801 - Live-The Rehearsal Version (Extra CD with the rehearsal version of the classic live of 1976)

801 provided Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera with one of his most intriguing side projects. Although the band only played three gigs in August and September 1976, this album captures a night when everything fell right into place musically. That should only be expected with names like Eno and Simon Phillips in the lineup. (Still, the lesser-known players -- bassist Bill MacCormick, keyboardist Francis Monkman, and slide guitarist Lloyd Watson -- are in exemplary form, too.) The repertoire is boldly diverse, opening with "Lagrima," a crunchy solo guitar piece from Manzanera. Then the band undertakes a spacey but smoldering version of "Tomorrow Never Knows"; it's definitely among the cleverest of Beatles covers. Then it's on to crisp jazz-rock ("East of Asteroid"), atmospheric psych-pop ("Rongwrong"), and Eno's tape manipulation showcase, "Sombre Reptiles." And that's only the first five songs. The rest of the gig is no less audacious, with no less than three Eno songs -- including a frenetic "Baby's on Fire," "Third Uncle," and "Miss Shapiro"'s dense, syllable-packed verbal gymnastics. There's another unlikely cover of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me," while Manzanera turns in another typically gutsy instrumental performance on "Diamond Head." This album marks probably one of the last times that Eno rocked out in such an unself-consciously fun fashion, but that's not the only reason to buy it: 801 Live is a cohesive document of an unlikely crew who had fun and took chances. Listeners will never know what else they might have done if their schedules had been less crowded, but this album's a good reminder.

AMG Review by Ralph Heibutzki

Neil Young - Mirror Ball (Great Neil Young album with the contribution of Pearl Jam 1995)

Neil Young uses Pearl Jam on Mirror Ball much as he has used his perennial backup band Crazy Horse, looking for feel and spontaneity. At the start of the record, he can be heard instructing them: "No tuning, nothing," and the take of "I'm the Ocean" is an obvious run-through that became a master take. But Pearl Jam is not Crazy Horse; in place of the latter's primitive, nonswinging sound, the former boasts spirited rhythms and dense guitar interplay that Young makes excellent use of in a series of songs built out of simple, melodic rifts. Those songs come mostly in pairs: "Song X" and "Act of Love," the first two tracks, both seem to be about abortion, especially in its religious aspect, each containing a reference to "the holy war"; "What Happened to Yesterday" and "Fallen Angel" are song fragments on which Young plays the pump organ; and "Downtown" and "Peace and Love" find Young addressing the musical and philosophical concerns of hippies and contain name checks of Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, and Led Zeppelin. The songs also share highly imagistic lyrics that are allusive and frequently just obscure. At their best, notably on "I'm the Ocean" and "Scenery," they provide intriguing portraits of the artist -- "People my age/They don't do the things I do," Young sings in "Ocean" -- while "Scenery" is one of his bitter denunciations of celebrity. Such subject matter is not new for Young, and Mirror Ball is typically uneven. But it is always interesting musically, suggesting that he has found another catch-up that works. Probably due to the commercial power of Pearl Jam, the album became Young's highest charting record since Harvest 23 years earlier, though it had a relatively short chart life.

AMG Review by William Ruhlmann

Procol Harum - Something Magic (1977 Prog-Rock [final album of the 1st PH era])

When Procol Harum's ninth studio album, Something Magic, was released in March 1977, it sold poorly and was largely dismissed, with the group breaking up at the end of the promotional tour for it. With this reissue more than 30 years later, annotator Roland Clare argues it is "in need of outright reappraisal." He doesn't actually make that case, but he does explain the circumstances that led to the debacle. After its previous album, Procol's Ninth, produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Procol Harum might have been expected to go back to a more conventional approach; instead, the group hired the hot studio of the day, Criteria in Miami, and its hot resident producers, Ron and Howie Albert. When the band arrived in Florida and played the songs intended for the album, the Albert brothers threw half of them out. That left half of an album to fill, which led singer/pianist/composer Gary Brooker to turn to a parable-like poem written years earlier by his lyric partner Keith Reid, "The Worm & the Tree," and -- in a move anticipating This Is Spinal Tap -- writing a musical suite around it to fill up side two. He then recited the poem rather than actually setting it to music, creating a pretentious work just at a time when critics and fans were tiring of peers like Jethro Tull and Yes doing much the same thing. It didn't help that the songs making up side one were relatively minor Procol Harum. None of this has changed in the ensuing decades, but Clare's explanation is interesting to read; the remastered sound is terrific; and the album boasts three bonus tracks including not only the instrumental B-side "Backgammon," which has appeared elsewhere, but also previously unreleased live versions of two of the songs the Alberts rejected, "You'd Better Wait" and "This Old Dog." They do not suggest that Something Magic could have been a great or even good Procol Harum album. But they do add to an understanding of one of the more confusing chapters in the band's history.

AMG Review by William Ruhlmann

Damon - Song of a Gypsy (1970 Folk Psych)

The Damon recordings are amongst the most sought-after and widely-loved of the late-60s underground scene. Simply put, they convey emotion and power in a very concise and believable way. Song Of A Gypsy is is an excellent psychedelic album and both gatefold/non-gatefold versions are monster rarities. There's lots of fuzz guitar and a mystical feel about tracks like Do You? and The Night, I Feel Your Love which has a sleepy, stoned atmosphere sounding rather similar to The Deep. Another track, Birds They Fly High, has spoken lyrics and 'snake charming' music, again creating a sort of Eastern mystical feel.

Based in Los Angeles, David Del Conte and Charlie Carey had already pursued careers in popular music for many years before deciding to embrace the underground rock movement. Del Conte released a considerable number of 45s; it is possible that as much as half of his discography will be found to be too early to fall within the timeframe of this book. The last recordings he made pre-Damon (aside from a handful of acetates never made available to the public) may be of interest to readers. As Damon Lane, he issued at least three singles on the Del Con label - these possess a unique Byrdsy jangle over which his trademark authoritative voice presides.

The first Damon single has a non-album 'B' side and a different lead vocal than the album version of the 'A' side. (It is, by all accounts, significantly rarer than the album and fortunately these tracks are included as one side of a 7" EP of bonus material with the reissue on the Little Indians label.) The record set the tone of the band's campaign which ran the course of 1968 - the message of love and self-expression coupled with an almost arrogant disregard for the establishment:

"I wake up each day about noon
I live in a rainbow-coloured room
I break every rule in the book
I don't even bother to look
I laugh at the heat, I've got bells on my feet
And oh, what a good boy am I"

The album itself is made up of (similarly) short, urgent tracks that overflow with Carey's amazing distorted leads and Del Conte's powerful, otherworldly voice. The title track opens Side One in dramatic fashion; the opening lyric "Today I feel like cryin', Today I feel like dyin'" delivered in a most convincing manner. It's obvious right away that you're listening to something very special. If there really is such a thing as psychedelic music, this is surely it.

It should be noted that the sound quality of this album is exemplary. Like the Cykle album, the fidelity is so good that even the bootlegs impress...

Del Conte and Carey, despite living roughly a thousand miles apart, continue to perform together and collaborated on a new album project in 1998. The resulting CD release, Gypsy Eyes has much to recommend it, not the least of which is the fact that it sounds like a second Damon album! The closing track, The Gift, is truly mindblowing, as good as anything on the first album.

You can also find the LP version of Song Of A Gypsy on Love, Peace And Poetry: American Psychedelic Music (LP & CD), but obviously, the Damon album is an essential purchase.

01. Song of a Gypsy (2:25)
02. Poor Poor Genie (2:55)
03. Don't You Feel Me (2:33)
04. Did You Ever (3:01)
05. Funky Funky Blues (3:00)
06. Do You (3:12)
07. Night (2:06)
08. I Feel Your Love (2:15)
09. Birds Fly So High (3:29)
10. Road of Life (2:44)

Post by CGR

The Cult - Sonic Temple (1989 Alternative/Metal)

More varied than its predecessor, Electric, Sonic Temple finds the Cult trying several different metal styles, from crunchy Electric-era '70s grooves and the fuzzy, noisy psychedelia of Love, to mellow ballads and commercial '80s hard rock. Not all of the experiments work, as some of the songs lean toward ponderousness, but enough of them do to send Sonic Temple into the Billboard Top Ten, due to the exposure provided by the hit single "Fire Woman."

AMG Review by Steve Huey

Vanilla Fudge - The Return (2002 VF Comeback)

The Return is the seventh album by the rock band Vanilla Fudge, it was released in 2002. It featured new versions of songs from throughout their career. It also features new covers of songs from 'N Sync: "Tearin' Up My Heart", Backstreet Boys: "I Want It That Way", Marvin Gaye: "Ain't That Peculiar", and a Fudge version of the Rod Stewart hit "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy", which Fudger Carmine Appice co-wrote with Stewart. The album also featured the return of Vince Martell and a new member: Bill Pascali.

Line-up / Musicians

- Carmine Appice / drums, vocals
- Tim Bogert / bass, vocals
- Vince Martell / guitar, vocals
- Bill Pascali / organ, vocals

Tracklist

1. "Ain't That Peculiar"
2. "You Keep Me Hangin' On"
3. "Tearin' Up My Heart"
4. "Shotgun"
5. "People Get Ready"
6. "Take Me For A Little While"
7. "Good Good Livin'"
8. "I Want It That Way"
9. "Need Love"
10. "She's Not There"
11. "Season Of The Witch"
12. "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla_Fudge_2001

Ultravox - Vienna (Great New Wave 1984)

With the departure of vocalist John Foxx and guitarist Robin Simon behind them, Vienna kicked off Ultravox's second phase with former Rich Kids vocalist Midge Ure at the helm. Trading Foxx's glam rock stance for Ure's aristocratic delivery, Vienna recasts the band as a melodramatic synth pop chamber ensemble with most of the group doubling on traditional string quartet instruments and the synthesizers often serving to emulate an orchestra. It was a bold move that took awhile to pay off (the first two singles, "Sleepwalk" and "Passing Strangers," went unnoticed), but when the monolithic title track was released, the Ure lineup became the band's most identifiable one almost overnight. The simple and instantly recognizable drumbeat of "Vienna" proved infectious, taking the single to the top of the charts in the U.K. and making an impression in a new wave-apprehensive America. Drummer Warren Cann's monotone narration on "Mr X" and the frantic ride that is "Western Promise" give the album just enough diversity and showcase the rest of the group on an Ure-heavy album. There are plenty of pretentious and pompous moments at which Foxx-era purists cringe, but taken as a snooty rebellion against the guitar-heavy climate of the late '70s, they're ignorable. Returning producer Conny Plank's style adapted well to the new group, pitting the stark and the lush against one another. Add Anton Corbijn's photography and Peter Saville's smart cover design and all the ingredients for an early-'80s classic are there. A few albums later, it would all seem like a fluke, but on Vienna, all the pieces come together.

AMG Review by David Jeffries