2023 Classic Rock / AOR Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

ZZ Top - Deguello. 1979 Warner Bros. This album contains a good number of their familiar radio hits. It came after a three year hiatus, and the group were energized. They changed their sound a bit to go with the times, something they truly mastered on Eliminator. I think this is a very good album, but I don't need to own it. Got this far in life without it, and it's not something I'm going to clamor to hear. Most of the tracks are played at the grocery store anyway lol. (Oct)

Sugarcane Harris - Sugarcane. 1970 Epic. Denver show find for cheap (Oct). Well regarded blues rock album, but I didn't derive much out of it. More blues than rock. I liked the opener though. This is the second album for me to try from Harris, but it's not looking like his albums are going to be my thing. (Oct)

*Malo - Evolution. 1973 Warner Bros. Finally the all elusive 3rd Malo album! At least in the wilds, this is by far the hardest title to track down. Not only that, but this is the first time for me to hear the album. And it lived up to expectation, including the cover. Just as great as the others from the original quartet of albums. For Latin rock fans, Malo are ground zero (along with brother Carlos of course). Found at a local store, and I paid close to retail for it (they usually charge less, but I had to have it). (Jul)

Billy Thorpe - Children of the Sun. 1979 Polydor. My memory stated that while the title track is awesome the remainder of the album is nothing of the sort. This copy fell to the buck bin at a local store, so I decided to hear it again after some 40+ years. That memory proved to be correct. This is 1979 pop rock with one very strange anomaly with the song 'Children of the Sun'. You'd think if an artist actually gets rewarded for being creative, he might stick with that formula. No way. Off it goes... As an aside the best use of this track IMO was used at the beginning of a season of Fargo several years ago. (May)

Kevin Ayers - Yes We Have No Mananas. 1977 ABC. Free from a local store (Apr). Ayers is considered prog royalty given his participation on the first Soft Machine album. So anytime an artist like Ayers releases a garden variety pop rock record, it has to be appended with a much more regal genre tag. "Intelligent Pop" states the radio station notes on my copy. Art rock, art pop, progressive pop. All fancy terms to obfuscate what the album really contains: Corporate approved radio friendly fare. This album is mostly worthless until the last two tracks, especially the finale, that shows Ayers still had a couple of good ideas left in the tank. Overall it rates out to about average. ABC also had Steely Dan in their ranks and they were much better at this sort of thing.

Supertramp - Crime of the Century. 1974 A&M. Estate sale find (Apr). I thought I'd heard this one recently, but it was Even in the Quietest Moments. I've reluctantly accepted Breakfast in America in recent times, but what of Crime of the Century from five years earlier? There are three major hits here including 'School', 'Bloody Well Right', and 'Dreamer'. None of which excite me too much. Supposedly the rest is labeled prog rock, but I really don't hear it. More of the same. The major exception to this is 'Rudy' by far and away my favorite track here and the only one I'd personally label as progressive. Overall a good and inoffensive record.

Steely Dan - Gaucho. 2003 MCA (SACD) (1980). I found a pile of SACD's from an estate sale recently, mostly classical, but this one and a Billy Joel release were the outliers. I can't sit still for Joel, and that CD is already sold and gone. But I held this one back (and some of the classical which my wife and I enjoy while having a late afternoon glass of wine). I've never actually heard this album, and I do like Aja. Gaucho comes across to me like a caricature of their sound. It's just way too slick. I'm amazed the original album didn't come with a tube of polish. It's not bad of course, but what pleasure can I possibly derive from it? For middle aged moms. (Apr)

Prism - Armageddon. 1979 Ariola. In my story about how I discovered Def Leppard, I mentioned a radio station down in San Antonio that was responsible for that. They also played a lot of cool AOR type music, and always the best tracks such as 'Last Chance' by Shooting Star. I could have sworn they also played a great song from Prism, and given that this was from 1979 and had a near 8 minute track called 'Armageddon' that this must have been it. Nada. What a pile of pop slop this album is. Almost no redeeming qualities whatsoever. This Canadian band is willing to slurp it up to get on the radio. I like me some good AOR. This is bad AOR. Probably the worst album I've endured in a year. Found this at a Denver area store and paid $5. I overpaid by $4.99. (Jan)

* - Keeping for the collection

Malo - Ascencion. 1974 USA-California

A couple of years ago I went on (and on and on) about Malo's debut, and some reminiscence of my time near East Los Angeles in the late 90s. At this point, I'm inclined to rate that album second only to the almighty Chango release for best Latin Rock. Curiously, I never picked up their other 3 albums until now. Ascencion is the last from Jorge Santana and crew. Arguably it's a more consistent album, though it doesn't have the insane high of 'Just Say Goodbye' or the gorgeous beauty of 'Sauvecito'. But it also avoids the more traditional Latin pop style as well. Ascencion combines the best of Latin rock and horn rock for a fantastic album. Every track is very good, but the opening 'Offerings' and closer 'No Matter' are highlights where we hear Jorge plug in and wail. There's some strong Hammond work here as well. And the 3 piece horn group is also on fire. Excellent album for fans of Latin rock.

Ownership: LP: 1974 Warner Bros. Single sleeve with eye catching artwork. Pulled out of a local record store's $1 bin.

Malo. 1972 USA-California

In late 1997, while still a "road warrior" consultant, I had a 2 month gig at California State University Los Angeles (CSULA). Go to Google Maps and check out where that fine institution resides. Exactly. The only "motel" nearby (at the time) that was remotely safe, was an ancient Quality Inn in Alhambra that still sported their trademarked 1960's sunburst logo. A nice motel - if this were the Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice era. I had been transported back 25 years in time. It was a most surreal experience.

As I was cruising the streets of East Los Angeles in my 1972 El Camino Super Sport (no silly, it was a 1997 Chevy Shitty from Hertz, but I have good story cooking here...), there was a radio station, which I now forget the call letters, that basically played "Lowrider Classics", and yes that was their tagline. Its signal didn't seem to last past the immediate area. 'Suavecito' received regular airplay. For us traditional males who love women, and like to woo them, this song is ground zero for that emotion (note album cover). For the modern emasculated man who cannot get his nose out of his smart phone, and doesn't even notice Miss America standing next to you, you will not understand (most of my nieces are beauty queens, and I've witnessed this over and over - it's ridiculous!). For this track alone, Malo is worth the money. But there's so much more.

You can skip over the opening 'Pana' which is banal Mexican Rock (no, not the generic Latin, I mean Mexico proper). This is the worst track and an inauspicious start IMO (worth noting that I see this and 'Cafe' more highly rated among those who enjoy this album - so there you have it). 'Cafe' is similar, but does possess some nice guitar work from Jorge Santana. 'Peace' is the closer, a bizarre mix of hard and soft rock, and is excellent on the whole.

That leaves the album's two big winners other than 'Suavecito'. We'll start with 'Nena', which has the most killer horn charts combined with machismo singing, pounding percussion, jamming Hammond, and molten guitar solos. A must hear.

And then we get to 'Just Say Goodbye', one of God's gifts to music. Now you're in the car with me cruising down Whittier Blvd. It starts off mellow, setting the mood for... no not that.... out comes the Santana guitar heritage, mixed with a Chango like intensity. Screaming guitars which then leads into a... WAR CALL. The hair goes right up on the back of the neck at this moment. What an amazing sequence. Then the music just inexplicably shuts down. We're now transported to a bar with a name like The Silver Dollar, and out comes the Beach Boys mixed with the 5th Dimension. This harmonic lounge 60's soft psych thing. It's placement within the song is stunning. And then... back to raucous heavy Santana styled rock to close the song. What a masterpiece.

Ownership: 1972 Warner Bros. (LP); 1995 Warner Bros. (CD)