BEACH BOYS - Pet Sounds 1966

 Listening to this album again in it's entirety, 55 years after it's release, is, I think, the closest I'll get to opening a time capsule. 

I imagine the items in my time capsule would be some things familiar, some things I perhaps didn't understand at the time and other things that were cutting edge. That's what 'Pet Sounds' is - all those things on a flat, round piece of vinyl.

Everybody knows a Beach Boys song. There's no escape, young or old their music is everywhere. If it's not on your favourite radio station playlist then it's in the supermarket or elevator. At the very least it's seasonal and appears when the sun gets warm and the beaches open. It's music that can evoke memories.

'Wouldn't It Be Nice', the opening track, is the familiar thing in my time capsule. Heavier in parts and stronger in total it still carries a bit of earlier surfing sounds to it - a gutsier 'California Girls' perhaps. Like the later track 'Sloop John B' it's newly different, but comfortable.

In between those songs we get a mix. Here are maybe some of the difficult to understand things in my time capsule. There's 'You Still Believe In Me' which can be slightly unsettling on new ears. Beautiful harmonies as expected but some chord and tempo changes that aren't. There's also the introduction of 'sound effects'. More on that later.

'Let's Go Away For A While' seems at first listen to be a waste. Where are those beautiful harmonies, those angelic and soaring vocals. This is an instrumental track. Where are The Beach Boys. But of course, this whole album is mainly Brian Wilson and so this is the Brian Wilson you get - and after the initial surprise, it's a magical instrumental.

In a controversial move Brian conceded to changes in his song 'I Know There's An Answer'. He'd written it as a more 'druggy' song which didn't sit well with other members of the group and so lines were altered and the original title 'Hang On To Your Ego' was scrapped. Musically it's a hodge-podge of sounds, but strangely attractive.

Then there is the cutting-edge corner of my time capsule. The title track 'Pet Sounds' is another instrumental and the album is rounded off with tracks using basslines, harpsicords and an electro-theremin !! 

'Caroline, No' was a title by Tony Asher that was meant to be "Carol, I Know' but Brian Wilson heard it as 'Caroline, No' and so that's what it became.

Once again, there are 'sound effects' on this track.

I haven't yet mentioned the first track on side two. Sometimes called one of the greatest songs ever written, one of the few to ever mention God in it's title and lyrics and one that took the album to a whole new level, it was of course 'God Only Knows'. It gets no description from me, it just has to be heard.

I mentioned sound effects on some tracks. Bicycle bell and horns at the end of 'You Still Believe in Me' - trains and dogs barking at the fade out of 'Caroline, No' are very reminiscent of things from The Beatles 'Sgt. Pepper', but of course, this album came first. There's also the thread of slight psychedelia running through the whole record and after listening to all tracks you just KNOW that around the corner, coming very soon, is the classic 'Good Vibrations'. It didn't make it onto the album, it was too involved, too long in production and Brian chose to include the title track 'Pet Sounds' instead. Thankfully it was released later and found it's own place in music history.

'Pet Sounds' is one of those iconic albums that is always touted as being one of 'the most influential'. That accolade of course is subjective, but in this case I think I have to agree. The internal politics of the band, the almost maniacal control of Brian Wilson and the uncertaintly of classifying this as a Beach Boys or a Brian Wilson solo album takes nothing away from the end result. An album bridging the gap from one genre to another that contains all the elements of my imaginary time capsule.

God Only Knows

THE CHURCH - Hindsight 1980-1987

 

And we're back. It's been a while, life, covid, playing with the toys I got for Christmas, lots of things got in the way, but here we are with another Vinyl Vault post. This one though will probably have limited recognition but I would urge those of you who do not know The Church to watch the YouTube links below. 

I have 4 Church absolute favourites, but unfortunately the last vinyl compilation they released only has 2 of them. You need to look at the 1999 CD of "Under The Milky Way: The Best Of The Church" to get all 4 in one place. Or, as I mentioned, watch the listed YouTube links.

This Sydney band came together in 1980 but over the years the line-up has changed and the only founding member still playing is Steve Kilbey, lead singer, bass, guitar and keyboards (not much left for anyone else really!). Their fame was mainly confined to Australia. New Zealand and Canada dabbled, the US had 'Metropolis' as a #1 on the "alt" chart and 'Under the Milky Way' at #2 on the main chart, but there was no lasting impression. They did get signed in the States but were dropped when the label didn't like their second album. That's a shame because the group put out some solid music.

This is a short review, just getting back into it really. It's more of a recommendation - give The Church a listen, 40 years later you could be pleasantly surprised.

Electric Lash
Unguarded Moment
Under the Milky Way
Metropolis

DAVE DEE, DOZY, BEAKY, MICK & TICH - Legend of ... 1968

 

  

Even if the group had never been formed, Dave Dee (real name David Harman) still had a claim to fame. In 1960 he was a policeman in Wiltshire and was called out to attend a traffic accident. It was the crash that killed Eddie Cochran and injured Gene Vincent.

Together with four of his mates from Wiltshire, Dave formed Dave Dee and the Bostons, but in 1964 a couple of songwriters, Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley took them under their wing, changed the band's name to include everyone and wrote some of their biggest hits.

The band's 3rd single, but the first to make the charts, was 'You Make It Move' released in 1965. The floodgates really opened though between February 1966 and September 1968 when they had a total of 11 songs in the top 20, 7 of them top 10 hits and 'Legend of Xanadu' reaching #1.

I've previously mentioned that in 1967 I had left home and was living in Brisbane when the Animals came to town. On the same bill was DDDBM&T, so I got to see them live in the middle of their popularity.

Although essentially a 'pop' group, when you really look at some of their songs they could almost be classed as an early 'world music' band. 'Zorba's Dance' from the movie 'Zorba the Greek' was a hit in 1965 and the following year DDDBM&T released 'Bend It'. The Greek influence is unmistakable when you play them back-to-back. Want to try a Latin beat? Listen to 'Save Me' from the end of '66. By 1967 we got the African style percussion in the fantastic track 'Zabadak', full of made up words and nonsense to hold together the two English verses. Want some whip-cracking effects - literally !! - then turn up the volume and play 'Legend of Xanadu' and throw in some pseudo-Mariachi trumpets while you're at it.

This is an early album but if you want a fuller discography you'll need to go CD or digital. Trust me, it's worth it.

Dave Dee passed away in 2009 after being with the band from the beginning. 

There have been 2 Dozy's, the original Trevor Ward-Davies left in 2015

There have been 3 Beaky's, the original John Dymond left in '89, had a couple of replacements but then came back in 2013.

There have been 3 Mick's, the original Michael Wilson stayed until 1975.

There have been 2 Tich's, the original Ian Amey played through until 2014.

Some other songs worthy of mention are 'Last Night in Soho', 'The Wreck of the 'Antoinette'' and the very obscure, very Beatle-esque 'Mrs. Thursday'.

If you are old enough, cast your mind back and relive the simple pleasures of DDDBM&T as they bounce through the 60's.

Legend of Xanadu

Zabadak

Bend It

NOT DROWNING, WAVING - Tabaran 1990

 

(not drowning, waving and the Musicians Of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea featuring Telek)

My music postings have a small but faithful following, however, this entry is self-indulgent and will mean nothing to all but one or two people. I've included it because of my attachment to and affection for Papua New Guinea, particularly the people of Kundiawa, where I lived for 5 years in the 80's and 90's.

'not drowning, waving' (styled in all lowercase) were a Melbourne group popular through the mid 80's to mid 90's playing rock, indie and world music. In July 1988 they went to Rabaul, Papua New Guinea at the invitation of the manager of Pacific Gold Studios to record with local musicians. 'Tabaran' came from those sessions. Although containing local musical styles and content there are caveats on the description of the album as a whole ..

"'Tabaran' is not a representative album of Papua New Guinea music nor is it anthropological."

".. the liner notes warn against any illusion of ethnic musical purity .."

Having said that, the overall 'feel' of the album for me is one of immersion in culture and time.

'The Kiap Song' is perhaps the most commercial of all the tracks, dealing with the attitudes of certain ex-pats to the local population, specifically mentioning the area where I spent almost all of my 5 years in PNG, Chimbu Province.

"The strong Chimbu man looks straight ahead.

He hears his masta's voice, he's lost his nerve again.

The kiap shouts, the big buffoon

he yells his orders through the coffee trees."

My only problem with this is the use of the word "Kiap" as seeming to be just the boss of a coffee plantation. In fact, kiaps were district patrol officers in pre-independence days, evolving to become district magistrates post-independence. A friend during the time I lived there was Rick Giddings who was exactly that - a kiap who became a magistrate. As can be imagined, he had some amazing stories.

There's a great intro at the beginning of the song 'Abebe' where the announcer gives a 'pidgin' language version of the band's name .. "i no dringim wara, tromwai han tasol". Literally, "he didn't drink the water, he's just throwing his hand around" - therefore - "not drowning, waving".

When the CD version of the album came out, Tim Cole, band vocalist who produced the record, decided to put a 'hidden' track as close to the end of the CD as possible. The result was a 15th song - 'Gawi Bagarap' tucked away as a little gift for the unsuspecting listener. I've listed a link to a live version of the song.

Sadly Rabaul, where this album was recorded, was destroyed by falling ash after a volcanic eruption in 1994.

Treat yourself to something different, listen to the music.

The Kiap Song

Abebe

Gawi Bagarap

EVERLY BROTHERS - Reunion Concert 1983

 

In the 2020 documentary "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" Noel Gallagher says about the Bee Gees "When you’ve got brothers singing, it’s like an instrument that nobody else can buy. You can’t go buy that sound in a shop."

That's true of other family acts. The Beach Boys had the three Wilson brothers, Haim has three sisters, The Carpenters had brother and sister Karen and Richard, there's The Osmonds, The Jacksons, even Toto had Steve, Jeff, and Mike Porcaro.

The Everly Brothers had Phil and Don.

If you were around in 1957, a new sound came over the radio. 'Bye Bye Love' and 'Wake Up Little Susie' were both released that year and became instant hits in the fledgling Top 20's, 40's or 100's. These two songs were written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, who went on to also write 'All I Have To Do Is Dream', 'Take a Message to Mary' and 'Bird Dog'.

Before too long though, the brothers were writing their own material with '(Till) I Kissed You' and 'Cathy's Clown' proving they knew how to create their own hits. In fact in England 'Cathy's Clown' was catalogue number WB1, the first Warner Bros. Records ever released in the United Kingdom.

They remained popular even through all the musical revolutions happening in the 60's, one of my favourite Everly Brothers songs came out in 1967 - 'Bowling Green', a country influenced slightly 'pop' type tune where the guitar sound is replaced by the brothers singing 'ching' over and over.

Sadly, as happens sometimes even in the best of families, by the early 70's the Everly Brothers were starting to fray at the edges. At a concert at Knott's Berry Farm in 1973 Don was reported as saying he was tired of being an Everly Brother, but during the show Phil put the nail in the coffin by smashing his guitar and walking off stage, leaving Don to finish the set alone.

It was a full 10 years before they spoke again, but the result of them patching up their differences was this album - 'The Everly Brothers Reunion Concert' at The Albert Hall on September 23 1983. Musically it's a great double album with all the songs people had been waiting to hear again, sung with the magic of perfectly harmonised voices.

Somewhere along the line in the printing of this album, the proof reader went on a break and let a couple of errors slip in. Although the track listing on the cover is correct the well known song 'Bird dog' is listed as 'Bird Song' on the label, and Susie had a name change to 'Suzie', again on the label.

The Everly Brothers influence can't be overstated. From The Beatles, The Bee Gees and especially Simon and Garfunkel, who took the Everlys on their 2003/4 tour, they impacted the direction of music throughout their lives. Amazingly, Phil Everly was the inspiration behind Warren Zevon's hit 'Werewolves of London'. Phil watched a 1935 movie called 'Werewolf of London' and "suggested to Zevon that he adapt the title for a song and dance craze."

A nice bit of trivia concerns Erin Everly, Don's daughter. For a short time she was married to Axl Rose who wrote the song 'Sweet Child O' Mine' for her.

Phil Everly passed away on 3 January 2014, just a couple of weeks before his 75th birthday. A heavy smoker for most of his life, he died of lung disease. Don will be 84 years old in February 2021.

Bowling Green

THE MONKEES - Greatest Hits 1969

In 1968 I was the first caller through to a competition on radio station 4LM in Mount Isa, Queensland. I won 10 45's and one of them was The Stone Poneys singing 'Different Drum' backed with 'Some of Shelley's Blues'. The lead singer of The Stone Poneys was Linda Ronstadt. To this day, 'Different Drum' is one of Linda's best known and loved tracks.

What has this got to do with The Monkees? Well, 'Different Drum' and 'Some of Shelley's Blues' were both written by future Monkee Mike Nesmith.

The line-up of talent on this album is amazing. No, I'm not talking about the lads who make up the band, I'm talking about the people who wrote the songs.

'Daydream Believer' was by John Stewart who had his own hit with the single 'Gold'.
'Pleasant Valley Sunday' came from the powerhouse of Gerry Goffin and Carole King.
Nilsson's 'Cuddly Toy' joined the collection and Neil Diamond threw in 'A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You' and the early hit 'I'm A Believer'.
Five of the tracks came from Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, the stand-out being the Monkees first single and first #1 'Last Train to Clarkesville'. 

Band member Mickey Dolenz wrote what is possibly the oddest titled song of them all, 'Randy Scouse Git'. It was a phrase he heard on the British TV show "Till Death Do Us Part", the original show that inspired the US take-off 'All In The Family'. In the UK the song was renamed 'Alternate Title' because of the meaning of the phrase, basically  "horny, Liverpudlian jerk" which may have offended a portion of the listening public - and certainly the BBC radio stations.

Far from being a no-talent bunch of faces put together purely for a TV show, the 4 members of The Monkees were artists in their own right.

Peter Tork had been known in the folk music scene in Greenwich Village and was a multi-instrumentalist.

Mickey Dolenz appeared on TV shows and had his own group 'Mickey and the One-Nighters'. He was also a competent songwriter. He had Perthes disease as a child leaving his right leg shorter, so played drums oddly, using a right hand and left foot set-up.

Mike Nesmith as mentioned above was a songwriter and solo artist. Perhaps as well-known as him was his mother Bette who famously invented the correction fluid 'Liquid Paper' and went on to become a millionaire.

Davy Jones, born in Manchester, had a career as a child star, appearing on British television in shows such as 'Coronation Street' and 'Z-Cars' but also on stage as the Artful Dodger in the West End musical 'Oliver'. If it hadn't been for him having early fame, we would never have heard of David Bowie. Bowie of course was born David Jones but after calling himself Davy and Davie he wanted to avoid confusion so renamed himself David Bowie.

It's easy to fob the Monkees off as one of those manufactured groups that seemed to pop up in the 60s. Think of The Archies. In fact they put out some memorable, complex and very long-lived songs that are still being played over 50 years later. 

That's not a bad legacy. 

Last Train to Clarkesville

 

VINYL VAULT - Alternate Take 7

 

🎶✨🎄 The Best Christmas Song Ever 🎶✨🎄

THE POGUES - Fairytale of New York 1987

There are as many stories about this song as there are about Christmas itself. Various accounts of how and when it was written, who did what and when, but it's pretty much acknowledged that the main force behind it was Shane MacGowan. Originally written as a duet with Cait O'Riordan doing the female part, she didn't feature on the final release. That was mainly due to the band's split with producer Elvis Costello, who was in a relationship and later married Cait. After Elvis left, Cait followed.

Steve Lillywhite became the Pogues new producer and while working on 'Fairytale ...' with Shane doing both male and female parts, he was encouraged to take the track back to his home studio. He did that and had his wife, Kirsty MacColl do some vocals. When he brought his edited version back to the studio it was agreed that Kirsty should sing the female lead.

The lyrics of the song contain a few words and references that have caused controversy over the years, starting back as early as '92 when 'arse' and 'faggot' were first flagged as being inappropriate for some broadcasts. The conversation still goes on today, particularly with the word 'faggot'. There is an alternative version where Kirsty sings "you're cheap and you're haggard" and that has been more universally accepted on radio and TV stations.  

Regardless of the disputed lyrics, to me the best and most poignant verse comes just before the end of the song. It's an exchange between the two characters, following the harsh and hurtful insults thrown previously. There's tenderness and caring and pathos and regret - and whether that's the way it was meant is irrelevant - that's how it comes across to me and it brings a lump to my throat every single time I hear it.

"I could have been someone
Well so could anyone
You took my dreams from me
When I first found you
I kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Can't make it all alone
I've built my dreams around you"

Merry Christmas

Fairytale of New York

STEELY DAN - Aja - 1977 Reelin' In The Years (compilation) 1985

 

My dentist in Nutley in the late 1990s was a Steely Dan fan. I brought him some stuff he didn't have before and from then on most procedures were painless. 

In the same vein, Tracy cut her Steely Dan teeth on 'Aja', with a particular favourite being 'Deacon Blues'. By the time they recorded that album, Steely Dan had gone from being a sort of normal touring band to just the original pair of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen doing studio only work and bringing in session musicians and guests as and when needed. This is a prime example of that, using up to 40 additional people including Michael McDonald on the track 'Peg'. Michael was a real part of Steely Dan for a bit as well as being with the Doobie Brothers.

If you go back far enough, to the late 60's early 70's, one group Becker and Fagan played in called Leather Canary had Chevy Chase on drums !!

There are people around who swear blind that they don't like jazz. They don't understand it, they can't follow it, they have no patience for it. However, those same people probably have one, two or more favourite Steely Dan tracks. Jazz takes lots of forms and much of Steely Dan's work is very jazz-rock oriented, giving it a distinctive sound, instantly recognizable as their music.

When fitting their songs into a genre, they also became an early candidate for that later development, Yacht Rock. I mentioned Yacht Rock back in June 2020 when reviewing Boz Scaggs and he falls under the same heading of music with R&B, jazz and folk rock roots.

Between 1972 and 1980 Steely Dan had 17 charting singles and 7 successful albums. This 1985 compilation 'Reelin' in the Years' really is a "best of" in the truest sense of the term. From early tracks like 'Do It Again' and 'My Old School' to their most popular single 'Rikki Don't Lose That Number' right through to 'Hey Nineteen' this double album has all the classics. About the only thing missing from MY playlist would be 'FM' but if you're willing to supplement your vinyl with a CD there are later compilations that include the odd non-album single.

On a scale of one to thank-you-very-much, Steely Dan are high on my rotation. Some deeper album tracks miss the mark here and there, but the popular radio plays were, and still are, just that. Popular. Good music for those laid-back days.

Deacon Blues

Hey Nineteen

BOB DYLAN - Christmas in the Heart 2009

 

At last count I had 186 Dylan albums, official, unofficial, studio, live and box sets making a total of 4574 tracks. I could, and probably will, review many of them, but for now because of the season, here's the oddest recording Mr. Zimmerman has ever made. 

Amanda Petrsich, in her review of this album on Pitchfork.com described Dylan's voice as a "craggy, get-off-my-lawn snarl" which makes the decision to do Christmas songs even stranger. At the bottom of it though was a benevolent and charitable motive. All of Bob's royalties went to Feeding America in the USA, Crisis in the UK, and the World Food Programme.

So here it is, Bob's nod to Christmas, despite being born and raised Jewish (he converted to Christianity in the 70's). All the favourites are here - 'Do You Hear What I Hear', 'Winter Wonderland', 'Silver Bells' et al. Never one to miss an opportunity, Bob sings 'Must Be Santa' with the verse ..
"Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen
Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen
Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton".

Bob produced quite a number of his own albums, often using the pseudonym Jack Frost. That name seems especially relevant to this one, it gives it an even more Christmassy feel.

There's not much more to say really. This is a Dylan Christmas album. It does what it says on the tin. It has festive songs in Dylan's voice. Nobody should buy this record by mistake. It should be perfectly obvious what you're going to get.

Enjoy .. I certainly did.

Here Comes Santa Claus

VINYL VAULT - Alternate Take 6

Happy Birthday Tom Waits.

I'm a bit of a Tom fan. 21 albums and a few tribute albums of his work by others. Many many favourites, but 2 stand out. From early in his career there's '(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night' and from more recently there's the hard, powerful 'Hell Broke Luce'. Both excellent tracks from either end of the spectrum.

(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night

Hell Broke Luce

VINYL VAULT - Alternate Take 5

 

We put up the tree, we hung the lights and I took out my prized audio system to play some seasonal favourites.

RICK NELSON & THE STONE CANYON BAND - Rudy the Fifth 1971

 

When Rick Nelson wrote his 1972 hit 'Garden Party' he wasn't just pulling words out of the air to write a fictitious lyric. He was angry, hurt and probably mistaken about a recent performance and wrote the song as a deliberate comment about the way he felt.

The 'Garden Party' he went to was Madison Square Garden the previous year. He'd been invited as part of a "Rock & Roll Spectacular" with other 50's stars.

"I went to a garden party
To reminisce with my old friends
A chance to share old memories
And play our songs again"

Rick (Ricky as he was back in the day) became famous not only for his music but also for appearing in the movie and TV series featuring his family, 'The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet'. Always portrayed as a clean-cut kid, by the mid 60's he got into country-rock, being an early 'California Sound' singer. By the 70's he was singing with the Stone Canyon Band and had a minor hit with a cover of Dylan's 'She Belongs To Me'. Randy Meisner left the group and went on to be a founding member of The Eagles.

So, when Rick turned up at The Garden he was no longer the clean-cut kid of his past, he was sporting long hair and a sequined outfit and that was reflected in the song ..

"When I got to the garden party
They all knew my name
No one recognized me
I didn't look the same".

The "Rock & Roll Spectacular" started off OK. Rick sang some of his old stuff, but then started on newer songs and covers he'd done for this album 'Rudy the Fifth' which was due for release. Specifically, he did his cover of Dylan's 'She Belongs To Me' then the crowd got a bit hostile when he sang the Stones 'Honky Tonk Women' .. and that also got a mention in the lyrics of 'Garden Party' ..

"I said hello to 'Mary Lou'
She belongs to me
When I sang a song about a honky-tonk
It was time to leave"

Other artists and spectators got a mention along the way .. Chuck Berry ..
"Someone opened up a closet door
And out stepped "Johnny B Goode"
Playing guitar
Like a-ringin' a bell
And lookin' like he should"

"Yoko brought her walrus" .. John and Yoko obviously. Less obvious was a reference to George Harrison .. "Mr Hughes hid in Dylan's shoes" .. George was a friend of Ricks and he used the name 'Mr. Hughes' when he was on the road.

Ultimately, Rick may have been wrong about the booing he got from the crowd - it was later reported that the police were involved with something going on at the concert and the crowd were booing their actions, but Rick took it as an attack on his performance. Maybe a lucky mistake, the song he wrote about it became his highest charting single since 1963.

The chorus of 'Garden Party' gives Rick's take on the whole thing ..

"But it's all right now
Learned my lesson well
You see, ya can't please everyone
So you got to please yourself"

He did that with the release of this album 'Rudy the Fifth', but within a few years he put the 'Y' back on his name and as Ricky Nelson he released a greatest hits album and started a comeback tour with Fats Domino. Sadly, on New Year's Eve 1985 while travelling to a concert in Dallas, Rick's plane crashed and he was killed.

I like this album. Apart from the couple of Dylan covers and the 'Honky Tonk Women', all of which are passable versions, he also does a great job of 'This Train' and 'Feel So Good (Feel So Fine)' a 1955 song by Shirley and Lee.

From the days of 'Hello Mary Lou', through a bleak time in the 60's when the 'Teen Idols' were run out of town by everything that the 60's were, to a quick burst in the 70's and a brief revival in the 80's, Rick Nelson deserves more respect than he sometimes gets. Take another listen.

Garden Party

Feel So Good (Feel So Fine)

GEORGE HARRISON & FRIENDS - Concert For Bangladesh 1971

Firstly, I have to say how sad and upset I am that my copy of this triple album disappeared somewhere along the way. I bought it, I played it, I loved it well - and now it's gone. All that's left is a photo of an empty record player and a downloaded image of what used to be. 

I do still have the CD's and the video so all is not lost.

1971 was a time when I was hearing about Ravi Shankar, George Harrison was doing some of his best work since The Beatles, Dylan was being Dylan and Leon Russell was partly in front and partly behind - performing, producing and backing everybody.

This album brought them all together. Ringo and Billy Preston jumped in and one of the best concerts ever was ready to begin. Dropping the needle on the first track, side one, 'George Harrison/Ravi Shankar Introduction' you get a taste of what's to come. George gives his opening remarks, then Ravi and Ali Akbar Khan begin working on their instruments. At the 6 minute mark they pause, the audience clap and cheer and Ravi says, quietly and cheerfully .. "Thank you. If you appreciate the tuning so much I hope you will enjoy the playing more."

There is then a 16 minute masterclass of sitar and sarod with tabla and tambura  accompaniment reinforcing the fact that, despite the upcoming popular songs from popular artists, this concert was for the people caught up in the situation in what was East Pakistan. It was important and fitting and to me, very moving, to have the music of those people open the show.

I'm not going to discuss the politics of the concert or the legal and financial wrangling that went on - let's just look at the music.

George and Ravi were the driving force behind the benefit, so after Ravi's epic performance it was George who took the stage to play the next 3 songs - 'Wah-Wah', 'My Sweet Lord' and 'Awaiting on You All'. Billy Preston gave 'That's the Way God Planned It' and Ringo bounced along with 'It Don't Come Easy' before George came back with 'Beware of Darkness' and the classic 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'. I should mention that one of the players on stage, but not taking centre-stage, was Eric Clapton, who was there playing on the original recorded version of 'While my Guitar ..' Also, this was the first time George and Ringo had shared a stage since 1966.

Leon Russell takes the Jagger/Richards song 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' to new heights as part of a medley along with 'Youngblood' after which George plays 'Here Comes the Sun'.

Finally, on side five of a six side set, we get Bob !!! It wasn't a done deal that Dylan would even show up, much less play, but in his first concert appearance in 5 years, he came out and did a 5 song set. A photo from this show was used as the cover of his 'Greatest Hits Vol II' album. Bob gave the crowd five out of five with his selection - 'A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall', 'It Takes a Lot to Laugh ..', 'Blowin' in the Wind', 'Mr. Tambourine Man' and 'Just Like a Woman'. That has to be worth the trip for anyone.

George returned to wrap up the concert, playing 'Something' followed by 'Bangla Desh', a song he wrote and released as a charity single four days before the concerts. I use the plural because there were two shows on the same day and this album pulls from them both.

This is a landmark recording. It deserves to be better known and played more often. I'm stuck now with the digital download, but I remember the smell and feel of the original vinyl and the magnificent 64 page booklet that came in a box that opened on the side like a precious gift.

 

JEAN-MICHEL JARRE - Oxygène 1976

 

Here's another artist who can easily divide the room. It's musical Vegemite, love it or hate it, and for me, I'll have it on toast every day of the week !!

As a kid I loved the spacey BBC Stereophonic Workshop 'Doctor Who' theme. Although classed as an early piece of electronic music it was created before commercial synthesisers. It was assembled from pieces of tape, some of just one note on a plucked string, manipulated, stretched, oscillated and generally used and abused. Pitch was altered, speeds were changed, sounds were mixed without the invention of multitrack machines.

In 1969 Gershon Kingsley recorded 'Popcorn' for his album 'Music to Moog By' and the track was subsequently rerecorded by many others. The most popular was by Hot Butter in 1972 but that same year another version was released by The Popcorn Orchestra with Jammie Jefferson - the whole thing being an alias for Jean-Michel Jarre.

Then came 1976 and this album, 'Oxygène'. This was Jean-Michels 3rd album, the first two having limited release as soundtracks. It wasn't until the middle of '77 that it was available internationally and I grabbed it as soon as I could. I was in New Zealand and I've written previously (June 28 2020 - Hall & Oates) about how myself and a friend would play at being audiophiles, testing, calibrating and generally messing about with stuff. When I got hold of this album it became not only one of my favourites to listen to, it was also one of my favourite 'test' records.

Back in the day it was always said when you were buying or testing new audio equipment, take along a record you knew well, one you could compare with how you knew it SHOULD sound against how it sounded on other setups.

This was my 'control' record. I knew the nuances, the best and the worst of it and when it was sounding the way it should sound.

The album tracks were individually titled by part number, 'Oxygène (Part I)', 'Oxygène (Part II)' etc., and the single from the album was 'Oxygène (Part IV)'. Even today when I play that track I'm taken back in time to my flat in Mt. Eden, Auckland, putting marbles under speakers to help with isolation and trying to precision balance the tone arm with adjustable counterweights .. ah, those heady days of being pretentious !!

Jean-Michel followed 'Oxygène' with another couple of albums, 'Équinoxe' and 'Les Chants Magnétiques' which I got to know from tracks included on his 1983 compilation 'The Essential Jean-Michel Jarre'. The tracks included from 'Les Chants Magnétiques' are listed as 'Magnetic Fields (Part VI)' etc, even though the literal translation is 'Magnetic Songs'. It all comes down to homophones and a play on words and French/English and to be honest I lost interest a while ago. Just let it be known that the music is excellent.

If this is new to you, listen with an open mind. 'Oxygène' is over 40 years old now and electronic music has come a long way, but this came after the early pioneers when people like Jean-Michel were becoming masters of their craft. Mostly the critics, particularly the British critics, disliked this album, but I always thought it stood on it's own two feet and didn't need to apologise.

Just for the trivia and movie buffs out there, he was married for 20 years to the English actress Charlotte Rampling between '76 and '96.

Oxygène (Part IV)

Équinoxe (Part V)

ALANIS MORISSETTE - Jagged Little Pill 1995

 

"Isn't it ironic" sang Alanis, but unfortunately, most of it wasn't. About the only line in the song that comes close is "As the plane crashed down he thought 'well, isn't this nice'..." which is sarcasm, a loose example of irony.

Having got that out of the way (the discussion went on for years) the album itself is a triumph. Twelve songs on vinyl, 13 on the CD if you include the 'hidden track' and many of them went on to be classics. 6 of them were released as singles with 4 of them reaching #1 in Canada (no surprises there).

The album took the world by storm. It was Alanis' 3rd album but her first two were Canadian releases. This was the first one with worldwide coverage and it made a massive impact. Apart from reaching #1 on the Canadian album charts it also made it to #1 in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand and The Netherlands. In fact it topped out in 13 countries! Nominated for 9 Grammies it won 5 and at 21 years old in 1995, Alanis became the youngest artist to get Album of the Year.

Most of the tracks are autobiographical in some form or other, full of anger, angst, but by teaming with Glen Ballard to write the music, some of the lyrics are tempered  and softened to become more listenable - but if you DO listen you get a lot of rawness coming through. No punches pulled either.

In 'You Oughta Know' she gets straight to the point talking about her lovers new partner, with very direct questioning ..
"Is she perverted like me?
Would she go down on you in a theater?"

Just as a bit of trivia, Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers plays bass on this track.

'Hand in my Pocket' seems to be a statement about multi-tasking - "'Cause I've got one hand in my pocket *And the other one is giving a high five* - *flicking a cigarette* - *giving a peace sign* - *playing the piano* - *hailing a taxi cab*" but it also has some revealing dualisms ..
"I'm sad but I'm laughing, I'm brave but I'm chicken shit".

'You Learn' has the album title in the opening few lines ... 
"I, recommend getting your heart trampled on to anyone, yeah
I, recommend walking around naked in your living room, yeah
Swallow it down (what a jagged little pill)" ...
basically talking about stuff that, to use the old adage, if it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger. Just after moving to L.A. Alanis was robbed at gunpoint and writing some of these songs helped her work through it.

This is a good (dare I say great) album and deserves to be listened to more often than I have been doing. The music of Alanis was used for the Broadway musical 'Jagged Little Pill' which opened in December 2019. Unfortunately, because of Covid-19 the show, along with the rest of Broadway, closed early in 2020. Before the closure the reviews were good and it had 15 Tony nominations.

If you get a chance, have another listen to this album. There's a reason it was #1 in 13 countries.

You Oughta Know

Hand in my Pocket