This was their first recording for Warner Bros. after leaving Paramount. With songs by Hoyt Axton, Lowell George, as well as plenty of contributions from Farlow, Tichy, Barlow, and all the rest, this is another good outing for the wild boys. The Tower of Power horn section lends a hand, making their big sound even bigger. Their cover of "Don't Let Go" is outstanding and "House of Blue Lights" never rocked or shuffled and twanged the way the Airmen do it. With plenty of hillbilly stuff to go around, "California Okie" stands proud. A tip of the hat to the South is found on "That's What I Like About the South." "Keep on Lovin' Her," "Hawaii Blues," and "Four or Five Times" are also wonders to behold. "Willin'," done up right here, fits the band perfectly. This Lowell George tune is a standard, and when the Airmen did it their way they gave a whole new meaning to the song. One more time, this band holds all the aces and plays every hand with a poker face that just won't quit. Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen knew exactly what they were doing.

(by Jana Pendragon, All Music Guide)

John Martyn's follow-up to 1973's Inside Out is a much more song-oriented, less experimental effort which concentrates on the joys of home and family. Sunday's Child skillfully blends the sensual ("You Can Discover") with the sweet ("My Baby Girl"), the modern ("Root Love") with the traditional ("Spencer the Rover"), and the tormented ("Sunday's Child") with the satisfied ("Satisfied Mind," "Call Me Crazy") while retaining its cohesiveness. The record, his sixth on his own, shows the many facets of Martyn's playing, from his effects-driven electric guitar to his signature acoustic work, which can be both aggressive ("The Message") and gentle ("Lay It All Down"). This album contains a collection of strong original songs, as well as a pair of wonderful covers: the traditional British ballad "Spencer the Rover" and the country standard "Satisfied Mind." His last recording of new material for three years, Sunday's Child is a fine farewell to this period of John Martyn's ever-changing career.

(by Brett Hartenbach, All Music Guide)

After the lavishly produced The Man in the Bowler Hat, it seemed that Stackridge might have blown their best chance of a commercial breakthrough. Just to make sure they did so good and proper, however, they promptly embarked upon the first of a series of bitter internal disputes that meant any fans turning up to a gig did so wondering who'd be playing and who'd be sat at home nursing a grudge. Whichever way you look at it, though, Extravaganza was a pretty odd follow-up, and one that must have left their new label — Elton John's Rocket Records — seething with frustration. By now it must have been clear that expecting Stackridge to focus their energies on a single musical direction was an exercise in futility, and in any case totally contrary to the spirit of the band. But with Andy Davis now calling most of the shots, he and new members Rod Bowkett, Paul Karas, and Keith Gemmell (who replaced Mutter Slater, James Warren, and Mike Evans) set about cultivating a Zappa-ish tendency that, though it had been there from the very beginning, had never before dominated proceedings as it did here. Extravaganza contained no fewer than three (admittedly delightful) intricate jazz-rock instrumentals that recalled the heyday of Hot Rats. Hardly the thing to woo customers attracted by the more pop-friendly Bowler Hat. But of greater concern was the shortage of strong original songs. "The Volunteer" and "Happy in the Lord" (both sung by an uncredited Slater) are classic Stackridge — warmly melodic and wryly humorous. But "No One's More Important Than the Earthworm" (written by ex-King Crimson member Gordon Haskell during a lightning-fast passage through the band's ranks), "Benjamin's Giant Onion," "Highbury Incident," and "Greasepaint Smiles" are pretty pedestrian fare. Small wonder, then, that for all its good points Extravaganza enjoys a reputation as Stackridge's most unloved — and least frequently reissued — album

(by Christopher Evans, All Music Guide)

The most romantic album to come out of the Moody Blues' orbit, and the biggest success of their five-year hiatus. Hayward has the more distinctive body of songs, but their strength as a unit lies in their vocal pairing, which is as strong here as it ever was with the group. The pair play the guitars and basses, backed by a group that includes members of the Threshold-signed band Providence. Hayward wrote or co-wrote seven of the original album's ten songs, and most of it is fairly impressive as soft romantic rock, although "Nights Winters Years" is a little bit too melodramatic. Lodge has one of the better rockers to come out of the group's orbit, however, in "Saved By the Music," which is also a surprisingly spiritual song. The production by Tony Clarke echoes the best Moody Blues sound. The bonus track, "Blue Guitar," is an added attraction to the CD.

(by Bruce Eder, All Music Guide)

This 1975 release on Mercury has Randy California and Ed Cassidy's names imprinted boldly on the cover as Spirit, and the 26 songs -- starting with "America the Beautiful/The Times They Are a Changin'" and concluding with "The Star Spangled Banner" -- are more than just a sly tribute to the bicentennial. They are the most fluid and satisfying statement by the California/Cassidy version of the band, who would be together for another 20 years before California's untimely passing. As ethereal and icy as Feedback, the album Cassidy recorded with the Stahely brothers, there are all sorts of hidden meanings projected throughout this double-vinyl LP. Randy California gives more than a few nods to his work with Jimi Hendrix -- covers of "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Hey Joe" are two of Hendrix's more notable and triumphant revisions -- while "The Star Spangled Banner" has a smart vocal, separating it from California's more famous ex-bandmate's Woodstock instrumental rendition.

This double-record set was the first of four albums by Spirit for the Mercury label in the mid-'70s, all released between 1975-1977. This is the second album Ed Cassidy and Randy California put together after Cassidy recorded the Feedback disc in 1972 for Epic. The 1973 album came out in 1981 as Potatoland on Line Records in Germany and is not usually put in proper chronological order. What is musically interesting about this is that Randy California on Spirit of '76 sounds like the 1972 Stahely brothers version of Spirit. No, the jazz is not here, but his use of acoustic guitar and effects on his electric guitar makes for less bite and more soothing, spacy sounds. It is arguably the best full album the Randy California/Ed Cassidy Spirit recorded without the other original members. A terrific anthem, "One by One," was recorded in 1993-1994 and might be the duo's best song, but this album remains a major achievement for Randy California, a long and elaborate vision put over four sides of vinyl. The tragedy is that no hit single obtained airplay that could have given this project wider exposure. There are more covers than usual too, and unique arrangements -- the pair's understanding of "Happy," for example. It is interesting that producer Jimmy Miller played the drums and recorded the Rolling Stones' version of "Happy" with Keith Richards, with their Exile on Main St. demo track becoming a hit. Drummer Ed Cassidy takes Miller's role, with Randy California being Richards, and they do a nice, mutated version still faithful to the spirit of the original Keith Richards jam with his producer. The depth and intrigue built into the grooves and packaging of Spirit of '76 was a fine direction for this Spirit, and it is too bad Randy California felt so bitter about the industry to lose focus. As Jimi Hendrix kept the recorders rolling, California should have done the same thing over the years, capturing his live magic, seeking out that audience the Grateful Dead tuned into. Spirit of '76 is the best example of California veering off into different directions and coming up with satisfying sounds. Two albums later, Mark Andes would bring his brother, Matt Andes, from Jo Jo Gunne into the fold and re-form with Cassidy, California, and John Lockefor 1976's Farther Along. But that would be a short-lived fusion of multiple songwriting talents. On Spirit of '76, Randy California has all systems go to paint spacy pictures like "Urantia," or the very interesting take on Rufus Thomas' "Walking the Dog." The covers of three of the songs Hendrix covered would remain in the Spirit set for the rest of their days, and they are here in elegant studio versions. Spirit of '76 remains the key to understanding the group who toured as Spirit for the better part of the three decades that the group existed, the stepdad and the guitar prodigy on their own. It's an offbeat work of art that works just beautifully.

(by Joe Viglione, All Music Guide)

The members of Tangerine Dream continued to hone their craft as pioneers of the early days of electronica, and the mid-'70s proved to be a time of prosperity and musical growth for the trio of Chris Franke, early member Peter Baumann, and permanent frontman Edgar Froese. The three of them had been delivering mysterious space records on a regular basis, and their growing confidence with early synthesizers (the best that money could buy at the time) made them virtuosos of the genre, even as they kept things organic and unpredictable with gongs, prepared piano, and electric guitar. Rubycon has aged gracefully for the most part, making it a solid companion (and follow-up) to their 1974 album, Phaedra. The somewhat dated palette of sounds here never overshadow the mood: eerie psychedelia without the paisleys — Pink Floyd without the rock. "Rubycon, Pt. 1" ebbs and flows through tense washes of echo and Mellotron choirs, as primitive sequencer lines bubble to the surface. "Pt. 2" opens in a wonderfully haunted way, like air-raid sirens at the lowest possible pitch, joined in unison by several male voices (someone in the band must have heard György Ligeti's work for 2001). Rising out of the murkiness, the synthesizer arpeggios return to drive things along, and Froese weaves his backwards-recorded guitar through the web without really calling too much attention to himself. The piece evolves through varying degrees of tension, takes a pit stop on the shoreline of some faraway beach, then ever so gradually unravels a cluster of free-form strings and flutes. The rest are vapors, your ears are sweating under your headphones, and the smoke has cleared from your bedroom. This is a satisfying ambient record from the pre-ambient era, too dark for meditation, and too good to be forgotten.

(by Glenn Swan, All Music Guide)

Harris' major-label solo debut quickly establishes the pattern that the vast majority of her subsequent work would follow: Pieces of the Sky is bravely eclectic, impeccably performed, and achingly beautiful. Amidst a collection of songs which ranks among her most well-chosen -- ranging from the catalogs of the Beatles ("For No One") to Boudleaux & Felice Bryant ("Sleepless Nights") and the Louvin Brothers (the hit "If I Could Only Win Your Love") -- the record's centerpiece is one of Harris' rare original compositions, "Boulder to Birmingham," her stirring tribute to fallen mentor Gram Parsons.

(by Jason Ankeny, AMG)

Though Guy Clark recorded only two albums for RCA, the label was fortunate to have him at all at the beginning of his career. If only every country songwriter could release a debut album as auspicious and fine as this one. Houston's Guy Clark, well known to the outlaw movement for his poetic, stripped-to-the-truth songs about ramblers, history, the aged and infirm, the drunken, the lost, and the simple dignity of working people who confront the darkness and joy of life quietly, issued Old #1 when his compadres had already been making waves with his songs. Jerry Jeff Walker had already cut "L.A. Freeway" and other tunes by Clark, as had Gary Stewart, Billy Joe Shaver, and others. But the definitive versions come from Clark himself. On this disc with help from Emmylou Harris, fellow Houstoners (a young) Steve Earle and Rodney Crowell, guitar wizards Chip and Reggie Young, Mickey Raphael on harp, pianist David Briggs, fiddle boss Johnny Gimble, and the angel-voiced Sammi Smith, Clark executed a song cycle that is as intimate and immediate as it is quietly devastating with its vision of brokenness and melancholy, loose wild times, and unforgettable characters. The opener is the up-tempo Texas swing of "Rita Ballou," a woman out for all she can get and then some; the outlaw's statement of love's determination on "L.A. Freeway" to not get killed or caught; and the summation of so much of what is contained here and on the follow-up to this album, Texas Cookin', "That Old Time Feelin," which should be the new "Auld Lang Syne." Acoustic guitars dominate everything here. Old #1 is a quiet record because its songs don't need to be amplified; they speak for themselves in a straight, poetic, and powerful way. In addition to the above, two Clark classics are here as well, the amazing recollection "Desperadoes Waiting for a Train" and one of the most beautiful and confessional love songs ever written in any genre, "Like a Coat From the Cold." The most underrated track is an aural movie called "Instant Coffee Blues," where Clark's protagonist is a lonesome rambler, aimlessly hitchhiking his way to who knows where. He is picked up by a single working woman who is also on the wrong side of alone; they have an evening of companionship that has its share of intimacy and passion -- until morning when, "she just had to go to work/and he just had to go." The disc closes with "Let Him Roll," a snappy, laid-back observation about destiny having its own way at staying out of its way. Old #1 was unequaled in 1975 for the depth of its vision and the largeness of its artistic and empathetic heart; only Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run came close to it in terms of aesthetic merit.

(by Thom Jurek, All Music Guide)

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A classic record, featuring the deftly-sculpted, imagistic story-song, "Texas, 1947," wherein Clark tells the story of the first time a young boy in the South saw a modern, streamlined passenger train barreling down the tracks, past his little hick hometown. It's an impressive piece, with all the literary oomph of the best short stories -- all the more so for its simplicity and lack of flash. This same compact, concise style comes through on his other early masterpieces, "Desperadoes Waiting On A Train," and "Let Him Roll," a pair of shamelessly sentimental tunes paying tribute to tobacco-spittin' old-timers everywhere, and the fab drifter ballad, "LA Freeway," (which was also covered by Jerry Jeff Walker." With a debut album like this, no wonder folks had Clark pegged as a songwriting genius so early on.

The Kursaal Flyers bridged the gap between pub rock and power pop, turning out a handful of fine albums and great singles in their brief two-year career. Comprised of Paul Shuttleworth (vocals), Graeme Douglas (guitar), Vic Collins (guitar, steel guitar, vocals), Riche Bull (bass, vocals), and Will Birch (drums), the band released their first album, Chocs Away, in 1975; it was followed soon afterward by The Great Artiste. Both records showed a grasp of country and roots rock, as well as pure pop. They would begin to emphasize their pop elements with 1976's Golden Mile, released by CBS Records. The union with the major label helped the single "Little Does She Know" reach the British Top 20. Douglas left to join Eddie & the Hot Rods before the recording of their final album, Five Live Kursaals (1977); he was replaced by Barry Martin. The band broke up after the release of punk- and power pop-injected Five Live Kursaals. Out of the members, only Will Birch and John Wicks stayed active — they formed the Records immediately after the Kursaal Flyers' disbandment. The Kursaal Flyers reunited in 1988, recording A Former Tour de Force Is Forced to Tour, which picks up right where they left off in 1977.

(by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide)

Following the release of Pawn Hearts, bandleader Peter Hammill took time out to develop a solo career, choosing to focus his energy on darkly introspective works that seemed to be intended to examine the personal consequences of his life. When it came time for reuniting the members of Van Der Graaf, this change in direction had its effect on the band's post-1975 music. While the musical structures continued to be complex and dense, there seemed to be far less accent on the demonstration of musical skill than had formerly been the case. Indeed, the album opened with daring quietness, with David Jackson's flute echoing across the stereo space, joined by Hammill's voice as he whispered the opening lines. There was sturm und drang to come, but the music had been opened up and the lyrics had developed more focus, often abandoning metaphor in favor of statement. Godbluff was a bravura comeback -- only four cuts, but all were classics.

(by Steven McDonald, All Music Guide)

The serious-looking portraits of Sufi Richard and his loyal muslim wife could have put off the casual purchaser. The music is often profound, but within there are a number of classic Thompson songs. John Kirkpatrick's opening (just like Jimmy Shand) is a joy on "Streets Of Paradise," where the tears fall down like whiskey and wine. Similarly strong are "Night Comes In" and "Beat The Retreat." The final song, sung by Linda, is a beauty--a love song of immense depth, with the final lines "...I need you at the dimming of the day..." What a pity Linda has all but retired from singing.

Pour Down Like Silver was the last album Richard & Linda Thompson would release before beginning a self-imposed three-year retirement in order to join a communal Sufi Muslim sect. The cover photographs show the Thompsons dressed in traditional Muslim garb, and while lyrically the album offers few clear signs of the Thompsons' new spiritual direction, the stark asceticism of the music marked a real change from the alcohol-fueled mood swings of I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight and Hokey Pokey. The horns, accordion, and ancient instruments that had dotted Richard and Linda's previous albums were used far more sparingly on Pour Down Like Silver, and even Thompson's usually astounding electric guitar solos were pared down in favor of an emotionally intimate, bare-wired approach that sounds alternately like a confession and a plea for guidance. Pour Down Like Silver is downbeat even by Richard Thompson's less than joyful standards, but it also features some of his most beautiful and compelling songs — the ravaged plea for salvation of "Streets of Paradise," the mysterious and mesmerizing "Night Comes In," the mournful romantic meditations "Beat the Retreat" and "For Shame of Doing Wrong," and the spare but heartfelt love song "Dimming of the Day." And Linda (usually the more pragmatic of the two) breaks the mood near the end of side two with the cynically witty "Hard Luck Stories." Pour Down Like Silver is the most severe of the Richard & Linda Thompson albums, but those brave enough to look past its dark surface will find a startlingly beautiful album; it's not an easy album to listen to, but it greatly rewards the effort.(Mark Deming)

From its first defiant line, "Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine," the opening shot in a bold reinvention of Van Morrison's garage-rock classic "Gloria," Smith's debut album was a declaration of committed mutiny, a statement of faith in the transfigurative powers of rock & roll. Horses made her the queen of punk. But she cared more for the poetry in rock. In "Free Money," "Redondo Beach" and the incantatory rave-up "Land Medley," she sought the visions and passions that connected Keith Richards and Arthur Rimbaud -- and found them, with the intuitive assistance of a killing band (pianist Richard Sohl, guitarist Lenny Kaye, bassist Ivan Kral and drummer Jay Dee Daugherty) and her best friend, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, who shot the unforgettable cover portrait.

Total album sales: Under 500,000 - Peak chart position: 47

(Rolling Stone)

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It isn't hard to make the case for Patti Smith as a punk rock progenitor based on her debut album, which anticipated the new wave by a year or so: the simple, crudely played rock & roll, featuring Lenny Kaye's rudimentary guitar work, the anarchic spirit of Smith's vocals, and the emotional and imaginative nature of her lyrics — all prefigure the coming movement as it evolved on both sides of the Atlantic. Smith is a rock critic's dream, a poet as steeped in '60s garage rock as she is in French Symbolism; "Land" carries on from the Doors' "The End," marking her as a successor to Jim Morrison, while the borrowed choruses of "Gloria" and "Land of a Thousand Dances" are more in tune with the era of sampling than they were in the '70s. Producer John Cale respected Smith's primitivism in a way that later producers did not, and the loose, improvisatory song structures worked with her free verse to create something like a new spoken word/musical art form: Horses was a hybrid, the sound of a post-Beat poet, as she put it, "dancing around to the simple rock & roll song."

(by William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide)

While much of Harris' career has been spent carrying on the legacy of Gram Parsons, Elite Hotel ranks among her most overt tributes to his genius, thanks to its covers of the Flying Burrito Brothers' "Sin City" and "Wheels," along with "Ooh Las Vegas" from the Grievous Angel album. In addition to the usual eclectic mix of covers -- which includes the Beatles' "Here, There and Everywhere" and Hank Williams' "Jambalaya" this time out -- Elite Hotel offers renditions of the country perennials "Together Again" and "Sweet Dreams," which were, respectively, Harris' first two number one chart hits.

(by Jason Ankeny, AMG)

Guitarist John Abercrombie was one of the stars of ECM in its early days. His playing on this trio set with bassist Dave Holland and drummer Jack DeJohnette is really beyond any simple categorization. Abercrombie's improvisations are sophisticated yet, because his sound is rockish and sometimes quite intense (particularly on the nearly 11-minute "Sorcery 1"), there is really no stylistic name for the music. Holland contributed four of the six originals while DeJohnette brought in the other two (one of which was co-written with Abercrombie). The interplay between the three musicians is quite impressive although listeners might find some of the music to be quite unsettling. It takes several listens for one to digest all that is going on, but it is worth the struggle.

(by Scott Yanow, All Music Guide)

"A nice solo effort by two of the Dead's members. Supported by a cast of many wonderful musicians this duo brings something special to the music. The cover of "River Deep, Mountain High" is slow, soulful and has that Phil Spector feel. And the cover photo is a hoot as well.

(TralFaz-Archives)

This unusual LP, the first of three featuring altoist Arthur Blythe with drummer Chico Hamilton's mid-'70s group, has an uncomfortable mixture of advanced jazz and commercial elements. Hamilton is joined by a large rhythm section that includes Steve Turre (on electric bass) and guitarists Barry Finnerty and Joe Beck, along with Blythe, Arnie Lawrence on soprano, the keyboards of Jerry Peters, and several vocalists. The overall effect is a bit weird, dated but with some colorful moments. Definitely a mixed bag.

(by Scott Yanow , All Music Guide)

Fortunately, this is not one of these Kosmische Kuriere albums that made the cosmic (kosmischen) to the odd (komischen) couriers in the German music press. Like other LPs of the label, it has a science-fiction concept, telling of an interplanetary visitor on a mission to earth. Maybe a little na?ve and dreamy today, but different from some labelmates. The musicians are competent and there are perceptible song structures. Dreamlab contains floating, mainly calm and relaxed music. A part of the album was used for the film The Superspider. Often echoes of guitar and flute define the meter and aremore… accompanied by Mellotron sounds. Like on the first LP, effects on voice and drums are frequently used.

When Ralph Towner burst onto the contemporary jazz scene in the mid-70s, listeners were well aware of his awesome talent as a member of Oregon. But when Solstice was issued on the ECM label, it took the brilliant guitarist's caché to a much higher level, especially as a composer. With the otherworldly curved soprano sax and flute playing of Jan Garbarek, the precise drumming of Jon Christensen, and unique bass sounds of Eberhard Weber, the music on this album lifted the ECM/Euro-styled jazz and improvised music to a new realm of pure expressionism. Simply put — this music is stunningly beautiful. The incredible "Oceanus" begins with Towner's cascading guitar, followed by the swelling and symphonic bass of Weber, a swinging drum line by Christensen with Garbarek's atmospheric and dramatic curved soprano layering contrasting timbres, symmetry, and unusual colors. "Nimbus" opens with some astounding technical harmonics from Towner, more so considering the acoustic nature of his instrument. A circular theme in implied 3/4 underneath 4/4 leads to overdubbed flutes from Garbarek, bowed bass, the curved soprano in 6/8 all identifying the pure ECM sound. "Piscean Dance" is a funky workout between Towner and Christensen, the earthiest track on the date, and an exercise of intuitive confluence. Other portions of the disc are space oriented like the loose, free and haunting "Red & Black," "Visitation" with multiple percussion sounds of flexatone and shakers under Weber's bowed bass and Garbarek's alien dragonfly flute, while Weber's "Sand" has the musicians staring at the Crab Nebula while firmly rooted in a strut later in the piece. Towner's wondrous piano is heard on "Drifting Petals," a pretty and pensive waltz with unison lines alongside Garbarek's flute, then Towner switches to guitar in a deeper discourse with the quartet. As cold as the Norwegian studio (Oslo) they were recording in, "Winter Solstice" is not so much profound as it is telepathic, as the players use stop-start techniques, again inserting a 3/4 rhythm into a 4/4 equation. Of the many excellent recordings he has offered, Solstice is Towner's crowning achievement as a leader fronting this definitive grouping of ECM stablemates who absolutely define the label's sound for the time frame, and for all time.

(by Michael G. Nastos , All Music Guide)