WATER ON THE MOON "Got to be starting something, everything has got to change"
Opening their latest disc with a call to arms, New York's Crazy Mary convey a positive message in "Eyes Above the Clouds" exhorting listeners to "use the weapon of love". Freewheeling in their approach, each track is infused with stellar playing and a particularly soulful feel that nods in the direction of the late sixties. There is a great sense that these people really enjoy making music together, which bodes well for finding a loyal audience, as that natural ebullience is something which cannot be faked. People know when it's real and get swept up in the energy.
"Gravity" is my personal pick of the pack, with clever shifts in time signature and nice harmonies all wrapped in an ethereal chord sequence.
Reminiscent of the experimental side of the Jefferson Airplane, Crazy Mary at times takes chances in arrangement and form. While their songwriting heads are in the clouds, they do keep their feet on the ground with solid grooves.
Much to be commended here, though I am surprised that I have not heard of them until now. They have been turning out albums for the past decade and I have some catching up to do.
You may peruse their discography here and then take some time out to learn more about the band
Music of this caliber should be finding a place on the play-lists of contemporary rock stations. We should demand more of that medium. In the meantime, independent ideas still thrive on the net. Time for a change?
It's long overdue.
Here's one to enjoy from the Crazy Mary archives (2001). Water on the Moon is available now and comes highly recommended.
Over fifty years have passed since the The Kingston Trio's close harmonies first made an impact on record buyers. Sporting haircuts that you could set your watch by, with vocal arrangements as sharp as their matching shirts, these guys were also excellent musicians. Their success was a product of possessing a fine ear for arranging traditional tunes coupled with raw talent. Commercially, folk music hit a rare peak in the early 60s due to the pioneering work of Dave Guard, Bob Shane and Nick Reynolds.
Criticized by purists at the time for taking more of a populist approach to the music that they turned out, hindsight reveals more versatility than audience pandering in their material.
From the Hungry i was the second release by the group in 1959 and was excerpted from two nights of recordings made during their month long engagement at this venerable San Francisco venue. "Tic Tic Tic" is my personal favorite. Tight playing and singing is the rule, rather than the exception with nary a note out of place.
Despite their appeal, they were often dogged by a dark, disingenuous cloud for claiming traditional songs that had fallen into the category of public domain as their own. It's one thing to co-opt dusty old melodies from another century (and many artists did so), though when they attempted to take credit for Pete Seeger's (co-written by Joe Hickerson) poignant "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", he politely asked that they drop any pretense of authorship.
For all that, their rendition is nothing short of perfect. Featured on The College Concert, it is one of many highlights on their first live disc with John Stewart who had replaced founding member Dave Guard in 1961. Guard's departure was apparently not amicable.
Nostalgia has been the primary driver for having these discs in rotation for the past few weeks. My parents had both of these LPs and I used to listen to them quite a bit as a child. (The cartoon depiction of the streets of San Francisco on the Hungry i album cover seemed like a page out of a coloring book to a four year old and I used it accordingly.)
Both sets hold up quite well.
The lads began to fall out of favor in the mid-sixties as more serious social concerns called for stronger language. People who chose to get their folk on now turned to singer/songwriters whose work reflected the turbulence of the times. British invasion bands helped swing the pendulum back toward rock.
Inevitably, they would call it a day in 1967, though the act has been revived with different line-ups in the intervening years.
Balancing ego and accomplishment within the structure of a band is a tricky proposition. While some are content to play their role without demanding a greater slice of creative control or additional time in the limelight, many groups have fallen apart due to needless power struggles within their ranks. Fights about whose songs should be included, the overall musical direction to follow, image and a host of other contentious points have toppled many acts before they have had a chance to fulfill their initial promise.
So it was with Sabbath, Mach II, as 1982 drew to a close.
Please allow Tony Iommi to break it all down for you.
We'd worked so much and we'd been everywhere, non-stop work for years and then we recorded the live album and I say that loosely because of instead of being involved with it and listening to the sound in the [mobile recording] truck, it was recorded that quick at these gigs and we were more concerned with the gig than getting involved in the recording side.
When we got the [live recordings] in the studio, they were just bloody awful. It was so badly recorded that we had a big problem with it. We were pretty tired and our nerves were on edge and it just led to a bad feeling in the band.
And then to top it all, the engineer that was working with us was drinking more and more during these sessions and getting more and more pissed. One day, me and Geezer said, "It sounds different from how we left it last night" -- and this was going on for weeks – and the engineer said, "I can't take this any more! Ronnie's been coming in and adjusting everything and then you lot come in and adjust and then he comes in and adjusts it again and I just don't know what to do!"
And we said, "You're kidding?" and we broke up because of that! And of course, it was all hearsay and I don't really believe [what the engineer said] now but we did at the time.
Dio walked, taking Appice with him to forge a solo career.
Everything had been going so well...
Live Evil hit the racks not long after this bitterly acrimonious period of mixing, remixing, disowning and quitting took place. Quite good it is, too.
Courtesy of Circus Magazine, I recall reading a review of one of the gigs on the Mob Rules tour (Pine Knob amphitheater in Michigan) at that time, with mention of a forthcoming official live recording. This was the first Sabbath record that I was able to purchase when it originally came out. There were many debates revolving around Dio's handling of the Ozzy-era material, especially as Osbourne had released Speak of the Devil (a double live album of old Sabbath tunes) at roughly the same time. In the summer of 1983, I listened to both incessantly.
There are plenty of highlights, including the marathon version of "Heaven and Hell" welded together with "The Sign of the Southern Cross", complete with Ronnie's stage banter about recording/filming the show for eventual release and the audience participation segment. "Voodoo" has an extra verse, Iommi shreds, while Geezer and Vinny fill the spaces with beautiful noise.
If it's too loud, you're too old
It's worth mentioning that, for audiophiles, Live Evil exists in several formats, all with differences that range from track sequence (cassette has different running order than the vinyl copy), mix (CD vs. the record, UK vs. US masters) with the strangest being a CD release from Castle in 1996 that boiled everything down to one disc and eliminated Dio's between-song chatter. The Deluxe Edition, on the market since April 2010, has righted this careless tampering.
"Original Dio crowd interaction and audience noise restored."
Good.
Regardless of which copy you may own, it is a sterling document of this incarnation of Sabbath.
Bolstered by the warm reception that Heaven and Hell received from critics and fans, Sabbath now returned strongly to the commercial arena. Always popular as a live act, their record sales had dwindled sharply from the mid 70s. Those fortunes now reversed, they carried on with an extensive tour to support Heaven and Hell. Plagued by a number of personal issues, Bill Ward abruptly quit the band before a show in the middle of the tour.
Enter Vinny Appice.
Younger brother of Vanilla Fudge drummer Carmine Appice, he brought a different approach, technique and attack to the Sabs. At the time, Tony admitted that Appice's playing gave himself and Geezer "a kick up the arse" on stage, sharpening their focus with live arrangements of both the new and "classic" material.
These changes amounted to a total overhaul in the sound and personality of the group, though it was an "apples and oranges" comparison when matched against the original line-up. Both incarnations produced work of great merit, equally enjoyable on many levels.
Striking while the proverbial iron was hot, the Anglo-American Sabbath went into the studio to record the tracks that would comprise Mob Rules. Once again, Martin Birch handled production duties and the results were impressive. A decade would pass before these four musicians collaborated on another studio recording, though we're jumping ahead a bit.
Back to 1981
Much heavier than the last set, Mob Rules kicks off with Vinny Appice applying a balpine hammer to open hi-hats, announcing the arrival of "Turn Up The Night". Setting the tone for a very compelling "side one", it has a great turnaround in the bridge with a frenetic build-up to the guitar solo. Iommi's sound is much brighter in the mix, which Birch ensures is balanced with much more "top end" than usual for Sabbath. Dio's themes deal with madness, violence and black magic blending with his standard recipe for conjuring tales out of the mist. He particularly scores on both the epic "The Sign of the Southern Cross" and the fleet-footed "Falling Off the Edge of the World", which has an inspired guitar figure with tortuous, demanding intervals.
Throw in the pulverizing title track, an incredibly fast exercise in distorted mayhem that reinforced their position as dealers of the weightiest slabs of metal in the business, and the picture is complete. Even somewhat lesser tracks ("Slipping Away", "Over and Over") still have an energy in performance that keep them afloat and give the impression that they are worthy of placement amongst the other giants on the disc.
Very fine album.
Interesting to note that the song sequence is quite similar to Heaven and Hell, which suggests that perhaps a bit of branding was afoot. It would have been interesting to see what musical course this aggregation charted next. Following the tour in support of Mob Rules, things went downhill pretty fast, leading to another major shakeup in the Sabbath camp.
Picture a great storm passing over a patch of ocean water thousands of miles away. Suddenly, two or more waves recombine to form a large swell that travels over a great expanse to come crashing into your local coastline. The well crafted, instrumental stylings of UK artist Matt Stevens have been unleashed in similar fashion, with his latest disc, Ghost, headed this way.
Stevens utilizes his formidable acoustic guitar skills to great effect, conjuring up inspiring themes that instantly lodge themselves firmly in your consciousness. Once you think you have it figured out, he deftly shifts the creative goal posts, thereby ensuring that the listener's attention is maintained throughout. Layering his motifs intelligently, there are many subtle, moving parts within these compositions that demand repeated listening.
The best part? Human hands play an integral role in 99 percent of everything you hear on Ghost. Technology is only employed to enhance the material, not to create or overpower it. Great care has been taken with the arrangements and every note is executed tastefully
Standout tracks are "Into the Sea", "Eleven" "8:19" and "Ghost", though this is merely a matter of preference as all that you encounter here is brimming with melody and invention. Truly enjoyable in every aspect.
Did you ever have one of those little daydreams where you try to trace a series of events/decisions that led you to your present position in life?
Of course you have!
You wouldn't be human if you didn't take time to ponder your place in the cosmos. Happenstance, luck or just deviating from your usual weekend routine can sometimes alter the course of your existence.
For John Osbourne (Ozzy to his friends), 1979 was a pivotal year. Black Sabbath spent the latter part of the 70s in decline. Their last two releases (Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die) had a soporific effect on the hardcore element of their fan base and rehearsals for the next project with Ozzy fell apart quickly. The ax was bound to fall. Fired from his gig fronting Sabbath after ten years and eight albums, Osbourne was in sorry shape. The decision to let him go on the grounds that his substance abuse and drinking were out of control could be viewed as a bit hypocritical, in light of the fact that the others were not exactly model candidates for membership in the temperance society themselves. Worse yet, drummer Bill Ward, one of his closest friends, was chosen to be the bearer of bad tidings
Ward was so out of it during this time that he does not recall the recording sessions for Heaven and Hell.
Making the story even more interesting is the fact that Sharon Arden (daughter of Don Arden, who managed Sabbath at that point) recommended Ronnie James Dio as Ozzy's replacement. Sharon would go on to manage and marry Ozzy, steering him through a very successful solo career.
Fate.
With Dio on board, the Sabbath machine once again started up in earnest, though bassist Geezer Butler quit for a period of time and was replaced by Craig Gruber (another former Rainbow member). Geoff Nichols also moved in to augment the band with keyboards. Work started on what would become the Heaven and Hell album. Butler returned early in 1980, carrying on with tracking as the new songs came together. Nichols remained, though Gruber was again out of a gig.
Gone were the transitory experiments with strings, brass and jazz stylings that had crept into parts of their previous two discs. Combining the traditional, bass-heavy attack with a slightly more sophisticated approach in the vocal department served to revitalize their sound. The relative excellence and consistency of these new compositions added up to a very satisfying listening experience, with Iommi stripping things back to basics. He proceeded to turn in his most impressive set of guitar figures in quite some time.
The Dio/Sabbath marriage rejuvenated interest in the group, though, clearly, an altogether different style was presented to listeners. "Neon Knights" kicks down the door at full speed, with an intensity that doesn't let up until the quick break before the solo. Fantasy imagery mixes with a tearing riff and Dio's peerless vocals. Instantly, they shred just about everything in the Rainbow discography in just under four minutes of metal. "Children of the Sea", a thinly disguised cautionary tale about poisoning the environment, opens softly before kicking into the sludgy mid-tempo riff that winds through a few tricky changes, including a great turnaround that supports Iommi's tasteful lead break. This passage breaks down with a mild chant in the background as we loop back to the introductory passage. Brilliant on all fronts, both of these tracks would soon be staples of the live set.
"Lady Evil" is notable for a little joke inserted close to the end of the tune. Singing of a woman who resides in Witches Valley and hand feeds the darkness itself, Dio seems to have no trouble with his new bandmates trying to steer him away from his natural writing style. In turn, after a breakdown with some tasty wah-wah pedal-driven lines, Iommi breaks into the riff from Cliff Richard's 1976 hit, "Devil Woman", before wrapping back into the outro verse.
You can almost imagine him flashing a subversive smile while doing so. There is confidence exuded in every aspect of the playing, none more so than on the astounding, multi-part title track.
"The closer you get to the meaning, the sooner you'll know that you're dreaming
And it's on and on and on, it's Heaven and Hell"
Heralded by a signature riff from Iommi, the distorted intro dissipates, leaving a sparse, insistent bass and drum foundation over which Ronnie powerfully delivers his lyric. Almost hypnotic in structure, the song shifts gears several times with a wealth of changes that could have been used to drive several different compositions. Nichols provides atmospheric coloring on keys throughout. Resolving on what seems to be an abrupt conclusion, Ward kicks in double time, with a perfectly controlled, yet frenetic sounding beat upon which the others jump on furiously.
"They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast you've got to ride it well, the world is full of kings and queens, who'll blind your eyes and steal your dreams it's Heaven and Hell"
Breathlessly racing to the finish, there is passion in every pore of this music, by far the best out of everything on this disc, which is saying something.
As a teenager, I used to listen to side two of this record in headphones many a night while in that twilight space between consciousness and sleep. It's a phenomenal stretch of music that walks a fine line between aggressive playing and lighter moments. Dio's range is on full display as he handles both moods with ease, often within the same track. ("Wishing Well and "Die Young" being perfect examples)
Closing with one of their most underrated pieces ("Lonely Is the Word") Iommi works in some jazzy licks, finally incorporating this side of his playing quite successfully in the context of what begins as a lugubrious, slogging riff that lightens in tone toward the end. Dio is particularly inspired and through the long fade, Nichols quotes from the Jimmy Page playbook with a repeated, short burst of notes (on keyboard) straight out of the final moments of the "Stairway to Heaven" solo. I'm not sure if it was done intentionally or not, though it's certainly apropos, considering the album's cornerstone title track.
Perhaps done as a jibe in the direction of his former band, the back cover artwork is a carbon copy of the last Rainbow LP to feature Dio. Speculatively, this had to have been his idea, or at least an extension of his sense of humor.
Heaven and Hell stands as one of their masterworks, bar none.
Personnel changes would be the only constant during the period that Rainbow was active. Following the Rising tour, it was three up, two down.
Jimmy Bain: gone.
Tony Carey: gone.
Enter keyboardist David Stone and bassist Mark Clarke.
Well lads, let's get to work on the new album. Uhhh, except you, Mark. You're fired!
Blackmore decided to handle the bass parts himself, for the most part, with Bob Daisley called in to take the honors on three tunes ("Kill the King", "Sensitive to Light" and "Gates of Babylon"). When the dust settled, the finished product fell a bit short of their last studio effort. Indeed, there is an overall sense that the creative interplay between Dio and Blackmore is on the wane, the result being workmanlike.
A lesser opus, if you will.
Containing a mix of the very fine ("Kill the King" "Gates of Babylon") and play by the numbers ("Lady of the Lake" "LA Connection") Long Live Rock 'n' Roll is a bit too uneven to earn the "classic" stamp. Dio turns in his usual spotless vocal performance, though Blackmore's playing doesn't have the fire he had previously displayed and many of the riffs come off as fairly generic. Disappointing for someone of his capabilities. The signature, mystical quality of the lyrics seems to be submerged in favor of more mundane fare. "Sensitive to Light" sounds as if it could slot in comfortably on a Nazareth LP, with the exception of the lead vocals.
The Devil makes an appearance, as per usual, though the Goat-Footed One's presence is fleeting as are the themes that evoke mist, swords and sorcery. Dio's natural affinity for such subject matter was now at odds with Blackmore's desire to lean in a more mainstream direction. This rift would widen, leading to RJD's depature from the Rainbow fold in 1979. The revolving cast of musicians would render the band unrecognizable as they soldiered on into the eighties.
"Rainbow Eyes" closes out this set in curious fashion. The execution, structure and pace are undeniably pretty, though this track really belongs at some second rate Renaissance Fair, being woefully out of step with everything else here.
Far too medieval and not enough evil.
No wonder Dio bolted.
The next move for this powerful singer would surprise many and forge another winning, albeit short-lived, writing partnership.
Looking to capitalize on their strengths, live recordings of Rainbow in full flight were made at stops in Germany and Japan on the tour to support Rising. Cherry picking the best versions of songs from their sets, Martin Birch was tasked with pulling together the finished product for release in 1977.
It has been said of Blackmore that he's always been much more comfortable playing live than in the confines of the studio and certainly much more inventive when walking the tightrope in front of an audience. Dio had the range and power to easily carry off everything he did on record, often surpassing those versions. Add the powerhouse rhythm section with a versatile keyboardist to tastefully fill the spaces and you have the recipe for an incredibly exciting live experience.
That it is.
On Stage documents a band that's firing on all cylinders. It would also represent the beginning of the end for this lineup.
Forging ahead in grand style, the two principal members of Rainbow wrote six new songs together and as the calendar page flipped over to usher in 1976, Ronnie and Ritchie had fired the rest of the band.
When the magicians clapped their hands, not only did a dove materialize but also three new hired guns: Cozy Powell, Jimmy Bain and Tony Carey now filled the drum, bass and keyboard slots. Dream lineup in place, they recorded the Rising album in just one month. As with the first disc, the legendary Martin Birch handled production/engineering duties and the final product clocked in at just 33 minutes.
This is where the similarities end.
Lauded as one of the finest works of the heavy metal genre, there is zero filler in this most impressive set.
Rock was starting to show some bloat by this stage. The advent of the power trio in the late sixties saw the role of the rhythm guitarist vanish through the magic of signal phase distortion, walls of amplifiers and PA systems designed to blast the eardrums of thousands. The early seventies gave rise to acts who invented LOUD. Sabbath, Purple, Zeppelin... all delivered volume by the truckload. As the decade wore on, these groups would move away from the sonic styles that made them famous. With "heavy" giving way to soft rock, disco and homogenous, corporate, soulless garbage, there had to be a successor to the recently abdicated metal throne.
This incarnation of Rainbow would not disappoint.
Built on the sheer strength of the players involved, the opener ("Tarot Woman") is prefaced by over a minute of synth noodling with Blackmore's intro riff faded up into the mix as everyone kicks in hard.
"Beware of a place, a smile on a bright shiny face. I'll never return, how do you know? Tarot woman"
Ritchie's solos are tasteful and Dio provides his own harmony vocal to punch home the chorus. It's a mesmerizing performance all around. The remainder of the first side is no less gripping, with every measure taken to keep the arrangements tight, yet each musician has room to showcase their talents. The drum fills in "Run With the Wolf" are plentiful, inventive, though they do not overpower the song. Even better, the running time of each selection is quite economical. Business is stated quickly, with a hard edge to balance the near pop format, replete with extremely effective hooks.
Epic pieces are saved for the mighty second side.
"Stargazer" gets the full orchestral treatment, drifting close to Zep's "Kashmir" in places (you'll hear it) and prefigures the territory that Iron Maiden would later explore further ("To Tame A Land" and "Powerslave" ) with guitar parts that have a middle eastern flavor.
Closing with the supercharged "A Light in the Black", each instrumentalist really gets to stretch out, with dextrous, flame-thrower solos tossed out by both Carey and Blackmore.
It really doesn't get much better than this. Dio hurls vocal Molotov cocktails, making the most of every syllable, wasting not a word. Rising is clearly the very best LP to be issued in the Dio-era of Rainbow and this line-up is the main reason for that. Jimmy Bain would soon be dumped from the band by the ever mercurial Blackmore, though he would be again recruited by Dio in the early 80s when the singer formed his own group.
The next item on the Rainbow project list involved capturing their live show for release.
Though he had been fronting bands since his teen years (in the late 1950s), Ronnie James Dio did so in relative obscurity until 1975. He had caught the ear of Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore while singing for a group called Elf. Due largely to his prodigious vocal talent, the band was invited to tour with Purple. He caught a further break when Blackmore, pissed with the direction that DP Mach III was moving in, recruited Ronnie and his Elf-mates to make an album.
This is where the Dio legend begins.
Hurriedly recorded, the debut disc has its moments, though suffers from being somewhat underwritten. Containing the very fine "Man On The Silver Mountain" and stellar cuts like "Catch the Rainbow", this is by no means a bad record. The highlights make it worthwhile, though it is not consistently brilliant. What really counts is RJD's peerless voice, which lifts everything he touches. There would be no conventional "you know I love ya baby" couplets tossed out as an afterthought, as he worked to craft lyrics that suggest fantastic realms, occupied by otherworldly characters. This would become his signature, garnering as much attention as his operatic delivery.
Clocking in at just over a half hour in total, padded by two covers, it only provides a glimpse of the potential that the Blackmore/Dio partnership had to offer. Their follow up would be far superior.
Long before their ascent to fame, Hall and Oates were fixtures on the Philadelphia scene, toiling away in separate groups. Even after cementing their creative partnership, they wrote and performed in relative anonymity for quite some time before they took the first steps toward wider recognition and eventual superstardom. Their first release as a duo (Whole Oats) in 1972 was roundly ignored.
Undeterred, the pair went about the process of writing songs for their next full length disc, Abandoned Luncheonette.
It would be nice to report that this record was a monster hit, though, sadly, it met with the same fate as their first LP. Critical raves across the board did not translate to commercial success. Truly a shame that the record buying public let this one slip by on first appearance, as it is melodically strong, cleverly arranged and extremely engaging.
To their credit, they pressed on.
For those who have a nodding acquaintance with Hall and Oates, the work found here does not bear any resemblance to the material that struck gold for them in the eighties. That's not a criticism; merely a friendly setting of expectation for those who want to delve into this record. Your curiosity will be rewarded as their estimable talents as writers/performers coalesce on a number of very inventive selections. It is the pairing of voices that really puts the material across. Abandoned Luncheonette also proved to be a proverbial Trojan Horse, concealing a potent weapon that would go unnoticed on the first pass.
Ultimately, fellow R & B soulsters (The Tavares) would record "She's Gone" and hit number 1 in 1974. The original version found here on this disc didn't score for its composers until 1976. Still holds up as one of their finest creations. Elsewhere, the adventurous. multi-part title track would spin a tale that Billy Joel would take more than a few cues from when constructing "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" four years later.
Highlights here are "Had I Known You Better Then", "Las Vegas Turnaround" and the very fine "I'm Just a Kid (Don't Make Me Feel Like a Man)". Production is slick, quarterbacked by the late Arif Mardin. Despite the instrumental layering present, he does not forget to accentuate the harmonies that the pair hit so effortlessly throughout. Intimacy is maintained, despite the long list of musicians that contribute to the mix. These tunes stand, never overwhelmed by the augmentation, all boasting merit and melody. The duo has always excelled in live performance (as the clips posted here demonstrate). Arrangements of these songs for the stage were grittier and they had the chops (with a stellar supporting cast) to pull it all off with ease.
With so much going for it, there is really no reason why this set shouldn't have been a hit. The cover choice was certainly an artsy decision, though it probably didn't help to market the LP in any tangible way. With "glitter rock" all the rage during the early 70s, a record sleeve depicting a crumbling cafe really couldn't compete with androgynous, space alien singers.
Easily the best representation of their early work.
One of rock and roll's best friends, Joe Heuer, has written a brand new book called "The Rock and Roll Guide to Customer Loyalty"
Finally, a guide that makes perfect sense! Insightful, humorous and well worth your time, this is highly recommended reading. There is a sharp wit mingled with very positive messages on every page.
Britain was the spawning ground for many of the most innovative rock groups of the sixties, with an impressive list of bands that virtually changed the face of popular music. Contemporary listeners have little difficulty identifying the Beatles, Stones, the Who, Cream and other giants of that era.
Mention The Gods, however, and you will likely be met with a blank stare.
Notable for reasons other than their output, they had a rotating cast of members that would move on to find greater success elsewhere. Mick Taylor and Greg Lake both logged time as Gods, though they were gone well before the initial recording sessions commenced for Genesis.
Interestingly enough, two fourths of the lineup on this album (Ken Hensley and Lee Kerslake) would be later play a major part in Uriah Heep.
We are now getting ahead of the story. Time to blow the dust off of a forgotten disc.
Progressive rock was in its infancy in 1968, though there were many aggregations who were more than prepared to propel mainstream fare into the outer limits. Psychedelia was still very much in vogue, though the free form jams that were a product of lysergic influences began to give way to more traditional formats. The British blues movement brought long improvisations in line with 12 bar structures. The Gods had been playing the blues, though they went in another direction, embraced the spirit of the times and adopted the trippy sounds of the era.
You can hear the beginnings of what would become the signature, Hammond-driven sound of Uriah Heep in the early 70's, due to the dominant instrumental presence of Hensley. He handles lead vocal chores here as well. The end product is decent and well worth listening to, though it is an unremarkable set. Exceptions are the brilliant "I Never Know", which features a dreamlike mellotron part and "Looking Glass" with vocals that threaten to scrape the stratosphere.
Redolent of the sounds that were prevalent in the late 60's, there are few surprises if you are familiar with contemporary music of that period. You can hear stylistic traces of Vanilla Fudge and Steppenwolf in places.
To their credit, no truly horrible songs spoil the proceedings, although the tiresome, random sound effects that link the tracks do not jell with the music that is presented. There is a feverish imagination at work that carries the material and makes it seem more interesting than it actually is. Again, this is a more of a curio for those who want to trace the early flowerings of the prog movement, though it is a respectable effort.
In the past decade, increasing dependancy on digital manipulation, coupled with the advent of bands who sound like they have spent more time in marketing courses than the garage, has contributed to a sorry state of affairs for contemporary music lovers. Prevailing trends being as they are, it is always refreshing to hear the work of an artist who has chosen to swim against the tide
Revolutions are often born out of dissatisfaction with mediocrity. For those who fear for the impoverishment of creativity, help is on the way.
Reno Bo has moved away from a support role (playing bass for Mooney Suzuki and Albert Hammond Jr.) to step into the spotlight with his debut solo album, Happenings and Other Things. Well crafted songs and uncluttered arrangements are the rule, rather than the exception, making this disc an absolute pleasure to listen to. Adam Schlesinger's production job is exceptional, providing sharp definition to each instrument, especially the drum sound, which is reminiscent of the aural punch achieved by John Bonham in the seventies.
There is definite stake driven firmly into the ground from outset on this record, which invites the listener to enjoy properly constructed songs, with verses as strong as the choruses, imaginative bridges and a sympathetic supporting cast of musicians making it all work.
Synthetic noises and vocals that are buried in shallow effects are nowhere to be found.
Indeed, it is only soulful, power pop/rock inflected material that you encounter here and it doesn't come any better than "There's a Light". Kicking in strong, this is the perfect selection for the opening slot with a tightly edited intro that wastes no time moving into the infectious chorus. The turnaround change that leads back into the verses is the icing on the cake.
Successfully channelling Terry Gilliam's cartoon work with the Python troupe mixed with a dash of the stylistic devices used by Heinz Edelmann in the Yellow Submarine movie, the accompanying video was conceived and executed by Bo himself.
Inevitably, there will be comparisons to those acts that have inspired the retro feel that colors this work. Bo is simply carrying on a tradition of making good, straight ahead rock and roll, which is infused with his own particular vision and observations. For those that need a reference point, all of the positive attributes that made Big Star, Badfinger and Led Zep so engaging are present, though it is all filtered through a modern lens.
Vocally, Reno has a laid back style that is all his own, which perfectly suits his creations. Not once does he strain to hit a note or reach outside of his range. More importantly, you are actually hearing his singing, unencumbered by the trendy pitch correction devices that have caused so many current recordings to lose personality. Stellar harmonies also factor in heavily throughout.
Much is to be commended here, ranging from stripped down acoustic performances ("Baby, You're Not Feelin' Me Tonight") to full band ravers ("Higher Tonight", "Shake Me Up"). Masterfully sequenced, the record grabs your ear early on, holds interest and whether by design or happy accident, picks up the pace through the "back nine". There is a palpable adrenaline rush right up to finish line, with a slight downshift on the last track, the excellent "I See Stars".
Solidly stomping, "Sugar Suite Blues" is my personal pick, featuring a killer riff and adroit drum fills that would not have sounded out of place on Physical Graffiti. I mean this as a sincere compliment. In the heyday of LPs, this tune would have made for a killer start to side two. In fact, one thought recurred constantly as I listened:
The vinyl version of this gem would sound incredible.
Overall, Happenings and Other Things makes a glorious first impression, which only gets better with subsequent spins. If this is a harbinger of the coming revolution in music, then sign me up. Reno Bo has created something that will stand the test of time and it is more than evident that there is a major talent here that deserves to be heard. I'm already looking forward to the next one.
"There's a Light" is the new single, released today.
Check out this link to grab your own copy of the album.
Horrific new trends in music surface every few months, though they usually fizzle out (mercifully) after a short run of insane popularity with the masses. This cycle of madness is usually pretty reliable, though there are some forms of entertainment that return on cue after a period of exile and are welcomed back warmly, simply because the blueprint was designed to cheat the bounds of time.
Quietly, with an unerring sense of majestic timing, the weathered ship that flies the flag of heartfelt rock and roll regularly sails back into port, bowsprit encrusted with the build up of countless nautical miles logged in far flung waters. Each return arouses the same stirrings of excitement in people as it had the last time around.
Why?
Only you know the answer to that one.
Please allow me a moment to make a tired point by picking on the music of the late eighties.
In short, it was completely putrid, with garbage genres piling up in a fetid heap. Clattering, synthesized sludge befouled the airwaves and if you wanted to hear a rock band, most were trying to balance a fucking poodle on their empty heads while channeling embarrassing, third rate Van Halen, with little of the panache that the maestro himself injected into his own great, early records. Too harsh? Dust off some vintage glam-metal circa 1988 and we'll see how long it takes before you reach for a sharp object to perforate both of your ear drums, thus making it go away.
Along came Masters of Reality, who essentially distanced themselves from these train wrecks by indulging in the sounds of the early seventies. Getting down to basics, they made a stellar rock LP (with Rick Rubin in the director's chair) that was redolent of a time when quality sold the song, though they explored very little new territory. Didn't matter one iota, as it was real.
Fast forward twenty years.
Thanks to the auto tuner and a severe dearth of creativity, today's "hit-makers" make most of the idiot groups from that period sound like Mozart by comparison.
No joke.
Which brings us to the curious case of Bigelf and their most recent (2008) offering, Cheat the Gallows. Apropos of Masters of Reality's 1988 debut, Bigelf have turned the same trick by embracing the sounds of a bygone era in a sea of contemporary drivel. To say that these guys sound like (insert classic band name here) is akin to giving a five hour dissertation on the health benefits of regular breathing to an assembled group of seasoned medical professionals.
Much thought and work went into the production of Cheat the Gallows.
Raising the ghosts of previous grandiose epics with stylistic tips of the top hat to just about everyone, they blend the Beatles, Floyd, Sabbath, ELP, Uriah Heep and Alice Cooper with a host of other styles into a a song cycle that feels cartoonish at times, yet you will appreciate every nuance that the animators are tossing at you. Remarkably ambitious, this disc grabs your attention very quickly and never allows for a moment where you might want to run off to make a sandwich in lieu of checking out what might happen next.
Honing their act, under the radar, since 1991, Bigelf have released a couple of discs, undergone lineup shuffles and built a fan base, though I had not heard of them until recently.
Better late than never.
Great song writing, chops to spare and the employment of recording techniques that hark back to the golden age of analog are charms that prove very difficult to resist. If you have listened to a wide variety of "heavy" acts from the 70s and like them, then Cheat the Gallows will slip easily into your collection. Coming close to the wealth of fine ideas that Iommi and company were knee-deep in during the Sabbath Bloody Sabbath/Sabotage era, there is much to celebrate here. "Hydra" and "The Evils of Rock and Roll" both bear the stamp of those LPs, though there is much more going on.
What works best over the course of these ten, tightly arranged songs is the lightning pace at which motifs change, often at several intervals within the same tune. There is no time allotted to become glassy-eyed by any overlong theme. Providing much comfort food for those whose formative years were shaped by bands that actually gave thought to treating an album as a continuous performance, Bigelf adopt the approach of the concept piece, albeit with a wink. Conjuring up Floyd's salad days, you can almost imagine Richard Wright all over the keys in "Money, It's Pure Evil" with layered harmonies on those big choruses.
Big is the operative word.
Elsewhere, the bombastic elements of Queen surface in mini-operatic form, with multi-part suites flying in every direction. None of these interludes ever overstay their welcome. The set is book ended with a grand entrance and closes in an almost jokey, music hall style. Though the "goodnight folks" is handled in a clever fashion.
Gripping from start to finish, this is a recording that begs to be listened to in the way that it was likely intended: vinyl format. It is easy to play the "that sounds just like" game with this material, however, I would recommend simply enjoying the ride.
Nothing new under the sun, though this is a very pleasant surprise.
Tight, straight up, late 70's rock and/or roll always goes down better than a second beer and Ram Jam delivered just that with their sophomore disc, which also turned out to be their last.
Their smoking overhaul of Leadbelly's "Black Betty" was a fair sized hit, earning them a profile, so it would stand to reason that a built in audience would be guaranteed for the next release.
Sadly, this would not be the case.
Despite best efforts, the reception for this one was practically non existent, consigning this talented bunch to the transit lounge filled with acts waiting to catch the next flight to further stardom, only to forever remain on stand by.
Perhaps the lack of a standout single was a factor in stalling the album, though that doesn't mean it isn't worthy. Quite the contrary, as a matter of fact. The playing is impeccable, the lyrics are without pretension and it sounds just as good as any hard rock record of that era. "Runway Runaway" is my pick, just for the lead work alone.
Lost classic? That seems to be the consensus amongst those who have written about it, though to be fair, no astonishing innovation is present save for the clever, Joycean title. Even with better promotion, they probably would have only had modest chart success at best. Echoes of Aerosmith and other purveyors of muscular, energetic riffage make for a decent spin, though. The coked up, leisure-suited set were far too preoccupied with the insistent, robotic charms of disco to take any notice. Rock was becoming the eccentric uncle who had to be told to "keep a bit more to the back" in family photos. Very shortly, the dreaded "dinosaur" tag would be stamped on groups of this ilk and chops would be traded for marketability in video clips.
Commercially stonewalled by an increasingly fickle marketplace, Ram Jam would call it a day after this, chalking up another instance of listener apathy stopping a good thing before it really had a chance to develop.
Very excited to be joining a discussion regarding the music industry on a cool blogtalkradio program hosted by Vinny "Bond" Marini called Music On the Couch.
When? The show airs 10pm to 11pm ET on Monday, March 29th.
Details:
A panel discussion with four music aficionados covering where the music industry has come from, where it is now and where it is heading. Joining host Vinny Bond are good friends Starrlight http://absinthedreamers.blogspot.com/, who will bring her wealth of knowledge regarding the newest alternative bands; JohnH http://www.avoicetohear.com/ who has his finger on the pulse of the Indy bands abounding today and Sean Coleman, whose knowledge of Classic Rock is as complete as they come. Dial in as we all sit on The Couch and talk it through.Your participation is also encouraged by calling the show at 1.347.633.9400.
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