Kayak "50 Jaar Nederpop" 1976-1980(orig) 2008(comp)***

I had heard of Kayak as being one of the best Dutch prog bands, so some time after moving to The Netherlands I picked up this CD to make a first acquaintance with them. Their original LP's are also easy to find in the record fairs here, I also have one I bought cheaply which I am going to present on another occasion. This compilation though was rather disappointing, more pop with progressive leanings rather than real progressive music. The bands I was most reminded of are The Moody Blues, Supertramp, and ELO. Later I found out that the compilation only covered 5 years of the band's life (1976-1980), which seemed strange since this series (50 Jaar Nederpop) usually presents a good overview of the bands' career. It is possible that the compilers had licencing issues, but it's just as possible that they just chose to present the band's more commercially successful period. I don't know how many copies of these LP's were sold (their ubiquitousness in Dutch second hand shops suggest a lot) but I can certainly imagine these songs becoming FM radio staples in the late 70's. Which isn't necessarily a good thing. Like I always do with compilations, I will present the songs chronologically. The Last Encore (1976): The CD begins promisingly with classical-style piano by keyboardist Ton Scherpenzeel and the excellent ballad "Relics From A Distant Age". Singer-drummer Max Werner's vocals are somewhat high-pitched but expressive. Why he was later replaced as a singer and relegated to playing drums only is a mystery. "Nothingness" is another winsome ballad with a dramatic mellotron swashes (also by Werner if I'm not mistaken) a la Moody Blues. "Do You Care" and "Back To The Front" are upbeat orchestral pop a la Supertramp. Starlight Dancer (1977): The eponymous song is a bombastic orchestral ballad that reminded me of Manfred Mann's Earth Band. It's followed by the curiously disco-fied, but still pleasant, "I Want You To Be Mine". "Dead Bird Flies Forever" is another piano-based ballad. Same recipe with the previous ones, but blander-tasting. "Turn The Tide", and especially "Sweet Revenge" are the album's rockers but let's face it: this band doesn't do rock as well as it does ballads. "Ruthless Queen" from Phantom Of The Night (1978) plays to their strengths, featuring a catchy chorus and pretty melody. It became their biggest hit. New singer Edward Reekers is pretty good but not too different from his predecessor. Maybe a bit more suited to the band's new M.O.R. direction. "Phantom Of The Night" is another, typical of the period, dramatic ballad while "No Man's Land" is a forgettable fast rocker and "Keep The Change" a commercial upbeat number with nice harmonies. If I didn't know I'd say it was recorded in the 80's. I know it sounds like I'm saying it was ahead of its time, but given the quality of 80's mainstream rock this is no compliment. "Lost Blue Of Chartres" from Periscope Life (1980) is a symphonic instrumental, followed by "Anne", an emotive ballad enriched with a pretty melody and medieval-sounding parts. They raise the bar of expectations, but the last 3 songs from the album are upbeat commercial rock with no saving grace. The last track is named "Total Loss", which kind of says it all. To summarize, this doesn't seem to be the best introduction to Kayak. Only 5 out of 8 of the band's first period LP's are represented - not to mention none of the second period (2000-now). It certainly is of marginal only interest to prog fans. I'm not sure to whom exactly it would appeal to, except maybe for people who remember these hits from Dutch radio and want to have a souvenir of the era. Not that there's anything bad here, but there's also nothing memorable except for a few beautiful ballads. The best element is Ton Scherpenzeel's keyboards. No wonder he was later invited to join Camel, which is to say to play in prog's proverbial premier league.

**** for Relics From A Distant Age, Nothingness, Ruthless Queen, Lost Blue Of Chartres, Anne 

*** for Do You Care, Back To The Front, Starlight Dancer, I Want You To Be Mine, Dead Bird Flies Forever, Turn The Tide, Sweet Revenge, Phantom Of The Night, Keep The Change

** for No Man's Land, Periscope Life, Stop That Song, Total Loss

Gary Moore "Blues For Greeny" 1995****

Back in 1990, Gary Moore's move from hard rock to blues must have seemed rather daring and uncommercial but it paid off, giving him his best selling album and re-popularizing the entire genre. At the height of his popularity, he made another risky decision: to record a tribute to semi-forgotten British Blues legend Peter Green. Green, who passed earlier this year, had appeared, aged 20, out of nowhere to replace the -also very young but already legendary- Eric Clapton in John Mayall's Blues Breakers. He later left to form Fleetwood Mac, but disappeared suddenly after an ominous incident that sparked his decent into mental illness (a story I recounted in a previous post). He would later make a low-key return to music but was still "missing in action" in '95 when Moore decided to record a whole album to remind the world what an excellent guitarist and songwriter he was. I didn't buy it at the time, as I was too familiar with the originals and couldn't see how he could possibly give them new life. I was, as it turns out, both right and wrong: Moore's versions often stay too close to the originals - some, like the Latin-tinged mid-tempo "I Loved Another Woman" are almost carbon copies. But it is a marvelous thing, and a testament to Moore's virtuosity, to hear those sweet guitar tones once again. Anyone can play fast or loud, but to wring such emotion out of the guitar is the sign of a true master. It helps, of course, that we're listening to the very same guitar - not just the same model, but the same instrument: Clapton had played a Les Paul in The Blues Breakers, and Green bought himself another Les Paul when he got his position in the band, but it was an older model with a thicker neck. To get a similar sustain to Clapton's, he removed the neck pickup and then screwed it on backwards, resulting in a very characteristic sound. During his dark years, Green sold his guitar to Moore, who plays it to great effect here. It would be passed on to some rich collectors, eventually finding its way to the hands of Metallica's Kirk Hammett, and while it's dubious that he can emulate Green's style as successfully as Moore, it's nice to think that this guitar can still enchant big audiences on records and onstage. Back to the album, one thing that surprised me was that Moore went straight for the blues tunes, eschewing some of Green's more famous compositions like the mellow psychedelia of "Black Magic Woman" and "Man Of The World" or the heavier "Oh Well" and "Green Manalishi". The lesser known tracks he chose are recreated lovingly and respectfully, without resorting to Moore's usual louder and more distorted electric blues style - though some songs like "Drifting" and "Looking for Somebody" do sport longer and "rockier" solos. The horns on the lively "If You Be My Baby" and excellent ballad "Love That Burns", and the strings on the emotive "Need Your Love So Bad" add some extra instrumental touches when necessary, while Moore's playing on "The Supernatural" is reminiscent of his own "Parisienne Walkways" - which goes to show that Green has always been one of his bigger influences. "Showbiz Blues" serves as a showcase for his skills on slide guitar, while finally this reissue closes with a trio of acoustic songs that, while good, are not up to the same level as the album proper. The only downside is that, if you are already familiar with the originals, there's not much new here. I am, and any time I want to listen to these tunes I'll be going back to the original versions. But that's a minor complaint, since the end result is utterly enjoyable, playing is excellent, and Moore's fame is sure to introduce these songs to new audiences. P.S. I got this album as part of a budget 5CD boxset (see above), which I can easily recommend, as it's cheap and of high quality:3 of the other albums are arguably even better than this, and all 5 of them are presented in the newest remastering and include bonus tracks. I will review each album separately, in time.

**** for Merry Go Round, I Loved Another Woman, Need Your Love So Bad, The Supernatural, Driftin', Love That Burns, Looking For Somebody

*** for If You Be My Baby, Long Grey Mare, The Same Way, Showbiz Blues, World Keeps On Turnin' (Acoustic), Same Way (Acoustic), Stop Messin' Around (Acoustic) 

The Sick Rose ‎– Renaissance 1992***

If we were looking for one single person to represent the European garage rock scene, I doubt we could do better than The Sick Rose's Luca Re. Well, Billy Childish would also be a strong nomination if one still counts the UK as Europe. This band from Turin, Italy formed in late 1983 and was one of the first bands of its kind in Continental Europe. They started playing pure (if somewhat punked-up) 60's-style garage rock, but every new album took them further from their roots. Renaissance, which is the band's 4th LP as well as the last of their first period, sees them add punk, glam and hard rock elements. Radio Birdman, The Dictators and New York Dolls replace The Seeds, Chocolate Watch Band and 13th Floor Elevators as their most obvious influences. The supersonic guitars opening the album ("Cheating") immediately make the band's intentions known: forget the swirling Farfisas of their debut, they're going for a supercharged hi-energy rock'n'roll sound, with Luca Re being the sole connection (both physically and stylistically) with the original band. The highlights are mostly the faster numbers, including "The American Dream", "Jaildoor" and "Hunting For A New Love", all augmented with wild Jerry Lee Lewis-style piano. But there are also some nice slower songs, including psychedelic ballads "Abbie's Dolls" and "Now She Comes In Colour", as well as "My Kind" which nurses a stoner-style heavy groove for 7,5 minutes. "See The Glow" adds some typical metallic riffing, and the album proper closes with the acoustic "Restless Mind". The CD edition adds 3 cool bonus tracks: covers of Kim Fowley's "Big City" and The Standells' Stones-y "Barracuda", and another metallic original called "Deathwish". Renaissance seems to be the band's least loved album, which is selling it a bit short. IMO it is just as good as the two albums that preceded it (though maybe not as good as their historic debut Faces), it's just that it seems fans weren't ready to follow their latest change in direction. After that, Sick Rose disbanded with Re forming a band with a pure 60's sound called 99th Floor (we'll review their 2 albums in the future) before reviving The Sick Rose for the 21st Century. They're still pretty good for a bunch of older dudes, check them out playing "Cheating" on the clip below from a recent club gig.

**** for Cheating, Now She Comes In Colour, The American Dream, Hunting For A New Love, Barracuda

*** for Alive And Well, My Kind, Abbie's Dolls, Jaildoor, See The Glow, Big City, Deathwish

** for Restless Mind

Various ‎"Girls In The Garage Volume 6" (Rec. 60's, Comp.1990)***

Yes, I know Volume 6 of any series sounds dangerously close to barrel scraping. But I couldn't resist buying this one: a limited reissue (mine is No.142/1000) on blue 180 gram vinyl with cool artwork and a nice booklet, on discount as a Record Store Day-related promotion. Of course this year there was no RSD because of the corona pandemic, so the related promotions and special RSD editions were split into more doses. A bit like entering a physical record store, when you have to wait in line since there is a maximum of something like three clients per time, depending on the shop's size. So it had been months since I had actually visited a record shop, but when I finally did they had to drag me out to make room for other customers. I came away with quite a few bargains, including this one. I couldn't find the date of the original Girls In The Garage 6 release (on Romulan Records) on discogs but based on the catalogue number it must have been released in 1990. This reissue on the Past & Present label is from 2018, so there are still a lot of mint copies on sale if this kind of thing interests you. Me, I used to be a compulsive buyer of everything garage/psych-related and I still occasionally succumb to the compulsion. That said, the garage maniacs among you shouldn't get their hopes up because this compilation isn't your Pebbles-style raw garage rock as was the case with the first entries in the series. Bands like The Cupons and Ellaine & The Shardells pay in Shirelles-like girl groups style, others (Pat Downey, Millie Rogers, Donna Loren) are just typical 60's pop. Beatlemania novelty "Ringo Boy" is probably the record's lowest point, while Kari Lynn's opener "Cleo Cleopatra" is a winner thanks less to singer and more to the nameless backing band for its distorted guitar, clanky piano and occasional gong. Other notables include The Fatima's galloping oriental surf beat "Hoochy Coo" and the crunchy riff of Karen Verros' "You Just Gotta Know My Mind" (a 1965 Donovan composition). Another gem is Die Crazy Girls' shake number "Hey Hey Ha Ha" from 1963 Germany, featuring surf guitars and sped-up barelhouse piano. Roberta Wolfson and Norwegians Karin Krogh & The Public Enemies offer us nice mod/beat versions of classics "Tobacco Road" and "Watermelon Man" respectively. Jonna Gault's "I'm Never Gonna Cry Again" is a spy movie-style groovy tune from 1966 reminiscent of Nancy Sinatra, while Venus Flytrap add this album's sole nod to psychedelia with the atmospheric Jefferson Airplane-like "The Note". Lastly, Tacey Robbins's "My L.A" isn't just notable for its garagey R&B beat, but has also secured a place in B-movie history having been prominently featured in the 1965 crime thriller called Psycho A Go Go.

  

The film was ostensibly about a diamond heist gone wrong and starred Tacey as the female lead. Somehow, director Al Anderson found it fit to fill the movie with nightclub scenes that had absolutely nothing to do with the story and everything to do with promoting the actress' singing career, whom he also managed. Shockingly, it wasn't the box office smash he hoped for. So he tried to re-sell it under a different title, Echo Of Terror. It still didn't walk, so instead of giving up he cut a few new scenes and added an extra story arc: apparently the baddie wasn't just a criminal, but a Vietnam vet turned into a psycho by a mad scientist (played by John Carradine) who experimented with his brain. Makes sense, right? The movie hit the cinemas again under the title The Fiend with the Electronic Brain. What do you know? Despite the addition of a mad scientist and tapping into the anti-Vietnam war zeitgeist, it still wasn't success! A lesser man may have called it quits, but not Al Anderson! So he added yet more new scenes, this time with a different storyline that included zombies, and made a Frankenstein's monster of a movie using scenes filmed in three different time periods and with three different casts. Even Ed Wood wouldn't be bold enough to release such an abomination, but he did! The nightclub scenes were omitted this time as Tacey had since retired and there were no records to promote, while the jewel heist arc was kept but dramatically shortened. As we learn from wikipedia, this time the film, now called Blood of Ghastly Horror, was a big hit in drive-in cinemas for years, which goes to show that, as AMC has found out, zombies are the magic ingredient! After the movie had ran its course in the drive-in circuit, he re-titled it once more and sold it to late-night TV under the title The Man with the Synthetic Brain. How bad do you want to see that movie now? Well, you're in luck, because the whole thing is available online, with retro TV ads to boot since someone must have programmed his video to record and went to bed but neglected to remove the ads. Enjoy!

**** for Cleo Cleopatra (Kari Lynn), Hey Hey Ha Ha (Crazy Girls), I'm Never Gonna Cry Again (Jonna Gault), My L.A.(Tacey Robbins), Hoochy Coo (Fatimas), You Just Gotta Know My Mind (Karen Verros), The Note (Venus Flytrap)

*** for Real Live Lover (Pat Downey & The Vistas), Turn Her Down (Cupons), Tell Me That You Care (Ellaine & The Shardells), There You Go (Millie Rogers),Watermelon Man (Karin Krogh & The Public Enemies), So Do The Zonk (Donna Loren), Tobacco Road (Roberta Wolfson) 

** for Ringo Boy (Dori Peyton)

Whitesnake "The Purple Album"(Deluxe) 2015***

A few years ago I wrote (here) about witnessing a show of Whitesnake's Purple Tour. Obviously if I had the Purple album already I would have coupled the live review with the relevant CD presentation, but in that case I used a Whitesnake (WS) compilation from my collection. I hadn't even heard the album at the time but that didn't matter. I was eager to listen to WS play Mark III & IV Purple tracks, since they're pretty good musicians and since the touring version of Deep Purple choose to ignore the Coverdale/Hughes period and never play these songs live. As Coverdale explains in the CD's liner notes, it was Jon Lord's death (Deep Purple and sometime WS organist) that prompted him to speak with his old colleagues and patch things up, especially Blackmore with whom he hadn't parted in the best circumstances. This led to talking about working together again, which led to Coverdale revisiting these songs, trying out new arrangements etc. The collaboration didn't go through - at the time Blackmore was only playing Renaissance music, although he did return to rock a couple of years later with Rainbow (I was there too, read here). By then though Coverdale was really itching to play the songs again, so he went ahead without Blackmore, recording this tribute CD and touring with his regular group. Right before the recording, guitarist Doug Aldrich quit the band, so his replacement Joel Hoekstra joined Reb Beach to form the WS dual guitar attack team. Thus instead of DP Mark III/IV's line-up with two vocalists and one guitarist, the songs were re-arranged for a two-guitarist-one-vocalist team. The effects are visible right from the start: the CD opens with Mark III's literally most incendiary song "Burn". The solos are as intricate as the original's, but Blackmore's precise progressive style is replaced by a more agressive heavy metal tone. Vocal-wise, Coverdale can still carry the songs but there's a hole where bassist/co-vocalist Hughes's parts should be. There are some backing vocals throughout the album, but those Hughes/Coverdale harmonies are even more sorely missed than Blackmore's guitar. Don't forget Hughes is the man whom fans dubbed "the Voice of Rock". However exaggerated the title, he can't just be replaced with any backing singer. And talking about irreplaceable, what about Jon Lord? Don Airy has done an adequate job filling his boots in Deep Purple, but studio keyboardist Derek Hilland doesn't even try. He gets a few fills here and there (most notably in "You Keep On Moving") but otherwise, instead of Purple's trademark guitar/organ interplay, we get a double dose of lead guitar lending the heavier songs ("Stormbringer", "Lady Double Dealer" and "Lay Down Stay Down") a more metallic hue. Maybe that makes it sometimes seem as if that the band is substituting quality with quantity, but the results are nevertheless quite enjoyable. "The Gypsy" is an epic track from Stormbringer that WS fail to nail completely, but "Might Just Take Your Life" follows closely and successfully the original. Ditto for the soulful "You Keep On Moving" from 1975's Come Taste The Band which in retrospect seems to presage the early blues days of Whitesnake. Conversely, "You Fool No One" and "Love Child" sound like WS in their hair metal heyday - the latter even sounds uncannily like their big 1987 hit "Still Of The Night". Could we have been wrong then accusing WS of stealing Jimmy Page's riffs when they was actually copying Tommy Bolin? The version of "Holy Man" here seems to be a bit on the country -or at least Southern Rock- side, while "Sail Away" is a beautiful ballad with emotive lead vocal, nice harmonies and acoustic guitars . "Mistreated" is the classic heavy blues that functioned as a showcase for both Coverdale and Blackmore, which is why they both kept playing it with their later bands. It features in Whitesnake's Live at Hammersmith (1978) and Rainbow's On Stage (1976) in a memorable performance by Ronnie James Dio and is still a staple of the reformed Rainbow setlist. Coverdale delivers here an impassioned performance while the guitarists try to outdo Blackmore by playing even faster, which won't do the trick - but hey it's still pretty good. The band's sentimental side is completed with gorgeous acoustic ballad "Soldier of Fortune". The Deluxe version adds two more covers, both from Come Taste the Band. These are the funky "Lady Luck" and hard rocking "Comin' Home". Which brings the total to: 6 songs from Burn (1974), 5 from Stormbringer (1974) and 4 from Come Taste the Band (1975). The balance sounds about right. Apart from the extra tracks, the Deluxe version also includes a DVD with 4 video clips and a Behind The Scenes featurette. Worth paying a couple of extra bucks for - that's if you decide to get the album, which isn't something you ought to do unless: A) you're a WS fan who is somehow unfamiliar with the originals. In this case, you can view this as one of WS's better and harder rocking albums of the last two decades. B) you're a Deep Purple obsessive who never tires of listening to reinterpretations of his favorite songs. No matter whether these new versions are better (they aren't) or just different (they are, to a degree) than the originals, you'll enjoy their energy and savor the different touches. I guess I fall more or less in the second category.

**** for Burn, You Fool No One, Love Child, Might Just Take Your Life, You Keep On Moving, Soldier of Fortune, Stormbringer

*** for Sail Away, Lady Double Dealer, Mistreated, Holy Man, Lay Down Stay Down, Comin' Home

** for The Gypsy, Lady Luck

 

The Dirty Strangers "Dirty Strangers" 1987***

30 years ago, the Dirty Strangers' debut found its way to European record shops. The name of the band  couldn't have been familiar to many outside their Shepherd Bush (London) neighborhood, but the record had something more eye-catching than a picture of crudely painted boobs on its cover: a hype sticker announcing "Guest stars Keith Richards and Ron Wood". Now how the hell did get a complete unknown like the Dirty Strangers' singer/songwriter Alan Clayton get two Rolling Stones to play guitar on his record? Apparently the guy used to work as a bouncer when a roadie introduced him to Richards, and the two hit it off. They'd jam together from time to time when Keith was tired of Jagger's superstar antics and yearning for some honest working class-lads' rock'n'roll, so when Clayton had a steady band and enough songs for an LP he invited Keith to play. Keith brought his pal Ron along and even paid to do some guitar overdubs because the band's bludget wouldn't allow it. Imagine that, Keith Richards paying out of his own pocket so that he can play on your album! It is a decent production, thankfully devoid of 80's studio gloss but with a clear and full sound. The music is organic old-time rock'n'roll with a bit of soul and some punk attitude. Not surprising, considering that the Dirty Strangers included occasional Chuck Berry sideman ‘Scotty’ Mulve on keys and former Rut Paul Fox on guitar. Richards' guitar features prominently in both singles, the Stonesy "Thrill Of The Thrill" and Chuck Berry pastiche "Bathing Belles". Ron Wood plays on 3 tracks: rocker "Baby" with distinctive horns as well as nice piano by Blockhead Mick Gallagher, ballad "Eager to Please" with soulful backing vocals by Angie Brown and "Here She Comes" which to my ears sounds Clash influenced. Richards adds some classy guitar licks to 4 more songs: punky "Oh Yeah", rockabilly "Wide Boys And Slim Pickings" and two quasi-ballads: Otis Redding soul tribute "Diamonds" and country-ish "I didn't Want To Be An Angel". The rest of the songs include Stonesy R&B "Hands Up", "Little Miss Vanity" with its groovy organ, and "Wild One" - the latter may be inspired by the rockabilly classic of the same name, but is a Clayton original same as the other songs here. The Rolling Stones connection proved a mixed blessing, helping sales in Europe but prohibiting the album from getting a US release for contractual reasons. Clayton would later join The Rolling Stones road crew as well as play and record with different versions of The Dirty Strangers. His friendship with Richards took him to places he wouldn't have gone otherwise but he had the tunes, too - this is his music, and it isn't half bad. To be honest, while this is nothing more than a slice of decent pub rock, it's still better than some of the stuff his famous friends released around the same time.

**** for Thrill of the Thrill

*** for Baby, Easy to Please, Oh Yeah!,Didn't Want to Be an Angel, Wild One, Bathing Belles, Here She Comes, Hands up, Diamonds

** for Wide Boys & Slim Pickings, Little Miss Vanity