I'm in the process of re-listening and re-evaluating my record collection, in no particular order. I'll be sharing the results of my evaluation and thoughts on the music in this blog.
So, I took another LP out to place on my turntable, and lo and behold a 7' single fell out the supposedly empty sleeve. I hadn't noticed its existence when I bought that used record from my neighborhood record store, a few weeks ago. And it's not one of those cases where the album comes with a bonus 7', either. The previous owner must have lost the original sleeve and just stuck the single inside another record. Curious to hear what I got, I placed it on the turntable mat, lowered my stylus, and... imagine my surprise to hear a couple simulating sex while a band played a frenzied percussion-led latin funk rhythm on the background. That was apparently Side Two, called "Wild Cat". I turned it then over for Side One, which is another upbeat Latin instrumental; a cover of Rafael Hernández' Latin/dance classic "El Cumbanchero" with various electric guitar effects. The single came out on 1973 on the Dutch Pink Elephant label, which released a lot of Beat/R&B singles - most notably by Shocking Blue of "Venus" fame. It's attributed to Trinity, a possibly non-existent group with no other releases in its name. The only other credits are for Jürgen Koppers (engineer) and Peter Joosten (producer). Very danceable little single, I can imagine it being rather popular with DJ's at the Amsterdam nightclubs of the time. And -now that I think of it- unearthed just in time to celebrate its 50-year anniversary. What a nice coincidence! Enjoy!
Here's another vinyl from a band I was unfamiliar with until I came across their record; a sort-of-supergroup that fell apart after just one LP, Rough Diamond consisted of former members of Uriah Heep (singer David Byron), Humble Pie/Colosseum (guitarist Clem Clempson) and Wings (drummer Geoff Britton), as well as keyboardist Damon Butcher and bassist Willie Bath. Byron is the biggest name here, but the clincher for me was Clempson, one of the most underrated guitarists ever - to the wider public, at least. Deep Purple knew what they were doing when they asked him to audition as a replacement for Ritchie Blackmore in '75. It's not too difficult to imagine how that collaboration might sound, as Rough Diamond songs often sound quite similar to DP tracks of that period - not the heavy metal rockers like "Burn" and "Stormbringer", but the groovy mid-tempo funk that Coverdale and Hughes introduced on the eponymous albums. My favorite track here is the ballad. Every hard rock album of the 70's contained the obligatory ballad. In this case, though, there's no sense of the band simply completing an obligation: Byron pours his soul into "Seasong", while Clempson and Butcher add emotive solos. Opener "Rock N' Roll" is an anthemic (albeit unimaginatively titled) rocker featuring a nice, out-of-character sax solo. Other highlights include the catchy riff of upbeat "Hobo", and the funky "Lock & Key". "The Link" is a nice piano interlude, while the rest are pleasant AOR with soul and hard rock influences. The LP failed to enter the Top 100; it probably wasn't hard enough to win over Uriah Heep fans. Of course, Rough Diamond's lack of success isn't necessarily indicative of a lack of quality: 1977 was the year of punk's onslaught; any noisy band wearing short hair and safety pins would be positively received, but the mere sight of Byron's moustache and perm on the back cover would be enough to deter anyone from owning this LP lest they suffer the ridicule of their savvier peers. So, is it a literal raw diamond, or is it fool's gold? Neither, it seems. Despite a respectable vocal effort by Byron and typically flawless guitar by Clempson, the perfunctory material prevents this LP from rising above mediocrity - yet, it should still satisfy fans of 70's bluesy hard rock and AOR.
**** for Seasong
*** for Rock N' Roll, Lookin' For You, Lock & Key, Scared, Hobo, The Link
Last week I was at AFAS Live in Amsterdam for a Madness concert. I believe it's been 3 years since I bought my ticket for this event, but it got constantly postponed because of COVID. The time came at last, and I must say it was worth the wait. The band may not be their hyperkinetic former selves, but they certainly still know how to throw a party. I got to cross another classic act out of my list, too - and, as I did that,I realized I wasn't born too late after all. Sure, I never got to see Hendrix or Joplin live, but that's their fault for dying too young. I did get to see most of rock's pantheon up close, even those who started the whole thing: Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee, Bo Diddley - all R.I.P. now. I remember when I first saw Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, or The Rolling Stones, 20-30 year ago. I thought at the time "this is great, but imagine seeing them in their prime". Now I'm thinking what a privilege it's been to catch them live at all. Those legends are still touring, incidentally, and you should not miss your chance. Only a few years before they (or Roger Waters, or Robert Plant, or The Who) retire, and the last link to rock's golden age is severed. Don't kid yourself, we aren't about to see their likes again. The well is drying up; Sure, the punk/new wave generation produced its share of iconic figures, but few of them worthy of the "legend" tag. The 80's? Even less. The 90's? Kurt Cobain, at best half a dozen more. Anyway... Madness: what a band, and what an arsenal of hits they have amassed in the last 45 years! Legendary, or what?
The Rise And Fall isn't my favorite Madness LP in my collection; that distinction would go to their debut One Step Beyond... I mean that album's opening triplet is "One Step Beyond...", "My Girl" and "Night Boat To Cairo". Hard to beat or what? Also, in last week's concert, the band played 6 songs from One Step...and only 1 from Rise & Fall.Why then is the latter the one included in all the lists (e.g. 1001 albums you must listen before you die)? I get it, really: Where the debut was a collection of irresistible ska/pop singles, this is a much more ambitious affair: A sort-of-concept album, about childhood memories and growing up in England. I believe that each members contributes at least a song; this results to their first political song (anti-Falkland War "Blue Skinned Beast") as well as some of their trademark nutty moments like "Calling Card" and the cod-Indian voices at the end of "New Delhi" - one could interpret these, or the turbaned blackface snake charmer of the cover, as racist, but that's just The Madness' zany sense of humor: when they played set closer "Night Boat To Cairo" in the concert, Thompson donned a fez, and Suggs fashioned a towel into an Arab-style kerchief. Irreverent, maybe, but well-intended I'm sure. Musically, there's so much more than their usual reggae and ska: jazz, pop, music hall, rock and oriental music get thrown in the mix, and the outcome is more complex and diverse than ever before. A bit of English whimsy reminiscent of The Kinks and The Beatles circa 1967-68, too. In keeping with the nostalgic character of the lyrics, the tempo is mid-paced to fast, but never as frenetic as with some of their earlier works. The record doesn't contain any weak songs, but neither are there many stand-out tracks, other than the two singles: "Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)" and -above all- their biggest international hit, nostalgic feel-good evergreen "Our House". A classic album featuring solid songwriting, for sure, but newcomers should be directed to a greatest hits package, or the pinnacle of their nutty ska days, One Step Beyond.
***** for Tomorrow's (Just Another Day), Our House
**** for Rise and Fall, Mr. Speaker (Gets the Word), Sunday Morning, Tiptoes, That Face
*** for Blue Skinned Beast, Primrose Hill, New Delhi, Calling Cards, Are You Coming (With Me), Madness (Is All in the Mind)
Another unlikely country album in a row, before we return to random selection. This time by English new wave icon Elvis Costello. Costello may not have been a punk, but he was part of a movement spearheaded by punk, one that professed a break with pop and rock tradition. So his decision to record an album of old-fashioned country songs in 1981 came as a shock to those who focused on musical surface. Truth is, he had flirted with country during his pub rock years, as well as in a few isolated instances including a duet with George Jones. But as he was a prolific songwriter who almost never recorded covers, a whole album of them -let alone of country and western tunes- was an unlikely (and unpopular) move. The songs were chosen to evoke a "blue" state of mind, mirroring the singer's own frame of mind at the time (crumbling marriage, substance abuse etc). With the exception of sped up/punky opener (Hank Williams' "Why Don't You Love Me?") the rest of the songs mostly follow the original arrangements. The band excel themselves playing in an unfamiliar genre; special mention must be made for keyboardist Steve Nieve whose piano gives the whole album a genuinely "blue" jazzy feel. The material nevertheless cried for a more authentic country touch, which was attained with the help of pedal steel guitarist John McFee (The Doobie Brothers) and George Jones' producer Billy Sherrill. Apparently the band and producer didn't always see eye to eye, but that's not easily noticeable in the end product. Costello himself approaches the songs with the respect one reserves for the Great American Songbook, trying to interpret the material as well as possible, without emulating the vocal stylings of the original artists, much less their accents. As a result, there's a less authentic but more timeless quality to his performance, which I really like. Two songs were singled out and were given extra embellishment (strings, backing vocals): "Good Year for the Roses", featuring one of Costello's hitherto best vocal performances and Don Gibson's "Sweet Dreams", reminiscent of ballads by that other, more famous, Elvis. Classic country tunes by George Jones, Charlie Rich, and Gram Parsons follow. Billy Sherrill's own "Too Far Gone" is another deep country number, with great pedal steel playing. Big Joe Turner's rockabilly "Honey Hush" kind of breaks the blue mood, while "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down" is also more upeat than usual, featuring some nice honky tonk piano. This is one of my favorite country tunes; one you can often catch me humming, preferably with a glass of whisky in front of me. It was originally written by Merle Haggard, but to me that's also a Gram Parsons song, because when I was in my 20's I found the Flying Burritos version in a sampler CD, and had been listening to it for a full decade before discovering the original - and more than two decades before I was acquainted with Costello's version. At initial release, Almost Blue was met with mixed reviews; maybe the term "cultural misappropriation" didn't exist yet, but the jest of many reviews was "by what right does this English pop star sing country and western?"Now it's easier to view this for what it was: the first of Costello's many genre-hopping experiments. Not one for country purists, certainly, but a good introduction to country for fans of the artist - or, simply, just a good collection of songs.
**** for Sweet Dreams, Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down, Good Year for the Roses
*** for Why Don't You Love Me (Like You Used to Do)?, Success, I'm Your Toy (AKA "Hot Burrito No. 1"), Brown to Blue, Sittin' and Thinkin', Color of the Blues, Too Far Gone, Honey Hush, How Much I've Lied
After presenting country-fied bands from Germany and Greece, I thought I'd do the same for probably the most surprising C&W album in my collection: Plava Trava Zaborava formed in 1982 in Zagreb (then part of The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, now Croatia). The band's name translates as "Blue Grass Oblivion", and they deal strictly in traditional country, mostly bluegrass. This is their 2nd LP, released in 1985 by the local (state-owned, of course) Jugoton label. Apparently, in a time when Ronald Reagan spoke of the Soviet Union as the "Evil Empire" and Eastern Europe supposedly lived behind an impenetrable Iron Curtain, the denizens of communist Yugoslavia got their kicks dressing like cowboys and lovingly recreating the "enemy's" music. Who knew? I don't know whether this was a trend in other Eastern European countries, but it certainly wasn't a unique occurence: during a recent visit in Prague I was surprised by the many old Czechoslovakian C&W records I found in used record bins. I'm not by any means a country music connoisseur, but there's no denying that Plava Trava Zaborava play with skill and gusto and generally sound to me like a legit country band. The instrumentation is just right for this genre, and includes lots of fiddle, as well as mandolin, banjo, dobro, and pedal steel guitar.With the exception of sprightly instrumental "Yugo Goes to Nashville", the rest of the songs are covers: each side starts with a traditional bluegrass tune (Bill Monroe's"I'm Ready to Go" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky") and closes with a John Denver cover ("Country Boy" and "Take Me Home Country Roads"). Inbetween we get covers from Johnny Cash and The Band, among others. The singers' English sound natural without the heavy foreign accents one might fear to come across. Eduard "Jimmy" Matesic takes lead on most of the songs, while a couple of them feature female lead vocals by Rajka Sutlovic. (Pedal steel guitarist) Davor and (banjo and bass player) Vladimir have one lead vocal each, while all of them harmonize nicely throughout. It's strange to associate these Slavic names with this kind of music, but that just proves what we all knew all along: that music is a universal language. Asians can rap, whites can play funk, blacks can play metal, and Slavs can play country and western, and it all sounds good as long as the music connects with something deep inside. I'll admit I only bought this LP as a curious addition to my collection, but it's actually a very enjoyable record within its genre. A solid C&W album, recorded in the Balkans at a time when Nashville was moving away from tradition and towards crass commercialism. How about that?
**** for Voila an American Dream, Thank God I'm a Country Girl, Take Me Home Country Roads
*** for I'm Ready to Go, Corina Corina, Cripple Creek, Country Boy, Blue Moon of Kentucky, Yugo Goes to Nashville,Evangeline, Shot Full of Love, I Been to Georgia on a Fast Train
