PENELOPE HOUSTON
CUT YOU
1996-REPRISE
Produced By JEFFREY WOOD & PENELOPE HOUSTON
1. Secret Sign
2. Sweetheart
3. Scratch
4. Locket
5. Fuzzy Throne
6. Ride
7. Harry Dean
8. Waiting Room
9. Qualities Of Mercy
10. Fall Back
11. Pull
12. Glad I'm A Girl
13. White Out
14. Cut You
So, who is this Penelope Houston, and why should you be interested? Well, back in 1977, while the Sex Pistols were changing the world from England, there was a punk band on the west coast (San Francisco, specifically) that was making a lot of noise and a lot of changes. The Avengers were west coast punk's first bright lights, but they ran out of money and had broken up before hardly anyone knew who they were. There is a single compilation album that contains everything The Avengers recorded, but it can be hard to find. And the lead singer of this band? Penelope Houston, who was not only smart as hell, but also pretty damn hot to boot.
After The Avengers, Houston disappeared. She resurfaced again in the late 80's, making solo albums that nobody noticed in the US...so much so that almost all of her work was released exclusively in Germany. And then, in 1996, she signed a deal with Reprise. Her debut (and only) major label album was Cut You, and it was actually done in a pretty novel way. Because Americans had not heard her work, she simply took the best of her solo albums and re-recorded the songs for Cut You. The result is a very cool, very hip album from a very smart and very listenable artist. The music is more folk with tinges of bossa nova than it is punk, but her sensibilities shine through. "Sweetheart", "Harry Dean", and "Qualities Of Mercy" are the highlights, but this is all a pleasant surprise...one that, unfortunately, America never really got to hear.
If you can find Cut You, buy it. You'll probably have to dig much deeper to ffind her other work, and this is a great introduction to her.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
STEVE WINWOOD
REFUGEES OF THE HEART
1990-VIRGIN
Produced By STEVE WINWOOD
1. You'll Keep On Searching
2. Every Day (Oh Lord)
3. One And Only Man
4. I Will Be Here
5. Another Deal Goes Down
6. Running On
7. Come Out And Dance
8. In The Light Of Day
This album from the great Steve Winwood went completely unnoticed in 1990 for good reason...there's not a drop of music that's commercially viable, or that brings anything to the table about Winwood that we didn't already know. Going with the horrible album cover didn't help things along. Musically, it's well played, as you would expect...problem is, as far as songs go, the well was pretty much bone dry. The songs are long, most over 5 minutes and the final track almost ten, as Winwood bravely fills spaces with his keyboard mastery. Unfortunately, he gets stuck using a lot of the forgettable and horrific New Wave sounds of the day.
This record won't offend you, but it won't shake your soul, either. Just take it for what it is...a complete misfire from a great performer. Hey, it happens to everyone.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS
MIRROR MOVES
1984-COLUMBIA
Produced By KEITH FORSEY
1. The Ghost In You
2. Here Come The Cowboys
3. Heaven
4. Heartbeat
5. My Time
6. Like A Stranger
7. Alice's House
8. Only A Game
9. Highwire Days
Maybe the most deceptively named band (along with 10,000 Maniacs) in history, the Psychedelic Furs were not a trippy 60's band, but rather a punk/New Wave band from the 80's. Mirror Moves is their 4th album, their least punk to date, their catchiest album, and the weakest in their catalog during their days of fame. "The Ghost In You" is a simply terrific song...good enough to make all of those cheesy 80's keyboards sound just fine. Much less of a downer than their previous work, though, Mirror Moves, outside of that song, really lacks strong songwriting.
It's still a good record, and "Heaven" and "Highwire Days" will reward your patience. But to hear this band at their best, check out their earlier work.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
BOBBY DARIN
SPLISH SPLASH: THE BEST OF BOBBY DARIN VOL 1
1991-ATLANTIC
Produced By GREGG GELLER
1. Splish Splash
2. Mighty Mighty Man
3. Early In The Morning
4. Somebody To Love
5. Queen Of The Hop
6. She's Tanfastic
7. Moment Of Love
8. Dream Lover
9. I'll Be There
10. Beachcomber
11. Nature Boy
12. Similau
13. You Must Have Been A Beautiful baby
14. Baby Face
15. Irresistable you
16. Wat'd I Say
17. Multiplication
18. Things
19. Lovin' You
20. If I Were A Carpenter
21. Simple Song Of Freedom
Bobby Darin's dream was to become bigger than Frank Sinatra. And while he never came close to that, he did have himself a nice little career as the bridge between the crooners of the 40's and the rock and roll of the 50's. Darin emerged from teen idoldom to becoming a survivor, one of the few voices of American rock in the early 60's when it looked like rock might die.
This collection (there is a volume 2 titled Mack The Knive) has several highlights, including his 1958 breakthrough "Splish Splash", "Dream Lover", "Queen Of The Hop", and his later, strange protest hit "Simple Song Of Freedom". This is a nice introduction to Darin's work, but it's since been far eclipsed by a very nice box set.
Darin died in 1973 at the age of 37. He was a major voice in American music...don't let this guy be forgotten.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
THE CADILLACS
THE BEST OF THE CADILLACS
1990-RHINO
VARIOUS PRODUCERS
1. Gloria
2. No Chance
3. Down The Road
4. Window Lady
5. Speedoo
6. Zoom
7. You Are
8. Woe Is Me
9. Betty My Love
10. The Girl I Love
11. Sugar-Sugar
12. My Girl Friend
13. Speedoo Is Back
14. Peek-A-Boo
15. Zoom-Boom-Zing
16. Please, Mr. Johnson
17. Romeo
18. Tell Me Today
As the 1950's get further and further away, big chunks of the history of rock & roll fade into obscurity. One of the things that has almost disappeared is the importance of doo-wop music. The Cadillacs were one of the first, and one of the finest. They hit big in 1954 with "Gloria", then again the following year with "Speedoo". Too many personnel changes led to their demise by the early 1960's, although they are still alive in a diluted form even today.
This best of is actually preferable to the multi disc album that was released later on. The 18 tracks here represent what really is the best of this group, and should be a part of any doo wop collection. These tracks were recorded between 1954 and 1960, and represent a solid body of work that should never be forgotten. So, if you have the time, put away your whatever you're hooked on at the moment for a moment and rediscover an important part of all the music you listen to today. The Cadillacs deserve to be remembered much better than they are.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND
LOADED
1970-WARNER BROS
Produced By GEOFFREY HASLAM, SHEL KAGAN & THE VELVET UNDERGROUND
1. Who Loves The Sun
2. Sweet Jane
3. Rock & Roll
4. Cool It Down
5. New Age
6. Head Held High
7. Lonesome Cowboy Bill
8. I Found A Reason
9. Train Round The Bend
10. Oh! Sweet Nuthin'
Any serious rock collection should have the four Velvet Underground studio albums. Loaded is the 4th, recorded after the departure of John Cale. With Lou Reed now as the main songwriter, the Velvets turn in their most commercial sounding album (although they never actually had a hit). Reed's writing here is strong: "Sweet Jane" and "Rock & Roll" are classics, while "Head Held High" and "I Found A Reason" are just as good. Among the non-Reed compositions, "Who Loves The Sun" is the standout.
Reed left the band almost immediately after this was finished, ending the Velvets. It's said that if you have this album, chances are you were either in a band at one time in your life, or thought very seriously about it. The Velvet Underground was an amazing, highly influencial band, and Loaded is a big part of that.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
JEFF BUCKLEY
GRACE
1994-COLUMBIA
Produced By ANDY WALLACE & JEFF BUCKLEY
1. Mojo Pin
2. Grace
3. Last Goodbye
4. Lilac Wine
5. So Real
6. Hallelujah
7. Lover, You Should've Come Over
8. Corpus Christi Carol
9. Eternal Life
10. Dream Brother
1. Forget Her
2. Dream Brother (Alternative Take)
3. Lost Highway
4. Alligator Wine
5. Mama, You've Been On My Mind
6. Parchman Farm Blues
7. The Other Woman
8. Kanga-Roo
9. I Want Somebody Badly (With Shudder To Think)
10. Eternal Life (Road Version)
11. Kick Out The Jams (Live At Columbia Radio Hour)
12. Dream Brother (Nag Champa Mix)
Like his father, Tim, Jeff Buckley was blessed with a beautiful expressive voice. Also like his father, he died way too young. Grace is Buckley's debut, and his only real full album. And it's beautiful. His range is incredible, and his ability to sing pretty much anything he wants is staggering. His original songs all work, and the cover versions, particularly Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and the Nina Simone track "Lilac Wine" sound like Buckley's own. Grace is a perfect album, and you should own this.
As for the Legacy Edition (hence the 2nd disc), unless you want the DVD which features the making of Grace and 5 videos, save money and find the original single disc. The bonus disc has a few moments, but this is pretty much stuff that wasn't supposed to have seen the light of day. Mostly covers, and mostly just weird. If you can listen to all 14 excruciating minutes of his take on Big Star's "Kanga-Roo", then you're a better man than I am. The rating below is for the original album only...again, skip the bonus disc.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
KING SUNNY ADE & HIS AFRICAN BEATS
SYNCHRO SYSTEM
1983-MANGO
Produced By MARTIN MEISSONNIER
1. Synchro Feelings- Ilako
2. Mo Ti Mo
3. Penkele
4. Maajo
5. Synchro System
6. E Saiye Re
7. Tolongo
8. E Wele
9. Synchro Reprise
Yeah, I kinda went through a phase where I was all into African juju music: King Sunny Ade, in particular. This is from the early 80's, when Island records was trying to make Ade the next Bob Marley. It didn't work, mainly because Ade sings only in an obscure African language. But the music on albums like Synchro System is a beautiful thing. Very guitar driven music, this is truly danceable and perfectly crafted upbeat stuff. Synchro System is one of Ade's finest albums...too bad we never caught on.
King Sunny has been a star in Africa since the 1960's, and he continues to be today. Check out the World music section of your record store one day. If you see Synchro System, pick it up. You'll be pleasantly surprised.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
JOE SATRIANI
CRYSTAL PLANET
1998-EPIC
Produced By MIKE FRASER
1. Up In The Sky
2. House Full Of Bullets
3. Crystal Planet
4. Love Thing
5. Trundrumbalind
6. Lights Of Heaven
7. Raspberry Jam Delta-V
8. Ceremony
9. With Jupiter In Mind
10. Secret Prayer
11. A Train Of Angels
12. A Piece Of Liquid
13. Psycho Monkey
14. Time
15. Z.Z.'s Song
Like most later period instrumental rock, you have to be a real fan to want to listen to an entire album of Joe Satriani's fingerboard heroics. But you have to give him this: he's nowhere near as annoying as his former student Steve Vai or any of the other pyrotechnical guitarists who came into fame in the wake of Eddie Van Halen. Satriani at least has a sense of melody, which makes his recordings not torturous. And he doesn't hammer and squeal as much, which allows his true ability to shine.
Crystal Planet is loaded with fine playing, both from Satriani and his band. If you're going to pick one of the latter day guitar heroes, Satriani should be your man. More interested in rock than fusion, he makes albums like this rewarding. This is one of his best, and is reccommended above his other works.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
FRIDA
SOMETHING'S GOING ON
1982-POLYDOR
Produced By PHIL COLLINS
1. Tell Me It's Over
2. I See Red
3. I Got Something
4. Strangers
5. To Turn The Stone
6. I Know There's Something Going On
7. Threnody
8. Baby Don't You Cry No More
9. The Way You Do
10. You Know What I Mean
11. Here We'll Stay
Now, wait a minute...who is that? Is that the chick from ABBA? Yes, it is...it's Frida...better known as Anni-Frid Lyngstad...now known as Her Serene Highness Princess Anni-Frid Synni Reuss, Countess Of Plauen (she married a prince and now lives in Switzerland). In 1982, ABBA was beginning their long breakup, and Frida was going through a messy divorce with bandmate Benny Anderson. She was listening to Face Value, an album by Phil Collins about his own messy divorce. Collins was hired as a result to produce the album.
Something's Going On is Frida's 3rd solo album, but her first in English. And believe me...this sounds NOTHING like ABBA. The title track is heavy, with big guitars, big drums from Collins, and plenty of anger. It made Frida a star worldwide outside the confines of ABBA. For the rest of the album, her call for songwriters was answered well. Contributors include Stephen Bishop, Giorgio Moroder, Russ Ballard, Rod Argent, Bryan Ferry, and Collins, who also sings with Frida on the last track. The result is a fine record, with smart song choices, and proof that at least one of the girls in ABBA had more talent than we ever gave them credit for. If you see this lying around, pick it up. You won't be disappointed.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
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