How much do you want to know?

Maybe I've read too much about music. Good thing I found this book on the "Clearance" shelf.
Tim Morse's CLASSIC ROCK STORIES (1998) had the potential to be good -- telling the real stories that inspired the classic rock songs we all know. But the book's thin, only 200 pages (some of which are less than half-full), and it turns out some of the songs came from ... nothing much.
And though Morse includes a list of sources for his information, I'm more surprised by some of his quotes that aren't credited. Pete Townshend's comments on "Substitute" are straight out of a hilarious review Townshend wrote for The Who's MEATY BEATY BIG AND BOUNCY best-of that ROLLING STONE published back in 1971. Stevie Nicks's comments on "Go Your Own Way" sound like they came from an excellent Daisann McLane profile on Fleetwood Mac, "Five Not So Easy Pieces," that RS printed in late 1979.
Other good quotes are credited -- Neil Young's comments on "Ohio" and "Heart of Gold" both come from Young's liner notes for his DECADE best-of. Mick Fleetwood's comments on Fleetwood Mac's "Gold Dust Woman" and "Sara" come from FLEETWOOD -- one of the best rock-star autobiographies.
There are some good quotes that I've never seen anywhere else. Paul McCartney speaks for a lot of songwriters when he says "I use these things (inspirations) like a painter uses colors." You'll be surprised that Cream's "Badge" could have come out of the silliness George Harrison describes here.
Steve Miller's quote about how his early singles did on the charts made me laugh. Linda Ronstadt has a good story about "Heat Wave." Lynyrd Skynyrd's Ed King has a neat story about how the band recorded "Simple Man."
There are quotes from Led Zeppelin that are informative about how their music was put together, even if the quotes aren't revealing about where the songs came from. Same could be said for the Pink Floyd quotes.
In fact, that's the whole problem. This book barely scratches the surface about where these songs came from. There's a whole lot more that could have been done here.
In a section called "Really Deep Thoughts," you'll find out many of these songs didn't come from much deep thinking. I'd rather have the mystery. I'm not sure I want to know that "Running on Empty" came from Jackson Browne driving around with no gas in his car while he was recording THE PRETENDER.
At some point, no matter what the song meant to the songwriter, a piece of music becomes a screen onto which listeners can project their own stories, images, fantasies, wishes, dreams. And that becomes the meaning. Compared to that emotional meaning for the listener, the "real" story can hardly measure up.
But I wish Morse had been able to assemble some better, more involving Real Stories.
Also: There are silly little errors a good proofreader should have fixed:
* CSNY's "Our House" was really written by Joni Mitchell? Really? On the CD reissue of CSNY's SO FAR best-of, the credit's still going to Graham Nash. And frankly, the song isn't good enough or clever enough for Joni to have written it. Sorry, Graham. Though I'm sure it was about their domestic lives together....
* Eric Clapton's "I Shot the Sheriff" was on 461 OCEAN BOULEVARD, not THERE'S ONE IN EVERY CROWD.
* Neither Steppenwolf's first nor second albums were released in 1973. They were up to at least seven by then.
* The Doobie Brothers' producer's name was Ted Templeman, not Templeton. But the story about how the Doobies' "Black Water" first came out as a B-side is a good one. Though brief.
* Paul Kantner's name is spelled wrong. Twice.
This book's good for about an hour of browsing if you're into classic rock. Did I learn anything new? No, not much. But I wish it had been different....

Two dozen bad Strange Music albums

From the reblime to the subdiculous. Here's a list of 26 bad Strange Music albums that I somehow managed to listen to all the way through. In descending order of awfulness. Cringe in horror with me, and watch out for these.
* Gentle Giant --THREE FRIENDS (1972). Not truly awful, but very disappointing. "Schooldays" is haunting, "Peel the Paint" does just that, "Mister Class and Quality" is OK. But the album is short a couple songs. There should be more here. Side 2 is barely 14 minutes long.
* Emerson, Lake and Palmer -- WORKS VOLUME I (1977). Four long sides, three great songs! Defines "waste." Picks: The great "Fanfare for the Common Man," "C'est La Vie," "Piano Concerto, Third Movement." But the rest is real crap.... ELP's LOVE BEACH is worse than this? Not sure I'd survive it....
* Steely Dan -- GAUCHO (1980). The gorgeous title song and "Third World Man" make the cut. The rest is boring and lazy, barely able to rise above its drug-induced lethargy. Their worst, by far.
* Caravan -- CUNNING STUNTS (1975). "Dabsong Conshirtoe" has a sweet opening and almost everything else a fan would want -- except a decent ending. "Show of Our Lives" is sludgy. And it's the second-best thing here. Not enough of Pye Hastings' funny songwriting to save this. Their only appearance on the U.S. charts. BETTER BY FAR and THE ALBUM are even worse, but I couldn't get all the way through them....
* Gentle Giant -- GIANT FOR A DAY (1978). Once I thought this was the worst "prog" album ever. Boy was I wrong. First side has some nice, gentle love songs. But it's miles less adventurous than their best work.
* Rare Bird -- EPIC FOREST (1972). "Birdman" and the title song are prog classics. The rest is absolutely flat, with no inspiration or life. Available now for 99 cents at a Goodwill near you....
* Renaissance -- PROLOGUE (1972). "Rajah Khan" is a swirling psychedelic classic, so brave and noisy that it almost makes up for the rest -- which is VERY polite middle-of-the-road pop.
* U.K. -- DANGER MONEY (1979). "Rendezvous 6:02" is a pretty mood piece. "Nothing to Lose" sounds like a warm-up for Asia, where bassist/singer John Wetton would go next. The rest is heavy-handed prog doominess. No fun.
* Renaissance -- ASHES ARE BURNING (1973). "At the Harbour" is a stark death-at-sea piece, unlike anything else they ever did. "Can You Understand?" and "Ashes are Burning" both sound WAY better on their LIVE AT CARNEGIE HALL. The rest are polite-pop leftovers.
* Yes -- TORMATO (1978). Yes on speed. "Release, Release" is almost good. "Madrigal," "Onward" and "On the Silent Wings of Freedom" are almost not-bad. But they're so BUSY! Too many notes, Mozart....
* Wigwam -- LUCKY GOLDEN STRIPES (1976). Following up the classic NUCLEAR NIGHTCLUB with edited studio jams and half-baked songwriting. "Tramdriver," "Wardance," "International Disaster" and "Never Give You Up" aren't terrible. The rest is pretty lame.
* Hatfield and the North -- (1st) (1973). Richard Sinclair's vocals are always good to hear, and his occasional lyrics are whimsical and fun. But the fragmentary songwriting doesn't build, nothing leads anywhere, nothing's delivered with any force. Lightly pleasant, but airy, meandering.
* Genesis -- DUKE (1980). "Turn it On Again" is as "good" as this gets. The rest is muddy, sludgy, endless. And also their U.S. pop-chart breakthrough....
* Strawbs -- GRAVE NEW WORLD (1972). "New World" is shockingly bitter. "Oh Me, Oh My" is a brief, funny piece about pop culture and fashion. The rest is overdone, humorless, overbearing. Come back, Rick Wakeman....
* Barclay James Harvest -- THE HARVEST YEARS 2-CD best-of. "Taking Some Time On" is an excellent basic rocker, "Ursula (The Swansea Song)" is a sweet, catchy love song. "Poor Wages" and "Brother Thrush" are charming, innocent early stuff. "Mocking Bird" is a pretty song swamped by an orchestra. The rest is aimless and overwrought. And there's a LOT of it. And if you want to know how bad the Alan Parsons Project COULD have been, check out the hideous, endless "Dark Now My Sky" and "She Said." What were they thinking? The worst best-of ever.
* Pink Floyd --  A SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS (1968). Lotta noise here. But except for departed leader Syd Barrett's chilling closer "Jugband Blues," nothing will hold your attention. Or stick in your memory.
* King Crimson -- ISLANDS (1972). "Sailor's Tale" has an interesting, banjo-like guitar sound. But the rest is too mellow, too quiet, too stuck-up arty. "Ladies of the Road" breaks out -- but it's pretty embarrassing. Album closes with an orchestra tuning-up. Their worst.
* U.K. -- NIGHT AFTER NIGHT/LIVE (1980). Former prog supergroup profit-takes by dumbing-down formerly good songs in front of an oblivious audience. Sad.
* Beach Boys -- FRIENDS (1968). Only the wordless "Passing By" makes it. The rest has a TM/India undercurrent ("Anna Lee the Healer," "Meant for You"). Couple Dennis Wilson fragments are passable. Brian Wilson's solo spot is disgraceful. "Diamond Head" and "Transcendental Meditation" are worse. Lazy.
* Barclay James Harvest -- XII (1978). Absolutely flat pop songs, no inspiration or magic anywhere. Beautiful album cover.
* Barclay James Harvest -- OCTOBERON (1976). ROLLING STONE once called them "morose progressive rock," and they were right. Want to see how much you can take? Try "Suicide." And don't blame me afterward....
* Gong -- EXPRESSO II (1978). Steve Winwood and Allen Holdsworth try to liven up this jazz-rock background music with no foreground. Titles include "Sleepy" and "Boring."
* Gong -- GAZEUSE!/EXPRESSO (1977). As I was saying.... Zzzzz.
* Pat Metheny -- ZERO TOLERANCE FOR SILENCE. The melodic-jazz-guitar master cranks it up to 11. No melodies, no tunes, just wailing feedback. Around the fourth track he adds acoustic guitar for contrast. Why'd he bother?
* Cromagnon -- CAVE ROCK (1969). Music for the Zombie Apocalypse. Alien folk ditties, some guy SCREAMING in a bonfire or rockslide for five minutes, a tribe of cave men chanting around a fire, dinosaurs stomping across the land as volcanoes erupt in the background. Not music -- an "Environments" record. "Thanks" to Crabby for inflicting this on me.
* Borbetomagus -- (1st) (1980). New York punk-jazz. Screaming noise, though the two saxophonists can REALLY blow. They HAVE to, to be heard over the rest. Cars rev up and drive through the studio, guitars get sawed in half, chipmunks get chopped up in blenders -- no melody or structure to any of it. Good luck.

TAD's Top 100+ Strange Music albums

OK, here's 105 or so above-average "Strange Music" albums I've been able to get all the way through over the years, in more-or-less descending order of quality. And ranking them wasn't easy. With commentary....
* Beach Boys -- SMILE (1967). Way ahead of its time. "Surf's Up," "Cabinessence," "Heroes and Villains."
* Gryphon -- RED QUEEN TO GRYPHON THREE (1974). Best all-instrumental prog album ever. "Lament."
* Gryphon -- TREASON (1977). A kinder, gentler Jethro Tull album. "Spring Song" should have been an art-rock landmark.
* Caravan -- FOR GIRLS WHO GROW PLUMP IN THE NIGHT (1973). Gorgeous swinging big sound, silly lyrics. "Memory Lain," "The Dog," "Be All Right," "Surprise," "Hunting...."
* Yes -- YESSONGS (1973). So great you can throw one record away and not miss much. "Close to the Edge."
* Nick Drake -- BRYTER LAYTER (1970). Gorgeous, heartbreaking urban folk. "Hazey Jane II," "At the Chime of a City Clock," "Northern Sky," "Fly."
* Moody Blues -- THE PRESENT (1982). They should have retired after this. Mellow, nostalgic, their best. "Blue World," "Sorry."
* Group 87 -- (1st) (1980). Second-best all-instrumental prog album ever. "One Night Away From Day."
* Providence -- EVER SENSE THE DAWN (1972). A kinder, gentler Moody Blues album. "Fantasy Fugue," "If We Were Wise," "Neptune's Door."
* Renaissance -- LIVE AT CARNEGIE HALL (1976). Beats their studio albums to death. "Can You Understand?", "Running Hard," first three minutes of "Ashes are Burning."
* Beatles -- ABBEY ROAD (1969). Complex enough? Side 2 suite.
* The Who -- WHO'S NEXT (1971). If only for Pete's synthesizer work....
* Beach Boys -- PET SOUNDS (1966). Bad for parties, you can't dance to it.... "God Only Knows," "Here Today," "Let's Go Away for Awhile," "Trombone Dixie."
* King Crimson -- YOUNG PERSON'S GUIDE best-of (1976). This will Change Your Life. And the booklet of press clippings and diary entries is amazing.
* King Crimson -- THE GREAT DECEIVER/LIVE 1973-74 (1992). Better than any of their studio albums from the time. "Doctor Diamond," "Larks I and II," "Talking Drum," "Fracture."
* Gentle Giant -- PRETENTIOUS best-of (1978). Really their best, missing only "Think of Me With Kindness." "Raconteur Troubadour," "Pentegruel's Nativity," "The Advent of Panurge."
* Caravan -- CANTERBURY TALES best-of (1976). The 2-disc Decca album is actually stronger than the 2-CD best-of with the same title, which is also recommended.... "For Richard," "The Dog," "Memory Lain," "The Love in Your Eye," "Nine Feet Underground"....
* Illusion -- OUT OF THE MIST (1977). Best studio album Renaissance never did.
* Fairport Convention, etc. -- FAIRPORT CHRONICLES best-of (1972). Brilliant electric folk. "Come All Ye," "Listen Listen," "I'll Keep it With Mine," "Tale in Hard Time," "Meet on the Ledge," "The Way I Feel."
* Genesis -- A TRICK OF THE TAIL (1976). Gorgeous pastoral mood-music. "Ripples," "Madman Moon."
* U.K. -- (1st) (1978). Crashing drama. "Time to Kill," "Mental Medication," "In the Dead of Night."
* Moody Blues -- A QUESTION OF BALANCE (1970). "It's Up to You," "Question."
* Moody Blues -- TO OUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN'S CHILDREN (1969). Distant, icy, haunting. "Gypsy," "Out and In," "Watching and Waiting," "Eyes of a Child Part 2."
* Fleetwood Mac -- TUSK (1979). Hazy, atmospheric, haunting. "I Know I'm Not Wrong," "Sisters of the Moon."
* Kansas -- LEFTOVERTURE (1976). Great balancing act. That they couldn't keep up. "Miracles Out of Nowhere," "Questions of My Childhood," "Cheyenne Anthem," "The Wall," "What's On My Mind."
* Queen -- A NIGHT AT THE OPERA (1976). Arty enough for ya? "'39," "The Prophet's Song," "Death on Two Legs."
* Happy the Man -- CRAFTY HANDS (1978). Gorgeous waterfalls of melody. "Wind-Up Doll Day Wind," "Service With a Smile," "Open Book."
* Camel -- NUDE (1981). Pretty gorgeous. "City Life," "Drafted," "Captured."
* Clannad -- MACALLA (1986) -- Dark, with enough drama to vary the mood. "The Wild Cry," "Indoor," "Blackstairs," "Journey's End."
* Moody Blues -- DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED (1967). Can't beat the songs on Side 2. "Peak Hour," "Time to Get Away."
* Moody Blues -- LONG DISTANCE VOYAGER (1980). "Meanwhile," "Nervous," "Veteran Cosmic Rocker," "In My World."
* Justin Hayward and John Lodge -- BLUE JAYS (1975). "When You Wake Up."
* Caravan -- BLIND DOG AT ST. DUNSTAN'S (1976) -- High-quality end to a career. "All the Way," "Can You Hear Me?"
* Sky -- SKY2 (1980). You really CAN throw one side away and miss nothing. "Vivaldi," "Fifo," "Watching the Aeroplanes," "Scipio."
* Camel -- THE SNOW GOOSE (1975). Beautiful mellow instrumentals. "Flight of the Snow Goose," "Rhayader," "Rhayader Goes to Town," "Preparation/Dunkirk."
* Dire Straits -- MAKIN' MOVIES (1980). Cinematic. "Romeo and Juliet," "Hand in Hand," "Expresso Love."
* Al Stewart -- MODERN TIMES (1975). Smooth and consistent. Side 2's perfect.
* Wigwam -- NUCLEAR NIGHTCLUB (1974). "Bless Your Lucky Stars."
* Camel -- ECHOES best-of (1993). LOTSA great stuff here, tho the commercial stuff is a waste....
* Grace Slick -- DREAMS (1980). You want drama? Check this out. "Full Moon Man," almost everything else....
* Suzanne Vega -- (1st) (1985). Folk music? Crystal-clear production, so sharp it hurts. "Cracking," "Freeze Tag," "Small Blue Thing."
* Strawbs -- STORY IN MUSIC best-of (1981, Italian import). Some of their best stuff is here, including their best moment ever, the angry live "Where is This Dream of Your Youth?"
* Steve Tibbetts -- YR (1980). Rockin' instrumentals from a Minnesota guitarist. Best: The opening guitar-meltdown "Ur."
* Glass Moon -- (1st) (1980). Genesis should have sounded like this when they went commercial. "Solsbury Hill," "Sundays and Mondays."
* Yes -- GOING FOR THE ONE (1977). "Wonderous Stories," "Turn of the Century."
* Hollies -- ROMANY (1972). Atmospheric, moody, spacey. Not a bunch of commercial sing-songy wanna-be hits.
* ELO -- TIME (1981). Cheezy sci-fi future, full of filler. And you'll love it. "Twilight," "The Way Life's Meant to Be," "Yours Truly, 2095."
* Gentle Giant -- FREE HAND (1975). Starts and ends weakly, but the middle's great. "His Last Voyage," "On Reflection," "Time to Kill."
* Rush -- CHRONICLES best-of (1990). So good you can almost throw the first disc away. "Time Stand Still," "Force Ten," "Manhattan Project."
* Caravan -- WATERLOO LILY (1972). Jazzy. "The World is Yours," "Aristocracy," "The Love in Your Eye."
* Pink Floyd -- DARK SIDE OF THE MOON (1973). I don't play it much, but it's genius....
* Sally Oldfield -- WATER BEARER (1978). Gorgeous LORD OF THE RINGS-style music, with a Middle-Eastern undercurrent. Title song, "Songs of the Quendi," "Land of the Sun," "Fire and Honey," "Night of the Hunter's Moon."
* Space Art -- A TRIP TO THE HEAD CENTER (1976). Best synthesizer album ever. "Speedway," "Odyssey," "Watch It."
* Alan Parsons Project -- THE INSTRUMENTAL WORKS (1988). Predictable but gorgeous. "The Gold Bug," "Where's the Walrus?"
* Camel -- BREATHLESS (1978). Side 1's great, Side 2's spotty. Title song, "Echoes," "Down on the Farm," "Summer Lightning."
* Moody Blues -- EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FAVOUR (1971). "Our Guessing Game," "You Can Never Go Home," "Story in Your Eyes."
* Al Stewart -- YEAR OF THE CAT (1976). Cool and distant. "Flying Sorcery," "Lord Grenville," "One Stage Before."
* Dire Straits -- LOVE OVER GOLD (1982). More dramatic soundtracks. "Telegraph Road," title song.
* Jethro Tull -- SONGS FROM THE WOOD (1977). They shoulda been a folk band. "The Whistler," "Ring Out Solstice Bells," "Fire at Midnight."
* Genesis -- AND THEN THERE WERE THREE (1978). Moody-Blues-ish. "Undertow," "Deep in the Motherlode," "Down and Out," "Burning Rope."
* Hawkwind -- HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN GRILL (1974). Heavy space-rock. "You'd Better Believe It," "Lost Johnny."
* Jefferson Starship -- FREEDOM AT POINT ZERO (1979). Great science-fiction chorales. "Fading Lady Light," "Things to Come," "Awakening," title song.
* King Crimson -- RED (1974). "Starless" is probably their greatest piece ever. Title song's no slouch, either.
* Kate Bush -- NEVER FOR EVER (1980). Peter Gabriel reincarnated as a woman. "Delius (Song of Summer)," "The Wedding List."
* Kate Bush -- THE KICK INSIDE (1978). Brave and sweet. "The Man With the Child in His Eyes," "Saxophone Song," "Strange Phenomena," "Kite."
* The Jam -- SETTING SONS (1979). New-wave concept album about the end of the world -- or today. "Private Hell," "Little Boy Soldiers," "Thick as Thieves"....
* Pete Townshend -- PSYCHODERELICT (1992). Whadda ya know? A rock opera! "Now and Then."
* Pink Floyd -- WISH YOU WERE HERE (1975). Talk about distant.... Nice textures, though.
* Pink Floyd -- THE WALL (1979). "One of My Turns," "The Trial," "In the Flesh?"
* Pink Floyd -- PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN (1967). Psychedelic. "Flaming," "Chapter 24," "Bike," "Astronome Domine."
* King Crimson -- DISCIPLINE (1980). Great hypnotic meshing guitars. "Frame By Frame," "Elephant Talk," "Indiscipline."
* Amazing Blondel -- FANTASIA LINDUM (1972). Taking you back to 1600. That's a concept. Whole first side, "Three Seasons Almaine," "Toye," "Safety in God Alone."
* King Crimson -- STARLESS AND BIBLE BLACK (1974). "Great Deceiver," "Fracture."
* Moody Blues -- ON THE THRESHOLD OF A DREAM (1969). "Lovely to See You," "Never Comes the Day," "In the Beginning."
* Love -- FOREVER CHANGES (1967). Spotty, but some wondrous stuff here, with gorgeous horn and string backing. "You Set the Scene," "Maybe the People Would be the Times," "Alone Again Or."
* Pink Floyd -- ECHOES best-of (2001). Not everything you need to hear, but close. "High Hopes," "One of These Days," "Jugband Blues," "When the Tigers Broke Free," "Keep Talking." But where's "On the Turning Away"?
* David Sancious and Tone -- TRANSFORMATION (THE SPEED OF LOVE) (1976). The side-long title track will Alter Your Mind. There's also a gorgeous piano piece, and a wild Hendrix impersonation....
* Dixie Dregs -- DREGS OF THE EARTH (1980). Nice show-offy instrumentals. "Hereafter," "The Great Spectacular," "I'm Freaking Out."
* Rush -- MOVING PICTURES (1981). "The Camera Eye," "Red Barchetta."
* Alan Parsons Project -- I ROBOT (1977). "Some Other Time."
* King Crimson -- LARKS' TONGUES IN ASPIC (1973). Mixed too trebly, but there's some good stuff here. "Easy Money" is raunchy and funny, "Talking Drum" is pretty amazing, "Exiles" is moody. The rest sounds better on the GREAT DECEIVER box.
* Beatles -- SGT. PEPPER (1967). I don't play it much. But still....
* Camel -- DUST AND DREAMS (1991). The actual songs are strong. The rest is dramatic soundtrack music for Steinbeck's GRAPES OF WRATH.
* Yes -- DRAMA (1980). "Tempus Fugit," "White Car," "I Am a Camera."
* Mark Knopfler, etc. -- LOCAL HERO soundtrack (1983). "Going Home."
* Camel -- RAIN DANCES (1977). "Unevensong," "First Light," title song.
* Jethro Tull -- STORMWATCH (1979). "Dark Ages," "Dun Ringill."
* Caravan -- CARAVAN AND THE NEW SYMPHONIA (1974). "For Richard," "Virgin on the Ridiculous."
* Kevin Ayers -- ODD DITTIES (1976). Great silly fun.
* Synergy -- SEQUENCER (1976). "S-Scape," "Icarus," "Classical Gas." Melodic synth music.
* Gryphon -- RAINDANCE (1975). "(Ein Klein) Heldenleben," "Wallbanger."
* Camel -- I CAN SEE YOUR HOUSE FROM HERE (1979). The commercial stuff's annoying, but there's also gorgeous stuff like "Eye of the Storm" and "Who We Are."
* Rick Wakeman -- WHITE ROCK (1976). Olympics soundtrack had more energy than anything he'd done in awhile....
* Pete Townshend -- ALL THE BEST COWBOYS HAVE CHINESE EYES (1982). Damn, he's wordy. But the second side's pretty great. "Slit Skirts."
* Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- CHANCE (1980). A mechanical sound like nothing else. And then there's "Stranded"....
* Fleet Foxes -- (1st) (2008). Acoustic-folk meets the Beach Boys' SMILE. "Blue Ridge Mountains."
* Florence + the Machine, CEREMONIALS (2011) -- Pounding, booming empowerment songs. Throw the photo booklet away. "Shake it Out."
* Can -- ANTHOLOGY (1993). Some truly twisted stuff here. "Father Cannot Yell," "Uphill," "Mother Upduff."
* Supertramp -- CRIME OF THE CENTURY (1975). "Dreamer," "School," title song. Kinda mainstream, but it least it ain't BREAKFAST IN AMERICA....
* The Move -- MESSAGE FROM THE COUNTRY (1972). The heavily-produced stuff is AMAZING. The fake-rockabilly throwbacks are just odd. Title song, "Do Ya?," "Tonite."
* Al Stewart -- 24 CARROTS (1980). Smooth, consistent, underrated. "Rocks in the Ocean," "Running Man," "Mondo Sinistro."
* King Crimson -- IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING (1969). Half sounds like Heavy Moody Blues. But "21st Century Schizoid Man" sounds like nothing else. Ever.
* Camel -- THE SINGLE FACTOR (1982) -- Half a great album. Second side is pretty amazing. First side plunges off a cliff.
* Spirit -- 12 DREAMS OF DOCTOR SARDONCIUS (1970). Opens and closes strong. Middle gets weird. "Nature's Way," "Nothing to Hide."
* King Crimson -- FRAME BY FRAME 4-CD best-of (1991). The edits hurt, but there's some great stuff here. And the booklet that goes with it...."Sleepless," "Barber Shop," "Sailor's Tale," much more.
* Manfred Mann's Earth Band -- ANGEL STATION (1979). First side's solid. Then it starts to wind down.... "Belle of the Earth," "Don't Kill it Carol," "Hollywood Town."
* Kinks -- VILLAGE GREEN PRESERVATION SOCIETY (1968). Modest, quiet album about small-town English life. Title song, "Days."
* Mike Oldfield -- TUBULAR BELLS (1973). Have heard this way too much.
* Alan Parsons Project -- TURN OF A FRIENDLY CARD (1980). Smooth, predictable, almost dull. But then there's "The Gold Bug"....
* Weather Report -- 8:30/LIVE (1980). Yeah, it's jazz-rock. But a lot of it REALLY MOVES. "Bahia/Boogie Woogie Waltz" is supreme noise.
* Van der Graaf Generator -- PAWN HEARTS (1971). Spooky.
* Sky -- SKY3 (1981). Kinda dull, but. "Meheeco," "Connecting Rooms."
* Journey -- DREAM AFTER DREAM (1980). Spacey, atmospheric soundtrack. A little short. Steve Perry doesn't sing much.
* Gong -- YOU (1974). "Master Builder," "A Sprinkling of Clouds."
This list will likely be revised, rearranged and expanded in the future. I'm sure I must have missed something....
COMING SOON: A much shorter list of the worst Strange Music albums....

The Top 100...?

Awhile back, I looked at progarchives.com's list of the Top 100 progressive rock albums as chosen by their readers, and some things about their list jump right out at me.
One thing is how many of those top 100 albums just aren't prog.
While their list includes many of the Usual Suspects you'd expect (sometimes in some odd places), a good portion of the list is taken up by stuff that ... probably shouldn't be there. Of course, I think any definition of "prog" is better too-open than not-open-enough. But still....
I haven't heard everything on the list -- but I've heard more than a third of the albums mentioned, and I know most of the rest either by bits-and-pieces listening or by reputation. And....
Almost a dozen albums on the list are clearly jazz-rock fusion -- prog-related, similar approach, spacey enough, but not prog. One album is just jazz -- Miles Davis's KIND OF BLUE. But that's from 1959, and though it may have been progressive for jazz listeners then, it sure ain't rock.
About 10 of the selections are that "extreme prog-metal" stuff, which means I'll never hear them. There's a scattering of Italian artists like PFM, Banco and Le Orme. I'll probably never hear those either.
Two albums are by Santana. Three are by Frank Zappa -- one of those isn't even jazzy.
It's an interesting list. Progarchives' readers have clearly listened a lot. To be counted in the list, albums had to receive enough ratings by readers to be "statistically meaningful" -- in this case, at least 250 ratings. Some albums have over 3,000 votes.
Even the top of the list has some oddities: Four Genesis albums in the Top 40 -- three in the top 12. Four Yes albums in the top 41 -- three in the top 11. Van der Graaf Generator makes the Top 10, and has four albums in the top 52.
Pink Floyd has three titles in the Top 10, four in the top 32. THE WALL doesn't make the Top 100. One of many instances, I think, where fans either "love it or hate it."
King Crimson has two albums in the Top 10, and another in the Top 20. Rush has three albums in the Top 30, and another at Number 43.
Camel has two albums in the Top 20, and THE SNOW GOOSE only made it to Number 47. Gentle Giant has four albums in the top 56 -- none higher than IN A GLASS HOUSE at Number 23.
There are lots of surprises here -- one is THE WALL not making the list, after high ratings for other Floyd albums in the same period. The Floyd's PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN isn't here -- in fact, there's no psychedelia at all. SGT. PEPPER isn't here, either. Maybe that explains why there's also no Moody Blues albums.
The only ELP album mentioned is their first -- which sneaks in at Number 67. I thought BRAIN SALAD SURGERY was a big fave -- but again, likely a victim of "love it or hate it."
Though Caravan is listed twice, there's a shortage of Canterbury-style stuff. No Soft Machine. Robert Wyatt's ROCK BOTTOM snuck in at 54. Hatfield and the North's first makes the 100 -- but the slightly-less-weird ROTTER'S CLUB isn't mentioned.
No Can. No TUBULAR BELLS -- though Mike Oldfield's OMMADAWN is here, bit of a surprise. No Alan Parsons? No middle-period Al Stewart? Hey, he was progressive enough....
Maybe the biggest surprise to me is that Khan's SPACE SHANTY -- with Steve Hillage on guitar and Dave Stewart on keybs -- is here at Number 68. Might have to track that one down. There's one Gong album listed -- YOU -- but no other Hillage works. And though the Hatfields' first is listed, there's no other albums with Stewart -- nothing by National Health or Egg or Bruford. This may guide me in future buying decisions.
Again, it's an interesting list. It's an interesting website, with some well-thought-out reviews of prog albums. It's true that their Top 100 doesn't reflect my experience with prog, but as they say in the commercials, "Your mileage may vary."
I just think there's more to prog than this.
Their list has also forced me to come up with my own list of the Top 100 prog albums I've managed to get all the way through over the years. That list will be coming soon....

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....

Another ticket

My memoir about growing up with my step-brother -- a story I've been trying to finish writing since age 17 -- will be done soon. I finally learned the final part of the puzzle over my weekend, and it's a shocker.
I've posted a couple parts of the memoir here recently -- stories about stealing gas out of people's cars and gas cans out of garages, stealing money from people's houses, and treating women badly. The first girl I ever loved is wrapped up in this story -- I wrote about her here a few years back, in a post titled "First Girl I Loved."
Anyway, once I figure out how to handle this new information -- I'm still reeling -- I'll be adding it and my feelings about it to the rest of the memoir, re-reading the whole thing, trying to maybe tone-down some of the teenage angst in the story, and sending it off to Amazon/Kindle, where it will (hopefully) become my sixth e-book.
This will probably take a couple weeks or so. I'll keep you posted.
The book will be called BROTHERS.
Right now, I'm just boggled by the way people's lives turn out -- mine, his, everybody's. The choices we make, when we don't even know we're making choices that might change our lives.
More on this soon....

The Music Nazi!

I've hammered on Seattle-area radio for being lame before, but listening on a dull Saturday night at work this past weekend made me wonder if it isn't time to renew the attack.
You'd think in a market with three million potential listeners there'd be something for everyone, but....
During two hours of listening Saturday evening (when you'd think local stations would be playing their A-list stuff) and another hour on Sunday, half a dozen non-scientifically selected Seattle stations played an appalling list of hackwork, some of which -- if I ever become Donald Trump -- will Never Be Played On Radio Again, by Executive Order.
There WAS some good stuff, which will be marked by a * below. But even the good songs were selections you've heard 10 million times before. What does this say about most of the public, if the music they apparently want to hear is such thin garbage?
The entire sorry list follows. Join with me in gasps of horror.
Michael Jackson -- *Beat It (twice), Billie Jean (twice), Man in the Mirror, The Way You Make Me Feel (twice), Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough, Bad, Smooth Criminal. MJ gets more air-time now than he did when he was alive.
Wham! -- Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go. (Can't wait for the George Michael Nostalgia Revival....)
Madonna -- Material Girl (twice), Into the Groove, Like a Prayer (last couple minutes are pretty great).
Dire Straits -- Sultans of Swing, Money for Nothing.
Journey -- Separate Ways, *Lights, Don't Stop Believin', Open Arms, Patiently.
AC/DC -- You Shook Me All Night Long, *Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.
Van Halen -- You Really Got Me, Jamie's Cryin', Jump (I used to almost like this, once).
Guns 'N' Roses -- Welcome to the Jungle.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood -- Relax.
Rod Stewart -- Forever Young.
Eric Clapton -- *Bell Bottom Blues.
Billy Idol -- Rebel Yell, Dancing With Myself (twice).
Jimi Hendrix -- *All Along the Watchtower.
Pink Floyd -- Money, Another Brick in the Wall Part 2.
Goo Goo Dolls -- *Iris.
Toni Basil -- Mickey.
John Cougar Mellencamp -- Jack and Diane (twice).
Led Zeppelin -- Whole Lotta Love (great comedy), *Stairway to Heaven. (Still love the guitar meltdown at the end.)
No Doubt -- It's My Life.
Tom Petty -- I Won't Back Down.
Metallica -- *Nothing Else Matters (twice).
Eddie Money -- Take Me Home Tonight. Ronnie Spector's great, but....
Chicago -- You're the Inspiration.
Prince -- *1999 (twice).
Bangles -- *Manic Monday.
Stevie Nicks -- Leather and Lace.
Steve Miller -- Rock 'n' Me, Take the Money and Run.
Billy Joel -- Uptown Girl, It's Still Rock and Roll to Me.
Talking Heads -- Once in a Lifetime.
Queen with David Bowie -- *Under Pressure (twice).
Grateful Dead -- Touch of Gray. Still not sure how much I like this one....
Modern English -- *I Melt With You. This is a bigger hit now than it was in 1983....
Police -- Every Breath You Take (twice).
Aerosmith -- *Dude Looks Like a Lady (twice).
Loverboy -- Working for the Weekend.
Queen -- Another One Bites the Dust, Bohemian Rhapsody (for me, this was pretty much dead by 1977).
Kenny Loggins -- Danger Zone, Footloose.
War -- Why Can't We be Friends? (I admit this is more charming now than it was back in the day....)
Toto -- *Africa.
Soundgarden -- Black Hole Sun (twice within 15 minutes).
Phil Collins -- In the Air Tonight (this is a bigger hit now than it was in 1981).
Madness -- *Our House.
The Who -- *Won't Get Fooled Again, *Bargain, *Love Reign O'er Me, *Baba O'Riley.
Mr. Mister -- Broken Wings.
Steve Winwood -- Higher Love.
Pat Benatar -- Hit Me With Your Best Shot (twice).
Rush -- The Spirit of Radio, *Freewill.
Whitney Houston -- I Want to Dance With Somebody. (For me, the best thing she ever did.)
Sheryl Crow -- *Every Day is a Winding Road.
David Bowie -- Let's Dance, *Space Oddity.
Tracy Chapman -- Fast Car (twice).
Foreigner -- I Want to Know What Love Is.
REO -- Can't Fight This Feeling (twice).
A-Ha -- Take on Me (three times).
Adele -- Rolling in the Deep.
Hall and Oates -- Maneater, Sara Smile.
Soft Cell -- Tainted Love.
ZZ Top -- Sharp Dressed Man.
REM -- Losing My Religion.
Rick Springfield -- Jessie's Girl.
Should note that this wasn't a "scientific" study. I tuned-in one station aimed at 13-to-30-year-olds, one alleged "oldies" station (KJR FM, who were great when I was 12 years old and whose limited, repetitive playlist REALLY sucks now), "Seattle's only classic-rock station," two others aimed at adults, and one of those "We play what we want" stations. And the playlists weren't that different. Clearly.
Even counting the good stuff, I think what this list shows is that we as listeners are suckers for gloppy love songs, gimmicky/catchy/stupid stuff, and loud guitars that mean nothing. Oh, and repetition.
It could have been worse. There's no Eagles here, no "Smoke on the Water," no "Sweet Home Alabama," no "Hotel California." But "Stairway" still snuck in there. It wouldn't have been the weekend without "Stairway."
If this is what radio stations and advertisers think we want to hear so we won't change channels, we should demand better. It's sad that we settle for so little variety.
If radio stations could play one NEW song not on their playlist -- or one overlooked classic -- EACH DAY, radio would be so much better. And we as listeners would be happier. We might even hear something new that we liked....

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.

High tech! Who needs it?

My income tax return came in, so to celebrate I bought a new laptop to replace the World's Smallest Laptop, which is more than seven years old. The WSL has been on its last legs for at least four years now, with a MAJOR vertical-hold problem that makes the screen "roll" if anything larger than a 1.1-magnitude earthquake happens anywhere in the U.S.
So, past time for the WSL to retire. But now I have to get used to THIS computer, which The Girlfriend has already named Wilbur.
So far, Wilbur is a cranky guy. I haven't figured out the "touch" Wilbur prefers, and so far I can't pound on him like I could the WSL. So it's taken me 10 minutes to type these three paragraphs. Some of the keys don't want to cooperate, and if I start trying to type too fast, Wilbur just locks up. Maybe he needs more coffee?
This should make tomorrow's listening session more fun....
Also, I sense that Wilbur is doing more than he seems. At some stuff he's so fast it seems like he's pouring me a cup of coffee when I've just switched him on. Or he's reading the news for me before I've decided to go there. He's always WORKING. He just doesn't type very fast.
I'm sure this will all work out and we'll get used to each other. But right now it's frustrating as hell. I'm pretty sure it's not the fault of the manufacturer, who shall go nameless. (Hello, HP!)
Jeez, and now The Girlfriend's talking about getting me a smartphone....

UPDATE, 2:20 p.m.: OK, got the hard-typing issue taken care of. Turns out there's an adjustment for ease of typing on the computer. I'm all better now. Yeezus, I'm an idiot. Thank Ghod I can't launch missiles....

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.