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 THE ZOMBIES |
 TEARS FOR FEARS |
 RACHEL FULLER |
 THE CRICKETS |
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BRIAN WILSON
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THE
ZOMBIES
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BERNIE LEADON Mirror (Really Small Intertaiment)
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TEARS
FOR FEARS Everybody Loves A Happy Ending (UMG)
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RACHEL FULLER Cigarettes & Housework (Universal)
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THE
CRICKETS The Crickets And Their Buddies (Sovereign)
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Originally
planned way back in 1966 as a three part collaboration between Brian
Wilson, his songwriting partner and master lyricist Van Dyke
Parks and The Beach Boys, Smile—called the most
famous unfinished and unreleased album in pop music history—remains
one of the colossal conundrums of the 20th Century. For this first ever
“official” release of Smile, released on Nonesuch
Records in 2004 with the typographically corrected name SMiLE,
Wilson and the noble Parks re-team with Wilson’s touring band
of pop mavens including musical director Darian Sahanaja, his
buddies in the Wondermints, Nick Walusko and Probyn Gregory,
guitarist Jeffrey Foskett, The Stockholm Strings ‘N’
Horns and a number of other fine players who made Wilson’s
other recently released solo album of all new material, Gettin’
In Over My Head, so enjoyable. The latest pairing of Wilson and
Parks since their incredible ‘90s CD Orange Crate Art, SMiLE
makes for a positively serendipitous shindig. The top-notch production
of both Wilson and Sahanaja pays a long overdue dividend to Beach Boys
fans and the expert recording and mixing by Mark Linett is the
icing on the cake. Wilson’s comrade and confidant David Leaf
has once again penned outstanding liner notes, placing the unique
history of Smile and it’s fortunate offspring, SMiLE
into fascinating perspective. Owing to the intrinsic and esoteric
origins of much of this music, anyone expecting Wilson-penned Beach
Boys ditties like “Fun Fun Fun” or, on another note, “Wouldn’t
It Be Nice” will be in for a jolt. Miraculously, for the gathering
of people who remember how Wilson’s muse was so far ahead of it’s
time, SMiLE reappears and reconciles matters 37 years later as
if by magic via the musical time tunnel, coming on as nothing less than
a profound revelation. Faithfully supporting Wilson and Van’s legendary
‘66-67 work true to it’s original intent, Nonesuch has done
a fine job on their packaging of SMiLE, adding in a great looking
CD booklet complete with intriguing Americana graphics motif and Leaf’s
perspective and an impelling lyrics sheet. Just from a producing perspective,
Wilson’s late great recording cohort Gary Usher would be proud
with Sahanaja painstakingly coaxing, for posterity, the SMiLE blueprint
out of Wilson and Parks, filling in the missing links and even adding
a few new parts to this legendary pop puzzle. Just hearing Wilson perform,
possibly his grandest song ever, “Surf’s Up” served up
in a decorative, prog-surf arrangement with the master at the fore is
alone worth any price of admission. 
A
little more than 35 years after they delighted the music world with
their final ‘60s album Odessey And Oracle, The Zombies reawaken
with a 2004 album release entitled As Far As I Can See. Released
stateside on Rhino / WSM, the eleven track CD features founding
members Rod Argent and vocalist Colin Blunstone joined
together with bass great Jim Rodford, his son Steve Rodford
(drums) and guitarist Keith Airey. Produced by keyboard icon
Rod Argent, As Far As I Can See blends the timelessness of the
Zombies ‘60s sound with Argent’s work in his ‘70s band
Argent, which also featured Jim Rodford and his Zombies cohort Chris
White, who also lends key backing vocals on a few tracks here. Original
Zombies guitarist, Paul Atkinson, passed away last year although
he’s credited as being instrumental in securing a U.S. release
for the album. Anyone who loved the Zombies psychedelic / R&B sound
and the progressive rock vibes of Argent, should track down this CD
right away. Reunions this cool don’t happen every day and fitting
liner notes by Argent sheds new light on the return of The Zombies.
Perhaps
hinting at the pairing of The Eagles and producer Glyn Johns on the
first few Eagles albums over 30 years ago, Mirror finds Eagles
co-founding member Bernie Leadon joined together with Glyn Johns’
son Ethan Johns. In recent times, Leadon and Ethan Johns have
toured and recorded various times and they hit paydirt at the helm of
Leadon’s first solo album since his 1977 album, Natural Progressions.
The 2004 CD release of Mirror echoes that classic, California
pop sound of the early Eagles layered with the legendary arty production
sound that seems to follow the Johns moniker. Renowned for his classic
early ‘70s albums with The Eagles, Leadon has, over
the years, worked
with Randy Newman, Emmylou Harris, David Bromberg and Stephen Stills
to name a few. Enhanced by Johns and a range of fine players, Leadon’s
patented songs, singing and guitar playing is revived in fine shape
on Mirror. 
Reuniting
for the first new Tears For Fears studio CD since the ‘89 release
of The Seeds Of Love, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith
have collaborated on a surprisingly excellent return to form. Track
by track, the album exhibits a wondrous Beatles-inspired sense of pop
perfection. Orzabal adds, “When we did “Sewing The Seeds Of
Love” we were doing Lennon. And I would say the main influence
for this album is McCartney, because I think McCartney is the new Lennon.”
While keyboards, guitars, drums swirl around in lightening perfection,
it’s easy to discern that it’s the songs and the vocals taking
center stage here. Roland and Curt truly capture that vital prog-pop
spirit and listening to Everybody Loves A Happy Ending is like
revisiting an old friend with new tales to tell. 
Assisted
by Pete Townshend, Pete’s brother Simon Townshend,
conductor Gavin Wright conducting the London Session Orchestra,
engineer wiz Jon Astley, Who bassist Pino Palladino and
more, singer-songwriter Rachel Fuller released her debut CD on Universal
in 2004. Sounding inspired by the orchestral pop vision of Pete
Townshend, Cigarettes & Housework establishes Fuller as a
major talent in her own right. With brains and beauty to match an impressive
musical flair, Fuller’s music runs the gamut from soaring, symphonic
pop ballads to a more cutting edge, lyrical rock sound in the spirit
of Townshend’s lush melodies on Quadrophenia. Arriving on
the footsteps of her work on Pete Townshend's critically acclaimed Lifehouse
project and her collaborations with ambient electronic act Delirium,
Cigarettes & Housework is a gutsy musical statement worthy
of discovery by Who fans on the lookout for fresh musical directions.
No
matter what anybody tells you, the music of Buddy Holly & The
Crickets has made a lasting impact on just about every pop, country
and rock artist since the late ‘50s. Although Holly tragically
died in early ‘59 on ‘the day the music died’, his Crickets
cohorts—drummer/songwriter Jerry ‘Ivan’ Allison,
bassist Joe B. Mauldin and guitarists Sonny Curtis and
Tommy Allsop—went on to record a number of great Crickets
albums in the short years that followed Buddy’s untimely death.
Lo and behold, in 2004 J.I., Joe B. and Sonny Curtis are back on the
scene with a new studio album on Sovereign. The Crickets And
Their Buddies finds the legendary trio running over some classic
musical terrain alongside superstars such as Albert Lee, The
Everly Brothers, Graham Nash, Eric ‘Slowhand”
Clapton, Tonio K., Waylon Jennings, Bobby Vee,
Johnny Rivers, Nanci Griffith and more. Highlights include
Clapper’s classy revival of “Someone, Someone”, Johnny
Rivers with one of Buddy’s last recordings, “Love’s Made
A Fool Of You”—a song which in fact, provided the musical
blueprint for the Sonny Curtis-penned, “I Fought The Law”,
(the Bobby Fuller classic) covered here by Vince Neil. Like the
CD liner notes point out, the influence Buddy Holly & The Crickets
still has will not fade away. 
