Supertramp - Even In the Quietest Moments... 1977 A&M (LP). Thrift shop find (Apr). Supertramp have become quite collectable in recent years - even their most commoditized albums are going for a tenner. Other than their out-of-nowhere 1985 prog(gy) album Brother Where You Bound, I've never had any use for Supertramp. But I'm trying to keep an open mind, and listening throughout to albums that I've dismissed in the past. To quote a part of my review for Brother: "And here comes along Supertramp - one of those bands that contributed to the dire state of the radio in the first place." Yep. The opener 'Give a Little Bit' is exactly what I was talking about there. Most folks will point out the album's closer as the grand progressive rock moment. 'Fool's Overture' is 10 minutes, and about double the length it needs to be. It's of the slow symphonic type, nothing overly progressive in my book. 'Lover Boy' is probably my favorite track, and I would call that one "good". It's not a bad album overall, but it's fairly average really. Oh well.
America - Hearts. 1975 Warner Bros. From RT (Apr). America are a band that I've passed on many times - even in thrift stores. Odd in that they have at least four songs that I think are superb - some of the best songs to ever be played on radio. In college, my roommate bought the America's History album, which is of course their famous greatest hits collection. Even then I loved those four songs. So when I went to our local used record store back then, I bought Holiday, which had one of these gems. I don't remember liking anything else, and sold the record off not too long after. Not surprised to see America in folk collector RT's stack. Maybe to amend that, I'm more surprised this is the only one I've run into so far. Now this album doesn't have any of those great four songs (which I won't mention until we get to their albums - if we get there). But it does have the 5th favorite, and that would be 'Sister Golden Hair', which is pretty good. In hearing the album opener 'Daisy Jane' - also on History - it's better than I recall. The best track for me is 'Company' and was that fuzz bass on 'Woman Tonight'? The rest is boring folk rock. So that assessment I made about America way back in 1986 seems to still hold court. Bummer.
Lighthouse - Can You Feel It. 1973 Polydor (LP). From the same estate sale (Mar). Being an enthusiastic horn rock fan, Lighthouse of course is a band that I do enjoy. Especially the debut album which has some fine horn charts, great melodies, and excellent lead guitar. By 1973, while Chicago is still cranking out hits, Canada's Lighthouse is desperately clinging on for survival, trying hard to regain that magic. The first thing you notice, while looking at the cover, is the band could have used a good dental plan. Then on the back cover, the producer is making excuses as to why it doesn't really sound that good. Too much music I believe was the lame excuse. He's right about one thing - it doesn't sound right. It has no heft whatsoever. It's a shame that a large talented band like this couldn't have come up with something more innovative. They should have gone full-on prog or funk or hard rock or something. But jeez, hearing them try so hard for radio airplay that sound like they're from 1970, just doesn't work. I think one track did manage to do OK on Canadian radio, and it's probably the best one here ('Pretty Lady'). I hesitated to buy this for fear of being stuck with it. But it does have the large poster, so that will help. Of course the giant 4 panel poster replicates the album cover... which highlights their teeth. Some guys just never do get plugged in right.
Mose Jones - Get Right. 1973 MCA / Sounds of the South (LP). From an estate sale (Mar). Mose Jones were a southern rock band, though they did have some groove to them. Probably the oddest aspect of their sound is the copious use of mellotron, hardly a southern rock staple. The music is as eclectic as their instrumentation, and is a mix of gospel, rock, funk, r'n'b, and folk. Highlights for me were the haunting acid folk of 'Ode to Drugan' and the jamming 'Julia's Beautiful Friend'. Interesting album, but not one for me to keep. Looks like Sounds of the South was a Al Kooper directed imprint back in the day, though it's new to me. The main group to have been on the short-lived project was Lynryd Skynryd. Nice gatefold cover.
Queen - A Day at the Races. 1976 Elektra (LP). Thrift shop find (Mar). The more I hear Queen, the less I like them. I figured it would be the opposite. They're just not for me. I find myself liking Brian May's guitar work... and little else. I've had good luck finding their albums at thrift shops and garage sales, which is great because they're easy to flip. I haven't heard them all yet, but A Day at the Races is my least favorite of their 70s output that I've heard to date.
Janis Joplin - Pearl. 1971 Columbia (LP). Thrift shop find (Feb). I don't know if I've ever been able to sit through a Janis Joplin album all the way through, which would include Big Brother and the Holding Company of course. It's obvious she puts everything into her singing. But ugh, that voice. She's just not my kind of girl (in any way, shape, or form). Her singing is both annoying and irritating. My favorite track on the album is 'Buried Alive in the Blues', which is instrumental lol. If she had been able to conquer her demons, my best guess is she'd eventually found her way to Country music, and obtained more fame there for the long haul. You can hear that twang in her singing. Just needed some control. Alright, so now I've heard one of her albums throughout. An accomplishment in of itself.
J. Geils Band - Love Stinks. 1980 EMI (LP). One more from the 1980 era RT stack (Jan). There's a fine line between opportunist and selling out. Whereas REO Speedwagon is a clear example of the latter, J. Geils is more the former. At least that's how I hear Love Stinks. The title track is the most known song here, and 'Just Can't Wait' was another hit. Jay Geils and crew were from Boston, going back to the 60s, and clawed their way to the top with a fine mix of early rock n' roll, funk, and R'n'B. They're meant to be a fun group and yet they do bring some edge with them too. Of course they were smart to latch onto the late 70s AOR sound. I can respect this album, though it does stray from my personal interest area. A well spent 37 minutes before heading to the sell bin.
REO Speedwagon - Hi Infidelity. 1980 Epic (LP) Ha. Early 60s folk collector RT would just buy about anything on occasion it appears (Jan). This album is more like the 38 Special album below, in that it was played so often, it's pretty much part of my DNA. Unlike 38 Special, this is pure dreck. One of the most obvious pandering to the great FM radio god there ever has been. Even Journey put some elbow grease into their pop slop. I really tried to be objective, but it's just dentist-office painful to sit through. A couple of decent guitar solos I suppose. I had to spray down the stereo after playing this.
Shoes - Present Tense. 1979 Elektra (LP). Also from RT (Jan). This is exactly the kind of power pop that has gained a following in the last few years. Borrowing from the happy late 60s but with a modern indie styled vocal and songcraft approach. I kind of remember these guys back then, but they didn't make a mark. This really isn't my thing, but it wasn't painful to get through at least. I'm a bit surprised this album isn't more expensive, as most LP's in this genre have gone way up.
Blind Faith. 1977 RSO (LP) From RT (Jan). Another one of those albums that is highly praised (and has been all my life) but leaves me scratching my head. Early supergroup (1969) of Cream, Traffic, and Family but it doesn't remind me of any of them. Maybe a more bluesy Traffic. Like the Beck / Bogert / Appice, this album lacks bite. This has the girl cover, but is a later reissue. Not for me.
The Who - Face Dances. 1981 Warner Bros. (LP) From RT (Jan) Face Dances is not a critic or fan favorite, and has generally been panned across the board. And while I'm certainly not going to fall on my sword for it, I don't find it any better or worse than most major artist albums from this era. This was the first studio album without Keith Moon, so you know how that goes with the die-hard fans ("It's not The Who without Keith Moon" grumble, grumble, grumble...). But the year 1981 had more to do with the output than the personnel methinks. 'You Better You Bet' was the big hit of the day and it's pretty good.
38 Special - Wild-Eyed Southern Boys. 1980 A&M (LP). From the RT collection (Jan). 38 Special were a band from Jacksonville, Florida, so they are often compared to The Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd. And certainly 38 Special have southern rock tendencies, but mostly they are a rocking AOR band, pretty far removed from the above groups. Once again, 38 Special were a band that enjoyed great radio airplay success while I was in high school. In hearing this album for the first time throughout, tracks like 'Hold on Loosely' and 'Fantasy Girl' were already etched into my DNA due to repeatedly listening to them for 40+ years. On the whole though, the album isn't so bad. It has a bit more muscle than others of its ilk, and the guitar work is a cut above. And since it's from 1980, the music definitely has a 70s sheen to it.
