Boz Scaggs - Greatest Hits Live (2004)

In 2004 Boz Scaggs released his first, and what is likely to be only, officially sanctioned live disc in an extensive career.
With 35 years of experience and 13 albums of material to choose from, it also substitutes as a reasonable best-of, although Sony/Legacy's 1997 double set My Time did an excellent job of recapping his studio hits.
Even if it's a byproduct of the associated DVD recorded at the same August, 2004 San Francisco gig, this is a lively and professionally performed show that makes up in soul what it lacks in spontaneity. Live hits' discs coming in the twilight of the artist's career are typically dicey affairs, often used as a backdoor way for a new label to release some of the act's best material, the originals of which they do not have rights to. While that may be the case here, this is far from a fast way to make a few bucks off Scaggs' catalog. The seven-piece band (plus two backing vocalists) offer perfect, occasionally inspired renditions of a relatively unsurprising set list.
The show is a terrific mix of the lovely, but sometimes sappy Scaggs ballads such as "Heart of Mine," "We're All Alone," "Slow Dancer" and "Look What You've Done to Me" with the blue-eyed funk-pop of "Lowdown," "Jojo," "Georgia," and "Lido Shuffle." The songs that ultimately work the best and are the loosest are the blues-based tracks, in particular a sumptuous version of Bobby "Blue" Bland's "Ask Me 'Bout Nuthin' but the Blues," and nearly a half-hour on disc two dedicated to the jazzy jump blues of "Runnin' Blue" and a fiery "Loan Me a Dime."
Scaggs is in terrific voice throughout, the band adapts remarkably well to a varied set list and the live sound is crisp but not sterile. Many of the arrangements, especially of the pop songs, don't differ substantially from the originals, but the effect is lively and with slightly more drive due to the live setting.
The rather forced between-song patter very present in the DVD is edited out for the audio version, which provides a better musical flow. Some of these songs never charted, and were not even particularly popular.
Many tracks from My Time and even three from the slimmer Hits! collection are missing. But these are minor complaints for an extremely well produced, immaculately played, stylishly presented and dynamic look at Scaggs' diverse catalog.

Disc 1
1. Lowdown  (5:43)
2. Slow Dancer  (4:41)
3. Heart Of Mine  (4:27)
4. It All Went Down The Drain  (6:15)
5. Harbor Lights  (7:52)
6. Jojo  (5:51)
7. Ask Me About Nothing But The Blues  (6:10)
8. Breakdown Dead Ahead  (5:57)

Disc 2
1. Look What You've Done To Me  (6:44)
2. I Just Go  (5:15)
3. Georgia  (4:45)
4. Miss Sun  (6:39)
5. Lido Shuffle  (5:36)
6. Running Blue  (11:28)
7. Loan Me A Dime  (15:45)
8. We're All Alone  (4:38)


Personnel

• Boz Scaggs - vocals, guitar
• Drew Zingg - guitar
• Charles McNeal - saxophone
• Richard Armstrong - trumpet
• Jim Cox, Michael Bluestein - keyboards
• Matt Bissonette - bass
• John Ferraro - drums
• Barbara Wilson, Ms. Mone't - background vocals
• Producer - David Paich

Notes

Release Date: August 17, 2004
Recording information: Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA.
Genre: Pop/Rock/Vocal
Styles: Adult Contemporary/Contemporary Pop/Rock/Vocal Pop
Duration:1:48:38
© 2004

Label - Gray Cat Records

Bill Cosby - Disco Bill (1977)

Disco Bill (1977) is an album by Bill Cosby.
After four musical comedy/parody albums, this would be the last Cosby would do.
Like Bill Cosby Is Not Himself These Days, Cosby stated he improvised much of the material on the album.
The comedian's follow-up to his gold LP Bill Cosby Is Not Himself These Days Rat Own Rat Own Rat Own follows in the same musical parody vein and re-teams him with producer/keyboardist Stu Gardner.
The budget seemed to have been upped for this effort because there are strings and full choirs on some tracks. Cosby earns more musical mileage using his previous targets: Barry White's "A Simple Love Affair," and James Brown's "Boogie on Your Face" on the first two singles and the James Brown-ish "What Ya Think 'Bout Lickin' My Chicken." A laid-back cover of Len Barry's "One, Two, Three" has drippy strings, a quasi-classical choral, and a hilarious subject. But he also manages to mold his own identity with "Section #9," "What's in a Slang," and the funky "A Nasty Birthday."
On Disco Bill and the previous album, Cosby says that he improvised throughout the album.

01. A Simple Love Affair (Cosby, Gardner) – 4:38
02. What Ya Think 'Bout Lickin' My Chicken (Cosby, Gardner, Watson) – 4:04
03. Rudy (Cosby, Gardner) – 1:56
04. Boogie on Your Face (Cosby, Gardner) – 3:03
05. Happy Birthday Momma (Cosby, Gardner, Mays) – 4:01
06. That's How I Met Your Mother (Cosby, Gardner) – 3:19
07. 1, 2, 3 (Barry) – 4:10
08. Section #9 (Cosby, Gardner) – 3:12
09. A Nasty Birthday (Cosby) – 3:32
10. What's in a Slang (Cosby, Gardner) – 2:19

Credits
Bass – David Shields, Gary Stovall, Paul Stallworth
Bass [Featured] – Eric Ajaye
Drums – Ken Sprague
Drums [Featured] – Nate Neblett
Guitar – Gary Stovall, Wah Wah Watson
Keyboards – Larry Farrow
Percussion – Freddie Marrone, Paulinho Da Costa
Saxophone – Doug Richardson, Rudy Johnson 
Strings [Contracted By] – Robert Dubow
Trumpet – Bobby Findley, Oscar Brashmear
Vocals [Singers] – Irene Cathaway, Kathelene Woehrle, Linda Mallah, Patty Bishop, Rebecca Louis, Stu Gardner

Companies, etc.
Manufactured By – Capitol Records, Inc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Capitol Records, Inc.
Copyright (c) – Capitol Records, Inc.
Pressed By – Capitol Records Pressing Plant, Winchester
Published By – Turtlehead Publishing Co.
Published By – Uts Rendrag Publishing Co.
Recorded At – Sound City Studios
Mixed At – Sound City Studios
Mastered At – Capitol Mastering

Production
Arranged By – Stu Gardner
Arranged By [Horn] – Stu Gardner
Arranged By [Vocal] – Stu Gardner
Art Direction – Roy Kohara
Photography By – Howard Bingham
Engineer – Bill Drescher
Executive-Producer – Larkin Arnold
Producer, Keyboards, Synthesizer, Ensemble [String], Clavinet, Synthesizer [Moog, Arp] – Stu Gardner
Written-By – B. Cosby, S. Gardner

Notes
Release Date: September, 1977
Duration: 34:14
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Funk, Disco
© 1977

Label - Capitol/EMI Records

Chubby Checker - Chubby Checker Goes Psychedelic!! (1971)

After only barely floating around on a few European budgetline LP labels in the past, the Underground Masters label has finally undertaken the oft-talked about Chubby Checker psych reissue into CD realm. Recorded in 1971 while crashing in Holland, Checker took the time to explore his fandom/friendship with Hendrix (paid tribute to on "Ballad of Jimi"), explore some, uh, other elements Holland ably provided ("Stoned In the Bathroom"), and knocked out quite an interesting detour on his Twist-soaked career. Other titles include "No Need To Get So Heavy", "Goodbye Victoria", "If the Sun Stopped Shining", and "Let's Go Down." There's no info on the band backing him up, unfortunately.
Chubby Checker goes psychedelic! In 1971, while living in Holland, the Twister King released a super rare album with some unknown hippie band backing him. Eleven long tracks (nine of them written by Chubby himself) with titles like "Stoned In The Bathroom", "My Mind", "No Need To Get So Heavy", "He Died"...you won't believe it when you hear Mr. Checker sounding like a lost Morgan Bluetown late sixties UK band ("Goodbye Victoria"), like Hendrix jamming with Blue Cheer ("My Mind") or like a lost USA garage psych band ("Stoned In The Bathroom"). Produced by Ed Chalpin (famous for his bizarre involvement with Jimi Hendrix and Curtis Knight) and only released in several budget labels across Europe, this is the first time this amazing album is reissued on CD.
Chubby Checker became popular when his 60' s dance hit called "The Twist" caused a teenage dance craze that took the world by storm. He went on to record several other dance-themed hits and had as many as 5 albums in the top 12 at once. Unfortunately, Chubby's hit-making career came to a grinding halt in 1965 when the public's taste veered into the more exciting music of the times such as psychedelic rock and folk.
However, Chubby decided to experiment with psychedelic rock and bluesy-soul with this rare gem released in 1971. These sessions were helmed by record company scam-artist Ed Chalpin (the same guy behind the bootleg Jimi Hendrix with Curtis Knight releases) who first released them in Europe in 1971 and in a cutout-version in America.
He was notorious for recording no-name studio bands playing the current hits and then he would quickly sell them to record companies in Europe and South America to stay ahead of the copyrighting laws.
Goodbye Victoria opens up with a slow lurking piano groove that is begging to be lifted by The Weathermen for their next hip-hop masterpiece. Then, Chubby's soulful vocals lift the song to greater heights and the piano and hammond organ chime in with the glorious gospel-inflected chorus of "Time Won't Forget You Victoria / Time Just Won't Let You Victoria / Goodbye Victoria / Everybody's Going To The Moon".
After the chorus, the hammond organs sound off for a brief interlude and then segueway into the second verse of the song.
There is an incredibly funky hammond organ breakdown after the second chorus that sounds like it's highly influenced by Jimmy Smith.
What makes this track so unforgettable is that it has soul dripping from its pores. You can feel the pain that Chubby was feeling in each and every heart-wrenching verse. My Mind Comes From A High Place features blistering guitar solos, funky drum breakdowns and soulful psychedelic vocals that remind you of the Band of Gypsys.
On If The Sun Stops Shinin', Chubby comes out shining with a beautiful vocal that could be compared to Bill Withers on "Lean On Me". Stoned In The Bathroom starts out with a playful carnival organ and martial drums intro that leads into Chubby's hazy verse about being "Stoned In The Bathroom / On A Sunday Afternoon / Stoned In The Bathroom / Just Sitting On The Moon". Then, the bridge / chorus ignites the track with a fiery guitar / organ combo that goes for broke. Towards the end of the track, Chubby screams at the top of his lungs which seems to push the band into overdrive for the last thirty seconds of the song.
Overall, this is an amazing record that is definitely worth looking for.

01. Goodbye Victoria  
02. My Mind  
03. Slow Lovin'  
04. If The Sun Stopped Shining  
05. Stoned In A Bathroom  
06. Love Tunnel  
07. How Does It Feel  
08. He Died  
09. No Need To Get So Heavy  
10. Let's Go Down  
11. Ballade Of Jimi

Credits 
Written-By – Chubby Checker
Producer – Ed Chalpin

Notes 
Previously released as “Chequered!” in 1971.
Released:  1971
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Psychedelic, Funk, Soul
© 1971

Label - London Records

Tiësto - In Search Of Sunrise 4: Latin America (2005)

Tijs Michiel Verwest (born 17 January 1969), better known by his stage name Tiësto , is a Dutch DJ and record producer.

Where do you begin with a double helping of tunes from the man who is arguably one of the best DJ in the the world right now, dominating both the DJ rankings and the sales charts for the last few years? First, perhaps, with the dedication of the disc to Latin America, where Tiësto has been touring for extensively for the last eighteen months or so. That might lead to expectations of a lot of Latin, Brazilian and Carribbean sounds, which really don't materialize, although there are occasional nods in that direction, most notably Tone Depth & SoulTan's "Moments" and Coca & Villa's "La Noche."
That slight misdirection doesn't in any way diminish the stellar lineup among the fourteen progressive and vocal house tracks assembled here. One the first disc alone we're treated to the Dousk mix of Tilt's "Twelve," Gabriel & Dresden's "Arcadia" and Tiësto's own remix of BT's "The Force of Gravity." We get more "Gravity" on disc 2, courtesy of Latin American superstars Grayarea (just kidding, they're from Chicago) and a completely different track with the same name from P.O.S.
(This may be Steven Hawking's favorite album ever.), as well as another track from Tiësto, "UR," the "Junkie XL Air Guitar mix," an original track featuring vocals from Aqualung's Matt Hales. There's plenty more, including the crunchy fun of "White Noise" from Electric Pulse and a strong closer from Sensoria vs Jim Key, the Rave mix of "Only One." It would have been nice to have a little more range of style, but it's really hard to complain about over two and half hours of world-class dance music that could (and should) be the soundtracks for parties all over America - North, South and Latin.

Disc 1
01.  Solarstone & JES - Like A Waterfall  (9:09)
02.  Tonedepth & Sultan - Moments  (9:51)
03.  Ahmet Ertenu - Why  (9:43)
04.  JASEfos Feat. Claire van der Boom - Do What U Want (Max Graham Afterhours In Montreal Mix) (7:54)
05.  Wighnomy Bros - Wurz & Blosse  (6:20)
06.  Coca & Villa - La Noche  (9:32)
07.  Tilt - Twelve (Dousk Remix) (9:27)
08.  Luminary - My World (Andy Moor Mix) (8:59)
09.  Steve May - Blend Forty3 (Luke Chable & Steve May Remix) (8:45)
10.  Gabriel & Dresden - Arcadia  (9:53)
11.  Split Second - Midnight Express  (9:54)
12.  BT - The Force Of Gravity (Tiësto Remix) (8:18)
13.  Allure - The Loves We Lost  (8:53)
14.  Blank & Jones Feat. Bobo - Perfect Silence (E-Craig's 212 Remix) (10:06)

Disc 2
01.  Estuera Feat. Re:Locate - Palma Solane  (8:26)
02.  Leon Bolier Presents Inner Stories - Beyond (7:01)
03.  P.O.S. - Gravity  (6:28)
04.  LNQ - People I Used To Know (7:52)
05.  Mads Arp Feat. Julie Harrington - Slow It Down (Mathilda Mix) (7:01)
06. Dominic Plaza - Sounds Rushing  (9:14)
07.  Matthew Dekay vs Proluctors - BAD  (9:159)
08.  Electric Pulse - White Noise  (8:42)
09.  Grayarea Feat. Erik Shepard - Gravity  (9:58)
10.  Tiesto Feat. Aqualung - UR (Junkie XL Air Guitar Remix) (12:34)
11.  Odyssee - Evolution  (8:38)
12.  Progression - Sands Of Time  (7:05)
13.  L.S.G. - Netherworld (Oliver Prime Remix) (11:07)
14.  Sensorica vs Jin Key - Only One (Rave Mix)  (7:38)

Credits

• Artwork By – Arny B.
• Compiled By, DJ Mix – Tiësto
• Edited By – Montana, Tiësto
• Mastered By – Barney Broomer

Notes 

Black Hole Recordings 

Released:  13 Apr 2005  

Genre: Electronic 

Style: Trance, Progressive Trance 

Length: 77:51 (disc 1)

Length: 77:02 (disc 2)

Total Length: 2:34:53  

© 2005 

Label - Songbird Records

Robert Plant And The Strange Sensation - Mighty Rearranger (2005)

Strange Sensation were Robert Plant's backing band, active from 2001 to 2007. On 25 April 2005 was released Mighty ReArranger, the first album credited to Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation, a blend of world and Western music influences, with mystical, oblique and somewhat cynical references to religion and destiny.

Mighty ReArranger is English rock singer Robert Plant's eighth solo album and the second with his band "Strange Sensation". On Mighty Rearranger, the core of the band Robert Plant showcased on 2002's Dreamland -- and named the Strange Sensation -- is a full-blown expanded lineup that shares the bill with him. Guitarists Justin Adams and Skin Tyson, drummer Clive Deamer, keyboardist John Baggot, and bassist Billy Fuller help Plant give listeners his most musically satisfying and diverse recording since, well, Led Zeppelin's Physical Grafitti. The reference is not a mere platitude to Plant's pedigree. The songs, production, and sequencing of the album overtly incorporates those sounds as well as those of Eastern modalism, Malian folk, guitar rock, R&B, and others, for inspiration -- and why shouldn't they? Mighty Rearranger opens with "Another Tribe," a sociopolitical ballad that touches upon the textural string backdrops from Zep's "Kashmir" and is fueled by Moroccan bendir drums. Adams' guitar shifts it over to rock in the middle, but never crowds the crystalline lilting vocal.
The single, "Shine It All Around," sports Deamer's crunch and crack drums, while Adams' canny emulation of Jimmy Page's Les Paul toneography fills Plant's sung and moaned lines with ferocity. But it is "Freedom Fries," with its startling percussive syncopation and juxtaposition of roots rockabilly blues and hard rock -- à la "Black Dog" -- that breaks the record wide open and shatters the sensual tension with pure Dionysian RAWK swagger. On "Tin Pan Valley," Baggot's whispering keyboard lines under Plant's nocturnal moan set a mood -- slippery, sexy, undulating -- before Deamer cracks through with cymbal and snare work that not only emulates John Bonham, but evokes his power, unfurling the Zep talons deeper into the core of the album.
The beautiful balladry of "All the King's Horses" offers solid proof of Plant's ability to reference the English folk tradition with elegance and taste, and his continued acumen for fine lyric writing. The acoustic guitars purposely kiss the same space that Page did on "Over the Hills and Far Away" and "Goin' to California," but are balanced by Adams' pastoral electric country fills. But here's the important part: the Zeppelin spirit that is seemingly ever present here takes nothing away from the startling imagination and creativity on Mighty Rearranger -- it actually serves, rather than houses, the songs it adorns.
And it's the songs, like the sultry slow stroll of "The Enchanter" and the North African-flavored rocker "Takamba," that matter. Plant and Strange Sensation have painstakingly and energetically crafted an album that takes his full history into account, yet offers something living, breathing, and actually new. This is big rock music making an appearance on the scene agian. It's music that is full of itself, sneers at the competition, and pushes forward by acknowledging the full breadth of the music's tarted-up history.
The dramatic "Let the Four Winds Blow" touches everything from early rock & roll to droning Delta blues to biker soundtrack music in a dramatic and utterly serious song. The title track uses the Malian guitar plank and turns it back on itself, pointing its gaze toward John Lee Hooker, Skip James, and the piano blues of Otis Spann.
The album closes with Baggot's barroom blues piano that propels Plant to pay a brief barrelhouse tribute to Ray Charles on "Brother Ray." Mighty Rearranger is a literate, ambitious, and sublimely vulgar exercise in how to make a mature yet utterly unfettered rock & roll album that takes chances, not prisoners, and apologizes for nothing.


01. "Another Tribe" – 3:17
02. "Shine It All Around" – 4:03
03. "Freedom Fries" – 2:53
04. "Tin Pan Valley" – 3:47
05. "All the Kings Horses" – 4:20
06. "The Enchanter" – 5:27
07. "Takamba" – 4:06
08. "Dancing in Heaven" – 4:26
09. "Somebody Knocking" – 3:47
10. "Let the Four Winds Blow" – 4:52
11. "Mighty ReArranger" – 4:25
12. "Brother Ray" – 1:12

"Shine It All Around (Girls Remix)", a hidden track with "Brother Ray" – 7:31

Remastered version bonus tracks

13. "Red, White and Blue" – 3:11
14. "All the Money in the World" – 3:12
15. "Shine It All Around" (Girls Remix) – 7:31
16. "Tin Pan Valley" (Girls Remix) – 6:21
17. "The Enchanter" (UNKLE Reconstruction)

In this version, "Brother Ray" is by itself on track 12 and the "Shine It All Around" remix is added as a separate track.

Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation

• Robert Plant – vocals, harmonica, production
• Justin Adams – electric guitar, bendir, tehardant, lap steel guitar, bass guitar
• John Baggott – keyboards, electronica, Moog bass guitar
• Billy Fuller – electric and double bass
• Clive Deamer – drums, bendir
• Liam "Skin" Tyson – acoustic and electric guitar, lap steel guitar, bass guitar

         Technical personnel

• Steve Evans – mixing
• Phil Johnstone – production
• Mark Stent – production

         Notes

Released: 25 April 2005
Recorded: 2004 at various studios in England and Wales
Genre: Progressive rock, hard rock, worldbeat
Length: 54:14
© 2005

Label - Sanctuary Records, Es Paranza Records

Elton John - Friends (Original Soundtrack Recording) (1971)

Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is an English pianist, singer-songwriter and composer.

Friends, released in 1971, was the fourth official album release for Elton John. It was a project John and Bernie Taupin took on before their breakout success in the US, based on the Friends film released in the same year. It was certified gold in April 1971 by the RIAA. It became John's third gold record in as many months in that market (following the albums Elton John in February and Tumbleweed Connection in March). The title track was a minor hit in the US (#34 on the pop chart) despite the film's poor performance.
Even though the "hit" song didn't chart that well this film score by Sir Elton is only just short of amazing! The "4 seasons suite" on side two
is marvelous... and every song moving in it's own way. The Catchy tunes are hummable all day - the title song so moving..., so...,
this is a wonderful recording and a MUST for every true Elton fan. If you have not heard it (or heard OF it) shame on you!

All songs by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, except where noted. Timings are on the LP release, while those in parentheses are those for the Rare Masters collection.

Side one

1. "Friends" - 2:20 
2. "Honey Roll" - 3:00 
3. "Variations on 'Friends'" (John, Taupin, Paul Buckmaster) - 1:45 
4. "Theme (The First Kiss)"/"Seasons" - 3:52 (3:56)
5. "Variations on Michelle's Song (A Day in the Country)" (John, Taupin, Buckmaster) - 2:44 
6. "Can I Put You On" - 5:52 

Side two

1. "Michelle's Song" - 4:16 
2. "I Meant to Do My Work Today (After All a Day in the Country)" (John, Taupin, Buckmaster) - 1:33 
3. "Four Moods" (Buckmaster) - 10:56 
4. "Seasons Reprise" - 1:33

Credits

• Arranged By, Composed By [Additional Music] – Paul Buckmaster
• Composed By – Elton John And Bernie Taupin* (tracks: A1 to B2, B4)
• Engineer – Robin Geoffrey Cable
• Executive Producer – John Gilbert
• Producer – Gus Dudgeon

Personnel

• Elton John: piano, vocals
• Caleb Quaye: guitars
• Dee Murray: bass guitar, vocals
• Nigel Olsson: drums, vocals
• Paul Buckmaster: orchestral arrangement
• Rex Morris: saxophone
• Madeline Bell, Lesley Duncan, Kay Garner: backing vocals

Notes

Tuesday Productions Ltd. 

Album recorded at Trident Studios, London. 

Track A4 consists of two songs: A4a 'Theme (The First Kiss)' and A4b and 'Seasons'. 

A product of Paramount Records, a division of Famous Music Corporation, a G+W Company, New York, New York 10023 

Released: 5 March 1971 

Recorded: Trident Studios, London September 1970 

Genre: Film music, soft rock 

© 1971

Label - Paramount Records

Manassas - Down The Road (1973)

Manassas was an American rock band formed by Stephen Stills in 1971. Predominantly a vehicle for Stills’ artistic vision, the band released two albums during its active tenure, 1972’s Manassas and 1973’s Down the Road. The band dissolved in October 1973.

...for Most Unfairly Maligned Recording of 1973... Stephen Stills and Manassas, 'Down The Road'!!! This is a solid album by SS and the boys... no need to call it anything less than fine. In fact, many of the songs on 'Down The Road' have counterparts on the predecessor to this album, the highly regarded 'Manassas' double-LP. 'So Many Times' readily brings to mind 'Hide It So Deep'; 'Remember the Americans' is reminiscient of 'Fallen Eagle', both being fiddle-fied side two openers; 'Business On the Street' resembles 'Don't Look At My Shadow', both being country-fied side closers; and 'Pensamiento' is a bouncy Latin number ala 'Cuban Bluegrass'. Both albums open with hard-rocking protest numbers. Perhaps people perceive the 'mimicking' as a conscious attempt to (less than successfully) clone the formula for the original Manassas LP's, but I think Stills was too far along as a musician at this point to need that. Besides, Stills' clones are more obvious, such as transplanting 'Questions' to 'Carry On' on the 'Deja Vu' LP, or revisiting 'Bluebird' via 'Bluebird Revisited'. Maybe this is just their style...?
If you want to measure 'Down The Road' against 'Manassas', and many people do, there is an upside for each. The upside for 'Down The Road' is that it rocks harder than the first Manassas double-LP. 'Isn't It About Time' lashes out first, really cracking the whip. 'Down The Road', 'City Junkies' (aka "When I Was a Young Man" Part One and Part Two), 'Rolling My Stone' and 'Lies' continue the scourge. The upside for 'Manassas' are the three classic love ballads that 'Down The Road' has no answer for: 'Both Of Us', 'So Begins the Task', and 'It Doesn't Matter'. Stills offers two Latin-influenced numbers in their stead, 'Pensamiento' and 'Guaguanco de Vero'. 'Pensamiento' is the better of the two songs, and though lyrics are included, you'll be needing an interpreter.
True to the era, there is plenty 'anti-ism' to be had on 'Down The Road'. 'Isn't It About Time' puts war-mongers in their place every bit as well as 'Song of Love' put down war itself on the first Manassas album. 'Down The Road', 'City Junkies', and 'Rollin' My Stone' indict drug and alcohol abuse, while at the same time implicitly acknowledging their allure (kind of like a more sincere Bill Clinton saying, "I inhaled, a lot, but wish I hadn't..."). Be sure to check out the comical partied-out background singers on 'Down the Road', and the driving slide guitar. Stills is given credit for a slide in the liner notes, and I'm betting this is it (although Joe Walsh is also credited with playing slide somewhere on the CD). And Chris Hillman's 'Lies' is a robust swipe at superficial love.
It's really a thoroughly enjoyable album. Had Stills added these 10 to the first 21 Manassas songs, we would just be all the more astounded. But again, no masterpieces here, and perhaps that is what people react to.
Sometimes it is difficult to identify what makes great art a cut above good art, and it is true that the first Manassas albums are one cut above this one. I suspect part of the problem is that there is just less here... 10 songs as opposed to 21. The band was on the brink of dissolving, and perhaps that effected the artistic expression as well. Some say the production is sloppy or the arrangements lack imagination, but I don't see it. Stills sounds like he is in his prime to me, and I'm more than thankful that he put one more Manassas album under his belt before Carrying On.

1. "Isn't It About Time" – 3:02
2. "Lies" (Chris Hillman) – 2:55
3. "Pensamiento" (Stills, Nelson Escoto) – 2:36
4. "So Many Times" (Hillman, Stills) – 3:30
5. "Business on the Street" – 2:55
6. "Do You Remember The Americans" – 2:05
7. "Down The Road" – 3:16
8. "City Junkies" – 2:50
9. "Guaguancó de Veró" (Stills, Joe Lala) – 2:51
10. "Rollin' My Stone" (Stills, Calvin Samuel) – 4:50

All tracks composed by Stephen Stills; except where indicated

Companies, etc.

• Phonographic Copyright (p) – Atlantic
• Phonographic Copyright (p) – Atlantic Recording Corporation
• Copyright (c) – Atlantic Recording Corporation
• Manufactured By – Atlantic Recording Corporation
• Pressed By – Presswell

Production

• Engineer – Jeff Guercio, Malcolm Cecil
• Engineer, Mixed By – Bill Halverson, Howard Albert, Ronald Albert
• Producer - Stephen Stills, Chris Hillman, Dallas Taylor 

Personnel

• Stephen Stills - guitar, piano, bass, vocals
• Dallas Taylor - drums
• Chris Hillman - guitar, bass, mandolin, vocals
• Joe Lala - percussion, vocals
• Al Perkins - guitar, pedal steel guitar, banjo
• Calvin "Fuzzy" Samuel - bass, vocals
• Paul Harris - piano
• Joe Walsh - slide guitar
• Bobby Whitlock - keyboards
• Sydney George - flute
• Jerry Aiello - organ
• Charlie Grimes - guitar
• Guille Garcia - percussion
• Lachy Espinol - percussion
• Pat Arnold - vocals

Notes

Released: April 23, 1973 

Genre: Country rock, blues rock, folk rock, southern rock 

Length: 30:50 

© 1973

Label - Atlantic Records