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November,
2000
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TRAFFIC  Offering
a unique perspective of an album that shaped progressive rock and pop
way back in 1967, the new Island Records ‘double fantasy’ release of Mr. Fantasy and Heaven Is In
Your Mind is a real windfall for Traffic fans. The group’s original label, Island, has chosen to reissue two
different CDs of the Mr. Fantasy
album including the original United
Artists Records stereo mix of the U.S. version as it was first heard
Stateside. As good as the original U.K. mono mix of Mr. Fantasy is, it was the first U.S. LP release of Mr.
Fantasy, (now reissued here as Heaven)
on on U.A. Records which remains the more incredible sounding version.
Released in ‘67, the American version of Mr.
Fantasy featured an up-to-date Traffic with their first U.S. hit,
“Paper Sun”. Sound wise, the stereo mix of the U.S. Mr.
Fantasy, now Heaven Is In Your
Mind, is more spatial sounding and, with the inclusion of four bonus
tracks in stereo, makes it the
version to hear. The mono version of the U.K. Mr.
Fantasy adds in three bonus tracks  (including “Paper Sun” and
“Hole In My Shoe”) in mono, of course. There’s incredible
packaging, key liner notes and photos on the mono Mr.
Fantasy and the complete artwork (+ a nice surprise) but no notes on
the U.S. stereo version of Mr.
Fantasy released as the Heaven
CD. Key point in retrospect: the inability of founding members Steve
Winwood and band mate Dave
Mason to deal with each other (Mason wasn’t even pictured on the
cover of the U.S. Mr. Fantasy)
lead to a premature break-up of the original Traffic, with
Winwood moving on to Blind Faith. www.umusic.com
/ www.island.co.uk
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JIM
PEMBROKE Listen to RealAudio sample: Hardtop Lincoln  One
of the most incredible albums from 1980, Flatbroke
by the great Jim Pembroke finally sees the light of day as a CD
reissue. First released during the Summer of 1980 on the Finnish label
Johanna, the album was reissued again on Lp in the early ‘80s on
Finnish Parlophone / EMI Records
who now issue it 20 years later on CD in Finland. Few songwriters can
touch Pembroke - as a vocalist and a composer - when it comes to
matching a timeless pop hook and clever lyric with a rock solid
backdrop. Comparison abound - imagine a cross between Yardbird’s
singer Keith Relf and Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker. Back in the late
‘60s, Pembroke honed his craft recording numerous now-fabled albums
with Blues Section and then Wigwam, while his solo albums always carried
on the tradition of Beatles-inspired pop and the crafty progressive rock
of Wigwam. For Pembroke’s long time drumming ace and founding band
mate in both Blues Section and Wigwam, the late, great Ronnie
Osterberg, Flatbroke was
to be his last ever album with Jim at the helm. Influences abound on
this album. Pembroke’s long time affinity for the music of Bob Dylan, The Band and
John Lennon comes to play on various tracks here. The 10 track array
of solid progressive rock and roll is further decorated by some great
guitarists including the rarefied country twang of great Finnish pedal
steel and slide guitarist Olli Haavisto. Ronnie’s drumming is/was brilliant in what was to
be his final year while the rock steady foundation work of original
Wigwam bassist Mats Hulden is
most impressive indeed. Better than just about anything else I can think
of from the Summer of ‘80, Flatbroke
is Pembroke at his finest, and that’s saying something. The CD
liner notes (in Finnish) by Haavisto will be difficult for most of us,
but the music within remains as large scale and sweeping as can be.
Anyway, unless we see a U.S. issue of the CD (with a lyric sheet) any
time soon, Parlophone’s Flatbroke should still be considered essential listening for rock
and roll believers.
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WIGWAM  Without
a doubt, Wigwam were the most important rock band to emerge from Finland
during the late ‘60s. Rising from the vestiges of the group known as Blues
Section, Wigwam was spearheaded by the great Jim
Pembroke, the U.K. native who moved to Finland during the ‘60s and
who, more or less, pioneered the English-speaking rock scene in Finland.
Finland has always had a reputation for spawning virtuoso rock musicians
and, fittingly, the early Wigwam featured gifted musicians such as Pekka Pohjola (bass), Jukka
Gustavson (keyboards) and the late, great drumming ace Ronnie Osterberg. Wigwam mutated a bit during the mid ‘70s moving
on to a more commercial sound with the international release of their
greatest album Nuclear Nightclub. The
new Love Records double disc
release of Fresh Garbage compiles
a variety of rare studio and live Wigwam tracks, including the band’s
earliest singles from 1969 along with mid ‘70s singles and dedicated
live covers of The Band, John Lennon and Spirit. In addition to a
prominent front cover art, the double disc set includes detailed liner
notes, track data and incredible color photos. It might not be the best
introduction to the phenomenal Wigwam, yet Fresh Garbage is nevertheless filled with noteworthy rock sounds and
is a must for the group’s ever growing fan base. www.lovemusic.fi
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MARSHALL
CRENSHAW
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AL
DI MEOLA
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LENNY
KRAVITZ
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THE
ELECTRIC PRUNES  Way
back in early ‘67, The Electric Prunes nearly hit the top 10 with their
timely debut single smash “I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)”.
Written for The Prunes by the songwriting team of Annette
Tucker and Nancy Mantz, the song became the group’s calling card. That song
and the group’s follow-up (and near) hit, “Get Me To The World On
Time”, again written by Tucker, was the highlight of the Prunes ‘67
album debut appropriately called I Had
Too Much To Dream (Last Night). Fascinating artifacts of ‘60s
psychedelic rock, the first three Electric Prunes albums, originally
released on Reprise Records, have just been reissued by Collectors’ Choice. Following I
Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night), The Prunes released Underground
and Mass In F Minor. Neither album was able to generate mass enthusiasm,
yet were eagerly devoured by the group’s devotees. Collectors’ Choice
has done a great job with their Electric Prunes CD’s, repackaging the
discs with the original Reprise Records artwork and new liner notes by Richie
Unterberger along with recent interviews featuring the original band
members. For those interested in classic ‘60s rock and roll CD reissues,
look no further then the extensive Collectors’ Choice catalog which
features releases by every major reissue label on the planet. The
Collectors’ Choice label is really going gangbusters lately with recent CD
reissues from folk-rock great Phil Ochs, German space rockers Faust, cosmic
folk-rocker Donovan and the Brian Wilson-produced girl group The Honeys. www.collectorschoicemusic.com
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PETER
FRAMPTON
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CHUCK
BERRY  A
charter member of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame since 1986 who was
awarded a Grammy in ‘84 for being “one of the most influential and
creative innovators in the history of American popular music”, the great
Chuck Berry was further honored by his long time label Chess
Records with a recent 50 track 2 CD set spanning his Chess years,
1955-’73. Chronologically sequenced, the CD set is broken up into two
halves with disc one featuring some of the greatest ‘50s rockers ever
recorded while disc two focuses on Berry’s ‘60s hits like “Come On”,
“Promised Land” and “Nadine (Is It You?). A super sounding
compilation, The Anthology figures
in extensive liner notes, track-by-track data and period piece photos. Pop
great Brian Wilson has proclaimed that Berry wrote, “all the great songs
and came up with all the rock ‘n’ roll beats”. Berry’s recent
release, The Anthology proves Wilson’s point perfectly. www.umusic.com
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BLOOD,
SWEAT & TEARS  Created
by keyboardist, producer and songwriting genius Al
Kooper way back after he left The Blues Project in ‘67, Blood, Sweat
& Tears will always be remembered for their first two groundbreaking
albums, both of which have just been reissued again, this time as expanded
edition CDs by Columbia Legacy.
Kooper’s trademark pop songs and vocals clearly are the brilliance behind
the group’s early ‘68 album debut, Child
Is Father To The Man. One thing clear in retrospect is that is was
Kooper’s idea to pair his new rock band with a solid brass section.
Produced by the esteemed John Simon,
B, S & T released Child to
critical acclaim. In addition to Kooper classics like “I Love You More
Than You’ll Ever Know” and “I Can’t Quit Her”, the album featured
other classic songs by Harry Nilsson and
the songwriting team of Goffin / King.
Unfortunately, Kooper did leave the band following a rift within the B, S
& T ranks. Legacy’s 2000 reissue of the first B, S & T album tacks
on several bonus tracks and illuminating new liner notes by Kooper. With
Kooper out of the group, B, S & T reformed with the bluesy vocals of David Clayton-Thomas and released their self-titled second album in
early ‘69. In an ironic twist of fate, the B,
S & T Lp went on to sell three million, even winning a Grammy for
record of the year. Legacy’s new reissue of is surely the most famous B, S
& T album now features two bonus tracks, new liner notes and fresh
remembrances by original B, S & T drummer Bobby Columby. Both albums, especially Child Is Father To The Man, remain critical listening by all
devotees of ‘60s rock. www.legacyrecordings.com
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ENOCH
LIGHT Listen to RealAudio sample: Knowing When To Leave
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Pop
genius Marshall Crenshaw has been a mainstay on the pop music scene
since the early ‘80s and time and again he’s constantly delivered
the goods for pop fans. Crenshaw cites greats like Brian Wilson and Burt
Bacharach among his big influences, yet since his groundbreaking 1982
album debut he’s managed to carve out an immediately identifiable
niche thanks to first class songwriting and ample guitar chops to boot.
In spite of major label woes early on in his career, (he parted company
with both Warner Bros. and MCA) Crenshaw continues to record for the
feisty NYC indy label Razor & Tie. Looking back on his early albums
with both Warner Bros. and MCA, Rhino’s newly released This
Is Easy is a fitting compilation spotlighting 22 of the best
Crenshaw tracks from the past 20 years. Early ‘80s Crenshaw favorites
like “Someday, Someway” and “Monday Morning Rock” seque into the
best of his Warner Bros. and MCA years including evergreens from his
all-time classic Mary Jean & 9 Others (produced by Don Dixon) and Life’s
Too Short from his one and only MCA album. With rare photos and
track by track data by Marshall, This
Is Easy is a veritable encyclopedia of Crenshaw’s timeless pop
sounds. Rhino has also simultaneously reissued Crenshaw’s self-titled
1982 album debut, Marshall
Crenshaw complete with 9 unreleased tracks. 
Legacy
recently unveiled their long overdue Al Di Meola double CD set appropriately
called Anthology. Recalling just
how trend-setting Di Meola’s guitar work was with Chick Corea and Return
To Forever, Bill Milkowski hits
the nail on the head in the set’s liner notes as to how the whole ‘70s
American jazz/rock scene came into being. Following his brilliant work on
the final Lp by Return To Forever, entitled Romantic
Warrior, Di Meola set sail on a solo career going on to record a number
of brilliant albums for Columbia
Records. Anthology encapsulates
work from his now classic debut, Land Of The Midnight Sun (recorded in 8/75 in NYC), as well as
six more Columbia albums released between 77-82. The musicians appearing on Anthology
reads like a who’s who of the jazz / rock world of the time, including
appearances from the late great bassist Jaco
Pastorius and Phil Collins
(drums) to name just a few. Other
highlights include a number of stellar tracks Di Meola recorded with
keyboard giant Jan Hammer on
1983’s Scenario.
Recalling his early albums Di Meola muses, “Looking back on it today, I
can see why we did what we did in the ‘70s. We had a lot of energy back
then, we were young. We had a lot of fire and we were displaying it. It was
great. For the times, it was wonderful.” In addition to the comprehensive
liner notes, the double disc Al Di
Meola Anthology adds in key bonus cuts recorded on Long Island in ‘78
and 1982 in Holland. 
Since
his ‘89 album debut Let Love Rule, rock
superstar Lenny Kravitz has gone on to release five albums including his
highly successful ‘98 album 5, which
spawned the Kravitz cover of The Guess Who classic “American Woman”.
Concerning that Grammy-winning song, Kravitz adds, “I always loved the
song; the vocal was genius.” The fifteen track Greatest
Hits covers music from each of Lenny’s five studio albums and even
adds in a new track entitled “Again”. Concerning “Again” Kravitz
claims, “it kind of felt like it wasn’t meant for the next studio album.
I felt it would be cool for this album because it’s very
‘sing-along-y’. I recorded it five times before I was happy with it.”
Commenting on the release his new best-of collection, Kravitz claims, “I
think I’ve covered a lot of ground, There are a lot of different elements
in my music, and this really shows where I’ve been and where I’m going
as well.” Kravitz has long been applauded for his hip blending of rock,
funk, soul, pop and psychedelic sounds. Greatest
Hits is proof that Kravitz is a major player music fans will be hearing
alot more of. 
It’s
taken a while but fans of the great Peter Frampton can breath a sigh of
relief now that his early solo albums have finally been reissued on his
original label A&M Records.
Unfortunately there’s no liner notes to speak of, but each CD has been
newly remastered from the master tapes. Following a series of
ground-breaking rock albums with Humble Pie, Frampton embarked on a solo
career with the release of his debut album, Wind
Of Change from October, 1972. For
many fans the album remains one of Frampton’s finest solo albums to date.
Appearing with the guitar great for the Wind
Of Change sessions are some of
the real heavyweight musicians of the time including Beatles’s timekeeper Ringo
Starr and string arranger Del
Newman. For the follow-up to Wind
Of Change, Frampton formed Frampton’s
Camel and released the band’s self-titled album in June, 1973. Frampton’s
Camel features the original studio version of the song classic “Do
You Feel Like We Do”, which was later revived on the 16 million seller Frampton
Comes Alive. Never released Stateside before, Frampton’s Camel remains another milestone in the guitar great’s
career. When it rains it pours and A&M
also recently released several other titles from Frampton’s prolific back
catalog including Something’s Happening (March 1974 w/ Nicky Hopkins), Frampton
(March 1975) and I’m
In You (released June 1977 w/ Stevie
Wonder).
A
fitting memento of the wild and crazy spirit of the ‘60s, Space Out was clearly one of the spacier moments from band leader
Enoch Light. Light recorded dozens of easy listening instrumental albums,
and like his contemporaries on the ‘60s lounge and lite music scene,
Martin Denny and Les Baxter, Light also dabbled in easy listening
psychedelia. Recorded at the tail end of the ‘60s, Spaced
Out is described as “exploratory trips through the music of Bach,
Bacharach and The Beatles”. Light’s big pop band features a wild and
mild mix of moog synths, electric guitars, electric harpsichords,
flugelhorns and more. Among the songs given the Enoch Light treatment here
are “Eleanor Rigby”, “Get Back” and “Norwegian Wood”. Other
highlights include evocative originals and covers of “Walk On By” and
“What The World Needs Now Is Love.” A far-out look back at the late
‘60s, Spaced Out is essential
for ‘60s easy listening music buffs and lounge lovers alike. contact:
631-231-7171