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Feargall Sharkey — 75, 74

ALBUMS: Feargall Sharkey(1985); Wish (1988)

MVC Ratings: Feargall 4.0/$$$$; Wish 3.0/$$$

Feargall Sharkey in the 1970s was lead singer of the northern Irish punk band The Undertones. I believe I still have my CD anthology of this influential group best known for its song ‘Teenage Kicks.’

The band eventually split over differences in musical direction, according to Wikipedia’s bio. It’s easy to figure out the differences upon listening to Sharkey’s solo albums. His music was glossy and very poppy. Feargall was going for the big commercial score.

His bandmates updated their punk-pop sound of the Undertones by launching the hard-edged band That Petrol Emotion. I will review that album later (if I can find it.)

Sharkey’s albums are overproduced and inoffensive shmears of big band, balladeer and dance. I know what your thinking. If they are bad, why do you have two. OK, the first album got me with its two inexplicably catchy singles: ‘A Good Heart,’ and ‘You Little Thief,’ songs that had a little oomph to them. So, I bought the second album on the basis of those two songs on the first album. (Maybe there would be four or five good songs this time? But, eh, no.)

‘You Little Thief’ does have a great line in a break-up song: ‘There’s no hard feelings, there’s no feelings at all.’

‘A Good Heart’ was written by Lone Justice singer Maria McKee.

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T. Rex., The Turtles — 82, 81

ALBUMS: ‘T.Rextasty — The Best of T. Rex, 1970-1973 (1985); The Turtles Greatest Hits (1983)

MVC Rating: T. Rex; 4.0/$$$$$; Turtles, 4.0/$$$$$

Again, another package deal in the ‘T’s. Note: I feel like I will be in the U’s in the next week barring the occasional ‘S’ that keep popping up. From the U’s we have UVWXYZ. Don’t get too excited, I snuck a peek and I have a fair amount left (83 is what is registered (that number beside the title) But I will most certainly have surplus. More on that later.

The Turtles and T. Rex. Seems like a mismatch to me but don’t underestimate a turtle. Both of these groups were light psychedelia/pop/folk. Both had one song each that was career defining.

For T. Rex it was Bang a Gong (Let’s Get It On.) Fun Fact: Members of the Turtles played on some T. Rex songs, including contributing backing vocals on ‘Bang a Gong.’

For the Turtles, their career song was ‘Happy Together,’ a spectacularly catchy and hummable song that spent three weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.

T. Rex were huge in the UK where Bang a Gong was atop the charts for weeks. In the US, the song ‘Bang a Gong’ reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Bolan was killed in a car accident in which he was a passenger in 1977. Members of the Turtles joined Frank Zappa’s band for a time in the 1970s.

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Richard and Linda Thompson — 92

ALBUMS: R&L ‘Shoot Out the Lights (1982); Richard Thompson ‘Hand of Kindness’ (Solo album 1983)

MVC Rating: R&L 5.0 $$$$$; Richard 4.0/$$$$$

Oh man, this is a good one, I had going in this was a 4.5. In other words a high quality, almost perfect album. But then I dropped the needle after about 25 years of not hearing this album — at least all the way through.

It’s a ‘5.’

And the Richard solo album is excellent especially if you are a fan of his unusual guitar style.

‘Shoot’ was reportedly a break-up album kind of like Rumours by Fleetwood Mac.

Richard and Linda, veterans of the English folk rock scene (Fairport Convention), broke up after about 10 years of marriage at the time this record was being made in early 1980s.

It is dark, full of pain, fraught with emotion. And wonderful because Linda has a beautiful voice. And Richard propels by guitar the mess of hurt through a carnival of dark shadows and broken dreams.

“I’m walking on a wire and I’m falling,” Linda sings.

More amusement ride imagery with both singing in a bouncy way that belies the words: “Won’t you ride on the Wall of Death one more time.”

The title song says the darkness makes it real — ‘real as a gun’ —shoot out the lights. Still another song plumbs the depths of human love and hate, and the confusion of the motives behind one’s actions.

‘Did she jump or was she pushed.’ A theme explored in depth by John A. Knowles in the novel. A Separate Peace.

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The Three O’Clock — 93

ALBUM: Arrive Without Travelling (1985)

MVC Rating: 3.0/$$$

Spun Gold is about the only song on here that I truly enjoy. It’s the last song on the album. Other decent songs are here but others are just irritating.

Singer Michael Quercio needs to learn exactly what to do with that high voice. I’m a fan of odd voices and even higher than usual ones (Freddy Mercury, Prince, Geddy Lee even). Quercio sounds great in Spun Gold, a swirling round of a song, but too often the voice is a distraction.

Guitarist Louis Gutierrez is a solid player. He just needs better songs to wrap around. The Three O’Clock was part of the so-called Paisley Underground, an LA based tag that plagued some of the artists in it. The Bangles were so labeled. I see the all female Bangles as less Paisley and more retro 60’s style. Green on Red is another so called Paisley Underground badge wearer but GOR was much more raw, rocking and funny to be Paisley anything.

The Three O’Clock were the Herman Hermits through a 1980s prism and Quercio is Davy Jones in a higher octave.

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Stanley Turrentine with the Three Sounds — 94

ALBUM: Blue Hour (1985 RE of 1960 release)

MVC Rating (4.5/$$$$$)

This is another of my Blue Note jazz albums, and as I’ve come to expect with the label, it is high quality, high fidelity jazz.

My ‘Blue Hour’ is a 1985 re-issue from the original tape of the 1960 classic.

In about 20 seconds after dropping the needle, Turrentine’s tenor sax slides in like butter. The sound on my re-issue is fabulous. I haven’t heard the 2000 re-master but it would be hard to beat the warm tones of this one. I give it an extra bump in the ratings for sound quality.

It’s late night, last call music. The Three Sounds know when to step up and when to step back. Bill Dowdy on drums, Andrew Simpkins on bass, and Gene Harris on piano.

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James Taylor — 96

ALBUMS: James Taylor (1967); Greatest Hits (1976)

MVC Rating: James Taylor 4.0/$$$$; Greatest 4.0/$$$$

I grew into James Taylor. Mainly through my future wife, Catherine, who was a huge fan. While I had all my rock and roll mixtapes, she consistently pined for JT, Carol King, Carly Simon — the holy triumvirate of soft folk rock in the 1970s. (The Carpenters were a favorite but were more pop than folk.) So, of course I made mixtapes with these songs for her.

I remember she talked me into buying concert tickets when they went on sale at Auburn University, which Cat and I attended (and graduated). This was was one of these all day in line things, complete with folding chairs to snag tickets before they were sold out.

We got tickets and I proceeded to have about as enjoyable a concert as I have had in my 21-year-old life. He played all the classics ‘Fire and Rain,’ You’ve got a Friend,’ Carolina on My Mind,’ ‘Shower the People,’ and How Sweet It Is.’ But he also rocked out in the encores, playing some Chuck Berry I believe and others that have slipped through the memory of time. I just remember marveling at the concerts’ quality from songs to musicianship, coupled with a laid back easy personality that is his trademark.

The Greatest Hits may be all you need if you are just coming into JT. But all of his albums I know are good. I have his self-entitled debut which had ‘Carolina on My Mind’ with Paul McCartney on bass. Many of the other songs on this first album are unfamiliar these days but show a young man with a talent for simple songs that say more than they seem.

It doesn’t surprise me that he, now in his 70s, is still filling concert venues.

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Stephen Stills –97

ALBUM: Stephen Stills (1970)

MVC Ratings: 4.0/ $$$$

How many other musical artists can say they had Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton play on their solo album?

Stephen Stills is one I can think of. In fact, the only one I can think of off the top of my head. Clapton and Hendrix played on different tracks, recorded at different times on this Stills’ album, so it wasn’t like they were physically in the same room at the same time.

But a nice score for Stills nonetheless.

Two good songs too. Hendrix plays lead guitar on ‘Old Times, Good Times.” (Hendrix fun fact: He played the guitar left-handed so he would flip a right-handed guitar and re-strung it for a lefty.)

Although known for his aerial string-bending assault on the boundaries of music, he was quite restrained here and also quite tasty.

Clapton plays lead on ‘Go Back Home,’ his Fender Stratocaster cutting through all the other instruments as he takes off on his precision runs.

And Stephen Stills is no third-stringer here, playing lead guitar throughout most of the rest of the album (and organ too).

Good solid album. The hit was ‘Love the One Your With.’

In his many iterations Stills has sold 35 million albums.

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Pete Townshend — 104, 103

ALBUMS: Empty Glass (1980); Rough Mix,w/Ronnie Lane (1977)

MVC Rating: Empty (4.0/$$$$), Rough (4.5/$$$$)

Here’s two excellent albums that are still affordable and find-able. Up front, I want to acknowledge that Rough Mix is an almost equal collaboration between Ronnie Lane and Pete. I have talked about it in the blog before but don’t remember why, and I know I didn’t review it.

This is a good thing folks: I’ve done so many records I can’t remember them all, or, if I’ve done them. I’m closing in on 100 left of my 678 records. When I get there, probably in the next few days, I’ll do a short health update and look-ahead piece. Now on to the day’s albums.

Of the several all solo albums Townshend did, this is the one to get. It sounds like a Who album in many respects without Roger Daltrey’s powerful pipes, mind you. ‘Rough Boys, the opening song, is one that has that feeling of a long lost Who track. “And I Moved’ is an atmospheric piano driven piece that leaves me sad. Townshend’s jaunty hit song ‘Let My Love Open the Door” got quite a bit of radio play.

Rough Mix is a different album altogether as Townshend brings in Ronnie Lane, an English rock and roller who injected English folk music into much of his songs with the Slim Chance Band and Small Faces. ‘Annie’ is a beautiful example of Lane’s style. So is April Fool and ‘Nowhere to Run.’ Eric Clapton, who played guitars on much of the album, gets co-writing credit for Annie. Townshend, too, writes some excellent new songs: ‘Keep Me Turning,’ ‘Street in the City,’ and ‘Heart to Hang Onto.’

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The the — 106, 105

ALBUMS: Infected (1986); Soul Mining (1984)

MVC Ratings: Infected 3.5/$$$$$; Soul Mining 4.0/ $$$$$

I know it looks like a typo: ‘The the’, but that is the group’s name. I guess your could pronounce it Thee The or The Thee but I’m sticking with Thuh thuh.

This British techno group was the vehicle for Matt Johnson. Hanky Panky was a rock/techno treatment of Hank Williams covers. It is fun but not part of my countdown because I have it only as a CD. ‘Infected’ was an ambitious mess (and their best selling album). It featured heavy synth vibe and too many words. Soul Mining was the debut and still probably the best that I’ve heard. Top songs included ‘This is the Day,’ ‘Uncertain Smile and ‘Giant.’

Uncertain Smile has a piano solo by Jools Holland (of Squeeze fame) that is one of my all time favorite rock piano solos.

Johnson was fond of putting together quixotic lines and singing them over and over until different meanings surface. For example:

I tried so hard to be myself I was turning into somebody else — Out of the blue (Into the Fire on Infected).

How can any one know me if I don’t even know myself? — (Giant from Soul Mining.’

For me they were the classic band that when they were good they were excellent and when they were bad they were very bad. Johnson’s voice, for example, lived or died on his over-emotive delivery. Not everything you are singing, Matt, deserves the Jim Morrison treatment.

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Addendum and update: ‘How I stopped my horrific hallucinations’

As I continue living with this disease, Lewy body dementia, I have some post-game analysis on one of the most terrifying stories I’ve written about all this.

The post, which is on this blog, is headlined ‘How I stopped the horrific hallucinations that threatened my family, my sanity and my life.’

I am writing to add some nuance to the declaration in that story that I took one wonder pill — primavanserin — and ‘poof’ the ‘hallucinations went away.

That’s an oversimplification and I am tweaking the post a bit to better reflect reality, and you know how much I appreciate reality.

I do believe in the ‘wonder’ drug, primavanserin (Nuplazid), and that it was instrumental in helping me climb out of my hallucinations and back into reality. But the issuance of that new medication was part of a total review and adjustment of all my medications.

We went to several doctors where I received prescriptions for a medley of medicines. I do remember believing that I could use the carbodopa/levadopa on a sort of use as needed situation which led to me overmedicating myself, I suspect.

Carbodopa/levadopa treated the Parkinsonian effects of my Lewy body dementia, enabling me to write, walk easier and rid myself of that horrible, hard-to-describe feeling inside. I now think the increased use of that carbadopa/levadopa coupled with doses of anti-anxiety medication, an antidepressant and seriquol sent me into a psychosis, driven by my Lewy body dementia, where I was immersed in an alternate reality.

Once dropped into this state of unreality I had a hard time communicating to my caregivers what I felt was going on.

We sought opinions from several doctors and settled on a plan from Dr. Kasia Rothenberg, MD, PhD, at the Cleveland Clinic. She added the Nuplazid, and cut back on doses of just about everything else I was taking.

I found it interesting that as my medications were re-configured, my hallucinations built a story around it.

In these latter stages of hallucinations, I had gained control again of my house and delivered a dramatic speech to my nemesis, Red John, and his family telling them they had to leave my house.

And I haven’t had the hallucinations since. Well, I should qualify that. I still see Red John and other cohorts in various patterns, in crumpled bed sheets,, in the windblown movement of trees and bushes. Red John is sometimes smiling like we were old buddies, other times the look will be menacing but I can make it go away by looking away. These glimpses are a far cry from the immersion into another world that I went through last summer. Thank God.