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Winter 2007

GEORGE HARRISON

 
BEE GEES

Long time followers of George Harrison will no doubt appreciate the 2006 CD remaster of Material World. The sound is easily twice as good as the 1992 remaster and the new high tech remaster truly allows the album to breath, something even slightly missing from the 1971 Lp. There’s a deluxe edition with a bonus DVD that captures George in rare footage with Eric Clapton live in Japan and more. Despite George’s famous quote, now in the liner notes that “They feel threatened when you talk about something that isn’t just ‘Be-Bop-A-Lula’, Living In The Material World also rose above the spiritual on the toe-tappin' “Don’t Let Me Wait Too Long” and the lush orch-pop of “Try Some Buy Some.” And the rest is equally brilliant. www.georgeharrison.com

BLIND FAITH
London Hyde Park 1969
(Sanctuary)

Part of a summer filled with mind blowing musical events that included the death of Brian Jones, the break-up of The Beatles and the Woodstock festival, Blind Faith was like a super nova that burst on the scene and then it was all over too soon. Rock fans still revel in the glory of the one and only Blind Faith album and now they can revisit the greatness with the first ever DVD video of their debut gig, filmed for posterity live in London on June 7th, 1969. Leaving behind Jack Bruce and Cream, Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker joined forces with Traffic mainman Steve Winwood and Family bass ace Ric Grech and the results were simply amazing yet sadly short lived. That said, the 2006 DVD release of Blind Faith – London Hyde Park 1969 on Sanctuary offers a history lesson on that powerful music combination of Cream and Traffic. As would be evidenced by their July 9, 1969 appearance at Madison Sq. Garden, things would tighten up considerably in time for their ’69 summer tour and though the band was a bit loose on this early gig, their musical mission comes into focus. Baker and Grech are great, Winwood is stunning, yet flubs some lyrics on “Had To Cry Today,” but Clapton’s guitar playing is pure genius. Performing all the songs from their self-titled album, this Blind Faith DVD also serves up live renditions of the Blind Faith outtake “Sleeping In The Ground,” “Means To An End” (from the second Traffic album) and a BF version of the early Stones’ classic “Under My Thumb.” In addition to capturing the excitement of the band’s debut live show, the live DVD video opens with a valuable history lesson on just how it all happened as well as featuring promo videos of Traffic, Cream and Spencer Davis Group. Is the DVD worth the wait 37 years after Blind Faith made music history and then vanished in thin air? You bet. www.blindfaithdvd.com

Blue Note Records have a number of CD reissues by the late great Grant Green—none perhaps cooler than an ‘06 reissue of Grant’s 1963 album Feelin’ The Spirit. Having explored both Latin music and country-western on his 1962 albums, Green went way back on an album of Sanctified Church spirituals and Gospel music, all built around Green’s instrumental jazz guitar arrangements. Combining modern jazz, blues and gospel music, Green’s approach figured his legendary guitar sound in a group with top players like Herbie Hancock (piano) and Billy Higgins (drums). On Feelin’ The Spirit, Green’s guitar/piano chemistry with Herbie Hancock borders on E.S.P. Everyone knows these songs inside out and Green and company do justice with revivalist standards like “Go Down Moses” (Let My People Go) and “Joshua Fit De Battle Ob Jericho.” Like all of Green’s Blue Note remasters, Feelin’ The Spirit features excellent CD sound, while filling in the album’s unique history with new and original liner notes. www.bluenote.com

The ‘60s were still infinitely sexier than the double 0’s. Case in point is the perennial fascination of ‘60s composers like Henry Mancini, Les Baxter and France’s Paul Mauriat And His Orchestra, who’s 10 track 1968 Philips Records album Blooming Hits, has just been reissued for the first time in 2006 on Collector’s Choice Music. Having passed away on November 3, 2006, Mauriat and his easy listening orchestra will be forever remembered for his arrangement and orchestration of the André Popp classic “Love Is Blue” and the beautiful music album also features instrumental covers of “Penny Lane,” “Something Stupid,” “There’s A Kind Of Hush” and more. Mauriat’s personification of easy listening sounds is still worth checking out ‘40 years on by ‘60s culture fans and with the sonic remastering you can even hear some cool acoustic guitar picking on “Love Is Blue” amid the strings and harpsichords.
Ditto for the ‘06 CC reissues of two more titles from America’s first classical rock group The New York Rock Ensemble. The group’s second album Faithful Friends and the follow-up with Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis entitled Faithful Friends combined rock energy with classical chops. Maybe not quite as eventful as the band’s ‘68 debut, their follow-up, Faithful Friends rocks and features fine melodic Beatle-inspired rock arrangements with orch-pop flourishes. Their final Atlantic release, 1970’s Reflections is a way underrated classical meets rock masterpiece. Both titles sound great on CD and feature historical background data.
Following his years with the Lovin’ Spoonful, John Sebastian began his solo career. Fresh from his Woodstock performance in ‘69, he released his self-titled debut CD, which actually came out on two different labels at the time. The CC CD release of his ‘69/70 debut and his rockier late 1970 follow up on Reprise The Four Of Us are a good reminder of Sebastian’s knack for scripting pop back during the heyday of Mo Ostin’s golden roster of greats.
In 2006 CC also released two more back catalog titles from the renowned psych-pop band The Electric Prunes. By the time the Electric Prunes recorded and released Release Of An Oath and their final Reprise album, Just Good Old Rock And Roll, all the original members had long departed. Released in 1969, Just Good Old Rock And Roll was a pretty straight ahead rock album, but the 1968 release of Release Of An Oath was an ambitious religious concept album that followed the success of the Prunes’ Mass In F Minor. Featuring some soaring orchestration and spooky lyrics, on the psychedelic Oath the Prunes were joined by L.A. session greats including Carol Kaye (bass) and guitarist Howard Roberts. www.ccmusic.com