Alvin Lee - Still on the Road to Freedom (2012 uk, classic rock)

"I decided to take the road to freedom rather than the road to fame and fortune"

Alvin Lee

Lee wrote all of the songs on the album, but he's quick to acknowledge influences from a varied group of artists and genres, from R’n’B icon Chuck Berry to ex-King Crimson drummer Ian Wallace. This isn't surprising, since TYA's music, although predominantly hard rock, had significant blues and jazz influences. 

Lee began writing songs for Still on the Road to Freedom in 2008. By the time he was ready to go into the studio, he had 33 potential tracks in hand. After wrestling unsuccessfully with trying to consider all of them, he finally isolated his favorites (a little less than half of the total) and worked them into "an entity in itself with a beginning, a middle and an end." 

And somehow, the mixture of arena rock, blues, bebop, country rock and folk does seem natural. Lee's guitar work, be it electric or acoustic, is as good as ever. His voice, never known for its "polish" (which is a good thing) is still natural and vibrant.

This is one of those relatively rare albums that is a good listen all the way through, with no need to skip tracks to hear the good ones. But, naturally, there are some I do like to go back to, like the percussion-driven "Listen to Your Radio Station," the catchy "Midnight Creeper," the instrumental "Down Line Rock" and "Love Like a Man 2" (a new version of a track originally on TYA's 1970 Cricklewood Green album.) 

Lee plays multiple instruments on the album, which he also recorded and mixed. Other band members include two longtime associates -- Pete Pritchard on bass and Richard Newman on drums -- and keyboardist Tim Hinkley. 

TYA (minus Lee) re-formed in 1988, but there are a lot of fans who are loyal to the original (1966-1974) lineup. If you're among them, you should put this album on your "get" list. If you're unfamiliar with either TYA or Alvin Lee, the album is a good listen just for the musicianship, and for the concept of creative freedom that drives it. 

You might also be able to relate to the philosophy that accompanies a painting by Lee that appears on the CD and in the liner: "There are many forks on the road to freedom and the road to nowhere is one of them." 

by Dave White

Although I don't usually post releases produced and recorded outside the golden era of Rock 'n' Roll (60's-70's) sometimes I make exceptions, this is one of these, dedicated to the memory of Alvin Lee, some forty years now (since I was in my early teen years) he's filling, my soul and my sentinmets, with his amazing guitar, his voice and his songs.

From the bottom of my heart, Thank you Very much Alvin Lee.

Tracks
1. Still On The Road To Freedom - 4:23
2. Listen To Your Radio Station - 2:22
3. Midnight Creeper - 4:10
4. Save My Stuff - 4:02
5. I'm A Lucky Man - 3:27
6. Walk On, Walk Tall - 3:17
7. Blues Got Me So Bad - 2:09
8. Song Of The Red Rock Mountain - 2:04
9. Nice And Easy - 3:07
10. Back In 69 - 2:35
11. Down Line Rock - 2:29
12. Rock You - 1:32
13. Love Like A Man 2 - 6:52
All songs by Alvin Lee

Musicians
*Alvin Lee - Bass, Drums, Guitars, Harmonica, Keyboards, Paintings, Vocals
*Trevor Morais - Drums
*Richard Newman - Drums
*Pete Pritchard - Bass, Double Bass
*Ed Spyra - Artwork
*Ian Wallace - Drums
*Alexander Wolfe - Keyboards
*Alvar Brune - Vocals
*Tim Hinkley - Keyboards

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Alvin Lee And Mylon Lefevre - On The Road To Freedom (1973-74 uk/us, stimulating soothing guitar rock with country folk tinges)

‘Freedom is a heady wine’, they say, and guitar hero Alvin Lee certainly tasted plenty when he teamed up with American singer Mylon LeFevre to create this excellent 1974 album.

Alvin had spent many years performing heavy rock’n’roll with Ten Years After before he took the plunge and headed in a more soulful musical direction. With Mylon taking lead vocals on some of the tracks and writing fresh material, the album has a different, more relaxed feel that coaxed new sounds out of Alvin. He was also encouraged by a plethora of guest stars, notably Stevie Winwood on piano, Jim Capaldi on drums and Tim Hinkley on organ. There is even an appearance by one ‘Hari Georgeson’ who seems to perform George Harrison’s ‘So Sad (No Love Of His Own)’ with special feeling!….

This 12 track album is boosted by the inclusion of an extra bonus A-side single version of ‘So Sad’, and it also has comprehensive CD liner notes by Chris Welch, detailing the evolution of the album and Alvin’s blossoming solo career.

Guitar hero Alvin Lee headed in a more soulful musical direction on this 1974 album, with Mylon taking lead vocals on some of the tracks and writing fresh material. The album has a different, more relaxed feel that coaxed new sounds out of Alvin.

Features a stellar line up of guest musicians, including Stevie Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Tim Hinkley, Ron Wood with special guest appearance by George Harrison.

Repertoire recs

Tracks
1. On The Road To Freedom (Alvin Lee) - 4:13
2. The World Is Changing (I Got A Woman Back In Georgia) (Lee, Mylon Lefevre) - 2:45
3. So Sad (No Love Of His Own) (George Harrison) - 4:34
4. Fallen Angel (Lee) - 3:20
5. Funny (Lee) - 2:48
6. We Will Shine (Lefevre) - 2:37
7. Carry My Load (Lee) - 2:58
8. Lay Me Back (Lefevre) - 2:53
9. Let 'Em Say What They Will (Ron Wood) - 2:52
10.I Can't Take It (Lefevre) - 2:51
11.Riffin' (Lee, Lefevre) - 3:31
12.Rockin' 'Til The Sun Goes Down (Lee, Lefevre) - 3:08
13.So Sad (No Love Of His Own) (Single Version) (George Harrison) - 3:00

Musicians
*Alvin Lee – Vocals, Electric And Acoustic Guitars, Bass, Sitar
*Mylon Lefevre – Vocals, 12-String Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Percussion, Backing Vocals
*George Harrison – Dobro, Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Backing Vocals
*Ron Wood – 12-String Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Drums
*Steve Winwood – Piano
*Tim Hinkley – Piano, Organ, Backing Vocals
*Boz Burrell – Bass, Backing Vocals
*Bob Black – Steel Guitar
*Andy Stein – Fiddle
*Jim Capaldi – Drums
*Reebop Kwaku Baah – Congas
*Mick Fleetwood – Drums
*Ian Wallace – Drums
*Mike Patto – Percussion, Backing Vocals

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Gentle Soul - Gentle Soul (1968 us, charming baroque folk psych, Sundazed expanded remaster)



Sundazed have done a fantastic job in reissuing the lost 1960s folk rock gem that is The Gentle Soul. Thriving in the vibrant mid to late 1960s folk rock movement, Pamela Polland and Rick Stanley of The Gentle Soul hung out with the likes of Neil Young, Jackson Browne (there's an early tune written by him as one of the bonus tracks here), The Byrds, and Tim Buckley, and worked with the likes of Terry Melcher, Jack Nitzsche, Ry Cooder (whose incredible guitar playing is throughout this cd), Van Dyke Parks, Larry Knechtel, Jerry Cole and Hal Blaine. Amongst this incredible scene of creativity, The Gentle Soul released one album and a handful of singles, but never had the push they needed or any luck with sales. Their recordings became more and more scarce through the years, the album even becoming a collector's item with a 3 figure price tag.

Thanks to Sundazed, we've got the entire recorded output of The Gentle Soul, as well as three previously unissued sides all on cd for the very first time. The cd has the entire album first, then the singles and unreleased tracks, so it doesn't play chronologically. The singles (tracks 12-14, 17-18) have a slightly more rocking sound then the gently orchestral album, but the singles are by no means rock-n-roll.

Tell Me Love is an incredible single which has an alternate take too, both arranged magically by Jack Nitzsche. Both mixes are quite different and shed a different feel on the melodic celtic lilt. The single mix has a harder hitting sound, but the alternate version has a fuller, modern sound. The first single's b-side, You Move Me, has that coffee house folk rock sound and Mamas and Papas styled harmonies and is tremendous.

The second single, Our National Anthem should've been a hit, and it's a astonishing it was not. It's also got that Mamas and Papas anthemic folk rock feel, but maybe it's the fact that the chorus is not as out right sing-a-long-able is what kept it off the charts. It's still a catchy as heck folk rock number. Song For Three, its b-side has a Dylanesque melody about a girl named Wendy. The final single, 2:10 Train has a more country folk sound and is a bit meandering, sort of like Linda Ronstadt and The Stone Poneys.

The Gentle Soul album (tracks 1-11) are wonderful orchestrated folk rock. Pamela Polland and Rick Stanley combine incredible vocal harmonies with some great original tunes, which are only improved upon thanks to the production of Terry Melcher and instrumentation from the likes of Ry Cooder and Van Dyke Parks. Songs like Renaissance or Love Is Always Real (which also has an alternate take as a bonus track) are baroque and orchestrated with harpsichords and flutes.

The melodies they came up with just enhance the whole proceedings. Generally speaking the songs with Pamela singing come out on top and remind me at times of the Michelle album Saturn Rings. At times this album reminds me of Belle and Sebastian or their side project Gentle Waves (rather fitting) - if they were more inspired by traditional folk music instead of Nick Drake. If you want to hear Ry Cooder at his most pronounced, check out the instrumental album opener Overture or the haunting song Reelin'. If I were to pick a favorite song, it would have to be See My Love - which to me sounds like it could be straight off a Belle and Sebastian album with it's melody, piano and Pamela's light as air lead vocals. It's the closest they come to rocking out.

I was very glad when I learned that Sundazed were going to reissue The Gentle Soul album. I'm glad that more than just the collectors can hear the magic held in this delightful folk rock album. Hopefully, it can find a place in your collection too.

by Patrick Gullbuy

Tracks
1. Overture - 4:34
2. Marcus (Pamela Polland) - 2:54
3. Song for Eolia - 2:16
4. Young Man Blue (Rick Stanley) - 2:34
5. Renaissance - 3:14
6. See My Love (Song for Greg) (Pamela Polland) - 3:59
7. Love Is Always Real - 2:59
8. Empty Wine (Woods of a Song) - 2:39
9. Through a Dream - 4:00
10.Reelin' (Pamela Polland) - 3:20
11.Dance (R. Stanley, N. Wynn) - 3:27
12.Tell Me Love (Rick Stanley) - 2:27
13.Song for Three (P. Polland, G. Copeland) - 3:00
14.2:10 Train (T.C. Campbell) - 2:55
15.Flying Thing (Jackson Browne) - 3:18
16.God Is Love - 2:22
17.You Move Me (Pamela Polland) - 2:16
18.Our National Anthem (Pamela Polland) - 2:31
19.Tell Me Love (Rick Stanley) - 2:26
20.Love Is Always Real (Pamela Polland) - 3:05
All songs by Pamela Polland and Rick Stanley except where indicated

Musicians
*Pamela Polland - Vocals, Guitar
*Rick Stanley - Vocals, Guitar
*Tony Cohan - Tabla
*Ry Cooder - Guitar, Mandolin
*Mike Deasy - Guitar
*Van Dyke Parks - Harpsichord
*Paul Horn - Flute
*Sandy Konikoff - Drums
*Larry Knechtel - Organ
*Gayle Levant - Harp
*Ted Michel - Cello
*Bill Plummer - Bass
*Riley Wildflower - Guitar
*Jerry Cole - Guitar
*Joe Osborne - Bass
*Hal Blaine - Drums

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Bob Smith - The Visit (1970 us, mystical atmospheric psych with hard rock, upbeat folk and jazzy experimentation)

Singer guitarist Smith was apparently a member of various Los Angeles-based bands including The Lid and Silverskin.  It would also be interesting to learn how he came to be signed by the L.A.-based Kent Records which was better known for it's R&B recording roster.

  

Although 1970's "The Visit" featured support from eight musicians (including Darryl Dragon (credited as Captain Keyboard)) and Mothers of Invention keyboardist Don Preston), the focus was clearly on namesake Bob Smith.  In addition to handling all of the vocals and lead guitar, Smith wrote all 14 tracks, arranged, directed, and along with Mark Taylor, co-produced the album.

Musically the set was quite diverse, taking credible stabs at pop, blues ('Source You Blues'), hard rock, psych, jazz ('Ocean Song') and even occasional detours into outright experimentation. 

Luckily aural experiments such as the instrumental 'Indian Summer' were far and few between, leaving most of the set with a surprisingly commercial sheen.  Exemplified by tracks like the harpsichord-propelled 'Please' and 'The Wishing Song' Smith had one of those flexible and likable voices that allowed him to find a nice balance between commercial and non-commercial moves. 

Material like 'Constructive Critique' and 'Source Your Blues' also demonstrated Smith was quite an accomplished guitarist.  Personal favorites included the opener 'Please', 'Don't Tell Lady Tonight' and the scorching rocker 'Can You Jump Rope'.   (Anyone seen the John Kress poster insert that came with the album?  It's supposedly quite cool.)    Bottom line; this one's a keeper that should be in every psych collector's stash.  
Bad-cat

Tracks
1. Please - 2:08
2. Don't Tell Lady Tonight - 3:10
3. Constructive Critique - 4:40
4. Ocean Song - 4:50
5. The Wishing Song - 5:04
6. Can You Jump Rope - 5:48
7. Latter Days Matter - 3:29
8. Indian Summer  (Instrumental - 7:55
9. Source You Blues - 6:02
10.Sunlight Sweet - 3:04
11.Of She, Of Things - 3:16
12.Mobeda Dandelion - 3:13
13.The Path Does Have Force - 5:23
14.Try, Try To Understand Yourself - 4:14
All compositions by Bob Smith

Musicians
*Bob Smith - Vocals, Guitar
*Mike Degreve - Guitar
*Larry Chapman - Violin
*Stan Keiser - Flute
*Dan Preston - Mellotron, Keyboards
*Skip Schneider - Drums
*John Latini - Bass
*Darryl Dragon - Keyboards, Vibes

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String Driven Thing - The Early Years (1968-72 uk, lovely psychedelic folk pop)

Collection of songs from 1968 onwards from Scottish folk rockers String Driven Thing. This charts their transition from the three-piece band of Chris Adams (vocals guitar), Pauline Adams (tambourine, vocals) and John Mannion (guitar) to the addition of Grahame Smith on violin and Colin Wilson on bass guitar, which, after John Mannion left, would form the basis of the line-up that signed to Charisma for the two classic albums and the legendary sacking off the Genesis' Foxtrot tour for going down better than the main band (Genesis).

This release fills in the gap between the band forming in 1968 and the four other String Driven Thing CD albums on Ozit-Morpheus Records, "In the Studio '72", "The Machine That Cried", "Suicide Live In Berlin) and Chris Adams' "The Damage").

The Early Years plunders both the LP and the demos to paint a vivid picture of the group's development over that period. Ten tracks are lifted from String Driven the rest are acoustic demos  that leave the story poised on the edge of the band's major-label promotion.

Tracks
1. July Morning - 02:23
2. Say what You Like - 02:38
3. Magic Garden - 03:06
4. Wonderful Places - 03:00
5. I Don't Wanna Wake Up - 02:54
6. City Man - 03:02
7. Another Night in this Old City - 03:05
8. That's My Lady - 02:51
9. Catch as Catch Can - 03:40
10.No More You and I - 02:34
11.Lie Back and Let It Happen - 03:23
12.One of the Lonely People - 04:34
13.Winter Is Coming - 04:14
14.Regent St. Incident - 04:03
15.Jack Diamond - 03:57
16.Argyle St. - 03:55
17.Old Love New Love - 03:27
All song by Chris Adams
Bonus Tracks 13-17

String Driven Thing
*John Mannion - Guitar, Vocals, Bass
*Chris Adams - Guitars, Vocals
*Pauline Adams - Vocals Percussions

String Driven Thing
1972/74  String Driven Thing / Please Mind Your Head
1973  The Machine That Cried (Japan remaster)
1975  Keep Yer 'And On It

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Lazy Smoke - Corridor Of Faces (1967-69 us, floating airy mistdrenched psych)

Rising above any number of recently unearthed late-60s anglo-pop platters, the sole offering from small town Massachuesetts phenomenon Lazy Smoke is a cohesive, solid, classic album in every sense.

While bands like The Beatles and The Left Banke were singing about love, lament and hallucinated travel experiences, the songs on "Corridor Of Faces" get sincerely dark right away.

One of the biggest collectables of the late-80s. This record is good enough that it's become the shorthand everyone uses when describing any 60s record that's remotely hazy.

Tracks
1. All These Years - 3:28
2. How Was Your Day Last Night? - 1:51
3. Come With The Day - 2:49
4. Salty People - 4:39
5. Jackie-Marie - 2:58
6. Under Skys - 4:16
7. Sarah Saturday 2:47
8. There Was A Time - 2:01
9. Am I Wrong? - 3:37
10.How Did You Die? - 3:16
11.I Don't Need The Sun - 1:19
12.Changing The Time - 1:36
13.I Could Fall Asleep - 1:14
14.Wait Till You See - 2:57 
15.Scarecrow - 2:08 
16.All These Years - 2:46
17.Come With The Day - 2:15
18.Salty People - 3:16
19.Jackie-Marie - 2:56
20.There Was A Time - 1:38
21.Sarah Saturday - 2:14
22.Am I Wrong? - 3:24
Tracks 11-22 Unplugged Demos

Lazy Smoke
*John Pollano - Vocals, Guitar, Piano
*Ralph Mazzotta - Guitar, Vocals
*Bob Door - Bass
*John Villanucci - Piano
*Ray Charron - Drums

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Jack Bruce - Out Of The Storm (1974 uk, stimulated progressive rock with fusion traces, extra tracks issue)

Out Of The Storm is Jack Bruce yet again taking a different path. No one can accuse this man of being redundant as he leaves behind the hard rock of Whatever Turns You On from his 1973 work with West, Bruce & Laing and takes on Steely Dan with a track like "Keep On Wondering."

The problem with West, Bruce & Laing is that they should have been the back-up band providing Jack Bruce the vehicle to express his artistry. "Keep It Down" would have been a tremendous track for WBL, and Lou Reed/Alice Cooper guitarist Steve Hunter provides the tasteful licks which Leslie West would've used a sledgehammer to find. The title track is real introspection with more "I" references than found on a page in a Marie Osmond autobiography.

Bruce uses the rock format to sing the poetry that he and long time collaborator Peter Brown have crafted here. When played next to his other albums, from Things We Like to Monkjack, as well as the aforementioned Leslie West collaborations, the indellible voice of Jack Bruce is found to belong, not to a chameleon, but to a true changeling. In an industry that resists change, his music evolves in relentless fashion, switching formats as efficiently and quickly as he switches record labels.

While Eric Clapton achieves the acclaim, it is Jack Bruce who delivers a novel and totally original title like "One" with a vocal that moves from cabaret to blues to soul. The man has one of the most powerful and identifiable rock & roll voices, and his body of work is overpowering. "One" has the drums of Jim Gordon and another venture into the Procul Harum sound Bruce has toyed with over various albums in different ways.

Out Of The Storm is another excellent chapter with Steve Hunter showing proficiency and remarkable restraint. Robin Trower, Mick Taylor, Leslie West, Eric Clapton and so many other guitar greats have put their sound next to Jack Bruce's voice, and this is Steve Hunter aiding and abetting, but not getting in the way of Bruce's creative pop/jazz.

by Joe Viglione

Tracks
1. Pieces Of Mind - 5:39
2. Golden Days - 5:14
3. Running Through Our Hands(Jack Bruce, Janet Godfrey)  -  4:14
4. Keep On Wondering - 3:10
5. Keep It Down - 3:46
6. Into The Storm - 4:45
7. One - 5:03
8. Timeslip - 6:33
9. Pieces Of Mind - 3:34
10.Keep On Wondering - 3:15
11.Keep It Down - 4:26
12.Into The Storm - 5:42
13.One - 4:57
All lyrics written by Peter Brown, Music by Jack Bruce except where indicated

Musicians
*Jack Bruce - Bass Guitar, Piano, Clavinet, Vocals, Electric Piano, Organ, Harmonium, Harmonica
*Jim Gordon - Drums
*Jim Keltner - Drums
*Steve Hunter - Guitar

more Jack
1969  Songs For A Tailor
1971  Harmony Row
with Cream
1967  Disraeli Gears

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Alexander's Timeless Bloozband - For Sale (1968 us, brilliant psych blues rock with brass drops, 2011 O Music digipack release)

This is a very intriguing release from Alexander's (San Diego-Based) Timeless Bloozband.   I picked up the record on the basis that it was mentioned in one of the early issues of the pioneering rock mag "Crawdaddy!" and was immediately drawn in by the fantastic cover art.  Seriously, this has got to be one of my favorite record sleeves of all time.  Great colors and a wonderful image of the sad-eyed lady in the wicker chair with the band's name spelled out in psychedelic letters-- "timeless", indeed!

With such a welcoming image, surely the tunes inside had to great, right? 

Well, the music here does start off in fine fashion with a hard blues titled "Love So Strong", which apparently was the single though I don't think it ever charted.  This winning number segues nicely into the album's real highlight, the jazzy "Horn Song", which musically is very much in line with what bands like The Electric Flag were doing at the time.  (We'll call it psychedelic jazz blues, for lack of a better term.)  The lyrics on this one are delivered at a rapid pace and contain a well-worded, anti-authoritarian message very much in line with the prevailing cynical mindset of your average 1968 street urchin.  A fantastic song that would make great fodder for any forward-thinking late-60's compilationist.

At this point upon first hearing I thought maybe I'd unearthed a genuine lost classic, but regrettably the quality of the songwriting does drop a notch or two from here on, though the musicianship remains fantastic throughout.  Instrumentally, their line-up consisted of a vocalist who I'm guessing also plays the blues harp and flute, lead guitar (very Mike Bloomfield-esque), electric piano, bass and drums.  As mentioned previously, tight musicianship is the order of the day, and the album sounds as if it was recorded live in the studio.

For a good summation of what the Bloozband were about, one could use the song "Swanannoa Tunnel" which takes the traditional blues form and re-works it into something quite new (for its time) via haunting wordless backing vocals and rapid-fire drumming.  There's even a bit of harp/ guitar duetting going on at the end here.  Songwise, "Swanannoa" definitely seems like it may have been the band's on-stage highlight.  Despite their moniker, the Bloozband were really better at this sort of psych/ jazz rock sound then they were at the straight blues stuff.

Much of the album's second side is unmemorable, though once again it bears mention that the playing here is quite fine.  The drummer in particular impresses, while the weak link remains the vocalist, who while adequate on the mellower stuff veers close to embarrassing on the trio of blues howlers-- "Rosie", "Darlin'" and "Help Me".

Overall my high expectations for this record were somewhat met, but in the end the experience was a little lacking.  Alexander's Timeless Bloozband were definitely a second-tier act in the face of such heavy competition as The Doors, Yardbirds or The Electric Flag (to name three bands similar in mood and approach).  Yet nevertheless they were still a crack band who contributed one stone cold classic to the pantheon in "Horn Song".  Therefore, I recommended For Sale to fans of the sixties' blues rock and psych, particularly if you can get the LP for cheap on the used market.

by Jasonbear 

Tracks
1. Love So Strong - 2:17
2. Horn Song - 3:33
3. Plastic Is Organic - 2:37
4. Swannanoa Tunnel  - 3:54
5. Rosie - 2:42
6. Front Man - 3:00
7. Tight Rope Walker - 3:24
8. Life - 3:30
9. Darlin' - 2:42
10.Help Me - 4:38
11.Firefly - 2:21

Alexander's Timeless Bloozband
*Charles Lamont
*Carl Lockhart
*Larry Marks

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Jack Bruce - Songs For A Tailor (1969 uk, great prog blues rock, expanded edition)

With a live version of "Crossroads" going Top 30 for Cream, Songs for a Tailor was released in 1969, showing many more sides of Jack Bruce. George Harrison (again using his L'Angelo Misterioso moniker) appears on the first track, "Never Tell Your Mother She's Out of Tune," though his guitar is not as prominent as the performance on "Badge."

The song is bass heavy with Colosseum members Dick Heckstall-Smith and Jon Hiseman providing a different flavor to what Bruce fans had become accustomed to. Hiseman drums on eight of the ten compositions, including "Theme From an Imaginary Western," the second track, and Jack Bruce's greatest hit that never charted. With "just" Chris Spedding on guitar and Jon Hiseman on drums, Bruce paints a masterpiece performing the bass, piano, organ, and vocals. The song is so significant it was covered by Mountain, Colosseum, and a Colosseum spin-off, Greenslade.

One has to keep in mind that the influential Blind Faith album was being recorded this same year (and according to the late Jimmy Miller, producer of that disc, Jack Bruce filled in for Rick Grech on some of the Blind Faith material). Bruce's omnipresence on the charts and in the studio gives the diversity on Songs for a Tailor that much more intrigue. "Tickets to Water Falls" and "Weird of Hermiston" feature the Hiseman/Spedding/Bruce trio, and though the wild abandon of Ginger Baker is replaced by Hiseman's jazz undercurrents, these are still basically two- to three-and-a-half-minute songs, not as extended as the material on Bruce's work on his John McLaughlin/Heckstall-Smith/Hiseman disc Things We Like recorded a year before this, but released two years after Songs for a Tailor in 1971. The history is important because this album is one of the most unique fusions of jazz with pop and contains less emphasis on the blues, a genre so essential to Bruce's career.

Indeed, "Theme From an Imaginary Western" is total pop. It is to Jack Bruce what "Midnight Rider" is to Greg Allman, a real defining moment. "Rope Ladder to the Moon" has that refreshing sparkle found on "Tickets to Water Falls" and "Weird of Hermiston," but Bruce has only John Marshall on drums and producer Felix Pappalardi adding some vocals while he provides cellos, vocals, guitar, piano, and bass. Side two goes back to the thick progressive sound of the first track on side one, and has a lot in common with another important album from this year, Janis Joplin's I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!

Jack Bruce and Janis Joplin were two of the most familiar superstar voices on radio performing hard blues-pop. Joplin added horns to augment her expression the same time Jack Bruce was mixing saxes and trumpets to three tracks of this jazz/pop exploration. "He the Richmond" deviates from that, throwing a curve with Bruce on acoustic guitar, Pappalardi on percussion, and Marshall slipping in again on drums. But the short one minute and 44 second "Boston Ball Game, 1967" proves the point about the pop/jazz fusion succinctly and is a nice little burst of creativity.

 "To Isengard" has Chris Spedding, Felix Pappalardi, and Jack Bruce on acoustic guitars, a dreamy folk tune until Hiseman's drums kick in on some freeform journey, Spedding's guitar sounding more like the group Roxy Music, which he would eventually join as a sideman, over the total jazz of the bass and drums. "The Clearout" has Spedding, Hiseman, and Bruce end the album with progressive pop slightly different from the other recordings here. As with 1971's Harmony Row, Peter Brown composed all the lyrics on Songs for a Tailor with Jack Bruce writing the music. A lyric sheet is enclosed and displays the serious nature of this project. It is picture perfect in construction, performance, and presentation.

by Joe Viglione

Tracks

1. Never Tell Your Mother She's Out Of Tune - 3:41
2. Theme For An Imaginary Western - 3:30
3. Tickets To Water Falls - 3:00
4. Weird Of Hermiston - 2:24
5. Rope Ladder To The Moon - 2:54
6. The Ministry Of Bag - 2:49
7. He The Richmond - 3:36
8. Boston Ball Game 1967 - 1:45
9. To Isengard - 5:28
10.The Clearout - 2:35
11.The Ministry Of Bag (Demo Version) - 3:47
12.Weird Of Hermiston (Alternate Mix) - 2:33
13.The Clearout (Alternate Mix) - 3:02
14.The Ministry Of Bag (Alternate Mix) - 2:54
All Lyrics written by Peter Brown, Music by Jack Bruce

Musicians
*Harry Beckett - Trumpet
*Jack Bruce - Organ, Bass Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Cello, Vocals
*Dick Heckstall-Smith - Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone
*Jon Hiseman - Drums
*Henry Lowther - Trumpet
*John Marshall - Drums
*George Harrison - Guitar
*John Mumford - Trombone
*Felix Pappalardi - Percussion, Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
*Chris Spedding - Electric Guitar
*Art Themen - Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone

1971  Jack Bruce - Harmony Row
1967  Cream - Disraeli Gears

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The Who - Who's Next (1971 uk, masterpiece, double disc japan SHM deluxe edition)

Much of Who's Next derives from Lifehouse, an ambitious sci-fi rock opera Pete Townshend abandoned after suffering a nervous breakdown, caused in part from working on the sequel to Tommy. 

There's no discernable theme behind these songs, yet this album is stronger than Tommy, falling just behind Who Sell Out as the finest record the Who ever cut. Townshend developed an infatuation with synthesizers during the recording of the album, and they're all over this album, adding texture where needed and amplifying the force, which is already at a fever pitch. 

Apart from Live at Leeds, the Who have never sounded as LOUD and unhinged as they do here, yet that's balanced by ballads, both lovely ("The Song Is Over") and scathing ("Behind Blue Eyes"). That's the key to Who's Next -- there's anger and sorrow, humor and regret, passion and tumult, all wrapped up in a blistering package where the rage is as affecting as the heartbreak. 

This is a retreat from the '60s, as Townshend declares the "Song Is Over," scorns the teenage wasteland, and bitterly declares that we "Won't Get Fooled Again." For all the sorrow and heartbreak that runs beneath the surface, this is an invigorating record, not just because Keith Moon runs rampant or because Roger Daltrey has never sung better or because John Entwistle spins out manic basslines that are as captivating as his "My Wife" is funny. 

This is invigorating because it has all of that, plus Townshend laying his soul bare in ways that are funny, painful, and utterly life-affirming. That is what the Who was about, not the rock operas, and that's why Who's Next is truer than Tommy or the abandoned Lifehouse. Those were art -- this, even with its pretensions, is rock 'n' roll.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracks

Disc one

1. Baba O'Riley - 5:01

2. Bargain - 5:33

3. Love Ain't For Keeping - 2:10

4. My Wife (John Entwistle)3:35

5. The Song Is Over - 6:17

6. Getting In Tune - 4:49

7. Going Mobile - 3:43

8. Behind Blue Eyes - 3:42

9. Won't Get Fooled Again - 8:35

10.Baby Don't You Do It (Longer Version) - 8:21

11.Getting In Tune - 6:36

12.Pure And Easy (Alternate Version) - 4:33

13.Love Ain't For Keeping (Electric Version, Townshend On Lead Vocals) - 4:06

14.Behind Blue Eyes (Alternate Version) - 3:30

15.Won't Get Fooled Again (Original New York Sessions Version) - 8:48

Disc two
1. Love Ain't For Keeping - 2:57
2. Pure and Easy - 6:00
3. Young Man Blues - 4:47
4. Time Is Passing - 3:59
5. Behind Blue Eyes - 4:49
6. I Don't Even Know Myself - 5:42
7. Too Much of Anything - 4:20
8. Getting in Tune - 6:42
9. Bargain - 5:46
10.Water - 8:19
11.My Generation - 2:58
12.Road Runner (Ellas McDaniel) - 3:14
13.Naked Eye - 6:21
14.Won't Get Fooled Again - 8:50

The Who
*Roger Daltrey – Lead Vocals, Harmonica
*Pete Townshend – Guitars, Organ, VCS3 And ARP Synthesiser, Backing Vocals, Piano, Vocals
*John Entwistle – Bass Guitar, Vocals,  Piano
*Keith Moon – Drums, Percussion
Additional Musicians
*Nicky Hopkins – Piano
*Dave Arbus – Violin
*Al Kooper – Organ
*Leslie West – Guitar

1965  My Generation (two disc japan SHM-CD remaster)
1966  A Quick One (japan SHM-CD double disc box remaster)
1967  Sell Out (double disc japan SHM expanded edition)

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