The Soul Searchers - Salt Of The Earth (1974)

"Salt Of The Earth" is the second album by the Washington, D.C. group The Soul Searchers.
Released in 1974, this album has become one of the most sampled albums in Hip Hop music with the drum break from Ashley's Roachclip being the basis of many popular songs of the past twenty years.
This album expands the band's music into deep and dark new dimensions. While boasting an even funkier street-smart approach than the previous We the People, Salt of the Earth achieves new levels of jazz-inspired sophistication as well. The much-sampled "Ashley's Roachclip" and "I Rolled It, You Hold It" are brilliant evocations of mind-warping psychedelia, but the group also slows down and gets straight with a shimmering reading of the classic Bacharach/David love song "Close to You." Between those two extremes lurk angular yet soulful grooves with all the widescreen power of contemporaries like Earth, Wind & Fire and Kool & the Gang, but with a structural complexity all their own.
This is extremely well rounded funk. Here, the Soul Searchers blend jazz funk with soft soul.
Though not quite as musically complex as Amnesty of LA Sound Carnival, this music does have interesting progressions that make the songs uniuqe, but these could still work on 1970s AM radio.
"Ain't It Heavy" could be a Spinners track, except that the chords twist and turn far more than on Gamble and Huff work, and the singers work around these changes, almost like jazz cats. Like a lot of this, it's very chromatic, working up and down all the sharps and flats of the scale rather than just the tonics.

Track listing

1.  I Rolled It You Hold It  (John Buchanan)   - 4:38
2.  Blow Your Whistle  (Maxx Kidd, Chuck Brown)   - 3:01
3.  Close To You  (Burt Bacharach, Hal David)   - 4:23
4.  Funk To The Folks  (John Buchanan)   - 4:14
5.  Ain't It Heavy  (John Buchanan)   - 5:58
6.  Windsong  (John Buchanan)   - 5:00
7.  Ashley's Roachclip  (Lloyd Pinchback)   - 5:36
8.  We Share  (Donald Tillery, John Buchanan)   - 2:49
9.  If It Ain't Funky  (Chuck Brown)   - 3:39

Released:  1974
Recorded at:  American Star Recording Studio, Falls Church, Virgina
Genre:  Soul, Funk
Label:  Sussex Records
Length:  40:34
Producer:  Carroll Hynson, Joe Tate

Personnel
Chuck Brown - Guitar, Lead Vocals
John Buchanan - Trombone, Piano, Synthesizer, Percussion, Vocals
Donald Tillery - Trumpet, Percussion, Vocals
John Euwell - Bass
Kenneth Scoggins - Drums, Percussion
Lino Druitt - Congos, Bongos, Percussion
Lloyd Pinchback - Flute, Saxophone, Percussion
Bennie Braxton - Organ, Vocals

Private Lives - Prejudice And Pride (1984)

Private Lives was an obscure indie new wave band originating out of Austin, TX in the early 80’s. They played a new wave synth sound with indie alternative tangents. The band was led by the outgoing Deborah Giles, who sings on the majority of the ten songs here and can hold her own within the vast emotive female singers of that time period. There are some interesting sound effects and synths on a variety of the songs.
Private Lives' "Prejudice & Pride" album symbolizes a specific time and place. First of all, the keyboards sound old, and secondly, its studio gloss is totally '80s. But those are just two reasons why the LP is highly attractive to new wave disciples. The term "dated" is only bad to people who weren't born during the era the work originated in, or who have no affection for it. On Prejudice & Pride Private Lives combine their love for jazz and funk with the synthesized beats of mid-'80s England. The result is a hybrid of blue-eyed soul and new wave à la Fiction Factory, a group that Private Lives stylistically resemble. The music is often upbeat; however, the lyrics mainly consist of torn love letters, filled with bitterness and regret. "Living in a World" is the best track, the story of a promiscuous girl whose life has been overturned and who can't find her way to happiness; consequently, she begins having suicidal thoughts: "You say you want to drink and drive/Over the bridge to the other side," vocalist John Adams sings with both anger and empathy. The words veer between resentment and compassion, but it becomes obvious that he still cares for her: "No, you're just hanging around/Waiting for someone to rescue you." It's a beautiful ballad, hauntingly sung and sharply arranged with mournful synthesizers and toe-tapping basslines. (The 12" extended version, "Living in a World (Turned Upside Down)," is also worth searching for.) As strong as "Living in a World" is, one would assume that Private Lives used all of their ammo on one track; thankfully, they didn't. Prejudice & Pride has no filler. It may take a few spins for the record to sink in, but songs such as "River to a Sea" and "God Only Knows" are just as catchy -- if not as moving -- as "Living in a World." The angst level is pretty high; Adams seeks liberation from a dying relationship in "Break the Chains," and "No Chance You'll Pay" and "Break the Whole Thing Down" offer more romantic diatribes. All the dourness may seem a tad overwhelming; however, many British new wave artists weren't exactly cheerful. Prejudice & Pride details heartbreak with a sweet tooth for pop that is hard to resist.

Tracklist

01.  From A River to a Sea  (Adams, Lane)  - 4:03
02.  No Chance You'll Pay  (Adams, Lane)  - 4:34
03.  Living in a World  (Adams)  - 3:29
04.  Stop  (Adams, Lane)  - 3:54
05.  God Only Knows  (Adams, Lane)  - 2:53
06.  Break the Chains  (Adams, Lane)  - 3:40
07.  Don't Wanna Cry (Any More)  (Adams, Lane)  - 3:21
08.  Win (You've Got To)  (Adams, Lane)  - 4:11
09.  Break the Whole Thing Down  (Adams, Lane)  - 3:27
10.  Prejudice and Pride  (Adams, Lane)  - 4:33
11.  Living in a World (Extended Mix) (Bonus Track)  - 6:03
12.  From A River To A Sea (Extended Mix) (Bonus Track)  - 6:29

Released:  1984
Label:  EMI
Genre:  New Wave
Length:  50:17
Producer:  Pete Schwier

Personnel
Morris Michael - Vocals, Guitar
John Adams - Vocals
Gary Twigg - Bass
Greg Harewood - Bass
Nick Beggs - Bass
Phil Cranham - Bass
Andy Duncan - Drums
Bias Boschell - Keyboards
Brother James - Percussion
Ray Carless - Saxophone
Backing Vocals – Bernard Michael, Kiki Dee, Nicci Sunn, Rick Wilde

Ironhorse - Everything Is Grey (1980)

Ironhorse was a Canadian rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia, formed by the former The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive member, Randy Bachman along with Tom Sparks (vocals, guitars), Chris Leighton (drums) and Ron Foos (bass).
They had a minor U.S. hit single in April 1979 with "Sweet Lui-Louise". Ironhorse released two albums on the Scotti Brothers label: 1979's Ironhorse and 1980's Everything is Grey. The second release had Frank Ludwig (ex-Trooper) replacing Sparks, and featured a minor Canadian hit single in "What's Your Hurry Darlin'". Pressure from the label to come up with a more main-stream album led to Sparks being replaced with vocalist Frank Ludwig. Released in the summer of 1980, “Everything is Grey” featured new bassist Ron Foos as well. The album is rock and roll for the easy listening set. Highlights include “Try A Little Harder”, “Only Way To Fly” and the title track which all held their own. The album was a fitting epitaphe for the band, with nothing seemingly going right. Problems with management and the label’s financial woes were affecting the band on the air and onstage, plus the changing musical landscape in general spelled the end of Ironhorse.

Track listing

01.  What's Your Hurry Darlin'  (Randy Bachman, Carl Wilson)  - 4:28
02.  Everything is Grey  (Randy Bachman)  - 4:09
03.  Symphony  (Randy Bachman, Tom Sparks)  - 3:24
04.  Only Way To Fly  (Frank Ludwig)  - 3:56
05.  Try A Little Harde r (Randy Bachman, Frank Ludwig)  - 3:30
06.  I'm Hurtin' Inside  (Randy Bachman)  - 3:59
07.  Playin' That Same Old Song  (Randy Bachman, Frank Ludwig)  - 3:50
08.  Railroad Love  (Randy Bachman)  - 3:40
09.  Somewhere, Sometime  (Randy Bachman, Frank Ludwig)  - 3:55
10.  Keep Your Motor Running  (Randy Bachman)  - 3:44

Release:  1980
Label:  Scotti Bros. Records
Genre:  Rock
Length:  38:51
Producer:  Scotti Brothers

Personnel
Frank Ludwig - lead vocals, keyboards
Randy Bachman - vocals, guitars
Ron Foos - bass
Chris Leighton - drums

Tenacious D - Tenacious D (2001)

"Tenacious D" is the first studio album by American comedy rock band Tenacious D, released on September 25, 2001 by Epic Records. The album's polished production was a departure from the band's acoustic origins, due in part to the production of the Dust Brothers.
As anyone who witnessed their legendary shorts on HBO will attest, Tenacious D is indeed the greatest band on earth. Bad D is still better than the Beatles and good D is transcendent. Even so, Tenacious D's debut album will likely kick fans on their asses because the D is no longer just about JB and KG. They're even ready to be more than a power trio -- they're ready to be backed by a full band, complete with Dave Grohl on drums and the Dust Brothers behind the boards. After years of hearing them as an acoustic heavy metal duo, that's a real shock, but they've also overhauled their repertoire, reworking and retitling several songs and leaving many tunes behind. Most regrettably, there is no "History of Tenacious D," even if it is quoted in the liner notes, but there's also no "Rocketsauce," no "Kyle Took a Bullet for Me," no "Sasquatch," no "Cosmic Shame," no "Special Things," and no "Jesus Ranch." "You Broke the Rules" becomes "Karate," "Song of Exultant Joy" is "Kyle Quit the Band," "Sex Supreme" becomes "Double Team," "The Best Song in the World" becomes "Tribute," lacking many of the "Stairway to Heaven" allusions in this version, and so on and so forth (elements of their opening theme are incorporated into "Kielbasa," thankfully). Furthermore, the dynamic has shifted drastically because the group no longer sounds like maniacal misfits who've conquered the worlds in their own minds playing to an audience who just hasn't caught up yet. Here, they sound like victors who've had their delusions of grandeur come real (which is true when you think about it -- those shorts might not have done much on HBO, but videotapes passed through a lot of hands on the underground video railroad). This is a bigger change than you might think, and while the acoustic D sounds better, weirder, and purer, this still is a hell of a record, particularly because it rocks so damn hard. The worst thing about it are the sketches, which may be funny, but not nearly as funny as the plots that tied the shows together (nothing as funny as asides from the show, like "circle church," either) or the live routines; they tend to distract from the music. And the music is indeed what matters, since no matter how silly and gleefully profane this can be, Tenacious D rules because the music is terrific. The tunes have hooks, Kage and Jables harmonize well, and the cheerfully demented worldview is intoxicating, since their self-belief and self-referential world is delightfully absurd and warm (think about it the sex songs may be vulgar and may be about their prowess, but their prowess is about making those backstage Betties feel good).

Track listing

01.  Kielbasa  - 3:02
02.  One Note Song (skit)  - 1:24
03.  Tribute  - 4:08
04.  Wonderboy  - 4:07
05.  Hard Fucking (skit)  - 0:36
06.  Fuck Her Gently  - 2:03
07.  Explosivo  - 1:56
08.  Dio  - 1:41
09.  Inward Singing (skit)  - 2:13
10.  Kyle Quit the Band  - 1:30
11.  The Road  - 2:20
12.  Cock Pushups (skit)  - 0:47
13.  Lee  - 1:02
14.  Friendship Test (skit)  - 1:31
15.  Friendship  - 2:00
16.  Karate Schnitzel (skit)  - 0:37
17.  Karate  - 1:05
18.  Rock Your Socks  - 3:33
19.  Drive-Thru (skit)  - 3:01
20.  Double Team  - 3:11
21.  City Hall  - 9:02

Released:  September 25, 2001
Recorded at:  The Boat, Silver Lake, Los Angeles, ArchAngel Recording Studio, Los Angeles
Genre:  Comedy Rock, Acoustic Rock
Length:  50:44
Label:  Epic
Producer:  The Dust Brothers (John King and Michael Simpson)
Mixed by:  Ken Andrews
Engineer for Dave Grohl Sessions:  Adam Kasper
Engineer at ArchAngel:  Bernie Becker
All songs written and composed by:  Tenacious D

Personnel
Jack Black - lead vocals, rhythm acoustic guitar
Kyle Gass - lead acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Dave Grohl - drums, guitar
Steve McDonald - bass guitar
Warren Fitzgerald - lead electric guitar
Page McConnell - keyboards
Alfredo Ortiz - percussion
Woody Jackson - sitar
Andrew Gross - strings
Ken Andrews - guitar
John King - echoplex

Steve Perry - For The Love Of Strange Medicine (1994)

"For The Love Of Strange Medicine" is the second solo album by Steve Perry, released in 1994. After a lengthy 8-year hiatus following the breakup of Journey, and a shelved 1988 solo effort later titled Against the Wall, Perry returned to the spotlight with this album.
For the Love of Strange Medicine's lack of success was solid proof that a new decade had no room for Steve Perry's saccharine-induced love songs or makeup and breakup-styled gushiness, even if it was sculpted to sound more mature. "You Better Wait" was the lead single that managed a number 29 spot, mainly because Perry's voice soared throughout its entirety, proving he could still utilize his greatest asset. The rest of the album tries to blend Perry's romantic formula with pumped-up keyboard playing and manufactured rhythms, worsening any sincerity that may or may not have been there in the first place. Tracks such as "Donna Please" and "Listen to Your Heart" try hard to rekindle Perry's Journey-esque magic, but it's nowhere to be found. Instead, his lyrics fall off into thin air without making any impact, along with commonplace radio harmonies that have long since lost their '80s luster. The end of the album has Perry sounding extra thin in songs like "Missing You" and "Somewhere There's Hope," ample evidence that, in Steve Perry's case, it takes more than just a superb voice to carry an album.


Track listing

01.  You Better Wait  (Perry, Lincoln Brewster, Paul Taylor, Moyes Lucas, John Pierce, George Hawkins)  - 4:51
02.  Young Hearts Forever  (Perry, Clif Magness)  - 4:43
03.  I Am  (Perry, Taylor, Brewster)  - 4:54
04.  Stand Up (Before It's Too Late)  (Perry, Brewster, Taylor, Lucas, Larry Kimpel)  - 4:49
05.  For the Love of Strange Medicine  (Perry, Taylor, Lucas, Brewster)  - 5:52
06.  Donna Please  (Perry, Taylor, Stephen Bishop)  - 4:02
07.  Listen to Your Heart  (Perry, Taylor, Brewster, Lucas)  - 3:31
08.  Tuesday Heartache  (Perry, Magness, Taylor, Brewster, Lucas)  - 6:00
09.  Missing You  (Perry, Tim Miner)  - 3:48
10.  Somewhere There's Hope  (Perry, Taylor, Brewster, Lucas)  - 6:05
11.  Anyway (Perry)  - 4:20
12.  If You Need Me, Call Me  (Steve Perry, Craig Krampf, Richard Michaels, Steve DeLacey) (bonus track)  - 5:50
13.  One More Time  (Perry, Brewster) (bonus track)  - 3:32
14.  Can't Stop  (Perry, Randy Goodrum, Michael Landau) (bonus track)  - 4:08
15.  Friends of Mine  (Perry, J. Leo, Goodrum, Krampf) (bonus track)  - 3:30
16.  Missing You (Live in San Francisco 12/9/94)  (Perry, Miner) (bonus track)  - 4:13

Released:  1994
Genre:  Rock
Label:  Columbia/Next Plateau Entertainment
Length:  1:14:08
Producer:  James Barton, Steve Perry, Tim Miner
Mastered By:  Bob Ludwig

Personnel
Steve Perry - vocals
Lincoln Brewster - guitars, background vocals
Paul Taylor- keyboards, background vocals
Moyes Lucas - drums, background vocals
Larry Kimpel - bass
Mike Porcaro - bass
Phil Brown - bass
Jeremy Lubbock, James Barton, Phil Brown - string arrangement
Tim Miner - bass, piano, keyboards & background vocals
Larry Dalton - string arrangement & conductor
Dallas Symphony Orchestra - strings
Michael Landau - guitars
Alexander Brown, Carmen Carter, Jean McClain - backing vocals

Grace Slick - Software (1984)

"Software" is Grace Slick's fourth album. This album was recorded after she had re-joined Jefferson Starship. After working on this album, Peter Wolf would go on to contribute to Jefferson Starship's 1984 album, "Nuclear Furniture.
Far removed from the Great Society demos on Sundazed and her Jefferson Airplane work, "Call It Right Call It Wrong" is Slick and her co-songwriter, '80s producer Peter, presenting very contemporary pop tunes that are enough to the left to keep this vision hip, but removed enough from Starship to be considered adventurous. The bottom line is that this is highly entertaining. "Me and Me" is Slick being schizophrenic, and asking her date to do the same unless she's splitting herself into quad. She has made a profession of introducing the concept of paradox to the mainstream. "All the Machines" is a wonderful techno mantra. It is amazing when one considers her star power at this point in time overshadowing all members of the Jefferson Starship from Paul Kantner to Mickey Thomas that a quirky song like "All The Machines" didn't become a novelty hit. Also noteworthy that college radio should have embraced this bold move but that dichotomy of a mainstream artist working with mainstream producers like Wolf and Ron Nevison doing truly alternative material, well, it may have been viewed as calculated. But it isn't as calculating as it is wonderfully arrogant. More palatable than Kantner's excesses, Slick's distinguished vocals add a depth to "Fox Face" that few could pull off, taking an overwordy composition with its dirge vibe and transforming it into some techno epic. Although Ron Nevison is a superstar producer with credentials all over the rock universe, he was not known for creating an identity as Jimmy Miller, David Foster, George Martin, and other legends did so well. This is one of the finest, if not the finest, recordings by Ron Nevison. Maybe it is the laid-back atmosphere allowing the cast and crew to take a song like Peter Beckett's "Through the Window," the only non-Slick/Wolf composition on this album, and hit a home run with it. This is real modern rock stuff, a glossier version of what Boston's November Group were doing, Slick's voice a not so delicate monotone. This is as much a Peter Wolf solo album with Slick doing vocals as it is another chapter in her illustrious career.  The back cover has her on a floppy disk being inserted into the wall. Very innovative for its time, "It Just Won't Stop" continuing the keyboard onslaught. Even Peter Maunu's guitar appears invisible, sounding like keyboards. The keyboard bass everywhere takes this so far away from the music we are used to hearing Slick sing to. The backing vocals by Paul Kantner, Mickey Thomas, wife of Peter Ina Wolf, and others all slip into the sheen of the music, five steps away from the Human League. Nevison gets a cleaner sound than Martin Rushent in this world; maybe it's a good break for him away from albums by Ozzie and Heart. "Habits" is a reading and emotive vocal wrapped into one, changing the mood before "Rearrange My Face," another schizo introspective number. A shrink could have a field day with the superstar on this album, wondering if the stream of consciousness lyrics might be revealing another side of Slick. "Whenever someone sees my face/they always have to call me Grace" bolstered by Peter Wolf's keyboard vibes and the Harry Belafonte style backing vocals. "Bikini Atoll" is a really lovely love song featuring Dale Strumpel's sound effects, very close to "Lather" by the Jefferson Airplane, maybe a subconscious sequel to her past life.

Track listing

1.  Call It Right Call It Wrong  - 3:47
2.  Me and Me  - 3:52
3.  All the Machines  - 4:47
4.  Fox Face  - 4:54
5.  Through the Window (Peter Beckett)  - 3:32
6.  It Just Won't Stop  - 4:05
7.  Habits  - 3:50
8.  Rearrange My Face  - 3:25
9.  Bikini Atoll (Grace Slick)  - 4:52

Released:  January 30, 1984
Recorded:  1983 at The Plant, Sausalito
Genre:  Rock
Length:  37:04
Label:  RCA
Producer:  Ron Nevison
Arrangements:  Peter Wolf

Personnel
Grace Slick – lead vocals, background vocals
Peter Wolf – keyboards, linn programming, synth bass
Peter Maunu – guitars
Brian MacLeod – simmons drums
Bret Bloomfield – fender bass
Michael Spiro – percussion on
Dale Strumpel – sound effects
Sean Hopper, Paul Kantner – background vocals
John Colla, Mickey Thomas – background vocals
Ron Nevison – background vocals
Ina Wolf – background vocals