While Oscar Peterson can dazzle getting the listener to pay special attention to his spirited and entertaining technique, Ken Elkinson chooses to use the piano to paint soft pastels, each addition to his catalog combing the depths of this soothing and mellow music with a restrained and methodical passion. Opening track "Porteños" refers to the "people of the port," or as one public domain website puts it, "people born in the Argentine city of Buenos Aires." It is dramatic, perhaps a good soundtrack for the TV show Days of Our Lives. The album Cue gives the world 12 titles in addition to the 33 compositions he recorded previously, and they are along the same lines as Elkinson's earlier moody, meditative music. While the previous collections contained all Elkinson originals with one Jimi Hendrix title entering the mix, this CD concludes with the artist collaborating with Tom Freund on a Freund original employing vocals in a repertoire that was previously all instrumental. The guest singer's limited range works in this context, as the nearly spoken "Beautiful Sadness" does provide a nice change of pace and is itself reincarnated -- as the song was originally written for guitar accompaniment. Everything is pretty laid-back with the slight exception of "Firefly," which is more commanding in style compared to the other 11 ethereal selections. After his 1997 debut, Midnight Conversation, and the Revelry release in 2000, Elkinson waited three to four years before giving the world Opal, with another couple of years until Cue. The four "new age" discs over a span of a decade have a consistency in both cover art and production. The 12-page booklet included with this disc contains poetry, insight into the artist's personality and favorite charitable causes, and other information pertinent to the music.
"Sugar Man" leads off Keith's follow-up to his debut album. Written by Sandy Linzer and Denny Rendell, producer Jerry Ross seems to be pulling out all the stops. Out of Crank is a good Keith record, but not as strong as the album that preceded it, nor as listenable as his highly experimental The Adventures of Keith that followed this release. "Candy" feels like his hit "98.6" with a bit of show tune flavor. "Easy As Pie" also has that "98.6" vibe, producer Ross knowing a good thing and clearly trying to capitalize on earlier success. The cover of Spanky & Our Gang's "Making Every Minute Count" doesn't have the strength of the hit version, also on Mercury. Keith has a radio-friendly voice for pop, and he had enough edge to keep him from falling into the Brian Hyland/Tommy Roe zone of teeny bop. The Renzetti/Ross "There's Always Tomorrow" is one of the highlights, as is "Daylight Savin' Time," Ross knowing how to write a good hook. The verses are distinct enough but the chorus is pure "98.6." When you talk about typecasting, this album is a perfect example. Still, the sequel to Keith's biggest hit is great, albeit blatant. "Times Gone By" is a pleasant departure, co-written by Ross/Gamble, the team that composed Bobby Hebb's "You Don't Know What You Got Until You Lose It." Keith's own "Happy Walking Around" is his first original to show up on either this or the earlier recording, and it is the most innovative thing on this disc, a good indication of the substantial path he would set out on. "Be My Girl" by Spector/Sands is in the same style as the rest of this album, very pop, and nothing to be ashamed of.
98.6/Ain't Gonna Lie Review
by Joe Viglione
[-] https://www.allmusic.com/album/986-aint-gonna-lie-mw0000873530Sublime is the only way to describe Keith's biggest hit, the top 10 "98.6" and the almost as wonderful Top 40 hit which preceded it two months before, "Ain't Gonna Lie". This twelve song album is resplendent in Kal Rudman's obtuse, exaggerated liner notes which years later read like so much unnecessary nonsense and hyperbole. The artist deserved a more classy approach. All three albums by Keith are highly listenable adventures, and though one tune here, "White Lightin', would have been better left on the cutting room floor, there's a real nugget in the cover of "Tell Me To My Face", written by Graham Nash, Allan Clarke and Tony Hicks from The Hollies Stop! Stop! Stop! album. That's the disc where those three Hollies wrote all the tunes on their own, and it's a wonderful find. In fact, the Alice Cooper group lifted their melody for "Billion Dollar Babies" right from this composition, almost note for note. The rendition here has Arabian nights instrumentation, clever, classy and memorable. For the most part the album is solid material, Fischoff, Powers, producer Jerry Ross and arranger Joe Renzetti dominating the album with adult pop, a stunning amalgam of Chris Montez meets Tony Hatch. Ross, Renzetti, Fischoff and Powers have the perfect voice/vehicle for their smartly crafted melodies and the singer is always in tune with very appealing vocal chords. It sounds like they modeled this material after what Burt Bacharach and Hal David were doing for Dionne Warwick and the pity here is that Keith didn't get the chance as Dionne did to send songs like "Our Love Started All Over Again" way up the charts. You can hear hints of Gene Pitney, elements that combine and make for a refreshing sixties moment that got away. Such a shame, for the brilliance of "98.6" was no fluke, Keith was the real thing. Maybe it was Kal Rudman's incessant gushing that held this creative collection of melodies back? Still, "98.6" remains as a truly special pop moment, a song as monumental as Al Anderson's "No Good To Cry" and, thankfully, not as obscure.
Robin McNamara's album, titled after his big 1970 hit "Lay a Little Lovin' on Me," appeared on Jeff Barry's Steed label and features that singer from the Broadway show Hair along with his cast members. The 45, as well as its non-LP B-side "I'll Tell You Tomorrow," were both co-written by the singer and his producer, with songwriter Jim Cretecos helping out on the title track. That radio-friendly bubblegum confection brightened up the summer of 1970, but it is not indicative of the adult contemporary sound on the rest of this very listenable disc. The music on the Lay a Little Lovin' on Me LP is actually a better reflection of the hip Broadway shows of the day. Neil Goldberg's "Now Is the Time" would fit just as well on the Godspell album, so different from the number 11 hit from July 1970, which no doubt inspired the likes of Richard Mondo, aka Daddy Dewdrop, and his irreverent 1971 novelty tune "Chick a Boom" -- a frosty little bubblegum number like "Lay a Little Lovin' on Me." McNamara is a credible songwriter on his own and it is a wonder he didn't land a couple of other hits, but it's more a wonder that he faded so quickly from the musical landscape. He did show up on radio station WMEX in Boston, allegedly ripping his shirt off like some Hair promo for DJ John H. Garabedian (famous for discovering the hit "Maggie Mae" for Rod Stewart ) and appears as a musician on a Monkees compilation, but he just didn't reap the rewards promised by this very sophisticated endeavor. Side one ends with a tune co-written with Ned Albright called "Lost in Boston," a fun little ditty mentioning Fenway Park that's a lot like McNamara's solo composition "Beer Drinkin' Man." Albright and Bob Dylan cohort Steven Soles co-write a very the Band-ish "Together, Forever," and they were responsible for "All Alone in the Dark" from the Monkees 1970 disc Changes. Jeff Barry was a co-producer of that Monkees event and this album's engineer, Mike Moran, showed up there, as well, giving McNamara's 11-song collection a certain value for the fans of that TV show. There are some great lost moments here, unexpected on a disc that became popular by putting the cast of a Broadway show on a tune appropriate for the Partridge Family. "Got to Believe in Love" could have changed the perception as it fuses the gospel of "Hang in There Baby" and "Glory, Glory" with the pop that brought this LP to the attention of the masses. This is a solid effort all the way around.
The Adventures of Odd Keith Review
by Joe Viglione
[-] https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-adventures-of-odd-keith-mw0000796076"Alone on the Shore" opens the third album by Keith, the one name handle for James Barry Keefer. The shimmering pop that was created by Bobby Hebb producer Jerry Ross and arranger Joe Renzetti on the first two Mercury discs is replaced by original compositions and the arrangement of the meticulous Larry Fallon. Fallon is credited for arranging The Looking Glass hit "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl," however, he is the actual producer on that disc. He is one of the industry's underrated talents, and he allows Keith's band of David Jiminez (guitar), Joe Coyle (ryhthm guitar), Dave Fiebert (bass), and Rick Fox (drums) to experiment in ways that are admirable. This LP plays more like latter day Donovan, another one-name pop maestro. "Alone on the Shore" and "Trixon's Election" are heady pop tunes, maybe too deep for Top 40 at the time. Even Buffalo Springfield knew enough to temper their politics with radio friendly music. The sounds here are an intriguing mixture of '60s garage rock with British pop, flavors of The Beatles, The Small Faces, Kaleidoscope UK, and other psychedelic rockers. The production by Ted Daryll allows this group to stretch out. "Waiting to Be" is five minutes and thirty eight seconds of psychedelic jam. Keith wrote only one song on his second album, none on his first, so RCA Records showed some kind of faith in the artist allowing him to compose/co-write all ten titles on The Adventures of Keith. These are adventurous tunes, and worth listening to. It's a natural progression from the second album's Jimmy "Wiz" Wisner's (yes, the one and the same from Tommy James & the Shondells sessions), arrangement of the Spanky & Our Gang hit "Making Every Minute Count" to the short one minute and fifty six second "Melody," which begins like a track from one of the first two Keith albums, diving into the progressive nature of this recording, and back to the pop sensibilities of the first two LPs. "The Problem," which is the last song on side one, was issued as a single with the excellent "Marstrand," the first track of side two. "Elea-Elea" is another five minute plus track, and one of the album's standouts. Great melody and all the indications that Keith should have been a major, major pop star. Where Donovan had Led Zeppelin performing on "Hurdy Gurdy Man" and the Jeff Beck Group behind him on "Goo Goo Barabajagal" helping churn out the hits, Keith and his band crafted an album perfect for FM radio, perhaps a bit ahead of its time for an artist known for covering the Hollies. But Keith's musical direction here is impressive and reiterates how clever his three Top 40 hits prior to this release really were.
Opal Review
by Joe Viglione [-]
https://www.allmusic.com/album/opal-mw0000655340
Ken Elkinson's third album, Opal, is a relaxing collection of ten original titles that feature the songwriter's simple, wandering piano musings. No lyrics, no vocals -- one has to get clues from the arrangements as well as the titles of the songs in order to understand the artist's intent. An opal is a gemstone of rich iridescence, and on the title track the pianist explores the initial translucent melody with a style that suggests a musical question and answer. Unlike Canadian Frank Mills' 1979 success with "Music Box Dancer," a piano classic that featured up-tempo riffs and instrumental accompaniment, Elkinson keeps the entire proceedings low-key, new age keyboard movements meant to soothe rather than provoke. When he covered Jimi Hendrix' "Little Wing" on his second release -- 2000's Revelry -- he absorbed the melody into the style that permeates this presentation. But Opal is darker in tone to the bright, glassy music found on his first CD, Midnight Conversation, as well as the aforementioned Revelry. Elkinson takes passages that Carly Simon has utilized with great success, her melody to "Coming Around Again" tucked somewhere inside "Augustine." "Orchid," "Indigo," and "Afterglow" form a trio of four-minute-plus essays that seem to work on the subconscious while they close out a creative album chock-full of notions and effect.
Compiled by Digital Music Archive Director Joe Viglione
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
THE GUESS WHO -
LIVE AT THE PARAMOUNT
New Artists Added
Saturday, Record Store Day April 22, 2017
The Guess Who LIVE AT THE PARAMOUNT
Colin Blunstone Sings Zombies' Greatest Hits
Robby Krieger of the Doors Robby Krieger (Jazz)
Bev Grant It's Personal
Leo Harmonay The Blink of an Eye
Various: Remembering John Lennon and the Beatles Tribute
Various: Tapestry Revisited (A Tribute to Carole King)
Mikey Wax Mikey Wax
Stains of a Sunflower February *Regional N.E./Boston area music
Geoff Bartley One Kind Word *Regional N.E./Boston area music
Geoff Bartley Put the Big Stone Down *Regional N.E./Boston area music
Geoff Bartley Heart That Wind Howl *Regional N.E./Boston area music
April 21, 2017 Friday
John Batdorf Home Again
Fred Gillen Jr. Match Against a New Moon
P.F. Sloan All The Best - (Still on the) Eve of Destruction
Etta James Love Songs (MCA)
Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart Live in Japan July 20, 1976
Loose Salute Pisces, Cancer, Leo & Yates, Ltd.* Regional/N.E. Boston Music
The Brigands Night Patrol* Regional N.E./Boston music
Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart Live in Japan
https://www.discogs.com/Dolenz-Jones-Boyce-And-Hart-Concert-In-Japan/release/3389486
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Loose Salute
- (Theme From) The Monkees (instrumental)
- Circle Sky
- Rio
- What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?
- Nine Times Blue
- I Wanna Be Free
- Calico Girlfriend
- Joanne
- Grand Ennui
- Take A Giant Step
- Propinquity
- (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone
- Sweet Young Thing
https://www.loosesalutemusic.com/store
Mick Lawless is a superlative musician and the final track on this "loose" salute to the Monkees puts an exclamation mark on that statement. "Sweet Young Thing" is a brilliant composition from Mike Nesmith, Carole King and Gerry Goffin amazingly reconstructed by Loose Salute, the almost two minute instrumental intro begins as stunning a piece of rock and roll music as you'll find. Track 9, "Grand Ennui," is not a nod to the Lou Reed classic, "Ennui," from Sally Can't Dance, it's actually a Nesmith country tune that plays nicely after the beautifully uptempo rendition of his classic, "Joanne." There's a quasi Vanilla Fudge version of "(I'm Not Your)Steppingstone," two and a half minutes of a countrified "I Wanna Be Free," a four minute "Take a Giant Step" - the immortal flip of the 1966 45 rpm "Last Train To Clarksville," and a fifty-seven second of a Hugo Montenegro-inspired (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) instrumental of "Theme to the Monkees." Monkees covers along with Nesmith originals that are derived from the Monkees' style. For the record, there are three Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart songs, a Goffin/King classic along with the duo's co-write with Nesmith referencfed above and "What Am I Doing Hangin' Round?" a song by the Lewis and Clarke Expedition's Michael Martin Murphey (he of "Wildfire" fame) and Owen Castleman. AllMusic.com notes that they were label-mates on Colgems with the Monkees, so it all makes sense, and comes full circle. The CD cover, of course, is a take-off on the #1 album from the Monkees, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd. ...which itself was prophetic in the eventual metamorphosis that generated Dolenz, Jones, Boyce and Hart. Mick, Tom, Pete and Keith of Loose Salute are devotees, and their musicianship separately and collectively is major league. Take a listen to how they re-speak "Propinquity" bringing in flavors of The Band, Dylan, Nesmith and Kris Kristofferson. Just wonderfully planned and produced.
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John Batdorf's three and a half minute "Me and You," track 2 on Home Again (not a sequel to the other John, John Denver's "Back Home Again,") is a bright, uptempo song about relationship happiness, and what two smiles can do. The title song is neo-Celtic with the elegant playing we expect from the maestro - hear a live version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZwUX8XFh_E
April 20, 2017 Thursday
The Stompers Live Scrapbook* Regional N.E./Boston
Ed White Ed White cd 27 tracks
Marianne Faithful Blazing Away
Robin Gibb Secret Agent (of the Bee Gees)
Turk, Matt Washington Arms
Arms of Kismet Eponymous
http://www.allmusic.com/album/eponymous-mw0000750020
Tuesday April 18
Lou Reed Phantom Animal: Live in Europe 1973
Marilyn Monroe Greatest Hits Remixed
Extreme Saudades De Rock
Janis Joplin Woodstock 1969 Soundboard
Janis Joplin 2nd album I Got Dem Ol Kozmic Blues Again, Mama plus rare Work me Lord
Joe Viglione Life's Work Vol. 1 2005
The Last Poets Time Has Come
Frank Sinatra Quadromania
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Monday April 17
Jon Butcher Experienced (Hendrix Tribute)
Jimi Hendrix Curtis Knight Live at George's Club Procol Harum Novum
Feed the Kitty Westbound & Down
Fred Gillen Jr. What She Said
Matt Turk Cold Revival
The Beauty Way Beauty Way
Hummingbird Syndicate Pop Tricks
Llama Tsunami Safety First
John E Funk and the Skunk Self-titled
Pamela "Ruby" Russell Highway of Dreams
Adam Rivera Best of Trilogy
Geoff Pango and Mr. Curt
A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac - Just Tell Me That You Want Me
Pineapple Jam
Kris Delmhorst Strange Conversations
Nick Zaino Blue Skies and Broken Arrows
BFR Instrumentals Vol 1 The Joe Vig Collection
Posted as Jimi Hendrix Curtis Knight Live at George's Club
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gL6eoRCrYME
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gL6eoRCrYME
https://jimihendrix.store/products/curtis-knight-featuring-jimi-hendrix-live-at-georges-club-20-cd
This is a pre-order and is expected to ship on or around March 17.
Tracklist:
1. Introduction - :41
2. Killing Floor - 3:22
3. Last Night - 2:24
4. Get Out of My Life Woman - 3:48
5. Ain't That Peculiar - 4:24
6. Mercy, Mercy - 3:30
7. I'm A Man - 5:17
8. Driving South - 6:03
9. Baby What You Want Me To Do - 3:47
10. I'll Be Doggone - 2:57
11. Sweet Little Angel - 4:33
12. Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go - 3:55
13. Travelin' To California - 4:30
14. What I Say - 4:52
15. Land of 1000 Dances - 4:38
16. Come On (Let The Good Times Roll) - 4:10
17. Band Outro - :57
Never officially released in the U.S. before, these recordings showcase Jimi’s explosive guitar work and lead vocal performances that Animals bassist Chas Chandler witnessed less than a year before becoming his manager and moving him to England to form the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
New York area bandleader Curtis Knight met Jimi Hendrix, then known as Jimmy James, in October 1965 and recruited the budding guitarist for his pre-Squires band the Lovelights. At the cusp of turning 23, Hendrix was already somewhat of a veteran, having already toured and recorded with, among others, the Isley Brothers and Little Richard. These raw recordings, made at George’s Club 20 in Hackensack, NJ on December 26, 1965 and January 22, 1966, capture the Lovelights (filled out with bassist Ace Hall, drummer Ditto Edwards and saxophonist Lonnie Youngblood) tearing through popular rock and roll, soul and blues songs of the day. Chris Kenner's Land of 1000 Dances, Ray Charles’ What’d I Say, Mercy Mercy by Don Covay and I'll Be Doggone, the Marvin Gaye hit, are featured in their repertoire, in addition to two songs Jimi would go on to play with the Experience: ‘Driving South’ by Albert Collins and Howlin’ Wolf’s ‘Killing Floor’.
https://jimihendrix.store/products/curtis-knight-featuring-jimi-hendrix-live-at-georges-club-20-cd
What She Said (2017) Full-length, solo, studio album #10, released on the 20th anniversary of album #1. 8 new Fred Gillen Jr original songs, and 4 co-writes with Abbie Gardner, Steve Kirkman, and Matt Turk. A blurring of the perceived lines between the political and personal. The first album to really highlight Gillen's electric guitar style.
http://www.fredgillenjr.com/sounds.html
Joe Viglione Review
Artist: Delmhorst, Kris
Title Strange Conversations
12 songs listed here
http://www.allmusic.com/album/strange-conversation-mw0000734556
| Release June 27, 2006 |
|---|
Added to BFR 4/16/17
Joe Viglione, BFR Digital Archive Music Director
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AllMusic Review by Joe Viglione [-]
http://www.allmusic.com/album/strange-conversation-mw0000734556
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LLAMA TSUNAMI SAFETY FIRST
http://music.llamatsunami.com/album/safety-first
1. | 60 Minutes 03:09 | |||
2. | Electric Car Repo Man 03:09 | |||
3. | Get Over Yourself 02:43 | |||
4. | Sunny Day 04:25 | |||
5. | Facebook Famous 03:01 | |||
6. | Cat in a Box 03:39 | |||
7. | Nothing's Changed 05:30 | |||
8. | Josh Quit the Band 03:32 | |||
9. | ||||
10. | Fission Fragment 04:11 | |||
11. | ||||
12. | Oh My God 03:17 | |||
13. | Swallowed in Blue 04:01 | |||
14. | Ska Show 02:36 |
credits
http://music.llamatsunami.com/album/safety-first
01 Debbie
02 Jack Don't Know
03 One Way Road
05 Elevation
06 Pickles
track 4 Milkshake is missing
https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/johnefunktheskunks
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The Beauty Way
Original Blue Oyster Cult's Jim Bouchard, Sev Grossman of the Boom Boom Band, this amazing group has delivered a dozen tracks produced by Dan Cardinal at Dimension Sound, where Craig Leon produced those phenomenal Willie Alexander and the Boom Boom Band demo tapes for MCA, the tapes that actually should have been released AS the album.
"Sixes and Sevens" opens with drummer Peter D'Angelo's "boom boom" sound straight out of David McLean from Sev's iconic band. Bouchard's slinky guitar nicks some Creedence - "Fortunate Son's" riff, but that mutates and evolves into a driving stomp. Terrific stuff.
1. | Sixes and Sevens 04:14 | |||
2. | Beauty Way 04:04 | |||
3. | All Over The Map 03:11 | |||
4. | Didn't It Rain 04:57 | |||
5. | Where I Came In 04:28 | |||
6. | ||||
7. | Late At Night 03:28 | |||
8. | I Was So Wrong 04:26 | |||
9. | Stop 06:17 | |||
10. | This Type of Light 04:50 | |||
11. | Way Down In The Hole 04:57 | |||
12. |
https://thebeautyway.bandcamp.com/album/the-beauty-way
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AllMusic Review by Joe Viglione [-]
Pamela Ruby Russell Highway of Dreams
Boxcar
Avenue of Tears
Walk Through Fire
http://www.allmusic.com/album/highway-of-dreams-mw0000759221
AllMusic Review by Joe Viglione [-]
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Matt Turk Cold Revival
Cracked Egg
Cold Revival
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Nick Zaino Blue Skies and Broken Arrows
http://www.tmrzoo.com/2013/53136/adam-rivera-superauspicious-rorschach-radiowaves-cd-reviews
BEST OF THE TRILOGY
The new compilation from
recording artist
Adam Rivera
A unique 27 track collection
culled from 3 previous discs
TRACK 2 ‘GONE’
TRACK 3 ‘THE ANSWER’
BLASTING OUT TO COLLEGE RADIO
2017
1) Hello 15) All I Want
2) Gone 16) For Evie
3)The Answer 17) Get Away
4)Time Lost 18) Contradiction
5)Chance 19)Forever
More
6)Never Unloved 20)Rainbow
7)Civil 21)Time Machine
8) Boulevard East 22)On The Day
9) Lies 23)Everything
and Nothing
10)Miss You Love You 24)Addiction
11) Free 25)Oceanside
12)Cursive Writing 26) Grey World
13)Merry X-Mas Anyway 27) Oneonta
14)2000 Miles
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Best of the Trilogy
explores the first three albums from acoustic / speed-folk artist Adam Rivera
https://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/AdamRivera
Super Auspicious 2012
https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/adamrivera
Rorschach Radiowaves
2013
https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/adamrivera2
The Externals Adam
Rivera Featuring Katie Feeney 2014
https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/adamriverafeaturingkatie
Social Media:
https://twitter.com/AdamRiveraMusic
http://www.adamriveramusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/adamriveramusic
Adam Rivera- SuperAuspicious
Adam Rivera- Rorschach Radiowaves
Craig Fenton
Author: Jefferson Airplane “Take Me To A Circus Tent
Jefferson Starship “Have You Seen The Stars Tonite”
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See the Joe Vig Top 40 for more album reviews http://joevigtop40.com
Matt Turk: American Preservation
AllMusic Review by Joe Viglione [-]
WHAT GIVES
AllMusic Review by Joe Viglione [-]
Review by Joe Viglione
Joe Viglione is the Chief Film Critic at TMRZoo.com. He was a film critic for Al Aronowitz’s The Blacklisted Journal, has written thousands of reviews and biographies for AllMovie.com, Allmusic.com and produces and hosts Visual Radio. Visual Radio is a fifteen year old variety show on cable TV which has interviewed John Lennon’s Uncle Charlie, Margaret Cho, Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, Felix Cavaliere, Marty Balin, Bill Press and hundreds of other personalities.
Previous adds in 2016
Chihiro Yamanaka Reminisce
Fred Gillen Jr. Silence of the Night
Diana Ross To Love Again
AllMusic Review by Joe Viglione [-]
This reunion of John Batdorf and Mark Rodney happened in the XM Satellite radio studios for “The Loft,” that station’s live concert presentation. Recorded on November 16, 2007 the 11 songs from the concert are embedded on an album with two new studio recordings as bookends. Batdorf co-writes the new material with Michael McLean, and it is in the same style that fans expect to hear from Batdorf & Rodney, “Summer of Love” (not the Jefferson Airplane minor hit from that group’s 1988 self-titled Epic release) and “Four Days Runnin’” slide perfectly onto this package, though Mark Rodney only appears on the first of the two new recordings, “Summer of Love.” The live material doesn’t have the feel of a concert, more like a live in the studio recording, a re-creation of some of the songs considered Batdorf & Rodney classics with no applause and studio precision rather than the ebb and flow of a concert hall appearance. It’s a crystal clear reworking of the duo’s material together, commentary on each track found on the songwriter’s web page johnbatdorfmusic.com. For those who want to study the history of this pair that, along with Aztec Two Step, early England Dan & John Ford Coley and others in the second wave that followed Simon & Garfunkel’s successful emulation of the Everly Brothers, this CD and those liner notes on the internet make for a delightful listen and read. A casual spin of the music has the “live” material blur right into the fabric of the new studio gems. “One Day” stands out and with Scott Breadman’s percussion and Bill Batstone’s bass and backing vocals it could easily be mistaken as one of the new studio recordings. A live version of “Home Again” is nice as well, bringing things full circle as the pair re-recorded that composition as the title track of a 2006 John Batdorf solo release. Batdorf & Rodney deserved more recognition, which this CD re-emphasizes, and though the laid-back feel here will please the fans a full concert recording in front of a packed house and some audience electricity will really help this solid material come to life decades after its initial splash. – Joe Viglione
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Review: Fred Gillen Jr.’s Silence of the Night
ON AUGUST 22, 2012 BY JOE VIGLIONE
http://www.tmrzoo.com/2012/36878/review-fred-gillen-jr-s-silence-of-the-night
track listing here:
https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/fredgillenjr12
FRED GILLEN JR SILENCE OF THE Night
With nine albums listed on the All Music Guide from 1997’s Intentions as Big as the Sky up to Match Against a New Moon (along with the 2008 Gillen & (Matt) Turk effort, Backs to the Wall), this 2012 release -listed as the eighth full length from Fred Gillen Jr – Silence of the Night makes for an enormous body of work to absorb from the journeyman artist. The trouble with a waterfall of so much melody, instrumentation and production is that the general public may have a hard time focusing on one song to propel the singer into the commercial realm so many seek. Opening with the subtly sacrilegious “Morphine Angel” we find she’s no cousin to Marianne Faithful and the Rolling Stones’ “Sister Morphine”, a dirge that fits better as an opening act to the Velvet Underground than the “American Folk” advertised. Probably not a sequel to “Primitive Angel” from the previous and aforementioned Match Against a New Moon (Fred does have an affinity for angels), the song is an odd choice to open the disc with. More preferable to these ears would be the title track, “Silence of the Night’, with its exquisite Beatle-esque phrasings and pretty backing vocals. “Vanity runs the world” and Al Pacino would have to agree while in character as Lucifer in The Devil’s Advocate (it’s his favorite sin!)…the song (“Vanity”) is terrific – and would also have been a choice pick to open “Silence of the Night”. So would “Find a Rodeo”, arguably the best track here, and a sublime country/rocker in the vein of Gram Parsons, the Byrds and Boston’s well-loved Country Bumpkins. The cover of the John Lennon/Yoko Ono’s classic “Silence” (track 16), lasts only 30 seconds, though I don’t think John & Yoko are credited here. Find the original on “Unfinished Music No.2: Life With The Lions”. “This Town Is Our Song” is another gently played ode to another time, more optimistic than Simon & Garfunkel’s reunion tune “My Little Town”. Gillen plays all the instruments save drums which feature Eric Puente and the fiddle of Sarah Banks. Carolann Solebello’s duet vocals are perfect. There is a lot to explore on Silence of the Night, Gillen and Puente finding their groove again on “Only Sky”, a superb hook that is up there with “Vanity” and “Find A Rodeo” as the album favorites, at least for me. It’s an ambitious effort by an ambitious singer who, of course, can’t resist penning a tune entitled “Angel.” No, not the Jimi Hendrix classic from The Cry Of Love / First Rays of the New Rising Sun. Perhaps Fred can cover that on his next outing. Click here to hear tracks on this disc Joe Viglione is the Chief Film Critic at TMRZoo.com. He was a film critic for Al Aronowitz’s The Blacklisted Journal, has written thousands of reviews and biographies for AllMovie.com, Allmusic.com and produces and hosts Visual Radio. Visual Radio is a fifteen year old variety show on cable TV which has interviewed John Lennon’s Uncle Charlie, Margaret Cho, Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, Felix Cavaliere, Marty Balin, Bill Press and hundreds of other personalities.
TO BE ADDED
PERIOD COMMA
https://periodcomma.bandcamp.com/
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Change Review by Joe Viglione [-]
Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane released an extraordinary album on Epic in the 1970s, prior to her joining the Mamas & the Papas with McKenzie Phillips, the new Mamas playing with the old Papas. Although the pop elements Spanky was known for are here, the opening track "I Won't Brand You" could certainly be considered the logical sequel to her minor hit "Give a Damn," the album is more country than pop or rock. "Standing Room Only" opens with a great line, "you must think my bed's a bus stop/the way you come and go," and has Fairport Convention's Richard Thompson arranging the strings with the San Francisco Symphony String Ensemble and the Lovin' Spoonful's Jerry Yester on vocal harmony. While Olivia Newton John was delivering country-pop hits to the chagrin of many in Nashville, this American artist goes to the roots of American music on "When I Wanna"; the hardcore country is uplifting when the trademark Spanky & Our Gang vocal harmonies glide in. You want to talk about artistic risk, this album is chock full of it. John "Juke" Logan adds harmonica to "Since You've Gone," bringing tough country-blues to this mix. The band self-produced except for Chip Young's work on the first track, "I Won't Brand You," and the sound quality is first-rate. It's hard to see what Epic was thinking, though, with such stylistic change. "San Diego Serenade" is lovely, and this album is a work of art, but wouldn't the fans have appreciated maybe a country-pop version of the Peppermint Rainbow's 1969 hit "Will You Be Staying After Sunday," producer Paul Leka's tribute to Spanky's "Sunday Will Never Be the Same" and "Sunday Mornin'"? It would have made for a nice Sunday trilogy. Gene Clark's "L.A. Freeway" has a freewheeling, up-tempo sound, but this is all such a Change from the musical statements McFarlane made with her Mercury albums that one can see radio programmers being confused in 1975. "Space Cowboys Forever," featuring Gail Laughton on harp, is one of the standout tracks on this excellent album, along with "Dues," which has Jackson Browne/Fleetwood Mac guitarist Rick Vito's sounds coloring the solid number. In 2001, Spanky hooked up with producer/engineer Stuart "Dinky" Dawson, who recorded the lost Mamas & the Papas album with her. The final track on this album, "I Wish We'd All Been Ready," with Richard Thompson on piano and Jerry Yester on arrangements with Thompson, is the closest to her original sound. https://www.allmusic.com/album/change-mw0000841485
Tony Vitale i love spanky, have reviewed her, interviewed her, and eventually promoted this album above. Here's one of my reviews of their LIVE album: Spanky & Our Gang Live Review by Joe Viglione [-]
Five years before they would reunite for the country & western version of Spanky & Our Gang on the Epic Records release Change, Mercury, the home of their hits, released this live disc recorded prior to their debut for the label in 1967. The liner notes explain that "this album was recorded during the group's earlier days at the Gaslight Club South in Coconut Grove, Florida." Recorded and produced by Richard Kunc for Strawberry Hill Projects, the sound is pretty impressive. Spanky & Our Gang Live has more clarity than Judy. London. 1969., the posthumous Judy Garland album recording by her husband Mickey of her last night on-stage; it is also more precise than the Velvet Underground's Live at Max's Kansas City, which was the product of Lou Reed's abrupt departure from that group. There are no hits here, but as a historical document, it is worthwhile, the major drawback being the absence of a recording date and who is performing what. Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane sounds great on the Gordon Lightfoot tune "That's What You Get for Loving Me," and the band rocks, not only on the instrumentation, but with sterling vocals and much spontaneity. "Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me" brings the house down, deservedly so. The voices are simply amazing.
The track closest to the sound that the record-buying public became accustomed to is listed as a Carole King/Gerry Goffin tune, "Wasn't It You?"; however, the band calls it "Gypsy" from the stage. It sounds like the Beau Brummels meet the Jefferson Airplane and Spanky wraps her soul around this one -- it's a performance and a half. This is so totally different from what the world considered Spanky & Our Gang to be that it is hard to see it satisfying those longing for more "Sunday Will Never Be the Same" or "I'd Like to Get to Know You" (and neither of those hits are on this early outing). The bandmembers aren't even given credit on this, although a picture of three gentlemen in top hats and Elaine McFarlane is on the cover. "Waltzing Matilda" is totally a cappella, and in tune, showing what depth this ensemble had without studio tricks to camouflage or hide things. "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" is a treasure, and it is the only title here that showed up on the band's debut album. There's another Gordon Lightfoot cover called "Steel Rail Blues," and a highly political "The Klan." McFarlane contributes one of the 12 tunes with her 1940s-flavored "Oh Daddy," and it is the only writing contribution from the band. There are skits that would be perfect for vaudeville, and insight for fans on the evolution of a '60s group that was compared to the New Seekers, Peter, Paul and Mary (this album is proof why!), and the Mamas & the Papas. Engineer/producer Stuart "Dinky" Dawson recorded the unreleased Mamas & the Papas album featuring John Phillips, Denny Doherty, Spanky McFarlane, and Mackenzie Phillips in the 1980s. He also recorded every gig they did, and someday those tapes will no doubt surface as this important recording did, giving another glimpse of the great voice fans of oldies radio appreciate. This album is a wonderful primer for people to hear Spanky McFarlane in a setting before she brightened up pop radio. https://www.allmusic.com/album/spanky-our-gang-live-mw0000848323
A Long Time Comin' Review
by Joe Viglione
[-] https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-long-time-comin-mw0000202242
Writer Jeff Tamarkin says "ex Butterfield Band guitarist Mike Bloomfield, drummer Buddy Miles, and others put this soul-rock band together in 1967. This debut is a testament to their ability to catch fire and keep on burnin'." That The Electric Flag do so well -- they appeared at the Monterey International Pop Festival with the Blues Project, Paul Butterfield, and Janis Joplin, and all these groups had some musical connection to each other beyond that pivotal festival. A Long Time Comin' is the "new soul" described appropriately enough by the late critic Lillian Roxon, and tunes like "She Should Have Just" and "Over-Lovin' You" lean more towards the soul side than the pop so many radio listeners were attuned to back then. Nick Gravenites was too much of a purist to ride his blues on the Top 40 the way Felix Cavaliere gave us "Groovin'," so Janis Joplin's eventual replacement in Big Brother & the Holding Company, Gravenites, and this crew pour out "Groovin' Is Easy" on this disc. It's a classy production, intellectual ideas with lots of musical changes, a subdued version of what Joplin herself would give us on I Got Dem Ole Kozmic Blues Again, Mama two years later, with some of that album written by vocalist Gravenites. Though launched after Al Kooper's the Blues Project, A Long Time Comin' itself influenced bands who would go on to sell more records. In the traditional "Wine," it is proclaimed "you know Janis Joplin, she'll tell you all about that wine, baby." As good as the album is, though, the material is pretty much composed by Mike Bloomfield and Barry Goldberg, when they're not covering Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor" and adding spoken-word news broadcasts to the mix. More contributions by Buddy Miles and Gravenites in the songwriting department would have been welcome here. The extended CD version has four additional tracks, Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" and "Mystery," both which appear on the self-titled Electric Flag outing which followed this LP, as well as other material which shows up on Old Glory: The Best of Electric Flag, released in 2000. "Sittin' in Circles" opens like the Doors' "Riders on the Storm," the keyboards as well as the sound effects, and a hook of "hey little girl" which would resurface as the title of a Nick Gravenites tune on the aforementioned follow-up disc, where Gravenites and Miles did pick up the songwriting slack, Bloomfield having wandered off to Super Session with the Blues Project's Al Kooper. Amazing stuff all in all, which could eventually comprise a boxed set of experimental blues rock from the mid- to late sixties. Either version of this recording, original vinyl or extended CD, is fun listening and a revelation.
happy birthday Gavin Sutherland July 7 2023 https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1556054024
Lifeboat Review
by Joe Viglione [-] https://www.allmusic.com/album/lifeboat-mw0000711268
This album should have been the big breakthrough disc for the Sutherland Brothers & Quiver, chock-full of catchy adult pop songs like the fantastic leadoff single, "(I Don't Want to Love You But) You Got Me Anyway," followed by what became a minor hit for Rod Stewart, the second track, "Sailing." With Peter Noone also covering "You Got Me Anyway," the band had the attention of some very musical people but that didn't keep this truly remarkable album from staying off the radar screen of the record-buying public. Steve Winwood and John "Rabbit" Bundrick are thanked on the back, along with others, but there's no mention if they are playing on this really superb record -- it sure sounds like they are with more than a few hints of Traffic and Free finding their way between the grooves. This original rendition of "Sailing" is more primitive than Rod Stewart's near-gospel approach, and the lonely drumbeat adds a mood that reflects the classic cover art of a small rescue craft defying the gods of the sea. "Real Love" sounds like a Traffic outtake, and with Muff Winwood handling the production chores as he did with Dream Kid, the follow-up album, this intriguing disc gives the world ten more portions of Quiver and the Sutherland Brothers' interesting blend of music. Lifeboat is a record that cries to be released on a compact disc with Dream Kid, though a CD booklet would hardly do justice to the cover painting, "Pride of Our Isles" by Bernard Gribble, on loan by "kind permission of Royal National Lifeboat Institute." The picture of hopelessness is worth a thousand words, and while "Real Love" closes out side one with a great hook, and "Have You Had a Vision" and the title track show depth and integrity on side two, it's the first song on the album, "You Got Me Anyway," that brings this effort out of the realm of very good projects up to the level of classic. All Music Guide has this album listed as 1972 with four different tracks, so it may have been re-released. The original lineup noted by AMG has "A Lady Like You," "Lifeboat," "Where Do We Go Wrong," "Ireland," "All I Got Is You," "Space Hymn," "Change the Wind," "Sailing," "Love Is My Religion," and "Real Love." This review is for the 1973 disc, which has "You Got Me Anyway," "Have You Had a Vision," "Not Fade Away," and "Rock and Roll Show" in place of "Ireland," "Love Is My Religion," "A Lady Like You," and "All I Got Is You."
by Joe Viglione [-]
https://www.allmusic.com/album/dream-kid-mw0000377412
An artists conception of The Dream Kid looking out into a blue universe, standing in a clear cube with clouds and seagulls in his line of sight, is a colorful and good visual equivalent to the music inside this team-up of two musical forces. Songwriters Ian Sutherland and his brother Gavin Sutherland recruit three members of the Warner Bros. group Quiver -- drummer Willie Wilson, guitarist Tim Renwick, and bassist Bruce Thomas -- and come up with a smooth and very satisfying product. Gone is Quiver songwriter vocalist Cal Batchelor, and it is a unique transition concept. Where Chris Thomas produced 1972's Gone in the Morning album for Quiver, Muff Winwood is enlisted to guide the rhythm section and guitarist behind the singing and playing Sutherland Brothers. Interestingly enough, they've retained Quiver engineer Bill Price and cover artist Barney Bubbles from the Warner Bros. days and issue the newer sounds on Island. The album's history lesson aside, the music is an excellent early- to mid-'70s hybrid of folk-rock and pop, with more emphasis on the clever pop side of things. This is Eric Carmen's Raspberries gone underground with less of the jangle guitar -- sounds more borrowed from early Beatles' hits by way of latter day Traffic, and that comfortable silky vocal sound, especially on the five-minute-55-second suite which ends the album, track ten, comprised of three titles, "Rollin' Away," "Rocky Road," and "Saved By the Angel." These Ian Sutherland titles all melt into one another and are easy on the ears, good listening music, though there is nothing on this album as extraordinary as their minor hit "You Got Me Anyway" or the song Rod Stewart picked up from them, "Sailing." Like labelmates Traffic, this is an adult rock endeavor, meant for those who want to hear the lyrics as they take in the solid melodies. "Seagull" is a song that embodies what the band is all about, ebbing and flowing with hooks and pauses, not your typical rock outfit, which might explain why they slipped through the cracks without making a bigger noise. Peter Noone, like Stewart, was smart enough to cover their music, and it is a pity that "Flying Down to Rio" and "You and Me" didn't get more time on FM radio. "I Hear Thunder" and "Lonely Love" are standouts, precursors to AAA radio like Barclay James Harvest and Matthew's Southern Comfort. The strong lyrics are included on the album sleeve, and enough good things can't be said about this album: bouncy guitars and spirited rock which producer Muff Winwood squeezes into the grooves. You've got to spin it three or four times before it catches you; it's one of those special discs that doesn't grab the listener first time around, but when it does, it gets you good.
Good Times A'Comin' Review
by Joe Viglione [-] https://www.allmusic.com/album/good-times-acomin-mw0000848934
The name Hookfoot sounds as generic as Bulldog, Sweathog, and other pedestrian 1970s monikers, and the music on the group's second release, Good Times a' Comin', reflects just that. It's Elton John sessionmen -- Caleb Quaye, Dave Glover, and Roger Pope from Tumbleweed Connection and other John discs -- recording their Dick James-published songs which were produced at Dick James Studios and going for the brass ring on their own with feeble results. The a cappella ending to "Living in the City" shows they have vocal as well as instrumental chops, while "Gunner Webb's Changes" lifts musical passages right out of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "Long Time Gone" and "Almost Cut My Hair." That should come as no surprise since they covered both Stephen Stills and Neil Young on their self-titled debut from 1971. Lead guitarist Caleb Quaye writes or co-writes nine of the ten titles, vocalist Ian Duck is the runner up with six, but with titles like "Sweet Sweet Funky Music," "Slick's Blues for Jumbo," and "Flying in the U.S.A.," it's obvious the creativity of Bernie Taupin or Elton John is missing from this effort. The blues-oriented grooves are all solid and played with precision, but they also fail to excite. Some of it comes off like Savoy Brown without any bite. Why they didn't raid the Dick James vaults for a hit or ask their friends John and Taupin to throw them a hook is the real mystery of Hookfoot. It's an elaborate package, with a gatefold containing the lyrics and classy photos, but these aren't what one would classify as songs to be sold to other artists. "Look to Your Churches" sounds inspired by Traffic and the Band, but not up to those artists' standards. Sometimes sidemen are supposed to be just that, lending their ability to translate a performer's ideas -- to help put the crowd into a frenzy; one can't see Elton John performing the title track, "Good Times a' Comin'," despite Ian Duck and Caleb Quaye generating interesting moments with their guitar duel. It seems none of John's magic rubbed off on the pair's songwriting chops. Still, had England's pianoman made an appearance on this record, it would have made a world of difference. This same year, Hookfoot's American counterparts -- Danny Kootch, Russ Kunkel, and Leland Sklar -- released the first of three albums under the name the Section. What it proves is that without an Elton John, Carole King, or James Taylor, these records end up sounding like instruments playing themselves. A wonderful argument for the value of charisma and the vacuum of space without a star to fill it with light.
Hallelujah Review https://youtu.be/u5taZqfBlJo
by Joe Viglione [-] https://www.allmusic.com/album/hallelujah-mw0001879736
The Top 40 title track got Sweathog some chart action in 1971. Drummer Frosty found fame with the pop/blues minstrel Lee Michaels, and here forges a Southern rock sound with bassist Dave Johnson, guitarist B.J., and organist Lenny Lee -- none of them household names, and an album that is highly competent but as non-descript as the players. When your drummer and a guest pianist by the name of Michael Omartian have more recognition, it is clear it will be an uphill climb. There's an interesting version of "Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo," a song which wouldn't hit until 1974 for Rick Derringer, so the band showed they have some taste (and that they toured with or at least listened to Edgar Winter's White Trash). For the times, though, heartfelt songs like "In the Wee Hours of the Night" needed a strong personality fronting the group. L. Goldsmith performing Joe Cocker's "Ride Louise Ride" or Sanford Townsend Band material makes for a solid outing, but not the additional hit singles this group needed to amass a following. Great music, stirring performances, it's just that the world wasn't quite ready for Three Dog Night meets the Allman Brothers Band. The title track remains a forgotten classic which oldies stations would be smart to add to their play lists. https://www.allmusic.com/album/hallelujah-mw0001879736
Review by #JoeViglione #JoeViglioneMedia
Tell it All Brother - Kenny Rogers and the 1st Edition
from Movie Mars and eBay https://www.allmusic.com/album/tell-it-all-brother-mw0000864197
Personnel: Kenny Rogers (vocals).
Appearing on their sixth album, Tell It All Brother, are the last two hits from Kenny Rogers & the First Edition, their sixth and seventh Top 40 chart-climbing 45-rpm records. Deep vocals with a bass-heavy rock sound employing just a touch of country leanings are what resonate through the title track. Alex Harvey's "Tell It All Brother," a political song that went Top 20 in the summer of 1970, is followed by Kin Vassey's "Heed the Call," one of the three weakest of Rogers' 27 Top 40 hits released between 1968 and 1984 (it lingered in the Top 35 in November of 1970). But "Heed the Call" is a great song, more uptempo than "Ruby," "Reuben James," and "Tell It All Brother," and with undeniable charm. "Heed the Call" begins with tambourine and has gospel-inflected vocals over handclaps, marching drumbeats, and a campfire feel. It is, along with being the band's final hit, one that displays individual talents working in unison perhaps better than any of their previous commercial efforts. It contrasts with the title song chant, which is all Rogers, his big voice over the bass drum and tambourine, with piano and bass taking a back seat and the guitars invisible. "Shine on Ruby Mountain" is a Kenny Young song, and it has the uptempo square dance drive that is present on many of the non-hit album tracks. Rogers' adaptation of the traditional "Camptown Ladies" continues the party atmosphere with a hootenanny vibe. Mike Settle gets only one composition here, a far cry from the nine songs Settle wrote on the first album and the four he composed on First Edition '69, perhaps indicating how settled in Rogers and producer Jimmy Bowen were at this point in time. "I'm Gonna Sing You a Sad Song Susie" isn't a bad song -- it just sounds like the singer/songwriter was listening to Glen Campbell's 1969 hit "Where's the Playground Susie" a little too much. Rogers' sole original, "Love Woman," co-written with Douglas Legrand, is an uptempo country-rocker, with the direction of the group more defined -- it is no longer just a band but a vehicle for an emerging major star. After "Heed the Call," things come down a bit on side two with Harvey's third composition on the album, the beautiful ballad "Molly." It should have been a hit, for it is Harvey's "Delta Dawn" slowed down and ready to become a part of Elton John's Tumbleweed Connection album. "After All (I Live My Life)" is a perfect showcase for new addition to the group Mary Arnold, and why she didn't climb the charts with this group is a mystery -- she arguably has the best and most distinctive voice. The two hits on this album did not get on Rogers' 1977 Ten Years of Gold retrospective, and though they aren't his best-known songs, they show that this crew had no aversion to experimenting with the formula. Both tunes add an interesting dimension to the band's classic 1971 release, Kenny Rogers & the First Edition's Greatest Hits. ~ Joe Viglione
