What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

Lotta good stuff today, there, Dennie! Well, at least, a lot more stuff I recognize.

Thanks Pauly, I woke up this morning and felt like some sweet, sweet Jazz!

....and it was just what the Doctor ordered! :bow-blue:


Dennie :eusa-clap:

 

[Dennie]

Concert By The Sea -- CD

Erroll Garner

1955/1990 Columbia Records
Amazon.com

The sound is atrocious and the piano is out of tune, yet this live trio recording from September 9, 1955, in Carmel, California, was a bestselling album. Garner brings a wealth of imagination to every performance of every song. On uptempo numbers like "I'll Remember April" and "Red Top" he hammers away with intense left-handed figures while unleashing relentless cascades of improvised lines with his right. On ballads like "Teach Me Tonight" and "April in Paris" he plays with the softest of touches, changing tempo from verse to verse for dramatic effect. His performance of "Autumn Leaves" is so over-the-top it could have gone to parody, but not in the hands of this master entertainer. His humming, grunting vocal accompaniment--he seems to be commenting on "They Can't Take That Away from Me" as he plays it--provides a kind of side show to the performance. More than 30 years later it's still starkly original work. --John Swenson

"I'll Remember April" (Gene de Paul, Patricia Johnston, Don Raye) – 4:14
"Teach Me Tonight" (Sammy Cahn, Gene de Paul) – 3:37
"Mambo Carmel-by-the-sea" (Erroll Garner) – 3:43
"Autumn Leaves" (Joseph Kosma, Jacques Prévert, Johnny Mercer) – 6:27
"It's All Right with Me" (Cole Porter) – 3:21
"Red Top" (Lionel Hampton, Ben Kynard) – 3:11
"April in Paris" (Vernon Duke, Yip Harburg) – 4:47
"They Can't Take That Away from Me" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 4:08
"How Could You do a Thing Like That to Me" (Tyree Glenn, Allan Roberts) – 3:59
"Where or When" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) – 3:06
"Erroll's Theme" (Garner) – 0:46


Erroll Garner – piano
Eddie Calhoun – double bass
Denzil Best – drums

 

[Dennie]

Gary's First....

New Vibe Man In Town

Gary Burton

1961 RCA Records

Vibraphonist Gary Burton's debut as a leader shows that he was a brilliant player from the start of his career. Utilizing a sparse trio that also includes bassist Gene Cherico and drummer Joe Morello, Burton even at this early stage sounds quite original and unlike his predecessors (Lionel Hampton, Red Norvo and Milt Jackson). Highlights of the CD (a straight reissue of the original Lp) include "Joy Spring," "You Stepped Out Of A Dream" and Burton's original "Our Waltz." This boppish set is easily recommended.
Review by Scott Yanow

01 Joy Spring
02 Over the Rainbow
03 Like Someone in Love
04 Minor Blues
05 Our Waltz
06 So Many Things
07 Sir John
08 You Stepped Out of a Dream

 

[Dennie]

Inside Out -- CD

Chick Corea Elektric Band

1990 GRP Records

Chick Corea Elektric Band: Chick Corea (piano, synthesizer); Eric Marienthal (saxophone); Frank Gambale (guitar); John Patitucci (electric bass); Dave Weckl (drums).
Recorded at Mad Hatter Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California.


After three highly acclaimed albums, the Chick Corea Elektric Band had nothing to lose with the release of INSIDE OUT. Picking up where the previous album, EYE OF THE BEHOLDER, left off, this record is a nice balance of the group's creative musical inventiveness and technological flights of fancy. The core trio of Corea, Patitucci and Weckl remains the key focus of the quintet's energy while Marienthal (sax) and Gambale (guitar) provide colorful embellishments over the ever-evolving textures.
Stylistically, INSIDE OUT is a cross between all three of the previous efforts. The acoustic piano Corea incorporated into the electric format on EYE makes a welcome return, as does Weckl's natural drum sound. The funk grooves from LIGHT YEARS are present in the opening title track and the tasty "Kicker." Of course, the group never let up on its amazing displays of virtuosity initiated on the first self-titled disc; tracks like the aptly titled "Tale Of Daring," a multi-part suite, push the limits of musical imagination with jaw-dropping technical feats. In all, this is the most challenging disc the band recorded and a marvel of complexity and detail.

Track listing

1. Inside Out
2. Part 1
3. Part 2
4. Part 1
5. Part 2
6. Kicker
7. Child's Play
8. Chapter 1
9. Chapter 2
10. Chapter 3
11. Chapter 4

 

[Dennie]

Three Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest -- CD

Bela Fleck & The Flecktones

1993 Warner Bros. Records

The Flecktones' best studio album, December 30, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: 3 Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Audio CD)

This is the one! The departure of Howard Levy and his often annoying harmonica (Note: Howard, loved your keyboard playing but that harp had to go!) forced the three remaining 'Tones into a different, jazzier direction than before. Victor's writing really comes into its own on this album (his several tunes here are jaw-droppingly great), and Future Man's synth-drumming style improves exponentially. Technically, the all three are really on fire. Anyone who own's even one Flecktones album needs to get this one.

"Vix 9" (Victor Wooten) – 4:27
"At Last We Meet Again" (V. Wooten) – 5:34
"Spunky and Clorissa" (Béla Fleck) – 4:30
"Bumbershoot" (Fleck) – 5:22
"Blues For Gordon" (Fleck) – 5:16
"Monkey See" (Fleck) – 3:16
"The Message" (music: Fleck, V. Wooten, Future Man; lyrics: Joe Wooten) – 4:03
"Interlude (Return of the Ancient Ones)" (Future Man) – 2:06
"The Drift" (Fleck, V. Wooten, Future Man) – 3:30
"A Celtic Medley: Meridian/Traveling Light/Salamander's Reel" (Fleck) – 6:39
"Peace, Be Still" (V. Wooten) – 4:05
"The Longing" (Fleck) – 5:25
"For Now" (Fleck) – 2:40

 

[Botch]

 

[Dennie]

UFO TOFU ( <--- A Palindrome :shhh: ) -- CD

Bela Fleck & The Flecktones

1992 Warner Bros. Records

Bela and company to the rescue!, June 17, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: UFO Tofu (Audio CD)

In a world of carefully marketed, nondescript, written-for-radio music, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones are the proverbial breath of fresh air. Some will give the disc a cursory listen, debate about what category to file it under, and completely miss the point. It's not about doing what's been done. It's not about following trends. Above all, it's not radio-friendly. Flecktones fans wll love this record for the same reason they love every Flecktone release. It's inventive, fun, emotional, and brilliantly played. For the uninitiated, the group consists of banjo master Bela Fleck, bassist Victor Wooten, his brother Roy (also known as Future Man) on what he calls a synthaxe drumitar (basically a handheld electronic percussion unit), and harmonica and keyboard innovator Howard Levy. Coming from bluegrass, jazz, pop, and folk backgrounds, they quite simply create some of the most intriguing music around. Unfortunately, fewer people hear of this band than should, in large part due to the fact that retailers can't easily categorize them and radio programmers don't know what to think of them. For the adventurous music lover looking for something real, however, this could be just the thing.

All songs by Béla Fleck unless otherwise noted.

"The West County" – 4:30
"Sex In A Pan" (Victor Wooten) – 3:33
"Nemo's Dream" – 5:07
"Bonnie & Slyde" – 4:18
"Scuttlebutt" – 4:04
"UFO Tofu" – 3:46
"Magic Fingers" – 5:13
"True North" – 4:54
"Life Without Elvis" – 5:06
"Seresta" (Howard Levy/Manfredo Fest) – 3:39
"The Yee-Haw Factor" – 6:57
"After The Storm" – 3:52

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening...

Eliane Elias Plays Jobim

Eliane Elias

1990 Blue Note Records

Unique blend of jazz and Brazil, January 25, 2000
By bossa_nova (Kent) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Plays Jobim (Audio CD)

I love this album and play it all the time. The material is great, and Elias has a unique approach which blends cool and vibrant jazz with a subtle Brazilian rhythmic flow. Her support too is excellent, with Eddie Gomez playing melodic bass lines that at times sound like a pizzicato 'cello or even a guitar! Both percussionists play with great subtlety and together they create a magical soundworld, heard to best advantage on the elusive 'Sabia'. This track and 'Zingaro' are truly haunting. Jazz fans will love what Eliane does with 'One Note Samba' and 'Desafinado' and there is plenty of lively and witty soloing along with the ballads. Highly recommended.

1 Waters of March (Aguas de Março) DeMoraes, Jobim 4:45
2 Sabiá Buarque, Gimbel, Jobim 3:01
3 Passarim Jobim, Jobim 5:10
4 Don't Ever Go Away Jobim, Gilbert, Duran 8:26
5 Desafinado Mendonça, Lees, Jobim 6:30
6 Angela Jobim 5:30
7 Children's Games Jobim 8:51
8 Dindi Jobim, Gilbert 5:45
9 Zingaro Buarque, Jobim 2:23
10 One Note Samba Hendricks, Jobim, Mendonca 4:23
11 Don't Ever Go Away [Por Causa de Voce] Jobim, Duran 2:59

 

[Dennie]

The Bedroom Tapes -- CD

Carly Simon

2000 Arista Records

Amazon.com

Not unlike Joni Mitchell's recent work, The Bedroom Tapes finds Carly Simon facing the modern world with a certain bemusement. She's not as cranky as Mitchell about the things she sees; in fact, she doesn't quite seem to know what to think about such phenomena as the Internet ("Big Dumb Guy"). There's some wit on display here; "We Your Dearest Friends" is a cutting song about social politics, while "Actress" may be a sly acknowledgment of Simon's famous stage fright. Despite her obvious smarts, though, Bedroom has the distinct feel of the work of someone who's going through the motions. Grown-up rock doesn't have to be so staid. --Bob Roget

1. Our Affair
2. So Many Stars
3. Big Dumb Guy
4. Scar
5. Cross The River
6. I Forget
7. Actress
8. I'm Really The Kind
9. We Your Dearest Friends
10. Whatever Became Of Her
11. In Honor Of You (George)

 

[Dennie]

Never Die Young -- CD

James Taylor

1988 Columbia Legacy

One of the best CD's From JT.He will never grow old, November 21, 2000
By Bob Waskiewicz (Wintersville, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
This review is from: Never Die Young (Audio CD)

"Never Die Young" is one of JT's greatest CD's recorded in the late 80's.The opening number I just mentioned,about rising above from your humble begining, is the one song I play the most.JT experimented with different sounds and Rhythm's on this tape,and its a up lifting record.There's only a couple of slow ballads,like "Valentine's Day,"but wait untill you hear "Sun on the Moon." This is very different from James Taylor's other songs,and its fantastic.One song I really love is "Baby Boom Baby," about a lost love,and remembering the good times."We sat on the beach and watched as the sun rose into the summer air." This is my second favorite from the tape,that leads into the country,Hoe down,"Runaway Boy." I really enjoyed this number,like all the other songs on the CD.The musicans are Brilliant,but Carlos Vega has got to be the greatest drummer in the world,next to Russ Kunkel.If you want to hear a wonderfull,experimental record,that makes you fill good inside,"Never Die Young" is the record to buy.

All songs were written by James Taylor, except where noted.

"Never Die Young" – 4:24
"T-Bone" (Bill Payne, Taylor) – 3:47
"Baby Boom Baby" (Taylor, Zachary Wiesner) – 4:59
"Runaway Boy" – 4:18
"Valentine's Day" – 2:35
"Sun on the Moon" – 4:09
"Sweet Potato Pie" – 3:30
"Home by Another Way" (Timothy Mayer, Taylor) – 3:50
"Letter in the Mail" – 4:41
"First of May" – 4:01

 

[heeman]

Never Die Young -- CD

James Taylor

1988 Columbia Legacy

One of the best CD's From JT.He will never grow old, November 21, 2000
By Bob Waskiewicz (Wintersville, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
This review is from: Never Die Young (Audio CD)

"Never Die Young" is one of JT's greatest CD's recorded in the late 80's.The opening number I just mentioned,about rising above from your humble begining, is the one song I play the most.JT experimented with different sounds and Rhythm's on this tape,and its a up lifting record.There's only a couple of slow ballads,like "Valentine's Day,"but wait untill you hear "Sun on the Moon." This is very different from James Taylor's other songs,and its fantastic.One song I really love is "Baby Boom Baby," about a lost love,and remembering the good times."We sat on the beach and watched as the sun rose into the summer air." This is my second favorite from the tape,that leads into the country,Hoe down,"Runaway Boy." I really enjoyed this number,like all the other songs on the CD.The musicans are Brilliant,but Carlos Vega has got to be the greatest drummer in the world,next to Russ Kunkel.If you want to hear a wonderfull,experimental record,that makes you fill good inside,"Never Die Young" is the record to buy.

All songs were written by James Taylor, except where noted.

"Never Die Young" – 4:24
"T-Bone" (Bill Payne, Taylor) – 3:47
"Baby Boom Baby" (Taylor, Zachary Wiesner) – 4:59
"Runaway Boy" – 4:18
"Valentine's Day" – 2:35
"Sun on the Moon" – 4:09
"Sweet Potato Pie" – 3:30
"Home by Another Way" (Timothy Mayer, Taylor) – 3:50
"Letter in the Mail" – 4:41
"First of May" – 4:01

This one has always sounded AWESOME on my system!!

 

[Dennie]

Hourglass -- CD

James Taylor

1997 Columbia Records

Amazon.com

The merchant of mellow's first studio album since New Moon Shine (1991), and you've gotta have a heart of naugahyde not to be touched by the simplicity and uncommon wisdom of these dozen tunes. "Little More Time with You" is a trademark Taylor single augmented by a Stevie Wonder harmonica line, "Ananas" is sly and lusty, while the expertly crafted "Line 'Em Up" features a fond recollection of Richard Nixon's "shifty little eyes." A-list guests like Sting, Shawn Colvin, Branford Marsalis, and Randy Brecker add to the charm. --Jeff Bateman

All songs by James Taylor unless otherwise noted.

"Line 'Em Up" – 4:42
"Enough to Be on Your Way" – 5:57
"Little More Time With You" – 3:51
"Gaia" – 5:30
"Ananas" – 5:42
"Jump Up Behind Me" – 3:28
"Another Day" – 2:21
"Up Er Mei" – 3:47
"Up From Your Life" – 5:15
"Yellow and Rose" – 4:54
"Boatman" (Livingston Taylor, M. Taylor) – 3:57
"Walkin' My Baby Back Home" (Fred E. Ahlert, Roy Turk) – 3:12
"Hangnail" (also known as "Money O Money") – 2:22 [hidden "bonus" track]

 

[Dennie]

Never Die Young -- CD

James Taylor

1988 Columbia Legacy

One of the best CD's From JT.He will never grow old, November 21, 2000
By Bob Waskiewicz (Wintersville, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
This review is from: Never Die Young (Audio CD)

"Never Die Young" is one of JT's greatest CD's recorded in the late 80's.The opening number I just mentioned,about rising above from your humble begining, is the one song I play the most.JT experimented with different sounds and Rhythm's on this tape,and its a up lifting record.There's only a couple of slow ballads,like "Valentine's Day,"but wait untill you hear "Sun on the Moon." This is very different from James Taylor's other songs,and its fantastic.One song I really love is "Baby Boom Baby," about a lost love,and remembering the good times."We sat on the beach and watched as the sun rose into the summer air." This is my second favorite from the tape,that leads into the country,Hoe down,"Runaway Boy." I really enjoyed this number,like all the other songs on the CD.The musicans are Brilliant,but Carlos Vega has got to be the greatest drummer in the world,next to Russ Kunkel.If you want to hear a wonderfull,experimental record,that makes you fill good inside,"Never Die Young" is the record to buy.

All songs were written by James Taylor, except where noted.

"Never Die Young" – 4:24
"T-Bone" (Bill Payne, Taylor) – 3:47
"Baby Boom Baby" (Taylor, Zachary Wiesner) – 4:59
"Runaway Boy" – 4:18
"Valentine's Day" – 2:35
"Sun on the Moon" – 4:09
"Sweet Potato Pie" – 3:30
"Home by Another Way" (Timothy Mayer, Taylor) – 3:50
"Letter in the Mail" – 4:41
"First of May" – 4:01

This one has always sounded AWESOME on my system!!

I find most of JT's albums sound very good! :handgestures-thumbup:

"Hourglass" has some very deep bass! :eusa-clap:

Dennie

 

[Dennie]

Live At Blues Alley -- CD

Eva Cassidy

1997 Blix Street Records

Amazon.com

When Eva Cassidy is swinging her way through "Cheek to Cheek" and getting down and bluesy on "Stormy Monday" on this live set from 1996, it's nigh impossible not to get swept up in her voice's vast, barreling force. Her full range, though, becomes most obvious--and soul-shaking--on the slower side, as with Paul Simon's "Bridge over Troubled Water," Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Tall Trees in Georgia," and "What a Wonderful World." On these latter tunes, Cassidy's mix of aching clarity and rich warmth has a melting quality, speaking through the body to some evanescent presence that she seems to know all too well. She improbably makes Sting's "Fields of Gold" an emotional powerhouse just as easily as she makes Billie Holiday's "Fine and Mellow" an offhand declaration of feeling equal to nearly anything in the jazz vocal canon. In doing so she earns her place among the great singers--artists who could take any song and stamp it indelibly as their own. What Eva Cassidy had in her short life was an unbelievably perfect voice and a musical soul that grasped gospel, folk, blues, jazz, and all points in between as if they were mere stops on a single train ride. Alas, her ride ended in 1996, tragically early. --Andrew Bartlett

"Cheek to Cheek" (Irving Berlin) – 4:03
"Stormy Monday" (T-Bone Walker) – 5:49
"Bridge over Troubled Water" (Paul Simon) – 5:33
"Fine and Mellow" (Billie Holiday) – 4:03
"People Get Ready" (Curtis Mayfield) – 3:36
"Blue Skies" (Berlin) – 2:37
"Tall Trees in Georgia" (Buffy Sainte-Marie) – 4:05
"Fields of Gold" (Sting) – 4:57
"Autumn Leaves" (Joseph Kosma, Johnny Mercer, Jacques Prévert) – 4:57
"Honeysuckle Rose" (Andy Razaf, Thomas "Fats" Waller) – 3:14
"Take Me to the River" (Al Green, Mabon "Teenie" Hodges) – 3:51
"What a Wonderful World" (Bob Thiele, David Weiss) – 5:50
"Oh, Had I a Golden Thread" (Pete Seeger) – 4:46 [Studio recording]

 

[Dennie]

Ladies Of The Canyon -- CD

Joni Mitchell

1970/1990 Reprise Records

Amazon.com

Joni Mitchell's third album offers a bridge between the artful but sometimes dour meditations of her earlier work and the more mature, confessional revelations of the classics that would follow. Voice and guitar still hew to the pretty filigree of a folk poet, but there's the giggling rush of rock & roll freedom in "Big Yellow Taxi," and the formal metaphor of her older songs ("The Circle Game," already oft-covered by the time of this recording) yields to the more impressionistic images of the new ones ("Woodstock"). The dark lyricism of her earliest ballads is intact (on "For Free" and "Rainy Night House"), yet there's a prevailing idealism here that sounds poignant alongside the warier, more mature songs to come on Blue and Court And Spark. --Sam Sutherland

All tracks composed and arranged by Joni Mitchell

"Morning Morgantown" – 3:12
"For Free" – 4:31
"Conversation" – 4:21
"Ladies of the Canyon" – 3:32
"Willy" – 3:00
"The Arrangement" – 3:32
"Rainy Night House" – 3:22
"The Priest" – 3:39
"Blue Boy" – 2:53
"Big Yellow Taxi" – 2:16
"Woodstock" – 5:25
"The Circle Game" – 4:50

 

[Dennie]

L.A. Woman -- CD

The Doors

1971/1990 Elektra Records

Amazon.com essential recording

The last official Doors studio album, L.A. Woman was still high on the charts when, like the "actor out on loan" of its closing track, "Riders on the Storm," Jim Morrison died in a Paris bathtub in the summer of 1971. Via such tracks as "The Changeling," "Crawling King Snake," and the frothy, rollicking title track, the collection leaned heavily toward the blues--in particular, Morrison's boastful "Lizard King" brand of it. It also holds another entry in the band's ever-adventurous tone poems in the ever-underrated mythical tale of American music and culture, "WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)." --Billy Altman

Side one

"The Changeling" (Jim Morrison, The Doors) – 4:21
"Love Her Madly" (Robby Krieger, The Doors) – 3:20
The 40th Anniversary Mix includes a longer fade-out making it 3:38.
"Been Down So Long" (Jim Morrison, The Doors) – 4:41
"Cars Hiss by My Window" (Jim Morrison, The Doors) – 4:12
The 40th Anniversary Mix includes an additional verse making it 4:58.
"L.A. Woman" (Jim Morrison, The Doors) – 7:49
The 40th Anniversary Mix includes the guitar intro "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" making it 7:59

Side two

"L'America" (Jim Morrison, The Doors) – 4:37
"Hyacinth House" (Jim Morrison, The Doors) – 3:11
"Crawling King Snake" (Tony Hollins, Bernard Besman, John Lee Hooker) – 5:00
"The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)" (Jim Morrison, The Doors) – 4:16
"Riders on the Storm" (Jim Morrison, The Doors) – 7:09


11951

 

[Dennie]

Second Helping -- CD

Lynyrd Skynyrd

1974/1990 MCA Records

Amazon.com essential recording

With staples such as "Sweet Home Alabama," "Workin' for MCA," and the J.J. Cale-penned "Call Me the Breeze," Skynyrd's second captures the Jacksonville, Florida, band at the height of its powers, coming off the success of "Free Bird" and "Gimme Three Steps" from their 1973 debut. Backed by a tight rhythm section and the mighty three-guitar attack of Allen Collins, Ed King, and Gary Rossington, singer Ronnie Van Zant (credited in the album notes for "Vocals, J&B") turns in a legendary performance on the urgent blues ballad "I Need You," the cautionary "The Needle and the Spoon," and "The Ballad of Curtis Loew," the story of a young white boy sitting at the feet of an old black Dobro master. Along with Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd and One More from the Road, Second Helping remains Skynyrd's finest hour. --James Rotondi
Side one

"Sweet Home Alabama" (Ed King, Gary Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant) – 4:43
"I Need You" (Ed King, Gary Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant) – 6:55
"Don't Ask Me No Questions" (Gary Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant) – 3:26
"Workin' for MCA" (Ed King, Ronnie Van Zant) – 4:49

Side two

"The Ballad of Curtis Loew" (Allen Collins, Ronnie Van Zant) – 4:51
"Swamp Music" (Ed King, Ronnie Van Zant) – 3:31
"The Needle and the Spoon" (Allen Collins, Ronnie Van Zant) – 3:53
"Call Me the Breeze" (J. J. Cale) – 5:09

 

[Dennie]

Boston -- CD

Boston

1976/1990 Epic Records

Amazon.com

"Better music through science" was the Epic Records-coined slogan that Boston leader Tom Scholz hated, but this masterwork of studio-happy, high-school-parking-lot music earned it. Scholz fine-tuned his overdubbed guitar orchestra to a pitch that a thousand subsequent album-rockers couldn't resist. And why should they? Where the band's later records were hardly worthy of note, Boston pulls together classic after classic: "More Than a Feeling," "Peace of Mind," "Hitch a Ride." The pseudo-cosmic ambience invites scoffs as the year 2000 recedes into the past, but it's really just part of the disc's charm. Let it take you home tonight. --Rickey Wright

Side one
No. Title Length
1. "More Than a Feeling" 4:45
2. "Peace of Mind" 5:02
3. "Foreplay/Long Time" 7:47
Side two
No. Title Length
1. "Rock & Roll Band" 3:00
2. "Smokin'" (Scholz, Brad Delp) 4:22
3. "Hitch a Ride" 4:11
4. "Something About You" 3:48
5. "Let Me Take You Home Tonight" (Delp) 4:43

 

[Dennie]

Bad Company -- CD

Bad Company

1974/1990 Swan Song Records

Bad Company puts out one of the best Seventies debut albums, January 29, 2003
By Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)
This review is from: Bad Company (Audio CD)

Bad Company's self-titled 1974 debut release was the first album to come out on the Swan Song label other than Led Zeppelin. Fortunately it proved to be one of the better debut albums of the decade representing good old fashioned back to the basics rock 'n' roll. "Can't Get Enough" with its catchy guitar lick was the big hit off of the album, but my fav track is still the moody title track (i.e., "Bad Company" off of Bad Company's "Bad Company" album). Bad Company was a supergroup, with singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke coming from Free, guitarist Mick Ralphs from Mott the Hoople, and Boz Burrell from King Crimson and having more success than all of those groups put together with this first album. Following the Led Zeppelin model, strong vocalist Rodgers and blues-based guitarist Ralphs provide the heart and soul of the music, giving Bad Company its signature sound. Meanwhile, do you think AC/DC got their idea for the cover of "Back in Black" from this one? Unfortunately it was all downhill for the group from this first effort, with "Straight Shooter" being a step down and "Run with the Pack" continuing the slide. If you pick up their hits collection "10 from 6" (which ignores one of the first six albums anyhow) you will get the four best tracks from this one, which is the only album from Bad Company that really stands alone.
Side one

"Can't Get Enough" (Mick Ralphs) – 4:16
"Rock Steady" (Paul Rodgers) – 3:46
"Ready for Love" (Ralphs) – 5:01
"Don't Let Me Down" (Rodgers, Ralphs) – 4:22

Side two

"Bad Company" (Rodgers, Simon Kirke) – 4:50
"The Way I Choose" (Rodgers) – 5:05
"Movin' On" (Ralphs) – 3:21
"Seagull" (Rodgers, Ralphs) – 4:06

 

[Dennie]

Here In The Real World CD

Alan Jackson

1990 Arista Records

Alan Jackson's first CD, September 11, 2009
By Edward C. Higbee - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Here in the Real World (Audio CD)

Love this CD and every song on it. Especailly Here in the Real World and Home. Not a bad song on this CD.

"Ace of Hearts" (Carson Chamberlain, Ron Moore, Lonnie Wilson) – 3:06
"Here in the Real World" (Mark Irwin, Alan Jackson) – 3:38
"Blue Blooded Woman" (Jackson, Roger Murrah, Keith Stegall) – 2:14
"Wanted" (Charlie Craig, Jackson) – 2:59
"Chasin' That Neon Rainbow" (Jackson, Jim McBride) – 3:06
"She Don't Get the Blues" (Jackson, McBride) – 2:46
"I'd Love You All Over Again" (Jackson) – 3:11
"Dog River Blues" (Jackson) – 2:20
"Home" (Jackson) – 3:18
"Short Sweet Ride" (Jackson, McBride) – 2:29