QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE
HAPPY TRAILS
1969 – CAPITOL
No Production Credit
1. Who Do You Love
2. Mona
3. Maiden Of The Cancer Moon
4. Calvary
5. Happy Trails
When people think of great jam bands that came out of San Francisco in the late sixties, it’s usually the Grateful Dead. But don’t sleep on the almost forgotten Quicksilver Messenger Service. These guys were never as famous as the Dead or Jefferson Airplane, but their place in the history of that scene is no less important. Quicksilver had one fairly sizeable hit in 1970 with “Fresh Air”, and they went on to toil in obscurity until they split up in 1979. But before that, Quicksilver released one studio album, and then dropped one of the strangest live albums ever made, 1969’s Happy Trails. It’s not the sound that’s strange…these guys show that they can certainly jam, and they are certainly accomplished players. What makes Happy Trails so odd is the content of the album. Usually, a live album will consist in large part of songs that the band has written, or that have been successful for them. That is not the case here. Not at all.
The first 32 minutes consist of two Bo Diddley covers. “Who Do You Love” is listed as a suite that stretches over 25 minutes, broken up on the album sleeve into six parts. From there, the second Diddley track, “Mona”, runs another seven minutes. Then, they segue almost unnoticeably into a pair of Gary Duncan instrumental originals. The album ends with a quick and somewhat broken cover of the Roy Rogers theme song, “Happy Trails”. Overall, the guitar work of Duncan and John Cipollina is pretty excellent, with David Freiberg and Greg Elmore holding down the rhythm. What few vocals there are here sound timid and under amplified, but that’s not what we came for. Happy Trails is, ultimately, a weird curio from 1969 that makes little sense, but in the end, it all works out. A fading entity from the San Francisco scene of the sixties. Worth a listen, for sure.
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HEART
GREATEST HITS: 1985-1995
2000 – CAPITOL
Produced By RON NEVISON, RICHIE ZITO, JOHN PAUL JONES, DUANE BARON & JOHN PURDELL
1. What About Love
2. If Looks Could Kill
3. Never
4. These Dreams
5. Nothin’ At All
6. Alone
7. Who Will You Run To
8. There’s The Girl
9. Surrender To Me
10. All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You
11. I Didn’t Want To Need You
12. Tall, Dark Handsome Stranger
13. Stranded
14. You’re The Voice
15. Back To Avalon
16. Black On Black II
17. Will You Be There (In The Morning)
18. The Road Home
There were two phases in the career of Heart. In the beginning, they were a young band that wrote and performed a mixture of rock and folk songs with a very good level of success…a lot of hits. But in 1985, after ten years and seven studio albums, the creative waters were stagnating. Simply put, Heart ran out of songs. It was a great run, but their two previous albums, Private Audition and Passionworks, were basically duds. Heart did something that not a whole lot of bands would have the courage or stamina to do. They changed their image, and turned the bulk of their songwriting over to outside sources. The results were stunning. Heart found new life in the glam rock world, and they released a string of albums over the next decade that brought them enough success to warrant an 18 song best of, keeping their career alive and keeping them relevant in a young man's world.
Now, you might prefer the version of Heart that gave us classics like “Crazy On You” and Magic Man” and “Barracuda” and “Even It Out” over this one, which embraced power ballads and synth driven radio friendly pop rock. And while songs like “These Dreams” and “Never” and “Nothin’ At All” may not be your cup of tea, you have to give it to Ann and Nancy Wilson…they took a big chance with their careers, and it paid off in spades. Some of the decisions may seem questionable (Ann’s syrupy duet with Robin Zander, “Surrender To Me”, for example), but they were able to not only survive the next decade the way few of their contemporaries could, they actually were able to kick out a few gems like “If Looks Could Kill” and “What About Love”. So, good for Heart, for finding a way to survive in a musical world that had almost passed them by.
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If you think the idea of chamber folk music sounds interesting, then this may be just the album for you. Joanna Newsom is a singer, songwriter and harpist from San Francisco, and Ys is her second album. And it’s a masterpiece. You are not going to find anything here that rocks, nor will you find anything that in any way resembles pop music. You’re not going to hear any of this on the radio. Ys consists of five long tracks (the shortest is seven minutes: the longest almost seventeen), all written by Newsom, that are intricate, personal and powerful works. The main instrument here is Newsom’s harp, augmented by a full orchestra that is conducted and arranged by Van Dyke Parks. The more traditional band, led by bassist Lee Sklar, is as subtle as can be. All of this as accompaniment to the sometimes strange but never uninteresting vocals by Newsom.
If a first listen to this album doesn’t sit quite right, then give it time. You will be highly rewarded. The depth and beauty of this music is impressive, as is Newsom’s passion. These songs about her personal relationships and her life over the year previous to the album are heartfelt, and she takes great care to give them the treatment they deserve. Her albums tend to differ…on her next effort, she changed from harp to piano, giving the music a completely different feel from what you get on Ys. She also had vocal chord issues since this album, so her voice now sounds significantly different. She hasn’t been heard from much since 2015…she had a child with her husband Andy Samberg. But so far, no word on a possible fifth album. Let’s hope there’s more. Newsom is different, and we could use more of her music in this world.
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JOHN PRINE
THE MISSING YEARS
1991 – OH BOY
Produced By HOWIE EPSTEIN
1. Picture Show
2. All The Best
3. The Sins Of Memphisto
4. Everybody Wants To Feel Like You
5. It’s A Big Old Goofy World
6. I Want To Be With You Always
7. Daddy’s Little Pumpkin
8. Take A Look At My Heart
9. Great Rain
10. Way Back Then
11. Unlonely
12. You Got Gold
13. Everything Is Cool
14. Jesus The Missing Years
You really can’t beat John Prine’s self titled debut album, but The Missing Years comes mighty close. The title is often mistaken as a reference to the five year break Prine was coming off of, but it’s actually from the song “Jesus The Missing Years”, which is about what the 18 missing years of the life of Jesus may have been like. The album was produced by Howie Epstein, the former bassist for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and features more than half of that band (including Petty), along with appearances from Phil Everly, Bonnie Raitt and Bruce Springsteen. It’s quite a comeback for Prine, whose previous album, 1986’s German Afternoons, was not quite up to standards previously set by him. But here, the songwriting is razor sharp, the music is exceptional, and Prine sounds like he’s having a really great time doing it.
“Picture Show” features Petty on vocals. “All The Best” and “The Sins Of Memphisto” are among his best songs, as is “It’s A Big Old Goofy World”. “Take A Look At My Heart” was written by Prine and John Mellencamp. “Great Rain” has tasty guitar work by Mike Campbell, and…well, heck. Take your pick on this one. Each song is different, and the long list of guests is impressive and a testament to how much people love his work. Prine made some mighty fine albums in his long and awesome career, and this is one that, while sometimes overlooked, is a real joy to listen to, and a big reason why he has remained such a respected artist and songwriter for so many years…even to this day, Prine, until the end, released music that we can all smile with, laugh at and learn from. This is a really good one from one of the all time greats.
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INTERPOL
ANTICS
2004 – MATADOR
Produced By INTERPOL & PETER KATIS
1. Next Exit
2. Evil
3. Narc
4. Take You On A Cruise
5. Slow Hands
6. Not Even Jail
7. Public Pervert
8. C’mere
9. Length Of Love
10. A Time To Be So Small
An American band that will remind you a bit of Joy Division. This is their second album, the follow up to the very well done Turn On The Bright Lights from 2002. But instead of simply repeating what made their debut album so successful, Interpol expands on their approach and their sound. There are more upbeat moments here, thanks to more of a dance approach from drummer Sam Fogarino. The Ian Curtis tinged vocals from Paul Banks are as eerie as they were on the first record, but what really shines here is the guitar work of Banks and Daniel Kessler. The pair weave interesting and exciting melodies throughout each track, complementing the vocals perfectly. The musicianship here shows a lot of growth, and shows that Interpol has a lot more going for them than just being another rock band.
Four tracks stand out on this one. “Evil” is supposedly about a real life married couple who abducted and raped young girls. “Slow Hands” and “C’Mere” were released as singles, and “Narc” is also exceptional. The first half of Antics is noticeably stronger, but the later tracks are still very worthwhile. This music is still dark, but dark in a very colorful and entertaining way. Since Antics, Interpol has released another five albums so far. Bassist Carlos Dengler left Interpol in 2010 and has never been permanently replaced, with Banks playing bass on recordings made since then. Their later albums are all good, but they have never quite reached the heights of their first two releases. Both Turn On The Bright Lights and Antics are fine albums, both well worth a listen or a few. A definite bright light from the early 2000’s.
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JONI MITCHELL
BLUE
1971 – REPRISE
Produced By JONI MITCHELL
1. All I Want
2. My Old Man
3. Little Green
4. Carey
5. Blue
6. California
7. This Flight Tonight
8. River
9. A Case Of You
10. The Last Time I Saw Richard
Joni Mitchell is one of the greatest female recording artists of all time, and her 1971 album, Blue, is her masterpiece. Self produced and self written, the album is mostly acoustic and, with the exception of four guest musicians who are used sparingly, self played. Mitchell plays guitar, dulcimer and piano on what may well be her best set of songs. Her voice is beautiful, and the mostly sparse arrangements are stunning. Mitchell writes and sings about a period in her life when her romantic relationships were falling one after the other, including stormy affairs with Graham Nash and James Taylor. Many of the songs came from a trip she took to Europe in 1970. This album is raw and very personal…and very beautiful. It remains, to this day, the crown jewel of Mitchell’s storied and wonderful career.
Russ Kunkel plays drums on 4 songs. Sneaky Pete Kleinow adds pedal steel to a pair of songs, while Taylor plays guitar on three. The other guest spot is by Stephen Stills, who plays bass and guitar on “Carey”, which is the closest thing to a hit on this album. There are no weak songs here…every track on Blue is a thing of beauty, with Mitchell at the absolute pinnacle of her songwriting and singing prowess. Her career has featured several gorgeous albums (Ladies Of The Canyon, Court And Spark, For The Roses, and many more), but this is where she really shows herself and her vulnerabilities to her audience. Blue is a wonder, and it may be the greatest album ever made by a female artist. And one of the best albums ever made, period. This is one that you must have…you will fall in love with it, if you have not done so already.
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CAGE THE ELEPHANT
MELOPHOBIA
2013 – RCA
Produced By JAY JOYCE
1. Spiderhead
2. Come A Little Closer
3. Telescope
4. It’s Just Forever (Feat. Alison Mosshart)
5. Take It Or Leave It
6. Halo
7. Black Widow
8. Hypocrite
9. Teeth
10. Cigarette Daydreams
The first thing that I noticed about Melophobia was that it is nowhere near the heavy rock that caught my attention with their self titled debut album from 2008. Five years later, it seems that the band had abandoned its punk and heavy rock roots in favor of a somewhat psychedelic and much more mellow sound. In fact, the two hits from the album are soft pop rock by definition. My initial disappointment with this record came from just that…these guys went from not being afraid to rock hard to barely being able to rock at all. But after the initial shock of hearing this band be so quiet came the realization that they were actually able to pull this off. Melophobia (which means fear of music) may be different, but that does not mean that it is, by any means, bad. It took them a lot of guts to make a record like this, and to their absolute credit, they made it work quite well.
The songs that are central to Melophobia are “Come A Little Closer” and “Cigarette Daydream”, while “Take It Or Leave It" serves as the centerpiece for it all. That this band has been able to so quickly change their entire dynamic without sacrificing any quality at all is remarkable. This is a big step up from their lackluster second album (Thank You, Happy Birthday)…and, in fact, it’s even better than their debut. These songs have cool, spacey arrangements, and the vocals of Matt Shultz are great in the same way Lennon’s processed Beatles vocals were always so good. And while they do utilize their ability to use their heavy background sparingly, when they do (the first half of “Teeth”, for instance), it works very much in their favor. This is not a perfect work, but it surely is a nice surprise. And much better than the first listen indicated it would be.
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THE ANIMALS
THE BEST OF THE ANIMALS
1973 – ABKCO
Produced By MICKIE MOST
1. House Of The Rising Sun
2. I’m Crying
3. Baby Let Me Take You Home
4. Around And Around
5. Talkin’ ‘Bout You
6. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
7. Boom Boom
8. Dimples
9. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place
10. I’m In Love Again
11. Bury My Body
12. Gonna Send You Back To Walker
13. Story Of Bo Diddley
14. It’s My Life
15. Bring It On Home To Me
First, there is some confusion about this album. The Best Of The Animals was released in 1966 on MGM Records. It was shorter than this one by four songs. Then, in 1973, Abkco released Best Of The Animals. It featured the above track list and different album cover art. In 1987, the CD re-release used the cover artwork from the original 1966 album. Confusing, but it is easy to know which album you actually have…the later version has 15 songs. And because of the added material, this is actually the better one to have. The Animals, led by Eric Burdon, were heavier and harder blues influenced leaders of the British Invasion, with a sound that was at times heavier than The Rolling Stones. Burdon was a powerful vocalist who rivaled Mick Jagger, and the keyboards of Alan Price gave them an extra weapon that most British blues rockers didn’t have.
Most of the songs come from their first three albums. “It’s My Life” was a single only release from 1965. Most of the songs are covers, with only “I’m Crying” having been written by the band. This period, from 1963 to 1966, is the strongest for The Animals, and contains pretty much all of their worthwhile hits. And having “The House Of The Rising Sun”, “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”, “It’s My Life” and “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place” all on a single disc is well worth it, and the rest are just icing on the cake. The Animals featured here would splinter soon afterward and be done by the end of the sixties. Burdon would go on to front War for awhile, and there would be some new versions of The Animals over the years, but it was this original band that was the best. This album, the 15 song version, is the best one out there with the confusing duplicate cover thing.
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VARIOUS ARTISTS
ENJOY EVERY SANDWICH: THE SONGS OF WARREN ZEVON
2004 – ARTEMIS
Produced By JORGE CALDERON, EVAN FRANKFORT, BRANDAN O’BRIEN, KEN STRINGFELLOW, TWANGTRUST & WADDY WACHTEL
1. Searching For A Heart – Don Henley
2. Werewolves Of London – Adam Sandler
3. Reconsider Me – Steve Earle & Reckless Kelly
4. Poor Poor Pitiful Me – Jackson Browne & Bonnie Raitt
5. My Ride’s Here (Live) – Bruce Springsteen
6. Lawyers, Guns And Money – The Wallflowers
7. Studebaker – Jordan Zevon
8. The Wind – Billy Bob Thornton
9. Splendid Isolation – Pete Yorn
10. Mutineer (Live) – Bob Dylan
11. Monkey Wash Donkey Rinse – David Lindley & Ry Cooder
12. Don’t Let Us Get Sick – Jill Sobule
13. Ain’t That Pretty At All – Pixies
14. Keep Me In Your Heart – Jorge Calderon & Jennifer Warnes
15. Keep Me In Your Heart (Strings Only) – Van Dyke Parks
Because I love the music of Warren Zevon, I wanted to love this with all of my heart and soul. A tribute album to one of my all time favorites…what could possibly go wrong? Actually, not a whole lot. Even though there’s no Warren Zevon to give them that kind of life that only he (and Linda Ronstadt, who’s not here either) could inject into them, this mostly works quite well. Don Henley starts off with a nice but kind of pedestrian reading of “Searching For A Heart”. Adam Sandler (a pretty questionable choice) gives a well meaning but fairly awful version of Zevon’s biggest hit, “Werewolves Of London”. Jackson Browne sounds like he doesn’t understand how “Poor Poor Pitiful Me” is supposed to rock. Otherwise, this is a very well done and very heartfelt tribute to one of the all time greats. Zevon was loved by many, and it really shows here.
The best performances here are amazing. Bruce Springsteen gives a live reading of “My Ride’s Here” just days after Zevon’s death that may be the best track here. Zevon’s son Jordan offers up “Studebaker”, an unknown song from his dad. The tracks by Jill Sobule, Steve Earle, David Lindley, and Pete Yorn are touching and fantastic. And Jorge Calderon ends this with a perfect “Keep Me In Your Heart”. Keep Every Sandwich starts off a bit iffy, but finishes with a flurry of great performances of songs by one of the masters. Zevon died of mesothelioma in 2003 after making it through the recording of a final album (The Wind), and seeing the birth of his twin grandchildren…in true Zevon style, he turned a few months left into two more years of life. You should most definitely hear all of Zevon’s versions of these songs…but, for the most part, Enjoy Every Sandwich is a fitting tribute and a worthwhile addition to the Zevon discography.
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ROXY MUSIC
AVALON
1982 – E.G. / POLYDOR
Produced By RHETT DAVIES & ROXY MUSIC
1. More Than This
2. The Space Between
3. Avalon
4. India
5. While My Heart Is Still Beating
6. The Main Thing
7. Take A Chance With Me
8. To Turn You On
9. True To Life
10. Tara
In case you ever wonder where much of the New Wave music of the eighties and pretty much all of the New Romantics from the same decade got their muse, you need to look not much farther than Avalon. This is the eighth and final album by Roxy Music. It’s the culmination of their mellower synth driven sound that replaced the more guitar driven rock of their earlier career, and it paved the way for the sounds of bands like ABC and Spandau Ballet to become big stars. Two songs on this album are of huge importance to the New Wave… “Avalon” and “More Than This” were more than just hits, they were blueprints for success that a long line of eighties bands followed to the top of the charts. But Roxy Music was always, of course, much more than just an influence on the New Wave. They were, by this time, rock icons who had once boasted Brian Eno as a full band member. They made several great albums in the seventies, and Bryan Ferry was a true rock and roll icon.
Avalon is so much more than those two great hits, which are worth having this for alone. What you get as a bonus are eight other tracks that are almost all perfect and great. This is not only one of the greatest New Wave albums ever made, it’s also one of the greatest New Age albums of all time, and it’s a perfect cap on the career of a legendary band. Very few legends could end their careers with a disc like Avalon, but Roxy Music is able to do it almost perfectly. Like they seemingly did everything else in their career with ease. Avalon was so far different than the classics Siren and Roxy Music and For Your Pleasure, yet it fits without being inferior to those releases in any way. Avalon is not only the perfect ending to what was a fantastic career (there have been reunions), it’s also a magnificent introduction to what a whole lot of the music of the eighties was all about. All in one stroke, And that, my friends, is pure genius.
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