Month: January 2018

John Lennon & Yoko Ono – Before Play August 1980 [bootleg]

by Record Facts

Rehearsals from video shot for “Double Fantasy”, August 1980, Hit Factory/NYC

Great example of Lennon’s humor in the studio.
Also worthwhile for the insight to him working with other musicians…one of the guitarists (Earl Slick?) keeps
playing the “She’s A Woman” riff in the wrong key and
Lennon comments about being from the 50s—not the 60s!
“Dream Lover” features Lennon-invented lyrics that deserve an X-rating.
Too bad the overall sound quality isn’t better…

 

Tracklist

1.  She’s A Woman
2.  C’mon Everybody
3.  Starting Over
4.  She’s A Woman
5.  Rip It Up
6.  I’m A Man
7.  Be Bop A Lula
8.  I’m Losing You
9.  Starting Over
10 . Dialog/12 Bar Blues
11.  Dialog/Cursing/Tuning
12.  I’m Losing You
13.  Dream Lover/Stay
14.  She’s A Woman
15.  Train I Ride
16.  Dialog

Notes

Released:  1984
Genre: Pop Rock
Style: Classic Rock, Pop Rock, Rock & Roll
Length: 41:17

Publisher:  Gnat Records

Eric Burdon’s Fire Dept. – Last Drive (1980)

by Record Facts

Last Drive is the first and only studio album by Eric Burdon‘s Fire Dept., released in 1980.

Every song title from the album is also listed on the front cover. Also some lyrics are visible on it, “Outlaw motorcycle gangs have joined forces with the citizen drivers, look out for hot Chevey panel truck” (from “The Last Drive”) and “Take my spirit someplace else” (from “The Last Poet”).

The front cover was drawn by Eric Burdon. The band’s logo, visible on the back cover, was drawn by Gerd Grzelak. The album was recorded at the “Tonstudio”, Hiltpoltstein, West Germany (April 1980) and at “La Playa”, Frejus, France (June 1980). The inner sleeve photographs were taken by Jürgen V. Gzarnowski.

A hard-to-find album cut with a bunch of German musicians who all share the songwriting credits. They include veterans like Frank Diez, Bertram Engel, Nippy Noya, Jean-Jacques Kravetz, Reggie Worthy and the late Bernd Gärtig.

The definite highlight is “Bird on the Beach”, a passionate seven-minute epic where Eric belts it out as if his life depended on it. A song I never get tired of listening to.
A good runner-up is “Power Company”, a missed hit single (I actually own a single culled from the LP, “Power Company / Dry”, released in Spain – wouldn’t trade that item for anything in the world). Good steel drum synthesizer (!) opens it, giving it almost a Caribbean feel.
Third best is “Dry”. A pained ballad, with Eric occasionally reducing his voice to a mere whisper. A blisteringly hot and agonized mood is relieved by Jackie Carter’s backing vocals.
The closer “The Last Poet” is the only dud in this set. It’s not a song at all, just some shouting on top of a simple monotonous bass-and-percussion arrangement.

Tracklist

  1. “The Last Drive” (4:10)
  2. “Power Company” (4:16)
  3. “Bird on the Beach” (7:02)
  4. “The Rubbing out of Long Hair” (2:46)
  5. “Atom-Most-Fear” (4:17)
  6. “Dry” (4:43)
  7. “Female Terrorist” (6:47)
  8. “The Last Poet”  (Brendan Behan, Dominic Behan) (2:47)

All lyrics composed by Eric V. Burdon; except where indicated
All music composed by Fire Dept. (Bernd Gärtig, Bertram Passmann, Frank Diez, Jackie Carter, Jean-Jacques Kravetz, Nippy Noya and Reginald Worthy)

Fire Department

Credits

Notes

Released: 1980
Recorded at Tonstudio Hiltpoltstein, West Germany and at “La Playa”, Fréjus, France…April/ June 1980
Genre: Rock, Funk / Soul
Style: Blues Rock, Funk
Length: 37:56

Label – Ariola Records

Heart – Dreamboat Annie Live (2007)

by Record Facts

In the opening interview featured on Dreamboat Annie Live, Ann Wilson describes the setting in which Heart was born: “In 1975–1976, there was a line down the center. You were either a disco queen or you were a singer songwriter like Carly Simon or Joni Mitchell. There was no mold for women rockers at all. We kinda made our own mold.”

With Dreamboat Annie, Heart’s groundbreaking debut, the doors for women in rock broke open and blew away, forever and completely. Hypnotized by The Beatles’ legendary appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show, Ann and Nancy Wilson refocused their casual interest in singing and playing, and they galvanized their dream of rock ’n‘ roll success by disregarding their gender entirely. Moving to Vancouver because Ann Wilson’s then-boyfriend was there avoiding the draft for the Vietnam War, the group “holed up” and worked on its sound. After some time and a few successful buzz-worthy gigs covering songs from male-dominated bands such as Led Zeppelin and The Who, Heart was signed to Mushroom Records. The rest was history.

A lot of the songs on Dreamboat Annie grew from the Wilson sisters’ frustration over their country’s involvement in the Vietnam War. Crazy on You was written to address their dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and it made a plea for everyone to open their hearts to each other. This mantra of peace and harmony from these self-proclaimed “love zealots” helped to fuel Dreamboat Annie’s thematic and timeless songs. Nancy Wilson has referred to the outing as an ambitious piece of work that “is not just innocent and lucky.”

Now, some 30 years later, Shout! Factory’s Legendary Albums Live series of CD and DVD releases features Heart’s first concert performance of Dreamboat Annie in its entirety. Since many of the best shows of the 1970s were never recorded — due largely to technological infancy — a project like this provides a way of peeking into the past and imagining what it must have been like to hear these songs for the first time. Anyone who lived through the era certainly understands what an impact Dreamboat Annie had. Magic Man and Crazy on You were in constant rotation on the radio, and deeper cuts, such as the title track, were huge fan favorites.

For a show that was 30 years in the making, Heart’s performance of Dreamboat Annie is rather gritty and loose. There are several near-miss notes on Magic Man’s signature, leading intro. Nancy Wilson even does a double-take by stopping and starting again during her legendary acoustic assault during Crazy on You. Although these “warts and all” moments easily could have been eliminated by re-recording the song or by careful studio doctoring, the Wilson sisters have never been the type to pull their punches or pull wool over the eyes of their fans.

After the triple-punch opening of Magic Man, Crazy on You, and Dreamboat Annie, Heart settles into its lesser-known album cuts. Aided by the wonderful Stockholm Strings, Soul of the Sea, (Love Me Like Music) I’ll Be Your Song, and Sing Child assume a dreamier ambience than the original versions. Each is reinvented here in a lush landscape of layered vocals and violins. This concert, however, is by no means a sleeper. Ann Wilson’s vocals have never been better, and she literally shreds her way through the performance, showing why she always has been regarded as one of rock ’n‘ roll’s finest singers and leading ladies.

To be able to hear this record performed all the way through in a live setting is akin to finding a doorway to the past. Yet, it also provides relevant commentary about the present. When Ann Wilson sings, “Even though there’s a scar still fresh from the war/Don’t think about it no more/Let new love flow,” it is impossible not to think about the troops currently serving our country and protecting our way of life.

The encores that are featured on Dreamboat Annie Live form a very interesting combination of Heart’s influences. After treating the audience with Mistral Wind, a gem from Dog and Butterfly, Ann Wilson introduces what she calls, “a few songs that showed you what we were listening to when we were writing the songs for Dreamboat Annie.” Curiously, Heart then proceeded to cover a tune that was recorded several years after Dreamboat Annie’s release: Pink Floyd’s Goodbye Blue Sky. Perhaps, the selection was meant to continue the antiwar theme that was such a strong part of their inspiration for the album, or maybe it was meant to promote Wilson’s solo endeavor Hope & Glory. The result, though, is that anyone who understands rock history will find her statement a little jarring.

Fortunately, Dreamboat Annie Live’s other songs are more timetable-friendly. Heart’s blistering recreations of Led Zeppelin’s Rock and Roll and Misty Mountain Hop as well as its glorious, show-closing rendition of The Who’s Love, Reign O’er Me not only have long been a part of the band’s repertoire, but they also have become fan favorites. In the end, Heart, with the help of the Stockholm Strings, has recreated what its halcyon days were like. It turned its performance at the Orpheum Theatre in April 2007 into a stellar concert that was stuffed to the brim with rock ’n’ roll’s essential ingredients…passion, power, and Heart.

Annie Live is a live DVD released by the American rock band Heart in October 2007, which features Heart performing all ten songs from their 1976 debut album, Dreamboat Annie, plus five extra performances. The concert was also broadcast on DirecTV. The concert soundtrack was released as a live album, with the UK edition containing two bonus live tracks.

Tracklist

  1. “Magic Man” – 5:52
  2. “Dreamboat Annie (Fantasy Child)” – 1:23
  3. “Crazy on You” – 4:42
  4. “Soul of the Sea” – 6:34
  5. “Dreamboat Annie” – 2:48
  6. “White Lightning and Wine” – 3:38
  7. “(Love Me Like Music) I’ll Be Your Song” – 3:38
  8. “Sing Child” (A. Wilson, N. Wilson, Roger Fisher, Steve Fossen) – 4:15
  9. “How Deep It Goes” (A. Wilson) – 4:31
  10. “Dreamboat Annie (Reprise)” – 4:15
  11. “Mistral Wind” (A. Wilson, N. Wilson, Sue Ennis, Fisher) – 8:24
  12. “Goodbye Blue Sky” (Roger Waters) – 3:54
  13. “Black Dog” (John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant) – 4:51
  14. “Misty Mountain Hop” (Jones, Page, Plant) – 5:01
  15. “Love, Reign o’er Me” (Pete Townshend) – 6:54
British CD release bonus tracks
  1. “Love Alive” (A. Wilson, N. Wilson, Fisher) – 4:52
  2. “Isolation” (John Lennon) – 4:12

All songs by Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson, except where indicated

Heart

  • Ann Wilson – lead vocals, flute, percussion
  • Nancy Wilson – guitar, 12-string guitar, harmonica, vocals, percussion, audio producer
  • Craig Bartock – lead guitar, banjo, backing vocals, audio producer
  • Debbie Shair – keyboards
  • Ric Markmann – bass, didjeridu
  • Ben Smith – percussion, drums, tympani

Additional musicians

  • Darian Sahanaja – percussion, sound effects, vocals, vocal arrangement, string arrangements, string conductor
  • Andreas Forsman – violin
  • Lena Bergström, Anna Landberg Dager – cellos
  • Jeffrey Foskett, Libby Torrance – backing vocals

CD production

  • Shawn Amos, Bob Emmer – series producers
  • Jeff Palo, Carol Peters – producers
  • Stewart Whitmore – digital editing
  • Stephen Marcussen – mastering
  • Emily Johnson – artwork, package supervision
  • Robert Y. Kim – project assistant

Notes

Release date: October 23, 2007
Recorded: Orpheum Theatre, Los Angeles, April 17, 2007
Genre: Hard rock, folk rock
Length: 70:48

Label – Shout! Factory Records

The Backcorner Boogie Band – Faico Faico (2014)

by Record Facts

Wanneer Gijs Jolink en Hendrik-Jan Lovink in 2007 besluiten om niet meer intensief te gaan touren met hun rockband “Jovink & The Voederbietels”, komt er weer ruimte in de muzikale agenda van  HJ Lovink, de oprichter van “The Backcorner Boogie band”. Gezien HJ Lovink het muziek maken begon te missen en nog veel onuitgewerkte ideeën had liggen voor nummers, die hij niet of minder geschikt vond voor de Jovink band, is hij deze gaan verder uitwerken.

In deze fase geraakt HJ er steeds meer van overtuigd, dat deze nummers het best tot hun recht zouden komen, als ze zouden gespeeld worden in een grote bandbezetting – met blazerssectie, zangeressen en een Hammond orgel. Dit resulteerde in “The Backcorner Boogie Band”, een twaalf muzikanten band, waar je bijna alle muzikale kanten mee op kunt…

In 2011 werd de “Backcorner Boogieband” opgericht om ‘”eerlijke, authentieke Amerikaanse soul- en rockmuziek te maken, in de traditie van “The Black Crowes”, “Red Devils” en Solomon Burke; met de analoge sound en energie die ook te vinden is in studio’s als ‘Muscle Shoals’ in Alabama”.

Dit resulteert in 2012 in het in één weekend opgenomen album “The Kotten Field Sessions” en een tour langs “De Wereld Draait Door” (Live VARA programma Met Matthijs Van Nieuwkerk), Giel Beelen (Radio 3FM DJ en presentator) en festivals als “Paaspop” (Driedaags muziekfestival in Schijndel, Noord Brabant), “Brabant Open Air” (Stadsfestival in Eindhoven) , “Zwarte Cross” (Het grootste muziekfestival en crosswedstrijd in Lichtenvoorde, NL, georganiseerd door Jovink!), “Festyland” (Volkel, Uden), “Waterpop” (Wateringen), “Ribs & Blues” (Raalte) en “Huntenpop” (Oude Ijselstreek).

Ondertussen is er ook keihard doorgewerkt aan nieuw materiaal en heeft “The BBB” zich weer vier lange dagen en nachten opgesloten, in het niemandsland op de grens van Duitsland, om (live en analoog) het album “Faico Faico” op te nemen. Goed te horen is hoe de band zich heeft ontwikkeld.

De sound is nog directer, de refreinen pakkender en het samenspel trefzekerder! Met als extra’s de warme sitar-klanken en de organische vintage gitaar- en drumsounds, past de band prima in de ‘Summer of Love’ in het San Francisco van 1967. Ook zijn de Stones, Lenny Kravitz en de “CCR” nooit ver weg op het zompige, broeierige en scheurende “Faico Faico”.
Wat de naam van het album betreft: wat “Faico” wil zeggen, weet blijkbaar niemand…  Op zaterdag 18 en zondag 19 januari is het album in hun repetitieschuur ‘The Boogie Barn’, in het landschap van de Achterhoek (een streek in het oosten van Nederland in de provincie Gelderland aan de IJssel), gepresenteerd voor een select publiek voorgesteld. De opener van het album 1”Angels” is al direct een rock song met ballen, die de zangkwaliteiten van Eric Neimeier overvloedig etaleert. Vedran Mircetic is een van de gasten op het album, die op sitar op de tracks 3”The Beat Of Love” (mede met de hulp van vier extra backings: Melissa, Julia, Rabiëlla & Nova) en 11”Can You Hear It On The Radio” mag mee spelen, om het hippie flower power feestje te helpen inkleden en om voor een gepaste psychedelische toon te zorgen.

4”When The Day Is Done” is funky, met sterke solo’s van gitaristen Bob Schouten en Lovink. Een extra slide gitaar (Wout Kemkens) en pedal steel (Ellio Martina) bepalen samen met het orgel van Geo Wassink de sfeer van de tracks 5”This Is How It’s Gone Be” en 8”Number 21” (met knappe vocale harmonieën van Toos & Marieke!)en van 10”Wait Till I Get Home”. Meer rock met snedige gitaar solo’s horen we in 6”Take My Life” en in 9”It Is Not So Easy”, een nummer (dit geldt trouwens ook voor tracks 2”Lost My Job To A Chinaman” en 7”Country Lover Affair”) waarin de blazers (Bas Konings – trompet, Mark Lucassen – sax & Rob Ebbers – trombone) flink, maar uitstekend weerwerk brengen. De afsluiter 12”Home” is een nummer dat telkens in het refrein, het verlangen naar geborgenheid uitzingt: “I just wanna feel like home!”   Album tracks: 1”Angels” – 2”Lost My Job To A Chinaman” – 3”The Beat Of Love” – 4”When The Day Is Done” – 5”This Is How It’s Gone Be” – 6”Take My Life” – 7”Country Lover Affair” – 8”Number 21” – 9”It Is Not So Easy” – 10”Wait Till I Get Home” – 11”Can You Hear It On The Radio” – 12”Home”.

Het album “The Backcorner Boogie Band” van Hendrik-Jan Lovink en zijn muzikale raad van elf, is vooral een heel gevarieerd album geworden met meerdere stijlen. HJ Lovink en zijn “Boogie Band” is een band met veel live ervaring en dat hoor je aan hun sound. Het samen spelen en zingen klinkt heel coherent en met dit album is de “Backcorner Boogie Band” ongetwijfeld klaar, om uit hun Achterhoek te komen en om over de grenzen te gaan trekken. We kijken er naar uit om ze ook op de Belgische festivals te mogen verwelkomen!       https://www.bing.com/translator

Tracklist

1.  Angels  (4:33)
2.  Lost My Job to a Chinaman  (3:22)
3.  The Beat of Love  (3:30)  Backing Vocals – Julia Evers, Melissa Janssen, Nova Borgers, Rabiëlla Dijo / Sitar – Vedran Mircetic
4.  When the Day Is Done  (2:54)
5.  This Is How It’s Gonna Be  (4:47)   Pedal Steel Guitar – Ellio Martina
6.  Take My Life  (3:15)
7.  Country Love Affair  (4:09)
8.  Number 21  (3:37)   Pedal Steel Guitar – Ellio Martina
9.  Not So Easy  (2:18)
10.  Wait Till I Get Home  (4:03)    Slide Guitar – Wout Kemkens
11 . Can You Hear It on the Radio  (3:37)   Sitar – Vedran Mircetic
12.  Home  (2:55)

Line up:
 Erik Neimeier: lead vocals
Hendrik-Jan Lovink: rhythm guitar (ex “Jovink & The Voederbietels”)
Bas Schouten: solo guitar
Geo Wassink: Hammond, piano, harmonica
Richard Hunting: bass
Eugene Latumeten: backing vocals / lead vocals
Mike Visser: drums / percussie
Bas Konings: trumpet
Mark Lucassen: sax
Rob Ebbers: trombone
Toos Ligtenberg: backing vocals / lead vocals
Marieke Ruessink: backing vocals / lead vocals

Guests & Additionals:
Vedran Mircetic: sitar (3,11)
Wout Kemkens: additional slide guitar (10)
Ellio Martina: pedal steel (5,8)
Melissa Janssen, Julia Evers, Rabiëlla Dijo, Nova Borgers: additional backing vocals (3)

Notes

Release date: 17 Jan 2014
Genre:  Blues / Rock
totale tijdsduur: 43:00

Label – Suburban Records 

Tommy Ebben & The Small Villains – Dreamless Slumbers (2010)

by Record Facts

Tommy Ebben & the Small Town Villains is een Nederlandse band rond de Utrechtse singer-songwriter Tommy Ebben. Na het in 2009 in eigen beheer uitgebrachte demo-album Old Masters Painted These Moments, verzamelde Ebben een band bij elkaar en was het voortaan Tommy Ebben & the Small Town Villains. Ook was er al een label; er werd getekend bij Goomah Music.

Tommy Ebben (1984) is de bekende ‘oude ziel gevangen in een jong lichaam’. Klassieke rock-’n-roll, vooroorlogse blues en prehistorische folk maken een onuitwisbare indruk op hem. Al deze oude invloeden weet Ebben dankzij nieuwe invalshoeken om te zetten in tijdloze liedjes. 

Na in 2009 en 2010 op diverse podia en festivals (onder andere op Zwarte Cross en bij 3FM) te hebben opgetreden kwam op 14 oktober 2010 het eerste album mét band uit, genaamd: Dreamless Slumbers. Het nummer She Won’t Tell van dit album is gebruikt in een reclame voor Vodafone Fietsen.

Vanaf november 2007 werkt hij aan zijn debuutalbum. Het volledig zelf geschreven en gearrangeerde Old Masters Painted These Moments verschijnt in 2008 en wordt in eigen beheer uitgegeven. Invloeden zijn onder andere: Tom Waits, Neil Young, Johnny Cash en Ryan Adams. Het album krijgt goede kritieken in de nationale pers. Ebben wordt onder meer tot ‘Live XS Local Hero’ en  Artiest van de Week’ op MusicFrom.NL verkozen en de plaat wordt ‘Demo van de Maand’ in Fret Popmagazine. Revolver Magazine schrijft: “Zowel tekstueel als muzikaal een unieke nieuwkomer die zich met geen enkele Nederlandse songwriter van dit moment laat vergelijken.”

Live speelt Tommy Ebben met een volwaardige begeleidingsband, bestaande uit drie multi-instrumentalisten (onder de naam Tommy Ebben & The Small Town Villains). Of hij speelt alleen, zichzelf begeleidend op gitaar en mondharmonica. Op 15 januari 2009 speelt Ebben bijvoorbeeld tijdens Grunnsonic in Café Koster. 

Het vele optreden van Tommy Ebben & The Small Town Villains in 2009 en 2010 beïnvloedt hun muziek. Bestaat Old Masters… nog voornamelijk uit rootsy ballads, het nieuwe materiaal is veel meer uptempo, met honky-tonk- en boogie-elementen. Dat hoor je terug op het tweede album, Dreamless Slumbers (uitgebracht door Goomah Music). Ebben verruilt in 2009 Groningen voor Utrecht, hoewel de band in onder meer drummer Thomas van den Berg nog een Gronings randje houdt. In juli 2010 staat de band op de main stage van het festival Zwarte Cross. Het nummer She Won’t Tell is te horen in een tv-reclame van Vodafone die vanaf september 2010 een jaar lang vertoond wordt op televisie en internet. Ook de recensies van Dreamless Slumbers zijn lovend.

Op het album worden de zelfgeschreven nummers afgewisseld van stevige uptempo rock nummers met goede melodielijnen en voorzien van een kop en een staart in prachtige breekbare akoestische songs van een hoog niveau met duidelijke invloeden van de grote meesters in dit genre: Bob Dylan, Neil Young en Jackson Browne. Met zijn wat hese, schrapende, maar aanwezige stemgeluid brengt Tommy Ebben deze nummers tot leven en maakt dit album tot een prachtig en boeiend muzikaal avontuur.  Met name de akoestische nummers , zoals “Eurydice” en “A Violet Goodbye” zij  erg sterk en nemen je direct mee in de emotie van het nummer. En ik kan u zelfs vertellen dat u waarschijnlijk al een aantal keer wat van deze band heeft gehoord. Het nummer “She Won’t Tell” wordt namelijk gebruikt als muziek in een Vodafone reclame die op dit moment loopt.    https://www.bing.com/translator

 

Tracklist

1.  In Orbit  (4:44)
2.  Praise of Boredom  (4:11)
3.  Eurydice  (4:16)
4.  The Leaving  (3:37)
5.  Forever Sunday  (2:33)
6.  She Won’t Tell  (2:49)
7.  A Violet Goodbye  (3:09)
8.  Dreamless Slumbers  (4:04)
9.  Persephone  (4:15)
10.  Evelyn  (4:09)
11.  Sunday Love (Driving Around)  (3:09)
12.  Ballad of a Bad Lover (Signs)  (2:55)
13.  False Injuries  (3:34)
14.  To the River  (3:34)

Muzikanten

Tommy Ebben (zang, gitaar)
Maarten Rischen (toetsen)
Thomas van den Berge (drums)
Sebastiaan Herbert (bass, backing vocals)

Notes

Release date: October 15, 2010
Genre: Folk Rock
totale tijdsduur: 50:59

Label – Goomah Music

Flash Cadillac & The Contintental Kids – Flash Cadillac & The Contintental Kids (1972)

by Record Facts

Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids, now known as Flash Cadillac, are an American retro rock ‘n’ roll band. They are best known for their portrayal of the group Herby and the Heartbeats in the film American Graffiti, to which they contributed three songs: cover versions of “At the Hop” and “Louie, Louie“, and the original composition “She’s So Fine”. Their version of “At the Hop” was released as a single in 1973. They had charts hits with “Dancin’ (on a Saturday Night)“, written by Lynsey De Paul and Barry Blue, “Good Times, Rock and Roll” and “Did You Boogie (With Your Baby)”. “Dancin’ (On A Saturday Night)” also reached the Swedish top 10 in 1974. They also released a cover version of Wizzard’s See My Baby Jive written by Roy Wood in 1977.

The band began in 1969 in Boulder, Colorado at the University of Colorado with Kris Moe as the keyboardist, Linn Phillips guitar, Warren Knight on bass, Harold Fielden on drums and Mick “Flash” Manresa as front man and guitar. The band got its name, “Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids” from Hughey Plumley who spent most of his time in the back of a Boulder bar, The Sink, and who entertained himself by creating names for bands.

Kris Moe and Charlie Phillips (Linn’s brother) were college roommates, and that is how Kris came to meet Linn and form the band which performed for the first time in February 1969 at a frathouse party. They then moved to Los Angeles in 1970 to try to break into the big time. When the original “Flash,” the lead singer and several other band members decided to return to school in 1971, Kris Moe, Linn Phillips and Warren Knight decided to replace “Flash” and auditioned and eventually hired Sam McFadin from [Security, Colorado]. The Los Angeles house they lived in was called “The Tiltin’ Hilton”.

The phenomenal success of the movie American Graffiti spawned renewed interest in ’50s and ’60s rock & roll. Sha-Na-Na became the most prominent of the oldies bands, but it was Flash Cadillac and the Continental Kids who both appeared in that influential film and on its soundtrack (with the delightful “She’s So Fine,” also included on this, their debut album).

Where Sha-Na-Na slavishly recreated ’50s music, Flash Cadillac conveyed more of the wild abandon of early rock & roll attitude, whether covering familiar oldies or newer material. The choice of covers is inspired, and the performances are uniformly excellent. By capturing an authentic feel, Flash Cadillac makes familiar material like “Pipeline” and “Endless Sleep” sound fresh. The elegant Brill Building pop of “Crying In the Rain” and the movie track, “She’s So Fine,” ashowcase their tight vocal harmonies, while two originals by piano player Kris “Angelo” Moe fit in seamlessly with the cover songs, demonstrating real, skilled pop songcraft.

From the opening blast of “Muleskinner Blues,” Flash and the Kids establish that their approach isn’t sedate or polite. Where Sha-Na-Na was the cartoon version of the archetypal oldies rock & roll group, Flash Cadillac was the J.D. B-movie equivalent.

Tracklist

A1. Muleskinner Blues (Blue Yodel No. 8)   (Written-By – J. Rodgers) – 2:30
A2. Reputation   (Written-By – K. Fowley, S. O’Reilly) – 2:07
A3. Crying In The Rain   (Written-By – C. King, H. Greenfield) – 2:15
A4. Teenage Eyes   (Written-By – K. Moe) – 3:08
A5. Betty Lou   (Written-By – K. Moe) – 2:04
A6. Pipeline   (Written-By – B. Spickard, B. Carman) – 2:52

B1. She’s So Fine   (Written By – K. M. Phillips) – 2:36
B2. Tell Him No   (Written-By – T. M. Pritchett) – 2:26
B3. Nothin’ For Me   (Written-By – S. McFadin) – 1:51
B4. You Gotta Rock   (Written By – G. Robinson, J. Masino) – 2:14
B5. Endless Sleep   (Written-By – D. Nance, J. Reynolds) – 3:45
B6. Up On The Mountain   (Written By – N. Montague, E. G. Abner Jr.) – 2:25

Companies, etc.

Credits

Notes

Released:  1972
Genre: Rock
Style: Rock & Roll
Length: 30:17

Label – Epic Records

Sheriff – Sheriff (1989)

by Record Facts

The band was formed in 1979 in Toronto, Ontario and consisted of vocalist Freddy Curci, guitarist Steve DeMarchi, keyboardist/rhythm guitarist Arnold Lanni, bassist Wolf Hassel and drummer Rob Elliott. The band’s only full-length release was a self-titled 1982 album, that featured a Canadian Top 40 hit, “You Remind Me” as well as their most famous song, “When I’m with You”, which reached #8 in Canada and #61 in the United States in 1983 and six years later was re-released and hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S. in 1989. The band split up in 1985, citing internal tensions. Lanni and Hassel went on to form Frozen Ghost and racked up several hits in Canada, the biggest of which was “Should I See,” which reached #69 in the U.

Six years after “When I’m with You” had been a chart hit in Canada, Las Vegas DJ Jay Taylor began playing the song. KRXY DJ Gabe Baptiste also started playing “When I’m With You,” and listener response was positive. As a result, Capitol Records re-released the song. It subsequently became #1 in the United States in February 1989. While Curci and DeMarchi made efforts to re-form Sheriff, a reunion was not to be. The lack of interest from other Sheriff bandmembers eventually led Curci and DeMarchi to team up with several former members of Heart to form Alias, who in the early 1990s had two popular singles, with “Waiting for Love” and their #2 success, “More Than Words Can Say.”

If you’re looking for bleak lyrics vainly trying to capture human emotion, then Sheriff is not for you. Sheriff is one of those albums that you put in your car on a sunny day for the ride to the beach. The album is light pop and the lyrics never aspire to be more than just plain old fun. The appeal of Sheriff is simple, upbeat, catchy pop melodies. Add the remarkable voice of Fred Curci and you have a winning formula. Curci is one of those rare vocalists who can make you sing along with every track. The pulsating “California” is representative of the band’s high-energy approach. Set to a throbbing beat, songwriter and guitarist Arnold Lanni sketches out flashy guitar riffs, while Curci’s elastic voice soars through the arrangement.
Other tracks that deserve mention are the spirited “Makin’ My Way,” and “Crazy Without You,” which could have been hits. The super-charged “Give Me Rock’n Roll,” with it’s bombastic finish, is also noteworthy. On the groups one hit, the ballad “When I’m With You,” Curci is center stage as his voice gently takes flight at the end of the track. In fact, the note he holds at the end is recognized as the longest in a number one song.
Like many good records, Sheriff failed to catch on when it was originally released. Fans of upbeat, ’80s pop rock shouldn’t miss this album. However, you might want to get your hands on the original vinyl release for several reasons.
One is that the band recorded two versions of “When I’m With You.” While they are not dramatically different, Curci’s vocal ascension up the scale at the end of the track is smoother and more relaxed on the LP than on the CD version. The second reason to grab the LP is that the CD version leaves out Curci’s wailing solo at the end of “Give Me Rock’n Roll.”
Given that the CD is barely 40 minutes long, it is almost inconceivable why the solo was left off. Today, Sheriff remains one of pop music’s most enduring novelties. The fact that “When I’m With You” topped the charts seven years after it’s release is evidence that the band had something quite special. Grade A.

Meanwhile, Lanni and Hassel continued to work with Frozen Ghost until they split up in 1993.

Tracklist

1. “You Remind Me”  – 3:50
2. “California”  – 3:59
3. “Makin’ My Way”  – 3:22
4. “When I’m with You”  – 3:58
5. “Kept Me Coming”  (Steve DeMarchi, Lanni) – 3:06
6. “Mama’s Baby”  – 5:06
7. “Crazy Without You”  (DeMarchi, Lanni) -3:48
8. “Elisa”  – 3:14
9. “Living for a Dream”  – 4:06
10. “Give Me Rock ‘N’ Roll”  – 2:52

All songs were written by Arnold Lanni, except where noted.

Personnel

Production

  • Executive Producers: John Victor and Helen Victor
  • Engineered by Greg Roberts, assisted by Alyx Skriabow
  • Pre-Production at Perceptions Recording Studio, Toronto, Ontario
  • Mixed at Electric Lady Studios, New York City
  • Mix Engineered by Dave Wittman, assisted by Ed Garcia and Michel Sauvage
  • Mastered at Masterdisk, New York City, by Bob Ludwig

Notes

Release date: November 27, 1982
Recorded: 1982
Genre: Rock, pop rock
Length: 37:21

Label – Capitol Records

Paul McCartney – Flaming Pie (1997)

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Flaming Pie is the tenth solo studio album by Paul McCartney under his own name, first released in 1997. His first studio album in over four years, it was mostly recorded following McCartney’s involvement in the highly successful Beatles Anthology project.[1] The album was recorded in several locations over two years, 1995 and 1997, featuring two songs dating from 1992.

The album featured several of McCartney’s family members and friends, most notably McCartney’s son, James McCartney. In Flaming Pie’s liner notes, McCartney said: “[The Beatles Anthology] reminded me of The Beatles’ standards and the standards that we reached with the songs. So in a way it was a refresher course that set the framework for this album.”

“Calico Skies”, which Paul McCartney had written when Hurricane Bob had hit while McCartney was staying on Long Island in 1991, and “Great Day”, which features backing vocal from his wife Linda McCartney, hailed from a 1992 session, recorded even before Off the Ground had come out. Starting from the mid-1990s for four years, McCartney was involved in The Beatles Anthology, a documentary on the history of The Beatles.[7] The documentary was originally titled The Long and Winding Road, named after the Beatle song of the same name. During 1995, as the Anthology albums were starting to be released over a two-year period, EMI did not want McCartney to release a solo album in the meantime. McCartney said that he “was almost insulted at first” before then realising that “it would be silly to go out against yourself in the form of The Beatles. So I fell in with the idea and thought, ‘Great, I don’t even have to think about an album.'” McCartney was occupied with working on Standing Stone in the interim.

In many ways, Flaming Pie fulfills those goals. A largely acoustic collection of simple songs, Flaming Pie is direct and unassuming, and at its best, it recalls the homely charm of McCartney and Ram. McCartney still has a tendency to wallow in trite sentiment, and his more ambitious numbers, like the string-drenched epic “Beautiful Night” or the silly Beatlesque psychedelia of “Flaming Pie,” fall a little flat. But when he works on a small scale, as on the waltzing “The Song We Were Singing,” “Calico Skies,” “Great Day,” and “Little Willow,” he’s gently affecting, and the moderately rocking pop of “The World Tonight” and “Young Boy” is more ingratiating than the pair of aimless bluesy jams with Steve Miller. Even with the filler, which should be expected on any McCartney album, Flaming Pie is one of his most successful latter-day efforts, mainly because McCartney is at his best when he doesn’t try so hard and lets his effortless melodic gifts rise to the surface.

Tracklist

  1. “The Song We Were Singing” – 3:55
  2. “The World Tonight” – 4:06
  3. “If You Wanna” – 4:38
  4. “Somedays” – 4:15
  5. “Young Boy” – 3:54
  6. “Calico Skies” – 2:32
  7. “Flaming Pie” – 2:30
  8. “Heaven on a Sunday” – 4:27
  9. “Used to Be Bad”  (Duet with Steve Miller)  (Steve Miller, McCartney) – 4:12
  10. “Souvenir” – 3:41
  11. “Little Willow” – 2:58
  12. “Really Love You”  (McCartney, Richard Starkey) – 5:18
  13. “Beautiful Night” – 5:09
  14. “Great Day” – 2:09

All songs written by Paul McCartney, except where noted.

Other songs

Also released on the singles were four songs (all written by McCartney, except where noted), plus 6 Oobu Joobu mini episodes.

From “Young Boy” single
  • “Looking for You” (McCartney, Richard Starkey) – 4:38
    • Another jam with Starr and Lynne
    • Released as an exclusive bonus track on the album in 2007 when the iTunes Store added McCartney’s catalogue of music
  • “Oobu Joobu Part 1” – 9:54
    • Features the song “I Love This House” (3:41), a track from 1984 with David Gilmour
  • “Broomstick” – 5:09
    • Another track with Miller
  • “Oobu Joobu Part 2” – 10:19
    • Features the song “Atlantic Ocean” (6:25), from 1987
From “The World Tonight” single
  • “Oobu Joobu Part 3” – 9:48
    • Features the song “Squid” (6:25), an instrumental from 1987
  • “Oobu Joobu Part 4” – 7:06
    • Features Paul’s solo version of “Don’t Break the Promise” (3:39), later done with 10CC
From “Beautiful Night” single
  • “Love Come Tumbling Down” – 4:21
    • A song from 1987
  • “Oobu Joobu Part 5” – 9:54
    • Features the original version of “Beautiful Night” (4:02), done in 1986.
  • “Same Love” – 3:53
    • Recorded in 1988
  • “Oobu Joobu Part 6” – 8:33
    • Features the song “Love Mix” (3:02), from 1987 that includes “Waiting for the Sun to Shine” which was written in late 1973, and included as the chorus.

Personnel

Musicians

Notes

Release date: 5 May 1997
Recorded: 3 September 1992 (“Calico Skies” and “Great Day”); 22 February – 11 May 1995; 1 November 1995 – 14 February 1997 Studio Abbey Road Studios, London; Sun Valley, Idaho; The Mill, Sussex; AIR Studios, London
Genre: Rock
Length: 53:47

Label – Parlophone Records

Bobby Kimball – All I Ever Needed (1999)

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Robert Troy Kimball (born March 29, 1947) is an American singer, best known as the original and longtime frontman of the rock band Toto. 

In 1974, Kimball moved from Louisiana to Los Angeles, California to pursue a professional full-time music career. In California, he joined three members of Three Dog Night to form a new band called S.S. Fools. They released one album on CBS Records, but the band proved unsuccessful; the album was considered a commercial failure and had even failed to chart on top music lists, causing the band to be abruptly dropped from their label and to split up within a year and a half. About six months later, by 1976, feeling disheartened but still ambitious enough to form or join a band – Kimball was found by David Paich and Jeff Porcaro and was asked to join them with five other session musicians – all of whom would eventually form the band which would later become the famously known Toto. After splitting from Toto in 1984,  Bobby Kimball relocated to Germany for a solo career under producer Frank Farian of the Far Corporation.

Kimball also continued to work as a session artist, singing background vocals with a trio composed of Michael McDonald from The Doobie Brothers and Bill Champlin of Chicago. Kimball was nearly asked by the band to return to Toto during 1989–1990 to record songs for the band’s greatest hits album, Past to Present 1977-1990, only to be replaced by singer Jean-Michel Byron (a decision said to have derived from Sony, the band’s record company at the time).

Bobby Kimball has finally made the record we were waiting for, a record reminding us that he was the first and ultimate singer of TOTO. Like the best records of this great band, All I Ever Need has the right balance between rock and funk and between soft and heavy.

‘Till Tomorrow is only mid paced, yet one of the album’s more uptempo tracks. This is classic Toto style pop rock with a good hook and chorus and some tasteful guitar moments from Buzzy Fieten.
All I Ever Needed is a great and sentimental westcoast style ballad. A good strong vocal from Kimball.
My Kinda Lover is a upbeat jazzy pop number in the style of early Toto.
Two Souls is one of the tracks featuring Mickey Thomas. It’s a killer soulful ballad but more for the harmonies provided by Thomas. He sings up a storm.
This Time is a simple soft pop song. There’s some Hammond style organ in there, some straight piano in a very stripped back sound.
Moving from pop song to ballad means Kristine is indeed another ballad. But one of the best of the album. Mickey Thomas is back again, this time sharing lead vocals with Bobby. The guys really sound great together. Add some strings and you have a very powerful more Toto style ballad.
Live The Groove brings back that organ and some distinctly Lukather-ish style guitar chops, plus horns and percussion a la Toto. You got it! A early days of Toto style pop rocker.
Do You Ever is another ballad. This is a good mid tempo ballad wit hmore tasteful guitar from Buzz and a really good lead vocal.
Loves Gonna Find You is a funked up free flowing pop rocker. Hand In Hand ends the album with another ballad, but another really good one.
Another big vocal performance from Bobby.

Tracklist

1. ‘Till Tomorrow – 4:37
2. All I Ever Needed – 5:42
3. My Kinda Lover – 4:51
4. Two Souls – 4:23
5. This Time – 5:03
6. Kristine – 7:12
7. Live the Groove – 4:29
8. Do You Ever – 4:34
9. Loves Gonna Find You – 4:59
10. Hand in Hand – 4:46

Companies, etc.

Credits

Bobby Kimball – vocals
Buzzy Fieten – guitars
Mike Barnes – guitars
Dave Barnett – guitars
Brian Bromberg – bass
Alec Milstien – bass
Mitchell Foreman – piano, keyboards
Marc Hugenberger – piano
Joel Taylor – drums
John Zaika – programming
Fulton Turnage – sax
Dave Butler – horns
Jim Foster – horns
Mickey Thomas – backing vocals
Jeanie Tracy – backing vocals
Tony Lindsay – backing vocals
Larry Batiste – backing vocals
Produced by: John Zaika & Bobby Kimball
Executive Producer: Rob Clark & Franz-Josef Kromeich for Troika Music LLC.

Notes

Release date: November 15, 1999
Genre: Rock
Style:  AOR
Length: 50:36

Label – Point Music

Buckingham Nicks – Buckingham Nicks (1973)

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Buckingham Nicks is the sole studio album by the American rock duo Buckingham Nicks. Produced by Keith Olsen, the album was released in September 1973 by Polydor Records. Buckingham Nicks is notable as an early commercial collaboration between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, both of whom later joined Fleetwood Mac.

While it will be hard to find, this lone album cut by a young and ambitious (and still romantically attached) Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham a short two years before joining Fleetwood Mac is well worth digging out for your turntable.  Considering what the duo was to later accomplish, Buckingham Nicks is an engaging listen and served as a proving ground of sorts for both artists’ songwriting chops and for Buckingham‘s skills as an emerging studio craftsman. It was a good enough resumé for Fleetwood Mac, who re-recorded the beautifully cerebral “Crystal” when the duo joined them for 1975’s self-titled comeback album.

The high-octane rockabilly of “Don’t Let Me Down Again” became a staple of the band’s concert sets well into the 1980s. Crisp, ringing acoustic guitars and a bottom-heavy rhythm section (using the talents of Waddy Wachtel, Jim Keltner, and Jerry Scheff) framed the pair’s songs in a sound something akin to FM-ready folk-rock. Lesser known tracks like the glistening opener, “Crying in the Night,” from Nicks and Buckingham’s lonely-guy lament, “Without a Leg to Stand On,” are on a par with their later mega hits. At the same time, the misogyny of Buckingham‘s “Lola, My Love” is a real eye-roller and the orchestral overtones of “Frozen Love” show that the two were over-reaching themselves just a bit. Buckingham-Nicks was a stiff however and the couple had lost their deal with Polydor. But 1975, of course, proved to be one of their better years.

Tracklist

1. “Crying in the Night”  (Stevie Nicks) – 2:48
2. “Stephanie”  (Lindsey Buckingham) – 2:12
3. “Without a Leg to Stand On”  (Buckingham) – 2:09
4. “Crystal”  (Nicks) – 3:41
5. “Long Distance Winner”  (Nicks) – 4:51
6. “Don’t Let Me Down Again”  (Buckingham) – 3:51
7. “Django”  (John Lewis) – 1:02
8. “Races are Run”  (Nicks) – 4:14
9. “Lola (My Love)”  (Buckingham) – 3:44
10. “Frozen Love”  (Nicks, Buckingham) – 7:16

Main performers

Additional personnel

Companies, etc.

Production

Notes

Release date: September 5, 1973
Recorded 1973, Studio Sound City Studios, Los Angeles, California
Genre: Pop Rock
Length: 36:42

Label – Polydor Records