BOOTSY's RUBBER BAND - This Boot is Made For Fonk-n 1979

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If you like funk then this album does exactly what it says on the tin. 100% no-holds barred funk. It transports you, there's no mistake as to it's vintage - pure 70's, you can feel it, smell it, it surrounds you. All the songs were Bootsy Collins / George Clinton compositions with input from various others and the album was produced by Dr. Funkenstein and Starr-Mon - pseudonyms used by George and Bootsy respectively.

The album cover and an 8-page comic included with the album were created by Overton Loyd, artist and friend of George Clinton. The comic book aptly called 'The Almost Finished Coloring Comic' starts in full colour and ends in empty panels. It's almost worth the price of the LP just to have this unique insert.

This is not an album I could play every day, only every now and then, but it washes over with nostalgia like a welcome wave.

BLUES BROTHERS - Briefcase Full of Blues 1978

 

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Not to be confused with the soundtrack of the Blues Brothers movie, this was their debut album released 2 years before the film came out. Recorded live at the Universal Amphitheatre in L.A. in September 1978, the two "brothers" were John Belushi ("Joliet" Jake Blues) and Dan Aykroyd (Elmwood Blues) ably assisted by a host of well-known musicians including long time David Letterman band leader Paul "The Shiv" Shaffer.

Opening for Steve Martin, the Blues Brothers could have been dismissed as a novelty because of Aykroyd and Belushi, but with a quality backing and the fact that they took themselves seriously, they ended up producing an album that sold millions and became one of the highest selling blues albums ever.

ROD STEWART - Blondes Have More Fun 1978 Picture Disc

 

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I know what you're thinking - did we really need a Rod Stewart picture disc? To be honest I don't know what possessed me to buy it, but here it is in all it's glory. There was no album cover, just the disc with a card photo insert in a plastic sleeve.

Rod took a gamble with this album, taking on the disco trend and leaving his heavy rock / rock ballad style on the back burner for a while. It paid off, giving him a #1 single with the horrendously cheesy 'Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?' and a minor hit with 'Ain't Love a Bitch' while the title track came in a distant third.

LENNON / PLASTIC ONO BAND - Shaved Fish 1975

 

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A mixed bag compilation pulling single releases from as far back as 1969 with 'Give Peace a Chance' and 'Cold Turkey' through some album tracks up to 1974 with Elton John on piano and backing vocals for 'Whatever Gets You Through the Night'.

The picks for me are 'Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)', 'Power to the People' and the aforementioned 'Whatever Gets You ...'. I recall how great it was to chant 'Give Peace a Chance' when it first came out and how 'Imagine' started as being mildly annoying and ended up as one of my least favourite songs - ever.

MELANIE - Candles in the Rain 1970

 

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A word of caution. If you buy this album, make sure it's the original release. The re-issue did not include track B1, 'Alexander Beetle' and others replaced it with 'Close to it All'.

Basing the album title and opening songs on her experience at Woodstock, 'Candles in the Rain' and 'Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)' really set the scene for Melanie's style and range. I recently found this album again over 50 years after buying it for the first time. Her voice can sound odd at times. Her arrangements can sound odd at times. The album can feel odd at times - but I love every inch of it. Her covers of James Taylor's 'Carolina on my Mind' and Jagger/Richards 'Ruby Tuesday' are distinctively different and fresh in their own way and her original compositions are consistently good. For me, 'The Good Guys' and 'Lovin Baby Girl' are the cream of the crop. You also get 'What Have They Done to my Song, Ma' .. always a winner.

BOB DYLAN - Dylan 1973

 

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As a lifelong Dylan collector having this album is a no-brainer. For the casual listener though, it's not an easy addition to the playlist. For a fan like me it was a must-have, being comprised of outtakes mainly from his 'Self Portrait' and 'New Morning' releases and therefore it was material that wouldn't normally have seen the light of day. It was put out by Columbia after Dylan left them for Asylum Records, so it was a bit of an f-u to the guy, done without any involvement from Dylan himself. Almost singing as a parody of himself, Dylan still does credible versions of Jerry Jeff Walkers 'Mr. Bojangles' and Joni Mitchell's 'Big Yellow Taxi' comes across in the way only Dylan can.

ASIA - Asia 1982

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Asia is described as a 'supergroup', which, when you look at it's pedigree, it certainly was. Unfortunately IMHO the whole fell short of the sum of it's parts. Made up of two members of Yes, Steve Howe and Geoff Downes, lead vocalist and bassist from King Crimson John Wetton and Carl Palmer, the 'P' from ELP, that should have been enough, but they never really did it for me the way other 'supergroups' did - think obviously Cream, Humble Pie etc. This debut eponymous album does have 'Heat of the Moment' so it gets the popular vote for a charting single.

STING - The Dream Of The Blue Turtles 1985

 

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I'm not sure I trust Gordon Sumner - he has a long police record .. BOOM BOOM !!

This was his first solo album and it was well received and well charted. There were 5 singles released .. 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free', 'Fortress Around Your Heart', 'Love Is The Seventh Wave', 'Moon Over Bourbon Street' and 'Russians'. Actually there were 6 if you include 'We Work the Black Seam' but that was only released in Germany.

For reasons that are obvious to people who know me, my favourite Sting song is 'Englishman in New York' - not on this album but it's sort of my theme song.

"Oh, I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien

I'm an Englishman in New York"

JUDAS PRIEST - Screaming For Vengeance 1982

 

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This album is in my wife's collection and it shows. Everything that came with it is still there, including the flyer from 40 years ago advertising "merch". Maybe I'll send for a $10 T-shirt.
The 8th album by Judas Priest gave the single 'You've Got Another Thing Comin''
"If you think I'll sit around as the world goes by
You're thinkin' like a fool 'cause it's a case of do or die
Out there is a fortune waitin' to be had
You think I'll let it go you're mad
You've got another thing comin'"

You've Got Another Thing Coming

JACKSON BROWNE - Late For the Sky 1974

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This is pre 'The Pretender' and 'Running on Empty' and 'Lawyers in Love' Jackson Browne.

It is unmistakenly him but still a bit hesitant. He's got some great backing though with the likes of Dan Fogelberg, Don Henley and my old mate J.D. Souther all on harmony vocals.

A pleasant harmless album where everything sounds as it should. It sounds like Jackson Browne.

DINAH SHORE – Musical Orchids 1943 10" Shellac 78 rpm

 

This isn't about Dinah Shore, it's about the records. Today we call a single LP containing multiple tracks an 'album' but originally, albums were just that - albums. Taken from the photo album format, record sets like this were presented in book form with, in this case, 4 records with a song on each side making up an 'album' of 8 songs.

This 'album' is almost 80 years old but when I rev the turntable up to 78 rpm it plays well.

GLOOP NOX & THE STIK PEOPLE - Continuing Where The Beatles Left Off.. 2015

 

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I don't know. I mean, I really don't know. I bought this album on a recent forage through the discount bins. It's new, sealed and classed as 'experimental'. I'm reluctant to unseal it.

A couple of tracks are on YouTube. 'In Loving Memory' is an instrumental. The only comment is "Most Excellent!" but that's written by John Trubee who is not only the guitarist but the driving force behind the whole production. The other is a vocal called 'Electric Love Nudity Supreme'.

One day curiosity will get the better of me and I'll open this up and play it. Stay tuned.

The Electric Love Nudity Supreme

In Loving Memory

U.K. SQUEEZE (SQUEEZE) - U.K. Squeeze 1978 (Limited Edition, Red Translucent)

 

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This was a nice recent find in a second-hand store, their self-titled debut album AND it's in red vinyl. This is the U.S. pressing so the band and the album go by the name U.K. Squeeze, as they did in some other countries. The 'U.K.' was dropped after this release. The group was founded by Glenn Tilbrook, Chris Difford, Paul Gunn and our old friend, bandleader, composer, presenter and OBE Jools Holland. Tilbrook and Difford were the writers of virtually all Squeeze's songs.

The two singles from this album were 'Take Me, I'm Yours' and 'Bang Bang'. 

Squeeze can almost be passed over today as just another band that came and went and had a few good songs on the way, but they really had an influence back in the day. A version of the band is still touring.

Take Me I'm Yours

THE MOTHERS - Just Another Band From L.A. 1972

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'(Was Mothers) Just Another Band From L.A.'

Say the name Frank Zappa to anyone of a certain age and they have their own mental image of a man and a time. On this album (1972) we're at a live concert in 1971 and the whole first side is taken up with "Billy the Mountain" .. a 25 minute freeform song improvised as the band toured different towns. Written as a parody of song/story style it's about a mountain (Billy) and his wife Ethel.

"Billy was a mountain

Ethel was a tree

Growing off of his shoulder"

I'm not saying you SHOULD .. but if you were to listen to this album with the addition of certain substances it would probably make a lot more sense. Although only one record, this was originally planned as a double album and the sleeve is a good old 70s gatefold.

Apart from the music, Zappa is remembered for a couple of other things. Firstly, the names of his children, the eldest being 'Moon Unit'. Secondly, in 1971 the Mothers were playing the Montreux Casino when someone set off a flare gun. The resulting fire destroyed the entire casino complex, along with all the Mothers' equipment. Deep Purple were also there to use the Rolling Stones mobile studio. From out of the ashes rose Deep Purples classic song "Smoke on the Water".

Verdict: If you need a Zappa album for your collection, I would respectfully suggest, it probably should NOT be this one.

Eddie, Are You Kidding

 

SOMETHING HAPPENS! - Been There, Seen That, Done That 1988

 

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In 1989 my future wife Tracy heard through friends in Dublin that Irish band Something Happens would be at the 'Rebel Rebel' music store on Bleeker Street in New York just prior to their first ever American show. She headed down there, introduced herself, then went to the gig at The China Club. After that, there was no going back. When I moved to the USA in 1997 to be with Tracy, she came as a package. I also got 'Something Happens'.

After releasing a live EP in 1988, their first studio album 'Been There, Seen That, Done That' was produced by Tom Erdelyi, better known professionally as Tommy Ramone, the drummer for the punk rock band the Ramones. The album contains great tracks like 'Beach', 'Forget Georgia' and 'Burn Clear'. After a few more albums - 'Stuck Together With God's Glue' in 1990, 'Bedlam A Go-Go' in '92 and 'Planet Fabulous' in '94, the big worldwide break they were waiting for just never seemed to come, despite a successful American tour with Warren Zevon.

They're still playing in and around Dublin, with a loyal following who hang on every song whenever they appear on RTE or live at Whelans.

Forget Georgia

STEVIE WONDER - Talking Book 1972 Gatefold

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Stevie got two #1 singles from this album, 'You Are the Sunshine of My Life' and 'Superstition'.

Originally, that song was going to go to Jeff Beck as a sort of exchange payment for playing on the album. Stevie and Jeff messed around with the song and Jeff went off with a rough version. Unfortunately he took too long to record and release it and in the meantime Stevie had a #1 hit on his hands. Jeff did finally record his version at the end of 1972 but in the words of Maxwell Smart ... "missed it by that much". 

Apart from Jeff Beck, Stevie brought in others such as Ray Parker Jr., David Sanborn and Deniece Williams to round out the sound and end up with an album that crossed over the R&B and popular charts.

The original pressing of this album cover had braille lettering. The front cover had the album title and his name, the inner gatefold held a message .. "Here is my music. It is all I have to tell you how I feel. Know that your love keeps my love strong. — Stevie"

Superstition

 

THE ROLLING STONES - Gigantes Del Pop - Vol.25 1981 (Spain)

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There are many Rolling Stones compilations out there, I've got a few myself. This one though is a curiosity. In most other countries it is sold under the title 'Solid Rock' but this issue from Spain is called 'Gigantes Del Pop - Vol.25' released a year after the 'Solid Rock' version.

The label bears the 'Decca' logo but all the copyright details etc. are in Spanish.

Going back to their very early stuff, the album includes 'Carol', 'Not Fade Away', 'Route 66' etc., with classics like '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction', 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' and 'Honky Tonk Women' adding to the 15 tracks here.

There looks to be over 50 albums in this series, some just straight compilations and others are re-issues of other albums - e.g. Vol.29 is the Cat Stevens LP 'The First Cut Is The Deepest', Vol.42 is John Mayalls 'Blues Roots'.

This came to me from a friend who was given boxes of albums from a house clearance. It's a nice novelty addition to the collection. 

DAVE MASON - Alone Together 1970

 

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This is Dave Masons debut solo album.

Even if you think you don't know Dave Mason, you do know Dave Mason. Cast your mind back to the sixties - back to his "on again off again" romance with 'Traffic'. He was responsible for writing their 1967 psychedelic anthem 'Hole In My Shoe' as well as the magnificent 1968 'Feelin' Alright' done well by Traffic themselves but put on the map by Joe Cocker.

His solo career wasn't stellar. He had a couple of minor singles hits, one from this album 'Only You Know and I Know' and then 'We Just Disagree' seven years later.

Playing this album all I can hear is Traffic, and even though Steve Winwood took most of their leads I get his vocal influence coming through. I'd expect it to be different. Leon Russell is in the mix along with Delaney and Bonnie. Dave's old bandmate Traffic drummer Jim Capaldi sat in and gets co-writing credit on one track.

It's not a dud album, in fact it's got variety and skill, but I can't get past the feeling that it's 'Traffic Light'. Ooh, see what I did there? That's clever !!

Only You Know and I Know

UB40 - Baggariddim 1985 LP Album gatefold + 12" 45 RPM

 

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This is UB40's 6th album and consists of mainly 'toasting' - a Jamaican style of rapping, before rapping was a thing. We got a taste for it when Astro did a toasted verse of 'Red Red Wine' on their 'Labour of Love' album.

U-Roy was a pioneer of toasting - talking or chanting over a beat or 'riddim' by a DJ. Before Blondie did their take, but after The Paragons did the original, U-Roy recorded his deejay version of 'The Tide is High' and brought toasting into the open. Even more so when he did a UK tour along with Max Romeo in '72. When Musical Youth sang 'Pass the Dutchie' in 1982 they were paraphrasing a U-Roy line "this station rules the nation with version" meaning a version of a track that a 'toaster' could use to overlay his vocal.

Along with the full 'Baggariddim' album there's a 12" 45 included in this 2-disc set. The 45 has the UB40/Chrissie Hynde version of 'I Got You Babe' along with 'Don't Break My Heart', the only 2 non-toasted songs here. The rest of the tracks feature a variety of artists putting vocals over some titles released on previous UB40 LPs. An unusual album, but for fans of UB40 (me included) it's a good addition to the collection.

UB40 - Mi Spliff

ROLLING STONES - Tattoo You 1981

 

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This album for me is all about one song, and that song shouldn't even be here.

'Waiting On A Friend' was part of the 'Goat's Head Soup' sessions back in 1972 when Mick Taylor was in the line-up. By the time this album was released and the finished track was included, Mick Taylor was gone and Ronnie Wood was doing the honours. It took a while but Mick was eventually given credit (and royalties).

'Start Me Up' tends to be the "known" song from the album, popular when it was first released and then given new exposure when Microsoft used it for their Windows 95 marketing, but for me, 'Waiting ...' is the pick and the video clip that came out for it seals the deal. I'm sure everyone knows, but just in case .. in the video the building where Mick is waiting for Keith is 96-98 St. Marks Place in the East Village in NYC. That's the same building used to illustrate the cover of Led Zeppelin's 'Physical Graffiti' album cover. 

'Tattoo You', tattoo me, it's well worth the ink.

Waiting On A Friend

ERASURE - A Little Respect 1988 (12" 33⅓ RPM Maxi-Single)

 

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Can you ever have too much respect? Tina Turner asked us to 'Show Some Respect', Aretha Franklin spelled it out for us 'R.E.S.P.E.C.T.' and Erasure took it to the extreme with what was a 3 minute track remixed in a number of ways to create this collection. 

There are 5 cuts, each just over 6 minutes long. A '12" Vocal', '12" House Mix', '12" Remix', 'Big Train Mix' and just to break the mould, the last track is 'Like Zsa Zsa Gabor'.

Can you ever have too much respect? I'm beginning to think so.

A Little Respect (original)

PAUL SIMON - Still Crazy After All These Years 1975

 

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There are many reasons to love this LP. Paul's fourth solo album brought him back with Art Garfunkel on 'My Little Town' and the amazing Phoebe Snow joined him on the bouncing, rollicking 'Gone at Last'. Phoebe was also singing background on the #1 single '50 Ways To Leave Your Lover'. Paul only mentions 5 ways to leave, the other 45 must be left up to the individual !!

The imagery in 'My Little Town' hits home for me. Brought up in the north of England living next to the gasworks, everything was covered in coal dust ..

"And after it rains

There's a rainbow

And all of the colors are black

It's not that the colors aren't there

It's just imagin-ation they lack"

Add my favourite bass player to the mix and this album just gets better and better. Tony Levin appears on 7 tracks including the aforementioned '50 Ways ..' and sprinkles even more magic on the production.

Before this album there was 'There Goes Rhymin' Simon' - and after it came 'Gracelands'. A trifecta of brilliance.

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover

ROCKY BURNETTE - The Son of Rock and Roll 1979

 

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Although the apple didn't fall far from the tree, the son of rock and roll didn't flourish as well as the dad of rock and roll. Jonathan "Rocky" Burnette was the son of legend Johnny Burnette, the 60's powerhouse who gave us 'You're Sixteen', 'Dreamin'', 'Little Boy Sad' etc.etc.

Rocky followed his father's musical journey and in the late 70's early 80's when R&R and rockabilly began a bit of an upsurge he released this album, with 'Tired of Toein' the Line' being the stand-out single. I bought this album on the strength of that one song and as it turned out, that's about it. In fairness though it wasn't all Rocky's fault. He had an unimaginable string of bad breaks with his record releases.

EMI ran out of money to promote any follow up singles and his next album fell by the wayside. After touring with his Dad's 'Rock and Roll Trio' he and the band did an album for Enigma which basically bombed and they were dropped. Even as late as 1996 he was still trying but when he released his album 'Tear It Up' Core, the record label, went belly-up in bankruptcy.

He's still out there somewhere, but apart from this album his main claim to fame is making the list of 1980 One-Hit Wonders. 

The "official" music video has to rank up there with one of the cheesiest ever made. This is not it !!

Tired of Toein' the Line

AC/DC - For Those About To Rock 1981 (Gatefold / Embossed Cover)

 

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What do Tchaikovsky, Emerson Lake & Palmer and AC/DC have in common? !CANNONS!
In 1880 Tchaikovsky put them in his 1812 Overture - in 1970 ELP used them in 'Pictures at an Exhibition' at the Isle of Wight and in 1981 Acka/Dacka blasted them in the title track from this album.

This isn't the first AC/DC album to paraphrase a saying. 'Let There Be Rock' was taken from "Let there be light" and this album was a mix of various sayings on the theme of "For those about to die .." It was further immortalised in the movie 'School of Rock' when Jack Black's character Dewy Finn inspires his band by saying "In the words of AC/DC: We roll tonight... to the guitar bite... and for those about to rock... I salute you."

If you're into rock family trees, cast your mind back to The Easybeats. Scottish born Easybeats founding member and guitarist George Young was the brother of AC/DC's Angus and Malcolm Young and along with fellow Easybeat Harry Vanda went on to produce a number of AC/DC albums, but not this one unfortunately. Trivia alert: The "Guitar George" and "Harry" who are mentioned in the Dire Straits hit song "Sultans of Swing" are George Young and Harry Vanda.

AC/DC - turn the volume to 11.

For Those About to Rock