BLUES MAGOOS: The Second Album

Original released on LP Mercury MG 21104

(US, 1967)

The Blues Magoos' first album, "Psychedelic Lollipop", earned the band a major hit single, "(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet," and in the grand tradition of striking while the iron was hot, the New York-based quintet were back with their second LP, 1967's "Electric Comic Book", less than five months later. The sophomore effort is a noticeably more ambitious piece of work than the Magoos' debut, and while psychedelia was a catchphrase more than anything else on the first record, "Electric Comic Book" sounds trippier and a bit more expansive by comparison (the goofy "Intermission" tosses in some fairly obvious marijuana and cocaine references which would have been almost unthinkable in 1966, and the drug angle in "Pipe Dream" isn't exactly subtle). In addition, a few months of playing live had tightened up a combo who already sounded pretty good together, as well as bolstering the confidence in Ralph Scala's vocals and keyboard work and the fuzzy interplay of guitarists Mike Esposito and Emil 'Peppy' Thielhelm. However, the blues and R&B elements that were a large part of "Psychedelic Lollipop"'s strength have faded into the background here (except for a overdone cover of Jimmy Reed's "Let's Get Together"), and though the band could come up with a respectable pop tune, "Baby, I Want You" and "Take My Love" sound like throw-aways that were tossed together quickly to fill out a record not quite 30 minutes long (though "Take My Love" does have the very memorable line 'Take my love and shove it up your heart'). "Psychedelic Lollipop" is well short of a classic, but overall it's a stronger and more coherent set of songs than "Electric Comic Book", which sounds like the quickly recorded follow-up that it truly was, though it does have moments that suggest the band could have made another album as good as the debut with a bit more time and attention. (Mark Deming in AllMusic)

WILLIAM BELL Debut Album

Original released on LP STAX 719

(US, 1967)

William Bell's history illustrates just how singles-oriented soul was in the 1960s. Though he'd enjoyed a hit in 1961 with "You Don't Miss Your Water," it wasn't until 1967 that Stax finally released his first album, this magnificent "The Soul of a Bell". From that classic and Bell's moderate hits "Never Like This Before" and "Everybody Loves A Winner" to heartfelt versions of "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" and "I've Been Loving You Too Long," everything on this album illustrates the gospel-drenched richness of Southern soul. Meanwhile, the influence of Motown and the Four Tops is hard to miss on the riveting single "Eloise (Hang On In There)," which should have been a major hit, but surprisingly, never even charted. (Alex Henderson in AllMusic)

PAST PERFECT: Elegance In The Old Days

FOUR TOPS ON TOP

Original released on LP Motown MS-647

(US, July 1966)

Beginning with "On Top", Motown started constructing their Four Tops LPs from singles and a few similar-sounding album tracks, along with plenty of crossover material (usually attempts at MOR covers or light supper-club standards). The first four songs display the Four Tops at the peak of their power; opening with the swinging "I Got a Feeling," the quartet paused only briefly with a ballad ("Brenda") before delivering their two biggest and best hits of the time, "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" and "Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)." Hoping older listeners might be lured in by crossover versions of a few current hits, Motown devoted the last half to some seriously misguided covers: "Matchmaker," "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars," "In the Still of the Night," and a rather stiff version of the Beatles' "Michelle." Though it reached the pop Top 40, doubtless most teenagers never even bothered flipping this one over, and the crossover material hasn't aged well. (John Bush in AllMusic)

ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK 1ST Album

Original released on LP Decca LK 4868

(UK, May 1967)

SHOCKING BLUE's Debut Album

Original released on LP Polydor 236173

(NETHERLANDS 1967, November 27)

This is a sort of transition album between The Motions and Shocking Blue (pré Mariska Veres). I hear rock 'n' roll, beat & even progressive rock influences. Although not so radical and groundbreaking as The Motions on their 1st album and certainly not as catchy and full of hit-potential like the later Shocking Blue LPs (hence the addition of Mariska), the songs on this record are quite diverse, sounding really warm & deep. An interesting late sixties album with at times rather straight forward tunes but with that typical atmosphere that I can not shake off after listening... (in RateYourMusic)

A TRIBUTE: The Songs of the BEE GEES

That Latin Sound Of Edmundo...

Original released on CD Castle PLS 245

(UK, 1997)

CLASSICS UP TO DATE 7

JAMES LAST - "Non Stop Party"

Original released on LP Polydor 179 040

(GERMANY, 1967)

BILLIE HOLIDAY - "Lady Sings The Blues"

Original released on LP Clef MG C-721

(US, 1956)

Taken from a pair of sessions taped during 1955-1956, "Lady Sings the Blues" finds Holiday in top form and backed by the sympathetic likes of tenor saxophonist Paul Quinichette, trumpeters Charlie Shavers and Harry Edison, pianist Wynton Kelly, and guitarists Kenny Burrell and Barney Kessel. And while these autumnal sides bear some of the frayed vocal moments often heard on Holiday's '50s Verve sides, the majority here still ranks with her best material. This is especially true of the cuts from the June 1956 date, which produced unparalleled versions of "No Good Man," "Some Other Spring," and "Lady Sings the Blues." See why many fans prefer the "worn out" Holiday heard here to the more chipper singer featured on those classic Columbia records from the '30s. (Stephen Cook in AllMusic)

THE BEAT OF THE POPS - VOLUME 28

PAST PERFECT: This Thing Called Love

SUPREMES A' GO-GO

Original Released on LP Motown MT-649

(US 1966, August 25)

"Supremes A' Go-Go" was the group's first number one pop album, propelled to that place with help from a chart-topping single ("You Can't Hurry Love") and a marketing ploy that generated an irresistible song lineup. And along with "The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland", "Supremes A' Go-Go" has held its value better than almost any of the trio's most successful albums (which excludes "We Remember Sam Cooke") - in fact, back in the days when vinyl was the only game in town, used copies of this record sold faster and better than any of their other common '60s LPs, and for good reason. Various hits compilations had skimmed the most familiar songs off of "Where Did Our Love Go", "I Hear a Symphony", etc., but the very concept behind "Supremes A' Go-Go" - getting the group to cover some of the top hits of other (mostly Motown) acts - dictated that every song on this album was familiar in name, and only "You Can't Hurry Love" was culled for any hits packages. There was a lot to recommend it musically, including the trio soaring rendition of "Shake Me, Wake Me" and a version of "Get Ready," which, even if it was no threat to the Temptations, still could have been a hit. Similarly, "Baby I Need Your Lovin'" and "I Can't Help Myself" will always belong to the Four Tops, but Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard throw themselves into both (in a less weighty version of the former) with enough spirit to make them work as album cuts; "Money" is diverting if less successful, and "Come and Get These Memories" is worth checking out just to hear Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson step forward. And even the non-Motown covers, like "These Boot Are Made for Walkin'" and "Hang on Sloopy," make worthwhile listening, with Ross turning in a surprisingly strong, passionate performance on the latter. A number one album in its time on the pop and R&B charts, "Supremes A' Go-Go" also benefited from the fact that there were no pop standards or slow ballads here, just solid R&B dance numbers. (Bruce Eder in AllMusic)

ON THE ROAD AGAIN - VOLUME 28