UMPIRE2's Semi-Personal MUSIC Thread

[umpire2]

NUMBER 858:


"Keys To Ascension 2"---Yes (1997)


After several years and a a couple of poor efforts, the (close to) original line-up of yes (Rick Wakeman, not Tony Kaye) shows that they still have it after nearly 30 years.

Following the all-live "Keys To Ascension 1" (which was very good), this set contains one CD of live material ('I've Seen All Good People', 'Going For The One', 'Time And A Word', 'Close To The Edge', 'Turn Of The Century' and 'And You And I') and one CD of brand new material, all of which could have been produced by the band during it's heyday.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 857:


"Actually"---Pet Shop Boys (1987)


An album that does not open with much promise ('One More Chance' is a very bland, uninspired effort) suddenly shakes itself and comes awake with 'What Have I Done To Deserve This' as Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe are joined by the fabulous Dusty Springfield. Things get better and better as we move to 'Shopping' (an Ode to consumerism) and 'Rent' (an Ode to being kept). Other highlights include 'It's A Sin', 'Heart', 'Hit Music' and 'King's Cross'.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 856:


"The Century of Self"----And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead (2009)


Another album that starts out slowly...the first two tracks, 'The Giants Causeway' and 'The Far Pavilions' are, by turns, pretentious and boring, but after that, beginning about midway through 'Isis Unveiled', AYWKUBTTOD kick in and become mightily interested in what they are doing.

One song after another is powerful, moving and intriguing...'Bells of Creation', 'Fields Of Coal', the apparently simple 'Inland Sea', the thought provoking 'Insatiable'....I am glad I found these guys, because they make the new millennium slightly more bearable.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 855:


"Brecon Beacon"---Feast or Famine (1978)


A folk masterpiece from Feast or Famine. I never found anything else by these guys, but this one record is superb.

The title track is a sweet love song, followed by 'Polly On The Shore', a dying man's final memories as he lay on the bloody deck of a ship after an attack by an enemy vessel; 'Winter Waters/Morning Star' are a pair of brisk hornpipes and 'Maid of Coolmore' is an ode to a love never fulfilled. Included on the set is a fine arrangement of the 18th century folksong 'Matty Groves', paired with the 19th century reel 'Kitchen Girls' as well as an excellent version of Ralph Towner's 'Icarus' (made famous by the Paul Winter Consort).

[umpire2]

NUMBER 854:


"For Earth Below"---Robin Trower (1975)

Robin 'Shames The Devil' with a rolling groove to start this set and never lets up for the next 36 minutes. 'Confessin' Midnight' and 'Gonna Be More Suspicious' show the greatest influence of Jimi Hendrix and 'Fine Day', 'Althea' and A Tale Untold' are other top tracks.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 853:


"Ptah, The El Daoud"---Alice Coltrane (1970)


A sensational release by Alice Coltrane wherein she is backed by an all-star line-up: Ron Carter on bass, Ben Riley on drums, Joe Henderson on tenor sax and flute and Pharaoh Sanders on Tenor sax, flutes and bells. Coltrane wrote all of the compositions and plays both piano and standing harp on the set.

Every song is complex and beautiful and every one is a highlight: 'Ptah, The El Daoud', 'Blue Nile', 'Turiya And Ramakrishna' and 'Mantra'.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 852:


"Highway 61 Revisited"---Bob Dylan (1965)


Well, let's just see....'Like A Rolling Stone', 'Tombstone Blues', 'From A Buick 6', 'Desolation Row', 'Ballad Of A Thin Man', 'Queen Jane Approximately', 'Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues', 'It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry' and the title track, all on one album. Enough said.

[curiousgirl]

I really like Rise & Fall, Rage & Grace -- but I think I might have put Americana on instead. No argument on Pearl Jam's Ten.

Others I think that I would put on my own list -- Another Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd, Metallica's black album, Seether's Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces, Jethro Tull's Aqualung, Moody Blue's Every Good Boy Deserves Favor.

Just curious -- what do you think of Sixx A.M.'s Heroin Diaries? It might just be my number one.

[umpire2]

Originally Posted by curiousgirl

I really like Rise & Fall, Rage & Grace -- but I think I might have put Americana on instead. No argument on Pearl Jam's Ten.

Others I think that I would put on my own list -- Another Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd, Metallica's black album, Seether's Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces, Jethro Tull's Aqualung, Moody Blue's Every Good Boy Deserves Favor.

Just curious -- what do you think of Sixx A.M.'s Heroin Diaries? It might just be my number one.

Most of what you list is on my list (but of course, I've got a long way to go.)

Everyone's taste is different, so I am not passing any judgment on your selection, but I found "The Heroin Diaries" to be very thin, very weak---no real energy whatsoever and the songs are way too bubblegum. I was actually shocked that Nikki Sixx had anything to do with it, much less masterminded it.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 851:


'Communique'---Dire Straits (1979)


The follow-up to their debut album finds the Knopfler brothers and Co. following the exact same patterns and having ALMOST as much success. The old line is that you can't catch lightning in a bottle twice, and as good as they were consistently, the Straits never matched their first. After all, in all their imaginings, do you think they ever believed they could do something as good or better than 'Sultans'?

In any case, "Communique" is still an excellent go-round, with top notch tracks like 'Once Upon A Time In The West', 'News', 'Angel Of Mercy', 'Portobello Belle' and the title song. There are a couple of weaker moments, but overall worth it.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 850:


"Midnight Lightning"---Jimi Hendrix (1976)

It would be difficult to find a bad Jimi Hendrix album, though "Midnight Lightning" is probably 'the worst of the best'. One of about a dozen posthumous albums released, "Midnight Lightning" was put together by mixing parts of numerous demo tracks Hendrix had made, as he was wont to create songs in the studio, experimenting with sounds, lead lines, and imagining both potential backing rhythm tracks and effects that might fit with any new flow he moved into. Except for a couple of demos that included Mitch Mitchell, the tracks were completed by bringing in studio musicians to fill in the gaps in the demos and cleaned up and engineered to sound 'like Jimi would have wanted them to'.

Strangely, this record was produced in a way not unlike the records produced for (and by) the band that Hendrix once opened for in the U.S., The Monkees: who laid down basic tracks, got studio musicians to play most of the instruments, then overdubbed vocals on the polished product.

The SONGS however, are generally excellent. Studio versions of the title track and 'Machine Gun', 'Hear My Train A-Comin' plus 'Gypsy Boy', 'Trash Man' and 'Once I Had A Woman'.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 849:


"Our Little Secret"---Lords of Acid (1997)


The Lords are pretty much the poor cousins of My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, but with a more industrial edge. The also have Nikki van Lierop's voice.

And yes, it might be pretty sophomoric, but 'Pussy Round' is by far the best cut on the album: You want to play with pussy all the time; To hide that kind of pussy is a crime.....My pussy's always hungry for a big piece of meat...etc. And, of course, 'Spank My Booty' is the NEXT best track.

Other highlights include 'Man's Best Friend', 'Cybersex Scherzo', and 'The Power Is Mine'. I could not listen to the Lords of Acid on a regular basis, but once in a while a tab goes down well...

[umpire2]

NUMBER 848:


"Live At Leeds(Complete)"---The WHO (1970/1995)

The amazing thing about The Who is that you could always expect three leads at the same time (Keith Moon playing 'lead drums', John Alec Entwhistle playing 'lead bass' and Pete Townsend playing lead guitar). It was the competitive energy that drove the band.

This is most evident on the tracks 'Heaven and Hell', 'Young Man Blues', 'A Quick One While He's Away', 'Amazing Journey/Sparks', 'My Generation' and 'Magic Bus'.

This whole set is incredible and the inclusion of commentaries and additional tracks on the 25th Anniversary CD edition just makes it that much better.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 847:


"New York Calling"---Eric Alexander (1993)


'Wives and Lovers' is one of my favorite tunes and Eric Alexander's rendition tops the bill. This is hard bop transposing pop at it's absolute best. The only weak track on this set is a "too jumpy" version of Cole Porter's 'In The Still of the Night'; aside from that, this album is a wonderful combination of romantic ballads and scorching jazz.

There are two originals by Alexander and the remainder standards with 'Skylark', 'Here's That Rainy Day', 'Then I'll Be Tired Of You' and 'Swedish Schnapps' among the many highlights.

Alexander is in top form on tenor sax and he is backed by Kenny and Peter Washington on bass and drums, Richard Wyands on piano and John Swana on trumpet.

You can't go wrong.

[richief]

Originally Posted by umpire2

NUMBER 848:


"Live At Leeds(Complete)"---The WHO (1970/1995)

The amazing thing about The Who is that you could always expect three leads at the same time (Keith Moon playing 'lead drums', John Alec Entwhistle playing 'lead bass' and Pete Townsend playing lead guitar). It was the competitive energy that drove the band.

This is most evident on the tracks 'Heaven and Hell', 'Young Man Blues', 'A Quick One While He's Away', 'Amazing Journey/Sparks', 'My Generation' and 'Magic Bus'.

This whole set is incredible and the inclusion of commentaries and additional tracks on the 25th Anniversary CD edition just makes it that much better.

This is the first time I have to disagree with you ump, I know you will almost likely have other live albums in this chart, but how can you leave this great album, the one where the Who showed all bands how to make a live album this low in the chart, excellent choice but bad positioning.
The drive of Moon's unique drumming with Entwistle's amazing vision and the power of Daltry's voice and the combination of those three giant egos held in some sort of cohesion by Moose and his bass, possibly the best man for the job with the technical skills that made in the best in the world on this most anonymous of instruments and his laid back lassez faire attitude, make The Who one of the most unique rock groups around. The sort of Group who will never have anyone come close to their style.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 846:


"Harvest"---Neil Young (1972)


There is nothing negative that can be said about this record. It is brilliant from end to end, top to bottom, side to side. Neil Young has not produced anything original in about 25 years, but back in the day, he rarely did anything that was not worthy of regular listening.

The centerpiece here has always been 'Heart Of Gold', and it is radio-play worthy, but every track is exceptional, despite some...er....controversial positions. Does a 'Man (really) Need(s) A Maid'? Is 'Alabama' really that bad....I mean really?

Several tracks also make positive observations and statements: 'Old Man' is a subtle dismantling of the Generation Gap (Be honest, Buddy....haven't we ALL gone through similar things in our lives?); 'The Needle And The Damage Done' is a swift and to the point statement on the stupidity of heroin use...what a waste of lives; 'There's A World' is a simple statement on the environment: We all live here and we all need to take care of each other, because every negative we do adversely affects everyone else.

I like it.

[umpire2]

Originally Posted by richief

This is the first time I have to disagree with you ump, I know you will almost likely have other live albums in this chart, but how can you leave this great album, the one where the Who showed all bands how to make a live album this low in the chart, excellent choice but bad positioning.
The drive of Moon's unique drumming with Entwistle's amazing vision and the power of Daltry's voice and the combination of those three giant egos held in some sort of cohesion by Moose and his bass, possibly the best man for the job with the technical skills that made in the best in the world on this most anonymous of instruments and his laid back lassez faire attitude, make The Who one of the most unique rock groups around. The sort of Group who will never have anyone come close to their style.

OK: I only ask that you pay attention.

I said earlier that this is only relatively a 'Countdown' at this point. It is impossible to differentiate among so many excellent recordings, so what I am saying is this record goes with me to the island. It makes the list.
That's all. Is it the 848th best album of all time? Maybe it is. To some, maybe it is the 48th. To others, it may be the 10,848th.


Oh, and did you mean Townsend's vision?

[richief]

Originally Posted by umpire2

OK: I only ask that you pay attention.

I said earlier that this is only relatively a 'Countdown' at this point. It is impossible to differentiate among so many excellent recordings, so what I am saying is this record goes with me to the island. It makes the list.
That's all. Is it the 848th best album of all time? Maybe it is. To some, maybe it is the 48th. To others, it may be the 10,848th.


Oh, and did you mean Townsend's vision?

Yeah, what a spectacular brain fart, gonna go bang my head on the wall now.

[umpire2]

Originally Posted by richief

Yeah, what a spectacular brain fart, gonna go bang my head on the wall now.

Like I never make a mistake. Just happened that I caught it.

(You have no idea how often I forget how to sign my own name.....)

[umpire2]

[umpire2]

NUMBER 845:


"Minute By Minute"---Doobie Brothers (1978)

With three or four exceptions, the Doobies have a history or producing uneven albums; not bad albums, just uneven (3 to 5 excellent songs and 3 to 5 mediocre songs). "Minute By Minute" is one of the exceptions.

Is it their best album? Not even close, but it is quite different from their earlier efforts and that difference makes it stand out. Ever since Michael McDonald arrived with his electric piano and distinctive vocals, the direction of the band radically changed. In fact, they were no longer 'The Doobies'---kind of cool, laid back, kind of mellow guys just making music---they became pop radio regulars, red carpet walkers (McDonald, anyway) and Grammy Winners because with Michael taking the reins, they tried to fit into that mold.

Long-term, that approach quickly became boring (at least for me), because McDonald essentially wrote and rewrote and rewrote the exact same three songs over and tediously over for the rest of his career. But for this album, it worked.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 844:


"Powerage"---AC/DC (1978)


Trying to review "Powerage" goes something like this:

"Oh, wow! 'Rock 'N' Roll Damnation' is the best song on this album!"...."No, wait...'Down Payment Blues' is the best song on this...'.......or.....or....'Gimme A Bullet'. Yeah, that's it...'Gimme A Bullet'....No! No! No! 'Riff Raff' is the best!"

And so on, as every track plays...because every track is SO good.

'Sin City', 'What's Next To The Moon', 'Gone Shootin' ', 'Up To My Neck In You', 'Kicked In The Teeth', all make you want to replay the album over and over, because maybe then you can decide which is the BEST of the set.

[umpire2]

(An aside for Rich: This is a perfectly good example of what I mean...do I think "Minute By Minute" is a better album than "Live At Leeds"??? Not even close, but I do think "Powerage" is better. My opinion, but at this point, the reviews come up as I get to them.)

[umpire2]

NUMBER 843:


"The Big Huge"---Incredible String Band (1968)

Admittedly, The Incredible String Band is an acquired taste, what with the 'jug band/washboard/folk' atmosphere that is sought and Mike Heron and Robin Williamson's complimentary weird nasally voices......but...But...BUT....

They are great.

They write and perform as though they could care less. How much fun they are having is readily apparent and they played for themselves...on over a dozen albums...that did not make them mega rich, but sold well enough to support them. That is cool.

"The Big Huge" starts with 'Maya', an opus of over nine minutes whose meaning totally eludes me, but I love it. 'Greatest Friend' does not have a clear meaning either, but what I read in it is that NATURE is our greatest friend and it can teach us so much if we pay attention; 'Lordly Nightshade' is another great tune whose lyrics make me think that it is time to get off the drugs for a bit...My other favorite on this set is 'Cousin Caterpillar', which pays homage to chrysalis. That IS Cool.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 842:


"A Rush Of Blood To The Head"---Coldplay (2002)


Chris Martin has a knack of taking the simplest melodies and making them interesting. By 'X & Y', the freshness had worn off, but "A Rush Of Blood To The Head" still has the quiet energy that made Coldplay immediately popular.

"Politik', 'In My Place', 'God Puts A Smile On Your Face', 'The Scientist', 'Daylight', 'Warning Sign' and especially 'Clocks' are the best tracks.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 841:


"Rastaman Vibration"---Bob Marley & The Wailers (1976)

My favorite Bob Marley album just rocks away. 'Positive Vibration', 'Roots, Rock, Reggae', 'Crazy Baldhead', 'War', 'Rat Race'.....one excellent track follows another. If you want ONE reggae album, get this (if you want two, get "Babylon By Bus" as well)

[umpire2]

NUMBER 840:


"Shabooh Shoobah"---INXS (1982)

INXS' breakthrough album in the U.S. was a bit of a disappointment to me when I heard it. It was not as fresh and different as their first two efforts, but I was glad they were getting popular here, because that indicated that there would be more to come...and they just got better and better over the decade.

While there are a few boring bits here, the album is certainly worth getting for 'The One Thing', 'Soul Mistake', 'Old World New World' and 'Don't Change'. The rest of the album is still good, just not up to the INXS standard.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 839:


"Bloody Kisses"---Type O Negative (1992)


Starting out with the uncontrolled cries of a woman orgasming (something I am totally familiar with), "Bloody Kisses" takes the listener on an aural ride that has few flaws.'Christian Woman' is full of the pounding and chanting that is a characteristic of Peter Steele's songs, but alternates with the idyllic sounds of a park, with running water and chirping birds.

'Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)', a Halloween treat begins with Steele speaking through puffs on a cigarette, "I went looking for trouble...and I found her..."; replete with growling guitars and half of the Munsters theme on the organ, 'Black No. 1' reveals that "loving (you) is like loving the dead'...

'Bloody Kisses (A Death In The Family)' is a 10 minute extravaganza and TON's version of Seals and Crofts' 'Summer Breeze' just proves that ANYTHING can be metal.

BRILLIANT.

[umpire2]

Backtracking....

I could have sworn that I already did these, but I guess I was just THINKING about them....


NUMBER 978:


"LIVE: MCMXCIII"---Velvet Underground (1993)

The Velvet Underground reunited for a series of shows, and, although one of their many charms originally was their "rawness", this set sparkles with a wry maturity that makes it one of their best ever.

Great versions of 'All Tomorrow's Parties', 'Venus In Furs', 'Sweet Jane', 'I'm Waiting For The Man', 'Afterhours', 'Heroin' and by far my favorite, a super version of 'The Gift'.

Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker were never better.

Do it again, Gang!

[umpire2]

NUMBER 979:


"All The World's A Stage"---RUSH (1976)

Rush was a very good band before Neil Peart arrived (taking nothing away from Alex and Geddy), but when he sat down behind the kit, they became a GREAT band.

After four studio albums, Rush gave us this live set, which showed how good some of the earlier songs ('In The Mood' and especially 'Working Man') could be with the addition of Peart.

'Bastille Day', 'Anthem' and 'Something For Nothing' have more power than their studio versions and even 'By-Tor & The Snow Dog' is well done. The only semi-low point is the greatly abbreviated '2112'---why didn't they include the whole thing on this set?

[umpire2]

NUMBER 980:


"Captured Live"---Johnny Winter And (1976)

Everything that Johnny Winter is finds its way onto this album, blues, soul and rock. His guitar work is superb (although, admittedly the set was re-engineered and cleaned up in the studio).

Winter produced a number of fine albums, including 'Second Winter', 'Saints & Sinners' and his collaborations with Muddy Waters, but if you are going to get only one, this is it.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 981:


"Soul Burst"---Cal Tjader (1966)


Joined by Jerome Richardson and Seldon Powell on flutes, Richard Davis and Bobby Rodriguez on bass, Atilla Zollar on guitar, Grady Tate on drums, Chick Corea on piano, Patao Valdez, Jose Mangual and Victor Pantoja on percussion, vibraphonist Tjader delivers on outstanding set of Latin-flavored songs.

I could listen to 'Cuchy Frito Man', 'Soul Burst', 'Descarga', 'Manteca' and 'Curacao' all day long.

This is one of those that not only should be on the island, it IS the island...

[umpire2]

NUMBER 982:


"Just A Lucky So-And-So"---Charles Brown (1994)


Charles Brown had been 'drifting' around since the mid-1940s until his death about ten years ago, enjoying a modicum of popularity between the West Coast and Chicago, occasionally making records and playing regularly in small clubs. While Brown had several hits on the Blues and Rhythm and Blues charts in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the height of his popularity was a self-composed hit he had in 1947 'Driftin' Blues', which was also covered by a number of other blues artists over the years.

The last decade of his life, Brown made a fairly stunning 'comeback', producing a dozen albums, all of which sold in much greater volume than any of his older works.

The highlights of "Just A Lucky So-And-So" are a re-recording of 'Driftin' Blues' (he re-recorded this song about ten times in his career), 'I Won't Cry Anymore', the title track (written by Duke Ellington), 'The Danger Isn't Over' and 'So Long'.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 983:

"Best Of"---Cannonball Adderley (1970)


'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy' this is a good record. Most of the cuts are recorded live, with pianist Joe Zawinul (later of Weather Report) contributing four of the eight songs and Julian ('Cannonball)'s brother Nat writing two (including his most popular composition 'Work Song').

Backing musicians include Yusef Lateef, Charles Lloyd, Sam Jones, Louis Hayes and Walter Booker.

The best tracks? 'Jive Samba', 'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy', 'Why Am I Treated So Bad' and '74 Miles Away'.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 838:


"LIVE...IN THE RAW"---W.A.S.P. (1987)


You don't have to agree with me, but chicken-beheading, blood spewing, genital flashing, sado-masochistic, profanity throwing Blackie Lawless makes Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, et al look like puritanical chumps.

You want your filth and perversion served up hot and with a lot of habanero sauce???.....W.A.S.P.

"Live...In The Raw" smacks you in the ass, grabs you by the hair and fucks you....raw.

From the first note of 'Inside The Electric Circus', through the ride on the 'L.O.V.E. Machine', the bite of the 'Manimal' to the chant of 'Harder, Faster': "SUCK ME! SUCK ME! EAT ME RAW", the whole record is a fantastic juvenile wet dream of excitement.

[vebuffalo]

Originally Posted by umpire2

NUMBER 846:


"Harvest"---Neil Young (1972)


There is nothing negative that can be said about this record. It is brilliant from end to end, top to bottom, side to side. Neil Young has not produced anything original in about 25 years, but back in the day, he rarely did anything that was not worthy of regular listening.

The centerpiece here has always been 'Heart Of Gold', and it is radio-play worthy, but every track is exceptional, despite some...er....controversial positions. Does a 'Man (really) Need(s) A Maid'? Is 'Alabama' really that bad....I mean really?

Several tracks also make positive observations and statements: 'Old Man' is a subtle dismantling of the Generation Gap (Be honest, Buddy....haven't we ALL gone through similar things in our lives?); 'The Needle And The Damage Done' is a swift and to the point statement on the stupidity of heroin use...what a waste of lives; 'There's A World' is a simple statement on the environment: We all live here and we all need to take care of each other, because every negative we do adversely affects everyone else.

I like it.

Loved it when it first came out - love it now.

[umpire2]

Originally Posted by vebuffalo

Loved it when it first came out - love it now.

Thanks, Buffalo!

[umpire2]

NUMBER 837:


"Love"---Love (1967)


The debut album from Arthur Lee and Love, the second hottest band from L.A. in the Summer of.....Love.

A mix of Lee originals and covers, the album is subtly brilliant, evoking aspects of folk, pop, blues and rock in an exceptionally palatable way. Bacharach and David's 'My Little Red Book' and the traditional 'Hey Joe' (for some reason attributed to Dino Valenti) are highlights along with Lee's 'Can't Explain', 'Softly To Me', 'Emotions', 'You I'll Be Following' and the straight blues 'Signed D.C.'.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 836:


"Goats Head Soup"---Rolling Stones (1973)

...good enough to make the 'Island List', although this is not an exceptional Stones' record. In fact, I would say that this release was the first of many over the next 30 years where the Stones are essentially trying to imitate themselves and put out a 'Rolling Stones' record.

Side One is really very good, with 'Dancing With Mr.D', 'Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)' and the plaintive 'Angie' the best cuts. Side two is better than most bands could produce, except for the incredibly pathetic 'Star Star'.

...good enough for an occasional listen, but I expect better from the boys...

[umpire2]

NUMBER 835:


"Rocks"---Aerosmith (1976)


"Rocks" is almost like the last high point of a man's long night of sex. It is like the fourth big load, after which you can still hug and kiss and cuddle, but if you try to fuck more, your cock is a bit limp and if you cum again at all, it's just a dribble.

After three great rock-hard albums, Aerosmith released "Rocks", which was pretty much still a stiffy, but starting to lose some of the edge. After "Rocks", the next 9 years saw fairly limp efforts without much ejaculation potential. They later revived, but for the time being, "Rocks" was an end to their first big phase.

'Back In The Saddle', 'Last Child', 'Rats In The Cellar' and 'Sick As A Dog' are very good tracks, but there is no 'Dream On', 'Mama Kin', 'Write Me A Letter', 'Same Ol Song And Dance' or 'Walk This Way' here.

Still...a good island choice.

[umpire2]

NUMBER 834:


"All 'N' All"---Earth, Wind & Fire (1977)


Let me preface this by saying that one of the hottest girls I've had the pleasure.....of....was a big EW&F fan....tall, auburn hair and deep milk-chocolate eyes, big brown nipples on perfect C cup breasts, flat tummy and jaw-dropping round butt, long shapely legs and sweet, oh so sweet, pouting pussy lips that....

....that....

...........oh.........Earth, Wind & Fire......right.....


"All 'N' All" is just a great, beat crazy, melodic album full of upbeat, funky and soulful songs. 'Serpentine Fire', 'Fantasy', 'Jupiter' and 'Runnin' ' all jump; 'I'll Write A song For You' and 'Be Ever Wonderful' are sexy....I remember listening to this and feeling that hand wrapping around my.....my.....oh, my....

[ejls]

Originally Posted by umpire2

NUMBER 834:


"All 'N' All"---Earth, Wind & Fire (1977)


Let me preface this by saying that one of the hottest girls I've had the pleasure.....of....was a big EW&F fan....tall, auburn hair and deep milk-chocolate eyes, big brown nipples on perfect C cup breasts, flat tummy and jaw-dropping round butt, long shapely legs and sweet, oh so sweet, pouting pussy lips that....

....that....

...........oh.........Earth, Wind & Fire......right.....


"All 'N' All" is just a great, beat crazy, melodic album full of upbeat, funky and soulful songs. 'Serpentine Fire', 'Fantasy', 'Jupiter' and 'Runnin' ' all jump; 'I'll Write A song For You' and 'Be Ever Wonderful' are sexy....I remember listening to this and feeling that hand wrapping around my.....my.....oh, my....

Um, great music review?

[umpire2]

Originally Posted by ejls

Um, great music review?

I would have written more about the album, but my pants split....

[umpire2]

I've gone through 150 albums so far, so I thought I would do a little breakdown.

I don't know if I said it here, but I've said it elsewhere...I am basically a rocker...that's what I played and wrote in the old days, and, while I like all kinds of music, that is my base.

So, it should not be surprising that of the 150 choices so far, 107 are in some sub-category of rock. 25 are jazz, 8 are blues, 5 are folk, 4 are Soul/R&B and 1 is country.

There are many more to come (including some classical)...stay tuned...

My task this winter is to read this thread from the start!

Without a doubt the best on here and I look forward to agreeing/gasping with horror/nodding sagley with or at your suggestions.

As a foot note - I saw EWF live when they supported Averager White Band...now that was a long time ago...

[umpire2]

Originally Posted by arizona1664

My task this winter is to read this thread from the start!

Without a doubt the best on here and I look forward to agreeing/gasping with horror/nodding sagley with or at your suggestions.

As a foot note - I saw EWF live when they supported Averager White Band...now that was a long time ago...

Thanks for the input, Arizona! By winter, I hope to make a much greater dent in the list!

I never saw EW&F----I bet they were good live, though. My memories of them are connected to another type of 'live' show....gulp!





Also, did you mean to say 'averager' white band? Cute!

Originally Posted by umpire2

Thanks for the input, Arizona! By winter, I hope to make a much greater dent in the list!

I never saw EW&F----I bet they were good live, though. My memories of them are connected to another type of 'live' show....gulp!
So it would appear! It was the first time I saw the old "revolving drum kit" routine


Also, did you mean to say 'averager' white band? Cute!

I didn't but wish I had! I saw them twice - not bad but the second time they were supported by Kokomo - fab band!

[umpire2]

NUMBER 833:

"I Can Tell"---John Hammond (1967)


There is a persistent tale that when Sam Phillips heard Elvis Presley sing, he wanted to record the young man from Tupelo because he had never heard a white man who sounded like a black singer. If this story is even remotely true, all it proves is that Sam Phillips had never heard a black singer, either, because Elvis sounded as black as Tiny Tim.

John Hammond grew up immersed in the Blues, particularly that of the Mississippi Delta. His father, John H. Hammond, was a music critic, educator and musicologist whose specialty was tracing the history and roots of the Blues back through folk music, Gospel and spirituals, slave shouts and work songs, all the way to influences carried from Africa. Young John was surrounded by musical examples, and although he was raised in New York City, he often traveled with his father during the summers and met many of the living Blues legends who still graced this earth in the 1940s and 1950s. The young man was fascinated with both the history and the music itself and, often played guitar with the likes of Mississippi John Hurt and Reverend Gary Davis before he was ten years old.

By the time he was in high school, Hammond was playing slide guitar and performing on the fringes of the late 1950s folk and blues revival. By 1962, he was making his living playing in coffee houses and small clubs and astounding people because, though he was not yet 20 and he looked as white as snow, his voice bent the blues like a 60 year old Mississippi Fred McDowell or Son House.

"I Can Tell" contains a plethora of fantastic blues, some well-known, some not, but all done to perfection by Hammond, including the title track, John Lee Hooker's 'I'm In The Mood', Willie Dixon's 'Spoonful', Howlin' Wolf's 'Smokestack Lightning', Muddy Waters' 'Forty Days and Forty Nights' and Chuck Berry's 'Brown-Eyed Handsome Man'.

You absolutely should get this record. In the words of Billy Boy Arnold's tune (covered by Hammond), 'I Wish You Would'.

[umpire2]

[umpire2]

NUMBER 832:


"Below The Salt"---Steeleye Span (


The most consistently good of the British folk revival bands of the late 1960s and 1970s, Steeleye Span's fourth album, "Below The Salt" is one of the best in their 40 year history. Always mixing traditional folk songs (often with updated arrangements) with jigs, reels and an occasional modern tune, Steeleye Span continues to maintain their popularity, with singer Maddy Prior as the centerpiece.
"Below The Salt" features versions of 'John Barleycorn', 'Royal Forester' (whose first version appeared over 700 years ago), 'King Henry' (taken from Child's English and Scottish Popular Ballads), and 'Sheep-Crook and Black Dog', a nineteenth century ballad.