I hadn’t planned to review this album, despite its considerable musical and sonic prowess. Why? Because I burned out on it long ago as an audiophile “demo” record. Despite, that, I’m reviewing it. Why? Because it is a really good record: great songs, powerful performances and a great recording.   Before we talk about the music, let’s talk about copies I’ve owned: I don’t remember the first copy I bought, but I suspect it was the standard issue A&M pressing available in the States at the time of release. For years, the MoFi UHQR took up space on my shelves too- an... Read More

I know, AC is hardly obscure. But this album, and these early pressings in particular, are worth searching out. Alice was signed to Zappa’s Straight label, distributed by Warner Bros. Records. The first two albums made no commercial impact but when Love it To Death, the band’s third album, charted they sold a lot of records. The earliest pressings of Love it to Death were still on the Straight label, not the later Warner label.  There were some quick changes made to the cover art shortly after the album’s release, necessitated by concerns whether that thing on the cover... Read More

  One of the fascinating and inexplicable things about the “arts” (whether the recorded arts, visual arts or other media) is why certain artists achieve commercial success and recognition during their most creative years and others seem to be forgotten or ignored- sometimes to be rediscovered years or decades later by new audiences with whom they resonate. The examples are almost endless; within the recorded music sphere, many of the albums I recently reviewed from the Vertigo Swirl catalog are enjoyed by collectors or those with an affinity for the time period and genre, but many... Read More

This is the “Ur” record of progressive rock. It is by turns jarring and aggressive, lush, gorgeous and ethereal, depending on the track. It is an essential album because, even if you don’t think you like “Prog Rock,” it has such a variety of sounds, styles and moods, there is bound to be something you’ll find appealing.   At the time of its release in the States, the track that seemed to get the most play was “21st Century Schizoid Man” a disturbing piece of sonic violence. But, there’s “I Talk to the Wind,” a guileless song with harmonies that remind me of... Read More

This is an important album, despite its flaws. It introduced Stevie Winwood to a much larger audience, and began a string of albums by Winwood, some very strong, that launched his career as one of a handful of “superstar” artists in the late 60’s. Winwood’s story is also the story of Chris Blackwell in many ways: as a very young member of the Spencer Davis Group, led by older brother Muff Winwood (who later became a significant record producer for Island Records and other artists), Winwood already had some hits, including “Gimme Some Lovin” and “I’m a Man.” Blackwell... Read More

I don’t know if the term “super-group” has any relevance today, but at the time this album was released, it went beyond that: (The) Cream, rock’s “first” super-group, had broken up to great public fanfare, and out of the still-warm ashes rose something that was, to me, even more thrilling- Clapton and Ginger Baker from Cream, plus Steve Winwood, from Traffic (which had also broken up, for a time). The assembly of all this talent missed one key ingredient from the “old” Cream- Jack Bruce, whose talent was undeniable then, and whose contributions, not limited to Cream, seem... Read More

I was a pretty big fan of Stevie Winwood in the late 60’s. Traffic was an interesting experiment, part blue-eyed soul, part exotica- the Indian music motifs, jazz elements and psychedelia was an interesting brew, even if it didn’t always work, e.g., the first part of track,”Colored Rain” from the Mr. Fantasy album (also known as Heaven is in Your Mind in the U.S.) is a romp- classic early Winwood- on-pitch blues ‘shouting,’ carrying a great melodic line which just falls apart halfway through. Dave Mason’s on again/off again role in the group wasn’t really a big deal for me;... Read More

As usual, I came to this party late.  While the States was enjoying a folk revival in the mid-sixties that led to a range of new sounds from artists like Bob Dylan, the UK folk scene developed a little differently. Joe Boyd, who is credited with helping Dylan “plug in” at Newport, was working the London club scene with bands like Pink Floyd and managed to sign this new folk group—Fairport Convention– to capture some of that American folk sound: what resulted was eventually quite different, and led to a series of albums that saw the band develop a far more distinctive sound... Read More