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Artist...............: Budgie Album................: Never Turn Your Back on a Friend Year.................: 1973 Genre................: Heavy Metal Source...............: CD Number of Songs......: 7 Duration.............: 00:42:19 min
Track Listing: 01. Breadfan 6:07 02. Baby Please Don't Go 5:30 03. You Know I'll Always Love You 2:15 04. You're the Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk 8:51 05. In the Grip of a Tyrefitter's Hand 6:29 06. Riding My Nightmare 2:42 07. Parents 10:25
Album Review: Originally released in 1973 on MCA, Budgie's third record, Never Turn Your Back on a Friend, was another slab of the band's signature plodding metal sound. Although they were never more than a cult band in the U.S., Budgie's popularity flourished in their native England, yet their influence was eventually felt by many notable American bands (Metallica, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, etc.). The mammoth riffs created by guitarist Tony Bourge are definitely on par with Black Sabbath riff master Tony Iommi, while vocalist/bassist Burke Shelley's voice is a cross between Robert Plant and early Geddy Lee. Drummers came and went (this would be original member Ray Phillips' last recording), but you'd never guess there would be a defection soon, judging from the tightness and interplay displayed on this album. One of their best-known tracks, "Breadfan" (later covered by Metallica), kicks off the album with rapid, almost speed metal, while the epic "Parents" closes the album sans the heavy metal thunder (the band chooses a more mid-paced and acoustic sound). The group also became notorious for coming up with profound (yet lighthearted) song titles, such as "In the Grip of a Tyrefitter's Hand" and "You're the Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk." Recommended to anyone who finds solace in the metal forefathers (Sabbath, Zep, Hendrix, etc.). - Greg Prato, All Music Guide
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Artist...............: ALICE COOPER Album................: Billion Dollar Babies Year.................: 1973 Genre................: Hard Rock Duration.............: 41:04 Number of Songs......: 10 Cover(s) Included....: Yes
Track Listing: 01 - Hello Hooray - 4:15 02 - Raped and Freezin' – 3:19 03 - Elected – 4:05 04 - Billion Dollar Babies – 3:43 05 - Unfinished Sweet – 6:18 06 - No More Mr. Nice Guy***– 3:06 07 - Generation Landslide – 4:31 08 - Sick Things – 4:18 09 - Mary Ann – 2:21 10 - I Love the Dead – 5:08
Album Review: With Billion Dollar Babies, Alice Cooper refined the raw grit of their earlier work in favor of a slightly more polished sound (courtesy of super-producer Bob Ezrin), resulting in a mega-hit album that reached the top of the U.S. album charts. Song for song, Billion Dollar Babies is probably the original Alice Cooper group's finest and strongest. Such tracks as "Hello Hooray," the lethal stomp of the title track, the defiant "Elected" (a rewrite of an earlier song, "Reflected"), and the poison-laced pop candy of "No More Mr. Nice Guy" remain among Cooper's greatest achievements. Also included are a pair of perennial concert standards -- the disturbing necrophilia ditty "I Love the Dead" and the chilling macabre of "Sick Things" -- as well as such strong, lesser-known selections as "Raped and Freezin'," "Unfinished Sweet," and perhaps Cooper's most overlooked gem, "Generation Landslide." Nothing seemed like it could stop this great hard rock band from overtaking the universe, but tensions between the members behind the scenes would force the stellar original AC band to split up after just one more album. Not only is Billion Dollar Babies one of Cooper's very best; it remains one of rock's all-time, quintessential classics. - Greg Prato, All Music Guide
Track Listing: 01-Time Was-09:45 02-Sometime World-06:57 03-Blowin' Free-05:18 04-The King Will Come-07:08 05-Leaf And Stream-03:56 06-Warrior-05:54 07-Throw Down The Sword-05:56 08-No Easy Road-03:36
Album Review: If Wishbone Ash can be considered a group who dabbled in the main strains of early-'70s British rock without ever settling on one (were they a prog rock outfit like Yes, a space rock unit like Pink Floyd, a heavy metal ensemble like Led Zeppelin, or just a boogie band like Ten Years After?), the confusion compounded by their relative facelessness and the generic nature of their compositions, Argus, their third album, was the one on which they looked like they finally were going to forge their own unique amalgamation of all those styles into a sound of their own. The album boasted extended compositions, some of them ("Time Was," "Sometime World") actually medleys of different tunes, played with assurance and developing into imaginative explorations of new musical territory and group interaction. The lyrics touched on medieval themes ("The King Will Come," "Warrior") always popular with British rock bands, adding a majestic tone to the music, but it was the arrangements, with their twin lead guitar parts and open spaces for jamming, that made the songs work so well. Argus was a bigger hit in the U.K., where it reached the Top Five, than in the U.S., where it set up the commercial breakthrough enjoyed by the band's next album, Wishbone Four, but over the years it came to be seen as the quintessential Wishbone Ash recording, the one that best realized the group's complex vision. - William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
Track Listing: 01-The Wizard-02:59 02-Traveller In Time-03:25 03-Easy Livin'-02:37 04-Poet's Justice-04:15 05-Circle Of Hands-06:25 06-Rainbow Demon-04:25 07-All My Life-02:44 08-Paradise-05:10 09-Spell-07:32 Bonus Tracks: 10-Why [Single Version]-04:53 11-Why [Extended Version, Previously Unreleased]-07:39 12-Home Again To You [Previously Unreleased]-05:29
Album Review: This is the album that solidified Uriah Heep's reputation as a master of gothic-inflected heavy metal. From short, sharp rock songs to lengthy, musically dense epics, Demons and Wizards finds Uriah Heep covering all the bases with style and power. The album's approach is set with its lead-off track, "The Wizard": it starts as a simple acoustic tune but soon builds into a stately rocker that surges forth on a wall of sound built from thick guitar riffs, churchy organ, and operatic vocal harmonies. Other highlights include "Traveller in Time," a fantasy-themed rocker built on thick wah-wah guitar riffs, and "Circle of Hands," a stately power ballad with a gospel-meets-heavy metal feel to it. Demons and Wizards also produced a notable radio hit for the band in "Easy Livin'," a punchy little rocker whose raging blend of fuzz guitar and swirling organ made it feel like a 1970s update of classic 1960s garage rockers like the Electric Prunes or Paul Revere & the Raiders. However, the top highlight of the album is the closing medley of "Paradise" and "The Spell": the first part of the medley starts in an acoustic folk mode and slowly adds layers of organ and electric guitar until it becomes a forceful slow-tempo rocker, while the second half is a punchy, organ-led rocker that includes an instrumental midsection where choral-style harmonies fortify a killer, Pink Floyd-style guitar solo from Mick Box. All in all, Demons and Wizards works both as a showcase for Uriah Heep's instrumental firepower and an excellent display of their songwriting skills in a variety of hard rock styles. As a result, it is considered by many fans to be their finest hour and is definitely worth a spin for anyone with an interest in 1970s heavy metal. - Donald A. Guarisco, All Music Guide
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Artist...............: Gentle Giant Album................: Octopus Year.................: 1972 Genre................: Progressive Rock Source...............: CD Number of Songs......: 8 Duration.............: 00:33:41 min
Track Listing: 01. "The Advent Of Panurge" - 4:28 02. "Raconteur Troubadour" - 3:59 03. "A Cry For Everyone" - 4:01 04. "Knots" - 4:09 05. "The Boys In The Band" - 4:30 06. "Dog's Life" - 3:09 07. "Think Of Me With Kindness" - 3:32 08. "River" - 5:53
Album Review: Returning to Gentle Giant's fourth album after any kind of lengthy absence, it's astonishing just how little Octopus has dated. Often written off at the time as a pale reflection of the truly gargantuan steps being taken by the likes of Jethro Tull and Barclay James Harvest, the band's closest relatives in the tangled skein of period prog, Gentle Giant often seemed more notable for its album art than its music. Octopus, however, marries the two seamlessly, with the cover speaking for itself, of course. And the mood continues within, the deliciously convoluted opening "The Advent of Panurge" itself riding waves of sonic tentacles as Derek Shulman's guitar shrieks short but so effective bursts around the thundering bass and, occasionally, churchy organ. Against the pulsating volume of the album's heavier tracks - "Panurge" is joined by "A Cry for Everyone" - the band's excursions into less excitable territory are never less than captivating. Twiddly though they are, the sometimes a cappella "Knots," the lilting "Dog's Life," and the Yes-with- fiddles-ish "Raconteur Troubadour" all have moments of sublime sweetness, while the instrumental "The Boys in the Band" is a succession of quirky showcases for, indeed, all the boys. Occasionally arrangements do get overly cluttered - with each of the six bandmembers doubling up on at least three different instruments, there's a distinct sense of overdubs for overdubbing's sake. Follow the key instruments alone, however, and the soundscapes not only make perfect sense, but so do the flourishes and intrusions that rattle around. And the end result is an album that has withstood the test of time a lot better than anyone might have expected. - Dave Thompson, All Music Guide
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Artist...............: Babe Ruth Album................: First Base Year.................: 1972 Genre................: Heavy Prog Source...............: CD Number of Songs......: 8 Duration.............: 00:47:58 min
Track Listing: 01. Wells Fargo (Alan Shacklock) - 06:17 02. The Runaways (Alan Shacklock, David Whiting) - 07:28 03. King Kong (Frank Zappa) - 06:44 'This track was recorded "straight" with no overdubbing or electronic trickery - the spontaneity and live feel are set off by Dick's comment at the end!' 04. Black Dog (Jesse Winchester) - 08:03 05. The Mexican (Alan Shacklock) - 05:49 this track interpolates from "Per Qualche Dollaro in Piu" by Ennio Morricone - he seems to be a favourite of the band - A Fistful Of Dollars appears on the Babe Ruth album. 06. Joker (Alan Shacklock) - 07:43 07. Wells Fargo, 7 Inch Version (Alan Shacklock) - 03:35 08. Theme from "For a Few Dollars More" (Ennio Morricone) - 2:19
Biography / Album Review: Babe Ruth was a band that formed in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England, in 1971. Guitarist Alan Shacklock founded this progressive rock band. They had a rhythmic, bluesy, guitar orientated sound capped off by the blistering vocals of Jenny Hahn. Rounded out by Chris Holmes (keyboards and organ), Dave Punshon (piano), Dave Hewitt, (bass) and Dick Powell, (drums) this British band always put on a great live show.
Jennie Hahn's raw powerful vocals, along with Alan Shacklock's magnificent guitar work made for their true signature sound. With very varied eclectic tastes they covered songs like Frank Zappa's "King Kong", and Curtis Mayfield's "We People Darker Than Blue".
They enjoyed moderate commercial success in Britain, Canada, and the States, but were plagued by personnel problems, and lack of radio airplay.
When vocalist Jennie Hahn left the band for parts unknown, the band lost direction and never regained its initial success. I became aware of them through Boston progressive radio where their great song "The Mexican" became a minor hit.
Their 1972 album "First Base", with its cover art by famed Yes artist, Roger Dean, remains one of my most favorite albums to this day. I suggest you give this album a listen, because it is simply one of the best rock albums of all time.
On a side note the song "The Mexican" became a favorite of hip hoppers like Grand Master Flash who often sampled the song.
Babe Ruth should never be forgotten as one of the best rock bands to ever come out of England.
Now this is real music! Jenny (Janita) Haan is credited on the original album sleeve as 'vocal power' and that's an accurate description. She belts out the songs incredibly powerfully and her voice never seems to even approach the limits of her range. The rest of the band are accomplished and solid musicians. Something that they are obviously proud of since the sleeve notes announce that the cover of the Frank Zappa 'King Kong' is done in one take with no overdubs.
They are: Dave Hewitt on bass and vocals Dick Powell on drums and percussion Dave Punshon on electric piano and piano Alan Shacklock on guitars, vocals, organ and percussion Alan Shacklock is responsible for the string arrangements that underpin 'The Runaways'.
Track Listing: 1. You Play For Us Today (6:08) 2. Sahara City (7:42) 3. Ala Tul (4:50) 4. Pulse (4:43) 5. Khan El Khalili (8:10) 6. Malesch (8:10) 7. Rucksturz (2:09)
Album Review: A classic of the German space genre. Their current music is a combination of Progressive Rock and New Instrumental Music, with touches of Jazz and passages dedicated to an experimentation near to Ambient. Their originality was due to the blend electronic and repetitive musics with a lot of ethnic elements from North Africa, India, etc. Very much like your early ASH RA TEMPEL, GURU GURU type bands except with a cultural influence."Malesch" is an ethic excursion and a clear passion for the European avant-garde with extended guitar solos and mesmerizing atmospheres. "Second" is more Euro-folk inflected, with a stronger use of acoustic guitars and bouzouki. Both "Malesch" and "Second" are excellent space excursions but absolutely brilliant recordings... ESSENTIAL!. Several AGITATION FREE albums were released after the group's breakup, including 1976's "Last", 1995's "Fragments" and the following years's "At The Cliffs of The River Rhine" (1998). The following year "River Of Return" appeared, featuring the original quartet as well as new members Johannes Pappert and Bernard Potschka. Their aptly titled "Last" is considered by many to be one of the best live space albums ever. Lots of acid-drenched guitar and electronics to really carry you "out there". "review by www.progarchives.com"
Line-up/Musicians: - Peter Michael Hamel / keyboards - Michael Hoenig / synthesizer, keyboards - Michel Gunter / bass - Uli Pop / bongos - Burghard Rausch / drums, keyboards, vocals - Jorg Schwenke / guitar - Lutz Ulbrich / guitar, keyboards
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Artist...............: TRAFFIC Album................: Welcome To The Canteen Type.................: Live Released.............: 1971 Genre................: Roots Rock Duration.............: 39:04 Number of Songs......: 6 Cover(s) Included....: Yes
Track Listing: 01-Medicated Goo-03:33 02-Sad And Deep As You-03:47 03-40,000 Headmen-06:17 04-Shouldn't Have Took More Than You Gave-05:36 05-Dear Mr. Fantasy-10:52 06-Gimme Some Lovin'-08:59
Album Review: Following the success of John Barleycorn Must Die, Traffic planned a concert album for the fall of 1970, and it got as far as a test pressing before being canceled. A recording was necessary to satisfy the terms of British label Island records' licensing deal with American label United Artists, which had provided for five albums, of which four had been delivered. With Island starting to release its own albums in the U.S., the UA contract had to be completed, and hopefully not with the potentially lucrative studio follow-up to John Barleycorn Must Die. Thus, Traffic tried again to come up with a live album by recording shows on a British tour in July 1971. Joining for six dates of the tour was twice-dismissed Traffic singer/guitarist Dave Mason, who had subsequently scored a solo success with his Alone Together album. The resulting collection, Welcome to the Canteen (which was technically credited to the seven individual musicians, not to Traffic), proved how good a contractual obligation album could be. Sound quality was not the best (and it still isn't on the 2002 remastered CD reissue, though it's better), with the vocals under-recorded and stray sounds honing in, but the playing was exemplary, and the set list was an excellent mixture of old Traffic songs and recent Mason favorites. "Dear Mr. Fantasy" got an extended workout, and the capper was a rearranged version of Steve Winwood's old Spencer Davis Group hit "Gimme Some Lovin'." Welcome to the Canteen's status as only a semi-legitimate offering was emphasized by the release, after a mere two months, of a new Traffic studio album on Island (The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys) that undercut its sales. But that doesn't make it any less appealing as a summing up of the Winwood/Mason/Traffic musical world. - William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
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Artist...............: THE WHO Album................: Who's Next Year.................: 1971 Genre................: Rhythm & Blues Duration.............: 1:18:26 Number of Songs......: 16 Cover(s) Included....: Yes
Track Listing: Original 1971 release 01 - "Baba O'Riley" – 5:36 02 - "Bargain" – 5:33 03 - "Love Ain't for Keeping" – 2:12 04 - "My Wife" (Entwistle) – 3:44 05 - "The Song Is Over" – 6:16 06 - "Getting in Tune" – 4:52 07 - "Going Mobile" – 3:45 08 - "Behind Blue Eyes" – 3:44 09 - "Won't Get Fooled Again"*** – 8:35
Bonus tracks on 1995 remastered CD All of the bonus tracks were previously unreleased, except for "Too Much of Anything", "Naked Eye" and "I Don't Even Know Myself".
10 - "Pure and Easy" – 4:24 11 - "Baby Don't You Do It" (Holland-Dozier-Holland) – 5:16 12 - "Naked Eye" – 5:33 13 - "Water" – 6:27 14 - "Too Much of Anything" – 4:27 15 - "I Don't Even Know Myself" – 4:58 16 - "Behind Blue Eyes" – 3:26
Album Review: Much of Who's Next derives from Lifehouse, an ambitious sci-fi rock opera Pete Townshend abandoned after suffering a nervous breakdown, caused in part from working on the sequel to Tommy. There's no discernable theme behind these songs, yet this album is stronger than Tommy, falling just behind Who Sell Out as the finest record the Who ever cut. Townshend developed an infatuation with synthesizers during the recording of the album, and they're all over this album, adding texture where needed and amplifying the force, which is already at a fever pitch. Apart from Live at Leeds, the Who have never sounded as LOUD and unhinged as they do here, yet that's balanced by ballads, both lovely ("The Song Is Over") and scathing ("Behind Blue Eyes"). That's the key to Who's Next -- there's anger and sorrow, humor and regret, passion and tumult, all wrapped up in a blistering package where the rage is as affecting as the heartbreak. This is a retreat from the '60s, as Townshend declares the "Song Is Over," scorns the teenage wasteland, and bitterly declares that we "Won't Get Fooled Again." For all the sorrow and heartbreak that runs beneath the surface, this is an invigorating record, not just because Keith Moon runs rampant or because Roger Daltrey has never sung better or because John Entwistle spins out manic basslines that are as captivating as his "My Wife" is funny. This is invigorating because it has all of that, plus Townshend laying his soul bare in ways that are funny, painful, and utterly life-affirming. That is what the Who was about, not the rock operas, and that's why Who's Next is truer than Tommy or the abandoned Lifehouse. Those were art -- this, even with its pretensions, is rock & roll. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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Artist...............: Hawkwind Album................: In Search of Space Year.................: 1971 Genre................: Space Rock Source...............: CD Number of Songs......: 06 Duration.............: 00:42:22 min
Track Listing: 01. "You Shouldn't Do That" (Brock/Turner) - 15:41 02. "You Know You're Only Dreaming" (Brock) - 6:35 03. "Master Of The Universe" (Brock/Turner) - 6:16 04. "We Took The Wrong Step Years Ago" (Brock) - 4:50 05. "Adjust Me" (Hawkwind) - 5:46 06. "Children Of The Sun" (Anderson/Turner) - 3:14
Album Review: In Search of Space strengthened Hawkwind's science fiction-type brand of progressive rock, gaining bass player Dave Anderson and galactic poet extraordinaire Rob Calvert, while losing John Harrison at the same time. The album opens with the mind-numbing galactic haze of "You Shouldn't Do That," a spooky little 15-minute excursion that warps, throbs, and swirls with Dik Mik's "audio generator" and the steady drum pace of Terry Ollis. Then comes the ominous whispering of the title, set to the pulsating waves of Dave Brock's guitar and Turner's alto sax, with Dettmar's synth work laying the foundation. Wonderfully setting the tone, "You Shouldn't Do That"'s improvisational looseness and rhythmic fusion smoothly open up the album into the realm of Hawkwind. The peculiarity never ceases, as "You Know You're Only Dreaming" and "We Took the Wrong Steps Years Ago" delves even deeper into obscurity, sometimes emanating with the familiar jangle of the guitar which then has its acquaintance overshadowed by the waft of the keyboard. Just as "Master of the Universe" chugs and rolls with a foreboding rhythm, "Adjust Me" retaliates with its moaning verse and tonal fluctuations fading into oblivion. The groundbreaking sound which Hawkwind achieved on In Search of Space helped to open up a whole new avenue of progressive rock. This album would lead to their most successful release in Space Ritual, coming two years after In Search of Space, with their interplanetary groove already set for takeoff. - Mike DeGagne, All Music Guide
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Artist...............: GEORGE HARRISON Album................: The Concert For Bangla Desh Year.................: 1971 Genre................: Singer-Songwriters Type.................: Live Duration.............: 1:42:31 Number of Songs......: 18 Cover(s) Included....: Yes
Track Listing: CD1 01-Introduction-06:18 02-Bangla Dhun-17:21 03-Wah Wah-03:44 04-My Sweet Lord-04:50 05-Awaiting On You All-03:07 06-That's The Way God Planned It-04:30 07-It Don't Come Easy-03:08 08-Beware Of Darkness-06:41 09-While My Guitar Gently Weeps-04:51*****
CD2 01-Medley Jumpin' Jack Flash, Youngblood-10:12 02-Here Comes The Sun-03:28 03-A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall-06:22 04-It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry-03:08 05-Blowin' In The Wind-04:11 06-Mr. Tambourine Man-05:17 07-Just Like A Woman-05:26 08-Something-04:53 09-Bangla Desh-05:04
Album Review: Hands down, this epochal concert at New York's Madison Square Garden -- first issued on three LPs in a handsome orange-colored box -- was the crowning event of George Harrison's public life, a gesture of great goodwill that captured the moment in history and, not incidentally, produced some rousing music as a permanent legacy. Having been moved by his friend Ravi Shankar's appeal to help the homeless Bengali refugees of the 1971 India-Pakistan war, Harrison leaped into action, organizing on short notice what became a bellwether for the spectacular rock & roll benefits of the 1980s and beyond. The large, almost unwieldy band was loaded with rock luminaries -- including Beatles alumnus Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Badfinger, and two who became stars as a result of their electric performances here, Leon Russell ("Jumpin' Jack Flash"/"Youngblood") and Billy Preston ("That's The Way God Planned It"). Yet Harrison is in confident command, running through highlights from his recent triumphant All Things Must Pass album in fine voice, secure enough to revisit his Beatles legacy from Abbey Road and the White Album. Though overlooked at the time by impatient rock fans eager to hear the hits, Shankar's opening raga, "Bangla Dhun," is a masterwork on its own terms; the sitar virtuoso is in dazzling form even by his standards and, in retrospect, Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, and Alla Rakha amount to an Indian supergroup themselves. The high point of the concert is the surprise appearance of Bob Dylan -- at this reclusive time in his life, every Dylan sighting made headlines -- and he read the tea leaves perfectly by performing five of his most powerful, meaningful songs from the '60s. Controversy swirled when the record was released; then-manager Alan Klein imposed a no-discount policy on this expensive set and there were questions as to whether all of the intended receipts reached the refugees. Also, in a deal to allow Dylan's participation, the set was released by Capitol on LP while Dylan's label Columbia handled the tape versions. Yet, in hindsight, the avarice pales beside the concert's magnanimous intentions, at a time when rock musicians truly thought they could help save the world. - Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide
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Artist...............: EDGAR BROUGHTON BAND Album................: Edgar Broughton Band Released.............: 1971 Genre................: Progressive Rock Duration.............: 54:58 Number of Songs......: 13 Cover(s) Included....: Yes
Track Listing: 01-Evening Over Rooftops-05:01 02-The Birth-03:23 03-Piece Of My Own-02:50 04-Poppy, Don't Even Know Which Day It Is-06:37 05-House Of Tournabout-03:08 06-Madhatter-06:15 07-Getting Hard, What Is A Women For-07:30 08-Thinking Of You-02:06 09-For Dr. Spock, Pt. 1 - For Dr. Spock, Pt. 203:51 10-Out Demons Out-04:49 11-Apache Drop Out (Apache Intro, Dropout Boogie)-03:13 12-Freedom-03:15 13-Up Yours!-03:00
Album Review: The most conventional of the Edgar Broughton Band's first (and best) three albums, 1971's Edgar Broughton Band finds the group dispensing with the no-holds-barred mania and theatricality responsible for such classics as "Out Demons Out," "Up Yours," and "Apache Drop Out" and concentrating instead on more musical endeavors. It's an approach that arguably captures the band at their very best at the same time as revealing them at their ugliest. The two-part epic "For Dr. Spock" conjures images of Gong, as it drifts closer to space rock than the Edgar Broughton Band had hitherto ventured, while "House of Turnabout" certainly restates the group's free-freak credentials with its rumbling percussion and scything guitars, a second cousin to the roars that punctuated Wasa Wasa and Sing Brother Sing. The heart of Edgar Broughton Band, however, lies elsewhere. The lilting chant "Thinking About You," with its spectral reminders of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero," is certainly one of their most rancorous concoctions, while "Evening Over Rooftops" rides an acoustic guitar as pretty as its flowery lyric, but you know there's something rotten squirming just below the surface, even if you can never quite put your finger on it. The pure pop backing vocals, all "sha-la-la" and "doo-be-doo-be-doo," of course, only add to your unease. And, as that is merely the opening number, you can guess what you're in for over the rest of the album long before you actually get it. - Dave Thompson, All Music Guide
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Artist...............: Can Album................: Tago Mago Year.................: 1971 Genre................: Avant-Garde Source...............: CD Number of Songs......: 7 Duration.............: 01:13:15 min Size.................: 101 MB
Track Listing: 1. Paperhouse 7:27 2. Mushroom 4:02 3. Oh Yeah 7:24 4. Halleluhwah 18:27 5. Aumgn 17:33 6. Peking O 11:37 7. Bring Me Coffee or Tea 6:45
Album Review: With the band in full artistic flower and Suzuki's sometimes moody, sometimes frenetic speak/sing/shrieking in full effect, Can released not merely one of the best Krautrock albums of all time, but one of the best albums ever, period. Tago Mago is that rarity of the early '70s, a double album without a wasted note, ranging from sweetly gentle float to full-on monster grooves. "Paperhouse" starts things brilliantly, beginning with a low-key chime and beat, before amping up into a rumbling roll in the midsection, then calming down again before one last blast. Both "Mushroom" and "Oh Yeah," the latter with Schmidt filling out the quicker pace with nicely spooky keyboards, continue the fine vibe. After that, though, come the huge highlights - three long examples of Can at its absolute best. "Halleluwah" - featuring the Liebezeit/Czukay rhythm section pounding out a monster trance/funk beat; Karoli's and Schmidt's always impressive fills and leads; and Suzuki's slow-building ranting above everything - is 19 minutes of pure genius. The near-rhythmless flow of "Aumgn" is equally mind-blowing, with swaths of sound from all the members floating from speaker to speaker in an ever-evolving wash, leading up to a final jam. "Peking O" continues that same sort of feeling, but with a touch more focus, throwing in everything from Chinese-inspired melodies and jazzy piano breaks to cheap organ rhythm boxes and near babbling from Suzuki along the way. "Bring Me Coffee or Tea" wraps things up as a fine, fun little coda to a landmark record. Ned Raggett, All Music Guide.
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Artist...............: ALICE COOPER Album................: Killer Year.................: 1971 Genre................: Hard Rock Duration.............: 36:53 Number of Songs......: 8 Cover(s) Included....: Yes
Album Review: Alice Cooper wasted little time following up the breakthrough success of Love It to Death with another album released the same year, Killer. Again, producer Bob Ezrin was on board and helps the group solidify their heavy rock (yet wide-ranging) style even further. The band's stage show dealt with the macabre, and such disturbing tracks as "Dead Babies" and the title track fit in perfectly. Other songs were even more exceptional, such as the perennial barnstorming concert standard "Under My Wheels," the melodic yet gritty "Be My Lover," and the tribute to their fallen friend Jim Morrison, "Desperado." The long and winding "Halo of Flies" correctly hinted that the band would be tackling more complex song structures on future albums, while "You Drive Me Nervous" and "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" showed that Alice Cooper hadn't completely abandoned their early garage rock direction. With Killer, they became one of the world's top rock bands and concert attractions; it rewarded them as being among the most notorious and misunderstood entertainers, thoroughly despised by grownups. - Greg Prato, All Music Guide
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Artist...............: VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR Album................: H To He Who, Am The Only One Released.............: 1970 Genre................: Progressive Rock Duration.............: 47:15 Number of Songs......: 5 Cover(s) Included....: Yes
Track Listing: 01-Killer-08:24 02-House With No Door-06:37 03-The Emperor In His War-Room-08:15 Pt. 1: The Emperor Pt. 2: The Room 04-Lost-11:17 Pt. 1: The Dance in Sand and Sea Pt. 2: The Dance in the Frost 05-Pioneers Over C-12:42
Album Review: The foreboding crawl of the Hammond organ is what made Van Der Graaf Generator one of the darkest and most engrossing of all the early progressive bands. On H to He Who Am the Only One, the brooding tones of synthesizer and oscillator along with Peter Hammil's distinct and overly ominous voice make it one of this British band's best efforts. Kicking off with the prog classic "Killer," an eight minute synthesized feast of menacing tones and threatening lyrics, the album slowly becomes shadowed with Van Der Graaf's sinister instrumental moodiness. With superb percussion work via Guy Evans, who utilizes the tympani drum to its full extent, tracks like "The Emperor in His War-Room" and "Lost" are embraced with a blackened texture that never fades. The effective use of saxophone (both alto and tenor) and baritone from David Jackson gives the somberness some life without taking away any of the instrumental petulance. H to He is carpeted with a science fiction theme, bolstered by the bleak but extremely compelling use of heavy tones and the absence of rhythms and flighty pulsations. This album, which represents Van Der Graaf in their most illustrious stage, is a pristine example of how dark progressive rock should sound. - Mike DeGagne, All Music Guide
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Artist...............: JOHN LENNON Album................: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band Released.............: 11 December 1970 Genre................: Singer-Songwriters, Pop Rock, Avantgarde Duration.............: 38:31 Number of Songs......: 11 Cover(s) Included....: Yes
Track Listing: 01. "Mother" – 5:04 02. "Hold On" – 1:53 03. "I Found Out" – 3:48 04. "Working Class Hero" – 3:58 05. "Isolation" – 2:52 06. "Remember" – 4:36 07. "Love" – 3:20 08. "Well, Well, Well" – 5:29 09. "Look at Me" – 2:53 10. "God" – 3:15 11. "My Mummy's Dead" – 0:53
Album Review: The cliche about singer/songwriters is that they sing confessionals direct from their heart, but John Lennon exploded the myth behind that cliche, as well as many others, on his first official solo record, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. Inspired by his primal scream therapy with Dr. Walter Janov, Lennon created a harrowing set of unflinchingly personal songs, laying out all of his fears and angers for everyone to hear. It was a revolutionary record -- never before had a record been so explicitly introspective, and very few records made absolutely no concession to the audience's expectations, daring the listeners to meet all the artist's demands. Which isn't to say that the record is unlistenable. Lennon's songs range from tough rock & rollers to piano-based ballads and spare folk songs, and his melodies remain strong and memorable, which actually intensifies the pain and rage of the songs. Not much about Plastic Ono Band is hidden. Lennon presents everything on the surface, and the song titles -- "Mother," "I Found Out," "Working Class Hero," "Isolation," "God," "My Mummy's Dead" -- illustrate what each song is about, and charts his loss of faith in his parents, country, friends, fans, and idols. It's an unflinching document of bare-bones despair and pain, but for all its nihilism, it is ultimately life-affirming; it is unique not only in Lennon's catalog, but in all of popular music. Few albumsare ever as harrowing, difficult, and rewarding as John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
