2025 Classic Rock / AOR Journal Vol. 2

Bob McBride - Sea of Dreams. 1973 Capitol Canada (LP). As with the Harvey Mandel below, Sea of Dreams was being prepped for sale, when I heard some very intriguing music. The album cover originally drew me in at the thrift shop, and when I saw it had some value, I added it to the stack. So who is Bob McBride anyway? He was the primary vocalist for the famous horn rock band Lighthouse. Sea of Dreams is tagged as folk rock, and I suppose that's the hard truth, but there's far more of a rock element here than is usual for the genre. It grooves hard, and there's plenty of electric guitar that is quite acidic in tone. A4 recalls Neil Young, and my mind at that point began to wander and lose interest. A5 has a bit of an America feel to it. The B side did little to bring me back, and completely loses steam about midway through. Ah well, not a bad listen overall, with a strong opening. A familiar tale, drugs ultimately did McBride in, and his promising solo career mostly ended here. He did manage a couple of albums in the later 70s that remain unnoticed despite major label releases. I'll eventually spin up a Lighthouse page, and will add McBride in at that point. (11/21)

*Harvey Mandel - Feel the Sound of Harvey Mandel. 1974 Janus (LP). I'm largely ignorant of Harvey Mandel's work, so when I put this on to ensure the quality for resell, I was pleasantly surprised at what was coming back. I then placed it as aside for a full listen. And here we are. Mandel is most known as a blues guitarist, who spent time with Canned Heat and John Mayall. It appears he took about 20 years off from the late 70s until the mid 90s, and has been recording ever since. Starting off with a strong funk number, Mandel plays various forms of blues and rock. I really like the grooves on this title, along with Mandel's guitar tone. I think B1 sold me. Picking up some Frank Marino at the end of this. The cover is pretty darn great too. I'll keep my eyes peeled for Mandel albums in the future. Might build out a page eventually. I'm considering Mandel as Classic Rock in the same sense as early ZZ Top. (11/21)

Electric Light Orchestra - No Answer. 1972 United Artists (LP) (1971). After hearing the below, I decided to pull out A New World Record and this, their debut (the record show isn't until November). A New World Record just isn't for me. But I felt this one at least deserved a few words. Consider that both Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne essentially wanted to expand upon The Beatles' experiments with classical instrumentation. For example, 'Eleanor Rigby' and 'I Am the Walrus'. Both are favorites of mine, so let's give this one more listen. At this stage, the Electric Light Orchestra really is a small chamber unit. No crazy synthesizers here. This isn't a rock album, and really belongs in its own category. It does have a Beatles flair, without the psych element. I'm tempted to keep this for being unique, but I'll let it go. I love the story of how the album was named for the US pressing. Apparently a secretary from United Artists called Harvest over in England to find out the name of the album, and no one picked up the phone. So she wrote "No Answer". Perfect! This isn't urban legend either, and has been confirmed. (9/5)

Electric Light Orchestra - Face the Music. 1975 United Artists (LP). Well I think I finally found the ELO album I was looking for. I've documented a couple of their late 70s albums that were more ubiquitous in my youth, neither to my taste. Since that time I found the first album along with A New World Record. And they didn't do too much for me either. The opener of Face the Music is a track I remember liking when I first got into FM radio in 1977. I didn't realize until now that it was ELO behind it! Has sort of this odd 'Pinball Wizard' meets Alan Parsons Project thing going on. A2 is a sappy ballad that blows. A3 is of course their first true megahit 'Evil Woman'. I liked this song when I was 11 and I still do. It's probably the best song they ever did, at least of those I know. Well OK, I recognize A4 as well. Haven't heard 'Nightrider' in forever, and probably didn't pin ELO on it either. You have to remember that ELO would have dominated the radio airwaves in '77 and '78 when that's pretty much all I listened to, along with my puny record collection I possessed back then. B1 is kind of a punky prog track, an oxymoron if there ever was one. With Zeppelin undertones. B2 is their other great hit. 'Strange Magic' is probably their second best track ever (in my book). It's pretty weird honestly, especially for a Top 40 smash. B3 is an out of place rural infected song. B4 is a nice closer. This is the best I've heard from ELO to date. I can let the LP go, but if I find the CD cheap, I might keep it. (8/30)

GTR. 1986 Arista (LP). Steve Howe approaches Steve Hackett and says: "I have an idea. Let's recreate the glories of my past, with you and me in the lead". Intrigued, Hackett pursues further. Like who he asks? "ASIA". God bless. And then name the band as gee-tar. What a waste of talent. Now all these guys are closing in at the end, many already have. Can you imagine if they chose to recreate classic Yes meets Genesis in the mid 80s? A renaissance of the great prog rock style could have commenced. But noooooooo. I gave this an objective 2.5 rating on RYM. I should have given it a 0.5 on principle. (6/22)

* - Keeping for the collection

2021 Classic Rock / AOR Journal Vol. 3 - Complete

Manfred Mann's Earth Band - The Roaring Silence. 198? Warner Bros (LP). Found this two years ago at a garage sale (2019), before I was detailing these kind of discoveries. Once I made the decision to keep it, I knew this day would be coming. I just didn't know when. These were exactly the type of LPs I didn't keep 25+ years ago. But I had made some room in the collection for additions, and this was "good enough". Now it's at the bottom of the ranking. But should it be? This is a really odd album. First released in 1976 (the one I found is a tan label, so it's likely to be from the 80s), I remember hearing 'Blinded by the Light' back then, and thinking it was a really cool track. I still do - such a bizarre song to begin with considering its swirling organ and synthesizers, and crazy vocals. I've not heard Bruce Springsteen's debut album, but Mann mined it for two megahits - the other being 'Spirit of the Night' which was appended to later editions of this album (like mine). But what of the rest? 'Singing the Dolphin' (a song by Mike Heron) seems to be Mann trying to channel Camel, and failing miserably. What a dull song. Contrarily, 'Waiter, There's a Yawn in My Ear' is a killer instrumental prog track, something I would have been happy to get a whole album of. Side 2 is more mixed, but still brings the goods like 'The Road to Babylon' and 'Questions'. A very good album but ultimately I decided to let it go. (Aug)

Ambrosia - Life Beyond LA. 1978 Warner Bros (LP). Another one of those anomalies in the RT collection (Jul). Ambrosia are practically the definition of what we now call Yacht Rock. A sophisticated style of pop designed for the wealthy in-crowd. No sweat and dirt allowed here. Ambrosia's background is one of a prog band, so they do bring the instrumentation and production qualities with them - along with a middling set of FM/AM radio tunes. The big hit here is 'How Much I Feel', which you will instantly recognize once you hear it. It has creepy machismo lyrics into the bargain. I don't feel like typing them out, but find the last stanzas... Good for what it is, but this was too deep in the catalog for me. 

Charlie - Lines. 1978 Janus (LP). Thrift shop find (Jul), different one than the other two. I've been looking for some Charlie in the thrift bins since I started this. Mainly the 70s variety. When I do find them, they are trashed, so it was nice to see a minty copy last week. Charlie were one of the early bands I was first exposed to when listening to FM radio in the mid to late 70s as a preteen. I remember some of their music having cool riffs, though obviously not enough to pursue buying a full LP. Whatever the case, this album is devoid of anything hard rocking. This is pure unadulterated FM soft pop rock. AOR at its most obvious and pandering. A couple of decent cuts for sure, but I was disappointed. I recall none of this. I'll try their first two albums as well (when I find them), curious what I had heard from my youth. I do like the model on the cover, though. This gal, whoever she is, represented the sexy female ideal of the late 70s.

Slade - Nobody's Fool. 1976 Warner Bros (LP). With the Stones albums above (Jul). Slade are one of those bands that I've heard all of my life but never actually heard, if that makes sense. Meaning, I know some of their songs, but never bothered to hear a full album. Quiet Riot may have had something to do with that... Were Slade just a hard rock band, this would have been more enjoyable. For that style they are reasonably accomplished. But they were a glam band in the end, and they mix in other genres (like 50s rock n roll). They have their audience, and they play to it. That audience does not include me. Average on the whole. 

The Who - Who Are You. 1978 MCA (Canada) (LP). From an estate sale (Jul). It's been forever and a day since I heard Who Are You. I'm thinking 40+ years ago. Inexplicably I still appended a rating of "good" on it (I do not usually rate albums that I haven't heard since college or before). Well, it was a pretty accurate assessment, though I'd say I was being a bit generous. I hear this album as average at best, typical of the UK mega stadium bands of their era. The title track being the most recognizable song, and frankly, the best of them. 

***The following were all from the same thrift shop find (Jul)

Van Morrison - Moondance. 198? Warner Bros. (1970) (LP). 80s reissue (has the bar code) of Van Morrison's 3rd album from 1970. The only track I recognized was the title song, which I've always enjoyed. Has an odd lounge angle I find appealing. The rest? I just don't get it. But I don't get Bob Dylan either. I find his voice somewhat irritating and the music dull. This is considered one of his landmark works, so clearly it is I who remains in the dark. Others in my shoes would no doubt call it overrated or hyped, but that's awfully self-absorbed. No it's not overrated. It's that I disagree with the popular opinion on this title (and artist likely).

Electric Light Orchestra - Out of the Blue. 1977 Jet / United Artists (2xLP). Out of the Blue was yet another mega seller when I was first getting into FM radio in 1977. I didn't think much of it back then... and I still don't. A sprawling double LP that sounds like a mutant baby of Queen and Supertramp, with the Beatles somewhere in the DNA hierarchy. This weird strain of late 70s British AOR music that inexplicably was more popular here than in their homeland. A couple of good songs, but this one isn't for me. I'll hear every ELO as they come to me, but so far I'm not finding myself enjoying any of them.

Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms. 1985 Warner Bros (LP). Their most famous album, Brothers in Arms is actually Dire Straits' 5th release. I've never really understood the appeal of this group, though one could state they were the antithesis of the outrageous New Wave and Hair Metal bands that were proliferating at the time. How 'bout some good old fashioned unassuming rock? It's certainly inoffensive enough with no real highs to call out. A Dave Matthews Band of their day. Kind of blows by without notice, though of course I recognize all the megahits here that have been inculcated into our collective brains. 

***end of sale

* - Keeping for the collection

2020 Classic Rock / AOR Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

HCL - High Cost of Livin'. 198? P.I.N. With the two below (Nov). Yet another 80's private pressing, this time from Salisbury, Maryland. Interesting mix of styles here, though there's no question of its 80s provenance (they do have a CD from 1991, suggesting this could have been from 1990). The strangest aspect of the album is its blues rock leaning, with some strong electric guitar. Its impact is diminished by the production, but it provides a unique juxtaposition. 

The Jacks - In Danger. 1985 Quest (LP). With the Morningstar (Nov). Music moves towards an AOR / New Wave / Hard Rock sound. Very 80s, and also had potential to make it for the era. The album is a six song EP with two "single" versions appended on to make it an LP. The Jacks were from Omaha, Nebraska and quietly disappeared.

Morningstar - Venus. 1979 Columbia (LP - white label promo). From a Denver area record store (Nov). Morningstar were a band from Kansas City going back to the late 60s. By the time they got around to releasing their two albums in the late 70s, FM album oriented rock was all the rage. Venus was their second and last album. Somehow I got it in my head I liked this band and paid real money for it ($4 lol). Eh... no. It's the pandering side of AOR. You can tell they're in it for the money, which probably lead to their ultimate obscurity. One very good track with 'Never Meant to Be' (hmmm...they got that right) and 'Hard Bargain Driver' is pretty good. The rest can be avoided.

Toto - Toto IV. 1982 Columbia (LP). Thrift shop find (Nov).  Everything that was bad about commercial rock radio when I was in high school - can be found on this album. Not for me....

Humble Pie - Smokin'. 1972 A&M (LP). Thrift shop find (Nov). Never been much on Humble Pie, but I don't know them that well either. Smokin' is mostly blues to blues rock and the vocals are suitably raspy, if not annoying. There's a couple of Led Zep styled rockers here that I quite like. Overall it's good, but not good enough for my tastes to keep.

Electric Light Orchestra - Discovery. 1979 Jet (LP). Thrift shop find (Nov). Another one of those groups that was omnipresent in my youth. I'm sure I heard a couple of their albums back in the day, but God knows I don't remember any of them. So let's give it a whirl. Meh. I don't have too much issue with the disco elements, it's more the lack of great songs. 'Don't Bring Me Down' is the hit from this, and man is that an annoying song. I'll be sure to pick up any of their albums as I see them. They have some songs from the early to mid 70s that I do like. 

The following all came from the same thrift shop find (Oct)

Cheap Trick - Heaven Tonight. 1978 Epic (LP). This is Cheap Trick's 3rd album. In the last five years I've also heard their first two. I'm 0 for 3 on Cheap Trick. I don't get the allure. It's not my kind of rock n roll I guess. Clearly I'm in the minority - or at least back then I would have been. 

T Rex - Electric Warrior. 198? Reprise (1971) (LP). Here is the blockbuster T Rex album. The one with 'Bang a Gong (Get it On)'. I never liked that song, and the album is only worse. Every day that goes by, I'm reminded how much I don't like classic rock. At least I'll get a good profit from it.

Asia - Alpha. 1983 Geffen (LP). Somewhere in this blog I went on a nostalgia rant about the debut. I never bothered to hear anything else by the band back in the day, as I was done with that sound. Without any past association, Alpha is going to have to make it on its own songwriting merits. Pffft. Jeez, what a pile of manure this is. Whatever was great about their first album, was tossed completely for a more commercial sound. How could it be more commercial? Listen to this and find out. See ya.

---end of sale

*Keef Hartley Band - The Battle of North West Six. 1969 Deram (LP). Thrift shop find in the Denver area (Oct). I know very little about Keef Hartley, though his early titles were recommended to me not that long ago. Though apparently this album is considered the weak link between his debut and 3rd album. If that's the case, then I'm certain to love the other two, because I found much of this to be quite good. A solid mix of hard rock and horn rock, with solid songwriting. Very good on the whole and cannot see a reason not to keep it.

Boaz - Three of a Kind. 1978 Blue Moon (LP). In the world of thrifting, this is what one would call a "great score" (Oct). And no, Boaz is not really a commodity, though the music kind of is. Having said that, side 1 had me thinking this was a keeper, with some strong hard rock songs and excellent lead guitar. Side 2 devolves into boogie/country rock, and quickly lost its luster. Pretty good on the whole I'd submit. Boaz were from Madison, Wisconsin - clearly from a different era of the city. 

Dynamics - Another Day. 1976 Aspen (LP). Thrift shop find in Fort Morgan (Oct). OK this isn't really a commodity, but I'm always on the lookout for local grooves. This is a small press classic rock album from the Denver area (despite label name). Pretty typical of a 70s bar band, and nothing at all to get excited about. 

*Boston. 1976 Epic (LP). Thrift shop find (Sep). After ALL these years, I'm kind of warming up to Boston. They were omnipresent in my youth, to great annoyance. I was told - in no uncertain terms - that yes, it is a fact, that Boston is one of the greatest albums of all time. No it isn't. Used to piss me off. Well, it still kind of does. Making matters worse, it was sort of known, even back then, that these guys were Massachusetts Institute of Technology wise-asses looking to formulate a hit record. Well they certainly succeeded! They do have some well written songs here, and that guitar distortion wasn't unwelcome at all back in the day. OK, OK, I'll keep it now. First time ownership. No promises on long term commitments. (2024 note - still have it!)

* - Keeping for the collection