As a singer-songwriter, Jackson Browne had an impressive run in the early 70’s. Though his career extended long after that and included albums later in the decade that sold even better than these, the first three albums—Jackson Browne (a/k/a “Saturate Before Using”), For Everyman, and Late for the Sky captured something very essential. I’m going to focus on these early records, for now.   The first album is a goldmine of great songs that can be listened to, from front to back, as an “album” should. It has the hit “Doctor My Eyes,” as well as the Browne-penned... Read More

Man, these guys really did it for me back in day. Hard driving boogie, with a Zappa-esque twist. Lowell George, Roy Estrada (on the first two albums) Richie Hayward and the incredibly funky keyboard chops of Bill Payne. There were few bands that could pull this off- a sort of unpolished, but “right in the groove” sound, any looser and it would fall apart but these guys were tight. The first album, with the Lowell George-penned “Willin’” may be the rawest of the bunch- not a fabulous recording, but lot’s of good songs: “Truck Stop Girl” takes the standard big rig lament to... Read More

Van Morrison is a quixotic character, even by the standards usually applied to artists- a mercurial personality who has had some huge radio hit songs, but performs publicly with great reluctance; a man who created new paths for “soul” music and R & B who hails from Belfast and revels in his Celtic roots; an artist whose most critically acclaimed work was, for decades, far less commercially successful than the “pop” tunes for which he is most often recognized. My introduction to Van Morrison’s work began with four albums released between 1970-72: Moondance, His Band and the... Read More

I was first introduced to Bonnie Raitt’s music through her second album, Give It Up at the time of its release in 1972. I still consider this to be one of her great ones: It has a diverse range of songs, from soul searching laments over lost love (“Nothing Seems to Matter”; If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody”; “Love Has No Pride”) to 1920’s style blues (“You Gotta Know How”), to bouncing rockers, (“Give It Up or Let Me Go”; “You Told Me Baby”) as well as a cover of Jackson Browne’s “Under the Falling Sky.” Bonnie’s voice was clear and sweet, and this... Read More

This first album, by a band that represented the height of keyboard-heavy “prog”, has not aged well, but it is still an incredible piece of work that is great fun to listen to today. The track “Lucky Man” was a hit in the U.S. at the time of its release here and the album’s success led to a series of follow up albums, including Pictures at an Exhibition, a modern interpretation of Mussorgsky’s classical work which was a risky commercial proposition for young audiences at the time (it did well, though, as did the other albums following the band’s debut album). It also lent the... Read More

  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