Mike Post (1974) The Rockford Files

 Mike Post, a producer famous for arranging Classical Gas and the northern soul hit Afternoon of the Rhino, Post would bring his penchant for vibrant, big band horn suites to TV. Soon to become a big name in TV theme tunes in the 80s alogn with partner Pete Carpenter their names would be made with the theme music for America's Greatest Hero, Hill Street Blues, Magnum PI and Law and Order he would soon become synonymous with the minute and a half intros. With a deft skill in mixing diverse elements with a grand melody, here Post brings together a swaggering Minimoog lick that just oozes with the kind of cool reserved for rock stars it fits the lead character Jim Rockford; an effortlessly cool, charming and confident detective. The explosive drum fills punctuate through along with electric guitars and barrelling horns but it's the interplay and contrasts of the countrified harmonica with the slick, urban Moog riff both so rolling along smoothly and melodically in their own way. The buildup of the horn section trumpeting along to the single wah wah guitar is superb before the final return of that awesome all pervasive moog lick.


Mixing in Prog rock, country hoedown and Motown into a slick package that would announce Post's talents and the many faces of Jim Garner's Rockford, not to mention how cool it sounds. Such disparate elements you would never think would mesh and yet seem almost organic here.

Queen (1974) Seven Seas of Rhye

 Queen started out as a heavy prog band, combining the stacked high harmonies of a band like Styx with heavy metal riffing like Sweet, taking more pomp with more ornate arty aristocratic excess than the glam rockers or prog bands like Yes they soon became more of their own brand of regal pop metal. Only a small instrumental cut on their first album, Seven Seas of Rhye apepeared in full form on Queen II (1974), ironically despite it's Zeppelin-esque numbering this is where they, like another heavy band Rush, started to make the move from unoriginal ripping off Led Zep (NB :almost to the point where they should've sent some checks to Page and Plant) to rapidly discovering their own approach.

Their own sound particularly seemed to coalesce on this track; it's full of Sweet styled harmonies, speed metal riffs, Brian Mays' sea of multi tracked guitars and Freddie Mercury's strident vocals. Far more dynamic and better singers and song writers than novelty Glam act The Sweet, Queen were a natural successor to that whole scene with their sense of humour (the song ends with a jolly old singalong of 'I do like to be beside the seaside') combining with strong quality to produce garish but slightly less dated music.

Road (1972) Spaceship Earth

 There's certainly more than a passing resemblance to The Experience here in Noel Redding's early 70s power trio follow up, the bassist was trying to follow up playing alongside one of the best drummers and the best guitarist in the world three years after that groups' demise and the passing of Jimi Hendrix. It's a very rote effort with very occasional brilliance from the guitarist Les Sampson, while the heavy wah wah funkiness of Man Dressed in Red of their single, self titled LP has some of the liquid cool of Redding's former associates, Spaceship Earth is pure heavy rock madness in a good way; worth the trip if it proved Redding really needed his former bandmates a bit more than they needed him.
 It has that sledgehammer beat combined with wall of sound distortion, mixing heaviness and beauty in a manner not unlike that former trio but sadly not anywhere near as fresh or original with the same sci-fi imagery.

Ringo Starr (1978) Who Needs A Heart

With a dirty rock guitar mixed with sweet soul instances of saxophones and horns while Vini Poncia adds gentle baking vocals to this interesting track. The central melody is classic pop with Ringo's limited drawl drily delivering with a suggested regret, while his standard beat and the upbeat arrangement towards the end feel like classic Ringo. The best part is the chorus where the backing vocals ask a question before quickly comes in with the answer reminiscent of 'With a little help from my friends' bridge "Who needs a love like yours, that is bringin me down" Splendid and his best from his late 70 slump.

Ringo Starr (1972) Nashville Jam

A funky blues based jam with the some of Nashville's best musicians, there is occasional pedal steel licks fitting nicely into the compact beat driven by the Starr of the show. Ringo's rock steady beat and occasional fills and rolls are uncharacteristic of him but serve the heavy backbeat very well as everything from slide guitar, to acoustic and organ turn up in the mix. Ringo's foundation allows some fluid blues playing while the groove meanders into different portions naturally like when the piano takes the fore or when a country guitar interjects here and there with simple licks here and there. The fiddle works well with it's smooth soloing fitting in with the rest of this very funk infused Purdie-esque work out. This definitely stands out on the album, closing it with more weight and punch then the whole album of country standards could muster, the blend of funk rhythms with country twang is a delightful blues based extravaganza. While its hard to tell who plays what as there is credited a lot of musicians, such as two fiddle players, two pedal steel players and two guitarists, and two drummers so who even knows in the end who did what except its is inspired and natural. Interesting from a band so well known for song craft, writing and studio trickery that the best track on his second solo album is a vocal less jam: smooth and melodic.

Ringo Starr (1974) Back Off Boogaloo

This driving defiant rocker was a welcome surprise from Starr, with its strong slide guitar licks of his former band mate George Harrison, powerful vocal harmonies working with the Beatles-esque vibe of the lyrics and the pounding drum sound. It's a brutal rocker, heavy and yet with great rock n roll and pop elements; I also think Ringo in 1972 and 1973 was producing frankly some of the best of the Post Beatles solo stuff with his country album(Beaucoup of Blues) and all star rock variety album(Ringo) to come as well as his fabulous non album singles like this (and It Don't Come Easy).

Home (1972) Tramp

For a rare UK country rock band that started the 70s opening for Zeppelin, even had a song that seemingly chides 'Jim Page' to look back to his younger days, this isn't that colourful. While their bluesy cowboy style wasn't as soulful as other UK country acts of the time like Eggs Over Easy and Matthews Southern Comfort, this song features some excellent Allman Brothers 'Blue Sky' styled vamping on the electric guitar. There isn't much of a sound here except a vague mix of Poco and Pub Rock, though the choice of a Hammond Organ amp being used to create a liquid Hendrix sound for the crystalline rhythm guitar playing is inspired and features across all the album tracks from their humorously titled debut album Pause of a Hoarse Horse(1972).

Of note; is the solid rhythm section featuring ACDC's future long term bassist Cliff Burton, while there is some Dickey Betts and Duane Allmans-esque jamming at the end of the song. Of more note; is the whole country rock genre was seized by The Eagles debut album in 1972 virtually wiping the floor commercially with all contenders in the genre as they hit the right balance of country and rock, this album tends to overdo the bluesy guitar licks and underdo the cowboy vibe making it sound like a half-hearted effort all round.