Paul Kantner Rock and Roll Orchestra

Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra

 

 

this is a very good, very under-rated little record from paul kantner, grace slick, and friends. it is the sequel to the 1970 release, "blows against the empire", and it picks up the story where all the hippies have finally found a way to leave this planet (and its war-mongering ways). it turns out that high-jacking a starship as they originally planned - would not work. so here they've enlisted the help of a telepathic woman, who will teach her ways to all the others in the group. they will then use their powers ....... really though, it's a great story and after having listened to the 1970 release a half million times, i recall being quite happy to hear the sequel 10 years later. i wish it were available on cd, as some of the cuts are really hot (jerry garcia on "mountain song" is one exceptionally hot little number).

 

 

Paul Kantner's "Planet Earth Rock And Roll Orchestra" (1983), is a great album that has never seen the light of day on CD. (This has to be a lapse of judgement at the label?!). The title track is so mesmerizing, other great songs are, "(She's Is A) Telepath", "The Mountain Song", with the late Jerry Garcia, "Circle Of Fire", and "Let's Go".
Grace Slick, Ronnie Montrose and most of Jefferson Airplane/Starship members appear here. This would be Paul's last solo album, before forming the KBC Band in 1986. I plea to someone, please release this, it's a very good album. 

The Plateaux of Mirror

Plateux of Mirrors

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just have to say, I don't know what it is that this album does to me. It puts me into some very, very calm zoned out mode. I can't explain it, maybe this is how people feel after serious meditation and yoga. Just so relaxing and mellow. Honestly, my stress and worry are put aside when I put this CD in. I just can't put into words the mood/zone it puts me in, almost a spiritual feeling. Odd that music can do that huh? Especially these 3 songs on this CD make me feel like I just popped a valium: Not Yet Remembered, First Light, Failing Light.
When I need to balance out my thoughts, return to my inner peace. I play this CD. WHich has to be my all time favorite Eno CD. It even makes my mean cat sit down and stretch out and close his eyes (honest). Picture yourself on a fall day, it is dreary and overcast, there is a breeze, leaves blowing past you, and you are sitting on the edge of water, like a river or lake, and feel this incredible sense of well being ..If you check it out, just remember it is ambience and instrumental.

 

 

 

 

 



Emerson Lake and Palmer-Brain Salad Surgery

Brain Salad Surgery

 



The opening track "Jerusalem" which is the classic English church hymn that Parry and Blake wrote and ELP made their own. It was to be released as as single but the BBC complained. Next is the band's excellent take of Alberto Ginastera's "Toccata" is an example of the greatest honor a musical arrangement can get : the admiration of the composer. The legendary Argentinean composer Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983) once said and I quote "Keith Emerson has beautifully caught the mood of my piece", end quote. It's possible to understand better the original version of Ginastera's fourth movement of the first piano concerto after hearing BSS. Also, Carl Palmer's percussion and innovative electronic percussion solo was years ahead of its time. Next was the rejected first single from the album which was the Lake penned ballad "Still.... You Turn Me On" which is another classic Lake acoustic ballad in the vein of "Lucky Man" and "From the Beginning". Then we have the hilarious "Benny the Bouncer" which tells the tale of a bouncer who thinks he is a big shot before he gets his just desserts and the lesson learned in this song is "THE BIGGER THEY COME THE HARDER THEY FALL".
The rest of the album is the 29 plus minute epic "Karn Evil 9" (the name comes from the word carnival). The first part of the First Impression of "Karn Evil 9" is a long tense increasing in its first part, violent Hammond and synthesizer sounds, syncopated rhythms and a very wise impressing appearance of new motifs almost without notice - a skilful dealing with larger forms, culminating in a plain and somehow lighter guitar solo which ends the first part of the First Impression.
On the vinyl, one had to turn to Side Two to hear the First Impression's second part via fade out on the end of Side 1 and fade in at the beginning of Side 2. The first Victory Music CD Remastering engineer Joseph Palmaccio removes the fade out and joins the second section of the First Impression. In this is ELP's most famous US FM rock radio staple with the immortal lines "Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends" and "come and see the show" and excellent guitar work from Lake. The Second Impression has the band doing a jazz fusion induced jam with some synth effects to sound like Carribean steel drums. The Third Impression is the most melodic part of the piece and has very provocating lyrics (with Greg Lake's ex-King Crimson bandmate Pete Sinfield helping on lyrical contribution) and technology decry with lyrics like "load your program I am Yourself" pre-dating computer programs that now dominate one's lives. Furthermore, Keith does the voice of the computer in one of the first uses of vocoder in rock music. Also the ending is one of the wildest endings to a rock album ever.
Brain Salad Surgery became ELP's fifth US Top 20 album reaching #11 but sales wise is ELP's biggest US seller and the album one should start interest in ELP with (I did in 1996 and didn't look back).
There are a few remasters out. The first was by Victory Music in 1993 (which Sanctuary Music in the UK reissued after they controversially issued an alternate mix of the album). Then when Victory Music folded, Rhino re-released the same remaster in 1996 with a 3-D cover and interview track with ELP and Sinfield. Now there's the remaster that Shout Factory! released which is alright (I cannot tell a difference in remastering, beats the alternate mix remasters that Castle/Sanctuary put out which had an alternate mix of the album) but I do like the fact it's repackaged like the original vinyl LP.

Captain Beefheart-Strictly Personal

Strictly Personal

This album has gotten a bad rap for it's over the top production but I don't care! It's an amazing album and could be the one of the most hallucinatory albums ever recorded! I just played it back to back twice! If the only Beefheart you know is Trout Mask, then you may be shocked to hear this, which is more coherent and rooted in both blues and "song" structure, though in both the Captain proves(as usual) extremely adventerous, inventive and innovative. The album just builds and builds right to the very end...the epic Kandy Korn which has one of the most stunning finales ever! Safe As Milk and Trust Us are unbelievable nuggets and there are two wild psycho-blues workouts that have to be heard to believed(Son of Mirror Man and Gimme That Harp, Boy) Admittedly, some of the production takes the guts out of the guitars but I don't mind the phasing on the vocals. It definitley feels like a totally cohesive, unified album....it just happens to be an acidy album! Finally, if you happen to be a connesiuer of the outer edges of late 60's rock (let's say Skip Spence or Syd Barrett or even Grateful Dead, Zappa or King Crimson) but found Trout Mask Replica too abrasive and scary or found Safe As Milk too mid 60's-ish-early-in-the-career-kind-of-feel,then this album may be the missing link for you! It was for me

Beattle Yellow submarine Movie

Yellow Submarine The Movie

YELLOW SUBMARINE, simply put, is one weird movie. They take elements of The Beatles mythology and throw it all together and end up with a place called Pepperland which, for some strange reason (I don't think the film says why, though I may be wrong) is being invaded by Blue Meanies. Oh yes...... The Blue Meanies want to make everything blue. It has the very hippy or 1960s message of love and music will save the day, which is what happens. Through the way we get several visually dynamic (and altogether strange) music video segments. The Beatles were ahead of their times, let me tell you. I AM THE WALRUS is one of the first music videos.

Anyway, its campy fun, though when watching the film it seems a lot longer than it actually is. The animation portrays a convoluted world, full of unique beings found only in a drug-induced cosmos. Throw that in with the fact its mainly about The Beatles, and we have a very trippy and fun movie. Jeremy is the most memorable character.

And no, The Beatles do not play themselves. In that respect, this isn't really a Beatles movie at all, its just a film produced by their company about them, and they did a little afterword (you see them for like a minute or 2). It also put in the excised "Hey Bulldog" sequence from the American version. They advertised that there was a lost Beatles song that would be included with the new release of Yellow Submarine. It wasn't a song at all, just the lost footage. Liars. No, I'm not bitter at all!

Bob Dylan- Blonde on Blonde

Blonde on Blonde

We all know about this album as being a classic. The great musicianship of Al kooper and Robbie Robertson coupled with Dylan's songwriting make this and Highway 61 among Dylan's best albums. A majority of buyers doubtless own this already and are pondering jumping on the reissue wagon again. The packaging of the reissue is well done compared to the barebones earlier issue. I am probably in the minority, but I always thought the previous cd issue of this particular album (though not some of the other dylan discs) sounded pretty good. I have grown so used to it that the reissue somehow does'nt sound right in comparison. I got the re-release partly based on the recommendations posted here. I use a cd player only, and as a cd I found the reissue not as enjoyable to listen to. True there are a few more details on the new mix, from an analytical standpoint it may be "better". I put on the reissue and did'nt really find myself enjoying the music. I then played the original disc and found it to be more relaxed and enjoyable. One thing I noticed is Al Koopers organ on "Visions of Johanna" is underneath the mix on the reissue, coming through thin and faintly. Kooper's musicianship is more readily appreciated on the original disc. The vocals on all the tunes sound a bit warmer and natural on the original disc too, though they might not be as "clear" as the reissue. The guitars, especially Dylan's acoustic, sound better with less clarity on the original disc, the reissue brings them out a little more, while this initially may seem "better", eventually it is not, bringing out more of a tin sound. I'm not sure that greater clarity and resolution always make old rock recordings more enjoyable. I did find "Blood on the Tracks" to be superior to the previous cd version, being consistantly more musical. Overall I can't say the same for the "Blonde on Blonde" reissue, which is more ambiguous... neither version is anything to write home about from a strictly sonic standpoint- collector's may want this one for the variation of content though. If you want to hear the best recording available from this period of Dylan's voice, guitar, and harmonica in emotionally moving performances, play the acoustic set disc one of "live 1966".