What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

Change of Season -- CD

Hall & Oates

1990 Arista Records

Don't let the sales figures deter you from buying this, November 4, 2001
By andrew i. chaplowitz (springfield, nj United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Change of Season (Audio CD)

After 1984's BIG BAM BOOM and 1988's OOH YEAH, which were percussion-oriented records and explored new rhythms, this was a return to SONGS. Scaled down acoustic and let the music stand on its own.

I nearly wore out the CD replaying it. All quality songs, esp. DONT HOLD BACK YOUR LOVE, which seems unanimously the best of the bunch, and a killer reprise of SO CLOSE, scaled down to piano and spanish guitar.

I have been an admirer of Hall and Oates since PRIVATE EYES and H20 flooded the air waves in the early 80's. This was a refreshing surprise with some of the music that has come out in the last decade. Although it was not a "fashion in vogue" record, and it was at a time when MTV shifted genre (their videos in the 80's helped them--Daryl moves very well), I believe that good music transcends time and catagory---for example, Daryl re-recorded "She's Gone" for an import release and it sounds fresh and contemporary.

If you like good music and well-crafted pop songs, you'll enjoy this for a long time.

Hope that they will have the freedom to record again without bending to corporate pressure. They had that freedom on CHANGE OF SEASON

So Close (Daryl Hall, George Green, with additional music by Jon Bon Jovi and Danny Kortchmar; Copyright Hot Cha Music-Careers/Full Keel Music-EEG Music; additional music copyright New Jersey Underground Music-PolyGram Music/Kortchmar Music) 4:40
Starting All Over Again (Phillip Mitchell; Copyright Muscle Shoals Sound Publishing) 4:06
Sometimes A Mind Changes (Hall; Copyright Hot Cha Music-Careers Music) 4:09
Change Of Season (John Oates, Boby Mayo; Copyright Hot Cha Music-Careers Music/Copyright Control) 5:43
I Ain't Gonna Take It This Time (Hall; Copyright Hot Cha Music-Careers Music) 3:55
Everywhere I Look (Hall; Copyright Hot Cha Music-Careers Music) 4:24
Give It Up (Terry Britten, Graham Lyle; Copyright Warner-Chappell Music/Good Single Ltd.-Almo Music Corp.) 4:02
Don't Hold Back Your Love (Richard Page, Gerald O'Brien, David Tyson; Copyright WB Music & Ali-Aja Music/O'Brien Songs-Sold For A Song/David Tyson Music-EMI Blackwood Music) 5:14
Halfway There (Hall; Copyright Hot Cha Music Corp-Careers Music) 5:31
Only Love (Oates, Jo Cang; Copyright Hot Cha Music Corp-Careers Music/Jo Cang Music-Hidden Pun Music) 4:37
Heavy Rain (David A. Stewart; Copyright Eligible Music Ltd.-BMG Music-Careers Music Ltd.) 5:26
So Close-Unplugged version 4:54

 

[Dennie]

Different Light CD

The Bangles

1986 Columbia Records

Shine A Light, July 19, 2001
By Thomas Magnum (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE)
This review is from: Different Light (Audio CD)

The Bangles' first album was full of shiny songs steeped in 60's British Invasion sounds. For their follow-up, Different Light, the band added some modern twists to the music for a more modern sound. The results turned into the biggest album of their career. The first single from the album, Jules Shear's "If She Knew What She Wants" is a sugary song with some great vocal harmonies. The song was a Top 40 hit, but it was the album's second single that would propel the band to superstar status. "Manic Monday" was penned by Prince under the pseudonym Christopher. It was said that Prince loved the band's first album and was enamored with Susannah Hoffs so he wrote the song for her. Whatever the reasons, the song is a perfect piece of pop bubblegum that practically drips with sunshine. The song peaked at number two, but was to be outdone by a song that is pure 80's, "Walk Like An Egyptian". The song with its goofy lyrics and equally goofy video surged to number one and was the number one overall single for 1986. The song is generally ridiculed, but one can't deny that it is catchy as hell. Other good songs include the luminescent "Walk Down Your Street", "Not For You", the title track and a pretty good cover of Big Star's "September Gurls".

1. "Manic Monday" "Christopher" (Prince) 3:06
2. "In A Different Light" Susanna Hoffs, Vicki Peterson 2:52
3. "Walking Down Your Street" Louis Gutierrez, Hoffs, David Kahne 3:04
4. "Walk Like an Egyptian" Liam Sternberg 3:24
5. "Standing in the Hallway" Hoffs, Kahne, Debbi Peterson, V. Peterson 2:56
6. "Return Post" Hoffs, V. Peterson 4:22
7. "If She Knew What She Wants" Jules Shear 3:49
8. "Let It Go" Hoffs, D. Peterson, V. Peterson, Michael Steele 2:32
9. "September Gurls" Alex Chilton 2:45
10. "Angels Don't Fall in Love" Hoffs, V. Peterson 3:23
11. "Following" Steele 3:21
12. "Not Like You" Hoffs, Kahne, D. Peterson 3:06

Bonus Picture:

 

[Dennie]

Famous Blue Raincoat - The Songs of Leonard Cohen --CD

Jennifer Warnes

1987 Cypress Records (Import West Germany)

Famous Blue Raincoat is the sixth album by Jennifer Warnes. It debuted on the Billboard 200 on February 14, 1987 and peaked at No. 72. Originally released by Cypress Records, it was reissued by Private Music after Cypress went out of business.

Released in January 1987, Famous Blue Raincoat is a tribute to Leonard Cohen, with whom Warnes had toured as a backup singer in the 1970s. The album's songs span much of Cohen's career, from his 1969 album Songs from a Room to his 1984 album Various Positions (on which Warnes sang), and even two tracks from Cohen's then-unreleased album I'm Your Man.

Guest contributors include guitarists Stevie Ray Vaughan, David Lindley and Robben Ford, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, keyboardist Russell Ferrante, arranger Van Dyke Parks and Cohen himself duetting on "Joan of Arc."

The liner notes include a cartoon by Cohen of a torch being passed with the caption, "Jenny Sings Lenny."

The album is the first record produced by Roscoe Beck. In August 2007, a remastered and expanded 20th anniversary edition was released.

All songs written by Leonard Cohen except where noted.

"First We Take Manhattan" – 3:47
"Bird on a Wire" – 4:42
"Famous Blue Raincoat" – 5:33
"Joan of Arc" – 7:57
"Ain't No Cure for Love" – 3:21
"Coming Back to You" – 3:43
"Song of Bernadette" – 3:55 (Jennifer Warnes, Bill Elliott, Cohen)
"A Singer Must Die" – 4:52
"Came So Far for Beauty" – 3:37 (Cohen, John Lissauer)

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening....

Ella & Louis -- CD

<--- A Deserted Island Pick

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

1956/ 1989 Verve Records

Ella and Louis, February 9, 2011
By Nikica Gilic - See all my reviews
This review is from: Ella & Louis (Audio CD)

Now this one is a no-brainer:
EVERYBODY knows by now how great idea was teaming Ella (at her peak) and Louis (close enough to his peak) on this album,
with a killer back-up group lead by Oscar Peterson at his rhythmiest (yes, I know it's not a real word). I'm writing about the original CD from the early 2000s I bought, not about SACD (where the review will apparently, also end up), so I can't talk about the technological finesse of this edition... I'm just claiming this is a beautiful jazz album, happily matched only by Ella and Louis Again, another masterpiece. Groveling expressiveness of Louis' voice is matched beautifully with the melodic brilliance of Ella's jubilant voice and the rest is history.

Side One:

"Can't We Be Friends?" (Paul James, Kay Swift) – 3:45
"Isn't This a Lovely Day?" (Irving Berlin) – 6:14
"Moonlight in Vermont" (John Blackburn, Karl Suessdorf) – 3:40
"They Can't Take That Away from Me" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 4:36
"Under a Blanket of Blue" (Jerry Livingston, Al J. Neiburg, Marty Symes) – 4:16
"Tenderly" (Walter Gross, Jack Lawrence) - 5:05

Side Two:

"A Foggy Day" (G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin) – 4:31
"Stars Fell on Alabama" (Mitchell Parish, Frank Perkins) – 3:32
"Cheek to Cheek" (Berlin) – 5:52
"The Nearness of You" (Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington) – 5:40
"April in Paris" (Vernon Duke, Yip Harburg) – 6:39

 

[Dennie]

One more.... :dance:

Ella and Louis Again -- CD

Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

1957/1990 Verve Records

Paradise, August 23, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Ella & Louis Again (Audio CD)

This is definetely one of my top five favourite albums ever. I listen to it regularly and I never get tired of it. This occasionally amazes me. After all, this music is simple enough: standard jazz tunes, two voices, and a very discreet accompaniment by only a piano (and Peterson, who is so incredibly virtuoso when playing alone, is excellent at understating and remaining in background on this album), drums, a bass and sometimes Louis' trumpet. But the result is magical. Ella and Louis are perfect together, although their voices and styles couldn't be more different. Another reviewer described the blend as "gravel and molasses", and I couldn't put it better. Ella's sweet, pure voice and Louis' rough growl create a contrast that is just ravishing to the ear. And each song is filled with that discreet, subtle, intoxicating swing (kudos to the musicians as well as the singers, for that). Music like this can just brighten your day.

1. Don't Be That Way
2. They All Laughed
3. Autumn in New York
4. Stompin' at the Savoy
5. I Won't Dance
6. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You
7. Let's Call the Whole Thing Off
8. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
9. I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket
10. A Fine Romance
11. Love Is Here to Stay
12. Learnin' the Blues

 

[Dennie]

Bill Withers' Greatest Hits -- CD

Bill Withers

1981 Columbia Records

Pop/soul legend Withers was one of the most important figures in '70s R&B, but most of his catalog remained shamefully unavailable throughout the '90s. Fans who followed Withers into the CD age (and those who weren't around during his glory days) were forced to content themselves with this short but definitive anthology. Withers' smooth '80s hit "Just The Two Of Us" kicks things off, but it's the '70s cuts that are the meat of his catalog.

Withers' gift for marrying lyrical simplicity, soul, and an undefinable freshness of presentation sets his early work apart. "Use Me," with it's angular, funky clavinet line and unabashedly sexual lyrics, is prime Withers. The moody, minor-keyed lost-love lament of "Ain't No Sunshine" demonstrates his ability to articulate loss without resorting to sentimentality. The classic "Lean On Me" adds a touch of Gospel for an unpretentious anthem of emotional solidarity. Listening to this collection, one can't help but marvel at the fact that Withers' original albums have remained out of print for so many years.

Bill Withers has written two bona fide classics ("Ain't No Sunshine" and "Lean on Me"), recorded a slew of memorable hits, and had songs covered by everyone from Joe Cocker to Isaac Hayes to Kiss. Still, he's underappreciated. His voice is smooth, his singing is subtle, and his songs move along over sinuous, sexy grooves. It's all so effortless that it's easy to overlook how substantial Withers's work really is. Never flashy, his best songs burn with a heat that lingers long after the last note has been played. This slender 10-track collection brings together a few songs from his remarkable early-'70s Sussex albums, including such hits and near hits as "Grandma's Hands," "Who Is He? (And What Is He to You?)," and the seriously funky "Use Me," as well as some gems from the later '70s (including "Lovely Day"). Greatest Hits is a nice, succinct introduction to Withers's work, but fans would be better off with the more complete Lean on Me career overview.

Track listing

1. Just The Two Of Us
2. Use Me
3. Ain't No Sunshine
4. Lovely Day
5. I Want To Spend The Night
6. Soul Shadows
7. Lean On Me
8. Grandma's Hands
9. Hello Like Before
10. Who Is He And What Is He To You

 

[Dennie]

Greatest Hits -- CD

Al Green

1975/1990 Hi/RIght Stuff/EMI Records

Classic Soul!, February 3, 2010
By A. Carter "Tha Carter" (Shreveport, LA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Greatest Hits (MP3 Download)

This is classic soul. It brings all of Al Green's greatest hits together in a Masterpiece. If you have a older mom, aunt, uncle, etc. they'll probably love this. I mean its Al Green one of the best hands down singers about love, life and happiness. I'm in my 20's and I still love to hear his music!

"Tired of Being Alone" – 2:43
"Call Me (Come Back Home)" – 3:04
"I'm Still in Love with You" – 3:15
"Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" – 3:09
"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" – 6:21†
"Let's Stay Together" – 4:45
"I Can't Get Next to You" – 3:52
"You Ought to Be with Me" – 3:19
"Look What You Done for Me" – 3:06
"Let's Get Married" – 4:20

 

[Botch]

Was pretty sure I owned this, but it was a cassette copy so I picked up a CD (along with a few others from the "unknown albums" thread). Forgot how funky it was. :banana-rock:

 

[PaulyT]

Got this one recently, produced by Kevin Shirley who also does J.B.'s albums. It's a fun album! A little bit country of course, but not too much, very good music. Here's a mini review that I just posted on Shirley's company page on facebook:



Kevin,

I've been an admirer of your work for some time, familiar with it mostly though the albums you've done with Joe Bonamassa and now BCC. Great stuff!

I love the Hiatt song on Dust Bowl. And so based largely on your recommendation, I picked up a copy of Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns - the version with the DVD, as I always enjoy the "behind the scenes" stuff like this video. Good to see a couple of clips of you "conducting" the band. The 24/96 audio is a great bonus! Thanks for that. And I also want to compliment the photographer(s), as the art in/on the album is terrific.

I like this album a lot. It's got interesting music, thoughtful lyrics, a nice variety. John's a great songwriter. Wonderful sound to it, all the way through. I'll just comment on a few tracks that stand out to me... The low (low) frequency stuff underneath When New York... really adds a lot to the mood, almost like rumbling/shaking ground that I imagine (since I was not there) was present in NY that day. Down Around My Place has a great arc to it, from just guitar to full swell and then back again. But I think the song I enjoy most on the album is All the Way Under. It's just a fun song, great beat to it, and I really like the mix on that one with the subtle layering of the guitar/mandolin on the left, the accordion in the middle, and the steel guitar (pedal steel?) on the right. The sounds are all distinct and the interplay between the various instrumental parts is a hoot! (to put it in a country way ) Great performance and great recording.

All in all, I enjoy this album very much. Very well done, my compliments to you and to John.

 

[Dennie]

Heavy Weather -- CD

Weather Report

1977/1992 Columbia Records

Amazon.com

Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter didn't truly fulfill Weather Report's artistic and commercial potential until they brought on-board a bassist who could function as an equal partner in the musical equation, like co-founder Miroslav Vitous, whose main shortcoming was his inability to play funk. In renegade bassist Jaco Pastorius, the band found a formidable composer and improvisor, who possessed deep roots in funk and R&B, yet was equally at home in modern jazz and Afro-Cuban settings. Not coincidentally, the presence of this innovative fretless bassist on Heavy Weather gave Weather Report the rhythmic/melodic dimension it had been missing since Vitous's departure, as evidenced by his voice-like declamations on Zawinul's ballad "A Remark You Made." On Zawinul's chart-topping, big band-styled arrangement of "Birdland," Pastorius provided the kind of big, sweeping orchestral gestures the tune required, while on the shifting canvas of Wayne Shorter's "Harlequin," the bassist's ability to articulate complex chords allowed him to function as a string section unto himself. And on his own "Havona," Pastorius not only soloed with horn-like artistry, but combined with drummer Alex Acuna and percussionist Manolo Badrena to give Weather Report its funkiest rhythm section ever. --Chip Stern

"Birdland" (Zawinul) — 5:57
"A Remark You Made" (Zawinul) — 6:51
"Teen Town" (Pastorius) — 2:51
"Harlequin" (Shorter) — 3:59
"Rumba Mamá" (Badrena/Acuña) — 2:11
"Palladíum" (Shorter) — 4:46
"The Juggler" (Zawinul) — 5:03
"Havona" (Pastorius) — 6:01


Joe Zawinul — 2 ARP 2600, Rhodes electric piano, Yamaha grand piano, Oberheim polyphonic synthesizer, vocal, melodica, guitar, tabla
Wayne Shorter — Soprano and tenor saxophones
Jaco Pastorius — Electric bass, mandocello, vocals, drums, steel drums
Alex Acuña — Drum set, congas, tom-toms, handclaps
Manolo Badrena — Tambourine, congas, vocal, timbales, percussion

 

[Dennie]

Shadows and Light (LIVE) CD

Joni Mitchell

1980 Elektra/Asylum Records

COMPELLING CONCERT, LEGENDARY BAND SUMS UP JONI'S 70s WORK,
June 23, 2002
By "earthvolunteer"
This review is from: Shadows & Light (Audio CD)

I will always reflect back on "Shadows & Light" with tremendous fondness for two important reasons: it introduced me for the first time to Joni Mitchell's late 70s jazz-oriented body of work and also prepared me for the true greatness which was soon forthcoming from the team of Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays (who play guitars and keyboards respectively on the concert album.)

"Shadows & Light" is a collage of Mitchell's various musical expressions throughout the years: rock, folk and pop ballads blended with her own unique and often quite eccentric style of jazz. The album kicks off brightly with "In France They Kiss on Main Street" with Mitchell packing in the words to this rapidly traveling and lyrically nostalgic pop tune. The crowd is enthusiastic from this very first song, which adds to the excitement and electricity of a very memorable evening at L.A.'s Hollywood Bowl.

From there it is a fascinating journey through the most recent Joni Mitchell works preceding this release...from "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" she performs the mysterious "Edith and the Kingpin" and the beautifully acappella title song with background vocals courtesy of The Persuasions. Mitchell's selections from her then recent collaboration with the late Charles Mingus are the focus of her most hard-core jazz performances including "Goodbye Porkpie Hat", "The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines" and the finger-popping "God Must Be a Boogie Man" which feature the late Jaco Pastorius on bass and Michael Brecker on saxophone.

Most lyrical and haunting though are her beautiful and often ethereal selections from her album "Hejira" including the rolling and humor-laden "Coyote", the melancholy "Furry Sings the Blues" and most notably the absolutely monumental "Amelia"...a confessional tale full of loss and wanderlust with its focus on the life, dreams and death of Amelia Earhart. "Amelia" concludes with a visionary Pat Metheny/Lyle Mays duet, which is a fine early example of the incredibly melodic and prolific work these two composers and instrumentalists produced together in subsequent years (such as on the album "Pat Metheny Group: First Circle").

There are a few old favorites covered on "Shadows & Light": a lively rendition of the old rock and roll classic "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?", and performances of two older Joni Mitchell classics "Free Man in Paris" and the legendary "Woodstock."

While the concert DVD of "Shadows & Light" now appears somewhat dated, the CD of this concert is every bit as entertaining and emotionally charged as it ever was upon its initial release. Truly a unique live classic.

All tracks composed by Joni Mitchell, except where indicated

"Introduction" – 1:51 (Included on LP and CD. Featured in VHS/DVD opening credits)
"In France They Kiss on Main Street" – 4:14
"Edith and the Kingpin" – 4:10
"Coyote" – 4:58
"Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" – 6:02 (Charles Mingus)
"Jaco's Solo" (only on VHS/DVD) (Jaco Pastorius)
"The High and the Mighty"
"Third Stone from the Sun"
"The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines" – 4:37 (Mitchell, Charles Mingus)
"Amelia" – 6:40
"Pat's Solo" – 3:09 (Pat Metheny)
"Hejira" – 7:42
"Black Crow" – 3:52 (omitted from first CD release)
"Don's Solo" – 4:04 (omitted from VHS/DVD and first CD release) (Don Alias)
"Dreamland" – 4:40 (omitted from VHS/DVD)
"Free Man in Paris" – 3:23 (omitted from first CD release)
"Band Introduction" – 0:52
"Furry Sings the Blues" – 5:14
"Raised on Robbery" (only on VHS/DVD)
"Why Do Fools Fall in Love" – 2:53 (Frankie Lymon, Morris Levy)
"Shadows and Light" – 5:23
"God Must be a Boogie Man" – 5:02 (omitted from VHS/DVD)
"Woodstock" – 5:08 (omitted from VHS/DVD)


Joni Mitchell - electric guitar, vocals
Pat Metheny - lead guitar
Jaco Pastorius - bass
Don Alias - drums
Lyle Mays - keyboards
Michael Brecker - saxophone
The Persuasions - backing vocals on "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" & "Shadows and Light"
Toller Cranston - skates

 

[Flint]

Is this good? I've read mixed reviews. I like the Adrian Belew King Crimson.

 

[Dennie]

Got this one recently, produced by Kevin Shirley who also does J.B.'s albums. It's a fun album! A little bit country of course, but not too much, very good music. Here's a mini review that I just posted on Shirley's company page on facebook:



Kevin,

I've been an admirer of your work for some time, familiar with it mostly though the albums you've done with Joe Bonamassa and now BCC. Great stuff!

I love the Hiatt song on Dust Bowl. And so based largely on your recommendation, I picked up a copy of Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns - the version with the DVD, as I always enjoy the "behind the scenes" stuff like this video. Good to see a couple of clips of you "conducting" the band. The 24/96 audio is a great bonus! Thanks for that. And I also want to compliment the photographer(s), as the art in/on the album is terrific.

I like this album a lot. It's got interesting music, thoughtful lyrics, a nice variety. John's a great songwriter. Wonderful sound to it, all the way through. I'll just comment on a few tracks that stand out to me... The low (low) frequency stuff underneath When New York... really adds a lot to the mood, almost like rumbling/shaking ground that I imagine (since I was not there) was present in NY that day. Down Around My Place has a great arc to it, from just guitar to full swell and then back again. But I think the song I enjoy most on the album is All the Way Under. It's just a fun song, great beat to it, and I really like the mix on that one with the subtle layering of the guitar/mandolin on the left, the accordion in the middle, and the steel guitar (pedal steel?) on the right. The sounds are all distinct and the interplay between the various instrumental parts is a hoot! (to put it in a country way ) Great performance and great recording.

All in all, I enjoy this album very much. Very well done, my compliments to you and to John.

Thanks Pauly!

I've added it to my ever-growing Wish List! :handgestures-thumbup:


Dennie

 

[TKoP]

I've got two new albums that I've been putting on heavy rotation lately with links to the songs I liked best on YouTube:

Foster the People/Torches

Torches, the highly anticipated debut album by Foster The People, is the soundtrack for an eternal summer. Produced by Paul Epworth (Adele + Florence and the Machine), Rich Costey (Muse + Interpol), and Greg Kurstin (Beck + Red Hot Chili Peppers), Torches delivers on both the promise of their breakthrough chart-topping single Pumped Up Kicks and the promise of this young band out of Los Angeles. "We just want people to feel better about their lives." The sound is universally uplifting combining influences from alternative's greats mixed with songs that make you dance. "Accessible yet challenging, gleaming yet gritty, pop yet petrifying: Foster The People are a fresh evolution of modern music."


1. Helena Beat 4:36
2. Pumped Up Kicks 3:59
3. Call It What You Want 3:58
4. Don't Stop (Color On The Walls) 2:54
5. Waste 3:25 $1.29 Buy Track
6. I Would Do Anything For You 3:34
7. Houdini 3:22 $1.29 Buy Track
8. Life On The Nickel 3:35
9. Miss You 3:32
10. Warrant

Cage the Elephant/Cage the Elephant

U.S. pressing of the self titled debut album by this band, who hail from Kentucky. Cage the Elephant are a band of syncopated groove- oriented Rock 'N' Rollers whose goal is to convey power to their audience through their music without the interference of too much background information, preferring to let their music be their message. Their Mission Statement is: 'Frantic Volume -Laden Maximum Rock 'N' Roll!' 2009.

1. In One Ear 4:01
2. James Brown 3:20
3. Ain't No Rest For The Wicked 2:55
4. Tiny Little Robots 4:10
5. Lotus 3:16
6. Back Against The Wall 3:48
7. Drones In The Valley 2:27
8. Judas 3:26
9. Back Stabbin' Betty 3:39
10. Soil To The Sun 3:17
11. Free Love

 

[Dennie]

Mallets In Wonderland - The History of Space Age Pop Vol.2 -- CD

Various Artists

1995 RCA Records

Recorded between February 26, 1954 and November 4, 1961. Includes liner notes by Irwin Chusid.

The focus of this volume of Space Age Pop, as the title implies, is on percussion instruments. Within the space age pop rubric, this didn't just mean drums, but all sorts of exotic (by the standards of the '50s and early '60s) touches on vibes, xylophones, bongos, steel drums, and even some instruments more associated with ethnomusicology studies, such as the Burmese gong. The music itself, though, isn't much different from what's found on other Space Age Pop volumes: imaginative easy listening, sometimes goofy, sometimes bizarre. In fact, some of the same artists on other volumes reappear here (the Three Suns, Henry Mancini, Esquivel, Perez Prado). Fun, if hardly profound, stuff with some cheesy quasi-ethnic flourishes of Latin and South Pacific rhythms. Martin Denny fans will enjoy the exotica-like outings of the wonderfully named Markko Polo Adventurers, particularly on "Rain in Rangoon." ~ Richie Unterberger

 

[Dennie]

Can't Buy A Thrill -- CD

Steely Dan

1972/1990 MCA Records

Amazon.com

Songwriters Walter Becker and Donald Fagen launched Steely Dan with a seductive, poker-faced 1972 debut as smoothly accessible in its music as it was elusive in its thematic concerns. The opening "Do It Again" snagged swift commercial success as one of the most mysterious pop hits in history, a sultry rock cha-cha that chronicled a series of harrowing catastrophes far removed from the reheated love songs and pro forma countercultural rebellion of the day. Though the core band boasted two formidable guitarists, Jeff Baxter and Denny Dias, it was the bloom of Fagen's keyboards and his reedy, smart-ass vocals that carried Thrill light years beyond modal, blues-based rock. That said, an enduring highlight remains the furious six-string fantasia of "Reelin' in the Years," spiked by Elliot Randall's downright historic solos, at once dour and giddy in its indictment of a poser, while "Dirty Work" (featuring short-lived, nominal lead singer David Palmer) offers a decidedly adult vignette of adultery. There isn't a weak track here, astonishing, considering how much growth future Dan albums would display. --Sam Sutherland

Side one

"Do It Again" – 5:56
Solos by Denny Dias and Donald Fagen
Vocal by Donald Fagen
"Dirty Work" – 3:08
Sax solo by Jerome Richardson
Vocal by David Palmer
"Kings" – 3:45
Solo by Elliot Randall
Vocal by Donald Fagen
"Midnite Cruiser" – 4:08
Solo by Jeff Baxter
Vocal by Jim Hodder
"Only a Fool Would Say That" – 2:57
Solo by Jeff Baxter
Vocal by Donald Fagen and David Palmer

Side two

"Reelin' in the Years" – 4:37
Lead guitar by Elliot Randall
Vocal by Donald Fagen
"Fire in the Hole" – 3:28
Steel guitar by Jeff Baxter
Vocal by Donald Fagen
"Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)" – 4:21
Steel guitar by Jeff Baxter
Vocal by David Palmer
"Change of the Guard" – 3:39
Solo by Jeff Baxter
Vocals by Donald Fagen and David Palmer
"Turn That Heartbeat Over Again" – 4:58
Vocal by Donald Fagen, Walter Becker and David Palmer

 

[Dennie]

Dis Is Da Drum -- CD

Herbie Hancock

1994 Mercury Records

One of my all time favorites,
July 31, 2003
By John Scott
This review is from: Dis Is Da Drum (Audio CD)

Herbie Hancock is the master of fusion and this album proves it. In this case the fusion is jazz with african percussion rhythm and a super-funk bottom end of bass guitar and bass keyboards. If you're scared of funk stay away! This album is even better on a digital system with a good subwoofer -- some of the lows are lost on less robust speakers.

"Call It '95" (Griffin, Hancock, Robertson, Smith, Summers) – 4:39
"Dis Is da Drum" (Griffin, Hancock, Lasar, Robertson, Summers) – 4:49
"Shooz" (Griffin, Moreira, Summers) – 1:17
"Melody (On the Deuce by 44)" (Factor, Griffin, Robertson, Smith) – 4:05
"Mojuba" (Griffin, Hancock, Lasar, Robertson, Summers) – 4:59
"Butterfly" (Hancock, Maupin) – 6:08
"Ju Ju" (Galarraga, Griffin, Lasar, Summers) – 5:03
"Hump" (Maupin, Roney, Shanklin) – 4:43
"Come and See Me" (Hancock, Smith, Watson) – 4:32
"Rubber Soul" (Griffin, Hancock, Robertson, Smith, Summers) – 6:40
"Bo Ba Be Da" (Hancock, Watson) – 8:04

 

[Dennie]

From the inside "Mini LP" cover.......

All Things Must Pass -- Remastered 2 CD Box Set

George Harrison

1970/2001 Apple/Apple Jam/Capitol Records
Amazon.com

It's hard to imagine, but Beatles resident mystic George Harrison has arguably become the band's most curmudgeonly cynic. We offer as evidence this splendidly remastered 30th-anniversary edition of his 1970 multidisc solo epic. If the mini-boxed set's booklet and twin inner CD sleeves won't convince you (the album's familiar cover is colorized and altered to include backdrops of a freeway-tangled cityscape and nuclear reactor cooling towers, respectively), then maybe his liner-note apology for Phil Spector's "big production" (kind of like Da Vinci grousing about Mona's crooked smile) or his laconic, stripped-down, 2000 rethink of "My Sweet Lord" will. With such a mindset, it's unsurprising Harrison has allowed a nearly decade-and-a-half gap to grow between recordings. Still, no amount of grumpy auto-revisionism can subtract from the admittedly overwrought majesty of these tracks, which were the logical sonic extension of Abbey Road. It remains Harrison's unequaled masterpiece. The devolved "My Sweet Lord" aside, the bonus tracks here offer new insight: the unreleased "I Live for You" further highlights the album's oft overlooked country facet; spare takes of "Beware of Darkness" and "Let It Down" underscore the strength of Harrison's songwriting; an alternate backing track of "What Is Life" demonstrates the meticulousness of Spector's production. And then there's the project's truly stellar session lineup, which included Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Klaus Voorman, Jim Gordon, Dave Mason, Badfinger, Billy Preston, Ginger Baker, Carl Radle, Gary Brooker, Jim Price, Bobby Keys, Pete Drake and, it turns out, even Phil Collins! --Jerry McCulley
2001 remaster

All songs written and composed by George Harrison, except where noted.

Disc One
No. Title Notes Length

1. "I'd Have You Anytime" (George Harrison/Bob Dylan) 2:56
2. "My Sweet Lord" 4:38
3. "Wah-Wah" 5:35
4. "Isn't It a Pity (Version 1)" 7:09
5. "What Is Life" 4:22
6. "If Not for You" (Bob Dylan) 3:29
7. "Behind That Locked Door" 3:05
8. "Let It Down" 4:57
9. "Run of the Mill" 2:49
10. "I Live for You" New backing vocals and instrumentation from George and Dhani in 2000, alongside Pete Drake's 1970 steel guitar 3:35
11. "Beware of Darkness" An acoustic run-through of the song recorded on 27 May 1970 3:19
12. "Let It Down" An acoustic run-through of the song recorded on 27 May 1970, with overdubbing added in 2000 3:54
13. "What Is Life" An early mix of the song's backing track on 9 August 1970 with piccolo trumpet and oboe 4:27
14. "My Sweet Lord (2000)" A re-working of the original recording with new overdubs in 2000, including new lead and backing vocals from George and Sam Brown 4:57

Disc Two
No. Title Notes Length

1. "Beware of Darkness" 3:48
2. "Apple Scruffs" 3:04
3. "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)" 3:46
4. "Awaiting on You All" 2:45
5. "All Things Must Pass" 3:44
6. "I Dig Love" 4:55
7. "Art of Dying" 3:37
8. "Isn't It a Pity (Version 2)" 4:45
9. "Hear Me Lord" 5:46
10. "It's Johnny's Birthday" Based upon "Congratulations" - Martin/Coulter 0:49
11. "Plug Me In" Gordon/Radle/Whitlock/Clapton/Mason/Harrison 3:18
12. "I Remember Jeep" Baker/Voormann/Preston/Clapton/Harrison 8:07
13. "Thanks for the Pepperoni" Gordon/Radle/Whitlock/Clapton/Mason/Harrison 5:31
14. "Out of the Blue" Gordon/Radle/Whitlock/Clapton/Wright/Harrison/Price/Keys/Aronowitz 11:16

 

[Dennie]

My last one for the evening.....

Love Scenes -- CD

Diana Krall

1997 GRP Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Like a mink draped over mahogany, Diana Krall's luxuriously supple alto adorns the vintage songs of romance and longing found on Love Scenes with a palpable aura of glamour and late-night cool. Her ostensibly effortless command of phrasing and intonation, whether the mood is seduction or a sweet sassiness, further fortifies the opinion that the Canadian vocalist-pianist possesses one of the great female jazz voices to surface in the late 1990s. Augmented by spare but skillful instrumentation from bassist Christian McBride and guitarist Russell Malone, Krall sustains a largely quiet (though hardly sleepy) ambience throughout the CD's 12 selections, from Irving Berlin's "How Deep Is the Ocean (How High Is the Sky)," which she also uses as a showcase for her touch at the keyboard, to Gershwin's "They Can't Take That Away from Me." Her swing is artfully subdued ("All or Nothing at All"), and her wry, expressive approach to "Peel Me a Grape" is pure charm. Yet Krall shines most luminously on languid gems such as "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You" and "Garden in the Rain." Anyone in search of an album ideal for watching city lights at 2 a.m. should keep Love Scenes in mind. --Terry Wood

"All or Nothing at All" (Arthur Altman, Jack Lawrence) – 4:35
"Peel Me a Grape" (Dave Frishberg) – 5:52
"I Don't Know Enough About You" (Dave Barbour, Peggy Lee) – 4:01
"I Miss You So" (Jimmy Henderson, Sydney Robin, Bertha Scott) – 4:42
"They Can't Take That Away from Me" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 5:39
"Lost Mind" (Percy Mayfield) – 3:48
"I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You" (Bing Crosby, Ned Washington, Victor Young) – 6:14
"You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me" (Al Dubin, Harry Warren) – 2:14
"Gentle Rain" (Luiz Bonfá, Matt Dubey) – 4:55
"How Deep Is the Ocean (How High Is the Sky)" (Irving Berlin) – 4:45
"My Love Is" (Billy Myles) – 3:26
"Garden in the Rain" (James Dyrenforth, Carroll Gibbons) – 4:56
"That Old Feeling"


Diana Krall - piano, vocals
Russell Malone - guitar
Christian McBride - bass

 

[heeman]

Track Listings:

All tracks written by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson

1."Voyager" (instrumental) – 2:24
2."What Goes Up..." (lead vocal: David Paton)– 3:31
3."The Eagle Will Rise Again" (lead vocal: Colin Blunstone)– 4:20
4."One More River" (lead vocal: Lenny Zakatek)– 4:15
5."Can't Take It with You" (lead vocal: Dean Ford)– 5:06
6."In the Lap of the Gods" (instrumental) – 5:27
7."Pyramania" (lead vocal: Jack Harris)– 2:45
8."Hyper-Gamma-Spaces" (instrumental) – 4:19
9."Shadow of a Lonely Man" (lead vocal: John Miles, additional vocals: Colin Blunstone)– 5:34