TALKING HEADS - Speaking in Tongues 1983 - Stop Making Sense 1984 - Little Creatures 1985

 

The old adage says two heads are better than one. In that case, a trio of Talking Heads must be better yet.

CBGB, the New York City music club has been mentioned in previous posts in connection with Patti Smith, Blondie and The Ramones. It's also where Talking Heads first performed under that name in 1975, as the opening act for the aforementioned Ramones.

They released their first album in 1977, titled, obviously, 'Talking Heads: 77'. The standout single from the album was 'Psycho Killer' which was immediately linked to the infamous 'Son of Sam' serial killings of the same year. The killings may have influenced the timing of the release, but the band first wrote and started singing it back as early as 1974/5 when they were still known as the Artistics.

Fast forward to 1983 when the first of these featured albums came out. 'Speaking in Tongues' After having Brian Eno produce their three previous studio albums, this was their own baby. As well as the excellent 'Burning Down the House' and 'Girlfriend is Better' it also included my personal favourite song, 'This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)'. As David Byrne said, it's a love song made up almost entirely of non-sequiturs. Lines like "The less we say about it the better" - "Make it up as we go along" - "I can't tell one from the other". A slightly nonsensical song that is a lot of fun.

'Stop Making Sense' is the live album soundtrack to the movie of the same name. It contains some of the songs from 'Speaking ....' as well as previous stuff like 'Once in a Lifetime' and 'Take Me To the River'. It's a must-have in terms of a slice of history as well as being referred to in some circles as 'a bona-fide classic'. Not sure I'd go that far, it was a bit patchy and maybe overly mixed, but if you really want to get the best out of it, the 1999 re-release cures some failings.

The third in this line-up of todays 3 for 1 review is 'Little Creatures'. No less than 4 songs that make it on to my must-have playlist come from this album. 'And She Was', 'The Lady Don't Mind', 'Walk It Down' and last but very much not least, the rollocking, sing-along rock song 'Road to Nowhere'.

I'm linking to the 'Road to Nowhere' video for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it's a great song. Secondly, it was co-directed by Stephen R Johnson who did the Peter Gabriel 'Sledgehammer' and 'Big Time' music videos. It's pretty obvious he used the same techniques.

Most of Taking Heads attention is and has always been on David Byrne. Forever known for wearing his iconic 'big suit' he has always been the focal point of the group. Tina Weymouth and husband Chris Frantz, bassist and drummer respectively, created a side project called Tom Tom Club and if nothing else gave us the 1981 hit 'Genius of Love'. Known as a song in it's own right it's also one of the most sampled rhythm tracks of the 80's, being used by the likes of Grandmaster Flash, Busta Rhymes, Public Enemy, 50 Cent and believe it or not Mariah Carey.

In February 2020 David Byrne made his first appearance on Saturday Night Live in 30 years. He performed 'Once in a Lifetime' and 'Toe Jam' from 'American Utopia', an album and stage show performed between October 2019 and February 2020.

Get one, two or all three of these albums for a rare treat. Or, go modern and find a compilation. Either way, Talking Heads is required listening. Enjoy !!

Road to Nowhere

ELVIS COSTELLO and the ATTRACTIONS - Armed Forces 1979

 

Elvis Costello has had a mention in some of my previous posts. 

He was on stage with Roy Orbison and a host of others for Roy's 'Black and White Night' (reviewed July 15 2020) and not only did he produce The Pogues 'Rum Sodomy and the Lash' (reviewed June 7 2020) but he married their bassist and vocalist Cait O'Riordan.

Now he gets a review of his own.

Before I get into the music let's look at the album itself. This is the US version, complete with a sticker showing Tracy bought it at Korvettes. Just in time too, this was bought in 1979, Korvettes went bankrupt in 1980. There's also a B&W promo sticker on the cover - unusual as I've seen coloured versions but not B&W. The US front cover is paint splatter by Bubbles and Bazooka. The rear cover, stampeding elephants by Tom Pogson was used as the front of the UK release.

The US track listing differs from the UK in that 'Sunday's Best' was left off and replaced with '(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding' in the US.

Inside, along with the 12' LP is a 7" 33 r.p.m. EP containing 3 live tracks from 'Live at Hollywood High' 4 June 1978. The EP gives a live version of 'Accidents Will Happen' which has a studio version on the main LP, and live recordings of the bonus tracks 'Alison' and 'Watching the Detectives'.

Chronogically this was Elvis' 3rd studio album, it was his 2nd with The Attractions but it was the first time The Attractions were credited on the album cover.

OK, now the music. 'Senior Service' may have gone over the heads of those outside England as it makes political points about the older generation on the welfare system, but also makes puns about the British cigarette brand 'Senior Service', bouncing along to a Bowie type influence ..
"It's a breath you took too late
It's a death that's worse than fate"

'Oliver's Army' is the most well-known and popular track off "Armed Forces", dealing as it does with British soldiers in Belfast. To get his point across more effectively Elvis put very catchy pop arrangements to his cutting words. Although not questioned back in 1979, the use of the 'N' word could be controversial today, even used in the way it is ..
"Only takes one itchy trigger
One more widow, one less white n*****"

All the songs on this album were written by Elvis except for the US addition of '(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding' which was penned by Nick Lowe (remember 'I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass').

Although this is a good album I think the best value is to go with a 'Very Best of' in order to appreciate a larger catalogue of Elvis' work. You need to have 'Alison' in the collection, along with, obviously, 'Watching the Detectives' and 'Every Day I Write the Book'.
'Veronica' is a good song, co-written with Paul McCartney, whose influence is pretty obvious.

There are also some odd choices that you wouldn't necessarily associate with an ex-new wave, pub rock punk rocker.

For the soundtrack of the movie "Notting Hill" he did a cover of Charles Aznavour's 'She'. He recorded the Rodgers and Hart classic 'My Funny Valentine' and did a warm gentle rendition of Jerry Chesnut's C&W ballad 'Good Year For the Roses'.

Now for the obligatory Bob Dylan connection, because, well, it's me.

In 2014 Elvis was a major part of a music project that culminated in the release of a double album titled 'Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes'. Dylan and The Band famously did recordings titled 'The Basement Tapes' in a house called Big Pink near Woodstock back in 1967.
Some Dylan handwritten lyrics were found from that same time period. The songs were never put to music or recorded.
Elvis, along with Marcus Mumford, Rhiannon Giddens, Taylor Goldsmith and Jim James were brought together by T Bone Burnett. He sent them all the lyrics then they came to the studio with their (sometimes multiple) versions of finished songs. Altogether 40 tracks were reduced to 20 on the album. Elvis does vocals on 11 and plays instruments on pretty much everything else. The only one he didn't make it for was 'Kansas City' when Johnny Depp filled in for him on guitar.

Declan Patrick MacManus - the 'other' Elvis. Well worth a listen.

Olivers Army

KATE BUSH - The Whole Story 1986

Nobody will ever convince me that 'Wuthering Heights' is anything less than brilliant.

This compilation has a newer version of her signature song with re-recorded vocals, a slightly more mature voice than the original single and track that appeared on her debut album 'The Kick Inside' in 1978.

It takes nothing away from the youthful spontaneity and sweeping drama of the first issue and adds more fullness to the production. 

In other words, IMHO, you CAN improve on perfection.

Although this compilation is titled 'The Whole Story' obviously it's not. It was released in 1986 and although not prolific (no albums between 1993 and 2005) Kate has released new works since then. This compilation does contain some of my favourites up to that point though.

Like 'Wuthering Heights', 'Cloudbusting' was also based on a book - a memoir Kate read, 'A Book of Dreams' about philosopher Wilhelm Reich and his son Peter. They used a rain-making machine called a cloudbuster.

'Babooshka' draws on an older woman's paranoia that her husband doesn't love her anymore. She writes to him under the guise of 'Babooshka' a younger woman. The husband falls for the writings of this fictitious character because she reminds him of his younger wife. Oh boy !! The Russian flavour of the song was enhanced with the use of a balalaika played by none other than Kate's older brother Paddy.

Perhaps my all-time go-to favourite song of Kate's is 'Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God). There is nothing I don't like about this track. Her phrasing, the background throbbing drum and LinnDrum, Kate playing the synth and brother Paddy once again gets a mention on his balalaika.

Oh, and that voice! Then to top it off, she did an interpretive dance on the music video.

It has everything I want from a Kate Bush composition. The backstory it tells is the eternal differences between men and women and how there may be understanding if they could swap places for a while. Rather than making a deal with the devil, Kate chose a deal with god.

Apart from her own catalogue of work there are a couple of collaborations worth mentioning. The obvious one is when she sang 'Don't Give Up' with Peter Gabriel and the whole video clip was of the two of them locked together in a desperate embrace. An interesting sidenote is that the video was directed by Godley and Creme, ex 10cc. members. Also of note, Peter Gabriel wrote it with Dolly Parton in mind but she turned it down.

Another collaboration, not quite as successful, was with Prince for her track 'Why Should I Love You' off the 'Red Shoes' album. I covered this in yesterday's review of Prince so .....

Perhaps the quirkiest thing I've seen and heard from Kate is her version of Elton John's 'Rocket Man'. She recorded it for the album "Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin" and it was also released as a single. Kate did the song as reggae driven and seeing her playing a ukulele in the music video is insane.

I tend to put Kate in a column to the side along with some other female artists who strike a similar chord with me. I'm not saying they are all the same genre or style or sound but I have the same feeling for them. I'm talking about people like Laurie Anderson, Patti Smith, Grace Jones and more recently Lorde. They are all somehow pleasingly slightly 'off' .. there's a quality that bounces between genius and uncomfortable and retains an edge to everything they do.

Kate Bush - The Whole Story is still being written.

Running Up That Hill

Rocket Man

PRINCE and the REVOLUTION - Purple Rain 1984

 

"Dearly beloved

We are gathered here today

To get through this thing called life"

Prince Rogers Nelson, or TAFKAP, or just plain Prince. 5 foot 3 inches of pure purple !!!

This is another dive into Tracy's vinyl collection and it's pretty obvious it belongs to her when you look inside the sleeve of this 36 year old LP. Not only is the beautifully illustrated dust jacket intact but the Prince and the Revolution poster insert is pristine, factory folded, never hung or pinned. The album itself still has original shrink wrap except where it was carefully unsealed.

This is Prince's 6th studio album but the first where The Revolution got properly credited, although on the cover of '1999' if you look closely you can see their name written backwards inside the stylized 'I' of Prince. This is also the soundtrack to the movie of the same name.

The opening song 'Let's Go Crazy' starts with the line quoted at the beginning of this review with an organ backing that breaks into a drum rhythm and then an almost stereo-typical Prince beat and staccato vocal. Released as a single it was Prince's second #1 hit.

I'm not sure if anyone was ready for 'Darling Nikki' but here it is, in all it's glory. With lines like "I met her in a hotel lobby masturbating with a magazine" and "Your dirty little prince wanna grind grind grind grind grind grind grind grind grind" it was inevitable there would be some sort of fall-out. This was 1984 after all. Turns out that Tipper Gore, wife of vice-president Al Gore was the one who got steamed about it. The PMRC was founded and that led to the use of the 'Parental Advisory' stickers being used on album covers.

'When Doves Cry' was another #1 from the album, unusual inasmuch as Prince did the vocals and played all the instruments on the track.

When I listen to 'I Would Die 4 U' I hear Culture Club's 'I'll Tumble 4 Ya' and vice-versa. As Prince's song came first I can only assume he had a bit of influence on George and the boys.

Taking an overview of Prince's work it's sometimes easy to forget how many songs he wrote and how many other people recorded them. We all know Sinéad O'Connor's version of 'Nothing Compares 2 U' and The Bangles singing 'Manic Monday' but have a listen to Warren Zevon and the Hindu Love Gods belting out 'Raspberry Beret' and life is complete.

Sheena Easton, the mild-mannered Scottish lass who had a hit with the jaunty '9 to 5 (Morning Train) fell under Prince's wing and recorded his song 'Sugar Walls'. With the inference that sugar walls referred to the vagina and the line  "Come spend the night inside my sugar walls" it was all too much for Tipper Gore and her band of prudes and so it qualified for their "Filthy Fifteen" songs and required an advisory sticker !

Kate Bush (Oooh, Kate Bush, she's due for a review) approached Prince to do vocals on one of her tracks from the 'Red Shoes' album. She sent him tapes of an early version of 'Why Should I Love You?' wanting him to do backing vocals. Instead he totally deconstructed the song, created a whole new tape and patched Kate's stuff over it and sent it back. Instead of being a brilliant work by two musical geniuses it became a devisive amalgam of (my words) misinterpreted intent.

Prince passed in 2016 aged 57 and left the world with a mountain of music and an energy that lives on and on. To appreciate this album, watch the movie. To appreciate the movie, listen to this album.

"I only wanted 2 see you laughing in the purple rain"

Let's Go Crazy

DIVINYLS - diVINYLS 1991

 

Long before hitting international recognition with their provocative song 'I Touch Myself' the Divinyls had been a force to be reckoned with in Australia for over a decade.

Lead singer Chrissie Amphlett had a family connection with the Australian musical industry from childhood. Her older cousin Patricia, professionally known as Little Pattie, had her first Australian hit in 1963 with the short, catchy title of .. deep breath ..'He's My Blonde-Headed, Stompie Wompie, Real Gone Surfer Boy'.

In a style that couldn't be further from her cousin's songs, Chrissie burst out in '81 with the Divinyls first single 'Boys in Town' (video link below). The song was part of the Monkey Grip movie soundtrack and also included on the international version of their debut album 'Desperate'.

Looking at the Divinyls early music videos and performances it's easy to see how Chrissie was often compared to a female Angus Young from AC/DC. They both wore school uniforms and had similar movements and mannerisms. The band's style changed as they developed and grew and Chrissie was looking more fashion model than schoolgirl in later clips.

By 1991 the Divinyls were signed by Virgin Records who thought Chrissie could be 'the next Madonna'. They recorded this album, the eponymous 'Divinyls' at Jackson Browne's studios in Santa Monica. There were a few people of note on the sessions. Sitting in on keyboards was Benmont Tench, a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, multi-instrumentalist Charley Drayton on percussion (he and Chrissie married in 1999) and session musician, record producer and entrepreneur, judge of American Idol Randy Jackson playing bass.

The album produced the hit single 'I Touch Myself', basically a song about female masturbation, orgasm and eroticism. Needless to say, despite getting to #4 in the US Billboard Hot 100 the song had a lot of problems getting played in the US. When they were perfoming it live at the Austin Aqua Fest in '91, the organisers pulled the plug mid-set.

From 1982 Chrissie had a relationship with fellow bandmember Mark McEntee and although they split up in 1996 the Divinyls didn't formally disband. 

Sadly in 2007 Chrissie revealed that she had multiple sclerosis and in 2009 she announced the Divinyls were over.

She moved to New York with husband Charley Drayton but was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. Due to her MS she was unable to receive radiotherapy or chemotherapy and she passed away in 2013 aged 53.

Take a look at these videos from older performances. 

As I mentioned, The Divinyls - and specifically Chrissie, were a force to be reckoned with.

Pleasure and Pain

Boys in Town

Hey Little Boy

HONEYDRIPPERS - Volume One 1984

This is an odd one. 

It's not an LP, it's a 12" EP. 

It was put together for a record executive who wanted an album of some of his favourite 1950's songs.

The breakout song was a crooner done by a rock 'n' roll singer who feared it would ruin his career.

It's called Volume One but if you're looking for Volume Two, don't hold your breath.

It was released on Es Paranza Records, a boutique label used only for Robert Plant solo recordings.

That last one gives a clue to who the Honeydrippers were, or at least one of them. Robert Plant used a few of his mates as a pickup band on occasion and so when he was approached to do this album he pulled together Led Zepp's Jimmy Page, ex Yardbird Jeff Beck, Nile Rodgers the co-founder of Chic and Paul Shaffer, multi-instrumentalist, composer and David Letterman musical director.

Five tracks giving a very small window into the 50's but on the whole performed faithfully by some of the biggest names of the 60's, 70's and 80's.

As mentioned above, the #1 hit was 'Sea of Love' and proved to be Robert Plant's biggest selling single. He was pretty much mortified fearing that people would think of him as a crooner and not a rock and roller. Originally the single was released with the faster 'Rockin' at Midnight' on the A-side but the radio stations were playing 'Sea ..' more than 'Rockin'..' so it was issued with the sides reversed.

'I Get a Thrill' starts the first side off with a classic 50's feel. Doo-wop style background, instrumental middle break and coming in at 2:40 to fit the format.

'Sea of Love' swirls in with violins and atmosphere, then ... 

'I Got a Woman', the Ray Charles standard is a good rollocking swingalong, firing on all cylinders.

'Young Boy Blues' starts like so many other 50's half-song half-speech heart-wrenching weepies. Achy-breaky hearts, make believe kisses and so lost and lonely since losing you stuff. Mandatory for any self-respecting 50's collection.

The EP ends with 'Rockin' at Midnight' based on Roy Brown's 1947 jump blues song 'Good Rocking Tonight'. It's a fitting end to a short burst of recordings, seemingly done more for fun than anything else. It was never repeated or extended or built upon, so for it's unique take on some great songs this deserves to have a place on the shelf. 

Rockin' at Midnight

 

JOE JACKSON - Night and Day 1982

I've noticed a few people mentioning Joe Jackson lately, so taking the hint and bowing to peer pressure, here's Joe. This album was part of Tracy's collection and became 'family' vinyl when we married. Classed initially as new wave, jazz pop, and one I've not heard before - sophisti-pop, Joe travelled an almost parallel path to Elvis Costello.

It took me a while to come to terms with 'Night and Day', maybe because I didn't come to it gradually. All I knew were his previous hits and the singles tracks from this album 'Steppin' Out' and 'Breaking Us In Two'.

Getting further into the album brings out Latin rhythms and swings, bongos and cowbells, alto sax and swirling organs. 'Target' is quite frenetic and 'Cancer' makes you realise just how much influence there was recording the album in Soho, New York City. 'Chinatown' bothers me. The first line of the first verse is 'Trying to find Chinatown'. The first line of the second verse is 'For some soul food'. Really - wrong part of town dude !!

The thing that doesn't come across to me is what seems to be overtly promoted as an album theme. The title is 'Night and Day'. The single disc gatefold cover opens to show a NYC skyline gradually going from dusk to dark and the front has a line drawing of a lone pianist. That gives the idea of a lounge player, smokey clubs and late-night stories.

The album labels are distinctive in calling side 1 'night side', using a black label and obviously side 2 'day side' being in white. I took photos of both sides.

That's counter-intuative to me. Shouldn't you start with day and progress to night? It doesn't matter though, because the songs don't make that distinction anyway. There's no thematic difference between the two sides, just a similar range of musical styles.

This is starting to sound a bit negative. It's not meant to be. The music is good, it's full of rhythm and initiative and has some moments of brilliance but the album, IMHO, just doesn't do what it says on the tin.

As an album I prefer his debut release 'Look Sharp!' It still has a bit of punk at the edges with some reggae influence to give a familiar beat. It also contains his first and arguably best single 'Is She Really Going Out With Him'. The re-release also had a little badge, I'm a sucker for a freebie !

I'm glad I went back to take another look at 'Night and Day' .. it's not going to be at the top of the rotation but it gets an honourable mention.

Steppin' Out

ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND - Eat a Peach 1972

Yesterday Tracy made a post to say that, despite allergies, she seemed to be able to eat tree fruit again and was enjoying plums, nectarines and peaches. That made the subject of today's review very easy !!

I remember buying this double album. I picked it up because of the cover. A giant peach on the back of a truck with the band's name in one of the psychedelic-style fonts used for concert posters. No album title on the front and no track listing on the back, just another illustration, this time a giant watermelon on a railway wagon. The inside gatefold was a burst of more psychedelia. Mushrooms, fairies and a magical landscape, with a scroll listing the songs. Also on the scroll were the words "Dedicated To A Brother, Duane Allman" in memory of the fact that Duane was killed in a motorcycle accident a few months before the album's release.

I didn't recognise the songs but there was something that really stood out. This was a double album, but side 2 was completely taken up with one track, 'Mountain Jam'. Looking further, side 4 was totally taken up with 'Mountain Jam con't.'. This was worth digging into, so I asked the person in the shop to play some of it for me. 'Mountain Jam' turned out to be an improvised version of Donovan's 'There Is a Mountain'.  In newer releases the 2 sides of the album have been combined into one track on CD, making the jam last for an uninterrupted total of 33 minutes and 45 seconds but back in the day it had to be split over 2 LP sides. By putting it onto side 2 & 4 it meant it could be played with just a small break as the auto changer on the record player dropped the second disc.

'Mountain Jam' was taken from a live recording at Fillmore East in New York in March '71 along with the track 'Trouble No More'. 'One Way Out' was also recorded live at the same venue in June '71.

The two live tracks 'One Way Out' (Elmore James, Sonny Boy Williamson II) and 'Trouble No More' (Muddy Waters) are great blues standards done well by the Allman Brothers.
The rest of the album was made up of studio recordings.
'Melissa', sometimes incorrectly called 'Sweet Melissa' is one of the studio tracks, as is 'Ain't Wasting Time No More' and poignantly there is 'Little Martha', the only song written solely by Duane. 

Duane is also credited with coming up with the inspiration for the album title. When asked once what he was doing to help 'the revolution' he answered "I'm hitting a lick for peace — and every time I'm in Georgia, I eat a peach for peace." Some have said that the peaches being 'eaten' were 'the two-legged Georgia variety' .. I'm sure I have no idea what that could possibly mean !! The quote was shortened to 'Eat a Peach' and there it is.

Just over a year after Duane was killed, Berry Oakley the groups bass guitarist was also killed in a motorcyle accident just 3 blocks from where Duane crashed. Greg Allman went on to be married 7 times, most famously to Cher. They had a son named Elijah Blue. Greg passed away in 2017 as did their drummer Butch Trucks.

If you want to hear a few guitar masters at work and some nice blues covers as well as the ever popular 'Melissa' then grab this album. If you have almost 34 free minutes of time with no interruptions and a good set of speakers, put on 'Mountain Jam' and drift back to the Fillmore East, 1971.

One Way Out

NANCI GRIFFITH - Late Night Grande Hotel 1991

I was introduced to Nanci's music early in the year this album came out, so I'd already listened to quite a bit of her back catalogue by the time this was released in September '91. This was her 8th album so she'd laid a lot of groundwork before I came along.

Her style is classed as folk rock, country folk, Americana, even pop rock on occasion. Regardless of the pigeon-hole she's slotted into, her voice is distinctive and her music tells stories. And I like it.

That's the most important thing. Genres and styles are irrelevant if the finished product appeals to the listener.

Despite this being her 8th, it was the first of her albums I bought. Out of the 11 tracks, Nanci wrote 6 and co-wrote a further 2. The ones she wrote display a great talent and perception along with a sense of humour when it counts. She's also quite overtly political when needed. Probably due to one of her acknowledged influencers, Pete Seeger.

My pick of the crop on this particular release would be 'One Blade Shy of a Sharp Edge', 'It's Just Another Morning Here' and 'It's Too Late'. I've chosen the album title track as the link for this review.

Nanci has the ability to attract great musicians to her orbit and this album is no exception. Providing vocals on some tracks are Phil Everly and Tanita Tikaram (I reviewed an album of hers back in June). Add to that the producers, Peter van Hooke from Mike + the Mechanics and Rod Argent, keyboardist and founder of The Zombies.

When she chooses to cover other people's songs she chooses well. The last track on this album is her version of Tom Wait's 'San Diego Serenade'. 

She really took those choices to their full potential in the album she made in 1993 - 'Other Voices, Other Rooms'. 

Every song on the album was a cover and the respect she commands in the industry is evident by the way the original artists stood up with her.

When she sings the Bob Dylan song 'Boots of Spanish Leather' none other than Bob Dylan himself plays harmonica.
When John Prine's 'Speed of the Sound of Loneliness' comes on, there's John Prine singing harmonies and backing. Throw people like Carolyn Hester, Emmylou Harris, Arlo Guthrie and Odetta into the mix and you have some powerful friends rallying around. 

Search out some Nanci Griffith. Make your own decision. I'm guessing she'll win you over. 

Late Night Grande Hotel

MEN AT WORK - Business As Usual 1981

Anyone with even a slender link to Australia in 1981 had the task of telling the rest of the world about Vegemite sandwiches and what 'chunder' meant.

Before we go any further, this is my Australian album, the cover was black and white. The rest of the world got the more familiar black and yellow version.

Business As Usual was Men at Work's debut studio album released in November 1981 to build on the success of their two singles earlier in the year, 'Who Can It Be Now' and 'Down Under'. 

'Down Under' was originally a B-side on their first single 'Keypunch Operator' in 1980 and was re-recorded with a slightly different tempo and arrangement for the 1981 single. It took a while for the record to cover the world, but eventually it became a #1 hit in 7 countries and charted in 14. It reached #1 in the US over a year after it's release.

Founder member Colin Hay got the group together in 1979 in Melbourne and by the time they were using the 'Men at Work' name and started their recording career they were a 5-piece band. Colin was the main songwriter of the group, writing 5 of their best known songs. 'Who Can It Be Now', 'Overkill' and 'It's A Mistake' were solo efforts and he co-wrote 'Down Under' and 'Be Good Johnny' as well as the bulk of the album tracks.

In addition to putting Australia on the musical map, 'Down Under' was an introduction to quite a bit of Australian slang. As well as the brand name Vegemite and the aforementioned 'chunder' there was also the opening two lines ..

"Traveling in a fried-out Kombi" - a broken down Volkswagen Kombivan - and ..

"On a hippie trail, head full of zombie" - a route from Europe to South-East Asia and a type of marijuana.

IMHO the opening riff of this song ranks way up there as being one of the most instantly recognisable in modern music. Originally it was played on bass with the percussion provided by bottles filled with varying amounts of water.

Years later, in 2009 on an Australian music quiz show, 'Spicks and Specks' the question was asked .. "What children's song is contained in the song 'Down Under'?" The answer was "Kookaburra". Maybe nobody had noticed before, but it prompted Larrakin Music who owned the rights to 'Kookaburra' to take action against Colin Hay and Ron Strykert, the co-writers. Larrakin claimed the flute riff was from their song and in 2010 they were subsequently awarded 5% royalties backdated from 2002.

Greg Ham was devastated with the decision - he was the flute player - and was worried he would only ever be remembered as the person who copied someone else's song.  After the verdict was handed down he suffered from depression and anxiety and in 2012 he had a fatal heart attack at the age of 58.

There is still a version of Men at Work performing today but Colin Hay is the only member from all past configurations.

Colin himself had a successful solo career after the original band broke up in 1985. Apart from 13 studio albums he also contributed to the movie 'Garden State' and the TV series 'Scrubs' where he made appearances and sang.

Apart from the Men at Work standards, there's a couple of Colin's solo songs worthy of mention here. 'Beautiful World' is odd and fun and slightly irreverant and 'Waiting For My Real Life To Begin' is heart-wrenching.

"When I awoke today, suddenly nothing happened

But in my dreams, I slew the dragon

And down this beaten path, up this cobbled lane

I'm walking in my old footsteps, once again"

So, Men at Work. Only 3 studio albums, a short-lived reign over the world charts, but a massive, lasting impact and a part now of Australian culture and symbolism.

Play a tune on half-filled bottles of water and enjoy a Vegemite sandwich .. but be careful not to chunder !!

Down Under

Waiting For My Real Life To Begin - Colin Hay

BADFINGER - Best of Badfinger 1995

In 1961 a band called The Iveys came together in Swansea, Wales. One of the founding members, Pete Ham, was the only one of the original 4 who was still there in 1968 when they were the first non-Beatle group to be signed to Apple Records.

Their first single 'Maybe Tomorrow' made a reasonable impact around the world but didn't do anything in England. Coincidentally, that single was produced by Tony Visconti, who was married to yesterdays artist Mary Hopkin. Their marriage lasted 10 years, then he wed May Pang, John Lennon's bit-on-the-side when he was keeping away from Yoko for 18 months.

OK, back to The Iveys.

After reading a complaint in a magazine interview about the way the group was being treated by Apple, Paul McCartney offered them a song he'd written - 'Come and Get It'. McCartney produced the track and kept an iron-fist control, insisting they performed it note-for-note the way he'd done it in the demo he provided.

Before the song was released both the band and Apple decided the name The Iveys wasn't the best, particularly as another group, The Ivy League, were well known and popular. John Lennon had hurt his forefinger while the Beatles were developing 'With a Little Help From My Friends' so the working title was 'Bad Finger Boogie'. In December 1969 The Iveys became Badfinger. 

Once out from under McCartney's influence, Pete Ham flexed his songwriting muscles and came up with some of Badfingers best tracks. 'No Matter What', 'Day After Day', Baby Blue' and in tandem with Tom Evans they penned the magnificent 'Without You'. Their version was made up of two songs they'd written independently. Pete had written two verses of something called 'If It's Love' but couldn't quite get there. Tom had a song called 'I Can't Live' which had a chorus that was perfect for Pete's verses. They effectively spliced them together and came up with a beautiful complete work. The version they did on the album 'No Dice' is pared back and less theatrical than the production Nilsson did after he heard it. 

Despite their obvious talent both in songwriting and turning out hit records, Badfinger were plagued with bad management, unfair comparisons to the Beatles and lawsuits. One of those lawsuits between Warner music publishing and Badfinger's management meant that the album often thought to be one of their best works, 1974's 'Wish You Were Here', was withdrawn from sale just seven weeks after being released. Many of the tracks have appeared on compilations and the album was finally re-released on CD in 2007, but at the time it was a major blow to the band.

Their follow-up album in December 1974 'Head First' was effectively rejected and not released until 2000. When their business manager Stan Polley got sued by Warner Bros and then he disappeared, along with an advance, the band were left penniless. It was all too much for Pete Ham, the talented musician and songwriter who had been there since The Iveys. On 24 April 1975 he went into his garage and hanged himself. Although he isn't mentioned in the fateful list, he was, like so many others, 27 years old.

The tragedy doesn't stop there unfortunately. In 1983, after long and protracted disputes over the royalties for the song 'Without You', and in particular an extensive, heated argument on the phone with band-member Joey Molland, Tom Evans hanged himself in his garden.

Some bands rise and keep on rising. Some burn bright for a while and then fade naturally when their time is up. It sometimes seems as if Badfinger were doomed from the start. No version of the old group has performed since the mid 80's, although two offshoots, Joey Molland's Badfinger and Bob Jackson's Badfinger play in the US and UK respectively.

Show the old band some love and respect. Go back and have a listen. It's worth the trip. Start with the recommended link below, 'Meanwhile Back at the Ranch / Should I Smoke' from the recalled 'Wish You Were Here' album. 

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch / Should I Smoke

MARY HOPKIN - Postcard 1969

All music (IMHO) is nostalgia. Even the newest song or piece of music you hear and enjoy today is immediately filed away and by tomorrow it's a memory of where you were when you first heard it, or who you were with or what you were wearing or if it rained.

Some people have that same reaction to food or to smells. For me, memories are evoked by music. Some songs are ABOUT those memories, so not only do they remind us of our own past, they also draw pictures of another past, one that we didn't live but can identify with.

The Beatles sang 'In My Life' telling us that 'There are places I'll remember, all my life, though some have changed' and we knew that feeling.

Verdelle Smith painted a scene of an idyllic childhood of meadows and laughter and lilacs, but at the end everything had been covered by 'Tar and Cement'.

Frank Sinatra starts his song when he was seventeen and 'It Was a Very Good Year'. By the fourth verse he is in the autumn and thinks of his life as vintage wine, but looking back, the wine poured sweet and clear and even then 'It Was a Very Good Year'.

And so to Mary Hopkin. Often thought of as a one-hit wonder, she did in fact have a number of charting songs and came very close to winning at the Eurovision. Her 1968 release, 'Those Were The Days' is her best known and most popular song but immediately the title puts us into that nostalgic frame of mind. The English words are credited to Gene Raskin but it is originally a "Russian romance song "Dorogoi dlinnoyu" ("Дорогой длинною", literally "By the long road"), composed by Boris Fomin (1900–1948) with words by the poet Konstantin Podrevsky. It deals with reminiscence upon youth and romantic idealism."

"Those were the days my friend

We thought they'd never end

We'd sing and dance forever and a day

We'd live the life we choose

We'd fight and never lose

For we were young and sure to have our way"

Mary was one of the first artists signed to the newly formed Apple Label and the album was produced by Paul McCartney. Oddly, the original UK album didn't include 'Those Were the Days' but it was on overseas versions. Also included were three songs written by Donovan, one by Harry Nilsson as well as the Gershwins and Irving Berlin. Donovan, McCartney and George Martin appeared as musicians on the album.

The song choices were mainly down to McCartney and weren't necessarily the best. Critics felt her voice was better suited to more simple folk songs.

This isn't really a review of an album, it's more a statement about the way music in general makes me feel, and how some specific songs take that to another level.

Mary should not be known for just one song. She did more, and she did it well. Search it out.

Those Were the Days

JON and VANGELIS - The Friends of Mr. Cairo 1981

This is a house divider. It's something I play when I have the place to myself. Fortunately I'd had the pleasure of it for almost 20 years before restrictions were imposed.

So what do you get if you pair off the founding member and lead singer with 'Yes' who was also writer or co-writer of most of their recorded work and a Greek musician and composer, most famous worldwide for his music in the movie 'Chariots of Fire' but who has a further 20 plus studio albums and a dozen or more soundtracks to his name.

You get John Roy Anderson and Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou, or Jon & Vangelis for short.

At first glance these two would appear to be strange bedfellows to collaborate on not one, but four albums, but their relationship had begun as early as 1974 when Vangelis auditioned to replace Rick Wakeman as keyboard player for Yes (he didn't get the job). Despite his long and successful association with writing film scores, Vangelis also falls into the prog rock genre and so fits nicely with Yes and their style.

That combination of - my term - 'musical theatrics', really comes out in this album. Starting with 'I'll Find My Way Home' - this is probably the better known track, released as a single and charting reasonably well.

Strangely though, the album was first released without this song, as only a 6 track LP - it even had a different cover, just a stylised black and white design with a photo of the artists. The record label itself though was very ornate. A few weeks later the album was re-released with 'I'll Find My Way Home' included and the more familiar brown cover. The play list was also changed quite radically.

'State of Independence' is an almost 8 minute oddity, played to a sort of reggae calypso mashup and includes a made up spiritual chant 'Shablam idi shablam ida' with great saxophone breaks provided by Dick Morrissey.

'The Mayflower' takes the story of the pilgrims and sends them into space in a modern twist - while 'Back to School' is an attempt at rock 'n' roll and almost pulls it off ... almost.

Settle back and prepare for the 12 minute stretch that lays before you when the title track opens like a movie, with screeching tyres and gunshots. Getting inspiration from the 'Maltese Falcon' where Peter Lorre played the part of Mr. Cairo, the song uses actors doing voice-over parts setting the scene for a 1930's tale of gangsters and their sweethearts - pursued by the likes of Mickey Spillane and Sam Spade.

This really combines Jon Andersons lengthy Yes format with Vangelis' love for movie scores.

Finishing the album with 'Outside of This (Inside of That) leaves us in a more relaxed gentler frame of mind. The lyrics are a bit .. um .. ?what? .. but the electronic Vangelis orchestration and Jon's unmistakable voice that makes most songs sound like an out-take from 'Tales From Topographic Oceans' creates a dreamy soothing way to end the journey.

If you knew this album from back in the day, it's worth re-visiting. If it's new to you, greet it with an open mind.

I'll Find My Way Home

THE BEATLES - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 1967

Yes, I know, it's all been said before, what could I possibly post that is new and ground-breaking. Stop moaning at the back - this is for your benefit too!!

In 1995 Tracy and I met in an online chat room back in the day when everything was just text, no voice, no video chat, just text. I was in New Zealand, she was in New Jersey. Our first conversation was testing each others knowledge of Beatles trivia.

Yadda-yadda-yadda, we've been married for 23 years.

When I came over to the US I brought some vinyl, she had some vinyl, we created communal vinyl. Among her collection was the Sgt. Pepper album. Not unusual, a popular LP. However, inside the sleeve was something I hadn't seen since 1967. An intact 'cut-outs' insert.

The album cover was worn, the inner sleeve was creased and torn, but this most delicate of items, designed to be cut into pieces and played with, was pristine!! There was the Sgt. on his picture card, a false moustache, some stripes, a stand up and two badges.

The gatefold opens out to a large photo of the 'Fab Four', but it looks like a bit of a botch job. The underlying gatefold is white on one side and red on the other and the photo has been stuck over, but very badly. There are gaps at the top and bottom and the finish is rubbish.

I don't think any of this adds to the rarity of this issue, but it certainly makes it unusual. Particularly when you consider Tracy had TWO copies of this album but the other one shows none of the same flaws.

Perhaps the most amazing thing is that Tracy was only one year old when this album was released. She started her Beatlemania VERY young.

Or so I thought. Then I realised it was on the Capitol Orange label which was used between 1975-78 on a re-release of the original album, so, still a very young Beatles fan, but at least out of the cradle.

Are you waiting for the Dylan connection? It's obvious, he's on the cover. He had also released 'Blonde on Blonde' the year before 'Pepper' and The Beach Boys had put out their masterpiece 'Pet Sounds' around the same time. Both those albums were credited with paving the way for The Beatles to produce Sgt. Pepper but to my mind, from a layman's viewpoint, I think they had lain the groundwork themselves in '66 with the excellent, magnificent, better than 'Pepper', not to be missed 'Revolver'.

Often accused of jumping on the bandwagon, The Rolling Stones released their album 'Their Satanic Majesties Request' in December '67. Using psychedelic themes, weird instrumentation and a lot of Beatle type influences it was easily berated as copycat work. In fact, the Stones were in the studio for part of the time the Beatles were also still recording. On the track 'We Love You' done at the 'Satanic' sessions, McCartney and Lennon do (uncredited) backing vocals. The song was released as a single b/w 'Dandelion' 3 months before the album.

So, Sgt. Pepper. He helped bring me and Tracy together, he's still a commanding figure 50 plus years later and he influenced music for many years after his appearance. 

Sgt. Pepper, we salute you.

Good Morning Good Morning

BLUES MAGOOS - Psychedelic Lollipop 1966

OK, 1966, I was 16, I'd just bought a pair of flared pants covered in various sizes of polka-dots and I had a jacket and shirt that came with a health warning. I'd never heard of The Blues Magoos, but when I saw the title of the album, I had to have it. Turns out - not that bad !!

I'm guessing I wasn't the only one who bought it based on the album name. It was one of the first records to have the word psychedelic in the title. This is their debut album - they went on to do four more between '67 and '70.

Of the 10 songs, 4 were originals written by the group members and the others were composed by an eclectic mix of songwriters. From things like 'I'll Go Crazy' written by James Brown and Big Maceo's 'Worried Life Blues' to songs by people who wrote for the likes of Petula Clark, Gene Pitney, Englebert Humperdinck. Hardly the world's most 'psychedelic' artists .. but the songs all seemed to work.

The two stand out tracks are '(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet' written by three of the band, and the classic 'Tobacco Road' by John D. Loudermilk.

'(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet' is pure 60's. One description states .. "The Vox Continental organ riff was closely based on guitarist James Burton's riff to Ricky Nelson's 1962 rock recording of the old George Gershwin standard 'Summertime'". So, no major influences there then !!!

Their take on Loudermilk's 'Tobacco Road' is typical of the experimental music being played at the time. The basic song structure is there to begin and end the track, but between 1:00 and 3:45 you get the instrumental equivalent of an epileptic fit. I don't mind it, as I've said about a number of albums and tracks, it is of it's time, and for that I can enjoy it. If you listen with today's musical ear though, it can be self-indulgent and rather silly, but back then it was new and rebellious and exciting.

A couple of other tracks worth mentioning. 'Queen of My Nights' is a ballad-y number, I'm sure put in there to let us know that there was real talent in the group, they could hold a note and show emotion.

'One By One' another band member composition reminds me of the mid-60's Hollies. That's a personal thing though, to others it may come across totally differently, but it sort of makes me like it more.

So, Blues Magoos. Back in July when I did the Status Quo review I did say I'd be doing these guys sometime soon. Sometime is today.

Grab your bell-bottoms and your paisley shirts and your tie-dye undies and take a trip back to the 'take a trip' days. Peace man !!

(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet
Tobacco Road

POSTMODERN JUKEBOX - The Essentials 2016

 

PMJ are not a band in the pure sense of the word. They are a phenomenon, a rotating group of singers, musicians, tap-dancers and all-round entertainers who mix and mingle and perform separately and together.

The brainchild of Scott Bradlee, PMJ came onto our radar about 2015. A keyboard player extrordinaire, Scott arranges and re-arranges songs into different tempos, styles, genres .. the effect is amazing, surprising and always exceptional.

His early core of vocalists, people like Robyn Adele Anderson, Morgan James, Haley Reinhart and Kiah Victoria, as well as oddballs such as Puddles Pity Party, make music like you've never heard before.

Everything they've done is available on YouTube if you want to see what they are all about and I would heartily recommend that you do a search, put aside a day or two and watch them from A-Z.

At the end of this post I'll put some of our favourites, but please dig deep when you have the chance.

Moving into the commercial zone, PMJ have released a number of CD's and this double vinyl LP. This album set is a great representation of what they do and how well they do it. The videos for some of these songs were recorded in Scott's old apartment where he came close to eviction, not only for noise but for almost setting the place on fire (watch the attached clip for 'Burn').

PMJ did world tours before Covid and hopefully will do them again. The touring players can be any variation of the pool of talent, so who comes to your town is always a mystery, but regardless, if you have the chance, go see the show.

In the meantime, watch the videos, buy the albums and enjoy the variety of PMJ.

Burn
All About That Bass
Such Great Heights
Creep
Royals
Maps
Careless Whisper
Sweater Weather

COMMITMENTS - Soundtrack 1991

 

There are three parts to The Commitments.
The book by Roddy Doyle
The film directed by Alan Parker
The soundtrack performed by a disparate pack of actors, singers and musicians. 

Sadly, Alan Parker passed away last month (July 2020), but with his usual wit, Roddy Doyle did a tribute to him on his Facebook page. In a fictional conversation he starts off with ..
"-Were you in The Commitments?
 -Stupid question. Do you know anyone our age who wasn’t in the fuckin’ Commitments?"
and finishes with ..
"-Jack Charlton an’ Alan Parker – the two Englishmen who changed the face of Ireland.
 -It’s gas, isn’t it?"

And so to the music (which is why we're here). Songs written and performed by Al Green, Otis Redding, Ann Peebles, Roy Head, Wilson Pickett, Mary Wells and made famous by them and Aretha Franklin, The Marvelettes and Clarence Carter. How could the album fail. All it needed was good singers able to give the songs life and treat them with respect. It had that in spades.

The focal point of the movie was the band, naturally, and the 3 backup singers, Angeline Ball, Maria Doyle and Bronagh Gallagher (Imelda, Natalie and Bernie respectively) were all singers in their own right before getting together for The Commitments.

The odd one out was Andrew Strong, who played Deco. He was a 16 year old kid, son of Rob Strong, the vocal coach on the film. He didn't really have an audition lined up but when Alan Parker heard him sing he basically took him on straight away. The character of Deco was even re-written to suit him.

One of the most successful musicians in the movie is Glen Hansard playing the part of Outspan Foster. He went on to star in the movie 'Once' and won an Oscar for best original song 'Falling Slowly' co-written with Markéta Irglová.

Screenwriters Ian Le Frenais and Dick Clement, who also wrote one of my all-time favourite TV series 'Auf Wiedersehen, Pet' were responsible for the movies oh-so-famous horse scene. It's a life lesson. “You’re not taking that into the lift.” “I have to. The stairs’ll kill him.”

You may not have read the book - me neither - but if you've never seen the film, what is wrong with you? Find it, watch it now, then get this soundtrack and relive it over and over again.

Mustang Sally - YouTube

MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT - Last Sessions 1972

 

A couple of days ago I mentioned buying vinyl at Real Groovy in Auckland, after finding a bag from 25 years ago. When I took out this album for review I saw that it still had their price and grading sticker on it !! $12.95 in 1995 with a 'Fairly Good' quality sticker. I have to say their grading is VERY strict, this album is clean, sharp and sounds great.

The album title is, sadly, accurate. The recordings were made at the Manhattan Towers Hotel NY in Feb 1966 and at Vanguards Studios NY in July 1966. John passed away in November that year aged 73.

This review almost didn't exist, because John Smith Hurt almost faded into history without making any impact at all. He was born in 1893 and raised in Avalon, Mississippi. He taught himself to play guitar while working as a farm hand and played at local dances. Working on the railways for a while helped to expand his exposure to more music and when a recording scout for Okeh Records came to town in 1927 he was signed up. Unfortunately, fame eluded him. After recording around a dozen or more songs only 2 were released and they failed to sell all that well. That didn't bother John too much, he went back to his farm work and played again for dances and friends.

That may have been the end of the story if not for a resurgence in folk music history and the source of blues in the 50's and early 60's. There was a realisation that these early songs and pioneer singers needed to be acknowledged and if possible, found and recorded.

When musicologist Dick Spottswood found a copy of one of John's old 78's in 1963 he asked Tom Hoskins to try to find him. Taking John's stage name of 'Mississippi' and his record 'Avalon Blues' as his roadmap, Tom Hoskins tracked him down. When he arrived in Avalon, the first person he asked showed him where John's cabin was.

After recording some songs John was persuaded to travel to share his voice and talent, 35 years after he'd given up a musical career as a lost cause. Between his rediscovery in 1963 and his death in 1966, Mississippi John Hurt brought life to a musical history long dead.

He appeared at the Newport Folk Festival, recorded 3 albums for Vanguard (I used to have another of his LP's, 'Today!' but who knows where I left it) and he was also recorded for the Library of Congress.

As mentioned, this album is his last set of recordings, and the world should be grateful for those 3 short years that gave John Smith Hurt back to us for a while.

Shortenin' Bread - YouTube

ENYA - Watermark 1988

Good afternoon. If you could just disrobe behind the screen, wrap this teeny-tiny towel around your nether regions and lie on your stomach with your face in the hole. Thank you.

Now, I'll warm my hands, apply essential oils and play ENYA !!

Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (Enya Patricia Brennan) could hardly avoid being a musician. Her family, two brothers, a sister and two twin uncles, were the Irish Band Clannad. Completing the group was Nicky Ryan, their manager and sound engineer and his wife Roma. In 1980 when she was 19 Enya was brought in to the band playing keyboards and backing vocals.

By 1982 after a few internal issues, Enya, Nicky and Roma left to promote Enya as a solo artist. Things were a bit bleak for a while, Enya giving piano lessons and the Ryans scrimping and scraping enough money together to build a basic recording studio in their garden shed. In 1983 the three of them became directors of their own music company, Aigle Music. With Nicky as her producer and arranger and Roma as her lyricist they worked on and developed Enya's 'choir of one' sound, loosely based on Phil Spectors 'wall of sound' technique. 

Her break came in 1987 when she was asked to compose a song for a TV show called 'The Celts'. The idea was that various composers would do one episode each. Enya had previously recorded a track named 'March of the Celts', purely coincidentally, so she sent it in. The producer of the show liked it so much he commissioned her to do the full series.

Titled 'Enya', the album of the soundtrack was renamed 'The Celts' for international release.

Then came Watermark in 1988.

Obviously the lead single and the song everyone always associates with Enya is 'Orinoco Flow'. Not surprisingly perhaps is that the album hit #1 in Ireland and New Zealand, but maybe slightly surprising is that it also made #1 in Switzerland !

The single 'Orinoco Flow' made #1 in Ireland, UK, Switzerland (again) and The Netherlands. Built into the lyrics were references to the co-producer of the album, Ross Cullum and the executive producer Rob Dickins ..

"We can steer, we can near
With Rob Dickins at the wheel
We can sigh, say goodbye Ross and his dependencies
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)"

Cheeky !!

Enya is possibly a strange choice for my review today, but to be honest, I really like some of her stuff (even though I dislike massages). In no particular order, from some of her later albums, these are amongst my favourites. 'Ebudae', 'Book of Days', 'Anywhere Is', 'Only If' and 'Only Time'.

Kick back, relax, stroke the cat and play some Enya. You'll be a better person for it.

Anywhere Is - YouTube
Orinoco Flow - YouTube

KINKS - Ultimate Collection 1989

 

Let's face it, unless you're a completist, the only way to go with the Kinks is to find a compilation, or two, or three. You may never get all your favourites on one LP but there are about 3000 compilation albums out there. 

OK, slight exaggeration - 2500, but still a lot !

It pains me to say it on a vinyl post, but probably the best way to go these days is to seek out a CD set. Putting that aside, here's a double album I have lying around from back in the day.

I'm sure there are hidden gems on the 20+ studio albums they have produced, but my relationship with the Kinks has always been more superficial and really just revolved around their better known 'radio' hits.

I was about 6 weeks away from leaving England when The Kinks released their 3rd single, 'You Really Got Me'. in August 1964. It was garage rock before anybody knew what garage rock was. It was a basic 2 minute 45r.p.m. built for speed, but it was different to anything else at the time. Their first 2 singles disappeared without a trace, but this one pressed all the buttons. #1 in the UK, #7 on the US Billboard 100 and, more importantly as I was heading to the land down under, #8 in Australia. That meant by the time I got to Australia and settled in, 'All Day and All of the Night' came along and made me less homesick. Here was the music I needed.

A few years later when the Doors did 'Hello, I Love You' there was controversy about the similarity. In fact Ray Davies said that he once played a bit of 'Hello ..' in the middle of 'All Day .. ' during a show and hardly anybody noticed ! The UK courts agreed with him and he gets royalties for 'Hello ..'.

A history of in-band fighting (Dave Davies kicking over Mick Avory's drum kit and Avery coming back by hitting Davies with his hi-hat stand and knocking him unconcious) and throwing punches at TV personnel on a Dick Clark show in America led to a 4 year performing ban by the American Federation of Musicians. Despite that their songs still charted in the US and back in England they couldn't go wrong.

'Tired of Waiting For You', 'A Well Respected Man', 'Dedicated Follower of Fashion' and the bitter and twisted 'Sunny Afternoon'. Like The Beatles 'Taxman' it was a poke at the high level of taxation being imposed by Harold Wilson's Labour Government. It obviously hit a chord with a lot of people, either musically or economically, it reached #1.

1967 saw the release of my favourite Kinks song 'Waterloo Sunset'. Because of the lyrics ..

"Terry meets Julie
Waterloo station
Every Friday night
But I am so lazy, don't want to wander
I stay at home at night"

it was long thought that it was inspired by Terence Stamp and Julie Christie in the movie 'Far From the Madding Crowd' but Ray Davies dispeled that in his 2008 autobiography. It's a nice story though.

I could just fill this post with lists of Kinks songs worth a mention, but everyone has one or two that bring memories to life.

My memory prompter isn't even a memory of mine, in fact it isn't even a reality, but every time I hear it I think of my sister in the 60's. 

"Come dancing
All her boyfriends used to come and call
Why not come dancing, it's only natural ...
... Come dancing
That's how they did it when I was just a kid
And when they said come dancing
My sister always did"

Ray and Dave Davies are still around, as is drummer Mick Avory but other  members and former members are fading away. Despite years of animosity between the brothers, there are always rumours of a reunion and combined projects, and they are at least talking to each other again.

The Kinks for me will always belong to the 60's and early 70's (to include 'Lola') and 'Waterloo Sunset' will always bring me peace.

Waterloo Sunset - YouTube
Come Dancing - YouTube

SPLIT ENZ - Time and Tide 1982

 

I got to Auckland, New Zealand in November 1974, just as Split Enz were about to leave. I didn't take it personally.

They'd been around as Split Ends since 1972, when founding member Tim Finn got university and school friends together. By '74 they'd got some local fame after touring with John Mayall and the odd TV performance.

Never really suited to pub performances because of their style they took on some radio sponsored shows called 'Buck-A-Head' .. meaning $1 entry, where they played in theatres and clubs. They also changed the band name from Split Ends to Split Enz, a play on words and a patriotic nod to New Zealand.

They put out a few singles in New Zealand but knew they needed a bigger market and so in '75 they moved to Australia. Their first album 'Mental Notes' was recorded there and released in 1975. After supporting Roxy Music on an Australian tour a couple of the Roxy's helped get Split Enz a deal with Chrysalis Records in England and they flew over to the UK to record 'Second Thoughts'.

Some band member changes, fallings-out, comings and goings meant in April 1977 Tim Finn's brother Neil joined them to replace co-founder Phil Judd. Later in '77 they toured in the U.S. then back in the UK and Europe until early '78. Despite all that, the band was falling apart, more people coming and going and the rest of 1978 went from bad to worse. They lost the Chrysalis deal, had no agent, couldn't get bookings and went on the unemployment line.

Amazingly, fortunately, the New Zealand Arts Council gave them a grant of $5000. They were able to turn things around, make demos, get some promotion and get back on their feet.

By 1981 they began a world tour including North America, where they co-headlined with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. They also released their multi-named album ... in New Zealand it was called 'Waiata' which is Māori for songs and singing and in Australia the album was named 'Corroboree' which is Aboriginal for the same thing.

Two great songs from this album, 'One Step Ahead' and 'History Never Repeats' both made the charts around the world.

Then we get to todays feature album 'Time and Tide', produced by Hugh Padgham who had worked with the likes of Genesis, XTC and Peter Gabriel.

The two lead-out singles from the album, 'Dirty Creatures' and 'Six Months in a Leaky Boat' both charted well in Australia and New Zealand and 'Six Months .. ' even got to #7 in Canada, but instead of being the breakthrough hit they wanted in the U.K., it was effectively buried.

The timing could not have been worse. The Falklands was taking up all the headlines and after the sinking of the Argentine warship 'General Belgrano' by the British Navy, the BBC included the track on it's blacklist of 'songs not to be played' because of possible negative references and inferences to the war.

If nothing else it did manage to spread a couple of Māori words around the world. In 'Dirty Creature' they mention a Taniwha - a sea creature
"Taniwha is waiting for me just below the surface so bright (Yeah)"
and in 'Six Months ..' they use the Māori word for New Zealand, "Aotearoa". 

By 1984 the band was starting to fracture, with members doing their own projects and solo work and in December '84 they did their last concert.

In 1985 Neil Finn and drummer Paul Hester formed Crowded House who finished the 80's by getting some of that international chart success that always seemed to have eluded Split Enz.

I See Red (1978) - YouTube
Six Months In A Leaky Boat (1982) - YouTube

RAY CHARLES - Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music 1962/1971

This is one of my Desert Island Discs. It's a thing of beauty.

Although it was released in 1962 I certainly didn't buy it then - I remember getting it in the early 70's so it must have been the re-issue version.

I can live without 'Hit the Road Jack' and 'What'd I Say' and even 'Georgia on My Mind' .. but there are songs on this album that are essential. It does what it says on the tin. It takes C&W and folk standards and let's Ray give them his own style - using his baseline of R&B and jazz to re-interpret some well chosen songs.

There's really no need to use this space to give any sort of history of Ray Charles. What isn't common knowledge or covered by the movie 'Ray' is in his music, and this album tells his story well.

It has emotion flowing out of every pore. Just three tracks could make this a masterpiece for me.

'You Don't Know Me', 'Born to Lose' and 'I Can't Stop Loving You'.

That third song rips me every time. At the end of this verse ..

"(I can't stop loving you)

I said I made up my mind

To live in memory of the lonesome times"

he ad-libs to the Randy Horne Singers ..

"Sing the song, children" and it cuts through my heart like a knife.

Oddly, this song was thought to be one of the weakest on the album but it turned out to be the best selling single. 

The album was first released in April 1962 and was so successful that a Vol 2 was quickly put out in October the same year. The pick of the crop for me on the second LP would be 'Don't Tell Me Your Troubles' and 'Take These Chains From My Heart'. Both albums have since been released on a combination CD.

This is a very short entry. There really is only one thing to say about this featured album. If you have nothing else in your collection, make sure you have this. If you want to get both, please do.

I Can't Stop Loving You - YouTube

NEIL YOUNG - Greatest Hits NZ Pressing 1985

I was always a casual fan of Neil Young. Not enough to buy his full albums but I had my favourites. So, when I came across this LP in Auckland in 1985 I thought it was a good deal. 11 tracks and I knew 7 of them well. The songs were pulled from 8 albums and covered 1969 - 1981. Seemed like good value to me. I decided to include it on the Vinyl Vault (smell-of-vinyl) because after posting CSNY's Déjà Vu album recently I thought it would be a good way to cover some of Neil's other work.

I was checking on details for this review and discovered something I hadn't known about the album. 

It's rare ! 

It's not money in the bank rare.

It's not a lost Rembrandt rare ...

but it's rare enough to be interesting.

I suppose to be fair, it's rare-ish.

It was only ever released in Australasia, but Neil Young didn't approve of the record so it was soon taken off the market. I got in touch with Rames El Desouki who not only runs an amazing website, http://www.cvinyl.com/ but is also a Neil Young fan. He was able to tell me in no uncertain terms that the album was pulled because "He (Neil) certainly is not the type of artist who would condone some purely commercial random compilation of "hit singles"..."

It's been sitting in my collection for all this time and I had no idea of the backstory. Seems I was lucky to get one !  Just to add to the 'rarity?' - 'oddness?' - 'curiosity?' there's another feature on the label - either a misprint or a lack of basic grammar. The title says "Neil Young Greatest Hit's" .. with a redundent apostrophe on Hits.

Though I've never been a massive fan of Neil Young, there are songs I've always known and quite a few I've classed amongst my favourites at various times in my life.

I can start with the late 1966 Buffalo Springfield anthem 'For What It's Worth', a song that has been covered by everyone from Miriam Makeba, Ozzy Osbourne, Cher and The Muppets! Written by Stephen Stills (yes, CSN .. or later CSNY) it sounds as topical today as it did over 50 years ago.

After Buffalo Springfield, Neil went solo for his eponymous 1968 album, but for his second album he brought in three guys from a band called The Rockets. They were Danny Whitten, Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina who took the name Crazy Horse. The 1969 album 'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere' was then officially credited to Neil Young with Crazy Horse and spawned 2 epic tracks coming in at around 10 minutes each, 'Down By the River' and 'Cowgirl in the Sand' but also another of my Neil favourites 'Cinnamon Girl'.

1970 saw 2 albums featuring Neil. The first was the previously reviewed CSNY Déjà Vu in March and the other was his own 'After the Gold Rush' in September. The recording times overlap - and his mate from Buffalo Springfield and CSNY, Stephen Stills, also appeared on his solo album.

My pick is the title track 'After the Gold Rush' but I'm sure hard core fans will dispute that.

Possibly his best known album of this era is his 1972 release 'Harvest'.

Certainly in terms of the who's-who of talent surrounding him it was a heavily populated album. Although the album was credited as a Neil Young release, Crosby, Stills and Nash all feature as backing singers, along with James Taylor and Linda Ronstandt. A foursome of session musicians were gathered and they were quickly given the collective name 'The Stray Gators'. There were even a couple of tracks featuring the London Symphony Orchestra. The LP did add to my list of favourite songs though, with 'Heart of Gold', 'Old Man' and 'The Needle and the Damage Done'.

Fast forward to 1976 when Neil got together with the ever present Stephen Stills and put out an album and title track 'Long May You Run'. It was the only studio release by the Stills - Young Band, but the single is another candidate for my favourites list.

As most people may know or have guessed, I am a dyed in the wool, fanatical Dylan disciple. As such, I know and own all the official albums ever released as well as having many many 'unofficial' recordings. I know the same can be said for Neil Young fans, but my coverage of him and his music is very sparse after 'Harvest'. The next song to come across my radar was many years later when he released 'Harvest Moon' in 1992, which sounded very mellow for the 'Godfather of Grunge'.

Apart from his 'regular' studio albums, Neil also releases material under the 'Neil Young Archives' project. I suppose the nearest I can equate is the Bob Dylan 'Bootleg' series, where previously unreleased studio and live performances are compiled and made available.

The latest in this series was released in June 2020. 'Homegrown' is material that was recorded 45 years ago.

It may be a bit unfair of me to review this Greatest Hits album if it's not available, but better Neil Young approved compilations exist.

Treat yourself to some vintage Neil - or do as I'm doing, listen to the 2020/1975 'Homegrown' and look behind the curtain.

Harvest Moon - YouTube