Medicine Head remain whimsical and laconic whilst bopping like only the heavy 50s blues rockers could; they were a nice counterpart to the excesses of Marc Bolan and T Rex, but had a country feel which put them closer to Stealers Wheel, it would be more evident on their other albums.
Monday, 9 October 2017
Medicine Head (1971) There's Always A Light - LOST 70s GEMS
From the hard rocking sophomore album Heavy on the Drum, this is is exactly that, a departure from the sleepy folk balladry of Medicine Head' debut New Bottles Old Medicine which is very heavy. The pounding sparse kick drum and chunky but rudimentary blues rock guitar of John Fiddler to the wailing Harmonica of his partner Hope Evans, this Staffordshire duo know how to create sizeable rock from sparse elements. The highlight for me from this really tough sounding album is this track primarily due to Fiddler's electric vocals, definitely treated in some way to accentuate his natural low register tremelo that sounds like a blend of Dylan and Bolan or even Gerry Rafferty it was a trademark of early 70s rockers. It's a laidback warble taken from the blues and folk rock but acts with such majesty in its sprawling reverb that it acts as a harmony with his own guitar.
Medicine Head remain whimsical and laconic whilst bopping like only the heavy 50s blues rockers could; they were a nice counterpart to the excesses of Marc Bolan and T Rex, but had a country feel which put them closer to Stealers Wheel, it would be more evident on their other albums.
Medicine Head remain whimsical and laconic whilst bopping like only the heavy 50s blues rockers could; they were a nice counterpart to the excesses of Marc Bolan and T Rex, but had a country feel which put them closer to Stealers Wheel, it would be more evident on their other albums.
Sunday, 8 October 2017
Stills-Young Band (1976) Ocean Girl - LOST 70s GEMS
A romantic ditty that starts with standard 70s soft piano with a nice addition of a Stephen Still' raw wah wah guitar underlining the raging feelings with it's vapid strikes reminding us of that incredible interplay the two had on the first Buffalo Springfield album released ten years prior. The wah wahs' stretchy, acid drenched tone, though originally steeped in the funk and psychedelia genres it was a flexible device in 70s music popping up in country, pop, disco standards and all kinds of TV theme tunes. I think because it expressed a strong emotive quality from the menacing to the romantic it always sounded hormonal and rich in deep feelings..always.
Young sings in a delicate phrasing that is thankfully restrained and sounds like he is harmonising with The Eagles. Check out Midnight on the Bay for it's mix of Jay Ferguson style Island Soft Rock and the Bee Gees' style of lilting Disco pop.
Young sings in a delicate phrasing that is thankfully restrained and sounds like he is harmonising with The Eagles. Check out Midnight on the Bay for it's mix of Jay Ferguson style Island Soft Rock and the Bee Gees' style of lilting Disco pop.
Friday, 6 October 2017
Armageddon (1975) Silver Tightrope - LOST 70s GEMS
The Yardbirds frontman Keith Relf's last project was a n incredible supergroup featuring among others Bobby Caldwell a talented blues drummer, this track from this Stoner rock album carries a mellow spacey instrumental talent form his previous super group Captain Beyond which featured original Deep Purple lead singer Rod Evans.
The incandescent electric guitar ringing out in a hypnotic arpeggio pattern with Relf singin softly underneath the guitars which take prominence in the mix to interesting effect. Relf is far from his blues belting self here more channelling Yes' Jon Anderson in his delicate falsetto, while the band join in the harmonious vocals and a expertly psychedelic guitar solo plays distantly in a 'wet' very chilled out bridge section; pretty pioneering for its time. It was all cut too short for Relf in a tragic electrocution shortly after this album; however he had a respectable post Yardbirds career in folk rock Renaissance and Blues band Medicine Head while his former lead guitarists rose to group and solo fame and superstardom in the 70s. I still think this is his pinnacle outside of the Yardbirds which makes his passing even more unfortunate.
The incandescent electric guitar ringing out in a hypnotic arpeggio pattern with Relf singin softly underneath the guitars which take prominence in the mix to interesting effect. Relf is far from his blues belting self here more channelling Yes' Jon Anderson in his delicate falsetto, while the band join in the harmonious vocals and a expertly psychedelic guitar solo plays distantly in a 'wet' very chilled out bridge section; pretty pioneering for its time. It was all cut too short for Relf in a tragic electrocution shortly after this album; however he had a respectable post Yardbirds career in folk rock Renaissance and Blues band Medicine Head while his former lead guitarists rose to group and solo fame and superstardom in the 70s. I still think this is his pinnacle outside of the Yardbirds which makes his passing even more unfortunate.
Wednesday, 4 October 2017
Hall and Oates (1975) Ennui on the Mountain - LOST 70s GEMS
A rip roaring, jet fuelled stomper of a rock song, while this bears a circular riff backed by saxophone, honky tonk piano and a fat electric guitar tone and some hard rock guitar strikes that Progressive Pop bands like 10cc, ELO and Queen used to really ram home the strong melodic sense of this song. Capturing the non stop party of touring and being at the top or the zenith of their careers as Hall wails soulfully and Oates pounds away at the furious guitar attack that recalls the stomp pf the Beatles' Oh Darling and other stunted bops from the 50s and of course the 50s retro of Glam Rocker T Rex and Sweet. Its fitting with the glam cover of this their self titled 'silver' album
Theres some meta references to their own career such as 'AM airplay', 'a cadillac' and 'a mountain in Montana' . These accoutrements would all be gained after this album; with Hall and his manager Tommy Mottola buying identical black and silver Seville Cadillacs with their first six figure paycheck after Sara Smile, not to mention their chart and radio dominance in the years to come and Halls' retreat in the woods that he used as the setting of the groundbreaking online series Darylls' House. All these things truly makin their dreams come true, ooh ooh hoo ooh..sorry
Theres some meta references to their own career such as 'AM airplay', 'a cadillac' and 'a mountain in Montana' . These accoutrements would all be gained after this album; with Hall and his manager Tommy Mottola buying identical black and silver Seville Cadillacs with their first six figure paycheck after Sara Smile, not to mention their chart and radio dominance in the years to come and Halls' retreat in the woods that he used as the setting of the groundbreaking online series Darylls' House. All these things truly makin their dreams come true, ooh ooh hoo ooh..sorry
Hall and Oates (1974) Can't Stop the Music (He Played It Much Too Long) - LOST 70s GEMS
This song is to me the third of a trio of potential hit singles that Hall and Oates recorded during their early 70s three album run on Atlantic Records; the other two being Goodnight and Goodmorning from their rootsy folk debut, Whole Oates(1972) and When the Morning Comes from their less folky classic soul follow up Abandoned Luncheonette(1973). While those two singles are very commercial sounding post-Hippy folk rock tunes, this track is more novel in it's sound; though When the Morning Comes was book-ended with that Wah-Wah treated Oboe that created an exotic, otherworldly texture.
Can't Stop the Music is the lead track off third album, War Babies(1974) their very psychedelic attempt at progressive rock. This is probably the most commercial sounding song of a very dark and eerie concept album about.. I'm not sure what. What I do know is this track has a airy pre-80s synth pop sound, the mellow wash of several analog synthesizers overlapping each other. Oates comes in with a story of an old performer who was 'star of the stage' but can't cut it anymore over a bright electric piano chord progression. I should point out everything in this album is heavily phased or treated. After the chorus refrain where he states that he can't even remember the ending to the song; possible musings on their own career, for now they were safely at the other end of it; practically at the starting line.
It's a John Oates track that showed he was an equal to Hall in their massively underappreciated period in the 70s where they reigned as soul superstars. The album has the psychedelia and soul combo of Sly and the Family Stone but ups the cold dystopian eeriness with a lot of analog synths and minor keyed piano mood pieces like 70's Scenario and Screaming through December. Meanwhile there's enough tight commercial material in the funkier rock tracks like Better Watch Your Back and Much Too Soon. But best is still this number..(you can't play it too long)
Can't Stop the Music is the lead track off third album, War Babies(1974) their very psychedelic attempt at progressive rock. This is probably the most commercial sounding song of a very dark and eerie concept album about.. I'm not sure what. What I do know is this track has a airy pre-80s synth pop sound, the mellow wash of several analog synthesizers overlapping each other. Oates comes in with a story of an old performer who was 'star of the stage' but can't cut it anymore over a bright electric piano chord progression. I should point out everything in this album is heavily phased or treated. After the chorus refrain where he states that he can't even remember the ending to the song; possible musings on their own career, for now they were safely at the other end of it; practically at the starting line.
It's a John Oates track that showed he was an equal to Hall in their massively underappreciated period in the 70s where they reigned as soul superstars. The album has the psychedelia and soul combo of Sly and the Family Stone but ups the cold dystopian eeriness with a lot of analog synths and minor keyed piano mood pieces like 70's Scenario and Screaming through December. Meanwhile there's enough tight commercial material in the funkier rock tracks like Better Watch Your Back and Much Too Soon. But best is still this number..(you can't play it too long)
Tuesday, 3 October 2017
Ambrosia (1975) Holdin on to Yesterday - LOSt 70s GEMS
Such a seductive little number form this soulful Prog rock band who would take their mellow vocals and keyboard rock to the Soft Rock genre where they were more at home and their delicate close harmonies and silky arrangements were better suited.
The band kicks in with a relaxed interplay between some jazz piano chords and a humming bass line throbbing underneath; it creates a slick old school, Brill Building groove. The restraint of the track becomes so sensuous without becoming comatose, laidback but firm all building a smooth foundation allowing us to bask in the glorious and well above average harmonies; particularly for a prog band. The extraordinary, two part harmony vocals enter in and rise above the mellow instrumental track, distinctive for the way they go up an octave on the first half of 'Hoooldin Ooon'. The soaring supple falsettos of Guitarist David Pack and Bassist Joe Puerta on the Os is so complex and sounds so original every-time you hear it.
Pack then sings the organ and choir drenched solo verses that reminds you they had the grandeur of a prog band though the smooth harmonies were still more influenced by RnB then bands like Yes. The addition of a Violin break is a neat prog touch while the organ gives a incredibly sexy blues feel by the shimmering end of the song. A smooth yet transformative ballad full of the best blues, gospel and prog playing you've ever heard.
The band kicks in with a relaxed interplay between some jazz piano chords and a humming bass line throbbing underneath; it creates a slick old school, Brill Building groove. The restraint of the track becomes so sensuous without becoming comatose, laidback but firm all building a smooth foundation allowing us to bask in the glorious and well above average harmonies; particularly for a prog band. The extraordinary, two part harmony vocals enter in and rise above the mellow instrumental track, distinctive for the way they go up an octave on the first half of 'Hoooldin Ooon'. The soaring supple falsettos of Guitarist David Pack and Bassist Joe Puerta on the Os is so complex and sounds so original every-time you hear it.
Pack then sings the organ and choir drenched solo verses that reminds you they had the grandeur of a prog band though the smooth harmonies were still more influenced by RnB then bands like Yes. The addition of a Violin break is a neat prog touch while the organ gives a incredibly sexy blues feel by the shimmering end of the song. A smooth yet transformative ballad full of the best blues, gospel and prog playing you've ever heard.
Monday, 2 October 2017
Boston (1976) Let Me Take You Home Tonight - LOST 70s GEMS
A funky acoustic opening with Tom Scholtz's wacky music experiments creating an unusual mix of guitars. An ascending arpeggio with a watery electric guitar, some distant blues slide and a acoustic guitar playing a quick turnaround.
The verses are very Beatles esque breezy acoustic strums and exuberant harmonies which carry into the electric power chord driven anthemic chorus.
An array of guitar sounds come through in bridge as the solos alternate from one instrument to another. First a very clean blues slide guitar, then a water filtered guitar before a couple, thicker harmonised hard rock guitars. Up their with Foreplay/Long Time and More Than a Feeling from this immaculate and overdubbed paradise of an album; not bad for a debut particularly when you consider it started as a one person band.
PS Brad Delp is ridiculously good particularly in his ending wails, at a time when there were many multi octave singers, he had a cool vocal style, another instrument Scholtz had at his disposal.
The verses are very Beatles esque breezy acoustic strums and exuberant harmonies which carry into the electric power chord driven anthemic chorus.
An array of guitar sounds come through in bridge as the solos alternate from one instrument to another. First a very clean blues slide guitar, then a water filtered guitar before a couple, thicker harmonised hard rock guitars. Up their with Foreplay/Long Time and More Than a Feeling from this immaculate and overdubbed paradise of an album; not bad for a debut particularly when you consider it started as a one person band.
PS Brad Delp is ridiculously good particularly in his ending wails, at a time when there were many multi octave singers, he had a cool vocal style, another instrument Scholtz had at his disposal.
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