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Artist...............: JODY GRIND Album................: Far Canal Released.............: 1970 Genre................: Progressive Rock Duration.............: 48:21 Number of Songs......: 9 Cover(s) Included....: Yes
Track Listing: 01-We've Had It-05:06 02-Bath Sister-03:28 03-Jump Bed Jed-07:14 04-O Paradisio-07:31 05-Plastic Shit-07:18 06-Vegetable Oblivion-02:09 07-Red Worms And Lice-07:23 08-Ballad For Bridget-03:41 09-Rock 'N' Roll Man (Single Version)-04:31
Album Review: Jody Grind's personnel changed substantially between the recording of their first album, 1969's One Step On, and their second and final one, 1970s Far Canal. Tim Hinkley was still on keyboards, but there was a new guitarist, Bernie Holland (who also did some singing), as well as a new drummer to complete the trio, Pete Gavin. As expected, the sound of the group, while still in the early British serious progressive rock bag, changed as well -- sometimes for the good, sometimes for the worse. The jazzy inclinations of the debut were mostly gone, save the atypically tasteful instrumental "Ballad for Bridget." On "We've Had It" and parts of "Vegetable Oblivion," there was a classical melodic influence that was more accessible than anything on the first album, as well as somewhat more in line with what groups such as Yes were doing, though Jody Grind were far less cheerful. "Bath Sister," however, could have been the work of an entirely different band, sounding as if they were trying to imitate Cream with an organ-guitar-drums lineup -- and not doing so very well. And so it went for the rest of this very erratic record, where the quite accomplished chops of the players were totally overwhelmed by the mediocrity of the material, as well as their willingness to spin off into overlong instrumental sections with tedious riffs. They really didn't have enough in the way of songs to justify an LP, but that didn't keep them from filling up space with heavy, somber organ-guitar interplay. And while the presence of three consecutive tracks titled "Plastic Shit," "Vegetable Oblivion," and "Red Worms and Lice" might lead you to expect something Frank Zappaesque, in fact these in the main are pretty boring, insubstantial period progressive hard rock pieces, "Plastic Shit" descending into some shameless (deliberately ironic, one can only hope?) sub-Robert Plant vocalizing. - Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
Track Listing: 01. "Lady d'Arbanville"***** – 3:46 02. "Maybe You're Right" – 3:25 03. "Pop Star" – 4:13 04. "I Think I See The Light" – 3:56 05. "Trouble" – 2:48 06. "Mona Bone Jakon" – 1:41 07. "I Wish, I Wish" – 3:48 08. "Katmandu" – 3:23 09. "Time" – 1:26 10. "Fill My Eyes" – 3:00 11. "Lilywhite" – 3:42
Album Review: Cat Stevens virtually disappeared from the British pop scene in 1968, at the age of 20, after a meteoric start to his career. After contracting tuberculosis, Stevens spent a year recovering from both his illness and the strain of being a teenage pop star, and in the spring of 1970 -- as a very different 22-year-old -- he returned to action with Mona Bone Jakon. Fans who knew him from 1967 must have been surprised. Under the production aegis of former Yardbird Paul Samwell-Smith, he introduced a group of simple, heartfelt songs played in spare arrangements on acoustic guitars and keyboards and driven by a restrained rhythm section. Built on folk and blues structures, but with characteristically compelling melodies, Stevens' new compositions were tentative, fragmentary statements that alluded to his recent "Trouble," including the triviality of being a "Pop Star." But these were the words of a desperate man in search of salvation. Mona Bone Jakon was dominated by images of death, but the album was also about survival and hope. Stevens' craggy voice, with its odd breaks of tone and occasional huskiness, lent these sometimes sketchy songs depth, and the understated instrumentation further emphasized their seriousness. If Stevens was working out private demons on Mona Bone Jakon, he was well attuned to a similar world-weariness in pop culture. His listeners may not have shared his exact experience, but after the 1960s they certainly understood his sense of being wounded, his spiritual yearning, and his hesitant optimism. Mona Bone Jakon was only a modest success upon its initial release, but it attracted attention in the wake of the commercial breakthrough of its follow-up, Tea for the Tillerman. - William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
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Artist...............: Ten Years After Album................: Ssssh Year.................: 1969 Genre................: Rhythm & Blues Duration.............: 00:33:38 min Number of Songs......: 8 Cover(s) Included....: Yes
Track Listing: 01. Bad Scene 3:31 02. Two Time Mama 2:03 03. Stoned Woman 3:30 04. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl 7:01 05. If You Should Love Me 5:23 06. I Don't Know That You Don't Know My Name 2:02 07. The Stomp 4:34 08. I Woke Up This Morning 5:34
Album Review: "A terrific blues / psychedelic rock album." This was Ten Years After's new release at the time of their incendiary performance at the Woodstock Festival in August, 1969. As a result, it was their first hit album in the U.S., peaking at number 20 in September of that year. This recording is a primer of British blues-rock of the era, showcasing Alvin Lee's guitar pyrotechnics and the band's propulsive rhythm section. As with most of TYA's work, the lyrics were throwaways, but the music was hot. Featured is a lengthy cover of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," with reworked lyrics leaving little doubt what the singer had in mind for the title character. Also included was a twelve-bar blues song with the ultimate generic blues title, "I Woke Up This Morning." Ssssh marked the beginning of the band's two-year run of popularity on the U.S. album charts and in the "underground" FM-radio scene. - Jim Newsom, All Music Guide
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Artist...............: JEFF BECK Album................: Truth Release .............: Aug 1968 Genre................: Guitar Heroes, Blues-Rock, Hard Rock, British Blues Duration.............: 00:40:35 min Number of Songs......: 10 Included.............: Covers Audio Format.........: MP3 Bitrate..............: CBR 192 HQ Channels.............: Stereo / 44,100 hz Tags.................: ID3 v1.1, ID3 v2.3
Track Listing: 01. Shapes of Things 3:21 02. Let Me Love You 4:43 03. Morning Dew 4:42 04. You Shook Me 2:32 05. Ol' Man River 4:00 06. Greensleeves 1:50 07. Rock My Plimsoul 4:14 08. Beck's Bolero 2:54 09. Blues Deluxe 7:28 10. I Ain't Superstitious 4:51
Album Review: Truly and verily, if Jimmy Page hadn't bothered to put together his first (and last) really serious band in the fall of 1968, his place in rock history might be forever occupied by Jeff Beck. Because in that glorious year, Mr Guitarist-That-Always-Looks -Like-A-Drug-Addled-Skeleton released his first, and arguably, best solo album, the record that now sounds like a one hundred percent blueprint for Led Zeppelin's debut. (Dang it, both bands do 'You Shook Me' - this can't be a coincidence!) Having just dropped out (or should we say 'crashed out'?) of the Yardbirds, Jeff recruited a superior backing band: the only guy you might not be familiar with (neither am I) is drummer Mick Waller, but you're sure to know Ron Wood on bass (later of the Faces and, of course, the Rolling Stones) and Rod Stewart on vocals. Yeah, at that time Rod wasn't the disco schlock cantator he's now usually known as: he was a young, ambitious, energy-filled rockin' stud who was only too happy to assure himself the position of lead (hell, only) vocalist in the Jeff Beck group, and his voice was as good as ever.
So, what they basically do on this record is present a fine, deserving alternative to the Allman Brothers Band (okay, the Allman Brothers Band didn't yet exist at that moment, or if it did, nobody knew of its existence, but I guess you got my point in any case): building up a solid, heavy blues sound and pushing the hard rock limits a little further than Cream and the actual Yardbirds, courtesy of Jeff and Rod. The former, as our main hero, exploits all kinds of contemporary guitar techniques, and while he's always trying to demonstrate that he doesn't stray too far from the roots (check out the very pretty and very short instrumental acoustic piece 'Greensleeves'), he's certainly fiddling with a totally new, menacing and dreary sound on tracks like 'Morning Dew' or, especially, Howlin' Wolf's 'I Ain't Superstitious' where he adds something to the wah-wah effect and makes it sound almost trash-like. Stewart, on the other hand, whose voice, while far from pretty, is ten times more suited for blueswailing than that of Jack Bruce, finds the perfect counterpart to Beck's guitar - just like Plant was originally a perfect counterpart to Page's guitar. However, I must say that I far prefer Stewart if we come to comparisons: he never whines, and his interpretation of the 'human factor' in singing is much more suitable for my tastes (no lengthy wailings, no 'oh oh-s' and 'ah ah-s', just a silly little laugh or cough now and then).
The bad thing is the kind of bad thing that marred and still mars all of Beck's albums: the lack of good songwriting. Beck couldn't write a note, of course - he was just a guitar player, after all, so the few elements of originality here are mostly credited to Stewart and Wood, and they don't contribute that much, preferring to exploit well-used blues standards. They do contribute what I consider to be the most driving number on the record - the uncompromised, blood-dripping, raunchy 'Blues De Luxe' with Rod at his very, very best (probably recorded live since there are smatters of applause now and then, if they weren't overdubbed, of course), and 'Let Me Love You' is fairly good, too, but it just refers to singing and playing. 'Beck's Bolero' is a fine mix of Ravel and proto-heavy metal, but it's little more than a novelty piece, even if it is entertaining. In desperation, they put on a remake of the Yardbirds' hit 'Shapes Of Things' - certainly the weakest spot on the album and a fairly stinky way to open the album. I never liked the song in the first place, but here it is transformed in such a rambling, almost atonal mess, that you'd hardly call it a 'song' in the proper sense of the word.
So they redeem themselves on blues covers. Their, almost strangely short, version of 'You Shook Me' can't hope to beat Led Zeppelin's just because it ain't pushed to the limits completely: yet, for the devoted the dialogue between Rod's voice and Beck's guitar can prove to be even more entertaining than Page/Plant's. Not to mention that they don't mess up the lyrics like the latter bastards did (it is still a point of wondering for me why Plant sang that line about the bird that whistles when it never belonged to the song in the first place). And, like I said, 'I Ain't Superstitious' is pure delight. And 'Rock My Plimsoul'? Whoa, that's one butt-kickin' rocker on here! Sure beats the stuffing of any Allman Brothers Band material any old day. (Not that I have anything against the Allmans, mind you, but, unfortunately, they have that boredom factor which Jeff Beck has to a lesser degree). What's so odd about it is the strange stuttering time signature - can you feel Mick Waller is actually 'losing tempo' on every verse? Astute guy - you can't really tell if he's misfiring or he's doing it intentionally.
Whatever. From a historical point of view, this is a super-important album - kind of a 'missing link' between Wheels Of Fire and Led Zeppelin. From any other points of view, it might be dismissable - if you want really crunchy heavy blues, early Led Zep's your better bet. But if you just can't get enough of crunchy heavy blues, get it before the world forgets about it, which it really shouldn't. And don't you forget that Jeff Beck is as good a guitar player as Jimmy, anyway, so if Truth loses it a little in the unabashed heaviness respect, it easily gains in the technical proficiency respect. And for my money, I'll take, yeah I'll take, oh gimme gimme Rod Stewart over Robbie Plant any day of the week. - by George Starostin's Music Reviews
A little smoother and less shockin' than Led Zeppelin, this is still a must-have for every hard rock lover.
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Artist...............: LOVE Album................: Forever Changes Released.............: 1967 Genre................: Psychedelic Rock Duration.............: 42:54 Number of Songs......: 11 Cover(s) Included....: Yes
Track Listing: 01-Alone Again Or*****-03:17 02-A House Is Not A Motel-03:31 03-Andmoreagain-03:18 04-The Daily Planet-03:31 05-Old Man-03:02 06-The Red Telephone-04:46 07-Maybe The People Would Be The Times Or Between Clark And Hilldale-03:34 08-Live And Let Live-05:26 09-The Good Humor Man He Sees Everything Like This-03:08 10-Bummer In The Summer-02:24 11-You Set The Scene-06:57
Album Review: It wasn't a hit, but Forever Changes continues to regularly appear on critics' lists of the top ten rock albums of all time, and it had an enormously far-reaching and durable influence that went way beyond chart listings. The best fusion of folk-rock and psychedelia, it features Arthur Lee's trembling vocals, beautiful melodies, haunting orchestral arrangements, and inscrutable but poetic lyrics, all of which sound nearly as fresh and intriguing upon repeated plays. One of rock's most organic, flowing masterpieces, every song has a lingering, shimmering beauty, including the two penned by the band's other talented songwriter/guitarist/singer, Bryan MacLean. - Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
Track Listing: 01 - "Sunday Morning"***(Reed, Cale) – 2:56 02 - "I'm Waiting for the Man" – 4:40 03 - "Femme Fatale" – 2:39 04 - "Venus in Furs" – 5:11 05 - "Run Run Run" – 4:21 06 - "All Tomorrow's Parties" – 5:59 07 - "Heroin"*** – 7:12 08 - "There She Goes Again" – 2:41 09 - "I'll Be Your Mirror" – 2:14 10 - "The Black Angel's Death Song" (Reed, Cale) – 3:13 11 - "European Son" (Reed, Cale, Morrison, Tucker) – 7:49 [BONUS TRACK:] 12 - All Tomorrow's Parties (alternate mix) - 5:57
Album Review: One would be hard pressed to name a rock album whose influence has been as broad and pervasive as The Velvet Underground and Nico. While it reportedly took over a decade for the album's sales to crack six figures, glam, punk, new wave, goth, noise, and nearly every other left-of-center rock movement owes an audible debt to this set. While The Velvet Underground had as distinctive a sound as any band, what's most surprising about this album is its diversity. Here, the Velvets dipped their toes into dreamy pop ("Sunday Morning"), tough garage rock ("Waiting for the Man"), stripped-down R&B ("There She Goes Again"), and understated love songs ("I'll Be Your Mirror") when they weren't busy creating sounds without pop precedent. Lou Reed's lyrical exploration of drugs and kinky sex (then risky stuff in film and literature, let alone "teen music") always received the most press attention, but the music Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker played was as radical as the words they accompanied. The bracing discord of "European Son," the troubling beauty of "All Tomorrow's Parties," and the expressive dynamics of "Heroin," all remain as compelling as the day they were recorded. While the significance of Nico's contributions have been debated over the years, she meshes with the band's outlook in that she hardly sounds like a typical rock vocalist, and if Andy Warhol's presence as producer was primarily a matter of signing the checks, his notoriety allowed The Velvet Underground to record their material without compromise, which would have been impossible under most other circumstances. Few rock albums are as important as The Velvet Underground and Nico, and fewer still have lost so little of their power to surprise and intrigue more than 30 years after first hitting the racks. Mark Deming, All Music Guide
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Artist...............: THE BEACH BOYS Album................: Pet Sounds Released.............: 16 May 1966 Genre................: Lush Pop Duration.............: 42:54 Number of Songs......: 16 Cover(s) Included....: Yes
Track Listing: 01-Wouldn't It Be Nice-02:24 02-You Still Believe In Me-02:31 03-That's Not Me-02:27 04-Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)-02:52 05-I'm Waiting For The Day-03:05 06-Let's Go Away For A While-02:18 07-Sloop John B-02:58 08-God Only Knows-02:51 09-I Know There's An Answer-03:09 10-Here Today-02:54 11-I Just Wasn't Made For These-03:12 12-Pet Sounds-02:22 13-Caroline No-02:51 [BONUS TRACKS:] 14-Unreleased Backgrounds (Bonus)-00:50 15-Hang On To Your Ego (Bonus)-03:17 16-Trombone Dixie (Bonus)-02:53
Album Review: The best Beach Boys album, and one of the best of the 1960s. The group here reached a whole new level in terms of both composition and production, layering tracks upon tracks of vocals and instruments to create a richly symphonic sound. Conventional keyboards and guitars were combined with exotic touches of orchestrated strings, bicycle bells, buzzing organs, harpsichords, flutes, theremin, Hawaiian-sounding string instruments, Coca-Cola cans, barking dogs, and more. It wouldn't have been a classic without great songs, and this has some of the group's most stunning melodies, as well as lyrical themes which evoke both the intensity of newly born love affairs and the disappointment of failed romance (add in some general statements about loss of innocence and modern-day confusion as well). The spiritual quality of the material is enhanced by some of the most gorgeous upper-register male vocals (especially by Brian and Carl Wilson) ever heard on a rock record. "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "God Only Knows," "Caroline No," and "Sloop John B" (the last of which wasn't originally intended to go on the album) are the well-known hits, but equally worthy are such cuts as "You Still Believe in Me," "Don't Talk," "I Know There's an Answer," and "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times." It's often said that this is more of a Brian Wilson album than a Beach Boys recording (session musicians played most of the parts), but it should be noted that the harmonies are pure Beach Boys (and some of their best). Massively influential upon its release (although it was a relatively low seller compared to their previous LPs), it immediately vaunted the band into the top level of rock innovators among the intelligentsia, especially in Britain, where it was a much bigger hit. - Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
