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Author Archives: Franko
THE DUKES – Self Titled – (Warner Brothers) – 1979
I had no idea who this band were though I thought they were American. As it turns out they are English. Unfortunately this is dire regardless which side of the Atlantic they are from. This is a second … Continue reading
TEX RITTER – Songs from the Western Screen – (Capitol) – 1958
This album was always going to be a winner for me as it merges some things I love, namely, cowboy songs and cowboy movies. Tex (1905 -1973) was one of the great exponents of the Hollywood cowboy song. If … Continue reading
THE BABYS – Broken Heart – (Chrysalis) – 1977
I only knew The Babys from the single "Isn't it Time" which is still a magnificent piece of AOR pop released on the cusp of punk and new wave. The Babys, critically, are usually referred to as one of the the … Continue reading
THE BEACH BOYS – Beach Boys’ Party – (Capitol) – 1965
Cats and pigeons … Warning … generalisations abound. I acknowledge there are always exceptions but for the purpose of this comment, generalisations abound … read on … The Beach Boys were what they call in the United States a “working band”. … Continue reading
GARY LEWIS & THE PLAYBOYS – (You Don’t Have to) Paint me a Picture – (Liberty) – 1967
This album is out of step with 1967 musically. Even by Gary Lewis standards this album is regressive. That doesn't mean it's bad, at least not to my ears. It's just a little samey with none of the highs on his … Continue reading
JOHNNY CASH – Gone Girl – (Columbia) – 1978
This is one of the few Johnny Cash albums I don't have. It comes from the "forgotten" period of Cash. That is the period between his commercial peak in the early 70s and when he was discovered by Generation X as … Continue reading
ADAM FAITH – I Survive ( Warner Brothers) – 1974
Faith was from that remarkable period of English music after the invasion of American rock but before the rise of the Beatles. New Romantic, baggy, grebo, punk, ska, mod etc have all been discussed and analysed ad nauseam by scholarly English … Continue reading
ALBERT HAMMOND – The Free Electric Band – (CBS) – 1973
Anyone who wrote and sang "It Never Rains in Southern California" has to be cut some slack. Surely it's one of the best songs to come out of the California singer-songwriter movement in the early 70s. That it was sung … Continue reading
RICK SPRINGFIELD – Beginnings – (Sparmac) – 1972
This one has been kicking around for at least 25 years. I bought back in the 80s, liked it, and put it in my collection. I then had a clean out and decided to get rid of it. Finally, I … Continue reading
