5 comments about Live at the Aquarius Theatre: The Second Performance.

1. The Doors Live is so good, it is almost too hard to listen to. It has long breaks between each song, so I just cut them out. The energy is really high on each and every song. This is their home town, so you know it will be one of the very best. Yes! Make me feel alright!
   Jay



2. In spite of the "roughness," you really hear The Doors. "Must have" for the dedicated fan. Great that these are being made available. Looking for more. A little pricey, but worth it for the dedicated fan. Shipping and handling very fair. A+



3. Another Bright Midnight Records release, the label responsible for (finally) putting out some of the Doors shows recorded for the Absolutely Live tour, and then some. This is the second Aquarius '69 show.
   
   The sound quality is just as good as the other Bright Midnight releases, recorded with the same set-up, and then remastered years later by Doors engineer Bruce Botnick. So if you only get one Aquarius show, check out the setlist and order and see what you prefer--both nights are similar. Both shows feature a complete Celebration of the Lizard, as well as the excellent Mystery Train/Crossroads jam. This show has Touch Me and Gloria, while the first show has Who Do You Love. The completist will just buy both sets, others may want to ponder. Most importantly, aside from the excellent sound, is thast the shows are uncut and complete. They even separate the in-between chatter and crowd noise into separate tracks like 'The Crowd Humbly Requests'. I'm not aware of any overdubs on this album, either.
   
   Recorded as part of the material that would be sewed into the Absolutely Live album, this is a complete source where as AB was a collection from many shows. Many tracks were, in fact, cut-ups of various takes of the same song from different shows. Guess the band is finally content to let people see them warts and all. AB and In Concert are excellent live albums, but purists wished for complete and uncut concerts tapes, and Bright Midnight is delivering all of the stops, starts, miscues, mistakes, drunken Jim, and chatter in between some amazing versions.
   
   Highly recommended to Doors fans, and if you're really obsessed you'll want to pick up all of the Bright Midnight releases. They seem to be trickling them out, unlike The Grateful Dead or Pearl Jam who bombarded fans with 'official bootlegs' over the years. Thankfully, in addition to the band, Botnick is involved with all releases for continuity and completeness over the decades.



4. Contrary to many reports already Documented this Was not the First Concert Performed since Miami {Chicago, June 14th & Minneapolis, June 15th} Had come and gone without incident.
   
   The Aquarius Theater Shows (2 Performed on July 21st & 1 Show from the 22nd of July) are regarded as The Door's definate "Comeback" performances. 1969 was a Year of Revolution in the US Culture, and to some on the Right, The Doors (Like John Lennon) were considered "Public Enemy Number One". It was Us against Them, in all the Best & Worst Ways that can be imagined.
   
   These Shows were recorded on Multi-Track Tapes for a Live Album. There were no riots or arrests over the course of these Shows. Just very Good Playing by The Band and Some of Jim's Finest recorded Vocals. And because of that many have said that Jim was on a "Tight-Leash" here and played a Good Boy for these Shows. Well, according to Ray Manzarek, that did NOT happen, and Ray went on to say that if Someone had told Jim to watch what he said and did on the Aquarius Stage, it would have triggered him behave badly. We will never know Jim's take on this Story, BUT, he DID sing a bunch during these Shows and now we have 4 CD's as proof.
   
   These two CD's are The Doors performining as a Band, with the Music coming first, and that for the listener is a very Good Thing. "Universal Mind" features Jim really singing well. A great "Gloria" is over 10 Minutes in length, and it's almost like 1966 all over again, this is a Band of Four Men and this is well give you a glimse into what the fuss was all about. When Jim takes a Left turn into Improv, Robby, John and Ray are right there with him {The Music plays The Band}.
   
   There are a few Blues Numbers in the Set: "Little Red Rooster","Close To You" and "You Make Me Real" that on some Nights the Band just Cranks out without much life, but on these CD's they really shine. "Peace Frog" is a real treat, and not easy to find as a live version. "The Lizard" was not a big Favorite of mine when I first heard it on the Double Live LP, back in 1970, but it has grown on me as now I really think it's Cool.
   
   Because, it's 2007 and we now are lucky enough to have Many Doors Concerts released on CD there is a lot to chose from. This Show will not be the Favorite for many, because it wasn't Front-Page news in all the Newspapers the next morning. Nobody died, nobody rioted, nobody got arrested. But at The Aquarius Theater, The Doors, PLAYED! There is 138 Minutes of their best Music on these Two CD's, it's not sedate or boring, but it sure is GREAT!
   FOUR STARS !!!



5. OK, I'm starting out this review because I can't stand to read all of the Doors apologists out there who can't admit when a Doors show was substandard. Now you might have a legitimate gripe with the recent release of the doors live at Boston (where Jim is drunk as a skunk and sings atrociously) but here at Aquarius, while he doesn't sing badly, he's not terribly inspired nor is the band. They make some noticeable mistakes which is a reason why only a couple of tracks were used to be included on the Absolutely Live album. Jim is NOT at the top of his game. The only exception is the band's rendition of Celebration of the Lizard from the first show which is excellent. But the late show just isn't that interesting. Yeah, an embryonic version of Peace Frog sounds entertaining at first but the finished version is much better and this instrumental is lame. With the exception of COTL there is no improvisational poetry from Jim and the band doesn't jam on any of the tunes. They play very carefully (almost too carefully) and they are a bit nervous because they are being professionally recorded. What makes this a good release is the excellent sound coming from the soundboard. But it's not the Doors at their best. By '69 we have a bearded Jim who's already become disenchanted with the rock music scene and frankly has begun is downward spiral into the abyss. The Doors peaked with their January '69 performance at Madison Square Garden in New York. Then Miami in March 1 hit and the band did a slow downward trend from which it never really recovered, although Roadhouse Blues and LA Woman has some great Doors songs on them. But Aquarius is not what it should have been. Really, if you want great Doors music you have to go to 1967 and 1968 when the Doors were at their peak of greatness. Jim was at the top of his game before his downfall. The Aquarius gigs are OK but that's it. Anyone who tells you differently is only wishing the gigs could have been more. When Paul Rothchild and the band heard their Aquarius performance on tape they realized it wasn't a great performance which is why the band recorded more shows to eventually get a better performance down on tape. Absolutely Live was the end result which is made up of a number of different cuts from different concerts. Aquarius is the show that "shoulda,woulda, coulda"

5 comments about The Very Best of Mother's Finest: Not Yer Mother's Funk.

1. One of the greatest live acts anyone anywhere has ever seen. This is a very cool "Best of" covering most of their necessary earlier material. However, you may want to start out with almost any of their other CDs, particularly the Live one or the Epic debut (finally available as an import). If you start listening to the individual recordings, you may find that Not Yer Mother's Funk is redundant. Although I still think it is worthy since the sound quality is better here than some of the older editions. The later stuff is still cool, but geez these guys could burn down the house. (Saw them just once - Atlanta Underground - Fall 1975.)



2. They rock, they gets funky, they's got soul, they are Mother's Finest. One of the many American forgotten great bands, still around and about. Multi-racial. Placed hits in the 70's, more notable for the R&B joints like "Love Changes", this greatest hits will move ya, groove ya and soothe ya. It did me.
   
   Joyce "Baby Jean" Kennedy dominants the disc with her vocals alone. One woman powerhouse (while the band do they thang)! She doesn't give counterpart Glenn Murdock half the chance here and these are the hits. This is Mother's Finest featuring Joyce "Baby Jean" Kennedy. Get it right.
   
   Discouragements: Just 2, "Dis Go Dis Way, Dis Go Dat Way". Is it a joke or an attempt to disco a little? You decide. If it's a joke, it's a very bad one. If it's an attempt, the music is fine but a 3-year old could have made up the lyrics. The cover of Jefferson Airplane (Starship, Jet, Asteroid, Meteor, whatever) "Somebody To Love" (Live) wasn't needed to complete this awesome disc.
   
   So if you like old school funk, Southern hard rock and some powerful soulful vocals all wrapped into one package, then welcome to Mother's Finest's finest.



3. How can you leave their best song off the CD. I cannot believe it..no "Piece of the Rock"... that would be like Aerosmith leaving out "Walk this Way". WHY



4. This CD is great! All of their best songs on one album - what more could you ask for??



5. Mother's Finest recently Rocked the small town of Culloden, GA and I was there. Seen them 3 times in my youth but for me, this time, they were better than ever. I bought this CD at the concert and stayed a bit after they were done Jamm'in. I got to talk to Moses Mo for about 15 minutes, talked to Doc, John, Wyzard, and got all of their autographs...they signed the CD!!!
   Even got Baby Jean's autograph, but didn't get to talk to her as she had many people around her.
   I think the CD is a good combination of their work through the years, it allows the "newby" to know their sound and what they are about. I admit that there are some songs that should be on this CD if it truely is a "very best" CD, but only a long time fan would know this. But think about it...if you were in their shoes, would YOU put ALL of your best on one cd? Of course not...you want to continue to sell the others as well.
   Most of the songs from "Another Mother Further" are on this cd and it was one of the best albums they put out.
   So, I can't complain, I think it's a great CD, but mine is the best cause it has all of the autographs on it!!!
   All of the band members are extremely cool and so easy to talk to, they are one of a kind. Very nice people and devoted to their fans.

5 comments about The Collected Country Joe & the Fish.

1. the track listing has several errors (in the sequencing). I did the digital download, and the track list from 13 through 18 are wrong. Here's the real sequence:
   
   13 Good Guys/Bad Guys cheer
   14 Rock & Soul Music
   15 Untitled Protest
   16 Here I Go Again
   17 Maria
   18 Crystal Blues
   
   other than that, this is a fantastic snapshot of an era.



2. The CD came in excellent quality. I love it.
   Roxann Hill
   Gecko Girl



3. There is good music here, but the cd compiler failed to 'edit' the sound volumes from the sources. Upto about track 8 the volume is low, then for the rest of the cd (from later recordings), the volume is significantly higher.
   
   To make a consistently listenable compilation, some volume tweaking would have been desirable.
   
   The only other disappointment for me, is that one song I remember having on an LP didn't make this compilation. I think it contained the line "the subway is not the underground" but I can't remember the title.



4. The best psychedelic band of the era. The music is still great 35 years later.



5. The title says it all. They could have put a better group of songs togather.

5 comments about There's a Riot Goin' On.

1. Altamont is the burial site of the idealism and hope that riddled the late 1960s. Inspired by the community pacifism of Woodstock, the Rolling Stones sought to create an extension of the mentality that surrounded Woodstock by creating a similar festival on the West coast. What was intended to be a celebration of the ideals that fostered American culture in the late '60s was, however, mired in tragedy (all of which is presented in the excellent documentary Gimme Shelter, well worth watching). Hope disappeared. Death followed. The ideals that marked the 1960s died at Altamont.
   
   One man, one album, would revisit the corpse of the '60s. If Altamont was the death and burial, this album would be the exhumation, assuring the decade was, indeed, dead.
   
   Sly & the Family Stone's There's A Riot Goin' On
   
   In the late '60s, Sly & the Family Stone served as a social voice of many discontented blacks; through their recordings, Sly & the Family Stone gave voice to many of the concerns of the black community. Peppered with funk and pop, Sly Stone presented social criticism with a bit of honey, making his group an integral part of the social, political, and musical landscape gripping the end of the decade. But as the decade came to its eventual end, so did Sly Stone.
   
   Or so it seemed.
   
   Deep into heroin addiction, Sly Stone gathered his fragmented mind and headed into the Plant Studios to begin recording of There's a Riot Goin' On. Working alone, what resulted was a druggy, murky, deeply-funky album echoing Sly's disenchantment with the late '60s and its failure to provide any answers or solutions to the nation's burgeoning problems.
   
   "Family Affair," with its funky beat produced by a rhythm box, reflects on the ups and downs of being a family. "Runnin' Away" serves to highlight the economic uncertainties many in the community faced, with debt and surmounting despair. Perhaps the most poignant and critical song on the album is the closer "Thank You for Talkin' to Me Africa." Incorporating bits of Sly & the Family Stone's previous hit, "Thank You (Fallettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)," the closing track is the stinging rebuke directed at the false optimism of the '60s. The track is harsh and unflinching, Sly Stone's eulogy for a decade now dead, a decade which spoke of much promise but saw little change.
   
   The original cover of the album itself, a waving American flag with suns in place of stars, seems ironic, given how fractured the country was left as the decade closed. With a new decade unfolding, the country was left to find and mend itself.
   
   Perhaps the flag was, for Sly, an expression of hope. Perhaps, much like the American flag was in the '60s, the album cover was a warning of the dangers and false promises wrapped around this album.



2. Sly And The Family Stone-There's A Riot Goin' On *****
   
   In the time I have owned There's A Riot Goin' On I have not been able to put it down. As I think about Stand! and what a great and positive (well sort of) and up beat album it was and how much I love it, I realize that I love this because it is everything that album isn't. The two albums have become sort of a yin and Yang thing. Where the former is bright and colorful Riot is dark and eerie and basically the seedy underbelly of society as well as funk.
   
   The more I researched the album it seems to me that Sly Stone had given up on the counter-culture which he had built his entire career around and abandoned all rules and began running with gangs of thugs and low-lifes and sunk even further into drugs than I thought he did. Well there is nothing like pain and anger to create great art with, and clearly Sly knew that.
   
   As the album opens with the cleverly tittled 'Luv N' Haight' referencing Haight & Ashbury in San Francisco, and it is about the most positive sounding song one the album, and from there it is doomy with low tuned Fender Telecasters early drum machines and some heavy, and I do mean heavy grooves. 'Poet' just might be the sexiest groove this side of T.Rex's 'Mambo Sun' while the lyric could be anything but, creating a texture to the song unmatched by any other. 'Family Affair' was obviously the center piece of the album, as it was the groups biggest hit off the record and has on of Sly's best lyric endeavors as well as some of the greatest duo vocals of all time rivaling the Stones' 'Gimme Shelter.' The title track is concidered a joke as it is really not a track, though I am sure Sly had some hidden meaning behind it. 'Spaced Cowboy' more or less was autobiographical of Sly's personal situation wither he meant it that way or not. 'Thank You For Talkin' To me Africa' at times feels like a rewrite of a certain hit (I bet you can guess which one) but it works and it closes the album perfectly.
   
   I've heard that this was Sly's response to Marvin Gaye's What's Going on and I would go so far to say that this is an even greater album, though both had equally great messages to say. That is saying something considering that this album took months and months to record as Sly keep throwing all the tracks out. One thing is for sure there is going to be a riot in constant rotation in my stereo for a while to come.



3. If memory serves me, I first received this album as a birthday present from my brother when I turned twelve in 1971 . I was a a fan of my brothers counter culture music and was always getting into his records, one that I liked was Stand by Sly and the family Stone, understandably, the message and lyrics were not acceptable by my parents, so naturally, my brother did something unusual and bought me a present (at all) and made it one that would not be popular with my folks. I of course was very happy to get this album.
   
   Recently some of my friends (I sometimes share an office with) and I were taking about the music of the 70's and Sly came up so I went and got a greatest hits CD, but this is the album I have played over and over through the years.
   
   I think the problem with the success that this album was the death of Jimmy Hendrix, because he along with acts like Sly & the Family Stone had been making Rock music the common denominator for the (Pepsi) younger generation. Coinciding with the death of the amazing Hendrix, was the boiling tension of the civil rights movement, and Sly (Sylvester Stewart) Stone was pummeled with pressure to make a more "Black Statement" in his music. And although for me at least this is a very successful social statement of an album, I think it was a break with the ones who brought him to the dance ( those who wanted to put differences aside and move on).
   
   Personally, I think that any way you slice it, this is very good music and worth a look to anyone interested in the beginnings of Classic Rock and the schisms that eventually separated Rock Music into color camps for over a decade.
   
   But that's just me.



4. If you're wondering what the big deal about Sly is, start here. Sly's famous "response" to Marvin Gaye's What's Going On is his masterpiece, a dark, murky funk album recorded while he was in the deepest throes of his depression. His drug dependency was hurtling out of control, his band was collapsing, and he had lost all faith in the counterculture he once banked his life on. Conflicts within the band got so bad that most of it was actually performed by Sly alone - any other musicians there may have been were dubbed in later. More proof that the best of music often comes from the worst of times. The album doesn't seem like a collection of individual songs, but instead a dark, deep, murky stew of foreboding grooves. But for simplicity's sake I'll describe these songs individually. "Family Affair" was the #1 hit, and its primitive drum machine rhythm is way ahead of its time - it also boasts a fine chorus (co-sung by Rosie Stone) and electric piano (courtesy of Billy Preston). And while it's the best song on the album, there are plenty of competitors. Like all of them. "Brave and Strong" has wonderful slap bass, horns and organ; "Poet", some of the best lyrics on the album; "Just Like a Baby" contains a beautifully melancholy melody; "You Caught Me Smilin'" is a light, mellow break from all the menace; "Luv `n' Haight" is a powerful indictment of the hippie culture; the gentle waltz "Time" is at once mournful, soothing, and desperate; the tripped-out yodeling on "Spaced Cowboy" is a blast and much-needed comic relief; "Running Away" makes for a triumphant, if wizened, return to the Family's old sound. The two extended pieces are controversial, but I like them: "Africa Talks to You `The Asphalt Jungle'" is eerie and entrancing, and it's helped along by both the falsetto vocals and the long guitar solos; "Thank You for Talkin' to Me Africa" (pretty much "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin" slowed down and with added guitar noodling) is a completely different interpretation of that classic - it's haunting, slow, druggy, and awesome. The peak of Sly's career and a funk milestone.



5. There's a Riot Goin' On (1971) is Sly And The Family Stone's masterwork. Dark, dissatisfied and foreboding, it's the evil twin of (Sly ATFS album) Stand!. Where Stand! was optimistic, energetic and melodic, Riot is disillusioned, restless, and FUNK. Both albums are great, but compared to Riot, Stand! almost sounds bubble gum. There's a Riot Goin' On is that heavy. And why shouldn't it be? Sly brought in friends Larry Graham (bass), Billy Preston (electric piano), Ike Turner (guitar), and Bobby Womack (guitar) to play on Riot. The musicianship is the best part of the album. It's tight, funky and cool to the point of being ice cold at times. It's great stuff! Sly's vocals fit the shattered theme of the album. He's hoarse and spent, stoned but focused on his message of a new and desolate reality. It almost sounds as if the old Sly was abducted by aliens, had the life sucked out of him, and returned to Earth only to be disappointed. In Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa, Sly sings:
   
   Flamin' eyes of people fear
   Burnin' into you
   Many men are missin' much
   Hatin' what they do
   
   This is not an album of "hit singles", even though Family Affair went to number 1 on the charts and (You Caught Me) Smilin' and Runnin' Away were moderately successful as singles. There's a Riot Goin' On is a heavy funk album experience. Cool, funky and fascinating.
   
   The bonus cuts are, with the exception of the single edit of Runnin' Away, fantastic and spacy funk instrumental pieces. They're all as good as anything on the album.
   
   At times, There's a Riot Goin' On sounds like funk music from another planet. It isn't for everyone, but if it's a funk/rock/soul masterpiece you're looking for, it doesn't get much better than this. Sly And The Family Stone's best album.

5 comments about Live at the BBC: 1967-1970.

1. I love BBC sessions~ I seek them out for every band I like, and wish they would all release everything that exists. So I'm definitely glad to have the live BBC performances here. HOWEVER.....
   
   Not unlike the supposed "live" 1970 Moody Blues DVD that surfaced a few years ago, there's some false advertising here. I got briefly excited to see The Actor, House of Four Doors, and Visions of Paradise on here; but something told me it was too good to be true, and it was. The "Colour Me Pop" session, SEVEN songs, are nothing but the studio versions; and not even that: they're studio versions that cut out mid-song. I don't know what these were on TV, perhaps videos of sorts. But make no mistake going in: tracks 3-9 on Disc 2 are bogus.
   
   Also, a few legit BBC tracks aren't included: Are You Sitting Comfortably, one of the best BBC tracks from the SACD Threshold of a Dream deluxe release, isn't included here from the 2 Apr 69 session. To include the garbage noted above, and not this? Less crucial given the two fine performances of the song included here--but for the record--the 1 Jan 68 version of Nights In White Satin found on the SACD Days of Future Passed is also excluded here.
   
   Of what is, there's some great stuff. Love the early versions of Peak Hour and Twilight Time~ it's fun hearing Hayward tackling the strange harmony vocal on the latter. There's a later Peak Hour, too, as well as another Voices In the Sky (& Dr. Livingston, and Ride My See-Saw), and a rare To Share Our Love, all first-time releases. Plus the Tom Jones stuff--Nights In White Satin (with a few live horns) and the equally rare Another Morning. These arguably make it worth picking up even if you have the studio deluxes. Tuesday Afternoon is stronger vocally than the old "Live + 5" version, and Best Way to Travel surpasses even the studio version, perhaps the gem of the whole set.
   
   As for the live audience session from Dec 69, it's a mixed bag. Gypsy & Sunset are fantastic; Legend of a Mind is cool to hear live but gets diluted by a different, circus-like arrangement on the "along the coast you'll hear the most" section. Nights In White Satin, though, is a crime~ it's a short version where the band cuts out the flute solo (my favorite part). (Note I only mentioned TWO fine versions of the song above; this one doesn't count.)
   
   And I'm still trying to discern if some of the 18 Feb 69 tracks are mostly studio (with live vocal) or not; suspect, to my ears, are Lovely to See You (the other one from April is clearly live) and especially Send Me No Wine. I've nearly declared So Deep Within You to be an entirely different performance (plenty of different tracks in any case); same for To Share Our Love, but I need to listen to that one again. Other opinions?
   
   My only other small caveat is some of the abrupt beginnings & endings. This is obviously because the compilers decided to exorcise the radio announcer wherever they could, which many might applaud. Personally, I'd rather hear the full performances even if I have to grin & bear the announcer talking through the opening phrases.
   
   Quality booklet of liner notes & photos, which always enriches a package.
   
   All in all, then, a release that is certainly welcome and worth having, but also imperfect and at times frustrating. My true vote would be 3.5 stars, but I chose to curve down to 3 given that most others here are giving higher marks with fewer complaints.
   
   In any event, thanks for this release!



2. Although the sound quality isn't terribly great on some of the songs, this is a must for "true" Moody Blues fans.
   
   With the richness of Michael Pinders' voice as well as John Lodges' fine falsetto harmonies, this is vintage early Moody Blues greatness.
   
   Some of the less than perfect mixing makes this a great listen for those of us who have enjoyed this marvelous band for over 4 decades.



3. this is a must have for any one who ever has liked the moodys.all recorded live at the bbc for radio and tv.you can hear them from their beginnings and through some of their best music ever,and all done live.you will hear just what a great bunch of musicians they are.there is music hear that you will listen to again and again.even if you own all of their cds you will find the music so fresh and irresistible on this cd that you will be playing it again and again.



4. Always nice to hear the Moodies. It's just so dissapointing to hear songs recorded ,what I would call, unprofessionally. Tracks ending abruptly. Fading in or out at the wrong places. Canned music,blended in, is not exciting. But, It's got a lot of great moments and brings back good memories. Voices aren't always great but I guess there wasn't a lot of material to choose from.



5. As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" and a former radio disc-jockey, I am often asked to write and or discuss various recordings from the 60's and 70's.
   
   They earned the title "Magnificent Moodies" early on. The assemblage of the BBC tracks only further solidifies the reward. While the double package is called "Live At The BBC 67-70" there is more! The second disc is audio from TV tapings.
   
   If you are a collector of must have Moody Blues recordings this entered the list the second it left the factory. For those that purchased some of their material in the past it will give you another side of the band. The track listings couldn't be a better representation of the collective genius from the group. Not only are the hits and radio tracks available for your enjoyment but some of the more esoteric and underrated tunes ("Best Way To Travel", "Visions Of Paradise, and "The Actor"). "Best Way To Travel" has never received the acclaim it deserves. While previously tracks were available as a bonus on special SACD pressings, this gives it to you in the full and proper dose.
   
   Before we check out some of their superlative versions of their own material it must be written how great the cover of the Animals hit "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" was constructed.
   
   The back-to-back combination of "Tuesday Afternoon" and "Ride My See-Saw" offers enough exquisite beauty to enthrall the harshest critic but "Lovely To See You (With the acoustic guitar sounding as if it is in your living room) could accelerate the pulse of the most docile individual.
   
   As you sample the choice cuts don't forget to digest the short version of "Nights In White Satin" clocking in a shade over three minutes."
   
   Could you ever get enough versions of "Gypsy"? Its inclusion here only solidifies it's golden splendor.
   
   Forty-one tracks for your pleasure. Are you sitting comfortably?
   
   
   Enjoy the music and be well,
   Craig Fenton
   Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"

No comments about Complete Hits.

3 comments about Essential Nancy Sinatra.

1. Kudos to Nancy Sinatra for overseeing the production of a CD that sounds
   great and is a lot of fun to listen to. She is cultural icon of the 60's
   whose music on this CD finally gets the treatment it should. All the
   hits are here except "Summer Wine". (Don't know why). If you are a
   Nancy Sinatra fan, this is the one for the best sound.



2. Nancy is simply at her best on this extensive collection that covers her usual greatest hits,and then some. Her take on Bang Bang is more superficial than Chers',but has it's own foxy simple read.
   Her hits of the 60s'are unbeatable. Sugartown,You only live twice,as well as her Lee Hazelwood duets are pop masterpieces,with great Billy Strange productions.Nancy brings us up to date with "Let me kiss you"(Morrisey production).
   The modern-ized bang Bang is the only misplaced track,simply stupid.
   Nancy and dad on "Somethin' Stupid are heaven. Buy this cd



3. I was probably playing with dolls when Nancy Sinatra had her big hit with "Boots". But while I've always liked that song with its catchy music and straightforward "this is how it is, buster!" lyrics--along with "Somethin' Stupid" which she recorded with her Dad, I never gave much thought or knew a lot about her other work. After seeing her on "Entertainment Tonight" recently where she mentioned this new release of some of her past recordings, I was intrigued enough to purchase it. All I can say is, it's an "easy on the ears" collection of tunes by a fine singer! On "Bang, Bang", I think Nancy's reading gets to the heart of the lyric and is tremendously more effective than the usual, more popular tempo. "Drummer Man", "Kind of a Woman" (a catchy single girl's anthem if there ever was one!), and "Here We Go Again" (a touch of Nashville) are other favorites here. Nancy can sing anything...pop, country, jazzy tunes...she weaves her style around them all. (And who knew she recorded a theme featured in a Bond movie?!) There's a little bit of everything represented on this CD. There's even some more recently recorded tunes near the end. So, perhaps the best thing I can say is that Nancy Sinatra proves you can have tunes recorded over 30 years ago which are still relevant and "good listening", as well as, today, be over 50 and still have an affecting (and surprisingly youthful sounding!) voice that effortlessly interprets more current music. I do wish she had included "Summer Wine", a popular recording she did with Lee Hazelwood, but I guess there wasn't room for everything. Overall, a fine representation from a talented singer. Keep singing and recording Nancy!

3 comments about Secrets of the Hive: The Best of Procol Harum.

1. Procol Harum is my second favorite band of all time, second only to the Stones, and just "second" only marginally above Fanny. That said - well, they've never, ever been shy about repackaging themselves. "Secrets" may be the newest compilation of Procol Harum's material, but it is, by NO means, the "best." A) of all the tracks listed hereon, an unnecessarily inordinate amount of attention is is devoted to PH's post-1991 output. And B), what is worse, much is made of the fact that a live version of the song "Into The Flood" is included. Beware, folks: unless this recording is of the 9/17/2001 "millineum" concert, which, a rarity, featured 2 Procol Harum guitarists, the sublime Mick Grabham, who was PH's guitarist from "Grand Hotel" thru "Something Magic" - Procol's most prolific period - and the..."current" guitarist, the ever-histrionic G Whitehorn - and I have a bootleg of that concert - that one song...just...ain't...worth...it. A far, far superior PH compilation is that "Singles A & B," which offers some real treasures in addition to just "rare and remixed B-sides": there's a live version of "Luskus Delph," previously unreleased from the "Edmonton" session; (forgive me if I "adjective" too much like Cameron "incindiary" Crowe here), there's a live, absolutely transcendent version of J Strauss' "Blue Danube"; and especially, there's the original "Into The Flood," originally an unused song-demo for 1991's "Prodigal Stranger" - and the guitarist on IT is Bobby Mayo, Peter Frampton's late great keyboardist/rhythm guitarist/conscience. The short almost offhand solo that Mayo delivered, is - and I shall resist the justifiable urge to say, "Well, DUH" here - vastly superior to what I HAVE heard Grabham and Whitehorn do, and what I can only surmise that 'horn currently...excessively delivers. But hey - this IS Procol Harum we're talking about here - and if the Stones can inflict the satanic "Miss You" on every single "best of" THEY'VE released since it was..."hatched," I guess Procol Harum can be spotted one sort of..."duf" track. And "Hive" does present all new liner notes courtesy of Procologist Roland Clare, always a pleasure, but - again - be forewarned, every song on "Hive" has been released before, some more than 4 or 5 times...



2. I'm glad I bought this 2-CD set of Procol Harum songs, even at the mildly steep import price. It's kind of a 40th anniversary thing (their first single, "Whiter Shade of Pale," came out in 1967), and many of the songs are so memorable. I've been going around with "Homburg" and even "the Idol" running in my head! At first I thought that the band's mid- to late-'70s period was under-represented on these two discs, but I counted and there are 10 songs out of 35 from those albums. (Fans seeking a more complete overview of the period should seek out the fine but now deleted "Chrysalis Years" PH CD.) What worked less well for me are the newer songs tacked on at the end of each CD, from Procol's '91 and '03 "reunion" releases. Those six tunes are generally not at the level of the rest of the stuff, leading to a sharp dropoff in quality. It's not a good way to wrap things up. (The lone exception to the substandard newer material is the stately instrumental that closes the 2nd disc, "Weisselklenzenacht," from the '03 Wheel's on Fire CD.)
   One less important but still nice aspect of this set is the excellent and informative liner notes, 28 pages of info!



3. At a time when the music industry seems to be flooding the market with compilations of major artists that contain just a tidbit of something new to snare "completeist" fans, those same fans may be understandably wary of adding yet another "essential" compilation to their collections. There are already many Procol Harum "best of" and "greatest hits" compilations on the market, so why should anyone buy this one?
   There are several good reasons. First, this is the first compilation that spans their career to date. So if you are going on a road trip and can't decide which of your Procol Harum CDs to bring with you, Secrets of the Hive makes perfect sense. Secondly, there is the quality of the remastering to consider. It is superb! Finally, there is the attractive and informative booklet that accompanies the CD. It is filled with all sorts of pictures and interesting facts about the band that make the overall Procol Harum experience that much more enjoyable.
   Fans may argue about which songs should have been included that weren't and those that should have been left off. I have my list. But overall, Salvo Records did a fine job of offering fans a balanced sampling of Procol Harum's oeuvre. All the essentials are here, its just the electives one may quibble about.
   The gimmick here is a live recording of the previously unreleased Into The Flood. Its an excellent song, but this set didn't need a gimmick to sell me on its merits. I'd have bought it regardless. Whether you are a long-time fan of Procol Harum or a new listener, the grand overview of the band's career as presented on Secrets of the Hive is one you will be proud to own and one you will play over and over.

5 comments about Beat.

1. King Crimson's reinvented return after several years of abdication includes mad-man Adrian Belew and the incomparable Tony Levin bringing his incomparable Chapman Stick skills fresh from proof-of-concept playing for Peter Gabriel, which was just as stunning...must be heard to be believed!



2. IF you're rounding out your King Crimson collection, you have to buy this. But it simply is not their best work, especially following Discipline



3. The second album from the 80's version of King Crimson doesn't have the immediate, visceral force that "Discipline" delivered, but "Beat" has lost none of its impact since its 1982 release. Envisioned as an album that would thematically and spiritually embody the scope of the great American Beat Poets, the album starts of with the spectre of "Neal and Jack and Me," told from the perspective of "a 1952 Starline Coupe."
   
   But "Beat" also means rhythm, and the album has its share of that. "Neurotica" is a distant second to "Discipline's" "Elephant Talk," but the pulse underneath it is irresistible. The instrumental "Satori In Tangier" is made of the sort of polyrythyms that put the Talking Heads into overdrive. And if matching the spirit of the freewheeling and free-associating Beats was one of King Crimson's goals, then the aptly titled "The Howler" and angry clashing finale "Requiem" to just that.
   
   The main difference between "Beat" and the bookending albums in Crimson's 80's block is that Adrian Belew's melodic and romantic streaks barrel to the head of the stage twice here. "Heartbeat" is the closest thing to a popsong the band recorded, with Belew liking it so much that he still pulls it out on his solo performances. His wife Margaret Belew penned the romantic "Two Hands." They are so much softer in tone than anything on "Discipline" that many fans of that album cried sell-out. But they miss the point. The "Beat" movement was all about sharing wisdom and commonality, discovering the brilliance in the everyday and gaining the freedom to be exactly the person you wanted to be. Should that goal be euphoria, then appreciating the beauty of art ("Two Hands") or the ecstasy of love ("Heartbeat") would be a part of that.
   
   If not, well, the live review of random animal parts in "Neurotica" might be for you. Either way, "Beat" is not to be missed.
   
   I also got a major kick out of seeing a picture of the ticket for the July 1982 concert ticket at the Mann Theater. I happened to be at that very show, the summer after graduating college. A spectacular show, and made me appreciate this album even more.



4. The album starts strong with the first three songs, but it soon turns into a strange mixture of sounds goin' nowhere. Very far behing "Discipline" in my mind



5. This record sounds better to me now than it did when it came out. In some ways I like it more than Discipline. Here, Crimson goes from 2 extremes pop (heartbeat) to avant-garde Frippertronics (requiem), the rest is everything in between, their most diverse release, still it beat's me why that is because I used to dislike this release

2 comments about Begin.

1. Since the Sony release is not available here, check out the new release from Britain on Creation Records. The new liner notes are superb.

   http://www.blackmail.co.uk/one/html/crev052.html




2. The Millenium is a pop/rock band that was around in the late 60s, hailing from California. Their songs are catchy a la Peter and Gordon (and beatles, monkees, etc) and production is smooth like "pet sounds" or many of Phil Spectors project. The leader of the band was a one time player in the more popluar band, the Association. The songs are tightly knit 3 minute at most burst of thought out fun and edearing thoughts. They add a touch of exotica/bossa nova percusion to songs such as 5 am. For any fan of good guitar based, smooth pop music or any 60s music, this will be a great addition to your musical world. Enjoy!