#1 = 1 Deep Purple (Equals One)
Review by Joe Viglione
This writer goes way back with Deep Purple, to the Summerthing Concert series in Boston, 1972, in the front row as Ritchie Blackmore destroyed his guitar and I had to flee the rabid fans almost slam-dancing BEFORE slam dancing to get splinters of wood from it in front of the stage. Now in 2024, fifty-two years on, I'm amazed that the fan base has grown, stunningly, as vast as that of the Velvet Underground, though few members of each respective club would probably belong to both.
Simon McBride sounds great on guitar, replacing Steve Morse, and Bob Ezrin's production is stellar as ever, the perfect producer for this legendary ensemble. Ian Gillan gets right down to business on "Lazy Sod," https://youtu.be/bbkNm739ULA reminding us of way back when where "Perfect Strangers" totally impressed in 1984 with the nine year gap since Come Taste the Band. Perfect Strangers (album) - Wikipedia
Now it's 40 years since Perfect Strangers, how time flies, Director Leo Feimer has the video placed in a set like the 1999 film The Matrix where Morpheus first takes Neo into the computer world. They're all having fun in the video, Gillan especially, Don Airey getting that vintage Jon Lord sound on keys, and the song romping with that splendid guitar elegantly gliding through the three minutes and forty-five seconds.
"Pictures of You" is reminiscent of Gillan's time with Black Sabbath, edgier, darker, actually feeling like a sequel of sorts to "Perfect Strangers," musically. Magic musical stops and starts, the band in sync, and Ezrin's sound from the Alice Cooper days bubbling under, though all concerned may not realize it. Purple kicks it up a notch about 2:50 in, these guys are serious!
"Portable Door" - the video - feels like Stargate/the Time Tunnel-Star Trek's The City on the Edge of Forever, https://youtu.be/bbwiEDD04CY Space Truckin' indeed, back to the future.
HOOKED ON A FEELING BJ THOMAS
Hooked on a Feeling, Joe Viglione Review https://youtu.be/PJQVlVHsFF8 David Hasselhoff does a decent enough vocal with sub-standard disco production, almost sounding Karaoke. But the three major versions are B.J. Thomas, Blue Swede and Jonathan King. BJ Thomas is amazing with the sitar and his sublime voice https://youtu.be/Wqt_iZBvtCo Despite the jungle chant discoverer of the band Genesis - Jonathan King - attached from Johnny Preston's 1959 Running Bear song (I will include in a comment; and full disclosure, I found the history elsewhere on the web) It was the Jonathan King arrangement with the jungle chant that propelled Blue Swede's monster version, and as tacky as they were (covering Mitch Ryder's version of Lou Reed's "Rock 'n' Roll" even...) Björn Skifs' vocal is intense and the production very tight. They changed the lyrics and their words aren't as enticing as Mark James original that BJ Thomas sings "I got it bad for you, I don't need a cure, I just stay addicted and hope I can endure." The drug reference doesn't bother me, because James is writing about his high school sweetheart (also in "Suspicious Minds" according to Wikipedia) being addicted to love, Robert Palmer, isn't really a drug reference, just comparing the intensity of the addiction. Love it, actually, and I don't do drugs. Skif's voice is right to the point, like an exclamation point on the facts at hand, where BJ sings it far more from a young guy out of his mind with love. They both work. Jonathan King's rendition is interesting, like Hasselhoff, King has a great voice, but it is BJ and Blue Swede which get it across.
Blue Swede (Swedish: Blåblus) were a Swedish rock band fronted by Björn Skifs which was active between the years 1973–1979. Blue Swede released two albums of cover versions, including a rendition of "Hooked on a Feeling", which brought them international chart success
We just lost songwriter Mark James this month Mark James (born Francis Rodney Zambon; November 29, 1940 – June 8, 2024) was an American songwriter. He wrote hits for B.J. Thomas, Brenda Lee and Elvis Presley, including Presley's hit single "Suspicious Minds".[1]
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Mamas and Papas/Soul Train Review by Joe Viglione
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A confusing title graces the sophomore album from Classics IV as bold off-purple/brown screams Mamas and Papas/Soul Train, which is more dominant than the large white lettering of the group's name. "Is it a Mamas & the Papas release?" consumers could very well have wondered, as the package comes off looking like a compilation of pop and soul acts -- which is the sound the band was shooting for, but missed. It's a shame because Marvin Lyon's photography of bandmembers holding sculptures at the beach is as captivating as the hit single here, "Stormy," which means there were some sparks of creativity. "Stormy" is even more influenced by Bobby Hebb's 1966 classic "Sunny," than its predecessor, "Spooky," not only with the opening line of "You were the sunshine, baby" and the heavy bassline which surrounds the production, but the keys or vibes directly lifted from Hebb's work. That "Stormy" is itself a fascinating fusion of pop and soul, with its saxophone and descending guitar lines it's more than just charming, it is a tremendous creation which sets a mood whenever it comes on the radio. As with the first Classics IV disc, everything pretty much falls apart after the hit. "Mamas and Papas" is a lame attempt to sound like John Phillips and company, but instead comes off as a poor imitation of the Partridge Family.
Producer Buddy Buie and guitarist John "JR" Cobb write eight of the 11 compositions, while Bobby Goldsboro, of all people, co-writes "I'll Pity the Fool" with Buie. That tune, and Ira and George Gershwin's "It Ain't Necessarily So," are two of the more listenable escapades here, while "24 Hours of Loneliness" has the producer and guitarist going after Bacharach/David. "Waves," from Side One, has the flavor of Dionne Warwick's "Trains and Boats and Planes," which not so coincidentally, hit its highest point the week before Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" went to Number Two. What can be found in the exactly 25 minutes of music on this second offering from Classics IV is the emerging presence of producer Buie, who goes uncredited here (the album says "a Bill Lowery production" ), and J.R. Cobb. The only thing to write home about on this album is the true classic which leads off Side Two, "Stormy," making the album Mamas and Papas/Soul Train more of a study than something to listen to for entertainment. "Bring back that "sunny" day" was the hope of "Stormy," and they again try to re-write "Sunny" with a song called "Strange Changes." Perhaps realizing the futility, they did eventually cover Bobby Hebb's gem on another album, but if they only had the insight to stretch the big song here -- their greatest moment of inspiration -- across an entire side of the disc -- well, that would have been the real fun and for most fans of pop, and that's what it's all about.
Words Elvis Presley Covering the Bee Gees
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/peter-noone-mn0000263225#biography
Peter Noone Biography by Joe Viglione
His friend John Lennon sang "Remember remember the fifth of November" in the song "Remember" off of the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album, and on that day in 1947, the eternally young Peter Blair Denis Bernard Noone was born in Manchester, England. The son of Joan Blair Noone and Denis Patrick Noone, he was raised in a Roman Catholic family that included five children of diverse ages, brother Damon along with sisters Denise, Suzanne, and Louise.
In a multi-dimensional career that garnered respect from his colleagues and millions of fans worldwide, Peter Noone was the professional's professional. As a child, he appeared on the British television shows Coronation Street, Knight Errant, and Family Solicitor, and went on to study acting at the Manchester School of Music and Drama. In 1963, he joined a Manchester beat group, the Heartbeats, whose name was changed shortly thereafter to Herman & the Hermits and eventually shortened to Herman's Hermits. His career with that popular recording act sold well over 50 million records, at times eclipsing the Beatles themselves in sales.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rob-fraboni-mn0000827854#biography
Rob Fraboni Biography by Joe Viglione
Rob Fraboni grew up in southern California in an Italian family that included some accomplished musicians. Beginning a musical career as a drummer in a local band at the age of 12, he hitchhiked to Hollywood just three years later at 15 with many home recordings under his belt. The future industry executive quietly observed recording sessions at the renowned Gold Star Studios, which involved key artists and producers of the time, including Phil Spector. He moved to New York City in 1971 and attended the Institute of Audio Research under the tutelage of educator Al Grundy. There, Fraboni fused a previous knowledge of electronics with recording and studio techniques, developing his unique engineering and production style.
While in New York City, he landed an engineering job with Herb Abramson at his A-1 Sound Studios and worked with the likes of Dave "Baby" Cortez and Michael Brown. Record Plant was his next gig with an engineering staff that boasted Chris Stone, Roy Cicala, Jack Adams, Shelly Yakus, and Tom Flye. Fraboni was in a group of second engineers that included Jack Douglas, Jimmy Iovine, and Dennis Ferrante, working with an impressive clientele during this period, including Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles, Eric Carmen's the Raspberries, and John Lennon.
Move Over Review by Joe Viglione
The snarling blues riff copies the melody sung and written by Janis Joplin on this three minute and forty second performance which opens the Pearl album.
Recorded on the same day as "Trust Me" and "Me And Bobby McGee, September 25, 1970, fans got to see Joplin give a preview of this on the Dick Cavett Show prior to the release of Pearl. The subject matter concerns "men", as Janis told Cavett. More specifically, the guy tells her it's "over", but keeps hanging around. It's a very driving, very direct rocking blues number, the singer equating the way some guys hold out on love to a carrot stick keeping the food inches away from the mouth of a mule. "Please don't you do it to me, babe" she - not begs - but demands - "Honey, you're teasing me...I believe you're toying with my affections...I can't take it no more babe, and furthermore I don't intend to." The fading lyric is a bit salty/blasphemous with producer Paul Rothchild tucking the scat and bluesy wail inside the music as it concludes. The opening drum beat with Joplin's vocal and the guitar makes for a powerful first track, the hook built inside the song and the riff when she repeats the line "You know that I need a man". Different from anything else on the album, unlike the co-write that is "Mercedes Benz", Janis wrote "Move Over" on her own.
https://www.allmusic.com/song/trust-me-mt0008311314
Trust Me Review by Joe Viglione
Songwriter Bobby Womack released this superb tune on his 1975 Safety Zone album, but in its form as the sleeper track on Janis Joplin's 1971 Pearl album, "Trust Me" emerges with great power, a performance that is Janis at her absolute best. Her voice goes from sweet in the first couple of lines to raspy when she so knowingly issues lines like "the older the grape, the sweeter the wine." Ken Pearson's organ works wonderfully alongside Bobby Womack's acoustic guitar and John Till's electric. Paul Rothchild's production work is simply amazing, choreographing this thick array of sounds and piecing them together perfectly, Brad Campbell's bass and Richard Bell's piano lines both dancing inside the changes. Listen to Clark Pierson's definite drums as the song fades out, a solid team effort recorded on September 25, 1970, just a week and a half before Janis would leave us. In a small catalog of work, "Trust Me" shows what truly gifted art Janis Joplin brought to this world. Having Womack participating is a treat, the element of the songwriter working with the interpreter and their camaraderie as a major contribution to this definitive version cannot be overlooked. The creative energy is in these grooves and one doesn't have to imagine how magical the room must have been when this music was made. It translates very well. As "Me & Bobby McGee" has been overplayed, "Trust Me" has been underexposed. This key piece of the Pearl album concisely shows Janis Joplin as the equal of Bessie Smith, Big Mama Thornton, Billie Holiday, Otis Redding and her other heroes. At certain moments during this song Joplin eclipses even those gods.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/movin-with-nancy-mw0000190324#review
Movin' with Nancy Review by Joe Viglione
Sundazed released a 1996 CD version of the original Movin' With Nancy album, adding three bonus tracks to the 1968 soundtrack from her television special, and it earns high marks for documenting more of the fun and campy escapades of Frank Sinatra's daughter. Without the opportunity to surpass her dad the way Mira Sorvino or Charlie Sheen may have moved beyond Paul Sorvino and Martin Sheen in terms of popularity, Nancy Sinatra deserves credit for a sultry, hip image and the ability to hit a few home runs. It's easy to hit a home run, of course, when your father owns a piece of the record label, Reprise, and a Rodgers & Hammerstein composition makes its way onto track four, like "Younger Than Springtime," sung by "a very close relative." The uncredited Frank Sinatra performance is great, of course, and is followed by a Dean Martin/Nancy Sinatra "duet" on the Bobby Darin song "Things." It sure sounds like dad called up Martin and asked if he wouldn't mind Nancy overdubbing her voice on a pre-existing Martin track -- this was, of course, before the days of putting Natalie Cole on a Nat "King" Cole master. Despite the awkwardness of it, there is a certain charm that adds to the festivities. Make no mistake, this is a festive album. Heck, some kids go to the circus with their folks, Nancy Sinatra got to play at the record company. Her vocal style is on par with Claudine Longet and Jo Jo Laine, not the kind of singing to give Whitney Houston or Jackie DeShannon sleepless nights, but charming nonetheless. Where this Sinatra really shines is when she and producer Lee Hazlewood do the Sonny & Cher routine on the previous hit, "Jackson," and the real gem here, "Some Velvet Morning." When Nancy Sinatra has Hazlewood as her foil, she is outstanding. Though "Some Velvet Morning" was number nine out of her Top Ten hits as far as chart action goes, it is her strongest performance here, and proves she had more of a voice than maybe she even realized. She walks through Jimmy Webb's "Up, Up and Away," but it works, as does, surprisingly enough, the cover of Ray Charles' "What I'd Say," which closes the vinyl version of this project. Do the math: two hit singles, a duet with Dean Martin, an appearance by the Chairman of the Board (the legend, not the band), and superb production by Lee Hazlewood all make for a highly entertaining disc. Yes, she was lucky to have those doors open for her, but while other showbiz kids fell by the wayside, Movin' With Nancy delivered the goods. You can't help but like her.
