Fleetwood Mac - Mr. Wonderful (1968 Blues-Rock [Καλά εξώφυλλο με τον Ψάλτη έβγαλαν αυτοί;])

Although it made number ten in the U.K., Fleetwood Mac's second album was a disappointment following their promising debut. So much of the record was routine blues that it could even be said that it represented something of a regression from the first LP, despite the enlistment of a horn section and pianist Christine Perfect (the future Christine McVie) to help on the sessions. In particular, the limits of Jeremy Spencer's potential for creative contribution were badly exposed, as the tracks that featured his songwriting and/or vocals were basic Elmore James covers or derivations. Peter Green, the band's major talent at this point, did not deliver original material on the level of the classic singles he would pen for the band in 1969, or even on the level of first-album standouts like "I Loved Another Woman." The best of the lot, perhaps, is "Love That Burns," with its mournful minor-key melody and sluggish, responsive horn lines. Mr. Wonderful, strangely, was not issued in the U.S., although about half the songs turned up on its stateside counterpart, English Rose, which was fleshed out with some standout late-'60s British singles and a few new tracks penned by Danny Kirwan (who joined the band after Mr. Wonderful was recorded).

AMG Review by Richie Unterberger

Strawberry Alarm Clock - Incense and Peppermints (Terrific Psychedelic Album 1967)

This is the debut long-player from the southern California-based Strawberry Alarm Clock -- the title track of this album topped national singles charts in December of 1967. As the cover art might suggest, their image practically defined both the musical as well as peripheral aspects of the pseudo-psychedelic counterculture. However, below that mostly visual veneer, Strawberry Alarm Clock actually have more in common with other "Summer of Love" bands such as Love and Kak than the bubblegum acts they have long been associated with. Prior to Strawberry Alarm Clock, the band was initially named Thee Sixpence and issued a 45 -- "In the Building" b/w "Hey Joe" -- in the spring of 1966. As legend has it, none of the actual bandmembers sang lead on the hit single; the singer was in fact a vocalist named Greg Munford, who was attending the session as a visitor. The track was originally issued by Thee Sixpence on the regional All-American label. By the second pressing, however, the band's name had changed to Strawberry Alarm Clock. Sensing the possibility of a national hit, they were scooped up by the MCA Records subsidiary Uni and given the go-ahead to commence recording this, their debut LP. Much of the band's sound is due at least in part to the writing styles of George Bunnell (bass/vocals) and the uncredited Steve Bartok (flute/vocals). The edgy fuzz-toned guitar sound of "Birds in My Tree" and the Los Angeles freeway-inspired "Paxton's Back Street Carnival" exude a garage rock flavor similar in style to that of Spirit's self-titled debut long-player. Another distinguishing factor is Strawberry Alarm Clock's multi-layered vocals. "Hummin' Happy" and "Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow" are precursors to the sophisticated harmonies that would also inform "Tomorrow" and "Pretty Song From Psych-Out," from their follow-up long-player, Wake Up...It's Tomorrow.

AMG Review by Lindsay Planer

Vanilla Fudge - Vanilla Fudge (Great Psychedelic Rock 1967)

In a debut consisting of covers, nobody could accuse Vanilla Fudge of bad taste in their repertoire; with stoned-out, slowed-down versions of such then-recent classics as "Ticket to Ride," "Eleanor Rigby," and "People Get Ready," they were setting the bar rather high for themselves. Even the one suspect choice -- Sonny Bono's "Bang Bang" -- turns out to be rivaled only by Mott the Hoople's version of "Laugh at Me" in putting Bono's songwriting in the kindest possible light. Most of the tracks here share a common structure of a disjointed warm-up jam, a Hammond-heavy dirge of harmonized vocals at the center, and a final flat-out jam. Still, some succeed better than others: "You Keep Me Hanging On" has a wonderfully hammered-out drum part, and "She's Not There" boasts some truly groovy organ jams. While the pattern can sound repetitive today, each song still works as a time capsule of American psychedelia.

AMG Review by Paul Collins

Van der Graaf - H to He, Who Am the Only One (Superb Prog-Rock 1970)

The foreboding crawl of the Hammond organ is what made Van Der Graaf Generator one of the darkest and most engrossing of all the early progressive bands. On H to He Who Am the Only One, the brooding tones of synthesizer and oscillator along with Peter Hammil's distinct and overly ominous voice make it one of this British band's best efforts. Kicking off with the prog classic "Killer," an eight minute synthesized feast of menacing tones and threatening lyrics, the album slowly becomes shadowed with Van Der Graaf's sinister instrumental moodiness. With superb percussion work via Guy Evans, who utilizes the tympani drum to its full extent, tracks like "The Emperor in His War-Room" and "Lost" are embraced with a blackened texture that never fades. The effective use of saxophone (both alto and tenor) and baritone from David Jackson gives the somberness some life without taking away any of the instrumental petulance. H to He is carpeted with a science fiction theme, bolstered by the bleak but extremely compelling use of heavy tones and the absence of rhythms and flighty pulsations. This album, which represents Van Der Graaf in their most illustrious stage, is a pristine example of how dark progressive rock should sound.

AMG Review by Mike DeGagne

Whitesnake - Starkers in Tokyo (1997 Live)

Whitesnake's grip on the U.S. record-buying public may have lessened considerably by the late '90s, but in other parts of the world (especially Japan), David Coverdale and company still reigned supreme. Keeping in step with the unplugged craze of the decade, Coverdale and longtime guitarist Adrian Vandenberg united for such a performance in the land of the rising sun, resulting in the release of 1998's Starkers in Tokyo. Anyone wondering if Coverdale can still cut it vocally all these years later will be pleasantly surprised -- the bloke can still sing splendidly, as the duo perform selections from throughout the singer's career. Expectedly, the ballads sound the best in this stripped-down setting ("Is This Love," and especially the overlooked Deep Purple nugget "Soldier of Fortune"), as do made over renditions of "Love Ain't No Stranger" and "The Deeper the Love." While the majority of the numbers work quite well, some are best suited for a full band (and especially with a ripping guitar accompaniment) -- as evidenced here by "Here I Go Again." If you're looking for new, bare-bone takes of Whitesnake classics, hunt down an import copy of Starkers in Tokyo.

AMG Review by Greg Prato

Common People - Of the People, By the People, For the People (Very Good Psychedelia 1969)

The Common People's only album is melancholy psychedelia, quirky but in a pretty forgettable way. The mood's set by the opening "Soon There'll Be Thunder," where an appealing two-chord melancholy melody is set to raindrop-falling haunting electric keyboard and sweeping, gloomy strings. It's a groove that's mined too often by the subsequent tracks, which are passably pleasing moody pop-psychedelia in limited doses, but too similar to each other when grouped so closely. The constant rain-cloud-hovering-over-a-hung-head ethos begins to turn sour rather than soothing after a few songs, even though the string arrangements used on just a few cuts have a nicely shivering, weepy quality. "They Didn't Even Go to the Funeral" is a most unfortunate departure into mock vaudeville humor, and while a couple other songs get dressed up with some peppy horns, it's hard to tell whether the embarrassing grunts in "This Life She Is Mine" are an attempt at funky soul or simulations of the moment of orgasm. The pace does get broken up by the hard but monotonous fuzz-guitar piano rock of "Go Every Way," as well as some more folk-rockish and melodically limited sullen stuff.

AMG Review by Richie Unterberger

Cowboy Junkies - Lay It Down (Great Alternative Country Rock 1996)

Released in 1996, this CD definitively answers a question that has occasionally plagued the Cowboy Junkies: yes, they sound good, but can they rock? Though still laden with the melancholia that has marked previous efforts, this CD is sonically dense, guitar-drenched, and good at high-volume levels. Margo Timmins' voice has never been more expressive, and the lyrics shimmer with intensity. Although the band has occasionally touched on quiet moments reminiscent of fellow Canadian Neil Young, little they have done before this album approached the emotive wail of his louder efforts. The Cowboy Junkies have proven their versatility while retaining their unique sound.

AMG Review by Jeff Crooke

William Orbit - Strange Cargo Hinterland (1995 Ambient)

William Orbit's take on ambient-house has big beats and guitars, and occasional vocals to liven the mix. The result isn't terribly revolutionary, but it is an engaging listen nevertheless.

AMG Review by John Bush

Mecano - The Half Inch Universe (1996 Post-Punk compilation from Netherlands)

Face Cover Face
Iron I An Eye
Killroy's Tango
State Of Apprehension
Dissident Lament
Untitled
Posterity Chant
The Chassis Force
Robespierre's Remarks
Meccano
Permanent Revolt
Note Of A Stroll In Spring
On Still Life
Links
Escape The Human Myth
History Landmarked
Robespierre's Remarks II
Room For Two
Profile
The Suggestive Sleep
Entr'Acte
BECHPH3OPHIE
Autumnmatic Play
The Mutant Jazs
The March Of The Iron Workers
To Life's Re-Union

Love and Money - Strange Kind of Love (Very Good Indie Pop 1988)

Much of Love & Money's 1988 album, Strange Kind of Love, sounds like music emanating from a pub at three in the morning. James Grant's despondent, husky voice and lovelorn narratives echo the heartache of lonely souls crying in their whiskey glasses. A pointed line in "Jocelyn Square" summarizes his downcast mood: "I loved you so much I hated your guts." However, don't expect gothic angst à la the Cure or the Smiths' jangly sorrow. Rather, these Scotsmen look to America for inspiration: funk, blues, jazz, and country. With the exception of relatively upbeat tracks such as "Halleluiah Man," Strange Kind of Love takes its time to unfold, and repeated spins are needed for Love & Money's bar band grooves to be keenly felt, such as on the slow buildup of "Shape of Things to Come." The sophisticated arrangements and Grant's brooding vocals on "Shape of Things to Come" recall the British group Tears for Fears, but the album is distinctly American in style. While Strange Kind of Love is slicker than many of the roots rock records this LP is reminiscent of, the production doesn't soften the band's rhythm section -- guitars weep like wounded animals; basslines thump robustly; and drums are struck with authority, especially on the title track. The album is moody but never boring. Grant's lyrics are often more miserable than the music suggests. In "Strange Kind of Love," he pines for a woman stuck in an abusive relationship and wishes for death in the gripping "Avalanche." "Jocelyn Square" is a bitter "Dear John" letter with a funky, toe-tapping riff that sweetens the bile in Grant's words. When Grant sings, "I hope it rains the day I die" in "Avalanche," one can imagine the tavern lights dimming, the bartender offering a final drink before an evening of barbed confessions is over.

AMG Review by Michael Sutton

Humble Pie - Performance/Rockin' the Fillmore (1971)

Recorded while Peter Frampton was still in the band, Performance: Rockin' the Fillmore captures an early performance by Humble Pie where Steve Marriot's lyricism and ideas where balanced by Frampton's searing lead guitar. This is hardly as engaging as As Safe Yesterday Is, which had studiocraft along with songcraft, but as a document of a band at a pivotal point in their existence, this is valuable and at times insightful.

AMG Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Jesus and Mary Chain - Munki (Alternative Rock 1998)

As befits an album bookended by tracks titled "I Love Rock'n'Roll" and "I Hate Rock'n'Roll," the Jesus and Mary Chain's Sub Pop label debut, Munki, is schizophrenic and impassioned, a record that both summarizes the band's career to date and cleans the slate for their future. Virtually each of the 17 tracks here echoes a prior moment in the Chain's existence, moving at breakneck pace from the volcanic noise of their earliest material to the bleak grace of Darklands, through to the sleek, supercharged pop of Automatic -- even Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval makes a cameo, as she did on Stoned & Dethroned. In a sense, it's an ideal primer to the Reid brothers' mercurial world, flirting with both brilliance and mediocrity; even after well over a decade, the Jesus and Mary Chain continue to thrill, irritate, and confound -- they're a true love/hate obsession.

AMG Review by Jason Ankeny

Mott the Hoople - All the Young Dudes (Superb Glam-Rock 1972)

Just at the moment Mott the Hoople were calling it a day, David Bowie swooped in and convinced them to stick around. Bowie spearheaded an image makeover, urging them to glam themselves up. He gave them a surefire hit with "All the Young Dudes," had them cover his idol's "Sweet Jane," and produced All the Young Dudes, the album that was designed to make them stars. Lo and behold, it did, which is as much a testament to Bowie's popularity as it is to his studio skill. Not to discount his assistance, since his production results in one of the most satisfying glam records and the title track is one of the all-time great rock songs, but the album wouldn't have worked if Mott hadn't already found its voice on Brain Capers. True, Dudes isn't nearly as wild as its predecessor, but the band's swagger is unmistakable underneath the flair and Ian Hunter remains on a songwriting roll, with "Momma's Little Jewel," "Sucker," and "One of the Boys" standing among his best. Take a close look at the credits, though -- these were all co-written by his bandmates, and the other highlight, "Ready for Love/After Lights," is penned entirely by Mick Ralphs, who would later revive the first section with Bad Company. The entire band was on a roll here, turning out great performances and writing with vigor. They may not be as sexy as either Bowie or Bolan, but they make up for it with knowing humor, huge riffs, and terrific tunes, dressed up with style by Ziggy himself. No wonder it's not just a great Mott record -- it's one of the defining glam platters.

AMG Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Soft Boys - Underwater Moonlight (Superb Alternative Rock/New Wave 1980)

After recording the material that would later comprise the bulk of Invisible Hits, the Soft Boys recorded their masterpiece, the shimmering neo-psychedelic Underwater Moonlight. Essentially, the band didn't change their style for the record -- they merely perfected it. The Soft Boys don't hide their influences -- whether its the ringing guitars of the Beatles and Byrds or the surreal humor of John Lennon and Syd Barrett -- but they assimilate them, resulting in a fresh, edgy take on '60s guitar pop. Robyn Hitchcock's subject matter tends to be more explicitly weird and absurdist than his influences, as titles like "I Wanna Destroy You," "Old Pervert," and "Queen of Eyes" indicate -- even "Kingdom of Love" equates romance to bugs crawling under your skin. But the lyrics aren't the only thing that are edgy -- the music is too. The Soft Boys play pop hooks as if they were punk rock. "I Wanna Destroy You" isn't overtly threatening like their post-punk contemporaries, but with its layered guitar hooks and dissonant harmonies, it is equally menacing. Furthermore, the group can twist its songs inside out and then revert them to their original form, as evidenced by "Insanely Jealous." Although the neo-psychedelic flourishes are fascinating, the key to record's success is how each song is constructed around rock-solid hooks and melodies that instantly work their way into the subconscious. In fact, that's the most notable thing about Underwater Moonlight -- it updates jangling, melodic guitar pop for the post-punk world, which made it a touchstone for much of the underground pop of the mid-'80s, particularly R.E.M.

AMG Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

New York Rock & Roll Ensemble - Reflections (Superb Psychedelic version of Manos Hadjidakis' work 1970)

On their first two albums, The New York Rock & Roll Ensemble and Faithful Friends, the New York Rock & Roll Ensemble had helped innovate the use of classical instrumentation, classical musical influences, and even actual classical compositions within a rock context. On one level, Reflections did so as well, but on another, it was something of a detour. For rather than focusing on original material, the band instead collaborated with Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis on a score for a movie that was never released—though Reflections is the soundtrack that would have been used in the film.
As bassist/cellist Dorian Rudnytsky explains, "A Turkish filmmaker, Ulvi Dogan, had made a film titled Susuz Yaz (in English, Dry Summer), which received lots of praise and won some awards in the late '60s. The music score had been written by Manos Hadjidakis [best known in the US as the composer of the score for Never on Sunday, including its title song]. Dogan wanted the film to be released in the Unites States, but for this needed to 'modernize' certain aspects of his (basically folk-style) film, and the idea came about to write out a new musical score for the film, with Manos's music and NYR&RE arrangements, sound, vocals, and lyrics. Manos came looking for us; we found the idea appealing and interesting enough, and went ahead with the project. The other obvious change was renaming the film Reflections, and that's why the album kept that title."

However, Rudnytsky continues, "If memory serves me, Manos and Dogan had a disagreement of some sort. I'm sorry to say that today I don't remember at all what it was about, but I do recall the screaming fight between the two of them at Atlantic Records during one of our sessions, and I know that it was a 'terminal fight.' One thing, however, was certain—the project halted, although the score was completed. We did not spend a lot of time mourning the stop on the film release, since we had more and more live gigs to play and also began, quite directly after the work for Reflections, [working] on Faithful Friends. Reflections was actually recorded before Faithful Friends, but released as the third album. We at that time gave no thought to the commercial possibilities of Reflections, since it was meant to be a movie soundtrack only."

The New York Rock & Roll Ensemble were nonetheless happy to work with Hadjidakis on the project, for which they were likely one of the few rock bands of the time who made for appropriate collaborators. According to Dorian, "Manos wrote the music and the orchestral arrangements. We did our own band arrangements of his works. If he had specific wishes, then we complied without problems, and if we had ideas for him, he also accepted them very graciously and happily. The work together was extremely productive and successful all around, if not a bit difficult at first for the 'non-classically-trained' members of the band. [Rhythm guitarist] Brian [Corrigan] and [lead guitarist] Clif [Nivison], the self-taught guys, had more problems with this music, especially since they could not read music and everything Manos did was on sheet music or charts. But they enjoyed the project as well once they got into it and became more familiar with the Greek-style arrangements and orchestrations. I don't mean to underrate Clif or Brian—they were extremely fast learners and extraordinarily creative. They simply had not been confronted with this sort of music nor style of work prior to this project."

Hadjidakis also produced the album with (in the words of the credits) "the collaboration of Adrian Barber & Bruce Tergesen," who produced the group's Faithful Friends album and also managed the band. "We originally viewed this studio work as a 'film project,' which for us was quite a positive thing to do," elaborates Rudnytsky. "We were aware that to do a film score could open new doors and possibilities for us. Already [keyboardist/oboist] Michael [Kamen] and [drummer/oboist] Marty [Fulterman] both had a distinct interest [in] those areas and pressed very enthusiastically for this project right from the start. And in this sense, it was very much a part of our band's work—steps for building our future."

Every member of the band except Fulterman had at least one lead vocal on the record (which also featured two instrumentals), and all except Kamen were credited with supplying lyrics for Hadjikdakis's music. "We simply picked out certain songs or melodies we liked and felt a kinship to, and went off to do our best," remembers Dorian. "In some cases, more than one person wrote lyrics for one song, and then the band as a whole chose the one we liked best. This was normal for us. Manos also took part, but his English was not 100 percent so he commented less on the choices of the lyrics." Points out Nivison, "Michael did write lyrics, but Manos didn't use his lyrics. Although he didn't get credit, some of Michael's lyrics are in the songs in spots. Manos tried all of us singing all the songs and picked the vocalist that suited the song." Dorian also speculates that Kamen might have taken relatively little part in the work as "he might have been concentrating his creative work more for the then-upcoming Atlantic sessions for Faithful Friends."

As for his own lyrical contributions, Rudnytsky notes, "I specifically recall that no one else in the band wanted to deal with the music that later became 'Orpheus.' I attempted several different directions of lyrical ideas with this music and settled on the Orpheus legend as a basis after discussions and advice about it with my first wife Monique and her mother, the poetess Marie Ponsot. I think it was due to the unusual lyric that everyone involved agreed I should sing it myself as well—my one and only appearance as 'lead singer.' 'Noble Dame' was more easy to write. My basis was an earlier relationship I had had with, indeed, a noble young lady (a Baroness) from Germany. She was the basic image I wrote at, and of course then with imagination altered to become the person in the song called the 'Noble Dame.' Life took its most peculiar and wonderful course, and I met this Baroness again many many years later. One thing led to another, and now Brigitte and I are married, and I am in Germany due to her marvelous presence in my life."

Also using some instrumental contributions by Greek musicians in the New York area, Reflections was a creative endeavor for the band, but not a commercially successful one. "The older people responded more favorably, the younger less," recalls Dorian. "Our root audience did not care for it much." Similarly, Nivison feels the album "lost us all our audience and confused all our fans. Atlantic had a three-album deal with us; they used this album [which, as noted, was actually recorded before their second LP to be released on Atlantic, Faithful Friends] to fulfill their end of the deal. If we knew they were going to use this as our third album, we never would have done it. Ironically, the Reflections album is the one that was a hit in Europe, had some Top 20 songs over there, and has given us the most royalties and airplay of all our albums. It also doesn't sound dated. It is timeless. It has been re-recorded [on a 2005 CD] song for song by the Greek Top 20 band Raining Pleasure, and is a hit again." Add Rudnytsky, "We were too young and immature to notice and follow what happened with it in Europe. If we had, I believe the whole Ensemble experience would have been something very, very different after this album."

As it turned out, however, Atlantic Records dropped the band after the LP's 1970 release, though the group (continuing as a quartet without Corrigan) would record more albums for Columbia as the New York Rock Ensemble. The late Kamen, as it turned out, would do quite a bit more work on soundtracks after the group split (including Brazil, Lethal Weapon, and Die Hard), as well as making important contributions to records by David Bowie and Pink Floyd. Fulterman, too, made a name for himself (as Mark Snow) in the soundtrack world, particularly for his work on television's The X-Files series. Rudnytsky worked with Snow in Los Angeles for a time as a cellist for the TV/film industry, although since 1995 he's been living in Germany, where he's active as a cellist and bassist, and composes for theatrical productions. "No bands since our time have had more than just one member in the band who could whip out a classical instrument during a rock set, and play it not only well, but on an internationally qualitatively competitive level," he observes. "I'm still proud and eternally happy for that chance I had to be in such a band."

By Richie Unterberger
http://www.richieunterberger.com/nyrr2.html

Spain - I Believe (Alternative Rock 2001)

With the 2001 release of I Believe, Josh Haden's Spain increased from a trio to a four piece, adding guitarist/keyboardist Shon Sullivan and new drummer Will Hughes (replacing the sorely missed Joey Waronker). The sound has expanded too, sounding fuller and more open, compared to the band's previous intimate, almost cradling sound. Humming organ and additional guitar lines resonate in the background of nearly every song, creating an almost Phil Spector-like "wall of sound"…well maybe not to that extreme, but when compared to Spain's previous albums, I Believe sounds almost bombastic. Gone are the warm pockets of silence in the songs, the space between the notes is now occupied by the hums and cymbal rides of the able performers. Curmudgeonly purist gripes aside, I Believe is a fine album, filled with bassist Haden's trademark understated croon and rich sonic textures. The loping "You Were Meant for Me" sounds for all the world like the band is channeling the ghost of Morphine's Mark Sandman, while the sublime "Mary" is among the best songs the band has recorded and would be far less successful without the haunting church organ and extra instrumentation. While some listeners will welcome this growth and expansion of sound, longtime fans will doubtless lament the lack of pure intimacy and calm melancholy that enveloped Spain's first and second albums.

AMG Review by Zac Johnson

Jade Warrior - Released (Fine British Psychedelia 1971)

If Jade Warrior's second album has any overwhelming flaw, it is that its predecessor traveled so far off the conventional beaten tracks of early-'70s prog that anything less than absolute reinvention could only be regarded as a rerun of past glories. To write off Released as little more than a slapdash shadow of Jade Warrior, however, is to overlook the leaps and bounds that the band did make. The opening "Eyes On You" journeys in on a positively spiky guitar and horn duel, while Glyn Havard's vocals have taken on tones that are far-removed from the Jethro Tull-shaped nuances with which they were once most readily compared. Staggering, too, are the almost bluesy guitar work-outs that leap unexpectedly in and out of the mix, overwhelming all but the most ferocious elements elsewhere in the arsenal -- judging only by the crescendo that closes it, "Three Horned Dragon King" could not have been better named. Similarly, "Water Curtain Cave" is as much a melting of souls as it is a gentle song, while other numbers tackle light jazz and classical prog without once vacating the band's accustomed framework of brilliance. Again, there is little here that Jade Warrior itself did not predict, but the unerring delivery of those predictions is a marvel in itself.

AMG Review by Dave Thompson

Sacred Spirit - More Chants and Dances of the Native Americans (New Age 2003)

Given the multi-million-copy selling success of Sacred Spirit: Chants and Dances of the Native Americans, its follow-up, Sacred Spirit II is bound to have a built-in audience. Like its predecessor, the collection mixes chant and song with dance beats and electronic instrumentation. While tracks such as "Dela Dela" and "Yane-Heja-Hee" meld these elements most effectively, the overall effect of the synthesized sound is heavily over the top and distracting from the gentle melodies and heartfelt cries of Native music at its best. A prime example is the tender and lovely female vocal on "May You Walk in Sunshine," obscured by overly aggressive accompaniment. A more solid and aesthetically pleasing choice for the genre is Prophecy: A Native American Collection, which achieves a finer balance of modern and ancient.

Tracklist:

01. Intro_ Gods & Heroes
02. Looking For North
03. Dela Dela
04. Land Of Promise
05. The State Of Grace
06. Yane-Heja-Hee
07. A-La-Ke
08. May You Walk In Sunshine
09. The Spirit
10. O-Loa-Ki-Lee
11. That Noble Dream
12. The Sad Eyed Chief

String Cheese - String Cheese (1971 Folk/Psych from Chicago)

Originally released in 1971, this lost gem makes its CD debut here. Based in Chicago, the band produced a mellow fusion of West Coast-style songs, flowing guitar leads and electric violin that has led them to be compared to Itís A Beautiful Day. Despite being released in countries including the UK and France, the album didnít connect commercially and has languished in undeserved obscurity ever since.

A sort of poor man's It's A Beautiful Day from Chicago. Indeed electric violinist Greg Block, who contributed much to their album was later in It's A Beautiful Day and drummer John Maggi was earlier with Turnquist Remedy. This album features some nice lead guitar work and is definitely worth a spin. It was produced by James Golden.

01. For Now
02. Crystal
03. We Share
04. Here Am I
05. Empty Streets
06. Forage
07. Soul Of Man
08. Certain Kind Of Day
09. Woke Up This Morning
10. Coming

Post by ChrisGoesRock

Sun Dial - Other Way Out (1990 debute album British Neopsychedelia)

"Originally released in 1990, Other Way Out is an unsung masterpiece of classic ‘60s style psych rock. It’s a culmination of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, Can, Hawkind, and classic rock ala Hendrix and Cream. It has an organic, warm sound to it, making it sound like less a product of its time than a relic from the ‘60s. It’s a pleasant acid trip of an album. It’s very engrossing and involving, with each song taking you further along on Sun Dial’s musical journey. Other Way In contains alternate takes and non-album tracks. If you’re a fan of classic psychedelic rock, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t own this. Other Way Out never got its due when it was first released, but those who’ve heard it know that it’s essential listening."

Arzgarth
StonerRock.com

http://www.allthatisheavy.com/info.asp?item_num=ATH-3405

Sun Dial - Acid Yantra (British neoPsychedelia 1995)

Though it may at first sound heavy criticism to suggest that songwriting, as such, isn't a strength of a band, remember that some records are enjoyable purely because of their sound, the sheer aural pleasure that they can give. I think Acid Yantra is such a record. And with such a title, a psychedelic coloured sleeve and instrumentation including wah-wah guitars, a mellotron and exotic percussion, do I really have to waft a joss stick in front of you to let you know the kind of sounds we're dealing with here?

Sundial are a three-piece band who are clearly very much in love with the sounds of the 60s and it's not difficult to hear the influence such bands as the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd and others of their era have had on them.

You know the cliche about wannabe rockstars posing in front of their bedroom mirror playing along to guitar solos on their tennis rackets? Well, listening to "Are You Supernatural?" makes me think that Sundial's guitarist Gary Ramon probably drenched his raquet with lighter fuel and set it alight too... ala Jimi Plays Monterey. It shows a lot of dedication when a fan goes all out to play like their heroes, but this guy even goes as far as getting the same incidental rumblings and feedback intro as Hendrix did at that famous show! Unfortunately, while he matches the tone, the songwriting isn't a patch on Hendrix himself.

Random notes: "Red Sky", opens with a gentle "Wind Cries Mary" echoey guitar and filtered vocals before jumping in with its heavy fuzztone chorus. "3,000 Miles" combines acoustic guitar with spacey synth-like tones. "Bad Drug" is more aggressive, with an almost Stooges-style riff. "Rollercoaster" is funky.

The most successful track for me is "Nova" with its "2000 Light Years From Home"-style haunting Mellotron strings. This song is more freeform than the others and allows the band to do what they do best... play the music and not worry about having a structured "song". There are flutes and a heavier section that reminds me of 1969-era Alice Cooper, and is the sort of track you can get caught up in. In fact, though it segues into the closing "Yantra Jam", you hardly notice the join - it just sehttp://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=1717586220402428521ems one long flow of music.

In conclusion, if you're a fan of '60s psychadelic bands, you'll probably be a fan of this album.

http://www.westnet.com/consumable/1996/04.09/revsund.html

Albert Collins - Ice Pickin' (1978 Superb Blues from Texas)

Ice Pickin' is the album that brought Albert Collins directly back into the limelight, and for good reason, too. The record captures the wild, unrestrained side of his playing that had never quite been documented before. Though his singing doesn't quite have the fire or power of his playing, the album doesn't suffer at all because of that ó he simply burns throughout the album. Ice Pickin' was his first release for Alligator Records and it set the pace for all the albums that followed. No matter how much he tried, Collins never completely regained the pure energy that made Ice Pickin' such a revelation.

Born in Leona, Texas, Collins was a distant relative of Lightnin' Hopkins and grew up learning about music and playing guitar. His family moved to Houston, Texas when he was seven. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, he absorbed the blues sounds and styles from Texas, Mississippi and Chicago. His style would soon envelop these sounds.

He formed his first band in 1952 and two years later was the headliner at several blues clubs in Houston. By the late 1950s Collins began using Fender Telecasters. He later chose a "maple-cap" 1966 Custom Fender Telecaster with a Gibson PAF humbucker in the neck position and a 100 watt RMS silverfaced 1970s Fender Quad Reverb combo as his main equipment, and developed a unique sound featuring minor tunings, sustained notes and an "attack" fingerstyle. He also frequently used a capo on his guitar, particularly on the 5th, 7th, and 9th frets. He primarily favored an "open F-minor" tuning (low to high: F-C-F-Ab-C-F).

Collins began recording in 1960 and released singles, including many instrumentals such as the million selling "Frosty". In the spring of 1965 he moved to Kansas City, Missouri and made a name for himself.

Many of Kansas City's recording studios had closed by the mid 1960s. Unable to record, Collins moved to California in 1967. He settled in San Francisco and played many of the venues popular with the counter-culture. In early 1969 after playing a concert with Canned Heat, members of this band introduced him to Liberty Records. In appreciation, Collinsí first record title for United Artists "Love Can Be Found Anywhere", was taken from the lyrics of "Refried Hockey Boogie". Collins signed and released his first album on Imperial Records, a sister label, in 1968.

Collins remained in California for another five years, and was popular on double-billed shows at The Fillmore and the Winterland. Collins moved back to Texas in 1973 and formed a new band. He was signed to Alligator Records in 1978 and recorded and released Ice Pickin'. He would record seven more albums with the label, before being signed to Point Blank Records in 1990.

Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Collins toured the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan. He was becoming a popular blues musician and was an influence for Coco Montoya, Robert Cray, Gary Moore, Debbie Davies, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jonny Lang, Susan Tedeschi, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, John Mayer and Frank Zappa.

In 1983, when he won the W. C. Handy Award for his album Don't Lose Your Cool, which won the award for best blues album of the year. In 1985, he shared a Grammy for the album Showdown!, which he recorded with Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland. The following year his solo release Cold Snap was also nominated for a Grammy. In 1987, John Zorn enlisted him to play lead guitar in a suite he had composed especially for him, entitled "Two-Lane Highway," on Zorn's album Spillane.

Alongside George Thorogood and the Destroyers and Bo Diddley, Collins performed at Live Aid in 1985, playing "The Sky Is Crying" and "Madison Blues", at the JFK Stadium. He was the only black blues artist to appear.

Collins was invited to play at the 'Legends Of Guitar Festival' concerts in Seville, Spain at the Expo in 1992, where amongst others, he played "Iceman", the title track from his final studio album.

01.Honey, Hush! (Talking Woman Blues) (Fulson/Washington) - 04:28
02.When The Welfare Turns Its Back On You (Weaver/Thomas) - 05:26
03.Ice Pick (Collins) - 03:08
04.Cold, Cold Feeling (Robinson) - 05:19
05.Too Tired (Bihari/Davis/Watson) - 03:00
06.Master Charge (Colins) - 05-12
07.Conversation With Collins (Collins) - 08:52
08.Avalanche (Collins) - 02:39

Post by ChrisGoesRock