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6/24/01 to 08-24-01
Title:Ricky/Ricky Nelson; Ricky Sings Again/Songs By Ricky; More Songs By
Ricky/Rick Is 21; Album Seven By Rick/Ricky Sings Spirituals; Playing To Win
Label:Capitol 72435-32449-2-7; -32451-2-2; -32450-2-3; -32448-2-8; -32453-2-0
Comments:This far into the CD era in music it's hard to believe that there
are still releases this incredible that haven't been done yet. Packed on
these five discs are the fruits of Rick(y) Nelson's years on Imperial
(arguably the best music he ever made) plus his return to EMI via Capitol in
the '80s. Bob Hyde at Capitol put together one fabulous Nelson box last year
in Legacy. That is certainly the best way to gain an overview to Nelson's
career, but if you really want more than you simply must own all of these
Hyde helmed reissues jammed with bonus tracks, incredible sound and new
stereo plus great packaging including quotes from producer Jimmy Haskell.
The first disc at 31 tracks combines Nelson's two early raw rocker
albums which are loaded with covers of everything from "Boppin' The Blues" to
"Unchained Melody" in mono. Nelson was obviously a big fan of jumpin' three
chord rock and roll which has to make you love him even more - witness "If
You Can't Rock Me." He was just finding his voice but managed to score with
"BeBop Baby" and "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" (here in LP and
single versions) and the huge hit " Poor Little Fool." His second album
Ricky Nelson was on stomper with "Shirley Lee" and "Down The Line" yet it's
improved by the best single rockers of his career as bonus tracks ("Stood
Up," "My Bucket's Got A Hole In It," etc.).
The second disc at 32 tracks finds Nelson still rockin' like a fool with
the opened "It's Late." While that's still in mono, many of the songs here
are in stereo for the first time. Has there ever been a bigger juxtaposition
of styles than the transition from the best rocker of his career "Believe
What You Say" to the next track on the record - the haunting ballad "Lonesome
Town"? The album closer is a surprisingly affective Johnny Cash cover in
"Restless Kid" (bonus points for the Colorado references). The bonus tracks
range from the pathos of "Gloomy Sunday" to the rockin' "I Got A Feeling."
While the following record found Nelson a bit tamer, he still rocked like
crazy on "Just A Little Too Much" and managed a Buddy Holly-like shaker in "A
Long Vacation." Bonus tracks include alternate versions of "Just A Little…"
and "Sweeter Than You."
The third CD here still clocks in at a whopping 32 tracks, but finds a
tamer Nelson entering the '60s. What makes this issue special is the Hyde
has released More Songs By Ricky in true stereo for the first time anywhere.
"I'd Climb The Highest Mountain" and "Time After Time" may not be to best
choices for Nelson, it must be remembered that music was changing around him
with the Fabians and the Frankie Avalons taking over for Chuck Berry and
Little Richard. Bonus tracks "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" and "Mighty Good"
still rocked a bit. Just when all seemed lost, however, Ricky dropped the
'y' and turned 21 with one of his best albums including the hits "Hello Mary
Lou" and "Travellin' Man." The closing bonus track here rocks like a mother
too - "Milk Cow Blues."
The seventh Imperial album was his last before leaving for Decca so it
has been paired here with a hopelessly rare four song gospel EP (the LP was
from '62 while the EP was from '60) so you 'only' get 24 tracks here. A
mature Nelson appears here in a tasteful white sweater opening with
"Summertime" (whose bass guitar riff would become the basis for the Blues
Magoos hit "We Ain't Got Nothin' Yet." "Today's Teardrops" is a near copy of
the "Hello Mary Lou" arrangement, but not a good. The highlights may be the
two songs that Billy J Kramer lifted a few years later for his own album "Mad
Mad World" and "Stop Sneakin' Around." The bonus tracks are still good
singles including "Everlovin'" and "It's Up To You."
The fifth disc here was more of a bunt single than the expected
extra-base hit when Nelson returned to Capitol with the intention of making a
rockabilly influenced album. What came out instead was an overly fuzzed up
amped up countryish rocker (he should have called up Dave Edmunds for the
production instead of Jack Nitzsche). The material was good at least with
John Fogerty's "Almost Saturday Night," Graham Parker's "Back To Schooldays"
and another version of "Believe What You Say." Bringing this disc to 14
tracks is the inclusion of single sides like "Rave On" and "Give 'Em My
Number" which are far better than the LP. The unreleased song "Radio Girl"
rounds things out. Now we can only hope Decca/MCA gets busy with their
material from Nelson and follows the same formula as these great discs.
Posted by:George W. Krieger DDS, the rock and roll Dentist 6-24-01
Title:Brian Setzer '68 Comeback Special - Ignition!
Label:Surfdog - SD-67124-2
Comments:At least for now it appears that Setzer has dropped the big band
(had to be expensive on the road) and returned to lean rockabilly. The
unwieldy band title must be rethought however (if you're gonna name your band
after an Elvis Presley event then shouldn't you cover one of his songs on the
record?). This is essentially a Stray Cats record in all but name as Setzer
is again leading a greasy three piece combo playing jumpers like the title
track which slams you like fist right outta the box. "5 Years, 4 Months, 3
Days" rocks pretty good as does "Blue Café." "Dreamsville" is an effective
ballad while the instrumental "Malaguena" (the only non-original here) sounds
like a better concert piece than a studio one. "Get 'em On The Ropes" is a
tough rocker while "Who Would Love This Car But Me?" sounds like a George
Thorogood boogie track. Setzer is one great guitarist who thankfully
continues to rock for us old guys.
Posted by:George W. Krieger DDS, the rock and roll Dentist 6-24-01
Title:Norman Greenbaum - Spirit In The Sky
Label:Varese Sarabande 302 066 229 2
Comments:The 1970 hit title track from this album far eclipses anything else
from Norman Greenbaum's career. Yeah, "The Egg Plant That Ate Chicago" was a
hit for his band Dr. West… and "Canned Ham" (a bonus track here) did make the
top 50, but do you remember them? For that reason you may well say 'why do I
need a 17 track CD devoted to Greembaum'? Well, you really don't if all you
want is the fuzzed up boogie gospel of "Spirit In The Sky" since it can be
found many other places (plus nothing else here sounds even vaguely like that
song). If, however, you want a pleasant slightly quirky early '70s hippy
album with lotsa bonus tracks - you need to buy this. Greenbaum's slightly
nasal voice fits songs like "Junior Cadillac" and "Jubilee" well. What can
you make of songs like "Tars Of India," Milk Cow" and "Chocolate Milk" (a
solo acoustic demo tribute to … chocolate milk)? You also get a solo
acoustic demo of the title track plus single sides like "Marcy" and "School
For Sweet Talk." The fine folks at Varese even threw in a vintage promo spot
for the record which is suitably trippy. What makes this stuff so listenable
is the production of Erik Jacobsen known for his work with the Lovin'
Spoonful and Sopwith Camel. The booklet includes a trippy interview with
Greenbaum sort of talking about his songs (not to mention vintage photos).
My big question is who owns that riff - Canned Heat, ZZ Top, or some old
blues guy?
Posted by:George W. Krieger DDS, the rock and roll Dentist 6-24-01
Title:Tom Rush - Live At Symphony Hall, Boston
Label:Varese Sarabande 302 066 222 2
Comments:While not a household name, Tom Rush is a respected '60s folk singer
most remembered for "Merrimack Country" which leads off this disc in live
form. These are the highlights of two live albums from '82 and '84 which
have been distilled on this one 14 track CD for the first time. Rush leads a
really fine band here (including Robin Batteau and David Buskin) that sound
tight and well-rehearsed on songs like "Jamaica, Say You Will" and "Urge For
Going" by Jackson Browne and Joni Mitchell respectively. Other highlights
are the Eric Von Schmidt track "Joshua Gone Barbados" and the clever closer
by Jake Holmes "Beam Me Up Scotty." Many of these songs find Rush sounding
very much of a kin with Jimmy Buffett, if perhaps less 'cute'.
Posted by:George W. Krieger DDS, the rock and roll Dentist 6-24-01
Title:Sylvia Tyson - You Were On My Mind - The Very Best Of…
Label:Varese Sarabande 302 066 228 2
Comments:Judging by the title, you might conclude that her composition "You
Were On My Mind" which We 5 took into the charts in the '60s was the biggest
thing in Sylvia Tyson's career. What you may not judge is that the original
words involved getting drunk then sick. You can hear those original lyrics
here and judge for yourself which version is the more interesting. These
tracks come from the '89, '92 and 2000 albums Tyson cut as a solo artist and
as a member of the female act Quartette. One track here is a duet with
Lucille Starr on "Popeye's Mill." Tyson's voice is a bit quirky with a
strong vibrato (like a deeper Joan Baez perhaps) that lends an interesting
timbre to songs like "Gypsy Cadillac" and "The Night The Chinese Restaurant
Burned Down." There are a total of 18 tracks here including the fine Tom
Russell/Katy Moffett song "Walking On The Moon." Don't look for ex-husband
Ian to turn up anywhere.
Posted by:George W. Krieger DDS the rock and roll Dentist 6-24-01
Title:Wynn Stewart - The Very Best off 1958-1962
Label:Varese Sarabande 302 066 231 2
Comments:That country artist Wynn Stewart never made it as big a his West
coast contemporaries Buck Owens and Merle Haggard always has been a puzzler.
After all, Stewart possessed a fine country voice and delivered great
material - yet something didn't click. He died way too young, but now you
can hear 18 tracks from his Challenge/Jackpot label output and judge for
yourself why it didn't find a bigger audience. The opener is a surprising
rockabilly song in "Come On" then the rest settle into an acoustic
guitar/piano/steel combo with drums and bass country groove. Two duets with
Jan Howard ("How The Other Half Lives" and "Wrong Company") are also
included. Perhaps a third of the songs are stereo and sound fuller (though
not sweeter like many of his country contemporaries resorted to for hits).
Check out strong versions of "The Long Black Limousine" and "Wishful
Thinking" not to mention "Playboy" and "Big, Big Love" for vintage country
sounds then decide if Wynn Stewart of Faith and Tim are true country.
Posted by:George W. Krieger DDS, the rock and roll Dentist 6-24-01
Title:Electric Light Orchestra - Zoom
Label:Epic ESK 16677
Comments:Yours truly has always been a huge Jeff Lynne fan from Idle Race to
the Move to ELO to the Wilburys. When others have criticized his music as
overly produced and polished off, I have always steadfastly defended his pop
craft at writing and delivering great rock and roll records. So what to make
of this new solo Lynne record disguised as an ELO release? Well, he sounds a
bit out of practice, but the love song "Moment In Paradise" is gorgeous and
"Melting In The Sun" followed by the rocker "All She Wanted" are the
standouts of the record. What doesn't work is the single "Alright" which
isn't very memorable (though the instrumental break is a killer) and the
upfront vocals with less use of string textures. Frankly Lynne was the force
behind ELO, but the instrumentation was what made the songs go (cello,
violin, synths and the pounded skins of Bev Bevan). This time out, Lynne has
eschewed the ELO band (a bit of payback for going out as ELO II and proving
that they could sound great without him, perhaps?) and recorded with only
George Harrison and Ringo Starr on the odd track (I love all these guys so it
pains me to say that Harrison's guitar work isn't as rock and roll and
Starr's drumming isn't as powerful as it once was) - among others. Probably
why this somewhat negative review is in front of your eyes is the awful VH 1
Storytellers show that ostensibly presented ELO. Who were those guys? A
young looking drummer, non-distinguished bassist and guitarist augmented a
front and center (and thankfully great looking) Jeff Lynne who chose to share
the spotlight with a younger Stevie Nicks clone. This lady's most annoying
swaying and hand movements could be ignored if she wasn't right there on
camera mano a mano with Lynne the whole time as the focal point. Oh yeah, it
appears that old keyboardist Richard Tandy was brought along to add
credibility to the show, except that the lighting and camera work only showed
him in shadow or from behind (one can almost imagine Lynne saying "thanks for
all you work over the years, Richard. Since you didn't join ELO II, I'm
gonna put you on stage with me, but you're not as important as this new babe
I wanna showcase - sorry." Sheesh!) But I digress, the album is decent if
not up with Eldorado, Secret Messages, Discovery and Time which it just so
happens have been reissued with bonus tracks in incredible sound quality.
Hopefully Out Of The Blue, On The Third Day, etc. will follow. We love you
Jeff, but where are Bevans, Mik Kaminski, Kelly Groucutt and Louis Clark?
Posted by:George W. Krieger DDS, the rock and roll Dentist 6-24-01
Title:Roy Orbison - The Complete Sun Sessions
Label:Varese Sarabande 302 066 233 2
Comments:Since Roy Orbison had such a great career doing mostly ballads,
people generally tend to give his early rock sides short shrift. One listen
to this 31 track disc should dispel any notions you had that the Big O
couldn't rock. "Ooby Dooby" got most of the attention, but frankly "Go! Go!
Go!" (retitled "Down The Line" when Jerry Lee Lewis did it), "Rock House"
and "Domino" are even better rockabilly ravers. This set effectively
supplants Rhino's old The Sun Years CD by adding more tracks including a
bunch of solo Orbison doing demos with just an acoustic guitar (but be
prepared kids, he swears a mild oath when he messes up a chord on
"Claudette"!). The sound is a bit fuller and louder on this new issue.
Kudos again for a good booklet and a reproduced Sun label on the CD. Varese
is getting a nice little Sun collection together with this, the 2 CD Johnny
Cash set, the Jerry Lee Lewis set, the Carl Perkins set and the various
artists 25 All-Time Greatest Hits CD. If you like essential '50s Americana
rock, bubba these are for you.
Posted by:George W. Krieger DDS, the rock and roll Dentist 7-10-01
Title:The Girl Group Sound - 25 All-Time Greatest Hits From Red Bird Records
Label:Varese Sarabande 302 066 246 2
Comments:Once again, Varese seems intent on taking another label's package
and improving on it. A few years back, Taragon put out a nice 15 track
best-of CD for the Red Bird and Blue Cat labels with some much appreciated
stereo upgraded sound. This new Varese CD almost makes that disc superfluous
by adding even more great Red Bird label girl sounds like "Baby" by Ellie
Greenwich and the great bopper "The Dum Dum Ditty" by the Goodies. You still
need to keep your old CD for "Little Bell" by the Dixie Cups, "He Ain't No
Angel" by the Ad Libs and "New York's A Lonely Town" by the decidedly male
Trade Winds but this is manna for fans of '60s girl music. In addition to
the Dixie Cups' "Iko Iko" and the Shangri-Las' "Leader Of The Pack," you get
lesser known classics like "Take Me For A Little While" by Evie Sands and
Cathy Sands' "Big Bad World." The booklet gives some nice pics (great hair
on the Shangri-Las, for instance). In it's short life, Red Bird/Bird Cat
made a major impact on American music.
Posted by:George W. Krieger DDS, the rock and roll Dentist 7-10-01
Title:Denny Doherty - Waiting For A Song
The Addrisi Brothers - Never My Love - The Lost Album Sessions
Label:Varese Sarabande 302 066 230 2 - 302 066 250 2
Comments:Light rock has become the wallpaper of our baby booming lives. It's
hard to go grocery shopping and not hear "California Dreamin'" by the Mamas &
the Papas or "Never My Love" by the Association which tends to make us forget
what great records they were at the time. The performers almost seem
superfluous to the songs and we tend to forget what happened to the artists
later. In the case of the Mamas & the Papas, they fell apart in drug induced
acrimony with only Mama Cass Elliot enjoying much success - albeit
short-lived upon her early death. The main singer on "California Dreamin'"
Denny Doherty seemed to disappear after the '60s which is a shame if this new
issue of a hopelessly rare 1974 LP is any indication of what he could have
done. While the LP is not uniformly great, there are some excellent soft
rock moments like the England Dan & John Ford Coley song "Simone" which
builds to a memorably hooky chorus. There is a good version of "You've Lost
That Lovin' Feelin'" and a fine Hall & Oates cover "Good Night And Good
Morning." At times you can easily pick out the two Mamas Michelle and Cass
singing backup - indeed this was Elliot's last recorded session (she even did
the liner notes weeks before her death). The absolute killer track here is
the Nilsson inflected "Together" which is an Addrisi Brothers composition
that not coincidentally is also the best track on the second CD in this
review.
The Addrisi Brothers wrote several great ballads including the
aforementioned "Never My Love" for which many love-starved hormonally charged
boys should say thanks. While they were in a bit of a fallow period (just
prior to their own light rock hit career renewing in '72), the guys recorded
an album that was never released - till now. Back in 1970 Warner Brothers
passed on this record which, in its 11 tracks, included their own version of
"Never My Love" done a bit more 'easy' than the hit version. Indeed most of
the songs are very light pop in a '70s vein. Other standouts are "The
Pleasure Of Her Company" and "Happiness." Nilsson takes a spin on background
vocals too.
Posted by:George W. Krieger DDS, the rock and roll Dentist 7-10-01
Title:Philadelphia U.S. A.
Label:Varese Sarabande 302 066 212 2
Comments:While remaking hits is generally an egregious act (especially when
they are done to deceive fans into buying the wrong version), there are
situations where it can be seen as justified. Such is the case with the
artists that are being held prisoner by the owner of their original
Cameo/Parkway hits. While many of their contemporaries are reaping new coin
via the reissuing of old product on CD, acts like Chubby Checker, Bobby
Rydell and the Dovells are getting the shaft due to the lack of legit
reissues of great songs like "The Twist," "Wild One" and "The Bristol Stomp."
Why, you may ask? Who can figure out the mind of man, ladies and gentlemen?
So, until someone comes to their senses (or dies), you are forced to buy
bootleg CDs from which the artists get nothing in return. Which brings us to
this CD. Yeah, they're not the hit versions, but at least you can buy legit
issues of 18 classic songs like "So Much In Love" (the Tymes) and "Mashed
Potato Time" by Dee Dee Sharp. In general the songs are ok with the new
versions running the gamut from so-so (the Dovells don't really sound the
same and some of the keyboards sound synthesized - a definite no-no) to
fantastic (all the Chubby Checker are great with "The Twist" sounding hotter
than the original if it's not sacrilegious to say). While it is understood
why it's here, the inclusion of "96 Tears" by ? & the Mysterions is a bit ?
since they were not from Philadelphia (oh well, on the whole they probably
would rather have been from there). It's up to you to decide how you feel
about this sort of package, but it can be said that Varese has smartly
included on the front and back that these are new versions of the classics
hits so at least you won't be duped. Really, this reviewer's only gripe is
that recording details (dates & players) weren't included. The red and black
CD label looks strangely familiar.
Posted by:George W. Krieger DDS, the rock and roll Dentist 7-10-01
Title:The Millennium - Magic Time-The
Millennium/Ballroom Recordings
Label:Sundazed SC 11102
Comments:In the mid to late '60s, we were blessed with so much fabulous music
that many worthwhile records slipped between to cracks of time. One such
release was the LP Begin by The Millennium which was a lush pop confection
concocted by Curt Boettcher with people like Larry Mallory, Ron Edgar & Doug
Rhodes of the Music Machine, Sandy Salisbury, Joey Stec and Mike Fennelly
(later of Crabby Appleton). Listening now to the gorgeous hard pop of the
single "It's You," it's hard to figure how this managed to miss the charts in
'68. Many of these same players had recorded an earlier unreleased album for
Columbia as the Ballroom and would record (with Gary Usher) the incredible LP
Present Tense as Sagittarius, but frankly they all sound like the same act.
For that reason, several Ballroom tracks were simply re-released on the
Sagittarius album (including the cute clockwork pop of "Would You Like To
Go"). OK, so if that long intro makes any sense to you, you're probably
already a fan and you don't need any more convincing that this great three CD
set needs to be in your collection. For the rest of you, read on.
There are a total of 62 songs on this set with the centerpiece of disc
one being the great lost Ballroom album, disc two being various demos and
singles and disc three being the Millennium album with singles. If you
already have the two earlier CD releases that go into this set, you may have
to keep them and buy this too. The old Rev-ola CD by the Ballroom preparing
for The Millenium is included almost wholly on the Sundazed set. 20 of the
22 songs (the album tracks plus various singles, outtakes and demos) are
repeated on Magic Time, but the last two tracks are not which means you may
want to keep your old Ballroom CD for the Sandy Salisbury song "All I Really
Have Is A Memory" and the Puppet single version of Nilsson's "Best Friend"
(another 'should-a been-a hit'). The CBS Special Products release of Begin
is also represented in toto on the new CD set (all 16 tracks) except for the
curious decision to present the single sides "Blight" and "Just About The
Same" only in mono when they appear in glorious stereo on the old CD. There
was plenty of room for stereo versions, so one can only ask Sundazed why they
dropped the ball(room) in this one curious instance. At any rate, you may
want to keep your old CD for that reason. The new CD set goes the old CDs
one better by improving the sound and adding stereo backing tracks sans
vocals, Sagittarius songs and other oddities plus previously unreleased
tracks like the Rolf Harris song covered by Ballroom "Sun Arise" (very weird
and interesting - but not as good as Alice Cooper's version on Love It To
Death). All in all, fans of '60s pop should grab this sucker up very quickly.
Posted by:George W. Krieger DDS, the rock and roll Dentist 7-26-01
Title:Buried Treasure - Lost Gems From Deep In The '60s
Vault
Label:Collectors' Choice Music CCM222-2
Comments:We grieve the passing of Capitol Records V.P. Bob Hyde in July as he
was one of the class guys in the music business. His recent reissues of the
Rick Nelson catalog continued his legacy of great packages containing rare
stereo, bonus tracks and nifty packaging. This 40 song two CD set is one of
the last things that Hyde worked on and as usual it's a real treat for
collectors. This set covers rare singles from the
Warner/Reprise/Elektra/Atlantic group of labels from 1958 to 1971.
Highlights are a stereo "1941" by Tom Northcutt, the full "Don't Try To Lay
No Boogie Woogie On The King Of Rock 'N' Roll" by Long John Baldry and the
rare single version of the Association song "Just About The Same." The early
days are also covered with "Like I Love You" by Edd Byrnes, "77 Sunset Strip"
by Don Ralke and a Chuck Berry-like "Baby Please Don't Go" by Troyce Key. A
few hits like "Let's Go" by the Routers and "I Wonder What She's Doing
Tonight" by Barry & the Tamerlanes do crop up, but the rarities like Mariam
Makeba's "Pata Pata" and Hamilton Camp's "Here's To You" are what make this
set. While this reviewer fondly remembers songs like "Go Back" by Crabby
Appleton and "Apricot Brandy" by Rhinoceros, it's hard to imagine how a great
song like Shelby Flint's "Cast Your Fate To The Wind" got lost in the shuffle
of time. Tiny Tim's "Tip-toe Thru' The Tulips With Me" is a guilty pleasure
for sure as is the definitely un-P.C. "Johnny Get Angry" by Joanie Sommers.
The pre-Byrds single "Don't Be Long"/"Please Let Me Love You" by the
Beefeaters turns up here (could Gene Clark have sounded any more
fake-Liverpudlian?).
Bob, we'll miss you. We appreciate all the great music you've helped us to
over the years.
Posted by:George W. Krieger DDS, the rock and roll Dentist 8-8-01
Title:The Hollies - What Goes Around + bonus
Label:Hyacinth 20
Comments:The Atlantic album that featured Graham Nash's return to the
harmonic masters of British Invasion melodic rock has been augmented here
with a b-side ("Musical Pictures"), a stereo 'hooked-on' medley
("Holliedaze") and three tracks from the CD Rarities ("Carrie," "Here In My
Dreams" and "Sanctuary"). While Nash isn't terribly evident in the mix, the
songs were generally fine with the highlights being "Something Ain't Right"
and "If The Lights Go Out." The American version of the U.K. single "Take My
Love And Run" was the high point of the LP and why it was passed over for hit
status is criminal. A couple of remakes turn up in "Just One Look" and the
U.S. single "Stop! In The Name Of Love." The packaging is minimal, but the
sound is pretty darn good.
Posted by:George W. Krieger DDS, the rock and roll Dentist 8-8-01
Title:Joe Jackson - Steppin' Out-The Very Best Of Joe
Jackson
Label:A&M 314 556 537-2
Comments:We first labeled Joe Jackson as an angry young man with the great
single "Is She Really Going Out With Him." After a couple of direction
changes to be-bop and loungy piano, he has now shaken off any labeling and is
seen as an eclectic talent who at his least is interesting, but at his peak
is inspired. This is just about a perfect collection from all phases of
Jackson's career. Among the 38 songs are six from his hot first album Look
Sharp! including the reggaefied "Sunday Papers." While the next LP wasn't as
inspired, the title track "I'm The Man" and the single "It's Different For
Girls" standout. For many, the five tracks from his breakout LP Night And
Day will be the highlights. From that LP are "Real Men, "A Slow Song,"
Another World" and the hits "Breaking Us In Two" plus "Steppin' Out" (with
the prominent piano octaves). "The Harder They Come" and "Memphis" are two
welcome oddities as is the best song from his 2000 LP Night And Day II
"Stranger Than You." While they did license a few songs from his Virgin LPs,
frankly you would be best suited to buy at least Laughter And Lust then Blaze
Of Glory as they are a bit under-represented. The package is classy looking
and the sound is excellent.
Posted by:George W. Krieger DDS, the rock and roll Dentist 8-8-01
Title:Laika&the Cosmonauts - Laika Sex Machine
Label:Yep Roc YEP 2024
Comments:After Los Straitjackets, Laika & the Cosmonauts are the best
instrumental combo going today. That they come from Finland is incidental to
the fact that they play some cool retro rock. This is a live album that
might be a decent intro to the band (though you really do need to own
Instruments Of Terror). The biggest problem with the set is the
over-representation of songs from their weirdly out of character Absurdistan
album which moved away from retro-cheese to jazzy syncopation ("The
Hypno-Wheel"?). At 26 tracks, however, you really can avoid the clunkers
(plus they do a great version of the best song from that LP "Turquoise").
The songs are revved up in speed, but they're still fun. Highlights are
"Mission Impossible," "The Avengers" and "Psyko" which combines the themes
from Vertigo and Psycho. There's also a great version of "Telstar" and the
show stopper "Ba-Ha-Re-Bah!" gets the crowd rockin'. As one of these songs
says: "C'mon Do The Laika!".
Posted by:George W. Krieger DDS, the rock and roll Dentist 8-8-01
Title:Johnny & the Hurricanes - The Very Best Of…
Label:Varese Sarabande 302 066 242 2
Comments:Back at Boy Scout camp, your intrepid reviewer was a counselor.
While songs like "Windy" and such were current hits, the one that got the
most play that summer was a wake up call over the loudspeaker - "Reveille
Rock" by Johnny & the Hurricanes. To this day, the crazed guitar/sax workout
interspersed with some maniac screaming 'wake-up' never fails to get the rock
and roll Dentist to crank up the volume. That song along with 19 others
makes up the first good U.S. compilation on Johnny Paris' combo. This is a
pretty classy affair from the killer picture on the cover to the killer sound
(9 in stereo including "Beatnik Fly" and "You Are My Sunshine). The formula
was pretty simple and generally effective back in '59 to '62 - lay down a
wild backbeat and take some old song your parents would like (say "Down
Yonder") and drive it with a cheesy organ fueled by wipe-out guitars and
Paris' overdrive sax. Every compilation from these guys seems to have
different tracks, but this one does a pretty good job of covering the album
cuts ("Like Rock") and the hits ("Red River Rock"). The only major omission
is "Ja-Da" which for my money could have taken the place of the limp "James
Bond Theme." This is still a pretty hot compilation.
Posted by:George W. Krieger DDS, the rock and roll Dentist 8-23-01
Title:? & the Mysterians - 96 Tears-The Very Best Of…
Label:Varese Sarabande 302 066 263 2
Comments:While the title is a bit misleading, this is actually a pretty hot
CD. Since the Cameo-Parkway label is not being licensed by the owner (don't
ask), bands like this are forced to re-record their hits if they want them
out on aluminum disc. So, you may well ask, why should I buy re-recordings?
Well, the while the version of "96 Tears" is ok, the rest is a pretty
interesting mix of snotty '60s punk ("Feel It!") and modern rock done ?-style
("Cheree"). The band sounds pretty good and while ? may not sound as
threatening as he did 30+ years ago, he still has the vocal chops to bring
it. Other standouts are "Hangin' On A String" and "Can't Get Enough Of You
Baby" (which Smash Mouth updated so well). The CD also included two old demo
tracks ("Are You For Real?" and "I'll Be Back"), a live track ("I Need
Somebody"), "96 Tears" en Espanol and the video "Sally Go Round The Roses"
(which frankly is a bit wimpy for ?). This is a pretty cool set and one not
to be dismissed simply because the original hits aren't on it. Bonus points
for the cool label reproduction.
Posted by:George W. Krieger DDS, the rock and roll Dentist 8-23-01
Title:Johnny Maestro & the Crests - 20 All-time
Greatest Hits
Label:Varese Sarabande 302 066 248 2
Comments:These 20 doo-wop songs come from a four year period starting in 1958
when an Italian white guy teamed up with some black singers and forged
musical harmony starting with the #2 hit "16 Candles." Basically all was
downhill from there, but the music on this disc attests to the fact that the
quality of Maestro and the Crests' doowop ballads didn't wane even if the
chart placements did. This disc collects all the Coed label hits (with some
of the misses) by Maestro solo and with the Crests. His time with the
Brooklyn Bridge is not represented here. The sound is great on songs like "I
Remember (In The Still Of the Night)" and "Mr. Happiness." This is essential
stuff if you're into doowop. The booklet features reproductions of vintage
posters and ads.
Posted by:George W. Krieger DDS, the rock and roll Dentist 8-24-01
Title:Bobby Day - The Best Of…
Label:Varese Sarabande 302 066 249 2
Comments:This is a very cool idea; collecting 16 tracks by doowop acts that
in some way interconnect with Bobby Day. That gives you hits by him solo
("Rockin' Robin" and "Little Bitty Pretty One") and in the Hollywood Flames
("Buzz-Buzz-Buzz" and "A Little Bird"). You get Bob & Earl ("Gee Whiz" and
"Harlem Shuffle") plus Earl as Jackie Lee ("The Duck") among others. Trust
me, they all interconnect in the booklet. There are also rare tracks like
"Wheel Of Fortune" by the Four Flames and "Truly Truly" by the Laurels. The
sound is excellent and the pictures are darn spiffy. All in all a very
classy doowop disc.
Posted by:George W. Krieger DDS, the rock and roll Dentist 8-24-01
01/19/08