2020 Classic Rock / AOR Journal Vol. 2 - Complete

Missouri. 1977 Panama (LP). With CCR (Dec). I first found this album in a record store when I was still in college in the middle 1980s. On first glance, it looks like money - a cool stenciled drawing of the St. Louis Arch perched atop the Utah desert; small or private label pressing. Except it's not a rare occurrence at all. This album must have sold great numbers for an upstart label such as this. And people have been trying to get rid of it ever since... The music found here is very much a product of the 70s, that segment of the decade that really hasn't aged well. It's bar-band-good-times rock n' roll, with songs about a-lovin' and a-rockin'. Some of the tunes are more trite than others, but it's not a bad way to spend 35 minutes. Closer 'Mystic Lady' proved that Missouri (from Kansas City incidentally) could do more if they applied themselves. Starcastle they were not. By any measure, one would have to admit they were a success story for a brief while in the late 70s. History won't be kind though. 

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Bayou Country. 1969 Fantasy (LP). Thrift shop find (Dec). I've never been a fan of CCR, nor have I ever understood their allure. What we now call Swamp Rock, it would seem to have no more than a regional following from the southern portions of Louisiana and Mississippi, as well as southeastern Texas. I hadn't originally planned on giving away 35 precious minutes of my treasured evening listening regimen, but after a quick sample to check the condition, I heard enough to do just that. Side 1 starts with one of their hits 'Born on the Bayou'  which isn't too bad really. I find John Fogerty's vocals incredibly annoying, but I guess in an era when Janis Joplin was also popular, I suppose the buying public's ears weren't any more offended. The rest of Side 1 goes by without notice, but not unpleasant. Side 2 starts with 'Good Golly Miss Molly' which has some great guitar, and this is what captured my initial attention. I figured the song would be your usual early rock n' roll boogie number, but it's definitely hard psych. And the closer is the other winner, 'Keep on Chooglin'' also features some very good lead guitar. But this side also has 'Proud Mary' which I think is one of the worst songs of all-time. It's torture to my ears in the same way that Bruce Springsteen is. If I first attentively listened to FM radio in 1977, then I've been enduring this awful piece of music for 44 years. Not to end on a sour note, the album as a whole is much better than I would have imagined. 

*Paul McCartney & Wings - Band on the Run. 1973 Apple (LP). Thrift shop find (Nov). For all of my semi-disdain for the Beatles, I find the solo albums even worse. I don't like the lot of them. Well, until I heard Band on the Run all the way through. This is a weird record, but just the way I like it. If I were to name my favorite Wings' songs, I would have picked the first two here, unknowing they were put together like this. The song construction - for the whole album - is done in a such a piecemeal fashion, and one that I find highly appealing. I don't know if this is McCartney channeling his Magical Mystery Tour days, or if he was suffering from malaria while recording in Nigeria (when having a fever, try to write a few songs in your head, you'll be amazed at what you come up with) - but he's tapped into his inner Brian Wilson for sure. The latter not a throwaway reference. The chorus' can oftentimes be annoying, but the interludes sublime (think 'California Girls' for example). And all of Band on the Run is like this. I think this album is great. Never thought I'd say that about a post Beatles album. And cool, comes with the poster too...

Fat Mattress. 1969 ATCO (LP). One more with the Stoneground's (Nov). This is the band Noel Redding founded after leaving Hendrix. I enjoyed the opening track 'All Night Drinker' due to the presence of Chris Wood on flute. But that would be the end of his contribution, and honestly the end of anything interesting. It's a good psych album, but nothing here grabs the listener, whether it be a fine melody or an exciting instrumental excursion. For 1969, it's a bit blasé.

Stoneground - 3. 1972 Warner Bros. (LP). With the other Stoneground (Nov). Well no surprise here after hearing The Family Album. Except this is even -1 worse. Really grating stuff and not a pleasant experience. Not sure at all where the interest would have lied here.

Stoneground - The Family Album. 1971 Warner Bros. (2xLP). Same as the Rabin (Nov). Mostly live set. The music is a mix of typical early 70s blues, gospel, and pop rock. No songs jump out as memorable. Not my thing at all.

Trevor Rabin - Can't Look Away. 1989 Elektra (LP). From a local record store (Nov). Of course, you all know Rabin. Here he shows his true colors as a pop artist. I didn't expect much from this, and it somehow managed to be worse than I had imagined. Ridiculously vapid. So yes, Trevor, I can look away.

The Guess Who - Share the Land. 1970 RCA (LP). Another day, another classic rock album found at a thrift shop (Nov). I remember liking some Guess Who from their 60s albums but this is clearly transitioning into more of a tougher rootsier rock, that was in vogue in the early 70s. I didn't enjoy any of it really.

Cold Blood. 1969 San Francisco (LP). Another day, another classic rock album found at a thrift shop, part 2 (Nov). Don't be fooled by the pretty lady up front. She's just as annoying as Janis Joplin. Nails on a chalkboard. I had hoped for some cool horn rock here, but it's mostly blues, and not the good kind.

* - Keeping for the collection

2020 Psychedelic / Garage Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

The following all came from a large thrift shop find of 45s (Nov):

*The Guilloteens - Wild Child / You Think You're Happy. 1966 Columbia promo (SP). What a great name for a band! 'Wild Child' is quite good garage, with a snotty Stones attitude and some pretty cool backwards psych fuzz for the early date. The flip is the usual timeframe's fumble, going for a poppier sound in case the other side offended too much. They were from Memphis. Keeping this one, something of a memento I suppose.

The Barbarians - What the New Breed Say / Susie Q. 1965 Laurie promo (SP). 1965 garage music - so I'll let you figure out who they copied. This is version #965 of 'Susie Q'. No one had any imagination in those days apparently. They were from the Cape Cod area of Massachusetts. 

Guess Who's - Hurting Each Other / Baby's Birthday. 1965 Scepter promo (SP). The Guess Who? Well this says the Guess Who's, so that's who! A side sounds very much like a Burt Bacharach / Hal David composition. B side is very Beatlesque. 

The Jackals - Linda Come Lately / Everywhere She Goes. 1969 Liberty promo (SP). The only release from this unknown group. Pop psych with horns. Nothing distinctive to gather them notice and off they went into obscurity. 

The Liverpool Set - Oh Gee Girl /Walking the Dog. 1966 Columbia promo (SP). The Liverpool Set were a garage band from Canada. Obviously patterned after The Beatles, not a lot of surprises here, but always fun to hear stuff like this.

*Love Sculpture - Sabre Dance / Think of Love. 1968 Parrot promo (SP). 'Sabre Dance' apparently was a live song that gained notoriety and thus helped this truncated version sell much copy. They later recorded the extended version for their second album Forms and Feelings. In any case it's a spirited rendition of the classical chestnut with absolutely killer and fast guitar, especially for the era. 'Think of Love' is unique to this 45, and is even better. Again some great fuzz and features a good piano driven riff. 

*The Rising Sons - Candy Man / The Devil's Got My Woman. 1966 Columbia promo (SP). 1966 is usually too early for me to be engaged, and this is no exception. 'Candy Man' is jangly acoustic driven garage and the flip is similar with a slight rural feel. Los Angeles based group that featured Ry Cooder and Taj Mahal.

Wichita Fall - Going to Ohio / Ornamental Sideshow. 1969 Liberty promo (SP). 'Going to Ohio' is from that annoying element of psych that mixed in Baroque and pop for a completely silly song. The flip is much better with some fine harpsichord, though it gets a bit too brassy towards the end. 

---end of sale

Fever Tree - Another Time, Another Place. 1968 Uni (LP). From RT (Nov). There are some very good tracks here including the opener and closer, but there's also some boring ones. It reminds me of later Iron Butterfly in this way. Seems they went into the studio without much material, and just made it up as they went along. Wasted opportunity. 

The Beatles VI. 1965 Capitol (LP). And more Beatles from RT (Nov). If I have my facts straight this album, along with Beatles '65, were both culled from the UK release called Beatles For Sale. In the US, Capitol was attempting to milk the brand for all it was worth. As with Beatles '65, most of these tracks are throwaway numbers. The only track I recognized is 'Eight Days a Week', which I never really cared for too much. The cover looks like guys I worked with when I joined the permanent work force in the late 80s. Paul McCartney is in his element, but boy did John Lennon ever change... Sell bin it is.

The Beatles - Beatles '65. 1964 Capitol (LP). From the RT collection (Nov). Well... Beatles again. Most of my knowledge of this era of the band goes back to grade school when I bought the Beatles 62-66 2xLP set. In contrast to 67-70, there was no Magical Mystery Tour favorite album to refer to as a favorite. In fact the "red" compilation was much more varied for the source material. The only track I recognize here is 'I Feel Fine', and after hearing this album, it would be my pick for best song. Now whether that's due to familiarity, or it is in fact the best cut for my tastes, I'm not entirely sure. For the most part, I hear this album as average and won't keep it.

*The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour. 1967 Capitol (LP) From the same picker as below (Oct). Well, Beatles again. But... I think this is my favorite one. Maybe Revolver is in that race too. The very first full album I ever bought (age 12) was the 2xLP Beatles 1967-1970 set. I played that to death (still own it remarkably). I used to read all the lyrics and got to know all the melodies. After all, it was the only album I owned at one point - and I was excited to use my new stereo. As in all day, every day. What those liner notes told me back then is that many of my favorite tracks came from this very album. 'The Walrus' and 'Strawberry Fields Forever' in particular (early clues that all was not right inside my head....). But also 'Penny Lane', 'All You Need is Love',  and 'The Fool on the Hill'.  Magical Mystery Tour is usually not the album many folks point to as their best, but I think it's their most truly psychedelic album - more so than Sgt Peppers.

*The Beatles - Abbey Road. 1969 Apple (LP). From a local picker (Oct). I'll freely admit that I'm not the biggest Beatles fan alive. But Abbey Road is in their top 5 for certain. 'Come Together' is brilliant and I certainly do enjoy 'Something', 'I Want You', and 'Here Comes the Sun'. There's probably a couple of others, but their overall eclectic nature wears on me. The cover has the sewer drain (something of a big deal for Beatles collectors I come to find out). 

various artists - Easy Rider. 1969 Dunhill (LP). Thrift shop find (Oct). Nice selection that does a good job of capturing the ethos of the psychedelic era, especially that of the west coast. I prefer the heavier and trippier material, of course, like Steppenwolf (including the iconic title track), Hendrix, The Byrds, and The Electric Prunes. Not as keen on the folky and countryish numbers, but again it is representative. 

* - Keeping for the collection