Between 1967 and 1969 I feel like there were probably 100,000 different psychedelic rock bands form, and probably 60% of them recorded one album at best and then disbanded never to be heard from again while the rest turned into The Doors or Love or the Grateful Dead, etc.
But in that pile of psychedelic music that came out in that time period, there are a few hidden gems, and this is one of them. I stumbled upon this album and figured I'd give it a listen and it's pretty awesome. It's the only album that Bohemian Vendetta ever released (to my knowledge), and while there's some really solid psychedelic rock on here, there are two moments on here that really stick out, and they're both covers.
First, there's their cover of (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction. It starts off with this trippy guitar intro that turns into wild, frenetic shredding, before slipping perfectly into the riff from Satisfaction. But what makes this version interesting is, they do the song at basically half-tempo, turning Satisfaction into this slow psych number, similar to some of the stuff The Doors would do when Jim Morrison would yell verses while the band went wild behind him. It's a fascinating take on the song.
And then there's their version of House of the Rising Sun. They do it in the style of The Animals' version of the song, melodically, but again, they take the song and do it at about half tempo, which turns this song into this really creepy, sort of Dr. John voodoo man feeling song, and I absolutely love it.
Aside from those two songs, the rest of the album is some pretty good to really good psychedelic rock. If you dig that early garage rock/psychedelic stuff of the late-60s, this is definitely an album to check out. _________________ 2023 Chart
I feel like this album gets almost entirely dismissed when talking about Simon & Garfunkel, and to an extent, I get it. It's definitely their worst album, but what's pretty incredible about Simon & Garfunkel's discography is the fact that their worst album is still a pretty good album.
It's very folky, and very much in the vein of the folk revival of the mid-60s. In fact, it's surprising to me that this album didn't sell all that well when it first came out, because it feels like it would've been eaten up by the folk revival audience. I mean, it's certainly more interesting than what Peter, Paul, and Mary and those types were putting out there, easily as good as some of the stuff the Phil Ochs and Dave Van Ronks of the world were putting out there (minus any sort of political message). But it bombed, which is surprising to me.
There are some fun, interesting arrangements of traditional folk songs here, and the originals are quite good. You get the original folk-y version of "The Sound of Silence" which is fun to hear. I think I prefer the famous single version that's got the rock band overdubs, but this version is pretty great too. And the title track is excellent too. It's a rock solid folk album and one that I think gets unfairly glossed over. _________________ 2023 Chart
This is some primo 80s pop rock right here. Is it cheesy? You bet. Is it big and over-the-top? Yup. And I love it.
But it's not mindless formulaic pop music, there's plenty to love here. Pretty much the whole A side is the singles from the album, and they're all pretty good to great. "I Can't Hold Back" is awesome and "The Search is Over" is one of the best power ballads ever written. But while the songs are really easy to enjoy pop songs, the band is rock solid too.
Jimi Jamison's vocals are awesome, the dude has an incredible voice, and Frankie Sullivan gets to show off a good bit on the B side on guitar, especially on "It's the Singer, Not the Song" where he gets to rip a couple great solos.
I feel about this album the way I feel about a lot of Toto and Journey's work. There's a great band here that gets over-shadowed by the music being catchy, kind of lyrically shallow pop music, but if you really give it a listen, there's some great stuff going on. _________________ 2023 Chart
What a charming, fun listen. I picked this up in the bargain bin at my local record store, found it for $3 and figured, hey why not? I know a bit of Tom Paxton, mostly as one of the bigger figures of the folk revival of the 60s in the same vein as Dave Van Ronk, Phil Ochs, and everyone else who circled around New York in that time. And while I know some of Paxton's songs via covers, I haven't heard a ton of the man himself.
This is a double album, a live performance in New York, and it's a really nice album. Paxton's songs are great, he's got some that are better than others, but they're all good, and on top of that, Paxton is a great performer. There are plenty of little interludes where Paxton is joking around and he's way funnier than I thought he'd be.
It's a real delight of an album and I'm definitely glad I snagged it out of the bargain bin. _________________ 2023 Chart
What a gem of an album in a really weird, difficult time for Bob Dylan. After a string of pretty disappointing albums (save for Infidels) and amid a time of personal turmoil where Dylan was just constantly touring to avoid dealing with his personal life, Oh Mercy comes out and it's lowkey one of Dylan's best albums.
I think the star here is Daniel Lanois' production. I can see the throughline between this album and Time Out of Mind (which Lanois also produced) because the sound and feel is really similar. The atmospheric, sort of dreamy production really suits where Dylan's voice was at during this period, a bit raspier, older, wearier, and it works beautifully.
And I mean, it helps that we have some brilliant songwriting from Dylan here. Most of the Time is one of the best songs he's ever written. It's a breakup song, and it perfectly encapsulates the whole "I'm fine! I don't need her! I'll be perfectly happy on my own!" sort of denial that we often go through following a heartbreak. That defensiveness that kicks in to try and avoid the pain.
But this song sort of acknowledges that that's all bullshit really with a perfect turn at the end of every verse: most of the time.
"I don't build up illusion till it makes me sick
I ain't afraid of confusion no matter how thick
I can smile in the face of mankind
Don't even remember what her lips felt like on mine
Most of the time"
Also quick shoutout to the bassline on that song. The little riff in between each verse is just fantastic.
But Oh Mercy isn't just that song, there's a ton of great stuff on it. What Was it You Wanted, Shooting Star, Everything is Broken are all great. Man in the Long Black Coat sounds like "film noir: the song." But what kills me is what Dylan left off, specifically Series of Dreams. That was recorded during the Oh Mercy sessions and was only ever released on the first Bootleg Series set, and man is it a killer track. Lanois described it as "turbulent" and that's the perfect word for it, it's a brilliant song and would've really made this already great album even greater.
It's so funny how this album is like a weird little blip reminding us how incredible Dylan can be amid his string of rough albums. And not-so-great albums came after too. He followed this up with Under the Red Sky, which got (rightfully) panned, and then two albums of folk covers until we got Time Out of Mind eight years after Oh Mercy. But never let someone tell you 80s Dylan is all bad, because this album is fantastic. _________________ 2023 Chart
Totally! I love a lot of his 80s stuff actually. Especially that Christian Trilogy that got panned. Had them on frequent rotation a few years back.
Great post, Rocky!!!
Thanks!
And you know, it's funny, there's plenty from the Christian period that isn't great. But Slow Train Coming is pretty darn good (and features Mark Knopfler on guitar, which is awesome). Saved is a bit rough, but I don't think it's horrible, same with Shot of Love.
80s were definitely a low period for Dylan relative to the rest of his discography. Knocked Out Loaded and Down in the Groove were pretty rough, but Dylan's career has always had ups and downs in just about every decade. Seems like the 80s were more down than up though _________________ 2023 Chart
Totally! I love a lot of his 80s stuff actually. Especially that Christian Trilogy that got panned. Had them on frequent rotation a few years back.
Great post, Rocky!!!
Thanks!
And you know, it's funny, there's plenty from the Christian period that isn't great. But Slow Train Coming is pretty darn good (and features Mark Knopfler on guitar, which is awesome). Saved is a bit rough, but I don't think it's horrible, same with Shot of Love.
80s were definitely a low period for Dylan relative to the rest of his discography. Knocked Out Loaded and Down in the Groove were pretty rough, but Dylan's career has always had ups and downs in just about every decade. Seems like the 80s were more down than up though
Just threw on Saved and that title track in particular...
... kicks ass. The lead guitar and gospel backing vocals are just stellar. Bob's knowledge and LOVE of all forms of American music has always impressed me.
I worship two more of his albums that show off that side of Bob and don't get enough love ...
Self Portrait's a funny one because it's got some real great tunes but also feels weirdly out of place in the time it came out in. It almost feels like Dylan being a slight bit full of himself and thinking he can pump out whatever he wants and everyone will adore it (which, given his streak before Self Portrait, is understandable). But still, it's not a bad album.
New Morning is excellent though, some fabulous songs on that one
Also Margo is wonderful, I bet she's awesome live _________________ 2023 Chart
Man, there’s just something about these blues jam records from the late-60s/early-70s that I just adore. Stuff like this, Ten Years After, Canned Heat, Taste, I just love these records.
Part of it is I do love me some guitar porn, and there’s plenty of that on this record. I firmly believe Jim McCarty is one of the most underrated guitarists around, he’s incredible, especially on this album.
But yeah, this is just a great jam all around, I love it. A few songs here and there that sound like a blues number being played late at night at a smoke-filled club with only a few people there. It’s a whole vibe, it’s awesome.
If anyone else has any other recommendations in this vein, I’d love to hear them _________________ 2023 Chart
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