One objective part of me knows that these barrel scrapings are for fanatics and archivists. But another objective part of me knows that the barrel scrapings of a seminal, protean, conceptually accomplished band are their own reward. From the raw power of the instrumental Guess I'm Falling in Love to the dry lyricism of the instrumental I'm Gonna Move Right In, from the tight studio We're Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together to the intense early Rock and Roll, you don't have to know jackshit about the band to enjoy the music--on the contrary, you have to put aside your preconceptions. Because nobody experimented more successfully than these folks.
by Robert Christgau
Tracks
1. We're Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together (Reed) - 2:56
2. I'm Gonna Move Right In - 6:30
3. Hey Mr. Rain - 4:56
4. Ride into the Sun - 3:20
5. Coney Island Steeplechase - 2:20
6. Guess I'm Falling in Love (Instrumental version) - 3:35
7. Hey Mr. Rain - 5:16
8. Ferryboat Bill (Reed, Morrison, Yule, Tucker) - 2:10
9. Rock and Roll (Reed) - 5:18
All songs written and composed by Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker, except where noted.
Until the early 80's, the Velvet Underground story had ended with Loaded (except for posthumously issued live albums and shoddy compilations). But the release of V.U. is a major event, because its ten previously unissued tracks – bootleg appearances not with standing – constitute the missing link between the band's late-Sixties mood swings and Loaded's commercial near-breakthrough. Except for two songs recorded with John Cale in 1968 (Doug Yule replaced him later that year), the material on V.U. is the bulk of a projected fourth Verve/MGM album that was never finished; it became known among fans as the Great Lost Velvet Underground Album.
Had it been completed and released, the Lost Album might have seriously altered the Velvets' fortunes for the better. Although Loaded included some of Reed's biggest hits in "Sweet Jane" and "Rock and Roll," it was just too late: Reed quit shortly before its release. But V.U. captures the band at the height of its powers,
refining the edginess of the early records with a polished, accessible sound that doesn't compromise its spirit of adventure.For the first time on record, the Velvets sound like a real band, not a concept in overdrive.
"I Can't Stand It" and "Foggy Notion" are proof of this. Both songs are power-drill rockers based on the same urgent pulse as "Sister Ray," the former rolling along with a snotty glide that easily whips Reed's later rerecording on his debut solo album. There are also unexpected flashes of humor – "I live with thirteen dead cats/A purple dog that wears spats/They're livin' out in the hall/And I can't stand it anymore." The real surprise, though, is the way Reed and Sterling Morrison match up as a guitar team. Their creatively rhythmic strumming has a forceful snowball effect, and while Reed tends to take the more spectacular solos, Morrison plays effective fills with sharp, Keith Richards-style intuition.
The two songs featuring Cale slot nicely into V.U.'s cohesive tone. "Temptation inside Your Heart" combines playful R&B goofiness with a bright, busy beat and a great strangled guitar solo. The chamber-music pop of "Stephanie Says" is not too distant from that of "Sunday Morning"; still, there is a special resonance in Cale's tiptoe viola and the painful resignation in Reed's voice and lyric ("Stephanie says/That she wants to know/Why she's given half her life/To people she hates now"). The casual horror in so many of Reed's early songs sometimes made it hard to indulge his more reflective moods. But performances like "Stephanie Says" and Reed's charming duet with Maureen Tucker, the childlike "I'm Sticking with You, " show how tender he could really be and how sensitively the Velvets could translate that feeling.
Most of the other tracks on V.U. glow with that same vigorous spirit, if not the relentless drive. "One of These Days" is a lively parody of a cowboy drinking song, complete with sagebrush harmonies and a boozy slide-guitar break. "Ocean," a gorgeous evocation of dark ennui, dramatically showcases the Velvets' grasp of Reed's occasional romantic turns.With his thoughtful vocal and Maureen Tucker's imitation on her cymbals of rolling surf, the song anticipates Reed's later epic ballads.
A debt of thanks for resurrecting these tracks and for giving the band's first three LPs the proper reissue they've long deserved. As for V.U., the Great Lost Velvet Underground Album is no longer lost. It is simply great.
by David Fricke
Tracks
1. I Can't Stand It - 3:21 (Recorded May 20, 1969)
2. Stephanie Says - 2:49 (February 13, 1968)
3. She's My Best Friend - 2:47 (May 14, 1969)
4. Lisa Says - 2:53 (October 1, 1969)
5. Ocean - 5:10 (June 19, 1969)
6. Foggy Notion (Reed, Morrison, Yule, Tucker, Weiss) - 6:41 (May 6, 1969)
7. Temptation Inside Your Heart - 2:30 (February 14, 1968)
8. One Of These Days - 3:50 (September 23, 1969)
9. Andy's Chest - 2:49 (May 13, 1969)
10.I'm Sticking With You - 2:26 (May 13, 1969)
All tracks written by Lou Reed except where indicated
The Velvet Underground
*John Cale – Viola, Bass Guitar, Celesta, Backing Vocals
*Sterling Morrison – Guitar, Backing Vocals
*Lou Reed – Vocals, Guitar
*Maureen Tucker – Percussion, Lead Vocal
*Doug Yule – Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Backing Vocals, Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals
I was suppoose to add the Joe Viglione's fantastic reviews about these two albums, but it got me when I started to listen 'm again ( I own the vinyl version), Bloomfield's guitar is ..just heavenly, my man Nick the Greek is singing like raging lava, Buddy Miles beats the hell out of his drums and all the band stands in their highest level. This was about 44 years ago, the music that flows into the grooves hasn't lost any drop of its magic. If you haven't got (by fault I presume) these two masterpieces don't make any further mistakes, just get them, add them to your audio player, close your eyes and let the music guide you.
Tracks 1969 An American Music Band
1. Soul Searchin' - 2:58
2. Sunny - 3:58
3. With Time There Is Change - 3:15
4. Nothing to Do - 4:20
5. See to Your Neighbour - 2:34
6. Qualified - 2:59
7. Hey Little Girl - 2:37
8. Mystery - 2:55
9. My Woman Hangs Around the House - 3:15 1968 A Long Time Comin'
10.Killing Floor - 4:10
11.Groovin' Is Easy - 3:03
12.Over-Lovin' You - 2:10
13.She Should Have Just - 5:01
14.Wine - 3:12
15.Texas - 4:46
16.Sittin' in Circles - 3:51
17.You Don't Realize - 4:58
18.Another Country - 8:44
19.Easy Rider - 0:51
Flush from the success of "Smokin' in the Boys Room," which climbed all the way to number three on the pop charts, Brownsville Station was eager to keep the party going, deciding the best way to do so was to capitalize on the juvenile delinquent image they captured so perfectly on their big breakthrough.
Hence, the title of their quickly released follow-up is School Punks; the illustrated cover pictures the trio all decked out in leather in front of a graffiti-ridden school wall; the opening cut, "Kings of the Party," references the hit; "Meet Me on the Fourth Floor" rewrites it; and "Mama Don't Allow No Parkin'" and "Fast Phyllis" tell similar tales of high-school misadventures.
Unlike Yeah!, which had only two originals, School Punks is heavy on new material from Cub Koda and Michael Lutz, which are punctuated by well-chosen covers like Geno Washington's "I Get So Excited," a blues medley of "I've Got Love if You Want It/I'm a King Bee," and Gary Glitter's "I'm the Leader of the Gang." The other big change is that Koda has become the unofficial leader of the band. He sang "Smokin' in the Boys Room" and he sings everything here with the exception of the cover of Dee Clark's "Hey Little Girl," which Lutz sings.
Cub gives the band an appealing, funny, down-and-dirty persona that suits the band's heavier attack on School Punks. While there's nothing as undeniable as "Smokin' in the Boys Room," "Kings of the Party" and "I'm the Leader of the Gang" are rampaging rockers, "Ostritch" is a very funny stomping country-rocker, the band gets to stretch out on the blues medley, and the whole record just feels like one nonstop party.
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracks
1. Kings of the Party (Koda, Weck, Lutz) - 4:16
2. Mama Don't Allow No Parkin' (Koda, Lutz) - 3:07
3. Meet Me on the Fourth Floor (Koda, Lutz) - 2:58
4. Fast Phyllis (Koda, Morris, Lutz) - 2:40
5. I Get So Excited. (Gordon, Grant) - 2:55
6. Ostritch (Koda, Lutz) - 2:53
7. I Got It Bad for You (Koda, Lutz) - 2:32
8. Hey Little Girl (Stevenson, Blackwell) - 2:04
9. I've Got Love if You Want It/I'm a King Bee (Moore) - 4:07
10. I'm the Leader of the Gang (Glitter, Leander) - 3:20
The foundation of what was to become "Grand Funk Railroad" was laid in Flint, Michigan in the mid 1960's. Richard Terrance Knapp was a popular local D.J. who decided to leave radio to enter the music end of the business. After deejaying at record hops with a local band named "The Jazz Masters", which consisted of Don Brewer (drums), Al Pippins (guitar), Bob Caldwell (keyboards), and Herm Jackson (bass), Knapp lied to them that he was personal friends with Mick Jagger and Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones. Because of this and his radio connections, the band invited him to join the group as their lead singer. To sound more "English", they renamed the band "The Pack", and Richard Knapp started using "Terry Knight" as his stage name.
The group soon developed a large local following and reached number 46 on the national record charts with a song called "I Who Have Nothing", released on the small "Lucky Eleven" label. Herman Jackson was drafted, and was replaced by a local kid named Mark Farner. Eventually, Terry Knight left the band and The Pack continued on without him.
By 1968, Farner and Brewer decided to leave and form a new band of their own. They recruited bass player Mel Schacher from Question Mark and The Mysterians, and renamed themselves "Grand Funk Railroad", inspired by a Michigan landmark, The Grand Trunk Railroad. By this time, Terry Knight had landed a job at Capitol Records in New York, but accepted an invitation to become the trio's manager.
After a wildly successful performance at the Atlanta Pop Festival on July 4, 1969, the band landed a recording contract with Capitol Records and immediately began making its name by performing at several large pop festivals.
Their first singles reached the charts but Grand Funk soon proved its real strength in the album market. "On Time" reached number 27 in 1969 and was recorded in 3 days during the summer of 1969 at Cleveland Recording Company Studios, and it's unquestionably one of the best hard rock debuts ever. While some bands honed their sound over the course of a few albums, GFR had already found its niche with ON TIME, which was one of the first albums to be termed "heavy metal." Sample a young and hungry Grand Funk, with highlights including "Anybody's Answer," "Into the Sun," "Time Machine," and "Are You Ready?" Classic-Bands
Tracks
1. Are You Ready - 3:28
2. Anybody's Answer - 5:17
3. Time Machine - 3:45
4. High On A Horse - 2:56
5. T.N.U.C. - 8:42
6. Into The Sun - 6:29
7. Heartbreaker - 6:35
8. Call Yourself A Man - 3:05
9. Can't Be Too Long - 6:34
10.Ups And Downs - 5:01
11.High On A Horse (Original Version) - 4:25
12.Heartbreaker (Original Version) - 6:52
All songs written by Mark Farner
James Taylor was the first artist to be signed to record on the Beatles' short-lived vanity Apple label. In late 1968, Taylor's sophisticated self-titled disc foreshadowed the introspective singer/songwriter genre that dominated pop music in the early and mid-'70s.
Although often touted as his debut, this release is chronologically Taylor's second studio outing. James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine -- an EP recorded a year earlier -- contains rudimentary versions of much of the same original material found here. The album is presented with two distinct sides. The first, in essence, presents a unified multi-song suite incorporating several distinctly Baroque-flavored links connecting the larger compositions. The second is a more traditional collection of individual tunes.
This unique juxtaposition highlights Taylor's highly personal and worldly lyrics within a multidimensional layer of surreal and otherwise ethereal instrumentation. According to Taylor, much of the album's subject matter draws upon personal experience. This is a doubled-edged blessing because the emphasis placed on the pseudo-blues "Knocking 'Round the Zoo" and the numerous other references made to Taylor's brief sojourn in a mental institution actually do a disservice to the absolutely breathtaking beauty inherent in every composition.
Several pieces debuted on this release would eventually be reworked by Taylor several years later. Among the notable inclusions are "Rainy Day Man," "Night Owl," "Something in the Way She Moves," and "Carolina in My Mind." Musically, Taylor's decidedly acoustic-based tunes are augmented by several familiar names. Among them are former King Bees member Joel "Bishop" O'Brien (drums) -- who had joined Taylor and Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar in the Original Flying Machine -- as well as Paul McCartney (bass), who lends support to the seminal version of "Carolina in My Mind."
The album's complex production efforts fell to Peter Asher -- formerly of Peter and Gordon and concurrent head of Apple Records A&R department. The absolute conviction that runs throughout this music takes the listener into its confidence and with equal measures of wit, candor, and sophistication, James Taylor created a minor masterpiece that is sadly eclipsed by his later more popular works.
by Lindsay Planer
Tracks
1. Don't Talk Now - 2:36
2. Something's Wrong - 3:00
3. Knockin' Round the Zoo - 3:26
4. Sunshine Sunshine - 3:30
5. Taking It In - 3:01
6. Something in the Way She Moves - 2:26
7. Carolina in My Mind - 3:36
8. Brighten Your Night With My Day - 3:05
9. Night Owl - 3:38
10.Rainy Day Man (Taylor, Wiesner) - 3:00
11.Circle Round the Sun (Traditional arr. Taylor) - 3:24
12.Blues Is Just a Bad Dream - 3:42
13.Sunny Skies - 2:12
14.Let Me Ride - 3:57
15.Sunshine Sunshine (Demo) - 2:51
16.Carolina in My Mind (Demo) - 3:06
All songs by James Taylor unless otherwise noted.
One of Steve Howe's several obscure pre-Yes projects, Bodast filled the gap between his stint in Tomorrow and his recruitment for Yes. Apart from Howe, the line-up consisted of Clive Skinner (vocals, guitar), Dave Curtis (vocals, bass), and Bobby Clarke (aka Woodman) (drums).
Curtis and Clarke had previously played together in ex-Searcher Chris Curtis's short-lived group Roundabout, comprising the portion of the band that didn't end up in Deep Purple, and Clarke's history in rock 'n roll went back to playing in the house band (playing skiffle) at the legendary 2 I's coffee bar in Soho during the late 1950's, and subsequent gigs with Screaming Lord Sutch and Vince Taylor's band. Curtis's previous work had included recording backed by his own band, the Tremors.
As a psychedelic-cum-progressive rock outfit, Bodast was a strange link between those skiffle and early rock 'n roll roots and early '70s art-rock. Bodast slogged around the underground circuit in 1968 and 1969, never releasing any official product; some interest on part of Deep Purple's label (Tetragrammaton) came to naught, and they seldom played live, although they spent lots of time writing and rehearsing original material. Howe actually turned down offers from the Nice and Jethro Tull out of loyalty to the group, but finally gave up after the Tetragrammaton deal failed to come through.
They did record some unreleased material in 1969 with ex-Tomorrow vocalist Keith West producing. These tapes, eventually released in the 1980s, showed them to be an average band reflecting the transition of British underground rock from psychedelia to progressive rock; it's of interest mostly to Howe fans, and even then it isn't among his more notable work.
Tracks
1. Do You Remember - 3:37
2. Beyond Winter - 2:53
3. Once In A Lifetime - 3:26
4. Black Leather Gloves - 3:17
5. I Want You - 3:20
6. Tired Towers - 3:06
7. Mr. Jones - 3:06
8. 1,000 Years - 2:40
9. Nether Street - 3:00
10. Nothing To Cry For - 4:06
Badfinger's second album No Dice kicks off with "I Can't Take It," a rocker that signaled even if Badfinger still played pop and sang ballads, they considered themselves a rock band. What gave Badfinger character is they blended their desire to rock with their sensitive side instead of compartmentalizing. Even when they rock on No Dice, it's never earthy, like, say, the Stones.
Badfinger's very sensibility and sound is modeled after the early British Invasion, where bands sang catchy, concise love songs. Yet there's a worldliness to their music absent from that of their forefathers, partially because Badfinger styled themselves as classicists, adapting the sound of their idols and striving to create a similar body of work. No Dice bears this out, boasting old-fashioned rockers, catchy pop tunes, and acoustic ballads. On the surface, there's nothing special about such a well-crafted, sharply produced, straight-ahead pop record, but the pleasure of a power pop album is in the craft.
No Dice is not without flaws -- a byproduct of an all-writing, all-singing band is that some songs don't measure up -- but it does achieve the right balance of craft, fun, and emotion, due in no small part to Pete Ham's songwriting. Ham dominates the record, providing note-perfect openers and closers, along with the centerpiece singles "No Matter What" and "Without You," the latter a yearning, painful ballad co-written with Tom Evans.
Collaborating with new guitarist Joey Molland, Evans wrote two other excellent songs ("I Don't Mind," "Better Days"), while Molland's own "Love Me Do" chugs along with nice momentum. Still, the heart of the album lies in Ham's work.. He proves that songcraft is what separates great power-pop from good, and it's what makes No Dice a superb pop record.
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracks
1. I Can't Take It (Pete Ham) - 2:56
2. I Don't Mind (Tom Evans, Joey Molland) - 3:14
3. Love Me Do (Joey Molland) - 2:59
4. Midnight Caller (Pete Ham) - 2:49
5. No Matter What (Pete Ham) - 3:01
6. Without You (Pete Ham, Tom Evans) - 4:43
7. Blodwyn (Pete Ham) - 3:27
8. Better Days (Tom Evans, Joey Molland) - 4:00
9. It Had To Be Me (Mike Gibbins) - 2:28
10.Watford john (Tom Evans, Mike Gibbins, Pete Ham, Joey Molland) - 3:23
11.Believe Me (Tom Evans) - 3:00
12.We're For The Dark (Pete Ham) - 4:02
13.I Can't Take It (previously unreleased extended version) (Pete Ham) - 4:14
14.Without You (previously unreleased studio demo version-mono) (Pete Ham, Tom Evans) - 3:58
15.Photograph (AKA Friends Are Hard To Find) (previously unreleased version) (Joey Molland) - 3:25
16.Believe Me (previously unreleased alternate version) (Tom Evans) - 3:04
17.No Matter What (previously unreleased mono studio demo version) (Pete Ham) - 2:57
Straight Up winds up somewhat less dynamic than No Dice, largely because that record alternated its rockers, pop tunes, and ballads. Here, everything is at a similar level, as the ballads are made grander and the rockers have their melodic side emphasized. Consequently, the record sounds more unified than No Dice, which had a bit of a split personality.
Todd Rundgren's warm, detailed production makes each songwriter sound as if he was on the same page, although the bonus tracks -- revealing the abandoned original Geoff Emerick productions -- prove that the distinctive voices on No Dice were still present. Frankly, the increased production is for the best, since Badfinger sounds best when there's as much craft in the production as there is in the writing. Here, there's absolutely no filler and everybody is in top form.
Pete Ham's "Baby Blue" is textbook power-pop -- irresistibly catchy fuzz riffs and sighing melodies -- and with its Harrison-esque slide guitars, "Day After Day" is so gorgeous it practically aches. "Perfection" is an unheralded gem, while "Name of the Game" and "Take It All" are note-perfect pop ballads. Tom Evans isn't as prolific here, but the one-two punch of "Money" and "Flying" is the closest Straight Up gets to Abbey Road, and "It's Over" is a fine closer.
Still, what holds the record together is Joey Molland's emergence as a songwriter. His work on No Dice is enjoyable, but here, he comes into his own with a set of well-constructed songs. This fine songwriting, combined with sharp performances and exquisite studio craft, make Straight Up one of the cornerstones of power-pop, a record that proved that it was possible to make classic guitar-pop after its golden era had passed.
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracks
1. Take It All - 4:28
2. Baby Blue - 3:37
3. Money - 3:30
4. Flying (Tom Evans, Joey Molland) - 2:36
5. I'd Die, Babe - 2:34
6. Name Of The Game - 5:21
7. Suitcase - 2:54
8. Sweet Tuesday Morning - 2:31
9. Day After Day - 3:11
10.Sometimes - 2:53
11.Perfection - 5:09
12.It's Over - 3:35
13.I'll Be The One (Tom Evans, Joey Molland, Pete Ham, Mike Gibbins) - 2:54
14.Name Of The Game - 4:25
15.Baby Blue - 3:37
16.Baby Please (Joey Molland, Pete Ham, Mike Gibbins) - 3:05
17.No Good At All - 2:10
18.Sing For The Song - 3:20
Songs 1,2,6,9,11,14,15 written by Pete Ham
Songs 3,12,17,18 written by Tom Evans
Songs 5,7,8,10, written by Joey Molland
Bonus Tracks 13-18
Badfinger
*Pete Ham - Guitar, Piano, Vocals
*Tom Evans - Bass, Vocals
*Joey Molland - Guitar, Vocals
*Mike Gibbins - Drums Guest Musicians
*George Harrison - Slide Guitar
*Leon Russell - Piano On
*Bobby Diebold - Bass
*Klaus Voorman - Electric Piano
