Shakedown Street – GRATEFUL DEAD***

Good Lovin’/France/Shakedown Street/Serengetti/Fire On The Mountain/I Need A Miracle/From The Heart Of Me/Stagger Lee/All New Minglewood Blues/If I Had The World To Give

The Grateful Dead embraced a variety of musical styles but Shakedown Street was the first which introduced a disco influence, a rather surprising innovation for a traditionally blues-rock band. (US:41)

“An underrated gem from the Grateful Dead. This album starts out very strong and stays close to that level throughout. The disco influence is slight, a little bit in the drumming and wah-wah guitar on the title track, but this is clean, catchy well played upbeat rock.”

“Shakedown Street's title track shows the Dead adapting shockingly well to the disco era, transforming their normal rhythmic interplay into a slick, grooving strut. The remainder of the album sees them tackling similarly funky sounds. The rough-edged blues of I Need A Miracle and the Caribbean tinged Fire On The Mountain would become set list staples, and their Latin-flavoured version of The Rascals' '60s rock classic Good Lovin' is one of the band's most beloved covers.”

“One thing that makes Shakedown Street so great is the fact that the band’s recent mix of blues and jazz, with their traditional rock sound, is now spiced up with a little production slickness and a lot of funk. The title track is a perfect example, it's silly, catchy and deeply into an R & B/funk flavour.”

“No matter what anyone thinks about Shakedown Street overall, it's impossible to deny the incredible melody that Fire On The Mountain possesses. I love it to pieces. The mood is really mellow and reminds me of the twilight hours when everything is settling down as you drive across the highway and just take it easy.”

“As a newly appointed 'Deadhead' I have to say that this album was a pleasant surprise. As you can tell from the reviews this is not one of the Dead's most likable albums. Maybe it's the purists that are still praising the material from the 60s and early 70s needlessly maligning this album, but for what ever reason just give it a chance.”

“Not a bad album at all. It's just that in comparison to everything the Grateful Dead did before this, it falls short. Don't expect several minutes of guitar jams.”

Backless - ERIC CLAPTON***

Walk Out In The Rain/Watch Out For Lucy/I'll Make Love To You Anytime/Roll It/Tell Me That You Love Me/If I Don't Be There By Morning/Early In The Morning/Promises/Golden Ring/Tulsa Time

The glory days with Cream are long gone for guitar ace Eric Clapton. What we have with Backless is yet another soporific album with scarcely any memorable tracks. (US:8 UK:18)

“Very typical, easy-rolling Clapton album of its time. Perhaps he could have waited a year or two for better inspiration instead of recording those similar-sounding albums year in and year out, but in all honesty its unrealistic to expect masterpiece every time.”

“Once again it seems aliens may have kidnapped our hero and replaced him with some complacent laid back very average guitar player. To go from The Yardbirds to Cream to this stuff is almost shameful. So much talent gone to waste.”

“An album that is not really able to keep my attention for very long. Seems like I have to listen too intently to it to pick up on Clapton's playing, and nothing much on the album really gets me. The songs are fairly general rock/blues sort of tunes, none of which really turn my ear.”

“Like many Clapton albums from this era it lacks a truly great song. Early In The Morning, easily the most blues inspired track on the album, is a glimpse into Clapton’s past stylings but still doesn’t show his masterful guitar work.”

“This is overall an enjoyable listen, even though it may be difficult to distinguish from a number of other Clapton albums from the same period. There are a couple of terrific songs with the love gone wrong theme of Promises and the rockabilly fun Tulsa Time.”

“This underappreciated classic shows Clapton developing into an all-round musician with R & B, soul, ballads and straight ahead rock n' roll. His playing is sensitive yet fiery and others on the sessions are crack musicians in their own rights.”

“Periodically throughout Eric Clapton's solo career, his music mellows out to such an extent that it barely resembles rock 'n' roll. Here the country is mellow, the blues are mellow, and even the rockers are mellow. This is easy listening for classic rock fans.”

Incantations - MIKE OLDFIELD***

Incantations Part One/Incantations Part Two/Incantations Part Three/Incantations Part Four

Incantations was an overlong and repetitive instrumental double album from Mike Oldfield. It would have clearly benefited by being condensed into a single album, similar to his previous releases. (UK:14)

“I think the running time is the major issue here. Any album clocking in over 70 minutes is going to find keeping the listener's attention a challenge at times, and the material here is repetitive enough that I don't find it rewarding to listen to the whole thing in one sitting compared to Tubular Bells. However, taken as individual tracks, the various parts of this whole are as good as ever.”

“Each part is distinctive, but they form a very consistent entirety, and it never sounds like a mere showcase of different instruments.” “You get double the amount of filler which fortunately is not that great an amount on any of Mike Oldfield's early albums. The other weakness is the propensity to lose the listener's attention which seems inevitable for an album of this length, especially one that relies a lot on ambience, textures and repetition.”

“Incantations is what you can safely call an ambitious affair. Four side long compositions are certain to conjure up expectations of progressive greatness. The musical concept is quite progressive as Mike Oldfield makes extensive use of the circle of fifths and makes it a mission to modulate through all twelve keys, before moving forward with the next section of a track. Some sections therefore seem very long, although they are played in different keys and therefore do evolve.”

“The biggest problem here is the lack of editing, selectivity, and conciseness. We end up with the same melodies repeated ad nauseum. After listening to so much of the same for so long, I ended up editing the long-winded melodies down to the real core of the music. It's probably less than half the length of the original score, but is more enjoyable.”

“This is still adventurous, romantic music but some of melodies just drag on and on. Some parts are good, but overall there's too much going wrong to make this a complete success. I can't help but feel that a little condensing here and trimming there would have made for a more accomplished album.”

Singles 1974-1978 - THE CARPENTERS****

Sweet Sweet Smile/Jambalaya/Can't Smile Without You/I Won't Last A Day Without You/Al You Get From Love Is A Love Song/Only Yesterday/Solitaire/Please Mr Postman/I Need To Be In Love/Happy/There's A Kind Of Hush/Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft

Singles 1974-1978 was the companion compilation album to The Carpenters first released four years earlier. Whilst it doesn’t reach the heights of its predecessor, it is still nevertheless an enjoyable listen, featuring the pristine vocals of Karen Carpenter. (UK:2)

“The follow-up to the hugely successful 1969-1973 previous greatest hits collection, perhaps inevitably shows a dilution of the style and substance of its predecessor. It can't match the individual song quality of the earlier set, but has its moments all the same.”

“All around, a good album to listen to. Karen had such an unmistakeable and unforgettable voice. I think this collection exhibits more of her vocal range than the more popular earlier collection does. The Carpenters style was changing in the mid 70s and they were experimenting a bit with different sounds. Even so, this is easy to listen to and has some memorable songs.”

“The album is filled with pop songs typical of The Carpenters, a mix of great originals and classic covers. The music here is brilliant although there are plenty of more comprehensive compilations available these days.”

“If only we had music like this being produced today, with such clear singing, wonderful melody and just an absolute joy to relax and listen to.”

“The second hits compilation by The Carpenters wasn't dealing from strength nearly as much as its predecessor. The years covered on The Singles 1974-1978, by contrast, represent the point where their really big hits had stopped. However, what is here comes off today as perfectly good, eminently listenable soft rock. It is great fun, even if the best material here isn't much more than an echo of the convergence of music, moment and talent represented by the duo's first four years of work.”

Blondes Have More Fun - ROD STEWART***

Da Ya Think I'm Sexy/Dirty Weekend/Ain't Love A Bitch/The Best Days Of My Life/Is That The Thanks I Get/ Attractive Female Wanted/Blondes (Have More Fun)/Last Summer/Standin' In The Shadows Of Love/Scarred & Scared

Rod Stewart built his reputation as a good time rock vocalist with The Faces. With Blondes Have More Fun he sells out to disco much to the dismay of critics. Features the US and UK No. 1 hit Da Ya Think I’m Sexy. (US:1 UK:3)

“Stylistically Blondes Have More Fun is all over the map. You've got disco, reggae, rock 'n' roll, country-rock and I'm sure I've missed a few genres. The impression I get was that Rod had a hit on his hands and he needed more songs to fill up the rest of the album.”

“Blondes Have More Fun is a perfect example of the shallow, hedonistic, and frankly embarrassing attitudes of the late 70s in general, and the disco era in particular. This album has all the depth of a thimble. Da Ya Think I'm Sexy is all the proof you need, but there are even more blatant examples of excess further into the album.”

“Rod Stewart goes disco, and it's really bad. I used to hate Da Ya Think I'm Sexy, but it's the promised land compared to the rest of this vain blunder of an album. It's the only track really worth giving a chance. As for the rest of the tracks, reading along to the lyrics while listening is good for a laugh.”

“This was not a good career move. What a change from the glory days of the early 1970s for Rod Stewart. Change is good, but not this kind of change.”

“Stewart goes disco, how embarrassing. This was the album that began to erode all the hard-earned credibility he had built up in the late 60s and early 70s.”

“As one of the most appalling sell-outs in music history, Da Ya Think I'm Sexy also ranks as one of the worst songs of the dreaded disco era of the late 70s. From here Rod Stewart headed rapidly downhill. This album is of significance only in that it documents this slide.”

“Da Ya Think I'm Sexy is the only disco song on the album, and while the rest of it isn't vintage Rod Stewart music, it's not bad. In fact there are some songs that are high quality. Also, if you take the big hit for what it is, it is a catchy piece of music.”

Greatest Hits Vol. 2 - BARBRA STREISAND*****

Love Theme From A Star Is Born/Love Theme From The Eyes Of Laura Mars/My Heart Belongs To Me/ Songbird/You Don't Bring Me Flowers/The Way We Were/Sweet Inspiration-Where You Lead/All In Love Is Fair/Superman/Stoney End

Renowned songstress Barbra Streisand’s second compilation album sold considerably better than her first, a testament to her enduring popularity. Greatest Hits Vol. 2 covers a period when she made some tentative moves towards embracing a more contemporary pop sound. (US:1 UK:1)

“This compilation covered her career from 1970 to 1978.The one new song became a signature ballad for her, of course I'm referring to You Don't Bring Me Flowers with Neil Diamond. This was an interesting time in her career where she experimented with various styles.”

“No need to introduce each of the songs individually. What's important is the total package: the even flow of lyric and melody, the voice that will be talked about long after we're all long departed from this world. Barbra's perfectionism is why the production and arrangements remain flawless. You can hear how each song has been personally sculpted by this songbird.”

“If this collection represents Barbra's best recordings from the 70s decade, you know she's in deep trouble. Not because she's not the fabulous singer we all know she is but because it's painfully obvious she's at best a mediocre pop stylist and arguably even out of her depth in this genre. If truth be told, Barbra, the singer of contemporary pop material, can't hold a candle to Barbra, the jazz and stage artiste.”

“This covers the most commercially successful period of her lengthy career. Many self-styled experts malign this time as being artistically deficient but, as we have all been told, beauty is in the eye, or ear, of the beholder.”

“In the final analysis, this collection is very much a matter of individual taste. Those who enjoy Streisand's unique vocal style will find it tremendously enjoyable. Others may not be so kind in their assessment.”

“This collection presents Barbra Streisand at her prime as a recording artist. The program is a flawless balance of actual chart hits and treasured album tracks that sound as if they should have been hits.”

Jazz - QUEEN*****

Mustapha/Fat Bottomed Girls/Jealousy/Bicycle Race/If You Can't Beat Them/Let Me Entertain You/Dead On Time/In Only Seven Days/Dreamer's Ball/Fun It/Leaving Home Ain't Easy/Don't Sop Me Now/Don't Stop That Jazz

Queen maintained their status as the premier rock band with the release of the misleadingly titled Jazz. It is a dazzling mixture of tracks in a variety of genres. Bicycle Race and Don’t Stop Me Now were UK top 20 hits. (US:6 UK:2)

“There is something for everyone on Jazz and it all comes together in a perfect way. The musicianship is second to none with each member at the top of his game. The vocals of all three major contributors are superb, with Freddie quite awesomely showing he can sing just about any type of song. The variety of the songs doesn’t intrude on each other, somehow they all tend to mesh together perfectly despite the wide range of influences that come into them.”

“Jazz is the culmination of Queen's super 70s trip. Extremely eclectic and manic it varies from hard rock to sweet ballads to pop rock to Arabic parodies to top 40 material. Somehow, the band managed to blend a library of musical genres into this collection. This LP sums up the free form exploratory nature of Queen's playful side. Impossible to categorise and yet eminently listenable.”

“With Jazz, the band delivered a record that remains cohesive despite being ridiculously diverse. The magic ingredient here is an overdose of bombast bordering on campiness. Queen had always been over-the-top, but here they practically become a parody of themselves.”

“Jazz marks an important transition in the development of Queen's music. At this point they were quite consciously stepping away from both glam rock and anthemic crowd pleasers, without having arrived at their future destination yet. This is not such a bad thing because, as it turns out, the transition would be more interesting than the destination.”

“This album could be considered as the bridge between the classic rock Queen sound of the seventies to the more commercial style of their eighties. Jazz is literally crammed with classic tracks, an essential listen for anyone interested in this classic British band.”