Record Reviews

DELANEY & BONNIE ~ HOME (RESEQUENCED AND EXPANDED EDITION) STAX 025218862622 (Barcode: 025218862622) ~ USA ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1968 - 1969 Released: 2006 This is a reissue of the debut album by American couple: vocalist / guitarist / songwriter Delaney BramlettFind albums by this artist and his wife vocalist / songwriter Bonnie BramlettFind albums by this artist, known as Delaney & BonnieFind albums by this artist and later on as Delaney & Bonnie & FriendsFind albums by this artist. This album, their only release on StaxFind albums on this label Records, which was primarily associated with Afro-American artists, presents their early recordings, supported by a formidable set of musicians, including the Stax house band Booker T. & The MG`sFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Leon RussellFind albums by this artist (who brought them to Stax in the first place), keyboardist Isaac HayesFind albums by this artist, bassist Carl RadleFind albums by this artist and others, including the Memphis HornsFind albums by this artist brass section. This expanded and resequenced reissue includes the ten original tracks and six bonus tracks and a new order of tracks to create a more coherent listening experience. About half of the tracks are originals written by Delaney Bramlett or co-written with Bonnie Bramlett, the rest were mostly contributed by the musicians playing on the album, with the exception of the legendary "Piece Of My Heart", which gets here a fabulous interpretation. The music of Delaney & Bonnie was a wonderful amalgam of American Country, Rock (which in America also derived from Country) and the entire palette of what was considered as "black" music at the time, i.e. Rhythm And Blues, Soul, Funk and Gospel. The fact that they were "white" musicians did not help them, while America was still swamped by the racial bigotry at the time, and this album failed to succeed on the music market, in spite of its excellent material and musicianship. Only after Eric ClaptonFind albums by this artist engaged them to perform as the opening act during the US tour of Blind FaithFind albums by this artist in mid-1969, they gained considerable public attention. This led to the recording of their third album "Live On Tour With Eric ClaptonFind albums with this title" and their involvement in the recording of Clapton´s eponymous debut album ("Eric ClaptonFind albums with this title"). In retrospect this music sounds as fresh and vital today as it did when I first heard it five decades ago. It is full of great vocal performances and harmonies and superb instrumental work, and most importantly honesty and no bullshit attitude, which simply does not exist in music today. Considering the fact that Delaney & Bonnie left a limited recorded legacy, every album of theirs is a musical treasure, especially for people who have no problem to listen to music without preconceptions and snobbish stylistic restraints. Superb stuff!

Updated: 08/05/2023Posted: 30/05/2018

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

MICHAEL GARRICK ~ HOME STRETCH BLUES VOCALION 8426 (Barcode: 765387842628) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1972 Released: 2006 Pianist / composer Michael GarrickFind albums by this artist has been an icon of British Jazz for the last five decades. His exquisite touch on the keyboards, deep lyricism and unparalleled inventiveness as a composer characterize his entire legacy over time, which has very little rivalry or precedence. This album presents Garrick with his sextet (Garrick – piano and harpsichord, Henry LowtherFind albums by this artist – trumpet, Art ThemenFind albums by this artist – clarinet and sax, Dave GreenFind albums by this artist – bass, Trevor TomkinsFind albums by this artist – drums and Norma WinstoneFind albums by this artist – vocals) with Don RendellFind albums by this artist – sax on couple of tracks. The music, written as always by Garrick, is divided (by side A and side B of the original album) into two parts: part one includes three great tracks, including a song based on a poem by Alfred TennysonFind albums by this artist and part two is a five-piece suite inspired by a poem by John SmithFind albums by this artist. As usual the music is simple superb, as are the performances by the band members. Norma’s vocalese reaches an absolute peak here and her integration into the group’s overall sound is perfect. This is just about the most perfect example of the British Jazz at the time of its full maturity and a timeless masterpiece. It is a shame this music was unavailable for so long and it makes me really happy to know it can be rediscovered by a new generation of music lovers. A must!

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

	PROCOL HARUM ~ HOME REPERTOIRE 4669 ~ UK ~ Classic Rock 4th album from 1970. Although less popular then the first three, this is still a very good album with lots of great material and all the elements that make this group so important. Remastered with bonus tracks.
	CD 1 Digipak Remastered Recommend To A Friend

PROCOL HARUM ~ HOME (DELUXE EXPANDED EDITION) ESOTERIC 2505 (Barcode: 5013929460546) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1970 Released: 2015 This is a reissue of the fourth 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 three founding members: vocalist / pianist Gary BrookerFind albums by this artist, guitarist Robin TrowerFind albums by this artist and drummer B. J. WilsonFind albums by this artist with Hammond organist Chris CoppingFind albums by this artist, who also played the bass. All four of them were members of the group The ParamountsFind albums by this artist before Procol Harum was formed, and this reunion is celebrated by the album´s title, which was a homecoming of sorts. This was the first album by the group that was produced by the celebrated producer Chris ThomasFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine songs, seven composed by Brooker and two by Trower, with lyrics by poet Keith ReidFind albums by this artist. This remastered and expanded edition adds a CD with eleven bonus tracks; demos, alternate takes and alternate mixes and two tracks from a BBC session, those being the only two tracks that are previously unreleased. The musical direction of this album is somewhat different from the three previous albums, being decidedly more Rock oriented, although the double keyboards dominating sound is still in place. The songs are shorter and more concise, featuring more guitar riffs and up-tempo songs, with shorter instrumental passages, flirting with early Hard Rock. But some of the bombastic Gothic and Psychedelic soundscapes are still present, making it clear that this is still Procol Harum after all. In retrospect this album is a bridge between the epic first three albums by the group and the rest of their 1970s recordings, which moved beyond the initial concept, which started with the formative "A Whiter Shade Of Pale". The album still sounds great after all those years, and is a refreshing experience for people who have not listened to it for a while. It seems that everything that Rock had to say was more or less already articulated by 1970. To the many fans of the group this is of course a must have item in their collections. An evergreen by all means!

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

CD 2 Digipak Oversampling Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

SOUNDING SOCIETY ~ HOMECOMING MEDLEY GOTTA LET IT OUT 54 (Barcode: 5707471088548) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2021 Released: 2023 This is the debut album by the Sounding SocietyFind albums by this artist quartet, founded by Polish (resident in Denmark) bassist / composer Tomo JacobsonFind albums by this artist and including Polish drummer / composer Szymon GasiorekFind albums by this artist, Italian gong player and healer Ylenia FioriniFind albums by this artist and Danish keyboardist Rasmus Kjaer LarsenFind albums by this artist. The album presents a four-piece continuous piece of music, assumably spontaneously created by the four musicians. Jacobson owns the Gotta Let It OutFind albums on this label label, which released over 50 albums since its inception less than a decade ago, with some of the most thought-provoking Improvising Music currently recorded. He is also a prolific recording artists / bandleader, who seems to be completely unbounded by any conventions or musical boundaries and personifies the “Free Spirit” approach on the contemporary European music scene. This album is a modern version of the New Age idiom, which was explosively popular by the end of the Last Millennium, but died soon after in a self-decaying process of boredom and pretentiousness. This new attempt of reviving the genre is undoubtedly more intelligent and spiritually closer to the New Age concept of searching for new experiences, combining Improvised Music with the meditative tranquility rather than floating on nauseating melodic sweetness. As such, this music is challenging and spiritually engrossing, especially for listeners prone to such trends. Personally, I can appreciate the effort and the energy the musicians employ to create this music, but it leaves me rather cold. Overall, this is another facet of the highly prolific and searching activity by Jacobson, which should be admired for its intensity, dedication, consistency and hard work. This particular music is highly personal and will interest listeners, who have a pre-disposition to the spiritual New Age idiom, rather than Improvised Music per se, but the Artistry cannot be denied.

Updated: 16/03/2023Posted: 16/03/2023

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

STEVE SWALLOW ~ HOME ECM 1160 (Barcode: 602567434870) ~ USA ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 1979 Released: 2019 This is a reissue of the debut album as a leader by American bassist / composer / bandleader Steve SwallowFind albums by this artist and his second release on the ECMFind albums on this label label, following the duo album with Gary BurtonFind albums by this artist entitled “Hotel HelloFind albums with this title”, released five years earlier. The album was recorded in a sextet setting with vocalist Sheila JordanFind albums by this artist, pianist Steve KuhnFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Dave LiebmanFind albums by this artist, synthesizer player Lyle MaysFind albums by this artist and drummer Bob MosesFind albums by this artist, and it presents ten tracks, all composed by Swallow, with lyrics by the American poet Robert CreeleyFind albums by this artist. The music is strongly melodic and often outright romantic, perfectly suiting the “Jazz & Poetry” idiom and the idiosyncratic poetry by Creeley, who was a magician of the poetic expression and could tell a story in just a very few words. Jordan, my favorite American Jazz vocalist, is absolutely perfect for the role of the storyteller, and albeit the fact that the lyrics are often minimalist, she sets the mood for the entire album. The music is quite mainstream oriented, with most of the melodic content carried by Kuhn, who is brilliant as always. Surprisingly, Liebman plays some of the most well-behaved saxophone solos of his career on this album, without pushing the boundaries. Mays stays mostly in the background, as does Moses, but Swallow’s round bass lines are firmly present. Overall, this is a very well-played and sung “Jazz & Poetry” album, with excellent contributions by all the participants, but does not break any new ground or demands a particular intellectual effort to enjoy the music for what it is.

Updated: 11/10/2024Posted: 11/10/2024

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend