5 comments about Just for Love.

1. This is an album that I've been missing for years. The sounds in this work send me back to a time of youth and naive freedom. It's wonderful to hear again.



2. This is one of the few best produced CDs in the history of Rock music, and way more. When I first heard this on vinyl back in the early 70s, I was mesmerized by the amazing quality of the materials, their performance, and the recording. I've liked the first two albums of the Quicksilver Messenger Service, but this album really cemented my love for their music. Someone mentioned in his/her review that you had to listen to them perform live to really know their music, but for me who lived in the other part of the world, this album really did it.
   
   While Dino Valenti's materials are quite different from what the band has been playing prior to this album, the way many of his tunes are arranged and the overall tone and the feel of the entire album, are so sublime. Every member of the band sounds very well-integrated to the music as well.
   
   Particularly the way the lead guitarist Gary Duncan plays on this album is out of this world; way above and beyond the realm of the typical Rock guitar playing. From the powerful thrilling boogie glides on "Freeway Flyer" to the intoxicatingly beautiful and sensual melodic whispers and caresses on "Gone Again," his guitar consistently and spontaneously delivers what seems to be just the right sound for the moment and the context, but never a dull moment. Because of his masterful use of the instruments and sound effects, the sounds coming out of his guitars always provide the most interesting dynamics, rich tones, and colorful textures to the music. His fantastic solo on "Fresh Air" sends anyone to that far-out heaven each time he hits that first note. Duncan's extremely evolved, uniquely compositional, and unparalleled melody sense contributes so much to the excellence of this album as does to the music of the band in its entirety.
   
   If I had to pick only one Rock CD to listen to the rest of my life, this would be the one.



3. With the long-awaited return of Dino Valente to the band as singer and songwriter, Quicksilver Messenger Service marked perhaps its finest hour during the recording of this particular album. Unfortunately, Mr. Valente had been absent during the recording of the band's previous two studio albums, "Quicksilver Messenger Service" and "Shady Grove", and during the band's live concert recording, namely, the album, "Happy Trails." Problems with the law and a failed attempt to make it happen musically in New York City alone and also with QMS colleague, guitarist Gary Duncan, drew him away from the band for an extended period of time. The added absence of Gary Duncan prompted the rest of the band to ask Nicky Hopkins to join them during the recording of their second studio album. Nicky Hopkins was one of rock history's preeminent pianists, having had contributed his talent to many memorable albums by top artists, ranging from the Rolling Stones to the Who. There is no exception here, with Quicksilver Messenger Service, as evident on this particular album, and on the previous studio album, especially on the song entitled, "Edward, the Mad Shirt Grinder."
   
   The band at this stage of its history also included a gifted guitarist by the name of John Cipollina whose style was quite unique--John Cipollina oftentimes used the tremolo bar on his solid-body Gibson while playing solos and also while playing as a counterpoint to the guitar work of fellow band member, Gary Duncan. A wonderful aspect of the band at this particular point in time was the fact that two of its members were capable of playing "true" lead guitar at any one time. Unfortunately, shortly after the recording of this album, John Cipollina left the band. He eventually formed the band, Copperhead.



4. I grew up in the Bay Area in the late sixties so I became very familiar with the "San Francisco" bands of that time and I seemed to enjoy many of the bands that never had "tremendous success". Quicksilver falls into that category and I have to admit they were among many of the groups of that area and time that had to be experienced live to know what they were really like and to see them at their best. That's not to say that I don't like their studio material because I do. This album was a new direction for Quicksilver with Dino Valenti returning after doing some time for a drug bust. While this may not be their strongest album I would have to say it's worth buying for the song "Fresh Air" which became a sort of an anthem of that time. This album and the one that followed "What About Me" are essential to any Quicksilver fan that is serious about what this band was about and wants to experience the magic of the music of that time and place. Some other bands worth looking into to get the flavor of that era: Moby Grape, Cold Blood, It's a Beautiful Day, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Malo, Hot Tuna, Tower of Power, The Youngbloods, Blue Cheer, The Blues Image, Eric Burdon & the Animals, and Country Joe and the Fish. They just don't make 'em like that anymore sorry to say.



5. Certainly QMS represented the best of "Jam Rock" with their style of 2 guitar, point and counterpoint method of playing.Whether intentional or not they touched the very essence of classical music structure and connotation,which resulted in a musical conversation rather than merely a song.They gave a great effort on this album and it was well engineered

5 comments about Anthology.

1. In recent years a number of live albums have been produced with less than stellar coverage of the bands peak period music recorded in studio decades earlier. This album is the perfect collection of best songs in studio form -- the way they are meant to be heard. I have 7 tracks rated four star, and 2 rated five star. That is remarkable.



2. For me, the "Moody Blues Anthology" is a wonderful double CD, just like "This is The Moody Blues." This compilation is like a condensed version of "Time Traveller" with the addition of "Go Now."
   
   It's nice that this set includes the full versions of "Tuesday Afternoon" and "Nights in White Satin" (with the orchestra, contrary to the shorter mixes featured on "The Best of The Moody Blues"). These are my favorite mixes of the tracks, featuring the "Days of Future Passed" CD mix of "Tuesday Afternoon" and the "Days of Future Passed" vinyl mix of "Nights." It's also nice to see that, on this occasion, "Nights" gives mention to "Late Lament," written by Graeme Edge, on the song list (Previously noted on the "Prelude" and "This is The Moody Blues" CD's).
   
   The "Best of" mix of "Ride My See-Saw" is on here, so there is no cross-fade from the "Departure" track, on "In Search of the Lost Chord" ... This mix begins with the count in. There is just one Ray Thomas track on this release, which is "Legend of a Mind," one of my favorite Ray Thomas compositions (and awesome to listen to through headphones). Then, we get "Voices in the Sky," which should have appeared on the 1985 best of compilation featuring that song title as the name of the album!
   
   Two more Justin Hayward tunes follow from "On The Threshold of a Dream," including, "Lovely to See You" and "Never Comes The Day" ... I love the way the first of the two songs is faded in, because we hear the choir and mellotrons that end out, "In The Beginning," from the original LP, a really cool effect.
   
   Up next are three of my favorites, from "To Our Children's Children's Children," the 'mellotron-driven' "Gypsy," "Candle of Life," and "Watching and Waiting," and from "A Question of Balance," the original LP mix of "Question" appears, along with "Melancholy Man," which are two of the album's highlights.
   
   It was also a treat to hear the single mix of "The Story in Your Eyes," originally from the "Legend of a Band" CD, which is a few seconds longer than the mix heard on "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour."
   
   From "Seventh Sojourn," the two John Lodge classics, "Isn't Life Strange" and "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)" end out the first disc. The original version of "Isn't Life Strange" appears here (not the remake on "Legend of a Band"), and "I'm Just a Singer" starts off with the loud, crashing drums, not the cross-fade from "When You're a Free Man," from the original LP. It was also a treat to get one more tune from "Sojourn," Mike Pinder's, "Lost in a Lost World."
   
   Opening up the second disc is Justin Hayward and John Lodge's "Remember Me, My Friend," from "Blue Jays" ... Notice that the opening guitar riff lasts only three bars instead of four ... This is because the opening riff was cross-faded with the synthesizer from "This Morning," as heard on the "Blue Jays" album, so it was edited out.
   
   "Blue Guitar," also makes another appearance on a "Best of" compilation, and it's a nice bridge between the "Blue Jays" track and the material from "Octave."
   
   "Stepping in a Slide Zone" and "Driftwood" appear from "Octave," but because of the length of the CD, both songs are edited down a bit, with the sound effects from the intro to "Slide Zone" missing, and "Driftwood" fading out about a half minute earlier than the full version on "Octave."
   
   Justin Hayward's "Forever Autumn" follows, creating a nice bridge between the timeline of "Octave," and "Long Distance Voyager."
   
   From "Long Distance Voyager," the full length hits, "The Voice" and "Gemini Dream" are heard on this collection (Not the single edits from the "Voices in the Sky" compilation), but there is an edited version of John Lodge's "Talking out of Turn," which I first heard on the earlier CD version of "Voices in the Sky."
   
   Excerpts from "The Present" include, "Blue World" and "Sitting at the Wheel." Once again, as heard on "Time Traveller," the end of "Blue World" is cross-faded with the intro to "Sitting at the Wheel."
   
   From "The Other Side of Life," both the title track and "Your Wildest Dreams" appear ... While I was disappointed that "The Other Side of Life" didn't appear on "The Best of The Moody Blues," I'm glad to see that it is featured in this collection. :)
   
   The pairing of "Sur La Mer's" "I Know You're Out There Somewhere" and "Keys of the Kingdom's" "Say it With Love" were nice, as they are played in the same chord, but a big surprise I've noticed was that the mix of "Bless the Wings That Bring You Back" was taken from the CD single mix of that track ... This mix features the orchestra, and lasts about four minutes instead of five. Until this release, this mix of "Bless The Wings" was very rare, so I'm glad it made a reappearance here.
   
   The final track, "Highway," makes a reappearance here, since the "Time Traveller" Box Set, which debuted this tune ... I'm glad this track received some recognition, once again. :)
   
   There was just one criticism I had on this release ... This was in regard to the edited down versions of "Driftwood" and "Talking out of Turn," which are better suited for the 2 CD set titled "The Singles+" (I'm not big on edited down songs, and those were two fine songs that should be left at their regular length). Since the full length mixes of the songs wouldn't fit the length of the overall CD, I would rather see them replaced by shorter songs like "Veteran Cosmic Rocker" and "This is The Moment." It's a shame that there was only one Ray Thomas composition that appeared on this collection ... At least two of his songs could have been featured, so I think "Veteran Cosmic Rocker" would have been a nice choice, too.
   
   On the whole, this is an excellent double CD compilation for The Moody Blues, with a great selection of songs and outstanding sound quality. The inside of the CD booklet, featuring the two different colored planets behind the track list, made for a visual treat, as well! Thanks for reading! God Bless... :)



3. The only reason this does not get 5 stars is due to sound quality. Yes, it is a great capture of their work. But I was disapponted by the sound quality. It sounds like the original CD releases, and not "remastered" to current standards. I am not saying they need to re-do the mix from the original tapes (although that would be great), but the sound quality is not all there in my opinion. My guess is that there will likely be another more up-to-date collection that will get released sometime in the future that is remastered properly. Until then (whenver "then" may be), buy this one.



4. AFTER ORDERING THIS CD I WAS INFORMED THAT IT WOULD TAKE ALMOST 2 MONTHS TO GET THIS CD. THE WEEK IT WAS DUE TO COME I RECEIVED AN EMAIL STATING THAT IT WAS NO LONGER AVAILABLE AND THE ORDER WAS CANCELLED.



5. The Moody Blues 'Anthology' is a thorough treat for Moody's fans. It contains all that it should, and, even some songs it shouldn't, but it is selective enough for those of us who love being transported by the groups esoteric words and uplifting music. Objectively, they are uneven here. The 'Best of' collection is really the same collection, pared down to one CD and actually has the same basic picture on the disc cover. While the shorter version is better, the longer 'Anthology' is more satisfying.
   
   The Moodies made a successful classical-rock fusion. Before Electric Light Orchestra, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, and others, they were masters. When they went fast-forward, they couldn't be beat. "Ride My See-Saw," "Story in Your Eyes," and "I'm Just a Singer (in a Rock-and-Roll Band)" are magnificent. The second song is as close to perfection as they get. Lyrically, they can either mesmerize or mystify. At their best, their free-association works; at their worst, they inspire giggles. The quieter songs are also a mixed bag. Either way, they mean to take us to a higher plain. "The Candle of Life" is so beautiful with crystal-clear production that they make other songs sound murky. The lyrics work well, too. In contrast "Lovely to See You" is magnificent musically, but could easily be parodied. What randomness goes into seeing a neighbor, noticing the neighbor will "even the score with your[his/her] eyes," and observing casually the prophecy that "all the empires will turn to sand". For that matter, as grand as "Question" is, the listener is trasported from greed, hate, and war to domestic problems. But, in all fairness, for the abrupt shifts in the Moody's lyrics, the significant other can uplift one from issues of world misery. "Lost in a Lost World," conversely, does well lyrically, but is less engaging musically. "Forever Autumn," on the other hand, gets it all right. It is a beautiful classic with focused lyrics that work. Another highlight is "Legend of a Mind," which is a very intricate tribute to LSD legend, Timothy Leary. While this reviewer prefers to trip vicariously via the music and at a safer harbor (ie drug free), the music comes close to transporting us without the use of dangerous drugs. Musically, it is subjectively even better than their other magnum opus, "Nights in White Satin". "Melancholy Man" is another portrait, although more enigmatic. It is difficult if it is confessional or third-person, but the mysticism seems to get mixed into the cross-hairs of depression. (It seems like an alien who becomes "The Fool on the Hill" if it isn't autobiographical.) Mostly, the editing is sound for the collecion. 'Anthology' wisely leaves behind works from other collections, including the trite "Dear Diary"--even if that one ends on an atomic note. It also leaves plenty of opportunity to collect their original albums.
   
   The first disc is more worthwhile than the second, but, again, for fans, one can't get enough. "The Voice" and "I Know You're out There Somewhere" demonstrate that their legend didn't end after the early seventies. Much of the production is more modern than their earlier work, but not all of it is as good. "Stepping in a Slide Zone" is just like "Driftwood" for the album. Overall, again, "Best Of..." is a five-star representation, but 'Anthology' shows that their catalog deserves elaboration.

5 comments about Our Music Is Red - With Purple Flashes.

1. The Creation, the obscure band which only existed for about 3 years in the 1960's, has somehow become a legend in British pop-art psych-rock and an inspiration to many later bands.
   
   The group recorded less than thirty songs in the sixties and the majority of them are included on this collection. The only recording I'm aware of that's not included is the instrumental "Sylvette" which was originally released on a French EP.
   
   Their records were produced by Shel Talmy and their earliest recordings do have a lot in common with the early Who, which Talmy also produced.
   
   The two first singles released in 1966 were very strong, but unfortunately only "Painterman" became a minor hit in their home-country. In several European countries they were more successful and in Germany they actually released two albums during 1967-68.
   
   Tensions with the band led to leadsinger Kenny Pickett leaving the group in early 1967 and bass-player Bob Garner took over as lead-vocalist. The group wrote the majority of their material themselves, with guitarist Eddie Phillips as the most prolific. The singles released in 1967 with Garner in front were ambitious but uneven and none of them managed achieve the relative success of "Painterman".
   
   The album "We are Paintermen" was released in 1967 including their singles, a couple of new originals and some pretty uninspired cover versions.
   
   The line-up of the band became unstable and though experienced musicians like Ron Wood ( Faces / Stones ) were in the band for a brief period in 1968, most of their later recordings lacked the excitement of their 1966-67 material.
   
   Oddly enough some of their best recordings like "I Am the Walker", "Ostrich Man" and "Sweet Helen" were not released long after the group had disbanded.
   
   Apart from the tracks already mentioned "For All That I Am", "Life is Just Beginning" and "Through My Eyes" are songs that justify the band's legendary status.
   
   The group re-united in 1991 and recorded an album which was released after the death of lead-singer Pickett in 1996.



2. If you're a HUGE Creation fan, look no further: this collection gathers all the recorded output of the late 60s U.K. "freakbeat" (insider record fan genre that basically means power pop with psych touches) band in 1 disc. As an extra, you also get rare singles "Ostrich Man" and "Sweet Helen".
   
   The band did innovate in its guitarist's use of viola bow to play and the use of "paint bombs" in their onstage performances. Performance art, though, translates to video and DVD...not CDs. What they'll be judged on HERE is their music.
   
   HIGHLIGHTS:
   "Making Time" comes charging out of the gate with an insistent riff. The Who-like "Painter Man" details the saga of an art school grad who discovers no ones cares about his work. (That is, until he begins to draw nude postcards.) "Try and Stop Me" is in the Hollies mode..a nifty pop nugget, while "Can I Join Your Band?" is a witty Brit version of "So You Want to be a Rock and Roll Star" featuring this lyrical gem: "Can I join your band?/My new guitar/my coat is suede...I'm a hippie guy/Always stoned and 8 miles high."
   
   LOWS:
   The biggest curse of albums of this vintage is a profusion of cover songs to pad out albums. Often, this was done without regard to whether the tunes fit the band well. On here, the most egregious examples are the pallid remake of "Like a Rolling Stone" and the limp "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" which won't have anyone getting rid of their Buckinghams CD.
   
   BOTTOM LINE:
   Diehard 60s "acid/garage rock" heads will probably find this a must but for the rest of us, it's hit and miss. If you find it in a bargain bin (as I did), definitely get it...the great stuff is worth having. But do NOT pay the hefty import price.



3. If you like mid '60s garage, freakbeat, Mod, British Invasion stuff, get this. Its something of a must have for aficionados of '60s mod rock. I've been in many bands that covered Creation songs and really feel at home with much of this material. Most people will recognize "Making Time" from the movie Rushmore.
   Not every song works but there are enough good ones to merit the price. It has the first use of a bowed guitar, before Jimmy Page even. Lots o fun.



4. The ultimate Mod album.

   PS - "Biff! Bang! Pow!"'s opening chords are identical to The Who's "A Legal Matter." They only closely resemble "My Generation"'s opening chords. But only a fanatical spoilsport would mention this. :-)




5. This collection of the short lasting , British , not to mention Brilliant, mid 60's garage group,"The Creation", are by far one of the great unknown legends of rock n roll. With over 20 tracks of melodic ,acidic, arangements with eye brow raising lyrics, "Our Music is Red with Purple Flashes" is by far my favorite album at the moment. The Creation could of easily been taken into high acclaim in the mid to late 60's ,alike The Who The Yardbirds,The Pink Floyd(with Syd Barret not the overated Dave) and The Animals, they were unknown and brilliant which is why buying this album is a really great idea, if your into the eary 60's garage sound, and the sort of "pyscadellic" phase, buy this!!!!! My favorite tracks include, "Making Time" (currently famous from the soundtrack of Wes Anderson's Rushmore)
   "life is just begining" , "painter man" (later coverd by The Television personalties, along with making time) "The girls are naked and they dance"

5 comments about Shakedown Street.

1. I associate Shakedown Street with a love interest I had in college, whose favorite song on this album was "Fire on the Mountain." Her favorite song then became one of my favorite Dead songs and years later it's still a favorite. (Funny how those things happen.) Shakedown Street (1978) is the the Grateful Dead's tenth studio album, and is Definitive Dead--essential to any serious rock collection. It is a fusion of rock, funk, blues, reggae, country, and improvisational jam. Produced by Lowell George of Little Feat, the album has a funky Little Feat groove. The album features Garcia and Weir on vocals and guitars, Lesh on bass and vocals, Keith Godchaux on vocals and keyboards, Donna Jean Godchaux on vocals, and Kreutzmann and Hart on percussion. I first experienced this album on vinyl. The remastered CD is worth the upgrade from vinyl, featuring the following setlist:
   
   1. Good Lovin'
   2. France
   3. Shakedown Street
   4. Srengetti
   5. Fire On The Mountain
   6. I Need A Miracle
   7. From The Heart Of Me
   8. Stagger Lee
   9. All New Minglewood Blues
   10. If I Had The World To Give
   
   11. Good Lovin' (studio outtake featuring Lowell George on vocals)
   12. Ollin Arageed (recorded live in Cairo, Egypt, September 16, 1978)
   13. Fire On The Mountain (recorded live in Cairo, September 16, 1978)
   14. Stagger Lee (recorded live in Cairo, Egypt on September 15, 1978)
   15. All New Minglewood (recorded live in New Jersey on November 24, 1978)
   
   G. Merritt



2. This purchase was to replace an old, long-lost copy. I've always liked their studio-produced stuff, much to the chagrin of some more serious aficionados. Every once in a while it's nice to hear a nice crisp rendition than to have to pore over tons of bootlegs to find just the one.



3. I've always had great affection for this album. Their cover of "Good Lovin'" is absolutely irresistible. This album is likely to appear to non-Dead fans to, as it is funkier and tighter than most.



4. Released in 1978, this was the Grateful Dead's tenth studio album and 14th overall. Oringally, it had 10 songs and was just under 39 minutes long. With the bonus tracks, it comes out to 74 minutes.
   
   On the first CD release of this album, the sound quality was mediocre. All of these remastered Grateful Dead CD's have excellent sound. They are recorded in HDCD (24 bit instead of the standard 16) so they sound better than normal CD's. And if you have a CD player that has the HDCD decoder, they sound stunning.
   
   All of the remastered Grateful Dead CD's have bonus material to bring the total playing time up to close to 80 minutes. The bonus material has been very good on some CD's (like Blues for Allah) to disappointing on others (American Beauty).
   
   Except for Ollin Arageed, the bonus material on Shakedown Street is not very good. Ollin Arageed is the best thing on the CD, and one of the best and more unusual tracks by the Grateful Dead. The other tracks are a version Good Lovin' with Lowell George on vocals (which isn't as good as Bob Wier's inspired version), and then a bunch of live songs. The live material is nothing special, just rambling versions of some of the studio songs. Even the 13 minute Fire On the Mountain is nothing special. I have heard much better live versions of this song.
   
   As for the original Shakedown Street was produced by Lowell George of Little Feat (about a year before he died). It kind of goes back to the days of American Beauty and Workingman's Dead (but with more of a seventies flavor). Rumor has it that the Dead were looking for a hit and conformed the music to the sounds of the time. Some say there is a bit of disco flavor in this. But, I don't agree.
   
   Just like most Grateful Dead albums, there are some great songs on this CD (a rollicking version of the Little Rascal's Good Lovin', Shakedown Street, I Need a Miracle, Fire on the Mountain) with a bunch of mediocre songs. Even the great American Beauty album was not consistant throughout.
   
   This is a three to four star CD. I tilt to 3 stars because the bonus material isn't very good.



5. This is an okay record. Basic the band wanted to record another album before their Egypt performances in 1978. So they went into the band's new studio and began recording before they even had enough new songs and unfortunatly, it shows. This album has a much more plays it straight feel than others. This might have had something to do with Terrapin Station's somewhat over the top production. Dispite all this, there's some nice stuff on here. The Good Lovin' that opens this album is quite good. France I've come to like okay although that's probably because it was never played live and thus is kind of a rarity. The best things about this Shakedown Street is the cool little Jerry string bending overdubs and the fact that it's one of the few times I've heard all the vocals onkey. Serengetti is fun but short. Fire On The Mountain turns out in a nice version. I Need A Miracle is a straight up rocker that's actually pretty basic for the Dead. Once again, one of the problems some of the band members had with Terrapin was that it didn't rock out enough. Donna's From The Heart Of Me has a cool hook. Both Stagger Lee and All New Minglewood Blues are no great shakes. From The Heart Of Me was a tune written to be romantic and it's okay. It was only played live three times. Of all the bonus stuff, the best is Ollin Arageed.

2 comments about Pushin' Too Hard: The Best of the Seeds.

1. The Seeds have been dismissed since they first arrived on the scene. This collection won't help that appraisal. Too bad. This is primal, grinding stuff that in the original vinyl configurations rocked with a unique, twisted snarl like few others from that era. The first album in itself, in its mono original form, is unlike any other. But this collection is just another excuse to recycle poor-sounding replicas of the masters. Plus, it lacks one of The Seeds classic, "Out of the Question, often covered by bands in modern times. Too bad Audio Fidelity and Steve Hoffman were unable to secure the masters as they attempted to do several years ago due to "Sky's people," whoever they may be.



2. Nice package....attractive and it has almost all of the tracks by this minor group that you would want, but they took the GNP Crescendo album master tapes...complete with tons of horrible-sounding rechanneled tracks and grungy, distorted stereo.
   
   The sound is no better than the old GNP CDs that have been around for years....which were 10th generation copies of the masters for the vinyl LPs.
   
   Finally, the track are in no particular order and there's no information about each track fits into The Seeds body of music.
   
   It's apparent that the guy who prepared this collection (Pat Gilbert) knows nothing about the era and is defintively not the guy to have done this reissue.

4 comments about White Lace & Strange.

1. Very simply the best cd I've listened to in years. If you like heavy guitar fuzz and Hammond organ trifles AND superb vocals, this fits the bill completely. There was a period between the psychedelic 1960's and the simple 'rock' music of the early 70's (you know, where the guitar and bass are always playing the same note at the same time), this is the gap between the two eras and the music is GRRRREAT! Very, very highly recommended.



2. Great music here, which is the most important thing. But there is only scant, anecdotal info on each band and song- barely any info on dates, studios, producers, band members, chart positions (unlikely anyway). It's not exactly a bargain price cd, why skimp on one of the majors things that distinguish cds from mp3s?



3. When I scanned the titles on this comp, it just sent back to a wonderful time and place when Music was #1 and a song COULD change your life. These songs may have all been actually released as singles, I don't know, but I do know a lot of the songs from the albums they were on. Hook was on Uni-had maybe two LPs. Always decent. Get in the Wind by Illinois Speed Press (actual a couple members of the Buckinghams was in this band and member went on to be in such bands as Poco, Fabulous Rhinestones and others) The promo single had the instrumental on the B side! Fuzzed out Excellence. Mt Rushmore?! One of their albums was called "Get High on Mt Rushmore" on Dot, I think. Top notch grungy rock and blues. Many of these bands are those low-to-mid level collectible lps that go for way too much money these days. I have a friend who calls this 'facial Hair' music,. He doesn't like it. I Do!
   Here is a good collection to see if you actually like the sound before you send a fair amount of money for the album. Anyway, thanks for the great memories. And the music is great late 60's rock.



4. Leave it to Nick Saloman(alias Bevis Frond) to make a compilation of obscurites from the sixties the right way. This sure sounds like master tapes were used throughout due to the excellent mastering by Dave Blackman. If not they sure fooled my ears. I could go on about the excellent packaging,etc. but it all comes down to the music. Every song is excellent and exploding with originality but Road (Spaceship Earth) Yellow Pages (I'm a Man-easily equal to The Yardbirds original but I actually like it more) Lincoln Street Exit (Time has Come,Gonna Die) and The Fort Mudge Memorial Dump (The Seventh is Death) totally blew my mind. Thanks again Nick, you make the world a better place for all us nuts who refuse to become Millenium Mummies and hunger for more unheard treasures from the greatest decade of music there will ever be.

5 comments about Ariola Years.

1. I've had these albums on my CD want list for years and it's great they are finally here. The first album is the best in my opinion. When I first got it (on the original Gold Mine label before its reissuance on Ariola) I was blown away by the tight musicianship of this band. They reflect some touches of Chicago, Sanford-Townsend Band, Ambrosia and Tower of Power, among others. The sequence of the first seven tracks is one of the best ever for a rock album, especially the soulful "Here is Where Your Love 'Be-lao-wongs'" and "Imagination's Sake." Grab a copy while it's still available.



2. The Sons are probably one of the Top Ten Most Underrated Bands of All Time. This collection more or less completes their non-bootlegged catalog (p.s. they are still creating their catalog - see "Hip L'il Dreams"). while some of the songs on this compilation border on 70's-overproduced, Bill Champlin's always-soulful vocals more than make up for it. This is a "must own" for aficionados of blue-eyed soul, horn bands and good music in general - beautiful ballads, gritty funk and everything in between.



3. While the Sons Of Champlin were one of the first of the San Francisco ballroom bands, they were one of the last to be signed. When they finally did relese an album it was a masterpiece that unfortunatly wasn't a big seller. To compound matters before it's release somebody noticed that hidden in the very psychedellic cover was the phrase "big f**king deal" which they insised on having cut with a razor blade to obscure the phrase before it could ship to the stores delaying it till after the promotional push had passed. This was typical of their luck that kept them from larger acceptance. The album at hand is from the three later albums after they were dropped by Capitol & Columbia & before they broke up (they later reformed). All three were great albums that have held up very well indeed & it's very nice to have this music on CD. My cherrished vinyl copies have just about had it. Not a bad song on the set! All I can say is "Surrender, you just might fall in love". Alfter all this time it's great that they are still performing. Don't miss them if you get the chance & don't miss this CD.



4. Always been a fan of Bill C. in all of his combinations and I'm old enough to go back to the Loosen Up Naturally Days of the Sons (which I think is great, but epic? Hmmm.) I just wanted to get my two cents in about the production of the CD. I bought it at a place that warned me about other titles from Ariola that sounded less than fantastic. This remastering sounds great and I agree with the earlier performance reviews comparing to early Boz Scaggs and TOP. If you are a fan of the Sons don't worry about the sound of this CD. You will not be let down.



5. To be with some perspective , I am not a fan of rock musics, have my favourites.
   
   I do not consider the Sons of Champlin a rock musics grupo, even if they were a Hippy band from the USA , and from São Francisco!
   
   The recordings I heard before the wonderful Ariola record label releases were fun, creative, adventurous harmonically and FUNKY as 3 month old underwears, BUT...probably do to excessive narcotic refreshments, the Sons were ragged sounding to my ears, and the jazz-influenced guitar of Terry Haggerty most enjoyable AND irritating, same time. He comes from jazz guitar family , as I was told..Bill Champlin's voice, much like his "vanilla soul" fratello Lowell George, was sweet like honey or soulful to the stars!
   
   BUT, to this recording of ALL THREE Ariola recordings have smooth out the edges, the compositions more cogent and chord progressions less sounding as forced, (obvious the influence of the jazz contingency in the band ~~later including , for one CD, MArk Isham!).
   T Hagerty still plays his own way, but, check some songs, he plays a fluid jazz style, again, comparable to Denny Dias on early Steely Dan,a STRAIGHT UP jazzer!
   
   Some hypnotic musical interludes, some polished ballads, and, what you have is less a pseudo-R& B influenced rock group, but a true jazz/funk/soul aggregation, although there are a few "throw back" tunes that have the "trademark" Sons of Champlin sound. These, MY least favourite .
   
   The 2nd CD is the most innovative, the 1st CD (2 recordings) have a sound as reminding one of the EARLY Boz Scaggs (before he went "Hollywood") and not quite, but a bit as the other São Francisco(actually Oakland, no?) "horn bands" like Tower of Power , Cold Blood, etc.
   
   The trademark Sons of Champlin composing style is also abundant, especially as CD #1 draws to the 10-21 tracks.
   
   So, this CD a MUST for any fan , not only for the Sons, but of very well conceived soul/jazz sounds.
   
   100 stars, and FINALLY this music was released, I first hear it in 1975-77!

5 comments about Reckoning.

1. While the Dead's live concerts tend toward the trippy, long guitar solos which have become famous (not a bad thing at all), this is a whole different animal.
   
   Almost all accoustic, shorter, lively pieces, make this a unique addition to the Dead's legendary live archive. Anyone who loves American Beauty and Workingman's Dead should love this set.



2. My mom is all into Bob Dylan, my Dad likes mostly just opera, my younger sister is into "emo" music. So the only Deadheads are me and my older sister. But that's cool, because EVERYONE loves this CD...buy it for your family, too!
   
   This is on overlooked Dead gem...in my opinion, you should buy this over American Beauty. Reckoning is like American Beauty...with real depth and energy.
   
   It has a wonderful warm sound to it, and I don't know what magic the producers worked on these soundboard recordings, but Jerry's guitar has a really sweet tone that I'll admit I have no found on any of the distributed concert recordings I've listened to. Songs like "To Lay Me Down" and "Ripple" will have an eternal effect on you...you will not be able to forget them.
   
   Five stars, this is the Grateful Dead, live and at their best.



3. What more to say......if you are new to the Dead then look no further. This is about as good as it gets and shows just how good they really could be. If you're already a fan then you really got to have this one to complete the collection.



4. I own over 20 Grateful Dead Albums and this one is my favorite! With songs like "To Lay Me Down" and "It Must Have Been The Roses, this album show a little bit "softer" side of the dead, but it has a lot of nice upbeat tunes and jams as well.
   I recommend the Remastered CD over this one, for the song "Heaven Help The Fool" if nothing else. It's one of those moments where they are just kind of playing around but it sounds so good.
   -Also try "Europe 72" or "Hundred Year Hall" for some old GD classics.



5. A live recording, acoustic geetars, tribal drumming, phil lesh, what esle could a head ask for? These are all very traditional tunes conjured into brilliant dead jams and garcia highlights. Besides actually attending these concerts at Radio City Hall in 1980 having this album is the next best thing.GOTO SHOWS!
   
   I think that themes of murder, revenge and lost love are prominent on all the songs, except maybe moinkey and the engineer, a hilarious portrait of bobby weir. However the lyrics r only superficial to the music, the sounds of a band deeply exploring within itself are the highlights here. The sound on this album is one of the best of all the grateful dead albums, the other ones, american beauty and workingmans may have decent sound but just don't have upbeat tracks, the kind that can only be captured live. All in all this is the best Grateful Dead cd, not the best moment in music perhaps, but with the name grateful dead we give the tunes some here and there, ok!

5 comments about Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1972-1992.

1. After the first flawless Motown box set finished up with 1971, it was inevitable that there was going to be a drop in quality on the second volume. When Stevie Wonder's contribution to disc two is the masterful "Sir Duke" and just one disc later we're hit with the wretched-without-bounds "I Just Called to Say I Love You," it's virtually impossible to wonder where it all went wrong. Closing out the set with the hilariously mawkish "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men is the sadly appropriate death knell for a once proud label that lost its way. It's hard to connect most of this music to the label that once released 'Innervisions' or 'What's Going On' or 'Cloud Nine'.



2. I have loved the Motown sound ever since I was a little kid. So many of those songs have added pleasure to my life. A few years ago I bought the first box set and voraciously consumed it. Every song there was a classic. I only wished it included a lot more music.
   
   I recently saw that there was a second installment to Hitsville USA. I bought it immediately, and I was encouraged by the generally good reviews here on Amazon. But, wow, I regretfully must report to you that this set does not have the Motown Sound that I know and love. Perhaps a quarter of these songs are very good, but the other three-quarters I do not like at all. They are campy, disco-like atrocities which in my mind are the antithesis of the earthy, passionate, natural sound of real Motown. I do like soul music outside of Motown, but these songs do not come close to even good, authentic soul music. Most of these are bad disco songs which have the second-generation Motown label affixed for prestige. Please don't get this expecting the classic Motown sound, because you won't find it here. Even the small percentage of good songs here don't sound like Motown; I'm not sure exactly how you would categorize them.
   
   The remaining 75% of the music on these discs is of that category of "Music that I Affirmatively Try to Avoid." If Motown was one of the pinnacles of modern music, many of these songs are the valleys. Real Motown was silk; this is a plastic tarp. Again, I emphasize the synthetic, synthesizer-intensive foundation, with the pre-pubescent, screechy, annoying vocals. Motown is all about a thumping, plodding deep bass, with a great guitar groove, and supernaturally beatiful lyrics and voices. Even most of Smokey's stuff here doesn't do much for me, and I love Smokey. The amazing documentary film "In the Shadow of Motown" might have discussed this period in Motown's history, if it did, I'm sure it is characterized as the (steep, almost vertical) decline. The folks who were the subject matter of that film were REAL MUSICIANS, the best musicians the world has ever known; they weren't a bunch of beeping, buzzing computers and polyester-wearing prancing disco-dancers.
   
   I will never listen to these discs straight-through again. I'll just skip over to the few good tracks. The preponderance of these songs were downright painful, they represent the worst of the 70's and 80's. I wish they had merely augmented the collection of real Motown, rather than used the songs which rode on the coat-tails of the real (and legendary) Motown.



3. In the past years I have ordered from individuals via Amazon as opposed to Amazon.com directly. This time, this particular item was offered through Amazon at basically the same cost and I received the item faster than I ever had before. From now on if Amazon offers any item I wish to purchase, I'll order it through Amazon directly.



4. Not quite as strong as the first Motown boxed set but then again I'm partial to the earlier songs during the illustrious Motown of the '60s. 4.5 stars.



5. ALL I CAN SAY IS IF YOU LIKE THE MOTOWN SOUND THEN YOU WOULD LIKE THIS CD. I LIKE IT AND ENJOY IT AND I WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND ANYONE WHO LIKES THE MOTOWN SOUND OF YESTERYEAR TO BUY THIS ALBUM BECAUSE YOU WOULD DEFINITELY ENJOY IT.

5 comments about Dark Horse.

1. George Harrison's 1974 rush-release suffers from his obvious laryngitis - surely he could have waited until a full recovery. Not surprisingly, the best track on "Dark Horse" is the opening instrumental, "Hari's on Tour." Despite the impeccable musicianship, George's shredded voice ruins everything from the title song to an unnecessary remake of "Bye Bye Love." The world's finest digital remastering cannot salvage Harrison's weakest album.



2. You must be a real george fan to like this one. Has some good songs.



3. While I'm not quite as enamoured of this album as I was when I originally got it, I still rather enjoy it and consider it a pretty solid and interesting effort. It's too bad that it got roundly panned when it first came out; it seems that a lot of times, the original critical praise or panning stays with an album, book, or movie, and people years later automatically repeat it as though it's set in stone, instead of actually taking the time to discover the product for themselves and come to their own independent conclusions about its worth and merits. And while it's no ATMP (what album ever could hold a candle to George's masterpiece?), it's still a nice album that's long overdue for some critical reevaluation.
   
   The album starts with the instrumental "Hari's on Tour (Express)," and unlike the four interminable pointless meandering jam sessions rammed onto the end of ATMP, this instrumental actually belongs here, doesn't go on forever, is fun to listen to, and has a definite beginning, middle, and end. It also quite helps to set the mood for the songs to come. This instrumental is followed up by the rather nice, lovely, and underrated numbers "Simply Shady" and "So Sad." Unfortunately, as nice as these two songs are, they're kind of marred by George's cracking voice, which is a bit painful to have to listen to. Whatever possessed him to record an album when he was quite sick with laringytis?! "Bye Bye Love," a partial reworking of the old Everly Brothers' classic, is about the same topic as "So Sad," George's failing marriage and how Eric Clapton stole his wife. This song is probably hands-down the single worst song on here, not just because of the scratchy vocals, but because it just seems pointless, weak lyrically, and out of place here. It also seems to drone on a bit long. Side one closes with "Maya Love," a nice jazzy song, influenced by his interest in Indian mysticism and religion.
   
   While "Ding Dong, Ding Dong," the opening track on side two, is hardly one of the standouts of his solo career, it is a fun upbeat peppy song, and also quite original in its focus. Just about everyone out there has done an Xmas record at some point, but how many artists have actually done a song about the New Year? The next song, "Dark Horse," is possibly the best song on here, and for once George's hoarse voice seems to add to instead of subtract from it. It's really beautiful, deep, and introspective. "Far East Man" is a rather touching song about always being there for a friend who needs and counts on you. The album closes with "It Is 'He' (Jai Sri Krishna)," and as a welcome change, the vocals seem normal again. It's a really beautiful chant to Krishna and his main consort Radha. But then again, I'm deeply interested in Indian religion, in particular the Krishna movement, so I'm admittedly a bit biased in my love of this song.
   
   Overall, this isn't the album to recommend to someone just getting into George's solo work, but it does have some very fine moments and isn't nearly the awful record it's been made out to be for decades. And if nothing else, it does have pretty awesome cover art.



4. This is a fabulous album, even though it was critically panned when it first came out. Sure, it's not "All Things Must Pass" or "Taxman", but then, if you were expecting that from George, you missed the message in this album's title track! Great songs on here, especially "Simply Shady", "So Sad", and his post-Pattie venting in his cover of "Bye Bye Love". It took me awhile at first to appreciate it, simply because I was more accustomed to earlier George works, but I'm so glad that I purchased this CD.



5. All us George Harrison fans know we cannot pass by All Things Must Pass as George's probably best post Beatles work. But for this Beatlenut the treasure album of my George collection is this CD Dark Horse. So Sad and Bye Bye Love are particular twists of peculiar fondness by me but the albums classic is the S/T Dark Horse.All George fans alike need to have this gem in their collection.