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LEE
MICHAELS |
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One
of the first American rock artists signed to A&M Records, Lee
Michaels had a brief but supercharged career in the late 1960s
and early 1970s. Before they were bought out by Universal, A&M
was owned by trumpet-master Herb Alpert and his partner Jerry Moss.
A huge number of major rock acts from the U.S. and the U.K. passed
through the ranks of A&M including their biggest money makers,
Peter Frampton and Cat Stevens. Frampton and Cat were just the tip
of A&Ms sonic iceberg but Lee Michaels was the first and
in hindsight there was a price to be paid for that. Lees first
two A&M albums Carnival Of Life (1967) and
Recital (1968) - are still considered two of the finest
progressive pop-rock albums of the 1960s, although this was before
the words progressive rock were even coined by the mainstream
music media. That theory of whether Lee Michaels was pop or prog was
to end with the Summer of 69 Lp release of Lee Michaels.
Despite the surreal success of that album, A&M truly
misdirected Lee around that time, even claiming the ridiculous excuse
that Recital cost too much to make. This as A&M
would soon be making a mint with Cat Stevens and Frampton just a few
years later. I guess A&M lost The Move that way too, as two years
after Shazam they reformed as Electric Light Orchestra. On
Recital, Lee Michaels literally invented American progressive
rock with his myriad of keyboard sounds, including tack piano, organ
and harpsichord predating the rapid rise to fame of Wakeman
(another A&M artist) and the now late, great Keith Emerson by
several years. From there on out A&M's handling of Lee Michaels
was a shocking disappointment yet, Recital has held up superbly
now for nearly 50 years and it shows no sign of losing its influence
on fans of the finest West Coast rock from the late 1960s. In early
2016, 20 years after One Way Records first reissued Lees catalog
on compact disc, L.A. based Manifesto Records has done a fine job
on their seven CD Lee Michaels box set. Manifestos The
Complete A&M Album Collection finally sets the
record straight regarding the seven albums Lee Michaels released on
A&M Records. In addition to Lees first three solo albums
mentioned above, also included here are: Barrel (1970),
5th (1971), Space And First Takes (1972)
and Live (1973). Produced for release
by Manifestos Dan Perloff and featuring liner notes by
Brett Milano, The Complete A&M Album Collection comes
with an excellent photo-filled booklet that helps to clear up the
mystery of this early rock hero, who later turned restauranteur. Perhaps
the best thing about Manifesto's box setaside from having all
the Lee Michaels A&M albums under one roofis the first rate
CD sound quality as remastered by highly regarded sound man Bill
Inglot and Dave Schultz. Manifesto
has some interesting current pop-rock artists on their roster. With
The
Complete A&M Album Collection
they also
offer a unique slant on American music reissues and are even planning
an overhaul of the Turtles back catalog from their White Whale
years. For an amazing glimpse into the foundations of American rock
music and one of the true originals who paved the way for so many
others, listen to Recital - an album that still enlightens
and that will surely make you want to groove along to the rest of
these rock classics included in The
Complete A&M Album Collection by music great Lee
Michaels. www.manifesto.com
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