UMPIRE2's Semi-Personal MUSIC Thread

[umpire2]

Unbelievable as it seems, today is the 2nd Anniversary of this thread.

I will try to get in at least a couple of reviews today and also something of a recap.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 211:

"The Captain & Me"---Doobie Brothers (1973)

This is one of those 'formative' albums that is very personal. I don't think that takes away from the overall quality of the set, but my own personal feelings certainly influence this selection in a big way.

One of the first albums I ever purchased with my own money after starting to deliver newspapers, "The Captain & Me" was a treasure. There were (and are) some tracks that I like better than others, but overall, I thought this album was simply amazing.

The three songs contained that may be still somewhat well-known are 'Long Train Runnin', 'China Grove' and, to a lesser extent, 'Natural Thing' (all written by Tom Johnston on the last Doobie's album on which he was by-far the primary songwriter). They all received considerable airplay nearly 40 years ago and I still occasionally hear 'China Grove' and 'Long Train Runnin' on the rare occasions that I listen to the radio or turn the TV to a cable music station. All three are really, really good tunes and somewhat overshadow the remainder of the set, but there are several other great tracks, including 'Dark-Eyed Cajun Woman' (Johnston), the lovely 'Clear As The Driven Snow' (written by Patrick Simmons in that slat-key style that became much more familiar with the release of 'Black Water' from the Doobie's next LP), 'South City Midnight Lady' (another excellent Simmons ballad) and 'Ukiah' (Johnston); Johnson's title track is OK, but not really a grabber.

The real rockers, 'Without You' (written by the entire band) and 'Evil Woman' (Simmons) are good, but they are not the band's real forte, which is well-crafted medium-tempo, mellow Northern California country-rock.

Once again, Ted Templeman's production is nearly flawless, the performances are outstanding and there are no bad tracks, with 7 out of 10 outstanding (I skipped the 48 second segue 'Busted Down Around O'Connelly Corners', which is OK, but not much to it).

Fine album, Bros.

[umpire2]

Number 210:

"Quicksilver Messenger Service"---Quicksilver Messenger Service (1968)

Falling somewhere between The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane musically, the Bay Area's Quicksilver Messenger Service still carved out its own sound right from the beginning. Their debut is a marvelous icon of its time, semi-psychedelic without being over the top, melodic in one-toke-over-the-line sense, offering a rhythmic pattern that is about one half-step behind its own beat, making it intriguing and laid back at the same time.

Coming it at the tail end of their hey day (if an undeservedly second-string band can be said to have a hey day; this album only reached #63 on the Billboard charts, and though the band had 3 of their 8 total albums enter the Top 30, none were able to crack the Top 25), I think I can remember in 1969, 1970 and 1971 when Quicksilver songs got their share of airplay. I can also remember feeling a wave of pleasure when one of the outstanding tracks from this, their debut, was chosen by a DJ.

Leading off with a rock rendition of folkster Hamilton Camp's 'Pride of Man' (I love this song), the remainder of the album is band composed (I say this although Dino Valenti and Nick Gravenites, two future members, were not officially IN QMS at the time of this recording) and includes the fantastic instrumental 'Silver and Gold', the terrific 'Dino's Song', the super 'It's Been Too Long' and the excellent 12-minute 'The Fool'. The only cut on the set that is not classic, or nearly so, is guitarist Gary Duncan and bassist David Freiberg's 'Light Your Windows', which is only very good.

Here is 'Silver and Gold'

http://youtu.be/KhraiPTORhI

[umpire2]

A "DECADE RECAP"

So far (with 209 albums to go) there have been:

30 Albums from the 1950s

119 Albums from the 1960s

265 Albums from the 1970s

210 Albums from the 1980s

91 Albums from the 1990s

76 Albums from the 2000s

[umpire2]

A RECAP BY ARTIST/BAND

Those with 3 or more albums so far.....


RUSH: 12

ART BLAKEY & THE JAZZ MESSENGERS: 11

DAVID BOWIE: 8
BLACK SABBATH: 8
AC/DC: 8
INXS: 8

KING CRIMSON: 7
JOHN COLTRANE: 7
ROLLING STONES: 7
NEIL YOUNG: 7
YES: 7

QUEEN: 6
B-52s: 6
AEROSMITH: 6
BLUE OYSTER CULT: 6
FLEETWOOD MAC: 6
ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN: 6
DEEP PURPLE: 6
THE CURE: 6
DEXTER GORDON: 6
JIMI HENDRIX: 6
LEE MORGAN: 6
JEFFERSON AIRPLANE/STARSHIP: 6

BEATLES: 5
DEAD CAN DANCE: 5
BANANARAMA: 5
GENESIS: 5
TEN YEARS AFTER: 5
POCO: 5
PINK FLOYD: 5
ROXY MUSIC: 5
QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE: 5
MOTT THE HOOPLE: 5

U2: 4
THE FALL: 4
STEELEYE SPAN: 4
SANTANA: 4
PSYCHEDELIC FURS: 4
ROBERT PLANT: 4
THE PENTANGLE: 4
MONKEES: 4
THE CLASH: 4
ALICE COOPER: 4
J. GEILS BAND: 4
HUMBLE PIE: 4
GENE LOVES JEZEBEL: 4
GRAND FUNK RAILROAD: 4
MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT: 4
JOHN MELLENCAMP: 4
BARRY MANILOW: 4
JOHN MAYALL: 4
MANHATTAN TRANSFER: 4
METALLICA: 4

HANK MOBLEY: 3
CARLY SIMON: 3
T. REX: 3
GORDON LIGHTFOOT: 3
KAISER CHIEFS: 3
CHURCH: 3
TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS: 3
DONALD BYRD: 3
THE WHO: 3
FRANK SINATRA: 3
CREAM: 3
ALICE IN CHAINS: 3
EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER: 3
DURAN DURAN: 3
INCREDIBLE STRING BAND: 3
JOHN LEE HOOKER: 3
DOOBIE BROTHERS: 3
TODD RUNDGREN: 3
WAYNE SHORTER: 3
OASIS: 3
JOHN WAITE: 3
URIAH HEEP: 3
ROBIN TROWER: 3
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: 3
COLDPLAY: 3
GROUNDHOGS: 3
GRATEFUL DEAD: 3
JETHRO TULL: 3
LOU DONALDSON: 3
TRAPEZE: 3
THIN LIZZY: 3
DEPECHE MODE: 3
BRUCE COCKBURN: 3
SMITHS: 3
THOMPSON TWINS: 3
DEAD OR ALIVE: 3
TRAFFIC: 3
DEF LEPPARD: 3



A lot of new additions to the "3 or More" since the last recap.....



91 artists take up 406 of the 791 spots so far.....

[umpire2]

Trail of the Lonesome Track #19

"My Sharona"---The Knack (1979)

Some songs are just perfect for their time and can also last across time with at least a semblance of popularity. I don't know how 'popular' "My Sharona" is today, but it is not by any means forgotten and it IS a perfect 1979/1980 song.

It is much of a throwback to the 1960s, which is what a lot of early New Wave tried to do, stripping away most, if not all of the excesses of Progressive Rock, toning down the volume of Heavy Metal, rejecting the glitz of disco and getting back to the rhythm/lead/bass/drums rawness of early 1960s rock 'n' roll.

Now, of course, "My Sharona" is NOT raw, it is well polished, well presented and well promoted. This is not garage-band stuff, but that does not undermine its real quality---that of being not only a very good song, with a really good and atypical beat and a simple but smashing guitar solo (not intricate enough for you? Well, just remember that one of the best guitar solos of all time is Pete Townsend's send-up on "I Can See For Miles", which does it ALL with rhythmic change while playing only 1 note).

"My Sharona" is not only the stuff dreams are made of for 12 to 17-year-olds at Middle School and High School dances, but it also has an endearing and enduring quality.

If you listen closely, you can hear that the distinctive beat of the song is the beat of Steve Winwood's classic"Gimme Some Lovin' " turned upside down. The strange thing about this is that it took someone 15 years to do something that brilliant.

"Sharona" was the late Doug Fieger's girlfriend at the time, Sharona Alperrin, who was pictured on the limited edition picture sleeve for the single.

'Oh, my little pretty one.....'

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http://youtu.be/kVdnqEyToqg

[umpire2]

The "Where Do Comedy Tracks Fit" Section of.....

The Trail of the Lonesome Track.....
#20:

"Three-Way (The Golden Rule"---3Way (Featuring Lady Gaga & Justin Timberlake)

Novelty songs like Ray Stevens "Ahab the Arab" and "The Streak" aren't really funny. Novelty yes, funny no. The same thing with The Coasters' "Charlie Brown" and "Yakkety Yak".

But some songs ARE both funny and good. Both help to make a song with humorous lyrics and a good tune and delivery rise above the norm.

Such is "Three-Way". You can't just HEAR it, though. Hearing it is good, but seeing the video doubles its quality. If you haven't heard it/seen it.....enjoy.

Hysterical.....

http://youtu.be/Pi7gwX7rjOw

[richief]

I dislike novelty tracks, they kept real musicians off the #1 spot in the 70s and 80s, Joe Dolce and his hated Shaddapa you Face kept Ultravox's Vienna off the #1 spot, history is blighted by these novelty records that usually get bought as xmas presents for Grandma who will feel a little racy playing them.

Just my point of view, and I can be a miserable twat at times, I also dislike the "Big" series bought out by Judge Dredd in the early 70s dross masquerading as Ska.

[Wee Hector]

Originally Posted by richief

I dislike novelty tracks, they kept real musicians off the #1 spot in the 70s and 80s, Joe Dolce and his hated Shaddapa you Face kept Ultravox's Vienna off the #1 spot, history is blighted by these novelty records that usually get bought as xmas presents for Grandma who will feel a little racy playing them.

Just my point of view, and I can be a miserable twat at times, I also dislike the "Big" series bought out by Judge Dredd in the early 70s dross masquerading as Ska.

OMG. I think you picked a really bad example there. Vienna was absolutely dreadful. Or should I say Judge Dreddful? I almost prefer Joe Dolce. Had it been "Dancing with tears in my eyes" then I would have agreed but "Vienna", uggggh!

[richief]

Originally Posted by Wee Hector

OMG. I think you picked a really bad example there. Vienna was absolutely dreadful. Or should I say Judge Dreddful? I almost prefer Joe Dolce. Had it been "Dancing with tears in my eyes" then I would have agreed but "Vienna", uggggh!

It was the first example that came up. I remember a quote from Suzie Q.

"I arrived in London knowing it was the music capital of the world at that time, then I heard "Chirpy cheep" was #1 in the charts, fuck me should I go home".

[umpire2]

The thing with novelty tracks, though, is that some of them are actually good songs.

I agree that most are JUST a 'novelty' (you hear them once, twice, three times and that is enough). The NOVELTY wears off quickly if the song is #3 on the charts and you hear it five or six times a day.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 209:

"PHYSICAL GRAFFITI"---LED ZEPPELIN (1975)

"Houses Of The Holy" began the journey that took Led Zeppelin in a different direction and "Physical Graffiti" saw the band reach that end. While produced by Jimmy Page, "Physical Graffiti" clearly shows the growing influence of John Bonham in the evolution of Led Zeppelin.

It was Bonham more than anyone else who introduced the kinds of rhythmic changes and timing shifts that moved Zeppelin from the greatest deliverers of blues-influenced hard rock in the world to a truly innovative force. While Robert Plant and Jimmy Page were the dual 'front men' of Zep, Bonham and John Paul Jones (who also was influential in helping reshape the group's sound on 'H of the H') who were moving Zeppelin forward (which is also why it was virtually impossible for Zeppelin to continue after Bonham's death).

"Physical Graffiti" starts off with the rollicking 'Custard Pie', a great cut that rhythmically takes one on a roller coaster with tiny speed bumps on the track; 'The Rover' is a bit more traditional, though it has its share of little jerks to wake one up. If 'Custard Pie' is a roller coaster, 'In My Time Of Dying' is a wondrous right through the "TUNNEL OF FEAR", with stops and starts, slow passages before the shock comes. The rhythms are terrific.

'Houses Of The Holy' (the next track, not the previous album) harkens back to the style of the album of the same name and is a fun finger-popper.

On the amazing 'Trampled Under Foot', Bonham keeps mainly to the back beat, and the saucy and amazingly interesting rhythms are produced by Jones bass-pedals (before he jives things up on electric keyboards) and Page's playing chopping chords and quick lead guitar notes.

.....and then there is 'Kashmir'. I am still in awe.

This double-album set continues on Side Three with the dirge-like 'In The Light', a very good track that pales unfortunately "in the light" of the ten outstanding tracks contained within.

'Bron-Yr-Aur' is a nice, little idyllic instrumental, which is followed by the only track on the set that really doesn't work at all: 'Down By The Seaside' comes across as a lazy drunk's poor imitation of a country-western song. I personally think it is tremendously boring, but luckily, the album as a whole is so good, it does not detract much.

'Ten Years Gone' brings us fully back to the land of coolness; it is alternately muted rock and languid ballad and smoothly transitions back and forth.

'Night Flight' is pretty straightforward and very good medium-tempo rocker. 'The Wanton Song' is another number constructed around an interesting rhythmic base, and like the others, works very well.

'Boogie With Stu' is a bit misleading, but only in the sense that it does the boogie with an inverted beat. It's not my favorite on the album, but it is fine. 'Black Country Woman' is a really nice song that harkens back to the days of "Led Zeppelin III" and the album's closer, another rhythmic marvel, 'Sick Again' manages to groove while staggering into the sunset like a drunken sailor.

Ten outstanding tracks, two very good ones, a couple of good ones and one loser. Keeping the legend alive.....

[umpire2]

Trail of the Lonesome Track #21

"Since I Fell For You"---Lenny Welch (1963)

Originally written by Buddy Johnson and recorded in 1945, "Since I Fell For You" achieved its definitive version when it was released by Asbury Park, New Jersey's Lenny Welch in 1963. A tragic tale of a married man who was seduced by a woman, fell in love with her, and then was dumped and left with nothing but an empty hole in his heart and a ruined life. It is beautiful.

When I heard this song in 1977, I knew that I had heard it before, but I could not remember when. The DJ on the radio never identified it, either by title or artist, but it kept going round and round in my head.

The next time I was at the record store, I misidentified it to the owner, who nodded and produced a 45 rpm single of "Since I Don't Have You" by the Skyliners. I brought it home, played it and recognized it as another song I'd heard and liked, so I kept it, but I was in anguish trying to remember the name of the song that I was seeking.

I returned to the record store for another conversation with the owner, who was very patient with me. He suggested "Since I Fell For You" and I went along. He did not have a single of it in stock, but he said he could order one. It came in about a week later, and, of course.....this time he nailed it.

"Since I Fell For You" has been in my blood, deeply, since I was 13 years old and it chills me the same today as the first time I heard it.....

http://youtu.be/U7xrQY_FLM4

[umpire2]

Trail of the Lonesome Track #22

"Lola"---The KINKS (1970)

Some tracks are lonesomer than others, but "Lola" has never had to want for company. One of the most well-known and most played songs of all time, "Lola" had immediate appeal to me when I was 6 years old, and I must have had some kind of mental block as far as it was concerned, because I didn't get what the lyrics were actually saying until I was about 13.

A striking number, which went quite further than "Dedicated Follower Of Fashion" had, the realization and shrug and acceptance of "Lola"'s transvestism was quite a step in 1970, and I still cannot believe it was played regularly on AM radio and reached #9 on the Billboard Charts in the U.S.

There was actually more controversy over the song INTERNALLY than externally, as the credits are given for both words and music to Ray Davies (who claims that he wrote it after seeing the band's manager dancing with a transvestite at a club) while, a few years later, Ray's brother Dave, the Kink's lead guitarist claimed to have written the music and Ray put words to the song about a month or so later. Also, "Lola" began to generate the posit that a) Ray Davies was gay or b) Ray Davies was bisexual. Ray has been married four times (I think), all to women (I know), and while he has never denied being bisexual, as far as I know he has never definitively stated it. (Dave Davies, however, is an avowed bisexual, which only adds to the confusion).

Whatever.

"Lola" is a great song from a good album ("Lola vs. Power Man & The Money-Go-Round" is another one of the Kinks albums that has some great stuff on it---"Top Of The Pops" is another outstanding track, along with "Apeman" and "Denmark Street"---but too much filler) and deserves to be somewhere on your iPod.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 208:

"GRAND FUNK RAILROAD"---GRAND FUNK RAILROAD (1970)

You might say that I got into Grand Funk Railroad when I did not know any better. That's OK. I don't want to know any better.

The ultimate garage band, GFR was a favorite of one of my friends in the neighborhood, who was a couple of years older and who had a brother, 5 or 6 years older, who saw Grand Funk in concert in 1970, and who had the first two studio albums and "Live" that he played all the time.

For the next 5 years, GFR was one of my favorite bands as I moved into adolescence. There were some downs (I was not crazy about "Phoenix" and "E Pluribus Funk", but I loved the rest of their records.....until "Good Singin', Good Playin' " in 1976...which was neither).

I still love the early stuff, including this, their sophomore effort. Of the eight songs included, 'Got This Thing On The Move', 'Mr. Limousine Driver', 'In Need', 'Paranoid' and 'Inside Looking Out' are really good and 'Please Don't Worry', 'High Falootin' Woman' and 'Winter And My Soul' are almost as good. With not a weak track on the set, I would not call this album 'excellent', but close enough for rock 'n' roll.

I have a soft spot for these guys, I admit.....but then, this is MY list.

[umpire2]

UMPIRE2's OCCASIONAL SOAPBOX EDITORIAL #11

"The Weight", or "The Case Of 'East Side Story' "


This is a bit different than the usual, but I wanted to use Squeeze's "East Side Story" as an example of my rationale for those that were really close, but did not make the cut.

Generally speaking, "East Side Story" is a fine album, but in my closer examination and weighing (hence "the weight") whether or not it is packed in order to be shipwrecked with me on an island, there are just too many weak parts.

One of its failings is that there are too many songs. Fourteen tracks make up the album, and if the right combination of, say, twelve tracks were the extent of this offering, it certainly would be among the hardy vacationers, but.....there are fourteen, and to me, too many weak/filler tracks.

First, the good news: There are three exceptional tracks on the record ('In Quintessence', 'Tempted' and 'Vanity Fair'), three very good ones ('Someone Else's Heart', 'Piccadilly' and 'Is That Love') and three good ones ('Woman's World', 'Mumbo Jumbo' and 'Messed Around'). They are why "East Side Story" was clearly considered.

But, a look at the other five tracks weakens the case considerably. 'Someone Else's Bell' is not awful, but it is just OK---listenable, but not much else. 'Labelled With Love' is a lazy, "cowboys around the campfire" kind of song that is just tremendously uninteresting. 'F-Hole' is a mono-tonal exercise that goes absolutely nowhere; the idea of 'Heaven' is OK, but it is a failed effort to deliver a tune in the same style and approach as 'Separate Beds' (from "Argybargy") and 'There's No Tomorrow' is an awkward and even painful ballad that sounds like a strange attempt to mimic 10cc.

If a couple of the last four tracks mentioned had been left off "East Side Story", it would have salvaged it for me, but alas, no.

Think of it this way: If I assigned numerical values to each track, with 5 points for being excellent, 4 points for being very good, 3 points for being good, 2 points for being OK (listenable, but not much else), 1 point for being weak or filler and 0 points for being awful, "East Side Story" would get a total of 42 points. Divided by 14 tracks, that would be an average of 3. Good, but not very good or excellent, which would have qualified it for an island voyage.

Alternately, say a record with ten tracks that were split between good and very good tracks, without a single "excellent" track in the mix, but no weak ones either, would average 3.5 points and have a much better chance of making the grade.

Until tomorrow, kids! Be good (or good at it!)

[umpire2]

NUMBER 207:

"MIKE'S MURDER"---JOE JACKSON (1983)

A criminally overlooked album by Jackson, who, in my opinion is not given enough credit as an exceptional artist who easily crosses over between jazz and pop/rock.

That crossover ability is most evident on this album, a collection of songs that Jackson wrote for the film Mike's Murder.

In 1982, Jackson was commissioned to write a couple of numbers for the film. Instead, Jackson, working from an early script and some footage that had already been, shot wrote seven tunes and delivered them on time, believing that all, or at least most, would be used in the film.

The James Bridges effort experienced a number of problems, production was shut down for nearly a year before it was completed, and in the meantime, composer John Barry (Dr. No, etc) had been brought in to write a score for the film. Barry's was used when the film was finally released (to no fanfare at all in 1984) and was a major flop.

After being told that his music had been rejected, Jackson released "Mike's Murder" as a separate effort in the Fall of 1983. It, like the film, received almost no promotion, although 'Memphis' barely broke into the Billboard Top 100 as a single and 'Breakdown' received a Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Performance in 1984.

The excellent selections are the jazzy 'Laundromat Monday', 'Memphis', a jaunty track that could have come from one of Jackson's first two New-Wavish records, the lovely ballad 'Moonlight', the terrific and most soundtrack-esque instrumental, 'Zemio' and the haunting 'Breakdown'.

'Cosmopolitan' and '1-2-3-Go' are both very good, but slightly under the others and the album concludes with a nice instrumental version of 'Moonlight'.

A top-quality album that very few people know about.

http://youtu.be/OMwuNLFxzXM

'Moonlight'

[umpire2]

Trail of the Lonesome Track #23

"I Feel Good (I Got You)"---James Brown (1965)

Originally recorded in late 1963 as "I Got You (I Feel Good)", with a slightly different beat and solo, background vocals by The Famous Flames and different inflections in the lyrics, Brown re-recorded the number for release as a single with more punch (this one with Maceo Parker on alto sax) and more soul.

The new version simply kicks ass up and down the block. It is a stand-out even among Brown stand-out singles, and was his biggest selling record.

Brown wrote an even earlier version of the song in 1962 as "I Found You" for one of his background singers, Yvonne Fair. Her single went nowhere and he recorded the song (with the Famous Flames) with slightly different lyrics and a new title for the 1964 album "Out of Sight". It was slated to be a single release, but was pulled. Brown wanted more out of it, and was not satisfied until he got it down on the famous 1965 version.

http://youtu.be/b4rUkUIGLbU

[umpire2]

NUMBER 206:

"Quartet"---John Coltrane (1962)

There is not much to say about this amazing album. It is like hot fudge drizzled over cool and delicious ice cream. It flows and softly steams while both filling in nooks and crannies and creating new paths.....

The most famous of the Coltrane bands, the quartet (Coltrane, Elvin Jones on drums, McCoy Tyner on piano and Jimmy Garrison on bass) is as one entity, one mind, working seamlessly through 5 tracks that you never want to hear end.

'Out Of This World' is a phenomenal take on the Harold Arlen tune; Mal Waldron's 'Soul Eyes' was never treated better; Frank Loesser's otherwise obscure number(when compared to 'Heart and Soul' and 'Baby, It's Cold Outside', for example), 'The Inch Worm' is raised to extraordinary heights and the two Coltrane compositions, 'Tunji' and 'Miles' Mode' are just great.

This is one of those "If you only have room for a few jazz albums, get this one" sets.

Enough said.

[umpire2]

[umpire2]

NUMBER 205:

"Live/You're A Very Lovely Woman"---Merry-Go-Round (1967)

Is there such a thing as something personally iconic? I'm not really sure, though I know that neither "Live/You're A Very Lovely Woman" or the Merry-Go-Round are remotely iconic; neither is Emitt Rhodes. Nor are they the center of cult followings, remotely popular or even much remembered.

Except by me.

If you've heard of, or like, Emitt Rhodes (who was once labeled the 'second coming of Paul McCartney' for his combination of looks, voice, pop sensibilities and writing talent), you can count yourself among the few.

If you've heard of, or like, The Merry-Go-Round (Rhodes' band), you can count yourself among the fewer (so small a group, in fact, that you might number less than watchers of the Olympics who think that the judged events are even remotely honest).

The Merry-Go-Round went virtually unnoticed when they released their debut (and only) album in 1967. They were in the awkward position of being pure pop at a time when, to most, The Monkees were the only group that really mattered when it came to comparisons with The Beatles AND The Beatles were in the process of taking pop music in a rockier direction and leaving most imitators behind.

This was not Rhodes or his band's fault; they were doing what they did best (and much better than most)---pop music. They just had two major problems: They were at least a year or two too late and they were not insipid enough (or wanted to be) to fit in the niche created by the likes of The Ohio Express, The 1910 Fruitgum Company, Bobby Sherman and the like the following year. Instead, they broke up after practically zero sales and Rhodes went on his way to try it solo.

Rhodes had a bit more success on his own (and the McCartney comparisons), with his first album, "Emitt Rhodes" released in 1970 and reaching #29 on the Billboard album charts. Rhodes, however, had signed a contract in 1968 with ABC/Dunhill Records to produce an album every six months. His first album was delivered 6 months late. His second album was delivered a year late and ABC withheld all of his royalties due to "breach of contract", ABC refused to promote it and they also sued him for $250,000. His third (and last) album was delivered 18 months late (in 1973) and his contract was dropped by the label.

Rhodes career as an artist was over and he became a songwriter and engineer.

Though it is almost unknown, The Merry-Go-Round's sole album, "Live/You're A Very Lovely Woman" is an absolute gem. It contains 12 songs, 2 of which are good ('Where Have You Been All My Life' and 'Low Down'), 8 that are very good and 2 that are "should have been classics": the combo-title tracks 'Live' (which was later covered by The Bangles) and 'You're A Very Lovely Woman'.

This is one of those albums that I remember being infatuated with when I was 4 or 5 years old. My cousin had a copy and let me listen to it when he was in the mood. Luckily for me, as his tastes became heavier a couple of years later, he just gave me the LP (which I still have) and I could listen to it to my heart's content. I can still listen to it to great enjoyment over 40 years later and I could not do without it on the island.

http://youtu.be/aulG3iy6uiQ

'Live'


http://youtu.be/tMEZQJ-cCSk

'You're A Very Lovely Woman'

[umpire2]

NUMBER 204:

"Waterworks"---The Ocean Blue (2004)

In the 10 years between 1989 and 1999, The Ocean Blue released five albums.....which sold, collectively, a little more than 600,000 units.

Since The Ocean Blue were one of the best bands in existence in that decade, the low sales and seeing shit-squeezers like Britney Spears making a mockery of the music business by rolling in money was extremely frustrating.....and the boys essentially gave it up and went back to their day jobs.

This entire situation made me think about my next "Soapbox Editorial", so I won't get into that here, but The Ocean Blue deserved much, much better.

"Waterworks" is a six-song EP released in 2004, reflecting work that some of the band members put together in the intervening 5 years. It is better, with only 6 cuts, than 10,000+ other albums that I own and hundreds of thousands that I don't.

The set begins with the swirling instrumental 'Fast Forward Reverse', moves on to the pop-rock gem 'Pedestrian', then to the medium-temp ballad 'Golden Gate'. 'Ticket To Wyoming' is an absolute delight, managing to sound CW while retaining every ounce of pop-rock mastery.

'Sunshower' picks up the pace in a toe-tapping melodic rocker and the set concludes with the breezy instrumental (except for 'dit-da-dits'), 'The Northern Jetstream'.

As with all of their catalog, The Ocean Blue concentrates on the melody on "Waterworks", set within a rock base-----melodies that cause girls with long blonde hair, wearing low-cut, tight jeans to close their eyes and move their hips slowly to the music, their lips moist and ready for a kiss.....

[umpire2]

UMPIRE2's OCCASIONAL SOAPBOX EDITORIAL #12:

"Why Do People Listen To Shit?"

OK, that is a little harsh, but I always wonder why so many people cum in their pants over monotonal, uninteresting songs and ignore well constructed melodic tunes, whether with or without interesting lyrics.

Well, a great part of it is taste, but we'll get to that later. Let's start with lyrics: A great many people are not at all interested in lyrics, but only the tune or the beat, so no matter how good the lyrics of a song are, how well-crafted, how intricate or how well they tell a story, some people will ignore it in favor of another song whose lyrics could be something like:

'I love dem bitches cause dey ho-ho-ho
I love some bitches who ho-ho-ho
When I see them, I go ho-ho-ho
Because they is nothin' but ho-ho-hos'

The ability to rhyme 'ho-ho-ho' with 'ho-ho-ho' (or other similar repeat rhymes) seems to be a real money-maker these days, particularly with "rappers", both black and white.

Other people love lyrics so much, they love songs that barely involve more than 2 repetitive notes in 4 or 5 minutes, with no tune at all.

OK. I guess I have to buy both of those, and, at my guess, the two groups make up at least half (50%) of human beings.

Then we have to deal with hearing problems.

While only about 1% of humans are born with even a slight hearing impairment, about 11% have some degree of medically-related hearing loss by age 30 (including the clinically deaf), caused by disease, injury or deterioration.

Also, about 3% of adults, by age 30, have some degree of irreversible noise-related hearing loss.

Added to that, estimates are that at least 10% of humans are clinically tone deaf.

While it is unfair to simply add those percentages up and say 24% of people can't hear music very well (mainly because of overlap among the groups), it may be fair to say that 20%, or 1 in 5, do not hear music very well (Not hearing music very well meaning difficulty or inability in differentiating tonal changes and/or distinguishing among different notes).

This could actually explain why so many people only like songs that have a good beat, but no melody and poor lyrics. They can't HEAR or comprehend either the melody or the words.

Bringing back the 'lyrically-oriented' (those who do not care about the tune) and estimate them at another 20% of the public, suddenly we have 40% of potential listeners who either can't distinguish melody or do not care to.

So, even before we get to 'musical' (and I do not mean lyrical or rhythmic) TASTE, we have eliminated 4 of every 10 people.

Once taste enters the mix, we have breakdowns of genre, sub-genre, instrumentation, artist, etc. Even if we accept that all 'taste' is of equal quality, it is much less likely that bands or artists who depend on melody, particularly sophisticated melodic structures, will gain as much support as bands and artists who depend on beat and rhythm.

The hearing impaired, tone deaf and those uninterested in melody and lyrics can enjoy tuneless beat-oriented songs no matter who produces them because they do not differentiate.

Those who DO differentiate (the remaining 60%) then split at least 20 different ways, according to taste.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 203:

"HEAVEN ON EARTH"---BELINDA CARLISLE (1987)

Another one of those pop masterpieces, Belinda Carlisle had become popular enough, post-Go-Gos to deserve the major promotion treatment by MCA Records. She was united with several hand-picked songwriters, given a huge production budget, including the money to shoot high-quality sexy videos (I admit, I was taken by her transformation from cute-baby-fat teeny-bopper to a strikingly beautiful woman) and advertised to the hilt.

Often, this kind of promotion far outreaches the quality of the product, but this time, it didn't. Sure, this is poppy-pop-pop, but it is good. Every song is really, really good and the only drawback to this album is that it is not one that I can listen to over and over and over because my brain would get too sugar-coated; but to pull out once every few months, it is a real treat and I would miss it on the island.

It might seem blasphemous, but her cover of Cream's 'I Feel Free' is even very good. The three hit singles released from the album (all Top Ten), 'Heaven Is A Place On Earth', 'I Get Weak' and 'Circle In The Sand' are all top-notch and the remaining 6 songs, particularly 'Should I Let You In', 'World Without You' and 'Nobody Owns Me'.

Her follow-up album, "Runaway Horses" was OK, but subsequent efforts paled totally in comparison to "Heaven On Earth". While Carlisle continued to occasionally record in the 1990s and 2000's, there just did not appear that she had much interest in it.

"Heaven On Earth", however, is a highpoint that deserves to have been a hit.

[umpire2]

UMPIRE2's OCCASIONAL SOAPBOX #13

"The Saturation Point"

There are a lot of albums that I like quite a bit, but that I cannot see taking to the island and taking up space, because I know---for me---they have a saturation point.

What do I mean by a "saturation point" you may ask?

It is a point in the album where I don't feel like listening to the album any more. I might start out thinking "Hey, I want to listen to 'X'," or "I haven't heard 'Y' in a while! Let's put it on!".....and, although I really like most, if not all, the tracks on the album, I get about halfway (or so) through it and go....."That's enough"; the "Saturation Point".

I ask myself, since I really like these albums, 'why'? And I don't know the answer. Perhaps it is too much sameness.....the songs start sounding all the same and I'd rather move on to something else.

Sometimes I listen to Side 2 of such and album first (or the last 5, 6 or 7 tracks of a CD), because usually, I reach the "Saturation Point" before getting there; but the problem is the same. If I cannot get through an album without reaching that "Saturation Point", it cannot possibly go to the island.

Such is the case in my relationship with Kid Rock.

I really like Kid Rock (Well, I really like "Devil Without A Cause", "The History Of Rock" and "Rock 'n' Roll Jesus"), but his albums all suffer the same fate with me.....I reach the "Saturation Point" about halfway through the set, and, as much as I like the songs, I can't listen to Kid Rock anymore.

I did this today, as I brought "The History Of Rock" with me today in the car. I got through the first eight tracks, all very good to excellent, but by track number nine ('I Wanna Go Back'), I'd had it. Is 'I Wanna Go Back' a bad track? Well, I don't like it as much as the first eight, but it is pretty good and 'Ya' Keep On' is better and so is 'Fuck That', 'Born 2 B A Hick' and 'My Oedipus Complex' (I DON'T like 'Fuck You Blind'----I think it is stupid, but that's only one bad track out of 14), but I could not listen to anymore.

I was 'Kid Rock'd out' after eight tracks.....the "Saturation Point".

It is the same with "Devil Without A Cause".....so Kid Rock does not get to go to the island. He stays home in "Saturation Point Land" with the other really good albums that I get tired of too quickly.

[umpire2]

UMPIRE2's OCCASIONAL SOAPBOX EDITORIAL #14

"The Flaming Lips Ridiculously Suck Monkey Balls"



















What else can I say?

[umpire2]

NUMBER 202:

"International Pop Overthrow"---Material Issue (1991)

The power-pop trio of guitarist/songwriter Jim Ellison, bassist Ted Ansani and drummer Mike Zelenko released "International Pop Overthrow", their debut album, in 1991 after issuing two previous EPs.

The album was generally praised by critics and sold well for a debut that was not highly promoted, hitting about 300,000 units and reaching #86 on Billboard.

The fourteen track set includes five simply excellent numbers ('Valerie Loves Me', 'Diane', 'Renee Remains The Same', 'This Letter' and 'Very First Lie'), five very good ones ('Crazy', the title track, 'Trouble', 'A Very Good Idea' and 'L'il Christine') and four good ones ('Out Right Now', 'Chance Of A Lifetime', 'There Was A Few' and 'This Far Before'); not a bad track in the batch.

The band released two more albums in the next four years to declining success, 'Destination Universe', which only sold about 150,000 copies and 'Freak City Soundtrack', which barely broke 50,000. While both of these albums contained some very good songs, they did not have the total quality or consistency of the debut, and in the face of the mass appeal of 'Seattle Alternative', rap and the rise of 'new Country' popularity, Material Issue's brand of pop music was fading.

The band was dropped by Mercury Records in 1995, and, after not successfully finding a new label and being dumped by his long-time girlfriend, Jim Ellison committed suicide in 1996.

For whatever reason Material Issue had not been able to maintain such a high standard set by their debut (a fate of most bands with early successful), it does not detract from the exceptional quality of "International Pop Overthrow".

[umpire2]

NUMBER 201:

"QUEER"---THOMPSON TWINS (1991)

Another one from 1991, "Queer", the last of the Thompson Twins albums, while sounding slightly redundant, nonetheless contains a number of my favorite TT songs (if you REALLY like a sound, a bit of redundancy is not that bad).

The first three tracks on the album are outstanding: 'Come Inside', 'Flower Girl' and 'Funky Valentine' are all fun and electro-poppy.

The title track is a percussion-driven groove that is good, but in no way outstanding; 'Groove On' is pretty good, but the album really gets back on track with 'Strange Jane', one of the TT tracks that sound a bit like The Church (or do The Church sound like the Thompson Twins at times?).

The fraternal twins ,'Shake It Down' and 'Wind It Up' are both delicious and 'Flesh and Blood' is a cool, slow groove.

'The Invisible Man' is OK, but 'The Saint', though a bit familiar sounding, is very good. The album's closer is a nice remix of the opener, 'Come Inside'.

All in all, a very enjoyable set.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 200:

"The Ultimate Sin"---Ozzy Osbourne (1986)

A bit lost in the Ozzy catalog after Randy Rhoads' death, "The Ultimate Sin" still sold well upon release, but in the immediate, under-sold the prior "Bark At The Moon" by 50% (1 million units in its first 2 years compared to "Bark"'s 2 million) and was outsold by Ozzy's next two releases ("No Rest For The Wicked" at 2 million and "No More Tears" at 3 million in the first 24 months of release).

Nonetheless, "The Ultimate Sin" is my favorite Ozzy album; I find it both cleaner AND heavier than the earlier releases and a bit more melodic as well. It pounds, it gnashes, it tears and there are no bad tracks.

The title track, 'Secret Loser', "Never Know Why', 'Never', 'Lightning Strikes', 'Fool Like You' and 'Shot In The Dark' are the best; I like 'Killer Of Giants' and 'Thank God For The Bomb', but they are only 'good'.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 199:

"Wonderland"---Charlatans (U.K.) (2001)

I like just about everything the Charlatans have ever done (I think....I have not gotten around to their 11th album, "Who We Touch", yet), but most of their output hovers just under the Top 1000.

"Wonderland", however, is my favorite album by the boys from the West Midlands. Their seventh album, it is the first to include no weak tracks among the very-good to excellent majority.

'Love Is The Key', 'You're So Pretty...We're So Pretty', 'Judas', 'A Man Needs To Be Told' and the instrumental 'The Bell And The Butterfly' are excellent; 'And If I Fall', 'Wake Up', 'Is It In You' and 'Ballad of the Band' are very good.

Tim Burgess, Mark Collins, Tony Rogers, Martin Blunt and Jon Brookes all contributed to the songwriting to varying degrees and produced their best set to date.

[umpire2]

The Trail of the Lonesome Track #24

Search for the "Super Cool".....

"Route 66"---Nelson Riddle & His Orchestra (1960)

There are literally hundreds of super cool jazz tracks around, but one of the coolest is Nelson Riddle's theme from the 1960-1964 television show ROUTE 66 (the adventures of two Jack Kerouac/Neal Cassadian young men traveling by car across country).

http://youtu.be/fBMESyjIkgs

[umpire2]

Trail of the Lonesome Track #25

Duke Ellington Orchestra with Juan Tizol....."Caravan".....

http://youtu.be/r95flkZciJE

[umpire2]

Trail of the Lonesome Track #26

"Jonny Quest"

I wish I could track it down without the 'cartoon special effects noise".....

http://youtu.be/L0kg_tzQvf4

[umpire2]

Trail of the Lonesome Track #27

"Cool" (West Side Story: Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim)---Lou Busch & His Orchestra

The even-more-jazzed-up instrumental is even better than the original vocal....

http://youtu.be/Wemy437fuk4

[umpire2]

NUMBER 198:

"Tumbleweed Connection"---Elton John (1970)

Elton John's third studio album (if you discount his soundtrack for the film Friends) confirmed that he was the real deal after the adequate "Empty Sky" and his incredible self-titled sophomore effort. Unfortunately, it is the last of his albums before one, then two, then three, then five, etc. boring tracks popped up on each set (but he was still very good for another ten years).

This album includes 6 (count 'em), SIX phenomenal tracks: 'Burn Down The Mission', 'Amoreena', 'Love Song' (written by friend Lesley Duncan), 'Where To Know St. Peter', 'Ballad Of A Well-Known Gun' and 'Come Down In Time'. Any three of them would certainly have placed this record in the top 1000.

One of the most familiar songs on the record, getting much airplay at the time is 'Country Comfort', which is very good and one of the few 'pseudo-country' songs that I can stand.

'Son Of Your Father' is unoffensive, but not very memorable, but 'My Father's Gun' and 'Talking Old Soldiers' are nice ballads.

John and Bernie Taupin are in top form song-writing, with a more than able assist from Lesley Duncan on the great 'Love Song'.

[umpire2]

The Trail of the Lonesome Track #28

"The Wife of Usher's Well"---Jacqui McShee's Pentangle (2000)

From their mid-1960s beginnings, The Pentangle always combined traditional folk of the British Isles and jazz. It was an amazing accomplishment and something they did better than anyone else who tried.

The Pentangle underwent numerous personnel changes over time, and with the departure of both the late Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, the band pretty much became vocalist Jacqui McShee's. After bassist Danny Thompson and percussionist Terry Cox left, drummer Gerry Conway became the mainstay with McShee, and here, the two are joined by Foss Patterson on keyboards, Alan Thomson on bass and Jerry Underwood on saxes.

Pentangle's take on "The Wife Of Usher's Well" is simply amazing, re-arranging a simple folk song into an elaborate, jazzy version that soars first on McShee's vocals and then particularly on Underwood's extensive sax solo.

One of the best of the post-Renbourn/Jansch cuts.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 197:

"Aerosmith"---Aerosmith (1973)

OK. Say you can't stand kick-ass rock 'n' roll? You don't like enthusiastic, upbeat party music? Uptempo tunes performed brilliantly just don't grab you?

Well, then.....there is nothing for you here.

Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Joey Kramer, Tom Hamilton and Brad Whitford simply EXPLODE on the scene in 1973, taking no prisoners, expecting and giving no quarter and damning the defiant (whatever that means).

A debut that has led the way (with a couple of bumps in the road) to going on 40 years of great music. The immortal Rolling Stones, the self-proclaimed greatest rock 'n' roll band in the world, cannot say that (having failed to produce anything even remotely memorable since their first 20 years in the biz). Aerosmith is not as innovative any more, either, but they still deliver and deliver hard.

Their initial release contains only eight tracks, but the seven band-composed numbers are all wonderful, led by the classic 'Dream On' and closely followed by 'Make It', 'Mama Kin', Write Me A Letter', 'Movin' Out', 'Somebody' and 'One Way Street'---all winners. The sole cover tune, 'Walkin' The Dog' is very good, but is just not in the same league as the originals.

A total classic from first note to last, "Aerosmith" is clearly one of the best 200 albums of all-time.


http://youtu.be/8jP0EIZDp8o

'Write Me A Letter'

[umpire2]

The Trail of the Lonesome Track #29

"Word Up"---Cameo (1986)

Why? Because I like it!

Larry Blackmon & Thomas Michael Jenkins struck gold with this baby. Generally speaking, Cameo was just 'ok', but this one is a lava-drenched winner.

Originally a 13-man outfit, Cameo had shrunk to 3 members (plus studio musicians) by the time "Word Up" was released (fewer to share the wealth as the single and album both went platinum). Success did not stay, as future releases went the way of the bands first 11 albums----good, but no major breakthroughs (The "Word Up" album reached number 8, but I do not believe any of the others cracked the Top 40).


Whatever.....there is still....."Word Up!"


http://youtu.be/hOfET1kX868

[umpire2]

The Trail of the Lonesome Track #30.....

.....or....'What the funk?'

"LOVE ROLLERCOASTER"---OHIO PLAYERS (1975)

From the seventh album by this Ohio (big surprise) band that had been around since 1959. While I like them in a moderate way, this is by far my favorite track (and favorite album) by these guys who last charted in 1981 (three of the original members are now deceased).


http://youtu.be/9VH6yD8zobM

[umpire2]

NUMBER 196:

"MAKING MOVIES"---DIRE STRAITS (1980)

All praise Mark Knopfler!

The coolest nerd in the biz (at least in the late 1970s and 1980s, and if you don't believe me after watching the 'Walk Of Life' video, I don't know what else to say) head-mans another outstanding LP.

Only 7 tracks, but not a sign of weakness. Also, for me, the fact that 'Tunnel Of Love' and 'Romeo and Juliet' are terrific tracks in their own right, they are the most Bruce-Springsteen sounding cuts that Knopfler and "The Straits" produced, and that makes sound even better to me.

'Skateaway' is vintage, absolute VINTAGE Dire Straits, as is 'Expresso Love' (hint: this means they are great).

'Hand in Hand' and 'Les Boys' are very good, and 'Solid Rock' is a simple, but dynamite, get-up-off-your-chairs rocker!

All praise Mark Knop.......oh. I said that already, didn't I?

[umpire2]

The Trail of the Lonesome Track #31

"September"---Earth, Wind & Fire (1978)

It IS September, after all, the month which, in most areas of the Northern Hemisphere, leaves turn and slowly start to fall (wherein the term 'Fall' comes) and Autumn prepares for a Winter hibernation by putting on its best clothes.....

In many ways, September is sad, as we bid farewell to Summer and much of the sun and cooling breezes, vacations and lazy days, but Earth, Wind & Fire's "September", recorded during the sessions for their previous album I AM, and released as a single and included on THE BEST OF EARTH, WIND & FIRE VOLUME I, is a joyous celebration of love, life and cloudless days of fun and harmony.

It is a song that simply makes me smile. And smiling is never a bad thing.....

http://youtu.be/2S8ZrQG0y6g

[ejls]

Thank you for the Saturday morning smile, Ump. Loved this.

[umpire2]

UMPIRE2's OCCASIONAL SOAPBOX EDITORIAL #15

"CHATEAU DANCING (or the unfortunate incidents occurant in the Oise Valley outside Paris in 1972...)"

Following the release of "Thick As A Brick", Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, Barriemore Barlow, John Evan and Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond anxiously awaited the completion of Marc Bolan's efforts at the Chateau D'Herouville, outside Paris and near the village of Auvers-sur-Oise, so they could take up residence and work on Anderson's latest conceptual brainchild, intended to be a kind of updated "Carnival of the Animals" sans "Animal Farm" sans sociopolitical commentary with, of course, great music.

Bolan vacated, having successfully laid down tracks for "The Slider" and the Tull gang moved in with exuberance. The Chateau, built in the 1730s, had once housed the likes of some guy named Fredric Chopin, and more recently had seen the recordings of Pink Floyd's "Obscured By Clouds" and large parts of Elton John's "Honky Chateau" (I wonder where ol' Reg came up with that title) and "Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Piano Player". The Chateau D'Herouville had become one of the 'in' places to record ('in' places, however, already losing a bit of their shine as recording venues, a-la the Montreux Casino in Switzerland, which sits on the "Lake Geneva shoreline", dontcha' know) and Ian, Martin, John, Jeffrey and Barriemore apparently could not wait.

They should have waited.

Aside from not being enthralled with the general atmosphere and acoustics of the Chateau's recording studio that composer Michel Magne had built there in 1962, Anderson particularly found the recording and engineering equipment there to be not quite up to par.

In fits and starts, the band recorded 16 instrumental tracks, about three-quarters of what was originally intended as a double album, with only some basic vocal tracks for testing that Anderson was not pleased with at all. Also, Anderson had played only acoustic guitar on the tracks, intending to overdub his flutes later. Then, they finally called it quits.

Anderson had developed a cold that he could not shake (perhaps one reason more effort was not put into the vocal tracks), Barre and Barlow had begun the sessions with intestinal problems, having arrived from India (no offense intended, vindaloo fans), were extremely uncomfortable to start and became more irritable as time went on, as the food at the Chateau (they claimed) was virtually inedible and made them even sicker, causing unscheduled trips to Paris to see gastroenterologists.

Cold, hungry, sick and frustrated, the band collectively decided to scrap the recording session and return to England.

Anderson let the recordings rest for a couple of weeks and listened to them, finally deciding that they were 'relatively unusable' and tossing them to the scrap heap.

The band started from scratch once everyone's health and energies returned, but in the meantime, the project's focus had changed. Perhaps because of the miserable experience in France, the result was the darker, even more cynical and moody "A Passion Play". Salvaged from the Chateau D'Isaster (as Anderson had taken to calling the experience) sessions were 4 themes that were re-worked as part of "A Passion Play", which actually came together easily and is excellent. Two other tracks were redone with very little change and included on the album "Warchild"

(Move forward 20 years, as Jethro Tull prepared for the band's 25th Anniversary)

Anderson had recently stumbled across the abandoned tapes from the D'Isaster sessions and listened to them. With the wisdom of age, the perspective of time, and the need for something memorable for the anniversary, the hopping flutist decided that the music therein was not as horrific as it had seemed at the time, so he went ahead (using some of the original lyrics, re-writing others and composing different lyrics for some; recorded new vocal tracks; added the missing flute parts; worked on the re-mixing himself and voila!.....) and scheduled the release of the set (3 tracks were still dropped as being too "wretched" for use) as part of a CD collection, "Nightcap" (1993, Chrysalis/Capitol Records).

"Nightcap" is a collective journey through the past, which also includes 18 tracks recorded during the sessions for subsequent albums ("Warchild", "Minstrel In The Gallery", "Heavy Horses", "Broadsword & The Beast", "Rock Island" and "Catfish Rising") , but never released.

And that's how I call it.

[umpire2]

Trail of the Lonesome Track #32, #33, #34 & #35.....

The Four Tops

If one were to tell the truth (and it is always best to tell the truth) the vast majority of MOTOWN (and her subsidiaries) albums were simply showcases for the three or four single releases (which were generally top quality) contained within, the remainder of the tracks were either second rate tunes or covers of other MOTOWN artists' (or non-MOTOWN artists') hit songs. Except for The Temptations, and later Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder albums, this was usually the case (yes, The Supremes released a lot of filler and trash and even Smokey wrote a number of boring tunes). This was the case for the Four Tops as well. In fact, the further along their career got, the more covers they did.
That is why you are seeing very few MOTOWN ALBUMS here. I don't like many of the ALBUMS. But singles? There are a ton.


This post is for The Four Tops. A whole bunch of terrific songs, scattered across 32 albums (17 with MOTOWN). Twenty-Four (24) Top Forty hit singles (admittedly, a half-dozen of which are NOT great). There are many Four Tops tracks that I really like, but there are FOUR that really stand out to me; head and shoulders above the rest.

Those four tracks were right in a row in 1966 and early 1967 and to me are the epitome of The Four Tops sound, with Levi Stubbs at the very height of his vocal process, soulful, mournful, yearning emotion dripping from every track, even though they grooved and were not ballads in the traditional sense.

The four tracks that ARE The Four Tops to me are "Shake Me, Wake Me", "Reach Out, I'll Be There", "Standing In The Shadows Of Love" and "Bernadette". No offense meant to fans of "Baby, I Need Your Lovin' ", "Ask The Lonely", "I Can't Help Myself", "The Same Old Song", "Keeper Of The Castle", "Ain't No Woman Like The One I've Got" and several others, including the cover singles, which The Tops did well ("If I Were A Carpenter" and "Walk Away, Renee" for example), but the first four mentioned, all written by Lamont Dozier, Eddie Holland and Brian Holland, are the creme de la creme, the cream of the cream.

Just listen.....


http://youtu.be/TYxgZub8jwg
"Shake Me, Wake Me" (1966)

http://youtu.be/KnDm3qr1Knk
"Reach Out, I'll Be There" (1966)

http://youtu.be/HfoC4HVPdzE
"Standing In The Shadows Of Love" (1966)

http://youtu.be/6zjDdnE1qhY
"Bernadette" (1967)

[ejls]

Back in the 60's my best friend and neighbor was named Bernadette. I thought we would drive our parents crazy singing this over and over and over again.

[richief]

All very good tracks, I just love some of those old motown tunes.

[umpire2]

Trail of the Lonesome Track #36

one more for today.....

"What Becomes Of The Broken-Hearted"---Jimmy Ruffin (1966)

I've got MOTOWN on the mind right now, and here is another wonderful example of tuneful soul. "What Becomes Of The Broken-Hearted" was the biggest hit for the elder brother of David Ruffin of The Temptations.

The two brothers from Mississippi originally sang together in The Dixie Nightingales, a gospel group. In 1959, 19 year old Jimmy and 17 year old David moved to Detroit. Jimmy hooked up with MOTOWN, first as a session background singer, then he had a chance to record some songs under his own name. None of which was successful before he was drafted into the Army in late 1961.

Returning from service in early 1964, Jimmy was called to audition to take the place of Elbridge Bryant in The Temptations (Bryant, who sang mainly background vocals in the band, had a volatile personality and believed that The Temps lack of success during their first two years was because he was not the lead singer. Following a number of altercations in the group, started by Bryant, he smashed a beer bottle in fellow-Temptation Paul Williams' face. Subsequently, Bryant was fired).

Jimmy auditioned, but so did his brother David, and David was chosen to join The Temps, who soon recorded and released their first hit, "The Way You Do The Things You Do".

Jimmy continued to record solo for MOTOWN and had a couple of minor hits before and after "What Becomes Of The Broken-Hearted", but it is his best and biggest.

http://youtu.be/cQywZYoGB1g
"What Becomes Of The Broken-Hearted"

[N.E. Woman]

When I was in Detroit at a conference, I visited the original Motown recording studio. It was a little house that had displays of each and every musical group that got their start there. It was truly an amazing place that for its humble beginnings, produced some incredible music.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 195:

"Walk Away Renee/Pretty Ballerina"---The Left Banke (1966)

Other than the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, there are relatively few rock/pop albums prior to 1967 that are less than half filler. As I noted in my post on The Four Tops the other day, most albums, not just those released by MOTOWN, were promoted with a few singles in mind and, in some cases, whatever was lying around was used to make up tracks 4 or 5 through tracks 10 to 12.

"Walk Away Renee/Pretty Ballerina" by The Left Banke is one of the exceptions to the rule, despite the combined use of the band's two earliest hit singles as a "title-draw".

The single 'Walk Away Renee' is a classic; a brilliant track that stands among the best of the 1960s pop/rock genre and 'Pretty Ballerina' is only a touch under----a simply great track. But after that, we also have 'I Haven't Got The Nerve', which is a bouncy and nearly as brilliant a track, 'She May Call You Up Tonight' another terrific song and 'I've Got Something On My Mind', a very good, melodic track in the baroque-pop mode.

Another really good cut is 'Barterers and Their Wives", another baroque-styled number that is not quite a medium-tempo ballad. 'Let Go Of You Girl' is a nice pop number and 'Shadows Breaking Over My Head" is an excellent ballad that works on every level.

'What Do You Know' is not filler, but it is a mistake. Imagine The Beatles renditions of 'Act Naturally' and 'Honey Don't', but done poorly and without any imagination. I'm not sure of this, but I think The Left Banke may have been trying to emulate The Beatles by including a 'country-flavored' track (The Rolling Stones certainly did this, and usually with fair success), but it flops big time.

'Evening Gown' is a jumpy little tune, not great, but good and listenable; 'Lazy Day' has a bit of a harder edge, with a sharp, fuzz-guitar hook, and works fairly well, despite being a step outside the band's comfort zone.

All-in-all, there are five great tracks, three really good ones, two good ones and one blech track. More than enough to make an island trip.

[umpire2]

Trail of the Lonesome Track #37

"Groove Is In The Heart"---Deee-Lite (1990)

Come on-----I'm not the only one who loves this! From 1990, the most bizarrely funky-fresh groove (in or out of the heart), it is just a ton of fun.

Lady Miss Kier, Towa Tei (how many people here have a Towa Tei solo album? Raise your hand (Ump raises hand)!), DJ Ani and Super Dj Dmitri kick all your asses continuously in less than 4 and a half minutes and the result is, you really want them to kick your ass again.

The video enhances a great track, giving everyone the opportunity to see Lady Miss Kier do the white-girl dance and wear outfits that could not help but inspire Mike Myers to bring back the "Swinging Sixties" in Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery.

http://youtu.be/C4D1HSL7P98