Love - Alone Again Or

 #Love #Arthur Lee #Bryan MacLean #psychedelic rock #folk rock #acid rock #psychedelic folk #garage rock #1960s

“Alone Again Or” must be one of pop music’s more enigmatic song titles. But it’s always struck me as a title in search of an ellipsis. Perhaps “Alone Again Or…”, “Alone Again…Or”, or maybe even “Alone Again…Or?” might have made more sense. But whether or not you feel the title deserves those little dots in there somewhere, I hope you can agree that “Alone Again Or” is a tremendous song. Recorded in the summer of 1967, by a group called Love…itself something of an appropriate name for the Summer of Love…couldn’t have chosen a better time for their part-folk, part-rock, part-psychedelia, part-Latin song to chime with the popular mood. Rolling Stone magazine included “Alone Again Or” in their listing of the top 500 songs of all time…and that’s probably about right for a song that captures the spirit of the late 1960s so well. “Alone Again Or” does something very clever, though. It captures the spirit of the time without being too much of the time. It’s a song of love and loss that frankly could have been written at just about any time in musical history. Yet it captures the musical influences swirling around the LA music scene in the late 1960s perfectly. Not just for the wide range of influences apparent in the song itself…folk, rock, psychedelia and Latin to name just a few…but even in the way the song was mixed. Songwriter Bryan MacLean’s Spanish-style guitar comes firmly out of your right speaker and the drums that set the pace throughout the song come firmly out your left speaker. In the early days of stereo recordings this was something people liked to do…partly just because they could, and partly because artists and producers wanted to show off that they’d used this new-fangled stereo technology to make a record. People quickly tired of that and nowadays it would be almost unthinkable to mix a song this way, but “Alone Again Or” is one of the small number of hit records which was, another way in which the song is so very reminiscent of the late 1960s.  From: https://nowordsnosong.medium.com/alone-again-or-love-4bdd3366f104

Steeleye Span - Sweep, Chimney Sweep

 #Steeleye Span #Maddy Prior #Tim Hart #Martin Carthy #folk rock #British folk #British folk rock #traditional folk #electric folk #British roots rock #a capella

 

Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in 1969 in England by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings and established London folk club duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. The band were part of the 1970s British folk revival. Steeleye Span have seen many personnel changes; Maddy Prior being the only remaining original member of the band. Their musical repertoire consists of mostly traditional songs with one or two instrumental tracks of jigs and/or reels added; the traditional songs often include some of the Child Ballads. In their later albums there has been an increased tendency to include music written by the band members, but they have never moved completely away from traditional music, which draws upon pan-British traditions.  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steeleye_Span

One of the best children’s tales involves an impressive song and dance number performed by a group of chimney sweeps. Dick Van  Dyke and Julie Andrews did a pretty good job showing how dirty the chimney sweep job is, but I can’t guarantee an in-tune song and dance number. You may ask me to leave before the job is finished if I break out into song and dance. The rooftop acrobatics were a bit on the dangerous side as well. As unusual as this topic is, today I’m going to point out several of the myths surrounding chimney sweeps in Mary Poppins, and I’ll discuss some of the actual lore behind my profession. Many chimney sweep myths have been passed down through the ages. Some cultures believe the chimney sweep is a sign of good luck. Several legends go so far as to say they are the ultimate bringer of good luck. Old European folklore says that if a bride receives a kiss on the cheek from a chimney sweep on her wedding day she will have a very blessed and happy marriage. There’s also the story of the chimney sweep who fell from the rooftop of an apartment building and was dangling from the guttering by one foot. A lovely woman opened her window and pulled him inside her home to safety. They married and lived happily ever after. Most people believe that these chimney sweep myths originated during the reign of King George of England. He was riding astride a horse when a dog startled the animal, which threw King George to the ground. A chimney sweep stepped up, took hold of the horse’s reigns, and calmed him. The king then declared that chimney sweeps should be regarded as lucky.  From: https://loucurley.com/chimney-sweep-song-dance-quite-like-mary-poppins/

Sweep, chimney sweep, is the common cry I keep
If you can but rightly understand me
With my brush, broom and my rake, with my brush, broom and my rake
See what cleanly work I make
With my hoe, with my hoe, with my hoe and my hoe
And it's sweep, chimney sweep for me

Girls came up to my door I looked black as any Moor
I am constant and true as the day
With a bunch of ribbons gay, with a bunch of ribbons gay
Hanging down by my right knee
And there's no one, and there's no one
And there's no one and no one
And there's no one can call me on high

Arise girls, arise, wipe the sleep from off your eyes
Go and fetch to me some beer that I might swallow
I can climb up to the top, I can climb up to the top
Without a ladder or a rope
And it's there you, and it's there you, and it's there you and there you
And it's there you will hear me “Hullo”

Now here I do stand with my hoe all in my hand
Like some soldier that's on the sentery
I will work for a better sort
And I'll kindly thank them for it
I will work, I will work, I will work and I'll work
And I'll work for none but gentery 

Danny Elfman - Sorry

 #Danny Elfman #new wave #art pop #experimental #film score #composer #singer-songwriter #ex-Oingo Boingo #music video

Just before Halloween, Danny Elfman released his first solo single in 36 years, an “absurd anti-pop song” called “Happy.” Today, the famed composer/musician is giving us another taste of new material with “Sorry.” The anger-fueled track pulls from industrial and prog-rock influences to create an uneasy atmosphere that’s made even more unnerving with a jarring video animated by Jesse Kanda (Arca, FKA Twigs, Bjork). The intricate visuals were originally created for Elfman’s Coachella 2020 performance, which was postponed. “‘Sorry’ was the first song I’ve written for myself in a long time,” Elfman explained in a statement.“It began as an obsessive choral-chant instrumental work, which at the time I called ‘alien orchestral chamber punk’ and evolved slowly into a song. I was surprised by the amount of rage I’d been storing inside myself, which came bursting out as soon as I applied my voice.”  From: https://www.spin.com/2021/01/danny-elfman-sorry-single-video/ 

Daniel Robert Elfman (born May 29, 1953) is an American film composer, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the singer-songwriter for the new wave band Oingo Boingo in the early 1980s. Since the 1990s, Elfman has garnered international recognition for composing over 100 feature film scores, as well as compositions for television, stage productions, and the concert hall.  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Elfman  

Dada - Sick In Santorini

 #Dada #alternative rock #power pop #neo-psychedelia #progressive pop #1990s

Dada's third (and final)IRS release "El Subliminoso" is their only self-produced effort (to date, anyway). For this 1996 release, the group finally got control of the helm. The dense pile of multiple overdubbed layers on most tracks, the occasional stylistic departures, and the overall extended song lengths of this disc are evidence of the group flexing their studio muscles and letting themselves capture their full vision for the songs without someone else calling the shots or reigning them in. Close study of the results reveals a fascinating set of songs that were labored over for many months - songs that continue to reveal hidden details even after years of listening. Their extensive efforts paid off with the creation of one of the most varied and distinctive discs in an already high-quality catalog. There are plenty of songs that stay firmly within the alt-rock-power-trio-with-harmony-vocals musical territory staked out in their tasty '92 debut "Puzzle" and the sumptuous '94 follow-up "American Highway Flower". These include the soft verses/loud choruses dynamics of "I Get High", "Rise", and the disc opener "Time Is Your Friend", a rumination on mortality's ever-ticking clock. Also somewhat conventional dada-sounding are the rockin' "Sick in Santorini", the scathing rumination on self-centeredness called "Fleecing of America" and one of the disc's highlights, "A Trip with My Dad". This humorous, surrealistic tale of father/son bonding is craftily worded so that you are never quite sure whether this is the recounting of an actual point-A-to-point-B car trip, or whether maybe the two simply climbed in the station wagon, dropped acid in the driveway and never even started the engine.  From: https://www.amazon.com/El-Subliminoso-Dada/product-reviews/B000000QHO/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_paging_btm_next_2?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews&pageNumber=2

Since the release of dada’s groundbreaking 1992 debut Puzzle, the trio has created an array of songs boasting progressive rock musicianship, dazzling vocal harmonies and melodic power pop layered with inspired psychedelic and experimental rock impulses. Adding to the trio’s groundbreaking line of attack are the marathon-length shows that deliver on the promise that every performance is the only one of its kind. From: http://dadaforever.com/  

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - The Love I Saw In You Was Just A Mirage

 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles #Motown #R&B #rock & roll #soul #funk #1960s

The most underrated Miracles LP of the '60s, Make It Happen featured a spate of great songs, including three or four that really should've been hits (plus one that only became the group's biggest hit three years after release). Opening with "The Soulful Shack," a grooving dance number that would've fit perfectly on the previous year's Away We a Go-Go, the album featured plenty of near-misses, including a pair of delightful good-times dance songs, "My Love Is Your Love (Forever)" and "It's a Good Feeling," plus a great choice for a cover, a tender version of Little Anthony & the Imperials' "I'm on the Outside (Looking In)." The hits really did shine more than any of the other songs, though, marking yet another leap in the level of Smokey Robinson's compositional sophistication. "The Love I Saw in You Was Just a Mirage" is a brilliant twist on a romantic novelty in the Motown mold (with a production that deftly references the British Invasion), while "More Love" is the most sincere lyric and most emotive performance in the group's catalog, a song of reassurance occasioned by several miscarriages suffered by Robinson's wife (and fellow Miracle), Claudette. The capstone, however, was the last song, "The Tears of a Clown," originally written as an up-tempo instrumental groover by Stevie Wonder and his producer, Hank Cosby. Robinson's lyric is witty yet sublime, and his lead vocal is one of the best performances of his recording career. One of the biggest misses by the notoriously hit-conscious Motown organization was failing to release this as a single before it became an album hit on British radio in 1970, three years after it first appeared. It shot to the top of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, and prompted Motown to re-release Make It Happen under a new title, The Tears of a Clown.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/album/make-it-happen-mw0000873287

William "Smokey" Robinson's high tenor is his calling card, but he's also one of the most important songwriters and producers of the 1960s. The only Motown artist to write and produce his own recordings from the beginning, he also wrote and produced many of the most memorable songs for Motown's other acts: "Ain't That Peculiar" for Marvin Gaye; "My Guy" for Mary Wells; "My Girl" and "Get Ready" for the Temptations. He kept plenty of top material for himself, from early hits like "Shop Around" and "Ooh Baby Baby" to the Sound Of Young America classics "The Tracks Of My Tears" (which inspired the Zombies' "Time Of The Season") and "The Tears Of A Clown" (co-written with Stevie Wonder). Smokey has an ear for catchy melodies and was a perfectionist producer and arranger, but his most important contribution was his lyrics: probably the most cleverly written love songs of the period, often working an extended metaphor to death: listen to "The Way You Do The Things You Do" by the Temptations or the Supremes' "The Composer" or Smokey's own "More Love" or "I Second That Emotion" and you'll see what I mean. Bob Dylan once called him America's greatest living poet, and I suspect he wasn't kidding. (Dylan later said it was a slip of the tongue and he'd meant to say Artur Rimbaud, who was neither alive nor American, but whatever).  From: http://www.warr.org/smokey.html

Joan Armatrading - Kind Words And A Real Good Heart

 #Joan Armatrading #contemporary folk #folk rock #blues rock #pop rock #electro-pop #singer-songwriter #1980s

When Joan Armatrading released her debut album almost half a century ago, she confounded expectations. Her own record label at the time admittedly had no idea how to market her, as there was no blueprint for what the she was doing in 1972. “I was just writing what I felt like writing and playing what I felt like playing. And I played the guitar — I still do — in a really strong way that I suppose some people would say is not a ‘feminine’ kind of delicate way,” she tells Yahoo Entertainment. “I really bashed the guitar. I have a definite way of playing that’s strong. And people weren't used to that.”
Armatrading also reveals that (as she references in her 1979 hit “How Cruel”), she “did have people say ‘she's too Black’ or ‘not Black enough’” — because the sort of folk-rock she was making wasn’t what was expected of her. “But I didn't think of it as a racist thing,” she stresses. “That wasn't it for me. I think where that came from was, I can remember once going to a gig and I was with two female artists and I heard somebody say, ‘Oh, I know how that Black girl is going to sound.’ Again, it's not a racist thing, but that's just a preconception thing on their part. They're just saying, if you're Black, you're singing soul and blues and stuff like that. But of course they're wrong. They don't know what I'm going to sound like. It was just people's perception of things — and we all do it. You know, we all see somebody and we think something of that person without having the proper information. It's a human trait. We all do it.”
While Armatrading’s genre-blurring was initially a problem for radio programmers and label executives who wanted to put her in a box, as she says with a chuckle, “It was only a problem in that they had to get used to a Black person doing what I was doing. If that's a problem, then it's a nice problem, you know? I'm happy I was doing what I was doing, but they just had to figure it out… and it took them quite a while. When I did my first album, the very first album in 1972, it was very highly acclaimed — I got voted ‘Best Newcomer’ and all that stuff — but it wasn't a successful album. It didn't sell a lot of records. But the reason, again, was people weren't used to that.”  From: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/joan-armatrading-looks-back-on-the-consequences-of-her-trailblazing-50-year-career-there-were-very-strong-things-about-me-that-people-had-to-get-used-to-205558733.html

Blood Ceremony - Goodbye Gemini

 #Blood Ceremony #hard rock #progressive rock #doom metal #psychedelic rock #occult rock #stoner rock #heavy psych #1970s retro #music video

Taking its name from an Italian horror film, Blood Ceremony is a Toronto-based band that was formed in 2006 by Sean Kennedy (guitar), Chris Landon (bass), Andrew Haust (drums) and Alia O'Brien (vocals, flute, occasional organ). In 2008, they released their eponymous debut. While the band never indulged in epic songwriting, cuts like 'Master of Confusion' and 'Hymn to Pan' comfortably pass the five minute mark. Musically, Blood Ceremony does sound like a mix between Paranoid-era Sabbath’s sluggy riffage, with a touch of Stand Up period Jethro Tull, mostly due to O'Brien’s flute. The result is something that borders on doom metal, but has enough backwards cast psychedelic atmosphere - not to mention O'Brien’s quasi-operatic vocals - to make it stand out from the rest of the pack. Highly recommended to anyone who likes that late 60s/early 70s gloom metal sound.  From: https://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=4640

Canadian quartet Blood Ceremony’s style emulates 1970s prog rock and 1960s psychedelia while skillfully flirting with occult imagery and Hammer Horror-influenced lyrical themes; and it all started with the inclusion of a flute. “I guess the band really started when Alia [O’Brien, singer and flautist] came to practice with her flute,” muses guitarist and lyricist Sean Kennedy. “We started messing around with different riffs and we realized that it sounded really cool when she played along. We went from there and started writing songs that went in that kind of direction. That was really what developed our sound I guess – psychedelic riffs and flute.” Indeed, with her enchanting looks, powerful voice and Jethro Tull-style flute solos, Alia is a captivating and unique frontwoman. She and Kennedy started the band 10 years ago, which is completed by Lucas Gadke on bass and Michael Carrillo on drums. They’re just about to release album number four, entitled Lord Of Misrule, the follow-up to 2013’s The Eldritch Dark. It’s a bewitching blend of doom and psychedelia, that’s rooted not in the culture of their Canadian homeland, but in English soil. Not only are they signed to a British label, Rise Above Records, and recorded Lord Of Misrule with producer Liam Watson at Toe Rag Studios in London, but their close relationship with England is also reflected in the lyrical and musical themes of the album. “A lot of our influences for this album come from British folklore, and we recorded the album in London. It put that British stamp on it for us,” says Kennedy. “This is the first time we were able to record entirely to analogue tape. So if you buy the vinyl version of the album, it has never been digitalized from the tape, to the mastering, to the vinyl. It was such an exciting way to record the album.”  From: https://www.loudersound.com/features/horror-folk-and-witchcraft-introducing-blood-ceremony

Queen Adreena - Year (Of You)

 #Queen Adrena #Katie Jane Garside #alternative rock #noise rock #indie rock #art rock #punk metal #gothic rock

Queen Adreena was an alternative rock band from London, England that formed in 1999. Described at various times as “art, punk, gothic, metal, rock, or alternative”, Queen Adreena's music is difficult to categorize. Formed by singer Katie Jane Garside and guitarist Crispin Gray, they had previously collaborated in the celebrated but short-lived band Daisy Chainsaw. Garside and Gray did not cross paths again until 1999 when they formed Queen Adreena. An album, Taxidermy, soon followed in 2000. Pete Howard, the last drummer to play with The Clash, joined just before the band signed with Rough Trade for their second album, 2002’s Drink Me, featuring the lead single "Pretty Like Drugs." Queen Adreena toured extensively in the UK and Europe.  From: https://www.last.fm/music/Queen+Adreena/+wiki

For those who are not familiar with Queen Adreena (or Queenadreena as they are known now), they are a 4-man rock outfit from London who formed around 1999 with Daisy Chainsaw's former singer Katie Jane Garside and guitarist Crispin Gray. The band released their first record "Taxidermy" back in 2000 and later gained some fame after releasing probably their most critically acclaimed and beloved record "The Butcher and the Butterfly" in 2005.
The noisy punk-ish sound that Daisy Chainsaw had is still present in Queenadreena but you can definitely hear that the band went for a much more "serious" approach to the music this way around. Djin was released in 2008 with fairly no promotion at all which led to many missing out on it. The album's length is consistent with their previous releases and so is Queenadreena's familiar "garage rock" noisy sound complimented with Katie Jane Garside's unique vocals. The album is filled with very catchy punk riffs and noise filled dirty guitar solos and you would not expect any less from Crispin Gray who has firmly established his excellent guitar sound over the years. Pete Howard provides his drumming skills on this album as well, unfortunately right before leaving the band. The drumming in Queenadreena has always been simple but effective which is the case with many bands that have that "garage rock" sound. When it comes to the bass, in a lot of bands it's just something that is in the background; it's important but not vital. That is not the case here where it's present and always solid and in some tracks provides more than the guitar which creates a very good mix between instruments in the songs. Katie's amazing voice is as strong as ever on this album and I would say that it feels like it hasn't aged a day since "The Butcher and the Butterfly". Both the soothing calm singing on softer tracks like "Night Curse" are present and so are the glass shattering high screams on tracks like "Lick". Her vocal range is quite breathtaking at times and that is no different when it comes to this album. Garside's lyrics are also back in Djinn where it's a mix between some really psychedelic and odd elements as well as some lyrics that feel more personal.  From: https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/44959/QueenAdreena-Djin/

Uriah Heep - Salisbury

 #Uriah Heep #Ken Hensley #David Byron #hard rock #heavy metal #progressive rock #heavy prog #heavy blues rock #1970s

Salisbury is the title track by British rock band Uriah Heep, from the group’s second studio album Salisbury, in 1971. Clocking in at sixteen minutes in length, this song is skewed toward the progressive rock genre, featuring a 24-piece orchestra. This piece is also significant for Ken Hensley’s instant rise to a position as the main composer of the group’s future music. The track is variational in mood, ranging from mysterious and tranquil, to fiery and loud. The guitar solos played by Mick Box are distorted and complex, with quick hammer ons and pull offs. The organ playing by Hensley is classically-inspired with fast runs and chords. The song has shifting time signatures, with the Gothically dark outro sounding similar to “Shadows of Grief.” This track is one of the few “epics” the band released. The song key is variational, but the central key is C minor. The lyrics sung by David Byron are as a whole describing a troubling relationship, with the narrator grieving over her loss, and still remembering the things he used to do with her.  From: https://genius.com/Uriah-heep-salisbury-lyrics

Jellyfish - Joining A Fan Club

 #Jellyfish #power pop #pop rock #psychedelic pop #indie rock #progressive rock #retro 1960s #retro 1970s #Jason Falkner #Roger Manning #1990s

San Francisco-based power pop outfit Jellyfish only released two full-length albums during their early-'90s heydays, but the group's immaculately crafted pop-rock songs and unapologetic penchant for all things retro helped throw some much needed light on what was becoming at the time a very crowded pop underground. Like their closest contemporaries the Posies, the Wondermints, and Redd Kross, Jellyfish drew from the same well as bands like Badfinger, XTC, Cheap Trick, the Move, Big Star, and the Zombies, crafting occasionally complex, impossibly catchy tunes that cast an alternative pop-rock shadow on the radio hits of the previous three decades. Formed around the talents of former Beatnik Beatch members singer/songwriter/drummer Andy Sturmer and keyboard player/multi-instrumentalist Roger Manning, as well as former Three O'Clock singer/songwriter/guitarist Jason Falkner, and with Manning's brother Chris joining the group on bass for live shows, Jellyfish came to fruition in 1990 with the release of Bellybutton. The debut album earned the group a devoted yet decidedly cult following. Both Falkner and Chris Manning left the fold after the Bellybutton tour, the latter blaming a distaste for life on the road and the former unhappy with his role as just a guitar player. Sturmer and Manning spent the next two years holed up in the studio with a rotating cast of musicians who included bassist Tim Smith and multi-instrumentalist/producer Jon Brion to record Jellyfish's sophomore effort, Spilt Milk. Released in 1993, Milk was a far more elaborate affair than its predecessor, echoing the studio mastery of the Beach Boys ("Hush," "Ghost at Number One"), the guitar-heavy onslaught of Kiss and Queen ("Joining a Fan Club," "All is Forgiven"), and the psychedelic pop of the Beatles ("Bye, Bye, Bye," "Brighter Day") with impressive acumen. The band endured a year of touring (with the help of Smith and guitarist/singer Eric Dover) before calling it quits at the end of 1994.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jellyfish-mn0000319021/biography

X - See How We Are

 #X #John Doe #Exene Cervenka #alternative rock #punk rock #folk rock #folk punk #Americana #rockabilly #blues rock #1980s #1990s

X was an American band whose tales of urban decay, corruption, and sleaze, delivered with skilled musicianship and unique vocal harmonies, marked them as important contributors to the punk movement. The original members were singer Exene Cervenka, bassist and singer John Doe, guitarist Billy Zoom, and drummer D.J. Bonebrake. Later members included Dave Alvin and Tony Gilkyson. Formed in 1977, X released Los Angeles in 1980. That effort and the follow-up albums Wild Gift (1981) and Under the Big Black Sun (1982) drew critical raves, as X broadened punk’s do-it-yourself ethos with excellent musicianship (Zoom, who had once played with rock-and-roll pioneer Gene Vincent, blazed through country, rockabilly, heavy metal, and punk licks with dispassionate aplomb, while Bonebrake added a background in jazz), the unusual harmonies and sophisticated songwriting of onetime husband and wife Doe and Cervenka (the latter an active poet), and careful production by Ray Manzarek, formerly of the Doors. In the process, X became prime movers of the Los Angeles punk scene chronicled in the documentary The Decline of Western Civilization (1981). Capable of matching the fury of other punk bands, X excelled at melancholy ballads and flirted with pop music throughout its career, though its efforts to reach a broader audience on a major label were largely unsuccessful. The band toured and recorded sporadically throughout the 1980s and ’90s, but members were increasingly occupied by side projects and solo efforts. Doe, Cervenka, Alvin, and Bonebrake formed the Knitters in 1985. Intended as a one-time project, the Knitters performed a selection of folk and country tunes, along with acoustic versions of songs from the X catalog. Cervenka dedicated much of her time to poetry, publishing numerous collections and recording a series of solo albums. Doe turned to Hollywood, scoring small parts in films such as Road House (1989) and Boogie Nights (1997) and landing a recurring role in the supernatural television series Roswell (1999–2002).  From: https://www.britannica.com/topic/X-American-rock-band

The Who - Tattoo

 #The Who #Pete Townshend #Roger Daltrey #hard rock #heavy blues rock #psychedelic rock #art pop #classic rock #1960s #1970s

Pete Townshend originally planned The Who Sell Out as a concept album of sorts that would simultaneously mock and pay tribute to pirate radio stations, complete with fake jingles and commercials linking the tracks. For reasons that remain somewhat ill defined, the concept wasn't quite driven to completion, breaking down around the middle of side two (on the original vinyl configuration). Nonetheless, on strictly musical merits, it's a terrific set of songs that ultimately stands as one of the group's greatest achievements. "I Can See for Miles" is the Who at their most thunderous; tinges of psychedelia add a rush to "Armenia City in the Sky" and "Relax"; "I Can't Reach You" finds Townshend beginning to stretch himself into quasi-spiritual territory; and "Tattoo" and the acoustic "Sunrise" show introspective, vulnerable sides to the singer/songwriter that had previously been hidden. "Rael" was another mini-opera, with musical motifs that reappeared in Tommy. The album is as perfect a balance between melodic mod pop and powerful instrumentation as the Who (or any other group) would achieve; psychedelic pop was never as jubilant, not to say funny (the fake commercials and jingles interspersed between the songs are a hoot). [Subsequent reissues added over half a dozen interesting outtakes from the time of the sessions, as well as unused commercials, the B-side "Someone's Coming," and an alternate version of "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand.”].  From: https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-who-sell-out-mw0000652659

The Smithereens - Only A Memory

#The Smithereens #alternative rock #hard rock #power pop #college rock #indie rock #1990s

Dressed in leather, brandishing heavy guitars, and exhibiting an unabashed fetish for British Invasion pop, the Smithereens were an anomaly in the American college rock scene of the late '80s. Lead singer/songwriter/guitarist Pat DiNizio stood out not only with his strange beatnik goatee, but also because his catchy hooks were haunting, not punchy, and because his lyrics were morose. As time wore on, the group became more straightforward, turning into an excellent bar band, one that attacked pop songs with the weight of AC/DC.  From: https://www.iheart.com/artist/the-smithereens-15174/

The Smithereens is a band few know about today and that in itself is a shame.  Formed in 1980, this band would produce a dozen albums in addition to innumerable compilations, live albums and soundtracks until the death of the lead singer Pat DiNizio in 2017. While the Smithereens would produce a ton of great music, it was Green Thoughts that introduced me to the band and this album remains my favorite of their to this day.
I am not sure how I came across the album Green Thoughts but somehow a copy fell into my lap sometime in early 90’s.  From the moment I heard the opening track, Only A Memory, I could tell there was something special about the band.  It may have been their polished Beatlesque sound or their ability to blend pop rock with a touch of Chet Atkins style guitar work, but whatever it was, this was a band that was on heavy rotation on my cheap GPX CD Boombox and I loved every second of it.
Part lounge singer, part crooner and part pop icon, Pat DiNizio had a voice that evoked the classic tone of Del Shannon and Buddy Holly. Coupled with the guitars by Jim Babjak, Bass from Mike Mesaros and drums by Dennis Diken, the quartet managed to create a sound that is unlike anything from its era setting itself apart from the rest by borrowing from their classic inspirations.  This was a band that was safe to listen to with music that was easy to fall in love with.  It was pop rock in it’s purest form and, with my love for the Posies that emerged at around the same time, it is no surprise that I became a fan.
From: https://latetothegame.blog/2019/07/09/stand-out-albums-the-smithereens-green-thoughts-1988/

Mean Mary - Where Were You

 #Mean Mary #Mary James #bluegrass #folk #country #blues #Americana #contemporary bluegrass #traditional

A singer and songwriter with a gift for connecting with sounds of the past, Mean Mary (real name, Mary James) has gained a loyal following for music that draws on vintage country, bluegrass, and traditional folk with just a touch of modern-day flash. A performer since she was six years old, Mean Mary grew up on the work of country artists like Dolly Parton and Hank Williams, Jr., but as she matured, she developed a taste for American folk songs of the Civil War era, and by the time she began recording prolifically with 2006's Thank You Very Much, she was combining songs of the past with fresh material that reshaped the sounds of history with her strong, emotive, blues-influenced vocals as well as her capable instrumental skills on banjo, fiddle, and guitar. While acoustic traditionalism remained the hallmark of Mean Mary's music, on albums like 2012's Walk a Little Ways with Me and 2016's Sweet found her incorporating more contemporary themes and sounds to her performances without compromising her creative vision.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mean-mary-mn0001761489/biography

Bridge City Sinners - Unholy Hymns

#Bridge City Sinners #alternative folk #jazz rock #folk rock #dark folk #Appalachian folk #folk-punk #death folk #retro jazz rock #Americana #music video

This is not your Grandparents’ folk music. The Bridge City Sinners take folk songs in the direction of a punk rocker. A rowdy folksy mosaic of banjo, violin, guitar, mandolin, upright bass, and ukulele. The Sinners started their journey as a rotating cast of friends in 2016 who just wanted to play music on the streets “busk” in Portland, Oregon. They have transitioned into a powerful force playing festivals such as Vans Warped Tour, NW String Summit, The Fest, and The Seattle Folklife Festival. Before the Bridge City Sinners, lead singer Libby Lux and upright bass player Scott Michaud infrequently started playing music together on the streets of Portland, Oregon over eight years ago. Without rehearsal, nor a plan, a few times a year they would meet up with other various street musicians to sing and yell at passers-by. Years before that, on their separate journeys, they traveled, hitch-hiked, and howled at the moon across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. In hobo fashion, they earned what they’d eat and roofs over their heads by the papers and coins tossed into their hat. Through their years of wandering, they were able to pick up a rich catalog of songs passed through the traveling/busking community. In 2012, their mutual best friend and lead singer of folk-punk band Profane Sass, passed away when he fell off a train in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In a way the Bridge City Sinners are a homage to keep his spirit alive and continue passing along the music they all sang together on the streets, hidden in trains, and in living rooms across the continent. They formed the Bridge City Sinners in the Winter of 2016.  From: https://www.cactusclubmilwaukee.com/artists/bridge-city-sinners/

The Grateful Dead - China Cat Sunflower

 #The Grateful Dead #Jerry Garcia #Bob Weir #Phil Lesh #psychedelic rock #folk rock #blues rock #acid rock #West coast psychedelia #1960s #1970s

Nearly synonymous with the term "psychedelic," the Grateful Dead reached their true peak of psychedelia on their third album, 1969's Aoxomoxoa. The band had already begun work on an initial recording of the album when they gained access to the new technology of 16-track recording, doubling the number of individual tracks they'd used on their last album. Fueled by acid and keeping pace with the quickly changing hippie subculture of the late '60s, the band went wild with this newfound sonic freedom. The exploratory jamming and rough-edged blues-rock of their live shows were ornamented with overdubbed choirs, electronic sound effects, and layers of processed vocal harmonies. Rudimentary experimental production took the band's already-trippy approach and amplified it with generously applied effects and jarring edits. In their most straightforward songs, Aoxomoxoa's ambitious production isn't as noticeable. Gelatinous rockers like "Cosmic Charlie" and "St. Stephen" showcase Jerry Garcia's spindly guitar leads and the band's dusty vocal harmonies clearly before detouring into wild studio experiments. Though the studio mix of "China Cat Sunflower" sounds like the different instruments are floating in space, trying to connect from distant individual planets, the core of the song still comes through, and this number would become a live favorite for the rest of the band's lengthy run.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/album/aoxomoxoa-mw0000650206

Sly & The Family Stone - Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)

 #Sly & The Family Stone #psychedelic soul #funk #funk rock #progressive soul #R&B #1960s

Sly Stone wrote "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" because he felt listeners were not hearing the messages in his songs even though the band was more popular then ever. Sly & the Family Stone were an integrated band and tried to spread the message of racial harmony, but Stone thought that message was getting lost. Larry Graham played the innovative bass line using a technique where he thumped the strings. He learned this technique when he was playing in a duo with his mother, who played the organ - with no drummer, he had to create the percussion with his bass. This style became very popular on funk records for years to come and was a big influence on artists like Prince and The Red Hot Chili Peppers.  From: https://www.songfacts.com/facts/sly-the-family-stone/thank-you-falettinme-be-mice-elf-agin

In the beginning, Sly & The Family Stone were pop’s great utopian experiment: A band where the musicians were black and white, male and female, drawing on hard R&B and way-out psychedelic rock, playing for every audience that would have them. In 1969, the Family Stone hit #1 with “Everyday People” and played one of the standout sets at Woodstock. Their wild, freaked-out take on soul music helped birth funk and set the Motown aesthetic on a whole new trajectory; the Temptations and the Jackson 5, especially, built on what they’d done. But for Sly Stone and his bandmates, things turned dark quickly.
Around the time that they blew up and became huge stars, Sly & The Family Stone left their San Francisco home for Los Angeles. They all started doing harder drugs — PCP was reportedly a favorite — and hating each other. Sly insulated himself from his bandmates, some of whom were his actual siblings, and he surrounded himself instead with dealers and gangsters. There are stories about how he’d carry around a violin case full of nothing but drugs. He started missing shows and putting on chaotic performances at TV tapings. And he stopped releasing music. At a time when popular artists were expected to crank out albums at a dizzy rate, Sly & The Family Stone only put out one single in the more than two years between their 1969 breakout Stand! and the dark, nasty 1971 epic There’s A Riot Goin’ On. And that single went to #1.
On a purely sonic level, “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” sounds like a total celebration. It’s sharp, sprightly, upbeat. All the band members share lead vocal duties, singing as one, like they’re an army. Larry Graham hammers his bass hard, popping the strings and treating his instrument like it’s percussive. Sly and Freddie Stone’s guitars do a wah-wah strut, and Jerry Martini and Cynthia Robinson’s horns stab through the mix. The hook sounds celebratory — like the Family Stone is thanking America’s public for latching onto their bugged-out sound.
But that is not, of course, what the Family Stone were doing. Instead, the lyrics are both sardonic and freaked the fuck out. The first verse may or may not be a story about a dangerous fist fight with a cop, or with a white man: “Looking at the devil, grinning at his gun / Fingers start shaking, I begin to run.” The second is an admission of defeat, a statement of futility: “Thank you for the party, but I could never stay / Many things on my mind / Words in the way.” On the third verse, the band reels off the titles of past hits, turning those words into pure gibberish. It’s a whole song of heavy notes, and it ends on the heaviest one: “Dying young is hard to take / Selling out is harder.”
So: A stark fuck-you hidden within the disguise of a great party song. And it will remain a great party song, since most of us never pay attention to the lyrics, which is the whole problem that those lyrics tried to address. (Technically, “Thank You” shared its #1 with the ballad “Everybody Is A Star,” which would’ve been a 7.) “Thank You” is a remarkable song, a possibly-ironic work of unity from a band that wasn’t even close to being unified. It’s messy, since everything the Family Stone did was messy. And Sly would find sharper, more direct ways to say the things that he wanted to say. But the intensity was already there, if you knew where to look.
From: https://www.stereogum.com/2026526/sly-the-family-stones-thank-you-falettinme-be-mice-elf-agin-review/columns/the-number-ones/

Morphine - Buena

 #Morphine #Mark Sandman #alternative rock #blues rock #jazz rock #bass-driven #no guitars #post-punk #indie rock #1990s

“Low-rock” and “Fuck-rock” are two descriptors enigmatic Morphine front man Mark Sandman used to describe his band’s beat-inspired blues-jazz-rock holy racket. Along with Sandman’s baritone vocal delivery and laconic two-string bass styling, co-founder Dana Colley played a saxophone as his lead instrument of choice instead of the expected guitar, creating a quirky and burning sensibility. Original drummer Jerome Deupree, who was replaced by percussionist Billy Conway during the recording of 1993’s Cure For Pain, flushed out the unorthodox trio. Tragically, Morphine’s Sandman passed away on-stage at an Italian gig with the group in 1999, leaving behind five engaging albums. Today, the group is hailed as one of the great bands of the last 25 years and was recently profiled in the feature-length documentary Cure For Pain: The Mark Sandman Story (2011).  From: https://lightintheattic.net/releases/624-cure-for-pain

Morphine was an American rock band formed by Mark Sandman, Dana Colley, and Jerome Deupree in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1989. Drummer Billy Conway also played in the band, frequently during Deupree's absence, though at times both played together. After five successful albums and extensive touring, they disbanded after lead vocalist Sandman died of a heart attack onstage in Palestrina, Italy, on July 3, 1999. Founding members have reformed into the band Vapors of Morphine, maintaining much of the original style and sound. Morphine combined blues and jazz elements with more traditional rock arrangements, giving the band an unusual sound. Sandman sang distinctively in a "deep, laid-back croon", and his songwriting featured a prominent beat influence. The band themselves coined the label "low rock" to describe their music, which involved "a minimalist, low-end sound that could have easily become a gimmick: a 'power trio' not built around the sound of an electric guitar. Instead, Morphine expanded its offbeat vocabulary on each album."  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphine_(band)

The Nields - Mr. Right Now

 #The Nields #Katryna & Nerissa Nields #folk rock #contemporary folk #alternative rock #indie rock #Americana #1990s

The first incarnation of what would later become the Nields came together in 1987 in McLean, Virginia, when Nerissa Nields met David Jones, and started a band with Nerissa's sister Katryna. In 1991, Katryna had graduated from Trinity College in Connecticut, and Nerissa had graduated from Yale University. Nerissa married David, who was now known as David Nields, having taken her surname. By now, the threesome was performing together as the Nields, with Katryna as the lead singer, Nerissa playing rhythm guitar and singing harmony, and David Nields on lead guitar. In 1992, the three of them moved to Connecticut, where David had accepted a job at the Loomis Chaffee School, and the band recorded its first album, the self-released 66 Hoxsey Street, named for a house in Williamstown where they had lived. The band began to tour New England in earnest, earning a reputation in the regional folk music scene. In 1993, they released a live album titled Live at the Iron Horse Music Hall, recorded at the popular folk club in Northampton, Massachusetts.
In 1994 the band grew from a three-piece folk group to a five-piece rock band. The new members were Dave Chalfant (bass), whom Katryna had met in college, and Dave Hower (drums), a friend of Chalfant's. Chalfant also produced the band's album released that year, Bob on the Ceiling. This album featured a mix of the acoustic material that the Nields had previously specialized in and a more rock-oriented sound that would become their trademark. With their new sound, the Nields received critical acclaim, and quit their day jobs to become full-time musicians. Their 1995 EP Abigail, named for Katryna and Nerissa's sister, was self-released, followed by Gotta Get Over Greta in 1996 on the independent Razor & Tie record label. The album was re-released in 1997 with three bonus tracks on Guardian, a division of Elektra Records.
Unfortunately, the group suffered a number of setbacks the next year. Guardian folded, leaving them without a record label, and their tour van was growing increasingly unreliable. The band self-released an album called Mousse (the nickname for Dave Chalfant's sister Andromache) and held a special fundraising concert entitled "Jam for the Van." As a result, the Nields were able to purchase a new van, and were also able to secure a new label, Zoë, a division of Rounder Records. Over the next three years, the Nields released two more records (Play and If You Lived Here You'd Be Home Now), and in 1999 Katryna Nields and Dave Chalfant got married.
Although the band enjoyed a moderate degree of success, they ceased touring as a five-piece in 2001. Their final recording with David Nields was a two-disc album titled Live From Northampton. Like their 1993 album, it was recorded at the Iron Horse Music Hall, and was self-released by the band. In 2002, David and Nerissa Nields were divorced.
In 1998, Katryna and Nerissa were invited to play Lilith Fair as a duo. The performances were successful, and the two sisters performed several more shows together in areas where the full band had not previously been able to tour. By 2001, shows by the full band were increasingly rare, as Katryna and Nerissa toured mostly by themselves. In mid-2001, Katryna took some time off to have a baby, Amelia. Afterwards, she and Nerissa recorded their first album as a duo, titled Love and China, followed by an EP of children's songs, Songs for Amelia. In 2004, they released their second full album, This Town is Wrong. In 2005, Nerissa's young adult novel, Plastic Angel, was published by Scholastic Books. This Town Is Wrong was intended as a soundtrack to the novel, which came packaged with a CD containing the songs "This Town Is Wrong" and "Glow-In-The-Dark Plastic Angel" from the album.  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nields

Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime

 #Talking Heads #David Byrne #new wave #alternative rock #post-punk #art rock #avant-funk #experimental #funk rock #worldbeat #1980s #music video

As the 80s began, the future of Talking Heads was uncertain; that they would soon record their defining song, 1981’s Once In A Lifetime, would have seemed impossible to a group then on the verge of burning out. In Remain In Love, Chris Frantz’s 2020 memoir, the drummer remembers talking to a journalist on 19 December 1979, following the final gig of their tour in support of their third album, that year’s remarkable Fear Of Music. “He opened with the question, ‘What are you going to do now that David [Byrne, singer] is leaving the band?’ David had already spoken to him privately and told him this. Tina [Weymouth, bassist] and Jerry [Harrison, guitars and keyboards] and I explained to the journalist that we knew nothing about it and left it at that. Everyone was exhausted.” The group took some time to take stock and explore individual solo projects and interests. David Byrne used his downtime to work with Brian Eno (who’d produced the previous two Talking Heads records) on the groundbreaking album My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts, eventually released in February 1981. Meanwhile, Weymouth and Frantz took a long holiday in the Caribbean, where they pondered the group’s future and soaked up musical influences that would set them in good stead. Feeling Byrne had become too controlling, they looked to redress the balance; rather than rely on their frontman bringing material to the group, Weymouth and Franz suggested they emulate the music that was exciting them – early hip-hop, Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat grooves, West African highlife pop – and embark upon jam sessions, with the intention of “sampling” themselves and working the results up into new material. Frantz and Weymouth invited Harrison to their New York loft for informal jams, recorded on Frantz’s boombox. When it became apparent they had the beginnings of some promising tracks, they reached out to Byrne and Eno, both of whom had previously told Frantz they were not interested in making another Talking Heads record. Once the reluctant pair had been separately coaxed over and joined in, things began to get interesting. “By nighttime we took a break to listen back. You could hear all kinds of interesting parts germinating, mutating and evolving,” Frantz recalled. “There was no denying that Talking Heads still had a great chemistry going on and the beats were good. You could dance to it!” Excited by the loft jams, recording sessions were booked at Compass Point, the studio where Talking Heads recorded their second album, 1978’s More Songs About Buildings And Food, in Nassau, The Bahamas. One of those jams, a hypnotic and relentless instrumental called Right Start, might very well have been abandoned. Instead, it was worked up to become one of the best Talking Heads songs of all, the transcendent Once In A Lifetime. Talking to NPR for a 2000 edition of All Things Considered, Brian Eno revealed that he “immediately misheard it and I still mishear it to this day, I always think the one of the bar is in a different place from them. This might seem like a rather irrelevant technical point but actually it means that the song has a funny balance within it, it has two centers of gravity – their one and my one.” This unusual quality, along with the insistent bass line – played by Weymouth after she thought she heard Frantz shouting the riff at her during a session – made Byrne think it had potential for lyrics. The song was saved from the discard pile. And what lyrics they were. Byrne had become increasingly interested in the end-of-days rhetoric of evangelists and looked to channel that energy, as he told NPR: “So much of it was taken from the style of radio evangelists. So I would improvise lines as if I was giving a sermon in that kind of metre. In that kind of hyperventilating style. And then go back and distill that.” While many have interpreted the lyric as an extended jab at the materialistic 80s, Byrne himself has suggested the song implores the listener to take stock of their lives. “We’re largely unconscious. You know, we operate half-awake or on autopilot and end up, whatever, with a house and family and job and everything else. We haven’t really stopped to ask ourselves, ‘How did I get here?’”  From: https://www.thisisdig.com/feature/once-in-a-lifetime-talking-heads-song-story/

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - I Don't Live Today

 #The Jimi Hendrix Experience #hard rock #psychedelic rock #blues rock #R&B #heavy metal #British psychedelia #acid rock #1960s #power trio #Mitch Mitchell #Noel Redding

Jimi Hendrix’s debut album, Are You Experienced, was pieced together in London in between dazzling live gigs that left the competition reeling. But the end results are still a revelation. Revered music writer Dave Marsh spoke for many when he called Are You Experienced, “The greatest, most influential debut album ever released” but, truth to tell, it was never really conceived as an album at all. Released on May 12, 1967, Are You Experienced ushered in a new and exciting era where albums, not 45s, dominated rock music. Just three weeks after its release, The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band confirmed the album’s position. It had now become the definitive statement of a rock artist’s worth. However, when Jimi Hendrix went into London’s De Lane Lea studios with producer Chas Chandler in October 1966, hit singles were still very much the goal, and the album, which would change it all, would eventually come together via a sequence of higgledy-piggledy recording sessions, strung out between live commitments. The influences that Hendrix melded together to create the revelatory guitar and songwriting style on the album are many and include his early exposure to the blues, his years on the road as a guitar slinger for hire with Little Richard, the Isley Brothers et al and his fascination with Bob Dylan. One song, however, would bring all those strands together, spark the world’s love affair with Hendrix and establish the template for his earth-shattering debut album. In the summer of 1966, when Hendrix was between jobs and low on cash, he could be found contemplating his options over a coffee at the Cock’n’Bull café on MacDougal Street in New York’s Greenwich Village. He would stroll over to the café’s jukebox again and again and select Hey Joe by folkie Tim Rose. Copyrighted in 1962 by songwriter Billy Roberts, it was already one of the most recorded songs of the mid 1960s, but whereas most bands treated it as an uptempo rock cut, Rose had slowed it down and introduced a distinctive walking bass line. About a month later, Chas Chandler, bassist of The Animals, caught Hendrix’s set at Café Wha? in the Village, and heard him perform his version of Hey Joe. By happy coincidence, The Animals’ career was winding down and Chandler was looking to move into management and record production. He saw his golden opportunity in Hendrix, signed him up and flew him to London to launch a new career. But no one could predict the tumult that would follow Hendrix’s arrival in the UK on September 24, 1966. After touchdown at Heathrow, he got straight to it, jamming at the Scotch Of St James club. Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, The Who’s managers were in the audience and, so impressed, stumped up a £1,000 advance to tie Hendrix to their fledgling record company, Track Records. Soon he was also jamming with London based band The VIPS and Eric Burdon and The New Animals. “He just grabbed hold of Vic Briggs’ guitar and said, ‘Do you mind if I have a jam?’,” remembers Eric Burdon, The Animals’ singer. “Barry Jenkins and Danny McCulloch from my band just leapt in and chased him on this incredible jam, and the sounds just rocketed around the room, like, ricocheted around the room. I was totally stunned.” Before the month was out, he was performing with keyboard virtuoso Brian Auger at Blaises’ club, when guitarist Andy Summers, later of The Police, then in Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band walked in. “He had a white Strat and as I walked in he had it in his mouth,” recalls Summers. “It was intense and it was really great. It kind of turned all the guitarists in London upside down at the time.” Then on October 1, Chandler arranged for Jimi to jam with Cream at the Polytechnic of Central London. “He did Killing Floor, a Howlin’ Wolf number I’ve always wanted to play, but which I’ve never really had the complete technique to do,” admitted guitarist Eric Clapton. “Ginger didn’t like it and Jack didn’t like it. They’d never heard the song before. It was just, well, he just stole the show.” By this time, Noel Redding, attracted by a small ad in Melody Maker, had also jammed with Hendrix on a handful of instrumentals and found himself hired as bassist for the newly named Jimi Hendrix Experience. The arrival of drummer Mitch Mitchell came next. On October 1, he was fired by R&B hitmaker Georgie Fame and five days later he auditioned for Hendrix. They meshed well but at the end, Hendrix simply said, “Okay. I’ll see you around.” Before Mitchell could leave, though, Chas Chandler mentioned a potential gig in the middle of the month, supporting French pop idol Johnny Hallyday in Paris. Mitchell recalled: “I said ‘Okay’ and spent three days rehearsing. Then off we went and that was how it started.”  From: https://www.loudersound.com/features/rocks-big-bang-theory-jimi-hendrix-and-the-most-influential-debut-album-ever

Led Zeppelin - Hey Hey What Can I Do

 #Led Zeppelin #Jimmy Page #Robert Plant #hard rock #blues rock #folk rock #heavy metal #folk metal #heavy blues rock #1970s

Led Zeppelin were purposefully not a singles band. For the majority of their career, the hard rock icons didn’t release a single in their native UK. Since their American audiences were exponentially larger, singles were necessary evils, but Led Zeppelin considered themselves an album-focused group throughout their career. There was never a time when you couldn’t find a song featured on a single that wasn’t already on a studio album. With one notable exception, that is. Throughout their entire career, only one single released by Zeppelin featured a B-side that never found its way onto a studio album. That was in 1970 when the group released ‘Immigrant Song’ as a single. The track wound up being the first track on what would become Led Zeppelin III, and its B-side was representative of the more acoustic direction that Zeppelin would be taking on the rest of Zeppelin III. Strangely enough, the song itself wouldn’t be included. ‘Hey, Hey, What Can I Do’ is an almost fully non-electric outing for Led Zeppelin. Featuring Jimmy Page on acoustic guitars and John Paul Jones on mandolin, the only plugged-in instrument in the mix is Jones’ bass guitar. John Bonham bashes out his signature rhythms while Robert Plant gamely belts out his blues-influenced lyrics about his partner who stays drunk all the time and can’t stay true. Mixing the classic come-ons of Zeppelin’s past with the folkier direction of their future, ‘Hey, Hey, What Can I Do’ would have made the perfect addition to Led Zeppelin III. But for whatever reason, the track was left off the final album, making it's appearance on the ‘Immigrant Song’ single its only appearance in Zeppelin’s catalogue for a number of years.  From: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/rare-led-zeppelin-song-without-studio-album/

Renaissance - Can You Hear Me

 #Renaissance #Annie Haslam #progressive rock #British progressive rock #symphonic prog #classical #orchestral #1970s

 

Novella gets so deep into an era of a few centuries ago that I feel like I'm getting some kind of plague every time I play it. Not as accessible as most of their stuff, the orchestral arrangements are the dominant force for most of these songs, resulting in an album that is certainly progressive and with folk leanings, but the 'rock' factor is at a low ebb concerning their output.
I was never a fan of this... until now. It finally clicked for me, and I love it for being such an unabashed foray into olden day jive at a time when the new and modern was going wild in the music scene. Very classical at times, and not exactly a thrill-ride either. Rather somber and even dour at times, like living under the age of kings and churches. Novella is quite an evocative beast, complex in arrangements and led by Annie's graceful, heavenly yet traditional folkish voice. "Can You Hear Me?" is actually amazing, but at first I thought it was too steeped in orchestration, like a movie score with singing. Now I'm sincerely impressed with the chord changes and the sudden, quick operatic bursts. Pompous in all the right ways. The closer "Touching Once (Is So Hard to Keep)" is the other mega-track, and while it's not as vocally engaging as the opener, it's got some potent segues into numerous grooves that possess real bounce. And believe me, those groovy moments are needed when you have depressing old tales like the lyrics of "The Sisters" to contend with. There's a weight to this album, gloomy tales to dispirit kids. But Novella does it so damn well that I can only marvel at it’s successful embodiment of the album cover. And it's not all morose, as the music itself never settles for a singular mood.  From: https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/renaissance/novella/

Renaissance were an English progressive rock band who developed a unique sound, combining a female lead vocal with a fusion of classical, folk, rock, and jazz influences. Characteristic elements of the Renaissance sound are Annie Haslam's wide vocal range, prominent piano accompaniment, orchestral arrangements, vocal harmonies, acoustic guitar, synthesiser, and versatile drum work.  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_(band)

Luciferian Light Orchestra - Taste the Blood of the Altar Wine

 #Luciferian Light Orchestra #doom metal #psychedelic rock #heavy metal #occult rock #psychedelic metal #gothic rock #heavy psych #retro 1970s #Swedish #music video

Luciferian Light Orchestra is a band formed in 2014 by Therion’s Christofer Johnsson. The band performs songs that Johnsson has written over the years but thought that they were too retro sounding for Therion. Christofer always had a big passion for ’70’s music. Luciferian Light Orchestra sounds like a ’70’s version of Therion, mainly inspired by the ’70’s occult vibes and themes. The self-titled album was recorded and mixed by Christofer at Adulruna Studio and and mixed by Lennart Östlund (Led Zeppelin, ABBA) at Polar Studios, Stockholm. In the process of making the record, there was a large group of people involved: 2 drummers, 1 bass player, 5 guitarists, 2 keyboard players, 3 hammond organists, 4 lead singers, 5 backing singers It's not official who contributed on the album and who the members are, but Christofer has revealed that it’s ”a mix of old symphonic rock and progressive musicians, some current Therion members, one ex-Therion member and some artists from other bands. Plus some known and unknown people from Dragon Rouge giving a hand with backing vocals.”  From: https://svartrecords.com/en/product/luciferian-light-orchestra-black-ep/4110

Butthole Surfers - Tongue

 #Butthole Surfers #experimental rock #alternative rock #punk rock #psychedelic rock #noise rock #psychedelic punk #1980s #1990s

Butthole Surfers is a Noise Rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas in 1981, well known for it's bizarre and often disturbing lyrics, heavy synthesizing, and macabre live shows. They also use a lot of Black Comedy in their lyrics. The Surfers began in 1980, when lead singer Gibby Haynes met guitarist Paul Leary while going to college in Texas, where they became friends due to their shared overall weirdness and interest in strange music. They published a magazine, Strange V.D., with a lot of pictures of strange diseases and illnesses, long before they actually started playing in 1981. Throughout The '80s, they built up a cult following in the college rock world through their melding of Punk Rock and Psychedelic Rock, plus a multi-media stage show (including a naked female dancer and grotesque film clips projected on a giant screen) that was an assault on the senses, all capped off with a twisted sense of humor. Their mainstream commercial breakthrough finally came in The 1990s, when big labels were scrambling to sign Alternative Rock acts in the wake of Nirvana's success. After a decade of releasing their music on small indie labels such as Alternative Tentacles and Touch and Go, the Buttholes signed with Capitol Records; their second Capitol album, 1996’s Electriclarryland, contained their first big hit "Pepper.” Afterwards, they became featured on many movie soundtracks, such as William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and John Carpenter's Escape from L.A.  From: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Music/ButtholeSurfers

Buffalo Springfield - Special Care

 #Buffalo Springfield #Stephen Stills #Neil Young #Richie Furay #Jim Messina #folk rock #psychedelic rock #country rock #West coast sound #1960s #pre-CSNY #pre-Poco #pre-Loggins & Messina

After just over two turbulent, creative, and brilliant years, the members of Buffalo Springfield decided to call it quits. Neil Young would release a solo album four months after the group’s demise. Stephen Stills would move on to the successful and enduring Crosby, Stills & Nash. Richie Furay and Jim Messina, who had replaced original bass player Bruce Palmer, would form the country-rock band Poco. Drummer Dewey Martin would form Medicine Ball, retire to become a mechanic, and then form Buffalo Springfield Revisited with bass player Bruce Palmer. Last Time Around was the third and last studio album by the group and was released after they had disbanded. It is unique, creative, diverse, and excellent which is probably an accurate description of their career. It seems as if Neil Young could hardly wait to leave the band. He only contributed two full songs but his talent was such that both are superb. “On The Way Home” contains vocal harmonies with Richie Furay and guitar work by Stephen Stills which are top notch. There is an excellent version of this song on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s live album Four Way Street. “I Am A Child” did not include any other member of the band but is a classic Neil Young composition. He would recycle it for his Live Rust album. Stephen Stills would contribute five tracks which can be considered the album’s foundation. “Four Days Gone” remains one of his strongest compositions. It has a country-rock feel and is another political statement by him. A bluesy rendition appears on Stephen Stills Live. “Pretty Girl Why” contains some nice guitar interplay with Young but it is the co-lead vocal with Furay that pushes it over the top. “Questions” is another country-rock composition with strong lyrics and stellar guitar riffs. “Uno Mundo” features some almost psychedelic guitar playing by Stills. “Special Care” is another track which would appear live throughout his career in various forms but here in it’s original incarnation it is precise and very laid back” Richie Furay’s “Kind Woman” can really be considered the first Poco song. Rusty Young was brought in to play the pedal steel guitar part and meshed so well with Young and Messina that they decided to start their own band. This is a gentle, romantic song that remains among his best. “Merry-Go-Round” would travel in a different direction as a light pop tune. “It’s So Hard To Wait” was co-authored by Neil Young who then abandoned the song and does not appear on it. Furay finished it as a slow ode of lost love. Jim Messina managed to contribute one song before everything fell apart. “Carefree Country Day” is light and competent, and further solidified his relationship with Richie Furay. Last Time Around remains one of the better albums of the late sixties despite the group members being pulled in different directions during the recording process. It has stood the test of time well as a lasting testament to one of the masterful groups in American rock history.  From: https://blogcritics.org/music-review-buffalo-springfield-last-time/

Strawbs - New World

 #Strawbs #Dave Cousins #progressive rock #folk rock #progressive folk #British folk rock #1970s

Dave Cousins efforts to move the band from folk rock into more progressive areas took another step forward here. The luxurious packaging of the original LP suggested even before hearing it, that this was going to be a confident album. Blue Weaver, Rick Wakeman's replacement on keyboards, stamps his own mark throughout the album. He provides structured layers of sound for the band to build on, rather than the more independent sound of his predecessor. The opening track, "Benedictus" has the hymnal feel of "A Glimpse of heaven" from the previous album, but the mood soon changes with "Queen of Dreams" which comes close to acid rock. The title track "New World" was probably the Strawbs most powerful track they ever made. As Dave Cousins sang "May you rot in your grave, new world" his teeth must have ached from being so tightly clenched!  From: https://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=2897

One of the more unsung British progressive bands of the early 1970s, the Strawbs differed from their more successful compatriots - the Moody Blues, King Crimson, Pink Floyd - principally in that their sound originated in English folk music rather than rock. Their transformation from acoustic bluegrass outfit to progressive folk-rock innovators was an impressive feat, and they hit their stride with gems like 1972's Grave New World and its follow-up Bursting at the Seams. As the '70s wore on, the Strawbs' career began to falter with ongoing lineup and label changes marring their progress. They survived a breakup at the end of the decade and went on to enjoy a robust revival period in the mid-1980s that, while not quite up to the level of their peak years, helped carry them and their fans into the 21st century. The Strawbs of the 2000s were particularly prolific, delivering an array of studio albums including highlights like 2005's Painted Sky and 2009's The Broken Hearted Bride. Over the years, the group have managed to remain stylistically adventurous even on late-period outings like 2021's Settlement, released over 50 years after their debut.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-strawbs-mn0000940076/biography

Shocking Blue - Venus

 #Shocking Blue #Mariska Veres #psychedelic rock #garage rock #nederbeat #pop rock #garage rock #proto-prog #Dutch #1960s #music video

Musically, Shocking Blue was hard to peg. While their solid rhythm section comprised of guitar, bass and drums, was regularly augmented by an array of instruments including sax, sitar, banjo and mandolin, their repertoire freely leapt from proto-glam to kickass country rock. Robbie Van Leeuwen’s obsession with American music was apparent with one listen to The Big 3’s 1963 update of Stephen Foster’s 1847 song, “Oh, Susanna,” which they renamed “The Banjo Song.” Tim Rose, Jim Hendricks, and the future “Mama” Cass Elliot gave Foster’s famous tune a rock ‘n’ roll edge with a driving guitar riff straight out of Henry Mancini’s theme song to the popular TV show Peter Gunn. Whether a flagrant case of plagiarism or merely “inspired by” The Big 3, Robbie kept the music fully intact, note for note, chord for chord, while re-writing the lyrics, transforming the obscure novelty folk number into the pop smash “Venus,” and topped the Billboard charts in December 1969. Other obvious influences can be heard in the song’s intro, which kicks off with chiming suspended guitar chords by way of Pete Townshend’s “Pinball Wizard” from The Who’s Tommy (released only a few months before “Venus” in March 1969). In 1988, Cor van der Beek, confessed that “Venus” “was stolen from The Beatles.” While one might comb the Fabs’ albums looking for the source of the song’s irresistible guitar hook, it was actually Billy Preston’s electric piano groove from “Get Back” (imitated by Cees Schrama of Golden Earring) that van der Beek was referring to. It also didn’t hurt that Robbie van Leeuwen’s lead guitar break on “Venus” strongly resembled John Lennon’s slinky licks on The Beatles’ 1969 single. Robbie van Leeuwen was obviously hip to American roots music and had no qualms about re-working it into great pop. For their 1972 single “Rock in the Sea,” van Leeuwen employed the electric mandolin and lifted a verse directly from the Holy Modal Rounders’ “Mole in the Ground” (who’d copped it from banjo picker Bascom Lamar Lunsford). Shocking Blue’s “Navajo Tears,” which featured Robbie on mandolin and saxophone, employed the melody of “The Trees They Do Grow High,” a traditional folk song sung by Joan Baez, Pentangle and many others. No matter what their source of inspiration, or which direction their sonic compass pointed, Mariska Veres inevitably became the group’s focal point. Her striking looks - long dark hair, cut into bangs (said to be a wig) framed her alluring kohl-ringed eyes. Dressed in wild print blouses, short skirts and high boots, she drew comparisons to every sultry brunette who ever fronted a rock band, from Grace Slick, to Cher and Linda Ronstadt. But Mariska had something extra. She was Romany - an exotic cocktail of Hungarian, Russian and French. One of three daughters, Mariska began her career singing and playing piano with her father, Lajos Veres, a violinist with a gypsy orchestra. By 1963, she was singing with a twangy guitar group called Les Mysteres, who recorded a righteous reverb-soaked cover of “Summertime.” Nearly every article written about Shocking Blue compared the band to Jefferson Airplane. But the similarities between Mariska and Grace Slick were superficial at best. To begin with, Veres would prove a more versatile vocalist, and while Grace was a legendary wild woman and provocateur, Mariska was said to be a gentle soul who loved cats, didn’t smoke, shunned drink and drugs, and warned her bandmates upon joining their ranks that relationships were strictly out. Years later, Mariska told the Belgian magazine Flair: “I was just a painted doll, nobody could ever reach me. Nowadays, I am more open to people.”  From: https://pleasekillme.com/mariska-veres/