Simon Dupree and the Big Sound - Part of My Past (British Psychedelia Compilation 1966-1969)

This is an amazing CD reissue, three times over -- for psychedelic music buffs, British R&B and soul enthusiasts, and fans of the progressive rock band Gentle Giant (which evolved out of Simon Dupree & the Big Sound). And it's also incredibly long overdue. Best-known for their Oriental ersatz pop-psychedelic classic "Kites," Simon Dupree & the Big Sound actually started out as a blues and R&B-based outfit, not too different from the Spencer Davis Group. This double-CD set covers their complete EMI output, most of which has never been reissued, and almost all of which is very impressive (and even manages to intersect obliquely with Apple Records' orbit). The group's early soul-oriented sides are killers, exciting, totally convincing pieces of British-made R&B that, in the case of "Love" and "Medley: 60 Minutes of Your Love/A Lot of Love," should have placed them head-to-head with the likes of Steve Winwood and the Spencer Davis Group. Even when they move into a slightly trippier sound, on "There's a Little Picture Playhouse," the group still utilizes a basic soul backing. And "Kites," coming along in the middle of the first disc, is such a radical departure from everything before it, that it's astonishing to hear in this context, even knowing the song well -- the rest of the CD is made up of trippy psychedelic ballads with Mellotron accompaniment, often with punchy acoustic rhythm guitars. It's all very pretty and inventive in a pop context, and rivals or surpasses the psychedelic sides of Rainbow Ffolly and most other EMI artists of the era this side of the Beatles and maybe the Move. The highlight of the group's post-"Kites" output was the single "Part of My Past," which was recorded during sessions for what was to have been their second album, Once More Unto the Breach, Dear Friend. That entire unreleased album is here, as the first 16 tracks on Disc Two, and they are a wonder -- the best parts include a gorgeous pop-psych ballad called "What in This World" that doesn't even have a songwriting credit; "Wha Cha Gonna Do," with its "Strawberry Fields Forever" opening and impassioned vocals; the almost-lewd "Don't Make It So Hard (On Me Baby)," with a vocal that was a holdover from the group's soul era; the bouncy, vaguely Bee Gees-like "Kindness"; and the trippy, spacey "Castle in the Sky," one of the finest pieces of psychedelic pop/rock ever to come out of EMI (or, more properly, never to come out from EMI -- until now). The latter should have been another "King Midas in Reverse," but thanks to the failure of "Part of My Past," the whole LP was shelved. The rest of the second disc is comprised of a short string of disappointing pop/rock singles -- vaguely reminiscent of the late-'60s Hollies -- imposed upon the group by their management, concluding with their extrovert rendition of the James Taylor-authored "Something in the Way She Moves Me," backed with a progressive-sounding, organ-heavy B-side, "I'm Going Home," authored by Reginald Dwight in the period before he became Elton John. This is followed by the complete contents of the group's only released LP, Without Reservations, which repeats the same R&B-era singles and B-sides (i.e., their pre-"Kites" work) from Disc One, only in their punchier mono mixes. The remastering is impeccable, the packaging beautifully illustrated with period photos of the band, and thorough annotation by David Wells.

AMG Review by Bruce Eder

Ghostland - Interview With the Angel (A Really Great Alternative Album 2001)

Session musicians are often thought of as jobbing musicians without any vision of their own. However in , Interview with the Angel, Ghostland prove with their second album that there is often more grace and charm, purity and soul in the anonymous backroom boys than their more famous paymasters. Between the three members they have worked with everyone from Oasis to Bjork, Peter Gabriel to Simply Red yet Interview with the Angel easily holds its own against these competitors. A beautiful, spiritual, haunting and ethereal album it ebbs and flows its way through intelligent pop, New Age atmospherics, Celtic dreams and the sparse symphonics of composers such as Gorecki. While tracks such as "Sacred Touch Of Beauty", "Faith In Love" and "Angel Eyes" (featuring Sinead O'Connor) are relatively conventional pop songs in the vein of Sarah McLachlan or Natalie Imbruglia it's the drifting string pieces like "Calming the Sea" or the cinematic title track, with its Hans Zimmer flourishes that really stand out. The real highlight though is "The Kiss" which combines the aural soundscapes of Enya with the chiming otherworldliness of This Mortal Coil to create a gentle and warm embrace. --William Luff

D.R. Hooker - The Truth (1972 US Psychedelia)

Widely cited as one of the most important private press releases in all 1970s psychedelia, D.R. Hooker's The Truth might actually be one of those obscure lost gems that's worth the customarily inordinate amount of interest such period pieces are afforded.

D.R. Hooker was a man slightly askew with his time: from the robes he wears on the cover to the quasi mystical lyrics, he's very much connected to the hippy era, and given that this album was recorded in 1972, in a time post-Charles Manson, he was brave to associate so strongly with all the imagery pertaining to cults. Musically, Hooker looks beyond the parameters of the hippy movement, dipping into a more ambitiously studio-oriented sound than Hooker's half-troubadour, half-prophet image on the sleeve might suggest. The noisy, fuzzy elements are particularly effective, and surprisingly intricate in their arrangement and recording.

'Forge Your Own Chains' takes this to an extreme, expertly deploying advanced loungey jazz figures with an onslaught of brass. This all sounds far more ambitious and accomplished than the vast majority of private press releases that tend to emerge, and there's certainly a strong case to be made for this record being one of those precious few curiosities from the private press movement to feel like more than a kitsch comic aside. Well worth your investigation.

01. The Sea
02. Fall In Love
03. A Stranger's Smile
04. Weather Girl
05. This Thing
06. Forge Your Own Chains
07. I'm Leaving You
08. The Truth
09. The Bible
10. Falling Asleep

Bonus: (From the album "Armageddon" 1979)
11.Hello
12.This Moment
13.Free
14.Winter
15.A Tornamented Heart
16.Kamala

Post by ChrisGoesRock

Television - Adventure (1978 Magnificent 2nd Album Proto-Punk)

Television's groundbreaking first album, Marquee Moon, was as close to a perfect debut as any band made in the 1970s, and in many respects it would have been all but impossible for the band to top it. One senses that Television knew this, because Adventure seems designed to avoid the comparisons by focusing on a different side of the band's personality. Where Marquee Moon was direct and straightforward in its approach, with the subtleties clearly in the performance and not in the production, Adventure is a decidedly softer and less aggressive disc, and while John Jansen's production isn't intrusive, it does round off the edges of the band's sound in a way Andy Johns' work on the first album did not. But the two qualities that really made Marquee Moon so special were Tom Verlaine's songs and the way his guitar work meshed with that of Richard Lloyd, whose style was less showy but whose gifts were just as impressive, and if you have to listen a bit harder to Adventure, it doesn't take long to realize that both of those virtues are more than apparent here, and while one might wish the sound had a bit more bite on "Foxhole" or "Ain't That Nothin'," the quieter, more layered sound is just what the doctor ordered for "Glory" and "The Dream's Dream." Sure, Marquee Moon is a better album, but Adventure has one of the greatest guitar bands of all time playing superbly on a set of truly fine songs, and albums like this come along far too infrequently for anyone to ignore music this pleasurable simply on the grounds of relative evaluation; it's not quite a masterpiece, but it's a brilliant record by any yardstick.

AMG Review by Mark Deming

Creatures - A Bestiary Of (A Siouxsie Sioux Project - Early Material Compilation Alternative Rock 1981-1983)

The early Creatures material had fallen out of print in most locations for quite a while before Bestiary made its long overdue appearance. Only Feast had made a regular appearance in certain record stores thanks to Japanese pressings; Bestiary topped that by including the contents of the Wild Things and Right Now EPs as well as "Hot Springs in the Snow," the B-side from "Miss the Girl." The result collects everything originally put out in the first phase of the Creatures' existence, making for a convenient and very well remastered collection. No previously unreleased tracks or unexpected bonuses are included, but that's quibbling in comparison to finally having all the cuts available again. Full lyrics are included, as well as recording details, a brief series of informative liner notes, and even release dates and U.K. chart positions. Another bonus is the inclusion of all the original sleeve art for the various releases, including the notorious wet T-shirt in the shower shots for Wild Things (an alternate image from that session is the cover for the collection as a whole). The lovely cover for Feast, featuring Sioux wearing a striking native Hawaiian costume, appears in such a way that one can refold the booklet to make it the front cover, a nice option.

AMG Review by Ned Raggett

Eric Burdon and the Animals - The Twain Shall Meet (1968 British Psychedelia)

Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941, in Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne) was the lead singer of The Animals, and War before becoming a solo artist.

He was a founding member and vocalist of the Animals, a band originally formed in Newcastle in the early 1960s. The Animals were one of the leading bands of the "British Invasion", and the band had quite a following around the world. Along with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Dave Clark Five, and Gerry and The Pacemakers, they introduced British music and fashion to an entire generation in an explosion of great tunes and outspoken attitude on, and off the stage. Burdon sang on such Animal classics as "The House of the Rising Sun", "Good Times", "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", "Bring It On Home to Me", "A Girl Named Sandoz," and "We Gotta Get Out of this Place". The Animals combined the traditional blues with rock to create a unique sound.

Original Animals members keyboardist Alan Price and drummer John Steel quit, and were replaced by Dave Rowberry and Barry Jenkins respectively. By 1966 the other members had left, except for Barry Jenkins, and the band was reformed as Eric Burdon and the Animals, which featured future Family member John Weider and future The Police guitarist Andy Summers. This incarnation had hits with songs such as "When I Was Young", "Sky Pilot" and "Monterey".

This ensemble lasted until 1969, going through several line-up changes, and changing the name from Eric Burdon and the Animals to Eric Burdon and the New Animals.

When the New Animals disbanded, Burdon joined forces with funky California jam band War. The resulting album, Eric Burdon Declares "War" yielded the classics "Spill the Wine" and "Tobacco Road". A second Burdon and War album, a two-disc set, The Black-Man's Burdon, was released later in 1970.

In 1971 Burdon began a solo career. Around this time, he also recorded the album Guilty! (later released on CD as Black & White Blues) with the great blues shouter Jimmy Witherspoon and also featuring Ike White & the San Quentin Prison Band.

Burdon rejoined briefly with the other original Animals in 1976 and 1983, but neither union lasted, although the 1983 reunion yielded the ignored single "The Night".

He has led a number of groups named Eric Burdon Band or some variation thereof, with constantly changing personnel. His popularity has remained stronger in continental Europe than in the UK or U.S. Today he continues to record and tour either on his own, or in front of yet another version of "Eric Burdon and the Animals". In 1990, a re-formed "Eric Burdon and the Animals" recorded a cover of the Merle Travis single "Sixteen Tons" for the film Joe Versus the Volcano, which played over the opening credits of the film.

As of 2007 he was touring as the headlining act of the "Hippiefest" lineup, produced and hosted by Country Joe McDonald.

The Twain Shall Meet is an album released in 1968 by Eric Burdon and The Animals. It includes "Sky Pilot," one of the most famous anti-war songs of the Vietnam War era, including the sound of a plane crashing and a terrific guitar riff by Vic Briggs, and "Monterey," the band's tribute to the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. Reviewer Bruce Elder of All Music Guide describes the song, "All Is One," as "unique in the history of pop music as a psychedelic piece, mixing bagpipes, sitar, oboes, horns, flutes, and a fairly idiotic lyric, all within the framework of a piece that picks up its tempo like the dance music from Zorba the Greek while mimicking the Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin'."

"Sky Pilot" is a 1968 song by Eric Burdon and The Animals, released on the album The Twain Shall Meet. When released as a single the song was split across both sides, due to its length. As "Sky Pilot (Parts 1 & 2)" it reached number 14 on the U.S. pop charts.

The Sky Pilot of the title is a military chaplain, as revealed by the opening verse:

He blesses the boys
As they stand in line
The smell of gun grease
And the bayonets they shine
He's there to help them
All that he can
To make them feel wanted
He's a good holy man
The line-up includes Eric Burdon on lead vocals, Vic Briggs on guitar, John Weider on guitar and electric violin, Danny McCulloch on bass guitar, and Barry Jenkins on drums.

The song is a balladic "slice of life" story about a chaplain who blesses a body of troops just before they set out on an overnight raid or patrol, and then retires to await their return.

"Sky Pilot" is organized into three movements: an introduction, a programmatic interlude, and a conclusion.

The introduction begins with the verse quoted above, sung a cappella and solo by Eric Burdon. Thereafter the band joins in with instruments for the chorus. Several verse-chorus iterations follow, leaving the story with the "boys" gone to battle and the Sky Pilot retired to his bed. The verses are musically lean, dominated by the vocal and a pulsing bass guitar, with a strummed acoustic guitar and drum mixed in quietly.

The interlude starts as a guitar solo, but the guitar is quickly submerged under a montage of battle sounds. First come the sounds of an airstrike; then the airstrike and Rock band fade into the sounds of shouting, gunfire, and bagpipes. Near the end of the interlude the battle sounds fade, briefly leaving the bagpipes playing alone before the third movement begins. (The bagpipe music is a covert recording of the pipers of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards playing "All The Bluebonnets Are Over The Border", captured by Burdon while performing at a school. He received an angry letter from the UK government (or possibly the Crown) over his use of the recording in the song. [1])

The conclusion begins with the return of the bass and strummed acoustic guitar, accompanied by strings. After a few measures the verses resume, but with a quieter, melancholy atmosphere: one verse is sung along with bass, guitar, and strings, and then without a choral break a final verse (quoted below) is sung to bass, guitar, and woodwinds. Finally a strong bass line announces the return of the chorus, now accompanied with horns and piccolos, repeated several times as it fades. The musical effect is very upbeat, in stark contrast with the "downer" content of the movement's lyrics.

The song is universally interpreted as an anti-war protest song. There are no overt anti-war statements, but no glorification of war either. The (presumed) anti-war message is conveyed simply and obliquely, by lines such as:

But he'll stay behind
And he'll meditate
But it won't stop the bleeding
Or ease the hate
and the final verse:

In the morning they return
With tears in their eyes
The stench of death
Drifts up to the skies
A young soldier so ill
Looks at the Sky Pilot
Remembers the words
'Thou Shall Not Kill'
There is also a sense of futility, or perhaps moral judgement upon the chaplain, conveyed by the chorus:

Sky Pilot
How High Can You Fly
You'll never reach the sky
The war in question is usually assumed to be the Vietnam War, though the bagpipes and apparent sounds of a dive bomber in the interlude, taken with the UK nationality of the artists, may suggest an earlier era.

Differences between the mono and stereo mixes
The mono single version is unique as it features several effects not included in the stereo version, including more echo in the a cappella introduction, heavy reverb effect at the end of the line "How high can you fly?" (Part 1 only), and an extra bagpipe passage at the end of the fadeout on Part 2. Also, the airstrike and battle sounds are both moved forward in the instrumental break.


01. "Monterey" (4:18)
02. "Just the Thought" (3:47)
03. "Closer to the Truth" (4:31)
04. "No Self Pity" (4:50)
05. "Orange and Red Beams" (3:45)
06. "Sky Pilot" (7:27)
07. "We Love You Lil" (6:48)
08. "All Is One" (7:45)
09. "Sky Pilot Part I" [Mono]
10. "Sky Pilot Part II" [Mono]
11. "Monterey" [Mono]

Post by ChrisGoesRock

Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic (Terrific Classic Album 1974)

Countdown to Ecstasy wasn't half the hit that Can't Buy a Thrill was, and Steely Dan responded by trimming the lengthy instrumental jams that were scattered across Countdown and concentrating on concise songs for Pretzel Logic. While the shorter songs usually indicate a tendency toward pop conventions, that's not the case with Pretzel Logic. Instead of relying on easy hooks, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen assembled their most complex and cynical set of songs to date. Dense with harmonics, countermelodies, and bop phrasing, Pretzel Logic is vibrant with unpredictable musical juxtapositions and snide, but very funny, wordplay. Listen to how the album's hit single, "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," opens with a syncopated piano line that evolves into a graceful pop melody, or how the title track winds from a blues to a jazzy chorus — Becker and Fagen's craft has become seamless while remaining idiosyncratic and thrillingly accessible. Since the songs are now paramount, it makes sense that Pretzel Logic is less of a band-oriented album than Countdown to Ecstasy, yet it is the richest album in their catalog, one where the backhanded Dylan tribute "Barrytown" can sit comfortably next to the gorgeous "Any Major Dude Will Tell You." Steely Dan made more accomplished albums than Pretzel Logic, but they never made a better one.

AMG Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Snow - Snow (1968 Very Good Psychedelic Pop)

"Released on the Epic imprint in 1968 (BN26435), the sole, eponymous release by the Cleveland, Ohio outfit Snow, although being very much a record redolent of the period, is also an album of two halves. On the original record, side 1 kicks off with the band's attempt to infiltrate the singles chart with 'Where Has My Old Friend Billy Jones Gone', a folk-psych effort featuring a female vocalist brought in for the occasion, and who's influences clearly included Grace Slick amongst others. The side builds momentum, with its melodic harmonies and short, incisive guitar solos setting the scene for the brilliant Englebert and the clever tempo changes of 'You Let Me Know'. Side 2 is even better, starting with piercing guitar on 'Song Of The Sirens' and culminating with the outstanding 'Caterpillar' which, in the space of three minutes, escorts the listener through a plethora of sound effects, key changes and bold experimentation which still sounds as 'cutting edge' as anything comparable from the period. The band's songs often surface on compilations, but this is the first reissue of the entire album in more than 30 years."

01 - The Flying Miraldos
02 - Song Of The Sirens
03 - Where Has My Old Friend Billy Jones Gone
04 - Old Uncle Timothy¥s Flying Baloon
05 - The Golden Oldie Show
06 - Sweet Dreams
07 - Baby's Song
08 - Caterpillar
09 - You Let Me Know
10 - Engelbert

Post by ChrisGoesRock

Long Ryders - State of Our Union (1985 Great Cowpunk)

The Long Ryders kicked off their major label debut, State of Our Union, with one of their most anthemic and most explicitly political songs, "Looking for Lewis and Clark," and that tune set the tone for the rest of the album -- State of Our Union found the Long Ryders reaching for a larger audience at the same time that they were using their music to say a great deal more than they had in the past. Musically, plenty of roadwork had tightened the band's interplay to an even finer point than on Native Sons (Sid Griffin and Stephen McCarthy were both in superb voice, and their guitar work meshed perfectly), and Will Birch's production gave the songs a poppier sheen that still allowed the band's roots-conscious sound to shine through. Lyrically, State of Our Union took a long look at Reagan-era America as the gulf between the rich and the poor began to divide the nation, with "You Can't Ride the Boxcars Anymore," "Two Kinds of Love," and "Good Times Tomorrow, Hard Times Today" all exploring issues of economic injustice, and even the less obvious political songs often having a progressive subtext ("WDIA," a tribute to the great Memphis R&B radio station, deals with how the love of music brought together black and white listeners in the 1960s). 10-5-60 and Native Sons had already made it clear that the Long Ryders knew how to make great rock & roll, but State of Our Union suggested they had a lot else on their minds, and they were able to air their concerns while playing music that could move the masses...assuming that the masses ever heard them. (Ironically, a large portion of the audience for this very American album was in England, where the Long Ryders had become press favorites, and "Looking for Lewis and Clark" became a hit single.) [A deluxe edition, with bonus tracks, was issued in the mid-'90s by Griffin's label, Prima Records.]

AMG Review by Mark Deming

Mark Knopfler - Cal (OST 1984)

With the core of Dire Straits augumented by Paul Brady and Liam O'Flynn, Knopfler set out to give this score a somewhat Irish spin, though keeping that light. A quiet, reflective set of cues that eschew false dramatics in favor of supporting the story. Knopfler completists will want the entire album, of course; others might as well settle for the several excerpts on Screenplaying.

AMG Review by Steven McDonald

Waterboys - Live Adventures of the Waterboys (1998 Live)

This two-disc set of live recordings from throughout 1986 no doubt captures the Waterboys at their peak as a live band. It also offers a rare glimpse of leader Mike Scott in the transition period between the "big music" of the band's early albums and the folksy traditionalism of his and the band's most enduring work, Fisherman's Blues, which was just around the corner. Tracks from that album appear here, as do stirring renditions of Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Prince, and Bruce Springsteen songs. Traditional tunes and gospel numbers are covered to fine effect, too. Always ambitious, Mike Scott nearly grasps everything that's within his reach in these performances, his apprehensions about fame and his religious devotion be damned. The rambunctious punk energy of "Be My Enemy" and "Medicine Bow" is a tribute to fans of the band's past achievements, while "We Will Not Be Lovers" and "Fisherman's Blues" foreshadow what was then to be the brightest of futures. Whatever Scott has accomplished as a solo artist or with his later variations of the Waterboys, these 18 exciting performances prove beyond a doubt that the greatness that just barely escaped Mike Scott's extended hand he did indeed deserve, at least for the length of a tour in 1986.

AMG Review by Brian Beatty

Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers - Back in Your Life (1979 College Rock)

Sweet, fun, and honest aptly describe this 1979 long-player by Jonathan Richman. And while some singers badly fumble at being innocently possessed, Richman keeps it all engaging with his unbridled enthusiasm, wit, and crack songs. This was Richman's first solo venture since forming the Modern Lovers in the early '70s, and the newfound freedom shows on loose doo wop rockers like "Party in the Woods Tonight" and such Sesame Street-issue nature odes as "Buzz Buzz Buzz"; the breezy tone is further plied on surf-toned instrumental "Lover Please" and a harmony and handclapping-rich "Lydia." But it's not all passing fancy, as Richman also waxes sincere and lonely on strong, yet often hushed sides like "Affection," "Emaline," and the title track, his terminally congested vocals and jangly guitar chords perfectly echoing the wistful sentiment. Recent Modern Lovers graduates: start here.

AMG Review by Stephen Cook

Roxy Music - Stranded (3rd album Art-Rock 1973)

Without Brian Eno, Roxy Music immediately became less experimental, yet it remained adventurous, as Stranded illustrates. Under the direction of Bryan Ferry, Roxy moved toward relatively straightforward territory, adding greater layers of piano and heavy guitars. Even without the washes of Eno's synthesizers, Roxy's music remains unsettling on occasion, yet in this new incarnation, they favor more measured material, whether it's the reflective "A Song for Europe" or the shifting textures of "Psalm." Even the rockers, such as the surging "Street Life" and the segmented "Mother of Pearl," are distinguished by subtle songwriting that emphasizes both Ferry's tortured glamour and Roxy's increasingly impressive grasp of sonic detail.

1. Street Life

2. Just Like You

3. Amazona

4. Psalm

5. Serenade

6. A Song For Europe

7. Mother Of Pearl

8. Sunset

AMG Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Master Plan - Colossus of Destiny (2004 Garage Rock)

Not to be confused with the German death metal supergroup Masterplan, the Master Plan is a garage rock powerhouse headed by two of the leading lights of the old-school, New York garage scene, Andy Shernoff of the Dictators and Keith Streng of the Fleshtones. Fans of those two bands already have an excellent idea of what Colossus of Destiny sounds like: stripped-down, no-frills rock & roll is the order of the day, but without the Dictators' occasional feints toward heavy metal and the soul fixation of the Fleshtones. (The Original Sins and early-'70s Flamin' Groovies are good touchstones, as well, for true aficionados of the style.) The rockabilly-tinged "Kickin' It Old School" is the most aptly titled tune, especially considering that '50s R&B classics like the Cadets' "I Got Loaded" and Hank Ballard's "Annie Had a Baby" are among the pop-rocking originals, sounding like they might have if a British Invasion-era quartet had added them to their set lists. This album is nothing but fun, with no pretensions toward anything more.

AMG Review by Stewart Mason

Nits - Henk/Kilo (1986/1983 New Wave)

After the mighty leap forward that was Omsk, the Nits wasted little time in recording the mini-album Kilo, released just six months later. Again, songwriting was divided between Hofstede, Peters, and newcomer Stips, and again Hofstede established himself as an inspired melodist with the dramatically orchestrated "Sketches of Spain" and the wryly nostalgic "Dapper Street" -- a remarkably beautiful song that would now surely be acknowledged as a classic if only it had had the name Elvis Costello attached to it. Unlike Omsk, however, this time the contributions of Peters and Stips measure up to their leader's. Peters' "Bild Am Sonntag (As Usual)," with its tick-tock rhythm underpinning one of the band's rare forays into vocal harmony, is a dreamily ominous song about small-town boredom turning sour. Stips' "Memories Are New (III)" has a languid South American feel buoyed by nylon guitars, vibraphones, and rippling piano, and is only let down by Stips' rather colorless vocals. Oddly, though, it's Hofstede who supplies Kilo's weakest track, the closing "Your Next Tyres," which sounds like a leftover from the band's self-consciously quirky period. The band's production throughout is lush and spacious, with Stips' distinctive multi-layered keyboards providing the illusion of a much bigger band without ever lapsing into the kind of synthesized overkill that makes so many recordings from the early '80s so easy to date and hard to listen to. [Kilo was reissued on CD as a two-fer with the 1986 album Henk.]

Henk was the first album to be recorded by the Nits as a three-piece following the traumatic departure of Michiel Peters, yet it found them in an unexpectedly playful mood. From the eccentric openers "Bike in Head" and "Port of Amsterdam," it was clear that the bandmembers were once more in control of their own destiny and would have no truck with pleas to emphasize their more commercially viable songs. "Bike in Head," for instance, deploys samples of bicycle bells and includes the lyric "I just bought an elephant today," while "Port of Amsterdam" is a rambunctious drinking song in which Hofstede's voice is subjected to all manner of wacky electronic distortion. But for all its often wilful eccentricity, Henk does contain a core of enduring songs that marry the band's pop sensibility with its more experimental tendencies. On the first, "Typist of Candy," Hofstede's touching, double-tracked voice recalls the Everly Brothers, though any retro intent is canceled by a beguiling climax featuring Robert Jan Stips' fairground keyboards and what sounds like someone tap dancing on a typewriter. "Home Before Dark" is an altogether more somber affair, the album's single foray into understatement and one whose directness and simplicity foreshadow Henk's successor, In the Dutch Mountains. "Sleep (What Happens to Your Eyes)" survives a tricky synth arrangement to become one of the Nits' most persuasive blends of melody and electronica, while the irresistible "Cabins" sets Philip Glass to a four-square beat. Too much of the rest, however, is quirky in a bad way. More than once, you suspect Stips and his fancy new sampling equipment were allowed to run riot, dressing up already slender songs with eldritch noises that began to date as soon as the record hit the shops. The CD reissue is filled out with the 1983 mini-album Kilo, none of which has dated as badly as Henk.

AMG Review by Christopher Evans

Kurt Maloo - Soul & Echo (1995 Smooth Jazz/Pop)

01 Young King
02 Man In Love
03 The Captain Of Her Heart (produced by Michael Cretu)
04 Afraid Of The Darkness
05 Transformation
06 Jealousy
07 Diving For Your Pearls
08 Reality
09 You Echo Inside Of Me
10 The Baby`s Sleepin`
11 Remorse

Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Solar Fire (Wonderful Prog-Rock 1973)

Fans of muscular progressive rock will love Solar Fire, a concept album loosely designed around cosmology. The album opens with the majestic "Father of Night, Father of Day," which has the drive and complexity of a prime King Crimson track. As unlikely as it may seem, the track was controversial in Mann's native South Africa because of the "Father of black, father of white" line, implying that apartheid might not extend to infinite space. The album moves on to the progressive rock/jazz fusion of "In the Beginning, Darkness," a swinging, even funky track that benefits from soulful vocals by Doreen Chanter and Irene Chanter of the Grove Singers. The same duo contributes to the title track, a slow piece that begins with a fairly standard rock structure and incorporates a massive progressive jam in the middle. The instrumental suite which follows is a showcase for the combination of angular, sometimes slightly dissonant guitar with fluid keyboard work, and the band rocks straight through with stately grace. Once again, one is reminded of early King Crimson, which was about the only other group to turn out complex, shifting instrumentals of this quality. The album closes with the strange "Earth, the Circle, Pt. 1," which begins almost like a nursery rhyme, switches to a jazz shuffle, and fades out as an odd combination of the two. The album was groundbreaking when it was released and is still a delightful listen. If you like the hard-edged side of Manfred Mann, this may be your favorite album.

AMG Review by Richard Foss

Fleetwood Mac - Mystery to Me (1973 Blues-Rock)

At this point, the band was best-known as a British blues unit. Slowly but surely the band was becoming more acclimated with a production style that was reminiscent of the California pop sound. With the majority of the blues and psychedelic behind them, Mystery to Me finds Fleetwood Mac in a more ruminative vein. American guitarist Bob Welch established that path. Despite the all-encompassing ethos, Welch's songwriting skills made him walk a fine line between the mystical and the silly. But luckily most everything works here. The leadoff song, the laid-back "Emerald Eyes" matches Welch's spacey lyrics and vocals as Christine McVie provides great backing help. The album's best track, the gorgeous and lyrically strong "Hypnotized" has Welch matching an effortless, soothing croon with jazzy guitar riffs. Throughout Mystery to Me the amazing and almost telepathic drums and bass of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie give this effort more panache and muscle than was represented on this effort's predecessor, Bare Trees. The best Bob Welch offering, "Keep on Going," has a strong, soulful string arrangement and Christine McVie's customary sensual and poised vocals. The only weak spot is the ill-advised cover of "For Your Love" that's steeped in hackneyed, post-psychedelic style. Mystery to Me's interesting sound is directly attributed to the fact that it was recorded on the Rolling Stones Mobile Unit. This effort is custom-made for those who like thoughtful offerings and is a valuable set in the scheme of the band.

AMG Review by Jason Elias

Fleetwood Mac - Future Games (1971 Blues-Rock)

By the time of this album's release, Jeremy Spencer had been replaced by Bob Welch and Christine McVie had begun to assert herself more as a singer and songwriter. The result is a distinct move toward folk-rock and pop; Future Games sounds almost nothing like Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. Welch's eight-minute title track has one of his characteristic haunting melodies, and with pruning and better editing, it could have been a hit. Christine McVie's "Show Me a Smile" is one of her loveliest ballads. Initial popular reaction was mixed: the album didn't sell as well as Kiln House, but it sold better than any of the band's first three albums in the U.S. In the U.K., where the original lineup had been more successful, Future Games didn't chart at all; the same fate that would befall the rest of its albums until the Lindsey Buckingham-Stevie Nicks era.

AMG Review by William Ruhlmann

Eric Burdon and War - Eric Burdon Declares "War" (1970 Psychedelic Soul)

The debut effort by Eric Burdon and War was an erratic effort that hinted at more potential than it actually delivered. Three of the five tunes are meandering blues-jazz-psychedelic jams, two of which, "Tobacco Road" and "Blues for Memphis Slim," chug along for nearly 15 minutes. These showcase the then-unknown War's funky fusion, and Burdon's still-impressive vocals, but suffer from a lack of focus and substance. "Spill the Wine," on the other hand, is inarguably the greatest moment of the Burdon-fronted lineup. Not only was this goofy funk, shaggy-dog story one of the most truly inspired off-the-wall hit singles of all time, it was War's first smash -- and Eric Burdon's last. The odd closing track, a short piece of avant-garde sentimentality called "You're No Stranger," was deleted from re-releases of this album for years due to legal complications, but was restored for its CD reissue.

AMG Review by Richie Unterberger

Waterboys - Dream Harder (1993 Alternative/ Indie Rock)

After two albums of neo-traditional Irish music, Mike Scott brings The Waterboys back to the big rock sound of earlier albums like This is the Sea. Coming after the remarkably accomplished Fishermen's Blues and Room to Roam, Dream Harder is a bit of a disappointment. Its best material doesn't carry the same weight as compositions from Blues -- compare the simple beauty of Fishermen's Blues' "Has Anyone Hear Seen Hank" to Dream Harder's overblown "The Return of Jimi Hendrix." Scott can still bang out some good songs, but on Dream Harder there aren't as many as on previous efforts.

AMG Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Bron Area - The Trees & The Villages (1982 Post-Punk [very rare album - a must have])

To start at the beginning: Bron Area started life as a duo in March 1979, emerging from an embryo of musicians in Nuneaton. Martin Packwood and Steven Parker had been involved in a number of these before meeting a wider and more competent group of musicians. Notably among these was Peter Becker who supported and encouraged them in the early stages of Bron Area. With the reorganization of The Reluctant Stereotypes, resulting in the departure of Martyn Bates and Chris Dunne (later to drum on all later Bron Area records) the former arrived at a Bron gig to be introduced to Peter and thus Eyeless In Gaza came into being. Ambivalent Scale Recordings was later established and saw the release of Bron Area’s One Year cassette album and Fragile Sentences Ep as well as Eyeless In Gaza’s Kodak Ghosts Run Amok Ep and Kevin Harrison’s On Earth 2 cassette (later released as a Cherry Red album [remixed]). As Eyeless moved on to greater glory via their deal with Cherry Red Records, the momentum of Nuneaton’s music scene diminished, Bron Area subdued their efforts somewhat until David Barker of Glass Records, having heard 2 songs from the Alternative Sounds fanzines compilation tape Facet 1 asked them to appear on his Wonderful World of Glass Vol. 1 Lp at the end of 1981. So impressed was Mr. Barker that on the strength of a recent demo tape Bron Area were signed to Glass at the beginning of 1982. The first vinyl was a 12” Ep entitled ’Different Phrases’ released in March ’82 and later released as a 7” on Posh Boy Records in the USA. Now, after the best part of 1982 being spent in the recording studio Bron Area’s first album is ready. The album is The Trees and the Villages – a title which suggests the sentiments of their present music. Although not quite as described in Stringent Measures fanzine ”a modern day country music … with a little organic additive” it does through different means seek to fulfill the same role as that music. Martin Packwood: ”The album doesn’t take risks, but I really don’t see how any music could claim to do so. The only thing you risk in being avant garde is that no one is going to buy the record and listen to what you have to offer. People take risks in their lives – in their decisions, their lifestyles and so on – not when they listen to a record.”
Tracks
Les Arbes/Love Stories/As Midday Screams/This Year/Dancing/Sometimes in Water .../Caught the Drowned Affection/Elegy of Innocence/Secret Places/In Victory/Separate Rooms

http://www.eyelessingaza.com/bron.html

Country Joe & the Fish - Electric Music for the Mind and Body (Great Psychedelic Folk-Rock debute 1967)

Their full-length debut is their most joyous and cohesive statement and one of the most important and enduring documents of the psychedelic era, the band's swirl of distorted guitar and organ at its most inventive. In contrast to Jefferson Airplane, who were at their best working within conventional song structures, and the Grateful Dead, who hadn't quite yet figured out how to transpose their music to the recording studio, Country Joe & the Fish delivered a fully formed, uncompromising, and yet utterly accessible -- in fact, often delightfully witty -- body of psychedelic music the first time out. Ranging in mood from good-timey to downright apocalyptic, it embraced all of the facets of the band's music, which were startling in their diversity: soaring guitar and keyboard excursions ("Flying High," "Section 43," "Bass Strings," "The Masked Marauder"), the group's folk roots ("Sad and Lonely Times"), McDonald's personal ode to Grace Slick ("Grace"), and their in-your-face politics ("Superbird"). Hardly any band since the Beatles had ever come up with such a perfect and perfectly bold introduction to who and what they were, and the results -- given the prodigious talents and wide-ranging orientation of this group -- might've scared off most major record labels. Additionally, this is one of the best-performed records of its period, most of it so bracing and exciting that one gets some of the intensity of a live performance. The CD reissue also has the virtue of being one of the best analog-to-digital transfers ever issued on one of Vanguard Records' classic albums, with startlingly vivid stereo separation and a close, intimate sound.

AMG Review by Richie Unterberger & Bruce Eder

Cowboy Junkies - Pale Sun, Crescent Moon (Fabulous Alternative Country-Rock 1993)

A refreshed, revitalized sound that doesn't sacrifice the delicate touches that first made them unique; rugged, but still pristine. Much of the new spark emanates from the strings of honorary Junkie Ken Myhr, who peals out intense, biting lead guitar throughout. Especially prominent is his incendiary slide work on "Seven Years" and a spectacular cover of Dinosaur Jr.'s "The Post." Still, it's hard to imagine a ballad instrument more haunting and ethereal than Margo Timmins' voice.

AMG Review by Roch Parisien

Cure - Japanese Whispers (1984 Alternative Rock Singles Compilation)

After the fallout both psychologically and physically of Pornography, it looked unlikely that anyone would hear from the Cure ever again. Surprisingly, from 1982-1983 Robert Smith and (now keyboardist) Lol Tolhurst put out some of the catchiest singles of their career. "Let's Go to Bed," "The Walk," and "The Lovecats" were not only singles that got the Cure radio play and made them a household name, but more importantly marked the next phase in the music of the Cure, which would reach its peak with albums like Head on the Door and Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. Dropping the stripped-down darkness of Faith and Pornography, the songs on Japanese Whispers (the aforementioned singles from that era, including all the B-sides) are light, dancy, and at times jazzy. Adding new keyboard sounds, old-timey percussion, standup bass, and some damn silly lyrics rejuvenated Robert Smith and sent him on a course that would cement his role as one of the most interesting musicians to emerge from the '80s underground. Japanese Whispers is one of those rare releases when a singles collection works just as well as a standard-issue album.

AMG Review by Chris True

Sweetwater - Sweetwater (Folk-Psych from California 1968)

Collector's Choice Sweetwater is the only Sweetwater album to feature Nanci Nevins on vocals throughout, and it's hard to get a grip on. Sometimes it's attractive Californian folk-pop-psych not too far removed from the Mamas & the Papas, as on "Through an Old Storybook"; sometimes it's trying for a rock-Baroque-classical-jazz fusion, although the material doesn't match the ambitions of the arrangements. Whether intentionally or otherwise, Nevins' vocals often recall those of Grace Slick, though she isn't as good. On "My Crystal Spider," they seem to be going for a far-out psychedelic sound; the ascending and descending bit of harsh electronics in the middle sounds uncomfortably close to effects employed, earlier and to more effective use, by the United States of America on "Hard Coming Love." When bands, even on their first album, make multiple comparisons to more renowned acts so inevitable that these form the bulk of a review, it's a good indication that the musicians were not in the same league as those they were trying to emulate.

AMG Review by Richie Unterberger

Ramones - Ramonesmania (Great Punk Collection 1988)

Ramones Mania is a relentless collection of 30 tracks from the Ramones' first ten albums, ranging from the classic Ramones to the less-than-classic Halfway to Sanity. Although not all of their great '70s songs are included, it boils down the highlights from the inconsistent '80s albums quite effectively, making it a useful summation of their peak period, even if the sequencing is not chronological.

AMG Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Modern Eon - Fiction Tales (1981 Indie Rock)

Like the better-known Teardrop Explodes and Echo & the Bunnymen, the post-punk band Modern Eon was based in Liverpool, England. Fitting somewhere between the odd rhythms and textured turmoil of the Comsat Angels and the aggressive side of Sad Lovers and Giants, the band released only one studio LP, 1981's excellent Fiction Tales. Alix Plain (Alex Johnson) and Danny Hampson started the group in the late '70s, initially calling their band Luglo Slugs. After two more name changes, they became Modern Eon and made their recorded debut in 1978 on Street to Street: A Liverpool Album. A handful of singles for labels like Inevitable, DinDisc, and their own Eon predated Fiction Tales, which quickly -- and disappointingly -- didn't so much register on the commercial radar as it went down the drain with little notice. Prior to the recording of the album, the band's lineup changed significantly; guitarist/saxophonist Tim Lever, keyboardist/percussionist Bob Wakelin, and drummer Cliff Hewitt came in at various points to replace Ged Allen and Joey McKechnie. Aside from the overlooked status of Fiction Tales, another factor that threw a wrench into the band's progress was the injuring of drummer Hewitt's wrist. Hewitt, who resembled the Comsat Angels' Mik Glaisher with his off-kilter, toms-heavy playing, proved impossible to replace. The group went on with the tour, using tapes of Hewitt's playing to accompany them. After the tour, demos for a second album weren't completed and the band dissolved. Sans Plain, the group continued briefly as This Time Next Year, who released one record in 1982. Lever played a number of years with Dead or Alive and eventually went into producing; Hewitt became a member of Apollo 440; Wakelin worked as an artist in the video game industry and then did work for Marvel comics for well over a decade; Plain worked briefly as a solo artist under the name Che.

AMG Review by Andy Kellman

Salamander - The Ten Commandments (A 1971 Psychedelic Diamond)

This is a band whose concept album is based on the Ten Commandments. Each track deals with a different commandment. The album, which was produced by Miki Dallon, was dominated by Bob Leaper's orchestral arrangements, but there are also some good melodies, strong vocals and organ work and powerful drumming. The best tracks are those where the orchestral arrangements are more discreet: "He Is My God", on which the melody sounds like King Crimson in places; "Images", which features strong vocals, good drumming and organ work; the mellow and melodic "People" and "False Witness", a good progressive piece with some fine guitar leads and powerful organ.

Salamander's "Ten Commandments" is a most interesting
album. Produced in 1971 (but released on CD by The Laser's Edge), it
has all the markings of a post-60's progressive release. Its sound is
heavy on the Hammond organ and the album is fully orchestrated. Ken
Golden from The Laser's Edge compares the organist to Jon Lord which is
not accurate, as Alister Benson lacks the technique of Lord. I would
compare Salamander more directly to Rare Bird's sound, with the
addition of orchestration.

The lyrics are at times direct, and at times vague. (Should we get
philosophical on the issue of adultery? The Bible is clear on this
topic.) However, it is well worth a listen if you like this early 70's
type of sound. I must give them credit for approaching this topic back
in 1971. I know of no other releases by them. A new group from the
90's goes by the same name.

01. Prelude Incorporating He's My God's (7:15)
02. Images (3:24)
03. People (2:50)
04. God's Day (2:27)
05. Honour thy Father and thy Mother (1:38)
06. Kill (3:31)
07. Thou Shalt not Commit Adultery (3:07)
08. Steal (4:20)
09. False Witnwess (3:54)
10. Possession (3:15)

Post by ChrisGoesRock

Waterboys - Room to Roam (Celtic Rock 1990)

The Waterboys' departure from the self-described "big music" of the early to mid-'80s into the more pastoral Celtic folk-rock landscapes of Fisherman's Blues frustrated many longtime fans who thought that the group belonged in the same arenas as contemporaries like U2 or the Alarm, but it also brought in a new set of listeners who were looking for a young Fairport Convention or Steeleye Span. Taking its name from a passage in Scottish author, poet, and minister George MacDonald' fantasy novel Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women, Room to Roam extends the scope of the group's previous effort by integrating that album's Irish and Scottish folk elements further into the rock and pop nether regions. If anything, Room to Roam captures head (and soon to be only) Waterboy Mike Scott at his most unabashedly Beatlesque, stringing together whispery interludes, pub-style jam sessions (of the traditional folk variety), sound effects, and genre-defying forays into soul ("Something That Is Gone"), country ("How Long Will I Love You?"), traditional folk ("Raggle Taggle Gypsy"), and full-on rock & roll ("Life of Sundays") -- the latter cut even dissolves into a group singalong of the Fab Four classic "Yellow Submarine." Of the two albums, Room to Roam balances these two worlds the most effectively, and while the more focused and nuanced Fisherman's Blues is the superior record, it lacks Roam's amiable, schizophrenic, and pioneering spirit.

AMG Review by James Christopher Monger

Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure (1973 Superb 2nd Album)

On Roxy Music's debut, the tensions between Brian Eno and Bryan Ferry propelled their music to great, unexpected heights, and for most of the group's second album, For Your Pleasure, the band equals, if not surpasses, those expectations. However, there are a handful of moments where those tensions become unbearable, as when Eno wants to move toward texture and Ferry wants to stay in more conventional rock territory; the nine-minute "The Bogus Man" captures such creative tensions perfectly, and it's easy to see why Eno left the group after the album was completed. Still, those differences result in yet another extraordinary record from Roxy Music, one that demonstrates even more clearly than the debut how avant-garde ideas can flourish in a pop setting. This is especially evident in the driving singles "Do the Strand" and "Editions of You," which pulsate with raw energy and jarring melodic structures. Roxy also illuminate the slower numbers, such as the eerie "In Every Dream Home a Heartache," with atonal, shimmering synthesizers, textures that were unexpected and innovative at the time of its release. Similarly, all of For Your Pleasure walks the tightrope between the experimental and the accessible, creating a new vocabulary for rock bands, and one that was exploited heavily in the ensuing decade.

1. Do The Strand
2. Beauty Queen
3. Strictly Confidential
4. Editions Of You
5. In Every Dream Home A Heartache
6. The Bogus Man
7. Grey Lagoons
8. For Your Pleasure

AMG Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Gillian Welch - Soul Journey (2003 Folk/Alternative)

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings may, in fact, shock and appall folk purists with their fourth album, Soul Journey. "Are those drums?" "Is that an organ?" "Wait a minute, is that an electric bass?!?" The album uses these musical elements to drive home a living-room, lazy-summertime jam-session feel that hasn't really shown itself on Welch's previous releases. The album's opener, "Look at Miss Ohio," evolves into her toughest rocker since "Pass You By" on her debut, Revival, and the whole album culminates in the relative cacophony of "Wrecking Ball," a drunked-up barroom stumble highlighted by Ketcham Secor's loping fiddle lines and Rawlings' fuzzed-out guitar solo. Between these bookends is a mixed bag of traditional folk songs ("Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor," "I Had a Real Good Mother and Father"), loose blues phrasing ("Lowlands," "No One Knows My Name"), and a number of trademark Welch/Rawlings near-whispered murder ballads and orphan love songs. The thing that shines through most clearly is that the group had a lot of fun making Soul Journey, but that doesn't necessarily translate into a terrific album. Aside from a handful of real solid honest-to-gosh gems, the whole album feels a little too casual and off-the-cuff to stand on equal footing with her other recordings. The choruses often become just repeated phrases over and over again ("Lowlands," "No One Knows My Name," "I Made a Lovers Prayer," and the unfortunate "One Monkey"), and the songwriting seems less developed, as if the initial construction of the song has taken a back seat to the sheer enjoyment of performing it. That being said, it is a wonderful, dusty summertime front-porch album, full of whiskey drawls and sly smiles, floorboard stomps and screen-door creeks. While it does not exactly meet the impeccable standards that her previous three releases set, it is still a fine addition to her discography and well worth listening to all summer long.

AMG Review by Zac Johnson

Golden Dawn - Power Plant (1967 Garage Psychedelia from Texas)

Nowhere near as well known as Roky Erickson and The 13th Floor Elevators, to our ears fellow Texans The Golden Dawn are actually the more impressive band. 'Course those sentiments are bound to upset Erickson fans and will do little to rectify the fact that outside of hardcore collectors' circles these guys remain criminally overlooked.
Living in Austin, Texas, singer George Kinney grew up with Roky Erickson, attending the same schools. While in high school the two played together in a local garage band The Fugitives. With The Fugitives collapsing, Kinney moved on to join The Chelsea (along with future 13th Floor Elevator guitarist Powell St. John). When that group called it quits, he was invited to join fellow high school friends guitarist Jimmy Bird, bassist Bill Hallmark, guitarist Tom Ramsey and drummer Bobby Rector in The Golden Dawn.

Kinney's friendship with Erickson also proved handy in terms of career development. Erickson was largely responsible for getting Leland Rogers' International Artists label to sign the band in 1967 (coincidently Erickson and the Elevators were already signed to International Artists).

Produced by Rogers (yes, Kenny's brother), 1967's "Power Plant" actually bares a strong resemblance to The Elevators' catalog. The two bands certainly share the same mid-60s; low-tech Texas-psych roots, though to their credit these guys don't sound as strung out as The Elevators and (at least to our ears), Kinney's a better singer (though his fragile and occasionally shrill voice stands as an acquired taste). With Kinney and drummer Rector responsible for the majority of the 10 songs, musically the set's quite diverse. Tracks such as the opener "Evolution" and "The Way Please" boast a pleasing mix of pretty melodies and surprisingly complex and intriguing lyrics. Even better are the harder rocking numbers. Propelled by Bird and Ramsey's fuzz guitars, "Starvation", "I'll Be Around" and "My Time" are simply killer. Going out on a limb, we'll say this is a must-own psych classic and should be on most folk's top-40 psych lists. (Ignoring the illicit cannabis/mushroom subject matter, the LP's granted an extra star for the cool day-glo cover art.) (Bill Hallmark)


01.) Evolution (George Kinney - Bobby Rector) - 3:28
02.) The Way Please (George Kinney - Bobby Rector) - 5:08
03.) Starvation (George Kinney - Bobby Rector) - 2:52
04.) I'll Be Around (George Kinney - Bobby Rector) - 3:00
05.) Seeing Is Believing (George Kinney - Bobby Rector) - 2:21
06.) My Time (Jimmy Bird - Bill Hallmark - George Kinney) - 3:50
07.) A Nice Surprise (Bill Hallmark - George Kinney - Bobby Rector) - 2:51
08.) Every Day (George Kinney - Bobby Rector) - 3:59
09.) Tell Me Why (George Kinney - Bobby Rector) - 2:07
10.) Reaching Out To You (Bill Hallmark - George Kinney) - 2:37

Post by ChrisGoesRock