This album has two fun bubblegum singles: I’ll Meet you Halfway and Doesn’t Somebody Want to be Wanted. Besides these two hits for the TV teeny bop band of the 1970s, the album contains innocuous filler, many from the professional songwriting team of Wes Ferrell and Gerry Goffin.
I went into this album hoping there’d be a surprise hidden gem but nah. It’s all pretty mediocre stuff. But I like the hits.
If you don’t already know it, David Cassidy and Shirley Jones are the only ones who had record time along with their camera time on the insipid TV show The Partridge Family. But I watched it — heck I was 11 years old and kind of liked the notion of screaming girls chasing me, um, David around.
The Cowsills, the Rhode Island family band who actually did play their own instruments, were the inspiration for the TV show. If memory serves me the TV producers wanted the family but not Mrs. Cowsill — the mom. Not because she wasn’t a good musician, but because Shirley Jones, who starred in Oklahoma, wanted this chance of being a Rock and Roll mother as she rolled into her middle age.
If you are introducing someone to good jazz, Blue John is a good place to start. Because it is so much fun. What do you expect from an album that starts off with “Hot Sauce.”
This record has an odd history. It was recorded in 1963 but didn’t see its release until 1986 on Blue Note.
Allmusic.com says this: “There may be something of a novelty element to (George) Braith‘s (saxophone) playing, but bluesy, groove-centered soul-jazz rarely sounds this bright and exuberant, which is reason enough not to dismiss his contributions.”
In addition to Braith’s funky sax sounds, Grant Green’s guitar throughout is tasty. Many people get introduced to good jazz with ‘Kinda Blue’ by Miles Davis or John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” or “My Favorite Things.” Great albums and must haves for a jazz collection. But Blue John by Big John Patton is an instant like with its laid back tempo and bluesy swing.
ALBUMS: Two Wheels Good (1985); From Langley Park to Memphis (1988)
MVC Ratings: Two 4.0/$$$$; Langley, 4.0/$$$
This group on these two albums play great, melodic folk English Pop-Rock with very smart lyrics. It’s the kind of band I guarantee someone reading this review and listens to it will fall in love. Not for everybody, but those who fall, fall hard. Listen to first side of Wheels five times. ‘When love breaks down’ was a hit. I love ‘Bonny.’
Listen to ‘The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ and ‘Cars and Girls’ on Langley five times each.
Get back to me next week and tell me what you think.
If you like two or more of these following groups, you will certainly enjoy Prefab Sprout: Squeeze, Roxy Music, 10cc, the Housemartins, Thomas Dolby (who produced both of these albums.)The sound is very 80s but very good 80s.
One explanation for their name is that band members misheard the June Carter-Johnny Cash song ‘Jackson’ when Carter sings “We got married in a fever hotter than a pepper sprout’ — they had apparently been singing and hearing that as “prefab sprout.
Two Wheels Good was released with the name Steve McQueen (yes the American actor) in the UK. But the McQueen estate objected and that why mine says ‘Two Wheels Good’ at the top right corner of my album.
ALBUM: Knight in Rusty Armour (1967): In London for Tea (1966)
MVC Rating: Rusty, 3.0/$$$; In London 3.5/$$
Okay this is my fence post. This is my going as far out on my likes and dislikes — in other words, the limits of my looking for the good — nay, the great — in what I listen to. Peter and Gordon just go too far in a pop, non-rock way — yet they seem to want to be in the crowd that is making this powerful rock and roll music.
I’m not sure where these Peter and Gordon albums came from, possibly my wife Catherine’s siblings or my foster sister, Cathy, a hippie who loved the Moody Blues. But Peter and Gordon I? i don’t remember her playing, although she did play Jimi Hendrix, the Byrds and of course her Moody Blues.
just no have to say at this time to Peter and Gordon. Nice pop duo; I like ‘I’m Your Puppet.’
There’s a Beatles song or two. but P&G are just just not in my sweet spot of British invasion bands and their American counterparts. They are too poppy for me and think, to be fair, they were already established in the early 1960s as just what they are: pop duo.
And I ‘m a big pop music fan. Got no issues there, except when it is insipid or, worse, sounds lame.
Now I can be sold completely on 1960s invasion bands. The Herman Hermits, much I can live without, but the album ‘Blaze’ by the Hermits is fantastic. The Dave Clark 5, the Zombies, etc. In the United States, Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Grass Roots, the Young Rascals, and the Mama’s the Papa’s, are all groovy enough for me. Peter and Gordon, not so much, although they serve as a nice stepping stone from the past late, 50’s early 60s. But as duos from that era, I’ll take Simon and Garfunkel (better songs and vocals); and the Righteous Brothers (better vocals).
Here is one of the best guitarists you’ve never heard of deals. I think I’ve already said that about him. Aaaargh there are so many best guitarists out there — THAT YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF.
But this guy is the real deal.
Glenn Phillips is an Atlanta-based musician and was in the Hampton Grease Band in Atlanta, which some swear was better than the Allman Brothers. I was about a generation behind Phillips. Although I never saw him live I do have his album — listen to the one I put on video to the end, and you’ll see some blazing and tasteful guitar.
I do understand from others that Phillips taught and mentored some of the good ones around Atlanta including Bob Elsey of the Swimming Pool Q’s. I’ve said before (mostly) instrumental guitar music is good for certain situations. In other words I have to be in the mood. Joining Phillips on an instrumental guitar record, I’ve got Steve Howe, Chet Atkins, Mark Knopfler, John Fahey the Ventures, the Raybeats, and Paco DeLucia
MVC Rating: 4.0/$$$ (an extra bump here for the two very strong songs. The rest of the album is 3.0 and 3.5 quality).
The Plimsouls first came to my attention through the movie ‘Valley Girls.’ I know that sounds like a bit of a sex romp but it wasn’t — really. I paid close attention.
Actually it was an early Nicolas Cage vehicle, who even at his young age was developing that amazing ability to act to be the same character in every movie.
That character, of course is Cage playing, of course, Cage.
Anyway the Plimsouls’ song Million Miles Away was featured in the movie, even a ‘live’ version of the song with the Plimsouls playing it in the club. It would fade in volume and camera attention to the band if the characters walked closer to the band. You know that effect: star talks to friend and band’s sound fades to background, then the friends turn their heads toward the band and and the volume increases dramatically.
Million Miles Away and That’s the Oldest Story are the two stellar songs — in fact two of my favorite rock songs of that era, especially the latter. The rest of the album couldn’t keep up though.
After the Plimsouls disbanded, Peter Case has put out quite a few albums as a solo act. See my post on him. And also, post Plimsouls, Paul Collins led a power pop band The Beat. Before all that, both played in an edgy new wave band called the Nerves. The third Nerve, Jack Lee, wrote Hanging on the Telephone, a hit for Blondie. The Nerves released it prior to Blondie.
This is I think a snippet of the movie only quick glance I didn’t see Cage.
When it was suggested that the band was a folk-rock band, one of the band’s members said that is wrong. One of the worst things you can do is put a rock beat on a folk song, said John Renbourn. The band preferred a folk-jazz categorization.
I think that’s fair. I’ve often said that a portion of what is called progressive rock isn’t really rock. Emerson Lake and Palmer, for example have gone off on deep forays into what is closer to classical music — unless that term is reserved for time-tested centuries old compositions by Bach, Beethoven and Mozart.
This music is pretty and subtle. It has a sound that is both timeless and dated at the same time. Let me explain. I feel like I’m way back in time when I hear Pentangle but can’t pinpoint a date or era. That’s unlike, for example, the Stray Cats, whose style can be tied directly to 1950s music– at least in that bands original incarnation.
Pentangle could be turn of the century music or 14th century music. I don’t know — just go with me here. They look and sound like a band that would sound great Live at the Stonehenge.
WIkipedia says this Canadian group named themselves the Payolas after the big radio payola scandal in the 1960s. Alan Freed and all that. OK.
But then Wikipedia reports the band blamed their lack of success on the international level was due to US deejays not playing their records because of the name. Um, really. I find that a stretch. The scandal was two decades or more in the past before the Payolas were even a band. Their target audience wasn’t even born when that scandal popped.
They did sell quite a bit in Canada. Very 80s everpresent synth sound that doesn’t age well in my opinion. Lyrics are not happening. “Where is this love; that comes from above.”
Pretty good chops on their instruments. The great Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson joins them, although it was like a game tryin to find him in wash of synth-etic riffing. Hey maybe that was Ronson joining in a little guitar-synth. Some decent songs here but I can’t heartily recommend this one.
I knew who Charlie Pride was from way back as a child. I knew he was the first African American country singer. My dad told me — I can’t even remember the context. Probably sitting around the television when Pride came on and I asked who he was.
Encouraged by Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball, Pride dodged his share of slings and arrows., but persevered. He played ball himself in the Negro Leagues before he began a singing career.
Although he wound up with four Grammys and numerous other awards, he only had one cross over Top 40 hit — ‘Kiss an Angel Good Morning’ — but it was a big one. Born in Mississippi, Pride played a little professional baseball before clearing several hurdles on the way to a significant country music career. He won the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award in 1971.
My father was a big country fan in his younger days so I grew up hearing country music around the house. My current favorites include Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard and George Jones. Guess you would call it Classic Country, the flipside of Classic Rock.
Charley Pride would be in that group. I turned up the car radio when they played ‘Kiss an Angel Good Morning.’ Great catchy song.
This is a good album if you want to get a feel for his plain country style. early in his career.
ALBUMS: Primitons ‘Happy All the Time;’ (1987) Pylon, GYRATE (1980)
RVC Rating: Primitons 4.0/$$$; Gyrate, 4.0/$$$$
You know it occurred to me listening to these again that Pylon’s Vanessa Briscoe sounded/sounds a lot like Chrissie Hynde fronting a punk band — or Janis Joplin where Briscoe could have stood face-to-face in a cathartic screech contest.
I put these two together, not because any similarity in music, but because they both are wonderful artifacts of the Southern alternative rock blast that started about 1978 and continued through the 1980s.
So the Primitons were from Birmingham and I’ve been told I attended their send-off at a 1985 Chuck’s WUXTRY (on 4th Ave. North.) I was here then. And I know Chuck from whom I used to purchase used records at the downtown Athens, Ga. WUXTRY and the Birmingham WUXTRY. Chuck moved his downtown store to Cahaba Heights where he sold records for years.
I remember a keg party one night at WUXTRY but don’t remember the music. I do remember slinging LPs like Frisbee’s — every vinyl junky’s dream — and we laughed as they splattered against the brick wall. When one spun too close to Mr. Businessman’s head, I think we scattered like the other rats in that alley.
As Steve Martin says, Mmm, having some fun now.
The Primitons was as melodic as many of Michael Stipe’s sentimental song impressions. In fact these bands are nearly polar opposites yet share a time and a place and an energy from a alt-Southern rock scene that surprisingly wasn’t Atlanta but Athens, Ga. and the Primitons likely made many I-20 trips to play in Athens. Ga. ,
Pylon is perhaps better known (than Primitons that is, not REM). A group much respected in the after hours crowd of the late 70s and early 80s where people stayed downtown and danced until 4 a.m. Pylon was 3-chords and get-up-on-the dance floor. And to think I heard Vanessa say in an interview that she enjoyed the experience but really was glad when it ended. Yep, there’s a certain age and athletic category you need to take five hours of body slams, the very loud chords and pancakes and eggs at The Grill.
Sun’s coming up!
If you like punk, hard rock you owe it to your self to listen to Pylon’s ‘Stop It’. See below:
It certainly looks like the covers share a similar artistic vision. But I have no evidence looking at liner notes that they are somehow linked.
