Record Reviews

HUMBLE PIE ~ I NEED A STAR IN MY LIFE CLEOPATRA 03172 (Barcode: 889466317224) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1974 - 1976 Released: 2020 This is a reissue / remaster of the “lost” album by one of the greatest British Rock groups of all time, Humble PieFind albums by this artist. This album was rejected by the group’s record label A&MFind albums on this label, but they continued to record for many months, until the group fell apart and the music remained shelved, while they released their swan song album “Street RatsFind albums with this title” in the meantime. The album presents twenty tracks, most being originals written by the group members. In addition to the regular group members: vocalist / guitarist Steve MarriottFind albums by this artist, bassist Greg RidleyFind albums by this artist, guitarist Clem ClempsonFind albums by this artist, drummer Jerry ShirleyFind albums by this artist and keyboardist Tim HinkleyFind albums by this artist, they invited a plethora of guests to take part in this project, including such luminaries like bassist Boz BurrellFind albums by this artist, drummer Ian WallaceFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Mel CollinsFind albums by this artist, guitarist B. J. ColeFind albums by this artist and others. These tracks surfaced in 1990s as “Scrubbers Sessions”, both on bootlegs and eventually on Eagle Records, but are not available anymore and this new reissue offers a good sound quality and nice packaging. Overall, this is a great document, both of the era and one of the greatest British Rock groups ever, which definitely is worth being remembered. Marriott had one of the most distinctive voices of Rock and his premature and tragic death in 1991 robbed the world of his magic forever. A great piece of history!

Updated: 07/10/2022Posted: 07/10/2022

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend

PROCOL HARUM ~ EXOTIC BIRDS AND FRUIT (DELUXE EXPANDED EDITION) ESOTERIC 2633 (Barcode: 5013929473348) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1973 - 1974 Released: 2018 This is a reissue of the seventh studio album by the seminal British Classic Rock group Procol HarumFind albums by this artist, one of the last active representatives of the great music wave that started over five decades ago. This album´s lineup includes two founding members: vocalist / pianist Gary BrookerFind albums by this artist and drummer B. J. WilsonFind albums by this artist with Hammond organist Chris CoppingFind albums by this artist, guitarist Mick GrabhamFind albums by this artist and bassist Alan CartwrightFind albums by this artist. Guitarist B. J. ColeFind albums by this artist guests on selected tracks. The album was produced by the celebrated producer Chris ThomasFind albums by this artist, who worked with the group since their fourth studio album "HomeFind albums with this title". The album presents nine songs all composed by Brooker with lyrics by poet Keith ReidFind albums by this artist. This remastered and expanded edition adds two bonus tracks (B-side of a single and an alternate mix), a bonus CD with a BBC "In Concert" recording and another bonus CD with a radio studio performance recorded in the US. Following the recording of two heavily orchestrated albums (the first live album "Live: In Concert With The Edmonton Symphony OrchestraFind albums with this title" from 1972 and the sixth studio album "Grand HotelFind albums with this title" from 1973) this album marks a "return to basics" Rock attitude with the dominating double keyboards sound and the moody, lyrical tunes perfectly crafted by Brooker. The overall sound and musical approach is closest to the early work of the group since a few years. Brooker´s incredible vocals and the group´s instrumental work are superb in every respect and the production manages to emphasize perfectly their unique ambience. They were also incredibly effective when playing live, as evident on the two bonus CDs. Overall this is one of the strongest albums in the Procol Harum impressive legacy, which offers a wonderful example of their unique stylistic idiosyncrasy, which knows no parallels. It lost absolute nothing of its power and elegance over time and sounds every bit as wonderful as it did at the time of its release. It is obviously an essential item in any serious Classic Rock / Prog collection.

Updated: 09/04/2022Posted: 29/01/2019

CD 3 Digipak Oversampling Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

JULIE TIPPETTS & MARTIN ARCHER ~ ILLUSION DISCUS 131 (Barcode: 5051078993720) ~ UK ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2014 - 2021 Released: 2022 This is the fifth album by the British Jazz duo comprising of iconic vocalist / songwriter Julie TippettsFind albums by this artist and multi-instrumentalist / composer / DiscusFind albums on this label label owner Martin ArcherFind albums by this artist. The music was created over a period of six years since the release of the duo’s previous album, materializing two CDs worth of musical magic. The first CD, subtitled “Circle Of Whispers” presents thirteen songs performed by Tippetts and accompanied mostly by small ensembles between a duet and a quartet and in some cases including additionally a string trio. A long list of musicians take part in these recordings. The second CD, subtitled “Illusion Suite”, is a seven-part continuous suite, performed by the duo, a sextet of instrumentalist, a quintet of electronicists and a string trio. The music is quite different on these two CDs, which is a wonderful surprise. All the music is of course original and co-created by Tippetts and Arches (except in two cases). “Circle Of Whispers” is almost completely “well behaved”, presenting Tippetts singing lyrics (sometimes with overdubs) and rarely using vocalese. The songs have clearly defined melody lines, often bordering on Rock, some with a subtle and sublime Jazzy arrangements and others with an ambient / electronics background, brilliantly supported by Archer on keyboards, B. J. ColeFind albums by this artist on guitar, Laura ColeFind albums by this artist on piano and other excellent instrumentalists. Listeners familiar with Tippetts extensive recording career will be fondly reminded of her early (post Pop) solo career, with albums like “Sunset GlowFind albums with this title”. The entire album is absolutely fascinating from start to finish, and IMHO it is her strongest album in many years. Her vocal abilities are completely untouched by time and the creativity and imagination encapsulated in these songs are staggering. Hearing this music made me think that perhaps not all is lost in music yet. “Illusion Suite” is closer to the Avant-Garde side of the duo’s work in the past, with Tippetts still singing lyrics, but also using her voice (often overdubbed) in an instrumental capacity, singing extensive and not surprisingly breathtaking vocalese parts. The music is based on melodic themes, but is more open and improvised. One might define the suite as a concerto for multiple voices (sung by the same person) and an electro-acoustic ensemble. The excellent rhythm section of bassist Seth BennettFind albums by this artist and drummer Peter FaircloughFind albums by this artist manages to give the music a steady pulsating continuity, which helps the listen to follow the complex vocal and instrumental parts. Guitarist Anton HunterFind albums by this artist, trombonist George MurrayFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist Corey MwambaFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Charlotte KeeffeFind albums by this artist are in charge of the instrumental ornamentation, with Archer omnipresent keyboards, woodwinds and electronics creating the “wall of sound” background. This is, what I call, quite a journey… Overall, this is a brilliant piece of composing, performing, songwriting and everything else involved in creating a true “magic carpet ride”, which takes the listener places he probably never dreamt of. A most welcome comeback from Tippetts, which always leaves me waiting for more… Bless you and thanks for this gift of music!

Updated: 09/04/2022Posted: 09/04/2022

CD 2 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend