*Saga - Images at Twilight. 1979 Maze (LP). Been looking for this one in the wilds for about five years now, so it was great to nab for $5 at the RMRS (Apr). For Saga's debut I wrote: "For 1978, Saga was predicting the future of music by at least four years. This isn't the Midwest pomp of Styx or Kansas, but rather the global AOR/MTV sound of 1982. Way ahead of their time, Saga were already using punchy guitar lines and synthesizers crammed into compact radio friendly tunes. And they were always good at adding a touch of sophistication to their compositions, going far beyond pandering to the masses. Which is their secret sauce and makes them so endearing all these years later." Images at Twilight follows in the same manner. Perhaps a hair less gratifying than the debut, but I'm rating them the same. They were to improve both artistically and commercially soon after.
ZZ Top - Fandango! 1975 London (LP). I always grab ZZ Top when I see them for cheap, in this case two bucks at the RMRS (Apr). I hadn't heard this one since high school. The hype sticker on my in-shrink copy says "Side 1 Recorded LIVE" Well, hot dog! If that's all there is to hype, it's not going to be much I'm afraid. Side 1 is, in fact, Texas Boogie. Not so great. This is one of those weird albums where the two hits that came from it close the LP. It's the better side, as I also like B1. Still it's not anything I need to own. Fast seller at the next show.
Robin Trower - Passion. 1987 GNP Crescendo (LP). From the RMRS (Apr). Hard to pass up this striking cover. A few years ago I detailed my journey through the Chrysalis box set of Trower, which ended two albums prior to this. Free from commercial constraints I would have expected Trower to let loose here. Instead he couldn't give up the dream. As usual, he recruited an excellent vocalist, but the music itself is mid to late 80s blandola with a slick production. Once again his guitar saves the day, especially on the instrumental 'Night'. He should have just recorded a whole album like that. If he had, this wouldn't be a $5 record with nearly 100 for sale at any one time. The music doesn't match the title nor the cover. Bummer.
Satin Whale - A Whale of a Time (1978). 2023 Made in Germany (CD). Ugh. My dream that Satin Whale had great potential to put out a proggy AOR masterpiece certainly did not come to fruition on their 4th album A Whale of a Time. The fact is I did not have a whale of a time listening to this. While As a Keepsake had plenty to praise, there's nothing here I liked other than maybe the instrumental opener with its disco like strings, minus the beats. I think I would have liked the album more were it disco instead. A very disappointing try for FM radio exposure. I still have high hopes for their final album (in this series) that came around three years later. (Apr)
Satin Whale - Don't Stop the Show (1981). 2023 Made in Germany (CD). Closing out the 5xCD set. Their last album was the plodding A Whale of a Time, which arrived with a thud. Once Don't Stop the Show started, I knew it was going to be better than its predecessor. Welcome to the 80s, Satin Whale! Here they provide a more energetic and punchy sound - not too far from a Saga or any number of thoughtful well known 80s AOR bands. Unfortunately this only lasted through the second song. A3 to A5 are turkeys, sloppy tries for stardom. Guess Satin Whale used all of their melodic songwriting skills on their first two prog albums. B1 shows promise that maybe they'll finish out on a high note. B2 wears out its whalecome (OK, I'll stop) after the first couple of minutes, And then down the tubes they go again. Still a much better try than A Whale of a Time, and I found it good overall, but nothing more. Well... poo. This set ends up being a disappointment for me on a number of levels. Just having Desert Places on CD is enough excuse to keep, and I certainly don't mind having Lost Mankind as a supplement. As a Keepsake has some very fine moments, but the last two I don't even consider part of the collection even if I own them via this package. (Apr)
Steely Dan - Can't Buy a Thrill. 1980 MCA (1972) (LP). From a pure economic standpoint, this was my best recent find from the local antique mall (Feb). Finding Steely Dan albums is like finding money on the floor. So at $2, it was a good "market move." But I was sure to keep this, Steely Dan's debut. I don't know what it is about groups like Fleetwood Mac and Steely Dan, but there's something that rubs me the wrong way about them. Can't put my finger on it, but my thoughts on Rumours would go well here. There's this nagging feeling I get - something I recall while working in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 90s and early 2000s. It goes like this: "We all agree that Steely Dan is one of the greatest 70s rock band ever, right?" Well, wait, uhhh, no not exactly. "So you don't like Steely Dan?". Well sure I do, they're good and all, but... This is followed by a look of disgust and bewilderment. I ruined the narrative. How could I? It's obvious I'm just being obstinate and a contrarian. Leave us be, you neanderthal. But, but, but. Well anyway, I can't seem to escape that feeling while hearing this album. I tried to escape into the "I like Yacht Rock" trope, but failed at that too. There are three iconic tracks on here, including the one song I will defend 'Do It Again'. Electric sitar and analog synthesizer solos do still count for something. The rest is fine, but is it so great really? I think if you graduated high school or college anytime in the 1970s, probably so. Those years for me were the 80s. So I don't get it. I'll make my profit. I can always hear these songs the next time I'm at the grocery store.
Golden Earring - Switch. 1975 MCA / Track (LP). The next four albums came from a store in Pueblo (Feb). Ever since college, I've been curious as to what the Golden Earring albums sounded like after Moontan. This isn't what I expected. A rather mundane set of eclectic rock tunes without much consistency. Nor hooks. It does get better on Side 2, but only enough to take into the good category. Wasted opportunity.
Uriah Heep - Head First. 1983 Mercury (LP). Kind of the same idea as Golden Earring, I'm curious what Uriah Heep was up to after 1974. I had owned Fallen Angel prior (1978) and thought it was very mediocre. I hear Head First better than that title, but it's clearly not in my wheelhouse either. Another wasted opportunity, Uriah Heep came from the same hard rock royalty as other early 70s bands, and thus was positioned to capitalize on the burgeoning metal movement. Or they could just pander for FM radio time. They chose that route, and were both artistic and commercial flops. They have a good sound here, but the songwriting is mostly mediocre. If the 2009 Sweden live album is a barometer (which I reported on a couple of years back), it would appear Uriah Heep rebounded nicely. Too late for critical acclaim and financial fortune, but good enough for the oldies hard rock / prog circuit. (Feb)
Uriah Heep - Equator. 1985 Columbia (LP). Got this along with Head First. Holy moly - this is bad! Having spent my high school and college years in the 80s, I tend to be sympathetic towards bands trying to make a career out of music. It was a different era where bands were often financially rewarded for "selling out" to the corporate driven labels consistently chasing hard for profits. Head First is a good example of a legendary underground band making a go for commercialism but falling short of the artistic line of quality. It's certainly listenable. But Equator is at another level. This is pathetic. We're at the desperation stage here (ed: I used a more graphic metaphor, and Google flagged it with a warning - jeez, it wasn't that bad). It's almost as if the band purposely decided to be terrible, thinking it was a winning strategy. No redeemable qualities here whatsoever. One of the worst albums I've heard in the last 10 years. (Feb)
Grand Prix - Samurai. 1983 Chrysalis (LP). I first heard about this album real time from Kerrang, and they described it as a hard rocking Styx. For those who prefer James Young's contributions to the band. 40+ years later, I'm hearing this album for the first time, recalling that sentiment. And I can't agree with it. JY added more grit to his compositions. At its best, there are some proggy moments that point to Saga or even Journey on Frontiers. But this is mostly panning for hits on the radio. I could see some of these making a splash in its era, but alas it was not meant to be. Band is British but they sound American to me. (Feb)
---collection revisits
Enbor – Katebegiak. 1994 Elkar (1980) (CD). Enbor are really more of a rock band than a “prog” band, but they have elements that allow for more explorations than a typical 4/4 rock outfit. The varied instrumentation, once again lead by flute, is what takes this album to the next level. Kind of like the more progressive minded AOR bands in the US during the late 70s, but taking in a good dose of Basque culture, not to mention language.
* - Keeping for the collection; x - Not in RYM
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