I knew that this album, and Linda Hoyle’s later solo album on Vertigo, “Pieces of Me” were highly regarded. I did not know that the self-titled Affinity album would be so eclectic- ranging from a jazzy, almost Brazilian-influenced “lounge” act, to atonal vocal parts back by “prog” rock, to ballsy rock reminiscent of Grace Slick, with horns and a big Hammond B-3 organ sound. Hoyle has a great voice- and the diversity of styles of music allows her to shine. The album is a little uneven but overall, it’s compelling enough to make me go back to... Read More

This band was never on my radar until I started to dig into the Vertigo Swirl catalog. They recorded two albums on Vertigo, both of which were produced by Muff Winwood. The first, self-titled album is a strong rocker with a front and center vocalist, Mike Patto, and stunning guitar work by Ollie Halsall, who brought a vibraphonist’s touch and sensibility to his stringed instrument playing. The tracks don’t necessarily light up listening to them over a digital stream but the vinyl can be marvelous. And, there is a relative bargain to be had here. Unlike many of the Vertigo Swirls... Read More

I’m going to bite the bullet here and suggest that there are few records that can put a guitar power trio into the room with the immediacy of the second track on side one, entitled “I Don’t Know.” This was power rock at its best, and the guitar work is only part of the story; the band was held together by Tony Newman, a well-known drummer who went on to work with Jeff Beck and a long list of name-brand talent. I think the original UK Vertigo is the one to buy, and you may find one on the cheaper side of expensive if you are willing to suffer a tatty cover, a missing... Read More

I never thought of myself as a fan of “progressive” music, although I certainly listened to some of the bands (Crimson, Tull and early ELP, along with YES and a few others, back in the day) . More than 40 years later, the concept seems dated, and the term seems to apply to a range of music that didn’t fit neatly into one easy to define genre. At its best, it reflected music that followed an almost “classical” form, but drew from jazz, pop and more contemporary influences, including the use of Mellotron, synthesizers and other keyboard instruments, along with... Read More

The band “Free” now has legendary status, in good part because of the deft guitar work of Paul Kossoff, another giant talent who died young. This album, their first, is a heady mix of blues and psychedelia, with the distinctive voice of Paul Rodgers- the band achieved fame with their later hit, “All Right Now,” and eventually morphed into Bad Company, which was a driving hard rock act immediately identifiable by Rodger’s voice. But, in this early incarnation, the elements of rock, psych and blues are more evenly balanced. Kossoff’s playing is lyrical and... Read More

Not to be confused with the famous Etta James song, Trixie Whitley (daughter of legendary  Texas blueman, Chris Whitley) cut this track early on in her career. Produced by Daniel Lanois, with Brian Blade on drums, the opening drum beats suck you in immediately. Ms. Whitley has the same quality that her father did- an utterly authentic, very musical voice that is the opposite of stylized;  instead there is a ‘rip’ in her voice that just grabs you.  Do not confuse this with her EP that contains several tracks including this song- find the 45 containing just this one track- it... Read More