Traveling Wilbury's had just done their final album and it appears that that experience had emboldened George to hit the boards again.

He still sounds tentative in his stage announcements, describing the concert as a 'nice experience', but Eric, George and the band treat Japanese fans to some of George's Beatle classics along the way, as well as a greatest hits show of his solo records. As a final document, it certainly fits the bill (if you'll pardon the pun).

Where do they all belong? On to the GOAT next time around as I travel through the Beatles as solo artists.

Commotion (John Fogerty) (LP 898 - 899)

John Fogerty  The Blue Ridge Rangers (CD, Fantasy, 1974) ***  

John Fogerty  On Stage 2007 (CD, Immortal, 2013) **** 

Genre: San Francisco rock

Places I remember: The Warehouse

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Good Golly Miss Molly

Gear costume: Longshot 

Active compensatory factors: The Blue Ridge Rangers was his first solo album. It effectively breaks from Creedence Clearwater Revival tradition as it contains covers of country songs written by others and Fogerty plays all the instruments. The ultimate expression of control freakery for a musician.

It's good, John Fogerty is incapable of anything bad, but it's a holding/ clensing/ transitional album. It's played well, sung well, songs are well chosen. But it's not a classic. Enough said. 

The live On Stage 2007 is more like it. A mixture of solo and Creedence hits makes for a great combination. His vocals are instantly recognisable and brilliant throughout. What a voice!

Where do they all belong? It's back to the vinyl now and so next up is a continuation of the George Harrison albums.

Hillbilly band (The Marshall Tucker Band) (LP 894 - 897)

The Marshall Tucker Band  The Marshall Tucker Band (Vinyl, Capricorn Records, 1973) *****

The Marshall Tucker Band  A New Life (CD, Capricorn Records, 1974) *****  

The Marshall Tucker Band  Where We All Belong (Vinyl, Capricorn Records, 1974) ***  

The Marshall Tucker Band  Searchin' For A Rainbow (Vinyl, Capricorn Records, 1975) ***  

Genre: Southern rock 

Places I remember: Amoeba Records (San Francisco); Real Groovy Records (A New Life); Slow Boat Records (Where We All Belong)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Can't You See (from the debut album)

Gear costume: Blue Ridge Mountain Sky (A New Life), Bound And Determined (Searchin' For A Rainbow)

Active compensatory factors: The Marshall Tucker Band is a perfect blend of country and rock sensibilities, plus they have a sweet sound so I have turned into a rabid completist for this band.

It happened slowly. First came hearing Carolina Dreams (it's coming) while working at Marbecks Records and then a cassette copy of Long Hard Road (yes - it's coming too) was thrashed in the car. Two superb albums. Third purchase was A New Life - included in this threesome, and another unbelievably great set of songs.

That did it. Three great albums in a row was telling me something. I needed to get everything else!!

Debut album, The Marshall Tucker Band sets out their stall superbly. 

There's Toy Caldwell's songs (Can't You See, sung by Toy, is an anthem), Doug Gray's terrific lead vocals*, the easy brilliance of the rest of the band which includes Jerry Eubanks adding jazzy sax and flute, and that country rock cool swing from Tommy Caldwell, George McCorkle, and Paul Riddle. All up - a great combination of sounds.

* My two highlighted songs above both feature Toy on vocals but it's actually Doug's smooth approach that is used most frequently on songs, to great effect.

Second album, A New Life, carries on the feel from that debut while adding new jazzy flavours and has a great cover (the cowboy on his horse playing a violin is from the debut cover). No difficult second album syndrome happening here.

Third album, Where We All Belong, is a double album - half live and half studio songs. So, something of an addendum to A New Life.

I'm not sure which band/artist did the first half studio/half live album. I've owned a few in my time - The Rolling Stones Gimme Shelter, ZZ Top's Fandango and Jackson Browne's Running On Empty, which intermingles studio and live to tell a specific story, all spring to mind. Those were single albums though; I'm not aware of any other double albums although Rory Gallagher's Irish Tour '74 has three live sides and a studio jam 4th side.

I'm also not sure what the marketing concept is behind the idea. Nor am I sure whether I like it or not as a concept. Rory had enough great material for a 4th side so that was obviously strategic.  

It works well for The Marshall Tucker Band although the studio songs aren't as strong as on A New Life. The live album has four songs - and these lengthy workouts effectively display another side of the band.

Searchin' For A Rainbow is studio album number 4, and a move into a more laid back country rock sound. It includes a big song for them - Fire On The Mountain and ends with a live version of Can't You See which was mistakenly credited on Where We All Belong. It's magnificent!

Where do they all belong? A lot more to come. To be fair to the chronology and trace their development I've decided to mix the vinyl and CDs together for The Marshall Tucker Band. Next group of their albums starts with Long Hard Ride.

Buenas noches from a lonely room (Dwight Yoakam) (LP 891 - 893)

Dwight Yoakam  Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room (CD, Reprise Records, 1988) ****

Dwight Yoakam  If There Was A Way (CD, Reprise Records, 1990) ****  

Dwight Yoakam  This Time (CD, Reprise Records, 1993) *** 

Genre: Country

Places I remember: The Warehouse (Cambridge, NZ)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: You're The One

Gear costume: Ain't That Lonely Yet, The Streets Of Bakersfield (Buenas Noches)

Active compensatory factors: The third, fourth and fifth studio albums from Dwight see him navigating the late eighties/early nineties with aplomb and continuing the ever so slight moves towards a poppier sound.

He's remarkably consistent with his albums - all are worthwhile for various reasons. Having producer/arranger/ guitarist Pete Anderson on board for these albums (as he was the first two) also helps, plus the musicians are roughly the same as well.

I do prefer the more straight country sounds of the first two albums in this threesome to some of the tracks on This Time. To prove he hasn't strayed too far from his roots though, he ends that album with Lonesome Roads - a glorious slice of pure country.

Where do they all belong? A few more CD's to come yet - three to be precise, as Dwight moves into the late nineties and 2000's.

Paper tigers (Tom Cochrane) (LP 890)

Tom Cochrane  Songs of a Circling Spirit (CD, EMI, 1997) ***  

Genre: Folk rock 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: I Wish You Well

Gear costume: Paper Tigers

Active compensatory factors: Tom is a Canadian musician who is reasonably well known thanks to his hit Life Is A Highway from his 1991 Mad Mad World album.

This is an acoustic album, a relook at his career, and features songs from his solo years and as a band member of Red Rider. Tom is joined by other musicians on guitars and drums but it's definitely a solo approach here.

As such it has a cohesion of, yes, spirit, plus, as I'm not familiar with his work with Red Rider, it all sounds like a seamless collection.

My favourite song of his is I Wish You Well in whatever format he wants to deliver it (listen to the rock version here).

Interesting to note that he doesn't redo Life Is A Highway on this acoustic album. Instead there's a more introspective, downbeat tone that further unifies the album.

Where do they all belong? A bit of a stretch calling this folk rock, I know, but the use of acoustic instruments including mandolin swayed me. 

Reach for the night (Jack Bruce) (LP 888 - 889)

Jack Bruce  Shadows In The Air (CD, Sanctuary Records, 2001) ****  

Jack Bruce  Silver Rails (CD, Cherry Red Records, 2014) ***

Genre: Blues rock 

Places I remember: Slow Boat Records, HMV Oxford St.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Keep It Down (Silver Rails)

Gear costume: Out Into The Fields (Shadows In The Air).

A remake of the West Bruce and Laing song.

Active compensatory factors: These are late period solo studio albums. Silver Rails was his final album - he died seven months after it was released.

Shadows In The Air has a formidable cast, with Eric Clapton, Dr John, Gary Moore, Vernon Reid all making appearances during the album.

Clapton appears on the remakes of White Room and Sunshine Of Your Love. Of course musicians have every right to redo their songs in different settings but both of these revisits are nice to haves, not essentials. 

Silver Rails has a decidedly frail Jack on vocals which lends a weight and poignancy to the songs. 

Last ever sequenced final album track is No Surrender. That about sums up the attitude of this mighty bass playing G.O.A.T.

Where do they all belong? A slew of live albums to come yet. Plus I still have a few late period studio albums to collect: Monkjack; More Jack Than God and a 'lost' album that was finally released - Jet Set Jewel. There's also an excellent live album with Robin Trower that I need to find a physical copy of (it's on Spotify). Plus if I feel like a completist after all those - the synth album Automatic. He was prolific!