I'm going back to the start
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| theblueboy wrote: | | Agreed. Not quite as good as her debut but it's still an enjoyable album with some really good moments. |
Yeah, I guess you could call it a transitional record. If her debut is closer to pop and Dusty In Memphis is closer to soul, this is somewhere in between – but not as good as either of those two.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus
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theblueboy
- #472
- Posted: 10/12/2022 20:29
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| kokkinos wrote: | | Yeah, I guess you could call it a transitional record. If her debut is closer to pop and Dusty In Memphis is closer to soul, this is somewhere in between – but not as good as either of those two. |
Yep. I actually have a little Dusty custom chart. This is my fourth favourite from her. The great one people don’t seem to recognise is the follow up to Dusty in Memphis, which was Brand New Me. It’s a really nice Philly soul record written and produced by Gamble and Huff. It’s not quite Dusty in Memphis but is still really overlooked.
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Max Roach - The Max Roach Trio Featuring The Legendary Hasaan
Everyone knows that Max Roach is one of the most exciting figures jazz has ever seen. However, part of his charm is that he’s never been a show-off -and some drummers do have this annoying tendency - , he leaves plenty of room for others to shine. In this case, it’s Legendary Hasaan and his piano that dominate the scene – the fact that it is labelled as a Max Roach album probably comes down to commercial/promotional reasons, it hardly matters anyway. Even though it’s only a trio (piano/bass/drums) it comes with a big and colourful sound that leaves nothing to be desired and that is mostly related to Hasaan’s playing style. Comparing him to Thelonious Monk may sound blasphemous – and I know that’s the most basic comparison one can come up with regarding any half interesting pianist - , but it isn’t entirely unreasonable. He brings tons of energy to the table, yet makes everything flow in a natural and effortless manner. He is eccentric, yet easy on the ear. All in all, a great pianist and a great album. It’s a shame he didn’t go on to record more of his work, I’d be really interested in finding out more about this wonderful artist – on the other hand, one may argue that we are lucky that at least this one exists.
8/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus
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| theblueboy wrote: | | Yep. I actually have a little Dusty custom chart. This is my fourth favourite from her. The great one people don’t seem to recognise is the follow up to Dusty in Memphis, which was Brand New Me. It’s a really nice Philly soul record written and produced by Gamble and Huff. It’s not quite Dusty in Memphis but is still really overlooked. |
Cool, I don't think I've ever seen a Dusty chart/list, count yourself a worthy fan. 👏
And I haven't listened to A Brand New Me, making a note to myself to check it out at some point.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus
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Fred Neil - Bleecker And MacDougal
It is a well-known fact that 1965 was a year many singer/songwriters came up with good to great albums: Phil Ochs, Jackson C. Frank, Paul Simon, Bert Jansch and of course Bob Dylan – just to name a few, there’s many more. Fred Neil might be a great songwriter, but I’m afraid this album isn’t the best example of his talent. The songs themselves are kinda ok, one might argue they are a bit on the safe side, since there’s hardly anything exciting or surprising. However, that’s not even the biggest problem of Bleecker & MacDougal. I mean, what kind of voice is this? No offence, but I thought it was some kind of joke at first, lol. It’s way too clean and as a result it isn’t convincing at all. I quite simply don’t buy anything he talks about, he doesn’t sound like a rambling man or someone who is having a hard time, it’s as if Elvis somehow tried to sing alongside Woody Guthrie, that’s equally absurd. It also reminds me of Dylan’s attempt at Nashville sound/country, another project that in my opinion failed spectacularly with the honeylike vocals being a major reason. All in all, I guess the main point is we need some grit, some blood and some pain and there’s none of that in Fred Neil’s singing.
4.5/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus
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Roger Miller - The Return Of Roger Miller
1965 was a great year but it’s slowly coming to an end and I came to realise it wasn’t as deep a year as I initially thought, meaning I’ll have to go through some albums such as this, it is what it is I guess. I’ve mentioned multiple times that country/Nashville sound is as far from my tastes as it gets – look no further than the post right above – so this album had its work cut out to make me like it. If there’s one positive to note, I’d say his delivery is kinda cool and successfully avoids some of the genre’s typical – and annoying - traits (e.g. excessive crooning), though the biggest achievement is he doesn’t take himself too seriously – there’s a humorous touch every now and then. Add a running time of 26 minutes to the above and it’s not the absolute bore I expected, it makes it to tolerable land.
4.5/10.
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Paul Simon - The Paul Simon Songbook
And now let’s move on to something much better – in my opinion of course. If you ‘ve been familiar with Paul Simon thanks to the legendary duo of Simon & Garfunkel, then you might think you know what to expect of this album, especially if you take into account that some of these songs eventually appeared on a Simon & Garfunkel release. Still, the setting here is completely different. It’s only his acoustic guitar that accompanies him, a typical singer-songwriter record of the early to mid ‘60s, far from the majestic folk pop of his work with Garfunkel.
I guess you could say he’s kinda like Bob Dylan and parts of it will bring some acoustic-era Dylan vibes, but not quite. Dylan has a fire burning in him, he is ready to change the world and he is confident he can do it and inspire others to follow his leadership. Paul Simon, on the other hand, doesn’t sound as powerful, direct or convincing, he doesn’t feel like a born leader at all – quite the contrary, he gives the impression he’d barely be able to look you in the eye if you were in the same room. That’s why he is at his best when he’s at his most vulnerable and fragile. For example, heavily political songs such as A Church Is Burning would fit Dylan more than Simon. It’s in numbers like Leaves That Are Green or April Come She Will where Simon really shines applying what is known as the beauty of simplicity. Both are dealing with the passing of time and the fleeting nature of every good thing that sooner or later has to die, very touching songwriting-wise and performance-wise. Also, I have to mention A Simple Desultory Philippic, which is genuinely hilarious and it would feel right at home in Another Side Of Bob Dylan. You know that’s an album I love, so it’s easy to tell I pretty much adore this song as well. All in all, it’s probably true that not every song is a success. However, The one thing that remains consistent throughout the album is his guitar playing, it’s excellent and I’d go on to add it’s an underrated aspect of his overall talent.
7.5/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus
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The Roland Kirk Quartet Featuring Elvin Jones - Rip, Rig & Panic
One thing I like about Roland Kirk is that no matter how deep he is in his avant-garde journey – and you know his adventures are particularly wild and fascinating, his creativity has at this point reached its peak - , he always finds a way to add something more tangible, so that it’s easier for the listeners to connect with his work - a great example of that would be the old school piano of the opening track. Another impressive aspect of his performance is that he can play blazingly fast, but at the same time he somehow maintains an impressive sense of lyricism, you don’t get lost in the craziness or feel left out, it makes for a relatable and engaging experience. By the way, we are down to a quartet, which proves to be a great decision, the band displays excellent team chemistry, everyone knows his role and they are all ready to follow Roland Kirk. Also, it’s worth pointing out that the contrast between this and his other 1965 release, I Talk With The Spirits, is striking and showcases the many sides of this brilliant artist (In case you missed it, that was the one where he momentarily abandoned his multi-instrumentalist shenanigans and focused solely on the flute). Roland Kirk has a discography that features endless gems, but this has to be included among his very finest albums anyway.
8/10.
Wilson Pickett - In The Midnight Hour
I don’t think I’ve ever listened to a Wilson Pickett album before, though I was familiar with a couple of his hits, the self-titled track being one of them, so I had to fix that. His rough, almost over the top, James Brown influenced vocals dominate the scene and leave little room for anything else. However, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing, since it can act distracting and it doesn’t allow us to vibe with the overall funky atmosphere – which remains consistent throughout, even though not every song is a success, there are a few “meh” tracks - , the groove is irresistible. An important album nonetheless, for example I can easily imagine Curtis being a fan and using it as a source of inspiration for his early ‘70s solo career.
7/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus
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John Coltrane Quartet - The John Coltrane Quartet Plays
This is the album that had to face the seemingly impossible task of being the follow up to A Love Supreme – ok, there was another record of his, titled Bahia, which happened to come out in 1965 as well, but that one was recorded all the way back in 1958, so it doesn’t exactly count. Well, for an album that is sandwiched between A Love Supreme and Ascencion, there’s nothing particularly extreme going on. It’s as if Coltrane decides it’s time to take a breather before making a final push - and there's nothing wrong with that. Song of Praise is the weirdest and most forward-thinking track, though every number is greatly entertaining – admittedly in a more traditional way compared to what one might have expected from Coltrane at this point of his career. All in all, I think it’s a fine album, it’s just that the burden of expectation brings it down, a matter of perspective if you will.
7/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus
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The Fugs - The Village Fugs Sing Ballad...tisfaction
First of all, how cool is that title? I thought only Mingus could come up with such great titles, he was a master. Anyway, I am not quite sure what to make of this album. My first – and rather obvious – reaction is that it feels, sounds and plays out like a Frank Zappa record, though I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing. I mean, it’s an important album, no doubt about it, I would be fine if you went as far as to call it revolutionary, but (call me old-fashioned if you will) the minimum I expect from an album is to be somewhat listenable/enjoyable. This one right here scores disappointingly low in that department, making it hard to think highly of it. That being said, I’d encourage anyone to give it a try. It’s less than 30 minutes long, so it shouldn’t take that much time and I am positive there are many who would fall in love with such an “ahead of its time” record , it’s simply a step too far for me – but I am far from the most adventurous guy out there, so don’t mind me.
4/10.
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The Supremes - More Hits By The Supremes
And now it’s time for something that lies on the other end of the spectrum, this one is sweet as honey. You could say that The Supremes were Motown’s pride – or one of them at the very least – yet that hardly made a difference in terms of receiving special treatment, this is as typical a Motown release as it gets. If anything, I guess they'd like to make as much as possible out of their more successful artists. It relies heavily on a few big hits – Back In My Arms Again and especially the huge Stop! In the Name of Love, which has to be included among the greatest songs of all time – and the rest of the material doesn’t hold up. The vocals are consistently great as expected. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the songwriting or even the production which isn’t as shiny or spectacular as usual.
7/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus
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Barry McGuire - Eve Of Destruction
Everyone knows Barry McGuire from the self-titled track, he really strikes home with that one, he perfectly captures the zeitgeist of the early-mid ‘60s, using folk music as a means to protest against war, social injustice, etc., in the style of countless artists of his time, Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs would be the most obvious examples. The man goes on to cover a couple of Dylan tunes (Baby Blue, which is kinda decent and She Belongs To Me, which is a no-no) just in case we had any doubts whether he is a fan or not. The big question is: does the rest of the album hold up or at least does he have something of interest to say? Well, I’d say no other song stands out the same way and there are a few subpar ones - and too many covers as far as I'm concerned. Still, I like his voice and his energy, so I found it rather enjoyable as a listening experience – and I guess the same will apply to any Dylan fan, though it goes without saying that he can’t compete with the man, simply an alternative if you want to try something else. On the other hand, anyone who can’t handle Dylan’s vocals and considers him a bad singer should stay away from this, do yourself a favour and don’t even bother.
7/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus
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