2021 Classic Rock / AOR Journal Vol. 4 - Complete

*Utopia - Ra. 1977 Bearsville (LP). A throw-in on an online deal (Nov). For some reason, I didn't embrace Utopia's second album like I did the first. It's a really odd mix that Rundgren has going here. It's a bit glammy like Queen and ELO at times. But there's some hardcore prog still going on - way out of fashion for when this was released. And of course, as noted eblow, Utopia did in fact embrace pop radio shortly thereafter. But this is unique enough to hold onto, for the short term anyway.

***The following came from a large CD drop at a thrift shop (Oct):

*Jeff Beck - Truth. 2006 Epic Legacy (CD) (1968). While I can take or leave most of Beck's blues rock works, I think the debut has more spirit than the others. While it's got the usual over reliance on covers, they aren't the usual "standards" and Beck puts in some mean guitar here. You still have to deal with Rod Stewart though lol. I think the CD itself pushed this one into the win column. Typically great Legacy release with excellent liners and no less than eight bonus tracks.

*Jeff Beck Group - Rough and Ready. 2015 Iconoclassic (CD) (1971). Most of Jeff Beck's works around this time circle the UK blues movement of the late 60s. Rough and Ready is a departure from that, and much more enjoyable to my ears. There's a jazz rock flare, and a bit of straightforward hard rock as well. This is the best Beck album I've heard from his earlier era. Excellent reissue too.

*Eno - Here Come the Warm Jets. 2004 Virgin (CD) (1973). To me Brian Eno is something like David Bowie. Not the music content, though while in art rock mode, there are some similarities, but more in the fact that you really never know what you're going to get with him. And his debut definitely fits the "art rock" tag which is a style of music that I never truly embraced. For one, it's hard to define, so it's not always an indication of the music you will hear. Exhibit A would be Here Come the Warm Jets. For the first few songs, I was trying to figure out if I was going to sell it online, in a bulk sale, at the record show, etc... I mean, I'm not keeping it, right? Then comes the second half. Whoa, this is really quite good after all. It's unique, which is a +1 in my book, and probably will keep it here longer than normal. The CD is a dull commodity, and I'll keep an eye out for the LP, which will be tough to score. 

Argent - Original Album Classics (CD). 2009 Epic Legacy. I don't really have much background with Argent, so finding this box set with the rest of the sale was a thrill. I discuss my history with Argent on the Encore post as well as a journal post on Nexus, which is the 5th album in this set. And probably my favorite. The debut still has a Zombies leftover psych feel. It's a very good album, though maybe not enough to convince me to pursue further. Along with Nexus, I think Ring of Hands is the best album here. Very strong early progressive rock work, with superb organ and guitar. All Together Now loses some of the momentum, though it features their most known (and excellent) cut 'Hold Your Head Up'. In Deep is even lesser to my interest as Argent are getting further away from progressive rock, and more towards standard radio fare. Fortunately they reversed gears on Nexus. This box set has no bonus tracks to supplement. Since I already have Nexus on vinyl, I can let this one go, and will look for Ring of Hands separately (LP or CD depending on what I find). I don't think the debut and All Together Now would survive on their own, though both definitely are worth checking out.

R. Stevie Moore - Phonography. 1998 Flamingo (CD) (1976). I wasn't quite sure which genre to put this in, but this section is sort of my "catch all" grouping. Moore's debut has a cult following among those that worship at the lo-fi bedroom recording altar. I can certainly appreciate the historical perspective, but that doesn't make the music any better. The only saving point is that Moore clearly doesn't take himself seriously here, which for many, ruins the experience. All the same, this isn't a pleasant listen and off it goes. This reissue is unique in that it has 8 bonus tracks. Excellent liner notes as well.

Utopia - Oops! Wrong Planet. 1995 Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (CD) (1977). Wasn't sure I'd even listen to this one all the way through, but it really isn't so bad. It's the 3rd Utopia release, and they've clearly cut ties with their proggy past. Mostly standard issue AOR with some hard rock passages. Not really very consistent style-wise, but the 45 minutes flew by without discomfort. These gold discs always go for good coin, which is the primary reason I bought it.

***end of sale

*Klaatu - 3:47 E.S.T. 2002 Bullseye (CD) (1976). Thrift shop (Oct). Klaatu are one of those bands that I somehow managed to avoid in my initial record collecting days of the 1980s and early 90s. I sensed they were more of a pop rock group than the type of underground prog I was looking for, and yet that cover always drew me in. My instincts proved correct, and I'm certain this is an album I wouldn't have enjoyed much back then. But I do now. And one can sense they are a prog band in a pop group's body. One can also understand the comparisons to The Beatles (supposedly they were the Fab Four in disguise, as the story once went). The music has a lot of similarities to Abbey Road, if looking for one album to relate it to. I found myself enjoying it quite a bit, to the grade of excellent. There's quite a bit of mellotron as well. Very fine CD, with lyrics and historical notes. Another quality thrift shop find - always on the lookout for obscure reissues like this, which carry value. 

*Klaatu - Hope. 2002 Bullseye (CD) (1977). This was sitting next to 3:47 naturally enough (Oct). More pop oriented this go round, as to be expected, but certainly still falls into the very good category. I love the sound this band possesses. The album once again does not disappoint.

*David Bowie - Space Oddity / The Man Who Sold the World. 1972 RCA with picture sleeve (SP). From the RT collection (Sep). 'Space Oddity' is one of Bowie's signature songs, and is really an odd one for commercial radio to have picked up on. The b) side is even more strange. Bowie was always operating in his own world and on his own terms.

Heart - Little Queen. 1977 Portrait (MC). Thrift shop find and the beginning of my quest for cassettes (Aug). This is one of those albums that go to the very beginning of my LP buying experience. I can remember even contemplating buying the album at age 12 - and it would have been one of the first ten I ever bought. 'Barracuda' was the big hit and I loved it. If you think about it, up until that point, Heart had struck gold with 'Magic Man' (proggy hard rock), 'Crazy on You' (hard rock), and the aforementioned 'Barracuda'. Which tells us that Heart were an excellent hard rock band. Which further makes you wonder why everyone insisted they be a sugar and spice band instead. The Wilson sisters were tough broads at the end of the day, and spice was their comfort zone. You'll often hear references that Heart were nothing more than a Led Zeppelin copy band. Certainly one can hear 'Achilles Last Stand' in 'Barracuda', but as I often say, influence is not the same thing as copy. Honestly Heart should have focused more on Zep and less on the radio charts. I'm sure the record execs of the day had a hand in this ultimately bad decision. In any case, there's a few other fine tracks here including the title song and 'Go on Cry', but for the most part, 'Barracuda' ends up still being the highlight. I'll go +1 here, but it's not enough to keep.

Boston - Third Stage. 1986 MCA (MC). With the above (Aug). Going back to the beginning of these journals, I noted that I had finally warmed up to Boston's debut (1976), no doubt a combination of nostalgia and a reluctant easing of years of vitriol towards it. I have no history with Third Stage, and honestly have no idea of Boston's history past Don't Look Back (1978). At what point does a band become a caricature of itself? Allow me to introduce Exhibit A: Third Stage. As stated in that journal, Boston always had a reputation for purposely crafting the perfect AOR record, maybe even as an hypothesis. They were so successful, the pressure was on to surpass that, which Don't Look Back did not manage to do. By Third Stage, madness clearly had crept in, and one can see Tom Scholz spending years re-recording each note. "No no wait... it has to sound just like this.. no, no, hold on, no like this... no no....". Meanwhile Boston misses the entire 80s experience, including MTV's heyday. Those crucial early 80s years of dumbo AOR bands like Journey, Kansas, Styx, REO Speedwagon, ad nauseum, raking in millions and millions of dollars, while Boston is in the lab trying to perfect the formula. And finally, in 1986, Boston releases Third Stage. Yes - the perfect album for 1980! All the new music buyers looking around saying "who's Boston again?". Dad Rock long before the term existed. The whole musical world had changed, and here's Boston recreating Boston (the album). I guess one cannot say it's a bad album, it pretty much sounds just like the previous two. But it was so out of time, it must have been hilarious to those who waited. By 1986, I could care less what a band like Boston were doing, and doubt I even noticed it when released. I'm sure my story is similar to many others. Boston let opportunity slip by. A tragic tale.

Melting Pot - Fire Burn, Cauldron Bubble. 1970 Ampex promo (LP). From Independent (Aug). This title goes back to my CDRWL days. Looks like I never featured it. In any case, Melting Pot were one more band trying to capitalize on the horn rock movement. When the group sticks to brass rock, they do an excellent job of creating the magic of same period Chicago or Blood, Sweat, & Tears. But like a lot of brass rockers, Melting Pot ventured into soul and the blues, while also trying their hand at cover tunes. All of which disappoint. So it's about half excellent and half OK. I'll give it a +1, but it's not going to stick around here. Comes in a cool thick gatefold cover. Though obscure, the record company clearly thought they had a big winner here. There are no less than five domestic pressings plus this promo. And there's also a Canadian and South African pressing. As such, not an expensive record, though you won't likely find it at a local record store, as I did here.

Duane & Greg Allman - Allman. 1972 Bold (LP). From RT (Aug). Though released in 1972, this album is an archival release from 1968. At that point, labels were digging through the warehouse looking for any snippets of sound associated with the recently deceased Duane Allman. Side 1 went on. I looked up and it was over. Flipped - side 2. It's over. Short album and nothing particularly interesting for me. 

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Green River. 1969 Fantasy (LP). Thrift shop find (Aug). I forced myself to listen to this, given its universal high ratings. Yep - sounds like CCR to me. For my tastes, it's a slog to get through albums like this. About the only track I liked is 'Sinister Purpose', mainly because it doesn't sound like them. I just don't get the allure for CCR.

Small Faces - First Step. 1970 Warner Bros. (LP). From the RT collection (Aug). A couple of seconds in and that sounds like Rod Stewart to me. Oh sure enough, there's his ugly mug right up front. I never knew Rod Stewart was in Small Faces. But then again, I wouldn't know who was in Small Faces to begin with. Apparently this is a late era revamped lineup. Pretty much what you would expect, this is mostly UK styled blues rock, which I could take or leave. What saves this is Ian McLagan's Hammond organ work, which is really great, especially on the instrumental 'Looking Out the Window'. Overall I'll grade it out as good.

Steve Miller Band - Fly Like an Eagle. 1976 Capitol (LP). From Independent for 50 cents (Aug). Did Miller hit paydirt with the title track or what? He must have been out of his mind when he wrote that track - it's inspiring on so many levels. And it was exploited to the hilt, rightfully so. This was actually the last 45 RPM record I bought as a kid before moving away from records for about a year, before finally buying full length albums. As for the rest, well it's typical SMB fare, and ultimately a bit dull. I do like 'Wild Mountain Honey' but the other hits on the album I can live without. And there are no hidden gems here. Good on the whole. No need to keep for the title track. I'll hear it next time I'm at the grocery store.

* - Keeping for the collection

2021 Funk / Soul Journal Vol. 5 - Complete

The New Birth - It's Been a Long Time. 1973 RCA (LP). From the quarter bin at Independent (Nov). The New Birth were a band from Louisville, Kentucky that featured cool titles and interesting album covers. The genres attributed to The New Birth are funk and soul, though there's very little of the former - unfortunately. As such this is way too soulsy for my liking. The funky 'Keep On Doin' It' was the sole highlight of the eight tracks presented. Hard to knock it too much, as it may very well be a good album for the genre, but it's not something I'm going to sit still for a listen.

*Pleasure - Future Now. 1979 Fantasy (LP). I picked this one up online as a throw-in to another deal (Nov). I had found 'Joyous' at a thrift shop almost two years ago, and heard it a very good jazz funk album. 'Future Now' is later, but maybe even better. One would presume disco by this point, but Pleasure doubled down with some ripping hard guitar and a fine set of funky and fusion tunes. This is a band I need to keep exploring.

Faze-O - Riding High. 1977 She / Atlantic (LP). Thrift shop find (Oct). Solid funk / soul album with nods to disco but never really going there. Mostly party time music with 'Funky Reputation', 'Toe Jam', and especially 'Get Some Booty' (yea, OK, there's a term that didn't age well. Everything was "booty" in those days). Some whiny soul too. It definitely fits with the Earth Wind and Fire camp. Very good but no room left in the collection for albums like this.

Jiva - Something's Goin on Inside L.A. 1975 Dark Horse promo mono/stereo (SP). From RT (Sep). I don't know much about Jiva, but from what I've read, their sole album is a typical mid 70s soft rocker. If that's the case, then this track is truly an outlier. It's a hard funk song with some excellent guitar. But that would not have been uncommon in 1975. Odd choice for George Harrison's label regardless. I'd keep it if there was another side, but this is a radio promo with the same track. 

Cissy Houston - Think it Over. 1978 Private Stock (LP). From Independent and it was free, can't beat that (Aug). Actually this is pretty good disco, a little bit above the norm. So who is Cissy Houston anyway? Turns out she's the mother of a one Whitney Houston (and aunt of the Warwick sisters), and she was 44 years old when this was released (only her third album). That's two Whoa's right there! It's rare for someone to break through at that age, especially back then. Obviously she lived through great tragedy because of her daughter. 

War. 1971 United Artists (LP). Thrift shop find (Aug). In an earlier journal, I spoke of obtaining Deliver The Word, and how it crossed the threshold into keeper territory. I had high hopes for this earlier effort, but it fell flat to my ears. Mostly this is soul... funk music, with an obvious emphasis on the former. Which can be OK, if the melodies stick. But I'm afraid they didn't with me. The exception here is the album closer 'Fidel's Fantasy', which can only be categorized as weird. And there's a segment in the middle where Charles Miller's flute sounds almost Krautrock like. Lyrically they're going after Castro, which is refreshing during an era where there was too much sympathy for thugs like him. Sort of like today. Hmmm. Comes in a very fine gatefold, and my copy has the "war bond". This was inserted into early copies, and was good for "$1 off for 2 tickets" through Dec. 1973. That sounds trivial today, but concerts didn't used to cost so much, so $1 was a reasonable coupon.

The Blackbyrds. 1974 Fantasy (LP). From Independent (Aug). After researching it, I for certain thought this was going to be an easy keeper. All the ingredients are here. The name, of course, is a play on Donald Byrd, who was teaching at Howard University, the famous all black college in Washington DC (and where Lloyd McNeill also taught). Hence The Blackbyrds. Byrd writes about half the songs, and Larry Mizell is also lending a hand. Perhaps this will be a more funky version of Street Lady? Well, technically yes, but not so much to my liking. I've never been a big fan of "handclap funk" and constant references to "partay", but that's your openers on each side. Oddly, the more funky tracks here are written by Byrd in conjunction with a band member. I prefer Mizell's numbers, especially the instrumental 'Reggins', which is the highlight of the album. After two tries, my interest continued to wane. And considering the beautiful Van Gogh gatefold cover painting, it's a pity I have to let it go. But let it go I must.

Cymande. 1972 Janus promo (LP). Thrift shop find (Aug). Cymande's album cover looks dangerous, like we're in for some serious hard funk with a strong political message. It's something of the opposite. It's a very mellow and peace-loving album, with some excellent grooves. In particular I'm fond of the two longest tracks 'Rickshaw' and 'Dove'. Cymande is a London based group with a Caribbean heritage, and they don't have the edge that their American counterparts bring. What's missing here? Reggae. It's expected, and the band are playing around it, but specifically leaving out the distinctive rhythms. For their part, Cymande calls their music Nyah-Rock. Comes in a cool gatefold. 

Cymande - Second Time Round. 1973 Janus promo (LP). Fortuitously found this with the other one (Aug). Whereas the debut's best cuts are in the middle, here they can be found on the bookends on 'Anthracite' and 'Them and Us'. Fairly similar to the debut, though this is a bit more song oriented, and I'm picking up a bit of Highlife here as well. This one gets further from my personal tastes.

* x-Freddi and Henchi - Moonlightin' / Mr. Funky. 1974 Reprise (SP). These two tracks fall to the heavier side of the funk / soul spectrum. Some nice horns and fat beats. All the same, it's too vocal oriented to keep me engaged for long. And there's a bit of silliness like Funkadelic / Jimmy Castor Bunch - especially the B side. Fairly obscure single. Looks like they're from up the road in Denver! These two songs are not on their sole LP. I'll keep it for the local angle. (Jul)

* - Keeping for the collection; x - not in RYM

2021 Modern Rock Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

M O S E S (Moses) - Leave Leave Leave. 2016 Crosstown (EP). From the 25 cent haul at Independent (Nov). This Moses (stylized different as noted) is a UK band who are tagged with the unflattering "indie" genre. But I wouldn't characterize it as such. I'm picking up an odd combination of post punk, neo psych, and even prog. The latter shows up in the unexpected breaks. And there's some definite psychy guitar. The vocalist very much accentuates his English-ness. The "Yuuu Kyyy" (UK) type pronunciation. I quite liked this, though don't see myself going back to it. Wouldn't mind hearing their full length from 2020, entitled Almost Everything is Bullshit. They got that right.

Nirvana - Bleach. 1992 Sub Pop (MC). Thrift shop find (Aug). Bleach is the famed Nirvana's debut album (1989). An album that mostly flew by without notice upon release. Any original pressings, no matter the media format, are worth serious money because of the lack of supply, which were all gobbled up once Nevermind became the "it album". But even these analog (not digital) reissues go for good coin. Given all the information I've shared with you over the years, it should come as no surprise that I would have had no use for grunge in the late 80s and early 90s. By this point in my life, I was buying strictly hardcore prog albums, or the occasional tech thrash effort. And not much else, though I had just started down a Dead Can Dance path and their ilk. For as long as a rebellious youth exists, as well as rock critics, there will always be a movement to get "back to the basics". For your garden variety male punk, sophisticated music is not what they are seeking. They are looking for a way to express rage, through fashion, words, and music. So while the metal world had clearly gone leaps and bounds from their original premise, grunge offered a chance to get back in the garage, go to clubs, get wasted on cheap beer and drugs, and just create mayhem in general. Since the movement's roots were in Seattle, untucked flannel shirts and wool head coverings became the uniform, and the genre took off for a few years, defining its era. By this time I was already in the workforce, doing the Corporate America thing, while having an obsessive music hobby on the side. "My generation" had already passed as it were. Had grunge come along in the late 70s, I could see myself enjoying it as an early teen. Especially at first. And that gets us to Bleach. It has a great raw sound (according to the original liner notes, on a budget of $600), and the album kicks butt from beginning to end. It's pretty generic, especially for 1989, but again we're talking a new audience looking for a new anger outlet. Bands like Metallica were on the Grammy's by then. "Dude, like total sell-out, ya know?". And, in retrospect, Nirvana's sound isn't new at all. And I don't even mean from a metal perspective, but more from the underground of the early 80s. On labels like Ralph and SST, you would hear similar type sounds. But Nirvana caught lightning in a bottle. Not here though, but the next album. Glad I heard Bleach, definitely a good album, but it wasn't made for me.

*Jane's Addiction - Ritual de Lo Habitual. 1990 Warner Bros. (MC). With the above (Aug). In addition to grunge, you also had funk metal and alternative rock bands running around in the late 80s and early 90s releasing interesting music, though whatever little I would hear (usually via MTV) wasn't enough to encourage me to pursue. See Nirvana above for where my head was at back then. And that would include Jane's Addiction. I didn't recognize any of the songs based on the titles, but yes I do now recall 'Been Caught Stealing'. In hearing this album for the first time, coming in completely objective without bias, all I can say is this is one strange work. One can see why Jane's Addiction were a cult band from the beginning. They mix all the styles above and then some. Side 1 is 20 minutes long and features five songs with more upbeat music, and one can hear bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers or Faith No More in these grooves. Side 2 has only four songs - going 30 minutes! Already a major disparity, and certainly Jane's Addiction is pushing the envelope in multiple ways. I'm not quite sure where I stand on all of this yet, but Ritual de Lo Habitual is way too interesting to let go. 

Gagakirise and EYE - The Flash / Robobird2. 2015 Thrill Jockey. This was inexplicably in the 10 cent bin at Independent (Jul). At that price, I'd buy anything like this. It's complete with the full picture cover and postcard. I think they mismarked it. In any case, this is somewhat typical Japanese noise rock. Not really my thing of course, but not terrible either. Average for the style I'd submit.

* - Keeping for the collection

2021 Funk / Soul Journal Vol. 4 - Complete

***The following came from a large CD drop at a thrift shop (Oct).

*Automatic Man - Visitors. 2005 Lemon (CD) (1977). If you were to read the reviews and interpret the ratings on this one, you'd think they leapt off the pop cliff. Shrieve went packing and so did the hard rock aspect of their sound. Automatic Man thus became Bayete's band. But Pat Thrall was still hanging around throwing in some mean licks. But it's mostly funky fusion by this point, with a dash of soul. It's far more consistent than the debut. And for my tastes at this juncture, I found this just as good as the debut. Not even five years ago that would have been the case. Have I evolved or devolved? Hmmm...

*Axiom Funk - Funkcronomicon. 1995 Axiom (2xCD). This was in the mid 90s when Bill Laswell and the gang were completely dominating this field of music. You've got most of the P-Funk gang on hand, even some archival Eddie Hazel is thrown in here. Remember Praxis? This album is a sprawling set of inconsistency. But it stays due to the massive psychedelic era Funkadelic styled pieces. There are some wonderous jams to be found among the usual silliness, soul, pop, whatever. 

*Netwerk: Electric - Expression Sessions. 2001 Harmonized (CD). I had no idea who these guys were. Netwerk: Electric were a band from Santa Cruz, California and they mixed jazz fusion, funk, and space rock seamlessly. I tend to favor these kind of "tribal" albums of late, so the timing to hit the collection was perfect.

Dawn Silva - All My Funky Friends. 2000 private (CD). Dawn Silva was an active member of the P-Funk tribe and this album brings in many from the collective. This was a comeback solo album of sorts and the reviews indicated this to be a retro funk extravaganza. Eh. Pretty good, but does devolve into the usual soul crooning at points. As my friends in Mexico might say "ees OK". Another rarity in any event.

Infectious Grooves - Mas Borracho / Pneumonia. 2000 Suicidal (CDEP). I was hoping for a Latin Funk banger here. No such luck. I don't remember too much about it now, but it was more modern and lacked the heavy psych that makes the genre endearing. Also rare these days.

Quazar. 2012 Big Break (1978). I had high hopes for this one, promising P-Funk sounds from the late 70s. Not even sure if there really is a P-Funk connection and the music falls mostly to soul versus funk or psych. It's decent for what it is, but not really my thing. Beautiful CD release, that is now quite rare.

Clydie King - The Imperial & Minit Years. 2007 EMI/Stateside (CD). The compilation starts with the three Imperial singles, and all six tracks offer up an excellent Bacharach / Specter take on soul music. Sophisticated arrangements, and King's voice is reminiscent of Dionne Warwick here. In particular, 'Missin' My Baby' is superb. No surprise to learn that these singles go for serious coin these days. Unfortunately it's all downhill from there. The four Minit singles (eight songs) head towards more typical Soul radio standard fare. Too whiny for me, and no arrangements or other interesting background music to keep it interesting. Worth noting that these singles are relatively cheap, so today's market seem to reflect my observations as well. This is followed by eight unreleased tracks, all recorded in 1968. Once again, these follow the Minit style and range from good to disappointing. The CD package is awesome, with a full history of King, and recording details. Really enjoy her mid-60s style, but clearly not enough here to hold onto overall.

***end of sale