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Music : Substores : 4-for-3 Music : Classic Rock
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Despite not even charting in the band's native England, this album became a platinum-selling American hit on the basis of three enduring FM radio staples--the expansive, jazzy impressionism of the near-12 minute title track, and the more straightforward funk of the R&B charmers "Light Up or Leave Me Alone" and "Rock & Roll Stew." Those disparate tracks perfectly underscore Traffic's rich musical appeal and its restless, sometimes problematic creative and interpersonal relationships. With now thrice-departed Dave Mason out of the mix and percussionists Jim Gordon and Reebop Kwaku Baah participating in the studio for the first time, the band's innate musicality truly takes wing. Winwood's familiar vocal phrasings nearly take a backseat to his fluid, dramatic guitar work on "Rock & Roll Stew Roll" and "Many a Mile to Freedom," while the Tull-ish, folk-madrigal sensibilities of "Hidden Treasure" and "Rainmaker" are further punctuated by Chris Wood's deft flute and woodwind flourishes. Compared with the more organic John Barleycorn album, the contrast is all the more remarkable. While many contemporary bands were experimenting with various attempts at fusion, few achieved this collection's rock-jazz-folk-R&B range or level of often subtle sophistication. Digitally remastered, this edition also contains the six-minute-plus U.S. single version of "Rock & Roll Stew, Parts 1 & 2" as a bonus track. --Jerry McCulley
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Before Cat Stevens changed his name to Yusef Islam, he had a slew of hits built around his soft, yet sometimes coarse, vocals. Stevens utilized a variety of instrumentation and rhythms in his predominantly acoustic arrangements, and songs like "Peace Train," and "Another Saturday Night" had a multi-cultural feel to them. Greatest Hits provides a decent overview of his more popular work, including the poignant "Oh Very Young" and "Father & Son." Unfortunately, the delightful yet brief "Tea for the Tillerman" is not present. The lovely "Morning Has Broken" has elements of Stevens's growing concern with religion, philosophy, and the relationship between the cerebral and the spiritual. In the early 1980s, Stevens, now Yusef, "retired" from the music profession because of his new beliefs. --Steve Gdula
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All the voices in Tom Waits' head come out on this CD: the growler (of course), the crooner, the preacher, the screecher, and the Vegas cheese ball. The instrumentation is equally eclectic. (Yep, that's Waits himself playing the "rooster" on the album's best song, "I'll Be Gone.") More memorable moments: "Innocent When You Dream" (both times), the vocal howling at the end of "Blow Wind Blow," and the lovely coughing fit after "I'll Take New York." Frank's Wild Years is the musical remains of a theatrical collaboration between Waits and Kathleen Brennan, originally staged in 1986. It contains nuggets of important practical advice, sure--"never drive a car when you're dead" (from "Telephone Call from Istanbul")--but mostly these songs are fantasy freaks. Frank's is big-time dreamer. It's a dreamy album. Sweet dreams. --Dan Leone
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Only Rush could have pulled this off, and only in the '70s. 2112--the title suite of the band's 1976 breakthrough album--is a comically pretentious, futuristic rock opera written by a nerdy drummer and sung by a whiny-voiced geek. It also happens to be a great piece of rock & roll that lifts the listener through a variety of moods and textures from genteel acoustic ("Oracle") to thrilling metal ("The Temples of Syrinx"). Perhaps realizing that they had taken conceptualism about as far as it could go, even these guys backed off on the epic hero stuff for later releases. 2112 still stands as one of the great signposts of the prog-rock era. --Michael Ruby
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Elton John has always liked having it both ways. He's flamboyant and vain, yet empathetic and sincere. He sits at his piano playing sentimental melodies, but the words come not from inside his soul but from friend Bernie Taupin. For Captain Fantastic, he and Taupin wrote a concept album which sketches their career together. "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" is easily the strongest song outside of the concept. The addition of several songs "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" featuring John Lennon, "Philadelphia Freedom," and "One Day at a Time" blow the concept but up the entertainment value considerably. --Rob O'Connor
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The Parents of Bekka Bramlett with all their Gang. Back in Stock for a Short Time, So Get it While You Can.
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Smart rockers Rush were just on the brink of being embraced by the album rock mainstream when they recorded Hemispheres. Already wildly popular with a certain corner of the intellectual crowd, thanks in part to drummer Neil Peart's Ayn Rand obsession, this CD marked a turning point for the Canadian trio. Hemispheres explores the political, social economic, and sci-fi themes prevalent on their early work, continuing the saga of "Cygnus" from A Farewell To Kings. Rush was fond of writing in movements, almost orchestrally, rather than the typical verse/chorus/verse/chorus structure, and Hemispheres has the usual opus-like compositions that perfectly displayed their chops. The CD features time changes that you'd need a calculator to crack, impossible guitar arpeggios from Alex Lifeson, and Geddy Lee's low end bass rumblings and high end vocal shriekings. Rush's lofty lyrics sometimes bordered on the ridiculous and, if for no other reason, Hemispheres deserves props for Lee's ability to sing the line, "There is unrest in the forest..." (from "Trees") while keeping a straight face. --Steve Gdula
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Christmas single backed with 'Funky New Year'. Paper sleeve. Elektra.
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Recorded in 1969 and released in 1970, this Moody Blues album captures the band in all of their glorious excess. With intellectualized lyrics, overblown arrangements, and rampant experimentation, the Moody Blues still manage to create an evocative, psychedelic musical experience. The recurring "Eyes Of A Child" is a tender ballad with glorious vocal harmonies. All of the moody men provide compositions; between the five of them and a variety of instruments, they emulate a much larger ensemble. Mellotrons meld with electric guitars and various woodwinds for a grandiose, orchestral-rock approach. Very English sounding and very ambitious, this record catches the band just before they collapsed under their own weight. A representative period piece, there are several worthwhile moments here amidst all the grandeur. --Mitch Myers
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More than two decades before it became Eric Cartman's favorite song on South Park, "Come Sail Away" was the choice of music fans with one foot in the art-rock camp and the other in Top 40 pop. The Grand Illusion straddled the seemingly divergent directions as only Styx could, laying on the pomp with layers of keyboards and high-flown lyrical conceits, yet keeping the proceedings light with hook-filled choruses and breezy melodies. Tommy Shaw's engaging "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)" is the set's highlight, offering a bit of armchair psychology even as it acted as a subtle dig at the snarling punk rockers to whom Styx was anathema. James Young's "Miss America" rocks out, while Dennis DeYoung's title track reminds us that life is fleeting and illusory. Not exactly Nietzsche, but you can dance to it, sort of. --Daniel Durchholz
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Japanese only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD - playable on all CD players) pressing. Universal. 2008.
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Japanese reissue packaged in a limited edition miniature LP sleeve.