I'm going back to the start

[kokkinos]

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The Lovin' Spoonful - Do You Believe In Magic
The Lovin’ Spoonful are one of the bands that were viewed as the American answer to the British Invasion, a fair if slightly overoptimistic estimation. One thing I can say with certainty is that it works better than what most of their peers were doing – the most obvious example would be the folk/pop approach of The Byrds, which I consider rather unremarkable, as I’ve written before. Comparatively, The Lovin’ Spoonful draw some influence from folk music as well, but they are much closer to the Blues tradition – admittedly, way too close for my liking. Still, they are far from one-dimensional. They graduated with honours from The Beach Boys’ school and it’s exactly those softer, poppier moments that make all the difference. Despite being decently varied, it’s clearly not the most consistent record and the -taken straight out of pop heaven - opening track towers over the rest of the album. Other interesting moments include Blues in the Bottle - and their Kinks-esque take on that traditional song – and Younger Girl – maybe I’m crazy but John Sebastian’s vocal delivery here gives me a “Lou Reed at his most soothing” vibe. That being said, it’s easy on the ear, comes with an infectiously cheerful attitude and a running time of 30 minutes, making it an album that virtually anyone should be able to enjoy with ease.
7/10.

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Son House - Father Of Folk Blues
So, I’ve listened to some blues lately – namely The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band. They were fun and stuff, but there was something missing, you didn’t get the full experience, they were somewhat easy and modern, tourist-friendly if you will. On the other hand, this is the real deal, blues to the core, they don’t make ‘em like this anymore. If you want to immerse yourself in the blues tradition, you’d be hard pressed to find a better and more satisfying choice than Father Of Folk Blues. The sparse, almost naked, environment allows Son House to express his emotions in a raw and direct manner. The pain, the despair are unfolding before our eyes. I usually struggle to stay focused when I listen to albums of this kind, but in this case it’s different, it feels as if a sacred ritual is being performed and you can’t miss a thing, I was glued to it so to speak. Many strong songs with the clear highlight being John The Revelator, simply legendary.
7/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[kokkinos]

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Donovan - Fairytale
Even though 1965 was the year that Bob Dylan shocked the world by “going electric”, claiming that contemporary folk was still at the height of its power would be a fair estimation. Great albums came out by Phil Ochs, Bert Jansch, John Fahey, Jackson C. Frank - among others. Compared to the above, I'm teribbly sorry, but I can't help the impression that Fairytale doesn’t seem that essential. It’s immediately obvious that Dylan is his hero – which isn’t necessarily bad, countless artists have drawn influence from the man, I highly doubt I could think of a better source of inspiration. The problem is there aren’t enough elements to make Donovan stand out. The melodies are enjoyable but not particularly memorable, his vocals are competent yet saying he suffers from lack of charisma would be a rather reasonable statement and I’d have a hard time calling his songwriting inspiring. If there’s one thing he really deserves credit for, it’s that he succeeds in establishing a certain atmosphere and maintaining it – a medieval version of summer of love if you will. When it comes to individual tracks, Circus Of Sour is kinda interesting, I was getting some Pink Floyd (Syd Barrett era) vibes of sorts. Also, I like that he alternates between a darker and a lighter side - for example Candy Man would feel at home in Another Side Of Bob Dylan, while Jersey Thursday would be more of a The Times They Are A – Changin’ song. Overall, it's good stuff, don't get me wrong, it's just that there's something missing to elevate it to the next level.
6.5/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[kokkinos]

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The Zombies - Begin Here
The Zombies have always been one of the overlooked members of The British Invasion – this holds especially true for this album, since pretty much anyone knows Odessey and Oracle but most people don’t bother looking beyond that.
The opening track, Road Runner, is way too rough and gives the listener a worrying first impression. This style isn’t particularly interesting to begin with and it doesn’t suit them at all – see Sticks And Stones if you need some more convincing. Thankfully the second track, Summertime, is much better, a great version of this jazz standard, I'd say it's one of their signature tracks actually. Their take on it is refreshing and highly enjoyable, it’s sort of how The Animals would sound if they were to be influenced by The Beach Boys. I Can't Make Up My Mind, on the other hand, feels more like early Beatles – if you told me Paul McCartney wrote it, I would definitely believe you. Work And Play is, surprisingly enough, one of my favourites. Not only is it a super cool jam, you could say that it paved the way for some of the psychedelic music that was about to follow in the next 2 to 5 years. Bring It On Home To Me comes with a weird vocal delivery. I guess that’s how Van Morrison would sound if he were a rock star or something. She’s Not There is the star of the show and for good reason. It has a Kinks-esque quality that I absolutely adore – to be fair, though, it was only 1964 when the single was released, the Kinks themselves hadn’t explored this territory yet, they were barely scratching the surface. And of course its influence is immeasurable. There’s tons of examples one could name, Franz Ferdinand should be an extremely obvious one. Woman is another interesting choice. The raw energy reminds me of early Beatles again, it could have been part of Please Please Me. That being said, my favourite song of the album is I Remember When I Loved Her, it’s so gracefully floating in space I wonder how anyone could resist it.
Overall, it’s easy to tell they haven’t matured yet, but it’s equally clear they have their own distinct sound. Sure, R and B is still a major part of their identity, they haven’t fully escaped their British Invasion roots yet, not to mention including more original songs instead of the covers would have been a wise decision, but their psychedelic and baroque pop escapades add an extra dimension that makes them stand out.
7/10.
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Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[Hayden]

[kokkinos]

[Hayden]

All good.

Also, there's Piedmont blues, which encapsulates a more Appalachian/fingerpicking style of blues— (it's kinda like delta blues but with a 20% dial towards bluegrass and a 25% dial towards ragtime)— it's usually a bit trickier to mimic (something you more learn by ear/direct teachers than sheet music), so it's not as common as Chicago (which usually strays into 'rock' territory), and the list of notable musicians is a little slimmer.

As far as Piedmont goes, Elizabeth Cotten, Sonny Terry/Brownie McGhee, John Jackson, Blind Blake, (the wildly talented) Etta Baker, Blind Willie McTell and Pink Anderson fit the bill. One of my favourite finds from my blues dig last year was a Piedmont record—

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From Virginia ☆ USA by Bowling Green ...il Wiggins
(The actual title /artist credit of this album changes depending on where you search— you might find it under "Cephas & Wiggins", who are the same people, but it was released before the duo went by that name)

When you listen to a blues record, most of the time it'll either be Delta, Piedmont or Chicago.
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[Hayden]

This might help your ear out a little when deciphering them—


Link

(Chicago)


Link

(Piedmont)


Link

(Delta)
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[kokkinos]

Taking notes on Piedmont Blues, interesting stuff.
And wow, those are some great choices to represent the 3 subgenres - especially Candyman Blues is outright astonishing - thanks for sharing!
_________________
Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[kokkinos]

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Sun Ra And His Solar Arkestra - Secrets Of The Sun
Sun Ra is one of the few artists that manages to create his own world so successfully. I guess the key is that he plays by his own rules and does so in a convincing way, there’s no room for doubt. Anything that would normally appear absurd seems perfectly reasonable in this context. And of course it’s impressive how each new installment is an excellent addition to his fascinating universe, Secrets Of The Sun being no exception. It’s business and usual, deliciously trippy and adventurous. After visiting Ancient Egypt with The Futuristic Sounds Of Sun Ra and the ritualistic, atmospheric soundscape of When Sun Comes Out, it’s time for a journey to outer space and it’s every bit as wild as you ‘d expect it to be – think of Pink Floyd’s Interstellar Overdrive and then add some more.
7.5/10.

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Martha And The Vandellas - Dance Party
Another Motown record, you know the drill by now. Lovely vocals, interesting production – they don’t go all in on the catchy, sweet and romantic pop, there are some relatively rougher and more energetic parts to mix it up. Still, the elephant in the room is how singles oriented it is, there are many songs that would qualify as “filler”, I’d say the opening track is the best of the bunch by some distance.
6/10.
_________________
Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[kokkinos]

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Thelonious Monk - Solo Monk
There are several Monk records that give me the impression “oh yeah, that’s definitely his best” as I listen to them – and this thought starts fading away when I get my hands on something else by the man. Solo Monk is no exception to that rule – Brilliant Corners, Monk’s Dream, Monk., Thelonious Alone In San Francisco all fit this description, maybe a couple more as well. His usual traits are present here and the fact that it’s a solo effort actually pays dividends, as it magnifies them and we get to enjoy them without any distractions. If you are a fan, you should love it. If you aren't -yet- this should answer all your questions and finally convince you. Bouncy and colourful, romantic in his own twisted way, though the one thing that stands out is how uplifting it is, perhaps it has to do with him falling back on the tradition/the simpler times of the past as a form of escapism.
8/10.
_________________
Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus