Anyone who doesn't like Frank needs a kick in the arse, and I think you got MJ down straight, he was rubbish after Thriller, such a pity he wasn't normal.

 

I'm not sure if that is a thumbs up or a thumbs down on my Sinatra review, Rich, but I appreciate the input!

 

NUMBER 463:

"Journey To The Center of the Earth"---Rick Wakeman (1974)

Essentially a symphonic spoken-word opera, Rick Wakeman's take on Jules Verne's novel, Journey to the Center of the Earth is pretentious, over-the-top, over-produced and even a bit silly----and it is magnificent.

By quite a stretch the best thing that Wakeman ever produced other than as a member of Yes, "Journey To the Center of the Earth" deserves a place on the island. Would I listen to it all of the time? Of course not. But it is a fun trip on occasion.

The music is great, the narration, though hokey, moves the piece along in a manner that is not overdone, and it is both long and short enough to be satisfying, in four parts covering two sides of an LP in just about 40 total minutes.

It is better than his first solo release, "The Six Wives of Henry the VIII" and head and shoulders above things like "King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table", when Wakeman began to get carried away and became boorish.

A good addition to any esoteric music collection.

 

Sorry Ump but this time I think you've lost the plot. If you wanted something silly, OTT, then there is always "Jilted John". 'Gordon is a moron' etc. I'm a great fan of the pretentious stuff: ELP, YES, Genesis, Jethro Tull, etc. But Wakeman on his own? Too much like the yearly arguments of the 70s about who the best keyboard player or guitarist was. Keith Emerson generally restricted himself to ELP while Rick launched himself into a never-ending series of albums of self-indulgent crap.

For me Wakeman with Yes: YES even Tales from Topgraphic Oceans which I love (and Wakeman hated, though I can understand why).
Wakeman on his own: Sorry, not for me.

Bill

 

Fair enough, WGF; Note the words 'pretentious', 'over-produced' and 'silly' in my review.

Still, as a one shot, I like this one.

I'd rather listen to this than 'Cavalleria Rusticana' or 'l'Incoronazione di Poppea' for example.

I would not take a baby-step beyond this as far as Wakeman is concerned.

 

I understand your choice but I think I would have used the place for a little-known album like "Solid Air" by John Martyn. Still each to his own. And as you said it's your choice though everyone has the right to disagree.

Bill

 

I'm actually surprised that more people do not voice disagreement (there are about 5 albums I posted that I was sure I would get catcalls on, but---nothing).

I just did a quick run-through and, after 11 months of this, I've gotten 156 positive comments posted, 17 negative posts (and only 1 was nasty, thank you) and 63 'neutral' (either asking questions, making suggestions, or 'follow-ups' that did not express a positive or negative view).

That is 66% positive or agreeable in comments and only about 7% negative.

Thanks, gang.

 

Keep up the good work

 

Thanks, Herbie. I appreciate it.

 

Number 462:

"The Man Who Sold The World"---David Bowie (1970)

Beginning with the surprisingly rocky 'Width of A Circle', "The Man Who Sold The World" begins the process of transformation of 'Hippie David' to 'Ziggy Stardust'---the second skin-shedding of Bowie's Chameleonic career (the first, of course, being the shift from 'Pop David' or 'David Jones' to 'Hippie David' Bowie in 1967 to avoid confusion with The Monkees' Davy Jones AND to fit in more with the folk-rock developments in music at the time....).

The 'Hippie David' only really lasted for one album (1969's "Space Oddity", although there are hints of this phase on 1971's "Hunky Dory", which has always made me wonder exactly WHEN most of "Hunky Dory"s songs were actually written....I'd appreciate any thouhts on this, if you have them...).

Back to "The Man Who Sold The World", the second and third tracks, 'All The Madmen' and 'Black Country Road' are also pretty rock-oriented and clearly show the differences in this album and Bowie's earlier work---particularly in the heavier use of percussion and the punched-up bass-lines of the songs.

'After All' is a nice mellow shift, but the slash of 'Running Gun Blues' picks this up again right after and transitions into another great uptempo track, 'Saviour Machine'.

'She Shook Me Cold' moves from a crawling sneer to be resurrected from a boggy mire by a Mick Ronson guitar solo that sounds acutely Jimmy Page-Zeppelin-II-esque. Very cool.

The title track, 'The Man Who Sold The World' is a play off on, believe it or not, a TANGO----and it freaking works GREAT.

The album concludes with the lumbering monolith-monster, 'The Supermen', which is the closest connection to Bowie's prior release, "Space Oddity". It is still a nice fit on an album that has a nice balance of very good material from ballad to hard rock.

 

NUMBER 461:

"Brotherhood"---New Order (1986)

Though it contains perhaps the worst New Order song in their catalog ('As It Is When It Was' is unmelodic, droning, pointless and goes nowhere), "Brotherhood" is a very good album overall.

'Paradise', 'Weirdo', 'Bizarre Love Triangle', All Day Long' and "Every Little Counts' are wonderful songs that carry us through soft and tenderness, heartache and desire, fun and....weird and possible bizarreness. Nice stuff.

'Angel Dust', Broken Promise' and 'Way Of Life' are good and energetic enough to keep one's interest. I especially like (and I bet very few catch it) the quick two bar nod to 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' at the end of 'W.o.L.'.

Whenever I think of these guys it saddens me that they are adamantly done as a band. Well, I guess I should be happy with what we've got.

 

NUMBER 460:


"Nice Work If You Can Get It: Songs of the Gershwins"---Michael Feinstein (1996)

So what if it is just Michael Feinstein's interpretations of what the arrangements should have sounded like in the 1920s and 1930s? So what if some of them sound like they were formulated in the 1950s and delivered in a lounge somewhere in New York City in 1983?

This set is great for many, many reasons, not the least of which are the facts that Feinstein has a 1930s voice and he truly loves these songs.

In selecting the 16 Gershwin tunes for this album (including those in the medleys), Feinstein was also very smart in choosing more than half that are not well-known any longer.

Sure, anyone who has ears has heard 'Someone To Watch Over Me', 'Fascinating Rhythm', 'Nice Work If You Can Get It', 'A Foggy Day In London Town' and 'They Can't Take That Away From Me'....but Feinstein rediscovers the charms of such gems as 'Anything For You', written in 1921, but never published; 'Ask Me Again', written for the 1930 Broadway production of GIRL CRAZY, but never used; 'Who Cares', from 1931's show OF THEE I SING; 'The Luckiest Man In The World' (a terrific number that was cut from the 1932 production of PARDON MY ENGLISH); 'Things Are Looking Up' from 1937's DAMSEL IN DISTRESS; the charming 'Will You Remember Me' (cut from 1924's LADY BE GOOD); 1925's 'Love Is In The Air' and 'For You, For Me, Forevermore', written more than a decade earlier, shortly before George Gershwin's death, but not published until 1947.

One of the best tracks is the extravaganza that Feinstein creates in the 'Fascinating Rhythm (Medley)' that not only includes 'I Got Rhythm' and 'Some Wonderful Sort of Someone' but also briefly interpolates both 'An American In Paris' and 'Rhapsody In Blue'----wonderful!

This is a simply gorgeous collection that does homage to the songwriting duo of George and Ira Gershwin, who were so good that their best-known songs overshadow dozens of others of their compositions that would have been classics otherwise.

 

NUMBER 459:

"New England"---Wishbone Ash (1976)
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I like Wishbone Ash, but I would not say I am a big fan. Most of their albums strike me as having a similar pattern---very good musicianship that takes fairly pedestrian material and makes it sound good, but nothing earthshaking.

But I really like this album. It just strikes me for some reason. The guitar play on tracks like 'Runaway' and 'You Rescue Me' just have a raw quality that grabs me. Other tracks like 'Lorelei', 'Outward Bound' (which is Allman-Brothers-ish) and 'Mother of Pearl' are just better songs (in my opinion) than Wishbone Ash typically produced. 'When You Know Love', the nice ballad 'Lonely Island' and 'Candle Light' are also very good tracks. Since I am regularly drawn to listen to this album, I'll just have to take it along to the island...

 

Dear Ump. I was going to berate you over your review of Wishbone Ash. You make it plainly obvious that there will be space for only one Wishbone album on your island. How on earth could you choose 'New England' over the classic, best album "Argus"? Epic tracks like 'The King Will Come', 'Throw down The Sword', 'Blowin' Free', 'Warrior'. Total Heresy!

Then I started listening to the tracks in my head. Great twin lead guitars. How can anyone not love this. And then suddenly these tracks from nearly 40 years ago began, for the first time in my life, to seem a bit wooden, contrived, not quite holding together, especially in the case of 'The King Will Come'.

Today you killed a dream but maybe you are right.

Bill

 

NUMBER 459:

"New England"---Wishbone Ash (1976)

I could not agree more with WGF on this one.
But Kudos for the Album cover.
N

 

......so, since WGF said I may be RIGHT, you agree with ME???

 

I'm not looking to kill dreams, but as I put in my disclaimer, I am just not a big Wishbone Ash fan, so, TO fans whatever I say will certainly hedge on blasphemy.

I'll go further: I DO like "Argus", I just don't like it BEST, and, in fact, I like "Wishbone Four" better as well.

My eldest cousin (about 8 years older than me), who introduced me to a LOT of stuff when I was little (8-12 years old), was a BIG Wishbone Ash fan, but they were one group that he loved that I just could not get into.

As I said, I don't DISLIKE them, but "New England" is the only one that appeals to me enough to go in the top 1000.

We all have different tastes.

 

NUMBER 458:

"ABRAXAS"---SANTANA (1970)
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The Santana Band's sophomore release is an unbalanced job----not unbalanced in that it is poorly done or a mix of great songs and bad songs----but rather that Side Two only has very good songs ('Se a Cabo', 'Mother's Daughter', 'Hope You're Feeling Better', 'Samba Pa Ti' and 'El Nicoya'), which come across as weaker than they really are after listening to the terrific Side One.

The first side of "Abraxas" starts off with Michael Carabello's 'Singing Winds, Crying Beasts', a very jazzy, very sharp number that segues nicely into the medley of 'Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen' (written by Peter Green and Gabor Szabo respectively), one of Santana's classic deliveries. They are followed by Tito Puente's 'Oye Como Va', a song that is ten times better in this version than the original---a rare accomplishment. Finally, Carlos Santana and Alberto Gianquinto's 'Incident at Neshabur' (one of my personal favorites in the Santana catalog).

Superb effort by a band that was just getting better...

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Neuromancer
NUMBER 459:

"New England"---Wishbone Ash (1976)

I could not agree more with WGF on this one.
But Kudos for the Album cover.
N


......so, since WGF said I may be RIGHT, you agree with ME???

Sorry if I wasn't clear but I was typing up my reply when WGF's reply showed up. I originally thought Argus was better. I also went back and llistened to the albums again. I don't know if my taste has changed over time, but now I have to agree with you. New England is a more complete album. But I also like Wishbone Four their live album.
N

 

Thanks for the input, Neuromancer! I appreciate it.

I'm not trying to CONVINCE anyone about anything, but I do want to make sure that my thoughts are clear.

CHEERS!