The Intruders - Save The Children (1973)

A classic album from this incredible Philly soul group! No argument this is the best Intruders album. “Save the Children” is a socially significant floater where the guys’ voices ride the waves of MFSB’s fantastic sound
Little Sonny (Sam Brown) returns to join his buddies, Phil Terry, Eugene “Big Sonny” Daugherty, and Robert “Bird” Edwards, after an unexplained hiatus.
The Intruders were one of the first groups to work with the Gamble and Huff team and their sides for the team from the 60s have an amazingly professional approach to harmony soul, never afraid to hit a good hook or go for a strong image to sell a song, yet still quite raw and honest in the vocal department, where things really matter. This record is one of two late albums they recorded once Gamble & Huff had gotten a bit more fame and a lot more money and it’s an interesting transition to the slicker Philly International mode of the 70s.
The band make the transition wonderfully, though and even though they’re couched in tight MFSB orchestrations, the vocals shine through brilliantly, with a less-polished quality that’s a welcome change from some of the other Philly groups of the time.
Gamble and Huff spotlight the return of Little Sonny on “I Wanna Know Your Name“; the song employs a convincing rap by the singer. It also became a popular remake, as versions by the Force MD’s and Wallace & Scotty (of the Whispers) have since been waxed. “To Be Happy Is the Real Thing” and “Hang On In There” are two upbeat, positive-thinking songs that make you feel better about yourself. The Philadelphians reveal their doo wop roots by doing a credible rendition of Lee Andrews and the Hearts’ “Teardrops.” The cream is the spirited, tear-inducing “I Always Love My Mama,” the best mama song ever, which has some of the sweetest lyrics you’ll ever hear on a Philly soul album and which is served up here in the extended version that features some great talking near the end! But most of the rest of the cuts are fantastic, too like the group’s wonderful version of Gil Scott-Heron’s “Save the Children“. The Intruders rap about their teen years during the break before the song builds to a frantic end. A mellow rendition of Paul Simon’s “Mother and Child Reunion” shows the group’s versatility.


01. "Save The Children"  (Gil Scott-Heron)  - 6.58
02. "Mother And Child Reunion"  (Paul Simon)  - 4.04
03. "I Wanna Know Your Name"  (Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff)  - 5.49
04. "To Be Happy Is The Real Thing"  (Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff)  - 3.28
05. "I’ll Always Love My Mama"  (Victor Carstarphen, Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, John Whitehead)  - 6.36
06. "Memories Are Here To Stay"  (T. Conway, Theodore Life)  - 3.15
07. "Teardrops"  (Roy Calhoun, Edwin Charles, Helen Stanley)  - 5.07
08. "Hang On In There"  (Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff)  - 3.21

Credits

The Intruders
Little Sonny (Sam Brown)
Phil Terry
Eugene “Big Sonny” Daugherty
Robert “Bird” Edwards

Arranged By – Bobby Martin, Lenny Pakula, Norman Harris
Design – Ed Lee
Liner Notes – Kenny Gamble
Musician [Music By] – MFSB
Photography By [Back Cover] – Ed Lee
Photography By [Front Cover] – Don Hunstein
Producer – Gamble - Huff

Notes
Recorded at Sigma Sound Studios, Philadelphia, Pa.
Mastered at Frankford/Wayne Recording Labs, Philadelphia, Pa.
Genre: Philly Soul
Length: 38:18

© 1973 CBS Records

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium (2006)

"Stadium Arcadium" is the ninth studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. The album was released on May 9, 2006, on Warner Bros. Records. The album produced five singles: "Dani California", "Tell Me Baby", "Snow (Hey Oh)", "Desecration Smile", and "Hump de Bump" along with the first ever fan made music video for the song, "Charlie". In the U.S. According to the band's vocalist Anthony Kiedis, Stadium Arcadium was originally scheduled to be a trilogy of albums each released six months apart, but was eventually condensed into a double album. The album is also the group's last to feature guitarist John Frusciante, who confirmed his departure from the band in 2009.
"Stadium Arcadium" could be seen as the point when albums were seen as a collection of digital playlists. Yes, it's pressed up as a two-disc set including an extravagant but pointless special edition housed in a clunky box that includes a make-yer-own-spinning-top but this is an album that's designed for you to mix and match, create your own playlist, rip and burn on your own. It's designed for you to sequence its 28 songs in some kind of cohesive manner, since the band sure didn't take the time to do that here; it's the first major album by a major band that makes as much sense on random as it does in its proper sequencing. Well, that's not entirely true: the official 28-song album does begin with "Dani California," the clearest single here, the one thing that truly grabs attention upon first listen and worms its way into your subconscious, where it just won't let go, as so much of Anthony Kiedis' catchiest melodies do. After that, it's a long, winding path of alternately spacey and sunny pop, ballads, and the occasional funk workout that used to be the Chili Peppers' signature but now functions as a way to break up the monotony. And there needs to be something to break up the monotony, not because the music is bad but because it all exists at the same level and is given a flat, colorless production that has become the signature of Rick Rubin as of late.
Rubin may be able to create the right atmosphere for Flea and John Frusciante to run wild creatively an opportunity that they seize here, which is indeed a pleasure to hear but he does nothing to encourage them to brighten the finished recording up with some different textures, or even a greater variety of guitar tones. As such, the bare-bone production combined with the relentless march of songs gives Stadium Arcadium the undeniable feel of wading through the demos for a promising project instead of a sprawling statement of purpose; there's not enough purpose here for it to be a statement. That fault is down to the band not forming the raw material into something palatable for the listener, but there's also the problem that as a lyricist Anthony Kiedis just isn't that deep or clever enough to provide cohesive themes for an album of this length; he tackles no new themes here, nor does he provide new insight to familiar topics. To his credit, he does display a greater versatility as a vocalist, cutting back on the hambone rapping that used to be his signature and crooning throughout the bulk of this album, usually on key. That said, he still has enough goofy tics to undercut his attempts at sincerity, and he tends to be a bit of a liability to the band as a whole; with a different singer, who could help shape and deliver these songs, this album might not seem as formless and gormless. But there is a fair amount of pleasures here, all down to the interplay between Flea and Frusciante. While drummer Chad Smith does prove himself quite versatile here, gracefully following the eccentric turns and meanderings of the bassist and guitarist, the string instruments are the reason to listen to Stadium Arcadium. That's always been the case to a certain extent with the Chili Peppers, but here it's especially true, as they push and pull, rave and rumble, lie back and rock out pretty much spit out anything they can do on their instruments over the course of 28 songs. As good as much of this is, there is a little bit of monotony here, since they're working variations on their signature themes, and they haven't found a way to make these variations either transcendent or new; they're just very good renditions on familiar themes. These tracks rarely betray their origins as studio jams more than ever, it's possible to hear that the track came first, then the song and while that can result in some good listening, it all does kind of drift together. That said, there are no bad tracks here  it's all of a relatively high quality but there are no standouts either, so it takes a very dedicated fan to start sorting out the subtleties between the tracks (not the wheat from the chaff, since it's all wheat). And while those hardcore fans may certainly enjoy the make-your-own-adventure spirit of Stadium Arcadium, it's hard not to feel that it's the band's responsibility to take this very good repetitive album and mold it into something sharper and more effective. So call it the rock version of Peter Jackson's King Kong: there's something pretty great and lean buried beneath the excess, but it's so indulgent, it's a work that only a fanboy could truly love.
The album was critically praised for integrating musical styles from several aspects of the band's career. The album gained the band seven Grammy Award nominations in 2007 including an award for Best Rock Album and one for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package.


Jupiter
01. "Dani California"   - 4:42
02. "Snow (Hey Oh)"   - 5:37
03. "Charlie"   - 4:37
04. "Stadium Arcadium"  - 5:15
05. "Hump de Bump"   - 3:33
06. "She's Only 18"  - 3:25
07. "Slow Cheetah"  - 5:19
08. "Torture Me"  - 3:44
09. "Strip My Mind"  - 4:19
10. "Especially in Michigan"  - 4:00
11. "Warlocks"  - 3:25
12. "C'mon Girl"  - 3:48
13. "Wet Sand"  - 5:09
14. "Hey"  - 5:39

Mars
01. "Desecration Smile"  - 5:02
02. "Tell Me Baby"  - 4:07
03. "Hard to Concentrate"  - 4:02
04. "21st Century"  - 4:22
05. "She Looks to Me"  - 4:06
06. "Readymade"  - 4:30
07. "If" - 2:53
08. "Make You Feel Better"  - 3:52
09. "Animal Bar"  - 5:26
10. "So Much I"  - 3:44
11. "Storm in a Teacup"  - 3:45
12. "We Believe"  - 3:36
13. "Turn It Again"  - 6:06
14. "Death of a Martian"  - 4:24
All songs written by Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Credits

Red Hot Chili Peppers
Flea – bass, backing vocals, trumpet
John Frusciante – guitars, backing vocals, keyboards
Anthony Kiedis – lead vocals
Chad Smith – drums, percussion

Additional musicians
Natalie Baber, Mylissa Hoffman, Alexis Izenstark, Spencer Izenstark, Dylan Lerner, Kyle Lerner, Gabrielle Mosbe, Monique Mosbe, Sophia Mosbe, Isabella Shmelev, Landen Starman, Wyatt Starkman – background vocals on "We Believe"
Michael Bulger – trombone on "Turn It Again"
Lenny Castro – percussion
Paulinho da Costa – percussion
Richard Dodd – cello on "She Looks to Me"
Emily Kokal – chorus vocals on "Desecration Smile"
Billy Preston – clavinet on "Warlocks"
Omar Rodríguez-López – guitar solo on "Especially in Michigan"
Brad Warnaar – French horn on "Stadium Arcadium"

Rick Rubin – producer
Andrew Scheps – mixing and engineering
Ryan Hewitt – mixing and engineering
Dana Nielsen - engineering
Kevin Gray – mastering (vinyl)
Vlado Meller – mastering (CD)
Shane Jackson – assistant photography
Gus Van Sant – art direction

Notes
Recorded: September 2004–December 2005, at The Mansion, Los Angeles, California, United States
Genre:  Funk Rock, Live
Length: 122:27

© 2006 Warner Bros. Records

Rob Thomas - Something To Be (2005)

"Something To Be” is the debut solo album from the Matchbox Twenty lead singer Rob Thomas. The album consists of several types of sounds, including dance, pop, Latin, rock, and country, although it can be generally classified as closer to pop than to the rock music of Matchbox Twenty's third studio album, “More Than You Think You Are”. The album was supported by his 2005–2006, Something to Be Tour.
With its anthemic choruses and achingly sincere sentiments, “Something To Be” is clearly the work of the lead singer/songwriter of Matchbox Twenty, yet it lacks the lean rock-oriented sound of the group's albums, even if it is helmed by Matt Serletic, who has produced all three of the band's records. Serletic and Thomas have made a conscious attempt to have this solo album feel lighter, brighter, and a little hipper than Matchbox Twenty's music, adding slight drum loops and electronic elements to the rhythms while taking Thomas away from strictly guitar-based arrangements. Heavy on keyboards, elastic guitars, horns, insistent rhythms, and even the occasional gospel-inspired backing chorus or worldbeat inflection, this is a far splashier affair than the average Matchbox Twenty album, and that alone would make “Something To Be” a noteworthy solo record, since it is indeed a different beast than Thomas' regular gig, but the fresher sound is married to a strong set of songs that play to his strengths as a craftsman of big, anthemic post-alternative mainstream rock. This isn't edgy work by any means and for as hooky and chorus-driven as it is, it's music that becomes memorable through repeated plays, never quite catching hold upon the first listen but it's more colorful and well-constructed than a lot of contemporary mainstream rock in the mid-2000s, and it's arguably more appealing than Matchbox Twenty's earnest guitar rock, which can occasionally seem rather drab. With “Something To Be”, Thomas delivers an album that is at once familiar and fresh. It may not be something to win over the doubters, but it's enough to give him a promising new beginning to the second decade of his recording career, not unlike how "Smooth" helped propel him through the post-grunge fallout of the new millennium.
The album spawned the U.S. top ten hit "Lonely No More". It also features John Mayer's guitar on the single "Streetcorner Symphony".
The album cover, as well as the title, bears some resemblance to ...But Seriously, a 1989 album released by Phil Collins.


01. "This Is How a Heart Breaks"  (Henrik Jonback, Rob Thomas, Pontus Winnberg)  - 3:50
02. "Lonely No More"  (Rob Thomas)  - 3:47
03. "Ever the Same"  (Rob Thomas)  - 4:16
04. "I Am an Illusion"  (Rob Thomas)  - 4:53
05. "When the Heartache Ends" (Rob Thomas)  - 2:51
06. "...Something to Be"  (Rob Thomas)  - 4:31
07. "All That I Am"  (Rob Thomas)  - 4:28
08. "Problem Girl"  (Rob Thomas)  - 3:55
09. "Fallin' to Pieces"  (Rob Thomas)  - 4:11
10. "My, My, My"  (Rob Thomas)  - 4:18
11. "Streetcorner Symphony"  (Matt Serletic, Rob Thomas)  - 4:09
12. "Now Comes the Night"  (Matt Serletic, Rob Thomas)  - 4:55

Credits
Vocals, Piano – Rob Thomas
Guitar – Kevin Kadish, Kyle Cook, Heitor Pereira
Saxophone – Brandon Fields
Steel Guitar [Lap] – Robert Randolph
Trumpet – Gary Grant
Guitar – John Mayer
Trombone – Reginald Young
Trumpet – Gary Grant
Trumpet, Arranged By [Horn Arrangements] – Jerry Hey
Percussion [Marimba, Bells And Orchestral Drum Ensemble] – Ben Herman, Eric Poland, Gordon Gottlieb, Joe Passaro, John Haas
Duduk – Dan Willis
Horn [Shofar] – Frank London
Zither [Kanun] – Hasan Isakkut
Guitar, Soloist – Mike Campbell
Backing Vocals – Cassidy, Matt Serletic Guitar – Heitor Pereira, Matt Beck, Dan Timinski, Harley Allen, Pat Enright
Producer – Matt Serletic

Notes
Recorded at Hit Factory, NYC, Conway Studios, Los Angeles, BiCoastal Music, Ossining, NY, and Henson Studios, Los Angeles
Mixed at Hit Factory, NYC
Mastered at Gateway Mastering, Portland, ME
Surround Mixes at 5.1 Studios, Los Angeles
Genre: Pop, Rock
Length: 50:05
 
© 2005 Atlantic Records

Supertramp - It Was the Best of Times (1999)

“It Was The Best Of Times” celebrates the band's heralded 1997 return to the concert stage. The live collection was recorded in September 1997 at London's Royal Albert Hall and captures excitement and tightness of the band.
This album also features the song "Don't You Lie To Me" a blues song that the band had performed on their 1988 tour and the only song not written by a current or former band member. The band is augmented by additional players added for this album and tour as well as “Slow Motion”, the follow-up studio album recorded and released in 2002.
"It Was The Best Of Times," is a fantastic live set, with Rick Davies & the boys recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall in September of '97. The double CD contains the complete 21-song concert in it's entirety, as well as the occasional song introduction from saxophonist John Helliwell, so the album really does give you a marvelous "you are there" feel. Rick Davies & company are simply sensational, delivering smoking-hot live renditions of 'Tramp classics such as "Ain't Nobody But Me," "Cannonball," "Breakfast In America," "Rudy," "Downstream," "Take The Long Way Home," "The Logical Song," "School," and "Crime Of The Century." The material performed from the "Some Things Never Change" album, including "It's A Hard World," "You Win, I Lose," "Sooner Or Later," and "Listen To Me Please" are also wonderfully done. And although former co-leader Roger Hodgson is no longer with the group, his place is taken just fine by Mark Hart, whose voice sounds close enough to Hodgson's, and who sings the Hodgson material perfectly. And, of course, Davies' voice is still as rich-sounding as ever, and his effortless piano-playing outstanding, as is the band's amazing live chemistry. "It Was The Best Of Times" is a truly mind-blowing live set from Supertramp that easily rivals their classic "Paris" concert album.


Disc 1
01. "It's a Hard World" (Davies)  - 9:17
02. "You Win, I Lose" (Davies)  - 4:36
03. "Listen to Me Please" (Davies)  - 5:03
04. "Ain't Nobody But Me"  - 6:14
05. "Sooner or Later" (Davies, Mark Hart)  - 7:35
06. "Free as a Bird" (Davies)  - 4:49
07. "Cannonball" (Davies)  - 7:52
08. "From Now On"  - 8:05
09. "Breakfast in America"  - 2:47
10. "Give Me a Chance" (Davies, Hart)  - 4:39
11. "Rudy"  - 8:05

Disc 2
01. "Downstream"  - 3:53
02. "Another Man's Woman"  - 11:21
03. "Take the Long Way Home"  - 5:10
04. "Bloody Well Right"  - 6:58
05. "The Logical Song"  - 4:04
06. "Goodbye Stranger"  - 6:52
07. "School"  6:27
08. "And the Light" (Davies)  - 5:03
09. "Don't You Lie to Me (I Get Evil)" (Hudson Whittaker)  - 3:31
10. "Crime of the Century"  - 7:46

All songs written by Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson, except where noted.

Credits
Rick Davies - Vocals, Keyboards, Harmonica
Bob Siebenberg - Drums, Percussion
John Helliwell - Saxophone
Mark Hart - Vocals, Keyboards, Guitars
Cliff Hugo - Bass Guitar
Lee Thornburg - Trumpet, Trombone
Carl Verheyen - Guitars
Jesse Siebenberg - Percussion
Edited By [Digital Editing By] - Jennifer Munson
Engineer [Assistant Engineer] - Andy Butlin
Engineer [Live Recording Engineered By] - Ken Allardyce
Management - Richard Frankel, Sue Davies
Mastered By - Bob Ludwig
Mixed By [Assistant Engineer] - Lawrence Manchester
Mixed By [Mix Engineered By] - Jay Messina
Photography By [Live Photos] - Andrew Catlin, Dimo Safari
Typography [Supertramp Logotype] - Laura Ljungkvist
Art Direction, Design - Ph.D
Cover - Craig Frazier
Producer - Rick Davies

Notes
Recorded at The Royal Albert Hall, London, England, September 19 and 20, 1997
Mixed at Manhattan Center Studios, New York
Mastered at Gateway Studios, Portland, Maine
Genre: Progressive Rock
Length: 130:08

1999 EMI Records

Isaac Hayes - Live At The Sahara Tahoe (1973)

Isaac Hayes took his act to the Sahara club at the Lake Tahoe area resort to record this live double album. Like his other LPs of the time, the show is a mix of originals and covers. Usually the songs are one continuous jam, one flowing into another. First up is Shaft that goes into The Come On, a long instrumental featuring Hayes on the keys, and then the covers Light My Fire, Never Can Say Goodbye, and The Look Of Love. Then there’s the slow and moody Ellie’s Love Theme. He then used his rearranging abilities to create a new rendition of Bill Withers’ Use Me. Next is the funky Soul of Do Your Thing and Theme From The Men. By the third side however, Hayes begins falling off a little. He starts off fine with a re-arranged It’s Too Late, but then tries to get into the Blues with Rock Me Baby and Stormy Monday Blues, then a dance track Type Thang, and finally a slow rendition of The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face, none of which really connect. Ike is able to finish strong however with the fourth and final side with the slow build up of Ike’s Rap VI, a cover of Ain’t No Sunshine from Bill Withers, he tests the limits, stretching the tune just past the ten-minute mark and finally Feelin Alright.
The set has a funky lounge lizard charm, but it's too much to bear at once, except for the most devoted of fans.


Side A
A1.  "Theme From Shaft"  (Isaac Hayes)  - 4:43 
A2.  "The Come On"   (Isaac Hayes)  - 4:40 
A3.  "Light My Fire"   (J. Morrison, J. Densmore, R. Manzarek, R. Krieger)  - 3:10 
A4.  "Ike's Rap V"   (Isaac Hayes)  - 4:04 
A5.  "Never Can Say Goodbye"   (Clifton Davis)  - 3:56 
A6.  "Windows Of The World"   (B. Bacharach, H. David)  - 7:44 

Side B
B1.  "The Look Of Love"   (B. Bacharach, H. David)  - 4:14 
B2.  "Ellie's Love Theme"   (Isaac Hayes)  - 3:18 
B3.  "Use Me"   (Bill Withers)  - 5:10 
B4.  "Do Your Thing"   (Isaac Hayes)  - 7:21 
B5.  "Theme From The Men"   (Isaac Hayes)  - 3:27 

Side C
C1.  "It's Too Late"   (Carole King, Toni Stern)  - 5:39 
C2.  "Rock Me Baby"   (B.B. King, Joe Josea)  - 5:30 
C3.  "Stormy Monday Blues"   (Aaron Walker)  - 3:05 
C4.  "Type Thang"   (Isaac Hayes)  - 3:29 
C5.  "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"  (Ewan MacColl)  - 4:52 

Side D
D1.  "Ike's Rap VI"   (Isaac Hayes)  - 6:29 
D2.  "Ain't No Sunshine"   (Bill Withers)  - 10:36 
D3.  "Feelin' Alright"   (Dave Mason)  - 5:32 

Credits
Vocals [Uncredited], Piano, Organ, Tambourine, Producer, Arranged By – Isaac Hayes
Percussion, Congas – Gary Jones
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – William Easley, Calvin Bennett, Tommy Williams
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Ben Cauley, Mickey Gregory, William Taylor
Rhythm Guitar, Lead Guitar [Alternate] – Anthony Shinault
Keyboards – Lester Snell, Sidney Kirk
Lead Guitar – Charles "Skip" Pitts
Drums – Willie Hall
Backing Vocals [Background Voices By] – Hot Buttered Soul, Ltd.
Baritone Saxophone, Flute – Floyd Newman
Bass – William Murphy
Acoustic Guitar, Rhythm Guitar – Sammy Watts
Alto Saxophone, Flute – Emerson Able
MC [Emcee] – Randy Stewart
Orchestrated By, Conductor [Conducted By] – Onzie Horne
Accompanied By – Al Trouti Orchestra, The Memphis Symphony Orchestra
Accompanied By [Rhythm, Woodwinds, Brass] – The Movement
Arranged By [Background Vocals] – Pat Lewis
Art Direction [Graphic Direction], Design – David Hogan, Ron Gorden
Creative Director [Creative Direction] – Larry Shaw, Ron Gorden
Engineer – Dave Purple, Henry Bush, Pete Bishop, William Brown
Engineer [Re-Mix] – D. Purple, H. Bush, I. Hayes, P. Bishop, W. Brown
Engineer [The Isaac Hayes Movement Sound Engineers] – Oscar (Sonny) Smith, Roosevelt (Head) Green
Mastered By – L. Nix, P. Bishop
Photography By – David Rose, Fred Toma, Howard L. Bingham
Supervised By [Creative Supervision] – Isaac Hayes

Notes
Liner Notes – Leonard Feather
Genre: Funk, Rhythm & Blues, Soul
Length: 1:43:10

© 1973 Enterprise Records / Stax Records, Inc.

Jane Olivor - In Concert (1982)

Jane Olivor (born May 18, 1947) is an American cabaret singer. She was initially compared, often favorably, to Barbra Streisand and Edith Piaf. After releasing five albums from the late 1970s through the early 1980s, her stage fright, anxieties over her rapid success.
Jane Olivor “In Concert”, her first live album, was recorded in December 1981 at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and released in 1982.
Although it was a live album, Jane Olivor's fifth LP release, “In Concert”, could be considered her next regular recording rather than the usual profit-taking remake of past hits. At least two-thirds of it could, since eight of the 12 tracks were songs she had not recorded previously. Her back catalog was accounted for by "Better Days (Looks as Though We're Doing Somethin' Right)" and "Carousel of Love" from First Night, the title song from Stay the Night, and "Weeping Willows, Cattails" from The Best Side of Goodbye. Her other choices were typically opposite and typically surprising. She reclaimed John Denver's 1974 hit "Annie's Song" from a female perspective, rediscovered a worthy but underrated 1980 singles chart entry from Grace Slick with "Seasons," anticipated the success of Dan Fogelberg's "Run for the Roses," and provided a vocal version of Vangelis' hit theme from the hit film Chariots of Fire with "Race to the End." These tracks continued her mission of making art songs out of thoughtful pop, but her fans had to be most excited by the inclusion of three songs co-written by the singer: "Pretty Girl," "Where There Is Love," and "Marigold Wings (Earthbound)." Here, she indulged her taste for torch singing to the fullest and suggested that she might be able to make the transition to being a singer/songwriter. Alas, In Concert proved to be a swan song, at least to the initial phase of Olivor's career. Music business pressures and personal tragedy combined to take her away from performing for more than a decade and away from the record bins for more than 18 years, which made her final Columbia album a precious document instead of the relatively minor addition to her catalog it had seemed at the time of its release.


01.  "Stay The Night"  (M. Green, N. Dolph)  - 3:25 
02.  "Run For The Roses"  (Dan Fogelberg)  - 3:27 
03.  "Pretty Girl"  (Jane Olivor, Kathy Wakefield)  - 2:50 
04.  "Where There Is Love"  (Jane Olivor, M.Leikin)  - 2:45 
05.  "Better Days (Looks As Though We're Doing Somethin' Right)"  (C.Sager, M.Manchester)  - 2:04 
06.  "Carousel Of Love"  (J. Darrow, J. Stone)  - 2:11 
07.  "Marigold Wings (Earthbound)"  (Jane Olivor, Kathy Wakefield)  - 2:25 
08.  "Annie's Song"  (John Denver)  - 2:42 
09.  "Seasons"  (Grace Slick)  - 2:40 
10.  "Weeping Willows, Cattails"  (Gordon Lightfoot)  - 2:30 
11.  "Daydreams"  (G. Delerue, Jason Darrow)  - 3:31 
12.  "Race To The End (From The Hit Movie "Chariots Of Fire")"  (Vangelis, J. Anderson)  - 2:30 

Credits
Brian Koonin - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, synthesizer
Jack Bashkow - ocarina, reeds, saxophone
David Frank - piano
Joel Diamond , Bob Stecko - keyboards
John Caruso - synthesizer
Ron Tierno - drums, percussion
Don Yowell, Thomas Young - background vocals
Director - David Frank
Photographers - Don Hunstein; David Gahr
Arrangers - J. Stone; David Frank; Joel Diamond ; Richie Rome; Bob Stecko; Bernard Grobman; Jane Olivor; Lee Holdridge ; Michael Delugg; Brian Koonin.

Notes
Recorded at Berkley School of Music, Boston
Genre: Pop
Lenght: 35:28

© 1982 Columbia Records

Havana 3 A.M. - Havana 3 A.M. (1991)

Havana 3 A.M. is the brainchild of Paul Simonon, legendary Clash bassist. This self-titled album mashes together Latin roots and ducktailed attitude in invigoratingly retro fashion. Released in 1991, HAVANA 3.A.M. was the debut album from the band of the same name that consisted of ex-Clash bassist Paul Simonon, guitarist Gary Myrick (of the Figures), and vocalist Nigel Dixon (of Whirlwind).
The self-titled effort by Paul Simonon's band is not much like the Clash, and also not nearly as memorable as the Clash. Actually, Simonon is just one of the team, the material written in collaboration with Gary Myrick and Nigel Dixon, with the lead vocals taken by Dixon. As the title might lead you to believe, they do integrate a good amount of Latin influences, though it's not dominant. The guitars often have a rockabilly twang, and the vocals have a muted sense of anthemic urgency. the Clash influence does become obvious when they get into their occasional, slightly reggae-ish beats.
Havana 3 A.M. play a rootsy brand of rock that draws on punk, rockabilly, Latin forms, reggae, and select New Wave elements. There's a tense, pumping energy through most of the disc, staring with the opener, "Joyride," and while the disc isn't essential, it's a fun listen and should be of interest to fans of the band members' previous projects. Digitally remastered edition of Havana 3A.M.'s self titled 1991 album. Paul Simonon, described as "the coolest man ever to strap on a bass guitar". The album conjures up a blend of Latino flavors built on the solid base of Rockabilly. Their sound evokes images of Spaghetti Westerns, 1950's America and the heyday of Cuba's capital Havana...all with a contemporary twist. Features 12 tracks including the single "Reach The Rock" and other favorites "Joyride", "Hey Amigo", "The Hardest Game" and "Blue Gene Vincent".
The woman shown on the cover was bassist Paul Simonon's girlfriend at the time.


01.  "Joyride"  - 2:58
02.  "Blue Motorcycle Eyes"  - 3:55
03.  "Reach the Rock"  - 4:16
04.  "Death in the Afternoon"  - 4:21
05.  "Hole in the Sky"  - 2:49
06.  "What About Your Future"  - 4:44
07.  "The Hardest Game"  - 3:51
08.  "Hey Amigo"  - 4:28
09.  "Life on the Line"  - 4:06
10.  "Surf in the City"  - 2:40
11.  "Blue Gene Vincent"  - 3:30
12.  "Living in This Town"  - 4:18

Credits
Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar - Nigel Dixon
Bass, Harmonica, Vocals - Paul Simonon
Drums, Percussion - Travis Williams
Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals - Gary Myrick
Harpsichord - Derek Holt
Horns [Mexican] - Gus Andrews
Engineer - Masahiko Yamazaki
Engineer [Mixer] - Geoff Perrin
Photography By [Additional Live Photography] - Kenji Kubo
Photography By [Cover] - Mike Laye
Sleeve - Jules
Written-By - Myrick, Dixon, Simonon
Mixed By - Havana 3 A.M.
Producer - Havana 3 A.M.

Notes
All tracks composed by Nigel Dixon, Gary Myrick and Paul Simonon
Genre: Rock
Length: 45:20

© 1991 Capitol/I.R.S. Records

House Of Freaks - Tantilla (1989)

“Tantilla” is the second album by the rock band House Of Freaks.
Folk and pop melodies drive this magnificent album from start to finish. The chorus to "Sun Gone Down" holds up against any great hook, from Nick Lowe to Tommy James. “Tantilla” is pure Southern Gothic, as subjects from religion to the Civil War are addressed and set to a roots music beat that is handy, tight pop/rock at the core. After so many years, this record has worn quite well.
House of Freaks manage to be great in spite of a terrible band name. Bryan Harvey, guitars and vocals, and Johnny Hott, drums, sparingly clothe Tantilla without it ever feeling bare. Often slotted in the paisley underground, House of Freaks have never fit with The Three O'Clocks and Dream Syndicates of the world. Sure, Tantilla brims with jangle but it doesn’t echo the sunnyness of 60s pop or the noodling of psych rock. Sonically asunder from the paisley underground, they are topically otherworldly.
House of Freaks stamp a special kind of melody off-kilter, yes, but undeniably catchy. A little pop, a little rock, a little folk, a little blues, House of Freaks doesn’t sit neatly it doesn’t sit at all. It sways, it bounces, it wanes and it waxes. Harvey’s atypical guitar playing and Hott’s stellar drumming more than make up for the lack of a bass.
Thematically, “Tantilla” is rooted in the past. Despite the historical bent of Tantilla, it’s a very personal album, value-laden and introspective. Harvey reveals a debt to Flannery O’Connor that would become more explicit on later albums. In his almost bellicose manner, Harvey dredges the lowest of the low, the stuff no one else says and, based on fanfare, no one seems to want to hear either.
Harvey confronts himself and his heritage, addressing racism (“White Folk’s Blood”) and religion (“I Want Answers”). He denounces both. But he seems to realize that the stain of both remains, no matter how vigorously or extensively he washes his hands. “The roots that support us have built a forest,” sings Harvey on “Family Tree”. Autobiographical or not, “King of Kings” betrays the mark of the divine in some form. The South is Harvey’s to inherit, for better and worse.


01.  "When the Hammer Came Down"  - 3:29
02.  "Righteous Will Fall"  - 3:09
03.  "White Folk's Blood"  - 4:41
04.  "Birds of Prey"  - 3:06
05.  "King of Kings"  - 3:23
06.  "Family Tree"  - 3:38
07.  "Sun Gone Down"  - 3:07
08.  "Kill the Mockingbird"  - 3:28
09.  "Broken Bones"  - 3:11
10.  "I Want Answers"  - 3:02
11.  "Big Houses"  - 3:16
12.  "World of Tomorrow"  - 4:51

Credits
Drums - Johnny Hott
Guitar, Vocals - Bryan Harvey
Organ [Hammond B3, Pump], Piano - Marty McCavitt
Mixed By - John Leckie
Producer - John Leckie

Notes
all song written by Bryan Harvey and Johnny Hott
Length: 41:52
Genre: Rock, Jangle Pop

©1989 Rhino Records

Daryl Hall & John Oates - Livetime (1978)

“Livetime” is a live album from Daryl Hall & John Oates released in 1978.
The concert was recorded in Hershey, Pennsylvania in late 1977 not far from Pottstown, Pennsylvania where Hall lived during his teenage years. Former Elton John Band members Caleb Quaye, Kenny Passarelli and Roger Pope were band musicians on this tour.
Daryl Hall is infamous for being heard asking the crowd at the end of the song "Sara Smile," "How come you didn't like me as a teenager?"
This record was made following the trend of "Peter Frampton comes alive" around 1977, this effort has some gems, like "Abandoned Luncheonette", "Rich Girl" and "I'm just a kid" (Don't make me feel like a man)" you get an idea of them live but is incomplete and a little short.
Daryl and John hated this album, RCA forced them to release in the wake of poor sales of 1977's “Beauty on a Back Street”. But for Hall & Oate's '70s live sound, it can't be beaten. The opener, ´Rich Girl´, is pretty standard, but John Oates' delivers a great vocal on 'The Emptyness'. The reflective 'Be What You Want' from 1976's 'Bigger than Both of Us' LP sees Daryl's vocal soaring. 'I'm Just a Kid', another underplayed John Oates track from “Abandoned Luncheonette” accurately reflects the original recording's Arif Mardin-produced R&B flavour. Side 2 (on the vinyl version!) opens with 'Sara Smile' the track that started it all for them in 1975. This is a superlative 8-minute rendition with Hall's ad libs giving the song a power far in excess of the original cut. “Abandoned Luncheonette” is the album's best track; Charlie de Chant's seductive saxophone towers over the backing sound. The album finishes with the rocky 'Room to Breathe' which has all the excitement of their more recent live encore track, 'You Make My Dreams'.
Recorded in the mid-'70s, Livetime features live-in-concert versions of Hall & Oates' songs, with the group trying to replicate its polished studio sound, a sound that is a big part of the duo's success.


01. "Rich Girl"   (Hall)  - 3:36
02. "The Emptyness"   (Oates)  - 3:47
03. "Do What You Want, Be What You Are"   (Hall, Oates)  - 6:56
04. "I'm Just a Kid (Don't Make Me Feel Like a Man)"   (Oates)  - 5:29
05. "Sara Smile"   (Hall, Oates)  - 8:01
06. "Abandoned Luncheonette"   (Hall)  - 6:08
07. "Room to Breathe"   (Sara Allen, Hall)  - 4:47

Credits
Vocals, Keyboards - Daryl Hall
Vocals, Guitar - John Oates
Lead Guitar - Caleb Quaye
Bass - Kenny Passarelli
Drums - Roger Pope
Saxophone, Keyboards, Percussion, Background vocals - Charles DeChant
Electric keyboards, Background vocals - David Kent
Mixed By – Ed Spring*, Glenn Orsher
Producer Mark Pines and Bernard Yervanian

Notes
Genre:  Soft Rock, Blue-Eyed Soul
Length:  38:50

© 1978 RCA Records

Jeff Buckley - Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk (1998)

“Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk” is a collection of polished studio tracks and four-track demos recorded by Jeff Buckley. Buckley was dissatisfied with material recorded in the summer of 1996 and early in 1997 and continued working on demo recordings to refine his sound. The album's original sessions were produced by Television frontman Tom Verlaine.
My Sweetheart The Drunk was the working title that Buckley used while writing and recording the album. The title was intended by his mother and sole heir of his estate, Mary Guibert, to be rendered with parentheses, as Sketches (For My Sweetheart the Drunk). This was because Jeff's work was not finished, and therefore was just an outline, or "sketch", of what would have been released.
Jeff Buckley was a mess of contradictions: a perfectionist who believed in spontaneity, a man who was at once humble and vain, a musician who shunned his father's tumultuous legacy while creating one of his own. These are some of the reasons why he took his time writing and recording the material for his second album, laboring over many songs for months at a time. Given such painstaking methods, it shouldn't have been a surprise that recording was an equally fastidious process. Buckley recorded enough material for an album with producer Tom Verlaine, but deciding that the results weren't quite right, he scrapped them and moved to Memphis to record the album again. He reworked a few songs as home demos as he prepared to cut the album, but it was never made Buckley died in a tragic drowning accident before entering the studio. As a way to enlarge his legacy, his mother and record label rounded up the majority of the existing unreleased recordings, releasing them as the double-disc set “Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk”. Excepting a few awkward moments and middle-eights, it's hard to see why Buckley rejected the Verlaine productions that make up disc one. The material isn't necessarily a progression from Grace; it's more like a stripped-down, edgier take on the sweeping, jazz-tinged goth folk-rock that made the first album so distinctive. Neither the nearly finished first disc nor the homemade demos and re-recordings on the second disc offer any revelations, but that's not necessarily a disappointment. Sketches adds several wonderful songs to his catalog, offering further proof of his immense talent. And that, of course, is what makes the album as sad as it is exciting.
The album was to be titled My Sweetheart, the Drunk, but was never finished, as the rest of the band were traveling to meet Buckley at the time of his death. The album was released posthumously on May 26, 1998. Despite its unfinished state, the album garnered many positive reviews.


Disc One
01.  "The Sky Is a Landfill"   (Jeff Buckley, Michael Tighe)  - 5:09
02.  "Everybody Here Wants You"  (Jeff Buckley)  - 4:46
03.  "Opened Once"  (Jeff Buckley)  - 3:29
04.  "Nightmares by the Sea"   (Jeff Buckley)  - 3:53
05.  "Yard of Blonde Girls"   (Audrey Clark, Lori Kramer, Inger Lorre)  - 4:07
06.  "Witches' Rave"  (Jeff Buckley)  - 4:40
07.  "New Year's Prayer"  (Jeff Buckley)  - 4:40
08.  "Morning Theft"  (Jeff Buckley)  - 3:39
09.  "Vancouver"  (Jeff Buckley, Mick Grondahl, Michael Tighe)  - 3:12
10.  "You & I"  (Jeff Buckley)  - 5:39

Disc Two
01.  "Nightmares by the Sea" [Original Mix]  (Jeff Buckley)  - 3:49
02.  "New Year's Prayer" [Original Mix]  (Jeff Buckley)  - 4:10
03.  "Haven't You Heard"  (Jeff Buckley)  - 4:07
04.  "I Know We Could Be So Happy Baby (If We Wanted to Be)"  (Jeff Buckley)  - 4:27
05.  "Murder Suicide Meteor Slave"  (Jeff Buckley)  - 5:55
06.  "Back in N.Y.C."  (Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford)  -
          7:37
07.  "Demon John"  (Jeff Buckley, Michael Tighe)  - 5:13
08.  "Your Flesh Is So Nice"  (Jeff Buckley)  - 3:37
09.  "Jewel Box"  (Jeff Buckley)  - 3:37
10.  "Satisfied Mind"  (Red Hayes, Jack Rhodes) (recorded 1992.10.11 WFMU)  - 6:00

Credits
Jeff Buckley - guitar, vocals
Michael Tighe - guitar
Mick Grøndahl - bass
Eric Eidel - drums
Parker Kindred - drums

Other [Columbia A&r, Original Recordings] – Steve Berkowitz
Other [Il Dottore Di Musica] – Chris Cornell
Other [La Mano D'aiuto] – Don DeVito
Engineers: Jeff Buckley, Michael J. Clouse, Ray Martin, Irene Trudel
Assistant engineers: Jim Caruana, Joe Lizzi, David Seitz
Mixing: Tom Cadley, Michael J. Clouse, Mary Guibert, Tom Verlaine, Andy Wallace
Mixing assistant: Steve Sisco
Art direction: Nicky Lindeman, Gail Marowitz
Design: Nicky Lindeman, Gail Marowitz
Photography: Merri Cyr
Liner notes: Bill Flanagan, Mary Guibert
Producers: Nicholas Hill, Tom Verlaine

Notes
Recorded Summer 1996, New York; Spring 1997, Memphis
Genre:  Folk Rock
Length:  91:46

© 1998 Columbia Records

Country Joe & The Fish - Live! Fillmore West 1969 (1994)

“Live! Fillmore West 1969” is a live album from the Fillmore West performance first CD released in 1994. Mainly includes live versions of the fourth album “Here We Go Again”.
With The Fish's most famous lineup, with Jack Casady of the Jefferson Airplane taking the place of the recently departed Bruce Barthol. The sound is good, but it's only for diehards, as the songs aren't among their best compositions, and the arrangements are way too prone to the uninteresting jamming that eventually gave San Francisco psychedelia a bad name.
This is one of the farewell performances of Country Joe and the Fish (and coincidentally is the same show that featured the American debut of Led Zeppelin), and as a result go out with a real bang!. The highlight of this album is undoubtedly the 38 min "Donovan's Reef Jam" featuring special guests Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, and Steve Miller. Though this is enough for any Deadhead, the rest of the album is superb. My personal favorites include the opening "Rock and Soul Music" jam and the sweet "It's So Nice To Have Your Love". Having not heard much Country Joe music (with the exception of the Woodstock soundtrack), this album has made me an instant fan of the group. Certainly a must for any fan of San Francisco era improvisational music.
Notes by Sam Charters and Bill Belmont and published by Vanguard Records.


01.  "Introduction/Rock and Role Music/Love" (Bruce Barthol, David Cohen, Gary "Chicken" Hirsh,
         Country Joe McDonald, Barry Melton)  - 6:15    
02.  "Here I Go Again" (Country Joe McDonald)  - 4:42   
03.  "It's So Nice to Have Your Love"  (Country Joe McDonald)  - 6:31  
04.  "Flying High"  (Country Joe McDonald)  - 12:36  
05.  "Doctor of Electricity"  (Barry Melton)  - 9:11  
06.  "Donovan's Reef Jam"  (Jack Casady, David Cohen, Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, Gary "Chicken"
         Hirsh, Country Joe McDonald, Barry Melton, Steve Miller)  - 38:17

Credits
Country Joe McDonald - vocals, acoustic guitar, bells, tambourine
Barry "The Fish" Melton - vocals, electric guitar
David Cohen - electric guitar, organ
Jack Casady - Bass guitar
Gary "Chicken" Hirsh - drums
David Getz - Drums
Mickey Hart - Drums
Jerry Garcia - Guitar, Harp
Jorma Kaukonen - Guitar
Steve Miller - Guitar

Edited By – Kirk Felton
Mixed By – Bill Belmont, Eric Thomson
Photography By – Jim Marshall
Photography By [Cover] – Lars Hansen 
Cover [Cover Art] – Gilles Margerin
Recorded By [Original Recording] – Eddie Friedner
Producer [Originally Produced By] – Sam Charters

Notes
Mixed at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CA
Sonic Solutions was used on portions of the master to cross fade the applause
Master edited and final assembly done at Fantasy
Recording Date: January 9, 10 & 11 1969 Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA
Poster courtesy of Bill Graham Presents and Jerry Pompili
Length: 1:17:32
Genre:  Blues Rock, Folk-Rock, Live

© 1994 Vanguard Records

Augustus Pablo - King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown (1976)

“King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown” is a dub album by Augustus Pablo and King Tubby, released in 1976. It features Carlton Barrett on drums, Robbie Shakespeare and Aston Barrett on bass guitar, and Earl "Chinna" Smith on guitar. Pablo produced the album and played melodica, piano, organ and clavinet. The album was recorded at Randy's in Kingston, Jamaica. A distinctly different mix of the title song with vocals and dub, titled "Baby I Love You So", can be found on the Jacob Miller and Augustus Pablo 1975 album, Who Say Jah No Dread.
He popularized the use of the melodica (an instrument at that time primarily used in Jamaica to teach music to schoolchildren) in reggae music. His album King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown (1976) is often regarded as one of the most important examples of dub. If you had to pick one album that best represents the pinnacle of the art of dub, you'd cull the candidates down pretty quickly to ten or 12, and it would get very difficult after that. Few would fault you for ending up with this one, though, which stands as perhaps the finest collaboration between two of instrumental reggae's leading lights: producer and melodica player Augustus Pablo and legendary dub pioneer King Tubby. Among other gems, this album offers its title track a dub version of Jacob Miller's "Baby I Love You So" which is widely regarded as the finest example of dub ever recorded. But the rest of the album is hardly less impressive. "Each One Dub," another cut on a Jacob Miller rhythm, possesses the same dark and mystical ambience, if not quite the same emotional energy, as "King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown," and the version of the epochal "Satta Massaganna" that closes the album is another solid winner. Pablo's trademark "Far East" sound (characterized by minor keys and prominent melodica lines) is predominant throughout, and is treated with care and grace by King Tubby, who has rarely sounded more inspired in his studio manipulations than he does here. Absolutely essential.
The title song was released as a 45 rpm single in 1974 on the Mango label, with Baby I Love You So as the b-side.
The album has been released on several different labels, often with slightly different artworks and track lists.


01. "Keep On Dubbing"  (H. Swaby)  - 3:09
02. "Stop Them Jah"  (H. Swaby)  - 2:54
03. "Young Generation Dub"  (H. Swaby)  - 2:36
04. "Each One Dub"  (H. Swaby)  - 2:57
05. "555 Dub Street"  (Augustus Pablo)  - 2:43
06. "Brace's Tower Dub"  (Augustus Pablo)  - 2:53
07. "King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown"  (H. Swaby)  - 2:34
08. "Corner Crew Dub"  (H. Swaby)  - 2:58
09. "Say So"  (H. Swaby)  - 3:05
10. "Skanking Dub"  (H. Swaby)  - 2:44
11. "Frozen Dub"  (H. Swaby)  - 2:54
12. "Satta Dub"  (H. Swaby)  - 4:20

Credits
Augustus Pablo – melodica, piano, clavinet, organ, producer
Robbie Shakespeare – bass guitar
Aston Barrett – bass guitar
Leroy Sibbles – Bass
Carlton Barrett – drums
Earl "Chinna" Smith – guitar
Richard "Dirty Harry" Hall – saxophone
Bobby Ellis – trumpet
Vincent "Don D Junior" Gordon – trombone

Mixed by King Tubby and Errol Thompson at King Tubby's Studio
Mixing Engineer : Errol Thompson & King Tubby
Producer : Augustus Pablo

Notes
Recording: Randy's Kingston, JA.
Genre: Roots reggae, dub
Length: 31:26

© Yard International/Clocktower Records

Mrs. Einstein - Goes Europe (1997)

Mrs. Einstein is een Nederlandse vocale damesgroep die met liedjesprogramma's en theatrale programma's vanaf 1989 de Nederlandse theaters bezoekt.
Tot 1993 zingt Suzanne Venneker in de show van André van Duin. Saskia, Paulette en Suzanne richten de zanggroep Mrs. Einstein op. Dankzij de achtergrond van de dames (kleinkunstacademie) specialiseert Mrs. Einstein zich in, zoals ze het zelf omschrijven, theatrale muziek: popmuziek gecombineerd met een theatraal decor, dito tekst en een eigen mening
In het voorjaar van 1997vertegenwoordigt Mrs. Einstein Nederland op het Eurovisie Songfestival in Dublin met het liedje Niemand Heeft Nog Tijd, geschreven door Ed Hooijmans. Ondanks de tegenvallende einduitslag wordt de single een kleine hit in Nederland. Saskia van Zutphen, Paulette Willemse en Suzanne Venneker touren samen met de Dutch Swing College Band langs de theaters met het programma Boys Meet Girls. Snoeij zingt samen met o.a. Reniet Vrieze mee op de single Stop Zinloos Geweld van de gelegenheidsformatie Artiesten Tegen Zinloos Geweld.
Op het album "Goes Europe" staan naast "Niemand heeft nog tijd" de andere liedjes die Mrs. Einstein tijdens het Nationale Songfestival ten gehore bracht. Daarnaast oude Eurovisie Songfestival successen zoals "Puppet on a string", "Hallelujah", "Waterloo", "Poupée de cire" en "No ho l'eta".
Mrs. Einstein start een theatertoernee onder de titel Mrs. Einstein Goes Europe, en bestaat sinds 2010 uit Saskia van Zutphen en Paulette Willemse.      http://www.bing.com/translator

 

 

01.  Toen De Aarde Stilstond  - 2:45 
02.  Love Games  - 3:02 
03.  Hallelujah  - 2:54 
04.  Zon, Ster, Maan  - 5:06 
05.  Non, Non, Rien, N'a Changé  - 4:09 
06.  Laat Het Los  - 3:36 
07.  Puppet On A String  - 2:17 
08.  Poupée De Cire  - 2:20 
09.  Power To All Our Friends  - 2:47 
10.  Non Ho L'eta  - 5:18 
11.  Waterloo  - 2:54 
12.  Niemand Heeft Nog Tijd  - 2:56 
13.  P.S.: Ik Ook Van Jou  - 1:48 

 

Credits
Joke van der Hoek - Zang
Saskia van Zutphen - Zang
Paulette Willemse - Zang
Ellen van Harmelen - Zang
Melline Mollerus - Zang
Linda Snoeij - Zang
Ellen Pieters - Zang
Rob Hendriks - Basgitaar

 

Notes
Genre: Pop, Jazz Vocaal
Length: 41:48

 

© 1997 Columbia Records

Fools Gold - Mr. Lucky (1977)

Fools Gold was a Illinois-based band with soaring harmonies that toured as Dan Fogelberg's backup band in 1974. Fool's Gold recorded only two LP's in their brief career.
Pared down to a duo, the main songwriters and singers Torn Kelly and Denny Henson, playing as Fool's Gold, switched labels and went for the slick L.A. sound that was being offered up in the mid-'70s.
It's about time that they released the 2nd album “Mr. Lucky”, while trying harder than their first disc, doesn't have the warmth and charm that disc had.
When you listen to Mr. Lucky you will see how the band progressed from being DAN FOGELBERG'S back up band to a group that could stand on it's own two feet. The songs on this album are much better than their first album, not to say the 1st one was bad but they really improved the sound on this one. The song “Captain” is the favorite one on this album, it tells a great story. Aided by some fine musicians, Fool's Gold tries for the gold, but only end up with the dust. “Mr. Lucky” failed to live up to expectations of their earlier fans and didn't add anyone new to their fanbase. In the end, Fool's Gold appeared to be just that.
I just wished they would of stayed together for more albums.... The two main front men for the group are DENNY HENSON and TOM KELLY they did all of the singing. I don't know what DENNY HENSON is up to these days but TOM KELLY is still in the industry singing back-up vocals on many artist projects.


01.  "Sweet Country Air" (Tom Kelly, Denny Henson) - 4:14
02.  "I Can Hear The Whistle Blow" (Tom Kelly, Denny Henson) - 2:54
03.  "Wouldn't I Love To Love You" (Tom Kelly) - 4:24
04.  "Runnin' And Hidin'" (Tom Kelly, Denny Henson)  - 3:53
05.  "Fly Away" (Tom Kelly, Denny Henson)  - 3:54
06.  "Gypsy Brew" (Tom Kelly, Denny Henson)  - 2:43
07.  "Mr. Lucky" (Tom Kelly, Denny Henson)  - 4:16
08.  "Where Did Our Love Go Wrong" (Tom Kelly)  - 3:58
09.  "Captain" (Tom Kelly, Denny Henson) - 5:57

Credits
Fools Gold
Denny Henson - Vocals, Acoustic & Electric Guitar
Tom Kelly - Vocals, Acoustic & Electric Guitar

David Foster - Keyboards
Jeff Porcaro - Drums & Percussion
Mike Porcaro - Bass
David Paich - Keyboards
Bill Champlin - Organ
Waddy Wachtel - Electric & Slide Guitar
Doug Livingston - Pedal Steel Guitar
Dan Fogelberg - Lap Steel
Colin Tully - Alto Sax
Mel Collins - Tenor & Soprano Sax
Keith Olsen - Tambourine
Tom Scott - Alto Sax
Andrew Gold - Electric Guitar

Strings arranged by David Foster & Keith Olsen
Horns arranged by Keith Olsen, Colin Tully & Mel Collins
Strings conducted by Martyn Ford
Daimlier Strings recorded at Air Studios, London, England
Horns recorded at Scorpio Sudios, London, England
Mastered at Kendun Recorders, Burbank, California
Engineered by Keith Olsen & David Devore
Arranged by Foold Gold & David Foste
Produced by Keith Olsen for Pogologo Productions

Notes
Recorded & Mixed at Sound City, Van Nuys, California
Genre: Soft Rock, Country Rock
Length:  36:11

© 1977 Columbia Records

Hootie & The Blowfish - Fairweather Johnson (1996)

“Fairweather Johnson” is the second studio album by the band Hootie & the Blowfish, released on April 23, 1996.
An air of melancholy and isolation hangs over Hootie & The Blowfish's second major-label album. A similar air hangs over many follow-ups to whopping commercial succeses like Hootie's CRACKED REAR VIEW. But this South Carolina foursome is both too smart to follow that tired path in which stardom begets ennui, and a few miles on the road beget resentment and resignation. The darkness in their existential-pop love songs derives not from the world without, but from souls within. Meanwhile, they craft R&B-soaked folk-rock with the confidence of a band that's as popular as they wanna be. Propelled both inward and onward by their fame, they continue to cast for sad fish with happyish hooks. The prevalent sound of FAIRWEATHER JOHNSON is dark folk-rock, with jangly guitars and melodies rooted in '60s rock. The country-gospel swing of "So Strange," awash in the sound of a Hammond organ, sounds like vintage Rolling Stones; "Silly Little Pop Song," which isn't silly at all, is Beatlesque down to an ooh-la-la-la backing chorus. The song structures themselves are also dizzyingly '60s-ish, many clocking in at three and a half minutes or less. But the band's tangle of Southern roots separates this from any other classic-rock homage. On the gorgeous "Earth Stopped Cold At Dawn," they invite country singer Nanci Griffith to join them in a country-rock ballad that could pass for acoustic R.E.M.; "Fool" is nearly Cajun (with an accordion played by former R.E.M. sideman Peter Holsapple); and "She Crawls Away" bounces to an island beat. The arrangements cannily and cleanly incorporate cellos, violins and even a mandolin. They're topped and set off by Darius Rucker's nearly reckless vocal performance. Alternately slurring phrases and spitting them out with venomous love, Rucker's voice abandons reason in favor of pure emotion, as if to parry away the complaints that Hootie's art was based on craft alone.
Three songs from the album were released as singles: "Old Man & Me", "Tucker's Town", and "Sad Caper".


01.  "Be the One"  - 3:25
02.  "Sad Caper"  - 2:49
03.  "Tucker's Town"  - 4:02
04.  "She Crawls Away"  - 4:09
05.  "So Strange"  - 4:03
06.  "Old Man & Me (When I Get To Heaven)"  - 4:27
07.  "Earth Stopped Cold at Dawn"  - 3:29
08.  "Fairweather Johnson"  - 0:51
09.  "Honeyscrew"  - 3:36
10.  "Let It Breathe"  - 3:53
11.  "Silly Little Pop Song"  - 2:56
12.  "Fool"  - 3:05
13.  "Tootie"  - 3:04
14.  "When I'm Lonely"  - 5:34

Credits
Hootie & The Blowfish:
Darius Rucker - vocals, guitar, dobro
Mark Bryan - guitar, mandolin, piano, background vocals
Jim "Soni" Sonefeld - piano, drums, percussion, background vocals
Dean Felber - bass, background vocals

Lili Haydn - violin, viola
Michael Severens - cello
Peter Holsapple - accordion, piano, Hammond organ
John Nau - piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Hammond B-3 organ
Randy Guss - tambourine
Nanci Griffith & Band, Dean Dinning, Glen Phillips & Band - background vocals
Jim Sonefeld - piano, drums, percussion, background vocals
John Nau - piano

Audio Mixer: Don Gehman
Photographers: John Clark ; Ethan Hill
Producer - Don Gehman

Notes
Includes liner notes by Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, Darius Rucker, Jim "Soni" Sonefeld & Paul Graham.
Recorded At The Site, Marin County, California.
Genre: Rock
Length: 49:23

© 1996 Atlantic Records

Lowell George - Thanks, I’ll Eat It Here (1979)

“Thanks, I’ll Eat it Here” is the title of the only solo album by the late rock and roll singer-songwriter Lowell George. While George is best known for his work with Little Feat, by 1977 Lowell felt that they were moving increasingly into jazz-rock, a form in which he felt little interest. As a result, he began working on his own album. “Thanks I’ll Eat it Here” is an eclectic mix of styles reminiscent of Little Feat’s earlier albums in particular Dixie Chicken, on which the track Two Trains originally appeared. The album was released just before the death of Lowell George in 1979 and has cover art by Neon Park (a feature of almost all Little Feat albums) containing several pop-/cult references including a picnic scene, mirroring Édouard Manet’s “Le déjeuner sur l’herbe”, which shows Bob Dylan, Fidel Castro and Marlene Dietrich as Der Blaue Engel with an open copy of Howl beside them. “Thanks I’ll Eat it Here” is strikingly different from the fusion-leanings of Little Feat’s last studio album, “Time Loves a Hero”. Lowell George never cared for jazz-fusion, so it should be little surprise that there’s none to be heard on Thanks. Instead, he picks up where Dixie Chicken left off (he even reworks that album’s standout “Two Trains”), turning in a laid-back, organic collection of tunes equal parts New Orleans R&B, country, sophisticated blues, and pop. George wasn’t in good health during the sessions for Thanks, which you wouldn’t tell by his engaging performances, but from the lack of new tunes. Out of the nine songs on the album, only three are originals, and they’re all collaborations. That’s a drawback only in retrospect it’s hard not to wish that the last album George completed had more of his own songs but Lowell was a first-rate interpreter, so even covers of Allen Toussaint (“What Do You Want the Girl to Do”), Ann Peebles (“I Can’t Stand the Rain”) and Rickie Lee Jones (“Easy Money”) wind up sounding of piece with the original songs. George’s music rolls so easy, the album can seem a little slight at first, but it winds up being a real charmer. Yes, a few songs drift by and, yes, Jimmy Webb’s vaudevellian “Himmler’s Ring” feels terribly out of place, but Lowell’s style is so distinctive and his performances so soulful, it’s hard not to like this record if you’ve ever had a fondness for Little Feat. After all, it’s earthier and more satisfying than any Feat album since “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” and it has the absolutely gorgeous “20 Million Things,” the last great song George ever wrote.


01.  “What Do You Want the Girl to Do”   (Allen Toussaint)  - 4:46
02.  “Honest Man”   (Lowell George and Fred Tackett)  - 3:45
03.  “Two Trains”   (Lowell George)  - 4:32
04.  “Can’t Stand the Rain”   (Ann Peebles)  - 3:21
05.  “Cheek to Cheek”   (Lowell George, Van Dyke Parks and Martin Kibbee)  - 2:23
06.  “Easy Money”   (Rickie Lee Jones)  - 3:29
07.  “Twenty Million Things”   (Lowell George and Jed Levy)  - 2:50
08.  “Find a River”   (Fred Tackett)  - 3:45
09.  “Himmler’s Ring”   (Jimmy Webb)  - 2:28
10.  “Heartache” (CD-bonus track with Valerie Carter)   (Lowell George and Ivan Ulz)  - 2:28

Credits
Lowell George – Guitar, Vocals and Production
Bonnie Raitt – Vocals
James Newton Howard – keyboards
Chuck Rainey – Bass
Denny Christianson – Keyboards
David Foster – Keyboards
Chilli Charles – Drums
Nicky Hopkins – Keyboards & Horn
Jim Price – Horn
Jim Keltner – Drums
Jim Gordon – Drums
Michael Baird – Drums & Bass
Dennis Belfield – Bass
Bobby Bruce – Violin, Guitar
Turner Stephen Bruton – Guitar & Horn
Dennis Christianson – Horn
Luis Damian – Guitar & keyboards
Gordon DeWitte – Keyboards & Piano
Maxine Dixon – Piano
Arthur Gerst – Piano
Jimmy Greenspoon – Guitar, Piano
Roberto Gutierrez – Vocals, Guitar, Drums
Richie Hayward – Drums
Jerry Jumonville – Saxophone & Guitar
Ron Koss – Guitar & Engineering
Darrell Leonard – Horn & Vocals
Maxayn Lewis – Vocals
David Paich – Drums
Jeff Porcaro – Drums, guitar
Dean Parks – Guitar & keyboards
Bruce Paulson – Keyboards
Bill Payne – Keyboards & Vocals
Herb Pedersen – Vocals
Joel Peskin – Vocals & Saxophone
John Phillips – Saxophone & Drums
Peggy Sandvig, Jim Self – Drums
Floyd Sneed – Drums & Vocals
J.D. Souther – Bass & Vocals
Paul Stallworth – Bass & guitar
Fred Tackett – Guitar & Vocals
Maxine Willard Waters – Vocals
Composed By – Van Dyke Parks
Composed By, Lead Vocals, Performer – Lowell George
Composed By, Performer – Fred Tackett
Engineer – Donn Landee, George Massenburg
Engineer [Assistant Engineer] – Billy Youdelman, Bruce Botnick, Doug Botnick
Mixed By – Ray Thompson
Producer – Lowell George

Notes
Genre: Roots Rock, Southern Rock, Blues Rock, Swamp Rock
Duration Time: 33:47

© 1979 Warner Bros. Records