LA DUSSELDORF
1976 – NOVA
Produced By LA DUSSELDORF & CONNY PLANK
1. Dusseldorf
2. La Dusseldorf
3. Silver Cloud
4. Time
From the important German bands Kraftwerk and Neu! came a gentleman named Klaus Dinger. Dinger played on one Kraftwerk track, then formed Neu! in 1971 with Michael Rother. In 1975, Neu! split up, and La Dusseldorf was born. Dinger enlisted his brother Thomas and keyboardist Hans Lampe for the new band. Their self-titled debut album came out in 1976, and has since remained an influential and important part of German music. Dinger had played percussion in his previous bands, but here, he’s the guitarist. By utilizing vocals more, and by being open to sounds outside of what Neu! had been doing, La Dusseldorf adds a mixture of punk and disco , both of which were in their early stages when this was released. Praised by both Bowie and Eno, this is not a pop record by any means, but it’s also not as far outside of the pop world as Neu! had been.
This album consists of three extended songs and the shorter (four and a half minutes) title track. Lampe’s keyboards sound almost dated, but the rest absolutely does not. The rhythms are tightly wound and exciting, and Dinger’s guitar is sparing but heavy. The singing is not very strong, but that’s okay…it works well within the songs. A three minute version (cut down from eight) of the instrumental “Silver Cloud” was released as a single and became the group’s big hit. La Dusseldorf didn’t last long. In 1983, after just three albums, the Dinger brothers went their separate ways, with the band not recording together again. Their final album, 1980’s Individuellos, was not successful. Klaus Dinger died of a heart attack in 2008 at age 61, ending the chances of a La Dusseldorf reunion. But for a moment…they were pretty great.
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Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
LOS LOBOS
COLOSSAL HEAD
1996 – WARNER BROS
Produced By MITCHELL FROOM, TCHAD BLAKE & LOS LOBOS
1. Revolution
2. Mas Y Mas
3. Maricela
4. Everybody Loves A Train
5. Can’t Stop The Rain
6. Life Is Good
7. Little Japan
8. Manny’s Bones
9. Colossal Head
10. This Bird’s Gonna Fly
11. Buddy Ebsen Loves The Night Time
Los Lobos has had some great success in their long (more than fifty years) career. But they have also always been a band that has lived on the fringes of the big time. Their 1984 debut yielded the minor hit “Will The Wolf Survive”. They were included on a track from Paul Simon’s Graceland album in 1986, then topped the charts the following year with the title track from the Ritchie Valens pic La Bamba. Their 1992 album Kiko was a masterpiece…but Los Lobos remained an almost ran. Which is where they are today: highly respected, but always an opening act. Four years after Kiko, they released Colossal Head. Yeah…bad name, bad album art. But what the hell. Los Lobos were highly respected and revered, and yet, they were already on the way to being a one hit wonder on the heels of a traditional Mexican song that a 17 year old had covered thirty years before. Fair?
Well…the truth is, after Kiko, Los Lobos kind of slipped into the role of that what could have been band. Colossal Head is not a bad album. Neither is it a memorable one. These guys have always been able to play, and that’s not the issue here. But Colossal Head lacks songs, pure and simple. There is nothing here that will make you say wow, but it feels like it’s always close. And it’s been this way ever since. Los Lobos has been touring and has been seen as successful on the back of the music they made from 1992 and earlier. They’ve made nine studio albums since Colossal head, each one a bit less memorable than the one before it. They’ve also released at least seven live albums during this time, an indication of where their current success lies. Colossal Head is one in a long string of average records by a band that we all thought would have a much brighter career.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
COMMANDER CODY & HIS LOST PLANET AIRMEN
TALES FROM THE OZONE
1975 – WARNER BROS
Produced By HOYT AXTON
1. Minnie The Moocher
2. It’s Gonna Be One Of Those Nights
3. Connie
4. I Been To Georgia On A Fast Train
5. Honky Tonk Music
6. Lightnin’ Bar Blues
7. Paid In Advance
8. Cajun Baby
9. Tina Louise
10. The Shadow Knows
11. Roll Your Own
12. Gypsy Fiddle
The career of Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen didn’t last long, and it was mostly unspectacular while it was happening. But today, they are remembered as an early leading light of country rock and Americana music. Hailing from Michigan, their one hit wonder status was cemented in 1971 with their remake of “Hot Rod Lincoln”. Label executives tried to mold them into being a band like the Eagles, but they were never going to be that laid back and mellow. Led by George Frayne, aka Commander Cody, the Airmen did things their own way. By the time of their sixth album, Tales From The Ozone, they were beginning to break from each other. The album was produced by the great Hoyt Axton, and consists of mostly cover songs. Only “It’s Gonna Be One Of Those Nights” and “Gypsy Fiddle” were written by members of the band.
“Roll Your Own” was a failed single. “Minnie The Moocher” and “Cajun Baby” are familiar titles, and “I Been To Georgia On A Fast Train” is a good song choice. But unfortunately, the production here falls flat, and not enough of the performances sound particularly inspired. And their fast reducing number of original songs wasn’t helping them out, either. After this one, The Lost Planet Airmen were no more, and there were no reunions. Frayne continued on with the Commander Cody name, rolling on with a solo career that almost no one noticed until his death in 2021. Go for one of their earlier efforts that have more energy and better songs. The best thing about Tales From The Ozone is that you can definitely hear shades of what is known today as alt-country in their sound. They just couldn’t sustain it without any songs of their own.
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Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
ROBERT CRAY
SWEET POTATO PIE
1997 – MERCURY
Produced By ROBERT CRAY
1. Nothing Against You
2. Do That For Me
3. Back Home
4. The One In The Middle
5. Little Birds
6. Trick Or Treat
7. Simple Things
8. Jealous Minds
9. Not Bad For Love
10. I Can’t Quit
At the dawn of the eighties, Robert Cray was beginning what would become a nice enough career. And then, Stevie Ray Vaughan happened. Blues guitar had been slipping away from hit radio as guys like Clapton, Page and Beck were starting to settle into safer musical waters. When Stevie Ray came along, the question seemed to be, were there any more blues guys out there? The answer, at least right away, was Cray. His fourth album, Strong Persuader, became a blues hit in 1986 on the back of “Smoking Gun”, and for at least the next few years, blues was alive and well. But Stevie Ray died in 1990, and Cray slipped into obscurity with everyone except blues fans. Which brings us to 1997, and his eleventh album, Sweet Potato Pie. After being a rising star in the eighties, he had become invisible in the nineties. This album is a perfect picture of why that happened.
Cray is here, as he has always been, a fine singer and guitarist. That’s not the issue. Neither is his band, which has always been good. The problem is that Cray had settled into ballads and somewhat lifeless tunes that make the album easy to ignore. Not even the Memphis Horns can save this set of lesser material from belonging in an elevator. The most interesting song is the only cover, Otis Redding’s “Trick Or Treat”. Cray stayed busy throughout the decade and since, but it’s obvious here that he’d already ran out of ideas. Not that he doesn’t try. Since Sweet Potato Pie, he’s released another nine albums, the most recent in 2020. He’s also usually on tour, doing what he loves best. Cray was an interesting almost star years ago. These days, unfortunately, his recordings don’t carry much weight. Stick with his output from the eighties.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
THE CULT
LOVE
1985 – BEGGARS BANQUET
Produced By STEVE BROWN
1. Nirvana
2. Big Neon Glitter
3. Love
4. Brother Wolf, Sister Moon
5. Rain
6. Phoenix
7. Hollow Man
8. Revolution
9. She Sells Sanctuary
10. Black Angel
The Cult had a strong three album run in the late 1980’s that briefly included success in America with the 1989 album Sonic Temple. They had some great ideas, but they were unfortunately also a band that seemed to be in a constant state of breaking up…something they did twice. The band has always been led by singer Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy. Outside of that, they have been cursed by a revolving door at the drummer and bassist positions. Love is their second album, and their UK commercial breakthrough. Astbury and Duffy were growing as a songwriting tandem, and there were enough hits here to make the future look bright indeed. Original drummer Nigel Preston (who died in 1992) was fired during the sessions, beginning the band’s revolving door rhythm section woes. But Love turned out to be a pretty good second effort.
“Revolution” and “Rain” may be Beatles titles, but these are definitely Cult songs, and hits at that. “She Sells Sanctuary” became their biggest selling single, matched later by only “Fire Woman” from 1989. “Nirvana” is also notable. Duffy shines on guitar throughout the album, and the promise of the next albums, Electric and Sonic Temple, is very present here. Love stands as one of The Cult’s best works to this day. After Sonic Temple, breakups and instability have made their work after the eighties a mere shadow of what once was. But they soldier on, with six albums released over the last thirty years. As far as Love goes...buyer beware. Depending on how much you worship this band, there are bloated versions out there. The best is the original single disc, but there are also releases with bonus tracks, a second disc of “extras” a third consisting of demos, and a live version of the album. One disc should be all you need.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
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