I'm going back to the start

[kokkinos]

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

The Yardbirds - For Your Love
Well, this is all over the map, which has to do with the fact that it isn’t exactly a “proper” album, it’s more of a compilation (in short, recordings by both Eric Clapton and his replacement Jeff Beck are included - and as it is the case with any self-respecting album of that era, there are various versions one can find, it's a bit of a mess. At its best, it’s an essential part of garage blues/rock history, as it features exciting and creative guitar work that would contribute to the transition from the R & B of the British Invasion to the heavier sound of the second wave of bands such as Led Zeppelin. And of course their influence goes way beyond their time, it’s easy to tell Jack White has been a major fan. On the other hand, it’s hard to deny that there are moments when it plays out like an early Beatles album, which is obviously far from the worst thing ever, it’s definitely enjoyable, but it isn’t something we needed, it has already been done before – and going full pop doesn’t suit them, they aren’t that great at this style if we are being honest, not everyone can pull it off, they lack the energy and the charisma, as a result there is no spark.
6/10.
_________________
Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[kokkinos]

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Los Shakers - Los Shakers
Ok, first of all, I need to come in terms with the fact that these guys released an album in 2020, that’s 55 (!!) years after their debut, are they for real, big props to them no matter what, keep rocking. Now, getting back to this record, I have to admit it isn’t the most original or creative record out there, quite far from it actually, you can easily tell they were massive fans of The Beatles – and for good reason, no doubt about it. I guess it’s kinda decent as a one-off, but it does get dull rather fast – which applies to the average British Invasion/ R & B album of the time, so if they were trying to emulate that, they did succeed. No Me Pidas Amor is probably the only song that stands out and is slightly more interesting thanks to its Eastern music influence.
4.5/10
_________________
Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[LedZep]

[kokkinos]

For real, Max Roach might be my favourite drummer ever – which isn’t much of a statement, as I am rarely a fan of drummers getting fancy, I prefer it when they keep it simple, the only other drummer that instantly comes to mind and I can confidently say I enjoy is Tony Williams – so I’ll add he is one of my favourite jazz musicians in general. And he is equally great as a composer and as a bandleader – he is one of the very few who make vocals work in jazz, that’s an achievement on its own.
_________________
Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[kokkinos]

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Donovan - What's Bin Did And What's Bin Hid
1965 was a busy year for Donovan, as he released two albums in the span of less than six months. For some unknown reason I reversed the order and listened to his sophomore album first – Fairytale, page 44 post 432 of this diary – and now got to listen this one that’s actually his debut. There isn’t much that separates the two records – which isn’t that good news, as I was rather let down by Fairytale and What's Bin Did And What's Bin Hid falls under the same category - if anything, I'd say it's the weaker of the two. The main issue is that he's deeply invested in idolising Bob Dylan and that’s a dangerous habit, as he finds himself facing some tough competition, it’s no surpise he pales in comparison to Dylan. At the same time, he lacks a presence – either as a singer or as a songwriter – to stand out on his own. Also, the reason I consider it inferior to Fairytale is that the lattetr was more atmospheric and more varied, not to mention it had more interesting moments, which unfortunately isn’t the case here, Catch The Wind being the only clear highlight.
6/10.
_________________
Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[kokkinos]

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Sun Ra And His Myth Science Arkestra - ...ns At Play
Time for a new dive in Sun Ra’s fascinating world. Before commenting on the album, I have to note that this was recorded between 1956 and 1960 despite coming out in 1965, making it an even more impressive feat – I mean, it sounds ahead of its time in 2022, imagine how listeners must have felt back then, almost 60 years ago. Anyway, the title of the opening track, Tiny Pyramids, already tells its story, our journey starts in ancient Egypt, a setting which takes us back to his 1962 album, The Futuristic Sounds Of Sun Ra, though the main difference is that this isn’t as energetic, it’s more atmospheric instead. As the album progresses, there’s a constant shift in the mood it conveys, it’s all over the map – in a good way. For example, in Music From The World Tomorrow suspense slowly grows, you are lost somewhere in space, the fear of the unknown grips you but there’s no other choice than going forward and hoping for the best. Then comes the self-titled track, Angels And Demons At Play, where it’s as if we witness a shaman perform his rituals, everyday stuff for Sun Ra. Urnack sees the record take another exciting turn and suddenly it’s showtime, the circus came to town! Medicine For A Nightmare retains the spacey attitude of the album, but it feels closer to its time, painting the picture of a hectic day in the urban jungle, while A Call For All Demons keeps pushing the exotic agenda and adds a subtle touch of latin. All in all, another excellent addition to his catalogue, it’s a shame it’s only 24 minutes long.
8/10.
_________________
Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[kokkinos]

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

The Beach Boys - Beach Boys' Party!
We’re getting painfully close to their big one, it’s round the corner and we can almost smell it at this point, but hold your horses, there’s one last stop before we get to it. Beach Boys’ Party! Is a relatively overlooked entry in their catalogue - and for good reason, may I add. As its title implies, the concept is rather straightforward. They are In the middle of a party, having fun without a care in the world. I guess it’s a kinda cool concept, even though it wasn’t exactly born out of artistic vision, they were under pressure to release a new album and they couldn’t bother coming up with anything more serious/professional, as they were too invested in the big one I was talking about just a moment ago. So, yeah, I expect a hardcore fan would like having it in his collection. Other than that, it barely serves any purpose – and if you’ve been following this diary, you’ll probably have noticed I usually appreciate nonsensical ideas. This one, however, lacks any merit whatsoever, you’d be just fine if you were to skip it altogether. That being said, Alley Oop is hilarious and makes for a good laugh.
5/10.
_________________
Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[kokkinos]

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Sun Ra And His Solar Arkestra - The Hel...Volume One
It should be clear by now that 1965 was a highly productive time for Sun Ra, as he released 5 (!!) albums within a single year – to be fair, though, some of them had already been recorded. Actually, I did write a comment about one of them, Angels And Demons At Play, a few days ago, it’s literally two posts above. Anyway, this is one of his most atmospheric efforts, which is quite a statement if you think about it. I mean, he’s always eager to establish a certain mood with his music, but here he walks the extra mile in that department as he really takes his time, the build up is slow enough to draw you in without forcing matters, it all flows naturally. Despite the titles of the tracks, which point towards space, the way he hypnotises the listeners is more reminiscent of his other main source of inspiration, namely the ancient times, mostly Egypt. That’s definitely the case when it comes to the first couple of tracks. As the album progresses, things do get trickier and weirder, so one could make the argument that it develops an alien side as well, which is admittedly more interesting and adds some much needed excitement. Overall, I’d say this is suited to people who are familiar with his work and consider themselves fans or at least have had a positive listening experience so far, while it’s probably not the best entry point to his discography if you are a rookie, it's quite challenging.
6/10.
_________________
Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[kokkinos]

I wasn't sure if there's a better place to post this, so I'll leave it here, exciting news:
Pulp 2023 reunion
_________________
Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus

[kokkinos]

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Sun Ra And His Myth Science Arkestra - ...asant Mood
In case you’ve missed him, here’s some more Sun Ra. I know it’s a lot and I won’t repeat what makes him great, but it has to be said that this record is quite different compared to yesterday’s one. It remains an exciting trip – as usual - , but at the same time its title is justified, it comes with a relatively light, playful and more pleasant mood, indeed. As a result, there’s a significant shift in the album’s aesthetics. The Heliocentric Worlds Of Sun Ra, Volume One was closer to the spirit of Roland Kirk – with a touch of ‘70s Herbie Hancock - , while Fate In A Pleasant Mood approaches Thelonious Monk’s territory, though there are moments where we are back to Middle East, for example Kingdom Of Thunder would definitely get Yusef Lateef’s stamp of approval. Anyway, not his best, but it's worth at least a listen.
7/10.

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Freddie Hubbard - Blue Spirits
Well, I think it’s been some time since I commented on a Blue Note album and this one features enough big names – as is the case with most releases of this label - to make up for it, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Hank Mobley, McCoy Tyner, Pete LaRoca, etc. Funnily enough, it’s Hubbard’s last Blue Note record, though he makes sure he’d go out with a bang. It’s easy to call it with the benefit of hindsight, but you can tell he’s ready to move away from the somewhat tight, restricting, deeply rooted in hard bop environment of Blue Note and explore uncharted waters, going in various directions. This “growing up” of Hubbard is actually the most interesting aspect of the album – still, don’t expect anything extraordinarily unconventional like Coltrane, Dolphy, Ayler etc., it’s only the first step - though I have to add that James Spaulding’s flute is a delight. On the other hand, I guess fans of his earlier work might have been disappointed with this one, Open Sesame’s uncontrollable energy is nowhere to be found, youth slowly gives way to maturity.
6.5/10.
_________________
Bob Dylan
Charles Mingus