THE SPOTNICKS: EP "Pick Al Bale Of Cotton"

Original released on EP Président PRC 339

(FRANCE, 1963)

SPOTNICKS IN LONDON

Original released on LP Oriole SPS 40037

(UK, 1962)

The debut LP by this premiere Swedish rock & roll group - who blazed a trail across Europe a decade before ABBA was even a lightbulb going off in the heads of Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersen, and did it from precisely the opposite starting point, working almost exclusively as an instrumental group - is mightily impressive five decades on. Their sound is similar to that of the Shadows, but their attack on their instruments is less predictable, and the Spotnicks also have more of a pure electric sound, not relying too much on acoustic guitar even for rhythm. The result is a surprisingly rocking version of Jerome Kern's "Ol' Man River" (with some serious attempts at vocalizing to the words by Bob Lander, who does well here and not nearly so on "My Old Kentucky Home") - as one highlight of the record, it rocks along like a nice piece of electrified pop 'til Bo Winberg's guitar comes in, and then it lifts off in the stratosphere.

"The Spotnicks Theme" isn't much to write home about, except as a by-the-numbers showcase for every member of the band; but "Nightcap," authored by bassist Björn Thelin, shows that these guys were as versed in jazz as they were in pop and rock, and listened to their share of Tal Farlow and company; similarly, "No Yaga Daga Blues" shows the quartet quite at home in the bluesier side of jazz. "The Rocket Man" uses Russian source material, and fully a third of the stuff here is traditional tunes cranked up on electric guitar and bass - speaking of which, you haven't glimpsed the potential of the latter till you've heard the traditional Irish tune "Garry Owen" played on electric guitar. And that's just half of what makes this album so cool - had this been an EMI or a Decca release, chances are we'd have a bunch of highlights like those described but no hits, the latter held back for an eventual compilation; but "The Spotnicks in London" was a release of Oriole Records, a much more emaciated outfit, who couldn't afford not to put the group's most recognizable songs on the album; and so we've got "Havah Nagila," "Amapola," and all of the other records with which the band charted in England and across Europe. The result is an album that's practically a "best-of" and a "greatest-hits" collection of their early music. (Bruce Eder in AllMusic)

DAVID ACKLES: "American Gothic"

Original released on LP Elektra EKS 75032

(US, July 1972)

A ácida ironia que David Ackles emprega nas suas histórias sobre a sociedade americana e o mundo do espectáculo torna quem as ouve muito menos caridoso face a grande parte da música do início dos anos 70. Confrontados com a sofisticação e elegância das letras, e o ecletismo erudito das influências musicais - não distante de arranjos de Weill e seus ecos em Brel ou Scott Walker - começa-se a experimentar o absurdo de "American Gothic" não ter sido saudado como a obra-prima que obviamente é. Ackles tinha 35 anos e estava na indústria de entretenimento desde os quatro - mas não se encaixava na cena do country-rock. Por temperamento e educação, tinha a sensibilidade necessária para escrever coisas como «They suffer least who suffer what they chose», em "American Gothic", ou a perspicácia para traçar vinhetas da classe operária como «When there's time for thinking I spend it drinking up my failure», de "Another Friday Night". Inspirado pelo teatro musical, Ackles aplica a sua cuidada dicção dramática na criação de pequenas cenas, encarnando os protagonistas com perfeccionismo e, naturalmente, actualizando o tempo do homónimo quadro de Grant Wood e dos romances de Faulkner ou Flannery O'Connor - entre ecos de Guthrie e do futuro Springsteen. Foi o seu terceiro LP. Um ano depois despedir-se-ia, retirando-se para uma vida de docente e compositor. A provar que não se é profeta na própria terra, gravou-o em Londres, foi produzido por Bernie Taupin, o maestro é Robert Kirby (então orquestrador para Nick Drake ou Vashti Bunyan) e ganhou defensores em Elton John ou Elvis Costello. (in Blitz)

The years have only been kind to the album considered David Ackles' masterpiece when it was released. Ackles combined an early-'70s singer/songwriter sensibility with a theater music background that placed him as much in the tradition of Brecht-Weill and Jacques Brel as Bob Dylan. Not only are his songs fully realized, dramatic statements, but Ackles proves himself a warm, accomplished singer. When this album got no higher than #167 in the charts, Ackles' fans were heartbroken. Decades later, "American Gothic" remains one of those great albums that never found its audience. It waits to be rediscovered. (William Ruhlmann in AllMusic)

CILLA BLACK Debut Album + Bonus

Original released on LP EMI-Parlophone 

PMC 1243 (mono) / PCS 3063 (stereo)

(UK 1965, January 25)

Cilla Black's debut LP was an entertaining if uneven venture into pop-soul, along lines similar to what Dusty Springfield, Beryl Marsden, et al. were doing at the time, though - not surprisingly - her work isn't remotely in the same league with Springfield. Black has passion for the music, and evidently had learned the nuances necessary to make the attempt, but she sounds strained and mannered on a lot of this album, and simply lacks Springfield's range or her easy, naturalistic feel for the sounds she's reaching for. No one is going to complain of what they hear - her performance of "Baby It's You" recalls the Beatles more than the Shirelles, but John Lennon did a credible job with the song, and she gives a respectable rendition of "Dancing in the Street"; she even throws herself with enough abandon into the one original by George Martin here to make it more than a space-filler, though not by too much. She also acquits herself well on another new song, "I'm Not Alone Anymore," where she's better than the material or the arrangement, but much of the rest is simply too routine - "Whatcha Gonna Do About It" is an interesting but ultimately stiff exercise in overdubbing with herself; and Steve Marriott and the Small Faces had it all over Black on "Every Little Bit Hurts." Strangely enough, her version of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "This Empty Place" is at the other end of the spectrum, a brilliant showcase for her range and one of the best of Black's early tracks, easily worthy of release at least as a single B-side. And she follows that up with a beautifully soulful rendition of Cole Porter's "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To." Nothing here is as satisfying as Black's singles (all of them, from 1963 to 1965, are represented here as bonus tracks) of the same era, though her fans will obviously enjoy the album.

DAVID BOWIE: "Young Americans"

Original released on LP RCA Victor APL 1-0998

(US 1975, March 7)

David Bowie had dropped hints during the "Diamond Dogs" tour that he was moving toward R&B, but the full-blown blue-eyed soul of "Young Americans" came as a shock. Surrounding himself with first-rate sessionmen, Bowie comes up with a set of songs that approximate the sound of Philly soul and disco, yet remain detached from their inspirations; even at his most passionate, Bowie sounds like a commentator, as if the entire album was a genre exercise. Nevertheless, the distance doesn't hurt the album - it gives the record its own distinctive flavor, and its plastic, robotic soul helped inform generations of synthetic British soul. What does hurt the record is a lack of strong songwriting. "Young Americans" is a masterpiece, and "Fame" has a beat funky enough that James Brown ripped it off, but only a handful of cuts ("Win," "Fascination," "Somebody Up There Likes Me") comes close to matching their quality. As a result, "Young Americans" is more enjoyable as a stylistic adventure than as a substantive record. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

Jane Is Calling You...

Original released on LP RCA-Victor LPM 1046 (mono)

(US, 1956)

Henri René... as a backrooom music exec in the early modern period, he's big news in the history of the biz. In our world he is more acclaimed as one of the originators of innovations like what is today known as Space Age Bachelor pad music. He was also as a producer, arranger, and exec instrumental (see what I did there?) in creating RCA's legendary LIVING STEREO and STEREO ACTION series! René was born in New York City, but his parents moved back to Germany, and René grew up in Berlin, studying at the Royal Academy of Music in Berlin. Eventually he became Musical Director for RCA's German affiliate Electrola, as well as for the famed German movie studio, UFA. Returning to the U.S. in 1936 he became musical director for the international department of RCA Victor. In 1941, he formed the first continental-styled small pop orchestra in the US. In the 1950s, he returned to RCA as musical director in International, backing a variety of singing stars, such as Harry Belafonte and Eartha Kitt. This first collection of some of René's finest 1950s work uses one of his most famous covers, which features the lovely Jayne Mansfield posed seductively in a negligee, busy on the telephone (presumably calling her favorite bachelor to come over check out her hi-fi). A Super Collection of romantic sounds for your rendez-vous!

The Little Corner of Anita

Original released on LP Carlton 12/132 (mono)

(US, 1961)

A popular singer of the '60s, Anita Bryant has been known as a beauty queen, a singer, a Florida citrus spokeswoman, and later an advocate against homosexuality. Her hits, which made both the British and American charts, include "'Till There Was You," "Paper Roses" and "In My Little Corner of the World." Born in Oklahoma, Bryant's musical career began at a very early age. She first performed on stage at the age of six, and three years later she won her first talent show. It was after this victory that she won a spot on Arthur Godfrey's talent show on television. From there her musical career blossomed, and the singer - known as Oklahoma's "Red Feather Girl" - made her recording debut in 1956 with the single "Sinful to Flirt." In 1958, she was crowned Miss Oklahoma and moved on to the Miss America pageant, where she came in third thanks to her musical talents. "'Till There Was You" from The Music Man was Anita Bryant's first chart-topping hit in 1959. She released three albums on the Carlton label ("Anita Bryant", "In Your Home Tonight" and this "In My Little Corner of the World"), and hit number one again in 1960 with Bert Kaempfert's "Wonderland of Night." (Marie Osmond later recorded another of Bryant's songs, "In My Little Corner of the World," for her own hit.) In 1962, Anita Bryant switched to Columbia and recorded a series of inspirational titles as well as standard pop albums. During the '70s, she recorded several albums for the religious label Wood, though the transition never lacked the boisterous singing style that had already been associated with her. In the '80s and '90s, Anita Bryant's interests again changed. Although she still enjoyed singing and performing, she became an advocate against homosexuality and began working as a motivational speaker. She continued to sing in numerous performances throughout the season at The Anita Bryant Theater in Branson, MO, and later at her own theater in Pigeon Fork, TN. (Kim Summers in AllMusic)

The TRAVELING WILBURYS Collection

Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne. That's quite a lineup. The kind of lineup you might expect something truly epic from. Not at all what you would get, thankfully. The Traveling Wilburys was all about its band members having a really great time. It was a mythic jam session that got well out of control and went platinum. Why perform under a bunch of fake names and make up some elaborate silly backstory about a nomadic tribe of musicians when everybody is well aware of who you are and you make absolutely zero attempt to hide it? Well, because it's fun to make stuff up. That is the entire ethos of this group - a bunch of extremely talented people, legends in their own time, just kicking back without any ego and having a great time with their friends. I can get behind that. It really comes through in the songs, it really does sound like they're having a great time. Dylan's crazy improvisation of "Tweeter and the Monkey Man" is still hilarious. Likewise George Harrison's concept of random words picked out of magazines for the closing section of "Dirty World". "Handle With Care" and "End of the Line" are still oddly touching.

TRAVELING WILBURYS VOL.1

Original released on LP Wilbury Records 25796-1

(US 1988, October 25)

TRAVELING WILBURYS VOL.3

Original released on LP Wilbury Records 26324-1

(US 1990, October 23)

The second album (Vol. 3, another instance of them just playing around) is hurt a bit by the loss of Orbison. I can't say exactly what it is, but there just seems some spark missing. It's still sounds like good times with friends though, if rather than a mixture of their styles, it comes off more like a series of songs that could be outtakes from the albums each of the members were working on at the time. The stabs at political consciousness don't really help (like "Inside Out"), although it still sounds like they're just messing around, and there is still much to enjoy here (I especially like "Cool Dry Place"). The DVD included in the set contains a bunch of footage from the original recording sessions, which is pretty illuminating, showcasing just how much of a 'hanging out with friends' project the whole thing was. Also all the original videos which are all pretty basic and charming if wonky, with "The Wilbury Twist" featuring John Candy dancing, and "End of the Line" (having been made shortly after Orbison's death) genuinely affecting with an empty chair with a guitar on it standing in for Orbison. No, it isn't genius, and lord help us if that's what they'd been going for, because it would have been a disaster. This is old-timey rock and roll and that's all it needed to be. With a group of great songwriters just having a fun time writing songs to entertain themselves and each other, the result is pure entertainment, a great party album. The collection adds an interesting DVD, four pretty good bonus tracks (three of them previously unreleased plus non-album track "Nobody's Child") including a cover version of Dion's "Runaway", a bunch of postcards and photos from the sessions, and a book detailing the real history of the band, a fake history of the nomadic Wilbury family, and a guide on how to do "The Wilbury Twist". Class act. (in RateYourMusic)

"Raunchy & Other Great Instrumentals"

Original released on LP Sun 109

(US, 1958)

Best known to most listeners for the aptly titled instrumental smash "Raunchy," Bill Justis was also a longtime linchpin of the Nashville recording community, working as a producer, musical director, and A&R man for labels including Sun and Mercury. Born October 14, 1927, in Birmingham, Alabama, he grew up in Memphis, studying music and English at Tulane University while playing trumpet in local jazz and dance bands. In 1957, the legendary Sam Phillips hired Justis to serve as the musical director for his Sun Records label. At 30, Justis was a good decade older than most of Sun's artists and had little interest in rock & roll until he learned just how lucrative the music had become. With guitarist Sid Manker, Justis composed a wild, primitive instrumental they dubbed "Backwoods"; Phillips renamed the tune "Raunchy," releasing it as a single in September 23, 1957. Although Justis' honking tenor sax assumed center stage, what made "Raunchy" so unique was Manker's guitar; he forged the song's distinctive riff not from the traditional middle strings but from the bass strings, creating a cavernous, resonant sound further buffered by studio echo. The single proved Sun's best-selling instrumental release ever, staying in the pop Top 40 for 14 weeks.

Justis would nevertheless score only more chart hit, "College Man," which only went as high as number 42. He continued recording the occasional single (including "Flea Circus," penned by Steve Cropper), but by and large focused the remainder of his career on studio work, arranging sessions for Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and Roy Orbison. Justis also discovered Charlie Rich at Memphis night spot The Sharecropper Club and brought him to Sun in 1960, arranging Rich's first major hit, "Lonely Weekends." However, squabbles with Phillips prompted Justis to leave Sun soon after, and he formed his own label, the short-lived Play Me Records. After moving to Nashville and briefly reuniting with Rich at RCA, he landed with Mercury, which remained his home for the remainder of his career. In the years to follow, Justis would arrange records for everyone from Patsy Cline to Dean Martin to Tom Jones, also recording a series of instrumental LPs for Mercury's Smash subsidiary. In 1972 he scored his first film, "Dear Dead Delilah". In 1977, he scored the smash Smokey and the Bandit, reuniting with star Burt Reynolds a year later for Hooper. Justis died of cancer on July 15, 1982. 

BEACH BOYS: "Friends"

Original released on LP Capitol ST 2895

(US 1968, June 10)

Released when Cream and Jimi Hendrix were at their apex, the low-key pleasantries of "Friends" seemed downright irrelevant in mid-1968. Today it sounds better, but it's certainly one of the group's more minor efforts, as the members started to divide the songwriting more or less evenly among themselves, rather than letting Brian Wilson provide most of the material. The title track was a charming, if innocuous, minor hit. The bossa nova "Busy Doin' Nothin'" was a subtly subversive piece of rock Muzak, though hindsight reveals a rather worrisome indolence in the lyrics, as penned by Wilson, who was starting to withdraw into his own world. The production and harmonies remained pleasantly idiosyncratic, but there was little substance at the heart of most of the songs. The irony was that "Smile" had collapsed, in part, because some of the Beach Boys felt that Wilson's increasingly avant-garde leanings would lose their pop audience; yet by the time of "Friends", the Beach Boys had done a pretty good job of losing most of their audience by retreating to a less experimental, more group-based approach. (Richie Unterberger in AllMusic)

ERIC CLAPTON: "Just One Night"

Original released on LP RSO RS-2-4202

(US, May 1980)

"Just One Night" is a live double album by Eric Clapton, released in 1980. It was recorded live at the Budokan Theatre, Tokyo, Japan, December 1979 when Clapton was touring to support "Backless", his latest record at that time. The sleeve contains a Japanese painting by Ken Konno. The album reached No. 2 in the U.S. and No. 3 in the UK, and was certified gold by RIAA. Well, these are the facts. But, personally, I can tell you that “Just One Night” is one of the great Live albums ever appeared in the history of Pop/Rock (it contains the very best version - the slow one - of "Wonderful Tonight", the song that a passionate Clapton wrote for Pattie Boyd in 1977, when they were husband and wife). I bought the vinyl when it first appeared in 1980, and the double-cd much more later. Today the mail man appeared at my door with a little package, wich arrived directly from Japan (less than 2 weeks). The package contained the SHM-CD mini replica LP (13,5 cm X 13,5 cm), and my friends, it just have a terrific sound! Never heard this powerful album with such quality. If you are a Clapton fan like me, don’t hesitate to offer this precious jewel to yourself. Meanwhile you can download the mp3 files, but of course... isn't the same thing.

THE BAND:
Eric Clapton: guitar, vocals

Albert Lee: guitar, vocals; organ on "Worried Life Blues", co-lead vocals on "Setting Me Up" and "All Our Past Times"

Henry Spinetti: drums
Chris Stainton: keyboards
Dave Markee: bass