Emitt Rhodes- EMITT RHODES***

With My Face On The Floor/Somebody Made For Me/She's Such A Beauty/Long Time No See/Lullaby/Fresh As A Daisy/Live Till You Die/Promises I've Made/You Take The Dark Out Of The Night/You Should Be Ashamed/Ever Find Yourself Running/You Must Have

Eponymous debut album from Emitt Rhodes, lead singer of the not too well known California pop group The Merry-Go-Round. He plays all the instruments himself and critics have likened him to Paul McCartney. (US:29)

“Not only does Mr. Rhodes sound a little bit like Paul, but the music is similar to early solo McCartney and even a slightly more polished early Beatles sound. Simple pop song structures, bouncy guitars, and great vocal harmonies are the common theme throughout.”

“This is the true definition of a solo album. Every instrument was recorded by Emitt himself, and it comprises the best McCartney imitation this side of McCartney himself. I prefer this album to the vast majority of McCartney's own solo albums. Check this one out if you're a fan of power pop.”

“The kind of thing people were probably expecting from McCartney when the Beatles broke up, Beatlesque driving melodic power pop, nearly every song a piano banging smooth bass harmony laden light-as-air fun piece.”

“There's not a false note on the album, it's exquisitely crafted with everything working together to make the whole more than the sum of its deceptively simple parts. Anyone who likes classic Beatles style power pop done with melody, soul and grace will bless the day they bought this album.”

“Well, this does sound like a McCartney solo record. Although Emitt does play all the instruments here, which is pretty ambitious, the record doesn't have too much variation - it's just solid, but not often great, power pop.”

“Comparable to Paul McCartney in only the most superficial way, this is engaging and heartfelt stuff. Coyly post-psychedelic, there is an unmistakable power pop framework being laid here.”

“A good, if not derivative collection of songs by Rhodes. It is the artist's skill as an arranger that makes this an enjoyable listen. He performed all of the parts on the album, and while most of the tracks are distinctively McCartneyian, a hooky guitar riff or super-vibey drum part makes all of the difference.”

Soundtracks - CAN**

Deadlock/Tango Whiskeyman/Deadlock/Don't Turn The Light On Leave Me Alone/Soul Desert/Mother Sky/She Brings The Rain

Soundtracks was the second album release from the experimental avant-garde German group Can. As the title suggests it comprises a compilation of tracks made originally for films, and features two different vocalists.

“A strangely pop/rock-like album with the classical Can vibe, occasionally melancholic in a magnificent way. Although Mother Sky is one of Can’s famous instant compositions, it sounds almost like traditional rock madness to me, albeit of the highest degree.”

“From the classic Can albums, this is probably the one I like the least, maybe because the songs don't seem to be integrated with one another. Since this album is a compilation of soundtracks for different movies, it's perfectly normal. This doesn't mean they aren't good, on the contrary, the whole album is good - not mind-blowing.”

“As the title suggests this album is a collection of tracks that were written for various films, the first three tracks being for the film Deadlock. Despite being composed for different releases, this album still feels like it could have been a real Can album with the exception of the final track.”

“This is much better than people are led to believe. And due to lack of noise collages, it's actually one of their most consistent records. Sure there is no underlying theme here, and She Brings The Rain doesn't really fit with the other songs in terms of mood, but who cares. Every song here stands up and Deadlock is perhaps as awesome as anything they've ever done.”

“Even if this is a movie soundtrack some of the songs are just unbelievably great. For example the album opens with two absolutely perfect songs Deadlock and Tango Whiskeyman. Mother Sky, over fourteen minutes long, is a killer krautrock number with some really nice guitar work. The album ends with She Brings The Rain which is totally different from the rest of the tracks.”

“Soundtracks will be automatically interesting to Can fans as a document of the time period ranging from the end of Malcolm Mooney's tenure as lead singer to the early phases of Damo Suzuki's stint in the band. Of the two, Suzuki is the one who impresses the most, simply because he gets up to speed with the band almost instantaneously.”

If I Could Do It All Over Again - CARAVAN***

If I Could Do It All Over Again/And I Wish I Were Stoned-Don't Worry/As I Feel I Die/With An Ear To The Ground- Martinian-Only Cox/Hello Hello/Asforteri/Can't Be Long Now-Francoise-For Richard-Warlock/Limits

The follow up album from the Canterbury progressive band Caravan, that achieved critical plaudits but only limited commercial success. It was quite an achievement that such a relatively small city could produce such a wealth of creative musical talent in such a short period of time.

“Caravan's second album shows a startling amount of growth since their debut. In the two years since they issued that psych-pop charmer they'd honed their craft, improved their songwriting, developed a taste for epics, started flirting with a little jazz-rock, and become the tight unit seen on this album. The band had gone from psychedelic followers to innovators in their own right, presenting a vision of psychedelic jazz-influenced prog with a mellower and sunnier attitude than the Softs, with the occasional outbreak of more energetic playing.”

“If you enjoy a psychedelic lilt to your music, then this is definitely the Caravan album to begin the exploration of their sound. There are some long songs, like little sonatas that have lovely dense texture. I believe that the keyboard player overdubbed his parts, with a guest artist providing very jazzy sax and flute melodies. Their lead guitar player also provides a lot of punch, and other nice touches, to the mix.”

“Caravan's psychedelic sound is all gone on this album: the organ and the guitars are now always hand in hand, the musicianship is more elaborate and the overall sound is of a pretty noticeable change. The structure of these songs are much more complex and studied, making this record one that leaves all innocence behind and heads towards the epic pathways of progressive.”

“An underrated band with a capacity for turning out insanely catchy pop melodies that most prog groups simply don't possess.”

“We all know that the Canterbury bands produced sounds that were a little whimsical. Among all of the bands in this genre, the music of Caravan is the most entertaining. They truly developed a way to merge the prog with the pop elements and make the mood appealing.”

“I believe that this is one of the best Canterbury prog rock albums, and also one of the best English rock records. Something magic happened during these sessions and Caravan never made another one quite like this.”

Mad Shadows - MOTT THE HOOPLE***

Thunderbuck Ram/No Wheels To Ride/You Are One Of Us/Walking With A Mountain/I Can Feel/Threads Of Iron/ When My Minds Gone

Mad Shadows was the follow up album from Mott The Hoople which reflected their early hard rock style under the guiding spirit of melodramatic vocalist and songwriter Ian Hunter. (UK:48)

“Constant gigs apparently took its toll on the band in the studio, as Mad Shadows attests. The songs are dark psychodramas, set to heavy strum and drang arrangements. Ian Hunter's vocals are raw and strained from so many live gigs. The songs were recorded live in the studio with no overdubs, so mistakes mar but also led credence to the dark feel of the music. However, the songs themselves are more consistent than on their debut.”

“Round two of the Mott experiment opened at the dawn of a new decade, one in which the group would claim some credit for shaping the glam rock musical landscape of Britain in the early Seventies.”

“Their sound is starting to solidify and it shows. The vibe is cool Stones like medium intensity guitar oriented rock with a smooth but limited lead singer.”

“Thunderbuck Ram opens the album strongly, but the rest seem mired in mediocrity. This one showcases their typically passionate ballads, featuring Hunter's melodramatic vocals, but thankfully also includes a couple of decent prog rockers.”

“Mad Shadows has the deep texture of the debut, but does it much better. It has everything from Stones-rock, power ballads, and even heavy metal. No other group was able to merge Dylan and the Stones as well as Mott.”

"Walking With A Mountain became a Mott's anthem and remained a concert favourite throughout their career. Opener Thunderbuck Ram featured Mick Ralphs on lead vocal and is a suitably moody hard rock song. Threads Of Iron and You Are One Of Us are probably the two next best with the other songs being just okay.”

"Thunderbuck Ram is a deadly opener as is the power ballad No Wheels To Ride. The dynamics on the whole album are incredible, the mix is warm; the bass is very high, even by 1970s standards.”

“As they had already shown on stage, Mott The Hoople came to rock and they indeed rock hard here with a million electric guitars.”

U - THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND***

El Wool Suite/The Juggler's Song/Time/Bad Sadie Lee/Queen Of Love/Partial Belated Overture/Light In Time Of Darkness-Glad To See You/Walking Along With You/Hirem Pawnitof-Fairies Hornpipe/Bridge Theme/Bridge Song/Astral Plane Theme/Invocation/Robot Blues/Puppet Song/Cutting The Strings/I Know You/Rainbow

U was a double LP from The Incredible String Band showcasing a variety of exotic musical styles. It originated in an experimental multimedia collaboration with a theatrical group. (US:183 UK:34)

“This one finally breaks the straight acoustic folk chains, opting for at least some progressive elements, including some eastern flavoured material with exotic acoustic instrumentation. Male/female vocals are also a welcome addition.”

“This album is unusual even by the broad standards set by the band as it documents the soundtrack of an ambitious stage programme with pantomimist Malcolm Le Maistre and his theatrical group Stone Monkey, an innovative performance involving multimedia, definitely way ahead of its time. The music is truly up to the task and holds water on its own. Although not easy listening, this is exceptional music, which loses none of its inspiration and quality over time.”

“Here you have a masterpiece comprising a mixture of world music and psychedelic folk. Some tracks have got long improvisation, which could be boring for some, but the acoustic atmosphere is really magic, so pure and great.”

“While there are many tunes in here that are in the spirit of The String Band's previous albums, there are some very offbeat tunes that sounded very 1970s folk with a large twist of children's music thrown into the recipe.”

“ISB range from their normal Anglo fairy-folk into Indian ragas, blues, rock & roll, mock-cowboy songs and long progressive instrumentals. Even though parts of it are gratingly awful, others are among the best pieces in their oeuvre. Such genreexploding variety is almost never heard these days and they must be given huge points for the effort.”

“Probably their greatest work with a variety only equalled by the White Album. Nevertheless I am glad that I don't have to go through the pantomime and dances. It is not a beginner’s album to the ISB, it's the highlight.”

Fun House - THE STOOGES**

On The Down Street/Loose/TV Eye/Dirt/1970/Fun House/LA Blues

Fun House by The Stooges, led by vocalist Iggy Pop, was an early expression of nihilistic punk rock. Although a total minority interest in 1970 this dubious sub-genre would erupt into public consciousness later in the decade.

“Fun House is my favourite Stooge’s release. Iggy's voice was a hard hitting whip, the guitar was like a flame-thrower, the drums like a machine gun, and the bass like a rifle, and saxophone as a brief explosion. Really just a huge jam with vocals.”

“Raw energy pressed on to vinyl. Guitars and saxophone pressuring down on your eardrum to the point where you can't help but dance and sweat. At a certain point the structure of the songs ceases to matter at all and you're just caught in the feeling.”

“The album that ended The Stooges short tenure with Elektra Records, Fun House is a chaotic seven song crash 'n' bash set that sounds as if it is coming apart at the seams.”

“No record or band ever pushed the concept of punk rock as far as this - not just aggressive two and three chord raucousness, but a little symphony that moves from startlingly predatory aggro-stomp to a free jazz-meets-garage-rock cacophony.”

“The feeble cry from most singers is nothing compared to the bestial dentist-drill-inyour- head scream from Iggy on Loose. A truly frightening journey.”

“Whether you believe in the use of the term 'proto-punk' or not; you must admit that this album is essential to what would later become punk rock. Iggy was one of the first 'on stage madmen,' acting strange.”

“Although Fun House was never really commercially successful when it was released back in 1970, it developed a cult following, garnering respect over the years as a major influence on punk, noise rock and alternative rock. The Stooges’ aggressive approach to music allowed them to stand-out at a time rock was becoming more and more radio friendly.”

“If you appreciate raw and evolutionary influential music, then you must give credit to this album even if you don't particularly care for its music. A ground breaking album that laid some of the foundations of what punk rock eventually became.”

Johnny Winter And - JOHNNY WINTER****

Guess I'll Go Away/Ain't That A Kindness/No Time To Live/Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo/Am I Here/Look Up/Prodigal Son/On The Limb/Let The Music Play/Nothing Left/Funky Music

Johnny Winter And moves the ace Texan guitarist away from his blues base towards a more hard rock sound, aided by former members of The McCoys, most notably Rick Derringer. (US:154 UK:29)

“The only Johnny Winter album with no blues tunes, it was cut on a single day. The rapport between Derringer and Winter is incredible. I love the funk of Ain't That A Kindness, and the soulful vocal on No Time To Live. But my two favourite tracks are probably Nothing Left and Prodigal Son, two Winter originals that show he could write heavy tunes with the best of them. Some real Hendrix influences here.”

“At the time of this record Jimi Hendrix hadn't been long dead. People were looking for a suitable guitarist to fill the void and Johnny Winter was the man for the job. From start to finish this recording is full of blistering, lightning fast guitar work. The single Rock & Roll Hootchie Koo blew me away. I have never heard such an attack displayed on six strings, and this experience has never been repeated since.”

“One of Winter's more rock oriented albums thanks to the addition of Rick Derringer and his fantastic guitar. Lots of toe-tappers and dual guitar blazing rock.” “The interplay between Winter's Texas blues-rock sound and Derringer's straightahead rock & roll style is incredible.”

“Johnny Winter And pairs Johnny Winter with the McCoys for an album of pure Texas blues-rock. This album set the tone for the hard rock/metal explosion to come, and features impressive interplay between Winter and Rick Derringer on guitars. Some songs are a bit tied to the times, but that's a minor quibble.”

“Hardcore blues rock fans may not enjoy this as much as his previous albums. However, the classic rock music present on Johnny Winter And is fair and certainly not worth passing over.”

“Still strongly rooted in the blues legacy, this is one of the strongest examples of early Southern rock. Derringer contributes some notable songs, which are rockier than the traditional Winter material and the blend of tunes works perfectly. Winter’s guitar pyrotechnics are of course the highlight time after time, but the entire album is just a superb trip down memory lane, when everything just sounded right.”