End Of The Year Retrospectives, 2025

It's always been a favorite December ritual of mine to browse the end-of-the-year lists of music magazines, see which albums made the best-of lists, which had escaped my attention, and plan future additions to my record collection. Nowadays I only buy two magazines, Mojo and Uncut, but I keep including Classic Rock in my end of the year retrospective because it offers a very different viewpoint to the other two. Those always have a lot in common, including -this year- their no.1: Pulp's return to discography after 20+ years is entitled more, and it's a great reminder of what we had been missing all this time; I especially liked the track included in the MOJO sampler, the Gainsbourg-esque "My Sex". Tellingly, this is one of only 4 entries that all 3 magazines have in common. The second one is another 90s favorite, Suede (#2 for MOJO, #3 Uncut, #37 CR). This is their 5th since their reunion (in 2013, after a 10+ year hiatus); I regret to say I haven't followed them at all post-reunion, even though I liked their initial 5-album run a lot. They keep getting great reviews, and "June Rain" (included in the Uncut sampler) proves they're as adept as ever in Bowie-like melodrama. The third one I expected: a collaboration of Robert Plant with Suzi Dian, reminiscent of the former Zeppelin's great collaborative albums with Alison Krauss, only this time there's a bit more psychedelia mixed in with the folk and blues influences. The fourth one I never saw coming: the newest Neil Young LP, entitled Talkin to the Trees. I hadn't even registered it when it came out, because let's face it, the guy releases one or two LPs every year for at least the last four decades. You just know they're going to be good, and you also know they'll be more of the same.Van Morrison is another ultra-prolific veteran whose newest album is supposedly a return to form. CMAT is the newest Irish sensation from a country with a very active scene during the last years, while also of interest is an LP by proggers Cardiacs making the list (#51 Uncut, #29 CR) even though their leader Tim Smith has been dead for 5 years. If I'm not mistaken, the only CD I own which is also on this list is Wet Leg's Moisturizer; I enjoyed it as much as I did their debut, even though it didn't go as high in the end-of-the-year ratings. Two other albums on these lists, I've only ever heard played live: John Fogerty's update of his Creedence catalogue, and The Waterboys' concept album based on the life of actor Dennis Hopper: The last time I saw the band a couple of months ago, they played the whole thing live, and I thought it sounded very interesting. Classic Rock, as always, live in a world of their own; one where the return of the original Alice Cooper band (The Revenge Of Alice Cooper, on #2), is a significant event, and where a title like All Washed Up (Cheap Trick, #4) doesn't carry an uncomfortable whiff of truth about it. Their top choice though (Steven Wilson's The Overview) did get uniformly good reviews.

UNCUT MAGAZINE 1. More (Pulp), 2. Instant Holograms on Metal Film (Stereolab), 3. Antidepressants (Suede), 4. Bleeds (Wednesday), 5. End of the Middle (Richard Dawson), 6. New Threats from the Soul (Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band), 7. Interior Live Oak (Cass McCombs), 8. Twilight Override (Jeff Tweedy), 9. Sable, Fable (Bon Iver), 10. Saving Grace (Robert Plant with Suzi Dian), 11. Lotus (Little Simz), 12. Planting by the Signs (S.G. Goodman), 13. Time Indefinite (William Tyler), 14. Caroline 2 (caroline), 15. The Heat Warps (Modern Nature), 16. Alan Sparhawk with Trampled by Turtles (Alan Sparhawk and Trampled by Turtles), 17. Double Infinity (Big Thief), 18. Strawberries (Robert Forster), 19. Allbarone (Baxter Dury), 20. Foxes in the Snow (Jason Isbell), 21. Glory (Perfume Genius), 22. Touch (Tortoise), 23. The Universe Will Take Care of You (Holden & Zimpel), 24. Weirdo (Emma-Jean Thackray), 25. Phonetics On and On (Horsegirl), 26. The Land We Knew the Best (Chris Eckman), 27. Find El Dorado (Paul Weller), 28. International (Saint Etienne), 29. Getting Killed (Geese), 30. Inland See (Bitchin Bajas), 31. Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams (Patterson Hood), 32. Humanhood (The Weather Station), 33. That’s the Price of Loving Me (Dean Wareham), 34. Remembering Now (Van Morrison), 35. Get Sunk (Matt Berninger), 36. Crooked Wing (These New Puritans), 37. Antigone (Eiko Ishibashi), 38. Mr. Luck And Ms. Doom (The Delines), 39. What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow (Rhiannon Giddens & Justin Robinson), 40. Cotton Crown (The Tubs), 41. Real Warmth (Joan Shelley), 42. The Purple Bird (Bonnie “Prince” Billy), 43. Hard Headed Woman (Margo Price), 44. Can't Lose My (Soul) (Annie and the Caldwells), 45. Life, Death and Dennis Hopper (The Waterboys), 46. Michelangelo Dying (Cate Le Bon), 47. Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation (Edwyn Collins), 48. From Newman Street (Kassi Valazza), 49. Essex Honey (Blood Orange), 50. Moisturizer (Wet Leg), 51. LSD (Cardiacs), 52. Euro-Country (CMAT), 53. In Limerence (Jacob Alon), 54. It’s a Beautiful Place (Water From Your Eyes), 55. Headlights (Alex G), 56. A Sober Conversation (BC Camplight), 57. Pentimento (Carson McHone), 58. Sad and Beautiful World (Mavis Staples), 59. Blurrr (Joanne Robertson), 60. Desert Window (Lucy Gooch), 61. Who Is the Sky? (David Byrne), 62. Héritage (Songhoy Blues), 63. Luminal (Beatie Wolfe and Brian Eno), 64. Figure In Blue (Charles Lloyd), 65. Utopia (Gwenno), 66. Pinball Wanderer (Andy Bell), 67. Tall Tales (Mark Pritchard and Thom Yorke), 68. Mulatu Plays Mulatu (Mulatu Astatke), 69. Sinister Grift (Panda Bear), 70. Daylight Daylight (Steve Gunn), 71. Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory (Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory), 72. Talkin to the Trees (Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts), 73. Tether (Annahstasia), 74. Forever Howlong (Black Country, New Road), 75. Wolf of St Elmo (Slow Motion Cowboys), 76. Begging The Night To Take Hold (Emma Pollock), 77. Is (My Morning Jacket), 78. Never Enough (Turnstile), 79. Pequena Vertigem de Amor (Sessa), 80. Transform Me Then Into a Fish (Martin Carthy)

MOJO MAGAZINE 1. More (Pulp), 2. Antidepressants (Suede), 3. Euro-Country (CMAT), 4. Double Infinity (Big Thief), 5. Can't Lose My (Soul) (Annie and the Caldwells), 6. Instant Holograms on Metal Film (Stereolab), 7. Strawberries (Robert Forster), 8. Cotton Crown (The Tubs), 9. The Collapse of Everything (Adrian Sherwood), 10. Moisturizer (Wet Leg), 11. Find El Dorado (Paul Weller), 12. Alan Sparhawk with Trampled by Turtles (Alan Sparhawk and Trampled by Turtles), 13. Lotus (Little Simz), 14. End of the Middle (Richard Dawson), 15. Sad and Beautiful World (Mavis Staples), 16. Saving Grace (Robert Plant with Suzi Dian), 17. Twilight Override (Jeff Tweedy), 18. Weirdo (Emma-Jean Thackray), 19. Tall Tales (Mark Pritchard and Thom Yorke), 20. Interior Live Oak (Cass McCombs), 21. Allbarone (Baxter Dury), 22. Lay Low (Eddie Chacon), 23. A Bridge To Far (Midlake), 24. The Bad Fire (Mogwai), 25. Remembering Now (Van Morrison), 26. Phonetics On and On (Horsegirl), 27. Who Is the Sky? (David Byrne), 28. Michelangelo Dying (Cate Le Bon), 29. In Limerence (Jacob Alon), 30. International (Saint Etienne), 31. Critical Thinking (Manic Street Preachers), 32. Getting Killed (Geese), 33. Foxes in the Snow (Jason Isbell), 34. Sable, Fable (Bon Iver), 35. The Purple Bird (Bonnie “Prince” Billy), 36. Begging The Night To Take Hold (Emma Pollock), 37. Totality (Natural Information Society and Bitchin Bajas), 38. Love Made Trees (Loaded Honey), 39. Only Frozen Sky Anyway (Jonathan Richman), 40. Sinister Grift (Panda Bear), 41. Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory (Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory), 42. The Overview (Steven Wilson), 43. A Sober Conversation (BC Camplight), 44. Daybreak (Sven Wunder), 45. Metalhorse (Billy Nomates), 46. Heavy Metal (Cameron Winter), 47. Tell Dem It's Sunny (Greentea Peng), 48. Love Chant (The Lemonheads), 49. So Kono (Salif Keita), 50. Hard Headed Woman (Margo Price), 51. Phantom Island (King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard), 52. Liminal (Beatie Wolfe and Brian Eno), 53. Possession (Ty Segall), 54. Humanhood (The Weather Station), 55. Desire On Ice (Tav Falco), 56. I Quit (Haim), 57. The Universe Will Take Care of You (Holden & Zimpel), 58. Earthstar Mountain (Hannah Cohen), 59. Talkin to the Trees (Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts), 60. Touch (Tortoise), 61. Forever Howlong (Black Country, New Road), 62. Till the Morning (Brian D'Addario), 63. Tether (Annahstasia), 64. Renascence (Cymande), 65. Dim Probs (Gruff Rhys), 66. Time Indefinite (William Tyler), 67. Altogether Stranger (Lael Neale), 68. Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years (John Fogerty), 69. Flying with Angels (Suzanne Vega), 70. Glutton for Punishment (Heartworms), 71. Ride into the Sun (Brad Mehldau), 72. Golliwog (Billy Woods), 73. Radio DDR (Sharp Pins), 74. Die to Wake Up from a Dream (MF Tomlinson), 75. Abstraction Is Deliverance (James Brandon Lewis Quartet)

CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE 1. The Overview (Steven Wilson), 2. The Revenge Of Alice Cooper (Alice Cooper), 3. The End (Mammoth), 4. All Washed Up (Cheap Trick), 5. Dreams On Toast (The Darkness), 6. The Hives Forever Forever The Hives (The Hives), 7. Black & Gold (Joanne Shaw Taylor), 8. Breakthrough (Joe Bonamassa), 9. Sanguivore II: Mistress Of Death (Creeper), 10. No Rain, No Flowers (The Black Keys), 11. Curious Ruminant (Jethro Tull), 12. Saving Grace (Robert Plant with Suzi Dian), 13. June (De’Wayne), 14. Critical Thinking (Manic Street Preachers), 15. God Shaped Hole (Those Damn Crows), 16. Mirador (Mirador), 17. Satanic Rites Of The Wildhearts (The Wildhearts), 18. Bloom (Larkin Poe), 19. Bored Animal (His Lordship), 20. Welcome To The Future (H.E.A.T), 21. Everest (Halestorm), 22. The Painful Truth (Skunk Anansie), 23. V: Lamentations (Wytch Hazel), 24. Brotherhood (FM), 25. The Archer (Masters Of Reality), 26. Whomp Whack Thunder (Whiskey Myers), 27. Chosen (Glenn Hughes), 28. The Bestiary (Castle Rat), 29. LSD (Cardiacs), 30. Skeleta (Ghost), 31. Less Is More (Inspector Cluzo), 32. Futique (Biffy Clyro), 33. Everything (Eureka Machines), 34. Mad! (Sparks), 35. Leo Rising (Danko Jones), 36. Midnight At The Valencia (Cardinal Black), 37. Antidepressants (Suede), 38. Is (My Morning Jacket), 39. Something To Consume (Die Spitz), 40. Ad Astra (Ash), 41. Walking On Water (Luke Morley), 42. More (Pulp), 43. Giants & Monsters (Helloween), 44. I Beat Loneliness (Bush), 45. Gargantuan (Amplifier), 46. Here We Go Crazy (Bob Mould), 47. Circling From Above (Styx), 48. Roar Like Thunder (Buckcherry), 49. Duets Special (Chrissie Hynde And Pals), 50. Talkin To The Trees (Neil Young)

The Album Of The Year website publishes most of the end-of-the-year lists as well as an aggregate list derived (this year) from as many as 106 different publications. This is always different, much more pop-oriented than the magazines I read. According to this list, this year's top album was Rosalía's LUX. now, this is an artist I always dismissed, without really listening, as the latest Latina pop star, sort of a younger Shakira or J-Lo. Well, I certainly was wrong! From what I've listened on youtube, Lux seems to be a very complex and well-realized album blending wildly different genres, high-profile guests, and a heavy concept: each song is inspired by the life of a "saintly" figure from the past. The fact that it doesn't collapse under the weight of all this ambition, is a miracle. And yes, this girl sure can sing! Other than that, the list proves the unanimous acceptance of 90's stalwarts Pulp and Suede - the only two artists that can be found on all 4 lists presented here. Stereolab is another 90's indie band whose return is greeted with widespread enthousiasm while newer bands we've encounterd in previous lists include, among others, CMAT, Wet Girl, Big Thief, and Horsegirl.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR AGGREGATE 1. LUX (Rosalía) 389 Points, 2. Getting Killed (Geese) 384 Points, 3. Bleeds (Wednesday) 194 Points, 4. DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (Bad Bunny) 180 Points, 5. EUSEXUA (FKA twigs) 177 Points, 6. EURO-COUNTRY (CMAT) 171 Points, 7. Let God Sort Em Out (Clipse) 167 Points, 8. choke enough (Oklou) 158 Points, 9. West End Girl (Lily Allen) 155 Points, 10. NEVER ENOUGH (Turnstile) 153 Points, 11. Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party (Hayley Williams) 152 Points, 12. Baby (Dijon) 146 Points, 13. Addison (Addison Rae) 145 Points, 14. GOLLIWOG (billy woods) 128 Points, 15. Essex Honey (Blood Orange) 125 Points, 16. More (Pulp) 121 Points, 17. Fancy That (PinkPantheress) 118 Points, 18. Moisturizer (Wet Leg) 114 Points, 19. The Passionate Ones (Nourished By Time) 98 Points, 20. Lotus (Little Simz) 96 Points, 21. black british music (2025) (Jim Legxacy) 95 Points, 22. private music (Deftones) 85 Points, 23. MAYHEM (Lady Gaga) 85 Points, 24. Lonely People With Power (Deafheaven) 82 Points, 25. The Art of Loving (Olivia Dean) 73 Points, 26. It's A Beautiful Place (Water From Your Eyes) 71 Points, 27. THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! (JADE) 70 Points, 28. Double Infinity (Big Thief) 70 Points, 29. Phonetics On and On (Horsegirl) 69 Points, 30. Instant Holograms On Metal Film (Stereolab) 65 Points, 31. viagr aboys (Viagra Boys) 63 Points, 32. The Clearing (Wolf Alice) 61 Points, 33. THE BPM (Sudan Archives) 61 Points, 34. Everybody Scream (Florence + the Machine) 60 Points, 35. New Threats From the Soul (Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band) 60 Points, 36. ICONOCLASTS (Anna von Hausswolff) 58 Points, 37. Virgin (Lorde) 58 Points, 38. SABLE, fABLE (Bon Iver) 56 Points, 39. Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You (Ethel Cain) 55 Points, 40. caroline 2 (caroline) 54 Points, 41. Headlights (Alex G) 52 Points, 42. Antidepressants (Suede) 50 Points, 43. Sinister Grift (Panda Bear) 49 Points, 44. hexed! (aya) 47 Points, 45. Big city life (Smerz) 44 Points, 46. Glory (Perfume Genius) 44 Points, 47. Who Let the Dogs Out (Lambrini Girls) 44 Points, 48. I Love My Computer (Ninajirachi) 43 Points, 49. People Watching (Sam Fender) 42 Points, 50. Pirouette (Model/Actriz) 42 Points.

These Trails "These Trails" 1973*****

This is another album I hadn't heard in many years. When I took this out for a spin, I thought "I remember this, it's a good one - native American acid folk". Close enough: it's really Hawaiian, but there really is a crucial native element here, as the music and lyrics are steeped in that island country's tradition and inspired by its tropical landscape. Maybe the font used on the cover played tricks with my memory, as it reminded me of old Western movies. The songs are mainly the work of a local couple: singer/guitarist Patrick Cockett was a native Hawaiian and student of traditional music, while singer-songwriter Margaret Morgan was a Hawaiian-born white girl from an old and distinguished family of sugar plantation owners. She was away studying in California, but they met at Hanalei beach in Kauai island during her college break, bonding over music, and ended up living together in a rural Hawaiian setting for a while. Her vocals are one of the most defining elements of the album: fragile and dramatic, reminiscent on occasion of Kate Bush or maybe Joni Mitchell, but with a pronounced vibrato often compared to Donovan. The songs initially only featured Margaret on lead vocals and dulcimer, with Patrick on vocals and acoustic guitar, using both traditional Western strumming and the Hawaiian slack key style. They must have already sounded quite nice in a folky kind of way, but it's when they took the songs to the "big city" (in this case, Honolulu) that magic happened: At Sinergia studios they were introduced to Dave Choy, sound engineer and ARP synthesizer pioneer, whose experiments with electronic music turned out to blend unexpectedly well with the couple's acoustic pastoral sounds. Another important element was Uruguayan composer/guitarist Carlos Pardeiro who joined the band in the studio, as did their friends Eric Kingsbury on guitar and Ron Rosha on the ipu, a percussion instrument made from gourds, commonly used to provide the beat for hula dancing. Last (and, from a musical point of view, probably least) of the contributors mentioned in the liner notes is Boogie Kalama, a surfer friend of the couple. He's credited with "feet" - no he doesn't stomp his feet or anything like that on record, it's just his feet that we see on the front cover photo. Opener "These Trails" is a short acid folk tune strongly reminiscent of Incredible String Band. "Our House In Hanalei" celebrates rural island living, and has a more definite Hawaiian feel, with soft percussion and beautiful harmonies. The use of the melodious pidgin dialect makes it even more charming. "Of Broken Links" is an atmospheric piece with multi-tracked harmonies while "El Rey Pescador" is a Spanish language track written by and sung with Carlos Pardeiro, who also adds some nice sitar textures. South American, Pacific, and Indian influences blend remarkably well here. "Psyche I" is an acoustic guitar instrumental that segues into "Share Your Water". The combination of ethereal female vocals and electronic effects reminds me of a 60s psychedelic band called The United States Of America. If you're not familiar with their work, you should check them out. It's followed by "Hello Lou", a delicate folk duet with string and synth orchestration reminiscent of Robert Kirby's work for Nick Drake. "Rusty’s House" is an unadorned folk tune segueing into the more cosmic and richly orchestrated "Lost in Space" with ARP simulating the sound of ocean waves. "Psyche II" continues from where "Psyche I" left off, adding more synthesizer sounds. "Sowed a Seed" is another experimental track with weird synth sounds and dulcimer, followed by the more conventional folk of "Rapt Attention". "Waipoo", named after the waterfall in Waimea Canyon, is full of naturalistic imagery and lush strings, and closer "Garden Botanum" is a quietly exuberant celebration of flowers and nature, full of arpeggios and synth washes. All in all, this timeless album resembles nothing else I've ever heard: yes, the words and vocals have this twee 60's hippy flower power element, but then the traditional Hawaiian instruments give it an ancient earthy feel, while the experimentation with early electronic music has a retro-futuristic effect akin to witnessing 2001:A Space Odyssey. These Trails is a singular album. Eccentric as hell, yet approachable and utterly enchanting. It's really a time capsule—an intimate snapshot of two musicians (and their circle of friends) channeling their surroundings into music. The record is credited to These Trails, but there was never a band as such; it was a title chosen by Choy because the record had to have a name. There were never any public performances of the music, and no follow-ups. Under pressure from her family, Margaret returned to college never to record music again; she didn't even stay long enough to listen to the final form given to her songs. Patrick has sometimes appeared playing alongside folkies Taj Mahal and Buffy St. Marie. The limited pressing of this LP sold out pretty quickly, for it to gradually became one of those rarely heard legendary collectors' items. Of course original copies are beyond the reach of most of us, but even reissues aren't easy to come by, so if you come across a copy, don't hesitate to grab it.

***** for Of Broken Links, El Rey Pescador, Share Your Water, Hello Lou, Lost in Space, Our House in Hanalei, Waipoo 

**** for These Trails, Sowed a Seed, Rapt Attention, Garden Botanum

 *** for Psyche I, Rusty’s House, Psyche II

The Brian Setzer Orchestra 'Boogie Woogie Christmas" 2003🎅🏼🎅🏼🎅🏼

From Jethro Tull to Twisted Sister, Bob Dylan to Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Beach Boys to Eric Clapton, every rocker seems to think they owe their fans a Christmas album. Even Bad Religion (religion bad, Christmas good? How does that figure?) Brian Setzer, though, has taken it to another level. Since he left The Stray Cats behind, he's been on a mission to resurrect the golden age of big bands, swing, and rockabilly. Who better, then, than him to play those old chestnuts familiar from Elvis and the Rat Pack? He channels the spirit of the King with aplomb on “Blue Christmas” and “Santa Claus Is Back in Town”, embellishing them with his own trademark reverb-drenched guitar solos, while Elvis' erstwhile costar Ann-Margret adds authenticity by providing playful guest vocals on "Baby, It's Cold Outside". Previously, side one has opened with probably the most cliché Christmas tune, "Jingle Bells". Setzer manages to make it sound interesting by giving it a rockabilly twist ("Oh what fun it is to ride in a '57 Chevrolet"), while "Boogie Woogie Santa Claus" is pure R&B, Winter Wonderland" is jazzy and "The Nutcracker Suite" is an ambitious swing/classical crossover - he'd return to this idea on 2007's Wolfgang's Big Night Out. Side two keeps up with impeccably played and tightly arranged big band versions of yuletide classics "(Everybody's Waitin' for) The Man with the Bag" and "Sleigh Ride", a Stray Cats-style rocking "Run Rudolph Run", country-ish "Cactus Christmas" (is it an original? I wasn't previously familiar with it), and ballad "So They Say It's Christmas". The album closes with two earnestly spiritual songs "O Holy Night" and "The Amens", utilizing a very churchy choir. All in all, Setzer manages to retain everything we all love about those old seasonal favorites, while making subtle changes that breath new life to them. His ebullience is infectious, and the album makes for a delightfully fun listening experience that is sure to put you in celebratory mood for the holidays. The album was originally released on CD only, but for the vinyl lovers there's a beautiful reissue from 2019 in Christmas tree-green-colored vinyl and gatefold cover. Of course I bought it, and every December it makes repeated trips to my turntable. Three more Christmas-themed albums followed: Dig That Crazy Christmas (2005), Rockin' Rudolph (2015), and the live Christmas Comes Alive (2010), plus a compilation and a couple of live DVDs: Brian Setzer Orchestra Live: Christmas Extravaganza (2005) and Christmas Rocks! (2018). I haven't heard/seen them all, but everything I've heard seems to be in the same spirit. All guaranteed fun, but there's no beating the original, so this is the one to start your Brian Setzer Christmas collection with!

**** for Jingle Bells, Boogie Woogie Santa Claus, Santa Claus Is Back in Town, Run Rudolph Run

*** for Winter Wonderland, Blue Christmas, Baby, It's Cold Outside, The Nutcracker Suite, (Everybody's Waitin' for) The Man with the Bag, Sleigh Ride, Cactus Christmas, So They Say It's Christmas

** for O Holy Night, The Amens

The Siegel-Schwall Band "Three Pieces For Blues Band And Orchestra/ Street Music (Russo)" 1972-1977(Rec) 1977 (comp)***

OK, I found this LP at the bargain bin of my neighborhood record store and it caught my attention; I don't believe I had ever heard of a blues/classical fusion work before. Rock yes, but blues not. And Siegel-Schwall sounded like a random choice for such a work - not highbrow enough, somehow. I got it, then tried to find out more about how it came to be. Apparently, Japanese orchestra maestro Seiji Ozawa actually got the idea of a blues/classical fusion work after seeing Siegel–Schwall Band perform live at a Chicago blues club - so, the band choice was anything but random. He pitched the idea to composer William Russo, who wrote the symphonic parts to Three Pieces for Blues Band and Symphony Orchestra as well as broad outlines for the blues parts, to be filled by the band themselves. The work debuted in 1968; at the time, it was an unprecedented combination - the only similarly bold experiment in roughly the same period that I can think of was The Moody Blues' Days Of Future Past (1967). By the advent of prog rock in the early 70's, the combination sounded interesting rather than outlandish, so Siegel-Schwall went into studio to record the piece with the San Francisco Symphony, conducted by Ozawa himself. Side two featured a different work, Leonard Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. The album opens with a minute-long atmospheric intro followed by a blues boogie with beautiful electric guitar; here the orchestra nicely compliments the blues band, which seems to have the upper hand. On "2nd Part", it's the orchestra that dominates. Guitar and piano enter after 3 minutes, and harmonica after 6:30. The playing of the blues band on "3rd Part" is excellent, but for me the piece is somewhat marred by the orchestra occasionally being too loud. While this is quite normal in a symphonic setting, it sounded too bombastic and out of place to my ears compared to the gentleness of the blues band. It makes for an interesting comparison with another, more successful fusion work: more than 20 years later, the same San Francisco Symphony, conducted by Michael Kamen this time, would play a concert with Metallica immortalized in the Metallica S&M DVD and CD. Here the orchestra would never overpower the band, sparring with the powerful metal rockers during the louder parts, and adding drama and nuance to the (relatively) quieter ones. The original LP issue was released by classical music label Deutsche Grammophon, and sold quite well, reaching number 21 on the Billboard Jazz Chart and number 105 on the Billboard Top 200. My 1977 reissue on Polydor is quite different, as side 2 features another Russo composition called Street Music: A Blues Concerto. Taken from a different Deutsche Grammophon LP, this piece was also recorded by the San Francisco Symphony conducted by Seiji Ozawa. Since Siegel-Schwall had disbanded, it only features Corky Siegel on harmonica and piano. It consists of 4 movements: the first one opens with a mourning harmonica whose sound blends well with the strings; after 3 minutes the symphonic parts takes completely over. To me it sounded like the music of a movie or ballet, going through various moods that seemed to comment on something invisible happening onstage. The "2nd Movement" consists of alternating passages of boogie woogie piano and classical, never really integrating. The combination works better on "3rd Movement", while "4th Movement" starts with an upbeat harmonica intro, followed by classical segment, then a segment with nice harmonica/orchestra interplay, and ends with a bombastic symphonic coda. As a whole, I find "Street Music" rather less engaging, as I missed the blues guitar, but Corky Siegel's performance on harmonica is insanely good. He convinced me for the first time that this "humble" yet versatile and very expressive instrument actually has a place in classical music, which I never would have thought before. To summarize, I thought the blues playing by the band is particularly strong, while the symphonic part sounds great when it blends well with the blues. When it takes over, it sounds just like a random classical piece - or, to be more accurate, like soundtrack music. In any case, an interesting experiment which may sound pompous as an idea but it certainly has its moments.

Three Pieces For Blues Band And Orchestra: 1st Part****,  2nd Part***, 3rd Part*** 

Street Music: A Blues Concerto 1st Movement***, 2nd Movement**,  3rd Movement***, 4th Movement***

The liner notes, translated from German

Mops "Rock 'N' Roll '70" 1970 ***

For the first time, I'm presenting a record that's not part of my record collection. Not on purpose; I bought GS Original Stock 5 by The Mops during my recent visit to Japan, mistaking it for their sophomore effort, Rock'n'Roll 70. I then downloaded the album I thought I had bought on MP3 and listened to it while driving to work, proceeding to write my review based on what I heard. Then, when I played the actual vinyl at home, I realized my mistake: even though both albums use the same cover photo, one of them is really a compilation. The Japanese song titles on the back cover were no help to me; do you think I can tell whether this "朝まで待てない" or this "朝日のあたる家" means "House Of The Rising Sun"? Anyway, since I took the time to write the review already, I thought I'd post it here anyway. And, for your information, I'm not the only one who made this mistake; rateyourmusic also lists GS Original Stock 5 as a  different issue of the original Rock'n'Roll 70 LP rather than as a completely other album. 

On the left, a photo of the LP I bought in Japan. On the right, the one this review is about:

The Mops are considered to be Japan's first psychedelic rock band; their debut Psychedelic Sounds in Japan (1968) featured fuzz-laden covers of Jefferson Airplane, Doors, and Animals songs. It was pretty good, but seemed to be a bit too eager to jump on the flower-power bandwagon. Their third one Iijanaika (1971), which I've already reviewed here, presented a heavier, less commercial, aspect of the band. Rock 'N' Roll '70, recorded between those two, is mostly ignored; like their debut it features mostly covers, but unlike it, it fails to capture the zeitgeist. If anything, it's divided between nostalgia for the classic blues and rock'n'roll of the 50's and early 60's and their future progressive heavy sound. "Rock'n'Roll" (which singer Hiromitsu Suzuki pronounces "Lock en Lol😂") is a wild rockabilly incorporating Little Richards' "Good Golly Miss Molly" and sounds like a precursor to the same-named Led Zeppelin track. "Jenny Jenny '70" is a more straight Little Richard cover. "Ain't That Just Like Me" is a fun little rock'n'roll ditty (previously covered by The Coasters, Searchers, Hollies etc) and "I'm A Man" is a Spencer Davis Group song; both are tough, well-played, versions but too short and missing any distinctive characteristics. I find myself wishing they had elongated them or added some nice solos, 1970 wasn't the 3-minute radio era when these songs first appeared. Hiromitsu was a big Eric Burdon fan, so he covers two Animals songs here: wild R&B "Club A Go Go" and their classic "House of The 'Lising' Sun". The latter features an interesting bridge utilizing a string section (or, more likely, mellotron) and a (possibly traditional Japanese) reed instrument. The other ballad here is a rather lackluster version of The Beatles' "Elenore Rigby". "My Babe" sounds like a blues cover, but I'm not sure (it's not the familiar Little Walter tune of the same name). The rest sound like band originals, and are of arguably more interest. The album opens with Hendrix-like psychedelia of "Participation" - one of the record's highlights, along with "Kyoko", a Groundhogs-like prog-blues hard rocker. "Get Got Gotten" treads similar ground while "Body And Soul" is a hard rock-garage-soul hybrid similar to modern groups like The Gories and Bellrays. In the end, despite the fact that they choose to sing in English and that this LP is obviously intended as a tribute to their early British/American R&B/Rock&Roll influences, there's something very Japanese about it; I don't just mean the singer's accent, but also the fact that all these influences seem to be processed with an alien sensibility - of someone who was steeped in Western culture but not necessarily of it. As it turns out, the album is quite rare, especially on vinyl. So, if you can find a copy (even CDs are rare) I say get it, it's worth adding to your collection. Just make sure it's the one on the right.

**** for Participation, Rock 'N' Roll, House Of The Rising Sun, Kyoko, Body And Soul

*** for My Babe, I'm A Man, Jenny Jenny '70, Eleanor Rigby, Get Got Gotten, Ain't That Just Like Me, Club-A-Go-Go