THE RISING STORM

Let's just say that one year from today is a very special day for me. And this is, and has always been, the album. (Reposted from April 20, 2007).

The Zombies disbanded before their classic Time Of The Season smashed onto radio airwaves, and lead singer Colin Blunstone took to a desk job.

One year later, he grew tired of insurance or whatever it was and got back in the studio. Armed with fellow Zombs Chris White and Rod Argent as co-writers and producers, Colin managed to record what I consider the most beautiful and precious record in my collection. One Year is a very, very special record to me, so much that it's actually hard to even mention here.

Three tracks feature backing by the band Argent, and have a lite rock feel, but the rest feature Colin's gentle voice over a tightly arranged and dynamic chamber orchestra. She Loves The Way They Love Her kicks it off with the album's full band sound. It takes some getting used to as it's not quite Zombies and perhaps a little too produced, but believe me, this one will get you in the long run with its amazing melody and Colin's excellent vocal work. The other rock band songs include Caroline Goodbye and Mary Won't You Warm My Bed, both excellent, upbeat tunes. It's the orchestra numbers that will get you on this record though. Songs like I Can't Live Without You, Her Song, and Let Me Come Closer To You will simply KILL you!!

If you are in the market for records that grow on you more and more each time you listen, this is made for you. I wasn't sure what to think about One Year when I finally tracked it down (luckily, it's easily available these days) but after a few years with it, it is definitely one of my favorites, certainly in the top 20: a Sunday morning staple to last my life.

mp3: Though You Are Far Away
mp3: Say You Don't Mind

CD Reissue | 2007 | Water | buy from amazon ]
Original Vinyl | 1971 | Epic | search ebay ]

Of all records that are considered "ahead of its time," this may be the modern age's strongest contender. There are thousands of albums from the sixties that didn't jive with the times, and many that are still too ahead of its time; what happens in the evolution of music since then determines what we consider to be the most influential. In terms of popular electronic music, nothing really touches what the Silver Apples started up in 68.

To best understand what the Apples are all about, you have to check the diagram in the liner notes. They are only a duo, comprising equally complicated setups: Danny Taylors' expansive drum kit and Simeon's boggling assortment of electronic treats. Custom synths maintain several layers of oscillating drones over sequenced looping bass lines, while tape machines implement found sound recordings (bewilderingly predicting the sampling craze and adding even more their legendary status). Taylors' drumming seals the deal with programmatic beats that would spawn or influence kit players from Can's Jaki Liebezeit all the way to hip hop drummers such as ?uestlove. The Silver Apples were staggeringly prescient in their technical setup, but perhaps even more influential was their use of the drone. Hypnotic and trance inducing, I can't imagine any modern day electronic pop that shouldn't show some allegiance to this groundbreaking record.

Period vocal stylings sometimes distract modern day electro fiends, but they are surely missing out. The tunework and lyrics are the match of most good psych records from the time, and this record consistently continues to blow minds just as hard today as it must have back then, to the few who listened. The new Phoenix vinyl reissue carries a pretty high price tag, but looks like its worth the price, limited to 1,000 copies. For those looking to dive in at cost, check out the MCA twofer CD reissue, which also contains their next album, Contact. Positively essential for electronic and psych listeners.

mp3: Lovefingers
mp3: Program

Vinyl Reissue | 2008 | Phoenix | 180G | buy from dustygroove ]
CD Reissue | 1997 | MCA | w/ Contact | buy from amazon ]

Fantastic album from an English group that bridged the psychedelic and progressive worlds together. East of Eden had put out a non lp single prior to their debut album, Mercator Projected, which was released in 1969 off Decca. The band formed in 1967 and was centered around classically trained violinist Dave Arbus, guitarist Geoff Nicholson and vocalist/sax player Ron Caines.

The group had a strong underground following in London and in other parts of Europe but never attained the widespread success they deserved. Arbus' flute, violin, and sax played a prominent role in East of Eden's sound and on any given night they could have easily upstaged similar, like-minded bands such as the Mahavishnu Orchestra or Colosseum. Many of these songs have a clear Eastern influence as heard on the experimental Waterways. Waterways starts out as a trippy pop-sike number with lots of mellotron that eventually morphs into an explosive, metallic hard rocking raga piece. The opener, Nothern Hemisphere is a menacing, bass heavy piece of progressive rock that is somewhat similar to early King Crimson in its power and fury. In fact King Crimson's debut may be Mercator Projected's closest reference point. It's difficult to mix classical, blues, jazz, folk, hard rock and psychedelia into a seemless whole but somehow East of Eden does this well. They shine on the classic jazz-psychedelic instrumental In The Stable of the Spinx and completely dismantle the superb blues-rock number Centaur Woman into something new and avant garde. There's even a few good psychedelic pop tracks (Moth and Bathers) on an album known for its progressive tendencies.

All the songs are really good and there are few early progressive albums that are better than Mercator Projected. It's all very intense in an English sort of way but there is no denying the greatness and talent that is packed within this record and group. In 1970 they would release another classic album, Snafu before taking a 360 turn and becoming a wasted country-rock outfit. The recent Esoteric disc is recommended as it includes the original album along with some interesting demos, which include an excellent cover of Eight Miles High.

mp3: Waterways

CD Reissue | 2008 | Esoteric | buy from amazon ]
Original Vinyl | 1969 | Deram | search at ebay ]

There are no doubts in my mind that the Speakers were one of the finest rock bands Columbia has ever produced. Prior to Ingeson they had released 4 albums, the first 3 lps mixed rock n roll covers with two or three beat garage/folk-rock group originals. All of their records are sung in Spanish and by the group's forth lp they were concentrating exclusively on group originals and experimenting with primitive psychedelia.

Their fourth self-titled album from 1968 was a major advancement for the Speakers, as it was crammed with excellent originals that mixed garage pop and acid rock. Later that year the group released it's final album, the psychedelic masterpiece En El Maravilloso Mundo De Ingeson (In the Wonderful World of Ingeson). A record such as this could only be released independently as it was too far out for major labels to market. Ingeson was notable for being the first Columbian rock record to use multi channel recording techniques which enabled the band to introduce all kinds of strange sound effects to the record buying public. When the lp was released in 1968 it came in a gatefold edition that included a 12 page full-color booklet with photos of the band by Danilo Vitalini, text, drawings, and even a replica of an acid hit! The album has a very cool lo-fi sound and its only flaw is the out of place Historia De Un Loto Que, a silly blues rocker with sped up alien-like vocals. That being said, the rest of this record is great and as whacked out as any of the early Mutantes records.

I cannot read or speak Spanish but I understand Ingeson to have a concept of some kind that runs throughout the lp and the group never makes any compromises in regards to the album's lyrics. Some of the songs like Reflejos De La Olla and the beautiful folk instrumental Nosotros display a clear Columbian roots influence but are definite standouts and give the lp a unique flavor. Un Sueno Magico (wild guitar distortion and treated vocals), Oda A La Gente Mediocre (killer brain-damaged psych), Si La Guerra, and Ninos are all outstanding tracks and represent some of the deepest forays into Latin American psychedelia. The cheerful Si La Guerra in particular reminds me of something off the first Os Mutantes album while Ninos has an unhinged fuzztone solo about midway thru. There are also a few good psych folk-rockers in No Como Antes and Salmo Siglo XX that balance out all the madness.

Searching for originals is pointless as this classic is extremely rare and exchanges hands for outrageous sums of money. There have been two reissues of Ingeson though, the best being the pricey limited edition SalgaelSol cd (2007) which replicates the original mini lp gatefold, text, photos and placebo acid hit.

mp3: Un Sueno Magico
mp3: Nosotros Nuestra Arcadia Nuestra

CD Reissue | 2007 | SalgaelSol | purchase ]

Only hit up the closing minutes of my old flea market and still made some nice finds. One snag this time tho, I had Elephant Mountain by the Youngbloods in my hand ready to go but somehow lost it on the way back! Win some lose some I guess; all the sweeter when I nab it down the road.

Mimi & Richard Fariña "Celebrations For a Grey Day"
I knew about this record because of Richie Unterberger's Urban Spacemen and Wayfaring Strangers. It came with a CD that had Reno Nevada on it, and it really hooked me in to this mysterious duo. The bulk of the album sounds quite different than this, but still:

mp3: Mimi & Richard Fariña - Reno Nevada

Paul Revere & The Raiders "The Spirit of '67"
I get real excited when I find records that we've posted. They have this glow when I find them. And I know I won't be leaving without it. I hope some of you have had the same experience. Here's Jason's review.

mp3: Paul Revere & The Raiders - Our Candidate

Country Joe & The Fish "Together"
I only knew the first two Fish albums by cover, so I took a chance on this one. Turns out it was their third and most successful record. Only had a couple listens but it's pretty kickin I'd say. Got to love the Fish cheers:

mp3: Country Joe & The Fish - Good Guys/Bad Guys Cheer / The Streets of Our Town

Paul McCartney "McCartney"
I love Paul's second solo album, Ram. The production is so delicate and homegrown; he was a genius in the studio. His first solo outing doesn't disappoint in the least, and lesser known tracks shine like unheralded classics. Listen to the mix, he takes the volume of that little uke strum so far down, and those splashing closed hi-hats with the vocal percussion, I love that.

mp3s: Paul McCartney - That Would Be Something

Peter Townshend "Who Came First"
This one I have been hunting for years. The production is ahead of its time for '72, but still with a little grit. Lovely drum sound and some Who rarities in a couple songs from their abandoned Lifehouse project. Overall, maybe not the record for everybody, but very rewarding after a few, and this is what I call a hot track:

mp3: Pete Townshend - Forevers No Time At All

Aretha Franklin - Soul '69
When you spend a lot of time with records, you get pretty good at judging them by the cover. I'm no expert on the ups and downs of Aretha's discography, but damn if that sleeve didn't tell me it was a good one. Good swinging record, with excellent covers, including this one by my man Bob Lind:

mp3: Aretha Franklin - Elusive Butterfly

It's too bad the Youngbloods are mostly known for their classic cover version of Get Together. They are often referred to as a second rate Lovin' Spoonful too but there was so much more to the group then these generalizations would lead you to believe. They left behind three classic records, a worthwhile oddities lp entitled Two Trips and some good live recordings.

The Youngbloods were an early folk-rock group that mixed blues, folk, good-time music, country, and rock n roll into something fresh and durable. The group's members were guitarist bassist Jesse Colin Young, bassist guitarist Jerry Corbitt, keyboard player Banana Levinger and drummer Joe Bauer. Young had soulful, gritty vocals that stood out and in the group's early years both he and Corbitt split the songwriting credits. While Elephant Mountain is usually regarded as their peak (and most experimental album) the first two lp's were a dynamite mix of various roots music. The early 1967 debut album was a very consistent mix of well-chosen covers and group originals highlighted by Get Together and the classic Corbitt folk-rocker All Over The World. Earth Music came out later that year and was just as good but lacked a major hit single to propel it into the limelight.

Most of the album's tracks were originals although there were a few excellent covers that rounded the lp out. The last song on the original lp was one of the first great cover versions of Tim Hardin's Reason To Believe. The arrangement is sparse, the harmonies are wonderful and overall the Youngbloods turned in a fine countried version of this Hardin standard. Dreamer's Dream, All My Dreams Blue and Don't Play Games were great tuneful folk-rockers which were perhaps the group's strong suit. They also found time to turn in two uptempo good time tracks, Euphoria, which came from the Holy Modal Rounders and the Wine Song. Both these songs were highlights along with the Levinger penned acid garage-rocker Fool Me which featured some fine guitar work. The most significant track may have been Sugar Babe. This was one of the first great country rock standards with great lyrics and a spirit that embodies everything that is good about that genre.

Originals were off the RCA label and easy to come by 40+ years later. The best of the cd reissues was put out by BGO in 2007 and it includes the first 3 albums on 2 discs. Anyone who is into American rock n roll or true roots music should really own these albums; the Youngbloods really deserve their due.

Debut:
mp3: All Over The World (La-La)

Earth Music:
mp3: Sugar Babe

CD Reissue | 2007 | Beat Goes On | buy from amazon ]
Original Vinyl | 1967 | RCA | search ebay ]

The sole release by the band that would become Crazy Horse. While it may be a bit unfocused, there’s a lot of stellar, inventive material here. Lead vocalist Danny Whitten and guitarist Leon Whitshell each wrote about half of the songs. Traces of embryonic country-rock can be heard, but they mostly cling to a tougher blues-rock sound with interesting psych touches. If anything, it certainly earns originality points for Bobby Notkoff’s innovative use of the electric violin, which ranges from traditional country breakdowns (“Hands in my Pocket”) to some intense bow-slashing that sounds something like a steel-shed being mutilated by a chainsaw. (“Let Me Go”).

The album’s highpoint is undoubtedly the melancholic tour-de-force “Won’t You Say You’ll Stay,” which may be the best song Whitten ever wrote. Unfortunately the album actually suffers because of this—no other track comes close to touching its brilliance. And at least for the sake of consistency they probably should’ve discarded the two awkward blue-eyed soul attempts for something a little heavier in tone. But there’s still some high-quality stuff left, including the snotty, Stones-like “Try My Patience” and “Shed Your Skin,” where the ever versatile Notkoff uses the violin to capture a bizarre Eastern feel.

Even with its flaws, the Rockets is an important late 60s album that seems to have been written out of the history books.

mp3: Wont You Say You'll Stay

CD Reissue | 2001 | Varese Sarabande | buy from amazon ]

It's time for Graham Nash to shine. CSNY, in good Wu-Tang fashion, dismantled from Voltron position after 1970's Deja Vu, to release four excellent solo albums: Neil Young's After The Gold Rush, David Crosby's If I Could Only Remember My Name, Stephen Stills' Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash's overlooked but truly excellent Songs For Beginners.

Graham Nash began his music career penning excellent tunes for the Hollies, a lovely group whose Butterfly album is desperately missing a review on this site. His tunes for the Hollies and CSN: Dear Eloise, King Midas In Reverse, Teach Your Children, Our House, etc., were always in top form. Vocally, Nash defined the sound of CSN with a high harmony part joyfully recognizable in Beginners. The ace writing continues on this record with fine tracks like Better Days, Wounded Bird.. no use listing every track, as there are no dull points. The production makes very few false steps, with solid choices in the arrangement and a good comfortable sound.

Songs For Beginners has a few politically minded tunes in Military Madness, the album's bouncy opener, and the anthemic Chicago, apparently about the 1968 Democratic Convention. The lyrics have a bright and hopeful feeling throughout, which could work in a time like today's. We can change the world, Graham, and that sentiment remains undated by my standards.

Fans of the CSNY family are lucky folk, with such a depth of wonderful material to dig. This album is definitely as strong as anything released at the time by Neil Young, Stephen Stills, David Crosby, or all of them together.

mp3: Better Days
mp3: Be Yourself

MP3 Album Download | amazon ]
Vinyl | search ebay ]

Press your hand to these keys for the first time and you'll hear it, the smooth electric ring with a touch of grit and lots of soul. It's hard not to sound good on a keyboard this classic, but the best players can muscle out a powerful growl. You probably know the sound.

The Rhodes is not an electronic instrument or a synthesizer, it works mechanically like a regular piano. Rather than hammering strings, each key on the Rhodes strikes a thin metal rod, called a tine, that is cut to length and amplified through a pickup. A few knobs on the faceplate can alter the tone or vibrato, but modification of the raw sound is barely needed. Plug this baby in a Twin Reverb and you're good to go.

It was invented by Harold Rhodes as a bedside piano for wounded GIs, and manufactured by the Fender company as early as 1959, but portable (though damn heavy) stage models produced in the late 60s would drive its popularity and acceptance by artists from jazz, rock, soul, or any genre. Being one of the most important piano innovations of our time, the Rhodes is still dearly loved and highly collected today. As Ray Charles would say during Harold Rhodes' lifetime achievement Grammy award presentation, "The Rhodes was a musical atom bomb, changing the face of the music landscape forever."

Examples
First let's hear from Herbie Hancock from his 1970s Rhodes promo record. This is a great introduction to the capability and sound of the Rhodes from one of the deepest keyboard explorers ever.

mp3: Herbie Hancock - Demonstrates The Rhodes Sound; Side A

Miles Davis' Bitches Brew is one of the best and most groundbreaking fusion records in recorded history. Chick Corea played two and sometimes three Rhodes pianos on these tracks, this one included because it's the only one under ten minutes.

mp3: Miles Davis - John McLaughlin

Get Back features some nasty Rhodes soloing by "fifth Beatle," Billy Preston. The Let It Be Naked release is said to better represent Preston's fine contributions to the Beatles' music.

mp3: The Beatles - Get Back

This post would be remiss not to include this "storm" track, a quintessential Rhodes performance by Ray Manzarek, on the last Doors recording with Jim Morrison.

mp3: The Doors - Riders On The Storm

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