"Revolver" - The Beatles

It's kind of surprising that after having this blog for over a year, it's only now that I'm finally reviewing a Beatles album, since they are my favourite group by a long shot. Maybe I didn't want to go with albums that were 'obvious' to me. But after all this time, I will talk about what is probably my favourite Beatles album, "Revolver" (on most days that is.... on other days it would be "Abbey Road").

The album is a perfect mix of everything The Beatles represent. The avant-garde/experimental songs ("Tomorrow Never Knows"). The catchy singalong songs ("Yellow Submarine"). The achingly gorgeous love songs (the ethereal "Here, There and Everywhere" and the more upbeat "Good Day Sunshine"). The trippy/psychedelic songs ("And Your Bird Can Sing"). Possibly my favourite song on the album is an uncharacteristically depressing and hearbreaking Paul McCartney song, "For No One". This song has always caught my attention; there is something about this tale of a broken relationship and the picture that he paints that you can't forget. This album is also important in terms of the growing role that George Harrison was assuming, as he gets three songs on the album, including the classic opening track, the hard-rocking "Taxman".

Growing up,  I had the American version of this album on cassette, which has three less tracks than the complete British version which means that whenever I listen to the album now on CD, the three 'new' tracks ("I'm Only Sleeping," "And Your Bird Can Sing" and "Doctor Robert") somehow seem out of place.... even though they were meant to be part of the album and were missing from the American version of the album due to Capitol U.S.' insatiable appetite for more and more Beatles' albums (which led them to subtract songs from the British versions and eventually put them together with singles to create 'new' albums such as "Yesterday And Today," the one that originally had the infamous 'butcher' cover). And even though I've had this album on CD for 15+ years now.

If you've somehow never heard an entire Beatles album from start to finish, this would make a nice start.

What a cover

"Tango In The Night" - Fleetwood Mac

This album represents the classic Fleetwood Mac sound of "Rumours" and "Tusk" brought into a 1980s setting. That doesn't necessarily sound like a good thing, and this album isn't quite up to the sound of those two classic albums. But it is still one of their best albums with a consistently solid lineup of good to great tracks, including hits such as the almost mystifyingly depressing "Little Lies" and the uplifting "Everywhere". Another classic love song on the album is Stevie Nicks' "Seven Wonders". The album opens up with Lindsey Buckingham's memorable and funky "Big Love," which has been sampled a number of times since its release.

Unfortunately this was the last studio album featuring Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie. They are three very talented writers and it's there combined strength that makes this album such a classic. While it does a bit too '80sish,' it is still highly recommended.

Get Down With It! The White Knight Of Soul 1959-72 - Wayne Cochran

Wayne Cochran is an obscure musician by any standards, and judged solely by the cover of this CD,  a musician with really, really scary hair. He does have a couple of (minor) claims to fame. For one, he wrote and performed the original version of the teen death drama "Last Kiss" (his version opens this CD).  He was also referenced in The Blues Brothers. But those are not the reasons that I bought a (somewhat expensive) CD of his and decided to review it here. The reason is that he is a phenomenal singer, definitely one of the 'blue eyes soul' voices of all time.

The songs are a mix of covers (some obvious choices, others not so much) and originals, with the originals mostly being written or co-written by Cochran. The majority of the material is uptempo, but there some nice ballads, such as "When My Baby Cries," complete with a soulful spoken section. Cochran must have recorded with a very talented horn section, as the horns are a highlight of many of his recordings, particularly on "Somebody's Been Cuttin' In On My Groove". It's a shame that Cochran never found a wide audience, at least this Raven Records CD does a great job of summing up his (mostly unknown) career.

And the man can DANCE! Check it out here. Pure James Brown footwork. Maybe a DVD of the man is needed.....

You can buy this CD here.

This CD is better than the cover may indicate.

"City To City" - Gerry Rafferty

So I found this CD in a gas station on the way to Ottawa. I always loved the song "Baker Street" and I knew that the song originated on this album. At $5.99, I figured I would give it a try, as I had heard good things about this album. I was not disappointed. There is not a weak song in the bunch, and the highlights of the album are exemplary examples of 70s songcraft. Within a few days of picking up the CD I had listened to it about 5 times. "Baker Street" is the biggest hit and most well know song from the album and justifiably so. The famously catchy sax riff wraps itself around the song beautifully and the lyrics talk about the longing that so many people have for a far away, mystical place. The next song on the album, and the follow up single is the midtempo ballad "Right Down The Line" which manages to be endearing but not overly sappy. The one downtempo ballad of the album "Whatever's Written In Your Heart" does occasionally hit a note that is too sappy for this listener's ears. Two other highlights for me are the songs "Home And Dry and the closer, "Waiting For The Day". This album is highly recommended to fans of 70s Soft Rock or anyone who loves the song "Baker Street" but has never listened to any other Gerry Rafferty songs.

P.S. Despite what the cover art may imply, this is NOT a guitar dominated album!

"Tunnel Of Love" - Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen's "Tunnel Of Love," the 1987 follow up to the massively successful "Born In The U.S.A." is an underrated masterpiece. It is one of his most personal albums, as he was in the midst of personal issues which would soon lead to a divorce with his then wife. The overwhelming theme is one of heartbreak, despair, confusion. "Brilliant Disguise," the biggest hit from the album (#5 on the Billboard Pop charts) paints a haunting picture of a man who is not sure who it is that he is in love with, or who exactly who he is: "Well I've tried so hard baby but I just can't see. What a woman like you is doing with me. So tell me what I see when I look in your eyes. Is that you baby or just a brilliant disguise".

As with all of Bruce Springsteen's greatest albums, there are scenes of heartbreaking domestic strife. The most affecting, most distraught track may be "One Step Up". "Another fight and I slam the door on another battle in our dirty little war. When I look at myself I don’t see the man I wanted to be. Somewhere along the line I slipped off track. I’m caught movin’ one step up and two steps back". The title track has always been a favourite of mine. The tunnel of love is an interesting metaphor,  as the song details a trip through a real life circus tunnel of love, as well as the turmoil that is enveloping their relationship.

I don't think Bruce Springsteen has recorded a better album than this since then, so in my books this stands as Bruce Springsteen's last great album, though other good ones have since been released.

"Physical Graffiti" - Led Zeppelin

In many ways, "Physical Graffiti" is the ultimate Led Zeppelin album. It has the winsome Folk ("Black Country Woman"), the heavy, heavy Rock ("Custard Pie"), the world music experimentation ("Kashmir") and much more. The album is a long one, originally released as a double LP and clocking in past 80 minutes, too much to fit on just one CD (though when I bought the album in the mid-90s, it did fit on one cassette!). This might sound like it screams "70s excessive album length", but really there are no weak tracks here - the album is consistently great throughout. Unfortunately this would be it for great Led Zeppelin albums, as their last two studio albums which proceeded this are not terribly strong or consistent.

As with any Led Zeppelin album, there will be some Blues reworks/covers/ripoffs. On this album, we have the 11 minute plus "In My Time Of Dying," which was originally a Gospel song called "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed" and was recorded by Blind Willie Johnson among others. The fourth track, the swinging "Houses Of The Holy" oddly has the same title as there preceding album from 1973 (more cassette info - I managed to melt my parents copy of "Houses Of The Holy" on a hot dashboard. True story). The band is clearly having a ball on this album, you can hear their banter at the end (and start) of a number of songs, such as the previously mentioned "In My Time Of Dying," as well as "Black Country Woman".

It is certainly one of Led Zeppelin's most well known albums; the cover is a famous one and the track"Kashmir" has been much sampled (Godzilla soundtrack anyone?) and much heard. It probably would make a good starting point for anyone who is not yet familiar with Led Zeppelin (really?), though the same could be said for Led Zeppelin I and Led Zeppelin IV. So, get it and listen to it!

No one's home

"Graceland" - Paul Simon

Paul Simon's "Graceland" may just be my favourite album of all time. Other candidates include The Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" and The Beatles "Abbey Road". Certainly not controversial choices, but there you go. Anyways, for me this is one of the most consistent of all the great albums. On "Pet Sounds" for example, there are a couple of tracks which are just not as great as others (such as "I Know There's An Answer" or the title track). On "Graceland" every track is uniformly great, so much so that I couldn't really name a favourite track off the album. On a personal level, this album has been part of my life for probably the entire 25 years since its release. My parents had a copy of this album on cassette, which they must have purchased not too long after the album's release. I heard this album many dozens of times on road trips afterwards and it soon became a favourite of mine.

What is amazing about the album is its musical diversity. While of course it is well known that Paul Simon went to South Africa and recorded with South African musicians for most of the album, it must not be forgotten that he recorded one track with Good Rockin' Dopsie And The Twisters (a Zydeco band) and another with Los Lobos (a Hispanic Roots Rock band). It is very much a 'world album'. And the world is made that much richer by its existence.

"The Mississippi delta is shining like a national guitar" is the opening line of the title track, and that line has always resonated with me, even more since I visited the Mississippi Delta and Graceland in 2003. The music on this particular track is even a bit Countryish (or as Countryish as you'll get with South African musicians) and I did not realize until quite recently that The Everly Brothers are doing backup vocals towards the end of the song.

If by some bizarre and cruel twist of fate you DON'T have a copy of this album, then I highly recommend that you pick up the double-disc 25th anniversary edition. The reason that it is so essential is the inclusion of the phenomenally moving documentary "Under African Skies" which goes over the vast controversy which this album engendered upon its release, given the UN cultural boycott which was in effect against South Africa at the time due to the odious policies of Apartheid. It made the album that much more of a fascinating trip.