All the way 3!

Once again, complete album reviews. Because it's Easter, and I'm a glutton for punishment.

Some folks think Genesis's SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND (1973) is one of the best, most consistent progressive-rock albums ever. We'll see.
It's certainly one of the LONGEST single albums -- two crammed-full sides totaling more than 50 minutes, tho this may just be due to Peter Gabriel's notorious wordiness. Let's find out.
* Dancing With the Moonlit Knight -- Opens with a-capella PG vocals and delicate guitar, gentle keyboards. PG sounds a bit like Peter Hammill here. The lyrics are the usual hazy, poetic stuff these guys did. Musical support gains in force as it goes, leading into a guitar-keyboards duel.... Do I catch a brief riff stolen from Renaissance here...? Lyrics seem to be a critique of British consumer society.... Wish Tony Banks would lay off the Mellotron, but the production is clearer than on their earlier albums, you can actually HEAR stuff.... Devolves into keyboard and guitar atmospherics at the end.
* I Know What I Like -- Yeah, I think we've all heard this before. This is nice and pleasant enuf, and it deserved to be a hit in England, but I'm used to hearing the version Phil Collins sings on the live SECONDS OUT double-album....
* Firth of Fifth -- Used to the SECONDS OUT version, where Tony Banks's opening piano solo is moved to the middle, where (to me) it works much better. But this version should have led-off this album. After the piano solo, it's rather hazy and pastoral, despite the story being told. The musicianship is quite something, and unlike on NURSERY CRYME you can HEAR everything clearly. This is very nice -- nice quick-stepping mid-section. Tony's keybs give way to Steve Hackett's ghostly guitar solo. These guys had talent. Tony's end-solo is actually faded out because this track's already gone on over 9 minutes....
* More Fool Me -- What's this? The drummer sings? Yes, Phil Collins on lead vocals -- and it's a very delicate, quiet lead vocal. This is a nice contrast from "Firth of Fifth." Hushed, modest. ...Oh, then it opens out ... a little.... Nice side-closer -- acoustic, brief.
* The Battle of Epping Forest -- Opens with martial drumming and piping. Then it's Punks versus Mods in London! Too bad Pete mumbles and rushes the vocals. Nice keyboard breaks, as always. Considering this song is about a rumble between two street gangs, it's pretty delicate. And it runs almost 12 minutes. Is that because PG's lyrics for this take up most of the second side of the lyric sheet? Nice stuck-up vocal by PG as he imitates a reverend.... Then he sounds like Dave Cousins from the Strawbs.... Long journey for not much. Least impressive track so far.
* After the Ordeal -- Opens with extensive keybs and guitar.... Pretty, kind of aimless. This could have been a shorter album with some editing. LOTS of guitar -- a pretty instrumental, but....
* The Cinema Show/Aisle of Plenty -- Hypnotic guitar work by Steve Hackett. PG's grumbling vocal is nothing much. Seems like a romance story at first, but then -- where the heck is this going? Nice atmospherics.... Then multi-part wordless vocals, very pretty.... Moves into more ghostly Hackett guitar, then a tasty keyboard theme that starts out pretty dinky and gains in power -- 'til Banks starts showing off.... There's a lot of messing around on this album, as if they HAD to get every tasty instrumental lick in, or thot they weren't giving their fans enuf value for the money. This would have more impact if they skipped the pretty-but-aimless spots.
...The "Aisle of Plenty" section continues the consumer-society critique that started the album. It's brief.
And that's all. Overall? Nice instrumentals, guitar and keyboards the strongest point. If they were more direct, they could become a big success. It's obvious they've got talent.... Above average, but this album is not going to change your life.

OK, The Turtles PRESENT THE BATTLE OF THE BANDS (1968): On this album, a late-'60s pop band well-known as consummate singers, players, etc., impersonate 11 different OTHER bands, and POSE as those bands inside the cover. These guys were real professionals and wrote almost all the songs, so this should be a lot of fun, and a pretty high-concept package for the late '60s. Supposed to be a forgotten classic. Includes 2 actual chart hits! Onward.
* The Battle of the Bands -- Introduction is sorta-garage-rock with horns. Written by Harry Nilsson and producer Chip Douglas (who produced the Monkees and others). Big production. Over fast.
* The Last Thing I Remember -- Dreamy, spacey late-'60s psych, obviously composed under the influence of evil Drugz.... The vocals almost spiral out of control. Nice harpsichord! probably shoulda saved this for later on the album.
* Elenore -- Ha ha. Always loved this. It's just freakin' perfect, even tho the lyrics are a joke. These guys were geniuses.
* Too Much Heartsick Feeling -- Uh oh, it's Country. Badly sung, off-key Country. And it works. Funny. This could be Roy Clark or somebody like that. Big production, for a country weeper.
* Oh, Daddy! -- Narrated cheerfully by a guy stuck in prison for doing something bad. Then turns into a sorta Dixieland singalong. Nice, and ... uh ... disturbing.
* Buzzsaw -- This seems to be a surf instrumental.... Lotsa fuzz-bass and heavy organ. OK, not an instrumental. But definitely Surf. The Beach Boys wish they coulda done something this demented in 1968. Fades out too soon.... Quick side.
* Surfer Dan -- Now THIS is Surf. With more undercurrents of Drugz: "He's so ripped he can't see you go by." This could be straight out of 1963, except for the lyrics....
* I'm Chief Kamanawanalea (We're the Royal Macadamia Nuts) -- Ha. Nice drumming.... A little early in history for tribal chanting. But it's over with quick....
* You Showed Me -- I've always hated this. Thot it was gloppy and not rock and roll. Tho it IS beautifully sung. This is an old Byrds song, written by Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark. Nice subtle use of synthesizer.
* Food -- An ode to some of their favorite foods, followed by an Alka-Seltzer commercial. Pretty silly.
* Chicken Little Was Right -- Pickin' and grinnin'.
* Earth Anthem -- Opens with gorgeous acoustic guitar and horn, and breathy vocals. Gets better and more moving on repeated listenings. Nice closer.
Overall: Lotsa talent. Maybe if they coulda recorded something longer than 2 or 3 minutes they woulda outlasted the '60s. They said they were frustrated that nobody noticed their more adventurous work, but this album has some nice, silly, adventurous stuff on it. Not a bad comedy record.

BONUS TRACKS:
* Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- Joybringer, from SOLAR FIRE (1973). Was a Top 10 hit in England. Supposedly based on Gustav Holst's "Mars" theme from THE PLANETS, if anybody cares. Nice keyboards from Manfred. Pretty lively -- livelier than anything I heard on MM/EB's GET YOUR ROCKS OFF (1973). Nice guitar and vocals from Mick Rogers. Ends too soon. Wonder why radio never plays this? It's easy enuf to get into.... Possibly because the title isn't even listed on the album cover....
* Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- Father of Day Father of Night, from SOLAR FIRE. Bob Dylan allegedly wrote this? But it runs 9 minutes.... This is a way bigger, grander production than "Joybringer." The lyrics are pretty simple. After the verses it takes off into lengthy guitar and keyboard variations. The later guitar riff is VERY familiar from somewhere else, but I can't place it. Later, Manfred brings in some of that nice icy-cold keyboard sound he sometimes gets, as on the much-later "Stranded" (on CHANCE, 1980). Quite a show-offy piece here, in several different ... movements. Prog fans will like.
* U.K. -- Thirty Years, from U.K.'s first album (1978). For guitarist Allan Holdsworth, who died earlier this morning. I don't think I've heard this in MORE than 30 years. Overlooked at the end of Side 1 of this band's first album. Opens with exquisite acoustic picking, followed by a sorta strained John Wetton vocal. Moody, dark, atmospheric, long opening section. Then opens out into louder and more adventurous work, with herky-jerky rhythms, superb Bill Bruford drumming, and more excellent Holdsworth guitar work.
...OK folks, I'm done for today. More full albums next Sunday. Or maybe ALL ALAN PARSONS! ALL INCREDIBLE STRING BAND! ALL ELO! We'll see what I'm up for....

All the way 2!

Once again, reviews of complete albums -- because it's Sunday, I'm a dummy, and I haven't had enuf coffee yet.
First up, Renaissance's ILLUSION (1970).
ILLUSION shows Renaissance in transition from their original lineup to the one that became moderately famous in progressive-rock circles in the mid-'70s. Headed by ex-Yardbirds Keith Relf and Jim McCarty, this classical-rock-folk band recorded their first album in 1969 (reviewed last Sunday in "All the way"), and then started this follow-up. But the band was already falling apart.
Keyboardist John Hawken is replaced by Don Shin on one track here, and on another piece there's an almost-entirely-new lineup. This album also marks the first appearance of acoustic guitarist Michael Dunford and Cornwall poet Betty Thatcher -- who would both be part of Ren over the long haul.
So this album is sorta a patchwork. It's copyrighted 1970, but one rock-and-roll reference book claims the album was only released in West Germany that year, and not issued in England until much later. Plus one track included here ("Face of Yesterday") was re-recorded later on Illusion's pretty-great OUT OF THE MIST (1977). And Illusion was basically the first version of this band, minus Keith Relf. You can see how confusing this all gets....
Enuf background. What does it SOUND like?
* Love Goes On -- This is already lighter than the first album. Airy la-la-la group vocals and strummed guitar, then picks up a bit as Jane Relf sings the lyric. Not rock and roll, way closer to what they used to call adult-contemporary back in the '70s. Pleasant, harmless -- and really short.
* Golden Thread -- Opens with long show-offy piano. If the first album had a flaw, it was mainly that the band had too much room to play -- and no idea how to fill the space. The shorter, more structured stuff was better -- like "Island." This drifts into airy piano-and-wordless-vocals stuff, sounding like the NEXT Renaissance album, PROLOGUE (1972), which includes none of these people. Three or four minutes in, Keith Relf starts singing. He's OK, but they're so much better with Jane singing. ...Pleasant, harmless, a little long.
* Love is All -- More light, airy pop-song stuff. The lyrics are hippy mush. Not much of a debut for lyricist Thatcher.
* Mr. Pine -- This is the track with the mostly-new lineup. Sounds unfinished. The opening is hippy blather, under-produced, almost laughable. The keyboard-led mid-section was recycled note-for-note in Renaissance's later "Running Hard"! ... Develops into a four-part suite. Doesn't seem like it was worth the trouble. These folks had talent, the question was how to channel it.
* Face of Yesterday -- The version on their later OUT OF THE MIST is a small masterpiece. This seems a little too delicate. Some extra added subtle electric guitar that mainly just calls attention to itself. Jane Relf's vocal is a little unsure. The later version is in a lower key and just seems more confident. This isn't terrible.... Maybe my problem is this just doesn't rock enough. It's pretty, tho.
* Past Orbits of Dust -- This closer runs 14 minutes. Keyboardist Don Shin takes the spotlight from the start. Vocals are rather low-key. This is looser and more relaxed than the rest of the album.... This riffs along in its nice, harmless, electric-piano-fueled way ... but then there's a Drum Solo. But at least it's brief. This has a little rock power behind it -- or at least as much power as you can get out of an electric piano, which ain't much -- but not TOO much, that would be rude. Uh oh, then there's a sorta spacey bass solo.... So a spacey riffer that stretches on for 14 minutes. Not bad, and they've got talent, but....
Is that all? Oh well, as Gentle Giant once said, "We didn't know what we were doing until our fourth album."

OK, next up, the Stories' first album (1972).
I picked this up because Stories later released a semi-classic English pop-rock album ABOUT US (1973) which had half an hour of pretty great stuff on it -- punchy, catchy, melodic, memorable pop songs. Best were the dramatic "Please Please" (which would still sound great on classic-rock radio), the sweet shoulda-been-hit "Love is in Motion,'" the mysterious "Words," and the wistful "What Comes After." But the group was breaking up at the time -- half the album is merely average, and some tracks are just filler. Oh, and the Number One 1973 hit "Brother Louie" is on there, too.
Keyboardist/songwriter Michael Brown started with The Left Banke back in the '60s. Singer/bassist Ian Lloyd had a spotty solo career and sang backing vocals for bands like Foreigner. Onward....
* Hello People -- Opens with sweet piano and Ian singing in a lower key than usual. This is a plea for brotherly love and peace -- still works today. Slowly gains in punch as it goes. Ian sounds pretty relaxed. ...OK, doesn't get that much better....
* I'm Coming Home -- Basic homecoming lovesong. Features Mike Brown's ragtime-ish piano that sometimes appears on ABOUT US. OK, not stunning.
* Winter Scenes -- Brown and Lloyd wrote all the songs. This is a lighter wintry mood-piece. More nice show-offy piano in the middle. So far this album seems much more modest and lower-key than ABOUT US.
* Step Back -- Little more of a rock punch here. Still nothing magic yet.
* You Told Me -- Basic breaking-up lovesong with added strings. Nice light touch here. Could grow on me.... That was a quick side.
* St. James -- Rockier. Some OK tho brief show-offy guitar from Steve Love in the middle. Ian sounds a bit off-key in places. Gains in catchiness as it goes.
* Kathleen -- This is lighter, moodier, more contemplative. They have a pretty good touch with the lighter stuff. Some nice harpsichord from Brown in the middle. Seems like ABOUT US played-up their strengths -- here they were still finding out what those strengths were....
* Take Cover -- This is heavier. Added guitar and keyboards and more vocal harmonies really make a difference. And then it's over, too soon.
* Nice to Have You Here -- OK, this is a little soupy. Too much mournful keyboard.
* High and Low -- Big finish? Not really. OK choruses, but not a total success. More grandiose piano. Brief attempt at a big coda.
Overall: Promising, but probably not worth the cash. Go get a copy of ABOUT US at Goodwill and pick out your favorite parts.

BONUS TRACKS:
* Turtles -- Earth Anthem, from BATTLE OF THE BANDS (1968). Wow, cosmic! Opens with gorgeous horns and strummed guitar, followed by nice breathy vocals. Builds with a choir and strings. They may not have been entirely serious, but it works. "This is not an island...." Still perfect for Earth Day. Ends a little anti-climactically....
* Dukes of Stratosphear -- You're My Drug, from PSONIC PSUNSPOT (1987). XTC in disguise. Not bad. Very 1968-ish psychedelic. An impressive reproduction, especially the phasey spaceship-"whooshing" sounds....
* Dukes of Stratosphear -- Shiny Cage. OK, the last one was good enough, we'll try this ... which isn't that different from other XTC I've heard....
* Byrds -- The World Turns All Around Her, from TURN! TURN! TURN! (1965). Oh yes. This is great. So nice you'll want to hear it twice. How about that Gene Clark?

All the way

This is an experiment in which your clueless reviewer will attempt to play and review 2 or 3 entire albums ALL THE WAY THROUGH, which I'm told is a unique new way to listen to music -- a method I haven't thot of in years. Should also be a challenge in light of my short attention-span and tendency to stop listening to something as soon as I get bored.
First up:

Renaissance -- (first album) (1969).
But first, some background: This classical-folk-rock band was formed by former Yardbirds singer Keith Relf and drummer Jim McCarty. Their first album -- produced by another ex-Yardbird, Paul Samwell-Smith (who later produced Cat Stevens, America, Jethro Tull) -- wasn't a huge success, tho they issued a follow-up, ILLUSION, a year later. Then the band fell apart, and Relf was later electrocuted. By the time Renaissance's third album PROLOGUE came out in 1972, their line-up was completely different, tho McCarty kept writing songs for them, and these are included on PROLOGUE and 1973's ASHES ARE BURNING.
The original lineup (tho with McCarty now on acoustic guitar and vocals, John Knightsbridge on elec gtr, and Eddie McNeil on drums) reformed as Illusion for OUT OF THE MIST (1977), the best Renaissance-style studio-album that band never did. They followed-up in 1978 with ILLUSION, which was quieter, and the lyrics were forgettable.
Renaissance continued into the 1980's with a string of albums, the best and liveliest of which seems to be LIVE AT CARNEGIE HALL (1976). Some of their studio work is rather stiff and self-conscious, tho "Rajah Khan" on PROLOGUE is great swirling psychedelic noise, and "Northern Lights" on A SONG FOR ALL SEASONS (1977) is a charming lovesong.
Whew. OK, onward....
* Kings and Queens -- Pretty gutsy, leading off your debut album with one of its longest songs. It needs to be a killer. Not sure this one is. It was included on that WONDEROUS STORIES 4-CD "history" of progressive-rock that I grabbed a few years back, in an edited version (I think), and I wasn't impressed then. And this runs almost 11 minutes....
Opens with some quick grand-piano moves and other attempts at drama, then moves into a more bass-heavy, driving approach. That's the first four minutes, and nothing's happened yet. Then Keith Relf starts singing, symbolic lyrics vaguely applicable to today's political situation. Some nice keyboards by John Hawken.
Then they slow it down a little. More drama, more show-offy piano. So far, Hawken's riffing piano is the best thing here, tho Relf's singing isn't bad. Nice riffing, and McCarty's a good, dramatic drummer. Getting better as it goes, gaining in drama just by the playing and singing, without the extra atmospheric messing around. But not a total success.
* Innocence -- The lyrics are kinda silly late-'60s hippy mush, and Relf isn't a strong-enough singer, but again Hawken's keyboards are strong. He's clearly the star here. This is quieter than the first track, tho not as memorable.
* Island -- At last, Jane Relf starts singing. She has a high, clear voice that's captured beautifully on OUT OF THE MIST. This song has some of that album's magic. Hawken breaks loose for a classically-inspired keyboard solo in the middle, which ain't really necessary. A little overdone, but OK. Edited, this could have been a hit. Nice, soft symphonic-rock. The best thing here.
* Wanderer -- More showing-off by Hawken. He's great, but was this group formed just to show him off? They get better every time Jane Relf sings, but this is actually over too fast.
* Bullet -- 11-1/2 minutes. More piano-based drama, followed by group chanting and silly lyrics. Keith picks up the harmonica, making this a classical-folk-blues jam. And he's OK on the harp. And there's still too much dramatic messing around. If these folks could have focused a bit, they might have been awesome. Long bass solo.... More atmospheric messing around at the end, no real ending.
Overall, eh. "Island"'s the best thing here, an edited version would be great.

Next:
Richard and Linda Thompson -- I WANT TO SEE THE BRIGHT LIGHTS TONIGHT (1974).
True Confessions: For the longest time I couldn't HEAR these folks. Bought their ISLAND YEARS best-of a few years back and couldn't get into a single song, not even the heavy-guitar outro on "Calvary Cross," not even the pretty-great "Dimming of the Day." Don't know what I was thinking. But they were SO DOWNBEAT! This surprised me, because I love Fairport Convention, where Richard's downbeat vocals and loud guitar were a key part. Even grabbed Richard and Linda's SHOOT OUT THE LIGHTS a few years back and couldn't get into THAT, even with all the marriage-breaking-up drama included.
Then awhile back I heard Richard's LIVE (MORE OR LESS) while browsing at Tacoma's HI-VOLTAGE RECORDS and was knocked out. (Of course everything sounds better on THEIR sound system....) Course LIVE is rare and they didn't have a copy to sell me, but most of the songs I heard are on BRIGHT LIGHTS, so we'll see how it holds up....
* When I Get to the Border -- The usual great vocals and stinging guitar I expected, plus half of Fairport Convention is on this album! And Richard Harvey and Brian Gulland from Gryphon! Now that I have a decent turntable that plays albums at the right speed and a stereo with actual bass and decent speakers, it makes a big difference to the listening experience. Before, I thot this was kind of a lame song. Instead it's a decent bouncy-enough album-opener.
* Cavalry Cross -- The usual grim stuff, with nice stinging guitar. Too bad this is edited for vinyl, no big guitar-explosions finale.
* Withered and Died -- The title sounds just like Richard Thompson, only Linda sings it! And she sounds just like Sandy Denny! Pretty downbeat, tho not depressing.
* I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight -- This sure contrasts with "Withered and Died," and the horn-band adds charm. Richard's lyric is pretty twisted and funny, too. This is nice, tho it could maybe have been lighter and more fun....
* Down Where the Drunkards Roll -- More of Richard's low-life obsession, tho of course Linda sings it beautifully and the acoustic guitar's just fine. Ends too soon.
* We Sing Hallelujah -- Downbeat holiday song, with added recorders.
* Has He Got a Friend for Me? -- Lonely, downbeat dating song, with nice acoustic guitar and recorders. Linda sings it beautifully, tho she threatens to hang herself in the second verse....
* The Little Beggar Girl -- Cutesy, knowing, Cockney-sounding madrigal with great lyrics: "I love takin' money off a snob like you...."
* The End of the Rainbow -- Stark, depressing lullabye, beautifully sung by Richard.
* The Great Valerio -- Stark and dramatic, just Linda's vocal and Richard's acoustic. There is a stunning live version of this on Linda's best-of, DREAMS FLY AWAY.
Overall: Stark, dramatic, icily controlled. Impressive, but definitely not light listening.

Time to lighten up. Next up, Crack the Sky's LIVE SKY (1978).
Don't know much about these guys, except their live "Lighten Up McGraw" is a rockin' classic, and they do a loopy live "I Am the Walrus," too! Their only studio album I've heard bits of, SAFETY IN NUMBERS, seemed a little self-involved and seemed to strain for dramatic effects.
* Hold On -- Opens with flashy guitar, and a riff straight out of "Lighten Up McGraw." Clever lyrics.
* Maybe I Can Fool Everybody Tonight -- More flashy guitar, followed by dreamy verses. OK, not great. After a strong opening, the audience drifts off.... Then an upbeat ending, but it takes a long time to get there....
-- In the interest of time, I'm going to skip "Lighten Up McGraw," but trust me it's great. You should track it down. Great funny lyrics, nice choruses, great guitar, driving attack.
* She's a Dancer -- "McGraw" goes directly into this 9-minute track. The lyrics are ... slightly funny: "When I look into her eyes, I can see through his disguise, but am I surprised?" When there are no lyrics, these guys again seem to be relying heavily on their guitars to create the drama their songs seem to need. There's a long break with more show-offy guitar here. They are better at playing than at song-construction.
* Ice -- 11-minute guitar showcase. Nice, atmospheric, icy. These guys had some talent -- the key might have been channeling it into some more concise forms.
* Surf City -- No, not THAT "Surf City." Not when the second line is "Here come the sharks." Includes more flashy guitar and riffs from "God Save the Queen" and "The Lone Ranger Theme."
-- I'm gonna skip the encore, "I Am the Walrus," but it's a lot of loopy fun, and almost as weird as the original.
...OK, I'm done for today, folks. Thanx for sittin' in.

All Styx! -- with no coffee!

OK, I've been hyping myself about this for weeks. Some say '70s Chicago-based stadium-rockers Styx were occasionally "progressive" -- they even get a chapter to themselves in Will Romano's prog history MOUNTAINS COME OUT OF THE SKY. I'd say they were a pop band with delusions of grandeur. Sometimes a pretty good pop band -- I still love "Lorelei," "Fooling Yourself" and "Why Me?" And I've many times rolled down the road with "Come Sail Away," "Grand Illusion" or "Blue Collar Man" blasting on the stereo.
But they were often kinda sucky -- like on the hideous PARADISE THEATER. Not a single good song on there. And I heard that album to DEATH back in my record-store days.
And I need to be in a great mood to really ENJOY them. I'm not in a great mood this morning. But this will be a half-hearted attempt to see if they ever did anything else as good as those first three songs I named.
Let's get rolling before I chicken out.
* Crystal Ball, from CRYSTAL BALL (1976). Heard this for the first time ever just a couple nights ago on KZOK, Seattle's only classic-rock station. Guess they do sometimes play something unexpected. Didn't even realize this was Styx until they got to the big opera-like choruses, which are a dead giveaway -- very late-'70s, tho not unpleasant. This is all sweetness-and-light early, then Dennis DeYoung messes around on keybs in the middle, then some heavy guitar, and then Tommy Shaw's kinda uncertain vocal. Then back to that big chorus. Not bad, certainly not boring or overplayed. But it meanders. and it coulda gone on longer....
* Shooz, from CRYSTAL BALL. Jazzy up front, then some show-offy guitar. James Young takes over -- this is more rocking than the title song. But not better. Put on your rock and roll shooz. Maybe too early to get this loud? Kinda cheezy, tho it might be OK live.
* This Old Man, from CRYSTAL BALL. More sweetness-and-light, this time from Dennis DeYoung. Deep and Significant, keeps trying to slip into their overblown "Suite Madame Blue." One little man as symbol for this great nation, etc. The lyrics are nothing much, the playing is bloated. I'm about 35 years past being able to hear this stuff with an open mind. More melodrama? No thanx, I'm trying to quit. Ends with Significant blowing-wind noises.
* Claire De Lune/Ballerina, from CRYSTAL BALL. They got the nerve to re-arrange Debussy's "Claire De Lune"? For a Big Closer, "Ballerina" is standard stadium-rock, and DeYoung sounds so pompous! Some OK flashy guitar, but. Then some operatic, "Bohemian Rhapsody"-style vocals, which became these guys' calling-card. 1976 was a great music year? Sure.... Well, at least it didn't go on any LONGER....
* Light Up, from EQUINOX (1975). BIG drama, lots of swirling keyboards up front, then a loopy keyboard hook. I take this to be an ode to using illicit substances to help upgrade the concert experience. Or the life experience. The singing is a little too operatic. Amazing how that stuff grates so quickly....
* Mother Dear, from EQUINOX. The group vocals on the verses sound oddly like ... The Who(?) to me, then they swing into a pretty great driving hook-chorus ... then they make it a song to Mother(?!). Lotta dicking around on keyboards -- cut out the wasted time and this coulda been a hit.
* Lonely Child, from EQUINOX. Uh-oh, look out. It's a wedding proposal disguised as a power ballad. Some Ok tho brief guitar. The singing is ... very over-ripe and studly. Ugh. Hope the proposal was rejected. the things I go through for you people....
* Sing for the Day, from PIECES OF EIGHT. Hadn't heard this in a thousand years. Very sweet, with more of Tommy Shaw's non-operatic vocals. But some of the lyrics: "As your surrogate leader I'm bound in your search for the truth"? The other lyrics are way more down-to-earth. Nice folky approach, and the keyboards are just bouncy and light enough. They don't overdo here, there's a nice light touch. These guys did have talent, no denying it. But it's about what you DO with it....
* The Message, from PIECES OF EIGHT. Swirling synth noise. A brief set-up for the next track.
* Lords of the Ring, from PIECES OF EIGHT. Pomp and circumstance. James Young has been taking voice lessons from Dennis DeYoung. And that's too bad. This is a Dungeons and Dragons-fantasy song -- power, glory, mystery, belief, faith ... Valhalla, I am coming.... And there's lots more of those operatic group-vocals.
* Pieces of Eight. This just in: Money won't buy you happiness. Deep. More operatic vocals? You got 'em. A swim through the ocean of these guys' souls will scarcely get your feet wet. Who are they trying to warn? Must be themselves. You know, these guys would have been better if they hadn't written lyrics. they don't have much new to say. And there's that show-offy grand piano piece at the end. Which is there why?
* Aku-Aku, from PIECES OF EIGHT. Album closer is brief, tho pretty. there's not much to it.
* Castle Walls, from GRAND ILLUSION (1977). Hadn't heard this in years. Wanted to see if it was as overdone as I remembered.... Not bad, but everything devolves into Pomp And Circumstance and The Meaning Of Life. Which is great if you're 18 years old....
* Grand Finale, from GRAND ILLUSION. The Showbiz glitz takes over, which seems appropriate.
* Boat on the River, from CORNERSTONE (1979). Low-key, modest. Acoustic, with what sounds like an accordion, and a tuba harrumphing away in the background. I've always thought Tommy Shaw wrote the best stuff for these guys. This is sorta a depressed German-beer-drinking song.
OK, I've done as much as I can take. the best Styx impression I've ever heard is by Kansas -- "Reason to Be" on their MONOLITH album. They've got the style down, and even the silly singing. But it works. If you're a fan of either of these bands, check it out. And someday soon I'll do an "All-Kansas" post....
...Oh, and coming soon, I may actually listen ALL THE WAY THROUGH a few albums, if I can keep my short attention span under control. A shockingly new way to listen to music, so I've been told....

All over the place

* Bat for Lashes -- Lillies, from THE HAUNTED MAN (2012). Know next to nothing about Natasha Khan and the folks who help her here, except that I heard a couple trax from this album on the rock critics' radio show SOUND OPINIONS a few years back, and liked them. Am reminded very much of Kate Bush. Nice, though dark.
* Bat for Lashes -- All Your Gold, from THE HAUNTED MAN. This has a different, lighter feel. Not as dramatic. But still disturbing. And her vocals and the drumbeats keep building. Nice little ornate musical touches here and there add to the build.
* Bat for Lashes -- Horses of the Sun, from HAUNTED MAN. Chanting and drumming. Very nice early-morning wake-up music except for the drums, which tend to pound and echo. OK, no real ending.
* Bat for Lashes -- Oh Yeah, from HAUNTED. More Kate Bush-like sounds, with drumming and keybs. OK, but not different. I'd like to hear something more from her. Disturbing, eerie synthesizer tones. we may be done here.
* Joanna Newsom -- Bridges and Balloons, from THE MILK-EYED MENDER (2004). All I know about Joanna Newsom is she plays harp and piano, and that Gardenhead of the late, lamented music blog ASLEEP ON THE COMPOST HEAP once called Newsom's CD after this, YS, one of the very best of the 2000's. What a shock to hear she sings like an 8-year-old girl! This is cute and charming, and like the Incredible String Band never happened. But if she keeps singing like this, I'm not going to get far....
* Joanna Newsom -- Sprout and the Bean, from MENDER. That voice.... This is pleasant morning music, harmless. And she plays that harp like a guitar. She doesn't sound like anyone else. But....
* Joanna Newsom -- Inflammatory Writ, from MENDER. If an 8-year-old girl performed this at a piano recital it'd be charming. And ... uh ... precocious. But for a woman in her 20's(?) ... well, I just wonder what's wrong with her. Her lyrics are cute, but....
* The La's -- Son of a Gun, from their only album (1990). This is a little more like it, tho simpler than Newsom or Khan. Nice guitar strumming, light vocals. Then it's over.
* The La's -- I Can't Sleep. Heavier. I can't sleep either. Heard about this album on SOUND OPINIONS too. Another critics' baby. I probly shoulda known better. OK harmonies, nice guitars, closer to rock and roll.
* The La's -- Timeless Melody. Reminded of Bare Naked Ladies. Very pleasant, nice vocals. Songs on this album are nice, upbeat, mostly very short. Simple, basic, happy rock. When the guitar gets heavier, it gets better.
* The La's -- Liberty Ship. Now they could be the Turtles, almost. Their CD has NO information about the band, tho four producers are credited. I infer from the London Records label that they were English. Who is this L.A. Mavers who wrote all the songs and got a 6-point-type credit? And who played the instruments?
* The La's -- There She Goes. yes, the song that Sixpence None the Richer later made a hit. They had good taste. And this sounds almost exactly the same, only with a guy singing. This is very nice, with nice Byrdsy guitars. And it's over too fast.
* The La's -- Doledrum. Now they could be XTC. Nice, tho.
* The La's -- Feelin'. Pleasant. Slightly heavier guitars. Their songs are over too fast.
* The La's -- Way Out. OK, mildly jumpy not-broken-hearted lovesong. But it's time for a coffee break.
* The La's -- Looking Glass. OK, this runs almost 8 minutes, so we'll see what they can do with some room. ...More guitars, but more mournful. Not sure there's more impact, but all these songs are worth hearing. Maybe the first real keeper of the morning. ...Speeds up kinda pointlessly at the end. No big impact.
* Dusty Springfield -- Son of a Preacher Man, from DUSTY IN MEMPHIS (1969/1999). I've always hated this. It's sleazy and smarmy, and she sings it mostly like she's embarrassed, except from the middle on. Course it's well-produced.
* Dusty Springfield -- Just a Little Lovin' from IN MEMPHIS. Can't argue with the lyrics, but it's SO 1968 that it makes me laugh.
* Dusty Springfield -- So Much Love, from IN MEMPHIS. yes, she sings beautifully. I can go back to '66 with PET SOUNDS, so I'm not sure why I can't go back to '68 with this. Except this is way closer to Burt Bacharach than the Beach Boys....
* Dusty Springfield -- Willie and Laura Mae Jones, from MEMPHIS. This is more like it. Better. Gutsier. And she sounds more relaxed.
* Dusty Springfield -- In the Land of Make Believe, from MEMPHIS. Another mushy love ballad, beautifully sung.
* Dusty Springfield -- Little by Little, from VERY BEST OF (1998). Above-average 1966 album track. Made Number 17 in England. Missing that extra touch of magic.
* Dusty Springfield -- I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten, from VERY BEST OF. Only version of this I know is by Tracey Ullman. The piano makes me laugh, and it's a LONG way to that first chorus, but the drama here really works. And the strings later are a freakin' knockout. Fades out too soon.
* Dusty Springfield -- You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, from VERY BEST OF. This is a huge melodramatic piece of cheez. And I've always loved it, especially those killer choruses. Crank it up!
* Badfinger -- Apple of My Eye, from their first BEST OF (1995). This is a low-key second-string classic, the band's mournful farewell to Apple Records. Could maybe have used more crashing drama. And it's over too soon.
* Badfinger -- The Name of the Game, from BEST OF. Just want to note that this slodgy George Harrison-produced version is way weaker than the Geoff Emerick-produced version included on Badfinger's later VERY BEST OF....
* Badfinger -- Suitcase, from BEST OF. Several of this band's better songs were about their career, like "Some Other Time," "Meanwhile Back at the Ranch" and "Rock of All Ages." This is an OK stripped-down on-the-road rocker.
* Gentle Giant -- I Lost My Head, from INTERVIEW (1976). The usual pretty, intricate, ping-pongy music up-front. I admit I miss these guys. And I've never heard any of this album before. ...This is built like their earlier "Peel the Paint" -- the softer, delicate stuff up-front, followed by the rockier, relatively "simple" stuff later. Derek Shulman's wailing vocals backed by jumpy instrumental support. Not bad, if not a classic.
* Gentle Giant -- Interview. Pretty rockin' (OK: discordant, jarring) for these guys. Autobiographical. Did they really think they didn't find their direction 'til their fourth album? That'd be OCTOPUS, right? yeah, I didn't really know what I was doing 'til my fourth book.... Lots of jumping around as the track develops....
* Gentle Giant -- Give it Back, from INTERVIEW. About average, for them. More of this later. Now time for a potty break. I'll try not to pee on myself....
* Roxy Music -- Sentimental Fool, from SIREN (1975). The ghost of Eno haunts the opening. Yeezus, no wonder this takes 6 minutes.... On the opening verse, Bryan Ferry almost sounds like Sandy Denny! Nice choruses, tho. And nice sax from Andy Mackay, as usual. This would be better if Eddie Jobson's synthesized noise didn't drag it out.
* Roxy Music -- Whirlwind, from SIREN. Wonder if anybody's ever told Bryan Ferry he can't sing. Or even hold a tune. Doubt it. Nice guitar from Phil Manzanera. but we're done here.
* Roxy Music -- She Sells, from SIREN. ...Until I heard the piano hook at the start of this. Rocks. More good guitar. Try at another hit single?
* Gary Lewis and the Playboys -- Count Me In, from THE TEN BEST OF (1997/2005). Always loved this. yes, it sounds thin. But it's also cute and catchy and clever. Along with a sternly-worded warning about how copying or downloading music illegally is stealing from the artist, Capitol/EMI include NO information on the CD about the artist, songwriters or producers. Didn't Al Kooper and Leon Russell and Snuff Garrett have something to do with this music? No clues from the CD package.
* Gary Lewis and the Playboys -- She's Just My Style, from BEST OF. Worthy of the Monkees. And funnier.
* Adrian Belew -- Joan Miro's Procession Through the Insides of a Purple Antelope Across a Sea of Tuna Fish, from the DESIRE OF THE RHINO KING best-of (1991). yeez, it took me longer to type the title than the song is. Screechy violin and electronics with rudimentary drumbeats. Noisy. The weirdest thing I've played this morning. Odd, he's such a good guitarist with King Crimson....
* Gentle Giant -- Funny Ways, from PLAYING THE FOOL/LIVE (1977). This is a freaking knockout! Long, creepy, atmospheric, with an unnecessarily rocking mid-section tossed in just to wake the audience up. the drama just keeps building. By four minutes in, it's a masterwork. And it'll make your skin crawl.
* Mannheim Steamroller -- Toccata, from FRESH AIRE III and AMERICAN GRAMOPHONE SAMPLER III (1984). Nice keyboard riff. After a dozen listenings, I guess this is starting to grow on me a little. But they aren't Gryphon.

Betcha didn't see this coming....

OK, you know the routine. Let's get on with it.
* Gordon Lightfoot -- Ten Degrees and Getting Colder, from SUMMER SIDE OF LIFE (1971). This is just about perfect. & I can't understand why it wasn't a hit. Was it too simple? Just some really nice pickin' by Gordy and friends with a sweet love-story lyric, and it ends in just the right place. & it's all over with in less than 3 minutes. Gordy shoulda had a dozen more hits in the '70s.
* Gordon Lightfoot -- Cotton Jenny, from SUMMER SIDE OF LIFE. OK, this is maybe a little TOO simple, too country. Though it's mildly charming. So why was it on his best-of? We won't be playing "Summer Side of Life," because it's freaking brilliant and I've been singing along with it for years....
* Gordon Lightfoot -- Talking in Your Sleep, from SUMMER SIDE. Where have I heard this before? Nice, mysterious broken-love lyric, very subtle use of vocal backing. Thought those were strings at first. haunting. Then the backing vocals get a little too forceful....
(Sorry for the delays, I'm fighting with my computer....)
* Gordy Lightfoot -- Cabaret, from SUMMER SIDE. This is another one of those multi-part suites Gordy sometimes does, pleasant enough if not a knockout. Subtle production by Joe Wissert (Turtles, Association, etc). And Gordy's "Love and Maple Syrup" wasn't the silly love song I've been seeking for years, which I think is actually called "Knotty Pine." The search will continue. Onward.
* C.W. McCall -- Wolf Creek Pass, from the same album (1975). Ol' C.W. had a Number One CB-radio hit with "Convoy" around '76. That wore out kinda fast, but I've always liked his earlier, smaller hits. They're pretty cheezy, that's why they're funny and charming. I could really do without the shrill women background singers from Tulsa, but the rest is cool and trucking-atmospheric. Did you know the guys playing behind C.W. are the guys who became Mannheim Steamroller? Really -- Don Sears, Chip Davis, those guys. Check out the credits.
* C.W. McCall -- Old Home Filler-Up and Keep On Truckin' Café, from WOLF CREEK PASS. This started out as a TV commercial, which I have no trouble believin'. Maybe a little TOO cheezy, tho cute now and then. Maybe Number 92 on the national charts.
* Gerry Rafferty -- The Royal Mile (Sweet Darlin'), from SNAKES AND LADDERS (1980). This was maybe too homogenized, too mainstream to ever be a hit -- there's no killer sax solo. But there is a really nice pennywhistle hook contributed by my hero Richard Harvey from Gryphon. And the choruses are nice. OK, maybe Number 80 on the charts....
* Bread -- Why Do You Keep Me Waiting?, from ON THE WATERS (1970). Bread was the best soft-rock band of the early '70s. There will be no arguments about this. They rocked just enough -- but David Gates got all the A-sides and the hits, and the rockier stuff by James Griffin and Robb Royer was left for B-sides, like this one. Nice, light vocals and subtle guitar.
* Bread -- The Other Side of Life, from WATERS. This sounds kinda like a brief draft for "It Don't Matter to Me." WATERS also includes "Make it With You," the gorgeous "Look What You've Done," and the best thing these guys ever did, "Been Too Long on the Road" -- which casual fans like me never heard until their second best-of....
* Bread -- This Isn't What the Governmeant, from BABY I'M-A WANT YOU (1972). David Gates does a "Taxman," whining about how much Uncle Sam takes. Still relevant today, if that matters. Sort of a gentle hoedown with lotsa finger-pickin'. Bread, huh? At least it's over fast.
* Gordy Lightfoot -- Sit Down Young Stranger, from IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND (1970). Talk about still relevant today.... Supposedly a welcome to American draft-dodgers of the time from Canada's unofficial poet laureate. But there's more going on here....
* Gordy -- Minstrel of the Dawn, from READ MY MIND. Tune starts out like "Pop Goes the Weasel"! Pleasant, forgettable.
* Gordy -- The Patriot's Dream, from DON QUIXOTE (1972). Another long suite piece. heard this once years ago and it's kinda bitter if I remember correctly. Lotsa pickin and grinnin up front. Yes, this gets bitter rather quickly. Wonder if Donald Trump's ever heard it...? The pickin' and grinnin' and the string-y production is an ugly contrast to most of the tough lyrics. ...We won't be playing "Don Quixote" and "Beautiful" because I added them to my playlist years ago....
* Tim Moore -- Second Avenue, from TIM MOORE (1974). Sweet, gloppy love ballad that I was a sucker for in the summer of 1974. It doesn't seem quite so impressive now. Orchestration could be bigger, grander, and should have been. Art Garfunkel later had a slightly bigger hit with this. Moore almost sounds like him. OK, not a lost classic.
* Three Dog Night -- Heavy Church, from NATURALLY (1971). My old buddy Jeff Mann was a sucker for this song, written by Alan O'Day (do you remember "Undercover Angel"? Why would you WANT to?). Killer choruses and some brief spacey guitar and organ. Not a total success, but those choruses are great. Woulda made a wild follow-up to "Joy to the World."
* Carly Simon -- We're So Close, from SPY (1979). Subtle. Maybe TOO subtle. And it takes 5 minutes. Lots of drama. And she does sound lonely....
* Slade -- Mama Weer All Crazee Now, from the SLADEST best-of (1973). Ok, enuf of this mellow stuf. This is freekin awesome, screaming and trebly, loud and silly. The louder you crank it, the better it gets. They shoulda had a dozen hits in Amurrica.
* Slade -- Gudbuy T'Jane, from SLADEST. More! Simple, chanty, upbeat foot-stomper. I could bcome a fan....
* Slade -- Coz I Luv You, from SLADEST. Uh-oh. Starting to sound like Queen. Not that that's a BAD thing.... Where'd that screechy violin come from?
* Slade -- My Town, from SLADEST. My beach, my waves, my chicks, get lost!
* The Captain and Tennille -- Ladybug, from COME IN FROM THE RAIN (1977). OK, I know you're gonna think I'm full of shit, but this is by FAR the best thing these folks ever did. It's glorious, and wherever you are it'll make the sun come out for you, I promise. Try it. And no, I haven't had too much coffee....
* Squeeze -- Hourglass, from BABYLON AND ON (1987). Oh, did you want more of The Captain? I don't think Squeeze nailed their songs very often, but this one really works. It's hypnotic and addictive, and the sax makes a BIG difference.
* Neil Diamond -- Love to Love, from DOUBLE GOLD (1973) and THE BANG YEARS. Gotta play this before The Girlfriend gets home, because she thinks Neil is The Antichrist. This is the typical Moody Neil from the mid-'60s, with added horns. Not bad. Tho not a hit....
* Kenny Rankin -- Silver Morning, from SILVER MORNING (1974). Well, I don't know, I thought that one time I heard this back in '75 that it wasn't too bad. Maybe I was wrong.... Slushy.
* Cream -- Deserted Cities of the Heart, from the HEAVY CREAM best-of. Not sure about Jack Bruce's pompous singing, but there's a great Eric Clapton guitar solo in the middle, and I'm a sucker for the title.
* Cream -- Those Were the Days, from HEAVY CREAM. Peter Brown's lyrics were often a real mouthful, as here. But the singing's better. The rather odd group vocals on the choruses remind me of Gentle Giant....
* Cream -- Doing That Scrapyard Thing, from HEAVY CREAM. OK, we're done here....

Bands I've never heard of -- with no coffee!

OK, back in the day one of the neat things about tracking down Strange Music was finding good stuff by bands I'd never heard of. Basing buying decisions on cool album covers or neat instruments used by the musicians, etc. That was back in the day when I thought I was open-minded.
Now I have a handful of albums here by folks I've either never heard of or just barely heard-of, and we'll see how far I get and how well their music holds up. Maybe there's a REASON they remain obscure. Onward....
* Astralasia -- Afterlife, from THE SPACE BETWEEN (1996). OK, now this is some of that "electronica" rave stuff that the kids like so much. From England, with a spacey album-cover and a vaguely Middle-Eastern look. On Magic Eye Records. No musician's credits. swirling synthesizer, deep-voiced chanting by a male vocalist, FAST beat -- I could see doing the dishes or vacuuming to this. Imagine Gong updated to the new century and you wouldn't be far off. Not bad, but pretty speedy for first thing in the morning.
* Astralasia -- Sully's Trip, from THE SPACE BETWEEN. The drums take over -- very trebly-mixed drum kit with swirly high-pitched synth. How do they keep the beat so fast? Do people actually DANCE to this stuff? Nobody my age. Still reminded of Gong, only WAY faster. Suddenly a bit of fiddle. These folks drank WAY too many energy drinks. Still, not bad. Distant deep bass and airy wordless vocals. Interesting, and very different. But man it moves fast.... OK, Gong meets Can. Nice grooves, man....
* Astralasia -- Apple of Durga's Eyes, from THE SPACE BETWEEN. This slows things down at first, and adds female chanting. Sorta dreamy mood at first, then it picks up. Gets way faster. Nice bass and washy synths. Fast on their feet, these kids. It may not be MY thing, but it's catchy and it'll keep you moving. Whadda ya know, I'm listening to electronica and finding it ... not bad. I would never have listened to this on my own, if it weren't for the service I'm supposed to provide for y'all.... Keep that bubbly synth going and I'll become a fan....
* Astralasia -- Fantasize, from THE SPACE BETWEEN. More bouncy, swirly synth, then a heavy beat comes in, and Gong-style "space whisper" female vocals, turning into a chant. I wonder if these kids have ever heard Gong? Gong with a heavier beat and no sax, and here we are. ...Ok, this is kind of a synthesized space-whisper seduction piece. I think we might be done here.
* Banish Misfortune -- Ms. Mirelda's Beach, from THROUGH THE HOURGLASS (1985). Light progressive-folk, just as I thought from the cover, which looks like a gentle psychedelic leftover from the late-'60s. Light-fingered guitar from Rusty Sabella, Tim Weisberg-like flute from Kirk Johnson. The quartet's from Alaska. On Kicking Mule Records, a folk label from California. Nice, light, pleasant -- maybe I shoulda started out with this. Good early-morning music.
* Banish Misfortune -- Sweet Delights of Music, from THROUGH THE HOURGLASS. String section followed by overdubbed vocals by Lauren Pelon, who sounds like a more restrained Annie Haslam from Renaissance. OK, but the vocals are so tight I can't hear the words -- it just sounds like voices chiming wordlessly, even tho there are lyrics. String section gets an Amazing-Blondel-like medieval sound.
* Banish Misfortune -- Geordie, from THROUGH THE HOURGLASS. Traditional English ballad. Now Pelon sounds more like Sandy Denny from Fairport Convention. Lulling male vocals in background. Nice, tho not stunning. The usual tragic lyrics you'd expect. Next.
* Banish Misfortune -- Angle of Repose, from THROUGH THE HOURGLASS. More light finger-pickin' into very lite flute jazz. Onward.
* Edwards Hand -- US Flag, from STRANDED (1970) -- All I know about keyboard-player Rod Edwards and guitarist Roger Hand is that they back Gordon Giltrap on his rather nice '70s/'80s progressive-guitar albums. this opens with some strident rocking, brief vocal chanting and then an atomic explosion. And then the song starts.... Very gentle weedy vocals, not far from Simon and Garfunkel, CSNY, like that. The lyrics are BADLY dated (anti-establishment, Mr. Man, Uncle Sam, like that), but the duo vocals are delivered with absolutely no venom, very sweet. And they can play. Produced by George Martin! John Wetton on bass! James Litherland from Colosseum on guitar! On RCA Records! This musta been from back in the day when record companies put out anything they thought the kids might buy.... They DO sound like immigrants who don't want to be sent home -- which I guess makes this relevant to today....
* Edwards Hand -- Sheriff Myras Lincoln, from STRANDED. The lyrics get worse. way worse.. Next?
* Edwards Hand -- Revolution's Death Man! from STRANDED. Ugh. heavy guitar. This is wretched. A minute in and I'm done.
* Edwards Hand -- Winter, from STRANDED. Skipping the programmed revolutionary anti-Americanism on the rest of the album. This is brief and pretty. Nice, gentle. And they can play. And sing. Maybe they shoulda tried something more pastoral....
* Medicine Head -- It's Natural, from TWO MAN BAND (1976). Acoustic, folky, nice multi-tracked echoey vocals by John Fiddler. Guess these guys had a couple hits in England. Fiddler seems to do most of the work -- guitar, piano, drums, singing. Peter Hope-Evans seems to provide the stuff that makes them sound Different: echoey harmonica, Jew's harp, "mouth bow," etc. Nice, light, different.
* Medicine Head -- Wishin' and Wishin', from TWO MAN BAND. Very light and laid-back, as we used to say. Pleasant. More nice early-morning music. Maybe TOO laid-back....
* Medicine Head -- Give it Away, from TWO MAN BAND. Ok, this is very 1976 mellow-American -- even tho they're English. Lyrics are a little too predictable and don't add to the music. This could be the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Firefall, somebody like that.
* Trees -- The Garden of Jane Delawney, from the FILL YOUR HEAD WITH ROCK collection. Fragile, delicate English folk from around 1970. I know almost nothing about them -- their two albums are pretty rare now. Bias Boshell, who later played keyboards with Barclay James Harvest and the Moody Blues, was in this band. Celia Humphris' vocals seem very fragile. Nice harpsichord, gentle guitar. The lyrics are gently disturbing.
* Al Stewart -- A Small Fruit Song, from FILL YOUR HEAD WITH ROCK. Heard this before, but it's been a long time. Didn't remember what a pickin' and grinnin' show-off acoustic-guitar piece this was up until the six lines of brief lyrics at the end. A quick 2:20.
* Moondog -- Stomping Ground, from FILL YOUR HEAD WITH ROCK. This long-gray-haired New York eccentric apparently wrote pop songs for orchestras. This opens with a Zen riddle, then it's into the orchestral score. Sounds like a Phil Spector studio session, but without the great vocals.
* Amory Kane -- The Inbetween Man, from FILL YOUR HEAD WITH ROCK. ? Gentle acoustic guitar, portentious lyrics. OK, but... not distinctive.
* Black Widow -- Come to the Sabbat, from FILL YOUR HEAD WITH ROCK. Drum beat, light flute, and a male chorus chanting. Then Ian Anderson comes in from Jethro Tull to work out on the flute. Briefly. then an orchestra. Then the chorus: "Come to the Sabbat -- Satan's there!" Like, he wants to MEET you. This is hilarious. I'm pretty sure The Dark One would disapprove of the light flute and the orchestra. Where's the ominous organ and doomy bass, man? Picks up speed as the chanting continues. Brief orgasmic shouts toward the end. SILLY. Harmless. But on the album it's followed by Argent's wonderful "Dance in the Smoke," so that's OK.
* Byrds -- Gunga Din, from FILL YOUR HEAD WITH ROCK. Wow, this could be anybody. This is from the Byrds' country period, and it's no big deal. Is that Gram Parsons singing? The lyrics are lame. But it's over quick.
* Mike Batt and Friends -- Introduction (Journey of a Fool), from TAROT SUITE (1979). Mike Batt was an English record-producer. I think the kids' group The Wombles was his big success. Here he's doing an Alan Parsons, using the Tarot deck as his concept. Parsons tried the same thing a year later, but his songs were better (TURN OF A FRIENDLY CARD). Lotta friends helping out here -- Mel Collins on sax, Rory Gallagher and Chris Spedding on guitar, the London Symphony Orchestra, etc. OK, but not distinctive. Bit of a disco beat. orchestral mood music.
* Mike Batt -- Imbecile, from TAROT SUITE. Roger Chapman's shaky, gravelly vocals take over. Somehow he sounds better with the LSO behind him. Almost catchy.
* Mike Batt -- Plainsong, from TAROT SUITE. Beach-Boys-like vocal effects from Batt, with orchestra.
* Mike Batt -- Lady of the Dawn, from TAROT SUITE. Batt's dreamy vocals sound like Colin Blunstone, or Barclay James Harvest. Lulling, pleasant, airy, kinda dull. We're done here.
* Badger -- Wheel of Fortune, from ONE LIVE BADGER (1973). Tony Kaye (formerly of Yes) on keybs, Roy Dyke on drums, but guitarist Brian Parrish takes the spotlight. OK jam band, kinda thin on bass. Jon Anderson of Yes co-produced, Martin Rushent (Gentle Giant, Go-Go's) co-engineered. Nice wintry cover art by Roger Dean. Tony Kaye finally gets some room to show off on organ in the middle. But this is a long 7 minutes.
* New York Rock Ensemble -- Fields of Joy, from ROLL OVER (1970). Keybsman Michael Kamen ended up playing with Pink Floyd on THE WALL and after. Starts slow and quiet, little musical additions as it goes. This album got raves from places like ROLLING STONE back in the day -- they said something like "If there's gotta be art rock, let it be like this." Gets fairly ecstatic as it goes -- lotsa opera-like male vocals. A little self-conscious, maybe. Simpler than I expected, but not terrible.
* New York Rock Ensemble -- The King is Dead, from ROLL OVER. Even rockier. More kinda silly falsetto vocals. Maybe that's why I always get these guys confused with Pavlov's Dog. Pushy instrumentation, the keybs are the best thing here. Moves pretty well. Definitely not arty. The guitar gets better. Rocks. Not bad for 50 cents at Half-Price Books....
* Crack the Sky -- Nuclear Apathy, from SAFETY IN NUMBERS (1978). A song from their LIVE SKY album, "Lighten Up McGraw," is a freakin' classic. Which is why we're not going to play the studio version of it here. I think these guys were from Illinois. Some very nice show-offy guitar here. The lyrics are ... a little distant. I like the riffin' guitar phrases, but the tune keeps trying to turn into "Lighten Up McGraw" in my head. Some nice, subtle keyboards. But these guys want lots of drama and keep turning to the show-offy guitar to provide it. This multi-part suite doesn't quite work. the parts don't fit together with enough impact.
* Crack the Sky -- Lighten Up McGraw, from SAFETY IN NUMBERS. OK, I give up. This isn't bad, and I'm happy to finally be able to read the funny lyrics, but the live version beats this to death. it's just way more exciting. this is like a blueprint.

Yet more Strange Music with no coffee!

OK, I feel like crap, my head's clogged up, I can't hear out of my left ear (the treble ear) -- this is liable to make me cranky -- the perfect way to face a pile of new-to-me Strange Music. Let's begin the assault.
* Oregon -- Witchi-Tai-To, from WINTER LIGHT. Opens with a lotta pretty piano and no real melody. Brewer and Shipley do an amazing version of this Jim Pepper jazz classic on their album WEEDS. There it's a hypnotic seven-minute vocal mantra. Here it's... ? Amazingly trebly acoustic guitar. I guess there's a repeating melody, but it's so LIGHT.
* Oregon -- Deer Path, from WINTER LIGHT. This '70s jazz quartet sounds like an entire orchestra. But the melody's thin. This could be anyone. Nature-identified light New Age. Mildly pretty, inoffensive. Over with fast.
* McKendree Spring -- Equinox/Winter, from SPRING SUITE. Know absolutely nothing about these guys. Opening's at least more rockin' than Oregon, with some nice show-offy violin. Arty, pretentious, symbolic seasonal lyrics, complete with more violin and an orchestra. Rather odd, airy group vocals.
* McKendree Spring -- I Was Born, from SPRING SUITE. What's this? Some kinda country hoedown with violin? Almost rocks. Then a slower group-vocal section. CSNY meets an orchestra. Not terrible, but ... Some OK screechy guitar, and that violin does its job. Synthesizer! Sort of a Native-meets-country sound. They're trying to do a lot -- they never stay still. The guitarist and violinist like to show off. Too bad about the lyrics. Barclay James Harvest with more energy. Nice cover art by Roger Dean.
* McKendree Spring -- The Madman, from SPRING SUITE. The guitar, keybs and violin are all OK. The lyrics are a meaningless muddle. Pleasant in places, but ... kinda naive. And the singing is a little too self-conscious. We're done here.
* Blue Oyster Cult -- Golden Age of Leather, from SPECTRES. How'd these guys get in here? The beer-hall vocal opening's hilarious. After that it's more-mainstream guitar-rock, and kinda dull. Intresting how guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser wrote all this band's most haunting songs.... Some nice guitar work, but it doesn't really go anywhere. For six minutes.
* BOC -- Death Valley Nights, from SPECTRES. At least this has a structure, along with some nice choruses and flashy guitar. And then it's over.
* BOC -- Searchin' for Celine, from SPECTRES. Some OK piano, then some nice crazed guitar in the middle. Eric Bloom's shouting vocals get kinda dull after awhile.... Fades out too soon.
* BOC -- I Love the Night, from SPECTRES. This is nice. They're really pretty great when they've got the whole ominous-mood thing going. This is clearly the haunting class-act on this album. Fades out too soon.
* Van der Graaf Generator -- Boat of Millions of Years, from the REFLECTION best-of. From dark to darker. The only Van der Graaf I've heard before is PAWN HEARTS, which was ... pretty spooky in places. This German best-of covers VdGG's early albums, up to H TO HE WHO AM THE ONLY ONE. This is a spooky, ominous Peter Hammill meditation that seems to deal with Fate, the Future of Man, stuff like that. Wonder who played the guitars? My guess would be Bob Fripp from King Crimson -- who these guys don't sound so far from. You can just barely hear Dave Jackson's sax wailing in the background. Fades too soon.
* VdGG -- Whatever Would Robert Have Said?, from REFLECTION. Channeling David Bowie. But this is angrier and more outraged than I've ever heard Bowie be. VdGG's songs are about the awful things men do because they have to -- because they can't stop themselves. And the horror is: It's all their own damn fault. Nice David Jackson sax, then into a Hugh Banton organ-led jam in the middle. The jamming sections are all very good -- their mix of sax, organ and guitar sounds like no one else.
* VdGG -- Lost, from REFLECTION. Starts with swirly upbeat keyboards, quite unexpected, almost funny in this context. Then a long, tortured meditation on Romance by Hammill, interrupted by dramatic, pushy musical sections. Dramatic, theatrical, musically powerful. These guys were really something. No wonder they never made any money.
* VdGG -- Darkness, from REFLECTION. Opens with wind effects, usually not a good sign. Steadily gains in drama from a hushed beginning. David Bowie meets Johnny Rotten: "Don't blame me for the fate that falls -- I truly did not choose it." The mix of organ, sax and crazed vocal is pretty amazing. Screaming sax from David Jackson. Unique drama. Huge impact. Then cuts off dead. See above notes about "Whatever Would Robert Have Said?" Not recommended listening if you're depressed or suicidal.
* Incredible String Band -- First Girl I Loved, from the RELICS best-of. Only thing to do is lighten up. Weedy Bob Dylan-ish vocals, sweet and affectionate lyrics from Robin Williamson to his long-ago first romance: "You turned into a grown-up female stranger." Nice acoustic guitar, though the tune and vocals meander. One more great line: "Making love to people that I didn't even like to see."
* ISB -- The Hedgehog's Song, from RELICS. Mike Heron is stalked by a hedgehog (his conscience) in this sort of answer song to "First Girl I Loved." If Bob Dylan had been English and CONSTANTLY stoned, he might've sounded like this. Charming.
* ISB -- Way Back in the 1960's, from RELICS. Silly lyrics, great sloppy choruses. Recorded in 1967. These three songs are as good as anything on ISB's THE HANGMAN'S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER. Where'd all this charm go?
* The Enid -- Albion Fair, from TOUCH ME. Ok, I've been waiting for this. The Enid was a late-'70s prog band from England. I don't think they had any albums released in the US. Their founder Robert John Godfrey urged Barclay James Harvest to pursue a classical-rock direction and conducted the orchestra that thrashed around on BJH's early albums -- not necessarily a credit that I'd want to claim. this 16-minute piece starts with almost motionless synthesizers that sound like Tangerine Dream tuning-up. If this is a fair, I'm wondering when the fun's supposed to start.... Finally, five minutes in, a squiggly little keyboard riff gets it going. Signs of life. cartoon-like keyboard riffs, tho pleasant. the B-side to Van der Graaf Generator. Added guitar, lotsa showing off on keybs. There's hope for this yet.... A soundtrack in search of a movie (or cartoon) to accompany. It's getting better as it goes. But it's still soundtrack music, complete with an orchestra. Vaguely Christmas-y sounding. Little extra guitar at the end helps brighten it up a bit, but ... Is this rock and roll? Kinda sludgy and washy, tho not terrible. Harmless.
* Enid -- Dambuster's March/Land of Hope and Glory, from TOUCH ME. Classical tune (Elgar) with LOADS of keyboards, and more structure than "Albion Fair." Little bit of showing off on keybs and guitar. Good Ghod, there's a freakin' HUGE chorus! Doing the Recessional from your average high-school graduation! is this supposed to be funny? It is, a little. take a bow, guys, we're done here.
* Ambrosia -- Nice Nice Very Nice, from their first album. Ok, it's pretty Prog to quote Kurt Vonnegut -- and give him a songwriting credit. Lite but playful vocals. Little synth touches here and there. This could never have been a hit -- it's too clever, and they're bouncing around too much. good proggy sound. Not too far away from Yes. More synth toward the end. Mixdown engineer was Alan Parsons. Very nice. And no, we're not going to play "Holding On to Yesterday"....
* Ambrosia -- Time Waits for No One, from AMBROSIA. Again, not far from a lighter, slightly more commercial Yes. The vocals are clearly their strongest suit, but nice guitar and keybs too. Melodic.
* Chris Squire -- Hold Out Your Hand, from FISH OUT OF WATER. Sounds EXACTLY like Yes! Could swear that's Jon Anderson on lead vocal. Has those nice little bass runs Squire contributed to Yes songs. Nice keyboards from Patrick Moraz. Simplified drumming by Bill Bruford. How'd that orchestra get in here? And the cosmic lyrics you'd expect. But nice. Pretty flute- (from Mel Collins) and-vocals interlude toward the end.
* Chris Squire -- You by My Side/Silently Falling, from FISH OUT OF WATER. More excellent show-offy keyboards from Patrick Moraz, and nice flute from Mel Collins highlight this dramatic, very Yes-like medley. Chris could sing just fine all by himself. A quick 16 minutes. And that's the side.

Strange Music on CD with no coffee!

OK, I don't wanna mess with the turntable this morning. It's the end of my work-week and I'm not thinking clearly enuf for that. So we're gonna keep this simple and make it even easier to reject stuff we don't like by going directly to the CD player. Also better sound quality! Onward.
* Argent -- I Am the Dance of Ages, from the HOLD YOUR HEAD UP collection. Still think these guys were underrated -- when they kept things fairly simple. But some of their songs were worthy of Kansas or Klaatu ("Cast Your Spell, Uranus"? Please.) This has some of that pretentious, mystical sound going on here -- also some of the sound of the hit "Hold Your Head Up" in Rod Argent's show-offy organ-playing. But nice ... uh ... incantations. Dramatic. Wind effects. fades before it gets really silly.
* Zombies -- Care of Cell 44, from ODESSEY AND ORACLE. This is light, sunny pop, despite the subject -- which seems to be a letter from a guy to his girlfriend who's in prison! Rather too sunshiny for the lyrics, pure 1967, tho a little twisted. Nice group vocals on the choruses.
* Zombies -- A Rose for Emily, from ODESSEY AND ORACLE. More light, pretty pop. I'm of two minds about the Zombies -- nice inventiveness for their time, tho I've always hated the smarmy lyrical tone of their hit "Time of the Season." "Emily" is subtly disturbing. Wonder if this has any connection to the Nathaniel Hawthorne short story of the same title? Sounds like it does. Kinda dark for "sunshine pop," tho pretty.
* Zombies -- Maybe After He's Gone, from ODESSEY AND ORACLE. More pretty '60s pop-group vocals, OK piano and guitar. The Lettermen meet The Turtles, or The Association. In England. Pretty straight.
* Zombies -- Beechwood Park, from ODESSEY. (Hey, that's how they spelled it.) OK, this is going all dark and murky now, and it's a foggy enuf day here in Mirkwood. So we're done here. Tho still pretty....
* Genesis -- Happy the Man, from the Starbucks collection 14 FROM OUR PAST. An obscure B-side. Not too far from The Who's "Happy Jack," tho Peter Gabriel doesn't sound too happy. As usual. Nice vocal harmonies. Pleasant guitar strumming.
* Genesis -- Watcher of the Skies, from 14 FROM OUR PAST. Am I up to 7 minutes of this? Dramatic keyboard/organ opening that drags on a bit long. Get to the point, boys. Then Peter Gabriel's congested vocals. Don't think I'm awake enuf for this, tho Steve Hackett's brief guitar solo helps. Then some more organ from Tony Banks. Could that simple marching-band 4/4 possibly be supplied by The Phil Collins? Every time Hackett breaks in, things lighten up, tho the rest seems a bit simple. OK, I'm done.
* Alan Parsons Project -- You Don't Believe, from the ULTIMATE best-of. Always liked this, which seems to examine the Alan Parsons/Eric Woolfson songwriting partnership with a very bitter outlook. Builds in drama very nicely. Lenny Zakatek's vocal helps, tho he could be anybody.
* APP -- Days are Numbers (The Traveler), from ULTIMATE. always loved this, but. APP was often musically gorgeous, but the lyrics were sometimes kinda empty. Ear candy. You want lyrics that'll make you howl, check out APP's EVE. But even there, some of the music's amazing. Even if it's a little predictable. Someday I'll do an All-Alan-Parsons review post, got the albums lined up. But not today.
* APP -- Old and Wise, from ULTIMATE. Breathy-voiced former-Zombie Colin Blunstone on lead vocal. This is pretty, but I always expected it to be deeper, lyrically. Nice choruses, tho.
* Camel -- Dust Bowl, Go West, Dusted Out, from DUST AND DREAMS. "Dust Bowl" has more keyboard than I expected. "Go West" has a gorgeous pastoral sound and guitarist Andy Latimer's languid vocals. Why he got attracted to John Steinbeck's GRAPES OF WRATH I don't know, but concept-albums almost always worked for him. I already know "Mother Road" on this album is pretty great. This has that gorgeous, pastoral, laid-back later-Camel sound. Good stuff.
* Camel -- Mother Road, from DUST AND DREAMS. Disco-y beat and Latimer's kinda lazy vocals, but the great group vocals on the dramatic choruses make up for it. And then there's that great soaring-guitar middle section that locks it....
* Camel -- Needles, Rose of Sharon, from DUST AND DREAMS. Not sure why this album has The Sound, while Camel's later RAJAZ just seems kinda flat. This is good enuf to stand along with NUDE and THE SNOW GOOSE -- gorgeous, pastoral mood music. David Paton (of APP) and Mae McKenna team up for a duet on "Rose of Sharon," the lyrics to which are pretty personal and intense. Latimer had a pretty solid handle on this story. More excellent guitar at the end.
* Camel -- Milk n' Honey, End of the Line, from DUST AND DREAMS. More melodic mood music, that opens out and reprises the theme from "Mother Road" with an orchestra. "End of the Line" has more of Latimer's rather nasal vocals -- which here sound a bit like Bruce Springsteen ... which is fitting, considering the story.... Slowly gains in drama. Rest of the album is all-instrumental. I'll save that for another time....
* Phil Manzanera and 801 -- Tomorrow Never Knows, from THE MANZANERA COLLECTION and 801 LIVE. You can sure tell Eno's on this. Little atmospheric messin' around to start, then a steady beat and more spacey sound effects, including a bubbly synth. Eno also sings, which is oddly not that far off from Lennon's original -- yes, THAT "Tomorrow Never Knows." This is pretty involving, especially the bubbly synth. Sorta an update of the original, nice enuf, tho of course not "cosmic." If anything, they cut it off too soon. Good performance.
* Roxy Music -- Out of the Blue (live), from THE MANZANERA COLLECTION. Opens with brief Nazi marching music(?), then moves into Bryan Ferry's crooning. OK oboe and/or sax from Andy Mackay, wish there was more. Nice tho brief show-offy guitar from our host Phil Manzanera at the end.
* 801 -- Fat Lady of Limbourg, from 801 LIVE and THE MANZANERA COLLECTION. More Eno on lead vocals. Very odd. Sounds like something from CABARET. And this is a guitar showcase why? ... OK, a little guitar show-offery in the middle. And how bout those dated keyboard sounds? SO 1977!
* Roxy Music -- Impossible Guitars (live), from THE MANZANERA COLLECTION. OK, THIS is a guitar showcase. And it actually has some drive and excitement. Sorta a rockin' surf sound. best thing here, so far.... Ends too soon.
* 801 -- Diamond Head, from 801 LIVE and THE MANZANERA COLLECTION. Ok, more guitar show-offery, and quite nice. This collection shoulda started with more of this kinda stuff.... Always wondered where the hype about 801 came from (their LISTEN NOW sure won't convince you), now I see that their live album was the one to hear....
* Brian Eno -- Needle in a Camel's Eye, from THE MANZANERA COLLECTION. This has a sorta '50s sound, from Eno's vocals to the guitar-soloing. The pauses in the instrumental chorus are annoying. At least it's short.
* 801 -- Miss Shapiro, from 801 LIVE and THE MANZANERA COLLECTION. OK, I'm about done with Phil and his work for today. This has a Roxy Music-ish sound, even with Eno's arch vocals. Pleasant enuf, but not stunning, and there's not enuf guitar.
* The Move -- Blackberry Way, from SHAZAM! More sunshiney pop, with a little extra heaviness. Very nice, quite 1968-ish. Nice group vocals, shades of the Bee Gees: "So full of emptiness without her...."
* The Move -- Cherry Blossom Clinic Revisited, from SHAZAM! Heavy! Poor English guy gets stuck in an insane asylum 'cos of his thots, ya know. Funny! Hilarious choruses. Roy Wood took too many drugs! This would be Exhibit A for the prosecution. Acoustic guitar breaks into Bach's "Joy" halfway thru! Several times! And there's some Tchaikovsky from the Nutcracker Suite. Pretty funny. beautifully produced.
* The Move -- Fields of People, from SHAZAM! Monty Python meets The Beatles. Beautifully produced, and so 1968! Poppy, psychedelic, ornate, light, fun. If ELO could have been like this, we all woulda had a much better time. ... As if all this isn't enuf, they throw in a long crazed sitar workout at the end -- it comes across as a whole different piece, just something else they had lying around. A lot of talent at work here.... And then they interview a taxi driver in the street for his opinions on pop music....
* The Move -- Hello Susie, from SHAZAM! Well now, this is rather unpleasantly heavy if I might be so bold.... And they led off the album with it?
* Gentle Giant -- Two Weeks in Spain, I'm Turning Around, Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It, Who Do You Think You Are?, from THE MISSING PIECE. "Two Weeks" is awfully jumpy. "Turning Around" is a rather nice lost-love ballad. "Couldn't Do It" is a high-speed comment on Punk Rock -- they couldn't do it. "Who" is more jumpy stuff. Thin. But "I'm Turning Around"'s worth hearing.

All Jethro Tull with no coffee!

I love these guys, so why not? There MUST be some more new-to-me classics in these mostly-unheard eight albums I've got piled up here. Let's see if I can find them.
* Quizz Kid, from TOO OLD TO ROCK AND ROLL TOO YOUNG TO DIE. Starts out sounding just like Cat Stevens, then the heavy Martin Barre guitar starts in before the first chorus. Kinda streamlined compared to Tull's folkier stuff. Later on it gets tricky and intricate. Kind of a cross between AQUALUNG and the folky stuff. Is the comic-book album-cover a satire of THICK AS A BRICK? Ok, the choruses are fairly catchy.
* Crazed Institution, from TOO OLD. More light acoustic guitar and flute. Thought this album was sposta be "heavier"? Pretty nice, and better than "Quizz Kid."
* Salamander, from TOO OLD. Brief, acoustic-guitar-and-flute piece with a few lines of lyrics. Pleasant, but short. So this album's desperate "heavy" rep was just a put-on, right?
* Taxi Grab, from TOO OLD. Maybe it wasn't a put-on. Of course, there's heavy and there's HEAVY. This sounds like the heavier tracks on MINSTREL IN THE GALLERY. Punchy but intricate.
* From a Dead Beat to an Old Greaser, from TOO OLD. This is surprisingly MUCH gentler than I expected from the awful title: "Think you must have me all wrong." And that's the side. So where'd this album's "heaver, rock and roll" rep come from? And do I dare try Side 2?
* Bad Eyed and Loveless, from TOO OLD. Ian do love his ugly song titles, don't he? This is more delicate acoustic and Ian's vocals. The lyrics are kinda crude -- as usual. Ian could get in the gutter as good as any punk-rocker. Some of the lyrics are sort of stolen from "Velvet Green" on SONGS FROM THE WOOD. Plagiarising himself? = Signs of a lack of inspiration. (Later Note: TOO OLD was recorded first.) Still doesn't rock.
* Big Dipper, from TOO OLD. Ok, maybe this does.... More heavy guitar and bass here.
* Too Old to Rock and Roll.... -- OK, I've actually heard this before, recognized that orchestrated opening right off. You can't be a punker with that orchestra following you around. The verses are kinda standard "folky" Tull. And the choruses are really annoying. OK, we're done here.
* Beastie, from THE BROADSWORD AND THE BEAST. OK, this is a lot more upbeat than TOO OLD TO ROCK AND ROLL. Almost sounds ... uh ... "modern." Paul Samwell-Smith, who also produced Cat Stevens and America, produced this? Surprised Ian Anderson kept his autocratic hand out of it. Signs of life from Martin Barre's guitar. Catchy choruses, icy keyboards, overall above-average.
* Clasp, from BROADSWORD. "Modern" and catchy, with what sounds like syndrums. Fast-moving and tricky -- very nice, wonder why I don't remember ever hearing any of this back in the day? It's certainly livelier than A or STORMWATCH (which I liked, actually).
* Fallen on Hard Times, from BROADSWORD. "Clasp"'s tune starts this off, followed by brief flute and acoustic guitar. Not bad. The lyrical concerns from A and STORMWATCH are continued here. Gains momentum with some stinging guitar from Martin Barre. Ian's double-tracked vocal on the choruses also helps the intensity. Did Paul Samwell-Smith's advice help punch-up the impact of these songs?
* Flying Colours, from BROADSWORD. Pulls together the keyboards and guitar and pushes for more impact. These guys are pretty tight. Don't know where keybs-guy Peter-John Vettese came from, but drummer Gerry Conway and bassist Dave Pegg were both with Fairport Convention. This doesn't sound like Fairport -- too modern. A nice mix. Songs could maybe be a little stronger, but the production's solid....
* Slow Marching Band, from BROADSWORD. Wow, this is an impressive, haunting slow ballad with more piano than I'm used to hearing on a Tull album -- builds in intensity, nice choruses, stops at just the right spot. best thing I've heard this morning.
* Broadsword. The keyboards take over. Mystical lyrics, tribal drumming. This is more in the sword-and-sorcery/medieval-fantasy vein that Tull should be great at.
* Pussy Willow, from BROADSWORD. Heard this before on one of the Tull best-of's. Somehow it sounds better this morning. More impact. Not such a shock when the full band kicks in on the choruses.
* Watching Me Watching You, from BROADSWORD. The keyboards take over again. fast-paced but kinda mechanical. OK, that's enough.
* With You There to Help Me, from BENEFIT. Going back to 1970, now. Ian's voice sounds kind of distant and megaphonic. Production's much simpler (no surprise), lots of phasing on the vocals and flute. Easier for Martin Barre's guitar to jump out here. Not that far removed from their blues-band beginnings.
* Nothing to Say, from  BENEFIT. Hmmm, appropriate title.
* Inside, from BENEFIT. Ian in woolgathering mode. Not bad, but not stunning. Not distinctive. Cruder in musical approach, simpler. Jeez, am I wearing out after only three sides? More coffee!
* Son, from BENEFIT. Ok, I've lost track of what's what and what fits into what here....
* For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me, from BENEFIT. Best thing on this side. A lot more range, impressive loud choruses and delicate acoustic-guitar backed verses. can't really tell what Ian's going on about, tho....
* To Cry You a Song, from BENEFIT. This is too long, but Martin Barre's heavy guitar-riffing helps.
* A Time for Everything?, from BENEFIT. OK, but over way too quick. Didn't even have time to focus on what was happening.
-- Don't need to play "Teacher," because it's one of my all-time faves, so....
* Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square, from STAND UP. How bout those pitter-pat drums? Is this where Gentle Giant got their drum sound? Have heard lots of STAND UP before, know it's pretty consistent, but can't remember lotsa trax, like this one. Touch here is lighter than on BENEFIT, which is kinda odd since this album came first. This is basically light and acoustic, and over too quick.
* Bouree, from STAND UP. This mostly-solo-flute piece is pleasant enough, and the opening theme (borrowed from Bach? and then turned into sorta-lite-jazz) is memorable, but I've never understood why this seemed like a Big Deal. Maybe it was back in the day...? OK, nevertheless.... Could almost be a TV news-show theme, now....
* Back to the Family, from STAND UP. I've always liked this. The lyrics are freakin' hilarious. Could be a theme-song for all the "kids" who've had to move back in with their parents over the last decade. Nice flute, good guitar, and Ian's vocals are appropriately sleazy and funny. Rockin'.
* Look Into the Sun, We Used to Know, from STAND UP. Ian's voice is rather distant on "We Used to Know," but the flute solo helps make up for it. Then a shrill wah-wah solo from Martin Barre. And yet, overall the songs here are stronger than those on BENEFIT -- this just in.
-- No need to play "Nothing is Easy" or "Fat Man," those have both been on my Tull playlist for quite awhile....
* Reasons for Waiting, from BENEFIT. Very nice flute-with-orchestra piece, very soothing. Not rock and roll, but who cares?
* For a Thousand Mothers, from BENEFIT. Ok album-ender, nothing stunning. Still, lots of talent on display here. these guys could go far.
* A PASSION PLAY, Side One -- OK, bite the bullet. I haven't heard this in years, and it was a real chore the last time I tried.... Opens with lots of synthesizer- and guitar-atmosphere noise. But compared to some of their stuff I've played this morning, this bounces along nicely and has definite signs of life. the production's lighter here than on their earlier stuff. ... This is rather ornately detailed, with lots of synth and keyboard touches, and way-delicate acoustic guitar. Way closer to classical music than rock and roll. There are some actual TUNES here, though the playing keeps getting in the way of them. Then a snatch of Olde Englishe opera -- how did Queen get in here? And some twiddly-bits guitar and a little heavy riffing. This is how Ian strings together 10 different songs/riffs into one rock-opera/concept-album. If it weren't for John Evan's keyboards, this would be a lot more tedious.... His little keyb riff at the end of the side sounds a lot like Mike Oldfield's guitar on OMMADAWN. ...And we are NOT going to listen to "The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles." It's just silly. Overall: Not distinctive. Have no idea what ian's going on about here.
And that's enough for today. There's a football game on....

More new music with no coffee!

OK, so I see that the wall Trump wants to build between us and Mexico could cost U.S. taxpayers $15 billion! You KNOW Mexico isn't going to pay for it. So if this proceeds, we'll have something ELSE in common with the Russians. Remember the Berlin Wall? There's ANOTHER country that spent billions on Protecting The Homeland and building weapons, and comparatively nothing on its people and upgrading its infrastructure.
But who cares about all that political stuff, right? On with the music!
* Gordon Giltrap: Quest, from PERILOUS JOURNEY. Pleasant, lite, bouncy guitar-based progressive-rock instrumentals. Even more than Giltrap's guitars, the star here seems to be Rod Edwards' keyboards. John G. Perry, formerly of Caravan, on bass. All-star Simon Phillips on drums. Pretty and lively. Not real distinctive. Gets mellower and more ... lyrical(?) at the end. Only Giltrap album I've heard much of is THE PEACOCK'S PARTY, which is pretty great -- but I found JOURNEY and VISIONARY dirt-cheap at Half-Price Books in Tacoma, so what the hey....
* Gordon Giltrap: The Deserter, from JOURNEY. This focuses more on Giltrap's guitar, and has a stronger tune. It's also orchestrated. Nice.
* Gordon Giltrap: "Pastoral" and "Marbio Gorge" from JOURNEY. Well, these start off pastoral. Then the instruments kick in, and "Marbio Gorge" almost rocks. Classy soundtrack music. or, as they say in England, "One for the late-night wine-and-cheese-and-good-friends crowd." Nice, though. Different. No wonder he never made it in America.
* Colosseum: Walking in the Park, from THOSE WHO ARE ABOUT TO DIE SALUTE YOU. Late-'60s/early-'70s jazz-rock keyboards-and-horns jam-band from England. Swinging big-band sound not too far from WATERLOO LILY-era Caravan. production's a bit primitive. They've got the energy, though. Series of brief solos from the two keyboardists, sax, and guitar. Dick Heckstall-Smith's sax stands out most. Least attractive is whoever's doing the singing.
* Colosseum: Valentyne Suite, from THOSE WHO ARE ABOUT TO.... Ok, we'll see how far I can get into this 15-minute three-part thing. Opening has nice mystical keyboards and lots of energy. This ain't no laid-back New Age stuff. More good sax from Dick Heckstall-Smith. Riffy, with lots of activity -- drums, vibes, that sax, guitar and those double keyboards, all busy doing something. Jon Hiseman's a good drummer, too. They sound way better when no one's singing. Kinda dated organ sound, but I don't care. The organ really takes off in the second part, then the heavy riffing starts. I'm reminded a bit of Caravan's "For Richard." Then Keith Emerson comes in and shows off! Shocking! These guys rock! ... Then a sorta chorale section for contrast, then more riffing. If there's gotta be jazz-rock, it should all sound like this. Then there's a mellower closing section that sounds vaguely like "A Whiter Shade of Pale".... Then a noisy ending with LOTS of sax. Not bad, could grow on me. Probably will, thanks to the heavy riffing.
-- Maggie Roche of The Roches died over the weekend. She was 65. I bought the first Roches album back in '79 -- was convinced as soon as I heard Bob Fripp's guitar in the middle of the gorgeous "Hammond Song," which Maggie wrote. Fripp's guitar was what sold me, but it's the luminous vocal harmonies that mean the most to me now. Maggie also wrote a couple other highlights on that album -- "Quitting Time" and "The Married Men." Linda Ronstadt and Pheobe Snow teamed up to sing "Married Men" on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE around the same time. Only other Roches album I heard much of was NURDS, which was pretty loopy. No suprise they never got really famous. But "Hammond Song" is amazing -- you should try to track it down.
* Manfred Mann's Earth Band: Get Your Rocks Off, from GET YOUR ROCKS OFF. Bob Dylan wrote this heavy riffer with the crude lyrics? Shocking. Sure it helped him win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Nice guitar from Mick Rogers.
* Manfred Mann's Earth Band: Buddah, from ROCKS. Dreamy verses, heavy choruses, then it gets spacey in the midsection and manfred shows off a little. What did I expect? Nice keyboard sounds. Gains momentum in the middle as it goes. OK, but somehow I expected more.
* Manfred Mann's Earth Band: Pretty Good, from ROCKS. This is a John Prine song. Nice guitar work, and a catchy chorus. Manfred messes around just a little in the middle, but overall pretty straight-forward for these guys. And the chorus'll grow on ya.
* Manfred Mann's Earth Band: Messin', from ROCKS. They sure were heavier when Mick Rogers was around. This has an ecology theme, sort of a mantra for choruses. Ten minutes of this? Time for lunch! ... The midsection starts spacey, then leads into a long Mick Rogers guitar freakout, which is worth hearing. Doubt if anybody got the ecology message -- they were probly too busy gettin' off on the heavy sounds, man.
* Argent: Lothlorien, from RING OF HANDS. Though not as great as their mantra-like "Dance in the Smoke," this has lots of excellent show-offy keyboard, and the vocals are nice. Melodic, too. I still think these guys are underrated.
* Argent: Cast Your Spell Uranus, from RING OF HANDS. Uh, er, um, hang on. I might've spoken too soon. This is just silly. Both the song and the lyrics are worthy of Klaatu. More nice keybs from Rod Argent, though.
* Argent: Celebration. More nice keyboards from Rod Argent, and a catchy chorus.
* Intergalactic Touring Band: Love Station, from their only album. Gimmicky sci-fi disco, with Ben E. King on vocals as intergalactic DJ Romeo Jones. Some nice playing, but the album package and concept is more entertaining than the music.
* Intergalactic Touring Band: A Planet Called Monday. OK, a low-rent Alan Parsons Project. Not terrible, but pretty light.
* Intergalactic Touring Band: Approach. Synergy's Larry Fast on keyboards and mellotron, backed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Cosmic enough, I guess. A real oddity. Recommended to 55-year-old STAR WARS fans.
* John Tropea: The Funk You See is the Funk You Do!, from SHORT TRIP TO SPACE. More sci-fi disco, tho way funkier. Tropea's a jazz guitarist, played on Deodato's hit "2001," among many other sessions. Starts out sounding a little like Earth, Wind and Fire, then gets lighter. Nice guitar solo. Too bad about the singing. "Can't Hide Love," which follows, was an EWF track first, and sounds just like them, I recognized it right off ... so what's the point?
* John Tropea: Short Trip to Space. This is more like it. Spacey, but bouncy, so it moves and doesn't get boring. Nice keyboards by Don Grolnick, good trumpet solo from Mike Brecker, and Tropea ain't slouchin' around either. OK background music. Yes, I admit I bought this album because of the outer-space cover....

The return of Really Bad Prog

...with no coffee!
- Gentle Giant: "Words From the Wise" from GIANT FOR A DAY. Wow, really bouncy upbeat Gregorian-chant-style vocal rocker like they often did, but lots more energetic. I don't remember this being so shiny and energetic back in the day. or is it the lack of coffee? This is a little too upbeat for waking-up music, but it will bring some life into the room. When this came out back in '78, me and my old buddy Don Vincent thought it was the worst Prog album ever. Little did we know there would be much worse in the future.
- Gentle Giant: "Thank You" from ...FOR A DAY. Now this is clearly an effort to go "more commercial." This is just a straight love ballad that could have fit right in on late-'70s radio. Pretty simple. No tricks. OK for what it is, but kinda dull. Lotsa mellow acoustic-guitar strumming and good(?) vibes.
- Gentle Giant: "Giant for a Day." Annoying, New-Wave-style solo-vocal opening, followed by trebly guitar and electronics. They were listening to too many skinny-tie British bands. Or maybe too much Devo. But some playful bits in the midsection. Signs of too much coffee consumption. Mechanical.
- Gentle Giant: "Spooky Boogie" from DAY. Mildly tricky instrumental, sounds like Halloween soundtrack music. Split Enz did stuff like this later. OK, but way down from what these guys could do at their best. Why does trying to reach a bigger audience automatically mean you have to dumb things down and simplify everything? At least it's short.
- Gentle Giant: "Take Me" from DAY. Another mellow love song, with possibly the best construction and catchiest choruses on the whole side. Not Prog, but pleasant enough. Over quickly. A pretty fast side.
- Barclay James Harvest: "Song for the Children" from TIME HONOURED GHOSTS. Nice sparkly guitar and OK group vocals, but kinda anonymous. Where's the mellotron?
- Barclay James Harvest: "Moongirl" from GHOSTS. This sounds more like BJH, there's more keyboards and it has a dreamy, drifty sound. Still pretty anonymous. Could be anyone. Prog background music.
- BJH: "Titles" from GHOSTS. Now this is something different -- a sludgy ballad with a bunch of Beatles song-titles strung together for lyrics! Brilliant! But not very inspired. Musically limp.
- Jethro Tull: "Crossfire" from A. Didn't Tull take kind of a beating for dropping their folky approach and trying to streamline with the New-Wave times? This isn't too far off from their previous stuff, with Eddie Jobson's keyboard twinklings here and there and Ian Anderson's usual flute accents. It's maybe a little quicker, wastes no time.
- Jethro Tull: "Flyingdale Flyer" from A. OK, maybe they got whacked for the over-reliance on keyboards and electronics. This still sounds pretty straightforward and streamlined. It's maybe missing the tricky little intricacies of earlier Tull. But not bad.
- Jethro Tull: "Working John, Working Joe" from A. This seems to be a critique of business conditions in England at the time. Hmmm. Thank Ghod for the riffing guitar and mildly catchy choruses.
- Jethro Tull: "Black Sunday" from A. Opens with icy synthesizer straight out of Tull's STORMWATCH album, provided by Eddie Jobson. Then straight into a jumpy jig. Then fast, wordy verses. Pretty proggy. Nice keybs-and-guitar midsection. Ian joins in on flute later. This song also seems to be about too much work and too much travel. Too much stress from modern life. Been too long on the road.... Overall, a pretty fast and mildly enjoyable side, if a bit jumpy in places....
- Yes: "Release, Release" from TORMATO. Good Lord, haven't heard this in years. Opens with some rather nice, jagged Steve Howe guitar. Then more simplistic rocking -- though at high speed. Jon Anderson slams in a bunch of wordy lyrics. Another band listening to too much New Wave. Too fast. LOTS going on here. Then a drum solo, with crowd noises. Faster! Too much coffee! Where'd that cheezy organ sound come from? Yeezus, what a whirlwind. These boys need to calm DOWN.
- Yes: "Madrigal" from TORMATO. Well, at least this is CALMER. This is almost TOO sweet. Rick Wakeman could almost be playing that harpsichord in your drawing room. Very delicate acoustic guitar from Steve Howe. The lyrics don't match the setting: "Celestial travelers have always been here with us...."
- Yes: "Onward" from TORMATO. Comparatively simple, tranquil mood music. In this setting, a pretty, direct love song. Pleasant, but not stunning.
- Yes: "On the Silent Wings of Freedom" from TORMATO. This is more like it. Nice long opening with spacey guitar, keyboards and bass. Inventive guitar in the verses. It's actually too bad Jon Anderson has to sing, 'cos there's some interesting playing going on. It gets much more rushed later, back into that too-much-coffee feeling, just before closing abruptly. Makes for a quick almost-8-minutes. Couple more pieces like this, and this album wouldn't have been a waste.
- Klaatu: "The Loneliest of Creatures" from HOPE. Who ARE these gremlins? Not sure why John, Paul, George and Ringo allowed their voices to be all squinched-up like this, but this sounds a lot more like Queen. A LOT. Mildly funny. Kind of operatic and overbearing. And then it gets worse.
- Klaatu: "Prelude" from HOPE. Now this really DOES sound like Queen. A kind of overbearing symphony with added electric guitar and keyboards. Seems a good time to get another cup of coffee.
- Klaatu: "So Said the Lighthouse Keeper" from HOPE. Wow, it's Coheed and Cambria! Enough.
- Klaatu" We're Off You Know" from HOPE. Still sounds like The Beatles Meet Queen. With a weaker singer. Pretty clear, solid production for the time. You can hear the orchestra and horns clear as a bell. But cleverness isn't enough.
- Triumvirat: "The Capital of Power" from SPARTACUS. Very ELP-ish, though simpler and not as ... uh ... bombastic(?). Pleasant, almost catchy.
- Triumvirat: "The School of Instant Pain" from SPARTACUS. OK, ELP-lite. They could almost pass for the original if Greg Lake were singing. But bassist Helmut Kollen doesn't have Lake's declaiming vocal style quite down. Keyboardist Jurgen Fritz does have a lot of Keith Emerson's mannerisms, though. His keyboards are the best part of this show. Uh oh, then comes The Dreaded Drum Solo.... OK lite cheezy fun.
- Steve Hillage: "Lunar Musick Suite" from L. Who is this long-haired hippy? This is not at ALL the spacey cosmick guitar stuff I expected. Ferociously fast and loud. John Wilcox of Utopia hammering away on the drums. Then it slows down.... OK, even I have limits.
- Steve Hillage: "Hurdy Gurdy Glissando" from L. THIS is the spacey stuff I expected. Nice squiggly keyboards. Weedy vocals. Wilcox again impressive on drums. And if you think I'm gonna play Hillage's version of Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man," you're wrong. I can barely stand the original. ...This almost sounds like Gong. Is Daevid Allen on here somewhere?
- Starcastle: "Fountains" from FOUNTAINS OF LIGHT. Now we have Yes-lite. Nice airy keyboards. Light vocals. Ten minutes of this? They need to punch it up. This sounds rather ornately pretty, and the words mean Nothing. The billowy nature-centered lyrics could almost be a takeoff from Yes's "Roundabout." Still waiting for them to punch it up....

More Strange Music with no coffee!

OK, you know the scam by now. Let's roll.
* King Crimson: "Cirkus" from LIZARD. Starting slowly and delicately this morning because that's how I'm feeling. Then an overbearing blast from Slash Fripp's guitar! So much for waking up with light mood music. This isn't bad -- some nice sax from Mel Collins and the usual fake-Moody-Blues mellotron. This wouldn't be out of place on KC's first album, especially Fripp's ominous guitar. And intresting how singer Gordon Haskell doesn't sound that different from original singer Greg Lake. The least attractive part of this is Fripp's intrusive, brooding guitar -- which makes it sound like Crimson, of course. Collins's sax is pretty great -- he always is.
* King Crimson: "Indoor Games" from LIZARD. This is fairly twisted lyrically, with some more nice gruff sax from Mel Collins, and Fripp on some nice acoustic guitar -- who knew he had that up his sleeve? And it still sounds like early Crimson, no matter who's in the band. Nice intertwining saxes later.
* Spirit: "Silky Sam" from THE FAMILY THAT PLAYS TOGETHER. Nice moody verses with Jay Ferguson's usual character-sketch lyrics. Comedy-sketch mid-section with the band playing poker. Airy wordless vocalizing on the "choruses." OK, different.
* Spirit: "Drunkard" from THE FAMILY. Interesting vocals-and-strings production, maybe a takeoff on "Eleanor Rigby"? Jazzy, ahead-of-its-time production from Lou Adler. Downbeat lyrics, trippy.
* Spirit: "Darlin' If" from FAMILY. Downbeat love ballad by Ferguson and guitarist Randy California, starts quietly and builds in instrumentation and power as it goes. These guys were definitely up to something different.
* Spirit: "Jewish" from FAMILY. Sung in Yiddish, it seems. Was California Jewish? I have no idea what this is about. Nice spacey guitar.
* Spirit: "It's All the Same" from FAMILY. OK piano-guitar-vocals mood-music. With a drum solo. It's a cloudy, rainy day here after a week-plus of freezing weather. 40 degrees and rain seems like a relief. In the past couple days I've been trying to read Professor Bill Martin's LISTENING TO THE FUTURE, another sorta history of progressive rock by the guy who took Yes WAY too seriously in his book THE MUSIC OF YES that I couldn't finish and didn't quite review awhile back. LISTENING is 300 pages long, but Martin's 70 pages in before he says he wants to start writing about prog -- up 'til then he's too busy organizing and sorting and setting his boundaries. And looking over his shoulder. Then he takes on rock critics. He's halfway through the book before he starts on a chronological look at prog from 1968 to 1978. Even then, he doesn't look very deeply. He keeps spelling Procol Harum wrong. He doesn't go too deep into COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING -- he doesn't even mention that two tracks sound like a heavier Moody Blues. And his look at Caravan's 23-minute epic "Nine Feet Underground" convinces me that he wasn't listening too closely. I think Martin was impressed by prog and wanted to write something about it, but couldn't leave his scholarly outlook behind. And my mind is wandering....
* Spirit: "A Dream Within a Dream" from FAMILY. Spacey lyrics with good group vocals, loud guitar and some impact. Sounds kind of like a heavier Turtles.
* Spirit: "She Smiles" from FAMILY. Nice group vocals. Another Ferguson character sketch. A lot of this stuff is more like song fragments.
* Spirit: "Aren't You Glad?" from FAMILY. Already knew this one, from their BEST OF. Nice, extended, leisurely, sort of an exhausted kiss-off to the Summer of Love. Nice group vocals and good screechy guitar from California.
* Be-Bop Deluxe: "Stage Whispers" from FUTURAMA. Ferocious, blistering attack of overdubbed guitars! Galloping tempos! Lightning-fast changes and shifts! The whole band's on uppers! There's too much going on here! Where's the coffee??? Then it slows down into a mere flamenco....
* Be-Bop Deluxe: "Maid in Heaven" from FUTURAMA. This is more like it. Dazzling guitar runs with actual verses and just enough happening that you can actually keep up with it. Could have been a hit. And it's over way too fast.
* Be-Bop Deluxe: "Sister Seagull" from FUTURAMA. Remember this from the opening guitar riff. Nice, but is Bill Nelson singing through a megaphone, or what? Could have gone on longer....
* Be-Bop Deluxe: "Sound Track" from FUTURAMA. I actually enjoy these guys, when I can get past Nelson's voice.... And he sure is some flash on guitar.... This is OK, there's a lot of noise and drama, but it doesn't go much of anywhere....
* Be-Bop Deluxe: "Swan Song" from FUTURAMA. Nice fanfare, and a lot going on here, what with the mellotron and the phased, jet-plane-inspired guitar flights. Pretty melodramatic, all the way to the cut-off ending. But not one of their best moments.
* Be-Bop Deluxe: "Modern Music" suite from MODERN MUSIC. Very conceptual. Bill tunes-in his radio to get to his melodic guitar music. Some of what's on his radio are other Be-Bop tunes, like "Sister Seagull." This plays up his more lyrical side -- Ghod knows he needed to calm down a little. Some nice flashy guitar work in the section called "Dance of the Uncle Sam Humanoids" -- a title Donald Trump might get a laugh out of -- but the rest is pretty quick and weightless. Though occasionally charming. Maybe too many little pieces.
* Nektar: "Marvellous Moses" from RECYCLED. This is certainly lighter than I expected -- especially since the track that follows is the cosmically heavy "It's All Over," the best thing these guys ever did -- though it picks up weight and speed later on.
* Nektar: "It's All Over" from RECYCLED. Yes! They should always have sounded this good, especially on the second keyboard solo. Turn it up LOUD!
* Led Zeppelin: "Hey Hey What Can I Do?" from THE NEW AGE OF ATLANTIC. Seattle's classic-rock station KZOK has been playing this a lot lately. To me it sounds like a sort-of dry-run for "Stairway," and I love the choruses. I guess this was a rare B-side...? Zep coulda gone mostly-acoustic and pulled it off just fine.... The older I get, the better they sound.
* Journey: "Spaceman/People/Anyway/You're On Your Own" from NEXT, LOOK INTO THE FUTURE and IN THE BEGINNING. This was the early, pre-Steve-Perry jazz-rock version of Journey, with Gregg Rolie's laid-back vocals and Neal Schon's sometimes languid, sometimes crazed guitar. I think these four songs make a good listenable side, though I barely remember "Anyway," the closest thing here to a standard pop song. "Spaceman" is mildly spacey, with amusing lyrics and great jagged guitar after the choruses. "People" is smooth and moody. "You're On Your Own" has an almost-annoying, whiny Rolie vocal but still closes the side with some energy. Odd how they couldn't make any money from this stuff. It seemed like the right time....
* Herbie Hancock: HEAD HUNTERS. This is probably too funky for a dumb white kid from Idaho, but I like the airyness of it and Hancock's squiggly keyboards. And Bennie Maupin is impressive on flutes and saxes. Not too far from later Miles Davis, though it probably won't replace my copy of IN A SILENT WAY....