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September,
2000
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Another
example of just how thorough Varese is when it comes to compiling classic
pop collections from the ‘60s and early ‘70s is the label’s new
ultimate collection entitled 25 All-Time Greatest Bubblegum Hits.
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 Some of the earliest
recordings ever by Brian Wilson
and The Beach Boys can be heard on Surfin’.
The 15 track Varese Vintage CD offers an early glimpse into Wilson’s
and the group’s musical nature circa ‘62 and early ‘63. The CD
proves that Wilson can just about take total credit for creating a unique
cross section between Chuck Berry and vocal groups like The Four Freshmen
which came to be surf-rock. Most of the tracks feature Wilson trading off
lead vocals with group stalwart Mike Love. The CD features indelible cover
art and goes the distance by capturing the band’s early Southern
California surf-rock recordings. Featuring voluminous liner notes, the CD
is further enriched with several Beach Boys-related tracks from producer
Wilson’s childhood buddy Gary
Usher, The Four Speeds and The
Tri-Five. www.varesesarabande.com
do the same for ELO.
Featured on the double disc collection are select live ELO tracks
featuring the ‘70s Lynne and Bevan group with other high points being
some truly remarkable tracks from Carl
Wayne (original Move lead singer), Wizzard
(featuring Move founding member Roy
Wood), Bev Bevan (solo tracks including an apropos cover of “Let
There Be Drums”) and of course, The Move (several early mid ‘60s
tracks). With so many other untapped musical avenues to venture down,
Purple Pyramid would do well to count on at least another 2 ELO F&R
volumes! Hopefully other collections will feature interviews and liner
notes. ELO ‘s F&R is a
great family tree collection from one of the all time great bands. www.cleorecs.com
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Especially For You (Jamie)
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In
1970 The Beach Boys set out to release that long lost masterpiece that had
all but eluded them in the wake of the non-release of Smile,
a musical oddity with a history that has fascinated pop fans since
1967. That long promised opus arrived in the form of Sunflower.
Seeking to enter the ‘70s with a hip, yet retro image that cut
across the boards, Sunflower in
retrospect, was way too cool for most rock fans to grasp at the time.
Sporting Brian Wilson classics such as “This Whole World” and “Our
Sweet Love”, Sunflower was
further supported by a round of stellar tracks co-penned by Brian and the
rest of the group. Of specific joy remain the album’s three great Dennis Wilson songs (especially the Wilson/Jardine cut “It’s
About Time”) which really rock. Superbly remastered for top sound, Sunflower
remains a pinnacle of priceless pop perfection. Surf’s
Up on the other hand succeeded in pulling off what Sunflower sadly didn’t do, which was to reestablish The Beach Boys
with the mainstream FM radio rock intelligentsia. And boy did it ever
work! The hippies finally got it and the Boys (still fraught with internal
squabbles) went on to record further now-classic ‘70s albums like Holland, Carl & The Passions and The Beach Boys Love You. Out of print on CD for too long, both Surf’s
Up and Sunflower are now reissued by Capitol
Records on a super sounding, 22 track, 70 minute twofer CD complete
with cool photos, lyrics (Surf’s
Up only) and history-filled liner notes from Beach Boys author Timothy White. 
Pop
great Billy Nicholls tops his first two recently released CD reissues, Love
Songs and Would You Believe?,
with yet another splendid vintage collection of demos and various
unreleased tracks recorded in 1967-68. As a backing vocalist and support
player on numerous sessions by The
Who and Pete Townshend, Nicholls has also consistently bolstered his own
reputation as a first class singer-songwriter and guitarist on a number of
fine solo albums over the years. In the same league with Townshend (anyone
remember Speedy Keen?), Nicholls is assisted on these tracks by top rank
players like keyboard icon Nicky
Hopkins, producers John Paul
Jones and Steve Marriott
along with guitar greats Big Jim
Sullivan and Caleb Quaye.
It’s been too long since Billy’s last new album, 1991’s Under
One Banner. Still the recently released Snapshot
is a fabulous compilation which appropriately sits alongside Nicholls’
two other recent reissues on his own Southwest
Records. 
Stackridge
are further immortalized with a newly revamped and remastered CD of their
last official studio album. Issued by MCA
Records back in ‘75, Mr. Mick was
filled with catchy pop anthems and brilliant instrumentals. The concept
album skillfully retraces, through song and narration, the life of an
aging senior who looks back on his life with remorse and gratitude. Filled
with the impressive music of veteran singer-songwriter Andy Davis, Mr. Mick also
features contributions from other members including Mutter Slater (flute, keys, vocals) and Crun Walter (bass). Clearly influenced by The Beatles, especially
the Sgt. Pepper-era, Stackridge
were among the most underrated of all the great U.K. bands during the mid
‘70s. Newly remastered with liner notes, bonus tracks and complete
libretto by DAP Records, the
new Mr. Mick goes a long way towards reintroducing itself as the landmark album
it truly is. DAP can also take a bow for their 1999 Stackridge comeback
album, Something For The Weekend.
Let’s hope they afford the same high quality treatment to the other
albums in the group’s pro
Like
so many of their ‘70s Euro rock contemporaries, Wigwam never got proper
recognition for their many amazing rock albums. Although Wigwam’s second
album, produced in fact, by L.A. rock icon Kim Fowley, did get issued
stateside on Verve way back in 1970 it sadly took till 1975 to get the
group some well deserved exposure outside Finland. During the Summer of
‘75 Virgin Records, under the auspices of mogol Richard Branson,
unleashed Nuclear Nightclub upon the music world. The first truly amazing
English-singing rock band to emerge from Finland, Wigwam was founded in
‘68 by Jim Pembroke, a London
native who fell head-over-heals and interestingly enough, landed in
Finland. With Nuclear the band
finally got that well earned respect outside Finland and after the
critical acclaim of Nuclear
Nightclub Branson was enthusiastic enough to bring Wigwam to England
to record the follow-up to Nuclear.
Comparable in depth and substance to Lennon or Bowie and just about any of
the truly great ‘60 singer-songwriters, Pembroke’s words and music and
one-of-a-kind vocals can heard to great effect on Nuclear
Nightclub, which has just been reissued again as a 25th Anniversary CD
edition by the group’s Finnish label Love
Records. A must for fans of ‘70s progressive rock, Nuclear
Nightclub, hands down Wigwam’s zenith on record, is properly revived here with 24-bit remastering, new liner notes
by Jim Pembroke, four unreleased classic Finnish Radio recordings and an
array of fab pics.
Both
of these recently released anthologies again proves Varese Vintage is among the finest reissue labels in the U.S. today.
Headed up by A&R authority Cary
Mansfield, Varese consistently comes up with great ideas for reissue
compilations which often take in a broad spectrum of ‘60s pop music. One
of their prominent new releases is The
Warmth Of The, a disc that shows
how influential Brian Wilson was and still is as an originator of pop
music. Boasting (possibly) the greatest line-up of sun-drenched pop gems
laced with that classic Brian Wilson touch Subtitled Songs
Inspired By The Beach Boys, the 19 track disc is also blessed with
lively liner notes by Wilson-ian rocker Elliot
Kendall and fab cover art from Jan
& Dean teen icon Dean O.
Torrence (Kittyhawk Graphics). Brian Wilson’s legend as both a
vocalist and vocal arranger is brought clearly into focus here. In
addition to several references to Wilson’s and The Boys’ early ‘60s
surf rock sound, the package follows a number of band’s obviously
influenced by the Wilson mystique at the dawn of psychedelia circa
‘66-68. In that spirit the CD features the long version of “My World
Fell Down” by Sagittarius and
the great “Yellow Balloon” by the group Yellow Balloon. Other highlights include two tracks recorded in
‘96 by current Brian Wilson Group guitarist Jeff
Foskett. Other Beach Boys-inspired moments include tracks by Alan
Boyd, The Trade Winds (two tracks including their ‘65 East Coast surf
lament “New York’s A Lonely Town”), The
Hudson Brothers and Eric Carmen.
Topped off by a set-closing “Beach Baby” by First
Class, The Warmth Of The Sun is
surely one great Beach Boys
inspired concept CDs. 
Commemorating the heyday of
Bubblegum music the CD features tracks from the great catalog of Buddah
Records (Ohio Express, 1910 Fruitgum
Company) which set neatly
alongside other ‘60s tracks from The
Monkees, Bobby Sherman, Edison
Lighthouse, Tommy James, the classic duo of Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart and
countless others. Varese puts the cherry on top with sweet-tooth cover art
while icing the cake are extensive liner notes by Bill Pitzonka. Both of these meticulously compiled CDs on Varese
will provide hours of groovy memories for any ‘60s pop fan. 
Fans
of the great Peter Frampton will
want to check out I Can Fly - The
Very Best Of The Herd, which,
although released last year by PA-based Collectables
Records is a excellent rediscovery for long time fans. The story of
how Frampton rose to become a premier artist in his own right is also a
good example of how the “British Invasion” mutated into something
completely different. Discovered by Stones’ bassist Bill
Wyman, Frampton hooked up with Alan
Bown and later on with the songwriting team of Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley,
a pair expert at conjuring so many of the Top 40 sounds popular on the
mid-60s British pop charts. Even though The Herd was a solid band,
Frampton was apparently a bit miffed by his sudden fame as a teen idol and
decidedly changed for the better forming Humble
Pie with the late great Steve
Marriott. The Herd was abundantly creative yet fate would soon bring
Frampton major success as a player in his own right. 
Guitar
slinger Duane Eddy hit the big time back in 1958 with the release of his
debut album Have “Twangy” Guitar Will Travel. While the album was still hot on the charts his original label Jamie
Records issued Eddy’s second LP entitled Especially
For You in May of ‘59. While
his first album consisted primarily of early hit singles including
“Rebel Rouser”, Eddy’s second full length was more of an album
project boasting a number of Eddy originals composed with songwriter Lee
Hazelwood. Recorded in the aftermath of the airplane crash that killed
Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper, Especially
For You is a moody affair punctuated by brilliant moments of early
instrumental rock. Highlights include the set-opening rave-up guitar
sounds of “Peter Gunn”, composed by the great Henry
Mancini, a stereo version of the album’s single “Yep” and the Eddy-Hazelwood blues-rock classic “Quiniela” (included
here with a bonus track of it’s early working version called “St.
James”). Just like their reissue of Have
“Twangy” Guitar Will Travel, Jamie’s new
Especially For You CD is a
most noteworthy reissue featuring five unreleased bonus tracks, original
artwork and detailed liner notes. Anyone interested in learning about the
roots of instrumental rock is advised to hunt down both of Eddy’s superb
CDs on Jamie Records. 
Continuing
to mine the extensive vaults of both Columbia
and Epic Records, Sony
Legacy have come up with a number of recent winners. High on the list
are reissues of the first two solo albums from guitar great Jeff Beck.
Both Truth (from August ‘68)
and Beck-Ola (from July ‘69),
first issued on Epic Records,
readily established Beck as one of the premier guitar-wielding rock and
roll band leaders of the times. Both of Beck’s first two solo outings
spotlighted singer Rod Stewart,
Ron Wood (Stewart’s soon to
be band mate in The Faces on bass) and the late, great keyboard master Nicky
Hopkins. Having just left the Yardbirds (his guitar spot being taken
over by Jimmy Page), Beck teamed with producer Mickie
Most and the net result is some outstanding, cutting edge ‘60s blues
rock, pop and (echoing Beck’s future albums) guitar-based instrumentals
including “Beck’s Bolero” (written by Jimmy
Page). Certified classics well worth revisiting, both CDs feature the
original album art and excellent remastering but no liner notes to speak
of. 
Although
hardly known outside Scandinavia, Finnish guitar great Jukka Tolonen has
nevertheless carved a unique legacy with a wide range of recordings that
many guitarists only dream of making. Starting out as the leader of Tasavallen
Presidenti and as the part-time guitarist in the early Wigwam
(Finland’s greatest rock group), Tolonen rose to become a
respectable guitar figure and solo artist in his own right. His original
label, Love Records has chosen wisely on their new double disc CD
sampler/retrospective retracing Jukka’s (pronounced you-ka) career from
the first TP album in ‘69 straight through to his latest recordings.
Ranging in scope from extremely melodic jazz-rock (imagine a modern Django
Reinhart sound with a Jan Akkerman flair) to world music (reggae,
Mid-Eastern) New Age and instrumental hard rock, Love’s new Tolonen
package is a cool intro to this Finnish guitar legend. The 26 cut mostly
instrumental set takes in several incredible Tolonen vocal tracks from Radio
Romance, an ‘86 album recorded with Wigwam singer-songwriter Jim
Pembroke. Also on hand are a pair of tracks from the ‘85 acoustic
instrumental disc Tolonen made with Swedish guitar great Coste Apetrea entitled Blue
Rain. In addition to the eye-catching artwork, the double disc features
a discography and splendid liner notes from Austin’s own, Phil Page. Well worth the time to hunt down for guitar fans.
L.A.-based
Fuel 2000 deserves praises for their continuing BBC archive music
series. High on the list of recent arrivals is Fuel’s Procol Harum - BBC Live In Concert CD. Recorded live at The
Hippodrome in London on March 22 1974, the disc finds the legendary rock
group in stellar form. Looking back, it seems that whatever Harum lost as
a result of guitarist Robin Trower’s departure in ‘71, it was more
than made up for with a wide pallet of visionary orchestral rock that
fused both The Beatles and Beethoven and emerged fully realized on the
group’s mid ‘70s albums. Much has been written about the music of Gary
Brooker & Keith Reid
over the past 35 years. If you agree (like me) that the group brought that
unmistakable Harum sound to fruition on albums like Grand Hotel and Exotic Birds
And Fruit, then Fuel 2000’s live Procol Harum disc will present you
with a rare glimpse of the band at their best. In addition to great sound
the CD features good liner notes. Also worth checking out on Fuel 2000 is
a recent 10 track Humble Pie CD
culled from various BBC Radio 1 and Old Grey Whistle Test radio sessions
from ‘69-73. The disc finds founding members Peter
Frampton, guitarist-songwriter Steve
Marriott, Greg Ridley (bass)
and Jerry Shirley (drummer) in
great shape on an August 1969 BBC session performing early favorites like
“Natural Born Boogie” and “Desperation”. Interesting liner notes
and good annotation fill in the missing pieces concerning a slice of
Humble Pie’s essential rock history. 
Guitar
great Phil Manzanera has
returned in a big way. First with the release of his 1999 studio album
entitled Vozero,
and now with the reissue of a hefty part of his back catalog on his
self-owned Expression Records.
The original guitarist in the glam-rock trendsetting group Roxy
Music, Manzanera could do no wrong in the ‘70s. In addition to his
debut album, Diamond Head and the album classic Mainstream, with his side group Quiet Sun (both from ‘75), another significant Manzanera moment
came later with a critical live album recorded with the meteoric prog-rock
supergroup known as 801.
Appearing with Manzanera on the subsequent release of 801 Live
are keyboard greats Brian Eno and
Francis Monkman, Phil’s bandmate in Quiet Sun Bill MacCormick (bass, vocals), Simon Phillips (drums) and Lloyd
Watson (slide guitar). A number of classic rock tracks, including
Manzanera’s guitar instrumentals “Diamond Head” and “Lagrima”,
are rendered as instant classics on 801
Live. Eno’s vocals are in prime form on a stellar 801 cover of The
Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows”. Recorded live in concert in London
on Sept. 3, 1976, 801 Live is
tastefully reappraised and improved upon with great sound quality,
historic liner notes and an abundance of photos and press cuttings.
Expression Records has likewise bestowed the same first class reissue
treatment upon Manzanera’s other fabulous solo albums from the ‘70s.
Check out the recent Expression CD reissues of Primitive Guitars (an
all-instrumental set from ‘76 reissued with two bonus tracks), K-Scope
(a ‘78 collaboration with Roxy members and prime vocal work from
Tim Finn and Neil Finn of Split Enz) and Listen
Now (an 801 studio project with Eno, Tim Finn and Lol
Creme and Kevin Godley of
10cc). These incredible reissue CDs on Expression reveals that Manzanera
was a major player in the course
The
catalog of Sony Legacy is packed with album classics from just about every
major jazz bandleader from the last 40 years. Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock,
John McLaughlin, you name it. During the ‘70s Columbia Records was at
the forefront of the American jazz fusion scene. One of their timely
signings was the great Return To
Forever. Bolstered by the great keyboardist Chick
Corea, the group’s 1976 album Romantic Warrior was just as great as the group’s ‘75 album
on Polydor, No Mystery. Likewise,
Romantic Warrior featured great accompaniment from bass great Stanley
Clarke, ace thumper Lenny White
and a 21-year old guitar wiz Al
Di Meola. With a line-up like that in their prime, there’s no way
Corea & Co. could miss. Released at the pinnacle of the ‘70s
progressive fusion period, Romantic
Warrior is RTF at their best. Remastered and sounding better then
ever, the CD is neatly repackaged with Corea’s new liner notes. 
From
the start The James Gang established
themselves as among the finest rock power trios from the U.S. Formed in
1966 by drummer Jim Fox and Tom
Kriss (and later Dale Peters) (bass), the group skyrocketed with the joining of Cleveland guitar
great Joe Walsh. The result was
the 1969 James Gang album debut, tastefully named Yer’ Album, recorded in
NYC and first issued on ABC
Dunhill Records. From there on, the group could do no wrong. Two further
albums, The
James Gang Rides Again and Thirds
were issued but, just as they were cresting Walsh exited going on
to quite an illustrious solo career. Although the group would go on to
record a handful of well-received albums, the spark was gone without Walsh
and they finally disbanded in ‘76. In an interesting twist of fate,
these new James Gang CD reissues on MCA
/ Universal Records were produced by the original producer of all
three albums Bill Szymczyk.
Now
part of the stable of Universal Records, A&M
Records originally came to prominence thanks to the artistry of
singer-songwriters such as the great Cat Stevens. A&M recently
upgraded the entire Cat Stevens back catalog and the first three titles to
resurface are his A&M debut Mona
Bone Jakon, his most popular album
Tea For The Tillerman ( both from 1970) and Teaser
And The Firecat (1972). Produced by original Yardbirds member Paul Samwell-Smith and featuring great support players like Alun
Davies (guitars) keyboardist Rick
Wakeman and string arranger Del
Newman, the first three A&M albums from Cat Stevens would go on to
enchant millions. Even though later albums would do well with long time
fans, Stevens wouldn’t top the magic of these three first solo albums on
A&M. In addition to newly remastered sound, all three titles feature
original album art and lyrics.
New
York-based Sundazed just keeps
on reissuing classic pop from the ‘60s. Among the labels most recent
additions is in depth spotlight of ‘60s pop pioneers The
Leaves. Entitled The
Leaves Are Happening - The Best Of The Leaves,
the 20 track set
reveals just how influenced The Leaves were by the all-powerful
mid-60s folk/rock sound of The Byrds. The creation of Jim
Pons, a multi-talent pop singer and guitarist who later went on the
work with The Turtles and Frank Zappa, The Leaves burst on the scene with
the release of their now-classic 45rpm “Hey Joe” which captured the
Teenybopper curiosity while making a considerable impact on the pop
charts. Having made a considerable impression up their young AM radio
loving listeners, it’s too bad that the group couldn’t muster that
critical follow up to “Hey Joe”. Sundazed makes the job look easy,
including most of the music from the superb ‘66 Leaves debut album,
various rare tracks and a 16 page booklet. 
A
strangely unheralded ‘60s pop outfit, The Ides Of March is given the
royal Sundazed treatment with a new retrospective entitled Ideology - The Best Of The Ides Of March. As usual, Sundazed packs
their IOM set with extensive liner notes and rare pix. The Ides Of March
created catchy jangly pop that evoked the sound of ‘60s of The Byrds.
The group may have been a short lived pop phenomenon, yet the band’s
well crafted songs and eclectic instrumentation makes it a valuable find
for collectors of ‘60s pop. These two recent titles demonstrates just
why The Sundazed catalog is among the most coveted among vintage rock and
rollers.