MIKE SETTLE – Self Titled – (MCA) – 1971

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Franko

  what Frank is listening to #37 – MIKE SETTLE – Self Titled – (MCA) – 1971

 

I knew who Mike Settle was when I bought this … he was a member of Kenny Rogers and the First Edition (a excellent band – no shit … I bought one of their mild "country psych" albums way back when for $1 and thought it was great and would use it to spin people out by getting them to guess who was singing …very few people did  way back then).
 
Any way I didn't realise (till I got on the net) that Settle had also been in the New Christy Minstrels – the most commercial and least political of all the folk bands coming out of the folk boom in the States in the late 50s / 60s. He was also associated with John Stewart (the great John Stewart formerly of The Kingston Trio) and Mason Williams (who is a semi out-there genius in the Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, Jack Nitzsche mould)
and he also did some songs for the excellent film "Vanishing Point" (1971) … I never knew / or noticed that …
 
The album has great production values: Produced by Bob Montgomery (singer, songwriter and producer – often associated with his friend Buddy Holly) … I also note that Jerry Carrigan played drums (drummer extraordinaire from the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section – and he played with Elvis – Elvis is Everywhere ! …  one degree of separation?) as well as other legendary session musos on this LP… Kenny O'Dell (country songwriter), Fred Carter Jr (played bass on Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay" etc), Tom Ghent (singer and songwriter for everyone in country).
 
This is Settle's only post First Edition solo album (he put out a couple during the folk boom – of which I have one "Pastures of Plenty"), and its not bad – in fact its really good … it is very much singer – songwriter music in the folk and country traditions but with a nice overlay of tasteful pop. Lyrically the album is of the "honest" and "plaintive" school … I can't help feeling that he's been influenced by Dion's adult breakthrough album "Dion" from 1968 otherwise known as the "Abraham Martin and John" album where he re-invents himself as a singer- songwriter of some great talent  (I once saw Henry Rollins on one of his spoken word tours talking about meeting Dion and being sceptical of him and then talking to him and eventually singing his praises) … Settle also thematically (not in voice) sounds like Kris  Kristofferson (though less booze obsessed and definitely less profane).
 
Though they had existed for decades the 1970s were the era of the singer-songwriter as a chart making force and they were thrown out at an amazing rate ( ow many people have been called the "new Dylan"?). As I have said before – anyone can write a song and sing it … but not everyone can make it worth listening to …. Settle can. The guy has written well over 150 songs and all sorts of people have had hits with his songs … and as it turns out he could have had a solo career (he had sung lead / joint lead on a number of First Edition tracks).
 
Best tracks:
  • "Singing Lonely Songs (and Making Heartaches Rhyme)" – what a great title.
  • "But You Know I Love You" – his song which Kenny Rogers had a hit with in the First Edition, and also solo … and Dolly Parton also had a hit with it, I think.
  • "Loretta" – a really pretty love song.
  • "Sometime Love Is Better When Its Gone" – another love song of deep regret.
Sound:
see attached
 
I'll keep this one.
 
Clips:
early folk Settle
 
The great First Edition track of "Just Dropped In" with Kenny Rogers and Settle:

(originally posted: 28/05/2009)

 

 

 

 

Posted in Folk, Singer Songwriter | Tagged | Leave a comment

THE ILLUSION – If It’s So – (Steed) – 1970

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Franko

 what Frank is listening to #36 – THE ILLUSION – If it's So – (Steed) – 1970

I knew who "The Illusion" were. Years ago I picked up their first album …and I still have it.  I haven't listened to that first LP in quite a while but I remember liking it though not necessarily drooling over it. So when I found this (their third album) I had to get it … though I would have anyway – the cover art was good and it was $1…

"The Illusion" were a East Coast (Long Island) guitar based psychedelic heavy rock act. They played musically in the same scene as the "Vanilla Fudge" and the "Young Rascals" and like them shared Italian-American roots … they were kids from the same neighbourhood who came together to form a band (in the US in those days, and still now to an extent I suppose, the chances were that neighbourhoods would be of similar ancestry or cultural extraction).
 
What da ya reckon?:
  • John Vinci – vocals
  • Ritchie Cerniglia – guitar
  • Mike Maniscalco – keyboards
  • Chuck Adler / Scott Morgan – bass
  • Mike Ricciardella – drums
Why are bass players the odd men out ? (ha ha)
 
Their website has all the bio you will need:
Check out the photos there for the spectacular "threads".
 
This album  follows the same path of the first LP (1969) from memory it is perhaps a little heavier. Regardless of how heavy they got though, melody and rhythm were still dominant. There is still a fair amount of "blue eyed soul", al la Mitch Ryder, in here also (not as much as the first LP) – maybe they never forgot they were originally a rock "dance band". They come across like "Iron Butterfly" or "Steppenwolf" and they compare favourably though they never had the one big hit like those bands.
 
Best tracks:
  • The first track "Man" has enough "swagger" for the whole album and works up a nice groove.
  • "Collection" is straight ahead heavy psychedelic song as is "If it's So" … they have done the "songs running into and overlapping each other thing" which I hate though the whole second side is solid and works as a "suite".
the album is produced by Jeff Barry who is a legend and certainly knew how to hi-lite a bands good points:
 
Like a lot of psychedelic albums the sound is very much of its time … but hey … so what … I'm keeping this one.
 
Sound:
"Man"
 
"Collection"
attached (though this attachment is slightly shorter than on record cause I cant figure out where it finishes!)
 
From the first album:
 
myspace site:
it scrolls up and down and sideways (don't do drugs before going to the site … or maybe do ?)
the bassist's site:
 
(originally posted: 27/05/2009) 
Posted in Psychedelic | Tagged | Leave a comment

MATTHEW WILDER – I Don’t speak the Language – (Epic) – 1983

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Franko

what Frank is listening to #35 – MATTHEW WILDER – I Don't speak the Language – (Epic) – 1983

 [83.jpg]  

I had no idea who Matthew Wilder was until I put on the album and … remembered. The very first track, "Break My Stride",  was a big hit and takes me back to the insufferable Top 40 of the early 1980s and all those Catholic high school dances where getting to first base meant actually getting the courage to ask a girl to dance and a home run was when she would dance with you for at least five songs … you were a legend if you got that far … I don't think I ever did.

Allmusic.com has a bio which I copy in toto as it says it all:
 
The defiant chorus of Matthew Wilder's 1983 hit "Break My Stride" — "Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride/Nobody gonna slow me down" — could also define his career. Wilder is one of the few artists who was able to escape from the stigma of having only one smash single and yet find more success in the music industry. In the early '70s, Wilder was part of the Greenwich Village folk duo Matthew & Peter. Wilder moved to Los Angeles in 1978 and sang on TV commercials; he also became a backup vocalist for Rickie Lee Jones and Bette Midler. In 1983, Wilder released his first album, I Don't Speak the Language. "Break My Stride" reached the Top Ten in the U.S. However, Wilder's second LP, 1984's Bouncin' Off the Walls, flopped. Nevertheless, Wilder continued to write and produce for others. In 1995, Wilder produced No Doubt's multi-platinum debut Tragic Kingdom. Wilder's work on the Mulan soundtrack in 1998 that earned him an Oscar nomination.
 
He also worked as a songwriter and as a record producer for 702, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, and Joanna.
 
So obviously the guy is no slouch…
 
Wilder was born and bred in New York City (1953 – Manhattan no less not even Queens or the Bronx or Brooklyn) and really typifies a lot of the music … a slightly arty, mainstream singer songwriter up with the times and technology.  The sound on this album is definitely 1983 – the album is driven by gentle synthesisers (the Prophet V and Prophet 10 are on almost every track, with guitar very much in the background filling in the gaps … much like in a jazz quartet). Though that is not surprising, as Wilder is piano based and plays piano and some of the synths on this album. There are all manner of saxes as well emulators, a DMX Drum machine and something called a "chroma" in the sound also. Even the cover is slightly arty – what do you expect from a white waspish New Yorker? Well actually his real name is Matthew Weiner (lol) … so I suppose he is Jewish New Yorker … explains the arty overtones. Wilder looks like someone I know, but with a moustache … I wonder who?
Having said all that I can say that the album is at best "inoffensive" arty synthpop. I say inoffensive because a couple of the tracks are quite catchy in that TV commercial jingle way. His stance is that of a New Wave Singer Songwriter with a backing band (if that makes any sense at all). Sort of like a male Cyndi Lauper (another New Yorker) or a US version of the Thompson Twins. I'm not sure how Wilder toured on the strength of this album – its all very studio engineered – though I suppose he played pubs and clubs. The songs are very familiar and I thought for sure that a lot of his music would have loomed large in teen movies or TV in the 1980s, but, I checked, and  it didn't.
 
Album
#49US
 
Singles
"Break My Stride" #5US ( anything in the US top 20 is a big big hit – due to population size), #4 UK
"The Kid's American" – #33US
 
Best tracks:
  • Break My Stride – the hit and catchy
  • The Kid's American – its funny
  • I Don't Speak the Language
  • Dreams keep Bringing you back – I'm sure someone has covered this as the song is very familiar
 I'll tape a couple of tracks for a 1980s Top 40 CD and then flog this off.
 
Sound:
 
(originally posted: 24/05/2009)
Posted in Pop Rock, Synth Pop | Tagged | Leave a comment

CACTUS – ‘Ot ‘n’ Sweaty – (Atlantic) – 1972

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Franko

what Frank is listening to #34 – CACTUS – 'Ot 'n' Sweaty – (Atlantic) – 1972

 

I had never heard any "Cactus" before but I knew of them mainly because Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert were from NYC heavy psych rockers "Vanilla Fudge" (the drummer and bass player).
 
The theory behind the band was, originally, a Transatlantic supergroup: Appice, Bogert, plus Jeff Beck (guitar) and Rod Stewart (vocals) … which was not unrealistic as they were all more or less barking up the same musical tree. Beck was however subsequently injured (in 1971), so Stewart joined the Faces and Appice and Boggert formed Cactus with a different line-up and went on to put four albums of hard, heavy "ot 'n' sweaty" boogie rock … very much an audience band.
 
Later Beck did join Appice and Bogert in "Beck, Bogert & Appice". Appice then joined Rick Grech and Mike Bloomfield in "KGB" before becoming Rod Stewart's drummer in the '70s and '80s ( e co-wrote "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (#1, 1978) and "Young Turks" (#5 1981)).
 
"Ot n Sweaty" is is the last "Cactus" album and is a half live album (recorded in Puerto Rico). Apart from Appice and Bogert it's also a new line up … guitarist Jim McCarty (ex Mitch Ryder's Detroit Wheels and The Buddy Miles Express), and singer Rusty Day (ex Amboy Dukes) had left and were replaced by Werner Fritzschings on guitar, Duane Hitchings on keyboards and Peter French (an English singer from Leaf Hound and Atomic Rooster) on vocals (as an aside, the great Chris Farlow replaced French in Atomic Rooster).
 
Is this all confusing? … yes, the musical trees of most bands in the early 70s was a bit like tracing a strand of spaghetti through a bowl.
 
There was also a "New Cactus" in the mid 70s with Duane Hitchings as the only member from this "Cactus" (remember, he was the keyboardist on the last Cactus album only).They released a album. In the late '70s original vocalist Rusty Day formed another version of Cactus (there are no known studio recordings from this era, though live recordings do circulate) which ended in 1982 when Rusty Day died from gunshots as a victim of a drug deal gone bad. Finally Cactus re-emerged in June 2006 with appearances in NYC and a festival in Sweden. Original members Appice, Bogert and McCarty reunited and joined by former Savoy Brown front man Jimmy Kunes on vocals, and an album was released).
 
There, now you know the history of Cactus … impress people in pubs.
 
But I digress … this album is the last album of the original Cactus (albeit with a different guitarist and singer). The new line-up probably explains why the album is half live / half studio … they were probably testing the waters with a new line-up and there wasn't enough new material etc. You can't have the half live album anymore with CDs – perfect for vinyl though – one side live one side studio. Off the top of my head I can think of Chuck Berry ("The London Sessions"), The Kinks ("Everybody's in Showbusiness") ( though that was a double LP) as half/half albums … coincidently both from 1972.
 
All the songs here are original though you wouldn't guess … it sounds like the Faces, early solo Rod Stewart, Mountain, Led Zeppelin  … though, maybe, a little heavier on the boogie. Still, its beer drinking music. They could even be the band in "Almost Famous" or any other long haired heavy rock band from the early 70s. Luckily, I prefer my heavy rock with a bit of boogie rather than metal.
 
Best tracks:
Side 1 (the live side) – is three tracks long (short sharp punk tracks this isn't) … and honestly with a few beers I would be punching the air, or having a go.
  • "Bad Mother Boogie" – is just that.
  • "Our Lil Rock n Roll Thing" ..is just that.
Side 2 – Studio Side
  • Bad Stuff
  • Bedroom Mazurka – you read right … I would love a T-Shirt with "Bedroom Mazurka" on it (I can't make out all the lyrics and I have no idea what a Polish dance has to do with the bedroom but it appeals to me)
This made the charts in the US at  #162 (like I said they were more of an audience band)
 
I may tape a couple of tracks and flog this off … but I can see the endearing side … pass a beer someone …
 
Sound:
attached
 
Website:
 
(originally listed on 23/05/2009)
Posted in Blues Rock, Southern and Boogie Rock | Tagged | Leave a comment

JUDIE TZUKE – Sportscar – (Rocket Record Company) – 1980

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Franko

 what Frank is listening to #33 – JUDIE TZUKE – Sportscar – (Rocket Record Company) – 1980

 

Over the years I've seen quite a few Judie Tzuke albums in op shops (or should I say the same ones over and over again). Until now I don't think I have ever heard any of her music.
 
Briefly ….
 
She was an English pop "star" of the late 70s (born in England to Polish parents). She grew up in a musical family and sang at an early age etc etc – the usual story. She wrote songs and sang in small clubs in London until she came to the attention of Elton John who signed her up and put out her first three LPs (Rocket Records is his label).  She had quite a few hits in the UK but never made much of an impact in the US (even though she would open for Elton – including in front of 450,000 at Central Park … I would rather see Dementia 13 in front of 45 people).
 
Judie is quite easy on the eyes in a Stevie Nicks sort of way.
 The Judie Tzuke Story
 
Her music is pure pap pop … there is a certain amount of late 70s angst, and the occasional screech, which I put down to a very slight new wave influence otherwise it's fairly innocuous white pop, come disco .
 
Her favorite songs are, apparently (http://www.getreadytorockradio.com/judie_tzuke.htm ):
AL GREEN Love And Happiness
MARVIN GAYE I Heard It Through The Grapevine
FREE My Brother Jake
JACKSON BROWNE Song For Adam
JONI MITCHELL Blue
RY COODER Tattler
LITTLE FEAT Long Distance Love
KATE BUSH The Man With The Child In His Eyes
JAMES TAYLOR Fire And Rain
BILL WITHERS Grandma's Hands
CROWDED HOUSE Don't Dream It's Over
 
Hey a lot of those tracks are great induividually but when they are your favourite tracks and grouped together I have reservations ….
 
To be a singer-songwriter you have to sing and err write …. and she does but, on this album at least there is very little that is memorable.
 
Best tracks:
  • Sportscar
  • The Choices You've Made
 In England there were no Top 40 singles from this album though the album did make #7 in the charts – her highest placed LP… there were no chart placings in the US.
 
She is still releasing albums today.
 
I will tape a song or two and sell.
 
Sound:
 
Website:
 
(originally released: 22/05/2009)
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JACKIE LOMAX – Home is in My Head – (Warner Brothers) – 1971

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Franko

 what Frank is listening to #32 – JACKIE LOMAX – Home is in My Head – (Warner Brothers) – 1971 

 

Liverpool lad, singer songwriter Jackie Lomax, by all accounts, should have been a lot more well know … both Paul McCartney and George Harrison have backed him or produced him (he was the first artist signed to Apple records) whilst Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Nicky Hopkins, Rick Danko and Levon Helm (the last two from the Band) have played session for him.
 
He is a local luminary and icon in Liverpool and is influential on that scene:
 
This album (his second), seems to be schizophrenically American with country, soul and funky elements (as is most of his work apparently), much like the (great) Ian Matthews Band and early 70s era Kinks. Musical references to the US abound, and Lomax , perhaps, addresses his "rootlessness" in the albums best track (and title track) … " Home is in my Head" … he lived in the US for a couple of years in the mid-60s and again in Woodstock in the early 70s. So,  given all the "Americanisms", perhaps he should have written a track called "Home is where the Heart is"? I think the the American influence is not surprising – being a Liverpool bred lad I suspect he was (no doubt) exposed to all the discs the merchant seamen brought home from their travels around the world, just like 4 other likely Liverpool lads in the late 1950s …
 

Home Is In My Head

I have drunk Virginia Water
I have dug my own Gravesend
Set my foot ashore in Newport
Travelled far beyond my Land's End
And my home, home, home is in my head

I have dived into a Blackpool
With a Maidstone round my neck
I just drifted into Southsea
With no Hull beneath my decks
And my home, home, home is in my head

Well, I lost a wheel in Barrow
Tried to cross the No-one-Cambridge
When my Liverpool grew shallow
I had to dig more Wells in Tunbridge
And my home, home, home is in my head

Most of the tracks are split evenly between singer-songwriter "Americana" songs, and mid tempo southern funk songs. There is no "rock" per se.

The best tracks are

  • "A Hundred Mountains" which has a nice "mountain" feel to it.
  • "Home is in My Head" is a statement of identity and quite effective at that.
  • "She Took Me Higher" – a funk groove.
  • "Helluva Woman" – a soulful mid tempo stomp.
It's all very pleasant though not always distinctive but the themes do resonate  … thematically "Primal Scream" were doing the same thing 30 years later, weren't they?
 
sound:
see attached – my vinyl is very scratchy though – I was almost gonna chuck it …
 
recently:
 
website:
 
I'll tape a couple of songs and then sell this .
 
(originally released: 21/05/2009) 

 

Posted in Singer Songwriter | Tagged | Leave a comment

BOBBY GOLDSBORO – Today – (United Artists) – 1969

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Franko

what Frank is listening to #31 – BOBBY GOLDSBORO – Today – (United Artists) – 1969

 

As if there wouldn't be a Bobby Goldsboro LP in the pile somewhere. The guy put out a lot of albums and they are staples in op shops … in fact I think there are some others in the "pile" of vinyl behind me.

I have nothing against Bobby but unfortunately he was the least interesting of the male soft pop country / singer-songwriters of the 60s. The music is quite bland and was, I suspect,  intentionally so to appeal across the board … and worse still, there is a fair bit of schmaltz in here. His big hit was "Honey" from 1968 and if you haven't heard that you must.(preferably on drugs with the lights out). It is the last throw of the teenage death song (though it is an "adult" death song) which were quite popular in the late 50s / early 60s ( "Tell Laura I Love Her","Teen Angel, "Endless Sleep", "Leader Of The Pack", "Last Kiss", "Johnny Angel", "Ebony Eyes") and it's pure corn.
 
from wikipedia:
His biggest hit in both fields was 1968's "Honey", a controversial tear-jerker detailing the tragic death of a man's young wife. The song, written by Jimmy Webb, was recorded in one take. The single reached Number 2 in the UK Singles Chart on two separate occasions (1968 and 1975), selling in excess of one million copies. In Australia, "Honey" also made it to #1. The track was also # 1 in the US.
 
 All this from a guy who started playing guitar for Roy Orbison (though Roy has dabbled in a fair bit of schmaltz himself). What Bobby does have going for himself is : he's not a bad songwriter and he has incredibly good taste when it comes to choosing covers.  On this LP four tracks are originals and the other eight are covers including tracks by Rod McKuen, Jerry Chesnut, Randy Sparks, and the magnificent (and magnificently obscure) Val Stoecklein.
 
Unfortunately, the music is all too slick – all strings and no emotion – which is odd given that all the songs lend themselves to "emotive" type stylings. So, when it comes to picking favourites, what I am really doing is picking songs I'm already familiar with:
  • The World I Used to Know (Rod McKuen) – I have always been a bit of a Rod McKuen fan – good walking in to town music on my ipod also – it calms me and stops me from abusing cars. I should say that Rod is also good late night music with a drink or two … especially now that middle age has arrived.
  • "What a Wonderful World" (Adler, Alpert, Campbell) – yup that song
  • "Woman Without Love" ( Jerry Chesnut) – a country standard that was done much better by Elvis (of course) in 1975.
  • Say It's Not Over (Val Stoeklein) – where Val's recording was stark this is lush (and comes out sounding a bit like Glen Campbell).
  • There is also a better than average original  "I'm a Drifter" … and "Glad She's a Woman" is pretty funny
Chart placings:
singles
1969   Glad She's a Woman   Adult Contemporary #7
1969   Glad She's A Woman   Country Singles #49
1969   Glad She's A Woman   Pop Singles #61
1969   I'm A Drifter   Country Singles #22
1969   I'm A Drifter   Pop Singles #46
 album:
1969   Today   Country Albums #34
1969   Today   Pop Albums #60
 
Sounds:
 
and, given the cover picture … I'm not sure if I would leave him alone with my kids.
 
I'll probably tape a song or two and flog this off … anyone for Bobby ?
 
(originally posted: 20/05/2009)
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PIPER – Self Titled – (A&M) – 1976

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Franko

  what Frank is listening to #30 – PIPER – Self Titled – (A&M) – 1976

I put this on (and recall buying it) with some trepidation … Piper were the band that launched Billy Squier. Admittedly I only knew the Billy Squier singles and I wasn't impressed overly though the head thumping dumbness of "The Stroke" is endearing in a brain dead way.
 
I didn't really know what to expect here … bad 70s rock, stadium rock, hard rock?
 
I was surprised, and I will have to admit, Piper are better than a lot of their contemporaries. Their rock is certainly "rock" and not Mr Sheen-ed over too much but, and its a big 'but", how much of this can one listen to?
 
The best tracks:
  •  "Out of Control" – The first track,a nice bit of Rolling Stones swagger.
  • "Who's Your Boyfriend" – Buddy Holly and power pop goes hard rock.
  • "Telephone Relation"
  • "The Last Time" – yup, the Stones song (and the only non Squire written track on the LP) … and a credible version.
Though, can you truly "accept"a band who look like this?
 
Songs:
attached
 
I'll tape a couple and sell the LP.
 
website:
 
(originally posted: 19/05/2009)  

 

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D.L. BYRON – This Day and Age – (Arista) – 1980

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Franko

 what Frank is listening to #29 – D.L. BYRON – This Day and Age – (Arista) – 1980

Not having heard of D.L. Byron I bought this one on the strength of the cover art – it looked vaguely "new wave". And, as it turns out, it certainly is US "new wave", in the "powerpop" style.

I've always liked a lot of powerpop despite the fact that in a lot of ways "powerpop" was the major labels response to first generation "punk" … that is, fast, punchy songs with some of the violence, aggression and confrontational aspects removed.
 
"Powerpop" roots are usually traced back to the Beatles, The Who, The Kinks etc. According to wikipedia…  "Pete Townshend of The Who coined the term "power pop" in a 1967 interview in which he said "Power pop is what we play."[5] As early as 1965, the Everly Brothers were playing music that can be called power pop. The duo's "I'll See Your Light" and "It Only Costs A Dime" displayed jangling guitars and an oblique harmonic approach that built upon the innovations of The Beatles and The Byrds. Those groups, along with The Who, The Small Faces and the Beach Boys, are often cited as the progenitors of power pop".
 
That influence seems clear on bands like "Big Star", "The Raspberries" etc though I find a distinct separation between those early and mid-70s powerpop bands and the new wave inspired "power pop" bands who take their cues from the Beatles (and 60s music generally) but also add the "quirky" aspects of the US and English indie scenes. Although "girls" and "failed relationships" are lyrical obsessions in powerpop there is usually more politics and a certain mild, though frenzied, aggression (is that a contradiction?) in the late 70s stuff (see "The Nerves", "The Plimsouls" and the magnificent "DBs"). And late 70s powerpop is certainly more "punchier" than 80s power pop which seems more obsessed with jingle jangle or melody and harmonies ("Teenage Fanclub", "Posies").
 
So while late 70s "powerpop" may be "palatable new wave" there were also many acts which hopped on the band wagon and were otherwise mainstream rock acts who just sped up their playing … you can usually spot them as they cant help themselves and tend to leave in the bad 70s guitar solos … "powerpoop"?
 
This album is produced by Jimmy Iovine – who "was" the US "new wave" (very loosely defined) producer for a while (Patti Smith, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, U2) and the production here is perfect for the power pop style … clear and crisp with an accent on vocals,  harmonies and guitar riffs.The album made it to #133 on the charts. Interestingly, the backup band contains members of Billy Joel's band !
 
Apparently Byron toured on the strength of this album (supporting Bob Seger and The Boomtown Rats) but failed to put out a follow up till 1998 ( he usual hindrances – drug and personal problems). He did release various songs in the intervening period  and also had songs recorded by others: "Shadows of the Night," by Pat Benatar which went on to sell over four million copies and win a Grammy (big wig).
 
There are many good tracks: "Listen to the Heartbeat", "21st Century Man", "Big Boys", "Am I Falling in Love Again". "Lorryanne", "No Romance, No Weekend, No Love"
 
Perfectly listenable and a highlight of new wave powerpop – a keeper.
  
sounds:
 
 
(originally posted: 18/05/2009)

 

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SAM THE SHAM AND THE PHARAOHS – Wooly Bully – (MGM)- 1965

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Franko

what Frank is listening to #28 – SAM THE SHAM AND THE PHARAOHS – Wooly Bully – (MGM)- 1965

Any album that starts off with "uno, dos ,one, two,  tres, quatro" …. can't be all bad … of course we are talking about the garage stomp classic song "Wooly Bully"
 
I've always been partial to Latin music … probably from all the Latin I heard as a kid (for those who don't know my Mum, and the aunts and uncles, lived in South America in the 50s before coming to Australia (and some married Hispanics)) … so discussion in family gatherings was as much in Spanish as it was in Croatian … accordingly I grew to love the rhythm of the language … and as the song goes, "Spanish is the Loving Tongue".
 
And, similarly, I am partial to Mexican rhythms probably as a result of the overdose of western films and TV shows I watched as a kid (ahhh The Cisco Kid).
 
OK, this isn't a Latin language album. It is, though, garage from Texas with a lot of Mexican influence. Sam (real name Domingo Samudio) probably  introduced Tex-Mex rhythms to rock, even before the legendary Sir Douglas Quintet (I saw them live also at the Fillmore West in 1994).
 
Every track (to my ears) is listenable at the very least and some are great … once you get into the Tex-Mex groove the music is infectious. I'm off to get a Bacardi …….( no tequila around at the moment)
 
Best tracks:
  • Wooly Bully – a classic of the genre – a must to cover for every garage or frat band. It was also a mega hit in 1965 – otherwise a year of suffering under the British Invasion.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wooly_Bully
  • Go-Go Girls – a shameless rip off of the Bo Diddley beat …. and a hoot.
  • Every Woman I Know (crazy 'bout an auto) – insane lyrics
  • Haunted House – more shock frat rock
  • Juimoinos – a trad Mexican sounding instrumental with some chanting and cow bells (and inane dialogue) …. pass more Bacardi please
  • Shotgun – more stompin and drinking would / should accompany this track
  • Gangster of Love – the classic Johnny Guitar Watson track.
  • Long Tall Sally – The Little Richard classic … though here it sounds (in tempo and phrasing)  more like the Elvis cover … either way a great track and an acknowledgement to Sam's 50s roots and southern rock … by the time of this album the band was living in Memphis …
sounds:
and attached
 
website:
 
a keeper …
 
and better still I have some other Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs albums in the "pile" 
 
(originally posted: 17/05/2009)
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