Aerosmith - Draw the Line. 1977 Columbia (MC). Thrift shop find (Aug). Draw the Line was a much anticipated album in its day - sold like hotcakes early on - and then after most everyone had a chance to hear it - it was considered a major flop. Much ink has been spilled to explain that the band were on a steady diet of hookers and blow, that they were exhausted from non stop touring, they couldn't stand the sight of each other, and the record executives were relentless in their pursuit of profit. Therefore, Draw the Line was a muddled mess of stitched together ideas and no melodies to speak of. Essentially this was the end of Aerosmith until their remarkable comeback in the mid to late 80s (commercially speaking of course...). So everything I said above is likely to be true, and has been verified by everyone including the band. So what's interesting is to see modern reviewers kind of scratch their head and state - sounds good to me, very much like Aerosmith! They're not wrong, so why the disconnect? Because real time, Aerosmith were still completely living in the past. They hadn't modernized or changed their sound one iota. Even the Stones and the Who had moved on to new greener pastures. Aerosmith were just doing their blues and party rock thing, oblivious to the world around them. In retrospect, that's considered a good trait. Staying true to your roots and not chasing new trends to somehow remain relevant to a younger audience. It wasn't a carefully thought out decision, but the results are more or less the same. As with any Aerosmith album, they managed some good cuts, and some boring ones. They were never the greatest of songwriters to begin with. And there's plenty hear to savor: 'Kings and Queens' is one of their best tracks period; 'Critical Mass' and the title track are also fine. But some 45 years later, the bad rep lingers on. But over time, it will continue to even out.
Molly Hatchet - Flirtin' With Disaster. 1979 Epic (LP). 50 cents at Independent (Aug). They say you can't judge a book by its cover, and I counter that you usually can. But in this case, the cover has no bearing on the music whatsoever. What a waste of a Frazetta painting. And at the tender age of 14, I fell for it. I read about a band called Molly Hatchet (likely in Rolling Stone) with three guitars, and saw that cover, and bought the album sound unheard. I didn't like it all back then and couldn't get rid of it fast enough. Times have changed, my horizons have broadened, so most assuredly I will view this album in a better light, right? Wrong. I like it even less now. I'm more than fine with a southern rock album, but this is really boogie rock. A couple of decent hard rockers, but the rest of this is whiskey swilling music. The cover implies epic metal. The music is closer to The Doobie Brothers or Bachman-Turner Overdrive. What a disappointment really. It wasn't that long ago I heard the debut, and enjoyed it. Hmmm.
*Dust. 1973 Kama Sutra (LP) (1971). Collection revisit (Aug). I've owned this album since 1991 and in those days, I was 100% prog focused, so this album was an anomaly pickup. And, as such, it sort of has languished in the collection for all these years. I'm pretty sure I tried to sell it in the mid 90s through my old Creativity and Chaos lists (for $5!), but there was no market back then. There is now, that's for sure. Music like this has transcended time. As I stated on the Montrose notes, it was pretty rare to find ballsy hard rock from the States during this era. But most groups still had a base in the blues, and that's exactly what Dust brings on their 1971 debut (this copy has a blue label, so it's a second press from two years later). For the most part it's just jammin' hard rock, with marginal tunes, bonehead sex-obsessed lyrics - and killer guitar solos. Perfect. There's one blues throwaway ('Goin' Easy') and couple of other softer pieces, though the latter are well done. And they even get a bit proggy on the near 10 minute 'On a Dry Camel'. Anyway, well known album for hard rock connoisseurs. Easy +1 listen here.
*Montrose. 1973 Warner Bros. (LP). From Independent (Jul). I remember Montrose in my early days of collecting, but mainly his later solo stuff or, in particular, his band Gamma. I don't recall enjoying any of them too much. But in reading various reviews, it becomes quickly apparent that Montrose's debut is a groundbreaking hard rock album. And after hearing this for the first time, I have to agree. Most hard rock from the early 70s still had a strong blues base (even Sabbath), and a few bands were playing around with prog. Keyboards (organ in particular) were a big part of any hard rock band's setup. Not so with Montrose's debut. At least on this album, Montrose went straight for the jugular. This is hard rock extract - a formula many bands would follow later. It's about high energy rock, and especially "the riff". Had I been a teen in 1973, I'm sure I would have gone completely nuts over this album in real time. As it turns out, I was 13 when Van Halen's debut exploded onto the scene (1978), and it has remained a favorite album ever since. In many ways, Van Halen's debut is Montrose ver 2.0. Ted Templeman was the producer for both, and the Warner Bros. connection was no accident. Van Halen took Montrose's concept to the next level, and predicted the rise of the heavy metal movement worldwide. Montrose weren't the only band doing this in the early 70s, but the ones that were, generally were in the underground like Poobah or that crazy Icelandic band Icecross. Montrose isn't perfect, and they did slip in a couple of boogie numbers to ruin the flow, but for the time and place - yea - this kicks ass. One more Van Halen connection: The singer? "Sam" Hagar. Perhaps you've heard of him?
Ted Nugent - Double Live Gonzo! 1978 Epic (2xLP) Thrift shop find (Jul). I have a soft spot for Terrible Ted, since he was the first major arena concert I ever saw, only a year plus after this live release. It's a strange mix, in that it completely ignores Free For All (very good album), or even his latest release at the time - Weekend Warriors (not so good). The majority of the double album is culled from his fertile 1974-75 period which includes his last album with The Amboy Dukes name (Tooth, Fang & Claw) as well as his famed self-titled debut. It's a very good energetic set, but I'm fine with the few Nugent albums I already own. And Nugent isn't the greatest improviser.
*Wishbone Ash - There's the Rub. 1974 MCA (LP). This was from an estate saler's warehouse at the end of 2019. More optimistic times for sure... This one continues to get better to my ears. I'm not the foremost Wishbone Ash fan, but the last two that I've taken in with intent to sell have each experienced +1 listens (the other being Pilgrimage that I spoke of about four months ago). For 1974, There's the Rub maintains a surprising psych flavor in the harmonies and song structures. There's also some crunching hard rock as well. And I really do enjoy the final 9+ minute jam. Pity about the cover. Not seeing any great CDs out there, so this one will get to stay for a long time likely. (Jun)
*Uriah Heep - …Very 'eavy Very 'umble. 1970 Vertigo (Germany) (LP). Picked this up in a trade with a local collector (Jun). I'd been on the lookout for a Swirl version for some years, so it was a surprise to see it in a local friend's stash. Not exactly a commodity, as these old Vertigo's are hard to source, even the popular bands. Musically, most of you know this one. The blueprint for the Heep's sound can be found right here. Heavy organ and guitars with David Byron's excellent vocals. Some mellotron and acoustic guitar for the ballads. This version has the original 'Lucy Blues' which didn't make it onto the US release. It's the obligatory 1970 UK blues track, and is the weakest on the album IMO, so Mercury had the right idea by replacing it. This replaces the basic CD I have.
*Tony Joe White - ...Continued. 1969 Monument (LP). Same garage sale as below (May). It wasn't that long ago that I learned of the term swamp rock. It was applied to those Louisiana imposters Creedence Clearwater Revival. I just figured it was a regional term, because CCR isn't anything musically special in my world. Tony Joe White, now this guy is swamp rock. The record went on at 150 grams and came off at 300 - filled with moss and seaweed and mud. I had to wash up after hearing this album. A thick wedgy wah wah guitar, Hammond organ, pounding drums, and White's soulful vocals sounding like Elvis on Quaaludes is a new sound for me. The music is rooted in country blues - with a side of absinthe. It's heavy rock, but in its own way. And look at that guy, is he cool or what? This is the grimiest album in my collection. A must own, obviously.
*Tony Joe White - Tony Joe. 1970 Monument (LP) Garage sale find (May). A most creative man with no imagination for album titles (his next one is brilliantly called Tony Joe White). This album starts off as ...Continued ended. Right back into the mud we go. Overall the album does feel more self-conscious that White now seems to understand what his signature sound is all about. There's a bit of "gather round the campfire and let Uncle Tony Joe tell ya about a little lady down in New 'Awlins...". All the same, there's plenty of sludge to bathe in here, and it rates out about the same. What a great find, this Tony Joe White is.
*Rainbow - Difficult to Cure. 1981 Polydor (LP). Thrift shop find (May). I've been hoping to find any of these early 80s Rainbow albums, and I finally got one with this latest haul. I had originally bought this album real time. According to RYM, it was released in February, which would have been the second semester of my sophomore year of high school. That rings true. By this point I had already owned Down To Earth (also purchased when it came out) and Rainbow Rising. Over time, the former didn't make much of a mark (long sold off), but the latter remains one of my all-time favorite hard rock albums - a brilliant work. When trying to recall my mindset of the era, I'm pretty sure I enjoyed Difficult to Cure on initial impact, and it would have been sandwiched between the other two in quality. For whatever reason, my interest in traditional hard rock soured throughout the 80s, as my heart and mind were more dedicated to the current metal movement, as well as my first forays into deep diving European prog rock. So Difficult to Cure didn't make the cut either. Hearing this again for the first time in probably 35 years, my perspective towards hard rock has long been altered to the positive. There are two cover songs here, and they are Rainbow's half-hearted attempts for radio airplay. The rest, all originals, is just killer hard rock, and out of time for the 80s. This is mid to late 70s hard rock all the way. Side two in particular is fantastic. And even the Beethoven Ninth cover, usually a trite groan-worthy exercise, has a superb instrumental mid-section written by the band. All-in-all, Difficult to Cure ended up being a +3 listen. It will be a long time before this one goes again. If ever.
Steppenwolf - For Ladies Only. 1971 Dunhill (LP). Thrift shop find (May). I know surprising little about Steppenwolf. Like everyone else, I really enjoy 'Born to Be Wild', arguably the genesis of heavy metal music. But mostly what I've heard is a straightforward rock band, with out of tune rough vocals, typical of its era. A lot of bar and boogie, and not a lot of invention. The late-era For Ladies Only LP fits that description - unfortunately. There are a few good moments here, just enough to take it to an average rating. I'll still pickup the others as I see them. As for the packaging, the less I say about the inner gatefold (and insert), the better. Jeez.
*Grand Funk Railroad - We're an American Band. 1973 Capitol. Yellow vinyl (LP). One of the odd albums out in the funk-soul estate sale (Apr). I guess the band does have funk in the name after all... I thought GFR had already jumped the shark by this point, as the title track is fairly ubiquitous here in the States, and somewhat annoying. But I was surprised to learn that I'd never heard anything else off this album. And it's mostly aces too. The addition of Hammond organ is exactly what the band needed at this point. There's no wild jams as in the past, but the songwriting has improved and there's some great instrumental guitar as well. Easy keeper.
AC/DC - Back in Black. 2003 Epic (CD). Same as below (Mar). If pressed to name my favorite album by AC/DC, it would likely be Back in Black (1980). Which isn't the same thing as stating I think it's great or anything. Just that it's probably their most accomplished. This is the album that introduces Brian Johnson as the lead singer replacing Bon Scott after his untimely death. Johnson sings in a similar manner to Scott, but he's better at it honestly. Back in Black has many hits that long time hard rockers will be familiar with. AC/DC are what they are. I don't think I'll ever find anything that's worth keeping for the collection, though I'll always keep an eye out for their LPs. As with Let There Be Rock, this is an excellent reissue released in a tri-fold digipak and informative liner notes.
AC/DC - Let There Be Rock. 2003 Epic (CD). Garage sale find (Mar). All these years later, and I still don't understand the allure of AC/DC. I don't think I ever will. When I was first getting into metal in 1979 and 1980, AC/DC were considered one of the landmark groups. Most of my peer group loved them. I have no idea why. In retrospect, AC/DC were very much a product of the Australian rock scene of the 70s. Boogie rock was the name of the game downunda, and AC/DC were a part of that movement. A bit more amped up - and certainly more energetic than most - but compared to a band like Buffalo (a group I wouldn't hear for another 20 years), AC/DC were fairly lightweight. Never could go for Bon Scott's vocals either. I find them annoying. It's been many a year since I sat still for a classic AC/DC album, and Let There Be Rock (1977) defines that status as well as any of their albums. Nothing moved the needle on this listen. I'd call it average hard rock at best. Excellent reissue BTW. Housed in a digipak with full liner notes.
*The Five Americans - Ignert Woman / Scrooge. 1969 Abnak promo (SP). From the RT collection (Feb). I don't know anything about The Five Americans despite the fact they have a lot of recorded music. The A side is excellent hard rock with great guitar. Scrooge is a bit more groovy, with piano and sax. Still a pleasant period piece. Yellow vinyl. You'd think something like this would be rare, but it isn't.
* - Keeping for the collection
Tonny Joe White is an absolute must, Tom. Especially his series of albums from 1969 to 1973.
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